Chatterbox Embarks on a New Year of Slightly Obsessive Reading: Part the Third
This is a continuation of the topic Chatterbox Embarks on a New Year of Slightly Obsessive Reading: Part the Second.
This topic was continued by Chatterbox Embarks on a New Year of Slightly Obsessive Reading: Part the Fourth.
Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2015
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1Chatterbox
Time for a new thread, started with a new poem and a new picture! I'm starting all my threads this year with a poem by one of the so-called Romantic poets, and am going back to Wordsworth for March; and given our unseasonable first day of spring (another inch or two of snow overnight), I'm illustrating it with a picture of some crocuses fighting their way through to the daylight through snow. I suspect it will be a while yet before we see any flowers here!
Composed Upon Westminster Bridge
William Wordsworth
Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth like a garment wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky,
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did the sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
Composed Upon Westminster Bridge
William Wordsworth
Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth like a garment wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky,
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did the sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
2Chatterbox
Welcome to my reading salon! I'm not sure if this is quite how I imagine mine would be, but imagine the kind of literary conversations that the original of this replica of Gertrude Stein's literary salon on rue de Fleurus might have overheard??
I've been reading about Gertrude Stein and the circle of artists she and her brother patronized (in the original sense of that word) in the first decade of the 20th century in an excellent book that I'm just finishing.
Meanwhile, this particular thread is kind of its own salon, dedicated to chat about books and their contents. If you want to talk about the iniquities of governments or their leaders, or chat about sports or swap recipes or gossip, you'll probably have more fun elsewhere. I'd like to keep the focus on books, here -- and on what we have in common (a love for books and our constant quest for new and interesting reading material) rather than risk it collapsing into uncivil discourse.
My own reading has slowed down, if not always for great reasons (I've been sick, and dealing with a very sick cat) but in part that has been due to my efforts to include more non-fiction, which is a good thing. I'm also starting to feel like a hermit, thanks to the dreadful weather this winter, so I'll be very relieved when spring finally arrives. Between being snowed in for days at a time, and the sky-high heating bills, I'm frustrated. Cabin fever! So, time to turn to the books for relief...
I've been reading about Gertrude Stein and the circle of artists she and her brother patronized (in the original sense of that word) in the first decade of the 20th century in an excellent book that I'm just finishing.
Meanwhile, this particular thread is kind of its own salon, dedicated to chat about books and their contents. If you want to talk about the iniquities of governments or their leaders, or chat about sports or swap recipes or gossip, you'll probably have more fun elsewhere. I'd like to keep the focus on books, here -- and on what we have in common (a love for books and our constant quest for new and interesting reading material) rather than risk it collapsing into uncivil discourse.
My own reading has slowed down, if not always for great reasons (I've been sick, and dealing with a very sick cat) but in part that has been due to my efforts to include more non-fiction, which is a good thing. I'm also starting to feel like a hermit, thanks to the dreadful weather this winter, so I'll be very relieved when spring finally arrives. Between being snowed in for days at a time, and the sky-high heating bills, I'm frustrated. Cabin fever! So, time to turn to the books for relief...
3Chatterbox
Since I inevitably read far more than 75 books a year, I've decided this year to simply stop breaking it into groups of 75 and to try to keep two tickers going (one for the current 75, and the other for my cumulative reading). It's just extra fiddly work for me. I'll keep a single ticker, keeping tabs of my total reading, and I'll simply have it roll over a bit so that you never see more than 75 to 100 books at a time.
If you want to see what I have read earlier this year, you're welcome to page back through these threads, or just turn to my master list in "my library". As I complete a book, I'll rate it and add it to the list. You'll be able to see it by clicking on this link https://www.librarything.com/catalog/Chatterbox/booksreadin2015, or by going the long way around, to my books, and going to the tag labeled "Books Read in 2015". You can sort it anyway you want when you're there.
My guide to my ratings:
1.5 or less: A tree gave its life so that this book could be printed and distributed?
1.5 to 2.7: Are you really prepared to give up hours of your life for this?? I wouldn't recommend doing so...
2.8 to 3.3: Do you need something to fill in some time waiting to see the dentist? Either reasonably good within a ho-hum genre (chick lit or thrillers), something that's OK to read when you've nothing else with you, or that you'll find adequate to pass the time and forget later on.
3.4 to 3.8: Want to know what a thumping good read is like, or a book that has a fascinating premise, but doesn't quite deliver? This is where you'll find 'em.
3.9 to 4.4: So, you want a hearty endorsement? These books have what it takes to make me happy I read them.
4.5 to 5: The books that I wish I hadn't read yet, so I could experience the joy of discovering them again for the first time. Sometimes disquieting, sometimes sentimental faves, sometimes dramatic -- they are a highly personal/subjective collection!
The list!
1. Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm, 2.8 stars, READ 1/1/2015 (fiction)
2. Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers by Alexander McCall Smith, 3.5 stars, STARTED 1/1/15, FINISHED 1/2/15 (fiction)
3. Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn, 3.85 stars, STARTED 1/2/15, FINISHED 1/3/15 (fiction)
4. The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald, 4.5 stars, STARTED 1/2/15, FINISHED 1/3/15 (fiction)
5. To Dwell in Darkness by Deborah Crombie, 3.25 stars, STARTED 1/2/15, FINISHED 1/4/15 (fiction)
6. The Last Good Paradise by Tatjana Soli, 4.1 stars, STARTED 1/1/15, FINISHED 1/4/15 (fiction)
7. The War That Forged a Nation by James McPherson, 4.2, STARTED 1/5/15, FINISHED 1/7/15 (non-fiction)
8. The Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell, 4.35, STARTED 12/29/14, FINISHED 1/9/15 (audiobook) (fiction)
9. I Can't Begin to Tell You by Elizabeth Buchan, 4 stars, STARTED 1/6/15, FINISHED 1/10/15 (fiction)
10. The Fair Fight by Anna Ford STARTED, 4.7 stars, 1/5/15, FINISHED 1/10/15 (fiction)
11. Too Bad to Die by Francine Mathews STARTED, 3.5, 1/7/15, FINISHED 1/11/15 (fiction)
12. *The American Heiress by Dorothy Eden, 3.3, STARTED 1/8/15, FINISHED 1/11/15 (fiction)
13. King Lear by William Shakespeare, 4.5, STARTED 1/9/15, FINISHED 1/11/15 (drama)
14. Limonov by Emmanuel Carrère, 4.75, STARTED 1/4/15, FINISHED 1/12/15 (non-fiction)
15. Gwendolen by Diana Souhami, 3.25, STARTED 1/8/15, FINISHED 1/13/15 (fiction)
16. Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch, 4, STARTED 1/8/15, FINISHED 1/14/15 (fiction)
17. A Touch of Stardust by Kate Alcott, 4.15 READ 1/15/15 (fiction)
18. Department of Speculation by Jenny Offill, 4, STARTED 1/14/15, FINISHED 1/16/15 (fiction)
19. Day of Atonement by David Liss, 4.4, STARTED 1/14/15, FINISHED 12/18/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
20. The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter, 4.5, STARTED 1/15/15, FINISHED 1/17/15 (fiction)
21. All the Old Knives by Olen Steinhauer, 4.2 STARTED 1/18/15, FINISHED 1/19/15 (fiction)
22. Uncle Janice by Matt Burgess, 2.4, STARTED 1/14/15, FINISHED 1/19/15 (fiction)
23. Long Way Down by Jason Sears, 3.4, STARTED 1/17/15, FINISHED 1/19/15 (fiction)
24. As Good as Dead by Elizabeth Evans, 2, STARTED 12/28/14, FINISHED 1/20/14 (fiction)
25. A Spider in the Cup by Barbara Cleverly 3.1 STARTED 1/17/15, FINISHED 1/20/14 (fiction)
26. The Devil’s Company by David Liss, 4.5 STARTED 1/18/15, FINISHED 1/21/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
27. Sisters of Heart and Snow by Margaret Dilloway, 3.2 STARTED 1/19/15, FINISHED 1/21/15 (fiction)
28. Enter Pale Death by Barbara Cleverly, 3.2, STARTED 1/20/15, FINISHED 1/22/15 (fiction)
29. A Stranger in My Own Country by Hans Fallada, 4.7, STARTED 1/19/15, FINISHED 1/23/15 (non-fiction)
30. *The Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown, 3.9 STARTED 1/15/15, FINISHED 1/23/15 (fiction)
31. Wolf Winter by Cecilia Eckback, 2.75, STARTED 1/12/15, FINISHED 1/24/15 (fiction)
32. The Blood of the Tiger by J.A. Mills, 3.85, STARTED 1/22/15, FINISHED 1/24/15 (non-fiction)
33. Ravensbruck by Sarah Helm, 5, STARTED 1/10/15, FINISHED 1/25/15 (non-fiction)
34. The Tutor by Andrea Chapin, 3.4, STARTED 1/24/15, FINISHED 1/26/15 (fiction)
35. The Scent of Almonds by Camilla Lackberg, 2.9, STARTED 1/25/15, FINISHED 1/26/15 (fiction)
36. Emma by Alexander McCall Smith, 2.3, STARTED 12/15/14, FINISHED 1/27/15 (fiction)
37. Single, Carefree, Mellow by Katherine Heiny, 4.5, STARTED 1/26/15, FINISHED 1/27/15 (fiction)
38. Mr. Mac and Me by Esther Freud, 3.7, STARTED 1/25/15, FINISHED 1/28/15 (fiction)
39. The Smoke is Rising by Mahesh Rao, 3.8, STARTED 1/22/15, FINISHED 1/29/15 (fiction)
40. The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys, 3, STARTED 1/28/15, FINISHED 1/29/15 (fiction)
41. Ambition and Desire by Kate Williams, 3.2, STARTED 12/20/14, FINISHED 1/30/15 (non-fiction)
42. *Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart, 4.1, STARTED 1/29/15, FINISHED 1/30/15 (fiction)
43. The Whispers of Nemesis by Anne Zouroudi, 3.8, READ 1/30/15 (fiction)
44. Tokyo Kill by Barry Lancet, 3.8, STARTED 1/29/15, FINISHED 1/31/15 (fiction)
45. Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh by Slobodan Novak, 2.9 STARTED 1/29/15, FINISHED 1/31/15 (fiction)
46. So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson, 4.4, STARTED 1/30/15, FINISHED 1/31/15 (non-fiction)
47. Losing Faith by Adam Mitzner, 3.1, STARTED 1/8/15, FINISHED 1/31/15 (fiction) (fiction)
48. The Counterfeit Heiress by Tasha Alexander, 3.1, READ 2/1/15 (fiction)
49. Ruin Falls by Jenny Milchman, 3.7, STARTED 2/1/15, FINISHED 2/2/15 (fiction)
50.The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss, 3.9, STARTED 1/22/15, FINISHED 2/3/15 (fiction)
51.A Force for Good ed. by John Taft, 3.75, STARTED 1/18/15, FINISHED 2/4/15 (non-fiction)
52.*Pistols for Two by Georgette Heyer, 3.3, READ 2/5/15 (fiction)
53. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, 4.35, STARTED 2/3/15, FINISHED 2/6/15 (non-fiction)
54. Twelve Days by Alex Berenson, 3.4, STARTED 2/3/15, FINISHED 2/6/15 (fiction)
55. When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning, 4.2, STARTED 2/6/15, FINISHED 2/8/15 (non-fiction)
56. Honeymoon Hotel by Hester Browne, 3.5, STARTED 2/5/15, FINISHED 2/7/15 (fiction)
57. The List of My Desires by Gregoire Delacourt, 4.15, STARTED 2/7/15, FINISHED 2/8/15 (fiction)
58. A Demon Summer by G.M. Malliet, 2.9, STARTED 2/1/15, FINISHED 2/1/15 (fiction)
59. *Dead Man's Ransom by Ellis Peters, 3.5 STARTED 2/08/15, FINISHED 2/9/15 (fiction)
60. *Saint Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters, 3.4 STARTED 2/11/15, FINISHED 2/12/15 (fiction)
61. The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths, 3.9 STARTED 2/10/15, FINISHED 2/13/15 (fiction)
62. The Last Flight of Poxl West by Daniel Torday, 3.75, STARTED 2/12/15, FINISHED 2/14/15 (fiction)
63. The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James, 4.15, STARTED 2/13/15, FINISHED 2/14/15 (fiction)
64. The American Boy by Andrew Taylor, 4.75, STARTED 2/5/15, FINISHED 2/15/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
65. The Honest Folk of Guadeloupe by Timothy Williams, 2, STARTED 1/12/15, FINISHED 2/10/15 (fiction)
66. The Price of Blood by Patricia Bracewell, 4, STARTED 2/11/15, FINISHED 2/15/15 (fiction)
67. The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce, 4.15, STARTED 2/15/17, FINISHED 2/16/17 (fiction)
68. The Whites by Harry Brandt, 4.3, STARTED 2/14/15, FINISHED 2/17/15 (fiction)
69. 419 by Will Ferguson, 3.75, STARTED 2/13/15, FINISHED 2/19/15 (fiction)
70. Girl in the Dark by Anna Lyndsey, 4.25, STARTED 2/17/15, FINISHED 2/17/15 (non-fiction)
71. A Fireproof Home for the Bride by Amy Scheibe, 3.25, STARTED 2/18/15, FINISHED 2/20/15 (fiction)
72. Nobody Walks by Mick Herron, 3.45, STARTED 2/19/15, FINISHED 2/20/15 (fiction)
73. Vanessa and Her Sister by Priya Parmar, 3.5, STARTED 2/17/15, FINISHED 2/21/15 (fiction)
74. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, 5, STARTED 2/16/15, FINISHED 2/22/15 (fiction)
75. The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope, 3.25 STARTED 2/18/15, FINISHED 2/23/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
76. Winter Siege by Ariana Franklin, 3.3, STARTED 2/23/15, FINISHED 2/25/15 (fiction)
77. Slightly Out of Focus by Robert Capa, 4.2, STARTED 2/7/15, FINISHED 2/26/15 (non-fiction)
78. Six and a Half Deadly Sins by Colin Cotterill, 4.25, STARTED 2/23/15, FINISHED 2/26/15 (fiction)
79. *On the Beach by Nevil Shute, 4.2, STARTED 2/24/15, FINISHED 2/27/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
80. *Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, 4.3, STARTED 2/18/15, FINISHED 2/27/15 (non-fiction)
81. Confrontation by Alain Badiou & Alain Finkielkraut, ed. by Aude Lancelin STARTED 2/15/15, FINISHED 2/28/15 (non-fiction)
82. Helena by Evelyn Waugh, 4.35 STARTED 2/27/15, FINISHED 2/28/15 (fiction)
83. The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, 3.7, STARTED 2/24/15, FINISHED 2/28/15 (fiction)
84. Creature Comforts by Trisha Ashley, 3.6 STARTED 2/26/15, FINISHED 3/1/15 (fiction)
85. Last Man Standing by Davide Longo, 3.9 STARTED 2/22/15, FINISHED 3/3/15 (fiction)
86. The Dead Can Wait by Robert Ryan, 4.7, STARTED 3/1/15, FINISHED 3/2/15 (fiction)
87. A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear, 2.85, STARTED 2/28/15, FINISHED 3/3/15 (fiction)
88. Her Name is Rose by Christine Breen, 1.4, STARTED 3/3/15, FINISHED 3/4/15 (fiction)
89. Death Comes to the Ballets Russes by David Dickinson, 3.85, STARTED 3/3/15, FINISHED 3/6/15 (fiction)
90. Mademoiselle Chanel by C.W. Gortner, 4.3, STARTED 2/26/15, FINISHED 3/7/15 (fiction)
91. Screening Room by Alan Lightman, 3.5, STARTED 3/7/15, FINISHED 3/8/15 (non-fiction)
92. The Silver Swan by Benjamin Black, 3.3, STARTED 2/28/15, FINISHED 3/8/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
93. A Study in Murder by Robert Ryan, 4.2, STARTED 3/7/15, FINISHED 3/9/15 (fiction)
94. Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty, 4.4, STARTED 3/9/15, FINISHED 3/10/15 (fiction)
95. A Proper Family Holiday by Chrissie Manby, 2.4, STARTED 3/8/13, FINISHED 3/11/13 (fiction)
96. Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran, 4.35, STARTED 3/11/15, FINISHED 3/13/15
97. Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova, 1.8, STARTED 3/12/15, FINISHED 3/13/15 (fiction)
98. Village of Secrets by Caroline Moorehead, 4.5, STARTED 3/13/15, FINISHED 3/16/15 (non-fiction)
99. *The Unlikely Spy by Daniel Silva, 4.35, STARTED 3/8/15, FINISHED 3/17/15 (fiction) (re-read)
100. Children of the Stone by Sandy Tolan, 4.8, STARTED 3/16/15, FINISHED 3/18/15 (non-fiction)
The Second Hundred!
101. The Shadow of the Crescent Moon by Fatima Bhutto, 4.1 STARTED 3/18/15, FINISHED 3/19/15 (fiction)
102. The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood, 4.4, STARTED 3/16/15, FINISHED 3/21/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
103. The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks, 3.4, STARTED 3/18/15, FINISHED 3/20/15 (non-fiction)
104. Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell, 4.45, STARTED 3/6/15, FINISHED 3/21/15 (fiction)
105. Bury Me Standing by Isabel Fonseca, 4.25
106. Pursuit by Thomas Perry, 3.6
107. Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon, 4.2
108. Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight, 3
109. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, 4.2
110. The Dragon of Handale by Cassandra Clark, 3.15
111. Secrets of State by Matthew Palmer, 2.8
112. The Valley by John Lenehan, 4
113. Dead Sleep by Greg Iles, 3.85
114. The Jazz Palace by Mary Morris, 4
115. The Iron Hand of Mars by Lindsey Davis, 4.15
If you want to see what I have read earlier this year, you're welcome to page back through these threads, or just turn to my master list in "my library". As I complete a book, I'll rate it and add it to the list. You'll be able to see it by clicking on this link https://www.librarything.com/catalog/Chatterbox/booksreadin2015, or by going the long way around, to my books, and going to the tag labeled "Books Read in 2015". You can sort it anyway you want when you're there.
My guide to my ratings:
1.5 or less: A tree gave its life so that this book could be printed and distributed?
1.5 to 2.7: Are you really prepared to give up hours of your life for this?? I wouldn't recommend doing so...
2.8 to 3.3: Do you need something to fill in some time waiting to see the dentist? Either reasonably good within a ho-hum genre (chick lit or thrillers), something that's OK to read when you've nothing else with you, or that you'll find adequate to pass the time and forget later on.
3.4 to 3.8: Want to know what a thumping good read is like, or a book that has a fascinating premise, but doesn't quite deliver? This is where you'll find 'em.
3.9 to 4.4: So, you want a hearty endorsement? These books have what it takes to make me happy I read them.
4.5 to 5: The books that I wish I hadn't read yet, so I could experience the joy of discovering them again for the first time. Sometimes disquieting, sometimes sentimental faves, sometimes dramatic -- they are a highly personal/subjective collection!
The list!
1. Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm, 2.8 stars, READ 1/1/2015 (fiction)
2. Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers by Alexander McCall Smith, 3.5 stars, STARTED 1/1/15, FINISHED 1/2/15 (fiction)
3. Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn, 3.85 stars, STARTED 1/2/15, FINISHED 1/3/15 (fiction)
4. The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald, 4.5 stars, STARTED 1/2/15, FINISHED 1/3/15 (fiction)
5. To Dwell in Darkness by Deborah Crombie, 3.25 stars, STARTED 1/2/15, FINISHED 1/4/15 (fiction)
6. The Last Good Paradise by Tatjana Soli, 4.1 stars, STARTED 1/1/15, FINISHED 1/4/15 (fiction)
7. The War That Forged a Nation by James McPherson, 4.2, STARTED 1/5/15, FINISHED 1/7/15 (non-fiction)
8. The Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell, 4.35, STARTED 12/29/14, FINISHED 1/9/15 (audiobook) (fiction)
9. I Can't Begin to Tell You by Elizabeth Buchan, 4 stars, STARTED 1/6/15, FINISHED 1/10/15 (fiction)
10. The Fair Fight by Anna Ford STARTED, 4.7 stars, 1/5/15, FINISHED 1/10/15 (fiction)
11. Too Bad to Die by Francine Mathews STARTED, 3.5, 1/7/15, FINISHED 1/11/15 (fiction)
12. *The American Heiress by Dorothy Eden, 3.3, STARTED 1/8/15, FINISHED 1/11/15 (fiction)
13. King Lear by William Shakespeare, 4.5, STARTED 1/9/15, FINISHED 1/11/15 (drama)
14. Limonov by Emmanuel Carrère, 4.75, STARTED 1/4/15, FINISHED 1/12/15 (non-fiction)
15. Gwendolen by Diana Souhami, 3.25, STARTED 1/8/15, FINISHED 1/13/15 (fiction)
16. Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch, 4, STARTED 1/8/15, FINISHED 1/14/15 (fiction)
17. A Touch of Stardust by Kate Alcott, 4.15 READ 1/15/15 (fiction)
18. Department of Speculation by Jenny Offill, 4, STARTED 1/14/15, FINISHED 1/16/15 (fiction)
19. Day of Atonement by David Liss, 4.4, STARTED 1/14/15, FINISHED 12/18/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
20. The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter, 4.5, STARTED 1/15/15, FINISHED 1/17/15 (fiction)
21. All the Old Knives by Olen Steinhauer, 4.2 STARTED 1/18/15, FINISHED 1/19/15 (fiction)
22. Uncle Janice by Matt Burgess, 2.4, STARTED 1/14/15, FINISHED 1/19/15 (fiction)
23. Long Way Down by Jason Sears, 3.4, STARTED 1/17/15, FINISHED 1/19/15 (fiction)
24. As Good as Dead by Elizabeth Evans, 2, STARTED 12/28/14, FINISHED 1/20/14 (fiction)
25. A Spider in the Cup by Barbara Cleverly 3.1 STARTED 1/17/15, FINISHED 1/20/14 (fiction)
26. The Devil’s Company by David Liss, 4.5 STARTED 1/18/15, FINISHED 1/21/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
27. Sisters of Heart and Snow by Margaret Dilloway, 3.2 STARTED 1/19/15, FINISHED 1/21/15 (fiction)
28. Enter Pale Death by Barbara Cleverly, 3.2, STARTED 1/20/15, FINISHED 1/22/15 (fiction)
29. A Stranger in My Own Country by Hans Fallada, 4.7, STARTED 1/19/15, FINISHED 1/23/15 (non-fiction)
30. *The Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown, 3.9 STARTED 1/15/15, FINISHED 1/23/15 (fiction)
31. Wolf Winter by Cecilia Eckback, 2.75, STARTED 1/12/15, FINISHED 1/24/15 (fiction)
32. The Blood of the Tiger by J.A. Mills, 3.85, STARTED 1/22/15, FINISHED 1/24/15 (non-fiction)
33. Ravensbruck by Sarah Helm, 5, STARTED 1/10/15, FINISHED 1/25/15 (non-fiction)
34. The Tutor by Andrea Chapin, 3.4, STARTED 1/24/15, FINISHED 1/26/15 (fiction)
35. The Scent of Almonds by Camilla Lackberg, 2.9, STARTED 1/25/15, FINISHED 1/26/15 (fiction)
36. Emma by Alexander McCall Smith, 2.3, STARTED 12/15/14, FINISHED 1/27/15 (fiction)
37. Single, Carefree, Mellow by Katherine Heiny, 4.5, STARTED 1/26/15, FINISHED 1/27/15 (fiction)
38. Mr. Mac and Me by Esther Freud, 3.7, STARTED 1/25/15, FINISHED 1/28/15 (fiction)
39. The Smoke is Rising by Mahesh Rao, 3.8, STARTED 1/22/15, FINISHED 1/29/15 (fiction)
40. The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys, 3, STARTED 1/28/15, FINISHED 1/29/15 (fiction)
41. Ambition and Desire by Kate Williams, 3.2, STARTED 12/20/14, FINISHED 1/30/15 (non-fiction)
42. *Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart, 4.1, STARTED 1/29/15, FINISHED 1/30/15 (fiction)
43. The Whispers of Nemesis by Anne Zouroudi, 3.8, READ 1/30/15 (fiction)
44. Tokyo Kill by Barry Lancet, 3.8, STARTED 1/29/15, FINISHED 1/31/15 (fiction)
45. Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh by Slobodan Novak, 2.9 STARTED 1/29/15, FINISHED 1/31/15 (fiction)
46. So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson, 4.4, STARTED 1/30/15, FINISHED 1/31/15 (non-fiction)
47. Losing Faith by Adam Mitzner, 3.1, STARTED 1/8/15, FINISHED 1/31/15 (fiction) (fiction)
48. The Counterfeit Heiress by Tasha Alexander, 3.1, READ 2/1/15 (fiction)
49. Ruin Falls by Jenny Milchman, 3.7, STARTED 2/1/15, FINISHED 2/2/15 (fiction)
50.The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss, 3.9, STARTED 1/22/15, FINISHED 2/3/15 (fiction)
51.A Force for Good ed. by John Taft, 3.75, STARTED 1/18/15, FINISHED 2/4/15 (non-fiction)
52.*Pistols for Two by Georgette Heyer, 3.3, READ 2/5/15 (fiction)
53. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, 4.35, STARTED 2/3/15, FINISHED 2/6/15 (non-fiction)
54. Twelve Days by Alex Berenson, 3.4, STARTED 2/3/15, FINISHED 2/6/15 (fiction)
55. When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning, 4.2, STARTED 2/6/15, FINISHED 2/8/15 (non-fiction)
56. Honeymoon Hotel by Hester Browne, 3.5, STARTED 2/5/15, FINISHED 2/7/15 (fiction)
57. The List of My Desires by Gregoire Delacourt, 4.15, STARTED 2/7/15, FINISHED 2/8/15 (fiction)
58. A Demon Summer by G.M. Malliet, 2.9, STARTED 2/1/15, FINISHED 2/1/15 (fiction)
59. *Dead Man's Ransom by Ellis Peters, 3.5 STARTED 2/08/15, FINISHED 2/9/15 (fiction)
60. *Saint Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters, 3.4 STARTED 2/11/15, FINISHED 2/12/15 (fiction)
61. The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths, 3.9 STARTED 2/10/15, FINISHED 2/13/15 (fiction)
62. The Last Flight of Poxl West by Daniel Torday, 3.75, STARTED 2/12/15, FINISHED 2/14/15 (fiction)
63. The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James, 4.15, STARTED 2/13/15, FINISHED 2/14/15 (fiction)
64. The American Boy by Andrew Taylor, 4.75, STARTED 2/5/15, FINISHED 2/15/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
65. The Honest Folk of Guadeloupe by Timothy Williams, 2, STARTED 1/12/15, FINISHED 2/10/15 (fiction)
66. The Price of Blood by Patricia Bracewell, 4, STARTED 2/11/15, FINISHED 2/15/15 (fiction)
67. The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce, 4.15, STARTED 2/15/17, FINISHED 2/16/17 (fiction)
68. The Whites by Harry Brandt, 4.3, STARTED 2/14/15, FINISHED 2/17/15 (fiction)
69. 419 by Will Ferguson, 3.75, STARTED 2/13/15, FINISHED 2/19/15 (fiction)
70. Girl in the Dark by Anna Lyndsey, 4.25, STARTED 2/17/15, FINISHED 2/17/15 (non-fiction)
71. A Fireproof Home for the Bride by Amy Scheibe, 3.25, STARTED 2/18/15, FINISHED 2/20/15 (fiction)
72. Nobody Walks by Mick Herron, 3.45, STARTED 2/19/15, FINISHED 2/20/15 (fiction)
73. Vanessa and Her Sister by Priya Parmar, 3.5, STARTED 2/17/15, FINISHED 2/21/15 (fiction)
74. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, 5, STARTED 2/16/15, FINISHED 2/22/15 (fiction)
75. The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope, 3.25 STARTED 2/18/15, FINISHED 2/23/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
76. Winter Siege by Ariana Franklin, 3.3, STARTED 2/23/15, FINISHED 2/25/15 (fiction)
77. Slightly Out of Focus by Robert Capa, 4.2, STARTED 2/7/15, FINISHED 2/26/15 (non-fiction)
78. Six and a Half Deadly Sins by Colin Cotterill, 4.25, STARTED 2/23/15, FINISHED 2/26/15 (fiction)
79. *On the Beach by Nevil Shute, 4.2, STARTED 2/24/15, FINISHED 2/27/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
80. *Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, 4.3, STARTED 2/18/15, FINISHED 2/27/15 (non-fiction)
81. Confrontation by Alain Badiou & Alain Finkielkraut, ed. by Aude Lancelin STARTED 2/15/15, FINISHED 2/28/15 (non-fiction)
82. Helena by Evelyn Waugh, 4.35 STARTED 2/27/15, FINISHED 2/28/15 (fiction)
83. The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, 3.7, STARTED 2/24/15, FINISHED 2/28/15 (fiction)
84. Creature Comforts by Trisha Ashley, 3.6 STARTED 2/26/15, FINISHED 3/1/15 (fiction)
85. Last Man Standing by Davide Longo, 3.9 STARTED 2/22/15, FINISHED 3/3/15 (fiction)
86. The Dead Can Wait by Robert Ryan, 4.7, STARTED 3/1/15, FINISHED 3/2/15 (fiction)
87. A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear, 2.85, STARTED 2/28/15, FINISHED 3/3/15 (fiction)
88. Her Name is Rose by Christine Breen, 1.4, STARTED 3/3/15, FINISHED 3/4/15 (fiction)
89. Death Comes to the Ballets Russes by David Dickinson, 3.85, STARTED 3/3/15, FINISHED 3/6/15 (fiction)
90. Mademoiselle Chanel by C.W. Gortner, 4.3, STARTED 2/26/15, FINISHED 3/7/15 (fiction)
91. Screening Room by Alan Lightman, 3.5, STARTED 3/7/15, FINISHED 3/8/15 (non-fiction)
92. The Silver Swan by Benjamin Black, 3.3, STARTED 2/28/15, FINISHED 3/8/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
93. A Study in Murder by Robert Ryan, 4.2, STARTED 3/7/15, FINISHED 3/9/15 (fiction)
94. Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty, 4.4, STARTED 3/9/15, FINISHED 3/10/15 (fiction)
95. A Proper Family Holiday by Chrissie Manby, 2.4, STARTED 3/8/13, FINISHED 3/11/13 (fiction)
96. Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran, 4.35, STARTED 3/11/15, FINISHED 3/13/15
97. Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova, 1.8, STARTED 3/12/15, FINISHED 3/13/15 (fiction)
98. Village of Secrets by Caroline Moorehead, 4.5, STARTED 3/13/15, FINISHED 3/16/15 (non-fiction)
99. *The Unlikely Spy by Daniel Silva, 4.35, STARTED 3/8/15, FINISHED 3/17/15 (fiction) (re-read)
100. Children of the Stone by Sandy Tolan, 4.8, STARTED 3/16/15, FINISHED 3/18/15 (non-fiction)
The Second Hundred!
101. The Shadow of the Crescent Moon by Fatima Bhutto, 4.1 STARTED 3/18/15, FINISHED 3/19/15 (fiction)
102. The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood, 4.4, STARTED 3/16/15, FINISHED 3/21/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
103. The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks, 3.4, STARTED 3/18/15, FINISHED 3/20/15 (non-fiction)
104. Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell, 4.45, STARTED 3/6/15, FINISHED 3/21/15 (fiction)
105. Bury Me Standing by Isabel Fonseca, 4.25
106. Pursuit by Thomas Perry, 3.6
107. Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon, 4.2
108. Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight, 3
109. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, 4.2
110. The Dragon of Handale by Cassandra Clark, 3.15
111. Secrets of State by Matthew Palmer, 2.8
112. The Valley by John Lenehan, 4
113. Dead Sleep by Greg Iles, 3.85
114. The Jazz Palace by Mary Morris, 4
115. The Iron Hand of Mars by Lindsey Davis, 4.15
4katiekrug
Happy new thread, Suz!
From your last thread, I was glad to see the positive comments for The Wicked Girls, which I recently picked up from BookOutlet.com.
From your last thread, I was glad to see the positive comments for The Wicked Girls, which I recently picked up from BookOutlet.com.
5Chatterbox
Thanks, Katie! Yes, it was definitely chilling, bleak, etc... But compulsive, at the same time. It won't be for all tastes, but I'll be very curious to see your thoughts. Which reminds me, I need to make time for The Girl on the Train this week. Perhaps while I'm on the amtrak to NY on Wednesday??
6avatiakh
Love the salon, looks very enticing. I'm #947 in the queue for The girl on the train at my library, it's obviously very popular.
I hope Tigger's condition is improving?
I hope Tigger's condition is improving?
7Chatterbox
103. The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks
Well, no prizes for prose style or or organization here -- too often, it slips into the banal and repetitive. But Rebanks -- who apparently attracted a big following when he set up a Twitter account and started chronicling life on his Lake District sheep farm -- wants to get the reader to remember that life in his area is about more than romantic landscapes and poetry, but an ages-old way of life; he also wants to remind us not to despise people who work the land. While he does sound as if he's got a chip on his shoulder, I suspect it grew there for good reason. I ended up feeling very ambivalent about this book. It's interesting, but not interesting enough -- I simply wasn't that interested in the minutiae of how to breed to improve the quality of your sheep flock, or the repeated reminders of "this is how hard I work." It would have helped if Rebanks could really write well, but he can't and his editor didn't do a great job with the material, either. It's not bad, it just plods along. It's like someone who cooks dinner and boils all the life out of the vegetables. You see just enough to know that there's a fascinating story, but it never quite becomes what it could have been. Not to fault Rebanks -- he's not a writer, but a farmer who also works with Unesco. What is here is interesting enough to take a gander at if you're interested in stuff like farming and sustainability. If you're sucked in by all the press hubbub about the Tweeting shepherd, well (a) there's nothing about Twitter here and (b) this isn't about a guy who's a lonely shepherd out on the hills minding his flock all day as in some buccolic fantasy, and composing tweets instead of melodies on a flute. 3.4 stars.
104. Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell
It was a wait, but it was worthwhile. This is the sequel to Doc, the author's look at the years leading up to the move to Tombstone by the Earps, and when this opens, the Earp brothers are making their way in their new home, a silver mining boomtown. It's tough for Russell to write this, knowing that the vast majority of her audience know that the Earps are heading for that confrontation at the OK Corral, and knowing who will be on each side and who will die and who will live, so she acknowledges it squarely, with lots of foreshadowing, and it largely works. That said, I don't think this is quite up to the standards of Doc, partly because it rather tails off. We say farewell to Doc himself and the novel follows Wyatt's later life, but not Doc's, which is disappointing, when it has moved between the two of them for so long. There are story elements that are wrapped up and disposed of in a sentence or two. Still, the new character of Josie/Sadie Marcus injects some life into the tale. If you haven't read Doc, I'd read the two books back-to-back, one immediately after the other, and you won't notice that the second isn't as good as its predecessor. If you've already read the first, you'll want to read this one anyway -- and the sense of the clock ticking down to doomsday and confrontation is expertly handled. 4.45 stars.
Well, no prizes for prose style or or organization here -- too often, it slips into the banal and repetitive. But Rebanks -- who apparently attracted a big following when he set up a Twitter account and started chronicling life on his Lake District sheep farm -- wants to get the reader to remember that life in his area is about more than romantic landscapes and poetry, but an ages-old way of life; he also wants to remind us not to despise people who work the land. While he does sound as if he's got a chip on his shoulder, I suspect it grew there for good reason. I ended up feeling very ambivalent about this book. It's interesting, but not interesting enough -- I simply wasn't that interested in the minutiae of how to breed to improve the quality of your sheep flock, or the repeated reminders of "this is how hard I work." It would have helped if Rebanks could really write well, but he can't and his editor didn't do a great job with the material, either. It's not bad, it just plods along. It's like someone who cooks dinner and boils all the life out of the vegetables. You see just enough to know that there's a fascinating story, but it never quite becomes what it could have been. Not to fault Rebanks -- he's not a writer, but a farmer who also works with Unesco. What is here is interesting enough to take a gander at if you're interested in stuff like farming and sustainability. If you're sucked in by all the press hubbub about the Tweeting shepherd, well (a) there's nothing about Twitter here and (b) this isn't about a guy who's a lonely shepherd out on the hills minding his flock all day as in some buccolic fantasy, and composing tweets instead of melodies on a flute. 3.4 stars.
104. Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell
It was a wait, but it was worthwhile. This is the sequel to Doc, the author's look at the years leading up to the move to Tombstone by the Earps, and when this opens, the Earp brothers are making their way in their new home, a silver mining boomtown. It's tough for Russell to write this, knowing that the vast majority of her audience know that the Earps are heading for that confrontation at the OK Corral, and knowing who will be on each side and who will die and who will live, so she acknowledges it squarely, with lots of foreshadowing, and it largely works. That said, I don't think this is quite up to the standards of Doc, partly because it rather tails off. We say farewell to Doc himself and the novel follows Wyatt's later life, but not Doc's, which is disappointing, when it has moved between the two of them for so long. There are story elements that are wrapped up and disposed of in a sentence or two. Still, the new character of Josie/Sadie Marcus injects some life into the tale. If you haven't read Doc, I'd read the two books back-to-back, one immediately after the other, and you won't notice that the second isn't as good as its predecessor. If you've already read the first, you'll want to read this one anyway -- and the sense of the clock ticking down to doomsday and confrontation is expertly handled. 4.45 stars.
8Chatterbox
>6 avatiakh: Holy Toledo, Kerry, that's a long list! If Katie's OK with it, I can mail you the ARC that she sent to me several weeks ago when I finish reading it -- it will probably reach you before you get to the top of the list (unless your library has a lot of copies...)
It's hard to tell if Tigger's overall condition is improving. He does seem to be eating more than he was a week ago, but he needs to be putting on weight, as well, and that's going to be a slow process. Right now, he's very frail. And because he's so skinny, he's still more lethargic than usual -- doesn't run to the window when I come home or try to escape out the front door, etc. I'll know he's better when I have to fight him to stop him from escaping. Almost time for his next dose of meds... *sigh*
It's hard to tell if Tigger's overall condition is improving. He does seem to be eating more than he was a week ago, but he needs to be putting on weight, as well, and that's going to be a slow process. Right now, he's very frail. And because he's so skinny, he's still more lethargic than usual -- doesn't run to the window when I come home or try to escape out the front door, etc. I'll know he's better when I have to fight him to stop him from escaping. Almost time for his next dose of meds... *sigh*
9katiekrug
>8 Chatterbox: - Oh, please do share the ARC when you're finished with it! It's not one I would re-read.
11avatiakh
>8 Chatterbox: I don't mind waiting, I have so many other books to read, and if I see it in the library on the $5 bestseller loan shelf I'll pick it up earlier. I don't want you paying postage to NZ, it would probably be cheaper for me to buy the kindle copy.
12Chatterbox
Just got an e-mail from Amazon about a mystery from an author whose books I've purchased before, "coming soon". Amazon's definition of soon? March 2016. You've got to laugh, really.
13Chatterbox
>10 Mr.Durick: Extremely cute, Robert! Thanks for my statutory thread critter! (It wouldn't be the same without 'em...
14EBT1002
Hi Suz! I enjoyed The Thing About December, which you had recommended.
And I am looking forward to reading Epitaph. I'm in a long queue at the library. :-|
"Amazon's definition of soon? March 2016. You've got to laugh, really." Uh huh.
Sending good vibes Tigger's direction....
And I am looking forward to reading Epitaph. I'm in a long queue at the library. :-|
"Amazon's definition of soon? March 2016. You've got to laugh, really." Uh huh.
Sending good vibes Tigger's direction....
16elkiedee
>14 EBT1002: While I would recommend The Thing About December, I'm not sure I'd describe it as enjoyable.
17charl08
>7 Chatterbox: What a shame about the shepherd book. I loved the Hannah Hauxwell memoirs, and I wouldn't have said that she gave any impression of it being an easy life. (I'm wondering now if these books were ghosted though).
18Chatterbox
The Thing About December is a bleak but beautiful book; reading it, for me, was enjoyable in the way that it's always wonderful to find a book of that kind that is so powerful and packs such a punch for such a relatively small package -- along with impeccable writing. I don't really know what the right synonym is for a novel like that -- but I do think you can enjoy the novel's merits while still finding the content tough or even painful to read.
>17 charl08: It's hard to capture what precisely (other than the dire copy editing and rather leaden prose) got up my nose so much about the shepherding book. I think the author's objective was so front and center that he forgot to relax into storytelling, and perhaps has no knack for doing that in a smooth and effortless way. Which is fair enough -- it's not a skill that people acquire overnight.
>17 charl08: It's hard to capture what precisely (other than the dire copy editing and rather leaden prose) got up my nose so much about the shepherding book. I think the author's objective was so front and center that he forgot to relax into storytelling, and perhaps has no knack for doing that in a smooth and effortless way. Which is fair enough -- it's not a skill that people acquire overnight.
19ffortsa
>18 Chatterbox: Re 'up the nose', Jim would say it was the sheep.
20sibylline
I'm so with you feeling hemmed in! At least the light has improved!
Too bad about the shepherding book. I've got Doc waiting on my shelves . . .
Much commiseration about the trials with Tigger.
Too bad about the shepherding book. I've got Doc waiting on my shelves . . .
Much commiseration about the trials with Tigger.
21labwriter
Suzanne, I just wanted to stop by and say Hi. Although I'm no longer a part of this group, I do continue to read your thread. Your reviews here are always thoughtful and intelligent--and prolific! Whenever I find myself needing a new read, I know I can use your comments to confidently choose something that will fit the bill.
I do worry about your cat, and so hope he's better soon.
I do worry about your cat, and so hope he's better soon.
22LizzieD
Sending good vibes to you and Tigger and Molly and Cassie while I'm at it. Spring will come!
23Copperskye
Hope all is well!
24Chatterbox
Sorry have been incommunicado. Still getting over the cold bug, plus trying to catch up with work, plus trying to "coax" Tigger to take his meds (i.e. wrestle with him twice daily). He has been very very fussy generally; he seems to be eating more, is NOT barfing (thank heavens) but is fighting me a lot about getting meds into him. I have to wear a designated garment, because half of the stuff ends up on me rather than in him. Sigh.
Book update to come soon, I promise. I have been reading, but still more slowly. Was in New York to see "Manon" at the Met, which was fun, but otherwise pretty much chained to the apartment; the only times I leave are to go shopping for cat food.
CABIN FEVER!
Book update to come soon, I promise. I have been reading, but still more slowly. Was in New York to see "Manon" at the Met, which was fun, but otherwise pretty much chained to the apartment; the only times I leave are to go shopping for cat food.
CABIN FEVER!
26torontoc
When my dog was sick , I would put his pill in challah bread- he ate the whole thing.
Liquid meds were another story- I got the stuff all over both me and the dog-very little went into his mouth.
good luck!
Liquid meds were another story- I got the stuff all over both me and the dog-very little went into his mouth.
good luck!
27Chatterbox
He is just very, very, very fussy. If I got this as pills and put it in his food, he would eat around them -- and there is no guarantee about what food he would eat (odds are one of the others would eat it instead...) It's easier to get a liquid into him than a pill that he can spit out again. So... Meanwhile, he just fusses around all day, sitting at me feet and meowing at me until I scratch his head. Which I can't keep doing all day.
Can't tell if he's putting on weight, and the diarrhea is as bad as it was before. He would have fought me for a slice of fresh turkey before and now he won't touch it. His food tastes have completely changed and it's a struggle to keep up.
Can't tell if he's putting on weight, and the diarrhea is as bad as it was before. He would have fought me for a slice of fresh turkey before and now he won't touch it. His food tastes have completely changed and it's a struggle to keep up.
28Chatterbox
105. Bury Me Standing by Isabel Fonseca
This was an absolutely fascinating book that has been lingering on my shelves for eons -- a chronicle of Fonseca's years spent traveling with and living alongside the gypsy communities of central and eastern Europe, from Albania to Germany. It's slightly dated -- Fonseca did her reporting in the early 1990s, in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall -- but while I suspect that the overall level of affluence of some of the communities she writes about have improved, what I hear from friends in some areas there (I have a friend in Budapest who has worked with a Rom community in Hungary) suggests that some of the struggles they face remain the same or have even worsened. She does an excellent job of showing how the nature of those problems have evolved over time, and of maintaining a balanced perspective, showing precisely just how frustrating it might be to live next door to a large group of gypsies with their own distinctive approach to how to live on the land. There are no easy answers as to how coexistence might be possible, but this was an intriguing book. Definitely recommended. 4.25 stars. Not higher because it's too dated and because of the inability to delve into policy.
106. Pursuit by Thomas Perry
This was a re-read, or rather, an audiobook version that I got cheaply because I have the Kindle book. Not one of Perry's best, but a cat and mouse suspense novel in which a rather dangerous kind of cop deliberately baits a hit man into coming after him. There are some very suspenseful moments, if you can suspend your incredulity. 3.6 stars.
107. Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon
This was better than I expected. I tend not to like Kanon's style which features staccato writing and partial sentences. You know. It's done for effect. Kind of. But it's jarring. But this is atmospheric and interesting: a German-born Jew, a refugee in America throughout the war years, refuses to "name names" in the late 1940s, and the early CIA persuades him to return to East Berlin (the airlift is on) to spy for them and regain his good name. He's a writer, and the Soviets and the East German communists are eager to welcome back another guy like Brecht (who also features in this book). But even if Alex Meier hadn't left his young son behind in LA, he'd soon be worrying about what he finds in East Berlin. Sure, he is reunited with the woman who stole his heart as a young man, but it seems as if his secret double identity is in jeopardy. And then, before long, there are dead bodies littering the snowy winter landscape... Very "Third Man"-like and atmospheric. 4.2 stars; recommended.
108. Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight
I think what the author was trying to do was write a novel about the relationships between mothers and daughters. But she has three different women as narrators, time periods that jump back and forth, multiple different dead bodies and vanishing people, and it's all just too much to keep track of. Had she not tried to make her job (and the reader's job) so damn complicated, there's quite possibly a halfway decent women's suspense novel buried somewhere in here. But ultimately it's too frustrating to dig out. I finished it, but was fairly fed up trying to keep the various plot strands straight. 3 stars, but I'm being generous.
More to come later.
This was an absolutely fascinating book that has been lingering on my shelves for eons -- a chronicle of Fonseca's years spent traveling with and living alongside the gypsy communities of central and eastern Europe, from Albania to Germany. It's slightly dated -- Fonseca did her reporting in the early 1990s, in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall -- but while I suspect that the overall level of affluence of some of the communities she writes about have improved, what I hear from friends in some areas there (I have a friend in Budapest who has worked with a Rom community in Hungary) suggests that some of the struggles they face remain the same or have even worsened. She does an excellent job of showing how the nature of those problems have evolved over time, and of maintaining a balanced perspective, showing precisely just how frustrating it might be to live next door to a large group of gypsies with their own distinctive approach to how to live on the land. There are no easy answers as to how coexistence might be possible, but this was an intriguing book. Definitely recommended. 4.25 stars. Not higher because it's too dated and because of the inability to delve into policy.
106. Pursuit by Thomas Perry
This was a re-read, or rather, an audiobook version that I got cheaply because I have the Kindle book. Not one of Perry's best, but a cat and mouse suspense novel in which a rather dangerous kind of cop deliberately baits a hit man into coming after him. There are some very suspenseful moments, if you can suspend your incredulity. 3.6 stars.
107. Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon
This was better than I expected. I tend not to like Kanon's style which features staccato writing and partial sentences. You know. It's done for effect. Kind of. But it's jarring. But this is atmospheric and interesting: a German-born Jew, a refugee in America throughout the war years, refuses to "name names" in the late 1940s, and the early CIA persuades him to return to East Berlin (the airlift is on) to spy for them and regain his good name. He's a writer, and the Soviets and the East German communists are eager to welcome back another guy like Brecht (who also features in this book). But even if Alex Meier hadn't left his young son behind in LA, he'd soon be worrying about what he finds in East Berlin. Sure, he is reunited with the woman who stole his heart as a young man, but it seems as if his secret double identity is in jeopardy. And then, before long, there are dead bodies littering the snowy winter landscape... Very "Third Man"-like and atmospheric. 4.2 stars; recommended.
108. Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight
I think what the author was trying to do was write a novel about the relationships between mothers and daughters. But she has three different women as narrators, time periods that jump back and forth, multiple different dead bodies and vanishing people, and it's all just too much to keep track of. Had she not tried to make her job (and the reader's job) so damn complicated, there's quite possibly a halfway decent women's suspense novel buried somewhere in here. But ultimately it's too frustrating to dig out. I finished it, but was fairly fed up trying to keep the various plot strands straight. 3 stars, but I'm being generous.
More to come later.
29Chatterbox
109. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Big thanks to Katie for lending me the ARC of this novel! (It's now available to be passed along; first come, first served!) So... Everyone describes this as "Rear Window" (the movie) meets Gone Girl. Well, no. It's not as good as either of those. On the other hand, it's plenty suspenseful, in a dark and gritty kind of way. That said, I have to say I didn't like it as much as the Alex Marwood novel that I read earlier this month, so... The idea? Well, Rachel takes a train into London every morning, and because it tends to slow down right at a particular point in her journey, becomes very, very familiar with a very attractive young couple, whom she names Jess and Jason. They seem very happy, in love, enjoying the kind of life that she wishes she still had but doesn't, because her husband is now enjoying it with someone else. Then one day she sees Jess kiss a man that isn't Jason -- and the day after that, Jess is missing. Adding to the complex plot is that Jess and Jason and their house aren't entirely strange to Rachel. You see, the house that fascinates her is only doors away from where she used to live with her own husband, Tom; the same house he now occupies with his new wife, Anna, and their infant daughter. And Rachel is a drunk; who suffers from blackouts, and who has harassed Tom and Anna. So when "Jess" vanishes, what can Rachel do? We get three narratives here -- Rachel's rather tormented one, that of Megan, aka Jess, which skips back a year or so in time and shows us what is going on beneath that perfect surface, and Anna. It's not what you think it is, but it doesn't have the surprising lurches that Gillian Flynn dished up, either. Oh, and you'd better have an above-average tolerance for unlikable characters, because all of these women have major issues. 4.2 stars. Worth it, but I'm not raving.
110. The Dragon of Handale by Cassandra Clark
The big problem with this series of historical mysteries is that you need to know far, far too much about the political history of Richard II's reign for the underlying plot to make sense. Then, too, the tone is slightly "off" -- would a nobly-born woman really refer to the king, informally, as "Dickon"? I kinda doubt it. There's lots of stuff that doesn't ring true. On the other hand, there are plot elements that are intriguing. So it's a bit of a balancing act from one book to another. The last one was better than average; this one wasn't -- it was set in a remote convent with far too many plot lines running amok. 3.15 stars. Start with the first book if you're curious, but this isn't Ellis Peters, alas.
111. Secrets of State by Matthew Palmer
Speaking of implausible plots... Well, this one actually wasn't all that implausible, since the core of it involved the prospect of a nuclear confrontation between Pakistan and India. But it's calculated to appeal to all conspiracy theory freaks (hey, it's even got a guy on the grassy knoll in Dallas in 1963...) who believe in dark helicopters. You know, you trip over something weird, and all of a sudden, you find there's a secret cabal really running the entire world. I felt as if I had read this book before, and I probably have, dozens of times over dozens of years. I'm pretty much tired of it. Not bad, but just bored of it by now. If you're not fed up with it or don't mind how many times you read this tired formula, knock yourself out. 2.8 stars.
112. The Valley by John Renehan
This was very interesting; another good book to come out of the Iraq/Afghanistan wars (perhaps the only good thing that has is some of the writing?) A bit too much of an homage to Heart of Darkness but still fascinating, as a desk-bound young officer is send to the most remote outpost in the most dangerous corner of the most dangerous valley in Afghanistan, only a few miles from the border with Waziristan, all to investigate a bizarre complaint about a dead goat for which the military already has paid compensation. Needless to say, a lot more is going on than that, and he soon finds himself out of his depth and struggling to understand precisely what is afoot. Renehan sometimes plays his cards too close to his chest and creates overly puzzling (to the reader) situations, but he does an amazing job of creating the atmosphere at one of these bases. Utterly chilling. 4 stars.
Time to go try to shove more meds into Tigger, in spite of the fact that he currently is lying peacefully curled up. Sigh.
Big thanks to Katie for lending me the ARC of this novel! (It's now available to be passed along; first come, first served!) So... Everyone describes this as "Rear Window" (the movie) meets Gone Girl. Well, no. It's not as good as either of those. On the other hand, it's plenty suspenseful, in a dark and gritty kind of way. That said, I have to say I didn't like it as much as the Alex Marwood novel that I read earlier this month, so... The idea? Well, Rachel takes a train into London every morning, and because it tends to slow down right at a particular point in her journey, becomes very, very familiar with a very attractive young couple, whom she names Jess and Jason. They seem very happy, in love, enjoying the kind of life that she wishes she still had but doesn't, because her husband is now enjoying it with someone else. Then one day she sees Jess kiss a man that isn't Jason -- and the day after that, Jess is missing. Adding to the complex plot is that Jess and Jason and their house aren't entirely strange to Rachel. You see, the house that fascinates her is only doors away from where she used to live with her own husband, Tom; the same house he now occupies with his new wife, Anna, and their infant daughter. And Rachel is a drunk; who suffers from blackouts, and who has harassed Tom and Anna. So when "Jess" vanishes, what can Rachel do? We get three narratives here -- Rachel's rather tormented one, that of Megan, aka Jess, which skips back a year or so in time and shows us what is going on beneath that perfect surface, and Anna. It's not what you think it is, but it doesn't have the surprising lurches that Gillian Flynn dished up, either. Oh, and you'd better have an above-average tolerance for unlikable characters, because all of these women have major issues. 4.2 stars. Worth it, but I'm not raving.
110. The Dragon of Handale by Cassandra Clark
The big problem with this series of historical mysteries is that you need to know far, far too much about the political history of Richard II's reign for the underlying plot to make sense. Then, too, the tone is slightly "off" -- would a nobly-born woman really refer to the king, informally, as "Dickon"? I kinda doubt it. There's lots of stuff that doesn't ring true. On the other hand, there are plot elements that are intriguing. So it's a bit of a balancing act from one book to another. The last one was better than average; this one wasn't -- it was set in a remote convent with far too many plot lines running amok. 3.15 stars. Start with the first book if you're curious, but this isn't Ellis Peters, alas.
111. Secrets of State by Matthew Palmer
Speaking of implausible plots... Well, this one actually wasn't all that implausible, since the core of it involved the prospect of a nuclear confrontation between Pakistan and India. But it's calculated to appeal to all conspiracy theory freaks (hey, it's even got a guy on the grassy knoll in Dallas in 1963...) who believe in dark helicopters. You know, you trip over something weird, and all of a sudden, you find there's a secret cabal really running the entire world. I felt as if I had read this book before, and I probably have, dozens of times over dozens of years. I'm pretty much tired of it. Not bad, but just bored of it by now. If you're not fed up with it or don't mind how many times you read this tired formula, knock yourself out. 2.8 stars.
112. The Valley by John Renehan
This was very interesting; another good book to come out of the Iraq/Afghanistan wars (perhaps the only good thing that has is some of the writing?) A bit too much of an homage to Heart of Darkness but still fascinating, as a desk-bound young officer is send to the most remote outpost in the most dangerous corner of the most dangerous valley in Afghanistan, only a few miles from the border with Waziristan, all to investigate a bizarre complaint about a dead goat for which the military already has paid compensation. Needless to say, a lot more is going on than that, and he soon finds himself out of his depth and struggling to understand precisely what is afoot. Renehan sometimes plays his cards too close to his chest and creates overly puzzling (to the reader) situations, but he does an amazing job of creating the atmosphere at one of these bases. Utterly chilling. 4 stars.
Time to go try to shove more meds into Tigger, in spite of the fact that he currently is lying peacefully curled up. Sigh.
30charl08
Bury me standing sounds fascinating. I remember being shocked by the treatment of ROM people in the Czech Republic and Romania in the late 90s and early 2000s, and that was just as a tourist, so imagine book on subject would have rich vein to mine.
31CDVicarage
Sorry to hear of Tigger's (and your) problems. Your earlier description of the vet's visit and trying to give him medicine caused the filtering system at the school where I work to put this thread on the banned list! It seemed to think it contained information about self-harming and other violence but at home I can read everything.
32katiekrug
>29 Chatterbox: - I think we felt rather similar about The Girl on the Train, but I only gave it 3.5 stars (if I did decimals, though, it would be on the edge of 4 stars, I think). I read it in January and can barely remember any details, so....
The Valley sounds good. I'm a sucker for anything Heart of Darkness-ish.
The Valley sounds good. I'm a sucker for anything Heart of Darkness-ish.
33LizzieD
I'm trying to resist the Rom book, but we shall see.
I'm glad that you're back, sorry you're practically housebound, and glad to hear that Tigger is at least holding his own. Well - I wish he'd hold more of his own inside his little body, but he does sound better.
(>31 CDVicarage: Kerry, the school firewalls didn't bother my students in the least, but they kept me from doing any checking on Emily Dickinson and Moby-Dick at school when I needed to.)
I'm glad that you're back, sorry you're practically housebound, and glad to hear that Tigger is at least holding his own. Well - I wish he'd hold more of his own inside his little body, but he does sound better.
(>31 CDVicarage: Kerry, the school firewalls didn't bother my students in the least, but they kept me from doing any checking on Emily Dickinson and Moby-Dick at school when I needed to.)
34Chatterbox
>30 charl08: Yes, Fonseca does an amazing job of capturing the way in which these communities truly believe the Rom are literally less than human -- at the same time as she makes it clear just why they would be the neighbors from hell, given their freewheeling attitudes, views with respect to time, private property, etc. It's remarkably even-handed in that respect, although Fonseca clearly makes a point of going as far as the Rom will let her in seeing this group as individuals and understanding their way of life. It made me curious about the ways their lives might differ from those of gypsies/Rom in western Europe and even North America, which isn't the focus of the book. Amazingly, an astonishingly large percentage of Romania's population is Romany -- and it's not even acknowledged as a minority, as Hungarians are. Mind-boggling.
>31 CDVicarage: Omigod; I'm so sorry that my frustration with Tigger violated the firewall; I feel rather guilty about that... :-) Well, somewhat guilty and somewhat amused. That said, I'm convinced that Tigger IS self-harming by refusing to let me dose him.
>32 katiekrug: Yes, I could see rating it anywhere from 3.8 to 4.2, depending on what you feel, specifically, about the characters and situations. It didn't grab me beyond that, and probably won't really stay with me in the way that a great suspense novel does.
>33 LizzieD: I read it on Kindle, as it was available via Kindle Sale a long time ago, and I also have a paper copy. If I can dig out the latter, I can send it to you?
I am very anxious with Tigger, and more than a little frustrated. After catching up on a bit of my work last night, and eating dinner at about 1 a.m. (one dose of the Tigger meds ended up squirted up over his head when he jerked at the last minute...), I finally fell asleep at about 2:30. A friend phoned me at 7 to tell me about a book that had ended up in Amazon Vine -- the new Elly Griffiths mystery -- and I was able to nab an ARC, but I was already awake because Tigger had been walking across my head and swiping at my face with his claws for half an hour; I think that is his revenge for my shoving meds in HIS face twice a day.
What is worrying me now is that he's doing the "lip smacking" that means he is feeling nauseous. So far, no barfing, but the nausea doesn't seem to be abating either, and he is very restless. Sigh. And it's almost time for the next dose of meds...
>31 CDVicarage: Omigod; I'm so sorry that my frustration with Tigger violated the firewall; I feel rather guilty about that... :-) Well, somewhat guilty and somewhat amused. That said, I'm convinced that Tigger IS self-harming by refusing to let me dose him.
>32 katiekrug: Yes, I could see rating it anywhere from 3.8 to 4.2, depending on what you feel, specifically, about the characters and situations. It didn't grab me beyond that, and probably won't really stay with me in the way that a great suspense novel does.
>33 LizzieD: I read it on Kindle, as it was available via Kindle Sale a long time ago, and I also have a paper copy. If I can dig out the latter, I can send it to you?
I am very anxious with Tigger, and more than a little frustrated. After catching up on a bit of my work last night, and eating dinner at about 1 a.m. (one dose of the Tigger meds ended up squirted up over his head when he jerked at the last minute...), I finally fell asleep at about 2:30. A friend phoned me at 7 to tell me about a book that had ended up in Amazon Vine -- the new Elly Griffiths mystery -- and I was able to nab an ARC, but I was already awake because Tigger had been walking across my head and swiping at my face with his claws for half an hour; I think that is his revenge for my shoving meds in HIS face twice a day.
What is worrying me now is that he's doing the "lip smacking" that means he is feeling nauseous. So far, no barfing, but the nausea doesn't seem to be abating either, and he is very restless. Sigh. And it's almost time for the next dose of meds...
35rebeccanyc
>28 Chatterbox: Bury Me Standing has been on my shelves since it came out, which is close to 20 years. I have a vague recollection of reading it at the time, reinforced by your review, but I don't really remember much.
36sibylline
Letting you know I have been by and read about your reading.
Hope Tigger is doing ok too.
Hope Tigger is doing ok too.
37ffortsa
>28 Chatterbox: Bury Me Standing was a favorite read of mine some years ago, maybe when it was a little more timely. And I agree, I wouldn't want them as neighbors, and would find their customs weird, their gender roles suffocating - but the persecution is evil and long-standing. Hard to integrate into a larger society if everyone pushes you back.
38Chatterbox
A real pig of a day. Fighting to get meds into Tigger was so difficult that I'm actually skipping his nighttime dose; I simply can't cope with any more. He hasn't barfed, however, so that is OK, at least. I finally got around to changing the billing address on my main credit card from NY to Rhode Island, and it buggered everything up; Amazon couldn't seem to cope with anything at all. Exhausting working day. I'm having a bumpy relationship with my new Guardian editor; he's perfectly nice as a person, but so far has taken a couple of my ideas and turned them over to the news team (depriving me of income) and now has just done the same with a good story idea I had. There's less of an outlet for creativity, and thus for building an audience. *shrug* Oh, and my payment from them didn't get processed in a timely manner, because someone there forgot to authorize it. I'm falling between the cracks. Wah, wah, wah, wah, I'm not *special* any more! :-) And after figuring out -- after days of going to and fro like a demented headless chicken -- that the top-performing stock mutual fund that I'm supposed to be writing about actually made all that money by taking positions in currency futures instead, I wrapped up the day with a migraine. Delightful. No wonder I can't face an hour of fighting with Tigger. I just CAN'T.
Now that my little burst of whining is over:
113. Dead Sleep by Greg Iles
This was another re-read, or rather, an Audible listen (because it was cheap). A good narrator, and a chilling if very implausible story. I'm not sure that I find Iles a great storyteller when he's writing in a female voice, as he does here, and the book's final twist is downright implausible, but the book is creepy and chilling. Photojournalist Jordan is in Hong Kong when she stumbles over an exhibition of paintings by a mysterious artist; are the models sleeping or dead? One of them looks exactly like her -- and Jordan's twin sister, Jane, vanished without a trace more than a year earlier in New Orleans, along with other women, presumably the victim of a serial killer. There's no way the art market element of this (an anonymous artist selling his works via a dealer) could work the way Iles describes, but the hunt for the killer is Dexter-qualitys stuff. 3.85 stars.
114. The Jazz Palace by Mary Morris
This is an upcoming novel penned by the wife of a work friend of mine (he's an editor who's worked at several of the same places that I have). She's a Chicago native, and WOW, has she done an utterly brilliant job of capturing the ambiance of her city in the jazz age in this story of a group of young people caught up in the world of the mob, saloons and, of course, jazz. She also writes hypnotically about jazz and music, so vividly that I hungered to hear the music that she so clearly could as she set down the words on the page. Her characters, too, are interesting, even if they tend to be less vivid and alive against the drama of her background: the son of an immigrant entrepreneur and an African American trumpeter, who bond over their love for jazz, and the "jewel sisters", Pearl and Ruby, who run the Jazz Palace of the title. It's not brilliant, but it's worth a try. 4 stars.
115. The Iron Hand of Mars by Lindsey Davis
I'd tried the first Falco mystery, been underwhelmed, shrugged, and moved on. Then I read the Flavia Albia novels, thinking that part of my problem might be with the persona of a hard-boiled private detective set in ancient Rome, and quite enjoyed them. So I decided to try Falco again, and am glad that I did. Perhaps my tastes have changed a bit, or perhaps I was more in the mood for this kind of book, or perhaps Falco's adventuring into the the spooky lands beyond what is today the Rhine, accidentally stumbling over the abandoned forts and the long-lost battlefields where the German tribes slaughtered Roman legions decades earlier, grabbed and held my attention. I've nabbed the next two books in the series, since the second of them takes Falco to Palmyra, a place in Syria that I visited, found fascinating, wanted to go back to and now probably never will... :-( So, this book was 4.15 stars.
116. A Very Close Conspiracy by Jane Dunn
This has been on my wish list to read since forever, and I'm glad I finally buckled. I read Hermione Lee's biography of Woolf, and earlier this year read the so-so novel, Vanessa and Her Sister. After reading this non-fiction account of the relationship between Woolf and Vanessa Bell, I would say just forget about that novel and read this. It's equally readable, far more in depth, and far more fascinating. Priya Parmar's novel reads like biography dressed up with quotations; it's fine for what it is, but this is a solid, if not uncontroversial, work of biography. (Dunn puts a lot of emphasis on the incest question, in the sisters' relationship with their half brother, George Duckworth.) Jane Dunn does get a little repetitive when pointing out that the words belonged to Virginia and the pictures/images to Vanessa, but she does an excellent job of showing precisely what that meant on a day to day basis, including the way that Vanessa struggled to articulate her thoughts and in a way bridged two generations of women -- the traditional model represented by her mother and elder half sister, Stella, and those to whom independence came with fewer questions and without burdens (as Vanessa took on responsibility for her younger siblings when their father died, while Virginia allowed others to shoulder the task of tackling mundane details). If you're interested in the Bloomsbury group, add this to your list of "must reads". For that matter, if you've got a sister whom you love but sometimes struggle with, read this... 4.4 stars.
Now that my little burst of whining is over:
113. Dead Sleep by Greg Iles
This was another re-read, or rather, an Audible listen (because it was cheap). A good narrator, and a chilling if very implausible story. I'm not sure that I find Iles a great storyteller when he's writing in a female voice, as he does here, and the book's final twist is downright implausible, but the book is creepy and chilling. Photojournalist Jordan is in Hong Kong when she stumbles over an exhibition of paintings by a mysterious artist; are the models sleeping or dead? One of them looks exactly like her -- and Jordan's twin sister, Jane, vanished without a trace more than a year earlier in New Orleans, along with other women, presumably the victim of a serial killer. There's no way the art market element of this (an anonymous artist selling his works via a dealer) could work the way Iles describes, but the hunt for the killer is Dexter-qualitys stuff. 3.85 stars.
114. The Jazz Palace by Mary Morris
This is an upcoming novel penned by the wife of a work friend of mine (he's an editor who's worked at several of the same places that I have). She's a Chicago native, and WOW, has she done an utterly brilliant job of capturing the ambiance of her city in the jazz age in this story of a group of young people caught up in the world of the mob, saloons and, of course, jazz. She also writes hypnotically about jazz and music, so vividly that I hungered to hear the music that she so clearly could as she set down the words on the page. Her characters, too, are interesting, even if they tend to be less vivid and alive against the drama of her background: the son of an immigrant entrepreneur and an African American trumpeter, who bond over their love for jazz, and the "jewel sisters", Pearl and Ruby, who run the Jazz Palace of the title. It's not brilliant, but it's worth a try. 4 stars.
115. The Iron Hand of Mars by Lindsey Davis
I'd tried the first Falco mystery, been underwhelmed, shrugged, and moved on. Then I read the Flavia Albia novels, thinking that part of my problem might be with the persona of a hard-boiled private detective set in ancient Rome, and quite enjoyed them. So I decided to try Falco again, and am glad that I did. Perhaps my tastes have changed a bit, or perhaps I was more in the mood for this kind of book, or perhaps Falco's adventuring into the the spooky lands beyond what is today the Rhine, accidentally stumbling over the abandoned forts and the long-lost battlefields where the German tribes slaughtered Roman legions decades earlier, grabbed and held my attention. I've nabbed the next two books in the series, since the second of them takes Falco to Palmyra, a place in Syria that I visited, found fascinating, wanted to go back to and now probably never will... :-( So, this book was 4.15 stars.
116. A Very Close Conspiracy by Jane Dunn
This has been on my wish list to read since forever, and I'm glad I finally buckled. I read Hermione Lee's biography of Woolf, and earlier this year read the so-so novel, Vanessa and Her Sister. After reading this non-fiction account of the relationship between Woolf and Vanessa Bell, I would say just forget about that novel and read this. It's equally readable, far more in depth, and far more fascinating. Priya Parmar's novel reads like biography dressed up with quotations; it's fine for what it is, but this is a solid, if not uncontroversial, work of biography. (Dunn puts a lot of emphasis on the incest question, in the sisters' relationship with their half brother, George Duckworth.) Jane Dunn does get a little repetitive when pointing out that the words belonged to Virginia and the pictures/images to Vanessa, but she does an excellent job of showing precisely what that meant on a day to day basis, including the way that Vanessa struggled to articulate her thoughts and in a way bridged two generations of women -- the traditional model represented by her mother and elder half sister, Stella, and those to whom independence came with fewer questions and without burdens (as Vanessa took on responsibility for her younger siblings when their father died, while Virginia allowed others to shoulder the task of tackling mundane details). If you're interested in the Bloomsbury group, add this to your list of "must reads". For that matter, if you've got a sister whom you love but sometimes struggle with, read this... 4.4 stars.
39Cobscook
I've scrolled quickly past all your oh so tempting reviews (since I am supposed to be working, shhh) in order to say THANKS for sending me the Margaret Drabble book. I am *pretty* sure it came from you?!? At least I have a vague memory of you offering to send me one of her books.....I hope I am remembering right!
I will be back to read more thoroughly through your thread!
I will be back to read more thoroughly through your thread!
40Chatterbox
>39 Cobscook: Yes, it was me; glad it arrived safely, and sorry for the delay! The weather here, combined with my work schedule, made it difficult for me to get to the post office, and I didn't have enough stamps to just hand it off to Mike the mail guy.
Sooooo glad this week is over. Made a follow up vet appointment for Tigger; scheduled for the 13th but I'm also on their cancellation schedule. We're going to get an injectable steroid, but there's no equally good alternative to the antibiotic, so I'll have to tough out the oral version twice daily. Still, if I can cut the number of daily syringes from four to two by eliminating the steroid, that would be a boon.
Planning for an influx of Amazon Vine ARCs, both ones to be read and one to arrive in the mail in the coming days. I was lucky to get a copy of The Ghost Fields and a biography of Joseph Mitchell (the chronicler of old New York). Missed out on the new Christopher Reichs novel, but I'll survive. Lots of other thrillers to read.
I'm supposed to be working, too, but since I've had almost no sleep -- Tigger has taken to waking me up every few hours, by standing on my head and swatting at my face -- I'm too zonked to think clearly. Last night's wake up swats came at 2:30, 5 a.m., and 7:15 a.m. Each time I had to get up, get him a fresh plate of food, and watch while he nibbled at it, and then ignored it. It's like hitting a reset button or something. If I didn't get up, he continued to pester me. A new behavior pattern. Meanwhile, if I'm up and working, he dozes contentedly in his new bed. Grrrrr.
Sooooo glad this week is over. Made a follow up vet appointment for Tigger; scheduled for the 13th but I'm also on their cancellation schedule. We're going to get an injectable steroid, but there's no equally good alternative to the antibiotic, so I'll have to tough out the oral version twice daily. Still, if I can cut the number of daily syringes from four to two by eliminating the steroid, that would be a boon.
Planning for an influx of Amazon Vine ARCs, both ones to be read and one to arrive in the mail in the coming days. I was lucky to get a copy of The Ghost Fields and a biography of Joseph Mitchell (the chronicler of old New York). Missed out on the new Christopher Reichs novel, but I'll survive. Lots of other thrillers to read.
I'm supposed to be working, too, but since I've had almost no sleep -- Tigger has taken to waking me up every few hours, by standing on my head and swatting at my face -- I'm too zonked to think clearly. Last night's wake up swats came at 2:30, 5 a.m., and 7:15 a.m. Each time I had to get up, get him a fresh plate of food, and watch while he nibbled at it, and then ignored it. It's like hitting a reset button or something. If I didn't get up, he continued to pester me. A new behavior pattern. Meanwhile, if I'm up and working, he dozes contentedly in his new bed. Grrrrr.
41elkiedee
I'm reading a Netgalley of The Ghost Fields at the moment. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
43LizzieD
You sound like you're holding on by a fingernail, but at least that nail is holding. Poor Tigger; poor Suzanne. And doggone the Guardian editor for playing fast and loose with your ideas and work.
I have to remark that Joseph Mitchell is from my county - a little town just 10 miles south of us. Somehow, the characters in Up in the Old Hotel sound very like characters you might have met in Fairmont these many years ago - or yesterday. I ran into his niece in Chapel Hill once. She was thrilled that I had even heard of him, but that's as far as our conversation went.
And if you remember me when you run across your hard copy of Bury Me Standing, I'd love to have it, of course. Meanwhile, the Woolf/Bell book was available at PBS, and I've just ordered it. Can't get enough Bloomsbury!
Good wishes for quieter, better times for you and Tigger.
I have to remark that Joseph Mitchell is from my county - a little town just 10 miles south of us. Somehow, the characters in Up in the Old Hotel sound very like characters you might have met in Fairmont these many years ago - or yesterday. I ran into his niece in Chapel Hill once. She was thrilled that I had even heard of him, but that's as far as our conversation went.
And if you remember me when you run across your hard copy of Bury Me Standing, I'd love to have it, of course. Meanwhile, the Woolf/Bell book was available at PBS, and I've just ordered it. Can't get enough Bloomsbury!
Good wishes for quieter, better times for you and Tigger.
44Chatterbox
I feel as if I am bullying and tormenting my cat. I am exhausted; he is still sick. It's not happy.
46qebo
>44 Chatterbox: Oh, how awful for both you and Tigger.
>28 Chatterbox: Bury Me Standing by Isabel Fonseca
I read this in the late 1990s for a book group, don't know why it was chosen, maybe it was getting publicity buzz at the time. Recall it as enlightening, details have faded.
>28 Chatterbox: Bury Me Standing by Isabel Fonseca
I read this in the late 1990s for a book group, don't know why it was chosen, maybe it was getting publicity buzz at the time. Recall it as enlightening, details have faded.
47catarina1
I'm so sorry that things are so stressful for both you and Tigger. I'm hoping that it will all improve soon.
I have to give meds by syringe (5/day) to my 17 yo cat but I am grateful that he is quite compliant.
I have to give meds by syringe (5/day) to my 17 yo cat but I am grateful that he is quite compliant.
48streamsong
I'm so sorry about Tigger and your struggles. Here's a bit of brainstorming for you, none of which may be of any use at all, of course.
I don't know if this would work with cats, but with horses that fight oral dosing, it becomes much better when you give them something they really like in a syringe at odd hours during the day in between medicine doses. Horses=molasses. Cats - broth? juice from can of tuna? Just something ( a few drops at first) to make him think it's not always unpleasant.
Do you use a cat piller to give the pills? It's still a struggle, but they don't have to open their mouths as far and you can put the pill farther back on the tongue - which of course doesn't mean that they can't spit the pill clear across the room as soon as you let go, just that's its less likely.
There is a long lasting injectable antibiotic that is fairly new. At the last visit, my vet asked if I wanted it instead of the pills. Yes!!!! He laughed and said that when his newly hired just-out-of-vet-school colleague suggested it, he told her no one would want to pay the additional cost, but he let her order one vial. He was laughing and said that not one cat owner had turned it down.
I don't know if this would work with cats, but with horses that fight oral dosing, it becomes much better when you give them something they really like in a syringe at odd hours during the day in between medicine doses. Horses=molasses. Cats - broth? juice from can of tuna? Just something ( a few drops at first) to make him think it's not always unpleasant.
Do you use a cat piller to give the pills? It's still a struggle, but they don't have to open their mouths as far and you can put the pill farther back on the tongue - which of course doesn't mean that they can't spit the pill clear across the room as soon as you let go, just that's its less likely.
There is a long lasting injectable antibiotic that is fairly new. At the last visit, my vet asked if I wanted it instead of the pills. Yes!!!! He laughed and said that when his newly hired just-out-of-vet-school colleague suggested it, he told her no one would want to pay the additional cost, but he let her order one vial. He was laughing and said that not one cat owner had turned it down.
49elkiedee
Just drawing your attention to a Kindle daily deal I think you might be interested in
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: Adventures in Modern Russia at £1.19
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: Adventures in Modern Russia at £1.19
50Chatterbox
>48 streamsong: I'll try that, although I worry that between Tigger's generally food aversion and his horror at the sight of a syringe, it may not work. There aren't any pills to give, just liquids.
>49 elkiedee: Thanks! I have an ARC, but would rather have a portable, finished book...
Tired, headachey/migraine day today. Did errands and came home. Neighbors had party late last night for Chris's 30th b-day. Jenny came down and apologized profusely. They very rarely do that and generally are excellent neighbors and very nice people -- but I just really wish they hadn't done it, as it was 5 a.m. by the time I got to sleep. Urgh. Got new cotton comforter for bed (since I can't sleep under the duvet any more; sigh...) and sheets; some t-shirts on sale and a plain white cotton shirt with some stretch in it that I can dress up and wear with a silk scarf for "half casual". Also, a water fountain for Tigger, which cost more than most of the above. And now I won't be venturing more than a block from home for another week!
Book update later; nothing really extraordinary. I've had two friends recently (non LT) who have loved The Thing About December by Donal Ryan, after I recommended it. Just saying... :-)
>49 elkiedee: Thanks! I have an ARC, but would rather have a portable, finished book...
Tired, headachey/migraine day today. Did errands and came home. Neighbors had party late last night for Chris's 30th b-day. Jenny came down and apologized profusely. They very rarely do that and generally are excellent neighbors and very nice people -- but I just really wish they hadn't done it, as it was 5 a.m. by the time I got to sleep. Urgh. Got new cotton comforter for bed (since I can't sleep under the duvet any more; sigh...) and sheets; some t-shirts on sale and a plain white cotton shirt with some stretch in it that I can dress up and wear with a silk scarf for "half casual". Also, a water fountain for Tigger, which cost more than most of the above. And now I won't be venturing more than a block from home for another week!
Book update later; nothing really extraordinary. I've had two friends recently (non LT) who have loved The Thing About December by Donal Ryan, after I recommended it. Just saying... :-)
51SandDune
>50 Chatterbox: Being as you have just bought one you will be in a position to explain what is the difference between a comforter and a duvet. Is a comforter something that goes on top of blankets or used on its own as a thinner duvet? It's something that seems to cause confusion between Europeans and Americans in my experience. I remember when we were in Copenhagen last year there were a couple of really bad reviews of the hotel by American tourists focused solely on the bed linen arrangements, and the lack of a comforter, and I heard a similar conversation at breakfast in our recent stay in Portugal.
52PaulCranswick
Hope your headaches dissipates my dear,
I will be in Fowey for a day or two in August, Suz, and will be thinking of you - honestly.
Have a lovely Easter. xx
I will be in Fowey for a day or two in August, Suz, and will be thinking of you - honestly.
Have a lovely Easter. xx
53Chatterbox
>51 SandDune: LOL, Rhian -- a comforter, to me, is a one piece item -- like a quilt, but usually made of some kind of lightweight, fluffier batting than the kind I would use were I making a hand-pieced quilt. So it looks like a down blanket or a very skinny duvet. The basic thing is that it's a single piece that can simply be thrown on the bed as is, after being sewed together and assembled. In contrast, a duvet is literally blown full of down, feathers, a combination (or for allergic folks, an artificial alternative). You can choose your fill weights depending on the level of warmth you want. In this case, the only fabric is the shell for the down or whatever it is stuffed with. Most people then throw a duvet cover on top of the duvet.
Comforters seem more prevalent here, perhaps because of the legacy of quilts? I've used a duvet since I was 16 or so, but find it increasingly hard to tolerate -- I overheat too easily, even in a cooler-than-average bedroom. I've been using a down blanket as an alternative, but it's not quite long enough for me, so am going to try this instead of a blanket, since I find blankets feel too physically heavy. A duvet is great since it generates warmth while being lightweight.
I would think that a comforter would be used instead of blankets. I suppose if it's particularly icy outside, you could add a blanket to the mix, but think of them as a variant of quilts, which themselves are alternatives to blankets.
>52 PaulCranswick: Happy Easter Paul, and I trust you'll use your time in Fowey profitably, such as by persuading the folks at Bookends to relinquish their leasehold/freehold to us?
Comforters seem more prevalent here, perhaps because of the legacy of quilts? I've used a duvet since I was 16 or so, but find it increasingly hard to tolerate -- I overheat too easily, even in a cooler-than-average bedroom. I've been using a down blanket as an alternative, but it's not quite long enough for me, so am going to try this instead of a blanket, since I find blankets feel too physically heavy. A duvet is great since it generates warmth while being lightweight.
I would think that a comforter would be used instead of blankets. I suppose if it's particularly icy outside, you could add a blanket to the mix, but think of them as a variant of quilts, which themselves are alternatives to blankets.
>52 PaulCranswick: Happy Easter Paul, and I trust you'll use your time in Fowey profitably, such as by persuading the folks at Bookends to relinquish their leasehold/freehold to us?
54thornton37814
I get too hot with duvets in hotels too! I have a quilted comforter on my bed. I really prefer using a quilt for the top layer because comforters sometimes are too toasty for me.
55LizzieD
You call up memories of nights spent with my granny in a cold bedroom with so many blankets and quilts that I couldn't turn over.....of course, after I had gotten my spot warmed up, I didn't want to move, but I couldn't have done it without squirming out and starting over.
I've been thinking about you and Tigger. You just can't live in that kind of stress for very long without some relief or some mental accomodation. At least he seems to be holding his own. You hold yours too.
I've been thinking about you and Tigger. You just can't live in that kind of stress for very long without some relief or some mental accomodation. At least he seems to be holding his own. You hold yours too.
56Chatterbox
The bed currently has on it:
1. My old down blanket.
2. a flat sheet
3. a lightweight mohair throw blanket
At any point in the evening I'm wrestling frantically with one or more of these, trying to find the right one/combination so as to stay warm and not overheat. Add Cassie to the mix, and it doesn't make for a restful evening.
I don't even know how much medication is getting down Tigger's throat as opposed to into the fur around his face, as I try to pry open his jaw. With the syringes, which i have to have ready in one hand right by his mouth, it's hard to prevent drips and near misses. I don't want to exceed the dose, but I'm beginning to feel that in order to get the full dose into his mouth I may need to go to 0.7 ml from the prescribed 0.5 ml. There was a barfing episode overnight -- the third in ten days, so that is restarting. He's still very finicky about his food, shows no signs of regaining his energy level above the basic, and while he thinks he is interested in food (the rattle of cans, etc.) none of the contents appeals. And he's being very fussy. I still don't have a caretaker for when I have to be in NYC in ten days' time, which is worrying. He'll survive, but it's not wise to skip his meds for two days, even if by then it would only be the antibiotic. GAH.
1. My old down blanket.
2. a flat sheet
3. a lightweight mohair throw blanket
At any point in the evening I'm wrestling frantically with one or more of these, trying to find the right one/combination so as to stay warm and not overheat. Add Cassie to the mix, and it doesn't make for a restful evening.
I don't even know how much medication is getting down Tigger's throat as opposed to into the fur around his face, as I try to pry open his jaw. With the syringes, which i have to have ready in one hand right by his mouth, it's hard to prevent drips and near misses. I don't want to exceed the dose, but I'm beginning to feel that in order to get the full dose into his mouth I may need to go to 0.7 ml from the prescribed 0.5 ml. There was a barfing episode overnight -- the third in ten days, so that is restarting. He's still very finicky about his food, shows no signs of regaining his energy level above the basic, and while he thinks he is interested in food (the rattle of cans, etc.) none of the contents appeals. And he's being very fussy. I still don't have a caretaker for when I have to be in NYC in ten days' time, which is worrying. He'll survive, but it's not wise to skip his meds for two days, even if by then it would only be the antibiotic. GAH.
57catarina1
I hate to suggest another med for Tigger. But perhaps he has nausea. OTC Pepcid 10 mg (cut in quarters) or a prescription Cerenia may help.
58torontoc
When my dog was sick I was told to give him baby food- he loved it- especially the chicken- do cats tolerate baby food?
( in fact when the dog got better- he didn't want to switch back to regular pet food.)
( in fact when the dog got better- he didn't want to switch back to regular pet food.)
60Chatterbox
Tigger is utterly uninterested in baby food. Bought some and tried it. (Cassie, on the other hand, loves it; she thinks she is in heaven when I open it...)
>57 catarina1: Yes, since the prelim diagnosis is IBD, this is probably part of the same problem. the barfing actually is less frequent than it had been before starting him on the meds, but it's not a good sign. I just wish dosing him were easier! It's like brute force...
>57 catarina1: Yes, since the prelim diagnosis is IBD, this is probably part of the same problem. the barfing actually is less frequent than it had been before starting him on the meds, but it's not a good sign. I just wish dosing him were easier! It's like brute force...
61Chatterbox
Sadly, a list dominated by re-reads and mediocre or underwhelming books.
117. The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly
This was the exception to a ho-hum batch of reading, and was rather unexpected, as the author's previous book, Anonymous Sources, was a DNF on my first attempt at reading it. It's also very much a genre book -- a woman's suspense novel. In this case, Caroline Cashion has begun suffering from acute pain in her wrist and goes off for an MRI to find what is causing it; the very last thing she expects to be asked about is the bullet in her neck, pressing on her spine. WHAT bullet? To her certain knowledge, she has never been shot -- has she? But when she tells her parents of the bizarre story, she opens up an entire can of worms. Not only was she adopted, but she's the sole survivor of a massacre that left her parents shot to death and herself left for dead on the kitchen floor... Caroline is no hapless wimp; she realizes that the bullet in her body could be evidence in the crime investigation, and determines to find out who did it and to find justice for the parents she can't even remember. Nothing goes quite as she planned... In one way, this is very predictable; in another, it was twisty and turny enough to keep me reading. 4.25 stars.
118. The Francis Miracle by John Allen
If you're curious about the new pope, this is a good primer that ties together many of the headline stories and puts them in context (as well as pointing out the areas in which he hasn't made much progress, such as women and sexual abuse scandals, which tend to be downplayed in the public narrative.) It's not a hagiography, but a straightforward narrative. There are natural limitations to it, given that he's only been in the job for two years, but it's still a good overview. This was an ARC that I opted to read out of curiosity at seeing such a very different personality -- someone seemingly so committed to living the message of poverty and service, even while clinging to Catholic theology -- head up the Church. Interesting. 3.9 stars.
119. Second Life by S.J. Watson
Oh dear. Bleak, depressing and a mess. Julia is an alcoholic, and a former drug addict, raising her sister's son with her husband. Then her sister is found dead and Julia decides to figure out whodunnit. Why, precisely, she decides to do this is only the first of a great number of unconvincing elements in this very very messy and unfocused plot. Julia is a mess and watching her fall apart has no value to the plot and is depressing without ever being convincing. Nothing here drew me into the story or made me feel it was interesting or compelling. I didn't read the author's first book, which drew raves, but based on this, I wouldn't want to. The only good part of the bok was its tortured, fascinating, riveting conclusion. 2.3 stars.
120. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
My second re-read of this; is there anything left to say? It's interesting how this book stands apart from the other two books in the trilogy, almost like a prequel. I'm reading (or rather, listening) to them now ahead of the planned release of a fourth book in the series written by a new author selected by Larsson's estate (meaning his family, not his de-facto widow) in August or September. In many ways I like this the best of the three books -- it's self contained, with a historic mystery morphing into a contemporary suspense drama and then a fraud exposé. That said, the writing isn't the strong point, so perhaps the new author will be able to do justice to Larsson's characters? I liked Simon Vance's audio version of this. 4.4 stars.
121. Ladies' Bane by Patricia Wentworth
Ione Muir, the ingenue heroine of this Miss Silver mystery, is a little more feisty than the typical Patricia Wentworth character, and that made me enjoy the re-read of this episode of the long Miss Silver series more than I have some others. Ione is trying to figure out just why her sister, Allegra, has become reclusive since her marriage, and what it has to do with Allegra's husband's fascination for a 14th century English manor house. Geoffrey Trent wants Allegra's trustees to free up the funds to buy the place -- and then his young ward dies. Can Miss Silver figure out what is going on?
122. Basic Law by J. Sydney Jones
This should have interested me a lot more than it did. Set in the early 1990s, jaded newsman Sam Kramer learns of the suicide of his former lover, a German politician, and that she has made him her literary executor. But where are the memoirs? The two of them were part of a group of seven idealistic young people in Germany and Austria in the late 1960s until something went dreadfully wrong in Prague in 1969. Over the course of the novel we learn what that was, what happened to the seven, and a lot more, but in spite of a lot of guns waving around and fisticuffs and violence and plots involving real Nazis and neo Nazis, this was strangely unengaging. Can't explain why, but I never really cared about any of the characters. They felt like cardboard figures. 2.9 stars.
123. The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
Fun boy's own adventure, but VERY dated; given all the ethnic stereotypes that do creep in, I half-expected a reference to the fuzzy-wuzzies. I suppose I'm glad that I finally read it, but frankly would rather watch one of the very good film or TV versions if I tackle it again. That's the way to capture the tension and the adventure without being distracted by the pre-World War I jingoism, which clearly spilled over into propaganda-like fiction. The fact that Buchan's novel survived that and has endured is a testimonial to the strength of the core "chase" plot -- the grandaddy of the classic "chase" plots that we see in so many books today. 3.75 stars. May read some of his other books, but possibly may try Huntingtower.
124. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
Moved right along to listen to this, the second book in the Millennium trilogy (and I've just started book #3). It was interesting to listen to this and pick up more details than I remember from reading it, including the way that Larsson does such a good job of juxtaposing the points of view of Blomkvist and Salander. The book bogs down when Larsson starts pontificating about the evils of sexual trafficking and violence against women. That's true enough -- but simply listening to characters preach about it gets wearying. Then, too, I get a bit tired of Blomkvist's perfection. He's sexy, he's smart, he's idealistic, he is principled, etc. etc. etc. Sigh. 4.35 stars.
117. The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly
This was the exception to a ho-hum batch of reading, and was rather unexpected, as the author's previous book, Anonymous Sources, was a DNF on my first attempt at reading it. It's also very much a genre book -- a woman's suspense novel. In this case, Caroline Cashion has begun suffering from acute pain in her wrist and goes off for an MRI to find what is causing it; the very last thing she expects to be asked about is the bullet in her neck, pressing on her spine. WHAT bullet? To her certain knowledge, she has never been shot -- has she? But when she tells her parents of the bizarre story, she opens up an entire can of worms. Not only was she adopted, but she's the sole survivor of a massacre that left her parents shot to death and herself left for dead on the kitchen floor... Caroline is no hapless wimp; she realizes that the bullet in her body could be evidence in the crime investigation, and determines to find out who did it and to find justice for the parents she can't even remember. Nothing goes quite as she planned... In one way, this is very predictable; in another, it was twisty and turny enough to keep me reading. 4.25 stars.
118. The Francis Miracle by John Allen
If you're curious about the new pope, this is a good primer that ties together many of the headline stories and puts them in context (as well as pointing out the areas in which he hasn't made much progress, such as women and sexual abuse scandals, which tend to be downplayed in the public narrative.) It's not a hagiography, but a straightforward narrative. There are natural limitations to it, given that he's only been in the job for two years, but it's still a good overview. This was an ARC that I opted to read out of curiosity at seeing such a very different personality -- someone seemingly so committed to living the message of poverty and service, even while clinging to Catholic theology -- head up the Church. Interesting. 3.9 stars.
119. Second Life by S.J. Watson
Oh dear. Bleak, depressing and a mess. Julia is an alcoholic, and a former drug addict, raising her sister's son with her husband. Then her sister is found dead and Julia decides to figure out whodunnit. Why, precisely, she decides to do this is only the first of a great number of unconvincing elements in this very very messy and unfocused plot. Julia is a mess and watching her fall apart has no value to the plot and is depressing without ever being convincing. Nothing here drew me into the story or made me feel it was interesting or compelling. I didn't read the author's first book, which drew raves, but based on this, I wouldn't want to. The only good part of the bok was its tortured, fascinating, riveting conclusion. 2.3 stars.
120. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
My second re-read of this; is there anything left to say? It's interesting how this book stands apart from the other two books in the trilogy, almost like a prequel. I'm reading (or rather, listening) to them now ahead of the planned release of a fourth book in the series written by a new author selected by Larsson's estate (meaning his family, not his de-facto widow) in August or September. In many ways I like this the best of the three books -- it's self contained, with a historic mystery morphing into a contemporary suspense drama and then a fraud exposé. That said, the writing isn't the strong point, so perhaps the new author will be able to do justice to Larsson's characters? I liked Simon Vance's audio version of this. 4.4 stars.
121. Ladies' Bane by Patricia Wentworth
Ione Muir, the ingenue heroine of this Miss Silver mystery, is a little more feisty than the typical Patricia Wentworth character, and that made me enjoy the re-read of this episode of the long Miss Silver series more than I have some others. Ione is trying to figure out just why her sister, Allegra, has become reclusive since her marriage, and what it has to do with Allegra's husband's fascination for a 14th century English manor house. Geoffrey Trent wants Allegra's trustees to free up the funds to buy the place -- and then his young ward dies. Can Miss Silver figure out what is going on?
122. Basic Law by J. Sydney Jones
This should have interested me a lot more than it did. Set in the early 1990s, jaded newsman Sam Kramer learns of the suicide of his former lover, a German politician, and that she has made him her literary executor. But where are the memoirs? The two of them were part of a group of seven idealistic young people in Germany and Austria in the late 1960s until something went dreadfully wrong in Prague in 1969. Over the course of the novel we learn what that was, what happened to the seven, and a lot more, but in spite of a lot of guns waving around and fisticuffs and violence and plots involving real Nazis and neo Nazis, this was strangely unengaging. Can't explain why, but I never really cared about any of the characters. They felt like cardboard figures. 2.9 stars.
123. The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
Fun boy's own adventure, but VERY dated; given all the ethnic stereotypes that do creep in, I half-expected a reference to the fuzzy-wuzzies. I suppose I'm glad that I finally read it, but frankly would rather watch one of the very good film or TV versions if I tackle it again. That's the way to capture the tension and the adventure without being distracted by the pre-World War I jingoism, which clearly spilled over into propaganda-like fiction. The fact that Buchan's novel survived that and has endured is a testimonial to the strength of the core "chase" plot -- the grandaddy of the classic "chase" plots that we see in so many books today. 3.75 stars. May read some of his other books, but possibly may try Huntingtower.
124. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
Moved right along to listen to this, the second book in the Millennium trilogy (and I've just started book #3). It was interesting to listen to this and pick up more details than I remember from reading it, including the way that Larsson does such a good job of juxtaposing the points of view of Blomkvist and Salander. The book bogs down when Larsson starts pontificating about the evils of sexual trafficking and violence against women. That's true enough -- but simply listening to characters preach about it gets wearying. Then, too, I get a bit tired of Blomkvist's perfection. He's sexy, he's smart, he's idealistic, he is principled, etc. etc. etc. Sigh. 4.35 stars.
62Chatterbox
Bad day with Tigger today. Overnight, he woke me up several times, so I'm stumbling through the day barely functional. (More slashing at face with claws while sitting on my head.) Now he is very fussy, wanting me to scratch his head constantly, but has no inclination to eat at all. The vet is scheduled to come on Monday. I've put in another request for an emergency visit in case she can squeeze me in beforehand, but they are jammed, and I don't want to stress him further by taking him to a new vet in a car, in a carrier, all Big Hates of his. And I don't think it's warranted. If he has enough energy to try and scar me for life, he's not in immediate jeopardy. He's just miserable and unhappy. And so am I.
63katiekrug
Aw, I'm sorry, Suz. It's been a tough run for you...
I know I'm a big meanie, but could you close him out of your bedroom at night so at least you could get some sleep?
I know I'm a big meanie, but could you close him out of your bedroom at night so at least you could get some sleep?
64Chatterbox
It's tough to do that, Katie. For one thing, the door doesn't latch properly. It also means shutting Cassie in -- and thus adding a litter box to the bedroom. Sigh. I may have to figure something out though. I am at the point where I can't cope.
65flissp
Hi Suzanne, dropping by to say I've returned to LT and an extremely belated Happy New Year! You are one of those with so many threads that I have banned myself from looking at anything prior to this message, but I hope that life is good. I'm sorry to hear you've been having such a hard time with poor Tigger - I do hope that it improves.
66Chatterbox
Hey Fliss, thanks for dropping by! I've been largely AWOL myself... Work, stress, sick cat. Tigger is very frail, status quo. Vet is due on Monday. I haven't been out of the house since last weekend. Sigh. Just plodding from one day to the next.
At least the sun came out today. That, and the disappearance of the snow, brought out the kickball league in the park across the street. From now until mid-October, every Saturday from noon until 7, I will have windows rattling from their sound systems, music and commentary on the league play. VERY annoying. An end to my weekend peace and quiet, and the price I pay for warmer weather. It's even audible over air conditioners, when we get to that point. (You can hear it from four blocks away.)
Book update later.
At least the sun came out today. That, and the disappearance of the snow, brought out the kickball league in the park across the street. From now until mid-October, every Saturday from noon until 7, I will have windows rattling from their sound systems, music and commentary on the league play. VERY annoying. An end to my weekend peace and quiet, and the price I pay for warmer weather. It's even audible over air conditioners, when we get to that point. (You can hear it from four blocks away.)
Book update later.
67lindapanzo
I LOVE stories set in my hometown so I'll be sure to check out The Jazz Palace by Mary Morris. Thanks for recommending it!!
68DeltaQueen50
Hi Suzanne, I've been out of two for a couple of weeks visiting my mom but I am so sorry that your troubles with Tigger are still on-going. I hope you are able to figure out a way of getting some sleep as I am sure these restless nights can't be good for you.
Even with all your troubles, you still managed to land a couple of books onto my wishlist!
Even with all your troubles, you still managed to land a couple of books onto my wishlist!
69charl08
>66 Chatterbox: Really like the sound of The Bullet - and sorry to hear about the stresses with your cat. Hope the sunshine continues. I'd never heard of kickball before you mentioned it (and went to look at wikipedia). We have a Sunday reenactment society that has 'battles' of some sort or other on the local park with swords and shields. Lots of banging and bashing, but fortunately I think a radio would be out of period.
70Chatterbox
Icing on the cake -- I have had to have a temporary bridge in place while I await implants for several key teeth. I was cleaning it last night; Tigger jumped up to the sink; it shot out of my hand. When I stepped back from the sink to find it -- yes, you guessed it, I stepped on it. A crunch was heard. It's broken. It's not impossible to use, but very difficult, which will make it very difficult to eat and talk clearly until it's fixed or replaced. Just WTF is going on with my life?? What more can go wrong??
72LizzieD
>70 Chatterbox: Oh no. Please don't ask that question. It invites an answer....
Meanwhile, I hope you'll have a decent Sunday evening and that the vet will be very helpful tomorrow.
Meanwhile, I hope you'll have a decent Sunday evening and that the vet will be very helpful tomorrow.
73Chatterbox
Tigger update: One injection of steroids and (thank god), the vet found an injectable antibiotic as well. The latter isn't as perfectly targeted as the metronidazole, but it's adequate, and she is worried about the stress that fighting me and the meds is putting on Tiggy's heart; he has developed a v. slight heart murmur in the last five weeks that she thinks is probably related to the stress of fighting so hard against the four daily syringes. So, these will now be zero for the next two weeks, and we will wait and see. He has lost about another 0.2 pound, although it looks like more, because of wasting. The vet also is feeling a more distinct mass, so the next step is an ultrasound at the Mass/R.I. veterinary clinic, to see what is going on there, and to rule in/rule out various things. She still isn't prepared to say definitively whether that's associated with his lymph glands or his spleen or something else. So, the diagnosis remains unchanged: acute IBD (inflammatory bowel disease). At least now we're sure the meds are getting into his system with the minimum stress possible. Meanwhile, Tigger is royally peeved at having needles stuck into him, and is hissing at me.
74cbl_tn
The heart murmur, additional weight loss, and mass are a bit worrisome. I'm glad the vet was able to use an antibiotic shot. Hopefully both you and Tigger will rest better and have more energy now that you're not fighting each other four times a day.
75Chatterbox
>74 cbl_tn: Yes, I'm worried, but the vet seemed confident that the injectible steroid means that Tiggy now will begin eating/develop a real appetite. As far as the rest of it goes -- well, we'll just have to see what the ultrasound says.
76LizzieD
Just checking in. I'm very glad that the meds stress is disappearing - bound to make you both feel better!
77sibylline
What an ordeal you are going through with Tigger. It's so hard! But it sounds as if the vet is getting it that the liquid meds are worse than the illness.
Is the Angelica Garnett Deceived with Kindness on your Woolfy reading list? It gives a very interesting perspective of the sisters.
Is the Angelica Garnett Deceived with Kindness on your Woolfy reading list? It gives a very interesting perspective of the sisters.
78ronincats
I'm hoping that without the constant medications stress, Tigger is calming down a bit. What a nightmare you have been going through, Suzz.
79Chatterbox
Sorry I've been AWOL, and I regret asking that question about what more can go wrong. The jury is still out on what might be wrong, and it probably will be a few weeks before I know myself, but there's a chance that there's a medical problem of my own -- icing atop the cake. The health insurance will finally kick in on May 1, and I'll know more after that, I hope.
The good news is that the steroid shot does seem to have triggered Tigger's appetite, to some extent. The bad news is that he is getting hungry at weird hours, waking me in the middle of the night to come and open cans of cat food. So I'm sleep deprived and stressed and well, just strung out.
Can't really deal with a book update at the moment. More at some point.
The good news is that the steroid shot does seem to have triggered Tigger's appetite, to some extent. The bad news is that he is getting hungry at weird hours, waking me in the middle of the night to come and open cans of cat food. So I'm sleep deprived and stressed and well, just strung out.
Can't really deal with a book update at the moment. More at some point.
81Fourpawz2
Hi Suzanne - I am just getting back around to the threads after a few - many - weeks spent hiding out. Did not realize what a terrible time you have been having with Tigger. So sorry to hear that he is ill. Hope he gets better soon and that you survive as well. Can totally empathize over the whole syringe struggle. How much it would help, at such times, if pet parents had three hands instead of the measly and inadequate two hands we've been gifted with.
82Chatterbox
Decided I should make a stab at a few of these....
125. The Dead Lands by Benjamin Percy
Hmm, I dunno. Post-apocalyptic, like The Road, and dystopian, but it didn't really work for me. The author was caught up in his Big Idea of a latter day Lewis and Clark expedition, re-creating and re-building (vs creating and building) a new America after its destruction (nuclear war AND a viral disease). St. Louis becomes a Sanctuary, overseen by a tyrannical mayor, who is two-dimensionally evil. It owes a lot to Justin Cronin, too. If you want something conceptually interesting, and have some tolerance for a novel that never really clicks in and becomes what it could, give it a whirl. 3.35 stars.
126. Poseidon's Gold by Lindsey Davis
After the last Falco novel, this one was more slow-moving/plodding. Falco is back in Rome, and a mystery involving missing Greek statues and his long-dead big brother surfaces; when a centurion is murdered and a collector threatens to ruin his father, he has to solve it all to protect the family. It was OK, but didn't really grab me as much. I read it because I want to move on to the next one, in which Falco goes to Nabatea -- Petra and Palmyra. 3.4 stars.
127. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson
A re-read, in the form of an audiobook, concluding my revisiting of this series. It's interesting how different these novels are. This is, in many ways, a legal thriller. The second book is a straightforward action thriller, mostly. The first is a detective/mystery puzzle novel. It was fun to re-read, although I became increasingly irritated with the oh-so-perfect character of Mikael Blomkvist the crusading journalist. He has ended up in bed with no fewer than four of the major characters in these books, all of whom love him and (more or less) tolerate his sleeping with other women and let him do his own thing. And he's smart, blah blah blah. A lot of wish fulfillment on the author's part? It actually makes me interested to see what a different author (like the one appointed by the estate to write the fourth book, due out later this year) will do with Blomkvist. I'm also curious about Lisbeth's twin sister -- we hear about her but never, ever see her... These are just random observations about a book that probably a lot of people already have read. 4.35 stars -- not as high a rating as my original reading of it.
128. The Art of Baking Blind by Sarah Vaughan
Authors like Cathy Kelly and Erica James do it -- group women's lit. A group of women, each with their own issues, is brought together in some way -- a book club, a knitting circle, a holiday? -- and interact, and stuff happens, and eventually issues are resolved. It's a trope now. Vaughan does it a food porn kind of way -- around a baking competition with some truly drool-worthy descriptions of amazing baked goods. Not all her characters are evenly developed -- a handful are fine, and a few, you wonder why she bothered at all. It's all pretty much as expected, but fun to read. Entertaining fluff. 3.5 stars.
129. Death Ex Machina by Gary Corby
I really enjoy this series; the author has his tongue lodged firmly in his cheek half the time, making lots of sly jokes aimed at the modern reader, but not too many (at least, not in my opinion.) Set in the Athens of the time of Pericles, Nico, big brother of Socrates, must solve a mystery set in the theater. Aristophanes is about to step down as the doyen of tragedy writers and Sophocles is about to step into his shoes -- except that a series of accidents is plaguing his production of a play about Sisyphus the king of Corinth, to the extent that the superstitious cast and crew won't call it by name and have started referring to it only as the "Corinthian play". (I told you about those moments where the author kinda chuckles to himself and has fun...) Then there is a murder and it gets worse, because that means that the whole theater festival is jeopardy: it's sacrilege! Death in front of Dionysos? But then, too, there's the whole question of these non-Athenians trying to peddle beer... If you like Dr. Siri, you may want to check these out. They are much more light-hearted in tone, but a similar voice runs through them, and the author, I think, really knows his classical Greece. Lotsa fun, anyway. 4.35 stars.
130. Dominion by C.J. Sansom
This was another re-read, in the form of an audiobook -- which is a great way to revisit a book, I think. You know the story in one way, and are now returning to experience it in a different form. In this case, it's one of the alternate history tales in which WW2 has ended other than as it actually did -- in this instance, in a negotiated peace in 1940, leaving the Germans with a lot of influence in England, which now has a Third Reich style dictatorship. It's 1953 and Churchill is living underground. The plot revolves around an attempt to spirit a scientist who accidentally has learned about the US atom bomb (scientific details of it) out of the country before the Germans can get hold of him. He's slightly nutty, having been tormented to death at school, and the only person he trusts is an old schoolfriend who already, unknown to his wife, is part of a resistance circuit... The final third of the book involves some great, suspenseful chase scenes. I still think that Collaborator by Murray Davies tackles this core idea better, though. 4.3 stars. A good audiobook, nonetheless.
More to come later.
>77 sibylline: Lucy, I haven't read the Angelica Garnett book, although I know she had a very difficult time caught up in that menage. Not a tremendously child-friendly environment, in any event.
Tigger is eating again -- at least, more than he has of late. The steroid injection must indeed be working, as the vet promised. Let's see whether he puts on weight. He is being VERY fussy though. Last night woke me twice in the middle of the night to get up and pay attention to him and open fresh cans of food, even though he had plenty of food out and available already.
125. The Dead Lands by Benjamin Percy
Hmm, I dunno. Post-apocalyptic, like The Road, and dystopian, but it didn't really work for me. The author was caught up in his Big Idea of a latter day Lewis and Clark expedition, re-creating and re-building (vs creating and building) a new America after its destruction (nuclear war AND a viral disease). St. Louis becomes a Sanctuary, overseen by a tyrannical mayor, who is two-dimensionally evil. It owes a lot to Justin Cronin, too. If you want something conceptually interesting, and have some tolerance for a novel that never really clicks in and becomes what it could, give it a whirl. 3.35 stars.
126. Poseidon's Gold by Lindsey Davis
After the last Falco novel, this one was more slow-moving/plodding. Falco is back in Rome, and a mystery involving missing Greek statues and his long-dead big brother surfaces; when a centurion is murdered and a collector threatens to ruin his father, he has to solve it all to protect the family. It was OK, but didn't really grab me as much. I read it because I want to move on to the next one, in which Falco goes to Nabatea -- Petra and Palmyra. 3.4 stars.
127. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson
A re-read, in the form of an audiobook, concluding my revisiting of this series. It's interesting how different these novels are. This is, in many ways, a legal thriller. The second book is a straightforward action thriller, mostly. The first is a detective/mystery puzzle novel. It was fun to re-read, although I became increasingly irritated with the oh-so-perfect character of Mikael Blomkvist the crusading journalist. He has ended up in bed with no fewer than four of the major characters in these books, all of whom love him and (more or less) tolerate his sleeping with other women and let him do his own thing. And he's smart, blah blah blah. A lot of wish fulfillment on the author's part? It actually makes me interested to see what a different author (like the one appointed by the estate to write the fourth book, due out later this year) will do with Blomkvist. I'm also curious about Lisbeth's twin sister -- we hear about her but never, ever see her... These are just random observations about a book that probably a lot of people already have read. 4.35 stars -- not as high a rating as my original reading of it.
128. The Art of Baking Blind by Sarah Vaughan
Authors like Cathy Kelly and Erica James do it -- group women's lit. A group of women, each with their own issues, is brought together in some way -- a book club, a knitting circle, a holiday? -- and interact, and stuff happens, and eventually issues are resolved. It's a trope now. Vaughan does it a food porn kind of way -- around a baking competition with some truly drool-worthy descriptions of amazing baked goods. Not all her characters are evenly developed -- a handful are fine, and a few, you wonder why she bothered at all. It's all pretty much as expected, but fun to read. Entertaining fluff. 3.5 stars.
129. Death Ex Machina by Gary Corby
I really enjoy this series; the author has his tongue lodged firmly in his cheek half the time, making lots of sly jokes aimed at the modern reader, but not too many (at least, not in my opinion.) Set in the Athens of the time of Pericles, Nico, big brother of Socrates, must solve a mystery set in the theater. Aristophanes is about to step down as the doyen of tragedy writers and Sophocles is about to step into his shoes -- except that a series of accidents is plaguing his production of a play about Sisyphus the king of Corinth, to the extent that the superstitious cast and crew won't call it by name and have started referring to it only as the "Corinthian play". (I told you about those moments where the author kinda chuckles to himself and has fun...) Then there is a murder and it gets worse, because that means that the whole theater festival is jeopardy: it's sacrilege! Death in front of Dionysos? But then, too, there's the whole question of these non-Athenians trying to peddle beer... If you like Dr. Siri, you may want to check these out. They are much more light-hearted in tone, but a similar voice runs through them, and the author, I think, really knows his classical Greece. Lotsa fun, anyway. 4.35 stars.
130. Dominion by C.J. Sansom
This was another re-read, in the form of an audiobook -- which is a great way to revisit a book, I think. You know the story in one way, and are now returning to experience it in a different form. In this case, it's one of the alternate history tales in which WW2 has ended other than as it actually did -- in this instance, in a negotiated peace in 1940, leaving the Germans with a lot of influence in England, which now has a Third Reich style dictatorship. It's 1953 and Churchill is living underground. The plot revolves around an attempt to spirit a scientist who accidentally has learned about the US atom bomb (scientific details of it) out of the country before the Germans can get hold of him. He's slightly nutty, having been tormented to death at school, and the only person he trusts is an old schoolfriend who already, unknown to his wife, is part of a resistance circuit... The final third of the book involves some great, suspenseful chase scenes. I still think that Collaborator by Murray Davies tackles this core idea better, though. 4.3 stars. A good audiobook, nonetheless.
More to come later.
>77 sibylline: Lucy, I haven't read the Angelica Garnett book, although I know she had a very difficult time caught up in that menage. Not a tremendously child-friendly environment, in any event.
Tigger is eating again -- at least, more than he has of late. The steroid injection must indeed be working, as the vet promised. Let's see whether he puts on weight. He is being VERY fussy though. Last night woke me twice in the middle of the night to get up and pay attention to him and open fresh cans of food, even though he had plenty of food out and available already.
83charl08
Do I like Dr Siri? Deus Ex Machina goes onto the wishlist.
I mostly lurk but am amazed at your patience with Tigger, especially if you are also not well. Sending good vibes, and hoping there is light at the end of the tunnel.
I mostly lurk but am amazed at your patience with Tigger, especially if you are also not well. Sending good vibes, and hoping there is light at the end of the tunnel.
84Chatterbox
>83 charl08: I don't know -- DO you like Dr Siri? *grin* I do! whimsical, but with an undercore of humanity. This series is much lighter, with all of the whimsy and less seriousness, so it's really the fun part of Cotterill's books.
Tigger has been trying to drive me crazy for a dozen years now, one way or another. This is just a new way. I'm feeling OK (just very tired; Tigger woke me up twice in the middle of the night, so I'm exhausted). There is just something going on that I have discovered that is very worrying. Don't really want to say more than that right now. A friend managed to talk me down off the ledge yesterday, noting that it might not be as bad as I think it might be. Meanwhile, I'm kicking myself for failing to look after myself. Idiotic. Because of course if anything goes wrong, there isn't anyone else to do that. I meant that quite literally. I would be quite on my own to sort anything out, and to cope. I would do it -- I would have to, just as I have had to with everything else, and I'm sure I would. But it would just chip further away at my ability to be resilient.
Tigger has been trying to drive me crazy for a dozen years now, one way or another. This is just a new way. I'm feeling OK (just very tired; Tigger woke me up twice in the middle of the night, so I'm exhausted). There is just something going on that I have discovered that is very worrying. Don't really want to say more than that right now. A friend managed to talk me down off the ledge yesterday, noting that it might not be as bad as I think it might be. Meanwhile, I'm kicking myself for failing to look after myself. Idiotic. Because of course if anything goes wrong, there isn't anyone else to do that. I meant that quite literally. I would be quite on my own to sort anything out, and to cope. I would do it -- I would have to, just as I have had to with everything else, and I'm sure I would. But it would just chip further away at my ability to be resilient.
85Chatterbox
more books:
131. Someone is Watching by Joy Fielding
Some of Joy Fielding's women's suspense novels are excellent (Like See Jane Run, which is very, very good). This wasn't one of them -- not because it was bad, but because it was mediocre, and overly predictable, until the last 25 pages or so. Then it simply becomes unbelievable. The protagonist is the youngest child of a wealthy Miami millionaire, who has left all of his money to her and her only full sibling, excluding five half siblings and leaving lots of strained relationships and spawning a lawsuit. But the real trouble begins when she is violently raped while on a stakeout as part of her work as a legal investigator. Since her attacker threw a pillowcase over her head so she has only a few clues to his identity: his mouthwash, his shoes and the sound of his voice as he uttered a few words. Soon, she's imagining that every man she sees could be Him. Her half-sister appears to help her through the tough times, along with her feisty teenage niece, and what follows is a halfhearted mix of "Gaslight" and "Rear Window". The final reveal of the rapist isn't believable, mostly because there's no reason that this wouldn't be another one of her fantasies -- or that she wouldn't have recognized him. Oh well. 3 stars.
132. Badlands by C.J. Box
My first novel by this author, but it won't be my last. Fast and full of interest for its setting, even if it's really genre-bound. The author isn't great with female characters, and yes, the opening would make more sense had I read a previous book, The Highway, which features the main investigator, Cassie Dewell, as a side character or new character. (The subplot here, which consumes much of the first 30 or 40 pages, involves the serial killer in that book...) That said, I found Box's portrayal of the fracking boom in North Dakota as a backdrop for a crime drama to be intriguing, and I loved his portrayal of a young boy unexpectedly caught up in it all. Those features alone were worth the time I spent reading this. It reads as if Box is planning a sequel, so I'll sign up to read that. 3.85 stars.
133. The Book of Aron by Jim Shephard
Who says there is nothing to fresh to write about the Holocaust, or that narratives written from the point of view of children or young people can't work, when grappling with such profound situations? It worked with Vaddey Ratner's In the Shadow of the Banyan, and it works here, as Shepherd tells us of Aron, who figures out ways to work the odds even in the Warsaw ghetto, smuggling and trading information. What Shepherd is setting up is really a struggle for Aron's soul between Janusz Korczak, the orphanage director and doctor who would die at Treblinka, and who crafted a children's bill of rights, and those who become increasingly amoral as the Nazi occupation of Poland drags on, and the plight of those in the ghetto worsens, from Aron's more violent gang fellows, to the Jewish police, to the SS. Who will triumph. You really need to read this slim novel, which also happens to be beautifully written. Shepherd is known for his short stories, and not a word is wasted; elegant and precise prose ensures you won't be able to put this down. Don't miss it. 4.45 stars.
134. The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes & Jo Piazza
I needed something fun and frivolous, and this delivers. A next-gen The Devil Wears Prada, in which Imogen Tate, in her early 40s, must battle the demonic Eve Marton (in her mid 20s) for control of her fashion magazine, Glossy. While Imogen was being treated for breast cancer, Eve returned from Harvard Business School with a plan to turn Glossy from a magazine into an app and has staged a palace coup; now she's terrorizing everyone and Imogen must find a way to save the day and her sanity. Eve is too evil to be real, alas, and Imogen's lack of technological knowledge is utterly unconvincing for anyone in media -- she wouldn't have kept her job for long were she as ignorant as the authors suggest. But if you ignore the lack of connection to reality, it's fun, and owes a LOT to that iconic film, "All About Eve". Watch that first, then read this... *grin* The character's name is NO coincidence. Don't expect anything remotely literary; this is escapist fluff and the ultimate beach book. My copy was an ARC; I'm not sure when it will be out -- soon, I think. 3.65 stars, much of it for its ability to distract me from reality during a tough week.
I'll have some more comments on some more books tomorrow...
131. Someone is Watching by Joy Fielding
Some of Joy Fielding's women's suspense novels are excellent (Like See Jane Run, which is very, very good). This wasn't one of them -- not because it was bad, but because it was mediocre, and overly predictable, until the last 25 pages or so. Then it simply becomes unbelievable. The protagonist is the youngest child of a wealthy Miami millionaire, who has left all of his money to her and her only full sibling, excluding five half siblings and leaving lots of strained relationships and spawning a lawsuit. But the real trouble begins when she is violently raped while on a stakeout as part of her work as a legal investigator. Since her attacker threw a pillowcase over her head so she has only a few clues to his identity: his mouthwash, his shoes and the sound of his voice as he uttered a few words. Soon, she's imagining that every man she sees could be Him. Her half-sister appears to help her through the tough times, along with her feisty teenage niece, and what follows is a halfhearted mix of "Gaslight" and "Rear Window". The final reveal of the rapist isn't believable, mostly because there's no reason that this wouldn't be another one of her fantasies -- or that she wouldn't have recognized him. Oh well. 3 stars.
132. Badlands by C.J. Box
My first novel by this author, but it won't be my last. Fast and full of interest for its setting, even if it's really genre-bound. The author isn't great with female characters, and yes, the opening would make more sense had I read a previous book, The Highway, which features the main investigator, Cassie Dewell, as a side character or new character. (The subplot here, which consumes much of the first 30 or 40 pages, involves the serial killer in that book...) That said, I found Box's portrayal of the fracking boom in North Dakota as a backdrop for a crime drama to be intriguing, and I loved his portrayal of a young boy unexpectedly caught up in it all. Those features alone were worth the time I spent reading this. It reads as if Box is planning a sequel, so I'll sign up to read that. 3.85 stars.
133. The Book of Aron by Jim Shephard
Who says there is nothing to fresh to write about the Holocaust, or that narratives written from the point of view of children or young people can't work, when grappling with such profound situations? It worked with Vaddey Ratner's In the Shadow of the Banyan, and it works here, as Shepherd tells us of Aron, who figures out ways to work the odds even in the Warsaw ghetto, smuggling and trading information. What Shepherd is setting up is really a struggle for Aron's soul between Janusz Korczak, the orphanage director and doctor who would die at Treblinka, and who crafted a children's bill of rights, and those who become increasingly amoral as the Nazi occupation of Poland drags on, and the plight of those in the ghetto worsens, from Aron's more violent gang fellows, to the Jewish police, to the SS. Who will triumph. You really need to read this slim novel, which also happens to be beautifully written. Shepherd is known for his short stories, and not a word is wasted; elegant and precise prose ensures you won't be able to put this down. Don't miss it. 4.45 stars.
134. The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes & Jo Piazza
I needed something fun and frivolous, and this delivers. A next-gen The Devil Wears Prada, in which Imogen Tate, in her early 40s, must battle the demonic Eve Marton (in her mid 20s) for control of her fashion magazine, Glossy. While Imogen was being treated for breast cancer, Eve returned from Harvard Business School with a plan to turn Glossy from a magazine into an app and has staged a palace coup; now she's terrorizing everyone and Imogen must find a way to save the day and her sanity. Eve is too evil to be real, alas, and Imogen's lack of technological knowledge is utterly unconvincing for anyone in media -- she wouldn't have kept her job for long were she as ignorant as the authors suggest. But if you ignore the lack of connection to reality, it's fun, and owes a LOT to that iconic film, "All About Eve". Watch that first, then read this... *grin* The character's name is NO coincidence. Don't expect anything remotely literary; this is escapist fluff and the ultimate beach book. My copy was an ARC; I'm not sure when it will be out -- soon, I think. 3.65 stars, much of it for its ability to distract me from reality during a tough week.
I'll have some more comments on some more books tomorrow...
86DeltaQueen50
Glad to hear that Tigger is eating again, but sorry that he feels the need to wake you up in the middle of the night for fresh grub! I'm wishing you all the best, Suzanne.
87magicians_nephew
The 39 Steps was turned into a hoot of a Broadway show (not Off Broadway) with four actors playing all the parts on a basically bare stage.
Only way to play this is for comedy
Only way to play this is for comedy
88thornton37814
I've enjoyed most of the C. J. Box novels that I've read. Glad you've discovered him.
89LizzieD
Glad to hear that Tigger is improving. I wish he'd go on and improve enough to let you get some decent sleep. Missing sleep kills optimism like nothing else I know. Do take care of yourownself!
90Chatterbox
Sorry to be AWOL. I'm OK -- had a fab time seeing both "Wolf Hall" episodes on Broadway, back to back, on Sunday with Judy & Jim (ffortsa and magicians_nephew), but am still catastrophically sleep deprived. Got home to find that Tigger is having big bouts of diarrhea without making it to the littler box. Called the vet; turns out that the antibiotic that I was trying to get into him via syringe was anti-diarrheal, but the new one (injected last Monday) isn't. Understandably, he's stopped eating again. So I've resumed the syringes. He's going for an ultrasound next Monday (first day possible). Have to take him to S. Massachusetts for that -- two round trips via taxi, one to drop him off in the a.m.; one to pick him up in the evening.
Meanwhile, I'm heading back to NY tomorrow at noon for book circle meeting, my first so far this year, and trying to get caught up on work. Argh.
Meanwhile, I'm heading back to NY tomorrow at noon for book circle meeting, my first so far this year, and trying to get caught up on work. Argh.
91Chatterbox
And yet more bad news. An ex-bf of mine, someone I have known for more than 25 years and was involved with off and on long distance for the better part of 8 years, was found dead in Mongolia (yes, Mongolia) yesterday. Truth be told, he's probably the only man I've ever truly been in love with; he's certainly one of a tiny handful of people who I knew would go to the ends of the earth for me. He was on a business trip for the uranium mining company of which he is chairman. Now I'm trying to find out what's what. We were never a public couple in Toronto, though we were in NY, so it's ... awkward. And I'm devastated. The words for how I felt when someone sent me the wire service story simply don't exist. The most bizarre thing? I keep wanting to call him to talk about this. He got me through 9/11 and other large-scale traumas. I think I need to stop writing.
92magicians_nephew
very sorry to hear, Suz
93SandDune
>91 Chatterbox: So sorry to hear about this Suz.
95qebo
>91 Chatterbox: How completely awful, especially in the absence of information. I'm sorry.
97Chatterbox
This is pretty much all that is out there.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resou...
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resou...
99ronincats
Oh, Suz, my heart goes out to you! He sounds like a fascinating person--what a loss to you and to his profession. {{{{Suz}}}}
100Chatterbox
He was genuinely brilliant. As fascinated by Rodin and Plato as by what he did every day. A restless, curious mind.
I've been cleaning the house because I simply can't work today. Oddly, found a couple of his leftover handkerchiefs from times he stayed with me in NYC. Will come in handy.
I've been cleaning the house because I simply can't work today. Oddly, found a couple of his leftover handkerchiefs from times he stayed with me in NYC. Will come in handy.
102Chatterbox
What I can't find, which is odd, because I know where they should be, are some of his letters and a Tiffany pin he gave me -- a silk poppy on a silver art nouveau stem. AWOL. Completely. Whenever there is a memorial service, want to wear the pin. And want to find the letters. Which I've seen since the move, but now have vanished.
104LizzieD
I said it on fb, and I say it here - I'm very sorry for your loss. We all wish we could help.
105Chatterbox
Thanks. Nothing anyone can do, though. I suppose time, blah blah blah. Wandering around. Heartsick. Forgotten the true meaning of that word. Caught myself sitting in the middle of the floor and crying.
107Chatterbox
>106 scaifea: You would have enjoyed him, Amber. He finally got his wish to name his latest investment firm using a Latin tag -- Sui Generis. We used to wrangle over the relative merits of Herodotus and Thucydides, and he wanted to teach himself ancient Greek eventually, he said -- he'd acquired a stack of parallel texts.
108thornton37814
>91 Chatterbox: Sorry to hear about your loss. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
109scaifea
>107 Chatterbox: I like him already!
110Chatterbox
Tigger is in the veterinary ER's ICU. Things are not looking good for him. We'll have some diagnostic stuff tomorrow, but the last 72 hours have been very bad for him, too. I probably should have taken him in on Saturday morning, but I couldn't function enough to make that call. I suspect we're at the end of the line. He has stopped eating -- the vet thinks it might be the "bad" kind of lymphoma (large-cell) that would require major surgery, and that he might not survive the surgery. I have a DNR on him now, just because it's the right thing to do. He's miserably unhappy; his freedom to roam and be king of the household has been taken away by whatever evil demon is chewing away at his stomach.
111ronincats
Oh, Suzanne, fate is just piling it on you, isn't it? I'm so sorry for it all--wish I could enfold you in a big comfort blanket and make it all go away, but since I can't, know that my thoughts and prayers and caring are with you.
112Chatterbox
Thanks Roni. It is slightly surreal. The only good part is that there now literally is nothing worse that could happen. Anything else would just be more, not worse.
113Copperskye
Catching up and my heart is breaking for you, Suzanne. I'm so sorry.
115catarina1
Oh, Suzanne, I'm so sorry. It is so difficult - I've lost three of my own in a little more than a year.
116bell7
Sorry to hear about all the troubles coming your way, Suzanne. Wish I could do something more than just have you in my thoughts.
118Chatterbox
Thanks. There really aren't words for the kind of pain right now. Sorry. I'm trying not to wallow. The apartment is getting surreally organized -- displacement activity. I can't think clearly enough to work.
Vet update on Tigger is that he "is holding his own". The ultrasound technician won't be there until as late as 9:30 tonight -- he makes the rounds of many local vet clinics. I've decided to keep him there, where he can get fluids, until there's some clearer insight on whether there is any course of action that will restore him to a reasonable quality of life. That probably means that I'll go out there tomorrow during the morning at some point, and either bring him home, or make a final decision there, or -- wild card -- will have to evaluate my finances to see what can be done in terms of treatment.
>115 catarina1: So sorry... I lost Jasper in fall 2012. This is more like the time I lost Clea, in 2002. It was a year after 9/11, and I was still having nightmares about that -- every night. It was right after I lost my post-WSJ job and was in a panic about what to do next. It came on the heels of the deaths of several friends, including Danny Pearl's murder. If I hadn't been keeping a journal at the time, there are large swathes of that period that would be completely lost to me. Ironically, Jim helped get me through that, sending me books and making me laugh when I didn't think I could. Now he is gone, too.
Oh, and I can't read. Really. Can't focus for more than five minutes.
Vet update on Tigger is that he "is holding his own". The ultrasound technician won't be there until as late as 9:30 tonight -- he makes the rounds of many local vet clinics. I've decided to keep him there, where he can get fluids, until there's some clearer insight on whether there is any course of action that will restore him to a reasonable quality of life. That probably means that I'll go out there tomorrow during the morning at some point, and either bring him home, or make a final decision there, or -- wild card -- will have to evaluate my finances to see what can be done in terms of treatment.
>115 catarina1: So sorry... I lost Jasper in fall 2012. This is more like the time I lost Clea, in 2002. It was a year after 9/11, and I was still having nightmares about that -- every night. It was right after I lost my post-WSJ job and was in a panic about what to do next. It came on the heels of the deaths of several friends, including Danny Pearl's murder. If I hadn't been keeping a journal at the time, there are large swathes of that period that would be completely lost to me. Ironically, Jim helped get me through that, sending me books and making me laugh when I didn't think I could. Now he is gone, too.
Oh, and I can't read. Really. Can't focus for more than five minutes.
121cbl_tn
I am so sorry that life has thrown so much at you in such a short time. Sending thoughts and prayers your way.
122Chatterbox
My mother managed to be at her dysfunctional best, helpfully pointing out that after J and I ended things, he settled down with someone else (which I knew, but still), so why was I upset? Erm, maybe because of 8 very important years? Sigh.
Then the vet called. Just cross-posting what I put on FB: Tigger behaved very well in the ultrasound exam, but the results were devastating, if conclusive. The prednisone I had been giving him may have pushed this into remission very briefly, but his entire small intestine has essentially ceased functioning. It might be lymphoma, or it might be a large-cell cancer -- there is no way to know without a biopsy, and I'm not going to request that be done just out of curiosity. Had he NOT been given the prednisone, they could now prescribe a different steroid that might extend his life, but not improve the quality -- "palliative care", is how the vet described it. He did a very good job of hiding whatever was bothering him for months, probably, until he couldn't. So, tomorrow I'll go back to the vet ER around noon, and usher Tigger gently into a world full of red laser dots he can chase and actually catch.
And then I will come home and figure out how to move on.
Then the vet called. Just cross-posting what I put on FB: Tigger behaved very well in the ultrasound exam, but the results were devastating, if conclusive. The prednisone I had been giving him may have pushed this into remission very briefly, but his entire small intestine has essentially ceased functioning. It might be lymphoma, or it might be a large-cell cancer -- there is no way to know without a biopsy, and I'm not going to request that be done just out of curiosity. Had he NOT been given the prednisone, they could now prescribe a different steroid that might extend his life, but not improve the quality -- "palliative care", is how the vet described it. He did a very good job of hiding whatever was bothering him for months, probably, until he couldn't. So, tomorrow I'll go back to the vet ER around noon, and usher Tigger gently into a world full of red laser dots he can chase and actually catch.
And then I will come home and figure out how to move on.
124qebo
>118 Chatterbox:, >122 Chatterbox: Reading without words to offer, except I'm sorry. A lot to move on from.
125ronincats
I guess there is some small mercy in that at least there is no choice at this point as to your options for Tigger. No amount of ready cash could take care of this, so you are spared that agony. That said, I know it in no way lessens the pain of having to let him go. {{{{{{{{{{{{Suz}}}}}}}}}}}
126LizzieD
What a gallant little guy he's been! Love to you both. I'll be thinking about you in the morning.
127DeltaQueen50
I am just catching up here Suz and I am so sorry to read of all you have being going through. I have no words that can fully express how sorry I am, but please know you are in my thoughts.
129scaifea
Thinking of you, Suzanne, having recently said goodbye to my own long-time feline friend and knowing what you're going through. Lots of hugs coming your way.
131thornton37814
So sorry to hear that you have to say goodbye to Tigger. It was awful when I had to say goodbye to Brumley last summer.
132Chatterbox
He was on my lap, and I gave him a lot of farewell head scratches. The vet came in and administered the drugs in a single dose. He passed away literally in mid-purr, with a bit of a sigh. He had had a good final morning; the staff there had brought him out of his cage in his little bed, all bundled up and attached to his IV drip, and put him on the desk where he could watch everything that was going on and get lots of love and attention. He was still alert -- oh, a noise out there? -- but not enough to do anything about it, like even think of getting up and investigating. So much more comfortable than he was on Sunday night, but his small intestine was literally eaten up by the cancer.
133cbl_tn
I'm so sorry about Tigger. I'm glad you were able to be with him at the end, and that you weren't alone. He had a good life with you.
134Smiler69
Not sure what to say, I'm tearing up because can just imagine it all; you have my heartfelt sympathy, and it must at least help you through the grief to know you've done the best you could for Tigger.
135vivians
So sorry to hear the news. Gary and I are both thinking of you and sending you warmest thoughts.
136Chatterbox
Thanks to everyone. I'm emotionally exhausted. Trying to work, now, but it's slow and I'm too tired to focus. Must have a catnap. Reading is still v. difficult; requires too much concentration.
138Whisper1
Suz, I believe I know how you feel. When i lost Simon, my Sheltie of 13 years, it was sudden. I got dressed to go to the office, came downstairs to a mess and a dog who was very sick. Within four hours he was gone. Will was so upset when the shot was to be administered that he left the room crying profusely. It took a long time to recover for both of us.
The hardest part was coming home because for a few weeks, I looked for him to greet me. I literally had to tell myself outloud that Simon is not inside.
I am thinking of you. Sadly, we pay a price for love, but in the end, I do believe it is worth it.
Please take it easy on yourself. I've posted my cell number on your thread. If you need a listening ear, I'm here for you.
The hardest part was coming home because for a few weeks, I looked for him to greet me. I literally had to tell myself outloud that Simon is not inside.
I am thinking of you. Sadly, we pay a price for love, but in the end, I do believe it is worth it.
Please take it easy on yourself. I've posted my cell number on your thread. If you need a listening ear, I'm here for you.
139Chatterbox
Thanks, Linda. Thankfully, I have two other cats here to care for, but there is a void. It's eerily quiet. Molly-cat is a little anxious; I think she is afraid that if she doesn't behave very well, I will "disappear" her, too.
Heard that his friend and CEO brought my friend J's body home to Toronto on Monday evening. Now waiting to hear final autopsy results and details of a memorial service -- may have some news tomorrow. The conspiracy details making the rounds out there are distressing. Meanwhile, I'll try and get some work done today. Everyone has been patient, but I'll need a bit more patience when I take off time for the memorial service.
Heard that his friend and CEO brought my friend J's body home to Toronto on Monday evening. Now waiting to hear final autopsy results and details of a memorial service -- may have some news tomorrow. The conspiracy details making the rounds out there are distressing. Meanwhile, I'll try and get some work done today. Everyone has been patient, but I'll need a bit more patience when I take off time for the memorial service.
140Matke
I'm sorry for your double loss, Suzanne. Perhaps it will help a bit to know that so many of us are in sympathy with you right now. This has to be hellish.
141Chatterbox
>140 Matke: Thanks. Hellish pretty much captures it. I don't know how to move forward. I suppose I'll figure it out. It shouldn't be this bad.
142Whisper1
Suz, staying in place during the grief process is very par for the course of all that you are going through.
Slowly, you will find your way forward, but for now, staying in place means you are allowing the grief to be processed. And, as you know, this takes great courage.
Hugs!
Slowly, you will find your way forward, but for now, staying in place means you are allowing the grief to be processed. And, as you know, this takes great courage.
Hugs!
143sibylline
Suzanne, I am so sorry to discover what you have been facing the last week. Those dear to you, near and far. So sorry.
I often leave a pin on the last thing I wore? Think it is lost then, bingo. I dress up so rarely that a good pin can stay on some nicer garment for ages, unseen.
I'll be thinking of you.
I often leave a pin on the last thing I wore? Think it is lost then, bingo. I dress up so rarely that a good pin can stay on some nicer garment for ages, unseen.
I'll be thinking of you.
144Chatterbox
>143 sibylline: Lucy, I found the pin. It rarely leaves its box, so it was a question of finding the box... But the letters are still AWOL.
Another not-great day.
Another not-great day.
145Donna828
Suzanne, I have been following the decline of Tigger. My heart goes out to you on your double loss of your good friend and your beloved pet. This is the down side of loving, and it hurts. Be kind to yourself and know that your LT friends are hurting along with you.
146Chatterbox
>145 Donna828: Thanks, Donna.
This kind of pain just strips away all the non-essential stuff in life, frankly. There's nothing to do except find a way to confront the truth of it and deal with the emotional fallout. I'm lucky that I've got a few friends who are really looking out for me, checking in several times a day, etc. I think that for now at least I'm past the worst of the "there's no point in still being alive" stage. It may well return, but for now I'll put one foot in front of the other, even if I don't see the point. Reading is still tough, though. Everything seems to involve a memory or a place or something. I should probably stop rambling before I end up becoming disgustingly maudlin, however.
No idea when I'll feel able to post about books. None.
This kind of pain just strips away all the non-essential stuff in life, frankly. There's nothing to do except find a way to confront the truth of it and deal with the emotional fallout. I'm lucky that I've got a few friends who are really looking out for me, checking in several times a day, etc. I think that for now at least I'm past the worst of the "there's no point in still being alive" stage. It may well return, but for now I'll put one foot in front of the other, even if I don't see the point. Reading is still tough, though. Everything seems to involve a memory or a place or something. I should probably stop rambling before I end up becoming disgustingly maudlin, however.
No idea when I'll feel able to post about books. None.
147Copperskye
It sucks, Suzanne, but it will get easier. Eventually.
Hugs to you.
Hugs to you.
148Whisper1
Suz, I confirm what Joanne said! It takes time, but eventually the pain will not be as raw. There will always be a place in your heart that aches, but the severity does lessen. I say this not to minimize what you are currently feeling. As I mentioned, I've been through this process more than once, it hurts like hell.
149streamsong
I'm very, very sorry for your losses. May you find peace and rest.
150ChelleBearss
I'm so very sorry of the losses you have gone through lately! I hope you are doing ok!
153Chatterbox
Thanks, all. I'm faking it publicly, but am not human again yet. Lots of weirdly obsessive and uncharacteristic behavior patterns. Trying to use work as a distraction, but while I'm getting a bit better with concentration, it only works for a half hour or so at a time until a memory or something is triggered. And so it goes. Reading is tough. I can't find the right thing. Reading books that are good, but none are feeling right to me. Lots of poetry, though that is too emotional. Auden, Al Purdy, John Donne and the other metaphysical poets, etc. etc. Still waiting on any public autopsy results and on a date for a memorial service.
Thanks for all the support. I do appreciate it, even if I'm not acknowledging it properly yet.
Thanks for all the support. I do appreciate it, even if I'm not acknowledging it properly yet.
155Chatterbox
Thanks, Amber. Plodding along. Donning a public mask. At some point, I suppose, the mask will become the reality. In the meantime, I'm still a pain to be around or talk to or interact with, in other than very small doses. Very grateful for my friend Dave in Atlanta, who has made a point of calling me every day and listening patiently, and my local friend, Susan, who has gone above and beyond, even picking up Tigger's ashes for me. There should be medals for this kind of stuff, really. Even work people have been very, very understanding -- unexpectedly so. Maybe because I've never pulled the crisis alarm before.
157Chatterbox
J's obit was posted today. The autopsy ruling was natural causes, related to his type one diabetes, which is pretty much what I had been expecting, but still a relief. Needless to say, it was all about my successor in his life, which made for weird reading.
158sibylline
I'll bet that was weird.
I'm glad to see you posting here a little and even more glad to hear that people are being kind and thoughtful.
I'm glad to see you posting here a little and even more glad to hear that people are being kind and thoughtful.
159Chatterbox
Now I have to figure out how to re-enter the US on a Canadian passport, which technically I shouldn't do & could even result in my being turned away at the border. The funeral/memorial service stuff starts after Victoria Day -- I bought tix assuming I could get a US passport same day at the Boston Agency, but the turnaround is 8 business days. That would make it impossible. I'm going to be making a LOT of phone calls tomorrow.
160LizzieD
I wish you well in working through the passport business, Suzanne. I also wish you may have a migraine-free week or so and that in that time life begins to feel good to you again. It's a relief to hear that your RL friends and co-workers are being supportive. If you ever needed them, it's now. And, as you see, we're here too.
161sibylline
Yeah, my spousal unit lost his passport and had to get one in one day, NYC was the only place he could do that. Total nightmare. I hope you make it back in!
162elkiedee
Hope you've sorted something out on the passport front.
I posted a moan about uncollected rubbish on Facebook today and received the following advice, among other things
"Definitely better to put the body parts out with the main loads, I think. They don't notice what they're picking up so much. Unless it's, you know, a single styrofoam cup laid loose on the top or something"
The author was one Serena Mackesy, also known as Alex Marwood.
I posted a moan about uncollected rubbish on Facebook today and received the following advice, among other things
"Definitely better to put the body parts out with the main loads, I think. They don't notice what they're picking up so much. Unless it's, you know, a single styrofoam cup laid loose on the top or something"
The author was one Serena Mackesy, also known as Alex Marwood.
163Chatterbox
>162 elkiedee: That's a great story, Luci! I have her newest book here to read. Sometime, when I get back into reading, whenever that is.
Re passport, I'm just going on my Canadian passport, taking the expired US passport along with all the relevant ID (birth certificate etc.) I should get into Canada without a problem, and shall throw myself on the mercy of the people at Toronto airport on the return flight. The two worst case scenarios are that they tell me I have to use a land crossing (in which case I'm stuck on a train or a bus on Memorial Day; hell on earth) or I have to stay in Toronto until the consulate issues me a passport (very sub-optimal, as it will bugger up my work life...) I think once I have left the country, they'll want me back in. It will work once, and right now, that's what is important to me.
Now I just have to get organized and somehow catch up on work.
Re passport, I'm just going on my Canadian passport, taking the expired US passport along with all the relevant ID (birth certificate etc.) I should get into Canada without a problem, and shall throw myself on the mercy of the people at Toronto airport on the return flight. The two worst case scenarios are that they tell me I have to use a land crossing (in which case I'm stuck on a train or a bus on Memorial Day; hell on earth) or I have to stay in Toronto until the consulate issues me a passport (very sub-optimal, as it will bugger up my work life...) I think once I have left the country, they'll want me back in. It will work once, and right now, that's what is important to me.
Now I just have to get organized and somehow catch up on work.
164katiekrug
I don't understand what the passport issue is. As long as your Canadian one is valid, why wouldn't the US authorities let you in? Do they even have to know you also carry a US one and that one is currently expired?
I'm probably missing something obvious but right now my head can't figure it out :)
I'm probably missing something obvious but right now my head can't figure it out :)
165Chatterbox
Because I'm a US citizen, as well as a Canadian. If I enter as a Canadian, they want to know that I'm a tourist -- how long am I staying, etc. Or else, where is the visa? If I say I'm a US citizen, they tell me I have to enter on a US passport -- which is technically true. The Canadians want me to enter Canada as a Canadian; the US insist that I enter the US as an American. Not doing so has caused problems in the past, although I got through it. But things are tougher now -- it has been years since I tried. The alternative is lying and saying I'm a tourist. And lying is a bad, BAD idea. I won't do that.
166katiekrug
Ok, got it :)
I will admit to entering some countries on a tourist visa rather than the more appropriate business visa, but since I usually do some sightseeing, I give myself a pass. The citizenship and residency issues make your situation more complicated.
I will admit to entering some countries on a tourist visa rather than the more appropriate business visa, but since I usually do some sightseeing, I give myself a pass. The citizenship and residency issues make your situation more complicated.
167Chatterbox
>166 katiekrug: Yes, that's a different issue. This dual citizenship thing has been the bane of my existence for more than 30 years now. Honestly, if I could just flash a photo ID and walk across, that would be great. You used to be able to do that at a land crossing. No more.
168sibylline
No, it has gotten much more 'harrowing' to cross the border generally, both sides nosier and pickier. We have to time it carefully too when we go up to Montreal because the crossing at the big road (89 in Vermont) can be unbelievably slow now. Used to be a breeze.
169Chatterbox
In Toronto. Spending time with old friends -- by which I mean friends I've known almost since the dawn of time, including one whom I was at elementary school in England with at the age of six. (We've known each other ever since, and have gone on to have much in common beyond simply being the only Canadian girls in an English girls' day school...)
Not reading much at all. I think I went an entire week reading only a single book. You'll realize how startling that is. Think I'm at less than half my normal reading for the month. Have bought a few books to read one day, when my interest level returns to normal, but have no idea when that will be.
Funeral is tomorrow. I'll get through it somehow, though right now have no idea how.
Not reading much at all. I think I went an entire week reading only a single book. You'll realize how startling that is. Think I'm at less than half my normal reading for the month. Have bought a few books to read one day, when my interest level returns to normal, but have no idea when that will be.
Funeral is tomorrow. I'll get through it somehow, though right now have no idea how.
172ronincats
You will bear it because you must. And because you must be there. Sending love and support!
173Chatterbox
Ativan will be my friend. Got a prescription for some today and despite being a non-resident Canadian, the pharmacy actually filled it. A minor miracle. Though the doc actually did insist on my taking contact nos for suicide hotlines and something called the Ontario support network for bereaved families.
175Chatterbox
I survived. The memorial service was very emotional. Went with my friend Jacquie, who was a tremendous support. J's current partner was very cold and hostile -- she looked at me as if she didn't remember me, then said, "Suzanne? Oh, yes." And turned her back on me before I could express my condolences. This is someone I had known for a while. I saw his eldest daughter, who I hadn't seen since she was 10, and she remembered me, and we talked for a brief while about their trip to NYC -- all this at the reception afterward. Eventually, I realized that Jacquie and most of my journalist folks had left and I was definitely "crashing" something to which I didn't belong.
Very, very, very sad. I don't know when or how I'll start to feel better.
Very, very, very sad. I don't know when or how I'll start to feel better.
177Chatterbox
I don't blame her. While (to the best of my knowledge) she has nothing to reproach me with, she probably saw me as an interloper from J's past life, at a very difficult time in her own life. At one stage in both our lives (in her own perspective) we were more or less equal in his affections, at least in her eyes. Then he and I became involved. So, it's complicated. The funeral itself was a classic C of E/Anglican service, and very moving; one of his daughters mentioned some advice he'd given her once that flowed directly from topics that we'd discussed so often, it was like hearing his words come out of her mouth. But the reception was a bit surreal, and I ended up feeling marginalized and "iced" out -- I had intended to head out when Jacquie left but couldn't see her and then got stuck talking to someone; then someone started speaking and it felt rude to just walk out the door. So I stayed too long. My poor judgment, but happily my only slip in judgment of the day, I think/hope.
And I went. And I survived. And I played the role of sad, rather than feeling lost. Et bien, as J would say.
And I went. And I survived. And I played the role of sad, rather than feeling lost. Et bien, as J would say.
178sibylline
That sounds very hard. I can sympathize with what you went through. Some folks circle up the wagons in grief, others are remarkably open and generous.
I'm guessing you are still in Canada?
The last few months I have barely played music because of the writing and it is like having one limb numbed, very strange. I had one year too, right out of college, where I had about three jobs plus a social life and the only book I read, pretty much the whole year, was Roots which I never finished by because my first corgi puppy, Periwinkle, chewed it up. It was kind of wonderful taking a break. I'm hoping music will feel that way too when I get back to it.
I'm guessing you are still in Canada?
The last few months I have barely played music because of the writing and it is like having one limb numbed, very strange. I had one year too, right out of college, where I had about three jobs plus a social life and the only book I read, pretty much the whole year, was Roots which I never finished by because my first corgi puppy, Periwinkle, chewed it up. It was kind of wonderful taking a break. I'm hoping music will feel that way too when I get back to it.
179Chatterbox
I'm literally at the airport now, Luci. Turns out that flying Porter is the ONLY Canadian airline (flying from Toronto Island airport) that doesn't do immigration to the US in Canada. So I still won't have resolved the whole passport issue until I arrive in Boston. But Porter is letting me board, seeing no problem with the whole scenario; they say they haven't had anyone in my position "returned to sender", so to speak. They say I could be yelled at or the guy at the other end could be compassionate. If he yells, I will simply collapse. It would be ridiculous to send me back. I have all my US ID with me -- from birth certificate to state ID. So glad I have spent the last year replacing all this stuff.
180cbl_tn
Fingers crossed that you end up with an agent who is having a good day and doesn't want to make an example of you just because.
181DeltaQueen50
Just dropping by to wish you all the best, Suzanne. I hope you don't encounter any problems getting home.
184Chatterbox
Made it. Phew. Home. Exhausted. Drained. Nice agent took one look at me and realized that putting one more thing on top of me would have caused me to melt on the floor of Logan Airport. Like the Wicked Witch of the West dissolving when Dorothy poured water on top of her. I'm going to eat something and go to bed. Am so tired. Cats very glad to have me home, though.
186catarina1
I'm glad that you made it home safely and without too much additional stress. It is so nice and comforting to have purring kitties waiting for you.
187Chatterbox
They really are very happy to see me, though in practice this meant Cassie climbing all over me in the middle of the night to see how close she could curl up next to me.
Woke up with a migraine. Hardly surprising after the sh*t of the last month, and in light of the fact that I really have had remarkably few of the beasts, but still annoying. I'm off to NYC in the morning for BookExpo, which starts on Wednesday. Book Circle meeting is Tuesday evening, to discuss a book I haven't even skimmed. Oh dear.
Woke up with a migraine. Hardly surprising after the sh*t of the last month, and in light of the fact that I really have had remarkably few of the beasts, but still annoying. I'm off to NYC in the morning for BookExpo, which starts on Wednesday. Book Circle meeting is Tuesday evening, to discuss a book I haven't even skimmed. Oh dear.
188cbl_tn
So glad you got an agent who made things easier instead of worse! I hope the migraine goes away soon and your trip to NYC goes smoothly.
189Chatterbox
The head is clearing up, thankfully. The rest of me is still a mess, alas. Oh well, c'est la vie.
190Smiler69
Glad to know your trip back went smoothly and that the beastly migraine is giving you respite Suzanne. I trust time will do the rest. Very sorry you've had such a difficult month and hope some good news comes your way soon to lighten the load a little.
191LizzieD
Amen to what Ilana said........... Being Pollyanna, I'm thankful that if you had to have one, the migraine was lurking back home and not while you were away.
192Chatterbox
Ha, aren't you all utterly fed up with me now, after the turmoil/chaos/heartbreak of the last four weeks? I know I am.
193ronincats
No, we aren't! We are all thinking, there but for the Grace of God, and feeling so much for you in these circumstances, Suzanne, that it is hard to communicate how much we care. We know this is a concatenation of events that only time will make bearable. Your book group will be delighted to see you even if you have not glanced at the book. Your cats are so glad to know that Mom is home, especially after Tigger's absence. We are so happy to know you are home and safe and with loving kitties, however disruptive of sleep they may be.
194charl08
>193 ronincats: Mostly lurking, but just wanted to agree with Roni's post above. Forgive my anodyne words, but hope you feel better soon.
196LizzieD
Another echo.
We are fed up with the turmoil/chaos/heartbreak that has been dogging you. Seems to me you've had at least a decade's worth right here in the past few months. Now it's past time for better.
We are fed up with the turmoil/chaos/heartbreak that has been dogging you. Seems to me you've had at least a decade's worth right here in the past few months. Now it's past time for better.
197DeltaQueen50
Totally agree with all the comments above. Please feel free to express your thoughts, no matter how you are feeling. It does a body good to unload and unburden and we are here to listen and care.
198Copperskye
Thinking of you.
200sibylline
Roni said everything exactly and perfectly.
Welcome stateside, glad you had a compassionate and sensible agent at Logan.
Welcome stateside, glad you had a compassionate and sensible agent at Logan.
201Chatterbox
Thanks, all. I'm at BookExpo. The frenzy is kinda taking my mind off stuff for a while, until I ended up outside the Algonquin after an event, which was a fave place for J and I. Lots of little minefields like that. Still, had drinks with my newish Guardian editor (they have MAJOR security in place now, post Charlie Hebdo) and went to an odd Soho Rep off-off B'way play yesterday evening with a friend. It wasn't good enough to stay for the second half, so we went and had dinner instead.
Picking up some good books. New collection of short stories from Anthony Marra; the upcoming novel by Janice Lee and Geraldine Horowitz; the sequel to Trapeze by Simon Mawer; a new book by Timothy Snyder, who wrote Bloodlands, and lots more. I'll try and post a complete list later, and will log them all in my library and tag them with BEA 2015.
Picking up some good books. New collection of short stories from Anthony Marra; the upcoming novel by Janice Lee and Geraldine Horowitz; the sequel to Trapeze by Simon Mawer; a new book by Timothy Snyder, who wrote Bloodlands, and lots more. I'll try and post a complete list later, and will log them all in my library and tag them with BEA 2015.
202Copperskye
Have fun, Suzanne! Sounds like BookExpo came at a perfect time.
203Chatterbox
>202 Copperskye: Yes, I wouldn't have minded a week to unwind, first, but perhaps it's better to throw myself back into things.
204Smiler69
Glad to see you jumping back into things Suzanne, probably the best thing at this time. I saw your book haul on FB and... very impressive! Looking forward to more news from BookExpo. I LOVED Simon Mawer's The Glass Room and been meaning to get to Trapeze for a long time... guess I'd better get my hands on it soon now a second book is out!
206Chatterbox
I have 22 ARCs here, two boxes coming from FedEx, and some more shipments coming from the publisher. The Houghton Mifflin one will arrive tomorrow, UPS has informed me. Now, when will I read it all? Considering that I continue to slow down in my reading pace??
207catarina1
>206 Chatterbox: Do you have room for all of these new books?
208Chatterbox
>207 catarina1: erm, no, not really. Not until I dispose of some.
209Chatterbox
And now -- proving the old adage that one should never wonder what else can go wrong -- Molly cat has vanished. Literally. The vet was here yesterday, stressing her out. Last night, I agreed to do a load of laundry for some x-country cyclists visiting my upstairs neighbors. I took it upstairs and left the back door to the back staircase slightly ajar because I had a headache and didn't want to look for the keys. What I think happened is that Molly may have slipped out while I did that, and then ventured down to the basement and found herself stuck there when I went to bed. When people started coming and going in the morning, she bolted. And who knows where she is now?? I've been hunting all morning -- basement; top floor apartment under renovation; the whole apartment; the neighborhood. She's just gone.
I can't believe this. I'm utterly heartsick. And now I have to finish writing my (expletives deleted) column for the Guardian. With no Molly sitting beside me.
I can't believe this. I'm utterly heartsick. And now I have to finish writing my (expletives deleted) column for the Guardian. With no Molly sitting beside me.
211katiekrug
The lesson here is to never do something nice for someone else. Especially laundry...
And I am only teasing now because I saw on FB that she's back :)
And I am only teasing now because I saw on FB that she's back :)
212catarina1
I'm so sorry Suzanne.I hope that you find her.
Someone here in my neighborhood lost her cat recently and she was given a suggestion that I thought was a little strange but it did work. We live in a community of town homes. The suggestion was to leave the litter box outside and to even scatter some of the contents around the yard. Sounds very odd but apparently the cat recognized the smell and found her way home. I don't know if this method is possible for you but it might work.
Someone here in my neighborhood lost her cat recently and she was given a suggestion that I thought was a little strange but it did work. We live in a community of town homes. The suggestion was to leave the litter box outside and to even scatter some of the contents around the yard. Sounds very odd but apparently the cat recognized the smell and found her way home. I don't know if this method is possible for you but it might work.
213Chatterbox
She's back. She must have been skulking around -- though I still had to chase her inside, because she won't let me within 10 or 15 feet of her. She's really pissed off at me. Whether it's about the vet, or because she accidentally got shut outside of the apartment, who knows? But she's home, and that's all that matters. My stress/anxiety level went through the roof...
214cbl_tn
I'm so sorry you had another scare. I'm glad this one had a happy ending. I hope Molly lets up on your "punishment" soon.
216LizzieD
Oh my soul. You can make it up to Molly, whatever she thinks it is that you did. I'm 100% glad that she's there to be made up to.
219Matke
Suzanne, you have both my sympathy and empathy, as I would quickly lose my mind if one of my cats disappeared. I'm grateful and relieved on your behalf that Molly came back home. I'm sure she's stressed out of her mind too, and will be back to herself when she realizes that she's safe once again.
I'm hoping that your life will settle back to routine now that you've had two tragedies and a terrible scare.
I'm hoping that your life will settle back to routine now that you've had two tragedies and a terrible scare.
220Chatterbox
>219 Matke: Oh, I really, really hope so. I'm completely drained and exhausted.
One of my high school friends just offered me tix to see Wolf Hall for a second time on the 13th. I'm very very tempted. He has ended up with three surplus tickets.
One of my high school friends just offered me tix to see Wolf Hall for a second time on the 13th. I'm very very tempted. He has ended up with three surplus tickets.
221DeltaQueen50
So glad that Molly's story has a happy ending, Suzanne.
223Chatterbox
Went to Boston to pick up some silk shirts that I'd had made by a seamstress that I'd discovered with some Thai silk I'd had around for eons -- and found the Boston Public Library's main branch in Back Bay was having a book sale. Whoops... My biggest purchase was of three out of four volumes of the complete works of Charles Lamb, a quite battered 1870 edition, for only $50. One of those things that I couldn't afford, but couldn't afford not to do. Oh well...
224Chatterbox
For those who are still paying attention to this thread, and who are interested in my reading, rather than my tumultuous life, my apologies. I have violated my own intent at the beginning of the year, in intending to make my LT '75 thread about books. "Man proposes, God disposes." Or whatever deity you happen to believe in. I'm going to try to start catching up on this, and start a new thread on a new note. Or something. I'm still not myself yet, and I'm still reading at half my normal speed (and I've had a migraine all day...) but whatever. These will be capsule comments, rather than full length ramblings, however, as I think I've got about six weeks' worth of 'em to get through... and they'll take a few days to complete, I suspect, as I'm still behind on work.
135. Behind the Mask: the Life of Vita Sackville-West by Matthew Denison
A new biography of Vita Sackville-West that is wildly uneven; the author is almost obsessively interested in her sexual life and identity, to the exclusion of her literary work. While I'd certainly agree that with a few exceptions, her writings don't measure up those of many of her peers, she's worth more than a biography that at times feels almost prurient (albeit at times in a psychological way) in its exploration of her character. Vita may not warrant a literary biography as such, but as a person of her time and social setting, she has a lot to offer the reader. Where Denison does do a good job is in examining and evaluating her almost obsessive interest in her own heritage -- the Sackvilles -- and her ties to Knole and what that meant for those people closest to her, when she was excluded from inheriting the property and (essentially) shut out from paradise as a young adult on her father's death. Intriguing, well-written, with lots of granular detail, but limited in its focus. For those fascinated by her or her circle or the time. 3.65 stars.
136. The Lady from Zagreb by Philip Kerr
Kerr fills in some of the gaps in some of Bernie Gunther's personal history here, for fans of his series featuring a noir-ish gumshoe trying to stay honest (according to his own lights) in WW2 Germany. What that means, specifically (the personal history stuff) is that we learn about Bernie's wife, heretofore a bit of an enigma who never appears as a character; we also learn about the woman who appears to have been the love of his life. Were they one and the same? Read and find out. As far as trying to stay honest in Nazi Germany, well, that's tough. Bernie still refuses to join the Nazi party, but there are some missions that he can't refuse, like looking for the father of the Croatian movie star with whom Joseph Goebbels is enamored. And that's where this tangled but interesting episode in the series kicks off. 4.15 stars.
137. The Fires of Autumn by Irene Nemirovsky
I thought that I would love this novel (my first by Nemirovsky) based on the vivid detail with which she describes a single summer day in Paris a few years before the outbreak of WW1, which will change everything for France and the lives of her characters. Somehow, though, she loses her focus on those characters, and they end up becoming vehicles for her broader points, of which she has many very valid ones, most of which I'm very familiar with. (Yes, had the novel been published when it was written, these would have had a much greater impact, sadly.) Whenever that happens, it annoys me -- I like coming to those points myself, through a very well told story and characters who spring to life on the page. Too much of this felt wooden and predictable -- a kind of morality tale. Fair enough, and it has importance of a different kind. As a novel, however, it simply didn't move me, and for a short book, was remarkably hard to finish. (I started it in March, and didn't finish until April.) I'm going to try to avoid letting this prevent me from reading some of her others, but can't help wondering whether Nemirovsky's personal story (combined with the isolated moments of beauty and eloquence in the novel) are affecting views of the book among some readers or critics. I simply don't understand the fuss. 3 stars.
138. If Oceans Were Ink by Carla Power
An intriguing idea, but ultimately limited. Power, a journalist who has written about religion, decides to study the Koran with longtime friend Sheikh Mohammad Akram Nadwi, a noted Islamic scholar, to determine what it actually says rather than what people claim it says. It's timely, in light of what's happening in territories seized by IS, but limited in part by the author's own identity and approach (she's not a religious scholar herself, can never challenge or push back, but only accept or observe what she is told) and partly by the very nature of Islamic scholarship, which includes many disparate schools, of which Sheikh Akram's is only one. I found the issues that the two discuss to be fascinating, and Power's discussion of her personal friendship with the sheikh much less so. Indeed, I ended up wishing that she had spent a year each with several different teachers from several different schools, with several different readings of the Koranic passages she questions, and written about her reactions to that -- because it's that very complexity (after all, Christianity stretches from the Vatican to the Baptists to the Amish...) that is intriguing. 3.7 stars. Worth a try, if this is of interest, or if you're prone to getting into debates about the meaning of pesky Koranic surahs with people who insist that all Muslims are secret jihadis.
139. Old Man's War by John Scalzi
Read this because (a) a friend had urged me to try it and (b) a space opera challenge came up on TIOLI and I had no idea that this was what space opera was or that this was an example of it. Who knew? Anyway, it was imaginative enough, if at times feeling a bit like James Patterson in space, in terms of adequate writing and super-fast-paced plot, with every chapter ending with a plot twist or an explosion or something. I'll probably read on in the series at some point, as it was fun, although I still generally find that being able to invent new worlds and races and species is as much a cop-out as it is a world-building creative opportunity. (When you write yourself into a corner, just invent something extraordinary, and as long as you're good at world building...) Entertaining fluff. 3.5 stars.
140. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
I'm so glad that I read this, and have no idea what I hadn't before now; I bought this novel when I was in Santa Fe in early August 1993 to attend several performances at the Santa Fe Opera's summer season, and was smitten by the city and surrounding area. Cather covers the relationship of two men -- French priests who travel to New Mexico after the territory becomes American -- and their different paths to knowledge of the local community and, for want of a better word, grace. The narrative unfolds over many years, even decades, through a series of tales as Bishop Jean-Marie Latour and Father Joseph make themselves part of the community. They avoid being murdered, find ways to work with the local priests who have been there for years/decades and have their own ways of living (with their women and children!), and experience religious and personal crises. Kit Carson pops up as a character. I can't recommend this elegant yet poignant novel too highly. 5 stars.
141. Silver Meadow by Barry Maitland
A very good audiobook of a novel that's partway into a long-running British mystery series. Even though I hadn't read previous books in the series, I didn't have all that much difficulty getting engaged in the book, perhaps because the plot itself was so intriguing -- it's about a young girl who goes missing, possibly from a vast shopping mall on the fringes of central London. When the body of a young girl shows up in a trash compactor, and the garbage packed around her is linked to the mall, DI David North and his DS, Kathy Kolla, are brought in to investigate -- in part to make the local cops look better. The duo already are on the scene, conveniently, since they're on the trail of a particularly vicious bank robber who was spotted by one of his victims in a store at the mall in the pre-Christmas frenzy. This is a detailed and complex novel that explores the life of a retail life our shopping obsession, even as it does an excellent job of sustaining the narrative tension of the two main plots and some ongoing issues involving police office politics and two separate romantic plots involving the main characters. This might appeal to readers of Deborah Crombie's series, or Susan Hill's Simon Serailler's novels. I'll definitely be moving on to read Babel, the next in the series, but not as an audiobook; for some reason it's a different narrator, whose voice and reading I dislike intensely.
I finished listening to this audiobook the night I returned from NYC on the 23rd/24th of April. On the morning of the 24th, checking my e-mail, I learned that J. was dead. It's all rather ironic, when I consider that I had been thinking of him throughout our book circle discussion about the Cather novel, since my first (and thus far only) trip to Santa Fe triggered a long and ongoing discussion between us about classical music (I had gone to attend Santa Fe's amazing opera season in 1993) and off and on we had talked about going back together, for that, and for the chamber music festival. I didn't complete another book for four or five days -- just before I had to put Tigger to sleep.
135. Behind the Mask: the Life of Vita Sackville-West by Matthew Denison
A new biography of Vita Sackville-West that is wildly uneven; the author is almost obsessively interested in her sexual life and identity, to the exclusion of her literary work. While I'd certainly agree that with a few exceptions, her writings don't measure up those of many of her peers, she's worth more than a biography that at times feels almost prurient (albeit at times in a psychological way) in its exploration of her character. Vita may not warrant a literary biography as such, but as a person of her time and social setting, she has a lot to offer the reader. Where Denison does do a good job is in examining and evaluating her almost obsessive interest in her own heritage -- the Sackvilles -- and her ties to Knole and what that meant for those people closest to her, when she was excluded from inheriting the property and (essentially) shut out from paradise as a young adult on her father's death. Intriguing, well-written, with lots of granular detail, but limited in its focus. For those fascinated by her or her circle or the time. 3.65 stars.
136. The Lady from Zagreb by Philip Kerr
Kerr fills in some of the gaps in some of Bernie Gunther's personal history here, for fans of his series featuring a noir-ish gumshoe trying to stay honest (according to his own lights) in WW2 Germany. What that means, specifically (the personal history stuff) is that we learn about Bernie's wife, heretofore a bit of an enigma who never appears as a character; we also learn about the woman who appears to have been the love of his life. Were they one and the same? Read and find out. As far as trying to stay honest in Nazi Germany, well, that's tough. Bernie still refuses to join the Nazi party, but there are some missions that he can't refuse, like looking for the father of the Croatian movie star with whom Joseph Goebbels is enamored. And that's where this tangled but interesting episode in the series kicks off. 4.15 stars.
137. The Fires of Autumn by Irene Nemirovsky
I thought that I would love this novel (my first by Nemirovsky) based on the vivid detail with which she describes a single summer day in Paris a few years before the outbreak of WW1, which will change everything for France and the lives of her characters. Somehow, though, she loses her focus on those characters, and they end up becoming vehicles for her broader points, of which she has many very valid ones, most of which I'm very familiar with. (Yes, had the novel been published when it was written, these would have had a much greater impact, sadly.) Whenever that happens, it annoys me -- I like coming to those points myself, through a very well told story and characters who spring to life on the page. Too much of this felt wooden and predictable -- a kind of morality tale. Fair enough, and it has importance of a different kind. As a novel, however, it simply didn't move me, and for a short book, was remarkably hard to finish. (I started it in March, and didn't finish until April.) I'm going to try to avoid letting this prevent me from reading some of her others, but can't help wondering whether Nemirovsky's personal story (combined with the isolated moments of beauty and eloquence in the novel) are affecting views of the book among some readers or critics. I simply don't understand the fuss. 3 stars.
138. If Oceans Were Ink by Carla Power
An intriguing idea, but ultimately limited. Power, a journalist who has written about religion, decides to study the Koran with longtime friend Sheikh Mohammad Akram Nadwi, a noted Islamic scholar, to determine what it actually says rather than what people claim it says. It's timely, in light of what's happening in territories seized by IS, but limited in part by the author's own identity and approach (she's not a religious scholar herself, can never challenge or push back, but only accept or observe what she is told) and partly by the very nature of Islamic scholarship, which includes many disparate schools, of which Sheikh Akram's is only one. I found the issues that the two discuss to be fascinating, and Power's discussion of her personal friendship with the sheikh much less so. Indeed, I ended up wishing that she had spent a year each with several different teachers from several different schools, with several different readings of the Koranic passages she questions, and written about her reactions to that -- because it's that very complexity (after all, Christianity stretches from the Vatican to the Baptists to the Amish...) that is intriguing. 3.7 stars. Worth a try, if this is of interest, or if you're prone to getting into debates about the meaning of pesky Koranic surahs with people who insist that all Muslims are secret jihadis.
139. Old Man's War by John Scalzi
Read this because (a) a friend had urged me to try it and (b) a space opera challenge came up on TIOLI and I had no idea that this was what space opera was or that this was an example of it. Who knew? Anyway, it was imaginative enough, if at times feeling a bit like James Patterson in space, in terms of adequate writing and super-fast-paced plot, with every chapter ending with a plot twist or an explosion or something. I'll probably read on in the series at some point, as it was fun, although I still generally find that being able to invent new worlds and races and species is as much a cop-out as it is a world-building creative opportunity. (When you write yourself into a corner, just invent something extraordinary, and as long as you're good at world building...) Entertaining fluff. 3.5 stars.
140. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
I'm so glad that I read this, and have no idea what I hadn't before now; I bought this novel when I was in Santa Fe in early August 1993 to attend several performances at the Santa Fe Opera's summer season, and was smitten by the city and surrounding area. Cather covers the relationship of two men -- French priests who travel to New Mexico after the territory becomes American -- and their different paths to knowledge of the local community and, for want of a better word, grace. The narrative unfolds over many years, even decades, through a series of tales as Bishop Jean-Marie Latour and Father Joseph make themselves part of the community. They avoid being murdered, find ways to work with the local priests who have been there for years/decades and have their own ways of living (with their women and children!), and experience religious and personal crises. Kit Carson pops up as a character. I can't recommend this elegant yet poignant novel too highly. 5 stars.
141. Silver Meadow by Barry Maitland
A very good audiobook of a novel that's partway into a long-running British mystery series. Even though I hadn't read previous books in the series, I didn't have all that much difficulty getting engaged in the book, perhaps because the plot itself was so intriguing -- it's about a young girl who goes missing, possibly from a vast shopping mall on the fringes of central London. When the body of a young girl shows up in a trash compactor, and the garbage packed around her is linked to the mall, DI David North and his DS, Kathy Kolla, are brought in to investigate -- in part to make the local cops look better. The duo already are on the scene, conveniently, since they're on the trail of a particularly vicious bank robber who was spotted by one of his victims in a store at the mall in the pre-Christmas frenzy. This is a detailed and complex novel that explores the life of a retail life our shopping obsession, even as it does an excellent job of sustaining the narrative tension of the two main plots and some ongoing issues involving police office politics and two separate romantic plots involving the main characters. This might appeal to readers of Deborah Crombie's series, or Susan Hill's Simon Serailler's novels. I'll definitely be moving on to read Babel, the next in the series, but not as an audiobook; for some reason it's a different narrator, whose voice and reading I dislike intensely.
I finished listening to this audiobook the night I returned from NYC on the 23rd/24th of April. On the morning of the 24th, checking my e-mail, I learned that J. was dead. It's all rather ironic, when I consider that I had been thinking of him throughout our book circle discussion about the Cather novel, since my first (and thus far only) trip to Santa Fe triggered a long and ongoing discussion between us about classical music (I had gone to attend Santa Fe's amazing opera season in 1993) and off and on we had talked about going back together, for that, and for the chamber music festival. I didn't complete another book for four or five days -- just before I had to put Tigger to sleep.
225cbl_tn
You've reminded me of a couple of authors I want to read more of. I've only read one of the Bernie Gunther books from the middle of the series. I really liked it, but just haven't found time to continue with it.
I've read all three books in Willa Cather's Prairie Triology and loved two of them. The Song of the Lark didn't do much for me after Thea left Colorado. Death Comes for the Archbishop will probably be the next of her books that I'll read, followed by Shadows on the Rock.
I've read all three books in Willa Cather's Prairie Triology and loved two of them. The Song of the Lark didn't do much for me after Thea left Colorado. Death Comes for the Archbishop will probably be the next of her books that I'll read, followed by Shadows on the Rock.
226LizzieD
Oh dear, I've never read *Archbishop*. I not only should; I want to. I also have a couple of early, unread Maitlands that I'll get to, and March Violets is on my READ NOW table.
It's good to see you reading again, Suz, at whatever pace.
It's good to see you reading again, Suz, at whatever pace.
227katiekrug
I only just read Death Comes for the Archbishop this January for Mark's American Author Challenge. It might have been my first Cather - I know I had a copy of Sapphira and the Slave Girl on my shelves when I was a teen but I can't recall if I ever read it. My mother loved Cather - especially My Antonia - so I'm not sure why I haven't read more by her....
Take care.
Take care.
228Chatterbox
>226 LizzieD:, I haven't stopped reading, just slowed down DRAMATICALLY. There was a week where I only read a single book, and a friend of mine was almost ready to check me into a psych ward. Everyone who heard that data point was seriously alarmed. I'm still reading, and working, more slowly than usual, and my concentration and focus are still an unholy mess. But it's getting a bit better. My "what do I do next" existential issues, however, are getting more confuddled by the day. Et bien.
>225 cbl_tn: I think this was my favorite of those that I've read by Cather so far (a list that hasn't included either The Song of the Lark or Shadows on the Rock but has included My Antonia and a few of her best known books).
>225 cbl_tn: I think this was my favorite of those that I've read by Cather so far (a list that hasn't included either The Song of the Lark or Shadows on the Rock but has included My Antonia and a few of her best known books).
229avatiakh
Oh, looking forward to your comments on lots of books. You've really been put through the wringer these past few weeks.
I have an omnibus of the first three Bernie Gunther novels and hope to read it fairly soon, I've read one BG book set in Argentina and quite liked it.
I'm another who has always meant to read Cather's Archbishop book, it was recently mentioned a couple of times in El Iluminado, a graphic novel about Crypto Jews.
Regarding Irène Némirovsky, I've read Suite Française and David Golder and enjoyed both. I also wondered if her 'story' overtook her writing so I didn't rush to read her work when it first got published.
I have an omnibus of the first three Bernie Gunther novels and hope to read it fairly soon, I've read one BG book set in Argentina and quite liked it.
I'm another who has always meant to read Cather's Archbishop book, it was recently mentioned a couple of times in El Iluminado, a graphic novel about Crypto Jews.
Regarding Irène Némirovsky, I've read Suite Française and David Golder and enjoyed both. I also wondered if her 'story' overtook her writing so I didn't rush to read her work when it first got published.
230charl08
I feel validated in liking Bernie Gunther thanks to your number of stars for Prague Fatale. I just read the latest, The Lady from Zagreb, which I enjoyed almost as much as this. I wish he would go back to the character's Weimar roots - for me the references back to the cases he took during Weimar are the most interesting parts of his back story. I've not read any Willa Cather but based on your review, I've added it to the list.
231sibylline
Death Comes For The Archbishop is one of those . . . astonishing books, isn't it? So glad you loved it and that you are beginning to feel able to read intently again.
And so . . . you read a space opera! And enjoyed it!!! Ha! The Queen of the genre is Lois McMaster Bujold, I think most would agree . . . . we will draw you in, and before you know it you will be reading Iain Banks.
Back to add - there are times when Life just overtakes everything else.... I too vow over and over to write mainly about books and to respond pretty much only to book related matters on the threads, but then Things Happen that are bigger than books and this is a community and so . . . it becomes something bigger too.
And so . . . you read a space opera! And enjoyed it!!! Ha! The Queen of the genre is Lois McMaster Bujold, I think most would agree . . . . we will draw you in, and before you know it you will be reading Iain Banks.
Back to add - there are times when Life just overtakes everything else.... I too vow over and over to write mainly about books and to respond pretty much only to book related matters on the threads, but then Things Happen that are bigger than books and this is a community and so . . . it becomes something bigger too.
232Chatterbox
>230 charl08: I'm completely in agreement with you on the need for more Weimar narratives. Kerr abandoned the postwar mysteries in favor of modified dual narratives, with the emphasis on wartime mysteries, and I think it would be great to explore the Weimar years (or even the early Nazi years).
>231 sibylline: Don't hold your breath re my reading more space opera...
142. Six Years by Harlan Coben
I picked up this book deliberately because it would require minimal attention on my part. A man attends what he believes to be the funeral of his ex-girlfriend's husband, only to discover that the people involved seem to be very different. What's afoot? Before long, he realizes he has ambled, unwitting, into a conspiracy, and he's in peril. (Of course, this is a thriller...) It's predictable, but entertaining. 3.5 stars.
143. Bricks and Mortality by Ann Granger
This is the third or fourth series that Ann Granger has started; kudos to her for not letting herself get bogged down in a single series with 25 or 30 books that appear insurmountable to new readers. This is, I think, book three in a series that returns Granger to her roots writing about rural England, with people who ride horses and farm. In this case, a stately home burns to the ground and a body is found in the ashes. Was he the intended victim of a murder, or mistaken for the house's owner, who has accumulated plenty of enemies in his life? I figured out the "whodunnit" before the end, so it's only 3.3 stars, but still enjoyable.
144. This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart
This was a re-read of a sentimental favorite; in fact, this novel, set on Corfu, is one of my favorites by this author, perhaps because she addresses The Tempest, my favorite Shakespeare play, throughout. Bibliotherapy. 4.3 stars. A reminder of how light fiction could also feature extremely intelligent writing; today, if anyone tried to write what is, essentially, a woman's novel/chick lit and write using such thoughtful and elegant style, their editor would send them back to the drawing board, I fear.
145. Ghettoside by Jill Leovy
This is a must read in light of the horrifying events of the last few years -- the deaths of young black men. While Leovy is writing about the cases that don't make the news (those murdered by other young black men), she really is attacking the same kind of institutionalized racism, in that the cops she follows challenge the conventional wisdom that these cases are unsolvable and (implicitly) that these lives don't really matter anyway. It's a damning indictment of our society, and you should read it. 4.8 stars.
146. Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own by Kate Bollck
I don't know what this woman was doing, really. She writes about women who served as her role models, describing them as spinsters -- but few of them were, for more than a brief period of time. Edith Wharton? Hardly a spinster (though she may have been an independent woman). Nor was the author herself really making a life of her own. She was never single (think, serial monogamy), relied on her brother when one relationship collapsed, and depended partly on her father for financial support. She's one of those women who never really step away from the shelter provided by those relationships to figure out who she is as an individual, which is fine, but then to write a book like this about how she sees herself as a spinster because she occasionally has periods where she likes to be alone in the apartment?? The lack of self-awareness is breathtaking. The parts where Bolick addresses her own life infuriated me completely; her look at her "role models" (cue fit of hilarity) was at least interesting, since some of them were women of whom I knew relatively little, and Bolick can write, but this was an epic failure as a book, by my standards. If you want to read a book about a woman's relationship with books, try How to Be a Heroine by Samantha Ellis, or turn to Singled Out if you want to read a book about single women in a society geared towards couples. So far, no one has managed to combine them... But I can't recommend this. At all. 2 stars.
147. The Perfume Garden by Kate Lord Brown
Oddly, I retain very little about this book. It's a dual narrative, with one strand of the book taking place at the height of the Spanish Civil War, and the modern strand in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when a young Englishman, losing her fiancé to both another woman and to the attacks, ends up fleeing to Spanish house she has mysteriously inherited. It's the convergence of the two plot lines -- and the modern-day character's fascination with scents, inherited from her mother, Liberty (aka Libby), that propels the narrative. It's interesting and good enough, but nothing special. Or maybe my attention span was just too blurry to take it in. I make come back to it. I still intend to read Hotel Florida, a non-fiction book about the expats who clustered in Spain during the war, sometime this year. 3.7 stars.
>231 sibylline: Don't hold your breath re my reading more space opera...
142. Six Years by Harlan Coben
I picked up this book deliberately because it would require minimal attention on my part. A man attends what he believes to be the funeral of his ex-girlfriend's husband, only to discover that the people involved seem to be very different. What's afoot? Before long, he realizes he has ambled, unwitting, into a conspiracy, and he's in peril. (Of course, this is a thriller...) It's predictable, but entertaining. 3.5 stars.
143. Bricks and Mortality by Ann Granger
This is the third or fourth series that Ann Granger has started; kudos to her for not letting herself get bogged down in a single series with 25 or 30 books that appear insurmountable to new readers. This is, I think, book three in a series that returns Granger to her roots writing about rural England, with people who ride horses and farm. In this case, a stately home burns to the ground and a body is found in the ashes. Was he the intended victim of a murder, or mistaken for the house's owner, who has accumulated plenty of enemies in his life? I figured out the "whodunnit" before the end, so it's only 3.3 stars, but still enjoyable.
144. This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart
This was a re-read of a sentimental favorite; in fact, this novel, set on Corfu, is one of my favorites by this author, perhaps because she addresses The Tempest, my favorite Shakespeare play, throughout. Bibliotherapy. 4.3 stars. A reminder of how light fiction could also feature extremely intelligent writing; today, if anyone tried to write what is, essentially, a woman's novel/chick lit and write using such thoughtful and elegant style, their editor would send them back to the drawing board, I fear.
145. Ghettoside by Jill Leovy
This is a must read in light of the horrifying events of the last few years -- the deaths of young black men. While Leovy is writing about the cases that don't make the news (those murdered by other young black men), she really is attacking the same kind of institutionalized racism, in that the cops she follows challenge the conventional wisdom that these cases are unsolvable and (implicitly) that these lives don't really matter anyway. It's a damning indictment of our society, and you should read it. 4.8 stars.
146. Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own by Kate Bollck
I don't know what this woman was doing, really. She writes about women who served as her role models, describing them as spinsters -- but few of them were, for more than a brief period of time. Edith Wharton? Hardly a spinster (though she may have been an independent woman). Nor was the author herself really making a life of her own. She was never single (think, serial monogamy), relied on her brother when one relationship collapsed, and depended partly on her father for financial support. She's one of those women who never really step away from the shelter provided by those relationships to figure out who she is as an individual, which is fine, but then to write a book like this about how she sees herself as a spinster because she occasionally has periods where she likes to be alone in the apartment?? The lack of self-awareness is breathtaking. The parts where Bolick addresses her own life infuriated me completely; her look at her "role models" (cue fit of hilarity) was at least interesting, since some of them were women of whom I knew relatively little, and Bolick can write, but this was an epic failure as a book, by my standards. If you want to read a book about a woman's relationship with books, try How to Be a Heroine by Samantha Ellis, or turn to Singled Out if you want to read a book about single women in a society geared towards couples. So far, no one has managed to combine them... But I can't recommend this. At all. 2 stars.
147. The Perfume Garden by Kate Lord Brown
Oddly, I retain very little about this book. It's a dual narrative, with one strand of the book taking place at the height of the Spanish Civil War, and the modern strand in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when a young Englishman, losing her fiancé to both another woman and to the attacks, ends up fleeing to Spanish house she has mysteriously inherited. It's the convergence of the two plot lines -- and the modern-day character's fascination with scents, inherited from her mother, Liberty (aka Libby), that propels the narrative. It's interesting and good enough, but nothing special. Or maybe my attention span was just too blurry to take it in. I make come back to it. I still intend to read Hotel Florida, a non-fiction book about the expats who clustered in Spain during the war, sometime this year. 3.7 stars.
233elkiedee
I really liked Barry Maitland's Brock and Kolla books, though my memory of Silvermeadow is quite hazy, I think I preferred the first few, especially The Marx Sisters, though that appears to be really hard to get hold of now. I read the first 6, the last from the library and then a few years ago I bought books 6-10 in the series. It's quite a tricky series because lots of different publishers have published one or two from the series but no one has done all 12.
234Chatterbox
>233 elkiedee: That would explain why only some of them are available here, and in a scattershot manner. I have Chelsea Mansions, which I bought with J. on a Strand expedition many moons ago, but haven't read. (I remember the debate that followed about the necessity of frivolous reading...) Don't know where that falls in the series; early, I suspect. I think I've intended to read it from time to time, but it has never quite made it to the top of the stack.
235Chatterbox
148. This is How It Really Sounds by Stuart Archer Cohen
This was a randomly-selected ARC from Amazon Vine that turned out to be surprisingly good and intriguing, as well as very well written. It's the story of three men, linked by a common name -- Peter Harrington. I know, wince. But it works. One is a hedge fund schemer; another is a washed up musician who has lost all his money in one of the former's schemes. (The third, who shows up only briefly at the beginning and the end, is an extreme skier, whose path crosses with the other two in different ways.) The musician wants revenge; the money man is seeking a new life. And there's a back story, in China in the 1940s. And yes, it all comes together, in a very unique way. It's worth checking out. I found it captivating and distinctive. 4.35 stars. a
149. Thin Air by Ann Cleeves
The next in the Jimmy Perez series of mystery novels, set in the Shetland islands. Lots of local detail, but the plot drags a bit compared to some of her others. A group of friends from England travel to the most remote corner of the islands, complete with their secrets, and death follows. Solid, but not great. 4 stars.
150. The Romanov Conspiracy by Glenn Meade
An audiobook version of a thriller I read when it first appeared. It kept me engaged, I suppose, but the plot (which revolves around an attempted rescue of the tsar and his family) strains my credulity and ended up annoying me. 3.35 stars stars.
151. How to Start a Fire by Lisa Lutz
Apparently, this author has lots and lots of fans for a series of novels she has written already. Not being aware of this, I responded to the description, which sounded more interesting than it was. What we've got is a novel with three women dysfunctional in three quite different ways, sorting out their dysfunctions and issues over the years. It sort of bounces around, but doesn't go anywhere all that interesting. When it ended, I lifted my head, and said, "really? that's it?" 3.2 stars.
152. The Life and Death of Sophie Stark by Anna North
I read America Pacifica, the author's debut novel, and loved her voice but found the plot full of holes. Here she does something dark and depressing but thoroughly impressive -- exploring the nature of creativity, its all-devouring nature. We never see experimental film maker Sophie Stark in her own words, just through the eyes of her brother, her lovers, her collaborators, etc. They are equally fascinated and frustrated by her; the end result is an intriguing if dark and experimental book. It won't be for all tastes, but I thought it was very worthwhile.
153. I'd Walk With My Friends If I Could Find Them by Jesse Goolsby
The latest in what is becoming a torrent of books about the war experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. The writing is good; the plot left me wondering why the author had bothered. There are vignettes here that are truly amazing, which caused me to speculate that perhaps his forte is the short story? But it all felt cobbled together as a novel. Not the best of this crop of novels that I've read. 3 stars.
154. The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths
The latest Ruth Galloway novel, in which a WW2 plane is found buried in a field -- with a murdered pilot sitting in it. It turns out that he has a connection to a nearby manor house, and the mystery begins to unfold from there. Not my favorite of these books, although it may have more to do with my mood than the book. I think I had pretty much figured it out before the end. Suggest you look for her stand-alone book, The Zig Zag Girl, when it appears in the US soon. 3.7 stars.
This was a randomly-selected ARC from Amazon Vine that turned out to be surprisingly good and intriguing, as well as very well written. It's the story of three men, linked by a common name -- Peter Harrington. I know, wince. But it works. One is a hedge fund schemer; another is a washed up musician who has lost all his money in one of the former's schemes. (The third, who shows up only briefly at the beginning and the end, is an extreme skier, whose path crosses with the other two in different ways.) The musician wants revenge; the money man is seeking a new life. And there's a back story, in China in the 1940s. And yes, it all comes together, in a very unique way. It's worth checking out. I found it captivating and distinctive. 4.35 stars. a
149. Thin Air by Ann Cleeves
The next in the Jimmy Perez series of mystery novels, set in the Shetland islands. Lots of local detail, but the plot drags a bit compared to some of her others. A group of friends from England travel to the most remote corner of the islands, complete with their secrets, and death follows. Solid, but not great. 4 stars.
150. The Romanov Conspiracy by Glenn Meade
An audiobook version of a thriller I read when it first appeared. It kept me engaged, I suppose, but the plot (which revolves around an attempted rescue of the tsar and his family) strains my credulity and ended up annoying me. 3.35 stars stars.
151. How to Start a Fire by Lisa Lutz
Apparently, this author has lots and lots of fans for a series of novels she has written already. Not being aware of this, I responded to the description, which sounded more interesting than it was. What we've got is a novel with three women dysfunctional in three quite different ways, sorting out their dysfunctions and issues over the years. It sort of bounces around, but doesn't go anywhere all that interesting. When it ended, I lifted my head, and said, "really? that's it?" 3.2 stars.
152. The Life and Death of Sophie Stark by Anna North
I read America Pacifica, the author's debut novel, and loved her voice but found the plot full of holes. Here she does something dark and depressing but thoroughly impressive -- exploring the nature of creativity, its all-devouring nature. We never see experimental film maker Sophie Stark in her own words, just through the eyes of her brother, her lovers, her collaborators, etc. They are equally fascinated and frustrated by her; the end result is an intriguing if dark and experimental book. It won't be for all tastes, but I thought it was very worthwhile.
153. I'd Walk With My Friends If I Could Find Them by Jesse Goolsby
The latest in what is becoming a torrent of books about the war experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. The writing is good; the plot left me wondering why the author had bothered. There are vignettes here that are truly amazing, which caused me to speculate that perhaps his forte is the short story? But it all felt cobbled together as a novel. Not the best of this crop of novels that I've read. 3 stars.
154. The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths
The latest Ruth Galloway novel, in which a WW2 plane is found buried in a field -- with a murdered pilot sitting in it. It turns out that he has a connection to a nearby manor house, and the mystery begins to unfold from there. Not my favorite of these books, although it may have more to do with my mood than the book. I think I had pretty much figured it out before the end. Suggest you look for her stand-alone book, The Zig Zag Girl, when it appears in the US soon. 3.7 stars.
236avatiakh
Hit by BB for This is how it really sounds.
237katiekrug
Amazon says The Zig Zag Girl is the first in a new series by Griffiths. I hope that doesn't mean she's done with Ruth... I'll be reading The Ghost Fields on my trip later this week.
238Chatterbox
>237 katiekrug: I doubt it; she wrote "Zig Zag" before "Ghost Fields" -- it was published in the UK last year sometime. I imagine she'll keep the two series running side by side at least for a while, like Anne Perry does with the Thomas Pitt and William Monk series, or even Ann Cleeves, and her two current series.
239LizzieD
Ow! *Really Sounds* BB hits, and onto the wish list it goes.
I'm sort of not really reading but not not reading This Rough Magic. It's a favorite, and I don't want it to go too fast.
I'm sort of not really reading but not not reading This Rough Magic. It's a favorite, and I don't want it to go too fast.
241charl08
Spinster sounds like a missed opportunity. I enjoyed Singled Out, and there is a fascinating (but hard to find) book on the single women's clubs of the late Victorian period, but shame she didn't look for the less obvious (perhaps less famous) women to consider changing circumstances over the period.
242Chatterbox
>241 charl08: You're right that this was a giant missed opportunity, and a lot of it flowed from a complete and utter lack of self-awareness/self-knowledge. I was utterly bemused by this woman, who actually saw herself as living in the tradition of the great spinsters of history, without the slightest idea of who they were or what they did. She was so far from leading an independent existence -- one where the question of whether the question of whether she was involved with a man was moot to what was actually important in her life, or at least ancillary -- that it's almost hilarious. Almost. That said, her selection of women wasn't all that bad from a fame POV. There were women in there who were completely new to me, like Neith Boyce; some of whom I knew little beyond examples of their work, like Maeve Brennan; and some whose lives I didn't know much about, even though they were famous, like Edna St. Vincent Millay (and I'd hazard a guess that few of her readers would have read bios of many of these women.)
That said, they weren't spinsters, a la Emily Dickinson. (And even Dickinson wasn't what I would think of as a spinster...) That's like saying Virginia Woolf was a spinster, when an essential fact of her life was her marriage. Her approach to that marriage may have been very "modern", but she certainly wasn't moving through life as an independent unit, which I think of as being a precondition for being a spinster. Yes, she wrote works that commented thoughtfully on women's lives and were particularly relevant to spinsters, like Three Guineas and A Room of One's Own, but she was not a spinster, and would, I suspect, have laughed at the mere idea of this.
So, Bolick has these Garbo-like periods in which she wants to be alone, and conflates them with feeling that her real yen is for spinsterhood. Then goes out and finds literary figures who have strong independent literary identities, ignores the fact that they end up having marriages, and conflates that professional identity with spinsterhood. This is such a logical mess that I don't even know where to begin. Good grief.
(Can you tell that it drove me crazy?)
>240 elkiedee: Wow, I thought I had had it hanging around for longer than that. I suppose I can now date my final raid on Strand with J, then...
>239 LizzieD: That was a quirky book; "Really Sounds", I mean. I didn't expect to like it nearly as much as I did. It still has flaws, but it's clever, interesting and well written. And it got my full attention, in spite of my having read it while in full bemused fugue state.
That said, they weren't spinsters, a la Emily Dickinson. (And even Dickinson wasn't what I would think of as a spinster...) That's like saying Virginia Woolf was a spinster, when an essential fact of her life was her marriage. Her approach to that marriage may have been very "modern", but she certainly wasn't moving through life as an independent unit, which I think of as being a precondition for being a spinster. Yes, she wrote works that commented thoughtfully on women's lives and were particularly relevant to spinsters, like Three Guineas and A Room of One's Own, but she was not a spinster, and would, I suspect, have laughed at the mere idea of this.
So, Bolick has these Garbo-like periods in which she wants to be alone, and conflates them with feeling that her real yen is for spinsterhood. Then goes out and finds literary figures who have strong independent literary identities, ignores the fact that they end up having marriages, and conflates that professional identity with spinsterhood. This is such a logical mess that I don't even know where to begin. Good grief.
(Can you tell that it drove me crazy?)
>240 elkiedee: Wow, I thought I had had it hanging around for longer than that. I suppose I can now date my final raid on Strand with J, then...
>239 LizzieD: That was a quirky book; "Really Sounds", I mean. I didn't expect to like it nearly as much as I did. It still has flaws, but it's clever, interesting and well written. And it got my full attention, in spite of my having read it while in full bemused fugue state.
243Chatterbox
155. Dietland by Sarai Walker
Quirky and far darker than the cover or the jacket cover implies -- the first "body positive" novel? Plum is saving money towards her lap band surgery, which she hopes will be the first step from her transformation from an obese woman and the target of relentless fat-shaming by everyone she encounters, to a normal woman -- she has already started buying clothes for the woman she hopes to become. Then she encounters a group of women who are attacking the male establishment and undergoes an attitude adjustment... Subversive and very intriguing. I talked to the publisher about this at BEA; they know they're taking a risk by publishing and promoting it. I'm glad I read it. Not always enjoyable, as such, but well written and definitely thought provoking. 4.15 stars.
156. 15431925Muse by Jonathan Galassi
As a novel, this definitely didn't work for me -- the author, the publisher of Farrar Strauss & Giroux has written a roman a clef about the publishing business that probably will appeal tremendously to the tiny group of ultra insiders. It's about the battle between two titans of the establishment, and the man who knows both of them -- and to whom a poet wills her final poems. The poems, however, I absolutely adored, and they made me want to run out and get more of Galassi's poems. I may yet do precisely that. 5 star poems, 2.8 star novel. 3.6 star book?
157. China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan
Once upon a time, there were sex and shopping books set in the US and Europe, like Scruples. Does it say anything that the Chinese equivalent of these seem to be almost entirely about shopping, money and brand names?? And other forms of status seeking? Anyway -- this sequel to Crazy Rich Asians is intriguing in the same way that watching Entertainment Tonight or reading about celebrities in People magazine. Horrifying, but fascinating. Amusing, but no nutritional value. You can read the plot description somewhere else, if you really want to. 3.2 stars.
158. Boo by Neil Smith
Imagine dying at the age of 13 and finding yourself in a heaven that looks like a cluster of apartment blocks and other buildings, surrounded by a wall and inhabited only by other 13 year olds who have died at the same age. That's what the bullied Boo finds when he dies at school one day. Then a classmate follows him there, and he discovers they were the victims of a school shooter. Those aren't the end of the revelations, though, and Boo finds new truths about himself and his life, and a new form of, dare one say it, maturity and empathy in his new "life". Billed as YA, but I'm not sure why. Fresh, utterly different from anything I've read lately, imaginative, beautifully written. Risky, but accomplished. 4.6 stars.
159. Stately Pursuits by Katie Fforde
A re-read; needed something mindless. Dumped woman takes on a stately home and revamps it, blah blah blah. Chick lit. Fun and not too taxing. 3.2 stars.
160. The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes
A mess of a book, and too long. It has two narrative strands, one in which the narrator looks back (in "real time") and one in which she's experiencing the illness about which she'll write the book that will catapult her briefly to fame, which she'll then lose, and that will then leave her in the miserable situation we encounter in the real time narrative. Got that? Yeah, exactly. Nor is the main character all that endearing. She never really tries to do anything for herself; all of her family members bully her in ways I wouldn't tolerate for a second (and I'm not known for the strength of my backbone). A deeply irritating book. 2.7 stars.
161. The Silver Swan by Elena Delbanco
Another irritating novel, one that tries to be literary and just ends up being distasteful. It should have been good -- the author is the daughter of a famous member of a musical quartet, and her main character is the daughter of a famous cellist. But none of that works. When her character doesn't inherit the Stradivarius cello owned by her father, she sulks and then falls into bed with the man who does -- only to discover that she really probably shouldn't have done so. Nothing much else happens, except a lot of talking about relationships that goes nowhere. It's all very unconvincing, in terms of plot and character. 2 stars, and I'm being generous.
162. Enchanted August by Brenda Bowen
If you've read Elizabeth von Arnim's The Enchanted April, you know precisely what is going to happen here, even though it's set in Maine, not Italy, and Lottie is from Brooklyn, not London (and there are other suitable twists to bring it up to date or make it relevant. That doesn't mean it isn't fun reading. It is. You'll just know what is going to happen next, more or less. If that matters, don't read it; it's not as good as von Arnim's book. Otherwise, it's a light/fun summer piece of fun. 3.4 stars.
163. Innocence by Heda Margolius Kovaly
This was a tough book to categorize. Ostensibly it's a mystery, but the crime that opens the book -- the murder of a boy, the nephew of an usher in a movie theater -- is rapidly solved. But the crime triggers the interest of the authorities in the people who work at the movie theater, all of whom (in the Prague of the late 1950s, more or less) have plenty to hide, and while the book ends with another crime/murder, the real crime, it becomes clear, is that of the government against its citizens: the creation of an atmosphere of suspicion and oppression. Sometimes the message overwhelms the narrative and the characters, but it's worth reading this recently republished (and, I think, re-translated) novel, written by a well-known (and now dead) literary figure who eventually fled Cold War-era Czechoslovakia after losing her first husband to the postwar purges of Communist leaders. 4 stars.
Quirky and far darker than the cover or the jacket cover implies -- the first "body positive" novel? Plum is saving money towards her lap band surgery, which she hopes will be the first step from her transformation from an obese woman and the target of relentless fat-shaming by everyone she encounters, to a normal woman -- she has already started buying clothes for the woman she hopes to become. Then she encounters a group of women who are attacking the male establishment and undergoes an attitude adjustment... Subversive and very intriguing. I talked to the publisher about this at BEA; they know they're taking a risk by publishing and promoting it. I'm glad I read it. Not always enjoyable, as such, but well written and definitely thought provoking. 4.15 stars.
156. 15431925Muse by Jonathan Galassi
As a novel, this definitely didn't work for me -- the author, the publisher of Farrar Strauss & Giroux has written a roman a clef about the publishing business that probably will appeal tremendously to the tiny group of ultra insiders. It's about the battle between two titans of the establishment, and the man who knows both of them -- and to whom a poet wills her final poems. The poems, however, I absolutely adored, and they made me want to run out and get more of Galassi's poems. I may yet do precisely that. 5 star poems, 2.8 star novel. 3.6 star book?
157. China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan
Once upon a time, there were sex and shopping books set in the US and Europe, like Scruples. Does it say anything that the Chinese equivalent of these seem to be almost entirely about shopping, money and brand names?? And other forms of status seeking? Anyway -- this sequel to Crazy Rich Asians is intriguing in the same way that watching Entertainment Tonight or reading about celebrities in People magazine. Horrifying, but fascinating. Amusing, but no nutritional value. You can read the plot description somewhere else, if you really want to. 3.2 stars.
158. Boo by Neil Smith
Imagine dying at the age of 13 and finding yourself in a heaven that looks like a cluster of apartment blocks and other buildings, surrounded by a wall and inhabited only by other 13 year olds who have died at the same age. That's what the bullied Boo finds when he dies at school one day. Then a classmate follows him there, and he discovers they were the victims of a school shooter. Those aren't the end of the revelations, though, and Boo finds new truths about himself and his life, and a new form of, dare one say it, maturity and empathy in his new "life". Billed as YA, but I'm not sure why. Fresh, utterly different from anything I've read lately, imaginative, beautifully written. Risky, but accomplished. 4.6 stars.
159. Stately Pursuits by Katie Fforde
A re-read; needed something mindless. Dumped woman takes on a stately home and revamps it, blah blah blah. Chick lit. Fun and not too taxing. 3.2 stars.
160. The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes
A mess of a book, and too long. It has two narrative strands, one in which the narrator looks back (in "real time") and one in which she's experiencing the illness about which she'll write the book that will catapult her briefly to fame, which she'll then lose, and that will then leave her in the miserable situation we encounter in the real time narrative. Got that? Yeah, exactly. Nor is the main character all that endearing. She never really tries to do anything for herself; all of her family members bully her in ways I wouldn't tolerate for a second (and I'm not known for the strength of my backbone). A deeply irritating book. 2.7 stars.
161. The Silver Swan by Elena Delbanco
Another irritating novel, one that tries to be literary and just ends up being distasteful. It should have been good -- the author is the daughter of a famous member of a musical quartet, and her main character is the daughter of a famous cellist. But none of that works. When her character doesn't inherit the Stradivarius cello owned by her father, she sulks and then falls into bed with the man who does -- only to discover that she really probably shouldn't have done so. Nothing much else happens, except a lot of talking about relationships that goes nowhere. It's all very unconvincing, in terms of plot and character. 2 stars, and I'm being generous.
162. Enchanted August by Brenda Bowen
If you've read Elizabeth von Arnim's The Enchanted April, you know precisely what is going to happen here, even though it's set in Maine, not Italy, and Lottie is from Brooklyn, not London (and there are other suitable twists to bring it up to date or make it relevant. That doesn't mean it isn't fun reading. It is. You'll just know what is going to happen next, more or less. If that matters, don't read it; it's not as good as von Arnim's book. Otherwise, it's a light/fun summer piece of fun. 3.4 stars.
163. Innocence by Heda Margolius Kovaly
This was a tough book to categorize. Ostensibly it's a mystery, but the crime that opens the book -- the murder of a boy, the nephew of an usher in a movie theater -- is rapidly solved. But the crime triggers the interest of the authorities in the people who work at the movie theater, all of whom (in the Prague of the late 1950s, more or less) have plenty to hide, and while the book ends with another crime/murder, the real crime, it becomes clear, is that of the government against its citizens: the creation of an atmosphere of suspicion and oppression. Sometimes the message overwhelms the narrative and the characters, but it's worth reading this recently republished (and, I think, re-translated) novel, written by a well-known (and now dead) literary figure who eventually fled Cold War-era Czechoslovakia after losing her first husband to the postwar purges of Communist leaders. 4 stars.
244cbl_tn
You got me with Enchanted August. I love both the book and movie versions of The Enchanted April, and a modern retelling sounds like fun.
245ronincats
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/19/recent-books-women-should-read_n_731416...
Saw this list and imagine you are the only one I know who might have read all of them, Suz.
Saw this list and imagine you are the only one I know who might have read all of them, Suz.
246Chatterbox
>245 ronincats: Ha, have only read about a third! A few I hadn't even heard of, and I've little interest in reading any of the memoirs, especially those by Tina Fey or Amy Poehler. One or two are on my list as possible reads, like the Celeste Ng novel. But several that I did read were deeply underwhelming...
As you can tell, I'm not a big believer in prescriptive or canonical lists, eg, the 1,000 books to read before you die, etc. etc.
As you can tell, I'm not a big believer in prescriptive or canonical lists, eg, the 1,000 books to read before you die, etc. etc.
247ronincats
Well, that tells me what I wanted to know, which is whether to place any credence in this person's opinion! Thanks. (Although those in our group who have read those two memoirs have been overwhelmingly positive, I also am not much of a memoir reader.)
248Chatterbox
>247 ronincats: I'm not a memoir reader either, Roni, and I'm not suggesting that I'd gazumph someone else's opinions. What we like and why we like it is so subjective... Good writing is less so, but once past that hurdle, what makes a good story is a different matter. I just am uninterested in Tina Fey, or at least, not interested enough in the entertainment business to read her memoir at this point, although I realize that lots of folks have loved it, and suspect it probably is good and very entertaining. There's just other stuff that I'd prefer to read. Same goes for Wild. I may watch the film of that, however, and if I like THAT, then I may read the memoir.
I'm still reading only very, very slowly, and so am especially reluctant to pick up anything in which I'm not tremendously interested, or that isn't going to be entertaining. It literally will be a pain.
I'm still reading only very, very slowly, and so am especially reluctant to pick up anything in which I'm not tremendously interested, or that isn't going to be entertaining. It literally will be a pain.
249Chatterbox
164. Losing the Signal by Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff
If you're remotely interested in business histories, or technology, this is a must-read. It's a compelling yarn of the rise and fall of BlackBerry, and how its arrogant and obsessed founders were blind to the advent of the smartphone. Complete with lots of the details that make great business books hum, and with explanations of all the technology that otherwise would have baffled me. Yes, a co-author is a friend, but I still liked it a lot. 4.45 stars. And it's significant because of what it says about how business leaders deal with (or fail to deal with) change.
165. Madeleine's War by Peter Watson
Perhaps there have been too many novels and even non-fiction books about SOE and its agents? This one fails miserably, perhaps because it's narrated by the agent's handler and lover, back in England, so any narrative tension is pretty much lacking. An attempt by Watson to inject some in the form of suspicions about a double agent, fall miserably flat. Honestly, I'm not sure why anyone would bother. 2.3 stars. Full of clichés about whiskey brown eyes and so on.
166. Decision at Delphi by Helen MacInnes
MacInnes has intriguing plots, but it's interesting to rediscover her tics, both in terms of her plots (wow, there's no subtlety here; lots of people conspiring to bring down True Democracy, which of course is allied with America) and her writing (her characters talk to themselves as much as they do to each other). If you can get past these, they are fun as much as mementos of the Cold War era in which they were written and written about, as examples of espionage thrillers. Just, don't look for nuance. 3.65 stars.
167. The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows
With the death of her co-writer and collaborator in crafting The Guernsey Potato Peel and Literary Society, Annie Barrows seems to have lost someone who could help her stay focused and generate a great narrative arc. Like that earlier novel, this one is driven by an assortment of quirky characters and an unusual historical setting (West Virginia in the Depression), but it never really clicks. Instead, the story rambles around a lot for 500 pages, towing this particular reader (increasingly reluctant) in its wake. The lack of focus became increasingly irritating. I suspect a lot of readers, especially rabid fans of the first book, simply won't care. I liked the first book, but I did care. There were parts of this that were great, but it just didn't hang together and keep me engaged. 3 stars.
168. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
This falls into the "too quirky to be real; almost a fable" genre; a category that is growing almost hourly in size. (Think, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and books of that ilk.) Jean Perdu (his surname literally means "lost") runs a literary apothecary on a barge moored to the banks of the Seine in Paris (almost too cute to be real, right?) until the day when something causes him to open a letter left for him by the lover who deserted him and then died, almost two years earlier. He promptly casts off, and sends the barge off in quest of her legacy, heading for her home in the south of France, books and all (and with a stray author on board. It was amusing, but I kept feeling that I'd read it before. I think I have, in fact -- it's just bits of other quirky/fable books assembled in a new format. And because it's a fable, you know there will be a magically happy outcome of some kind. Too charming for its own good, but readers will adore it. 3 stars.
169. Villa America by Liza Klaussman
Given that I never finished Tigers in Red Weather, I found myself blown away by this biographical novel about Sara and Gerald Murphy, friends with Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Dos Passos, Picasso, etc. etc. Blending fact with fiction, Klaussman deals with how their Riviera idyll turns to tragedy in a delicate and poignant way. She still has to struggle with the fact that the Murphys themselves weren't great creators -- they were onlookers in their circle, and the most interesting part of the book may be its first section, when they struggle with their families to marry, and the final chapters, when the focus shifts back to their family. But it's beautifully written and imagined. 4.3 stars. Recommended.
170. Pirate Hunters by Robert Kurson
A wonderful blending of history, adventure, biography, science etc. in a rollicking and well-written narrative. I'm sure some of it may have been exaggerated for effect, but I didn't care -- I was so caught up in the quest for the rarest maritime treasure of all: not a galleon stuffed with pieces of eight, but a pirate ship from the golden age of Caribbean piracy, one that defeated two British naval frigates in combat. A great fast summer read. Yum! 4.5 stars.
171. Music for Wartime by Rebecca Makkai
I simply adored these short stories. They were like gourmet chocolates; once you dipped into them, vowing to taste just one, you couldn't stop. And they just got better, even as each offered you something quite distinctive. As the title suggests, a musical sub-theme runs through many, sometimes with elements of humor (a miniature J.S. Bach somehow is transported through time to the narrator's upright piano; climbing out, he grows to full size, hangs out in her apartment and learns to play jazz, albeit a bit like Scarlatti -- until the day he opens the curtain and looks out the window to discover how high up they are) and sometimes with tragedy (as a cellist returns home to find a cross marking a fatal accident site on her lawn, and watches her frustration with the spreading tacky decor surrounding it begin to transform her own life). Read these stories....
172. The Sleeping Dictionary by Sujata Massey
A kind of old-fashioned epic novel. Pom is born to a poor Indian family on the Bay of Bengal; they're all swept away in a cyclone and she is left to survive as best she may. From working as a servant in a posh girl's school, to a brothel for Englishmen, to a turn for the better when she arrives in Calcutta, Pom -- who ends up with as many names as she does lives -- lives through the final days of the Raj sharing the dream of freedom from England, only to find her convictions challenged. It's a bit predictable, but still interesting novel, in its glimpses into the lives of Indian women and Anglo-Indians of the era, in the form of popular fiction. A change from the author's mystery series set in Japan. 3.7 stars.
173. Children of Chance by Elizabeth Pewsey, aka Elizabeth Aston
A re-read for me of a favorite book, the first in a series of the six Mountjoy novels re-issued by the author under her own name (Elizabeth Aston) and her own imprint. They're irreverent but charming -- Prue and Cleo head to a northern town to work after school (Eyot, the local cathedral town that will feature in later books, is a thinly-disguised York) and become entangled in all kinds of shenanigans. Not to be read by anyone who disapproves of immorality. It's not that there is graphic sex, but just that there's quite a lot of chopping and changing of sexual partners, and nobody much cares. And it all makes for very entertaining reading; the author has a great sense of humor and a knack for developing fabulous characters, so I don't really care either. I just wish she had written more than six of these books. I keep having to re-read them, but can't do so too often. My fave is Unaccustomed Spirits, which includes two ghosts as characters, one a Puritan and the other a Cavalier, stuck together for eternity. 4 stars.
And now I'm pretty much up to date!
If you're remotely interested in business histories, or technology, this is a must-read. It's a compelling yarn of the rise and fall of BlackBerry, and how its arrogant and obsessed founders were blind to the advent of the smartphone. Complete with lots of the details that make great business books hum, and with explanations of all the technology that otherwise would have baffled me. Yes, a co-author is a friend, but I still liked it a lot. 4.45 stars. And it's significant because of what it says about how business leaders deal with (or fail to deal with) change.
165. Madeleine's War by Peter Watson
Perhaps there have been too many novels and even non-fiction books about SOE and its agents? This one fails miserably, perhaps because it's narrated by the agent's handler and lover, back in England, so any narrative tension is pretty much lacking. An attempt by Watson to inject some in the form of suspicions about a double agent, fall miserably flat. Honestly, I'm not sure why anyone would bother. 2.3 stars. Full of clichés about whiskey brown eyes and so on.
166. Decision at Delphi by Helen MacInnes
MacInnes has intriguing plots, but it's interesting to rediscover her tics, both in terms of her plots (wow, there's no subtlety here; lots of people conspiring to bring down True Democracy, which of course is allied with America) and her writing (her characters talk to themselves as much as they do to each other). If you can get past these, they are fun as much as mementos of the Cold War era in which they were written and written about, as examples of espionage thrillers. Just, don't look for nuance. 3.65 stars.
167. The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows
With the death of her co-writer and collaborator in crafting The Guernsey Potato Peel and Literary Society, Annie Barrows seems to have lost someone who could help her stay focused and generate a great narrative arc. Like that earlier novel, this one is driven by an assortment of quirky characters and an unusual historical setting (West Virginia in the Depression), but it never really clicks. Instead, the story rambles around a lot for 500 pages, towing this particular reader (increasingly reluctant) in its wake. The lack of focus became increasingly irritating. I suspect a lot of readers, especially rabid fans of the first book, simply won't care. I liked the first book, but I did care. There were parts of this that were great, but it just didn't hang together and keep me engaged. 3 stars.
168. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
This falls into the "too quirky to be real; almost a fable" genre; a category that is growing almost hourly in size. (Think, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and books of that ilk.) Jean Perdu (his surname literally means "lost") runs a literary apothecary on a barge moored to the banks of the Seine in Paris (almost too cute to be real, right?) until the day when something causes him to open a letter left for him by the lover who deserted him and then died, almost two years earlier. He promptly casts off, and sends the barge off in quest of her legacy, heading for her home in the south of France, books and all (and with a stray author on board. It was amusing, but I kept feeling that I'd read it before. I think I have, in fact -- it's just bits of other quirky/fable books assembled in a new format. And because it's a fable, you know there will be a magically happy outcome of some kind. Too charming for its own good, but readers will adore it. 3 stars.
169. Villa America by Liza Klaussman
Given that I never finished Tigers in Red Weather, I found myself blown away by this biographical novel about Sara and Gerald Murphy, friends with Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Dos Passos, Picasso, etc. etc. Blending fact with fiction, Klaussman deals with how their Riviera idyll turns to tragedy in a delicate and poignant way. She still has to struggle with the fact that the Murphys themselves weren't great creators -- they were onlookers in their circle, and the most interesting part of the book may be its first section, when they struggle with their families to marry, and the final chapters, when the focus shifts back to their family. But it's beautifully written and imagined. 4.3 stars. Recommended.
170. Pirate Hunters by Robert Kurson
A wonderful blending of history, adventure, biography, science etc. in a rollicking and well-written narrative. I'm sure some of it may have been exaggerated for effect, but I didn't care -- I was so caught up in the quest for the rarest maritime treasure of all: not a galleon stuffed with pieces of eight, but a pirate ship from the golden age of Caribbean piracy, one that defeated two British naval frigates in combat. A great fast summer read. Yum! 4.5 stars.
171. Music for Wartime by Rebecca Makkai
I simply adored these short stories. They were like gourmet chocolates; once you dipped into them, vowing to taste just one, you couldn't stop. And they just got better, even as each offered you something quite distinctive. As the title suggests, a musical sub-theme runs through many, sometimes with elements of humor (a miniature J.S. Bach somehow is transported through time to the narrator's upright piano; climbing out, he grows to full size, hangs out in her apartment and learns to play jazz, albeit a bit like Scarlatti -- until the day he opens the curtain and looks out the window to discover how high up they are) and sometimes with tragedy (as a cellist returns home to find a cross marking a fatal accident site on her lawn, and watches her frustration with the spreading tacky decor surrounding it begin to transform her own life). Read these stories....
172. The Sleeping Dictionary by Sujata Massey
A kind of old-fashioned epic novel. Pom is born to a poor Indian family on the Bay of Bengal; they're all swept away in a cyclone and she is left to survive as best she may. From working as a servant in a posh girl's school, to a brothel for Englishmen, to a turn for the better when she arrives in Calcutta, Pom -- who ends up with as many names as she does lives -- lives through the final days of the Raj sharing the dream of freedom from England, only to find her convictions challenged. It's a bit predictable, but still interesting novel, in its glimpses into the lives of Indian women and Anglo-Indians of the era, in the form of popular fiction. A change from the author's mystery series set in Japan. 3.7 stars.
173. Children of Chance by Elizabeth Pewsey, aka Elizabeth Aston
A re-read for me of a favorite book, the first in a series of the six Mountjoy novels re-issued by the author under her own name (Elizabeth Aston) and her own imprint. They're irreverent but charming -- Prue and Cleo head to a northern town to work after school (Eyot, the local cathedral town that will feature in later books, is a thinly-disguised York) and become entangled in all kinds of shenanigans. Not to be read by anyone who disapproves of immorality. It's not that there is graphic sex, but just that there's quite a lot of chopping and changing of sexual partners, and nobody much cares. And it all makes for very entertaining reading; the author has a great sense of humor and a knack for developing fabulous characters, so I don't really care either. I just wish she had written more than six of these books. I keep having to re-read them, but can't do so too often. My fave is Unaccustomed Spirits, which includes two ghosts as characters, one a Puritan and the other a Cavalier, stuck together for eternity. 4 stars.
And now I'm pretty much up to date!
250LizzieD
Happy Days! I bought a copy of Children of Chance way back on your last rereading of it, Suz, and there it sits on my shelf. Maybe this summer! Reading your Guardian article this morning, I hunted and found the first Elena Farrante on Kindle for $3.99. Score! Then I went to PBS and found it already on my wish list from 2013, so thanks to you again. At least I'm sort of paying attention.
I heard a little part of an interview with Annie Barrows on PBS Monday, maybe. *Guernsey* was already in the hands of the publisher and extensive rewrites were requested when Barrows picked it up because her aunt Mary Ann Shaffer was already too ill to deal with it. That suggests that perhaps we shouldn't look to Barrows for her aunt's spark or that she has a lot of learning to do.
I heard a little part of an interview with Annie Barrows on PBS Monday, maybe. *Guernsey* was already in the hands of the publisher and extensive rewrites were requested when Barrows picked it up because her aunt Mary Ann Shaffer was already too ill to deal with it. That suggests that perhaps we shouldn't look to Barrows for her aunt's spark or that she has a lot of learning to do.
251Chatterbox
>250 LizzieD: The books list story was actually for the Fiscal Times -- and a non-fiction companion piece will be out soon...
I hadn't realized that Mary Ann Shaffer was Annie Barrows' aunt. Aha... Either way, this book was not a wow for me. It was merely OK. Some of it, admittedly, may have been me. But not all of it.
I hadn't realized that Mary Ann Shaffer was Annie Barrows' aunt. Aha... Either way, this book was not a wow for me. It was merely OK. Some of it, admittedly, may have been me. But not all of it.
252DeltaQueen50
Another great listing of books. You got me with the phrase "an old fashioned epic" so The Sleeping Dictionary goes on my list, and I can't resist the Pirate Hunters either!
This topic was continued by Chatterbox Embarks on a New Year of Slightly Obsessive Reading: Part the Fourth.
