Rabbitprincess is in the thick of it for 2015 - Part 3

Welcome to Part 3 of my Peter Capaldi-themed Category Challenge. The Doctor is in!



Categories are:

Fortysomething - general fiction
Wasps' Nest - mysteries
The Musketeers - history, HistoryCAT, and livres en français
Doctor Who - SFF and SFFFCAT
Local Hero - rereads
A Portrait of Scotland - books about/set in Scotland or by Scottish authors, and books about art
Dreamboys - audiobooks
Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life - short stories, essays, poetry and plays
The Fifth Estate - non-fiction
In the Loop - group reads (2015 CC and British Author Challenge) and RandomCAT

Any category can overlap with any of the CATs or group reads. Example: if I want to read my audiobook of Graham Greene's The End of the Affair for the British Author Challenge, I will count it under both the Dreamboys and the In the Loop categories.

Fortysomething - General fiction

You may recall that "Fortysomething" was also used as the general fiction category in my 2014 challenge. That is correct: both Benedict and Peter appeared in this show! Peter plays Dr. Ronnie Pilfrey.

1. Red or Dead, by David Peace
2. Brighton Rock, by Graham Greene
3. Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh
4. The House on the Strand, by Daphne du Maurier
5. Epitaph: A Novel of the O.K. Corral, by Mary Doria Russell
6. No Relation, by Terry Fallis
7. How to Build a Girl, by Caitlin Moran
8. Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen
9. Finders Keepers, by Stephen King

Wasps' Nest - Mysteries

Agatha Christie adaptations often feature actors who have since gone on to greatness. Peter is no exception. In "Wasps' Nest", he plays artist Claude Langton.

Christina pointed me toward the blog My Reader's Block, which features a Vintage Mystery Bingo card. I will be using the card but not limiting myself to either Silver or Golden Age mysteries. It is a 6x6 grid because the letters at the top spell either SILVER or GOLDEN.

✓ Book with a colour in the title / cover colour: Mystery in White, by J. Jefferson Farjeon
✓ Book set anywhere except the US and England: The Clue in the Crossword Cipher, by Carolyn Keene (set in Peru)
Book that features a crime other than murder:
✓ Locked-room mystery/impossible crime: The Hollow Man, by John Dickson Carr
✓ Medical mystery (or book featuring a doctor or nurse): The Nursing Home Murder, by Ngaio Marsh
✓ Book with a professional detective: The Likeness, by Tana French

✓ TBR First Lines (pick 4 books from TBR, read each first sentence, then choose 1 of the 4 to read): Dead Water, by Ngaio Marsh
Book with a number/quantity in the title: Nineteen Seventy-Four, by David Peace
✓ Book with an animal in the title: The Zebra-Striped Hearse, by Ross Macdonald
✓ Book by an author you've never read before: Ashes to Dust, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
✓ Book with a "spooky" title or cover: Where the Shadows Lie, by Michael Ridpath
✓ Book with a woman in the title: The Wolfe Widow, by Victoria Abbott

Book set in the entertainment world:
✓ Book made into a movie or TV series: Wobble to Death, by Peter Lovesey
✓ Book with an amateur detective: As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, by Alan Bradley
Book with a man in the title:
✓ Academic mystery: Death on the Cherwell, by Mavis Doriel Hay
✓ Book that involves a mode of transportation: Gideon's Ride, by J.J. Marric

✓ Country house mystery: Cover Her Face, by P.D. James
Book with a lawyer, courtroom, judge, etc.:
✓ Book already read by a fellow (Category) challenger: Nineteen Seventy-Seven, by David Peace
✓ Book outside your comfort zone: Sleepyhead, by Mark Billingham
✓ Book involving the clergy or religion: The Cornish Coast Murder, by John Bude
✓ Author with first or last name beginning with same letter as yours: We'll use either P or C (for Peter or Capaldi) A Case of Spirits, by Peter Lovesey

✓ Book with a detective "team": The Water Room, by Christopher Fowler
Book with a time, day, month, etc. in the title:
✓ Book published in birth year of you or a loved one/friend: Going with Peter Capaldi's birth year, 1958. Playback, by Raymond Chandler
✓ Short story collection: OxCrimes, ed. Peter Florence and Mark Ellingham
✓ Book set in England or the US: The Sussex Downs Murder, by John Bude
Book that you have to borrow:

✓ Book with a method of murder in the title: Mr. Mercedes, by Stephen King -- the serial killer uses a Mercedes to run a bunch of people over
✓ Book with a place in the title: A Scream in Soho, by John G. Brandon
✓ Book published under more than one title: McGarr on the Cliffs of Moher, by Bartholomew Gill (also published as Death of an Irish Lass)
✓ Historical mystery: A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters
✓ Book written by an author with a pseudonym: The Man in the Queue, by Josephine Tey (pseudonym of Elizabeth Mackintosh)
Book that features food/drink/a party:

Many of these categories appeared on the 2014 card. As a bonus, I'm including the categories from 2014 that didn't make it to the 2015 card:

✓ Book by an author you have read before: No Known Grave, by Maureen Jennings
Mystery that involves water:
Translated book:
✓ Book with a size in the title: The Long Goodbye, by Raymond Chandler (I'm decreeing "long" is a pant size, as opposed to regular and short.)

Any other mysteries that don't fit the card (or duplicate squares) will go in general fiction, if only because I'm worried about having too many touchstones in a single post.

The Musketeers - History, HistoryCAT and livres en francais

I'm not sure how historically accurate either the book or the miniseries is, but Peter is suitably badass as Cardinal Richelieu in this adaptation.

This category will also hold my yearly quota of books in French.

History
1. The Long Shadow: The Legacies of the Great War in the Twentieth Century, by David Reynolds
2. SS-GB, by Len Deighton
3. The Tragic Story of the Empress of Ireland, by Logan Marshall
4. Moonfleet, by J. Meade Falkner
5. Ross Poldark, by Winston Graham
6. The Napoleonic Wars: A Very Short Introduction, by Mike Rapport
7. A History of London in 100 Places, by David Long
8. Sarum: The Novel of England, by Edward Rutherfurd
9. The Bastard of Fort Stikine, by Debra Komer
10. The Story of Hampton Court Palace, by Lucy Worsley

HistoryCAT
January (theme: Myths and Legends): The Luck of Troy, by Roger Lancelyn Green
February (time period: 1CE to 500CE): Astérix et les Gothes, by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
March (theme: Exploration and Conquest): Into the Silence, by Wade Davis
April (time period: 1000 to 1300) (theme: crime and mysteries): A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters
May (time period: 1300 to 1500): Lords of Misrule, by Nigel Tranter
June (theme: culture and the arts) A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare
July (time period: 1600 to 1700): Charles II: His Life and Likeness, by Hesketh Pearson
August (time period: 1700 to 1800): (theme: medicine and disease) Demelza, by Winston Graham
September (time period: 1800 to 1850): David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens
October (time period: 1850 to 1900): The National Dream, The Last Spike, Klondike, by Pierre Berton. ND and LS would also fit theme of science and technology
November (time period: 1900 to 1945) (theme: war and peace) anything WW1 or WW2 related would fit both. E.g. Catastrophe, by Max Hastings
December (time period: 1945 to 1990) Korea: Canada's Forgotten War

Livres en français
1. Astérix et les Gothes, by Goscinny and Uderzo
2.

Doctor Who - SFF and SFFFCAT

Peter Capaldi is the Twelfth Doctor and I am loving every minute of it. Not that I don't like the other Doctors, but it is so wonderful to see Peter living the Whovian dream.

SFF
1. Plague of the Cybermen, by Justin Richards
2. A Big Hand for the Doctor, by Eoin Colfer
3. The Nameless City, by Michael Scott
4. Foxglove Summer, by Ben Aaronovitch
5. The Spear of Destiny, by Marcus Sedgwick
6. Doctor Who: Time Trips, by Cecelia Ahern et al.
7. The Roots of Evil, by Philip Reeve
8. Tip of the Tongue, by Patrick Ness
9. Something Borrowed, by Richelle Mead
10. The Ripple Effect, by Malorie Blackman
11. Players, by Terrance Dicks
12. Spore, by Alex Scarrow

SFFFCAT
January: (Steampunk, Gaslamp, Historical SFF) Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
February: (Classics of Sci-Fi) The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham
March: (It's the End of the World As We Know It) MaddAddam, by Margaret Atwood
April: (Fairy Tales and Mighty Myths) Irish Fairy and Folk Tales, ed. W.B. Yeats -- on hold
May: (Women SFF Writers) Among Others, by Jo Walton -- never got around to it
June: (time travel) Doctor Who and the Horror of Fang Rock, by Terrance Dicks
July: (fantastical creatures) Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen, by Terrance Dicks
August: (other worlds: space opera, first contact, dropping into Oz) Engines of War, by George Mann
September: (slipstream, interstitial, magical realism, genre benders) The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkaway
October: (paranormal, urban fantasy) Libriomancer, by Jim C. Hines? Not waiting until Oct to read Foxglove Summer :P
November: (quests) The Return of the King, by JRR Tolkien
December: (influential/award-winning SFF)

Local Hero - Rereads

Local Hero was Peter's big break, in which he played Danny Oldsen. I chose this as the theme for my rereads category because this was a movie from Peter's younger days, and a lot of my rereads are from my younger days.

1. Mrs. Pollifax on Safari, by Dorothy Gilman
2. Barometer Rising, by Hugh MacLennan
3. Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen
4. Death at Windsor Castle, by C.C. Benison
5. A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare
6. South Riding, by Winifred Holtby
7. Remembered Death, by Agatha Christie

A Portrait of Scotland - Books set in or about Scotland, and books by Scottish authors

This is a documentary about the history of Scottish portrait painting. As an alumnus of the Glasgow School of Art, Peter has the technical chops to hold some really in-depth conversations with his interviewees, and his enthusiasm and interest in the subject bring it to life for the viewer. It's available on YouTube if you're interested.

1. Rob Roy, by Sir Walter Scott
2. Astérix and the Picts, by Jean-Yves Ferri, Didier Conrad (illustrator), Anthea Bell (translator)
3. Lords of Misrule, by Nigel Tranter

The Field of Blood - Scottish mysteries

Because I read way too many Scottish mysteries, let's have a sub-category for them! Also, this is a good excuse for me to put David Morrissey in this year's challenge (spoiler alert: he's the theme of my 2016 challenge).

1. The Papers of Tony Veitch, by William McIlvanney
2. Flesh Wounds, by Christopher Brookmyre
3. Saints of the Shadow Bible, by Ian Rankin
4. The Low Road, by Reginald Hill
5. The Dead Hour, by Denise Mina
6. Slip of the Knife, by Denise Mina
7. Raven Black, by Ann Cleeves

Dreamboys - Audiobooks

When Peter was in university, he played guitar and sang in a punk rock band with future Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson on drums. You can find a few songs of theirs on YouTube. My favourite is "Bela Lugosi's Birthday".

1. Autobiography, by Morrissey (unabridged, read by David Morrissey)
2. Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned, by Alan Alda (abridged, read by Alan Alda)

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - full-cast dramatization

Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life - Short stories, essays, poetry and plays, GNs

In addition to being an actor, Peter is an Oscar-winning director. This is his award-winning short film. Also on YouTube.

Goal: at least three plays

Plays

1. Blithe Spirit, by Noël Coward
2. Mauritius, by Theresa Rebeck
3.

The rest

1. Darkwing Duck: The Duck Knight Returns, by Ian Brill (writer) and James Silvani (illustrator)
2. Psychiatric Tales, by Darryl Cunningham
3. El Deafo, by Cece Bell
4. The Frozen Thames, by Helen Humphreys
5. Live Right and Find Happiness (Although Beer is Much Faster), by Dave Barry
6. Daddy Lenin and Other Stories, by Guy Vanderhaeghe
7. The Curious Case of the Copper Corpse, by Alan Bradley
8. The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media, by Brooke Gladstone
9. Moonbeams from the Larger Lunacy, by Stephen Leacock

The Fifth Estate - General non-fiction

This is information the world needs to know! Peter plays Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger in the 2013 film that strangely enough also features Benedict!

1. The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction, by Alan Jacobs
2. The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code, by Margalit Fox
3. The Pythons Autobiography, by the Pythons
4. Bizarre London, by David Long
5. How to Speak Brit, by Christopher J. Moore
6. Introduction to Marine Engineering, Revised 2nd Edition, by D.A. Taylor
7. The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media, by Brooke Gladstone
8. The Ships of Canada's Marine Services, by Charles D. Maginley
9. Full Upright and Locked Position: Not-So-Comfortable Truths About Air Travel Today, by Mark Gerchick
10. Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks, by Ken Jennings
11. The Story of the Mary Rose, by Ernle Dusgate Selby Bradford
12. It's Been Said Before: A Guide to the Use and Abuse of Clichés, by Orin Hargraves
13. Notes from a Small Island, by Bill Bryson
14. The Golden Age of Murder, by Martin Edwards

In the Loop - Group reads and RandomCAT

FINALLY I create a separate category for group reads! Of course Peter's character needs little introduction: he's the ferocious Malcolm Tucker. Watch out for those attack eyebrows!

Books will be touchstoned as they are completed.

Group Reads

January: none
February: Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh (BAC)
March: The House on the Strand, by Daphne du Maurier (BAC)
April: none
May: Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen (year-long Austen read)
June: Death at Windsor Castle, by C.C. Benison (shared read with cbl_tn); A Dead Man in Deptford, Inside Mr Enderby (reread), On Going to Bed, by Anthony Burgess (BAC)
July: none
August: Remembered Death, by Agatha Christie (Agatha Christie August)
September: Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen (year-long group read)
October: none
November: An Ice-Cream War, Restless, by William Boyd (BAC); Memento Mori, by Muriel Spark (BAC)
December: A Place of Greater Safety, by Hilary Mantel (BAC); The Man with Two Left Feet, The Girl in Blue, Do Butlers Burgle Banks, by PG Wodehouse (BAC)

Also a possibility: the Longmire half of Roberta's Leaphorn and Chee / Longmire year

February: The Cold Dish
April: Death Without Company
June: Kindness Goes Unpunished
August: Another Man's Moccasins
October: The Dark Horse
December: Junkyard Dogs

Year-long "History of England Parts 1-3" read with Christina

January to April: Foundation
May to August: Tudors
September to December: Rebellion

RandomCAT

January: (Olympus Has Fallen) The Cornish Coast Murder, by John Bude
February: (Let's Go to the Movies) Sleepyhead, by Mark Billingham (adapted into Thorne, 2010)
March: (All the Cool Kids Are Doing It) Foxglove Summer, by Ben Aaronovitch
April: (Aperire - major life change by main character) How to Build a Girl, by Caitlin Moran
May: (Place name in the title) Sarum, by Edward Rutherfurd
June: (On the Water) Moonfleet, by J. Meade Falkner
July: (Let There Be Light) Moonbeams from the Larger Lunacy, by Stephen Leacock
August (Dog Days of Summer) Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned, by Alan Alda
September (How's the Weather?) Floodgate, by Alistair MacLean
October
November
December

I've been having a bit of a reading slump or funk lately, so this new thread will be a good reboot. I've been feeling a bit constrained with my self-imposed challenges, wanting to read something for all of the CATs each month and of course wanting to fill up bingo cards. So I've decided to focus primarily on those challenges for which I already own a book that fits. And next year, if I do the mystery bingo card again, I'm putting it in a separate post, reading whatever the heck mysteries I want, and seeing how they fill up the card (as opposed to letting the card govern which mysteries I choose).

I also give myself permission to include more partly read books in my total, so that I don't feel so bad about metaphorically nibbling at some of my library books and returning them unfinished.

It seems kind of silly to have to set these things down in writing, because reading is supposed to be fun, but there you have it.

A couple of reviews to start this new thread off right:

How to Speak Brit, by Christopher J. Moore

Category: The Fifth Estate
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/118102543

Not much to this book, which informs me that I already know how to speak Brit (as evidenced by the fact that many of the expressions were familiar to me). Nice cover, though, and it's a pleasant little diversion.

No Safe House, by Linwood Barclay

Category: Fortysomething
Source: Perfect Books, Ottawa, ON
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/111679952

This was a great antidote to the huge historical novels I've been bogging myself down in. Snappy, fast-paced and definitely thrilling. I was skeptical of its nature as a sequel to one of his previous books, but with Linwood Barclay you are generally in safe hands.

Congrats on a new thread and for making your new rules. I sometimes feel like I'm thinking more about my categories rather than just reading what I feel like reading.

Happy new thread! The Vintage Mystery Bingo looks interesting...

Happy new thread! I have been in a bit of a reading slump too -- maybe it is the season. Hope your new "rules" help!

A new thread is a great way to celebrate both the long weekend and your reading, so congrats on that. My reading this month has slowed down, mostly due to other activities but I can see that I will probably not get to all the books that I had hoped to. It's a tough job to sort through them and decide which ones will be left behind. I like your new reading rules, and hope they help to keep your reading fresh and fun for you.

Happy New Thread!

>13 mstrust: Especially those categories that aren't filling up very quickly! Those sometimes lead me to puck up things I wouldn't necessarily read right away.

>14 MissWatson: It is very interesting. I'm not doing it properly though, because I am using mysteries from any era.

>15 leslie.98: It is nice to know I'm not alone. I hope your slump goes away soon!

>16 DeltaQueen50: That is very tough! I wish you luck with the sorting. I've been having to do that with library books, which is not easy.

>17 cbl_tn: Thanks! I hope you've been having a good weekend!

It's tough when you have all kinds of reads you feel you just have to fit in. But some great reading so far.

Haha! Love you're new top Capaldi photo. :D

Nice new thread!

>12 rabbitprincess: I hadn't realized that No Safe House is a sequel to No Time for Goodbye, which I really liked. I'll have to keep No Safe House in mind for summer vacation. I have a hard time putting Barclay's books down so it's best to save them for times when I can read non-stop.

>19 dudes22: Indeed! Especially when you build up a sizeable on-deck pile and think you have to read all of them. Hoping my next batch of reading will hold my interest.

>20 andreablythe: Thanks! I love it too. I love that he's such a fan of the show himself :D

>21 mamzel: Thanks!

>22 mathgirl40: Linwood's books are perfect for summer vacation! The only one I have unread is Never Saw it Coming, which I bought somewhat belatedly. Then I won't have any more to read until Broken Promise comes out in July.

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I think I've cracked the reading slump! Part of the cure was visiting my parents for the weekend. Their living room is perfect for curling up with a good book and a mug of tea. I managed to finish two somewhat long-standing books that I had on the go.

Lords of Misrule, by Nigel Tranter

Category: A Portrait of Scotland, The Musketeers
Source: FOLAC book sale
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/112662736

First in the House of Stewart trilogy (of which I just bought the second and third volumes on AbeBooks, since they were nice enough to send me a coupon). It was harder to get into because I'm not quite as familiar with the history, and also it was more political intrigue and less derring-do than the Robert the Bruce trilogy. Still, its 1300s setting made it a perfect choice for the May HistoryCAT.

Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen

Category: Local Hero, In the Loop
Source: bought with a DVD of the Emma Thompson version
Rating: 5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/work/2228/reviews/70444150

I spent the last quarter of this book sighing heavily over Colonel Brandon and imagining him as David Morrissey. This book gets better and better with every reread.

Now I'm tidying up some library books!

The Curious Case of the Copper Corpse, by Alan Bradley

Category: Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 2/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/118272822

Meh. I like Flavia, but there isn't enough of this story. It's like eating what is laughably called a "fun-size" bag of M&Ms, the kind people give out on Halloween. "More like NO-fun-size," I complain.

Introduction to Marine Engineering, Second Edition, by D.A. Taylor

Category: The Fifth Estate
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/118432650

I borrowed this for extremely nerdy reasons. I am definitely not the target audience for this book, being merely a technical writer who dabbles in the marine domain and not an actual marine engineer. To be fair, the book does specify its audience in the introduction. And it does look like a good resource for someone who understands more of the principles behind how the engine works. I did better with the sections on firefighting equipment, for whatever reason.

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My current on-deck pile, constructed for purely fun reasons, is as follows:

- The Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett -- it will tie in nicely with one of my current reads, The Suicide Exhibition, by Justin Richards, as both involve WW2. Actually I've had it on the on-deck pile for a while; I took it out to read and eventually give away.
- Death at Windsor Castle, by C.C. Benison -- another reread for one of my categories, but also hopefully being timed to coincide with Ascot in June, which is when the book is set. I love this book and hope it will cement my reading mojo.
- Ross Poldark, by Winston Graham -- borrowed from my mum, who bought it after hearing me talk about the TV series.
- South Riding, by Winifred Holtby -- yet another reread. Thinking about David Morrissey as Colonel Brandon reminded me that he played Robert Carne in the miniseries of this book. I should watch that one again too.
- Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen -- part of our UK trip itinerary includes Bath, so I thought this Austen would be a good choice. (It would probably make more sense to actually read it IN Bath, especially since the trip will coincide with the group read, but I am reading by Whim!)

We'll see how many of these I read consecutively. It's a very attractive pile though. And very British.

You are juggling a lot of books. I hope you enjoy Northanger Abbey- it's probably my favorite Austen.

>23 rabbitprincess:
I was never that into Colonel Brandon. Then I saw David Morrissey play him in the mini-series and I understood just how swoon-worthy he could be.

>24 rabbitprincess:
I haven't read Northanger Abbey yet, but the hints of gothic storytelling appeals to me. I keep delaying it, because I kinda want to read the books she references in the story first. ;)

>25 mstrust: I'm looking forward to it! It's shorter than Mansfield Park, so it already has that going for it.

>26 andreablythe: The scene where Marianne faints at the ball after being rejected by Willoughby, and Colonel Brandon is there to catch her, is swoon central. And that is why I could never think the Governor completely evil, since the same man played both characters ;)

I'll be interested to hear about your experience with Northanger if you read the books she references first! I have no such patience and will just dive right in.

****

Finally we got our summer weather back! The past couple of days have felt more like late October than late May. We even had a frost warning yesterday (May 23) despite our "last frost" date being May 15. But today the sun is nice and warm. Back to dresses and sandals instead of heavy coats and scarves!

This proved a fairly quick read:

Nineteen Seventy-Four, by David Peace

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: number in the title)
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/118432624

The first book in the Red Riding quartet was simultaneously as grim as I expected and not quite as grim as I expected. There were some shocking details from the post-mortem, and there was a hefty dose of violence, but it was not completely relentless, fortunately. I've already put in an interlibrary loan request for the second installment. (Weirdly, my library has the French translation, but not the original English.)

Reading by whim! is the best way to read.

You didn't find Nineteen Seventy-four relentlessly grim? I certainly did. But I'm tempted to reread it, now that I've read Nineteen Seventy-Seven. These are books I need to be in the right frame of mind for. Maybe on the beach this summer.

I'm glad your reading seems to be back on track! I may join you for Death at Windsor Castle. I have it in my TBR stash.

>28 RidgewayGirl: It helped that the book doesn't really spend a whole lot of time in the serial (?) killer's head. That's the sort of thing I find extremely grim. Parts of Sleepyhead, by Mark Billingham, were difficult for me for that reason. And something like The Wire in the Blood, by Val McDermid, is so grim that I just won't read it anymore.

I found Nineteen Seventy-Four to be a good bus/lunchtime book because it was easy for me to pick up and put down, and I wasn't spending more than 20 minutes with it at a time.

>29 cbl_tn: Thanks! I am glad too. Ascot is from June 16 to 20, if we really want to be precise with our timing ;) I'll probably switch over to it once I'm finished Sarum. This will give me more incentive to read Sarum quickly!

I have a conference June 8-11 so I was thinking I'd probably start it the following weekend. It looks like that wouod be the weekend before Ascot. :)

I hurried over here when I saw that you had just finished Nineteen Seventy-Four as I am very interested in what you thought of it. I think I was more like Kay in >28 RidgewayGirl:, in that Ialso found it relentlessly grim. I did go on and read the next one and found that one a little easier. I hope to get to the third one at some point this year.

>31 cbl_tn: Great timing!

>32 DeltaQueen50: Good to know that Nineteen Seventy-Seven is easier! I think I was just so relieved that Nineteen Seventy-Four did NOT contain endless chapters of a serial killer plotting horrible sexual murders that I automatically considered what did happen to be "less grim". But the violence was pretty horrific. There were a few dramatic winces on the bus while I was reading this.

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After our beautiful Sunday, today is a rainy Monday. The forecast predicted "light" rain, but it is more of a torrential downpour. Oh well, at least it is good weather for rain boots. I do love my rain boots.

I also managed to get this book finished in order to return it to the library today. It required a bit of reading during breakfast and lunch at work, but I did it!

Work Simply: Embracing the Power of Your Personal Productivity Style, by Carson Tate

Category: The Fifth Estate
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/118519947

This might actually be closer to a 3, because I had no major expectations for it, but I'm feeling charitable so an extra half-star it is. I don't feel like I got much new out of it, but it is certainly a good framework, and at least I guess I'm on the right track in terms of managing my productivity in a way that suits me. I did also like the productivity style quiz, because I love personality quizzes.

At least you had a productive breakfast and lunch! ;)

Ok, I'm disagreeing with Judy. The ending to Nineteen Seventy-Seven is still ricocheting around my heart. Peace certainly has no problem with creating problematic main characters.

>35 RidgewayGirl: Hmmm, perhaps it was simply easier as I knew (at some level) what to expect! ;)

>34 cbl_tn: I did indeed! And haha the productivity style assessment has been making the rounds at the office. We think this will perhaps explain a lot about some of our coworkers ;)

>35 RidgewayGirl: >36 DeltaQueen50: This is a very intriguing discussion!

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Currently reading update: I decided to DNF The Suicide Exhibition, which was an agreeable diversion on the train, but which I made the mistake of putting down to read something else. Also, I borrowed it from Overdrive, which probably doomed it from the start, because I have SO MANY physical library books out right now and the ebooks always go to the bottom of the priority list.

I'm chugging along with Sarum, which took three chapters just to get out of the prehistoric era (and Chapter 3 was when they finally built Stonehenge). Now we're with the Romans and things are moving along a bit. This was my bus book for most of this week, but I'm keeping it at home for a couple of days so that I can read a few library books. One of these is Mystery in White, by J. Jefferson Farjeon, which is simultaneously amusing and irritating. It's a quick read, though.

Up early this morning (6:15! On a Saturday! Stupid not being able to go back to sleep) so decided to polish off another couple of books.

Mystery in White, by J. Jefferson Farjeon

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: colour in the title)
Source: library
Rating: 1.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/118565380

I've changed my mind. THIS is my least favourite British Library Crime Classic. DNF because I lost patience with the characters' repetitive, barbed dialogue.

Tip of the Tongue, by Patrick Ness

Category: Doctor Who
Source: Doctor Who box set
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/115001897

I am fairly uncritical when it comes to Doctor Who stories. This one was a delightful little treat.

One last review for May:

The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media, by Brooke Gladstone

Category: The Fifth Estate, Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/118369067

A graphic non-fiction history of journalism in the United States (mostly). Requires a bit more work than the average graphic non-fiction, but it's still pretty interesting.

May recap

A mid-month visit home actually helped rejuvenate my reading, thanks to my parents' reading-friendly living room. This plus a renewed impetus to stop books whenever I don't feel like finishing them (and moving immediately to something new) enabled me to get through 13 books in May:

Daddy Lenin and Other Stories, by Guy Vanderhaeghe
The Low Road, by Reginald Hill
How to Speak Brit, by Christopher J. Moore
No Safe House, by Linwood Barclay
Lords of Misrule, by Nigel Tranter
Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen (reread)
The Curious Case of the Copper Corpse, by Alan Bradley (Overdrive)
Introduction to Marine Engineering (Revised 2nd Edition), by D.A. Taylor (partly finished)
Nineteen Seventy-Four, by David Peace
Work Simply: Embracing the Power of Your Personal Productivity Style, by Carson Tate
Mystery in White, by J. Jefferson Farjeon
Tip of the Tongue, by Patrick Ness (Doctor Who box set #5)
The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media, by Brooke Gladstone and Josh Neufeld

My favourite book of the month was No Safe House. I like to save my Linwood Barclay books for vacations or special treats, but they are also good as emergency reading slump busters.

My least favourite book was Mystery in White. Last month I said A Scream in Soho was my least favourite British Library Crime Classic. Not true; it's this one. The characters gave me a headache with their sharp-tongued, repetitious dialogue, and it made me stop caring about the mystery.

Of my May plans, I started my RandomCAT book but will be carrying it over to June (whatever makes me think I'll finish an Edward Rutherfurd in a single month?!), and I finished both my HistoryCAT (Lords of Misrule) and Group Reads (Sense and Sensibility). I did borrow my SFFFCAT book but decided to return it as I was feeling the pinch with all my side challenges and have decided to focus on the ones for which I already own books.

Currently reading

Sarum: The Novel of England, by Edward Rutherfurd -- my May RandomCAT carrying over to June. I'm on Chapter 5 and I think we're still in Roman times. This is going to take a while.
Moonfleet, by J. Meade Falkner -- my June RandomCAT selection, because it is about smugglers and is set on the southwestern coast of England. I started it last week but have put it on hold for a little bit so that I can actually finish in June ;)
Ross Poldark, by Winston Graham -- borrowed this from my mum on my latest visit and will hopefully get it done before PBS starts airing the series later this month.
Autobiography by Morrissey -- audio, read by David Morrissey. The book is on my iPhone and my latest iOS update made me lose my place, so I think I've fast-forwarded a bit too far. Now I'm somewhere in 1996 with the trial where the drummer of the Smiths sued for a 25% share of the royalties. Morrissey is NOT happy.

June plans

HistoryCAT: I might read a Shakespeare for the Culture and Arts theme. A Midsummer Night's Dream is calling to me for some reason, AND it's a book I've earmarked for rereading and review.
RandomCAT: Moonfleet, by J. Meade Falkner -- as above.
SFFFCAT: I will probably end up reading a Doctor Who novel. I had originally intended to read 11/22/63, by Stephen King, but I've already got a lot of big books on the go. So instead I'll read Doctor Who and the Horror of Fang Rock, by Terrance Dicks.
Group read: I'll be sharing a read with @cbl_tn -- we're reading Death at Windsor Castle, by C.C. Benison. Our plan is to start the weekend of June 13, which is the weekend before Royal Ascot. (The book takes place at Ascot, so we thought it might be fun to time our reading accordingly.)

My library borrowings have crept up again. I am most looking forward to Mr. Mercedes, by Stephen King, which I placed a hold on back in November after seeing David Morrissey mention it on his Twitter.

June's Doctor Who story will feature the Sixth Doctor and is called Something Borrowed.

The DVD pile for June is very small. Just a documentary on the Windsors narrated by Brian Blessed, and I have Season 2 of Father Brown (the Mark Williams version) in transit. Yesterday we finished watching Season 6 of Poirot, so I'll have to request Season 7 soon.

>23 rabbitprincess:
Seems like vacations are great for kick-starting the reader-lust. Mine seems to be back too - hope it stays! :)

>40 rabbitprincess:
I didn't realize David Morrissey reads Morrissey's autobiography - perhaps I'll go with the audio, even if I have a hard time with non-fiction audio.

I've had a lot of library reads lately too. I need to concentrate on my TBR pile this month to end up where I want to be at the end of June. I think I'll be taking a few back unread later this week.

Yea for getting back on track! Looks like you have some interesting ones lined up for June

Popping in to say howdy!

>40 rabbitprincess: I would love to join you and Carrie for the group read of Death at Windsor Castle but the timing is wrong for me - I have too many library books waiting to be read, but you never know, I might be able to renew a couple. In any case, I'll keep a watch for your review.

>41 -Eva-: In this case they certainly do seem to! Glad to hear that your reading mojo has returned as well.

And yes, it is totally worth getting the Morrissey autobiog just to hear David M. doing the narration. He does a few accents as well -- his American accent made me do a Beatlemania-girl-style scream. Adorable.

>42 dudes22: In some cases merely taking out the book makes me realize "Nah, I don't think I do actually want to read this". That does wonders in culling the virtual TBR list.

>43 paruline: Thanks! I hope you are doing well -- we'll have to start thinking about our summit soon!! ;)

>44 luvamystery65: Howdy back atcha! :D

>45 VivienneR: We'll be glad to have you if you do manage to slip it in, but I'll definitely be interested in hearing what you think of it whenever you get to it! It was the first of the series that I read and is still my favourite.

****

It's been a busy weekend. Yesterday I was giving tours as part of Doors Open Ottawa, which was fun but exhausting. And today I have a very gravelly voice. But now I can try hitting all the low notes in some of my favourite songs ;) Today some friends and I are going to check out another Doors Open site, but not till the afternoon. I HAD intended to sleep in until the hour was in double digits, but I was up around 8:30 and feeling pretty well rested.

A couple of reviews for books with similar settings and subject matter (and time period):

Moonfleet, by J. Meade Falkner

Category: The Musketeers, In the Loop
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/118472411

Smugglers, the English coast, and sailing ships, all in a Puffin Classics edition no less! I found this most satisfactory.

Ross Poldark, by Winston Graham

Category: The Musketeers
Source: borrowed from parents
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/118471025

Swoon! This was an excellent book. I started reading it one morning and the next thing I knew, 143 pages had passed. And a LOT had happened. I am really looking forward to the TV series now, and the prospect of many more Poldark books to read.

>46 rabbitprincess:
Poldark is a series I've looked at so many times, but once the new TV series was announced, I actually took them off the read-list. :) I have enough books I want to read that I'll happily take a movie- or TV-version instead of some of them.

>47 -Eva-: Very true! I would probably do that with Game of Thrones if I were considering exploring that world. One of my coworkers is reading the second book at the moment and I was seriously impressed. They look like a huge time investment (she says while in the middle of Sarum, which is 1033 pages in her paperback edition).

>48 rabbitprincess:
To be fair, GoT is one where the TV-series is quite close to the books (although obviously not as detailed), so I would endorse a decision to replace the books with a telly-marathon.

>46 rabbitprincess: Moonfleet brings back some memories. Not sure I could tell you the plot, but I certainly remember reading it. Growing up on the coast which may not always have been entirely honest in its past (ahem), it had a certain air about it.

>49 -Eva-: That's what I hear! At the very least I do like to read about the show, just to make sure I get pop culture references.

>50 Helenliz: Moonfleet does have a stirring, romantic feel to it. :)

****

Finally, a manageable-length Stephen King book!

Mr. Mercedes, by Stephen King

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: Method of murder in title)
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/118713930

This book came along at pretty much the right time. It was gripping and deeply unsettling and yet also sweet and funny in places. (I especially liked the references to two other Stephen King books.) The overall concept is grim, but it is executed with a light touch and makes for some very good bus (and lunch, and break, and standing at the bus stop) reading.

Finally, a manageable-length Stephen King book!

LOL! Yes, he does tend to write HUGE books doesn't he. :)

>52 andreablythe: I'm glad it's been a few years since 11/22/63 was published, because that means I can probably renew it a couple of times at the library in order to finish it on time!!

****

I took a break from my historical novel to read historical non-fiction.

The Napoleonic Wars: A Very Short Introduction, by Mike Rapport

Category: The Musketeers
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/118611600

Given all the Jane Austen I'm reading this year, I thought it might be appropriate to read a bit about the Napoleonic Wars, which occurred within her lifetime and which are on the periphery of some of her novels. This context is also helpful for whenever I resume reading the Horatio Hornblower series, or start reading the Sharpe series. I like the Very Short Introductions, too -- a nice little nibble of history.

****

Hurray, my interlibrary loan of Nineteen Seventy-Seven came in! They quoted me a timeline of three weeks and that's exactly how much time it took for the loan to arrive. Would not be surprised if I dropped all my other library books to start reading this immediately.

>53 rabbitprincess: I could use a brief intro to this period--how "short" is it?

>54 kac522: About 150 pages including endnotes. And the book itself is the cutest little thing, with a pretty cover.

>46 rabbitprincess: That's great that you were involved with Doors Open Ottawa. I've enjoyed attending Doors Open Waterloo (as in the region Waterloo, not just the city) and would love to go to the Ottawa or Toronto one someday.

>51 rabbitprincess: I want to read more Stephen King, but the lengths of the books really are intimidating. Nice to know there are indeed some manageable ones.

Happy new thread! I found RL and the various CATs rather overwhelming so I have decided to focus on finishing my Bingo and then I can free myself up for the CATs during the second half of the year.

>37 rabbitprincess: - Sarum is a chunkster read! I remember reading it one summer. For some reason I never felt as though summer had started unless I had the biggest book I could find in the bookstore under my arm. ;-)

>56 mathgirl40: The Doors Open events are always such fun! Usually I'm attending the events, but this year I decided to be on the other side of the table. That was fun too, just in a different way. Would love to attend the Toronto one someday as well.

Joyland is also supposed to be a manageable Stephen King. One of those Hard Case Crime books, so not very long either.

>57 lkernagh: Good idea! The challenges can be fun but it's also easy to pile on too many. I was getting grumpy about not being able to fit in all of my impulse library borrows, which is the reason for my decision to focus only on challenges where I own a book already.

Sarum is indeed quite the chunkster! It has travelled on the bus with me for a few days, but right now it's at home because I actually wanted to finish books :P

>53 rabbitprincess: I found that I was able to read 11/22/63 rather quickly since it was pretty riveting. You may not have to renew it. Hope you enjoy it!

>59 mamzel: I am very glad to hear that! Once I get some of these bigger books off my reading plate, I'll have to borrow it :)

****

Bus reading has been pretty productive lately! I am rebelling against the big books by reading zippy little ones.

Death at Windsor Castle, by C.C. Benison

Category: Local Hero, In the Loop
Source: adopted from Grandma
Rating: 5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/82844804

I shared a (re)read of one of my favourite mysteries with @cbl_tn. This is the third and sadly the last in the Jane Bee / Her Majesty Investigates series, but it is a great deal of fun. And well timed this year, because Royal Ascot, which occurs during the book, is this coming weekend.

Doctor Who and the Horror of Fang Rock, by Terrance Dicks

Category: Doctor Who
Source: A bookstore in Scotland, probably Wigtown
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/98198428

I was originally going to give this 3.5, but it was too fun to begrudge it that extra half star. I finished this in a day's worth of bus reading. Gotta love the Target novelizations for that reason. They are so fast!

>60 rabbitprincess: Death at Windsor Castle was a fun read! I get rid of most of my books after I've read them to make room for new ones. This series has earned a permanent home in my library. :-)

The CAT's can be fun but sometimes I want to ignore them for a few weeks!

>61 cbl_tn: Yay! I am glad you liked it and that it will be residing on your shelves :)

>62 hailelib: It does get a bit overwhelming sometimes! I think next year I'll still pick books for the CATs, but if I want to read the September book in January, that's what I'll do ;) Actually, that's what I did for Northanger Abbey. The group read is in September but I wanted to read it now, so I did.

****

It's been a busy week around these parts. From Saturday until Wednesday the BF and I did a road trip around southwestern Ontario, mainly in the Bruce Peninsula area and along the back roads of central and eastern Ontario. Lots of historical sites related to Billy Bishop, Tom Thomson, and a plethora of shipwrecks. We even saw the legendary Wiarton Willie. (I don't think he saw his shadow though.) So it was a bit weird working on Thursday and Friday. Had to adjust to the regular routine again!

My reading has not been the greatest over the course of the trip. I did make headway on Sarum and finished two books, but I had brought a whole stack of books for reading that didn't even get cracked.

Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen

Category: In the Loop, Fortysomething
Source: Christmas gift
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70473957

Decided to read the September group read early. It was a lot of fun! I really enjoyed it. Right now I think my Austen reading is ranked S&S, Northanger, P&P, Emma, and Mansfield Park (which I haven't finished but which has been a real slog both times I tried). I haven't read Persuasion at all yet but hope to get to it eventually.

The Nursing Home Murder, by Ngaio Marsh

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: medical mystery)
Source: Overdrive
Rating: 1.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/118811902

The best sound effect to describe my response to this book is "Margh." This is probably a cross between "meh", expressing indifference, and "argh", expressing frustration. I was probably not in the right mood to read this -- I borrowed it via Overdrive and took forever to get around to it -- but it didn't help that the plot had a very silly investigative thread. Seriously? Communists?!

****

And in addition to all the books I brought with me, I procured more on the trip. Part of the trip involved a stopover at my parents', where I was able to lend Mum my copy of Northanger Abbey and borrow her copies of

To Love and Be Wise, by Josephine Tey
How the Light Gets In, by Louise Penny
Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie

Actually, I borrowed the Agatha so that the BF could read it. He's never read it but does know the famous ending.

Then in Owen Sound, I found a bookstore called Phoenix Books, where I was monstrously successful in book buying. I bought

Demelza, by Winston Graham
Jeremy Poldark, by Winston Graham
Warleggan, by Winston Graham
The Athenian Murders, by José Carlos Somoza (trans. Sonia Soto)
McGarr and the Sienese Conspiracy, by Bartholomew Gill

for me, and

Castle Skull, by John Dickson Carr

for my friend who collects books by JDC.

I was particularly pleased to get the Poldark novels, because the first one was such a hit with me. I can't believe how much happens in these books. The first four in particular cover a very short span of time. Or maybe it seems short to me because I am currently reading Sarum, which stretches from prehistory to the 20th century.

This weekend I hope to get back into some more books, especially the library books that are coming due soon.

I didn't hate The Nursing Home Murder as much as you did (more indifference rather than frustration) but it definitely ranks below the other Alleyn mysteries I've read.

I hope you like How the Light Gets In. It's possibly my favourite from the Gamache series.

Getting ready to pack my bags and head north! Where and when is the Summit?

>64 mathgirl40: I wavered between a 2 and a 1.5. What pushed me toward the 1.5 was the fact that I was so tempted to just chuck it unfinished. In my admittedly very loosey-goosey rating system, a 2 would probably a book I was ok with finishing but just didn't enjoy much.

The fact that Gamache is back in Three Pines is very promising! :)

>65 mysterymax: YAY! I will have a Rex Stout for you. Right now we're thinking Saturday July 4 because that works better for paruline. The place we were looking at opens at 8, so we could do breakfast or brunch (and then go book shopping??).

Glad you enjoyed Northanger Abbey so much! It's my favorite from her but it's so often dismissed as a "lesser" Austen.

Oh, and I have The Nursing Home Murder on the shelf, dang it.

>67 mstrust: It was great! Pity The Nursing Home Murder wasn't, but I really think a lot of my response came from the fact that I was trying to force myself to read it, and I was reading on my iPad. One of these days I will stop trying to get into the e-reading thing. It hasn't worked that well for me so far :-/ Your mileage may vary with the book (and I hope it does).

Hey, any time is good for me. You guys probably have farther to travel since our apt is right downtown (Somerset/Metcalf). How close is the book store(s)?

Google Maps says Book Bazaar is about 15 minutes' walk from the Scone Witch, or 1.2 km.

Doing some housekeeping on the last few books for June, then will do a monthly recap.

The Ships of Canada's Marine Services, by Charles D. Maginley

Category: The Fifth Estate
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/118518013

A big solid coffee-table book that does what it says on the tin.

A History of London in 100 Places, by David Long

Category: The Musketeers
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119074278

Fun facts, well organized, but could have done with some photos!

Something Borrowed, by Richelle Mead

Category: Doctor Who
Source: Doctor Who box set
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/115001905

A Sixth Doctor and Peri adventure that is a touch predictable but good for the short format.

What time at the Scone place? Rich will have to drive me to the Book Bazaar, if I go, looking forward to seeing you guys.

June recap

A combination of starting several big books, borrowing too many library books, and going on vacation at the end of the month meant that June felt less productive than usual, reading-wise. The monthly total is 11, with one being only partly finished (although I ended up renewing it again and will be flipping through it at work, since I borrowed it for work).

Moonfleet, by J. Meade Falkner
Ross Poldark, by Winston Graham
Mr. Mercedes, by Stephen King
The Napoleonic Wars: A Very Short Introduction, by Mike Rapport
Death at Windsor Castle, by C.C. Benison (reread)
Doctor Who and the Horror of Fang Rock, by Terrance Dicks
Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen
The Nursing Home Murder, by Ngaio Marsh
The Ships of Canada's Marine Services, by Charles D. Maginley (partly finished)
A History of London in 100 Places, by David Long
Something Borrowed, by Richelle Mead (Doctor Who box set #6)

My favourite book of the month was Ross Poldark. The pacing was lightning-fast compared to some other historical novels I've been reading recently, and I've already bought the next three books in the series :)

My least favourite book was The Nursing Home Murder. I'm not having much luck with the Golden Age mysteries lately. This one frustrated me.

Of my June plans, the HistoryCAT did not get read. I had intended to reread A Midsummer Night's Dream, but that will have to be a July read obviously. Otherwise, I managed to read my RandomCAT, SFFFCAT and group reads.

Currently reading

Sarum: The Novel of England, by Edward Rutherfurd -- I'm finally at the South Sea Bubble. It's been a very good book, but holy cow is there ever a lot of history.
Nineteen Seventy-Seven, by David Peace -- an interlibrary loan that is due back on Monday, eep!
The Likeness, by Tana French -- my bus book. The premise is "out there" for a police procedural, but it's certainly keeping me turning the pages. I also feel like I've been holding my breath for the whole book.
Full Upright and Locked Position: Not-So-Comfortable Truths About Air Travel Today, by Mark Gerchick -- this is due back at the library on Monday as well and someone put a hold on it, so I should try to get through some of it before taking it back.
Autobiography by Morrissey -- audio, read by David Morrissey. Yes. Always.

July plans

HistoryCAT: Charles II: His Life and Likeness, by Hesketh Pearson -- an old biography that I picked up from my grandma's collection.
RandomCAT: Moonbeams from the Larger Lunacy, by Stephen Leacock -- moonbeams being a form of light. (I also have a copy of How the Light Gets In, but Moonbeams is the first priority.)
SFFFCAT: Another Doctor Who novel: Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen, by Terrance Dicks -- perfect for the critters and creatures theme.
Group read: No group reads scheduled for this month.

Of the library books I currently have out, the most urgent will be The Eagle of the Ninth, by Rosemary Sutcliff, which someone put a hold on. I have a couple of mysteries out too and will have to see whether I can renew those.

July's Doctor Who story will feature the Seventh Doctor and is called The Ripple Effect.

I had to return a bunch of DVDs unwatched because we were away for a few days, so the only library DVD I have is the first season of a French cop show called 19-2. Haven't watched any of it yet, though, because I have not been in the mood for it (or much of anything, really -- feeling very restless).

>72 mysterymax: Haven't heard back from paruline yet about a time. Will keep you posted...

Lots of good reading in June. Re: The Likeness - that's kind of how I felt when I read it a couple of months ago. And for some reason it seemed to take me a long time to read. Not as much a page-turner as some mysteries. I'll be looking for your review when you finish it.

>73 rabbitprincess: Have you seen any of the new Poldark series on PBS? I watched the old series in the 80s I think. This one looks better.

Happy Canada Day!

I read The Likeness sometime in the last couple of years and I remember it being slow to take off. It took me a long time to get through the first hundred pages. After that it was a page-turner.

I bet you are out having a fun Canada Day in Ottawa.

>75 dudes22: It does feel like it's taking longer to read than In the Woods did, probably because of the holding-my-breath thing. Hoping I'll be able to finish it by next week.

>76 VivienneR: I've watched the first episode but nothing since. It does look very good.

>77 cbl_tn: Yeah, it has been a bit of a slow build. I am also still stunned by the sheer weight of it ;)

>78 VivienneR: It was fun! We had some bursts of rain, but fortunately I got indoors before the worst of it. Happy Canada Day to you as well!

****

It was another successful Canada Day in Ottawa. Despite the rain, loads of people poured downtown to enjoy the festivities. The buses were free all day, so I think that helped curb the number of cars downtown. More roads seemed to be closed off as well to serve as pedestrian malls. This year my friend and I didn't attend any of the concerts, but we did go to Major's Hill Park for lunch (chicken sandwiches provided by the Chicken Farmers of Canada -- reasonably priced and really good) and to visit the various sponsor tents in quest of free stuff. Our favourite is the Milk booth, because they have St. Albert cheese curds, but plenty of places had interesting goodies: buttons, stickers, tote bags, temporary tattoos, that sort of thing. I am especially pleased with my Historica Canada lunch bag, as my old lunch bag was about to give up the ghost. The Historica Canada booth also had Canadian trivia, which we cleaned up at!

The Snowbirds couldn't do their fly-past at noon because of the weather, but it seems to be clearing up now, so hopefully they will be able to sneak it in before sunset, during the evening show. And the fireworks should be able to go ahead.

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day, RP! Glad to see that the weather did not deter events from going ahead, although it is understandable that the Snowbirds couldn't do their noon show.

We have the Snowbirds come almost every year to our air show here (in Rhode Island) and they always put on a great show. I don't actually go to the air show anymore, but my husband goes and always comments on how good they are.

>80 lkernagh: Hope you had a good Canada Day! We've had fantastic weather the past few years, so I think we were due for a rainy one. At least it was mostly rain, only a tiny bit of thunder/lightning.

>81 dudes22: They are very good! Difficult to take pictures of on the fly-past though ;)

****

A quiet day today, but a productive one. Because very few people were in the office, I got a lot of work done :P And my productivity extended to books: I finished one, DNFed another, and didn't even bother starting a third.

The book I finished:

Moonbeams from the Larger Lunacy, by Stephen Leacock

Category: Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life, In the Loop
Source: EVM
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/90486885

I read this for the July RandomCAT and it was a good choice for Canada Day as well. And if you're looking for a book published in 1915 for the BingoDOG, this book meets that criterion.

The book I DNFed:

Nineteen Seventy-Seven, by David Peace

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: Read by fellow (Category) challenger)
Source: interlibrary loan
Rating: 1/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119131239

Oh man. I just could not finish this one. Part of the problem was that I didn't take it with me on a five-day vacation, and part of the problem was that there was just too much sordidness for me to handle. Especially all the rape/casual misogyny, described in excruciating detail. Urgh. I could probably have skipped this and gone on straight to Nineteen Eighty, like the TV series does.

The book I did not even start:

Murder in Piccadilly, by Charles Kingston. I flipped to a random page and encountered the word "oracularly", which was one of five adverbs on that page alone. Back to the library it goes.

That's interesting that you found Nineteen Seventy-Seven harder to get through than the previous one. For me, the first book was harder, by the time I read the second I sort of knew what to expect in terms of how graphic the author can be. I am going to try Nineteen Eighty later this year.

Sounds like your 'Post-Canada Day' Thursday was more productive than mine was... I had two new issues land on my desk for every issue I dealt with.... there is something just plan wrong with that kind of math. ;-)

My Canada Day was enjoyable. We continue to experience the never ending days of sunshine and warm weather, which quite frankly is starting to get a bit old, and enjoyed the music and fireworks display in the Inner Harbour. As an interesting side bit, I was most intrigued by the drone that was sent airborne two minutes prior to the start of the fire works display. Part of me is hoping that the operator of the drone was recording the fireworks display and will at some point post an awesome video of the fireworks display short at close range, while the cynic in me wonders who was operating the drone and what exactly was their purpose in sending the drone up for 'reconnaissance' during that part of the festivities. ;-)

>82 rabbitprincess: "Oracularly" is understandably off-putting :) Too bad. The title sounds like a nice, old-fashioned cozy.

We've had such a long stretch of hot dry weather that many towns here in the BC interior cancelled the Canada Day fireworks because of the high forest fire risk. Your celebrations sound wonderful.

>79 rabbitprincess: That sounds like lots of fun and I'm glad you enjoyed your day. A new lunch bag is very handy!
We'll be having a big to-do downtown tomorrow with fireworks, but with temps around 110 degrees, I don't know who would hang around.

>83 DeltaQueen50: It is interesting that we had different experiences! Maybe our reading orbits will intersect for Nineteen Eighty.

>84 lkernagh: Yes that doesn't seem to add up!! ;) Today was less productive, because my make-work tasks did not stretch over the entire day like they did yesterday, but the afternoon was OK because I found another thing to do (and can continue doing on Monday).

Yeah, I'd be wondering about the drone as well...! But hurray for music and fireworks!

>85 VivienneR: It is another one of those British Library Crime Classics that I dutifully request as soon as I see one in the library catalogue. Of the ones I've read, my favourite was probably The Lake District Murder, with The Cornish Coast Murder and Death on the Cherwell being honourable mentions.

I hope you get rain and some cooler temperatures soon!

>86 mstrust: It is just big enough for everything I usually carry and squishes up nicely when empty, which I really like. Some of the lunch bags can be enormous -- the SUVs of the lunch bag world.

Whoa, 110 degrees! I would definitely be indoors.

>79 rabbitprincess:
Sounds like really fun festivities. Shame about the rain, though.

>88 -Eva-: Fortunately it had been forecast for a couple of days, so most people were prepared.

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Today was the third (?) annual LibraryThing International Summit for @paruline, @mysterymax and me. We partook of brunch at The Scone Witch on Gloucester Street -- really good soup and sandwiches built on scones, and of course tea! Then we went to Book Bazaar on Bank Street....a very dangerous place for bibliophiles, as you can imagine, but we felt we could handle a little peril ;)

This is what I came home with:

Faithful Place, by Tana French (Dublin Murder Squad #3)
Broken Harbour, by Tana French (Dublin Murder Squad #4)
Waxwork, by Peter Lovesey (Sgt Cribb #8)
An Advancement of Learning, by Reginald Hill (Dalziel & Pascoe #2)
The Patriot, by Nigel Tranter
Death to the Daleks, by Terrance Dicks
Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters, by Malcolm Hulke

@mysterymax also brought me a copy of Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, by Christopher Moore. In return I gave her a Rex Stout double bill called Not Quite Dead Enough, and a mystery by A.A. Fair (aka Erle Stanley Gardner) called Pass the Gravy.

Also, @paruline totally made my day by bringing me souvenirs from a recent trip: BOAT COOKIE CUTTERS!!!! Once the next heat wave passes, I will definitely be using those :D

Sounds like you had a good time and nice book haul. Mysterymax came to RI a coup,e of years ago and we went to a Pawtucket Red Siox game with our husbands. Can't wait to see the cookies.

I'm envious of your meet-up! It sounds like you had a great time together. Books, tea, and scones are a hard combination to beat!

>90 dudes22: It was a good day! I am looking forward to making cookies with my new cutters.

>91 cbl_tn: Indeed! The tea and scones provided good fuel for our book shopping. Everyone went home with something :)

****

Another doorstopper history book bites the dust. Finally. Now my mum can stop nagging me to finish it :P

Sarum, by Edward Rutherfurd

Category: In the Loop, The Musketeers
Source: Knotanew Bookstore, Peterborough, ON
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70892423

I originally intended to read this for the May RandomCAT, "Read a book with a place name in the title". But since I didn't start it until May 23, there was no way I was finishing on time. However, it was an enjoyable journey. I am looking forward to seeing the area in person this fall, especially Salisbury Cathedral.

I had a wonderful time! This International LT Summit is now a tradition. Thanks for picking such a great place for our tea. Another winner. It's great to see you both looking so well and happy.

That's fantastic about the boat cookie cutters. And Meet-ups are so fun.

>93 mysterymax: Hurray! I am glad that tea place was good. Hope we can go to Billings next year. It was great to see you too!

>94 RidgewayGirl: My back is certainly pleased with the cookie cutters. Cutting the cookies out by hand was a very laborious process.

****

Turns out Sunday is a good day for finishing books. I finished three!

Full Upright and Locked Position: Not-So-Comfortable Truths About Air Travel Today, by Mark Gerchick

Category: The Fifth Estate
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119197606

I'm not sure how much of this was totally new to me, but the information was presented well, so I'd recommend this if you're interested in the subject matter.

The Likeness, by Tana French

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: Professional detective)
Source: Christmas gift
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/104608135

This one was slower than In the Woods, but once that dénouement kicked in, wow! Granted, the whole premise is a bit unlikely, but overall I found the suspension of disbelief worthwhile.

No Known Grave, by Maureen Jennings

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: Author you have read before)
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119197537

I started and finished this in a single day, surprisingly. A good WW2 series set on the home front in Britain.

Here it is - I hope! The Third Annual International LT Summit members on a book buying spree.

>96 mysterymax: Hurrah!

Also, for anyone going to Ottawa, this bookstore is well worth a visit. Website: http://www.bookbazaar.ca/

As I started watching the second part of a Midsomer Murders mystery on PBS tonight, I suddenly saw Peter Capaldi. Of course, I thought of you as before you started this thread in Jan. I had no idea who Peter Capaldi was!! I guess I will have to hope he isn't the murderer...

Glad you three had such a fun day! And how nice to finally have boat cookie cutters!

>98 leslie.98: Ooh! Thanks for the info/reminder about that! I've now placed a hold on the appropriate season at the library.

If he does end up being the murderer, I will be OK with it, as long as it was for a good reason ;)

>99 mstrust: Indeed! They were a lovely surprise. :D

It was nice to read about Canada Day in Ottawa. I did experience Canada Day once in Ottawa, about 25 years ago. It was loads of fun, and if I recall correctly, Blue Rodeo and Colin James performed on Parliament Hill. I'd love to experience Canada Day there again. We enjoyed a smaller celebration here in Waterloo. The University of Waterloo puts on a pretty impressive fireworks display every year.

>96 mysterymax: Nice photo!

>101 mathgirl40: Nice! That would have been a fantastic Canada Day on the Hill. I hope you had good weather for your Canada Day.

****

Your daily dose of cool: Peter Capaldi playing a guitar. You're welcome.



More Doctor Who Series 9 images and discussion here: http://blogtorwho.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/doctor-who-series-9-trailer.html

Season premiere September 19!

July has really been rocketing along! Two more reviews for you.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare

Category: The Musketeers, Local Hero
Source: birthday gift
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70476322

Read for the June HistoryCAT and as a reread. Happy memories of seeing the play on stage, which is really the best way to appreciate the rude mechanicals (so much scope for comedy in those roles!).

Interestingly, I'm reading South Riding right now and one of the characters is reading the complete works of Shakespeare... and she's at A Midsummer Night's Dream! Strange how books line up like that.

The Wolfe Widow, by Victoria Abbott

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: woman in title)
Source: Chapters
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/115287778

This is about as fluffy as I can go in terms of cozy mysteries. I like the series but this was not my favourite installment. Ah well, there's another one coming out soon, called The Marsh Madness.

LT-meetup is so fun!! If it then involves scones and books, it's pretty much perfection. :)

>104 -Eva-: And the weather was good, too! :)

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Speaking of weather, we are back to hot and sticky. Tonight we are supposed to have thunderstorms, but even if that doesn't actually happen, there should be a cold front coming through that will give us a couple of cool nights. It's been too hot to do much except read, and even then I have to be mindful of my fried attention span.

The Dead Hour, by Denise Mina

Category: The Field of Blood
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119197631

Just as good as the first book in the series. Immediately requested the third book because I have to find out what happens next!

Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen, by Terrance Dicks

Category: Doctor Who
Source: used book sale at Mountain Orchards, of all places
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/102150351

I read this for the July SFFFCAT, and it also ended up being a good choice because the weather in the story was so different from what we are currently experiencing!

Just great. Another BB (the Paddy series).

I'm glad you're enjoying the Paddy Meehan series. She pops up in the Alex Morrow series and I was able to thank Denise Mina for letting readers know that even thirty years later she's still a dogged journalist. Mina told me that she'd based Meehan on a real person and talked a bit about that character.

>106 mysterymax: Fortunately (?) it's only three books that star her :) And the library has just told me that the third book is ready for me to pick up!

>107 RidgewayGirl: Yay! I am very glad to hear that she is still a journalist. Will have to check out the Alex Morrow series next.

The Hollow Man, by John Dickson Carr

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: locked room/impossible crime)
Source: bookstore in Ulverston, England
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/109072669

JDC is truly the master of the locked-room mystery. I never even bother attempting to guess the solutions. That said, this one does contain some discussion of the previous book in the Gideon Fell series, Death-Watch, and I wish I'd read that one first. Oh well, by the time I get around to it, I will probably have forgotten most of those references.

Catching up.

>95 rabbitprincess:
Full Upright and Locked Position sounds interesting in terms of better understanding why air travel is the way it is, although I'm sure some of it I could guess already.

>103 rabbitprincess:
I've read Romeo and Juliette many times but would love to read more of his romantic comedies. I know I've read A Midsummer Night's Dream at least once, but it would be a good one to revisit.

>110 andreablythe: Thanks for stopping by! :)

The author of Full Upright and Locked Position has worked on both the regulator and industry side of the aviation world, so he has a pretty good handle (and good contacts) on both sides of the divide. It was a good summary of how things have reached the point they have.

It was a lot of fun to revisit A Midsummer Night's Dream, especially when the weather was so similar to what is in the play.

****

How is it already July 21? And how do I keep finding these good books?

The Bastard of Fort Stikine: The Hudson's Bay Company and the Murder of John McLoughlin, Jr., by Debra Komar

Category: The Musketeers
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119755194

What a title! That plus the Canadian history angle drew me in. There was more about HBC than about John McLoughlin Jr., but that was to be expected as there is not nearly as much information as we'd like about this case. Still, an interesting read.

Slip of the Knife, by Denise Mina

Category: The Field of Blood
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/120052846

I requested this from the library immediately after finishing its predecessor, The Dead Hour. And then I greedily devoured it in a few days. I loved the whole trilogy and would recommend it very much. Warning: it may have you booking a trip to Glasgow to see how much the city has changed since the late 1980s/early 1990s.

I'm glad you liked spending time with Paddy Meehan. I'm counting the days until Mina's next book, Blood, Salt, Water, which is released in Europe as of the end of July.

You're the only owner of The Bastard of Fort Stikine! Great review, it's going on the WL.

>112 RidgewayGirl: (and >113 RidgewayGirl:) This weekend I might watch the TV adaptation of The Field of Blood, just to spend a bit more time with her. And I might tell my mum about the books to see if she wants me to get her copies (that I can borrow later). I'm running out of space here, so if I buy HER books, they stay at her place and I can borrow them.

>114 mstrust: There's another edition with four people owning it, so I wonder if that edition just hasn't been combined yet. But it's true, I do seem to pick up on a lot of these not-very-widely-held books. :) Hope you like it!

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Today Linwood Barclay mentioned on his Twitter that, even though his latest book has a release date of July 28, it's already out at most Chapters, Indigo and Coles stores.

An hour after I saw that tweet, I had my very own copy of Broken Promise. Now I'm all set for our family vacation. It isn't a family vacation without a new Linwood Barclay to read!

I also bought a copy of The Princess and the Pony, by Kate Beaton, for the daughter of a friend (and am totally reading it first).

>115 rabbitprincess: I agree -- a Linwood Barclay book is the perfect thing to take on vacation! I eagerly await your review.

>116 mathgirl40: This year I'm trying to pack "double books" -- things that multiple family members would want to read, so that when I'm finished with it they can read it and pack it in THEIR bag on the trip home, leaving more room for me to buy books :D
Linwood fits that classification, as my mum reads his books too.

****

Speaking of vacations, this book had me nostalgic for my trip to Ireland last year.

McGarr on the Cliffs of Moher, by Bartholomew Gill

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: published under more than one title -- also published as The Death of an Irish Lass)
Source: Friends of Library and Archives Canada book sale
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/112662776

I saw the title among the mystery paperbacks at the FOLAC sale and immediately snapped it up. I'm glad it lived up to expectations. The setting is very well done, and the mystery is pretty good too. I'd read more in the series.

And this book had me thinking about road trips.

Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks, by Ken Jennings

Category: The Fifth Estate
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119795642

So many fun facts in this book! Not just geography, but history and other subjects as well. If you liked Brainiac, you will probably like this one too.

Continuing with my commitment to include partially read books in my total:

The Story of the Mary Rose, by Ernle Bradford

Category: The Fifth Estate
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119887681

I could have included this in History, but a lot of the book talks about the 20th century attempts to raise the Mary Rose from where it rested underwater, so it seemed more "general" than "historical". (I'm not quite ready to consider the 70s and 80s "historical"...) Anyway, as a capsule of the early 1980s it's interesting, but there are probably more up-to-date books about the ship and the Trust founded to restore it.

Two more. This might be it for the month. It's been too hot to read much.

The Zebra-Striped Hearse, by Ross Macdonald

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: animal in title)
Source: Xmas gift 2014
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/114932731

A later entry in the Archer series, this felt a bit repetitive. Still, I raced through it fairly quickly.

The Ripple Effect, by Malorie Blackman (Doctor Who box set #7)

Category: Doctor Who
Source: Doctor Who box set
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/115001921

Seven and Ace encounter a world in which Daleks are good. Horrors! Not a bad story.

July recap

Holy smokes, the reading mojo came back with a vengeance this month: 18 books read.

Moonbeams from the Larger Lunacy, by Stephen Leacock
Nineteen Seventy-Seven, by David Peace
Sarum, by Edward Rutherfurd
Full Upright and Locked Position: Not-So-Comfortable Truths About Air Travel Today, by Mark Gerchick
The Likeness, by Tana French
No Known Grave, by Maureen Jennings
A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare (reread)
The Wolfe Widow, by Victoria Abbott
The Dead Hour, by Denise Mina
Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen, by Terrance Dicks
The Hollow Man, by John Dickson Carr
The Bastard of Fort Stikine: The Hudson's Bay Company and the Murder of John McLoughlin Jr., by Debra Komar
Slip of the Knife, by Denise Mina
McGarr on the Cliffs of Moher, by Bartholomew Gill
Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks, by Ken Jennings
The Story of the Mary Rose, by Ernle Bradford
The Zebra-Striped Hearse, by Ross Macdonald
The Ripple Effect, by Malorie Blackman (Doctor Who box set #7)

My favourite book of the month was Slip of the Knife. It was a great conclusion to the Paddy Meehan trilogy.

My least favourite book was Nineteen Seventy-Seven. Too sordid (and confusing) for my blood. Hasn't put me off the rest of the series though.

Of my July plans, I am 2 for 3. I read my RandomCAT and SFFFCat selections, and am currently working my way through the HistoryCAT selection.

Currently reading

South Riding, by Winifred Holtby -- a reread, and an excellent one at that. I'm swooning over all the bits that describe Robert Carne flatteringly.
Charles II: His Life and Likeness, by Hesketh Pearson -- this is my July HistoryCAT. It's very readable for a 1960s biography, and I am enjoying the occasional morsel of dry-witted narrative asides.
It's Been Said Before: A Guide to the Use and Abuse of Clichés, by Orin Hargraves -- for my language-nerd self.
Players, by Terrance Dicks -- a novel of the Sixth Doctor, written as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations.

And I think this month I might finally declare Morrissey's autobiography finished…

August plans

HistoryCAT: Demelza, by Winston Graham -- second in the Ross Poldark series and fits the time period. Also, my mum wants to borrow this soon so I have to hurry up and read it.
RandomCAT: Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned, by Alan Alda. I might read it in audio since I have already read it in print.
SFFFCAT: Of course I am continuing to read Doctor Who novels for this one, ever since I decided to focus on challenges for which I own books. This month I decided a book about the Time War seemed a bit space opera-y, so Engines of War is on the pile.
Group read: I seem to recall that there was going to be an Agatha Christie August. I think I'll go with a reread, maybe Remembered Death (aka Sparkling Cyanide).

I've borrowed quite a few mysteries from the library and hope to make a dent in the stack over the course of the month. Of particular interest is Raven Black, by Ann Cleeves. Trying to get back to the Scottish books, since that's a key category in my challenge.

August's Doctor Who story features the sadly under-utilized Eighth Doctor and is called Spore.

From the library I FINALLY got a copy of Wolf Hall on DVD, and I'm really excited to watch. Haven't read the books yet -- I'm waiting for the third book in the trilogy and then will buy all of them at once (hopefully in a matching set). But I imagine this will be an interesting story nonetheless.

I'm counting on the Christie group read! I'm ready for There Is a Tide... in my chronological reading project.

I loved Raven Black. I hope it works as well for you!

Eighteen books! I love that your favorite and least enjoyed books were both books I really liked.

Not only 18, but that Sarum book should count for two or three. Good month for you. Congrats.

I've set aside a few Agatha Christies for the "Agatha In August" read.

Great to see you've got your reading mojo back!

Looks good! I've got to hear what your word-nerd-self thinks of It's been said before. I'm such a word-nerd that I love hearing what idioms/cliches are the same in multiple languages. It's odd how that happens!

>121 cbl_tn: That would be a cool project to read all of her works in order! I'm glad for the group read this month; Agathas are perfect for the hot August weather.

A big draw for me with Raven Black is the setting. Looking forward to reading it!

>122 RidgewayGirl: That is really interesting! Funny how that worked out.

>123 mysterymax: Thanks! Haha yes Sarum was quite the chunkster. Over 1000 pages in my mass market paperback edition.

>124 DeltaQueen50: Yay! And thanks again for setting up the thread. This will be fun :)

>125 paruline: Thanks, it is quite the relief!

>126 cammykitty: So far it's been interesting. The author uses an Oxford English corpus to analyze the frequency of various cliches, and he also points out when cliches can actually be useful.

I like translating cliches and idioms literally and seeing how that turns out. :)

****

August is off to a roaring start. I finished this book on the bus to and from a very productive shopping trip yesterday.

Players, by Terrance Dicks

Category: Doctor Who
Source: BMV, Toronto
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/112440890

The Sixth Doctor and Peri visit the Boer War and England during the inter-war years and encounter the shadowy Players, time-travelling beings who mess with history just to see what will happen. I finished this in a couple of days. A very exciting read.

Yey for returning reading-mojo! And thanks for reminding me about Mina - I need to get back to reading her soon.

I'm happy to hear you got your reading mojo back. 18 books in a month is very impressive! I've been reading a lot of SFF lately, but seeing your list makes me want to get back to immersing myself in some good mystery reads. I'll probably do Agatha Christie this month too.

Eighteen books read, including one chunkster is darn impressive! *Whoot, Whoot!*

>128 -Eva-: I'm hoping to read more of her work soon, too. Time to start the Alex Morrow series!

>129 mathgirl40: It did help that I was picking consistently snappy bus books. This whole "reading what I want" thing is working out pretty well. ;) What will you be reading for the Agatha Christie group read?

>130 lkernagh: Thanks! I am impressed and surprised as well.

****

A return to more comfortable temperatures today, with a high of 22 and a humidex of 25. The sun was warm but there was a very cool, fresh breeze whipping around.

I ate a lot of baked goods today. Yesterday I baked more boat cookies thanks to @paruline's cookie cutters, and today I received a mini cheese scone from one of my coworkers, as well as chocolate chip cookies and a slice of lemon meringue pie from a friend whom I went to visit with some of my boat cookies. The meringue was assembled while I was there and it was delicious. An added touch was lightly caramelizing the top of the meringue with a crème brûlée torch. So now I've had my sugar quota for the day ;)

Edit to add boat cookie picture:



****

Quick review:

It's Been Said Before: A Guide to the Use and Abuse of Clichés, by Orin Hargraves

Category: The Fifth Estate
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/120016647

A more analytical approach to clichés -- the author uses the Oxford English Corpus to determine the frequency of various clichés and collocations (words that often appear together). Good examples and commentary.

>131 rabbitprincess: I think I'll read Peril at End House, as it's been sitting on my shelf for a long time. I had read it a long time ago, and I'm hoping I don't recall the ending halfway through the book.

Nice looking cookies! :)

Nice cookies! Wish I were there...

>131 rabbitprincess: Well done, they look perfect!

>132 mathgirl40: Sometimes when I reread an Agatha, I remember everything about it -- the characters, the dialogue, the setting are all very familiar -- but I'm still surprised by whodunnit.

They did turn out pretty well! They look a bit Christmassy, but red and green are also the colour of port and starboard buoys, so it still fits ;)

>133 mysterymax: They were delicious. I hope we'll have a cooler June next year so that I can bake some for our next summit! This summer has been too hot to do much baking (or at least it was too hot whenever I *wanted* to do any baking).

>134 mstrust: Yes, they didn't burn quite as much as the last batch did. I think the recipe is Easy Sugar Cookies from allrecipes -- when I copied it to a recipe card I just called it "Sugar Cookies from the Internet".

****

It has been a productive morning so far. Finished off a book with some English Premier League on in the background -- since I am ignoring Canadian news media for the duration of the election campaign, I've decided to follow UK football/soccer more to fill the news void.

Charles II: His Life and Likeness, by Hesketh Pearson

Category: The Musketeers (July HistoryCAT)
Source: EVM
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/92648955

Another curiosity from my grandma's collection. The cover is pretty rad; I like that portrait of Charles. And now I want to read more about the Restoration and the events preceding and following Charles' reign. Suggestions are welcomed.

Autobiography, by Morrissey (audio, read by David Morrissey)

Category: Dreamboys
Source: iTunes
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/115380043

Rating is really three stars for content with an extra star automatically awarded for David's narration. I've also picked up a fondness for some classic Smiths tunes thanks to this book, so a worthwhile investment.

>135 rabbitprincess: Are the 2 Morrisseys related?

>136 kac522: Not to my knowledge, but it's an amusing coincidence!

I like your idea of ignoring the upcoming election, I'm going to be doing the same, at least through to the end of summer. Called way too soon in my opinion!

>138 DeltaQueen50: Ugh, indeed. Especially since the date of the election had already been fixed. No reason to start it any earlier than necessary.

****

I think we could do with a dose of cute. This photo gallery of the 2015 Moffat Sheep Races in Moffat, Dumfriesshire, is a potent dose indeed. http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/gallery/2015/aug/10/sheep-thrills-in-moffat-a...

****

This book was wonderful! I am SO looking forward to the TV series now that I'm caught up with the books it adapts.

Demelza, by Winston Graham

Category: The Musketeers (August HistoryCAT)
Source: Phoenix Books, Owen Sound, Ontario
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119422100

Volume 2 of the Poldark series continues the fine storytelling of the first. Now I want to drop everything and start Volume 3, but there are so many other things to read too! Also, I have only the first four and want to collect the rest.

>139 rabbitprincess: I think the first season of Poldark covers the first 2 books, so you are up to date! Worth watching just for the cinematography alone. Aidan Turner's pretty easy on the eyes as well.

>139 rabbitprincess: >140 kac522: You'll never think of scything the same way again! ;)

>140 kac522: Excellent! I look forward to resting my eyes on him. ;) My family is also visiting Poldark country later this year, which should be a lot of fun.

>141 christina_reads: I've seen a couple of production stills in that regard that looked verrrry interesting....!

****

Two reviews, two rather different books.

Finders Keepers, by Stephen King

Category: Fortysomething
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/120599161

Just as gripping as the first. The only downside is now I have to wait for the next book. Ah well, patience is a virtue and all that.

South Riding, by Winifred Holtby

Category: Local Hero
Source: Xmas gift
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/81148114

This was a reread, so most of my original review stands. The only thing I would add is that reading this book after watching the miniseries has made me appreciate even more just how good a cast David Morrissey was! And the rest of the cast was pretty good too.

>135 rabbitprincess:
I have already heard many less than positive comments about Morrissey's Autobiography, but I still kinda want to read it - sounds like I should aim for the audio version for sure!!

>143 -Eva-: I'd say it's worth picking up if there's a sale on or if you get an Audible gift card/credit.

We're gearing up for another heat wave over this weekend and early next week, and I think the crankiness has already begun on my part...

Raven Black, by Ann Cleeves

Category: The Field of Blood
Source: library
Rating: 2.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/120323848

I rounded this rating up to a 3 on Goodreads, because I do intend to try other books in the series (and the setting was interesting), but this book felt too long and the solution seemed a bit left-field. Ah well. I've had such a good run of reading lately that there was bound to be one or two less-good books eventually!

>145 rabbitprincess: I liked that one much better than you. I gave it 4.5 stars when I read it in 2008.

>146 thornton37814: I really do feel like I was missing out on something with this one. It should have ticked more boxes than it did.

****

Still disgustingly hot around here. Argh! Some areas have had thunderstorms, while others have not. And at any rate the humidity is still hanging around. Hoping for a nicer weekend.

Next review:

Gideon's Ride, by J.J. Marric

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: Mystery involving mode of transportation)
Source: BMV, Toronto, ON
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/112440840

Finally reading another one of my stockpiled Gideon novels. They make reliable bus reading (especially when they are about buses!).

My parents are visiting this weekend, so while I wait for them to arrive, I'm finishing off books and writing reviews.

Remembered Death, by Agatha Christie (also published as Sparkling Cyanide)

Category: Local Hero
Source: The Big Box o'Christies
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70476072

This was a reread for Agatha Christie August. I must have read this dozens of times but still managed to forget the means and the motive for the murders, so that kept it fresh.

OxCrimes, ed. Peter Florence and Mark Ellingham

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: short stories)
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/120505993

This short story collection was put together for a good cause and contains some very good stories indeed. Most mystery fans should find at least one story to their taste.

>148 rabbitprincess: Interesting selection of authors in OxCrimes. I've been enjoying Arnaldur Indridason's mysteries set in Iceland; maybe I will give Yrsa Sigurdadottir a try too.

Catching up...I gave Raven Black 3 and a half stars. I remember loving the setting but finding it less well plotted than I wanted it to be.

As for avoiding the elections, good luck! And spare some pity for those of us south of the border, where the election cycle lasts 18 months and is ugly for every single minute of it. Also, you all owe us a solid for taking Cruz off of your hands.

I'm glad Finders Keepers is as good as Mr Mercedes. I'm next in line for the library e-copy.

And I envy you still having the first season of Poldark ahead of you! I'd be very interested in finding out how you think the series compares to the novels.

>149 mathgirl40: Yes, it is a great selection! I've borrowed Ashes to Dust and added The Messenger of Athens to my request-later list.

Your post also reminds me that Strange Shores is sitting patiently in the on-deck pile, waiting its turn.

>150 RidgewayGirl: I concur. The Shetlands sound lovely. I wonder how the TV adaptation of that book holds up.

Ugh, I cannot imagine how horrendous the US election campaign would be. The Canadian one is already starting to feel like that -- it feels like we've been in perma-campaign mode for the past couple of years :-/

Ooh, enjoy Finders Keepers! I plan to go enjoy Poldark shortly :D

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This coffee-table book occupied a fair chunk of my weekend.

The Story of Hampton Court Palace, by David Souden and Lucy Worsley

Category: The Musketeers
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/120842686

It was especially interesting to read this shortly after seeing Wolf Hall, since Henry VIII is so closely associated with this palace. Great photos, too. Now I want to go visit. It's on the ever-expanding list...

I've watched three episodes of Poldark so far and am really enjoying it, especially the scything scene ;) So far it has been faithful to the essence of the books; it's certainly captured the rollicking pace of the first book. And Cornwall is gorgeous!

Also, if anyone happens to be in Falmouth on September 19, there's an interesting-sounding event at the Royal Poly called The Making of Poldark: http://www.falmouth-bookseller.co.uk/?p=1285
At £3 a ticket, it's a total steal.

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My Doctor Who reading continues apace. I'm not going to have any left by the end of the year at this rate!

Engines of War, by George Mann

Category: Doctor Who
Source: Chapters
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/115287970

I read this for the August SFFCAT, figuring that the Time War, as a giant military campaign spanning all of time and space, qualifies as "space opera". A fun read for anyone who enjoyed Sir John Hurt's performance in the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special.

Probably the last two books I'll finish this month.

Notes from a Small Island, by Bill Bryson

Category: The Fifth Estate
Source: borrowed from parents
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/120994267

Reading this makes me feel better about my own family's complaints that our trips to the UK are never long enough -- there's so much to see and do! I was especially excited to read about Windsor, which we will soon see for ourselves, and Liverpool, which I desperately want to see again. A fun, if 20 years old and therefore probably a bit dated, read.

Spore, by Alex Scarrow (Doctor Who box set #8)

Category: Doctor Who
Source: Doctor Who box set
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/115001931

The Eighth Doctor takes his turn in this adventure. The rating may seem generous, but I sometimes am generous toward Doctor Who stories, especially when they don't take any longer than necessary.

August recap

A respectable reading month this month, with 16 books read.
Well, 15 were actually read this month… the audiobook was "declared finished" this month after lying dormant for some time.

Players, by Terrance Dicks
It's Been Said Before: A Guide to the Use and Abuse of Clichés, by Orin Hargraves
Charles II: His Life and Likeness, by Hesketh Pearson
Autobiography, by Morrissey (audio, read by David Morrissey)
Demelza, by Winston Graham
Finders Keepers, by Stephen King
South Riding, by Winifred Holtby (reread)
Raven Black, by Ann Cleeves
Gideon's Ride, by J.J. Marric
Remembered Death, by Agatha Christie (reread)
OxCrimes, ed. Peter Florence and Mark Ellingham
The Story of Hampton Court Palace, by David Souden and Lucy Worsley
Engines of War, by George Mann
Notes from a Small Island, by Bill Bryson
Spore, by Alex Scarrow (Doctor Who box set #8)
The Golden Age of Murder, by Martin Edwards

My favourite book of the month was Finders Keepers, by Stephen King. I gobbled it up in a week and it was so engrossing that reading it at the bus stop nearly caused me to miss my bus. The only downside to it was realizing I have to wait for the final volume in the trilogy to be released.

My least favourite book was Raven Black, by Ann Cleeves. It has an interesting setting, but the story itself petered out for me halfway through. A short story of hers that appeared in OxCrimes worked a bit better for me.

Of my August plans, I am 3 for 4. (Funny how that works -- I always seem to have at least one plan ongoing at the end of the month.) Still working on my RandomCAT selection, which is an audiobook and which will therefore automatically take longer. But if I really apply myself it can get done in the first half of September. I'm currently 40% done.

Currently reading

Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned, by Alan Alda -- audio, in progress for the August RandomCAT. Read by the author himself, which does go some way to compensating for the fact that the audio is abridged.
A Folly of Princes, by Nigel Tranter -- I had a hankering to continue the House of Stewart trilogy, despite knowing full well that I would probably end up taking forever to finish it.
Under Tow: A Canadian History of Tugs and Towing, by Donal Baird -- a librarian friend saw this in the library catalogue and thought of me, so naturally I had to request it. It's a big coffee table book so I'm reading only a little bit at a time.
The Golden Age of Murder, by Martin Edwards -- a fantastic biography of many of the founding members of the Detection Club, and other novelists writing in detective fiction in the period between the world wars.
Where the Shadows Lie, by Michael Ridpath -- I've been trying to get back to Iceland in my reading forever, and this is one of several series I have on the go.

September plans

HistoryCAT: David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens -- published in 1850 and is essentially contemporary to the first half of the 19th century, so I'm counting it. It might also work as a lifestyles-of-everyday-people book. I have a very old print copy and an e-copy from Project Gutenberg to take with me on vacation in case I don't finish before my trip.
RandomCAT: Floodgate, by Alistair MacLean -- somehow this was the only novel on my shelves with a weather-related word in the title. But I appreciate this challenge for reminding me to pick up one of my many MacLean novels that I've stockpiled.
SFFFCAT: The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkaway. I was glad to find this one on a reading list suggested in the introductory post for this month, because otherwise I wasn't sure I'd be able to participate. It's a big book, though, so I would not be surprised if this one ends up being read in October instead.
Group read: No group reads scheduled!

On the library front, I'm trying to clear out the backlog before I go on vacation. The first half of this month will therefore be filled with mysteries, nautical-themed books, and a coffee-table book about Kensington Palace published by Historic Royal Palaces. Of all my library books, I am most looking forward to trying Ashes to Dust, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir.

The September Doctor Who story brings us into the New Who era with Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor, in The Beast of Babylon.

This month's DVD pile is going to be small, because I've suspended a lot of library holds and am trying not to borrow too many things. I am finishing up Poldark, which is excellent, and I have Season 4 of The Walking Dead on tap as well. (I'm watching primarily for Governor-related special features.)

16/15 books read for August is still an impressive reading month!

Looks like you had a good reading month in August. 15/16 books is certainly "respectable"! :)

Glad to hear the new Stephen King is good. I just finished some old Stephen King and really must read more of his stuff!

Great reading month! A shame about Raven Black, though, since I have that one on Mt. TBR. :)

Great reading month!I read and enjoyed Notes from a small island earlier this year. And I hope you like David Copperfield; some great characters in there!

LOL, you're right. We almost need a dvd section of these challenges too! The Gone-Away World has been on my wl for a long time. Hope you get to read it!

I'm reading Finders Keepers now and am finding it gripping.

>155 lkernagh: It is a reassuring sign that the reading mojo has returned for another month, at any rate!

>156 mathgirl40: I hope you like it! I would perhaps suggest waiting until the third book comes out, if you can -- then no pesky waiting for a cliffhanger to be resolved! ;)

>157 -Eva-: I wish you more success with it than I had. It is frustrating when a book doesn't live up to expectations. Often it makes me think there's something wrong on my end.

>158 paruline: Notes from a Small Island was so much fun! I was laughing out loud on public transit. Re David Copperfield, that is encouraging! I'll have to crack it open before I go on vacation, just to get into the rhythm.

>159 cammykitty: Agreed! I don't really have an easy place to catalogue all of that. Maybe I'll have a DVD category in next year's challenge. Or we could start up a "What are you watching" thread. I hope to get to The Gone-Away World soon, but I purchased a rather ill-advised giant hardcover with a fuzzy pink dust jacket with green lettering, and that's really something you need to be in the right mood for.

>160 RidgewayGirl: Hurray! I also liked how it overlaps with the events of Mr. Mercedes.

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I finished this book yesterday evening, so it counts in the August total, but I didn't have time to write a review until today.

The Golden Age of Murder: The Mystery of the Writers Who Invented the Modern Detective Story, by Martin Edwards

Category: The Fifth Estate
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/120842774

I was hooked as soon as I saw that Len Deighton (!) had blurbed this book. Very thorough, with a long list of titles that could keep mystery fans happily hunting through secondhand bookstores for decades.

Yup, that's a BB for me on The Golden Age of Murder -- I love mysteries from that era!

Yup.

>162 christina_reads: >163 mysterymax: Hope you like it! I was very pleased with it.

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What better way to celebrate the Labour Day weekend than to finish books and write reviews? Here is my first book for September.

Where the Shadows Lie, by Michael Ridpath

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: spooky title or cover)
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/121094002

I'd read the second book in this series first, and then decided to go back and read this one, the first. A good series.

In between setting up my 2016 thread (yes, really) and puttering around on this hot and humid Labour Day, I finished up two more books.

Ashes to Dust, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (translated by Philip Roughton)

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: book by an author you haven't read before -- I haven't read any of her NOVELS...)
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/121093865

Once again I continue my trend of reading series out of order by starting with the third book in this series. I liked the angle of the volcanic eruption, and the setting was a major draw as well. I've been reading about Iceland a lot lately, so this fit the bill nicely.

Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned, by Alan Alda (abridged audio, narrated by Alan Alda)

Category: Dreamboys
Source: library CDs
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/89405025

My second audio of the year, thus allowing me to meet my paltry goal in this category. Thanks to the August RandomCAT, I enjoyed a nice visit with Alan as he recounted stories of his life. It's 3.5 for the content and an extra star for the narration. The only reason it isn't full five is that the audio is abridged.

>153 rabbitprincess: Random question: what is there to see and do in Liverpool? I've always wanted to go there -- because of the Beatles, of course- but wondered how I would spend my non-Beatles memories time.

>166 VioletBramble: The Museum of Liverpool is very good, like the Museum of London in that it covers the history of the city from prehistoric times to the present day.

There's also the Merseyside Maritime Museum, which I would have loved to see but we didn't get a chance to :( It's at the Albert Dock, a short walk from the Museum of Liverpool. Included with the Maritime Museum is the International Slavery Museum, which I imagine is a difficult but important story to tell. The Albert Dock also contains Tate Liverpool, which might be good for art buffs.

Other landmarks of note: Liverpool Cathedral (gorgeous), the Mersey ferries (so you can get Gerry and the Pacemakers stuck in your head instead of the Beatles), the Everyman playhouse (where David Morrissey got his start)...

If you like shopping, Liverpool One is a snazzy downtown business district, and there are no shortage of Beatles knick-knack shops. I also had fun at BBC Radio Merseyside.

I spent only a day and a half there (maybe almost 48 hours if you're feeling generous), so I'd have to refer you to Visit Liverpool for better information: http://www.visitliverpool.com/things-to-do

But you definitely have to do the Magical Mystery Tour and the Beatles Story. ;) I really liked the Beatles Story, and it has a fab souvenir shop. It is also close to Albert Dock, so very handy for the museums. The MMT is totally cheesy but it would feel strange not to go if you're there. And of course you have to go check out the rebuilt Cavern Club at the end. Your ticket for the MMT gives you entry to the evening show at the Cavern that day if you so wish, although we didn't end up taking advantage of that. Still, could be neat if the artist is something that strikes your fancy.

>166 VioletBramble: I'm going to throw my oar in here. My husband went to university in Liverpool and we go at least once a year, so I've been a tourist a fair few times.
If it's still operating, the Duck tour is great fun. It's a WW2 amphibious vehicle that takes you on a tourist trp round the sights of Liverpool before heading into the Albert dock for a waterborne tour. Just loved it.
The Maritime Museum was excellent when I went. There was also something about the Albert dock itself - it was (I think) if not the first, one of the earliest fire proof construction warehouses - all metal columns and brick.
Liverpool cathedral is also worth an explore. You can take a tour to the top of the tower (don't fret, there are lifts!) The ring of bells is the heaviest in the world. Designed by Gilbert Scott, who also designed the iconic red phone box, there is one in the cathedral - and it looks tiny!

Whenever we go they seem to be digging up a different bit of it, so I get lost each and every time, but don't let that put you off!

>167 rabbitprincess:, >168 Helenliz: Thank you both for all the suggestions. I've written everything down in my travel suggestions book. I didn't realize that there were so many museums in Liverpool.

>168 Helenliz: Ooh, visiting Liverpool annually! That must be so fun! Very glad to hear that the Maritime Museum is a good bet, and we'll definitely have to check out the cathedral next time we go.

Every time we go to London they seem to have scaffolds or some sort of restoration work exactly where we want to be visiting. The perils of travelling in the off-season I guess.

>169 VioletBramble: Be sure to let us know when you go on your trip! Post pictures :)

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In honour of the next season of Doctor Who starting in just under a week, and because I'll be on vacation for the next couple of weeks, I'm starting my final thread of the year.

>170 rabbitprincess: It is usually in February, which can be rather chilly and a bit draughty! Hence I've become expert at finding lots of places to hide and have a cup of tea.

>171 Helenliz: February in Liverpool does sound chilly! I was there in May of last year and it got warm enough for a thunderstorm.

Places to have cups of tea are very useful to know about!