Laura (lauralkeet)'s 2015 Reading - Part 5

Jar, 1900, decorated by Harriet Elizabeth Wilcox, manufactured by Rookwood Pottery
Victoria and Albert Museum

Continuing a series of "artists from my hometown," Harriet Elizabeth Wilcox (September 7, 1869 – May 17, 1943) decorated Rookwood pottery. Some of Wilcox's work is on exhibit at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London. My previous thread featured the artist who founded Rookwood Pottery in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Wilcox began decorating pottery in 1886 and remained with Rookwood until the 1930s. Not much is known about her life, except that she never married, and that mental health issues may have contributed to her death.




This year I have no goals whatsoever. Last year, after several years of reading resolutions, challenges and detailed reading plans, I went with a completely unstructured approach. You know, reading like normal people do. :) I plan to participate sporadically in the American Author and British Author challenges, although I have no illusions about reading every author, every month. The Virago Group is also planning a theme read on the seven ages of women, and a few of us are (slowly) reading Virago Modern Classics in order of their original publication.

Other than that, I will read whatever strikes my fancy. Let the reading begin!

Part 1 (books 1-16) | Part 2 (books 17-28) | Part 3 (books 18-45) | Part 4 (books 46-62)

Books completed ("details" jumps to location in this thread where review & links can be found)
November
63. Lean on Pete - details
64. He Who Fears the Wolf - details
65. Hostages to Fortune - details
66. Fates and Furies - details
67. Did You Ever Have a Family - details

December
68. Cecilia - details
69. Ragtime - details
70. Pointed Roofs - details
71. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus - details
72. A Place of Greater Safety - details

Series Progress

Active series as of November 1:


Series completed/current in 2015:
* Patrick Melrose Novels, by Edward St Aubyn (January)
* Matthew Shardlake, by C.J. Sansom (March)
* Plainsong, by Kent Haruf (May)
* Dublin Murder Squad, by Tana French (June)
* Jay Porter Series, by Attica Locke (August)
* Cormoran Strike, by Robert Galbraith (October)

Series started in 2015:
* Inspector Rebus, by Ian Rankin (January)
* Dr Siri, by Colin Cotterill (June)
* Doc novels, by Mary Doria Russell (July)
* Inspector Sejer, by Karin Fossum (September)
* The Neapolitan Novels, by Elena Ferrante (October)
* Brooke Family Trilogy, by Pat Barker (October)

Alys thinks all furniture belongs to her

Artist Credit: my husband Chris designed and built this mission style chair. The cushions are borrowed from an old chair; someday we will have new cushions made.



Sometimes Alys is very naughty

Happy new thread, Laura! Love the Alys photo (and that chair, too)...

>4 scaifea: ooh thanks Amber. You reminded me I needed to add "artist credit" to the photo in >3 lauralkeet:.

Need to scoot the pooch so we can see that chair. Actually, the camera person just needs to back away. Whatever. Just show more of the chair, okay? It looks admirable, but it's just a tease.

:-)

I love Mission-style chairs! And Alys is so big (and cute)!

Happy new thread, Laura.

That chair is great, Laura.

Happy new thread, I'm just haunting some of my oft-visited places today, Laura:

Happy new thread, I don't think it is time for new cushions in Alys' chair yet - she knows the right background to choose to show off her glossy black coat. I love the topper jar!

>6 weird_O: Bill, I asked the hubs if he had any more photos of the chair but alas, no. We might need to take one eh?

>7 katiekrug: Thanks Katie. Alys is 9 mos old now and probably about 40 pounds. She looks small next to our labs but she holds her own with them.

>8 NanaCC: Thanks Colleen! I have to say he has a gift with wood.

>9 lit_chick: Hi Nancy! Cute graphic. Black cats rule! Midnight wishes Cairo a happy Halloween!

>10 Familyhistorian: thanks Meg. She is a sleek little pup that's for sure. And I like that jar, too!

63. Lean on Pete ()
My Review
Source: On my shelves, a gift from my 2014 Virago Secret Santa
Why I read this now: It just grabbed me

Lean on Pete opens as 15-year-old Charley Thompson and his father are settling into a house in Portland, Oregon, having recently left Spokane, Washington. The story is told from Charley's perspective, so we never learn exactly why they left Spokane, but it seems his father, a truck driver, is trying to stay just one step ahead of trouble. Sometimes Charley awakens to strange women in the house, cuddling up with his dad. but for the most part, Charley is left on his own, and often for days at a time while his father is working. He begins every day with a long run around the town and then meanders around killing time and looking forward to the start of the school year when he plans to try out for the football team. With a meager allowance from his father he is able to feed himself, but often resorts to stealing from the supermarket.

Charley begins hanging out at a run-down racetrack and meets Del, a seedy horse trainer. Del agrees to pay Charley to do jobs around the stable, and Charley develops a fondness for Lean on Pete, one of Del's horses. Charley spends more and more time at the stable, even sleeping there overnight when his house begins to feel unsafe (there's a big spoiler lurking there ...). Charley begins to see Del as the tough and unscrupulous man that he is, and when he fears Pete may be at risk in Del's care, he takes matters into his own hands.

At this point, the novel becomes more intense and heartbreaking. Charley faces situations no 15-year-old should ever have to deal with, and while he does his best, he is ill-equipped to cope. The adults in his life consistently let him down. His resilience eventually pays off, but not without a lot of hardship and sadness along the way. Some parts of this book deal with animal cruelty, and especially sensitive readers should probably steer clear. Aside from that, I highly recommend this gritty novel.

So, that was #63 leaving 12 books required to reach 75. I might make it but I'm not going to kill myself trying to get there. Especially since I have just embarked on the latest in our Virago Chronological Read project, Fanny Burney's Cecilia, which is a super-chunkster. My Virago edition is just over 900 pages and about 3" thick. I decided to read it on Kindle for easier handling; that edition is nearly 700 pages. So far it's fairly easy reading, or at least easier than I expected, and we are reading about 2 chapters a day or about 10 pages which is manageable and puts us on a course to finish in mid-December.

I will be reading other books concurrently and last night I started my next Inspector Sejer, He Who Fears the Wolf, which sucked me in pretty quickly.

I liked Evelina when I read it a million years ago. I will look forward to your thoughts on Cecilia.

The mission chair is beautiful. So is the dog!

>13 lauralkeet: I was going to say He Who Fears the Wolf is a good one, but that would be a silly statement since I thought they were all really good.

Happy new thread Laura.

>1 lauralkeet: Oh, I love that vase.#

>3 lauralkeet: And I love Alys and the chair (well done to Chris).

I was behind on your last thread but have caught up now - really glad to see you're enjoying the Margaret Oliphant books so much, those are definitely ones I want to read. And that you enjoyed the new Galbraith (although I think I have decided those sound too dark for me). And it sounds like you made the right call about Seven Killings. When Darryl was in London he'd just finished reading it and was enthusing about it a lot. I thought at the time that it definitely didn't seem like the sort of thing I feel like reading at the moment and your review has confirmed that.

>13 lauralkeet: Well, Cecilia was originally published in 5 volumes so I think you could legitimately count it as 5 books :-)

>14 sibylline: Thanks Lucy!

>15 NanaCC: Colleen, I borrowed the Fossum from my library's Kindle collection and took it with me today when we were out and about so I could snatch a few minutes here and there to read. And I was only one chapter into it! That's the sign of a good book.

>16 souloftherose: Heather, I can't quite justify counting Cecilia as 5 books but it does assuage my guilt about counting Seven Killings when I only read 50 pages.

Beautiful Alys! Handsome chair! Most desirable pottery! Happy New Thread, Laura!
You remind me that I really enjoyed Fossum when I read the first one, and that I have several on the Kindle. I'm in pretty much the same place as we read to the end of the year although I believe I'm a bit worse off than you. I'm going to read what I want to read and try not to be too disappointed when I don't make 75 this year.

Woot! Fabulous review of Lean on Pete, Laura. And I love the photo of Alys you posted; she's such a beauty! Wonderful job your husband made of the mission chair; impressive!

>3 lauralkeet: Alys is adorable and the chair your husband made is quite nice, too! :-)

>12 lauralkeet: Putting Lean on Pete on the wishlist.

>18 LizzieD: To tell you the truth Peggy, I've only just realized 75 is possible (I didn't make it last year). But I refuse to obsess on it and just like you, I'm just going to read and enjoy.

>19 lit_chick: Thank you Nancy, on all counts!

>20 EBT1002: Thanks Ellen! I think you'd enjoy Lean on Pete

>3 lauralkeet: What a pup! I suppose Chris made the chair just for her, right? I have a vintage Morris chair that Molly claims is her exclusive property. Probably just as well, because her > 7 pound kitty-bod doesn't present any challenge to the aging rattan seat.

>22 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, we ceded the sofa to dogs some time ago. The labs are too big to even consider a chair. Alys sits on the sofa too but has been experimenting with chairs; I think they are a little cozier. I've had to oust her from "my" chair on multiple occasions!

>23 lauralkeet: we ceded the sofa to dogs some time ago. The labs are too big to even consider a chair
I just love that! :))

64. He Who Fears the Wolf ()
My Review
Source: My local library's Kindle collection
Why I read this now: I'm waiting for a couple of other library requests, so I snagged something available now that I wanted to read.

When an elderly woman is found murdered just outside her rural home, suspicion lands on a young schizophrenic man who recently escaped his group home and was spotted at the scene of the crime. When the man later becomes a hostage in a bank robbery, Inspector Sejer is challenged to apprehend the robber, free the hostage, and ultimately solve both crimes.

As part of his investigation, Sejer becomes smitten with the doctor treating the schizophrenic man and wrestles with feelings of guilt, since he still mourns his wife Elise. This subplot never becomes dominant in the novel, but Karin Fossum leaves little bread crumbs for her readers, that develop the inspector's character well beyond his role in law enforcement.

Like any good mystery, things are never quite what they seem and the perpetrator is often hiding in plain sight but with enough other stuff to cast doubt and keep you guessing. This third book in the series was better than the last, with more elegant translation, leaving me eager for more.

In other news, I'm making good progress with Fanny Burney's Cecilia, sticking with the "two chapters a day" goal set in the group read. I'm finding it much easier reading than expected, and an enjoyable story.

I'm also reading Hostages to Fortune, a Persephone. It is the only one of my ~13 Persephones that I haven't yet read. Time to buy more, I guess. :)

Delighted you're enjoying Karin Fossum, Laura. This is a series that gets better as it goes. Nice review!

Karin Fossum is another I keep thinking I want to try. Perhaps with my focus on completionism in 2016 (completing series that I have started and, perhaps starting new ones to complete), I'll get around to her at last.

I received my Persephone catalogue the other day and I absolutely love browsing through it. I have The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding on my bedside table.

I admire and respect your determination not to let the 75 goal deter you from approaching chunksters you really want to read. My competitive self can get activated and then I have to remind her that achieving some arbitrary number is WAY less important than reading things I want to read! Sometimes she listens and sometimes she thumbs her nose at me. :-)

>27 lit_chick: Thanks, Nancy. I started reading this series in order of US publication, but now that I've read and enjoyed two of these books, I think I'd like to go back and read the "real" first book in the series. The US title is Eva's Eye (originally In the Darkness, no idea why this was changed).

>28 EBT1002: Ellen, I totally understand the completist thing! I have managed to complete (or remain current with) a few series, but this year I've also started just as many new ones (see >2 lauralkeet:), so I'm barely treading water! And I keep being tempted by new ones thanks to my LT pals. Until I few years ago I would have loudly proclaimed myself NOT a series reader. I'm not sure what happened ...!

Sometimes she listens and sometimes she thumbs her nose at me. :-)
I have a similar alter ego!

>28 EBT1002: >29 lauralkeet: "I have a similar alter ego!" Me too!

I have added a photo up in >3 lauralkeet:. This is what happened over 2-3 hours when Alys was in her crate. We have no idea what possessed her -- she has spent many hours and overnights in this crate without incident. Naughty girl.

>31 lauralkeet: She wasn't happy about something. :)

There are a few Fossum books that have been added to the translated works since I read them in 2012 (before LT). I'll have to check them out.

Oh, Alys! I gather at one point that was a lovely pillow! Argh! eta: I'm still half asleep over morning coffee here. Is that the pillow from the mission chair?

>32 NanaCC: I think you'd like Karin Fossum's books, Colleen.

>33 lit_chick: Nancy, thankfully it's "just" a $20 pet bed. Our other dogs (labs) were big chewers in their younger days; Woody, in particular, has destroyed a number of pet beds so I refuse to spend a lot of money on them (actually we did spend a lot of money once, but the bed came with a money back guarantee which we ended up taking advantage of). This bed was made up of a removable cover and a pillow inside. Alys worked her way inside the cover and evidently created a hole in the pillow and began pulling all of the brown fluff out of it. To be honest, when we walked into the house and saw her surrounded by all that fluff, our first reaction was to laugh.

>34 lauralkeet: I think the series tracker shows that I still have two of Karin Fossum's books to read. I'm looking forward to them as I loved the ones I read.

>35 NanaCC: It was you who recommended Fossum to me, Colleen, and I am enjoying the series. Glad you're liking it too, Laura.

Oh sorry Colleen, I mis-read your previous message (>32 NanaCC:). I think I heard about them from Rebecca so now I see you are at the root of it all! :)

The Fossum's might go on the list to consider next for audio mysteries after I finish the Shardlakes, although I confess I have really developed a taste for these historical mysteries.

Make me laugh, too, Laura!: o be honest, when we walked into the house and saw her surrounded by all that fluff, our first reaction was to laugh. LOL!

Oh, chewed-up dog beds! We have a chewer in Mario, who has destroyed two beds, both of which had lasted Tuppence for most of her life so far, already. Thankfully, she only shews on dog toys and beds so far, and not furniture...

>38 sibylline: Lucy, I'm glad you're enjoying the Shardlakes. I love the historical aspect of those books. I started reading the Fossums because I wanted to try a bit of "Scandi-crime".

>39 lit_chick: Well I'm glad I made you chuckle, Nancy.

>40 scaifea: I'm not surprised Mario is a chewer, Amber. I think most puppies chew, but I also think retrievers are especially vigorous chewers even beyond puppyhood. We keep a steady supply of durable chew toys around (Nylabones seem to last a long time).

>40 scaifea: >41 lauralkeet: Oh yes, chewing retrievers - we had a retriever shepherd cross who chewed 4 litre milk jugs (empty ones) and the fiber glass insulation in our unfinished basement.

>38 sibylline:, >41 lauralkeet: I wasn't going to get into a series, but I've succumbed to Shardlake, I'm on #2 and I expect #3 to follow immediately.

>41 lauralkeet: Nylabones are good for that, and Mario is pretty good at letting go of whatever she's taken to chewing to replace it with the proffered bone, too, which is nice.

>42 Familyhistorian: We give Tuppence and Mario empty, cleaned-out 1/2 gallon milk jugs to play with for a couple of days - they last until Mario starts actually eating them and then the get replaced.

>42 Familyhistorian:, >44 scaifea: I will have to try the milk jug method next time I have a chance! When our oldest dog Lilly was a puppy she went absolutely crazy over 2L soda bottles. She didn't chew them but she liked to bat them all around the kitchen floor, which made for good noisy fun.

>43 qebo: I loved the Shardlake series. The latest one was published earlier this year, and I was so thrilled because I had not anticipated more. Now I wonder if he plans to continue them.

The milk jugs were a favourite but we used to find little pieces of plastic scattered around. With the plastic and the fiberglass I am not sure how that dog survived but he lived quite long in dog years until his hips gave out.

I had another dog whose thing was white socks. I was making a doll as a gift and the white sock was used for the face. I only needed one sock so our dog scooped the other one. She loved being chased all over the house and fighting to hold onto the sock when you tried to grab it out of her mouth. She used to run up and down the stairs and over an under the beds so it was hard to catch up with her.

65. Hostages to Fortune ()
My Review
Source: My Persephone collection
Why I read this now: It was the only Persephone on my shelves that I had not yet read.

He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune; for they are impediments to great enterprises, either of virtue or mischief
~ Francis Bacon

This portrait of English life during and after World War I centers on Catherine and William, a couple whose first child is born in the opening pages. Catherine is on her own with a nurse; William is away, serving in a military hospital. Each section of the book -- a prelude and five parts -- is set in a specific time period, and several years pass between sections. This gives the reader a snapshot of the family at points in time. After the war, William establishes a practice in Oxfordshire. They have more house than they can afford to decorate, but that situation improves over time. The couple married quickly when William received his military orders, and their relationship is tenuous and uncertain at first, but their bonds strengthen over time. Their three children mature, each in their own way, and provide both pleasure and pain to their parents. The parents learn to work as partners in raising their children.

As the Francis Bacon quote implies, there are no "great enterprises" in this novel: no drama, no tragedy, no action sequences. It is simply a story of the daily lives of one family, representative of the period. Elizabeth Cambridge gets inside the minds of her characters -- adults and children alike -- so that despite the fact that very little actually "happens," the story is enormously satisfying, and best enjoyed in an armchair with a cup of tea.

Besides finishing Hostages to Fortune, I've also been reading Cecilia along with the Virago group. We are now about 1/3 of the way through the book and I'm enjoying it immensely.

While waiting for some library books, I was looking for something else to read alongside Cecilia and decided to try a collection of essays I picked up in a Kindle deal a few years ago. Re-Reading Women claims to explore "how our literary mothers have influenced us in our writing and in life." The author, an academic, collaborated with another woman in the 1970s to compile and document the female literary canon. I thought it might be interesting to read about their work and reflect on the progress of women writers since that time (this was before Viragos, before Persephone, and female academics were far less respected than today). Unfortunately, the essays are pretty dry and because they are published as originally written, there was some repetition between the two essays I read. I decided rather than reading it cover-to-cover I might just dip into it now and then.

Fortunately, I don't mind spending today's reading time with Cecilia. The library book, Fates and Furies, is "in transit" so hopefully I can pick it up tomorrow evening.

Pretty Alys…Bad Alys. Lucky chewed up his orthopedic bed the last time we boarded him. We now have someone come to the house when we travel. He is much happier and his beds last a long time. My theory is that once the chewing begins it becomes an obsession…kind of like reading a good book. Haha. I have read a few Fossum books and enjoyed them. One of these days I'll get back to reading them. I hope more have been translated. I don't like reading them out of order. Have a good week, Laura.

>49 Donna828: Hi Donna! I have been reading Fossum's Inspector Sejer novels on my Kindle, borrowed from my library. They have quite a few of the series, in order, although I don't think they have them all. In any case I think there are about 10 in English.

You're right about dogs' chewing becoming an obsession once they get started. But at the moment Alys is snoozing on the sofa and looks as angelic as can be ...

Hi Donna! I'm not sure how many of Fossum's Inspector Sejer novels you've read, but there are about 10 translated into English. Hope you have a chance to read more of them soon!

And I couldn't agree with you more about dogs' chewing becoming an obsession. Although at the moment Alys is snoozing like a little angel on the sofa ...

Enticing review of Hostages to Fortune, Laura. Sounds like just my cuppa: an enormously satisfying story about the ordinary lives of one family.

>52 lit_chick: It's definitely a comfort read, Nancy. I think you'd enjoy it.

I'm tempted by Hostages to Fortune.

We've been lucky, chewing-wise, Posey likes to take little sticks out of the woodpile and work on them, so there are bits of wood all over the place generally.

>3 lauralkeet: Alys has an alter-ego, too!!!

Thank you Ellen! And a belated hello to Lucy as well.

I've been neglecting my thread of late, sorry about that! I have been reading though. I'm about 2/3 of the way through Cecilia, and over the past week I read Fates and Furies.

I took this week off from work, which has been very nice. My younger daughter Julia has a full week off from school, and Kate was able to visit for a couple of days, so we were all together for Thanksgiving. We also celebrated Julia's birthday, even though it's not til Dec 6.

I will be back before the weekend is out with my review of F&F and a new Alys photo!

I'm feeling lazy and haven't yet written my review of Fates & Furies, but I do have not one, but TWO photos of Alys, both with special bonus dog Lilly! Here they are enjoying some Thanksgiving snuggle time:

Alys and Lilly are adorable! Happy Thanksgiving, Laura.

>57 lauralkeet: Nice photos!

MUST read more Fossum. You remind me of how much I liked #1.
Thank you for fixing my Jill P. Walsh problem!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

66. Fates and Furies ()
My Review
Source: My local library
Why I read this now: There was plenty of buzz in the press and I decided to see what it was all about.

Launcelot “Lotto” and Mathilde Satterwhite married young and in secret, just before graduating from college. Their courtship was brief, and Lotto’s mother was violently opposed to the marriage, but there was no stopping young love. Theirs was a unique relationship where each person completed the other. When Lotto, an aspiring actor, was just starting his career, Mathilde paid the bills and carried all the stress so that he could focus on acting. Later, Mathilde pushed Lotto to turn from acting to writing, where he found more success. Lotto was Mathilde’s rock, providing her with the love and stability she lacked growing up. They seem to be a perfect couple.

And yet, throughout this novel the reader knows there is much unsaid. Lotto and Mathilde are good people, and yet hugely flawed. They are, in fact, a little difficult to like. Both had traumatic experiences that defined their lives, and they keep certain details secret even from one another. Halfway through the book the narrative voice shifts from Lotto to Mathilde, revealing some of the secrets and providing back story to events that occurred earlier in the novel. Their “perfect couple” image suffers, but they become more human as a result. And it is in this second half that Lauren Groff truly finds her voice, bringing a depth of emotion to Mathilde’s character that was missing in Lotto’s section of the novel.

This was a riveting portrait of a marriage, that I found hard to put down.

>58 lit_chick:, >59 kidzdoc: Thanks Nancy & Darryl! They are great dogs.
>60 LizzieD: I'm glad that solved your problem, Peggy!

Now I'm off to finish Did you Ever Have a Family, which is fantastic.

Happy Saturday, Laura! I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving with the family.

Good review of Fates and Furies. I have been waiting for the right time to start this one. I hope it is coming up soon. This sounds like my cuppa.

I am glad you are enjoying Did you Ever Have a Family. For some reason, it fell short for me.

Wonderful review of Fates and Furies, Laura. Another one for my over-burdened list!

>63 msf59: I will be interested to hear what you think of it. I noticed it was nominated not only for the National Book Award, but also the Bad Sex in Fiction Award. I kinda have to agree with that. :)

>64 lit_chick: Yay! Glad to hear it, Nancy.

67. Did you Ever Have a Family ()
My Review
Source: My local library
Why I read this now: This was nominated for the Booker Prize and while it didn’t make the shortlist, it caught my eye.

June Reid survived a horrible tragedy, losing her entire family in a fire the night before her daughter’s wedding. After the funerals, she leaves small-town Connecticut and heads west, looking to put as much distance as possible between her and the perceived source of pain and anguish. But June isn’t the only one profoundly affected by the fire. Lydia Morey lost her adult son Luke, just as she was on the cusp of repairing their relationship. The townspeople are sure Luke started the fire, supposedly because of an incident in his past, but likely also because he is black.

June’s journey leads to a small hotel on the Oregon coast that had special meaning for her daughter and her fiancé. There she takes up residence under an assumed name. Lydia, in her loneliness, comes to depend on daily telephone calls from a scam artist, to whom she tells her life story. Interspersed with chapters about June and Lydia are stories told by other characters including the florist and caterer for the wedding, a teenage boy who, we come to realize, may know something about the fire, the man who fathered Lydia’s son. Each of these narratives add detail to the stories of Lydia and June, and to the events leading up to the tragic fire.

I loved the structure of this novel, both the narrative voices and the way seemingly minor details take on meaning when combined with others. And the story of grief and loneliness touched me on a deep emotional level which I cannot do justice to in this review. It’s a rare book that can affect me this way, which has earned Did You Ever Have a Family a 5-star rating and place on my “Favorites” list.

Happy Sunday, Laura. Good review of Did you Ever Have a Family. Thumb! It is always a wonder to me, how readers, with similar tastes, can have such a different reaction to a book. I know this one has many serious fans but it just fell a bit flat for me. Maybe, I will revisit it, in print one of these days.

Two great reviews! I really liked the only L. Groff I've read and mean to get back to her.
The Clegg will be hard to ignore after that review. Thanks, Laura.

(Edited to give Lauren her r)

>67 msf59: well Mark, where would we be if we all liked the same things, eh?

>68 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. Lauren Groff was a new-to-me author. I didn't realize until I started this book that she's written quite a few novels already. Which one have you read? I loved her writing and would be up for a second helping.

Oh, yay, woohoo! 5* for Did You Ever Have a Family! AND I just downloaded this one into my iPad tonight : ). Fabulous review, Laura.

>69 lauralkeet: I read Arcadia and loved it!

Two great reviews of two books I want to read. Thanks, Laura! I went to school with Clegg's sister, Lisa, and it's been fun to watch the family's pride and excitement over this book and its success on Facebook :)

BB for the Lauren Groff, which sounds like My Kind of Book. I was firmly in the 'love' camp for Did You Ever Have a Family so good to read your review: also a fan of the structure and subtlety of the novel.

I liked the only Groff I've read, let me think of the title . . . The Monsters of Templeton (a thinly disguised Cooperstown, NY). It had some fantastical elements and followed the history of a family over several generations (sort of, hard to explain). This novel sounds RL based.

Happy Monday everybody!! It's nice to see my thread abuzz with visitors.

>70 lit_chick: ooh, I hope you enjoy it, Nancy.

>71 LizzieD: good to know, Peggy. Thanks!

>72 katiekrug: What an interesting connection Katie -- lucky you! As the mother of someone who writes for a living, I can imagine the excitement when the writer achieves the success Clegg has with this book.

>73 charl08: "structure and subtlety" -- yes, that's it, Charlotte. The complete story came together like a jigsaw puzzle. Loved it.

>74 sibylline: Lucy, there wasn't a shred of "fantastical" in Fates & Furies. So if that's what you mean by "RL based," then yeah!

>66 lauralkeet: looks like one for my list, Laura. And Bill Clegg is new to me.

>57 lauralkeet: soooo cute.

Aaaaw... Alys and Lilly are cute!

And yay, 5 stars for the Clegg book! I "only" rated it with I believe 4.2, but it was among my favorites on this year's Booker LL. I especially loved the last voice/chapter for the hope it gives.
Fates and Fury sounds interesting as well, I'll be watching it for now.

Have a great weekend!

>76 Caroline_McElwee: Caro, I hope you enjoy it. Bill Clegg is an American literary agent who has also written a few memoirs, if my memory is correct I believe this is his first novel. I have to keep reminding myself he's American; even though there are absolutely no similarities between the two, I repeatedly think "Nick Clegg" (British politician) instead of "Bill Clegg."

>77 Deern: Nathalie, I heard so many positive things about Clegg's book that I was surprised it didn't make the shortlist. And now, having read it, I am still surprised. I admit I haven't read any of the shortlisted books so I have no reason to favor Clegg over the others, but still.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the reading front, I am still plugging away at Cecilia as part of the Virago Group Read. I am truly enjoying it, and now that I'm down to the last 100 pages or so (out of nearly 700), and working towards resolution of the central conflict (heiress with legal issues that prevent her marrying her one true love).

I am also reading Ragtime since E.L. Doctorow is featured in this month's American Author Challenge. I haven't been keeping up with this challenge at all but have read selected authors based on interest or already having a book on my TBR. I have never read Doctorow before, and found Ragtime in a used bookshop back in August, so I decided to give him a try. I like the book but don't love it yet.

Happy Sunday, Laura! Just checking in. I still hope I can bookhorn in Fates & Furies by the end of the month.

I hope you can start falling in love with Ragtime. It is one of my favorites.

I am falling head over heels over A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories. This has been living up to the buzz.

Also have my fingers crossed for Ragtime, Laura. I remember really liking it.

Good review of the Bill Clegg Booker nominated novel.

Have a lovely weekend.

I echo your feelings on Ragtime, Laura. I'm enjoying it but not completely engaged with it.

>80 PaulCranswick:, >81 katiekrug: I highly recommend the film version of Ragtime to both of you. The book was terrific, but if you have a hard time engaging with the style, the movie will eliminate that issue.

>78 lauralkeet: Nick is very charming I understand :-)

Yay! for photos of Alys and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Fates and Furies. I keep seeing it in bookstores and almost buying it but figure I would rather wait until it comes out in softcover.

I also really liked Did You Ever Have a Family despite my quibbles with geographical inaccuracies. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

>79 msf59: Hi Mark! Hope you had a happy Sunday. I just noticed in today's NYT Book Review that A Manual for Cleaning Women is a 2015 Notable Book. But of course your opinion of it matters much more! I will have to keep an eye out for it.

>80 PaulCranswick: Hiya Paul! Nice to see you hereabouts.

>81 katiekrug: I'm glad I'm not the only one, Katie. I've heard so much good stuff about it. But I am only about halfway through so maybe it will pick up

>82 laytonwoman3rd: Good to know, Linda!

>83 Caroline_McElwee: Hmm ... I'm trying to figure out why his name is so familiar to me. Did he do something notable this year?

>84 EBT1002: Ellen, I remember you having issues with geographical inaccuracies in a book, but I forgot that it was Clegg's book. I'm not at all familiar with the Pacific NW so I was blissfully ignorant. :)

>66 lauralkeet: Laura, that was a beautiful review of Did You Ever Have A Family. I had a similar "loved it" reaction. I will be picking up Ragtime after I read two library books that came into my house at a most inopportune time! I will freeze my hold list before the holidays hit next year!

68. Cecilia ()
My Review
Source: I own the Virago Modern Classics edition, but read this on my Kindle.
Why I read this now: It was a Virago group read

Cecilia is a young heiress to a massive fortune. But there’s a catch: a large part of her inheritance is contingent on retaining her surname after marriage. And of course, this just wasn’t done in the 1780s, when this book was published. Nor was Cecilia allowed to live an independent life. Her uncle’s will appointed three guardians to manage her affairs, and even though just a few months remain before she turns 21, Cecilia is very much subject to their control. One guardian, Mr Harrel, is the husband of a dear childhood friend, and Cecilia goes to live with them. Her initial delight at being reunited with her friend quickly turns to shock and sadness, when she sees how the Harrels live beyond their means. Cecilia, being both good-natured and naive, tries to help, but her generosity goes unrewarded.

Meanwhile, several men are vying for Cecilia’s favor, and as flattering as that may seem most of them are motivated by nothing more than improving their social standing through increased wealth. Cecilia’s “journey” through this novel essentially involves learning that people who appear to have good intentions, even those you have loved or trusted for years, have a dark side especially where money is concerned. Just one man stands out as more noble, and more sincere in his affections, but (no surprise) his family is opposed to him marrying below their social class.

Cecilia inspired Jane Austen; in fact, the phrase “pride and prejudice” was first used here in a similar situation. The book is quite long, with many winding subplots and some over-the-top drama, but it is fairly easy reading and an interesting portrait of women at this time in history.

Many thanks for the review, Laura. I have a VMC, but so far it hasn't been calling very loudly. I believe that I can continue to wait a bit. On the other hand, I'm eager for the Virago chronological group to get to something that I own and really want to read!

>89 LizzieD: Peggy, I never would have tackled this without Liz/@lyzard's excellent tutelage in the group read. Also, reading on Kindle was a godsend. For some reason, the VMC edition is 900+ pages but on Kindle it was "only" 682 pages. Psychologically that made a big difference! And even at 682 pages it was a chunkster so the Kindle made it easier to handle.

I believe the chronological read project will tackle Jane Austen's novels next and I've already read them, so I will likely turn my attention elsewhere. My Virago reading will be focused on Dorothy Richardson's Pilgrimage series for a while, since several of us are interested in reading this together.

Nice review of Cecilia, Laura. I have one chapter to go, I think, so I should finish tonight.

>89 LizzieD: It is definitely worth reading, Peggy. And, much easier than I thought it would be.

Nice, Laura!

Regarding the Virago reads, Heather and I agreed that we wouldn't feel obliged to re-read anything that we were both familiar with, or had read recently; this project is really about getting to the books we haven't read, or not for some time.

So we were not going to re-read the Austens, as we have worked our way through those quite recently. However, Ilana has requested a tutored read of Emma and we have that pencilled in - probably March, to allow for the group read of War And Peace in the New Year.

The next Virago book will be Susan Ferrier's Marriage, but we don't have a date for that yet. We will also be tackling Burney's Camilla at some point, and The Wanderer if we can fit it in. (Both chunksters, so be warned!)

>91 NanaCC: Thanks Colleen!

>92 lyzard: Good to know Liz, and thank you. I'm not planning to read W&P, but I have a few other big reads planned early in the year (like starting the Palliser series), so I will patiently await the next chronological read whenever we get to it.

>85 lauralkeet: Laura, Nick Clegg's party was obliterated in the last election and he stood down as leader because he wasn't able to keep all the party promises whilst in coalition with the Tories! I suspect folk are wishing they had them back in the coalition now!

Great! I may be joining both #W+ P# (wonder how they chose the symbols for the Fire???) and #Marriage#. Thanks for the info, Laura and Liz.

69. Ragtime ()
My Review
Source: On my shelves
Why I read this now: E.L. Doctorow is the American Author Challenge pick for December

Set in New York City during the early 1900s, Ragtime captures the mood of the city by placing a fictional family into circumstances and events of that era. They rub elbows with real figures from history, like the architect Stanhope White and financier Pierpont Morgan. The central conflict, however, deals with issues of race. A young black woman abandons her baby, and the family takes it in. They later provide shelter for the mother, get to know the baby’s father, and become embroiled in an escalating conflict with local authorities.

Throughout this novel, the family remains nameless; characters are referred to simply as Father, Mother, Mother’s Younger Brother, and the boy. It's an interesting technique which forces the reader to focus on other aspects of the story. Unfortunately the story itself never really grabbed me and the lack of character development created an emotional distance. I found some aspects of Ragtime intriguing, and appreciate the quality of the writing, but ultimately it fell a bit flat,

70. Pointed Roofs ()
My Review
Source: My Virago Modern Classics collection
Why I read this now: The Virago Group recently launched a project to read the Pilgrimage novellas.

Dorothy Richardson's Pilgrimage is made up of 13 novellas, the first example of stream of consciousness style in English. They tell the life story of Miriam Henderson, providing an intimate portrait of a woman modeled closely on the author herself.

In Pointed Roofs, the first novella, 17-year-old Miriam's family has fallen on hard times, forcing her to take a position as governess in a German girls' boarding school. She is supposed to teach them to speak English, but there is no formal curriculum so she must teach entirely through casual conversations. Miriam finds it difficult to relate to the German girls and feels inadequate most of the time. The school's stern and pious headmistress does nothing to ease her anxiety. When the summer term arrives, Miriam faces a fork in the road and her decision sets the stage for the second novella.

For some reason, I expected the stream of consciousness style to be difficult but it wasn't at all, and I loved the way it put you inside Miriam's head, experiencing all of her thoughts in "real time."

Morning, Laura! Hope all is well, with you. Sorry, Ragtime didn't satisfy more. That one seemed to fall flat for a lot of folks. I remember it being terrific, but that was many moons ago.

I am reading and enjoying The Grand Sophy, which Joe recommended. Have you read it? If not, it is soooooooo your cuppa.

>98 msf59: Hi Mark! C'est la vie re: Ragtime. I had high hopes, but these things don't always work out. I'm glad you are enjoying The Grand Sophy. I've only read one Heyer (These Old Shades), and enjoyed it but wasn't bitten by the bug. Maybe I'll try that one someday when in need of a comfort read.

Speaking of reading ... this is the current chunkster-in-progress:


A Place of Greater Safety was Hilary Mantel's first novel published in the US. I've heard it doesn't measure up to Wolf Hall & Bring up the Bodies, but all the same, only 50 pages in I see signs of the excellence in those later books. My edition is a whopping 868 pages, so I'm really happy to be reading it on Kindle. This may take me a while to read due to length, but not due to lack of interest.

>99 lauralkeet: Despite absolutely loving Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies, I would personally put A Place of Greater Safety slightly above them. Enjoy!

Congrats on tackling that Mantel Chunkster! I remember Benita reading it awhile back and despite it's mammoth length, liking it quite a bit.

I am kicking off the new year with a Little Life and then I will start the Everest of the Book World, War & Peace so no other Chunksters in store for me.

>100 japaul22: That is quite an endorsement. Thanks!

Laura, hope that A Place of Greater Safety is fabulous! I think the holidays is a wonderful time for a chunkster.

Oh Laura! You should have saved that for January and...

My daughter, Chris, loved A Place of Greater Safety, and put in on my shelf several years ago. I might put it on my imaginary list for 2016. Unlike Nancy in >102 lit_chick:, I need to stick to lighter fare these last few weeks of the year. I find it too hectic to get involved in something that big.

I think 2016 may be the year of the chunkster for me, as I hope to read through Trollope's Palliser novels too.

I'm another who loved A Place of Greater Safety. Honestly, I feel as though I knew nothing about the French Revolution until I read it, and I sort of did.
And I must say that if These Old Shades is your only Heyer, you didn't give yourself the best chance of falling in love although I really enjoyed it when I reread it sometime in the past couple of years.
I am so attracted to chunksters, but for the rest of the year, I'll be reading little bitty things to make my 75 - well, except for a fantasy and a biography that I'm finishing with only a couple of hundred pages or so in each.

Agree about These Old Shades - I found it kind of odd.... I recently read Cotillion and liked that much better, and remember liking The Grand Sophy and another one I read in my teens...

>99 lauralkeet: >100 japaul22: I loved A Place of Greater Safety more than Wolf Hall or Bring Up the Bodies. It's my favorite Mantel.

Wow! So many visitors and so much love for Hilary Mantel!

>100 japaul22: >105 LizzieD: >107 rebeccanyc: this is great news. I had little doubt I would like the book but these strong endorsements will keep me going for sure.

>102 lit_chick: >104 NanaCC: On holidays and chunksters, I can go either way, I am off work the last two weeks of the year so I expect t have lots of reading time and it's a great opportunity to get really stuck into a book.

>103 weird_O: well Bill, I have a few more chunksters on my TBR so don't worry! It looks like >101 msf59: is diving in deep too.

>106 katiekrug: I was hoping you'd weigh in on Heyer, Katie, because I know you're a fan, sounds like I should give her another chance.

I also love Heyer, Laura, and The Grand Sophie is really good. I think that These Old Shades may have been my first as well. Her attention to historical detail is very well done. An Infamous Army is terrific, and I believe that I heard somewhere that her descriptions of the battle of Waterloo in that book were so detailed and accurate that they were studied at West Point. (I can't confirm that).

I'm another who has to put in a plug for Heyer, Laura. Haven't read These Old Shades but agree with others that The Grand Sophy was delightful.

I liked These Old Shades and have a small pile of Heyer awaiting my attention Laura. I haven't read A Place of Greater Safety yet, but it's been in the pile for some years. I did handle it this year :-)

Hi Laura,

I have A Place of Greater Safety in a box in storage and bought it after I read Wolf Hall. You and your many visitors are making me want to find the boxes! If I'm going to get through a book that big it needs to be in the holidays.

>112 cushlareads: do you know Cusha, I never think about that... If it's the book I want to read, then I've just got to read it, even if it means getting my wheelie backpack out to cart it to work ha. I get 30 minutes reading time each way on the tube.

Okay, with Colleen, Nancy, & Caroline adding to the chorus, it looks like I need to queue up some Heyer in 2016!

And all this talk of A Place of Greater Safety makes me want to pull my Kindle out of my bag right this minute. Alas, I am at work. :)

Just stopping by to say hello. Wondering when your Little Darlings are coming home - mine comes by train on Saturday! Can't wait!

>115 sibylline: Hi Lucy! We should have a full house by the weekend. The hubs is driving to NYC tomorrow to bring Kate and our grandkitty home. Julia has finished her final exams and might drive home today, or maybe tomorrow. She has a car so she can be flexible, and since she will be home for a month, there are certain friends she wants to spend time with before leaving campus.

Like you, I'm pretty excited !!

Among other things I've been off reading, so I thought I'd stop in and visit my own thread. I'm still plugging away at A Place of Greater Safety, and it is very good. The style is a lot like Wolf Hall, although I felt like I had more basic historical knowledge going into that one than I do for this novel. I know almost nothing about the French Revolution. I've read 330 pages of out of 868 on my Kindle edition and last night I did the "pages per day" math and realized it will take serious focus to finish this before the end of the year. I really hope I make it!

Meanwhile, I am enjoying having both of my daughters at home. I'm off work this week and next so we have plenty of time to just be together. That's more important than finishing a book, for sure!

I hope everyone is enjoying the run-up to Christmas.

>117 lauralkeet: I have A Place of Greater Safety sitting on the shelf (for years), and really hope to get to it in 2016. I think the reason I keep avoiding it, is because of my limited knowledge of that history.

I remember Ridgewaygirl recommended pairing A Place of Greater Safety with David Lawday's non fiction book The Giant of the French Revolution: Danton, A Life. They worked really well together for me.

>118 NanaCC: I admit I've consulted Wikipedia more than once, Colleen.

>119 japaul22: A companion book is a great idea. I wish I'd thought of that. I'm on a roll now (actually read 30pp this morning before everyone else woke up), so I think I'll keep going with my "unofficial" sources.

>117 lauralkeet: After I read A Place of Greater Safety, I wanted to know more about the French Revolution, and I turned to Simon Schama's Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution Schama, in his introduction, says his history is "revisionist," but knowing nothing about 18th century French history it made sense to me. The book is also chock-full of contemporary illustrations. It IS long though, so it took me a long time to read.

Hi Laura

I'm stopping by to wish you a wonderful holiday! All good wishes!

>121 rebeccanyc: Rebecca, that's good to know. We have that book around here somewhere ...

>122 Whisper1: Thanks Linda! Same to you & yours.

>117 lauralkeet: I've been listening to David McCullough's The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris on audio whenever I'm in the car. It is primarily about American artists, authors, and medical students (most of whose names you would recognize) going to Paris to live, study, perform or just absorb the culture, in the mid-to-late 19th century. There is a fair dose of French history thrown in, and I'm appalled at how little I know about the Second Empire, the Third Republic, the Franco-Prussian War, etc., etc. I printed out the timeline of French history for the 18th and 19th century, so I can refer to it when I'm back home reflecting on what I've heard.

It may make you feel better to know, that even most Europeans will have only a slim knowledge of that history Linda. We tend in the UK to have quite a bit about the World Wars, and a little about France at best. I recently watched a Danish drama about its main war, which I had known nothing about.

>124 laytonwoman3rd:, >125 Caroline_McElwee: I'm glad I'm not the only one!

Progress report: I am now on page 455 of 868, or 52% says my Kindle. I'm feeling a little more optimistic.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, Laura, full of love, laughter, and books!

^And may your New Year be filled with books and bookish friends!

I am still processing Fates & Furies. I really liked it and admire her ambition. For some reason, I thought it was going to be nastier and uglier, in regards to their marriage but they really did love each other. I will continue to mull it over...

Happy Christmas Laura!

Bookish Christmas wishes to you and your family, Laura!



I am mentally cheering you on with A Place of Greater Safety. It's on my TBR pile but I don't think my brain can cope with anything that requires that much concentration at the moment. I am glad to hear you are enjoying it though.

For my Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice/Holiday image this year (we are so diverse!), I've chosen this photograph by local photographer Mark Lenoce of the pier at Pacific Beach to express my holiday wishes to you: Peace on Earth and Good Will toward All!

>129 msf59: Mark, were you hoping for something more like Gone Girl? I thought it would go in that direction in the second half, but even though it didn't there were some surprises in there where you get insight to events from the other person's perspective.

>131 souloftherose: Well Heather, even though I am enjoying A Place of Greater Safety, I am kind of regretting my bravado about reading a chunkster over the holidays. I feel rather conflicted because it's a fascinating story but at the same time, I long for something light. Sigh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now here we are at Christmas Eve. Thank you, Linda, Nancy, Mark, Rhian, Heather, and Roni for the lovely greetings posted upthread. I'm not likely to make the rounds of everyone's threads today, so I will leave a little token here for anyone who stops by.

Best wishes to all of my reading buddies this holiday season!

I am also cheering you on with A Greater Place of Safety. It's on the wish list, that is for sure.



Happy Solstice and Merry Christmas!

Warm wishes for a magical holiday season, Laura!

Have a lovely holiday, Laura

Best wishes for the holiday season, Laura!

Merry Christmas to all! Yesterday we made our annual family visit to Longwood Gardens, a large public garden where they do a very nice Christmas exhibition. Most of it is indoors in the conservatory, but the grounds are also decked in lights, as are the fountains which shoot water synchronized to Christmas carols. Here's a photo from the conservatory, and a photo of my daughters Julia and Kate. We take this photo every year in the same spot.

Great photos, Laura. Your daughters look like you. Enjoy the holidays with them.

Nice pic! We've visited Longwood Gardens a few times, mostly in the summer, though. I love the fountain show!

Oh I love Longwood - we used to often go there at Xmas! Your daughters look beautiful!

>124 laytonwoman3rd: - I listened to that one too. McC can make anything sound fascinating.

Merry Happy from the newest member of the clan!

Tenzing Norcat investigates the tree:

Lovely photos, Laura. Here's wishing more joy and beauty to you and your family over the rest of the holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy, Happy New Year, Laura!

>139 NanaCC: It's the magic of genetics, Colleen! Actually, I do marvel at science like this. Kate & Julia don't look at all alike but they each resemble Chris and me in different ways.

>140 drneutron: Jim, we are Longwood members since we live only 20 min away. They always have something interesting going on, that shows the best of each season of the year.

>141 sibylline: I am really looking forward to getting to know your kitty in 2016, Lucy.

>142 Donna828: Lovely photo, Donna. I hope you enjoyed your Christmas as well.

>143 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy!

It was a very nice holiday around here, albeit warm outside. It's cooled off today -- only 50F so still warmer than normal for December, but getting more into the expected temperature range.

Progress Report: on page 635 of 868. What a story! The pace of events in the book has accelerated and so has my reading pace. It looks pretty likely I will finish this in 2015. I would count it as a 2015 book regardless, but I'd prefer to say I actually read every page before the year ends.

>138 lauralkeet: - An annual visit to the gardens sounds like a wonderful family Christmas tradition, as does taking a photo each year in the same spot!

>145 lauralkeet: Go, Laura! I had intended to read A Place of Greater Safety this year, but hopefully I'll get to it in 2016.

Hi Laura! Lovely photos of Julia and Kate. And a slightly premature congratulations on finishing A Greater Place of Safety in 2015. One thing I'm thinking about doing in 2016 is letting go of my 75 goal and building in the reading of more chunksters. There are books (such as that one) which I'd very much like to read but have avoided because of my competitive drive toward the 75 goal. No commitment one way or the other yet, but it's a thought.

>146 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori. I think this was the 9th annual photo. One of these days I will make a collage.

>147 kidzdoc: Darryl, it's really good, but if I had to do it all over again I would read when I didn't have any sort of self-imposed deadline.

>148 EBT1002: Ellen, I fell short of 75 last year for the first time, and lived to tell the tale. :) I still kinda wish I had rebounded this year but honestly, what does the number matter? At least, that's what I keep trying to tell that competitive voice inside. Good luck!

That number does loom over us, even when we protest that it really isn't important, doesn't it? Back when I was a teenager, when there weren't so many books in my life (nor hundreds of avid readers pitching moremoremore at me all the time!) I loved nothing better than a huge fat novel to get lost in. I miss that feeling. I wouldn't abandon this group for anything---the company is too dear. But I sort of wish it had been called something else!

As well as counting books I counted pages this year. It will be interesting to see how that compares next year. I always read a few chunksters in a year. If I have read between 80-100 books in a year I'm happy, this year though I might just manage 70. I'm not competitive per se even with myself, but I like to record what I've read.

I started tracking pages read in addition to the number of books I read in 2014. It helps me mentally to be able to look at a month where it looks like I haven't read many books and see that I read a lot of pages (many times more than a month where I read a high number of books).

I track ... um ... too much. On LT, and in a spreadsheet. This will probably come as no surprise to most of you. But yeah, each year I keep track of both books and pages, as well as ratings distribution, author's gender, and whether the book came from my library. I've been doing this since 2007 so I could even graph my reading trends.

If I wanted to.
Which I don't.
Really.
* must. resist. *

Ooooh, a graph . . .

Sounds intriguing!

:-)

>153 lauralkeet: Who are you kidding? You've already done the graph.

>154 japaul22: I'm glad someone around here understands me. :)

>156 laytonwoman3rd: Not this year, I haven't! But back in the days when I had a blog, I did a year-end recap that included a graph or two.

It is finished.
Yes, I have now read all 868 pages of A Place of Greater Safety. Woo hoo!! I also finished a sweet CHristmas story, a gift from my Virago Secret Santa Colleen (@NanaCC).

Reviews forthcoming, probably tomorrow, and that will be it for 2015.

Well done, Laura!

Yay!! Looking forward to the reviews. I bought that book at least 7 years ago, maybe more, and you might just manage to push it onto my bedside table (when I find the box it's in...)

*applause* No minions. I stand alone.

Clapping.

Woot! You finished A Place of Greater Safety!

Never in a million years did I expect to see minions in my thread! But I'm feeling the LT live for sure, and really appreciate all the support and encouragement. I rated the book 4 stars, so you wouldn't think encouragement would be needed but it sure helped me get through all the beheadings.

>158 lauralkeet: a sweet Christmas story, >164 lauralkeet: all the beheadings
The ups and downs of reading. Congrats on completing so you can start the new year fresh.

Hi, Laura! Congrats on finishing A Place of Greater Safety. That definitely qualifies as a Major Chunkster. A few of my LT pals have really liked that one, so I will add it to the list. Maybe, late '16? Early '17?

71. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus ()
My Review
Source: My Virago Secret Santa, Colleen (@NanaCC)
Why I read this now: Um ... Christmas?

As the title implies, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus serves up Santa's "origin story" from being found by nymphs as an infant, to being raised by them, and then going out into the world to make life better for children everywhere. Told by L. Frank Baum, the style is similar to the Oz books, and explains everything: why Santa makes toys, how the reindeer got involved, why he goes down the chimney, and so on. I mean, who doesn't want to know how this all works?

This book is one of six Penguin Christmas Classics, published in beautiful hardcover editions. I spotted these in a shop last year, and almost gave in to temptation; this one was a gift from a Secret Santa this year. I have a feeling I will be buying more ...

<167 Well, now, why didn't I know about that one before? It sounds a treat. And there's another Laura of my acquaintance who ought to be clued in as well.

72. A Place of Greater Safety ()
My Review
Source: On my Kindle
Why I read this now: Hilary Mantel is the British Author Challenge author for December, and I've had this on my Kindle for quite some time.

The French Revolution began in 1789, lasted nearly a decade, and had far-reaching impact in France and beyond. The revolution established a republic, overthrowing the long-standing monarchy and resulting in the execution of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. In A Place of Greater Safety Hilary Mantel took on the challenge of bringing this period of history to life through three key figures: Camille Desmoulins, George-Jacques Danton, and Maximilien Robespierre. I will not attempt to summarize or interpret events here; instead, I refer anyone interested to this concise summary of the French Revolution.

Mantel begins with childhood portraits of Desmoulins, Danton, and Robespierre, and describes the social classes as well as government policy in the pre-revolution era. As the three men come of age their paths converge in Paris, with Danton and Robespierre serving as influential political leaders and their friend Camille as a journalist. The men lead seemingly normal lives, with wives and mistresses and children and books and parties. Their careers follow the arc of the revolution. Initial victories increase their power, and they are on hand to witness the dawning of a new era:

Camille thinks of what Marat said: either we control it ourselves or it happens outside and beyond our control. It seems, as the unspeakable news comes in, hour by hour, that we have got the worst of both worlds. We will never, now, know an hour free from guilt; we will never, now, recover such reputation as we possessed; yet we neither planned nor willed the whole of it, the half of it. We simply turned away, we washed our hands, we made a list and we followed an agenda, we went home to sleep while the people did their worst and the people (Camille thinks) were translated from heroes to scavengers, to savages, to cannibals.

Eventually, however, other factions begin to exert greater influence. The revolution turns radical, the guillotine is invented, executions become far too common, and the protagonists fight for their lives.

This book was originally published in 2006, about 4 years before Mantel's prize-winning Thomas Cromwell novels, Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies. At 868 pages, it is a chunkster of the highest order and takes dedication and focus. I couldn't help wondering if A Place of Greater Safety would have been better published in two parts, Still, readers will see signs of the brilliance in Mantel's later work, such as her skill at turning historic figures into real people with strengths, weaknesses, and feelings. This book is well worth the investment, as long as you are prepared to make it.

>168 laytonwoman3rd: look at you sneaking in there, Linda!! :)

Brilliant review of A Place of Greater Safety, Laura. Thumb up!

Great review of A Place of Greater Safety, Laura. I hope to finally get to it in 2016.

Congratulations on reading A Place of Greater Safety in 2015! AND writing a super review!!!! I loved it too!!!!!
As for me, I'm addicted to long books so that I have to hustle every December to read a bunch of short ones to make up my 75. I did it again - just barely. Here's to more reading in January and February!

That's a great review of A Place of Greater Safety, Laura. I plan to read it in the coming year, and your review makes me want to push it sooner rather than later. I think that 2016 may be the year of the chunksters for me. I have several lined up on my Kindle. (Although I only have a paper copy of this one.)

I'm also glad that you enjoyed Santa's biography. :)

Great review, Laura. I'll try to read it in 2016.

Greetings Nancy, Darryl, Peggy, Colleen, & Cushla!

Yesterday I gave myself a complete break from reading. After finishing APoGS I just needed to clear my head, and I had no notions about squeezing in another book before the end of the year. Today might be more of the same, and then I will start the new year fresh.

I'll be back later today with a year-end recap.

2015 in Review

Well, it’s time to wrap up one year’s reading and move on to the next. I read 72 books this year, flipping 22,591 pages to get there. Although I once again fell short of 75 books (my fourth year of “failure” -- yay!), I rebounded nicely from last year’s 63. Thanks to all of the great groups and people here on LT, my TBR pile toppleth over with book recommendations, which means I read very little crap. My ratings average 3.5-3.7 every year. Sometimes I wonder if I’m reading critically enough, but each rating has a certain “gut feeling” associated with it so I’ve stopped trying to overthink it. 5-star books pack a special emotional punch, the kind that either makes you cry or completely takes over your mind. I usually don’t have more than 3-5 of these each year. For 2015, the 5-star honorees were:


* Benediction, by Kent Haruf
* Did you Ever Have a Family, by Bill Clegg
* Elizabeth is Missing, by Emma Healey

And to round out my “Top 5” list, here are two I rated 4.5 stars, but came really, really close to 5:


* H is for Hawk, by Helen MacDonald
* Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson

This year I read many more books from series than ever before. I began the year with 8 active series and 2 that I intended to start reading in 2015. Over the course of the year, I completed or became current with 6 series, but also started 6 new ones. That should put me right back where I started, but for some reason I’m ending the year with 9 active series and another 2 that I will start soon. Whatever. Once again my LT friends have been influential in pointing me to intelligent, well-written mysteries and classics by authors like Anthony Trollope and Angela Thirkell, that keep me coming back for more.

2015 also included some group reads, mostly with the Virago Modern Classics group as we began a long-term project to read the VMCs in order of original publication date. I dipped into the British and American Author Challenges from time to time; instead of fully accepting the challenge I read the authors who were already on my shelves, or ones that caught my interest. I’m also pleased to report that in 2015 I read 13 Virago Modern Classics and 24 other books from my stacks (i.e., books acquired in 2014 or earlier). But hold the applause: of course I also added to my stacks, and am doing a fine job supporting the book industry.

While I’ve fallen short of 75 books these past few years, I think that’s due primarily to an intentional focus on family, and getting into other hobbies like knitting -- and I’m not about to sacrifice these things anytime soon. But I can’t imagine not reading either, and as I close the new year I’m about to dive into my first book of 2016. I hope everyone will come on over to my 2016 thread and continue the bookish chatter. Happy New Year!

>149 lauralkeet: "...honestly, what does the number matter? At least, that's what I keep trying to tell that competitive voice inside."
My brain told me this very thing this past couple of days. I'm telling my own internal competitive voice to take a hike! :-)

>177 lauralkeet: I will probably read Benediction soon. (I almost said "I need to read..." but that would run counter to my new, very laid-back self!). I also loved H is for Hawk and Brown Girl Dreaming and I thought Did You Ever Have a Family was excellent.

Love your year-end summary, Laura.

Interesting year end wrap up! I've very much enjoyed following your reading and am looking forward to seeing what you read in 2016! Would you mind posting a link to your 2016 thread? I don't generally search through the 75ers group because of the posting volume!

>178 EBT1002: Ellen, those inner voices are troublesome aren't they? I should know better, and I'm sure your recent experience has given you pause. I had some experiences in 2015 -- related to others, not me personally -- that made me realize the importance of a life well lived, and on focusing on what's really important to you. Not that I've mastered it, mind you, but awareness helps.

>179 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

>180 japaul22: Hi Jennifer, I'd love to have you join me in 2016. Handy tip: one easy way to find a 75er is to visit the Threadbook, available from the main group page. This contains links to all member threads in alphabetical order by their LT name. It's come in handy numerous times when I've lost track of someone or accidentally x'd their thread.

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Okay, it's a new year -- let's move the conversation to my 2016 thread!!