Chatterbox Embarks on a New Year of Slightly Obsessive Reading: Part the Fifth

Dirge Without Music

by Edna St. Vincent Millay

I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.
So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind:
Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned
With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.

Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.
Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.
A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew,
A formula, a phrase remains,—but the best is lost.

The answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love,—
They are gone. They are gone to feed the roses. Elegant and curled
Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not approve.
More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world.

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.

(1928)

Yes, I realize that's a bit of a gloomy poem. But it's November, and I've just learned of the death of yet another friend, albeit one who lived a very long and very full life. As Millay says, however, "I am not resigned." The year started with the death of a beloved cousin in his early 80s; it continued with the premature death of my ex-bf and then Tigger-the-Terror-Cat, and now back to back deaths of longstanding family friends, including someone I have known most of my life, who came to my college graduation when my own father didn't, who introduced me to jazz and to still-favorite works of classical music. I hope the grim reaper will take a pause for a few months.

Meanwhile, the books. It hasn't been a stellar reading year, although there have been a few highlights. I've fallen so far behind on logging my reading and reviews that I don't think I'll continue to list my books. Instead, if you want to see what I have read so far in 2015, you're welcome to page back through these threads, or just turn to my master list, "Read in 2015", in "my library". As I complete a book, I'll rate it and add it to that list. You'll be able to see it by clicking on this link https://www.librarything.com/catalog/Chatterbox/booksreadin2015, or by going the long way around, to my books, and going to the tag labeled "Books Read in 2015". You can sort it anyway you want when you're there -- by rating, by when I finished it, etc.

My guide to my ratings:

1.5 or less: A tree gave its life so that this book could be printed and distributed?
1.5 to 2.7: Are you really prepared to give up hours of your life for this?? I wouldn't recommend doing so...
2.8 to 3.3: Do you need something to fill in some time waiting to see the dentist? Either reasonably good within a ho-hum genre (chick lit or thrillers), something that's OK to read when you've nothing else with you, or that you'll find adequate to pass the time and forget later on.
3.4 to 3.8: Want to know what a thumping good read is like, or a book that has a fascinating premise, but doesn't quite deliver? This is where you'll find 'em.
3.9 to 4.4: So, you want a hearty endorsement? These books have what it takes to make me happy I read them.
4.5 to 5: The books that I wish I hadn't read yet, so I could experience the joy of discovering them again for the first time. Sometimes disquieting, sometimes sentimental faves, sometimes dramatic -- they are a highly personal/subjective collection!




And I promise both to try to catch up completely with my capsule reviews AND to start winnowing down my list of 2015 highlights. Slimmer pickings this year, alas.

Saved for me!

I'm thinking it's safe.....
Harkening back to your prior thread, I just got word that Martyr is waiting for me at the library. I'm in total Library Book Overwhelm (a serious medical condition) but I'm looking forward to reading that one.

Regarding the Grim Reaper, he does have a way of visiting in spurts. "They" say, of course, that he visits in threes but I don't know about that. I hope your year eases up on you in the grief column.

>1 Chatterbox: It may be a bit gloomy, but it's also absolutely beautiful.

"More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world."
Perfect.

That poem is just so beautiful and so true. Thanks for introducing it to me.

I hope the rest of the year is kinder to you.

303. Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov


Loved this, which was (I'm ashamed to admit) my first novel by Nabokov. (though I've read some of his essays...) The tale of a misfit yet oddly upbeat and delightful Russian emigré professor, trying to survive in the academic world of 1950s America. Satirical and a joy to read, even if there's an undercurrent of despair and bleakness of the kind that all forced into exile from their homelands must experience. 4.7 stars.

304. Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan


Oh well, it's predictable chick lit. The heroine must leave her home and find a cheap place to live; she ends up in a dilapidated apartment above an abandoned bakery in a fishing village connected to the mainland only via a causeway underwater during high tide periods. She does break the chick lit rules a bit in having both adultery and death here, but that saves it from being twaddle. Still, you will encounter a puffin named Neil. Sweet, but an overly large dose. 3.35 stars.

305. The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild


Another thumping good read; the tale of a number of characters whose lives become entangled with a lost painting, a masterpiece by Watteau. (Even the painting itself gets a speaking part...) This was an ARC, so I'm not sure whether it's out yet, but it's well worth looking for if you want a lively and heartwarming tale. Yes, the villains are deeply villainous, etc., but there's plenty of meat in this plot to keep you engaged and entertained. 4.3 stars.

306. A Man of Some Repute by Elizabeth Edmondson


Elizabeth Edmondson, aka Elizabeth Pewsey, is back, albeit with a series that isn't as good as her Mountjoy novels, alas and alack. Set in the early 1950s, in a fictional cathedral town called Selchester, it's the story of the discovery -- nearly seven years later -- of what happened to Lord Selchester, who vanished from his castle one stormy night. It's far from perfect, but it's entertaining if you like the genre -- think English country tales crossed with GM Malliet or some such. Cold War politics provide enough of a suspenseful overlay to work, and I liked the main female character, Freya, a cousin of the Selchester heir. 3.8 stars. Went on to read the sequel.

307. The Cadaver Game by Kate Ellis


I've fallen behind in this series, which I still enjoy reading, and was glad to catch up in part, as this was a good yarn. As always, Ellis juxtaposes a contemporary mystery (the meat of the story) with a historical parallel in the form of chronicles from the time in question. In this case, it's the journal of a steward and a "jester" to a squire, circa 1815, and the plot revolves around hunting -- but with humans instead of foxes. In the modern era, now that fox hunting has been banned, it seems that some are trying to revive the pastime, and two teenagers end up dead. But how, and whodunnit? Good puzzle; good characters. 4.1 stars.

308. Unfinished Business by Anne Marie Slaughter


Slaughter created a buzz when she wrote an essay in the Atlantic explaining she had decided to leave the State Dept. to return to academia, because that was the only way to achieve work/life balance as a woman. This is the book that followed, full of her thoughts and prescriptions for men, women and organizations. I liked the balance in this, and the common sense, but it's still written (however aware Slaughter is of the fact) from a position of privilege. 4.2 stars.

309. Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan


The sequel to the prior chick lit book. Not terribly convincing in several ways; it read as if the author had just wanted to write a follow up and imagined what MIGHT happen. The adversities confronting the heroine didn't really ring true, any more than did her Endless, Deathless Love. 2.9 stars.

310. Mrs. Sinclair's Suitcase by Louise Walters


Better than I feared it might be based on the cover. It's a parallel narrative, with a woman in the present discovering a mystery surrounding her grandparents -- and the past narrative exploring what that was. It's all rooted in parent/child relationships. One woman walks away from one kind of love for another, for instance. Hard to explain without spoilers. It's OK as a library book, if you're looking for a kind-of romance.

311. Greensleeves by Eloise Jarvis McGraw


I think that had I read this in my teens, I would have fallen in love with it. I didn't, and now I'm a bit too old to really find all its charms. That, and the fact that it's set in an era that is long gone, with characters that I can't imagine existing any more. The main character is an overly-traveled and displaced high school graduate who has no idea what home is; her de facto uncle gives her an oddball assignment one summer to investigate a quirky will and its beneficiaries for him, and she gets very involved with the people she meets as she is undercover. That said there is a very heavy Message that people can only help themselves, that detracted from the enjoyment somewhat. 3.6 stars.

312. Et je danse aussi by Anne-Laure Bondoux & Jean-Claude Mourlevat


I loved this, and it reminded me that I've read too few novels in French this year. By two YA authors, it's an epistolary novel aimed at adult readers that begins when a woman sends a package containing what appears to be a manuscript to a Goncourt Prize-winning novelist. When he replies to her via email, politely declining to read it and requesting an address to which it can be returned, a correspondence quickly ensues, and becomes rapidly very close and intimate, with the two confiding in each other and understanding each other in ways that others in their lives can't. If that sounds like a trite romance, well, all I can say is that it didn't read like one -- it felt more thoughtful and more humorous; there were moments when I burst out laughing aloud on the subway in NYC. But there's a shadow: what Adeline Parmelan has sent to Pierre-Marie Sotto isn't just a manuscript, but something much more personal for them both, involving a secret she has kept and a mystery he has tried to solve. The denouement is quite dramatic, to the extent possible in an epistolary novel. I loved it, and hope it gets translated. 4.5 stars.

313. A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt


OK, I can acknowledge that this is witty and well written, but I hate the hagiographic content, and the way that Bolt has tried to make Thomas More so heroic and such a man of principle, when all he did was see whether he could escape the consequences of his principles by splitting legal hairs. The latter makes for great one-liners, but not great portrayals of historical characters, though I don't think that was Bolt's intent. I did like the way he offset the portraits of the Great and the Good with that of the common man (a Brechtian thing), which was missing in the film version. What really annoys me is that this play has had such a tremendous impact on the popular conception of More. Sigh. 4.2 stars.

314. The Travelers by Chris Pavone


I found this overly confusing and not suspenseful enough for at least the first half of the book -- or at least, those moments of suspense that existed were isolated and confusing (who was in peril? Were they good guys or bad guys?) that I found it hard to care within the structure of the kind of book that clearly isn't a nuanced, noir novel. It's written to be a popular and accessible novel, but the narrative doesn't deliver, really. The protagonist works for a magazine; mysterious things are going on there, and then he's blackmailed by the CIA to spy on his contacts and on the magazine. It all revolves around who is who and the "why" of it all. Not very satisfying, really. Pavone's books tend to intrigue me more conceptually than in execution. 3.4 stars.

315. How to Be a Grown-Up by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus


Rory's husband isn't sure whether he wants to be married any more, and is having trouble (he's a former child actor who has never really made it big) finding acting gigs. So Rory goes back to work in "new media" (shades of the Elisabeth Egan novel I read earlier, A Window Opens, reporting to two spoiled 20-somethings, where she gets to be the person who holds it all together. Mildly amusing, but too black and white, with the heroic Rory fighting a spoiled mother in law, her witchy 20-something boss, corporate politics and her husband, as well as the playground mafia. Again, I've read it all before somewhere. Still amusing, and a quick read, but glad it was a library book.

That's it for now. Only 17 more books to log before I'm caught up!

>8 Mr.Durick: Hmm, the paca. Robert, you're getting increasingly creative!

*wave*

Congrats on the new thread, Suzanne, and I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I'll be thinking of you.

Ooh more reviews. I am wondering whether to test my french on Et Je Dance Aussi as I love epistolary novels.

A bit sad to read the latest Colgans are so formulaic. I read her books about a decade ago and they seemed to be able to play with the clichés a bit (although Marian Keyes would be my preference).

So sorry that this has been a grim year for you, with so many significant losses. Hope 2016 will be kinder. The Millay is a beautiful poem, it made me wonder who she had lost.

That poem rings too true for me too. Too many deaths, and too many impending deaths and people who have been diagnosed with cancer (I'm just hoping that a couple of them in particular have found out early enough).

Edna St. Vincent Millay is insufficiently read and acknowledged these days IMO (like most poetry, I suppose). Lovely poem, beautifully constructed and a fine sentiment toward departed friends.

Chin up, Suz.

What reminded me of Millay was reading something about Mary Oliver this weekend; she was a student or apprentice of hers and lived in her home for a few years in the 1950s in some context.

https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/01/20/mary-oliver-molly-malone-cook-our-world...

Since I love Oliver's poetry, and realized that I knew so little of Millay's, I went looking for some to read. And this one bit me on the nose, for obvious reasons.

2015 has had some high notes as well, obvious. But if most years just kind of plod along, with normal levels of turmoil, this year's lows have been very low and the highs have been a dramatic contrast. All just on a personal level; if my work life had been this volatile, I would be a real mess.

>12 charl08: the French in this is very accessible; there's some slang and jargon, but you'd be fine with an online dictionary. I'd definitely give it a shot. It reminded me of the warm and fuzzy epistolary novels out there; really enjoyed it. When I do read a novel in French, I tend to have a higher "hit rate", it seems. La liste de mes envies will end up on my best of the year list, probably, too.

>10 nittnut: *wave* back

>13 elkiedee: I'm sure part of this is age, and it's inevitable, I recognize. It doesn't make it easier. I'd been bracing to hear of Doug or Helen's death (my foreign service parents; it was Doug who just died) for several years. But since 2001/02, this is the worst year for deaths I can remember.

>11 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. I haven't had very many new threads this year! Indeed have been largely AWOL from LT since the spring, except in fits and starts.

Wouldn't it be interesting to set that poem to music? It so clearly IS a dirge, and has an inherent rhythm. It would sound gorgeous.

316. The Lie by Helen Dunmore


An excellent novel, in spite of the ghostly elements that I don't really like in this author's writing and that were omnipresent in The Greatcoat. The narrator returns to his home village in Cornwall after fighting in WW1; always a bit of an outsider, having had as his best friend the son of the community's wealthiest citizen, he is now more of an outcast thanks to his shell shock; he's also convinced that the spirit of his friend has accompanied him home even though the latter's body lies in fragments in the mud of Flanders. Daniel is alive, and so is Frederick's sister, Felicia -- but there emerging relationship will be haunted by the lie of the title, told about the fate of the elderly woman with whom Daniel lives outside the town on his return there. It's a chilling, sad tale, but utterly compelling and haunting. Recommended, though the recurrent ghostly stuff could have been lost with the exception of one key scene late in the book, I think. 4.75 stars.

317. Longbow Girl by Linda Davies


This almost worked for me, but not really. I like Davies' suspense novels for adults, but in this timeslip book for younger readers, with a teenage heroine, it's as if her passion for a narrative involving the longbow and Welsh ponies took over to too great an extent. Sure, it's interesting, but key plot twists are dealt with in too perfunctory a manner. And the historical segments, when Merry travels back to the 1540s, aren't terribly convincing; Davies shouldn't bother to think about pursuing historical fiction. Hmmm. Not really my cup of tea. 3.35 stars.

318. Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith


This may be my fave in this series so far, although the plots involve a fairly gruesome level of detail about unsavory subjects (in this case, people who voluntarily want to cut their legs or arms off...) Someone sends a whole human leg (female) to Robin, Cormoran Strike's secretary/assistant, and it ignites a quest by Strike to figure out which of the individuals he figures has a grudge against him is in a position to do this, and did do it. The book explores more of Strike's past, which is great, shedding light on his character, but also really delves into Robin as a character too, for the first time in depth. Why her passion for law enforcement? Why does she put up with the prat-like fiancé? Will they ever get married? Answers to all those questions are provided before the book's final pages. I think Galbraith/JK Rowling does a better job exploring the ugly underside of human behavior in the context of mysteries than she did in The Casual Vacancy, which I really didn't like much at all.

319. Waiting for Willa by Dorothy Eden


A re-read of a book I haven't read since I was a teenager, when I went through a phase of relishing romantic suspense books and Gothics (think, Victoria Holt). Two cousins -- one sensible, one flighty. Willa, the latter, sends a coded message signaling that she's in trouble to her cousin, who flies to Stockholm to track her down, and follows clues to a mysterious group of people that she finds in Willa's diary. Rather dated, and the major plot twist at the end is unbelievable -- the sudden and excessively convenient discovery of another diary that Reveals All -- but it was kind of fun to read a novel set in Sweden before (a) it became trendy and was still kind of Nordic and bleak and before (b) Scandicrime was a "thing". 3.3 stars.

320. Pacific Burn by Barry Lancet


Upcoming; I read an e-galley from NetGalley. This is a series set in Tokyo and San Francisco and featuring a chap named Brodie, who doubles as head of an antiques gallery and detective agency. In this third in the series, he investigates the apparent systematic attempt to annihilate all the members of a single prestigious artistic family -- but why? The drama on the route to the solution is more satisfying than the solution itself, but the plus side is that Lancet clearly knows Tokyo and Japan very well. 3.8 stars.

321. One Pair of Hands by Monica Dickens


Another re-read of a book acquired as a teenager; one of two memoirs by Monica Dickens, a descendant of you-know-who. In the 1930s, she doesn't HAVE to work, but is frustrated at being single and idle, so decides after a failed stint at drama school, that she'll work as a cook in people's houses. This was when the servant "problem" was just beginning, and her tales of her various posts are sometimes sobering, sometimes hilarious and sometimes horrifying. All of them offer a window into the era. 3.65 stars. Followed by One Pair of Feet, her chronicle of nursing (or starting off to nurse) in World War 2.

322. A Youthful Indiscretion by Elizabeth Edmondson


This was a novella, but I'm going to count it as a full length work for the purposes of my list, since there are enough items here that are 400 or 500 pages or more... It all averages out! It falls between Edmondson's first book in her new series, and the just-published second one, and is about how Freya identifies the new heir to the Selchester earldom, while putting her life in jeopardy. Leaves a lot of unanswered questions, and is a bit perfunctory, but it's needed to bridge that gap, I suppose. 3 stars.

323. Blood on Snow by Jo Nesbø


Chilling in all senses of the word -- set in winter in Oslo, the tale of a hitman who gets it all wrong. Hired by his contractor "boss" to bump the latter's wife off, Olav (the narrator) decides to solve the problem by killing the wife's lover instead, only to realize he has jumped from the frying pan right into a giant bonfire. He rescues the wife, but now what? This is a short novel, but in many ways it's far more dramatic and intense than either of the Harry Hole novels I've read. Gripping and sad. 4.2 stars.

324. False Tongues by Kate Charles


The latest in the author's series of ecclesiastical mysteries (her second such series); I confess I prefer her previous series of mysteries. This one jumped around a lot, between a mystery unfolding in London and the experiences of her usual protagonist, curate Callie Anson, who is attending a deacons' reunion in Cambridge. In prior books, Callie has been involved in solving the puzzles and crimes, but not this time, and the very tenuous link between the two narratives comes only at the end, making even a series fan wonder what the heck is going on. The main mystery itself could have been quite good, had it not been jumping around constantly, but remained focused. The result is a mediocre book. 3 stars.

325. The Director by David Ignatius


Hmm, not sure of my final verdict on this. Outsider Graham Weber, a star of the corporate world, who resisted demands to deliver subscriber data to the intelligence world when running a telecom company, has been named to head up the CIA. But he finds it very, very difficult to navigate the treacherous labyrinth of intelligence officials. The other protagonist is a Julian Assange like character, working for the CIA but in favor of open information and plugged into the world of hackers -- is he being manipulated? acting out of principle? committing treason? Either way, Weber finds himself in jeopardy when he decides to trust the young man, and a complicated scenario unfolds. Who are the white hats and who are the black hats? I liked the nuance and the idea that it's hard to pin down the "good guys"; the exploration of hacker culture also is very cool (and made me want to learn to code...) but the book as a whole sometimes felt sprawling and messy. I also kept trying to decode Ignatius's agenda. 4 stars.

The Millay poem is wonderful. Back in college, when Allen Ginsberg and Robert Blake were coming on campus for poetry readings, I had an unconscionable preference for Millay and Teasdale, and bought and read their books. That poem resonates perfectly right now. Along with another fav, Dylan Thomas, Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night.

326. Everybody Rise by Stephanie Clifford


The first of two books I actually read this summer -- this one in June -- but for some reason didn't log at the time and now had to back and fill. This one I didn't particularly enjoy, though it got some gushing "summer read" reviews. Chick lit type novel, of a young woman who tries some social climbing in New York and falls from grace. Kind of lacking in taste and not tremendously impressive writing, either. 2.5 stars. Left me completely cold.

327. Straight to Hell by John Lefevre


This I picked up at BookExpo; a book with a bit of a history by the guy behind the Twitter account @GSElevator. Of course, when it turned out that he had never worked at Goldman Sachs, he lost his first book deal, and the book he did write about his misadventures as an investment banker is pretty much what you'd expect -- booze and drugs and misdemeanors of all kinds -- but still entertaining, if predictable. 3.7 stars. The second of my "catch up" books; I think I completed this in July.

328. A Question of Inheritance by Elizabeth Edmondson


The second in the author's new series of 1950s light mysteries. The new (American) heir to the Selchester earldom has arrived with his two daughters; the displaced and disgruntled daughter of the former earl brings two guests for Christmas dinner, one of whom ends up dead. There's a mystery involving paintings, and more Cold War doings. Mildly entertaining and a kind of odd feel-good comfort read vibe to it. 3.8 stars.

329. Elgar's Third by David Pownall


I saw and loved the playwright's other work about Elgar, Elgar's Rondo, in performance in London by the RSC many moons ago, and bought a volume of his "composer plays" as a result. Finally got around to reading this, while listening to a recording of the posthumously-completed symphony. Fabulous. Pownall can capture musical creativity in language. 4.3 stars.

330. The Wyndham Case by Jill Paton Walsh


A re-read of the first of four mysteries featuring Imogen Quy, a school nurse at a Cambridge college. They are elegantly written and very nuanced; little gems. Too complex to be cozy; too character driven to be procedurals; they are sui generis. I wish there were more than four of 'em. In this opening book, Imogen, the college nurse, ends up puzzling out just how and why a student is found dead inside a locked library. 4.5 stars.

331. Hogfather by Terry Pratchett


Not my favorite of Pratchett's works, because I kept stopping to puzzle out precisely what it was that he was doing or trying to say. Was the Hogfather dead? Or kidnapped? Or... ? Why was Susan biffing bogeymen on the head? Just not quite as much fun as the Night Watch series, although there were some very funny bits and pieces, as always with Pratchett. 3.9 stars.

332. The Muralist by B. A. Shapiro


Oh, I want to like this author's books, but I keep kind of falling short. This was one of those dual narrative yarns -- in one strand, the contemporary heroine, a frustrated artist turned art researcher, stumbles across some paintings that she is sure were done by her mysterious great aunt, who vanished in 1940, and discovers that not only was she best buddies with Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner and Mark Rothko, but that Eleanor Roosevelt bought her work. She sets out to discover what happened to her... The other strand of the tale, of course, belongs to the great aunt in question, who is trying to save her family, trapped in France and Belgium, before it's too late and they are caught up in the Holocaust. There are far too many improbable twists and turns, unfortunately, although art lovers will have fun with the background context and the intro to American abstract impressionism. 3.65 stars. Overly pat and sentimental conclusion.

333. A Piece of Justice by Jill Paton Walsh


The second in the Imogen Quy series, in which patchwork quilting and advanced mathematics combine in an unlikely way with the study of biography, and the mysterious disappearances or deaths of a series of biographers. Imogen is intent on ensuring that her friend and lodger, Fran, won't be the next to meet a sticky end. 4.5 stars.

334. Murder on Amsterdam Avenue by Victoria Thompson


One of those long-lived series that has taken 17 books to get to the point where Sarah Brandt and Frank Malloy are getting married. (They met in book #1...) I like the New York backdrops of the late 1890s, though, and some of the plots that shed light on the manners and mores of the time are intriguing, although they also tend to move slowly and predictably. This one was better than average, so it earns 3.7 stars from me: the poisoning of the son of an alcoholic Knickerbocker family man whose wife was a Southern woman that he saved from the chaos of the Civil War.

335. The Rival Queens by Nancy Goldstone


A delightful surprise, since I really didn't think all that much of Goldstone's previous bio of Joanna of Sicily. Yes, she occasionally slips too much into the modern vernacular -- even when translating letters sent by the likes of Henri III of France -- which, while clearly designed to make the tale appeal to more readers, wasn't in keeping with the formal style of the original content. She also has a taste for glib side notes -- wink, wink; nudge nudge. So, in reference to Catherine de Medici and the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of the French Huguenots, she quips, "one little massacre and you're tainted for life." Aside from those lapses in stylistic judgement, this dual biography of Catherine and her youngest daughter, Marguerite de Valois (Queen Margot, for those who have read Dumas, or seen the film), is fascinating; she does an able job of resurrecting the latter's reputation and showing the far from being an adept Machiavellian student, Catherine was an impulsive and unstable leader, albeit a woman who wielded tremendous power for decades. Goldstone's Margot comes vividly to life, however: imagine the strength required to survive when not only your husband but your brother and mother all have made attempts on your life, and when several of your lovers have been murdered or executed? Margot does -- and outlives them all and thrives. Loved this story and the book. 4.5 stars; could have been 5 stars had it not been for those stylistic hiccups.

And now I am completely up to date with my reviews!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So many reviews! I see several that tempt me, but I am definitely adding Rival Queens to the pile. I believe I can ignore the glib side notes. Lol. The Jill Paton Walsh series intrigues as well. I like a good mystery. Have you read the Harriet Vane series as well? Do you like it as much?

Congratulations on getting caught up!

Congrats on being up to date! I'm about to dive into Career of Evil so good to see that you liked it most of the three so far.
I also have Blood on Snow on audio to get to, I see the next book is already out. I finished the Harry Hole series earlier in the year and also enjoyed both the book and film of Headhunters.

I liked Longbow Girl more than you though I could also see some of the limitations in the plot. I try to read with the target audience in mind and so am possibly a bit more forgiving. That said I really liked all the detail about the longbow in general and felt a little cheated that she didn't draw out the competition a bit more seeing it was so important.

I just finished The Ambassador and enjoyed it though it didn't really wow me. What I liked most was the silky paper that was used, it really added to my reading pleasure, turning each page was a sensory experience.

Adding that I'm finally reading and enjoying Let's kill uncle. Let's not work out how long ago you recommended it to me.

Very fine choice of poem at the top. I am truly sorry about the year you've had, but you know that.

So glad that you read and loved Pnin! Since reading the bio of his wife, Vera, I've thought a lot about the fact that since she believed so fiercely that he was a genius and cleared the decks for him to do nothing but write a lot of the time, he had this pressure to live up to that . . . not that he didn't also think he was a genius. But Pnin somehow, feels like an expression of an aspect of Nabokov. I have to reread it!

Oh and love the Rohan Mistry too! They made a movie of it which I saw once and also adored.

>20 nittnut: Yes, I've read most of the Wimsey/Harriet Vane mysteries by Jill Paton Walsh as well, though not the most recent, The Late Scholar. I don't think I enjoy them quite as much, perhaps because she's more constrained, using characters that were developed by another (very good) writer decades ago. It's just a different kind of series.

>21 avatiakh: I've not yet read The Ambassador but since I have a Kindle version, I won't get the same tactile experience, alas... And nope, I won't go back to figure out when I recommended Let's Kill Uncle. But it while I was still living in NY and long before I even contemplated moving. So, many years...

>22 sibylline: I'm trying to focus on the fact that this year has had its highlights, too, and hoping that there won't be any more major problems. Most of all, I'm hoping the Guardian renews my contract for 2016. Please, start praying and sacrificing to divinities... I was curious about a possible link between Pnin and Nabokov and you've further piqued that curiosity!! And of course, there is a portrayal of an ex-wife in Pnin that isn't terribly sympathetic, which is intriguing...

Erm -- Rohan Mistry? Didn't read anything by him...

336. Waiting for Wednesday by Nicci French


This is the third in a quite good series by a husband-and-wife writing time who previously had collaborated on what I think of as "woman-in-peril" novels -- first person narratives of suspense of the kind made popular by The Girl in the Train, with lots of twists and turns. These are a bit more nuanced, featuring lots of psychological insights, since the main character, Frieda Klein, is a psychiatrist who becomes entangled with the police in a series of crime investigations. While each book has its own plot, there is a recurrent plot element linking them dating back to the elements of the crime focused on in the first book, that means you shouldn't start here, but begin reading with Blue Monday. That said: in this book, Frieda has been discredited with the police, so when her professional nemesis starts messing with her publicly, and she starts to probe something that she wonders whether or not might be a crime, it's hard to get anyone to take her seriously. Meanwhile, the police are investigating something that they know IS a crime: the violent murder of a wife and mother of three. There's a lot happening in this book, and Frieda herself isn't always in good shape, physically or mentally, thanks to her misadventures in the "Tuesday" book, but it's still a good read, and very suspenseful towards the end. That said, the authors don't do a good job of explaining just why it is that Frieda's Spidey senses are sent tingling, which kind of niggled at me. That important lack kept this to 3.9 stars.

337. Faith and Beauty by Jane Thynne


Another series book! This is the fourth tome chronicling English actress Clara Vine's adventures in Nazi Germany. Thanks to her German born mother, she has been welcomed at the Ufa studios; what no one in Berlin realizes, as she mingles with the Nazi elite, is that (a) her dead mother was actually Jewish and (b) that she is an agent of British intelligence. But at least one of those secrets, it becomes clear during this novel, is now in jeopardy, and the clock is ticking: it's the summer of 1939, and her intelligence bosses want Clara to find out whether the rumors of a possible Hitler/Stalin pact are true. Meanwhile, she becomes entangled with a young woman from the Faith and Beauty school. The connection between the murder of the latter's best friend and that plot line with Clara's own tale, is revealed only very very late in the book, so I kept feeling as if I was reading two parallel stories involving a set of characters who happened to know each other. I didn't really mind that much, but it didn't make for as coherent a novel as it could have been. Both strands were good, though, so this is still 4.25 stars. A riveting series and very atmospheric; try this if you liked David Downing's Zoo Station and the succeeding books.

Thanks for all the reviews. I was thinking of you yesterday as I went through some unexpected dental woe. Mostly better now, and of course I was doped to the gills, but dentistry can be messy.

>25 ffortsa: Ouch. Glad to hear that you're improving, and sorry to hear about the problems... No fun at all, as of course you know. I do like nitrous oxide, however. It's the one drug that I could quite happily buy illegally and stay stoned on for the rest of my life.

Reading Our Man in Charleston and finding it very good indeed. Picked up some more books at the library, including the new Inspector Chen mystery by Qiu Xiaolong; I've also been approved for some interesting-looking novels by NetGalley, so it's time to get reading.

But mostly following the news out of Paris with a mixture of horror, heartbreak and disbelief. Not utter disbelief, given the ample grounds for radicalization created by French society, which has managed to tolerate both anti-Maghrebi AND anti-Semitic points of view in recent decades; quite a feat. That's now being exploited to the hilt by the evil "people" of ISIS, clearly. First, Charlie Hebdo; then, the attack on the train that was foiled by the vacationing US military members; now this, the most horrific yet. At least it was brought under control quickly, but at tremendous cost.

Congratulations on catching up with your reviews. You certainly caught me with the first Imogen Quy book; I ordered it. I'm looking at Jane Thynne, doggone it! I agree with your liking of Cormoran 3.
I'm not sure that I've said, but I also am sorry for this year of loss. You may believe that I'm on board with renewing your contract with The Guardian - for your sake and for ours.
Paris. Unthinkable.

338. Our Man in Charleston: Britain's Secret Agent in the Civil War South by Christopher Dickey


The subtitle is a bit misleading here, since Robert Bunch, the diplomat of the title, took up his post in the early 1850s, long before the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter, and actually was deprived of his right to claim diplomatic protection a few years before the fighting ended; indeed, the civil war years after the first year of fighting, occupy only a very small part of this book. Instead, what Dickey does is do a masterful job of documenting Britain's role in trying to stop the slave trade and steer an even course between Washington and the threat by the southern states to secede. While the South assumed that Britain was naturally sympathetic to them (and some southerners even talked about restoring the monarchy!) because of the British need for cotton, Dickey points out the hostility that also existed, given the way that Southern laws provided for the seizure of free "colored" British seamen (or passengers!) on ships that docked in Southern ports like Charleston and their imprisonment in jails while the ship remained there. And that was a best case scenario -- at worst, those individuals could find themselves sold into slavery once more... Bunch comes across as a careerist and ambitious when he arrives in Charleston -- he wants to make his name known to Lord Palmerston, the formidable British foreign secretary, by solving this matter. But soon he becomes a fierce, if secret opponent of slavery, even if he has to dissemble for his own safety and in order to represent his government, as he continues living among Charlestonians. Dickey draws on Bunch's own scathing dispatches to his bosses in London, and on the chronicles of those whom Bunch helped to document what was going on, including the illicit importing of slaves from Africa decades after the trade had been banished. In chilling anecdotes, Bunch's allies meet slaves who, under their masters' eyes, insist they were born in Georgia, even though they have African tribal scars and filed teeth characteristic of those born in, say, Angola. Aside from the overly rushed final chapters that relegate the experience of the war itself to almost a footnote, this was excellent and revelatory. 4.75 stars.

339. One Mile Under by Andrew Gross


At the other end of the quality spectrum, but not entirely without merit -- a popular "read it and forget it" thriller. Ty Hauck has saved the world a few times (or at least pockets of it), and when this novel opens is cruising the Caribbean to recover from his injuries. Then a friend calls and asks him to help his daughter, Ty's goddaughter, who has run into trouble in Colorado -- she believes she has spotted a conspiracy behind several deaths that the local cops insist are accidents. Of course, there IS a conspiracy, and it's tied to fracking and evildoers in the energy biz. Timely, if banal, and there's some decent suspense that had my pulse thumping quite a bit. 3.4 stars. Still, it does fall into that "read it and forget it" category.

Brain doing a stupid - Rohan O'Grady = author of Let's Kill Uncle.

I was, frankly, weirded out by the Nabokov marriage, but I doubt the ex-wife has anything to do with Vera. I have to reread it, no question, now that I know so much more about them.

Lovely to see you again, Suz! Just finished your excellent article in the Guardian - Huzzah! Nicely done, as always.

John and I quite impressed with your Japanese exchange with the clerk at the store. Of course we'll be even more impressed when you finish that sweater!

Hope you made it home all right!

Hey Marianne, yes, home safely and thanks for all the advice re the yarn!! I'll be glad when I finish it, too...

A bit headachey, so not doing much today. Did get the A/C units out of my windows with the help of my upstairs neighbor, Greg. Tomorrow and Weds will be frantically busy, I think, then a day of quiet on Thanksgiving (passed up the chance to spend the day with friends since I decided to opt for a day to veg out, read and watch DVDs...), another day of frantic work, and then hopefully a moderately peaceful weekend when I can begin work on The Sweater. I'll be going down to Atlanta the evening of the 9th for a week with D but it will NOT be done by then, nor will I take it with me; would like to have it done by January 14 when he comes up to spend a week with me in NYC but that may be pushing it...

>29 sibylline: My brain does "stupids" constantly. Meanwhile, I clearly need to read more Nabokov. Not sure I really want to read Lolita; speaking of being "weirded out", the older man's obsession with precocious tweener has always kind of creeped me out. I loved his writing in Pnin and have read some of his non-fiction stuff. So, maybe Pale Fire? or something else?

Meanwhile, after reading The Orenda, which was excellent but intense, I have been indulging in mindless entertainment as reading.

>31 Chatterbox: I read Pale Fire in college and thought it grand, then read it again this past year and thought it boring.

Don't let the creepiness push you away from Lolita. What a song it is to America, in all its crass and shiny vulgarity.

Ow! You got me again with the *Man in Charleston*. Firmly on the wish list!
I'm having a good time with Imogen Quy, thank you. And as for stupid brains, mine is going "IMogen, IMogen, IMogen" as I do my daily chores. Even without the final e, she would be imoGENE around here if she could escape being Eye-mogene. (I have heard of more than one Y-vonnie, spelled Yvonne. Also a Roan-AY, spelled Rona. O.K. That's enough.)
And my only Nabokov so far was Ada shortly after it came out. More to read!

Re Nabokov, maybe I'll try one of the lesser known books, like Bend Sinister, The Defense or The Real life of Sebastian Knight first?

Just finished the very rambling new Anne Tyler novel. Yes, she can write, but what's all the fuss about? Sigh.

>28 Chatterbox: Okay, this is weird. I saw Christopher Dickey's name and I was transported back decades to a time when he and his parents visited my family. Yes, my father (a professor of English at a southern university and a rather unsuccessful - but published - poet himself) knew James Dickey. They were perhaps colleagues and compatriots more than friends, but their social and professional circles certainly overlapped. I have a clear memory of playing basketball with Christopher Dickey in our driveway while our parents were inside drinking coffee and visiting! I was perhaps ten years old. Christopher was a bit older and much taller and was a nice guy as I recall. I had no idea he had also become a writer but I will be seeking out his work and I see that there is a conversation with him about his father.

Wow.

>36 EBT1002: The world is a very, VERY small place! This just reconfirms my existing views of this matter. Especially when you define the "world" as those people who are educated and living in North America and Europe. Forget six degrees of separation -- three at most. Heck, I am "connected" to George Clooney in only two steps. (Someone I know somewhat, via work, knows him well.)

Thank you for the turkey! I'm having a very quiet day... Will be going to Atlanta on the 9th; D is driving down, with his elder daughter, to visit younger daughter at college in Mississippi. I was invited, but thought, hmm, no, I'll wait for another time!

Very grey and chilly looking outside, but I have books and DVDs inside, so that is good. Cuddled up in my sweatpants and fave warm sweater.

So many pretty pretty book covers. Mmmmm. Delicious :)

Sorry to hear about (again here) the deaths of friends and loved ones of yours. They (whoever "they" are) say that no matter how expected it is, it is always a huge visceral shock when someone you love dies. I agree with that.

Oh no! Only 4 Imogen Quys???!!!! I loved #1 and have ordered the other three. *sigh*
Hope you're enjoying your Thanksgiving weekend!

>37 Chatterbox: Yes, I totally agree. When we narrow "the world" down a bit, it's unbelievably small. And made smaller, I think, by our technology and ease of travel (although my vague connection to James Dickey is not dependent on technology!).

"Cuddled up in my sweatpants and fave warm sweater." Sounds perfect.

>38 LovingLit: Thanks; it has been a nasty year in terms of deaths of people close to me. It started badly on that front, with the death of a favorite cousin, and now my "foreign service father". I really hope that's it for a while. I suppose there can always be more, but I don't think I'd end up feeling worse than I have at times this year. Happily, there have been friends in my corner to help me keep putting one foot in front of the other until I found the willpower to do it myself.

Yes, aren't book covers pretty? Though I have to say that this big sentimental surge of affection for books as physical objects seems very, um, melodramatic. It's almost as if an anti e-book backlash is building. IMHO, there is plenty of room for both, and the "real book" folks are almost gleeful when they point out things like studies showing that reading on backlit screens before bedtime is bad for your sleep. Well, yeah, but unless you're reading on a Kindle Fire or iPad, you're NOT reading on a backlit screen. Sigh. I love my Kindles; I can wander around with thousands of books at my fingertips and without straining a shoulder.

>39 LizzieD: I really, really wish she'd return to that series, though I suppose that channeling Lord Peter Wimsey is too good to resist. It's not that those are bad novels; just that I think the Imogen Quy ones are much, much better (and original!)

>40 EBT1002: I've had a pretty quiet two days, although I did have to scurry to get my Guardian column written today. Tomorrow, will make a foray to the library and maybe a movie, since I have to go the Lego store for a gift for my younger nephew (the older nephew, aged 12, is a book addict who now has graduated to reading adult books, though the problem is finding the non-fiction he prefers that doesn't have age-inappropriate content that would require parental explanations. I'm unpopular enough with my brother and sister in law.)

Shall try and bring my reading up to date again over the weekend...

I have always been a paper-book reader. My status hasn't changed mainly due to the fact that I don't have the tech to support an e book habit. But give me a kindle, and a system to use it with, and I can bet I'd be hooked.
Is it the hipsters whipping up this melodramatic storm of paper book nostalgia? I have always been a little suspicious of digital anything, so am firmly with the hipsters, but I hope not too fervently.

The one thing I don't like about the Kindle is that you can only buy the right to read the book; you don't own it outright. So you can't transfer ownership, as you might with a "real" book. So, I could mail you a copy of a book I possess, but I couldn't transfer an e-book to you. (I could lend it, for a two week period, but that's it.) I think there should be a limited number of resales allowed, just as a library e-book license gives the library a finite number of loans before it expires (just as a "real" book might fall apart from wear and tear.) So, you and I could agree that you'd pay me 5 cents or $5 for the book, conclude our transaction between us however we wanted, and I would then transfer the book to your account. It would vanish from my device, but become accessible to you.

I also wonder what will happen to my vast collection of e-books when I die? I suspect I'll have to leave my password and my Kindles to someone, with instructions to keep my account open. Anyone interested?? (Anyone in their 20s/30s, that is, who is likely to outlive me??)

^ darn it, I am JUST out of my 30s ;)
Your collection of digital books would be a worthy library to a small town.
I get what you mean about that aspect of the kindle. Also, they can just pull a book you have paid for whenever they want, just remove it from your device. I heard they did that when an edition / version of a book was deemed not saleable by the author (or publisher) one time. Not the best or most reliable story, I know, but it illustrates my point.

>44 LovingLit: Well, Megan, if you think you might outlive me, I'll stick you in my will as the beneficiary!

You can get around that "yanking" thing by simply never connecting your device to the Internet. I have done that to my advantage once or twice, I confess -- returning a book that was really sub par and that I wished I hadn't paid for within 24 hours, but not connecting to the Internet until I had finished reading it. So, you see, if I left you my Kindles, the idea would be that they would be e-book libraries. You'd have to download a certain number of books on each one, until each book is on at least one device and nothing is left in the cloud. Then you just wouldn't use the account again in case they removed any content.

And while I don't like Amazon's ability to do that, to be fair to them in the case you mention, it was an instance where they or the publisher didn't have the rights to issue an e-book version of the work in question! It was some popular classic -- maybe Catcher in the Rye or something of that kind? And someone ignored copyright law to put out an e-book copy. It wasn't until Amazon got a complaint from the copyright holder that they stopped what was happening.

It's rainy and gloomy today and I have a small migraine, so no movies, Lego store Xmas shopping or anything else for me. Home with books and cats. Such hardship. *grin*

>43 Chatterbox: On the verge of buying a Kindle (P and I are thinking we'll give them to one another for Christmas), these are things I think about. If I read a book that I like, I can pass it along to a friend or put it in the Little Free Library down the street. The sharing of books is an important aspect of my love for them....

Still, as one who travels, the idea of a Kindle seems like a good one.

>46 EBT1002: What I said above notwithstanding, I love my Kindle(s) and wouldn't be without them, including my illicit UK one. The books are more affordable (so I buy more) and they are more portable. I can download and read library books (some of 'em anyway). And there are countless cheap Kindle books (just look in my LT library under the tag "Kindle Sale", and you'll see what I mean -- most of 'em bought for as little as $1.99/$2.99 or 99 pence, if they are UK books.) I got my first Kindle waaay back in 2008 and have never once regretted paying what now looks like a fortune for it. I buy very, very few "real" books any more, for space reasons. (too many of 'em already...)

Being a convinced Luddite, Saad's little brother gets more use out of my Kindle than I do myself and he watches cartoons on it. I must admit that I like its ability to sort and classify the huge number of books I have on there and which I really must use to catalogue onto LT.

Have a lovely long Thanksgiving weekend, dear lady.

>48 PaulCranswick: Is that a tablet rather than a proper ereader, Paul?

>48 PaulCranswick: sounds like a Kindle Fire rather than plain vanilla Kindle e-reader, Paul. I almost never read on my Fire; use it for video and for audiobooks, primarily, and other tablet-y stuff. (But not work; can't work on a tablet as I'd have to get a separate tablet, etc etc. Not worth it.)

Boo hoo. I can barely understand a word of the last 6 posts. Seriously, a lot of it is outside my knowledge range. But I get your point(s) in theory, Suzanne.
I think my bottom line is that for a mega serious multiple hundreds of books read a year type person (like....?) a kindle is an absolute must. Imagine how much room 4000-odd books take up, physically!

>51 LovingLit: I don't have to imagine. I just have to walk into my living room...

>52 Chatterbox: LOL

>52 Chatterbox: I know the feeling :)
But not in the living room but in the bedroom and the cellar and .... the living room is ruled by my wife, and she prefers flowers to books

>54 paulstalder: My mother likes both flowers AND books. She has Japanese ikebana flower arrangements AND stacks of books (largely unread) in her living room, which is much smaller than mine. She accumulates library books at a far more rapid rate than I do, and reads far more slowly, so the result is very, very orderly clutter. She is incredibly tidy and organized, but has a LOT of stuff in a relatively small apartment.

Catching up here and making notes on a few titles of interest -- also omitting a few due to your comments.

I was really hoping to get to Our Man in Charleston last month, but with all the holds on it at the library (and not many copies to go around) it will probably be February before I see it! As always, I thoroughly enjoy reading your book comments - thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.

I'm sorry it's been such a rough year for year - it's been a difficult one for me, too.

Now I return to my regularly scheduled lurking......

Enjoying the conversation! I have so far resisted any e-book readers. I did try out my huband's but I just didn't like it. I like the way books feel and look. The only thing that might win me over in the end is being able to adjust the print size.

And if they do as you suggest, allow you to "sell" or give away your books as you would real ones. I find that piece of it offensive.

Popping in with a bit different pov..... Because new books are at least half-price for the Kindle, I don't mind that they are for my device only. I got around that by putting Mama's Kindle on my account so that she can have what I buy. I do feel the frustration a bit, but not enough to be really bothered.

I could have SWORN that I had posted a reply here... and it has vanished. Gremlins...

I will just say that I hadn't expected my visceral response with my Kindle to be as favorable as it was. For me, the words seem to matter far more than whether they are on a page or a device, thankfully; once I start reading, the "how" of it simply recedes into irrelevancy. I still appreciate books as tangible objects, of course, but that's a different thing. When it comes to the actual act of reading, I've discovered I'm utterly neutral. Sometimes the Kindle is physically sleasier -- lighterweight and more flexible (for longer books); sometimes the footnotes are annoying to access on it (the biggest headache for reading).

>57 Dejah_Thoris: Sorry your year has been crap as well. Mine has had its high points as well, I'm glad to say; it's just that the bad points have been VERY bad. I would just like a calm, placid 2016. Maybe if I take some anti-anxiety meds??

I was lucky to get Our Man in Charleston from NetGalley, which means I owe them a review at some point, in some forum. When I get my life sorted out a bit more.

>59 LizzieD: I have to accept that while I may place a high value on my physical library, others won't. With a few exceptions -- books that really are valuable because of age and scarcity -- they will one day be resold via Amazon or elsewhere for $1 apiece or something. Or pulped. They have sentimental or practical value to me because they have spent their lives with me. So the lack of a secondary market value for my Kindle shouldn't really bother me -- that value is largely theoretical anyway. It's more the inability to pass along a book that I have enjoyed but don't wish to keep for myself, in the same way that I could a dead-tree book. I don't really begrudge it, but it's a difference that is notable and I think should be addressed somehow.

Trying to figure out which library books should be read before I go to Atlanta (because otherwise they'll start accumulating late fees while I'm gone.) Meanwhile, off to Boston to get my hair chopped tomorrow. It's getting long and shaggy.

My horrific five/six day migraine is FINALLY OVER and I feel liberated. It's like being reborn. Argh, that was hellish. Especially since I had to go to NYC to substitute host for the book circle. Don't ask; too complicated to explain.

*whispers* I'm glad your migraine is done. Gone. Banished. Welcome back to the world.

>60 Chatterbox: Love your description of your visceral response to the Kindle. I think you've beautifully described what I'm curious about -- how I will feel reading words on a device instead of on a page. I would hope it would be neutral once I got into the act of reading. And yes, I will always appreciate (and want to acquire) books as tangible objects. That part I know.

The play at the Seattle Rep lived up to and exceeded all expectations. It was truly wonderful.

Couldn't agree more with you, Suz, about being neutral on how I'm reading. In many cases, I actually prefer doing so on my Kindle. I often look to see if the library has an e-book copy of a book that I own and want to read just because I find the Kindle easier and more portable. Especially for longer books.

>61 EBT1002: I almost had it flare up again; I was trying to make the 4:40 train home from Boston after getting my hair cut but was swarmed by a bunch of drunken Santas, elves, reindeer and even the occasion Xmas tree (including one with flashing tree lights, powered by some kind of battery pack). They literally surrounded me and blocked me from moving. So I couldn't get from Boylston up to Back Bay station. Grrr. took refuge at the Copley Plaza hotel and had clam chowdah for a VERY late lunch to recover my equilibrium and wait for the next train in comfort.

Glad the play was good!!

I was surprised, myself, at the extent to which I found the Kindle books easy to read. When it's a big fat book that's clumsy to read in bed or to lug around -- well, a nice lightweight Kindle version (packed alongside hundreds of other tempting book treats...) cannot be beat. I do with the library made more e-books available to borrow, but the economics of that haven't been fixed yet.

Home tomorrow & Monday, then to NYC on Tuesday morning; some work stuff & my neurologist. Flying to Atlanta on Weds evening for the best part of a week, though D just confessed he has planned absolutely nothing. Nada. Niente. Oh well, such is life. We'll figure it out! (Meanwhile, I'm already making a plan or two for when he's in NY for a week in mid-Jan, because some things you just need to plan, you know??)

Reading is mostly lightweight stuff, though I'm venturing back to Stacy Schiff and the witches of Salem. Liking it more than I had feared I would from the initial NY Times review, but then I wasn't expecting a book that would break new scholarly ground.

Need to catch up with my book mini-reviews...

Safe travels to Atlanta! Have a wonderful time!

Having a fab time, thanks, Marianne. Only 48 hours left, though... :-(

Amazing food! Went to Fat Matt's Rib Shack for BBQ; I had a half a bird and D had half a slab (chicken and ribs, respectively.) I may have to go back for another fix before we leave. And I've had the best biscuits I have EVER had in my life at a place to the north of here, near Keithsburg, Ga, where one of D's clients is based. To die for. I do NOT want to think of the butter content, however. And one of the best burgers I've ever had in my life yesterday at a place downtown.

Have accomplished little to no reading; there hasn't been time for it...

And home again from Atlanta, though I don't want to be... :-(

Had a great time, even including (don't laugh) a visit to the World of Coca-Cola. For high culture, try The High Museum, and a fabulous exhibit from Vienna's Kunsthistorisches (sp) Museum -- all Habsburg related stuff. Fabulous. Lots of great food and music and stuff. Caught a movie.

And now I'm grumpy that I'm back. Harumph.

>66 Chatterbox: I've been to the World of Coca-Cola! It was a fun activity with a group. Did they talk you into tasting the nasty-tasting one? I don't remember which country it was from. Maybe Italy?

>67 cbl_tn: Yes!!! It was "Beverly", from Italy. D couldn't resist, and of course, that meant that I couldn't, either. It took three samples of something nice to wash that vile taste out of my mouth... And we both emerged from the retail store with Coke patterned pyjama pants. (the latter were on sale...)

I did rather like the gingerbread coke, though. And there were some light fruit flavored ones from Asia and Africa that were good, though also some (especially from Africa) that had SO much sugar in them that I thought I was about to have a fit on the spot.

>68 Chatterbox: Ah, yes, Beverly! I'll have to remember to avoid her next time! ;)

So, Suz, Kirkus Reviews has this book among their best nonfiction of 2015:

The House of Twenty Thousand Books.

Is it one with which you are familiar? I'm sure how you can see how it might attract LTers...

>66 Chatterbox: I saw that exhibition when it came to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. I thought one of the imperial sleighs was particularly impressive.

>70 ronincats: Nope, hadn't heard of it before, but I am now! And it's on request from the library, which also was familiar with it... :-)

>71 Oberon:, Yes, the sleigh was fabulous! So were some of the paintings -- Titian, Correggio, Holbein, Velazquez, etc. A who's who of art over four centuries.

>70 ronincats: Love that title. Sounds like my house!!

Very few of my new book purchases are actual books (usually Kindle books), yet my physical books still seem to overrun the house.

>73 lindapanzo: Yup, my house is awash in books. Not 20,000 -- perhaps only 11,000 or so. Still, enough that D was flashing around a picture he took of my living room wall full of books. Apparently it looks like a branch of the Atlanta Public Library... (consensus opinion...)

World of Coca-Cola ... HA! Amazing what we'll do on vacation! Glad you ate well, saw the sights and had a generally rollicking good time. Welcome back to New England!

So was the BBQ good enough to convince you to move?

So glad you had a good time in Atlanta!

>76 katiekrug: In conjunction with other stuff, almost! The downside? I'd have to (a) learn to drive and (b) possess a car. And the traffic is dreadful.

Those are pretty major downsides. Uber could be your friend, but I don't really know Atlanta at all, so I'm just grasping at straws :)

So glad you had a good time, though!

I guess there's some debate as to whether Atlanta is still really the South, but I'm glad you had a good time and are back home safe and sound.
Now - read, woman! And let us know!! Thanks!!!

>78 Chatterbox: Atlanta traffic terrifies me! My brother lived there for a couple of years when he was in grad school at Georgia Tech. I never got used to the traffic.

>72 Chatterbox: Whatever other failings the Hapsburgs may have had their art collection was pretty spectacular.

I have been lazy. Mea culpa; mea maxima culpa...

340. The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid


I'd had the NetGalley version of this hanging around for some time -- saving it for a rainy day -- and finally decided to pick it up and read it. It's a two-pronged narrative, revolving around a cold case: the discovery of a long-dead body in the tower of an abandoned building in Edinburgh. But who was it and who killed him -- and why? The trail leads back to the Balkans. The mystery takes a decided back seat to the interplay of the characters that McDermid introduces, and to the situation she explores. I confess I prefer her more straightforward crime novels -- dealing with war crimes isn't quite her forte, as she tries to tread delicately but doesn't quite manage the deftness it requires -- but it's still a good, worthwhile novel for the author's fans, of whom I'm one. 4 stars.

341. A Pattern of Lies by Charles Todd


An above-average mystery in the Bess Crawford series, which I'm MUCH less enamored of than I am the Ian Rutledge mysteries by the same mother and son writing team. This one revolves around the explosion at an armaments facility on the home front, and the toxic mix of envy, suspicion and hatred left in its wake. Bess, caught up in the events that have unfolded months later, is on the scene as the factory's owner is arrested for orchestrating the explosion that took the lives of almost every worker, and tries, in the final weeks of the war, to see that justice is done. It's convoluted with -- as usual -- too much rushing around from one point to another. Still, worth 3.75 stars, which is a far above average rating for this series.

342. The Orenda by Joseph Boyden


The author's third novel, and a bit of a departure in many ways. Again, he features a member of the Bird family, but this time, it's the family's progenitor, and the novel is set in the earliest days of New France, with a plot loosely modeled on the time that Jean de Brebeuf (later martyred and sainted) spent living among the Hurons. Completely compelling, engaging and fascinating: the chronicle, from three points of view, of the first contacts between the Jesuit missionaries (and the French explorers/settlers in the early 17th century in Canada) and the Hurons, as told by a missionary, a Huron warrior and chieftain, and a young Iroquois girl, kidnapped by him in revenge for the murders of his own wife and children, and who he decides -- in spite of her own reluctance -- will become his own daughter. The drama intensifies, as the Jesuits have an unpredictable impact on Huron society and Snow Falls, the girl, grows to young womanhood in a period of unprecedented cultural clashes and change. I cried in the final chapters. 4.7 stars.

343. A Paris Affair by Tatiana de Rosnay


Short stories about love and adultery. Really, I don't know why I bothered. It's not that I object to the theme; it's just that with the exception of Sarah's Key and Moka (the latter never translated into English), the author can't seem to write anything that isn't exceptionally banal and tedious. Yawn. 2.3 stars. Really, don't bother.

344. Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of Race on America's Campuses


How you feel about this will depend entirely on how you feel about recent events at Mizzou, Yale, Amherst, etc. It's very polemical -- making Ta-Nehisi Coates' book look calm and thoughtful, or at least personal and reasoned. I found the author's insistence that there is only one way to view every event on college campuses disturbing, and his conflation of clearly racist incidents with broader free speech issues as troubling. He also focuses heavily on events associated with fraternities, and I'm not sure (not having attended college in the US) about the extent to which one can extrapolate what happens within a fraternity to a "poisoned" campus culture more broadly. I favor some of his suggestions, but am not sure how some of his other suggestions -- which come across here as demands -- are viable. And as ever, the fact that everything is lumped together in overheated rhetoric makes me fear that some of the stuff that he is saying that needs to be heard, will be tossed overboard by those who need to listen to it. Because yes, if you want an audience, you need to find a way to get them to listen to you. That's merely logical. Or you can be a purist, and... 3.75 stars.

345. Napoleon's Last Island by Thomas Keneally


For some folks, this will be an exercise in frustration, at least in the short term, since it seems as if this is only available in Australia -- and in an audiobook format, via Audible.com. The good news? For audio book fans, it's an exceptionally good listen! (I can vouch for that.) It's also a very, very good book, and worth trying to track down -- or waiting for. It's the story of Napoleon's final years on Saint Helena, told through the eyes of Betsy Balcombe, a young girl when the exiled emperor first arrives. Her family's fate becomes entangled with that of Bonaparte, to the family's disadvantage, and this is that tale. It's vivid and compelling, a coming of age story with a difference: one of claustrophobic colonial society, of an emperor who once commanded half the known world, reduced to governing a tiny swathe of one of its tiniest islands; of a rebellious young girl who refuses to consider herself English but to be of the island, only to find herself banished from it. It's the same story that Thomas Costain told in The Last Love, but MUCH less sentimental. One of my favorite books of the year. 5 stars.

346. All Our Tomorrows by Ted Allbeury


Intriguing -- this now reads as alternative history, but when it was published, back in the early 1980s, it would have been intended as an Awful Warning. The Soviet Union takes advantage of civil unrest in the UK on both the right and the left, which has led Britain to abandon its European and US alliances, and swoops in, pushing the British to accept a de facto occupation -- or else. This is the story of that Soviet occupation... It's amusing as alternative history today. 3.3 stars.

347. A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler


There were moments when I greatly enjoyed this novel -- when the prose shone and glittered, and a phrase perfectly captured an image or sensation or situation in a way that I hadn't even imagined would be possible. But by the time I was midway through, I was already becoming wearing of the slightly rambling and digressive approach that Tyler took to exploring the family relationships and stories, primarily those involving the two sons (one, the natural son, who is more present than absent; the other, "good" son, who turns out to have a different kind of relationship altogether to the family.) The daughters are kind of ciphers; the elder generations are there as a way for Tyler to play around with words and ideas, rather than as characters. So it was only a 3.6 star book; nothing to make me want to return to read more of Tyler in the near future.

348. Wish You Were Here by Catherine Alliott


A better than average premise for this chick lit book, in some ways. Father saves young child from allergic reaction on a plane (he's a doc) and mother, a famous singer, sees an opportunity (for her own reasons) to reward him and his family with a monthlong stay at her chateau in France. The extended family trails along, together with complications. Daughters' boyfriends join the party, wife's ex-bf shows up as bf of husband's sister, etc. etc. But the real mystery involves the motivation of their hostess. Very frothy and mindless, but fun. 3.35 stars.

349. The Storms of War by Kate Williams


Utterly dreadful, and I'm not sure why I bothered to read past the first 150 pages of this chunkster, once I realized that it was going from bleak to bleaker to bleakest. It plodded along, throughout all the grey, gloomy years of WW1, and after the crazy aristocratic mother shot the family's horses, it all went to hell. One of the family members was AWOL throughout the novel, for utterly implausible reasons (to the extent reasons were ever provided!) and it just stayed very bad. If you want to read a family saga set in WWI, try those by Sarah Harrison or Philip Rock. Save yourself from this. 2.2 stars. And I'm not sure why I'm being that generous. Perhaps because I did finish it?

350. Life Class by Pat Barker


At the other end of the WWI spectrum is this novel. OK, it's not as good as Regeneration, but it's fascinating in its own way. The key characters are a group of artists at the Slade at the outbreak of war, especially Paul Tarrant and Elinor Brooke. Paul ends up being rejected for active service, and becomes a medic and ambulance driver in the war's earliest days; Elinor, for her part, simply tries to reject the war altogether, to the point of ignoring its existence utterly. While the war brings them together romantically, it also divides them philosophically and artistically; Paul finally finds the artistic voice he has been seeking in vain, but it's one that Elinor can't accept. Fascinating. I'll be reading the next book in this trilogy, Toby's Room, which focuses on Elinor's brother, Toby, and Kit, another of the Slade group. 4.5 stars. There's a third book, too -- Noonday.

No one could ever call you lazy!!! 350 books!! The Keneally is on my list. Thanks.

Hi Suzanne - great reviews.

I'm adding the Keneally to my wishlist and am pretty sure I saw it last week in Marsden Books, our lovely independent bookstore in the next suburb over from us. I bought Life Class there earlier this year and it should be in a box somewhere here (as opposed to in one of the many book boxes still in our storage unit).

>84 catarina1: Well, lazy in logging the books! And my goal was between 400 and 450, so I shall woefully short of that. A lot of stuff happened this year that derailed my reading -- life stuff took over.

Keneally was great. I really have to read more of his books -- everything that I have read, I have loved. I have Shame and the Captives on my Kindle and ready to read in January.

It was interesting to revisit Pat Barker on WW1; would like to make time for Toby's Room before year end as I think it and Life Class are very closely intertwined. I did take it to Atlanta, but (surprise) did almost no reading there, except to finish the final 150 pages of the most recent Elizabeth George mystery. Priorities...

So, I have launched a non-fiction reading challenge for 2016. Shall see whether anyone but me is interested in joining in!!

http://www.librarything.com/topic/208487

>86 Chatterbox: Regardless of your total, I probably get more book bullets from you than anyone else.

>88 lindapanzo: I live to serve... *grin*

351. Truth or Die by James Patterson


Look, I love what James Patterson does for literacy and for independent booksellers (like his bonus checks for $1k to $5k to scores of indie booksellers nominated by their customers). It's just that too often I can't remember much about his books even a week or two after I finish them, with this being a good example. I know that the hero's girlfriend got bumped off while chasing a story, and he then picks up the hunt, and it has something to do with top secret truth serum or something. But the details? It was good enough, but clearly unmemorable. Which leaves it at 2.8 stars.

352. Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham


Then there is John Grisham, who loses points here for misogynistic snarkiness on the part of his main character, who is supposed to be a sympathetic antihero. (He makes obnoxious observations on the looks of a woman, and then takes advantage of her goodwill, for instance.) The book itself is about a street lawyer, who cocks a snoot at the establishment and finds a way to outwit them. A string of loosely connected cases kind of pulls together, but it felt like he was dialing it in. Where is the Grisham of the early days, where his formula fiction at least felt he gave a damn?? 3 stars.

353. The Witches of Cambridge by Mena van Praag


Menna van Praag is one of the authors writing what I think of as whimsical fiction (think "Mr. Penumbra" and that kind of stuff...) Slightly magical or otherwise quirky, and always heartwarming. Sometimes, as in this case, with a bit of chick lit thrown in. In this novel, due out next year, her main characters are literally witches with supernatural skills but major life challenges, all living in Cambridge (England...) In one or two cases, stuff is dealt with too perfunctorily or abruptly, but it's kinda sweet and fun and light on a gloomy winter day. 3.5 stars.

354. Then We Take Berlin by John Lawton


Catching up on my John Lawton reads; I thought this was a stand alone novel, but nope! it turns out that a sequel will appear in a few months' time! The main character is an East End rebel of sorts whom we follow first during his time in the intelligence world in the final days of WW2 and then the "peace" in Berlin in the 1946/47, and then rediscover when a friend from those days offers him a job: bringing someone back from the Russian sector just as the wall is going up in 1960 (??). Lots of intriguing characters and historical detail. Turns out that my bf's ex father in law (yeah, follow that one if you can...) was posted in intelligence in Berlin in 1958/59, and so we gifted him this for Xmas. 4.2 stars.

355. The Automobile Club of Egypt by Alaa al-Aswany


I have no idea why the author included the rather odd prologue, but once past that, this was an intriguing look at Egypt in (I think) the late 1940s/early 1950s. Corruption from the royal palace, as it trickles down into ordinary Egyptian society and the life of an ordinary family that has moved to Cairo to try to rebuild its fortunes. It's a bit unfocused, as the author has to juggle following the adventures and misadventures of three sons and the daughter of the paterfamilias, as well as the events of the club in the title, but his main goal seems to be to paint a picture of society and life at that time through their experiences. Intriguing, if not overwhelmingly excellent. Worth a try, if you've read and enjoyed his other books. 4.2 stars.

356. The English Spy by Daniel Silva


I'm not a massive fan of Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon books, and wish the moody spy would just retire and paint pictures instead of brooding about the state of the world. The plots are intriguing enough to keep me picking up the books at the library at some point, usually months after publication, however. In this case, Allon tangles with both Northern Ireland AND Russia. Terribly solemn and of course, it's a book with a Message. Someone needs to tell Silva that novels with messages usually work better when those messages are delivered more subtly... 3.85 stars.

357. Mappa Mundi by Shelagh Stevenson


Picked this playscript up to read after a performance of another play at the National Theatre in London years ago, and finally read it. Interesting, but not quite what it could have been, or maybe it needs to be performed. A dying man and his family; the difference between what we imagine our lives and our families to be and the reality. Some clever turns of phrase and observations, but as a whole, it lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. 3.2 stars.

358. The British Lion by Tony Schumacher


After reading its predecessor, The Darkest Hour, I almost didn't bother with this, and I'm glad that I did. That said, instead of reading it, I got the audiobook, and that may account for my different impression: it's a suspense novel, and worked very, very well in audiobook format. It's another of those alternative history books in which the Germans end up occupying England (yeah, I know...) and the hero of sorts is a British POW/war hero now assigned to work as a cop alongside a German SS officer, a veteran of the war against the USSR. The latter's wife and daughter are kidnapped, in a bid to trade them for a Jewish scientist working on nuclear physics at Oxford (or is it Cambridge? Can't remember...) But the kidnapping is bungled... The two partners must try to get hold of the scientist, working against time and the German authorities, even as the kidnap victims end up in a giant game of pass the parcel involving the resistance, royalists, criminal black marketeers, the Germans and the Americans. Where will it all end? Who are the good guys? ARE there any good guys? 4.1 stars. I liked the ambiguity throughout this, and the fast-paced yarn.

Hang on - there's a new John Lawton book out? *runs to library website*

And The Darkest Hour sounds good too.

>91 cushlareads: The Unfortunate Englishman will be out on March 1! Both the US and UK -- not sure about chez toi.

I was just compiling my lists for the BAC and the CAC yesterday and I had Three Day Road on there for Joseph Boyden. As soon as I read your view of The Orenda today, I changed it over to that. Sounds really good!

I think I've managed to dodge almost everything except maybe the McDermid for the spousal unit!

Anne Tyler is no longer writing at the top of her form - it is as if she can't stop writing, but . . . she's tired of it and maybe even kind of bored. . . her earliest books are gems. And a few in the middle also stand out.

>93 Fourpawz2: Hmm, in many ways Three Day Road is a better book. It's tighter and more integrated. It's hard to compare the two books, actually, so if you don't like The Orenda, do NOT give up on Boyden! I think he's a brilliant author, and the latter, while in some ways is a great introduction to his themes, is also an epic historical novel. I think my favorite of his remains Through Black Spruce, which is mostly contemporary and also involves members of the Bird family and themes of native Canadians finding their way in a contemporary world that isn't shaped by their traditions.

>94 sibylline: What books by Tyler would you suggest I try? I can't remember which ones I've read... It was a long while ago, and they didn't leave a large mark on my memory, clearly...

Thanks for the Napoleon's Last Island recommendation - I just downloaded and will probably get to it after my next Inspector Hemingway. I love Keneally but hadn't heard of this one.

>96 vivians: It's very, very peculiar that you can get the audiobook, but not a trace of the physical or e-book, either in the US or the UK. Most mysterious. Still, I was more than content with the e-book, fortunately. (CORRECTION: I got the audiobook...)

>97 Chatterbox: Intrigued by your review, I went looking for the book. Right now it can only be obtained via Audible, free when you sign up or you can pay $30 something for it otherwise. Book Depository UK says it is to be published sometime in the spring. In Australia it seems to be published by Random House Australia but in the UK it is to be published by Hodder & Stoughton, while I think his usual US publisher is Washington Sq Press. I'm confused??? So how did you get an e-book?

I'm a member of Audible; every month I get a credit and I used one of those credits to obtain it. I think my plan means that I pay about $14.75 a month in exchange for one credit? I didn't get the e-book; apologies; that was a fatigue induced typo. as I think I noted in my review in #83, I got an audiobook.

359. Debts of Dishonour by Jill Paton Walsh


This was the third in my re-read of this series of mysteries featuring Imogen Quy, a nurse at a Cambridge college. Not the strongest, it's a tangled tale of mysterious identities and deceptions. I do like the way that these books rely heavily on character rather than melodrama and intensity, though; it makes them more interesting to me, and Imogen is a great and vivid personality. 4.1 stars.

360. Dragon Day by Lisa Brackmann


Written by a friendly acquaintance, so tougher to be ruthless about, should I wish to be ruthless. Happily, I don't; it's an interesting mystery in a series featuring a former soldier (female), wounded in Iraq, who has fetched up in China, making a living on the fringes of expat life and become entangled in all kinds of perilous stuff. Much of this won't make sense if you haven't read the earlier books and don't remember them clearly, so I'd urge you do do so; it had actually been too long and too many of the details had faded for me to enjoy this one as much as I should have done, alas, since the characters and situations overlap. Still, the author's portrayal of today's China is fascinating. 3.9 stars.

361. A Rumpole Christmas by John Mortimer


Classic Rumpole; classic Mortimer and "she who must be obeyed"! Deft little stories. Great fun, and all with a Christmas theme. 3.85 stars. Just pure entertainment; no more, no less.

362. When the Moon Is Low by Nadia Hashimi


This was purely, deeply annoying, and I felt tremendously manipulated. Published in a year where the biggest story may have been the plight of refugees, this sometimes felt like a blatant attempt to manipulate that to make money for the author. I'm sure it wasn't, but it was such a poor excuse for a novel, it felt like that. It was an outline of a novel, rudimentary in terms of plot (imagine an Afghan family fleeing their home and what might happen to their members as they travel over land; now, you know what happens in the book. Add dialog and melodrama, stir.) There's a lot of sentimentality, some token stuff at the beginning about a least-favored child, oppressed by a stepmother, who becomes a beloved wife, before the story lurches out of nowhere into the refugee narrative. It's just a bad, bad novel. That said, it's probably got to emerge as one of those beloved books on Goodreads by people who say how moved they were by it. Because the author yanks at their emotions very, very blatantly at a time when these issues are in the forefront of their minds. There's no subtlety; no convincing characterization; the plot is tissue thin. I read Hashimi's last novel, which was historical, and it was so-so. This one? I wish I hadn't touched it, for the reasons given above. I felt manipulated. 1.3 stars. (It was literate.)

363. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer


I listened to the audiobook version of this, and it was a joy. A favorite Heyer dating back to my preteen years (I think I first read it at the age of 10!) and still fun to read. Though I have to say that these days I'm not sure I quite like Sophy's managing ways as much -- she seems to know so much better than everyone else, and Heyer never gives us any reason to suppose that she is going to be right about this (even though it does turn out to be right...) She's clearly a nice, warm person, but all that meddling? I would have become exasperated! 3.9 stars.

364. The Other Daughter by Lauren Willig


I've had great fun with Willig's books about the Napoleonic spies, which are hilariously funny and goofy (the Pink Carnation, vs the Scarlet Pimpernel -- tongue in cheek...) but her stand alone historical romance novels have tended to be more serious and don't always work as well. This was better and actually kind of good, right up until the end, when she felt impelled to tie everything up in an implausibly shaped knot. (Sorry, it would involve too many spoilers...) There are simply too many dangling loose ends, I'm afraid, for it to work for me. Knocked the rating down to a 3.4 star book.

365. A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George


This was quite a chunkster, but it's always nice to delve back into the complicated plots conjured up by Elizabeth George. In this one, however, the plot wasn't quite complicated enough to warrant all the pages, and there was too much of an attempt to make the voices of some the characters distinctive, which just sounded strained. It's all about a feminist who ends up dead, thanks to an exotic poison. But was she the intended target? And who was the killer? There's a really nasty woman at the heart of it all, and as the pages get turned, she becomes even nastier. But could she really have done it? I found it hard to believe, however, that the solution could have been left the way it was. Oh well... Kind of a muddled book insofar as Barbara Havers and Lynley are concerned, too. 4 stars. For fans only, but then, no one else would pick it up at this point!

Dropping by to wish you a happy Christmas and a kind, gentle New Year.

Excited about the Non-fiction challenge!

I wish you a happy Christmas and many books to come :)

Thanks for the holiday wishes!!

I had seen you'd listed Rumpole at Christmas on the TIOLI at some point, and so took in the first book in the Rumpole series followed by the aforementioned and really enjoyed them both (with Patrick Tull and Blll Wallis brilliantly narrating the audiobooks). You've definitely hit me with a powerful bullet with Napoleon's Last Island, and I am constantly on the verge of hitting the "Complete purchase" button on Audible to spend one of my precious credits on it. Precious because the Canadian dollar is so weak right now that renewing my Platinum yearly membership at this point costs a lot more than it ever did before.

I was next in line to get Rogue Lawyer from the library's OverDrive collection, but your review convinced me to forego that one, as I prefer avoiding misogynistic characters whenever possible. On the other hand, very glad to see you enjoyed The Automobile Club of Egypt by Alaa al-Aswany. I really loved his Yacoubian Building some years back and jumped on the French audio version when I saw it on the library catalogue. I'll be giving that one a listen soon I think. I've been wanting to read more Pat Barker since finishing the Regeneration trilogy, and it's only a matter of time before I can my hands on Life Class. Thanks for all the reviews, I really enjoy those.

On the migraine front, Botox injections I got three weeks ago are a total dud. I'll have to try another treatment in 9 weeks, but if that doesn't work, that's that I guess. I tried Zonig nasal spray, which is supposedly miraculous for many people, but no go for me. Weather has been atrocious here, with constant cloud cover this whole month and head has responded as you would expect, so I was rather hoping for some relief. Next, if the second botox treatment doesn't work I'll go see a naturopath and a hypnotist too. Medication doesn't seem to be working for me, so maybe some alternative treatment will. Or maybe a head transplant is the only way to go? Trouble is I've grown rather attached to the one I've got; don't know if a new one would remember how to draw like this one does.

Happy Holidays to you Suz!

366. Shanghai Redemption By Xiaolong Qiu


Better than some of his recent books in the Inspector Chen series, but still not as good as the tightly-written and excellent introductory volumes (published by Soho, rather than his new publisher -- see, a good editor does matter...) Chen gets a promotion that is really a demotion, and struggles to figure out what is going on. The problem here is that the novel kind of rambles, so that we're trying to figure out what it is precisely that Chen is trying to figure out; it was a solid 100 pages before I felt that I had a firm grasp on where Qiu was going with the book. Worth it for the details of life in China and the overall context, but a messy, sloppy plot. You won't want to read it for the mystery, because it really does lack the kind of narrative tension you'd want to find in this kind of tome. 3.7 stars.

367. The Bad Quarto by Jill Paton Walsh


Happily, my re-read of this short series wrapped up on a good note. Back at St. Agatha's college, a group of student actors is inveigled into staging a performance of Hamlet according to the Bad Quarto, for reasons that become clear aren't altogether dramatalurgical. Indeed, the patron (another student), wants to uncover a crime, much as Hamlet did. But was it a crime? Imogen gets caught up in the story. And it's really more of an unfolding story, more than an investigation, and that's what I like about these books: they are novels about puzzles and mysterious complicated lives, rather than crimes that must be solves (even though crimes are committed). This isn't Inspector Morse. 4.2 stars.

368. Watch the Lady by Elizabeth Fremantle


Not my favorite of Fremantle's excellent Tudor-era novels, but still of very high quality, and sheds real light on Queen Elizabeth, on the toxic relationship with her cousin, Lettice Knollys, and the latter's children, the doomed Earl of Essex and Penelope Devereux Rich. Part of it is told through they eyes of Robert Cecil, preparing to inherit the mantle of adviser to the queen from his aging father. It's the portrayal of the court of an aging, insecure queen who has no natural heirs, and what flows from that. Penelope's portrayal felt too anachronistic, perhaps, and it made me want to read a bio of her to discover whether Fremantle had taken a few liberties, but it was true to what I know of the Essex rebellion and that history, so... Generally, the more I read of this author's works, the more I like them, and respect what she is doing. A vast improvement over the bodice rippers of most historical novels. 4.2 stars.

369. The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff


I know there's a vast division of opinion over this book, and I'm not sure why. I'm far from being a scholar in this period, so I can't begin to comment on whether it adds anything to the knowledge, or even captures the nuances of the history accurately. That said, after the first chapter or two, I found it fascinating. I was especially intrigued by the way Schiff brought into the tale the way that the Indian attacks on the Puritan settlements may have had a relationship to the events in Salem. Some of those who were the accusers were amongst those orphaned or left homeless; one of the main victims, George Burroughs, was a prominent survivor. I was familiar with the idea that the accusations may have been used to settle scores (perhaps I had done some reading after my encounter with The Crucible and Hawthorne?) but Schiff also is good at pointing out the differences in gender roles in Puritan England, and how becoming an accuser gave power to these women for a year or so -- and power over powerful men, to boot. She sometimes can't seem to conclude what she thinks about figures like Cotton Mather (or else, can't communicate those thoughts clearly), and there's a lot of stuff here, so I'm glad I gave in and got it for my Kindle, so I'll come back to it at some point for a re-read. 4.25 stars. Worthwhile.

370. A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev


Picked this up for my Kindle after seeing that the author's other book was listed on NPR's best of 2015 list, and that readers thought this one was better. After reading it, promptly took advantage of the feature that enables me to return Kindle books within 7 days. Good grief. I thought it might be high quality Indian chick lit, which would have been fun. Instead, it's mediocre and banal romance, replete with clichés. The only thing missing was a Bollywood dance routine. If you really want to read what it's about, go check the Amazon page. The description sounded novel and fresh enough, but there's nothing about anything other than the romance here. No effort given to make the heroine have a real life in America. She's supposed to be studying, but do we ever learn what it is that she's studying, a paper she is writing, etc? Nope. The love interest is supposedly a Bollywood writer and director, obsessively writing new movie, but do we ever learn the basic plot outlines of it? Nope. And so on. 1.5 stars. Avoid. It might just as well come with a Harlequin label on it, but it's steamier than Harlequin would allow, I suspect.

And now I'm up to date again!

>104 Smiler69: I can't imagine that you'd regret Napoleon's Last Island, Ilana -- and if you do, Audible have a VERY liberal return policy, so it's pretty much risk free. Go for it!

I'd like to start reading Toby's Room soon, but between a pile of work and a pile of library books, I'm not sure how I'll manage that.

Tks for the info on the botox. I'm ruling that out, I think. It's costly, and there is no guarantee it would work. My insurance plan's deductible has climbed to $5,400, before anything gets covered, so I'm not really in a mood to gamble on trying something that might not work (vs something that I need to do, or that my doc assures me probably will work.) Meanwhile, saw my neurologist two weeks ago, and we ramped up the Topamax dosage again. Doing a bit better. Thankfully, I was able to pace myself in Atlanta; had David meet me with instant ice packs (!!) but after that I had one or two mornings that were sub par but mostly was fine. I think part of it is combining the Fioricet with a 222 (for non-Canadians, an aspirin with codeine...)

>105 Chatterbox: I like the Inspector Chen series but it's been a while since I've read one. I need to find time to squeeze it in to my reading.

Thanks for the clarification about Napoleon's Last Island/Audible. That might be a good reason to sign up for it.
and another set of excellent reviews. I had been looking at the Schiff book and wondering. Hope you have a relaxing and dry holiday.

You're right about Botox given your situation because it's obscenely expensive. I only went for it because I have comprehensive coverage via my employer's insurance company, but at $400 a vial, with two vials needed for 31 injections (the minimum required for migraines) and repeats every three months, it's not an option to consider if you need to finance it out of pocket. I just went that route because we've tried so many meds thus far and none has been effective. Also, because of the meds I take to control my bipolar disorder we're got to watch for drug interaction, which limits the possibilities. So far, Fiorinal with codeine has been the most effective for me, but of course I can't take it too often because the last thing I want is rebound migraines. I think I mentioned to you that I went to hospital emergency a couple of times to get treated for 10/10 migraines, and NOTHING worked. So it seems I'm pretty well med-resistant at this point. My partner Pierre has been looking into hypnosis, which is rather odd considering he doesn't believe in alternative therapy, but it seems to work for some people and I'm willing to try it if my insurance will cover it. They cover all kinds of alternative treatments, so maybe that's a possibility.

On the reading and reviews front, I just finished Fremantle's Sisters of Treason this week, which I thought was very good. At the end of the audiobook she names Leanda de Lisle's The Sisters Who Would be Queen: Mary, Katherine, and Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Tragedy as a source of research, and it made me curious to discover that title for myself. Have you read it?

I've got Schiff's The Witches on my huge listening library, and have yet to get to her Cleopatra: A Life, which you and others highly recommended in the past.

I got the Keneally book just now; I'm very much aware of Audible's generous return policy and have shamelessly returned many books I found I didn't like, which helped me hold on to my credits for quite a bit longer than I would have otherwise. In some cases, I've returned books when they were close to the one year mark because I didn't have time to listen to them within that time frame, and when they were titles by authors I'd never read or that had gotten mixed reviews, I wanted to be able to listen to them and have the option of returning them if I didn't like them. I told them this when I asked for my credits back and they didn't seem to find this wrong or strange at all. Maybe it's worth mentioning I renewed my Platinum membership several times last year (as in the last couple of years too), and have many hundreds of books from them, which I guess makes me a customer worth holding on to.

Happy Christmas Suzanne!

For my Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice image this year, 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!

Such gorgeous seasonal greetings; thank you!!

Happy Solstice and all other holidays related to light and peace and good will!

I'm hoping you have a happy Christmas and a year full of wonderful books.

Have a lovely holiday, dear Suz.

Warm wishes for a magical holiday season, Suz!

Merry Christmas, Suz. I hope next year will find you with less pain and more pleasure.

Best wishes for the holiday season, Suzanne!

More wonderful holiday decorations for my thread!! Thank you all for spreading the season joy!

I got my new passport today, and some flowers arrived from D (after taking a fairly roundabout route; don't ask...)

My apartment is, however, a dreadful mess. I should be cleaning it but I"m not. *shrug*

Merry Christmas, Suzanne, and a very happy 2016 too!

Thanks for that review of the Schiff. Can't make up my mind -- but I bet my library will get it and that might be the best way to approach it. I have a feeling I would bog down.

Merry Happy from the newest member of the clan!

Tenzing Norcat investigates the tree:

Merry Christmas

Thanks for the tree pic, Lucy -- I'm going to have to "Zing" over to your thread to satisfy my yearning for kitten pictures...

>123 luvamystery65: and an ornament for my tree!! How luverly.... (pun fully intentional...)

My mother, in a surprise, sent me two books. In a bigger surprise, I had read neither, although I had tried to read The Fifth Queen by Ford Madox Ford when I was 12 or 13. I think was too young (it's a literary historical novel, vs Jean Plaidy type, which I was reading at the time), and didn't get very far, and had never tried again, but now I've got a copy! Plus a Canadian mystery whose title I have forgotten. Will post it tomorrow. There were some good Kindle sale bargains on both the US and UK Amazon sites, too...

Just back from dinner with friends, and about to turn the last of the shortbread dough into cookies for my neighbor to say thanks for taking me to the train in a rush on Monday.

Shame on me for the lack of visitation to your thread. And, look at all I missed -- your meet ups with LT folk, your travels, sadly, the continuation of those wicked migraines, the losses that 2015 brought your way, and, of course, all the marvelous reviews.
I am reminded of your excellent writing skills that leave me longing for more students with excellent ability, heck, even rudimentary skills for those who choose not to capitalize I when writing a mere email.
All the best wishes sent your way for 2016 to be a year of health --something we took for granted in our younger days -- and, a year of happiness --something that as we grow older, we embrace in the small, delightful occurrences!

Merry Christmas, Suz!

Heading into the home stretch on the reading front...

371. A Slanting of the Sun by Donal Ryan


I loved The Thing About December; it was one of the best novels I read last year. This collection of short stories by the same author is much more uneven; some are utterly brilliant and some left me completely cold or even bewildered. Worth reading if you have marked Ryan as an author to follow slavishly, as I have, however. 4.4 stars.

372. The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide


A bit confusing, but endearing. It's billed as a novel, but reads as a memoir that describes itself as a novel, so you'd have to make up your mind what it really is. It's a love letter to a cat, but also to a period of time in the life of a married couple in Japan, when they inhabited the guest cottage attached to an old traditional home, and were visited by a very special cat. Distinctive, but not overwhelming. Intriguing. 3.6 stars.

373. Early One Morning by Virginia Baily


Hmm, this is the kind of novel I don't like. In its bones, it's really just a straightforward kind of tale -- a woman in the midst of the roundup of Jews in Rome in 1943 rescues a young boy and this is the story of what happens next, a complicated tale that stretches into the next generation. Except that the author tries frantically to make it literary, by having the tale move back and forth in time from the 1940s to the 1970s, and shift across viewpoints, and to adopt a kind of lyrical tone emphasizing sensory impressions, etc. The end result was boredom/tedium on my part. I finished it out of a feeling of duty and only mild curiosity. I pretty much knew what would happen and how and I was right. Yawn. 2.9 stars. I hate pretentious novels.

374. The Cosmopolites by Atossa Araxia Abrahamian


This was fun, and the kind of book I'd have liked to write myself, even if I think it only scratches the surface of one aspect of the topic. We live in a world where identity and nationality are more divorced from each other than they have ever been since the current nation state system was created in 1648 (Treaty of Westphalia). And at the same time, we inhabit a universe of nationality haves and have-nots -- some of us have lots of passports (I have two), and others are stateless or have passports that are essentially worthless when it comes to the ability to travel. The author tackles this, looking primarily at one transaction: the way the Comoros tried to solve its budgetary woes by striking a deal to sell citizenship to the stateless citizens or bidoon of the UAE, to whom the Emirates don't want to give citizenship, even though that's where their ancestors have lived since time immemorial. Ironically, it enables the Emirati authorities to legally deport troublemakers... She also examines the success of St. Kitts in turning itself into a giant passport mill for the ultra wealthy. There are myriad other aspects of this question that aren't addressed and I found myself yearning for a more rounded narrative (I have no sense of national allegiance at all, for instance, having spent most of my life growing up in countries that were NEITHER of the countries whose passports I hold...) Still, was glad to see the topic addressed, in a thoughtful, analytical and elegant piece of prose. A short book, well worth reading for those interested in topics of this kind. 4.5 stars.

375. Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor


Finally got around to reading the first in the chronicles of St. Mary's, which I know a lot of LTers absolutely adore. I didn't quite rise to that level, although it was amusing enough that, at $3.99, I did buy the second book in the series. I found myself puzzled and distracted by the fact that the book seemed to lurch between being a dramatic adventure, a romance, and humor; as the mood shifted, so did the setting -- the whole thing felt very episodic, and as a reader, I felt a lot like I was in a pinball machine, being sent zooming from one place to another. I also struggled to follow the logic behind the technical time travel stuff, couldn't, and eventually gave up on it. (basically, there are some illogical elements, that I won't go into.) Clearly, the author is having fun writing these, and readers just have to suspend disbelief and go along for the adventure right, and take them for what they are. They are fluffy enough that I think I'll have to spread them out widely, so we'll see how it goes. 3.3 stars.

376. A Haunted Season by G.M. Maillet


Here is another book that didn't live up to expectations. I had thought this series was going along well, and Father Max Tudor was going to be able to come to grips with the fact that murders keep happening on his patch, just as the face of a bearded man keeps coming back on the wall of his church, no matter how hard he tries to paint over it. Another violent murder happens and his new curate plays a role in solving it. But I got VERY irritated when the entire solution happens offstage! And is merely described in the vicarage by Max and his friend, DCI Cotton, to the said curate... WTF? Sure, it's a cosy mystery, but if Max could be described finding a dead body, then surely the confrontation with the murder suspect(s) could also be described in real time?? There is another confrontation and another mystery resolution immediately after the vicarage discussion, so maybe Maillet felt one per novel was enough, but I thought the decision was bizarre and it left me rating this 3.25 stars. Meh. Would have been 3.7 otherwise.

Now reading in the home stretch:

Hm. I'll be interested in your response to David Denby's book. I liked his take on Great Books some years back.

Good luck with getting all your reading done.
My reading has been hijacked by genealogy as my son got his DNA done and the results started another spurt. He's doing a degree in history and has a summer paper on the Vikings, knowing he's 12% Viking (Scandinavian) has been a fun outcome of the test.

Cheering you on to reach your reading goal!

>128 Chatterbox: my home stretch consists of one tiny book of less than 150p. Yet...I don't foresee success in completing it this year. Disgraceful :(
Mainly due to the fact that it is hard going, and I'm on holiday. (It's Morrissey's fiction one)

Seasonal greetings to you!

Good luck in the home stretch, Suz! I read the first Jodi Taylor a few months ago and have never felt compelled to return to the series. Enjoyable reading and I would probably read the next one if I came across it but I won't seek it out. As we always say, too many books, too little time.

I'm encouraged by your comments on The Witches, though. I hope to get to that one in the first quarter of 2016.

I'm in the home stretch on three of these titles; will finish Lit Up this evening and possibly The Clasp, although it's a slightly annoying book that I may end up putting down in favor of one of the mysteries. Night Heron is my current audiobook, and probably will be wrapped up tomorrow, depending on what I end up doing that requires an audiobook backdrop.

I will have some work to do this week, but no distractions in the evenings, so maybe... :-)

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts about the Denby book and about Moby Duck.

My home stretch consists of two books but it's back to work for me tomorrow so I won't be getting as much reading done this week. The ice storm might keep me home though.

Well, I've finished with two of those books, Lit Up and Night Heron, and will report back on them soon. Moving on to try to finish The Clasp, which isn't grabbing me yet (lots of self-involved millennials) and the Jane Casey mystery, which is decent, while delving into the first chapters of The Utopia Experiment. Poor Moby Duck keeps drawing the short straw.

377. Lit Up by David Denby


Due out in early February, this is movie critic Denby's attempt to replicate the success of his book about returning to Columbia to follow along in the Great Books curriculum. This time, he returns to high school to try to determine whether it's possible to transform 10th graders into passionate and serious readers in an age where the Internet, texting, social media, etc. dominate their lives. Can Dostoevsky, Hawthorne, and even Orwell register on them? Denby devotes the bulk of this to his time spent with a single class in a rather atypical New York City grade 10 class, with a few visits to a suburban high school (public high school, but an affluent community) and to a poor New Haven school with a high proportion of students who fail to graduate to serve as a contrast, in terms of teaching style and curriculum. It's interesting, but primarily for anecdotal reasons -- the specific stories and experiences that Denby himself brings back from the front lines -- rather than for any sweeping lessons or policy prescriptions. Not that Denby doesn't try to deliver on the latter front -- he does, but not very successfully. Those are the weakest parts of the book, since they are prone to editorializing and moralizing. In contrast, what is intriguing are the glimpses into the teaching methods of Sean Leon and the way the students respond: the many innovative techniques and the way the students slowly catch on, sometimes indirectly, but often in unexpectedly distinctive ways. That earns the book 4.3 stars. Worth reading, if only for that and for the reminder that deep reading is important, and it's something we don't always engage in here, even when we think we do.

378. Night Heron by Adam Brookes


A fast-paced spy yarn, that I finally ended up listening to on audio, since it's narrated by the brother of a friend of mine. Peanut breaks out of a labor camp after 20 years and returns to a Beijing that is scarcely familiar to him; his plot is to make a final score by selling secrets to his British paymasters and leave the country. He's bitter... But those paymasters have moved on; in place of the journalist who once was in the pay of Britain's intelligence service is Philip Mangan, an independent-minded reporter who is flummoxed when Peanut approaches him out of the blue offering secrets. Thus begins a cat and mouse game... It's exactly what you'd imagine it to be, with double and triple crosses and some twists, so I won't bother with a detailed description. The suspense toward the end is intense and well handled, so I'll be moving on to book #2. 4.3 stars.

379. The Clasp by Sloane Crosley


This was a bit of a coincidence -- one of the stories that the teacher in Lit Up has his students read is "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant, and that short story is at the heart of this novel, too -- both obviously (one of the characters goes haring off in search of a necklace allegedly hidden in a chateau where Maupassant was born) and thematically (the story is about the impact of keeping secrets from those we should connect to openly on our lives, and so is this novel). Crosley is a novelist, and very at home with adroit, witty observations. Perhaps too much so: this sometimes felt like a series of linked witty observations in quest of a coherent, compelling plot that was more than a banal and conventional novel of manners. Essentially, it's about three main characters, friends in college, who have drifted apart by their late 20s and who are pulled back together over the course of the events in the novel. So far, so predictable. There's a tremendous amount of style here, but I'm not sure there is much substance; the style can certainly compensate for the lack of substance. I felt as if I were plodding through a lot of anecdotal plot elements, but never really getting anywhere, until the final quarter of the book. Had I found any of the characters engaging or appealing or even relatable, that would have helped. It can't just be generational -- if I can read about historical characters and find them intriguing, then a bunch of spoiled millennials should be manageable. This lot were the typical "I'm out of college and feeling my way through life somewhat aimlessly" characters, and I've read it before. (I'm thinking of The Marriage Plot, inter alia.) Sure, it's well written, but so what? It's also choppy and distrait and sometimes simply exaggerated. Being oh-so-clever isn't all that's needed. 3.3 stars.

Updated list in the home stretch:

Merry Christmas, and thanks for all your wonderful reviews this year :)

I like that review of the Denby very much.

Hmmm I have a feeling the action has moved to 2016!

Or simply that there is, at present, no action??

I'm trying to get hold of my Guardian editor. He has assured me, over the phone, that my contract is being renewed. Said contract has not yet materialized. I haven't been able to reach him to verify what he wants me to file for the first story of the new year. And I'll be writing this one without any written agreement that they'll be paying me for it. So I'm anxious.

>141 Chatterbox: That does sound anxiety-provoking. Hope it all gets cleared up soon.

I'm sure you're not sorry to see 2015 go. See you in 2016 and hope it proves to be a good year for you.

He has agreed to put something in an e-mail. It has all been OKed, he tells me... Sigh.

2015 has been an extremely difficult year, in so many ways. It has had a few high points, but also been very stressful. I'm hoping that next year will manage to be less anxiety-filled and grief-filled, but with a few good moments, at least. Hoping to sort out a few of the long-standing problems and be able to move forward a few steps. The one good thing about 2015 is that it has taught me a profound and very important lesson about the importance of friendship -- all the people who stepped forward to be at my side when I needed them most, in ways large and small. Not dramatic, but, oh, the difference it made.

This might sound trite, but I often find that it's the small things in life that come quietly to you instead of screaming and blundering all over you that make the most meaningful differences. The importance of friends who care about you in the difficult times cannot be overestimated. Glad you are well surrounded in that way, and may 2016 be a gentle year for you Suzanne.

The bottom line for 2015 was 383 books. I'll circle back later to provide the final updates. Trying to get some work done today. I find I'm starting the New Year in a bit of a grumpy mood.