Helenliz in 2016

Last year I had a grand plan to read and run my way through the year. The running didn't quite happen. This year will be a bit more play it by ear.

Reading aims remain the same:
1 book per month for RLBC (Real life book club)
1 non-fiction per month
1 new author per month

Let's see how it goes.

Just for reference I usually rate in whole stars, based on the following guidelines:
***** - Awesome, epic, lifechanging, magic.
4 & 1/2 for all but awesome.
**** - Really liked
*** - Liked
** - Meh. Didn't like, but didn't positively dislike
* - disliked.
half a star for those I really disliked. If anything given this few is 1) finished and 2) escapes the recycling I would be surprised.

Currently Reading

Ecclesiastical history of the English People

Currently Listening

Wessex Tales

January
1) Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy, ****
2) Unfinished Portrait, Mary Westmacott (Agatha Christie), **, Audio
3) H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald, **, Non-fiction
4) The Witch Trade, Mike Molloy, ***, Audio
5) The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett, ****
6) Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, Helen Simonson, ****, RLBC
7) Tigerlily's Orchids, Ruth Rendell, ***, Audio
8) The Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett, ****

February
9) The Camomile Lawn, Mary Wesley, ***, Audio
10) Warrior Queens, Antonia Fraser, ****, Non-Fiction
11) Topsy and Tim and the new baby, Jean Adamson, ***
12) Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things that go, Richard Scarry, ****
13) The Enchanted April, Elizabeth Von Arnim, ****
14) The 100 year old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared, Jonas Jonasson, **, RLBC
15) The Poisoned Crown, Maurice Druon, ***, Audio

March
16) Equal Rites, Terry Pratchett, ****
17) Nemesis, Philip Roth, **, RLBC
18) Barnaby Rudge, Charles Dickens, ****, Audio
19) Candide and other stories, Voltaire, **

April
20) Travels through France and Italy, Tobias Smollett, ***, Non-fiction

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Hello,
nice to see you back here. Hope all is well and will only get better in 2016.
A nice start with the great classics i see, good luck with the reading.
Lunarreader

Good luck with your goals. I always enjoy following your thread.

Ohh, visitors, how nice. I'll be along with a first finish tomorrow, so make yourselves at home in the meantime.

I hope you are loving Anna Karenina. I kept putting off reading it for some reason, and then it was the first book I read after joining LT. I loved it, and can't believe I waited so long.

So far I am just lurking but with interest. Looking forward, etc, etc!

Book 1 (hurrah)
Title: Anna Karenina
Author: Leo Tolstoy

First published: 1877
Gender: Male
Author origin: Russian
Original language: Russian
Source: My shelves (recent purchase, I couldn't resist the cover)
Why: Christmas chunky read. TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a book with a name in the title, in rolling alphabetical order
Rating: ****

Wow. That is some read. It's not at all the confusing mass ensemble piece I had thought it might be. It's not a conventional love story, but love, in various forms, features highly. The characters are mostly from the one family, with partners and siblings forming the framework. And it is the various forms of love that exist between the characters that is the heart of the story. Dolly and her philandering husband, Anna and her love affair, Kitty and her thwarted teen crush that turns into a more genuine affection for someone else. It's not really got the romantic happy ending that a love story implies either. In one case, there is a decision to stick with a less than perfect partner and relationship, in another love destroys itself by having had to sacrifice too much else of life and in the third there is the sense that there is too much idealism for it to be an entirely smooth ride.

It's not the difficult read I thought it might be, it's easy to follow, the language isn't complex, although the russian naming convention takes a bit of getting used to. The cast of characters is large, but not confusingly so, the key being largely superfluous. I got it through it in 10 days, finishing it last night. It's still milling around in my head. I think this one might be a slow burner. I suspect I'll remember it in several months time.

Sounds like you liked Anna Karenina as much as I did. A must read, I think.

I love Anna Karenina and have read it twice, with vastly different impressions.

I'm pretty sure Anna will be one of the chunksters on my TBR Challenge list next year. :))

>1 Helenliz: Happy New Year! You have some interesting reads lined up, I'm looking forward to your comments on H is for Hawk.

Hi, Helen - welcome back! :)

Hi Helen,
H is for Hawk is a nice book, i hope you'll enjoy it too.
It took me some time to really get into it, certainly the parts on the author of the Goshawk, but after a while i was really committed through the personal details on mourning.
Let us know how you felt about it.
Herman

What a great book to begin the year! You've reminded me of how satisfying a meaty classic can be.

>10 Helenliz: enjoyed reading your review. This has been on my TBR for quite a while - I think 2016 will be the year to get stuck into it.

Hello everyone :-) I've taken to reading a great big book over the Christmas holiday, it being one of the few times of the year when I can curl up in the chair with a book for ages and not be worried by work or having to "do" things. Christmas is for hibernation, as far as I'm concerned. So the last few years it's been Tristram Shandy, Bleak House & Brothers Karamazov. Of them, I think this is probably the best.

Book 2
Title: Unfinished Portrait
Author: Mary Westmacott (Agatha Christie)

First published: 1934
Gender: Female
Author origin: UK
Original language: English
Source: Library
Why: Audio. TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a Book where D or U starts a word in the title or an initial of the Author's name
Rating: **

This was really odd. Narrated by a man, I was convinced the books narrator was female. It sounded like a female voice throughout. Tells of Celia, a product of her late Victorian upbringing, who never knows who she is, and manages to be a wet hen almost all her life. She was quite difficult to feel much sympathy for as she was just so compliant and never seemed to know her own mind about anything. The writing is curiously flat, there's no emotion, you never really feel for Celia as there's only limited occasions when it seems that she feels anything. The words are put together well, there are some delicious turns of phrase, but other than that it's a very odd and feels like it never achieves anything. One for the completists only, I suspect.

Great first book (I like the Russian author/title on the cover). And nice list of xmas reads.

>20 dchaikin: I know, that's why it came home with me. I went into the bookshop to buy a Christmas present for my goddaughter and husband. This one "jumped into the basket" just by looking so nice.

>10 Helenliz: glad you liked Anna Karenina. Personally, I found Anna's character to be a bit annoying. She just seemed whiny and discontent no matter what happened. Then again, I read it when I was a teenager and was pretty mortified by the idea of a protagonist having an illicit affair. :) I'd say I'd try it out again, but I won't. I'd do War and Peace again, though.

I guess another reason I have less than fond memories of the book is that I had an abusive boyfriend at the time. He said I should read "adult books" like Graham Greene and Anna Karenina. Thus, my view of Greene and Anna Karenina are very negatively flavored. Funny how little life incidents like that can deeply affect your views on things that are completely unrelated, isn't it?

I've never read a Graham Greene novel, by the way...but I finally broke down and bought The End of the Affair when Colin Firth's reading won an Audie.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Book 3
Title: H is for Hawk
Author: Helen Macdonald

First published: 2014
Gender: Female
Author origin: UK
Original language: English
Source: Library
Why: Non-Fiction. TIOLI Challenge #5: Read a book from a list of best or notable books of 2015
Rating: **

I was a little concerned about picking this one up. Like the author, I too, had lost a beloved father. In my case approaching 12 years ago and it still hurts like I've lost an arm or some other critical part of me. In the last year I'd also lost my mother, and losing the second parent somehow manages to feel like you're loosing the first all over again. So it was with some degree of trepidation that I started this, I thought it might be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I needn't have worried, it was as emotional as a piece of limp lettuce.

It is an odd mismatch of a book. The hawk is something I'd barely be able to recognise if it bit me on the nose. So training of a hawk is something outside my range of experience, meaning that the methods and approaches were interesting. The comparison of her training with that if TE White was intellectually interesting, but I'm not sure that is was a necessary diversion. The contrast was clear, they were both in very different situations, emotionally and in terms of experience. I still don't think it added much to the narrative's direction.

The training of a hawk in response to her father's death is an unusual response to grief, but that doesn't make it any less valid. However, grief is an emotion and there was curiously little of it in this book. I didn't get any sense of the depth of her loss. I found her description of herself as an orphan when her mother remains alive as entirely unjustified. Her mother was noticeably absent throughout the book. I found little in this book that I could recognise from my experience. The only elements were the wish to avoid people and the appointment at the GP with depression. That struck a chord, although we arrived at the same place via different routes into that situation and out of it again.

Maybe I'm not able to review this objectively, maybe I can't see someone else's experience as equally as valid as mine. I can't say I enjoyed it. the writing was good, she can put words together well. But it was curiously unemotional, it barely seemed to flicker from a strange flatness of emotion. I can't recommend it,. I didn't hate it, but I can't say I feel positive towards it either. OK is as good as it gets.

Stopping by to say hello! Your review of Anna Karenina gives me hope for whenever I decide to read my boyfriend's copy -- his bookmark is still in it from almost a decade ago! Looking forward to following your reading :)

>23 Helenliz: I gave up on H is for Hawk, partly because of the flatness of emotion you describe. Having seen it on all the end-of-year best-of lists made me waver, so thank you for confirming that it's not a book for everyone.

Having lost my Dad to cancer very suddenly less than two years ago, I've avoid H is for Hawk like the plague. I'm glad to know that it's ok to avoid it, not just because of the topic but because it fell flat. You're very brave for even having attempted it!

>23 Helenliz: This is such an interesting review, thank you. I too have been seeing H is for Hawk on all the lists and since it was supposed to draw from TH White's The Goshawk, which I loved, I was curious. I may not read it now, though.

I have this book and hope to read it this year, but now I know that I will feel okay if it doesn't reach out to me. I'm so sorry to hear about your losses. I lost my Dad a couple of years ago, which was one reason I was intrigued about this book.

>24 rabbitprincess: *waves* give it a go. It's a bit of a slow burn, but was worth the effort.

>25 wandering_star:, >26 japaul22:, >27 reva8:, >28 theaelizabet:: I'd not be recommending it largely because of the lack of emotional impact. I was expecting tears, I could have coped with tears, it's just they never happened. I'm not sure it would help anyone in the same situation, there were too few points of reference. Yes, it's got awards, and lots of positive reviews, but not from me.

I've avoided H is for Hawk because my father's death still is very emotional for me (and I know what you mean about the second parent dying), but I'm glad (?) to know I shouldn't have worried about that.

Interesting response to H is for Hawk which I plan to read after I finish my gigantic tome on Mallory and Everest (which is superb, btw).

>31 sibylline: is that Into the silence? I've got that in my unread pile, but keep putting it off due to its size...

Book 4
Title: The Witch Trade
Author: Mike Molloy

First published: 2001
Gender: Male
Author origin: UK
Original language: English
Source: Library
Why: Audio. TIOLI Challenge #21: Read a book that mentions tea somewhere in the text
Rating: ***

Aimed at, I would think, 8 to 12 year olds, I am clearly a few (!) years too old for this. Which maybe accounts for the spotting of a quite a few apparent continuity errors. I also don't like, as a rule, books that rely on magic to solve problems. Having said all of that, this has a lot going for it. The main characters are Abby and Spike, a pair of young children who live in a quiet village. They get involved with a quest to find Abbey's parents, locate the ice dust mine and generally save the world from the hideous Night Witches. The children get involved in the adventure, the adults can't actually succeed without them. There is a mixture of being clever, thinking your way out of a situation as well as, sometimes, blasting the danger out of the way. It's not my thing, but it was surprisingly enjoyable. It has a lot going for it and I could see it being a good read for both boys and girls.

Book 5
Title: The Colour of Magic
Author: Terry Pratchett

First published: 1983
Gender: Male
Author origin: UK
Original language: English
Source: my shelves
Why: Re-read. TIOLI Challenge #4: Read a book written by an author who died in 2015
Rating: ****

A re-read to start my plan to read all the discworld books in order. Again. I've been replacing my aging paperbacks with early edition hardback, so this is now a combined edition with the second in the series, but I do prefer this cover. Knowing what comes later, it's clear that this is nothing like the best in the series. Things change and evolve, Death becomes much more human (if that's not a contradiction in terms!), the city becomes a character in its own right and Vetinari grows Machiavellian tendencies. But you can see the genesis of the idea here. Yes, it's a bit clunky, yes it relies on some rather strange effects, but it picks up the world, slaps it about it a bit and makes you look at all sorts of things in a new light. I'm still not sure that I suggest this as the place to make your first acquaintance with the discworld. Can it really have been 30 years ago I first read it?!

Color of Magic isn't his best, but it does have the Luggage and, iirc, the eternal tourist Twoflower - so, it's not so bad. I love those busy crazy covers.

>33 dchaikin: memory serves you correctly. >:-)

Book 6
Title: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Author: Helen Simonson

First published: 2010
Gender: Female
Author origin: UK
Original language: English
Source: Library
Why: Re-read. RLBC. TIOLI Challenge #16 : Read a book as part of a group read of either the author or the title
Rating: ****

This a warm hearted book. We meet Major Pettigrew on the day he finds out his brother has died. He is clearly in some shock and when Mrs Ali, from the local shop, calls to collect the paper money, he is not in his usual spirits, such that he has a dizzy spell and she makes him tea. So begins the most unlikely of romances. It's all very understated. At times you wonder if the major is so buttoned up that he can never relax his stiff upper lip, but that just makes this self discovery more endearing.

Set against this is Roger, the only son (and a more annoying type it is hard to imagine - yuppie to his core, knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing). He, at times, turns out to be even more uptight than his father and deserves his comeuppance. I have no sympathy for him, and much for the major's dilemma.

From the attitudes, it feels to me that this is set in the 80s, but the modern encumbrances of mobile phones and so on mean that it is clearly not a period piece. Too many of the attitudes feel older. That's the only quibble I can find in an otherwise lovely read.

I listened to this last time, and the CD had a few scratches at critical moments. It was a more satisfying read.

Book 7
Title: Tigerlily's Orchids
Author: Ruth Rendell

First published: 2010
Gender: Female
Author origin: UK
Original language: English
Source: Library
Why: Audio. TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a book whose ISBN has at least one number in its correct numeric position
Rating: ***

This is a very clever book, and is not so much a story as a psychological portrait of a neighbourhood. The characters are drawn form the set of 6 flats and the houses opposite. It looks at what we see and the conclusions we leap to (not usually correct) and what we, as society, consider important or noteworthy. Murder, in this case, proving less important than some of the other crimes that are present in this book. Interesting, but not light.

>35 Helenliz: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand was one of the first books I read on my new Kindle in 2012. I loved it. I've only read one book by Ruth Rendell and keep meaning to get more, as I really enjoyed the one I read.

>35 Helenliz: I've not read any Ruth Rendell before. I'm not sure the Wexford books appeal (not a police procedural fan, I prefer my detectives a bit more off the wall than that), but I will look out for some of her other books, this was clever enough to interest me in more.

The Rendell I read was called The Crocodile Bird. It wasn't part of a series, as far as I know.

>32 Helenliz: I keep telling myself to read all of the Discworld books, but I never get around to it. I think I'll read it not in publication order but in this order:



Is that the order you meant?

Hope you have a great week ahead!

I've always read them in publication order. I can;t decide if I want to branch out and do anything else. I like the way that publication order mixes up the characters, you don't get bored of one because the next book features someone else.
hmm, what to do...

Book 8
Title: The Light Fantastic
Author: Terry Pratchett

First published: 1986
Gender: Male
Author origin: UK
Original language: English
Source: Library
Why: Re-read. TIOLI Challenge #4: Read a book written by an author who died in 2015
Rating: ****

I think this shows the direction of the rest of the series. There are some fabulously drawn characters that confirm to some part of the stereotype and completely blow the rest out of the water. Then there are some fabulous throwaway lines. The conversation between Rincewind and Cohen about marriage is a fabulous piece of talking at cross purposes. It's good, but as a re-read for the umpteenth time, I know it only gets better.

>42 Helenliz: I have a soft spot for The Light Fantastic.

>40 The_Hibernator: that was fun to review.

I haven't read Pratchett in years. I couldn't get into Wyrd Sisters maybe five or so years ago, and that was the end of it. But there was a time I adored them, and I still love the memory of that.

*random rant alert*

I had a mail forward set up after Mum died, such that all her mail gets forwarded to me. Today she got a letter from Amazon, "come back to Prime and get £20 credit".
No contact number on the letter, all via the website. Eventually find a number to call them.
They're useless. Yes, they can cancel the address, but will need to access the account. OK, I have name, address and postcode. That's been enough for every single other organisation contacted to be able to identify her and for them to remove her from their mailing list. Not Amazon. I need to provide her e-mail address, mobile number, an order number or order tracking number. Like I can supply any of those.
OK, can you put me through to someone who can help. No, they can't do that, as they can only escalate a call with an account number, if I can't supply her account, can they have mine. No, they cannot. For one thing, what makes them think I have one and what makes them think I ever would, after that experience.
I ended up with an address to write to, and you can be sure I will be writing to them. This is the only time I've been asked for more than a name, address and postcode to be able to remove her from a mailing list. If every other company can manage it on sufficient information to uniquely identify her, why Amazon can't do it is beyond me.

You have no idea how cross 20 minutes on the phone to them has made me. I was upset to start with, then cross when it took me quite some time to find a contact number and now I'm fuming.

*rant over*

The whole Amazon Prime process seems to leave everyone cold. Amazing that it's a service you can unwittingly sign up to with one sly click of a button (when often you think you are merely ordering your goods), and then have to spend hours disentangling yourself from it. My sister in South Africa was blowing steam over them last year as she didn't realise she'd signed up to Amazon and they kept loading her account with charges for quite some time.

Amazon's great if any problems you have fit the standard boxes, but the minute something unusual happens, there's nothing anyone can do. Customer service staff have time limits on how long they can spend helping a customer, no way to do anything but tick boxes on a computer, and a lot of motivation to say what you need to hear so you will get off of the phone. I had a problem with one of the marketplace vendors. My bank agreed with me, everyone at amazon I spoke to agreed with me and it took almost three years for them to sort it out.

Let us know if you're ever able to sort it out. It's not like your situation isn't one that probably happens every day.

January summary:
Read: 8
Non-fiction: 1
New authors: 5 (Tolstoy, Mary Westmacott*, Helen Macdonald, Mike Molloy, Ruth Rendell)
Re-reads: 3. One for book club, 2 Discworld - a complete series re-read starts.

Pretty good month, actually. Enjoyed Major Pettigrew's last stand more reading than I did listening, but that may have been something to do with the CD last time being less than perfect and the imperfections were sometimes at critical moments. Very pleased to have got through Anna Karenina and pleasantly surprised to have found it much easier to read than I was worried it might be. Have bought War and Peace by the same translators (2 x Maudes) on the back of it.

* yes, I know I've read her as Agatha Christie, but as she chose to have this published under a pseudonym, this is the first I've read under that pseudonym. Therefore I'm counting it as a new author.

>44 Helenliz: Total nightmare! This is the side of cyber that is so rudimentary and badly done so far: the bigger the outfit the worse the nightmare. It's incredibly difficult to "undo" anything, I've found.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Pratchett reading guide. I've started the discworld adventure years late, but am enjoying it hugely. I loved iirc and the Luggage. ( It's going a bit slowly as I like listening to them and Audible has a spotty collection.) This will help me make decisions, I think.

Book 9
Title: The Camomile Lawn
Author: Mary Wesley

First published: 1984
Gender: Female
Author origin: UK
Original language: English
Source: Library
Why: TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a book in which the newspaper "The Times" is mentioned
Rating: ***

A tale set in two time frames, at the start of WW2 and at a funeral in (I'm guessing ) the 80s. it's an interesting device, with the ability to recall events as well as see them in real time. It deals with a family of cousins who visit their aunt & uncle in Cornwall for one last summer holiday. The moonlit dinner party just as the war starts is beautiful and poignant. The clouds are hanging round the edges of the picture, waiting to rush over. There's quite a lot of sex, some if it somewhat incestuous, but at least it's not graphically described. I don't know that the war actually did this to all lves, but it certainly turns them all upside down, in many different ways. I found myself wondering what else happened in the intervening period.

I see Camomile Lawn is a reread for you. I read it a few months ago and had never heard of it before. I enjoyed it a lot-- one of the better books I read in 2015, actually.

Ooops, not a re-read - didn't edit that bit. First pass for me. Enjoyable, but not stand out.

Book 10
Title: Warrior Queens
Author: Antonia Fraser

First published: 2002
Gender: Female
Author origin: UK
Original language: English
Source: My shelves
Why: Non-Fiction, TIOLI Challenge #18: Read a book with a four-corner-letter-word on page 20 or 16
Rating: ****

This is a thematic history, in this case looking at how women heads of state have lead their forces into war or battle. It starts with Boudicea, and looks at the ways these women have been viewed by their supporters and their enemies. There are some usual representations that seem to be forced on these women, not all of them at all representative of the truth. So there is a tendency to present a woman leader as either chaste or a virago, even when the facts don't fit either stereotype. The evolution of the myth around some of these women is also most interesting. Different ages have viewed Boudicea as rebel who sets off a bloody uprising through the patriotic establishment figure. Both of those can;t possible be the whole truth, the way she's viewed probably says more about the times making those judgements than it does about her in fact. The book comes to the present day with 3 female heads of state being discussed in democratic era, Golda Meyer, Indira Ghandi and Margaret Thatcher. It seems to me that these most recent lady leaders actually have a harder task than their predecessors, they are cast by men as only a women, but by women as being an honourary man because they've succeeded in a man's world. Not very details on each of the women discussed, but enough to put them into a social and cultural context. There are plenty of references and further reading if this did pique your interest.

I've really enjoyed the history books I've read by Antonia Fraser. This looks good as well, though I think Marie Antoinette will be my next by her.

>52 Helenliz: Antonia Fraser has so many interesting titles! Hadn't heard of this one. Will add it to the very long to-read list.

>52 Helenliz: Interesting review of The Warrior Queens - and I love that cover! Added to the wishlist!

>52 Helenliz: I've added The Warrior Queens to my wishlist as well. I've been curious about it since you've had the picture of the book cover at the top of your thread.

>55 VivienneR:, >56 NanaCC:: It's an interesting book. Dedicated to her 11 granddaughters, to inspire them - I hope it does. The little lady on the cover's a looker, isn't she? Princess Louise of Prussia, she tangled with Napoleon. Put it this way, I imagine the cover appeal might have been lessened by one featuring some of the other ladies!

Book 11
Title: Topsy and Tim and the New Baby
Author: Jean Adamson

First published: 1992
Gender: Female
Author origin: UK
Original language: English
Source: The bookshop
Why: TIOLI Challenge #11: Read a book that is part of a series that has been (or is about to be) adapted into a television show
Rating: ***

I bought this (and sneakily read it) to send to my cousin. They've just had their second child and I think it important that the older sibling doesn't feel left out (I know I did when my baby brother came along and ruined my perfect little world - that's not entirely in jest). In this Topsy & Tim's friend Toby gets a little brother. So there's pregnancy, then when they visit they discover that babies cry, need their nappy changing and need to be treated gently. Not too much detail, but at least a way for a sibling to understand what's going on.
I selected this over the Peppa Pig equivalent as I remember Topsy & Tim from my childhood, so there was a spot of a nostalgia trip going on here. Although this title was distinctly after my time...

Book 12
Title: Cars and Trucks and Things that go
Author: Richard Scarry

First published: 1974
Gender: Male
Author origin: Americam
Original language: English
Source: The bookshop
Why: TIOLI Challenge #17: Read a book with a person-possessive title
Rating: ****

The delight in this is the illustrations. The everyday vehicles, interspersed with the aligator car, the hot dog car and other far fetched vehicles. As a story it's thin, a family of pigs that a picnic and this is mostly the view of things they see on the way. However that is to miss its charm. It is fabulous. I can remember this being bought for my baby brother, in fact there is, saved for posterity, a tape of my Dad reading it to my baby brother and sparky smartarse big sister can't resist chiming in.
I bought this for a vehicle mad toddler and I can only hope that he enjoys it every much as much as my brother did. I will admit to a sneaky read before sending it. My husband did wonder if the illustrations had been updated since it was first published, I can only express huge relief that this was not the case.

>58 Helenliz: Wow, a tape of your dad reading that book to your brother! That is a great family memento.

Richard Scarry is an excellent choice for any child. When I was small my favourite was What Do People Do All Day?. Pretty sure we still have it lying around somewhere.

>58 Helenliz: I'm glad to see the Richard Scarry books are still around. I can't remember which specific ones I had, but I remember loving the illustrations in his books as a child. I'm sure they're the sorts of books that kids will always love.

I raised my oldest on Richard Scarry's educational videos. He learned a lot from them. :)

Book 13
Title: The Enchanted April
Author: Elizabeth Von Arnim

First published: 1922
Gender: Female
Author origin: Australian
Original language: English
Source: Library
Why: TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book whose first line answers the question, 'Where did it happen'
Rating: ****

Oh this is delicious. One wet, dismal February day (just imagine!), Lotty Wilkins sees an advert in the Times for people in search of sunshine and Wisteria inviting tenants to rent an Italian castle for the month of April. She is unable to resist the temptation, and says as much to Rose Arbuthnot, someone she knows from her locality of Hampstead, and from the church, but has not spoken to. They both have unhappy lives to try and escape, so they plot to do so. In order to keep the costs down, the advertise themselves for some more ladies to share the castle, and so the most unlikely quartet arrive in San Salvatore. There is something in the place that drags them all out of their ruts, something that causes them to stop doing what has become habit and re-evaluate what they want from their lives. It takes time and they each go on a different emotional journey, but each of them is recognisable. This was written in the 20s, and while society has changed, there is something quite timeless about this. human relations are still between individuals and we all come with lots of baggage. Some of that we would do well to put down. Takes courage to escape, but it is a mightily attractive proposition that's presented here.

>62 Helenliz: Yes, a wet, dismal February -- living in Vancouver, I can well imagine indeed! In fact, no imagination actually required-- I just have to look out the window.

I really enjoyed The Enchanted April. It seems to be one of those novels that readers reluctantly start, thinking it's going to be boring, but then it turns out to be a wonderful surprise.

Love the cover of your edition.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Another prod for me to read something by Elizabeth Von Arnhim. Enjoyed your review of The enchanted April

>62 Helenliz: glad you enjoyed it. It's like the book equivalent of a big box of chocolates in front of a favourite movie.

Oh dear. Sometimes I do worry about some people. hubby & I are both church bellringers. Think Te Nine Tailors yep, we're two of them. So THIS is the news item of the week. Is bellringing a sport. No. Just no. I'd go with darts being more a sport than ringing. ho hum.
PS - there's a distinct shortage of the David Beckham-esque ringer, in my experience. (not that he's my type, but something nice to distract is no bad thing).

>67 Helenliz: Thank you for the smile. :)

>67 Helenliz: I think you're probably right, but compared to bridge . . .

OK, don't laugh. When you mentioned bellringing, I pictured you and your husband ringing a doorbell and running away. Well, OK, you can laugh, I just did.

>70 FlorenceArt: That's OK when I first read it, I was thinking of Salvation Army style bells which sounds equally ridiculous as a sport but not nearly as funny as competitive Ding Dong Ditch.

Book 14
Title: The 100 year old man who climbed out of a window and disappeared
Author: Jonas Jonasson

First published: 1909
Gender: Male
Author origin: Sweden
Original language: Swedish
Source: Library
Why: re-read, RLBC, TIOLI Challenge #5: Read a book where a word in the title can be an action
Rating: **

Second time of asking, and I don;t feel this improves on further acquaintance. It seems to me to be trying excessively to be twee, from the title onwards, really. Allan is one of these everyman type characters who experience all the major events of the 20th century without ever really getting involved. he has no interest in politics, but it seems to me that he's just not very interested in anything and is, thus, somewhat uninteresting himself. I ceased to be interested in him and his exploits long before the end of the book. Re-read for RLBC.

Book 15
Title: The Poisoned Crown
Author: Maurice Druon

First published: 1956
Gender: Male
Author origin: France
Original language: French
Source: Library
Why: Audio, TIOLI Challenge #2: Read a book where a word in the title suggests damage
Rating: ***

This is lively history. It centers on the reign of Louis X, one of France's less effectual monarchs. Lots of intrigue, lots of interest. Just wish my French history was a little better, to be able to put all these people into context just a little bit better.

>70 FlorenceArt:, >71 janemarieprice: *snort* that would be far more amusing!

Book 15
Title: Equal Rites
Author: Terry Pratchett

First published: 1987
Gender: Male
Author origin: UK
Original language: English
Source: My shelves, Re-read
Why: Audio, TIOLI Challenge #16 : Reread a book
Rating: ****

This is a fun read. Esk would have been the 8th son of an 8th son, only she turned out to be a girl. Which would have been fine had a wizard not bequeathed his staff to the baby without checking what sex she was. Oh dear. So begins a fun trip into gender politics. So why can;t Esk be a wizard? To which question there never is a satisfactory answer, the usual "it's self evident" isn't an answer. However it neatly plays with the gender politics by also turning the question on it's head with can men be witches - clearly the answer is an equally self evident no. That's not to say that the gender politics knocks you over the head, it's not written with the agenda up front, this is, firstly, a great fun read, it;s just that it's not a shallow read. Thoroughly enjoyed it, as ever.

Work's been a bit nuts recently. OK, that would be even more nuts than usual. So I finished this days ago, but have only just got round to being able to post it. I keep telling myself that this, too, will pass and I will soon have time to breathe, but in the meantime, I apologise for not being around and chatty.

>76 Helenliz: I am in the same boat. See you on the other side!

I'm not working, but find my time this past week has been taken over by tax preparation. I leave for vacation next Thursday, and want to be sure I have all my ducks in order before I go. I will only have two weeks after I return to get them submitted. I hate tax time.

Hope work calms down for you soon!

February summary:
Read: 7
Non-fiction: 1
New authors: 3 (Mary Wesley, Elizabeth Von Armin, Maurice Druon)
Re-reads: 2. One for book club, 1 childhood revisiting

Not a bad reading month, all in all. Still didn't enjoy The 100 year old man, but that's the only real low point. The Enchanted April has me planning a holiday in Italy, and wishing I could just escape now.

As a month, it's been challenging. Work's gone even more bananas than usual, with stupid pressure to get things done. Being in a Quality role, I feel like I am spending the vast majority of my time saying "no", which is quite depressing. Having said that, we are making progress, it's just I'm not sure if the light at the end of the tunnel is the end of a tunnel or an oncoming train. As for the rest of 2016 being the year of getting my life in order, that's been going better than expected. Jan & Feb were getting into better eating habits (actually having breakfast and lunch at an appropriate time, not skipping it and snacking instead). March & April will be positive mental attitude and exercise.

Love your summary! What a great reading month to include Mary Wesley and Elizabeth Von Arnim as new authors.

Nothing finished, but I am going to have a book related whinge. I went to the AGM of the Friends of the library on Saturday. I know, clearly my life is not exciting enough. It was noticeable that I was the only person under 50 there. I used to be on the committee, when the group was first set up, being a big believer in the purpose and importance of libraries in the community. But I gave up after a few years, as it seemed to me that the chairman wasn't actually interested in doing anything positive in that regard. I kept suggesting ideas to put on events, but they were quashed the entire time. There was lots of talk about doing things, like having a newsletter a couple of times a year - I think we put together one. And so it proved on Saturday. Lots of confusion about what the group is, what its remit is, what it should be aiming to do, what the library wants it to be. So there is now a new Chairman, but the existing committee remain in place, with the ineffectual chairman staying on the committee. So it might be that not a lot changes. But I do have some hope, the new chairman had some get up and go, has been on a number of local things, like the chairman of the governors at the local school, so maybe he will be a bit more dynamic. One of my neighbours was there as well, and he is clearly in business of some description, as he was asking some very business oriented questions about scope, business plans, sustainability etc. He volunteered to be on the committee as well, so hopefully something might yet happen. Put it this way, it can't be any worse than it has been for the last 5 or so years. And I still really believe that libraries are vital.

Looks like the changes at Friends of the Library might bring about some changes. The lack of achievement is typical of FotL groups in my experience. It's a good idea to share ideas with other groups. Unfortunately that's often difficult to organize. Is there a group devoted to Friends here on LT?

I understand your frustration! I've done just about everything to do with libraries, from directing to being a trustee - lately I am on a (rather secretive) endowment fund committee for our small and underfunded library. (Someone gave a decent gift and that started this whole effort, don't know if we'll get much of anywhere with it, but we can hope.) Anyway, it's a village, not even a town, and things happen slowly. We've had some good eras and some ghastly eras when awful people got control of various committees and boards, but the worst folks seem to lose interest and after alienating everyone move on, thank goodness.

Life remains manic, but I'm taking advantage of the 4 day weekend to catch up on loads of things. Writing reviews being one of them. In no particular order:

Book 16
Title: Nemesis
Author: Philip Roth

First published: 2010
Gender: Male
Author origin: US
Original language: English
Source: Library
Why: RLBC, TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a book with me in the title
Rating: **

Set in the summer of '44 in New York hit by a polio epidemic, this is a morality tale with the moral shoved down your throat. It's all about guilt and a man who is unable to live up to his own ideals and finds that neither does God. I can't get inside his head, we're just too different in mental makeup.

Book 17
Title: Barnaby Rudge
Author: Charles Dickens

First published: 1841
Gender: Male
Author origin: UK
Original language: English
Source: Library
Why: Audio, TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a book with an embedded word in the title
Rating: ****

In this Dickens takes on the Gordon riots of the 1780s. It's a history, in that it's written in retrospect. Dicken's strength are his characters, and so it is here. Gabriel Varden is one of those salt of the earth, upright, solid english yeomen who you can rely on to do the right thing, and so he does, repeatedly. He acts as a contrast to a number of other characters, most noticeably his apprentice (who is a slimy weasel of a man). All sorts of people are here, the weak, the strong, the manipulative and those swept along by events. A varied read, lots of events and emotions, resolution and retribution. I'd not heard of this one when I started, but listening to Dickens in the car works, you get the episodic effect by having to wait until traveling to hear the next section. I will look out for more in this format.

Book 18
Title: Candide and other stories
Author: Voltaire

First published: 1759
Gender: Male
Author origin: France
Original language: French
Source: Library
Why: TIOLI Challenge #2: Read a book you're a bit panicky over
Rating: ***

I have no idea what to make of this. Maybe I just don't understand philosophy. OK as a read, not as hard as I thought it would be, but I'm not sure I'd have understood that this was about thought processes if the introduction hadn't told me so. I tried, at least.

Thought processes? Candide.

>86 baswood:, maybe ways of seeing the world is a better description. The tutor takes the view that life now is as good as it can get - no matter what the trial and tribulations that he experiences. The student is more of a cynic (if that's the word I'm looking for). Candide is more naive (a more candid viewer) and finds both views are too extreme. Had that not been explained to me, I'm not sure I'd have seen it myself.

Ah yes. One is safer cultivating ones own garden I think.

Sorry to hear that you didn't really enjoy Nemesis and Candide. I remember that I liked both a lot when I first read them. But then again, I can also understand that Voltaire is not everyone's cup of tea. With Roth, I think there are many people in this group who'd fully agree with you.

Book 20
Title: Travels through France and Italy
Author: Tobias Smollet

First published: 1766
Gender: Male
Author origin: UK
Original language: English
Source: My shelves
Why: TIOLI Challenge #19: Read a book that has 2+ consecutive embedded words of 2 or more letters each in the title, Non-Fiction
Rating: ***

This is a series of letters written over 2 years by Smollett as he traveled, with his household on the continent. He is adorably grumpy! He's not unremittingly depressing though. He looks at Roman ruins, discusses the landscape, tells you all about the local economy, what they grow, what they make, even, at times, how they makes it. He discusses what the local delicacies are, what is good to eat and what's not great. All of which is in a reasonably positive tone, but the great delight of this book is the grumpiness. He pans the inns and hostelries he comes across on his travels, and does so in such an inventive way that you can't help but warm to him.
I also liked the way the spelling in my edition had not been corrected. Some inventive spellings, I too want to use aukward as a word.

>85 Helenliz: In the right mood, I'm quite a fan of Candide the book, at other times, Candide the character is all too innocent/clueless.
Here is an interesting discussion from The Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jul/01/candide-voltaire-rereading-julian-b...

I love the idea of Quentin Blake illustrating Candide.

>88 baswood: Not only is it safer, but il faut, as gardeners like yourself know! Where would we be without it?

I'm going to manage little more than listing what I've managed to read for the time being.

21, Wessex tales, Thomas Hardy, ***, Audio. Not as depressing as the long form novels.
22, The Unknown Ajax, Georgette Heyer, *****. fabulous pricking of prejudice and family dynamics
23, Beauvallet, Georgette Heyer, ****. Pirate swashbuckler. A bit more obvious than most of her books.
24, Ecclesiastical history of the English people with Bede's letter to Egbert and Cuthbert's letter on the death of Bede, The Venerable Bede, ***, Non-fiction. More readable than I thought it would be. What he doesn't tell you is frustrating, but almost as interesting as what he does.
25, Family Album, Penelope Lively, ***, RLBC. Another unusual family dynamic. I can see my family in it (I'm the Gina type).

Normal service will be resumed at a later date.

Except for the Wessex Tales your latest list is all books I've read! Bede, in college, I admit, so maybe it hardly counts anymore.

I'm very fond of Lively, Family Album was not a favourite. I have mostly forgotten everything about the it, even reading my review didn't bring it into sharp focus. Can't remember the family secret at all! Anyway, that kind of total forgetfulness is usually a bad sign with me.

>93 sibylline: you don't get to "unread" a book, so I think you can count the Bede as having been read, no matter how long ago it was. I can think of a few books I would like to "unread", but, no.

Life remains about as manic as it is possible to be, so time for reading is limited to just before bed and time for posting is down as after spending all day on a PC, I don't want to be doing more of it when I get home. I will probably never catchup on reviews, but at least here's a list of what I'm geting through.

So a few more to list:
26, Will in the World, Stephen Greenblatt, **, Non-fiction. An interesting idea, that you could identify what experiences Shakespeare may have had in his life from his writing, but one that was stretched just a bit to thin over 400 pages.
27, A civil contract, Georgette Heyer, ***. Adam's a snob and not worth the effort.
28, Do no harm, Henry Marsh, ***, Non-fiction. Life and death decisions and whinging about hospital red tape. An odd mixture and it doesn't end so much as stop.
29, Young Bloods, Simon Scarrow, ***, Audio. Lives of Napoleon & Wellington told in parallel stories. They are portrayed as being quite similar and completely opposite at the same time.

>94 Helenliz: I like your theory on unreading a book.