souloftherose reads and reads in 2016

Welcome to my 2016 thread (just squeezing it in on 1 January).

I’m Heather and this is my 7th year in the 75 Book Challenge Group. I'm in my midthirties and live in a small town to the northwest of London in the United Kingdom with my husband and our slightly nervous rescue cat.

I read a lot of fantasy and science fiction (including children's/young adult books) as well as a good spattering of crime/historical/other fiction. A fair number of the books I read are older books - I particularly enjoy 18th and 19th century fiction, golden age detective novels and women's literature from the first half of the 20th century.

Last year I read 236 books of which only 25 were non-fiction books. Given how many books I read in total I could probably squeeze a few more non-fiction books - we'll see.

Books read in January

#1 Courtiers: The Secret History of Kensington Palace by Lucy Worsley (Library)
#2 Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett (Reread)
#3 Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett (Reread)
#4 Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett (Reread)
#5 The Magician's Ward by Patricia C. Wrede (TBR)
#6 The American Senator by Anthony Trollope (TBR)
#7 Death on the Cherwell by Mavis Doriel Hay (Amazon Prime)
#8 The Mussel Feast by Birgit Vanderbeke (TBR)
#9 Hawkeye, Vol. 2: Little Hits by Matt Fraction and David Aja (Marvel Unlimited)
#10 Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald (TBR)
#11 The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff (Library)
#12 The Kingdom and the Cave by Joan Aiken (TBR)
#13 The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson (TBR)
#14 Hawkeye, Vol. 3: LA Woman by Matt Fraction (Marvel Unlimited)
#15 Fear Stalks the Village by Ethel Lina White (TBR)
#16 April Lady by Georgette Heyer (TBR)
#17 Maskerade by Terry Pratchett (Reread)
#18 Jack of Fables, Vol 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape by Bill Willingham (Library)
#19 Hawkeye Vol 4: Rio Bravo by Matt Fraction (Marvel Unlimited)
#20 Murder in the Mews by Agatha Christie (Reread)
#21 Mrs Tim Carries On by D. E. Stevenson (Library)

Books read in Febuary
#DNF The Black Prism by Brent Weeks (TBR)
#22 Charlotte Bronte: A Life by Claire Harman (Library)
#23 The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley (Library)

Paper books acquired




#1 Marriage by Susan Ferrier
#2 A Fugue in Time by Rumer Godden
#3 Becoming Who You Are: Insights on the True Self from Thomas Merton and Other Saints by James Martin
#4 Domestic Manners of the Americans by Frances Trollope
#5 Pure Juliet by Stella Gibbons
#6 Meeting God in Paul by Rowan Williams

Kindle books acquired




#1 The Mussel Feast by Birgit Vanderbeke
#2 The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson
#3 Fear Stalks the Village by Ethel Lina White
#4 April Lady by Georgette Heyer
#5 Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold

An idea borrowed from Liz (@lyzard), this lists ongoing series that I am actively reading. This doesn't include series where I have the first book in my TBR pile (i.e. series I haven't started reading yet aren't included). An asterisk indicates a series where I already have a copy of the next book and bold indicates an intention to finish the series soon(ish)...

Series I'm actively* reading (*for a rather lax definition of active)
*Albert Campion: Next up Hide My Eyes by Margery Allingham (19/25)
*Barsetshire Books by Angela Thirkell: Reading out of order. Next up The Brandons (5/29 read)
*Ebenezer Gryce: Next up That Affair Next Door by Anna Katharine Green (8/13)
*Fables: Next up Fables, Vol. 11: War and Pieces by Bill Willingham (11/22)
Finishing School: Next up Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger (4/4)
*Frost in May Quartet: Next up Beyond the Glass by Antonia White (4/4)
*The Gentleman Bastard Sequence: Next up: The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch (3/4)
*Gilead: Next up Lila by Marilynne Robinson (3/3)
The Girl Who: Next up The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente (4/5)
Hainish Cycle: (Reading out of order) Next up Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Le Guin (3/8)
Hawkeye (2012): Next up Hawkeye Vol. 4: Rio Bravo by Matt Fraction (4/4)
Hilary Tamar: Next up: The Shortest Way to Hades by Sarah Caudwell (2/4)
Lady Trent's Memoirs: Next up Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan (3/4)
*Liaden Universe Publication Order: Next up Fledgling by Shareon Lee & Steve Miller (9/21)
The Long Price Quartet: Next up An Autumn War by Daniel Abraham (3/4)
Maigret: Next up The Hanged Man of Saint Pholien by Georges Simenon (4/76)
Mrs Tim: Next up Mrs Tim Gets a Job by D. E. Stevenson (3/4)
Ms. Marvel 2014: Next up Ms. Marvel, Vol. 4: Last Days by G. Willow Wilson (4/?)
Old Filth: Next up Last Friends by Jane Gardam (3/3)
The Palliser Novels: Next up: The Prime Minister by Anthony Trollope (5/6)
Poldark Saga: Next up The Stranger from the Sea by Winston Graham (8/12)
*Roderick Alleyn: Next up Enter a Murderer by Ngaio Marsh (2/32)
Seraphina: Next up Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman (2/2)
Small Change: Next up Half a Crown by Jo Walton (3/3)
*Tales of a New Jerusalem: Next up Family Britain, 1951-57 by David Kynaston (2/5?)
Vlad Taltos: Next up Dragon by Steven Brust (8/14)
Wolves Chronicles: Next up Midwinter Nightingale by Joan Aiken (10/11)

Series I've stalled on but want to get back to
*Allan Quatermain: Next up Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard (2/15)
*Arsène Lupin: Next up Arsène Lupin vs. Holmlock Shears by Maurice Leblanc (2/23?)
*Barsoom: Next up The Warlord of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (3/11)
Bas-Lag: Next up The Scar by China Mieville (2/3)
*Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox: Next up Eight Skilled Gentlemen by Barry Hughart (3/3)
David Wintringham by Josephine Bell: Reading out of order (2/12 read)
*Dolphin Ring Cycle: Next up Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff (5/8)
Dragonslayer: Next up The Eye of Zoltar by Jasper Fforde (3/4)
Empire Trilogy: Next up: The Singapore Grip by J. G. Farrell (3/3)
*Father Brown: Next up: The Wisdom of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton (2/5)
*Fionavar Tapestry: Next up The Darkest Road by Guy Gavriel Kay (3/3)
Green Knowe: Next up: The Chimneys of Green Knowe by L. M. Boston (2/6)
Jimm Juree: Next up Grandad, There's a Head on the Beach by Colin Cotterill (2/2)
Julia Probyn: Next up The Portugese Escape by Ann Bridge (2/8)
Les Voyages Extraordinaires: Next up From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne (4/54)
*The Long Earth: Next up The Long War by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter (2/3)
The Magicians: Next up The Magician King by Lev Grossman (2/3)
Mistborn: Next up Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (5/6)
The Penderwicks: Next up The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall (2/4)
*The Prairie Trilogy: Next up The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (3/3) (Reading out of order)
*Richard Hannay: Next up The Three Hostages by John Buchan (4/5)
Romantic Poets and Nephilim: Next up A Time to Cast Away Stones in The Bible Repairman and Other Stories by Tim Powers (2/3)
Ruth Galloway: Next up A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths (5/7)
Dr. Siri Paiboun: Next up: Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (5/9)
*A Song of Ice and Fire: Next up A Dance with Dragons by G. R. R. Martin (5/7?)
Sorcery and Celia: Next up The Grand Tour by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (2/3)
*Turtle: Next up Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver (2/2)
Wars of Light and Shadow: Next up Ships of Merior by Janny Wurts (2/10?)
Young Pilots: Next up Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein (2/3)

Series I'm rereading
*Colonel Race: Next up Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie (2/4)
*Discworld Witches: Next up Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett (6/6)
*Hercule Poirot: Next up: Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie (13/39)
*Chief Inspector Armand Gamache: Next up A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny (7/11)
*Miss Marple: Next up The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie (3/13)
*Parasol Protectorate: Next up Timeless by Gail Carriger (5/5)
*Superintendent Battle: Next up Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie (3/5)
*Thursday Next: Next up The Woman Who Died a Lot by Jasper Fforde (7/7)
Tommy and Tuppence: Next up N or M? by Agatha Christie (3/5)

Up to date series
Corta Hélio: Latest book Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald (1/2)
Matthew Shardlake: Latest book Lamentation by C. J. Sansom (6/6)
Old Kingdom: Latest book Clariel by Garth Nix (4/4)
Peter Grant: Next up The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch (6/6)
Shades of Grey: Latest book Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde (1/3)
Wolf Hall: Latest book Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (2/3)
World of the Five Gods: Latest book Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold (4/4)

Series completed
Mairelon the Magician by Patricia C. Wrede (2/2)

Group reads/Tutored reads with Liz (@lyzard)

February: Marriage by Susan Ferrier (Virago chronological read)
March: The Prime Minister by Anthony Trollope (group read)
April: Emma by Jane Austen (tutored read)
May/June/July (TBC): Camilla by Fanny Burney
August: The Midnight Bell by Francis Lathom

To schedule:
The Wanderer by Fanny Burney
The Duke's Children by Anthony Trollope

I think that's me done for now. As I haven't finished a book so far this year I'm in the rare position of being caught up with my reviews! Enjoying the feeling while it lasts :-)

Happy New Year, Heather and happy reading in 2016. :-)

Hi, Heather - Happy New Year and Thread!

(I shall now depart again before I am overcome with review-completion envy...)

Hi Heather! Looking forward to keeping up with your reading this year.

Welcome back!

Hi Heather - look forward to following along in the group. Happy new year!

Hi Heather - Happy New Year.

Howdy Heather! Happy new year and cheers to reading quality and or quantity in 2016.

Happy New Year, Heather! Dropping off my star...

Hi Heather! I've been looking for your thread. I'm glad to have found you! I too am all caught up on reviews for the moment - because I haven't finished a book yet this year, either!

Hi Heather! Looking forward to following your reading this year.

Happy New Year!

Hi Heather! I had one star missing from my LT universe, but now I've found you so my universe is complete. Looking forward to following you in 2016.

Hi Heather - dropping off a star so I can find my way back....

Happy new year!

Hi Heather, best of 2016!

Hi, Heather! It looks like we have a few reading interests in common, so I look forward to following your thread this year.

Hello Heather, I'll be lurking as usual this year! Hope we get to meet up in person again too.

Hi Heather! I've found you amongst the mayhem :-) Happy new reading year!

Have a wonderful bookfilled 2016, Heather.

Happy New Year Heather!



"I wish you never-ending dreams
and the furious desire to realise some of them."
— Jacques Brel

I see you're doing really well with some series we share. I've yet to jump into the Albert Campion mysteries, of which I have the first two so far, plus The Tiger in the Smoke, which I simply had to get as an audiobook, as a cheaper alternative when I saw Folio had released it a couple of years ago. I loved the first Barsetshire book, but wasn't so wild on Wild Strawberries, still I should get my hands on August Folly next, as I have several others in the series on the tbr. Also really impressed with the way you've been plowing through the Poldark Saga. I've yet to pick up Demelza, and will certainly do so soon (I hope!).

You were my partner in crime last year and I think we pulled off quite a neat stunt! I think that is something that will probably stay with me for the rest of my life, I know I've said thank you before, but it seems I can't say it enough, because if it weren't for you, the wind would have gone out of my sails before the project had even properly taken off, so many many thanks once again my dearest! xox

Oooh - visitors! Thank you to Barbara, Liz, Cushla, Jim, Charlotte, Beth, Megan, Mamie, Carrie, Katie, Roni, Charlotte, Katie, Nancy, Harry, Claire, Susan, Paul and Ilana for dropping by (did I miss anyone?) I think I have everyone's threads starred even if I haven't visited yet - trying to work my way round the group slowly....

My husband's new year present to me was his cold (boo) so we have not really been doing much the last few days except watching films/TV. Yesterday we rewatched the first Mission Impossible film (with Tom Cruise) and realised Mission Impossible is 20 years old this year and showing its age (Tom Cruise has to look something up on the internet by searching usenet groups!) although still good fun. We also watched Mad Max: Fury Road (which should really have been called Imperator Furiosa as Mad Max is just her sidekick) which is crazy and quite violent but good (and if you ignore the title and the marketing, kind of feminist).

Also I finished two books!

Book #1: Courtiers: The Secret History of Kensington Palace by Lucy Worsley - 3.9 stars



This was a good history (with just the right amount of gossip) of the Georgian court under George I and George II (so 1714-1760). Worlsey takes as her inspiration the King's Staircase at Kensington Palace which is decorated with pictures of the court (royals, courtiers and servants) and takes us through the reign of the two kings chronologically by following the lives of a select few courtiers and servants as well as the royal family.

I enjoyed learning more about the two Georges but my favourite royal was Queen Caroline, the wife of George II, who was quite an intellectual and interested in science and the arts to the extent that she was instrumental in popularising the new smallpox vaccine. The lives of the courtiers give a good impression of life in the first half of the eighteenth century (albeit focused more on the upper end of society) and underlined the difference in morals and culture between the early eighteenth century and the later eighteenth/early nineteenth.

One member of the court I was particularly interested by was Peter the Wild Boy who was an apparently feral child brought to the Georgian Court. When they tired of him he was sent to live in Northchurch, a small village in Hertfordshire and buried at the parish church. According to Worlsey, someone still regularly leaves flowers on his grave. I grew up very close to Northchurch and my Mum used to teach at the small school attached to the Northchurch parish church. I'd never heard of Peter the Wild Boy before so I will have to ask her whether she'd heard this story.

I think this was originally a recommendation from @susan67 so thank you for the recommendation!

Book #2: Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett - 4.5 stars



As a teenager the Discworld witches' books were my favourites but for some reason it has been ages and ages since I reread them - I think after a while I started to worry that I wouldn't enjoy them so much now. I needn't have worried because I really enjoyed this reread. It's a very entertaining parody/retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth with a good dose of Hamlet and King Lear thrown in for good measure. Although it's the 6th book in the series this would be another good place to start if you're considering trying some Discworld.

It looks like a good reading start, Heather.

Happy New Year Heather! You have my sympathies about the cold as I'm pretty laid up as well.

Oh - I read The Courtiers last year, and quite enjoyed it, too. You are so right that is has a perfect mix of history and gossip.

Sorry to hear about your cold, Heather - BOO! Hoping it passes quickly. And I cannot believe that Mission Impossible is 20 years old!!

Happy New Year, Heather! I hope that you're feeling better today.

Hi Heather, just saying hello.
I've been meaning to reread the discworld books for ages and must get round to starting.
Sorry to hear about the cold. Give Dan a long hard stare to set him straight (yes, I've been reading Paddington to Reuben)

Better late than never--new year wishes and a star!!! Congrats on still being up to date on your reviews. I am behind already. ; )

Happy New Year, your thread had slipped past me till now.
I haven't read much Pratchett but intend to focus on him somewhat this year and have 4 of his books sitting here by my laptop. I thought to continue The colour of magic with the next one in that part of Discworld, but have Equal Rites, Mort, The Wee free men and A hat full of sky sitting centre stage here. I also have Wyrd Sisters but I don't think it's the first in that particular storyline?

>34 avatiakh: Kerry, Wyrd Sisters is a fine place to start the witches storyline. Equal Rites is really quite different. Even though Granny Weatherwax is introduced in it, she isn't really fully-developed yet. The story it tells doesn't reverberate at all through the rest of the books until the very end, and then it is more of a cameo.

Heather, I hope you are feeling much better very quickly. Boo, hubby!

I think I may reread the witches series this year--it's been a long time for many of them.

Hi, Heather - don't know if you've seen it, but Lori is just starting Clarissa: I thought you might want to stop by and offer her some moral support (I've already warned her!). :)

Happy New Year, Heather! As you cab see, I've found you, what you don't see is that I've starred you too! You amaze me with your prolific reading skills and you inspire me to read harder. Here's to a great 2016!

Happy New Year Heather!

>35 ronincats: Thanks Roni, I know there are several starting points for Discworld. I'll put Equal Rites to one side and pick up maybe The Wyrd Sisters.

It's good to find your thread for this year, Heather. LT is a. Use place these days. Happy Reading in 2016!

I have you starred and am eager to follow along. I've heard good things about The Courtiers perhaps I will have to give a look this year.

Hi, Heather.

Just checking in on the group read front. I have been talking to Ilana who has requested that Emma be pushed back to better accommodate War And Peace, which leaves a February slot open. I was wondering whether you might be able to tackle Marriage then?

Found your thread, Heather! I always get discombobulated at this time of year with all the threads swirling around. I am stunned at your books read tally for 2015. Good job on 236 books read!

Sorry to see you were gifted with a cold this new years but, hey, more reading time! Always look for the positive in any situation. ;-)

Courtiers might not as a rule appeal to me but the idea of history meets gossip intrigues me.

>36 lyzard: - LOL! Liz knows me better than I know myself. I probably will need help. ;-)

Hi Heather :) I also enjoy fantasy and sci-fi so I'll be around to see what you read this year!

Catching up after leaving my star - Happy New Year!

>28 Ameise1: It was a good start to the year, Barbara. It's a good thing I didn't make a reading goal about reading any TBR books though as so far they have all been rereads or library books, but I have at least started a TBR book now...

>29 SandDune: Thanks Rhian! I hope you feel better soon.

>30 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie.

>31 kidzdoc: Thanks Dr Darryl! :-)

>32 eclecticdodo: Hi Jo. The Discworld books are a lot of fun and the good thing is that for the most part this isn't a series that needs to be read in order. I was intending to reread the old series in publication order but then realised after Wyrd Sisters that what I really wanted to do was read another of the witches books. So I did.

>33 Berly: Far from too late, Kim. I am still dropping off my new year wishes on the various threads. I am now one book behind with reviews. But I am pretty tired this evening so I am going to ignore it - ha!

>34 avatiakh: Hi Kerry. Basically what Roni said in >35 ronincats:. Although Wyrd Sisters isn't the first book featuring the witches it's fine to start there.

>35 ronincats: Thanks Roni. Ooh, do a witches reread. I'm up to Lords and Ladies now - I can't get enough Granny Weatherwax!

>36 lyzard: Thank you for letting me know Liz. I have added my, erm, encouragements?

>37 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda!

>38 The_Hibernator: Thanks Rachel!

>40 Donna828: Happy new year to you too, Donna!

>41 Thebookdiva: I hope you enjoy The Courtiers if you get to it, Abby.

>42 lyzard: Hi Liz. Yes Marriage in Feb would work for me.

>44 Kassilem: Welcome, Melissa :-) I think I have your thread starred and I can't remember if I've commented or not. I am totally losing track already...

>45 archerygirl: Thanks Katherine!

I think cold is getting better although I still have a bit of a sore throat but I am well enough to go back to work tomorrow. In reading news I finished Witches Abroad and am about 3/4 of the way through Lords and Ladies. I've also been slowly reading Anthony Trollope's The American Senator for a facebook group read by the Anthony Trollope society. Not sure I really like the format of a group read on facebook but after a bit of a slow start I am now really enjoying this (as expected).

I also picked up one of my Christmas presents from my MIL: Women's Letters: Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, Friends which is an anthology of quotes from letters written by women including cute little facsimiles of some letters that you can unfold and read (kind of a pop-up book for grown ups!). It's beautifully set out and accompanied with some lovely artwork. I thought I'd share a couple of quotes which made me smile:

'Let not two minutes ever elapse between leaving one employment, and beginning another: be as covetous of every moment as if you had only a month of your life left..... Never indulge with the Sofa: believe me it is bad for you.'

Harriet Martineau to her sister-in-law, May 12th 1825

I don't think Ms Martineau would have approved of my regular indulgence with the Sofa! I feel sorry for her sister in law.

Yay, found you! I haven't ventured into the Witches books from Discworld yet, but I really should. They're all downstairs, after all...for some reason I've gone with the other character threads instead of that one, but hey, there are so many that I'm not going to dwell on why for too long. Maybe this will be the year!

>47 souloftherose:

You know we have Ms Martineau on the upcoming Virago list, right? :D

Hi Heather - Happy New Year! I've been a bit useless at keeping up over here in the last year (and I probably won't get much better this year), but I hope life is good?!

Discworld, huh? I will have to check that one out. All the LT suggestions have pulled me away from sci fi and witches. Added to my series list. : )

>49 lyzard: I just noticed that -- she'd be next after Marriage, right?

Somewhere around there: I tend not to look ahead until after the book in hand.

OH my goodness, I'm late to the party. Happy New Year, Heather, and lose that cold!
I'm tickled to see that you really enjoyed The Courtiers since I have it on my Kindle. YAY!
>49 lyzard: >52 lauralkeet: Oh! I read the Martineau a couple of years ago. I was both glad to have read it and glad to have finished it.

>27 souloftherose: lol, a new years present of a cold. Not cool husband! ;)

I feel that I am n the verge of something similar. The other day I was so tired that I nearly fell asleep in the afternoon in the midst of the tornado that comprises my two children. That in itself is meaningful. Having a medicinal stout now ;)

We've been passing around a New Year's cold too. It's my turn - but I have to work while feeling like death warmed over... :( At least I'm well medicated with Dayquil! :)

This seems to be a "tired" cold that people pass around, I haven't had as intense other symptoms, though a sore throat and some phlegm (that's as far as I'll go with that subject) but really just mostly tired tired tired.

>27 souloftherose: You must have read my mind when you said that one could read The Wyrd Sisters out of order and it would be fine. The book looks great, and I've really enjoyed any Pratchett that I've read already. Thanks for the recommendation!

Karen O.

I saw you listed Victoria: A Life on the wiki thread and am very tempted to join in. Not that I have a lack of other biographies already listed as it is...

Hope you're getting well over the cold. Those are such a drag. Feel better!

Happy New Year, Heather!

Just whizzing round the group, trying to find all my friends to wish them, a bit belatedly :0)

Just FYI, I just finished the Kindle version of Murder At The College and while there were the inevitable typos and a couple of disconcerting omitted words, I didn't find any formatting issues as you mentioned you'd heard - maybe it was bad enough they cleaned it up? Anyway, it's all (or mostly) good!

Enjoy!

Ugh, is all I have to say about the first week back at work. I knew it would be busy but it turned out to be much worse than I'd thought. But, weekend! And I finally finished my first book from the TBR of the year and my first series (ok, it's just a two book series but it counts!)

>48 dk_phoenix: Hi Faith! I am really enjoying rereading the Witches books. I hope you enjoy them if you get to them!

>49 lyzard:, >52 lauralkeet: & >53 lyzard: Is that Deerbrook? Well, hopefully Harriet Martineau would make an exception for indulging with the Sofa if one is reading her novel.

>50 flissp: Thanks Fliss! We are chugging along. I have your thread starred but don't think I have managed to make it over for a visit yet.

>51 Berly: I hope you enjoy them if you try them, Kim.

>54 LizzieD: Thanks Peggy, I think the cold is pretty much gone now.

>55 LovingLit:, >56 drneutron: & >57 sibylline: There do seem to be a lot of colds going around and I think it could well be tiredness as the cause for us. I don't think it was coincidence that we both came down with colds as soon as we had a bit of time to really rest.

>58 klobrien2: You're welcome, Karen! Hope you enjoy Wyrd Sisters.

>59 Smiler69: Thanks Ilana. Feeling mostly better (or would be if work hadn't been so ick this week). I have listed Victoria: A Life but am really quite initimidated by how huge the hardback I got out of the library is. Hopefully once I start it won't seem so bad.

>60 humouress: Thanks Nina!

>61 lyzard: Hi Liz. Thanks for letting me know. I can cope with a few typos so will probably join you for that one. Funnily enough I'm currently reading another murder mystery set in a college, Death on the Cherwell.

>62 DianaNL: Cute! Thanks Diana.

Wishing you a most lovely weekend, Heather.

Glad you survived your first week back, Heather, but sorry that it was full of ick. Hoping that your weekend helps you to recover from it. Happy Saturday to you!

>64 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. I always love the images you find for your weekend posts.

>65 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie - happy Saturday!

Book #3: Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett - 4 stars



From the back cover: 'How difficult could it be to make sure that a servant girl doesn't marry a prince?'

This is a riff on fairytales, fairy godmothers and the power of stories and happy endings. This gets a slightly lower score than Wyrd Sisters because I find the witches' travelling adventures a little too picaresque for my liking (strangely, I'm more forgiving of picaresque in older fiction than I am in modern books) but I love Pratchett's take on happy endings and good and evil.

Book #4: Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett - 4.3 stars



Unlike the other Witches' books, I think this one probably needs to be read after Wyrd Sisters and Witches Abroad. Lots of references to Midsummer Night's Dream, faeries/elves and I loved the way Pratchett developed Granny Weatherwax in this book.

"Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are marvelous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning.
No one ever said elves are nice."

Both short sets of comments because I never feel that I can write adequately about why I love Pratchett so much.

Book #5: Magician's Ward by Patricia C. Wrede - 3.2 stars



The sequel to Mairelon the Magician these are sweet and enjoyable reads about a young female thief called Kim, who is taken under the wing of an upper class magician called Mairelon in an alternate Regency England. What stops me rating this higher is perhaps that I've read more Regency-set books than the target audience (this is a young adult series) and this series didn't strike me as a very good depiction of the Regency period when considering the speech or behaviour of the characters. But aside from that, these were enjoyable books just not really memorable for me.

Hmm, The Courtiers looks very good. This isn't going very well as two threads visited this morning and two more books added to my list.

I'm sorry to hear your week wasn't the best. Hopefully the weekend will not disappoint.

I think I have The Magician's Ward on my shelf, but I don't think I've read it because I don't have Mairelon the Magician...it's too bad that it wasn't all that great, I love Wrede's other work! Her Enchanted Forest Chronicles series is probably one of my all-time favorites.

>66 souloftherose: I love the elves quote. The more snippets I get the more I want to get back to Pratchett

Sorry work was so rough. I hope it settles down again soon.

love

I have really fond memories of Mairelon the Magician and Magician's Ward from reading them when I was about 16, and I've always been sort of afraid to revisit them in case they don't hold up. (Not that I know much about the Regency period anyway.)

Hi Heather, hope you're having a relaxing weekend.

I've been listening to Men at Arms, and really enjoying it; laugh out loud enjoying it in fact. Funny how timing is everything with books, because I'd started on it in April and got about a third of the way through the audio without any of it registering. My mind was obviously elsewhere. This time around I'm finding it to be a blast, and it's just occurred to me, on my third Terry Pratchett book, that he is like the one-man Monty Python of literature. I used to adore them (again, when in the mood).

You'd already hit me with a powerful BB with The Wyrd Sisters, but now you have with Witches Abroad as well, which I'll be sure to listen to before getting to Lords and Ladies. Obviously, I'll also need to take in A Midsummer Night's Dream beforehand too. I've fallen behind on my Shakespeare reading anyway and would like to get back to him. Yet another plan for 2016? Eek!

I keep mentioning Pratchett on audio, because the recordings are really excellent, sort of like radio plays, with each character having his own voice and occasional funny sound effects, so that I fully intend to take in all the Discworld books via spoken narration.

I love Regency era books as well, so it has always seemed odd to me that the two Mairelon the Magician books are my least favorite of Patricia Wrede's books. They are fun but not as good as the rest. I also love the Enchanted Forest books, so delicious and fun, but the Lyra books (especially The Raven Ring, but it is most appreciated after reading the other books) and her singles like The Seven Towers and her other Regency collaboration, Sorcery and Cecilia and its sequels. The North American trilogy fantasy is good but it doesn't pull me in like the more traditional fantasies.

I will reread the Witches this year, definitely, but will wait to start it until a little later in the year.

>74 ronincats: I had somehow completely forgotten about the American trilogy; I really need to read those one day.

So sorry to read your week was so busy, it kind of makes the weekend all the sweeter. Have a good one!

Hi Heather, I've come by to drop my star. I was pretty terrible at keeping up last year so I am full of good intentions of doing much better this year!

>63 souloftherose: Boy, do I feel you on the 'crummy week back at work' thing. This past week was my first full week since before Thanksgiving (Nov. 27 this year) and frankly I've come to the conclusion that work is overrated. Pity about that whole needing food and shelter bit.

Here's hope we both have a good week next week! It's my last week before the students come back to university so I expect the business will continue to ratchet up, but at least that makes the time go faster.

It's all your fault. I succumbed. Couldn't find #1 of the Discworld series, but got #2, The Globe. : )

Oh, Kim, that's the second of an auxiliary series, The Science of Discworld, not the stories themselves.


And I would recommend starting with the Watch or Death or Witches novels rather than with the Rincewind books. The reason is that Pratchett's first couple of books were pure satire of existing sf and fantasy books and the next three, he's just getting the real Discworld set up. You can always go back and pick them up later.

OMG! LOL. There's a chart and I am still lost. Somebody tell my THE name of the FIRST book I should read. ROFL! The science books look like they are first. I am crying, I am laughing so hard. HELP!

Chart goes from left to right, not top to bottom, unfortunately. I'd say start with either Guards! Guards! or Equal Rites. Heather, what say you?

>82 ronincats: I'll chime in with Witches books, they are my favorite characters. Even more than Death or Luggage.

>80 ronincats: Oh my goodness! Kim, what have you gotten yourself into?!

>80 ronincats: Roni thanks for that. I may just follow your advice. xx

Heather I trust that the remainder of your weekend will go swimmingly. xx

>80 ronincats: oooh, thanks, I like diagrams!

Hi Heather! I need to read the Discworld books. I read the first few (not by the official reading order, but by publication date). But there are so many other books on my to-read list! What to do, what to do.

Hope you had a great weekend.

Glad to see you're enjoying revisiting the Discworld books, Heather. Last year I decided not to repeat any authors in my reading, so I'm thoroughly looking forward to getting to read another Pratchett soon! My next title is Reaper Man, which should be good.

Hi, Heather. I'm not reading Patchett again, so I'll drop back into lurk.

Sorry to see the first week back to work was not the greatest. I hate the 'return to work after the holidays'. It can be such a downer, which isn't the best when the weather can be downright depressing on its own. ;-)

Good job on the reading front! I keep on meaning to start the Discworld books but charts like the one Roni posted make the idea a rather daunting one!

Wishing you a lovely week!

OK, I am officially not keeping up with this group!

>68 Tanglewood: 'This isn't going very well as two threads visited this morning and two more books added to my list.'

I know what you mean! I wouldn't be surprised if the number of book bullets I've taken so far this year is more than the number of books I've read. Having said that, I hope you enjoy Courtiers.

>69 Thebookdiva: Thanks Abi.

>70 dk_phoenix: Faith, I thought the books were sweet and good escapism just not particularly memorable. I think Magician's Ward would work ok as a standalone - it doesn't really require knowledge of the events of the previous book (although it does feature the same characters so if you're a compulsive about reading in the right order you might want to read Mairelon the Magician first.

>71 eclecticdodo: Thanks Jo. Pratchett has so many good quotes.

>72 _Zoe_: I did wonder whether they might be books I'd have enjoyed more if I'd read them when I was younger.

>73 Smiler69: Ilana, I am thrilled (and relieved) that you're enjoying Men at Arms so much. Who's the narrator of your edition?

>74 ronincats: Roni, I'm encouraged by your comments as I had been planning to read more of Wrede's books and was feeling slightly less enthusiastic about doing so after the Mairelon books. I think I'll make Dealing with Dragons my next Wrede (although who knows when?)

>76 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda!

>77 DeltaQueen50: Thanks for the star Judy and no worries about getting behind because you can guarantee I will be struggling too!

>78 rosalita: 'frankly I've come to the conclusion that work is overrated'

I'm with you! I have had to remind myself lately that I do actually like my job and the people I work with.

>79 Berly:, >80 ronincats:, >81 Berly:, >82 ronincats: Oh Kim, what have you done? As Roni said, The Science of Discworld II: The Globe isn't really part of the main Discworld series and I'm not really sure whether I would even describe it as a novel. I agree with Roni that Guards! Guards! is a great place to start (and then carry on with that character thread). I'd replace Equal Rites with Wyrd Sisters, there's only a minor connection between the two and I prefer Wyrd Sisters.

Generally, I'd say most of the Discworld books stand alone. Unfortunately one of the exceptions is the book you bought! So sorry.

>83 AuntieClio: Yay for another Witches fan! Granny Weatherwax rocks!

>84 rosalita: :-D

>85 PaulCranswick: I think Roni is the unofficial group fantasy/science fiction series guru.

>87 The_Hibernator: 'But there are so many other books on my to-read list!'

Hi Rachel. I know that feeling.... Unfortunately I don't have any advice but in my experience, being a member of this group just makes the problem worse....

>88 Ygraine: 'Last year I decided not to repeat any authors in my reading, so I'm thoroughly looking forward to getting to read another Pratchett soon!'

Wow - that's very disciplined! I don't think I could do that.

>89 LizzieD: Hi Peggy - thanks for delurking :-)

>90 lkernagh: I think the Discworld chart can make it look scarier than it actually is. But perhaps that's just because I've been reading the series for so long. Most of the books work find as standalones or follow Roni's advice (>82 ronincats:) about good starting places.

In reading news:

Nearly finished The American Senator which is a Trollope novel I'd not really heard of before but have enjoyed a lot.
Finding Stacy Schiff's The Witches, Salem, 1692 to be fascinating and thought-provoking. It's a bit of a chunkster and quite detailed so not a very fast read.
My current easy read is Death on the Cherwell by Mavis Doriel Hay which is part of the British Library Crime Classics series.

Aye, there are a lot of books out there by Pratchett which makes the chart look complex, but the truth is that the books are pretty self-contained, which means you can dip in and see if one speaks to you and get back out again if you want to. Other starting points--Going Postal and The Wee Free Men. There's context you will have if you've read the Watch or the Witches books, but not necessary to enjoy the story-telling.

>88 Ygraine: Reaper Man is one of my favorites!

>90 lkernagh: Ah, just dive in, Lori! Guards! Guards! is my personal favorite to start.

Hey Heather! Good to know that The Courtiers turned out to be a good read for you. I've got a copy on my kindle and I long to read it, but it hasn't aged enough, I think. Desperately want a copy of The Witches, but the budget is nowhere near ready to handle that yet, so will have to be patient. And it looks as though if I am ever going to tackle Pratchett it had better be soon, judging from the number of books involved and my likely lifespan.

Hi Heather - The Pratchett sounds interesting; the chart helps. So if the witches sound good to me, I could start with Wyrd Sisters, right?

I like the cover on Death on the Cherwell - I'll watch for your comments.

I hope work is getting better. It's so hard to go back after the holidays. What is this working five days thing?

>17 Ygraine: and >88 Ygraine: Hi, good to see you around again.

Hi, Heather.

I think when we discussed it you said you had access to a copy of Mrs Tim Carries On? It turns out the State Library holds a non-loan copy, so I was thinking of listing it for TIOLI ('new', 'year' or 'happy': it has 'year' in its subtitle). Would you be able to join me? :)

Have a lovely weekend!

Thanks for all the Discworld advice everyone--now I just have to get to the library or bookstore!! I am aiming for Wyrd Sisters or Guard! Guard! and I saved the chart to my desktop in case those two are available. Wish me luck!

Heather, I wish you a relaxed weekend.

>91 souloftherose: - OK, I am officially not keeping up with this group!

Good for you! Life is too short and the threads, they just don't stop. ;-)

I hope you have been having a lovely weekend.

Hi, Heather! Good to see the Pratchett love here. I've got a lot of his books here and probably get to them later in the year.

Have a wonderful year.

>93 ronincats: Oh yes, Going Postal and The Wee Free Men would also be good places to start.

>94 Fourpawz2: Charlotte, a good thing about the Pratchett series is that as most standalone there's hopefully less of a compulsion to feel you need to have read all of them. Just dip in and out if you feel like it.

>95 BLBera: Hi Beth. yes, that's right Wyrd Sisters is a good place to start the Witches. All the British Library Crime Classics have gorgeous covers - I think probably one of the reasons why they've taken off so much.

>97 lyzard: Liz, I do have a copy of Mrs Tim Carries On and I do need a push to read it as I've had it out of the library for several months now and still haven't read it. I think the awful cover of my edition keeps putting me off! I will try to join you.

>98 DianaNL: Thanks Diana! Cute picture :-)

>99 Berly: Good luck Kim! I hope the library delivers.

>100 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. It snowed here this weekend! Only lasted a day and not quite as beautiful as your picture but close!

>101 lkernagh: Thanks Lori :-)

>102 Matke: Thanks Gail - lovely to see you :-)

Morning Heather! Oh, it is so difficult keeping up with threads and keep up with reading too. I applaud the folks who can do both.
Congrats on logging in your 10th read! You're awesome!

Well done on reading 10 books in less than three weeks, Heather!

>104 Carmenere: & >105 kidzdoc: Thanks Lynda and Darryl. It does mean I have got behind with reviews though.....

Book #6: The American Senator by Anthony Trollope - 4.2 stars



Trollope's one of those authors where I always feel that my favourite of his books is whichever one I've most recently read. I think this is because the characters and places he writes about feel so real to me that they almost carry on living in my mind after I've finished the book. The American Senator is one of his less well known works but no exception to this rule.

Despite what the title might lead you to believe this novel is entirely set in the small, rural English town of Dillsborough (as Trollope comments in one of his direct remarks to the reader, the book might perhaps have been better called The Chronicle of a Winter at Dillsborough). I found the first few chapters to be rather hardgoing as Trollope rapidly introduces us to the majority of the inhabitants of the town and their history (so many characters were introduced so quickly I had to write out a list) but once I got into the swing of things I was completely absorbed with Dillsborough and its inhabitants.

The American Senator was published serially in 1876-1877 and, like his other novels written around this period, challenges the role of women in Victorian society, the marriage market and other aspects of upper class English life. In this book he does this mainly through the character of Arabella Trefoil, who is now one of my faourite anti-heroines in literature, and her attempts to catch herself a husband. Arabella is 'cold, clever and conniving', she is the niece of a Duke but not beloved of society or rich and has to work hard to get invitations for herself and her mother (who is truly awful). Arabella isn't portrayed totally without sympathy however - she is honest and upfront about what she's doing (in a way that Lizzie Eustace in The Eustace Diamonds isn't) and I think Trollope shows that in a sense all the other society women are basically doing the same thing as Arabella. They just have better support from family and friends and less honesty about it.

The eponymous American senator is a Mr Gotobed who has been invited to England by Arabella's fiance, Mr John Morton. Mr Gotobed weaves in and out of the narrative viewing England with a foreigner's eyes and providing comedy and criticism of English society at the time. It's to Trollope's credit that a number of the criticisms Mr Gotobed levels against English life are against things like fox-hunting that I know Trollope was passionately fond of and to a 21st century reader most of the Senator's criticisms seem very valid and form some of the funniest parts of the book.

Personally I think this deserves to be more well known and it was lovely to read a slightly lighter and more comic novel as an interlude to the Palliser series.

Fabulous review of The American Senator, Heather. Love Trollope! This is one that has escaped my list, so I'm fixing that immediately!

That review of The American Senator makes the book very enticing. Good job! I might add it to my list, but I am already at risk from the giant, tottering pile of books.

Thanks for that good review of The American Senator, Heather. You've enticed me, too. Thumbed.

>107 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy - it should definitely go on any Trollope lover's list.

Book #7: Death on the Cherwell by Mavis Doriel Hay - 3.2 stars



I have a fondness for Mavis Doriel Hay's Golden Age detective stories. She only wrote three novels, all of which have been republished by the British Library, before WWII seemed to stop her writing. They're not stunning examples of the Golden Age but they are solid and entertaining and I appreciate the fact that more of her characters are ordinary people than some of the other Golden Age writers and I enjoy the insight her books give me into day to day life at the time.

Death on the Cherwell is probably the weakest of the three but still enjoyable. Set in a fictional lady's college at Oxford University, four college students are astonished to see the college bursar drifting down river in her canoe one evening. When they pull the canoe into the bank they discover her to be dead. As in Hay's other books, there's some amateur investigating by the students before the police get involved and this becomes a police procedural. Normally in Golden Age novels the amateurs run rings around the police so it's refreshing to see Hay portray the police as the right people for the job who are only slightly hindered by the enthusiastic amateurs withholding information.

It's almost impossible not to note that this was published in the same year as Sayers' Gaudy Night. Put into comparison like that, Death on the Cherwell doesn't come close to Gaudy Night but it's still enjoyable if you like Golden Age mysteries.

Book #8: The Mussel Feast by Birgit Vanderbeke - 3.5 stars



A very difficult book to rate or review because I'm still not sure quite what to make of it. This is short work (112 pages) which is a German classic but has only recently been translated into English. It's set in West Berlin before the fall of the Berlin wall and takes place over a few hours as a mother, daughter and son sit around the feast of mussels and chips they have prepared as a celebration for the absent father/husband. Initially this seems like a normal, reasonably happy family but as the minutes go past and the father doesn't arrive all kinds of fractures and frictions begin to appear and the reader starts to realise that this family is far from happy.

The writing style is unusual - the story is narrated by the daughter and it's written almost as direct speech throughout with lots of repetitions and long sentences. Its a book I was impressed by even if I'm not sure I really understood everything that was going on. From what I've read this is often studied in schools in Germany and I can see that it would be a book that would reward further reading and analysis.

This is published in the UK by Peirene Press and I am hoping to read more of their books this year (ironically I already own several but instead of reading one of those I started with one I didn't already own). Whilst contemporary literature is a bit out of my comfort zone at the moment the Peirene books feel more approachable as they are all short works (their aim is to publish translated contemporary works that can be read in the time it would take to watch a film).

I've only read one Peirene Press book, Beside the Sea -- might have been the first one they published. It was excellent but has a very dramatic and difficult/shocking ending.

Took too long to write that post and missed some visitors1

>108 justchris: Chris! *waves* I do know the feeling of being overwhelmed by the tottering pile of books. I think Trollope is a worthy addition though....

>109 jnwelch: Hi Joe! Yay for more Trollope love :-)

Great review of The American Senator, Heather. I assume that I can find a free Kindle version of it, and if so I'll download it.

I felt similarly about The Mussel Feast, as I also thought that it would benefit from a future re-read. I like what Peirene Press is doing, and I'll look for more of their releases.

>110 souloftherose: I, too, found Death on the Cherwell the weakest of Hay's mysteries, Heather. Indeed, it would be fair to say that I didn't really like it at all. Still, the writing was good enough, and some of the characters pleasing enough, that I went on to get and read Murder Underground, which I enjoyed much more.

Hi Heather. Happy New Year. I send all good wishes for a year of excellent reading!

>103 souloftherose:

If you already have Mrs Tim Carries On - and need a push - I will request it for in-library reading next week. ("How will you be celebrating Australia Day?" the ads like to ask; apparently I'll be celebrating by sitting in a library and reading...)

ETA: I remember your hideous cover! Is it the 1973 edition by any chance? That's the "missing" edition at my library: perhaps they misspelled the title to hide it, so no-one would have to look at that awful outfit! :D

>106 souloftherose:

Lovely review! Yes, it's an interesting book, isn't it?

>110 souloftherose:

I haven't read any of Hay's novels yet, but they're On The List...

I've been intrigued but not yet enticed by all the Trollope talk. The American Senator sounds like a good place to dive in.

I hope this week is going better than last week.

>113 kidzdoc: Hi Darryl. Yes The American Senator is definitely available as a free ebook from sites like Project Gutenberg and I would guess also available on Amazon US.

I am very appreciative of having been given a gift subscription to Peirene this year so I also have their first new release of 2016, The Man I Became by Peter Verhelst, apparently narrated by a gorilla....

>114 harrygbutler: I enjoyed Murder Underground more too - I thought the characters were more varied and I do like novels about boarding houses.

>115 Whisper1: Thank you Linda!

>116 lyzard: Never fear, my copy of Mrs Tim Carries On is the Collins 1989 reprint edition. I suppose I should be grateful they reprinted it so that my library at least has a copy but the cover's just so wrong....

>117 humouress: Nina, I hope you enjoy The American Senator if you try it. Work is pretty sucky at the moment for all kinds of reasons. I'm self medicating with chocolate and more Pratchett (Maskerade). Apart from the Pratchett reading that seems to be the approach we're taking as a team too.

I downloaded The American Senator from Project Gutenberg yesterday. It's in my iPad waiting on me : ).

I always appreciate your reviews, Heather. The American Senator is one I had never heard of! When I looked it up, I saw two more titles that I didn't know: The Claverings and Marion Fay. THEN I looked at the Kindle offerings and saw one which includes "all 47 novels." Oh mercy! I don't think my Kindle has that much room left. I'm going quietly.

Hi Heather, You are making great progress so far. Eight books is a great way to start the new year.

>118 souloftherose: Chocolate and a few good books; definitely high on my list of cure-alls. Feel better soon! :0)

What is the Mrs Tim cover like, Heather? I also borrowed it from the library a few years ago, and I'm fairly sure the green and black London in the Blitz pic is the one on the book I borrowed, rather than the woman and kids on a yellow cover

ETA: I looked in your collections and see the woman in a long dress in front of a mirror, and yes it does look wrong. The other two are different but at least show aspects of the book - wartime on one, and the woman holding on to kids (while the man is away?)

Hi Heather! I will eventually get to The American Senator since I intend to read all of Trollope's works. And I guess I'm going to have to start buying hose British Library Crime Classics for myself since they've been sitting in my Amazon wishlist for a good while.

>118 souloftherose: Chocolate and Pratchett seems like a good form of self medication!

>123 elkiedee:

I think it's only right that you reproduce it here, Heather. After all, you disfigured *my* thread with it last year! :D

>124 cbl_tn:

Hum...

It's a little early in the year for this, but it has already crossed my mind that if we do wrap up the Pallisers this year, we might need to have a serious conversation about Where Next With Trollope?

Hi there, Heather! Hope your Friday's going well and a great weekend is in store!

>118 souloftherose: Have you read The Black Shrouds? It's a comic mystery from 1941 set in a boarding house. The Chinese Chop is a more serious mystery set in a boarding house in 1949.

Happy Friday!!!

>119 lit_chick: Oh, I do hope you enjoy it Nancy!

>120 LizzieD: Sorry to nearly hit you with 47 book bullets Peggy. I'm happy Trollope was so prolific as it leaves me so many of his novels to enjoy :-)

>121 Whisper1: Thanks Linda :-)

>122 humouress: Thanks Nina!

>123 elkiedee: The green and black London Blitz cover looks good Luci and very appropriate to a book set during WWII. As you saw, mine is the cover with the woman in the long dress who looks like she still thinks it's the late 19th/early 20th century. I think it's an archway into a garden rather than a mirror (which is good, I couldn't cope with a reflection of that dress).

For comparison some of the possible covers for Mrs Tim Carries On:



And the cover of my edition (bear in mind this is the fictional diary of an officer's wife during WWII):



>124 cbl_tn: Hi Carrie. Yes, I will certainly be working my way through Trollope's books - I read this one because there's a Trollope society facebook group and they are currently doing a group read of this. I'm not a massive facebook fan but I have enjoyed the group read. Someone on there recommended Trollope's 87090::North America which I think was a non-fiction account of his travels in the Northern states during the American Civil War. His mother, Frances Trollope, was well known for her own non-fiction account from the 1830s Domestic Manners of the Americans.

>125 archerygirl: They work for me! :-)

>126 lyzard: Duly reproduced Liz!

'it has already crossed my mind that if we do wrap up the Pallisers this year, we might need to have a serious conversation about Where Next With Trollope?'

What do mean 'if'?!? Well, I recall someone saying they thought The Bertrams would benefit from a tutored read. Otherwise I was thinking The Way We Live Now?

>127 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda!

>128 harrygbutler: I haven't read (or even heard of) either of those so thank you for the recommendations!

>129 Berly:, >130 DianaNL: Thanks Kim and Diana.

-------------------------------------

Good things today:

- Three books from the library: Charlotte Bronte: A Life by Claire Harman, Jack of Fables: The (Nearly) Great Escape by Bill Willingam, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
- I woke up early (grrr) but spent a relaxing time in bed drinking tea and reading Hawkeye, Vol. 3: LA Woman which was a lot of fun
- Treated myself to a jigsaw from the jigsaw stall in the market
- Afternoon tea with my family this afternoon as an advance birthday celebration

Happy weekend, Heather. Stay safe and warm.

>131 souloftherose: I like the London Blitz cover, too, although the bombs look a bit like fish.

And I've read The Domestic Manners of the Americans and enjoyed it very much. I didn't realize that her son also traveled there and wrote about it. Now you have me thinking about launching a 19th century or Victorian travel reading adventure.

>126 lyzard: The Way We Live Now would be a good choice, but The Bertrams sounds good, too. But there's always publication order for all of us slightly OCD readers.

>131 souloftherose:

That cover is just hideously inappropriate. Apropos, I notice you reproduced it about a fifth of the size on your own thread than you did on mine, hmmph!

>133 cbl_tn:

Those would be the anti-aircraft barrage balloons that were tethered over London, I think, Carrie.

But there's always publication order for all of us slightly OCD readers.

And someone other than ME said it!! :D

Hi, Heather. Just dropped a star on your thread - I'm not sure how I had not discovered it before, we seem to have a lot of interests in common. I too love golden age detective novels, scifi and fantasy. It's interesting that you mention Death on the Cherwell as being the least good of Mavis Doriel Hay's novels. I read it a year or so ago, and thought it was okay, but never followed up with the others. Looks like I may have to put them back on my list! Looking forward to getting some good ideas from you. I may have to borrow your series idea - I'm in the midst of tons of series as well and there are a few that you have mentioned that I may have to reread!!

Love your list of "good things" I should start doing the same each day to count my blessings, would definitely help shift the focus in these stressful times. Wishing you well my dear. xx

>132 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. That picture looks very snug!

>133 cbl_tn: 'Now you have me thinking about launching a 19th century or Victorian travel reading adventure.'

Oh, I'm sort of tempted myself. Those accounts tend to be less popular now but there were so many written in the 19th century.

>134 lyzard: Well, you know I will just join in with whichever Trollope order we decide on. And I've made the cover larger just for you.

>135 rretzler: Welcome! I will search for your thread. Re Mavis Doriel Hay, I think her other novels are better than Death on the Cherwell but not massively so and they are in a similar style. I suppose it depends what you did or didn't like about Death on the Cherwell.

>136 Smiler69: Thanks, Ilana :-)

Book #9: Hawkeye, Vol. 2: Little Hits by Matt Fraction - 3.8 stars
Book #14: Hawkeye, Vol. 3: LA Woman by Matt Fraction - 4 stars



I've got into a nice routine where I spend some time on Saturday mornings curled up in bed with a mug of tea reading comics on the tablet courtesy of a Marvel Unlimited subscription. My current read is Matt Fraction's Hawkeye series (Clint Barton - the arrow shooting guy from the Avengers). There's a good undercurrent of dark humour and I like the fact that whilst he's an Avenger he isn't superpowered and tends to make a mess of things. One thing I particularly enjoyed about Volume 2 was an entire issue where the story was told from the POV of his dog. Very clever. Volume 2 ends on a low note with Clint pretty depressde about the mess his life is in.

Volume 3 is about Kate Bishop who is the younger, female Hawkeye (I don't really understand why there are two of them) who gets fed up of Clint Barton's drama at the end of Vol. 2 and takes off with the dog to LA. Actually Kate doesn't do that much better than Clint at managing life but she has a lot of energy and it was very entertaining to follow her adventures.

Book #12: The Kingdom and the Cave by Joan Aiken - 3.5 stars



A lovely new edition by Virago of a Joan Aiken book, this was a charming story about the adventures of a young prince and his cat and horse as they try to uncover what's threatening the kingdom. Apparently she wrote this when she was only 17 as a story to entertain her 10 year old brother and wrote it out, chapter by chapter in an old exercise book (reminds me of Georgette Heyer and The Black Moth, also written to distract a brother). I think the novel was revised for publication about 20 years after that and I think it's the published version that Virago have reprinted.

There's an article from her daughter, here about the novel.

Book #15: Fear Stalks the Village by Ethel Lina White - 3.8 stars



A recommendation from Liz, this is a slowly-building 1932 psychological thriler set in a small English village, that is really too perfect, until the inhabitants start to receive anonymous letters. Ethel Lina White wrote many other novels including, in 1936, The Wheel Spins which became Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes. I will definitely be trying more of her books.

Book #15 already? I have to get off LT and go read my books!! LOL. Happy Sunday.

>137 souloftherose:

You shouldn't have! No, really - you shouldn't have! :D

>110 souloftherose: I also enjoyed The Mussel Feast, I think the slow disintegration of the family over the space of a few hours was quite brilliant though any deeper meaning on the fall of the Berlin Wall etc was a bit lost on me tbh.

I ended up enjoying Wyrd Sisters as my second Discworld read and will probably dip in and read from all sectors, I have so many of them, all picked up from various used bookstores. I'm hoping my daughter will enjoy these as well, they'll all end up on her bookshelves as I'm done with them.

>138 souloftherose: I thought I had successfully dodged Liz's mention of Fear Stalks the Village but now here you are making it sound all good and stuff. Doggone it. My only hope is that I won't be able to find it at the library. :-)

>138 souloftherose:, >142 rosalita:

While my feelings are terribly hurt that Julia got hit by your BB but not mine---yay, shared read! :D

>143 lyzard: Oh, hush! Who roped me into reading all of Georgette Heyer? And who got me to re-read the Poirot and Marple series in order? Hmmm?

Edited to add that I totally forgot about Anthony Trollope! That one's on you, too, Liz.

Well, I guess if you put it like that... :D

>106 souloftherose: Trollope is one of those authors that I've never read but everyone seems to love. I really should try one out some day.

>131 souloftherose: I love comparing different covers for the same book. :)

Hope you have a great new week?

>138 souloftherose: You got me with a bullet for the Joan Aiken! That's one I'm not familiar with.

>138 souloftherose: It's quite newly republished, I don't think it was available when we were kids. I found a copy on my last visit to Any Amount of Books, and have just started reading.

>144 rosalita: I think Liz still doesn't quite realise just how much influence she has in this group. Is that possible? Apparently so.

Hi Heather, came to see what was up with all the recent activity. xx

Hi Heather, shh, don't tell Liz but you got me with a BB for Fear Stalks The Village after I ducked same over at Liz's thread. I love those vintage mysteries!

{*sulks*}

>139 Berly: I seem to have done quite well at balancing out some long books with some shorter books/novellas/graphic novels this month. I did consider not including graphic novels within my official count but then I did it anyway.

>140 lyzard: :-D

>141 avatiakh: Hi Kerry. Yes, The Mussel Feast was very thought provoking. I couldn't work out whether we were given any clues as to what had happened to the father. Had he died? Been arrested? Just really, really late?. Also glad you enjoyed Wyrd Sisters.

>142 rosalita: I'll be interested to know if your library does have Ethel Lina White's books. Mine only has a couple of large print editions (which I really don't like) and none in reserve stock so not exactly a wide selection. I've noticed that whilst they do tend to have copies of most older general fiction in reserve stock that doesn't hold true for genre fiction (crime, fantasy, science fiction).

>143 lyzard:, >144 rosalita: I'll echo Julia's 'Oh hush'! Without getting into crime fiction, how many people in the group now read Anthony Trollope because of you? Let alone Frances Burney, Aphra Behn, Jane Austen?

>146 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel. Yes, I do like looking at different book covers, perhaps I should post a selection more often - sometimes it's fascinating trying to work out why a particular publisher or cover designed thought 'that' would be an appropriate cover!

>147 Sakerfalcon: & >148 elkiedee: Hope you enjoy it Claire! It's perhaps aimed at a younger reader than her Wolves series but it's a sweet read.

Luci, I hadn't come across it when I was younger either but then I somehow remained ignorant of all the sequels to The Wolves of Willoughby Chase too so clearly I just wasn't paying attention!

>149 Smiler69: 'I think Liz still doesn't quite realise just how much influence she has in this group. Is that possible? Apparently so. '

Nah, I think she's just gone power crazy. More people must read her books! :-)

>150 DeltaQueen50: *whispers* I hope you enjoy it....

>151 lyzard: Uh oh...

All caught up with you, Heather! You also got me with Fear Stalks the Village. And I am wanting to read The Wheel Spins, as I did not know that was the inspiration for Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes! I love all those Hitchcock movies, and have been trying to read the novels behind them, so thanks for that.

Those Hawkeye GNs sound fun - I'll have to see if our library has them.

Hoping that your Tuesday was lovely.

Well, I guess I'll hush then! :D

I dunno, somehow in my mind I don't equate the group read stuff with random BBs - the latter are much rarer for me and therefore more notable. (Despising what comes easily, as you do...)

Ethel Lina White is available via Kindle but generally hard to find in print. She was also the source of The Spiral Staircase, which is based on her novel Some Must Watch, and The Unseen, from Midnight House aka "Her Heart In Her Throat". She should be far better known than she is, but perhaps the problem is that every time one of her books was filmed, they changed the title. (And now I see they've reissued Midnight House as The Unseen.)

>154 lyzard: Oh, thanks for that, Liz! I just picked up the ones I wanted on Kindle for $1.99 and $1.29, so a steal for me!

White was one of the reasons I finally cracked and bought a Kindle, which now alternates with my Sony eReader (PDFs and freebies).

(Nudge, nudge to Heather: I have finished April Lady and need somewhere to put it, ta!)

>153 Crazymamie: Nice to see you Mamie. Hope you enjoy Fear Stalks the Village.

>154 lyzard: I am feeling a bit embarrassed now more and more people are getting hit by a BB for that particular book here - as you prompted me to read it I think you should get a half share in all the BBs. Only fair. :-)

I hadn't realised more of her novels had been turned into films so thanks for pointing that out.

>156 lyzard: Now listed under TIOLI #1.

>110 souloftherose: >141 avatiakh: So glad to hear that you enjoyed Das Muschelessen/The Mussel Feast. I read the German edition, but I definitely will read the English edition soon as well, also I am sure that it will be translated well as it was published with Peirene.

It is indeed a tad difficult book. If I wouldn't have read beforehand about the political references I am not sure whether I would have enjoyed the book as much as I did. I am even not sure, whether I really made all the right connections, or whether I am just assuming. However, I am a complete sucker of this particular writing style of long, everlasting, convuluted sentences. I think that's why I quite like Kafka and Saramago so much.

Also the story is set somewhere at the end of the 1960's beginning of the 1970's the book deals more with the beginning of the disintegration of East Germany which started in the 1980's. However, I think it still can be viewed as a kind of political parable.

The control of the father which he has over his family and their quiet acceptance of these rules reminds of the intimidation through the Stasi. In his role he could be the "head of the state". He encourages "telling" on each other, a common practice during the Stasi reign.
It is quite shocking to see how the family is led by this father like marionettes on strings just to maintain the facade of a happy, middle class family.

The increasing dissatisfaction and admittance of their true unhappy and unbearable living circumstances, whilst waiting for him, could be seen a sign of the growing rebellion in East Germany, which ultimately led to the fall of the wall in 1989. There refusal of answering the phone shows the growing resistance and anger of the mother towards the father.

The mussels who were supposed to be the feast and most revered item for the evening get thrown away into the garbage, this kind of could show the growing detachment of the family to the father - or the detachment of the people to the ruler of East Germany at that time.
In my opinion the open ending could demonstrate the uncertain political situation at that time.

Ok, this is what I got out of the story after I read a few interviews and explanations by the author :) .

>157 souloftherose:

Thanks, Heather! I have added Mrs Tim Carries On to TIOLI #20.

Happy Birthday, Heather!

Happy, happy birthday to you, Heather!

Happy Birthday, Heather!

Happy birthday, Heather!

Happy Birthday Dear Heather!!!!

Is it your birthday? Have a happy one! One of my college roomies also has a birthday today.

>154 lyzard: me neither, that is, equating GRs with BBs ;)
I love a random book bullet, but then again, that is how I roll. Something will just grab me and I will have to read it NOW, never mind all the ones I intended to read first.

Happy birthday, Heather? Another year of reading behind you and another year ahead!

Happy Birthday!!

Wishing you a very happy birthday!

Happy Birthday, Heather. Have a wonderful day.

Happy birthday, Heather! Tried to send you a cake, but my computer won't cooperate at the moment.

Belated Happy Birthday, Heather. Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy belated birthday!

Here's another belated birthday wish. I think you should celebrate all weekend long!

Carrying on into the weekend...Happy Birthday!!!

>158 drachenbraut23: Thank you for the background to and your thoughts about The Mussel Feast - really helpful!

'I am a complete sucker of this particular writing style of long, everlasting, convuluted sentences.'

If you haven't already, then do look out for another couple of the Peirene books which are written in a similar style: Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman by Friedrich Christian Delius and Beside The Sea by Veronique Olmi. The latter I started but didn't finish as it's a portrayal of someone with depression and I need to be in the right mood to read something like that but I thought what I read was extremely good.

>160 kidzdoc:, >161 ronincats:, >162 Crazymamie:, >163 katiekrug:, >164 Whisper1:, >165 cbl_tn:, >166 LovingLit:, >167 rretzler:, >168 humouress:, >169 BLBera:, >170 lit_chick:, >171 DianaNL:, >172 bell7:, >173 DeltaQueen50:, >174 Berly: Thank you for the birthday wishes! I took a couple of days off work at the end of this week and had a nice relaxing time reading and jigsaw puzzling.

Today I went to the library to pick up some books for Fantasy February:

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab
City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

Book #10: Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald - 4.4 stars



A few years back there was a lot of praise for Ian McDonald's The Dervish House in the group; I added the book to my wishlist as a result and still haven't got round to reading it. But I did recall the author's name last year when I started seeing praise for Luna: New Moon and snapped it up as a kindle deal. I'm very glad I did because Luna was a really gripping read about five powerful families on a near-future Moon fighting for power and resources (I have seen this book described as 'Game of Thrones on the Moon!' and I can see why). I particularly liked the lack of American/British influences in McDonald's future Moon society: of the five mega-families one is Brazilian, one Australian, one Ghanaian, one Japanese (I think) and one Russian. It does mean there are a lot of unfamiliar words but there's a glossary and character list which helped me keep track of everything.

The one downside is that this is the first part of a duology (Luna: Wolf Moon is due for release in September this year) and the book ends on a huge cliffhanger. In the meantime I'll just have to try some of McDonald's earlier novels.

Book #11: The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff - 3.4 stars



Schiff's account of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials was a thought-provoking if dense and occasionally confusing read. I think necessarily dense and confusing just because of the sheer number of people involved, the fact that in New England at the time everyone seemed to be related to everyone else and possibly also because I knew almost nothing about the trials or even Colonial America more generally before reading this book. It's also a difficult subject for Schiff to write about because the records of the trials are fragmentary and often biased. The sections I found most interesting and thought-provoking were those where Schiff tries to examine why the witchcraft trials happened - if you discount actual witchcraft as the cause then it's hard not to come to some unsettling conclusions about psychology and the power of belief on groups of people.

Book #11: The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson - 3.9 stars



Another novella from Tor.com. This one's a slow burn, there's not much plot (a sorcerer is travelling through wilderness with a caravan but the caravan doesn't even leave the watering-place until the 6th of 7 sections) but it's a deep and engrossing world that stayed with me after I'd finished reading it.

I'd seen a lot of comment on Wilson's use of language in this book - he's mixed a very lyrical writing style that I would associate with high/epic fantasy with a much rawer/earthier (and cruder - lots of swear words) almost street language which is spoken by a majority of the characters. It's a really strange mix and one it took me a while to get used to but I ended up being engrossed by the world and characters.

There's an article on tor.com here about the use of language in this novella.

A belated happy birthday, Heather! It's good that you could take some time off and enjoy it.

I loved McDonald's The Dervish House so have added Luna: new moon to my ever growing tbr list. This year I'm concentrating on reading all the Peter F Hamilton scifi that I haven't as yet read, but I'm sure there'll be time to squeeze in the Luna book.

I enjoyed Luna: New Moon too, and I hadn't realized it was a duology until that ending. I was introduced to McDonald because of River of Gods – there's so little sci-fi set in India so I was really excited to read it. I've been a fan of him ever since.

>175 souloftherose: I hope you love The Watchmaker Of Filigree Street as much as I did. I'm even trying to persuade Andy to read it, though it's rather more literary than he's used to...

Hope too that the long weekend is going well and that Dan is spoiling you, even if that just means letting you sleep lots.

I think you got me with Luna...

Yeah I think you may have me as well with Luna

I'm certainly intrigued by Luna.

>177 susanj67: Thanks Susan!

>178 avatiakh:, >179 kgodey: Hope you both enjoy Luna: New Moon. Sounds like I have lots of choice for my next McDonald: The Dervish House, River of gods and I was also looking at Brasyl.

>180 eclecticdodo: Thanks Jo.

>181 drneutron:, >182 roundballnz:, >183 humouress: Yay for book bullets! Hope you all enjoy it.

-------------------------------------------------

In other news, I was excited to notice today that Becky Chambers has a sequel to The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet out in October. It's called A Closed and Common Orbit and is described as a standalone sequel/companion to The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (I assume that means you can read the newer book without having read the first one?).

Book #16: April Lady by Georgette Heyer - 3.2 stars



This is not my favourite Heyer, mainly because it features one of my least favourite romance plots where everything relies on the hero and heroine failing to communicate. In fairness to Heyer, this is probably fairly realistic for marriages of the time but I still felt a bit grumpy about it. Also, I never really warmed to the heroine in this one who was a bit insipid. Still, there was some fun to be had from the wider cast of characters and Heyer's writing.

Book #17: Maskerade by Terry Pratchett - 3.5 stars



A riff on Phantom of the Opera (although I'm still not sure whether this is parodying the original book or the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical) which involves Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg travelling to Ankh-Morpork to check up on Agnes, sorry, Perdita X. Nitt, a young woman from Lancre with the potential for witchcraft who has decided to try and make her way in Akh Morpork.

Fun, but I didn't like this as much as the other Witches' books.

Book #18: Jack of Fables, Vol 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape by Bill Willingham - 3 stars



A spin-off series from the main Fables comics, the star is Jack (aka Jack-the-Giant-Killer, Jack Horner etc.) and we get to find out what he got up to after being sent into exile at the end of Fables, Vol. 6: Homelands. Jack as a character is a complete jerk and in the main Fables series I can enjoy the character as part of an ensemble cast. As the star of his own comic, I wasn't really a huge fan. If my library had the rest in the series I would probably be enough of a completist to read them (I understand the two story lines join again in Fables, Vol. 13: The Great Fables Crossover) but I didn't enjoy this enough to want to put in purchase requests for the rest of the series or buy them myself.

Okay - very exciting news about a sequel to The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet! Thanks for the info, Heather!

>184 souloftherose: I did enjoy Luna when I read it last year. I'm glad the sequel is coming out soon-ish.

>184 souloftherose: yes there was a small excerpt of A Closed and Common Orbit in my copy .... without letting on spoilers for those who have not read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet I would think reading the first is not a requirement ...

Happy B-lated Birthday, Heather! I hope you were gifted with many books?
Have an outstanding week!

>176 souloftherose: I really want to read The Witches because it looks so good. But I've seen several people who give mediocre reviews about it being dense, confusing, and repetitive.

>185 souloftherose: I've only read one Georgette Heyer book, Cotillion, and liked it quite a bit. I hope to read some more of her books, though April Lady is not one I've heard of.

>186 Crazymamie: You're welcome, Mamie. I thought it might interest a few people!

>187 kgodey: I am so sorry - I had read your comment about having read the book. And then promptly forgot that when I wrote my reply - oops!

>188 roundballnz: Yes, I did see an excerpt/first chapter on line and was going to mention which characters it featured and then wasn't sure if that would count as a spoiler or not. My Thingaversary is in October so A Closed and Common Orbit is definitely on my to buy list.

>189 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda! I did get some books which I realised I have forgotten to list:

A Fugue in Time by Rumer Godden
Becoming Who You Are: Insights on the True Self from Thomas Merton and Other Saints by James Martin
Domestic Manners of the Americans by Frances Trollope

Quite a mixture but all books I wanted. I've started the Thomas Merton book but although it's short it's the sort of book that I will probably take a while to read.

>190 The_Hibernator: I hope I didn't give the wrong impression about The Witches - I did enjoy it and would definitely rate it higher than mediocre but I think it does require some concentration (perhaps more than my usual non-fiction reading). Looking at my reading dates it only took 10 days for me to finish but it felt longer (and it felt like quite an achievement once I had finished!)

Cotillion is a good one. My favourite Heyer's (so far) are The Grand Sophy and Friday's Child.

>191 souloftherose: Oh, Friday's Child. I need to look at that one, Heather. The Grand Sophy is my favorite so far, with Cotillion probably my #2.

Cotillion is one of those laugh-out-loud Heyers for me. Freddy is just so charmingly goofy.

>193 rosalita: Yes - and Kitty is pretty darn charming, too. :-)

>194 jnwelch: They are just the perfect pair of Heyer protagonists, Joe.

>195 rosalita: Yes, agreed, Julia. Makes me smile to think of them.

>106 souloftherose: Trollope's one of those authors where I always feel that my favourite of his books is whichever one I've most recently read. Very well put, Heather. I must get back to Mr. Trollope soon. I'm glad he's such a patient (and prolific) author.

You are having an amazing reading year so far. I like the idea of spending Saturday morning with a book and tea in bed. I hope someone brings you that tea so you don't have to get up!

Happy belated Birthday, Heather. I just try to catch up with threads. I'm so far behind. I wish you a most lovely day.

Love the Pratchett chart and I've bookmarked it for future reference.

Neat story too of the "new" Joan Aiken. I adored the Willoughby novels.

Have a good one.

Happy weekend, Heather.

Hi Heather, and any other UK Lters - any chance of a meetup in May or early June. Hubbie and I will be visiting my daughter (who lives in Wimbledon) ffrom May 10 thru June 6. - We're going on a CIE tour of Scotland and Ireland from 17-27 May but maybe we can do a meetup on either side of the tour. Do you know how many LTers there are in the area? Think anyone would be game for a meetup?

I'm in London and am always up for a meetup, There are a few people in the area either in London or in reasonably easy travelling distance, on either this group or on the Virago Modern Classics Group, or like Heather and me, on both.

I had a great meetup with UK-based LTers in 2014 (and had the pleasure of meeting both Heather & Luci). I hope you can make it happen!

*sigh*

Add another sigh from me.

Just saying hullo Heather. Hope you are faring well. xx

>192 jnwelch: - >196 jnwelch: I've been adding to this list of Georgette Heyer novels and I can see I've listed Cotillion as my third favourite so far. There are still quite a few of other people's favourites I still haven't read like Frederica and Venetia.

>197 Donna828: Donna, I am definitely the morning person in our house so I do make the tea myself but I also quite enjoy some time to myself before my husband wakes up!

>198 Ameise1: & >201 Ameise1: Thank you Barbara - it is so busy in the group, I'm behind everywhere too.

>199 sibylline: I still have a couple of the Wolves novels left to read but I'm glad more of her other books are being republished as I've enjoyed all of her books. She had a great imagination.

>200 DianaNL: Yes, and now halfway to the next one!

>202 tututhefirst: & >203 elkiedee: What a lovely idea - I'm sure there would be a few of us interested. I may be going on holiday at some point in May but I certainly don't have any firm plans yet and I wouldn't be away for the whole month.

>204 lauralkeet: It's always fun to meet LT friends :-)

>205 LizzieD: & >206 sibylline: Sorry both :-(

>207 Smiler69: Thanks Ilana. A little bit stressed about work at the moment but I have a day off today so am trying to rest and get some energy back

-----------------------------------

On the crazy busy scale, work is edging more towards the crazy end at the moment. Which seems to mean I am abandoning more than my usual number of books - some I think I would like at a different time are going back to the library or back on the shelf to be given another try at some point and one I decided was just not for me which I will write some comments on. I'm trying to abandon things in a guilt free way but it seems easier to say than to do.

I have a few final January books to comment on and then I will probably make a new thread for the February books.

Book #20: Hawkeye. Vol. 4: Rio Bravo by Matt Fraction - 3.5 stars



The final volume in the 2012 Hawkeye series (although I think a new series started in 2015). This brings most of the plotlines around Clint and the Russian mafia to a close and there's also a reconciliation between Clint and Kate. I enjoyed the Kate storyline in Hawkeye. Vol. 3: LA Woman more but this was a solid ending to the series.

Book #21: Murder in the Mews by Agatha Christie - 3.7 stars



Agatha Christie's short story collections aren't usually my favourites but this book has four longer short stories featuring Poirot which I very much enjoyed and displayed her usual skill at plotting.

Book #22: Mrs. Tim Carries On: Leaves from the Diary of an Officer's Wife in the Year 1940 by D. E. Stevenson - 3.7 stars



That cover again.

I do like the Mrs Tim books (and D. E. Stevenson's books in general) - they manage to be heart-warming and cheering without being schmaltzy. This fictional diary is set in 1940 and first published in 1941 so at the point of publication no-one knew how the war would turn out. At first, it's very much life on the home front with little mention of the war but later the events of 1940 (the Norwegian campaign and Dunkirk) intrude. I find it impossible to read the Mrs Tim diaries without bringing E. M. Delafield's fictional Provincial Lady diaries to mind. The latter are sharper and funnier; the Mrs Tim diaries are gentler but still humourous and I like both.

21 books in January, 8 books from the TBR pile. February is almost certainly going to be a slower month - so far I've finished 2 and abandoned 2 books with 5 books in progress....

>208 souloftherose: I love that Georgette Heyer list, Heather! http://www.librarything.com/list/87/all/Favorite-Georgette-Heyer-Novels-Ranked

I've read the first 4, but haven't read Venetia yet either. You'll like Frederica. I'm glad to see you liked Devil's Cub, as I'd like to follow up on These Old Shades.

Is there a good way to save things on LT? I ended up emailing the link to your list to myself.

>152 souloftherose: I didn't even know there were sequels to The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, which I enjoyed as a child but only half-remembered. I tracked it down in my late 20s to reread and enjoyed it again. (Don't know why the touchstone isn't working either)

I will have to look these up.

I just reread The Black Sheep and The Grand Sophy and False Colours and enjoyed them all immensely. Plus, for the first time, I drew parallels between the first of those and Pride and Prejudice. So I reread that too. So much fun.

>211 jnwelch: Joe, you can "favorite" the message--click on "More" at the bottom of it. That works if you haven't overused it.

>209 souloftherose: I have the first Mrs. Tim book in my TBR stash. I really need to get to it soonish. Thanks for the reminder!

>213 ronincats: Thanks, Roni. I can promise I haven't overused it!

I'll do it.

P.S. How do I find it again after having marked it as a "Favorite"? Where are my Favorites located on LT?

Hi Heather, I thought I'd stop by to star you thread and say hello. Can you give me your recipe for reading so much? I'm in awe!

Domestic Manners of the Americans *snork* I think I need to read this one. The reviews sound pretty interesting.

Sorry to read you're having work related woes especially when it's messing with your reading. :0(

I hope to read Murder in the Mews this year as it's in my towering stack for 2016.

>191 souloftherose: I picked up Domestic Manners of the Americans ages ago, as it was cheap and a Folio scoiety edition, so, beautiful :) I had been dipping into it, just for a look. So when I got to page 100 decided that i am actually reading it. It's good! What do you think?
I might go check some reviews, based on the above comment I feel it might be a fun exercise.

Eta: oh, too funny. The reviews for the above book sound spot on to me- the author is snide in her judgement of America, but I can see why, coming from prim and proper England to uncouth new America!

>215 jnwelch: It's one of the categories over in the left margin of your talk page, where "Starred" is, but lower down in the "Post" section, Joe.

Hi, Heather! Did I see you also have just finished The Watchmaker of Filigree Street?

Heather, thank you for mentioning that Georgette Heyer list. I am amazed that I have read so many of her books and yet still have more than a dozen left to discover. (Rubs hands in glee!)

Have a happy weekend.

>211 jnwelch: & >220 DeltaQueen50: Glad to see the list love! You can also favourite a list by clicking on the star in the top right hand corner and then the list will show up in the lists module of the home page (found in the list on the top left of the home page).

>212 justchris: Chris, I only found about the sequels from LT! The sequels are good - the characters change but they're still wonderful characters.

>213 ronincats: & >219 ronincats: Thanks for all the technical guidance Roni! I did finish The Watchmaker of Filigree Street last weekend and enjoyed it a lot. Hopefully will write up some comments this weekend.

>214 cbl_tn: I hope you enjoy Mrs Tim, Carrie!

>216 Trifolia: Nice to see you here, Monica! Hmm, I don't know really know how I read so much.... Probably too little of anything else happening!

>217 Carmenere: I am tentatively hoping to get to Domestic Manners of the Americans soonish Lynda so I will let you know what I think. Generally, the books on America written by English travellers were not very flattering but I do enjoy the snark of these kind of books.

>218 LovingLit: Hi Megan! I haven't started reading Domestic Manners yet but pleased to hear you are enjoying it.

>221 DianaNL: Thanks Diana!

Ok, definitely going to try and get a new thread started today and then some reviews written.

Stopping in to wish you a weekend filled with fabulous, Heather!

>223 Crazymamie: Thank you Mamie! New thread here.