rabbitprincess sails from sea to sea to sea in 2017
This topic was continued by rabbitprincess sails from sea to sea to sea in 2017 - Part 2.
Talk 2017 Category Challenge
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1rabbitprincess
In honour of Canada’s 150th birthday, I am making my challenge Canada-themed. Because Canada stretches from sea to sea to sea, and because I have developed an interest in all things nautical, I have decided to name each of my categories after a vessel that is (or was*) part of the Canadian Coast Guard fleet.
*The fleet is undergoing modernization, and the long lag time between my developing this theme and actually using it may mean that some ships are no longer part of the fleet at the time of posting.
General fiction – G – Geliget
Canlit – C – Captain Goddard M.S.M.
Mysteries – M – Martha L. Black
Historical fiction – H – Hudson
Very interesting historical facts – V – Viola M. Davidson
Sci-fi and fantasy – S – Sipu Muin
Encore reads – E – Eckaloo
Livres en Français – L – Louis St-Laurent
Audiobooks – A – Ann Harvey
Plays – P – Penac
Non-fiction that isn’t related to history – N – Neocaligus
Together we shall read these books – T – Tracy
Oh no I can’t go on – O – Opilio (Decommissioned/Abandoned books)
The 2017 pool:
ROOTS counter:
And the Bingo:
Read a CAT - Franklin's Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
Set in a time before you were born - Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (set in Victorian London)
Science-related - Complications, by Atul Gawande (medicine)
Published in 1917 - His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Title references another literary work - The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwith, by Malcolm Pryce
Author shares your initials - In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson (reverse of the initials "RP", from my username, rabbitprincess)
*The fleet is undergoing modernization, and the long lag time between my developing this theme and actually using it may mean that some ships are no longer part of the fleet at the time of posting.
General fiction – G – Geliget
Canlit – C – Captain Goddard M.S.M.
Mysteries – M – Martha L. Black
Historical fiction – H – Hudson
Very interesting historical facts – V – Viola M. Davidson
Sci-fi and fantasy – S – Sipu Muin
Encore reads – E – Eckaloo
Livres en Français – L – Louis St-Laurent
Audiobooks – A – Ann Harvey
Plays – P – Penac
Non-fiction that isn’t related to history – N – Neocaligus
Together we shall read these books – T – Tracy
Oh no I can’t go on – O – Opilio (Decommissioned/Abandoned books)
The 2017 pool:
ROOTS counter:
And the Bingo:
Read a CAT - Franklin's Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
Set in a time before you were born - Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (set in Victorian London)
Science-related - Complications, by Atul Gawande (medicine)
Published in 1917 - His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Title references another literary work - The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwith, by Malcolm Pryce
Author shares your initials - In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson (reverse of the initials "RP", from my username, rabbitprincess)
2rabbitprincess
General fiction – G – Geliget
CCGS Geliget is a specialty vessel based in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. It can be used for a variety of tasks, such as marine and fishery research, conservation and protection patrols, and operations relating to science or aids to navigation. The name is of Mi’kmaq origin and means “to protect, guard and watch over”.
1. The Expendable Man, by Dorothy B. Hughes
2. The Wild, by Esther Freud
3. North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell
CCGS Geliget is a specialty vessel based in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. It can be used for a variety of tasks, such as marine and fishery research, conservation and protection patrols, and operations relating to science or aids to navigation. The name is of Mi’kmaq origin and means “to protect, guard and watch over”.
1. The Expendable Man, by Dorothy B. Hughes
2. The Wild, by Esther Freud
3. North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell
3rabbitprincess
Canlit (and CanCon) – C – Captain Goddard M.S.M.
CCGS Captain Goddard M.S.M is one of the new mid-shore patrol vessels built to support the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ Compliance and Enforcement program. (The Coast Guard is a special operating agency under the aegis of DFO, whereas the US Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security.)
The ship is based in Victoria, British Columbia, and was named after Captain Nichola Goddard, M.S.M. She served with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for her service in Afghanistan. She was the first female Canadian combat soldier (as opposed to, say, a military medic or nurse) to have been killed in combat, on May 17, 2006.
1. Franklin's Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
2. Help Me, Jacques Cousteau, by Gil Adamson
3. Black River Road: An Unthinkable Crime, an Unlikely Suspect and the Question of Character, by Debra Komar
4. By the Way, by Gordon Pinsent
5. The Outlander, by Gil Adamson
6. This is a Book About the Kids in the Hall, by John Semley
CCGS Captain Goddard M.S.M is one of the new mid-shore patrol vessels built to support the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ Compliance and Enforcement program. (The Coast Guard is a special operating agency under the aegis of DFO, whereas the US Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security.)
The ship is based in Victoria, British Columbia, and was named after Captain Nichola Goddard, M.S.M. She served with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for her service in Afghanistan. She was the first female Canadian combat soldier (as opposed to, say, a military medic or nurse) to have been killed in combat, on May 17, 2006.
1. Franklin's Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
2. Help Me, Jacques Cousteau, by Gil Adamson
3. Black River Road: An Unthinkable Crime, an Unlikely Suspect and the Question of Character, by Debra Komar
4. By the Way, by Gordon Pinsent
5. The Outlander, by Gil Adamson
6. This is a Book About the Kids in the Hall, by John Semley
4rabbitprincess
Mysteries – M – Martha L. Black
CCGS Martha L. Black is a light icebreaker and major buoy tender based in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Buoy tenders lay, recover and service buoys using their lifting booms. The Martha L. Black also carries out maintenance on fixed aids to navigation and performs reconstruction operations, and was recently overhauled to carry out scientific missions in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The vessel was named after Martha Louise Black (1866-1957), who was born in Chicago and immigrated to Canada during the Yukon Gold Rush. She staked gold mining claims and ran a sawmill, and was elected as an MP in 1935, being the second woman ever to hold that office. She was awarded an OBE for cultural and social contributions to the Yukon.
Note: For any mysteries that overlap with other categories (e.g., the group reads), I will leave out their touchstones from this post -- I expect a lot of mysteries this year and the post might get too bloated if I touchstone everything!
1. Blood, Salt, Water, by Denise Mina
2. His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
3. Gideon's Week, by J.J. Marric
4. The Twisted Claw, by Franklin W. Dixon
5. The Secret Place, by Tana French
6. Find a Victim, by Ross Macdonald
7. The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth, by Malcolm Price
8. Talking to the Dead, by Harry Bingham
9. Out of Bounds, by Val McDermid
10. The Phantom Freighter, by Franklin W. Dixon
11. In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson
CCGS Martha L. Black is a light icebreaker and major buoy tender based in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Buoy tenders lay, recover and service buoys using their lifting booms. The Martha L. Black also carries out maintenance on fixed aids to navigation and performs reconstruction operations, and was recently overhauled to carry out scientific missions in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The vessel was named after Martha Louise Black (1866-1957), who was born in Chicago and immigrated to Canada during the Yukon Gold Rush. She staked gold mining claims and ran a sawmill, and was elected as an MP in 1935, being the second woman ever to hold that office. She was awarded an OBE for cultural and social contributions to the Yukon.
Note: For any mysteries that overlap with other categories (e.g., the group reads), I will leave out their touchstones from this post -- I expect a lot of mysteries this year and the post might get too bloated if I touchstone everything!
1. Blood, Salt, Water, by Denise Mina
2. His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
3. Gideon's Week, by J.J. Marric
4. The Twisted Claw, by Franklin W. Dixon
5. The Secret Place, by Tana French
6. Find a Victim, by Ross Macdonald
7. The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth, by Malcolm Price
8. Talking to the Dead, by Harry Bingham
9. Out of Bounds, by Val McDermid
10. The Phantom Freighter, by Franklin W. Dixon
11. In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson
5rabbitprincess
Historical fiction – H – Hudson
CCGS Hudson, named after explorer Henry Hudson (he of the Bay), is an offshore oceanographic and hydrographic survey vessel based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The Hudson made a voyage around both North and South America in 1970, which was the first time a ship had made a voyage that transited the Americas.
1. The Outlander, by Gil Adamson
2. Sunrise in the West, by Edith Pargeter
CCGS Hudson, named after explorer Henry Hudson (he of the Bay), is an offshore oceanographic and hydrographic survey vessel based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The Hudson made a voyage around both North and South America in 1970, which was the first time a ship had made a voyage that transited the Americas.
1. The Outlander, by Gil Adamson
2. Sunrise in the West, by Edith Pargeter
6rabbitprincess
Very interesting historical facts – Viola M. Davidson
CCGS Viola M. Davidson is a near-shore research vessel used to collect data on the coastal environment and the ecosystem of the Bay of Fundy. It was named after Dr. Viola Davidson, a marine scientist who conducted research on marine phytoplankton from 1924 to 1932 and obtained Master’s and doctoral degrees for her work.
1. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly
2. The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, by Dava Sobel
CCGS Viola M. Davidson is a near-shore research vessel used to collect data on the coastal environment and the ecosystem of the Bay of Fundy. It was named after Dr. Viola Davidson, a marine scientist who conducted research on marine phytoplankton from 1924 to 1932 and obtained Master’s and doctoral degrees for her work.
1. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly
2. The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, by Dava Sobel
7rabbitprincess
Sci-fi and fantasy – S – Sipu Muin
CCGS Sipu Muin, whose name is Mi’kmaq for “river bear,” is a hovercraft based in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. It is used as a buoy tender and performs icebreaking duties in areas along the St. Lawrence and other rivers in the region where conventional icebreakers are unable to operate.
1. Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (audio, narrated by Dan Starkey)
Encore reads – E – Eckaloo
CCGS Eckaloo is a special navigation aids tender based in Hay River, Northwest Territories. The name means “pathfinder” in one of the Native dialects. (Maddeningly, I can’t find which one.) The vessel is used to search for shifts in the navigation channel of the Mackenzie River that are caused by the annual freeze and thaw. It was specially designed to have a shallow draft and flat bottom so that it could sustain repeated groundings while performing this task.
1. The Iliad, by Homer (translated by E.V. Rieu)
2. The Outlander, by Gil Adamson
3. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, by John le Carré
4. The Distant Echo, by Val McDermid
CCGS Sipu Muin, whose name is Mi’kmaq for “river bear,” is a hovercraft based in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. It is used as a buoy tender and performs icebreaking duties in areas along the St. Lawrence and other rivers in the region where conventional icebreakers are unable to operate.
1. Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (audio, narrated by Dan Starkey)
Encore reads – E – Eckaloo
CCGS Eckaloo is a special navigation aids tender based in Hay River, Northwest Territories. The name means “pathfinder” in one of the Native dialects. (Maddeningly, I can’t find which one.) The vessel is used to search for shifts in the navigation channel of the Mackenzie River that are caused by the annual freeze and thaw. It was specially designed to have a shallow draft and flat bottom so that it could sustain repeated groundings while performing this task.
1. The Iliad, by Homer (translated by E.V. Rieu)
2. The Outlander, by Gil Adamson
3. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, by John le Carré
4. The Distant Echo, by Val McDermid
8rabbitprincess
Livres en Français – L – Louis S. St-Laurent
CCGS Louis S. St. Laurent is a heavy icebreaker based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Louis S. St. Laurent is named after the 12th prime minister of Canada and is the flagship of the Canadian Coast Guard.
1. Honni soit qui mal y pense: L'incroyable histoire d'amour entre l'anglais et le français, by Henriette Walter
2. L’homme aux cercles bleus, by Fred Vargas
Audiobooks – A – Ann Harvey
CCGS Ann Harvey is a buoy tender, SAR vessel, and light icebreaker based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The vessel’s namesake, a Newfoundlander named Ann Harvey (1811-1860), played a key role in rescuing passengers and crew members from two ships in distress: the Despatch in 1828 (when she was only 17!) and the Rankin in 1838.
1. Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (narrated by Dan Starkey)
2. The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
CCGS Louis S. St. Laurent is a heavy icebreaker based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Louis S. St. Laurent is named after the 12th prime minister of Canada and is the flagship of the Canadian Coast Guard.
1. Honni soit qui mal y pense: L'incroyable histoire d'amour entre l'anglais et le français, by Henriette Walter
2. L’homme aux cercles bleus, by Fred Vargas
Audiobooks – A – Ann Harvey
CCGS Ann Harvey is a buoy tender, SAR vessel, and light icebreaker based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The vessel’s namesake, a Newfoundlander named Ann Harvey (1811-1860), played a key role in rescuing passengers and crew members from two ships in distress: the Despatch in 1828 (when she was only 17!) and the Rankin in 1838.
1. Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (narrated by Dan Starkey)
2. The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
9rabbitprincess
Plays/short stories/essays/GNs/other miscellaneous short books – P – Penac
CCGS (or CCGH) Penac is a hovercraft based in Richmond, British Columbia, and is used primarily for SAR operations. The word “Penac” means “fair winds” in the Saanich language.
Plays
1.
2.
3.
The rest
1. The Lady in the Van, by Alan Bennett
2. You're Saying it Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words--and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse, by Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras
3. The Fifth Beatle, by Vivek J. Tiwary
4. Introvert Doodles, by Maureen "Marzi" Wilson
CCGS (or CCGH) Penac is a hovercraft based in Richmond, British Columbia, and is used primarily for SAR operations. The word “Penac” means “fair winds” in the Saanich language.
Plays
1.
2.
3.
The rest
1. The Lady in the Van, by Alan Bennett
2. You're Saying it Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words--and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse, by Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras
3. The Fifth Beatle, by Vivek J. Tiwary
4. Introvert Doodles, by Maureen "Marzi" Wilson
10rabbitprincess
Non-history-related non-fiction – N – Neocaligus
CCGS Neocaligus is a fishery research vessel used primarily for inshore fisheries research and is based in Patricia Bay, British Columbia. It was named after a previous vessel, the Caligus (Neocaligus = New Caligus). The original vessel was named after a genus of sea lice. Yum!
CultureCAT - I will be treating this kind of like a bingo. If I find non-fiction that fits the issues, great! If not, no sweat.
January - Ethics in Science and Technology
February - Medicine and Public Health - Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, by Atul Gawande
March - Cultural Awareness and Diversity
April - Religious Diversity and Freedom - Religion: A Discovery in Comics
May - Gender Equality
June - Environmentalism/Conservatism/Climate Change
July - Violence, Crime and Justice - Black River Road: An Unthinkable Crime, an Unlikely Suspect and the Question of Character, by Debra Komar
August - Impact of Natural Disasters
September - Journalism and the Arts - This is a Book About the Kids in the Hall, by John Semley
October - Poverty
November - Conflict and War
December - Cultural Flow and Immigration
Everything else
1. Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average, by Joseph T. Hallinan
2. The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life, by John le Carré
3. That's Entertainment: My Life in The Jam, by Rick Buckler
4. Glasgow Underground: The Glasgow District Subway, by Keith Anderson
5. The Gift of the Gab: How Eloquence Works, by David Crystal
6. Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner, by Judy Melinek
7. Hi, Anxiety: Life with a Bad Case of Nerves, by Kat Kinsman
8. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, by Caitlin Doughty
CCGS Neocaligus is a fishery research vessel used primarily for inshore fisheries research and is based in Patricia Bay, British Columbia. It was named after a previous vessel, the Caligus (Neocaligus = New Caligus). The original vessel was named after a genus of sea lice. Yum!
CultureCAT - I will be treating this kind of like a bingo. If I find non-fiction that fits the issues, great! If not, no sweat.
January - Ethics in Science and Technology
February - Medicine and Public Health - Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, by Atul Gawande
March - Cultural Awareness and Diversity
April - Religious Diversity and Freedom - Religion: A Discovery in Comics
May - Gender Equality
June - Environmentalism/Conservatism/Climate Change
July - Violence, Crime and Justice - Black River Road: An Unthinkable Crime, an Unlikely Suspect and the Question of Character, by Debra Komar
August - Impact of Natural Disasters
September - Journalism and the Arts - This is a Book About the Kids in the Hall, by John Semley
October - Poverty
November - Conflict and War
December - Cultural Flow and Immigration
Everything else
1. Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average, by Joseph T. Hallinan
2. The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life, by John le Carré
3. That's Entertainment: My Life in The Jam, by Rick Buckler
4. Glasgow Underground: The Glasgow District Subway, by Keith Anderson
5. The Gift of the Gab: How Eloquence Works, by David Crystal
6. Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner, by Judy Melinek
7. Hi, Anxiety: Life with a Bad Case of Nerves, by Kat Kinsman
8. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, by Caitlin Doughty
11rabbitprincess
Together we shall read these books – T – Tracy
CCGS Tracy is a multi-task vessel based in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. It was named after the Marquis Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy (1590-1670), who was appointed Lieutenant General of New France in 1663. The vessel is used primarily for aids to navigation, icebreaking, science, and environmental response operations. It has been declared “surplus” as part of the CCG’s fleet renewal initiative, which seems strange because I thought the problem was they didn’t have enough ships!! But this is an older ship so I guess they’re just buying new ones and scrapping the old ☹
AwardsCAT
January (Costa/Year's Best book lists): none
February (Canada Reads / The Morning News Tournament of Books): Volkswagen Blues, by Jacques Poulin (Canada Reads)
March (any genre prize not already featured / Newbery and Caldecott): A Foreign Country, by Charles Cumming (CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, 2012); The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (Newbery Award, 2009)
April (International Dublin Literary Award / Pulitzer Prize): none
May (Man Booker International Prize / Edgar Awards): In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson (Edgar)
June (PEN Literary Awards / US National Book Award): none
July (SFF awards / Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction): The Wild, by Esther Freud (Orange Prize longlist 2001); Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie (Hugo)
August (Miles Franklin Award / Stonewall Book Award): none
September (Booker Prize / O. Henry Award): none
October (Nobel Prize for Literature / Giller Prize): The Saga of Gösta Berling, by Selma Lagerlöf (Nobel Prize); The Navigator of New York, by Wayne Johnston (Giller)
November (a regional prize of your choice): Island: The Collected Stories, by Alistair MacLeod (Atlantic Canada’s 100 Greatest Books)
December (a prize from a country you aren't living in): The Distant Echo, by Val McDermid (Theakstons Old Peculier shortlist)
CATWoman
January: Classics by women -- Mansfield Park
February: Debut books -- Help Me, Jacques Cousteau, by Gil Adamson (her first novel)
March: Genres -- The Secret Place, by Tana French
April: Biography/autobiography/memoir -- Hi, Anxiety: Life with a Bad Case of Nerves, by Kat Kinsman
May: Women in the arts -- Agatha Christie's Murder in the Making
June: Professional women -- The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, by Dava Sobel
July: Women of color -- Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly
August: Nonfiction or historical fiction -- Queens' Play, by Dorothy Dunnett
September: Children's/YA/Graphic novels --
October: Regional reading (Canada) --
November: LGBT/Feminist writing -- Moranifesto
December: Modern (post-1960) novels by women --
RandomCAT
January (Search and Rescue) Franklin's Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
February (Mine, Yours and Ours) His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
March (Luck o'the Irish) The Secret Place, by Tana French
April (Love in the Stacks) Love Story, with Murders, by Harry Bingham
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Group Reads
CanLit July: Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan;
CCGS Tracy is a multi-task vessel based in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. It was named after the Marquis Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy (1590-1670), who was appointed Lieutenant General of New France in 1663. The vessel is used primarily for aids to navigation, icebreaking, science, and environmental response operations. It has been declared “surplus” as part of the CCG’s fleet renewal initiative, which seems strange because I thought the problem was they didn’t have enough ships!! But this is an older ship so I guess they’re just buying new ones and scrapping the old ☹
AwardsCAT
January (Costa/Year's Best book lists): none
February (Canada Reads / The Morning News Tournament of Books): Volkswagen Blues, by Jacques Poulin (Canada Reads)
March (any genre prize not already featured / Newbery and Caldecott): A Foreign Country, by Charles Cumming (CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, 2012); The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (Newbery Award, 2009)
April (International Dublin Literary Award / Pulitzer Prize): none
May (Man Booker International Prize / Edgar Awards): In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson (Edgar)
June (PEN Literary Awards / US National Book Award): none
July (SFF awards / Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction): The Wild, by Esther Freud (Orange Prize longlist 2001); Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie (Hugo)
August (Miles Franklin Award / Stonewall Book Award): none
September (Booker Prize / O. Henry Award): none
October (Nobel Prize for Literature / Giller Prize): The Saga of Gösta Berling, by Selma Lagerlöf (Nobel Prize); The Navigator of New York, by Wayne Johnston (Giller)
November (a regional prize of your choice): Island: The Collected Stories, by Alistair MacLeod (Atlantic Canada’s 100 Greatest Books)
December (a prize from a country you aren't living in): The Distant Echo, by Val McDermid (Theakstons Old Peculier shortlist)
CATWoman
January: Classics by women -- Mansfield Park
February: Debut books -- Help Me, Jacques Cousteau, by Gil Adamson (her first novel)
March: Genres -- The Secret Place, by Tana French
April: Biography/autobiography/memoir -- Hi, Anxiety: Life with a Bad Case of Nerves, by Kat Kinsman
May: Women in the arts -- Agatha Christie's Murder in the Making
June: Professional women -- The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, by Dava Sobel
July: Women of color -- Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly
August: Nonfiction or historical fiction -- Queens' Play, by Dorothy Dunnett
September: Children's/YA/Graphic novels --
October: Regional reading (Canada) --
November: LGBT/Feminist writing -- Moranifesto
December: Modern (post-1960) novels by women --
RandomCAT
January (Search and Rescue) Franklin's Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
February (Mine, Yours and Ours) His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
March (Luck o'the Irish) The Secret Place, by Tana French
April (Love in the Stacks) Love Story, with Murders, by Harry Bingham
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Group Reads
CanLit July: Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan;
12rabbitprincess
Oh no I can’t go on – O – Opilio (Decommissioned/Abandoned books)
CCGS Opilio was a nearshore fishery research vessel that operated out of Shippagan, New Brunswick. It was last drydocked in Nova Scotia in February 2012 and is now decommissioned. Opilio may be named for the Latin designation of the snow crab (Chionoectes opilio), which is harvested in the Maritime provinces.
1. The African Svelte: Ingenious Misspellings That Make Surprising Sense, by Daniel Menaker
2. Death in Dublin, by Bartholomew Gill
3. A Shocking Assassination, by Cora Harrison
4. Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes
CCGS Opilio was a nearshore fishery research vessel that operated out of Shippagan, New Brunswick. It was last drydocked in Nova Scotia in February 2012 and is now decommissioned. Opilio may be named for the Latin designation of the snow crab (Chionoectes opilio), which is harvested in the Maritime provinces.
1. The African Svelte: Ingenious Misspellings That Make Surprising Sense, by Daniel Menaker
2. Death in Dublin, by Bartholomew Gill
3. A Shocking Assassination, by Cora Harrison
4. Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes
13LittleTaiko
What an absolutely original and interesting theme! Love it. Happy sailing.
14luvamystery65
I love this theme. You are always so creative.
15DeltaQueen50
This is a great way to celebrate Canada! Looking forward to following you in 2017.
16christina_reads
Haha, I love your creatively named categories!
17MissWatson
What a wonderful theme! Happy sailing!
18Deesirings
Wonderful illustrations for your categories!
21Chrischi_HH
What a great and unique theme!
22mamzel
I'm impressed at how many women have been honored by having a vessel named after them. I love the choice of your theme!
23rabbitprincess
>13 LittleTaiko: Thanks! It popped into my head last year and I thought I should hang onto it until Canada's 150th.
>14 luvamystery65: I try :) It will be interesting to change the theme up a bit from actors' filmographies.
>15 DeltaQueen50: Thanks! Hoping to read more Canlit next year as well, hence the inclusion of a specific Canlit category.
>16 christina_reads: Thanks! It was an interesting challenge to have each category correspond to a different letter of the alphabet. (There are a lot of CCG ships beginning with C, for instance.)
>17 MissWatson: Thanks! :)
>18 Deesirings: All photos are from the Canadian Coast Guard's website, so credit goes to them. Most of them are taken from the vessel pages I link to with the vessel name in bold blue :)
>19 VivienneR: Thanks! If I find cool facts about the CCG throughout the year, I'll post them here.
>20 majkia: Thanks! The pool of potentials will also be making its return, so luck will be needed to make sure I read all of the books in the pool :)
>21 Chrischi_HH: Thanks! :)
>22 mamzel: Me too! I actually changed a couple of featured vessels to highlight more of the ones named after women.
****
Planning has begun in earnest for the challenge… I've already started putting together a pool based on the current AwardsCAT structure and some other reading projects I have on the go. Never mind that there are still plenty of books to be read in 2016 :)
>14 luvamystery65: I try :) It will be interesting to change the theme up a bit from actors' filmographies.
>15 DeltaQueen50: Thanks! Hoping to read more Canlit next year as well, hence the inclusion of a specific Canlit category.
>16 christina_reads: Thanks! It was an interesting challenge to have each category correspond to a different letter of the alphabet. (There are a lot of CCG ships beginning with C, for instance.)
>17 MissWatson: Thanks! :)
>18 Deesirings: All photos are from the Canadian Coast Guard's website, so credit goes to them. Most of them are taken from the vessel pages I link to with the vessel name in bold blue :)
>19 VivienneR: Thanks! If I find cool facts about the CCG throughout the year, I'll post them here.
>20 majkia: Thanks! The pool of potentials will also be making its return, so luck will be needed to make sure I read all of the books in the pool :)
>21 Chrischi_HH: Thanks! :)
>22 mamzel: Me too! I actually changed a couple of featured vessels to highlight more of the ones named after women.
****
Planning has begun in earnest for the challenge… I've already started putting together a pool based on the current AwardsCAT structure and some other reading projects I have on the go. Never mind that there are still plenty of books to be read in 2016 :)
24VioletBramble
As a Coast Guard Brat I really love your theme for 2017. Great set up. The hovercrafts are cool. I've never seen a hovercraft as large as these.
I'm also interested in seeing what you think of Volkswagen Blues and The Wild.
I'm also interested in seeing what you think of Volkswagen Blues and The Wild.
25casvelyn
>10 rabbitprincess: Sea lice?!? File that under "things I didn't need to know existed!"
26dudes22
Nice theme - my husband would love this boat theme. I'm looking forward to taking some BBs and maybe help on Canadian books for some of the challenges.
27Roro8
Wow - very nautical. I like it. Are the boats all red and white because of the Canadian flag, or because of safety/visibility reasons? I'm thinking for the flag.
29rabbitprincess
>24 VioletBramble: I am proud to honour the Coasties and Coast Guard Brats! I've been told that the hovercrafts are indeed cool but very noisy.
>25 casvelyn: Yeah, that was pretty gross!
>26 dudes22: Hoping I will have some good Canlit recommendations for you! :)
>27 Roro8: I imagine you're right; it probably is because of the flag. It doesn't hurt that those colours are very visible too!
>28 Tess_W: Thanks! Looking forward to setting sail! Or I guess more "getting under way" because these ships don't have sails ;)
>25 casvelyn: Yeah, that was pretty gross!
>26 dudes22: Hoping I will have some good Canlit recommendations for you! :)
>27 Roro8: I imagine you're right; it probably is because of the flag. It doesn't hurt that those colours are very visible too!
>28 Tess_W: Thanks! Looking forward to setting sail! Or I guess more "getting under way" because these ships don't have sails ;)
30leslie.98
What a creative theme! And I love all the boat pics. I need to 'get under way' with my theme...
32VictoriaPL
I love seeing and reading about all the boats! Nice!!
33rabbitprincess
>30 leslie.98: And I saw you did! Any theme that includes The Jam is a good one ;)
>31 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie! :D
>32 VictoriaPL: Thanks! I do enjoy all things boaty.
>31 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie! :D
>32 VictoriaPL: Thanks! I do enjoy all things boaty.
34leslie.98
>33 rabbitprincess: I think that you are only the second person I have run across (other than my brother) who know The Jam!
35LisaMorr
Wow, what an interesting and unique challenge! How on earth did you come up with it? I'm sure I'll be picking up some BBs along the way.
36rabbitprincess
>34 leslie.98: My parents are both big fans. I actually knew The Jam's work before that of The Clash! I like both but overall prefer The Jam.
>35 LisaMorr: Thanks! I have friends who've served in the CCG, so I was somewhat familiar with it already, but it was the inclusion of a CCG-themed challenge on the Canadian version of The Amazing Race that really pushed me to use this as a challenge.
>35 LisaMorr: Thanks! I have friends who've served in the CCG, so I was somewhat familiar with it already, but it was the inclusion of a CCG-themed challenge on the Canadian version of The Amazing Race that really pushed me to use this as a challenge.
39Tanya-dogearedcopy
Outside of some kayaking that I enjoy, I'm really not a boat person, much less as nautical as this theme; but I love this Canadian Coast Guard theme! :-)
40rabbitprincess
>37 avatiakh: Thanks! Really hoping this will get me back to the CanLit. I've been missing it lately.
>38 Sace: Thanks! Look forward to following yours as well!
>39 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Thanks! I have a coworker who likes to kayak. My appreciation of boats consists mostly of watching them from shore ;)
>38 Sace: Thanks! Look forward to following yours as well!
>39 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Thanks! I have a coworker who likes to kayak. My appreciation of boats consists mostly of watching them from shore ;)
41leslie.98
>39 Tanya-dogearedcopy: White water or ocean? I did some white water kayaking when I lived in the Southeastern US (years ago now) but have little experience with ocean kayaking.
42Tanya-dogearedcopy
Oceans and calm waterways! I didn't start until a couple years ago, but once I was in, I felt like I had always known how to handle a kayak. I head out for hours at a time when the weather is good! The only reason I haven't pursued white water is that two friends of mine were injured and nearly drowned last year in a white water kayaking incident. Though I know they were tempting fate by heading into rapids beyond their skill level, the whole thing took off the "romance" of that level of activity for me :-/
43-Eva-
Great theme - although I get a little seasick when I look at boats, so I may scroll by the top of your thread a little faster than normal... Haha!
44LauraBrook
This is such a creative and interesting category challenge! I've already learned so much just from these brief blurbs for each ship! Can't wait to see what comes up first for you, rp!
45rabbitprincess
>41 leslie.98: I didn't know ocean kayaking was a thing! Very cool! I learned something new :)
>42 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Yikes!! That would be terrifying.
>43 -Eva-: Thanks! Haha that's where the "jump to first unread" and "jump to bottom" links will come in handy ;)
>44 LauraBrook: Thanks! Hoping one of the first will be Franklin's Lost Ship, which is NOT A Christmas Carol, crazy touchstones. I've started putting together a pool and will put it here once I've finalized it. Still debating whether to migrate the unread 2016 books to the 2017 pool, or whether that would create undue extra pressure.
>42 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Yikes!! That would be terrifying.
>43 -Eva-: Thanks! Haha that's where the "jump to first unread" and "jump to bottom" links will come in handy ;)
>44 LauraBrook: Thanks! Hoping one of the first will be Franklin's Lost Ship, which is NOT A Christmas Carol, crazy touchstones. I've started putting together a pool and will put it here once I've finalized it. Still debating whether to migrate the unread 2016 books to the 2017 pool, or whether that would create undue extra pressure.
46lkernagh
What a wonderful nautical theme! I have seen some of those ships during my local travels, but I do love the hovercraft in >7 rabbitprincess:... that is awesome! I "think" the royals returned to Victoria after their day trip to Vancouver aboard a hovercraft but I don't think it was a coast guard hovercraft (unless it was the one in >9 rabbitprincess:). Such an interesting array of vessels depicted here!
47rabbitprincess
>46 lkernagh: I'm jealous of them getting to ride in a hovercraft! I imagine it was fairly likely to have been a CCG hovercraft because they did visit the newly reopened CCG base in Kitsilano. We'll pretend for the purposes of this thread that it was the Penac ;)
48The_Hibernator
What a creative theme! I'm always impressed by people's threads here in the categories group.
49clue
I have always lived right in the middle of the U.S. and since I was a child have associated the sea with adventure. Naturally I enjoyed reading about each of the vessels. I think it's particularly interesting when themes are related to where we live or to our hobbies.
51rabbitprincess
>48 The_Hibernator: Thanks! For me at least, the creativity lies solely in deciding on the topic -- all the categories are books I'd read anyway ;)
>49 clue: Sea stories are such fun! Hoping to get lots of those read next year.
>50 hailelib: Thanks! Anchors aweigh!
>49 clue: Sea stories are such fun! Hoping to get lots of those read next year.
>50 hailelib: Thanks! Anchors aweigh!
53rabbitprincess
>52 sirfurboy: Thanks! I am hoping to read lots of boaty books to go with them.
****
Updated >1 rabbitprincess: with my 2017 pool! I'm not including the stragglers from the 2016 pool, because there are still a few days left in 2016 to read them (although there is no way they will all be read).
****
Updated >1 rabbitprincess: with my 2017 pool! I'm not including the stragglers from the 2016 pool, because there are still a few days left in 2016 to read them (although there is no way they will all be read).
54Jackie_K
Ooh, you've got Moranifesto in your pool! I'm intending on reading Moranthology for one of the CATWoman months!
55mstrust
Found & starred!
Thought I'd bring along a cake especially made for your theme:
Happy reading in 2017!
Thought I'd bring along a cake especially made for your theme:
Happy reading in 2017!
56rabbitprincess
>54 Jackie_K: Moranthology was great! Have to reread it sometime.
>55 mstrust: Beautiful! I love the braiding of the icing! Thank you for dropping by! :D
>55 mstrust: Beautiful! I love the braiding of the icing! Thank you for dropping by! :D
57RidgewayGirl
Finally wandering over to the 2017 Challenge and seeing that I have my work cut out for me to catch up even though 2017 is still a week away!
I love your book quilt up at the top. So many intriguing titles!
I love your book quilt up at the top. So many intriguing titles!
61rabbitprincess
>59 tymfos: Thanks, Terri! :D
>60 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel, and happy new year to you as well!
****
I hate to start the thread with bad news, but William Christopher, aka Father Mulcahy on M*A*S*H, died on New Year's Eve at the age of 84. Father Mulcahy was my favourite character and a role model in many ways: he did his good works unobtrusively and was a steady supporting presence, he maintained good humour and ministered to everyone in the camp (of all faiths and no faith), and while he was kind and patient he did have a steely nerve when standing up for what he believed in. He was just as kind off set as he was on set, and was an avid reader as well -- one story I heard was that, during breaks on set, he would read Homer in the original Greek!
In his honour I will watch M*A*S*H today and begin a reread of The Iliad (not in the original Greek, but we can't have everything).
Blessings, Father.
>60 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel, and happy new year to you as well!
****
I hate to start the thread with bad news, but William Christopher, aka Father Mulcahy on M*A*S*H, died on New Year's Eve at the age of 84. Father Mulcahy was my favourite character and a role model in many ways: he did his good works unobtrusively and was a steady supporting presence, he maintained good humour and ministered to everyone in the camp (of all faiths and no faith), and while he was kind and patient he did have a steely nerve when standing up for what he believed in. He was just as kind off set as he was on set, and was an avid reader as well -- one story I heard was that, during breaks on set, he would read Homer in the original Greek!
In his honour I will watch M*A*S*H today and begin a reread of The Iliad (not in the original Greek, but we can't have everything).
Blessings, Father.
62Sace
>61 rabbitprincess: *sniff* That is terribly sad. Reading The Iliad is a wonderful tribute.
63mysterymax
Sad, sad. Loved him in that role.
64tymfos
I was very sad to hear of his death. Years ago, I read the book he and his wife wrote about raising their son Ned, who has autism: Mixed Blessings. That was back in the day when little was known about autism.
65rabbitprincess
>62 Sace: It's not entirely a surprise, given that he was in his 80s, but it was sad that it had to happen at the very end of what was already a terrible year. :(
>63 mysterymax: It was such a great role. Revisiting it today reminded me how much I really enjoyed the show as a whole. I watched a lot of it in my teenage years (it was on reruns on a TV channel that used to air "oldies" such as M*A*S*H and Hogan's Heroes and Golden Girls) but fell out of the habit. I might have to start a rewatching project where I go through the whole series.
>64 tymfos: I went onto Abebooks and ordered a copy of that book! I also ordered a new copy of The Complete Book of M*A*S*H, by Suzy Kalter, because my current copy is falling apart and can now be replaced by the wonders of the Internet.
****
Had a little M*A*S*Hathon today and watched five episodes:
Captains Outrageous - In which Father Mulcahy is passed over for promotion for the fourth time and the camp learns that even the Padre has a limit to his patience.
Nurse Doctor - In which Father Mulcahy is helping a nurse study for med school and she develops a crush on him, which he has to shut down pronto. (I do agree with Hawkeye, though, when he describes the Padre as "cute as the dickens".)
Tea and Empathy - In which Father Mulcahy saves the 4077th's penicillin supply through the power of the confessional.
Your Hit Parade - In which Radar turns DJ for the camp during a long night of operating. (This isn't a big role for the Padre, but it was on the same disc as Tea and Empathy and I like that episode.)
War of Nerves - In which Sidney Freedman visits the camp, and the camp has a bonfire. This one in particular really highlights Father Mulcahy's ability to notice what's going on and quietly offer his support.
>63 mysterymax: It was such a great role. Revisiting it today reminded me how much I really enjoyed the show as a whole. I watched a lot of it in my teenage years (it was on reruns on a TV channel that used to air "oldies" such as M*A*S*H and Hogan's Heroes and Golden Girls) but fell out of the habit. I might have to start a rewatching project where I go through the whole series.
>64 tymfos: I went onto Abebooks and ordered a copy of that book! I also ordered a new copy of The Complete Book of M*A*S*H, by Suzy Kalter, because my current copy is falling apart and can now be replaced by the wonders of the Internet.
****
Had a little M*A*S*Hathon today and watched five episodes:
Captains Outrageous - In which Father Mulcahy is passed over for promotion for the fourth time and the camp learns that even the Padre has a limit to his patience.
Nurse Doctor - In which Father Mulcahy is helping a nurse study for med school and she develops a crush on him, which he has to shut down pronto. (I do agree with Hawkeye, though, when he describes the Padre as "cute as the dickens".)
Tea and Empathy - In which Father Mulcahy saves the 4077th's penicillin supply through the power of the confessional.
Your Hit Parade - In which Radar turns DJ for the camp during a long night of operating. (This isn't a big role for the Padre, but it was on the same disc as Tea and Empathy and I like that episode.)
War of Nerves - In which Sidney Freedman visits the camp, and the camp has a bonfire. This one in particular really highlights Father Mulcahy's ability to notice what's going on and quietly offer his support.
67thornton37814
M*A*S*H-a-thons are always a good thing!
68bookwormjules
I like the categories you chose, good luck.
69Sace
>65 rabbitprincess: No, not surprising. It was definitely the "cherry" on a pretty crappy 2016 sundae.
70rabbitprincess
>66 clue: Time does have a way of creeping up on one!
>67 thornton37814: It was nice to revisit the show. I don't do that often enough.
>68 bookwormjules: Thanks! Mostly the same old stuff, but I gave Canlit a special focus this year and broke up history into fiction and non-fiction, because I read a lot of it, apparently.
>69 Sace: I did like the theory on Twitter that David Bowie found an alternate universe and is selectively populating it one by one. If anyone could do that, it's him ;)
****
First book of 2017 is one that I could choose not to record, because it wasn't that great and it's not nice to start the year off with a clunker, but I want to remember that I tried this so that I'm not tempted to read it again!
The African Svelte: Ingenious Misspellings That Make Surprising Sense, by Daniel Menaker
Category: Opilio
Source: library
Rating: 1.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/137034570
One of those quick little books that is also supposed to be funny. Not in my case, unfortunately. It wasn't offensive, just dull.
>67 thornton37814: It was nice to revisit the show. I don't do that often enough.
>68 bookwormjules: Thanks! Mostly the same old stuff, but I gave Canlit a special focus this year and broke up history into fiction and non-fiction, because I read a lot of it, apparently.
>69 Sace: I did like the theory on Twitter that David Bowie found an alternate universe and is selectively populating it one by one. If anyone could do that, it's him ;)
****
First book of 2017 is one that I could choose not to record, because it wasn't that great and it's not nice to start the year off with a clunker, but I want to remember that I tried this so that I'm not tempted to read it again!
The African Svelte: Ingenious Misspellings That Make Surprising Sense, by Daniel Menaker
Category: Opilio
Source: library
Rating: 1.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/137034570
One of those quick little books that is also supposed to be funny. Not in my case, unfortunately. It wasn't offensive, just dull.
71LittleTaiko
Hopefully this just means that you go the clunker out of the way and the rest of the year is smooth sailing (pun intended from your challenge theme).
72RidgewayGirl
In 2016 I started the year with what would become my choice for the Worst Book I Read in 2016. Things improved dramatically once I'd gotten that stinker out of the way.
73christina_reads
>70 rabbitprincess: Sorry your first book was a clunker, but at least there's nowhere to go but up! :)
74andreablythe
Happy New Year!
I like the theme. Happy anniversary to Canada!
I like the theme. Happy anniversary to Canada!
75cammykitty
I loved Father Mulcahy when I was a girl. He'll be missed.
Happy 150th though! I love the way you tied in your categories with the boat names. It works without stretching things too much.
Happy 150th though! I love the way you tied in your categories with the boat names. It works without stretching things too much.
76madhatter22
Very creative setup! I haven't planned as far ahead, but I see a few books on your list that will potentially be on mine as well. Good luck with your challenges. :)
77tymfos
>65 rabbitprincess: I'm glad you ordered Mixed blessings. It's been years since I read it, but I recall that I was impressed by their efforts on behalf of Ned -- and appalled by the bad counsel the medical establishment was offering back then. Truly, we have come a long way in understanding autism since then.
79rabbitprincess
>71 LittleTaiko: YES! Pun fully accepted. :)
>72 RidgewayGirl: So far that seems to be the way of things here too. Just read two very good books.
>73 christina_reads: Yes, indeed! And at least the clunker came from the library.
>74 andreablythe: Thanks for the New Year's and Canada's birthday wishes! It will be a good year. I hope there will be lots of cool activities around town to celebrate.
>75 cammykitty: He sure will. And thanks! With the naming, I decided to have all the ships from a different letter of the alphabet. There are a lot of C's.
>76 madhatter22: Thanks! Let me know if you're planning any reads from my list and I'll do my best to read along :)
>77 tymfos: I'm looking forward to reading it. From what I hear, the kindness and grace of Father Mulcahy were very much Bill Christopher as well, and this book reinforces that.
>78 Tess_W: It's OK, because I had two good ones to make up for it!
****
I had a post set up to reply to you all and provide a review, but I went and DELETED it from my Notepad because I thought I'd already posted it! Argh! So I had to retype all of my replies. Annoying.
What is not annoying is the fact that I've had two very good books, one of which comes from my pool.
The Expendable Man, by Dorothy B. Hughes
Category: Geliget
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/136423629
Hughes is an excellent writer of suspense, and this one ought to be better known. For those of you who collect Persephone Books, this is #68 and a very handsome edition it is.
Franklin's Lost Ship: The Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M., Tracy (RandomCAT January)
Source: Christmas gift (2015)
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/124504770
I'm a bit late to the party reading this book -- at the time of writing, only one of Franklin's two ships had been found. Now both of them have been found; Terror was discovered in September 2016 (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/hms-terror-confirmed-1.3779127). Still, this is a good account of the Franklin expedition and the logistics of searching for the two ships in the uncompromising Arctic.
Also of note for my theme is that CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier was the "mothership" for this expedition -- whoop whoop for the Coast Guard! :D
>72 RidgewayGirl: So far that seems to be the way of things here too. Just read two very good books.
>73 christina_reads: Yes, indeed! And at least the clunker came from the library.
>74 andreablythe: Thanks for the New Year's and Canada's birthday wishes! It will be a good year. I hope there will be lots of cool activities around town to celebrate.
>75 cammykitty: He sure will. And thanks! With the naming, I decided to have all the ships from a different letter of the alphabet. There are a lot of C's.
>76 madhatter22: Thanks! Let me know if you're planning any reads from my list and I'll do my best to read along :)
>77 tymfos: I'm looking forward to reading it. From what I hear, the kindness and grace of Father Mulcahy were very much Bill Christopher as well, and this book reinforces that.
>78 Tess_W: It's OK, because I had two good ones to make up for it!
****
I had a post set up to reply to you all and provide a review, but I went and DELETED it from my Notepad because I thought I'd already posted it! Argh! So I had to retype all of my replies. Annoying.
What is not annoying is the fact that I've had two very good books, one of which comes from my pool.
The Expendable Man, by Dorothy B. Hughes
Category: Geliget
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/136423629
Hughes is an excellent writer of suspense, and this one ought to be better known. For those of you who collect Persephone Books, this is #68 and a very handsome edition it is.
Franklin's Lost Ship: The Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M., Tracy (RandomCAT January)
Source: Christmas gift (2015)
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/124504770
I'm a bit late to the party reading this book -- at the time of writing, only one of Franklin's two ships had been found. Now both of them have been found; Terror was discovered in September 2016 (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/hms-terror-confirmed-1.3779127). Still, this is a good account of the Franklin expedition and the logistics of searching for the two ships in the uncompromising Arctic.
Also of note for my theme is that CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier was the "mothership" for this expedition -- whoop whoop for the Coast Guard! :D
80mathgirl40
I love your category theme inspired by Canada's 150th birthday!
Franklin's Lost Ship: The Discovery of HMS Erebus sounds like an interesting book. I recently saw the small but informative exhibit about this discovery at the ROM and would like to read more about it.
Franklin's Lost Ship: The Discovery of HMS Erebus sounds like an interesting book. I recently saw the small but informative exhibit about this discovery at the ROM and would like to read more about it.
81pamelad
Glad you liked The Expendable Man. I thought In a Lonely Place was even better.
82rabbitprincess
>80 mathgirl40: That was a neat exhibit! Seeing the ship's bell in person was impressive. I'd recommend this book for talking about how they found the ship, and for the expedition itself I found Fatal Passage, by Ken McGoogan, to be very interesting.
>81 pamelad: In a Lonely Place was great too. And based on my experience with these two books, I ordered The Blackbirder as part of my Christmas gift card haul. Love Hughes' writing!
****
It's snowing lightly here today, again. And the local news is freaking out, for some reason. "OMG more snow! Five to ten centimetres! We would never have thought that Ottawa would get SNOW in the winter!!"
Excuse me while I remember February 16, 2016, when we got 50 cm of snow in one day, and roll my eyes.
I'm steadily making my way through library borrowings. Finished this book up at breakfast and was able to return it to the library this afternoon.
Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average, by Joseph T. Hallinan
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/136141434
The content gets 3 stars because it treads some ground that is familiar to me, with an extra half-star because it ended up being a fairly quick read. Not wildly recommended, but not actively discouraged either.
>81 pamelad: In a Lonely Place was great too. And based on my experience with these two books, I ordered The Blackbirder as part of my Christmas gift card haul. Love Hughes' writing!
****
It's snowing lightly here today, again. And the local news is freaking out, for some reason. "OMG more snow! Five to ten centimetres! We would never have thought that Ottawa would get SNOW in the winter!!"
Excuse me while I remember February 16, 2016, when we got 50 cm of snow in one day, and roll my eyes.
I'm steadily making my way through library borrowings. Finished this book up at breakfast and was able to return it to the library this afternoon.
Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average, by Joseph T. Hallinan
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/136141434
The content gets 3 stars because it treads some ground that is familiar to me, with an extra half-star because it ended up being a fairly quick read. Not wildly recommended, but not actively discouraged either.
84mamzel
>82 rabbitprincess: Those weatherman have to try and make their job interesting, I guess. Here, they are reporting about flooding on a river that ALWAYS floods when there is any rainfall to speak of. I'm sorry, folks, it's not news when it always happens.
85casvelyn
>82 rabbitprincess: The weathermen here just keep repeating the same thing on a 3-5 minute loop whenever there's severe weather. It's live TV, they just have nothing else to say, so they repeat, preempting whatever you are trying to watch. It kind of aggravates me because I can track the radar on the internet without all the catastrophizing. Also, 95% of all storms, winter or summer, are not as severe as they ramble on about.
87rabbitprincess
>83 mstrust: I like to think of myself as hardy in the winter. Summer is what kills me.
>84 mamzel: One thing that does happen every year and that I'm OK with them talking about repeatedly is the terrible sidewalk conditions. The sidewalk plows here don't always plow the sidewalk properly, to the extent that pedestrians are forced into the road or the bike lanes because otherwise they would have to slip and slide over frozen slush, or wade through ankle-deep puddles that have formed because the snowbanks are too high to allow drainage and the storm drains are blocked anyway.
>85 casvelyn: Yes, exactly! I like to know that there could be a storm coming, but after that I'll look at the Weather Network and track the storm from there. And it is true that most of the time the storms end up less catastrophic than predicted. Our 50 cm storm was one notable exception (I think they had been calling for only 20 cm).
>86 hailelib: One of the best uses of the Internet!
****
The local news amused me today with their Breaking News: the Rideau Canal Skateway is opening tomorrow morning! This is good news indeed and worth the top-story treatment ;) I was worried that the milder temperatures earlier this week (including yesterday's bout of rain, ew) might have screwed it up. Not all of the Skateway will be open, but evidently they've been able to coax a fair portion of the ice into setting properly. Tonight's low of minus 22 Celsius should help.
I am also pleased to report that one of my coworkers loaned me two books, both of which fit my theme nicely:
The Terror, by Dan Simmons -- I'd heard about this but hadn't realized it was about the Franklin expedition! Looking forward to it.
Usque ad mare, by Thomas E. Appleton -- a history of the Canadian Coast Guard and Marine Services. I think his copy is a first edition, because the only copyright date is 1968. I'm glad to have a print copy to read, but you can read Usque Ad Mare online at the CCG website
****
Finished this audiobook yesterday, my first of the year (and naturally it is not one from my pool).
Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (audio, narrated by Dan Starkey)
Categories: Sipu Muin, Ann Harvey
Source: library CDs
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/105161116
I picked this one up primarily because Dan Starkey, who plays Strax the Sontaran, did the narration, and I greatly enjoy his character. Everything he says is ridiculous. :) So this was a pleasant diversion listened to over multiple evenings while doing the dishes.
>84 mamzel: One thing that does happen every year and that I'm OK with them talking about repeatedly is the terrible sidewalk conditions. The sidewalk plows here don't always plow the sidewalk properly, to the extent that pedestrians are forced into the road or the bike lanes because otherwise they would have to slip and slide over frozen slush, or wade through ankle-deep puddles that have formed because the snowbanks are too high to allow drainage and the storm drains are blocked anyway.
>85 casvelyn: Yes, exactly! I like to know that there could be a storm coming, but after that I'll look at the Weather Network and track the storm from there. And it is true that most of the time the storms end up less catastrophic than predicted. Our 50 cm storm was one notable exception (I think they had been calling for only 20 cm).
>86 hailelib: One of the best uses of the Internet!
****
The local news amused me today with their Breaking News: the Rideau Canal Skateway is opening tomorrow morning! This is good news indeed and worth the top-story treatment ;) I was worried that the milder temperatures earlier this week (including yesterday's bout of rain, ew) might have screwed it up. Not all of the Skateway will be open, but evidently they've been able to coax a fair portion of the ice into setting properly. Tonight's low of minus 22 Celsius should help.
I am also pleased to report that one of my coworkers loaned me two books, both of which fit my theme nicely:
The Terror, by Dan Simmons -- I'd heard about this but hadn't realized it was about the Franklin expedition! Looking forward to it.
Usque ad mare, by Thomas E. Appleton -- a history of the Canadian Coast Guard and Marine Services. I think his copy is a first edition, because the only copyright date is 1968. I'm glad to have a print copy to read, but you can read Usque Ad Mare online at the CCG website
****
Finished this audiobook yesterday, my first of the year (and naturally it is not one from my pool).
Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (audio, narrated by Dan Starkey)
Categories: Sipu Muin, Ann Harvey
Source: library CDs
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/105161116
I picked this one up primarily because Dan Starkey, who plays Strax the Sontaran, did the narration, and I greatly enjoy his character. Everything he says is ridiculous. :) So this was a pleasant diversion listened to over multiple evenings while doing the dishes.
88tymfos
I read The Terror several years ago, and while I had mixed feelings about the book, it got me interested in reading more about the Franklin Expedition.
89inge87
>87 rabbitprincess: -22 C . . . I don't miss those kinds of temperatures at all. The worst I was ever outside for in Massachusetts was -15 F (-26.1 C), and that was more than enough of a hint to move back to warmth of Texas. In my part of the state, it usually doesn't get much colder than 20 F (-6.7 C), and I like it that way (although the odd deep freeze can be a fun group whining experience).
90rabbitprincess
>88 tymfos: The Franklin Expedition makes for some interesting reading. I'd recommend Fatal Passage, by Ken McGoogan.
I was taken aback at the size of The Terror! It may be a train-ride book. Fortunately I have a train trip planned soon.
>89 inge87: Yes, inclement weather is a great bonding experience when everyone's complaining about it ;)
****
Yesterday was a day full of movies. Went to see a National Theatre encore broadcast of No Man's Land, starring Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Patrick Stewart, Owen Teale, and Damien Molony. It was intense, as you'd expect from a Harold Pinter play. The screening I went to was in what seemed to be a newly refurbished auditorium at the cinema; they'd taken out the old seats and replaced them with squishy recliners. It reduced the seating capacity almost by half! But for a showing of a theatre broadcast, it's nice to have comfy seats.
Then in the evening, I watched High-Rise, adapted from the J.G. Ballard novel and starring Tom Hiddleston. It was also intense. Graphically violent in places, and there are allusions to animals being killed or eaten. I had to fast-forward in a few places. But I did not fast-forward through the sunbathing scene at the beginning!
****
I also found time to finish up and review a couple of books.
The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life, by John le Carré
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/137142570
Worth reading if you're a fan of le Carré. Includes stories about how some of his characters came to be, and the trips he took to do research for those books. It's all well written with his usual dry humour.
The Iliad, by Homer (translated by E.V. Rieu)
Category: Eckaloo
Source: bought for school
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/work/5057/reviews/70475579
I hadn't read this since university, and it was interesting to reread. Now I want to read the Robert Fagles translation to compare.
I was taken aback at the size of The Terror! It may be a train-ride book. Fortunately I have a train trip planned soon.
>89 inge87: Yes, inclement weather is a great bonding experience when everyone's complaining about it ;)
****
Yesterday was a day full of movies. Went to see a National Theatre encore broadcast of No Man's Land, starring Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Patrick Stewart, Owen Teale, and Damien Molony. It was intense, as you'd expect from a Harold Pinter play. The screening I went to was in what seemed to be a newly refurbished auditorium at the cinema; they'd taken out the old seats and replaced them with squishy recliners. It reduced the seating capacity almost by half! But for a showing of a theatre broadcast, it's nice to have comfy seats.
Then in the evening, I watched High-Rise, adapted from the J.G. Ballard novel and starring Tom Hiddleston. It was also intense. Graphically violent in places, and there are allusions to animals being killed or eaten. I had to fast-forward in a few places. But I did not fast-forward through the sunbathing scene at the beginning!
****
I also found time to finish up and review a couple of books.
The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life, by John le Carré
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/137142570
Worth reading if you're a fan of le Carré. Includes stories about how some of his characters came to be, and the trips he took to do research for those books. It's all well written with his usual dry humour.
The Iliad, by Homer (translated by E.V. Rieu)
Category: Eckaloo
Source: bought for school
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/work/5057/reviews/70475579
I hadn't read this since university, and it was interesting to reread. Now I want to read the Robert Fagles translation to compare.
91mstrust
Any day that you get to see Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart together is a good day. I spent my evening with pizza and "The Flight of the Conchords". : D
92DeltaQueen50
I have The Terror sitting on my shelf and my brother highly recommended it, but every time my hand goes to pull it down, I too, get taken aback at the size of it!
93lkernagh
Taking some time today to get caught up with some threads. I was also saddened to read about William Christopher's passing. A M.A.S.H. marathon watch seems like a perfect tribute. We have been engaging in a bit of marathon tv watching of our own, spending evenings watch old episodes of Hogan's Heroes. Great stuff!
94rabbitprincess
>91 mstrust: That also sounds like an excellent evening! My favourite Conchords song at the moment is probably "Hiphopapotamus." I'm constantly quoting the line "Be more constructive with your feedback, please!"
>92 DeltaQueen50: Yes, it definitely looks like one that you need to set aside time for in order to get fully stuck in.
>93 lkernagh: Ah, Hogan's Heroes! I have all six seasons on DVD and should really rewatch that show too. I had a crush on Newkirk ;)
****
Excellent news: after his successful stint on Soho Radio, David Morrissey will be playing DJ on Boogaloo Radio starting tomorrow (January 20) and airing from 3 to 5 p.m. GMT. I'll have to listen on catchup when I get home. http://boogalooradio.com/new-presenter-david-morrissey
Strangely enough, before I found out this news, Facebook gave me a memory from last year where I'd posted one of DM's Soho Radio shows! That was fun to listen to again.
****
January is going swimmingly as a reading month! Two more very good books.
Help Me, Jacques Cousteau, by Gil Adamson
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M., Tracy (CATWoman -- debut works)
Source: Christmas gift (2009!)
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70473977
I've seen this described as a novel and as a collection of short stories. It may be helpful to think of them as short stories. I enjoyed it/them quite a bit. The LT recommendation of Come, Thou Tortoise as a related read is a good one. If you like one, you may like the other.
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly
Category: Viola M. Davidson, Tracy (CATWoman - women of colour)
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/137298655
It is a shame that this story went untold for so long, but it is great that it is being told, finally. Their strength and determination is inspiring and empowering. And as a dyed-in-the-wool humanities student, I am deeply impressed by their wizardry with math. This story is a must-learn for everyone. Looking forward to seeing the movie (although I'm sure the book is better).
>92 DeltaQueen50: Yes, it definitely looks like one that you need to set aside time for in order to get fully stuck in.
>93 lkernagh: Ah, Hogan's Heroes! I have all six seasons on DVD and should really rewatch that show too. I had a crush on Newkirk ;)
****
Excellent news: after his successful stint on Soho Radio, David Morrissey will be playing DJ on Boogaloo Radio starting tomorrow (January 20) and airing from 3 to 5 p.m. GMT. I'll have to listen on catchup when I get home. http://boogalooradio.com/new-presenter-david-morrissey
Strangely enough, before I found out this news, Facebook gave me a memory from last year where I'd posted one of DM's Soho Radio shows! That was fun to listen to again.
****
January is going swimmingly as a reading month! Two more very good books.
Help Me, Jacques Cousteau, by Gil Adamson
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M., Tracy (CATWoman -- debut works)
Source: Christmas gift (2009!)
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70473977
I've seen this described as a novel and as a collection of short stories. It may be helpful to think of them as short stories. I enjoyed it/them quite a bit. The LT recommendation of Come, Thou Tortoise as a related read is a good one. If you like one, you may like the other.
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly
Category: Viola M. Davidson, Tracy (CATWoman - women of colour)
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/137298655
It is a shame that this story went untold for so long, but it is great that it is being told, finally. Their strength and determination is inspiring and empowering. And as a dyed-in-the-wool humanities student, I am deeply impressed by their wizardry with math. This story is a must-learn for everyone. Looking forward to seeing the movie (although I'm sure the book is better).
95VictoriaPL
>94 rabbitprincess: I enjoyed the movie better! LOL
96Tanya-dogearedcopy
I haven't read (or listened to) the book yet; but I did take my daughter to see the movie on MLK day (just this past Monday.) I found it fascinating, but then again, I love math nerd biopics (e.g. 'A Beautiful Mind' and 'The Imitation Game.') I'm always wary of reading the books though. Even though I'm decent in some maths, I have difficulty reading about the more advanced theories... Anyway, the movie was a pleasure, though it was definitely "PG" - which means the language was pared down quite a bit. Normally, this would not be an issue; but they always stopped just short of saying *anything* pejorative - which didn't make sense considering the social context.
97rabbitprincess
>95 VictoriaPL: That happens sometimes too!
>96 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Hm, yes, the PG rating would definitely limit some things. The book includes an author's note about the language used at the time and that has been preserved in the book.
****
It's Sunday, which means it's laundry day. The washing is in the machine, so I'm writing reviews while waiting for that to be done. Then I get to read while the laundry is in the dryer :)
Honni soit qui mal y pense: L'incroyable histoire d'amour entre l'anglais et le français, by Henriette Walter
Category: Louis S. St. Laurent
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/136423743
My first French book of the year was a carryover from 2016. I never did end up finishing it, but what I did read, I liked.
Black River Road: An Unthinkable Crime, an Unlikely Suspect and the Question of Character, by Debra Komar
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M., Neocaligus (CultureCAT July -- Violence, Crime and Justice)
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/137512654
In keeping with my treatment of the CultureCAT as a "bingo" of sorts, I'm putting this as my choice for the July theme of violence, crime and justice. A true crime story from much earlier in Canada's history. This is by the author who wrote The Bastard of Fort Stikine, which is also very good.
>96 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Hm, yes, the PG rating would definitely limit some things. The book includes an author's note about the language used at the time and that has been preserved in the book.
****
It's Sunday, which means it's laundry day. The washing is in the machine, so I'm writing reviews while waiting for that to be done. Then I get to read while the laundry is in the dryer :)
Honni soit qui mal y pense: L'incroyable histoire d'amour entre l'anglais et le français, by Henriette Walter
Category: Louis S. St. Laurent
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/136423743
My first French book of the year was a carryover from 2016. I never did end up finishing it, but what I did read, I liked.
Black River Road: An Unthinkable Crime, an Unlikely Suspect and the Question of Character, by Debra Komar
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M., Neocaligus (CultureCAT July -- Violence, Crime and Justice)
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/137512654
In keeping with my treatment of the CultureCAT as a "bingo" of sorts, I'm putting this as my choice for the July theme of violence, crime and justice. A true crime story from much earlier in Canada's history. This is by the author who wrote The Bastard of Fort Stikine, which is also very good.
98RidgewayGirl
I'm glad to hear that this book by Komar is also good. I really enjoyed The Bastard of Fort Stikine.
99rabbitprincess
>98 RidgewayGirl: I liked her discussion at the end of how the contemporary press and public viewed the case and how modern readers would view it.
****
Went out to buy a book for a friend, so naturally I had to buy a few for myself! The perils of deciding to check for interesting older books and first editions at Book Bazaar. This is what came home with me. EVERY SINGLE BOOK was on my to-read list, so I feel quite virtuous.
The Disorderly Knights, by Dorothy Dunnett (Lymond Chronicles #3)
Pawn in Frankincense, by Dorothy Dunnett (Lymond Chronicles #4)
The Grey Seas Under, by Farley Mowat
The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk
The Informer, by Liam O'Flaherty
Crusader, by Nigel Tranter
So glad that I finally have all of the Lymond Chronicles books! And amusingly, the Mowat book was recommended to me by the friend for whom I was buying a book ;) I didn't end up actually purchasing anything, but the store has a great selection of nautical titles so I wrote a few of them down and will run them by a couple of other friends to see which one would be the best choice.
****
Went out to buy a book for a friend, so naturally I had to buy a few for myself! The perils of deciding to check for interesting older books and first editions at Book Bazaar. This is what came home with me. EVERY SINGLE BOOK was on my to-read list, so I feel quite virtuous.
The Disorderly Knights, by Dorothy Dunnett (Lymond Chronicles #3)
Pawn in Frankincense, by Dorothy Dunnett (Lymond Chronicles #4)
The Grey Seas Under, by Farley Mowat
The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk
The Informer, by Liam O'Flaherty
Crusader, by Nigel Tranter
So glad that I finally have all of the Lymond Chronicles books! And amusingly, the Mowat book was recommended to me by the friend for whom I was buying a book ;) I didn't end up actually purchasing anything, but the store has a great selection of nautical titles so I wrote a few of them down and will run them by a couple of other friends to see which one would be the best choice.
100rabbitprincess
First mystery of 2017 was a good one!
Blood, Salt, Water, by Denise Mina
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/137512573
The first chapter punched a hole in me. Alex Morrow continued to be awesome.The scene with Susan Grierson and Boyd Fraser in the derelict house was SUPER WEIRD. Great installment in the series. But now I'm caught up! Guess I have to go read the Garnethill trilogy now.
Blood, Salt, Water, by Denise Mina
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/137512573
The first chapter punched a hole in me. Alex Morrow continued to be awesome.
101RidgewayGirl
The Garnethill trilogy is my favorite.
102rabbitprincess
>101 RidgewayGirl: I'll have to get to that one later this year!
****
Catching up on a bunch of reviews. It's been busy around here! Most notably, on Thursday I attended a play adapted from Wayne Johnston's The Colony of Unrequited Dreams. It was a good night out. And last night my BF and I went out for dinner with my cousin and her boyfriend, who were in town for the weekend. We went to a yummy vegetarian/vegan restaurant called The Table that I'd been to before but not recently. It's a buffet-style restaurant so you can try a bit of everything, which I think we did between the four of us. They have yummy desserts, too, including a chocolate beet cake that is SO GOOD. The only way I'll eat beets ;)
Now, on to the books!
Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, by Atul Gawande
Category: Neocaligus (CultureCAT - Medicine and Public Health)
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/137512913
An interesting read, as always. Perhaps not recommended if you get queasy about medical stuff. I had to try not to read this while eating.
The Lady in the Van, by Alan Bennett
Category: Penac (almost a novella-type memoir)
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/137582147
Heresy: I preferred the movie.
By the Way, by Gordon Pinsent
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M
Source: Berry and Peterson Books, Kingston, ON
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/82819011
Recommended for those who like the actor's work. It is definitely written with his voice :)
The Wild, by Esther Freud
Category: Geliget, Tracy (AwardsCAT July - Bailey's/Orange Prize)
Source: library book sale
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/116423008
This ended up being a surprisingly fast read. I tore through it in about a day. Will have to pick up some more Freud!
****
Catching up on a bunch of reviews. It's been busy around here! Most notably, on Thursday I attended a play adapted from Wayne Johnston's The Colony of Unrequited Dreams. It was a good night out. And last night my BF and I went out for dinner with my cousin and her boyfriend, who were in town for the weekend. We went to a yummy vegetarian/vegan restaurant called The Table that I'd been to before but not recently. It's a buffet-style restaurant so you can try a bit of everything, which I think we did between the four of us. They have yummy desserts, too, including a chocolate beet cake that is SO GOOD. The only way I'll eat beets ;)
Now, on to the books!
Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, by Atul Gawande
Category: Neocaligus (CultureCAT - Medicine and Public Health)
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/137512913
An interesting read, as always. Perhaps not recommended if you get queasy about medical stuff. I had to try not to read this while eating.
The Lady in the Van, by Alan Bennett
Category: Penac (almost a novella-type memoir)
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/137582147
Heresy: I preferred the movie.
By the Way, by Gordon Pinsent
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M
Source: Berry and Peterson Books, Kingston, ON
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/82819011
Recommended for those who like the actor's work. It is definitely written with his voice :)
The Wild, by Esther Freud
Category: Geliget, Tracy (AwardsCAT July - Bailey's/Orange Prize)
Source: library book sale
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/116423008
This ended up being a surprisingly fast read. I tore through it in about a day. Will have to pick up some more Freud!
103cammykitty
Chocolate Beet Cake? Wow... I'm thinking it's like red velvet cake, only the red is natural and hopefully it has more chocolate. I'm adding Hidden Fences Hidden Figures to the wl! It sounds good, and the perfect book for February if I can fit it in.
104dudes22
>103 cammykitty: - I've read before that red velvet cake did originally get it's red color from beets. I think it had something to do with using the beets as a sweetener.
105mstrust
>102 rabbitprincess: I liked both the movie and book of The Lady in the Van. Maggie Smith was so good in that part, so pushy.
I have yet to get Mike in a vegetarian restaurant. He's not a fan of the word, even though I make vegetarian meals at home. I think chocolate beet cake would probably be very good, along the lines of chocolate tomato soup cake.
I have yet to get Mike in a vegetarian restaurant. He's not a fan of the word, even though I make vegetarian meals at home. I think chocolate beet cake would probably be very good, along the lines of chocolate tomato soup cake.
106rabbitprincess
>103 cammykitty: It had a lot of chocolate! And I hope you're able to fit in Hidden Figures. It was very good!
>104 dudes22: Ah, that's what it's used for! I've made vegan brownies before using applesauce -- I wonder if the beets would be performing the same function (providing liquid and sweetness).
>105 mstrust: Yes, she owned that part! And I loved Alex Jennings's Alan Bennett. So adorable.
Not sure I can overcome my initial horror at the thought of mixing chocolate and tomato soup! But yes the beet cake is surprisingly good.
****
Ending the month the way I started: with a DNF.
Death in Dublin, by Bartholomew Gill
Category: Opilio
Source: library
Rating: 1.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/136819159
This book just rubbed me the wrong way. McGarr focused too much on appearances, especially ladies' appearances, and the tabloid journalist was incredibly smart-alecky and annoying. The writing was filled with unnecessary or clunkily integrated details, and I just couldn't care about the main plot, even though it was about the theft of the Book of Kells!
****
January recap
Started off 2017 with 17 books, appropriately enough.
The African Svelte: Orthographic Mistakes and Misspellings That Often Make Sense, by Daniel Menaker (abandoned)
The Expendable Man, by Dorothy B. Hughes
Franklin's Lost Ship: The Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average, by Joseph T. Hallinan
Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (audio, narrated by Dan Starkey)
The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life, by John le Carré (Overdrive)
The Iliad, by Homer (translated by E.V. Rieu) (reread)
Help Me, Jacques Cousteau, by Gil Adamson
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly
Honni soit qui mal y pense: L'incroyable histoire d'amour entre l'anglais et le français, by Henriette Walter
Black River Road: An Unthinkable Crime, an Unlikely Suspect and the Question of Character, by Debra Komar
Blood, Salt, Water, by Denise Mina
Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, by Atul Gawande
The Lady in the Van, by Alan Bennett
By the Way, by Gordon Pinsent
The Wild, by Esther Freud
Death in Dublin, by Bartholomew Gill (abandoned)
My favourite book of the month was The Expendable Man, by Dorothy B. Hughes. It was tremendously suspenseful, and it was packaged in a very nice Persephone Books edition to boot.
My least favourite book of the month was The African Svelte, by Daniel Menaker, which did not start the year off well!
I made solid progress on my library books, with only one from January's list carrying over into February (and that I've marked as "currently reading" as of today). Two of the books were DNF, but that's OK.
My RandomCAT pick (Franklin's Lost Ship) was very good, and yes I may have created the theme specifically so that I could read it ;)
Currently reading
The Sagas of Icelanders, by Jane Smiley -- I think I'm going to bail on this one, but I will write a review for the Go Review That Book! group…eventually.
Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Scott Anderson -- I think I'm up to Chapter 7! There was a readathon on Litsy this month and I took advantage of it to make some more progress on this very dense book.
North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell -- According to Serial Reader, I have only five issues left! I've read 81% of the book, which should not surprise me, but does.
His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle -- my RandomCAT choice for February. It also fills the "published in 1917" square of the BingoDOG.
The Frozen Shroud, by Martin Edwards -- I've renewed this a couple of times, so I'd better get cracking!
February plans
As stated, my February RandomCAT is His Last Bow. It is the last of my Sherlock TV tie-in editions to read. How much do you want to bet that BBC Books WON'T publish The Valley of Fear and The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes in those editions? Heaven forbid I should have a complete set.
I've set aside The Terror, by Dan Simmons, as a book to read on my forthcoming train trip to Montreal. One of my coworkers very thoughtfully loaned it to me, knowing that I like all things nautical and the Franklin Expedition.
And after a January of almost no mysteries, I have three or four lined up on the on-deck pile.
On my library shelves this month:
Brit Noir: The Pocket Essential Guide to British Crime Fiction, Film and TV, by Barry Forshaw -- Hoping to get some book bullets from this one! I'd also accept help winnowing down the to-read list.
That's Entertainment: My Life in The Jam, by Rick Buckler -- The Jam's drummer writes a memoir. It has lots of photos so it is already a winner so far!
You're Saying it Wrong, by Ross Petras -- One of these quick reads involving words and language that I am a sucker for. Hoping it is better than The African Svelte.
Glasgow Underground: The Glasgow District Subway, by Keith Anderson -- I have no idea why the library ordered this, but I will read it! It's about 90 pages and looks to be the sort of guidebook you'd pick up in a transportation museum.
Electrifying the Underground: The Technology That Created London's Tube, by Graeme Gleaves -- Same deal as the Glasgow book. Another seemingly random acquisition that I am happy to request.
The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, by Dava Sobel -- This will continue the trend started by Hidden Figures, about women doing awesome things in traditionally male disciplines.
The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, by Vivek J. Tiwary -- I was wary of this but it seems to have decent reviews, so I'll give it a shot.
A Shocking Assassination, by Cora Harrison -- The Reverend Mother series, #2. Set in Cork City in the 1920s and featuring a Mother Superior who solves crimes. This sounds ridiculous but is just the sort of mystery I like for escapism. Borrowed via Overdrive.
The Twisted Claw, by Franklin W. Dixon -- Hardy Boys, #18. Speaking of escapism, here's another mystery series that is brain candy.
The Professor and the Madman, by Simon Winchester -- Requested after seeing someone on GR add it to their to-read list, which reminded me that it was on mine.
This Is a Book About the Kids in the Hall, by John Semley -- I borrowed this book in print form but ran out of time to read it. Now I've borrowed it as an ebook because apparently it doesn't have pictures. Sigh.
>104 dudes22: Ah, that's what it's used for! I've made vegan brownies before using applesauce -- I wonder if the beets would be performing the same function (providing liquid and sweetness).
>105 mstrust: Yes, she owned that part! And I loved Alex Jennings's Alan Bennett. So adorable.
Not sure I can overcome my initial horror at the thought of mixing chocolate and tomato soup! But yes the beet cake is surprisingly good.
****
Ending the month the way I started: with a DNF.
Death in Dublin, by Bartholomew Gill
Category: Opilio
Source: library
Rating: 1.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/136819159
This book just rubbed me the wrong way. McGarr focused too much on appearances, especially ladies' appearances, and the tabloid journalist was incredibly smart-alecky and annoying. The writing was filled with unnecessary or clunkily integrated details, and I just couldn't care about the main plot, even though it was about the theft of the Book of Kells!
****
January recap
Started off 2017 with 17 books, appropriately enough.
The African Svelte: Orthographic Mistakes and Misspellings That Often Make Sense, by Daniel Menaker (abandoned)
The Expendable Man, by Dorothy B. Hughes
Franklin's Lost Ship: The Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average, by Joseph T. Hallinan
Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (audio, narrated by Dan Starkey)
The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life, by John le Carré (Overdrive)
The Iliad, by Homer (translated by E.V. Rieu) (reread)
Help Me, Jacques Cousteau, by Gil Adamson
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly
Honni soit qui mal y pense: L'incroyable histoire d'amour entre l'anglais et le français, by Henriette Walter
Black River Road: An Unthinkable Crime, an Unlikely Suspect and the Question of Character, by Debra Komar
Blood, Salt, Water, by Denise Mina
Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, by Atul Gawande
The Lady in the Van, by Alan Bennett
By the Way, by Gordon Pinsent
The Wild, by Esther Freud
Death in Dublin, by Bartholomew Gill (abandoned)
My favourite book of the month was The Expendable Man, by Dorothy B. Hughes. It was tremendously suspenseful, and it was packaged in a very nice Persephone Books edition to boot.
My least favourite book of the month was The African Svelte, by Daniel Menaker, which did not start the year off well!
I made solid progress on my library books, with only one from January's list carrying over into February (and that I've marked as "currently reading" as of today). Two of the books were DNF, but that's OK.
My RandomCAT pick (Franklin's Lost Ship) was very good, and yes I may have created the theme specifically so that I could read it ;)
Currently reading
The Sagas of Icelanders, by Jane Smiley -- I think I'm going to bail on this one, but I will write a review for the Go Review That Book! group…eventually.
Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Scott Anderson -- I think I'm up to Chapter 7! There was a readathon on Litsy this month and I took advantage of it to make some more progress on this very dense book.
North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell -- According to Serial Reader, I have only five issues left! I've read 81% of the book, which should not surprise me, but does.
His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle -- my RandomCAT choice for February. It also fills the "published in 1917" square of the BingoDOG.
The Frozen Shroud, by Martin Edwards -- I've renewed this a couple of times, so I'd better get cracking!
February plans
As stated, my February RandomCAT is His Last Bow. It is the last of my Sherlock TV tie-in editions to read. How much do you want to bet that BBC Books WON'T publish The Valley of Fear and The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes in those editions? Heaven forbid I should have a complete set.
I've set aside The Terror, by Dan Simmons, as a book to read on my forthcoming train trip to Montreal. One of my coworkers very thoughtfully loaned it to me, knowing that I like all things nautical and the Franklin Expedition.
And after a January of almost no mysteries, I have three or four lined up on the on-deck pile.
On my library shelves this month:
Brit Noir: The Pocket Essential Guide to British Crime Fiction, Film and TV, by Barry Forshaw -- Hoping to get some book bullets from this one! I'd also accept help winnowing down the to-read list.
That's Entertainment: My Life in The Jam, by Rick Buckler -- The Jam's drummer writes a memoir. It has lots of photos so it is already a winner so far!
You're Saying it Wrong, by Ross Petras -- One of these quick reads involving words and language that I am a sucker for. Hoping it is better than The African Svelte.
Glasgow Underground: The Glasgow District Subway, by Keith Anderson -- I have no idea why the library ordered this, but I will read it! It's about 90 pages and looks to be the sort of guidebook you'd pick up in a transportation museum.
Electrifying the Underground: The Technology That Created London's Tube, by Graeme Gleaves -- Same deal as the Glasgow book. Another seemingly random acquisition that I am happy to request.
The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, by Dava Sobel -- This will continue the trend started by Hidden Figures, about women doing awesome things in traditionally male disciplines.
The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, by Vivek J. Tiwary -- I was wary of this but it seems to have decent reviews, so I'll give it a shot.
A Shocking Assassination, by Cora Harrison -- The Reverend Mother series, #2. Set in Cork City in the 1920s and featuring a Mother Superior who solves crimes. This sounds ridiculous but is just the sort of mystery I like for escapism. Borrowed via Overdrive.
The Twisted Claw, by Franklin W. Dixon -- Hardy Boys, #18. Speaking of escapism, here's another mystery series that is brain candy.
The Professor and the Madman, by Simon Winchester -- Requested after seeing someone on GR add it to their to-read list, which reminded me that it was on mine.
This Is a Book About the Kids in the Hall, by John Semley -- I borrowed this book in print form but ran out of time to read it. Now I've borrowed it as an ebook because apparently it doesn't have pictures. Sigh.
107Jackie_K
Sorry you ended the month with a clunker. I hate when that happens! That it was about the Book of Kells made me look up though - I don't know if you've seen the film 'The Secret of Kells', it's an Irish animated movie about the completion of the book which I think was Oscar-nominated a few years ago. It's really beautiful (and is the source of inspiration for my daughter's name).
108rabbitprincess
>107 Jackie_K: I heard of that movie and I think it's in my Netflix queue. Will have to watch it soon! Thanks for the reminder! And that is very cool that it inspired your daughter's name :)
109paruline
>102 rabbitprincess: It's been a while since I went to The Table and now I have a craving for some delicious vegetarian food!
110rabbitprincess
>109 paruline: Ooh, maybe we should have our next Summit there! Not much in the way of bookstores though.
111mstrust
>106 rabbitprincess: A book about "The Kids in the Hall"?!
112mathgirl40
That was a good January of reading for you! I also finished 17 books for January, but the connection to the year didn't occur to me until I saw your comment. :)
I hope you enjoy The Professor and the Madman. I liked it very much, and I have Winchester's other book about the OED, The Meaning of Everything, waiting on my shelves.
I hope you enjoy The Professor and the Madman. I liked it very much, and I have Winchester's other book about the OED, The Meaning of Everything, waiting on my shelves.
113VictoriaPL
>112 mathgirl40: I am amazed at you both! I didn't finish nearly that many.
114mathgirl40
>113 VictoriaPL: My January reading list included several very short books, so I think rabbitprincess's achievement is much more impressive.
115VioletBramble
17 Books! Impressive.
Enjoy The Terror. It's a great commuting book. It took me three tries to finally finish it. I was trying to read it at bedtime -- mainly because I owned the hard cover book- but it was scaring me and messing with my sleep. I made it my commuting book for the Polar Regions GeoCAT and that worked out much better.
Enjoy The Terror. It's a great commuting book. It took me three tries to finally finish it. I was trying to read it at bedtime -- mainly because I owned the hard cover book- but it was scaring me and messing with my sleep. I made it my commuting book for the Polar Regions GeoCAT and that worked out much better.
116rabbitprincess
>111 mstrust: Yes! It just came out last year, published by ECW Press. I'm looking forward to reading it, and really need to get back to watching the show -- I watched all of Season 1 and have a crush on 1989 Mark McKinney :)
>112 mathgirl40: Ooh, he has a second book about the OED! That is good to know.
>113 VictoriaPL: >114 mathgirl40: Well, two of mine were abandoned, so I'm not sure how much those actually count ;) And a couple I'd had on the go for a while, such as the Henriette Walter book, so it was just coincidence that I finished them at the same time.
>115 VioletBramble: That sounds like a good strategy for dealing with scary books! There was a book I did that with, maybe one of David Peace's Red Riding books. Not having to spend more than 20 minutes with it at a time was very helpful.
>112 mathgirl40: Ooh, he has a second book about the OED! That is good to know.
>113 VictoriaPL: >114 mathgirl40: Well, two of mine were abandoned, so I'm not sure how much those actually count ;) And a couple I'd had on the go for a while, such as the Henriette Walter book, so it was just coincidence that I finished them at the same time.
>115 VioletBramble: That sounds like a good strategy for dealing with scary books! There was a book I did that with, maybe one of David Peace's Red Riding books. Not having to spend more than 20 minutes with it at a time was very helpful.
117leslie.98
>115 VioletBramble: Oh, that is a good idea - I have trouble with scary books and so have been avoiding them but I might try one using that strategy.
119mstrust
>116 rabbitprincess: Thanks for the info. I'll see if I can get it. I loved Mark McKinney's Chicken Lady! Oh, and "I'm crushing your head".
120rabbitprincess
>117 leslie.98: Hope the strategy works!
>119 mstrust: Yes! I also love Mark as a cat with an all-cat jazz band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9sSpfRkXQI
****
A quick review before I head out snowshoeing!
His Last Bow, by Sherlock Holmes
Categories: Martha L. Black, Tracy (February RandomCAT)
Source: Book Depository
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/105105811
I thought I'd read this and was struck with consternation to discover that I hadn't. It was a perfect fit for the RandomCAT and the "published in 1917" square of the BingoDOG. Good fun.
>119 mstrust: Yes! I also love Mark as a cat with an all-cat jazz band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9sSpfRkXQI
****
A quick review before I head out snowshoeing!
His Last Bow, by Sherlock Holmes
Categories: Martha L. Black, Tracy (February RandomCAT)
Source: Book Depository
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/105105811
I thought I'd read this and was struck with consternation to discover that I hadn't. It was a perfect fit for the RandomCAT and the "published in 1917" square of the BingoDOG. Good fun.
121mstrust
Ha! I remember Jazz Cats and it's a great one. Here's probably my very favorite sketch and it still makes me laugh. I'm glad to see McKinney back on tv now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM5_dgKDsrc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM5_dgKDsrc
123lkernagh
>106 rabbitprincess: - Great recap and run through of your February plans!
The mention of chocolate beet cake also caught my eye. I have started to scroll through Pinterest before going to bed at night and came across a pin for gluten-free chocolate brownies made with avocado. Even the frosting is made with avocado... I am kind of tempted to try the recipe out. ;-)
The mention of chocolate beet cake also caught my eye. I have started to scroll through Pinterest before going to bed at night and came across a pin for gluten-free chocolate brownies made with avocado. Even the frosting is made with avocado... I am kind of tempted to try the recipe out. ;-)
124rabbitprincess
>121 mstrust: Yes, it's great that he is back on TV!
I was glad to see the Kids when they came to town a few years ago. Didn't get my head crushed, and didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved.
>122 -Eva-: Thanks, Eva!
>123 lkernagh: Avocado, eh? Interesting! I would just as soon eat the avocado in guacamole though ;)
****
A quick review of a book that I'm not planning to count in my challenge (but I am counting in total books read for the year): Brit Noir, by Barry Forshaw. Review is here: https://www.librarything.com/review/137975533
Short version is that I did find a few ideas, but the writing style didn't work for me personally. 3/5.
I was glad to see the Kids when they came to town a few years ago. Didn't get my head crushed, and didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved.
>122 -Eva-: Thanks, Eva!
>123 lkernagh: Avocado, eh? Interesting! I would just as soon eat the avocado in guacamole though ;)
****
A quick review of a book that I'm not planning to count in my challenge (but I am counting in total books read for the year): Brit Noir, by Barry Forshaw. Review is here: https://www.librarything.com/review/137975533
Short version is that I did find a few ideas, but the writing style didn't work for me personally. 3/5.
125rabbitprincess
It's been a busy week chez RP. On Wednesday I went to Montreal to see my favourite band, Blue Rodeo. Also met up with some old work colleagues, and had dinner with friends before the show. The food was good, the show was fantastic. Really good blend of old and new material, and the guys looked like they were having fun. Stayed overnight and returned Thursday morning, then foolishly went to the office for the afternoon. I've been able to do that before, but I think next time I'll just take the whole day off after the show. I never sleep well after the show, what with the adrenaline high from the show and the unfamiliar hotel building noises that prevent me from falling asleep (that and the heating turning on and off to maintain the set temperature). It's also been busy at work and I've found it hard to settle on reading. Hoping things will improve later in the month, as I have a lot of interesting things to read.
Oh yes and when I was in Montreal I bought a book: Du bon usage des étoiles, by Dominique Fortier. It has a gorgeous cover and fits in thematically with all of my Franklin reading. I might have to actually read it this year!
Now for some reviews that I've finally been able to pull together.
The Outlander, by Gil Adamson
Categories: Eckaloo, Captain Goddard M.S.M.
Source: bought with a gift card
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/work/3401050/reviews/70444138
This was a reread for Canada's 150th. Still a very good book.
North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell
Category: Geliget
Source: Serial Reader
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/136086998
Thank goodness for Serial Reader. I might not otherwise have finished it. I liked the industrial millworking parts a bit more than the romance part, which was eyeroll-inducing. Just tell him what actually happened! Gah!
You're Saying it Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words--and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse, by Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras
Category: Penac (it's a short book)
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138080304
I guarantee you will find at least one word in this book that you've mispronounced at some point in your life. (I've been pronouncing Ranulph Fiennes wrong for years -- Ralph Fiennes I'd figured out, but not Sir Ranulph.) The explanations for each word are concise and amusing without trying too hard to be funny. And best of all, each entry stands on its own and is NOT concluded with tortured segues to the next entry (looking at you, African Svelte...). The book itself is cute and compact, too. Recommended.
Oh yes and when I was in Montreal I bought a book: Du bon usage des étoiles, by Dominique Fortier. It has a gorgeous cover and fits in thematically with all of my Franklin reading. I might have to actually read it this year!
Now for some reviews that I've finally been able to pull together.
The Outlander, by Gil Adamson
Categories: Eckaloo, Captain Goddard M.S.M.
Source: bought with a gift card
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/work/3401050/reviews/70444138
This was a reread for Canada's 150th. Still a very good book.
North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell
Category: Geliget
Source: Serial Reader
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/136086998
Thank goodness for Serial Reader. I might not otherwise have finished it. I liked the industrial millworking parts a bit more than the romance part, which was eyeroll-inducing. Just tell him what actually happened! Gah!
You're Saying it Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words--and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse, by Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras
Category: Penac (it's a short book)
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138080304
I guarantee you will find at least one word in this book that you've mispronounced at some point in your life. (I've been pronouncing Ranulph Fiennes wrong for years -- Ralph Fiennes I'd figured out, but not Sir Ranulph.) The explanations for each word are concise and amusing without trying too hard to be funny. And best of all, each entry stands on its own and is NOT concluded with tortured segues to the next entry (looking at you, African Svelte...). The book itself is cute and compact, too. Recommended.
126dudes22
I always have trouble sleeping the first night or two when we're away.
re: pronunciation - one time I was reading something to my husband and I mis-pronounced tendrils as trendils. It's now become a running joke that almost every book I read has the word tendrils in it somewhere and, when I come across it, I always shout out "Trendils, I have trendils".
re: pronunciation - one time I was reading something to my husband and I mis-pronounced tendrils as trendils. It's now become a running joke that almost every book I read has the word tendrils in it somewhere and, when I come across it, I always shout out "Trendils, I have trendils".
127Jackie_K
>126 dudes22: I love the trendils story! That's hilarious!
Having a 3 year old we have had quite a few pronunciation giggles. In the early days of her learning to speak and growing her vocabulary she was inadvertently quite sweary (for example, she couldn't get the 'w' sound for ages so used a 'f/v' sound instead. So when she was talking about walking or working it sounded a lot more Anglo-Saxon than it should have done! There's also a character in one of our children's TV programmes called Makka Pakka, who was 'Bugger Bugger' for ages). We've also had some cute ones - my favourite is "dackle" (which was how she pronounced "crocodile" for ages - now it's "crotodile" which is still cute, but I still miss dackle).
>125 rabbitprincess: I'm trying to work out how you mispronounced Ranulph Fiennes?
Having a 3 year old we have had quite a few pronunciation giggles. In the early days of her learning to speak and growing her vocabulary she was inadvertently quite sweary (for example, she couldn't get the 'w' sound for ages so used a 'f/v' sound instead. So when she was talking about walking or working it sounded a lot more Anglo-Saxon than it should have done! There's also a character in one of our children's TV programmes called Makka Pakka, who was 'Bugger Bugger' for ages). We've also had some cute ones - my favourite is "dackle" (which was how she pronounced "crocodile" for ages - now it's "crotodile" which is still cute, but I still miss dackle).
>125 rabbitprincess: I'm trying to work out how you mispronounced Ranulph Fiennes?
128rabbitprincess
>126 dudes22: In my entire life I've really only lived on my own (with nobody else in the house) for a year. When I travel by myself I find it hard to fall asleep. Two nights is about my limit.
>127 Jackie_K: Haha yes I love when kids learn to talk! Re Ranulph, the book claimed that in Britain "Ranulph" is pronounced the way "Ralph" is written (and "Ralph" is pronounced "Rafe"). I had been pronouncing all the letters.
>127 Jackie_K: Haha yes I love when kids learn to talk! Re Ranulph, the book claimed that in Britain "Ranulph" is pronounced the way "Ralph" is written (and "Ralph" is pronounced "Rafe"). I had been pronouncing all the letters.
129Jackie_K
>128 rabbitprincess: That's weird. I have only ever heard it pronounced as it is written! 'Ralph' is also pronounced as it is written, unless you are Ralph Fiennes (and therefore posh).
130rabbitprincess
>129 Jackie_K: OK, I am prepared to take that one with a grain of salt then! ;) There was also a section on UK place names, which seemed more correct because I'd heard them elsewhere (e.g. Mousehole, Leicester).
131Jackie_K
>130 rabbitprincess: Oh yes, place names are a law unto themselves! I do feel for both non-native speakers and non-locals! I think they do it deliberately, in order to identify people who aren't local!
132casvelyn
>125 rabbitprincess: I read North and South last month. The romance was a bit ridiculous. Apparently I have no pride, because I'm always the one shouting at the heroine to just tell the dude the truth and be done with it.
My best friend got me You're Saying It Wrong for Christmas, but I haven't read it yet.
My best friend got me You're Saying It Wrong for Christmas, but I haven't read it yet.
133DeltaQueen50
You're Saying It Wrong sounds like an interesting book and since I have a suspicion that I have a few words that I totally mispronounce continuously, I am adding it to the wishlist.
134VivienneR
>126 dudes22: What a great week you've had! Blue Rodeo is one of my favourite bands too.
I loved On the proper use of stars (Du bon usage des étoiles) that was one of my ER wins.
On mispronunciation: even though I'm old enough to be a grandmother, I still call them suggestive biscuits.
I loved On the proper use of stars (Du bon usage des étoiles) that was one of my ER wins.
On mispronunciation: even though I'm old enough to be a grandmother, I still call them suggestive biscuits.
135dudes22
>134 VivienneR: - Vivienne - I think you meant post #125. RP is the Blue Rodeo fan. I've never even heard of them.
ETA - I was also surprised to hear I had a busy week. ;)
ETA - I was also surprised to hear I had a busy week. ;)
136rabbitprincess
>131 Jackie_K: I would not be surprised to learn that that is the reason for those pronunciations!
>132 casvelyn: I also found it ridiculous that the dad made them all up sticks because he had a crisis of conscience. Or if he had to up sticks, couldn't he have moved them all somewhere by the sea, like Cornwall?
>132 casvelyn: and >133 DeltaQueen50: I hope you like You're Saying it Wrong when you get to it! It is a nicely presented book, too.
>134 VivienneR: Yay another BR fan! They're coming to Ottawa this weekend and I'm going to both shows. They're playing the National Arts Centre rather than the hockey arena, so it will actually be a good show!
Really looking forward to Du bon usage des étoiles! It will be tempting to read it sooner rather than later, because I am currently reading The Terror.
Haha! We don't have a lot of mispronunciations in our family. My mum does, however, come up with turns of phrase that we then proceed to gleefully misinterpret (e.g., saying that once our plane lands and we retrieve our luggage at the airport, we have to pick up our rental car and "get loaded"), and I am very good at mishearing people because my brain likes to play tricks on me.
>135 dudes22: Hee! :)
****
There's actual empty space on my borrowed-books shelf! I credit this to an iron will of not browsing the stacks at the library and only picking up my holds, and actually reading said holds in a timely manner (or being really good at strategic renewing). I was seriously tempted to borrow more books on Monday just to fill up the shelf, but I've resisted so far.
The library is where I got these three books:
The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, by Vivek J. Tiwary
Category: Penac (graphic novel)
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138225318
Pretty good, but probably better if you're at least a little bit familiar with the major players in the Beatles' story.
The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, by Dava Sobel
Category: Viola M. Davidson, Tracy (CATWoman June - Professional women)
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138181430
Very good for those who like to read about awesome women.
A Shocking Assassination, by Cora Harrison
Category: Opilio
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 1.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138312722
This is the second Ireland-set mystery I've abandoned in the space of a month. Hoping Tana French will be better!
>132 casvelyn: I also found it ridiculous that the dad made them all up sticks because he had a crisis of conscience. Or if he had to up sticks, couldn't he have moved them all somewhere by the sea, like Cornwall?
>132 casvelyn: and >133 DeltaQueen50: I hope you like You're Saying it Wrong when you get to it! It is a nicely presented book, too.
>134 VivienneR: Yay another BR fan! They're coming to Ottawa this weekend and I'm going to both shows. They're playing the National Arts Centre rather than the hockey arena, so it will actually be a good show!
Really looking forward to Du bon usage des étoiles! It will be tempting to read it sooner rather than later, because I am currently reading The Terror.
Haha! We don't have a lot of mispronunciations in our family. My mum does, however, come up with turns of phrase that we then proceed to gleefully misinterpret (e.g., saying that once our plane lands and we retrieve our luggage at the airport, we have to pick up our rental car and "get loaded"), and I am very good at mishearing people because my brain likes to play tricks on me.
>135 dudes22: Hee! :)
****
There's actual empty space on my borrowed-books shelf! I credit this to an iron will of not browsing the stacks at the library and only picking up my holds, and actually reading said holds in a timely manner (or being really good at strategic renewing). I was seriously tempted to borrow more books on Monday just to fill up the shelf, but I've resisted so far.
The library is where I got these three books:
The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, by Vivek J. Tiwary
Category: Penac (graphic novel)
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138225318
Pretty good, but probably better if you're at least a little bit familiar with the major players in the Beatles' story.
The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, by Dava Sobel
Category: Viola M. Davidson, Tracy (CATWoman June - Professional women)
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138181430
Very good for those who like to read about awesome women.
A Shocking Assassination, by Cora Harrison
Category: Opilio
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 1.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138312722
This is the second Ireland-set mystery I've abandoned in the space of a month. Hoping Tana French will be better!
138rabbitprincess
>137 mstrust: I've been concertgoing with a vengeance ever since I moved to Ottawa (over 12 years ago, soon to be 13!). My motto is "Life's too short. Buy the concert tickets."
****
It's the weekend! Yay! To celebrate, here's a review of my latest bus book.
Gideon's Week, by J.J. Marric
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: Friends of Library and Archives Canada book sale
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/89848389
This was my bonus pick for the February RandomCAT, given that it has a possessive in the title. This is the second book in the Gideon series and of the same calibre as the first. It's also the first of what I expect will be a long string of mysteries and thrillers. After January, in which I did not read very many mysteries, I seem to be reading them with a vengeance.
****
It's the weekend! Yay! To celebrate, here's a review of my latest bus book.
Gideon's Week, by J.J. Marric
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: Friends of Library and Archives Canada book sale
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/89848389
This was my bonus pick for the February RandomCAT, given that it has a possessive in the title. This is the second book in the Gideon series and of the same calibre as the first. It's also the first of what I expect will be a long string of mysteries and thrillers. After January, in which I did not read very many mysteries, I seem to be reading them with a vengeance.
139VivienneR
>135 dudes22: I must remember to think before typing :)) Although, I have to add that the third paragraph was related to your >126 dudes22: post.
>136 rabbitprincess: I just bought BR's 2016 album 1000 Arms. Haven't decided yet on favourite tracks.
>136 rabbitprincess: I just bought BR's 2016 album 1000 Arms. Haven't decided yet on favourite tracks.
140rabbitprincess
>139 VivienneR: I'm listening to that album right now! Last-minute cramming before the show ;) I think my favourite Greg song is "Mascara Tears" and my favourite Jim song is "Superstar". Second-place finishers are "The Flame" (Greg) and "1000 Arms" (Jim). Hoping Greg will play some of his new material tonight. He didn't play any of his songs off the new album in Montreal. He did treat us to some lovely older tracks, though, including "Western Skies", so that was OK :)
141rabbitprincess
First Blue Rodeo show at the NAC was excellent! Basically the same set as the Montreal show, but one of Greg's songs was changed (in Montreal he sang "Is It You", last night he sang "Dark Angel"). Chatted with the opening act, The Sadies, at intermission, and also met up with several friends who'd made the pilgrimage for the show. Didn't get home until just around midnight and had only about seven hours of sleep last night. And I'm doing this again tonight! Definitely going to have to make sure all my work gear for tomorrow is ready before I leave for the show.
Before I went to the show yesterday I finished two books, and have reviewed them here:
This is a Book About the Kids in the Hall, by John Semley
Categories: Captain Goddard M.S.M., Neocaligus (filed under the September CultureCAT, "Journalism and the arts")
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138414577
Pretty good, although there aren't any photos. Boo!
Also, reading this may make you want to listen to the glorious strains of Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, and that would be a wise decision. They have an official YouTube channel well worth perusing: http://www.youtube.com/user/shadowymenonashadowy
The Twisted Claw, by Franklin W. Dixon
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138312850
One of the original Hardy Boys mysteries and therefore better written than some of the later installments. Delightfully bonkers.
Before I went to the show yesterday I finished two books, and have reviewed them here:
This is a Book About the Kids in the Hall, by John Semley
Categories: Captain Goddard M.S.M., Neocaligus (filed under the September CultureCAT, "Journalism and the arts")
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138414577
Pretty good, although there aren't any photos. Boo!
Also, reading this may make you want to listen to the glorious strains of Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, and that would be a wise decision. They have an official YouTube channel well worth perusing: http://www.youtube.com/user/shadowymenonashadowy
The Twisted Claw, by Franklin W. Dixon
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138312850
One of the original Hardy Boys mysteries and therefore better written than some of the later installments. Delightfully bonkers.
142mstrust
Thumbs up for your Kids in the Hall review! But how can there be no pictures?! I'm seeing this more often in books, that there isn't even a single picture for subjects you'd think would have lots of pics. Maybe photographers aren't willing to strike a deal.
143rabbitprincess
>142 mstrust: Or maybe adding any amount of photos makes the whole print run a bajillion times more expensive.
****
Decided to kill time at Chapters before tonight's show. Ended up buying all of Sharon Kay Penman's Welsh Princes trilogy: Here Be Dragons, Falls the Shadow, and The Reckoning. Oops!
****
Decided to kill time at Chapters before tonight's show. Ended up buying all of Sharon Kay Penman's Welsh Princes trilogy: Here Be Dragons, Falls the Shadow, and The Reckoning. Oops!
144christina_reads
>143 rabbitprincess: An excellent purchase!
145rabbitprincess
>144 christina_reads: The library didn't have Here Be Dragons, and both my mum and I want to read it, so I decided it was worth the investment ;)
146rabbitprincess
It is my Thingaversary today! Six years and counting. I'll be counting the following four books as part of my Thingaversary haul:
Du bon usage des étoiles, by Dominique Fortier
Here Be Dragons, by Sharon Kay Penman (Welsh Princes #1)
Falls the Shadow, by Sharon Kay Penman (Welsh Princes #2)
The Reckoning, by Sharon Kay Penman (Welsh Princes #3)
What I especially like about the Penman books is that my mum and I will be sharing them, so I will arrange for them to live at my parents' place, where they have a lot more room for books.
The rest of my Thingaversary haul (three more books) is TBD.
Du bon usage des étoiles, by Dominique Fortier
Here Be Dragons, by Sharon Kay Penman (Welsh Princes #1)
Falls the Shadow, by Sharon Kay Penman (Welsh Princes #2)
The Reckoning, by Sharon Kay Penman (Welsh Princes #3)
What I especially like about the Penman books is that my mum and I will be sharing them, so I will arrange for them to live at my parents' place, where they have a lot more room for books.
The rest of my Thingaversary haul (three more books) is TBD.
148Tanya-dogearedcopy
Happy Thingaversary!
149MissWatson
Happy thingaversary! Looking forward to your comments on the Penman books.
151VictoriaPL
Hope you had a wonderful Thingaversary!!
154DeltaQueen50
Happy Thingaversary, RP!
155-Eva-
I've been wanting to get through North and South as well - I should try Serial Reader!!
Happy Thingaversary!
Happy Thingaversary!
157rabbitprincess
>147 mstrust: Thanks! The cake is very pretty! I love the tiara and polkadots!
>148 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Thanks! Six years already!
>149 MissWatson: Thanks! I'm looking forward to reading them!
>150 Roro8: Thanks! Yes, it has been quite the variety. Need to stick some plays in there though. That's about the only subcategory I haven't tapped much yet (and my historical fiction is looking a bit thin too).
>151 VictoriaPL: I did, Victoria! Thanks!
>152 AHS-Wolfy: Thanks, Wolfy! Thought you might like to know that I am reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth and enjoying it very much. :)
>153 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie!
>154 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy!
>155 -Eva-: Thanks! Serial Reader is really quite handy for breaking down those big novels. I might try it for Mansfield Park, despite owning a paper copy!
>156 dudes22: Thanks, Betty!
****
Law of Public Transportation: If you normally take the bus downtown and there is one day on which you actually have to connect with another bus at a certain time, the bus you normally take downtown will be late, causing you to miss the connection.
Corollary: If you somehow manage to find an alternate bus that will take you downtown, you will come very, very close to making the connection but will miss it by one traffic light cycle.
****
On a positive note, this is my book of the month for February.
The Secret Place, by Tana French
Categories: Martha L. Black, Tracy (March CATWoman and March RandomCAT)
Source: Book Depository
Rating: 5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/126251063
This book does such a fantastic job of portraying teenage girls and friendships and the challenges of growing up that I'm tempted to give it to my friends who have daughters, even if my friends don't read mysteries. In the teenage vernacular, this book gave me all the feels.
>148 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Thanks! Six years already!
>149 MissWatson: Thanks! I'm looking forward to reading them!
>150 Roro8: Thanks! Yes, it has been quite the variety. Need to stick some plays in there though. That's about the only subcategory I haven't tapped much yet (and my historical fiction is looking a bit thin too).
>151 VictoriaPL: I did, Victoria! Thanks!
>152 AHS-Wolfy: Thanks, Wolfy! Thought you might like to know that I am reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth and enjoying it very much. :)
>153 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie!
>154 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy!
>155 -Eva-: Thanks! Serial Reader is really quite handy for breaking down those big novels. I might try it for Mansfield Park, despite owning a paper copy!
>156 dudes22: Thanks, Betty!
****
Law of Public Transportation: If you normally take the bus downtown and there is one day on which you actually have to connect with another bus at a certain time, the bus you normally take downtown will be late, causing you to miss the connection.
Corollary: If you somehow manage to find an alternate bus that will take you downtown, you will come very, very close to making the connection but will miss it by one traffic light cycle.
****
On a positive note, this is my book of the month for February.
The Secret Place, by Tana French
Categories: Martha L. Black, Tracy (March CATWoman and March RandomCAT)
Source: Book Depository
Rating: 5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/126251063
This book does such a fantastic job of portraying teenage girls and friendships and the challenges of growing up that I'm tempted to give it to my friends who have daughters, even if my friends don't read mysteries. In the teenage vernacular, this book gave me all the feels.
158AHS-Wolfy
>157 rabbitprincess: Glad you're enjoying it. I still have to get around to picking up the sixth and lsat (at least so far) in the series though I didn't like the fifth quite so much as some of the others.
159RidgewayGirl
Happy Thingaversary! I forgot about mine this year, but I still have managed to acquire books, so it's fine. My we all still be here and reading six years from now.
160-Eva-
>157 rabbitprincess:
Already on the third installment of Journey to the Center of the Earth. I really want to tackle one of the big ones, but I figured I should make my trial run easy. :) Thanks for making me aware of the app!
Already on the third installment of Journey to the Center of the Earth. I really want to tackle one of the big ones, but I figured I should make my trial run easy. :) Thanks for making me aware of the app!
161lkernagh
Happy Thingaversary and I agree with your Law of Public Transportation. Happens all the time to me. ;-)
162luvamystery65
Howdy RP! I am queuing up The Secret Place for RandomCAT next month.
163rabbitprincess
>158 AHS-Wolfy: Duly noted. This book is the only volume in the series that my library has, so any others will probably have to be interlibrary loaned or purchased from somewhere. It will be a good series to search for on my next UK trip.
>159 RidgewayGirl: Thanks! I am glad to hear you're still managing to acquire books. Here's to many more years of reading and acquiring books faster than we can read them!
>160 -Eva-: You're welcome! Good idea to try a shorter book out first. I find the short stories (e.g. Sherlock Holmes) are a bit TOO short on Serial Reader, but Journey to the Centre of the Earth would be a good length.
>161 lkernagh: Thanks! It is encouraging to know that I'm not alone in observing this law in action! Naturally, today the law was not in effect because I did not need to make a bus connection at a specific time. Sigh.
>162 luvamystery65: Yay! I hope you like it.
****
A cold, rainy evening has been perfect weather for curling up with a blanket, a big mug of tea, and The Terror. It's getting properly creepy now, with more sightings of the thing on the ice. It sounds like a cross between the Abominable Snowman and the Balrog from Lord of the Rings. Now how much longer do I read before risking nightmares?
>159 RidgewayGirl: Thanks! I am glad to hear you're still managing to acquire books. Here's to many more years of reading and acquiring books faster than we can read them!
>160 -Eva-: You're welcome! Good idea to try a shorter book out first. I find the short stories (e.g. Sherlock Holmes) are a bit TOO short on Serial Reader, but Journey to the Centre of the Earth would be a good length.
>161 lkernagh: Thanks! It is encouraging to know that I'm not alone in observing this law in action! Naturally, today the law was not in effect because I did not need to make a bus connection at a specific time. Sigh.
>162 luvamystery65: Yay! I hope you like it.
****
A cold, rainy evening has been perfect weather for curling up with a blanket, a big mug of tea, and The Terror. It's getting properly creepy now, with more sightings of the thing on the ice. It sounds like a cross between the Abominable Snowman and the Balrog from Lord of the Rings. Now how much longer do I read before risking nightmares?
164rabbitprincess
Decided to call this book finished.
That's Entertainment: My Life in The Jam, by Rick Buckler
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/137512708
The writing is more of a 2 to 2.5. What makes it a 3 is the multiple sections of photos, the sections that talk about the music (interesting), and charitableness.
That's Entertainment: My Life in The Jam, by Rick Buckler
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/137512708
The writing is more of a 2 to 2.5. What makes it a 3 is the multiple sections of photos, the sections that talk about the music (interesting), and charitableness.
165VioletBramble
>163 rabbitprincess: See? That's why I switched The Terror to my commuting book only. Could not read it at home at all.
166rabbitprincess
>165 VioletBramble: I've been reading it earlier in the day on weekends. I did take it on the bus for a couple of days but it was killing my shoulder.
****
One last review for February, and then the monthly recap (because holy cow, we're 1/6 of the way through 2017).
Find a Victim, by Ross Macdonald
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: gift
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/92563901
One particularly notable thing about this book is Archer mentioning his WW2 service: at one point a death scene makes him think of Okinawa. The atmosphere was good, very noir, but the story itself wasn't my favourite Archer. More for established Archer readers than for newbies.
****
One last review for February, and then the monthly recap (because holy cow, we're 1/6 of the way through 2017).
Find a Victim, by Ross Macdonald
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: gift
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/92563901
One particularly notable thing about this book is Archer mentioning his WW2 service: at one point a death scene makes him think of Okinawa. The atmosphere was good, very noir, but the story itself wasn't my favourite Archer. More for established Archer readers than for newbies.
167rabbitprincess
February recap
With a lot of concerts and other social activities this month, I favoured shorter books (or it felt like I did), and read 14 books in total:
His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Brit Noir: The Pocket Essential Guide to British Crime Fiction, Film & TV, by Barry Forshaw
The Outlander, by Gil Adamson (reread)
North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell (Serial Reader)
You're Saying it Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words--and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse, by Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras
The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, by Vivek J. Tiwary
The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, by Dava Sobel
A Shocking Assassination, by Cora Harrison (abandoned)
Gideon's Week, by J.J. Marric
The Twisted Claw, by Franklin W. Dixon
This is a Book About the Kids in the Hall, by John Semley
The Secret Place, by Tana French
That's Entertainment: My Life in The Jam, by Rick Buckler
Find a Victim, by Ross Macdonald
My favourite book of the month was The Secret Place, by Tana French. It was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. It also made me profoundly grateful not to be a teenager anymore. It was also my RandomCAT for March... read early!
My least favourite book of the month was A Shocking Assassination, by Cora Harrison. Repetitive and dull. Oh well, one less series to follow.
Of the books I had on my library stack, one was returned unread, and another couple I had to strategically renew.
I enjoyed my February RandomCAT pick and am still working on The Terror. It's a bit heavy for me to carry around, so I've been reading it on weekends.
Currently reading
Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Scott Anderson -- I've been chipping away at it a chapter at a time. It's very dense with facts, so it has been proving a useful bedtime book. I'll read another chapter after posting this update.
The Terror, by Dan Simmons -- This is very good! Lots of suspense and only tantalizing glimpses of the thing on the ice. Some eyeroll-inducing naughty bits, but I roll my eyes at pretty much anything even remotely naughty.
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman -- Reading the audio narrated by Neil Himself. My iPhone isn't remembering where I left off, though, so I might have to read in more sustained sessions than I am currently (about 15 minutes while doing the dishes). Very good narration though.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth, by Malcolm Pryce -- The first of my "trip reading" -- Wales and Oxford are our destination this year, so naturally I have to read mysteries set in these locales. I'm enjoying this one.
Glasgow Underground: The Glasgow District Subway, by Keith Anderson -- Interesting, especially because I've travelled on the Glasgow subway.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, by John le Carré -- A reread in memory of Sir John Hurt, who plays Control in the Gary Oldman version.
Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes -- Reading this on Serial Reader because one of the characters in The Terror quoted from it. Would definitely not make it through an actual book of it.
March plans
I read my RandomCAT early, whoops! This month my plan is to get cracking on some more of the books in my pool. Three are on deck at the moment, which is manageable. I should also think about putting a play on the pile.
On my library shelves this month:
The Gift of the Gab: How Eloquence Works, by David Crystal -- I've put pretty much all of Crystal's books on the to-read list. This is his latest, or one of his latest at any rate.
Talking to the Dead, by Harry Bingham -- Fiona Griffiths #1, another "read Wales" mystery.
Electrifying the Underground, by Graeme Gleaves -- A book I had to return and re-request. Heh heh heh.
Through the Language Glass, by Guy Deutscher -- Borrowed because the March CultureCAT talked about cultural awareness, and this book talks about the question of whether our culture shapes how we view the world (and other cultures, possibly).
Out of Bounds, by Val McDermid -- I haven't read much McDermid lately but am always willing to give her non--Tony Hill books a chance (those ones are much too creepy for me).
Les bateaux-phares du Saint-Laurent en aval de Québec 1830-1963, by Jean Cloutier -- This fits my theme SO WELL. Not sure how much I'll get through, because it's a big book and in French, but I'll give it a go.
With a lot of concerts and other social activities this month, I favoured shorter books (or it felt like I did), and read 14 books in total:
His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Brit Noir: The Pocket Essential Guide to British Crime Fiction, Film & TV, by Barry Forshaw
The Outlander, by Gil Adamson (reread)
North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell (Serial Reader)
You're Saying it Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words--and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse, by Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras
The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, by Vivek J. Tiwary
The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, by Dava Sobel
A Shocking Assassination, by Cora Harrison (abandoned)
Gideon's Week, by J.J. Marric
The Twisted Claw, by Franklin W. Dixon
This is a Book About the Kids in the Hall, by John Semley
The Secret Place, by Tana French
That's Entertainment: My Life in The Jam, by Rick Buckler
Find a Victim, by Ross Macdonald
My favourite book of the month was The Secret Place, by Tana French. It was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. It also made me profoundly grateful not to be a teenager anymore. It was also my RandomCAT for March... read early!
My least favourite book of the month was A Shocking Assassination, by Cora Harrison. Repetitive and dull. Oh well, one less series to follow.
Of the books I had on my library stack, one was returned unread, and another couple I had to strategically renew.
I enjoyed my February RandomCAT pick and am still working on The Terror. It's a bit heavy for me to carry around, so I've been reading it on weekends.
Currently reading
Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Scott Anderson -- I've been chipping away at it a chapter at a time. It's very dense with facts, so it has been proving a useful bedtime book. I'll read another chapter after posting this update.
The Terror, by Dan Simmons -- This is very good! Lots of suspense and only tantalizing glimpses of the thing on the ice. Some eyeroll-inducing naughty bits, but I roll my eyes at pretty much anything even remotely naughty.
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman -- Reading the audio narrated by Neil Himself. My iPhone isn't remembering where I left off, though, so I might have to read in more sustained sessions than I am currently (about 15 minutes while doing the dishes). Very good narration though.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth, by Malcolm Pryce -- The first of my "trip reading" -- Wales and Oxford are our destination this year, so naturally I have to read mysteries set in these locales. I'm enjoying this one.
Glasgow Underground: The Glasgow District Subway, by Keith Anderson -- Interesting, especially because I've travelled on the Glasgow subway.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, by John le Carré -- A reread in memory of Sir John Hurt, who plays Control in the Gary Oldman version.
Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes -- Reading this on Serial Reader because one of the characters in The Terror quoted from it. Would definitely not make it through an actual book of it.
March plans
I read my RandomCAT early, whoops! This month my plan is to get cracking on some more of the books in my pool. Three are on deck at the moment, which is manageable. I should also think about putting a play on the pile.
On my library shelves this month:
The Gift of the Gab: How Eloquence Works, by David Crystal -- I've put pretty much all of Crystal's books on the to-read list. This is his latest, or one of his latest at any rate.
Talking to the Dead, by Harry Bingham -- Fiona Griffiths #1, another "read Wales" mystery.
Electrifying the Underground, by Graeme Gleaves -- A book I had to return and re-request. Heh heh heh.
Through the Language Glass, by Guy Deutscher -- Borrowed because the March CultureCAT talked about cultural awareness, and this book talks about the question of whether our culture shapes how we view the world (and other cultures, possibly).
Out of Bounds, by Val McDermid -- I haven't read much McDermid lately but am always willing to give her non--Tony Hill books a chance (those ones are much too creepy for me).
Les bateaux-phares du Saint-Laurent en aval de Québec 1830-1963, by Jean Cloutier -- This fits my theme SO WELL. Not sure how much I'll get through, because it's a big book and in French, but I'll give it a go.
168rabbitprincess
This weekend has been monstrously productive for reading. It probably helps that we had a cold snap of temperatures in the minus 20s Celsius. Best to stay inside and read with those temperatures!
Glasgow Underground: The Glasgow District Subway, by Keith Anderson
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138080333
Certainly detailed, but the spelling and editorial polish fell off a bit in the second half. More for the hardcore trainspotter than for the casual reader.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth, by Malcolm Pryce
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138761471
My first in the series (although it's book 3), and certainly not my last. Will have to go the interlibrary loan route though.
The Gift of the Gab: How Eloquence Works, by David Crystal
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138976777
David Crystal is awesome, and this book is a good one to have if you're called upon to "say a few words" at some public occasion. I wish I'd had it when I won an award at work last year (fortunately, I shared the award, so the other recipients were able to speak on my behalf).
Glasgow Underground: The Glasgow District Subway, by Keith Anderson
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138080333
Certainly detailed, but the spelling and editorial polish fell off a bit in the second half. More for the hardcore trainspotter than for the casual reader.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth, by Malcolm Pryce
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138761471
My first in the series (although it's book 3), and certainly not my last. Will have to go the interlibrary loan route though.
The Gift of the Gab: How Eloquence Works, by David Crystal
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138976777
David Crystal is awesome, and this book is a good one to have if you're called upon to "say a few words" at some public occasion. I wish I'd had it when I won an award at work last year (fortunately, I shared the award, so the other recipients were able to speak on my behalf).
170-Eva-
>163 rabbitprincess:
Unfortunately, I had to stop Journey as I realized they've used a translation that isn't very true to the original. :( So, I'm now reading The Moonstone instead. Yes, it'd have to be something longer to justify reading in "installments;" a Sherlock story, I can read in one sitting.
Unfortunately, I had to stop Journey as I realized they've used a translation that isn't very true to the original. :( So, I'm now reading The Moonstone instead. Yes, it'd have to be something longer to justify reading in "installments;" a Sherlock story, I can read in one sitting.
171AHS-Wolfy
>168 rabbitprincess: Glad you found enough in the Aberystwyth book to want to continue. I still have to get around to the last one at some point and it's been an enjoyable read throughout. I wasn't sure about a noir/humour mash-up when I first started but I'm glad I picked it up.
172rabbitprincess
>169 mstrust: Strictly speaking, these were all in varying stages of completion, so the weekend was more about finishing them off. But yes, a very productive weekend on that score!
>170 -Eva-: Oh no! I hope you find a better translation of Journey to the Centre of the Earth. I'm currently reading Leviathan via Serial Reader and would not get through it AT ALL without the installment format!
>171 AHS-Wolfy: I'm going to Wales in September and hope to find some more books in the series! Thanks for posting about it :)
****
It is yucky freezing rain out today. Perfect weather for continuing my latest "Read Wales/Oxford" book: Talking to the Dead, by Harry Bingham. So far, so good.
>170 -Eva-: Oh no! I hope you find a better translation of Journey to the Centre of the Earth. I'm currently reading Leviathan via Serial Reader and would not get through it AT ALL without the installment format!
>171 AHS-Wolfy: I'm going to Wales in September and hope to find some more books in the series! Thanks for posting about it :)
****
It is yucky freezing rain out today. Perfect weather for continuing my latest "Read Wales/Oxford" book: Talking to the Dead, by Harry Bingham. So far, so good.
173-Eva-
>172 rabbitprincess:
I did - gutenberg.org to the rescue! :D
I did - gutenberg.org to the rescue! :D
174mathgirl40
>167 rabbitprincess: I loved the audio version of The Graveyard Book. I hope you're enjoying it too. Our family listened to it several years ago on the long car trip between Waterloo and Montreal.
175DeltaQueen50
Enjoy your first "Fiona Griffiths", I suspect you will be like me and want to gobble up the rest of the series! :)
176rabbitprincess
>173 -Eva-: Excellent! :D
>174 mathgirl40: It's very good! I can picture Neil Himself reading it as he speaks.
>175 DeltaQueen50: So far that's how I'm feeling! I also like that my copy of the book has a blurb from Christopher Fowler! Praise indeed.
****
Because I am reading Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, this news came as a delightful surprise: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/mar/07/george-smiley-to-return-new-john-l...
>174 mathgirl40: It's very good! I can picture Neil Himself reading it as he speaks.
>175 DeltaQueen50: So far that's how I'm feeling! I also like that my copy of the book has a blurb from Christopher Fowler! Praise indeed.
****
Because I am reading Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, this news came as a delightful surprise: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/mar/07/george-smiley-to-return-new-john-l...
177Tanya-dogearedcopy
#176 #SmileyIsTheMan :-)
178clue
>176 rabbitprincess: Thanks for this article, I've been thinking for awhile that I would like to reread the whole series. It's been a long time since I read the firsts ones. Maybe I could work one in every couple of months or so.
179rabbitprincess
>177 Tanya-dogearedcopy: He sure is!
>178 clue: That sounds like a great plan! I'm planning to borrow The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People from my parents to reread.
>178 clue: That sounds like a great plan! I'm planning to borrow The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People from my parents to reread.
180cammykitty
Hi RP! I miss you guys! Looks like a fantastic reading weekend, and going to Wales! I'm jealous.
181rabbitprincess
>180 cammykitty: It should be fun! Naturally, I shall provide full accounts of all bookstores visited ;)
****
I've had a pretty satisfactory reading week this week. Finally finished a reread and tore through a mystery novel that has me looking for more.
Talking to the Dead, by Harry Bingham
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138976881
A great start to a series! I like the flavour of Cardiff and Wales presented in the book (there's a fair amount of place names and culture but it's not stereotypical or over-the-top), and Fiona Griffiths is an eminently likeable character despite, or perhaps because of, her difficulties with social interaction. I've already requested the second book in the series, Love Story, with Murders.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, by John le Carré
Category: Eckaloo
Source: Chaptigo Kingston
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/82818845
A reread in tribute to Sir John Hurt. I'm going to have to watch the movie again. :)
****
I've had a pretty satisfactory reading week this week. Finally finished a reread and tore through a mystery novel that has me looking for more.
Talking to the Dead, by Harry Bingham
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/138976881
A great start to a series! I like the flavour of Cardiff and Wales presented in the book (there's a fair amount of place names and culture but it's not stereotypical or over-the-top), and Fiona Griffiths is an eminently likeable character despite, or perhaps because of, her difficulties with social interaction. I've already requested the second book in the series, Love Story, with Murders.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, by John le Carré
Category: Eckaloo
Source: Chaptigo Kingston
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/82818845
A reread in tribute to Sir John Hurt. I'm going to have to watch the movie again. :)
182rabbitprincess
Chugging along with mysteries. Didn't know whether I'd finish this before it was due back at the library, but I did!
Out of Bounds, by Val McDermid
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139028488
I didn't have much luck with this book's predecessor, The Skeleton Road, but this one worked out just fine. Bonus points for referencing the Air Accidents Investigations Branch, which also appeared in Talking to the Dead.
Out of Bounds, by Val McDermid
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139028488
I didn't have much luck with this book's predecessor, The Skeleton Road, but this one worked out just fine. Bonus points for referencing the Air Accidents Investigations Branch, which also appeared in Talking to the Dead.
183rabbitprincess
It's St. Patrick's Day, and I've had my traditional one beer (this year: Harp lager). I've also done some mildly tipsy book shopping.
Book Depository was thoughtful enough to send me a coupon, so I bought my last three Thingaversary books:
The Trespasser, by Tana French
A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury, by Edith Pargeter
Cabin Pressure: A-Z, by John Finnemore (the COMPLETE series! It was nearly half price, so I thought better grab it!)
And then @virginiahomeschooler mentioned the Doctor Who/Torchwood audiobook bundle over at Humble Bundle, so now I have a ridiculous number of audiobooks to listen to:
- all 11 "Destiny of the Doctor" audiobooks
- 6 Eighth Doctor adventures (or 5 if you consider Blood of the Daleks to be a single story, despite it being sold in two parts)
- The Churchill Years, a 4-hour set of adventures featuring Churchill and the first three modern Doctors (Nine, Ten and Eleven) + commentary/behind the scenes
- I, Davros, a 4-part series that makes me think I should perhaps try reading I, Claudius first, based on the title
- 3 Torchwood adventures
There's only a few days left on this, so if you want to jump on it, here's the link: https://www.humblebundle.com/books/doctor-who-torchwood-audiobooks
Book Depository was thoughtful enough to send me a coupon, so I bought my last three Thingaversary books:
The Trespasser, by Tana French
A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury, by Edith Pargeter
Cabin Pressure: A-Z, by John Finnemore (the COMPLETE series! It was nearly half price, so I thought better grab it!)
And then @virginiahomeschooler mentioned the Doctor Who/Torchwood audiobook bundle over at Humble Bundle, so now I have a ridiculous number of audiobooks to listen to:
- all 11 "Destiny of the Doctor" audiobooks
- 6 Eighth Doctor adventures (or 5 if you consider Blood of the Daleks to be a single story, despite it being sold in two parts)
- The Churchill Years, a 4-hour set of adventures featuring Churchill and the first three modern Doctors (Nine, Ten and Eleven) + commentary/behind the scenes
- I, Davros, a 4-part series that makes me think I should perhaps try reading I, Claudius first, based on the title
- 3 Torchwood adventures
There's only a few days left on this, so if you want to jump on it, here's the link: https://www.humblebundle.com/books/doctor-who-torchwood-audiobooks
184rabbitprincess
Puttering around on a fine Saturday morning and finally getting around to reviews from earlier in the week. These books were good but I don't have a lot to say about them.
Introvert Doodles, by Maureen "Marzi" Wilson
Category: Penac
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139623995
The Phantom Freighter, by Franklin W. Dixon
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139228129
Introvert Doodles, by Maureen "Marzi" Wilson
Category: Penac
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139623995
The Phantom Freighter, by Franklin W. Dixon
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139228129
185VivienneR
As usual there is no dodging your bullets! I've added Harry Bingham's Talking to the dead to my wishlist. Glad to see this one, it's not easy to find books set in Wales.
186rabbitprincess
>185 VivienneR: Yes, especially mysteries! I hope you like the book.
****
My parents were in town for the weekend, with my brother and my grandma in tow. It was a whirlwind visit: some shopping downtown, dinner at a pub, tea and the hockey game at their hotel, a big breakfast this morning, and a trip to the local British grocery store so I could stock up on provisions ;) They also brought up a bag full of books and some odds and ends I've been collecting, and I gave them a box of books and some other things to store on my behalf.
In between eating and socializing, I finished these two books:
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner, by Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139427590
I found this very interesting and would recommend it. It does get a bit queasy-making on occasion, so perhaps not a good dinnertime book.
In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson
Category: Tracy (AwardsCAT May -- Edgar Awards), Martha L. Black
Source: pilfered from my parents
Rating: 2/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/129424328
Meh. This one felt too long, and I really didn't like the relationship between Banks and Cabbot. It felt inappropriate.
****
My parents were in town for the weekend, with my brother and my grandma in tow. It was a whirlwind visit: some shopping downtown, dinner at a pub, tea and the hockey game at their hotel, a big breakfast this morning, and a trip to the local British grocery store so I could stock up on provisions ;) They also brought up a bag full of books and some odds and ends I've been collecting, and I gave them a box of books and some other things to store on my behalf.
In between eating and socializing, I finished these two books:
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner, by Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139427590
I found this very interesting and would recommend it. It does get a bit queasy-making on occasion, so perhaps not a good dinnertime book.
In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson
Category: Tracy (AwardsCAT May -- Edgar Awards), Martha L. Black
Source: pilfered from my parents
Rating: 2/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/129424328
Meh. This one felt too long, and I really didn't like the relationship between Banks and Cabbot. It felt inappropriate.
187rabbitprincess
Spring is here, even if the local weather seemed to think it was still winter. Windchill approaching minus 30 this morning, brr!
A review from this weekend that I'm only just getting around to now:
Hi, Anxiety: Life with a Bad Case of Nerves, by Kat Kinsman
Category: Tracy (CATWoman April -- biography, autobiography or memoir), Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139507425
I picked this up because of the bunny on the cover, and also it sounded interesting. It was indeed.
A review from this weekend that I'm only just getting around to now:
Hi, Anxiety: Life with a Bad Case of Nerves, by Kat Kinsman
Category: Tracy (CATWoman April -- biography, autobiography or memoir), Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139507425
I picked this up because of the bunny on the cover, and also it sounded interesting. It was indeed.
188RidgewayGirl
I'm reading The Trespasser now and I'm loving it so much.
Judy Melinek has a twitter account that she uses to link to interesting forensic stuff. I just read an article about the unreliability of bite mark evidence that she linked to.
And In a Dry Season was the first DI Banks book I read (it was on special at Waterstone's once upon a time) and I really liked it. Maybe not knowing the characters at all made that relationship seem fine? It's been over ten years since I read it so my memory is hazy. I thought that his descriptions of building a dry stone wall and of the drought were excellent (if I'm remembering the right book).
Judy Melinek has a twitter account that she uses to link to interesting forensic stuff. I just read an article about the unreliability of bite mark evidence that she linked to.
And In a Dry Season was the first DI Banks book I read (it was on special at Waterstone's once upon a time) and I really liked it. Maybe not knowing the characters at all made that relationship seem fine? It's been over ten years since I read it so my memory is hazy. I thought that his descriptions of building a dry stone wall and of the drought were excellent (if I'm remembering the right book).
189rabbitprincess
>188 RidgewayGirl: Yes, there is some building of dry stone walls in that book. That part was good. And I did like the WW2 stuff. I think for the relationship, what made it inappropriate for me was that (a) they were working on the same case (b) she seems a fair bit younger than Banks (c) he isn't properly divorced yet, just separated and (d) there was an extra (potentially disadvantaging) power dynamic of the DI sleeping with the DS. For point (d), I'm coming to this book with the context of real-life news that a 50-something Canadian senator had a sexual relationship with a teenager, which is power dynamic city. :S
Going to have to follow Judy Melinek now! Thanks for the tip!
And I've ordered The Trespasser. Can't wait to get it!
Going to have to follow Judy Melinek now! Thanks for the tip!
And I've ordered The Trespasser. Can't wait to get it!
190RidgewayGirl
>189 rabbitprincess: Absolutely. I think that if I read the book now my reaction would be very different. I know I hate it whenever two officers/investigators end up in a relationship because men and women can't just be friends or co-workers or something. It's an antique attitude. There are times when it's well done (the Cormoran Strike books) but it's usually just laziness on the author's part. And the power differential can move it over from love to harassment.
191rabbitprincess
>190 RidgewayGirl: I stopped watching Castle for that reason. It's like, Castle and Beckett aren't interesting enough on their own, so they have to throw in a love story as well? Sigh.
192VivienneR
>186 rabbitprincess: Oh, In a Dry Season is my next Peter Robinson book. I have a feeling I read it before, but as I can't remember it, I'll go for a re-read. I hope I like it better than you. I have friends in a May/December relationship that works very well so that part won't bother me (I hope).
193rabbitprincess
>192 VivienneR: I hope so too! For me, the age difference wasn't the most problematic element; it was more the speed with which they decided to have a relationship and the fact that they were working together on the case as well. If they'd decided to wait until after the case was finished to start a relationship, and then followed proper protocols for disclosing their relationship and avoiding any associated conflicts of interest or perceptions of power differential/influence, then I might have been more on board.
194rabbitprincess
Ottawa missed the memo that spring is here. Today we received between 10 and 20 cm of snow. I was expecting much less snow and a changeover to rain in the afternoon, so rain boots ended up being the wrong choice of footwear. It's been snowing off and on (mostly on) all day. Sigh.
195VivienneR
My Australian friends are on a visit to Canada and hoping for snow. For the next couple of days they are in Toronto where it is quite mild and raining and they bought umbrellas. I should have recommended Ottawa. Next stop is Vancouver - where the umbrellas will be well used I'm sure - before heading to the Rockies.
196sirfurboy
>167 rabbitprincess: As a resident of Aberystwyth, I really should read Malcolm Pryce's books! My excuse for not having done so is that they are not my favourite genre, but maybe it is time to expand my range again.
197rabbitprincess
>195 VivienneR: It is somewhat common that Ottawa gets another blast of snow in late March or even early April; I think we all get collective amnesia about it! We had another batch yesterday and overnight.
>196 sirfurboy: That is very cool that you live in Aberystwyth! If you read one of his books, you can tell us how much of the actual city has made it into the books ;)
****
It's already April! How did that happen? I've finally managed to round up a list of reviews. I'll start a new thread with a recap of the month to get me started for April.
The Secret of High Eldersham, by Miles Burton
Category: Martha L. Black (again?!)
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/139585248
I need to find a way to stuff mysteries in my other categories ;) This was a very good British Library Crime Classic. Totally bananas, and it reminded me a little bit of Hot Fuzz, for some reason.
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, by Caitlin Doughty
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139624019
This was a great read, and now I want to watch Doughty's "Ask a Mortician" series and her TED Talk. Also, definitely not having an open-casket funeral.
Sunrise in the West, by Edith Pargeter
Category: Hudson
Source: Book Bazaar
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/130510657
I'll get through the Brothers of Gwynedd quartet slowly but surely. Maybe before my trip to Wales, but we'll see. This first book was good, if a bit slow; the action is obviously played out over the entire quartet, to the point that you could consider all four books to be one long book. I must say, though, that having it in four books is easier to read ;)
>196 sirfurboy: That is very cool that you live in Aberystwyth! If you read one of his books, you can tell us how much of the actual city has made it into the books ;)
****
It's already April! How did that happen? I've finally managed to round up a list of reviews. I'll start a new thread with a recap of the month to get me started for April.
The Secret of High Eldersham, by Miles Burton
Category: Martha L. Black (again?!)
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/139585248
I need to find a way to stuff mysteries in my other categories ;) This was a very good British Library Crime Classic. Totally bananas, and it reminded me a little bit of Hot Fuzz, for some reason.
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, by Caitlin Doughty
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139624019
This was a great read, and now I want to watch Doughty's "Ask a Mortician" series and her TED Talk. Also, definitely not having an open-casket funeral.
Sunrise in the West, by Edith Pargeter
Category: Hudson
Source: Book Bazaar
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/130510657
I'll get through the Brothers of Gwynedd quartet slowly but surely. Maybe before my trip to Wales, but we'll see. This first book was good, if a bit slow; the action is obviously played out over the entire quartet, to the point that you could consider all four books to be one long book. I must say, though, that having it in four books is easier to read ;)
This topic was continued by rabbitprincess sails from sea to sea to sea in 2017 - Part 2.
