si: Books Don't Just Furnish A Room
Talk 2017 ROOT (READ OUR OWN TOMES)
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7MissWatson
Welcome and good luck with your ROOTing!
8rabbitprincess
Welcome aboard and good luck with your challenge!
9readingtangent
Welcome, and best of luck with your ROOTs!
10Familyhistorian
Good luck with your ROOTing.
11si
1. The Supernatural Quizbook by Jeff Rovin
2. Picturegoer Film Annual edited by Connery Chappell
Two film books to start the year. Picturegoer was a UK film fan magazine which ran from around 1911-13 to 1960. From about 1949 they also published yearly annuals; celebrity interviews, a day on the set with... pieces.
2. Picturegoer Film Annual edited by Connery Chappell
Two film books to start the year. Picturegoer was a UK film fan magazine which ran from around 1911-13 to 1960. From about 1949 they also published yearly annuals; celebrity interviews, a day on the set with... pieces.
12si
3. Ralph Richardson A Tribute by Robert Tanitch
Third ROOT of the year. Another book little read on LT. This is a collection of photos to celebrate Richardson 80th birthday, back in 1982. A favourite actor of mine.
Third ROOT of the year. Another book little read on LT. This is a collection of photos to celebrate Richardson 80th birthday, back in 1982. A favourite actor of mine.
14si
<13 avanders. Thanks avanders. I've started the year with some of the books I've owned the longest; which happen to be fairly short - but I guess they all count.
15avanders
yep, they all count (well, as long as they fit within your definition of a ROOT -- we all make our own definitions here :))
16Limelite
I'm a fairly newbie too, but this is a welcoming and encouraging community that helps ROOTers meet their goals. Good luck to you.
17si
>15 avanders:. Deciding on a 'definition of a ROOT'. I guess I've been hedging my bets by not writing this down.
I keep lists, by year, of the books I've accumulated and I hope to tick off everything up to the end of 1984 + any books I've had so long I couldn't say when I received/bought them! That would cover my 20 book target easily. Otherwise the only self-imposed restriction is not to include recent additions, say the last 12 months.
It would be nice, as I go along to note down where each book came from, but that will require a little digging into my old diaries.
>16 Limelite:. Hi Limelite. thanks and good luck too.
I keep lists, by year, of the books I've accumulated and I hope to tick off everything up to the end of 1984 + any books I've had so long I couldn't say when I received/bought them! That would cover my 20 book target easily. Otherwise the only self-imposed restriction is not to include recent additions, say the last 12 months.
It would be nice, as I go along to note down where each book came from, but that will require a little digging into my old diaries.
>16 Limelite:. Hi Limelite. thanks and good luck too.
19si
4. Photoplay Film Book 1980
source: Chrismas gift 1979.
Fine to flick through and read the odd article, but overall not a great read.
I've made a start on The French Connection which I'm enjoying a great deal more; hope to finish this month.
source: Chrismas gift 1979.
Fine to flick through and read the odd article, but overall not a great read.
I've made a start on The French Connection which I'm enjoying a great deal more; hope to finish this month.
20Tess_W
>19 si: I read The French Connection in either the 70's or the 80's, I can remember! But I do remember not really liking it--but not disliking it. I will be interested in your review. I think maybe I was trying to read it with 2 kids in diapers and bottles at the same time! (My 2 sons were only 11 months apart)
21si
>20 Tess_W:. Yes I'm probably of the same mind. Not a great book, but then again not terrible. A good choice perhaps as a bedtime story for children! Certainly helped me to sleep the last few nights.
So 5th ROOT finished.
The French Connection by Robin Moore
This is the original book which inspired the Oscar winning film, first published in 1969 it tells the true story of how a drug smuggling operation was uncovered in New York in 1961-2; heroin valued at over $30,000,000 was found after a long and painstaking surveillance operation.
For the film names were changed, that famous car chase under the elevated train was added and so on; while basically telling a true story, a police procedural was turned into a thriller. My favourite scene in the film when Fernando Rey waves through a train window at a stranded Gene Hackman is pleasingly true.
I imagine most readers of the book have come to it, like me, after seeing the film and in comparison it's slower, lacks tension and doesn't have any great memorable scenes. It builds up a detailed picture of the smuggling operation from months of surveillance which while interesting takes up most of the book's 300 pages. There are lots of car journeys around Manhattan and Brooklyn, which descend into a list of street names at times.
The plus points are that it does paint a believable picture of police work, of a very male dominated world, and of 1960's New York. With the passage of time the book has gained a certain historical dimension - hat-check girls, no CCTV, public pay phones and unreliable police radios used as communication.
The film-makers bought a great story and the success of the film turned the book into a worldwide bestseller in the 1970-80's; Little read today, judging by the figures on LT.
So 5th ROOT finished.
The French Connection by Robin Moore
This is the original book which inspired the Oscar winning film, first published in 1969 it tells the true story of how a drug smuggling operation was uncovered in New York in 1961-2; heroin valued at over $30,000,000 was found after a long and painstaking surveillance operation.
For the film names were changed, that famous car chase under the elevated train was added and so on; while basically telling a true story, a police procedural was turned into a thriller. My favourite scene in the film when Fernando Rey waves through a train window at a stranded Gene Hackman is pleasingly true.
I imagine most readers of the book have come to it, like me, after seeing the film and in comparison it's slower, lacks tension and doesn't have any great memorable scenes. It builds up a detailed picture of the smuggling operation from months of surveillance which while interesting takes up most of the book's 300 pages. There are lots of car journeys around Manhattan and Brooklyn, which descend into a list of street names at times.
The plus points are that it does paint a believable picture of police work, of a very male dominated world, and of 1960's New York. With the passage of time the book has gained a certain historical dimension - hat-check girls, no CCTV, public pay phones and unreliable police radios used as communication.
The film-makers bought a great story and the success of the film turned the book into a worldwide bestseller in the 1970-80's; Little read today, judging by the figures on LT.
22LoraShouse
Welcome Si, and good luck with your ROOTing goal. It looks like you're off to a great start.
I somehow never had much desire to read The French Connection. I guess I wasn't really that crazy about the movie. My husband liked the car chase scenes though.
I somehow never had much desire to read The French Connection. I guess I wasn't really that crazy about the movie. My husband liked the car chase scenes though.
23si
>22 LoraShouse:. Thanks Lora. First visit to my local library last week so the next ROOT may be awhile. Good luck with your own goals.
24avanders
>17 si: lol we all hedge our bets sometimes ;)
Wow, that is an impressive goal! Focusing on what we call the "deep ROOTs" is always a challenge! But a great one and I'm sure you can do it! :)
Wow, that is an impressive goal! Focusing on what we call the "deep ROOTs" is always a challenge! But a great one and I'm sure you can do it! :)
25si
>24 avanders:: ''deep ROOTs'', Seems I have sleepwalked into a harder challenge than I was planning. I guess the longer you leave a book the less likely you are to ever read it; that initial impulse fading away. Newer books jump the queue. Which of course is the point of this group.
I'm currently reading A Little Life (not a ROOT), which will take up the next 2-3 weeks, if I can stay with it. May start something else as a change of pace in the meantime.
I'm currently reading A Little Life (not a ROOT), which will take up the next 2-3 weeks, if I can stay with it. May start something else as a change of pace in the meantime.
26avanders
>25 si: for some reason, that seems to be true... I guess we get too comfortable with their presence on our shelves ;)
27si
6th ROOT finished.
Piccolo Book of Riddles by S. B. Cunningham
Source: owned for longer than I can remember.
A collection of bad jokes and groan-inducing riddles. Well illustrated by Karen Heywood.
Q. Why do we never have a moment to call our own?
A. Because the minutes are not hours.
Piccolo Book of Riddles by S. B. Cunningham
Source: owned for longer than I can remember.
A collection of bad jokes and groan-inducing riddles. Well illustrated by Karen Heywood.
Q. Why do we never have a moment to call our own?
A. Because the minutes are not hours.
28si
Thought I'd post an update. Try and maintain the momentum!
I finished two books yesterday - both library books. Which I need to return this week. A Little Life I found to be a quicker read than I expected. The other book was The World of Charles Dickens: The Life, Times and Work of the Great Victorian Novelist.
Finally back to ROOTing. I have started The Talented Mr Ripley - I've read the first few chapters, which are great; hopefully the rest is as good.
I finished two books yesterday - both library books. Which I need to return this week. A Little Life I found to be a quicker read than I expected. The other book was The World of Charles Dickens: The Life, Times and Work of the Great Victorian Novelist.
Finally back to ROOTing. I have started The Talented Mr Ripley - I've read the first few chapters, which are great; hopefully the rest is as good.
29floremolla
>28 si: Hi Si, you seem to be rattling through your ROOTS and I noticed your latest is The Talented Mr Ripley. One of my all-time favourites. I enjoyed the cat and mouse exploits and didn't want the story to end. Given it's now over 60 years ago since it was first published, I'm interested to hear if you found the story a bit dated....or has it slipped over into the 'historical novel' category altogether?
30si
7. The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
acquired: Perth, Scotland in 1988.
Highsmith's third novel published in 1955. Highly influential crime novel, where the twisted logic of a criminal is explained so believably that you're carried along even as the lies become increasingly convoluted.
>29 floremolla:. The book avoids giving dates or referring to any current events, as most contemporaneous novels tend to do (unless it's part of the plot), to avoid becoming dated. There is a brief mention of 'French casualties from Indo-China' but otherwise nothing else. No mention is made, for example, of the Second World War; although it would go some way to explaining the attitude of the Italian's, particularly the police, to the American characters. I guess Patricia Highsmith wrote-in that overly polite, helpful and deferentially attitude instinctively; Italy not only lost the war of course, but the American's and the Allied forces invaded the country only a few years before the events in this book. A more forceful police investigation would perhaps have resulted in a different ending to the story.
The early part of the story; Ripley being sent to Europe by Herbert Greenleaf to convince his son to return home and run the family business is also the initial set-up of The Ambassadors by Henry James. Acknowledging Henry James, Parrick Highsmith has Herbert Greenleaf ask Ripley if he's read The Ambassadors.
I Liked the book alot and have given it 4 stars. I have a copy of the second book in the series Ripley Under Ground. Hoping to read it this year.
acquired: Perth, Scotland in 1988.
Highsmith's third novel published in 1955. Highly influential crime novel, where the twisted logic of a criminal is explained so believably that you're carried along even as the lies become increasingly convoluted.
>29 floremolla:. The book avoids giving dates or referring to any current events, as most contemporaneous novels tend to do (unless it's part of the plot), to avoid becoming dated. There is a brief mention of 'French casualties from Indo-China' but otherwise nothing else. No mention is made, for example, of the Second World War; although it would go some way to explaining the attitude of the Italian's, particularly the police, to the American characters. I guess Patricia Highsmith wrote-in that overly polite, helpful and deferentially attitude instinctively; Italy not only lost the war of course, but the American's and the Allied forces invaded the country only a few years before the events in this book. A more forceful police investigation would perhaps have resulted in a different ending to the story.
The early part of the story; Ripley being sent to Europe by Herbert Greenleaf to convince his son to return home and run the family business is also the initial set-up of The Ambassadors by Henry James. Acknowledging Henry James, Parrick Highsmith has Herbert Greenleaf ask Ripley if he's read The Ambassadors.
I Liked the book alot and have given it 4 stars. I have a copy of the second book in the series Ripley Under Ground. Hoping to read it this year.
31floremolla
>30 si: thanks for sharing your thoughts - good point about the lack of dates being important in preventing a novel from becoming dated. Also, I'd forgotten about the link with The Ambassadors (which I haven't read, therefore another BB hits my wishlist).
I'm glad you enjoyed The Talented Mr Ripley - I'll be checking to see how you get on with his further exploits in Ripley Under Ground. My husband found it disappointing so I didn't bother to read it - not sure why as we rarely agree on books anyway! In any event you've reminded me I ought to revisit Patricia Highsmith and the later writer Ruth Rundell who also wrote well-crafted crime thrillers (in her own name and as Barbara Vine.
I'm glad you enjoyed The Talented Mr Ripley - I'll be checking to see how you get on with his further exploits in Ripley Under Ground. My husband found it disappointing so I didn't bother to read it - not sure why as we rarely agree on books anyway! In any event you've reminded me I ought to revisit Patricia Highsmith and the later writer Ruth Rundell who also wrote well-crafted crime thrillers (in her own name and as Barbara Vine.
32si
>31 floremolla:. My parents have a whole shelf of Ruth Rendell novels; which I dip into now and then. Which don't qualify as ROOTs fortunately, but I did start picking-up Barbara Vine novels for myself - still on my TBR list (ROOTs well established I have to admit). I should look to see what I actually have.
Sad to think both Ruth Rendell and P. D. James are no longer here. They were the big names in crime fiction as I was growing up.
Sad to think both Ruth Rendell and P. D. James are no longer here. They were the big names in crime fiction as I was growing up.
33floremolla
>32 si: sad, but at least they lived - and wrote - to a good age. I don't have any on my shelves currently or I'd be sorely tempted to take a diversion from my ROOTs.
34si
8th ROOT finished.
Brothers by William Goldman
acquired: Fads & Fancies, Stalls 201-203 B'ham market. Late 1980's. Still searching old diaries - yet to find a date. The owners of Fads & Fancies kindly stamped the inside cover with their name.
It's been a long time since I've read any William Goldman. Unfortunately this uneasy mix of licence-to-kill spy fiction, dark fatalistic humour and random detours into the author's obsessions (basketball, Hollywood) and pet peeves (Heathrow Airport) doesn't hold together as a novel.
First published in 1986, this is Goldman's last published novel; in interviews he's said he simply hasn't had any ideas good enough for a novel since. To just stop writing novels must be a particular kind of loss. But of course he has continued to work, particularly as a film script-doctor.
Marathon Man, to which this is a sequel of sorts, is a tighter, more believable thriller - well worth reading. It's main character, Babe Levy, only appears in Brothers as a peripheral character. Inevitably, (why own 1 book by an author when you can own 2,3, 4...) I have a few more unread William Goldman books on my shelves. I may have to reread The Princess Bride to remember why.
Brothers by William Goldman
acquired: Fads & Fancies, Stalls 201-203 B'ham market. Late 1980's. Still searching old diaries - yet to find a date. The owners of Fads & Fancies kindly stamped the inside cover with their name.
It's been a long time since I've read any William Goldman. Unfortunately this uneasy mix of licence-to-kill spy fiction, dark fatalistic humour and random detours into the author's obsessions (basketball, Hollywood) and pet peeves (Heathrow Airport) doesn't hold together as a novel.
First published in 1986, this is Goldman's last published novel; in interviews he's said he simply hasn't had any ideas good enough for a novel since. To just stop writing novels must be a particular kind of loss. But of course he has continued to work, particularly as a film script-doctor.
Marathon Man, to which this is a sequel of sorts, is a tighter, more believable thriller - well worth reading. It's main character, Babe Levy, only appears in Brothers as a peripheral character. Inevitably, (why own 1 book by an author when you can own 2,3, 4...) I have a few more unread William Goldman books on my shelves. I may have to reread The Princess Bride to remember why.
35si
Starting a new ROOT, The Children's Bach. I've read and enjoyed a couple of books by Helen Garner, so am optimistic. It's fairly short so hoping to finish it this month.
ETA: I wanted to add my congratulations to avanders.
ETA: I wanted to add my congratulations to avanders.
36si
Just made a haul of library books. ROOTS may have to wait awhile. In past years it would be a haul of purchases so a small step in the right direction. Only gained three books this year; a minor miracle.
37si
The Children's Bach by Helen Garner
9th ROOT finished. Absorbing short novel set in Melbourne. Old and new lovers disrupt the settled life of a couple and their children. Monkey Grip is a favourite book and this is nearly as good.
9th ROOT finished. Absorbing short novel set in Melbourne. Old and new lovers disrupt the settled life of a couple and their children. Monkey Grip is a favourite book and this is nearly as good.
38connie53
Hi Si, just stopping by to see what you are reading. I've been away from LT for some weeks so I have a lot of threads to visit. I've finished ROOT # 9 just a couple of days ago.
39si
>38 connie53:. Thanks for dropping by Connie. Haven't been reading much the last week or two. I started Nicholas Nickleby, which I'm enjoying, but it demands more concentration than I have at the moment. Congrats on finishing ROOT#9 (and 10, I've just noticed).
40si
10th ROOT finished.
Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith
There's a black comedy at the heart of this psychological crime novel. Tom Ripley's belief in his own 'talents' to fix a problem relating to an art scam, to which he is distantly connected, lead to murder and suicide. Fargo is the comparison which comes to mind (there's probably a literary comparison but my default is movies and television)
The plot is messy and convoluted and in truth not always credible, but Ripley himself is never less than compelling. I have a copy of the third book in this series but will probably let it wait awhile even though 'Ripley Under Ground' finishes on something of a cliffhanger.
Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith
There's a black comedy at the heart of this psychological crime novel. Tom Ripley's belief in his own 'talents' to fix a problem relating to an art scam, to which he is distantly connected, lead to murder and suicide. Fargo is the comparison which comes to mind (there's probably a literary comparison but my default is movies and television)
The plot is messy and convoluted and in truth not always credible, but Ripley himself is never less than compelling. I have a copy of the third book in this series but will probably let it wait awhile even though 'Ripley Under Ground' finishes on something of a cliffhanger.
41floremolla
>40 si: looks like you're on track with your ROOTing - halfway before we're halfway through the year!
I won't rush to read Ripley Under Ground based on your review but he's such a compelling character I will get back to him sometime. :)
I won't rush to read Ripley Under Ground based on your review but he's such a compelling character I will get back to him sometime. :)
42si
11th ROOT:
Paul Merton's History of the Twentieth Century by Paul Merton
Change of pace. A bit of comedy for these depressing times.
Hoping to push-on with my ROOTing this month and be reasonably ahead of my goal at the half-way point.
Paul Merton's History of the Twentieth Century by Paul Merton
Change of pace. A bit of comedy for these depressing times.
Hoping to push-on with my ROOTing this month and be reasonably ahead of my goal at the half-way point.
43MissWatson
You're making good progress towards your goal!
44si
>43 MissWatson:. Thanks.
Two more ROOTs finished:
12. To Run A Little Faster by John Gardner
1938 set mystery-thriller which while perfectly readable never really ignites. A reporter is taken off a bank robbery story to cover a missing politician. While echoing a story Agatha Christie could have written the tone is decidedly down beat, more Len Deighton or Adam Hall perhaps. Gardner while a talented writer doesn't take risks and his books mainly follow prevailing tends, or are written to commission; lots of spy fiction, three novels on Moriarty, sixteen(!) James Bond novels on his CV. As a fan of his writing I guess I'd like more originality -perhaps it's there in the later books I've yet to read.
13. Little Tales of Misogyny. I seem to keep returning to Patricia Highsmith this year. This is a collection of 17 short stories. Highsmith was very definitely a writer happy to take risks and challenge her readers. These stories about the sexes and how they exploit, manipulate, facilitate, each other are remarkable for their unapologetic darkness.
I'd forgotten I had a copy of this; found it in a box while looking for something else!
Two more ROOTs finished:
12. To Run A Little Faster by John Gardner
1938 set mystery-thriller which while perfectly readable never really ignites. A reporter is taken off a bank robbery story to cover a missing politician. While echoing a story Agatha Christie could have written the tone is decidedly down beat, more Len Deighton or Adam Hall perhaps. Gardner while a talented writer doesn't take risks and his books mainly follow prevailing tends, or are written to commission; lots of spy fiction, three novels on Moriarty, sixteen(!) James Bond novels on his CV. As a fan of his writing I guess I'd like more originality -perhaps it's there in the later books I've yet to read.
13. Little Tales of Misogyny. I seem to keep returning to Patricia Highsmith this year. This is a collection of 17 short stories. Highsmith was very definitely a writer happy to take risks and challenge her readers. These stories about the sexes and how they exploit, manipulate, facilitate, each other are remarkable for their unapologetic darkness.
I'd forgotten I had a copy of this; found it in a box while looking for something else!
45si
14. Fear: A History of Horror In The Mass Media by Les Daniels
A particularly stubborn ROOT which every few years I've picked up and moved from one shelve to another but somehow never read before now.
Less academic than the sub-title might suggest. And by 'Horror', Daniels is only interested in genre fiction not fact. There are interesting chapters on Gothic literature, early cinema and what, in retrospect, was probably one of the high points for the short story when magazines and comics like 'Weird Tales' & 'Black Mask' were being published.
A particularly stubborn ROOT which every few years I've picked up and moved from one shelve to another but somehow never read before now.
Less academic than the sub-title might suggest. And by 'Horror', Daniels is only interested in genre fiction not fact. There are interesting chapters on Gothic literature, early cinema and what, in retrospect, was probably one of the high points for the short story when magazines and comics like 'Weird Tales' & 'Black Mask' were being published.
46si
15. The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore
The outdoor market from which I bought this book, back in 1986, is now a supermarket car park. The book itself is a battered 1963 UK edition of a novel first published in 1933.
An American student in Paris stumbles across a manuscript written by Aymar Galliez in the 1870's. It tells the story of Bertrand Caillet, who Galliez believes is a werewolf. Starting with how his father's family became cursed the story travels to a Paris under siege during the Franco - Prussian War; a war more savage and violent than any single wolf.
I enjoyed it but like Caillet it switches personalities; in the novel's case changing between being a horror story to very well researched historical fiction.
The outdoor market from which I bought this book, back in 1986, is now a supermarket car park. The book itself is a battered 1963 UK edition of a novel first published in 1933.
An American student in Paris stumbles across a manuscript written by Aymar Galliez in the 1870's. It tells the story of Bertrand Caillet, who Galliez believes is a werewolf. Starting with how his father's family became cursed the story travels to a Paris under siege during the Franco - Prussian War; a war more savage and violent than any single wolf.
I enjoyed it but like Caillet it switches personalities; in the novel's case changing between being a horror story to very well researched historical fiction.
47connie53
Hi Si, just stopping by to say Hi. I've been away from LT for some time due to RL things. But now I'm back trying to keep up with threads.
48si
>47 connie53: Hello Connie thanks for dropping by. Slow progress on the ROOT front this month; switching and swapping between books. Finally settled on a collection of short stories - 51 different writers! Won't finish it in July so my overall total will be stuck at 15 for a while; which I'm happy with - I'm further along with this challenge than I expected.
49connie53
>48 si: You have to allow yourself some free (NON-ROOT) reading sometimes. Nothing wrong with that. Enjoy your short stories.
50rabbitprincess
Enjoy the collection! I hope you find some gems in it.
51floremolla
You're well ahead, plenty of time to reach your goal. You've reminded me I have a book of 100 short stories - not to try to trump your 51! - but I've only read a couple. The size of the book is daunting and I couldn't read it all at one go, but could aim to do a couple each week - maybe a personal challenge next year with its own ticker!
52connie53
>51 floremolla: Great idea, Donna. And perhaps with its own thread?
53floremolla
>52 connie53: yes, that would be a neat way of doing it, thanks, Connie!
54si
>50 rabbitprincess: Thanks. There is a interesting mix of big names, authors I've heard of but never read and lots of writers completely new to me. They all date from the 1930's, or earlier in many cases. The Queen of Spades and The Secret Sharer are two titles which stand out from the list. Hopefully there will be other favourites as I go along.
>51 floremolla: I like the idea of reading a couple of stories a week; perhaps in between other books or when you feel like a change in pace.
>51 floremolla: I like the idea of reading a couple of stories a week; perhaps in between other books or when you feel like a change in pace.
55si
Finished the first ten stories from The Mammoth Book of Thrillers, Ghosts and Mysteries. Which are:-
The Diver - A J Alan
The Ghoul of Golders Green - Michael Arlen
The Murder of the Mandarin - Arnold Bennett
Powers of the Air - J D Beresford
Keeping His Promise - Algernon Blackwood
Dearth's Farm - Gerald Bullett
The Hammer of God - G K Chesterton
The Blue Geranium - Agatha Christie
The Secret Sharer - Joseph Conrad
The Tiger - A E Coppard
The Agatha Christie is a Miss Marple story and the Chesterton features Father Brown. Keeping His Promise by Algernon Blackwood is a great ghost story.
Reading Days without End, a non-ROOT, at the moment.
The Diver - A J Alan
The Ghoul of Golders Green - Michael Arlen
The Murder of the Mandarin - Arnold Bennett
Powers of the Air - J D Beresford
Keeping His Promise - Algernon Blackwood
Dearth's Farm - Gerald Bullett
The Hammer of God - G K Chesterton
The Blue Geranium - Agatha Christie
The Secret Sharer - Joseph Conrad
The Tiger - A E Coppard
The Agatha Christie is a Miss Marple story and the Chesterton features Father Brown. Keeping His Promise by Algernon Blackwood is a great ghost story.
Reading Days without End, a non-ROOT, at the moment.
56MissWatson
>55 si: Interesting. Are they arranged in alphabetical order?
57si
>56 MissWatson:. Yes, in two sections. First part from A J Alan to Rebecca West. Then after a warning to the faint-hearted there are nine further stories of 'ghosts and mysteries' also running alphabetical, from E F Benson to P C Wren.
58rabbitprincess
Ah, G.K. Chesterton! One of these days I really need to do a reread of my Complete Father Brown collection.
59si
I've made some progress with the short story collection. Have completed the following stories:-
The Looking-Glass - Walter De La Mare
The Hostelry - Guy De Maupassant
A Large Diamond - Lord Dunsany
The Cupboard - Jeffrey Farnol
The Other Sense - J S Fletcher
Ghost of Honour - Pamela Hansford Johnson
Roads of Destiny - O Henry
The Trapdoor - C D Heriot
Ben Blower's Story - C F Hoffman
The Story of a Shade - Tom Hood
The Dwarfs - Aldous Huxley
Guests From Gibbet Island - Washington Irving
The Hostelry, has many of the elements which appear in The Shining; The Dwarfs is an affecting tale of discrimination (it first appeared in Crome Yellow but works as a stand alone story); Of the authors I don't know The Other Sense by J S Fletcher stands out - it's about a young man send away to a hospital when he claims to see things no one else can.
The Looking-Glass - Walter De La Mare
The Hostelry - Guy De Maupassant
A Large Diamond - Lord Dunsany
The Cupboard - Jeffrey Farnol
The Other Sense - J S Fletcher
Ghost of Honour - Pamela Hansford Johnson
Roads of Destiny - O Henry
The Trapdoor - C D Heriot
Ben Blower's Story - C F Hoffman
The Story of a Shade - Tom Hood
The Dwarfs - Aldous Huxley
Guests From Gibbet Island - Washington Irving
The Hostelry, has many of the elements which appear in The Shining; The Dwarfs is an affecting tale of discrimination (it first appeared in Crome Yellow but works as a stand alone story); Of the authors I don't know The Other Sense by J S Fletcher stands out - it's about a young man send away to a hospital when he claims to see things no one else can.
60si
The Mezzotint - M R James
The Dancing Partner - Jerome K Jerome
The Woman Who Rode Away - D H Lawrence
Honolulu - Somerset Maugham
Rooum - Oliver Onions
The Green Light - Barry Pain
The Iron Pineapple - Eden Phillpotts
The Demon King - J B Priestley
The Queen of Spades - Alexander Pushkin
The Seventh Man - Arthur Quiller-Couch
Laura - Saki
Goat-Cry, Girl-Cry - W B Seabrook
The Mahatma's Story - May Sinclair
Deep in the Forest - H De Vere Stacpoole
A few so-so tales in this batch of stories.
The Green Light, The Iron Pineapple ( taken from Peacock House) & The Demon King (taken from 'Four in Hand') were the highlights.
May edit for touchstones. Was working well for me up to 'four in hand' which may just be wrong.
Four-In-Hand - think I've found it.
The Dancing Partner - Jerome K Jerome
The Woman Who Rode Away - D H Lawrence
Honolulu - Somerset Maugham
Rooum - Oliver Onions
The Green Light - Barry Pain
The Iron Pineapple - Eden Phillpotts
The Demon King - J B Priestley
The Queen of Spades - Alexander Pushkin
The Seventh Man - Arthur Quiller-Couch
Laura - Saki
Goat-Cry, Girl-Cry - W B Seabrook
The Mahatma's Story - May Sinclair
Deep in the Forest - H De Vere Stacpoole
A few so-so tales in this batch of stories.
The Green Light, The Iron Pineapple ( taken from Peacock House) & The Demon King (taken from 'Four in Hand') were the highlights.
May edit for touchstones. Was working well for me up to 'four in hand' which may just be wrong.
Four-In-Hand - think I've found it.
62si
>61 Tess_W:. Thanks, it's an enjoyable collection. Just reached page 600 of 766 - still a way to go.
63si
16th ROOT finished: The Mammoth Book of Thrillers, Ghosts and Mysteries
final roll call of short stories -
The Island of Voices - R L Stevenson
Man of the Night - Edgar Wallace
Major Wilbraham - Hugh Walpole
The Inexperienced Ghost - H G Wells
The Salt of the Earth - Rebecca West
A Tale of a Gas-Light Ghost - unknown.
The Confession of Charles Linkworth - E F Benson
The Moonlit Road - Ambrose Bierce
A Visitor From Down Under - L P Hartley
The Voice in the Night - W H Hodgson
His Brother's Keeper - W W Jacobs
Berenice - E A Poe
The Coat - A E D Smith
The Squaw - Bram Stoker
Presentiments - P C Wren
Really good collection; no duds. It dates from 1936, so is probably the oldest book I own. Think I found it on holiday in Scotland. Late 1980's. Doubt I paid more than a few pounds for it.
Have started Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs. A more recent ROOT.
final roll call of short stories -
The Island of Voices - R L Stevenson
Man of the Night - Edgar Wallace
Major Wilbraham - Hugh Walpole
The Inexperienced Ghost - H G Wells
The Salt of the Earth - Rebecca West
A Tale of a Gas-Light Ghost - unknown.
The Confession of Charles Linkworth - E F Benson
The Moonlit Road - Ambrose Bierce
A Visitor From Down Under - L P Hartley
The Voice in the Night - W H Hodgson
His Brother's Keeper - W W Jacobs
Berenice - E A Poe
The Coat - A E D Smith
The Squaw - Bram Stoker
Presentiments - P C Wren
Really good collection; no duds. It dates from 1936, so is probably the oldest book I own. Think I found it on holiday in Scotland. Late 1980's. Doubt I paid more than a few pounds for it.
Have started Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs. A more recent ROOT.
64si
First ROOT in September finished: Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs. Total ROOTs now 17. Closing in on target of 20.
65si
18th ROOT:-
All The President's Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward.
I read this fairly quickly. Mainly so I could keep all the names, and there are a lot of names, reasonably clear in my mind. It's to Bernstein and Woodward's credit that the twists and turns of this extraordinary story are clearly told in minute detail while never being less than engrossing.
This book was written as the Watergate story was still unfolding (they published before Nixon stepped down) and concentrates on telling the central story from the reporter's experiences. So by the end my head was spinning not just at the scale of the scandal but with many, many questions.
All The President's Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward.
I read this fairly quickly. Mainly so I could keep all the names, and there are a lot of names, reasonably clear in my mind. It's to Bernstein and Woodward's credit that the twists and turns of this extraordinary story are clearly told in minute detail while never being less than engrossing.
This book was written as the Watergate story was still unfolding (they published before Nixon stepped down) and concentrates on telling the central story from the reporter's experiences. So by the end my head was spinning not just at the scale of the scandal but with many, many questions.
67si
19th ROOT:-
Sidney Chambers and The Perils of the Night by James Runcie
Cozy mystery series with a Church of England Vicar who spending most of his time solving crimes. This second book takes us into the 1960's.
Sidney Chambers and The Perils of the Night by James Runcie
Cozy mystery series with a Church of England Vicar who spending most of his time solving crimes. This second book takes us into the 1960's.
68si
20th ROOT:-
Chinatown by Robert Towne
I have reached my goal for the year of 20 ROOTs.
This book is the screenplay to the 1974 film which starred Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. It was free with 'Sight & Sound' (a monthly film magazine published by the BFI), way back in 1999.
Chinatown by Robert Towne
I have reached my goal for the year of 20 ROOTs.
This book is the screenplay to the 1974 film which starred Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. It was free with 'Sight & Sound' (a monthly film magazine published by the BFI), way back in 1999.
71si
21st ROOT -
Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym
Very enjoyable comic novel of English village life. Exceptionally well written. A first novel started in the late 1930's but not published until 1950. It lifted my mood every time I picked it up.
Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym
Very enjoyable comic novel of English village life. Exceptionally well written. A first novel started in the late 1930's but not published until 1950. It lifted my mood every time I picked it up.
72floremolla
>71 si: I just read some of the LTers reviews for this, and it does indeed sound lovely - wishlisted!
73si
22nd ROOT -
Licence Renewed by John Gardner
First ROOT for a while. A spy thriller I bought new; back in 1982. I like to plan ahead!
This is a book that has dated. It also take a long time, well over half it's length, before showing any signs of life.
One more tick against the list anyway.
I have a library book to read, but I'd like to add a couple more ROOTs before the end of the year. Time will tell.
>72 floremolla: I'd happy recommend Some Tame Gazelle if you can get hold of a copy. More Barbara Pym next year if I remember.
Licence Renewed by John Gardner
First ROOT for a while. A spy thriller I bought new; back in 1982. I like to plan ahead!
This is a book that has dated. It also take a long time, well over half it's length, before showing any signs of life.
One more tick against the list anyway.
I have a library book to read, but I'd like to add a couple more ROOTs before the end of the year. Time will tell.
>72 floremolla: I'd happy recommend Some Tame Gazelle if you can get hold of a copy. More Barbara Pym next year if I remember.
75si
>74 connie53: Thanks for the positive message.
I've DNF'd the library book and made a start on a ROOT.
I've DNF'd the library book and made a start on a ROOT.
76si
23rd ROOT:-
Finished For Special Services by John Gardner. Follow-up to Licence Renewed. Story involves man-eating snakes and mind-control ice-cream; and still manages to be tedious. Should of read this series when I first bought them. Oh well.
Sticking with a ROOT for next book.
(N.B. may need to edit this post to erasure this ill considered pledge)
Finished For Special Services by John Gardner. Follow-up to Licence Renewed. Story involves man-eating snakes and mind-control ice-cream; and still manages to be tedious. Should of read this series when I first bought them. Oh well.
Sticking with a ROOT for next book.
(N.B. may need to edit this post to erasure this ill considered pledge)
78si
Finished The Woman in Black. Very atmospheric ghost story.
We're snowed in at the moment. First really heavy snow for a few years.
Not just the book sending shivers down my spine!
ROOT total now at 24 for the year.
We're snowed in at the moment. First really heavy snow for a few years.
Not just the book sending shivers down my spine!
ROOT total now at 24 for the year.
79floremolla
Oh, very atmospheric, being snowed in with a ghost story! Snow expected the n central Scotland in the next few day so will need to find some suitable reading. :)
80si
2017 year-end wrap-up:-
See >17 si: for 2017 plan.
Well, very happy to have reached my target of 20 book, (final total 24).
I also cleared all the outstanding 'undated books' I've owned for literary longer than I can remember. Of the books from 1984 I have 4 still to read. Also failed almost completely to trace where the books originated. Something to work on next year perhaps.
ROOTs of the Year
Just for fun, my favourite ROOTs of the year were -
The Children's Bach
The Mammoth Book Of Thrillers, Ghosts & Mysteries
The Talented Mr Ripley
Some Tame Gazelle
The Werewolf of Paris
Merry Christmas everyone.
See >17 si: for 2017 plan.
Well, very happy to have reached my target of 20 book, (final total 24).
I also cleared all the outstanding 'undated books' I've owned for literary longer than I can remember. Of the books from 1984 I have 4 still to read. Also failed almost completely to trace where the books originated. Something to work on next year perhaps.
ROOTs of the Year
Just for fun, my favourite ROOTs of the year were -
The Children's Bach
The Mammoth Book Of Thrillers, Ghosts & Mysteries
The Talented Mr Ripley
Some Tame Gazelle
The Werewolf of Paris
Merry Christmas everyone.
81MissWatson
Merry Christmas to you, too!
83floremolla
Well done and Merry Christmas to you too!
