rosalita jumps a little higher in 2017: verse 4

It's Severe Weather Awareness Week here in Iowa, so I thought I'd kick off the April Showers portion of my thread with a dramatic photo of the area of the University of Iowa campus known as the Pentacrest because the five oldest campus buildings are located here.

The book-reading slump I fell into in the last two months of 2016 may be the way of the future, which is OK. I’m going to continue reading books of all sorts (fiction, nonfiction, mystery, history, science fiction/fantasy), maybe fewer but hopefully better. (Better does not mean Serious, or Literary, or any such thing. It just means, you know, Better.)

And because I do a lot of reading outside of books, I’m going to also “review” some of that as well, which just means I’m going to be dropping some links and comments to articles I come across that I find interesting, amusing, or thought-provoking. Perhaps you will, too! None of the non-book reading will count toward my 75-book total, of course.

About those stars:
My system for assigning star ratings to books has evolved over the years, but this chart comes the closest to describing what I consider when I rate a book.
Breathtaking. This book may not be perfect, but it was perfect for me.
Not quite perfect, but I will actively recommend this book to friends.
A really great book with minor flaws, still highly recommended.
Better than average but some flaws. Recommended.
Entertaining but probably forgettable, not worth re-reading. Recommended only for fans of the genre or author.
Readable but something about the story, characters or writing was not up to standards. Not recommended.
Finished but did not like, and would not recommend.
Some redeeming qualities made me finish it, but nothing to recommend.
Nearly no redeeming qualities. Really rather bad.
Could not finish, possibly destroyed by fire (unless it's a library book)

Life Is Full of Challenges
I always start the year with such lofty reading plans. So many fabulous challenges, so many fabulous books to slot into them! And then somewhere in the middle of the year, I fall off the challenge wagon. I stop planning my reads and just start reading by the seat of my pants. Which is fun, too, so no regrets.

And it might happen again this year, and that’s OK! But I’m going to list here the challenges that have caught my eye, in hopes that it will help me stay on track. I’ll add possibilities as I run across them, and I welcome suggestions from any and all of my visitors. Some of these are from this group, and some are from our friends over at the 2017 Category Challenge group.

75ers Nonfiction Challenge

• Jan - Prizewinners
  
  • The Fire Next Time (Baldwin)
• Feb - Voyages of Exploration
  
  • The Proving Ground (Knecht) (ROOT)
• Mar - Heroes and Villains
  
  • The Children (Halberstam) (ROOT)
• Apr - Hobbies, Pastimes and Passions
  
  • Can't Anybody Here Play This Game? (Breslin) (ROOT)
• May - History
  
• Jun - The Natural World
  
• Jul - Creators and Creativity
  
• Aug - I've Always Been Curious About ...
  
• Sep - Gods, Demons and Spirits
  
• Oct - The World We Live In: Current Affairs
  
• Nov - Science and Technology
  
• Dec - Out of Your Comfort Zone

American Authors Challenge

• Jan - Octavia Butler
  
  • Kindred
• Feb - Stewart O'Nan
  
• Mar - William Styron
  
  • Sophie's Choice (ROOT)
• Apr - Poetry
  
• May - Zora Neale Hurston
  
• Jun - Sherman Alexie
  
• Jul - James McBride
  
• Aug - Patricia Highsmith
  
• Sep - Short Stories
  
• Oct - Ann Patchett
  
• Nov - Russell Banks
  
• Dec - Ernest Hemingway

CATWoman

• Jan - Classics
  
  • Middlemarch
• Feb - Debut books
  
• Mar - Genres
  
  • Charity Girl (Heyer) (ROOT)
• Apr - Biography/autobiography/memoir
  
  • Eleanor and Hick
• May - Women in the arts
  
• Jun - Professional women
  
• Jul - Women of color
  
• Aug - Nonfiction or historical fiction
  
  • A Room With a View
• Sep - Children’s/YA/Graphic novels
  
• Oct - Regional reading
  
• Nov - LGBT/feminist writing
  
• Dec - Modern (post-1960) novels

CultureCAT

• Jan - Ethics in Science & Technology
  
  • Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Dick)
• Feb - Medicine & Public Health
  
  • Gulp! (Roach)
• Mar - Cultural Awareness & Diversity
  
  • The Children
• Apr - Religious Diversity & Freedom
  
• May - Gender Equality
  
• Jun - Environmentalism/Conservation (including global warming concerns)
  
  • Upstream (Oliver)
• Jul - Violence, Crime & Justice
  
• Aug - Impact of Natural disasters
  
• Sep - Journalism & the Arts
  
• Oct - Poverty
  
• Nov - Conflict & War (including terrorism)
  
• Dec - Cultural Flow & Immigration

AwardsCAT

• Jan - Year's Best lists and Costa Book Award
  
  • The Fireman (NPR Best of 2016) (Hill)
• Feb - Canada Reads competition and The Morning News Tournament of Books
  
• Mar - The Newbery and Caldecott medals and other Genre Awards (any genre prize not already featured)
  
• Apr - International Dublin Literary Award and the Pulitzer Prize
  
• May - Man Booker International Prize and the Edgar Awards
  
• Jun - The PEN Literary Awards and the National Book Award (USA)
  
  • Station Eleven
• Jul - Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and any Science Fiction/Fantasy award
  
• Aug - Miles Franklin Award and the Stonewall Book Award
  
• Sep - Man Booker Prize and O. Henry Award
  
• Oct - Nobel Prize for Literature and the Giller Prize
  
• Nov - Local Awards (a regional prize of your choice)
  
• Dec - International awards (a prize from a country you aren't living in)

Currently Reading

  

A new thread! I love the topper photo. And I love that your current reads are color coordinated!

Shiny new thread! And I hear gulp talks about the sad demise of Elvis among other things. She's got a knack for making the gross interesting.

Happy new thread Julia.

Happy new thread - that topper image is wonderfully dramatic.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread!

>3 rosalita: I've read and liked both of those. Looking forward to your comments.

Happy New Thread, Julia!

That is an eye-opener of a photo up top. Pretty, too, with the buildings and the yellow flowers.

Murder on the Orient Express is a major favorite of our daughter, and I'm not far behind her. Dame Agatha is always a good read.

Happy new thread, Julia. Enjoy your reading, whether it's books or something else!

Love the picture up top on your brand-spanking new thread!

Happy new thread, Julia. Ohh, a Mary Roach that looks very interesting ...

Happy New Thread, Julia!

Happy New Thread, Julia! Great topper - very dramatic! Re our discussion Charlotte's thread regarding Trixie Belden vs Nancy Drew, I couldn't remember what the dad's did for a living - I had to go look up Trixie Belden. It turns out Trixie Belden's dad worked for a bank - and I guess maybe they had a hobby farm? I confess I did not notice much about 'class' when I read children's books as a kid. Interesting topic! :)

Happy new thread, Julia!

Oooh, Murder on the Orient Express! That was my first introduction to Christie, in the form of my Book Fair purchase one year in junior high school. I've loved her ever since.

Happy new thread, Julia!

>4 cbl_tn: Thanks, Carrie! And the color-coordinated current reads was completely unintentional but they do look good together, don't they?

>5 cammykitty: Hi, Katie! Yes, I just read the section on Elvis and it was ... illuminating. Not something that came up on the tour of Graceland that I took!

>6 johnsimpson: Thanks, John.

>7 charl08: Isn't it beautiful? I wish I could claim credit for taking it but alas, it was one of the university's official photographers.

>8 drneutron: Thank you kindly, Jim.

Morning, Julia! Happy New Thread! Love the topper and yah, for "Severe Weather Awareness Week".

Are you planning on reading any poetry for the AAC?

>9 swynn: Thanks, Steve. I am enjoying both current reads so far. Now, writing up the reviews ... that's where I've been falling down on the job lately. Need to get it in gear!

>10 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! I love thunderstorms and that photo is just magical to me. This is my first time reading Murder on the Orient Express but I can see why it's a favorite of Becca's and yours. That woman sure knew how to write an intricate plot!

>11 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba! All reading is good, right?

>12 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! I love it, too.

>13 DeltaQueen50: It's very good, Judy! I just love her writing style so much.

>14 ronincats: Thanks for stopping in, Roni!

>15 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb — it's quite the photo, isn't it. And wow for doing the Trixie Belden homework. I don't really remember that at all, which I guess goes to show that our memories pick and choose and often remember impressions rather than specifics. And all this talk is making me want to go back and read the books again!

>16 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. I've been working through the Poirots in order, but I had slipped off track (ha! see what I did there?) for a while there. This is a great one to get back in line. I'd never read it and it is thoroughly capturing my imagination.

>18 rosalita: Thanks, Katie. And welcome home to you!

>19 msf59: Howdy, Mark! The last poetry project I tackled was Shakespeare's sonnets, and that was fabulous. I'm not sure I'll get to any for the challenge; it's not in my reading wheelhouse, so to speak, but you never know.

Maybe, you might pick up some ideas on the AAC thread. I hope to post it later today. So many collections, are quite slim.

Hey, I consider myself a new convert too.

Happy new one, Julia! Stunning topper!

Happy new thread, Julia! Beautiful thread topper, I love pictures with lightning.

>22 msf59: Maybe. I'm just not feeling it right now, to be honest. But we'll see.

>23 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda!

>24 FAMeulstee: They are majestic, aren't they, Anita?

Happy new thread, Julia. I love your topper.

>20 rosalita: indeed!!

21. Can't Anybody Here Play This Game? The Improbable Saga of the New York Mets' First Year by Jimmy Breslin.

Dedicated to the 922,530 brave souls who paid their way into the Polo Grounds in 1962. Never has so much misery loved so much company.

Right off the bat I knew I was in good hands with Mr. Breslin, as he recounts the historical ineptitude of the New York Mets in 1962, their first year of existence in the National League. The '62 Mets set a record for futility, losing 120 of the 160 games they played, that still stands. Of course, any expansion team is bound to struggle at first, but Breslin recounts — between one-liners — all the ways that the National League and its owners put their thumb on the scale to make sure the Mets were worse than bad. Greedy owners and collusion have always been with us in baseball, it seems.

I was born and spent the first 8 years of my life on Long Island (or Lawn Guyland, as the local accent renders it), so I came by my Mets fandom honestly, even though they are two years older than I am. I can still rattle off many names of players from the era, from Ed Kranepool (my favorite) to Marv Throneberry to Gil Hodges. They were terrible, but they were ours:

You see, the Mets are losers, just like nearly everybody else in life. This is a team for the cab driver who gets held up and the guy who loses out on a promotion because he didn't maneuver himself to lunch with the boss enough. It is the team for every guy who has to get out of bed in the morning and go to work for short money on a job he does not like. And it is the team for every woman who looks up ten years later and sees her husband eating dinner in a T-shirt and wonders how the hell she ever let this guy talk her into getting married.

In some ways, reading Jimmy Breslin on baseball is a lot like reading Roger Angell, another favorite of mine. Both have a keen eye and a gift for description that gives you a perfect picture. But while the writing of Angell (an editor at The New Yorker) wears a bespoke three-piece suit, Breslin's writing does its best work in shirtsleeves, with the collar unbuttoned and the tail half untucked.

(Congressman) Keating brought with him all the attributes of a great campaigner. An excellent right hand, for one thing. This is a man who can shake hands with a polar bear and the bear is going to let out the first yelp.

(William) Shea has dark hair, blue eyes, and the square jaw of a guy who would know how to punch back.

I don't know if Breslin ever wrote a sequel to Can't Anybody Here Play This Game? to detail the Mets' triumph in the 1969 World Series (just seven seasons removed from the utter haplessness he chronicles here. Imagine!). On the other hand, maybe it's better to quit while you're behind. Losers are a lot more interesting than winners.

Oh, I love Mary Roach and I hadn't heard of Gulp before. I shall definitely track that one down.

Julia, I had to chuckle about my " Trixie Belden " homework. I just could not resist :). I'm not sure if I want to re - read any of the books, but I'd like to have a peak at them and see how they impact me as an adult. But I have no idea what my mom did with the Trixie Belden etc - I think she passed them on to a friend's kids. Trixies Belden and perhaps Nancy Drew did not appeal to my mom's grandchildren - a bit out of date. And I had two sons - you know how boys are - they are going to read " boy's series".

Hi Julia. I see that you haven't yet chosen a book for that April CultureCAT. I'll be interested in what you select. ;-)

I hope you're doing well and having a great week.

Oh, and Happy New Thread!!

I've read almost all the Mary Roach popular science books and enjoyed them. My favorite was Stiff. Spook is still on Mount TBR.

Hi Julia--Happy new thread! I like your opening description: "I’m going to continue reading books of all sorts...maybe fewer but hopefully better. (Better does not mean Serious, or Literary, or any such thing. It just means, you know, Better.) Wishing you lots of great finds!

>1 rosalita: well, that got my attention!!

How is Gulp going? I have heard about this on someone's thread, you know the idea. Someone....him, it's on the tip of my tongue....

>29 lunacat: It's a good one, Jenny!

>30 vancouverdeb: It's a shame that the older books don't appeal anymore, but it's probably inevitable. And there are so many good books for young people nowadays, too, it's hard to be too sad. I still want to re-read them, though!

>31 EBT1002: There are so many possibilities, Ellen! I posted in the thread with some ideas; feel free to chime in with any suggestions you might have.

>32 Morphidae: I think Spook is the only one I haven't read yet, Morphy.

>33 Berly: Here's hoping, Kim!

>34 LovingLit: Well, Megan, after reading Gulp, if it's on the tip of your tongue I can tell you exactly where it goes from there!

Great review of the Breslin book, Julia! I have a soft spot for the Mets, as the first baseball game I ever went to was a Mets game (I think against the Cubs?), and 1986 was when I really got interested in baseball, thanks to their World Series run and win. I had a crush on Gary Carter :-)

I'm really a Yankees fan (3rd generation so I come by it honestly and not bandwagonly!) but hope to get to a game during a subway series sometime...

Miss you Julia! I've been AWOL and I don't know that I'll be around here a lot this next month either.

I will be posting some ideas over in the Leaphorn/Chee/Longmire thread. We will be finished this year and we had some suggestions last year for a new project. Let's see what ideas we can come up with.

I started The Trespasser by Tana French.

Will the middle of April be good for Barchester Towers? It's a lot longer than The Warden so I want to not feel rushed reading/listening to it.

>36 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! You never forget your first ... ;-)

>37 luvamystery65: You are very much missed as well, Miss Roberta! I'll peek in at the Longmire/Chee thread to see what's up. And mid-April sounds great for Barchester Towers. See you then, if not before!

>38 rosalita:

Ooooh! I shall be hovering over that...

>39 lyzard: Indeed you will — Ro and I both have your tutored read thread from the 2012 group starred and ready to consult. Even better if we can pick your brain in "real time" as well!

>28 rosalita: I am definitely going to have to look for that one. Thanks for the recommendation, Julia!

>41 alcottacre: You're welcome, Stasia. It's short and funny.

22. Gulp: Adventures on the alimentary canal by Mary Roach.

I've been reading Mary Roach's writing for such a long time. Before she ever wrote a book, she was a talented and prolific magazine writer. Every month when I got my copy of Hippocrates magazine (what can I say? I was a weird kid in high school) I would check the table of contents to see if Mary had an article in the issue. She never disappointed, and I vacillated between wanting to be Mary Roach and wanting to be Frank Deford when I grew up, with the occasional flirtation with being Jeanne Marie Laskas.

Gulp contains all the fascinating science and irreverent humor that Roach readers have come to know and love. The topic in question being the digestive system from nose to tail (literally), it is perhaps not for the squeamish. If you're not interested in the journey that food takes on its way from one end of you to the other, this may not be the book for you. Unless, of course, you care less about the subject and like to revel in thoroughly researched, intelligent, and witty writing that takes neither itself nor its subject too seriously.

Also, if you are a fan of Elvis, as I am/was, you will find the chapter detailing the likely cause of his death to be mind-boggling. Let's just say they never mentioned any of this on the Graceland tour!

I need to listen to Gulp again. We had it as a car trip audio a couple of years ago, and I fell asleep and missed a big chunk of it....

Her latest - Grunt - was pretty good, too. My favorite remains my first - Stiff.

>44 katiekrug: Well, big chunks is what it's all about, more or less. :-)

I still have several unread Roaches to look forward to, including Grunt. I think Stiff is my fave also, although I did enjoy Packing for Mars a lot, too.

You got me, Julia. Adding Gulp to the WL.

>46 jnwelch: Yes!

I love Roach. My favorite is Bonk, which is hilarious. Our book group read it, and I don't think I've ever laughed as hard.

I loved Stiff. I need to read Gulp.

Hi, Julia. Good review of Gulp. I had a good time with it too. I loved Stiff but Packing For Mars remains my favorite.

I NEED to get to Grunt. I have had it saved on audio, since it came out.

I am late to wish you happy on your newest thread, Julia. I have not read any Mary Roach - where should I start?

>48 BLBera: Bonk is another one I need to get to, Beth. I haven't been able to find it at the library here so I may have to suck it up and buy it.

>49 luvamystery65: You being a nurse, Roberta, you might be more familiar with the medical aspects that she talks about, but she is so darned funny I'm sure you'd enjoy it anyway.

>50 msf59: Mars was so good, Mark. I hope you're able to get to Grunt soon! Nice to know you have it waiting in the wings.

>51 Crazymamie: Oh gosh, I really think you will love Roach, Mamie! My favorite was Stiff, which is about what happens to human bodies after we die. Not so much in the decomposing sense but in the uses we put bodies to. It sounds horribly morbid, but it's both funny and rather touching.

I would also recommend Packing for Mars if Stiff seems a bit much to start with. I learned a lot about the history and theoretical future of space travel. And laughed a lot, which is a given with Mary Roach.

I still haven't read any of Roach's stuff. Yoicks. I need to fix that.

>53 scaifea: You do, Amber! I'm afraid I'm going to insist on it. :-)

>43 rosalita: I read Gulp back in 2013 and remember the Elvis stuff like it was yesterday. Not very forgettable.

I need to get to the rest of the Roach oeuvre.

>55 swynn: remember the Elvis stuff like it was yesterday

I know, right?! Morbidly fascinating, and I feel so bad for his poor dear mother.

You should definitely read more Roach.

It looks like I have a copy of Bonk, Julia. If I can find it, I'll be happy to send it your way. PM me your address. Off to look for it.

>57 BLBera: How kind! Hang on to it for now, in case I'm able to make your May meet-up (assuming it's still on).

23. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.

How often does a book or movie that has become a cultural touchstone over the years actually live up to the hype once you have a chance to read or watch it? Not very often, it seems, but this classic Agatha Christie whodunit did all that and more for me.

I don't remember when I became familiar with the existence and the idea of Murder on the Orient Express It feels like I've known it my whole life, but surely there must have been a few years there at the beginning when the little Belgian detective with the egg-shaped head and the funny moustaches had not entered my consciousness. Certainly, Christie's novel has taken such hold of the cultural zeitgeist that there have been homages of the literary (The Woman on the Orient Express, All Quiet on the Orient Express), cinematic (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the Orient Express), musical (Swingin' on the Orient Express) and theatrical ('Mozart's "Abduction" on the Orient Express').

But for all of my familiarity with the concept of Christie's masterwork, I knew very little about the particulars. I knew there was a murder (well, duh, it's in the title) but I didn't know either whodunit or who was dun. And that fact kept me reading long past my bedtime two nights in a row until I finally got through the denouement and sighed with happy satisfaction. It might be an exaggeration to say Dame Christie never disappoints (I've not yet worked my way through her entire oeuvre) but she certainly doesn't here.

I owe you all one more review, but in the meantime let me distract you with something shiny ...

Currently Reading

  

The film version of Murder on the Orient Express from the 1970s is fun, Julia! It was my introduction to Agatha Christie when I was a kid...

I've seen at least two cinematic productions of Murder on the Orient Express, but though a copy of the book is in the house, I have not read it.

Currently suppressing an urge to read Faulkner.

>61 katiekrug: I haven't seen that either, Katie. I just searched Netflix but it's only available on DVD not streaming, and Amazon Prime Video doesn't have it, either. Boo-hoo!

>62 weird_O: Because Christie's plots are so often the star (for me), I wonder if having seen the movie (twice, no less) would ruin the book for you, Bill?

>60 rosalita: Ooh, shiny new books!

What were you saying about reviews? I got distracted:-)

>64 charl08: :-D

Sounds like a plan, Julia. That gives me a month to find it. I wonder if I gave it away and just didn't record it? Yes, I think Steve said the Saturday, May 28? works for him. I'll look at the dates to make sure and let you know.

Hi, Julia! I can't believe the Meet-Up is fast-approaching. B.A.G.

How is High Dive? I remember hearing some buzz on that one, when it came out.

BTW- You might like The Stranger in the Woods. Just sayin'...

>58 rosalita: Oh, and I did end up cleaning my office today as I looked for the book. Silver lining.

Hi, Julia. Yay for Murder on the Orient Express!

>66 BLBera: >68 BLBera: Well, I'm glad I could help you with that office-cleaning task, at least. :-) My desk at work is in desperate need of a good clearoff but I have not had time to do it. Maybe next week ....

>67 msf59: I'm looking forward to the meet-up, Mark! I'm going to come up on Friday afternoon and stay overnight Friday and Saturday just to make it more of an adventure. :-) Please tell me you haven't heard any horror stories about the Mariott Suites Downers Grove!

>69 jnwelch: I love when things that get a lot of hype live up to the hype, Joe! It doesn't happen that often for me, but Dame Agatha delivered in spades. I'm so glad I decided to do this chronological read of all the Poirot books.

>67 msf59: I just realized I didn't answer your question about High Dive. It's too early to tell but I think I'm going to like it a lot. Funny story: When I got the email from the library saying that I had gotten to the top of the holds list for it, I could no longer remember having put it on hold or why! I think I've worked out that I read about it in the Tournament of Books coverage, but it's possible I read about it in someone's thread here on LT. I really need to start taking notes on where I get my recommendations!

>43 rosalita: I vacillated between wanting to be Mary Roach and wanting to be Frank Deford when I grew up, with the occasional flirtation with being Jeanne Marie Laskas.
Lol, I still do that. Although now I flip between wanting to be them, and wanting to be their best friend.

>59 rosalita: I have been saying for years that I need to read Agatha Christie, but this time I really mean it (Really.) Maybe then I could see the film too!!! Actually, I have book club in a few weeks, I might see if we can make the theme either Agatha or Ngaio Marsh. (see how much I mean it? I already swapped out Agatha for another author!!)

>72 LovingLit: Of course it goes without saying (as I careen headlong into oblivion) that I now want to be them at the age they were when I first discovered them. If only wishing made it so. :-)

Have you not read any Christie? Because, you seriously need to do that! Now, Liz would tell you that you need to read series books in order, but I'm not sure that's really necessary with Poirot, with a few exceptions. This one, in particular, could be read as a standalone quite easily, I think. Shhh, don't tell her I said that.

>70 rosalita: No horror stories, about the Mariott Suites. You should be fine there and I am glad you are staying a couple of days. You should only be about 20 minutes or so from my place.

>74 msf59: I'm glad I'm staying, too. While it's certainly doable to drive up and back the same day, I decided I deserve a little mini-vacation so why not take it easy and enjoy myself?

>43 rosalita: I really enjoyed Gulp when I read it about a year ago. Looks like I should give Bonk a try as well.

>73 rosalita:

You WHAT!!!???

:D

I would respectfully disagree about "in order". (I know: BIG surprise!) There are often spoilers for the earlier books in the series, and conversely jokes you'll only get if you've read the previous books.

>76 SandDune: After Beth's sterling recommendation, I am also anxious to get to Bonk, Rhian.

>77 lyzard: Sheesh — you weren't supposed to peek beneath the spoiler tag, Liz!!

I do take your point about reading series in order and I almost always agree with you — heck, I am reading them in order! All I'm saying is that this particular book does not (at least as far as I can tell) contain any spoilers for earlier books, and it is so magnificent that it could hook a reader into wanting to be a Poirot completist. I'm just trying to drum up more devotees for Dame Agatha. :-)

Oh, WOOT for Murder on the Orient Express!! I love it, too.

And woot for the mini-vacation - we're taking one, too, because Charlie has Friday off, so we'll be heading over then and spending the night. There's a Marriott in Schaumburg that we really like.

Also, I agree with Liz about reading Christie in order, but mostly just because *all* things should be read in order. All. The. Things. In. Order.

>79 scaifea:

All. The. Things. In. Order.

Sister!

>80 lyzard: *raises hands in solidarity*

Can a guy join in with the solidarity? Order. All must be in order.

Julia - I confess, I don't always read things in order.

>79 scaifea: >80 lyzard: >81 scaifea: >82 drneutron: Oh, piffle. Some things should be read in order, certainly, but not all suffer from being read non-chronologically. Much more sensible to be thoughtful about knowing the difference than adhering to an inflexible position, imho.

>83 BLBera: Thank heavens, Beth! While I often choose to read series in order myself, it's not the end of civilization as we know it if people choose not to. And frankly, there are plenty of series and authors that were not brilliant from the beginning, and if people were forced to start at Book 1, the quality of those first few books would dissuade them from ever continuing, and they would miss out on some great stuff.

Sometimes I pick up a book that sounds good and realize while reading it that it's part of a series. I usually don't feel compelled to go back to the beginning. And you're right about some series starting off slowly.

>84 rosalita: - I tend to agree with you. Reading things out of order never bothered me much until I joined LT and then I thought I was a terrible person/reader ;-) Now I try to remember that I lived for over 30 years perfectly happily without rigid reading rules - but I still find myself thinking I have to start at the beginning... *sigh*

I actually came over here because I saw this:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Roger-Angell-Baseball-Collection-ebook/dp/B00GH2G9DW/...

and thought of you, and thought maybe the same deal was available for non-Kindle readers... Though maybe you already have all three!

>86 katiekrug: Sometimes I will read a series book from the middle because I didn't realize it was a series. But if I like the book enough to continue with the series, I do go back to the beginning.

And hooray, another vote for sanity! And thank you so much for the Angell tip! As it happens, I do already have all three of those. :-) Although according to my LT catalog it looks like I haven't read Five Seasons yet, so maybe that will be my spring training book next year. If you're thinking of picking it up for yourself, I highly recommend him as you know.

Thanks again for the Heyer tips, Julia. You're going to have a great time with the Poirot books in chronological order. What a fun reading project.

>88 jnwelch: You are so welcome! I hope I didn't overwhelm you with information — I was a little disconcerted to see how long it ended up being!

Y'all, I have been falling down on the job with providing you with choice Clickbait, and my Pocket account is overflowing. So here's some food for thought and hopefully discussion:


* Price and Racial Prejudice: Why the Far Right Loves Jane Austen — This whole article is just gross, but this quote in particular made me throw up a little in my mouth: "If traditional marriage à la P&P Pride and Prejudice is going to be imposed, again, in an ethnostate, we must behave like gentlemen." (via The Guardian)

* Why Do Tennis Players Wear White at Wimbledon? — It's all about the sweat, people! When it comes to stuff like this, Wimbledon unfortunately reminds me of The Masters golf tournament, which is happening this week and which prides itself on maintaining all those Old South traditions — like pimento cheese sandwiches and oh yes, refusing to admit blacks and women as members until past the turn of the (21st) century. (via Britannica Encyclopedia)

* OK, so I inadvertently veered off into a gross tangent with those two. Let's cleanse the palate. What Lives Behind Language: Rosanne Cash on Songwriting — Rosanne Cash, daughter of Johnny, is one of my favorite artists. This story is a sort of musing review of her autobiography, Composed, and I can attest that it is an fantastic book, even if you are not familiar with all of her music. She is a magnificent writer, whether of songs or essays.

>89 rosalita: Not at all! It was perfect - just what I needed as guide to reading more Heyer. So good of you to take the time.

P.S. I just picked up The Nonesuch. :-)

>91 jnwelch: I will look forward to reading your thoughts on The Nonesuch, Joe!

I should clarify my position: I'm perfectly fine with others reading things out of order - you do you. As for me, I can't possibly read things in anything by chronological order, and I'm absolutely content with those restrictions in my life.

Happy Sunday, Julia!

Hola amiga!

I am another Roach fan. I have several waiting in the TBR Tower, including Bonk and Gulp. I'll get to them someday.

Happy Monday!!

Morning, Julia! Hope you had a nice weekend and I hope the work week goes quickly and smoothly. There is a rainbow at the end of it...grins.

>93 scaifea: I think that's where we agree, Amber — I have my own preferences for my own reads but I don't like to discourage others from possibly missing out on a good book simply because they haven't read the 10 or 15 that came before it.

>94 luvamystery65: Hola, Roberta! Que pasa?

>95 Berly: Someday, someday ... we all know the words to that song, Kim!

>96 msf59: I'm only working Monday and Tuesday this week, Mark, and I think I can make it through without getting into too much trouble. And yes, the end of the rainbow seems to be resting in Chicagoland!

Happy Monday, Julia!

I went to add Gulp to the Black Hole only to discover that it was already there. Guess that means I should move it up!

>98 alcottacre: I think that is a definite sign from somewhere, Stasia! Read it soon if you can. :-)

24. In the Balance by Patricia Wentworth.

The fourth entry in the Miss Silver series of ... what? mysteries? thrillers? romances? all of the above? ... finds Miss Silver unusually in the picture from the opening page. She's on a train, where she receives a desperate confession from a beautiful young woman who overheard some gossipy women claiming that her newlywed husband did away with his first wife to claim her fortune, and is planning to do away with her, too, for the same reason. Despite Miss Silver telling the young woman that she is a detective, the woman does not enlist her help. Ever. Even after multiple additional attempts on her life. At which point, I metaphorically threw up my hands and muttered, "Let her die, then!"

Well, not really. But really, this is the second book already in this series where a woman's family is plotting to kill her and she refuses to raise a finger to help herself. I'm sure Liz can offer some astute commentary about woman's place at the time and so on, but it grated on this reader, anyway, despite many otherwise pleasing elements. Chief among those has to be the setting, a large country estate more or less on the edge of a seaside cliff. It sounded gorgeous and I want to take my vacation there right now. Or at least once the murderers have been swept up and put out with the trash.

I also thought there was less romance in this one than the three I've read so far, even taking into account the multiple murder attempts. These comments might lead you to believe that I didn't like it, but that's not quite true. I didn't love it, but I enjoy Wentworth's writing. Although I wonder what possessed her to conceive of Maud Silver as a series character, given that she has so little to do in each book, as compared with other literary detectives. Anyway, on to the next!

25. Eleanor and Hick: The love affair that shaped a first lady by Susan Quinn.

Eleanor in this context being of course Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of Franklin and niece of Theodore. And Hick being less obviously Lorena Hickok, a respected reporter for the Associated Press who fell in love with Eleanor while writing a series of articles about her just before FDR's first presidential election victory. And Eleanor, it seems, loved Hick back, although such a love affair was destined to be thwarted by the individual circumstances of their lives.

Much of the author's evidence for the love affair between Eleanor and Hick is drawn from an archive of letters exchanged between them. The letters were donated by Hick to the FDR Library, with the proviso that they not be made available until after she died (Eleanor had died several years earlier). I appreciated that Quinn was careful not to draw unsupported conclusions about whether their love affair was physically consummated — there simply is no evidence to tell us either way. But it seems clear that the two women at the very least shared an extremely deep emotional bond and attachment that lasted the rest of their lives, even though it didn't always make them happy. Hick, in particular, comes across as someone who wanted much more than Eleanor was able to give her, and suffered jealously whenever the First Lady spent time with other close friends than her.

Apart from the personal relationship between Eleanor and Hick, time and again I was struck by the ways that times were different in the 1930s and 1940s. The Roosevelts seem to have treated the White House as their personal Howard Johnson Motor Lodge, with any number of people actually living in the White House with them for months or years at a time — close friends, extended family, pets of friends and family. And the press, including Hick, were privy to many personal details about the marriage and family life of FDR and Eleanor that would doubtless have created scandal, and tacitly agreed not to write about them. Bill Clinton must weep a bitter tear and then toss back some whiskey whenever he thinks about that.

I've been meaning to read a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt for some time, and I learned a lot to admire about her here even beyond what I already knew. Quinn is clear-eyed about the personal faults in Hick, Eleanor, FDR, and their children, all of whom suffered to varying degrees from the stifling attention of being in the close orbit of a beloved President. I'd still like to read a more comprehensive biography of this remarkable woman sometime, but this was a good place to start.

>101 rosalita: Nice review, Julia. I've been thinking about getting Eleanor and Hick on Audible but I've read several biographies about Eleanor, or that included her, so I don't know if it will be worth it. Eleanor is, however, a heroine of mine so I'm always tempted to read about her.

>102 RebaRelishesReading: Well, Beth, I guess it would depend on whether the other biographies that you've read explored her relationship with Hickok in any depth. That would probably be the main draw for someone whose already very familiar with ER's life. I will say it's pretty well-written, although there are some spots where she mentions something she's already mentioned as if it were coming up for the first time, which is always a little weird. I think it's a function of writing in chunks and rearranging them and forgetting which bits are in which order — at least that's my excuse for when that happens in my own writing!

Can you recommend a good Eleanor biography? The bibliography for this one mentioned a two-volume bio by someone whose name is escaping me at the moment, but I wondered if there were others.

>100 rosalita:

Valid criticisms, Julia. I agreed with you while reading, but it did occur to me afterwards that the story actually unfolds over a very limited period of time, only about five days, so on that basis I was prepared to cut Lisle a little slack on that account: she really doesn't get a chance to get over the various shocks. The limited Maud can be chalked up to the same thing, but I agree that was a letdown after her actually being introduced in the opening scene.

>104 lyzard: Good point about the short stretch of time, Liz. It certainly seemed longer. :-) Also, upon consideration this was a good example of why binge-reading series isn't always a great idea; I likely wouldn't have balked so much at the "another woman whose family is trying to kill her for money" if I had spread the books out at the pace at which they were originally published.

That's one of the reasons we said two months in the first place, though of course not all of the Miss Silvers are of this genre.

>101 rosalita: Another one to add to the Black Hole. Thank you for the recommendation, Julia!

>106 lyzard: Oh, was that why? I thought it was because you are completely out of control with the number of series, lists and challenges that you undertake! :-)

But it's a good point and one I will try to keep in mind when we have this same discussion again next month. :-D

>103 rosalita: The ones I have read and still own are: The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt and The Roosevelt Women by Betty Boyd Caroli. I've read some others over the years but can't tell you the names any more.

>109 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks for that! I think the one mentioned in this book was by Blanche Wiesen Cook — it's a three-volume biography which could other be too much or just enough. :-)

While not specifically about Eleanor, I found Franklin and Lucy to be an interesting book about the Roosevelt's personal lives.

>111 Oberon: Thanks, Erik. I'll look for that one at the library. Eleanor and Hick dealt only peripherally with the FDR/Lucy Mercer affair, but it made me want to learn more.

>108 rosalita:

Well, that too. Obviously. :D

>113 lyzard: Obviously!

Wishing you a very Happy Easter.

I started Barchester Towers today. Since I know some of the players and the high church, low church low down, I am enjoying it right away. Thanks to Liz for that!

>73 rosalita: You so got busted. And I didn't even tell!! (>77 lyzard:)

>78 rosalita: I'm just trying to drum up more devotees for Dame Agatha.
Good point - surely you get clemency for that!?

All the things in order is a maxim to live by, for sure. One I would usually abide by........I sense I am digging myself a hole here...I might have to just leave it at that. Oh- look at that lovely thing over there! *rushes off*

>117 LovingLit:

Not your fault: I'm as atmospherically sensitive to people doing things out of order as Julia is to the appearance around the threads of sloths! :D

>116 luvamystery65:

Ooooh! I hope you continue to enjoy it, Roberta!

I was so excited to see you yesterday - and it was just as fabulous as I knew it would be! Woot for meet-ups! I can't wait for ours this summer!!

Happy Easter, Julia!

Wonderful to see you yesterday. Thanks for making the long trip. What a fun time!

I forgot to ask you - would you mind if I posted your "Guide to Heyer" over on my thread? I think it's really helpful.

Julia--You are another person who was at the meet-up and I get to be jealous of!! LOL. Happy Sunday.

Happy Easter, Julia!

Yay for meetups! Yesterday's massive meetup at Mark's looks like it was fabulous fun!

Hope you are having a lovely Easter!

Happy Easter Julia! I hope your weekend has been lovely.

It was great to meet you yesterday, Julia!

Happy Sunday, Julia! Great to see you again at the Meet-Up. It looks like everyone had a good time. I would have had no problem, if it would have extended a couple more hours.

I hope you had a safe trip home.

No one here will be surprised to hear that the Chicago LT Meet-Up was fabulous. It was great to see Mark, Joe, and Amber again, and to meet Becca, Kathy, Judy, Jim, and Nancy for the first and hopefully not last time. Mark's wife Sue is so delightful you'd swear she was an LTer. :-) And of course Riley the Wonder Dog was adorable.

I drove up Friday and came home yesterday afternoon, so it was a great little mini-vacation for me even outside the meet-up. Lots of reading and relaxing happened, and there's nothing better than coming home from vacation on a Sunday and realizing you still have two more days off work. Bliss!

ETA: You'll find photos from the meet-up on Joe's and Mark's thread. What a troop of reading raconteurs we are!

>116 luvamystery65: Ooh, I'd better get cracking, then! I don't want to fall behind.

>117 LovingLit: I knew Liz would not be able to resist clicking the spoiler tag! You are always welcome around these parts, Megan, no matter how much trouble you get me in with Liz. ;-)

>118 lyzard: We do seem to have an instinct for things, don't we?

>119 scaifea: It was great to see you, too, Amber — and I'm looking forward to getting some more good chat in this summer!

>120 jnwelch: It was delightful to see you, Joe, and thanks for bringing Sherlock's mom with you. She's pretty terrific herownself.

I don't mind if you post the Heyer Guide, Joe. I was thinking that I would make it more complete by adding in the books you've already read before I posted it here, since I left those out of the roundup I did for you.

>121 Berly: One of these days, Kim, we will be in the same place at the same time, and it will be wonderful!

>123 Storeetllr: The meet-up was wonderful, Mary! Mark mentioned how much he wanted to meet the Colorado LTers, and I confirmed that you all are a big basket of fun yourselves.

>125 ffortsa: I loved getting the chance to meet you, Judy, and Jim as well. It was fantastic that you came out to Chicago, which I hear has its own charms besides being the home of some nifty LTers!

>126 msf59: The time just flew by, Mark! Thank you so much to you and Sue for being such fabulous hosts and making everyone feel welcome. I could have stayed and chatted all night, but that definitely would have been trying your patience!

Great that you are having a little vacation, Julia. Steve is still planning on the marathon on May 28 and suggested that May 27 would work as a meet up day for him. Interested?

>128 rosalita: You know, you're right, Julia. I realized your Heyer guide didn't have the ones I had read. I'll happily wait for your new, improved version.

Hi Julia, it was nice to see you again on Saturday.

The last time we had our meet up, I think it was the spring after the Bruce Springsteen concerts at Wrigley Field, so that might give us an idea of when that was.

Aha, Bruce was at Wrigley in Sept of 2012, so our previous meet up at Mark's was probably April of 2013, or so.

>129 BLBera: I think May 27 should work beautifully, Beth. I'll go ahead and pencil it in, with details to come.

>130 jnwelch: You've given me a great incentive to actually finish it, Joe!

>131 lindapanzo: It was great to see you again, too, Linda! It was definitely after Springsteen because I remember talking about the concerts at the meet-up.

ETA: I just looked up my old profile messages from Mark and it looks like it was 2014, as that's when he sent me his address. I hope we don't wait another 3 years to get together again.

Great, Julia. If you think of others who would be interested, spread the word.

>133 BLBera: I haven't seen Amy around lately, either in person or here on LT, but I'll reach out to her and see if she's free. I know her boys keep her on the go pretty much full time but I'll let her know it's happening.

Sounds good. I can PM her as well.

I'm so joyously jealous of your meet-up! I'm very happy that you all got together like that!

Murder on the Orient Express is the only Poirot I've read (or rather listened to). And I haven't read any Miss Marble (yet). What's up with me? I loved And Then There Were None!

>136 Copperskye: It was a great meet-up, Joanne! And as I mentioned to Mary above, the Colorado contingent was mentioned — Mark especially wants to meet you all someday. Of course I told them how much fun you all are. :-)

Just thought I'd let you know that you and Joe inter-warbling about Heyer has finally pushed me over the edge - I've just printed off her page from fantasticfiction...

Happy Tuesday, Julia! I hope we can meet up in Joplin this year, since both of us missed the trip last year!

>138 scaifea: Woo-hoo! I am just about to post my Definitive Guide To Heyer's Romances, so the timing is perfect!

>139 alcottacre: I was so disappointed to miss Joplin last year, Stasia. I am definitely planning on it this year, and will do my best not to get sick on the day I need to drive 7 hours!

A few weeks ago, Joe asked me to recommend some Georgette Heyer novels that he hadn't yet read. He was probably looking for a simple list, but surprise! I got a little carried away and sent him what must have been the longest PM in the history of LibraryThing, listing every Heyer romance he had not yet read and providing a brief summary of each.

He suggested I might want to post it here as a guide to anyone else wanting to sample the Heyer oeuvre, so I've gone back and added in the books Joe had already read to make it a complete list and present it here. For Joe as well as here, they are grouped in alphabetical order by the star rating I gave them.

With no further ado, The List:


* Black Sheep has everything a great Heyer novel needs: A feisty, independent heroine; a well-dressed, well-born hero who has no time for the insipid niceties of society’s norms; an older, well-meaning but scatterbrained woman to remind us what those societal norms were; a young naïve girl whose beauty has men swarming; and a handsome, charming fortune-hunter with an eye for young naïve beauties. The sparky dialogue between Abigail and Miles might remind you of Bacall and Bogart.

* A Civil Contract is notable for being very different from the usual Heyer formula, in large part because it doesn't end at the altar but rather begins there. A marriage of convenience between a handsome but penniless young aristocrat and a rich but plain commoner goes through some of the most realistic bumps and bruises that Heyer ever wrote. It seems people either love or hate this one for its genre-busting elements.

* Cotillion might be the laugh-out-loud funniest Heyer romance. Young Kitty rebels against her rich guardian’s demand that she marry one of his nephews or be turned out without a pence in her pocket, and contrives the most ridiculous scheme you could ever hope to read about to make sure she ends up snaring the one nephew she can stand. Her partner in crime is a goofball named Freddy, who defies every stereotype of a Heyer hero to great effect.

* Frederica was the Heyer that hooked me for good, after a positive experience with The Grand Sophy. Frederica’s complications include a heroine with two younger brothers with a penchant for getting into trouble, and a hero with two older sisters who seethe at his refusal to lift a finger to help their own children become established in society even as he involves himself in Frederica’s family tangles. Delightful.

* The Nonesuch sets an aristocrat down in the midst of landed gentry and other lesser beings, with amusing results. I also applied two of my quirkiest tags that might give you a hint: "cool dudes named Waldo" and "insufferable girls named Tiffany". Its country setting, away from London or Bath, gives it a fresher feeling than some others that focus exclusively on The Season.

* The heroine in Venetia is another of those independent women whose focus isn’t on marriage until she meets a dissolute rake whose past hides a scandalous secret. Some people say Venetia is too modern to be believable, but I love her and also her interactions with Jasper, which are less sparky and more intimate than the usual Heyer pairing.

* I think I liked Bath Tangle more than most people, so take that into consideration. The heroine is a spitfire and her romantic foil is one of those ungentlemanly gentlemen that Heyer wrote so well. One of the tags I put on this one is "romantic quadrangles" which certainly sounds intriguing, doesn't it?

* My first Heyer, on recommendation from Liz, was The Grand Sophy and it’s an excellent introduction to the usual Heyer tropes. Sophy is, of course, unconventional, set down amidst a family of stuffy people who need to be shaken up just a bit, which she does with a vengeance.

* It’s appropriate that Sylvester is the only Heyer Regency with a subtitle, Or The Wicked Uncle, since a major plot point is a book written by the heroine with that title. Some of the tags I put on this one include "runaway women", "anonymous novelists", "kidnapping", "dogs", and "precocious children". Another one with its fair share of adventure in the big finish. It's rollicking good fun.

* These Old Shades is different in several ways. Most prominently, it’s set in the Georgian rather than Regency period, and largely in Paris rather than England. The hero is not very appealing, especially at first, and the several “mysteries” at the heart of the book just aren’t very mysterious. This one earned a fourth star strictly for the character of Leonie, a most unusual Heyer heroine who I enjoyed very much.

* The Unknown Ajax has a very unusual hero for Heyer and some plotting that dances along the line between romance and adventure. It’s also subversively funny in the way it mocks the classist assumptions of the English gentry. I liked this one even better when I read it the second time.

* Like The Unknown Ajax and Sylvester, The Tollgate also walks a fine line between romance and adventure. It has a completely unique set-up and is mostly told from the hero's POV. I liked it both because it was different and because it was very funny. As a bonus, the adventurous plotline wasn't completely ridiculous.

All of these were rated by me, with a selection of the tags I used for each:
* Arabella — spunky girls, mistaken identity
* Charity Girl — mistreated relatives, romances where the hero and heroine don’t end up together
* Cousin Kate — intrigue, madness, shifty relatives
* Devil’s Cub — sequel to These Old Shades
* Regency Buck — wards and guardians, troublesome brothers, relatives who aren’t what they seem
* Sprig Muslin — runaways, marriages of convenience, precocious children
* The Corinthian — cross dressing, marriages of convenience
* April Lady — marriages of convenience (hmm, a pattern?), gambling, troublesome sisters
* The Convenient Marriage — Georgian, marriages of convenience (yep, definitely a pattern), gambling, wives who misbehave
* The Quiet Gentleman — more mystery than romance, attempted murder

And just to round it out, the reads in no particular order:
* An Infamous Army — this one got a star deducted for pages and pages of battle scenes at Waterloo, but if that’s your thing move this one higher.
* Faro's Daughter
* The Foundling
* Friday’s Child
* The Talisman Ring
* The Reluctant Widow
* Beauvallet
* The Masqueraders
* False Colours
* Powder and Patch
* Pistols for Two And Other Stories — an uneven collection of shorts

WOW! Your Heyer guide is great, Julia - thanks for sharing it!

Is that tag for Charity Girl a spoiler? Heh.

I read The Grand Sophy when I was around 13 or so and very into romances of the bodice-ripping variety and found it boring. I have a feeling I need to re-visit it now that I am older and wiser...

Since joining LT, I've read A Civil Contract (I'm in the like it camp), These Old Shades (meh), and Cotillion (fun!). I have a butt-load (technical term) more on my Kindle, and I'm thinking maybe May will see me get back to Heyer.

>144 katiekrug: Well, Katie, when you're right, you're right — I put the tag behind a spoiler shield. :-)

I have a fondness for The Grand Sophy because it was my first (you never forget your first). It's a good introduction because there isn't quite as much Regency slang flying around to lose a newbie, but I admit it does not have quite the sparkle that say, Frederica or Cotillion has.

>141 rosalita:, >142 rosalita:, >143 rosalita: Love it, Julia! Copied and kept.

I'm sure at the prodding of you and Liz, The Grand Sophy was the first one I read. So great. I agree, it's a perfect intro to her books. I tell people to bear with it until Sophy appears on the scene. I could see some folks wondering what they were getting into, but once she shows up, there's no putting it down.

Heh, The Grand Sophy wasn't my first Heyer, but it was one of the first 3 and the one that cemented my love for her romances. I think Black Sheep or These Old Shades was my first - I'd have to search my reading lists for the last 10 years to be sure - but both are excellent! I agree that Frederica, Cotillion and Venetia are pretty wonderful.

>146 jnwelch: I had forgotten about that but you're right, Joe. Sophy takes a while to enter stage right, doesn't she?

>147 Storeetllr: I'm glad I didn't read These Old Shades first. I just don't like the Georgian era ones as much as the Regencies.

26. Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer.

While I was putting together my Heyer Guide for Joe (see >141 rosalita: for details), I realized that there was one Heyer book that I owned but had never read. How on earth did that happen?! As soon as I finished the book I was reading at the time, I slipped this one in.

And ... it's fine. It has some familiar Heyer touches — the humor, the slang, the lavish descriptions of fashion and vehicles. Anthony Sherringham, rather than being Heyer's typical self-assured older man with a history, is fairly young himself, just 25 years old, and dreadfully immature. So when he decides to marry the local orphan (even younger and more immature) in a fit of pique, they both have some growing up to do.

Like A Civil Contract, this is one of the few Heyers that explores what happens after the wedding, and in that respect it's interesting. But the two main characters are so childish and foolish that it didn't really resonate with me. They aren't unlikable, just silly. Two supporting characters, Sherry's friends Gil and Ferdy, are more well-rounded and eventually play a big part in helping the young couple find their way.

27. High Dive by Jonathan Lee.

The time period 1978-1984 was a peak period of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, what locals call The Troubles. The IRA was branching out into England with bombing, trying to turn popular English opinion into pressure against politicians to leave Northern Ireland.

Dan is a young Catholic idealist who joins the IRA to avenge the death of his father. Over in Brighton, England, Freya has left school and despite stellar A-levels is not sold on going to university. Her father Moose, the deputy manager of a fancy hotel, failed to parlay his young athletic prowess as a diver into a degree, which he blames for both the failure of his marriage and his less-than-prestigious job. He's desperate to convince Freya not to make the same mistake, but in the meantime she spends her days working the reception desk for him.

These days Moose's attention is divided between worry for Freya's future and an upcoming event at the hotel that could finally earn him the promotion he craves to feel that his life has not been wasted. The Conservative Party will hold their annual conference at this hotel. Unsurprisingly, this attracts the attention of the IRA ...

This is one of those books where all the characters are sympathetic and likable, and as I read all I could think was that nothing was going to end well for any of them. The scenes at the hotel with Moose and his staff reminded me of Stewart O'Nan's Last Night at the Lobster in the way it offered a peek behind the curtain that most of us never see as guests. Like O'Nan, Lee portrays his somewhat hopeless characters with an empathy that draws the reader in.

On days when ambition and regret got the better of him, when lost opportunities stuck to his shoes like bubble gum gone to ground and created ugly slouching strings that halted progress, he told himself that all human life was here (at the hotel).

Over in Belfast, Lee applies the same empathetic filter to the lives of Dan and his compatriots.

There was the rising sense ... that Belfast's carnage stole not only the victims' lives but large parts of the witnesses too. You disintegrated into the recriminations, the headlines, the pictures. You scattered yourself into proofs, warnings, suspicions, arrests. You rode out into the dark outrage of others, saw human loss shaped toward political ends, and though you hoped for the occasional gleam of uncontaminated compassion it seemed that the world was dimming.

In the end, Lee detonates bombs both externally and internally in his characters, and none of them will ever be the same. Readers might feel the same way.

Currently Reading



I've been wanting to read the rest of Trollope's Barsetshire novels since reading and enjoying The Warden a couple of years ago, so when Roberta mentioned she planned to read the second book this month I jumped in to read along.

I'm making liberal use of the fantastic tutored-read thread from 2012, which has helped tremendously in sorting out the High Church/Low Church split that lies at the heart of the novel as well as other details of the time.
Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope - lyzard tutoring souloftherose

Unexpected bonus: Trollope was extremely funny!

Great comments on High Dive, Julia. That goes on the list.

I love your Heyer discussion. Her novels are always great go-tos when I need a laugh.

>152 BLBera: I think you'll like High Dive, Beth. Heyer is a great literary palate cleanser when I need to transition from an intense read to the next book.

>151 rosalita:

Watching with interest... :)

Fabulous guide to Georgette Heyer. :) My first was The Masqueraders, and it was very entertaining. My favorites are Cotillion, Frederica, and The Nonesuch.

>154 lyzard: Oh, good! I may have some supplemental questions that the tutored read doesn't address, so it's nice to have you "on call". :-)

>155 nittnut: Thanks, Jenn! I remember the first time I read The Masqueraders, I stopped after a couple of chapters and thought, "What the heck is happening?!" I went back a few weeks later and started over from the beginning and this time finally got it all straight in my head. Your favorites are solid choices.

Hi Julia, I love your Georgette Heyer Guide. My top books by her (so far) have been Cotillion, The Nonesuch, and The Grand Sophy, but I have certainly enjoyed all ones I have read and look forward to continuing on.

Thanks for reading it, Judy! Cotillion is just so darned funny, and I love the setup and the characters of The Nonesuch so much. I hope you enjoy the next one you read just as much.

Okay, I did it - I ordered These Old Shades...

>159 scaifea: Wow! What prompted you to choose that one, out of curiosity?

First on the fantasticfiction list, of course. FIRST ON THE LIST.

Ah. I'm not familiar with that list — is it a chronological list? Among her romances I think Powder and Patch was written before These Old Shades, actually, under a different title.

I am looking forward to your comments after you read it!

>162 rosalita: It groups the books by series and then lists individual novels chronologically. I'm occasionally okay not going chronologically if ff lists them this way. fantasticfiction.co.uk is fabulous, Julia. You should check it out.

The Black Moth was her first novel; Powder And Patch was first published as The Transformation Of Philip Jettan (although when it was re-released as P&P, the original final chapter was removed).

(You knew I'd be lurking, right??)

>164 lyzard: Liz: I was afraid you would be, whilst judging me for not going in strict chronological order! Ha!

Hi, Julia! I finally got a chance to stop by. Have a great Wednesday!

>163 scaifea: I see. I prefer fictfact.com for tracking my series.

>164 lyzard: That's what I thought, Liz. I have The Black Moth but haven't read it yet.

>166 harrygbutler: Howdy, Harry! My first day back at work after a week away could be a little rough. :-)

Hi, Julia.

I need to read more Trollope. I liked Barchester Towers a lot, but never got to any of the others. Thanks for the link to the Liz-Heather tutorial. I starred it, and will go back to it.

>168 jnwelch: Hiya, Joe. We were talking at the meet-up about authors and books we might never have read if it weren't for LT, and for me Trollope fits that category. I find him very enjoyable, and certainly Barchester Towers is starting out in rollicking fun fashion. Perhaps we can coordinate our reading of the third book sometime — maybe in the fall?

>167 rosalita: I do fictfact, too, for my series reads, but fantasticfiction has All The Books and keeps nicely up to date with new releases, too. It's much more of a reference than a keeping-track sort of place.

Yeah, if it's not a series I don't care about chronological order. Sorry!

I'm with Julia - only a couple Heyers are related. Devil's Cub, for instance, is the sequel to These Old Shades, so most don't need to be read "in order." I googled it and found a website that stated:

"Although Heyer didn't really write 'series', there are a few books that are linked by common characters. These are These Old Shades with Léonie and Justin parenting Dominic in Devil's Cub and Dominic and Mary are the grand-parents of Barbara in An Infamous Army. While the timelines of the books don't work out in terms of the generations, most of us don't let that small detail get in the way of our enjoyment of the novels. In addition, the characters from Regency Buck are also featured in An Infamous Army.

"It is probably also of interest to newcomers to Heyer's world that her first novel, The Black Moth was revisited in These Old Shades. As Hodge says in the bio, 'Devil Andover from The Black Moth has suffered a sea change into the wicked Duke of Avon (known as Satanas to his friends).'"

ETA spoilers, just in case.

>127 rosalita: I saw your smiling face at Mark's meetup. What a creative looking group...and the books in hand added that special touch. I hope I get to see you at a meetup this year. Either in Iowa City or Joplin. I still want to attend the Iowa Book Festival in October. I will be in Washington, D.C. on May 27, otherwise I would shoot for that day.

Thanks very much for the Georgette Heyer Guide. I appreciate the work you put into it. I can't believe I haven't read ny of her books. This egregious error must be fixed!

>172 Storeetllr: Yeah, I never think of them as being a series. Even the ones you mentioned — the connection is so tenuous and the time between so prolonged that they are essentially standalones. But there's nothing wrong with reading them in order as Amber is doing, and it will make it easy for her to keep track if she decides to continue on after These Old Shades.

>173 Donna828: The meet-up was great fun, Donna, but would have been funner with you there! I checked the ICBF website the other day and they still don't have any authors listed, doggone it. I don't know what their timeline is for announcing. And I am going to try my hardest to not get sick so I can come to Joplin this year! I really missed you all last year. :-(

>171 rosalita: Hey, lady, you do you! I just need some sort of semblance of order in my reading life, always.

>175 scaifea: I'm all for that! I just was explaining why I wouldn't find that site as useful as you do. It's great that sites like that and fictfact.com exist, isn't it? Makes life so much easier.

>176 rosalita: *SO* much easier! It makes my need to obsess over certain writers and read All. The. Books. so, so much easier.

>177 scaifea: :-)

>169 rosalita: The fall for the third Trollope sounds good, Julia. That would give me time to read The Warden.

>179 jnwelch: Splendid! And no worries if it slides later than that — I'm quite flexible. And just for you here's the tutored read thread for The Warden, in case you hadn't found it yet.

The Warden by Anthony Trollope - lyzard tutoring souloftherose

>180 rosalita: Excellent, Julia. And thanks for the link; I hadn't found that tutored read.

Hi, Julia! Hope the week is going well for you. Glad to hear continuing buzz on the Meet Up. It was a terrific time. I can't believe it has been 3 years. We will have to do better. I will plan on hosting each year, unless someone else, (Joe, perhaps?) decides to share hosting duty.

Hey, I am enjoying a Wake Iowa- Coffee Stout at the moment. Good stuff. Nice choice.

Good review of High Dive . I think I might have it saved on audio. And like you, I really liked The Warden, so I still want to get to Barchester Towers.

>182 msf59: I know it's a LOT of work for Sue and you to host everyone at your house, Mark, but it was lovely to be able to relax and not be interrupted by other people or waitstaff. And of course, to shower Riley with lots of ear scritches. Of course, I'm more than happy to come back every year, but if you and the rest of the Chicago contingent come up with another place to meet that is a bit easier for you, that's OK, too. If you and Sue do decide to keep hosting, you should let other people bring stuff or chip in for the pizza or something.

And I'm so glad you like the beer! I was relying on other people's recommendations, because I had never heard of a coffee stout.

Currently Listening



I've been listening to the first season of this new podcast about books and authors, which is produced by Iowa Public Radio. The title refers to Iowa City, which is the only UNESCO City of Literature in the United States, and is the home of the University of Iowa's fabled Iowa Writers Workshop, whose alumni include Kurt Vonnegut, Flannery O'Connor, John Irving, and Ethan Canin, among many others. Marilynne Robinson is a faculty member.

Because Iowa City is such a literary destination, lots of authors come through here for readings and book signings. Iowa Public Radio often interviews authors and other folks about books on their daily talk show, and now they've packaged those interviews into a podcast.

I've only listened to the first three episodes, but I like it quite a bit. In the first episode, which is linked from the image, the guest is Nathan Hill, author of The Nix. I didn't know until I listened to this that he is an Iowa native, and just listening to him talk about the book made me want to read it.

(The episode I listened to tonight was the fourth episode, an interview with Rick Riordan who wrote the Percy Jackson children's books. The books weren't really on my radar before and I didn't know anything about him, but the interview led me to conclude that he's an arrogant jackwagon. I had a great time hate-listening to the last 10 or 15 minutes and talking back to the podcast in my car. Apologies to all the huge Percy Jackson fans out there.)

Anyway, if you are looking for a books/authors podcast, you might want to check this one out. And let me know what you think. They produced 10 episodes in the first season, and I'm not sure when they're going to start up a second season but I expect you've got some time to catch up. The podcast is available from iTunes or most any podcast app, or you can listen on the IPR website.

You should ask Amber her opinion of Rick Riordan....

Oooh, does she not like him? I have to say, he came across as a self-important jerk. For example, apparently there have been two movies based on Percy Jackson books, and he wrote an open letter to teachers telling them not to waste class time watching that garbage. Mind you, he said 2 minutes later he's never actually seen the movies...

She probably dislikes him because he screws with the mythology, though, right?

>185 katiekrug: *SNORK!!* I was getting gleeful just reading >184 rosalita: up there! Yes, I detest his horrendous treatment of Greek Mythology. No respect for the originals at all. Arrogant (and I'd add ignorant) jackwagon, indeed. He thinks the movies are garbage, eh? Welcome to the Kettle/Pot Cafe, sir...

>186 rosalita: Yes and no. I don't mind when people screw with mythology, as long as they do it knowledgeably and well (can I get a "Neil Gaiman," anyone?). Riordan does it neitherly.

>187 scaifea: This is exactly why I hate every "interpretation" of the Norse gods except for Neil Gaiman's.

>187 scaifea: I don't mind when people screw with mythology, as long as they do it knowledgeably and well

That makes perfect sense, Amber. I haven't read the books but just from hearing him describe them they sound rather dreadful. He made such a big deal about being "inclusive" that it was almost like he had diverse characters as interchangeable parts and not because they could contribute unique aspects to the stories (and anyone who's actually them, please feel free to correct me if that impression is wrong). Overall, hard pass from me.

>189 rosalita: I read the first one and was so sorely disappointed in him. He changes things in a way that belies his ignorance of the original myths. Just do a little research, dude. Honestly. The Greeks themselves had no problem messing with their stories and wouldn't, I believe, begrudge others doing so (when myths stop changing, they die in a sense, after all), as long as they respected the spirit of the stories. He doesn't, at all.

>183 rosalita: Sweet Thursday, Julia! I like having the Meet-Up in a more intimate setting too. More relaxed and more mobile. Yes, there is some work and lots of prep to do, but it gives us a reason to deep clean. Smiles...

>141 rosalita: Love the Heyer list, Julia, and thanks for sharing! I need to get back to her at some point.

>150 rosalita: Adding that one to the Black Hole. Thanks for the recommendation!

>190 scaifea: Oh, that reminds me of another part of the interview that annoyed me. He mentioned that he never visited Italy or Greece until AFTER he finished the series that was about Greek and Roman mythology, and then sort of dismissively said "you don't need to visit a place to know what it's like." Which is maybe sort of true when you're writing about ancient myths and not contemporary society, but at that point he had used up all my "benefit of the doubt" stores, so I hooted at him instead. :-)

>191 msf59: Well, you are great hosts and I don't think anyone would argue if you want to host every year — I know I won't!

>192 alcottacre: You're welcome, Stasia! I hope you're able to revisit Heyer again some time soon. And High Dive as well.

>193 rosalita: >190 scaifea: I read the Percy Jackson books and enjoyed them. I just ignored the mythology as I know it, and regarded the Riordan "Gods" as completely other entities, who happened to have the same names.

>194 FAMeulstee: That sounds like a sensible way to approach it, Anita. At some point you can change the stories so much that they really are new creations rather than variations on an old theme.

>194 FAMeulstee: I have read them as well and debated Amber on the merits of Riordan. I am not a big fan of literature for kids so I am not really in a position to judge his books on the merits but as a parent I certainly have an opinion. Kids love his books. As a kid who read a lot of bad science fiction and fantasy books as well as spy/paramilitary books and eventually graduated to better and more sophisticated literature, anything that will get kids to read 500+ page books is good.

Riordan may very well be an arrogant jackwagon but he has succeeded in getting lots of kids to read big books. In a time when the majority of adults don't read any books in a year, I am willing to put up with some second rate books that kids will read.

>196 Oberon: Thanks for chiming in, Erik! I agree with you that kids reading crap is better than kids not reading at all. I remember a similar sort of teeth-gnashing going on when the Goosebumps books were popular. And for all I know Riordan's a total charmer with kids — he was a teacher, after all — but he does not present himself well in interviews, at least in my opinion. But I would not have cared about that one bit when I was a kid, and I doubt kids today worry about whether the author of their favorite books is full of himself. :-)

(re)Read

  

Queen Lucia by E.F. Benson.
Miss Mapp by E.F. Benson.

Just a quick re-read of the first two books in this series; I won't count them in my yearly totals. I don't understand why I love the residents of Riseholme and Tilling so much. They really are the most vapid, conniving, hidebound, silly snobs you could ever imagine, and Lucia and Miss Mapp are the worst of the bunch. And yet, when they do occasionally get their comeuppance, I can't help but feel a pang. And I'm always eager to read more.

Eye Candy



Two interesting things about this picture:
1) It was posted on Twitter by a group called Littera Carolina — The Network For the Study of Caroline Minuscule, proof positive that there is an interest group for every obscure interest under the sun!

2) The tweet commented that this contraption, designed to allow a reader to move easily from one book to another by spinning the wheel, is the prototype for today's web browser where you can have a multitude of pages open in separate tabs at the same time. As I type this, I have 9 tabs open, so I can relate ...

>199 rosalita: Two comments:
1) I saw this on FB the other day and thought that it sure would have been nice during grad school: one for a Latin text, one for a Latin dictionary, one for a commentary, one for a grammar book,... There were days that I took up an entire library table - one of the BIG ones - in the OSU library. Yeesh.

2) The photo was a little slow to load, so for a few seconds, all I saw in this post was, "Eye Candy." I got excited and then, admittedly, was a bit disappointed. I was expecting, um, something, um, different...

>200 scaifea: 1) I was thinking that researchers would especially love this!

2) That would be disappointing! I'll see if I can find something more suitable to the title later ...

>199 rosalita: That contraption would be pretty intimidating for anyone sitting in that chair! But I like the comparison to a web browser.

I saw some "eye candy" yesterday when I was sitting in the car in front of the local Starbucks having a sandwich and latte in Pueblo yesterday after dropping off another load of boxes at my new place. I'm a little old to be thinking such bad thoughts, but I just could not take my eyes off him. Fortunately for me, he was, in turn, eyeing up a pretty young woman sitting at one of the outdoor tables. lolol

>199 rosalita: Ha! I saw that on Tumblr just a day to two back. Thos. Jefferson had some kind of device for holding multiple open books. Got to search for it.

Here it is:



Doesn't hold as many books, but it is a lot less cumbersome.

>199 rosalita: Love this! Our son now wants to equip one with a motor for easier book rotation.

202 I think as long as you don't try to eat the eye candy (*cough*) you should be safe, Mary!

>203 weird_O: Leave it to that clever man Jefferson to come up with such a thing. I wonder if the top book holder remains stationary so you can swivel the bottom part and keep the top part in front of you?

>204 jnwelch: Now you're talking, Joe! And a remote control, maybe?

>198 rosalita: Another Lucia and Mapp fan! A little background on Benson (although you probably already knew): Edward Frederic Benson (1867-1940) -- called Fred by his friends -- was the son of the Archbishop of Canterbury, a champion figure skater, and one-time Mayor of Rye, East Sussex, where he lived in Henry James' former home. I was always impressed that, even though never married himself, he managed nonetheless to credibly describe the interior of his characters' marriages. I always manage an audible chortle when reading his series. Even through the humor, there is a gentleness and sympathy to his portrayals.

Enjoyed reading about the Great Chicago Meet-Up - what fun. Someday, I'll have to join the fun!

Did you catch the new Springsteen song released yesterday?

>206 michigantrumpet: I love Lucia and Mapp, Marianne. I've read them all several times and they still make me giggle. I love the peek into life in a certain place and time.

The Chicago meet-up was fabulous, but would certainly have been improved by your presence.

That's the one with Joe Grushecky? I did hear a clip of it. I wish he could write about something more pleasant than our train-wreck of a president, though.

You got the right song. I only heard a little snippet, too.

I always suspected that Riseholme was very similar to Benson's time in Rye, East Sussex.

Things are hopping over here, Julia.

>199 rosalita: Love it!

Which is the first book in the Lucia and Mapp series? And does it matter to read them in order? I have a couple on my Nook but haven't read them yet.

I'll check out the podcast. I used to listen to podcasts all the time and for some reason got out of the habit...

>208 michigantrumpet: In fact, I think I did read that Benson based either Tilling or Riseholme on Rye, so you are spot on!

>209 BLBera: Hi, Beth! Queen Lucia is the first one, and I would recommend starting there because you get a good introduction to the whole cast of characters (and they are characters). Interestingly the second one, Miss Mapp, has an all-new "cast" and a new setting, but the same wit and humor.

Those two should be read first because they are a set-up for latter books when Lucia and her cicisebo Georgie move from her old town to Miss Mapp's town and the two dames tangle for supremacy. Hilarity, as you might expect, ensues.

I hope you enjoy the Lit City podcast. Last night I was listening to an episode that talked about Bob Dylan winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, followed by an interview with John Darnielle, who is in the band The Mountain Goats, about his most recent novel Universal Harvester, which happens to be set in Iowa.

Hi Julia, hope you are having a nice weekend my dear, sending love and hugs.

>199 rosalita: That is really rather funny. An earlier version of the web browser, indeed.

>198 rosalita: "They really are the most vapid, conniving, hidebound, silly snobs you could ever imagine..." Yes, well, sometimes that is exactly the sort of things that makes for the best reading. Real life is not very silly, sometimes reading must be.

>184 rosalita: Adding LitCity to my podcasts list! Podcasts are a new thing for me. I love "On Being" with Krista Tippett. I lived in Iowa City for just one very special year, so I will like having a connection to the source of this one.

Haha. Love the ferris wheel book holder! But agree, Jeffersons's one is a little more refined. I could do with one I reckon it would go well in my post-graduate office space where all the PhDs seem to have two screens, and all the masters students only one. I could rock that ferris wheel book holder and trump them!!

>212 EBT1002: Thanks for stopping by for a visit, Ellen! I've been enjoying your discussion with Joe on his thread about the Travis McGee books, which I loved when I read them all in order a few years ago. They are definitely of their time in a lot of ways, but the environmental messages are only more dire these days.

Let me know what you think of LitCity if you listen to it. I used to listen to "On Being" every Sunday morning on the local NPR station but they've moved it to 6 a.m. so that doesn't happen anymore. :-) I should check out the podcast.

>213 LovingLit: That Jefferson was such an elegant fellow. You would definitely impress your fellow post-graduates with such a contraption, I think. And the two-screen/one-screen divide is funny. I remember I used to think "What on earth could I possibly need two computer screens" before I got a second one, and now I would seriously fight, bite, and kick any IT geek who tried to take the second screen away from me. :-)

Monday Clickbait



Bookshelves — Are bookshelves — real bookshelves made of real wood, not snap-together kits from IKEA — going the way of the phone booth? One of my favorite sportswriters veers off topic to tackle a subject near and dear to all our hearts. (via Joe*Blogs)

I like that blog about bookshelves, Julia. I am guilty of buying IKEA shelves because they are convenient. I need shelves and I get them NOW. But if I ever build my dream home, or move into a house I feel fairly certain will be my house for the foreseeable future, I am having custom made shelves put in. In every darn nook and cranny!

>215 rosalita: An interesting read, Julia. I don't know how recent that phenomenon really is, though — I've seen nothing but assemble-them-yourself bookcases made of laminated particle board in most stores for many years now, save a few pine bookcases at the paint/finish-it-yourself furniture stores. On the other hand, the space given over to those particle-board bookcases at stores like Walmart or Target doesn't seem to have shrunk much (though I think there are fewer color choices than there used to be).

Before summer hits I hope to be building shelving in a room off our kitchen, chiefly for books, but I'll be using brackets and standards rather than fully enclosed bookcases, partly because I have to accommodate long, low radiators near the floor.

>216 katiekrug: Custom shelves would be a dream come true, Katie! I also daydream about having a honest-to-goodness library room in my fantasy house, lined floor to ceiling with bookshelves everywhere there isn't a window or door. With a fireplace and a big comfy reading chair with the perfect reading lamp. Sigh.

>217 harrygbutler: Yes, I don't think the phenomenon is terribly new, but of course a person doesn't realize it until they go shopping for bookcases! I will look forward to pictures of your new shelving when you have it finished (hint hint).

>218 rosalita: I'll be sure to share photos when I'm done, Julia. :-) I put similar shelves into a pointless closet in our living room a few years ago (pointless because it is across the room from the door, and would be too shallow for anything other than coat hooks even if it were in the right place). I went that route, rather than fixed shelves, to easily accommodate different sizes of books, and because I had to leave easy access to some piping that was in a corner of the closet. I'll have to see if I have a photo of those shelves around somewhere.

>219 harrygbutler: What a brilliant re-purposing of an otherwise useless closet!

>220 rosalita: Thanks! I did manage to find a photo from just after I finished the shelves, while they were still holding some of our commercial DVDs that are now in albums instead. The shelves now hold a mixed array of books, including our P. G. Wodehouse (pretty much complete, mostly in the Overlook Press reprint series) and some mysteries.

>221 harrygbutler: Nicely done! And here I was thinking "the only flaw is that they will be hidden behind a closet door" but of course you thought of that and it looks great the way you have it set up.

When we moved into our current place in 2009 one of the first things I had done was to have this bookcase built in along a living room wall.



I have a two-section one like it in the bedroom and plan to order another just like it for the dining room when we get home from Chautauqua. We also have a particle-board with formica over it bookcase in the 2nd bedroom/study which matches the office furniture in there.

>223 RebaRelishesReading: Your picture isn't showing for me, Reba, but I'm salivating at the thought of a custom-built bookcase!

>222 rosalita: Thanks! There were no doors (I guess they must have used curtains if they didn't just leave the coats on the hooks visible), but I would have removed them if they'd been there.

Tuesday Clickbait



How Smart Are Horses? — I'm blaming today's link on Harry, who has been re-reading and reviewing Walter Farley's wonderful Black Stallion series on his thread and reviving all my childhood memories of being one of "those girls" who love horses. I spent hours in the fifth and sixth grade drawing horse heads in profile (my shaky grasp on perspective always broke down somewhere around the withers if I tried to draw the whole horse). (via NPR)

Morning, Julia. Happy Tuesday. Gorgeous day in the Midwest. Sighs blissfully...

>224 rosalita: So I was trying to get the "image address" for the photo by emailing it to myself instead of sending it to Facebook (where everyone would wonder why I suddenly posted a photo of my 7-year-old bookcase). Seems that doesn't work. Does anyone know another way to do it that does work?

>228 RebaRelishesReading: You can upload it to your "junk drawer" here on LT, and then get the image address from there. That's usually what I do if I don't have another link to use.

Hi Julia - I have some lovely custom-built bookshelves. My dad gets bored in the winter... I thought I had some pictures, but I will upload if not.

>226 rosalita: I loved horses too, Julia, and did the same drawing horse heads & if I tried a whole horse, the head, body & legs wouldn't fit together. Kept trying well into my 20s ;-)
I will join Harry for the next book.

>231 FAMeulstee: That's exactly it, Anita — the head, body and legs looked like they were from three different horses! I kept drawing those heads, though!

I told Harry over on his thread that he was making me want to find the series at the library and re-read them. They were some of the favorite books of my childhood.

>232 rosalita: Still sometimes when I am doodling, suddenly there is a head of a horse ;-)
Yes do it, Julia, I thought they were worth a re-read.

>205 rosalita: Bit late in getting around to a reply, but... All the book holders are hinged to the same panel so all move when your spin the device. If you'd add a separate panel atop the axle just for the uppermost book holder, you would be able to fix the upper book holder's position while moving the others.

As for a motor on the Ferris wheel, Joe, it could be done. Got to get the correct gearing to prevent too high a speed from flinging books over your head. Also, you'll want reversibility, so you can move back and forth between two adjacent books without having to circulate all the books to get to the one you want.

>233 FAMeulstee: I'm going to the library Saturday!

>234 weird_O: Thanks for checking back in, Bill. That makes sense about the Jefferson carousel. Either way, it looks pretty useful.

And you made me laugh out loud imagining Joe revving up the motor on the larger book wheel and having books flying all over the room!

Wednesday Clickbait

Not Everyone Is Meant to Have a Book Club — Like me, for example. I have never been in a successful real-life book club (we've just started one at work, so we'll see how that goes). Partly for some of the reasons the author of this article mentions, but also for another, more embarrassing reason: I get seriously annoyed if other people in the book club don't at least like a book I love, as if they were passing judgment on me personally. Which is, of course, ridiculous. And thankfully, I don't at all have that reaction here on LT, for some reason. So I think I'll just stick with y'all, if you don't mind. (via BuzzFeed)

>236 rosalita: Interesting read. I have been wondering if this move will provide an opportunity to find a book club and finally try that whole thing out. I don't really know how I would react, except probably annoyed with people who were too busy to read the book, or abandoned it for a dumb reason. And I might judge the book choices. Not because everything has to be Joyce or something, but because I've seen people here saying that some books just don't spark anything to discuss because there's nothing really to them. I don't want to have to prepare an essay on symbolism, but it's hard to discuss the deeper meaning of some of the lighter stuff out there.

So I guess we'll see - I have no idea if I'm really cut out for a book club or not. (Probably not.)

>237 ursula: I've always envied people who have that core group of friends that can be relied on to actually read the books and show up to discuss them! The few book clubs I have been part of were all groups of strangers, organized by the library or some other organization, and thus harder to connect with for me as I'm essentially an introvert except if I know someone well. And the real-life friends I have who read are either already in book clubs of their own or aren't interested in discussing books. I hope you have better luck in Fresno!

>235 rosalita: Glad to hear that! Be sure to stop in the new Walter Farley thread once you get going, Julia: http://www.librarything.com/topic/255769

>236 rosalita: I think I can successfully avoid that clickbait — years of graduate school seminars made it clear to me that I wouldn't particularly care for the book club setting. :-)

ETA: My horse drawing skills were sufficiently poor that I only ever drew them in profile. I'm just not all that artistic.

>236 rosalita: - Yes! I am slowly coming to the realization that maybe book clubs aren't for me. At least the ones available to me are not for me. I have one more I am going to try - mostly because one of the members was a member of another one I've tried and while I hated that group, he seemed like the kind of person I would want in a book club, so we'll see...

>239 harrygbutler: Thanks for the link — I've got it starred now. A preliminary library search indicates they only have the first book, The Black Stallion available as an ebook, and NONE of them in paper format! Can you believe that? I have a couple of other libraries to try before I give up, though.

Ha! Yes, grad school seminars bear an uncomfortable resemblance to book clubs, as do the writing workshops I've participated in. Who are all these people with their wrong opinions?!

>240 katiekrug: Well, I hope your last-chance book club works out, Katie. But if not, at least you've got us! :-)

>229 rosalita: Thanks Julia. I think I see how to do that although the photo I want to use doesn't show up when I go to the photo file that way. Sigh. I'll try it next time I want to post something though.

>236 rosalita: I refer to LT as "my online bookclub". It's the closest I'll ever get to a "real" bookclub, I think. I can see why others would find bookclub fun and interesting, but it's just not my thing. I'll just go on LT and drink my wine in front of the computer.

>242 RebaRelishesReading: That's frustrating! I always think there should be an easier way to do photos but it doesn't seem like there is.

>243 PawsforThought: Yes, exactly! LT is our online bookclub.

>243 PawsforThought: That's what I call it too!

Hi Julia!

Hi, Julia! I think you may have missed me up there yesterday but I am a big boy and I can handle a certain amount of rejection.

I have never really been in a book club but I do consider this place one big-ass book club and EVERYONE READS!!!

>236 rosalita: I will stick with LT too. I have never belonged to a real life book club and have never had a desire to do so!

> 199 rosalita

You might enjoy seeing John Muir's seriously fun Desk Clock invention - can be seen on the Wisconsin Historical Society website.

He also invented a clock connected with a rising bed to set a person on their feet in the early AM.

I'm still looking for a picture of that one.

Yup. I don't do 'real' book clubs, either. I don't like the idea of having a deadline on my reading, which makes it feel like a chore. I'm with the rest of you - LT *is* my bookclub.

I do want to try out the club here in town that I mentioned at the meet-up, which folks just get together (at the local health food-like shop), drink coffee/tea and chit-chat about whichever books their reading at the time. But it meets at 4pm on Friday, and I just can't swing that.

>246 msf59: >247 alcottacre: >249 scaifea: So we can add Mark, Stasia, and Amber to the "LT Is My Book Club" T-shirt order! And you've all got me wondering what percentage of folks in the 75ers belong to real-life book clubs, as compared to LTers in other Talk groups or who don't participate in Talk at all. The 75ers are pretty special and we really do seem like a (far-flung) book club, don't we? That must be why so many of us don't feel the need for a real-life equivalent.

>248 m.belljackson: Thanks for the info about Muir's wacky clock inventions, Marianne. I'll definitely check out the WHS website, although that sounds like a great place to lose a lot of time so maybe not till the weekend. :-) There are certainly cold winter mornings I could really use an "alarm bed" that would literally throw me out when it's time to get up!

>248 m.belljackson: That's brilliant - could have done with that when I was studying :-)

>250 rosalita: Sign me up for that shirt - I've decamped from the work bookclub after no sign of any attempt to ask members what they wanted to read, and then they just chose months of books I'd read and thought were meh. So no thanks.

>251 charl08: Wow, I've never heard of a book club that just assigned books rather than ask members for their suggestions. I don't blame you for bailing, Charlotte!

> 249 scaifea

It would be good to hear more about how that informal coffee/tea book club got started ...

Thursday Clickbait



The Art Of the New York Times Obituary — One of my first jobs in journalism was writing obituaries, although in my case it was at my tiny hometown daily paper and "writing" consisted mainly of taking dictation from the funeral home director. But I've always been fascinating by the art of real obituary writers (Marilyn Johnson wrote an interesting book called The Dead Beat about them) and this article caught my eye. It's a quasi-review of a new documentary about NYT obituary writers called impact. OBIT, which I need to try to find. (via The New Republic)

I've belonged to two book clubs...briefly. I'll stick with LT.

>250 rosalita: In addition to LT, I participate in a book club that is largely focused on reading the books suggested in The Well Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. That said, LT at its best does feel like a book club.

>255 RebaRelishesReading: Another T-shirt for Reba!

>256 Oberon: I'm thinking a book club with a focus like that probably works better because everyone who's there knows what's expected of them. Or maybe you just hang out with especially civilized people!

>257 rosalita: I don't about civilized but we did have book club at an excellent speakeasy last night http://www.volsteadhouse.com/

Probably the best Old Fashioned I have ever had.

>258 Oberon: Oh, the Volstead House looks fabulous! I might have to check that out when I come up to Minneapolis at the end of May.

I've often thought of trying to start a book group along the lines of what Amber described - no assigned book, everyone just come, talk about what they've been reading, maybe have time for a book swap, and then maybe a block of reading time.

Not sure that would appeal to many people, though!

I was in a book club several times. Book of the Month Club it was. Also Quality Paperback Book Club. Didn't really have to read anything. Or discuss it with anybody.

>260 katiekrug: I agree that sort of book club sounds ideal but I think (wildly generalizing here) people who don't read a lot of books over the course of a year like the experience of reading the same book as other people more than we do.

>261 weird_O: But remembering to send back the little postcards was a pain, unless you wanted to be "gifted" with new books every month!

Today is #PoemInYourPocketDay on Twitter. Here's my contribution, by Siegfried Sassoon:

Jim and I are in two book clubs, and I also participate in a poetry seminar (no preparation needed) once a month. The styles of the two book clubs are very different.

In the uptown group, books are chosen in a rather random rotation by members (that is, have you chosen one recently? No? You're it.) and discussions tend to be overlapping, sometimes painfully. Most if not all people who arrive on the night have read the book - others just don't show up. This book group was in existence long before Jim and I became members, brought in by Richard Derus, I think. Lately we've been doing books that were made into movies, viewing the movie after we discuss the book. Food and wine are consumed by all. We meet in the same apartment each month, and contribute to the comestibles bill.

The downtown group is a formal Meet-Up, and Jim is the moderator. I joined a few years after it was founded, and eventually brought Jim in, and then he volunteered to run the thing. It's a fairly tightly organized evening - once around the room for a quick comment on the book from each participant, a general discussion fairly well controlled (by Jim), and then another round of personal comments. Again, almost everyone has read the book, although sometimes people haven't quite finished. No food or wine lately, as we now meet in a private library and them's the rules. The meetup has survived for 10 years, with a normal amount of attrition and additions. We have read a list rich in classics, with occasional forays into more modern works. But we seem to have developed a selection fatigue lately - I hope we get back on track.

>264 ffortsa: That's right, Judy, I remember now chatting with you at the meet-up about the book clubs you belong to, and how different they are from each other. It sounds like they both work pretty well for you and Jim.

I like the idea of reading books that were made into movies, and then watching the movies afterwards. That could be a lot of fun.

Popping in to say hi, Julia! I confess, I've never been in a real life reading group. I've not known of one to exist. I tried to get into a reading group at the library quite a few years back, but apparently they were all full ( or so they told me ;) . Now the library does not seem to run book clubs , though they have designated book clubs sets for a few books.

>266 vancouverdeb: Thanks for standing sitting up to be counted in the book club arena, Deborah! Now you've got me wondering if the book club, or at least the popularity of it, is a peculiarly American thing? Maybe readers in other countries don't feel compelled to get together to talk about books in such a planned fashion?

Happy Friday, Julia!

Happy Friday, Julia.

I love the book group discussion. I've been in one since 2002, and generally I like the books and we actually do talk about them. And, we're getting better at choosing books that are good for discussion. I even got the group to read a Murakami, which provoked a lot of discussion.

>269 BLBera: Thanks for adding to our book-club data set, Beth. Did you know the people in the book club before you joined, or is it a gathering of strangers who come together to discuss a book?

Friday Clickbait


America's Uncivil War Over Words — Wednesday night I went to an author reading at Prairie Lights by Kory Stamper, who is a lexicographer at Merriam-Webster. Her new book is called Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries. I've followed her on Twitter for a long time because she is, in addition to being really smart about language, hilarious. Anyway, her reading/talk was just as great as I expected, and I came away with a signed copy of her book that I hope to read next month if I can squeeze it in. This is an op-ed she wrote recently about how Merriam-Webster (which has its own Twitter presence that is also wonderfully wry) has come under fire since the election for "politicizing" words. It's an interesting read, although a little drier than Kory's usual let-'em-rip style. I guess that's the Grey Lady Effect. :-) (via The New York Times)

Nice clickbait! I liked that article.

>372 I'm glad to hear it, Jim! I'm really glad I got a chance to hear her talk; we share similar snarky senses of humor. :-)

I love my LT bookclub! And I also belong to two RL bookclubs. One meets monthly and we choose the next book each time. The other meets every other month and we choose the books for the whole year at our December meeting which involves lots of wine. ; ) Both clubs have serious readers, people who finish the book, and then those who come to socialize. The serious readers usually take over and run the group for a good half hour to hour and then the rest wanders to other topics. I have been in the one for probably 10 years and the other is one I just started up this year. Very different interests and people and I love them both.

>271 rosalita: That sounds like a great outing! Talking about dictionaries without the snarky humor would be...well...dull!! ; )

>271 rosalita: Fascinating.
>270 rosalita: When we started our book group, it was people from work who liked to read, so I knew everyone. Since then, people have sometimes brought in people that others in the group didn't know. It has worked. People are accepting of different opinions, and everyone seems to have a sense of humor.

>274 Berly: It sounds like your real-life book clubs work really well for you, Kim. It's great to find the right mix of personalities to make it fun.

>275 BLBera: I think the personality mix is important, and I think it helps if at least some of the members know each other to begin with, and are open to welcoming new people. When I went to the local library's book club (which is a town of 2,000 people) I definitely felt like an outsider and no one really tried to welcome me at all. That wouldn't bother a lot of people who have the kind of personality that lets them make friends with everyone, but it was a big part of me not wanting to continue. Well, that and they were all wrong about The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. :-)

> 276

When you have time: What DID they say about Edgar?

>277 m.belljackson: Hi, Marianne! They didn't like it. Any of them. At all. Which is fine, I guess, even though I adored that book. But it was the reasons why they didn't like it that bugged me. "It was unrealistic." "I didn't like any of the characters." "A kid could not have done all that." "A deaf-mute kid especially could not have done all that." "I don't get what the dogs had to do with anything." "I don't get why the kid was a deaf mute." "I disapproved of his mother's parenting style." "It should have ended with {fill in the blank}."

Just the most ridiculous, superficial (to me) complaints with no attempts to really understand the book. And I'm not necessarily talking about how it's a modern re-telling of Hamlet , because to be perfectly honest I didn't pick up on that, either, until I read some reviews after reading the book. It just didn't seem like there was any serious thought given to any aspect of it by anyone. Even those complaints I listed could have led to good discussion if there had been an acknowledgment that other people might disagree, or an attempt to understand why the author portrayed things that way, but it was just flat statements with no explanation. There's no way to have discussion with that.

Plus probably half of them or more hadn't even finished it, but still felt perfectly comfortable complaining about how it ended after someone else described it to them. Bah!

Whew! I guess I still have strong feeling about this, and it's been probably 8 or 9 years since it happened! And now you know why I've never been to another book club meeting since. :-)

Julia - You would fit right into our group. We meet the third Friday at noon, if you are every interested...

>36 katiekrug: my rage-inducing book club thing is when I am the only one who had read the book. I mean, please, someone make the effort. Just someone, so I can have the book talk. Also (it seems like I have a few rage-inducing issues with book club) it irks when people tease me about reading so many books - i don't even read that many compared to most people here!
So, basically I am looking for a new one (or mot one at all) ;)

>264 ffortsa: >265 rosalita: I like that idea too - reading the book and then seeing the film. We have done that (in my current book club) twice now. Once in advance of The Great Gatsby (Baz Luhrman's film), and once on DVD we saw The Light Between Oceans after reading the book.

>278 rosalita:

Thank you Rosalita - you've got a Great Memory for long ago details!

It sounds like many of us would have abandoned that book club and,
while we also hoped for a happier ending, the other comments were weird.

The Hamlet connection still seems odd.

>279 BLBera: If only you weren't so far away, Beth ...!

>280 LovingLit: Yeah, not reading the book is annoying. And I cannot fathom teasing someone in a book club because they read too much! That's just crazy talk.

>281 m.belljackson: Ha! I've spent a lot of time thinking about what went wrong, and how much of it was my fault (that's my default position when something goes badly — I must have done something to make it so). But I really don't think I did in this case, other than being shy and unable to challenge (politely) some of their ridiculous assertions. Ah, well.

My new thread has landed. Make with the clicky-clicky below to find me.