rabbitprincess sails from sea to sea to sea in 2017 - Part 2
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Talk2017 Category Challenge
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1rabbitprincess
In honour of Canada’s 150th birthday, I am making my challenge Canada-themed. Because Canada stretches from sea to sea to sea, and because I have developed an interest in all things nautical, I have decided to name each of my categories after a vessel that is (or was*) part of the Canadian Coast Guard fleet.
*The fleet is undergoing modernization, and the long lag time between my developing this theme and actually using it may mean that some ships are no longer part of the fleet at the time of posting.
General fiction – G – Geliget
Canlit – C – Captain Goddard M.S.M.
Mysteries – M – Martha L. Black
Historical fiction – H – Hudson
Very interesting historical facts – V – Viola M. Davidson
Sci-fi and fantasy – S – Sipu Muin
Encore reads – E – Eckaloo
Livres en Français – L – Louis St-Laurent
Audiobooks – A – Ann Harvey
Plays – P – Penac
Non-fiction that isn’t related to history – N – Neocaligus
Together we shall read these books – T – Tracy
Oh no I can’t go on – O – Opilio (Decommissioned/Abandoned books)
The 2017 pool:
ROOTS counter:
*The fleet is undergoing modernization, and the long lag time between my developing this theme and actually using it may mean that some ships are no longer part of the fleet at the time of posting.
General fiction – G – Geliget
Canlit – C – Captain Goddard M.S.M.
Mysteries – M – Martha L. Black
Historical fiction – H – Hudson
Very interesting historical facts – V – Viola M. Davidson
Sci-fi and fantasy – S – Sipu Muin
Encore reads – E – Eckaloo
Livres en Français – L – Louis St-Laurent
Audiobooks – A – Ann Harvey
Plays – P – Penac
Non-fiction that isn’t related to history – N – Neocaligus
Together we shall read these books – T – Tracy
Oh no I can’t go on – O – Opilio (Decommissioned/Abandoned books)
The 2017 pool:
ROOTS counter:
2rabbitprincess
General fiction – G – Geliget
CCGS Geliget is a specialty vessel based in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. It can be used for a variety of tasks, such as marine and fishery research, conservation and protection patrols, and operations relating to science or aids to navigation. The name is of Mi’kmaq origin and means “to protect, guard and watch over”.
1. The Expendable Man, by Dorothy B. Hughes
2. The Wild, by Esther Freud
3. North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell
4. The Ghosts of Belfast, by Stuart Neville
5. The Long Drop, by Denise Mina
6. Assignment in Brittany, by Helen MacInnes
CCGS Geliget is a specialty vessel based in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. It can be used for a variety of tasks, such as marine and fishery research, conservation and protection patrols, and operations relating to science or aids to navigation. The name is of Mi’kmaq origin and means “to protect, guard and watch over”.
1. The Expendable Man, by Dorothy B. Hughes
2. The Wild, by Esther Freud
3. North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell
4. The Ghosts of Belfast, by Stuart Neville
5. The Long Drop, by Denise Mina
6. Assignment in Brittany, by Helen MacInnes
3rabbitprincess
Canlit (and CanCon) – C – Captain Goddard M.S.M.
CCGS Captain Goddard M.S.M is one of the new mid-shore patrol vessels built to support the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ Compliance and Enforcement program. (The Coast Guard is a special operating agency under the aegis of DFO, whereas the US Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security.)
The ship is based in Victoria, British Columbia, and was named after Captain Nichola Goddard, M.S.M. She served with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for her service in Afghanistan. She was the first female Canadian combat soldier (as opposed to, say, a military medic or nurse) to have been killed in combat, on May 17, 2006.
1. Franklin's Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
2. Help Me, Jacques Cousteau, by Gil Adamson
3. Black River Road: An Unthinkable Crime, an Unlikely Suspect and the Question of Character, by Debra Komar
4. By the Way, by Gordon Pinsent
5. The Outlander, by Gil Adamson
6. This is a Book About the Kids in the Hall, by John Semley
7. In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson
8. Broken Promise, by Linwood Barclay
9. Island: The Complete Stories, by Alistair MacLeod
10. A Great Reckoning, by Louise Penny
11. The Burgess Shale: The Canadian Writing Landscape of the 1960s, by Margaret Atwood
12. Far from True, by Linwood Barclay
13. Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan
14. Arctic Assignment: The Story of the St. Roch, by Sgt. F.S. Farrar
15. Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster, by Maura Hanrahan
CCGS Captain Goddard M.S.M is one of the new mid-shore patrol vessels built to support the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ Compliance and Enforcement program. (The Coast Guard is a special operating agency under the aegis of DFO, whereas the US Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security.)
The ship is based in Victoria, British Columbia, and was named after Captain Nichola Goddard, M.S.M. She served with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for her service in Afghanistan. She was the first female Canadian combat soldier (as opposed to, say, a military medic or nurse) to have been killed in combat, on May 17, 2006.
1. Franklin's Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
2. Help Me, Jacques Cousteau, by Gil Adamson
3. Black River Road: An Unthinkable Crime, an Unlikely Suspect and the Question of Character, by Debra Komar
4. By the Way, by Gordon Pinsent
5. The Outlander, by Gil Adamson
6. This is a Book About the Kids in the Hall, by John Semley
7. In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson
8. Broken Promise, by Linwood Barclay
9. Island: The Complete Stories, by Alistair MacLeod
10. A Great Reckoning, by Louise Penny
11. The Burgess Shale: The Canadian Writing Landscape of the 1960s, by Margaret Atwood
12. Far from True, by Linwood Barclay
13. Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan
14. Arctic Assignment: The Story of the St. Roch, by Sgt. F.S. Farrar
15. Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster, by Maura Hanrahan
4rabbitprincess
Mysteries – M – Martha L. Black
CCGS Martha L. Black is a light icebreaker and major buoy tender based in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Buoy tenders lay, recover and service buoys using their lifting booms. The Martha L. Black also carries out maintenance on fixed aids to navigation and performs reconstruction operations, and was recently overhauled to carry out scientific missions in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The vessel was named after Martha Louise Black (1866-1957), who was born in Chicago and immigrated to Canada during the Yukon Gold Rush. She staked gold mining claims and ran a sawmill, and was elected as an MP in 1935, being the second woman ever to hold that office. She was awarded an OBE for cultural and social contributions to the Yukon.
1. Blood, Salt, Water, by Denise Mina
2. Gideon's Week, by J.J. Marric
3. The Twisted Claw, by Franklin W. Dixon
4. Find a Victim, by Ross Macdonald
5. The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth, by Malcolm Price
6. Talking to the Dead, by Harry Bingham
7. Out of Bounds, by Val McDermid
8. The Phantom Freighter, by Franklin W. Dixon
9. Evan Can Wait, by Rhys Bowen
10. Snowblind, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Quentin Bates)
11. Spinsters in Jeopardy, by Ngaio Marsh
12. Death of a Busybody, by George Bellairs
13. Last Rituals, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (translated by Bernard Scudder)
14. The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths, by Harry Bingham
15. Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz
16. The Cheltenham Square Murder, by John Bude
17. Singing in the Shrouds, by Ngaio Marsh
18. This Thing of Darkness, by Harry Bingham
19. Knots and Crosses, by Ian Rankin
CCGS Martha L. Black is a light icebreaker and major buoy tender based in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Buoy tenders lay, recover and service buoys using their lifting booms. The Martha L. Black also carries out maintenance on fixed aids to navigation and performs reconstruction operations, and was recently overhauled to carry out scientific missions in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The vessel was named after Martha Louise Black (1866-1957), who was born in Chicago and immigrated to Canada during the Yukon Gold Rush. She staked gold mining claims and ran a sawmill, and was elected as an MP in 1935, being the second woman ever to hold that office. She was awarded an OBE for cultural and social contributions to the Yukon.
1. Blood, Salt, Water, by Denise Mina
2. Gideon's Week, by J.J. Marric
3. The Twisted Claw, by Franklin W. Dixon
4. Find a Victim, by Ross Macdonald
5. The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth, by Malcolm Price
6. Talking to the Dead, by Harry Bingham
7. Out of Bounds, by Val McDermid
8. The Phantom Freighter, by Franklin W. Dixon
9. Evan Can Wait, by Rhys Bowen
10. Snowblind, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Quentin Bates)
11. Spinsters in Jeopardy, by Ngaio Marsh
12. Death of a Busybody, by George Bellairs
13. Last Rituals, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (translated by Bernard Scudder)
14. The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths, by Harry Bingham
15. Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz
16. The Cheltenham Square Murder, by John Bude
17. Singing in the Shrouds, by Ngaio Marsh
18. This Thing of Darkness, by Harry Bingham
19. Knots and Crosses, by Ian Rankin
5rabbitprincess
Historical fiction – H – Hudson
CCGS Hudson, named after explorer Henry Hudson (he of the Bay), is an offshore oceanographic and hydrographic survey vessel based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The Hudson made a voyage around both North and South America in 1970, which was the first time a ship had made a voyage that transited the Americas.
1. The Outlander, by Gil Adamson
2. Sunrise in the West, by Edith Pargeter
3. The Terror, by Dan Simmons
4. Murder on the Leviathan, by Boris Akunin (translated by Andrew Bromfield)
5. The Black Moon, by Winston Graham
6. We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen (translated by Charlotte Barslund and Emma Ryder)
7. The Dragon at Noonday, by Edith Pargeter
8. The Four Swans, by Winston Graham
9. Billy Boyle, by James R. Benn
10. The Hounds of Sunset, by Edith Pargeter
Very interesting historical facts – V - Viola M. Davidson
CCGS Viola M. Davidson is a near-shore research vessel used to collect data on the coastal environment and the ecosystem of the Bay of Fundy. It was named after Dr. Viola Davidson, a marine scientist who conducted research on marine phytoplankton from 1924 to 1932 and obtained Master’s and doctoral degrees for her work.
1. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly
2. The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, by Dava Sobel
3. Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Scott Anderson
4. The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World, by Steven Johnson
5. Culloden Tales, by Hugh G. Allison
6. The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women, by Kate Moore
7. My Secret Life in Hut Six: One Woman's Experiences at Bletchley Park, by Mair Russell-Jones and Gethin Russell-Jones
8. Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas, by Laura Sook Duncombe
9. Castles: Their History and Evolution in Medieval Britain, by Marc Morris
CCGS Hudson, named after explorer Henry Hudson (he of the Bay), is an offshore oceanographic and hydrographic survey vessel based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The Hudson made a voyage around both North and South America in 1970, which was the first time a ship had made a voyage that transited the Americas.
1. The Outlander, by Gil Adamson
2. Sunrise in the West, by Edith Pargeter
3. The Terror, by Dan Simmons
4. Murder on the Leviathan, by Boris Akunin (translated by Andrew Bromfield)
5. The Black Moon, by Winston Graham
6. We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen (translated by Charlotte Barslund and Emma Ryder)
7. The Dragon at Noonday, by Edith Pargeter
8. The Four Swans, by Winston Graham
9. Billy Boyle, by James R. Benn
10. The Hounds of Sunset, by Edith Pargeter
Very interesting historical facts – V - Viola M. Davidson
CCGS Viola M. Davidson is a near-shore research vessel used to collect data on the coastal environment and the ecosystem of the Bay of Fundy. It was named after Dr. Viola Davidson, a marine scientist who conducted research on marine phytoplankton from 1924 to 1932 and obtained Master’s and doctoral degrees for her work.
1. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly
2. The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, by Dava Sobel
3. Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Scott Anderson
4. The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World, by Steven Johnson
5. Culloden Tales, by Hugh G. Allison
6. The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women, by Kate Moore
7. My Secret Life in Hut Six: One Woman's Experiences at Bletchley Park, by Mair Russell-Jones and Gethin Russell-Jones
8. Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas, by Laura Sook Duncombe
9. Castles: Their History and Evolution in Medieval Britain, by Marc Morris
6rabbitprincess
Sci-fi and fantasy – S – Sipu Muin
CCGS Sipu Muin, whose name is Mi’kmaq for “river bear,” is a hovercraft based in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. It is used as a buoy tender and performs icebreaking duties in areas along the St. Lawrence and other rivers in the region where conventional icebreakers are unable to operate.
1. Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (audio, read by Dan Starkey)
2. Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie
3. Doctor Who: The Story of Martha, by Dan Abnett
4. The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (audio, read by Neil Gaiman)
5. Doctor Who: The Churchill Years, by Phil Mulryne (Big Finish audio drama set)
6. Doctor Who: The Last Dodo, by Jacqueline Rayner (audio, read by Freema Agyeman)
7. The Stone Rose, by Jacqueline Rayner (audio, read by David Tennant)
8. Human Resources, Part 1, by Eddie Robson (Big Finish audio drama)
9. Human Resources, Part 2, by Eddie Robson (Big Finish audio drama)
Encore reads – E – Eckaloo
CCGS Eckaloo is a special navigation aids tender based in Hay River, Northwest Territories. The name means “pathfinder” in one of the Native dialects. (Maddeningly, I can’t find which one.) The vessel is used to search for shifts in the navigation channel of the Mackenzie River that are caused by the annual freeze and thaw. It was specially designed to have a shallow draft and flat bottom so that it could sustain repeated groundings while performing this task.
1. The Iliad, by Homer (translated by E.V. Rieu)
2. The Outlander, by Gil Adamson
3. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, by John le Carré
4. The Distant Echo, by Val McDermid
CCGS Sipu Muin, whose name is Mi’kmaq for “river bear,” is a hovercraft based in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. It is used as a buoy tender and performs icebreaking duties in areas along the St. Lawrence and other rivers in the region where conventional icebreakers are unable to operate.
1. Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (audio, read by Dan Starkey)
2. Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie
3. Doctor Who: The Story of Martha, by Dan Abnett
4. The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (audio, read by Neil Gaiman)
5. Doctor Who: The Churchill Years, by Phil Mulryne (Big Finish audio drama set)
6. Doctor Who: The Last Dodo, by Jacqueline Rayner (audio, read by Freema Agyeman)
7. The Stone Rose, by Jacqueline Rayner (audio, read by David Tennant)
8. Human Resources, Part 1, by Eddie Robson (Big Finish audio drama)
9. Human Resources, Part 2, by Eddie Robson (Big Finish audio drama)
Encore reads – E – Eckaloo
CCGS Eckaloo is a special navigation aids tender based in Hay River, Northwest Territories. The name means “pathfinder” in one of the Native dialects. (Maddeningly, I can’t find which one.) The vessel is used to search for shifts in the navigation channel of the Mackenzie River that are caused by the annual freeze and thaw. It was specially designed to have a shallow draft and flat bottom so that it could sustain repeated groundings while performing this task.
1. The Iliad, by Homer (translated by E.V. Rieu)
2. The Outlander, by Gil Adamson
3. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, by John le Carré
4. The Distant Echo, by Val McDermid
7rabbitprincess
Livres en Français – L – Louis S. St-Laurent
CCGS Louis S. St. Laurent is a heavy icebreaker based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Louis S. St. Laurent is named after the 12th prime minister of Canada and is the flagship of the Canadian Coast Guard.
1. Honni soit qui mal y pense: L'incroyable histoire d'amour entre l'anglais et le français, by Henriette Walter
2. L’homme aux cercles bleus, by Fred Vargas
Audiobooks – A – Ann Harvey
CCGS Ann Harvey is a buoy tender, SAR vessel, and light icebreaker based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The vessel’s namesake, a Newfoundlander named Ann Harvey (1811-1860), played a key role in rescuing passengers and crew members from two ships in distress: the Despatch in 1828 (when she was only 17!) and the Rankin in 1838.
1. Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (read by Dan Starkey)
2. The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (read by Neil Gaiman)
3. The Birds & Don't Look Now, by Daphne du Maurier (read by Peter Capaldi)
4. Doctor Who: The Churchill Years, by Phil Mulryne (Big Finish box set)
5. Doctor Who: The Last Dodo, by Jacqueline Rayner (read by Freema Agyeman)
6. The Stone Rose, by Jacqueline Rayner (read by David Tennant)
7. Human Resources, Part 1, by Eddie Robson (Big Finish audio drama)
8. Human Resources, Part 2, by Eddie Robson (Big Finish audio drama)
CCGS Louis S. St. Laurent is a heavy icebreaker based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Louis S. St. Laurent is named after the 12th prime minister of Canada and is the flagship of the Canadian Coast Guard.
1. Honni soit qui mal y pense: L'incroyable histoire d'amour entre l'anglais et le français, by Henriette Walter
2. L’homme aux cercles bleus, by Fred Vargas
Audiobooks – A – Ann Harvey
CCGS Ann Harvey is a buoy tender, SAR vessel, and light icebreaker based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The vessel’s namesake, a Newfoundlander named Ann Harvey (1811-1860), played a key role in rescuing passengers and crew members from two ships in distress: the Despatch in 1828 (when she was only 17!) and the Rankin in 1838.
1. Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (read by Dan Starkey)
2. The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (read by Neil Gaiman)
3. The Birds & Don't Look Now, by Daphne du Maurier (read by Peter Capaldi)
4. Doctor Who: The Churchill Years, by Phil Mulryne (Big Finish box set)
5. Doctor Who: The Last Dodo, by Jacqueline Rayner (read by Freema Agyeman)
6. The Stone Rose, by Jacqueline Rayner (read by David Tennant)
7. Human Resources, Part 1, by Eddie Robson (Big Finish audio drama)
8. Human Resources, Part 2, by Eddie Robson (Big Finish audio drama)
8rabbitprincess
Plays/short stories/essays/GNs/other miscellaneous short books – P – Penac
CCGS (or CCGH) Penac is a hovercraft based in Richmond, British Columbia, and is used primarily for SAR operations. The word “Penac” means “fair winds” in the Saanich language.
Plays
1. Travesties, by Tom Stoppard
2.
3.
The rest
1. The Lady in the Van, by Alan Bennett
2. You're Saying it Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words--and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse, by Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras
3. The Fifth Beatle, by Vivek J. Tiwary
4. Introvert Doodles, by Maureen "Marzi" Wilson
5. And All Through the House: Christmas Eve at the 87th Precinct, by Ed McBain
6. Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse: And Other Lessons from Modern Life, by David Mitchell
7. The Lonely Sea, by Alistair MacLean
8. Ask a Policeman, by The Detection Club
9. Big Mushy Happy Lump, by Sarah Andersen
CCGS (or CCGH) Penac is a hovercraft based in Richmond, British Columbia, and is used primarily for SAR operations. The word “Penac” means “fair winds” in the Saanich language.
Plays
1. Travesties, by Tom Stoppard
2.
3.
The rest
1. The Lady in the Van, by Alan Bennett
2. You're Saying it Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words--and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse, by Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras
3. The Fifth Beatle, by Vivek J. Tiwary
4. Introvert Doodles, by Maureen "Marzi" Wilson
5. And All Through the House: Christmas Eve at the 87th Precinct, by Ed McBain
6. Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse: And Other Lessons from Modern Life, by David Mitchell
7. The Lonely Sea, by Alistair MacLean
8. Ask a Policeman, by The Detection Club
9. Big Mushy Happy Lump, by Sarah Andersen
9rabbitprincess
Non-history-related non-fiction – N – Neocaligus
CCGS Neocaligus is a fishery research vessel used primarily for inshore fisheries research and is based in Patricia Bay, British Columbia. It was named after a previous vessel, the Caligus (Neocaligus = New Caligus). The original vessel was named after a genus of sea lice. Yum!
CultureCAT - I will be treating this kind of like a bingo. If I find non-fiction that fits the issues, great! If not, no sweat.
January - Ethics in Science and Technology
February - Medicine and Public Health - Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, by Atul Gawande
March - Cultural Awareness and Diversity - Seeing Voices, by Oliver Sacks
April - Religious Diversity and Freedom - Religion: A Discovery in Comics, by Margreet de Heer (translated by Margreet de Heer and Dan Schiff)
May - Gender Equality - Shrill, by Lindy West
June - Environmentalism/Conservatism/Climate Change - The Right to Be Cold, by Sheila Watt-Cloutier
July - Violence, Crime and Justice - Black River Road: An Unthinkable Crime, an Unlikely Suspect and the Question of Character, by Debra Komar
August - Impact of Natural Disasters - Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster, by Maura Hanrahan
September - Journalism and the Arts - This is a Book About the Kids in the Hall, by John Semley
October - Poverty
November - Conflict and War
December - Cultural Flow and Immigration
Everything else
1. Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average, by Joseph T. Hallinan
2. The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life, by John le Carré
3. That's Entertainment: My Life in The Jam, by Rick Buckler
4. Glasgow Underground: The Glasgow District Subway, by Keith Anderson
5. The Gift of the Gab: How Eloquence Works, by David Crystal
6. Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner, by Judy Melinek
7. Hi, Anxiety: Life with a Bad Case of Nerves, by Kat Kinsman
8. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, by Caitlin Doughty
9. Ah-Choo: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold, by Jennifer Ackerman
10. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales, by Oliver Sacks
11. Mixed Blessings, by Wiliam and Barbara Christopher
12. Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers, by Simon Winchester
13. If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face?, by Alan Alda
14. When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi
15. Careful: A User's Guide to Our Injury-Prone Minds, by Steve Casner
16. My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind, by Scott Stossel
17. The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Gawande
18. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson
CCGS Neocaligus is a fishery research vessel used primarily for inshore fisheries research and is based in Patricia Bay, British Columbia. It was named after a previous vessel, the Caligus (Neocaligus = New Caligus). The original vessel was named after a genus of sea lice. Yum!
CultureCAT - I will be treating this kind of like a bingo. If I find non-fiction that fits the issues, great! If not, no sweat.
January - Ethics in Science and Technology
February - Medicine and Public Health - Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, by Atul Gawande
March - Cultural Awareness and Diversity - Seeing Voices, by Oliver Sacks
April - Religious Diversity and Freedom - Religion: A Discovery in Comics, by Margreet de Heer (translated by Margreet de Heer and Dan Schiff)
May - Gender Equality - Shrill, by Lindy West
June - Environmentalism/Conservatism/Climate Change - The Right to Be Cold, by Sheila Watt-Cloutier
July - Violence, Crime and Justice - Black River Road: An Unthinkable Crime, an Unlikely Suspect and the Question of Character, by Debra Komar
August - Impact of Natural Disasters - Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster, by Maura Hanrahan
September - Journalism and the Arts - This is a Book About the Kids in the Hall, by John Semley
October - Poverty
November - Conflict and War
December - Cultural Flow and Immigration
Everything else
1. Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average, by Joseph T. Hallinan
2. The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life, by John le Carré
3. That's Entertainment: My Life in The Jam, by Rick Buckler
4. Glasgow Underground: The Glasgow District Subway, by Keith Anderson
5. The Gift of the Gab: How Eloquence Works, by David Crystal
6. Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner, by Judy Melinek
7. Hi, Anxiety: Life with a Bad Case of Nerves, by Kat Kinsman
8. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, by Caitlin Doughty
9. Ah-Choo: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold, by Jennifer Ackerman
10. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales, by Oliver Sacks
11. Mixed Blessings, by Wiliam and Barbara Christopher
12. Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers, by Simon Winchester
13. If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face?, by Alan Alda
14. When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi
15. Careful: A User's Guide to Our Injury-Prone Minds, by Steve Casner
16. My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind, by Scott Stossel
17. The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Gawande
18. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson
10rabbitprincess
Together we shall read these books – T – Tracy
CCGS Tracy is a multi-task vessel based in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. It was named after the Marquis Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy (1590-1670), who was appointed Lieutenant General of New France in 1663. The vessel is used primarily for aids to navigation, icebreaking, science, and environmental response operations. It has been declared “surplus” as part of the CCG’s fleet renewal initiative, which seems strange because I thought the problem was they didn’t have enough ships!! But this is an older ship so I guess they’re just buying new ones and scrapping the old :(
AwardsCAT
January (Costa/Year's Best book lists): none
February (Canada Reads / The Morning News Tournament of Books): Volkswagen Blues, by Jacques Poulin (Canada Reads)
March (any genre prize not already featured / Newbery and Caldecott): A Foreign Country, by Charles Cumming (CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, 2012); The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (Newbery Award, 2009)
April (International Dublin Literary Award / Pulitzer Prize): none
May (Man Booker International Prize / Edgar Awards): In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson (Edgar)
June (PEN Literary Awards / US National Book Award): none
July (SFF awards / Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction): The Wild, by Esther Freud (Orange Prize longlist 2001); Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie (Hugo)
August (Miles Franklin Award / Stonewall Book Award): none
September (Booker Prize / O. Henry Award): none
October (Nobel Prize for Literature / Giller Prize): The Saga of Gösta Berling, by Selma Lagerlöf (Nobel Prize); The Navigator of New York, by Wayne Johnston (Giller)
November (a regional prize of your choice): Island: The Collected Stories, by Alistair MacLeod (Atlantic Canada’s 100 Greatest Books)
December (a prize from a country you aren't living in): The Distant Echo, by Val McDermid (Theakstons Old Peculier shortlist)
CATWoman
January: Classics by women -- Mansfield Park
February: Debut books -- Help Me, Jacques Cousteau, by Gil Adamson (her first novel)
March: Genres -- The Secret Place, by Tana French
April: Biography/autobiography/memoir -- Hi, Anxiety: Life with a Bad Case of Nerves, by Kat Kinsman
May: Women in the arts -- Agatha Christie's Murder in the Making
June: Professional women -- The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, by Dava Sobel
July: Women of color -- Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly
August: Nonfiction or historical fiction -- Queens' Play, by Dorothy Dunnett
September: Children's/YA/Graphic novels -- Religion: A Discovery in Comics, by Margreet de Heer
October: Regional reading (Canada) -- The Stone Angel, by Margaret Laurence
November: LGBT/Feminist writing -- Moranifesto
December: Modern (post-1960) novels by women --
RandomCAT
January (Search and Rescue) Franklin's Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
February (Mine, Yours and Ours) His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
March (Luck o'the Irish) The Secret Place, by Tana French
April (Love in the Stacks) Love Story, with Murders, by Harry Bingham
May (All About Moms) The Dragon at Noonday, by Edith Pargeter
June (Into the Unknown) Billy Boyle, by James M. Benn
July (Let's Celebrate) The Case of the Dangerous Dowager, by Erle Stanley Gardner
August (The Animal Kingdom) Even Dogs in the Wild, by Ian Rankin
September (Where Does the Time Go?) Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
October
November
December
Group Reads
May: The Black Moon, by Winston Graham (Poldark #5)
June: The Four Swans, by Winston Graham (Poldark #6)
July: CanLit July: Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan
October: The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkaway (shared read with my cousin)
CCGS Tracy is a multi-task vessel based in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. It was named after the Marquis Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy (1590-1670), who was appointed Lieutenant General of New France in 1663. The vessel is used primarily for aids to navigation, icebreaking, science, and environmental response operations. It has been declared “surplus” as part of the CCG’s fleet renewal initiative, which seems strange because I thought the problem was they didn’t have enough ships!! But this is an older ship so I guess they’re just buying new ones and scrapping the old :(
AwardsCAT
January (Costa/Year's Best book lists): none
February (Canada Reads / The Morning News Tournament of Books): Volkswagen Blues, by Jacques Poulin (Canada Reads)
March (any genre prize not already featured / Newbery and Caldecott): A Foreign Country, by Charles Cumming (CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, 2012); The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (Newbery Award, 2009)
April (International Dublin Literary Award / Pulitzer Prize): none
May (Man Booker International Prize / Edgar Awards): In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson (Edgar)
June (PEN Literary Awards / US National Book Award): none
July (SFF awards / Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction): The Wild, by Esther Freud (Orange Prize longlist 2001); Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie (Hugo)
August (Miles Franklin Award / Stonewall Book Award): none
September (Booker Prize / O. Henry Award): none
October (Nobel Prize for Literature / Giller Prize): The Saga of Gösta Berling, by Selma Lagerlöf (Nobel Prize); The Navigator of New York, by Wayne Johnston (Giller)
November (a regional prize of your choice): Island: The Collected Stories, by Alistair MacLeod (Atlantic Canada’s 100 Greatest Books)
December (a prize from a country you aren't living in): The Distant Echo, by Val McDermid (Theakstons Old Peculier shortlist)
CATWoman
January: Classics by women -- Mansfield Park
February: Debut books -- Help Me, Jacques Cousteau, by Gil Adamson (her first novel)
March: Genres -- The Secret Place, by Tana French
April: Biography/autobiography/memoir -- Hi, Anxiety: Life with a Bad Case of Nerves, by Kat Kinsman
May: Women in the arts -- Agatha Christie's Murder in the Making
June: Professional women -- The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, by Dava Sobel
July: Women of color -- Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly
August: Nonfiction or historical fiction -- Queens' Play, by Dorothy Dunnett
September: Children's/YA/Graphic novels -- Religion: A Discovery in Comics, by Margreet de Heer
October: Regional reading (Canada) -- The Stone Angel, by Margaret Laurence
November: LGBT/Feminist writing -- Moranifesto
December: Modern (post-1960) novels by women --
RandomCAT
January (Search and Rescue) Franklin's Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
February (Mine, Yours and Ours) His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
March (Luck o'the Irish) The Secret Place, by Tana French
April (Love in the Stacks) Love Story, with Murders, by Harry Bingham
May (All About Moms) The Dragon at Noonday, by Edith Pargeter
June (Into the Unknown) Billy Boyle, by James M. Benn
July (Let's Celebrate) The Case of the Dangerous Dowager, by Erle Stanley Gardner
August (The Animal Kingdom) Even Dogs in the Wild, by Ian Rankin
September (Where Does the Time Go?) Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
October
November
December
Group Reads
May: The Black Moon, by Winston Graham (Poldark #5)
June: The Four Swans, by Winston Graham (Poldark #6)
July: CanLit July: Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan
October: The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkaway (shared read with my cousin)
11rabbitprincess
Oh no I can’t go on – O – Opilio (Decommissioned/Abandoned books)
CCGS Opilio was a nearshore fishery research vessel that operated out of Shippagan, New Brunswick. It was last drydocked in Nova Scotia in February 2012 and is now decommissioned. Opilio may be named for the Latin designation of the snow crab (Chionoectes opilio), which is harvested in the Maritime provinces.
1. The African Svelte: Ingenious Misspellings That Make Surprising Sense, by Daniel Menaker
2. Death in Dublin, by Bartholomew Gill
3. A Shocking Assassination, by Cora Harrison
4. Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes
5. The Dead Shall Be Raised and Murder of a Quack, by George Bellairs
6. Murder on the Mauretania, by Conrad Allen
7. Blood and Stone, by Chris Collett
8. The Case of the Dangerous Dowager, by Erle Stanley Gardner
CCGS Opilio was a nearshore fishery research vessel that operated out of Shippagan, New Brunswick. It was last drydocked in Nova Scotia in February 2012 and is now decommissioned. Opilio may be named for the Latin designation of the snow crab (Chionoectes opilio), which is harvested in the Maritime provinces.
1. The African Svelte: Ingenious Misspellings That Make Surprising Sense, by Daniel Menaker
2. Death in Dublin, by Bartholomew Gill
3. A Shocking Assassination, by Cora Harrison
4. Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes
5. The Dead Shall Be Raised and Murder of a Quack, by George Bellairs
6. Murder on the Mauretania, by Conrad Allen
7. Blood and Stone, by Chris Collett
8. The Case of the Dangerous Dowager, by Erle Stanley Gardner
12rabbitprincess
And the Bingo...
Read a CAT - Franklin's Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
Set in a time before you were born - Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (set in Victorian London)
Science-related - Complications, by Atul Gawande (medicine)
Published in 1917 - His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Title references another literary work - The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth, by Malcolm Pryce
Author shares your initials - In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson (reverse of the initials "RP", from my username, rabbitprincess)
Debut work - Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie
Short story collection - The Lonely Sea, by Alistair MacLean
Next book in series - The Black Moon, by Winston Graham
Place name in title - The Ghosts of Belfast, by Stuart Neville
Made into a movie - The Birds & Don't Look Now, by Daphne du Maurier
Animal in title - The Last Dodo, by Jacqueline Rayner
Owned more than five years - Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan
Read a CAT - Franklin's Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus, by John Geiger and Alanna Mitchell
Set in a time before you were born - Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (set in Victorian London)
Science-related - Complications, by Atul Gawande (medicine)
Published in 1917 - His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Title references another literary work - The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth, by Malcolm Pryce
Author shares your initials - In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson (reverse of the initials "RP", from my username, rabbitprincess)
Debut work - Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie
Short story collection - The Lonely Sea, by Alistair MacLean
Next book in series - The Black Moon, by Winston Graham
Place name in title - The Ghosts of Belfast, by Stuart Neville
Made into a movie - The Birds & Don't Look Now, by Daphne du Maurier
Animal in title - The Last Dodo, by Jacqueline Rayner
Owned more than five years - Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan
13rabbitprincess
Starting off the new thread with my March recap.
This month was a mix of books that felt like they took a long time to read, and books that I devoured in a couple of hours. There were 15 in all for March:
Glasgow Underground: The Glasgow District Subway, by Keith Anderson
The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth, by Malcolm Pryce
The Gift of the Gab: How Eloquence Works, by David Crystal
Talking to the Dead, by Harry Bingham
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, by John le Carré (reread)
Out of Bounds, by Val McDermid
Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes (Serial Reader, abandoned)
The Phantom Freighter, by Franklin W. Dixon
Introvert Doodles, by Maureen "Marzi" Wilson
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner, by Judy Melinek
In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson
Hi, Anxiety: Life with a Bad Case of Nerves, by Kat Kinsman
The Secret of High Eldersham, by Miles Burton
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, by Caitlin Doughty
Sunrise in the West, by Edith Pargeter
My favourite book of the month was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, by Caitlin Doughty. It was one of my "books devoured in a couple of hours" and I loved it. Looking forward to her next book, From Here to Eternity.
My least favourite book of the month was Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes. I attempted it mainly because a quote from Leviathan had appeared in The Terror, by Dan Simmons. I gave up after maybe 12 chapters, because even in Serial Reader format the content was passing through my brain without the slightest hint of understanding.
Of the books I had on my library stack, one was returned unread, and I had to strategically renew the French book, which may just end up being a flip-through-and-return.
My March RandomCAT was read early, and my other plan was to read books in my pool. I didn't even do that well with books I own, reading just three of those this month.
Currently reading
Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Scott Anderson -- Can I finish this in April?! Goal: finish it up before Easter. (Of course, I've probably just jinxed it by writing that.)
The Terror, by Dan Simmons -- I've totally lost momentum, which is sad. There were a couple of saggy bits in the middle and bits that prompted disbelief on my part, so I haven't picked it up for a while.
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman -- Reading the audio narrated by Neil Himself. Thinking I might switch to audio colouring as a way to get more involved in the story. I also think I'm going to reread it in print, because my audiobook attention span has been shot these days.
Evan Can Wait, by Rhys Bowen -- a light mystery in the Evan Evans series, set in Llanfair, Wales. This is part of my Wales trip reading.
Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie -- Hadn't read some SFF in a while so decided to put this 2017 Pool book in the bus-book rotation. It is not really fast-paced action, but I'll stick with it.
Ah-Choo!: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold, by Jennifer Ackerman -- I expect to be finished with this book this weekend. From what little I read this morning it is very easy to read. Also, it is sadly appropriate because I keep feeling like I'm coming down with a cold :(
April plans
I have two pairs of books where I'd like to finish one so that I can start the other:
Nightstand books: Hoping to knock off Lawrence in Arabia and get started on Have Not Been the Same, by Michael Barclay, which is about Canadian rock music in the 1980s and 1990s.
Big fat historical novels: I'd like to finish (or declare finished) The Terror and start We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen.
My RandomCAT choice for the theme "Love in the Stacks" is Love Story, with Murders, by Harry Bingham. This book was not on my to-read list; I requested it on impulse after enjoying the first book in the series so much :)
On my library shelves this month, besides Love Story, with Murders:
And All Through the House: Christmas Eve at the 87th Precinct, by Ed McBain -- something else for my short stories category, and also yay, Ed McBain!
Death to Dust: What Happens to Dead Bodies? by Kenneth V. Iserson -- requested after reading Working Stiff, by Judy Melinek. It's a huge book, so I might just pick a chapter or two to read as a sampler of the work as a whole.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales, by Oliver Sacks -- I've had a hold on this one FOREVER so I really need to read it!
Snowblind, by Ragnar Jonasson -- This might have been mentioned in Crime Scene magazine. And because I am a sucker for Iceland-set thrillers, I picked it up.
Religion: A Discovery in Comics, by Margreet de Heer -- This fits the CATWoman challenge of YA/children's lit/graphic novels, and is a book bullet from avatiakh.
Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse: And Other Lessons from Modern Life, by David Mitchell -- an impulse borrow after seeing it in the On Order section of the catalogue and saying "whoa, the library ordered THIS? Awesome!"
Les bateaux-phares du Saint-Laurent en aval de Québec 1830-1963, by Jean Cloutier -- I've renewed it twice and haven't cracked it open yet :( Another flip-through-and-return book probably.
The Cunning Man, by Robertson Davies -- this is actually the second of two connected books, but I liked the sound of this one better so I am going to read it anyway :P Also, this copy is a large print edition, so it will be read at home rather than on the bus, in case there are naughty scenes.
This month was a mix of books that felt like they took a long time to read, and books that I devoured in a couple of hours. There were 15 in all for March:
Glasgow Underground: The Glasgow District Subway, by Keith Anderson
The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth, by Malcolm Pryce
The Gift of the Gab: How Eloquence Works, by David Crystal
Talking to the Dead, by Harry Bingham
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, by John le Carré (reread)
Out of Bounds, by Val McDermid
Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes (Serial Reader, abandoned)
The Phantom Freighter, by Franklin W. Dixon
Introvert Doodles, by Maureen "Marzi" Wilson
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner, by Judy Melinek
In a Dry Season, by Peter Robinson
Hi, Anxiety: Life with a Bad Case of Nerves, by Kat Kinsman
The Secret of High Eldersham, by Miles Burton
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, by Caitlin Doughty
Sunrise in the West, by Edith Pargeter
My favourite book of the month was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, by Caitlin Doughty. It was one of my "books devoured in a couple of hours" and I loved it. Looking forward to her next book, From Here to Eternity.
My least favourite book of the month was Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes. I attempted it mainly because a quote from Leviathan had appeared in The Terror, by Dan Simmons. I gave up after maybe 12 chapters, because even in Serial Reader format the content was passing through my brain without the slightest hint of understanding.
Of the books I had on my library stack, one was returned unread, and I had to strategically renew the French book, which may just end up being a flip-through-and-return.
My March RandomCAT was read early, and my other plan was to read books in my pool. I didn't even do that well with books I own, reading just three of those this month.
Currently reading
Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Scott Anderson -- Can I finish this in April?! Goal: finish it up before Easter. (Of course, I've probably just jinxed it by writing that.)
The Terror, by Dan Simmons -- I've totally lost momentum, which is sad. There were a couple of saggy bits in the middle and bits that prompted disbelief on my part, so I haven't picked it up for a while.
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman -- Reading the audio narrated by Neil Himself. Thinking I might switch to audio colouring as a way to get more involved in the story. I also think I'm going to reread it in print, because my audiobook attention span has been shot these days.
Evan Can Wait, by Rhys Bowen -- a light mystery in the Evan Evans series, set in Llanfair, Wales. This is part of my Wales trip reading.
Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie -- Hadn't read some SFF in a while so decided to put this 2017 Pool book in the bus-book rotation. It is not really fast-paced action, but I'll stick with it.
Ah-Choo!: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold, by Jennifer Ackerman -- I expect to be finished with this book this weekend. From what little I read this morning it is very easy to read. Also, it is sadly appropriate because I keep feeling like I'm coming down with a cold :(
April plans
I have two pairs of books where I'd like to finish one so that I can start the other:
Nightstand books: Hoping to knock off Lawrence in Arabia and get started on Have Not Been the Same, by Michael Barclay, which is about Canadian rock music in the 1980s and 1990s.
Big fat historical novels: I'd like to finish (or declare finished) The Terror and start We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen.
My RandomCAT choice for the theme "Love in the Stacks" is Love Story, with Murders, by Harry Bingham. This book was not on my to-read list; I requested it on impulse after enjoying the first book in the series so much :)
On my library shelves this month, besides Love Story, with Murders:
And All Through the House: Christmas Eve at the 87th Precinct, by Ed McBain -- something else for my short stories category, and also yay, Ed McBain!
Death to Dust: What Happens to Dead Bodies? by Kenneth V. Iserson -- requested after reading Working Stiff, by Judy Melinek. It's a huge book, so I might just pick a chapter or two to read as a sampler of the work as a whole.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales, by Oliver Sacks -- I've had a hold on this one FOREVER so I really need to read it!
Snowblind, by Ragnar Jonasson -- This might have been mentioned in Crime Scene magazine. And because I am a sucker for Iceland-set thrillers, I picked it up.
Religion: A Discovery in Comics, by Margreet de Heer -- This fits the CATWoman challenge of YA/children's lit/graphic novels, and is a book bullet from avatiakh.
Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse: And Other Lessons from Modern Life, by David Mitchell -- an impulse borrow after seeing it in the On Order section of the catalogue and saying "whoa, the library ordered THIS? Awesome!"
Les bateaux-phares du Saint-Laurent en aval de Québec 1830-1963, by Jean Cloutier -- I've renewed it twice and haven't cracked it open yet :( Another flip-through-and-return book probably.
The Cunning Man, by Robertson Davies -- this is actually the second of two connected books, but I liked the sound of this one better so I am going to read it anyway :P Also, this copy is a large print edition, so it will be read at home rather than on the bus, in case there are naughty scenes.
14rabbitprincess
And the quarterly update on my Pool reading:
Not great, but there's still time to read these books! I must admit, though, there are a couple that I doubt will get read. I've been rereading a lot of books this year already, so the Chandler omnibus may not be finished (the two stories in the omnibus I want to read are ones I read before), and Mansfield Park is looking pretty daunting unless I check it out on Serial Reader.
Not great, but there's still time to read these books! I must admit, though, there are a couple that I doubt will get read. I've been rereading a lot of books this year already, so the Chandler omnibus may not be finished (the two stories in the omnibus I want to read are ones I read before), and Mansfield Park is looking pretty daunting unless I check it out on Serial Reader.
15Jackie_K
Happy new thread!
From the end of your first thread I've just taken a BB for Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. I'm pretty sure I heard snippets of an interview with her on Radio Scotland when the book first came out, and thought it sounded really interesting, although I'd forgotten all about it until I read your review just then. I also keep seeing Over Our Dead Bodies: Undertakers Lift the Lid in my kobo recommendations, and am quite tempted!
From the end of your first thread I've just taken a BB for Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. I'm pretty sure I heard snippets of an interview with her on Radio Scotland when the book first came out, and thought it sounded really interesting, although I'd forgotten all about it until I read your review just then. I also keep seeing Over Our Dead Bodies: Undertakers Lift the Lid in my kobo recommendations, and am quite tempted!
17MissWatson
Happy new thread! Ed McBain, yay. Long time no read...
18sturlington
Spring threads are blooming! Looks like you got a lot read in March.
19DeltaQueen50
Happy new thread, RP!
20rabbitprincess
>15 Jackie_K: I hope you like it! And if you do get the Over Our Dead Bodies book, I'll be interested to hear how it is!
>16 mstrust: Thanks! It is an ambitious month for sure.
>17 MissWatson: Yes, it will make a nice break in between some of my bigger historical novels :)
>18 sturlington: It was a solid reading month!
>19 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy!
****
It is a quiet Sunday round these parts. Friday night was very busy: I attended the Juno Cup, which is a charity hockey game between a team of Canadian musicians and a team of former NHL players. The game is held as part of the festivities surrounding the Juno Awards, which are being presented in Ottawa this year. The game is two periods of 25 minutes each, there are goals aplenty and everyone on the ice is there to have fun. All hockey should be like that ;) It was a close game: the NHLers won by only one goal! (Granted, the NHLers go pretty easy on the Rockers, but a one-goal game is exciting indeed.) Yesterday I made a cake for my BF's birthday and we watched one of his favourite movies, Ninotchka.
Also yesterday I read a book in a day:
Ah-Choo!: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold, by Jennifer Ackerman
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139762544
I put this on my to-read list back when it was first published, because Goodreads had hosted a giveaway. A discussion with my cousin about books about illness (she had a wicked cold / ear infection last month) led me to finally read and request it, and I really liked it. It is a good introduction and accessible to the general reader.
>16 mstrust: Thanks! It is an ambitious month for sure.
>17 MissWatson: Yes, it will make a nice break in between some of my bigger historical novels :)
>18 sturlington: It was a solid reading month!
>19 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy!
****
It is a quiet Sunday round these parts. Friday night was very busy: I attended the Juno Cup, which is a charity hockey game between a team of Canadian musicians and a team of former NHL players. The game is held as part of the festivities surrounding the Juno Awards, which are being presented in Ottawa this year. The game is two periods of 25 minutes each, there are goals aplenty and everyone on the ice is there to have fun. All hockey should be like that ;) It was a close game: the NHLers won by only one goal! (Granted, the NHLers go pretty easy on the Rockers, but a one-goal game is exciting indeed.) Yesterday I made a cake for my BF's birthday and we watched one of his favourite movies, Ninotchka.
Also yesterday I read a book in a day:
Ah-Choo!: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold, by Jennifer Ackerman
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139762544
I put this on my to-read list back when it was first published, because Goodreads had hosted a giveaway. A discussion with my cousin about books about illness (she had a wicked cold / ear infection last month) led me to finally read and request it, and I really liked it. It is a good introduction and accessible to the general reader.
21VivienneR
Happy new thread! As usual a recap always shoots some bullets in my direction. This time Smoke gets in your eyes was the one that hit the target.
22LittleTaiko
Happy new thread! Sounds like you had a lovely weekend. Happy reading!
23rabbitprincess
>21 VivienneR: It's a good one! I might have to bring it down to 4.5 stars because I was so giddy about it, but it is very much recommended nonetheless :)
>22 LittleTaiko: It has been a pretty good weekend, and productive, too!
****
Since my last update I've managed to finish off two more books. Well, one was more of a "stick a fork in it, it's done", and the other was only 40 pages, but still!
The Terror, by Dan Simmons
Category: Hudson
Source: borrowed from a friend
Rating: 2/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/137835574
The first half of this book and the shipboard details throughout were great. Less great was the fact that it was nearly 800 pages, and when I stalled in the middle, I couldn't get back into the groove again. There is apparently going to be a 10-episode miniseries of the book on AMC; maybe I'll get through that, whenever it airs.
And All Through the House: Christmas Eve at the 87th Precinct, by Ed McBain
Category: Penac
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139788479
A teeny little book focusing on one Christmas Eve at the 87th Precinct. It's short and to the point, which was a relief after deciding to abandon The Terror ;) And how fun to be revisiting the gang again.
>22 LittleTaiko: It has been a pretty good weekend, and productive, too!
****
Since my last update I've managed to finish off two more books. Well, one was more of a "stick a fork in it, it's done", and the other was only 40 pages, but still!
The Terror, by Dan Simmons
Category: Hudson
Source: borrowed from a friend
Rating: 2/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/137835574
The first half of this book and the shipboard details throughout were great. Less great was the fact that it was nearly 800 pages, and when I stalled in the middle, I couldn't get back into the groove again. There is apparently going to be a 10-episode miniseries of the book on AMC; maybe I'll get through that, whenever it airs.
And All Through the House: Christmas Eve at the 87th Precinct, by Ed McBain
Category: Penac
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139788479
A teeny little book focusing on one Christmas Eve at the 87th Precinct. It's short and to the point, which was a relief after deciding to abandon The Terror ;) And how fun to be revisiting the gang again.
24RidgewayGirl
The hockey game sounds fun. Glad your weekend was a good one.
25dudes22
Happy New Thread, rp. I'm going to see if our library has the cold book. My husband has had 2 bad colds within a month. I think he might be interested.
ETA: Not at our local, so I think I'll ask him before I do it ILL. I'm not sure he'll think he has the time to read it with the move and all (or lose it).
ETA: Not at our local, so I think I'll ask him before I do it ILL. I'm not sure he'll think he has the time to read it with the move and all (or lose it).
26rabbitprincess
>24 RidgewayGirl: It was so much fun! Everyone on the ice seemed to really enjoy being there, and because it was general admission, I was in the lower section, maybe about six or seven rows up from the actual ice. Great view!
>25 dudes22: Probably a good idea to hold off on interlibrary loan until you're all settled in. If he does end up reading it, I hope he likes it! It was an easy read.
****
Today has been a rainy, cold day. We had a rainfall warning in effect: 30 to 50 mm forecast, and with the ground already nearing saturation point, there is the potential for flooding in low-lying areas. Fortunately, I managed to avoid the worst of it on my commute.
And yesterday was productive, as I finished off two books.
Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie
Category: Sipu Muin
Source: Mr B's Emporium of Bookish Delights, Bath, England
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/121627683
I am proud of myself for reading some harder sci-fi (or what I perceive to be harder sci-fi), and I certainly don't regret picking this up at my Book Spa. It was just not a "race through breathlessly" kind of book, which is OK.
Evan Can Wait, by Rhys Bowen
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 2/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139811099
I'm not much of a cozy mystery reader, and this book does not change the trend. The setting was the main draw; the repetitive summing-up of the story so far was the main turn-off.
>25 dudes22: Probably a good idea to hold off on interlibrary loan until you're all settled in. If he does end up reading it, I hope he likes it! It was an easy read.
****
Today has been a rainy, cold day. We had a rainfall warning in effect: 30 to 50 mm forecast, and with the ground already nearing saturation point, there is the potential for flooding in low-lying areas. Fortunately, I managed to avoid the worst of it on my commute.
And yesterday was productive, as I finished off two books.
Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie
Category: Sipu Muin
Source: Mr B's Emporium of Bookish Delights, Bath, England
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/121627683
I am proud of myself for reading some harder sci-fi (or what I perceive to be harder sci-fi), and I certainly don't regret picking this up at my Book Spa. It was just not a "race through breathlessly" kind of book, which is OK.
Evan Can Wait, by Rhys Bowen
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 2/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139811099
I'm not much of a cozy mystery reader, and this book does not change the trend. The setting was the main draw; the repetitive summing-up of the story so far was the main turn-off.
27mstrust
A cold, rainy day, minus the threat of flooding, sounds really good. We got up to 92F today.
I remember your visit to the Bath book spa! Nice to have those reminders, in the form of a book, isn't it?
I remember your visit to the Bath book spa! Nice to have those reminders, in the form of a book, isn't it?
28rabbitprincess
>27 mstrust: Yes, bookish souvenirs are great!
The Weather Network is claiming that it will get up to 22 degrees C here on Monday! Crazy!
The Weather Network is claiming that it will get up to 22 degrees C here on Monday! Crazy!
29rabbitprincess
So it did end up getting up to 22 degrees on Monday; in fact, it reached 23! After a delightful sunny afternoon, we had an evening in which some places got thunderstorms and our area in particular got a spell of heavy rain with big fat raindrops that left quite a punch. The rain did not deter me from going to the post office, where I picked up a copy of The Trespasser, by Tana French. The parcel pickup slip was dated April 3 and yet I didn't receive it until April 10! Not sure what roundabout route it took to get here.
I also took the time to review a couple of books:
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales, by Oliver Sacks
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140019087
It's a memorable title and an interesting book, albeit one that is a bit heavier, writing-wise, than modern popular science books. The chapter on the president's speech was the most interesting for me.
Murder on the Leviathan, by Boris Akunin (translated by Andrew Bromfield)
Category: Hudson
Source: random church book sale
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/130511284
Not a bad mystery. I do like mysteries set on ships, and the novelty of a Russian diplomat sleuth was another point in its favour. I'd probably pick up another in the series.
I also took the time to review a couple of books:
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales, by Oliver Sacks
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140019087
It's a memorable title and an interesting book, albeit one that is a bit heavier, writing-wise, than modern popular science books. The chapter on the president's speech was the most interesting for me.
Murder on the Leviathan, by Boris Akunin (translated by Andrew Bromfield)
Category: Hudson
Source: random church book sale
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/130511284
Not a bad mystery. I do like mysteries set on ships, and the novelty of a Russian diplomat sleuth was another point in its favour. I'd probably pick up another in the series.
30mathgirl40
>26 rabbitprincess: I enjoyed Leckie's trilogy but agree it's not in the "race through breathlessly" category. Have you ever tried Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan books? They're not really "hard" SF but they have space-opera elements like Leckie's trilogy. I find they're well-written and hard to put down once started.
31rabbitprincess
>30 mathgirl40: I haven't read any of the saga but did enjoy following along with the various Category Challenge group reads. Maybe once I finish another long-standing series I'll dip a toe into that one.
32Jackie_K
>29 rabbitprincess: I love Oliver Sacks, I have a couple of his other books and hopefully the Jar of Fate will be good to me and let me read them soon!
33rabbitprincess
>32 Jackie_K: I've requested the other book of his that was on my TBR, Seeing Voices. Which ones do you have?
34Jackie_K
>33 rabbitprincess: I have Musicophilia, and thought I had Migraine too, but it turns out that one is just on my wishlist!
35rabbitprincess
>34 Jackie_K: I read Musicophilia a while ago and am not sure I read it at the right time. It took me a while to get through. That could also have been because it was a heavier hardcover; The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat was a light paperback.
****
It's Good Friday and it has been an extremely lazy one. Slept in, then read a bunch, then got sucked into a rabbit hole of Graham Norton clips on YouTube. Obviously this is the best way to enjoy what is by all accounts a very nice day. Lots of sunshine and temperatures in the mid-teens Celsius!
I also have a couple of reviews. One is of a very long-standing book, the other is of a shorter book I finished yesterday.
Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Scott Anderson
Category: Viola M. Davidson
Source: borrowed from BF's parents
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/111927931
This took me almost a year to get over halfway through. Lots of information, probably of more value to more serious students of this period in history. As a casual reader, I'd probably prefer something shorter.
Snowblind, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Quentin Bates)
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140087796
This is the first of the "Dark Iceland" series to be published in English. It's not really THAT dark, unless you mean in the sense that the sun doesn't shine for months on end in the winter. It's not a bad mystery, and a setting in the north of Iceland is neat. I did find it a bit annoying to have to wait for the detective to tell us the solution, or rather I found it annoying that the narration made it obvious that I would have to wait. You know, the whole "The detective went back to his office, opened the drawer and read a file. Suddenly, he had the solution to the whole crime", then he takes several scenes to build his case before finally stating whodunnit. I don't usually guess along with the detective, but sudden unshared epiphanies are annoying (and also, I keep waiting for the character who has had said epiphany to be murdered before they can share it with anyone).
I'll still read another book in the series though. Iceland is a neat place to write about :)
****
It's Good Friday and it has been an extremely lazy one. Slept in, then read a bunch, then got sucked into a rabbit hole of Graham Norton clips on YouTube. Obviously this is the best way to enjoy what is by all accounts a very nice day. Lots of sunshine and temperatures in the mid-teens Celsius!
I also have a couple of reviews. One is of a very long-standing book, the other is of a shorter book I finished yesterday.
Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Scott Anderson
Category: Viola M. Davidson
Source: borrowed from BF's parents
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/111927931
This took me almost a year to get over halfway through. Lots of information, probably of more value to more serious students of this period in history. As a casual reader, I'd probably prefer something shorter.
Snowblind, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Quentin Bates)
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140087796
This is the first of the "Dark Iceland" series to be published in English. It's not really THAT dark, unless you mean in the sense that the sun doesn't shine for months on end in the winter. It's not a bad mystery, and a setting in the north of Iceland is neat. I did find it a bit annoying to have to wait for the detective to tell us the solution, or rather I found it annoying that the narration made it obvious that I would have to wait. You know, the whole "The detective went back to his office, opened the drawer and read a file. Suddenly, he had the solution to the whole crime", then he takes several scenes to build his case before finally stating whodunnit. I don't usually guess along with the detective, but sudden unshared epiphanies are annoying (and also, I keep waiting for the character who has had said epiphany to be murdered before they can share it with anyone).
I'll still read another book in the series though. Iceland is a neat place to write about :)
37rabbitprincess
>36 mstrust: It's the most adorable time of the year! Happy Easter to you as well!
I had a maple latte today and thought of you! It was delicious. I don't drink regular coffee but will have the odd latte. This one was great because the maple was sweet, but the coffee kept it from being *too* sweet. A nice balance of flavours.
I had a maple latte today and thought of you! It was delicious. I don't drink regular coffee but will have the odd latte. This one was great because the maple was sweet, but the coffee kept it from being *too* sweet. A nice balance of flavours.
38mstrust
Ha, thanks for thinking of me! Maple lattes are great. The one teeny tiny coffee shop around here that made them folded recently. I guess I'll have to pour maple syrup into my own coffee. ; )
39virginiahomeschooler
>35 rabbitprincess: I LOVE Graham Norton! Sounds like a perfect Good Friday to me.
40rabbitprincess
>38 mstrust: At least that way, you can put in as much as you like!
>39 virginiahomeschooler: I love how he gets a whole bunch of people together and they chat about all sorts of things, not just what they're on the show to promote. It's more like a party than a chat show.
****
Today is the last day of my four-day weekend. Hope I remember how to work tomorrow :S Spent the morning running errands, so now I am considering myself justified in being lazy, reading and catching up on a couple of reviews.
Thinking About It Only Makes it Worse: And Other Lessons from Modern Life, by David Mitchell
Category: Penac
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140143676
This is the comedian, not the author. I have no idea why my (Canadian) library ordered this; perhaps there's an Anglophile in charge of collections management. Anyway, it was a light read and a good choice for borrowing from the library.
Religion: A Discovery in Comics, by Margreet de Heer (translated by Margreet de Heer and Dan Schiff)
Category: Neocaligus, Tracy
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139892419
A good overview, but by necessity brief. Makes a useful starting point for conversations about religion or areas to explore further.
>39 virginiahomeschooler: I love how he gets a whole bunch of people together and they chat about all sorts of things, not just what they're on the show to promote. It's more like a party than a chat show.
****
Today is the last day of my four-day weekend. Hope I remember how to work tomorrow :S Spent the morning running errands, so now I am considering myself justified in being lazy, reading and catching up on a couple of reviews.
Thinking About It Only Makes it Worse: And Other Lessons from Modern Life, by David Mitchell
Category: Penac
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140143676
This is the comedian, not the author. I have no idea why my (Canadian) library ordered this; perhaps there's an Anglophile in charge of collections management. Anyway, it was a light read and a good choice for borrowing from the library.
Religion: A Discovery in Comics, by Margreet de Heer (translated by Margreet de Heer and Dan Schiff)
Category: Neocaligus, Tracy
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139892419
A good overview, but by necessity brief. Makes a useful starting point for conversations about religion or areas to explore further.
41rabbitprincess
You know it's not going to be a good day when you walk into the dining area of your apartment and step into a giant puddle. Especially in your stocking feet. One of the hoses in the kitchen sink had sprung a leak overnight and somehow managed to spray this leak into a variety of pots and pans under the sink and into the aforementioned puddle, which extended from the kitchen into the dining area and even onto part of the living room carpet. (Fortunately, no books were harmed. Or should I say no reading books; the cover of my Yellow Submarine colouring book, which sticks out from the bookshelf, got a bit waterlogged and I had to dry it out. Even then, none of the pictures are seriously affected. Whew!)
So I ended up being home from work for another day (after a four-day weekend...which looks GREAT). Fortunately I was able to work from home in between cleaning up the mess and discussing the situation with the superintendent. Now we have a new faucet (although it's somehow an older model than the one we used to have?) and a new sink hose.
This also meant I got zero reading done today.
On the plus side, here is a review.
The Lonely Sea, by Alistair MacLean
Category: Penac
Source: Christmas gift
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/104608145
This was a Christmas gift from my parents, and a well-chosen one too. Some great WW2 naval hero-type stories, and a lovely story at the beginning that includes some Gaelic. Recommended if you like MacLean, or if you want to try him out.
So I ended up being home from work for another day (after a four-day weekend...which looks GREAT). Fortunately I was able to work from home in between cleaning up the mess and discussing the situation with the superintendent. Now we have a new faucet (although it's somehow an older model than the one we used to have?) and a new sink hose.
This also meant I got zero reading done today.
On the plus side, here is a review.
The Lonely Sea, by Alistair MacLean
Category: Penac
Source: Christmas gift
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/104608145
This was a Christmas gift from my parents, and a well-chosen one too. Some great WW2 naval hero-type stories, and a lovely story at the beginning that includes some Gaelic. Recommended if you like MacLean, or if you want to try him out.
42VivienneR
So sorry to hear about your water woes. Same thing happened to me recently but I caught it in time, when it was just starting. But it required a plumber to install the new faucet. Now the washer was a different story! That flooded five rooms (but no actual damage).
It's been a long time since I read Alistair MacLean. I always enjoyed his books.
It's been a long time since I read Alistair MacLean. I always enjoyed his books.
43mstrust
I'm glad it was fixed and your stuff, (especially the books!), weren't ruined. Home repairs are the worst!
44LittleTaiko
What a mess! Glad everything is in working order again.
45rabbitprincess
>42 VivienneR: Oh no, a washer would cause so much more flooding! And yes I am very glad that we have a superintendent who can install these things for us.
>43 mstrust: I was glad that I was able to salvage a few hours of work out of it. I was not about to take a vacation day just to resolve plumbing problems.
>44 LittleTaiko: Me too! Our new faucet is mildly annoying in that it has separate hot and cold dials rather than a single lever, but at least it works!
****
Yesterday our fridge, feeling neglected, decided that now was the time for the light bulb inside the fridge part to burn out. The fridge itself is still working; it's just dark in there.
I've been on a mystery kick lately, and here are the results:
Love Story, with Murders, by Harry Bingham
Category: Tracy (April RandomCAT)
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139762570
I really enjoy this series. The 3.5 rating is just for the fact that I became fatigued toward the end with all of the story threads that needed to be tied up. Still, I recommend the series highly and am looking forward to borrowing the third book.
Spinsters in Jeopardy, by Ngaio Marsh
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: Rockcliffe Park book sale
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123120848
This is totally bananas, in a way that is reminiscent of Death in Ecstasy (both have weird drug cults). I was more in it for the charms of the Mediterranean setting and the great use of French.
>43 mstrust: I was glad that I was able to salvage a few hours of work out of it. I was not about to take a vacation day just to resolve plumbing problems.
>44 LittleTaiko: Me too! Our new faucet is mildly annoying in that it has separate hot and cold dials rather than a single lever, but at least it works!
****
Yesterday our fridge, feeling neglected, decided that now was the time for the light bulb inside the fridge part to burn out. The fridge itself is still working; it's just dark in there.
I've been on a mystery kick lately, and here are the results:
Love Story, with Murders, by Harry Bingham
Category: Tracy (April RandomCAT)
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139762570
I really enjoy this series. The 3.5 rating is just for the fact that I became fatigued toward the end with all of the story threads that needed to be tied up. Still, I recommend the series highly and am looking forward to borrowing the third book.
Spinsters in Jeopardy, by Ngaio Marsh
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: Rockcliffe Park book sale
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123120848
This is totally bananas, in a way that is reminiscent of Death in Ecstasy (both have weird drug cults). I was more in it for the charms of the Mediterranean setting and the great use of French.
46dudes22
We had friends who came home from a 2 week vacation in Paris to find a pipe had burst in their kitchen at some point while they were gone. They ended up having to totally renovate the kitchen because the cabinets had been sitting in water for so long. Glad your problem wasn't that bad.
47LauraBrook
Love that you've been reading mysteries lately! Are all of Marsh's books standalone, or are there series?
And c'mon, fridge! Help a girl out! ;)
And c'mon, fridge! Help a girl out! ;)
48rabbitprincess
>46 dudes22: Oh no, two whole weeks! That would be awful! Yes, I am very glad that we were able to fix the problem after just a few hours.
>47 LauraBrook: The only Marsh books I know of are the ones that are part of the Roderick Alleyn series. There are 32 of them, though, so plenty of material!
When the water leak happened I actually thought it was my fridge! The fridge is very old and the drip pan sometimes overflows if we haven't defrosted it (it's so old that it can't defrost automatically). So I was like "YES! Finally! New fridge!" No such luck :P
****
Went out to see the new Beauty and the Beast. Overall, it was fine. I loved the library, Gaston's songs, Belle's inventiveness and more active role in proceedings, and the way they resolved a few plot holes from the original. What I didn't like was that they Autotuned Emma Watson, and particularly that the Autotuning was so obvious! If you think an actor really can't sing, get them a voice double or lessons.
I also found it amusing that Elinor Dashwood once again faced Edward Ferrars being in love with someone else... except this time she ensured that the match was made :P
(Hattie Morahan played the enchantress, and Dan Stevens played the Beast... they were both in the David Morrissey Sense and Sensibility.)
And while we were out, we went to Book Bazaar and I was VERY STRONG and limited myself to one book: The Sunne in Splendour, by Sharon Kay Penman. I've been stocking up on historical fiction lately :)
>47 LauraBrook: The only Marsh books I know of are the ones that are part of the Roderick Alleyn series. There are 32 of them, though, so plenty of material!
When the water leak happened I actually thought it was my fridge! The fridge is very old and the drip pan sometimes overflows if we haven't defrosted it (it's so old that it can't defrost automatically). So I was like "YES! Finally! New fridge!" No such luck :P
****
Went out to see the new Beauty and the Beast. Overall, it was fine. I loved the library, Gaston's songs, Belle's inventiveness and more active role in proceedings, and the way they resolved a few plot holes from the original. What I didn't like was that they Autotuned Emma Watson, and particularly that the Autotuning was so obvious! If you think an actor really can't sing, get them a voice double or lessons.
I also found it amusing that Elinor Dashwood once again faced Edward Ferrars being in love with someone else... except this time she ensured that the match was made :P
(Hattie Morahan played the enchantress, and Dan Stevens played the Beast... they were both in the David Morrissey Sense and Sensibility.)
And while we were out, we went to Book Bazaar and I was VERY STRONG and limited myself to one book: The Sunne in Splendour, by Sharon Kay Penman. I've been stocking up on historical fiction lately :)
49luvamystery65
Howdy RP! I haven't read Ed McBain in a long time! I really need to get back to that series.
As I said in the AwardsCAT thread, I joined Litsy but I am so lost. I really don't know how to navigate around there. I joined to follow a couple of authors and pick up book bullets but I'm not sure the best way to go about participating. I really don't want to catalog my books there since I do that here. I am following you there now. Thanks for letting me know you are there.
As I said in the AwardsCAT thread, I joined Litsy but I am so lost. I really don't know how to navigate around there. I joined to follow a couple of authors and pick up book bullets but I'm not sure the best way to go about participating. I really don't want to catalog my books there since I do that here. I am following you there now. Thanks for letting me know you are there.
50rabbitprincess
>49 luvamystery65: I need to figure out which ones I haven't read! They were a staple of my reading diet in high school, but that was before I was cataloguing on Goodreads or LT.
I use Litsy more for random thoughts that I have about reading: crazy covers, cool quotes, book hauls and so on. I also participate in monthly photo challenges and the odd readathon. I don't use it for cataloguing everything, just what I've been reading since I joined. It is a bit overwhelming at first because of all the scrolling and the fact that discussions can be more attached to posts rather than groups, as on here. I hope you find a good groove that suits you on there :)
I use Litsy more for random thoughts that I have about reading: crazy covers, cool quotes, book hauls and so on. I also participate in monthly photo challenges and the odd readathon. I don't use it for cataloguing everything, just what I've been reading since I joined. It is a bit overwhelming at first because of all the scrolling and the fact that discussions can be more attached to posts rather than groups, as on here. I hope you find a good groove that suits you on there :)
51Tanya-dogearedcopy
>49 luvamystery65: >50 rabbitprincess:
I'm on litsy too (dogearedcopy), and love it; but it is a different mindset than LT or even Goodreads. On litsy, I follow people that actually write posts about what they are reading, and unfollow those that are heavy on memes. I've discovered an outrageous amount of material that I want to read; but discussions aren't really a thing there. A good photo, a blurb or a review, and you're done! I think it also helps that I was an early "litten"; and that I participate on a couple of platform-wide events: I'm a member of the original Litsy Goes Postal group; and I've joined in a couple of the book exchanges. There are also a few read-a-thons that are hosted, and I see people love to post their progress... All of these things help you know other littens, and form you book community there.
I'm on litsy too (dogearedcopy), and love it; but it is a different mindset than LT or even Goodreads. On litsy, I follow people that actually write posts about what they are reading, and unfollow those that are heavy on memes. I've discovered an outrageous amount of material that I want to read; but discussions aren't really a thing there. A good photo, a blurb or a review, and you're done! I think it also helps that I was an early "litten"; and that I participate on a couple of platform-wide events: I'm a member of the original Litsy Goes Postal group; and I've joined in a couple of the book exchanges. There are also a few read-a-thons that are hosted, and I see people love to post their progress... All of these things help you know other littens, and form you book community there.
52luvamystery65
>50 rabbitprincess: & >51 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I think I've got it. It sounds like early days Instagram before they went brand conscious and FB bought them out. Makes sense to me now. Thanks!
53mathgirl40
>50 rabbitprincess: >51 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I'd shied away from joining Litsy because it seemed too overwhelming to build up another books database on a different site. (Apart from LT, I'm also pretty active on BookCrossing.) However, reading your comments, it sounds like you continue to use LT for cataloging and deeper discussions, and you use Litsy for for more spontaneous or casual interactions, or to follow the posts of certain authors or other readers. That sort of usage might work for me, and I'm considering giving it a try.
54LittleTaiko
It's not like I need another book tracking venue besides LT and Goodreads or the various book podcasts that I listen too, but off I go to go explore the Litsy world. :)
ETA: Signed up now (BookBrat).
ETA: Signed up now (BookBrat).
55rabbitprincess
>51 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I like following the readathons too! Everyone's so excited about dedicating a weekend to reading. How do you like being in the postal groups and book exchanges?
>52 luvamystery65: The user interface does feel Instagrammy, too, from what little I've read/seen about it (I'm not on Instagram, because I don't consider my life to be cool enough to photograph :P).
>53 mathgirl40: Yeah, Litsy is definitely more of a spontaneous platform for me, especially because it's a mobile app. If I see a great quote or have a thought, I can just grab my phone and post.
>54 LittleTaiko: Found you! Welcome and have fun :)
****
Earlier this week I was in the GTA attending a gig by the Transcanada Highwaymen, aka Moe Berg, Chris Murphy, Craig Northey, and Steven Page. They played each others' songs and talked about their memories and experiences as part of the CanRock scene in the 80s and 90s. I got them to sign my copy of Have Not Been the Same, which I'd been reading as preparation for the show. Craig and Chris signed the front page, while Moe and Steven went flipping through the book for a page to sign (Moe signed a picture of himself with The Pursuit of Happiness, while Steven decided to sign above a picture of Andy Maize from the Skydiggers.
On the train ride back to Ottawa, a cold/flu thing set in, and I stayed home from work today in order to beat it into submission enough to go to work tomorrow. I slept off and on all day, read a Dave Barry book in some more lucid moments, and lamented the fact that OF COURSE it was 25 degrees feels like 29 today, and I was stuck inside :(
****
Before getting sick, I finished a couple of books and have reviews for them.
Doctor Who: The Story of Martha, by Dan Abnett
Category: Sipu Muin
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140310794
This doesn't really feel like a collection of short stories to me, and I therefore found it difficult to understand why so many authors were needed. Best read by those who have watched at least Season 3 of the rebooted Doctor Who.
Broken Promise, by Linwood Barclay
Category: Captain Nichola Goddard, M.S.M
Source: Chaptigo
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/120157221
This is a good train book: lots of shortish chapters, plenty of action, and a steady pace. It's not as white-knuckle exciting as other thrillers might be, but given that it is setting up a trilogy, it has a lot to do and does it pretty well. And now I want to go back and reread the other books in the Promise Falls universe.
>52 luvamystery65: The user interface does feel Instagrammy, too, from what little I've read/seen about it (I'm not on Instagram, because I don't consider my life to be cool enough to photograph :P).
>53 mathgirl40: Yeah, Litsy is definitely more of a spontaneous platform for me, especially because it's a mobile app. If I see a great quote or have a thought, I can just grab my phone and post.
>54 LittleTaiko: Found you! Welcome and have fun :)
****
Earlier this week I was in the GTA attending a gig by the Transcanada Highwaymen, aka Moe Berg, Chris Murphy, Craig Northey, and Steven Page. They played each others' songs and talked about their memories and experiences as part of the CanRock scene in the 80s and 90s. I got them to sign my copy of Have Not Been the Same, which I'd been reading as preparation for the show. Craig and Chris signed the front page, while Moe and Steven went flipping through the book for a page to sign (Moe signed a picture of himself with The Pursuit of Happiness, while Steven decided to sign above a picture of Andy Maize from the Skydiggers.
On the train ride back to Ottawa, a cold/flu thing set in, and I stayed home from work today in order to beat it into submission enough to go to work tomorrow. I slept off and on all day, read a Dave Barry book in some more lucid moments, and lamented the fact that OF COURSE it was 25 degrees feels like 29 today, and I was stuck inside :(
****
Before getting sick, I finished a couple of books and have reviews for them.
Doctor Who: The Story of Martha, by Dan Abnett
Category: Sipu Muin
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140310794
This doesn't really feel like a collection of short stories to me, and I therefore found it difficult to understand why so many authors were needed. Best read by those who have watched at least Season 3 of the rebooted Doctor Who.
Broken Promise, by Linwood Barclay
Category: Captain Nichola Goddard, M.S.M
Source: Chaptigo
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/120157221
This is a good train book: lots of shortish chapters, plenty of action, and a steady pace. It's not as white-knuckle exciting as other thrillers might be, but given that it is setting up a trilogy, it has a lot to do and does it pretty well. And now I want to go back and reread the other books in the Promise Falls universe.
56mathgirl40
I've just joined Litsy as kwmg40, and I will try to find the rest of you there. I'm still trying to figure out how to navigate around there!
I really enjoyed the Promise Falls trilogy. I hope you'll like the remaining books as much as I did.
I really enjoyed the Promise Falls trilogy. I hope you'll like the remaining books as much as I did.
57Tanya-dogearedcopy
>55 rabbitprincess: LOL, I don't usually participate in the read-a-thons as my week-ends are busy with family, friends, and suburban chores; but I've always been jealous of those who can carve out the time! Last Summer, for the first Litsy-wide read-a-thon, I had huge plans to take a out a hotel room, see a play (Richard II at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival), and of course, read! At the last minute, a friend offered us comp tickets for excellent seats and VIP backstage passes to see The Hollywood Vampires, and that was that! Maybe when I'm an empty nester I'll be able to take up a read-a-thon...
I'm part of the Original Litsy Goes Postal group on Litsy, and it has been absolutely amazing! There are 36 of us, and it's truly impressive how well we get along! We set up a private Slack account where we can talk about any number of things, from mailing notifications, to book swaps amongst ourselves, to pregnancy stories, to thoughts and prayers for family and friends who are ill... It reminds me of the hey day of book blogging when the books were just starting points to real, if initially virtual, friendships. We've been very fortunate in that everyone has been responsible, creative, and supportive. We've only had one "shakeup" - when a member moved to a job with high demands on her time and had to quit the group, so she was replaced. It only took a couple of days to resolve, and the "new member" fits right in!
I didn't do the Winter Solstice/Secret Santa Book Exchange in December (way too much to add to my plate during the holiday season); but I am joining in the Summer Solstice/Summer Secret Santa Book Exchange. I love book shopping for the other person, and may go overboard just a little bit! It's a large group, so there is a chance of getting burned; but it's really a great way to get to know someone else in the community. We'll see how it goes...
There are times I do get a little frustrated with Litsy: The inability to mute select hashtags, excessive memes, the inability to designate owned/unread vs not-owned/unread, no audiobook designation for audiobook titles or a "currently listening" icon; and the fact that it's only available as a mobile app right now (sometimes my piggy fingers get tired of trying to type on a teeny, tiny keyboard!) But the two guys who own and run the platform are constantly working on it, so I look forward to each update to see what it will bring :-)
>56 mathgirl40: Following you!
I'm part of the Original Litsy Goes Postal group on Litsy, and it has been absolutely amazing! There are 36 of us, and it's truly impressive how well we get along! We set up a private Slack account where we can talk about any number of things, from mailing notifications, to book swaps amongst ourselves, to pregnancy stories, to thoughts and prayers for family and friends who are ill... It reminds me of the hey day of book blogging when the books were just starting points to real, if initially virtual, friendships. We've been very fortunate in that everyone has been responsible, creative, and supportive. We've only had one "shakeup" - when a member moved to a job with high demands on her time and had to quit the group, so she was replaced. It only took a couple of days to resolve, and the "new member" fits right in!
I didn't do the Winter Solstice/Secret Santa Book Exchange in December (way too much to add to my plate during the holiday season); but I am joining in the Summer Solstice/Summer Secret Santa Book Exchange. I love book shopping for the other person, and may go overboard just a little bit! It's a large group, so there is a chance of getting burned; but it's really a great way to get to know someone else in the community. We'll see how it goes...
There are times I do get a little frustrated with Litsy: The inability to mute select hashtags, excessive memes, the inability to designate owned/unread vs not-owned/unread, no audiobook designation for audiobook titles or a "currently listening" icon; and the fact that it's only available as a mobile app right now (sometimes my piggy fingers get tired of trying to type on a teeny, tiny keyboard!) But the two guys who own and run the platform are constantly working on it, so I look forward to each update to see what it will bring :-)
>56 mathgirl40: Following you!
58rabbitprincess
>56 mathgirl40: Yay! Found and followed :D It was a bit of a learning curve for me too. Now I am comfortable enough with it to even use hashtags, which I NEVER use anywhere else!
>57 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Aw, I'm sorry that your plans for the first Litsy-wide readathon ended up changing so dramatically… but if they had to change, VIP backstage passes are pretty darn good changes :)
It is exciting to see everyone's posts as they buy things for their Summer Secret Santa! I hope your Santa gets you some cool stuff.
The one thing I'd like to improve on Litsy is how to suggest book covers or changes to the data. Sometimes I see people posting and their book title/author data is goofy or incorrect (e.g., "Du Maurier, Dame Daphne" if they've posted about Rebecca), and sometimes the books I post about don't have covers or their summary is incorrect. I know there's the "report a bug/suggest an improvement" feature that is activated when you shake the device (I accidentally activate that feature a lot), but it would be nice to be able to tap on the NO BOOK COVER placeholder and upload an image for their consideration, or tap the summary and say "this needs to be fixed".
I'm also not sure how much time is being spent on adding new books to the database; the last two books I suggested for adding weren't added (and I've had books added before, successfully).
****
Ended up staying home from work yesterday, too. This stupid cold! Spring colds are the worst.
In my more lucid moments on Thursday, I read the lightest possible book I could find:
Best. State. Ever: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland, by Dave Barry
Category: Penac
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140864901
I still prefer Dave's collections of columns to the more long-form books like this one. Nevertheless, he manages to dig up some interesting information, and his rating system for roadside attractions is amusing.
>57 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Aw, I'm sorry that your plans for the first Litsy-wide readathon ended up changing so dramatically… but if they had to change, VIP backstage passes are pretty darn good changes :)
It is exciting to see everyone's posts as they buy things for their Summer Secret Santa! I hope your Santa gets you some cool stuff.
The one thing I'd like to improve on Litsy is how to suggest book covers or changes to the data. Sometimes I see people posting and their book title/author data is goofy or incorrect (e.g., "Du Maurier, Dame Daphne" if they've posted about Rebecca), and sometimes the books I post about don't have covers or their summary is incorrect. I know there's the "report a bug/suggest an improvement" feature that is activated when you shake the device (I accidentally activate that feature a lot), but it would be nice to be able to tap on the NO BOOK COVER placeholder and upload an image for their consideration, or tap the summary and say "this needs to be fixed".
I'm also not sure how much time is being spent on adding new books to the database; the last two books I suggested for adding weren't added (and I've had books added before, successfully).
****
Ended up staying home from work yesterday, too. This stupid cold! Spring colds are the worst.
In my more lucid moments on Thursday, I read the lightest possible book I could find:
Best. State. Ever: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland, by Dave Barry
Category: Penac
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140864901
I still prefer Dave's collections of columns to the more long-form books like this one. Nevertheless, he manages to dig up some interesting information, and his rating system for roadside attractions is amusing.
59MissWatson
I hope you get over your cold real soon! I was struck myself and haven't been enjoying the last few days at all.
60mstrust
>58 rabbitprincess: I can't hear the phrase "Florida man" without thinking of the Twitter account: https://twitter.com/_floridaman?lang=en
I've never been to Litsy before, so I need to check that out.
I've never been to Litsy before, so I need to check that out.
61rabbitprincess
>59 MissWatson: Thanks, I hope so too. I should be able to go to work tomorrow. It's settled into a persistent cough that has kept my poor BF awake :(
>60 mstrust: Haha! Dave does mention the "Florida Man" phenomenon in his introduction. If you're on Litsy, I have the same username as on here.
****
I'll probably be picking at books the rest of the day, so here's my April recap.
April was a pretty good month, although nothing really knocked my socks off and merited a rating of five stars. Perhaps I was more ornery this month. Still, I managed to complete 17 books:
Ah-Choo!: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold, by Jennifer Ackerman
The Terror, by Dan Simmons
And All Through the House, by Ed McBain
Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie
Evan Can Wait, by Rhys Bowen
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales, by Oliver Sacks
Murder on the Leviathan, by Boris Akunin (translated by Andrew Bromfield)
Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Scott Anderson
Snowblind, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Quentin Bates)
Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse: And Other Lessons from Modern Life, by David Mitchell
Religion: A Discovery in Comics, by Margreet de Heer (translated by Margreet de Heer and Dan Schiff)
The Lonely Sea, by Alistair Maclean
Love Story, with Murders, by Harry Bingham
Spinsters in Jeopardy, by Ngaio Marsh
The Story of Martha, by Dan Abnett
Broken Promise, by Linwood Barclay
Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland, by Dave Barry
My favourite book of the month was The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, by Oliver Sacks. I chose this one as my favourite because it inspired me to immediately request the other Sacks book I had on my TBR, Seeing Voices. (I'm planning to back-count Seeing Voices for the March CultureCAT, because it talks about Sacks' journey into the Deaf community.)
My least favourite book was probably Evan Can Wait, by Rhys Bowen. I know several of my fellow Category Challengers like her various series, and I'm sorry to not like this one. However, I found it repetitive and couldn't be bothered to read to the end.
Of the books I had on my library stack, I returned two unread and one partially flipped through.
I read my April RandomCAT on schedule (yay, Fiona Griffiths!) and got a head start on my entering the Poldark group read in May.
Currently reading
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman -- Reading the audio narrated by Neil Himself. Still haven't touched it for a month. Sigh. I think I'll have to declare it done-for-now this month. Maybe I need to read The Jungle Book first.
We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen (translated by Charlotte Barslund and Emma Ryder) -- Reading for the Go Review That Book! group (and it was part of my 2016 pool). I'm really enjoying it and stretching it out as much as I can.
Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-1995, by Michael Barclay -- This is my bedside book, although it has gravitated to the living room because I've been reading a chapter at a time and then looking for all the name-checked songs on YouTube. It has been quite an education.
Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. -- This is my mealtime book, which I downloaded from Project Gutenberg and read on my iPad.
The Black Moon, by Winston Graham -- Poldark #5 for the group read. I can't believe Geoffrey Charles is 12! When did THAT happen?!
Seeing Voices: A Journey into the World of the Deaf, by Oliver Sacks -- One of many library books I've borrowed lately, and one that may inspire another rabbit hole of medical reading.
May plans
I'll be going on vacation for a week in the middle of the month, so I will have to start planning my trip TBR. Fortunately, I have a couple of ebooks from the library that will do nicely, if I still have them by then, and there are a couple of good options in my pool. The bigger challenge will be juggling all my library holds and making sure things have been returned by the time I go away!
I will be reading Poldark books 5 and 6 for the group read (I've been reading two a year, to keep up with the TV series), and I will be continuing with the Brothers of Gwynedd quartet. The second volume, The Dragon at Noonday, is my RandomCAT pick for May because my mum is reading the series too. :)
On my library shelves this month:
The Go-Between, by L.P. Hartley -- I seem to recall there was going to be a BBC adaptation of this, along with An Inspector Calls, which is how it ended up on my TBR.
Travesties, by Tom Stoppard -- My first play of the year, borrowed because of Tom Hollander and Peter McDonald (Liam Moone in Moone Boy) in a recent production at the Menier Chocolate Factory and the Apollo Theatre in the West End, which JUST closed yesterday (April 29). This is the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fzP_Ktj9x8
The Ghost Map, by Steven Johnson -- One of my library ebooks. I will have to read it before my trip, though.
Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers, by Simon Winchester -- A big fat history book. I'm going to have to get cracking on my other books to get any of this read in time!
The Firebird, by Susanna Kearsley -- Recommended by a coworker. I discovered on Goodreads that it's actually the second of a series, but I can't be bothered to go back and read the first.
Death of a Busybody, by George Bellairs -- Once again dutifully requesting all British Library Crime Classics. And this one was actually ordered from the UK, which means it feels a lot nicer (the Poisoned Pen Press covers are kind of rubbery and weird).
My Planet: Finding Humor in the Oddest Places, by Mary Roach -- Apparently a collection of essays. We'll see how this goes!
When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi -- Another ebook but perhaps not the best one to read on vacation, because I fully expect to be crying. Even the title makes me go "aagh!" every time I read it.
The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses and the Rise of the Tudors, by Dan Jones -- Requested after finishing Season 2 of Secrets of Great British Castles on Netflix (it's a great show! Watch it!) and it came in rather more quickly than I had anticipated.
>60 mstrust: Haha! Dave does mention the "Florida Man" phenomenon in his introduction. If you're on Litsy, I have the same username as on here.
****
I'll probably be picking at books the rest of the day, so here's my April recap.
April was a pretty good month, although nothing really knocked my socks off and merited a rating of five stars. Perhaps I was more ornery this month. Still, I managed to complete 17 books:
Ah-Choo!: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold, by Jennifer Ackerman
The Terror, by Dan Simmons
And All Through the House, by Ed McBain
Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie
Evan Can Wait, by Rhys Bowen
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales, by Oliver Sacks
Murder on the Leviathan, by Boris Akunin (translated by Andrew Bromfield)
Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Scott Anderson
Snowblind, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Quentin Bates)
Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse: And Other Lessons from Modern Life, by David Mitchell
Religion: A Discovery in Comics, by Margreet de Heer (translated by Margreet de Heer and Dan Schiff)
The Lonely Sea, by Alistair Maclean
Love Story, with Murders, by Harry Bingham
Spinsters in Jeopardy, by Ngaio Marsh
The Story of Martha, by Dan Abnett
Broken Promise, by Linwood Barclay
Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland, by Dave Barry
My favourite book of the month was The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, by Oliver Sacks. I chose this one as my favourite because it inspired me to immediately request the other Sacks book I had on my TBR, Seeing Voices. (I'm planning to back-count Seeing Voices for the March CultureCAT, because it talks about Sacks' journey into the Deaf community.)
My least favourite book was probably Evan Can Wait, by Rhys Bowen. I know several of my fellow Category Challengers like her various series, and I'm sorry to not like this one. However, I found it repetitive and couldn't be bothered to read to the end.
Of the books I had on my library stack, I returned two unread and one partially flipped through.
I read my April RandomCAT on schedule (yay, Fiona Griffiths!) and got a head start on my entering the Poldark group read in May.
Currently reading
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman -- Reading the audio narrated by Neil Himself. Still haven't touched it for a month. Sigh. I think I'll have to declare it done-for-now this month. Maybe I need to read The Jungle Book first.
We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen (translated by Charlotte Barslund and Emma Ryder) -- Reading for the Go Review That Book! group (and it was part of my 2016 pool). I'm really enjoying it and stretching it out as much as I can.
Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-1995, by Michael Barclay -- This is my bedside book, although it has gravitated to the living room because I've been reading a chapter at a time and then looking for all the name-checked songs on YouTube. It has been quite an education.
Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. -- This is my mealtime book, which I downloaded from Project Gutenberg and read on my iPad.
The Black Moon, by Winston Graham -- Poldark #5 for the group read. I can't believe Geoffrey Charles is 12! When did THAT happen?!
Seeing Voices: A Journey into the World of the Deaf, by Oliver Sacks -- One of many library books I've borrowed lately, and one that may inspire another rabbit hole of medical reading.
May plans
I'll be going on vacation for a week in the middle of the month, so I will have to start planning my trip TBR. Fortunately, I have a couple of ebooks from the library that will do nicely, if I still have them by then, and there are a couple of good options in my pool. The bigger challenge will be juggling all my library holds and making sure things have been returned by the time I go away!
I will be reading Poldark books 5 and 6 for the group read (I've been reading two a year, to keep up with the TV series), and I will be continuing with the Brothers of Gwynedd quartet. The second volume, The Dragon at Noonday, is my RandomCAT pick for May because my mum is reading the series too. :)
On my library shelves this month:
The Go-Between, by L.P. Hartley -- I seem to recall there was going to be a BBC adaptation of this, along with An Inspector Calls, which is how it ended up on my TBR.
Travesties, by Tom Stoppard -- My first play of the year, borrowed because of Tom Hollander and Peter McDonald (Liam Moone in Moone Boy) in a recent production at the Menier Chocolate Factory and the Apollo Theatre in the West End, which JUST closed yesterday (April 29). This is the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fzP_Ktj9x8
The Ghost Map, by Steven Johnson -- One of my library ebooks. I will have to read it before my trip, though.
Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers, by Simon Winchester -- A big fat history book. I'm going to have to get cracking on my other books to get any of this read in time!
The Firebird, by Susanna Kearsley -- Recommended by a coworker. I discovered on Goodreads that it's actually the second of a series, but I can't be bothered to go back and read the first.
Death of a Busybody, by George Bellairs -- Once again dutifully requesting all British Library Crime Classics. And this one was actually ordered from the UK, which means it feels a lot nicer (the Poisoned Pen Press covers are kind of rubbery and weird).
My Planet: Finding Humor in the Oddest Places, by Mary Roach -- Apparently a collection of essays. We'll see how this goes!
When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi -- Another ebook but perhaps not the best one to read on vacation, because I fully expect to be crying. Even the title makes me go "aagh!" every time I read it.
The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses and the Rise of the Tudors, by Dan Jones -- Requested after finishing Season 2 of Secrets of Great British Castles on Netflix (it's a great show! Watch it!) and it came in rather more quickly than I had anticipated.
62VivienneR
You all convinced me to try Litsy (VivienneR). I'm already following those of you who mentioned your nicknames above - AND got my first follower. Thank you RP! I've no idea how to navigate the site and considering how far behind I usually am on this site, don't expect much from me. But it looks like it will be fun to browse.
>58 rabbitprincess: Hope your cold gets better soon. I just got rid of mine.
>58 rabbitprincess: Hope your cold gets better soon. I just got rid of mine.
63mstrust
>61 rabbitprincess: The Go-Between has been sitting on my shelf for several years. There was a very good movie of it in the 70's starring Alan Bates and Julie Christie. I liked Hartley's The Hireling, book and movie adaption, a lot.
I've looked at the first page of Litsy so far but haven't joined yet. It seems like getting sorted there will take some time, but as soon as I join I'll find you.
I've looked at the first page of Litsy so far but haven't joined yet. It seems like getting sorted there will take some time, but as soon as I join I'll find you.
64christina_reads
The Litsy discussions on this thread and others have convinced me to join! I'm busy "following" you all now...I'm YouBookMe over there. :)
66rabbitprincess
>62 VivienneR: Hurray! Glad to be able to see you in both places whenever you have the time :) It is fun to browse. And thanks for the well wishes. My cold is mostly gone, but I'm still coughing a bit.
>63 mstrust: I'd forgotten that this is also the book with the famous line about the past being a different country. Really hoping to start it soon. My week has been pretty awful for reading :-/
>64 christina_reads: Yay! Glad to have more LTers on board :)
>65 LisaMorr: Yay! Followed you back :)
****
It's been a weird past few days. On Tuesday, there was a gas leak downtown caused by an excavator hitting a gas line, so streets within three or four blocks of the incident had to be shut down. This threw the buses and car traffic into total chaos. I had an errand to run downtown as well so the errand plus the mayhem of the buses meant it took me three hours to get home. This was even worse traffic than the sinkhole last June!
Yesterday I went out for dinner and drinks with a few colleagues from my old section at work. It was fun but a later evening than I anticipated. And then today I ended up staying later at work. So not much reading or even LT-ing. And I'm out tomorrow as well. Yikes.
When I do manage to read, it's mostly Poldark, which is good but I'm only reading for about 20 minutes at a time. Hoping for more reading time this weekend.
>63 mstrust: I'd forgotten that this is also the book with the famous line about the past being a different country. Really hoping to start it soon. My week has been pretty awful for reading :-/
>64 christina_reads: Yay! Glad to have more LTers on board :)
>65 LisaMorr: Yay! Followed you back :)
****
It's been a weird past few days. On Tuesday, there was a gas leak downtown caused by an excavator hitting a gas line, so streets within three or four blocks of the incident had to be shut down. This threw the buses and car traffic into total chaos. I had an errand to run downtown as well so the errand plus the mayhem of the buses meant it took me three hours to get home. This was even worse traffic than the sinkhole last June!
Yesterday I went out for dinner and drinks with a few colleagues from my old section at work. It was fun but a later evening than I anticipated. And then today I ended up staying later at work. So not much reading or even LT-ing. And I'm out tomorrow as well. Yikes.
When I do manage to read, it's mostly Poldark, which is good but I'm only reading for about 20 minutes at a time. Hoping for more reading time this weekend.
67tymfos
Wow, sorry about the gas leak. Here's hoping for you to have some good reading time this weekend!
68rabbitprincess
>67 tymfos: So far so good in terms of reading time! Managed to get a fair bit done yesterday and finished a book off today.
****
A slightly quieter weekend. We went to my BF's parents' place for an early Mother's Day (everyone's busy on the actual Mother's Day weekend) and I got in some reading while the others played board games. Today I did some more reading and have to do a bit more housework in between reading ;)
Also found time to write a couple of reviews, including one for a book that I just finished today.
Seeing Voices, by Oliver Sacks
Category: Neocaligus, March CultureCAT -- Cultural Awareness and Diversity
Source: library
Rating: 2.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140604386
The first part of this book was interesting, the second less so, and the third didn't get a look in because the book was due back at the library and I didn't feel like renewing it in an attempt to finish. It was OK, although I imagine there are more up-to-date books on Deaf culture and Sign.
The Black Moon, by Winston Graham (Poldark #5)
Category: Hudson, Tracy (year-long Poldark group read)
Source: library book sale
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/125286556
This is a three-star read for the adventure in France and for the first part of the book. I'm not happy with the dark turn the series seems to be taking (if the ending of this book and the summary of The Four Swans are any indication).I've already cut out of my reading diet any installments of a mystery series that focus on the graphic depiction of sexual assault, and I certainly don't need rape storylines in my historical fiction. While Graham does not try to euphemize Morwenna's situation, and this sort of thing probably did happen in the 1790s, I personally am done with reading about it.
****
A slightly quieter weekend. We went to my BF's parents' place for an early Mother's Day (everyone's busy on the actual Mother's Day weekend) and I got in some reading while the others played board games. Today I did some more reading and have to do a bit more housework in between reading ;)
Also found time to write a couple of reviews, including one for a book that I just finished today.
Seeing Voices, by Oliver Sacks
Category: Neocaligus, March CultureCAT -- Cultural Awareness and Diversity
Source: library
Rating: 2.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140604386
The first part of this book was interesting, the second less so, and the third didn't get a look in because the book was due back at the library and I didn't feel like renewing it in an attempt to finish. It was OK, although I imagine there are more up-to-date books on Deaf culture and Sign.
The Black Moon, by Winston Graham (Poldark #5)
Category: Hudson, Tracy (year-long Poldark group read)
Source: library book sale
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/125286556
This is a three-star read for the adventure in France and for the first part of the book. I'm not happy with the dark turn the series seems to be taking (if the ending of this book and the summary of The Four Swans are any indication).
69rabbitprincess
As if a gas leak last week wasn't bad enough, the rain we'd been accumulating over the past couple of weeks culminated in some historic flooding (as in, 100-year levels) along the Ottawa and Rideau rivers. Fortunately, I don't live in an area affected by the flooding. However, I was on enforced telework yesterday and today because government officials wanted to keep the interprovincial bridges and the roads clear for emergency vehicles, and the government closed federal buildings on the Gatineau side of the river. It wasn't too bad, because unlike many people affected by the enforced telework, I was actually equipped to telework and could get a lot of work done. But we'll be back to normal commuting tomorrow, at least those of us whose homes aren't affected by the flooding (I have a coworker whose street has had some flooding, and access roads are tricky at best to get through).
After such an eventful May, I hope June is quieter.
Another benefit of being at home for two days was more time for reading, during which I finished this book:
The Go-Between, by L.P. Hartley
Category: Geliget
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140310829
You may know of this book only from its famous first line: "The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there." I really enjoyed this book. Possibly one of those right book, right time moments for me.
After such an eventful May, I hope June is quieter.
Another benefit of being at home for two days was more time for reading, during which I finished this book:
The Go-Between, by L.P. Hartley
Category: Geliget
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140310829
You may know of this book only from its famous first line: "The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there." I really enjoyed this book. Possibly one of those right book, right time moments for me.
70dudes22
Sorry you've had so much rain. Although we've had mostly gray days and a couple of bad rain days, it's just been depressing and cold here. But our granddaughter is at school in St Louis and they've had some bad flooding too. I guess it's nice you could get stuff done from home.
71mysterymax
I love that title of a book at your library - Thinking about it will only make it worse - Is it a book written for Americans?
That's truly the state we're in. It gets worse daily.
That's truly the state we're in. It gets worse daily.
72rabbitprincess
>70 dudes22: Yes, I was very glad to be able to get stuff done at home. I'm also glad that the forecast (so far) for this weekend hasn't panned out as rainily as they expected it to be. I hope the floods in St. Louis ease soon.
>71 mysterymax: Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse is a collection of old columns intended for a British audience, but it is a title one can certainly apply in other countries :(
****
I've been behind on my reviews. Here are the latest two.
Travesties, by Tom Stoppard
Category: Penac
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140724041
I read this after hearing about a recent adaptation involving Tom Hollander and Peter McDonald. Surprisingly fun.
The Ghost Map, by Steven Johnson
Category: Viola M. Davidson
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140751867
Overall, pretty good, but the last chapter is weird.
****
Today I went to Ottawa ComicCon. This is my second convention and the first in my adopted hometown. I took along a friend who's never been to a con before, so that was fun to share the experience with her. We'd splurged on VIP tickets, which allowed us to get first crack at autographs for guests of honour and photo ops for all photo-opping guests. It was totally worth it for me, given that the guest of honour I was there to see was Peter Capaldi :D He very kindly autographed a goofy cartoon I'd drawn and encouraged me to keep drawing, and later on I got an awesome photo, which I still can't believe actually happened.
Then I watched tonight's episode of Doctor Who, "Oxygen", and it was a bit weird watching it after having spoken with P-Cap literally hours before. (Do NOT click on the spoiler if you haven't seen the episode yet.)Also, at the end of the episode, when the Doctor revealed that he was still blind, I started weeping and couldn't stop for about 15 minutes. If this is me when he suffers a non-fatal physical injury, I am going to be a MESS when he regenerates :(
>71 mysterymax: Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse is a collection of old columns intended for a British audience, but it is a title one can certainly apply in other countries :(
****
I've been behind on my reviews. Here are the latest two.
Travesties, by Tom Stoppard
Category: Penac
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140724041
I read this after hearing about a recent adaptation involving Tom Hollander and Peter McDonald. Surprisingly fun.
The Ghost Map, by Steven Johnson
Category: Viola M. Davidson
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140751867
Overall, pretty good, but the last chapter is weird.
****
Today I went to Ottawa ComicCon. This is my second convention and the first in my adopted hometown. I took along a friend who's never been to a con before, so that was fun to share the experience with her. We'd splurged on VIP tickets, which allowed us to get first crack at autographs for guests of honour and photo ops for all photo-opping guests. It was totally worth it for me, given that the guest of honour I was there to see was Peter Capaldi :D He very kindly autographed a goofy cartoon I'd drawn and encouraged me to keep drawing, and later on I got an awesome photo, which I still can't believe actually happened.
Then I watched tonight's episode of Doctor Who, "Oxygen", and it was a bit weird watching it after having spoken with P-Cap literally hours before. (Do NOT click on the spoiler if you haven't seen the episode yet.)
74mstrust
Fantastic! That's so great that you got to meet him, and that he gets into the photo shoot! Will this hang on the wall next to the one of David Morrisey?
75rabbitprincess
>73 Jackie_K: Haha my mum said that Mother's Day came early for her when she saw that photo :D I'm still giddy about it myself!
>74 mstrust: Oh yeah, he's basically the #1 Doctor Who Fan :D I will indeed be framing this picture and will try to put it beside the David Morrissey one, although I think I need a new office setup to accommodate them all!
>74 mstrust: Oh yeah, he's basically the #1 Doctor Who Fan :D I will indeed be framing this picture and will try to put it beside the David Morrissey one, although I think I need a new office setup to accommodate them all!
76rabbitprincess
Finished a book this morning. It was OK.
Death of a Busybody, by George Bellairs
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 2.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/140864867
An average Golden Age mystery. Not terrible, but not amazing either.
Death of a Busybody, by George Bellairs
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 2.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/140864867
An average Golden Age mystery. Not terrible, but not amazing either.
77mamzel
>72 rabbitprincess: Lucky!!!
My heart also sank at the end of Oxygen. It will be a tough year for us Whovians.
My heart also sank at the end of Oxygen. It will be a tough year for us Whovians.
78rabbitprincess
>77 mamzel: Oh man if that had been the episode that aired the week before the convention, I would have been weeping all over him. That would have been super embarrassing.
I also think David Suchet should do a comic convention now that he's been on Doctor Who ;)
I also think David Suchet should do a comic convention now that he's been on Doctor Who ;)
79LittleTaiko
What a great photo!!! So awesome that he's such a good sport.
80rabbitprincess
>79 LittleTaiko: That pose was totally his idea! I just went with it. :D
81mathgirl40
>72 rabbitprincess: That is an awesome photo! I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the Ottawa ComicCon.
82virginiahomeschooler
>72 rabbitprincess: What a great photo!
83rabbitprincess
>81 mathgirl40: Thanks! The Ottawa ComicCon gets good guests. One year they had Sylvester McCoy, but I stupidly did not go! Will have to make more of an effort for future editions (and hope that some more Doctors come!).
>82 virginiahomeschooler: Thanks! It is the wallpaper on my iPad and makes me smile every time I open it up (which is distressingly often).
****
So we've been on vacation the past few days in lovely Halifax. In addition to seeing the usual tourist sites, I've managed to squeeze in some book shopping! Here's what I've picked up:
Curse of the Narrows, by Laura M. MacDonald
Halifax: Warden of the North, by Thomas H. Raddall (revised edition with new chapters by Stephen Kimber)
The Flight of the Heron, by D.K. Broster
The Gleam in the North, by D.K. Broster
The Dark Mile, by D.K. Broster
British Sea Power, by David Howarth
The MacDonald was from a lovely independent shop called Bookmark, on Spring Garden Road. They had some interesting selections, including some British Library Crime Classic books and a few of William McIlvanney's non-Laidlaw books.
The Raddall was from the Halifax Citadel Regimental Shop (proceeds from the shop go to the association that provides the historical interpreters at the Citadel).
The Brosters are the three books in the Jacobite trilogy, the first of which was recommended to me by LT, according to my to-read spreadsheet (I think it must have been an automatic recommendation based on one of my Nigel Tranters). The Howarth is a book that I saw on the shelves in the common room at my grandpa's nursing home, oddly enough. These four books came from Dust Jacket Used Books and Treasures, which is located in the basement of the Maritime Centre, a mall that is pretty much dead by 3:30 p.m. :S
****
I haven't been doing much reading on the trip, but I am working steadily through Island: The Complete Stories, by Alistair MacLeod (it seemed an appropriate choice). I also started When Breath Becomes Air on Overdrive, but it's due back today and I will probably not finish it in time. I still have a hold on the print book, so I'll read it eventually, but perhaps a vacation is not the best time to be reading about someone's terminal lung cancer :S
>82 virginiahomeschooler: Thanks! It is the wallpaper on my iPad and makes me smile every time I open it up (which is distressingly often).
****
So we've been on vacation the past few days in lovely Halifax. In addition to seeing the usual tourist sites, I've managed to squeeze in some book shopping! Here's what I've picked up:
Curse of the Narrows, by Laura M. MacDonald
Halifax: Warden of the North, by Thomas H. Raddall (revised edition with new chapters by Stephen Kimber)
The Flight of the Heron, by D.K. Broster
The Gleam in the North, by D.K. Broster
The Dark Mile, by D.K. Broster
British Sea Power, by David Howarth
The MacDonald was from a lovely independent shop called Bookmark, on Spring Garden Road. They had some interesting selections, including some British Library Crime Classic books and a few of William McIlvanney's non-Laidlaw books.
The Raddall was from the Halifax Citadel Regimental Shop (proceeds from the shop go to the association that provides the historical interpreters at the Citadel).
The Brosters are the three books in the Jacobite trilogy, the first of which was recommended to me by LT, according to my to-read spreadsheet (I think it must have been an automatic recommendation based on one of my Nigel Tranters). The Howarth is a book that I saw on the shelves in the common room at my grandpa's nursing home, oddly enough. These four books came from Dust Jacket Used Books and Treasures, which is located in the basement of the Maritime Centre, a mall that is pretty much dead by 3:30 p.m. :S
****
I haven't been doing much reading on the trip, but I am working steadily through Island: The Complete Stories, by Alistair MacLeod (it seemed an appropriate choice). I also started When Breath Becomes Air on Overdrive, but it's due back today and I will probably not finish it in time. I still have a hold on the print book, so I'll read it eventually, but perhaps a vacation is not the best time to be reading about someone's terminal lung cancer :S
84VioletBramble
>72 rabbitprincess: That is a great photo. Capaldi seems like he's a lot of fun. What does your tee shirt say?
85mstrust
>83 rabbitprincess: Book haul! Sounds like a fun vacation.
86rabbitprincess
>84 VioletBramble: He is fun and SO nice :D
My t-shirt says "100% REBEL TIME LORD", a reference to a comment he made about his costume when it was first unveiled.
>85 mstrust: Yes! It is very fun. Summer struck suddenly, though, so I have retreated to the hotel after slogging through 29 degrees C.
My t-shirt says "100% REBEL TIME LORD", a reference to a comment he made about his costume when it was first unveiled.
>85 mstrust: Yes! It is very fun. Summer struck suddenly, though, so I have retreated to the hotel after slogging through 29 degrees C.
87VivienneR
>72 rabbitprincess: What a fabulous photo!
>83 rabbitprincess: I have a couple of books by D.K. Broster but not the ones you bought. I'll be interested in hearing your opinion of them.
>83 rabbitprincess: I have a couple of books by D.K. Broster but not the ones you bought. I'll be interested in hearing your opinion of them.
88rabbitprincess
>87 VivienneR: It took me the first couple of days of our vacation to come down from Cloud 9 after getting that photo :D I know very little about Broster or works that are not the Jacobite trilogy, so it will be an interesting experience!
89rabbitprincess
We're home from our vacation. I'm glad we have Sunday and the holiday Monday to recover a bit from the trip. Usually our vacations are such that I need another vacation to recover from them ;) We saw most of the usual tourist sites: the Citadel, Pier 21, the Maritime Museum. We also chased down historical plaques on both the Halifax and Dartmouth sides of the river (the BF likes to read them), and had some mighty fine food. And of course we had the experience of the overnight train there and back! Fortunately, we were not called upon to investigate a murder ;)
I brought along four books and finished two, which is pretty good.
Island: The Complete Stories, by Alistair MacLeod
Category: Captain Goddard, M.S.M.; Tracy (November AwardsCAT -- Regional Award -- Atlantic Canada Best 100 Books)
Source: RPPS book sale
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123125104
This was a solid collection, although it is one that should be read over a longer span of time because the themes tend to recur and the protagonists are often men looking back on their impoverished Cape Breton childhood. To be fair, these stories do have a strong sense of place and are well written; they just might be too much after a while.
A Great Reckoning, by Louise Penny
Category: Captain Goddard, M.S.M.
Source: Perfect Books, Ottawa
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/141608809
This was an easy four stars. I gobbled it up over the course of Friday, most of which was spent on the train back from Halifax. (It leaves Halifax early Friday afternoon and arrives in Montreal mid-Saturday morning.) And now I am all caught up and ready for Louise Penny's visit to Ottawa in June!
I brought along four books and finished two, which is pretty good.
Island: The Complete Stories, by Alistair MacLeod
Category: Captain Goddard, M.S.M.; Tracy (November AwardsCAT -- Regional Award -- Atlantic Canada Best 100 Books)
Source: RPPS book sale
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123125104
This was a solid collection, although it is one that should be read over a longer span of time because the themes tend to recur and the protagonists are often men looking back on their impoverished Cape Breton childhood. To be fair, these stories do have a strong sense of place and are well written; they just might be too much after a while.
A Great Reckoning, by Louise Penny
Category: Captain Goddard, M.S.M.
Source: Perfect Books, Ottawa
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/141608809
This was an easy four stars. I gobbled it up over the course of Friday, most of which was spent on the train back from Halifax. (It leaves Halifax early Friday afternoon and arrives in Montreal mid-Saturday morning.) And now I am all caught up and ready for Louise Penny's visit to Ottawa in June!
90lkernagh
Stopping by to get caught up and check out the reading you have been doing since the previous thread.
I had never heard of Litsy before now. Not sure if knowing about the site it a good thing or if I will find myself with another time-eater on my hands (I have been spending a bit too much time on Pinterest lately). ;-)
Sorry to see your April included kitchen-related problems and then a cold/flu bug kicked in and then the flooding. I watched the flooding news and just, wow.
>72 rabbitprincess: - That photo is awesome!
I had never heard of Litsy before now. Not sure if knowing about the site it a good thing or if I will find myself with another time-eater on my hands (I have been spending a bit too much time on Pinterest lately). ;-)
Sorry to see your April included kitchen-related problems and then a cold/flu bug kicked in and then the flooding. I watched the flooding news and just, wow.
>72 rabbitprincess: - That photo is awesome!
91rabbitprincess
>90 lkernagh: Thanks for stopping by!
Litsy can be a bit of a time-suck, if only for the instant gratification of posting ;) I must confess I've never got into Pinterest, but many of my knitting friends are on there and they can attest to its time-eating abilities.
Yes, I could do with a less interesting June after the events of April and May (although I seem to be coming down with another cold, which is annoying).
Thanks, I love the photo too :D It turned out very well!
Litsy can be a bit of a time-suck, if only for the instant gratification of posting ;) I must confess I've never got into Pinterest, but many of my knitting friends are on there and they can attest to its time-eating abilities.
Yes, I could do with a less interesting June after the events of April and May (although I seem to be coming down with another cold, which is annoying).
Thanks, I love the photo too :D It turned out very well!
92rabbitprincess
Took advantage of a holiday Monday to finish off another great mystery.
Last Rituals, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/141099010
The summary for this one does sound very grim, especially for those of us who get squeamish about anything involving eyes. However, Yrsa doesn't dwell on the squicky details for longer than necessary, and the story moves quickly.
Last Rituals, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/141099010
The summary for this one does sound very grim, especially for those of us who get squeamish about anything involving eyes. However, Yrsa doesn't dwell on the squicky details for longer than necessary, and the story moves quickly.
93DeltaQueen50
OMG what a fantastic picture of you and Peter Capaldi! I am in catch up mode and enjoyed reading about your visit to Halifax and the ComicCon!
94rabbitprincess
>93 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy! I love it too :D
****
Today is the fourth Saturday in May, and in Ottawa that means it's time for the Great Glebe Garage Sale. My friend and I went early to ensure that we'd start browsing around 8:00, when the sale started. The main attraction for me was the book sale held by one of the churches, although I was also on the lookout for picture frames (for a print I bought at ComicCon), Royal Family teacups, and a hatbox or some other small basket with a lid and handle (for my china cups and saucers).
I didn't find frames or a container I liked, but I did find a lovely Strand Books cross-body purse, which will be my new "book sale purse" -- something lighter and less bulky for when I'm carrying piles of books or navigating crowds.
Speaking of books, I bought 12 in total.
At one person's house I stumbled upon The Merry Heart, by Robertson Davies, which was on my to-read list and was a nice hardcover edition (minus dust jacket) in good condition.
Then at the book sale I went a little nuts and bought 11 books.
In the mystery section I found an amusing-sounding book called A Pint of Murder, by Alisa Craig, and also decided to pick up Bloody Murder, by Julian Symons, which I see quite often in my used-bookstore travels but have never bought for whatever reason.
In the small French section I found a Maigret that I bought solely based on the title and cover: L'écluse no. 1, by Georges Simenon. Locks and a boat on the cover? Yes please.
And then there was the sci-fi section. There was AN ENTIRE BOX OF DOCTOR WHO NOVELS.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time agonizing over which books to buy, because buying the entire box would not have been an option: I would have had to haul them all home, and my BF would probably have not been terribly happy about the sudden influx of books.
So in the end I settled on 8:
The Image of the Fendahl, by Terrance Dicks
Doctor Who: Human Nature, by Paul Cornell
The English Way of Death, by Gareth Roberts
The Plotters, by Gareth Roberts
Invasion of the Cat-People, by Gary Russell
Lords of the Storm, by David A. McIntee
The Time Monster, by Terrance Dicks
The Left-Handed Hummingbird, by Kate Orman
Not a bad morning's work!
****
Today is the fourth Saturday in May, and in Ottawa that means it's time for the Great Glebe Garage Sale. My friend and I went early to ensure that we'd start browsing around 8:00, when the sale started. The main attraction for me was the book sale held by one of the churches, although I was also on the lookout for picture frames (for a print I bought at ComicCon), Royal Family teacups, and a hatbox or some other small basket with a lid and handle (for my china cups and saucers).
I didn't find frames or a container I liked, but I did find a lovely Strand Books cross-body purse, which will be my new "book sale purse" -- something lighter and less bulky for when I'm carrying piles of books or navigating crowds.
Speaking of books, I bought 12 in total.
At one person's house I stumbled upon The Merry Heart, by Robertson Davies, which was on my to-read list and was a nice hardcover edition (minus dust jacket) in good condition.
Then at the book sale I went a little nuts and bought 11 books.
In the mystery section I found an amusing-sounding book called A Pint of Murder, by Alisa Craig, and also decided to pick up Bloody Murder, by Julian Symons, which I see quite often in my used-bookstore travels but have never bought for whatever reason.
In the small French section I found a Maigret that I bought solely based on the title and cover: L'écluse no. 1, by Georges Simenon. Locks and a boat on the cover? Yes please.
And then there was the sci-fi section. There was AN ENTIRE BOX OF DOCTOR WHO NOVELS.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time agonizing over which books to buy, because buying the entire box would not have been an option: I would have had to haul them all home, and my BF would probably have not been terribly happy about the sudden influx of books.
So in the end I settled on 8:
The Image of the Fendahl, by Terrance Dicks
Doctor Who: Human Nature, by Paul Cornell
The English Way of Death, by Gareth Roberts
The Plotters, by Gareth Roberts
Invasion of the Cat-People, by Gary Russell
Lords of the Storm, by David A. McIntee
The Time Monster, by Terrance Dicks
The Left-Handed Hummingbird, by Kate Orman
Not a bad morning's work!
96Jackie_K
>94 rabbitprincess: That sounds like a most excellent haul!
97mstrust
>94 rabbitprincess: Sounds like you had a good time even if you didn't find all you were looking for. It seems like that box of Dr. Who was waiting for you.
98rabbitprincess
>95 lkernagh: And I racked up an impressive number of steps on my Fitbit: over 20,000 over the course of the day! (The previous day I'd somehow managed 25,000, which I think is because I was at a concert and dancing a bit, and it counted my dancing as steps.)
>96 Jackie_K: I tried to get a bunch of different Doctors, and one was even on my to-read list already!
>97 mstrust: Yes! We arrived at the sale earlier than we did last year, so the pickings were much better.
****
Because of my generally busy schedule over the past few days, I haven't really felt able to settle down and read, or write reviews for that matter. This weekend I was also bitten by the drawing bug (after Peter Capaldi encouraged me to keep drawing, I've been trying to get back into it). So I have one finished book and one I am declaring finished.
The Burgess Shale: The Canadian Writing Landscape of the 1960s, by Margaret Atwood
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M.
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: didn't write one
This is the book form of Margaret Atwood's CLC Kreisel lecture, which you can listen to here: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/what-did-we-think-we-were-doing-1.3765591
I found it very interesting!
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (audio, narrated by Neil Gaiman)
Category: Sipu Muin, Ann Harvey, Tracy (Newbery Award winner)
Source: library CDs
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/106914141
I'm going to have to get the print version of this to read first, then try again. I liked Gaiman's narration (it had an Alan Rickman-esque quality in places!), but audiobooks and I don't always get along if I don't have sufficient time or attention span for them.
>96 Jackie_K: I tried to get a bunch of different Doctors, and one was even on my to-read list already!
>97 mstrust: Yes! We arrived at the sale earlier than we did last year, so the pickings were much better.
****
Because of my generally busy schedule over the past few days, I haven't really felt able to settle down and read, or write reviews for that matter. This weekend I was also bitten by the drawing bug (after Peter Capaldi encouraged me to keep drawing, I've been trying to get back into it). So I have one finished book and one I am declaring finished.
The Burgess Shale: The Canadian Writing Landscape of the 1960s, by Margaret Atwood
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M.
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: didn't write one
This is the book form of Margaret Atwood's CLC Kreisel lecture, which you can listen to here: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/what-did-we-think-we-were-doing-1.3765591
I found it very interesting!
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (audio, narrated by Neil Gaiman)
Category: Sipu Muin, Ann Harvey, Tracy (Newbery Award winner)
Source: library CDs
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/106914141
I'm going to have to get the print version of this to read first, then try again. I liked Gaiman's narration (it had an Alan Rickman-esque quality in places!), but audiobooks and I don't always get along if I don't have sufficient time or attention span for them.
99rabbitprincess
Took advantage of some time off today to finish this long-standing book:
We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen (translated by Charlotte Barslund and Emma Ryder)
Category: Hudson
Source: Mr. B's Emporium of Bookish Delights, Bath, England
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/121627863
This was the first book to jump out at me from the pile on offer at my Mr. B's reading spa, and it was well worth hauling it home from the UK. It was a book I wanted to race through, but at the same time I kept putting it down because I didn't want it to end. Very well done. Hope to read it again sometime.
Recap for May coming later this evening.
We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen (translated by Charlotte Barslund and Emma Ryder)
Category: Hudson
Source: Mr. B's Emporium of Bookish Delights, Bath, England
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/121627863
This was the first book to jump out at me from the pile on offer at my Mr. B's reading spa, and it was well worth hauling it home from the UK. It was a book I wanted to race through, but at the same time I kept putting it down because I didn't want it to end. Very well done. Hope to read it again sometime.
Recap for May coming later this evening.
100rabbitprincess
May was a quieter reading month: a combination of vacation and distractions led me to finish "only" 12 books:
Seeing Voices, by Oliver Sacks
The Black Moon, by Winston Graham
The Go-Between, by L.P. Hartley
Travesties, by Tom Stoppard
The Ghost Map, by Steven Johnson
Death of a Busybody, by George Bellairs
Island: The Collected Stories, by Alistair MacLeod
A Great Reckoning, by Louise Penny
Last Rituals, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (translated by Bernard Scudder)
The Burgess Shale: The Canadian Writing Landscape of the 1960s, by Margaret Atwood
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (audio, narrated by Neil Gaiman)
We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen (translated by Charlotte Barslund and Emma Ryder)
My favourite book of the month was We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen, in a very good translation by Charlotte Barslund and Emma Ryder. I've been reading it for a while, probably because I didn't want it to end.
My least favourite book may have been Seeing Voices, by Oliver Sacks, which is funny because a Sacks book was my MOST favourite last month. Seeing Voices ended up being a DNF for me. The first part was great, but the rest of it didn't hold my interest at all.
I had to return several books on my library stack because I couldn't get them all done on vacation, sadly. Will have to re-request at least the Dan Jones, which I do really want to read.
I'm still reading my May RandomCAT selection, and I completed the Poldark book for the group read. :)
Currently reading
Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-1995, by Michael Barclay -- I haven't touched this at all this month! Will have to get back into it.
Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. -- Maybe now that I'm finished We, the Drowned, this one will get more attention. It's not really a mealtime book, though, as I had intended. It's turning into a Saturday afternoon sort of read.
The Dragon at Noonday, by Edith Pargeter -- Book 2 in the Brothers of Gwynedd quartet, and my selection for the May RandomCAT (because my mum and I are sharing this series). It is a moderate chore; interesting enough to read when I can get into it, but I don't always feel like reading it on the bus. However, I get more done on the bus than I would at home.
Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers, by Simon Winchester -- I had to renew this in order to get started on it! There have been some really interesting facts, but it's a very big book, so I am chipping away at it slowly.
The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths, by Harry Bingham -- Just added this to the currently reading pile today! I'm glad that my impending Wales trip inspired me to pick up this series.
June plans
There are a lot of library books to get through, although not as many as there were last month, I don't think.
As for my own books, I plan to continue with my Brothers of Gwynedd and Poldark reading, which should scratch my historical fiction itch for a while...although I'm hankering to read some more Dorothy Dunnett, too!
For the RandomCAT, I will be reading Billy Boyle, by James R. Benn, which is a first in series.
On my library shelves this month:
A Boy from Botwood, by Bryan Davies -- the journals of a private in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during the First World War.
Even Dogs in the Wild, by Ian Rankin -- yes, I could borrow this from my mum, but I felt like getting it out of the library.
Insurrection, by Robyn Young -- the first in a trilogy about Robert the Bruce. I borrowed this a while ago but never got around to it. Second time lucky?
Farthing, by Jo Walton -- Small Change trilogy #1. We'll see if I get to this. I already renewed it once.
Stone Mattress, by Margaret Atwood -- I wish this were the fun cover with the crow or raven stealing one of the O's in Atwood. Instead, it's the boring grey cover. Nevertheless, the stories should still be good.
Culloden Tales: Stories from Scotland's Most Famous Battlefield, by Hugh G. Allison -- requested on impulse when the library ordered it, because I've been to Culloden and am interested to hear some of the stories involving the place.
Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster, by Maura Hanrahan -- a BB from LibraryCin. I'm counting it pre-emptively for the August CultureCAT, Impact of Natural Disasters.
The Dead Shall Be Raised and The Murder of a Quack, by George Bellairs -- a two-for-the-price-of-one British Library Crime Classic. The other Bellairs I read wasn't terrible, so I have similar expectations for this book.
Blood and Stone, by Chris Collett -- continuing my Wales reading with this series featuring DI Tom Mariner. This is the 6th book in the series.
Seeing Voices, by Oliver Sacks
The Black Moon, by Winston Graham
The Go-Between, by L.P. Hartley
Travesties, by Tom Stoppard
The Ghost Map, by Steven Johnson
Death of a Busybody, by George Bellairs
Island: The Collected Stories, by Alistair MacLeod
A Great Reckoning, by Louise Penny
Last Rituals, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (translated by Bernard Scudder)
The Burgess Shale: The Canadian Writing Landscape of the 1960s, by Margaret Atwood
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (audio, narrated by Neil Gaiman)
We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen (translated by Charlotte Barslund and Emma Ryder)
My favourite book of the month was We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen, in a very good translation by Charlotte Barslund and Emma Ryder. I've been reading it for a while, probably because I didn't want it to end.
My least favourite book may have been Seeing Voices, by Oliver Sacks, which is funny because a Sacks book was my MOST favourite last month. Seeing Voices ended up being a DNF for me. The first part was great, but the rest of it didn't hold my interest at all.
I had to return several books on my library stack because I couldn't get them all done on vacation, sadly. Will have to re-request at least the Dan Jones, which I do really want to read.
I'm still reading my May RandomCAT selection, and I completed the Poldark book for the group read. :)
Currently reading
Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-1995, by Michael Barclay -- I haven't touched this at all this month! Will have to get back into it.
Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. -- Maybe now that I'm finished We, the Drowned, this one will get more attention. It's not really a mealtime book, though, as I had intended. It's turning into a Saturday afternoon sort of read.
The Dragon at Noonday, by Edith Pargeter -- Book 2 in the Brothers of Gwynedd quartet, and my selection for the May RandomCAT (because my mum and I are sharing this series). It is a moderate chore; interesting enough to read when I can get into it, but I don't always feel like reading it on the bus. However, I get more done on the bus than I would at home.
Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers, by Simon Winchester -- I had to renew this in order to get started on it! There have been some really interesting facts, but it's a very big book, so I am chipping away at it slowly.
The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths, by Harry Bingham -- Just added this to the currently reading pile today! I'm glad that my impending Wales trip inspired me to pick up this series.
June plans
There are a lot of library books to get through, although not as many as there were last month, I don't think.
As for my own books, I plan to continue with my Brothers of Gwynedd and Poldark reading, which should scratch my historical fiction itch for a while...although I'm hankering to read some more Dorothy Dunnett, too!
For the RandomCAT, I will be reading Billy Boyle, by James R. Benn, which is a first in series.
On my library shelves this month:
A Boy from Botwood, by Bryan Davies -- the journals of a private in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during the First World War.
Even Dogs in the Wild, by Ian Rankin -- yes, I could borrow this from my mum, but I felt like getting it out of the library.
Insurrection, by Robyn Young -- the first in a trilogy about Robert the Bruce. I borrowed this a while ago but never got around to it. Second time lucky?
Farthing, by Jo Walton -- Small Change trilogy #1. We'll see if I get to this. I already renewed it once.
Stone Mattress, by Margaret Atwood -- I wish this were the fun cover with the crow or raven stealing one of the O's in Atwood. Instead, it's the boring grey cover. Nevertheless, the stories should still be good.
Culloden Tales: Stories from Scotland's Most Famous Battlefield, by Hugh G. Allison -- requested on impulse when the library ordered it, because I've been to Culloden and am interested to hear some of the stories involving the place.
Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster, by Maura Hanrahan -- a BB from LibraryCin. I'm counting it pre-emptively for the August CultureCAT, Impact of Natural Disasters.
The Dead Shall Be Raised and The Murder of a Quack, by George Bellairs -- a two-for-the-price-of-one British Library Crime Classic. The other Bellairs I read wasn't terrible, so I have similar expectations for this book.
Blood and Stone, by Chris Collett -- continuing my Wales reading with this series featuring DI Tom Mariner. This is the 6th book in the series.
101MissWatson
Glad to see you liked We, the drowned, it's on my TBR.
102rabbitprincess
>101 MissWatson: It was very good, just what I needed! Hope you like it too.
****
My bus book reading has been and will continue to be a mix of historical fiction and mysteries: Poldark, mystery, Brothers of Gwynedd, mystery, Poldark, mystery... So far it seems to be a fairly good approach. I'm making steady progress on the historical fiction without feeling bogged down, and changing up the series means I don't feel like I'm reading too much of the same thing. We'll see how long this lasts.
The Dragon at Noonday, by Edith Pargeter
Category: Hudson, Tracy (May RandomCAT)
Source: Book Bazaar
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/130510690
This was good but a bit harder for me to get into than the first installment. And after meeting Simon de Montfort in this book, I'm really looking forward to Sharon Kay Penman's Welsh Princes trilogy (which will likely be read next year, rather than this year).
****
My bus book reading has been and will continue to be a mix of historical fiction and mysteries: Poldark, mystery, Brothers of Gwynedd, mystery, Poldark, mystery... So far it seems to be a fairly good approach. I'm making steady progress on the historical fiction without feeling bogged down, and changing up the series means I don't feel like I'm reading too much of the same thing. We'll see how long this lasts.
The Dragon at Noonday, by Edith Pargeter
Category: Hudson, Tracy (May RandomCAT)
Source: Book Bazaar
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/130510690
This was good but a bit harder for me to get into than the first installment. And after meeting Simon de Montfort in this book, I'm really looking forward to Sharon Kay Penman's Welsh Princes trilogy (which will likely be read next year, rather than this year).
103lkernagh
Your "bus book reading" sounds perfect for walking! I find when I am walking I want to listen to something that is either highly engaging or something straightforward, like the Sue Grafton books. ;-)
104rabbitprincess
>103 lkernagh: That makes sense as an audiobook strategy. It would also apply to any audiobooks I listen to while doing chores. Doctor Who novels are pretty straightforward, and my current audiobook (Peter Capaldi narrating The Birds and Don't Look Now) is highly engaging!
****
It's been a busy week. I'm falling down the Internet rabbit hole most nights. And this weekend I've been attending an editors' conference, so more socializing means less time for reading. That said, I did finish this book on the bus a couple of days ago:
The Ghosts of Belfast, by Stuart Neville
Category: Geliget
Source: Rockcliffe Park Public School book sale
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/135690299
I put this one under Geliget because, in my classification, thrillers = general fiction. And this was more of a thriller than a mystery. A very good thriller, but not one for the squeamish. There is a fair bit of bone crunching and flesh ripping :S
****
It's been a busy week. I'm falling down the Internet rabbit hole most nights. And this weekend I've been attending an editors' conference, so more socializing means less time for reading. That said, I did finish this book on the bus a couple of days ago:
The Ghosts of Belfast, by Stuart Neville
Category: Geliget
Source: Rockcliffe Park Public School book sale
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/135690299
I put this one under Geliget because, in my classification, thrillers = general fiction. And this was more of a thriller than a mystery. A very good thriller, but not one for the squeamish. There is a fair bit of bone crunching and flesh ripping :S
105AHS-Wolfy
>104 rabbitprincess: I've had the Stuart Neville book on my tbr shelves for a while. Looks like I should make an effort to push it closer to the top of the pile and get around to actually reading it. Glad to see that you enjoyed it as it's always good to see positive reviews for future reads.
106RidgewayGirl
I've been falling down the internet rabbit hole quite a bit lately. Books will still be there when we emerge. Have you visited awfullibrarybooks.net? Or project1917.com? Those are both addictive.
107christina_reads
>102 rabbitprincess: I'm a huge fan of Sharon Kay Penman, especially the Welsh trilogy! Hope you enjoy it when you get to it.
108andreablythe
In your June plans, I've read and enjoyed a couple of Walton's books, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you think of Farthing.
109rabbitprincess
>105 AHS-Wolfy: I hope you like it when you get to it! It is somewhat gritty, but that is probably unavoidable given the subject matter.
>106 RidgewayGirl: I used to visit Awful Library Books somewhat regularly. Lately my Internet rabbit hole has been watching Peter Capaldi videos on YouTube. I can't get enough of him!
>107 christina_reads: I liked her Plantagenet books and have high hopes for the Welsh trilogy.
>108 andreablythe: I'll definitely get around to it then! This is one of those books I've had to strategically renew so that I can read other books that have holds on them.
****
It's already the middle of the month and I'm logging only two more books (four books read so far).
The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths, by Harry Bingham
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/141718670
This is my favourite book in the series so far. Another one of those "race through or savour?" books. I say race through it. You might as well!
Also, the edition I borrowed from the library had a scary Weeping Angel on the cover, so I had to put it face-down on the coffee table when I wasn't reading it :S
The Dead Shall Be Raised and Murder of a Quack, by George Bellairs
Category: Opilio
Source: library
Rating: 2/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/141850073
Meh. Wasn't in the mood for this one. Bellairs isn't bad, but I do find his dialogue excruciating when characters speak in dialect.
****
Currently reading in audio the AMAZING two-fer of The Birds and Don't Look Now, narrated by Peter Capaldi (heart emoji x10). This evening I finished The Birds, and I was like "What?! That's it?! I WANT MORE!!!!!" But I wasn't annoyed; I was astounded by how skilfully du Maurier told the tale, to leave me wanting more. (I wanted to find out what made the birds act the way they did, and whether Nat and his family survive.)
I am also reading The Four Swans and have thoughts, which I will put on the group thread.
>106 RidgewayGirl: I used to visit Awful Library Books somewhat regularly. Lately my Internet rabbit hole has been watching Peter Capaldi videos on YouTube. I can't get enough of him!
>107 christina_reads: I liked her Plantagenet books and have high hopes for the Welsh trilogy.
>108 andreablythe: I'll definitely get around to it then! This is one of those books I've had to strategically renew so that I can read other books that have holds on them.
****
It's already the middle of the month and I'm logging only two more books (four books read so far).
The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths, by Harry Bingham
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/141718670
This is my favourite book in the series so far. Another one of those "race through or savour?" books. I say race through it. You might as well!
Also, the edition I borrowed from the library had a scary Weeping Angel on the cover, so I had to put it face-down on the coffee table when I wasn't reading it :S
The Dead Shall Be Raised and Murder of a Quack, by George Bellairs
Category: Opilio
Source: library
Rating: 2/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/141850073
Meh. Wasn't in the mood for this one. Bellairs isn't bad, but I do find his dialogue excruciating when characters speak in dialect.
****
Currently reading in audio the AMAZING two-fer of The Birds and Don't Look Now, narrated by Peter Capaldi (heart emoji x10). This evening I finished The Birds, and I was like "What?! That's it?! I WANT MORE!!!!!" But I wasn't annoyed; I was astounded by how skilfully du Maurier told the tale, to leave me wanting more. (I wanted to find out what made the birds act the way they did, and whether Nat and his family survive.)
I am also reading The Four Swans and have thoughts, which I will put on the group thread.
110mathgirl40
>107 christina_reads: Glad to hear you liked Sharon Kay Penman's Plantagenet series. This is on my to-read list. When I was a teenager, I devoured Jean Plaidy's Plantagenet books, but I've heard that Penman is a superior writer and I've been wanting to try her books.
111rabbitprincess
>110 mathgirl40: Jean Plaidy is another author I'd like to try sometime, although perhaps I might like to try books she's written about a different historical era. Will have to investigate further.
****
On Friday I went out to Ribfest for lunch, joined friends for dinner at Lansdowne Park, and attended an Ottawa Writers' Festival event featuring Louise Penny. She was wonderful and signed a thoughtful inscription in my copy of A Great Reckoning.
After that long day, I've spent as much of the weekend as possible indoors. Saturday we went to my BF's parents' for Father's Day (early) and my BF tried his hand at barbecuing for the first time by making shrimp kabobs. (He has made kabobs in the past, but he merely assembled them and did not actually grill them.) They turned out very well. Today I'll be hunkering down with the AC and reading, and I also have to catch up on yesterday's Doctor Who, which we managed to record in the middle of the night.
I've also prepared reviews for two books that I finished yesterday.
Culloden Tales: Stories from Scotland's Most Famous Battlefield, by Hugh G. Allison
Category: Viola M. Davidson
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/141827302
This was an impulse borrow, or rather an impulse request when it showed up in the On Order section of the library catalogue. Not bad, and it made me want to go back to Culloden.
The Four Swans, by Winston Graham
Category: Hudson, Tracy (year-long Poldark group read)
Source: a church book sale
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/129905894
This was easier to handle than The Black Moon. Still not sure whether I'll watch Season 3. I'll read the recaps, probably, just to see how they handle certain scenes (i.e., anything involving Osborne, ew).
****
On Friday I went out to Ribfest for lunch, joined friends for dinner at Lansdowne Park, and attended an Ottawa Writers' Festival event featuring Louise Penny. She was wonderful and signed a thoughtful inscription in my copy of A Great Reckoning.
After that long day, I've spent as much of the weekend as possible indoors. Saturday we went to my BF's parents' for Father's Day (early) and my BF tried his hand at barbecuing for the first time by making shrimp kabobs. (He has made kabobs in the past, but he merely assembled them and did not actually grill them.) They turned out very well. Today I'll be hunkering down with the AC and reading, and I also have to catch up on yesterday's Doctor Who, which we managed to record in the middle of the night.
I've also prepared reviews for two books that I finished yesterday.
Culloden Tales: Stories from Scotland's Most Famous Battlefield, by Hugh G. Allison
Category: Viola M. Davidson
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/141827302
This was an impulse borrow, or rather an impulse request when it showed up in the On Order section of the library catalogue. Not bad, and it made me want to go back to Culloden.
The Four Swans, by Winston Graham
Category: Hudson, Tracy (year-long Poldark group read)
Source: a church book sale
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/129905894
This was easier to handle than The Black Moon. Still not sure whether I'll watch Season 3. I'll read the recaps, probably, just to see how they handle certain scenes (i.e., anything involving Osborne, ew).
112mstrust
Ribfest! And you didn't invite me? Glad you got to meet Louise Penny, that must have been exciting.
113VictoriaPL
>111 rabbitprincess: I am almost finished with The Four Swans and second your Ew! at Ossie.
114rabbitprincess
>112 mstrust: Come next year! It's in June :D
Yes, it was really exciting to meet Louise Penny! She is SO nice.
>113 VictoriaPL: He is so slimy! I almost can't bear to watch. That's why I'm reading the Poldark recaps while the show airs in the UK, to help me decide whether to watch on Masterpiece.
****
It's been a steady week. Work, read, eat, sleep, repeat. I finished two books earlier this week and a third one this evening (which I will review this weekend).
Mixed Blessings, by William and Barbara Christopher
Category: Neocaligus
Source: Abebooks
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140372486
I've wanted to read this for decades, but it was only recently I was able to acquire it, thanks to the magical powers of the Internet and Abebooks. This past weekend, I picked it up off the shelf for a photo challenge on Litsy and read the whole thing in a couple of hours. Bill and Barbara are adorable, and their determination and strength in fighting for their son's welfare are inspiring.
The Long Drop, by Denise Mina
Category: Hudson
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/142118467
This is a fiction retelling of the lost night in which Peter Manuel, Glasgow's most notorious serial killer, went drinking with the man whose family he killed. Mina also tells the story of Manuel's eventual trial. This is a short book but carries the usual Mina hallmarks of excellent writing, good details, dashes of humour and strong sense of place.
Yes, it was really exciting to meet Louise Penny! She is SO nice.
>113 VictoriaPL: He is so slimy! I almost can't bear to watch. That's why I'm reading the Poldark recaps while the show airs in the UK, to help me decide whether to watch on Masterpiece.
****
It's been a steady week. Work, read, eat, sleep, repeat. I finished two books earlier this week and a third one this evening (which I will review this weekend).
Mixed Blessings, by William and Barbara Christopher
Category: Neocaligus
Source: Abebooks
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140372486
I've wanted to read this for decades, but it was only recently I was able to acquire it, thanks to the magical powers of the Internet and Abebooks. This past weekend, I picked it up off the shelf for a photo challenge on Litsy and read the whole thing in a couple of hours. Bill and Barbara are adorable, and their determination and strength in fighting for their son's welfare are inspiring.
The Long Drop, by Denise Mina
Category: Hudson
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/142118467
This is a fiction retelling of the lost night in which Peter Manuel, Glasgow's most notorious serial killer, went drinking with the man whose family he killed. Mina also tells the story of Manuel's eventual trial. This is a short book but carries the usual Mina hallmarks of excellent writing, good details, dashes of humour and strong sense of place.
115rabbitprincess
Boy, have I had a great reading run lately. I am spoiled.
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women, by Kate Moore
Category: Viola M. Davidson
Source: library
Rating: 5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/141997006
This was infuriating and excellent and I couldn't stop reading, even when it talked about one of the women having to fish pieces of broken jawbone out of her mouth. (I am squeamish about teeth issues to begin with, so this book could easily have counted as horror for me.) This is a book I want to send copies of to every elected official, particularly those with responsibility for maintaining occupational health and safety. If you read this and aren't moved by the women's story, you are probably a reincarnation of the executives of the United States Radium Corporation.
The Birds & Don't Look Now, by Daphne du Maurier (audio, read by Peter Capaldi)
Category: Ann Harvey
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 6/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/142041832
That's not a typo. I always award a bonus star to audiobooks I'm reading solely for the narrator, and the content merits five stars, so six out of five it is.
Billy Boyle, by James R. Benn (Billy Boyle, #1)
Category: Hudson, Tracy (June RandomCAT)
Source: Rockcliffe Park Public School book sale
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123120978
I finally picked this up for the June RandomCAT and it is good to have that one checked off the list. Overall, pretty good. I'd probably read another in the series at some point.
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women, by Kate Moore
Category: Viola M. Davidson
Source: library
Rating: 5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/141997006
This was infuriating and excellent and I couldn't stop reading, even when it talked about one of the women having to fish pieces of broken jawbone out of her mouth. (I am squeamish about teeth issues to begin with, so this book could easily have counted as horror for me.) This is a book I want to send copies of to every elected official, particularly those with responsibility for maintaining occupational health and safety. If you read this and aren't moved by the women's story, you are probably a reincarnation of the executives of the United States Radium Corporation.
The Birds & Don't Look Now, by Daphne du Maurier (audio, read by Peter Capaldi)
Category: Ann Harvey
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 6/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/142041832
That's not a typo. I always award a bonus star to audiobooks I'm reading solely for the narrator, and the content merits five stars, so six out of five it is.
Billy Boyle, by James R. Benn (Billy Boyle, #1)
Category: Hudson, Tracy (June RandomCAT)
Source: Rockcliffe Park Public School book sale
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123120978
I finally picked this up for the June RandomCAT and it is good to have that one checked off the list. Overall, pretty good. I'd probably read another in the series at some point.
116andreablythe
My sister's doing research on the radium girls now for a class. It sounds like a fascinating and disturbing story.
117Jackie_K
>115 rabbitprincess: The Radium Girls is a BB for me, it sounds right up my street (although I may need to brace myself first!).
118mstrust
Glad you liked The Birds so much, or at least the narrator. I've been wanting to read that one and see how close it is to the movie.
119rabbitprincess
>116 andreablythe: It is both those things. What class is she taking?
>117 Jackie_K: Yes, bracing oneself is probably a good idea. I hope you find it as interesting as I did. (It is hard for me to say that I hope you "like" it.)
>118 mstrust: Both story and narrator were excellent. The story shares a title and basic premise with the movie, and that's it. Apparently Dame Daphne was not too fond of the adaptation. (The movie of Don't Look Now, however, met with her approval.)
>117 Jackie_K: Yes, bracing oneself is probably a good idea. I hope you find it as interesting as I did. (It is hard for me to say that I hope you "like" it.)
>118 mstrust: Both story and narrator were excellent. The story shares a title and basic premise with the movie, and that's it. Apparently Dame Daphne was not too fond of the adaptation. (The movie of Don't Look Now, however, met with her approval.)
120lkernagh
Like >117 Jackie_K:, I am also taking a BB for The Radium Girls, with plans to brace myself before reading.
121rabbitprincess
>120 lkernagh: I hope the book finds you at the right time, so that you're prepared for it. :)
****
Preparations for Canada Day in Ottawa have begun in earnest. The powers that be have decided it would be a brilliant idea to close off some downtown streets near Parliament Hill several days in advance so that they can set up security checkpoints for the festivities. The closures have led to monstrous traffic jams during the rush hour. This afternoon, commuters were reporting delays of up to 45 minutes, and some buses sat in one spot for half an hour or more. I was out for dinner with friends and managed to avoid rush hour entirely, but I won't be so lucky the rest of the week. This is why I pack lots of books in my purse!
****
Here's a book that fits several books' worth of material into a single unit.
Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers, by Simon Winchester
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140751756
I rated this slightly higher than Atlantic, which has similar subject matter, because I managed to finish Pacific! I did have to renew it three times, but it got finished. This book does require perseverance but is quite interesting.
****
Preparations for Canada Day in Ottawa have begun in earnest. The powers that be have decided it would be a brilliant idea to close off some downtown streets near Parliament Hill several days in advance so that they can set up security checkpoints for the festivities. The closures have led to monstrous traffic jams during the rush hour. This afternoon, commuters were reporting delays of up to 45 minutes, and some buses sat in one spot for half an hour or more. I was out for dinner with friends and managed to avoid rush hour entirely, but I won't be so lucky the rest of the week. This is why I pack lots of books in my purse!
****
Here's a book that fits several books' worth of material into a single unit.
Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers, by Simon Winchester
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/140751756
I rated this slightly higher than Atlantic, which has similar subject matter, because I managed to finish Pacific! I did have to renew it three times, but it got finished. This book does require perseverance but is quite interesting.
122rabbitprincess
And this might end up being my last book of the month.
If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating, by Alan Alda
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/142185672
I liked this pretty well, because it's Alan Alda and he always writes engagingly, but I think I had misplaced expectations about the content. I wanted to hear more about written communication, but the focus was more on oral communication. Oh well. I love the title, though. It may have to become our editorial section's motto ;)
If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating, by Alan Alda
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/142185672
I liked this pretty well, because it's Alan Alda and he always writes engagingly, but I think I had misplaced expectations about the content. I wanted to hear more about written communication, but the focus was more on oral communication. Oh well. I love the title, though. It may have to become our editorial section's motto ;)
123rabbitprincess
June averaged out to be a decent reading month. I read 13 books, and most of them were very good.
The Dragon at Noonday, by Edith Pargeter
The Ghosts of Belfast, by Stuart Neville
The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths, by Harry Bingham
The Dead Shall Be Raised and The Murder of a Quack, by George Bellairs
Culloden Tales, by Hugh G. Allison
The Four Swans, by Winston Graham
Mixed Blessings, by William and Barbara Christopher
The Long Drop, by Denise Mina
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Wome, by Kate Moore
The Birds and Don't Look Now, by Daphne du Maurier (audio, read by Peter Capaldi)
Billy Boyle, by James R. Benn
Pacific, by Simon Winchester
If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?, by Alan Alda
My favourite book of the month was The Radium Girls. It was excellent and heartbreaking and infuriating. A must-read.
My least favourite book was The Dead Shall Be Raised and The Murder of a Quack. Great cover and interesting plots, but I couldn't get into the first of the two stories and abandoned the book.
Both my June RandomCat and the group read books were read on schedule.
Currently reading
Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-1995, by Michael Barclay -- Still haven't touched this one. Sigh.
Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. -- I read a bit more today on the train. Hoping to make it a long weekend read.
The Hounds of Sunset, by Edith Pargeter -- Getting close to the end of the third book in the quartet. If I finish it this weekend I can leave it with my parents so that my mum can read it :)
The Churchill Years, Volume 1, by Phil Mulryne -- One of the many Big Finish audio dramas from my Dr Who / Torchwood Humble Bundle. This will be my first Big Finish production and I am looking forward to it.
And when I get back from my visit I plan to dig in to Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz. Can I read it in two days?
July plans
I'm eyeing my Pool and planning to read some of the mysteries and older books on the list. This includes the oldest book in the Pool, Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan.
It would also be nice to finish off the Brothers of Gwynedd quartet before September, when we will be in Wales.
For the RandomCAT, I will be reading The Case of the Dangerous Dowager, by Erle Stanley Gardner (his birthday is July 17).
On my library shelves this month:
Comme un roman, by Daniel Pennac -- This collection of essays is the one that contains the famous "10 rights of the reader".
Insurrection, by Robyn Young -- Still waiting to pick this up...
This Thing of Darkness, by Harry Bingham -- I love Fiona Griffiths!
The Cheltenham Square Murder, by John Bude -- Another British Library Crime Classic.
Before the Fall, by Noah Hawley -- I ended up requesting this, drawn in by the idea of the plane crash.
When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi -- I had previously requested this on ebook but found it difficult subject matter for a vacation.
Ask a Policeman, by The Detection Club -- One of these mysteries written by multiple Golden Age authors. I may just like it for the cover, which has a police box on it ;)
My Secret Life in Hut Six, by Mair Russell-Jones -- A memoir by one of the codebreakers at Bletchley Park. Stories of pioneering professional women are rocking my world this year.
Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster, by Maura Hanrahan -- a BB from LibraryCin. I'm counting it pre-emptively for the August CultureCAT, Impact of Natural Disasters. Still on the shelf from last month.
Blood and Stone, by Chris Collett -- continuing my Wales reading with this series featuring DI Tom Mariner. This is the 6th book in the series. Still on the shelf from last month.
Celtic Mythology -- this was in the On Order section of the catalogue and I took a chance on it.
Front Lines, by Michael Grant (Soldier Girl, #1) -- An alternate history in which women as well as men are drafted in the second world war. It is a much bigger book than I was anticipating.
The Dragon at Noonday, by Edith Pargeter
The Ghosts of Belfast, by Stuart Neville
The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths, by Harry Bingham
The Dead Shall Be Raised and The Murder of a Quack, by George Bellairs
Culloden Tales, by Hugh G. Allison
The Four Swans, by Winston Graham
Mixed Blessings, by William and Barbara Christopher
The Long Drop, by Denise Mina
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Wome, by Kate Moore
The Birds and Don't Look Now, by Daphne du Maurier (audio, read by Peter Capaldi)
Billy Boyle, by James R. Benn
Pacific, by Simon Winchester
If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?, by Alan Alda
My favourite book of the month was The Radium Girls. It was excellent and heartbreaking and infuriating. A must-read.
My least favourite book was The Dead Shall Be Raised and The Murder of a Quack. Great cover and interesting plots, but I couldn't get into the first of the two stories and abandoned the book.
Both my June RandomCat and the group read books were read on schedule.
Currently reading
Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-1995, by Michael Barclay -- Still haven't touched this one. Sigh.
Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. -- I read a bit more today on the train. Hoping to make it a long weekend read.
The Hounds of Sunset, by Edith Pargeter -- Getting close to the end of the third book in the quartet. If I finish it this weekend I can leave it with my parents so that my mum can read it :)
The Churchill Years, Volume 1, by Phil Mulryne -- One of the many Big Finish audio dramas from my Dr Who / Torchwood Humble Bundle. This will be my first Big Finish production and I am looking forward to it.
And when I get back from my visit I plan to dig in to Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz. Can I read it in two days?
July plans
I'm eyeing my Pool and planning to read some of the mysteries and older books on the list. This includes the oldest book in the Pool, Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan.
It would also be nice to finish off the Brothers of Gwynedd quartet before September, when we will be in Wales.
For the RandomCAT, I will be reading The Case of the Dangerous Dowager, by Erle Stanley Gardner (his birthday is July 17).
On my library shelves this month:
Comme un roman, by Daniel Pennac -- This collection of essays is the one that contains the famous "10 rights of the reader".
Insurrection, by Robyn Young -- Still waiting to pick this up...
This Thing of Darkness, by Harry Bingham -- I love Fiona Griffiths!
The Cheltenham Square Murder, by John Bude -- Another British Library Crime Classic.
Before the Fall, by Noah Hawley -- I ended up requesting this, drawn in by the idea of the plane crash.
When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi -- I had previously requested this on ebook but found it difficult subject matter for a vacation.
Ask a Policeman, by The Detection Club -- One of these mysteries written by multiple Golden Age authors. I may just like it for the cover, which has a police box on it ;)
My Secret Life in Hut Six, by Mair Russell-Jones -- A memoir by one of the codebreakers at Bletchley Park. Stories of pioneering professional women are rocking my world this year.
Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster, by Maura Hanrahan -- a BB from LibraryCin. I'm counting it pre-emptively for the August CultureCAT, Impact of Natural Disasters. Still on the shelf from last month.
Blood and Stone, by Chris Collett -- continuing my Wales reading with this series featuring DI Tom Mariner. This is the 6th book in the series. Still on the shelf from last month.
Celtic Mythology -- this was in the On Order section of the catalogue and I took a chance on it.
Front Lines, by Michael Grant (Soldier Girl, #1) -- An alternate history in which women as well as men are drafted in the second world war. It is a much bigger book than I was anticipating.
124rabbitprincess
And because it is already halfway through the year (say what?), time for the Q2 update on my 2017 pool.
I'm doing very well with the "old new books", having knocked out most of the second row. Not doing so well with the really old ones, and for some reason I've been neglecting the mysteries. Will have to get back onto those in the second half of the year.
I'm doing very well with the "old new books", having knocked out most of the second row. Not doing so well with the really old ones, and for some reason I've been neglecting the mysteries. Will have to get back onto those in the second half of the year.
125mathgirl40
Nice line-up for July! Happy Canada Day!
126VivienneR
Happy Canada Day!
You've been doing some great reading up there. A few bullets hit, especially The Radium Girls and My Secret Life in Hut Six, both of which sound like they are right up my street.
You've been doing some great reading up there. A few bullets hit, especially The Radium Girls and My Secret Life in Hut Six, both of which sound like they are right up my street.
127MissWatson
Happy Canada Day!
128lkernagh
"The powers that be have decided it would be a brilliant idea to close off some downtown streets near Parliament Hill several days in advance so that they can set up security checkpoints for the festivities. The closures have led to monstrous traffic jams during the rush hour."
LOL, but a rather pathetic LOL all the same, since planning could have ensured that the "planning" didn't interrupt the normal flow of things. ;-)
I hope you had a wonderful Canada Day.
LOL, but a rather pathetic LOL all the same, since planning could have ensured that the "planning" didn't interrupt the normal flow of things. ;-)
I hope you had a wonderful Canada Day.
129rabbitprincess
>125 mathgirl40: Thanks! Looking forward to it! Starting off my post-vacation reading with Magpie Murders.
>126 VivienneR: Not sure what it is about 2017, but stories of amazing women have been particularly good reading this year.
>127 MissWatson: Thanks! It was a good one!
>128 lkernagh: I just hope they don't get the "brilliant" idea to do this every year! Some people were apparently waiting FIVE HOURS to get onto the Hill, which is ridiculous.
>126 VivienneR: Not sure what it is about 2017, but stories of amazing women have been particularly good reading this year.
>127 MissWatson: Thanks! It was a good one!
>128 lkernagh: I just hope they don't get the "brilliant" idea to do this every year! Some people were apparently waiting FIVE HOURS to get onto the Hill, which is ridiculous.
130christina_reads
>123 rabbitprincess: Looks like you've got some really good reads lined up for July! I'll be especially interested to see what you think of Front Lines and My Secret Life in Hut Six.
131rabbitprincess
>130 christina_reads: I'm looking forward to those! Definitely want to get Hut Six read sometime in July.
****
When I can read an audiobook in two days, it's a lightning-fast read.
Doctor Who: The Churchill Years, Volume 1, by Phil Mulryne
Category: Ann Harvey, Sipu Muin
Source: Humble Bundle
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139865330
This was my first foray into the world of Big Finish audio dramas, thanks to a total steal of a Doctor Who / Torchwood Humble Bundle. I'm hooked. And this makes me want to watch "Victory of the Daleks" again.
****
When I can read an audiobook in two days, it's a lightning-fast read.
Doctor Who: The Churchill Years, Volume 1, by Phil Mulryne
Category: Ann Harvey, Sipu Muin
Source: Humble Bundle
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/139865330
This was my first foray into the world of Big Finish audio dramas, thanks to a total steal of a Doctor Who / Torchwood Humble Bundle. I'm hooked. And this makes me want to watch "Victory of the Daleks" again.
132rabbitprincess
I haven't been doing much reading over the past few days. That's because I was at Montreal ComicCon with a friend. We had a blast. Lots of Doctor Who nerdiness, including this photo:
My friend made that Stormtrooper helmet herself out of paper backed with bristol board. We thought it would be amusing to portray a clash between universes ;)
I also met David Tennant, Alex Kingston, and Freema Agyeman for autographs over the course of the weekend. All of them were great to talk with. So glad they came to Montreal!
My friend made that Stormtrooper helmet herself out of paper backed with bristol board. We thought it would be amusing to portray a clash between universes ;)
I also met David Tennant, Alex Kingston, and Freema Agyeman for autographs over the course of the weekend. All of them were great to talk with. So glad they came to Montreal!
133Jackie_K
>132 rabbitprincess: That is the most awesome photo ever! How fabulous!
134sirfurboy
>132 rabbitprincess: Alex Kingston is a relative of mine, although not so close that I can sort out the "once removed" from the "second cousins" without looking it up :)
135lkernagh
>132 rabbitprincess: - Love that picture!
136mstrust
Princess, you've now met David Tennant enough times that you two should be exchanging numbers and borrowing books from each other.
137RidgewayGirl
>132 rabbitprincess: That may be the most amazing picture ever. I do feel a little sad for your friend, who stands alone, hidden behind a helmet, while you're sandwiched between Alex Kingston and David Tennant. I'm sure there's fanfiction about this somewhere.
138casvelyn
>137 RidgewayGirl: I'm sure there's fanfiction about this somewhere.
I write only the worst dialogue, but I think this exchange has potential:
"Are you my mummy?"
"No, I am your father."
Okay, maybe not. :)
(Yes, I am aware that a stormtrooper helmet is neither a gas mask nor a Vader mask, but this just came to me and I couldn't pass it up.)
I write only the worst dialogue, but I think this exchange has potential:
"Are you my mummy?"
"No, I am your father."
Okay, maybe not. :)
(Yes, I am aware that a stormtrooper helmet is neither a gas mask nor a Vader mask, but this just came to me and I couldn't pass it up.)
139rabbitprincess
>133 Jackie_K: It was a lot of fun! I think I love my Peter Capaldi picture a bit more, but this one is definitely funnier.
>134 sirfurboy: That is so cool! I got her autograph as well and she is awesome. I love how seriously she takes her role in the Doctor Who canon. When asked who her favourite alien species was, she said “You haven’t even seen the species and aliens I meet. If I told you my favourite, that would be a spoiler.”
>135 lkernagh: Thanks!
>136 mstrust: I would totally be down with that ;)
>137 RidgewayGirl: Haha it was our idea to do that! She made the helmet herself and we thought it would be hilarious to have our photo be a duel between fandoms.
>138 casvelyn: Hahaha! Perfect! I said she looks like she’s rolling her eyes heavenward and quoting the bowl of petunias from Hitchhiker’s Guide: “Oh no, not again.”
>134 sirfurboy: That is so cool! I got her autograph as well and she is awesome. I love how seriously she takes her role in the Doctor Who canon. When asked who her favourite alien species was, she said “You haven’t even seen the species and aliens I meet. If I told you my favourite, that would be a spoiler.”
>135 lkernagh: Thanks!
>136 mstrust: I would totally be down with that ;)
>137 RidgewayGirl: Haha it was our idea to do that! She made the helmet herself and we thought it would be hilarious to have our photo be a duel between fandoms.
>138 casvelyn: Hahaha! Perfect! I said she looks like she’s rolling her eyes heavenward and quoting the bowl of petunias from Hitchhiker’s Guide: “Oh no, not again.”
140VivienneR
>132 rabbitprincess: OK, I have to admit it's been a very long time since I've watched Dr. Who but I am a big fan of David Tennant. Fabulous photo! Whatever the price of the tickets, it was worth every penny!
141andreablythe
>119 rabbitprincess:
Sorry for the delay. I've been traveling. I'm not sure what the class is called, but she's a history teacher taking a class for a Masters Degree. Something on US history.
>132 rabbitprincess:
OMG! What an amazing photo! I'm so jealous you go to pose with them. :D
Sorry for the delay. I've been traveling. I'm not sure what the class is called, but she's a history teacher taking a class for a Masters Degree. Something on US history.
>132 rabbitprincess:
OMG! What an amazing photo! I'm so jealous you go to pose with them. :D
142DeltaQueen50
Excellent photo! It looks like you had a fabulous time, and of course, I am jealous! ;)
143rabbitprincess
>140 VivienneR: Oh yes! He is a lovely man. And Freema and Alex were awesome too!
>141 andreablythe: Cool! And yes, that was a great photo! :D
>142 DeltaQueen50: It was indeed a great time. Montreal was a lot of fun too. Normally I'm there in winter, so being able to walk around without requiring seven layers of clothing was a novelty ;)
****
Gradually catching up on reviews as I get back into the grind. Here are two books I finished right before my trip to Montreal.
Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/142405899
This was a lot of fun, and a very fast read. (My BF: "You've read 80 pages in an hour?!")
Murder on the Mauretania, by Conrad Allen
Category: Opilio
Source: Bearly Used Books, Parry Sound, ON
Rating: 1/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/134021579
This, on the other hand, did not hold my interest. Oh well, at least that frees up some shelf space on my mass-market mystery shelf, which is always full to bursting.
>141 andreablythe: Cool! And yes, that was a great photo! :D
>142 DeltaQueen50: It was indeed a great time. Montreal was a lot of fun too. Normally I'm there in winter, so being able to walk around without requiring seven layers of clothing was a novelty ;)
****
Gradually catching up on reviews as I get back into the grind. Here are two books I finished right before my trip to Montreal.
Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/142405899
This was a lot of fun, and a very fast read. (My BF: "You've read 80 pages in an hour?!")
Murder on the Mauretania, by Conrad Allen
Category: Opilio
Source: Bearly Used Books, Parry Sound, ON
Rating: 1/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/134021579
This, on the other hand, did not hold my interest. Oh well, at least that frees up some shelf space on my mass-market mystery shelf, which is always full to bursting.
144virginiahomeschooler
>132 rabbitprincess: Omg, what an awesome picture. I think I'd give up a kidney, or some other not completely necessary organ, to meed David Tennant. I know most women probably swoon over the likes of Brad Pitt or George Clooney, but that man is my idea of perfection.
145dudes22
That's a great picture. I can remember Alex Kingston from back when she was in the TV series "ER" and she was just in a rerun of an NCIS show.
146LittleTaiko
>132 rabbitprincess: - That is such an awesome photo - you've been having quite the celebrity year!
>144 virginiahomeschooler: - Count me in the swooning over George Clooney club. Though really I'd really just rather have dinner with him and bring my husband along.
>144 virginiahomeschooler: - Count me in the swooning over George Clooney club. Though really I'd really just rather have dinner with him and bring my husband along.
147rabbitprincess
>144 virginiahomeschooler: He is gorgeous. Tall skinny guys are my type to begin with, and to have one with brown hair, brown eyes, and a Scottish accent is even better :D
>145 dudes22: Funny, she was a doctor in one show and married to the Doctor in another ;)
>146 LittleTaiko: Indeed I have! ComicCon has spoiled me rotten. I'd take Clooney over Pitt but I'd keep asking Clooney about his aunt Rosemary!
****
It's almost the end of the week, and this weekend will be well earned. Hoping to hunker down with some books and get lots of reading done. I also have some DVDs to get through, including Season 2 of Campion.
I've finished a couple of books, too.
The Cheltenham Square Murder, by John Bude
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 2.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/142549032
Not my favourite British Library Crime Classic, but not the worst either. A bit convoluted for my taste.
When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/142750117
If you tend to cry while reading, I recommend reading Lucy's epilogue at home.
>145 dudes22: Funny, she was a doctor in one show and married to the Doctor in another ;)
>146 LittleTaiko: Indeed I have! ComicCon has spoiled me rotten. I'd take Clooney over Pitt but I'd keep asking Clooney about his aunt Rosemary!
****
It's almost the end of the week, and this weekend will be well earned. Hoping to hunker down with some books and get lots of reading done. I also have some DVDs to get through, including Season 2 of Campion.
I've finished a couple of books, too.
The Cheltenham Square Murder, by John Bude
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 2.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/142549032
Not my favourite British Library Crime Classic, but not the worst either. A bit convoluted for my taste.
When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/142750117
If you tend to cry while reading, I recommend reading Lucy's epilogue at home.
148LittleTaiko
>147 rabbitprincess: - I haven't read the book yet but heard her interviewed on Think and ended up tearing up several times. Just thankful I was home while listening.
149Jackie_K
>147 rabbitprincess: I got When Breath Becomes Air for my birthday and fully expect to be howling when I read it.
150rabbitprincess
>148 LittleTaiko: I was thankful to be reading at home. Things like that affect me more now. I blame having entered my 30s :P
>149 Jackie_K: Yes, definitely a book for which having tissues and something to snuggle is a good idea.
****
After a week where it seemed to rain at least once a day (very Irish weather, I would call it, based on our stay in Dublin), today has turned out sunny and hot. Perfect for staying indoors and reading! I did some audio colouring while listening to a Doctor Who novel, The Last Dodo, which I am sneakily counting for August's RandomCAT, and went out to the library briefly to drop off some books and DVDs. Now the plan is to get cracking on My Secret Life in Hut Six, which is due back very soon.
I've also managed to finish a couple more books, one of which took most of the week.
Far from True, by Linwood Barclay
Category: Captain Goddard, M.S.M.
Source: Chaptigo
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/127962980
Not bad, but I think I let it sit too long between my expressing a desire to read it and actually reading it. It did its job, but it probably isn't my favourite Barclay book.
Ask a Policeman, by The Detection Club
Category: Penac
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/142405841
This was all right, worth a couple of evenings of entertainment. Really, I just love the cover of the reissued paperback, done in a similar style to the reprinted Agatha Christies and showing a nice blue police box to go with the title.
>149 Jackie_K: Yes, definitely a book for which having tissues and something to snuggle is a good idea.
****
After a week where it seemed to rain at least once a day (very Irish weather, I would call it, based on our stay in Dublin), today has turned out sunny and hot. Perfect for staying indoors and reading! I did some audio colouring while listening to a Doctor Who novel, The Last Dodo, which I am sneakily counting for August's RandomCAT, and went out to the library briefly to drop off some books and DVDs. Now the plan is to get cracking on My Secret Life in Hut Six, which is due back very soon.
I've also managed to finish a couple more books, one of which took most of the week.
Far from True, by Linwood Barclay
Category: Captain Goddard, M.S.M.
Source: Chaptigo
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/127962980
Not bad, but I think I let it sit too long between my expressing a desire to read it and actually reading it. It did its job, but it probably isn't my favourite Barclay book.
Ask a Policeman, by The Detection Club
Category: Penac
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/142405841
This was all right, worth a couple of evenings of entertainment. Really, I just love the cover of the reissued paperback, done in a similar style to the reprinted Agatha Christies and showing a nice blue police box to go with the title.
151mstrust
I thought of you when I saw the big announcement. So what do you think of the next Doctor Who?
152rabbitprincess
>151 mstrust: Excellent choice. Glad that Chibnall made the bold move. I'm looking forward to seeing her at Christmas!
153rabbitprincess
I've been feeling a bit run-down recently (lots of things to do at work, including replacing my manager for two weeks), so I took a mental health / reset day today. Got some much-needed extra sleep and didn't do anything in particular, just relaxed. I did want to go for a walk and enjoy the sunshine, but the sunshine came with a high temperature of 28 degrees Celsius and humidex of 34...staying indoors with the A/C seemed a better option.
I also did some book housekeeping, including writing some reviews.
My Secret Life in Hut Six: One Woman’s Experiences at Bletchley Park, by Mair Russell-Jones and Gethin Russell-Jones
Category: Viola M. Davidson
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/143602597
I enjoyed this look at one woman's story of her experience as a codebreaker at Bletchley Park. And given that I am going to Wales in the fall, I loved that she was Welsh :)
Blood and Stone, by Chris Collett
Category: Opilio
Source: library
Rating: 1/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/141850087
Started this book this afternoon, and abandoned it after the gratuitous sex scene involving the main character. Mysteries really don't need sex scenes.
I also did some book housekeeping, including writing some reviews.
My Secret Life in Hut Six: One Woman’s Experiences at Bletchley Park, by Mair Russell-Jones and Gethin Russell-Jones
Category: Viola M. Davidson
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/143602597
I enjoyed this look at one woman's story of her experience as a codebreaker at Bletchley Park. And given that I am going to Wales in the fall, I loved that she was Welsh :)
Blood and Stone, by Chris Collett
Category: Opilio
Source: library
Rating: 1/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/141850087
Started this book this afternoon, and abandoned it after the gratuitous sex scene involving the main character. Mysteries really don't need sex scenes.
154mathgirl40
>153 rabbitprincess: Hope you'll be feeling better soon. I took a BB for My Secret Life in Hut Six!
155dudes22
>153 rabbitprincess: - I'll be taking that BB too.
156VivienneR
>153 rabbitprincess: Hope you will be feeling better soon. Catching up on sleep is a good start. We don't get your humidity levels but 28 sounds deliciously cool after the hot days (up to 39) we've been having.
Add my name to the list you hit with that powerful BB.
Add my name to the list you hit with that powerful BB.
157LittleTaiko
Good for you in taking a mental health day. Hope you're feeling more rejuvenated.
I've also taken a BB for the Hut.
I've also taken a BB for the Hut.
158rabbitprincess
I am glad to see lots of interest for My Secret Life in Hut Six!
>154 mathgirl40: The day off helped. Now I'm just tired because it's so stinking hot out!
>155 dudes22: Excellent :D
>156 VivienneR: Yikes, temperatures up to 39! That would be exceedingly uncomfortable. And yes, am feeling better, thanks!
>157 LittleTaiko: I'm feeling a bit lighter, yes. It helps that my manager is back and I don't have to make decisions :P
****
Still hot and humid around here. Not many people are complaining, given how much rain we had earlier in the month, but couldn't it be dry heat? At least it set the scene nicely for this book:
Singing in the Shrouds, by Ngaio Marsh
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: borrowed from J
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/141823857
Alleyn investigates murder on the high seas. Also, I've been pronouncing his name wrong for ages.
>154 mathgirl40: The day off helped. Now I'm just tired because it's so stinking hot out!
>155 dudes22: Excellent :D
>156 VivienneR: Yikes, temperatures up to 39! That would be exceedingly uncomfortable. And yes, am feeling better, thanks!
>157 LittleTaiko: I'm feeling a bit lighter, yes. It helps that my manager is back and I don't have to make decisions :P
****
Still hot and humid around here. Not many people are complaining, given how much rain we had earlier in the month, but couldn't it be dry heat? At least it set the scene nicely for this book:
Singing in the Shrouds, by Ngaio Marsh
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: borrowed from J
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/141823857
Alleyn investigates murder on the high seas. Also, I've been pronouncing his name wrong for ages.
159rabbitprincess
I've been spending a fair chunk of the weekend participating in the 24-in-48 readathon. There's no way in hell I'm getting to 24 hours, and it's doubtful I'll even make it to 12 hours, but it's been fun to participate officially with the challenges and all that. So far I've managed to complete two ongoing books and read a third from start to finish.
Doctor Who: The Last Dodo, by Jacqueline Rayner (audio, read by Freema Agyeman)
Category: Ann Harvey, Sipu Muin
Source: gift from J
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/107942620
I'm addicted to Doctor Who audios. This one was fun, especially because it was narrated by Martha Jones herself :)
This Thing of Darkness, by Harry Bingham
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/142463787
Fiona Griffiths continues to impress. I love her to bits. This is my new "must recommend to everyone" series.
Even Dogs in the Wild, by Ian Rankin
Category: Tracy (August RandomCAT)
Source: borrowed from parents
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/143065852
Another solid Rebus book. One of these days I'll get all of the books read, then reread them all in order (and maybe a bit closer together than I have been doing).
Doctor Who: The Last Dodo, by Jacqueline Rayner (audio, read by Freema Agyeman)
Category: Ann Harvey, Sipu Muin
Source: gift from J
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/107942620
I'm addicted to Doctor Who audios. This one was fun, especially because it was narrated by Martha Jones herself :)
This Thing of Darkness, by Harry Bingham
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/142463787
Fiona Griffiths continues to impress. I love her to bits. This is my new "must recommend to everyone" series.
Even Dogs in the Wild, by Ian Rankin
Category: Tracy (August RandomCAT)
Source: borrowed from parents
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/143065852
Another solid Rebus book. One of these days I'll get all of the books read, then reread them all in order (and maybe a bit closer together than I have been doing).
161rabbitprincess
>160 mstrust: Ooooo shiny gold star! Thank you!
****
The trailer's dropped for the Doctor Who Christmas special. Given that the trailer is enough to make me cry, I think my plan of watching the actual episode by myself is still a good one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNx9bzq1p4g
****
The trailer's dropped for the Doctor Who Christmas special. Given that the trailer is enough to make me cry, I think my plan of watching the actual episode by myself is still a good one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNx9bzq1p4g
162VictoriaPL
>114 rabbitprincess: re: Ossie, have you read Poldark #7 The Angry Tide?
163rabbitprincess
>162 VictoriaPL: Not yet! It's on my read-soon pile though :)
164lkernagh
Mental health days are the best and "Wahoo" on your readathon achievement of three books completed!
165rabbitprincess
>164 lkernagh: Thanks! It was my first time participating in the readathon and worked out very well. Looking forward to the next one :)
****
Exciting developments in Ottawa today: a giant spider and a dragon-horse were skittering and stomping around downtown. Fortunately, Kumo and Long Ma (the spider and dragon-horse, respectively) gave us plenty of advance notice that they were coming, and I was able to work from home today. The walkabouts were going to cause intermittent rolling road closures, and the lack of predictability seemed like it would cause a bit of trouble getting home from work (not so much getting to work). It looked like the sort of event that you really need to have the day off to properly appreciate!
Here are some pictures: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/la-machine-day-2-friday-videos-pictures-1.4...
Some of my friends were able to go see it and they were quite impressed. I'm glad they enjoyed themselves. I'm too creeped out by the giant spider D:
****
This week has been mildly productive for reading. Finished two books.
Careful: A User’s Guide to Our Injury-prone Minds, by Steve Casner
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/143266415
Highly recommended for fans of The Design of Everyday Things, Why We Make Mistakes, and/or The Idiot Brain. Reading about the many ways in which humans are wired to make mistakes is fascinating, and Casner is able to convey this information with generous helpings of humour.
Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M.
Source: Friends of Library and Archives Canada book sale
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70474000
A classic in the CanCon canon. It wasn't my favourite MacLennan (that would have to be The Watch that Ends the Night), but it's not my least favourite (that would be Voices in Time, urgh). There was a lot to like about it, but the bits that bothered me *really* bothered me.
****
Exciting developments in Ottawa today: a giant spider and a dragon-horse were skittering and stomping around downtown. Fortunately, Kumo and Long Ma (the spider and dragon-horse, respectively) gave us plenty of advance notice that they were coming, and I was able to work from home today. The walkabouts were going to cause intermittent rolling road closures, and the lack of predictability seemed like it would cause a bit of trouble getting home from work (not so much getting to work). It looked like the sort of event that you really need to have the day off to properly appreciate!
Here are some pictures: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/la-machine-day-2-friday-videos-pictures-1.4...
Some of my friends were able to go see it and they were quite impressed. I'm glad they enjoyed themselves. I'm too creeped out by the giant spider D:
****
This week has been mildly productive for reading. Finished two books.
Careful: A User’s Guide to Our Injury-prone Minds, by Steve Casner
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/143266415
Highly recommended for fans of The Design of Everyday Things, Why We Make Mistakes, and/or The Idiot Brain. Reading about the many ways in which humans are wired to make mistakes is fascinating, and Casner is able to convey this information with generous helpings of humour.
Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M.
Source: Friends of Library and Archives Canada book sale
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70474000
A classic in the CanCon canon. It wasn't my favourite MacLennan (that would have to be The Watch that Ends the Night), but it's not my least favourite (that would be Voices in Time, urgh). There was a lot to like about it, but the bits that bothered me *really* bothered me.
166mstrust
The dragon and spider were amazing, but I'd be too creeped out to go too. Not by the spider, by the enormous crowd. ; )
167rabbitprincess
>166 mstrust: Yeah, I wouldn't have wanted to be in those crowds either.
168rabbitprincess
July went by much too quickly, but somehow I managed to chalk up 16 books (two of which were abandoned).
Doctor Who: The Churchill Years, Volume 1, by Phil Mulryne et al. (Big Finish audio drama)
Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz
Murder on the Mauretania, by Conrad Allen (abandoned)
The Cheltenham Square Murder, by John Bude
When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi
Far from True, by Linwood Barclay
Ask a Policeman, by The Detection Club
My Secret Life in Hut Six: One Woman’s Experiences at Bletchley Park, by Mair Russell-Jones and Gethin Russell-Jones
Blood and Stone, by Chris Collett (abandoned)
Singing in the Shrouds, by Ngaio Marsh
Doctor Who: The Last Dodo, by Jacqueline Rayner (audio, read by Freema Agyeman)
This Thing of Darkness, by Harry Bingham
Even Dogs in the Wild, by Ian Rankin
Careful: A User’s Guide to Our Injury-prone Minds, by Steve Casner
Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan
My favourite book of the month was This Thing of Darkness. I love the Fiona Griffiths series, and it keeps getting better and better.
My least favourite book was Blood and Stone. I don’t like mysteries with gratuitous sex in them.
I didn’t get around to my July RandomCAT read, but it’s on the pile.
Currently reading
Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-1995, by Michael Barclay -- I really need to get back into this one :-/
Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. -- I read a bit more today on the train. Hoping to make it a long weekend read.
The Stone Rose, by Jacqueline Rayner — audio, read by David Tennant. I’m listening in teeny snippets as I do dishes and make my lunch, and it is most enjoyable.
My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind, by Scott Stossel — an Overdrive book. Really interesting, but possibly anxiety-inducing for the reader as well.
Arctic Assignment: The Story of the St. Roch, by F.S. Farrar — a random pick from the Rockcliffe Park book sale, it tells the story of the St. Roch, which was the first vessel to sail the Northwest Passage from west to east.
Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster, by Maura Hanrahan — I’m going to read this for the August CultureCAT, I swear it!
Looks like a lot of non-fiction on my plate…
August plans
I’m starting to think about vacation reads; we’re going to Wales at the end of the month (ack!), and I’m looking at my Pool thinking “Which of these can I take with me to read and leave behind at our various rental flats?” I’ve decided on three books that can be safely given away, and I’ll have books on my iPad and Overdrive if I’m desperate.
I read my RandomCAT early; ended up counting Even Dogs in the Wild for the theme of “animal in the title”. (I often end up counting mysteries for the RandomCAT to lighten the load a bit.)
On my library shelves this month:
Front Lines, by Michael Grant (Soldier Girl, #1) -- This is getting read immediately after Tsunami.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson — I requested the ebook from my hometown library and had totally forgotten about it until the email notification came in. It should be interesting. I’ll have to follow it up with The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck.
The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Gawande — I love checklists! They are my best friends. This should be good.
Knots and Crosses, by Ian Rankin — The library actually had it on the shelf! I snapped it up.
Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas, by Laura Sook Duncombe — Awesome title!
On the Map: A Mind-Expanding Exploration of the Way the World Looks, by Simon Garfield — Another one of these books I borrow from the library convinced that it’s on my to-read list already, only to find out it totally isn’t. Oh well.
Castles: Their History and Evolution in Medieval Britain, by Marc Morris — Morris’s book about the Norman conquest was excellent, and I’m looking forward to this one.
The Sea Was in Their Blood, by Quentin Casey — A book that the library ordered at my suggestion. It’s about the sinking of a Nova Scotia fishing vessel called the Miss Ally, and I think it also talks about the high risks in the fishing industry in general.
Gosh, I am totally on a non-fiction binge. No wonder I’m so tired these days, with all these new facts to process.
Doctor Who: The Churchill Years, Volume 1, by Phil Mulryne et al. (Big Finish audio drama)
Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz
Murder on the Mauretania, by Conrad Allen (abandoned)
The Cheltenham Square Murder, by John Bude
When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi
Far from True, by Linwood Barclay
Ask a Policeman, by The Detection Club
My Secret Life in Hut Six: One Woman’s Experiences at Bletchley Park, by Mair Russell-Jones and Gethin Russell-Jones
Blood and Stone, by Chris Collett (abandoned)
Singing in the Shrouds, by Ngaio Marsh
Doctor Who: The Last Dodo, by Jacqueline Rayner (audio, read by Freema Agyeman)
This Thing of Darkness, by Harry Bingham
Even Dogs in the Wild, by Ian Rankin
Careful: A User’s Guide to Our Injury-prone Minds, by Steve Casner
Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan
My favourite book of the month was This Thing of Darkness. I love the Fiona Griffiths series, and it keeps getting better and better.
My least favourite book was Blood and Stone. I don’t like mysteries with gratuitous sex in them.
I didn’t get around to my July RandomCAT read, but it’s on the pile.
Currently reading
Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-1995, by Michael Barclay -- I really need to get back into this one :-/
Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. -- I read a bit more today on the train. Hoping to make it a long weekend read.
The Stone Rose, by Jacqueline Rayner — audio, read by David Tennant. I’m listening in teeny snippets as I do dishes and make my lunch, and it is most enjoyable.
My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind, by Scott Stossel — an Overdrive book. Really interesting, but possibly anxiety-inducing for the reader as well.
Arctic Assignment: The Story of the St. Roch, by F.S. Farrar — a random pick from the Rockcliffe Park book sale, it tells the story of the St. Roch, which was the first vessel to sail the Northwest Passage from west to east.
Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster, by Maura Hanrahan — I’m going to read this for the August CultureCAT, I swear it!
Looks like a lot of non-fiction on my plate…
August plans
I’m starting to think about vacation reads; we’re going to Wales at the end of the month (ack!), and I’m looking at my Pool thinking “Which of these can I take with me to read and leave behind at our various rental flats?” I’ve decided on three books that can be safely given away, and I’ll have books on my iPad and Overdrive if I’m desperate.
I read my RandomCAT early; ended up counting Even Dogs in the Wild for the theme of “animal in the title”. (I often end up counting mysteries for the RandomCAT to lighten the load a bit.)
On my library shelves this month:
Front Lines, by Michael Grant (Soldier Girl, #1) -- This is getting read immediately after Tsunami.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson — I requested the ebook from my hometown library and had totally forgotten about it until the email notification came in. It should be interesting. I’ll have to follow it up with The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck.
The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Gawande — I love checklists! They are my best friends. This should be good.
Knots and Crosses, by Ian Rankin — The library actually had it on the shelf! I snapped it up.
Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas, by Laura Sook Duncombe — Awesome title!
On the Map: A Mind-Expanding Exploration of the Way the World Looks, by Simon Garfield — Another one of these books I borrow from the library convinced that it’s on my to-read list already, only to find out it totally isn’t. Oh well.
Castles: Their History and Evolution in Medieval Britain, by Marc Morris — Morris’s book about the Norman conquest was excellent, and I’m looking forward to this one.
The Sea Was in Their Blood, by Quentin Casey — A book that the library ordered at my suggestion. It’s about the sinking of a Nova Scotia fishing vessel called the Miss Ally, and I think it also talks about the high risks in the fishing industry in general.
Gosh, I am totally on a non-fiction binge. No wonder I’m so tired these days, with all these new facts to process.
169VivienneR
>168 rabbitprincess: I'll be on the lookout for Arctic Assignment, which looks interesting. Have you been on the St Roch in the Vancouver Maritime Museum? It's fascinating.
170RidgewayGirl
I'm sure you'll run across a Welsh bookstore or three! Have a lovely, lovely time. What part of Wales are you visiting?
171andreablythe
Lots of great reads coming up in August.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is a fantastic title. I'll be interested to see what you think.
And I also love checklists! So, I will be interested to learn more about The Checklist Manifesto, too.
Also Pirate Women? Yar!
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is a fantastic title. I'll be interested to see what you think.
And I also love checklists! So, I will be interested to learn more about The Checklist Manifesto, too.
Also Pirate Women? Yar!
172rabbitprincess
>169 VivienneR: I haven't, but only because I've never been to Vancouver. Now I have the beginnings of an itinerary ;) There's a plaque near the Dartmouth (Alderney) ferry terminal commemorating the St. Roch, which is what prompted me to pick this book up off the shelves. The book itself is this lovely old smelly 1950s novel with illustrations reminiscent of the early Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew :)
>170 RidgewayGirl: We're visiting Cardiff, Hay-on-Wye (I insisted), and Conwy, then detouring to Oxford for a few days before heading home. And given that the Cardiff leg of the trip includes a visit to the Doctor Who Experience, I'm thinking we will be availing ourselves of the Royal Mail to send care packages home.
>171 andreablythe: Isn't it! My aunt gave the book to my cousin for Christmas, and after she mentioned it, I HAD to check it out. I'm hoping The Checklist Manifesto will give me motivation to actually stick to my lovely checklists, and Pirate Women looks quite interesting.
>170 RidgewayGirl: We're visiting Cardiff, Hay-on-Wye (I insisted), and Conwy, then detouring to Oxford for a few days before heading home. And given that the Cardiff leg of the trip includes a visit to the Doctor Who Experience, I'm thinking we will be availing ourselves of the Royal Mail to send care packages home.
>171 andreablythe: Isn't it! My aunt gave the book to my cousin for Christmas, and after she mentioned it, I HAD to check it out. I'm hoping The Checklist Manifesto will give me motivation to actually stick to my lovely checklists, and Pirate Women looks quite interesting.
173rabbitprincess
My first two books of August deal with Canadian history (or the history of certain dominions that are now part of Canada).
Arctic Assignment: The Story of the St. Roch, by Sgt. F.S. Farrar
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M
Source: Rockcliffe Park P.S. book sale
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/135780601
This book feels like a Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew novel in terms of the font and typesetting and illustrations, but the story it tells is true. The St. Roch was the first vessel to sail the Northwest Passage from west to east, and Farrar was a member of that crew.
Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster, by Maura Hanrahan
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M., Tracy (August CultureCAT)
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/141827338
The content was interesting (I didn't know anything about this disaster), and I enjoyed the flashbacks I was having to The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, but the writing style felt flat and stories kept being repeated.
Arctic Assignment: The Story of the St. Roch, by Sgt. F.S. Farrar
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M
Source: Rockcliffe Park P.S. book sale
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/135780601
This book feels like a Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew novel in terms of the font and typesetting and illustrations, but the story it tells is true. The St. Roch was the first vessel to sail the Northwest Passage from west to east, and Farrar was a member of that crew.
Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster, by Maura Hanrahan
Category: Captain Goddard M.S.M., Tracy (August CultureCAT)
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/141827338
The content was interesting (I didn't know anything about this disaster), and I enjoyed the flashbacks I was having to The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, but the writing style felt flat and stories kept being repeated.
174sirfurboy
>173 rabbitprincess: When was the Newfoundland tsunami, and what caused it? Sorry to hear the account was a bit flat.
175RidgewayGirl
I lived for two years near Oxford (outside of Wantage) so now I'm flooded with memories. Enjoy it so much!
176rabbitprincess
>174 sirfurboy: It was in November 1929 and occurred on the Burin Peninsula, at the south end of Newfoundland. The peninsula is pretty close to St. Pierre and Miquelon. The tsunami was caused by an underwater earthquake 265 km south of the peninsula. Here's an overview: http://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/politics/tsunami-1929.php
>175 RidgewayGirl: I shall! :)
>175 RidgewayGirl: I shall! :)
177rabbitprincess
It's been a good weekend. On Saturday the BF and I went to see Dunkirk at what seems to be the ungodly hour of 10:30 a.m. (We're capable of getting up that early, but I find it weird to be in a movie theatre before noon.) It's hard to say that the movie was "enjoyable", but Christopher Nolan did a good job of capturing how intense and disorienting everything at Dunkirk would have been. After pizza for lunch, we came home and I spent the afternoon going through my hometown library's Hoopla collection, which has over 100 Doctor Who Big Finish audio dramas! :O Some of them I have already; the ones I don't have are on a list and I'll go through it randomly when I have a hankering for some Big Finish.
Today we went out shopping at one of the big-box plazas. The BF bought some clothes while I browsed at Chapters (and did NOT buy), then we went to Michaels for ultra-fine-tipped Sharpies (him) and pencil crayons that actually work (me). Now I'm planning to finish watching Season 2 of Broadchurch and then do some reading. Do I read about checklists or about not giving a f*ck?
I also wrote some reviews.
The Stone Rose, by Jacqueline Rayner (audio, read by David Tennant)
Category: Ann Harvey, Sipu Muin
Source: gift from a friend
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/70473904
This is one I liked better in audio. The Ten/Rose flirting is annoying under any circumstances; at least having David Tennant read it makes it less jarring than it would be on the page.
My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind, by Scott Stossel
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/143807219
An excellent book. The only part where I found it tough slogging was the part talking about how the various anti-anxiety drugs work. All the receptors and chemicals and neurotransmitters end up sounding the same after a while.
Today we went out shopping at one of the big-box plazas. The BF bought some clothes while I browsed at Chapters (and did NOT buy), then we went to Michaels for ultra-fine-tipped Sharpies (him) and pencil crayons that actually work (me). Now I'm planning to finish watching Season 2 of Broadchurch and then do some reading. Do I read about checklists or about not giving a f*ck?
I also wrote some reviews.
The Stone Rose, by Jacqueline Rayner (audio, read by David Tennant)
Category: Ann Harvey, Sipu Muin
Source: gift from a friend
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/70473904
This is one I liked better in audio. The Ten/Rose flirting is annoying under any circumstances; at least having David Tennant read it makes it less jarring than it would be on the page.
My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind, by Scott Stossel
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/143807219
An excellent book. The only part where I found it tough slogging was the part talking about how the various anti-anxiety drugs work. All the receptors and chemicals and neurotransmitters end up sounding the same after a while.
178ErinPaperbackstash
Sounds like a fun filled day
Sundays are fun days but busy ones.
Sundays are fun days but busy ones.
179Tanya-dogearedcopy
>177 rabbitprincess: Oh! I had just removed the Hoopla app from my phone thinking there wasn't anything in our catalogue worth checking out; but now I'll have to see if they have Big Finish audios too!
180LittleTaiko
Sounds like a fun weekend!
181rabbitprincess
>178 ErinPaperbackstash: It was good to get out both days of the weekend!
>179 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Not sure when they added those; I hadn't been on Hoopla for ages. But my actual library doesn't have any of them! It seems to be very library-specific.
>180 LittleTaiko: It was!
****
I'm already digging into the Hoopla offerings...
Human Resources, Part 1, by Eddie Robson (Big Finish audio drama)
Category: Ann Harvey, Sipu Muin
Source: library, via Hoopla
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/144559950
The only thing that's silly about this is that it's separated from Part 2 instead of the two of them being a box set. But perhaps Big Finish released its stories differently 10 years ago. My favourite part of this one was Lucie's line about being "Sarcasma, woman of sarcasm."
The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Gawande
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/144009053
I loved this book! It made me very happy. I need my own copy.
>179 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Not sure when they added those; I hadn't been on Hoopla for ages. But my actual library doesn't have any of them! It seems to be very library-specific.
>180 LittleTaiko: It was!
****
I'm already digging into the Hoopla offerings...
Human Resources, Part 1, by Eddie Robson (Big Finish audio drama)
Category: Ann Harvey, Sipu Muin
Source: library, via Hoopla
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/144559950
The only thing that's silly about this is that it's separated from Part 2 instead of the two of them being a box set. But perhaps Big Finish released its stories differently 10 years ago. My favourite part of this one was Lucie's line about being "Sarcasma, woman of sarcasm."
The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Gawande
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library
Rating: 5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/144009053
I loved this book! It made me very happy. I need my own copy.
182rabbitprincess
I've been rocketing through the books this week. It probably helps that one of them I abandoned and another was a comic book I read in about an hour :)
Assignment in Brittany, by Helen MacInnes
Category: Geliget
Source: borrowed from parents
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/143145524
My first MacInnes, and certainly not my last. Good author's note in this one. I also like that she's Scottish!
The Case of the Dangerous Dowager, by Erle Stanley Gardner
Category: Opilio, Tracy (July RandomCAT)
Source: pilfered from EVM
Rating: 1/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/88362804
I've decided I'm done with Perry Mason. He's too much of a huckster. I can't approve of a man who gets his detective associates to forge cheques and commit identity theft in order to solve a crime. (And he's done this before, which makes it even worse!)
Human Resources, Part 2, by Eddie Robson (Big Finish audio drama)
Category: Ann Harvey, Sipu Muin
Source: library, via Hoopla
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/144560037
Part 2 of a story that shouldn't have been split into two parts. Nevertheless, it was a good story!
Big Mushy Happy Lump, by Sarah Andersen
Category: Penac
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/144717567
The second "Sarah's Scribbles" collection is another easily devoured treat. And yes, it too has a fuzzy cover, just like the first one!
Assignment in Brittany, by Helen MacInnes
Category: Geliget
Source: borrowed from parents
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/143145524
My first MacInnes, and certainly not my last. Good author's note in this one. I also like that she's Scottish!
The Case of the Dangerous Dowager, by Erle Stanley Gardner
Category: Opilio, Tracy (July RandomCAT)
Source: pilfered from EVM
Rating: 1/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/88362804
I've decided I'm done with Perry Mason. He's too much of a huckster. I can't approve of a man who gets his detective associates to forge cheques and commit identity theft in order to solve a crime. (And he's done this before, which makes it even worse!)
Human Resources, Part 2, by Eddie Robson (Big Finish audio drama)
Category: Ann Harvey, Sipu Muin
Source: library, via Hoopla
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/144560037
Part 2 of a story that shouldn't have been split into two parts. Nevertheless, it was a good story!
Big Mushy Happy Lump, by Sarah Andersen
Category: Penac
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/144717567
The second "Sarah's Scribbles" collection is another easily devoured treat. And yes, it too has a fuzzy cover, just like the first one!
183rabbitprincess
>183 rabbitprincess: The first one was probably better than the second, but Sarah Andersen is always enjoyable! I also like that she has a rabbit for a friend ;)
****
Feeling restless and keyed up again. This could be because we're going on vacation in two weeks and it's only now starting to sink in. I've already started planning what books to bring (using the criteria "do I already own it as a free ebook" or "is this a book I can leave behind in our rental accommodation or trade in at a used bookstore along the way") and have maybe thought a little bit about packing clothes and other important stuff like that.
Anyway, all this to say that I finished a couple of books on Saturday but have only just now got around to reviewing them.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/143920405
With a title like that, how could I resist? Pretty good.
Knots and Crosses, by Ian Rankin
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/144008938
I'm glad I read several earlier Rebuses before going back to the first one. It's not bad, but Rebus's love life is not something I'm particularly fussed about (and mercifully, Rankin doesn't provide quite so many details in later installments). It's amazing to think that this was first published 30 years ago!
****
Feeling restless and keyed up again. This could be because we're going on vacation in two weeks and it's only now starting to sink in. I've already started planning what books to bring (using the criteria "do I already own it as a free ebook" or "is this a book I can leave behind in our rental accommodation or trade in at a used bookstore along the way") and have maybe thought a little bit about packing clothes and other important stuff like that.
Anyway, all this to say that I finished a couple of books on Saturday but have only just now got around to reviewing them.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson
Category: Neocaligus
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/143920405
With a title like that, how could I resist? Pretty good.
Knots and Crosses, by Ian Rankin
Category: Martha L. Black
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/144008938
I'm glad I read several earlier Rebuses before going back to the first one. It's not bad, but Rebus's love life is not something I'm particularly fussed about (and mercifully, Rankin doesn't provide quite so many details in later installments). It's amazing to think that this was first published 30 years ago!
184RidgewayGirl
Had I read Knots and Crosses first, I doubt I would have read more Rebus. Luckily, my first Rankin was Fleshmarket Close, which was fantastic.
185mstrust
I started Rebus with The Black Book, so towards the middle of the series, then went to Knots and Crosses. The stories improved a lot down the line, but its been too long since I've visited Rebus.
186clue
I'm glad to read the Knots and Crosses comments. I read it several years ago and I couldn't figure out why the series was so popular because I wasn't that crazy about K and C. I'll try more, I think I even have a couple on my shelf.
187rabbitprincess
>185 mstrust: Fleshmarket Close is a good one! It might have been one of the first ones I read, too. It contains one of my favourite lines, the one where he is in a library and picks up a book that claims that the Scots invented the modern world. "Rebus looked around to see if he was in the fiction section."
>186 clue: Good choice! If you're going back to Rebus's Edinburgh, Black and Blue is excellent. (It is also Ian Rankin's favourite.)
>187 rabbitprincess: Ian Rankin himself has said that he didn't write K&C with the intention of starting a series, so it does feel different from later installments in the series. The third book, Tooth and Nail, is where the series really starts to come together, and that one also introduces recurring character Big Ger Cafferty.
****
As part of the preparations for my trip, I paused a whole bunch of library holds in the first half of the month so that I would have time to get through my remaining borrows and wouldn't need to worry about stuff coming in while I was away.
Late last week, I got a book where I'd been 42nd in the queue (Robert Harris's Imperium), and today I saw that a hold on a travel book about England's south coast is in transit. Whoops.
>186 clue: Good choice! If you're going back to Rebus's Edinburgh, Black and Blue is excellent. (It is also Ian Rankin's favourite.)
>187 rabbitprincess: Ian Rankin himself has said that he didn't write K&C with the intention of starting a series, so it does feel different from later installments in the series. The third book, Tooth and Nail, is where the series really starts to come together, and that one also introduces recurring character Big Ger Cafferty.
****
As part of the preparations for my trip, I paused a whole bunch of library holds in the first half of the month so that I would have time to get through my remaining borrows and wouldn't need to worry about stuff coming in while I was away.
Late last week, I got a book where I'd been 42nd in the queue (Robert Harris's Imperium), and today I saw that a hold on a travel book about England's south coast is in transit. Whoops.
188dudes22
Good comments to know about the Rankin series. I have a bunch and I'm hoping to start soon, so I'll keep my mind open for the first few. (I might have tried to start K&C and put it aside thinking it wasn't that good - not sure)
189DeltaQueen50
The Rebus series definitely improves as it goes along. Another series that I think improved greatly a few books along is the Alan Banks series by Peter Robinson. I think I must have had more patience years ago as I stuck with these series from the beginning, I don't know if I would have done that now.
190rabbitprincess
>189 DeltaQueen50: I hope you like the series when you get to it! And yes, the series definitely improves. But one thing he does get right immediately is the descriptions of Edinburgh :)
>190 rabbitprincess: That's another series where I'm glad I followed my usual approach of "jump in where you want to" rather than starting at the beginning! I tried reading Gallows View last year and couldn't finish it. Would definitely not have continued with the series if that had been the first one I read.
****
Minor excitement today in the form of a power outage at work (fortunately, didn't last very long) and some moron doing a U-turn in the middle of the Chaudière Bridge right in front of the bus I was on. Nobody was hurt, and the bus driver prevented a collision from blocking one of the bridges at the height of afternoon rush hour. But wow, a U-turn in the middle of a narrow bridge. That takes a special kind of stupid.
****
I finished a book about pirate women! Yarr mateys.
Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas, by Laura Sooke Duncombe
Category: Viola M. Davidson
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/144091103
I liked the idea of this book very much, but wish that it were longer and shorter at the same time. We need more stories of female pirates, but some of this book ended up being digressions that weren't of interest to me.
>190 rabbitprincess: That's another series where I'm glad I followed my usual approach of "jump in where you want to" rather than starting at the beginning! I tried reading Gallows View last year and couldn't finish it. Would definitely not have continued with the series if that had been the first one I read.
****
Minor excitement today in the form of a power outage at work (fortunately, didn't last very long) and some moron doing a U-turn in the middle of the Chaudière Bridge right in front of the bus I was on. Nobody was hurt, and the bus driver prevented a collision from blocking one of the bridges at the height of afternoon rush hour. But wow, a U-turn in the middle of a narrow bridge. That takes a special kind of stupid.
****
I finished a book about pirate women! Yarr mateys.
Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas, by Laura Sooke Duncombe
Category: Viola M. Davidson
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/144091103
I liked the idea of this book very much, but wish that it were longer and shorter at the same time. We need more stories of female pirates, but some of this book ended up being digressions that weren't of interest to me.
191LittleTaiko
>191 LittleTaiko: Oh wow - that is a special kiind of stupid. Makes you wish you could here their thought process at that time.
192rabbitprincess
>192 rabbitprincess: That assumes they had a thought process for us to hear ;)
Here's a picture of the bridge: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chaudiere_Bridge_2013.jpg#/media/File:Ch...
Not a lot of room to manoeuvre...
Here's a picture of the bridge: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chaudiere_Bridge_2013.jpg#/media/File:Ch...
Not a lot of room to manoeuvre...
193LittleTaiko
LOL - so roomy!
194rabbitprincess
>194 rabbitprincess: I know right? Perfect for illegal U-turns. :p
****
Still plowing through my library books to get them all read before my vacation. I finished one yesterday, am reading another right now, and have three more to go. (I also have a travel guide out, but that's not a cover-to-cover read.)
And because I can't stand the thought of having zero items checked out, I checked out an ebook (which has the advantage of being readable on my trip).
****
Castles: Their History and Evolution in Medieval Britain, by Marc Morris
Category: Viola M. Desmond
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/144304623
I really enjoyed this book. Some great moments of humour and an excellent Monty Python reference. It was also interesting to read about the events covered by the Brothers of Gwynedd quartet from a more English perspective, although I am more inclined to sympathize with the Welsh perspective provided in the Gwynedd quartet! Edward I: still a jerk.
****
Still plowing through my library books to get them all read before my vacation. I finished one yesterday, am reading another right now, and have three more to go. (I also have a travel guide out, but that's not a cover-to-cover read.)
And because I can't stand the thought of having zero items checked out, I checked out an ebook (which has the advantage of being readable on my trip).
****
Castles: Their History and Evolution in Medieval Britain, by Marc Morris
Category: Viola M. Desmond
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/144304623
I really enjoyed this book. Some great moments of humour and an excellent Monty Python reference. It was also interesting to read about the events covered by the Brothers of Gwynedd quartet from a more English perspective, although I am more inclined to sympathize with the Welsh perspective provided in the Gwynedd quartet! Edward I: still a jerk.
195rabbitprincess
I've sailed onto a third thread, which with luck will last the rest of the year. Full steam ahead! Click the continuation link below.
196sirfurboy
>176 rabbitprincess: Thanks for the information, that is very interesting. Apologies for just getting to it as I was away for a while there.
This topic was continued by rabbitprincess sails from sea to sea to sea in 2017 - Part 3.
