marise 2008

1. The Leopard by Guiseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa



2. Evangelical Cockroach by Jack Woodford
3. Virginia by Ellen Glasgow



4. Celestial Seraglio by Olive Moore
5. Spleen by Olive Moore



6. Sway by Zachary Lazar



7. Because of the Lockwoods by Dorothy Whipple

Currently reading: The Quincunx by Charles Palliser

Oh, marise, I just finished The Quincunx a few weeks ago and loved it! The one downside--it spoiled me for fiction for a while. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Good to see you here, marise! We'll be expecting observations, if not actual reviews. (PLEASE tell us about Evangelical Cockroach, which nobody owns but you!

Welcome to the madhouse, marise!

Yes--I want to hear about this Evangelical Cockroach! Please tell us what you think.

Must get a copy of The Quincunx! And ditto re the Evangelical Cockroach.

Evangelical Cockroach is a collection of short stories by pulp fiction writer Jack Woodford, a pen name for Josiah Pitts Woolfolk. These short stories were intended as social satire and sarcasm. Humorous, but certainly dated. I ran across this book when looking for another by him.

He hated organized religion and editors and advertising. He wrote novels with homosexual characters, sexually aggressive women and other taboo types, in the 1920s and 30s.

He also wrote books on writing and publishing and founded the Jack Woodford Press. One piece of his writing advice: "There is and always will be only one classic love story: boy meets girl, girl gets boy into pickle, boy gets pickle into girl."

8. The Quincunx by Charles Palliser



> 2 Cabegley, this was a most satisfying read!!! It kept me up late several nights and I had to keep post-it tabs with notes scrawled on them to keep track in parts. I may take your advice and take up a nonfiction book or very light fiction next, as it will be hard for any book to match this.

I guess I'm going to have to break down and add The Quincunx to Mount TBR - so many rave reviews!

I'm so glad you enjoyed it, marise! It kept me up late nights, too.

9. Among the Bohemians by Virginia Nicholson

Marise, what do you think of Among the Bohemians? It is in one of my TBR piles....should it go to the top?

I've only just started it, but like it very much so far. For me, it is pulling together many authors and artists and the rise of modernism into focus historically. It is incidentally adding to my wishlist!

It is incidentally adding to my wishlist!

Oh, fancy that!!

10. The Willow Cabin a Virago Modern Classic by Pamela Frankau.

11. The Winged Horse another Virago and another by Pamela Frankau, a wonderful writer!

So glad to find your 50 Book Challenge thread! I have added The Quincunx to my wishlist!

Hi marise, I've just found your thread. And very attractive it is too!

Thanks kambrogi and amandameale! I have "borrowed" the idea of showing the book covers from avaland's 75 book challenge thread. Hope it's ok, avaland!

12. A Wreath for the Enemy by Pamela Frankau. Excellent!

The covers are a great idea, Marise. And one I might have to 'borrow' :) I think you can also insert book covers directly from LT so that they are 'live links' to the actual works (like the touchstones). Saves having to load them into Photobucket.

Thanks, digifish, I am not too tech savvy and need all the help I can get!! I will try that next time!

13. Music and Silence by Rose Tremain - excellent!

14. The Well by Elizabeth Jolley - couldn't put it down!

Starting on Fifth Business by Robertson Davies today.

I'd like to know how to do the cover thing...we need a tech head to investigate this for us.

Glad to see such a positive review of The Well. I received it as a gift from someone whose taste I respect immensely (I know you're reading this ... you know who you are ... !). It's just a matter of finding the time to read it!

Just popping in. Love those book covers.

Ditto with the book covers. It makes reading your thread more fun with the visual component. I think I will have to get on with some Frankau books after your recommendation - three in a row!

Thanks all! I tried digifish's suggestion about live links, but haven't been able to do it that way. Don't know what I am doing wrong, so if anyone does, please let me know!

I think digifish means that you can just click on the touchstone and get right to the book. I like the visual impact of seeing them on the page!

15. Fifth Business by Robertson Davies

16. The Fixed Period by Anthony Trollope

17. Hour of Nightfall by Myron Brinig.



Disappointing. I only finished it because I thought surely it would improve, but no.

Hi Marise ~ how was The Fixed Period?

Digifish, it is difficult to say much about it without giving away the plot, so be forwarned, though I will try not to spoil it.

It is ironic in the extreme. It takes place in the 1980s in an imaginary ex-colony called Britannula. Its narrator is the President of Britannula who has come up with a plan to relieve the nation of the economic burden of its older citizens. He contrives to make the plan acceptable to the public by using euphemistic phrases to disguise its real intent and argues its merits on economic grounds. (There are some chilling comparisons to actual 20th century events that Trollope anticipates.)

There is a love story (this is Trollope after all) but it isn't very compelling. It serves to illustrate how the narrator does not understand the emotional complexities of life.

I would recommend it to Trollope lovers more for curiosity's sake than for anything else. Although technology is not the focus of the story, he does come up with a few inventions: steam powered tricycles are the main form of transportation on land and cricket has been mechanized!

18. Corrigan by Caroline Blackwood



Funny, witty, with a nice little twist at the end that leaves you pondering your assumptions about the characters. A fun read.

Sorry - Marise, but I could not read the title of the book to see what you read!

Thanks for pointing that out, Karen! I meant to type it in and have done so now. That picture is blurry, I will try to scan my own copy soon.

Following your list with interest, marise. Have the Quincunx set aside for late June, so I can savour it. Corrigan looks interesting too.

I think you would enjoy both, tiffin!

19. The Tattered Cloak by Nina Berberova.



Short novels about Russian exiles of the revolution resettled in Paris. Bleak, but brilliant.

I have just bought your last two reads, Marise - how could anyone resist!!

20. In a Summer Season a Virago Modern Classic by Elizabeth Taylor, the author, not the actress.



Her novels are always so beautifully written and her humour clever and subtle. There is some "midsummer madness" here, complete with dream.

And a wonderfully satisfying ending in a "oh dear" kind of way, right marise?

Very satisfying, tiffin!

I have heard so many positive comments about Elizabeth Taylor (the author, not the actress*), that I just must read something by her. Which would you suggest I start with?

*and you may remember, Marise, that there is a literary character, too!

21. The Eye of Love by Margery Sharp.



Margery Sharp never disappoints.

oops, you went to a funny link about Buddhism, marise.

The Eye of Love should do it.

Thank you! It should be fixed now.

is Margery Sharp similar to Barbara Pym, Marise?

(PS - we have a gathering place thread now for general comments - come introduce yourself)

>49 kiwidoc: kiwidoc, I love them both, but for me Margery Sharp is wittier, her characters are more eccentric and her plots are less predictable. There are times when no one else will do.

22. Pastors and Masters by Ivy Compton-Burnett.



This is the first book I have read by Compton-Burnett, prompted by a discussion in the Virago Modern Classics group. I started with a short one, since I was unsure whether I would be comfortable with a book that is almost entirely dialogue, but I think I will be reading more by this unusual author!

Christine: I am so glad you are enjoying Ivy Compton-Burnett.

She is one of my very favorite authors. I have loved her work for years, and very few of my friends or acquaintances had ever heard of her, let alone read her.

I think someone should dramatize some of her novels. It shouldn't be too hard since they are almost all dialogue.

>45 kambrogi: kambrogi --re: E. Taylor: I first watched, then read Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont which was a beautiful story of an aging woman moving into a hotel in London. I also read At Mrs. Lippincote's, which I also liked very much. I have mini-reviews of both on my challenge thread (messages 100 and 142). You can't go wrong with either of these, imo.

I agree with marise, kiwidoc: both Pym and Sharp are excellent, although I would say the latter is 'funnier'. I also like Muriel Spark, whose wit and subtle sense of humor are priceless.
Marise, I do not have The Eye of Love. Must look into it.

23. Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell first published in 1853.



This story about a young woman who is seduced, abandoned, bears a child and then rejects the opportunity to marry the father, was Gaskell's challenge to her readers to reconsider society's attitudes and assumptions about women in relation to sex, family, love, law, and religion. Beautifully written, with interesting characters, the only part I didn't like was the ending.

Having only read one of Gaskell's novels - North and South as well as watching Cranford on the Telly recently, I am afraid this is another book that will join the essential TBR pile!!! Thanks Marise for the intro.

24. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, first published 1961.



How have I missed reading this book all these years? I have read some of Yates' excellent short stories before this, but somehow never looked for his novels. This devastating story, of a suburban couple in the mid-fifties, will join the small group of books I occasionally re-read.

If you liked Revolutionary Road, try his Easter Parade. I think it is almost as good. About two sisters whose lives are very different. He is one of the few men writers who write womens's characters really well.

Thanks, almigwin, I plan to look for it soon! I agree with you about his women characters.

25. Chronicles: Volume One by Bob Dylan.



In this memoir Dylan shares the music that influenced him and describes his own creative processes in a wonderful rambling style. I especially enjoyed the parts about Greenwich Village and the various clubs and the musicians there in the late 1950s and early 60s.

Glad you enjoyed this, marise. I'm looking forward to reading it myself. If my brother ever gives it back to me!

26. Lise Lillywhite by Margery Sharp.



Clever and witty as always.

marise, i finally have gotten over here! Love the thread and the covers (I love looking at covers and some of these you have posted are so intriguing). I haven't figured out a direct import of covers from LT, either. It would be nice to cut the process down.

And I love your comments. This is a delightful stroll through some lovely and interesting books.

To use LT's covers without loading them to Photobucket, etc:

{a href=/work/whatever.work.number.you.link.to}{img style="height: 200px; margin-right:10px;" src="http: //www .librarything.com. . . picture source"}{/a}

If you want the picture to link to your review, the first href=/work/1234/reviews/1234, etc.

You can change the 200px to a larger number if you want bigger covers, or smaller if you want smaller. I just include this parameter so they are all uniform size. I included the margin definition just in case someone wants to put two pictures side-by-side; with a margin, the pictures won't run together. If you are only doing one picture, you can take out the margin or leave it in--it won't matter. Of course, smaller margin, the pictures are closer together; larger margin, the pictures are farther apart.

To get the http ://www. librarything.com...picture source, go to the work page and right click on the cover. Go to 'properties' and copy the image address or location (depending on how your browser defines it). If you want to use a picture that's not on LibraryThing, you can do the same thing--right click on the image and get its location info to put as the source (src). The src should be http:// something .jpg or .gif, etc.

(This is also a code you can use if you want to put covers of "currently reading", etc. on your profile--if you want several side-by-side just duplicate the whole code one after the other)

For some reason the cover for Music and Silence keeps changing!

Keeps changing?

>65 marise: Oh, I know what you're saying. It's because you use Amazon as a source for the image, so when they changed editions, they change the cover for the book. You might want to avoid using Amazon as an image source for that reason.

Thanks, christiguc, I will! (I usually try to scan my own covers.)

Great thread, marise. Just catching up again, and have added a couple to my wishlist -- thanks, teelgee, also, for the suggestions.

If you enjoyed the Dylan book, I think you might enjoy Positively Fourth Street (if you haven't already read it). It focuses on Joan Baez, Mimi Baez, Richard Farina and Bob Dylan, but Dylan did not cooperate with author David Hajdu, as the others did. Now that you have Dylan's perspective, it might be interesting to get the others.

Thanks, kambrogi, I will look for it! I appreciate everyone's suggestions!

27. This Above All by Eric Knight, first published in 1941.

marise, I see you, Ernest Hemingway, and only eight others own This Above All. What did you think of it?

I am still mulling it over, christiguc.

It was published before the war was over, so it is very interesting in that regard: the person writing these characters does not know what the outcome of the war will be. It takes place in the weeks after the evacuation of Dunkirk and during the beginning of the Blitz. The characters represent the different reactions of citizens and soldiers to war. One character visits the U. S. and his observations of Americans before their entry into the war is interesting both for historical reasons and because of current events.

At the center is a love story between an upper class young woman in the WAFs and a soldier from the lower classes who is a deserter, despite his bravery in some horrific battles. The book is part propaganda, part philosophical discussion, part love story, part war story, part melodrama. The characters were not fully convincing, and yet I find myself thinking about them and I know the essential part of this story will stay with me.

At 473 pages, I think he needed some editing. There were parts that just dragged on for no apparent reason. There are also holes in the story and time sequence: maybe it was rushed into publication? It was filmed in 1942.

According to the book's jacket, Knight's father was a Quaker who was killed in the Boer War, Knight served in the first World War and both of his brothers were killed in that war.

28. Modern Plays (Everyman's Library # 942).



Five plays from the early part of the 20th century:
Milestones by Arnold Bennett & Edward Knoblock (1912)
The Dover Road a comedy by A. A. Milne (1922)
Hay Fever a comedy by Noel Coward (1925)
Journey's End a WWI tragedy by R. C. Sheriff (1928)
For Services Rendered by W. Somerset Maugham (1932)

Hay Fever is the best by far, and I want to thank jfetting for encouraging me to read it!

Oh good! I'm glad you liked it, marise. Everyone should read Noel Coward. How was the Maugham play, by the way?

Apparently many British military men were "laid off" (I know this isn't the correct term) in the 1920s with a one time payment, no pension, and expected to make their way as civilians. The play centers around an ex-military man who has failed in business, is about to lose everything and the indifference of the government and his neighbors to his plight. The characters seemed very flat and stereotypical. One woman is an "old maid" who ends by having hysterics and losing her sanity. Maybe she was just trying to get away from the other not very nice characters. I like his short stories and novels much better.

29.Pomp and Circumstance by Noel Coward.



This was his only novel and it is wonderfully wicked and witty. I really did laugh 'til I cried.

Oh yay! I'm so glad it's good! What a letdown if it wasn't, since I'm looking forward to it.

Oh, yes, I think you will love it!

30. The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham.

31. The Lifted Veil by George Eliot.

So are you doing a veiled themed read??

>81 marise: ah, one of the few green Viragos I own (1 Wharton, 2 Eliots)

Is that really your own cover for The Painted Veil? How can this be? Is this a reread? I love those old covers. I still have my original copy of The Catcher in the Rye, a Pocket Book that cost 50 cents!

Your description of This Above All makes me think of Suite Francaise, which was written when Nemirovsky didn't know the war's outcome. However, it is very well written -- have you read it? If not, I suspect you would like it.

>82 teelgee: No themes, just coincidence!

>84 kambrogi: Yes, that is my own copy of the Maugham. I hope to read Suite Francaise in the near future!

32. The Royal Game and other stories by Stefan Zweig.



Five psychologically intense stories of obsession and secrets. Brilliant!

marise, I have never read anything by Stefan Zweig, but have two in my TBR line (Chess Story and The Post-Office Girl). Have you read either of those?

Now, I would erase my last comment but that would make you wonder what I said. I just realized I asked you an embarrassingly uninformed question--I looked on the author-combine page and apparently The Royal Game is Chess Story!

So, since I can't think of anything brilliant to say to make up for that, I'll slowly back out of here. . . don't mind me . . .

:)

That's ok, christiguc!! I was a little confused, too, I think it is due to the fact it has been translated from German. But don't let it linger in the TBR pile, read it soon! I'd like to know what you think!

eta: must hunt for The Post-Office Girl!

33. A Way of Life, Like Any Other by Darcy O'Brien.



A very funny, and sad, bildungsroman about growing up the son of two divorced, aging, former Hollywood stars. Winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award and the Guardian Fiction Prize. His prose is such a treat!

Well, I can only say....JOLLY GOOD CHOICE!
:-))

Indeed!!!

34. The Dud Avacado by Elaine Dundy.



Great fun!

35. Together and Apart by Margaret Kennedy.



A couple who are considering a divorce are "helped along" by well-meaning and not-so-well meaning friends and relatives, with almost everyone achieving the opposite of the desired result. Did not want to put it down, did not want it to ever end. I have loved everything I've read so far by Kennedy, and must find more by her ASAP!

>94 marise:: I have a copy of Together and Apart -- part of my growing Virago TBR pile ... I always have a hard time choosing which VMC to read next, but reviews like this one help!

36. Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star: and don't have sex or take the car by Dick Moore.



A very interesting memoir (for fans of classic films like me) by former child star Dickie Moore, with contributions from others like Shirley Temple, Margaret O'Brien, Roddy McDowall and Natalie Wood.

37. Remember, Remember! The selected stories of Winifred Holtby.



Wonderful short stories by a favorite writer.

Frantically writing titles down, marise. Dying to read Together and Apart...have to check Mount TBR to see if it's there in the 24-odd Viragos stacked up.

I hope it's there, tiffin, because I really think you'll enjoy it!

You made it sound so delicious, so if it isn't, I'm going hunting online!

38. The Wedding Group by Elizabeth Taylor.



A young woman who has been raised in an isolated artistic and religious community rebels and leaves home, but "there's nothing so dangerous as having led a sheltered life," as one of her new acquaintances remarks. This is a very ironic and and witty story. Highly recommended!

See, by sending you books, I can read them vicariously through you!

39. The Fruit of the Tree by Edith Wharton.



This is a very interesting story with Wharton's usual romantic plots among the well-to-do, but which also deals with labor issues, poverty, and even the moral issues of euthanasia. It starts slowly and builds, but by mid-way I could hardly put it down. I read the Virago edition which includes a great introduction by Marilyn French - but if you don't like spoilers, read the intro last.

A favorite line from the book: "She had never cared for the fluencies of invertebrate sentiment."

#71 et al > Regarding "This Above All," I am fascinated by novels and histories that are written during (and about) any real life war where we now know what happened but the author at the time did not. I have quite a few non-fiction works about WWII and one or two about the Spanish Civil War in this category sitting on my shelves waiting to be read. (I've even read a couple!). Re: your comments about the book dragging in places, for me, at least, I am willing to forgive such inadequacies in a book where I'm so interested in the subject matter, especially when you're getting such a close look at a time and place.

I have a good friend who is both my former professor and my former boss who has a theory that you learn more about a particular time and place by reading the second- and third-rate literature written at the time than the classics. The idea is that the great writers are more interested in the great themes of human nature, humanity and so forth, but the second and third rate stuff really fills you in on the nitty gritty of the day to day life more. More "needless" details, in other words (needless to the story, perhaps) that really put the dust on the furniture and let you know how well or poorly the trains really ran. I am babbling, I guess. Anyway, it's just an idea to play with, not a rule to swear by.

Thanks for your comments, rocketjk!

If you ever run across a copy of This Above All I think you would enjoy reading it. Eric Knight also wrote Lassie Come-Home, btw, which I have also read, though long ago. I had problems with the Scottish dialect as I recall.

I think your former prof/boss has an interesting idea, there!

#104 Not babbling at all. That is a very interesting observation -- I suppose I would say that the greatest of novelists are able to do both. I'm going to pay attention to that whole idea as I read now, and make some comparisons.

40. Martha in Paris and 41. Martha, Eric and George by Margery Sharp



These two books complete the trilogy begun in Eye of Love (see message 46) and are even better than the first.

Marise! What an amazing adventure in reading! Nearly every book is in my library or on my TBR heap. It is so lovely to find them here both honoured and in technicolour! How and where did you obtain your Margery Sharps?

I love those Margery Sharp covers!

>108 bleuroses: I discovered my first Margery Sharps, about 8-10 of them, in a used bookstore in Denton, TX several years ago and I have been picking them up here and there since then. A dear friend recently sent The Innocents to me and I am looking forward to reading it soon!

>109 laytonwoman3rd: I love old book covers, too, laytonwoman3rd!

42. A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark.



This has been on my shelf for some time and I have no idea why I had not read it before now. I read several other LTers' very positive reviews recently and had to find out for myself. So glad I did!!! Brilliant, witty, fun read.

My advice is to read it as soon as you can! ;)

Adding it to the pile. I love Muriel Spark!

Speaking of writers I love, did you see that Marilynne Robinson is coming out with a sequel to Gilead in September? It's called Home, and I can't wait.

No, I didn't know about that, jfetting! I will definitely get it as soon as it is out! Thanks for letting me know!!

Ohhhh! A Far Cry from Kensington, another one of my favourite favourites!!!
And I have the same identical copy (and the Margery Sharp's too).
I cannot but approve your choices, marise dear!

Message 111 RE: #42 Wasn't it a treat?

>116 marise: I think it's my favorite that I have read by her so far!!

43. The Lost Traveller by Antonia White.

44. The Innocents by Margery Sharp.



I've decided that, for me, Ms. Sharp is perfect summer reading! The heavier stuff can wait for autumn.

I'm with you, Marise. I eyeballed War & Peace sitting there but it seemed the stuff of hot pots of tea, afghans and warm sweaters, not linen and iced tea. So I'm tripping the light fantastic through the rest of the summer as well. Must go on the hunt for Ms. Sharp in our used book shops.

I think you will like her very much, tiffin! I especially recommend The Foolish Gentlewoman, Cluny Brown & The Gipsy in the Parlour! But even her lesser efforts are refreshing.

45. Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield.

Received the 30th anniversary edition of this Virago Modern Classic from a wonderful LT friend and had to devour it right away! Clever and fun!

46. Chance by Joseph Conrad.



"The science of life consists in seizing every chance that presents itself."

A mesmerizing story, narrated by Marlow and others, of a young woman who seeks refuge from the world with a sea captain on his ship. Excellent!

47.Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.



A very good read. Olive Kitteridge reminds me a little of Mrs. Egg in Thomas Beers' short stories of the 1920s. A character seen from many different angles: through the eyes of others, through her own actions and memories, from stray comments of other characters in stories that only barely cross paths with her own, becomes a very real, three dimensional, human being.

marise: I love your reading list. I want to read them all. Have never even heard of the Conrad novel.

#122> I'm glad you liked Chance. As one of Conrad's very late novels, it is generally not included among his great works by critics/scholars. But still, Conrad is Conrad. I read The Rover a few years back, Conrad's final novel, and that was a very enjoyable read.

At any rate, Chance is, I believe, the only full-length Conrad novel I haven't read yet. I've been saving it so that I'd have at least one Conrad novel left to read for the first time in my retirement.

I can easily see myself going out and spending the money on a nice, old complete set of Conrad's works and taking a couple of years just reading them all in the order they were written.

>124 amandameale: Thank you, Amanda! So many good books and so little time, right?

>125 rocketjk: I was just immersed in the story, rocketjk, and I felt that way about The Secret Agent, too. I definitely plan to read more Conrad! Any favorites to suggest?

48. Sunflower an unfinished (and somewhat autobiographical) novel by Rebecca West.



49. The Tent by Margaret Atwood.

#126, Well, my three favorite Conrad books are Lord Jim (my favorite book ever), Heart of Darkness and the Secret Agent.

My other top Conrad works:

the novella Typhoon, often found in a collection called Typhoon and Other Tales. An amazing portrayal of what it's like to sail straight through a typhoon, with Conrad's normal great characters.

Victory. Creepy as all get out, with one of the spookiest villians in English literature. But fascinating.

The Nigger of the Narcissus. Low on plot, long on character and atmosphere. A feast of Conrad's compelling style.

Under Western Eyes. An under-appreciated (in my view) "political" novel along the lines of The Secret Agent.

Stay away from Nostromo. It's very long and the first 150 pages or so are very dense exposition. Once the story actually gets started, the book becomes enjoyable, but it's a lot to slog through.

Well, those are my favorites/recommendations, for what they're worth. I'm a Conrad junky, having studied him in depth during my grad school days.

Have fun!

Thanks, rocketjk! I think either Victory or Under Western Eyes may be my next Conrad.

50. Troy Chimneys by Margaret Kennedy.



What a wonderful book! I almost want to read it a second time right away, but will will postpone that pleasure for a while. Must read all of her books.

51. Harlequin House by Margery Sharp.
Very good, but not her best. This was a library book with an ugly orange cover, so I am not posting a photo.

52. Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris.



Excellent!!!

53. Palladian by Elizabeth Taylor. The writer.



Her second novel. She became a much better writer than this, but it was good.

54. Monday or Tuesday by Virginia Woolf.



A collection of eight stories, my favorite was Kew Gardens. Little gems!

marise, re: Stefan Zweig (msg 86)

I still haven't read Chess Story, but I did read The Post-Office Girl finally. It was brilliant, and I definitely recommend you read it if you come across it.

I have to track down that Woolf, Marise. One I haven't read!

Great reading list, Marise.

Did you enjoy the Rebecca West? I thought she sounded like a really cool and independent women for her time after I read a biography about her (by Glendinning). The biography was excellent if you like that sort of thing. (She was H.G. Wells mistress and had a son by him.)

>133 christiguc: I have been looking for it! He really was a brilliant writer, unjustly neglected today, and I want to read as much by him as I can find.

> 134 This was a Dover thrift edition, quite reasonable, and it can be ordered directly from them.

>135 kiwidoc: Thanks, doc! I love Rebecca West. My favorite so far is The Fountain Overflows. Sunflower was good, but I do wish she had finished it. I have read that same biography, btw.

I have The Fountain Overflows on my shelf. The only trouble is I'm now choosing books by raffle - book titles on tiny pieces of paper in a bowl. Maybe can cheat and go through bowl for Fountain.

Go for it, Amanda, it is a wonderful book (one of my favourite, btw).

55. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks.



56. Seducers in Ecuador and The Heir by Vita Sackville-West.

marise, what did you think of Birdsong? It's on my shelf, and I keep meaning to read it.

I liked it very much! He is an excellent writer, although I felt the more modern sequences did not really add anything to the WWI story. I plan to read another by him, soon.

I really enjoyed Birdsong too, Marise.

I also really liked Charlotte Gray and found it to be a very moving book, although most critics seem to prefer Birdsong. The Girl at the Lion D'or was also excellent. All these books have the war as a binding theme. I think I preferred CG as it had more character development and less war-scenes (if I remember correctly cos it was years ago.)

57. A Saturday Life by Radclyffe Hall.



First published in 1925, this is a comic novel about the nature of artists and their artistic pursuits. There is also a theme of reincarnation, and "Life as Art." Quite good.

Just catching up on your thread, marise! Some great reading here!

Congratulations marise, on surpassing 50 books!

>144 avaland: avaland, I have no "plan" or list, but read whatever fits my current mood. Thanks for checking out my thread!

>145 digifish_books: Thanks, digifish!! This is the first time I have ever kept track of my reading and I had no idea I would actually reach 50!

58. The Dead of the House by Hannah Green.



Hannah Green studied with Wallace Stegner in the late 1940s and with Nabokov in the 1950s. Her prose is just magical in this densely layered and ironic evocation of family and a young girl's coming of age. I loved this book!

I have Saturday Life and The Dead of the House somewhere around here TBR. Glad to hear they're good. I can just follow your thread and have you screen my Mt. TBR for me!

> 148 christiguc, I especially recommend The Dead of the House, but think you will enjoy both. Hope so!

59. Winter Wheat by Mildred Walker.

This was such a good book, it should be better known. I know it was republished in the 1990s by Bison Book publishers. A deeply meaningful story of a young woman on a Montana prairie wheat ranch at the beginning of WWII. An engrossing story, beautifully and powerfully written. Highly recommended.

I think Bison Books is part of University of Nebraska Press, no?

Yes!

This is so interesting to me - Laurie's mom was raised on a ranch in Montana - I think she'd enjoy this!

It would make a nice holiday gift - not too soon to be thinking of that, is it?

YES it is too soon. Her birthday is in a month and a half though. Laurie could read it and vet it for her mom (who usually doesn't read fiction, but may make an exception for this!)

By the way, I just succumbed to temptation (and the influence of my spendthrift double, the one that goes by the name of Paolina), and ordered a copy of Winter Wheat from Amazon.

>155 teelgee:, 156 hope Laurie's mom and Paolina enjoy it as much as I did!

I am sure Paolina will (couldn't tell about Laurie's mom, though!).
:-))

156- I just ordered 4 Mildred Walker books from Abe. I had never even heard of her! I will let Paolina know when they get here.

Miriam, Paolina has put AT LEAST four others on her wish list on Amazon (yes, the sneaky one has a wish list...).

Hey, leave some for me, you guys!!

All I can do is tell Paolina, but I am not responsible for her actions. When she sees books, you know....

60. In Pious Memory by Margery Sharp.



61. The Sweet Dove Died by Barbara Pym.



Certainly not my favorite by either author, but both good.

62. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.



Read this based on Banoo's review on his challenge thread (message #58) and absolutely loved it! Thanks Banoo!! So then I was inspired to read/reread her short stories.

63. The Lottery and other stories by Shirley Jackson.



Had read many of these previously, but it was good to revisit. I have also read and enjoyed Life Among the Savages, a humorous look at family life by Jackson.

It seems I am the only one around who did not enjoy We have always lived in the castle.....

64. Mary Lavelle by Kate O'Brien.



65. Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively.



66. Bobbin Up by Dorothy Hewett.



All highly recommended!

marise, I'm having really quixotic feelings about Mary Lavelle, which I've just finished. I don't know if it's the mood I'm in at the moment or just what but there was something about the character of Mary herself that I didn't trust. Did you have this reaction at all?

No, not at all, tiffin. I must admit I enjoyed the passages from Don Pablo's perspective best, but I believe Mary's character was meant to be just as presented. Most of all I just enjoyed the flow and beauty of the words in the stream of consciousness parts. The dialogue seemed stilted to me.

I'm currently reading Bobbin Up. It's particularly fascinating to me because I live in Sydney. And my father was living in Sydney during the time in which the book is set. It's like reading a historical document of my city.

Are you reading the Virago edition, amandameale? I ask because I really enjoyed her introduction (in the Virago ed.) to the story from a perspective of many years later.

I loved this book and thought she really gave each woman a distinctive voice. I just ached for all of them. The history is fascinating to me also, and I plan to read more Australian literature. I have a few authors/books lined up, but would appreciate any suggestions you may have!

But I need an Aussie dictionary! There were many phrases I didn't understand. Do you ever have that problem with US colloquialisms? :))

Yes, the Virago. Hewett used so many colloquialisms, I'm not surprised you had trouble. Actually that was another historical aspect to the book - the language has changed a lot since then. Trouble with US - occasionally.
Reading Globally is having an Australian group read in November. Also, on Australian Librarythingers there is a thread about favourite Aussie novels.

Bobbin Up is one of the first Viragos I owned and I loved that book!
Apart from the fascination, Amanda, how do you like the story and her writing style?

Marise, I just discovered your thread. What a fascinating list of books you have here. I have read prescious few of them so far, but have added quite a few of them to my list for future reading. Look forward to seeing what you are reading next!

Thanks, judylou!!! That is quite a compliment!

I like the story very much and Hewett's ability to create an atmosphere is admirable. I must say the Australian vernacular grated a little.

67. Tell Me A Riddle by Tillie Olsen.



Four perfect short stories.

68. Three O'Clock Dinner by Josephine Pinckney, 1945.



Pinckney was a Charleston, SC poet who also wrote occasional novels and essays. This book is a comedy of manners that picks up pace about a third of the way through. Even though the plotline is fairly easy to guess early on, there are some humorous situations, the dinner of the title being the best. Overall, though, I was disappointed.


69. Great Mischief by Josephine Pinckney, 1948.



This was a great surprise after the last book!! A wonderful fantasy, by the same author, that takes place in Charleston, SC around the time of the earthquake (in 1888?) concerning an apothecary and his introduction to witchcraft and his questioning of good and evil. I read that she gave permission to a couple of writers to turn this into a musical, but they never found a financial backer. Too bad! This was well written and fun from beginning to end. Somewhere between Lolly Willowes and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, but with a sense of humor.

WOW! Thanks marise. Great Mischief goes on my Amazon wishlist.
:-))

Wow! There's a Virago Modern Classics group? I think I only own one, but it's an excellent book: Company Parade by Storm Jameson. I see you own that one, marise. Have you ever read it? Sort of a Fitzgerald-esque story about a group of friends in their early 20s (as I remember it) before during and just after WWI.

Yes, I have read it and liked it very much, rocketjk!

70. The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter

71. L'Assommoir and 72. Nana (The Modern Library of the World's Best Books) by Emile Zola.

Ok, marise, you have read TWO Zolas, and what did you think of them? Which one was your favourite?

I really enjoyed the both of the Zolas. It is hard to choose between them. My copy of L'Assommoir is a newer translation and I am wishing now that I had a newer one of Nana as well. They were both fascinating for the depiction of Paris life in two different social strata. I did not know before that they are part of a series.

Yep, the Rougon-Maquart. I read almost all of them many years ago (in Italian) and loved them. I think it is almost time to read them again.

73. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer



74. Herman Melville by Elizabeth Hardwick



75. The Real Nick and Nora: Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, writers of stage and screen classics by David Lee Goodrich

You, m'dear Marise, are going great guns! What a splendid reading year you've had.

Hi marise, what did you think of The Guernsey...?

>185 tiffin: Thank you m'dear!

>186 digifish_books: digi, I agree with you that the ending was predictable, but I really enjoyed the part of the story that was just about the people of Guernsey. I felt that certain characters, like the American publisher, were just superfluous padding. I would be interested now in reading a true history of Guernsey during the war, wouldn't you?

Re The Guernsey, it was a sweet book and sometimes that's just what you feel like reading. I didn't mind the predictability of the ending, did you... (in fact, I was rather hoping it would end that way). But like you, Marise, it made me want to know much more about Guernsey and its history, especially during the war. One of the reviews I read said that tourism would probably soar as a result of this book and I think that just might be true.

I remember watching a very sweet movie about the German occupation of Guernsey a few years ago - unfortunately cannot remember the name but it was good. I have no movie memory!

The trouble with hyped books is you expect a fantastical read, to end up being gob-smacked, etc, and the Guernsey book did not stand out for me. I cannot say why. I way preferred Muriel Barbery's Hedgehog book which I read soon after.

Kiwidoc, you've hit it regarding hyped books and I often avoid them for that very reason! But tiffin is right, it was sweet and sometimes that's just right.

76. The Post-Office Girl (New York Review Books Classics) by Stefan Zweig



Excellent. One of my favorites this year.

77. The Hill Grows Steeper by Fannie Cook, published 1938.



An interesting book by a woman who was a social activist in the St. Louis area in the 1930s and 40s. It is marred by the casual rascism of its time, homophobia, and the acceptance of class inequality. It fails as a novel mainly due to an ending that seems to negate much of the message of the book concerning gender equality.

The central character is Harriet, who is so outraged as a young girl that her twin brother receives a larger amount of money as a birthday gift simply because he is a boy, that she has her head shaved in protest. She grows up to reject marriage in favor of a life of her own making, on her own terms.

The only other copy of this book on LT is in the Ernest Hemingway legacy library and I can't help wondering what he thought of this book!

Oh good--I see you read The Postoffice Girl! (Touchstone will appear only if I spell post-office that way. Odd.) Isn't Zweig wonderful? It was one of my favorites this year too.

Yes, Zweig is wonderful! I plan to read more by him in 2009.

78. Beebo Brinker by Ann Bannon.

Pulp fiction set in the 1950s. Fun.

79. The Unknown Masterpiece by Balzac.

80. The Fatal Skin by Balzac.



My 2009 thread is here.