Kathy (kac522) is Still Reading in 2026

Welcome to another year of reading in 2026.

I read mostly classics, some cozy things, a bit of nonfiction and lots of re-reading. I've got a few projects on the go this year and hope to read a lot more books off my shelves than new ones I put on the shelves. We shall see how well that works out!

I'm beginning my 2nd decade of participating in the 75ers Group. I remember when I first joined LT, 75 books in a year seemed like an impossibility to me. Retirement, however, has made a huge difference in my reading and now I usually exceed that number most years.

On this thread I keep a chronological listing of my reading. I try to post my reading possibilities each month and then follow-up with short reviews at the end of the month.

I'll be participating in the 2026 Category Challenge group as well:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/377305#9059883

In order to motivate reading those old books that have been languishing on the shelves, I participate in the 2026 ROOTs challenge and keep track of all books that have been on my shelves from before 2026. I hope to read at least 75 books from my shelves this year:



Thanks for visiting and let's read!

2025 Highlights

Despite a lackluster ending to the year, overall I had a great reading year. I had some long-term projects and am fairly pleased with my reading.

📚Jane Austen: For the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, I read (or re-read) the following in 2025:
Novels:
✔️Sense and Sensibility, audiobook re-read and reading the 350+ pages of annotations of David M. Shapard
✔️Pride and Prejudice, audiobook re-read
✔️Mansfield Park, audiobook re-read
✔️Persuasion; audiobook re-read
✔️Northanger Abbey: Norton Critical Edition; listened to the audiobook and read the 200+ pages of critical material in this edition
Shorter works:
✔️Lady Susan; audiobook re-read, January
✔️The history of England by a partial, prejudiced & ignorant historian from the Juvenilia
Nonfiction: about Jane Austen and her time:
✔️The Making of Jane Austen, Devoney Looser; Jane Austen in popular culture
✔️In the Steps of Jane Austen, Anne-Marie Edwards; her biography through the places she lived
✔️Jane Austen's Bookshelf : a rare book collector's quest to find the women writers who shaped a legend, Rebecca Romney (2025); part memoir/biography/look at the rare book business through the 6 women writers who influenced Austen
✔️So You Think You Know Jane Austen?, Sutherland and Le Faye; a quiz book of the 6 novels with questions & answers
✔️Memoir of Jane Austen, James Austen-Leigh (1870); the first biography of Austen written by her nephew
Works that influenced Jane Austen:
✔️"Lovers' Vows", Elizabeth Inchbald (1798), a play, referred to in Mansfield Park
✔️Evelina, Fanny Burney (1778); an author Jane Austen read and admired, and mentioned in Northanger Abbey
✔️The Female Quixote, Charlotte Lennox (1752), on audiobook, read by Juliet Stevenson; a book Jane Austen read several times and influenced Northanger Abbey
✔️Finally, I watched half a dozen film adaptations of Austen's works.

📚Other long-term goals:
✔️I've kept up with the Thomas Hardy chronological read of his 14 novels, reading 6 this year and hope to read the remaining next year, starting with A Laodicean in January 2026
✔️And I finished my reading of all of the major works of Elizabeth Gaskell, Elizabeth Taylor and E. H. Young.

📚Here are the highlights from my other 2025 reading:

Fiction Highlights:
William: an Englishman, Cicely Hamilton, a Persphone reprint
The Life and Death of Harriet Frean, May Sinclair, A Virago reprint
Dr Wortle's School, Anthony Trollope
The Christmas Hirelings, Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Wives and Daughters, Elizabeth Gaskell
Business as Usual, Jane Oliver and Ann Stafford
Rhododendron Pie, Margery Sharp
Two spooky stories: "The Canterville Ghost", Oscar Wilde and "The Library Window", Margaret Oliphant

Nonfiction Highlights:
The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, Edith Holden, a naturalist's diary from 1906
Brave Companions, David McCullough, essays
Jane Austen's Bookshelf :a rare book collector's quest to find the women writers who shaped a legend, Rebecca Romney
The Truth About Immigration, Zeke Hernandez
The Life of Mendelssohn, Peter Mercer-Taylor
World of Wonders, Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Most Rewarding Re-reads
Thomas Hardy: Under the Greenwood Tree, A Pair of Blue Eyes, Far from the Madding Crowd, The Return of the Native
Howards End, E. M Forster
No Fond Return of Love, Barbara Pym

Pleasant Surprises--books that exceeded my expectations
A Song of Sixpence, A. J. Cronin
The Black Tulip, Alexandre Dumas
The Trumpet-Major, Thomas Hardy

Some Final 2025 Stats:

Books read: 134

Fiction: 103 (77%)
Nonfiction: 26 (19%)
Other (plays, poetry, etc.): 5 (3%)

Re-reads: 30 (22%)
Library books: 36 (27%)
Audiobooks: 17 (13%)

Female authors: 79 (60%)
Male authors: 53 (40%)

By century publication date:
Prior to the 19th century: 5 (4%)
19th century: 40 (30%)
20th century: 62 (46%)
21st century: 27 (20%)

In translation: 9 (6%)

2026 Reading: January through June

January
❤️1. 84, Charing Cross Road, Helene Hanff (1970), letters; a re-read on audiobook
❤️2. Lady Susan, Jane Austen (1875), fictional letters; a re-read on audiobook
3. Tea with Mr Rochester, Frances Towers (1949); short stories; Root from 2025
4. Letters for Literary Ladies, Maria Edgeworth (1795); fictional letters and 1 essay, library book
5. A Murder is Announced, Agatha Christie (1950); fiction; Root from 2017
6. A Laodicean, Thomas Hardy (1881); fiction; Root from 2005
7. The Moonstone, Wilkie Collins (1868); fiction; re-read from 2022 & 1988
8. The Notting Hill Mystery, Charles Felix, aka Charles Warren Adams (1863); mystery; library book
9. A Year's Turning, Michael Viney (1996; this edition 2022); memoir; library book

February
10. Facing Unpleasant Facts: Narrative Essays, George Orwell (2009); essays; library book
❤️11. Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens (1866); fiction; a re-read on audiobook narrated by Simon Vance
12. Mrs Miniver, Jan Struther (orig. 1939, this edition 1942, with a new foreword by Struther & 1 additional story); fiction; library book
❤️13. Crossriggs, Jane and Mary Findlater (1908); fiction; a Virago re-read; Root from 2025
14. Ten Days in a Mad House, Nellie Bly (1887); memoir; Root from 2025
15. Mary Olivier, May Sinclair (1919); fiction; Root from 2017
16. Two on a Tower, Thomas Hardy (1882); fiction; Root from 2005
17. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (1953); science fiction; a re-read, this edition acquired 2026
❤️ 18. Anna of the Five Towns, Arnold Bennett (1902); fiction; Root from 2023
19. Christine, Alice Cholmondeley (aka Elizabeth von Arnim) (1917); ebook; fictional letters; Root from 2023

March
❤️20. Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories, Volume II, Arthur Conan Doyle; (1902, 1914, 1917, 1927; this edition 1986) on audiobook read by Simon Vance
21. The Hotel, Elizabeth Bowen (1927); fiction; Root from 2019
❤️22. Ayala's Angel, Anthony Trollope (1881); fiction; Root from 2021
❤️23. Reunion, Fred Uhlman (1971); fiction, novella; library book
24. There is a Tide, Agatha Christie (1948); fiction; Root from 2023
25. Sapphira and the Slave Girl, Willa Cather (1940); fiction; Root from 2015
26. Letters from Constance, Mary Hocking (1991); fictional letters; Root from 2025
27. Robinson Crusoe, Daniel DeFoe (1719); fiction; Root from 2022
28. The Indomitable Mrs. Trollope, Eileen Bigland (1953); biography; library book
❤️29. The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy (1886); on audiobook read by Simon Vance; fiction; Root from before 2009
30. Still Glides the Stream, D. E. Stevenson (1959); fiction; library book

April
❤️31. The Gipsy in the Parlour, Margery Sharp (1953); fiction; acquired 2026
32. Chicago History, Spring 1995, Volume XXIV, Number 1, Rosemary Adams, ed. (1995); nonfiction, history, Root from 1995
33. Chicago History, Spring 1996, Volume XXV, Number 1, Rosemary Adams, ed. (1996); nonfiction, history, Root from 1996
34. Les Miserables, Victor Hugo (1862), translated from the French by Christine Donougher; fiction; Root from 2013
35. A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett (1905); children's fiction; Root from 2025
❤️36. John Caldigate, Anthony Trollope (1879); fiction; Root from 2019
37. Miss Pym Disposes, Josephine Tey (1946); mystery; Root from 2023
38. The Woodlanders, Thomas Hardy (1887); fiction; Root from 2005
39. Cross Channel, Julian Barnes (1996); short stores; Root from 2024
40. The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton (1905); fiction; re-read; Root from 2013

May
41. Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013), on audiobook read by the author; nonfiction; memoir, Native American culture, biology, ecology; Root from 2022
42. When the Cranes Fly South, Lisa Ridzen (2025), translated from the Swedish by Alice Menzies; fiction; library book
❤️43. The Eye of Love, Margery Sharp (1957); fiction; library book
44. Five Days in London: May 1940, John Lukacs (1999); nonfiction; audiobook read by John Cosham; acquired 2026
45. Tess of the D'urbervilles, Thomas Hardy (1891); fiction; Root from before 2009
46. The Foolish Gentlewoman, Margery Sharp (1948); fiction; library book
❤️47. South Riding, Winifred Holtby (1936 post.); fiction; Root from 2015
❤️48. Crooked Cross, Sally Carson (1934); fiction; Root from 2025

June
49. Martha in Paris, Margery Sharp (1962); fiction; library book
❤️50. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen (1813); fiction; audiobook re-read, narrated by Juliet Stevenson
51. Martha, Eric and George, Margery Sharp (1964); fiction; library book
52. The American Senator, Anthony Trollope (1877); fiction; Root from 2022

Cannot Wait for the Letter
Telemaco Signorini (Italian, 1835-1901)

On the very tall January reading pile of possibilities:

📚Les Miserables by Victor Hugo--I've never read it and there's an online reading taking place over January through March. I hope I can keep up. I'm sure it's wonderful (I've seen the movie version of the musical), but I often bail out on long-term projects like this.

📚In the 2026 Category Challenge group, I'm participating in the "DecadesCAT" challenge. January's decade is the 50s--1750s, 1850s, 1950s, etc.
*Books marked below are ones that meet the 50s challenge for January

📚In January I'll also be participating in an "epistolary" challenge, which includes letters, diaries and journals. I have a few possibilities lined up to meet this challenge and hope to read several of these:

✔️84, Charing Cross Road, Helene Hanff, a re-read on audiobook
✔️Lady Susan, Jane Austen, a re-read on audiobook
✔️Letters for Literary Ladies, Maria Edgeworth (1795)--Jane Austen greatly admired Edgeworth's writing
Ten Days in a Mad-House, Nellie Bly (1887)--reports by a journalist from an insane asylum--moved to February
*Forbidden Notebook, Alba de Cespedes (1952), translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein--a novel in diary format
*Troy Chimneys, Margaret Kennedy (1953)--a novel written as a 19th century memoir
Letters from Constance, Mary Hocking (1991)--a novel in letters

📚Other reading:
✔️Tea with Mr Rochester, Frances Towers (1949); short stories from my Persephone collection
✔️*A Murder is Announced, Agatha Christie (1950)
✔️A Laodicean, Thomas Hardy--for my monthly reading of Hardy's novels in chronological order
✔️*The Moonstone, Wilkie Collins (1868)--for my RL book club--it's a re-read for me & I'll be leading the discussion
Keep the Aspidistra Flying, George Orwell (1936)--for the Monthly Authors group
✔️*The Notting Hill Mystery, Charles Warren Adams (1862-63)--now considered the first novel length detective story
There is a Tide, Agatha Christie (1948)
Paused--Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer--started in November, but will continue on audiobook in January
Deborah, Esther Singer Kreitman (1936)
A Year's Turning, Michael Viney (2022)
Mrs Miniver, Jan Struther (1939)

📚As time allows, a few re-reads:
*The Three Clerks, Anthony Trollope (1859)--a re-read
Crossriggs, Jane & Mary Findlater (1908)
At Mrs Lippincote's, Elizabeth Taylor (1945)
*Thrush Green, Miss Read (1959)
✔️Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens--on audiobook

Welcome back!

>7 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! Can't believe it's my 11th year doing this....time flies when you're reading...

New Year greetings from Kuala Lumpur. My project is at least physically completed and an addition to the city scape.

Look forward to keeping up with you in 2026

Thanks, Paul. Hope you get back to Yorkshire in 2026. My son has a new teaching job this year near Wakefield at New College Pontefract. He's teaching French.

Happy New Year, Kathy. You did a great job of celebrating Jane Austen's birthday. I only managed a reread of Persuasion and I did read Jane Austen's Bookshelf.

I look forward to following your reading in 2026.

>11 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. I've still got several books about JA that I didn't get to and I didn't re-read Emma. This month there's a slim volume by Maria Edgeworth that I'm going to read and I've never read The Mysteries of Udolpho, so it never ends! Persuasion is my favorite--when I haven't just read P&P!

Happy New Year, Kathy! I look forward to following your reading here again this year. I reread Persuasion last year and I hope I can get to some more Jane Austen this year. TCM ran several movies based on her books on her birthday, including a version of Persuasion that I had never seen before. I enjoyed that.

>13 atozgrl: Hi Irene! I still have a few JA related books I want to read this year, most notably finally getting to Lucy Worsley's Jane Austen at Home. We'll see. I do love the Persuasion with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds; it's sort of spoiled me forever for any other version. I love the music in that one, too.

This year will be the year of reading those tougher Thomas Hardy titles. I've actually enjoyed all of them so far, but I know there's a lot of misery ahead 😧

>14 kac522: Hmmm, Thomas Hardy. I had to read one of his books in high school, and another in college. And I'm having trouble remembering which of his most famous books were the ones we read. I didn't like them then, because I didn't like most of the characters in the books. I don't know how I would react to them now.

Happy new year and new thread, Kathy. Dropped my star!

>15 atozgrl: I read about half of his novels in the 1970s and 1980s. My mother liked him and we had the books around the house. There's a reading project online going through all his books in publication order, and the first half of them have been OK. The lady who leads this rates each book on a "misery" scale. Some of the lesser miserable ones are Under the Greenwood Tree, A Pair of Blue Eyes and the last one I read, The Trumpet-Major, which is historical fiction set during the Napoleonic wars and was interesting for its portrayal of that period in history in southwest England. The characters were sort of "meh" in that one, but that may have been on purpose, so that the individual stories don't overshadow the events, I suppose.

>16 jessibud2: Thanks for stopping by, Shelley. Did you get more snow this week? It passed us by--it's just cold. We had a ton of snow in November and early December, but it's almost all gone now.

Happy new year, Kathy!

I just re-read A Murder Is Announced on audio at the end of last year and I'm sure you'll have a good time with it.

>19 MickyFine: Happy New Reading Year to you, too--thanks for stopping by--looking forward to it. I'm reading in order so I have one ahead of that, I think.

We did get some more snow Kathy, but this coming week, we are expecting a real big warm up, and rain, so it will be gone. I haven't been out yet today but yesterday was cold.

But the days are getting longer, right?

Happy New Year, Kathy. I stopped by yesterday but you were still working on the new thread and I didn't want to disturb the flow. I hope you are having a good weekend and Go Bears!!

Persuasion is my favorite as well. I wasn't a fan of The Mysteries of Udolpho but I will try something else by Radcliffe.

Yes, the Amanda Root/Ciaran Hinds version is the best Persuasion.

>21 jessibud2: Yeah, I guess they are, but it's hard to tell! Although there was a lovely moon last night to our east.

>22 msf59: Happy new year to you, Mark--thanks for avoiding the construction site. I'm going to try to squeeze in Our Mutual Friend. I do love Jenny Wren and Bradley Headstone is such a despicable villain, it's always worth it just for them.

>23 BLBera: I've read The Italian and The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne. I didn't like the first one all that much, but the second one was a little better, probably because it was only 160 pages 🤣

Hi Kathy my dear, i have starred your thread again and i will get started with Les Mis soon. The BFB group is up and running dear friend.

>25 johnsimpson: Oh, I'm so glad you're reading Les Mis too! It will keep me in line😉

Hi, Kathy. I just finished chapter 12 in Our Mutual Friend. I finished my audiobook earlier today so I am also listening to the audio of the Dickens while reading the e-book. It is perfectly synced up. It is also really enhancing my enjoyment of the story. The narrator is David Timson and he is doing a fine job. I have not been introduced to Jenny Wren and Bradley Headstone...yet.

>27 msf59: Wow great progress, Mark. I'm listening to Simon Vance, who is my all-time favorite male narrator. I've listened to Timson several times and he is very good too.

I'm only up to Chapter 8, as I need to leave time for Les Mis.

Bradley H and Jenny W will come in a bit later, both in relation to Lizzie Hexam's story line.

>10 kac522: I was brought up close to Pontefract, Kathy, about 5 miles away.

>29 PaulCranswick: Ah! Was the school around in your time? He loves his job and the students. The only negative is the long commute from Sheffield, but he's adjusting. His children are doing so well in their schools in Sheffield that they don't want to disrupt them.

You are amazing, Kathy- tackling a pair of chunksters like that. Impressive. I love Simon Vance too. There was another audio edition with 3 narrators.

>31 msf59: I'd say I'm just crazy! My audio time is usually in the car or when I'm working on a jigsaw puzzle. I've got a longish ride today so I should get in a couple of chapters or so. Plus I did listen to this back in July, so I know it pretty well. I realize this is my 4th read of the book.

>24 kac522: I will look for a short Radcliffe. Maybe she just isn't for me. I loved Charlotte Smith's Emmeline.

>33 BLBera: The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne is under 200 pages, so that might work.

I'm currently reading Letters for Literary Ladies by Maria Edgeworth, which is very short and basically arguing the need for education for women. Of the authors in Jane Austen's Bookshelf, I've enjoyed her books the most.

>30 kac522: No Kathy, it wasn't around during my school days - if I am not mistaken it opened as a Sixth Form College towards the end of the 1980s.

We used to compete with King's School Pontefract in cricket, football and rugby when I was at school.

>35 PaulCranswick: Yes, it is a Sixth Form College, so his students are eager to learn and he is working with them in small groups of 2 or 3.

And, that is exactly how my husband would describe a school near the ones he attended: what sports they competed in with that school! Y'all are the same the world over....

>36 kac522: Hahaha we guys are all the same, Kathy!

I do like Pontefract though and had considered recently buying a house in nearby Ackworth which is probably where Pip will school.

Sweet Thursday, Kathy. I am into Book 2 now. I have been introduced to Bradley Headstone. Is he the school teacher? He doesn't seem so bad early on...

>34 kac522: Thanks Kathy.

>37 PaulCranswick: Yes, I wish they could move closer to his job because he has some vision issues and I think the housing might be more affordable. But they moved from Italy to Sheffield for schools for their eldest and I understand they don't want to disrupt that.

>38 msf59: Just you wait, Mark. Character development in Our Mutual Friend is a highlight of the book: many of the main characters slowly reveal themselves and some have real transformations. As well as characters who pretend to be people that they are not.

>39 BLBera: You are welcome!

Go Bears! Come on, let's take down the Packers, Kathy!!!

Happy Sunday, Kathy. Why can't anything be easy with our Bears? Why can't they just play 4 quarters of solid football? That said it was a great win and it is especially sweet beating the Packers who have beat us up plenty over the years. It looks like we will face either the Eagles or the Rams. I hope for the Eagles, although the Rams nearly lost to Carolina.

Sweet Thursday, Kathy. I am nearly done with chapter 6 in book 3 in OMF. I am enjoying it but he does drag it out a bit. I am not sure I'll think of it as highly as you but I still have quite a bit to go.

>40 kac522: The villages around Pontefract are nice, Kathy. Thorpe Audlin, Wentbridge, Badsworth and Ackworth are all very decent villages and all free of rough spots.

>44 PaulCranswick: Good to know, Paul, thanks. I think they are getting close to getting a place in Sheffield. It is south of Nether Edge, where they live now--it's in Greenhill Main Road.

>45 kac522: Hani is next to Kelham Island, We have a small apartment there.

>46 PaulCranswick: Not sure I'll ever get to Sheffield again, but will check with my son about where this is in relation to his place.

Happy Monday, Kathy. Looking forward to a bit of a warm-up ,even if it is just above the freezing mark.

I wanted to mention to you, that I have been watching the BBC adaptation of Our Mutual Friend. The one you recommended. It has been excellent. I have 90 minutes left. I thought the BBC version of Bleak House was terrific and this one is right up there with it. Perfect cast.

>48 msf59: So glad you're enjoying it, Mark. I need to re-watch...I own a copy (bought at a library sale!).

I also saw that PBS Masterpiece Theater is starting a mini-series of The Count of Monte Cristo starting Sunday night, March 22. That's also when the new season of Call the Midwife starts, too.

Hi Kathy my dear, i have made a decent start to Les Miserables and am enjoying it so far and i haven't got to any of the main characters yet.

>50 johnsimpson: Ah good, John! Now I have a companion on this journey! I did take a break for a couple of weeks--too many library books that needed to get read and returned. But beginning with February I plan to read a minimum of 25 pages per day, more if I have time.

I am now in Part I (Fantine), Book 8, about page 275 in my edition. We've met some of the main characters and I am enjoying it much more than I expected.

January Reading Wrap-Up:

I wanted to get to more titles this month, but that's my reading momentum rather slowed a bit.



❤️1. 84, Charing Cross Road, Helene Hanff (1970); letters; audiobook re-read by Barbara Rosenblatt and others

I've made it a tradition to start the new year off with this wonderful testament to books and reading and friendships around books.



❤️2. Lady Susan, Jane Austen (1875); epistolary fiction; audiobook re-read by multiple narrators

Another one that I listen to at least once a year. It always puts me in a good mood.



3. Tea with Mr Rochester, Frances Towers (1949); short stories from my Persephone collection

This volume of short stories is the only collection of Frances Towers' writing and was published after her death. It's hard to describe her writing style, except to say that it's kind of ethereal and evocative. It takes concentration but is rewarding. My favorite was the title story, "Tea with Mr Rochester" about an adolescent girl who admires an older man from afar.



4. Letters for Literary Ladies, Maria Edgeworth (1795); letters/essays

This was a small volume first published in 1795. The first two letters are between two gentlemen friends. The first letter, "From a Gentleman to His Friend, upon the Birth of a Daughter", advises his friend that educating a woman can only bring unhappiness, with a long list of negatives. The response by his friend disagrees with every point and shows how a woman will be benefited by an education. The second set of letters are between two women, one of "sense" and the other of "sensibility," and concerns the marriage of the second. The last essay is a tongue-in-cheek argument on how a woman can win any argument with her husband.

Jane Austen admired Maria Edgeworth's work. I've read 3 of her novels and liked them all. In this volume I enjoyed the first set of letters the most, especially the way the arguments for education were expressed. The other letters and essay were interesting and funny, but not quite as spot-on as the first set.



5. A Murder is Announced, Agatha Christie (1950); mystery

A "murder game" becomes a real crime scene. Includes several characters who are living under a different name and/or different person's identity. Miss Marple gets involved (relatively) early in this one and provides the psychological rationale for the killer's actions. Although I didn't figure out the killer I did figure out the true background of Phillipa. I enjoyed this one more than I expected.



6. A Laodicean, Thomas Hardy (1881); fiction; the next book in the Thomas Hardy readalong challenge

This is a departure from rural Hardy and focuses on a decrepit castle in Wessex, its new wealthy female owner Miss Paula Power, and her two suitors, Mr Somerset (an architect) and Capt. De Stancy. The love triangle takes precedence as our suitors vie for her hand and the characters travel across Europe in pursuit of her. Lots of descriptions of architecture and an architect's work in this one as well as some rather sensational elements that kept me turning pages. In between Hardy has his characters argue the pros and cons of revering the aristocratic past vs. the benefits of progress and the new order.

Paula, the "Laodicean", got on my nerves after a while with her in inability to make up her mind. The love triangle seemed to take too long to resolve for me, and some details were sketchy, but the book was an interesting read and (surprise!) it did not end in complete misery.



❤️7. The Moonstone, Wilkie Collins (1868); fiction; a re-read

This was a re-read and is an historical fiction novel of a stolen diamond from India, told in letters, documents and narratives. Set in 1848-1850, it has all the basic elements of a detective mystery as the genre would be known. The crime is investigated by both Sergeant Cuff, a hired detective from the Metropolitan Police and the main character, Franklin Blake, who has assembled all the documents two years after the crime. "Mesmerism" (hypnosis) and opium addiction are factors blurring the lines of the facts. Probably my favorite "narrator" was Gabriel, the house steward, whose testimony made me laugh out loud sometimes, especially when he quotes Robinson Crusoe. In subtle comments and documents, Collins takes a critical look at what it means "to steal" and the consequences of Britain's Imperialism in the 19th century.

I read this for my RL book club and led the group discussion. I liked this more than I did in previous readings, probably because I took copious notes and paid more attention to what was happening and why. For many years The Moonstone was thought to be the first English language full length detective novel until scholars discovered The Notting Hill Mystery, Charles Warren Adams (1863), which I read next.



8. The Notting Hill Mystery, Charles Warren Adams, aka Charles Felix (1863); mystery

I decided to read this book after reading introductory material on the last book I read, The Moonstone. For many years The Moonstone, published in 1868, was considered the first English-language detective novel, but recent scholarship as shown that The Notting Hill Mystery, first serialized in 1862-63, was a novel-length detective story that pre-dates The Moonstone.

Mr Henderson, an insurance investigator, is our narrator. He is investigating a large life insurance claim that appears to be questionable. He provides a basic narrative around letters, depositions, court documents, a marriage certificate and even a map to back up his investigation of possible murder(s). Like The Moonstone the story involves "mesmerism" (hypnosis) and takes some unusual turns and suppositions, so it's a bit hard to take seriously in the 21st century. On the other hand, it's presented in such an interesting structure that it had me turning pages to find out how the murders were committed. Although not up to our standards today, being the first of its kind gives the novel an added interest in the development of the detective novel.



9. A Year's Turning, Michael Viney (orig publ 1996; this edition 2022, with a new foreword by Viney); memoir/nature writing

Viney and his wife, both writers in Dublin, left their city life in the 1970s to live on a farm in a remote area of County Mayo on the Atlantic coast. Organized by months (January through December), Viney gives a smattering of life in that month in nature, coupled with his learning to adapt to living on a farm over many 20+ years.

The writing is exquisite, but often it meandered too much for me. Lots of terms for wildlife and plants and topography that were unknown to me, making the reading slow-going. This was an interlibrary loan book, so it had to be finished on time. If I can ever find a copy, I think I would read it again, slowly, over a year, one month at a time.

On the TBR for February:

I am very slowly making my way through Les Miserables--I'm reading about 25 pages a day and am now about 25% through the book. I'd like to finish by the end of March. Along the way I've been listening to the podcasts I found at The Les Miserables Reading Companion (https://sites.google.com/view/readlesmis/home-menu) and they have been helpful.

Completed
✔️Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens (1865); re-read on audiobook narrated by Simon Vance
✔️Facing Unpleasant Facts: Narrative Essays, George Orwell (2009)
✔️Mrs Miniver, Jan Struther (1939)
✔️Crossriggs, Jane & Mary Findlater (1908), a re-read
✔️Ten Days in a Mad House, Nellie Bly, for February RandomKIT (hospitals)
✔️Mary Olivier: A Life, May Sinclair, also for DecadeCAT from my Virago collection
✔️Two on a Tower, Thomas Hardy, next in the Hardy chronological read
✔️Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, a re-read, for my RL book club

Currently Reading
The Hotel, Elizabeth Bowen
Les Miserables, Victor Hugo (1862) in print
Les Miserables Reading Companion podcasts, on audio
Lost on the Lady Elgin, Valerie van Heest, for February Reading Through Time, nonfiction account about a Great Lakes ship disaster with connections to my family

Priorities
Consequences, E. M. Delafield, for DecadeCAT, from my Persephone collection

Possible Audio
Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer, on audio when I'm caught up with the Les Mis podcasts

As time allows:
There is a Tide, Agatha Christie, next in my Christie chronological reading
Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe, inspired by mentions in The Moonstone and also fits DecadeCAT
The Song of the Lark, Willa Cather, next in my Cather chronological reading and also fits DecadeCAT
Anna of the Five Towns, Arnold Bennett (1902), a short classic

>53 kac522: Ugh I still haven't forgiven Victor Hugo for the Very Long passage on the Paris sewers in Les Mis. I finished it but it's one of those classics I'm highly unlikely to revisit (except in musical form).

>54 MickyFine: Oh dear, I haven't come to that yet! Thanks for the warning. I just finished the section on Waterloo with some graphic bits, but I skimmed some, especially the long lists of names of officers. Napoleon & Wellington were all I needed to know, but of course he wasn't writing for me.

>55 kac522: Ah yes, the Waterloo section was also tedious. I think I resent the sewer section because it's so near the end and I just wanted to be done, snort.

>57 MickyFine: I have no problem with "Pearl-ruling" sections in such a long book--if it doesn't have to do with the main story and I'm not enjoying it, I'll skip it. I only have a limited number of reading years left in my life, so I feel I can be choosey. Otherwise, I'm enjoying the book and part of the reason I can deal with the length is that I'm not hurrying and letting myself read 25 or so pages a day, which gives me time to read other stuff as well.

>4 kac522: I will be re-reading 84, Charing Cross Road this month. It is one of my all-time favorite books. Lots of great reading in your list thus far for the year, Kathy!

>52 kac522: I am not familiar with the Thomas Hardy book you mentioned at all. I will have to see if I can find a copy of that one.

Have a wonderful weekend, Kathy!

You had a pretty good month of reading in January, Kathy. I always enjoy people's wrap-ups. The Edgeworth letters/essays sound interesting. I loved 84 Charing Cross Road. You remind me that it would be a good one to reread during these very stressful times.

I'll be interested to see how Braiding Sweetgrass works for you on audio.

>58 kac522: That makes sense. I read it back in my early twenties where I was much more "must read every word" than I am now. Your approach sounds very sensible.

>59 alcottacre: Yep, Stasia, I make reading 84, Charing Cross Road a New Year's priority to kick off a new reading year, and the audiobook with Barbara Rosenblatt is especially good.

Since last summer I've been reading Hardy's novels in chronological order every month, guided by a book-tuber, Jen the Librarian. Prior to this I had read 8 of Hardy's novels, but was unfamiliar with The Hand of Ethelberta, The Trumpet-Major, A Laodicean, Two on a Tower, The Woodlanders and The Well-Beloved. And, of the ones I read before, only The Mayor of Casterbridge was a book I'd read in the last 40 years--all the others I had read way back in the 1980s. I had tried to do this on my own a couple of years ago and after the first two of books (Desperate Remedies and Under the Greenwood Tree), it fell by the wayside, so Jen's readalong is giving me the incentive to keep up.

>60 BLBera: 84, Charing Cross Road is the gift that keeps on giving, Beth. Just always makes me happy and ready to read more. The Edgeworth collection is very short but it's helpful to have a good introduction to catch all the meanings, and the edition I read helped a lot. I'm not sure when I'll get to Braiding Sweetgrass, as I am totally enjoying the Les Mis podcasts I'm listening to.

>61 MickyFine: Yeah, once I resigned myself to a slower read, it's been a lot less stressful. Today I listened to two episodes of the Les Mis podcast which really added all kinds of dimensions to the book: how Hugo uses animal imagery to represent characters (dog, wolf=Javert, cat, lion=Jean Valjean); how we first meet Jean Valjean in July 1815 because that is the year of Napoleon's 100 days AND Waterloo and Jean Valjean's journey represents life in France starting in July 1815.

Another episode talks about how Hugo uses homonyms in French. Knowing almost zilch French, this was eye-opening for me:

"Monsieur Madeleine" (who we find out later is Jean Valjean) = his surname is usually a woman's first name, also alluding to Mary Magdalene
"Monsieur le Maire" = Monsieur Madeleine's title as mayor (le maire)
"Montreuil-sur-Mer" = the town ("Montreuil on the sea"--which, interestingly, is NOT by the sea)

and then there's the French for mother = "mere"

She points out that "maire", "mer" and "mere" are all pronounced the same in French; and with a "feminine" last name, Hugo has surrounded Monsieur Madeleine (aka Jean Valjean) with maternal/feminine allusions.

I could go on and on, but I'll stop while I'm ahead! And I'm only about 20% into the podcasts....it's really making the book come alive.

P.S.--She's also given a hint that the "sewers" chapter (just like the Waterloo chapter) has more meaning than just about sewers. I'll be waiting to be convinced once we get there!

Looks like you had some good reads in January.

>64 thornton37814: Thank you. I wanted to get a couple more done, but did finish them up last week. Too many books...

Kathy, I posted this on my thread but thought you might be interested, in case you don't see it there:

A reminder that tonight on PBS at 9 o'clock, the documentary The Librarians will air. I saw it in the theatre when it first came out but I may watch it again. It is, in my opinion, a thought-provoking, disturbing but very important film.

>62 kac522: Barbara Rosenblatt is hands down my favorite audiobook narrator. I have 84, Charing Cross Road in audio form as well although I ended up reading the physical book this month.

>67 alcottacre: She is so good at bringing that NY style across, isn't she?

Hi Kathy. Congratulations on reading so many books thus far in 2026. I very much like the way you post a heart in front of the books you liked the best.

>69 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda. Yes, I like using the ❤️--it's way easier than figuring out how to do all those stars, plus it distinguishes the ones I really loved (and would read again) versus the books that are just OK.

Happy reading!

Good thinking!!

>70 kac522: I like the hearts as well.

>72 BLBera: ❤️❤️

February reading wrap-up:



10. Facing Unpleasant Facts : Narrative Essays, George Orwell (2009); essays from the 1920s through 1950

George Orwell was first and foremost an essayist: he wrote hundreds of pieces of journalism, essays and short pieces. This collection of 27 narrative essays edited and selected by George Packer covers a selection from his first essay to his last published essay and all of them were accessible and interesting. They ranged from memoir to English food to politics and everything in-between. I think my favorites were the longest: his War-Time Diary from May to December 1940, and "Such, Such Sere the Joys", a poignant essay about Orwell's youth in a boarding school published after his death.

I had some trouble with some of the political content, as I'm not familiar with the nuances of political labeling (Leftist, Socialist, Communist, Right, etc.) as it applies to Britain and Europe in the 1930s and 1940s, but it didn't keep me from appreciating the basic thoughts in those essays. I plan to read All Art is Propaganda, a selection of his critical essays.



❤️11. Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens (1866); a re-read on audiobook read by Simon Vance

I believe this is the 4th time I've read this novel. The plot's too complicated to list here, but essentially it's about a man who pretends (for various reasons) to be someone else. And of course there are a myriad of side plots and characters that all seem to come together at the end. This time I noticed how many other characters pretend to be something that they're not, generally for bad or devious purposes. This is not my favorite Dickens, but I think it is his best crafted novel.

If you're interested and read the novel or aren't afraid of spoilers, I spent some time sorting through the characters here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/377436#9109269



12. Mrs Miniver, Jan Struther (1939, this edition 1942); fiction

Most people know this title from the 1942 film. Published just as the war was starting in Europe in Fall 1939, the book is a collection of articles Struther wrote for the The Times from 1937 to 1939 about a fictional "average" British woman and her life and thoughts. She hardly seemed "average" to me--several servants, two homes, etc. But it was still interesting, although I was less able to relate to her daily life. However, for some reason I was expecting this to be lighter stuff, but Struther actually ponders real concerns and inequalities that she sees around her. It ends Fall, 1939 as the family are fitted for gas masks and the war is becoming a reality, not some distant uncertainty. This 1942 edition added an additional piece by Struther set at Christmas, 1941. Overall it was interesting and it read very fast, as each chapter (article) is 4-5 pages.

I also watched the 1942 movie, which is mostly set during the war (not before) and has a completely different story line and feel from the book. The characters are basically the same, but they are now engulfed in war.



❤️13. Crossriggs, Jane & Mary Findlater (1908); fiction; a re-read

I read a library copy of this book back in 2022 and loved it. When I saw a copy in a used bookstore a few months ago, I grabbed it to re-read and I wasn't disappointed. This book was a roller-coaster of sorts: funny, sad, hopeful, despairing, all within the struggles of everyday people facing their small and not-so-small challenges that life puts in your way. We follow Alexandra Hope, about 30, who is living with her elderly father, "Old Hopeful", a "fruitarian" and all-round radical thinker. At the outset Alexandra's widowed sister and 5 young children from Canada join the family in their small house in the small village of Crossriggs. It is Alex who must find ways to make ends meet, and in these struggles we follow her good days and bad days, and her admirers and her secret loves. Through difficult situations Alex learns to follow her own path and it is a hopeful ending.

The introduction points out that it is thought that the Findlater sisters were influenced by Jane Austen's Emma, and some of those elements are apparent (hypochondriac widowed father, older calm sister). But this time I found Alex more like Jo March (from Little Women) than like Emma--Alex is determined to support her family with little resources. On re-reading this time I also found Alex sometimes annoying, as she often evades directly dealing with difficult situations. But I would still recommend this to anyone who loves this sort of story from the turn of the century, just for its enthusiasm and love of life.



14. Ten Days in a Mad-House: A Story of the Intrepid Reporter, Nellie Bly (1887); 19th century investigative reporting

Nellie Bly (real name: Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman) was a young reporter for the New York World when her editor asked her to investigate the living conditions at the notorious insane asylum on Blackwell's Island. She began by impersonating an insane person at a local boarding house, where the matron had her taken away by the police, brought before a judge and declared "insane." She was initially taken to Bellevue Hospital and then transferred to Blackwell's Island Asylum.

This book is based on her original newspaper articles that detailed the ill-treatment she received and the psychological and physical abuse of the hundreds of women inmates at the asylum. Inedible food, locked sleeping cells and regular beatings were all commonplace. She also found many women who, either because their English was limited or were destitute and very ill, were probably completely sane but were placed here because they had no where else to go. Her articles did eventually lead to additional funding and improvements at the asylum. Eye-opening and ground-breaking reporting by one of the very few young female reporters of her era.



15. Mary Olivier: A Life, May Sinclair (1919); fiction

This is the story of Mary's restricted life with her parents, focusing especially on a complex mother-daughter relationship, and apparently loosely based on Sinclair's own life. It was hard to like any of the characters, even poor Mary herself. Sinclair deep-dives into Mary's inner life, which felt overdone and repetitive to me.

Looking at comments of this book, there are loads of rave reviews. After I finished the novel I read the introduction by Jean Radford, who summed up my feelings about the novel: "The novel is too long; there are too many lovers lost; too much detail about her philosophical reading; too many scenes in which mother and daughter enact the same painful conflict." I loved Sinclair's Life and Death of Harriett Frean, but Mary Olivier just ended up feeling tedious.



❤️16. Two on a Tower, Thomas Hardy (1882); fiction

Hardy's seventh novel concerns a married woman who falls in love with a young man 10 years her junior while studying the stars together. Lots of plot twists and sensation-type elements in a stifling small town, which avoids blatant misery until the very end. Not the best Hardy novel, but it was a page-turner and Hardy gets in lots of astronomy which made the novel surprisingly interesting. Recommended if you'd like to read a Hardy novel that won't leave you completely devastated.



17. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (1953); science fiction; a re-read for book club

This is the classic story set in the future about Guy Montag, a fireman whose job is to burn books. Montag slowly begins to see what destroying knowledge may mean for the future. Guy's wife spends her time in one room of the house where the walls are covered with screens--she calls this "her family"--not all that far away from today's social media explosion.

Bradbury's writing is stunning, but it took some time for me to get into the flow of it. This was my book club's selection for February and generated a lot of great discussion. The edition I read was the 60th anniversary edition, with 60+ pages of additional material which really enhanced my reading, including several pieces by Bradbury on the making of the novel.



❤️18. Anna of the Five Towns, Arnold Bennett (1902); fiction

This is a short novel with an interesting portrait of the Staffordshire pottery towns at the turn of the 20th century, focusing on Anna, a young woman and her tyrannic, miserly father who rules nearly every aspect of her life. There are several interesting scenes, including a highly detailed and descriptive chapter when Anna gets a tour of a pottery factory, following a lump of clay to finished dinner plate. Another scene records Anna's first trip outside the Five Towns area to the Isle of Man and her awe and wonder on the sea and the beauty of the island.

Bennett, who grew up in the area, gives us a portrait of a complex female character in an almost impossible situation, but doesn't flinch from a realistic ending. I enjoyed it more than I expected and I think it will stay with me for a long time. I plan to continue reading more of his "Five Towns" books.



19. Christine, Alice Cholmondeley pseud. of Elizabeth von Arnim (1917); epistolary novel

The story is told in fictional letters in 1914 from Christine, a teen-aged daughter studying violin in Germany, to her English mother. Christine arrives in Berlin in early 1914 to study with a renowned master, as she has been identified as having great talent. She has limited German, but she observes and reports on the people she meets and lives with in a boarding house. She practices hard and yet feels isolated until she meets a young soldier who shares her love of music. As war is declared in August 1914, she must find her way out of Germany.

This is loosely based on von Arnim's own daughter who became trapped while studying in Germany as war was declared, and eventually died of pneumonia there. There is very clear German stereotyping in this book, probably due to von Arnim's own experience with her estranged husband. This was an easy, flowing read, as von Arnim's writing always is, but there is a definite point of view that might be considered propaganda of its time.

On the TBR for March:

It's long, but so is March....

Completed
Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories, Volume II (Bantam Classic), Arthur Conan Coyle; on audiobook read by Simon Vance
The Hotel, Elizabeth Bowen, my complete the author challenge
Ayala's Angel, Anthony Trollope, my complete the author challenge
The Indomitable Mrs. Trollope, Eileen Bigland
There is a Tide, Agatha Christie, my complete the author challenge
Reunion, Fred Uhlman
Letters from Constance, Mary Hocking, March British Authors Challenge
Sapphira and the Slave Girl, Willa Cather, Reading through Time--March
Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe, for RL book club
Audiobook: The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy, for my Hardy challenge
Still Glides the Stream, D. E. Stevenson

Currently Reading
Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer, on audio, read by the author
Les Miserables podcasts to supplement reading
Lost on the Lady Elgin, Valerie van Heest, for February Reading Through Time, about a Great Lakes ship disaster with connections to my family
Les Miserables, Victor Hugo--hit the half-way point, and hope to complete this month
All Things Wise and Wonderful, James Herriot

Priorities
Jessie Phillips, Mrs Trollope, March British Authors Challenge
Greenmantle, John Buchan, Color/CoverCAT
Virginia, Ellen Glasgow, my Virago chronological read
Consequences, E. M. Delafield, from my Persephone collection

As time allows:
Murder at the Vicarage, Agatha Christie, a re-read
The Night of Fear, Moray Dalton
Fenny, Lettice Cooper
Mandoa, Mandoa!, Winifred Holtby
Rough Hewn, Dorothy Canfield Fisher
They Were Sisters, Dorothy Whipple

>74 kac522: February was a great month for you, Kathy. I have never heard of Crossriggs but will look for it.

>76 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. I've found some gems re-printed by Virago. The Findlater sisters wrote quite a few books between them, some together and some separately, and were somewhat popular in their time, but this is the only one I've read.

Hi Kathy my dear, i see that you are doing well with Les Miserables i am a smidge under a third of the way through my copy. I read 52 pages this afternoon and it just seemed to flow nicely, i hope that it continues like this for the rest of the book.

Hope all is well with you my dear and that the family is all well, we are both doing OK at the moment and are going away for three nights from Sunday down to Cambridge and surrounding area, we are looking forward to this little break.

>78 johnsimpson: I am just starting Part Four of Les Miserables. After every few chapters I listen to a podcast by a French professor who talks about the selected chapters, explaining the themes and basic elements of French political history at the time, which is so helpful for me.
My son is doing well; they are settled into their new home in Sheffield and are very happy with it. Still a bit tight with 3 teenagers, but they are managing.
Your break sounds lovely; enjoy and bring home some good books!

Hi Kathy my dear, we had a lovely three nights away, we set off on Sunday morning and called into Stamford to break up the journey down. Stamford is a nice market town and we had a lovely three hours there and found a lovely independent bookshop but sadly it did not have a lift and the stairs were just too much for us. We left Stamford and headed to Kettering but it looked a bit rundown so after a quick stop at a nearby supermarket for tea and a sandwich, we set the satnav to our destination.

It was a lovely old cottage and once we had sorted out all the plugs for the standard light, TV and heater, we had a nice pot of tea and relaxed for a while before we had a nice meal.

On Monday we went into Cambridge using the park and ride to save trying to find parking, we had a nice time in Cambridge before returning to the P&R and then back in the car to the cottage.

Tuesday we visited Ely which was very nice, we called into Topping & Co bookshop and picked up a few books, looking forward to the opening of Topping & Co in York which should be at the beginning of June, it will be the largest of their five shops with around 100,000 books to peruse.

We loaded up the car on Wednesday morning and then had breakfast before turning everything off that should be off, set the dishwasher and set the satnav for Newark on Trent, sadly satnav took us to the middle of nowhere and said we were there, we reset the satnav for Newark and lo and behold we were on the right track and as we got to the outskirts, the sign said welcome to Newark on Trent, sheesh, bloody satnav. Again it was a nice little market town and after buying a couple of books in Waterstones, we found an independent bookshop down an alley. The shop had a good selection of books and Karen bought one for Elliott and we said we would make sure we mentioned the shop on social media. After visiting a lovely independent coffee shop with a lovely young lady running it, she had a major penchant for Pink, lol, we got back to the car and headed for home.

I thought we had been quite restrained on the book buying with a total of 14 books purchased, it was nice to get home and a nice pot of tea, lol.

>80 johnsimpson: Oh, my kind of trip, John--from bookshops to cafes to relaxing tea and doing it all over again! Sorry about the satnav--I'm an old-fashioned girl and print out maps from Google. And yes, I think 14 books between two people is perfectly restrained😉 Sounds lovely, and I'll alert my son on the new Topping & Co coming to York! That's an extra incentive to visit one of these years...

>81 kac522:, Hi Kathy my dear, the other Topping & Co shops are in St, Andrews, Edinburgh, Ely and Bath. Hope you are having a nice start to the weekend dear friend.

>82 johnsimpson: Thanks, John, you have a good weekend, too.

April has possibilities, possibilities, and even more possibilities:

Completed
Les Miserables, Victor Hugo (1862)
The Les Miserables Reading Companion Podcasts, Prof Briana Lewis--to supplement my Les Mis reading
The Gipsy in the Parlour, Margery Sharp (1953)
John Caldigate, Anthony Trollope (1879)
A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett (1905) -- for the DecadeCat--"00"s
Two Spring issues of Chicago History Magazine -- for the Reading through Time April theme of "Spring"
Miss Pym Disposes, Josephine Tey
The Woodlanders, Thomas Hardy (1887)
Cross Channel, Julian Barnes (1996) -- for the April monthly author read

Currently Reading
Lost on the Lady Elgin, Valerie van Heest -- nonfiction about the Great Lakes disaster, that I *need* to finish this month
All Things Wise and Wonderful, James Herriot
History Matters, David McCullough (posth. 2025), previously unpublished essays and speeches

Priorities
Virginia, Ellen Glasgow (1913) -- next in my Virago reading
The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton (1905) -- for the Decade Cat and next in my Wharton Chronological reading; a re-read
Stephen Fry in America: Fifty States and the Man Who Set Out To See Them All, Stephen Fry (2008)--for April BAC

Audio
Currently reading: Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013)

Library Books
Deborah, Esther Singer Kreitman -- fiction by the sister of I B Singer

And if time permits.....
The Song of the Lark, Willa Cather
Castle Rackrent and Ennui, Maria Edgeworth
A Pocketful of Rye, A. J. Cronin

DNF: Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler (1993) -- for my RL book club

Enjoyed any of these? Let me know!!

Braiding Sweetgrass was lovely but I read rather than listened to it. Does the author read it?

>85 jessibud2: Yes, the author reads it in a beautiful, peaceful voice, which completely matches her writing style and the content. I think I'm getting more out of it listening to her than I did reading the page. I'm glad I switched to audio for this one; my mind sort of wandered reading it, but I'm totally engaged with the audio.

I'm currently switching off between this and the Les Mis podcasts, so it might take me a while to finish.

March reading wrap-up:



❤️20. Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories, Volume II, Arthur Conan Doyle (this edition 1986); novella and short stories; on audiobook narrated by Simon Vance

Volume II contains The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902); The Valley of Fear (1914); His Last Bow (1917) and The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1927). I listened to this on audio read by Simon Vance. I've been listening to the complete works over the last year and half and have enjoyed it quite a bit. It's a great one to listen to between other books--easy to pick up and put down. I'm so glad I committed to this project as it brought a great deal of enjoyment over the past months. Now I have all of them to listen to again & again, when I need a break from other works.



21. The Hotel, Elizabeth Bowen (1927); fiction

The nameless hotel in this story is a famous vacation spot for British upper-class tourists on the Italian Riviera. There are a variety of characters, including widows, young women on the lookout for husbands, clerics on vacation and the occasional obscure young man. We focus on one young woman, Sydney, 21, who is bit too carefree and unconventional compared to the rest. Brought here by her cousin, she becomes friends with Mrs Kerr, an enterprising 40-something widow. Sydney is not without a few stray admirers along the way.

This is Bowen's first novel from 1927. The characters are, on the whole, hard to like and even harder to understand. The dialogue was sometimes difficult to follow--it felt like it was above or below or floating around its meaning, but perhaps I'm not smart enough to understand all the implications. Poor Mr Milton, who has become entranced with Sydney, was the only character who seemed to speak directly about anything.

I've read a couple of Elizabeth Bowen's novels (Friends and Relations, The Last September) and enjoyed them, and now have quite a few of her others unread on the shelf. I'm ambivalent about continuing with her books; I may try one more--The Death of the Heart looks to be her most popular--before I decide to give her up.



❤️❤️22. Ayala's Angel, Anthony Trollope (1881); fiction

What a delight to come "home" to Trollope! He is on his game in this wonderful story of two sisters, Ayala, 19 and Lucy, 21. Recently orphaned, they are each sent separately to homes of relations--outgoing Ayala to the wealthy Tringle family and quiet Lucy to the just-getting-by Dosetts. As they learn to adjust to these new surroundings, both girls are very unhappy and clash with their new guardians. The plot focuses more on Ayala, who is a dreamer and has imprinted in her mind the ideal husband--her "Angel of Light." She seems to attract suitors everywhere she goes, much to the disapproval of her Aunt Tringle and to Ayala's own disgust, as none measure up to her "Angel." Besides the two sisters, there are several other budding young couples in the Tringle family and beyond. In the end, it all works out to just about everyone's satisfaction.

This is a wonderful romantic comedy in Trollope's own off-hand style. The names alone had me laughing: Mr Tringle works for "Travers and Treason", counting his millions; Ayala's suitors include Colonel Stubbs, Captain Batsby, and her cousin "poor Tom" Tringle; a romantic walk is taken in Gobblegoose Wood. Just some of the funny and almost fairy-tale like names. There are laugh-out loud moments, but it's not without some serious thoughts about love and marriage and money. I loved this--it will be a favorite comforting re-read for many years to come.



❤️23. Reunion, Fred Uhlman (1971); fiction

This is a short novella set in 1930s Stuttgart, Germany, about the end of the friendship and childhood of two teen-aged boys: Hans, the son of a middle-class Jewish doctor, and Konradin, an upper-class schoolmate with whom Hans forms an intense friendship. Formed on common interests of coins and collecting, the book is told from the hindsight point of view of Hans some 30 years later, in a poetic and intense style. The forces of the times ultimately decide what happens to their friendship.

Fred Uhlman (1901-1985) was born in Stuttgart into a Jewish family and obtained a law degree in 1923. After Hitler took power in 1933, Uhlman left Germany for Paris, then Spain, finally settling in England in 1936 with no English. Here he married an English woman he had met in Spain and supported himself by painting. When the war began, he was interred on the Isle of Man as an enemy alien. After the war he continued to paint and featured in exhibitions. Besides Reunion, Uhlman wrote one other novel and a memoir, The Making of an Englishman (1960).

Many books have been written about this era, but this short book encapsulates so much in just a little over 100 pages. It was intense and a compelling look at everyday life in 1930s Germany.



24. There is a Tide, Agatha Christie (1948); mystery

The mystery was decent (several murders connected to many family members who feel their inheritance has been unfairly taken away from them), but in the end it seems no one is held responsible for 3 deaths, blackmailing, robbery or impersonating a deceased person. But the book was completely ruined for me in the last couple of pages when a woman, who has broken off her engagement, returns to her fiancee when she realizes that she really does love him because he shows his "manliness" by nearly strangling her to death in an uncontrollable rage. Excuse me??? Agatha, what were you thinking????



25. Sapphira and the Slave Girl, Willa Cather (1940); fiction

Set in western Virginia in 1856, Sapphira and her husband Henry own a mill, farm and large house, and have enslaved people inherited by Sapphira. They live in an area where slave ownership is not common and Henry is conflicted about slavery. The story centers around Nancy, a young slave in her late teens, whose mother and grandmother live and work on the premises. Sapphira has become irrationally jealous of Nancy and makes Nancy's life miserable.

This was Cather's last novel and is set in the area of western Virginia where she was born and where her mother grew up, and is supposedly loosely based on family stories Cather heard as a child. The characters are complicated and nuanced, and the plot had me turning pages. NOTE: The language used made me uncomfortable (the n-word and "darkies"), but it was probably reflective of the language at the time (1850s).



26. Letters from Constance, Mary Hocking (1991); fiction, from my Virago collection

Constance and Sheila have been close friends since school days. In 1939, as Constance prepares to join the WRNS and Sheila is off to university, they vow to keep in touch by letter. We only read Constance's letters to Sheila found in Sheila's desk after her death. (Constance, obeying Sheila's wishes, has burnt all the letters she received from Sheila.) But even with only one side of the correspondence we get full pictures of the two young women as they make their way through school and war, marriage and children, love and loss. The letters end with Sheila's death in 1986.

I've read 3 other novels by Mary Hocking and enjoyed them quite a bit. For whatever reason, I was not completely engaged in this book until close to the end of the book, when Constance tries to organize her thoughts about one of her sons who has gotten in trouble with the law. I liked Constance as a "narrator" but I think I might have liked this book better 20 or 30 years ago, and I'm not sure why. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it, but didn't love it like I wanted to.



27. Robinson Crusoe, Daniel DeFoe (1719); fiction; read for my RL book club

Although I vaguely knew bits of this story (deserted island, my man Friday), I had never read this classic or seen any of many movies based on the book. The story essentially begins when Crusoe, around age 18, defies his parents and longing for travel, enters into the sailing life. After many adventures (good and bad), he is the lone survivor of a shipwreck in 1659, swims to the shore of an island which he surmises to be some distance off the coast of South America. Soon he realizes he is probably the only human on the island, swims & recovers as much as he can from the disabled ship, and begins to make a life for himself. His work building a shelter, growing food and surviving over 20 years takes up about 2/3 of the book. Eventually some natives from the mainland arrive on the island and Crusoe rescues one man who is most probably going to be dinner for the rest. Crusoe names this native "Friday", teaches him English and is thankful for a human companion. The rest of the book details how Crusoe & Friday manage to leave the island.

This was surprisingly readable and quite philosophical in its way. Crusoe recovers several Bibles from the ship, and these he relies on heavily; he argues often with himself of what the right and moral course should be and credits Providence to his good luck and fortune in staying alive so many years. I enjoyed this book until about the last 20 pages or so, in which Crusoe, after returning to England, goes on another sailing adventure, which didn't seem to make sense to me and the book ends rather abruptly. The book has a lot to say about survival and perseverance.

My book club wanted to read this because of a book we had read in January, The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (1868), in which one of the characters is often quoting from Robinson Crusoe. None of us had read it, although most were familiar with the story. I'm glad one classic led us to another classic that has remained influential for centuries.



28. The Indomitable Mrs. Trollope, Eileen Bigland (1953); biography

Better known as the mother of novelist Anthony Trollope, Frances (Fanny) Trollope (1780-1863) was a celebrated novelist in her time. Not only did she write dozens of books, she traveled extensively, including to America, and supported her husband and children with her writing. From this account, Fanny Trollope was a non-stop whirlwind until dementia slowed her down in her later years.

But these old biographies bother me, as we aren't told where the author got her information on the many day-to-day details. From letters? memoirs? There's no index or detail of sources, just a listing of all of Fanny's published works. For me it's hard to put any faith in the narrative without any documentation.



❤️29. The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy (1886); fiction

I've been reading Hardy's 14 novels in chronological order; I had read 8 of them years ago, including this one, which I've read at least 3 times before. The novel follows the adult life of Michael Henchard, a farm laborer, who becomes drunk at a fair and sells off his young bride and infant child to a passing sailor for 5 guineas. The next morning Henchard awakes from his stupor, repents his terrible deed and vows he will change his ways and pursue a productive life. He settles in the cathedral town of Casterbridge, builds up a grain business and eventually rises to mayor of the town. But one day nearly twenty years later, Henchard's past walks back into his life and thus starts his decline.

The Mayor of Casterbridge has always been my favorite Hardy novel, and so far in this chronological reading of his novels still remains my favorite. I particularly love Hardy's descriptions of Wessex and Casterbridge as a place with ancient roots and traditional values. The country people and customs were enjoyable. There are many twists and turns of the plot, which keeps the book at a fast pace. There is nothing in all of Hardy in the books up to this point to match the complex character study of Michael Henchard, at once kind and generous, then suddenly full of temper and rage, and finally overwhelmingly repentant. And this cycle repeats over and over. Hardy contrasts the old world (Henchard) with the new (Donald Farfrae, his young assistant), and makes us feel like we are looking back at a very ancient time; yet he was writing in 1886 about events circa 1846. Hardy's portrayal of women in this novel, especially Henchard's daughter Elizabeth Jane, felt well-rounded and sympathetic.

On this reading I listened to Simon Vance's narration and it moved me to tears many times. I also splurged on a new Oxford Classics edition, as my old Penguin was very beat up and had irritating spoiler-y notes, so I was not sad to part with it.



30. Still Glides the Stream, D. E. Stevenson (1959); fiction

Will Hastie and Patty Murray have known each other since childhood. Patty is recently engaged to her cousin Hugo, who is the typical Stevenson cad, while Will has returned home from the service to work the Hastie family farm. But there's a mystery about the death of Patty's brother (and Will's best friend) during the war, which takes Will on a trip to France. When Will returns from France, what he learns there unravels the Murray family.

Stevenson can communicate her love of Scotland so well and in this book contrasts her native land with a post-war France she doesn't quite understand or particularly like. Easy reading, a nice romance and perfectly forgettable.

Great comments, Kathy. I enjoy your round-ups. I have never read Robinson Crusoe and do have a copy on my shelf.

Good luck with your April reading.

>88 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. I've also read DeFoe's A Journal of the Plague Year, which was also surprisingly readable AND relatable--I think I liked that one a little better. But Crusoe has more action and we had a great discussion at book club about it--I think everyone was glad they read it.

>84 kac522: I have not read these, but I will say I've read LOTS by Josephine Tey. I've never not liked a Tey.

>90 ReneeMarie: Good to know, Renee. The only one I've read is Daughter of Time, which I did enjoy. My mom was a big Tey fan and I have a few others on my shelf picked up at library sales, so I'm looking forward to it. Plus the AlphaKit letters this month are P & J, so it fits perfectly ;)

>91 kac522: Daughter of Time *is* my favorite.

Kathy, I enjoy learning what you are reading. WOW! What a lot of wonderful books! I see you read a lot of Thomas Hardy. I commend you. I find his writing difficult, but worth the journey. All good wishes to you!

>92 ReneeMarie: 👍Definitely a good one.

>93 Whisper1: Thanks for stopping by, Linda. Yes, the Hardy reading has been quite a journey, but I am enjoying it, especially the ones I haven't read before. Of the ones new to me, I think so far I've liked best The Trumpet-Major, historical fiction set during the Napoleonic era, and Two on a Tower, featuring an astronomer. This month's book is another one new to me, The Woodlanders, which I hear is a favorite for some.

I'm a little apprehensive of reading Tess of the D'urbervilles and Jude the Obscure--I read both way back in the 1980s but remember very little of either. One just needs to be prepared for the "misery" in Hardy in order to appreciate the novels.

Happy April, Kathy. April showers, right? Wow. Your classic reads always put's a smile on my face. I am a slacker in that department.

Well, our Cubbies are off to a lackluster start. I know it is early days but I would like to see a little fire. I heard Horton may be hurt? Sighs...

>95 msf59: Morning, Mark. Yeah, pretty wet out there today. We're driving up to Highland Park soon and not looking forward to it.

I've been a slacker as far as the Cubs are concerned...after their first series against the Nationals, I haven't paid much attention. Maybe when we get some baseball weather I'll be more inspired.

What's on the May pile?

Lots, as usual....

Completed
Audiobook: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, read by the author
When the Cranes Fly South, Lisa Ridzen, translated from the Swedish by Alice Menzies
The Eye of Love, Marjorie Sharp
Five Days in London May 1940, John Lukacs (audiobook)

Currently Reading
Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
Lost on the Lady Elgin, Valerie van Heest--MUST finish this in May
History Matters, David McCullough--just purchased this month and loving it
All Thing Wise and Wonderful, James Herriot--reading a chapter or two between other books, so a slow read

Priorities
LIBRARY BOOKS! I have way too many and I need to get these read:
Deborah, Esther Singer Kreitman

For Challenges:
South Riding, Winifred Holtby (for the DecadesCAT--the 30s)
Crooked Cross, Sally Carson (for the DecadesCAT--the 30s--set in Nazi Germany)--fairly new Persephone reprint from 1934
Rules of Civility, Amor Towles (Color/CoverKIT--turquoise/jewelry and DecadesCAT--set in the 30s)
Tender is the Night, F Scott Fitzgerald (DecadesCAT--the 30s and for my RL Book club)
Anne of Ingleside, L M Montgomery--next in the Anne series & published in 1939, so fits 30s DecadesCAT)

For my Author Challenges:
They Were Sisters, Dorothy Whipple
The American Senator, Anthony Trollope

If time permits...
Three Blind Mice, Agatha Christie
The Trees, Conrad Richter--a book recommended in David McCullough's History Matters

And possibly start The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy (3 novels & 2 novellas), which I plan to read over the summer.

Any you loved here?

>97 kac522: I really liked Braiding Sweetgrass, and When the Cranes Fly South was good as well. I read the Fitzgerald so long ago, I don't have an opinion. I just think none of his novels are as good as The Great Gatsby.

>98 BLBera: Thanks, Beth--I'm almost done with Braiding Sweetgrass and it has been an excellent experience. I'm listening to the author read her book on audio and she has a calm, comforting voice that matches so well with her own words. I'm looking forward to When the Cranes Fly South based on so many positive thoughts here. I'm an outlier on The Great Gatsby since I didn't like it all that much, so I'm not particularly looking forward to another Fitzgerald. But I DNF'd the last book for our book club, so feel I can't skip this one.

>97 kac522: I've read a LOT of Montgomery, so it's fair to say I love her stuff. I own the Ridzen but haven't read it yet. The book is blurbed by Backman, and I love his books.

I read The Trees by Richter for my former historical fiction book group. I own the other two books in the trilogy, too, but haven't read them yet. Possibly partly because there's something that happens in the first book that I found a little traumatizing. No spoilers, though.

>100 ReneeMarie: I read the first couple Anne books years ago, but have lately reading all of them in order. Some are definitely better than others; I really enjoyed Anne's House of Dreams, but felt Anne of Windy Poplars wasn't as interesting.

Thanks for the warning about The Trees; if I enjoy it, I'll go on with the trilogy.

April reading wrap-up:


❤️31. The Gipsy in the Parlour, Margery Sharp (1953); fiction

Our narrator is a young girl from London (never named) who spends her summers in the early 1870s with her aunts and uncles on their large Devonshire farm. The uncles are the four Sylvester brothers: handsome but mostly silent. Three of the brothers are married to big, blonde, formidable countrywomen who effectively run the household. Our narrator becomes a special favorite of the aunts, even though they are sometimes blunt or gruff in their ways. The equilibrium in the household is turned upside-down when the youngest brother, Stephen, shows up unexpectedly with his bride-to-be. Fanny--slim, dark-haired and sophisticated--has arrived to get married, but suddenly becomes ill, goes into a "decline" and takes over the family's parlour as she languishes on the sofa. The Sylvester household will never be the same.

This started out slowly but ended up being delightful, with clever writing and dialogue. The narration is many years after the fact, with many insights (and hindsights). The men are very much in the background, but the women in this book are complex and interesting characters. Sharp also employs an unusual dialect for the aunts and uncles, which adds a certain charm to the narration. At first I wasn't sure where the story was going, but about half-way through it picked up quite a bit and I'm glad I stuck with it, as it ends to everyone's satisfaction.


32. Chicago History, Spring 1995, Volume XXIV, Number 1, Rosemary Adams, ed. (1995);
and
33. Chicago History, Spring 1996, Volume XXV, Number 1, Rosemary Adams, ed. (1996)

Chicago History is the quarterly journal published by the Chicago Historical Society. I have quite a few of these issues picked up through the years, and focused on two unread “Spring” issues to meet the Reading Through Time April Challenge theme of “Spring.”

The Spring 1995 issue featured 3 articles:
--"Chicago and the Rise of Brewery Architecture" by Susan K. Appel, which described the "golden age" of American brewery architecture. From the end of the Civil War until Prohibition, brewery architecture required certain engineering and technical knowledge of brewing. Chicago, because of its central location and railroad hub attracted a large number of these architects who designed projects throughout the United States and Canada. I thought the article was well-done and clear, following the history from the earliest men to the Prohibition era, when breweries were no longer being built.
--"The Past and the Promise" by Olivia Mahoney is a history in photographs and short descriptions of the Douglas/Grand Boulevard neighborhood in Chicago on the near South Side. Named for Stephen Douglas, who owned much of the land in the area, this later became the famous "Black Belt" of Chicago, sometimes called Bronzeville. I thought this was the most interesting of the articles, particularly because of the archival photographs and the detailed background to each.
--"Friendless Foundlings and Homeless Half-Orphans" by Joan Gittens is an excerpt from her book Poor Relations: The Children of the State in Illinois (1818-1990. This excerpt focuses on the orphaned and homeless children in the 19th century in Illinois. The article included devastating photographs of destitute children and descriptions appalling conditions and attitudes. However I had a hard time following it because it didn't seem to follow any particular structure and was not organized in any order. I think because it was an excerpt from a larger work, it didn't feel cohesive or logically put together. It was the longest article in this issue and the one I felt I got the least out of, except for the photographs. They told more of the story than the text did.

The Spring 1996 issue had 3 articles and all were about Abraham Lincoln:
--A history of the February 1909 Centennial celebration of the 100th anniversary of Lincoln's birth across the U.S.
--A photo essay of Lincoln memorabilia acquired by the Chicago Historical Society, from his death through 1995.
--Finally, a description of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates was my favorite article. These debates were in 1858 for U.S. Senator from Illinois between challenger Abraham Lincoln and incumbent Stephen Douglas, and occurred in several localities throughout the state. The article focused on them as events: how they were organized, who came and how they got there, and descriptions of the crowds, using newspaper accounts and personal memoirs as source material. Needless to say, it was a far cry from our controlled TV debates of today! Although Lincoln lost the Senate election, the debates helped make him a national figure.


34. Les Miserable, Victor Hugo; translated from the French by Christine Donougher (1862); fiction

I started reading this in January and finished in early April. I feel completely incompetent to give this novel justice, but is much, much more than ex-convict Jean Valjean being chased by policeman Javert and the side romance of Marius and Cosette. Set in France circa 1815-1833, everything in this book is grounded in French history, particularly the long-term effects of the French Revolution. It is the story of the miserables--those who are abandoned by society that even the law treats unfairly.

I did love the beginning section featuring the Bishop's story, but once he leaves the plot I was less engaged, although he does over-shadow Jean Valjean's choices and actions for the rest of the book. On my own, I would not have understood much of the significance of this masterpiece without the help of The Les Miserables Reading Companion podcast
( https://sites.google.com/view/readlesmis/home-menu ), a series of 60 episodes, which goes chapter by chapter, explaining the themes, subtle meanings in the original French, historical & political backgrounds and author's background as reflected in the text. Overall I am glad I read it, slowly, and with help. I think I can say I appreciated what Hugo was trying to do more than I loved it.


35. A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett (1905); children’s fiction

Although I read The Secret Garden, I never read anything else by Frances Hodgson Burnett as a child. This book is about Sara Crewe, who has lived a comfortable life in India and is brought to England by her father for school. Sara is very good and very smart; she is given special notice by the headmistress Miss Minchin because of her wealth. But life for Sara changes when her father dies, her wealth is gone and she becomes a charity pupil.

I think if I had read this as a child I would have liked A Little Princess more than The Secret Garden, but as an adult I found Sara too perfect and the story too unbelievable. I re-read The Secret Garden a couple of years ago, and while not perfect, I think it has more interesting and realistic characters, as well as the wonderful descriptions of the garden. Both stories have Hodgson Burnett's "Magic" theme, which is more expanded in The Secret Garden.


❤️36. John Caldigate, Anthony Trollope (1879); fiction

John Caldigate, lured by gold, goes to Australia to make his fortune. His long sea voyage is made easy by a new acquaintance, Mrs. Smith. Some years later, Caldigate returns to England, having made money and sold his interest in a gold mine. He marries the girl of his dreams, but is soon confronted with accusations of dishonesty and bigamy by old "friends" from the gold mines. The rest of the story is John's legal issues & trial, how it affects his marriage and the importance of a postage stamp.

This was quite a fast-paced novel, almost sensational in its tone. The descriptions of mining in Australia when John arrives, were fascinating, and were based on Trollope's own experience visiting Australia's mines. However, we're used to Trollope letting us in on the true details of a story, but in this novel Trollope gives us few particulars of John's latter years in the mines, and we must learn them slowly as our other characters learn them. This was a bit frustrating because it was so unlike Trollope's normal story-telling, but certainly keeps the reader turning pages! John was not particularly likable as a young man, but I think he does gain wisdom as he ages. The character I loved was John's father, Mr Caldigate, who slowly comes to respect and appreciate his son. I had a hard time, though, with Mrs Bolton, the mother of John's wife, who was unbending in her religious beliefs. Overall, a solid Trollope novel, with many interesting bits and a few frustrating ones.


37. Miss Pym Disposes, Josephine Tey (1946); mystery

I wasn't engaged in this girls' school story, so for me it took too long (nearly 3/4 of the book!) to finally get to the mystery and by that time I had lost interest. And the resolution wasn't clear (at least to me), which I found frustrating, although I admit true mystery fans might find it intriguing.


38. The Woodlanders, Thomas Hardy (1887); fiction

Grace Melbury, the daughter of a local timber dealer, returns from boarding school. Years before she and the local apple farmer, Giles Winterborne, had pledged themselves to each other. But her father, who spent considerable money to send her away to improve her station, is not completely happy with this choice. When Winterborne is essentially ruined, Grace catches the fancy of the new doctor in town, Edred Fitzpiers, a highly educated man with noble lineage. Encouraged by her father, Grace agrees to marry Fitzpiers, though there are signs that he has a roving eye.

I don't know how to review this novel--I feel like I need to read it again to do it justice. I know there are some who consider this their favorite Hardy novel. But from the very beginning the novel had a feeling of doom for me. There are lovely descriptions of the woodlands and as always some interesting local characters. But for me Giles & another character, Marty South, are portrayed as too good, too true and too loyal to be believed. Grace, on the other hand, is portrayed as indecisive and inconstant, despite all the pressures, both internal and external, that are put upon her. I disliked Hardy's attitude toward Grace, but I’m finding that Hardy never seems to portray a main female character that we (or more accurately, Hardy himself) can trust.


39. Cross Channel, Julian Barnes (1996); short stories

A set of 10 short stories about Brits in France. Most were forgettable. The only one where I truly felt engaged was "Evermore", about an elderly British woman who makes the trip to France every year to visit her brother's WWI grave in a British cemetery in northern France. Her memories of her brother, of the war, and of her life dedicated to his memory was the most moving story in the collection for me.


40. The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton (1905); fiction

Lily Bart is 29 years old, with a lovely face, aristocratic ambitions but no fortune to support her glamorous New York life-style. Marriage is her only option, but every time an eligible man seems to materialize, Lily backs out. As her debts mount, her desperation only causes her to become shunned by the very people that she wishes to impress. We watch as Lily constantly weighs her ambitions vs. ethical behavior.

I tried to like Lily Bart, but I had a hard time with it. I understand what Wharton was doing--exposing the shallow and meaningless society, and how even those with sometimes good intentions are caught up in the rat race. It's beautifully written, but it is a story doomed from the beginning.

June Reading Plans

I've been participating in the DecadesCAT Challenge in the 2026 Category Challenge Group. Each month the challenge is to read a book from a specific decade (20s, 30s, 40s, etc.). The decade can be from any century (i.e., the 20s could be 2021 or 1922 or 1823 or 1724, etc.). This month, June, is an "open" challenge, meaning you can choose whatever decade you want.

I've decided to create a mini-challenge for myself: to read one book from all ten decades for the month of June. Since I average about 10 titles per month, I think this is doable. I've come up with 10 "primary" titles (mostly those that meet other challenges), one for each decade, and an alternative for each decade, to give myself some mood and wiggle room.

Here's my current list of 10 proposed reads for June and 10 alternates, listed by decade, with a BIG caveat that it's all subject to change!:

00s: The Man Who Was Thursday, G. K. Chesterton (1908) OR A Man of Property, John Galsworthy (1906) (first book in the Forsyte Saga)
10s: This is Happiness, Niall Williams (2019) OR Lost on the Lady Elgin, V van Heest (2010)
20s: Open the Door!, Catherine Carswell (1920) OR History Matters, David McCullough (2025)
30s: Anne of Ingleside, L. M. Montgomery (1939) OR Faster! Faster!, E. M. Delafield (1936)
40s: They Were Sisters, Dorothy Whipple (1943) OR The Trees, Conrad Richter (1940)
50s: Troy Chimneys, Margaret Kennedy (1953) OR Three Blind Mice, Agatha Christie (1950)
✔️60s: The Johnstown Flood, David McCullough (1968) OR✔️Martha in Paris, Margery Sharp (1962)
✔️70s: ✔️The American Senator, Anthony Trollope (1877) OR The Innocents, Margery Sharp (1972)
80s: Marion Fay, Anthony Trollope (1882) OR A Writer's Eye, Paul Horgan (1988)
90s: The Well-Beloved, Thomas Hardy (1892) OR Through Connemara in a Governess Cart, E. Somerville & V. M. Ross (1893)

I have no planned order of reading (besides library due dates) except to alternate short/easy with long/hard books, which I do every month.

If you've read any of these, let me know! These are all new to me except The Johnstown Flood, which I am re-reading for my RL book club on audio.

May Reading Wrap-up:


❤️41. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer (2015); on audiobook, read by the author; nonfiction, biology, ecology, Native Americans

This is a wonderful combination of memoir, Native American culture, biology and ecology, all told in a poetic prose. Robin Wall Kimmerer is a professor of environmental biology and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. The nature writing is outstanding. It was especially lovely to listen to her read the book; her voice is soft and calming and perfectly reflected the respect for nature she was conveying.

I was a little confused by the structure; it sort of rambled from one topic to another. And some of it is repetitive when emphasizing the philosophies of native cultures. But these are minor bits. Her message is important and needs to be read by all Americans.


42. When the Cranes Fly South, Lisa Ridzén, translated from the Swedish by Alice Menzies (2025); fiction

Bo is in his late 80s, living alone with his beloved dog and has a rotation of caretakers to help with everyday tasks. His wife is institutionalized with dementia. His son Hans visits occasionally and attempts to manage his father's care. The story is told in alternating parts of caretaker's notes and Bo's thoughts, dreams and memories. When his son suggests that Bo can no longer care properly for his dog, tensions rise and Bo begins to give up hope.

This was a realistic but emotional book. I sometimes felt manipulated, but I suppose it's just the content. Plus I don't understand why they didn't just hire somebody to walk the dog?? Oh well, then there wouldn't be a story.


❤️43. The Eye of Love, Margery Sharp (1957): fiction

It's 1932 and 9-year-old Martha is an orphan living with her middle-aged aunt, Miss Dolores Diver. Martha and Miss Diver get on well, although Martha is generally quiet and undemonstrative. Miss Diver has a devoted gentleman friend of 10 years, Mr Harry Gibson, a 50-something bachelor furrier, who visits often and has paid for the lease on Miss Diver's residence. When Mr Gibson's mother insists he consider marrying the wealthy Miranda Joyce, Mr Gibson reluctantly agrees, seeing the advantages of combining his business with the business of Miranda's father. How all is handled by Miss Diver, Mr Gibson and Martha follows.

I love Margery Sharp's writing--every sentence is a whimsical delight. When a librarian pushes too many books on Martha, our author provides this aside: "Interferingness--an adult vice." Martha will go on to teach herself drawing, while the adults work out the logistics of living and loving. Just a fun story, and the first in a trilogy.


44. Five Days in London, May 1940, John Lukacs (1999); on audiobook read by Ralph Cosham; nonfiction; WWII

This covers May 24-28, 1940, when Lukacs contends that new PM Winston Churchill coalesced the War Cabinet to support fighting the Nazis to the bitter end. Prior to these days Neville Chamberlain (the former PM) and Lord Halifax were somewhat leaning toward settling with Hitler. Lukacs uses notes, correspondence, memoirs and other official materials to tell the story of the relationship of these 3 men, their personalities, backgrounds and motives. He also spends time relating public opinion at the time from sources such as writers, other statesmen, local newspapers and the Mass-Observation reports that gathered public opinion.

This was probably too detailed for me and my ignorance of the men and times made it more difficult for me to understand the significance of Lukacs' research. However, I still enjoyed and appreciated his ability to describe each of the main players and their interactions with each other. I particularly enjoyed the public opinion parts of each chapter, and now have several other sources to follow-up about this period, including Nella's Last War by Nella Last, England's Hour by Vera Brittain and The Oaken Heart by Margery Allingham.

One drawback was that the audiobook narration by Ralph Cosham was uninspired, and it was difficult to tell when a footnote ended and the narrative resumed. Since Lukacs' footnotes were long, I think the book might have worked better for me if I had read it; I did consult it sometimes while listening and when the narration seemed confused.


45. Tess of the D'Urbervilles : a Pure Woman, Thomas Hardy (1891); fiction

Tess Durbeyfield, 16, is the daughter of a poor laborer/haggler who is prone to drink. When her father is told by a local clergyman that he is a descendant of the aristocratic D'Urberville family, Tess is urged by her parents to visit the newly arrived D'Urbervilles, comprised of a widow and her son, the heir. Not long after beginning employment with Mrs. D'Urberville, Tess becomes constantly harassed by the son, Alec, and within weeks is pregnant. She returns to her family to escape his abuses, eventually bearing a child that soon dies. From this point Tess's fate slowly declines because her "sin" has marked her forever in the eyes of society.

I believe I read this in the 1970s, but didn't remember much except some basic plot lines. Certainly one of the most poetic of Hardy's novels, one can feel the inevitable doom from the beginning. Although I felt great sympathy for Tess, I felt that Hardy was only partially in her corner. There are very few examples of Tess's own thoughts and feelings; we hear them all (except for several letters) from the narrator's perspective. Her "fall" is inevitable in Hardy's view, because she is part of "Nature" and therefore subject to the natural laws of sex and desire. Men are not accountable because they are only acting with their own natural instincts, and it is society, in its judgment, that is flawed. I found this reading torturous and was glad to be done with it.


❤️46. The Foolish Gentlewoman, Margery Sharp (1948); fiction

It is 1946 and Mrs Isabel Brocken, an elderly childless widow, returns to her large home in suburban London. Living with her are her nephew Humphrey, a WWII Australian vet; her household help Jacqueline Brown; and Mrs Poole the cook and her teen-aged daughter Grace. Newly arrived to live with Isabel is her late husband's brother, Simon Brocken, a curmudgeonly solicitor and manager of Isabel's affairs, who needs temporary lodging while his bombed home is being repaired. This assorted crew learn to get along reasonably well, mostly due to Isabel's excellent handling of all the diverse personalities. But Isabel is troubled by a wrong that she did to her distant relative Tilly Cuff more than 30 years ago, and Isabel is contemplating how to atone for it. Against her brother-in-law's advice, Isabel invites Tilly to stay; but the peaceful household will never be the same.

Margery Sharp is a sort of mid 20th century mix of Jane Austen, Barbara Pym and E. M. Delafield. Her writing is intelligent, witty and just plain interesting. Her characterizations are always multi-faceted: even characters that seem unlikeable have some redeeming qualities. This book was quite the page-turner for me: I finished it in 2 days. I was a bit puzzled with the ending; it was anticlimactic, to say the least, but I think that was the point. It was reflecting the feeling of those post-war times, when returning men & women from the service were not sure what they'll do next, jobs were scarce, rationing was still in force and the social order was rapidly changing. After thinking about it for awhile, it was the right ending for the times.


❤️47. South Riding, Winifred Holtby (1936 post.); fiction

Set in southeast Yorkshire in 1933-34, this is a sprawling book about a mostly rural area and the challenges of economic and social pressures between the wars. There's a 6 page character list at the beginning of the book, which was most useful. The novel is divided into sections that are titled with areas of concern for the community: Education, Highways and Bridges, Public Health, Housing and Town Planning, etc. Each section follows people of the town involved or impacted by these areas, including poor folk, rich folk, men out to make money and men with ulterior motives.

Although filled with characters, the story concentrates on 3 people: Sarah Burton, the new headmistress of the girls' high school, just come from London with socialist ideas; Robert Carne, a conservative gentry farmer trying to keep his family's many-generations' farm afloat; and Mrs Beddows, the first (and only) woman alderman on the local council. There are parallels to some 19th century classics, like Middlemarch (the large cast and focus on one community) and Jane Eyre (the electric relationship between Miss Burton & Carne), with 20th century sensibilities.

Holtby knew she was dying as she wrote, and finished the last chapter just a month before she died. Her good friend Vera Brittain edited and had the novel published. A sweeping story of the 1930s that I know I need to read again to fully appreciate.


❤️48. Crooked Cross, Sally Carson (1934); fiction

This book tells the story of the Kluger family (father, mother and 3 adult children) from December 1932 to Summer 1933. The family, like many in their small southern German town, are barely making ends meet. Only the daughter Lexa, age 20, is working; father and the 2 sons have been out of work for some time, but recently Helmy has joined the Nazi party and is finally feeling a sense of purpose. His brother Erich will soon follow. Lexa is engaged to Moritz Weissmann, son of a Jewish father and Catholic mother and is employed as a doctor. They are waiting for a promotion for Moritz to finalize their wedding plans. The book follows the family and their friends through Summer 1933 as tensions rise outside and inside the family circle.

This is an amazing and unbelievably prophetic story of one average family during Hitler's rise to power. The characterizations and tense family dynamics kept me riveted to the story.

Author Sally Carson, British, was on an extended visit to friends in Bavaria during this time and began writing the novel in Germany and later finished it in England before its publication in 1934. It received solid reviews when released but has been long out of print until Persephone republished it in 2025. Carson went on to write two more books following the Kluger family into 1936. Sadly, Sally Carson died of cancer in 1941, never to see the fall of Nazism.