RebaRelisheReading again in 2026 - part 4

In past years I started my threads with a little bit about myself but with the latest changes to LT that info is pretty much covered elsewhere. I will just say that I've been happily married to my "Hubby" for almost 38 years. I'm a retired city planner/assistant city manager. I love to travel and have been fortunate to do a lot of it in my life. I was born and raised in Los Angeles but have lived in Tempe, AZ (grad school), 1 year Stamford, Conn, 1 year U.K., 2 years Ireland, and 7 years in the Netherlands. After that I moved back to California and lived there until 5 1/2 years ago when we moved to Vancouver, Washington.

I've been a member of LT for 17 years and love it for many reasons. Not only do I find many wonderful reading ideas here but I also enjoy interacting with fellow readers regularly on-line and, sometimes, even in person. Nearly every morning the first thing I do is make myself a pot of tea and log on to find out what's going on with my friends here. Thanks to you all for enriching my life.

2026 Reading

January
1. The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick***1/2
2. Persuasion by Jane Austen*****
3. Clear by Carys Davies *****
4. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw**
5. An Enemy in the Village by Martin Walker****
6. A Simple Story by Elizabeth Inchbald*****
7. The Paris Bookseller by Keri Maher****
8. Evensong by Stewart O'Nan*****
9. Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler**1/2
10. Memories of a Cottage by the Sea by Rebecca Alexander***
11. Belinda by Maria Edgeworth *****
12. True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Anne Darling**

February
13. Last Days of Cafe Leila by Donia Bijan*****
14. my grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry by Fredrik Backman***** (reread)
15. The Old Manor House by Charlotte Smith****
16. The Female Quixote by Charlotte Lennox DNF**
17. Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K. Jerome***1/2 (audio)

March
18. Call the Nurse by Mary J. McLeod (audio) ****
19. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi*****
20. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell*** (audio)
21. Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah (audio) ****
22. The Sweet Taste of Muscadines by Pamela Terry (audio) *****
23. The Worlds of Jane Austen by Helena Kelly ****
24. Nurse, Come You Here by Mary J. MacLeod***(audio)
25. Emmeline. The Orphan of the Castle by Charlotte Smith ****

April
26. Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley ****
27. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen **** (reread)
28. Cecilia by Frances Burney ****

May
29. The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O'Brien**1/2
30. The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung***1/2
31 An Enemy in the Village by Martin Walker **** (audio) partial re-read

June
32. Evelina by Frances Burney ***
33. The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout ****
34. In the Woods by Tana French ***1/2 (audio)
35. The Queen's of Crime by Marie Benedict ***1/2
36. A Murder in Springtime by Martin Walker *** (audio)

July
37. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen*****
38. Whistler by Ann Patchett ****1/2
39. The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow ****

Happy new thread, Reba.

>1 RebaRelishesReading: This year is my 60th birthday and Hani and I have been married 31 years. I am proud that, in this age when divorce is considered the norm rather than the exception, my brother, my sister and myself have all had marriages that have lasted. Peter got married 6 months after I did and Julie three years or so behind him.

Happy new thread, Reba!

From your last one... I'm glad that essay helped you appreciate MP. I believe it came out shortly after I had finished a re-read of the novel, and as you said, it really deepened the understanding of it.

>4 katiekrug: What Katie said! I'm glad the articles were helpful.

I didn't think much of Mansfiled Park the first time I read it, and looking back at my LT review I see that the second time around I had a much more positive impression.

Happy new thread, Reba. You've done some great reading so far this year. I hope you continue to find good ones!

Happy new thread, Reba!

Good morning everyone! How nice to be greeted by friends as I start my morning tea and LT :). Thanks for being here Paul, Katie, Laura, Beth and Jim.

So...I've decided to read Whistler next. I've had it a little longer than Land, it's a little shorter and ... it was on the top of the stack.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Reba!

Happy New Thread, Reba!

Thank you Mary, Rhonda, Ella and Deborah!! Hope you're all having a fine day.

New-thread orisons, Reba!

Happy new thread, and Happy 4th!

Hello Reba, and happy newest thread.

>1 RebaRelishesReading: Except that I make a pot of coffee and transfer it to a warmed thermos instead of making a pot of tea, I also check LT first thing to find out what’s going on and like now, occasionally get caught up on threads that I’ve been dismally behind on.

I’ve been enjoying the discussion of Jane Austen and her books. Bill and I recently watched many of the movies and series of her novels, plus Love and Friendship (based on Lady Susan.

I read about your husband's health issues and hope that he's home and improving every day.

Enjoy Whistler!

Happy new thread, Reba!

>14 richardderus: Thank you, Sir :)

>15 mstrust: and, thank you, Jennifer

>16 karenmarie: I have tried to learn to drink coffee -- especially in my years in Europe because there it tends to just appear after dinner with the expectation that, of course, you want it. I've never managed to get more than one swallow per try down my throat!! Tea on the other hand is one of God's gifts to humankind :)

Thank you for your kind wises re my husband. I'm, afraid, however that, so far, he isn't improving at all.

>17 BLBera:, >18 quondame: Welcome Beeth and Susan. Lovely to see you.

I've spent much of today reading Whistler -- and loving it. It's a beautiful sunny 78/25 degree day outside and I probably should move to the deck but I'm too comfortable to bother :).

>20 RebaRelishesReading: It's a beautiful sunny 78/25 degree day outside

*voodoo dolly kit comes out*

How lovely for you! *kitten sacrifices commence* I am so very pleased to hear SOMEone's having lovely, temperate weather!

Happy new thread, Reba, and happy 4th!

>19 RebaRelishesReading: I can't get myself to like coffee, Reba. I have tried pour over, a couple of latte's , A and W Coffee, Starbucks, but nope.

Happy 4th of July.

>21 richardderus: Don't blame you, Richard. That really was mean of me.

>22 atozgrl:. Thank you Irene -- hope your fourth was well celebrated.

>23 vancouverdeb: Ah, fellow coffee disliker :). Do you like tea?

Whistler by Ann Patchett ****1/2

So many great reviews have been posted that I won't add to them. I will say, to those who are put off by the horse on the cover, take the dust jacket off and put it away and then just enjoy the wonderful book!!

(I think the cover is attractive to look at but it is definitely not what I would choose to represent the book with)

>25 RebaRelishesReading: The jacket illustration is very 1953 to me, stoutly in the horsegirl story genre. Feels odd with what reviews are saying about the book, but it's not off-putting to me. Seems odd to me that people find it more triggering than either of us seem to.

>19 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, is anyone coming to the home to do PT or OT with your husband? Rehab takes different lengths of time for different folks, especially when the problem is emotionally charged. I hope he can rally soon.

>26 richardderus: It seems it's folks who don't like stories about horses who are put off (and it would make a great cover for a book about a horse) -- but it isn't that AT ALL... maybe she chose the cover to generate more "buzz" ??

>27 ffortsa: Both are coming actually and he had both at the rehab. There has only been one home appointment each so far (but then this is just day 4). The PT helped him after his serious fall 1 1/2 years ago. I was impressed with him then and hope he can make a big difference now. He had no OT after the fall so this therapist is new but I was impressed with her on her visit Thursday. Both of those visits were mostly "intake" though. I'm hoping the real therapy will make a big difference. Of course if I can get him to do what they "prescribe" it would help :(

>28 RebaRelishesReading: "maybe she chose the cover to generate more "buzz" ??
It's unlikely that she chose the cover art, and she may not even have had control over the title...although she is a writer of considerable stature, and her publishers probably take her input into account, the marketing decisions that go into those choices are often incomprehensible to author and reader alike.

>29 laytonwoman3rd:, >28 RebaRelishesReading: It's odder now I know it's not a horseful tale of horse riding and majestically saddling up one's horse to steeplechase across the horse meadows of life before coming to rest in the Winners' Circle covered in flowers. Cuz that's what I'm gettin'.

I didn't care for Whistler unfortunately, Reba and I admit that the cover put me off, but once I read all the good reviews , decided to try it. But. Oh well!

>28 RebaRelishesReading: In her talk, Patchett talked about the fact that she likes to hand in a cover with her completed manuscript so she gets the cover she wants. The artist who did The Dutch House also did the cover for Whistler. I think the Whistler story is important in the book and after reading it, I see why she chose it. Her publisher did push back, saying people who don't like horse stories would be put off. :)

I hope your husband improves with therapy, Reba.

>28 RebaRelishesReading: I'm glad they are coming. Maybe their opinions will matter to him. Hard to get some people to eat their spinach.

>29 laytonwoman3rd: I don't know whether she chose the cover or not, Linda, but apparently she took credit in some of her recent public appearances.

>30 richardderus: So you aren't going to read it then, eh Richard?

>31 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah. Well, that's why there are lots of books to choose from, right? We don't all like the same thing.

>32 BLBera: Interesting -- we do all seem to spend a lot of time talking and thinking about the horse. I didn't find that thread to be important to the story at all...but maybe I'm missing something.

>33 ffortsa: Indeed, Judy, indeed.

I spent much of last evening listening to my latest Audio book: The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow. (This isn't the story that is on Brit Box). I'm so glad Mary is finally getting some attention and, so far, I prefer the one on Audible to Brit Box.

So far, Hubby is still asleep so I have a quiet house to myself but I do need to use some of this time to tackle the VERY long list of phone calls I need to make :(

>35 RebaRelishesReading: I didn't realize the book and TV series were different, but just Googled this to understand the differences. I've seen the TV series, and I think I'd prefer the book's storyline and character development.

>36 lauralkeet: I agree. I've watched, and enjoyed, the TV series but I like Mary's personal growth in the book. I have 6 hours of listening left and really hope to get back to it (and my knitting) this afternoon when Hubby goes to bed.

>34 RebaRelishesReading: I think it's unlikely when I've got SO.MANY.BOOKS. already on the Kindle. Gotta keep my influx slowing down or I'll die with more books unread than the public library still has by 2105. (My childhood ambition was to vote against conservatives in three centuries.)

>37 RebaRelishesReading: I really hated the way Mrs Bennet was portrayed in the TV series. It was just too over the top harsh, and made me cringe. In general, I felt like the whole series was very drawn out and could have been done in fewer episodes. And then I heard they're doing a 3-part Christmas special. No ... just no.

>38 richardderus: Since I'm pretty sure you weren't born in the 19th century that seems pretty unlikely lol

>39 lauralkeet: Actually I was fine with it -- I think she was as over-the-top as could be...also wished it could have gone on and gone. I'm shaking my head while writing that because I usually am so in agreement with you. I'm nearing the end of The Other Bennet Sister and the TV series clearly is based on the book -- there are some significant differences though plus the book is more able to describe changes in Mary's self -worth than the TV series did/could.

I will definitely be watching the Christmas special 😁

>40 RebaRelishesReading: I'll only be 145 in 2105! Surely we'll have eternal youth by 2040!

>42 richardderus: Not sure I'd really want it even if it was possible lol

>25 RebaRelishesReading: I have seen a lot of positivity for Whistler, around the threads and I have added it already to my library, Reba. Land is another already awaiting my attention on the shelves but I will wait to see what makes the Booker longlist before I decide when to read what!

>41 RebaRelishesReading: What's this? A rare difference of opinion?! How strange. 😉
I'm glad you enjoyed it so much, Reba.

>45 lauralkeet: I know!! Most unusual (but I do agree that Mrs. Bennet made me cringe -- she is horrible -- but she was horrible in the Austen books too.)

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow ****

I'm probably rating this one too high but I did so want there to be a book about Mary and so I enjoyed it thoroughly. At first I thought (and incorrectly reported in >35 RebaRelishesReading:) that this was a totally different book from the one portrayed on BritBox but that wasn't correct. The screen writers clearly took some liberties but the basic story is the same and I enjoyed every minute of the book as well as of the series.

>39 lauralkeet: Yeah, Mrs Bennet is a cringeworthy character, in Pride and Prejudice, in The Other Bennet Sister (series), but in the series, there is a softening between Mary and her mother, and it's mostly due to Mary's tact and sensitivity. Mary is a peacemaker, and she is a friend to the outsiders (Mr. Durst, Cousin Collins, even Miss Bingley). She talks to her mother, shares that she realizes how hard it must have been to be looking after five daughters' futures without much help from her husband, and I swear I could see the ice melting in Mrs. Bennet's heart.

I totally loved the series, and thought it was such a nice mix of the old "Pride and Prejudice" and the new. I gasped when I read your take on the series, lauralkeet!

Karen O

>48 klobrien2: Oh dear, you gasped? I'm sorry!! I thought the premise of the series was sound: showing another side of the story than in the original (P&P), and allowing Mary to be a fully formed person. I also really liked the actor who played Mary and thought she did an excellent job. I loved how she grew in the series and both stood up to and sympathized with her mother. I think my issues with the series might have more to do with screenwriter/director/producer decisions. For example, Mrs Bennet should be cringeworthy up to a point but I felt like they made her truly hateful.