Lunacat's Log Take 2

Take two on the threads. To see other reviews, and reading for the first 3 months, please see previous thread http://www.librarything.com/topic/51592







End of March reads

35. Nothing But Blue Skies by Tom Holt
36. Middlemarch by George Eliot
37. The Queen's Bastard by Robin Maxwell
38. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
39. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
40. Freedom's Landing by Anne McCaffrey
41. Freedom's Choice by Anne McCaffrey

April reads

42. Freedom's Challenge by Anne McCaffrey
43. World War Z by Max Brooks (reread)
44. Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K. Jerome
45. Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin
46. Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly
47. The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer
48. The Marsh King's Daughter by Elizabeth Chadwick
49. The Clothes They Stood Up In and The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett
50. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
51. Magic Kingdom For Sale - Sold by Terry Brooks

May reads

52. The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir
53. The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones
54. Pagan's Exile by Catherine Jinks
55. Morality Play by Barry Unsworth

Heeey! We both started a new thread on the same day :)
(I'm really just leaving a comment so I can have this thread on "your posts" you'll excuse me the uselessness of said comment :P)

Books read up to now:

1. Royal Road to Fotheringay by Jean Plaidy
2. The Captive Queen of Scots by Jean Plaidy
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
4. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
5. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
6. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
7. The Sunne In Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman
8. The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
9. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
10. The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia A. McKillip
11. Heir of Sea and Fire by Patricia A. McKillip
12. Harpist in the Wind by Patricia A. McKillip
13. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
14. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
15. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
16. I Die, But the Memory Lives On by Henning Mankell
17. The Drowned World by J. G. Ballard
18. Company of Liars by Karen Maitland
19. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
20. The Stone Raft by José Saramago
21. Three Hearts & Three Lions by Poul Anderson
22. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
23. The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay
24. Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson
25. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
26. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
27. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
28. The BFG by Roald Dahl
29. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
30. The Accidental Sorcerer by K. E. Mills
31. Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper
32. Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
33. He, She and It by Marge Piercy
34. The Girls by Lori Lansens

I found you and starred the new thread. Welcome to the two thread gang.

Reviews pending:

35. Nothing But Blue Skies by Tom Holt
36. Middlemarch by George Eliot
37. The Queen's Bastard by Robin Maxwell
38. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
39. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
40. Freedom's Landing by Anne McCaffrey
41. Freedom's Choice by Anne McCaffrey

Hi there, I have heard good things about Anne McCaffrey, will be interested to see what you make of the two books you have read from her.

Luna, I wonder if you adore McKillip as much as I do? Her writing just leaves me breathless....

McKillip definitely writes lyrical prose. I enjoy her a lot too, Severn.

Looking forward to your Anne McCaffrey reviews as I have a few Acorna and Freedom books on my tbr pile.

I promise to keep coming back if you keep posting pics of the kittens :)

As requested, kittens one week old:

oh how special!

Eyes are open! The sweeties.

awwwww
love the last one, content mother :-)

love the blanket with those cute red flowers, it makes the kittens look like Christmas presents :)

Anita, I thought the same thing when I saw the photo of the mommy.

OK, I'll take them all :)

Aaaaah, the cuteness!!! *gak*

I'm waiting for the 3 week old pictures, when they'll be toddling little bundles of fur--ah, the sweetest age!

#11: How cutieful!! I love them, they are just so adorable! *sighs dreamily*

#19 ronin

does that mean you are refusing to look at the 1week pictures out of principle?

Oh, no, I am looking and enjoying, but I KNOW the cutest is yet to come. I adore the 3-4 week olds. They are no longer sleeping and feeding all the time, and I can sit for hours and watch them starting to play and explore. Perhaps I should have said, I am anticipating the 3-week-old pictures. Do you have a video camera?

#22

Yeah, we do, very old one but we'll definitely do some videoing!

Have a favour to ask................there is some jewelry I want to buy from USA but the shipping to UK is $25 which is extreme for something as small as I want!

So I was wondering if there was anyone who would be willing for me to have them shipped to them and for them to then send it on to me. I would really appreciate it, and the shipping wouldn't be very much as jewelry isn't exactly heavy!

I'll take care of it for you lunacat. Just let me know the details.

The grey kitty is my favorite. I used to have a grey cat named Mouse. Sadly, cats are out of the question for me since so many in my family have allergies.
:(

Sorry for the pic overload and no talk of books, but I'm so smitten with our kittens that I cannot help but share. Tell me if I get too much!!

There's no such thing at too many kitty pictures - they're so adorable!

Those are just about the sweetest little things I've ever seen!! Thanks for sharing.

Curse my cat allergies!!!

Angela

never too much Luna ;-)

Do I see that the grey and the black get some tabby stripes?

Anita

the tiny little feet
the pink tongue
the melt

love the little tongue sticking out of the itsy bitsy mouth.

How will you give them up? Oh, that will be a sad day!

Allergies, schmallergies, I will take them all!

To catch up on reviews etc, the ones for everything I have read and haven't reviewed will be shorter, with no pics and less info! I've become less 'motivated' recently and so I might be slowing down a bit on things.

35. Nothing But Blue Skies by Tom Holt 371 pages

This light hearted fantasy was humourous and a quick read. Karen (an ex dragon) has ended up on Earth as a human thanks to love. Unfortunately, she is struggling with her emotions. And when a dragon gets angry or sad, it rains. For as none of us know, the dragons are in control of the rain.
Thats the basis for this romp. The plot lines are fairly complicated but in an easy to follow way and it is quietly amusing and an easy read.

Don't expect any revelations or dark elements, such as in Good Omens, but the feeling is often the same. Holt hasn't got the talent of Pratchett or Gaiman but he keeps the story going and requires no effort to read.

3.5 out of 5

36. Middlemarch by George Eliot

I listened to this as an audiobook over a few weeks, and definitely feel that this was the way for me to enjoy this. Its the story of a variety of characters, over some time, in and around the 'Middlemarch' area. Mostly it struck me as a soap opera of the 19th century, which lent itself well to listening (or reading) in chapters or 'episodes'.

Most of the people within this were well described and their actions fitted their characters well. I cared about a lot of them, and was interested in how they ended up. My only qualm was that I would have liked a summing up about all the people we had met in the book, as opposed to leaving some of them 'midstream'. However, that did make it feel as though their lives were still going on.

I don't think I would have been able to read this as a book, but listening to it as an audiobook worked well for me.

4 out of 5

#34: I love Middlemarch. Glad you enjoyed it.

37. The Queen's Bastard by Robin Maxwell 431 pages

An interesting and enjoyable Tudor novel, looking at both the lives of both Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, and the idea that she bore him a son. It also looks at that sons life.

Maxwell fairly well puts across the idea of a pregnancy and birth, and the practicalities of such. It is reasonably believeable, and if you put some skepticism on hold then it becomes a possibility. The writing is good for a historical novel, and I really enjoyed both the 'factual' representation of people we know existed, and the 'made up' element of Arthur Dudley and his life. Because of Arthur's life I also got some insight into other elements of Tudor life I didn't previously know about.

If you like historical fiction and specifically the Tudor period, and don't worry too much about facts or believeability then you'll enjoy this. I did.

I would possibly suggest trying to find The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn first as there are a few mentions of it in this book and I would have liked to read that one first.

4 out of 5

#37: Thanks for the review, lunacat, but I am passing on that one. I like facts in my historical fiction, which is why I cannot read Philippa Gregory. I think Whisper will like this one, though, because of her fascination with the Tudor period.

38. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome 336 pages

I was advised to read this before To Say Nothing of the Dog and I'm so glad I did. Following the journey of three Victorian men as they holiday on the water, this was brilliant.

Well written, lighthearted Victorian fun, it had me merrily chuckling through most of it, and reading sections out to whoever I was with. I would recommend this to anyone, it is a classic for a reason! There isn't much more I can say.

5 out of 5

39. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis 512 pages

I knew I wasn't going to be reading something like Doomsday Book but I wasn't expecting it to be as good, just in a different way. This is a far more lighthearted and humourous look at what effects one single person, animal or event can have on the future.

Dotting between the 19th, and the mid 21st century, this is fast paced but with suitable slowing down of plot, and with some truly wonderful characters. I drunk this up and loved every second of it. My only dislike was that I occasionally got confused with how the time travel worked but I'm sure had I not been reading it so fast, I would have understood more! It didn't detract from the overall story though.

Connie Willis is turning into one of my favourite authors.

4.5 out of 5

#37 Stasia

Definitely right in that if you don't like Philippa Gregory, you are highly unlikely to enjoy this. Doesn't sound your kind of thing!

>38 lunacat:: That's a great set of books to read!

lunacat
I read both the Robin Maxwell books and I did enjoy them lots more that Philippa Gregory. I'm ok with historical novels as they are a great way to open doors of interest in learning about the "real" truth of the characters. I like to think I've read all the books about Anne Boleyn that possibly exist. I know this isn't true, but it is a nice dream of mine. It was through a historical novel that I read years ago, that I first became interested in the Tudors.

So many people have raved about Three Men in a Boat that I will try to find this one today when I visit the library.

I hope you enjoy your day with those delightful little baby kittens.

#38: I loved Three Men in a Boat and will be getting to To Say Nothing of the Dog later in the year. I hope I enjoy it as much as you did!

>38 lunacat: Great reviews. I remember being confused while reading To Say Nothing of the Dog because I had no idea what a bird stump was. I read this pre- "all information is available online". Someone eventually found me a picture of a bird stump vase. It wasn't anything like I'd imagined while reading the book.

40. Freedom's Landing by Anne McCaffrey 384 pages

As a non science based, lightweight science fiction novel, I really enjoyed this series. It was just what I needed, escapism without having to think! We start on Barevi, with a human from Earth called Kris, who has escaped from her Catteni owners. She meets a stray Catteni called Zainal, and they both become caught in a roundup of troublemakers and sent to a new planet.

I really liked the depiction of inhabiting the planet and the major problems they had to encounter. It was so interesting, and surprisingly well described. There are also the sci-fi elements of the buildings that they find.

I immediately went onto the second, which is

41. Freedom's Choice 304 pages

In this one, the civilisation is established and the inhabitants of Botany (as the planet has been named) are beginning to stretch their legs, their minds and to use the technology they have been given in order to fight back against their 'captors'.

The plot is again fast paced, the progression of the planet and the further events interesting and thoroughly enjoyable. I won't say too much as it would be a spoiler for the first in the series. It is still good enough for me to immediately want to read the conclusion!

42. Freedom's Challenge 348 pages

Can't say too much about this as I'm very aware of spoilers! However, the residents of Botany are fighting back fiercely.

Whilst this trilogy aren't serious or highbrow sci fi, they are fun, interesting, plot driven and intriguing. The tale of building a community and civilisation is enthralling to read and there is enough 'alien' and space elements to keep any sense of boredom at bay.

I enjoyed these books so much more than I thought I was going to. Don't expect anything that might be considered revolutionary or stunning in the sci fi genre, but they are good, light, genre fiction.

For the trilogy 4 out of 5

>43 VioletBramble:: My grandmother had one. While there may be good examples out there, hers was a truly hideous thing. :-)

Ah, now I am thinking of my beloved grandmother who saved pennies for me in her bird stump vase. Gosh, I never knew it had a name...

I visited her on Saturdays and she would always tell me to check the birdie. There would be enough pennies for me to buy a coloring book, or a chocolate marshmallow peanut sundae at the local drugstore.

Thanks for eliciting these memories. I'll be thinking of her a lot today. She was a factory worker who did not have a lot of money. The .35 cents she saved for me each week was a sacrifice.

Now, I wonder where that bird stump vase is...How I wish I would have kept it.

Stolen from Ronincat: I'll star all the ones I've read!

The BBC apparently believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here:

*1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (audiobook)
*2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
*3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
*4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible
*7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (audiobook)
*8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
*9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
*14. Complete Works of Shakespeare - read some, but not others...
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
*16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
*17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
*19. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
*20. Middlemarch - George Eliot (audiobook)
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
*25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
*30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
*40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
*41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
*46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy.
*48. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
*50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
*51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth.
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
*59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
*63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
*64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
*73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
*74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
*77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt.
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web - EB White
*88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
*90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton-partial
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
*96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

29 read (3 of those audiobooks).....which isn't so bad, and I'm still young! lol

Pass it on if it appeals to you!

Go here for video of the kittens. Its very poor quality as is just on my camera but its something :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n2IQY64Bv4

edited for stupid link, it works now!

Luna, it's saying there's a bad address. What did you label the video? I'll search for it in today's videos, but there are a bunch of other Luna + kitten matches, and none of them are you!

sorry, it should work now. I'm very tired!!

It did. More, more! My gray kitten has a really sweet face.

>34 lunacat: Agree with you on Middlemarch lunacat. I read it last year with the 'Group Reads (Literature)' group and got about half way through the printed version then switched to an audio version and suddenly the book became infinitely more manageable! I think it was Nadia May who narrated the one I listened to.

Another video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlFexdc9YFs

and couple more pics!

Awww they are so adorable! *loves*

I am going to fight Roni for the gray one, lol.

Oh, my, how very precious. They look so healthy, yet so fragile. The tiny black one remains my favorite.

That last video was great! I'm really looking forward to the next few weeks as they reach adorable.

43. World War Z by Max Brooks (342 pages) reread

I couldn't resist reading this again, as I had a kitten asleep on me and it was the only book within my reach. Of course, once I'd started I couldn't stop.

A captivating and terrifying account of how the World deals with a zombie pandemic. Written from eyewitnesses from all walks of life interviewed by a researcher, the writing in terms of making it realistic is sublime. It is SO real and believable, and takes my breath away by the scope and the detail involved, as well as the uniqueness of the many different voices.

If you like realistic novels with a dystopian view but also with hope intertwined, this is for you. And even if you don't, I'd still give it a go. And DON'T be put off by the zombie element, it isn't your typical zombie book.

I stand by my 5 out of 5

#59: That one sounds really interesting. I also love zombie stories, so that's a plus too. :)

It's really good, and for further reading pleasure, there's The Zombie Survival Guide to complete your training!

Oooh I completely forgot about that one, thanks! :D

#56 Stasia,
I think it's going to be a three way fight for the gray kitty!

#59 I read World War Z a month or so ago and really enjoyed it. You're right, it isn't a typical zombie book. It's not at all what one might expect.

#63, #56

Which, the light grey tabby or the pure grey kitten? If the pure grey one you're out of luck as we're keeping her. She's called Mouse. The light grey tabby (little boy) is up for rehoming.

I was referring to the all gray kitty. Mouse is the absolute perfect name!! I may have told you this already, but I once had an all gray cat named Mouse.

44. Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K. Jerome 208 pages

Having read Three Men in a Boat, I was looking forward to reading this by the same author.

Whilst it had moments of laugh out loud funniness, and was refreshingly unpolitically correct when referring to both British and German people, it didn't have the grab or the charm of TMiaB.

If you liked Three Men in a Boat a lot then you might want to give this a try. It is VERY funny at times but the inbetween moments I found my attention wandering slightly. I was mildly pleased when it was finished, despite the enjoyment.

If you only want to read one, I would absolutely recommend Three Men in a Boat as the brilliant classic. This one just didn't match the heights expected.

3.5 out of 5

Query: Can't decide what to read next!! Do I go for historical fiction, sci fi or fantasy? And if you want to be more specific, look under my tags for 'j', and they are the books I have available to me right now!

#64: I was referring to the all gray kitten myself. I love the name Mouse for the kitten.

I'm not looking under your tags, although I will, but in the same vein as Three Men in a Boat and To Say Nothing of the Dog are both Bellwether, also by Connie Willis, and The Android's Dream by John Scalzi. Both are science fiction. The second should be pretty available, the first is older and probably harder to find.

#44: I agree, luna. TMiaB was just a hoot ... did you get the sense he was trying to follow up his first success and couldn't quite summon it?

#69

Absolutely. It just didn't hold the same humour or charm or innocence for me. Felt like he was trying too hard.

#68

Lol, suggestions of books that are on my shelves would be useful as its 10pm and I need something to read before bed! Scifi it might be though :)

I know this is too late for you for tonight, but for light humorous reading, I'd recomment Prostho Plus, The Dragon and the George, or The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer. SF, Fantasy, Regency.

Of your others, The Blue Sword--adventure fantasy-romance and very good.

Or Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly--the best dragon story I've ever read. Not light, not funny, but a very good story.

So 5 out of the 131 you have access to--there you go!

#72

Thanks, I'm going to go and read Dragonsbane next I think :)

45. Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin 214 pages

When someone discovers how to 'change planes' while waiting in an airport for a flight, a whole universe of possibilities is opened up. This tells the experiences of some of the planechangers, the planes (or planets) they visit and the societies and cultures they find.

From the satirical tale of The Holiday Plane, where islands have been converted to cater for different holidays (such as Christmas with the villages of Noel, O Little Town etc), to the amusingly cynical (Hegn, where everyone is royalty apart from a small group of commoners), these stories and accounts are sometimes illuminating, disturbing, sad and peaceful all at the same time.

It is difficult to pick a favourite chapter out of this (each chapter tells of a different world), I have found the place I would most love to sit and read: The Library Gardens of Mahigul.

"In spring, during the mild steady rains, big awnings are stretched from one library arcade to the next, so that you can still sit outdoors, hearing the soft drumming on the canvas overhead, looking up from your reading to see the trees and the pale sky beyond the awning."

and

"In winter it's often foggy, not a cold fog but a mist through which and in which the sunlight is always warmly palpable, like the colour in a milk opal. The fog softens the sloping lawns and the high, dark trees, bringing them closer, into a quiet, mysterious intimacy."

I have the feeling I will read these stories again and again and again. The power they provide, the thought they provoke and the rush of emotions they produce are extraordinary. And all done in such a gentle way that you don't realise you're being touched until you take a breath at the end of each one.

I would highly recommend this. I never expected it to be as good as it is, and I am surprised I had never heard of it before.

4.5 out of 5

I'm adding Changing Planes to the wishNotebook; it sounds great! I'd also like to second Ronincats recommendation of Bellwether; it's my favorite Willis after Doomsday Book. I re-read Bellwether every year. It never fails to cheer me up.

I enjoy these pictures. The black kitten continues to be my favorite.

There's my gray baby, Mouse! Enjoy this last week of babyhood. In another 7-10 days, they'll be racing all over the place, causing havoc. But such delightful havoc!

I enjoyed Changing Planes as well--kept it as my bathtub book for a month or so, to be read a chapter at a time during deep bubble baths. If you liked this so much, be sure to look for Le Guin's Always Coming Home, a full novel set in a post-apocalyptic Oregon, with much the same atmosphere.

I see that Mouse already knows that she is "your" cat! too darling.

1) What author do you own the most books by?
Terry Pratchett........although they're not technically mine

2) What book do you own the most copies of?
Don't think I own more than one of any books

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
Prepositions?

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
Corlath from The Blue Sword

5) What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children; i.e., Goodnight Moon does not count)?
Harry Potter probably......although it might be The Blue Sword, or A Tree Grows in Brooklyn or The Long Winter.

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
Ummm..........not sure. I'd have to ask my mum. Maybe an Enid Blyton, although I might have been beyond them.

7) What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
Ancient Evenings by Norman Mailer

8) What is the best book you've read in the past year?
Best or most enjoyable? Outlander or World War Z for more enjoyable.

9) If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
The Blue Sword or A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Probably the latter.

10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?
I don't know the kind of author that wins Nobel Prizes.

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
I'm not sure, I'd be too scared they'd ruin them.

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
The Blue Sword.

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
I remember dreaming about Dumbledore but it wasn't weird. Trolls I think.

14) What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger. It was appalling but I was in hospital and had nothing else.

15) What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
Silas Marner by George Eliot..........when I was 9.

16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?
I've only seen one. I think it was Hamlet.

17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
neither

18) Roth or Updike?
Have read nothing by either.

19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
See above

20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Shakespeare

21) Austen or Eliot?
Eliot for Middlemarch

22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
Classics I guess. I just can't get through anything that is seen as 'classic' in the traditional sense.

23) What is your favorite novel?
The Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

24) Play?
Journey's End by R. C. Sherriff

25) Poem?
Not sure.

26) Essay?
Not sure.

27) Short story?
Not sure.

28) Work of nonfiction?
I can't choose

29) Who is your favorite writer?
I can't choose

30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
Stephenie Meyer

31) What is your desert island book?
I can't choose!!

32) And... what are you reading right now?
Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly

I don't think thats very illuminating, other than my decision making failed me a lot toward the end!

46. Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly 341 pages

Looking at it from the outside, this is 'yet another dragon fantasy', with the usual themes. A darkness is threatening, the reluctant hero must come to the fore, the dragon is causing havoc.

However, there are touches within this that make it much more than the bog standard fantasy dragon tale. The main character, a magewitch called Jenny, has a continual conflict both with the limitations of her power to help others, and spending time as a mother and partner. The traditional 'hero finding themselves' has a darker and more complex element within her.

Beside her, there is the delightful character of John, who is humourous, wise and stays refreshingly the same throughout the book, already being established within his persona. Gareth adds the coming of age element, but he is also more realistic in his actions than some I have read.

The manipulative, bitchy and vicious streak contributed by a female evil gives an edge to the battle, and the dragon is a brilliant character, flawed and yet extremely understandable.

The main reason I liked this though is the idea that everything has a price, and a compromise. The power, the magic, the 'heroic deeds' and the choices made all have lasting impact, instead of simply being washed away into a 'they lived happily ever after' conclusion. It felt much more realistic than many fantasy novels, and yet still had traditional fantasy elements.

More could have been made of the themes, and I felt I wanted more depth at various moments but its succinct and somewhat 'shallow' touches made it easy to read and reasonably light.

All in all, an enjoyable fantasy with something slightly different to offer, without pushing the boundaries.

4 out of 5

I have enjoyed several of Hambly's books and sure wish my local library had copies of that series. I would really like to read it! I am going to have to hunt around for them.

47. The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer 287 pages

My mum reads Heyer as comfort reading, and I could never see the appeal, being firmly set against so called 'romances'. However, having read such good things about her on LT, I decided to give her a go.

Elinor Rochdale has found herself on hard times, and answers an advertisement for a governess. When arriving at her post, things start to go awry, and she finds herself hustled into a marriage at midnight, which then becomes widowhood by dawn. But this marriage is only the beginning of what she has to contend with.

Lord Carlyon, the instigator of this marriage, proceeds to leave her in her dead husband's house (which seems to be haunted) with the rash and lively Nicky, his younger brother. And when people start turning up at all hours of the day and night, resulting in shots being fired, things look to be getting ever more complicated!

I loved this book, it was just what I needed to pass the time. It required little actual attention, and I was surprised with the amount of detail and characterisation within. Elinor had much more depth than it appeared initially, and this gives the whole tale a modern flavour whilst retaining aspects like murder, intrigue and spying.

If you want a light hearted and fun romp, with a nice balance between historical romance, mystery and intrigue, this will give you that. I will be reading more by her at some point.

4 out of 5

Woo hoo! Another Heyer convert. This is a fun one to start with, too. Luna, the detail and characterization are what make the Heyer books different from all other Regency romances, and most romances in general. Thoroughly enjoyable, my favorite comfort reads!

*must find Heyer books*

#59
I really loved World War Z although I'm afraid of what they're going to do with the movie version. I read that at the same time as I read The Flu Pandemic and You which caused some compare and contrast. It makes an interesting dichotomy.

Oh, and I love the kittens! I've always wanted a pure grey kitty.

#85

You're right, I am a convert and I'm definitely going to read more!

Edited to add: can you recommend which I should read next?

Luna, it's been a week since new pictures, and now your kittens are at their CUTEST!! We need pictures and video, and we need them NOW! Please!!!!

#89

Photos and hopefully a video will be coming at some point. My camera ran out of battery though, and I took it out to recharge and then promptly lost it so haven't been able to do anything! They are indeed very cute at the moment.

48. The Marsh King's Daughter by Elizabeth Chadwick (408 pages)

Another typical historical fiction from this author, and not one of her best, although it has interesting moments. The premise is the same as The Conquest that I read last year, with strong women and starcrossed lovers. The beginning was haunting, with a possible explanation for the disappearance of King John's treasure, and the writing and plot throughout this was haunting.

However, from there on in it was a fairly typical female written historical fiction/romance. They are about as close to 'romance' as I ever really read, and I do enjoy them, but they are standard in their format and this isn't the best from her.

3 out of 5

49. The Clothes They Stood Up In and The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett 223 pages

Two short stories, one fiction and one nonfiction, by the same author as The Uncommon Reader, both deal with middle age and impending 'old' age in an interesting way.

In the first, the fiction story, a married couple come home from the opera to discover their entire flat has been stolen, right down to the toilet paper. How they approach this is the main basis for the story, and made a sometimes touching, sometimes sad read.

The second is also touching and sad, made more so by the knowledge that it is true. Miss S lives in a van on Alan's street, and eventually ends up in the van in his front garden, staying there for 15 years. Often funny and mostly eccentric, his trials and tribulations and the behaviour of his guest are recounted in short snippets detailing different events in her life.

Both are written in Bennett's quite dry and formal style, but they are quick reads and I enjoyed them. This is an achievement for me, as I usually don't even attempt short stories!

3.5 out of 5

#92: I have read The Clothes They Stood Up In, but have not yet read The Lady in the Van although it is on Continent TBR. Thanks for your input on it.

Haven't checked in in a while, so I thought I'd say hi!

All these gorgeous kitten pics to catch up on...

...and looks like World War Z needs to be added to my TBR pile and Three Men in a Boat needs to be bumped up the pile!

Oh the sweeties! They are so delicious right now, Luna.

awww, they are incredible cute!

Oooh they are still so fluffy and adorable!

Happy feet!!! Thanks, Luna. This is my very favorite age. They toddle, and they pounce, and then they collapse on your lap and fall asleep.

The kitties are adorable!

They are just too cute, lunacat!

The black one's clearly going to be a handful - my kind of cat! ;)

My sympathy for the funeral today.

#103 Yes, she is indeed an absolute handful. She has a lot of attitude!

Thanks, its over now so I'm settling down to some escapism reading and eating chocolate.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (672 pages)

I needed some escapism reading that didn't tax my brain and this was it. As usual, as I started reading I wondered how I was going to manage to deal with the excrutiating writing but I got into it and was able to ignore it for the most part.

I'm still not keen on many aspects of Bella and Edward's relationship, and can't relate to either of the main characters, but the supporting ones make up for it slightly and the plot is always interesting. I completely agree with one statement within this though which is that their relationship is like a drug. Unhealthy but a complete obsession.

I might read the next one, I might not. But it kept the real world at bay for a while!

3 out of 5

#105: it kept the real world at bay for a while!

Books are very good at doing that. I am glad that you found one that helped get you through today.

The chocolate was a smart move too.

I pretty much hated Twilight and wanted to strangle Bella, Edwars AND Meyer when I read the book. That's not surprise, I haven't exactly kept my feelings about it hidden on LT. But what I wanted to say was this: I saw the Twilight movie yesterday and ACTUALLY - I quite enjoyed it. I liked it better than the book because Bella was nowhere near as pathetic. In fact, she was quite cool. You know, I've come to the conclusion that one of Meyer's big mistakes with Twilight was writing it from the 1st person perspective. I mean, her writing is bad and that wouldn't have changed anything BUT all that "oooh Edward is so perfect and I'm so plain and insignificant and pathetic" speeches could have been totally avoided if only there would have been an objective 3rd person narrator instead of Bella's "teenage diary-voice". Which is why I enjoyed the movie more - way more action, way less self-pity. Plus, I thought the girl that played Bella was really really really pretty. And "accessible". Likable. No whining. Which helped with the "identifying" with her thing. Sorry for the little rant but I HAD to tell someone :)

to gug: YEA!~!~! Glad to see someone else with a shared opinion.

Beautiful kittens!~!

Finally having a chance to catch up on threads and LOVE the kittens! I have three grown cats (ranging from 12 to 17 years old) and they still sometimes think they're kittens--especially the 20-plus pounder! It's so nice to see the little 'uns!

And Little Fuzzy and its sequels were my introduction to more adult fantasy (after the flights to Cameron's Mushroom Planet), but I adore Piper's stuff. Highly recommended that you find more to read.

Also add my two cents for Robin Maxwell over Philippa Gregory for historical fiction, especially about the Tudors. I do like some factual accuracy in historical fiction.

As for audio books--I have an audio book that I couldn't finish to thank for reintroducing me to Hemingway. I agree that sometimes it's the only way to get a fresh start on a stalled author. I'd also recommend very highly the British television production of Middlemarch--it made the story live for me enough to want to read it now.

Thanks again for the pix--keep them coming, please.

Absolutely agree with you Eliza about many things you say. I hate the fact I enjoy the series and get even slightly caught up in them. I only read them to start with cos I was given it for christmas and didn't want to offend my friend!

It makes me very cross that I should have such poor taste, given how destructive and awful the relationship is, and the main characters so irritating!!!

Luna, your kittens are adorable - I love the striped one that is on the left in the bottom picture!

News on kittens:

Weaning has started! Both little girls watched Luna eat some food and then Mouse started tucking in and ate nearly as much as her mum! Zita then came over and saw them eating, and then ate a lot as well.

We're so pleased, especially as Zita is now eating as she always misses out on milk and has gone off being bottle fed, so now we can do more to help her grow and catch up with the others.

The boys, however, are showing no signs of wishing to start weaning and are instead just desperately drinking from Luna.

Litter training is also not happening. Mostly, I have had little puddles all over my floor today, in different places!

Luna, make sure to have a LOW box very close to where the kittens hang out for starters. Once they get accustomed to using it, you can move it close and closer to the regular litter box and then dispose of it. Remember, they are babies and have limited attention spans. Also, place them in in the box at regular intervals and if possible, shut them in one room with the box when you are out of the house. Nature should take over quickly. Cats WANT to use litter boxes.

yeah, we've got a low litter box where the most piddles were! We've set it on top of it and then we put them in it whenever we see them trying.

One of them pee'd on my sock so we put the sock in the litter box as well so the scent was there. They are all confined to my bedroom except when we bring them downstairs but Luna gets cross after about 10 mins and tries to take them back!

Don't know how we're going to swap them to the main litter box as it is downstairs in the kitchen and they are confined to my bedroom upstairs. I guess we'll give them more free reign soon but we have an adult male cat as well who is having problems adjusting. Mostly he is scared of them!!

I was reading my childlit listserv messages and Patricia McKillip's Alphabet of Thorn was mentioned as a great fantasy that would also be excellent reading for teens. Tracking down conversations on LT, I came to your first thread where her books were discussed, so now I've put her down as a new fantasy writer for me to discover. Your reviews of Acorna make me want to plunge in there as well!
Three Men in a Boat was one of the first readalouds I remember from school, our teacher made it irresistable listening - I would only have been 9 or 10 at the time.
BTW your kittens are adorable.

Just trying to find out whether people still want/are interested in pics of kittens or are you fed up! I don't want to keep flooding your computers with pictures, especially those with slower connections!

Please let me know, thanks.

We want baby pictures! Fluffy, snuggly, sweet babies!

pictures, pictures, pictures!

Pictures, please. Pretty, pretty please! Submit links to website with pictures if you don't want to take up LT bandwidth. But we need pictures!

Luna by all means, I want to see the photos. I loved the most recent utube where the kittens were following mamma cat. It is such a joy!

they are adorable!

Cute, cute, cute!!

heh. I like the second one with the cables on the floor - the cats look like computer geniuses :)

*collapses from a cuteness overload*

I LOVE to see kitties playing with their tails.

Your kitties look to be at the ultimate stage of cuteness! I love the video.

Thanks, I'm glad they are bringing enjoyment :) They have now been evicted from my bedroom as that is what Luna wanted anyway and last night they a) peed on my bed and b) chewed a set of headphones!

Just posting books I've now finished but haven't got the mental energy to review yet. They will be coming if you're interested!

51. Magic Kingdom For Sale, Sold by Terry Brooks

May

52. The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir

I love to see the kittens grow Luna, so you have my vote for more pictures ;-)
Anita

"They have now been evicted from my bedroom as that is what Luna wanted anyway and last night they a) peed on my bed and b) chewed a set of headphones!"

Yeah, that part's not so cute.

April Summary

10 books read (a little low on my usual rate but kittens have been occupying a lot of my time and energy)

All fiction bar one short autobiographical story

1 re-read, 9 new reads

3 historical fiction

3 science fiction

3 fantasy

1 general fiction

Seems a usual spread over the 3 genres I love. I really should attempt some nonfiction but somehow it always seems like an effort.

luna, we're going to do a group read of the Magic Kingdom for Sale - SOLD! series over in Hogwarts Express starting after finals (late May) if you're interested; we'll probably move pretty swiftly to finish the five released books in time for the end of August release of the new one.

Oh! I had no idea it was a series. I'll go and see if I can hunt them down to join in.

Very short video showing what has been happening so far this morning.............again and again and again. Poor kittens!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAEpdrDaRTU

LOL--And I watched it over and over again. Ouch!

51. Magic Kingdom For Sale - Sold by Terry Brooks 350 pages

I really should remember to review books as soon as I've finished them otherwise I forget too much.

Ben Holliday is fed up of his life. So when he sees an advert for a fantasy kingdom for sale for $1,000,000, he is intrigued.

What follows is amusing at times and a standard fantasy at others. I couldn't quite work out whether Brooks was portraying a satire of the standard genre or not. In the end I didn't really mind, as it was good fun and didn't require any thought at all!

The additions of Abernathy the scribe as a dog, the untalented court magician, and Bunion and Parsnip as the other two who make up his household add lightness to the whole affair.

The idea is also a good one, a magical kingdom failing because of the lack of a king.

I didn't realise that it was the first in a series, and not sure whether that would have clouded my feeling of the book. I certainly felt that it ended far too abruptly, but knowing that it is simply the first of a series would explain that.

If you like fantasy, and want a slightly different take on it, then you will probably enjoy this. It certainly had me smiling a lot during it. It didn't make me think, didn't bring anything new, but it was good fun.

3.5 out of 5

52. The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir 487 pages

Charting the life of Elizabeth I from her early years until she became queen, this was good and bad in turns.

We meet Elizabeth when we is 3. It was intriguing to watch her first years, and imagine how the events that occured around her (the death of her mother and series of queens afterwards) impacted her future decisions and character.

Major liberties were taken with knowledge and rumour in the middle of the book which almost led to me putting it down. I don't mind small details or 'flavour' being introduced, but this major event (trying not to spoil here) irritated me. Strange when I like books such as The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen's Bastard which are entirely built on fiction. But this I didn't like.

The last 1/3rd of the book began to redeem itself, and the account of her struggles to avoid being caught in plots and accusations of treason were certainly interesting. In particular, the description of Elizabeth shut in her mother's rooms waiting to be accused of treason are dramatic and touching.

All in all, this was a disappointing read. This was what I would have expected from a fiction writer, but not from a historian. Had I not been anticipating great things, it may not have been such a let down but it was.

2.5 out of 5 not a great start to my May reads

THIS is what we've been waiting for!!

#137
Good God, I must be soooo very weird. I laughed and laughed when I saw this video. But, I think I was really reacting to your accompanying comment.

How cute..and how very funny!

Thanks for bringing joy.

Lunacat
I just showed the video to my husband...Now we are both rolling on the floor.

Okay, you seem to pop up on many of my starred threads and I didn't have you starred. Well, now you are one of the 'stars upon thars' crew. Look forward to more of your reading!

Luna: I love shaking his (her?) head and falling over. Handy bathrobe tie hanging down too. But the energy level - exhausted just watching it, never mind living with it.

blackdogbooks
I love the Dr. Suess The Sneetches on the Beaches. I read this book every night to my daughter when she was a little girl.

http://tribes.tribe.net/plainbelliedsneetches/thread/424ab5dd-b294-43a2-8831-321...

You just have to wonder sometimes at the universe. I was at a Trivia Night yesterday evening, and the category was Books by Dr. Seuss. They gave you a line, and you had to guess the book. And one of the lines they gave us was the 'stars upon thars' line. I (honestly) had never read the Sneetches, and I laughed myself silly. Luckily, my sister still has young children and she got all the answers.

Coincidence? I think not...

Terri.

That is quite a powerful event!

53. The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones.

What a fun, silly, hilarious and yet telling dissection of all that is usually found in fantasy books. Written as a standard A-Z of items found there (the Missing Heir/Forest of Doom/Quest Objects) there are some unique revelations in here, such as the ecology and evolution of fantasy lands, and the lack of knitting.

If you are a fantasy reader and have had the fortune (or sometimes misfortune) of reading widely in this genre, this book will have you giggling.

Perhaps not a book to sit and read all the way through as you read a novel (although I did) but to pick up and put down at will.

Highly enjoyable and good fun!

4 out of 5

sounds really interesting, luna! Glad you enjoyed it.

(In my head I'm ticking Harry Potter boxes for mising heir/forest of doom/quest objects: 2 out of three!)

Yeah, its fun thinking of fantasy books you've read and which things they contained in them!!

There is knitting in the Harry Potter books though.

Favorite Suess book:

Mine is The Circus McGurkus

Green Eggs and Ham followed by The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.

Hey, lunacat - just coming by to check for new kitten pictures as I catch up on threads.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDQ2pLLBniE

#157: I bet they are keeping you on your toes! Thanks for posting the pictures.

Luna
Have you found homes for the kittens?

Thanks for posting the pictures. I especially liked the last one.

Stasia, yup they sure are. We've only got the two boy tabbies for another 10 days or so and then they go to their new mummy. At the moment we are going to miss them but will be glad, they are very naughty!
This is them pulling our clothes off the clothes horse. Its one of their favourite games.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEwo3rMEH7A

this is what occurs any time they are not eating or sleeping! At the moment I am sitting in our livingroom watching one kitten pulling clothes off the clothes horse, two fight within their tube and one play inside a box a package came in.

Our attitude has turned into: Roll on the 18th May when the boys go to their new mummy! I know we will look back and wish for that time again but they are so exhausting..........

54. A Morbid Taste For Bones by Ellis Peters 197 pages

I'm not one for mysteries or detective stories, I'll readily admit that. However, the prospect of a historical mystery written by Edith Pargeter under a pseudonym meant that I couldn't resist.

This is the first in the series, and it shows, being slow to start and set up the characters. I was even considering giving up but I'm very glad I didn't.

The detective element is very much as I imagine others to be, and yet the 'monk' and the 'medieval' elements make it highly enjoyable to read, as well as interesting. With no fingerprinting/police/DNA testing at their disposal, and very little remotely resembling what we would consider necessary in solving murders, it is fascinating to see how they do it.

The main character, Brother Cadfael, is a likeable person and there are a good range of other ensemble surrounding him.

There is also a religious element to this, and especially within this one, where the monks have gone to 'acquire' a relic, in fact the bones of a Welsh virgin.

It was a nice light read, but had the requisite historical requirements for me to like it. I also got the distinct impression that these were historical FACTS, as opposed to being fictionalised in order to make a better read.

I will be reading the next (which I own) and hopefully more as I get them. They are short, and make a nice gap between longer reads.

4 out of 5

#162: I have that one home from the library now. I hope I enjoy it as much as you did!

#162 I read A Morbid Taste for Bones a few weeks ago and enjoyed it. I too will continue with the series. Have you read The Mistress of the Art of Death? It's also a medieval, forensic-type murder mystery series, only much better in my opinion.

#164 Lorie

No I haven't but its on my BM wishlist so hopefully at some point I will come across it and enjoy it.

54. Pagan's Exile by Catherine Jinks 318 pages

Following on from Pagan's Crusade, Roland and Pagan are now in France, asking Roland's family to assist in the mission of the Templars.

If you liked Pagan's Crusade then you are likely to enjoy this. There is the same humour, the side comments by Pagan, but I can't say I found this as easy and smooth to read as the previous one. At times the humour felt forced, and as the story went on I couldn't understand any of the main characters' actions or reasons behind them.

The only people I could comprehend were the 'bad guys' of the piece, Roland's family. At least they stayed true to their character.

I might or might not read the next one, Pagan's Vows. I wasn't going to if it had followed in the same vein but as it seems to be going somewhere different, I might.

2.5 out of 5

#166: Luna, Pagan's Vows does go in a different direction, so I would say go ahead and read it. It is better than the second book, IMHO.

#162 I picked up the first Cadfael book fairly randomly second hand the other day too - mostly because we used to watch the Derek Jacobi series as a family years ago - I keep postponing it, partly because I was worried it wouldn't be my thing (I'm not much of a detective fiction reader either) - so good to see a good review!

Re kittens pulling washing down - you're lucky it's not Christmas - when we got our first cats, it was that time of year and they managed to pull down the entire Christmas tree trying to get at the chocolate decorations my mum had tied to it (in which they were successful)! Big mess.

55. Morality Play by Barry Unsworth 206 pages

Nicholas Barber is a runaway priest in the fourteenth century. Wandering in the midst of winter, he comes across a troupe of players whose six member has just died.

So starts this short novel of morals, murder and intrigue, and what guides us within our lives. When the players arrive at a town in order to bury their deceased member, they strike upon a way of making money. But money becomes the least of their problems. Love, Truth and Justice force their way into all the players lives.

The atmospheric writing within this is the novel's forte. Every scene is perfectly placed and given just the right tone, which allows you to move back in time more than is often the way. The narration by Nicholas is also in the manner of a past writer, rather than a modern outlook on the events.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. However, I felt that it should have been much much longer and that's where this falls short (literally). I wanted to know more all the time, about what happened after it finished, the different characters, the world they lived in. There could have been so much made of each of the player's stories, but instead we are given just a glimpse.

Despite this, I still feel this will stay with me for a while, and I may well reread it fairly soon. I don't think I got everything from it. I also cannot wait to get my hands on more from this author.

4.5 out of 5

#169: I have seen several good reviews of Unsworth's work here on LT, so I am adding this title to the ones already on the Continent. Thanks for the recommendation!

I've decided to start a new thread as this one had too many pictures on it. It was slowing me down!! lol

There are unlikely to be many more pictures now, the two tabby boys have left to go to their new home and the girls are getting calmer now without their brothers winding them up. So.........its time to get back to the books!

http://www.librarything.com/topic/65076