nannybebette; belva's 2010 reads

Well, here we are in 2010. And I have chosen to do something different this year. More reading, less chatter. I spent the majority of my time on the 50 book gig last year and I just feel like I need to be more challenged. I am very happy to be here at Club Read 2010 and looking forward to a good year of reading and learning.

My top 10% of books read in 2009 were:
My absolute favorite read of the year was Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson;

Then my top 10% of the remainder of books I read:
Dina's Book by H. Wassmo
The Overlanders by Dora Birtles
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
The Loving Spirit by Daphne Du Maurier
The Razor's Edge by Somerset Maugham
Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim
Minotaur by Benjamin Tammuz
Frost in May by Antonia White
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
One Extra*Ordinary Day by Harold Myra
All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West
Capote: A Biography by Gerald Clarke
Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck
The Land of Spices by Kate O'Brien
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Myself When Young by Daphne Du Maurier
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes by Maya Angelou
For One Sweet Grape or That Lady by Kate O'Brien
Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg

I think I sneaked in an extra one there; no biggie!~!
My favorite two new authors culled in 2009 are Kate O'Brien and Vita Sackville-West.
Happy reading in 2010 everyone.
belva

I will post my reads here:

January: (a total of 10)

1. The Virago Book of Christmas edited by Michelle Lovric (VMC category)
2. The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden (independent group read for t/g's blog)
3. Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathaneal West (Le Salon group read)
4. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (Group Read Literature group read)
5. The Picture of Dorian Gray by bywildeoscar::Oscar Wilde (1010 Category group read)
6. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (Monthly Author Theme read)
7. The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig (Annual Author Theme read)
8. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (1010 Category group read)
9. Light in August by William Faulkner (Le Salon de Faulkner group read)
10. The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy (Monthly Author Theme read)

February: (a total of 11)
11. In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes (1010 Category group read for Jan)
12. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (75 gig group read The Chronicles of Pyrdain series for Jan & I loved, loved, loved this first of the series.) {drneutron}
13. World Without End by follettken::Ken Follett (75 gig group read) {hosted by Mark}
14. The Tale of the 1002nd Night by Joseph Roth (Monthly Author Theme read)
15. The Story of an African Farm by oliveschreiner::Olive Schreiner (VMC catagory)
16. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (Le Salon "Tome" group read)
17. "Twilight" by Stefan Zweig (Annual Author Theme read)
18. Moonbeam Alley by Stefan Zweig (Annual Author Theme read)
19. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Monthly Author Theme read)
20. 2666 by Roberto Bolano (Group Read-Literature group read)
21. The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander (75 gig group read The Chronicles of Pyrdain series for Feb {drneutron})
22. My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk (Le Salon group read)

March: (a total of 9)
23. The Privileges by Jonathan Dee (ARC/ER)
24. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (Highly Rated Book Group; hosted by St. Richard)
25. A World of Love by Elizabeth Bowen (Monthly Author Theme Read)
26. Brat Farrar by teyjosephine::Josephine Tey (Monthly Author Theme Read)
27. Job: The Story of a Simple Man by Joseph Roth (Mini Author Theme Read)
28. Carrington: A Life by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina (from my non-fiction/bio category)
29. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (from the 75 book gig's list of G/Rs.)
30. Pepita by Vita Sackville-West (from my Virago category and also non-fiction/bio category)
31. Three Houses by Angela Thirkell (no category. I just wanted to read it.)
32. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (from the 10/10 category G/R)

First Quarter Reads Total 30 in number.

and here:

APRIL: (a total of 11)
33. Journey into the Past by Stefan Zweig (from the category of "Annual Author Theme Reads")
34. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (from the 1010 Category G/Rs)
35. Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
36. Farewell Spain, (a Beacon/Virago Traveler) by Kate O'Brien (from my Non-fiction & Virago Cagegories)
37. The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander (from the 75 book gig G/R The Chronicles of Pyrdain hosted by {drneutron})
38. The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth (from the Mini-Author Theme Read cagegory)
39. Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander (from the 75 book gig G/R The Chronicles of Pyrdain hosted by {drneutron})
40. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (from the Le Salon de Faulkner category)
41. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
42. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
43. Ankle Deep by Angela Thirkell
44. The Plague by Albert Camus

MAY: (a total of 5)
45. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
46. A Separate Country by Robert Hicks
47. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
48. High Rising by Angela Thirkell
49. My Abandonment by Peter Rock (for June's R/L B/C)

JUNE: (a total of 5)
50. All Other Nights by Dara Horn
51. Trooper to the Southern Cross by Angela Thirkell
52. John Adams by David McCullough (for my non-fiction category)
53. Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon (for my VMC and categories)
54. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Second Quarter Reads Total 21 in number

and here:

JULY: (a total of 12)
55. About my Sisters by Debra Ginsberg
56. Tinkers by Paul Harding (The July pick for my R/L B/C at Book n Brush)
57. No Fond Return of Love by Barbara Pym ( )
58. Last Vanities by Fleur Jaeggy
59. The Emperor's Tomb by Joseph Roth
60. Home by Marilynne Robinson
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
61. The Magician's Nephew
62. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
63. The Horse and his Boy
64. Prince Caspian
65. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
66. The Silver Chair and
67. The Last Battle

AUGUST: (a total of 6)
ALL VIRAGO/ALL AUGUST:
68. Frost in May by Antonia White
69. The Lost Traveler by Antonia White
70. The Sugar House by Antonia White and
71. Beyond the Glass by Antonia White
72. Old New York by Edith Wharton
73. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
74. The Professor's House by Willa Cather

SEPTEMBER: (a total of )
75. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
76. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
77. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson (The September pick for my R/L B/C at Book n Brush)
78. A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains (fits into both my non-fiction and my Virago categories, as it is a Traveler)

and here:

OCTOBER:

NOVEMBER:

DECEMBER:

Hooray! Welcome to Club Read. I'll be following your reading...

Hi Belva! You have been duly starred :)

(Waving to Belva . . . )

Hey Belva! Good to see you! Starred!

Belva, I am very worried, distressed and disconcerted. You say, above in >1 rainpebble: that there will be more reading less chatter. Of course I applaud the more reading part, but deplore the less chatter part, as I fear greatly that this will deprive us of your excellent company.

Please assuage.

More reading, less chatter

I recognize myself in your words, though for me it's less reading, more writing. Looking forward to following your thread.

>#10:
Sorry tcMurr;
Perchance give me another opportunity to explain.
When on the 50 book challenge, I felt like I needed to follow all the threads and get to know everyone and I tried to keep up with the 75 and 100 book gigs as well. It's impossible to keep up and meet most of my self-expectations also. And I am not talking about book discussions, which is why I will happily keep in touch with some of those friends I have met on other challenges. I don't want to be challenged to read more books, but more fulfilling books and books that will excite me, teach me and challenge me on to bigger and better things. I think I may find that (whether through others or self) if I am not in a "number challenge" group. That's all I meant by that.
Sorry. Is the heart slowing down yet?

Thank you Medellia, wisewoman, Cariola, theaelizabet, & detainmuse for the warm welcomes. I am so happy to be here.

This morning I have begun Les Miserables with The Greengage Summer as my "tweener". I am only 30-40 pages in and though I know I have read it before; this is not the same book. I must have read an abridged (yuck) version some 30 years ago when I read it. The book I read was only about 1/3 or less as thick as well. Already, I am in love with Hugo's writing. So far, I am quite enjoying this "masterpiece"
belva

Belva, seems like you did a fair amount of great reading among all of that chatter! Looking forward to following you here.

And I saw on the intro thread that you are planning to go back to school to take some classes--I will bet that you will be leading the rest of us soon.

Finally, I do wish you would stop saying you are old. You only have seven years on me, and in my book you are in early middle-age!

Yea!~! I like that Lisa. But when I say I am 62 years old it is just a statement. Just a fact. "Stick to the facts, maam." My age doesn't bother me at all and everyone else was stating their ages in the intro thread so I did too.
I did read a good deal last year, but I just want to get some deeper material in there too.
This will be a fun and encouraging group. I can already see it coming and am looking forward to it.
Thank you, Lisa, for taking the time to stop by.
later dayz,
belva

>12 rainpebble:: I loved Les Misérables and tell myself to re-read it each year. I never do...the siren songs of other books stop me...but I wouldn't mind it if I suddenly picked it up and started again.

The Greengage Summer is on my Read Soon list. I started reading Rumer Godden's books a few years ago and have liked all of them, loved some. I read a couple each year—last year Cromartie vs the God Shiva and Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy.

Hey Belva--Don't want to lose you and applaud your vision for reading on 2010, so I'll lurk more and chat less. I am rereading King Lear, as I just finished Christopher Moore's Fool and want to see how his rewrite varies from the original and I haven't read Lear in 25 years. Best to you in 2010.

But...but...Belva, you chatting less = me not hearing from you as much and that's...that's...just rotten mean of you! I mean, I'm just a little boy 50 years old, how am I supposed to get by with the occasional driive-by hug?

*snivel*

Okay, that's out of the way. Glad you're getting in some Godden! I confess to a sneaking fondness for A Candle for St. Jude, which might make its way onto your list.

Smooches,
RMD

Hi Belva. I wish you luck in your quest for better reading, but will miss your chatter. I loved Godden's Kingfishers Catch Fire.

Belva- I got you starred and will follow you where ever you are. Good luck, my friend!

Belva - I really hope you're enjoying Les Miserables. Just ignore my grousing about the narrator over on my thread. I think I have a love/hate relationship with him, but most people don't. I'm sure if I met him I would love him to death, with just a few eye-rolls for the occasional over-lengthy story. I think of him as that older uncle who has led a fascinating life, but who's at that age where sometimes the stories get a little long-winded. :-)

Hi Belva - just calling in to say 'hello'!

I loved the oversized narrator of Les Mis, but of course I did have a few of those eyerolls. They usually came when he started off with another "no one knows how x character came to do x, but a passerby that night said... (or, in a letter, character y wrote...., etc)" bit. Yes, narrator, I know, I know, you're pretending you're not omniscient. I get it, really I do. :)

I bet you'll love Les Mis. It's beautiful and just a rollicking good read.

I am very much looking forward to following you for another read, Belva - you know you'll brighten all our days wherever you are! And big respect for your goals for 2010 - good luck... xx

Hi Belva... Here's a belated Happy New Year. I kind of missed the timing while sitting in a flying tube. Did you know I read that book you reviewed so beautifully... Their Eyes Were Watching God? Thanks for that recommendation. It was one of my 2009 favorites. Looking forward to seeing what more you have in store.

Brian

Hi Belva--I'm here too.
As always you amaze me with the variety, depth, and breadth of your reading. I hope your reading year is a good as last year's.

Deborah

Hi Belva,

I'm peeking over the wall from the 75 Book Challenge to see what you're up to. I'm keeping you starred as I'm a "half member" of Club Read 2010. I lurk here but log my books elsewhere. I don't want to lose you!!

Popping up to say that I'll be lurking too! :-) Happy reading!

Thank you all for stopping by. Have not been spending much time on the old computer as of recent. With pa, (much beloved father-in-law--lived 3 blocks away for 36 years) being so ill for that month prior to his passing, family company for the duration, (they will be leaving tomorrow), all the planning, cooking, and prep that goes into having house guests and a memorial service, (which turned out so well and he would have been so happy with it--totally casual, free and easy), which was held Sunday afternoon--I just haven't had much time for reading or posting. Things will come back together soon after all the company leaves. The family is doing so well. I am so proud of everyone. Dear hubby, siblings, mother-in-law and adult grandchildren have been spending every spare moment they can together. The eldest of the siblings lives in Kentucky and she leaves tomorrow as well. So things are absolutely as good as they can be under the circumstances. He died at home and was comfortable throughout his last days.

>#15:
Tad;
Am on page 178 of Les Miserables and enjoying/appreciating it for the most part. Didn't care much for the introduction chapter for Fantinne, but it did it's job for Hugo and I am in much better stuff now. Still Fantinne, but enjoying the read much more at this point.
It is nice to hear so many positive comments about Godden's work. I am 3/4 of the way through and think there are some big things around the corner as it still feels like it is building. The Greengage Summer was a rec from tuppy_glossop and a group read over on a blog site. I will definitely be reading more of
Godden's work.

Does anyone know if there really is a greengage fruit? What it is and what it looks and tastes like?

>#16:
Dear Berly;
Hey girl; reading King Lear, huh? I never have. In fact except for what little Shakespeare I was force fed in school, I have never read him. I have seen plays, but never read his works. I hope you enjoy him. My school and uni days are so long ago that I have forgotten what we did have to read by him.
Hope all is well with you.

>#17:
St. Richard, another Godden fan speaks out. I have listed your rec in my "to be read" book. She is a very comfortable read.
Hey, BTW, how did your November writing come out. We really missed you when you were away so busily writing.
Hope Auntie, the Devine Miss and yourself are all well and happy.
xoxoxo

>#18:
Hi FicusFan;
I have duly recorded you Godden rec as well. I haven't talked to you for a long time. How are you and did you have a good holiday season? I hope so. I hope you got a lot of good books for Christmas.

>#19:
Hey Mark;
Ole buddy, ole pal. Thanks for the pop-over. I will be checking in with you for sure. Am definitely looking forward to the group read on the 15th of World Without End. I hope there is a great turnout. That would be awesome.
Catch you on your thread!~!

>#20:
Talbin;
That is a really good and appropriate description of Hugo and I actually am enjoying the read. Not rushing through it and taking a break from him now and then. I am just about to find out if the mayor is who I think he is. Still in Fantinne but getting every closer to Cosette. I could all but feel my two front teeth being jerked out!~! That has to hurt!~!

>#21:
Hi there Julie, how's trix? I will have to popover and check out what you are reading these days. Probably some really good Verigo and I will turn green with envy once more!~!

>#22:
Medellia;
I know what you mean with the eye rolls. Sometimes I actually mentally see Hugo as Forest Gump saying: "And that's all I have to say about that." hee hee
But I am enjoying it, thanx.

>#23:
dear, dear miss ellie;
How goes it? The shop, the holidays, the family, the days off with the DVDs, yummy snackers, and books? I will have to pop over to your thread soon.
xoxoxo

I will have to catch up with the rest of you later as it is time to go and pick up the grandsons from school.
Thanks to all for stopping by. I appreciate each and every one of you.
hugs,
belva

>28 rainpebble:: Greengage description from Wikipedia.

Hi Belva, thanks for the note. We haven't talked in a while. I was sorry to hear about your father-in-law, and thought you were wonderful to do so much. I am glad for him and your family that the end was peaceful and at home.

I had a good holiday, lots of time off and reading. I got a gift card from B&N so I could pick my own books. Still using it.

Do stop by when you get a chance, New Year's Thread:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/79436

Not that you'll find it with the name change - too much debauchery - lawsuit threatens - details here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/81371

It's interesting that you should say Godden is a "comfortable read." I had the exact same reaction after my first read of hers (In This House of Brede) and my third and fourth (The Kitchen Madonna and The Dark Horse). Therefore, I was surprised to read a mini-biography of her that said she was anything but comfortable in person...difficult and prickly. Somehow, I pictured this sophisticated but faintly grandmotherly woman. Oh well!

I guess she was entitled—she survived a poisoning attempt, being abandoned by a husband, death of child, various serious injuries and ailments. Maybe, at that point, one is entitled to just say, "Yeah, well, Life owes me one!"

Edit: stupid touchstones

Hey Belva,

Well it wasn't easy but I found you and now you're starred. Thank you for your note and I don't think you could go wrong with Let the Great World Spin:)

Does anyone know if there really is a greengage fruit? What it is and what it looks and tastes like?

Isn't it a type of plum? I'm guessing a green plum? I suppose it's in wikipedia. Anyway, it's good to hear so many positive comments about Greengage Summer--I've owned it for years and never felt the urge to read it. Maybe this year I will.

Oh Joyce - yes, it is most definitely a fruit. We have planted a greengage tree in our front garden. (too much snow or I would photograph it for you). It is a green plum and absolutely delicious, one of my favourites. Best bought in warmer climes - like in Southern France where they are called 'Reine Claude'. They make delicious confiture or jam, are delicous in tarte au reines claudes, or simply eaten raw .....





Edited to say - dearest Belva - sorry to turn your thread into a greengage fan club! I will delete it when Joyce has seen it!! x

Yum!

Julie,
Don't you dare delete that post. After all, I did ask the question and I love the pics. The little tarts look so nummy!~!
hugs,
belva

Hi bonnie!~! ***waving***

Tad;
I will get back with you later-----------no time now. Need to run back down and check on mother as we spent all day in the E.R. I was really surprised that they let her go home. So I will jump into our conversation tomorrow A.M., hopefully.
hugs all round,
belva

Hi Belva
Greengages are a variety of plum. my mother loved them, but they don't grow in northern Ohio, they grew in Kentucky where she grew up. So when we went down there to visit, we always brought back a basket of greengages.

Oh, so they won't grow in western Washington, but I bet they would grow in eastern Washington.
Too bad. They sound so lovely!~!

Am currently involved in Les Miserables and have read as far as "Cosette". I am really enjoying and appreciating it.
Also reading Clarel and for being written by the "dreaded" Melville, it is not so bad....
Also am into Doctor Zhivago. I love it sooooo much!~! All of these are group reads. It is beginning to look like a group read for belva this year which is not a bad thing. Makes me step out of my box and stretch................. Reading all of these while I am attempting to get my mother to move in with us temporarily until she decides what she wants to do. I am just not comfortable with her living alone any longer. It isn't working well for her and I can't handle worrying about her all the time. Soooooooooo Happy New Year everyone and Santa says: "Ho, ho, ho!~!"
belva

Thanks for the greengage question/answer! I love Reine-Claudes but didn't think they existed in the US. Now that I know what they're called though... :)

39 -
I'm supposed to participate in the Doctor Zhivago group read (I've always been the one to nominate it at every voting session) but I already have so much on my plate. Hope I can get to it!

Oooh, Doctor Zhivago was the first Russian novel I attempted! I was 11, so I understood exactly nothing, but I was *enthralled* by the denseness of the text. I'd read bits aloud just to listen to them. I think my mother, whose response when I asked permission to borrow the book was, "You may NOT kill spiders with it," was giggling at my pronunciations from behind the door.

Where's the Dr. Zhivago group read?

42 -
It's with the Group Reads - Literature group. :)

Hi Belva! I've been lurking on your new thread but I wanted to say hello and wish you the best with your new year's reading goals.

Dr. Zhivago has been on my TBR for ages but I've been avoiding it, I'm not sure why. Maybe I thought it would be intimidating. It's reassuring to see that you're enjoying it and that so many others love it too!

Hi, Belva!
Just want to wish you all the best throughout 2010. You surely deserve it. :) Thanks for being you. I am also planning to read Dr. Z. I just thought it was great the last time I read it. Can't get enough of the Russians.
--BJ

Belva, I'm glad you're enjoying Dr. Z. I always thought I wanted to reread it, but then I went over to the groupread and everyone was complaining about how slow it was. I thought I had read it, I can even see myself lying on my bed reading it, but I can't imagine myself liking it that much as a teenager (which is how and when I remember it) if it's truly slow. Their reaction discouraged me from rushing out to get a copy to join the group read, but I'm still going to read it (again?) eventually.

>46 bonniebooks: bonnie I did the same! Except that I was planning merely to see the film again, which I only saw in childhood, and was happy to think about a group read instead. For now, it's back to the film...

The thing I am finding with Doctor Zhivago is that I do not remember this translation at all. My old book was an ugly mass market copy but it had to have been the same translation. I really wish I could read it in the original as this translation uses phrasing like we do in the U.S. today and I even found one slang type phrase. It loses it's "old Russian" feeling.
So I am just reading along and not thinking about that "stuff" nor critiquing as I read and in that way I can keep my head in the story.
For those of you who are awaiting the "love story", that doesn't occur until Yura and Tonia escape from Moscow and to into the Urals to Verikino. I do remember that much from reading it before. I am just now beginning Part 2.
Thanx to all for stopping by.
hugs all round,
belva

I am sorry that your version is missing its Russianness. I have not read Doctor Zhivago since I was a teen. I liked it back then. Wonder if I would like it more or less now? Enjoy your Sunday. Hugs.

Hey Berly.
I think you would still like it but find some disappointing aspects of the translation that you didn't pick up on then. At least that is what happened with me. I am enjoying the story very much and just trying to overlook the style of the translation (or the words). It is much easier to do that once you further into the book.
Thanx for popping by. I hope things are well with you and yours.
hugs,
belva

Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West

My thoughts and comments:

I love the wonderful cover art of this book. I also agree that "Art can be the way out or the way in."
I picked up a copy at the library yesterday and read the book last night while my granddaughter was giving birth to my great granddaughter, Madisen (or Madison) Lena. Our baby is here. Yea!~!~!~!
But the book, the book; I found to be very humorous (I must be sick), full of satire, full of really sick and perverse persons, thoughts and ideas, but it held my interest all the way through and I enjoyed/appreciated it. None of these people have a clue about life and West is very good at sticking that right in your face. I like West's writing style very much.
I found it rather strange and interesting that "Miss Lonelyhearts" removed the "writhing Christ" from the cross just to hang Him writhing on the plaster wall, especially since he always wants to go with the God thing when answering letters.
I'm glad I read it but I am also glad that I didn't shell out any $ for the book because I really don't see myself reading this one again.
However Nathanael West is going on my list of authors to be read.
belva

Hey Belva- Congrats on the new addition! You must be proud! I also left you a note on my Challenge!

Congrats from me, too, on the little bundle of joy!

By the way, I see that you have caught my group read bug! I think that you will be far more successful with it than I have been. But I can't stop. All the titles sound so great!
--BJ

I read Dr Z while travelling on the Trans-Siberian railway. Reading about the endless steppe and then seeing it out of the window for days and days was kind of boring!

Yippee Madise/on!

Yippee Belva for reaching great-grandmotherhood before the age of forty! (Non-Einsteinian physics was clearly involved.)

Congratulation for the great-granddaughter, Belva :)

Congratulations and welcome to the new addition to your family ;-)

Congratulations Belva! A great-grandchild, wonderful!

Hello Belva! I just wanted to add my congratulations to you on your new great-grandbaby! How wonderful! I hope mom is doing well and everyone is healthy and happy.

Good luck with your new challenge and have fun with your reading this year. I'll drop over here to lurk occasionally. (You can run, but you can't hide!) :)

Joanne

Adding my congratulations to the fountain of joy over here! You're also making me want to go find a new copy of Doctor Zhivago - I had a copy but it disappeared... Did I decide not to bother and give it away? I don't know why I do that with classics like this - eventually I'm going to want to read them, aren't I?! *sigh*
Hope all is good Belva dear, xx

Thank you so much Mark, --BJ, charbutton, St. Richare, AnnieMod, calm, brenzi, Joanne and miss ellie. She is a bundle of joy!~!

And yes, --BJ, I have caught the group read bug. Don't know how you do it, but I will figure it out. Just began my 6th one last night. The Picture of Dorian Gray but I am still reading Les Miserables and Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land also. I am enjoying the group reads very much.
Today we begin #7 (for me) as we start the group read msf59, Mark, is hosting on the 75 book gig; World Without End.

charbutton;
That amazes me. I would have thought that being there at the same time as reading the book would have made it more inspirational. But IDK>twas not me. I hope you found it worth the read.

St.;
You are WAY funny. How's the writing going?
And did you find a gig translating?

Joanne;
Mother is doing much better and she has had some company besides me, which always cheers her up and then she always feels better and is not so needy for a while. Whew!~! Love her but.................

And yes, miss ellie, one day you will want to read those classics. I wanted to read them all when I was quite young and then again in my 30s and now again I find I am wanting to read them. So quit tossing as you may be sorry one day. Toss the "rape and pillage" or "bodice rippers" if you must and I find I get rid of a lot of contemporary fiction as I read it, but the classics hang on and on and on.....

Don't forget World Without End begins today!~! (on the 75 book challenge thread)

hugs all round,
belva

Belva, I'm too breathtook by your group-reading FRENZY to begin to respond to your questions!

SEVEN OF THEM?!?

*faints*

Still writing though slowly because gout is still making my hands a pair of fiery tongs.

Belva--You are my inspiration! 7 group reads!! I am going to stick with my one and only. See you on the WWE thread.

R--Feel better soon! That's an order.

Never fear Belva - there will be no more tossing of classics... at least not those that have been aquired legitimately (ie. books that don't come under the category of 'stolen from the shop')... :-)

I am, however, gradually getting better at letting go of other things once I've read them, back into the shop to make us a bit of money. Thus paving the way for yet more book shopping, obviously. You have to hand it to 'em, as a vice books never lose their charm, do they?!

#64 Ellie, you are so right!
--BJ

>63 Berly: Berly, I just had a bit of a laugh at myself when I read your message too quickly and thought you were referring to a thread dedicated to talk about wrestling, forgetting about the World Without End group read...

And Belva, though I'm a little late, I just wanted to add my congratulations for your great-granddaughter! She's adorable!

Bell7--Now you made me laugh!

That is way too funny!! I also thought you were talking about wrestling.

You all are making me laugh. I will be running for the depends soon. LOL!~!

Just began World Without End on the 15th. I am not very far into it. (We had a grandson and 2 of his cousins all week end and took them to a second showing of Avatar. I just love that movie!~! Strange...............as I do not like science fiction or fantasy as a rule, but this is so different. Anyhoo, had stinky boys; 15,13,12 all weekend so haven't read much.) I think I am on page 3.
On the other hand, I finished The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde for that group read and once again I appreciated the read. I give this one a 4 out of 5. The writing is quite masterful. The characters are intriguing and impossible for me to understand no matter how many times I read this. I just can not imagine people so hedonistic and living this type of a lifestyle. The ending never fails to provide me with a little shiver and shock.
I need to read more of Oscar Wilde for I do love his writing style.

Thanx to all for popping by. Hope you are all reading something good. I have 8 more group reads for this month. (I have until March to finish Les Miserables.) I do not think I will manage to finish them all by "the due date" but I will still finish them.
luv & hugs to all,
belva

Belva- How are you, my friend? I'm a fan of "Avatar" too! Did you see it 3d? A cool experience. I finished Parts 1 & 2 of WWE. It's been pretty good. It doesn't quite grab you the way "Pillars" did, but there's a long way to go!

Hey Mark;
Yes, we saw "Avatar" in 3D. And indeed it was a way cool experience!~! I can't wait to go back a 3rd time. I want to see it as many times as I can before they take it out of the theaters.
What do you think it is about WWE that ceases to suck you in as POTE did? I am only 13 pages in, but have found it very good so far. The main character thus far is the little girl and I am quite taken with her.
And as to your ?; I am well. Getting ready to make appointments to show mother some assisted living quarters and hoping she will approve of one that is much closer to other family members while still being just 40 minutes away from me. She would not be so lonely then. So I am very busy but handling every thing quite well. And hubby lets me know when I need to slow down for an hour or two. He is very watchful and kind.
How are you and yours? I hope this read goes well. I am excited about it. Just reading the first few pages put me right back in that "Pillars" mode of thinking.
Enjoy!~!
belva

It looks like a movie that you want to see on the big screen, for sure.

Hi Belva!! I have seen Avatar twice already, and want to see it as many times on the big screen as I can. I have heard the story get panned, but i actually liked that as much as the special effects. Mark--I swear I will read again one of these days and WWE is next!!

>73 Berly:: The only real problem I see with the story is that it's entirely predictable. There really isn't a single surprise in the entire movie.

>74 TadAD: I agree with that. Also I didn't like the message which seemed to me to be that one culture has to win over the other. The only way that humans can live with the Na'vi is to be completely subsumed into their culture. There's no co-existence - just assimilation.

I did think that it was an amazing visual experience though.

TadAD--I was just fine with the predictable alien Pocohantas recreation. LOL. Course why humans would even want to co-exist on a planet where they can't BREATHE(!) is a another question. Maybe the sequel will explore the co-existence issue... ;)

Maybe!

**** UMMM, DON'T READ THIS IF YOU DON'T LIKE MOVIE SPOILERS ****

On the co-existence aspect, I don't think there was any desire to co-exist.

While agreeing that this was Pocahontas pretty much down to a T, it did differ in one regard. The English settlers wanted both gold and land for settling. In Avatar, the humans just wanted the unobtainium and really couldn't care less about settling (xenobiologists wanting to study an alien lifeform excepted).

It will be interesting to see the sequels. I've heard scuttlebutt that the first one will reprise the conflict between Sully and Quaritch. Not sure how Cameron will pull that off, but it should be interesting. I'd also have liked the Chacón character to be there. I didn't particularly enjoy Rodriguez' role in "Lost" but I did like it here. Oh well.

The Na'vi and the Forest fascinated me. I thought the film beautifully done.
And those of us living here on this one earth cannot get along so how could we expect them to. IDK. I just go to the movies like I read my books. I do it for enjoyment and for the love of it and let the critics do their job. I paid my $9.50 so I just want to enjoy the experience and did I ever!~! And all of us knew going in that it was not going to be a film of realism.
I can and do, however, appreciate your thoughts and opinions.
belva

I have been itching to take my son to see Avatar!!! I enjoy things more watching him enjoy things! Now I will have to make sure we don't miss it!!

Avatar was the best 3D movie that I have seen. Usually I end up with a headache watching 3D -- maybe because I wear glasses under the goggle things. But this movie although quite long did not bother me.
--BJ

>79 rainpebble:: $9.50!!!!

Where do you live. I had to shell out $13.50 for a matinee! *sigh*

Yeah, I paid twelve bucks at the geezer rate. (IMAX 3D)

I had no problem with 3D spectacles over my eyeglasses.

Robert

I, too, had no problem with the 3D specs over my glasses.
The $9.50 was the geezer matinee rate in Western Washington. (but no IMAX)

The first time we saw the movie the entire family went. Three generations. And even at 2 hours and 40 minutes in length, the 7 year old did not fidget one time nor did any of the children talk through the movie. I was astounded because my grandkids are pea-shooting, popcorn throwing, food fighting in public places kind of kids. So I know they were all enthralled as well. Even on the second showing none of the 3 kids I had with me talked or wriggled. I cannot wait to go again!~!

Sounds like quite an adventure going to the movies in your family. Lots of fun!
--BJ

How old do you have to be to be deemed a "geezer"? My mom wanted to go to Izzy's the last time I was there and I was chagrined to find that at age 60 I qualified for their "senior" discount. At least, the hostess expressed shock, but then she probably does that to make all us old fogeys feel better! ;-)

>86 bonniebooks: Depends on the age of the person asking. To a teenager, anyone over 40 is a geezer. On the other hand, for a 60ish person like me a geezer is much older than I am, at least 80, although I do appreciate the discount:)

60 is not old!!! 60 is only a little ways over the half mark. So how can that be old? I plan to live to be 100+.

Yeah! I like your attitude, Tammy!

Young is in the mind and heart and so is old.

I'm 65, and I'm old. Except for the creeping debilities and a little bit for the reduction of opportunity I like it.

Robert

I'm 62. I think anyone who is 63 or older is a geezer! :)

Prolly so, although when I was 62 I thought I was a geezer.

Robert

That is no country for old men. The young
In one another's arms, birds in the trees
- Those dying generations - at their song,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unaging intellect.

An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress,
Nor is there singing school but studying
Monuments of its own magnificence;
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
To the holy city of Byzantium.

O sages standing in God's holy fire
As in the gold mosaic of a wall,
Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,
And be the singing-masters of my soul.
Consume my heart away; sick with desire
And fastened to a dying animal
It knows not what it is; and gather me
Into the artifice of eternity.

Once out of nature I shall never take
My bodily form from any natural thing,
But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make
Of hammered gold and gold enamelling
To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;
Or set upon a golden bough to sing
To lords and ladies of Byzantium
Of what is past, or passing, or to come.

Ah, Yeats. tcM - I love all the poetry you inject into Club Read.

tcM;
I love that and I love that it is on my little ole' thread. It is beautiful.

Well, I finished Light in August, (my first Faulkner), the other day and I must say that I fared much better than I expected to; until it came to the old house in the woods burning down. From there through the end of the book, I do have to admit that there were some twists and turns that confused me and had me going: "Hunh". So I think I really need to read it again; at least from that point on.
But I loved Faulkner's writing. He truly "sucks" one into the story from the get-go. But I need to read the last part of this one again and then I can't wait to read more by him.
belva

Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy, an author of the month read for me, was good as always. Seems like I enjoy reading this particular Hardy every couple of years. Next up by him is The Return of the Native. I have heard so many negative thoughts and comments on this one that I am just hoping that it is as good a read for me as "Tess" was.
belva

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak was once again a much beloved read for me. I always love to read this book as the politics of the place and time are fascinating for me and also the love story within the book is so beautiful.
It has, however, taken me until my dotage to realize that the English translation is quite less than perfect and I must also admit that it did affect my reading of the book this time around. I wish I could have not allowed it to, but I did and it did so.................while still a beloved read for me, this time it was not the perfect read it has always been previously.
belva

Belva you darling, I had a dream about you last night...no, not one of THOSE dreams, but a dream about your house.

I was standing on a stone-paved path, a Japanese maple to my right as I faced a glass-paned door painted a soft green. The path led to the door through a hedge of evergreens. The helpful little fairy who runs the Chiron machine in my head provided the following caption for the scene: "Belva. Scones and raspberry jam."

You opened the door, smiled at me, and made a beckoning gesture with your left hand, which was holding a BIG mug (Chiron guy put in "cocoa" and an arrow pointing to the mug), and said, "Come in! We're almost ready."

And then I woke up.

The maple was in spring scarlet and the seed pods were drifting around. It was such a reassuring, comfortable dream!

That sounds so lovely St. Richard. I don't that anyone has ever shared having such a sweet dream about me. Our maple is not yet in scarlet, but it is throwing down pods. And you would now find just the stumps of the everygreens as they were causing our sidewalk to buckle. So you do have some of the "right stuff" going on in that head of yours.
How very lovely.
And, and, and I was naked right?
belva

UUhhhmmm, sure! Sure, why not.

*heeheehee*

Hi. How are you and how is the gout doing?

Hey, Belva- Am I interrupting something? I can come back later?
How are you, my friend? Miss seeing you around! Glad you are enjoying WWE! I'm nearly finished with Part 4. Have you heard anything from Ruthie? I have not heard from her in a few weeks!

Hope I am not interrupting either...Ahem!

I talked to Ruthie last week and she was elated that she finally got a definitive diagnosis and found the trouble. She needs some medical intervention, which last I talked to her had not been scheduled. All in all, in good spirits. We should send some love her way on her thread and home page!

Hi Belva, no bad news to report! Gout on the retreat, weather beautiful, dog adorable, aunt on anti-depressants. All, in short, humming along nicely.

>#107;
Glad to hear all the good news St. Sounds like things couldn't be much better unless there was a Greek god in the picture.
Weather is good here as well and I am enjoying it while we have it.
Thanks for stopping by. While I am enjoying my new "reading plan" and it is going very well thus far, I find that I do miss all of "you" and the friendly bantering back & forth.
Well, you take care. Give yourself a hug for me.
belva

>#106:
Hey Berly;
Not interrupting a thing. I am just happily playing with my new keyboard. I am so proud. This is the first time I have tried to do any real installing of something to my computer. But after 2 or 3 days I was going though withdrawals and no one offered to do it for me, so..........here
I am up an running again and back to being a happy camper.
How is your family? Hope everyone is doing well and that you are reading something really good.
Are you enjoying World Without End? I am happy to report that I am enjoying it as much as I did Pillars of the Earth. I am actually surprised as it was panned compared to POTE.
You take care. Thanx for popping over.
big hugs,
belva

Belva, I am back from my 5-day road trip. We drove close to 2,000 miles and did more manual work than I am used to with helping my son move to Plano, Texas from Colorado -- and we live in Missouri! He had hernia surgery two weeks ago and could do very little to help. Do I have a smart son or what? I really enjoyed the talk upthread about what makes one "old." I am happy to report there is quite a bit of life left in this old girl. I'm 62 and managed to carry my fair share of boxes and miscellania up (and down) stairs. Doesn't anybody have a ranch style house anymore? Well, we have three levels here so I guess I am used to lots of stairs.

Okay, back to books. I too am enjoying WWE. I listened to 12 hours of it in my audiobook from the library. I wanted to fast forward through Follett's awkward love scenes which, thankfully, were few. I look forward to reading the rest of the book in print form.

I liked Tess when I read it a few years ago and ditto for Dr. Zhivago. Actually, you might say I loved Dr. Z. I got the job of unpacking and arranging my son's small library and came across some of my old friends that I've given him over the years. He reads mostly classics. I told him he could have first pick of my books if we ever downsize from this big house.

Belva, you always make me think of Nanny Ogg in Terry Pratchett. Not only because of your name I think. I hope you take that as the compliment it's meant to be! She's one of my favourite Pratchett characters.
Rena

ChocolateMuse;
Hello my dear.
Though I have not read any of Terry Pratchett's works, I have heard nothing but positive comments so yes, I take that as a complement. And thank you very much. I will have to read Pratchett to check that out. I do not even know it we are discussing a guy or gal author. Will book page him/her and find out. I like the name Nanny Ogg.
I have been thinking of changing my username and since I usually sign my posts it should not make much difference. But I found what my Native American name is and was so taken by it that I emailed Tim when I could not change it myself within my profile and he assured me that he would take care of it. (It just happens that I am 1/16 American Indian).
Any, thank you for popping over. Always makes me so happy to "see an old friend".
big warm hugs,
belva

P.S. Did Terry Pratchett write The Colour of Magic? And is he an old geezer? Just askin' 'cause if this is him then that is why I haven't read him. I don't do disc world stuff; don't even know what it is. I don't do science fiction nor fantasy, though I know I need to step out of my totally square box and try new things.
I am participating in the group read on the 75 book gig The Chronicles of Prydain Series with:
The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llr, Taran Wanderer and The High King and I have read most of the Harry Potter series so I guess I am getting my toes wet.
I am focusing on Group Reads in 2010 so hopefully someone will come along and do a few that are out of my box and I won't be so afraid to try them.
xoxoxo

Donna- Welcome back! I'm glad it all went well! Also glad to hear you are enjoying WWE! I just finished Part 4 today (halfway). How was the narrator on the audio? Just a single reader? Speaking of audio, I'm nearly finished with Their Eyes Were Watching God and it's been excellent. The reader does a superb job capturing the voices!

Belva--I am also 1/16 American Indian: Iroquois. My Dad is qualified to be a member and looks the part. Unfortunately, I don't! But I still think it is cool. My great-great grandmother was Grandma Moon. What tribe are you from? If you want to really stretch yourself, we are talking about doing a group read of steampunk (a genre I know NOTHING about!) on DrNeutron's thread. Hugs.

>113 rainpebble:: I've been trying to change my user name since January 1 and there is always the debugging message. I didn't even think about e-mailing Tim. You are so smart, Belva, or should I call you Nanny Ogg?

>114 msf59:: Mark, there is a single narrative voice on my audio version of WWE. He does a pretty fair job of doing the female voices, but I'm looking forward to returning to my hardcover with the pretty cover and pages I can turn. Audio books just don't have the same effect on me.

>115 Berly:: Steampunk? That's a new one for me.

Belva dear, I'm usually lurking on your thread, but I don't often speak up.

I suppose you could call Pratchett an old geezer, he looks like this:



And yes, he did write The Colour of Magic, but I belong to the group of Pratchett readers who say that his first five Discworld books (Colour of Magicis his first) don't hold a candle to his others.

Here is Nanny Ogg - Believe me, I DO NOT picture you to physically look like that. You have the Nanny Ogg heart, is all :)



And I'm more than happy to take these pictures off your thread at any time on request.
hugs :)

Oh, ChocolateMuse;
Please do not remove these from my thread. You have me just belly-laughing here. The husband thinks I am nuts. Whenever I am on the computer and start cracking up............for some reason, he always thinks I am reading something St. Richard has thrown onto the darned thing.
But....Nanny Ogg; what a hoot!~! Maybe I am changing my name to the wrong thing. I love her. That is hysterical!~! She even has cleavage!~! Woo Hoo!~!~!
Thanks for the giggles,
belva

Donna and Berly;
I will talk to you ladies tomorrow. Am very tired and am going to hit the old four poster now.
G'nite all & good reads,
belva

Just flitting through to say hi, Belva! Sounds like you've been fulfilling your Club Read aims quite nicely already this year, some good classics and hefty reads going on over here... It does feel good to slow down for a bit, I must say - I'm over on the 75-ers but I've slowed right down recently to enjoy Persuasion and North and South and liking my reading time all the better for it! Back soon for more Belva-sunshine, xx

>115 Berly:: When I think about Steampunk...a genre I enjoy...I wonder if, 50 years from now, some books will be classified as Mechanical Punk. If you think about someone like E. E. "Doc" Smith, where people fly inter-galactic spaceships by pushing levers and throwing switches...well, it's certainly analogous to steampunk in our day. Just musing... ;-D

>117 ChocolateMuse:: I just started Unseen Academicals and read the part about the Megapode hunt. It's good to know what it looks like now...though does Pratchett really look like Rincewind? I wonder.

Well I just had to google steampunk since I was totally in the dark as to its meaning. Fortunately, not a genre that I would enjoy. There's way too many titles on my TBR list anyway so I'm glad to escape this.

Hi Belva--I was wondering why you changed your name! Now I know.

Terry Pratchett suffers from Alzheimers, and today opened up the whole debate about assisted suicide in the UK.

Here is an article he wrote in the Guardian today.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/01/terry-pratchett-alzheimer-as...

I hope he manages to get the law changed. Of course pople should be allowed to choose the time and manner of their death.

I have not read any Pratchett, but I admire his courage and integrity on this issue.

Belva - I'm very entertained by the Nanny Ogg comparison, hope your OK with the hijack.

#117 - ChocolateMuse "but I belong to the group of Pratchett readers who say that his first five Discworld books (Colour of Magicis his first) don't hold a candle to his others.

... but I like those other four.

#124 Murr - Thanks for that link. It's a bit odd and interesting to see Pratchett serious. He's effective and interesting, and still, though it's subtle, witty.

I like "rainpebble" but loved Nanny Ogg! My pending name change is much less drastic from Donna828 to DonnaReads.

I loved Nanny Ogg too. That pic is just too funny. When I need a good laugh I just pull her up!~!

Berly;
We are of the Cherokee Nation on my father's side and a bit of the Sioux on my mother's side. On my paternal grandmother's side one of the Cherokee women down the line married a French trapper named Fuqua.
belva

"Rainpebble"? Explaining to old foreign man, please, as I am not understand.

#125 - dchaikin, you are welcome to like them :) Actually, I think Mort is an exception, and I'm not over-fond of Rincewind anyway - but despite that, the first two are so Douglas Adams; and Equal Rites hasn't at all got the hang of the witches yet, they truly don't come into their own until Wyrd Sisters. Sourcery's ok for a Rincewind, so maybe I should have said the first three, not the first five. I've spoken to others who agree, and also to an opposite camp that thinks the first two are the best of the lot... so it's all as you like it.

Belva, 'rainpebble' is a very pretty name, though I'm having trouble getting used to it.

Rainpebble--Everyone is gonna wonder who this new person is that suddenly appeared in their friend column on their home page!! How did you find out that this is your Indian name? More details please!

I went to an old Cherokee Indian geezer who "supposedly" knows these things. He is a medicine man/holy man. And he asked me a lot of questions about myself; when & where I was born, history of family as far back as I can remember being told; seasonal, animal, etc. preferences and Rain Pebble is what he came up with. I like it a lot and decided to run with it. I was getting tired of nannybebette anyway. Though I am still Nanny and Auntie Bebette to those particular loved ones.
And you guys are welcome to call me whatever you want to. I think most people will get past the rainpebble in the postline when they see the signature at the bottom of the post as I usually do sign my name.
I still LOVE Nanny Ogg!~!~!
belva

I finished The Return of the Native last night. I almost hate to move on to Dickens and give up Thomas Hardy for a time. I love his writing so much.
And I was so happy, happy, happy that one of the "girls" fell in love with Diggory Venn. He was so sweet and good.
I really liked this book a lot and if I had one complaint it would be that the end came along a little fast for me. But I am not complaining. I have to give him 5 out of 5 on this one.
And I must agree with you Valerie. I also found that Egdon Heath was like another character in the story.
belva

Belva - make your next read Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett. Then you'll get to actually meet Nanny Ogg.

*note to self - read some Thomas Hardy*

ChocolateMuse;
check out my home page. You will crack up.
(all your fault) just sayin'
luv n hugs,
belva

Rainpebble - what a great new name and with an interesting story to go with it! Hope all is well with you! Joanne

Hi Joanne;
Everything is great. Just never enough time for all the books I want to read, but I think we all have that problem.
Anything new with you and yours?
Oh, I am going to be a great grandmother "again". Little sis 19 1/2 following in big sis's footsteps. Not quite 2 months they think. He is in the Navy and out at sea quite a bit for 2 more years so the timing isn't ideal, but these things happen and babies are always a blessing. It had been 7 years since we had a baby in the family and now boom, boom; two in a row. They will have fun; two little cousins so close in age and all.
luv n hugs,
belva

I just finished In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes. Some call it pulp fiction, some call it noir fiction; whatever it is I enjoyed it a great deal. An easy rather formulaic read but that's okay this time because I liked it. Man meets girl; man falls in love with girl; man meets trouble; girl falls in love with man; man loses grip due to troubles; man loses girl. Just a good, solid, quick read. In fact I enjoyed it so much that I think I need to acquire more pulp/noir fiction books for those days when I need a quick and easy but interesting read. Rather reminded me of the old film noir movies, and I love those old B & Ws.
belva

>136 rainpebble: Congratulations to you - another great grandbaby!

Take a quick peek at my profile pic to see what's new with me and mine. :)

Hugs back at ya'!
Joanne

>132 rainpebble: Heavens, rainpebble dear, come in from the storm and leave Dickens to the ineluctable forces of nature where he belongs.

Joanne;
What a beautiful baby and the uncle isn't bad either. Aren't babies wonderful. Congratulations to you and the entire family!~!
hugs,

My dear St.;
So you are not overly fond of Charles? Hmmm????
I like him but just hate to give up Thomas Hardy as Author of the Month theme for Charles Dickens who is the February Author of the month because I loved both of my Hardy reads.
However, you probably LOVE Melville whom I dread.
big warm breast crushing hugs,

Thanks guys for stopping by.
luv n hugs,
belva

Tonight I read the first of the 75 gig's group read: The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander entitled The Book of Three. What a charming, warm, cozy little fantasy story. I loved it.
It is about the adventures of pig care giver in a "netherland" with all the bads, weirds, goods, evils, and all that other stuff. It is so wonderfully written that I could see what was going on as I was reading it.
I actually should have read this one in January I believe but just did not have enough time to do all of my January reads last month. So I am attempting to play catch-up this month. Which means (ohhhh, goody, goody), I get to read the second of this series: The Black Cauldron as soon as it arrives.
I really thought I did not like fantasy, but am finding that the more I read of it, the better I like it. These are really fun. I hope that a lot of you in the 75 gig have joined this group read.
hugs all round,
belva

Ooh, I love The Book of Three! Are you planning on reading the rest of the series after The Black Cauldron? That's another good one. The third, The Castle of Llyr, is probably the weakest. The fourth, Taran Wanderer, is very different from the others, very contemplative. And the last one, The High King, won a Newbery Award. It has the same bittersweet, dramatic ending as Lewis' The Last Battle. Now I want to reread them all...

One of the things I love about YA fantasy is that it usually isn't a huge commitment in terms of page count. So I can recommend entire series without the slightest twinge of conscience :)

Happy Friday!!

Hi gals!~!
Happy weekend to both of you.
And yes, oh wisewoman, I am reading the entire Prydain Chronicles as part of a group read on the 75 book gig. (one a month) I loved the first one and hope to just keep on a'lovin' 'em!~!
I am not sure, but I believe drneutron set this one up. (yes, I went back and checked and it was Jim.) You should join us. It's great fun!~!
hugs to both and thank you for stopping by.
belva

I just finished World Without End; another group read listed on the 75 book gig and hosted by my bestest buddy Mark (msf59).
This book was so very good. I think I enjoyed it even more than I did it's predecessor, The Pillars of the Earth, both by Ken Follett and I loved that one. This one constantly had something going on. There were too many stories going on in the background to count but it kept your mind busy and kept you in the book quite easily the entire time.
I hope that Follett has many more historical novels up his sleeve for the future because to this reader he is a real treat to read.
Kudos once again to Mark, who can always pick a good one for a group read. And I am looking forward to Marches group read of Midnight"s Children hosted again by Mark and my first Salman Rushdie.
hugs all round,
belva

Hi Belva- I'm so glad you enjoyed WWE as much as you did! I was expecting it to be a pale imitation of "Pillars", but it starts taking on a strong life of it's own. I'm still in Part 6 and plan on being finished by mid-week. Of course, we love the fact that you are joining on us the Rushdie G.R., this will be my first by him also. This is the link to The Midnight's Children General Tread: here
Take care, my friend!!

Well, it has taken me a while to get over here to your thread and I admit it's length was intimidating! This will seem rather belated, but I enjoyed your comments on Doctor Zhivago. I have love Dr. Z since the 70s when I first read it. One of my daughters (now 27) has the name Larissa because of it (ok, so the extra 's' is because my in-laws thought - upon hearing the suggestion - that it was a communist name...). I have a little Pasternak collection (poetry, biography, lit crit) accumulated mostly in the 80s and early 90s. I last read the novel in the 90s. I really should read it again as 'powerful' books, I've discovered, speak to me differently at each reading (or different eras of my life).

How's that less chatter and more reading going?

I'm just catching up for now. Love your new name, Belva! Very refreshing.

>Mark;
Thank you for the link to the Midnight's Children group read. I went right over & "signed up" for it and am really looking forward to it. I think this one was a bonniebooks suggestion, wasn't it? It sounds like a good one.
hugs,

>avaland;
Thank you for the "Dr. Z." comment. There seemed to be quite a few who did not enjoy the read this time through. But I certainly did. I need to read some of Pasternak's poetry as I have not since sometime in the 70's.
The less chatter and more reading is going well. I do miss everyone but find that I am reading differently and that part is good for me right now.
hugs,

>bonnie;
Hi my dear. It has been a while.
Thank you for the name comment. I like my new username as well.
Catch you out there somewhere or in March for the Midnight's Children read.
hugs,

belva

Just finished The Tale of the 1002nd Night by Joseph Roth, (Author theme read of the month), and I have to say that I just didn't care for or about the story. I cared nothing for or about the characters, thusly I cared not a whig what happened to them. I did find the trail of the pearls interesting, but there wasn't much to it. Reading the book it just felt very disjointed.
But I will give Mr. Roth two more opportunities to impress me. My next read by him will be The Radetzky March which is on it's way to my library branch. I hope I like it better.
Good reads to all,
belva

Hi Belva, I finally got to take my son to see Avatar tonight. We really really liked it!

I saw it last night, too. My husband and I went on a date night (!) and saw it in 3D (he had only seen in in 2D). It was my third time and it still did not seem like 2 and a half hours! Love that movie.

tjblue & Berly;
Isn't the movie great on almost all scales? And it was one of two movies nominated for the most Acadamy Awards this year. I am still hoping to see it at least one more time before they remove it from the theaters and put it on DVD. (the DVD will not be 3 D as the producers, etc, do not think the technology is there yet for 3 D DVDs) I will still be buying mine as soon as it comes out. My daughter heard on the news that it will be released sometime in March.
I am glad you all enjoyed it and congrats on the date night Berly
hugs,
belva

Storm, Instantaneous, Forever

Then summer took leave of the platform
And waiting room. Raising his cap,
The storm at night for souvenir
Took snap after dazzling snap.

The lilac darkened. and the storm
Came bounding in from the meadows
With a sheaf of lightning flashes
To light the office windows.

And when malicious delight ran
Down corrugated iron in torrents,
And like charcoal on a drawing
The downpour crashed against the fence,

The avalanche of consciousness began
To glimmer: light, it seemed, would soon
Flood even those corners of reason
Where now it is bright as noon.

Pasternak 1917

Hi Belva,

For what it's worth, The Radetzky March is one of my favourite books - in my opinion a very beautiful, sad and absorbing tale of the Habsburg Empire in decline - and I hope you enjoy it.

On a similar note, I was encouraged by your comments last year to choose Their Eyes Were Watching God as my selection for the reading group I attend. I'm in the middle of it right now and loving it. I'm a bit apprehensive as to how the other members will take to the dialect, but I'm certainly glad to be reading this book, so thank you!

>154 QuentinTom: Lovely, Murr! I may have to pull out a volume for some re-reading now (I suspect it has been a decade since I have paid much attention to my old love)

Yes, I have been reading him all afternoon after reading this thread. He is one of my old loves too.

tcMurr;
That was absolutely lovely. Thank you so much for posting it here.

"The avalanche of consciousness began
To glimmer"

I love that phrasing. He was soooo before his time.

Thank you all for stopping by and thank you Rebeki, for your comments. That was one of the best books I read last year. I wish Zora Neale Hurston had written many, many more.

This evening I finished The Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner and I found it to be more of an essay than a story for the most part. I loved it. It speaks to the very heart and soul of mankind.
The story takes place in South Africa on a sheep farm. The main characters are three children, the overseer and the Boer owner of the farm. There are interactions amongst the characters and the little boy I really warmed to. But most of the prose is the thought processes of these characters and a lot of it is very soul searching with a lot of depth.
Here is just one quote out of the very, very many I would love to share:

"They say that in the world to come time is not measured out by months and years. Neither is it here. The soul's life has seasons of it's own; periods not found in any calendar, times that years and months will not scan, but which are as deftly and sharply cut off from one another as the smoothly arranged years which the earth's motion yields us.
To stranger eyes these divisions are not evident; but each, looking back at the little track his consciousness illuminates, sees it cut into distinct portions, whose boundaries are the termination of mental states.
As man differs from man, so differ these souls' years. The most material life is not devoid of them; the story of the most spiritual is told in them. And it may chance that some, looking back, see the past cut out after this fashion:"

I was quite drawn in and I am sure that it will not be long before I read this one again.
belva

Hi, Belva!
Just popping by and catching up on your thread. I also like your name. Rain Pebble. That's beautiful! Looks like you are reading lots of good books this year. Are you going to read 2666? I bought a copy of it, but I haven't started it yet. Take care.
--BJ

I just bought The Story of an African Farm for a customer of mine! He has been looking for it for years and told me it was wonderful, and I had to order it as a Dover Thrift edition from America because it's harder to track down here. Here's to hoping he enjoys rereading it as much as you've enjoyed it this time, Belva! xx

>#161:
Hey --BJ;
Thank you.
And I am reading a lot of good books this year. It is also taking me a lot longer to read them. Sometimes I feel like I am back at uni but it is all good and I am loving most of them.
I am going to read 2666. Just waiting for it to arrive. I got a copy from the library and before I had finished the first page I was looking for a highlighter or a pen and just barely caught myself. So back went the book and I ordered my own copy so I can scribble in it as much as I want. It looks REALLY good!~!
Good to "see" you.

>#162:
Dear Miss ellie;
So good to "see" your happy face here!~! Smart move to order a copy of The Story of an African Farm for your customer. I hope you ordered two. One for him I (he will be so happy rereading it) and one for the shop so that you can read it. It is absolutely wonderful.
I hope that your health is under control and you are taking care of yourself. At least one day a week, I think of you and your yummies, TV DVDs, books and a movie. I love how you plan your days off.
xoxo

Big warm hugs for you both,
belva

Belva dear - just made it over here and enjoyed reading through your thread. Loved the Pasternak poem, not to mention 'the dream sequence'....

So love that quote from The Story of an African Farm - I was able to get a copy from my local library but never had the time to read it .... have to get it again as it was highly rated previously and here it is again!

Great news about the next great grand baby ... I have a second grand child due at the end of this month :))

Dearest Belva - I didn't buy a second copy of African Farm this time, but it's now firmly on the radar. I'm so glad you're enjoying taking your time and reading these wonderful books this year. I've been quite inspired by your example and have found myself taking my time and savouring what I read, and enjoying everything the more for it.

P.S. For a Day Off Update, you'll be happy to know that this week I spent my days off very contentedly curled up on my sofa in my blanket-with-sleeves, reading my book, with smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches and chewy choc chip cookies! Could this have been my scrummiest time off yet?! :-)

Rainpebble darling, stopping in to deliver a smooch and a hearty recommendation for The Radetzky March--plus a new rec, Csardas, set in the same time period.

Wow, I don't get on LT for a couple of weeks and next thing I know, you've got yourself a new name! I love the change, and that's so neat that you were able to find out that history. And, belated congratulations on the next great grandbaby!

See you in the Midnight's Children group read!

Another one who turned his back for a moment only to find that you'd gone and got yourself a new name while I wasn't looking.

Glad to have caught up with you again.

>#164:
Julie;
Wasn't the Pasternak poem lovely? I am so happy that tcMurr left it on my thread. I can read it whenever I wish and with no searching.
Congratulations, my dear on your soon to be expected grandchild. There is nothing in this world to prepare one for the feelings that run the gamut in becoming a grandparent, is there?
It is just such a wonderful tender place in one's life.
The Story of an African Farm; you should try to make time for this one. It is a glorious read and one I know I will read again and again. So very lovely. xoxo

>#165:
my dear lovely miss ellie;
How lovely to "see" you. So you don't have the physical book, but it is on your radar so you will one day read it. You know how every so often, you fall in love with a book........this
was one on those book/reader situations for me. If you wish to read it online whilst having slow moments at the shop try this:

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1441

And you little scamp; your day off indeed sounds the scrummiest of them all!~! Would love to join you one one of your days. xoxo

>#166:
My lord St. Richard;
I will be taking that smooch and raising you two "huggs".
As we speak, The Radetzky March is in transit on it's way to my library branch for me and Csardas is now on my rec list. I was thinking I had read it, but then no; it was Siddhartha I had read. I need to read that one again. So your recx are, once again, oh wise one, duly noted. xoxo

>#167:
Sooooo nice to "see" you spacespuds!~!
Seems forever!~! I am glad you like the name too. I love it and feel much lighter/more fleet since haven taken it on. The "gods", you know............the rocks, rills, trees, earth, sky, sun, moon, H2O, and everyone's totem must be happy. ;-0
And indeed, I will be there for the G/R Mark is hosting of Midnight's Children. I love his reads. They are always very good books, but also well organized and lotz of good company and companionship. xoxo

>#168:
As I live and breathe, Mr Greaves;
Funny, I have been thinking of you. I tend to do that when I am reading a book and my mind wanders and I just cannot stay there as you have encouraged me many more times than one that there are too many good books out there to spend my time beating my head against one that is not a match for me at that particular time. So I read your mind once again, and returned Clarel and Paradise Lost to their designated shelf spaces. But I am loving all the others I am currently reading.
Yes, I changed my name. Was hoping I would become sweet and naive once again with that, but sorry........................it just didn't happen.
But I love the new name. I even feel different with it. I am happy you found my new home.
It is good to "see" you. I hope things are wonderful in your neck of the woods. xoxo

hugs all round,
belva

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

My thoughts and comments:

I finished Les Miserables yesterday morning and, (attempting to keep it spoiler free), yes, this is indeed a book that I loved and will read again over the years. Hugo has a way about writing that almost made me feel like he was attempting to lure my head from the story at times, but if so, he sadly failed. He tends to do what my mum calls "going off on a tangent". He gets caught up in a netherwind and is off and running with it for a while but then here he brings it back to the story line and yes, it usually had some little/big something to do with one or the other of the characters, including Paris.
By the way, this is the best book with Paris as the backdrop that I have ever read.
So I really liked it; I cared very much about most of the characters. I think that the only character I actually detested was Thenardier. I liked how Hugo built his characters so they were multifacted and layered and not just one dimensional. And he took the time to do it, which not all authors do; sometimes all parts of a character are described at once. But not here. Here, we actually got to see the growth (to the bad or the good) of the characters.
Thank you Le Salon, for organizing this read. For me, it was a reading experience of a lifetime.
belva

Belva, congratulations on finishing Les Mis, a feat which I've yet to do!

"Twilight" by Stefan Zweig

My thoughts and comments:

"Twilight" by Stefan Zweig is a wonderful short story about a woman who has for all practical intents and purposes ran the court of the King of France. It is based on the true life of Madame de Prie. It is not a pretty story but I am finding that Zweig writes nothing but great stories.
Madame de Prie is asked by the King to leave court and expels her to her country estate. I don't believe we ever truly find out the reason she falls out of favor unless it has to do with one of her lovers at court, the Duke of Bourbon, who is likewise dismissed from his duties as prime minister in charge the affairs of state.
At any rate, Madame de Prie finds living in the country and away from court to be unbearable and this is the story of her state of mind throughout her exile to her death.
It is not a pretty story, but it is a wonderfully written one and one I highly recommend.
belva

Yay! Congrats on making it through Les Mis. Now we're Les Mis buddies! Bonded by our love of Hugo. :)

Now it's time for you to read Jean Cristophe, Pebbles darling. You've made it through Les Miserables so there can be no excuse!
xoxo Bam-Bam

Belva- Just swinging by to say hi! Congrats on finishing Les Miserables and reminding me of another classic I have not yet read! Have a good weekend, my friend!

Your good words on Hugo, Belva - bless you - puts all those heartless haters in their proper place. So thanks!

Les Miserables is one of my daughter's favorite books. When her class read the abridged version, she read the unabridged. She has been begging me to read it, so now it is on my tbr. Thanks for the great review.
--BJ

I forgot to mention in my previous post that I was at a used bookstore last weekend and managed to snag a copy of All Passion Spent. I think that one got added to my TBR list because of your review, if I'm remembering correctly. I'm looking forward to it...though I have no idea when I'll get to it. The stack is a little large!

Thanx all for the congrats on finishing Les Miserables. I am so happy that I read it, finished it and loved it. I have heard about it all my life but was just always too intimidated by the size and "Frenchness" of it to attempt it. That is what I love so much about the group reads. They help to keep that fear and intimidation at bay. It really helps to have others in there with you.

>And yes, Medelia;
We are indeed now "Les Mis" buddies born of love. hee hee.

>And St. Richard;
I have been checking out Jean Cristophe and have it on my list for down the road. I will move it up if someone hosts a group read on it.
xoxo right back atcha!~!

>Hi to my bestest buddy Mark;
Thank you and I hope all is wonderful in your world. I am really looking forward to Midnight's Children in a couple of weeks. I need to get on the stick and order the book.
I will meet you at the group thread.
xoxo

>EnriqueFreeque;
You are so more than welcome. One just cannot argue with honesty. I will most likely read it again next year. So "nay" to the "nay sayers" I say.

>--BJ;
I am so glad that I read the unabridged version. The abridged version was tempting at the size but I just couldn't do it.
I think I have seen a group read of Les Miserables on L.T. twice a year for the past two years so you (with your love of group read {which I now share with you} should hook up with the next one that comes along. I don't think you will be sorry.
xoxo

>Hey spacespuds!~!
How's it going? What are you reading these days? I need to get out onto some of my favorite threads and see what everyone else is doing.
I fell in love with Vita Sackville-West when I read her All Passion Spent. It is a wonderful book and one that stays with you for a very long time. I think this is her best one, of those I have read, and it sent me running to the computer to purchase all the other books by her that I could find. I am still looking for a couple but she is a spectacular author and a fascinating woman in her own right. Enjoy when you get to it. I know your TBR mountain is huge!~!
xoxo

hugs to all and thank you for popping by to "see" me.
belva

Hi Belva! I'm reading much less than I used to now that I'm working again (I got my old job back at the beginning of February since another instructor left), but I'm trying to maintain a decent pace. I'm just finishing up The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which turned out to be pretty underwhelming. Then it's onto the Midnight's Children GR, followed by The Stone Diaries, which I really need to read and return to the library before they stop letting me renew it!

See you very soon in the Group Read!

>#180:
spacespuds;
Work is good though, isn't it?
I am saddened by your take on The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I got it right after Mark read it because everyone was talking about it and reading it at that time and seeming to like it. Well, perhaps this is one that you and I will differ on. Hope so. I'll find out when I get to it.
I have heard of The Stone Diaries but don't know anything about it so will jump over to the book page after this and see what it has to say.
I thought that the G/R of Midnight's Children started on the 21st or something like that so I don't have my book yet, but it is on it's (very fast) way from good old Amazon.com. I ordered it from my favorite independent book store but she said it would be sent out media mail so I canceled the order as Mark had so kindly corrected me on the date. I probably won't have my book by tomorrow, but it should be here the next day. I am excited.
See you there my dear.
belva

My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

My thoughts and comments:

At about 100-150 pages in I was ready to put this one down but I am so thankful that I did not.
The book is written in many short chapters; all in the first person by one of the characters and there are quite a few characters. It took me a while to figure out what the book was actually about and it turns out to be an Ottoman era whodunit. The characters are all clearly drawn out and Orhan Pamuk gives the reader time to get to know them, but do we "really" know them? He lays out what drives them, but do we "really" know them? We know them well enough to understand why they do what they do and why they react the way they do, but do we really "know" them?
The story is set in Istanbul and is about the world of the master miniaturists & calligraphers who work on books for the Sultan, who then locks them away from the world in a treasury. It is about jealousy, greed, religion, love and murder.
My Name is Red took me a few days to read and I did read some other works before I picked it up again. Things made a lot more sense at that point. I guess I just needed a cooling off period.
I highly recommend My Name is Red but for some of you.......give yourself time to "get into it". I needed to. Enjoy.
(I think I need to re-read The Name of the Rose.)
belva

2666 by Roberto Bolano

My thoughts and comments:

This was a very difficult book to review. There are actually five books in one and very little to link them to one another. Bolan wanted them published separately but as they were published posthumously he didn't have much say after all.
I first checked the book out of the library and when I began to read it, I found myself reaching for a pen and highlighter as there was just so much that I wanted to follow up on. Well, you just cannot deface a public library book so I took it back to the library and went to my favorite independent bookshop and shelled out thirty bucks for my own copy so I could deface it.
On the book, as a whole, I have really mixed emotions and thoughts. All but one of the books I really liked, but the fourth book I did not care for at all. I think it just held too much violence for me. I loved the last book and it did kind of bring things together for me.
I do guardedly (because of the violence) recommend this book. It is very well written. The characters that I cared about, I cared deeply about. The ones I cared not for, I truly cared not a whig about them. But I will be looking for more Bolano books to read as well as a good bio on him. I have a feeling he was a fascinating man.
belva

I am looking forward to my March group reads.
We are still reading:
1. Anna Karenina
2. Moby Dick
3. The Count of Monte Cristo
4. The Three Musketeers

Today we began:
5. Mrs. Dalloway but I want to read the bit on this book in The Things That Matter by Edward Mendelson before I begin so I will be reading that when I go to bed tonight.

Tomorrow we begin:
6. Midnight's Children but I don't have my book yet...........it is on it's way from Amazon.

The others for March are:
"The Author of the Year Read" and I have chosen to read Stefan Zweig's (7.) Journey into the Past.
"The Monthly Author Read" and I have chosen to read Elizabeth Bowen's (8.) A World of Love and (9.) The Little Girls.
Le Salon's Tome for March is (10.) Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, so I will begin that one.
Mini-Author for March is still Joseph Roth and I have chosen to read his 11. Job: The Life of a Simple Man.
Le Salon's Le Salon de Faulkner's read for the month is (12) As I Lay Dying.
The 10/10 Challenge Group read for March is (13.) Briar Rose by Jane Yolen.
From my Nonfiction & Bio category I have chosen to read (14.) Carrington: A Life by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina.
From my Series category I have chosen to read (15.) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and parts of The Outlandish Companion by the same.
From my Virago category I have chosen to read the Virago/Beacon Traveler by Kate O'Brien entitled (16.) Farewell Spain.

And then to play catch up for February (because I just now got the book):
17. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

That's it & there ain't no more (for March).
belva

Wow!

Robert

Hey Belva- You've been a busy bee, my friend! My Name is Red sounds very interesting. I've jotted it down. A new copy of 2666 sits in my tbr. I'd like to try to get to it this year. I also have The Stone Diaries buried in the mountain also. It's a Pulitzer winner.
I'm nearly finished with Small Island and I will be shouting it's praises for the rest of the year. It's incredible! Then on to Midnight's Children, where we will all meet again!

I am just wondering how you juggle all these group reads Belva. Absolutely amazing.

So much great stuff in there belva!

The Count is fantastic. The Three Musketeers are full of adventure (but the real story is with Milady - such a villain!).

And then all of the Author Theme Reads! Fantastic! But note that Joseph Roth belongs to the Author Theme Reads, not the salon. I don't want to miss out on your thoughts on The Radetzky March simply from you posting in the wrong group! And don't forget, Roth lasts through April so you can postpone him a bit if you'd like.

Good luck and see you in these various groups!

Holy smokes! I think we'll have to start calling you the Group Read Goddess!

I hope you enjoy The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I still feel like maybe I just missed something since I am obviously in the minority. It wasn't bad, though. There were really good, adrenaline-filled, page-turner parts to it. I just wish the whole thing had been consistently like that.

I tried My Name is Red and just couldn't get through it. Perhaps I shall retrieve it from the corner where I threw it and give it another try (okay, I didn't really throw it, but it did surely vex me). Did we start the group read of Midnight's Children already? Shoot! Where is that copy anyway? Congrats on Les Mis! Love that book. And can I just brag that I actually read it in French? Way back, years and years ago. I suspect my comprehension might be a tad compromised all these years out of school! LOL. Perhaps a reread in English, hmmm...

Hugs. :)

I have the three Stieg Larsson books sitting waiting for me too Belva - here's to hoping they're going to be fantabulous!

************heavy sigh******************

I went out and purchased 2 new bookcases thinking all of my books would then fit in/on my shelving. That makes 44 "designated book shelves" in my house now. I have even taken over 2 shelves in my hutch. And they still won't hold beyond 1/2 of the "S" authors. I was so pissed when I got home today and worked so hard on filling them, (they were already in alpha-order stacked on the table and I had shelved up through the "L"s . I bought them the other day but didn't unload them until today. I pulled all of my Steinbeck's and was able to finish shelving the "S"s then. I think 2 more shelves will do it. Or perhaps I can double shelve on the shorter bookcase as the shelves are very deep on that one. That would probably do it.
There, I feel all better now. I just needed to talk my way through that one. Thanx, guys & gals.
belva

Oh my goodess! All those shelves...*serious shelf envy*

Why rainpebble dearest! How *scruuumptious* that is!

*mutters sulphrously off to kick nearest cat in annoyance*

>#185:
Mr. Durick;
Gee Robert, I'm glad I can still impress somebody in some little way. Thanx.
xoxo

>#186:
Hey there Mark, my bestest buddy;
My Name is Red and 2666 were both challenges for me. I actually set "MNIR aside for about 3 days and worked on some of the other G/Ps. When I pick it up again it all just began to fall together and make sense to me and I was able to complete it and feel good about it as well. But My Name is Red and 2666 were both very challenging for me, to say the least. But I am very glad that I read them. They each gave me a fresh way of looking at some things Mid-Eastern.
The Stone Diaries and Small Island are both on my TBR listing, but just not for this year. I really want to stick with this Group/Read stuff and see if I can do them all year. I am finding it very challenging and no easier after 2 months that at the beginning.
I am so disappointed that my Midnight's Children has not yet arrived. I paid $6.00 extra to have it shipped quickly and was told to expect it within 2 business days. Well, I think that was the end of last week. So I am just feeling slightly rough around the edges regarding that little item.
But: eeeeeeeeeeeehawwwwwwwwwwwwwww;
As soon as it is here...........I am over there with y'all!~!
luv n hugs....xoxo

>#187:
Hello brenzi. How's trix? I hope you are reading something good. Probably Midnight's Children!~!~!
To speak to your comment:
I focus on the first ones to be dead-lined and usually have 3 of those going at once. During the daytime I read the "Tomes" and at night the smaller ones. I just regulate my time.
Some of the "tomes" are 100 pages a month; some are so many chapters a month. I usually get right on those. I have a special small bookcase for my group reads and when I have finished that month's portion, I slip it back into the bookcase. When I finish the book it goes back into the regular bookcase from whence it came. I did have to alphabetize my books when I began this. Until then I just couldn't stay organized. This is all --BJ"s fault. --BJ does them all the time and always has several going at once so I guess in a sense I was challenged by her reading ethic. She got me hooked on them and once I finished Pillars of the Earth in Group Read form, I found I got so much out of the discussions that I just fell in love with that form of reading.
So far I have been able to do all of the group reads on L.T. since November, (that I wanted to do), and do them on time except The Elegance of the Hedgehog. That one was for February and there were 97 people ahead of me in the queue at my library for it so I ordered it and it just arrived so I will probably start it right away. (or not)
So far I haven't had any trouble with the plots. If I forget what happened just before I put it down, I just go back a couple of pages.
It's fun. You should try it.
March's "Author of the Month" is Elizabeth Bowen so I pulled two of hers. I already had A World of Love, (which was duplicate copy gifted to me by a dear L.T. friend), and I ordered The Little Girls. Anyhoo, that's how this girl does it and I am loving it. I do feel like I am putting a little bit of pressure on myself; but with everything going on in my family and all the responsibilities I have there it is nice to have some of the pressure coming from myself. So it actually feels good. And if I am successful with it, I will be able to feel really good about myself and that is something I haven't felt in a long, long time.
xoxo

hugs all round; hubby just walked through the door; will finish this later.
belva

You have some serious **Book Pressure** going on there, Ms. Pebble. It makes my head spin to see your reading schedule. You are so organized about it. Good for you. I think I'll stick to my reading plan of...

Read What I want, Where I want, and When I want. I'm calling my group "The Selfish One!"

I will be joining Mark in the Norwegian Wood G.R. in May. See you there?

Hi Donna.
You bet your sweet bippy that I will be there for Mark's G/R of Norwegian Wood in May. Mark's G/Rs are the best. His timing for the read always seems to be spot on. Not too long and not too short.
And I am only doing this "total G/R" to see if I can so I feel rather light about it. I am even holding it together in the G/R of Moby Dick by "the dreaded Melville. I have yet to finish anything by him that I have begun. But so far (**fingers crossed**) so good. And I am even enjoining it thus far but I am only 200 pages into it.
Thanx for popping by.
xoxo & hugs,
belva

>#188:
Hello there lilisin;
Nice to see you in my neck of the woods.
Thanx for the catch on my posting of who was doing the Mini Author Theme for me. I went back and corrected it. (I think) And I also changed the Joseph Roth that I am reading this month to Job: The Story of a Simple Man as the library emailed me that it had come in for me. I own The Radetzky March so I will read that one in April and I am really looking forward to it. But I just have to read "Job" first so I can get it back to the library.
I am loving both of the Dumas reads and it is fun reading both The Count of Monte Cristo & The Three Musketeers at the same time. They are really fun reads.
Thanx for popping by and I hope you are reading some really good stuff and I will see you in the G/R threads.
xoxo

>#189:
Hey there spacespuds;
Nah, --BJ............now there is your Group Read Goddess!~!~! And she is also the one who got me hooked on them. The sneaky little stink.
I think Mark recommended the Stieg Larsson books to me. And I do not think I will be reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo this year. I pretty much have myself all mapped out for the year.
Thank you so much for stopping by my "lil ole" thread. I hope all is well with you and yours and that your reading time is exciting for you and not all uni books.
xoxo

>#190:
Berly;
I blub you!~!
I cannot believe you, girl, read Les Miserables in the original!~! GET OUT!~! Man, I am impressed. I would love to have a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or however many language (s). Because I read all of these books, and you know they have to be better in the original. Well, perhaps it is not too late to try Rosetta Stone. I hear good things there.
And I am glad that I am not the only one late to the beginning of Midnight's Children. Do you know if Bonnie is joining us on that one? I know she has already read it, but I hope she is there.
How's the family? Everyone well? We are well on the way to recovery. Life really happens when it decides to, doesn't it? How is your friend? I think about you a lot. We really have got to hook up somehow next summer. Maybe meet in the middle because we are only about 2 hours apart or at least it only takes me 2 hours to get to Portland, I should say.
Later babe,
xoxo

> #191:
Well, miss ellie, as I live and breath.
I, too, hope that you love the Stieg Larsson's. When I get to them, (although I have only purchased The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I hope I love it or the "Markster" will be hearing about it as he is the one who reck it to me!~!
You take care dear & I'll catch ya later.
xoxo

>193 richardderus::
My dear St. Richard;
Eat your heart out!~!

glitter-graphics.com
xoxo

Thanx to all for stopping by. You have made my day!~!
hugs all round,
belva

P.S.:
If anyone would like to see my brother who lives in Alaska and his three gorgeous daughters, (who look just like their auntie, BTW), I have changed my current profile picture to show them.
Their mom is kind of cute too but she is taking the picture.
belva

Was this before or after the accident? How is Chrissy?

This was before the accident, but that is a different niece. Thank you, Robert, for asking about Chrissy. I will put up a fresh picture of her in a few days from afterward. I would put one on here if I knew how, but I sadly do not.
Chrissy is doing very well. She had a cold and the flu a few weeks ago and was just furious because she couldn't fly over to Ketchikan for her therapy. She still talks of having good days and not so good days. But she is a fighter and she will just keep improving as she is now. Amazing that she is still showing improvement, but she is. She is a wonderful girl.
How are you and how is winter going for you? We have had so little snow this year and out fruit trees are all budded out. I just know we will soon have another freeze and there will go the blossoms and no fruit this year. ;-(
Good to "see" you Robert. Which group are you with this year?
xoxo
belva
These girls are all a few years older than Chrissy and they are Vera, Mary and Barbie. (from L. to R.) Their dad & my brother Mike in the middle. He isn't quite as gorgeous as they are. hee hee.

Hi Belva- I see my name mentioned a few times up above! Glad to see I'm in your thoughts and thanks for the compliments! Did you get the book yet? I just finished the 1st section of M.C. It's both demanding and fascinating. The guy can write! When you do finally get to Dragon Tattoo, you'll like it, I'm sure of it!
I got my spanking new copy of Norwegian Wood today, so I'm ahead of the curve on that one and it'll be our shortest G.R. book by far, just under 300 pages. We should cruise through that one!
Your brother has a beautiful family! Great picture! Also it's wonderful to hear that Chrissy is doing so well! Later, my friend!

Glad to hear Chrissy's improving.

I live in the tropics, and just about in the Southern hemisphere so this isn't winter for me. I caught some of the worst of the snow on my annual trip back home to the UK for Christmas and New Year. Here the weather is wet, it's flood season, though not as bad as it has been other years. The grey skies seem to be lasting much longer than usual, not what I came to the tropics for!

I'm still at 75@52. I didn't realise the 75 book challenges were so tied to the calendar year, and my challenge year runs from birthday to birthday, so 2009 is going to last till September 2010 :-). Your new group looks kinda fun so I might join you over here for my next challenge.

Mark - I just got my nice new shiny copy too, I'm so looking forward to my first Murakami in such excellent company!

Belva - love the kitty gif, my cat has those moments too! Fortunately now her claws have been clipped again she doesn't do TOO much damage unless she gets all four paws and little teeth engaged and manages to grab you good and proper... ;-)

hey Belva,

your reading list is encouraging, I've just started yesterday Iris Murdoch "The Sea, The Sea". I like hever novels.

on the other hand, I liked so much My Name Is Red, it was a rich mosaic, even its post-modern experimental structure, is great. I read also Pamuk's "The White Castle" and "Other Colors", and I'll read his "The Black Book'

as for the Les Miserables, it is a great work; I love it so much, and I like his play the King's Fool (Le Roi S'amuse), and it will be greater if you see Verdi's Opera "Rigoletto" which is based on this play.

on the other hand, I would suggest reading Dostoevsky's "The Idiot"; it is so humane; Tolstoy's the Death of Ivan Illich; Isabel Allende's the House of the Spirits (and the movie is great as well), joyce's Ulysses, Kafka's Metamorphoses, Ovid's Metamorphoses, and Umberto Eco's The Name of The Rose.

actually, there are too many books, but I thinks you'd love these ones.
good luck with your reading

Sock puppet;
Is that you?
belva

I reread A World of Love by Elizabeth Bowen for the "Author of the Month" read and found it to be absolutely as good the second time around as the first. I won't review it as I already have, but E.B. is splendid.

I have also reread (so, again, no review this time round), Mrs. Dalloway for "The Highly-Rated Book Group" and I have to say it again; that to read Virginia Woolf in any form is to read pure poetry. I love how she puts her words together, her phrasing..........always perfect and yet she writes simply. The woman was a gift to the literary world. No wonder the "Bloomsbury Group" came together. How could they help but?

I also, just this morning finished, The Privileges by Jonathan Dee. This was an ARC/ER book so you do get a review, pitiful though it may be, on this one.

My thoughts and comments:

This is the story of a wealthy family in which the father works for a very influential brokerage firm and makes very good money. However Adam is not challenged by his work. Everything comes to easy for him. So he begins insider trading and the whole intrigue of it is exciting to him.
His wife, Cynthia is an at-home mom who does volunteer work in her spare time.
They have a teen aged son and daughter who are both very smart and well behaved children.
Then their world changes. The owner and boss of the firm Adam works for decides he wants to retire and gift the firm to Adam. Adam thinks about this and what it will mean to his life and his "side job" and decides to decline, wanting everything to stay the same.
Shockingly the firm owner becomes very angry at Adam for what he sees as treachery and fires him immediately.
Now Adam really has to ponder this situation as it changes everything possibly more than even his taking over the firm would have.
He decides to stop the insider trading informs his "associates". There is a little anger and resentment there. He also decides to come clean with his wife, Cynthia, who is immediately concerned about the fact that they have all these millions of dollars in offshore accounts and now Adam has no job and no way of explaining their lifestyle should it become necessary to deal with the S.E.C.
A lot of things begin to happen from this point forward with Adam, Cynthia and both of their children. Needless to say things change immensely, but perhaps not how you think they will.
I found this book very interesting and somewhat plausible. I did think that the author wrapped it up too quickly. I was pretty good for a quick and easy read.
belva

I reread A World of Love by Elizabeth Bowen for the "Author of the Month" read and found it to be absolutely as good the second time around as the first. I won't review it as I already have, but E.B. is splendid.

I have also reread (so, again, no review this time round), Mrs. Dalloway for "The Highly-Rated Book Group" and I have to say it again; that to read Virginia Woolf in any form is to read pure poetry. I love how she puts her words together, her phrasing..........always perfect and yet she writes simply. The woman was a gift to the literary world. No wonder the "Bloomsbury Group" came together. How could they help but?

I also, just this morning, finished The Privileges by Jonathan Dee. This was an ARC/ER book so you do get a review, pitiful though it may be, on this one.

My thoughts and comments:

This is the story of a wealthy family in which the father works for a very influential brokerage firm and makes very good money. However Adam is not challenged by his work. Everything comes too easy for him. So he finds an associate, (who finds other associates), and begins insider trading and the whole intrigue of it is quite exciting to him.

excerpt:
Adam: "Devon, (the associate), "you're going in to work today, right?"
He fingered his suit. "Some of us have to," he said.
"Well, when you do, just take a minute and look around you at everyone else in that office, everyone you work for, everyone who works for you. All of them with their fingers crossed, all of them so afraid that if getting some kind of inside information meant never seeing you again they would make that trade in a heartbeat. I think I know what you think of those people. But you are not one of them. You are Superman. You are a fucking gangster. The day we go back to feeling safe from risk is the day you can no longer look at them and say to yourself that there's any difference between them and you. Are you really ready to go back to that? Are you really ready to go back to reading bullshit quarterly reports and trying to use those to figure out how the world works? It's no kind of life, leaving your future in the hands of forces that have nothing to do with you and calling them fate or luck or whatever. And there is only this life, dude. I don't want to get all mystical on you, but this is the only life we get, and either you leave your mark on it or it's like you were never here."

His wife, Cynthia is an at-home mom who does volunteer work in her spare time.
They have a teen aged son and daughter who are both very smart and well behaved children.
Then their world changes. The owner and boss of the firm Adam works for decides he wants to retire and gift the firm to Adam. Adam thinks about this and what it will mean to his life and his "side job" and decides to decline, wanting everything to stay the same.
Shockingly the firm owner becomes very angry at Adam for what he sees as treachery and fires him immediately.
Now Adam really has to ponder this situation as it changes everything possibly even more than his taking over the firm would have.
He decides to stop the insider trading immediately and informs his "associate". There is a little anger and resentment there. He also decides to come clean with his wife, Cynthia, who is immediately concerned about the fact that they have all these millions of dollars in offshore accounts and now Adam has no job and no way of explaining their lifestyle should it become necessary to deal with the S.E.C.
A lot of things begin to happen from this point forward with Adam, Cynthia and both of their children. Needless to say things change immensely, but perhaps not how you think they will.
I found this book very interesting and somewhat plausible. I did think that the author wrapped it up too quickly. But it was pretty good for a quick and easy read.
belva

Rainpebble my dearest...I so hope you'll wander over to the group threads and chitty-chat about Mrs Dalloway...Lori is raising some questions I think you'd be well placed to discuss, and goodness knows it's a relief to all when mine isn't the only voice heard....

I rather like the sound of The Privileges - did you hear the thud as it hit Mount TBR?!

I did................clear cross the pond. Or, wait...............was that a kerplunk? No, it was a thud!~!
luv ya!~!
belva

--> 197

Love your graphic, belve. It's hilarious!

The Privileges sounds interesting. As one who took a hit in the recent economic disaster, though, I hope Adam got his comeuppance. :)

>#211:
Hey Squeak;
Long time, no talk. Yeah, I thought it was funny too and soooooo apropo for St. Richard, who, as you know, loves cats!~!~! Ha hahahahahahahahaha!~!
hugs,

#212:
Hi aruba;
How's trix? That book was interesting and a quick read which really suited me well at the time. As to your comment regarding; I really can't speak to it. (spoilers, you know) But if you want to read the book, I am mailing it off to someone tomorrow and will ask them to ship it off to you when they finish. Okay?
big hugs,

belva

Midnight's Children finally arrived today and I just finished Job: The Story of a Simple Man by Joseph Roth, which was a wonderful story, so now I begin my first Rushdie for the 75 book gig G/R hosted by Mark.
later dayz,
belva

Well, it has been a while. I made it half way through the Mark's G/R of Midnight's Children and put it back to bed on the shelf. I just was not appreciating nor enjoying the read. Same with Infinite Jest excepting I gave that one up on about page 80. I just was not getting it. Se la vie...............or however you put it.

I did finish a beautiful biography on Dora Carrington entitled Carrington: A Life by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina. This book was a wonderful study of a fascinating woman who lived on the cusp of the "Bloomsbury Group"; not quite within but not quite without. She was a painter and did mainly stills that are quite different but beautiful. She spent her adult life loving and in love with Lytton Strachey, who was a homosexual. He loved her madly as well, but not romantically. And they continued those feelings right to the end.
She did marry but felt very coerced into it. And she had affairs; one of which was with another woman. But I don't believe that she was a lesbian. She just love Strachey so much and couldn't have him romantically. They did share a house and it was quite an open house with other artists & "Bloomsburies" coming and going at all times.
If you like bios of artists of any kind and are not turned off by the homosexual aspect (which I was not), I think you would like/love this book.

Well, speaking as someone who can extol the virtues of Angelina Jolie as well as I can of Hugh Jackman, no turning off here. Sounds really interesting - and I really don't know enough about the 'Bloomsburies', so I'm adding it to my wishlist!

Poor Mark - did you let him down gently? I gave up on Midnight's Children before the group read even STARTED - I read a couple of pages to get a taste, flicked idly through a few more chapters, and heard a resounding 'What the...?!' echoing in my head. Not in the right place for one of those right now!

Hey, she even turns me on. I think Jolie is really HOT!~!
Love the Bloomsburies!~! Long may they wave!~!

Yes, miss ellie,
I let Mark down easy. I do feel badly for him. He works so hard on his G/Rs, but I this is the only one that has truly sucked. (for me anyway) The others have all been resounding successes and I will be back for his next one as excited as ever. I made it about half way through the book just because I do think so much of Mark..................but I couldn't do it.

Could you read it a box?
Would you read it with a fox?
Would you read it with your lox?
Could you read it on the docks?
I did not, would not, could not Sam;
I could not read it with green ham!~!

hugs n luvs from cross the pond.
belva

Hey, Belva!
I am finally catching up on your thread and you have read so many terrific books since I last read here. I ordered Norwegian Wood, too. I tried numerous used bookstores to find it, but I ended up ordering from amazon with the superslow shipping.

Today we have snow in Tulsa. The robins are in shock. Our newly-planted lettuce plants are in shock. The dog is amazed.

I think that you take the prize for group reads, for sure! I saw that there is going to be a group read of In Search of Lost Time in a group (can't recall which). I am not a member, but I really need a group read to get me to read this tome. I have been wanting to read it for two years. Are you doing that read?

I am glad that Chrissy continues to improve. Thanks for all the sunshine that you share with everyone! God bless!
--BJ

Belva,

I love your Dr. Seuss rendition of Midnight's Children LOL. Truer words were never spoken. Turns out not too many in the GR enjoyed the book. Never did the phrase "too many books, too little time" apply more accurately.

You think you guys feel guilty? I was the one who recommended it for the GR. Of course, that was because I had taken a look at it last year and decided I would never finish it without the support of a group. I feel like such a fink!

BonnieB- Don't sweat it my friend! It was a collective decision and we're all intelligent adults, (most of us, anyway). It was a book that didn't work out, although I enjoyed the many insightful comments from other readers and now we move on. I know I have and I'm looking forward to the Murakami in May, ( another Bonnie rec btw) and I've been thinking about some future ideas.

Any hints, Mark?
--BJ

Awww Mark, just think how wonderfully the Murakami read will go as everyone remembers the 'Rushdie episode' and burrows into their new GR in relief... It may even go down in LT history, people will be talking about it for months! 'Do you remember the time we tried to read Midnight's Children...??'

LOL!~!

I just finished The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and it is definitely a 5 star work of literature. I was reading this for the 75 book gig's list of G/Rs so I tried to keep to the reading schedule but fell so in love with this book that I just had to read it day & night until I finished it. W-O-W!~!~!
This is not a small book. My Penguin copy is 1276 pages long. Did I mention that this is a large book? But it is very easy to read and seriously, I didn't want to put it down to eat. My poor mother hasn't seen me since Thursday A.M., the boys are having to fix their own P.B. & J.s, hubby is cooking dinner and I haven't even washed my dishes since the end of last week. :-( Bad small wet rock!~!)
And I am now so far behind on my G/Rs that I decided to grab a Virago someone recked to me, Pepita by Vita Sackville-West. She never lets me down. If I had lived back then, I probably would have been in love with her myself. I am just going to kick back and have a leisurely read.
Good reads all.

It's my favorite of his. Have you read The Three Musketeers and sequels? I enjoyed the first and Twenty Years After, but the last one/three (depending how you get them) disappointed me. I had seen "The Man in the Iron Mask" movies and was expecting another adventure story instead of the drier political intrigue novel.

225 -

I loved the Count as well! Couldn't put it down! Try The Three Musketeers next if you haven't read that already. It's a different feel but a fun story especially when you meet Milady!

I plan on making my next Dumas La Reine Margot. Just have to get through other obligations first.

Hey Belva- I have never read Monte Cristo and would normally balk at the immense size but you have convinced me, that it would be well worth it. Thanks!

225 This is not a small book. My Penguin copy is 1276 pages long. Did I mention that this is a large book? But it is very easy to read and seriously, I didn't want to put it down to eat. My poor mother hasn't seen me since Thursday A.M.,

You did mention that The Count of Monte Cristo is long, but I still don't really believe you, because there's no way you read a 1276 page book since Thursday. ;-)

But I'm thrilled to hear that it's a great read, because it's been on my wish list for quite a while -- I just have to read 14 normal sized books first to make room for it on Mnt. TBR.

I first read The Count of Monte Cristo in high school (on my own, not assigned reading). I don't remember why I picked it up but I loved it! I've re-read it a few times over the years and recommend it to others. Glad you enjoyed it so much!

229 -
The Count is so entertaining you really can read it in just a short amount of time!

>OKAY, I do so love a challenge and the gauntlet has been thrown down. And that is only some 200-plus pages a day.
So.........those of you who have in your libraries the unabridged edition of The Count of Monte Cristo...........I am just askin'.......................how many pages???
Hmmmmmmmmmmm??????????/

this is my edition Joyce:

http://www.amazon.com/Count-Monte-Cristo-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140449264/ref=sr_1...

>TadAD;
I read The Three Musketeers at about the same time I read "The Count"; I was in my teens so about some odd 55 years ago. I have started it for a G/R but put it on hold along with everything else for "The Count". And I have never read Twenty Years After", so I will have to add that one to my library one day. "The Count" was great!

>I have never heard of La Reine Margot. Will have to do a little research there. But thank you all for the different Dumas recx. Definitely love his work!~!

>I am now reading a bio that Vita Sackville-West wrote about her maternal grandmother, (who died when her mother was 9), and she gave the book her grandmother's name, Pepita. Very good so far. Not certain, but I believe that DeadFred recked to to me.

My version of the Count is an unabridged French version so it'll be a little different but I think it fell at about 1200+ pages. I'd have to be home (and not at work) to be certain of it.

In my edition of The Three Musk. it's interesting that in the preface it is mentioned that this is one of the arcs historians believe Dumas didn't actually write and that it was instead one of his assistants (or whatever they were called) who wrote it. This is believed to be true since they feel it impossible for Dumas to have written all of his works in his lifetime.

And I found it interesting comparing The Count and The Three Musk. as I did find them to be recounted in very different ways.

La Reine Margot is very famous but perhaps it is less well known in the States? I definitely don't hear it mentioned as often.

>233 lilisin:: That's fascinating about The Three Musketeers. I'd never heard anything about that.

ditto here. I feel some research coming on.

Hello Belva - I was hanging my head in shame for dropping MC (before I even got to book 2!) that I didn't look up long enough to see that I wasn't alone in my...distaste. But I'm glad I at least tried it and wouldn't have without the group read.

I may pass on The Count and The Three but I'll keep an eye out for more GRs I can actually finish!

Looking at my books I'm starting to wonder if I haven't made a mistake. Yes, Dumas had a collaborator, Auguste Maquet, but I can't find any word of other assistants. So I'm wondering if I didn't mean Victor Hugo but I can't find the passage in any of my books! Argh! I know I'm not making this up. But who? Who was it?

Sorry for the confusion and (false?) hope everyone. I'll keep looking. I know it's here somewhere.

>#237:
lilisin;
Now, I have heard that before regarding Hugo; doesn't mean, however, that the same is not true for Dumas. That being said, it still does not take away from my fascination and joy in reading The Count of Monte Cristo nor Les Miserables either one.
And I am looking too lilisin. One of us is bound to find out something. "The plot thickens."
hugs,

>#236:
coppers;
Hi girlfriend. How goes it? I think the only reason I stuck with Midnight's Children to the halfway point was because it was "msf59/Mark" G/R and I really wanted to give it a good chance before I "hurled" it. So, nah, do not waste your time feeling guilt over a book. Slap it up on BookMooch and call it good. There are too many really good books out there to read those that truly do not appeal to you. And what to you and I was a real "stinker" was wonderful" to some. So.............to each his own. And I will enjoy mine & you feel perfectly free to enjoy yours.
hugs,

Thanx for stopping by all.

>#237:
lilisin;
Now, I have heard that before regarding Hugo; doesn't mean, however, that the same is not true for Dumas. That being said, it still does not take away from my fascination and joy in reading The Count of Monte Cristo nor Les Miserables either one.
And I am looking too lilisin. One of us is bound to find out something. "The plot thickens."
hugs,

>#236:
coppers;
Hi girlfriend. How goes it? I think the only reason I stuck with Midnight's Children to the halfway point was because it was "msf59/Mark" G/R and I really wanted to give it a good chance before I "hurled" it. So, nah, do not waste your time feeling guilt over a book. Slap it up on BookMooch and call it good. There are too many really good books out there to read those that truly do not appeal to you. And what to you and I was a real "stinker" was wonderful" to some. So.............to each his own. And I will enjoy mine & you feel perfectly free to enjoy yours.
hugs,

Thanx for stopping by all.

I finished Pepita last night and I really enjoyed this read. It is by Vita Sackville-West and I have yet to find a book by her that I do not care for. There is just something about this author that I love!~!
Pepita is a memoir to/about her maternal grandmother, Pepita, and her mother, Victoria. I found it to be well written & though it does skip back and forth throughout the book, that only enhanced it for me. I found the women fascinatingly eccentric and I really liked them. The men were kind of just along for the ride, but then again it is a memoir of the women and the important things in the lives of the men are reported in the book. Sackville-West is very careful to let the reader know where she found her information and I liked that about the book as well.
I would probably give this one a 4 out of 5.
Thank you DeadFred for the rec!~!

Now I am on & into Three Houses by Angela Thirkell & enjoying it as well.
It is also a memoir; this time of Thirkell's childhood.
later dayz.

Just completed The Three Musketeers. I quite enjoyed it. An easy & relative quick read for the length of it. I didn't realize that The Count of Monte Cristo & The Three Musketeers were serialized in the papers originally and that that is when Alexandre Dumas came into his "hay-day". Nor did I realize that a lot of The Three Musketeers is fact-based until I got into it. I really like Dumas & his style. He writes a really good villian/villianess. Milady was quite something & her ending was way too kind for the life she led.
I have now begun Journey Into the Past by Stefan Zweig as part of the "Author of the Year Theme Reads". I have fallen in love with his writing. It sounds as if he didn't come into his own until the 70s. But, if you have not, y'all should try him. He is very good.
Happy reading all & later dayz,
belva

Hello rainpebble dearest! Some good reading going on here...I haven't read The Three Musketeers in a very long time, but I remember being completely transported when I read it. It's time to re-read, I think.

xoxo

Hey there St. Richard. I'ma lova, lova lova you!~!~!
Yeah, TTM was very good & I had a lot of fun reading it. I am becoming convinced that upon occasion it could be fun to be bad!~! "Milady" was something else!~!
xoxo,
belva

Last night I read "Journey Into the Past" by Stefan Zweig, a lovely novella about 2 people meeting in peacetime. One is available, the other is not. Then they are separated by business but write & make plans to see each other again one day. Then comes "The Great War" & the gentleman is stuck where he is so it is a very long nine years before they see each other again.
The story is not just about love & loving, but about hope & hopelessness, about drive and ambition, about simple human kindness.
If you've not read Stefan Zweig, please do something really nice for yourself and read a piece of his work. It doesn't have to be this particular one. They are all lovely.
belva

dog-gone touchstones don't work for poo-poo at times!~!

I just added a Zweig book to my wishlist--not that one though. Funny how all of a sudden, you start noticing certain authors popping up all over the place.

That is so true Bonnie. Zweig is "The Author of the Year Theme Read" author so I am attempting to read something of his each month. I had never heard of him before but I will share with you that all 4 of his books that I have read this far have totally blown me out of the water!~! He writes exquisitely & yet simply. He really is quite wonderful. I hope you enjoy/appreciate the one you chose.
big hugs,
belva

I just finished reading Briar Rose by Jane Yolen. This one is a take on "Sleeping Beauty" & is like nothing I have ever read before.
The grandmother tells her three granddaughters the same fairy tale over & over again; they love it & can not hear it often enough. It is quite different that the "Sleeping Beauty" we are familiar with.
As the girls grow up and the grandmother becomes quite aged, she leaves reality behind and becomes the "sleeping beauty" of the tale; continuing to tell the tale even in the nursing home.
The youngest granddaughter swears to the grandmother that she will go "back" & find the truth & this truth literally becomes believable.

"He smiled. "Your own American writer Emerson said: 'The hero is not fed on sweets but daily his own heart he eats.' If that is a definition you can accept, then I will tell you I have dined long and hard on my own heart. And it is bitter."

This is another short, easily studied, but heartrending quick read. And apparently there is a whole series of these fairy tales out there somewhere just waiting for me to find them. This is also one I highly recommend.
belva

>247 rainpebble:: And apparently there is a whole series of these fairy tales out there somewhere just waiting for me to find them.

Terri Windling's "The Fairy Tale Series":

The Sun, the Moon and the Stars by Steven Brust
The Nightingale by Kara Dalkey
Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
Jack the Giant Killer by Charles de Lint
Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia Wrede
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
White as Snow by Tanith Lee
Fitcher's Brides by Gregory Frost

They vary in quality, though I liked most of them. Probably the only one I really didn't care for was Fitcher's Brides. I like the Bluebeard legend, just didn't get into Frost's writing.

Count me among those who had never heard of Stephan Zweig, Belva. However, I hope to read something by him very shortly so thanks for your thoughts on this author.

I hadn't heard of Zweig before Chess Story was mentioned a few times this year in this forum. I purchased Chess Story, and it is currently in my TBR pile. Hopefully, I'll get to it after I finish The Passage for ER.

Get going on those Zweig reads kids because you are in for a BIG surprise if you have never read him before. It is said that he did not come into his own until about 1970. I have been so very taken with him and his work and I had never heard of him until I was looking into the "groups" to see just what I was going to do with my year, reads wise and when I came to "Author of the Year Theme Reads", and it was Stefan Zweig, I was kind of yeah, yeah, until i began the first one & I could not put it down. Love him.
I wish that he had written more and that he had lived longer. I quite admire him.

TadAD;
Thank you so much for that list. Did you read/like Briar Rose? I didn't think I would care much for it because I have just read so darned much on holocaust & holocaust related subjects that I expected to be turned off or burned out by it, but instead I found it to be quite good.
belva

I have finished Farewell Spain, (a Beacon/Virago Traveler) by Kate O'Brien and have been so surprised by it. In the reading of it, I have felt so strangely as if I just happened upon Kate's patio; filled with bright sunlight filtering down between the leaves of the trees and pots of brightly colored mums, daisys, and other yellow and orange flowers covering the patio; so bright with flowers that it almost hurt the eyes. Kate is sitting there at the patio table just waiting for us, in a white sundress, bare legged and with one sandal dangling off her toe. She invites us to have some cold tea with her and as we sip the tea, she tells us of her little jaunts through Spain. She tells it so casually; inviting interruptions at any time and thusly, we spend our afternoon chatting the day away on her patio. As evening falls, the air begins to chill and we make our excuses and begin to drift away.
What a wonderful way to spend the hot afternoon. Ah, but if it were only true. I said it felt that way, but I really spent it in my bed reading the book instead of on Kate's patio hearing it.
Either way, she gets a 4 our of 5 and I enjoyed it tremendously. It was so casual and laid back, it made the reader feel the same.
I definitely recommend this one.
belva

Hey Belva! All this talk about Stefan Zweig! And I'm not familiar with him! An LT friend just sent me Chess. What are your favorites?

>252 rainpebble::

Yes, I did. Like you, I'm a bit burned on Holocaust stories, but that one I liked.

--Tad

Hey Mark;
My bestest buddy;
I have truly liked/loved each Stefan Zweig that I have read. I suppose my favorite would be Journey into the Past or Twilight which I have only seen in print along with another novella of Zweig's. So it comes as Twilight and Moonbeam Alley. The Post Office Girl is also wonderful and intriguing as well. I actually have not read one of his that I was not REALLY taken with.
I have not yet read Chess, but I have Chess Story awaiting me, which I assume is one and the same. I also have The Royal Game, Amok, The Burning Secret, Fear, The World of Yesterday and Beware of Pity. The last two are the only ones of any length to speak of.
I think you will really like Zweig's style and turn of a phrase Mark. I know he is not like what you generally read but I still think you will appreciate him. I find him to be quite masterful and I think I could read a novella on slugs if written by him (or Virginia Woolf). The man knows words and loves them. You can just tell that by how he writes. Please let me know what you think of his style of prose whether you like the book or not Mark.
In the past 3 1/2 months I have read books that I loved simply because of how they were written and that is a novel concept to me in the past probably 15 - 20 years. I used to always be "story" driven as to what I read.............now; not so much. That is not to say that Zweig's stories are not good. I have not read one yet that was not, but then too, I think how can a "story" about chess be wonderful. I will have to read the ones I have got to find out, won't I.
Thanx for popping by & please let me know when you finish it. And I will be there in May for your G/R.
big hugs,
belva

Hey Belva,
I have a book coming from the library by Zweig called The Royal Game and Other Stories. I believe The Royal Game is also known as Chess Story. Also included are Amok, The Burning Secret, Fear and Letter From an Unknown Woman. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm looking forward to reading Zweig.

Hi Belva- Thanks for all the Zweig recs! I couldn't find Journey into the Past on Amazon, for some reason. "Chess" is only 50 pages, so I should be able to squeeze it in somewhere!

Hi, Belva!
I hope that you had a wonderful Easter! My dogwood bloomed in the nick of time. Everything is spring here and it just makes me happy! Still enjoying all of your reviews and I will see you over at Mark's book group. God bless.
--BJ

Brat Fararr by Josephine Tey.
I read this for a G/R on the 75 Book Challenge gig.

I enjoyed this read tremendously and it was so nice to have a cozy little mystery for an afternoon delight.
Just as the "hero" to-be (Simon?) is about to come into his inheritance an imposter (Brat?) is thrown into the mix. I knew from the first meeting between Brat & Simon that something was off with Simon but I just could not put my finger on it. He was just a bit too smug. I thought I should feel bad for him as he was losing his inheritance but just could not make myself do that.
I enjoyed the characters in this book though I didn't come to care about some of them. I enjoyed the setting very, very much.
My copy of the book states that Josephine Tey belonged to the "Golden Age of British crime writing"; 1920-1950 and gives her huge kudos for her non-formulaic works; stating that when you picked up a Tey you never knew what to expect; that they were always so very different. Reading Brat Farrar has convinced me to find that out for myself.
Thanx for another great G/R from the 75 Book Challenge gig!~!
belva

>#257:
Hi Bonnie. You are correct. The only difference is in the translation. They are translated by two different people. So I am anxious to read them both and see what the difference is. I know that the opening and closing statements are worded quite differently but their meanings seem to be the same. I think you will like Zweig and his works are so short in general and there are not, to my great sadness, many of them.
It sounds like you are having a great year. Happy reading & I will talk to you later or catch up with you on F/B.
hugs,

>#258:
Hey Mark;
If you can't squeeze that one in, you are reading too much..........way too much.
big hug!~!

>#259:
--BJ;
Heeeeeeyyyyyyyy girlfriend!~! What beeees happening!~!~!~!~! How have you been & are you reading good "stuffs"?
I have been too sick to enjoy much of anything besides my books & the computer. Eleven days of the crud!~! Too long. My poor mother; I daren't go down there & take this bug. So I call her everyday & if she has any needs I find someone and beg & plead to do her errand or whatever it is for her. She has been very patient. The grandkids have had it as well, (in fact they lovingly shared it with me), so they are still here. Thankfully they are no trouble except when I have to run them to practice, etc. I just don't feel like going out. I have been running a low grade fever for 11 days with chills & sweats and I have a terrible cough & constant headache. I am so happy that I have the distraction of L.T. and my books.
We had snow last night and today. Just a skiff, but enough to make it pretty.
We did nothing on Easter Sunday. I called all of my close friends & family & wished them Happy Easter, however I did stayed home from church. But I celebrated in my heart the fact that He is risen!~! How wonderful that He loved you and He loved me enough to go to the cross and take the shame and sin of the world on Himself and die that we might live abundantly and eternally. We serve such a wonderful God and I am so grateful to Him.
luv & hugs --BJ,
belva

Hi Belva, drive-by hug

Hi, Belva,
I am so sorry that you have not been feeling well for such a long time. Take good care of yourself, sweetie and please get well soon.

No snow here for two weeks. My lettuce plants are looking good after the snow and hail. Maybe they are hardy! :) Tonight at my Bible study, I got two Thyme plants for putting so much time into my homework for the class. There is only one class left and no homework for that one.

I also loved Brat Farrar. This was my first time to read it, but I loved The Daughter of Time when I read it in high school, and I still loved it last year when I read it again. Now I need to come up with a copy of The Franchise Affair to read.
--BJ

The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth

While this book was very good I had trouble staying focused on it. I found it to be quite interesting in the European social mores of the time, which was just prior to WWI, but the main characters did not seem fully developed to me.
The book is about 3 generations of of the men in the Trotta family who all lived and served under the Kaiser. The character I found to be the most complete was that of the 2nd Trotta's manservant. He was a wonderful character and I thought we actually got to know him. But the others I didn't think I actually got to know so it was difficult for me to remain emotionally involved in the story.
I would recommend this book to those of you who have a real interest in the historical background of pre WWI Austria, Hungary & Poland. I wasn't disappointed in it as I didn't go into the book with pre-conceived notions of what to expect.
belva

I have finished Taran Wanderer and I think that this one is my favorite of The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. We finish this G/R (from the 75 book gig G/R The Chronicles of Pyrdain hosted by {drneutron}) next month. I have enjoyed them all and that's a stretch as I "usually" do not read fantasy. Trying to step out of the box a little & it appears to be working.
I have also finished last month's portion of Moby Dick by the "dreaded" Herman Melville & I must say that this portion has been my favorite thus far as well. I think I even have to say that this read has been successful thus far. I may be getting over my "dread" of ''Melville". That would be very nice.
I am now reading or going to attempt to read in the remainder of this month: our portion of Moby Dick, The Emperor's Tomb, As I Lay Dying (a March G/R), Norwegian Wood (I wasn't going to do this one, but must have forgotten & ordered the book), Wives and Daughters, Woman in White, Blind Assassin, The Plague, Nancy Mitford: A Memoir, Soldier's Pay, The Dwarf, John Adams, (am very excited about this read), and The Weather in Africa.
I should be able to get some of it done as I am yet down in bed until Thursday with viral pneumonia.
Cheers all,
belva

Belva- So sorry you are ill! Major bummer! I hope you get well soon! With that daunting reading list of yours (OMG!), you'll need every ounce of energy! I've never read Lloyd Alexander. Good, huh?

Get well soon, Belva!!! You have some terrific reads set for the rest of April. I can't wait to see what you think of them. Take good care of yourself.
--BJ

> 264 hi belva, i also just finished The Radetzky March and like you, didn't find the characters well developed, so never connected with any of them. I was also put off by the practically mono-syllabic dialogues, if they can even be said to be dialogues at all, and the excessive use of exclamation marks (practically in all "conversations") which seemed very odd as they were neither necessary nor helpful. Was quite disappointed with it, as I had high expectations. Interesting to know that you found Jacques to be the most complete. I found the 2nd Trotta (in my translation, the name is Trotta, not Trotter) to be more complete of all the characters. Just curious, whose translation did you read?

if you're interested to read more about this period in Austria's history, i recommend Robert Musil's The Man Without Qualities, an immense and complex read, but worth every bit of effort.

Hey there Mark, --BJ, & deebee1;
I had responses to all of your posts nearly completed & the blasted computer thought to toss them out into nether land. I am too weary to do it again right now so later. Okay?
hugs all round,
belva

I read As I Lay Dying yesterday as I lay trying to get over viral pneumonia and I must say that I enjoyed my first William Faulkner more.
As I Lay Dying is the story of a poor family whose mother/wife is dying & the husband has promised her that he would bury her in her hometown with her kinfolk. It is told in the first person in small chapters by everyone in the story. Mother dies early on and the remainder of the story is principally the telling of how the family struggled to fulfill the father's promise to the her.
I didn't have enough time with any one character to really identify with them & thus it made it difficult for me to care about any of them. It was well written as all of Faulkner's works seem to be. I'm glad I read it but I think perhaps I missed quite a bit of his meaning of the words and just read the words of the story. I will have to read this one again one day when my brain is a little less befuddled.
belva

Last night I began the most delightful Wives and Daughters; my first Elizabeth Gaskell. I am only 47 pages in and already enjoying it tremendously.
belva

My girls read As I Lay Dying for school, so it is part of my quest to read all the books that they read in high school that I have never read. But somehow that one never makes it to the top of my tbr.

Take care of yourself. Lots of rest.
--BJ

Belva-- Get Well Soon!! Lots of fluids and rest rest rest!!! And good books!!

I hope you're feeling better soon Belva.

As I Lay Dying is a really, really difficult book to enjoy, easier to appreciate as a formal experiment.

Better today, dear rainpebble?

>#275:
Yes. Getting there.

Thank you all.

I GOT TO GET OUT OF BED TODAY!~! WHOO HOO!~! Now back to the land of the living. I hear laundry, dishes, floors all calling out to me and the house is a mess!~! But I am just going to do a little every day until I am caught up with all of it.
The pneumonia is gone & I just have the remaining congestion & chest & head cold. Yea!~! Back to normality as known in the world of belva. (which is just nearly "nermal")
Greetings & hugs to all!~!

W00T! Excellent news!

Now start a new thread, loveycuddles, this one's waaay too long.

xoxo

Sorry to hear you were under the weather but glad to hear you're feeling better!

Belva, I am so glad you are feeling better. Don't go overboard with the housework just yet. It will still be there whenever. But that is just my theory of housework.

I am off to make cookies for my father-in-law's birthday. Wish me luck. I am not that great with cooking either. :)
--BJ

my late aunt, sainted be her memory, was a dealer in antique textiles. Among her collection she had a Victorian needlework sampler which said:

An immaculate house is the sign of a wasted life.

Glad you're feeling better belva.

>281 QuentinTom: LOL! I love it.

Belva, I looooove Wives and Daughters! Enjoy! And then watch the BBC miniseries! Look forward to seeing you how go.

Glad you're on the mend.

Belva- Good to see you back and healthy! Have a great weekend!

Sorry to hear you've not well, but glad to hear you're on the mend.

Thank you all for stopping by & for the well wishes.
I loved the "sainted auntie" sampler. I think I shall adopt that as my personal "logo".
Cheers all & good reads!~!
;-)

STOP / DO NOT PASS GO / DO NOT COLLECT $200.00!~!

NEW THREAD HERE:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/89287

An immaculate house is the sign of a full-time maid.

LOL!~!
Richard;
You literally made me giggle out loud. Glad there was no one here to hear me. Miss you!~!
luvs & hugs,
belva