mstrust's pile o' books Part 2

Second thread!

53.Famous Jewelery Collectors by Stephano Papi & Alexandra Rhodes. I love the sight of jewelry made with gems the size of ice cubes. Love it! This book features beautiful photographs of the jewels by themselves but also many photos of them being worn by their owners so there's a better idea of their actually size. Each bio of the collector is pretty in-depth and most pieces have had their provenance tracked so the background of both the person and piece is very good.
There are AMAZING pieces- diamond necklaces, ruby bracelets, pearl and diamond tiaras. I wanted to lick some pages.
On a side note- there are some very pretty women who were great collectors. But I also was surprised by several royal women whom I would have sworn were men. *giggle* *****

I'm here! I posted a link to this thread so it's easier for your admirers to find you! ;)

*giggles back* I would have enjoyed those pictures...

Found you again!

That's really nice of you, Angela! I thought I could figure it out but then just gave up. On the site I write articles for, there's a link icon so it's so easy.

Glad you found me, Stasia!

54. Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver. I'm a pretty big fan of Oliver's and have been for many years. He's about the only celebrity chef I really like, though I've recently gotten hooked on the Rachel Allen:Bake! show. Anyway, I do actually use Oliver's recipes on a regular basis and this book has several I'm going to try out, especially a beautiful meringue and chocolate dessert.
This book is sectioned off by ingredients, such as an all mushroom section or all leeks. In each section are instructions for growing that fruit or vegetable at home, as Oliver is encouraging self-sufficiency. He also has a section about his opinions on hunting and the treatment of chickens in factories. It's a large book, about 400 pages, and has really creative recipes.*****

#6: That looks like a book I would enjoy reading just because I love food books. Thanks for the recommendation, Jennifer!

Hope you enjoy it, Stasia! Let me know if you have a favorite cookbook.

#8: I really do not have one favorite cookbook. I guess if I had to choose, I would pick either American Wholefoods Cuisine or one of Jane Brody's books like The Good Food Book.

I haven't come across either of those so now I'll look for them. For much of my cooking I find myself using the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and Gourmet and Bon Appetit issues. For desserts I keep using the Hershey's 1934 cookbook and 1001 Chocolate Recipes and Desserts.

Since I do not do chocolate (allergic), I do not think the Hershey's or Chocolate cookbooks would work for me :)

Nooo! Allergic to chocolate? Life is unfair.

55. Patience and Fortitude by Nicholas Basbanes. Oh, the thrill of finally finishing this book! My heart is leaping!!
And that is not to imply that I didn't enjoy this book; it is, in fact, a wonderful book. But I spent 8 months dipping in and out, reading 10 or 20 pages here and there between other books and it had begun to feel like a permanent fixture on my coffee table so I finally got on with it.
Basbanes travels all over the world to see libraries, collections, book people and anything else that makes the literary world go round. I found some parts especially interesting, such as the history of many of the independent bookstores around Manhattan and the controversy over the San Francisco library. Basbanes has the best job in the world. *****

#13: I love Basbanes' books. If you have not yet read A Gentle Madness you need to!

Yes, that's another that's always sounded good!

#15: Trust me, it is terrific!

56. Popcorn by Ben Elton. Bruce Delamitri is an Oliver Stone-esque movie director. His films are bloody, full of sexy murderers and rock soundtracks. As Bruce wins the Oscar for his latest, "Ordinary Americans", a real mass-murdering couple, Wayne and Scout, are killing their way across the country. They're copying the murders from Bruce's films as Wayne is a big fan of Bruce's work. Such a fan that they continue their killing spree all the way to Hollywood,break into Bruce's house on Oscar night and wait for him to return home, because Wayne believes that Bruce can manipulate the media well enough to keep the couple from having to pay for their crimes.
This book was nothing like what I expected. Elton is a famous stand-up and comedy writer responsible for two of the funniest shows on British t.v. (The Young Ones and Blackadder), and the blurbs on the back from friend Emma Thompson and others calling this book "funny" and "a comedy" are completely out of place. This is a satire on the media of Hollywood and how Americans tend to think that fame, no matter how it's attained, is worthy. But it's far from funny, and that isn't a criticism. Much of the violence is actually chilling and it's rampant; Wayne and Scout are truly psychopaths. Elton was obviously influenced by the movie "Natural Born Killers", and combines that with an eerie premonition, considering this was published in 1996, of reality t.v., where people who only have a talent for being horrible can be famous.
I have just two criticisms: that the blurbs referring to this as a comedic book should be dropped, and that Elton is just so English that he doesn't have a grasp on American English. The book is set in America and all the characters are American but the language is British. Still, doesn't affect the plot. ***

#17: That does not sound like a book I would enjoy, but I am glad you liked it Jennifer.

57. Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan. Seventeen year-old Cecile, her father Raymond and his current girlfriend Elsa are spending the summer in a Mediterranean coastal village. Cecile's mother died several years before and ever since, Raymond has had a string of brief romances. Cecile adores her father and isn't bothered at all by his selfish manipulations of the women he moves in and out of her life and even makes excuses for his behavior until he shows a preference for old friend Anne's company rather than her own.

It's hard to believe that Sagan was just eighteen years old when she wrote this. There is a maturity in both the writing and subject that I would never expect to see in a teenager or even someone ten years older. The story of Cecile's change from a child's reverence for a father who charmingly mistreats women, including Cecile, to a woman who has experienced real remorse and sadness is powerful and so very infused with the sophistication of France of the 1950's. Highly recommended. *****

#19: I know I already have that one in the BlackHole. I just have to get my hands on it!

Going back to a previous topic, it's pretty darn hard to beat the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I literally wore out my old one from the late 1960's and purchased the new one several years ago. Why oh why, did I toss the old one? It had so many memories...and spills...plus I'm sure some of the recipes were better.

On a more current topic: I MUST read something by Nicholas Basbanes. I adore books about books! I laughed at the irony of the title you read as you certainly used much Patience and Fortitude in reading the book over an 8-month period. ;-)

Stasia, I am still in awe that a kid wrote it. I need to find some of her later books because if she was that good at eighteen... Also, you might like the movie, which I saw a while ago. It starred David Niven as the father and Jean Seberg as Cecile. Of course, much of the inner turmoil didn't make it to the screen but the acting is very good and the shots of the sea are gorgeous. And the Scandinavian actress who played Elsa was hilarious.

Donna- my mom gave me Better Homes and Gardens when I moved away from home. I thought, "I'll never use these old recipes" and of course I use it all the time.
I also saw that the title of Patience and Fortitude described me situation perfectly!

58. The Professionals:Where The Jungle Ends by Ken Blake. CI5 agents Bodie, Doyle and their boss, Mr. Cowley, track international assassins, crime bosses and terrorists throughout London and the countryside. This book incorporates the plots of the first four episodes of the t.v. show.

For Americans, I'll explain that the t.v. series "The Professionals" was England's answer to "Starsky and Hutch", except they didn't have the uproar over violence on t.v. there so The Pros got a bit more graphic. Lots of fun though. It was hugely popular in the U.K., Germany and Australia. Anyway, nerd that I am, I recently found the complete set (all 15!) of near-perfect paperbacks. Hey, don't look at me like that- some of you are reading Star Trek novels. ****

"Hey, don't look at me like that- some of you are reading Star Trek novels."

Lol! :)

59. Night by Elie Wiesel. Wiesel was not yet fifteen when the Transylvanian village he and his family lived in was evacuated during WWII. His family was taken to German concentration camps, separated, and he and his father were in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Wiesel describes the horrors of starvation, beatings and fear of being next for selection.
This is a slim book but it's packed with Wiesel's experience. He is more honest with the reader than most would be, such as admitting to being angry at his starved father for moving slowly and therefore earning a beating by the foreman. Wiesel describes the conditions of the camps, the sight of the crematories, the forced runs of starving people in the snow, but this book was written many years after the war and he is able to describe events with the clear eye of a journalist.
Obviously, this is not one to read when you're feeling down. I hesitated a bit, thinking, "Do I really want to read about this?" but I'm glad I did as it's a remarkable account of what really happened. *****

#25: I have read Wiesel's book Night a couple of times. It still retains its impact.

I don't know if I would read that one over and over. It's well-written but it would probably take a couple of years for me to re-visit. I would absolutely recommend it to someone wanting a first hand account though.

60. Third Girl by Agatha Christie. It's the mid-sixties and girls have become so independent these days. Young Norma has a flashy boyfriend her father and stepmother don't approve of, but as Norma is rarely under their roof, there isn't a lot they can do about it. Norma has moved into a London flat with two other girls, oh, and she has bouts of forgetfulness where she ends up in possession of a weapon of some kind or other and can't recall what has occurred. Must be all those drugs.

Christie has created a complex mystery here for Poirot, along with mystery writing friend Mrs. Oliver, to figure out. It's difficult for two reasons: no one is sure if there has been a crime committed until well into the story and this is one of the few books in which Christie doesn't give the reader pertinent information until the crime is solved. Still a good read, but hearing Poirot talking about mods or rockers and counter-culture drugs is sort of...weird?
***

28- I only have vague memories of that book, and I didn't read it very long ago, so it must have been a '3 stars or less' type of book for me as well. :)

Yep, no one would say, "Third Girl is better than And Then There Were None." But competent. My favorite parts were when Mrs. Oliver scolds Poirot for laziness.

I think Poirot is extremely funny...especially when he's being scolded...or when he's uncomfortable in any way (like when he's walking through mud!).

61. The Professionals: Long Shot by Ken Blake. In this second book of the series, Bodie, Doyle and Cowley are stopping a mad environmentalist from poisoning London's water supply, take out a KGB agent who is blackmailing a government official caught in a sex scandal and enjoy the brief career of popular character Shotgun Tommy, a mysterious and tragic CI5 agent. ****

62. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks. Sacks is a professor of clinical neurology (or was. This was published in 1985) and recounts the many ways in which the brain can send wrong signals and create odd behavior. Chapters include a study of Sacks' Tourette's patients and another where he attempts to treat people who have lost the ability to recognize faces, even those of their wife and children, but can tell them by their voices.

Sacks' accounts involve many disorders I'd never heard of and wouldn't believe at all if this was a work of fiction. This book shows how a slight malfunction of a tiny part of the brain can leave someone without a concept of "left". At times Sacks refers extensively to doctors and books that only another neurologist would have read, but the actual case studies are what most non-doctors would be interested in. ***

#33: I read that one a couple of years back and enjoyed it for the most part, especially the case studies. I have been meaning to check out some of Sacks' other books. Thanks for the reminder!

No problem! I was surprised to find that Sacks is also the author of Awakenings.

I've had that Oliver Sacks book on my shelf for ages, but haven't read it yet. It was referred to on several occasions throughout my post-secondary schooling... fascinating stuff, I really should read the whole thing sometime.

33 - I bought that book...but my dog ate it. Literally. (Fortunately it was cheap!) It was when he was a puppy and in the chewing stage. I was so upset with him...and he's never touched any of my books since then. I think I would have enjoyed the case studies and probably just skimmed over the other parts.

#36 dk- I can see where this would be a book that professors would assign to students. When you think you've heard all about brain traumas, this book has some surprises.

Angela- My dog did that as a puppy too! It was the library's copy of Double Indemnity. She took it to the backyard, rolled it in dirt and torn the front and back covers off. It looked like hell. I took it back to the library and was pretty nervous because I'd never ruined a library book in my life and didn't know what they'd say, but the librarian just said, "Oh, go buy us another copy."

63. We Thought You Would Be Prettier by Laurie Notaro. Notaro lived and had a weekly column in the local paper here in Phoenix before moving on to writing books. Good for her, because her writing was often the best to be found in the newspaper, but her work was buried in supplement pages. She's very funny and often moves into the outlandish in her essays. In this book she recounts events that might have occurred on his first book tour across America, taking an art class that employed a past-prime nude model and the problems with living across the street from the neighborhood Cat Lady. ****

#39: Sounds fun! Thanks for the recommendation, Jennifer.

64. Cape Cod Stories Edited by John Miller and Tim Smith. This is a collection of short stories, book excerpts, essays and poetry about the islands off Massachusetts. Included are Melville, Poe, Plath, Mailer, Paul Theroux, Vonnegut... My favorites are a short story by John Cheever called "The Chaste Clarissa" about a summer regular on the cape who spends his vacation trying to seduce a taciturn young wife whose husband is away, and the essay "Provincetown Diary" by Louise Rafkin, who won a place in the town's writing residence program.
This seemed like the perfect book for an end-of-summer read. ***

#41: This seemed like the perfect book for an end-of-summer read.

Sounds like it! I will see if I can find a copy.

I hope you can. I've wanted to visit these islands for a couple of years, probably because I love the movie "Jaws"!

65. The Professionals:Stake Out by Ken Blake. In this third book of the series, Bodie, Doyle and Cowley prove a cop killer guilty, diffuse a South African political group attempting to bomb London and end a German terrorist group attacking a vicar's country estate. The A-Squad is just a lot of fun. ****

I've made my list for the books I'll be reading for fall/Halloween. This is my favorite time of year and I like to get in the mood by reading chillers and pretending I'm somewhere with brisk Autumn weather instead of 90 degrees on Halloween. So here's my list. I have no particular order and I may not get to all of them but I'm going to try. If you see something you're also going to read, let me know and we'll try to read together.
Howl's Moving Castle
Compulsion-about the Leopold & Loeb murder
Worst Nightmares
I Am Legend
The Phantom Tollbooth
In The Woods
In A Glass Darkly
Why The Devil Chose New England For His Work- a collection of short stories about dysfunctional people. Scary!
Frankenstein
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
The Other Sideby British horror writer R. Chetwynd-Hayes
The Woman in White
Neverwhere
The Scary Stories Treasury
Cannibalism and the Law- non-fiction

I'll also try to squeeze in some re-reads of my favorites: The Devil and Daniel Webster, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (I went here last year for the Legends Night and visited Irving's gravesite) and The Graveyard Book.

Liking the old books the way I do, I'm planning to read Edwin Drood and re-read The Woman in White sometime soon, but probably not that soon. I probably couldn't handle another group read until late October. Right now I've got my hands full with book #2 of Proust!
But I'll be looking for your comments on them...great list!

I totally understand-I'm doing group reads of Gone With the Wind and The Mysterious Affair at Styles right now so I won't start on the list until I've finished one of those. But I'm so prepared that I have all these books put aside in a special stack ready to go. It goes along with my love of list-making.

Looks like a good list! I'd like to get to Neverwhere soon. It's been on my TBR forever. I Am Legend is an old favorite. Hope you like it!

Thanks, doc! I've had Neverwhere on the shelf for a year now and I Am Legend even longer. I'm really looking forward to the next, what, 6-7 weeks?
*whispers* I watched "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" yesterday.

66. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie. Wealthy old Mrs. Ingelthorp is discovered having seizures in her bed one night and dies quickly as her family and houseguests watch. So the mystery is who killed her and how. Was it her much younger and detested new husband or one of her stepchildren wanting their inheritance? Poirot, with help from young Hastings and Inspector Japp, searches for the killer.
As this was the first by Christie, or at least the first published, I expected to find the author less accomplished, maybe a little rougher. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. Christie is full of twists,strong characters and humor here and we are introduced to her Poirot and Hastings, a young man who has yet to begin his career in law. There is one big difference in this early Poirot compared to the later version- though described as old many times, this Poirot runs, leaps, gestures wildly. He's a bit hyperactive and it's funny. *****

I'll begin my fall reading tomorrow, probably starting with Why The Devil Chose New England For His Work.

#50: I have never heard of Why the Devil Chose New England for His Work so I am looking forward to the review of that one.

50- I just watched the movie version of that one with David Suchet as Poirot, so it's fresh in my mind. That was a very clever plot for her first published work!

Stasia- I heard about this one on a short story thread (not sure which one as I'm on a couple) and he's an up-and-coming writer. Great title.

Angela- I hadn't even thought of this being filmed! I'll bet Suchet was good in this- he has a way pinching up his mouth and barely moving that conveys such disapproval or reticence. Always funny.

#53: Unfortunately the book is not available at my local library yet, but I will keep my eyes open for it.

67. Why The Devil Chose New England For His Work by Jason Brown. A collection of short stories taking place in Vaughn, Maine, a town so small that everyone knows everyone else and all their business. There's a real sense of community and the names of the townspeople weave into the various stories.
You won't find happy endings or even much happiness at all in these stories. They involve detachments from families,through death,trauma, generation gaps or sometimes just from not fitting in. The title story is unusual as it has a more sinister feel with a skanky pre-teen boy who knows a lot more about people than seems possible.
Though the stories here can be rather grim, the writing is fantastic. I'll definitely read more by Brown. *****

#55: Yes, I am really going to have to track a copy of that one down!

Hope you do, Stasia!

Next up- The Phantom Tollbooth, a book which is apparently a classic in other countries but I'd never heard of it before LT.
I think next year I'll make an Autumn category in my challenge.

68. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Young Milo is bored and boring. Nothing holds his interest until the day he comes home and finds that a big package has come for him. It's a toy tollbooth. Having nothing better to do, Milo puts the tollbooth together, gets into his small electric car and pays the fare. He finds himself transported to a world of wordplay, where a people eat their words and jumping to conclusions can take up their whole day. The only way to set things right is for Milo to go on a quest to save the princesses, Rhyme and Reason.

What a fun book. It's creative and funny and so original. This may have been written for children in 1961, but it's not a childish book. An adult, particularly if you like authors such as Roald Dahl, would be very happy with this book.
I made two assumptions about this book before reading it; that it would be a little creepy because of the description of having a witch and the word "phantom" in the title. So I made it part of my Autumn list. It isn't creepy at all.
Secondly, that it was a British book because I'd never heard of it and the person recommending it was English. It's author is American and I have no idea why it isn't known as well as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It deserves to be. *****

Next up- Compulsion by Meyer Levin.

#58: I read that one for the first time ever this year too. Like you, I have no idea why it is not better known.

It has to be a conspiracy! It's the only answer for such a wonderful book to be a secret.

I want to read that one too!

69. Compulsion by Meyer Levin. Two eighteen year-old boys, Judd Steiner and Artie Strauss, are both brilliant, having graduated from the University of Chicago already. They are the sons of millionaires and live a life of luxury as neighbors in a wealthy section of Chicago. Artie is one of the most popular boys on campus and has a reputation with the girls. Many see his relationship with Judd as one of pity for the small, weird boy who no one else likes.
When the young son of another neighbor, also a millionaire, is found stuffed in a drainage pipe, Artie can't stop himself from taking part in the investigation. He leads newspaper reporters to the clues, even blurts out how he would have done it. He knows everything because he and Judd committed the murder. The arrest and trial of the two boys reveals their bizarre relationship and the fact that they murdered for no other reason than to have the experience and get away with it.

This is an account of the Leopold and Loeb murder case of the 1920's, when two wealthy boys murdered another local boy. They were defended by Clarence Darrow, represented here as the character of Jonathan Wilk. There is much delving into the sick minds of the murderers, a lot of psychology, philosophy and some surprisingly graphic language and images, considering this book was written in 1956. I like that Levin wrote from the perspective of Sid Silver, a classmate of the killers and cub reporter to one of the major newspapers. The book has a tone of both sympathy for the waste of three lives while giving the honest facts of the callousness of the behavior of the murderers. ****and a half.

#62: I will look for that one. It sounds very good. Thanks for the recommendation, Jennifer!

I hope you find it, Stasia. I had to really work to find a copy but it looks like there's a newish edition now.
It is excellent.

Continuing on my Autumn list, I've started Frankenstein.

#64: I lucked out - my local library has a copy.

70. The Scary Stories Treasury by Alvin Schwartz. Schwartz is a folklorist who has gathered creepy tales from all over the world, including many that I remember from my own childhood. Who didn't sing "The Hearse Song" and tell "Give Me Back My Toe"? Or it's entirely possible that I hung with a morbid crowd at the babysitter's house.
This is three books in one collection and the illustrations are just as creepy as the stories. ****

I spent almost a week in California with my sister and went to Knott's Berry Farm's Halloween Haunt. If you're not familiar, the park has been doing this for 30 years or more and it's very popular. They change the whole park over to a scary look with monsters and zombies walking the streets and lots of themed mazes like "the mental asylum taken over by the inmates who then re-decorate with the warden's entrails". Very gory and fun.

71. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Young scientist Frankenstein creates, then abandons his hideous creation, who then follows him all over the world to exact revenge.
What could I possibly say about Frankenstein that hasn't been said over the two hundred years since its publication? It's a sad story of doomed lives and misery, a warning to science to be responsible, and at times, a horror story.
My only question is: couldn't Frankenstein see that he was building a grotesque monster before he brought it to life? ****

I want to read that one...just to see how different it is from the Hollywood versions. :)

It's very different- Shelley's monster is quite articulate with as much humanity as any other character in the story. Nothing like the groaning Karloff version (though I love Karloff). I believe the 90's De Niro version is closer, though I haven't seen that one yet.

72. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. As far as he can tell, Robert Neville is the last living person on earth. He has found ways to survive the plague that swept the earth, either turning everyone into a vampire or infecting them with the virus that makes them gather outside his fortress home each night waiting for a chance to get him. He spends his days stringing up garlic, foraging for supplies, getting drunk and researching why the plague happened. Eventually, loneliness makes him take chances.

This one is so easy to get lost in. Written nearly sixty years ago, it hardly feels like an old story. Robert's struggles would be about the same now if there were no one to answer a cell phone or e-mail. ****and a half.

I've been lucky to have a string of really good reads lately.

#70: I enjoyed that one too. I am glad to see you are having good luck with your recent reads!

Thanks, Stasia- hope I haven't jinxed myself by gloating!

Ha! Thanks!

73. Worst Nightmares by Shane Briant. Booker Award-winning author Dermot Nolan has a bad case of writer's block and he's also spent his large advance for a book he hasn't even started. Then a homeless man gives Nolan his manuscript, a work about a man with a therapy website where strangers tell him their biggest fear, or worst nightmare, hoping to be cured of their phobia. Instead, the therapist uses the information to deliver horrifying deaths.
Reading the manuscript, Nolan becomes more confused over whether it's fiction or the diary of an actual serial killer. Either way, he decides to have it published as his own work, and of course, that links him even tighter to its true author.

I believe this is Briant's first book and it has some very interesting parts. I found the passages about how the victims had developed their phobias to be the best parts of the book. I grew tired of Nolan reaching for a drink and screaming at his wife.
Also, I knew what the outcome of it all would be 100 pages in, so there's that.
I'm afraid that I couldn't really enjoy this book because I dislike books or movies that are about torture. Murder, fine. I like a good murder mystery, but I don't like torture. But I've been a fan of Briant's acting for so many years that I will try his other book if it comes my way. He really made a niche for himself in the 70's playing characters with angelic faces who turned out to be monsters. He was superb as a beautiful serial killer in "Straight On Til Morning" with Rita Tushingham. I know that has nothing to do with his writing, but that's my reasoning. : ) ***

I'm very far behind on reading the posts. I'm starting a new on your thread and sending all good wishes that you are well.

Thanks for catching up with me, Linda. I'm good and hope you are too.

My pile of October books is quickly shrinking!

74. The Other Side by R. Chetwynd-Hayes. This is a collection of four stories placed between 1850 to 2000, all taking place in the English manor of Clavering Grange, then later, after the house has been destroyed, its grounds. The stories are linked together by place, but also, each has a young woman used as a conduit to something evil.
To say that Chetwynd-Hayes writes about ghosts and vampires, or an evil presence, doesn't do him justice. These stories are full of the unexpected. It's a shame the cover art is so cheesy. ****

# 78 The Other Side sounds like the kind of thing I would enjoy. Thanks!

Oh and it looks like you have only one more book to go and you'll hit the big #75! I am of course still sadly behind. But congrats to you!

You're welcome! My problem with Chetwynd-Hayes is that I say "Oh, just this one," and then I'm compelled to track down another.

And thank you-I am happy that it hasn't taken me til December 31st to hit the big 75.

#78: As that one looks more gothic than gory, I will give it a try. Thanks for the recommendation, Jennifer!

You're right, almost no blood and little violence. Instead, lots of chilly rooms and a sense of foreboding. I'm sure readers who like to "see" the murder would find this old-fashioned but I think it's effective.

#82: I am not one of the readers who likes to "see" the murder, so it sounds just right to me. Thanks again!

I can't wait to see what your number 75 will be...

Here it is!!!

75. In The Woods by Tana French. Detective Ryan of the Irish Murder Squad is sent, along with his partner Cassie Maddox, to investigate the murder of a twelve year-old girl in the Dublin suburb Ryan had left twenty years ago. Ryan has spent those years trying to create a life for himself, but has failed in many ways. He used to know the woods where the little girl was found, as he and his two best friends had played there every day, until one day when the friends vanished and Ryan was found with bloody shoes and no memory of what had happened.

My description can't do this book justice. The plot is complex yet easy to follow and the story of Detective Ryan, whether talking about his childhood, work or relationships, was so interesting that I wanted to do nothing but read. I'm actually reading this along with a friend and we had a plan of checking in with each other every five chapters, but now I'll have to admit that I cheated and finished early. *****

I'm glad my 75th was so good!

Thanks!
I do have a sense of accomplishment.

Congrats on reaching your #75 book! Glad you enjoyed your 75th read.

Congratulations Jenn! Jen! Whichever way you spell it...lol...

Thank you!

To celebrate, I went to a library book sale and bought more!

Secret Ingredients: the New Yorker Book of Food and Drink
Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction
Julie and Julia
Bigfoot Dreams
The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club
The Lottery
Barrel Fever
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Celebration
Candyfreak a copy for my sister
Bad Trips
The Arrogance of the French
The Dead of Jericho
Cream Puff Murder
Smilla's Sense of Snow
Mistress of the Art of Death

Congrats!

#90: Nice haul!

Thanks, Stasia, Angela, Jim and Porua.

Ummm, something tells me I'll be adding more today. Well, I can't know about a book sale and not go, now can I?

>85 mstrust:: Congratulations on your 75th book, Jennifer! (that should solve the Jen/Jenn dilemma). I have "discovered" Tana French this year and have very much enjoyed her first three books. I wonder who she'll write about next?

Don't you just love a good book sale? The thrill of discovery and cheap prices...all while helping out the local library. Win-win. I went twice last week to our local sale and found some wonderful books.

Thanks, Donna, and I'm glad you've discovered French too. I have some catching up to do, as I didn't know she already has a third book out.

As to Jen/Jenn, spell it however you'd like, I don't have a preference.

Book sales are a lot of fun, as it's a good way to gorge yourself. I think I get almost as much enjoyment out of shopping for/cleaning/shelving/ looking at my books as reading them. Here in Phoenix we have a HUGE one at the fairgrounds every February, then in April and September or October the library system has them in a warehouse. A much smaller scale, but still thousands.

And here's my chance to brag to anyone who has an interest in baking: I entered the culinary contest at the state fair. My pumpkin spice bundt cake with maple glaze got first place and my two-layer chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting got third.

*my chocolate chip cookies got nothing*

Yummmm...can you share your recipes? I would love to wow my family with Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake at Thanksgviing. Congratulations on the win...and I'm sure your chocolate chip cookies were wonderful as well. ;-)

Sure, Donna. Here it is:

Pumpkin Spice Cake

1 1/2 sticks of butter 2 tsp baking powder
2 1/4 c flour 1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon 3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 1/2 tsp vanilla 3/4 c milk
1 1/4 c sugar 3 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a bundt pan.
Combine the dry ingredients, except the sugar, together in a bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer until fluffy. Add in the dry ingredients slowly until blended. Add in the eggs and mix.
Then add in the pumpkin and vanilla and mix just until blended and smooth.
Pour into the bundt pan and bake 45-47 minutes.

Maple Glaze- This is a combination of: pure maple syrup, maple extract and powdered sugar. I don't do measurements here, I just mix until it's right. I like a strong maple flavor that is thin enough to drizzle over the cake, so I use about 5-6 drops of the extract and about 1/2 cup of syrup.

I'm going to print out your recipe, thanks.

Congratulations on winning first prize! Sorry about the chocolate chip cookies - I'm sure they were delicious!

Thanks! I knew the cookies would have the most competition and they did-there must have been 25 chocolate chip entries. So I wasn't surprised, and I'm happy with the ribbons I got.
Enjoy the cake!

Almost forgot to list today's haul from the sale:

The Black Tower
Maigret and the Man on the Bench
Three Bedrooms in Manhattan
My Year of Meats
England For All Seasons
Rick Steves' Spain
The Spy Who Loved Me
People of the Book
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Poirot's Early Cases
The Beautiful and the Damned
Cover Her Face

>98 mstrust:: Thanks, Jen. That's very kind of you. I'm assuming that I can make this ahead of time and freeze it? I'll have plenty of other stuff to do in the day or two before Thanksgiving.

>101 mstrust:: Woo hoo! More books...another great haul. I like the way you support your local library.

Looks like some good books there! I liked The Black Tower quite a bit.

Congratulations on both the cooking prizes and the haul! Wow!

...drooling over your book haul....;)

>102 Donna828: Donna, Yes, just don't glaze it before freezing. I used to do dessert catering and I found that most cakes and cookies freeze very well. You can glaze the cake after it's defrosted completely.

>103 drneutron:, Doc, I've had his Mr. Timothy on the shelf for a while. I grabbed this one because I've heard good things about it and need to get to both soon.

>104 alcottacre:, Stasia, thank you, thank you! I am pleased with myself.

>105 BookAngel_a:, Angela, the next one is in February. It's about 10 times the size of this one. I have trouble sleeping the night before.

Wow! Great book haul(s)!

106- "Dreaming of books..." :)

>108 BookAngel_a: Angela Ha! More like, "I swear, if he makes me late..."

>107 Porua: Porua, just wait and see how much damage I do come the February sale!

76. Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter by A.E. Moorat. Young Victoria lives in a world where succubus and werewolves exist and that's bad enough, because they occasionally attempt to kill the princess. But when she ascends to the throne, the perverted Lord Quimby just happens to discover how to bring the dead back to life and begins to form a zombie army.

A fun book where Queen Victoria gets to fight the bad guys who are attempting to keep her from her beloved Albert. It should have taken me just a few days to finish but I was sidetracked by 5 days in Vegas for Halloween. Lots of eating, shopping and caught an excellent Alice Cooper impersonator on Freemont St. Only downside was that my husband became so sick that we had to stay an extra day because he couldn't travel.
Anyway, for the book: ***and a half.

77. The Dead of Jericho by Colin Dexter. Inspector Morse meets an attractive woman at a party and his hopes are raised, but he quickly figures out that the woman is unavailable and so lets it go. A few months later he learns of her suicide and takes over the investigation, as he still wonders what might have been with this woman. Morse and Sergeant Lewis find that her death was far from a typical suicide and that her copy of Oedipus was very important to her.

This was my first Inspector Morse and I like him. He's a grumpy, snapping alcoholic who basically hates himself but he's very likable to the reader. This would have been quite the mystery to me if I hadn't seen the episode of this book from the t.v. series. Still, enjoyable and I'll read more. ***and a half.

#111: I have only read one Inspector Morse book. You remind me that I need to return to that series. Thanks, Jenn!

You're welcome! I have another on the shelf that I won't get to til next year probably- The Jewel That Was Ours.

Ditto what Stasia said...

And I hope you enjoy your next Morse too, Angela! I've looked at the books I want to get to next year and they do include many mysteries. Christie, Upfield, Doyle and Morley...

78. Medea and Other Plays by Euripides. After betraying her father and homeland, murdering her brother and helping Jason steal the golden fleece, Medea is abandoned with her two boys by Jason, who marries the local princess. Understandably, Medea is enraged, but her reaction to Jason's betrayal is extreme and crazy.

Medea is Euripides' most famous play, an ode to horrible mothers who hate more than love. Euripides is hard on women as a whole and rather more gentle on the man who trades in his family for social standing, but the play is still fascinating more than two thousand years later. The other plays included are "Helen", "Electra" and "Hippolytus". ***

79. The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie. Tommy and Tuppence, two young friends who are down on their luck after WWI, decide to hire themselves out as adventurers. They mean to do anything, within reason, for pay. Right away they are hired to find a survivor of the Lusitania, a girl who's been missing for several years. Their job leads them into an international spy ring.

This was Christie's second book and the introduction of Tommy and Tuppence, her youngest sleuths. They're likable and witty and this story really does lead the reader to the wrong conclusions, so the twist is there. Lots of action and chases here. ***and a half.

#117: I need to do a re-read of my Christie books. Maybe next year . . .

80. O Canada by Jan Morris. Travel writer Morris visits the various cities and provinces of Canada and gives her impression of the locals and Canadians in general.

I hated this book. But even worse, Morris seems to have hated writing this book, originally a series of articles for a Toronto newspaper. From the beginning to the end, she gives the impression that she thinks she is doing the country a favor to be there. She often makes statements to the effect of "Why would anybody live here?" while her introduction assures the reader that Canada isn't as boring as it used to be. What she never realizes is that Canada isn't boring; she is. Morris' essays are like taking a two week vacation with your grumpy xenophobic grandmother. She dislikes most of the people and places, makes ample references to how awful America is, and to her homeland politics. She wants to discuss churches, private schools and prime ministers. Her idea of a perfect weekend in Toronto is reading all the newspapers.
All of this might have been amusing if: 1. she was a good writer who could create a sense of wonder and movement to her writing. Instead, she seems to travel in a bubble, barely conscious of what's going on outside her own discomfort, and 2. she were Canadian. Morris is Welsh and lives in Wales, not Canada, which gives her unforgiving attitude the sound of just another tourist grumbling that things aren't the way they are at home. *

#119: OK. Not touching that one with a 10-foot pole.

Better luck with your next read, Jenn!

Thanks! Really, it can't get much worse than a one star!

Not much worse, but the next read could only be a half-star book. I certainly hope it is not!

It isn't!

81. The Arrogance of the French by Richard Z. Chesnoff. American journalist Chesnoff has lived and worked in France for twenty years. This book is about the history and politics of France, especially as it concerns the U.S. Chesnoff details the three hundred year old relationship between France, Britain and the U.S., from the Revolution up to the time that sparked this book, France's refusal to back the U.S. in the Middle East. He details the decades of France's sales of arms and nuclear equipment to dictators such as Saddam Hussein and finishes with a list of French owned companies, some that surprised me (the Jerry Springer show?) just in case you wanted to boycott them.
He also goes into the French education system, and how it results in the attitude referred to in the title.

Though some aspects of this book were out of date quickly after it's 2005 publication, due to the French elections, the history lesson is thorough and Chesnoff gives plenty of his personal experiences in what it's actually like to be an American Jewish man living in a small French village.
If you adore A Year in Provence or are a hardcore Francophile, you might want to stay away from this book, as it paints a very different picture. ****

Glad the reading material improved! :)

Jen, my house smells wonderful... Just took a luscious looking Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake out of the oven. Thanks for the recipe. My family will be singing your praises on Thanksgiving Day!

I'm so glad you like it! Nothing makes a house smell better than warm spice cake.

82. The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer. This is Book 3 in the Artemis Fowl series, about an Irish boy who has discovered the people below the earth: fairies, elves, dwarves. Rather than being awed by magical people, Artemis comes from a family of criminals and happens to be a genius, so he finds ways to use the magic for his own means, usually something rotten.
In this book, Artemis is determined to change his ways after one more scheme: to crush a Chicago businessman who owns one of the largest electronic companies in the world.
I thought this one relied too heavily on gadgets. Artemis has always been like a little James Bond, but I would have liked to see more of his brain power. Still, we see his maturity go up a notch or two here. ***

#127: You remind me that I need to finish off the Artemis Fowl series yet. I am fairly sure my daughter will want her books back eventually.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Hope you had a great one too, Jenn!

Thanks! It was just my husband, his mother and I, but I didn't hold back. I made a full Thanksgiving meal and then watched my MIL put a scale on the table, pull out some tupperware full of salad and just eat that. Oh well, it's turkey sandwiches for three days and the dogs are thrilled too.

83. Barrel Fever by David Sedaris. A book of short stories and essays that cover all kinds of subjects. It includes his most famous essay, "The SantaLand Diaries", about Sedaris' stint as a Christmas elf at the Herald Square Macy's. His short stories include the very funny "Glen's Homophobia Newsletter Vol. 3, No. 2", written by a young man who can apply the word "homophobia" to about anything, including his boyfriend. The title story is about a guy who finds the angry letters his mother had written, but not mailed, to he and his sisters after her death.

I had read Sedaris' other books and thought that all of his writing was humorous, and some of these stories are very funny, but others deal with death, obsession and poverty. Sedaris moves from one subject to the next with an ease that seems effortless. Recommended. ****and a half.

I've never read any David Sedaris, but I've always been meaning to. Maybe I should pick up this one to start. :)

>132 KLmesoftly: I hope you do try some Sedaris. I think the funniest overall book of his is Me Talk Pretty One Day, though Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim has a hysterical essay about a woman who lived in his building.

I have never read any Sedaris either. One of these days. . .

84. The Gallery of Regrettable Food by James Lileks. Does the sound of pancakes made with 7-Up and filled with cottage cheese sound tempting? How about Veal Ring Salad, a dish of meat and God knows what else, suspended in gelatin? Lileks has gathered the worst of cookbooks from the 40's-70's, complete with gut-wrenching photos. This is a re-read for me and it still makes me laugh. *****

Wow...and...yuck! I would definitely pick that book up if I saw it, although not around dinner time. ;)

That sounds hilarious! I might have to pick it up.

Also, I've got Me Talk Pretty One Day on hold at my local library, now. :)

For me, Lileks is a guaranteed laugh. I first found him with Gastroanomalies, which is similar to this book. And you might look for The Amazing Mackerel Pudding Plan by Wendy McClure. Revolting but real diet recipes.

>137 KLmesoftly: krys, I'm also a fan of Sedaris' sister, Amy, from her t.v. show "Strangers With Candy". The family has a strange sense of humor. I have her book I Like You and I'm sure I'll be getting her new one, Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People.

Well, I completely gave up on a book. It was The Fat Woman Next Door is Pregnant, and it wasn't even because of the writing. The problem, for me, was that 50 pages in and I still felt somewhat lost as I couldn't make out even a hint of a plot. The writing is good, but it seems to be a series of very brief character studies that I suspect would lead somewhere eventually, but involved an extensive family all crowded into the same house and I couldn't keep which mother or uncle straight. So I quit.

I will have to track down a copy of the Lileks book, foodie that I am!

Sorry to hear that your next book was not a good read. Better luck on the next one!

No shame in quitting a book. The title is...interesting...

Stasia- I'm a foodie too and it cracks me up to see recipes that I'd never make in a million years. The color photos really bring all the horror to life.

Stasia and Angela-I've escaped to an Agatha Christie, so no worries about plot or quality. That last book was recommendation because I wanted to find a book set in Montreal.

#142: I will have to remind myself not to look at the book while I am eating!

>135 mstrust:: I've prepared enough regrettable food in my lifetime to not want to read about more of the same, although this does look funny. I'm glad my (your!) Pumpkin Spice Cake for Thanksgiving was not in this category. It was a big hit and the leftovers were served at breakfast as pumpkin bread!

>142 mstrust:: Confession time: I've never read anything by Agatha Christie. I don't know why; that's just the way it is. I hope you can convince me to rectify the situation, Jen.

144- I'm not Jen, but the Agatha Christie I always recommend to newbies is And Then There Were None. The plot/writing just blew me away. And it's not even one of the books with her famous sleuths Poirot or Marple!

The Gallery of Regrettable Food sounds hilarious! I'll have to keep an eye out for that one.

I agree, Angela. And Then There Were None (also called Ten Little Indians) is superb writing. One of her best. To meet Poirot, I'd suggest Murder on the Orient Express. My first, and I was hooked from the first, was a Marple mystery, A Pocketful of Rye.

Donna- I never thought of the cake as a breakfast so thanks for the eye-opener! It would be just as nice as a crumb cake or pastry.

85. The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie. Poirot receives a brief message from wealthy M. Renauld, begging the detective to come to his home in France. Poirot, along with sidekick Hastings, arrives too late;the man has been murdered during a robbery at his home. Things only get more confused when the body of a tramp is also discovered and a beautiful neighbor turns out to be more than a friend of the dead man.

This, the third book by Christie, has an usual aspect concerning Hastings near the end. I'll say no more about that.
I'm following along with an A.C. group on another book site that is starting from the beginning of her works, and so I'm reading the early ones that introduce her famous detectives. I'll be dipping in and out all this coming year, depending on if I've already read the book for that month. ***and a half.

#148: I really need to track down where I have my Christie books stashed!

# 148 I didn't really enjoy The Murder on the Links. This along with The Mystery of the Blue Train are two of my least favourite early Poirot books.

I haven't read The Mystery of the Blue Train yet, but I did enjoy this one. The only one I've read so far that I can say I didn't like at all was Elephants can Remember, which I thought was lacking in the qualities that we love Christie for. But it was written very late in her life and has a tired feeling about it.

86. Other People's Love Letters. Exactly as the title describes, this is a book of love/anguish letters collected from as far back as 100 years ago. Some are very brief and get to the point, others are long, passionate, reprimanding and cover about every other emotion that can enliven or thwart a relationship. Some favorites are the e-mail that begins:

"Ken, I would definitely advise you to cultivate your courting skills. Months of emailing do not a relationship make."

Or the 1939 letter from a young wife telling her new husband that his idea for a children's clothing store is "swell" but "the idea of having midgets as clerks isn't so very practical." And as proof of how love has changed a life, one note includes the info that "...I haven't gave the finger to anyone driving since I met you..." Sweet. ***

# 151 Elephants Can Remember is a late Christie. Oh don’t get me started on the late Christie mysteries! Of course she was old and her writing prowess was considerably dimmed. But I really disliked The Clocks, Elephants Can Remember and Hallowe'en Party among the late Poirot books.

Another early Poirot along with The Murder on the Links and The Mystery of the Blue Train that I didn’t really like was The Big Four.

I read Hallowe'en Party maybe three years ago and remember liking it, but I haven't read The Big Four or The Clocks either.
I think that maybe her late-in-life books like Elephants Can Remember were written to keep herself busy and published because anything with her name on it would sell well to die hard fans like us.

87. Decorating with Books by Marie Proeller Hueston. Put out by "House Beautiful", this is a book about books, one of my favorite categories of books. There are lots and lots of photos of real homes (most appear to be the homes of the very wealthy in New York and Europe) of book collectors. Book porn!!!

There is also much advice about decorating the home with books, such as grouping, lighting and caring for books. ****

#155: Books are furniture at my house, so I really need to get my hands on that one. Thanks for the recommendation, Jenn!

You are finding some intriguing books lately, Jenn!

Decorating with books...other people's love letters...weird food, lol!

I guess I'm feeling antsy what with so much to do at the moment. I'm doing a lot a baking because my husband gives tins of my cookies to his customers every year, and of course I'm responsible for all the gift shopping, so bouncing from subject to subject suits me right now. I'm sure I'll settle in with a thick book come January.

Stasia, many years ago when we didn't have enough furniture in our apartment, I made stacks of books work as end tables.

I do not use books as end tables, but I have stacks of them underneath my end tables :)

88. A City In Winter by Mark Helprin. The story of a ten year old girl, raised in the forest, who travels alone to the city to claim her kingdom. Her parents and grandparents, the rulers of the kingdom, had been murdered by the Usurper when the girl was a baby and she has been raised in secret by a tutor. When she is put to work in the castle that should be hers, she finds that rebels have been waiting for her return.

An unusual book. It begins with the now grown little girl writing to her unborn child, so we know she survives. Also, the story is about a specific episode in her life, the uprising of her rebellion forces. There is just enough background to let the reader understand the story, but there are plenty of unanswered questions at the end.
It's an imaginative story with spots of humor and spots of dry writing. The only real quibble I have is that it's described and begins as a children's fantasy, then halfway through it becomes a Christian lesson. **and a half.

#160: It looks like that book is the second book of a trilogy. I will see if my local library has the first one.

Yes, I had no idea until after I wrote my review. I like to do my reviews before reading the reviews of others. Don't want to be unduly influenced ;)
Still, I don't like having a religious message spring up in the middle of a book. It just seemed strange to suddenly switch gears like that.

#131 I love Santaland Diaries. There was a story going around after the book came out that people would go to Santaland at Macys, cause trouble and shout "Crumpet sent me."

Ha, I hadn't heard that one. I wonder if there were any of the same SantaLand employees left by the time the story was published. Maybe some manager was going around saying, "When I find Crumpet, he is so fired."

89. A Treasury of Foolishly Forgotten Americans by Michael Farquhar. A book of bios on Americans who did amazing, terrible or revolutionary things, yet have sunk into obscurity.
Being a fan of pirate history, I knew a lot about Anne Bonny, who really isn't obscure in those books, and I'd read of the famous miser Hetty Green and the Quaker preacher Mary Dyer, but most of these people were new to me. And it's probably no surprise that many are women, like Sarah Winnemucca, who confronted President Hayes about the treatment of her Paiute tribe or Louise Boyd, who financed her own explorations in the Arctic and whose knowledge and mapping of Greenland was put to use by the U.S. during WWII.
Others are William Dawes, the other Midnight Rider with Paul Revere, and Stephen Pleasonton, a clerk who used his own initiative to save the Constitution from destruction when the British burned the original White House.
Good research and good choices of Americans we really should be familiar with. ****

#165: I read that one last year and thought it was good fun. Glad to see you enjoyed it, Jenn!

#164 - they probably have a new Crumpet every year. Unless they retired the name. I'm sure Macys is aware of The Santaland Diaries by now.

90. Maigret and the Man on the Bench by Georges Simenon.

Maigret is called to see the body of a man stabbed in the back in a narrow Parisian alleyway. The man seems utterly unremarkable, so why would anyone bother to stab him? Maigret's digging uncovers a timid husband who was too afraid to tell his wife he had long ago lost his job, a bratty daughter who has little regard for her parents and an elderly brothel keeper.

This was my first Simenon and I really liked going with Maigret and his team of young inspectors all over Paris. They can't spot a cafe or brassiere without needing a little drink and where to lunch is planned with care. I have just one complaint and I've had to knock half a star off because of it.

SPOILER____

The whole affair wraps up with a person who isn't even a character in the book. Really. I went back wondering if it had been a very minor character that I had forgotten about, but nope. Not there. Just a name at the end. Weird.

_________

I'll read more from Simenon, and I'll have a lot of choices as he wrote over two hundred books. ***and a half.

I've looked through my reads this year and was surprised that I had so many 5 star books. Not that I was surprised to have had so many good reads, but I don't hand out 5 stars that easily. It has to be a book that is pretty much perfect, nothing I'd want changed. These are books I'd recommend enthusiastically.

In The Woods
The Gallery of Regrettable Food
The Monster Club
The Anglo Files
Malice Aforethought
Alias Grace
Watching the English
The Professionals by Bob Rocca
Pop. 1280
Cake Wrecks
Jamie at Home
Patience and Fortitude
Bonjour Tristesse
Night
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Why The Devil Chose New England For His Work
The Phantom Tollbooth

I never realized Simenon wrote that many books - and I've only read 2 - yikes!

Out of all the Simenon books, that is one of the two that I have in the TBR pile. I'm glad to hear it's a good read. (Although I'm assuming it's all the brasseries that are inspiring them to drink, not the brassieres. ;) )

I have never read any of Simenon's books. Yikes!

#169: Great list!

Angela- yea, the back of my copy says his first was published at seventeen. I don't think they were all crime novels though, and I would guess he used some pen names. I'll bet there are universities in France that teach "The Works of Simenon".

Caty- Ha! No wonder spellcheck didn't highlight that! Course, spotting a brassiere on the street might get the same reaction.

Stasia- thanks and I'll bet yours is five times as long.

91. Travels with Alice by Calvin Trillin. Trillin recounts his travels all over the world with his wife Alice and their two daughters and various friends. The essays are often about food, but also about culture, language and Trillin's obsession with "babyfoot" across Italy. I especially liked the essay about his need to verify the authenticity of American-style fast food at the Champs-Elysees by dragging four children around the neighborhood and forcing them to eat and critique burger after burger. ****

#174: I have not read that one by Trillin yet, although I have read the book he wrote about Alice after her death. Thanks for the recommendation. I will look for it!

Oh no! Travels with Alice made it so clear how much they enjoyed each others company. That's sad news.

Try Trillin's About Alice. There is no doubt that those two loved each other very much.

174- That one is now on the wishlist...

Oh, and let me know when you want to set up your 2011 thread and I'll "link" them for you!

Perhaps you've already made your 2011 thread. I didn't. I'm trying to wait...but the 2011 group is exploding over there - aack!

Stasia- oh, that would be a difficult one. I would like to read something more from him, but happy times. Books on grief are too hard.

Angela- thanks so much for your offer, that would be great. I started my 2011 thread maybe two or three days ago. I hope we're going to see you there and thanks for thinking of your non-tech friend!

#180: I understand. I never really thought about it as a book on grief, but rather as a celebration of who she was (and they were together).

It looks like he wrote about and named a couple of books after her. I'll pick up more of his. He really is a fun writer.

Okay, think I've got it. My 2011 challenge is here

183- Yay! You've figured it out... :)

Of course I'll be there - just not yet...

>169 mstrust:: Great list of enthusiastic recommendations, Jen. I also loved the "book porn" descriptor for Decorating With Books. Books and pictures of my grandkids are my favorite forms of decoration.

Ooops, forgot to say how much I love your profile pic. I'm so glad you'll be in this group again next year. More fun times ahead!

Wow, that IS some profile picture! Hilarious...

I was wondering if you'd be proud of me finally catching on to links, Angela.

Donna- I don't have grandchildren so I tend to decorate with books and photos of our travels. My husband has a knack for great shots and we just blow them up. I'm looking forward to the 2011 challenges too.

My profile pic is from Halloween in Vegas. The "pregnancy" is a neck pillow. The great thing was that in Vegas people weren't sure if I was in costume or not.

92. The Singing Sands by Josephine Tey. Inspector Alan Grant is suffering from shot nerves and so takes himself off to the wilds of Scotland to stay with old friends. Of course, even in his poor condition, crime will find him. On the outset of his extended holiday Grant finds that a young man on the train has died. He seems too young and healthy to just die in a fall and the image of his face haunts Grant and gives him something to think about other than his newly acquired claustrophobia.

The mystery here takes a back seat to the inner dialogue of Grant, who desperately needs a break from his work. He travels to remote parts of Scotland and meets interesting characters like Wee Archie, the local annoying revolutionary and Yohgurt the surly train porter. Recommended. ****

188- I still need to read that one...

Me too!

Me three. Now that I know it takes place in Scotland I'll have to move it up in the pile.

Great profile page...

Hi everybody- I've read all the Teys on my bookshelf and enjoyed each one. Still need to get A Shilling for Candles, The Franchise Affair and there's one more. Can't remember the name but she didn't write enough, unlike our Ms. Christie who must have written while sleeping, eating and bathing.

Thank you, Whisper. And I like your little mouse.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas.

#193: I agree with you about Josephine Tey, Jenn. She did not write nearly enough!

93. The Sweet Dove Died by Barbara Pym. Nearing fifty, elegant Leonora has never been married and she likes it that way. She lives in London and has been left enough money that she doesn't need or want to work, and her friends and suitors know better than to expect anything more than good taste and a perfect appearance from her. Then she meets two men: antique dealer Humphrey, who is her own age and very interested, and his nephew James, who is half Leonora's age and bisexual. Suddenly, Leonora is in love and uncomfortable with it.

This is the third I've read from Pym and maybe because it was written in 1978, it's less innocent, more worldly than those written earlier. And it's so interesting to see the slow changes that happen to a woman who resents that she's aging, that the looks she had always prided herself on may be fading and that her growing dependence on someone should bring her the unhappiness she had always worked so hard to avoid.
I choose this as my last book for 2010 because I knew I wouldn't be disappointed by Pym. ****

So, this is it for me for this year. It's been a lot of fun and I got to 93 books for the year.
I hope to hear from you all in the 2011 challenge and I've appreciated all your comments and suggestions.

Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy New Year to you too, Jenn!

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you in 2011!

I've got to read more Barbara Pym. :) The only one of hers I've read is No Fond Return of Love.

We read at close to the same pace this year - congrats on 93 books.

Thanks! I think you hit 100, didn't you Angela? I have No Fond Return of Love on the shelf, plus some others I haven't gotten to yet. Great writer.

Yes, I did hit 100, but not much more than that.

I have read less each year for the past three years. Not sure if I'm happy about that or not.

Although I did have a broken ankle in 2008, and several months of recovery in 2009, so that might have something to do with my huge reading amount those years, lol...

Over 100 is something to be proud of, especially if you didn't have to be laid up to do it. Glad you kept yourself healthy this year.
I also read a few less this year than last year (I had wanted to read more) but you get stuck with a doorstop of a book sometimes.

Yeah, I've read a few doorstops this year, and a lot of 200 page Agatha Christie books in '08 and '09, so that probably affected my numerical output! But it's really not about the numbers...that's what I'm telling myself. On average, I can tell I'm reading higher quality than I used to, and that should be what counts.

Absolutely, a good book that takes time and concentration is worth the effort. It sticks to the ribs.