Lori's (lkernagh's) 2013 Kaleidoscope Year of Reading - Part 2

Lori's 2013 Kaleidoscope of Reading - Part 2


March Kaleidoscope Picture: Daffodils

I am back! Last year was my first year with the 75 group and I had a great time discovering new books, great conversations and making new friends. I am looking forward to even more fun in 2013!

Just like last year, the majority of my 2013 reading is being structured by the various challenges that I will be participating in for the year. My home base will be the 2013 Category Challenge group, but I will also be participating in the ROOT - 2013 Read Our Own Tomes, RTT - Reading Through Time and the SANDMAN groups on top of this one. There will be some duplication of reviews from group to group, as there are different members in each of the groups and I don't want anyone to feel left out or make them work to access a review.

No promises that I will be quick to respond to comments posted here - real life and work commitments take precedence. Just so you know, I read threads starting with the oldest unread posts in my Talk listing and work my way up from there so if you have a really active thread, I will get there - really I will - just no guarantees of frequent visits. I am also a bit of a lurker - sadly, no time to post comments every visit to every thread - but I will de-lurk on threads when a book mention/review, conversation or picture strikes my fancy.

To give you a feel for the books I will be reading in 2013, here are the categories for my 2013 Category Challenge:

1. All things GRAPHIC - Graphic Novels
2. All things NEW - published in 2012 or 2013
3. All things EPISTOLARY
4. All things GOTHIC
5. All things FABLES and FAIRY TALES - original and re-telling
6. All things EUROPA - books published by Europa Editions
7. All things REGENCY - books set in the Regency period
8. All things PENGUIN - books published by Penguin
9. All things MITFORD - Book series by Jan Karon
10. All things SERIES, SEQUELS, PREQUELS and TRILOGIES
11. All things NEWSWORTHY - books that get a lot of buzz (On LT, as prize contenders and winners, etc)
12. All things ON MY TBR BOOKCASE
13. All things WITH A TITLE, AUTHOR(S) AND WORDS WRITTEN - The life saving 'catch-all category'

Books read:

JANUARY:
#1 - The Twitter Diaries by Georgie Thompson and Imogen Lloyd Webber -
#2 - The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman -
#3 - Clay: A Novel by Melissa Harrison -
#4 - A Sickness in the Family by Denise Mina Illustrated by Antonio Fuso -
#5 - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka-
#6 - A Death in the Small Hours by Charles Finch-
#7 - The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman -

FEBRUARY:
#8 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen -
#9 - The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison -
#10 - Black Butler, Vol. 1 by Yana Toboso -
#11 - Black Butler, Vol. 2 by Yana Toboso -
#12 - Lady Susan by Jane Austen -
#13 - Enter At Your Own Risk: Old Masters, New Voices edited by Alex Scully -
#14 - Riding the Bus With My Sister by Rachel Simon -
#15 - Fun Home by Alison Bechdel -
#16 - Black Butler, Vol. 3 by Yana Toboso -
#17 - Black Butler, Vol. 4 by Yana Toboso -
#18 - Ice Song by Kirsten Imani Kasai -
#19 - Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses by Ron Koertge -

Books read:

MARCH:
#20 - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline -
#21 - The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman -
#22 - Snow Falling On Cedars by David Guterson -
#23 - Love and The Mess We're In by Stephen Marche -
#24 - Fables: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham -
#25 - Sorry by Gail Jones -
#26 - Complication by Isaac Adamson -
#27 - The Dinner by Herman Koch -

APRIL:
#28 - Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan -
#29 - Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry -
#30 - Mrs. God by Peter Straub -
#31 - How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You by The Oatmeal -
#32 - February by Lisa Moore -
#33 - The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb -
#34 - F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton -
#35 - Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham -
#36 - Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham -
#37 - Old Filth by Jane Gardam -
#38 - Freaks of the Heartland by Steve Niles -
#39 - The Little Book by Selden Edwards -

MAY:
#40 - Mistress of Blackstone Castle by Patricia Werner -
#41 - The Sandman: Vol. 4 Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman -
#42 - The Anatomist's Apprentice by Tessa Harris -
#43 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (père) -

This thread is now open for business! Pull up a chair and settle in or breeze through while you are out and about the group..... the door is always open and the kettle is on!

Book #20 - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline



What a great book for channeling my inner geekness, or anyone's inner geekness! I loved the blending of '80s pop culture/ technological factoids with Cline's 2044 futuristic vision of technology, all showcased in a gritty dystopian-edged story. Cline has created the perfect corporate 'evil empire' in Innovative Online Industries, known by its acronym IOI, and a great protagonist in young Wade Watts. This is science fiction for the masses... a reader doesn't have to be science fiction fan to appreciate this one, but I think it does help to have an understanding of some of the retro technology referred to in the story, otherwise it can come across as a rambling of nonsensical jargon in a number of places.

For me, this raised great memories of the music, movies, TV shows, Commodore 64 computers, Atari and Nintendo game systems and video games from my adolescence. Great trip down memory lane! Cline's online world, the OASIS, doesn't seem all that far fetched, given the leaps in technology we have already seen in just the past twenty years, which makes it easy for someone not immersed in the techno-world to connect with story on some level.

The story is divided into three parts, which are aptly called 'levels' since this is a gaming quest. I am going to admit that level two had some weaknesses that allowed me to wean myself off the fixation I had developed for the story while reading level one. Level three was a good improvement and brought my page-turning interest back but the story never really re-captured that magical hold it had on me while I was reading level one.

Overall a great technology and pop culture adventure ride that I am recommending to anyone who might enjoy a good versus evil race to capture the flag - while, in this case 'capture the Easter Egg' - and has a bit of even latent inner geekness just waiting to come out. This is my favorite read so far this year!

Decimal Rating: 4.67
4.00 - Plot Development
4.25 - Character Development
4.50 - Writing Style
4.75 - Readability
5.00 - Premise
4.85 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
5.00 - Originality
4.75 - Length

Star Rating: 4.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: e-book
# of Pages: 384 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

Woo hoo, I'm first, and it's already furnished. Good work!

Roni, you are first! I have learned from participating in the category challenges to have all of my starting posts ready so it is a quick copy and paste.

I hope you and everyone else is having a great weekend!

I guess now is a good time to post my current reading:


The Count of Monte Cristo - About to start Chapter 12 (8% finished).
Snow Falling on Cedars - About to start Chapter 13 (38% finished).

I need to read Ready, Player One - I don't know why I haven't yet!

BTW, congratulations on the shiny new thread!

ETA: Ok, I'm committing - I just added Ready Player One to TIOLI Challenge #21. This is the month!

Nice review! I think that you've convinced me to give Ready, Player, One a try.

Hi, Lori! Nice new thread you have here.

I look forward to your comments about Snow Falling On Cedars. It's been sitting on my TBR shelf for a long time.

Glad you liked RPO. It was a lot of fun. Now onto The Count of Monte Cristo! One of the best books EVER!

I love your kaleidoscope thread toppers--so beautiful!

Ready Player One sounds so good! I own it and really need to move it up the pile.

I loved Count of Monte Cristo when I read it last year. It made me wonder why I had never read it before.

> 10 - Hi Dejah, Thanks! I won't say how many LT posts lead me to committing to reading Ready Player One. Adding to a TIOLI challenge is a good way to commit to reading it! I look forward to comparing thoughts with you after you finish it.

> 11 - Hi Rhonda, always happy to help! ;-)

> 12 - Hi Terri, I am hoping to dive back into Snow Falling on Cedars this afternoon when I tackle some laundry. So far I really like the manner in which Guterson presents his story.

> 13 Hi Roberta, RPO was great! It is a good thing the group read of The Count of Monte Cristo is for three months..... I have a stack of other books wanting my attention right now.

> 14 - Hi Anne, Thanks, I have a lot of fun making the kaleidoscope pictures.... it is a soothing way to unwind after a busy work day when I am not in the mood to pick up a book to read! I find I am reading more of the classics now that I can download the e-books from the Project Gutenberg website to my iPod Touch for reading. It's also a lot easier to carry these big tomes around with me!

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Today is a beautiful sunny day so here is hoping that spring is on the way!

I never thought changing my cell phone plan would be such a time intensive hassle! Two weeks ago I had the data plan connected to my cell phone removed because I haven't used it in over a year since I got my iPod Touch - no point in paying for something I am not using! The change was to take effect Feb 26th. On Feb 27th, I noticed that I no longer had call display for incoming calls. Not a huge issue but one I wanted fixed so while I was out shopping Saturday morning, I wandered into my cell phone provider's store front in the mall to get the issue seen to. I assumed that they deleted more than they should have when they processed my removal of the data plan.

Apparently, what I thought would be a quick and easy fix was anything but quick and easy. For some unknown reason, the service provider's technical support could not fix the call display, because for some reason the 'old' plan that I had had bundled the call display in with the data plan - why, I will never know! - and because I had such a cheap plan once the data plan was removed, I could only get call display added through an additional bundle that included voicemail - something I already had - and three way conferencing - something I don't need or want.

One hour and a new monthly phone plan later, the problem has now been fixed. Good thing I didn't decide to try and deal with this during my lunch hour on a work day.

While I was there they did remind me - like they do every three months by text messaging - that I am eligible for a hardware upgrade. As swish as all the smart phones looks, they are big.... they are more like mini tablets than phones, and each new release seems to be slightly larger in size than the previous versions. I am not a fan of them - my iPod Touch already does everything, it's just not a phone - but at some point I will need to upgrade. Something else for me to mull over.

Sigh. Cell providers are such a pain. I feel your pain.

Looks like you're working your way through two really great reads, Lori. I'm very fond of the Count of Monte Cristo. :)

Lori, The Count of Monte Cristo is probably best as a three-month read, but it is so entertaining!

Your phone woes sound annoying - why does it have to be so hard? Three of the new, larger, phones were reviewed in one of our papers this morning, described as "phablets". I wonder whether that word will take off...I've had a work phone for years and years so am totally clueless about what's available and how much it costs. From time to time they upgrade our BlackBerrys, but they are locked right down in terms of what we can put on them, so I have missed the last decade of wonder-phones. Sometimes one of the young people at work will demonstrate their personal phone (I have no idea why anyone needs two phones) and I must look like I've just disembarked from the Ark.

Lori, thumb-up for your wonderful review of Ready Player One. I'm hearing a fair amount about this one right now. Oh, and you are presently reading two books I LOVE between The Count and Snow Falling. Enjoy, enjoy!

I had no idea you were making the kaleidoscope pictures. How fantastic!

Ohh I've never read Snow Falling on Cedars but I've heard good things about it! I'll look forward to your comments on that one!What pretty daffodils. I"m so ready for spring! I think we get another day of sun! I'm sorry for your cell phone hassles! I've not had those, but I've had some past negative experiences with Shaw and our cable" service ". I thought I might go mad!

I loved Ready Player One and I'm glad you did too. Its great to see so many people are planning to read it. It was one of my top ten reads from last year.

I also enjoyed Snow Falling on Cedars which I read long ago.

Hi Lori!

Wonderful review of Ready Player One. It's already on my list. I remember the Commodore Vic 20, which was the Commodore 64's poor relation. Oh, 80's nostalgia.

I'm glad you enjoyed {Ready Player One so much, Lori. Me, too. Nice review!

And I'm another one who really liked both Count and Snow Falling. Hope you have a good time with both of them.

We finished the last episode Season Three of Downton Abbey on Monday night - The second Christmas episode I believe it is billed as. I have no idea where they will go with Season four but as there is some time to wait for that, it is back to episodes of Once Upon a Time and one of the more recent Midsomer Murders with Chief Inspector John Barnaby, Tom Barnaby's cousin.

> 16 - Tell me about it Micky. I don't know how anyone has the time to continually monitor their plan and make sure that they are getting the best deal... they change constantly. As for The Count, I am trying to save that one as a back up book for later this month when I travel home to visit family. Can you promise me Alberta will have nicve weather at the end of March???? *said with Big cheeky grin on face fully knowing that no one can predict Alberta's weather that far in advance or control it* I will be packing my winter gear *sighs

> 17 - Hi Susan, I really wish the cell phone companies didn't make it soo hard.... I think they took lessons from the cable providers, which are just as bad with their bundled packages (and the prime reason why we don't have cable). Sadly, there isn't much cell phone competition in Canada. We have the big three - Telus, Rogers and Bell - and a small pocket of smaller providers, Virgin being one of them. It's not an outright monopoly but it is a known fact that Canada is the most expensive country in the world to own a cell phone in (has been for years) and the lack of competition isn't improving things.

Sometimes one of the young people at work will demonstrate their personal phone (I have no idea why anyone needs two phones) and I must look like I've just disembarked from the Ark.

That brought a big smile to my face!

> 18 - Thanks Nancy! It was the buzz here on Lt for Ready Player One that enticed me to read it. I am looking forward to continuing my reading of both The Count and Snow Falling.... now if only I could come home from work in the evenings in the mood to read, instead of just veggie in front of the TV screen? I hope to get back to Snow Falling by this weekend.

As for the kaleidoscope pictures, the software works the magic, I just control the how I want to manipulate the picture to produce the result! My other half has commented on how quiet and relaxed I am when I am messing around on my computer creating kaleidoscopes. ;-)

> 19 - Hi Deb,I am ready for spring too.... although it seems a little early to be heading into daylight savings time this weekend! I wish I could give up my phone but I have grown rather attached to the convenience but also Victoria went through a phase a while back where the phone company wasn't replacing vandalized pay phones and the thought of not being able to make an emergency call started my cell phone habit.
> 20 - Hi Heidi, I am still amazed at how Cline was able to write a sci fi/ cyberpunk novel with such universal appeal!

> 21 - Thanks Kerri! 80's nostalgia gets me every time. I go through phases where I like to listen to just the older music..... good times and good memories!

> 22 - Hi Jim Joe, Thanks! Ready Player One was a great read!

>23 lkernagh: The Count is definitely a good road trip book. Or are you flying out here? As for Alberta weather, it depends on if you're going to E-town or Cow-town. They seem to have been getting a lot of snow further south of us. So I could make vague promises that are about as good as a long-range weather report. :)

> 24 - Hi Micky, I will be flying out to Cow-town (family visit) with my sister picking me up. Part of me is looking forward to playing my 'wimp from the west coast' card if I land in a snowstorm...... but it will be a front to some extent as we haven't had any snow this year and it would be nice to play around in some, even if it means shoveling it! ;-)

> 23 Oh good grief.,.... A thousand apologies for the error in your name Joe! I really shouldn't go on line after a brain numbing day at the office. Am I forgiven?

Lori - trust that you have a lovely weekend in Cow-town. Belated congratulations on your new thread. x

Ready Player One sounds great, Lori. Have a good weekend!

>25 lkernagh: Signs you are a true west coaster: you relish in the idea of shoveling snow in another province. It's either that or a sign of mental illness. ;) Hope you have a great weekend, Lori!

Lori I'm saving Count for late in the month as well. We should be following along at about the same pace then. This month is a catch up month for me and I have another group read, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, as well.

Hi Lori! Love, love, love your kaleidoscope pictures!

Hope you're enjoying The Count of Monte Cristo. I'm embarrassed to say that I've been planning to definitely pick it up for years!

> 26 - Thanks Paul. my trip to Cow-town will be at the end of the month and I am looking forward to it!

> 27 - Hi Diana, I hope you have a great weekend as well!

> 28 - Thanks Micky. The Prairie girl in me does miss the snow, I just get shushed by the locals here whenever we receive forecasts for snow and I start to get all excited!

> 29 - Hi Roberta, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is one of those books I haven't gotten around to reading yet. It looks like a lot of fun! I will lurk on the discussion thread if one has been set up.

> 30 - Hi Anne, thanks for stopping by! The Count is going well. I love how I can read it in snippets and not get lost with what is going on with the plot and characters!

-------------------------

On the reading front, this past week I got zero.... yup, your read correctly..... ZERO reading done. Hopefully next week won't be so busy/draining and I can enjoy some evening reading time!

Did the usual 'Spring Forward' this morning and I am looking forward to a day spent indoors reading and some light chores. I am struggling with trying to not purchase books - knowing full well that I will fail miserably when the annual book sale occurs here in town later this year - but I couldn't resist picking up this one in one of the charity shops in town yesterday morning:


Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

I seem to be gravitating towards the big tomes again.... maybe to balance out the quicker GNs that I am reading this year. *shrugs*

Happy Sunday everyone!

Lori, daylight saving is early for you! We don't start until the end of the month. I hope you don't feel too jet-lagged :-) Fall of Giants will keep you going for a while. I have the sequel which I mean to get to at some stage. I've now seen the Mark Twain book mentioned three times since yesterday - I suppose a GR might explain it!

Hope you enjoy Fall of Giants, Lori. I've only read Pillars, which I loved, but hope to at least get to World Without End this year.

Ugh. Time change. *gives Daylight Saving Time the evil eye* Still sleepy today.

Glad to hear you had a decent weekend though, Lori.

Hi Lori - just trying to catch up with everyone!

Hi, Lori! I, to, am just trying to catch up . . .

Hi Lori - I hope you're doing well! I may join in on A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, too. It's been years since I read it!

For those interested in the group read of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court or just to follow along, here is the link http://www.librarything.com/topic/150516

> 32 - Hi Susan, I have an awful time adjusting to daylight savings happening so early! I wish we were on the European schedule - which is what we used to be on, if I am not mistaken.

WARNING: Mini-rant coming:

I still do not understand why we have to have the change occur so early - okay, I know it is because Canada decided to follow the US idea but I doubt that ours (Canada's) is driven by any goal to reduce energy consumption.... if it is, this isn't a very practical way to bring that about. I had just started to enjoy the glimmer of morning dawn on my morning walk to work and ... it gets taken away from me. Doesn't help much in the evenings either right now as we are still in the dark before 7:00 pm. Victoria is one of the areas of Canada that are farther south... I won't even go into the non-impact it probably has on energy consumption levels for the more northern regions of the country! Sometimes I wish all of Canada would do what the province of Saskatchewan does.... Saskatchewan does not acknowledge day light savings. Never has. The clocks stay the same year round in that province. Makes me wonder if any states in the US midwest take the same approach..... leave the clocks alone year round.

*End of rant* steps down from soapbox

Fall of Giants does looks like it will keep me going for some time. Not sure when I will slot it into my reading, but happy with the acquisition!

> 33 - Hi Nancy - I am curious to check out Follett as he is a 'new to me' author.... wondering how his writing compares with Edward Rutherford and the other mega saga writers!

> 34 - Rise and Shine Micky! Does the daylight savings even have an effect this time of year at your latitude beyond messing with people's sleeping patterns? I distinctly remember the go to school/work in the dark and return home in the dark and Calgary is further south. Here is hoping you have adjusted to the change!

> 35 - Hi Terri, thanks for stopping by! *Waves*

> 37 - Hi Dejah! All this talk of Twain's story has me wondering if I can even slot it into my reading schedule! Could be a nice diversion bit of reading!

> 38 - Hi Roberta, thanks for posting the link. The more the merrier for the group read!

-------------------------

Overall, I had a good weekend. Monday night developed into a sleepless night with my other half sick all night. Not flu - no body aches - but possible food poisoning, although the only thing he ate over the previous four days that I didn't eat was a bag of ready to eat baby carrots. I stayed home from work on Tuesday to take care of him and he is on the mend - liquids only for now. Silly boy thought he was up for a toasted cheese sandwich while I was at work today - lesson learned. *rolls eyes* Managed to find him some Andrews Liver Salts in a British shop in town today and he is now happily watching episodes of Are You Being Served and Last of the Summer Wine available on YouTube.

I have managed to finish some books over the past few days but reviews will have to wait until the weekend:

the Sandman vol. 3: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman
Love and the Mess We're In by Canadian author Stephen Marche
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

Currently Reading:
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - about to start Chapter 18
Sorry by Gail Jones - about to start Chapter 7 (and is my first Europa Editions book of the year for that category)

>39 lkernagh: It makes quite a bit of difference actually, Lori. It's light until 7:30ish in the evening right now and while it is dark when I get up at 6:30 in the morning by the time I leave the house an hour later it's darker than it was last week but there's still the beginning glimmer of sunlight (although not so much today as we're in the midst of getting a bunch of snow). Remember, the further north you get during spring/summer the days are longer than further south.

> 40 - good to know the daylight savings does make a difference where you are, Micky! I know by this time next week I will be back in the rhythm of things and will forget all about Daylight Savings until we fall back - I am a huge fan of the fall back (who doesn't want an extra hour added?) - but the Spring Forward does drive me a bit nuts, especially when I don't see any apparent benefit from it where I live. Oh well, life still goes on regardless of how we try to manipulate it.....

----------------------------

Thankfully my scheduled plans for this evening were postponed, which means I am able to get my reviews up to date.

Book #21 - The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman



Following my review process for the previous Sandman volumes, this is a continued rambling of my thoughts. Steve Erickson's intro is a beaut.....

"I'm writing this on the fine edge of that blade that's consciousness on one side and dream on the other, that thin silver horizon where you hover before falling asleep, and right before completely waking. Niel Gaiman lives here all the damn time. He scribbles his stories and sends them out from the thin silver horizon whose bridge the rest of us traverse just twice a day. Gaiman is the troll who lives beneath the bridge; he exhales into word balloons the visions that flask only fleetingly across our gaze and then are gone with the next memory."

Thankfully, Erickson called Dream Country an interlude between The Doll's House and A Season of Mists, because I would have wondered at what I was reading, even though Gaiman has held true to his dream theme with this volume.

Part One: Calliope Calliope's story is a sad one. Rick, well, 'Ric' minus the "k", is the slime bucket that he is. No sympathy from my end for what happens to him. I was happy to see the improvement in the artwork and intrigued to learn yet another name for Morpheus/Sandman..... just how many names/personae does this guy have? Interesting psychology in this one but it left me rather flat after the stories from vol. 1 and vol. 2.

Part Two: A Dream of A Thousand Cats Okay, this one had it's moments but overall was a bit of a 'meh' read for me. There are so many different ways that Gaiman could have approached this story I guess I shouldn't be too hard for not liking this version, but it was really just a story with an beginning.... no middle, no ending, just a journey. Again, the artwork is an improvement. Interesting shift of point of view but that is about it.

Part Three: A Midsummer Night's Dream Promising, very promising. Back on more solid ground with something I can firmly connect with... or so I thought. The audience is a unique one for this 'natural' presentation of Shakespeare's play. As much as I enjoyed the banter of the audience members, my recollections of "A Midsomer Night's Dream" were too vague to be of much assistance to me while reading this one, beyond understanding Puck's role, that is. Love the idea of making sure the Faerie world is not forgotten and of course, the continuing Dream theme makes the inclusion of this one no surprise in the Sandman repertoire. The artists hit their mark with this one - rich colour, intricate details, use of shadows and body language for a magical evening under the stars.

Part Four: Facade My second favorite part in this volume. The artwork is darker, in keeping with the story. Overall, a good story made better by the inclusion of Death. I get a good giggle every time I come across Death as she reminds me of the era these were written in.... she is the perfect 80's rocker chick! Not sure I like the ending of this one but who am I to judge?

Part Five: Original Script of Calliope This was the BEST section of this volume.... I loved gaining insight into Gaiman's creative mind by reading the notes he prepared for the artist - in this case Kelley Jones. Reading the script gave me a greater insight into the story and helped me see some of the more subtle nuances that I had missed reading the completed GN. The handwritten margin notes by Gaiman and Jones add to the enjoyment - I had a good giggle over Gaiman's text about receiving three phone calls in the middle of the morning with only some rustling and breathing on the third call and Jones' margin notes "It wasn't me. K"

Overall, I was happy to see an improvement in the artwork but at the same time disappointed that the stories just didn't work for me as well as some of the earlier stories had. Still looking forward to continuing with the series, but I won't be getting to volume 4 The Sandman: Season of Mists until sometime in April.

Decimal Rating: 3.67
3.50 - Plot Development
3.50 - Character Development
3.25 - Writing Style
3.50 - Readability
3.00 - Premise
3.50 - Imagery/Visualization
3.75 - Artistry (GN)
4.50 - Originality
4.50 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 156 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

Book #22 - Snow Falling On Cedars by David Guterson

"Let us remember what is so easy to forget in the mad intensity of wartime: that prejudice and hatred are never right and never to be accepted by a just society."

Don't read this one if all you are looking for is gripping courtroom drama. This has so much more to offer than that: a bittersweet forbidden love story, a poetic sense of time and place, the harsh realities of war, and an almost clinical examination of a small fishing community grappling with feelings of post World War II racism, hatred and suffering. We see how the war has shifted some feelings and beliefs and experience how members of a small community can draw lines in the sand.

Guterson presents many sides to his story - not an easy feat to accomplish when tackling touchy topics like the internment of Japanese-Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbour and depicting in his characters some of the prevalent feelings and beliefs of the post war 1950's. At times the story became rather unwieldy but the beauty with which Guterson presents the Pacific Northwest through his depiction of the fictional San Piedro Island of the northern Puget Sound region of Washington State kept me reading. I will admit that with the court room drama, I started to see some interesting parallels with the small town court scenes and the TV show Matlock, which made it pleasantly interesting but not in a page turning, hang on every word manner.

I purchased this one back in 2009 because I was interested to read Guterson's portrayal of the Japanese-American internment, as Canada had also interned Japanese-Canadians in British Columbia at the same time and for the same reasons the Americans did during World War II.

It is not a pretty picture and part of the reason this book has been a 'banned book from time to time.... the darker sides of history can be hard to face for some folks.

Overall, a story that I believe presents a very well rounded approach to the topic with a lot going for it but I can see where the meandering nature of the story can be frustrating for some readers to sit down and enjoy.

Decimal Rating: 4.09
3.75 - Plot Development
4.00 - Character Development
4.25 - Writing Style
4.75 - Readability
3.75 - Premise
4.50 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
3.75 - Originality
4.00 - Length

Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 460 pages
Source: TBR
Male/Female Author: Male

Book #23 - Love and The Mess We're In by Stephen Marche



How does one take the otherwise typical story of an adultery love triangle - a 'sordid trauerspiel' to use Marche's own phrase - and make it different, fresh, unique, a standout in a reader's mind? Marche's ambitious novel strikes out to do just that, using sparse evocative prose and typography that isn't exactly e-book friendly.



It is not just the typography that takes this book into the realm of experimental fiction. Marche exposes the reader to a restaurant conversation between the soon to be lovers by having the reader follow the verbal conversation by focusing the eyes towards the book's inner spine and reading the text left and right of the spine while progressing in a downward fashion of the open pages. The lovers' private thoughts during their conversation are depicted as outside edge margin notes. A different, unique way to tell a story and slightly mentally fatiguing from my point of view to continually jump around the pages to get the whole picture. Luckily, that was the method used for only part of the story.

The prose is what carried me through the story, that and the surprisingly tantalizing typographic changes. Marche plays with the written word with a skill that transforms the spartan into the eloquent with a minimal use of words. The thick, creamy linen type paper used in the printed book shows the attention to aesthetic details the publishers, Gaspereau Press Limited, put into the books they publish.

There is nothing overly likeable about the characters... or anything overly memorable about them for that matter. If Marche was trying to go for a presentation of average individuals, then I think he hit his mark. The plot was somewhat weak as well. It is really the prose and the typography that turns this otherwise mundane story into something rather exceptional.

Overall, a different type of presentation to an otherwise unremarkable story and not something that I would easy recommend to other readers without have a good understanding of the types of books that would appeal to them.

Decimal Rating: 3.84
3.50 - Plot Development
3.25 - Character Development
4.50 - Writing Style
3.50 - Readability
3.50 - Premise
4.25 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
4.50 - Originality
3.75 - Length

Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 259 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

Hi Lori, just stopping by to wish you a great weekend and to do some catching up.

Sorry, but I had to lol about your "daylight saving" rant - I feel exactly the same about it here in Europe. If I am not mistaken we change the time next weekend. I know it is only one hour, but it always takes me several days to adjust.

I switched from reading Anna Karenina to listening to it and I am now on book 3 and still enjoying it. In regards to War and Peace, I actually prefer that one to AK. I also have been very lucky and found a good unabridged audiobook of The Count of Monte Cristo which I planned for this year as well.

Some very interesting reviews, in particular Ice Song - Ready, Player One well, I just think I have to get that one now and Snow Falling on Cedars.

I hope you are going to have a lovely and relaxing weekend :)

Great reviews and your complex rating system has me in awe. I hope to get to Snow Falling on Cedars sometime soon and I think I'll pass on Love and the Mess We're In. I'll look at that one a little closer later. I see that you are reading Sorry by Gail Jones - I hope you enjoy it as I did!

Fabulous reviews, Lori. So glad you enjoyed Snow Falling on Cedars as much as I did. For the record, I am with you all the way on your soap box rant re early daylight savings time! I also wish we would do as Saskatchewan. Enough said.

Great reviews Lori. I started and stopped reading Snow Falling on Cedars some years back. Your review was intriguing enough to make me re-consider....

I've been meaning to read Snow Falling on Cedars for years. Eventually...

Lori- Great review of Snow Falling on Cedars. I haven't read it since it first came out but it has been one that has stuck with me over the years. Enjoy your weekend.

Just dropping by to see what you've been up to, Lori.

> 45 - Hi Bianca, great to see you here! I will probably rant again next year when we do the whole daylight savings switchover once again! I haven't attempted Anna Karenina yet and I am still a bit wary of that one... maybe listening to it on audiobook is the way for me to get up the nerve to tackle it! So far my weekend has been relaxing.... I haven't accomplished very much so far. I hope your weekend is also a lovely and relaxing one.

> 46 - Hi Deb, Love and the Mess We're In is a good library book, that is what I read, anyways. Sorry is quite the surprising story - bleak but not in an "OMG I cannot bear to continue with it" sort of way. I am going to see if I can finish it this weekend.

> 47 - Thanks Nancy! Well, at least my soapbox rant didn't scare everyone away... I was a little worried that it might.

> 48 - Hi Peg, how are things with you? If you do restart Snow Falling on Cedars I will be curious to learn what you think of it.... or if it is just one of those books that doesn't appear to you, which I completely understand!

> 49 - Hi Micky, eventually is a nice way to keep a book on a future reading list.... I do that with a number of classics like War and Peace.... ;-)

> 50 - Hi Mark, so nice to see you here and thanks! I hope you have a great weekend and that Spring is finally on its way to your part of the continent!

> 51 - Hi Roni, I have been up to some reading, some amateur nursing and an awful lot of TV viewing, having now finished Season 1 for both Call the Midwife and Once Upon a Time. I need to make my way back over to your thread to see those amazing scarfs you have been making!

---------------------------

It was rather damp out this morning but I see that the sky has been trying to clear so here is hoping for some sunshine tomorrow. I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

This is for all of my visitors, not just the ones with a wee bit of the Irish in them - or the ones a fair bit of the Irish in them, like me .......;-)

Great reviews! I am planning to read Snow Falling on Cedars, but have to admit that you intrigued me with Love and the Mess we're in

Hi Lori - see I come over to return the visit and I get book bulletted! Aghhh - and Snow Falling on Cedars moves up the pile by a big jump. Sigh (happy sigh albeit).

I'm all caught up with Call the Midwife too. Looking forward to season two.

> 53 - Thanks Rhonda! Of course, I will be curious to see what you think of both or either of those books when you read them!

> 54 - Hi Bekka, sorry about the book bullet! Those darn things can be hard to dodge. ;-)

> 55- Hi Roberta, ready and waiting for Call The Midwife along side of you!

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Today was a gorgeous sunny day in my part of the world - a bit on the cold side, but I will put up with a lot for 'sunshine'! Today was a work/non-work day. We were offside for a day workshop in Personality Differences - Myers Briggs for Conflict Resolution, which was quite fascinating. I should probably stress upfront the workshop wasn't booked to address and internal personality clashes between colleagues, but seen as a good way develop a better understanding around interactions in general.

It was a good session and I thought the facilitator was great. For anyone that is interested in the Myers Briggs Type Inventory click the link to the website. Our office as a whole - based on predominant personality preferences of the staff - can be classified (if this in to be considered accurate in any way) as an INTJ and my personal score is an INFP. I always find these kinds of exercises fascinating, keeping in mind I don't see how a 93 question survey that takes ~ 15 minutes to complete can determine a definitive personality type. *rolls eyes* I found it more intriguing to learn where the scores gets skewed, and skewed on a huge scale, within our office (we have almost no "F" scores. As an "F" personality, that was a little unsettling to learn!).

Hi Lori!

Nice review of Love and The Mess We're In. I'm intrigued and think I'll put it on the wishlist.

If I understand what "F" means, I might be a bit unsettled too!

Hi Lori-

Great review of Snow Falling on Cedars. I enjoyed that book a lot.

I appreciate your stopping by my thread and providing info on the shingles vaccine.

I like the review of The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country. I'm falling behind on the group read, myself. But they're short, so I'm sure I'll be able to catch up.

> 57 - Hi Kerri - Thanks! "F" means Feeling and is the opposite of 'Thinking' on the Myers Briggs. As you have probably guessed, Thinkers are considered to be people who tend to base their decisions primarily on logic and objective analysis of cause and effect. Feelers are people who tend to base their decisions primarily on values and on subjective evaluation of person-centered concerns. Obviously it makes sense to have social workers that score higher on the Feeling scale and policy analysts that score higher on the Thinking scale, or at least that is the theory.

The take-away from the training session that our office came away with is that an effective office is a balanced office and you should make an effort to hear from the types that are in short supply.

> 58 - Hi Heidi - Thanks! I think it was the other Lori(thorton37814) that posted on your thread about the shingles vaccine. I was very intrigues to read about it as I also wasn't aware that there was a vaccine on the market! I hope your ailment is going away!

> 59 - Hi Rachel, I am doing a terrible job of pacing myself for the Sandman reads but you are right, they are short so it wouldn't take long to get caught up if you decide to do a Sandman marathon read!

------------------------

The work week is finally over and I am now 'officially' on vacation until April 9th.

*does Snoopy dance of joy*
I will be traveling home to visit family for part of my time off and I will probably read a book or two in the process.

Happy, HAPPY weekend, everyone!

Woohoo! Enjoy the weekend and your vacation!!!

Enjoy your vacation!

Ah, indeed, enjoy your vacation! Savor every second!

(I'm an INTJ).

Your snoopy got me tapping my toes Lori. Have a lovely weekend and a continually fantastic holiday.

Oh do enjoy your holiday with your family, Lori! I hope that they live somewhere warm!

Enjoy your holiday, Lori!! Yay!

Yay for your holiday, Lori! I don't think I posted to say I thought your review of Snow Falling on Cedars was excellent, and I have now wishlisted it. Lucky, really, as I was running out of stuff :-)

Enjoy your vacation Lori!

Sorry I failed on keeping away the snow, Lori. Hope you have a nice visit anyway. :)

#60 - Interesting. Yes, I read a bit more about the categories after reading your post.

Have a wonderful and long vacation!

Happy vacation, Lori!

I share your feelings about Daylight Savings Time. Actually, what bugs me is how it moved -- as you said earlier, it used to be later, but we had the great idea to move it earlier (and go back to standard time later) to save energy. I find that what we save in the later evenings we spend in the darker mornings, and I really hate leaving for school in what looks and feels like the dead of night, and I hate thinking about all of those school children headed out in pitch darkness, too. Funny enough, I don't mind the extra hour in the fall;)

As far as I know, Arizona and Hawaii are the only US states that do not switch to Daylight Saving Time.

I just got caught up on your whole thread! I don't know how I got so far behind here :(

I've been meaning to read Snow Falling on Cedars for a long time. I think I even have a copy here somewhere...

Hope you are enjoying your vacation!

Thanks for the great vacation wishes Dejah, Katie, Roni, Paul, Deb, Nancy, Susan, Roberta, Micky, Kerri, Anne, and Chelle! Checking into LT to add a couple of reviews to my thread and to update my current and planned reading.

> 61 - It is amazing how good a weekend feels when Monday is not a return to the office! ;-)

> 62 - Thanks!

> 63 - Will do! INTJ - you are a perfect fit for our office.... want a job? ;-)

> 64 - Thanks Paul! I wanted to post Snoopy dancing on the piano between Schroeder and Lucy but this one works just as good! I hope you have a great weekend as well!

> 65 - Hi Deb, family lives in Calgary and even though the long range forecast is for unseasonably warm temps during my visit, the chance of snow is still a possibility while I am there! I see the West Coast is in for some decent weather over the next couple of weeks.... at least it should be a tad warmer than that cold snap that came with the first day of Spring! *Brrrr*

> 66 - Thanks, Nancy! Lonesome Dove is ready for the trip with me to Cow-Town! ;-)

> 67 - Hi Susan.... Thanks! you are running out of reading material? I must have read your post wrong! Hope things are warming up over the across the pond and that Spring is now on its way!

> 68 - Thanks Roberta! I hope you Mom is continuing to improve now that she is home with family!

> 69 - That's okay Micky, I tend to expect snow this time of year when I venture home .... that was one crazy snowstorm you guys were hit with! Here is hope that was the last of it and that spring can start where you are!

> 70 - As someone mentioned over on my thread in the 2013 Category Challenge group, I am not really sure how much credibility this system has but it is a fun way to see the different personality types of one's work colleagues!

> 71 - Hi Anne, I like to think that I grudge giving up - temporarily - one hour of reading time when we spring forward but in reality, I just grudge losing one hour of sleep, because I can never convince myself to go to bed an hour earlier the night we change the clocks forward. ;-)

72 - Hi Chelle, great to see you here. If you do locate your copy of Snow Falling on Cedars it is worth the read.

-----------------------

I am packing some reading material for my trip. I will be taking along Lonesome Dove as my main read for the airplane, etc. I have also loaded my iPod Touch with ebooks from the library - Complication by Isaac Adamson, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, The Dinner by Herman Loch and of course my on-going read of The Count of Monte Cristo. I have also loaded it with other books - including more Jane Austen books - downloaded from Project Gutenberg. Bookwise, I am ready for my trip!

Now for those reviews I mentioned at the start of this post.....

Book #24 - Fables: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham



What can I say about Bill Wllingham's Fables beyond the fact that it is a good piece of entertainment. For fans of the TV series Once Upon a Time - like me - Willingham's Fables series will have some appeal. Set in a fictional/ alternate reality New York City, the story follows the lives and activities of a number of Fableland's characters - Snow White, now Director of Operations, Bigby Wolf (of the huff and puff fame), now Head of Security and a host of others make up this wide ranging cast of characters who have fled their lands because of the invading Adversary. The Fableland characters with humanistic traits live in the city among the Mundanes, the normal human race, while those Fable characters with more open animalistic traits live at the farm out in the country.

Fables: Legends in Exile sets the stage and introduces the characters in five installments focused on the bloodied disappearance of Snow's sister, the party girl Rose Red, who's bloodied apartment is discovered by her current boyfriend, Jack (of the Beanstock fame). As the investigation ensues we get to find out what Prince Charming has been up to as well as Bluebeard.

Peppered with fun digs - Beauty (married to Beast) makes a good remark in Snow's presence about gossip around Snow's supposedly "tawdry little adventure with those seven dwarfs" - this series has a solid grounding in the fables we grew up on, with a promising refreshing spin on them. The artwork is solid comic format so one can sit back and just enjoy the story. I really enjoyed the rumpled detective Wolf makes - making me think fondly of a cross between Inspector Columbo and Sam Spade - and how Willingham manages to seamlessly bring elements of the fables into his rendition of the characters.

Overall, this was a good, entertaining read and I am looking forward to continuing with the series.

Decimal Rating: 3.72
3.25 - Plot Development
3.75 - Character Development
3.50 - Writing Style
4.00 - Readability
4.25 - Premise
3.75 - Imagery/Visualization
4.00 - Artistry (GN)
3.75 - Originality
3.25 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 128 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

Book #25 - Sorry by Gail Jones

In the life of every child there are times in which the symbolic gains more weight and magnitude, when childish things, and their comforts, are put away, and there form the intuitions and understandings that ground the later adult. These are known only in retrospect, just as the gist of any tragedy is apparent only at its conclusion.

Sorry is a book that evokes expressions of bleakness, neglect, dysfunctionality and missed opportunities. This is the story of a young life tainted by an experienced tragedy and the search for answers and understanding. Set in a remote outback in Western Australia during World War II, we experience through young Perdita's thoughts and feelings a journey of awareness, self discovery, friendship, and resilience. Perdita's childhood is an unstructured one. There is a wildness and natural affinity in her in tune with her surroundings. There is an intelligence that belies her preteen youth. Beautifully told, this is a story that will kick you in the gut with a strength that belies the beautiful prose the story is written in.

Not exactly a page turner - I had to take this one in small doses over time given it's depressing nature - but a well written story of what it means to wish you can turn back the clock to make amends or do things differently. While written with the Australian Aboriginals in mind, this story has something to say to every nation that has a history of mistreatment and prejudice of its Aboriginal population.

Decimal Rating: 4.19
3.50 - Plot Development
4.50 - Character Development
4.25 - Writing Style
4.00 - Readability
4.25 - Premise
4.75 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
4.00 - Originality
4.25 - Length

Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 232 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Female

Did someone say, Lonesome Dove? It's easily in my top 2 or 3 favorite books of all time. A masterpiece. I hope you get to it. I really liked Mr. Penumbra too! Have a great trip.

What Mark said about Lonesome Dove!

Lori, wonderful review of Sorry. So glad you enjoyed it; I also thought it was a fab read. Woot! to Lonesome Dove being your main reading inspiration for your trip. Enjoy, enjoy. It is, as Mark notes, a masterpiece.

Vacation and Lonesome Dove?? Sounds like a wonderful combination! Enjoy!!

Have heard different reports abt Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. Let us know what you think

HI Lori,
I do hope that you had a wonderful Easter weekend!
Beautiful review on Sorry gone straight onto my wishlist *smile*

*waves* at Lori

Hi Everyone, I am back! I had a great trip home to visit family. I managed yet again to come down with a head cold while I was away which was more of an annoyance than anything else. I got to see my niece's 4 month old son - does that make me a Great Aunt??? as they were out visiting from Ontario at the same time. He is just as cute as can be and knows how to work a room, let me tell you. ;-) Doesn't have much experience with men with beards - my Dad's beard was very disconcerting for the little guy - so my niece and her husband now know to start prepping early for his first photo with Santa later this year, to try and minimize the meltdown scene.

The weather even cooperated and provided some white fluffy snowflakes.... just the right amount to enjoy and not enough to require any snow shoveling.

I managed to get some good reading time in and have finished Complication by Isaac Adamson, The Dinner by Herman Koch and Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. I have made good headway on the McMurtry's epic Lonesome Dove but will need a few more days before I finish that 858 page tome.

Reviews, a April kaleidoscope picture and a first quarter recap coming but first responses to visitors:

> 76 - Thanks Mark! Trip was great and yes, Lonesome Dove was on my reading for my trip. I am still working my way through the 858 page tome but what a story! I hope to finish it in the next week or so. Penumbra didn't quite grab me as much as I had hoped it would but still worth the read!

> 77 - Hi Roberta, looks like I will be joining the promoters of Lonesome Dove like you, Mark and Nancy when I finish it! Such a great story for characterization, plot and scenery!

> 78 - Hi Nancy, Thanks! Lonesome Dove is proving to be quite the story, I am kind of sad to see that it will end at some point.

> 79 - Hi Joanne, Vacation and Lonesome Dove does seem to make for an ideal pairing! ;-) Thanks for stopping by!

> 80 - Hi Karen, I may be providing one of those 'different' reports on Penumbra's. Liked it but didn't love it. Review coming!

> 81 - Hi Bianca, a belated happy Easter to you and your family! Sorry was better than I expected it to be, which is always a nice surprise with a book! ;-)

> 82 - *waves* back at Roberta

Book #26 - Complication by Isaac Adamson



From the book cover:

A serial killer with a penchant for severed hands. A watch that runs backward and forward - at the same time. An Eastern European gangster known only as Rumpelstiltskin. The Nazi invasion of Prague, Soviet-era Czech secret police, 16th century alchemy and black magic - mild-mannered Lee Holloway never thought any of these would intrude upon his ordinary life.

Published in 2012, Complication is a good title for this unique if somewhat muddled mystery psychological thriller set in Prague. Sparked by Lee's discovery of a mysterious letter received by his now dead father, Lee faces questions around the death of Lee's brother Paul some five years previously in Prague.

There are a lot of interesting elements in this story. Sadly, the author wasn't very selective in his choice of what to include so he threw everything into the pot, making this a somewhat jarring read as he jumps us around from following our main narrator Lee, to reading 10 year old transcripts of a Czech secret police interrogation to reading written correspondence circa 1938. Adamson even manages to add elements of the magical/supernatural so it is safe to say this is not your typical mystery thriller.

Parts of the story worked for me - loved the horology, the palindromes, the unreliable characters that have you trusting them one minute and worried the next and the glimpses back in time - but the author left the 'connect the story elements' up to the reader to do and left out some background information that would have blended the various story elements together in a more logical fashion, without giving away any of the mystery. I felt like I was reading three different, only vaguely connected stories for most of the book.

The pieces do come together in the end but in a bit of a haphazard way. The best way to describe this story is to quote from the book itself: "time seems to move as if governed by the Rudolf Complication, backwards and forwards at once, resolution getting closer each moment yet remaining tantalizingly beyond reach."

If you like your mystery thrillers set in present day Eastern Europe with a psychological and historical angle to the story and so long as you are not put off by a bit of technology and supernatural elements thrown into the mix, you may find this one to be a rather good read. If you do decide to pick this one up and give it a go, I recommend sticking it out to the end. It's a short book and Adamson does reward the reader with an interesting conclusion that had me replaying the story in my mind after finishing it to find the subtle clues that would have pointed to the conclusion, If I had known the direction the story would take.

Decimal Rating: 3.50
3.25 - Plot Development
3.25 - Character Development
3.00 - Writing Style
3.75 - Readability
3.50 - Premise
3.75 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
4.00 - Originality
3.50 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: e-book
# of Pages: 290 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

Book #27 - The Dinner by Herman Koch



I decided to read this one based on the interesting reviews I had been seeing here on LT. I haven't read Flynn's Gone Girl - not sure if it is the type of book for me - but I figured, anything that can be billed as A European Gone Girl by the Wall Street Journal might be worth checking out while I wait for my turn at a copy of Gone Girl. Set on a summer's evening in Amsterdam, two couples meet for dinner at a high end restaurant. The story starts out slow, focusing on the inner thoughts/feelings/emotions of our narrator, Paul Lohman, as the dinner guests assemble and engage in the usual dinner conversation dialogue. A lot of mundane menusha is imparted here but in an interesting way for anyone, like me, that enjoys engaging in people watching while in public settings.

The pace picks up when we learn the unsettling information that Paul discovered just before heading out for dinner with his wife. At this point the story also starts to go off on different tangents and this is when I started to lose interest in this one. The story is divided into sections based on the meal's various courses - Apertif, Appetizer, Main Course, Dessert and Digestif - which seems to help anchor the author to return from his various story tangents back to the evening in question. While Koch has a gift for getting inside of the mind of his narrator and for the written word, I felt that the story just tries too hard to be a deeply psychological and sociological examination of the individuals at the heart of the crime issue the story is focused on.

I feel that this story would have been a better read if it had been written as a short novella focused on the present and the viewpoints of our diners, foregoing all the excessive extra baggage of Paul that we are exposed to.

Not something that I would recommend unless you are already a fan of Koch's writing or really like to delve into the darker psychosis of a disturbed mind, that is presented in a rather disjointed manner.

Decimal Rating: 2.81
3.25 - Plot Development
2.25 - Character Development
3.00 - Writing Style
3.00 - Readability
2.75 - Premise
3.00 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
3.25 - Originality
2.00 - Length

Star Rating: 3.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: e-book
# of Pages: 304 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

FIRST QUARTER RE-CAP:

Books read: 27
- books read by Female Authors: 17 (two books have more than one author)
- books read by Male Authors: 13 (one book has more than one author)
- Largest book read by page count: Snow Falling on Cedars at 460 pages
- Smallest book read by page count: Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses at 88 pages

ROOTs read: 8
Books acquired: 7

Top 5 reads for the Quarter:

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline - 4.64 decimal rating
Lady Susan by Jane Austen - 4.22 decimal rating
Sorry by Gail Jones - 4.19 decimal rating
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson - 4.09 decimal rating
Enter at Your Own Risk: Old Masters, New Voices by Alex Scully - 4.00 decimal rating

Bombs of the Quarter:

The Dinner by Herman Koch - 2.81 decimal rating
The Twitter Diaries by Georgie Thompson and Imogen Lloyd Webber - 2.97 decimal rating
A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian by Marina Lewycka - 3.03 decimal rating

April is finally here and the weather is starting to show strong signs of Spring being in the air. Time for the April Picture:


April Kaleidoscope Picture: Daisies

Book #28 - Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan



This review is going to be more of a compare/contrast between Penumbra's and Ready Player One, as I found the overall writing style and general theme of a mystery to crack using technology and a team working to overcome a greater force very similar between the two books. Yes, I know that when you really examine the stories in detail they are very different, but I just couldn't help but examine the parallels between the two books.

As you may have already guessed, I am more of a fan of Ready Player One that of Penumbra's. I am not as drawn to books about books or bookstores as some other readers can be, so there has to be something else that captures my interest. The mystery element of a secret society helped carry the story, and a good thing too because I grew rather tired of the whole Google angle. Clay, like Wade in Ready Player One, is a likeable nerdy/geeky protagonist and has a small group of friends - amazingly well-connected friends - that help Clay in his quest to decipher the code that has managed to elude searchers for some 500 years. The history geek in me also like the typography angle of the story. Most of the characters in Penumbra's are not as well drawn as they are in Ready Player One, leaving me feeling as a whole unconnected with the story. While the first half of Penumbra's was a decent story, the last half tended to drag and at one point had me rolling my eyes at what I saw as an idea borrowed directly from the TV series Warehouse 13.

Overall, Penumbra's is a fun read with a mix of technology, mystery and secret societies that has some appeal, but if you are not a fan of Google or don't want a Google business mantra playing in your head as you read, you might consider passing on this one.

Decimal Rating: 3.66
3.25 - Plot Development
3.00 - Character Development
4.00 - Writing Style
4.25 - Readability
3.75 - Premise
4.00 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
3.25 - Originality
3.75 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: e-book
# of Pages: 256 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

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Currently Reading:

The Count of Monte Cristo - 17% finished (currently at Chapter 22)
Lonesome Dove - 72% finished (currently at Chapter 77 - page 616 of 858)
Mrs. God - about to start this one

Lori, welcome home! Delighted your holiday was so much fun!

Superb reviews. I've added a thumb-up to Complication, since that's the one you posted on the main book page. Will you post the others?

Thrilled you are enjoying Lonesome Dove so much!

It's nice to have you back, Lori!

Welcome back, Lori. I concur with you totally on Ready Player One vis a vis Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore.

I read them both last month - and I preferred Ready Player One.

Thanks Nancy, Dejah and Roni for the welcome back messages! I am having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that it is back to work Tuesday morning for me..... where is that lotto win when you really want it?!?!?! ;-P

I took things easy today with some reading and I only have 80 pages left to go in Lonesome Dove so I will push through and finish that one the is evening.

Now for more personalized responses:

> 89 - Hi Nancy, Thanks! Other reviews have been posted to the book pages as requested. Hopefully, I will have a review for Lonesome Dove posted sometime tomorrow!

> 90 & 92 - Hi Dejah, it is nice to be back! Penumbra's is fun but just seems to lack that extra originality/depth/refinement that I found in Ready Player One. Still, glad to have read both to see for myself, just like you did.

> 91 - Hi Roni, Thanks! Yup, RPO is the winner of the two books!

Stopping by to say hi! Hmmm - between you and Nancy and many others, I may have to cave eventually and read Lonesome Dove. wow! Just 80 pages left in Lonesome Dove - that is one door stopper of a book!

Thanks for the warning re The Dinner - I've been on the fence about that one.

So glad that you had a wonderful holiday!

Waiting with bated breath for Lori's Lonesome Dove review! Well, not quite, but I am excited to hear your thoughts. :-)

Lori, I'm also interested to hear what you think of Lonesome Dove. I hope your Tuesday back at work tomorrow isn't too bad.

> 94 - Hi Deb! Lonesome Dove is one doorstopper of a book! If you do decide to read it, I suggest tracking down an e-copy... my wrists had quite the workout reading this one! The Dinner just didn't do it for me so of course, I am very curious to find the reviews that rave about it to see where I differ in viewpoint. I hope you have been having some of this beautiful sunshine and that Spring is officially here!

> 95 - Hi Roberta, wait no longer..... review below! ;-)

> 95 - Hi Susan, I hope Spring has finally arrived in your part of the world... talk about one unseasonably cold spring you guys have been having. I sneaked a quick peek at my work emails and while there is a slew of them to deal with, I don't think there are any disasters to make me wish I didn't have to go into the office!

----------------------

As promised, I did finish Lonesome Dove last night. Without further adieu, below please find the review.....

Book #29 - Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry



What can I say about this American tale, and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, that hasn't already been said by others, beyond the fact that I have only just now discovered that this is the 1st book published - and the 3rd book (chronologically)... Seriously, the third book??? - in McMurtry's Lonesome Dove series and that I am happy to have finally found the time to read it.

Written in epic proportions, McMurtry nailed his characters. They are complex, larger than life characters that seen to just walk off the pages with a realism that makes me love and hate them at the same time. No one is a saint and no one is 100% evil. They face dilemmas, engage in conversations that give one pause for thought and have the all too human characteristic of judging people and situations based on limited facts/biases.

McMurtry also nailed the scenery. I have never made a 3,000 mile journey from Texas to Montana but I have traveled numerous times across Canada's equally vast prairies.... granted it was in a car and not as part of a cattle drive, but the feeling of big sky and seemingly unending tracts of unpopulated land is something that needs to be experienced to really put life into perspective. McMurtry captures that experience in this book with his sweeping descriptions of the environment, the conditions of life in Lonesome Dove and the changing and mostly unpopulated landscape the cattle drive moves through as it heads north.

I found the plot to be a bit thin in places but was willing to sacrifice that for the richly drawn characters. Even so, McMurtry manages to provide interesting connections between events to keep the story moving forward and to keep his different story tangents from becoming dropped threads. The plot moves with the slowness of the cattle drive, but it is a pace that I was able to settle into and I found myself enjoying the unrushed nature of the story.

Overall, this story has something for everyone: the cowboy of old, strong female characters, an epic journey with extreme weather conditions, Indians, soldiers, settlers, moments of reflective thought and, yes even some unrequited love. Its a long one, there is no denying that, but it is a story that carries you along and then suddenly drops the reader unapologetically with the last page, leaving me wondering how I could possibly be at the end of the story.

If you feel as though you have missed out in experiencing first hand the American West in its untapped, unrestrained beauty by being born in the wrong century, pick up McMurtry's book and experience it for the epic journey that it is.

I will say this though, the trade paperback grew was tiring to hold up as I was finishing this one so if you have an e-reader, I would recommend downloading an e-copy to read... or work on strengthening your wrists first!

Decimal Rating: 4.69
4.25 - Plot Development
5.00 - Character Development
5.00 - Writing Style
5.00 - Readability
4.50 - Premise
5.00 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
4.25 - Originality
4.50 - Length

Star Rating: 4.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 858 pages
Source: TBR Bookshelf
Male/Female Author: Male

Lori, what a great review! I read the mass market paperback and that was hard enough to keep open - you must have wrists of steel after the trade paperback!!

Lovely review! I've up-ge-thumbed it on the review page.

Lori I know it is the first of three, but honestly if you stop right here you will be in cowboy heaven forever. If you do decide to proceed further I suggest you wait more than a year. The other books are good but they are not Lonesome Dove. It really is one of the great American novels because of everything you said about living vicariously in the Old West. I am so pleased you enjoyed it. As I told Susan after she read it, welcome to the cowboy way. ;)

Oh, Lori, that is a FANTASTIC review of Lonesome Dove. Big thumb-up from me. I khow just what you mean about having observed Canada's neverending prairies, and the brilliance with which McMurtry captures that in his novel. And, the characters ... yes, yes!

I had no idea the story order/publication order was different for this series. Hmm, guess I will be reading them in publication order, if I decide to read on.

Another thumber for that excellent review, Lori.

Thumbed your wonderful review of Lonesome Dove, Lori! I have actually seen a copy of Lonesome Dove at my local Chapters Bookstore and it really is a door stopper as you say!

Great reading lately! Sorry to see that Penumbra wasn't as great for you as it was for me. I loved Ready Player One too though. Both good books :)

Great review, Lori! As a transplant to Texas, I really feel I ought to read Lonesome Dove.... And I really want to. I have a beat up old mass market paperback copy but I picked up a Kindle version pretty cheap a few months ago which makes it much more likely I'll read it!

Excellent review, Lori - thumb for you! I have that one in the stacks for this year, and I am happy to report that like Katie, I have the ebook version.

Howdy Lori, I feel I can talk cowboy to you after your immersion in Lonesome Dove. I read parts of it in Texas while visiting my youngest son who used to live there. What a book! And what a review! Btw, I read the hardcover edition.

Just peeking in, Lori. Glad you had a great visit with your family. :)

Thanks Everyone, I enjoyed Lonesome Dove so much I have done something I hardly every do.... I have kept my copy so I can read it again! I usually pass my books on to another read/home when I finish them so it is a rare thing for me to keep a book!

> 99 - Thanks Susan! Ha,ha,ha.... sadly, I just don't have the wrist stamina for these big chunksters anymore.... makes for a problem since I like to read while lying down in bed and holding the book up in front of me..... who needs a gym when you can rely on some authors to provide you with arm exercises? ;-)

> 100 - Thanks Roni!

> 101 - Hi Roberta, I am okay stopping with Lonesome Dove and soaking up the great story that it is! Thank you for the advice, I will hold off on diving back into another McMurtry book for a while.

> 102 - Thanks Nancy, it was even better than I had hoped it would be! I am with you, if and when I dive back into a McMurtry book, it will be in publication order.

> 103 - Thanks Joe!

> 104 - Hi Deb, it is a door stopper and well worth the read (and sore wrists)! ;-)

> 105 - Hi Chelle, Thanks! it is sad that my reading time is once again limited know that my usual work routine has returned. Time to start planning my next vacation! If I hadn't read Penumbra so soon after finishing RPO, I probably would have liked it better. Both are great books to unwind with! ;-)

> 106 - Hi Katie, Thanks! All I can say is "Read the Kindle, read the Kindle".... no pressure, mind you. ;-O

> 107 - Thanks Mamie! I never thought I would become such a huge supporter of e-books, but I do see their value when it comes to chunksters!

> 108 - Howdy, Donna! To read the book while in Texas, that would have been so great!.... and wow on holding up the hardcover while reading...... I am becoming such a woose. :-)

> 109 - Hey Micky, so great to see you! Loved the trip home... and the snow that fell for me to play in..... I still have a bit of difficulty adjusting to how brown everything is this time of year there but I really like how many sunny days Albertans get compared to us BCers.

>110 lkernagh: We sure do have lots of sunshine. Although it did rain yesterday. And I saw green grass. But don't worry, it's supposed to snow again this weekend. :P

> 111 - I would send warm weather your way to keep the snow away, if I could, Micky. Sadly, we have been having cold, windy days here (so says the 'wimp')..... but Green grass is better than I saw in Calgary while i was there, so good on Edmonton! ;-)

Lori have a wonderful weekend!

> 113 - Thanks Roberta! You, too!

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It is a wet and dreary Friday evening here.... a good night to curl up in front of the TV, I think. Before I do that, I have another review to post for a book I finished last night, Peter Straub's Mrs. God.

I hope every one has a great weekend.... mine will include some lazying around with a book or two!

Book #30 - Mrs. God by Peter Straub

Esswood House. Home and estate of the Seneschal family, aristocratic patrons of the literary arts for well over a hundred years. D. H. Lawrence, T. S. Eliot, Ford Madox Ford, and Henry James were privileged to call themselves guests and Esswood Fellows. Even minor poets such as Isobel Standish found Esswood’s refined atmosphere an inspiration for her work. There was always talk of a hidden secret in Esswood’s past—and the Seneschal children were often so pale and sickly—but don’t all English manor houses have a few ghost stories to call their own? When Professor William Standish receives the rare honor of an Esswood Fellowship, and the chance to study Isobel’s private manuscripts at close hand, he is thrilled beyond his wildest ambitions. But upon arriving, something seems slightly strange at Esswood House. He hears faint laughter in the halls, the pitter-pattering of small feet in the night; strange faces appear in the windows of the library, and of course, there are those giant dollhouses in the basement . . .

Sounds really good, doesn’t it? That perfect book for reading late at night with the wind/rain blowing at your window and one lonely light to illuminate your reading….. okay, in my case it was the back light of my iPod, but I digress.

Writing this review is proving to be a bit of a problem. Is this a Gothic tale or just horror? I say it fits the Gothic genre, what with the elements of unexplained events, an ancestral home with strange 'goings on', supernatural beings, and an atmosphere of suspense terror. Straub uses the first person narrative through Standish to draw the reader in. While this one started off with great promise, with a pretty good writing style and an intriguing idea of a downward spiraling journey into madness an intriguing one, the delivery of the story itself took its own downward spiral like a helicopter in a slow auto rotate decent.

Originally published as a short story back in 1990 (which I have not read), I wonder if Straub attempted to write a full blown novel and came away in the end with this novella that seems to fall apart in the last three-four chapters. Our narrator's psychological decline is poorly executed and I am completely baffled by the whole wife angle. I hate finishing a book with more questions than answers and a quick re-read of the last four chapters failed to illuminate my understanding (you never know, I may have missed something on my first read through). At least I was able to confirm through some online reviews that I am not the only one that has had trouble with this one.... and before you ask, I am still a bit unclear on his choice of "Mrs. God" for the title for this one.

Overall, this was a disappointing read for me, but thankfully a rather quick one and one that I will not be recommending others rush out to read. As I read the e-book on my iPod, I can only assume that the 336 page count listed on LT is accurate.... the font size of the printed book must have been rather large or a lot of white space on the pages!

Decimal Rating: 2.78
2.50 - Plot Development
2.25 - Character Development
3.25 - Writing Style
3.00 - Readability
3.00 - Premise
3.25 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
3.25 - Originality
1.75 - Length

Star Rating: 3.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: e-book
# of Pages: 336 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

Great review of Mrs God, Lori, though it sounds a bit frustrating. I think I'll thumb your review and thank you for reading it for me: I hate finishing a book with more questions than answers and a quick re-read of the last four chapters failed to illuminate my understanding. Indeed!

Hi Lori, just checking what you are doing. How is The Count of Monte Cristo going? Last time I checked you had about 17% done.

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Another marvelous review, Lori!

Hi Lori -- GREAT review of Lonesome Dove! I have it in my pile, I know I NEED to get to it!

> 116 - Thanks Nancy! Glad to be of service. ;-)

> 117 - Hi Bianca, I am still working away on The Count, currently at Chapter 31 or 25% of the way through the book now. I am reading an e-copy so it is my 'convenient' purse read for whenever I can grab a few minutes. Still enjoying it. Weekend was good, I hope yours was also a good one!

> 118 - Thanks, Roni!

> 119 - Hi Anne, thanks! I never thought I would fall in love with a western novel like I did with Lonesome Dove so I guess I will really need to stop judging a book by its genre! I hope you find it to be an enthralling read like i did!

---------------------------

It has been a rather haphazard weekend, with the weather changing by the hour and a little bit of everything - sunshine, dark clouds, rain, sleet and even some hail - freaking crazy spring weather! I did manage to get out today during one of the sunny periods for a stroll along the waterfront and to play with my camera a bit. There is a tree along the waterfront walkway - well, two actually - that I enjoy taking pictures of.... this time for the amazing dark clouds in the sky behind it:



The sky cleared again about a hour later but, like I said, crazy weather!

On the reading front, I am currently 3/4 of the way through Lisa Moore's book February. I hope to finish it later this evening.... still plugging away at The Count as my convenient purse read whenever I can grab a few minutes and currently at the 1/4 mark in that one.

That's a great shot! I wonder what it would look like as sepia or b/w. Modern gothic? :)

Gorgeous picture, Lori, and I know right where those trees are! ;)

Great review of February and perhaps you have convinced me to pick up February some day soon! Thumbed!

> 121 - Thanks Jim! Hummm.... sepia, b&W, Modern Gothic.....*ponders the idea for a moment*.... you mean something like this?



I like! Great suggestion, Jim!

> 122 - Hi Judy... now why am I not surprised that you know where those trees are??? ;-)

> 123 - Hi Deb, you are fast..... I haven't even posted the review here for February and you are already thumbing it! Thanks!

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Two more book reviews for posting - a shorty and a longy - coming up.

Book #31 - How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You by The Oatmeal



No...... just, no.

Decimal Rating: 1.50
Star Rating: 1.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 136 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

Book #32 - February by Lisa Moore



February is Lisa Moore’s second novel and one that has garnered a lot of attention in 2009 as a Globe and Mail Best Book and Quill and Quire Book of the Year, in 2011 as a 2010 Booker Prize Longlist and as a Commonwealth Writers Prize Shortlist and more recently in 2013 February won CBC’s annual book debate Canada Reads. High time I found out what this book is all about for myself.

Using the Ocean Ranger disaster – the mobile offshore drilling unit that sank in Canadian waters on February 15, 1982, killing all 84 crew members on board at the time – as a focal point, Moore has written a slow, reflective novel that grew on me as I read it. Character perspective books, and in particular ones that employ multiple time, place and narration shifts, can take some time to warm up to. February was no exception to this rule as I found I had to pay close attention to the section headings to ensure I knew where in the timeline the narration was as I was reading. Thankfully, Moore restricted her shifts in narration to Helen, her son John and his female acquaintance Jane. If you prefer plot-driven books, this one will drive you to some level of frustration as the focus is on fleshing out the emotional landscape of our main character, Helen and the impact that fateful night when her husband Cal dies and her life suddenly becomes that of a single mom raising four kids in Newfoundland. It is a poignant portrayal of aching loss and overpowering loneliness spanning some 25 years, all shrouded in a brave front to persevere and care for her family as best she can.

What I really liked about this one is Moore’s ability to create real characters.... characters you may recognize from your own community or would not be surprised to encounter on the street. Characters that reach an emotional cliff and wonder if they should just jump off or turn back towards land and continue on with life. The writing is stunning - fluid, evocative, and yet plainly written in a manner that speaks to the masses as its intended audience. She has also captured a Canadian perspective/point of view that is hard to explain but one that I can recognize and relate to. Grief is an anchor that can drag us down and change lives irreparably, if we let it. Some favorite quotes:

"The act of being dead, if you could call it an act, made them very hard to love. They'd lost the capacity to surprise. You needed a strong memory to love the dead, and it was not her fault that she was failing. She was trying. But no memory was that strong. This was what she knew: no memory was that strong."

"We are alone in death. Of course we are alone. It is a solitude so refined we cannot experience it while we are alive; it is too rarefied, too potent. It is a drug, that solitude, an immediate addiction. A profound selfishness, so full of self it is an immolation of all that came before. Cal was alone in that cold. Utterly alone, and that was death. That, finally, was death."

A book I am very glad I have finally made the time to pick up and read!

Decimal Rating: 3.97
3.00 - Plot Development
4.25 - Character Development
4.50 - Writing Style
4.00 - Readability
4.50 - Premise
4.00 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
3.50 - Originality
3.75 - Length

Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 320 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Female

Fabulous review of February, Lori. This is one I also loved, for all of the reasons you point out. Thumb-up from me : ). And your sepia, b/w, gothic, modern art is very cool!

Woah Lori, them photos are absolutely fab. Especially the second one. Great suggestion Jim :)

Nothing to contribute on the reading front, but I do hope that you will have a great week!

Concise review of the cat book . . . LOL!

Some very good reviews here. I have Snow Falling on Cedars on my shelf. I'll get to it one of these days . . .

Sorry the Straub was such a dud. Sounded like it had possibilities, but they got lost in confusion.

Lonesome Dove and February have been on my radar, but not on my list. Must consider these. Thanks for the great reviews.

Yeah, like that! :)

I've read a few books like that "cat" book. I went to "thumbs up" your review, but it wasn't on the work page.

And I really Your Cat is Plotting to kill You. But I think it describes my Francis.

Wonderful review of February , Lori. I have that one on the TBR shelves...

No...... just, no.

This should be a warning sticker on some books!

> 127 - Thanks Nancy! February was a good read!

> 128 - Hi Bianca, thanks and I hope you have a great week as well!!

> 129 - Hi Terri..... I do believe it got my point across about that cat book. Happy to add to your reading pile.... ;-)

> 130 - *Big, Happy Smiley Face*

> 131 - Hi Lori, I wasn't really sure if I wanted to place that review over on the book page.... I have seen short reviews like that being flagged as non-reviews and didn't want to see that happen with this one.

> 132 - Thanks Rhonda. I think it probably touches on personality traits of a number of cats.... but not the ones that wear ties and work in office buildings with humans as co-workers. Seriously, the book also contains a number of cartoons with that focus. Just sayin'....

> 133 - Thanks Katie.... have I motivated you to read it or is it going to be one of those nagging little reminders in the back of your mind when you walk past the bookcase and see it? The imp in me is always curious about things like that. ;-)

> 134 - So true, Roberta! Not sure how we would go about getting that implemented but it is a good idea!

------------------------------

I have developed a new candy addiction today. We have a British Sweet Shoppe in town and during my lunch hour I wandered in. I love wine gums and I noticed that they carried 8 different kinds. I bought 100g of "Aran Wine Gums" - the label on the big jar the shop girl measured out my purchase from - and, boy are they ever good! Don't know who the manufacturer is and my Google search was not very productive but I can see how having this store within easy walking distance from the office at lunchtime is going to be a problem. ;-)

Still reading, but with four books on the go at the same time, it will probably be a couple of days before I finish one and have something to post on the reading front.

Oh, you've definitely motivated me to read it! But when...?

How about next February....;-)

Now that's an idea....

> 138 - ;-)

----------------

I have finished one book - and the review is now ready for posting - and I hope to be a lazy bones and spend at least one day this weekend doing nothing but reading..... unless it is warm and sunny out in which case I will be outdoors!

Happy weekend everyone!

Book #33 - The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb

Grace Alban has spent more than twenty years avoiding her childhood home, the stately Alban House on the shores of Lake Superior, for reasons she would rather forget. But when her mother’s unexpected death brings Grace and her teenage daughter back, she finds more is haunting the halls and passageways of Alban House than her own personal demons.

Long-buried family secrets, a packet of old love letters, and a lost manuscript plunge Grace into a decades-old mystery about a scandalous party at Alban House, when a world-famous author took his own life and Grace’s aunt disappeared without a trace. The night has been shrouded in secrecy by the powerful Alban family for all of these years. Her mother intended to tell the truth about that night to a reporter on the very day she died—could it have been murder? Or was she a victim of the supposed Alban curse?

I picked this one up, hoping for a suspenseful gothic read. It's not as gothic as I was hoping for. More mystery/ gothic-lite with some supernatural elements interwoven with a dash of romance. While there are moments of suspense and the idea of a rambling mansion with hidden passageways, a deeply buried family secret and elements of the paranormal are all elements of a gothic tale, this one lacks the dominant atmosphere of a progressively building feeling of suspense/horror in the reader that I have found in other gothic stories I have read. The romance bit does detract a bit from the gothic angle for me as it breaks the suspense the gothic elements had started to create. Nothing wrong with that. The mystery was still an interesting one to read, trying to figure out the truth of the family secret, but the story is more geared towards mystery fans that don't mind a bit of the paranormal thrown in. Reading this one made me think of the Phyllis A. Whitney novels I loved reading as a teen/young adult - which seems appropriate considering she wrote romance novels of suspense and has been considered a gothic novelist by some.

Overall, I did enjoy this one. Some character moments were on the eye-rolling side for me, but they were not overly annoying given the overall lighter feel of the story than I was expecting. NO cowering in the chair with all the lights on while reading this one! I also enjoyed it enough that I will make plans to read Webb's first novel, The Tale of Halcyon Crane at some point in the future.

Decimal Rating: 3.28
3.25 - Plot Development
3.00 - Character Development
3.25 - Writing Style
3.75 - Readability
3.00 - Premise
3.75 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
3.25 - Originality
3.00 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: e-book
# of Pages: 353 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Female

Lori, thoroughly enjoying your superb reviews! This is another excellent one on The Fate of Mercy Alban. Sounds like all the gothic elements were present, but they were somewhat snuffed by romance. I love hearing/reading about what's out there and what my comrades in 75ers are reading : ).

Hmm, did someone say dash of romance? I'll have to look out for that one! My library has The Tales of Halcyon Crane as an audiobook so I am hopeful we will see this one too (preferably in print). Another great review, Lori! I also liked your review of February, which I will look out for.

> 141 - Thanks Nancy! The Fate of Mercy Alban was a good read, just not the hair raising suspense read I was hoping for. The treads can be a very danger place to visit, what with all the book suggestions/reviews out there.

> 142 - Yup, a dash of romance, Susan. No bodice ripper, just a clean romance angle added to the mystery. I do hope your library gets the Mercy Alban book.... I see that it is a new release here in North America (Feb 2013) and I don't the publication dates for the book in the UK.

Book #34 - F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton - audiobook narrated by Mary Peiffer

When Kinsey Millhone first arrives in Floral Beach, California, it’s hard for her to picture the idyllic coastal town as the setting of a brutal murder. Seventeen years ago, the body of Jean Timberlake—a troubled teen who had a reputation with the boys—was found on the beach. Her boyfriend Bailey Fowler was convicted of her murder and imprisoned, but he escaped. After all this time, Bailey’s finally been captured. Believing in his son’s innocence, Bailey’s father wants Kinsey to find Jean’s real killer. But most of the residents in this tight-knit community are convinced Bailey strangled Jean. So why are they so reluctant to answer Kinsey’s questions? If there’s one thing Kinsey’s got plenty of it’s persistence. And that’s exactly what it’s going to take to crack the lid on this case. As Kinsey gets closer to solving Jean’s murder, the more dirty little secrets she uncovers in a town where everyone has something to hide—and a killer will kill again to keep the past buried...

This is an audiobook I started listening to back on September 9, 2012 but never got around to finishing until now. I know this because that is the date I had entered into the LT catalogue. During the winter months, given the dark mornings, I don't like to listen to audiobooks or music during my walk to work in the mornings. Now that we are back to bright mornings, I am now back to listening to audiobooks during my walking commute.

Everyone who has read my reviews last year for the previous Grafton books in the series will probably remember that I do like the character of our private investigator, gutsy 33 year old Kinsey Millhone. A work driven, relationship gun-shy woman who presents a strong, in control front as protection for what she feels inside. Listening to the narration by Mary Peiffer was like re-connecting with an old friend after a long absence. Grafton has a way with providing a interesting mix of characters, descriptive scenery that is easy to visualize and enough plot shifts to keep my interest without taxing my attention as I walk along enjoying all the flowers of spring that are cropping up. Of course, I also love the whole retro feel of the stories - Kinsey lugs her typerwriter with her to type up her reports on and cell phones are not the normal telecommunication device of Kinsey's 1980's world.

Overall, great to get back to Kinsey's world and I am looking forward to starting the next audiobook in the series!

Decimal Rating: 3.53
4.00 - Plot Development
3.25 - Character Development
3.50 - Writing Style
3.50 - Readability
3.25 - Premise
3.35 - Imagery/Visualization
4.00 - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
3.25 - Originality
3.00 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: audiobook
# of Pages: 26 pages (6 hours, 56 minutes listening time)
Source: TBR
Male/Female Author: Female

I love reminiscing about the 80s. I think I read the A book but it was a very long time ago. Doesn't she have a very senior landlord?

> Yup, Kinsey lives in a converted bachelor pad - more like a converted one car (maybe two car) garage - on the property of octogenarian Henry Pitts, paying $200/month rent. Wonder what something like that would be in today's currency. ;-)

I have been enjoying the spring weather that has arrived and feel the bug to attempt a balcony/ indoor garden of herbs. I should probably explain to everyone that while I am perfectly capable of taking care of an outdoor garden in the normal sense of the term, my skills at taking care of any kind of planter pots or indoor plants is dismal at best. I kill the houseplants we have by either over-watering them or completely neglecting them to the point where my other half is now the one that takes care of the plants, including the poor plant that I have taken to the brink of death four times now that he has managed to revive each time.

I am determined to try my hand at growing my own herbs - seriously how hard can this be? - but decided to start out small. I am starting off this growing adventure with a chives herb kit, similar to this one:

I love chives and hopefully, I will be able to grow my own. It is kind of weird to find the soil - sorry, the expand Quick Soil Mix - to be a dry, flat disk at the bottom of the package but it did expand with warm water to a soil/peat mixture that fills the entire container. Package says 4 -6 weeks for germination so it will be while before I have anything interesting to report back on. My other half is promising that this is my project and he won't 'save' anything from me, although I did give him a look when he said he was going to go out and buy me a miniature rake and hoe set, Barbie sized. Cheeky Monkey! ;-)

Book #35 - Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham
Book #36 - Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham



Picking up where Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile left off, we continue our introduction to the various characters from fairy tales and folklore who have been exiled from their own lands by "The Adversary" and have set up a new home (albeit a clandestine community) in New York City and a farm up state.

Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm has us visiting the Farm to meet the Fables with more animalistic/ no-human characteristics that would not blend in with the human society of New York City. Unbeknown to the visitors from Fabletown, a revolution has been started by the Farm Fables characters who feel as though they are prisoners on the Farm. With communications cut off with Fabletown, and an interesting instigator of all of this insurrection activity, it becomes a battle to see which side will win.

Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love continues to tackle a disgruntled element among the Fables as unsanctioned magic is used to send Snow White and Bigsby Wolf out of town and out of range to be able to interfere with the master plans of our usurpers. Of particular interest to me in this volume was the American Civil War-based interlude at the start of this volume where we have an interesting blending of Gone with the Wind and good old Jack (of the beanstalk fame) trying to cheat Death. Seriously!

While Vol. 1 Legends in Exile was a solid crime mystery piece with the added bonus of an entertainingly adult takes on the fable and fairy tale characters of my childhood, Vol. 2 and Vol.3 have a more decidedly dark feel to the story as power struggles take the forefront of the story. Fleshing out some of the characters that had been only lightly touched upon in Vol. 1, I am now settling in for the more intense read this is becoming. Gone are the flippant comments that had peppered Vol. 1 and made me chuckle. Elements of swords play, honor (or the lack thereof) and self-preservation/ personal advancement are more the norm now, although I will say the Briar Rose piece in Vol. 3 did contain elements that harkened back to the crime/mystery elements and fun adult banter that I enjoyed so much in Vol. 1.

The artwork, characters and writing style have remained consistent throughout so it is easy for me to pay more attention to the variations in the story itself. I am very curious to see where Willingham takes the story next.


Decimal Rating: 3.67
3.75 - Plot Development
3.25 - Character Development
3.50 - Writing Style
4.00 - Readability
4.00 - Premise
3.75 - Imagery/Visualization
4.00 - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
3.75 - Originality
3.00 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 128 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male


Decimal Rating: 3.61
3.50 - Plot Development
3.00 - Character Development
3.50 - Writing Style
4.00 - Readability
4.00 - Premise
3.75 - Imagery/Visualization
4.00 - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
3.75 - Originality
3.00 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 192 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Female

--------------------

Currently Reading:
Old Filth by Jane Gardam - for the group read
The Count of Monte Cristo - currently in the middle of Chapter 35
The Little Book by Selden Edwards - about to start listening to the audiobook

Love the starter herb garden, Lori. I love chives, too. Not a gardener, but something like what you've purchased might be just the ticket.

The artwork on the Fables books is fabulous. Admire your venturing into graphic novels. Another item that's been on my list for quite some time.

Wow, you've been busy Lori and I've been absent. Great review of Lonesome Dove. I think it's a modern masterpiece and I completely agree with Roberta, the other books in the L.D. series are pretty good but nothing comes close to the original.
Also excellent review of The Dinner. I think you nailed it. I really wanted to like it but all the events in the last 1/3 really wore me down. And please read Gone Girl, ASAP!

> 149 - Here is hoping the herb garden works, Nancy. I am optimistic at this point. Fables does have good quality comic book style artwork.... and consistent artwork at that! I am loving my dip into GNs this year. A lot of fun and quite educational at the same time.

> 150 - Hi Mark, nice to see you here! Lonesome Dove is such a great read, I am not even going to ruin it by watching the miniseries, especially now that I now Sam Elliott isn't in it.... I totally had him pegged for Augustus McCrae, voice and all, as I was reading it. I was so disappointed to discover that he wasn't one of the actors.... what was Hollywood thinking????? As for Gone Girl, I just checked my hold with the library and it looks like I am at position 74 on 54 copies, so I should be in possession of that one sometime next month for reading.

Lori- I love Sam Elliot too but Robert Duvall IS the perfect Gus! And Tommy Lee Jones was excellent as Call. The casting was awesome and the miniseries is terrific. SEE IT!

Hi Lori, I'll second Mark's recommendation. The Lonesome Dove mini-series is extremely well done and well-cast.

Lori, I hope you are enjoying Old Filth. I really liked it and the companion book, The Man in the Wooden Hat as well. Now I'm set for Book #3 in the trilogy.

Good luck with your herb garden. I've had no trouble growing herbs in pots on my deck, but I've never started them from seeds. I'm a lazy gardener I'm afraid. The way our weather is, I may not have to worry about it this year. We had a few snow flurries yesterday. Very late in the year for that here in southern Missouri.

I'll third the rec for the Lonesome Dove mini series!

Haha, Looks like I will be adding the Lonesome Dove miniseries to our autumn viewing list, thanks to the shout outs for the series by Mark, Judy and Donna above. I am curious to see what sort of reception it will have from my other half.... he has The Great Escape playing on the TV screen as I type this message - one of the classics I never grow tired of watching!

> 152 - I have to admit, Mark, I don't have a very good movie memory of Robert Duvall....very curious to see him as Gus! Tommy Lee Jones as Call I can see.

> 153 - Your second rec for watching the Lonesome Dove miniseries has been duly noted, Judy. ;-) Nice to see these recs coming in!

> 154 - Hi Donna, Old Filth was a very good, and very quick read! I still need to wrap my head around how I want to review it. I am already looking forward to reading The Man in the Wooden Hat! As for the herb garden, I peek at it every day and have to remind myself that I have a few weeks to go still before anything starts sprouting!

-----------------

On the reading front I have finished Jane Gardam's Old Filth and Steve Niles' GN Freaks of the Heartland. Both were exceptional reads but I need some time to wrap my head around my reviews and tonight is for curling up and relaxing in front of the TV, so I will aim for sometime this weekend to get those reviews written and posted.

Currently listening to the audiobook of Selden Edwards' The Little Book and quite enjoying the historical Vienna setting and the introduction of the characters.

Happy Friday/ start of the weekend, everyone! It is promising to be a wet one where I live and that is okay.... too many errands to run and household chores to tackle that I will probably be looking forward to heading back into the office Monday morning for a bit of a breather. ;-)

In the meantime, I have managed to get two reviews written for posting.

Book #37 - Old Filth by Jane Gardam

FILTH, in his heyday, was an international lawyer with a practice in the Far East. Now, only the oldest QCs and Silks can remember that his nickname stood for ‘Failed In London Try Hong Kong’. Long ago, Old Filth was a Raj orphan - one of the many young children sent 'Home' from the East to be fostered and educated in England.

This restrained and yet intimately reflective novel provides an examination on life changing events and how we can be shaped by our experiences. The story is focused on Sir Edward Feathers, the Old Filth of the title. Gardam beautifully captures the voice of an old Raj orphan – an octogenarian if my memory serves correctly! – who finds himself at a crossroads of sorts in the twilight years of his life. He reflects on his past, memories conjured up in part by the arrival of Veneering, the Far East legal rival of his past, to the quiet Dorset community Feathers now resides in in seclusion. Gardam provides the reader with glimpsing views of our characters as though seen through paned windows, not accessed through open doors that would allow us to fully enter and embrace the characters. The access to the characters is beautifully managed as some things, as in real life, are only fleetingly alluded to, while other things are left unmentioned.

Richly told, the reader experiences our main character’s growing realization of his advancing frailty, his sometimes transient state of emotional and mental confusion and a building desire to get his moral house in order. A need to wipe the slate clean, so to speak. I really like how Gardam is able to show how Feathers’ acquaintances, family relations and former colleagues view him in comparison to the more complex and very human individual that resides behind the exterior facade he projects. Even though Feathers is a flawed character, Gardam is able to portray him in a way that made me grow to love him and his foibles. Feathers is not a character that is easily pigeonholed or categorized, even if his dated clothing and mannerisms lead one to some expected first impressions. Gardam does an amazing job capturing the past, depicting an Empire that no longer exists in our modern world, except in the lingering minds of those who were around to experience it. Filled with a number of well written passages, this is the one, describing the Raj orphans, really stood out for me:

"They were brought up like that. Most of them learned to never like anyone, ever, their whole lives. But they didn't moan because they had this safety net. The Empire. Wherever you went you wore the Crown, and wherever you went you could find your own kind. A club. There are still thousands around the world thinking they own it. It's vaguely mixed up with Christian duty. Even now. Even here at Home. Every house of our sort you go into, Liverpool to the Isle of Wright - there's big game on the wall and tiger skins n the floor and tables made of Benares brass trays and a photograph of the Great Durbar. Nowadays you can even fake it with plenty of servants. It wasn't like that in my grandfather's generation. They were better people. Better educated, Bible-readers, not showy. Got on with the job. There was a job for everyone and they did it and often died in it."

Overall, a memorable reading experience for me and I look forward to reading the next book in the series, The Man in the Wooden Hat.

Decimal Rating: 4.22
3.25 - Plot Development
5.00 - Character Development
4.50 - Writing Style
4.25 - Readability
4.50 - Premise
4.00 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
4.00 - Originality
4.25 - Length

Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade paperback
# of Pages: 289 pages
Source: TBR
Male/Female Author: Female

Book #38 - Freaks of the Heartland by Steve Niles



Winner of the 2005 Spectrum Gold Award, this was an interesting GN read for me. I'm not a huge fan of horror, although I am noticing that my tolerance for horror appear to be improving lately with the gothic reading I am doing. The story itself is good but not overly special.... small town farmland community isolated from neighboring communities by its location nestled in the valley of high hilly terrain (Gristlewood Valley) harbors a secret. Trevor Owen's six year old baby brother Will towers over Trevor and lives chained up in the family barn, a precaution against Will's superhuman strength. After a fateful event occurs, Trevor, while trying to maintain the family secret, uncovers the horrible truth about the small midwestern town they live in.

a decent horror story, but like I said, not overly original or uniquely striking from a story perspective, IMO. What made this such an amazing read for me was the artwork. Truly stunning graphics that capture the essence of the story and it dark, looming atmosphere with amazing detail, eye for depth, shadow and colour and fantastic realistically drawn characters - body language, facial expressions, the whole nine yards. A true treat for the visual senses! I read the deluxe hardcover edition with high colour graphics on full gloss paper so you can probably understand why I am raving about the artwork in this one:


Overall, the story is a decent one with a couple of interesting surprises for fans of a gritty suspense/horror read but a real treat for anyone that has an interest in or appreciates GN's from an artwork perspective. The hardcover edition I read contained some sketchbook images and notes from the artist along with beautiful high colour images for the covers of the original issues.

Decimal Rating: 3.89
3.25 - Plot Development
3.00 - Character Development
3.25 - Writing Style
3.75 - Readability
4.50 - Premise
4.75 - Imagery/Visualization
5.00 - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
3.00 - Originality
4.50 - Length

Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Hard cover
# of Pages: 160 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

Back from my travels Lori and just beginning to catch up. Old Filth is one on my to do list for this year and I enjoyed your review as always.

Have a lovely weekend.

Lori, what a superb review of Old Filth! That's one I've had in my iPad for ages now. Like Paul, I MUST also get to its this year. Big thumb-up from me : ).

Lori, that's a wonderful review of Old Filth! I also really enjoyed it - still need to write up my touts. Maybe I can just provide a link to yours :-)

Lori, I've really enjoyed your recent reviews. Lonesome Dove is definitely on my list of books I want to read someday. I will take your advice and read it on my Kindle though! Chunksters also hurt my wrists.

I appreciate your thoughtful comments on the Fables series. I have read Vol. 1 and enjoyed it, especially the witty commentary. I'm not sure if I will like the series if it loses that flavor but I am intrigued enough to continue on with Vol 2 at least.

Hi Lori!

It's been a while since I visited your thread but you have read some interesting (and tempting) books and written some wonderful reviews. No that I'm mostly caught up again I'll be by more often to keep up with what you're reading.

> 159 - Hi Paul, welcome back! I will be very surprised if you don't like Old Filth when you read it!

> 160 - Hi Nancy, thanks for the thumb! *nudges Nancy closer to her copy of Old Filth*

> 161 - Hi Katie, Old Filth was such a surprisingly good read! You do realize I was waiting impatiently for you to post your review....and a good review it is!

> 162 - Hi Heidi, I am trying to not let the chunksters deter me anymore... yay for e-books! Like you, I have problems continuing with a series when the elements that attracted me to it disappear. I do plan on reading the next two books in the Fables series to see if I want to continue with it.

> 163 - Hi Dejah! Welcome back. I love visiting your thread for all the interesting theatre news you post there!

-----------------

Another book finished and review ready for posting. Sorry in advance for the length of this one.... a rambling 400+ page book warrants a bit of a rambling review! ;-)

Book #39 - The Little Book by Selden Edwards - audiobook narrated by Jeff Woodman

Wheeler Burden - banking heir, philosopher, student of history, legend's son, rock idol, writer, lover, recluse, half-Jew, and Harvard baseball hero - one day finds himself wandering not in his hometown of San Francisco in 1988 but in a city and time he knows mysteriously well: Vienna, 1897. Before long, Wheeler acquires a mentor in Sigmund Freud, a bitter rival, a powerful crush on a luminous young woman, and encounters everyone from an eight-year-old Adolf Hitler to Mark Twain as well as the young members of his own family. Solving the riddle of Wheeler's dislocation in time will ultimately reveal nothing short of one eccentric family's unrivaled impact upon the course of human history.

I do like to dip into time travel novels as a fun bit of escapism so I downloaded an audiobook copy of this book from my local library system to listen to during my daily walking commute. The concept of a modern Renaissance man - if I can label Wheeler Burden as such - finding himself in turn of the century Vienna during that city's amazing historical-cultural nexus of intellectual and artistic impulses that have shaped much of "Modernist" movement is a great idea for a time travel novel.

Edwards admits that this book was a 30-year process of writing, editing and further refinements before it was finally published. The historical content - the political, cultural, architectural and intellectual bones of this book - are built on solid research, as are the historical figures. His fictional characters fit well in their 'normal' time periods and exhibit the usual wonderment/ dilemma in the time period they find themselves transported to. I really loved the early chapters in the book that focus on young Wheeler Burden's growing years, first in small town California, then in a stuffy Boston boys prep school and after that on to the hallowed halls of Harvard. Those are actually my favorite parts of the story and I can recommend those section to anyone that enjoys stories around community/ school baseball.

The Vienna story - this book really is a bunch of different stories contained in one book - is heady with its sweeping artistic and intellectual components. This book, in particular the Vienna bits, can be described as "intellectual escapism" for philosophy, cultural and psychology enthusiasts. The details Edwards includes in the story - like Freud's development of his psychoanalytical theory - and the shifting timelines to explain parts of the story, started to wear on me after a while. With the focus on the details I started to think I was back in school receiving an education and the shifting timelines started to come across as an easier writer's mechanism to make the pieces of the story fit together. Not all that easy for the listener of an audiobook to follow, just sayin'!

The love story angle is different, I will say that, and it makes me wonder if Edwards included it because of Freud's presence in the story. I also had some difficulty accepting our main character as being 47 years old when he travels back in time. He come across as a much younger man in his mid 20's, or as a kid that just never truly grows up.

To enjoy this book a reader has to suspend belief that it is perfectly okay to spill the beans of one's time travel to one or two individuals in the past and assume that it won't have an impact. Lastly, I felt that the story seems to continue on beyond a couple of logical ending points. Yes, it would have meant one or two minor points might not have been tidied up but given that Edwards does finally end this one with a very faint whisper of more to come makes me think this story could have been condensed somewhat.

After putting so much negativity into this review, I have to say that this was never a disappointing story to listen to... it was rather enjoyable on the whole, and one I looked forward to listening to over the week but I think it might be more suited for reading as opposed to listening to given the wealth of information the story contains. I was rather surprised to realize that this audiobook didn't allow me to utilize the 30 second rewind feature I am rather used to having built into my audiobooks. Something to possibly discuss with Penguin audio......

Decimal Rating: 3.31
3.00 - Plot Development
3.25 - Character Development
3.50 - Writing Style
3.00 - Readability
4.00 - Premise
3.50 - Imagery/Visualization
3.50 - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
3.50 - Originality
2.50 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: audiobook
# of Pages: 416 pages (15 hours, 0 minutes listening time)
Source: GVPL / BCL
Male/Female Author: Male

As we are leaving April and heading into May, it is time for a new monthly picture!


May Kaleidoscope Picture: Lillies

----------------------------------

Currently Reading:

The Count of Monte Cristo - 35% finished (currently at Chapter 39)
At Home in Mitford - 29% finished (currently at Chapter 9 - page 122 of 413)
Mistress of Blackstone Castle - about to start this one

I loved the Mitford series when I read it years ago. It's one of those series I'd like to re-read some day.

Nice review of The Little Book which I had considered a while back but put off reading. Thumbs up from me!

Lori, enjoyed your review of The Little Book. I have to ask ... how are you making the kaleidoscope pictures? They are so lovely.

Hi! Great reviews, Lori. I might look for The Fate of Mercy Alban. I read an ER copy of The Tale of Halcyon Crane when it came out, and really liked it. I just checked back, and I gave it 4 stars.

Hi Lori. Another month, another delightful picture. You captured the essence of Old Filth -- the man and the book -- very well in your stellar review. "Restrained yet intimately reflective" is a perfect description of the book.

Lori - enjoyed catching up and especially your review of The Little Book which would appear to be anything but.
Have a lovely weekend.

I hope your enjoying the weekend, Lori!

> 167 - Hi Lori, I can see that I am going to enjoy the Mitford series! I love how it is written is small clips, making it easy to dip in and out of the books! I can see where you would want to re-read the series some day... I usually send my books off to new homes after I finish reading them, but I think I might hold onto this series.

> 168 - Thanks Dejah!

> 169 - Thanks Nancy! To make the kaleidoscope pictures I manipulate a picture using a software program called PhotoImpact. The May kaleidoscope picture was actually created focusing on the flowers in the following picture I took for the Mother's Day card I made for my Mom this year:


> 170 - Thanks Terri! If you liked The Tale of Halcyon Crane, which was her first book, there is a good chance you will like Mercy Alban. I am looking forward to reading Halcyon Crane.

> 171 - Hi Donna, thanks! Old Filth was just such a good book, I cannot wait to read more Gardam!

> 172 - Hi Paul, The Little Book had such great promise, it just came across as a bit of a let down in the delivery. I hope have had a wonderful weekend!

> 173 - I am enjoying the weekend, Dejah. I have a bit of a headache right but that will pass. As for what I have been up to this weekend, see below.......

---------------------------------

Happy weekend everyone! It is a beautiful weekend weather-wise in my part of the world and today was a perfect day for my favorite annual book sale sponsored by the local newspaper. This rather popular event (now in its 16th year) has people lining up outside the book sale location early. The first people in line this year arrived at 3:00 am - doors open at 9:00 am. I was there at 6:30 and the line was already wrapping around the block. I promised myself that I would be very selective with my purchases, as my I am not making much progress in reading the books on my overflowing TBR bookcase. I Didn't see some of the books that I was on the hunt for but I still managed to come home with the following books, sorted by author:



The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Darkmans by Nicola Barker
The Yips by Nicola Barker
The New Yorker Stories by Ann Beattie
Leon and Louise by Alex Capus
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue
The Time In Between by Maria Duenas
Troubles by J.G. Farrell
Singapore Grip by J.G. Farrell
Broken Harbour by Tana French
Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All by Allan Gurganus
Am I Disturbing You? by Anne Herbert
Light Boxes by Shane Jones
The Mitford Bedside Companion by Jan Karon
The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Pure by Andrew Miller
The Map of Time by Felix Palma
The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich
The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson
The Blackest Bird by Joel Rose
The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutherford
London by Edward Rutherford
The Book of Salt by Monique Truong
Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

Yup, I seem to be in the mood for acquiring chunksters right now! The sale continues tomorrow so I will probably venture back to see what books they still have that I didn't see today.

Curious to see if I will be able to read more books that I own than I acquire this year..... I have my doubts. So far this year I have purchased 34 books (counting today's acquisitions) and have only read 14 books that I own/owned.

Lori> Most of my fiction books end up at the used bookstore for trade value, but I do hang onto a few that I'm sure I'll savor for years to come. It sounds like you do the same sort of thing.

I loved the Mitford books. I borrowed them from the library and they kindly hold my copies for when I will want to read them again.

What an amazing book haul you got Lori! So many great books. I hope you can get to The Keeper of Lost Causes sooner rather than later. It is such a good book. The author really has a way with his characters. The series has become one of my favorites. I will induct you into the Department Q fan club as soon as you start the book. LOL!

Will you be joining us in the group read of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay? I think most of us will start the book this next week. http://www.librarything.com/topic/153742

Lori, what a fabulous haul! LOVE the idea of the book sale sponsored by your local newspaper. Sounds like a great selection, well attended, wonderful success for the community : ).

PhotoImpact sounds very cool! I love playing around with computer graphics, book covers and such. So interesting how you took the photo of hat/flower and created your kaleidoscope. Thanks for sharing : ).

Love the book haul, Lori - congratulations!

27 in the haul - well done Lori! I am not in the least bit jealous he types through gritted teeth.

#174 Great book haul Lori - you've got some really good titles there.

Every thread I click on has a totally awesome book sale of some sort in it - I am dark green with envy over here! I hope you have fun with them all, Lori.

Hi Everyone, I went back to the book sale today in search of more goodies. Continuing my goal to be "highly selective" of the books I purchase, I managed to come away today with the following 12 books, again sorted by author:



An Assembly Such as This: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman by Pamela Aidan
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Eventide by Kent Haruf
The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder
22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Sacrilege by S.J. Parris
In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff
Cordelia Underwood: Or, The Marvelous Beginnings of the Moosepath League by Van Reid
The Convict Lover by Merilyn Simonds
Annabel by Kathleen Winter

That's me done for another year... now I just need to figure out where I am going to put all these new books!

Now for some individual responses.....

-----------------

> 175 - Lori, I would be buried under books if I kept everything I owned after reading it... our place is just too small to accommodate such a library!

> 176 - Roberta, the Mitford books are just the thing to unwind with after a stressful day! Thanks, I think I will try to move The Keeper of Lost Causes up the pile, I keep seeing great things about that book. I am only slightly daunted by the fact that it is book one in yet another series. Yes, I have joined the group read for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. Since I now own a copy of the book, there really isn't any reason to not join!

> 177 - Thanks, Nancy! The selection is amazing and it is rather funny to see which books everyone was reading the previous year or two, because copies of those books show up at the book sale! Not very many copies of the Fifty Shades series which was interesting to see but more than enough copies of other easily recognizable books.

PhotoImpact is available as a free download for a 30-day trial period from Corel, just in case you want to try before you buy!

> 178 - Thanks, Dejah! I am rather happy with the books I managed to snag!

> 179 - Thanks Paul! Nothing compared to the amazing book hauls that you pull in on a regular basis but as I mentioned to Lori above, I am somewhat limited in the available space in our place for the display/storage of these wonderful acquisitions, unless we start turning them into furniture (a stack of books as a end table)!

> 180 - Thanks Rhian!

> 181 - Spring must be the time for book sales, Susan! That is all I can think of for this onslaught of book sales cropping up on LT. This is my one major book binge for the year so this won't be a regular occurrence on my thread, if that helps any!

-----------------

I have taken stock of the various group reads I have committed myself to and it looks like May is shaping up to be a Group Read month for me as I need to read The Sandman: Season of Mists and The Sandman: A Game of You to get caught up with the year long Sandman group read; I will be joining the group reads this month for both Rebecca and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - I just bought both books this weekend so I might a well read them with the group! - and I really should try to focus more on my re-read of The Count of Monte Cristo and see if I can finish that one in by the end of this month. I will continue to listen to the audiobook Mistress of Blackstone Castle but I think I need to get through all of these before I start any others.

Wow! Great book haul. You really found some outstanding titles.

That is an incredible book haul! Even Paul is green with envy and that's very difficult to do. Good to see the Haruf books on there. I love him.

Lori, you snagged some AWESOME books! Good job :-)

Wow, another great haul, Lori! Well done! I loved Annabel. Read that a couple of years ago; it's set in Newfoundland. I think you will enjoy. eta: thanks for the 30 day trial tip on Corel's PhotoImpact!

A great book haul, and glad you are joining us for the Kavalier & Clay group read.

Lori, you're doing great with your book haul!

Lori, looks like you got a great book haul of your own! I recently bought Plainsong too, and I really enjoyed An Assembly Such as This (but I'll warn you... it's the first in a trilogy!).

Lori...Oh, my!!! What a wonderful time you must have had finding all those lovely books to bring home! Congratulations on some incredible finds.

Wow! Congratulations on the book hauls!

> 183 - Thanks Heidi, I am quite happy with the titles I managed to grab and held on to. Its dangerous to place your box of books down to pick to rest your arms during the sale.... a lady wanted one of the books in my stash, but she was really good about giving it back to me when she realized I wasn't one of the book volunteers!

> 184 - Thanks Mark! The Haruf books were pure happenstance... someone was looking at the books and decided they didn't want them. Happily, I was standing right beside them when they made that decision and snatched them up before someone else reached in!

> 185 - Thanks Katie, it means a lot coming from you!

> 186 - Hi Nancy, I am looking forward to reading Annabel. Have fun with PhotoImpact!

> 187 - Hi Roni, today was a day off for me so I started The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay this afternoon after I got a bunch of cleaning done. I am already 60 pages in and while I was surprised at the way the story has started, it has really sucked me in!

> 188 - Thanks Diana!

> 189 - Hi Mary, An Assembly Such as This looked like such a fun read, I just couldn't resist it, even if it does mean more books to come!

> 190 - Hi Linda, I have so much fun at book sales, as I am sure you do too!

> 191 - Thanks Stasia! It is great to see you here!

---------------------

For anyone that is interested, the May group read for Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca has now been set up and can be here as well as from the link added to the Group Read Wiki Page.

Wow, what a book haul!

I personally love the idea of book lovers who will line up at 3 a.m. for a book sale.

I personally love the idea of book lovers who will line up at 3 a.m. for a book sale.

So do I, Terri. What makes it even better is that an 11 year old boy (with members of his family) was second in line for the book sale. He totally loved the whole experience!

Woo Hoo for your amazing book haul(s), Lori. Have fun finding new homes for them.

> 195 - Thanks, Donna!

Lori the library has my copy of Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses. I believe you hit me with this book bullet but I'm not 100% sure. Did you like it? I don't want to read the review and spoil it.

Hi Roberta, I gave Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses 3.5 Stars. Overall it was an okay read. Some of the short stories worth reading, given the different perspective they provide to the fable, but most of them were just 'meh'.

Edited to add: It is a quick read so no worries about investing time in just an okay read!

Thanks Lori!

Lori I read Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses because I read about it on your thread - and I loved it, so thank you! The free verse poetry and creepy woodcut illustrations sucked me in - I never thought fairy tales were for children, anyway. I have to say I don't think it should be read in one sitting - it's best one or two poems at a time.

I hope you try it, Roberta!

Lori, I think your starter kit for herbs just sounds fab and don't worry nothing can go wrong there. Herbs and salads are usually the easiest to grow indoors :).

I am impressed at how many GN's you read already this year. I am especially interested in Freaks of the Heartland I will see if I can get that one at the library.
I am currently reading Berserk Vol 1 by Kentaro Miura which is quite engaging as well.

Woah and soo many good books. Were you serious when you said people started to que already at 03.00 am? That's absolutely incredible.

Hi Lori! I picked up another Marina Lewycka book the other day. And I thought of you :-)

> 200 - Hi Dejah, happy to learn my review of Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses didn't steer you wrong! I had forgotten about the free verse the stories are written in.

> 201 - Hi Bianca, I have to say so far the starter herb kit doesn't appear to be 'starting'. I know, everything in nature needs it own time to grow so I will impatiently wait for signs of something happening.... it is just so darn hard! ;-)

This is my year for investigating GNs so expect a fair number of them to continue to crop up on my threads. As for the book sale, yup, 3:00 am was the arrival of the first person in the lineup. It helped that the weather was beautiful that night/morning and when you come prepared with a lawn chair and coffee/tea - like a number of the early birds do - its not that bad of a wait. The book sale used to occur earlier in the year, around March so moving the book sale to May was a smart move on the organizers part!

> 202 - Hi Susan! I really do need to give one of Lewycka's other books a go and see if I will like it better that Tractors. ;-)

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Happy Friday everyone! The very happy, chirping birds outside my window had me up before the sun today - WTH?! - so I have some LT time before I get organized and head to work. I hope to finish my audiobook later today. Other than that, I am about to start Part III of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, which is proving to be quite the different read and I am still plugging away at The Count, currently on Chapter 47 in that book.

I love your lillies.... those of any kind are my favorite.... that is why I named my little one Lilly.... beautiful

Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses looking interesting.... I will have to check it out.... I have been waiting to start the Fables GN.... once I finish with the Grimm and Chew GN I will be checking Fables out...

> 204 - Thanks Jennifer! Lillies are amazing flowers, so fragrant and I love how long they last once cut. I am still on the hunt for Grimm's, I may need to break down and purchase the first one myself to check the series out. I will be curious to see what you think of Fables, and Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses.

--------------------------

My month of group reads is not shaping up all that well. I have made it through the first 200 pages of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and need to take a break from this book.... I am starting to lose interest in it. Luckily, I have two Sandman books out from the library - Season of Mists and Game of You and may treat myself to reading them this weekend, and see if the change of reading material helps me any.

I did finish my audiobook, so another review can be found below......

Book #40 - Mistress of Blackstone Castle by Patricia Werner - audiobook narrated by Nadia May

Growing up in the orphanage, Heather Blackstone had been taught the art of lace-making. Now a young woman, she earns her living in a Nottingham factory. But legends of her true ancestry haunt her dreams. When a gypsy-fortune teller predicts a journey, Heather's destiny becomes clear: she must find a way to reclaim her family fortune and the castle that bears her name. Heather's quest brings her to the looming castle occupied by Sir Byron Worthington. Braving his strange, menacing household and vowing to find the lost document that will prove her claim, Heather accepts his offer of employment, only to discover that she is being watched and followed. As the danger escalates, Heather knows she must choose: to give up her search, or risk her life to become mistress of Blackstone Castle.

This is the type of historical fiction mystery romance with gothic elements that would have been my typical guilty pleasure reading as a teenager. Originally published back in 1991, there isn't anything overly original or spectacular about the story, the characters, the writing or the plot development. More of a formula piece of writing than anything else - Young, naive and beautiful heroine? Check. Dashing and brooding landed gentry rescuer/love interest? Check. Crumbling castle? Check. Mysterious noises to be heard at night across the moors? Check. Legends of a family curse? Check.

Heather is your typical annoying female heroine who always manages to find herself in trouble and Sir Byron isn't much better as the leading man. The story is rather lackluster for romance, mystery and gothic. I finally came to the conclusion that this one is a historical fiction mystery with romance and gothic elements and should really only be treated as a bit of escapism reading, or in my case, listening.

One redeeming quality of the audiobook I listened to that I must mention here is great job the narrator, Nadia May, did in creating the different voices of the characters and communicating some of the atmosphere of the story as she read. As an aside, for the first 10 minutes of listening to the story, my mind kept making me think of Muriel Sparks, which seemed rather strange to me as I don't remember Sparks having written any period pieces set in 1880 England, she was more modern with her settings. My brain was rather insistent on this point and it was when I remembered that Nadia May had been the narrator of the Spark's Momento Mori that I realized why. 11 months since I had listened to Momento Mori and my mind made the connection just like that!

Overall, a fun bit of escapism, but nothing special.

Decimal Rating: 2.97
2.50 - Plot Development
3.00 - Character Development
3.00 - Writing Style
3.25 - Readability
3.00 - Premise
3.25 - Imagery/Visualization
4.00 - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
2.00 - Originality
2.75 - Length

Star Rating: 3.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: audiobook
# of Pages: pages- unknown (8 hours, 27 minutes listening time)
Source: GVPL / BCL
Male/Female Author: Female

Heather is your typical annoying female heroine who always manages to find herself in trouble and Sir Byron isn't much better as the leading man. Ah, yes, guilty pleasures of days gone past. I can so relate, Lori. Love your well-written review : ). And I appreciate the endorsement of Nadia May; I've seen her as narrator of other audiobooks I've looked at and wondered whether I'd like her.

Lori - I finished A Game of You this morning before I left for work. Season of Mists is my favorite so far.

> 207 - Hi Nancy! We all need to engage in a guilty pleasure read from time to time. They are usually my comfort reads when I am having a lot of stress in my life. For Mistress of Blackstone Castle, I was actually hoping for a really good gothic story, so while slightly disappointing because it just wasn't, I still managed to enjoy it.

> 208 - Hi Roberta, I need to catch up with you and the group, but at least I am half way there with Season of Mists now completed. I agree with you, so far, Season of Mists is my favorite in the Sandman series!

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Looks like this will be a slow reading week for me but the good news is that I now have next week off from work. Vacation was approved this morning. Very happy about that as I am looking forward to a weekend spend attending the Highland Games here in town.... fingers crossed the weather cooperates, it has most years.

I have managed to finish The Sandman: Vol. 4 Season of Mists which edges me one book closer to getting caught up with that group read. I am starting to think that group read commitments are more dangerous than book bullets. ;-)

Book #41 - The Sandman: Vol. 4 Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman



Given how well the stories flow in linear fashion between episodes in this volume, this will be a shorter version of my rambling thoughts.

First thing that comes to mind: Favorite quote (from the start of the introduction):

"Possibly the only dismaying aspect of excellence is that it makes living in a world of mediocrity an ongoing prospect of living hell."

So true. Not sure I want to equate excellence with this volume in the gushing tones of Harlan Ellison, but I do have one rather stunning revelation of my own to make after reading this one: How surprisingly it was that any negative comments I may have had regarding the artwork - and I had plenty when I quickly skimmed the book before starting to read it! - just seemed to disappear as I made my way through this one..... the story really did dominate and relegated the artwork, for me, to a secondary position of minor accompaniment to bring it all home.

I was happy to see the connection - via Nadia and Hobs - back to earlier volumes, as I really felt there was some unfinished business with both of them. Interesting how morality and struggles with tough decisions come into play in this volume. The inclusion of a number of gods and folk legends from various mythical histories was a nice touch, although I am still having trouble understanding why the Princess of Chaos was represented by a child. Not exactly sure what I think of the Endless family conclave.... the gathering just hit a wrong cord with me, probably because I was still adjusting to the different artwork and how different Dream, Death and the other family members looked.... there is something to be said for being able to have a consistency of artwork across volumes and this is one of the downfalls of the Sandman series so far. Even Lucifer didn't seem like Lucifer at first.

Even with my quibbles, I have to stay that this is my favorite volume so far.

Decimal Rating: 4.39
4.50 - Plot Development
4.00 - Character Development
4.50 - Writing Style
4.25 - Readability
4.25 - Premise
4.75 - Imagery/Visualization
4.00 - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
4.50 - Originality
4.75 - Length

Star Rating: 4.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade paperback
# of Pages: 224 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

Great review of The Sandman, Lori. I was not familiar with Gaiman until recently when I read his short story Babycakes for next year's English 12 curriculum. Outrageous satire, and very well done!

Hi Lori!

Wow, I'm terribly behind here, but I just had a wonderful time reading your latest reviews, particularly the review of Sorry, which is already on my wishlist.

Have fun at the Highland Games! I have a friend who is very involved in the ones that take place in my neck of the woods, but I have not yet attended. I keep meaning to though.

I have been missing from my own thread! Back now.

> 211 - Thanks Nancy! I am still behind on my year long Sandman group read and hope to read the next volume as soon as I finish my re-read of The Count. Gaiman writes some pretty original stuff!

> 212 - Hi Kerri, It is grey and raining so far this morning..... not a promising start to the long weekend or the Highland Games but - fingers crossed - there is still plenty of time for the weather to change!

It has been a fantastic long weekend out here on the island. The weather cleared - Yay! - with just the right amount of sun and light breeze to keep things from overheating.

Went to the Highland Games on Sunday and had a great time checking out the highland dance competition, watched some of the weight throw, and browsed the clan and vendor booths while waiting for the opening ceremonies to commence. Had a good front row position to watch (and take pictures of) the parade of pipe bands:






This was the 150th anniversary of the Highland Games occurring in Victoria so the ceremonies included some short speeches by a few dignitaries, including Prince Andrew. I am a big fan of short speeches at this kinds of events and enjoyed the fact mentioned in one of the speeches that the first Victoria Highland Games occurred during Queen Victoria's 23rd year on the throne and that her great, great, great grandson was here to officially open these games. Of course, you cannot officially open games like these without the firing of a field canon:



Yes, everyone was safely out of the way when the canon was fired off. I took the picture above 30 minutes before the ceremonies officially kicked off. A fun way to spend a sunny Sunday!

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Today is the official Victoria Day holiday up here in Canada. Victoria puts on a parade that proceeds down one of the main streets through downtown every year in honor of this holiday. Great fun for families. No, I did not go and watch the parade.... I had something better in mind that, if I got to do it, would allow me to check an item off my bucket list at the same time.

I did get to do it and I did get to check an item off my bucket list...... ;-)

This morning I got to tour HMCS Victoria, one of Canada's four submarines (purchased from the British Royal Navy) which happened to be in dock for the long weekend and was offering small public tours of 45 minutes restricted to groups of only 6-8 people at a time. You have no idea how excited I am that I have now set foot on a submarine, and not some hokey theme park excursion vessel, but a real one in active duty:


shot from the stern/aft of the sub

shot from near the bow/front of the sub

No, I don't have any pictures of the inside of the sub. I could have taken some in the less restricted areas but that was the farthest thing from my mind at the time.... I was just too busy taking everything in. The Canadian Navy has a really good cross section graphic with further information regarding the sub on the HMCS Victoria Website, for anyone that is interested. It was truly amazing to see the compact quarters and how they maximize every square inch of space inside the sub. I have great memories and a skinned/bruised knee as a memento.... those hatch ladders are something else and I can see why they have the hand rails at strategic locations... you need them!

A little bit of literary interest is that HMCS Victoria, was known as the HMCS Unseen when she was commissioned in the British Royal Navy. This submarine was the focus of the Patrick Robinson naval thriller, H.M.S. Unseen. Sadly, it appears to be book three in a series so not sure if I am going to just ignore that fact or if I might consider reading the series in order.

I don't think it will surprise anyone if I mention that my other half and I will be re-watching one of my favorite movies, The Hunt for Red October, this evening. ;-)

I hope everyone else had a lovely weekend!

Glad you had a wonderful weekend!.... the pictures are awesome!

Lori it looks like your weekend was a huge success. How exciting that you got to tour an active duty submarine. I think The Hunt for Red October movie is a great way to celebrate. Say hello to Captain Ramius and Jack Ryan for me. :)

"One ping only, Vassily"

Woot! What a fabulous day, Lori. Delighted you got onto a submarine, too! Oh, and I LOVE the tartans of the highlanders (second picture down is awesome).

Hi Lori!

I really liked Baldwin as Jack Ryan. I guess not many others did, though.

The Highland Games look like a blast! One of my favorite Sharyn McCrumb books is set at Highland Games in NC. Very funny.

Lori, what great pictures! And how exciting that you were able to tour the submarine. You've had an awesome weekend. I hope The Hunt for Red October was suitably authentic. I loved Sam Neill in that film (well, in everything if I'm honest)..."I would like to have seen Montana"...

> 215 - Thanks, Jennifer! I am still buzzing from it all. ;-)

> 216 - I am chalking the weekend up to being a great success, Roberta and as I mentioned to Jennifer, I am still buzzing from it all. We enjoyed watching Red October last night.... it is so funny how many of the lines of the movie I could remember... it has been a few years since we last watched it. ;-)

> 217 - LOL!

> 218 - Thanks, Nancy! I am surprised at how well the pictures turned out. The sunshine did help make the colours stand out. I have more pictures but not as many as I was hoping to get.... forgot the memory stick already had a bunch of pictures that we had forgotten to download to the computer before heading out so I actually received the 'no memory available' message on the viewer screen of the camera!

> 219 - Hi Dejah, I agree with you. Baldwin makes a good Jack Ryan. I didn't mind Harrison Ford playing the role in Patriot Games but I had an overall 'bleh' feeling about Clear and Present Danger. The Sum of All Fears was a decent movie but I just cannot see Ben Affleck as Jack Ryan.... that was a bit of a miscast, IMO. It looks like there is to be another movie in the franchise, Jack Ryan with Chris Pine taking on the role. Curious to see how that works as I can't quite picture Pine in the role, either and have difficulty envisioning Keira Knightley as Jack's wife, Caroline.

The games were a blast and thanks for the rec of the Sharyn McCrumb books!

> 220 - Thanks, Susan! I have to say that, no, The Hunt for Red October was not suitably authentic now that I have a real sub I can compare the sets to - although the smaller Alpha that Captain Tupolev commanded did seem more in keeping with the tight quarters in the sub. Sam Neill is great and I do like that wry smile of his!

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I am planning on spending my week off from work relaxing. Think I will just putter around the house today, tackle some laundry and finish The Count. I did manage to finish another audio book last night, one I was listening to during my walking commute last week. Review below.

Book #42 - The Anatomist's Apprentice by Tessa Harris - audiobook narrated by Simon Vance

The death of Sir Edward Crick has unleashed a torrent of gossip through the seedy taverns and elegant ballrooms of Oxfordshire. No one mourns the dissolute young man - except his sister, the beautiful Lady Lydia Farrell. When her husband comes under suspicion of murder, she seeks expert help from Dr. Thomas Silkstone, a young anatomist from Philadelphia. Thomas arrived in England to study under its foremost surgeon, where his unconventional methods only add to his outsider status. Against his better judgment he agrees to examine Sir Edward's body. But the deeper the doctor's investigations go, the greater the risk that he will be consigned to the ranks of the corpses he studies...

Published in 2012, this was a fantastic historical murder mystery to read! I cannot rave about this one enough. It has everything I love in a murder mystery - great period setting of 1780's London and Oxfordshire, delightfully devious and motivated characters, a plot that keeps on twisting and turning with enough bodies to frustrate even a seasoned investigator, including excellent detailed descriptions of anatomy, dissections and scientific forensic analysis of the time period, which may not bode well for readers not as interested in the science like I am. Yes, there is a romance element to this one that is not 100% believable, but hey, this is supposed to be a novel and not reality so I was fine with that as well.

What really made this story so enjoyable for me, beyond the great characters, plot and science, is the narration by Simon Vance of the audiobook I listened to. He does a first rate job with the character voices and the emotional tone of the story. Happily, he is also the narrator for the audiobook of The Dead Shall Not Rest, book two in the Dr. Thomas Silkstone Mysteries series. Dr. Thomas Silkstone is young, a bit brash and somewhat naive but I can see him as a great character for development as the series continues. He is almost a less principled but equally fastidious investigator like William Murdoch from the Murdoch Mysteries TV series is, if that makes sense for anyone. Simon Vance's narration brings the characters to life, in particular the Oxfordshire coroner - a favorite, I will admit - as crafted by Harris.

Overall, I found this to be a completely engaging, atmospheric murder mystery. I highly recommend the audiobook narrated by Simon Vance as a great way to experience this story!

Decimal Rating: 4.42
4.50 - Plot Development
4.25 - Character Development
4.50 - Writing Style
4.50 - Readability
4.25 - Premise
4.50 - Imagery/Visualization
5.00 - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
3.75 - Originality
4.50 - Length

Star Rating: 4.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: audiobook
# of Pages: 304 pages (9 hours, 11 minutes listening time)
Source: GVPL / BCL
Male/Female Author: Female

A fantastic historical murder mystery WITH a romance element? I'm right there :-) I just checked, and my library has this as an ebook, *ready to borrow*! Oh, the temptation! (with six other books in transit and two already at home). Someone stop me. Someone...? Great review, Lori!

Isn't Simon Vance just the best? He makes everything he reads sound more engaging than it otherwise might be.

Aaack! Lori! The Anatomist's Apprentice was on sale at audible for $4.95 through yesterday. I almost purchased but decided against it since I had not heard too much about it. *smacks head*

Oh men in kilts! *sigh* What a wonderful way to spend your weekend! I enjoyed your description of touring the sub. Eastport, Maine (where I work) has a US navy ship docked during their 4th of July festivities and you can tour them as well. I have done so a few times, always with great interest. My dad was in the Navy so you can imagine he liked to show off his knowledge! Sadly, due to budget cuts, I have heard that Eastport will not have a visiting US Navy ship this year for the 4th.

Tempting review of The Anatomist's Apprentice.

Wow, you have some really amazing book hauls way up there! I love that you have posted all the covers as well, I can almost see them all stacked up ready to read!

Great submarine pictures, Ill have to show my eldest. I told him a story about subs once, but he hijacked it (the story) and made it that he and his friend got to drive the submarine around the harbour, and then got medals from the captian for doing so!

Yay for the Sandman series, and nice review of Seasons of Mist, Lori! I'm with you on the artwork; the stories are so good, I wish the artwork throughout the series was better (except, for me, the cover art by Dave McKean). There are a few exceptions re the artwork (e.g. when his sister Death first shows up), but generally I'd love to see another graphic adaptation of the stories with new artists.

> 223 - Hi Susan, I was thinking of you as I wrote the review for The Anatomist's Apprentice.... evil of me, I know but I should mention that the romance bit is secondary to the murder mystery and is probably more because this is a series and dont' you know, there needs to be a love interest of some type in these mystery series! ;-)

> 224 - Stephen, Simon Vance is amazing as a narrator! Might explain why some of the reviews for The Anatomist's Apprentice were less than stellar, if they read the printed book, but that is me making assumptions I shouldn't be making!

> 225 - Sorry, Roberta! If I had known about the sale, I would have started hyping the book early on my thread prior to writing the review! Am I forgiven? :-P

> 226 - Yes, there were an awful lot of men in kilts at the Games, Heidi! *giggles* Sorry to learn about the budget cuts and the impact it will have on 4th of July festivities. A few years back - okay, more like 6 or 7 years - one of the US aircraft carriers was anchored for the long weekend and was offering tours... and we weren't around at the time to check it out! *augh* Such a missed opportunity that was.

> 227 - Hi Megan! That book haul is from my annual *guilt free* booksale. It isn't much when compared to some of the amazing year round hauls some 75ers manage to pull in! I love how your son hijacked your submarine story.... kids do know a good story when they hear it. ;-)

> 228 - Hi Joe, I am still behind on the Sandman group read but hope to catch up in the next couple of weeks! I am with you.... I wish they would re-release the Sandman stories with a different artist but somehow don't see that happening in the near future so I will continue with the current series and enjoy Gaiman's story telling for the genius that it is!

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A cold fog bank rolled in over lunch today which was all the incentive I needed to settle in and finish my delightful re-read of The Count of Monte Cristo. Very short review posted below.

Book #43 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (père)

"Wait and hope."

What can I say about this truly remarkable classic that hasn't already been said by someone else? A deliciously captivating story of love, longing, imprisonment, escape and revenge that even today as a re-read continues to charms and draw me into its web of intrigue. Every time I re-read this one, I am repeatedly surprised by how Dumas manages to start the story off with broad, sweeping strokes and then builds the characters, the plot and the structure of the story through a series of refinements, while at the same time slowly pulling the line that controls the snare trap, closing it around the neck(s) of the intended victims and bringing the reader along for the ride.

I have always found Edmond Dantes to be a fascinating character study of someone who sets out to right a wrong, albeit for personal reasons of revenge. His victims, and the decisions/positions taken by them and their offspring, are equally fascinating to examine and ponder. While slow reading at the start, Dumas' ability to weave such an intricate plot while continuing to build the momentum of the story to an almost fevered pitch at its crescendo is an outstanding accomplishment, even compared with the stories of today, and continues to amaze me. Dumas does have some fun with this one - there is no doubt about that - and I still get a good chuckle when I read about his Roman highway bandit reading such works as "Caesar's Commentaries" and Plutarch's "Life of Alexander". Yes, the story is somewhat voluminous in text, but once you reach the end of it, you will be somewhat saddened to see there is no more to read.

A great classic that I will be re-reading yet again at some point down the road and remains one of my all time favorite reads!

Favorite quote:

"There is neither happiness or misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness. We must have felt what it is to die, ________, that we may appreciate the enjoyments of living."

Decimal Rating: 4.81
4.75 - Plot Development
5.00 - Character Development
4.75 - Writing Style
4.50 - Readability
5.00 - Premise
4.75 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
5.00 - Originality
4.75 - Length

Star Rating: 5.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: e-book
# of Pages: 1314 pages
Source: Project Gutenberg
Male/Female Author: Male

First of all, congratulations on finishing The Count of Monte Cristo! I'm officially impressed.

I should have given you more info of the Sharyn McCrumb book. It's Highland Laddie Gone from her Elizabeth MacPherson mystery novels. They're much lighter than her later work (well, most of them are lighter) and for the most part are great fun. You can see the themes that she would later develop her her more critically acclaimed books.

You got me with The Anatomist's Apprentice - I'll aim for it in June. Last Fall I read The Anatomist's Wife another historical mystery which I enjoyed, but not quite as much as you enjoyed yours! Thanks for the review.

Hi Lori, so delighted that you enjoyed The Count of Monte Cristo. Sounds like it was a reread for you. It is also one of my all-time favourites! Truly remarkable classic, indeed!

After all your talk about The Hunt for Red October, last night I got to the part where it comes up in The Elegance of the Hedgehog:

For anyone who wants to understand the art of storytelling, this film should suffice... Premise, plot, protagonists, adventures, quest, heroes and other stimulants; all you need is Sean Connery in the uniform of a Russian submarine officer and a few well-placed aircraft carriers.

So far I love this book!

> 231 - Thanks Dejah! I was slowly re-reading The Count over the past three months, grabbing snatches of time to read while waiting for the bus or standing in line. While I have repeatedly read The Three Musketeers I think it is time that I branch out in my Dumas readings. Might give The Man in the Iron Mask a try or find another book by the father (or the son) to read as my new 'waiting for the bus' book!

My local library seems to have a number of Sharyn McCrumb books, including Highland Laddie Gone so it looks like I have another author to add to my future reading list! ;-)

I do hope The Anatomist's Apprentice is a good read for you.

> 232 - Hi Nancy, Dumas definitely knows how to write a story! ;-)

> 233 - Carrie, I had completely forgotten about the reference to Red October in Elegance of the Hedgehog! That is too funny. Love the quote! Thank you so much for posting it and very happy to see that you are enjoying the book. It is rather unique in how Barbery tells the story!

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I know this thread is getting rather long but I am going to see if I can keep this one going until the end of the month and start a new thread for June. I may change my mind this weekend, but that is the plan so apologies if this thread is starting to get a bit slow at loading!

On the reading front, I started Rebecca last night for the group read and it is proving to be quite the quick reading story - which surprised me - so I may be finished that one in a couple of days. After that, I will go back to The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and see if I am in the right frame of mind to carry on reading that one.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Hey Lori,

I enjoyed your really terrific photos. I also found that I needed to be in the right mood when reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Some of it was really imaginative, some, not so much.

Great photos!

The Anatomist's Apprentice sounds interesting. I'm resisting adding it to my much-too-long List . . . but perhaps resistance is futile . . .

Hmm.... a short visit to your thread and what do I find but that I am stricken right away by a book bullet in the form of The Anatomists Apprentice. Onto the wishlist it goes. The weather has been rather crazy! I'm up late this evening and just took the dog out for " last call" and wow, it is really raining! Not nice for the plants!!! I'm thinking I should give my container plants umbrellas!!!Argh!

> 235 - Hi Peg! Nice to see you here and thanks! That seems to be the sentiment floating around LT right now regarding Kavalier and Clay and one that I am going to keep in mind.

> 236 - Thanks, Terri! Resistance can be futile if the attraction is great. I do note that there are some reviewers on LT that were not impressed with The Anatomist's Apprentice/ Just thought I would mention that, not sure if it helps you any though....;-)

> 237 - Hi Deb, given how dangerous your thread can be for book bullets, it is nice to see we have both been hit recently! ;-) I agree, the weather has been crazy. At least it was raining in the middle of the night, although I I can see where you would not be impressed with the downpour if you were out in it with the dog!

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I have decided to not wait for the end of the month before starting a new thread so please join me for more of my reading adventures, fun with photos and anything else that may crop up by clicking on the continuation thingee at the bottom of this thread.

This thread is now