Nickelini's Category Challenge 2016

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Nickelini's Category Challenge 2016

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1Nickelini
Modificato: Gen 6, 2016, 1:43 am

I finally have time to set up this year's challenge. I've been doing these on and off since 2008, and I find there are several categories that I do over and over again (Books I've Had For a Long Time, 1001 books, CanLit, Award Winners, and so on). This year I thought it was time to say And Now For Something Completely Different. Brand new categories! I'm still reading Books I've Had For a Long Time, 1001 books, CanLit, Award Winners, and so on. But I'm repackaging them so you won't recognize that I'm just being repetitious.

"And Now For Something Completely Different" of course demands a Monty Python theme. So I spent an evening last November YouTubing Monty Python videos, trying to match them to my TBR pile and reading interests, and came up with . . . absolutely nothing. But what I did see, somehow, was that the books I want to read can easily be put into categories of Colin Firth movies. So here we go --- And Now For Something Completely Different, starring Colin Firth.

I happened to easily come up with 6 categories, which handily fits into 2016. I've decided to have a minimum of 3 books, and no maximum. At the end, if I complete my challenge, I'll have read at least 18 books, which is a fraction of what I read in a year.



2Nickelini
Modificato: Ott 6, 2016, 4:29 pm

1. Genius: books about writing and editing



In the 2016 film Genius, Firth stars as Max Perkins, who was the editor of Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law), Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and others.

I buy more books on writing and editing than I read. I hope to change that in 2016.

1. If You Want to Write, Brenda Ueland
2. Bestsellers: a Very Short Introductions, John Sutherland
3. 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style, Matt Madden
4. How to Write . . . Shoshanna Evers
5. But Can I Start a Sentence with But, University of Chicago Press

3Nickelini
Modificato: Ago 22, 2016, 1:47 pm

2. Steve: Short Story Collections



Steve is a 2012 17 minute movie starring Colin Firth, Keira Knightly, and Tom Mison, and written and directed by Rupert Friend. Other than Keira, I love all the people involved in this strange film. And I actually like Knightly in this a lot. Anyway, it shows how a writer can pack a lot into just a little bit of time.

This is one of several short films that made up Stars in Shorts. This one seems to be reliably up on YouTube. There is another one titled Friend Request Pending starring Judi Dench, which I absolutely loved. It currently is not available on YouTube. And I've never seen any of the others. I'd love to get a hold of this DVD.

But good news is that you can watch Steve online at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z8Ckulc0Qk&index=62&list=FLWd7UeV-rb5aA...

Please watch and tell me what you think.

And here are my short story collections read in 2016:

1. Exercises in Style, Raymond Queneau
2. Dancing Girls, Margaret Atwood
3. One Good Story, That One: Stories, Thomas King
4. the Tiny Book of Tiny Stories 3, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, wirrow & others
5. Atlas of Remote Islands, Judith Schalansky

4Nickelini
Modificato: Dic 19, 2016, 12:39 am

3. A Single Man: Mid-century Novels



I don't know why, but I love this scene so much. It's like a Calvin Klein ad with meaningful dialogue. And also, it's hot, even to this straight woman. I guess hot is hot. You can watch the scene on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhF96uJwnQI&list=FLWd7UeV-rb5aAUSlHJADNJA&am...

A Single Man, 2009, is my favourite non-Austen Colin Firth movie. He definitely should have won the Oscar (damn you, Jeff Bridges! Who, by the way, I haven't ever liked in any movie ever! Just another reason to shudder any time you pass my screens.) Anyway, A Single Man was a novella by Christopher Isherwood, published in 1964. In that spirit, I want to read more books published in the middle years of the 20th century. (For the purposes of this challenge, I'm defining that as published or set between 1930-1980)

1. Blaming, Elizabeth Taylor (1976) - set in 1976
2. The Bookshop, Penelope Fitzgerald (1978) - set in 1959
3. The Women in Black, Madeleine St John (1994) -- set in the 1950s
4. Death of the Heart, Elizabeth Bowen (1938) - set in 1938
5. The Fifth Child, Doris Lessing (1988) - set in the 1960s & 70s
6. The Box Garden, Carol Shields (1977) - set in 1977
7. A Single Man, Christopher Isherwood (1964) - set in 1962

5Nickelini
Modificato: Mag 1, 2016, 4:17 pm

4. My Life So Far: The Country House



For this category, I could just as easily used the more popular film Easy Virtue, but I actually like this film better, so My Life So Far(1999) it is. If you've never seen it, I recommend hunting it down.

I realized this past year that I LOVE books (1) set in English (or other) country houses, and (2) there are actually a lot of them! And I want to read more.

Books I've already loved that would fit this category:

4 & 5 Star (in no order):

Wuthering Heights
The Stranger's Child
The Childrens Book
Turn of the Screw
Mansfield Park
Atonement
The Witch of Exmoor
The Story of Lucy Gault
The Thirteenth Tale
Remains of the Day
Return of the Soldier
The Shooting Party
Some Country Houses and Their Owners
Rebecca
The Little White Horse
The Edwardians
Jane Eyre
Fingersmith
Camomile Lawn
The Tenant of Wildfield Hall

Other books that weren't quite as good but still memorable:

Howards End
Lady Audley's Secret
Death Comes to Pemberley
The Woman in Black
I Capture the Castle
Longbourn

High on my to read list is: Brideshead Revisited.

In film, I've also loved:

Gosford Park, The Outsiders, Easy Virtue, and Downton Abbey.

I've always loved these sorts of books, and will continue to.

1. Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man, Siegfried Sassoon
2. Freshwater: a Comedy, Virginia Woolf
3. Afterimage, Helen Humphreys
4. Through the Keyhole: Sex, Scandal and the Secret Life of the Country House

6Nickelini
Modificato: Nov 3, 2016, 4:56 pm

5. Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen & anything related to her



Colin Firth is the quintessential Mr Darcy. End of story, no discussion. (Matthew Macfadyn, I know it was big shoes to fill, and you didn't embarrass yourself, but your range of emotion was lacking and you gulped your words. You are not a disgrace, so be proud of that. You're simply not very sexy. Step aside to the master, CF. There will be no disagreement of this point on this thread.)

I've read all of Austen's six major novels, and have only a collection of her minor works left. But I have a lot of Austen biographies and commentary. Also . . .

I used to sneer at Jane Austen rewrites, fanfiction, spin offs, whatever. I approach them as if they were the most horrid dreck imaginable. But then I watched Lost in Austen, and The Lizzy Bennet Diaries and realized that some really entertaining stuff was being riffed off Austen, and it wasn't all a cash grab, so in that spirit . . . well, let's just say I've amassed a sizeable pile of Austen-inspired possible dreck.

1. Among the Janeites: A Journey Through the World of Jane Austen Fandom, Deborah Yaffe
2. Sanditon and Other Stories, Jane Austen
3. Jane Austen Cover to Cover, Margaret C Sullivan
4. Seducing Mr Darcy, Gwyn Cready
5. Mr Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman, Maria Hamilton
6. Darcy's Story, Janet Aylmer
7. Northanger Abbey, Val McDermid
8. Bridget Jones Mad About the Boy, Helen Fielding
9. Bridget Jones's Baby, Helen Fielding

7Nickelini
Modificato: Nov 26, 2016, 9:22 pm

6. Circle of Friends: Ireland



I'll bet you saw this and if you've seen Circle of Friends, you thought "Colin Firth was in Circle of Friends?" Yes, his part was minor, and he played a nasty person (language edited for LT, otherwise I would have called him something else). This came out in 1995, the same year as Pride and Prejudice. He was significantly less attractive in this film. That mustache is a definite turn off.

Anyway, I'm always meaning to read more Irish literature, because I always enjoy it when I do get around to it. BTW, unlike many Canadians, I have no Irish roots (nor does my Italian husband), so Ireland is very exotic to me.

1. Girl with Green Eyes, Edna O'Brien
2. Instructions for a Heatwave, Maggie O'Farrell
3. In the Woods, Tana French
4. Amongst Women, John McGahern

8MissWatson
Gen 6, 2016, 4:10 am

Welcome back! Such enjoyable categories, especially the Country House. I think I could fill a year's reading just with those.

9paruline
Gen 6, 2016, 6:27 am

Swoon! And adding my star...

10sturlington
Gen 6, 2016, 7:57 am

>6 Nickelini: no argument from me. There is only one Mr. Darcy. I love Colin Firth but haven't seen very many of these films, so thank you for introducing me to them.

11lkernagh
Gen 6, 2016, 9:43 am

Great to see your thread up and yay, Colin Firth!

12Nickelini
Gen 6, 2016, 12:21 pm

>8 MissWatson:, >9 paruline:, >10 sturlington:, >11 lkernagh: -- Visitors! Welcome everyone!

13-Eva-
Gen 6, 2016, 1:57 pm

Can't ever go wrong with Mr. Firth!

14VivienneR
Gen 6, 2016, 2:17 pm

Wow theme! I'll be here a lot!!

I loved Isherwood's A Single Man so much that I sought out the movie. I can't imagine anyone but CF playing the part so well.

15rabbitprincess
Gen 6, 2016, 6:18 pm

Mmmmmm. Excellent, excellent theme. And thanks for the heads-up on Genius. I am most interested in a movie where Colin Firth wears a fedora.

16DeltaQueen50
Gen 6, 2016, 6:31 pm

Happy New Year, Joyce. I've come by to drop my star and drool a little over Colin Firth.

17cbl_tn
Gen 6, 2016, 6:53 pm

Something tells me that this thread will see lots of visitors this year. A lot of us seem to be Colin Firth fans!

18Nickelini
Gen 6, 2016, 7:28 pm

>17 cbl_tn: Yes, I have to say I'm quite happy with the reaction I'm getting. When I first realized that I wasn't going to be able to do anything with a Monty Python theme, and came up with Colin Firth, I thought it might be kinda silly and fangirlish. (that reminds me: read FanGirl).

If everyone is coming by and liking Colin Firth, I'll definitely try to add more photos. The one in the first post is one of my very favourites of him.

19Nickelini
Gen 6, 2016, 7:58 pm

Hmmm, I was just thinking that I could also do some Colin Firth movie reviews. There's a whole slew of his more obscure movies available on YouTube, so I've seen a bunch that most people have never heard of.

20christina_reads
Gen 6, 2016, 9:02 pm

Count me among the Firth fans! :) Yes, he is the best Mr. Darcy, forever and ever, amen. Also, I love your "country house" category -- what a clever idea! May have to steal it for next year...

21Chrischi_HH
Gen 7, 2016, 8:48 am

A Colin Firth challenge, yay! I'll definitely be back once in while. :)

22kac522
Gen 7, 2016, 2:41 pm

Dropping my star (*swoon*)...love Firth, love the whole idea!

Have you seen or read A Month in the Country? I've got the book on my TBR, but can't seem to locate a copy of the film (sorry, no Netflix).

23Jackie_K
Gen 7, 2016, 2:43 pm

>6 Nickelini: *swoon*. That is all.

24Nickelini
Gen 7, 2016, 3:01 pm

>22 kac522: The film version of A Month in the Country is available for free, right now, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UgL0UD6j_o

It's an early example of Firth's wonderful skill of acting with his facial expressions.

I read the book about 4 years ago--it's very good.

25Nickelini
Gen 7, 2016, 3:12 pm

>22 kac522:, >23 Jackie_K:



A Month in the Country, starring Frith and Kenneth Branagh, 1987. I love looking at pictures of Firth early in his career, but I really don't like the moustache at all. This was his 9th film or TV appearance.

26RidgewayGirl
Gen 7, 2016, 4:10 pm

I just stopped by to look at Colin Firth. That is all.

27hailelib
Gen 7, 2016, 4:18 pm

Colin Firth is the only Mr. Darcy.

28Jackie_K
Gen 7, 2016, 4:44 pm

>25 Nickelini: yes, agreed about the 'tache! Urgh. Ken doesn't look too bad in that photo though! :)

29mdoris
Gen 7, 2016, 7:31 pm

Coming back on a regular basis to view the pics. Wonderful! Firth is pretty dreamy!

30paruline
Gen 7, 2016, 8:19 pm

>18 Nickelini: There should be a niche for some Colin Firth fanfiction. Just putting it out there for anybody doing the NaNoWriMo this year.

31countrylife
Gen 7, 2016, 8:55 pm

Be still my heart! I'll be following your thread!

32LittleTaiko
Gen 7, 2016, 9:17 pm

Yours may be my favorite thread - simply because of Colin Firth. He hasn't always been a nice guy in the movies - thinking of Shakespeare in Love but he's alway so darn good. One of my favorite parts of Love Actually (though that whole move is just great!).

33Nickelini
Modificato: Gen 7, 2016, 10:08 pm

>30 paruline:, I've written Mr Darcy fanfic, but so far, no Colin Firth. He actually seems like quite a nice normal person in real life, so not sure fanfic should happen to him. ;-)

>32 LittleTaiko: Ah, I love watching his arrogant pain in Shakespeare in Love. Yes, he defintely doesn't always play the nice guy -- somehow that's just what he's famous for. And yes, his Love Actually bit is fabulous -- I loved it before I became a big fan of him. I've read peices on the internet where people dislike it, and I think their objections are borderline ridiculous. To each her own, but the people who object to that storyline are people I probably won't like.

And welcome to everyone else who has dropped by. I will try to keep things swoon-worthy. I suspect most people who have dropped by agree with this:

34kac522
Gen 7, 2016, 10:31 pm

>24 Nickelini: Thanks for the link! Do agree about the moustache. And I plan on reading A Month in the Country sometime soon.

35VivienneR
Gen 9, 2016, 10:48 am

>33 Nickelini: That card made me laugh out loud :)) I so agree.

36Nickelini
Gen 11, 2016, 5:08 pm

Thanks to my book club interruptions, I haven't finished a book yet this year. In the meantime, I thought I'd begin my reviews of Colin Firth Movies You've Never Seen. First up is a 2001 flop, Four Play (also titled Londinium)



I watched this for the second time to have something in the background while I took down my Christmas tree. It starts out rather promising, and the music, setup and look of it are obviously strongly inspired by Woody Allen movies. Instead of New York, the setting is London, and the city shots and locations are the best part of this film.

Firth plays a TV producer, Alan, who has a strange fetish-like love of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He is married to Carly, an American TV star played by Mariel Hemingway. They work with a French makeup artist, Fiona, played by Irene Jacob, and an American TV writer, Ben, played by Mike Binder, who also wrote and directed. There is a theme of American ex-pats living in London which adds nothing to the film.

Ben and Fiona get married, and the two couples apparently spend all their time together. Ben decides he'd like to have sex with Carly (Muriel Hemingway), so they set up an absurd situation to get Alan (Firth) to have an affair with the sexy French woman. They end up swapping partners, but both marriages turn out pretty crappy.

The dialogue is flat and boring. Carly (Hemingway) says, "I'm not jealous. I'm glad she has a stinky ass book deal." Really, this is the cleverest dialogue you could come up with? How old was the writer? Fourteen?

The other thing that was seriously unfunny in this so-called comedy was the violence. On several occasions, the Firth character provokes a fight with someone and then beats the crap out of them. The other male (Binder) does it too. I'm not talking funny fighting like in Bridget Jones's Diary. This was violent thug -like fighting and the two characters should both be in jail. It also stood out horribly in a film that is trying to be funny and somewhat light hearted.

There was one funny scene. Firth's French wife wants to see a marriage counselor, but Frith knows a labour relations counsellor and says that's good enough. They meet with the counsellor, played by Stephen Fry, and she wants to discuss the intimate details of their sex life, and Fry is incredibly uncomfortable. That was pretty funny.

It is no surprise that no one has heard of this movie. I'm sure they'd all like to have it disappear forever.



I did not like Firth's facial hair in this one. He also seemed as bored with the whole thing as I was. Really dreadful film.

37DeltaQueen50
Gen 11, 2016, 6:37 pm

He definitely is one of those fellows that should avoid facial hair!

38Nickelini
Gen 11, 2016, 7:17 pm

>37 DeltaQueen50:


"And I seriously believe you should rethink the length of your sideburns." Bridget Jones's Diary

(Actually, I've come to rather like CF in sideburns, but it took me a while to get used to them.)

39rabbitprincess
Gen 11, 2016, 9:16 pm

>38 Nickelini: Ahhh. Much better!

40mamzel
Gen 12, 2016, 10:57 am

I'm so sorry that you must have spent hours going through his pictures to find ones for your categories. That's a chore I certainly would not have subjected myself to! ;-)

41Nickelini
Gen 12, 2016, 11:34 am

>40 mamzel: It was indeed an onerous task! But somebody had to do it.

42DeltaQueen50
Gen 12, 2016, 2:17 pm

>38 Nickelini: The sideburns are acceptable, they frame his beautiful face. ;)

43LittleTaiko
Gen 13, 2016, 9:35 pm

>36 Nickelini: - Yikes! And here I was thinking that maybe I should try and work my through all of his movies. Think I'll pass after reading about that one.

44Nickelini
Gen 13, 2016, 9:55 pm

>43 LittleTaiko: And here I was thinking that maybe I should try and work my through all of his movies.

No fear, I will do it for you. I think he has close to 80 movies, and I'm up to about 50, so I've made progress. They vary widely, and he is often the only good thing in a crap film. Even when I go and read the reviews, the critics trash the movie but say "except for Firth." I've seen that over and over.

But if you watch one of the obscure ones, please post back and let me know what you thought.

45Nickelini
Gen 13, 2016, 9:58 pm

Okay, Firth fans: 7 Times Colin Firth was a sexy beast at: http://www.dramafever.com/news/7-times-colin-firth-was-a-sexy-beast/

Love this one:

46rabbitprincess
Gen 14, 2016, 5:50 pm

Awwwww! Young Colin Firth! That is adorable. Great article!!

47mdoris
Gen 14, 2016, 8:48 pm

>45 Nickelini: worthy visit!!!

48Nickelini
Gen 18, 2016, 6:05 pm

One for Country House Novels

I finally finished a book! I was actually done last week, but haven't had to time to collect my thoughts.

1. Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man, Siegfried Sassoon, 1928


Cover comments: detail from George Derville Rowlandson's painting Over the Hedge. Nice, but why is it so distorted?

Comments: Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man is the first in a trilogy of a fictionalized autobiography of Siegfried Sassoon. As you'd expect from the famous poet, the language is lush and gorgeous -- I restrained myself and copied only enough to fill 5 pages in my reading journal.

There isn't much plot here -- just a series of events in the life of a young man living at the edge of high society. His life is consumed by sports -- cricket in summer and fox-hunting and point-to-point in their seasons. Sassoon paints a Hardyesque view of his Edwardian world in the years before WWI. The last section of the book covers enlisting and going off to war, but these years are covered in detail in the following books of the trilogy.

Recommended for: Readers who--like me--romanticize the English countryside, people who enjoy books like A Month in the Country, and anyone interested in the years leading up to WWI. There is a serious amount of horsey talk, which I loved, but may bore others to tears.

Why I Read This Now: I started this on Boxing Day, when my Facebook feed filled up with pictures and reports on the fox-hunting happening in the UK. It took me so long to read because I had to put it aside to read a book for my book club (that I didn't finish).

Here's one of my favourites from a few years ago:



Rating: 4 stars

And a further Colin Firth connection: Darcy and Bingly ripping across the countryside after Bingly decides to lease Netherfield.

49-Eva-
Gen 23, 2016, 5:49 pm

I've only read Sassoon's war poetry and I didn't even know he had written anything else, so thanks for that!

50Nickelini
Modificato: Feb 4, 2016, 7:10 pm

Another one for Country House. This play is set at Dimbola, a country house on the Isle of Wight.

Freshwater: a Comedy, by Virginia Woolf, 1923 & 1935; illustrations by Edward Gorey, 1985


Cover comments: love it!

Comments: Virginia Woolf wrote this intentionally silly 3-act play in 1923 and abandoned it. She revised it 12 years later, and it was performed once at a Bloomsbury social event. It then disappeared until it was discovered in a drawer after Leonard Woolf's death. Clearly it was never meant to be seen by anyone outside the Bloomsbury circle.

With that in mind, I can't judge it too seriously. It's zany, it's frivolous, and that's about it. Woolf is clever in creating this entertainment about her great-aunt, the photography pioneer Julia Margaret Cameron with her friends Alfred Tennyson, painter George Fredrick Watts, and actress Ellen Terry, and makes them sound like something out of Bloomsbury.

This edition includes both the performed 1935 version, and the earlier 1923 version. They are very different but compliment each other. There are also extensive notes that show the true events behind the farcical bits of the play.

Freshwater: a comedy introduced me to the Tennyson lines:

"The moan of doves in immemorial elms,
And murmuring of innumerable bees."

How fabulous is that!

Rating: 3 stars for the play plus one star for the fabulous Edward Gorey illustrations = 4 stars.

Why I Read This Now: I remember that today is Virginia Woolf's birthday, and then I saw this at the top of my TBR.

Recommended for: people who think Virginia Woolf is always serious.

Portrait of GF Watts by Julia Margaret Cameron titled "The Whisper of the Muse" (1865)

51LibraryCin
Gen 25, 2016, 2:23 pm

hahaha! just looking at this now! hilarious theme!!!

52Nickelini
Modificato: Gen 27, 2016, 11:26 am

Circle of Friends: Ireland

Girl with Green Eyes, Edan O'Brien, 1962


Cover comments: the design says late 80s. Really, I have no opinion. Dated in the wrong way, but not terrible.

Comments: Girl with Green Eyes (aka Lonely Girl) is the second in O'Brien's semi-autobiographical Country Girls Trilogy. At the end of the last book, we saw Cait and Baba flee their Irish village and start their young adult lives in Dublin. That's were Girl with Green Eyes picks up. Cait soon takes up with an older, non-Catholic man who is estranged from his American wife, and pretty much everyone she knows flips out. Her drunken abusive father comes down to Dublin to force her home, and later, a posse of drunken village men attack the couple. The infantilizing treatment and assumed ownership of a 21 year old woman is appalling.

Cait is naive and immature, but she is realistically drawn. Baba isn't as much of a bully in this second novel, probably because she isn't around as much.

I enjoyed this more than I expected to, and perhaps even more than the first novel, The Country Girls. I will eventually find a copy of the third novel to see how this story wraps up.

These books make me very, very glad that I didn't live in Ireland in the 1950s.

Why I Read This Now: Always looking to read more Irish literature and it was on the 1001 Books list.

Recommended for: readers who like books set in the mid-20th century and in Ireland.

Rating: 4 stars.

53kac522
Gen 27, 2016, 12:02 am

>52 Nickelini: So glad you reviewed this--I had completely forgotten that I have this on my shelf--the trilogy in one volume. It's getting bumped up on the pile of TBRs. My cover is a bit dreary:

54Nickelini
Modificato: Gen 27, 2016, 12:33 am

>53 kac522: My cover is a bit dreary:

Well that fits, because life in 1950s Ireland was often a bit dreary!

55Nickelini
Gen 31, 2016, 7:03 pm

Genius: Books on Writing and Editing

If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit, Brenda Ueland, 1938 (new introduction by the author, 1987)


Cover comments: fairly typical cover for a writing book

Comments: Ueland, who taught creative writing for years and years, believes that anyone can become a writer, that we are all unique and all have stories to tell. The main message of this slim book is to turn off your inner critic, shut out all the critical voices in your life (teachers, parents, spouses, friends), and just write. You can apply her principles to any creative endeavour, not just writing -- her advice will also help painters, musicians, anyone creating, actually. She says the most important thing is to be truthful to yourself and don't try to please others with your creative project. A gabillion copies If You Want to Write have been sold, and readers have loved and praised this book for 80 years. Carl Sandburg said it is "the best book ever written about how to write."

Who can disagree with all that? It's the good part.

BTW, Carl Sandburg and her were friends, so make out of that what you will.

Now for my real opinion. For such a short book (179p), it's surprisingly repetitive. Ueland explains how she is one of those writers who hates the outline, which is fine . . . but if you're not going to outline, you really need to focus on the edit. She rambles along and uses footnotes on almost every page. The info in the footnotes could have easily been edited in to the text, or just discarded, as it added little. There were pages of her quoting William Blake, and Van Gogh, and she talks about "the Russians" a lot. By a lot, I mean way too much idolizing, not so much detail.

Here is an example of a typical passage that had me rolling my eyes: "Great art, said Tolstoi, is when a great man who has the highest life-conception of his time tells what he feels. (Tolstoi himself was one of those although he did not know it.) Then the infection is universal. Everybody understands it and at once.*
* I think Blake meant this same thing too, when he called Jesus and artist."

That just makes me scream for so many reasons. Even if one think that's an amazing thought (which it's not), it can be said so very much better.

Throughout the book she says "I hope to talk about that later," and I didn't keep track, but I don't think she ever did. I was convinced she didn't, in fact, when I got to the "outlines are a nightmare" section.

Here's another tidbit of wisdom from Dame Ueland: "Tolstoi, Ibsen, Blake, Goethe, Thomas Mann and all great men, known or unknown, famous or obscure,--they are great men in the first place and so they cannot say anything that is not important, not a single word. Their writing, their art is merely a by-product, a cast-off creation of a great personality."

Oh, please.

I soldiered on, looking for the good bits amongst all her noise, but after a while, I realized that I had an image of this woman lecturing me with a pointed finger. It was rather uncomfortable, yet on I went. I noticed that she seemed pretty impressed with herself and all the fabulous advice she was sharing with little me, and then it struck me that the finger-wagging professor and morphed into Lady Catherine De Burgh. (shudder!)



Recommended for: Yes, many have found If You Want to Write inspiring. But her advice is not unique, and is better said elsewhere. If you are looking for an inspirational book about writing or creating, I suggest Bird by Bird (Anne Lamott), Negotiating with the Dead (Margaret Atwood) or even On Writing (Stephen King).

Why I Read This Now: I like to buy books about writing more than read them. Thought I'd plow through the stack this year. Picked this one first because Ursula Le Guin (I think) recommended that it was the only writing book anyone needed. She was wrong.

Rating: one cranky tin star.

56RidgewayGirl
Feb 1, 2016, 4:15 am

I enjoyed that review thoroughly. Thanks for writing it, and for reading the book so I don't have to.

57sturlington
Modificato: Feb 1, 2016, 7:27 am

>55 Nickelini: Great review. I agree with your recommendations and I have that Atwood on my tbr, so I should try to get to that soon. I also have one by Le Guin to read: Steering the Craft. Wondering if you have read it? I hope it's better than her recommendation.

58DeltaQueen50
Feb 1, 2016, 3:28 pm

>55 Nickelini: Thanks for the entertaining and enlightening review of If You Want To Write, I didn't point my finger but I did give it a thumb! ;)

59VivienneR
Feb 1, 2016, 3:46 pm

>55 Nickelini: Thanks for taking one for the team! Excellent review!

60rabbitprincess
Feb 1, 2016, 5:42 pm

Adding another thumb to the pile!

61-Eva-
Feb 1, 2016, 6:25 pm

Thumbing as well!

62Nickelini
Feb 1, 2016, 7:43 pm

>56 RidgewayGirl:. >57 sturlington:, >58 DeltaQueen50:, >59 VivienneR:. >60 rabbitprincess:, >61 -Eva-: -- Thanks for all the thumbs up!

>57 sturlington: I hope you like the Atwood too. As for Steering the Craft, I did read it and thought it very good--certainly so much better than the Ueland book. I think that was were Le Guin recommended her though, so you can just ignore that piece of advice. Steering the Craft has some very good exercises, but if I remember correctly, you have to have some ideas (setting, characters, a bit of plot) in order to do them. I will buy Steering the Craft when I come across a copy (I had taken it from the library).

63Cariola
Feb 1, 2016, 7:53 pm

Lots of fun goings-on here!

64Nickelini
Feb 1, 2016, 7:56 pm

>63 Cariola: Yay! you made it. Please feel free to jump in to the Firth party anytime.

65Tara1Reads
Feb 4, 2016, 2:05 am

>52 Nickelini: I've been dying to read the Country Girls Trilogy. Thanks for the review!

66Nickelini
Modificato: Feb 4, 2016, 7:02 pm

My second installment of Colin Firth Movies You've Never Seen



Master of the Moors (Ruth Rendell Mysteries)

Ruth Rendell Mysteries is a show that ran on British television for 12 years. In 1994, Colin Firth starred in a three-part episode titled Master of the Moor (there is a book by the same name). As far as I know, I've never seen this TV show, yet it still had a familiar feel. (British TV is all the same?). Anyway, this was pretty enjoyable for what it was. Firth plays a troubled man who likes to wander the moors while sexually ignoring his wife. Young women start showing up dead, and he is an early suspect. The guy who played the cop in this took acting lessons from Hannibal Lector and was significantly creepier than any of the potential murderers. (Thank goodness his part was relatively small).

This was made the year before Pride & Prejudice, so Firth is roughly the same age here. He spends most of the three hours wearing a checkered shirt, a sweater, a corduroy jacket, and an anorak, which makes him look a titch chub. He has baggy trousers tucked into galoshes. His hair is a mess, and he looks decidedly dishevelled. Hardly Mr Darcy in this one!



ETA: This is available on YouTube

67LittleTaiko
Feb 5, 2016, 9:26 pm

>66 Nickelini: - I don't know, a disheveled Colin Firth is still a pretty good thing. :)

68Nickelini
Feb 6, 2016, 3:39 pm

>67 LittleTaiko: Good point.

69Nickelini
Feb 18, 2016, 3:20 pm

Another one set at a country house:

Afterimage, Helen Humphreys, 2000


Cover comments: nothing about this cover speaks to the novel, which is a shame, especially considering that there are actual images described in detail that they could have used. Even if exact images are under copyright, there were lots of related possibilities. Nothing about this honours the novel.

Comments: Only February, and this is the second book I've read this year based on the Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron (the first was Freshwater by Virginia Woolf, and before reading I didn't know this about either of them).

Humphreys was inspired by an exhibition on Cameron's photos of her maid and muse Mary Hillier that she saw at the Art Gallery of Ontario in the 1990s (as an aside, LT friend Torontoc took me to see the Picasso exhibit there in 2012--maybe I'll write a novel about it one day?).

This is a highly fictionalized account of their relationship. The novel is divided into sections based on an actual photograph. Humphreys is a beautiful writer, and Afterimage just oozed atmosphere. At times it was fascinating, but other times boring, I think perhaps suffering from not much plot. In the end, I liked it rather well.

Rating: 4 stars. Liked, didn't love, it.

Why I Read This Now: I had three Humphreys novels in my TBR pile so planned to read one this year, and when a Humphreys group read came up this month, I figured the time was now. (I've previously read The Frozen Thames and Coventry)

Recommended for: readers who enjoy lush writing in historical fiction.

Julia Margaret Cameron's photograph with Mary Hillier posing as Sappho:



70Cariola
Feb 18, 2016, 5:08 pm

>69 Nickelini: My copy had an actual Cameron photo on the cover and many more inside. I felt like you did about the book--liked it on the whole, but it did drag at times.

71Nickelini
Feb 18, 2016, 5:23 pm

>70 Cariola: Ooooh, an edition with the actual photos. This book really called for that. Luckily, we now have this fabulous thing called the internet, so I could look them up as I read. In the olden days I would have had to go to the library (gasp) and if they didn't have a book on Cameron, I would have had to do an interlibrary loan. So glad I live in 2016.

72VivienneR
Feb 24, 2016, 5:42 pm

Thanks, I really like Helen Humphreys writing. I've added Afterimage to my wishlist!

73Nickelini
Feb 26, 2016, 5:11 pm

Genius: books on writing and editing

Bestsellers: a Very Short Introduction, John Sutherland, 2007


Cover comments: This is fine. It's part of the vast Oxford University Press "A Very Short Introduction" series, which I believe all have similar covers, so I expect as a group they would look quite nice.

Comments: Sutherland discusses what "bestseller" even means, and then traces a high-level history of bestsellers in the US, followed by a shorter section on the UK. I'm used to a fair amount of intelligent wit from Sutherland, which I guess was edited out to make this "very short" (it's 116 small pages).

Recommended for: someone who wants a very short introduction to bestsellers?

Why I Read This Now: it was a book in my bag that I pulled out when riding transit or waiting in line.

Rating: a bit dry and flat.

74Nickelini
Modificato: Mar 1, 2016, 5:00 pm

Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen & anything related to her

Among the Janeites: a Journey Through the World of Jane Austen Fandom, Deborah Yaffe, 2013


Cover comments: Rather fun, although I do wonder at the decision to use such garish colours.

Comments: Journalist Yaffe, herself a Jane Austen fan going back to her childhood, explores the strange world of Jane Austen fandom. She attends numerous JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America) events, including the annual dress up (cosplay) ball, a guided Austen tour of England, authors who write sequels to the novels, scholars, fanfic writers, and a slew of people who have some unconventional ideas about Austen and her books. Yaffe wove in many fascinating details and usually got things precisely right, occasionally not. When she loses herself in journalism, the book is fabulous. Occasionally her authorial voice would chirp in with her judgemental smug superiority, and I found that grating.

If there is a theme to this, it's the thing that I've noticed about fans of Jane Austen. They all love Jane dearly, all feel a special connection and a special understanding, but do not necessarily agree with each other on what those connections and understandings are. She describes "the divisions among Janeites -- academic purists versus Colin Firth fans, pretentious poseurs versus true enthusiasts," the fans who only want to read the books, and the fans who only want to see the films. Personally, I have no use for the Austen fans who view her as a spinster with perfect manners who drank tea and wrote sweet romances about very proper people. Blech.

Overall, this was delightful (even when the author was unlikeable).

Recommended for: JA fans, people interested in cultural studies and fandoms.

Rating: Fun and interesting. 4.5 stars.

Why I Read This Now: I deserved a good Jane Austen inspired read. Of the zillions in my TBR pile, I'm not sure why I picked this one. I guess it looked fun.

75Nickelini
Modificato: Mar 13, 2016, 6:07 pm

Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen & anything related to her

Sanditon and Other Stories, Jane Austen, Everyman's Library Edition 1996 (originally written between 1787 & 1817)


Cover comments: this Everyman's Library Edition cover is pleasing. The painting is Portrait of a Woman in a Cave by Louis Leopold Boilly 1805, which you can see in real life at the Musee des Beaux-Arts, Lille, France. I wonder if this painting was picked because this book is a collection of minor works and Jane Austen juvinelia that has figuratively been kept in a cave?

Comments: This book is made up of what is known as Jane Austen's minors works, which are two unfinished novels and a novella ("Sanditon," "The Watsons," & "Lady Susan"), the three volumes of her Juvenilia, and some scattered Miscellanea. I bought it only to read "Lady Susan," but it's a lovely edition indeed, and I decided to give the other pieces a try. What an unexpected delight. I will follow this post with detailed comments about the various components of this collection.

Rating: Oh, soooooo close to 5 stars. 4.87 stars. Five stars wasn't quite accurate, considering that I didn't love, or even like, absolutely everything in this book. But what I liked, I really liked.

Recommended for: going in to this, I thought it was strictly for the Jane Austen completest, which I didn't consider myself. Of course, the completest does not need the encouragement.

I highly recommend it for two other groups: first, for fans of 18th century British lit -- you know, that fun period before the stuffy Victorians, and second, Jane Austen fans who keep her in "a tiny box of preciousness" (to steal a phrase from a GoodReads reviewer) and think she's all about fine manners and polite people. Time for them to see Jane Austen's adultery, petty theft, female drunkeness, and other distasteful behaviours. Really entertaining stuff.

Why I Read This Now: This 500 page book is made up of a million little pieces, and for me that works better with lots of breaks in between and not in one fell swoop. I started last summer with the idea to attempt the bits before finishing with the scandalous "Lady Susan," which is what I set out to read.

Details to follow . . . .

76Cariola
Mar 11, 2016, 8:53 pm

>75 Nickelini: I purchased the entire Everyman's Library series of Austen novels for my birthday a few years back. I love all the covers.

77LittleTaiko
Mar 11, 2016, 9:56 pm

Did you hear that Mr. Darcy's shirt is coming to DC soon?

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/09/arts/television/mr-darcys-shirt-is-coming-to-a...

78Nickelini
Modificato: Mar 12, 2016, 2:58 am

>76 Cariola: Jealous! I thought about getting that series, but I already have at least two complete* JA sets and can't justify another.

* very close to three, and multiple extra copies of other JA books. I'm sure if I drop dead tonight my family will be perplexed. Why would someone have two or three copies of the same book?

79Nickelini
Modificato: Mar 13, 2016, 5:49 pm

As promised, here are my details on the Everyman’s Library edition of Sanditon and Other Stories. I was enthused to read Lady Susan, but was afraid that the rest of it might be a chore. It seemed potentially worthwhile, however, to at least give the rest a try, and I’m very glad I did.

Part One includes Austen’s two unfinished novels and an unpublished novella. Note that other writers have published "finished" versions of the two novels.

Sanditon, 69 pages. Austen was working on this novel when she died in 1817. It was first published along with the biography written by her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh (1871). The manuscript is owned by King’s College, Cambridge. In the Introduction, Sanditon is described as “the real find in this collection.” On first reading, I don’t agree (although I am open to changing my mind on future rereading). That is not to say that it’s bad. It was actually more polished than I expected, although it still needed work. But it certainly didn’t read like a first draft. There were a lot of characters, some of them brilliantly Austenesque, but the heroine wasn’t introduced until page 11, so I didn’t get much of a feel for her.

The Watsons, 54 pages, written sometime between 1803 & 1808. Some scholars think that she stopped working on it after the death of her father. It was first published in the 1871 biography by James Edward Austen-Leigh. Part of the manuscript is at the Bodleian Libraries, Oxford and part of it owned by the Pierpont Morgan Library, in New York City.

This novel is darker than the later, better-known novels as it shows the grimmer side of life for unmarried women in the late 18th century. Some of the scenes reminded me of the Portsmouth section of Mansfield Park. Despite the more serious elements, I found this delightful and I was sad when it ended too soon. Luckily, Austen told her sister Cassandra the plan for the novel, and so we know generally how it wrapped up.

The story follows Emma Watson, who had been raised by rich aunt, after she returns home when the aunt’s new husband doesn’t want her. After a genteel and gracious life, she now lives with her impoverished widowed father and many sisters and several brothers who she has to get to know. She attracts the eye of the young, handsome, rich and socially awkward Lord Osborne, who appears to be a proto-type for Mr Darcy. The ball scene in The Watsons is reminiscent of ball scenes in Pride and Prejudice. Emma Watson had the potential to be a favourite Austen heroine had her story been written. This was one of my favourites in this book.

Lady Susan, 72 pages. Written in 1795 when Austen was just 19 yrs old. One wonders how this young, sheltered virgin knew so much about wickedness, but then perhaps Austen isn’t the demure lady that some of her fans think she was ( / smirk). This epistolary novella was first published in 1871 by James Edward Austen-Leigh, and then a revised version in 1926. The manuscript is owned by the Pierpont Morgan Library.

Lady Susan, Austen’s highest ranking heroine, is bit of a hussy. She’s in her mid-to-late 30s, and instigates dalliances with much younger men. And married men. Shocking, I know. This book has more in common with Les Liaisons Dangereuses than an Austen novel. Although the writing isn’t quite as accomplished as we expect from Austen, it didn’t disappoint, despite its rushed ending. I’m very excited that there is a movie coming out this May. It stars Kate Beckinsale and they renamed it “Love & Friendship” which is slightly confusing, as Austen has used that title elsewhere for a completely different story.

Part Two

The Juvenilia. Written 1787-1795 (age 12 – 20)

Austen wrote these bits and pieces to amuse her family. They are full of melodrama, understatement, and superficial characters. We are already starting to see her loaded sentences and wit. Some readers don’t know what to make of this, and dismiss it as silly, foolish, and overly-emotional. It’s evident by the reader reviews at GoodReads that many who call themselves Austen fans don’t get parody or that she “dearly loves to laugh.”

VOLUME THE FIRST (First published 1933, now at the Bodleian Libraries, Oxford)

“Jack & Alice” is my favourite in this section. Austen was about 15 when she wrote this zany tale of adultery and drunkenness (lots of drunkenness). I read somewhere that her heirs suppressed it as these were unsuitable topics for a girl her age to know about. At least they didn’t destroy it. Take note that there is no one in this story named Jack.

“Jack & Alice” has one of my favourite Austen quotes: “Charles Adams was an amiable, accomplished & bewitching young Man, of so dazzling a Beauty that none but Eagles could look him in the Face. “

Other stories (and short plays) in this volume are: “Frederic & Elfrida,” “Edgar & Emma” (a very short story featuring a family with more than 20 children), “Henry & Eliza,” “Mr Harley,” “Sir William Montague,” “Mr Clifford,” “The Beautifull Cassandra” (sic), “Amelia Webster,” “The visit,” “The Mystery,” “The Three Sisters” (another highly amusing one), “Detached Pieces,” & “Ode to Pity.”

VOLUME THE SECOND (First published 1922, now at the British Library)

Love and Freindship (sic) is an epistolary novella written about a 55 year old woman that Austen wrote when she was 15. There is lots of “running mad” and fainting. Also illegitimacy and theft. Very unAusten-like.

Another favourite of mine is The History of England, which she wrote at age 16. It covers Henry IV (1399) through Charles I (1649) and is a poorly-veiled propaganda piece for Mary, Queen of Scots (and thus, also very anti-Elizabeth I). Rather silly, indeed.

Also included: Lesley Castle (another epistolary piece), a “Collection of Letters” (made up fictions, not actual letters) & “Scraps.”

VOLUME THE THIRD (First published 1951. I have conflicting information on ownership. It’s either the British Library or the British Museum)

"Evelyn" has a dreamlike, almost gothic, feel. It’s the closest you’re going to get to SciFi in Austen.

"Kitty, or the Bower" is 51 pages long, and shows an increasing sophistication of thought.
Also included, under Miscellanea are “A Plan of a Novel,” published opinions on Mansfield Park and Emma from the 19th century, some “Verses” (unremarkable, although surprising to see Austen mention Lake Ontario and Niagara Falls, considering she rarely mentions anything outside of England, particularly North America), and some “Prayers.”

Also interesting throughout all these bits and fragments is the development of Austen characters. We meet some new ones, and also some who reminded me a lot of Caroline Bingley, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Lady Catherine DeBourgh, Emma Woodhouse, and Catherine from Northanger Abbey, among others.

Even at a young age, it is evident that Austen never wrote for “such dull elves as have not a great deal of ingenuity themselves.”

80Nickelini
Mar 13, 2016, 5:16 pm

>77 LittleTaiko: Did you hear that Mr. Darcy's shirt is coming to DC soon?

Hmmmm. I'm afraid that is not handsome enough to tempt me to visit the museum. ;-)

81Nickelini
Mar 13, 2016, 8:44 pm

I'm going to put this in Steve: short stories, although it could go in Genius

Exercises in Style, Raymond Queneau, 1947. Translated from French by Barbara Wright, 1958


Cover comments: suits the book well enough.

Comments: This book tells the same very short story, which was originally 1/3 of a page long, over and over again in 99 different literary styles. Some of them are terrifically clever, some are gibberish ("ards midda one day tow r platform you the rea saw . . . "). Despite my English degree, some of the techniques were previously unknown to me, so I looked them up so I could tell what effect the author was going for. A very interesting exercise in writing, but not much narrative thrust or character growth. But of course, that would be a silly thing to expect from this book. I read about four or five entries at a time--it would get annoying to read much more.

Recommended for: people who like experimental writing, lovers of word play, writers.

Why I Read This Now: it's a 1001 list book that's about writing.

Rating: incredibly clever, but I can think of some other approaches that would have worked better than the nonsense ones.

82rabbitprincess
Mar 13, 2016, 9:39 pm

>81 Nickelini: One of my university classes used this book for an in-class exercise -- we had to break into pairs and come up with our own "style" of telling the main story. My partner and I decided to tell it in the style of PG Wodehouse, which was a lot of fun but probably sounded dreadful, especially with my attempt at a Hugh Laurie impression :) It is definitely an interesting experiment.

83Nickelini
Mar 14, 2016, 1:27 am

>82 rabbitprincess: That sounds like a great exercise. Fun, but not as easy as it at first seems.

84Nickelini
Modificato: Mar 15, 2016, 1:20 pm

Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen & anything related to her

Jane Austen Cover to Cover: 200 Years of Classic Covers, Margaret C Sullivan, 2014


Cover comments: I find it funny that a book about cover art has ugly cover art itself. It's the saccharine blue colour that I dislike, combined with the rows of books, and I think it looks like a hideous 1980s bedspread (one that I would have though ugly back in the 80s). Once you open the cover though, this is just lovely.

Comments: This gorgeously presented book charts the journey through 200 years of the highs (and lows) Jane Austen's published works. As someone who has a passion for art equal to my passion for books, I feel like this book was made just for me. The commentary on the covers is entertaining -- observant, interesting, and snarky when appropriate. Thanks to LTer Japaul22 for letting me know about this book.

Rating: 5 stars

Recommended for: people interested in the history of publishing, artistic readers, Jane Austen fans. This books would make a fabulous gift.

Why I Read This Now: I pick this up and read now and again, but the last time I decided to just read it all the way through.

I think this is my favourite cover:


Not sure what scene this is -- perhaps Wickham seducing Georgiana? Although that wasn't actually a scene, but just something discussed. Hmmm.

85christina_reads
Mar 16, 2016, 6:59 pm

>84 Nickelini: I loved Jane Austen Cover to Cover as well. So many beautiful -- and beautifully awkward -- covers! This P&P one is inexplicable. It *might* do for Northanger Abbey, but even that's a bit of a stretch!

86VivienneR
Mar 17, 2016, 1:59 am

I had a Jane Eyre with a cover similar to your P&P. I was too embarrassed to be seen reading it. It went in the donations box.

87kac522
Modificato: Mar 17, 2016, 2:38 am

>84 Nickelini: Great review! I just ordered this from my library. And I love your comment about the patchwork cover--what's that about? Actually for me it's not so much the blue as it is the design--or maybe the design all in one color?? Anyway, glad the INSIDE is worth it!

88Nickelini
Mar 21, 2016, 11:55 pm

Pride & Prejudice category

Seducing Mr Darcy, Gwyn Cready, 2008


Cover comments: This cover is meant to be funny. And it is.

Comments: One day I was browsing the internet and discovering the zillions of retellings and books inspired by Jane Austen. So I narrowed my search to "Mr Darcy," which reduced the number of books to mere millions. In that pile, I found Seducing Mr Darcy, which caught my eye because it claimed to be "hilarious." Hmmm, that sounded interesting.

I was extremely disappointed then when the first chapter turned out to be amateurish and clunky. Sigh. But I persevered. And it quickly got much better. It's like the author forgot the first chapter in her edit.

Quick synopsis: Scholar-ornithologist Phillipa (Flip) has to read Pride and Prejudice for her book club, although she'd rather be unwinding with some steamy pulp fiction-- something about a marble sink in Venice and a shirtless hunk. She goes to a magical masseuse, and ends up in a very steamy scene with Mr Darcy, sometime before he meets Elizabeth Bennet. When Flip returns to real life, she finds that copies of Pride and Prejudice have changed and that she's messed things up. She meets a dark, handsome, British Austen scholar and they try to undo her mess.

Is this like Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series with sex? (I don't know-- I've never read them). It's a little like "Lost in Austen." Was it hilarious, as promised? Well, I did laugh out loud for real at least six times.

Rating: For what this is, I think it was pretty good. There was even a little rather intellectual bit about what readers do in our minds and imaginations with characters. This looks like a dumb book, but it wasn't.

Seducing Mr Darcy won some Paranormal Romance award. I didn't even know that's a thing (the genre or the award).

Recommended for: readers who like bending the classics.

89mstrust
Mar 26, 2016, 5:56 pm

Love how Firth heavy your thread is!

90VictoriaPL
Mar 29, 2016, 2:15 pm

>89 mstrust: I read that as 'filth heavy' the first time, especially after that cover. Hahahaha. Oh, I needed that laugh. Firth heavy. Yes, Colin. I am with you now.

91Nickelini
Mar 29, 2016, 2:24 pm

>90 VictoriaPL: "Filth heavy" or "Firth heavy." I can deliver both.

92VictoriaPL
Modificato: Mar 29, 2016, 2:43 pm

>91 Nickelini: LOL, I would surely lose it without our Challenge group, I'm so glad I have a home here.

93mstrust
Mar 29, 2016, 2:51 pm

>90 VictoriaPL: Ha! I'm sure there are plenty of people who wish it was a combination of the two!

94Nickelini
Mar 29, 2016, 3:42 pm

>93 mstrust:. Exactly. Hence, the existence of books like Seducing Mr Darcy, post 88 above.

95Nickelini
Apr 8, 2016, 10:58 pm

I have no problems adding books to my Pride and Prejudice category.

Mr Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman, Maria Hamilton, 2011


Cover comments: Nice enough but pretty ho hum.

Comments: This is what I've learned is called a Pride and Prejudice "variation." As someone who thinks P&P might be the most perfect of novels, of course the world doesn't need any other versions. However, I'm glad this exists because it was fun.

The novel starts with Mr Darcy, on his way out of Kent, licking his wounds after Elizabeth Bennet rebuffs him. From there the story goes off in a new direction. This Darcy decides to actively try to correct his past errors and become the gentleman that Elizabeth expects. Most of the novel is set at Longbourn and Netherfield. Wickham is only mentioned, and Lydia is a very minor character. The focus is fully on Darcy and Elizabeth, which is just fine with me.

I think that overall the author has a good grasp of the characters and the language of Austen (without getting silly). Much of this novel is from Darcy's point of view, which I always enjoy hearing. I think the author had some interesting insights on some of the characters, and she painted a very likeable version of Charles Bingley. On the downside, by the end of the novel I was getting a little tired of Darcy's repeated apologies when he didn't quite say the right thing to Elizabeth -- not the best likeness of her that I've read. I think he could have kept just a little of his snootiness, and told her to deal with it. But that's a quibble and didn't get in the way of my enjoyment.

In the end I think this is one of the better P&P take-offs that I've read.

Recommended for: fans of Pride and Prejudice who are open to playing with the characters and story. Jane Austen fans who are dull elves and speak in cliches like "Jane Austen would be spinning in her grave" should skip this one. Also, as in P&P, there is lots of sexual tension, and there are also scenes of light seduction that stops well before it gets into the realm of erotica. On that note, readers who prefer a perfectly chaste Austen experience will not like this book.

Why I Read This Now: well, I was perfectly happy reading Grapes of Wrath and a book on the history of disease, but then this sort of fell open in my hands. Grapes of Smallpox? what was I reading again? Sometimes one can be too serious.

Rating: lots of fun if you're in the mood and aren't expecting War and Peace. 4 stars.

96Nickelini
Modificato: Mag 2, 2016, 3:43 pm

Yesterday I discovered a new (to me) podcast: An Hour with Your Ex. http://thexhour.podbean.com/

The first one I listened to was Mel with two of her friends discussing Mr Darcy Takes a Wife, which they violently hated, but in a funny way (it is a truly awful book, but one that I put in the so bad it's good category). I listened while out for a walk and was seen about town, alone, laughing out loud. I'm sure I looked like a crazy lady.

Then my husband and I listened to Mel and Mark discuss the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice, and Mark's comments could have been written by my husband. ("nothing happens!" "Swiftian satire, which means it's that kind of satire that's not interesting or funny.") Mel, of course, loves P&P, so it all makes for good listening.

There are several other good ones to look forward to -- Lost in Austen, lots of Downton Abbey, When Harry Met Sally, to name just a few.

ETA: I've now listened to the Lost in Austen episode, which I did not enjoy. Very nit picky and harsh. So that makes one hilarious podcast, one good one, and one that I could have skipped. I'll give them a few more tries. I do like her Jane Austen theme, even though she seems to be a bit of a purist for my tastes (without having all that much of a JA background).

ETA #2 -- I've now listened to a whole slew of these. The ones that Mel does with Mark are pretty good and I always get a few laughs. The ones she does with her girlfriends are extremely annoying. I continue to listen just because I like the topics. The quality of these -- not so much.

ETA #3 -- See post >114 Nickelini:

97Nickelini
Modificato: Apr 11, 2016, 1:59 pm

Colin Firth Movies You've Never Seen. Okay, well maybe some of you have seen this one.


The Importance of Being Earnest, 2002

A film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's play. My 16 yr old and I rewatched this because she had just finished being stage manager for her school's production of this play. She has the whole script pretty much memorized and said they stuck fairly close for the most part (a few editions, a few deletions).

Pretty fabulous cast -- Firth as Jack/Earnest, Rupert Everett as Algernon, and Frances O'Connor as Gwendolen. Judi Dench was an excellent Lady Bracknall, but I think I would have liked to have seen a more snarky and less regal Maggie Smith in the role. Reese Witherspoon was Cicely, and I'm not sure why they cast such a modern-looking American for this part--however, her English accent was okay and her acting was good enough (you may detect that I'm not much of a Reese Witherspoon fan).

Overall it was a bit frantic and over-the-top, but for the most part it was good. I suspect one's opinion on this relates directly to one's opinions of Oscar Wilde. If you're a fan, you'll probably like this.

98Nickelini
Apr 12, 2016, 2:40 pm

Darcy's Story, Janet Aylmer, 2006


Cover comments: same old, same old. Sort of pleasantish, but very expected. Like the whole book.

Rating: Ugh. 1.5 stars.

Comments: The subtitle of Darcy's Story is "Pride and Prejudice told from a whole new perspective." As it says on the back cover, Mr Darcy is an "intriguing enigma," and promised to tell the story from his point of view. Sounds fun to me. Except, no. Aylmer quotes long passages directly from Pride and Prejudice and in a clunky manner, attempts to make it Darcy's story. Except she doesn't add anything that a close reader of P&P wouldn't figure out on their own. Further clunkiness ensues when she writes things like Darcy explaining to his cousin Col. Fitzwilliam that Lady Catherine is their aunt. Ugh ugh ugh.

Steadfastly, Aylmer does not waiver from the canonical version of P&P. In a few places, the story demands that she fills in gaps and is forced to make something up, but she then justifies it in the lengthy author notes at the end.

I'll give her a nod for writing in response to the novel and not one of the film versions. At least she did that. However, this is a poorly written shuffle of the original words from P&P and it adds absolutely no new insights into the characters or the story.

Janet Aylmer is the author's pseudonym. I wouldn't let my name anywhere near this dreck either.

Why I Read This Now: I pick up these Jane Austen rip-offs when I see them at used book stores or on remainders tables. I was sorting through my pile of them, and saw that this one had blurbs from Andrew Davies, the writer of the 1995 P&P miniseries, and from the curator of the Jane Austen House at Chawton (now that I reread them, I see their praise is tepid). Mostly I was avoiding Grapes of Wrath.

Recommended for: I imagine that she kept those readers in mind who freak out at the smallest liberty taken in an Austen rewrite (those who always claim in their reviews that "Jane Austen is spinning in her grave."). Not sure this would even appeal to that crowd though, because I think they'd agree with me that this is entirely pointless. Those readers who want to have fun with their Austen pastiches, and don't mind liberties taken, can safely skip this.

99mstrust
Apr 13, 2016, 1:50 pm

>97 Nickelini: I saw that in the theater with a friend. We went just for Firth, of course.
I've brought you a pic from my favorite forgotten Firth role in the Masterpiece Theatre's "Lost Empires" from 1986. It's wonderful. And Firth is very young and very, very thin. That's the gorgeous John Castle on the right.

100Nickelini
Apr 13, 2016, 7:13 pm

>99 mstrust: I didn't realize Lost Empires was Masterpiece Theatre. Interesting!

I watched it last year because my public library had a copy. It was pretty good -- Firth was so young! I think his looks really change over time (like almost different person change).

101Nickelini
Apr 13, 2016, 7:46 pm

>100 Nickelini: Firth over time:

1960s:



1970s:



1980s:



1990s:



2000s:



2010s:

102Cariola
Apr 13, 2016, 7:56 pm

Quite a change, but still lookin' good!

103rabbitprincess
Apr 13, 2016, 8:48 pm

>101 Nickelini: Aww, those curls in the 1960s! Adorable! And nowadays he is one handsome gent.

104LittleTaiko
Apr 17, 2016, 2:13 pm

>97 Nickelini: - That is one of my favorite plays and the movie was pretty cute, though I agree the pace was a bit too frantic at times. Still fun to watch though. I really enjoyed the movie version of an Ideal Husband, no Colin Firth in it but still good.

105Nickelini
Apr 18, 2016, 10:10 am

>104 LittleTaiko: I really enjoyed the movie version of an Ideal Husband

I saw that a long time ago and remember liking it too.

106mstrust
Apr 18, 2016, 11:49 am

>100 Nickelini: It's true that Firth looked very different back then. He was so gangly, and he didn't have the big chiseled jaw yet. Guess it was still forming. : )

107Nickelini
Apr 18, 2016, 12:27 pm

>106 mstrust: he didn't have the big chiseled jaw yet. Guess it was still forming. : )

For some reason, I find that sentence vaguely disturbing.

108mstrust
Apr 18, 2016, 12:58 pm

Ha! Just noting that it takes time to grow a jawline like that.

109Nickelini
Apr 18, 2016, 1:04 pm

Colin Firth Movies You've Never Seen.



When Did You Last See Your Father?, 2007

This was a lovely movie, based on a memoir of a writer's rocky relationship with his dying father. I particularly enjoyed the flashback scenes with the young boy and the teenager who played Firth's character when younger. Fabulous cast -- Jim Broadbent, Juliet Stevenson, Gina McKee, Carey Mulligan, Matthew Beard -- lots of the best Brits.

I suppose that one's enjoyment of this film is based on their relationship with their parents and their feelings on a parent's death. Probably wouldn't have too much appeal to a teen or twenty-something. I highly recommend it.

110Cariola
Apr 18, 2016, 1:06 pm

Saw this one a few years ago . . . . very moving.

111Nickelini
Modificato: Mag 11, 2016, 1:26 pm

Colin Firth Movies You've Never Seen.



Born Equal, 2006

Born Equal is a BBC TV movie about homelessness and social inequality in the Swiss Cottage area of London. The film follows four main characters. Firth plays a very wealthy hedge fund manager who's young wife is about to have their first baby. Around the corner from their lovely home is a B&B that is being used for temporary housing. Michelle is a highly pregnant woman on the run from an abusive husband with her young daughter, the always fabulous Robert Carlyle plays a murderer just released from prison, and David Oyelowo is a journalist who escaped death threats in Nigeria with his wife and young daughter. Now those people are threatening his parents who are still in Nigeria, and he is trying to find the money to bring them to England.

Firth's character becomes disillusioned with his life and gets involved in helping the shelter, in particular a teenage runaway. Yada yada yada unintended consequences, no one gets a happy ending.

First interesting factoid: writer and producer Dominic Savage doesn't use a script, and doesn't rehearse. He simply tells the actors where he wants the scene to go, and then has them improvise. Knowing this made for a very interesting viewing experience.

Second interesting factoid: Emilia Fox plays Firth's wife. She also played his sister Georgiana in Pride and Prejudice. Watching them kiss made me just a little uncomfortable.

In some ways Born Equal reminded me of A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks or Capital by John Lanchester. I like those stories that look at different people's lives in London--I guess because when I'm in London I'm fascinated with people watching and trying to imagine what everyone's life is like.

Not a perfect film, but it's only an hour and 23 minutes long, and it's on YouTube, so I recommend it.

112mstrust
Apr 19, 2016, 2:37 pm

>109 Nickelini: It's been a long time since I saw that one, but I remember being surprised at Firth playing a bit of a rogue.
>111 Nickelini: Never heard of that one and it sounds worth checking out since it's on YouTube. Thanks!

113Nickelini
Modificato: Mag 1, 2016, 4:21 pm

Country House

Through the Keyhole: Sex, Scandal and the Secret Life of the Country House, Susan C Law, 2015


Cover Comments: Perfect cover for this book.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Comments: Through the Keyhole is a tightly focused look at the one of the particular stresses changing English Society between the years 1760 and 1830. There was the Industrial Revolution, the war in North America*, the French Revolution, and the Napoleonic wars, but the problem discussed here is the “epidemic of adultery” among the upper class.

(*I tried to find out what Brits call the War of American Independence, and all I could find was “we don’t learn about it and don’t think about it.” Any Brits who want to shed more light on this please speak up.)

The aristocracy were considered the rightful and natural leaders, and were held up as the moral example for the lower classes to emulate. Further, their right to rule depended on legitimate bloodlines. But many in the aristocracy were jeopardizing this role with their libertine behaviour.

In 18th century Western Europe, marrying for love rather than money was becoming more popular. For the upper classes, marrying well was a social and family duty that still took precedence over personal preferences. The dynastic alliances they formed were deemed necessary for the stability of the country. Thus, it was still common for wealthy families to marry off their 17 and 18 year old daughters to powerful or wealthy older men. This resulted in many unhappy marriages, and with the change in cultural habits that allowed women to socialize without their husbands, the temptation to have an affair and give in to the “fashionable vice” often won over integrity, and duty.

At the same time, the commercial press was flourishing, and sex scandals sold newspapers. This was the birth of the British tabloid—there was even a sex scandal in 1757 involving Lady Di, a distant ancestor of 1990s tabloid darling, Diana, Princess of Wales. While fascinated by the lifestyles of the rich and famous, the growing middle class were also disgusted and the purpose of the aristocracy and their elite privilege came under serious scrutiny. To quell the situation, there were several attempts to curb adultery through legislation. To some degree, this must have worked, as there developed “a new sense of propriety ... in public attitudes, as the easy-going libertinism of the Georgian and Regency periods began to fade away into what would eventually become Victorian prudery.”

Through the Keyhole is a very readable and interesting look at 18th century English society written by a historian and journalist. She has a nice balance of anecdotes and factual information.

Interesting note:

I learned about this book when it came out last year from an article in The Telegraph titled “Jane Austen’s real Mr Darcy Unmasked by Historian“ and one in The Daily Mail titled “Is this the real Mr Darcy? Letters 'prove' that tall, dark and brooding aristocrat whose wife's adultery scandalised polite society was the inspiration for Jane Austen's hero.” Except the book doesn’t talk about this at all! It does cover the man in question, John Parker, 1st Earl of Morley, but the only mention of Jane Austen is about Mansfield Park. Very weird indeed!

Here are the two articles in question:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/11569673/Jane-Austens-real-Mr-Darcy-unm...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3059021/Is-real-Mr-Darcy-Letters-prove-t...

Recommended for: Highly recommended for people interesting in the time period (I’m looking at you, Jane Austen fans.)

Why I Read This Now: it’s been at the top of my TBR since it was published.

114Nickelini
Modificato: Mag 2, 2016, 3:45 pm

Back in post >96 Nickelini: I mentioned a new podcast I'd found with lots of Jane Austen stuff on it. I'm continuing to listen to these off and on because I like a lot of their topics. I have to add a caveat though -- I don't think I like the podcasters very much. I'm still preferring the shows with Mel and Mark. I like Mark more than Mel. Other shows are Mel and two of her friends, and those ones get more annoying with each episode. They are supposed to be in their 30s but sound like high schoolers. Also, Mel makes a lot of statements of fact that are just plain wrong.

I just thought I'd add this follow up in case anyone decided to listen and then thought "WTF?"

115christina_reads
Mag 5, 2016, 6:43 am

I'm loving all the Jane Austen (and Colin Firth) discussion on this thread! Have you heard about the new Whit Stillman film "Love and Friendship," based on Lady Susan? I'm dying to see it!

116Nickelini
Mag 5, 2016, 10:39 am

>115 christina_reads: Yes, I'm hoping I can find it somewhere. Apparently it's doing the festival circuit. Even though I live in a city of 2 million people, our theatres tend to play only block buster action movies and cartoons. It's hard to find the movies I want to see.

117Nickelini
Mag 11, 2016, 1:19 pm

Finally! One for my Single Man (Mid-century modern) category

Blaming, Elizabeth Taylor, 1976


Cover comments: I'm not too keen on the latest editions that Virago Modern Classics has designed for Elizabeth Taylor's novels, although I guess it's okay. None of the characters in the book look like this woman, so I'm not sure what this picture is all about.

I prefer the old classic green cover:


Comments: Middle aged Amy is on a cruise with her husband in Turkey when he suddenly dies. Martha, an American living in London helps her get back to England, and they form an unusual friendship. Oh dear, I'm not describing this very well.

Taylor is a master at writing relationships and round characters. Her observational skills remind me of Jane Austen. I absolutely loved this book; however, as with another Taylor I loved (Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont), it was depressing. But still fabulous.

Blaming is on the 1001 books list.

Why I Read This Now: I love mid-20th century books written by British women.

Rating: 4.5 big shiny stars

Recommended for: readers who love books with well drawn characters.

118Nickelini
Mag 11, 2016, 1:39 pm

Colin Firth Movies You've Never Seen

Shakespeare in Love, 1998



Okay, I know you've seen Shakespeare in Love. However, if you're anything like my daughters, you might very well say "I forgot Colin Firth is in this movie!" Indeed, it has an illustrious cast, and he is just one of many fine and famous actors. Also, he's over shadowed by the very sexy Joseph Fiennes (who was my screen crush before Firth).



There's even a scene were Fiennes and Firth duel. Be still my heart.

Actually, Firth, as Lord Wessex, plays a humourless cuckold in this film. My daughters (16 and 19) were rather grossed out by him ("Is she fertile?" "she will breed") and horrified that the Gwnyth Paltrow character was forced to marry him. I explained that if one has to have a forced marriage, one could do worse than Colin Firth. Shave off the silly facial hair, take out the big earring, I think he'll clean up nicely.

Anyway, apparently it's unfashionable to like this movie now and it's considered overrated. I still love it and could watch it every six months or so.

119Cariola
Mag 11, 2016, 9:12 pm

>118 Nickelini: Unfashionable? I don't care, I still love it! Stoppard's screenplay is just brilliant, and Geoffrey Rush was wonderful. When I taught The Duchess of Malfi, I always showed the little scene where a young John Webster is caught torturing a mouse.

120Nickelini
Mag 11, 2016, 9:16 pm

>119 Cariola: I don't care if I'm unfashionable either.

121DeltaQueen50
Mag 12, 2016, 2:33 pm

Wow, like your daughter I totally forgot Colin Firth is in that movie - a good excuse to watch it again!

122VivienneR
Mag 13, 2016, 11:52 am

I saw it again recently. Unfashionable - never!

123LittleTaiko
Mag 15, 2016, 8:59 pm

Love that movie but really disliked his character. Loved Geoffery Rush!

124Nickelini
Mag 15, 2016, 11:20 pm

Nice to see all the Shakespeare in Love fans here. I think the people who say it's overrated are people who were born the year it came out and now are almost 20 and think they know everything.

125Cariola
Mag 15, 2016, 11:41 pm

>24 Nickelini: Good call.

126lkernagh
Mag 21, 2016, 4:38 pm

I am taking advantage of the sub par weather today - okay, it is typical May weather but seems strange after the wonderful warm weeks of sunshine we have had! - to try and get caught up with some threads. I continue to enjoy the "Colin Firth Movies You've Never Seen" postings. You are right.... I have never seen any of these movies, except for Shakespeare in Love and I only saw that for the first time this past Valentine's Day. ;-)

>113 Nickelini: - Great review! What a fascinating topic.

127Nickelini
Mag 24, 2016, 12:59 am

>126 lkernagh: okay, it is typical May weather but seems strange after the wonderful warm weeks of sunshine we have had! My husband keeps saying the same thing! I don't know, the weather is going to do what it wants, so I don't care too much. I just don't like it too warm.

On to more movies . . .

128Nickelini
Modificato: Mag 24, 2016, 1:32 am

Colin Firth Movies You've Never Seen

Dutch Girls, 1985, made for TV


Nice (hideous) 80s pink school uniforms! (this image is acting very unstable and I can't find another copy, so if it doesn't show, google "Colin Firth Dutch Girls" to see their horrid uniforms. Was they a good thing in the 80s? I think they were).

Dutch Girls tells the story of a UK high school field hockey team going to the Netherlands for three games, although they're really lousy at the sport. The teacher/coach (Bill Paterson) is excited to show them Dutch culture, namely tulips, windmills, Van Gogh, and especially, lots of Van Gogh. He's a little obsessed with Van Gogh. Being high school boys away from home, they are not interested in either their games or culture, but really want to drink, smoke, and have sex with Dutch girls.

Colin Firth stars as Neil Truelove, who actually meets a pretty Dutch girl who really likes him, but he is shy and awkward and frustrating. He billets at a lovely Dutch family's home, but has the misfortune to share this with his teammate Lyndon (Timothy Spall, who I know as Wormtail from the Harry Potter films and Nathaniel from Enchanted, but he's been in lots of other films). Lyndon is a vile excuse of a human being and has some seriously disgusting scenes. He's memorable though! Other than the repressed Colin Firth character (and the Dutch people), no one in this film is a nice person, including teammates played by James Wilby and Adrian Lukis. There's a fun part of the movie where the boys end up in the Red Light District of Amsterdam while their hapless teacher tries to corral them and commands them to "look at your shoes!"

It's very 80s, it's made for TV, it's low budget, it's about teenage boys trying to get laid. . . and I thought it was great. Your mileage may vary.

I watched it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DfGSYXWjTs

Firth is very young in this-- I think it's his 4th movie, and he was 25 when he filmed it. He was already rocking the scarf.



129Nickelini
Modificato: Mag 24, 2016, 12:35 pm

Here's one for Steve (Short Stories)

Dancing Girls, Margaret Atwood, 1977


Cover comments: oh look, a woman's back and obscured face. How unique (insert eye roll here). That said, as a group these late 90s McClelland & Stewart covers look nice on the book shelf.

Comments: Atwood's first short story collection is made up of 14 stories that show an experimental period in her development as a writer. The Cambridge Introduction to Margaret Atwood notes that these stories "are characterized by a sense of miscommunication, or by the sense of an event happening slightly offstage. The heart of several of these stories is an inexplicable departure, a failure to connect events and disappearances, or a lock of communication about the importance of events."

I very much enjoyed the stories "Rape Fantasies" and "A Travel Piece," which seemed livelier than the others. "The War in the Bathroom," "The Grave of the Famous Poet, and "The Resplendent Quetzal" also had interesting things to say. The rest of the collection I did not care for at all. "The Man from Mars" is popular with many readers, but I was frustrated with how incredibly dated it was, and "Hair Jewellery" was such a word salad that I couldn't finish it. I'm afraid too many of these stories were overly-vague and lacking in context, which in turn made them pointless and dull.

Note that my 1998 edition has two different stories than the original Dancing Girls. Gone are "Betty" and "Sin Eaters," and they've been replaced by "Rape Fantasies" and "The War in the Bathroom."

Why I Read This Now: I try to read an Atwood a year as I have many of her books in my TBR pile. There was an Atwood read over at the 75 Books Group in April, which is when I started this. I have a Short Story Category in my Category Challenge. Dancing Girls is a Virago Modern Classic.

Recommended for: Atwood completists.

130kac522
Mag 24, 2016, 11:20 pm

>129 Nickelini: I read Dancing Girls so many years ago, I don't remember it at all. But like you, I have about 5 or 6 Atwoods on the TBR, and must get to them. Once a year sounds like a good plan; you have to read her in bits, I think.

131Nickelini
Modificato: Mag 25, 2016, 1:07 am

>130 kac522: you have to read her in bits, I think.

Yes! Then again, I say that about almost every author. But Atwood for sure. She's fabulous, although in bits.

I have 4 Atwoods in my TBR. Two novels, one book of literary commentary, one non-fiction. But I still don't have Maddadam, which I really want to read (I'm waiting to find the edition that fits the earlier 2 in the trilogy), and I think I'm interested in her latest, or at least her forthcoming (I think a version of The Tempest?), so my Atwood TBR could inflate again quickly. But I think I'm done with her short stories. Or early stuff. Neither of which I think are her best work.

132kac522
Modificato: Mag 25, 2016, 3:21 am

>131 Nickelini: I've got early stuff that I haven't read--Lady Oracle, Life Before Man, Bodily Harm and The Edible Woman. Of recent works, I've only read the shorter things: essays (Payback) and stories (Moral Disorder, Good Bones and Simple Murders) and The Penelopiad. My favorite has always been The Robber Bride. I'm not so interested in the later longer novels, but that's what so great about her--there's such a wide range of work--something for (almost) everyone.

133Nickelini
Mag 27, 2016, 10:24 am



I don't think I need to say anything.

134Cariola
Mag 27, 2016, 11:08 am

>133 Nickelini: Yes, you do! What the heck does that cover have to do with Austen's novel?

135Nickelini
Mag 27, 2016, 11:57 am

>134 Cariola: there are some beauts here: Misleading book covers: http://www.bustle.com/articles/161333-the-16-most-misleading-book-covers-of-all-...

Their comment on the P&P cover: "Did I miss the part of Pride and Prejudice where Lizzie rides into Rome nude? ...that doesn't happen in Pride and Prejudice, right? It's more of a comedy of manners/love story type of thing, yes? I mean, sure, that's a nice painting of a nude woman on a horse, it's just not... really... relevant..."

136Cariola
Mag 27, 2016, 12:32 pm

>135 Nickelini: I was thinking Lady Godiva.

MUST check out that site!

137Cariola
Mag 27, 2016, 12:43 pm

OMG, The Turn of the Screw really had me in giggles. As did The Scarlet Pimpernel. And the cover portrait of Clarissa Dalloway was a real groaner. All of them really hilarious; what were they thinking? I will at least say that a mountain does figure prominently in Frankenstein, but . . . .

138VictoriaPL
Mag 27, 2016, 12:45 pm

>133 Nickelini: LOL, my thoughts exactly.
>135 Nickelini: Have to check out that site!

139Nickelini
Mag 27, 2016, 12:45 pm

>137 Cariola: I know, hard to pick a favourite!

140mstrust
Mag 27, 2016, 12:55 pm

The Tarzan cover, and its comment.

141DeltaQueen50
Mag 27, 2016, 1:00 pm

Words fail me ....

142mamzel
Mag 27, 2016, 3:16 pm

The Wizard of Oz. Really? Had no one involved with publishing this book notice that there is no relationship between the story and this cover???

143Nickelini
Mag 27, 2016, 3:25 pm

One of my favourite covers that they didn't include is this:

144rabbitprincess
Mag 27, 2016, 5:10 pm

>135 Nickelini: The Scarlet Pimpernel! Oh my goodness those were hilarious covers.

145Cariola
Mag 27, 2016, 5:20 pm

>143 Nickelini: Say, what???!!!??? Looks like Great Classics Series specializes in these.

146Nickelini
Mag 27, 2016, 6:18 pm

>138 VictoriaPL:, >140 mstrust:, >141 DeltaQueen50:, >142 mamzel:, >144 rabbitprincess: -- Now you can see my dilemma as to why I can't pick a favourite!

>143 Nickelini: I looks that way. I found a bunch of these on a different website a few years ago -- a blog written by a book designer -- and they didn't know whether Great Classics is joking or clueless. I think it just HAS to be a joke, although a very bizarre one.

147LittleTaiko
Mag 29, 2016, 10:02 pm

Oh dear - these are just too much! Anne of Green Gables as a sultry blonde?

148lkernagh
Giu 2, 2016, 12:17 am

>133 Nickelini: - I am.... speechless.

>135 Nickelini: - Still speechless.

149Nickelini
Giu 2, 2016, 10:45 pm

For my Country House challenge . . . this just came up on my FaceBook feed, and I scrolled past, and then backed up. Hello! This should just have my name on it.

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/country-house-literature

A free course on the English Country House from the University of Sheffield? How fabulous is that?

150kac522
Giu 3, 2016, 12:51 am

>149 Nickelini: Got my name on it, too... and my son & family are moving to Sheffield at the end of the month. Needless to say, I signed up.

151Cariola
Giu 3, 2016, 1:11 pm

152Nickelini
Modificato: Giu 7, 2016, 11:47 pm

one for Steve / Short Stories

One Good Story, That One: Stories, Thomas King, 1993


Cover comments: Great cover for this book. The coyote trickster makes several appearances.

Comments: Thomas King is a master storyteller, and this collection of 10 short stories highlights his various styles. My favourite is when he uses a straightforward tales with a touch of magic realism, such as "Totem," or even sci-fi ("How Corporal Colin Sterling Saved Blossom, Alberta and Most of the Rest of the World As Well"). Simply written, but subversive, clever, funny, and politically incorrect. I'm not as keen on his first person narrated stories where he uses dialect, short choppy sentences, and lists.

This collection contains the wonderful story "Borders," which I first read at university, and is one of my all-time favourite short stories. I think I'll add "Totem" to that list too.

Thomas King is considered a prominent voice in Canadian First Nations culture, even though he grew up in the US, and is half-Cherokee and half-Greek.

Rating: Although I quite disliked a few of these stories, the others were so strong that overall I give this 150 p book four sparkly stars.

Recommended for: everyone, but a sense of humour is required.

Why I Read This Now: my book club is meeting on King's non-fiction the Inconvenient Indian which I didn't like much, although I think it's an important book. I want to go and talk up his strong points.

153Nickelini
Giu 10, 2016, 4:37 pm

A Single Man // Mid-century novels

The Bookshop, Penelope Fitzgerald, 1978


Cover comments: Love the quietness of this, love the old books, love the typeface, absolutely love the colours. It's also part of a set of Penelope Fitzgerald novels done in this style, and they of course look super together.

Comments: A short, quiet novel about a widow who moves to a small town in East Anglia in 1959 and opens a bookshop. Unfortunately, no one in the town wants a bookshop, and in fact, the proprietor herself doesn't even seem to be that keen on it. The ending is very sad.

Some stunningly beautiful writing, but overall I didn't like The Bookshop as much as other Fitzgerald novels I've read. It was nominated for the Booker Prize.

Recommended for: people who like sad, quiet novels.

Why I Read This Now: I have several Fitzgerald's on my TBR pile. Needed to scurry back to England after the last few books I've read.

154DeltaQueen50
Giu 10, 2016, 4:48 pm

>153 Nickelini: Owning and running a bookshop sounds like a dream job, but I suspect without a head for business this could be a very precarious occupation.

155Nickelini
Modificato: Giu 10, 2016, 5:03 pm

>154 DeltaQueen50: Indeed, and this book was set in 1959 (written in 1978), so the challenges are different than today's. Still, I don't think this character quite had it in her. Also, people were actually against her. Meanness in the tidal flats of small town England!

156-Eva-
Giu 11, 2016, 10:09 pm

>135 Nickelini:
Those are hilarious!!!

157sturlington
Modificato: Giu 13, 2016, 9:42 pm

I saw this story today. Colin Firth is playing Maxwell Perkins in a movie about books! Looks good.

ETA I just looked back at your categories and saw this film was your first one. Of course you already know all about it. :-) I hope you enjoy the news story anyway.

158Nickelini
Modificato: Giu 14, 2016, 11:48 am

>157 sturlington: This movie has been in the works for years, and now that I have finally seen the trailer, I have to say I'm underwhelmed. I really don't like the voice or accent that Firth is using, and after seeing the disastrous Arthur Newman (sometimes titled Arthur & Mike), I'm not entirely convinced that Firth can do an American accent.

Reviews on Genius are mixed---some very good, some bad. I'll probably watch it if it shows up on Netflix.

The link didn't work (not your fault, it's a subscription website) -- what is the story about?

159sturlington
Giu 14, 2016, 11:51 am

>158 Nickelini: Sorry it didn't work; it's from the Chicago Sun-Times. It's a general overview on how the film got made, the creative development behind it. It sounds like it has been in development for a while--sometimes a bad sign. I will probably wait and watch it on Netflix as well.

160Nickelini
Giu 14, 2016, 12:27 pm

>159 sturlington: It sounds like it has been in development for a while--sometimes a bad sign.

Yeah, I thought that too. And this one has been on his IMDb page for ages. Even if it turns out to be fabulous, I don't think I'll ever come around to that accent.

161Nickelini
Modificato: Giu 14, 2016, 9:01 pm

Single Man / Mid-Century Modern

The Women in Black, Madeleine St John, 1994


Cover Comments: Adorable!

Rating: Four and three-quarters stars. This is my favourite book this year so far. Loved it.

Comments: This charming novel, set at Christmas in a sophisticated department store in Sydney, Australia in the late 1950s, revolves around a small cast of women who work in the cocktail frock department. There isn't all that much of a plot, but it's just interesting to see their different lives and their struggles. I love this camera-like snapshot of the time and place -- it was fun to compare the Sydney I remember from the early 80s with the 1950s version (written in the 1990s), although I don't think you have to have ever been to Sydney to love this story. Subtle, lovely writing, interesting and unique characters, and a touch of humour made this a fabulous book that I was always happy to sit down and enjoy. Unfortunately, it appears to be out of print, but I was lucky to run across a used copy.

I must say, I've never read a book that used the word "frock" so many times. Here in Canada, we use some British terms and some US terms, but "frock" is one that we use only ironically. I was baffled and amused at the dress sizes, which had been replaced by standard numbers before I got to Oz:

Patty Williams's frock was an SSW as we know, whereas Fay Baines was an SW, but Miss Jacobs was a perfect OSW, especially around the bust." After running into people being referred to by their dress size and continuing to puzzle, my friend Google steered me to an Australian vintage clothing website that explained:

XXSSW = Extra, extra slim small woman.
XSSW = Extra slim small woman.
SSW = Slim small woman.
SW = Small woman.
W = Woman.
XW = Extra woman.
SOS = Small(?) outsized
OS = Outsized.
XOS = Extra outsized.
etc

Wow. That's bizarre. Still not sure what those terms mean, but I get the idea. No idea what size I'd be.

Why I Read This Now: Felt like an Aussie book, have wanted to read this one for years.

Recommended for: readers who like charming books and don't need a lot of action or car chases.

162LittleTaiko
Giu 16, 2016, 7:57 am

Oh wow! Not sure what size I'd be either. My favorite is XW = Extra woman. Gives me images of someone toting around a spare woman.

Sounds like a fun book!

163Nickelini
Modificato: Giu 16, 2016, 1:19 pm

Coming soon to our feature "Colin Firth Movies You Haven't Seen . . . "



What a Girl Wants

Okay, some of you may have seen this, but I must make comments. Worst movie ever? Perhaps. So much to say . . . I'll be back.

164Cariola
Giu 16, 2016, 2:25 pm

>163 Nickelini: I tried. I couldn't.

165Nickelini
Modificato: Giu 17, 2016, 3:28 pm

>164 Cariola: I tried. I couldn't. Ever at your service, m'dear.

As promised, here are my comments on What a Girl Wants (2003, the same year that Colin Firth also starred in Love Actually and The Girl with the Pearl Earring).

“What a Girl Wants” is to be a princess. So we have that out of the way.

Amanda Bynes plays Daphe, a plucky 17 yr old who lives a wholesome Bohemian life with her single mom (Kelly Preston) in New York City’s Chinatown. They’re edgy, in a Disney Channel version of edgy.

Daphne has grown up hearing the romantic story about how her mom Libby was travelling in Morocco and met a handsome English boy named Henry (Colin Firth). They fell in love, were married by the chief of a Bedouin tribe, and returned to his home in England to have a “real wedding.” There she learned that her dashing Englishman was Lord Dashwood, and his people did not approve of her. They covertly force her to return to NYC and make her write a note saying she’s in love with someone else. Normal communication between the two of them would have stopped this whole nonsense right there, but then we wouldn’t have a movie. A few months later, Libby finds out that she’s pregnant, and again, chooses not to communicate with Henry (near the end of the movie she gets mad at him over this, because that’s reasonable). While we see Libby telling her daughter this story, Daphne is wearing a princess crown. In case you didn’t get it yet.

Now it’s 2003, and Mom is a wedding singer who drives a 1970s VW van painted with an American flag pattern. Because “USA, whoop!” Daphne is a waitress at the same weddings. Right away we see that Daphne is spunky and resourceful. This point is banged into us every five minutes through the whole movie with the subtly of a sledgehammer.

Fulfilling her lifelong desire to know her father, Daphne runs off to London, where she immediately gets on the top of a double decker bus and takes a tour. She arrives at her run down but quirky hotel, where she meets the hotel desk clerk who immediately becomes her love interest, Ian. He’s a cute musician who is as edgy and wholesome as she. Within a minute of their meeting, she then sees her dad on TV giving up his seat in the House of Lords to run for prime minister.

Daphne then scales the wall of Lord Dashwood’s palatial estate (on acreage right in the middle of London!), where she meets her dad, his fiancé played by Anna Chancellor (better known as Caroline Bingley opposite Firth’s Darcy in Pride and Prejudice) and her daughter, played by Christina Cole, who played Caroline Bingley in Lost in Austen. She also meets Henry’s advisor, played by Jonathan Pryce (who I loved in Brazil, among other films). The later three make up the wicked stepfamily of the Cinderella story. But Henry’s gracious and clever mother (played by Eileen Atkins) takes Daphne under her wing. One wonders where she was when shit went down 18 years earlier.


Caroline Bingley and Caroline Bingley

The rest of the movie is a series of predictable slapped together montages of Daphne mugging for the camera and dancing wildly (because American free spirit, y’all!), zany escapades set to a bubble gum soundtrack, and dressy occasions where Daphne is always a proverbial fish out of water who makes things interesting. And fun! Because she just can’t help herself.


Dancing! Dancing! See me dance around London! Aren't I just too much fun?

One silly event follows the next, and SO MUCH just doesn’t make any sense. For example, she gets a lesson on how to curtsy while standing in a row boat. No idea what might happen there. Bland dumb writing, over and over, and then repeat. “Predictable,” “clichéd,” “forced,” “formulaic”: these are just some of the words critics have used to describe this film. To these, I’d add “syrupy” and “vomit inducing.”

Finally, Daphne runs back to New York so she can be who she is, because apparently dressing nicely and being calm for an afternoon is a betrayal of her inner self. In this world, there is no such thing as character growth or adapting. It’s all or nothing--either she turns into a stuffy Brit, or all the Brits just have to learn to loosen up.

Henry drops out of prime minister race and shows up at a wedding in New York where Libby and Daphne are working. He's also brought the British boyfriend. Dancing and kisses all round, and then Daphne ends up going to Oxford. Hey, I don’t know what her grades were like, and Lord Dashwood certainly has pull, so who am I to judge, but I didn’t really see any sign of Oxford brains.


Soooo close. Caroline Bingley almost caught her Mr Darcy.

A few other assorted notes:

- Best line: Granny says “No hugs, dear. We’re British. We only show affection to horses and dogs.” Okay, that’s pretty stereotypical, but this movie makes it clear that the English are all uptight, stuffy, constipated, and snooty, and they should really be more American. Fun! Carefree! The Greenwich Village Gazette says, “If it was possible to do a racist movie about the British, this would be it.”

- Worst line: “holy poo on toast.” (Yes, really).

- The boyfriend: Ian (played by Oliver James) is the cute British boyfriend every girl wants. He plays in a band! He rides a motorcycle! He’s supposed to be working class, but surprise! He’s not really because he mom was a debutante who married down, but then his grandparents sent him to “all the right schools,” and had him join “all the right clubs.” But he’s playing poor, because he “realized the hypocrisy of it all.” Oh, BTW, his bike is a BMW (I’m sure it’s the working class model.) Of course, Ian thinks Daphne is being a hypocrite when she tries to figure out how to blend into her new life, and he scolds her “why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?” Because she’s spunky! And carefree! Did I mention that yet? Also, his band plays at every fancy dress event she attends, and he parks cars at another event. He’s everywhere. That makes sense.

- Colin Firth, beloved to Jane Austen fans everywhere, plays Henry Dashwood – Dashwood being the name of the main characters in Sense and Sensibility. His mother is the Countess of Wycombe, which is pronounced “Wickham,” as in the villain in Pride and Prejudice.

- I think liking this movie depends on how one perceives Amanda Bynes. I didn’t know the actress going in, so she was a blank slate for me. I found her irritating, and not charming, so that pretty much killed it. Maybe I just don’t get “Bohemian wholesome.” Also, her limp, overly ironed hair drove me to distraction.

- Dashwood says “she has my eyes.” How did they allow this in the movie? Bynes has huge round green eyes, Firth has hooded brown eyes.

- Although her mother made sure she knew the story of her romance with Henry, she did not teach Daphne the first thing about her English background. Evidently, Daphne never read a British book, or saw a British film or TV show, because she was utterly baffled by anything that was different from her US life. She grew up in NYC, but you'd think she'd been in a hippie commune in the Idaho or something. Or maybe she's just one of those annoying New Yorkers who thinks New York equals the entire world and there is nothing else to know. But her mother should have taught her differently. Then again, if this movie tells you anything, it's: US, good; Britain, needs to be like the US (except the palaces, those are good).

- The British part of this cast is really good. As usual in his crap films, Firth is noted by critics to be the best thing in it. Here he plays a character he’s done many times – the upper-class Brit with a stick up his butt who discovers his human side. He’s really good at that role, but it’s not much of a challenge for him.

- Turns out I had seen Amanda Bynes before – she plays the fun-to-hate fundie Christian in Easy A, who is the mean girl to Emma Stone’s heroine. In What a Girl Wants, she plays Colin Firth’s daughter. In Magic in the Moonlight, Emma Stone plays Colin Firth’s love interest. That’s a bit squiky, when you put it that way.

I watched so you don’t have to.

166sturlington
Giu 17, 2016, 3:23 pm

>165 Nickelini: I needed a laugh this afternoon. Thanks for taking a bullet.

167Nickelini
Giu 17, 2016, 3:31 pm

>166 sturlington: Happy to oblige.

168rabbitprincess
Giu 17, 2016, 4:31 pm

Great comments! I love Anna Chancellor and Colin Firth but not enough to see this movie. Thank you for saving me the trouble ;)

169LittleTaiko
Giu 17, 2016, 8:51 pm

>158 Nickelini: - this one got a D- this week in our paper. Jude Law doing a Carolina accent? Yikes!

170Cariola
Giu 18, 2016, 12:17 am

>169 LittleTaiko:. His North Carolina accent in Cold Mountain was just fine.

171mstrust
Giu 18, 2016, 12:33 pm

Your synopsis of "What A Girl Wants" is excellent. I tried to watch it years ago and didn't get very far, because why? With movies like this, where they pair the latest American sweetheart with a cast of veteran British actors because "culture clash!", I can't stop picturing the older actors waiving their paychecks and proclaiming "They met my price!"
I remember seeing an interview with Michael Caine saying that he'll appear in anything if the producers come up with his fee.

172Nickelini
Giu 18, 2016, 3:10 pm

>171 mstrust: I think Colin Firth is another who has done a lot of films for the money. Apparently he also takes films that help him spend time with his family.

>>169 LittleTaiko:, >170 Cariola: I don't really understand why there is so much casting going on between US & UK actors that require them to change their accents. Surely there are capable UK actors to do the British roles and capable US actors to do the US ones. Mostly this bothers me, although not always.

173VivienneR
Giu 18, 2016, 3:57 pm

>165 Nickelini: Thank you for the laugh! And thank you for the fabulous review that is probably much better than the movie!

>171 mstrust: & >172 Nickelini: Michael Caine did a lot of clunkers. Looks like Colin Firth is going the same route.

174Cariola
Giu 18, 2016, 4:55 pm

>172 Nickelini:, >174 Cariola: Add Anthony Hopkins to that list.

175Nickelini
Modificato: Lug 1, 2016, 12:19 pm

The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories 3, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, wirrow & others, 2013


Cover comments: suits the book but the art inside is much better

Comments: Well isn't this just the most delightful thing ever. 72 "stories" that combine a sentence or two with art to tell a story, by a wide range of artists and poets. Some are deep, some silly, some dark, some playful. I will definitely hunt down Volumes 1 & 2.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Why I Read This Now: my daughter was organizing her book case, I saw this, and read it.

Recommended for: people who like whimsy and illustrated books.

176Cariola
Lug 1, 2016, 10:57 am

>175 Nickelini: Joseph Gordon-Levitt? Now that's interesting.

177Nickelini
Lug 1, 2016, 11:57 am

>176 Cariola: -- Yes! It's super interesting. He's the director of an artistic community. Here's the intro video: https://www.hitrecord.org/intro

I just learned about this yesterday, although Charlotte has been showing me stuff for months. I want to learn more.

178Cariola
Lug 1, 2016, 12:34 pm

>177 Nickelini: I know him from 'Third Rock from the Sun' and various movies.

179Nickelini
Lug 1, 2016, 12:40 pm

>178 Cariola: - Me too.

180Nickelini
Lug 8, 2016, 1:02 pm

Death of the Heart, Elizabeth Bowen, 1938


Cover comments: "Portrait of Marguerite van Mons," by Theo van Rysselberghe. I love this Anchor Books cover so very much. It fits the novel quite well, although the girl in the painting is 10 and it's 1886, and in the novel Portia is 16 and it's 1938. I have seen this painting used on other book covers.

Comments: Portia, 16 years old and recently orphaned, returns to London from the Continent to live with her much older half-brother and his shallow wife. She has a flirtation with their odious friend Eddie, spends some time at the seaside with more people she's never met before, and writes in her diary. Portia is extremely naive, I'd even say a little on the stupid side. Her diary entries are matter-of-fact observations that expose secrets and are telling in their naivety, and inevitably cause all sorts of upset.

Elizabeth Bowen is considered one of the 20th century greats, and as a sort of literary bridge between Henry James and Virginia Woolf, and then Iris Murdoch and Anita Brookner (or any other list of mid- to late-twentieth century Brits), I really want to love her. But after this, my third Bowen, I still don't. This is chiefly because I don't feel for any of her characters. They say and do things that are just weird to me and I can't relate at all.

On the upside, when she's not writing dialogue, Bowen's writing is gorgeous. I copied out 6 pages worth of quotations into my reading journal. Death of the Heart was also full of details on day-to-day life in late 30s England that I found fascinating.

Death of the Heart is on the Times and Modern Library top 100 books of the 20th century lists, and also on the Guardian 1000 list.

Rating: Oh, who knows. The plot, characters and dialogue were 2.5, the rest of the writing a 5.

Why I Read This Now: This has been in my tbr pile for a decade, but after reading Heat of the Day in 2008, I didn't feel up to attempting Bowen again. I needed a book for my Irish literature challenge category, and since Bowen is Anglo-Irish, I thought it was time to tackle this one. Since there was not one apparent Irish thing about this book, I'll count it for my mid-century modern category instead.

I have two more Bowens in my TBR -- The Last September and The House in Paris, so I'm not giving up on her yet.

Recommended for: people who like those quiet British novels where no one says what they mean.

181Cariola
Lug 8, 2016, 4:27 pm

182Nickelini
Modificato: Lug 9, 2016, 10:39 pm

Colin Firth Movies You Have Never Seen . . .

Playmaker



Warning: sex (that’s all).

From what I can tell, this 1994 clunker is considered probably the absolute worst Colin Firth film ever. This is a rewatch for me, and I think this film is actually so bad that it's good. By that I mean that I'm sure everyone involved in it is really embarrassed to have this on their resumes, and all hope no one ever watches it, but I kinda like it (all the while knowing it's a TERRIBLE movie).

It’s on YouTube with several options. Try this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61p8HFnJHD4

Firth is on record having said "It was a three-week job and it paid extremely well. I knew it would be complete rubbish and I sincerely hope no one ever sees it." He says he did it because his son Will was in LA at the time and so wanted to be close to him. He also said “If I want to buy a house, or am about to go bankrupt, and someone comes along with a hefty pay cheque for a ridiculous job, I'd do it. I've made a couple of pieces of crap, although when one is working one takes it seriously. It’s embarrassing appearing in rubbish, so you con yourself it's worthwhile, even though the third eye knows full well it isn't. But I do have a child to support.” (See previous posts about sell-out actors, except this was before he was successful enough to sell-out).

Here is the synopsis from IMDb (warning: sort of spoilerish, in case you plan to pop over to YouTube and watch this one): talented young actress seeks the professional help of an acting coach. But he seems quite odd, and she finds files of other pupils murdered by him. As he tries to kill her to, she shoots him. As the police arrive at the scene a different corpse is lying dead on the ground, which seems to be the real teacher. As she fell in some sort of love with the false teacher, she tries to find him, and discovers that he was just an actor like herself, and that she is just a puppet on a string in a perverse and bizarre story...

(END of possible spoilers)

An actress named Jennifer Rubin plays the female lead. I've never seen her in anything else, although it appears she has an acting career. I thought she was a truly terrible actress. Which is funny because she's supposed to be playing a terrible actress, but no--she's actually terrible.



The filming location was interesting—a house in the hills north of Los Angeles. I know this area fairly well, and I liked how they filmed during the inevitable part of the day when SoCal is not sunny because of the marine layer. In this movie, the house is a California version of a gothic mansion, and in real life was the 1970s home of musicians Captain & Tennille.



This film has a few sexy scenes that Firth fans will enjoy (see previous posts about “Filthy Firth”).
First, we get this almost male-frontal-nudity shot of Firth:



This is also the opening 30 seconds of the YouTube video “Fifty Shades of ....Firth” (Note: this video of Firth sex scenes doesn’t play on my iPhone, so if you have trouble viewing, try another device):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyVJ3oTLBWk&list=FLWd7UeV-rb5aAUSlHJADNJA&am...

There’s also a scene in Playmaker where she lies on a grand piano, and Firth uses scissors to cut off her dress and underwear. You can see this in the above video at 2:00. {Their sex-in-the-shower scene ends the video, but all that glass block is just too 80s for me.).

Finally, there’s a scene where she coerces him to give her oral sex. I guess the maker of the above video didn’t deem it worthy but it made me laugh.

Yeah, so I can see why he’s embarrassed about this film. But sometimes it’s fun to watch a crap movie. Watch it and tell me what you think. And if this isn't the worst Colin Firth movie, what is? (Let me tell you, I'd rather watch this then several others of his. Ah-hem, Mama Mia!. Ah-hem, Kingsman. Ah-hem, others).

183Cariola
Lug 10, 2016, 10:50 am

>182 Nickelini: That sounds truly dreadful! Which doesn't mean I won't take a peek . . .

184Jackie_K
Lug 10, 2016, 10:58 am

>182 Nickelini: Oh how could you possibly say that about Mamma Mia? Although I must admit I did find it a bit distressing in that film that Mr Darcy appeared to have morphed into David Cameron... I saw the film in a cinema in Glasgow, and the entire audience was crying with laughter all the way through (but especially when Pierce Brosnan started 'singing'). What a brilliant night out that was!

185Nickelini
Modificato: Lug 10, 2016, 12:40 pm

>184 Jackie_K: David Cameron! That's hilarious. Your experience does sound like a lot of fun. However, sitting alone on my sofa, it's clear that Mama Mia! is a truly atrocious film. The premise is preposterous, and they entire thing is cringe inducing. "Manic" isn't something I normally like in a movie. The film critic for the LA Times said "A sage once advised being wary of movies in which the people on screen are having more fun than the people in the audience. Mamma mia, was that good advice." I couldn't have said it better myself. It sure looks like they had fun making it though.

Off to see if there is a Colin Firth movie that I like even less . . .

186LibraryCin
Lug 10, 2016, 2:13 pm

Oh, I love Mamma Mia! Mostly, though, that's just for the songs. :-)

187Cariola
Lug 10, 2016, 5:46 pm

Not Colin Firth, but speaking of Mamma Mia . . . Have you seen that really really bad one with Meryl Streep, 'Niki and the Flash'? Somehow I knew that Meryl as an aging rocker with semi-dreadlocks was going to be awful. It was.

188Nickelini
Lug 10, 2016, 6:38 pm

>187 Cariola: Never heard of it, so I found a trailer on YouTube. Hmmmm.

189Nickelini
Lug 12, 2016, 3:12 am

Apologies to all the fans of Mama Mia!

It is indeed atrocious, but Colin Firth movies that are definitely worse include (but are not limited to): Arthur Newman (with Emma Blunt), Gambit (with the wonderful Alan Rickman and the horrid Cameron Diaz), and the really, really, truly awful The Accidental Husband with Uma Thurman. I mean, what sort of romantic comedy has the main star leaving Colin Firth for some . . . . hideous nobody.

Yes, those were all worse than Mama Mia!

190LibraryCin
Lug 12, 2016, 8:44 pm

haha! No worries!

191VivienneR
Lug 14, 2016, 3:23 pm

>187 Cariola: I have to admit it: I saw "Ricki and the Flash" with a friend who loved it (it was her choice). There is not much more that can be said about it other than awful - and I was sorry to have wasted money on the ticket.

192Cariola
Lug 14, 2016, 6:58 pm

>191 VivienneR: I watched about 40 minutes; that was all I could take. Fortunately it was on my DVR, so I just hit Delete.

193LittleTaiko
Lug 15, 2016, 9:45 pm

>182 Nickelini: - Oh, that just sounds really bad. I'm in agreement about Mama Mia being bad, but I don't remember Firth being too horrible. Maybe I was just blinded by the horror of Pierce Brosnon. Loved him as James Bond, but singing is not his thing.

194Jackie_K
Lug 16, 2016, 7:58 am

>193 LittleTaiko: to be fair, I did read an interview with Brosnan when Mamma Mia came out and he admitted to being utterly terrified by the prospect of singing. It certainly showed.

195Nickelini
Modificato: Ago 10, 2016, 12:42 pm

When I made my Irish category, this isn't really what I had in mind to read. However, Maggie O'Farrell was born in N. Ireland, the family in this book is definitely Irish, and the last chunk of the book is set in Connemara, so it fits.

Instructions for a Heatwave, Maggie O'Farrell, 2013


Cover comments: completely uninspired ("How about we use an image of a woman, but she's not facing the reader. No one has thought of that before."). Also, some incompetent photoshopping makes the body look not-human.

Comments: During the 1976 heatwave in London, Gretta's husband goes out for a newspaper and doesn't return. She discovers he's taken money and his passport. She calls her three adult children home. Lots of dysfunction. They end up following their father back to his home in Ireland.

Initially I had trouble focusing on this because the narrative would suddenly shift to a character's memories. Once everyone was introduced and their backstories all told, the novel settled down and I enjoyed it more.

Rating: Slightly better than average. 3.5 stars.

Why I Read This Now: A while ago I read Maggie O'Farrell's The Vanishing of Esme Lennox, which I loved, so I wanted to read more by this author.

Recommended for: people who like stories about family dynamics.

196Cariola
Ago 9, 2016, 8:57 pm

>195 Nickelini: That's kind of how I felt about this one.

197Nickelini
Ago 9, 2016, 9:45 pm

>196 Cariola: That doesn't surprise me because mostly you and I have the same fabulous taste in books.

198Nickelini
Ago 10, 2016, 7:05 pm

Here's a little bookish Firth to get us through the week.

199Cariola
Ago 11, 2016, 2:10 pm

That first sentence doesn't make much sense to me, but I like the rest.

200Nickelini
Ago 11, 2016, 2:15 pm

>199 Cariola: If I remember right, this is from a longer piece in the Economist's Intelligent Life (2009) where Firth was talking about how he didn't just like to read books, but got energy from being surrounded by books themselves. I've long tossed the magazine out so I can't confirm.

But you're right. Out of context it doesn't sound very literate.

201mstrust
Ago 11, 2016, 2:44 pm

It's a nice picture of him though.

202Nickelini
Ago 11, 2016, 2:55 pm

203DeltaQueen50
Ago 11, 2016, 9:27 pm

I think Colin Firth is one of those men who have improved with age!

204rabbitprincess
Ago 11, 2016, 9:36 pm

205Nickelini
Ago 12, 2016, 1:48 am

I'm sorry, as much as I'm a CF fan, I don't agree that he's aging well. The picture, above, is probably 7 years old, and he was looking great. But he's really aged the last few years and is looking jowly. He's looking way too thin. Google Colin Firth Cannes 2016. I also don't like the dark heavy glasses that he likes to wear. They were fine in a Single Man, but now it's time for them to go. Just my opinion.

CF is three years older than I am, and I, of course, still look youthful and spry. And I still fit into my wedding dress. Okay, the truth is, age happens to all of us. But Jane Fonda has had some fabulous plastic surgery.

206Cariola
Ago 12, 2016, 10:15 am

>205 Nickelini: I have to agree with you on this. He probably looked better in his late 30s/40s than when younger, but I think he has been going downhill ever since 'Love, Actually.'

207LittleTaiko
Ago 13, 2016, 9:15 pm

Have you seen the ads for the latest Bridget Jones movie? This has to be one of his paycheck movies.

208Nickelini
Ago 14, 2016, 2:13 pm

>207 LittleTaiko: It looks terrible, but I'm going to go see it anyway.

209LittleTaiko
Ago 14, 2016, 8:29 pm

>208 Nickelini: Can't wait to hear your thoughts. Maybe it will surprise.

210DeltaQueen50
Ago 14, 2016, 11:13 pm

Yes, I guess I was thinking of Colin Firth about 10 years ago. Mature and lovely looking then but now he is showing his age but I can't point my finger at him - I doubt if I could fit into my wedding dress, I haven't had any plastic surgery and I probably look every one of my well-lived years!

211Nickelini
Modificato: Ago 22, 2016, 1:48 pm

Even though this is technically a non-fiction book, anyone reading the text of the vignettes would see why I might include this in Short Stories / Steve

Atlas of Remote Islands: Fifty Islands I have Never Set Foot On and Never Will, Judith Schalansky, translator Chirstine Lo, 2009


Cover comments: Not amazing, but just fine for a book such as this.

Rating: The book isn't perfect, but I enjoyed it so much that I'm giving it 5 stars.

Comments: Growing up in East Germany, author Judith Schalansky dreamed of travelling to all the places she found in atlases and knew she'd never be allowed to see. The world has changed, but she still loves maps and armchair travel.

Each of the fifty islands gets a two-page spread in this book. The right side is a map of the island, and the left side includes some facts: Name, location, country, size, number of residents or inhabitants, distance from other places (often equally obscure), and a timeline of a few events since the island was discovered. The rest of the page is a vignette describing some aspect or event related to the island. This little story does not necessarily tell the reader much, and is definitely not a travel guide. The islands are grouped by ocean.

I found many of the little stories captivating, even when it told me nothing about the island itself. They often raised more questions than they answered. But what a great resource for fiction writers -- I got so many story ideas.

Every since I spent the summer of my eighth year reading our new encyclopedia set, I've been hooked on maps and learning about strange far-off places. Remote areas such as Patagonia, Tibet and Labrador. And islands in particular have always been a favourite -- Baffin Island, Capri, Sri Lanka, Kauai, Chincoteague, the Maldives, the Channel Islands and the Shetland Islands, Reunion, Seychelles, and Mauritius, New Guinea, Iceland, Bora Bora, Paau, Tasmania, St Pierre et Miquelon, Svalbard . . . I could go on (I've actually made it to three of those).

I bought this book expecting to have a number of these included, but I was wrong. Of the fifty islands in the Atlas of Remote Islands, I had only heard of St Kilda, Ascension, St Helena, Diego Garcia, Christmas Island, Norfolk, Easter Island, Pitcairn Island, and Iwo Jima. That leaves 41 new-to-me islands. My status as a geography geek is in peril.

And now I have a new list of islands to add to my travel bucket list: Number one is South Keeling or Cocos Island, followed by Robinson Crusoe, and Tristan da Cunha. Many of the islands I never want to visit, even in my worst nightmare.

South Keeling:


Robinson Crusoe Island:


Tristan da Cunha:


In conclusion, even though I had to go to the internet to look up what photos of the island and other relevant information, this book was just too much fun.

Recommended for: mapheads and geography geeks like me. As a child, I was fascinated by the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, with their tales of strange islands, and in high school, I was mesmerized by the voyages of discovery (particularly Magellan, for some reason). Obscure places have always intrigued me. It appears Schalansky had me in mind when she wrote this book.

Why I Read This Now: it's been at the top of Mnt TBR for years.

212VictoriaPL
Ago 22, 2016, 1:52 pm

>211 Nickelini: Sounds wonderful!!

213thornton37814
Ago 23, 2016, 1:39 pm

>211 Nickelini: I'd say it's a book bullet, but it's already on my list, I believe!

214-Eva-
Ago 30, 2016, 1:55 pm

>211 Nickelini:
I gave that to my mum on her birthday a couple of years back and meant to read it myself, but I forgot. Thanks for the reminder!!

215Cariola
Modificato: Ago 31, 2016, 3:45 pm

The Folger Shakespeare Library has a new temporary exhibition titled, "Shakespeare, Austen, and the Cult of Celebrity. One of the featured items is your Darcy's famous shirt. You can read more about the exhibition here. As the photo caption notes, "Colin Firth is not included in this display." I also loved the comment that the image of Darcy coming out of the water "made English majors of high school girls the world over."

216Nickelini
Ago 31, 2016, 10:07 pm

217Nickelini
Modificato: Set 1, 2016, 12:30 pm

A Circle of Friends / Irish Books

In the Woods, Tana French, 2007


Cover comments: oh my, this is truly dreadful. We're talking a wood in Ireland, with strange goings on and at least one murder, maybe more. So much artistic inspiration, and I'd expect something even vaguely artistic. Instead we get this. Awful, lazy, wrong on every single level. Blech. BTW: that smudge between the author's name and the smaller book title is a strand of trees, if you squint and look carefully. Because "woods." This book designer needs to find another line of work.

Comments: Award-winning Irish mystery writer Tana French's first book, In the Woods combines the story of a recent murder of a 12 year old ballerina, found in the woods next to some homes outside of Dublin, with the story of the detective who works the case and who just happens to be the survivor of a mystery, set in the same woods when he was 12 and his two best friends disappeared.

My comments on this book will be even more disjointed than usual because I have mixed feelings about this one. I think I'll use bullet form.

What I liked:

- Very readable, distinct characters that make the reader care, colourful writing, interesting story. Only one line (and there will be more lines of negative), but all of these are really important.

What I didn't like:

- I figured out who the culprit of one murder was early on, although I had no idea how the murder was done, or more importantly, why.

- At just under 600 pages, this novel was WAY too long. I like a nice, tight 150 - 250 page book, and although I realize some stories need more, this one was easily 200 pages over it's allowance.

- ETA: I love a story set in a forest. So much potential for a mysterious, even creepy mood. There was none of this in this book -- a book with a title that pretty much promises me that mood. The whole thing could have been set in a field for all the atmosphere she failed to include.

And some spoiler comments:

About the protagonist: He turns into a complete jerk 2/3 of the way through and never adequately explains why.

About the ending: Two things. First, that the criminal doesn't really get what is deserved is unsatisfying in a crime novel. If you want to write bad guys getting away with stuff, then make it more literary and less mystery novel. Second, the older mystery about the missing kids is never solved. Why even bring that in to it? Huge disappointment

Why I Read This Now: Last year I read Tana French's Broken Harbour and I was really impressed. I wanted to read more by this author. And before that I'd read In the Forest, by Edna O'Brien, which was a murder mystery set in a forest in Ireland. When I posted my comments on LT, several people suggested this book.

Rating: Readable and interesting, but flawed. Her later book Broken Harbour is much better, so I will continue to read this author. In the Woods is a first novel, and I believe she gets better.

Recommended for: Tana French is wildly popular, so I guess a wide audience. From what I can tell, although she writes a series, the books seem to stand-alone. Perhaps this isn't the best one to start with.

218LibraryCin
Set 1, 2016, 10:36 pm

>217 Nickelini: Awww, I really liked this one. I think it made my favourites list the year I read it. I thought the ending was realistic.

219Nickelini
Modificato: Set 1, 2016, 11:11 pm

A Single Man / Mid-century novels

The Fifth Child, Doris Lessing, 1988


Cover comments: Okay but sort of boring.

Comments: Oh my. I read this book cover-to-cover two days ago, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Yes, it's only 133 pages, and told in as a linear timeline with fairly straight forward language. But Lessing is subtle and clever and The Fifth Child sneaks up and clobbers you. Which is exactly what the actual fifth child would do. But I'm ahead of myself.

In mid-60s London, David and Harriet meet at an office party. They hit it off because they aren't like anyone else and share similar goals. Namely, to buy a comfortable big house and fill it with loads of children. Eight or ten, at least. The swinging sixties and mod London are not for them. The enormous Victorian house they buy is two hours north of London, which makes for a very long commute for David, and even at that distance, it's beyond their budget, especially when Harriet immediately gets pregnant and quits work. In a few years they have four lovely children--two boys and two girls. And every holiday their huge house fills up with extended family. So much fun, such a perfect family. Except David is exhausted from working to support all these people, and Harriet is exhausted from being pregnant and breast feeding and chasing toddlers all day. All the extended family and friends who come to stay tell them they've taken on too much and to slow down, but David and Harriet stubbornly plug their ears and say "this is what we want to do!"

Except they really can't afford it, and even though David is disgusted by his upper class upbringing, he asks his father to pay their mortgage. And they can't physically handle it either -- Harriet's mother sacrifices her retirement to move in and become an unpaid full time nanny (even though she has other children and grandchildren). But David and Harriet think it's exactly what they want, and don't seem to grasp that they aren't actually accomplishing it. (David and Harriet frustrated me!)

Then. Then Harriet gets pregnant a fifth time. From the beginning the pregnancy is significantly worse than her previous uncomfortable pregnancies. At eight months, she gives birth to an eleven pound baby, Ben, and he's extremely ugly. And strong, and very unhappy. They call him goblin and gargoyle. Things go very badly. The happy house guests disappear. Pets die. His siblings lock their doors at night. For a while, Ben is institutionalized. Against everyone's wishes, Harriet brings him back home. Things get even worse. Everyone blames Harriet. From a very young age, Ben spends a lot of time with neighbourhood delinquents, because they all get along and it gives the family breathing space. Doctors and teachers are useless in giving the family guidance. I don't want to give much more away, but the story progresses and then ends when Ben is 15 and basically is running wild with thugs. After reading The Fifth Child, I learned that there is a sequel, Ben, in the World, which I've already ordered and plan to read when it arrives.

There is so much subtext in this novel that I can't even begin to go into it here. In some ways, the book is similar to We Need to Talk About Kevin and in others it's more like Rosemary's Baby.

The only other Doris Lessing I've read is The Grass is Singing, which was very different but similar in length and also in being a deceivingly simple story that packs a wallop.

Rating: when I read it, I thought 3.5 stars, but the more I think about it and read commentary on it (and reader reviews), and think some more, I think it's more like 4.5 stars.

Why I Read This Now: I was researching "best short novels" for my book club, and this was highly recommended. Since I owned it, I thought I'd preview it before we meet to decide on our books for the next year. There is a lot of discussion material in the Fifth Child, despite its short length. Which to me is a sign of a talented author.

Recommended for: Well, not everyone. Some people will give it a straight read, and miss all the subtleties, and then just say they don't like the story or characters. I've read a lot of reader reviews today, and there are some great comments in the one-star reviews, but a lot of those reviewers are also missing what's important in the book. It's definitely controversial work. People who like to pull apart what an author is doing, and don't mind some horrific things in their nice middle class English novel, will probably appreciate the Fifth Child.

220Nickelini
Set 1, 2016, 11:05 pm

>218 LibraryCin:
I liked it too, but it's flawed. The things I liked, I really did like, but I had to point out the problems I had with it. And very few novels should be 600 pages long.

You're right that the ending was probably quite realistic.

221DeltaQueen50
Set 2, 2016, 2:57 pm

>219 Nickelini: Wow, I've taken a BB for The Fifth Child, that sounds like a lot of story is packed into those 133 pages!

222Nickelini
Set 2, 2016, 3:20 pm

>221 DeltaQueen50: I hope you read it. I look forward to your comments.

223DeltaQueen50
Set 2, 2016, 11:43 pm

Joyce, I just put in an book order that includes The Fifth Child which I should receive by the end of the month so I am hoping to read it either in October or November.

224Nickelini
Set 6, 2016, 3:04 pm

>223 DeltaQueen50: Hope you find it interesting!

In other news, there are currently 10 professional critic reviews for Bridget Jones's Baby on Rotten Tomatoes, and so far it's getting a 100% fresh rating. I will be seeing this sometime opening weekend.

225Nickelini
Set 6, 2016, 10:35 pm

Further to our earlier conversation about Colin Firth's current looks, and also the new film:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/sep/05/bridget-joness-baby-review-reborn-r...

"Sadly, Hugh Grant’s über-cad Daniel Cleaver is no longer with us, but Colin Firth’s uptight Darcy is still a droll turn - he seems to be channelling his royal hauteur as George VI even more than ever, still super handsome and distinguished, but his head and neck slightly etiolated, like a very posh tortoise. "

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

226Cariola
Set 7, 2016, 1:39 am

227Nickelini
Modificato: Set 7, 2016, 12:51 pm

And now for another instalment of Colin Firth Movies You've Never Seen:



Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and before you say anything, no, Colin Firth wasn't even in this. But Jane Austen. And I feel like talking about it.

In the mid-1700s a horrible disease arrives in England from France (of course) and many are turned into Zombies. There is the Great Battle of Kent, and although there are still zombies, the aristocracy seems to have recovered a life for themselves and live in their protected estates. Everyone is trained as a zombie fighting ninja, including the daughters.

Basically it's the same story as P&P but with zombie fighting scenes in between. All the Bennet sisters are kickass warriors. Colonel Darcy is a particularly gifted and successful zombie fighter. I like the way he detected zombies (they weren't always obvious) with his bottle of carrion flies. My favourite scene was his first proposal. This time, when he offends Elizabeth, she attacks him and they have a Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon fight, which looks ridiculous now that I type it but I found it entertaining at the time.

Overall, I liked the casting. Lily James (Cinderella, Downton Abbey) was a fine Elizabeth Bennet. Lady Catherine de Bourgh is refreshingly played by a 40 year old (Lena Headey) and is a zombie fighting master, Perhaps my favourite was Mr Collins, played by Matt Smith, who appeared to be so in the closet he didn't realize it himself. The only disappointment was Sam Riley's Darcy -- not handsome or snooty enough to tempt me. And as my friend's 13 year old daughter kept saying "he has terrible hair!"

We had been planning to see this with friends since it came out, but it was only in theatres for 5 minutes, and it took this long to get to it. My husband is a zombie aficionado, and my friend Elizabeth is a huge P&P fan. We all expected it to be really bad -- after all, the critics hated it and viewers did too -- and thought maybe it would be so bad that it was good, so we were all surprised when we actually liked it. Apparently it's not horror enough for horror fans, and not anything else enough for others, but we disagreed. I found it a bit campy and just lots of fun, but maybe that's what going in with crushingly low expectations will do. Or maybe I just have terrible taste in movies.

Anyway, I plan to buy the DVD when it's released.

ETA: people who say "Jane Austen will be rolling in her grave" should skip this. Lord save me from those Jane Austen grave rollers.

228Jackie_K
Set 7, 2016, 1:32 pm

>227 Nickelini: I have the book half-read, I found it pretty underwhelming. But I bet it would work better as a silly film. I'm quite tempted after this review to look the film up!

229Nickelini
Set 7, 2016, 2:55 pm

>228 Jackie_K: It's not long, so not much of a time investment. What do you have to lose?

230DeltaQueen50
Set 7, 2016, 3:11 pm

>227 Nickelini: I have read the graphic novel version of "P&P&Zombies" and enjoyed it for what it was. I love Pride and Prejudice and I love zombies so this movie will definitely be watched at some point.

231Nickelini
Set 18, 2016, 12:45 am

On alert, Firthies! I have my tix to see Bridget Jones's Baby, tomorrow (15.5 hours from now). Review to follow. With hidden spoilers.

232Nickelini
Modificato: Set 18, 2016, 10:50 pm


Bridget Jones's Baby

My husband and I caught the early matinee of this today, and overall we enjoyed it. It's not going to go down on any lists of best movies of the 21st century or anything, but it was a fun afternoon.

Bridget is now 43, settled at her ideal weight, is now a producer on a TV news show, and is several years out from a 10-year relationship with True Love Mark Darcy. He was just too involved with his work saving the world, apparently. She meets him briefly at an event and he introduces her to his wife, Camilla. He still has a carrot crammed up his butt.

Her friends are all settled down and raising kids, so although she sees them when she can, she's also made some 30-something friends. One of them tricks her to going to a music festival, where she meets and has an amazing night of sex with Dr McDreamy Jack Qwanty, played by Patrick Dempsey. A week later, she sees Mark Darcy again at a christening, Mark tells her he's getting a divorce and his wife has moved out of the country, and they end up having an amazing night of sex. But she decides that Mark and her hadn't worked out after all those years, and so tells him she isn't interested.

As we all know from the trailers, she finds out she's pregnant. Eventually, Mark and Jack both learn that they are maybe fathers-to-be, and both very much want Bridget and the baby.

Highlights:
- seeing all these much-loved characters again (her friends Shazzer, Jude & Tom, and her parents, along with the leads of course);
- Bridget has grown up! She's not doing ridiculous things at every turn. Even though I mostly like her, there was no way I thought that Darcy would ever have anything to do with her, and now I can finally see the two of them together. She's not nearly as cringe-worthy as she was in either of the other two movies (BTW I consider The Edge of Reason pretty unwatchable).
- my very favourite thing about Bridget Jones's Baby: Emma Thompson as Bridget's OB-GYN. She was also one of the writers, and wrote herself so many great lines. I have a huge girl crush on the fabulous Ms Thompson that struck new levels today.

Famously, Hugh Grant declined to be part of the movie. Personally, I'm glad. To have that love triangle continue to a new decade would be insulting to viewers and the characters, I think. This is what happened to his character: In the first main scene, Bridget and her friends attend the memorial service for Daniel Clever. This is where Bridget first reconnects with Mark Darcy. Funnily. Also, half the funeral attendees are eastern European models. AND the last scene of the movie shows a newspaper reporting that after all this time, he has been found alive after an air crash in the bush. Meaning Hugh Grant is all clear to return in Bridget Jones 4.

So, who is the father? Does Bridget end up with either man, or go it alone? I have to say, they make a pretty good case, either way. I, of course, was cheering for Darcy, no matter what. My husband thought she needed to move on and I have to agree that Jack McDreamy was not only pretty damn perfect, but rather likeable. Common sense says she ends up with Jack. As does my Grey's Anatomy fan daughter, who hasn't seen the film and also thinks Colin Firth is OLD (in the tone of voice that says being OLD is a sin.) And he is old. I hear that they filmed several different endings and audience tested them.

Just as an aside: although they obviously have conflicts, at the heart of it, Mark and Jack like and respect each other. It's the contest of two nice guys. (Oh, and they're both very, very rich. Such a fairy tale.)

So . . . .the answers? Actually, I don't think we see who the father really is, but it sort of doesn't matter. The movie ends a year later, at Darcy & Bridget's wedding. Baby William is about a year old, and Jack is a close family friend. I saw an interview with Colin Firth where he seems to think Darcy was the father. And his character does say "my son." We do know a DNA test was done, but we don't see the results. But the toddler, who doesn't speak lines or act in anyway, so could be any one year old, has blue eyes, and is held by Jack at the wedding (Dempsey and Zellweger have blue eyes, Firth has brown. Genetics.). Mark Darcy had said that he would happily raise the child no matter the DNA result. So although I see them appealing to the straight-on Darcy result, I think they've left is vague enough, and personally, I think Bridget ended up with Darcy as a husband and Jack as the biological father.

The first Bridget Jones movie is my go-to movie when life gets bad, so I'm happy to see this.

233LittleTaiko
Set 24, 2016, 5:37 pm

Thanks for the recap! When I was on vacation, I ended up catching the last half of the first movie. I had forgotten how fun it was. Then I made the mistake of starting to watch the second one. That ended pretty quickly. Glad that this one was an improvement.

234Nickelini
Modificato: Ott 30, 2016, 11:32 pm

Wow, I haven't entered a category book in over a month. I didn't read much in September, and what I did read didn't fit. Not sure how I'll do in October either because I'm doing the Great Halloween Read at the 75 Books group. So I'll make it a little one month category. Here are the details:



1. Dusty Tomes: The Classics
2. Arcane Languages: Foreign Language/Translations - I'm Not Scared, Niccolo Ammaniti
3. Creature Feature: Monsters -- see 10, below
4. Graphic Violence: Graphic Novels/Comics - Not graphic or comic, but an illustrated novel, which I prefer over the previous two choices: A Monster Calls, Patrick Ness
5. Trick-or-Treating with the Kids: YA and Children's Books -- see 10, below
6. Psycho Killers: Serial Killers and Murder Mysteries
7. Screams of Laughter: Comedies
8. True Tales of Horror: Non-Fiction -- Vampires and Monstrous Creatures, Julius Pemberton-Smythe
9. Creepy Houses with Mad Women in the Attic: Gothic Novels --Northanger Abbey, Val McDermid
10. Two-for-One Sale: Fits Another Group Read/Challenge: A Monster Calls fits numbers 2, 3, and 5, above

For more info, hop on your broomstick and head over to: https://www.librarything.com/topic/233071

235Nickelini
Ott 6, 2016, 4:28 pm

But Can I Start a Sentence with "But"?: Advice from the Chicago Style Q&A, The University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff, 2016


Cover comments: bright and lively, just like the text within (but then this book is made by the gurus of publishing, so I'd expect no less)

Rating: 4.5 stars. When I learned that this book existed back in August, I thought "oh I need to read this!" and ordered it immediately.

Comments: “A wonderful blend of substance and snark—both a useful reference and a fun (yes, fun) read." says Grammar Girl, of grammargirl.com.

Twenty years ago when I became a technical, and then quickly, a corporate writer, I met online a group of several hundred copyeditors, and over the years I've stayed in touch with many of them. We used to use a ListServ, but now I chat business with them on Facebook. This diverse group comes from all over the globe, and I've never met a group of people that I've learned more from -- they're not only highly intelligent (and for the most part, highly educated), but they have great critical thinking skills and a dogged sense of fairness, and for the most part, a wicked, wicked sense of humour.

So it was no surprise to me that But Can I Start a Sentence with "But"? is all of those things.

The books draws from the Q&A at the Chicago Manual of Style website (If you're not familiar with The Chicago Manual of Style, and really, why would you be? It is the end-all and be-all of grammar and formatting questions for North America. The UK has several books addressing the same issues--Oxford and Cambridge presses both publish versions--but none as definitive and revered as the CMS). This is a collection of various questions from their Q&A section. There are a few stupid questions -- which all get a humorously irreverent response, but for the most part the questions are from people who know their stuff, and can't find the answer in CMS. Some of my favourites:

Q: Is there a period after an abbreviation of a country if it is terminating a sentence? "I went to the U.K.."

A: Seriously, have you ever seen two periods in a row like that in print? If we told you to put two periods, would you do it? Would you set your hair on fire if CMOS said you should?

Q: I often have to edit sentences with dangling modifiers--for example, "As a valued supporter, I am pleased to invite you . . . " -- (snip technical details) -- That is, until today I received feedback from a higher up that said it had to be changed -- (snip more technical stuff) -- Now I'm really confused! Is that a legitimate critique? Should I just rework the entire sentence?

A: Although the higher-up botched the grammar critique . . . it's clear that your editing was rejected, so yes, you need to try again. For instance --(snip technical answer)-- If your higher-up just can't part with the opening phrase, explain that you would be happy to reword but can't think of a more efficient way to eliminate the dangling modifier. Using the term "dangling modifier" is often enough to frighten someone who doesn't know grammar into complying.

(I have to say that throwing out grammatical terms in this situation has worked for me in the past when others have balked at my edits)

Q: I need help on how it would be easier to make a bibliography easier.

A: You could keep it short. You could find the references online and copy and paste them in so you don't have to type them. You could buy some software that helps format bibliographies. You could ask your mom to do it.

Okay, two of those were pretty snarky. Really, there are good answers to the questions from non-twits, which is most of the 108 pg book.

Recommended for: Obviously a specialized audience, but anyone who cares about writing and presenting information correctly, I think. If you're not detail oriented, the existence of this book will utterly baffle you.

Why I Read This Now: This is the sort of thing that tempts me.

NOTE 1: Please don't judge the content, grammar, or any other technical detail of this post. I am in a rush, and simultaneously cooking dinner.

NOTE 2: If you want the short version, here you go: consistency is important, but even more important is communicating as clearly as possible to your reader. Always.

236rabbitprincess
Ott 6, 2016, 6:07 pm

>235 Nickelini: Thank you for reviewing this! It looked excellent and I am glad to hear that it lives up to that impression.

237Nickelini
Ott 17, 2016, 9:04 pm

I haven't read books lately that fit any of my categories, so instead I'll bring you a Colin Firth movie you've never seen. At least I hope you haven't seen this, because it's so dreadful.



The Accidental Husband, 2008



Uma Thurman plays a psychologist with a radio show where she gives practical advice on love and dating. She is engaged to her publisher, played by Colin Firth, and although we don't really get to know the character, he is the obvious good-guy in the movie.

After encouraging a caller to cancel her wedding, the NYC firefighter fiance seeks revenge against Uma Thurman. Lucky for him, his teenage neighbour knows how to hack into the wedding license website and suddenly Uma's radio therapist and the firefighter (played by some guy called Jeffrey Dean Morgan) are married, although they've never met. When Uma & Firth can't get a marriage license, she goes to Queens (Brooklyn? Bronx? I can't remember) to get the fireman to sign the annulment papers. Yep, cause that's how the problem would be solved in any real world.

One improbable event follows the next. The firefighter is a classless, rude boor. Uma is a ridiculously dumb nitwit. Colin Firth phones in his performance.

It's a Rom-Com, but because there are no sparks, there is no romance (actually, there isn't actually any attempt at romance). So, nothing romantic, PLUS no chemistry. And the jokes weren't funny. I didn't even consider laughing. And really, the crux of it is -- who would break up with Colin Firth to marry a vulgarian?

The whole think was a cringe-fest. I hope they were all paid well to make up for the damage to their careers.

If you go to IMDb, there is a 2 star review written by a NYC fireman who gives a long list of firehall-related atrocities. This rather amused me.

Worst Firth movie ever? As with every bad movie he's in, he's the best thing in it. This is definitely one of his top 5 stinkers.

238VivienneR
Ott 18, 2016, 3:28 am

>237 Nickelini: Great review! Thanks for taking one for the team.

239mathgirl40
Ott 19, 2016, 8:19 pm

>237 Nickelini: Thanks for the warning. I don't think I've watched a dreadful Colin Firth movie yet, and I'm not really eager to do so. :)

240sturlington
Ott 20, 2016, 8:52 am

>235 Nickelini: Immediately put this book on my Christmas list! Thanks for the review.

241Nickelini
Ott 24, 2016, 5:14 pm

One for my Halloween challenge, and also my Jane Austen categoty.

Northanger Abbey, Val McDermid, 2014


Cover comments: excellent cover. Love the typeface, love the silhouetted house with the modern day appendages. The cover also feels nice, and the pages flip and open pleasingly.

Comments: This book was great fun to read and I was always happy to pick it up and settle down with it. This rewrite of the Jane Austen novel with the same name is part of the Austen project retellings of her novels.

In this Northanger Abbey, Catherine Morland, now called Cat, is still an extremely naive 17 year old. In this version she was home-schooled in a village in the Piddle Valley, Dorset. Instead of going to Bath with a family friend, here she is taken to the Edinburgh Festival. There she befriends the self-centred Thorpe siblings and the nicer Tilney siblings. It's been a few years since I read the Austen novel, but from what I can tell, McDermid mirrors the original closely while dragging it into the twenty-first century, complete with smartphones, Facebook and Twitter.

If I wanted to, I could really trash this novel. As someone who has a 16 year old and a 20 year old, and has spent a lot of time around teens and twenty-somethings, I can only criticize the artificiality of the dialogue. At times it tried too hard to be "cool,' but just came off wrong, and other times it was ridiculously formal, which was also wrong. Don't even get me started on the texting bits: "I'm OK> Fone ws dead b4. Looking 4ward 2 seeing u. Mist u all. C u soon. X" No one does this, let alone every character.

Cat did learn to develop a bit of a spine by the end, but her wide-eyed innocence and trust of others strained credulity. Several times she refused alcohol because she wasn't legal drinking age. Don't get me wrong -- not drinking is fine, but how about "no thank you," "I'm not interested," or "I don't feel like it." Saying "I'm not legal drinking age" when clearly no one else had a problem with bending the rule just made her look like Pollyanna Tattlepants who ran to the teacher and finked on her classmates after recess everyday.

Half way through I got a bit skeeved out when I realized that Cat often acted more like a 12 year old, and despite that was forming a mutual attraction with Henry Tilney, who was a lawyer, which I reckon makes him at least 24. Ewww. This age and maturity difference might have worked 200 years ago in Austen's day, but did not work now. Unless he was an ephebephile, what could he possibly find interesting in her?

Despite the serious flaws, I still found this entertaining and fun.

Why I Read This Now: What better time to read a book set in a Gothic mansion than the week before Halloween?

Recommended for: people who enjoy retellings even when they have faults.

Rating: 3.5 stars

242LittleTaiko
Ott 24, 2016, 6:22 pm

>237 Nickelini: - Love your review and appreciate the warning to avoid this movie at all costs.

243-Eva-
Ott 24, 2016, 11:34 pm

>232 Nickelini:
Hmm, it'll be interesting to see that one - glad to hear it's not a complete disaster (as it certainly had the potential to be). :)

>241 Nickelini:
That was unexpected - Val McDermid writes gritty mysteries and this seems very not that. :)

244Nickelini
Ott 25, 2016, 12:41 am

>243 -Eva-: Not "that"? Well, I guess she was severely restrained by the source material. I won't hold it against her.

245Nickelini
Modificato: Ott 25, 2016, 12:10 pm

This one is for my Halloween mini-challenge

Vampires and Other Monstrous Creatures, Professor Julius Pemberton-Smythe (Mary-Jane Knight), 2007


Cover comments: this is an art book as much as it's a textual resource, and the art is ghoulishly good.

Comments: Vampires and Other Monstrous Creatures purports to be a guide to identifying and protecting oneself from vampires. Tiny print on the book's front matter page tells me:

This facsimile edition has been carefully reproduced from the original volume carried by Dr Cornelius Van Helsing on his Transylvanian journey in 1907, which was discovered by Marcus de Wolff among his father Gustav's papers in 1937.

Abraham Van Helsing is of course the vampire hunter from Dracula, and there is a literary tradition of inventing Van Helsing descendants in later vampire works. Ah ha, further sleuthing shows that this is actually written by one Mary-Jane Knight. Further study also shows that this book is made for children, which is something that many a casual observer would miss -- the illustrations are horrifying and some parents would not want their kids to even see this book.

Anyhoo, the 80 page fully illustrated book is a guide to vampires in history, around the world, vampire legends, how to fend off a vampire, and then a compendium of other creatures including banshees, harpies, and zombies. Fun, interesting, entertaining.

Recommended for: great addition for school and public libraries. Eleven year olds will love it.

Rating: 4 stars

Why I Read This Now: it's been in my TBR for a number of years (picked it up free at t a book sale), and I'm doing a Halloween read here at LT

246mstrust
Ott 25, 2016, 3:04 pm

That sounds like a fun little book, and I agree, the cover is pretty scary.

247Nickelini
Ott 25, 2016, 3:22 pm

>246 mstrust: And there's much worse inside the covers . . . bwa ha ha ha ha

248Nickelini
Modificato: Ott 28, 2016, 3:04 pm

Halloween challenge, Foreign Language category. Although truly horrific, I'm Not Scared isn't really a Halloween book, despite the Blair Witch reference on the front cover. But you can't know that before reading, so no reason to leave it off the list.

I'm Not Scared, Niccolo Ammaniti, trans. from Italian J. Hunt, 2001


Cover comments: depicts the feeling of the book.

Comments: I struggle to describe this 225 book without giving anything away, so I'm going to be a little vague here:

In the heatwave of 1978, 9 year old Michele discovers some chilling secrets while playing with his friends in rural Italy. The reader follows his transformation from innocence to horrible realism.

I didn't take to the novel at first. I found the atmosphere stifling and didn't like any of the characters. But by page 70 I was gripped by this unusual story. For most of the book, I had no idea what would happen next.

Rating: Because it got off to a slow start and then ended in a flabby manner, I'm only giving it 3.5 stars. The middle part of the book, however, was excellent.

Recommended for: Despite my middle-of-the-road rating, I actually recommend this one quite highly to most readers. I expect I will remember it for a long time.

Why I Read This Now: it's been high on my TBR list for ages. I think I should read more Italian literature, since my husband and daughters have Italian citizenship.

249Nickelini
Ott 30, 2016, 11:29 pm

Last one for my Halloween challenge:

A Monster Calls, Patrick Ness, 2011


cover comments: amazingly wonderful

Comments: A Monster Calls is the winner of important awards for both the writing and illustration, and it deserved all of them. Highly unusual and brilliantly executed. I don't want to say too much, because I think the less you know going in, the better. If you're worried about monsters, just remember that they are only metaphors.

Why I Read This Now: it's been high on my to-read list for years, and monsters + Halloween, and also I wanted to read it before the movie came out (movie trailer looks great, btw)

Recommended for: people with feelings

Rating: 4.5 stars



Illustrations by Jim Kay, who is currently creating the illustrated Harry Potter editions.

250-Eva-
Modificato: Nov 1, 2016, 8:04 pm

>249 Nickelini:
The illustrations do so much for the mood of that story!

251Nickelini
Nov 1, 2016, 8:32 pm

>250 -Eva-: You're right! And now yesterday my daughter and I coveted the special edition that has come out along with the upcoming film. It's very yummy. We may need it. I mean, sure, we have a copy already, but special edition!

252DeltaQueen50
Nov 1, 2016, 10:33 pm

A Monster Calls is one that I will remember. Just wanted to let you know that I have The Fifth Child on my stack and will probably be starting it this weekend.

253Nickelini
Nov 2, 2016, 5:45 pm

Here's one for Jane Austen:

Bridget Jones Mad About the Boy, Helen Fielding, 2013


cover comments: looks more ChickLit than this book really is.

Comments: In which we find Bridget Jones in her 50s, with two small children, and widowed from Mark Darcy (who died in a horrific event in the Sudan). Without Mark, Bridget is back to serious struggling again. It's been four years as a single mother, and she's lonely and missing sex.

Some fun moments, some clever moments, many dumb moments, some touching moments. In the end, it was an enjoyable and distracting read (which is what I needed), but Bridget without Mark just doesn't work for me.

Rating: B- . . . somehow I can only think in letter grades at the moment

Why I Read This Now: I actually started it last year but the idea of a dead Mark Darcy just depressed me so I put it aside. I started again because I want to read the latest Bridget Jones book and thought I should read this first.

Recommended for: Bridget Jones fans, anyone interested in the life of a 50-something woman.

And now on to Bridget Jones's Baby . . .

254Nickelini
Nov 3, 2016, 5:33 pm

Bridget Jones’s Baby, Helen Fielding, 2016


Cover comments: Interesting that they didn’t use a movie tie-in cover and I give them a nod of approval for that.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Comments: There are two types of people in the world: Bridget Jones fans and people who aren’t Bridget Jones fans. If you are in that later group, go back to what you were doing because none of what follows will mean anything to you.

If you’re still with me, I’ll go on to say that I trust you’re up on the changes that have happened in Jones’s life since the first two books and films, and therefore, I’m not going to hide anything here with spoiler tags. You’ve been warned. Okay, so . . . .

Bridget Jones’s Baby was released a month after the movie came out. I had no intention of read this because I’d seen the film, and further, film-to-book has never been a good thing in my experience. However, I saw it on sale at the grocery store and –I have no excuses—I’m weak.

And what a surprise when it turned out to be 1. Good!, and 2. Not the same story as the film! Apparently it’s based on both the film and on earlier newspaper columns by Fielding (which I hear were different again). It’s like there are multiple Bridget Jones universes.

In this version, there is no music festival with Ed Sheeran, and hence, no handsome, nice American billionaire and Dr. McDreamy. There’s just Daniel Cleever. Still. And instead of the realistic way the film had Mark and Bridget split up, this time it was Daniel Cleever ruining things for them yet again. Of course it was. Really, I find it hard to believe that Bridget hadn’t permanently kicked him to the kerb. Thank you, Hugh Grant for staying away from the third movie and forcing them to do something fresh and better. In that way I preferred the film of Bridget Jones’s Baby to this book.

But! I liked this too. Once I accepted the idea of Daniel Cleever still lurking around being his horrible self, I enjoyed his humour-while-being-a-jerk –with-Hugh-Grant’s voice. The writing in this is sharper and wittier than Mad About the Boy. MAtB was padded and bloated, but Bridget Jones’s Baby is perhaps too short (217 quick to read pages), and of course the advantage to this over the other is it’s full of Mark Darcy. And I do love me some Bridget and Mark. And all her friends, and here, her dad was especially sweet and wise. Sigh.

Recommended for: Bridget Jones fans, especially those who were upset when Helen Fielding killed off Mark Darcy in MAtB. She redeems herself just a little here.

Why I Read This Now: the ultimate comfort read.

255VivienneR
Nov 4, 2016, 1:39 am

>254 Nickelini: That was fast! Did you read that in one day?

I think I'll try the series, it sounds like a lot of fun.

256Nickelini
Nov 4, 2016, 10:26 am

>255 VivienneR: Yes, one day. You could read it in one sitting. It's just over 200 pages, but the way it's written it goes really fast.

257Nickelini
Nov 4, 2016, 4:47 pm

Colin Firth movies you've never seen:

The Turn of the Screw, 1999



In this adaptation of Henry James's long short story (novella, maybe), Firth plays the owner of the estate who hires the governess, and thus is only in the very beginning of the film. His part is probably about 3 minutes long, but it's a good 3 minutes. He positively seduces the young woman, while the whole time saying "never, ever, ever contact me or expect anything from me."

You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SFoiUWWReM

As for the rest of the film, it's stunning to look at and the acting is fine. I've always had a little trouble with the story itself -- layers and layers of questions and so much ambiguity make for a confusing tale.

258Nickelini
Nov 4, 2016, 4:58 pm

Colin Firth movies you've never seen:

Before I Go to Sleep, 2015



This tanked at the box office and probably is a lousy movie. I enjoyed the book (Before I Go To Sleep) so much though that I can fill in all the gaps and I expect that the film makes more sense to me than to someone who hasn't read the book. And even the book had some serious logic flaws, so . . . I guess it's bad but I like it. And it's really a Nicole Kidman film. Her acting is very good and she takes up about 95% (maybe 100%) of the screen time.

I recommend the book and if you like it, see the film and come back and let me know what you think.


259sturlington
Nov 4, 2016, 10:09 pm

>258 Nickelini: I watched the movie and based on that, decided not to read the book. Should I give it a go?

260Nickelini
Modificato: Nov 4, 2016, 11:52 pm

>259 sturlington: Oh, that's a hard call, seeing I did it the opposite direction. If you think you might like it, I say go for it. I had a lot of fun reading the book -- it's not the usual read for me and the change was enjoyable. And I knew that the movie with Firth and Kidman was in production when I read it, so I just pictured them in my head. If you don't get wrapped up in the book as you read it, you can see the flaws (I usually mock amnesia storylines myself), and then you won't like the book. But if you can suspend disbelief . . .

It's a thriller, and having seen the movie you'll know who the culprit is, although the book sort of gives it away early and you're just wondering the HOW and WHY.

Hope that helps.

261DeltaQueen50
Nov 8, 2016, 2:41 pm

I owe you a huge thank you for introducing me to The Fifth Child, this was a chilling, dark story but I absolutely gobbled it up and now I can't wait to read more by this author! So much is packed into such a short story that I found it very difficult to fully express my thoughts. The parents did indeed, frustrate me with their blindness about money and who was really footing the bill for the utopia they were trying to create but of course, the real impact of the story was Ben. I don't know if I will ever really want to read the sequel Ben, in the World as I'm not sure I want to know what happens next.

262Nickelini
Nov 8, 2016, 2:58 pm

>261 DeltaQueen50: I'm glad you liked it! I'll read Ben, in the World before the end of the year and let you know how it goes.

263Nickelini
Modificato: Nov 14, 2016, 2:44 pm

mid-century modern

The Box Garden, Carol Shields, 1977


Cover comments: ho hum. I probably would have liked it better when this edition was published in the 90s.

Comments: Charleen Forrest is a divorced single-mother of a 15 year old boy who travels across the country to attend her mother's second wedding. Although that synopsis is not exactly inspiring, The Box Garden was a good read because Shields is a fabulous writer. It took me a bit to get into this--at first it just seemed dated, and she tended to get mired in minutiae, but then it sort of clicked, and I enjoyed hearing about life in the 70s, and some of her minute details were actually pretty interesting. And the story itself just picked up. I particularly liked reading the infuriating character of Charleen's mother, who Shields often described as "meagerly" but I'd describe as "miserly." And I laughed when Charleen's friends disparaged her boyfriend for being an orthodontist -- I just never knew that was a profession to be ashamed of. I haven't read Shields for many years, but she was just as readable as I remembered, while still being smart and observant. I also always liked how Shields allows her characters to have some happy relationships.

Why I Read This Now: I read a lot of Carol Shields in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and have always meant to read more of her work.

Rating: A good solid read. 3.5 stars, maybe 4.

Recommended for: People who like books about families.

264Nickelini
Nov 16, 2016, 7:10 pm

Colin Firth movies you've never seen

My 16 year old just finished a novel study of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (she was stage manager for her school's production of The Importance of Being Earnest in spring, and wanted to read more Wilde). The night before her essay exam we watched:

Dorian Gray, a 2009 "fantasy/thriller," which is not the description I'd use for the novel. First clue that it's not all that much the same.



I'm not a fan of facial hair, even on CF.

I've read The Picture of Dorian Gray twice, but the most recent was 20 years ago, and I think I even had pregnancy brain at the time, so I don't actually remember it much. Overall I thought the film was okay. Interesting to look at, fabulous sets and costumes, good cast. Ben Barnes (who I know from playing Prince Caspian in the Narnia films) is Dorian, and Colin Firth is his evil corrupter, Lord Henry Wotton (who is married to Lady Wotton, played by Emillia Fox, who played his little sister in Pride and Prejudice). My daughter started out noting all the many differences but saying, it's a pretty good film, just different. And then it sort of went off the rails. Almost like it was trying to be a horror film. They should have stopped at least 20 minutes before the end and it would have been different but still decent. The whole last part was just unnecessary. Hence, why you've never seen this Colin Firth film.

The special effects and make up was very good though. I can't find a picture online, but at the end of the film, Colin Firth's character is supposed to be in his 60s or 70s, and the makeup is really well done. His baldness was completely convincing.

In the viewer comments at IMDb, people who know the book hate this film, people who don't know the book like it.

265Cariola
Nov 17, 2016, 3:22 pm

I think I tried to watch this one several years ago.

266VivienneR
Nov 17, 2016, 4:50 pm

I've pretty well forgotten the storyline of The Picture of Dorian Gray, but from what I do remember it wouldn't be an easy book to adapt to film. Based on your review, I'll take a pass anyway.

Haven't heard of "pregnancy brain" before - but now you mention it ...

267markno275
Nov 17, 2016, 7:00 pm

Questo messaggio è stato segnalato da più utenti e non è quindi più visualizzato (mostra)
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268mstrust
Nov 17, 2016, 7:31 pm

I've seen maybe the last hour of that Colin Firth version. Seeing the very handsome portrait in the top pick reminded me of the very large painting by Ivan Albright that hangs in the Chicago Institute of Art. It was painted for the 1944 version that starred George Saunders and Angela Lansbury, and it's horrifying, in a very good way.

269DeltaQueen50
Nov 18, 2016, 12:43 pm

I'm enjoying all the Dorian Gray talk as I am currently reading it in installment form. I have seen the 1944 version and thought that George Saunders was excellent as Lord Henry Wooton. I now know to avoid the Colin Firth version!

270Nickelini
Nov 18, 2016, 12:50 pm

>265 Cariola:, >266 VivienneR:, >268 mstrust:, & >269 DeltaQueen50: I'm enjoying all the Dorian Gray talk! And Jennifer, that picture is fabulous. I was not aware of it. Chicago Institute of Art is on my bucket list, and if I ever get there I'll be sure to look for this.

Re the spam above --- why would someone bother to post something in a foreign language on a random page on the internet? I'm not understanding this at all.

271LittleTaiko
Nov 18, 2016, 9:11 pm

Dorian Gray is one of my all time favorite books - Colin Firth with facial hair only adds to the attraction. I may have to watch this regardless of your review. I do seem to have developed a thing for neatly trimmed facial hair. :)

272Nickelini
Nov 19, 2016, 1:26 am

>271 LittleTaiko: I appreciate our differences. My husband has a brother who looks similar, but has facial hair. His then-wife used to say "oh, I got the good looking brother," and I said "Noooooo! I got the better looking brother." Now his brother is in a new relationship, and she said to me "I got the better looking brother." Nooooo! Each to her own, I guess (but my clean shaven husband is hotter. Just sayin')

I think it's a film worth watching if you're in the mood, so give it a go.

273-Eva-
Nov 19, 2016, 10:08 pm

>272 Nickelini:
As long as you think yours is the handsomer, you'll be fine. If it were the opposite, there could be trouble... Haha!

274Nickelini
Modificato: Nov 27, 2016, 12:00 pm

Irish!

Amongst Women, John McGahern, 1990


Cover comments: Uninspired! But hey, men can also look away, so it's equal opportunity. The monochromatic dull colours fit well though. Makes me ask: Did anyone enjoy life in Ireland in the mid-20th century?

Comments: Michael Moran was once a guerrilla leader in the Irish War of Independence. Now he's a widowed farmer, with five older children and a new younger wife. He's principled and pious, but rather a tyrant, and everyone walks on eggshells around him. McGahern writes with clean, sparse language that rewards the close attentive reader, but will bore others and anyone looking for a strong plot.

The title, Amongst Women, refers to Moran living with his wife (the most likeable character in the novel) and three grown daughters. It also refers to a line out of the Hail Mary prayer that they spend much time reciting every day. I'm not Catholic, so had to have one of my RC friends explain what was going on -- this family spent a huge chunk of their lives on their knees with their rosary beads.

I can appreciate what other readers have said in their 5-star and 2-star reviews, but I fall somewhere in the middle. A few years ago I read McGahern's The Dark and I was blown away (although I don't remember details of it); I didn't like Amongst Women as much even though it is considered his masterpiece. It's 184 pages without chapters, and with few paragraph breaks, which is a structure that I find unnecessarily tedious. Give the reader some little breaks, m'kay?

Amongst Women was nominated for the Booker Prize, is on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die and Guardian 1000* lists, along with many other "best ever" lists.

*Guardian 1000 has it under their State of the Nation category, which I can see, but I would have put it under Family & Self for sure.

Recommended for: people who like subtle novels. Readers who raved about it often said that the main character reminded them of their Irish dad, grandfather, or neighbour. I'm not Irish, and I don't know any men like him, so that wasn't a factor for me. Readers who didn't like it often said they were just sick of novels that sympathized with patriarchs who probably needed to get their asses kicked. I paraphrase.

Why I Read This Now: I've wanted to read it since I read The Dark.

Rating: It is well written and all that, but several things didn't mesh with my brain, so for me it's a 3.5 stars. YMMV. If you haven't read McGahern, try The Dark -- the one that got the Catholic Church in a tizzy.

And for your entertainment . . . . since we're talking about Ireland and Catholics . . . in 2013 we flew from Vancouver to London. My family had seats in the centre of the plane. Near the end of the flight, my teenage daughters realized there were two seats by a window a few rows behind, so moved. When I saw on the screen map that we were above Ireland, I stood up and asked my older daughter "hey, we're over Ireland, what do you see?" (yes, stupid question, but after 8 hours in coach, any distraction will do).

She replied: "It's green!" She turned to look out the window, then looked back at me. "I see potatoes!. . . . And Catholics!"

Everyone who heard laughed. But like I said, 8 hours in coach can make you stir crazy.

275Nickelini
Nov 30, 2016, 8:12 pm

Writing Jane Austen, Elizabeth Aston, 2010


Cover comments: Whatever. Not as bad as the book itself, I suppose.

Rating: I quickly deemed this a one-star read and although I could have dropped it, I decided to hate read it. By the end I realized that it was pretty fun in a weird way so I'll bump that up to two stars.

Comments: Georgina Jackson is a historian living in London who recently wrote a novel that was highly acclaimed, but didn't sell. She's desperate to stay in England, but is in debt and unless the situation changes, she won't be allowed to stay in the country and will have to return to the States and become a waitress. Even though her area of expertise is late-Victorian workhouses, her aggressive agent assigns her to write a novel based on a fragment recently discovered that was written by Jane Austen. Never mind that England abounds in Austen scholars, and people who, unlike our protagonist, have actually read Jane Austen, somehow Georgina gets picked to continue Austen's work, and lo and behold, it pays a hefty advance too!

Georgina, despite her PhD, is a ninny. She spends the first 140 pages of the book running around with her hands in the air saying "I don't respect Jane Austen!" "Jane Austen fans R dum," and the like. While doing this, just about everyone she meets is a Jane Austen fan (as are 99% of the people who pick up this book). For sometimes odd reasons, she ends up at Jane Austen sites in England. Even her dear old friend from back home is now running a Jane Austen shop in Bath. She goes around for several weeks bumping into Jane Austen things in the name of research, but not learning anything.

Finally, she accidentally starts reading Pride and Prejudice, and then goes on to read all six of Austen's novels in two days without sleeping or eating. Suddenly, Austen is brilliant! But then the next 80 pages or so are of her having writer's block and whining, "I'm not worthy." We are all aware of that.

Out of the blue, she starts writing, but then develops a repetitive strain injury because all she does is type, and now she can't go on. Still can't figure out what that was about. Gets voice recognition software and finishes the novel. There's a little twist, but no conflict. And then she marries the cute nice guy out of the blue, which I guessed on page one so not a spoiler.

The worst thing about this: There are lots of characters in Writing Jane Austen, and not one of them acts like a real person acts. And not one of them speaks like a real person speaks.

That said, even though it's horribly written in terms of action, pacing, motivation, I could go on . . . on the sentence-by-sentence level, I sometimes enjoyed it. There were many characters that even though they weren't real, I did enjoy. She threw in scads of little Jane Austen references that made me roll my eyes, but some of them were cute or clever. For example, the love interest is named Henry Lefroy, and Jane Austen had a possible crush or relationship with Tom Lefroy. And even though the ending was predictable from the start, I was interested in how she would get there. So not the absolutely worst book ever.

But the main character was just so stupid and annoying. At one point, completely out of nowhere, she asks another character "Do you know what a ha-ha is?" No reason given for why she wanted to know this, and no ha-has later in the book. Also, I think someone with a PhD in the late Victorian period would have run across this somewhere in her studies. I know I only have a BA, but when getting an education you do learn stuff outside of the immediate scope of your area of expertise. I've personally met some pretty dumb PhD's, but Georgina Jackson takes the cake.

Why I Read This Now: It's been a grey, dreary November here in Vancouver. I needed something FUN! Not exactly the fun I was looking for, but sometimes a good hate read is fun too.

Recommended for: not recommended unless you're in a perverse mood.

Note: The book doesn't say so, but I'm positive that "Elizabeth Aston" is a shameless pseudonym invented to snag Jane Austen fans.

276mstrust
Dic 1, 2016, 11:49 am

Sounds like you made the best of a bad situation, and got a good review out of it! I've steered clear of just about all the Austen pastiche, so I'd never heard of this one.

277Nickelini
Dic 1, 2016, 12:05 pm

>276 mstrust: I've steered clear of just about all the Austen pastiche, so I'd never heard of this one.

For years and years I made a wide circle around it, but now it's become a guilty pleasure. I try to read widely and seriously, and every month or so I need a light break with something that might be fun.

278DeltaQueen50
Dic 1, 2016, 12:53 pm

A few years ago I read Mr. Darcy's Daughters by Elizabeth Aston and I quite enjoyed it. I then picked up another one of her's The Exploits and Adventures of Alethea Darcy but I was not taken with this one at all. Checking my review I deemed it over-written, over-plotted and unbelievable. After this I decided to leave this author to others.

279Nickelini
Dic 1, 2016, 1:34 pm

>278 DeltaQueen50: I haven't read her others. I'll take note of those titles. I might try one if I see it super cheap at a charity shop. Certainly won't look for her or pay full price. (Writing Jane Austen was from a used book store).

280VivienneR
Dic 1, 2016, 7:33 pm

>275 Nickelini: Thanks Joyce - and Judy, I'll take a pass on this one.

281Cariola
Modificato: Dic 1, 2016, 10:52 pm

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld was dreadful.

282Nickelini
Dic 1, 2016, 11:24 pm

>281 Cariola: I'm reading it anyway (once it comes out in paperback--the hardcover is too expensive and too large). Slate Audio Book Club liked it -- I can't see how, from what I hear it does sound dreadful indeed. Reality TV shows! A non-British Mr Darcy. No no no. Another one to hate read.

283Cariola
Modificato: Dic 2, 2016, 11:36 pm

>282 Nickelini: And sweaty "hate sex"--don't forget that.

284Nickelini
Dic 2, 2016, 6:18 pm

>283 Cariola: Ugh, yeah, I did forget about that. Okay, I'll get a cheap copy at Value Village.

285lkernagh
Dic 18, 2016, 3:04 pm

Taking the morning to play catch-up on all the threads in the group.

>217 Nickelini: - Excellent comments regarding In The Woods. Unlike you, I didn't quite clue into the culprit until the last 100 pages, but I can see where plowing through some 600 pages of "why" can be a bit on the tedious side. ;-)

>249 Nickelini: - I have yet to read A Monster Calls but I am not surprised to see your high praise for the book.... it has gotten rave reviews from a number of LT readers!

>264 Nickelini: - I never knew Colin Firth starred in a movie adaptation of Dorian Gray, which is one of my all-time favorite classic reads, along with The Count of Monte Cristo.

>274 Nickelini: - "Everyone who heard laughed. But like I said, 8 hours in coach can make you stir crazy." Love it!

286Nickelini
Dic 19, 2016, 12:36 am

FINALLY

A Single Man, Christopher Isherwood, 1964


Cover comments: I am often drawn to Vintage Classics covers, but this one, with a painting by Vania Zouravliov, is one I find extremely ugly. Especially since the 2009 movie made from the book is super stylish. This is one of those rare times I would have preferred the movie tie-in cover:



Comments: This short novel takes place over one day in the life of George Falconer. It's late 1962, and George is a university professor Englishman who has lived in Southern California since before the end of WWII. He is in deep mourning for the love of his life, Jim, who was recently killed in a car accident.

I've seen the film several times --it's my favourite non-Darcy Colin Firth movie--so I knew the story. I wasn't surprised by the touching and poignant writing, but I wasn't expecting it to be so sharply cynical, and often almost scatological. There isn't much of a plot, but it has a lot to say about life and death and aging and bodies.

Rating: This will be on my top 5 list for the year, and I plan to reread it again in a few years.

Recommended for: people who like intelligent short novels.

Why I Read This Now: Over at the Category Challenge group I have a category titled "A Single Man: Mid-century Novels". I figure I should try and get tot he book I named my category after.


Colin Firth was nominated for the Academy Award for his role in A Single Man. Although he clearly was the best actor that year, the odious Jeff Bridges stole the prize from him. (He did win the next year, but that's beside the point)

287Nickelini
Dic 19, 2016, 12:37 am

>285 lkernagh: So glad you're back! Did you get much snow?

288VivienneR
Dic 20, 2016, 1:17 pm

>286 Nickelini: I really enjoyed A Single Man too when I read it last year. It is one of those books that deserves a re-read now and then as a reminder of Isherwood's talent. I didn't see the movie until after reading the book. My cover was quite different, maybe because it came from England.

289SassyLassy
Dic 21, 2016, 11:08 am

Wonderfully entertaining and informative thread! So glad you mentioned it on Club Read. Next year I'll have to follow along from the start.

290Nickelini
Dic 21, 2016, 1:34 pm

>289 SassyLassy: Thank you! I plan on reviewing more Colin Firth films next year.

291DeltaQueen50
Dic 24, 2016, 2:31 pm

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season, Joyce!

292VivienneR
Dic 24, 2016, 2:53 pm

>290 Nickelini: I plan on reviewing more Colin Firth films next year.

Count me in!

Have a Merry Christmas, Joyce!

293Cariola
Dic 24, 2016, 3:21 pm

Had a lovely time rewatching Love Actually last night.

294VivienneR
Dic 30, 2016, 3:01 pm

295Nickelini
Gen 2, 2017, 12:46 am

Wrap up for 2016:

My goal was to read at least 3 books in 6 categories. In total, I read 73 books in 2016, and used 34 of those toward this challenge. My theme was Colin Firth movies:

1. Genius Books about writing and editing: 5 read
2. Steve Short story collections: 5 read
3. A Single Man Mid-century novels: 7 read (including A Single Man)
4. My Life So Far Country house books: 4 read (a low number where I expected more)
5. Pride and Prejudice Everything Jane Austen: 9 read
6. Circle of Friends Irish books: 4 read

I also reviewed 9 obscure Colin Firth movies, plus one Jane Austen movie.

I will start my 2017 thread in the next week or so. Some fun conversation came out of the Colin Firth film reviews, so I will continue with that -- he has about another 70 films, and you probably haven't seen most of them.

296mstrust
Gen 2, 2017, 11:52 am

I look forward to your 2017 thread, and more Colin Firth!

297paruline
Gen 2, 2017, 4:18 pm

Me too!