rainpebble will try

THE YEAR OF THE BIG BOOK PURGE AT BELVA'S HOUSE:

My GOAL for 2016 is 300 books.




MONTHLY SPECIALS:
January: Orange January (Orange/Bailey's)
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
July: Orange July (Orange/Bailey's)
August: All Virago/All August (Virago Group)
September: September Series Reads (75 gig), British Author Challenge (75 gig)
October: Great Halloween Read (75 gig)
November:
December:
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1st QUARTER: (through March)
(March) //
TOTAL: 2
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2nd QUARTER: (through June)
(April) ///// //

(May) ///// ///// ///// ///// ///// /

(June) ///// /////
TOTAL: 43
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3rd QUARTER: (through September)
(July) /////

(August) ///// ///// ///// //

(September) ///// //
TOTAL: 29
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4th QUARTER: (through December)
(October)

(November)

(December)

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Previously read but purged in 2016:

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applied to ticker
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READS THAT I WISH TO TAKE PART IN:

Group Read Organization: (sort of a home page for group reads on the 75 gig)
https://www.librarything.com/topic/219483#5736776

Karen's Group Read - Great Expectations: COMPLETED
https://www.librarything.com/topic/224358

September Series & Sequels: COMPLETED
https://www.librarything.com/topic/229450

The 2016 Great Halloween Read: COMPLETED
https://www.librarything.com/topic/233071

Tutored read: Emma: COMPLETED
https://www.librarything.com/topic/231425
______________________________________________________


1. The Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner; (April)
2. Lucy Gayheart by Willa Cather; (May)
3. Flush: A Biography by Virginia Woolf; (May)
4. Talk Before Sleep by Elizabeth Berg; (June)
5. Summer in February by Jonathan Smith; (July)
6. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M. McPherson; (July)
7. The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell; (July)
8. The Hours Before Dawn by Celia Fremlin; (July)
9. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith; (August)
10. The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West; (September)
11. The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne; (October)
12. Dracula's Guest by Bram Stoker; (October)
13. Uncle Silas: A Tale of Bartram-Haugh by J. Sheridan Le Fanu; (October)
14. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver; (October)
15. The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian; (October)
16. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte; (October)
17. Faithful by Alice Hoffman; (October)
18. Looking for Alaska by John Green; (November)
19. Awakenings by Oliver Sacks; (November)
20. The Color Purple by Alice Walker; (November)
21. Marjorie's Vacation by Carolyn Wells; (November)
22. Wetzel by Richard Fleming; (December)
23. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens; (December)
__________________________________________________​

Stealing part of alaudacorax's book star rating system:

Five stars - If anything happened to my copy I'd buy another one straight away.
Four stars - Really excellent book.
Three stars - Good. I would recommend it.
Two stars -Meh.
One star - Not good.
Half-star - How did this get into print? Put it outside and throw stones at it!

BOOKS READ IN 2016:




WINTER READS:

JANUARY:
No books read.
0 ROOTS

FEBRUARY:
Again, no books read.
0 ROOTS

MARCH:
1. The Lake House by Kate Morton; BFB; (2 1/2*); purged
2. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton; ROOT; (3*); purged
3. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton; ROOT; (3*) purged

(2 of 3 read were ROOTS)

SPRING READS:

APRIL:
4. The Meeting Place by Mary Hocking; ROOT; Mary Hocking reading week; (4 1/2*)
5. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton; ROOT; (3 1/2*); purged
6. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton; ROOT; (3 1/2*); purged
7. Coventry by Helen Humphreys; ROOT; (4*)
8. The Irish Cottage by Juliet Gauvin; (2*); purged
9. The Rector and The Doctor's Family; by Mrs. Oliphant; VMC; ROOT; (4*); purged
10. THE STORY of an AFRICAN FARM by OLIVE SCHREINER; VMC; ROOT; (5*); purged
11. Still Missing by Beth Gutcheon; Persephone; ROOT; (1*); pearl ruled & purged

(7 of 8 books read were ROOTS)

MAY:
12. Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris; ROOT; (4*); purged
13. Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier; ROOT; (4*); purged
14. Once in Every Life by Kristin Hannah; ROOT; (3*); purged
15. Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah; ROOT; (4 1/2*); purged
16. Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve; ROOT; (1*); purged
17. Object Lessons by Anna Quindlen; ROOT; ( 4*); purged
18. Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen; ROOT; (4*); purged
19. Blessings by Anna Quindlen; ROOT; (3 1/2*); purged
20. One True Thing by Anna Quindlen; ROOT; (4*); purged
21. Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen; library; (4*)
22. Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons; ROOT; (4*); purged
23. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende; ROOT; (3*); purged
24. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See; ROOT; (3*); purged
25. LUCY GAYHEART by WILLA CATHER; VMC; ROOT; (5*)
26. All Good Things: From Paris to Tahiti: Life and Longing by Sarah Turnbull; ROOT; (1*); purged
27. About the Night by Anat Talshir with the wonderful Evan Fallenberg, (Translator); (3 1/2*); purged
28. Phoebe Deane by Grace Livingston Hill; ROOT; (2 1/2*); Book 2 of 3-read out of order; purged
29. Waking Kate by Sarah Addison Allen; ROOT; novelette; (3*); purged
30. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen; ROOT; ARC/ER; (3 1/2*); purged
31. A Far Cry From Kensington by Muriel Spark; ROOT; VCM; (4 1/2*); purged
32. Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons; (3*); ROOT, VMC; (440); (G.P. Putnam's Sons edition); purged
33. A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons; (4*); ROOT; VMC; (419); (Vintage Contemporaries edition); purged
34. Where the Apple Ripens by Jessie Kesson; (2*); ROOT; VMC; purged
35. A Lost Lady by Willa Cather; ROOT; VMC; (2 1/2*); (Vintage Books edition); purged
36. Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott; (4*); ROOT; VMC; (Puffin Classics edition); purged
37. Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott; (3 1/2*); ROOT; VMC ; (Puffin Classics edition); purged
38. A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve; (3*); ROOT; purged
39. FLUSH: A BIOGRAPHY by VIRGINIA WOOLF; (5*); ROOT; Persephone; purged

(26 of 28 books read were ROOTS)

JUNE:
40. Out of Love by Victoria Clayton; (4 1/2*); ROOT
41. Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates; (2 1/2*); ROOT; purged
42. Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs; (1 1/2*); ROOT; purged
43. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes; (4*); ROOT; purged
44. Bella Tuscany by Frances Mayes; (1 1/2*); ROOT; purged
45. The Lamorna Wink by Martha Grimes; (2*); ROOT; purged
46. Cane River by Lalita Tademy; (1*); ROOT; purged
47. Past Mischief by Victoria Clayton; (3 1/2*); ROOT; purged
48. TALK BEFORE SLEEP by ELIZABETH BERG; (5*); ROOT
49. The Pyramid: The First Wallander Cases by Henning Mankell; (3*); purged
50. Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell; (3 1/2*); ROOT, 03/21/2013; purged

(10 of 11 books read were ROOTS)

HALFWAY THROUGH 2016 AND AM EXACTLY HALFWAY TO GOAL. WOOT, WOOT!~!

glitter-graphics.com

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/country-house-literature
(June 27th)

SUMMER READS:

JULY:
HALFWAY THROUGH 2016 AND AM EXACTLY HALFWAY TO GOAL. WOOT, WOOT!~!

glitter-graphics.com

51. SUMMER IN FEBRUARY by JONATHAN SMITH; (5*); ROOT, 08/23/2014;
52. Heat Wave by Penelope Lively; (4 1/2*); ROOT, 02/13/2014;
53. BATTLE CRY of FREEDOM: The CIVIL WAR ERA by JAMES M. McPHERSON; (5*); ROOT, 06/24/2009; BFB, 950 pgs; a reread; purged
54. Raven Black by Ann Cleeves; bk 1 of the Shetland series; (4*); ROOT, 09/21/2009;
55. White Nights by Ann Cleeves; bk 2 of the Shetland series; (4 1/2*); ROOT, 11/16/2009;

Read in July but didn't get around to posting until Aug 3rd so will count them toward August's ROOT total.

56. I, Anna by Elsa Lewin; (3*); ROOT, 01/25/2015; purged
57. Atonement by Ian McEwan; (4*); ROOT, 11/12/2007; purged
58. The Railway Man by Eric Lomax; (3 1/2*); ROOT, prior to L/T; purged
59. The Giver by Lois Lowry; (2 1/2*); Y/A; ROOT, from prior to L/T; purged
60. From the Terrace by John O'Hara, (one of my favorite authors way back in the day); (4*); ROOT, from prior to L/T; BFB, 912 pgs; purged

All of my reads this month were ROOTs. :-)

AUGUST:
61. The DOGS of RIGA by HENNING MANKELL; (5*); ROOT, 03/21/2013; (Kurt Wallander, bk 2);
62. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters; (4*); AV/AA; Virago fiction; BFB, 608 pgs; ROOT, 08/29/2011; purged
63. The White Lioness by Henning Mankell; (4 1/2*); ROOT, 03/24/2014; (Kurt Wallander, bk 3);
64. The HOURS BEFORE DAWN by CELIA FREMLIN; AV/AA; (5*); VMC #423; ROOT, 09/25/2013;
65. The Man Who Smiled by Henning Mankell; (3*); ROOT, 04/04/2013; (Kurt Wallander, bk 4);
66. The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West; (3 1/2*); VMC, #143; ROOT, 07/02/2009;
67. This Real Night by Rebecca West; (3 1/2*); VMC, #270; ROOT, 08/08/2011;
68. The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx; (4*); ROOT, 09/25/2007; purged
69. Sidetracked by Henning Mankell; (4*); ROOT, 03/14/2013; Kurt Wallander (5);
70. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood; (1/2*); AV/AA; Virago fiction; BFB, 637 pgs; ROOT, 07/06/2011; purged
71. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough; (4 1/2*); AV/AA; BFB, 704 pgs; ROOT, from prior to L/T; VMC #530; purged
72. I CAPTURE the CASTLE by DODIE SMITH; (5*); VMC #410; AV/AA; ROOT, 07/02/2009

ALL VIRAGO / ALL AUGUST:
1. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters; (4*); Virago fiction
2. The HOURS BEFORE DAWN by CELIA FREMLIN; (5*); VMC, #423;
3. The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West; (4*); VMC, #143; ROOT, 07/02/2009;
4. This Real Night by Rebecca West; (4*); VMC, #270;
5. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood; (1/2*); Virago fiction;
6. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough; (4 1/2*); VMC #530;
7. I CAPTURE the CASTLE by DODIE SMITH; (5*); VMC, #410;

All 17 books I read in August were ROOTS. :-)

SEPTEMBER:
73. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates; (2 1/2*); ROOT, 07/18/2007; purged
74. THE RETURN OF THE SOLDIER by REBECCA WEST; (5*); VMC, #32; ROOT, acquired 08/24/2009;
75. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens; (4*); gothic; ROOT, acquired 09/11/2007; purged
76. Wide Sargasso Sea Norton Critical Editions by Jean Rhys; (4 1/2*); gothic; ROOT, 09/08/2011; Jean Rhys reading week, (unable to remember who is hosting);
77. High Rising by Angela Thirkell; VMC, #569; (September Series on the 75 gig); ROOT, 05/20/2010;
78. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb; (4 1/2*); BFB, 928 pgs; ROOT, acquired 12/05/2007; purged
79. Emma by Jane Austen; (4 1/2*); VMC, #341; ROOT, 04/27/2009; (tutored read on the 75 gig);
80. Tesla: Man Out of Time by Margaret Cheney; (4*)
81. Tesla: Master of Lightning by Margaret Cheney; (4 1/2*)
82. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson; (4*); ROOT, 08/28/2009; BFB, 644 pgs;
83. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson; (4 1/2*); library book; BFB, 738 pgs;
84. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson; (3 1/2*); library book; BFB, 674 pgs;

8 of my 12 reads in September were ROOTS.

AUTUMN READS:

OCTOBER:
85. THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES by NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE; (5*); ROOT, ; gothic; Great Halloween Read;
86. DRACULA'S GUEST by BRAM STOKER; (5*); gothic; horror; short; Great Halloween Read;
87. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving; gothic; short; Great Halloween Read;
88. The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill; (3 1/2*); gothic; ROOT, 08/13/2014; Great Halloween Read;
89. Empire Falls by Richard Russo; (4 1/2*); ROOT, 08/05/2009; American lit; Pulitzer Prize winner
90. UNCLE SILAS: A TALE OF BARTRAM-HAUGH by JOSEPH SHERIDAN LE FANU; (5*); gothic; ROOT, from prior to L/T; Great Halloween Read;
91. The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe; (with criticism); (4*); ROOT; poetry; gothic/horror; Great Halloween Read;
92. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy; (4 1/2*); ROOT, from prior to L/T; BFB, 1054 pgs; Monthly Author Read;
93. THE DOUBLE BIND by CHRIS BOHJALIAN; (5*); Monthly Author Read; ROOT, 03/22/2009;
94. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN by LIONEL SHRIVER; (5*); ROOT, 01/05/2012; Orange/Baileys; Monthly Author Read; Great Halloween Read;
95. JANE EYRE by CHARLOTTE BRONTE; (5*); classics; Monthly Author Read; ROOT, from prior to L/T; gothic; Great Halloween Read;
96. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie; (4*); Monthly Author Read; mystery; ROOT, from prior to L/T; Great Halloween Read;
97. The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz; (4 1/2*); ROOT, 08/10/2015;
98. Carmilla: a Vampyre Tale by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu; (4*); gothic; vampires; ROOT, 09/14/2009; Great Halloween Read
99. The Girl From Krakow by Alex Rosenberg; (1 1/2*); (on loan from Amazon Prime);
100. FAITHFUL: A Novel by ALICE HOFFMAN; (5*);

And with Faithful: A Novel, I have met my 2016 reading goal of 100 books. Looking forward to the last 2 months of reading through the Thanksgiving & Christmas holidays.

I accomplished 12 ROOTs in October!
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NOVEMBER:
101. Looking for Alaska by John Green; (5*); Y/A;
102. Awakenings by Oliver Sacks; (5*); MAR, (April); nonfiction; case studies
103. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells; (4*); MAR, (October); sci-fi;
104. Winterwood by Dorothy Eden; (4*); ROOT, ; gothic romance
105. Press Escape by Shaun Carney; (3 1/2*); ER/ARC; memoir;
106. The Fall of Lisa Bellow by Susan Perabo; (3*); ER/ARC; Y/A;
mystery/suspense
107. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler; (4 1/2*); noir/pulp crime fiction;
108. A Home at the End of the World: A Novel by Michael Cunningham; (4 1/2*);
109. The Color Purple by Alice Walker; (5+*); MAR, (November);
ROOT;
110. The Mermaids Singing by Lisa Carey; (4*); magic realism;
111. When I'm Gone: A Novel by Emily Bleeker; (3 1/2*); Kindle;
112. Marjorie's Vacation by Carolyn Wells; (5*); Y/A; Kindle; ROOT;

I accomplished 3 ROOTs for November.
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DECEMBER:

113. Slow Fade to Autumn: A True Hollywood Love Story; A Memoir
by Anthony Lawrence; (1 1/2*); Kindle; memoir; ARC/ER; Net-Galley; nonfiction;
114. Wetzel by Richard Fleming; Kindle; historical fiction based on real events & facts;
115. Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain; hardcopy, :-); historical fiction; BFB, 656 pgs; ROOT, 2009;

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens; ROOT; MAR, (December);
________________________________________________________
MONTHLY AUTHOR READS to make up:
The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes by Janet Malcolm; MAR, (February);
The Child in Time by Ian McEwan; MAR, (March);
________________________________________________________

Hopefully in January:
Patron Saints of Literature:
The Patron Saint of the Western: James Fenimore Cooper's The Pathfinder: or, The Inland Sea; ROOT,
The Patron Saint of Romance: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice; ROOT,
The Patron Saint of Science Fiction: Mary Shelley's The Last Man;
The Patron Saint of Mystery: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's A Scandal in Bohemia; ROOT,

MARCH READS:


1. The Lake House by Kate Morton: BFB; (2 1/2*); purged

A little better than average family mystery; I felt like Morton rushed through the ending to pull all of the pieces together. And I think that this particular author has trouble introducing & growing her characters in a manner to which the reader has no trouble engaging with that character next time around. This makes it rather difficult to keep one's head in the book.
Still and all an enjoyable read.

2. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton; ROOT; (3*); purged

I enjoyed this one a bit more than The Lake House as I was able to follow the characters more easily & thus keep my head in the story. The more I read of Morton's work, the more I find that her 'houses' & gardens become characters of the books in their own right. I quite like that.

3. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton; (3*); purged

I loved the storyline and I love Morton's works but I do not care for her writing style. When I read her I just feel pushed & pulled around.

This is a tale of many characters, both likable & unlikable, whose lives take you in, out & around a walled estate garden to which time has attempted to lay waste. The garden is essential to the plot & all of the characters in one way or another; also to many answers of past mysteries & secrets of the characters.
Very nicely done by Morton except for the time & character jumps.

APRIL READS:


4. The Meeting Place by Mary Hocking; ROOT; (4 1/2 *)

Last night I completed my first read of The Meeting Place and as I pretty much only read in bed, I couldn't wait to get to bed the past couple of nights. I loved it and cannot find any fault in it. There were so many subplots within the main storyline and yet I did not find myself confused with the characters nor the stories. M.H. was just such a good writer.
In The Meeting Place Clarice is a woman who works as a prompter for plays and as such finds herself in the countyside & on the moors while working on Pericles. In this place she begins to find people, local historical events & places that are seemingly familiar and before she knows it she is seeking more.
Near perfection. A bit of suspense, a bit of the supernatural and a lot of comfort. Not really a book of time travel but I would say more like parallel lives of the protagonist. Like Mary Hocking’s other books that I have read, I know it will be even better when I reread it.
I found this story to be very interesting & I believe Hocking will be one of the authors that I *hide* in the trailer as hubby is so concerned about 'book weight'.

5. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton; ROOT; (3 1/2*); purged

I found this book to be a nice, whimsical mystery story that held my interest mainly because of the characters. I liked it.

6. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton; ROOT; (3 1/2*); purged

I enjoyed this story line tremendously and did not feel nearly as pushed & pulled around time & characters as I have in Morton's other books. This one I can recommend. (happy, happy, joy, joy)

7. Coventry by Helen Humphreys; ROOT; (4*)

About how people's lives can touch each others even & perhaps especially on a night such as England suffered in the Coventry blitz. This is a wonderful book. Humphreys is so good with growing her characters.

This was a May read that I simply fit into this slot.



8. The Irish Cottage by Juliet Gauvin; (2*); purged

A bit of brainless fluff to get me through my day. Two more just like it for other days such as this.

I suddenly realized I hadn't seen your thread this year. I'm so sorry to hear of your double loss. My grandmother was born in 1917, and I think there's something about that generation of women born in the shadow of WWI, old enough to fully experience the Great Depression, and who were adults during WWII. They've left us an important legacy.

Coventry is my favorite of the Humphreys novels I've read. I connect so much with the way she writes her characters.

>14 mabith:
Thank you for your kind words, Meredith. It has been a very difficult time for us but we muddle on.
I agree with you on what you said regarding the women of mother's era. We just don't see that kind of strength in women today. And I have so much admiration for my mother, your grandmother and women like them.
I too, connect with Humphreys' characters and I am always sad when I come to the end of one of her books. I loved Coventry and I can't tell you how many times I have read her The Lost Garden, such a lovely & beautifully told story.

Thank you for popping over. I nearly didn't create a thread as I was unable to read for several months and have only read 7 books year to date. I know I cannot meet goal but couldn't bear to switch groups. Enjoy your reading this year, Meredith.

9. Chronicles of Carlingford: The Rector and The Doctor's Family by Mrs Oliphant; VMC; ROOT; (4*); purged

(a): The Executor: I thoroughly enjoyed this. Lovely but rather Victorian story, aren't they all....... lovely? (4*)

(b): The Rector: Again I thoroughly enjoyed this Victorian short. I love how Mrs. Margaret Oliphant uses her words. (4 1/2*)

(c): The Doctor's Family; An enjoyable story about a young woman who takes care of & provides for her sister & her family of 3 children. Yearning for but refusing to admit that she wants a life of her own, she goes about her duties with a happy heart daily. I love a happy ending (sometimes) and I think our protagonist did as well.

Lovely writing from Mrs. Oliphant. (4*)

10. The Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner; VMC; ROOT; (5*); purged

My thoughts and comments:

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

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

I was quite drawn into this little novel and I am sure that it will not be long before I read this one again.

11. Still Missing by Beth Richardson Gutcheon; ROOT; Persephone;
(2 1/2*); purged

So far it hasn't really grabbed me. It is about a missing little boy and I would swear that I saw a movie quite some years back that played exactly like this book is going, even to the point of the sameness of conversations.

AHA!~! I just went to the book page and it tells me that "Still Missing was made into a feature film called Without a Trace, and also published in a Reader’s Digest Condensed version which particularly pleased her mother."

Since I remember the movie so well and am rather bored with the 'rerun' I am Pearl Ruling this one at page 71. Another one purged.

12. Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris; (4*); purged

Last night I finished the light & whimsical yet sad Blackberry Wine. I quite enjoyed this book and it's characters. Harris tends to blow hot or cold for me. I would call this one hot along with her Five Quarters of the Orange while her Chocolat left me out in the cold, though I loved the movie.

13. Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier; ROOT; (4*); purged

This novel is a captivating story, a blend of history and fiction, inspired by a famous painting. Set in the 1600s 16 year old Griet is sent to work for a successful painter of the time, Vermeer. During the course of her apprenticeship, her master takes a romantic interest in her as she does him. Chevalier creates an amazing plot for the picture and creates a story that captures the reader although she never fully develops her characters’ feelings which detracts from the romanticism of the story.
The story that the author creates using this beautiful picture is one that shows an incredible amount of creativity. Chevalier imagines a story behind the painting that is sometimes referred to as the “Dutch Mona Lisa”. Even though no one knows who the girl in the painting is Chevalier is able to envision a romance about her. She invents a love story that crosses class lines as well as religious lines in a rigid society. The author portrays beautiful imagery for the reader. She describes the paintings making the reader feel as if they are right before them. Griet describes a woman in one of the paintings: “She wore a mantle of rich yellow satin trimmed with white ermine, and a fashionable five point ribbon in her hair.” The reader can imagine this woman’s elegant clothing with ease and can easily become mesmerized by by the descriptiveness of the novel.
Although the characters in the novel are interesting and cleverly drawn they lack depth of feeling and their motivations remain hidden from the reader. While it is easy to understand a few of the characters the two main ones, Griet and Vermeer, are never fully exposed. The reader is never told in any depth what Griet feels and thinks and Vermeer remains a mystery. At the end of the novel, immediately after Vermeer finishes the painting of Griet, Chevalier decides to end the story. Griet runs out of the house when Vermeer’s wife Catharina, sees the painting. There is no explanation of how Griet changes from this experience or what she truly feels. That left this reader with many unanswered questions.
The Girl with a Pearl Earring was an interesting blend of history and fiction. Chevalier is successful with her imagery and with the plot of the story. However she could have improved the novel by adding the exquisite detail that she used in the plot and imagery, applying it to the characters. The novel, even with those negative points was quite successful for this reader. I simply wanted more.

14. Once in Every Life by Kristin Hannah; ROOT; (3*); purged

Nice little story with some time travel, a 2nd lifetime & a bit of romance to round it out. Good book for a beach or vacation read. Nothing too deep here but I do enjoy Hannah's writing.

15. Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah; ROOT; (4 1/2*); purged

One of my two favorites by Hannah, the other being Winter Garden. I like Hannah's writing for its ability to take the reader to another place & this book does exactly that.

16. Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve; ROOT; (1*); purged

This was a very 'unfortunate' choice of book to read. Shreve's poorest yet. I can usually find some redeeming value in one of her books and there have been a few that I really enjoyed. However, not this one. If you've not yet read it, don't waste your time nor your money. You will only be unhappy.
All of her characters are poorly developed and flat. That especially disappointed me, knowing how capable Shreve can be. But she doesn't show it here.

I read this recently too, and enjoyed it - I thought that the plot line was very good and enjoyed the characters and setting. Seem to be reading lots set in wartime at the moment.... Have you read Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans?

>24 Cinnamon_Heart:
Going to the Crooked Heart book page, this one does indeed look good and right up my alley. Thank you for the rec, Cinnamon. I don't know why I could not engage with the Shreve book. I used to love most all of her books. They, at the least held my interest. Guess my head just wasn't in the right place for it.
Thank you for popping over.

17. Object Lessons by Anna Quindlen; Root; (4*); purged

I enjoyed this coming of age story of three generations of an Irish family where the patriarch rules all. (little surprise at the end of the book about that) Our protagonist is the 13 year old granddaughter, Maggie, and I would have to say that the story is nearly as much about her mother, Connie, as it is about Maggie.
This is a coming of age tale both in the literal and figurative sense. Young and old alike, the characters all realized that in the end no matter what effect other people had on them it was up to them on how they react to those outside influences. It is what they decide about who or what they will become that truly matters and not what others expect or want from them.

18. Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen; ROOT; (4*); purged

This wonderful book hit way too close to home for me. Wives or girl friends who are battered may relate very well to the character, Beth, in this book. She is very typical of the abused significant other. I thought that if I was just better or if I didn't make him mad he wouldn't hurt me any more. The problem was I was unable to figure out how I could be better or what I had done to make him mad.
This 'novel' is a sad commentary on personal relationships and how we don't take care of ourselves very well. In this 'story' it is difficult to see a cop, a person who should uphold the law, abusing it. Not that it doesn't happen. It happens in every class, profession of people. There is not one exempt from it. It is a well-known fact that men and even women who have high stress jobs are more likely to become batterers and abuse alcohol or drugs. The really sad thing is how the the kids get hurt so badly & it effects their entire lives and their relationships. Often in domestic violence there are no winners, only losers. It is the woman who loses most often and the children are horribly affected by this.
Quindlen is an easy author to read. Her descriptions of people and places is excellent.
I found that reading this 'novel' triggered feelings and emotions in me that I thought had long died. After all it has been 44 years since I found the courage to get out. But apparently even after 6 years of counseling, those emotions are still there, buried deep. So if you are a person who has suffered at the hand of an abuser, read with caution,.............this wonderful book.

19. Blessings by Anna Quindlen; ROOT; (3 1/2*); purged

This is the story of Lydia Blessings, an elderly woman who lives alone in a large house. She has a gardener and handyman, Skip, who lives in an apartment above the garage. She also employs a cranky maid, Nadine.
One night Skip finds a newborn baby lying in a box on his doorstep. He wants to keep the baby so he attempts to hide her from everyone. But soon Lydia and Nadine find out about the her. Eventually they begin to see their lives transformed by the influence of this tiny creature. Lydia especially finds her own heart softening and begins to relive past memories of her own childhood as well as her daughter's.
The message I found while reading this book is the old adage that "no man is an island" or "it takes a village".
Lydia has become a recluse but upon learning about the baby she watches Sip as he goes about his work with the baby attached to him. The more she watches, the more she opens up. And as she begins to open up her world enlarges and she becomes not so distant.
I really enjoyed this little novel and had a very warm and fuzzy feeling after the read.

20. One True Thing by Anna Quindlen; ROOT; (4*); purged

One True Thing is the perfect book for a quiet winter day, a cozy chair and a cup of hot chocolate or tea. Quindlen's writing is both lyrical and stark, showing her keen observations about how we relate with and by those we love.

Ellen, who lives and works in New York has basically been summoned home by her father to care for her mother who is dying of cancer. Her father and her two brothers are to carry on with their lives at school and at work. Ellen is angered by this. She does not want to give up her life, work and apartment in the city. But she does what is expected of her, moves home and helps her mother and father.

At first her mother is still able to get around but needs to be driven to her chemo treatments and needs help with the housework. She can enjoy her life and she is happy spending these days with her daughter and the two of them getting to know one another better. She decides she wants to do a book group with her daughter. They go the the bookstore and choose three novels to read and discuss. They get two copies each of: Anna Karenina, Pride and Prejudice and Great Expectations. They make it through P and P and most of the way through Anna Karenina before her mother gets to ill to continue.

Ellen's mother is beginning to have a lot of pain by now, especially in her back. Her oncologist is very hands on with her treatment and even comes to the house when Ellen calls for help. She is now receiving morphine in tablet/capsule form and through a port in her chest through which she can dose herself just by pressing a little button. This manages her pain much better for a time.

Ellen spends tender moments with her mother throughout this time. Her brothers come home and realize their mother will never be well again and they return to the city and to school in great emotional pain, grieving already. Their father spends the nights with his wife and Ellen often sees them together with her father pulling a chair up to the hospital bed and hears them murmuring quietly with each other.

When her mother dies, for some unspecified reason, they do an autopsy. (This did not ring true to me. I have never known of an autopsy being done on someone who has died of cancer.) At any rate after the funeral the doctor speaks of this to Ellen and lets her know that lethal amounts of morphine were found in her mother's body and that she is a suspect.

What follows is the meat of the story, other than the relationships within the family.

I recommend One True Thing for Anna Quindlen's beautiful writing style and for the way she confronts her reader's worst fears. The judicial aspects of the book's ending were distracting and more unlikely than not. But I found this to be a good read.

21. Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen; Orange; library; (4*)

This is a story of second chances and the chances arrive when they are most needed. Rebecca Winter's life has taken a nose dive from being a well off and famous photographer to a has been with no money in her bank account and the bills keep piling up.
Rebecca decides to rent out her New York City apartment and rent a cottage in the middle of the woods which is not beautiful by any means but its location outside a small town changes her life.
This small town has its share of quirky character's. MO MO the clown (Tad), the owner of the tea room (Sarah), and the roofer Jim Bates become her friends. Each one of these characters become entirtwined with Rebecca's second chance and magic happens to them along with lonely stray dog who comes to stay.
Rebecca takes the dog and goes for long walks in the woods every day. And every day she comes upon something that she wants to photograph. Soon she is as ever driven as that photographer she once was in New York, but differently. People are as taken by her new photographs as they once were with her collections. But she is not taking these photos for the money or for her fans. She is taking them for herself. However, here again, magic happens.
And it isn't often that you get to read a novel with the protagonist in her 60s. Younger people always think that they will have life figured out by the time they reach this age. This novel shows that women at that age are still struggling to be what and who they want to be.
Though I am a huge Quindlen fan I didn't expect to enjoy this particular book of hers. I loved her One True Thing and this one couldn't be any more different from that one if she had planned it that way. But surprisingly I found myself really enjoying this read for what it was.

22. Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons; ROOT; (4*); purged

Ellen Foster is a small book with a big story. The time it will take to read it is time well spent.
This novel provides a reminder that it is really up to each of us to decide how we will respond to what life throws at us. None of us would choose to have Ellen Foster's life. She is given little comfort anywhere. Yet though her lot is hard she has resilience. She is a child who discovers possibilities even in her darkest of times. She doesn't fall victim to self pity which would be easy enough to do, given her life story. She judges people and situations based on the humanity of the people and of the circumstances. In doing so she proves to herself that she can make the best of almost any of life's situations that come her way. Eventually she is able to share her own humanity with others through her behavior & reactions to situations. She becomes able to see the lies that allow racism to exist. She, remarkably for an 11 year old, understands the value of giving and receiving. She finds love and comfort in the simple act of sitting in silence with a friend.
I suspect that anyone can learn something from reading Ellen Foster's story.

23. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende; ROOT; (3*); purged

My thoughts & comments:
As this book has already been reviewed several times you all know the story line.
I found the lead character to be an interesting girl who endured much change throughout the book. I loved her sidekick, the little Chinaman. I enjoyed all of the eccentric, colorful characters they ran into in San Francisco and on the trail. I could have done without the whole storyline of the 'boyfriend'. For me this was rather a meh read. Good enough to finish but not good enough to write home about. I may or may not go on to read Portrait in Sepia and The House of Spirits. I have them on hold at the library but am debating.

Debating no longer. I was just over reading the reviews on those two and I think I will take a pass.

24. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See; ROOT; (3*); purged

This is the story of the coming of age of two sisters of Shanghai before, during and after WWII. They are from a very wealthy appearing family and live quite a high life. They have beautiful clothing, model for calendars and other artists for money of their own and have a very close relationship. However the father, unknowingly to them, has gambled away the family fortune including the money belonging to the sisters. He is also into the loan sharks for a great deal of money. In order to get out from under his mounting debts he basically makes a deal with the devil. He arranges to marry his daughters off to the sons of a Chinese man from Los Angeles in order to alleviate his debt.
As the bombs start flying over Shanghai, the sisters make their way to America and must go through all manner of horrific troubles. When they arrive they are held in quarantine for months. One of them gives birth while there and then they begin searching for their "husbands".
For me this was just an okay read. It wasn't bad, it wasn't wonderful. As I read Shanghai Girls, I couldn't help but compare See's writing to that of Gail Tsukiyama's and it definitely came up short. I know that is unfair to See, but the story lines they weave are so similar that it was quite difficult not to do
If you are not familiar with the work of Tsukiyama you will most likely quite enjoy this story. I gave it 3 of 5 stars.

25. Lucy Gayheart by Willa Cather; VMC; ROOT; (5*)

This slender novel filled me with nostalgia and a renewed love for the small town life that I have always lived. This is, hands down, Willa Cather at her best.
It is the story of Lucy Gayheart, a young pianist who leaves small town, Nebraska and travels to Chicago to study music. She becomes a rehearsal pianist for an opera singer. The book follows Lucy's life, her loves and the tragedies that affect her life and that of those around her. It is a haunting story of youth and regrets.
As in some of Cather's other works there is a contrast between small town Nebraska and big city Chicago with each having its virtues and its flaws. As always Cather's characters are well rounded and her locale and character descriptions are vividly painted. The way her characters observe and interact with each other is a wonder to read.
This contains some of the loveliest writing I've come across for a while. Cather writes with simplicity yet with such beauty. There is just so very much within her words. Every page contains some of the most beautiful prose you'll ever read. Though hardly well acclaimed, this dark novel is a treasure. It ends with such a haunting epilogue.
I think that Willa Cather was somehow an instinctively great writer. One would perhaps expect this little book to be light reading but I did not find it so. Tragedy is key in this novel because it is the insight that gets conveyed after the fact that gives this work it's depth.

>34 rainpebble: on my TBR as well--looks like you enjoyed it, so I look forward to it.

26. All Good Things: From Paris to Tahiti: Life and Longing by Sarah Turnbull; ROOT; (1*)

After reading Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris, which I greatly enjoyed, I found All Good Things: From Paris to Tahiti: Life and Longing to be quite a let down. It was easy to read but it did not engage this reader as the previous book had done. It seemed very self indulgent and I felt as if she was struggling to write it. Perhaps she should have left the first as a stand alone book. Turnbull is a much better writer than this book leads on to believe.
I am sorry but I simply was unable to connect with her travels, her new life in Tahiti, the trying to have a baby and all of the treatments, her marriage, the swimming, diving & fishing, etc. I just wished that I had picked up something else to read.

27. About the Night by Anat Talshir; & wonderfully translated by Evan Fallenberg; (3 1/2*) purged

This book takes the initial conflict between the Jews and the Arabs in the new state of Israel and focuses this story on a personal level. We see the new Eastern cultures from the eyes of two individuals, one from each culture. While the love story was special, I would have very much have liked to been allowed to read more about the details of living In Israel/Jerusalem during this time.

>34 rainpebble: I've read 4 books by Willa Cather and with each one I love her writing more than the last. Thank you for this review--Lucy Gayheart is on my TBR and I'm moving it to the top.

Oh, I so agree Kathy.

28. Phoebe Deane by Grace Livingston Hill; ROOT; (2 1/2*); Book 2 of 3; read out of order; purged

I thoroughly enjoyed this squeaky clean little book with a nice Christian emphasis but Livingstone Hill did not go overboard with it. The characters were fairly well developed and the story was believable for the time period although I do not believe that Hiram would have taken things quite so far.
The story kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. There was a lot of sadness in Phoebe's life and it doesn't look to get much better until a stranger offers his friendship. The characters are much like I would imagine they would be in the time period in which the story is set. I had to remind myself a few times that this story was written when women had few rights and were at the mercy of the men in their lives as well as their surroundings. It was extremely rare for a woman to be able to live a self supporting, independent life in those days and I would imagine many had few or no close friends. This book made me want to reach into the story and clobber Hiram, the bad guy. I wanted to find a way to rescue the innocent girl and have a serious talk with Phoebe's family members, especially her 'milk toast' brother.
While I liked and cared about the character of Phoebe, our protagonist, I loved the character of Miranda. What a hoot of a girl! I was friends with a couple of girls just like her when I was in Jr. High & High School so she brought back many good and hysterical memories for me.
This is a good story, not great but good, for those of us who like a clean romance now and then that's not too mushy and has just a bit of substance to it.

29. Waking Kate by Sarah Addison Allen; ROOT; novelette; prequel to Lost Lake; (3*); purged

This is just a brief introduction to Kate, the protagonist of Allen's Lost Lake. This short story takes place on the day that Lost Lake begins and the story is just that; short.
Kate goes through a bit of a transformation during a conversation with an elderly neighbor but in true Allen style we are left wondering about that conversation. Did it really take place or is it something she dreamed. A nice lead-in to Lost Lake.
Then it goes on to preview the first few chapters of Lost Lake. I am not sure if my feelings would have been different if I had read this first but looking back on it, it wouldn't have been a bad way to meet the main character. I wish I could say more but it was short and sweet; a great little story written in the true Addison Allen style that her fans have all come to love. It left me wanting to reread the rest of the story (Lost Lake) immediately.
It also left me with a desire and yearning for butter coffee! Mmm, I think I will go make a cup.

30. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen; ROOT; ARC/ER; (3 1/2*); purged

I am a Sarah Addison Allen fan. When life becomes too challenging, bereft, busy or dreary, her books & stories can simply carry the reader "away from it all". I have enjoyed all of her books and this one was no exception.
It doesn't seem to matter the plot, the story line, whatever; she always gives the reader great & well rounded characters. Her novels are magical but yet realistic, the real world mixed in with just enough of the supernatural to make it believable.
This one gives us the story of a young widow with a very cool & in a world of her own daughter. The mother in law is wealthy & interfering. She has convinced Kate, the young widow, that she is not strong enough to make good decisions for herself & her daughter and that they should move in with her.
In packing up her house Kate's daughter finds an old post card from Kate's great Aunt Eby that Kate's mother had apparently hidden from her many years prior. The card invites Kate to return to her Aunt Eby's Lost Lake resort any time she wants. Kate's most cherished childhood moments & memories are of summers spent there. So rather than move in with her mother in law, Kate decides that she and her daughter will return to Lost Lake to see if it is indeed still magical.
Once there we meet some truly wonderful characters. First there is Aunt Eby herself who is now in her 80s & widowed. She is still tall, lean & lovely. She continues to run the neglected resort. We meet Lisette, born without a voice box & thus cannot speak, who followed Eby & her husband George from Paris to Lost Lake and is the cook for the guests. We meet Wes who was Kate's dear friend & playmate the summer she spent at Lost Lake. He's not changed much. He is now the proprietor of a pizzeria and has a repair business. Then there is Jack who has come each summer & is very quietly & timidly in love with Lisette. We also get to meet Bulahdeen, who has recently had to put her husband in a special facility for Alzheimer patients, and her friend Selma, the man hungry red head looking for Mr Right # 8. (Yes, that's right. Number eight.) These two are quite the characters and I enjoyed them tremendously. They added a lot of spice to the story. They have been coming to the resort since Aunt Eby & Uncle George bought it.
But times & things have changed over the years. Kate is shocked to find how run down the resort has become though she still loves it and she & Devin, her daughter, help as much as they can and are very surprised & shocked to find that Aunt Eby has decided, much to the chagrin of the regulars, Lisette and the community to sell. It has just become too much for her to handle.
You will be surprised at all of the many back burner story lines going on in this one story.
This is not deep literature but it is a story that takes you out of yourself and we all need that now and then. I loved reading it and hated for it to end. I recommend it for those reasons stated above. I actually felt good when I had finished reading it and I haven't felt good in several months so that has to say something.

31. A Far Cry From Kensington by Muriel Spark; VMC; ROOT; (4 1/2*); purged

My thoughts & comments:

Muriel Spark is an author whose books are 'to die for'. I really loved reading A Far Cry From Kensington. The story is not plot driven but is a whole lot of fun. I enjoyed how she drew her characters, how she played them, the story, the entire work. I am so happy she wrote quite a few books and I will be seeking them all out.

32. Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons; (3*); ROOT, VMC; (440); (G.P. Putnam's Sons edition); purged

This book is a kind and gentle read. There are no startling insights or life altering observations But it is worth reading because it does speak to values and ethical behavior.
The grandmother is a strong woman whose opinions are revered and who doesn't tolerate fools. She is unfailingly consistent in her outlook and mission which is to help other people with or without their consent. Her daughter is lonely and well-meaning. The granddaughter is growing into herself and her beliefs with help from her grandmother. This book has 'charm'.

X

33. A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons; (4*); ROOT; VMC; (419); (Vintage Contemporaries edition); purged

This is a simple but beautifully drawn novel about the love within a marriage. It is the story of Jack & Ruby. They were both migrant workers & Jack fell for Ruby the first time he saw her. Ruby's life was not an easy one and Jack wanted to remove her burdens from her lovely shoulders.

As I read this story I thought often of my own parents & my husband's. Both couples worked their way West from Kansas & Missouri respectively, doing migratory, seasonal work all the way.

The story follows them and Jack's love for Ruby throughout their marriage & her illness. The sweetness of this tender tale had me in tears more than once. I really cared about both of these characters and for a bit I lived their lives with them.

I highly recommend this book by Gibbons. You will be so glad you read it.

34. Where the Apple Ripens by Jessie Kesson; (2*); ROOT; VMC; purged

While I liked this little book of short stories I disliked the writing style enough that it totally disturbed my affection for the stories. I know that Kesson is one of Scotland's most beloved of writers and so I will not give up on her but will simply read more of her in the attempt to make my brain accommodate her method of writing.
I am not going to attempt to review the book as I believe that there are fine reviews out there and because of the above.

35. A Lost Lady by Willa Cather; (3*); ROOT; acquired 08/06/2013; VMC; (21); (Vintage Books edition); purged

A Lost Lady is titled very nicely. It is about the deterioration of a woman who goes from being principled, dignified and well respected to becoming a lady who is adulterous, financially unscrupulous, and disrespected. The lady Marian Forrester is a well constructed character, as are the main male character, Niel Herbert, and the novel's villain (ish, Ivy Peters.
This slim novel is filled with subtlety and nuances but somehow it lacks the energy of O Pioneers and My Antonia which are novels that Cather seemed to really put her heart into. This is still a good novel, just not her best and I've always read Cather at her best. In fact I did not realize that she had anything out there that was not 'her best'.

I have been reading like a mad woman this month in an attempt to put myself in a place where I may be able to meet my 100 book goal this year. Hard to do when one reads nothing for several months. I read not one single book in January nor in February & only 3 (I think) in March. I find that now I am reading at least 6 hours a night in bed and whatever I can squeeze in during the day. I think I am finally at a point where I can rest my weary eyes & body and get back to some normalcy with my books. The purging is coming along nicely, I am happy to say.
Happy reading, one & all.

Great to see you back reading Belva !

Thank you Bryan. Now I need to pick up another BFB!

36. Eight Cousins or The Aunt Hill by Louisa May Alcott; (4*); ROOT, 10/01/2009; VMC; (Puffin Classics); purged

Loved it! This is a wonderful story about a young girl overcoming depression, fighting against loneliness and the social restrictions of the era. A kind, forward-thinking uncle takes Rose under his wing after the death of her parents. Despite protesting the strange and shocking lifestyle changes she's asked to make she finds that her life is changing and she is becoming a healthy and happy person. She is the sole female child in the family amid seven rowdy boy cousins.
Rose befriends a household servant, ignoring the crossing of class lines so prevalent at the time. As she allows others to help her grow and learn, the people around her are affected by her changes, her inner beauty and are also changed.
This is a wonderful read for anyone, but especially youngsters, who might be struggling with self image or sadness issues. Alcott writes so wonderfully.

Again, with the reading way into the night....................

37. Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott; (3 1/2*); ROOT; VMC ; (Puffin Classics); purged

This book is a must read for all of you readers who enjoyed Eight Cousins. Some of you may have thought that Rose's story ended with Eight Cousins but it doesn't stop there. It continues on here in Rose in Bloom and we get to find out how Rose and these cousins grew up and what happened to them.
This book has lost some of the innocence found in the first book as it is slowly lifted as Rose enters into the real world after her return from Europe. All but one of the characters from the first book return in this charming sequel.
The cousins are older as well and have found love. The heartwarming challenges these young lovers go through are refreshing in their innocence. Even Jamie is not immune to the talk of love and his innocent candor on the matter is quite amusing.
Rose In Bloom answers many questions this reader had the end of 'cousins'. Not everyone comes out of this novel unscathed but that is simply life, isn't it?
This is a lovely little book for those readers who enjoyed Eight Cousins.

38. A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve; (3*); ROOT; purged

Though it is not her worst, this definitely isn't one of Shreve's best. I enjoyed it enough to keep reading but when it was over I felt such a letdown. I suppose we were supposed to link the climb & topping the summit of Mount Kenya to Margaret's marriage challenges. But it didn't work for me. Also what novice climber would choose Mount Kenya for their first climb with practically no preparation. It simply didn't have a 'real' feel to it.
In regards to Shreve's characters none of them were what I would consider rounded but were all rather flat other than the locals: James, Adhiambo, Mr. Obok, Jagdish, and Rafiq; and of course, Margaret, but only in her relationships with these local to the area. And I found myself only 'involved' with the locals and the environs. Shreve's descriptive writing of Africa was what worked the best for me in this book. She really knew what she was doing here. Her writing of Kenya, the animals, the people, the country, the politics, the terrors; all of it beautifully done & believable.
Margaret & Patrick's marriage didn't work for me from the beginning, feeling very wooden. I don't believe either of their heads nor their hearts were in the marriage.
I have read much of Shreve's work and find her to be a good 'go-to-author' when I can't figure out my next read but she isn't as consistent as I found her to be early on. However I still find her books worth the read.

39. Flush: A Biography by Virginia Woolf; (5*); ROOT; Persephone; (purged simply because my doctor borrowed it & neglected to return it)

Flush is a first person fictional narrative about the Cocker Spaniel owned by Elizabeth Barrett/Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The real dog was stolen three times but in the novella it is capsulized into a story of one theft.
Virginia Woolf opens the novel writing as if the book were non-fiction. After a few pages, she slips into the narrative form with the dog describing his life. She explores the dog's relation to the owner and tells us what it is like to be a dog. The dog is very sensitive to the moods of his owner and is protective, even becoming jealous on an occasion or two. One could say that Woolf gives Flush a soul.
"Flush dances through the meadows as a puppy. The cool globes of dew or rain broke in showers of iridescent spray about his nose; the earth, her hard, here soft, here hot, here cold, stung, teased and tickled the soft pads of his feet. Then what a variety of smells interwoven is subtlest combination thrilled his nostrils...".
This story is light hearted and avoids the heavy cloud of despair usually portrayed in books about the Barretts of Wimpole Street, though Wimpole Street is the setting of the first part of the book.
I loved how Woolf described Flush running through the parks, chasing birds & whatnot; lying soaking up the sun, etc. Her descriptiveness of a 'dog's life' is pretty spot on. This story allows Woolf to be more playful than any of the other piece she has written. The mix of fiction and fact allows her to tell a story filled with heroes and villians which make the book quite captivating like an adult fairy tale. By the end I was fully engaged and completely consumed by Flush and his life. I didn't want it to end but sadly it had to. This is a must for any fan of Woolf or even anyone who has a love for animals. The deeper meaning of the narrative is the telling of loyalty and love. We can all take a lesson from that.
I fell in love with this little book and highly recommend it. It boggles my mind just how timeless Virginia Woolf's works are.

40. Out of Love by Victoria Clayton; (4 1/2*); ROOT, 09/17/2009;

First I would just like to say that I loved this cozy, comfy read. I chortled, giggled, and sighed, (not quite moaning) my way through the entire book and raced to the computer at the finish to order everything Victoria Clayton that I could get my little hands on!~!
So we have two very best friends who love each other dearly and tell each other every (and I do mean) everything. Min has the hots for this boy and wanted her friend Daisy to meet him so invites her to a ball. But Daisy must needs stay at the same home as the "boyfriend" due to space and propriety, etc. Well, long story short, Daisy gets drunk at the ball, must go home early, boyfriend takes her, they end up sleeping together, (rather?) unknown to Daisy due to her drunkenness, and she awakes the next morning with Hugh (creepy, but hunky boyfriend) in the sack with her and her very bestest friend in the whole wide world sitting on the window seat calmly smoking a cigarette and waiting for them to wake up.
Wow!~! I do love a book that begins with a "bang"!~! hee hee!
So Min is pissed and the girls have a row and don't see each other for 15 years when they suddenly come face to face at a reading in Oxford. They see each other from across the room; Min speaks of the quarrel and laughs. Time has moved on and so has she. The quarrel is let go and Min makes Daisy promise to come and have a long visit with she, her husband and their two children. And so Daisy does.
All manner of troubles and fun ensue and it just keeps getting better and better.
I cannot wait to read more of Clayton's work.
This book is written with a wit I would die to have and that I love to read. It is not your everyday simple love story. There is nothing simple about it. It is a hoot and a darned good read as well. I highly recommend it.

41. Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates; (2 1/2*); ROOT; purged

It took me a bit of time pondering this novella to bring myself to the point where I could put my thoughts & comments about it down on paper, so to speak.
I think Oates a brilliant writer and I do believe that this book was written quite brilliantly. The prose is so very different from anything that I have ever read before. I even found the format & punctuation of the novella appropriate to the book & the story.
This slim volume, written in the voice & mind of a dead/dying girl, is based on the Chappaquiddick incident from 1969 involving Senator Ted Kennedy & his young colleague, Mary Jo Kopechne, who drowned on that night. It read a bit strange to me but I don't think that is due to the writing. I think it is due to the fact that I am a product of the sixties & recall the circumstances surrounding the real incident so well. I didn't realize this was what the book was about when I picked it up. I may not have read it had I known. But I am glad I read it. It gave me the opportunity to read this rather unique style from the author.

However......it did leave me feeling 'cold' just as the title suggests.

42. Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs; (1 1/2*); ROOT; purged

I have always been a tea lover throughout my life. It is one of my go-to remedies for everything from cramps to cold & flue to depression among other ailments. I love quaint, little towns and I always enjoy a good mystery. I was so hoping to enjoy this little book as my niece recked it to me. However I really didn't care for anything about it. The plot had potential but the characters were flat, one dimensional and the book simply didn't work at all.
Some parts of the story were not well developed and some areas were never developed. There were scenes that were simply incongruous and caused this reader to wonder why they were there at all.
I felt rather sad that this book had such a negative impact on me, not only because my niece recked it to me but I have been seeking a 'cosy mystery' series & I was hoping this was the one. Perhaps someone reading this poor review of comments & thoughts will take pity on me and have a good 'cosy' series recommendation for me.

43. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes; (4*); ROOT; purged

I wanted to share with you all of the reasons I loved this book. However I am finding there are too many to name. This is a book that brings the reader comfort and peace. And if you are like this reader, it will make you feel as if you are living in the wrong place.
Mayes goes into detail about her love for Tuscany and really makes one feel that. In the small medieval town of Cortona, Mayes is adopted by townspeople as one of their own. There she takes up the enormous task of obtaining an old abandoned farmhouse and remodeling it inside and out.
I loved the way that she described the Italian way of life compared to the American. The food, the wine and just the way the Italians live their lives.
I found this book to be a very satisfying read and it makes me want to immediately travel to Tuscany.

44. Bella Tuscany by Frances Mayes; (1 1/2*); ROOT; purged

Mayes' smug, contrite, & superior attitude is a total turn-off. This sequel has none of the charm, the warmth nor the character of her first book, Under the Tuscan Sun. I didn't buy this book to read about her childhood or her parents or her siblings. I didn't buy this book to read about Minnesota, her house in California, or her daughter's wedding. I didn't buy this book to read about her trashing her house guests. I didn't buy this book to read poetry, or her opinion of art. I bought this book for more of what I loved in it's predecessor. I am so disappointed in this author.
Now that her vacation getaway in Tuscany has been renovated, the olives trees planted, Mayes has sadly run out of things to say. There are only so many pages of people eating, gardening and lounging in their lemonarias that one can stand. The vignettes of Italian life that made Under the Tuscan Sun so delightful are all but absent here. The author & her husband appear to be spoiled academics with too much money and time on their hands. It is difficult to sympathize with their minor construction problems as if they are life tragedies.
Come back with another as good as the first & I will buy it.

45. The Lamorna Wink by Martha Grimes; (2*); ROOT; purged

This is number 16 of her 'Richard Jury' series and I've read a few other mysteries by Grimes that I thoroughly enjoyed. But I can't say that I liked this one very much. The mystery features the terrible deaths of two small children which is woven throughout the plot of the story. I just can't find a mystery with something that disturbing to be more enjoyable than sad. Also the motive for the killings in this case don't seem quite believable. It is just too much of a stretch to believe that this motive would drive someone to commit these crimes. There were also upsetting elements of the story which made me wish that I had picked up a different mystery.
Having said that, I find this author's writing to be beautiful and her characters to be well developed. I am sure that I will be reading Grimes' other books one day.

46. Cane River by Lalita Tademy; (1*): ROOT; purged

After attempting to read this family multi-generational history numerous times over the years, I finally decided to pearl rule it this time around at 139 pages. I just could never get into it. Don't know why, but sometimes that is just how it is.
The next one will be better.

47. Past Mischief by Victoria Clayton; (3 1/2*); ROOT; purged

Miranda seems to have everything: looks, brains, three children and a 15th-century moated manor house in Kent. Then when she finds her husband dead, shot in the chest, her friends believe that fortune has turned against her. Turns out that this is just the beginning of a better life for her.
I found this lengthy novel to be a bit of a bore but I do like Clayton's writing. Her books can be fun and entertaining.

48. TALK BEFORE SLEEP by ELIZABETH BERG; (5*); ROOT

Because she has written with such clarity, authority and feeling, Berg's novel may cause readers to forget that this story of a woman's death from cancer is fictional. Her depiction of a sisterhood of women banding together to support a friend is never falsely sentimental. Accurately observed details and honest descriptions of the body's frailties make the narrative gripping and it's sense immediate. Intensely real characterizations, black humor and graceful prose make this one so memorable.
Ann, the teller of our tale is a nurse by trade & recognizes a soul mate when she meets Ruth, who is a talented artist. Ruth is outspoken, fearless, charming, & charismatic. When she leaves her caustic, icy husband and regrettably, her teenage son, she is eager to embrace new experiences, to find love and artistic fulfillment. Instead, and sadly, she is struck down with cancer instead. Ruth is a fighter and doesn't give up even when the cancer is found to be terminal. Ann and several other devoted friends spend days and nights by Ruth's side, helping her through the dying process.
Berg writes candidly about the bonds between women that I find to transcend the male/female relationship. This is a book that celebrates intimate friendship as well as a cry of grief.
Having been through the same with a brother, my mother & my mother-in-law all within the past year, I found this book to be quite cathartic.

49. The Pyramid: The First Wallander Cases by Henning Mankell; (3*);

There are 5 stories in this book. Their events occur prior to the novels and they include Wallander's first case, when he was a uniformed officer but is striving to be a detective.
Although the stories are about a younger man, they are unmistakably Wallander. He is cranky, absent-minded & moody. He means well but does not always behave well. He worries a lot. He takes unnecessary risks. He has the makings of a good detective and he knows that as well. Events in his job affect him emotionally. He has lapses in confidence. Sometimes he wants to quit but he has no idea what else he might do.
It could be said that while the Wallander books are mysteries, they are also very much about life in Sweden toward the end of the twentieth century. Mankell wrote in the forward to this book that the Wallander novels could be subtitled, Novels about the Swedish Anxiety. One of the reasons I enjoy these stories so much is that I know very little about Sweden. And though there is much in life there which is similiar to life here there is a certain excitement involved with reading books set in a faraway place.
This book of shorts seems like each was a chapter in Wallander's life in Sweden. These stories occur prior to the novels and I found that in reading them before the series provided me a good background into the man, Wallender.

50. Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell; (3 1/2*); ROOT,
03/21/2013;

Kurt Wallander is a Swedish investigative detective. He is estranged from his wife, his daughter and friends. He has a problematic relationship with his father, who I found to be such an interesting character in the novel. I thought that all of the characters were well developed, that the dialog was very well done and I found the story-line to be quite engaging. I loved the sparse prose style Mankell has used with this series.
In this particular book of the series the brutal torture and murder of an elderly farm couple puzzles and horrifies the department. The only clues are the unusual ligature on a rope used in the crime and the wife's dying whisper that their attackers were "foreign". This puts the police on the track of the immigrant population. Wallander soon finds himself spending as much time dealing with attacks by racists as with the initial crime and Mankell uses the scenario as a way to explain both Wallander's own frustration with an immigration system that's obviously badly broken and as a warning about the escalating tensions and the hatreds of folk less level-headed than the detective.
Wallander, as a detective, is a sympathetic character and the observations about Sweden in particular and Europe in general I found to be quite a brain-worm for myself. The cultural backdrop, against which the story is set, is as bleak and as barren as the wintry landscape.
I definitely recommend this series.

Note to self: less reading; more reviewing!~!

HALFWAY THROUGH 2016 AND AM EXACTLY HALFWAY TO GOAL. WOOT, WOOT!~!

glitter-graphics.com

Meant to comment again ages ago! I'm glad your reading has picked up again.

I liked Shanghai Girls more than you did, though I think the follow up boy Dreams of Joy is superior (and covering and less well known part of history). Gail Tsukiyama is certainly a wonderful writer. I've been meaning to pick up something else by her for a long while now.

>69 mabith:
Meredith, I did enjoy Shanghai Girls, just did not love it, and I've not yet read Dreams of Joy but it sounds like I need to. Thank you for the rec. Do, please, let me know what your next Tsukiyama will be.
hugs,

51. SUMMER IN FEBRUARY by JONATHAN SMITH; (5*); ROOT, acquired 8/23/2014;

I loved this book so much that I immediately went to Amazon & ordered the movie to stream. As per usual disappointment was the result. But the book is quite lovely.
It is the story of the Lamorna artists colony of pre-war Lamorna, Cornwall in England & is based on true events. It is beautifully set and the the author provides a possible scenario of an emotional and tragic chapter of the artists' lives. There is some absolutely beautiful writing in this novel.
I found it to be a great insight into the eccentric and genius, twisted and obscene world of art at the turn of the century. It is, indeed, a love story and the backdrop made it even more worth the read.

52. Heat Wave by Penelope Lively; (4 1/2*); ROOT, acquired 02/13/2014;

This is the story of a woman in her fifties who is spending the summer in a remote English cottage with her daughter, her son-in-law and her grandson. As she watches her daughter's marriage dissolve she is thrown into flashbacks of the disintegration of her own marriage.

This is a short and inward dwelling book. Not much action but rather full of minute observations of relationships. Some, no more than a glance or a single word. There is a lot of interpretation and projection on the mother's part onto her daughter. But it is presented as observations rather than projection.

The descriptions are very insightful. The characters are very human. I quite enjoy the writing of Lively and admire her skill with the pen.

Recommended.

Ordered these today even though I already have a couple editions of each plus on my Kindle. So stoked to get them!



Cover art by Ruben Toledo.

Lovely editions! I've bought almost a book per week this year, and I'm not sure how that happened. My next Tsukiyama will almost certain be Night of Many Dreams, as it's the only easily accessible one that I haven't read already. (I've read four of hers so far, Women of the Silk, The Language of Threads, Street of a Thousand Blossoms, and A Hundred Flowers.)

53. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M. McPherson; (5*); BFB, 950 pgs; ROOT, acquired 06/24/2009; purged

This volume is one of the most comprehensive studies of the Civil War period that addresses every aspect of the war. McPherson does an excellent job of setting the context. He describes the changing demographics, economics, politics and policies of the United States in the 19th century. He covers the institution of slavery; how it developed and how southerners sought its expansion. He discusses the impact of westward growth and the war with Mexico; the series of compromises as new states became part of the union along with the increasing divisions as those compromises failed to appease both sides. And lastly the secession of the southern states after Lincoln was elected president is covered. I especially appreciated the details of the months when secession spread which includes the stated rationales of the seceding states and the maneuvers that led to the firing on Fort Sumter.
The discussion of the war covers virtually all of the major military campaigns and battles and is accompanied by maps showing Union and Confederate movements. We get to know all the important generals and follow them through their checkered or glorious careers. McPherson is stellar at using anecdotes and/or quotes to convey the character of each general. The strengths and weaknesses of the Union and Confederate armies at certain times or battles are clearly delineated. He also assesses the structures of leadership and the quality of leaders in the Federal Government and in the Confederate states. Lincoln had to contend with political rivals and war opponents, worry over whether foreign nations might recognize the Confederacy, defend his Emancipation Proclamation from critics, and agonize over whether he would ever find an effective general to break the southern army and restore the union. Jefferson Davis had the challenge of winning the cooperation of the wildly independent Confederate states to raise sufficient armies, produce enough food, clothes and armaments, and agree on strategy and tactics.
Battle Cry of Freedom is very readable for a nearly 900 page book on nonfiction. It took me nearly 10 days to read it and it is a fascinating read. It held my interest throughout. I found James McPherson to be a masterful author in this field.
I very highly recommend this work.

54. Raven Black by Ann Cleeves; bk 1 of the Shetland series; (4*); ROOT;

I was drawn to this book because of its setting in the Shetland Islands, which I have long found fascinating but know very little about. Cleeves writes well about island life among people in a remote area where there are no secrets kept except for the bad ones.

The story centers around two murders of young women. One occurred eight years ago and one very recently. Both girls were seen in the company of Magnus, who has limited intellect and has lived a sheltered life with his domineering mother who, even in death, can control him. He is a simple man, alone & lonely.

The story takes place shortly after New Years when everything is still, frozen and covered with snow. It is a perfect atmosphere for the events of the story. Magnus is fascinated by the two pretty young ladies who show up at his house on New Years Eve, drunk and being silly. When one of them is found dead in a snow covered field a few hours later, Magnus' world tips on its head.

From the beginning I liked Magnus and felt pity for him. It was clear that he was disadvantaged but who could the killer be?
Enter detective Jimmy Perez who is quickly on the case, working the mystery.

Cleeves is a very sparse and straight forward author and her writing keeps the reader immersed in the story. Nothing is overdone. Her characters are well drawn and believable. I enjoyed Raven Black and look forward to others in the Shetland series.

Recommended.

55. White Nights by Ann Cleeves; (4 1/2*); bk 2 of the Shetland series; (4 1/2*); ROOT; hardcopy; at home

I enjoy these types of mysteries and not just for the mystery but also for the development of the key characters and the sense of space & time. I am enjoying finding out more about our detective, Perez, and more about the village & its inhabitants. The description of the bleak and stark but beautiful environment intrigues me. Summers are vastly different in the Shetlands from the winters.

I think Cleeves does a good job of rolling out her characters & building them. Also I like how she gives the reader hints to help one guess who our villain is. Thus far I have been surprised in both stories I have read in this Shetland series.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

56. I, Anna by Elsa Lewin; (3*); ROOT, 01/25/2015; hard copy purged

A very absorbing novel about a mystery which poses difficulty to the police, the family, the neighbors but which is understood by the reader. Lewin shares a keen understanding of the extremes to which emotional illness, grief and sorrow can drive one.
I would not call this a novel of redemption but rather a novel of realism. I would call this New York Noir and so this reader knew going in that there would be no fairy tale nor happy endings within the covers of the book. The reader may just come away with a deeper understanding of human frailty. I believe I did and I recommend this read.

57. Atonement by Ian McEwan; (4*); ROOT, 11/12/2007; purged

I found this novel to be completely absorbing.
The first part draws the reader into a confined setting which occurs on a very hot day in a country house with ongoing preparations of welcoming the son home. He is bringing a friend with him.
The book allows the reader to observe scenes portrayed from the perspectives of the characters within the house. Although McEwan focuses more on the internal lives of the characters than on external events, he devotes most of the attention to their impressions and reflections on what takes place around them. The reader can feel the tension building towards what will most certainly culminate in a disaster.
The second part of the novel describes the dire consequences of these events which grow out of the lively imagination of a young girl who half sees and half imagines what is happening in the house and tries, with good intentions, to put things right. Children are very good at seeing everything that goes on around them but they do not yet have the life experiences to understand these events. McEwan ties everything together beautifully in the last part of the book where our young girl has grown old and has spent all the intervening years trying to reconcile herself with what she did as a child. The author does a marvelous job of tying up all the threads.
I don't want to spoil anyone's reading by giving away too many details. The book was different than what I expected but I found it to be very good and I highly recommend it.

Hi Belva, some great reading happening here, hope you enjoyed Fingersmith, it is one of my favourites and one I always lend and get +ve responses.

58. The Railway Man by Eric Lomax; (3 1/2*); ROOT, prior to L/T; purged

59. The Giver by Lois Lowry; (2 1/2*); Y/A; ROOT, from prior to L/T; purged

I would say that this book is creative and unlike any book I have previously read. I found it to be new and fresh but unable to hold my interest. I will say that I am not big on the apocalyptic nor the dystopian novels but for some reason I wanted to like this book.
The setting is a bland world, a bland community with bland people, bland colors, bland minds & personalities, bland jobs, bland everything except for one character, The Giver. He has memories of times gone by, of feelings, of passions, of a life no one else remembers and now, as he is aging, it is time for him to turn over & teach the upcoming Giver, our protagonist, all of this.
Our new & young Giver in training has trouble accepting all of this and his mind begins to stretch out on its own. When the powers that be learn of this they begin their protest to his uniqueness.
I can see why readers of school age & their teachers hold such high regard to this book especially in today's world when the media controls so much of what we, the public, are allowed to know. I don't see myself continuing the series. Sadly, this book didn't do much for me.

60. From the Terrace by John O'Hara, (one of my favorite authors way back in the day); (4*); ROOT, from prior to L/T; BFB, 912 pgs; purged

I loved From the Terrace. I could not put it down and it applies to today even though it really gets going in the twenties. It is not just about the power of money, but also about the power of love and how so many of us just do not really know what it is. His writing is magnificent. I have read so many of his great books: Appointment in Samarra; Ten North Frederick; Rage to Live. O’Hara is a master and I have always envied him his genius as I suppose a great many writers have as well.
However, I think that as good as O'Hara's novels are, he was even a better short story writer.

61. The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell; (4 1/2*); ROOT, 03/21/2013; (Kurt Wallander, bk 2);

This story is a dark & suspenseful mystery, like all of the other Wallander police procedurals. I have read 5 of them thus far & this remains my favorite of them all. I loved & creeped out to this novel.
The Dogs of Riga is not your run of the mill crime drama. This story takes in international crime & criminals involved in dangerous & deadly pursuits in which Inspector Kurt Wallander finds himself literally locked within the very midst. Though the story and related characters are very interesting, this novel seems another creative way to delve further into the understanding of Wallander himself. This is the second of the Wallander series & for me the basic combination of a meticulous, thorough, creative, & highly organized criminal investigator who is also an awkward, insecure, and sensitive man is what I find most compelling and what stays on my mind after finishing each of these novels.
This one I found to be the best of the lot thus far but the entire series has enveloped me.

62. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters; (4*); AV/AA; BFB, 608 pgs; ROOT, acquired 08/29/2011;

When I started reading this book I did not realize that the story would be told first from Sue's point of view and then from Maude's. When I found myself starting again with Maude I was a bit taken aback. However I should have trusted Waters. Maude's tale was as fascinating as Sue's, though very different. Both stories came together well in the end.
My favorite part of this novel is the way that both girls take control of their own destinies and manage to grant themselves a satisfactory ending. While reading I was wondering how on earth Waters would resolve everything. Her solution was the best kind. It was unexpected and yet exactly what it should have been, given everything that came before.

63. The White Lioness by Henning Mankell; (4 1/2*); ROOT, 03/24/2014;
(Kurt Wallander, bk 3);

I found The White Lioness to be a great surprise and an excellent read. Mankell's novel is impressive in many ways and on many levels. The characters are quite compelling. Wallander and the entire cast of Swedish police officers are wonderfully human, with a realistic mix of goof offs and good guys. The bad guys are portrayed with depth as well. They are terribly evil and coldblooded but also incredibly resourceful and quite realistically so. The historic events and characters are not unbelievable which is a big plus when reading.
I thought this to be a thrilling tale with human and realistic well rounded characters. I liked it a great deal.

64. The Hours Before Dawn by Celia Fremlin; AV/AA; (5*); VMC #423; ROOT, 09/25/2013;

This author has the uncanny ability to take a perfectly normal, if not mundane, situation and create an atmosphere of sheer terror. The Hours Before Dawn, which won an Edgar for best novel of its year, introduces us to Louise Henderson. She is a sleep deprived young housewife & mother with a fretful new infant that is causing complaints from both her family and neighbors.
The only person who doesn’t complain is Vera Brandon, the boarder the Hendersons have recently taken in. In fact Brandon is so quiet that at times the Hendersons don’t even know she is in the house.
Soon the boarder’s actions begin to arouse Louise’s suspicions She finds herself doing all sorts of things she has never done before. Attempting to search the woman’s room, contacting total strangers for information about her, and finally taking the baby out for a night time walk in his pram, only to fall asleep and lose him in a park.
Fremlin skillfully weaves truly frightening events into Louise’s daily routine of meals, housecleaning, and childcare. Her great characterization has the reader pulling for Louise & just as terrified as Louise is by the time the story reaches its surprising conclusion. I knew what was going to happen.................except that is not what occurred. Kudos to Fremlin.
This is story telling at its very best!

65. The Man Who Smiled by Henning Mankell; (3*); ROOT, 04/04/2013; (Kurt Wallander, bk 4)

While Wallander is a great character, I found him to be rather flat in this episode, the 4th of Mankell's series on this police officer. Actually, though I love this series, in this particular book every thing seemed somewhat forced & flat to me.
Neither Wallander nor the other officers responded to events as this reader would have thought them to, from reading the other books leading up to this one. Events & characters, villains & officers alike, just didn't reach out to me as in the past novels.
I am thinking that possibly Mankell was going through a bad time himself when he wrote this episode.

66. The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West; (4*); AV/AA; VMC, #143; ROOT, 07/02/2009;

I first discovered Rebecca West in college when I had to read The Return of the Soldier, which I loved, for my British Literature class. I love her descriptive writing. She really captures the emotion and setting of her stories. I found this to be more than just a good read.

I do find reviewing her work difficult and would have to agree with the following quote.

"Rebecca West's novel touches the very essence of life ..... Reviewing Rebecca West is like trying to review Michaelangelo. Perhaps we have become afraid of acknowledging contemporary greatness."
~ Sybille Bedford

67. This Real Night by Rebecca West; (3 1/2*); AV/AA; VMC, #270; ROOT, 08/08/2011;

I really appreciated The Fountain Overflows. This Real Night has the same beautiful, poignant writing and the same characters but is not quite the compelling read that I found the previous book to be. Even so I would have to say that I am glad I read it. I don't know that I will go for the third in the trilogy: Cousin Rosamund.

I find that I quite agree with this quote:

"Rebecca West's novel touches the very essence of life ..... Reviewing Rebecca West is like trying to review Michaelangelo. Perhaps we have become afraid of acknowledging contemporary greatness."
~ Sybille Bedford

68. The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx; (4*); ROOT, 09/25/2007; purged

The Shipping News does not have a conventional plot as such. Instead it unfolds in quirky, graceful episodes so soaked in atmosphere that they are very much like beautifully polished, linked short stories. It would be unfair to give away too much of these delicious vignettes, except to say that Quoyle is eventually attracted to a local woman, the widowed Wavey Prowse, mother of a little boy.
Forget the movie and read the book. It stays with the reader. I found it to be captivating and very good.

69.. Sidetracked by Henning Mankell; (4*); ROOT, 03/14/2013; Kurt Wallander (5);

Kurt Wallander, the melancholy detective in Henning Mankell's Swedish police procedurals, takes it personally when a crime is committed on his turf. In Sidetracked the work of a serial killer who takes the lives of his victims with an ax and takes their scalps as trophies throws him into another depression. He feels great sorrow as he realizes that a foreign kind of violence has now struck in Ystad, his turf & hometown.
The author observes local police routines in detail, while taking a parallel path to follow the insane logic and precise methods of the killer. But it is Wallander's anguished voice that really sucks us in. While all of Sweden is following World Cup soccer and everyone is preparing for their summer holiday, this cop can't get over the girl who torched herself in a farmer's field. Brooding on the alienation of the young, the breaking down of the family unit and the loneliness that attends this breakdown of modern society, our philosophical hero vows to make it up to the coming generation while he still can.
I continue to enjoy this series.

70. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood; (1/2*); AV/AA; Virago fiction; BFB, 637 pgs; ROOT, 07/06/2011; purged

Maybe Atwood IS a genius, but if she is, then I am the one magically remaining Dodo Bird. I LOVED The Penelopiad and had been looking forward to this read for ever so long. Through the first 100 or so pages I kept telling myself: It will get better. The characters will flesh out and the story lines will clear up and become something interesting. Didn't happen. But I simply found The Blind Assassin to be 637 pages of the purest boredom.
Taking the precious time to read this book was a complete waste of time for me. I should have applied CurrerBell's Pearl Rule & shut her down at page 50! But I just kept telling myself: But this is Margaret Atwood. It has to be me and perhaps it is because she is stellar in the world of writing & most everyone who has read this book has raved about it.
This reader found The Blind Assassin to be dull, tedious, boring, ummm....... that probably tells my story about it.
I guess I just did not get it. I could not even tell you what this one was about!

I wasn't a fan of The Blind Assassin either, or her book Oryx and Crake (I'm not much for dystopia on the best of days, of course). She did one of the books in the Hogarth Shakespeare series of retellings which is supposed to come out in October (Hag-Seed, based on The Tempest) which might be better for those of us lukewarm on her regular novels (I also liked The Penelopiad).

>94 mabith:
Blessings, Meredith.
I have heard wonderful things about Hag-Seed from readers whom I trust to steer me in the right direction. I would like to eventually get all of the The Hogarth Shakespeare Series and was disappointed to see how expensive the e-book editions are.
And I do understand your take on the distopian novels. I have tried some, read some, but put down many more than I have read. Some people just love them along with sci-fi but I am not big on either one. In fact the only one I have probably 'appreciated' was The Road by Cormac McCarthy and I found it to be amazingly well written.

71. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough; (4 1/2*); AV/AA, VMC #530; BFB, 704 pgs; ROOT, from prior to L/T

The Thorn Birds is a sweeping love story set on a sheep station in the Australian outback. At its heart is the ill-fated romance of the beautiful young Meggie Cleary and the handsome Roman Catholic priest, Father Ralph de Bricassart. Forced to choose between the woman he loves and the Church he is sworn to, Father Ralph's ambitions win and he stays with the Church giving up his love. He eventually becoming a Cardinal in Rome.
De Bricassart never realizes that Meggie's bright young son is his child. Even when the boy comes to Rome to study for the priesthood, Father Ralph has no clue. After the boy's tragic death Meggie must choose between her own comfort and the independence of her beautiful but willful daughter who is a talented actress.
McCullough's Thorn Birds, at over 700 pages, details the private lives of three generations of the Cleary clan over a 55 year span. It paints a very real portrait of the trials and rewards of life in the Australian outback on a sheep ranch and of one woman's doomed love for a man who would always be beyond her reach.
I loved it all over again!

72. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith; (5*); AV/AA; VMC #410; ROOT, 07/02/2009;

This is the story of an eccentric poor family living in a decrepit, crumbling yet picturesque castle. There is our protagonist, 17 year old Cassandra who loves to write in her journal/diary and records the day to day lives of her family. Then we have her older sister, Rose, who wants nothing more than to marry rich and thus help her family. There is the very eccentric father who was once an acclaimed author but is in the midst of a dry, oh so dry, spell. He pretends that he is trying to write but in actuality spends much of his time hidden away from his family reading detective novels in the attic. Then we have (in a very minor role) Topaz, the father's much younger, but also eccentric in her own way, wife. The household is depressive, stagnant and poor so when 2 young American lads come into their lives great excitement abound with the girls.
I Capture the Castle is a character driven novel and our Cassandra is witty, intelligent and imaginative and has a talent for closely watching and understanding other people. She can be quite blunt to the point of rudeness and the diary-like narrative makes it the story even more enjoyable.
I loved this tale and it had most everything for me. Lightness, darkness, a bit of the whimsy and so much more. This was a 5 star read all around for me.

236: lyzard Aug 30, 7:46pm Top (what virago are you reading?)
Hi, everyone.

This is just to let you know that a tutored read of Jane Austen's Emma will be commencing next weekend---it would be great if some of you cared to join us!

I will post a link here when the thread is up.

NOTE TO SELF

So bizarre............I am averaging 1 (5*) book per month so far this year.

73. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates; (2 1/2*); ROOT, 07/18/2007; purged

I thought I would love this novel, as Oates is a favorite of mine. But it turned out to be not so much. The characters were well rounded as all of Oates' characters are. And in this case they all react differently to a critical event within the family history. But the book didn't really work for me.
Like I said, this was an okay read for me but I have found that I far prefer Oates' short stories to her novels. She is masterful with the short.

I might join you for the Emma tutored read. I still feeling slightly bad about not loving Austen the way my dad does (and Emma is his favorite).

>101 mabith:
Here is the link for the Emma tutored read. I am reading at my own pace (I was finding theirs way too slow) but I do go in and read all of the
Q & A & the comments. It has helped me tremendously. I have never been much of an Austen fan but with this tutored read I am quickly becoming one. Prior to this the only one of her books that I enjoyed was either Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility. I cannot remember which one.
C'mon over & join us.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/231425

Stealing part of alaudacorax's book star rating system:

Five stars - If anything happened to my copy I'd buy another one straight away.
Four stars - Really good book.
Three stars - Good but not outstanding.
Two stars -Meh.
One star - Not good.
Half-star - How did this get into print? Put it outside and throw stones at it!

Yeah, I like it.

74. THE RETURN OF THE SOLDIER by REBECCA WEST; (5*); VMC #32; ROOT, 08/24/2009; purged (due to the poor condition of the book from being so well loved)

The Return of the Soldier is the first WW I novel to be written by a woman and is written in lovely prose.
Chris Baldry, a wealthy soldier, returns from the front suffering from amnesia and having forgotten the past fifteen years of his life. He has forgotten his marriage to Kitty along with the birth and subsequent death of their son, Oliver. He believes himself to be yet romantically involved with the daughter of an innkeeper, Margaret, who is now married to William Grey.
Jenny, our narrator, is Chris's unmarried cousin and childhood playmate who now lives with Chris and Kitty. It appears that she feels romantically inclined toward Chris. Chris asks to see Margaret and Kitty agrees that would be the best thing as Margaret is who he remembers being close to. Margaret whose love for Chris coexists with her tenderness toward her husband, then begins to visit Baldry Court regularly to spend time with the amnesiac.
The novel traces the reactions of Jenny and Kitty to Chris's forgetting them and to his undiminished love for Margaret. They grieve, they are filled with anger, but Jenny cultivates a bond with Margaret in order to rekindle her relationship with Chris. They call in doctors to attempt to cure him. Finally a Dr. Anderson arrives. He talks to Kitty and Margaret and learns of the death of Chris and Kitty's son. Margaret suggests that giving Chris some objects loved by his son might shock Chris back to his memory of the last fifteen years. This proposal is put forward. Margaret goes to Chris on the grounds of Baldry Court with the child's ball and jersey. Kitty and Jenny, wait watching from the window as Margaret sacrifices her own happiness and Chris' in order to bring him back to a sane and current reality.
In spite of portraying this cure as a sacrifice of Chris and Margaret's happiness and at a risk to Chris's life for he will now have to return to the front, the doctor moves ahead with what he sees as a possible cure for the young soldier. Chris is repeatedly described as ill, a term which helps make curing him seem the only sensible thing to do.
I find this to be a wonderful book and though the story line frustrated me at times, it was only because my head was so into it. It is written beautifully and I highly recommend this Rebecca West gem.

75. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens; (4*); gothic classic; ROOT, acquired 09/11/2007;

This book was not at all what I was expecting. I recall reading it eons ago for my Jr. Lit class and being sooooo bored that I ended up simply skimming through it & writing my report, which I Aced anyway. ??
I don't think this is even the same book. Well, of course it is not as I was 16 then and am 69 now.
Great Expectations is a wonderful work of 'art' about a young man who has lost his mother and father. He is raised by his older sister whom I immediately nicknamed 'Hagatha', for obvious reasons, & her husband.
The story is one of great poverty, coming of age and all of the events, emotions & angst that go along with that. Pip, our protagonist, is an English lad. His tale is one of the adventures of his life. As Pip grows up, he must strive to understand what is going on, why it is happening & how he should adjust to his life at the time.
The book is long and covers most of Pip's life. Great Expectations is rich with humor which we can all relate to. Short episodes make up the majority of the book. Dickens is able to link the episodes together in a way that gives the readers a meaning behind the stories.
A wondrous book to be read by those of all ages. Those of you with life experiences will love & appreciate it.

76. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys; (4 1/2*); gothic; ROOT, 09/08/2011; Jean Rhys reading week, (unable to recall who is hosting);

I think that Jean Rhys did an excellent job of creating an interesting storyline as well as boggling our minds with the beauty of Colubri. Her images were so strong that I didn't have to try to imagine the characters or settings. I could see, smell & feel them.

This brilliant novel primarily deals with contradictions and ambiguity. Written as a prelude to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, Jean Rhys creates an identity for the otherwise shadowy figure of Bertha Mason, Rochester's mad creole wife, through Antoinette a beautiful lonely Creole woman.
Wide Sargasso Sea deals with contradictions and not just with feminist "rag issues" as other reviewers suggest, rather tending to deal with gender reversal. Christophine, the freed black slave from another Caribbean Island, is a strong female character who displays masculine traits standing up to the bullying unnamed Englishman (Rochester) who tries to use oppressive colonialist tactics to control the inhabitants of an exotic Island which cannot be controlled. Both are wild and unruly compared to his staid English persona and as such, something which he cannot relate to. Antoinette is the weak female figure who is finally destroyed by the Enlgishman, driven to madness through a combination of his desire for her and his distaste and hate for everything that she represents. An intriguing tale full of ambiguity Wide Sargasso Sea is a sad tale of dispossession and dislocation.

But please do not attempt to compare The Wide Sargasso Sea to Jane Eyre. To do that is to do yourself & Jean Rhys a great disservice.

77. High Rising by Angela Thirkell; VMC, #569; (September Series on the 75 gig); acquired 05/20/2010;

This story is a hoot!~! The first of many in the Barsetshire series, I loved it. The characters this author has thought up....oh how I do hope they appear in the next & the next & the next books of the series.
The main character, Laura, reads the most bizarre combination of books. We find her reading Death in the Potting Shed, Bleak House, The Bucket of Blood, The Butcher's Revenge, Omnibus Book of Blood, Torture and Disease, The Noseless Horror, & Who'll Sew His Shroud?. And she is a writer of books, no less. There is also a mention of a writer, Miss Mary Hocking, who is in need of a secretary or typist for her manuscripts.
I am not going to bother writing a review on this one for if you go to the book page there is a wonderful review written by Cariola that lends me to think no others are necessary. Suffice it to say I cannot wait to get along to the second in this series, Wild Strawberries.

78. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb; (4 1/2*); 912 pgs; purged

Lamb can just flat write. He is an author who can draw his readers in and make us want to keep turning those pages until the book is finished. The accessibility of his prose reminds us that a deep, thoughtful & moving narrative need not be artistically obscure as so much 'great literature' seems to be.
The characters in the book are wonderfully drawn and the themes are well developed. The introduction of 'Papa's manuscript', in the last portion of the book, seemed curious to me at first. But by the end of the book its power and purpose became quite clear. It can said that a simple Sicilian born factory worker would not be likely to write an autobiographical work with the degree of shocking self disclosure that the manuscript contains. Nor that we would find his writing to be so gripping. But this bit of literary license taken by Lamb is to be forgiven in the context of the work as a whole.
The greatest flaw in the novel, I found to be in its ending, which again this reader can forgive considering the whole body of the work.
All in all I found Lamb's novel to be a great literary achievement and one I wholeheartedly recommend.

Definitely adding The Return of the Soldier to my list. I can't walk past anything WWI related... Are you familiar with Mary Borden? She spent quite a bit of her money equipping and staffing a field hospital near the front and was a nurse there for almost the entire war. She wrote poetry and fiction, including The Forbidden Zone, which I happened to find in a bookshop but haven't read yet. It was released the same year as All Quiet on the Western Front, Good-bye to all That and A Farewell to Arms. Seems like she was a very interesting woman. I feel rather guilty I haven't gotten round to her yet.

I had no idea Wild Strawberries was the second in a series! I read it last year or possibly the year before. I enjoyed it but didn't love it, so I'm wondering how much different it would have felt if I'd read High Rising first.

x

79. Emma by Jane Austen; (4 1/2*)

Austen's prediction that her Emma was not a person many people would like certainly came to fruition. In point of fact Emma is one of the least likable characters in British literature. She comes across as a snob. She is a rich and manipulative character whom I found to be rather despicable throughout the novel. But for this reader, Emma came to be a character I loved to hate, so to speak.
The novel is quite funny and the characterizations I found to be well rounded, not flat, and I could easily identify with most all of them. There were the irritating Bates', the hypochondriac Father, the dashing, the elegant neighbor & brother in law, the accomplished Jane Fairfax of whom Emma is fiercely jealous, and the fawning lower class friend Emma wants to 'match up' with someone of a higher class.
The comic exchanges between characters, the complexity of the plot and the witty conversations/bickerings between the characters makes reading Emma a great deal of fun indeed. The reader has no need to like or agree with Emma in order to enjoy this great piece of literature. If not for Jane Austen's brilliant use of the English language, which pulls the reader right in and holds one captive for the duration, I could have never gotten through this book with so much joy and entertainment.
But it is exactly the author's control of language which makes the novel the masterpiece it is and why we still enjoy it some 200 years later. Emma is filled with complexity and interesting, funny interludes. The dialogue between the characters is quite brilliant. Emma is highly enjoyable to read and re-read. I highly recommend this novel.

80. Tesla: Man Out of Time by Margaret Cheney; (4*)

Genius is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot & most of the time we are just talking about someone who is a bit smarter than the rest of us. But Nikola Tesla was the real deal. Reading this book helped this reader really understand just how much of a genius Tesla was. From the very beginning he had a grasp on the nature of electricity that no one else alive had; perhaps an even better grasp of this subject than anyone today. Because he could understand its very nature he could apply it in ways that people like Edison, Marconi & Roentgen could only guess at. He took the first step that led to inventions like the wireless telegraph, the X Ray, remote control & he was solely responsible for alternating current and the AC motor which revolutionized industry.
Perhaps the one invention of Tesla that has never been completely understood is the Tesla coil. He understood its implications so completely that he was planning on using it for a jumping off point for wireless energy, worldwide communication & even possibly communication to other planets. He had plans for a death ray that would shoot down hundreds of planes from 250 miles away.
It sounds like science fiction and his thinking was so far ahead of much of the world that he could often say something in jest & it was believed by the masses. However despite his multitude of inventions & patents he was not a businessman & he ended up dying penniless. This is an interesting story about a very fascinating man. What I find so incredible is just how far ahead of his time Tesla was. In fact many of his concepts are still being researched and pursued today.
This was a fascinating read. The more I read about this man, the more I want to know about him.

81. Tesla: Master of Lightning by Margaret Cheney; (4 1/2*); library book;

82. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson; (4*); ROOT, 08/28/2009; BFB, 644 pgs;

83. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson; (4 1/2*); library book; BFB, 738 pgs;

84. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson; (3 1/2*); library book; BFB, 674 pgs;

AUTUMN READS:

OCTOBER:
85. THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES by NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE; (5*); ROOT, from prior to L/T; gothic;
86. DRACULA'S GUEST by BRAM STOKER; (5*); gothic; horror; short
87. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving; (4*); gothic; short
88. The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill; (3 1/2*); ROOT, 08/13/2014; gothic;
89. Empire Falls by Richard Russo; (4 1/2*); ROOT, 08/05/2009; American lit; Pulitzer Prize winner
90. UNCLE SILAS: A TALE OF BARTRAM-HAUGH by JOSEPH SHERIDAN LE FANU; (5*); gothic; ROOT, from prior to L/T;
91. The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe; (with criticism); (4*); poetry; gothic/horror;
92. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN by LIONEL SHRIVER; (5*); MAR, (July); ROOT;
93. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy; (4 1/2*); MAR, (May); classics; ROOT; BFB
94. THE DOUBLE BIND by CHRIS BOHJALIAN; (5*); MAR, (June); ROOT, 03/22/2009;
95. JANE EYRE by CHARLOTTE BRONTE; (5*); classics; MAR, (August; ROOT, from prior to L/T; gothic;
96. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie; (4*); MAR, (January); mystery; ROOT, from prior to L/T;
97. The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz; (4 1/2*); ROOT, 08/10/2015;
98. Carmilla: a Vampyre Tale by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu; (4*); gothic; vampires; ROOT, 09/14/2009; Great Halloween Read
99. The Girl From Krakow by Alex Rosenberg; (on loan from Amazon Prime);
100. Faithful: A Novel by Alice Hoffman; (5*);

And with Faithful: A Novel, I have met my 2016 reading goal of 100 books. Looking forward to the last 2 months of reading through the Thanksgiving & Christmas holidays.
________________________________________________________

NOVEMBER:

101. Looking for Alaska by John Green; (5*); Y/A
102. Awakenings by Oliver Sacks; (5*); MAR, (April);
103. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells; (4*); MAR, (October); sci-fi;
104. Winterwood by Dorothy Eden; (4*); ROOT, ; gothic romance
105. Press Escape by Shaun Carney; (3 1/2*); ER/ARC; memoir;
106. The Fall of Lisa Bellow by Susan Perabo; (3*); ER/ARC; Y/A;
mystery/suspense
107. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler; (4 1/2*); noir/pulp crime fiction;
108. A Home at the End of the World: A Novel by Michael Cunningham;
(4 1/2*);
109. The Color Purple by Alice Walker; (5+*); MAR, (November);
ROOT;
110. The Mermaids Singing by Lisa Carey; (4*); magic realism;
111. When I'm Gone: A Novel by Emily Bleeker; (3 1/2*); Kindle;
112. Marjorie's Vacation by Carolyn Wells; (5*); Y/A; Kindle; ROOT;

I accomplished 3 ROOTs for November.
_________________________________________________________________

DECEMBER:

113. Slow Fade to Autumn: A True Hollywood Love Story; A Memoir
by Anthony Lawrence; (1 1/2*); Kindle; memoir; ARC/ER; Net-Galley; nonfiction;
114. Wetzel by Richard Fleming; Kindle; historical fiction based on real events & facts;
115. Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain; hardcopy, :-); historical fiction; BFB, 656 pgs; ROOT, 2009;

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens; ROOT; MAR, (December);

________________________________________________________
MONTHLY AUTHOR READS to make up:
The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes by Janet Malcolm; MAR, (February);
The Child in Time by Ian McEwan; MAR, (March);
________________________________________________________

Hopefully in January:
Patron Saints of Literature:
The Patron Saint of the Western: James Fenimore Cooper's The Pathfinder: or, The Inland Sea; ROOT,
The Patron Saint of Romance: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice; ROOT,
The Patron Saint of Science Fiction: Mary Shelley's The Last Man;
The Patron Saint of Mystery: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's A Scandal in Bohemia; ROOT,

Plenty of great reading going on here Belva, I know you will enjoy Cider With Rosie, hope all is going well for you and happy reading !

85. THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES by NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE; (5*); ROOT, ; gothic;

This is the story of the Pyncheon family that is slowly becoming extinct. We meet Hepzibah Pyncheon, poor and old, who lives alone in the family mansion. This house was built with seven gables, thus the title. Without funds Hepzibah opens a penny shop to earn money to live on. Other characters in this tale are her brother Clifford, imprisoned because of the acts of Jaffrey Pyncheon, a wealthy judge who lives in his own country manor and is determined to find an ancient deed to other Pyncheon property.
When the penny shop seems to be failing the young Phoebe Pyncheon appears. She is a lovely, vivacious, and enthusiastic young woman who lives in the country and has come to visit her cousins. She enjoys running the penny store and brightens the gloomy atmosphere in the house. When Clifford returns from prison she entertains him with her charms. In addition she meets Holgrave, a young boarder in the house and romance blossoms.
This story is often considered a romance but I think it is more a story about the Pyncheon family and the curse it endured. Hawthorne sets the stage by giving us an overview of how the original Pyncheon obtained the property and built the house. His actions brought about a curse from the original land owner that is to last throughout the family's existence.
There are ghosts and strange occurrences in the house and we are exposed to the lives of former residents. But life improves for the current residents when another tragedy strikes the Pyncheon family, particularly the judge. Hepzibah and Clifford temporarily leave their ancestral home. It all comes to a climax as the author weaves the tale into an ending that is unexpected but makes the reader smile. Many like to look at the symbolism used to represent aspects of the human condition. I have never been certain that Hawthorne chose to approach the novel in this manner. Nevertheless I like this tale more each time I read it.

86. Dracula's Guest by Bram Stoker; (5*); gothic

I found this to be even better than Stoker's Dracula. Such a visual treat in this genre and the ending really creeped me out. I was not expecting that end for this tale of the macabre.
The fascination for this reader was not so much what the reader is told but the visual behind the telling of events.
A great short.

87. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving; gothic; short

This is quite a fun read though it does have its moments of creep! I had forgotten how much I love the writing of Irving. His prose is quite lyrical, his phrasing perfection in itself. It is so easy to 'see' what Ichobod Crane saw as he was striding throughout the countryside. Love this one & we needn't wait for Halloween time to read it in order to enjoy it, though I think that most of us do.

88. The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill; (3 1/2*); gothic; ROOT, 08/13/2014;

A good story of haunting, The Woman in Black really held this reader's interest. It has everything a good ghost story entails. A dark & boding house, the eerie marshlands surrounding said house, strange things that 'go bump in the night', the small village where no one wishes to speak of the strange goings on out at the house and of course your innocent who is sent to the house to do some sleuthing work.
Mrs. Alice Drabble of Eel Marsh House is a client of Arthur Kipps' soliciting house in London and when she dies, his employer sends him out to her lonely house on the marsh to dig through her private papers to speed up dealing with her estate.
When Arthur gets to the village he finds no one there will speak with him of the reclusive Mrs. Drabble, her house nor her life. However the man who trundled her groceries & needs out to her house in his pony cart is willing to take him to the house.
While at the house Arthur hears the most frightful sounds, sees apparitions and literally hears the things that 'go bump in the night'. He is there alone and tries to remain calm and continue with his work but it becomes more and more difficult. As he goes through Mrs. Drabble's papers he finds very little of use until he comes across a bundle of letters regarding a distant relative of Mrs. Drabble's who is unmarried and in the family way. The young lady wishes to keep the baby but doesn't have the means and so the little boy is adopted by the Drabbles. He later comes across legal paperwork that suggests the reasons for the hauntings of Eel Marsh House and the more he learns the more the hauntings continue until Arthur becomes ill in heart, soul & body. He is rescued from the house in a collapsed state and taken to the home of a gentleman he met on the train who says he must remain until he is on the road to recovery. He is attended by the local doctor, fed nourishing broths and which coupled with much bed rest does Arthur good. He is surprised one day to receive his fiance, Stella, who has come to take him back to London on the train.
They marry soon after and Arthur puts the experience behind him until one day.........one day................
Well, you will have to read the book to discover more of the particulars and the finale. Needless to say I enjoyed this book as I have every Susan Hill I have read. (Mrs. de Winter aside) I like the spare way she writes without throwing in flowery phrasing and unnecessary wording. I found this to be a good read and recommend it for those who enjoy a little spooking and haunting.

89. Empire Falls by Richard Russo; (4 1/2*); ROOT, 08/05/2009; American lit; Pulitzer Prize winner

LOVED IT!~!

Richard Russo surprises me in Empire Falls with the trials & life of Miles Roby, a restaurant manager, who's worried that the town dowager, Francine Whitney, will go back on her promise to leave him the restaurant when she dies. Empire Falls is a dying mill town and Francine owns everything including most of the people.
Things get complicated when the reader learns that Miles's mother had an affair with Francine's husband who owns the dying mills and he thinks that she is taking her angst out on him.
Miles has a daughter, Tick, who is the epitome of teenage angst & is having difficulty dealing with her father's looming divorce. We also have Miles's younger brother, David, who may or may not be the dead mill owner's son. Miles's naughty father, Max, steals from his son every chance he gets, there is the gay priest (who acts as Miles's confidant), a town police officer who suffers a low self esteem, Janine, Miles's ex and her fiancé, Walt, who owns a gym & is always trying to get Miles to arm wrestle with him. You know, prove who the better man is.
The reader is treated to most of these characters through each ones POV. Russo gets inside their heads and stays there for pages on end, telling us what they are thinking but just when we get interested in one of them he switches perspectives. This is not a short nor exceptionally easy book to read.
But this reader took no issue with that. Russo had me from the start. The book can be quite nostalgic and yet hysterically funny at times. Consider Miles' father. Max is very funny & I caught myself laughing out loud more than once. He has always wanted to go to the Florida Keys but this would take money, of which he has none. He gets the parish priest to help him steal money from the church's collection plate. Whoah! Dad is a hoot!
The ending of Empire Falls is one that I must admit I was not prepared for. Neither were the characters. I found this to be a very well written slice of life in small town America. I know I will eventually return for seconds. I highly recommend it.

90. UNCLE SILAS: A TALE OF BARTRAM-HAUGH by J SHERIDAN LE FANU; (5*); gothic; ROOT, from prior to L/T;

Uncle Silas is both J. Sheridan Le Fanu's greatest novel and also his most celebrated and widely known which is a rare combination. It is a thorough reworking of the Radcliffean mode and of the Female Gothic in general, but it is also something entirely fresh, at least for a novel published in 1864, concerning as it does elements as diverse as Swedenborgian mysticism, Wilkie Collinslike sensationalism, and .. a rarity for its time and genre, the first person retrospective narration of a young female protagonist. A classic work of 19th century Gothic, it is also generally considered one of the first examples of the 'locked room mystery' and it contains many motifs that have now become common stock of detective fiction and of the mystery genre in general.

Written with the kind of lush and yet curiously straight forward prose that characterizes all of Le Fanu's fiction Uncle Silas concerns for the most part three extremely well written characters. The first, its titular hero/villain is an impressive revision of the Byronic hero in all its complexity of characterization and is one of the most successful of these 'stock types' in all of Gothic literature; the second our narrator Maud Ruthyn is fleshed out to a degree that is much more three dimensional than the typical 'Emily St Aubert' of most of these kinds of fictions; and the third and perhaps most remarkable of Uncle Silas's cast, is the insidious, revolting and utterly outrageous Madame de la Rougierre who is worth the price in and of herself. With these characters Le Fanu takes the familiar mechanisms of the gothic novel and twists and turns them about into fabulously crisp and colorful new shapes that are as enjoyable and darkly fascinating today as they were to Victorian audiences one hundred and fifty years ago.

The plot itself concerns the isolation of our young protagonist at the decaying rural estate of her rumour haunted Uncle Silas after the death of her father. She may or may not be the target of a plot that is still capable of chilling the blood. Silas whose decades old association with a ghastly crime which he may or may not have committed and which continues to plague him has been entrusted with Maud's guardianship. It becomes apparent however that this circumstance contains more of self interest than devotion to his late brother. Madame de la Rougierre whose early appearance in the novel is interrupted by the shift in action from Maud's ancestral home to Silas's Bartram Haugh reappears as the novel begins to plunge towards its shockingly violent climax and brings with her a final word on the mysteries of Uncle Silas and its brilliant compelling expansion of Mrs. Radcliffe's tropes. I won't reveal much more in the way of story but Le Fanu is successful in that many times we can see exactly where Uncle Silas is heading and yet we are still surprised with exactly where we have wound up.

Of all the foundational works of the gothic, Uncle Silas remains one of the most accessible for modern audiences and one of the most intriguing. One can see its influence on everything from The Turn of the Screw to Rebecca and it is perhaps fitting that Le Fanu's greatest novel is a variation on a theme and on an entire genre and has itself been reimagined and reworked by modern writers of the Gothic.

91. The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe; (with criticism); (4*); gothic/horror; poetry; classic

The Raven is narrative poem written by our famous American writer Edgar Allan Poe and it was published in the year of 1845. Poe was a southerner and famous for his own dark metaphysical vision, musical rhythm of his poems and stylized, metrical language.

The poem attracted the attention of literary critics with its musical style, stylized language and supernatural atmosphere. It tells the story of a haunted, sleepless (and I have long thought opiated) narrator who has been mourning for a long time for the death of his beloved Lenore. On a December night, suddenly a talking raven comes to visit him from the shadows into his doorstep and disturbs him in his chamber by tapping his door. Its mysterious visit leads the miserable lover into a total madness. The raven comes in and sits on a bust of Athena and investigates his misery with its constant repetition of the word 'Nevermore', nevermore'.
However behind the background of the poem, Poe uses several themes such as a tragic death of a beautiful woman at a young age, the grief of a young man and his affection for his lost love and his transcendentalism. These are the common themes of his works. In the poem the raven stands there as an embodiment of constant grief caused by loneliness and a lost love. Through this loneliness a ghostly presence appears in the form of the raven with supernatural ability of talk.
His poem has become one of the most widely known and famous poems of American Literature and with this popularity received so many critical arguments from the literary critics. After its publication, it became a very popular poem on the both sides of Atlantic Ocean with its dramatic and fantastic imagination, emotional density and its strictly metrical language.
I have long loved this creepy, spooky poem by one of our beloved writers.

92. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN by LIONEL SHRIVER; (5*); MAR; Orange/Baileys; ROOT;

This was a 5 star read for me. I think it was written brilliantly. I've had many a movie have me on the edge of my seat but this is the first book I can recall putting me literally on the edge of my seat and holding my breath even though I had figured it out a few pages in, with the exception of the daughter.
I've not been able to write a review on it yet, but will throw one up soon.
BRILLIANT, JUST BRILLIANT!

93. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy; (4 1/2*); classics; MAR; ROOT; BFB;

Tolstoy is a wonderful author and the translation I have by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, I could not have been happier with. It is a lovely translation.
The story begins with duplicity and ends with a man finding himself, the reason for his life and his life's work.
The tragedy of Anna Karinina was, for me, almost a backdrop for the rest of the book. I liked how the author built her character and toward the end showed how a person, through their search for the ultimate happiness of self, can literally become so filled with anxiety, angst, and depression that they lose their grip on reality and destroy themselves.
The writing is such that I came to know the characters in this novel and I thought that they and their behavior was understandable and within their characterizations. I must admit that the politics of it totally confused me but did not disturb the storyline for me. I liked how the author went back and forth with the different character's stories and I found it quite easy to follow.
Although the title of the book is Anna Karinina, for myself the main character of the book and the one I cared the most about was Levin. For me it was his story with all of these subplots written behind it. He is the one I related to, cared the most about, and wanted to know more about. He is the one I found to be the most mulitfaceted character and there were many layers to him. I also enjoyed Kitty's character. Anna, on the other hand, was very shallow and altogether a rather boring, though beautiful, character. Her demise was almost anticlimactic, but with it Vronsky finally became a man.
I loved the last part of the book where Levin really challenged himself and thought the ending quite beautiful.
This was my third or fourth reading of the book within 50 years and I am sure I won't wait so long for the next reading. It read very differently this time around. I highly recommend this classic. I find it to be a beautifully and calmly written novel. Tolstoy was indeed masterful with the pen.

95. JANE EYRE by CHARLOTTE BRONTE; (5*); VMC; classics; MAR; ROOT

One of THE best books I have ever read or in this case reread.

Jane is a poor orphan fobbed off at a very early age on a nice uncle & a bitchy aunt who have 3 abominable children. The uncle dies but makes his wife promise to always keep & care for Jane. That lasts a few miserable years until the aunt, through correspondence, finds a poorly run boarding school for Jane that will keep her holidays as well. She wants never to see her again.
So Jane goes to the boarding school where she works hard, learns well, is always hungry & often cold. She remains there, studies hard & becomes a teacher for an additional 2 years at which time she posts an advertisement for a position as governess.
She is hired by a Mrs Fairfax of Thornfield to become governess to a young girl, Adelle, who is a ward of the owner of Thornfield but the Master is rarely there. Jane is very happy in her new position but when the Master returns home she cannot help falling in love with him. She keeps this close to her vest. Little does she know that he has fallen in love with her as well.
In her room at night, Jane begins to hear strange cries, howls & noises from overhead. She knows that there is someone up on the 3rd floor but is told that it is a servant who keeps mainly to herself and indeed she does see Mrs. Poole occasionally going to & from that floor carrying items.
When Jane learns who is actually living in that upper abode she is heartbroken and feels she cannot remain. So the girl takes the poor things she arrived with and the few pennies she has and leaves, catching a coach that will take her as far away as her funds will allow. As she is let off the coach she forgets her little bundle and now all she has are the clothes on her back.
Jane walks & forages for food for about 3 days. She looks for work, finding only rejection. She begs food and is given bread crumbs. Finally one stormy night when she is so poorly she feels she can go no further she sees a light in the distance. She follows the light and comes upon a cottage in the wood where as she looks through the window she sees 2 young ladies that she is sure are sisters, for they look so much alike, and an elderly lady that she assumes is their mother, guardian or servant. She knocks on the door, is turned away & the door shut upon her. Jane is so ill, weak & weary that she collapses on the stoop.
The next thing she is aware of is a gentleman coming upon her, & helping her into the warm kitchen where now she is fed some warm milk & bread & is taken up to a warm bedroom, changed into dry sleeping clothes and put to bed where she remains ill & out of her head for several days. She is cared for by all of the inhabitants of the house. As she begins to get stronger she is allowed to sit up and eventually she feels well enough to get up, dressed & go downstairs where she joins the servant in the snug, warm kitchen.
She is accepted by this family and kept there for some time. The gentleman, who is a brother to the girls, finds work teaching for her along with a wee cottage of her own.
She lives thus for some time.
I will stop here, dear reader, for to go on would tell you more than you would wish to hear at this point.
This is one of the best books I have ever read and I very highly recommend it to young and old alike.

96. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie; (4*); MAR; mystery;

Mystery at its very finest; taut, compelling, absorbing. Ten people are brought to an island under rather odd circumstances. They're welcomed in the absence of owner, U.K. Owen, and after their shock at the playing of an audio recording accusing each of them of murder, one of them dies. Then another. Then another. The remaining survivors do their best to defend themselves and identify the person killing them by addressing the issue of whether it's one of them or someone hidden on the island. The rapid fire beginning introduction of characters is supplemented well by their words and actions on the island so they become clear. The clues are there but this reader found them subtle enough to miss sometimes and only obvious in the retrospect of the ending revelations. It is different than the modern mysteries I enjoy, but it simply shines as the epitome of the mystery genre. Yes, I found it a bit unnerving but it is amazingly well constructed. A complete pleasure to read and this one works as well today as when it was written.

Wow, some of my all-time favorites for you in the last few days: Christie, Bronte, Tolstoy. Hmmm...makes me want to re-read something for the sheer joy of it...

Ah, Kathy..............and isn't a reread of a beloved book just that? Sheer Joy! I get very nostalgic about my old favorites and it seems the older I get the more I want to read them. I literally read Anna Karenina in one sitting. No sleep for nearly 3 days & my dear hubby did all of the housework & cooking during. No wonder I love him so! I did the same with Jane Eyre, possibly my all time favorite read.

>131 rainpebble: I've read Anna Karenina several times (and agree with you that Levin is the most interesting character), but definitely not in one sitting! :) My two favorites have to be Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice...I've read them many, many times since I first read them about age 11. I like them both for completely different reasons, and could never choose which I like best. Might be time for a P&P re-read....

97. The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz; (4 1/2*); ROOT, 08/10/2015;

The story told in this book did not actually occur as told. The BBC, along with an American researcher, revealed that they have found records in the former Soviet Union that conclusively prove that Slavomir Rawicz, while imprisoned in Siberia, did not escape. But rather he, like so many other Polish prisoners, was released by the Soviets after the German invasion and was sent to a refugee camp in Iran. The documents that prove this are written by and bear the signature of Slavomir Rawicz.
While this book was the subject of debate for many years we now know that it is a work of fiction, albeit a fascinating tale and I would venture to say that a great deal of it is based on factual happenings, whether they occurred to Slavomir Rawicz, or any number of prisoners.
Those who found the book inspiring should take heart in understanding that even though this man did not walk from Siberia to India, he still suffered terribly in the Gulag and he lived through a painful experience that was no less heroic than the story written here.
It is also important to understand that some parts of the book are very likely to be true or to have grains of truth in them. Rawicz was a Polish solider and he was arrested by the NKVD. He was in prison camps in the Soviet Union. He actually did join the Free Polish Army after he left the Soviet Union and he did serve in Palestine and Britain during the war. It is even quite possible that a 'long walk' to India actually happened but with others, as yet unidentified taking part, it causes to story to be a bit confusing as to the true events & the xxxxxx of factual events.
The world now knows that Rawicz did not make the long walk. But this still may not be the end of the story. Even though the book is, strictly speaking, not entirely & factually true that does not that this is not an important story. As a story, I found it to be very inspirational and it stands as a tribute of sorts to the hundreds of thousands who passed through the Gulag and lived amazing stories that will never be told nor heard.

98. Carmilla: a Vampyre Tale by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu; (4*); gothic; vampires; ROOT, 09/14/2009; Great Halloween Read

This was a wonderful but sorrowful novella. The classic approach to vampires is one that never grows old though the center focus on two women is something the reader almost never finds in old literature. This gives it a nice change up from other vampire tales.
I found that I quite liked the character of the first person, the victim, who is telling the tale. I also found the villainess to be a well rounded & thoroughly readable character.
Sheridan Le Fanu pays much attention to detail and imagery. I could envision events unfolding in my mind with no effort. I love when that happens as I read.
I enjoyed this book very much and think it would come highly recommended to those who enjoy a bit of a creepy tale.

99. The Girl from Krakow: A Novel by Alex Rosenberg; (1 1/2*); (on loan from Amazon Prime); pearl ruled at about the half-way point.

I am very sorry Rosenberg but I had to 'pearl rule' this book at about the halfway mark. I found it to be a boring & trite story that has been done hundreds of times and done much better. There is so much to choose from during this era that we readers can afford to be a little picky when it comes to this time & place. My reading time is just too valuable to stick with something I cannot get into. But I do hope that others out there appreciated it for the readers here on L/T are nothing if not diverse.

My thanks to Amazon Prime for loaning me this title.

100. Faithful: A Novel by Alice Hoffman; (5*); ARC/ER

Alice Hoffman has long been my favorite contemporary author. She has a way with her prose which simply immerses me into the world of her novels and I neither hear nor see anything around me while reading her. Alice Hoffman's newest, Faithful, is no different. I was mesmerized from beginning to end.
Faithful: A Novel is a story of self hate and loathing near to the point of death. Our protagonist, Shelby, sees herself as a nothing, as nonexistent after an auto accident, in which she is driving, leaves her dearest & best friend in a vegetative state. Shelby lives in an emotional deep, dark hole for two years, barely eating and speaking with no one. She smokes weed, watches mind numbing television in the basement of her parent's house and goes out only to meet with her pot source, Ben. He is the only one she speaks to during that entire time.
When Ben decides to leave Long Island for New York he manages to convince Shelby to go with him and in a long, agonizingly slow process she begins to heal just a bit when she comes across people and animals who are in need of aid and she cannot help herself but to do something for them.
I found this to be a beautifully drawn story with well fleshed out characters and I was saddened when the reading of it came to an end.

My thanks to netgalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this very special little book, a book with a big heart.

And with Faithful: A Novel, I have met my 2016 reading goal of 100 books. Looking forward to the last 2 months of reading through the Thanksgiving & Christmas holidays.
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NOVEMBER:
101. Looking for Alaska by John Green; (5*); Y/A; Kindle; coming of age;
102. Awakenings by Oliver Sacks; (4*); MAR, (April); nonfiction; case studies; Kindle;
103. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells; (4*); MAR, (October); sci-fi; Kindle;
104. Winterwood by Dorothy Eden; (4*); ROOT, ; gothic romance
105. Press Escape by Shaun Carney; ER/ARC; memoir; Kindle;
106. The Fall of Lisa Bellow by Susan Perabo; (3*); ER/ARC; Y/A;
mystery/suspense; Kindle;
107. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler; (4 1/2*); noir/pulp crime fiction; Kindle;
108. A Home at the End of the World: A Novel by Michael Cunningham; (4 1/2*); Kindle;
109. The Color Purple by Alice Walker; (5*); MAR, (November); ROOT;
110. The Mermaids Singing by Lisa Carey; (4*); Kindle; magic realism;
111. When I'm Gone: A Novel by Emily Bleeker; (3 1/2*); Kindle;
112. Marjorie's Vacation by Carolyn Wells; (5*); Y/A; Kindle; ROOT;
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DECEMBER:

113. Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain; hardcopy, :-); historical fiction; BFB, 656 pgs; ROOT, 2009;
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens; MAR, (December);
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Monthly Author Reads to catch up on:
The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes by Janet Malcolm; MAR, (February);
The Child in Time by Ian McEwan; MAR, (March);
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for January:
Patron Saints of Literature:
The Patron Saint of the Western: James Fenimore Cooper's The Pathfinder: or, The Inland Sea; ROOT,
The Patron Saint of Romance: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice; ROOT, (follow up with Death Comes to Pemberly by P.D. James; ROOT;)
The Patron Saint of Science Fiction: Mary Shelley's The Last Man;
The Patron Saint of Mystery: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's A Scandal in Bohemia; ROOT,

Congrats on 100!

Thank you, swimmer. It feels good to hit that goal a bit early.

>137 rainpebble: Wow!!! And you started in March! Fantastic!

101. Looking for Alaska by John Green; (5*); Y/A; Kindle

102. Awakenings by Oliver Sacks; (5*); MAR, (April); Kindle

This is fascinating stuff!

I am not nor was I ever a medical student nor have I ever worked in the medical field. But I am so thankful that I read this book & must say, even at the beginning of my thoughts & comments, that I highly recommend this work of Sacks. The man has a brilliant mind, very worthy of our appreciation.
I could not have read this book, had I not read ALL of the preliminary notes which take the reader well into the book and give one such as myself a very good background before going into the case studies of these special patients.
I found the book to be so much better than the movie, which I thought wonderful & which left me speechless!

The "sleepy sickness" that masks itself as Parkisonism would be difficult to garner understanding from without those previously mentioned notes. Oliver Sacks is a gifted writer. His prose is often times overly medical but again, please read the notes before beginning the case studies. The beauty of his words in regards to how medicine should be practiced and how the overly technical aspects of medicine are denying the original feeling & healing that is the true basic of the medical practice have made this book a must read for all those going into the medical field. I could go on and on but will just say: Please read this if you have any interest in an extraordinary disease and the extraordinary processes which both the patients, other doctors, nurses & medical personnel go through long with Dr. Sacks.
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From Wikipedia regarding the "sleepy sickness":

"Encephalitis lethargica or von Economo disease is an atypical form of encephalitis. Also known as "sleepy sickness" (distinct from tsetse fly-transmitted sleeping sickness), it was first described in 1917 by the neurologist Constantin von Economo and the pathologist Jean-René Cruchet. The disease attacks the brain, leaving some victims in a statue-like condition, speechless and motionless. Between 1915 and 1926, an epidemic of encephalitis lethargica spread around the world. Nearly five million people were affected, a third of whom died in the acute stages. Many of those who survived never returned to their pre-existing "aliveness". "They would be conscious and aware - yet not fully awake; they would sit motionless and speechless all day in their chairs, totally lacking energy, impetus, initiative, motive, appetite, affect or desire; they registered what went on about them without active attention, and with profound indifference. They neither conveyed nor felt the feeling of life; they were as insubstantial as ghosts, and as passive as zombies." No recurrence of the epidemic has since been reported, though isolated cases continue to occur."

103. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells; (4*); MAR, (October); sci-fi; Kindle

104. Winterwood by Dorothy Eden; (4*) ROOT, ; gothic romance; hardcopy

The night was dark and the wind rustled through the branches of the trees and pressed them against the old house at Winterwood. The house itself creaked and moaned protesting the winds blowing though the loose window casings. Lavinia was alone in the dark and each time she attempted to light her candle, the moving air would blow it out. Her nerves were shattered and she began to feel that there was movement in the old house.
******* not really, I just thought I would throw that in ********
hee hee

Winterwood is a throwback to the old Gothic Romances and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lavinia is a young lady who has had the good life and through unkind circumstances, is now one who must make her own way in the world. She becomes a guardian/governess to a young girl in a wheelchair who has two brothers. One of them is away at school and the younger one spends his time being petted by his mother, when not having one of her migraines, and the rest of the time up to no good. The father is an estate owner, (Winterwood), and is kept busy with the property.
There is an old aunt who is dying and plans to leave her inheritance to charities. The wife and a 'friend' of hers plot to get this inheritance. And in thus the story lies.
It's an old story and things turn our perfect for everyone. But coming back to this type of story is so relaxing and makes one wonder why we think we must have all of the fast talk and action and goings on that are in the more contemporary works. I will be reading more of this type of novel. They are perfect for fall, winter and a wet spring.

105. Press Escape by Shaun Carney; (3 1/2*); ER/ARC, NetGalley; memoir; Kindle

Shaun Carney started his career in journalism at 20 years of age as a cadet at Melbourne’s Herald and moved a few years later to The Age. After a 26 year career there, holding many different positions, Carney was unable to project a future for himself at The Age & so he decided to take one the early retirement packages being offered. At that time, in 2012, he was not prepared for what was to come next but he was ready for any adventure. Since then he has been writing for the Herald Sun and happily enough, this memoir has come out through those years.

Carney grew up in a working class town & was the only child of a metal worker & homemaker. His descriptions of suburban Australian life in the 1960s are a wonderful description of a different Australia. By the end of form one he knew that he wanted to be a journalist. After an Arts degree at Monash, he was taken on as a trainee at the Herald. He worked the police rounds where everything he wrote was published because that was the stuff the paper was made of at that time.
When his six-year-old daughter contracted cancer it turned his life upside down. For over two years his life and career were up in the air. His priorities had to change & him with them. He also had an uneasy relationship with his beloved father and added to that, the huge changes in his line of work.
Carney’s memoir is a moving, funny & engrossing account of the extensive changes in his life. His is a wonderfully crafted study of a journalist finding his one true story. Recommended.

I wish to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Press Escape.

106. The Fall of Lisa Bellow by Susan Perabo; (3*); ER/ARC, NetGalley; survivor's guilt; Kindle

This is a beautifully drawn story about two young girls, Meredith & a school mate Lisa Bellows, both of middle school age, who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and both are caught up in the midst of a convenience store hold up & kidnapping. The man with the gun orders Lisa to come with him & Meredith to remain on the floor of the store. From where she is laying, Meredith is able to see the kidnapper force her school mate into his vehicle & be driven away.
After the abduction, Meredith lives much of her time within her own head and isolates herself from friends & family, who are unable to reach her in the world to which she takes herself. She segues into another universe where she is with Lisa Bellows along with the kidnapper. This part of the book is written extremely well & I found myself picturing the 2 girls laying in the bathtub talking & planning and I could see the rooms of the apartment where they were being held.
The book is a fascinating character study of someone suffering from survivor's guilt and also a mother who, within herself, is ecstatically happy & relieved that it is someone elses daughter who has been abducted & not her own. The novel is gripping, suspenseful & rather dark but I found it to be fascinating. We are privy to the coping skills of the community, these two families & their friends along with the surviving girl, Meredith in their dealing with this horrible situation.
A good read.

I wish to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Fall of Lisa Bellow.

107. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler; (4 1/2*); noir/pulp crime fiction; Kindle

108. A Home at the End of the World: A Novel by Michael Cunningham;
(4 1/2*); Kindle; American lit;

109. The Color Purple by Alice Walker; (5+*); MAR, (November); ROOT; hardcopy, :-)

I find The Color Purple to be as beautifully written today as it was when I read it for the first time upon it's release. Alice Walker was given a gift to put onto paper for the rest of the world to share with her.

"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it."
(Shug to Celie)

"What I love best bout Shug is what she been through, I say. When you look in Shug's eyes you know she been where she been, seen what she seen, did what she did. And now she know."
(Celie to Mr.)

The Color Purple is a pure example of great and wonderful literature. Alice Walker proves the hardship of life for those less fortunate. The painful and hard things that Celie had to go through make you feel total compassion for the character.

One of the best qualities of a writer is being able to make the reader feel what the characters are feeling and in writing this book Alice Walker did just that.

I love this book & very highly recommend it.

110. The Mermaids Singing by Lisa Carey; (4*); Kindle, magic realism;

111. When I'm Gone: A Novel by Emily Bleeker; (3 1/2*); Kindle;

112. Marjorie's Vacation by Carolyn Wells; (5*); (The Marjorie Books (1); Y/A; Kindle; ROOT;

This, the first of the Marjorie Series, is an absolute wonder in books for the young to the young at heart. It is filled with hysterically funny escapades of Marjorie, who is spending the summer with her aunt, and her two neighboring girls. What trouble & terrors that do not find these 3, they find on their own.
I can't wait to get to the 2nd of the series. Highly recommended.

MY DECEMBER'S READS:

113. Slow Fade to Autumn: A True Hollywood Love Story; A Memoir
by Anthony Lawrence; (1 1/2*); Kindle; memoir; ARC/ER; Net-Galley; nonfiction;
114. Wetzel by Richard Fleming; (5*); ARC/ER, NetGalley; Kindle; historical fiction based on real events & facts;
115. Coromandel Sea Change by Rumer Godden; (4*); hardcopy ROOT; ARC/ER, Kindle, NetGalley;
116. House of Silence by Sarah Barthel; (1*); ARC/ER, NetGalley;
Kindle;
117. A Pinch of Poison by Alyssa Maxwell; (2*); ARC/ER, NetGalley; Kindle;
118. The Girl Before: A Novel by J.P. Delaney; (3*); ARC/ER, NetGalley; Kindle;
119. The Hothouse by the East River by Muriel Spark; (4*); ARC/ER, NetGalley; Kindle;
120. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens; (5*); ROOT; MAR, (December);
121. Lady by Thomas Tryon; Kindle; coming of age; middle America

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ARC/ERs to catch up on:

(YET TO BE PUBLISHED)
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden;
10 Jan 2017 ;04 Dec 2016

The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson;
10 Jan 2017; 07 Nov 2016

(ALREADY PUBLISHED)
Who Is to Blame?: A Russian Riddle by Jane Marlow;
18 Oct 2016 ;09 Nov 2016

Sorrows & Songs by Janice Wood Wetzel;
15 Dec 2015 ;07 Nov 2016

Who Is to Blame?: A Russian Riddle by Jane Marlow;
18 Oct 2016; 09 Nov 2016

The Patriots: A Novel by Sana Krasikov;
24 Jan 2017; 07 Nov 2016

Sorrows & Songs by Janice Wood Wetzel;
15 Dec 2015; 07 Nov 2016

20 by Vatsal Surti
18 Dec 2016; 16 Dec 2016

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Monthly Author Reads to catch up on:
The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes by Janet Malcolm; MAR, (February);
The Child in Time by Ian McEwan; MAR, (March);
________________________________________________________

113. Slow Fade to Autumn: A True Hollywood Love Story; A Memoir
by Anthony Lawrence; (1 1/2*); Kindle; memoir; ARC/ER; Net-Galley; nonfiction;

This memoir began beautifully. It could have been a lovely story but the author got bogged down & carried away with the seemingly self-important name dropping & side stories.
What started out to be a love story with themes similar Sparks' The Notebook quickly became a boring and listless memoir for this reader. I liked the characters and had hopes for them. I guess I just don't have much to say about this one.

(I was unable to find the correct touchstone for this author)

I wish to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Slow Fade to Autumn.

114. Wetzel by Richard Fleming; (5*); Kindle; BFB, 946 pgs; historical fiction based on real events & facts; ARC/ER; Net-Galley

Wetzel is written in a very simplistic manner which compliments this legend of a frontier man and which makes this long book accessible even to young readers who want to tackle a Big Fat Book.
Fleming has researched his material well and as a reader who has been fascinated with the frontier man, Lew Wetzel, for 57 years of my life, the only fault I could find with it was that his book is pretty complimentary to Wetzel. Lew Wetzel was truly a scamp of a man. He was blood thirsty, mean & snarly; not at all as he is portrayed in this book. But that aside, I enjoyed this book tremendously and it is written as a novel so we can expect all of that.
The Indian Wars and the redskins' raids on the forts & the settlers are well written. We get to know many of the characters, both white and Indian alike. The backstory of the trio of warriors who seek to hunt & kill Lew Wetzel is very interesting & the author is very upfront about this part of the story being total fiction whereas most of the story line is based on partial fact gleaned from Fleming's research.
If & when you read this novel, please don't omit the author's opening remarks nor his after notes. Fleming is quite open with his explanations & reasons for parts of the book noting where he got his information & how he either verified it or played on his imagination to complete story lines of the different characters.
I really liked this book & highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in this time period of the West, the 1850s to the early 1900s.

I wish to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Wetzel.

115. Coromandel Sea Change by Rumer Godden; (4*); hardcopy ROOT; ARC/ER, NetGalley, Kindle;

This is a wonderfully delightful little story, as I find all of Rumer Godden's work to be. Is is set in an hotel on the Coromandel coast of India and is chock full of interesting characters.
Aunt Sani runs the hotel. Her manager is a girl from the local orphanage. The hotel is filled with guests this week owing to the upcoming election. The Root and Flower party is using the hotel as a base for their campaign. The party seems unable to contain their candidate, Krishnan Pange. Among the guests are Sir John & Lady Fisher and the newlyweds, the Browns, who are there on their honeymoon. She, the young English newlywed, is an innocent, naive woman who adores India and becomes enmeshed in the local politics. He is a wannabe diplomat who is very self important and in fact a complete bore. You will love the doctor and his sidekick as they are truly funny.
Take these guests, along with the others and add in a journalist, a mystery and you have yourself an interesting little party for all. Not all of the characters are who or what they seem. But you will enjoy them all along with their adventures, especially the new bride's confrontation of the reality of her marriage.
I enjoyed this book a great deal and it has made me want to drag more of my Rumer Goddens off the shelves.

I wish to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Coromandel Sea Change.

WANT TO READ BY THE END OF JANUARY:
1st date: Publishing date
2nd date: Date I downloaded to my Kindle
ARCs/ERs:

House of Silence by Sarah Barthel; (1*); COMPLETED
27 Dec 2016; 08 Dec 2016

The Hothouse by the East River by Muriel Spark; COMPLETED
20 Mar 2012; 04 Dec 2016

The Girl Before: A Novel by JP Delaney; (2 1/2*); COMPLETED
24 Jan 2017; 04 Dec 2016

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden;
10 Jan 2017; 04 Dec 2016

Wetzel by Richard Fleming; (4*); COMPLETED
01 Dec 2015; 30 Nov 2016

Who Is to Blame?: A Russian Riddle by Jane Marlow;
18 Oct 2016; 09 Nov 2016

The Patriots: A Novel by Sana Krasikov;
24 Jan 2017; 07 Nov 2016

Sorrows & Songs by Janice Wood Wetzel;
15 Dec 2015; 07 Nov 2016

20 by Vatsal Surti
18 Dec 2016; 16 Dec 2016

A Pinch of Poison (A Lady and Lady's Maid Mystery) by Alyssa Maxwell; (2*); COMPLETED
27 Dec 2016; 07 Nov 2016

Coromandel Sea Change by Rumer Godden; (4*) COMPLETED
20 Dec 2016; 07 Nov 2016

The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson;
10 Jan 2017; 07 Nov 2016

116. House of Silence by Sarah Barthel; (1*); ARC/ER, NetGalley; Kindle

Our story takes place in Illinois during the 1870s. Our protagonist, Isabelle, is celebrating her engagement to Gregory. While not madly in love, she feels that this is a good match and her mother is very much in approval. Gregory is ambitious, moneyed and seemingly devoted to Isabelle.
One day when when Isabelle is out walking on a visit to her maid, with a thank you gift for her, as she passes a poor simple house she hears a cry for help. Then she thinks she hears her fiance's voice. As she goes closer to the house and peers through the dusty windows, she sees Gregory strangling a young lady. When she sees the woman fall dead to the floor, Isabelle is terrified. Once Gregory leaves the house she checks on the woman to see if she is still alive so as to get help if that be the case. As it turns out the young lady is indeed dead. Then Isabelle's fiance returns and carries the body away.
Isabelle is in quite a state and when she comes out of it, she finds herself once again at home and in her own bed. Suddenly she remembers what she has seen but when she tells of witnessing the crime, no one believes her and of course her fiance denies the accusation and is believed.
To get out of marrying a murderer, Isabelle pretends a mental breakdown, stops speaking and is put into a sanitarium. There she meets Mary Todd Lincoln who herself had a breakdown after the assassination of her husband, the President of the United States.
Under these unlikely circumstances the two women become allies. Isabelle continues to pretend to be a madwoman to protect herself. But sooner or later she must reclaim her voice. And if she still attempts to tell the truth about that dark day when she saw her fiance murder a woman, she will continue to be in danger.
This novel provides us with an interesting setting and with what could have been a good suspense-filled story, but it felt oddly stilted to me as I read it. I found the characters, including our protagonist, to be disappointingly flat. I am afraid that I cannot recommend this one.
I do wish to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review House of Silence.

117. A Pinch of Poison by Alyssa Maxwell; (2*); ARC/ER, NetGalley; Kindle

Maxwell’s new story is set during the post Great War time and is the 2nd of this series. But I read it as a stand alone for I have yet to read to the 1st in the series.
The story is about the young Lady Phoebe and her lady's maid, both of whom seem absorbed in solving any and all mysteries affecting the family and home. This particular mystery surrounds the school Phoebe attended and now her younger sister is in school there. As an alumna, Phoebe plans a tea and as a special treat for the headmistress, a little cake of her very own has been prepared for and presented to her. Unbeknownst to any of the attendees a poison has been placed in the pretty little cake. Soon upon ingesting the cake, the headmistress slumps over dead.
So begins the sleuthing of the Lady and her maid. But they must be discreet so as not to endanger the life of anyone else.
I found this little mystery to be pretty middle of the road. I could take it or leave it. It was a fun little read but nothing to write home about and I doubt I will ever get around the that 1st book of the series.
I guardedly recommend it for those lovers of the cosy mystery.

I do wish to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review A Pinch of Poison.

118. The Girl Before: A Novel by J.P. Delaney; (2 1/2*); ARC/ER, NetGalley

This was a rather interesting little story about two young woman in the same sort of circumstances & with the same people in their lives. It is told in a sort of parallel universe manner with one woman telling a part of her life and then the other speaking of her life in the same time and space as the first..............but not.
The first went through a harrowing home invasion and she & her boyfriend are looking for an affordable new flat. The second was expecting and baby died in the womb just days before she was to be delivered. The mother had to carry her to term & suffer through the still birth of a beautiful baby girl.
Both have the same realtor and are eventually shown a spartan home, which while lovely, seemed to this reader to be cold and uninviting. But each couple decided to take the home upon their requests for inhabiting the rental being accepted by the owner. Then there was the 'test' they had to take so see if they would be right for the home. Both were accepted and both seemed to love living in their new bare dwelling place.
But creepy things begin to happen. Their friends & loved ones become different to them and each woman (in her universe) becomes involved with the architect & owner of the home.
And here it becomes rather tense & intense.
This is not sci-fi nor is it magic realism but it is all rather convoluted and improbable which is all fine and good in a well written novel. I found The Girl Before to be a wonderful premise for a really good novel but sadly this one let me down.
I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Girl Before: A Novel.

With those last three duds I hope you get a really wonderful read in before the new year!

>161 mabith:
Got it, Meredith!~! Must have been your wish for me. My next read was The Hothouse by the East River by Muriel Spark and it was very good. Not quite a 5 * read but a solid 4!
I hope you are reading some really good works yourself. Usually at this time of year I am reading mainly Christmas tales and Christmas classics. I have A Christmas Carol in the works but really nothing else rattled my cage this year.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, dear girl.
hugs,
belva

119. The Hothouse by the East River by Muriel Spark; (4*); ARC/ER, NetGalley; Kindle;

WOW!~! This book is a real trip! I felt as if I was back in the early 70s and in my own little world. I can see my brain thinking like this but I cannot imagine how having the ability to put it on down on paper. Marvelously done by Spark!
The story is about a man and his wife who survived WWII, along with their family members and friends. It is about remembrances of the war years but told as if in current time. Everyone, but everyone in this little book, is quite eccentric or just outright bizarre. The reader is here within the story but then, no....... yanked right out of your head and into a different story! I found the characters strangely fascinating and fun, yet at times some of them were frightening as well.
If this little review seems rather disjointed just imagine how disjointed the book was and yet I loved it and read it through in one sitting. Spark is amazing and if you want to read something a bit different and off center, this might be just the ticket for you. It was for me.

120. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens; (5*); ROOT; MAR,

Charles Dickens is one of our greatest writers of all time. And I find myself to be hard put to not like almost any timeless piece of classic literature.
In A Christmas Carol, Dickens took the time & care (as always) to firmly flesh out all of his characters so the reader feels as if he knows and understands them from Scrooge to the ghosts of Christmases, Past, Present & Future down to Tiny Tim.
I love this work and read it each year at Christmas time. Christmas simply would not be right without reading this little book. If I only read one book about Christmas it is always..............but ALWAYS A Christmas Carol.

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