BingoDOG November Reads
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1christina_reads
Didn't see a thread for this, so I figured I'd start one...better late than never!
I just finished J.L. Carr's A Month in the Country for the "focus on art" square. The main character restores a medieval church painting while spending the summer in an English village.
Next up is Craig Johnson's The Cold Dish, the first book in the Longmire series. I'm planning to use it for the "about/by an indigenous person" square because the plot centers around a mystery involving the Cheyenne Nation. It's a bit of a stretch, but I was having a lot of trouble finding something I wanted to read for this square! This one was readily available at the library, and a lot of people seem to love the series, so I'm going for it. :)
I just finished J.L. Carr's A Month in the Country for the "focus on art" square. The main character restores a medieval church painting while spending the summer in an English village.
Next up is Craig Johnson's The Cold Dish, the first book in the Longmire series. I'm planning to use it for the "about/by an indigenous person" square because the plot centers around a mystery involving the Cheyenne Nation. It's a bit of a stretch, but I was having a lot of trouble finding something I wanted to read for this square! This one was readily available at the library, and a lot of people seem to love the series, so I'm going for it. :)
2MissWatson
Thanks for setting this up, I didn't see one either and thought I missed it. And I, too, read A month in the country for the arts square.
I also read Death at the opera for the "set in a theatre" square and Impératrice for the CAT square.
ETA
I also read Death at the opera for the "set in a theatre" square and Impératrice for the CAT square.
ETA
3dudes22
Using Tales of a Female Nomad by Riata Golden Gelman for the "autobiography or memoir" block.
4MissWatson
Euphrat Queen works for the "body of water in the title" slot and also proved to be a great read. It tells the story of an expedition with two steamboats on the Euphrates in 1836-1837 and proves again that real life writes the most amazing stories. You couldn't make this up.
The East India Company is looking for ways to shorten the lines of comunication with India (the Suez Canal hasn't been built yet), and Thomas Love Peacock (yes, him of Nightmare Abbey) comes up with the idea of taking two of these new-fangled steamships, disassemble them, ship them to the coast of Syria, transport them across the desert to the Euphrates, reassemble them, travel down the river and from there through the Red Sea to India. An excitable Irishman, Francis Rawdon Chesney, is named to command the expedition, and a young German couple, natural scientists, also travel along. Nothing goes according to plan, of course.
The autor draws extensively on the diaries and memoirs of the the expedition members, and especially on the travelogue Pauline Helfer wrote on behalf of her husband. She was the only woman on board and spent part of the time in men's clothes, since the fanatical Muslims of the area would have stoned her otherwise. This gives a rather impressionistic view of the whole expedition, just the highlights, so to speak. The most interesting bits come when she shows the same event from different perspectives.
However, the best part, in my mind, comes at the end when she relates what became of the various survivors: James Fitzjames ended up as captain of HMS Erebus and perished with the Franklin expedition. James Estcot took part in the charge of the Light Brigade. Lt. Lynch married a daughter of the English resident and became eventually the grandfather of Harry Kessler. Pauline returned to Germany a widow and met her hero, Alexander von Humboldt, before she married into one of the most important families in Prague. Six degrees of separation, indeed. One of the most intriguing and romantic figures in this ensemble must have been Lynch's father-in-law, Robert Taylor, who actually eloped with and married a Persian princess. I've noted down at least six books that I want to read now.
And one more Bingo for me!
ETC
The East India Company is looking for ways to shorten the lines of comunication with India (the Suez Canal hasn't been built yet), and Thomas Love Peacock (yes, him of Nightmare Abbey) comes up with the idea of taking two of these new-fangled steamships, disassemble them, ship them to the coast of Syria, transport them across the desert to the Euphrates, reassemble them, travel down the river and from there through the Red Sea to India. An excitable Irishman, Francis Rawdon Chesney, is named to command the expedition, and a young German couple, natural scientists, also travel along. Nothing goes according to plan, of course.
The autor draws extensively on the diaries and memoirs of the the expedition members, and especially on the travelogue Pauline Helfer wrote on behalf of her husband. She was the only woman on board and spent part of the time in men's clothes, since the fanatical Muslims of the area would have stoned her otherwise. This gives a rather impressionistic view of the whole expedition, just the highlights, so to speak. The most interesting bits come when she shows the same event from different perspectives.
However, the best part, in my mind, comes at the end when she relates what became of the various survivors: James Fitzjames ended up as captain of HMS Erebus and perished with the Franklin expedition. James Estcot took part in the charge of the Light Brigade. Lt. Lynch married a daughter of the English resident and became eventually the grandfather of Harry Kessler. Pauline returned to Germany a widow and met her hero, Alexander von Humboldt, before she married into one of the most important families in Prague. Six degrees of separation, indeed. One of the most intriguing and romantic figures in this ensemble must have been Lynch's father-in-law, Robert Taylor, who actually eloped with and married a Persian princess. I've noted down at least six books that I want to read now.
And one more Bingo for me!
ETC
5christina_reads
Actually ended up reading Code Talker by Joseph Bruhac for the "about an indigenous person" square, instead of The Cold Dish. I really liked Code Talker, which is based on true story of the Navajo "code talkers" who helped to transmit secret messages during World War II. The writing style is a bit simplistic, as it's geared toward a YA audience, but I enjoyed the story and would definitely like to read more about the code talkers!
6MissWatson
I ended the month on an easy note with Something under the bed is drooling for the comic square. I just love Hobbes!
7christina_reads
Just finished This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills for the "coming of age" square, and I really enjoyed it! Next up is Carl Hiaasen's Skink: No Surrender, which I'm counting for the "about the environment" square since the titular character is passionate about environmental issues (according to synopses I've read, anyhow!).
