hjelliot 75 for 2008

This sounds like a fun challenge...I don't have a main reading list, though I am sort of trying to read and re-read some of the classics. But as I work in a library I can't help picking up the odd book here or there that looks intriguing.

Here's what I've read so far:

5 january (book 1)
Elizabeth David: a mediterranean passion
by Lisa Chaney
a really good biography if you want to learn more about the life of the woman who tried to change the english palette

11 january (book 2)
How to be Lovely
by Melissa Hellstern
quick and easy

19 january (book 3)
Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Bronte
can't believe this was my first time reading Jane Eyre!

30 january (book 4)
Wuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte
a really long slog, especially as I was re-reading it

2 february (book 5)
Making the Cat Laugh
by Lynne Truss
author of 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves' this was a fun one

6 february (book 6)
Angel
by Elizabeth Taylor
given to me by a friend I felt compelled to read it though didn't enjoy it

Welcome to our list! Am intrigued by your Lynne Truss book - I have read Eat Shoots and Leaves and Talk to the Hand. What is Making the Cat Laugh about?

yes, welcome, come on in the kitchen and have a cup of something...

Oh thanks! 'Making the Cat Laugh' is about being a single (cat-owning) woman living in London. A little like Bridget Jones I suppose, plus the cat. Some very relevant observations about life in the UK that made me snicker.

I've been doing some valentine's day reading...

8 february (book 7)
Lip
by Catherine Smith
the second poetry collection(?) of a truly gifted poet. I got to see her at a reading in january and so picked up her new book, I recommend you do the same if you have a chance.

12 february (book 8)
Delta of Venus
by Anais Nin
erotica finished today on the train to work...perhaps it would be best read in the bedroom.

Love Story (book 9)
by Erich Segal
I started and finished the book today. I love the film and can't believe I'd never picked up the book before.

13 february (book 10)
First Love
by Ivan Turgenev
my first experience with Turgenev. I love the penguin 'great loves' series...must read them all

14 february (book 11)
Fourteen Two: twenty eight love poems
seven different poets come together in this collection for some much needed, refreshing love poems

15 february (book12)
On Chesil Beach
by Ian McEwan

20 february (book 13)
Memoirs of Montparnasse
by John Glassco

27 february (book 14)
The Moment You Were Gone
by Nicci Gerrard
this one was a bit predictable, but just what I needed

28 february (book 15)
Misha: The Mikhail Baryshnikov story
by Barbara Aria
Such an interesting life. Brought back many memories of camping out in front of the ballet specials on PBS and watching him in the Nutcracker, as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, and also The Turning Point with Anne Bancroft and Shirley McClaine.

8 march 2008 (book 16)
Don Quioxte
by Cervantes
Ugh, what a long slog through that was! And I read the Samuel Putnam portable version! I know, I know, I don't usually do abridged either but I found this years ago at a library sale and finally looked at it this year before realizing what it was, but I had it on hand and it was still over 700 pages! I would like to get a copy of the full text (though I'll pass on reading it again this year) and I've heard good things about the Edith Grossman translation. Any other translation suggestions?

12 march 2008 (book 17)
The Prince
by Niccolo Machiavelli
Well, I finished it, but I will definitely have to re-read it again in the future because none of it stuck. Feels like everytime I started reading, a button was pushed on some thought radio and I couldn't concentrate on the book. The moment I began reading I started having conversations with myself about random things that popped in my head. What is that about?

LOL hjelliot!!! I can totally understand what you mean about Don Quixote. Not that I have read it or anything but I went to the bookstore a couple of weeks ago and I saw it on the shelf and I was so excited to buy it until I picked it up and saw that it was so long. I do not mind reading long books at all but something about the book made me not want to get it. Its so funny that you mention this book cause I was talking to a friend yesterday and she too had the same experience as myself as she picked it up, saw the size and print and ran for cover.

Sorry I have no recommends on translations, the one I was looking at was a Barnes and Noble edition and I did not look to see who had done the translation.

Thanks for the commiserations Trish!

13 march 2008 (book 18)
Wide Sargasso Sea
by Jean Rhys
I loved this! Having just read Jane Eyre for the first time this year it's all still fresh. The writing is beautiful and I love the little Bloomsbury Classics! I can't wait to read more by her. I understand she was also writing in Paris in the 1920s...must find her story 'Left Bank.'

30 march 2008 (book 19)
Snow
by Orhan Pamuk
Well, I've fallen behind. My nephew was visiting from the states and I've been entertaining the boy for the past two weeks, so not much reading has happened. I did finally get through 'Snow' though. This is the fourth Pamuk book I've read (My Name is Red, The New Life, and Istanbul). I really love his writing, very descriptive, though always it takes so bloody long to get through. Perhaps it's something that doesn't quite come through or flow as easily in a translation of the book. Whatever it is, it makes me feel I have accomplished something when I do read something of his. This is a worthy read, though I still prefer 'My Name is Red.' Complex and interesting.

1 april 2008 (book 20)
Le Dossier: How to Survive the English
by Sarah Long
This made me laugh out loud! I can sooo relate and it sounds like one of my emails to friends back home. They've told me that I should write a book, perhaps I'll just recommend this one instead. So glad I'm not the only to notice such things!

3 april 2008 (book 21)
A Plea for Eros
by Siri Hustvedt
I picked this up in the library because I remember reading 'What I Loved' by the same author. This one is a series of essays ranging from her childhood experiences to an in depth analysis of Dickens.

8 april 2008 (book 22)
Possession
by A.S. Byatt
I loved this, my first A.S. Byatt, book! What a story. I was a bit wary as I had heard mixed reviews, but it's a story I really enjoyed. Great narrative, nice stories inside the story, and some surprises too. I will have to watch the movie now.

I am a "Possession" lover, too! Glad to hear that you enjoyed it.

10 april 2008 (book 23)
84 Charing Cross Road
by Helene Hanff
I began reading something entirely different, but got caught up a bit in librarything groups and decided I must read this! I do remember staying up late watching it on tele and loving it, but have never read it. Just sat down with a cup of tea and finished it. Lovely stuff. Will have to keep an eye out for other Helene Hanff books.

#16: I love all of Helene Hanff's books! I actually saw the movie version of 84, Charing Cross Road before I read the book. If you have not seen the film, you might check it out - Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft star in it. I especially recommend the books Q's Legacy and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Hanff as well.

I saw the movie before I read the book as well. J'adore Anne Bancroft! I really love Helene Hanff's sense of humor and am looking forward to getting my hands on 'The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street' and others.

11 april 2008 (book 24)
Writing at the Kitchen Table
by Artemis Cooper
This is the second biography I've read this year about Elizabeth David. I preferred this one. Seemed more cohesive if you know what I mean. Perhaps it's because it is chronological. I'd never heard of Elizabeth David till I moved to England. Such an interesting life.

I've not read Le Dossier: How to Survive the English but do you know Kate Fox's Watching the English? If you're an import to England then this will both amuse the hell out of you and make sense of some of our particular oddness. I squirmed and nodded and laughed my way through the whole thing.

Also, how was A Plea for Eros? I thought What I loved was an astonishingly good novel... are her essays up to the same standard?

Kate Fox's 'Watching the English' is on my library card right now, though I haven't gotten around to it yet. And I thought 'A Plea for Eros' was definitely worth reading, if only for the insights into the author's upbringing.

17 april 2008 (book 25)
The Road Less Traveled
by M. Scott Peck
This was a re-read for me. Just seeing if I needed to keep it in the collection or not. I think I'll pass it on.

I just checked my public library and have put a copy of Watching the English on hold - my parents were English so I like anything in this vein. I also enjoyed The English: A Portrait of a People by Jeremy Paxman.

20 april 2008 (book 26)
Cocaine Blues
by Kerry Greenwood
I've read Murder in Montparnasse by the same author and though they're not especially well written, I can't resist the idea of the character or the book covers. The illustrator is great!

22 april 2008 (book 27)
Evening
by Susan Minot
I loved this! It reminded me of how I felt when I was reading The Bell Jar or Wintering or The Hours for the first time. I couldn't wait to see how the story ended and yet didn't want the story to end. I will now have to rent the film with Claire Danes (love her!) and Meryl Streep.

23 april 2008 (book 28)
Frank: The literary review
Another bookmooch book for me. How I love LT and BM! Anyway, this issue focused on expat writing (americans abroad). I all of the short stories, especially Gregory Stephenson's To Copenhagen Then I Came. Marvelous what living in another country can do for your perception/perspective of your own native land. I highly recommend a copy of it and will try to get my hands on other issues.

30 april 2008 (book 29)
Stamboul Train
by Graham Greene
This is my second Graham Greene, the first being The End of the Affair. I preferred The End of the Affair to this because I connected with the characters I guess. This one just seems throw a heap of people on the Orient Express together to see what happens.

3 may 2008 (book 30)
The Bookman's Promise
by John Dunning
This was my first introduction to the Cliff Janeway Series. Moved along at a quick pace and made me want to find out more about Sir Richard Francis Burton; I'll be ordering the biography shortly.

#26: The Cliff Janeway series is well worth reading. I have read them all and really enjoyed the series.

I must go mooch some more of the series then!

5 may 2008 (book 31)
Daisy Miller
by Henry James
First Henry James, can you believe it? I was really surprised how much I liked it. My copy also included An International Episode and Four Meetings. I love the characters, the wit, and the subtle nuances of the English and the American.

#28: I do not think you will be disappointed. Another of Dunning's other books Two O'Clock, Eastern War Time is also worth seeking out. If you are an old-time radio fan as I am, he also has written an encyclopedia of the shows called Tune In Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio.

7 may 2008 (book 32)
The Mind-Body Problem
by Rebecca Goldstein
I read this years and years ago and just found a copy to mooch, so I did and re-read it. Story about a woman married to a mathematical genius and how she comes to terms with that world. Sort of. I know that's a rubbish description, but I don't know how to describe the books without spoiling the endings. Anyway, for whatever reason, this story stuck with me.

9 may 2008 (book 33)
The Woman Destroyed
by Simone de Beauvoir
This collection of three stories: The Age of Discretion, The Monologue, and The Woman Destroyed all deal with a woman of a certain age facing some sort of crisis of love. I think they are well written (The Monologue is in stream of consciousness) and all are very easy to connect to.

14 may 2008 (book 34)
Small is Beautiful
by E.F. Schumacher
I did enjoy this economic classic, especially the bits on population (mass migration to the cities) and education (specialization).

16 may 2008 (book 35)
We'll Always Have Paris
by John Baxter
I love the stories of friends in this one, his connections with the paris of the past, and his sense of humor.

21 may 2008 (book 36)
And Then There Were None
by Agatha Christie
Had to take a break from what I am reading at the moment because it is going so s l o w l y.. Thought it was a good day to curl up with a new-to-mystery and devour it. Couldn't put it down. Kept trying to be clever enough to figure it out, but no luck.

26 may 2008 (book 37)
The Virgin in the Garden
by A.S. Byatt
I only read this because I loved Possession and thought Still Life sounded good. But then I realized that Still Life was the sequel to The Virgin in the Garden and so I found a copy and started reading. May have put me off reading the sequel that originally intrigued me. So slow. Not involved with any of the characters enough to make it worth it. But I slogged through and the last 50 pages I have to say, were really quite good. Some sort of reverse from blackdogbooks 50 page rule. ;) Ah well, it's finished now.

29 may 2008 (book 38)
If on a Winter's Night a Traveller
by Italo Calvino
What a perplexing amusing read. I love his sense of humor.

1 june 2008 (book 39)
Mrs de Winter
by Susan Hill
I found this while trawling bookmooch and since I loved Rebecca I thought it sounded interesting. Oh course it could've ruined the whole experience of Rebecca, but I'm so glad it didn't. It was like getting to read another bit of the book. I loved it! I thought her descriptions of the English countryside were bang on and she got the characters down as well.

2 june 2008 (book 40)
The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street
by Helene Hanff
You were right alcottacre. This was great! I especially enjoyed hearing her reactions to the englishisms of life. So funny. Not much has changed!

10 june 2008 (book 41)
Women in Love
by D.H. Lawrence
Well, the first 300 pages were slow reading, I could not get into it, but stuck it out and am glad. The last 200 were quick and interesting and I found that I actually cared what was happening to the characters. When did that happen?

#38: Glad to hear that you liked The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street. I truly enjoy Hanff's writings -she does not take herself too seriously. I can heartily recommend just about anything she wrote.

Just finished catching up on all the threads for the group. My, you've all been busy! I just returned from a holiday in the states and I only got one book read! I only feel a tad guilty. I enjoyed seeing family I haven't seen in years, kept up with my journal, lounged in the sun, and shopped and ate like I never have before. It was great, but two weeks are gone and I've only one book to show for it.

june 2008 (book 42)
Flying too High
by Kerry Greenwood

Welcome back from vacation, hjelliot. Glad to hear you had a good one!

Thanks alcottacre! I do believe I'm starting to get into the swing of things again, though it's been slow. Read my first Persephone this week.

july 8 2008 (book 43)
Mariana
by Monica Dickens
What lovely editions they make! And I do love a good 'girl coming of age' story.

12 july 2008 (book 44)
The Heat of the Day
by Elizabeth Bowen
Wasn't expecting a world war II spy/thriller novel, but I liked it. Think I may have lost the plot a bit, but oh well. ;)

15 july 2008 (book 45)
The King's English
by Betsy Burton
I only picked it up because I recognized the title as being one of the bookshops in Salt Lake City, where I, for better or worse resided for a few years. I understand the plight of the independent bookseller, really I do. But what I have experienced first-hand of that is a bit of skulduggery and snobbishness. Like the last part of the book, where she speaks of the Harry Potter craze in 2000 and how her book supplier had failed her and so she resorted to going to the chain bookstores (and other mega markets like costco and walmart) and buying the limit of the highly discounted books there, then returning to The King's English to sell them (at the high rate). Wrong wrong wrong I say. But, not as wrong as the bookstore in Moscow, Idaho who used to leech books from the Goodwill across the street for pennies them mark them up to the tens and twenties. Makes me a bit sick in my mouth.
If you can get past that part of it (which you may well do since it's near the end), and the reams of names she gives who are only known in the west, because a book out of slc is afterall about slc and ever so slightly utah-centric, then who knows, maybe you would like it? I think not, as the author comes off as not only an amateur bookseller, but also an undergraduate writer. At least non-fiction is a quick read.

20 july 2008 (book 46)
Anne Sexton
by Diane Wood Middlebrook
This was a good biography. I'd read Middlebrook's Her Husband and really thought it a well-done piece. Not knowing anything about Anne Sexton previously except that she killed herself, it was a very informative read. Must get some of her poetry.

22 july 2008 (book 47)
Love
by Elizabeth von Arnim
Delightful! It made me not mind my commute so much. Was tempted to stay on the circle line and go round and round till I finished it. I enjoyed it as much if not more than The Enchanted April and will read more by ms. e.v.a.

24 july 2008 (book 48)
The Left Bank & Other Stories
by Jean Rhys
Devoured these short stories.

So far, I've only read Wide Sargsasso Sea but I really enjoyed her style.

I just read Wide Sargasso Sea for the first time this year too and thought she was a great, and neglected writer. I went on the hunt to find more stories. I've got her autobiography Smile Please in the reading pile. Seems an interesting character herself.

28 july 2008 (book 49)
A Far Cry From Kensington
by Muriel Spark
Ha Ha! Pisseur de copie! Someone who 'urinates frightful prose.' That is too too funny.

hjelliot
While I found the changing of tone from one character to the next hard to follow, I did enjoy Wide Sargasso Sea and thought the premise of the book was very creative.
Like you, I hope to read more by this author.

I read A Far Cry from Kensington this summer too. Love her writing. I've mooched Memento Mori and am eagerly awaiting its arrival.

Wooohooo! I reached 50! Only 5 a month till the end of the year and I'm there!

30 july 2008 (book 50)
A Collection of Beauties at the Height of Their Popularity by Whitney Otto
I loved her book How to Make an American Quilt and when I saw this in a used bookshop I had to get it. It is the same style, vignettes that let you into the heads and world of the different characters.

Congratulations on the good work, hjelliot!

Thanks alcottacre!

31 july 2008 (book 51)
The Diary of a Provincial Lady
by E.M. Delafield

7 august 2008 (book 52)
An Interrupted Life: the diaries and letters of Etty Hillesum
The best book I've read in a long time...this year certainly. What a powerful account of the holocaust and one strong woman throughout. I want to re-read it again right away.

#56, I just added this one to my to be read list.
thanks for the recommendation.

An Interrupted Life sounds like something I definitely need to read. Thanks for the recommendation. On to my TBR mountain it goes!

11 august 2008 (book 53)
Elizabeth and her German Garden
by Elizabeth von Arnim

12 august 2008 (book 54)
It's Hard to be Hip Over Thirty
by Judith Viorst
This also includes her second collection People and other aggravations so really it's two books, but it was in this one and it is poetry afterall. I sat down this evening and read it straight through, like a novel. It's great, refreshing, and fun.

14 august 2008 (book 55)
The Girls of Slender Means
by Muriel Spark

15 august 2008 (book 56)
The Brontes Went to Woolworths
by Rachel Ferguson

20 august 2008 (book 57)
The Infernal World of Branwell Bronte
by Daphne du Maurier
I found this biography really tedious with all of the examples of the young bronte siblings' poetry and prose of juvenilia.

Hi
Was Branwell Bronte the black sheep of the family. A co-worker mentioned that he was a heavy drinker and gambler. I'm curious how the book portrayed him.

I thought du maurier was sympathetic to Branwell. He was just as talented as his sisters and in their youth was very close, shared stories (both play-acting and the writing of them) and seemed destined for the same fame. But he had no luck with publishers, or even selling his paintings and was unable to counteract this failure. Charlotte's first book was rejected by publishers as well, when both of her sisters were accepted and she turned around and wrote Jane Eyre. Just different ways of dealing with rejection I suppose. Plus all of the death in that family, my god! Their mother and two sisters, followed by their friend the parish priest, another girlhood friend, and aunt (who came to stay in the house when their mother died), before finally Branwell himself, then Emily, then Anne. It is a tragic story. And I suppose he did become sort of the outcast of the family as an adult in some respects, but I didn't see him as the black sheep necessarily.

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my inquiry. Jane Eyre is one of my three favorite books and thus I've read a lot re. the Bronte's. Some of the books I read were quite dry and pedantic considering the fact that such great literature came from this family.

I may peruse the book you just finished. I'll see if I can obtain this from my local library.

If not, I'll send you my copy. ;) Let me know and it's yours!

thanks.
I have a copy of The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. Would you like this?

No thanks. I'm ashamed to say I watched the movie first...in my defense, I was a captive audience on an airplane...not much choice! I enjoyed the movie but I think the viewing is still too fresh in my head to consider the book.
Just post a note with your details on my profile page and I will send the book off to you. If I don't make it to the post office tomorrow, I'm afraid I can't get it off until Tuesday as it's a bank holiday weekend here.

THANKS VERY MUCH!
I owe you a book.
I didn't like the movie either.
And, I'll connect with you tomorrow re. what I can offer you.

Your kindness is appreciated.

27 august 2008 (book 58)
The House in Paris
by Elizabeth Bowen
This is my second Bowen ever (both this year). I love her writing, so beautiful and descriptive and clever. I thought the story was good. It held my attention and I took my time reading it.

28 august 2008 (book 59)
Ceremonials of Common Days
by Abbie Graham
Sweet little book.

(book 60)
Smile Please
by Jean Rhys
Great unfinished autobiography. Keeping very much to the small vignette style.

Hi.
I'm moving Smile Please to the top of the to be read pile. I remember that you, like me, read Wide Sargasso Sea and enjoyed it.
My summer is over now that the classes at the university began and students are back on campus. I won't have as much time to read.

Intereseted in your 58th book, The House in Paris by Bowen. I know someone who enjoyed Bowen's work and is a big Francophile. Just wanted to get a bit about the story to see if i9t would make a good gift?

Computer freaked out!!!!! Very sorry about that.

Whisper1:

Good! Smile Please is a very quick read so you should have no trouble fitting it in. And I found the details of her background fascinating. You can see where Wide Sargasso Sea came from.

blackdogbooks:

I, like your friend, am a tremendous francophile. The House in Paris is a favorite book of a friend and came recommended. I read The Heat of the Day earlier this year (my first Bowen). I found the language equally beautiful, but the story harder to follow. The story unfolds easily in this one and you've still got her gorgeous way with language. It is just a little french, but a bit heavier on the english side of things I found.
The story is split into three parts:
The Present
The Past
The Present
It begins with a young girl, traveling through Paris from England, stopping at a house on the way until her train to the next destination arrives. At the house, she meets a young boy who is waiting to meet his mother.
The middle section explains who exactly the young boy is, the story of the woman at the house in Paris who is looking after these two young travelers for the day, etc etc without spoiling anything.
Then the last section folds the two stories together nicely, etc etc without spoiling.
Hope that helps!

Yes, thank you very much. I believe it will be a good fit as a gift!

4 september 2008 (book 61)
West with the Night
by Beryl Markham

Hi.
West with the Night is an incredible book.
If you are interested in learning more about Beryl Markham, you might want to read
Out of Africa by Karen Blixen
The Splendid Outcast: Beryl Markham's African Stories by Beryl Markahm

What were your impressions of West With the Night?

Linda

I found it really interesting. I'd never heard of her before, even though I've read Out of Africa. I don't remember her at all. Though much of West with the Night is spent in the company of Baron von Blixen so I imagine she was somewhere in Karen Blixen's work. I'm very glad to have heard about her through you and other librarythingers. I may never have discovered her myself! I've also got a biography of Karen Blixen Isak Dinesen the life of a storyteller by Judith Thurman to read as well as Shadows on the Grass which is autobiographical. I may have to look into The Splendid Outcast so I can learn more. Is there a good biography of Beryl Markham do you know?

The books you listed are all excellent, including
Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller by Judith Thurman, Shadows on the Grass and The Splendid Outcast

Regarding a biographay of Beryl Markahm, there is a book I have not read, but intend to do so:
Flying Against the Wind: A Story About Beryl Markham by Andy Russell Bowen

There are others on my tbr pile that include:
African Lives: White Lies, Tropical Truth, Darkest Gossip, and Rumblings of Rumor from Chinese Gordon to Beryl Marham, and Beyond by Denis Boyles (touchstones not working on this one)

I have read and highly recommend the following:
The Africa Letters by Bror Blixen
and The Man Whom Women Loved: the life of Bror Blixen by Ulf Ashcan

Can you tell I'm obsessed with these people, Africa and this time period?

Wow. You're an expert! Don't you think it's funny how we all find a certain time and place to obsess over? I'm quite enamored with your african era as well, though I'm a 1920s paris girl myself. ;)

I need to learn more about 1920's and the Paris scene.

What books do you recommend?

Oh, I so wish I had found this group earlier in the year... it kind of feels like arriving at the party when all the crisps are gone and everyone else has already phoned for their taxis :( There's always 2009, right?

Loving your booklist, Heather. The Muriel Spark quote made me laugh out loud. And I have added Judith Viorst to my list too... although as a librarian, you may be pleased to hear that I have taken to over-using my library's request facilities of late, so have something of a backlog of library books to read!!

Oh excellent FlossieT! I'm glad you're getting some different book ideas. I am a new convert to persephone and virago books. It seems I'm discovering new fabulous authors all the time.

Whisper1, there are many many books about 1920s paris and the lost generation, but I think a good place to start is Sylvia Beach and the Lost Generation by Noel Riley Fitch. It gives a good overview and introduction to all the extraordinary characters. It will also give you an idea of what everybody wrote, so more reading lists to add. Women of the Left Bank by Shari Benstock is a bit more academic, and quite thorough. Then of course there's Malcolm Cowley's Exile's Return, John Glassco's Memoirs of Montparnasse, Sylvia Beach's Shakespeare and Company, Everybody was so Young by Amanda Vaill etc etc.
My favorite book of all time (and favorite memoir of the period) is Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast.

thanks...I think....(I'm smiling)
More books to add to the list.
I'm interested in this time period and look forward to learning more.

I will start with Hemingway and systematically read the others.

Flossie - I love your name - so old-fashioned. It makes me think of the Bobbsey Twins books.

:-) - why thank you Fourpawz2. Am v flattered to be categorised with the Bobbsey Twins, of which I only ever read about 3, but about 20 times each. I have such a clear picture of the little roundel on the cover in my head now - cheering thought for a Friday night!

Flossie Teacake is the heroine of a couple of British children's books by Hunter Davies, who magically becomes 18 when she puts on her older sister's fur coat. But none of my family can remember any more whether it was my nickname before Davies pinched it...

(sorry to hijack your thread, hjelliot!)

#88 hjelliot: I put all the books you recommended on my TBR mountain, too!

11 september 2008 (book 62)
Lolita
by Vladimir Nabokov

Hi
I saw this book was listed on the 1001 Books To Read. The description was intriguing (and disturbing.)
I'm very curious to hear your thoughts re. Lolita

I forgot to mention something in my previous post to you...

You might want to check the posts of cerievans1. Paris: The Secret History was mentioned and when I saw this I thought you might be interested.

Yes, yes......Lolita is such a fun one to discuss.....do give us your thoughts!

Well, I do see why it is a classic. It is a well-written, fascinating story, but yes, disturbing is the right word I think. All this talk of pre-pubescent nymphets...I don't know. I've heard many people talk about sympathy for the character of Humbert. I suppose I see that though I didn't necessarily feel anything for him...or for Lolita for that matter. Yes, he took advantage, but she also exercised a fair amount of control over him as well.
I watched the Kubrick film version of it a few weeks ago and was surprised how closely they actually followed the book, apart from the heavy censorship.
And as for Paris: the secret history...I did spot that in one of the threads and I'm adding it to my ever teetering pile of new book discoveries!

12 september 2008 (book 63)
The Castle of Otranto
by Hugh Walpole

Hi.
Thanks for your comments regarding Lolita. I read Wild Nights -- a series of short stories regarding the last days of Poe, Dickinson, Twain, James and Hemingway. Mark Twain is one of my favorite American literature writers. I even visited his house in Hartford, CT.

But, I was taken aback to learn that in his later years he formed a group of little girls whom he called "his angelfish." Some of the letters he wrote to them have survived. It seems like creepy behavior and I know that if my daughters would have received something like this from a much older and societally accepted man, I would have had problems with it.

Twain's daughter Clara tried many times to break his habit of collecting his little angelfish. He even gave the girls an angelfish pin. One of which was featured on the American Road Show, a program re. appraisal of antiques.

I didn't know that about Twain. Angelfish you say? Kinda creepy!

MARK TWAIN'S ANGEL-FISH ROSTER
and other young women of interest

_____

In 1907, at the age of seventy-two, lonely and widowed, Samuel Clemens began "collecting" surrogate granddaughters -- young girls between the ages of ten and sixteen. Some of the girls were those he met aboard ships that carried him back and forth to England or on his travels to the island of Bermuda. Clemens maintained correspondences with the girls -- most were from prominent and wealthy families who traveled in the same social circles with Clemens. They and their parents often visited him in his homes in New York.

In 1906 Clemens had purchased 248 acres in Redding, Connecticut and with proceeds obtained from publishing portions of his autobiography in the North American Review between September 1906 through December 1907, he began construction of a large two-story country home. He originally intended to call the home "Autobiography House." The idea later occurred to him to dedicate the home to his surrogate granddaughters. In 1908 Clemens had begun calling his surrogate granddaughters "angel-fish" after the brilliant species of fish he saw on a visit to Bermuda. He nicknamed his group of girls the "Aquarium Club" and presented members with angel-fish pins. (At least one such pin survives and is currently owned by the Mark Twain Library in Redding, Connecticut.)

In autobiographical dictation of 12 February 1908 Clemens explained his attachment to his collection of girls:

I suppose we are all collectors... As for me, I collect pets: young girls -- girls from ten to sixteen years old; girls who are pretty and sweet and naive and innocent -- dear young creatures to whom life is a perfect joy and to whom it has brought no wounds, no bitterness, and few tears (Cooley, p. xvii).

#98 hjelliot: What did you think about The Castle of Otranto? It has been on my TBR mountain forever as it was one of the very first gothic novels and I am very interested in the style.

Thanks Whisper1!
As for The Castle of Otranto, it's been on my list since last October when I decided to do a gothic themed month of reading. I read lots of classics, but had several left over for this year and decided to get a jump on things and read it early. It is short and sweet~a tidy tragic romance. Though I did find the father more harrowing than any of the other stuff going on.

I don't disagree with your feelings of Humbert. I have been on both sides of the issue as to the "control" Lolita exerted. It is clear that she was learned in the art of manipulation. I would love to read a book about Lolita's life with her mother before Humbert arrived. Be interesting to learn where she developed her talents. That said, it is hard to lay too much responsibility at her feet given her age. I've often wondered how young such a victim would have to be before people decided that her actions do not warrant what happened to her. It's funny where people seem to draw that line.

14 september 2008 (book 64)
The Blank Wall
by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding
How do I love persephone books...let me count the ways...this is my fourth persephone and I loved it too! What a great suspense novel and I'm not a great reader of them. Why have I never heard of her before? I wonder what else she wrote? I wonder what my next persephone will be?

15 september 2008 (book 65)
A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
by Xiaolu Guo
I've been avoiding it because it seems to be so popular, but I found a signed copy and thought, 'ah, what the hell.' It was a very quick read and I found that I actually enjoyed her observations. The style I also thought clever.

You read such interesting books!
Thanks for your well-written, insightful posts. I enjoy learning about the books you mention.

Thanks Whisper1. I like learning what everyone else is reading and what common books we share. I remember times when I've spotted someone absorbed in their reading and have tried and tried to see the title or author, but can't...and now I can! Finally I can see what everyone is reading on librarything. And I can even ask them if they enjoyed it or not. What a fabulous idea.

18 september 2008 (book 66)
Eternity's Sunrise
by Marion Milner
This one was a challenge, but it did open my eyes to new ways of journaling. I suppose my diary does come out a bit flat and chronological. I've got some experimenting to do...

21 september 2008 (book 67)
La Vie Parisienne
by Janelle McCulloch

22 september 2008 (book 68)
Bonjour Tristesse
by Francoise Sagan

25 september 2008 (book 69)
They Were Sisters
by Dorothy Whipple
I've got two sisters and I always like deciding who plays who when reading books about sisters...but yikes! Who would want to be any of these sisters? Except maybe poor Lucy? Good grief! And that Geoffrey fellow, what a nasty character he was. I do like to think if I had been one of these sisters I would've been the one to stand up to him and tell him where to go.

29 september 2008 (book 70)
Almost French
by Sarah Turnbull
I thought this was a sweet story and I like recognizing places she describes in paris. She frequents a few restaurants that I love. Also she mentions a painting by Monet of the Rue Montorgueill at Musee d'Orsay that I just saw this summer. Brought home a postcard of it in fact!

Congratulations. You are very close to the goal!

Good grief this is a busy group! I'm going to have to start reading more than one a week so my thread doesn't get buried!

4 October 2008 (book 71)
The Monk
by Matthew Lewis
And thus begins my halloween-themed month of reading...
This one has a bit of everything you could want in a gothic novel...ghosts, witches, creepy nuns, some romance, incest, and a little bit of violence! I found it slow to get into, but then it took off and I was absorbed.

#116: Yes indeed we are a busy group - but I only post to my thread once a week as well, so do not feel that you are the only one!

The Monk sounds good, except for the incest part.

On to the tbr mountain it goes.

I wanted to do a Halloween reading also but didn't get started early enough. I still have a couple in the TBR list which qualify but I applaud your seasonal spirit!!!

22 October 2008 (book 72)
The Moonstone
by Wilkie Collins
Taken a long time for this one, not because it wasn't good, it was. Just fitting in a couple of last european adventures and getting ready for the international move, which hasn't left me much time for reading. I was interested from the beginning of the story, up until the narrator switched to Miss Clack, then I wasn't very into the story at all and didn't want to continue, but thankfully the narrator keeps switching and Mr. Franklin Blake's narrative I enjoyed, along with the doctor, and the sergeant, etc. Though I still prefer the Woman in White.

22 October 2008 (book 73)
Blood on the Dining-Room Floor
by Gertrude Stein
What the ?#** did I just read? I doubt if I re-read it it would make any sense, any sense would I make of it. Did I read this in an afternoon? Just one afternoon. Not three or two but one. That makes one afternoon, just one afternoon wasted. Or possibly it was two hours, yes two hours which is not the same as one afternoon.
I find the rhymes charming, but I like to know what's going on in the story and not just listen to the sounds the words make. Gertrude Stein bothers me. Why I insist on reading her books is baffling.

Hi
Don't you just hate it when you feel as though you have wasted precious time reading something that "bothers" you. This has happened with too many books this year that I've tried to make sense of and failed.

Hey Heather - where are you moving to? Back to the US??

Yes, I do hate that feeling, but usually I can say, at least it's a classic, etc etc, or justify it in some other way. I picked up Fall on your Knees earlier this year and got about 200 pages in (only about 400 left to go). It was slow and tedious and not my kind of story at all. I put it down never to return. I never do that and still feel a bit guilty.

As for moving, yes, it's hi ho hi ho back to the US I go. Next Friday dogs, cat, husband, and I fly out! I'm busy choosing which books to fill the suitcases with to tide me over until all the possessions make it the long trek across the ocean. I'm trying to be good and leave some room for clothes and other essentials. ;)

23 October 2008 (book 74)
The Maltese Falcon
by Dashiell Hammett
Okay, so it's more mystery than Halloween horror, but I haven't got any of those lying around and I read a lot of them last year. This one is a classic. You can just see P.I. and the girl assistant, almost hear the gritty narrator's voice. I must see the film. I'm sure there must be one.

Oh, the film is one of the classics of all time: Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Sidney Greenstreet, and Mary Astor, directed by John Huston. It's fabulous, so find it and enjoy.

Bogie - my favorite! Too bad he died before I was born.

#124 I disliked Fall on Your Knees intensely. I decided to give her other book a try - The Way the Crow Flies and liked it a lot. That usually doesn't happen for me. I do think she's a good writer - but Fall on Your Knees was so depressing - was there nothing GOOD or FUN in those people's lives?! It was like The Hours (movie), all doom and gloom. I am not a fluffy person either - I take life seriously MOST of the time : ). Anyway, sorry to rant, but I do recommend Crow - not a happy subject but much more real and balanced.

Should add, the author I was talking about is Ann-Marie Macdonald.

Well that is rare that you attempted her other book...I don't think I could've done it based on my feelings for Fall on your Knees. But now I just might thanks to you dihiba!

And I am so excited about the film version of the Maltese Falcon. Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre? Wow! It doesn't get any better than that!

Only rarely does it get better......say Bogie and Bacall or Bogie and Bergman!

I also found Fall On Your Knees really depressing - slightly surprised I managed to read to the end. But encouraged to hear that others have enjoyed The Way The Crow Flies despite this as I have a copy of that too!!

PS Anthony Horowitz (really can't get these author touchstones to work...) has written a children's spoof detective novel about a very bad PI called The Falcon's Malteser which I have wanted to read for a long time for the title alone.

The reason I preferred Crow is that in spite of the main character going through a disturbing experience, she has good parents and a "normal" home life...nothing too weird.
The book is set just a few years before my time - but much of it echoed with me. Also, part of it is based on a very famous and controversial murder case here in Canada - the Steven Truscott case.
Macdonald is also a journalist, so can see her interest there.

I might just re-read it someday - but I wouldn't touch Fall on Your Knees}!

Okay, and just for fun--there's a movie spoof called The Black Bird featuring George Segal as Sam Spade, Jr. Funnier than it sounds, not quite as funny as it tries to be.

7 november 2008 (book 75)
Uncommon Arrangements
by Katie Roiphe

(book 76)
Few Eggs and No Oranges
by Vere Hodgson
Really enjoyed this one. My favorite bit was the very last entry...says so much about the english.
"I was very amused at the rescinding of the bill against Gloom and Despondency. Now it is not against the law to be gloomy or despondent. So great was our danger in certain years that we were forbidden to look miserable. Now we can be as unhappy as we please!"

Hello Heather,

I have only just joined this group. I really enjoyed reading through your thread. Congrats on reaching target.

- TT

Sounds like another couple of books to add to my ever growing Continent TBR! And congratulations on hitting 75, BTW!

Congrats! You made 75!!

congratulations on reaching the goal. Way to go!!!

Thanks everybody! I'm not aiming for a certain amount, but I'll keep reading until the challenge is over and see what number I reach!

yes keep on reading hjelliot, but anyhow congratulations on reaching #75!!

Congrats, Heather!

What do you reckon to the Roiphe? I have never read anything by her but she sticks in my mind as the lady that wrote the date-rape book back when nobody knew much about it - was this fiction?

Never heard of Ms Roiphe before reading Uncommon Arrangements but I found it interesting. Her choice of the seven couples as well as the content. I picked it up because I saw Katherine Mansfield was in it and I just got her journals, but then also saw Radclyffe Hall, Vanessa Bell, and Vera Brittain. A few of the couples I knew absolutely nothing about, and it was just a brief introduction. I think if you are familiar with any of the couples, you probably don't need to read it as it's fairly basic, but gives you a good taste.

Add my congratulations to the stack!

19 November 2008 (book 77)
Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair
by Pablo Neruda

(book 78)
The Mitford Girls
by Mary S. Lovell

What did you think of The Mitford Girls? It looks like something I would like. I read Straight on Till Morning by Lovell, and enjoyed it.

Yes, I would recommend it. I knew nothing of the Mitfords before reading it and was wondering what all this Mitford buzz was about in England. Ms Lovell did a good job of putting together their history and retaining each sister's individual character.

I have heard for years about Neruda. Do you like him? Where's a good place to start?

#148 hjelliot: Thanks for the additional info. On to the Continent it goes.

I think Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair is a great place to start! I've only read the occasional poem by Neruda in different anthologies, so this was my first swell Neruda swoop. Very accessible I think. And, if you happen to read Spanish (I don't) you have the poem in the original language plus the english translation.

I enjoyed the book about the Mitfords. A fascinating family!

Congrats on 75 :)

3 December 2008 (book 79)
The Little Madeleine by Mrs. Robert Henrey
I just could never get into this one. I wanted to and was looking forward to reading it, as it was recommended by a dear little old lady patron at the library. I'd never heard of Mrs. Robert Henrey before and was anxious to read some of her books. I may give a few of her later memoirs a try, but not for awhile.

19 December 2008 (book 80)
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
I'm glad I finished this one but boy was it a long slog through!

20 December 2008 (book 81)
The Writing Life by Annie Dillard

#156 hjelliot: I have not read that one yet by Dillard. How did you like it?

Worth a read I suppose. I'm not a huge Annie Dillard fan, but thought it looked good. Only over a hundred pages, but not a great lot of content. A few interesting stories though. I guess I was expecting more of an inspirational guide or something.

I have read a couple of Dillard's other books, Teaching a Stone to Talk and An American Childhood, but for me at least, neither is as good as Pilgrim at Tinker's Creek. Still, I may give The Writing Life a look since it is so short. Thanks for the info!

22 December 2008 (book 82)
Peterman Rides Again by John Peterman
I've long loved the owner's manual and knew the company had been in trouble in the late nineties (just when I was becoming interested). This was fast and interesting if you ever wanted to know more about the J Peterman company, how it started, etc.

23 December 2008 (book 83)
The Autobiography of Vivian by Sherrie Krantz

26 December 2008 (book 84)
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winifred Watson
Delightful Christmas read.