Smiler's Miscellany: More Mismatched Odds and Ends, #11

Yet another gorgeous image by artist Olaf Hajek, for an unpublished book project, "Little Guru" Yoga for children,
as a continued daily reminder that I want to start doing yoga again...



Currently reading, listening to,
and occasionally browsing through:
Avedon Fashion 1944-2000 by Carol Squiers
♫ Muriel Spark: The Complete Short Stories
It's Lonely in the Modern World: The Essential Guide to Form, Function, and Ennui by Molly Jane Quinn
East of Eden by John Steinbeck

      




Favourites of 2012 (4.5 stars and up)
On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry
Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd
L'Assommoir by Émile Zola
Études de Femmes by Honoré de Balzac
Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes
Troubles by J. G. Farrell
Letter from an Unknown Woman by Stefan Zweig
Fear by Stefan Zweig
Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman Stefan Zweig
My Letter to the World and Other Poems by Emily Dickinson, Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Stettin Station by David Downing
A Severed Head by Iris Murdoch
River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh




12/12 Challenge
1. The First Half 1901-1951 9/12
2. Tea with Georgie, Vickie & Eddie - 18th & 19th Century Classics 6/12
3. Picked for me - chosen from my shelves at random by LTers 6/12
4. Guardian Knows Best - Guardian 1000 7/12
5. The Dark Side - Crime & Mystery 11/12
6. Going Places - International authors & places 9/12
7. Young at Heart - Children/YA/Fantasy 10/12
8. Hot Off the Press - Published since 2011 8/12
9. Visual Treats - books on art, photography, design, or just beautiful books 3/12
10. Beyond Fiction - non-fiction 6/12
11. Litérature Française - read in French 4/12
12. From My Treasure-Trove - off the shelf (acquired before 31/12/11) 5/12
Total read: 84/144

Books completed in July
92. ♫ Any Human Heart by William Boyd ★★★★½ (review)
93. ♫ Being There by Jerzy Kosinski ★★★★★ (review)
94. A Mind of Winter by Shira Nayman ★★★★ (review)
95. Angel by Elizabeth Taylor ★★★★½ (review)
96. The Conference of the Birds by Peter Sís ★★★¾ (review)
97. The Coroner’s Lunch by Collin Cotterill ★★★★ (review)
98. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel ★★★★⅓ (tutored read thread, review coming soon)
99. ♫ Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens ★★★¾ (Group Read, review coming soon)
Unfinished: ♫ Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
100. Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill ★★★★ (review coming soon)
101. In Between: Guy Bourdin by Shelly Verthime (review coming, 12/12 #9 Visual Treats)
102. ♫ I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (rating & review coming soon)



My rating system:
★ - hated it (may or may not have finished it but listing it for the trouble)
★★ - it was just ok
★★★ - enjoyed it (good)
★★★★ - loved it! (very good)
★★★★★ - all-time favourite (blew me away—will read again)

⅛ ¼ ⅓ ½ ¾ ⅞

♫ = audiobook
✔ = off the shelf
☀ = TIOLI

Suggested reads for July

✔ Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (tutored read thread, TIOLI #7: *more than 300 pages* with *a multiple word title*, 12/12 #12: From My Treasure-Trove)
A Mind of Winter by Shira Nayman (Early Reviewers, TIOLI #9: Read a book with a Deckle Edge)
♫ The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver - 12/12 #3 - Picked by calm, TIOLI #14: In honor of 'Don't Step on A Bee Day' - Read a book whose title begins with a 'B')
✔ Angel by Elizabeth Taylor (GR - Virago Modern Classics, TIOLI #10: a book by an author whose surname could also be a first name, 12/12 #1: The First Half 1901-1951)
✔ East of Eden by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon, TIOLI #7: *more than 300 pages* with *a multiple word title*)
♫ Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens (GR, TIOLI #4: a title that suggests sharing)

Unplanned, but reading anyway

The Coroner's Lunch by Collin Cotteril (TIOLI #8: the author's initials form a commonly used abbreviation or initialism or acronym - c/c cubic centimetres, 12/12 #6: Going Places)
Thirty-Three Teeth by Collin Cotteril (TIOLI #8: the author's initials form a commonly used abbreviation or initialism or acronym - c/c cubic centimetres, 12/12 #6: Going Places)
The Conference of the Birds by Peter Sís (TIOLI #8: the author's initials form a commonly used abbreviation or initialism or acronym - p.s. post scriptum, 12/12 #9: Visual Treats)



Suggested reads for August

☛✔ East of Eden by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon, TIOLI #16: a cover that is boring, uninteresting, uninspiring, or mostly brown, 12/12 #12: From My Treasure-Trove)
☛✔ The Red Pony by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon, TIOLI #14: title includes one or more of the colors from your country's flag, 12/12 #12: From My Treasure-Trove)
☛✔ The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (TIOLI #3: Read a book about an alternate Earth, 12/12 #3: picked for me)
☛✔ The Tenant and the Motive by Javier Cercas (TIOLI #4 Title either begins or end with the same letter as the one above, 12/12 #12 From My Treasure-Trove)
☛✔ Teach Yourself to Dream by David Fontana (TIOLI #5 recommended to you by one of your parents - dad, 12/12 #10: Beyond Fiction)
☛❉ Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill (TIOLI #16: a cover that is boring, uninteresting, uninspiring, or mostly brown)
☛❉ Train Dreams by Denis Johnson (TIOLI #17: embedded first name in either the title or author's name - John, 12/12 #8: Hot Off the Press)
☛❉ Potsdam Station by David Downing (TIOLI #17: embedded first name in either the title or author's name - Ning, 12/12 #1: The First Half)
☛♫ Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (TIOLI #8 book published as a Virago Modern Classic, 12/12 #2: Tea with Georgie, Vickie & Eddie - 18th & 19th Century Classics)
☛♫ The Warden by Anthony Trollope (TIOLI #4, 12/12 #2: Tea with Georgie, Vickie & Eddie - 18th & 19th Century Classics)
☛♫ Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks (TIOLI #1 new-to-you author chosen from a list of author names generated at “Literature-Map" - William Boyd, 12/12 #4: Guardian 1000)
☛♫ Part of the Furniture by Mary Welsey (TIOLI #1 new-to-you author chosen from a list of author names generated at “Literature-Map" - William Boyd, 12/12 #1 The First Half 1901-1951)
☛♫ The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (TIOLI #2 a book from the 2012 Booker Prize longlist, 12/12 #8: Hot Off the Press)
♫ Middlemarch by George Eliot (12/12 group read, 12/12 #2: Tea with Georgie, Vickie & Eddie - 18th & 19th Century Classics)

More options

☛ Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (TIOLI #2 a book from the 2012 Booker Prize longlist, 12/12 #8: Hot Off the Press)
☛ At Mrs Lippincote's by Elizabeth Taylor (TIOLI #8 book published as a Virago Modern Classic)
☛ The Soul of Kindness by Elizabeth Taylor (TIOLI #8 book published as a Virago Modern Classic)
☛ Blaming by Elizabeth Taylor (TIOLI #8 book published as a Virago Modern Classic)
☛ Palladian by Elizabeth Taylor (TIOLI #8 book published as a Virago Modern Classic)
☛ A Wreath of Roses by Elizabeth Taylor (TIOLI #8 book published as a Virago Modern Classic)
☛♫ The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (TIOLI #8 book published as a Virago Modern Classic)



♫ = audiobook
✔ = off the shelf
❉ = library
℮ = eBook
☛ = TIOLI

2012 Planning

Steinbeckathon:
January: Cannery Row (208*) - Ilana/Smiler69**
February: The Wayward Bus (288) - Mark/msf59
March: The Winter of Our Discontent (304) - Lynda/Carmenere
April: The Moon is Down (112) - Linda/lindapanzo
May: The Grapes of Wrath (496) - Ellen/EBT1002
June: Of Mice and Men (112) - Brit/weejane
July: East of Eden (640) - Ellen
August: The Red Pony (112) - Ilana
September: In Dubious Battle (384) - Mark
October: Tortilla Flat (224) - Tania/wookiebender
November: Travels With Charley and The Pearl (256 + 96) - Ilana
December: Sweet Thursday (288) - Mark

* approximate # of pages
** names indicate who will be heading up the threads.

Anyone is welcome to join in at any point, for as many or as few books as is desired.


Group Reads
January: Orange January, The Secret River by Kate Grenville (75ers), Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
February: Fantasy February, The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
March: Christine Falls by Benjamin Black, The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (12/12), The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
April: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (12/12), David Copperfield (75ers), The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
May: May Murder & Mayhem, Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez (12/12), A Game of Hide and Seek by Elizabeth Taylor (Virago Modern Classics), Persuasion by Jane Austen (Tutored)
June: River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh (75ers), Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (12/12, tutored read), Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
July: East of Eden by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon), Angel by Elizabeth Taylor (Virago Modern Classics)
August: The Red Pony by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon), Middlemarch by George Eliot (12/12)
September: In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
October: Blindness by José Saramago (12/12), Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon), 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (75ers)
November: Travels With Charley and The Pearl by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
December: Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)


Books my fellow LT pals picked from my shelves for 12/12:
Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood - Picked by MickyFine
Études de Femmes by Honoré de Balzac - Picked by bucket yell
The Global Forest by Diana Beresford-Kroeger - Picked by msf59
Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Branddon - Picked by avatiakh
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carré - Picked by casvelyn
Arabian Nights: Four Tales from a Thousand and One Nights by Marc Chagall - Picked by Donna828
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Picked by DragonFreak
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver - Picked by calm
No Great Mischief by Alasdair MacLeod - Picked by KiwiNyx
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer - Picked by DeltaQueen50
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk - Picked by Deern
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende - Picked by LauraBrook
Blindness by José Saramago - Picked by Whisper1
Caravan of Dreams of Idries Shah - Picked by PiyushChourasia
The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1) by Jonathan Stroud - Picked by -Eva-
Candide by Voltaire - Picked by Fourpawz2
Native Son by Richard Wright - Picked by EBT1002
Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman - Picked by bohemima

Books Read in 2012:

January
1. A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin ★★★★⅓ (review) ☀
2. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett ★★★★ (review) ☀
3. ♫ Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson ★★★ (review) ☀
4. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi ★★★¾ (review) ☀
5. ♫ Fight Club by Chuck Palaniukh ★★★½ (review) ☀
6. The Art of Reading: Forty Illustrators Celebrate RIF's 40th Anniversary by Reading Is Fundamental ★★★★ (review)
7. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck ★★★★⅓ (review) ☀
8. ♫ To Fear a Painted Devil by Ruth Rendell ★★★⅓ (review) ☀
9. No One Noticed the Cat by Anne McCaffrey ★★★¾ (review) ☀
10. ♫ Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick ★★★★ (review) ☀
11. From the Mouth of the Whale by Sjón ★★★ (review) ☀
12. ♫ On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry ★★★★½ (review) ☀
13. ♫ The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpurgo ★★★ (review) ☀
14. ♫ Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson ★★★★⅓ (review) ☀
15. ♫ Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd ★★★★½ (review) ☀
16. Paris: Made by Hand by Pia Jane Bijkerk ★★★★ (review) ☀
Madlenka's Dog by Peter Sís ★★★★ (review)
Madlenka Soccer Star by Peter Sís ★★★ (comments)
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling, Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney ★★★★ (comments)
Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say ★★★½ (comments)
17. ♫ The Edwardians by Vita Sackville-West ★★★⅞ (review)

Unfinished
♫ Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
♫ Soulless by Gail Carriger

February
18. L'Assommoir by Émile Zola ★★★★½ (review) ☀
19. ♫ The Quiet American by Graham Greene ★★★ (review) ☀
20. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole ★★★★ (review) ☀
21. ♫ The Difference Engine by William Gibson ★★½ (review) ☀
22. The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck ★★★★⅓ (review) ☀
23. ♫ Rebeccaby Daphne du Maurier ★★★★⅓ (review) ☀
24. Drawing from Memory by Allen Say ★★★ (review) ☀
25. The Secret River by Kate Grenville ★★★★ (review) ☀
26. Le vieux chagrin by Jacques Poulin ★½ (review) ☀
27. The Seeing Stone by Holly Black, illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi ★★★⅞ (review) ☀
28. The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sís ★★★★ (review)
29. ♫ Doomsday Book by Connie Willis ★★★ (review) ☀
30. ♫ Études de Femmes by Honoré de Balzac ★★★★½ (review) ☀
31. ♫ The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark ★★★¾ (review) ☀
32. ♫ The City & The City by China Miéville ★★★★ (review) ☀

March
33. Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh ★★★★½ (review) ☀
34. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman ★★★★ (review) ☀
35. On Cats by Doris Lessing ★★★★ (review) ☀
36. ♫ Dracula by Bram Stoker ★★★★ (review) ☀
37. The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck ★★★ (review) ☀
38. ♫ The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins ★★★★½ (review) ☀
39. ♫ Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen ★★★★⅛ (review) ☀
40. The Dream Stealer by Sid Fleischman, Illustrated by Peter Sís ★★★★ (review)
13 Words by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Maira Kalman ★★★★ (review)
41. ♫ This Sceptred Isle Vol 3: The Black Prince to Henry VIII 1327-1547 by Christopher Lee ★★★★ (review)
42. ♫ A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes ★★★★½ (review)
43. Troubles by J. G. Farrell ★★★★½ (review)
44. ♫ Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon ★★★★⅓ (review)
45. ♫ Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley ★★★★⅓ (review)
46. ♫ The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura ★★★ (review)
47. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi ★★★⅞ (review)

April
48. ♫ Death and Judgment by Donna Leon ★★★½ (review)
49. The Last Song by Eva Wiseman ★★★★ (review)
50. ♫ Letter from an Unknown Woman by Stefan Zweig ★★★★½ (review)
51. ♫ Fear by Stefan Zweig ★★★★½ (review)
52. A Murder of Quality by John Le Carré ★★★★ (review)
53. Call for the Dead by John le Carré ★★★½ (review)
54. The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin by Peter Sís ★★★½ (review)
55. ♫ David Copperfield by Charles Dickens ★★★★ (review)
56. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler ★★★★ (review)
57. ♫ The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller ★★★★⅓ (review)
58. My Letter to the World and Other Poems by Emily Dickinson, Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault ★★★★★ (review)
59. Selected Poems by Roger McGough ★★★¾ (review)
60. ♫ The Great Poets: W. B. Yeats ★★★½ (review)
61. ♫ Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman Stefan Zweig ★★★★½ (review)
62. Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei by Peter Sis ★★★★ (review)
63. The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck ★★★★⅓ (review)
64. ♫ Running Blind / The Visitor by Lee Child ★★★★ (review)
65. ♫ The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carré ★★★⅓ (review)
66. ♫ The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark ★★½ (review)
67. ♫ Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper ★★★★ (review)
68. The Global Forest by Diana Beresford-Kroeger ★★★½ (review)
69. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery ★★★⅓ (review)

May
70. ♫ The Ballad of Peckham Rye by Muriel Spark ★★★ (review)
71. ✔ Queenpin by Megan Abbott ★★★½ (review)
72. ♫ The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye ★★★★ (review)
73. ♫ The Crazy Kill by Chester Himes ★★★★ (review)
74. ♫ The Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri ★★★½ (review)
75. ✔ The Glass Room by Simon Mawer ★★★★⅓ (review)
76. Selected Poems by Carol Ann Duffy ★★½ (review)
77. ♫ The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux ★★★ (review)
78. ♫ Stettin Station by David Downing ★★★★½ (review)
79. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan ★★★⅓ (review)
80. ♫ The Maze Runner by James Dashner ★★⅞ (review)
81. ♫ Persuasion by Jane Austen ★★★★ (review)
82. A Game of Hide and Seek by Elizabeth Taylor ★★½ (review)

June
83. ♫ Katherine by Anya Seton ★★★★¼ (review)
84. ♫ Restless by William Boyd ★★★★⅓ (review)
85. ♫ The Suspect by Michael Robotham ★★★★ (review)
86. ♫ Lost by Michael Robotham ★★★⅓ (review)
87. The Observations by Jane Harris ★★★★⅓ (review)
88. ♫ A Severed Head by Iris Murdoch ★★★★½ (review)
89. ♫ Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck ★★★★⅓ (review)
89. ♫ The Real Cool Killers by Chester Himes ★★★½ (review)
90. ♫ Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card ★★★★⅓ (review)
91. River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh ★★★★½ (review)



Books with touchstones are rated 4.5 stars and up.

(Some of the) Books I'd like to read in 2012 (ambitious list, as always)

✔ Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
✔ The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck
The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck
✔ The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck
✔ Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
✔ East of Eden by John Steinbeck
✔ The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck
✔ Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck
Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck
✔ Christine Falls by Benjamin Black
✔ The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
✔ The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
♫ David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
✔ Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
✔ A Game of Hide and Seek by Elizabeth Taylor
✔ Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
✔ Angel by Elizabeth Taylor
✔ Blindness by José Saramago
✔ Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood
✔ ♫ Études de Femmes by Honoré de Balzac
✔ The Global Forest by Diana Beresford-Kroeger
✔ ♫ Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Branddon
✔ Arabian Nights: Four Tales from a Thousand and One Nights by Marc Chagall
✔ Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
✔ The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
✔ No Great Mischief by Alasdair MacLeod
✔ The Glass Room by Simon Mawer
✔ ♫ Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
✔ Le Grand livre de la tendresse by Jacques Salomé -unfinished
✔ Caravan of Dreams of Idries Shah
✔ The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
✔ Candide by Voltaire
✔ Native Son by Richard Wright
✔ Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman
❉ Une page d'amour by Émile Zola
✔ Nana by Émile Zola
✔ Pot-Bouille by Émile Zola
❉ Au Bonheur des Dames by Émile Zola
❉ La joie de vivre by Émile Zola
❉ Old Filth by Jane Gardam
✔ Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
✔ The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
✔ Living Well is the Best Revenge by Calvin Tomkins
✔ Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
✔ Troubles by J. G. Farrell
✔ A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes
✔ A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
✔ Queenpin by Megan Abbott
✔ ♫ Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
✔ ♫ Persuasion by Jane Austen
✔ Timbuktu by Paul Auster
✔ Moon Palace by Paul Auster
✔ Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
✔ Jamrach's Menagerie Carol Birch
✔ The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
✔ Angels & Insects by A. S. Byatt
✔ Possession by A. S. Byatt
✔ Call for the Dead by John le Carré
✔ A Murder of Quality by John le Carré
✔ ♫ The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carré
✔ The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
✔ ♫ Running Blind by Lee Child
✔ ♫ A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
✔ The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
✔ The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble
✔ Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
✔ Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers
✔ Atonement by Ian McEwan
✔ Music & Silence by Rose Tremain
✔ The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
✔ ♫ Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
♫ 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
✔ The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith

Strikes are for books read so far.

♫ = audiobook
✔ = off the shelf
❉ = library
℮ = eBook

Books Read from My Shelves in 2012




January
1. A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin (entry date: 2011-09-09)
2. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (entry date: 2008-12-16)
3. ♫ Fight Club by Chuck Palaniukh (entry date: 2011-03-09)
4. ♫ Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (entry date: 2011-09-18)
5. Paris: Made by Hand by Pia Jane Bijkerk (entry date: 2009-05-20)

February
6. L'Assommoir by Émile Zola (entry date: 2010-10-15)
7. ♫ The Difference Engine by William Gibson (entry date: 2011-06-11)
8. ♫ The Quiet American by Graham Greene (entry date: 2011-10-30)
9. ♫ Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (entry date: 2011-06-16)
10. The Secret River by Kate Grenville (entry date: 2009-05-26)
11. ♫ Études de Femmes by Honoré de Balzac (entry date: 2011-06-23)
12. ♫ The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark (entry date: 2011-03-30)

March
13. Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh (entry date: 2008-11-12)
14. Troubles by J. G. Farrell (entry date: 2011-09-14)
15. ♫ Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon (entry date: 2011-02-18)
16. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (entry date: 2011-01-13)

April
17. ♫ The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carré (entry date: 2011-03-12)
18. The Global Forest by Diana Beresford-Kroeger (entry date: 2010-08-26)
19. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (entry date: 2010-10-12)

May
20. Queenpin by Megan Abbott (entry date: 2011-05-05)
21. The Glass Room by Simon Mawer (entry date: 2011-05-30)
22. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan (entry date: 2011-03-09)

June
22.5 Wolf Hall (reading)

July
23. Wolf Hall

Ongoing Series
An idea Heather (souloftherose) borrowed from Liz (lyzard), which has been catching on in these parts. Ongoing series that I am actively reading; this doesn't include series I have in my TBR but haven't started reading yet.

American Gods Next up: Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (2/2)
✔ Anton Rider Next up: A Café on the Nile by Bartle Bull (2/3)
❉ Binky Adventure Next up: Binky Under Pressure by Ashley Spires (3/3)
✔ Border Trilogy Next up: The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy (2/3)
Cannery Row Next up: Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck (2/2)
❉ The Cemetery of Forgotten Books Next up: The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (2/3)
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Next up: A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny (2/8)
✔ Commissario Brunetti Next up: Acqua Alta by Donna Leon (5/21 - read out of order)
✔ Commissario Montalbano Next up: Excursion to Tindari by Andrea Camilleri (5/18)
❉ De Luca Trilogy Next up: The Damned Season by Carlo Lucarelli (2/3)
✔ The Deptford Trilogy Next up: World of Wonders by Robertson Davies (3/3)
❉ Dr. Siri Paiboun Next up: Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill (3/8)
❉ Easy Rawlins Mystery Next up: A Red Death by Walter Mosley (2/10)
✔ Empire Trilogy Next up: The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell (2/3)
Ender’s Game Next up: Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card (2/4)
The Harlem Cycle Next up: All Shot Up by Chester Himes (4/8)
✔ Hercule Poirot Next up: The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (1/39 - read out of order)
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Dramatization Next up: Secondary Phase (BBC Radio Collection) by Douglas Adams (2/5)
✔ The House of Earth Trilogy Next up: Sons by Pearl S. Buck (2/3)
The Ibis Trilogy Next up: Awaiting publication (3/3)
Jack Reacher Next up: Echo Burning by Lee Child (5/17)
Jackson Brodie Next up: When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson (3/4)
John Russell Next up: Potsdam Station by David Downing (4/5)
Joseph O'Loughlin Next up: Shatter by Michael Robotham (3/5)
Kenzie and Gennaro Next up: Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane (2/5 - read out of order)
✔ La Comédie Humaine Next up: The Country Doctor by Honoré de Balzac (65/88 - read out of order)
❉ Les Rougon-Macquart Next up: A Love Affair by Émile Zola (8/20)
✔ Lord Peter Wimsey Next up: Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers (2/15)
✔ Maisie Dobbs Next up: Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear (2/9)
✔ Miss Marple Next up: A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie (4/15 - read out of order)
✔ The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Next up: The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith (4/13)
❉ The Obelisk Trilogy Next up: Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller (2/3)
✔ Oxford Time Travel series Next up: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (2/4)
Parker Next up: The Mourner by Richard Stark (4/24)
✔ Philip Marlowe Next up: The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (1/9 - read out of order)
Phryne Fisher Mysteries Next up: Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood (3/19)
✔ Roderick Alleyn Next up: Overture to Death by Ngaio Marsh (8/32 - read out of order)
✔ Sally Lockhart Mysteries Next up: The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman (2/4)
✔ A Song of Ice and Fire Next up: A Storm of Swords Part 1: Steel and Snow by George R. R. Martin (3.1/7)
❉ The Spiderwick Chronicles Next up: Lucinda's Secret by Holly Black (3/8)
Tales of the Otori Next up: Brilliance of the Moon by Gillian Rubinstein (3/4+prequel)
Three Men in a Boat Next up: Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K. Jerome (2/2)
Timothy Wilde (Book 1: The Gods of Gotham) Next up: Awaiting publication (2/2)
❉ Wolf Hall Trilogy Next up: Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (2/3)



✔ = in my TBR
❉ = library book

My aunt Helene surrounded by her grandchildren at her 70th b-day celebration, July 2012 (Coco being held by Naomi)

What a lovely photo!

I just skimmed through your panic about the class on your prior thread and, for this or other such decisions to come in the future, want to bottle Mamie's words: "There is no wrong answer. You get to decide - what do you want?
So succinct. I'm keeping those words in reserve (for you and for myself!).

Hi Ilana- Congrats on the vibrant new thread! Love the family photo. Great looking bunch!

Lovely new thread Ilana! Fun family photo featuring the ever popular Coco! Love the image up top but I miss that fabulous elephant - both pictures make you wish you could walk right into them though, don't they? So vibrant and colorful!

Hi Ellen! Those are wise words indeed, and yes, I'll try to keep them in mind and disregard that little voice that says "but are you sure you're making the right decision after all?". Hmph.

Hi Mark, it was so nice seeing all these young faces among the other lovely and wizened ones. Made for a really interesting get-together.

Hi Mamie, nice to see you in my new digs...looks like we posted at the same moment! I'll miss the elephant too, but I'm happy to have more images from that series to look at. I find that illustrator so incredibly inspiring. I'll be featuring him on my blog soon, since I collected some two score of images by him and want to feature them a bunch of them together.

Stunning array of grands and your aunt looks happy! Great crowd to be related to ;-)

Love the picture way up top, too. Colorful and filled with diversity...

Lovely new thread. How are you liking The Coroner's Lunch?

Claudia, I read the second chapter last night and really got into it. I can see now what the big deal is about. I can also see that this will probably not be my last Colin Cotterill novel...

Haha.. I like the monkey doing a yoga pose. Great picture.

Yaay.. glad you are liking Dr Siri

Caro, I especially like the monkey too. As for Dr Siri, I can't tell you how badly I would have felt had I not liked him. But I was pretty well sure that would not being possible, having fallen in love with Cotterill based on Heather's (souloftherose) review of Killed at the Whim of a Hat, one of his non-Dr Siri books. If you look at the work page > quotations, you'll see why I decided I adored this author, without having read a single word of his. Also, I'll have to tell Heather to post her review there!

So, what's a new week without more book acquisitions?

  I just received Irish Murdoch's The Sea, The Sea from BookDepository yesterday. I picked the latest 2012 edition from Vintage Classics, as this one is really special, illustrated by fashion designer Zandra Rhodes. In concert with the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, they've asked 7 well-known designers to illustrate as many classic novels which are included in the ongoing exhibition British Design 1948–2012 ('till August 12). I'd give my left arm to go see it, but then I couldn't continue painting, which would be a shame, so I thought the $15 was a lot cheaper a price to pay for a piece of that exhibit than either trying to replace my arm or paying for a plane ticket. If anyone feels inclined to sponsor a trip for me though, I'm open to the idea! If you're close to London, I urge you to go see it and tell me all about it!

They've added more selections to the "paperback" sale on Audible, so I picked up the following:
Peter the Great by Robert K. Massie (Pulitzer Prize)
Macbeth: A Novel by A. J. Hartley

Used my Audible credits for:
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
What a Carve Up! by Jonathan Coe

Great new thread. Lovely new photo - superb series of lists together with one developing as a list of series.

Hello Dear One!

What a lovely family photo!

Paul - superb series of lists together with one developing as a list of series.

How clever you are! And so true too! You made me smile wide, as you so often do. xx

Linda my dear, hello! I must say I was very proud when I saw this beautiful group of wonderfully clever young ones to think I am related to them, even if only by marriage in some cases.

Checking out the new thread Ilana! I can always count on you to share a breathtaking piece of artwork. :)

I read I Capture the Castle earlier this year and was very disappointed that it didn't blow me away given the high ratings I've seen here on LT. I do hope you enjoy it more so and perhaps enlighten me on what I'm missing.

wow thats bright better go find my sunglasses .......

Hello gorgeous! Love the way you have furnished the new digs - great artwork as always - and lovely to have the family visiting, too! I feel very lowly when I see your amazing lists - will I ever have a 75 year? Probably not while I am still working, alas! Smooch to Coco (oh, alright, and to you too!)

Hi Valerie - I think I'll be listening to I Capture the Castle soon. I haven't been enjoying what you'd call "light summer reading" all that much so far, and that seems like it might hit the spot. Of course I can't tell if I'll love it or not, but either way, don't worry about feeling like you've "missed" something—we all feel differently about different novels and sometimes it's also a question of timing. Don't sweat it! That being said, you know you can expect a review from me sooner or later.

Hi Alex - I scrolled up to see what could be brighter on this thread than on the previous one, but couldn't find it. What did I miss?

Prue my darling, don't worry about the 75 mark. I have all my time to myself, so it's only normal that I can go through that many more books. I never in my life read as much as I have been since I stopped work. I think there were years when I barely read 10 books, if that.




I'm off to my painting class to work on Pascale, Step 3 today. I'll take plenty of pictures along the way and post them asap on my blog. Have a great day everybody!

Good Morning, Ilana! I can't wait to see what you do in class today! I read I Capture the Castle earlier this year and I just loved it - for me it was the main character; I just loved her and I loved how she told the story.

HI Ilana! Love the artwork on your pretty new thread :)

That cover (19) is gorgeous! Eye candy for bibliophiles. :-)

Hi Ilana - I'm enjoying following your progress with your Pascale artwork. Hope today was productive.
I received Henry Miller's The Colossus of Maroussi in the post today, did you read this last year or just one of his Tropic books?

Hi Mamie! Another great class today. I'm very happy with what I've done and was going to post it all on my blog tonight... got the post started, but I'm just too tired to write the little explanatory text to accompany the images, so I'll get it finished tomorrow instead. I'm thinking I might listen to I Capture the Castle in about a week or so. I've still got about a quarter of Our Mutual Friend to listen to, which I should be done with in 4-5 days. After that, I'd like to listen to something contemporary and short for a switch and then I'll be ready for ICtC. I look forward to it!

Hi Chelle, you are always welcome here as I'm sure you know! :-)

Ellen - yes indeed. I just HAD to have it. There was an earlier Vintage edition that was nice and a bit cheaper, but when I saw this one there was no other possibility left!

Hi Kerry - I feel like I got quite a bit done with my Pascale painting today. We've got just one more session left on it and there's a good chance I may actually get to finish it—a rarity for me as all the unfinished canvases sitting behind me can attest.

Tropic of Cancer was the third book by Henry Miller I read, and the most recent one (last year), but I actually read The Colossus of Maroussi either toward the end of my stay in Crete or shortly after returning from a five-month vacation there, back in 1998. I made a wonderfully eccentric friend, Susan, originally from South Africa by way of London, who had settled in Hania permanently and had the most amazing library. She gave me this 1964 Penguin edition which I cherish. I remember liking this memoir a lot and wanting to read it again. I may do so this year since it's so short. It's falling to pieces and seeing your message, I was inspired to dig it up and do a bit or restorative work on it, but in my attempt to leave no trace of my intervention, I fear it won't hold together very long... My edition is below. Which did you get?

You are right! Differing of opinions is actually have the fun of LT. Seeing different people's takes on books makes reading that much more interesting so I'm definitely excited to see what you think of I Capture the Castle.
Looking forward to seeing more updated progress of your artwork as well my oh so talented friend!

Here's the cover circa 1979, I picked it up for a couple of dollars on a local site.
I spent a couple of weeks on Corfu and then some time on Paros, living fairly rough on the beach and eating at a local taverna a long long time ago. I think it was the Lawrence Durrell connection that enticed me to want to read this as well as you mentioning it. I don't think I've read that many books set in Greece and Zorba continues to frown at me from the tbr shelves.

Pleased that you got a good art class in.

Hello lovely - can't wait to see Stage 3! Oh, and I had the pleasure of sitting next to Zandra Rhodes at a design dinner once in another land and lifetime - she was just wonderful with a fabulous sense of humour!

Valerie - one thing I love so much about this group is how people from all walks of life and all parts of the world can find common ground based on our shared love of books and that, even when it comes to that as you say, we can respect our differences of opinions and even learn from them (?) This might sound a bit weird, but I feel sometimes that LT gives me the kind of mental stimulation, understanding and emotional support I never did find in a partner!

Kerry: Oh, that's a great cover too. Who's the illustrator? I read Zorba the Greek during that same trip because I couldn't resist reading it while sitting on a beach which might have been used as a setting for the movie or even Kazantzakis's original inspiration. Steeped as I was in the culture and mentality, that book really was an amazing read. My plan was originally to spend 3 weeks travelling, 2 weeks of which was to go island hopping in Greece and then finish with one week in Istanbul. I wasn't even all that interested in Crete originally because I thought "it wouldn't be enough like a small island". But then I ended up loving it so much that I didn't leave. Though I think I spent a few days in Paros too with my Cretan boyfriend... and what a doll he was! :-) Corfu must be wonderful too... these are the kinds of memories we cherish forever, aren't they?

Prue! Well, I gave myself a big push and just posted my work on the blog after all. You'll find the link below. Regarding Zandra Rhodes, I'm very relieved that you confirm she has a great sense of humour because given the lady walks around with a head of day-glo pink hair... she's have to not take herself too seriously! :-)






To view the progression and see the latest version of this painting, go to my blog: http://createthreesixty5.com/2012/07/18/pascale-step-3/

Love watching your art in progress!

I am another interested in the progress of Pascale. Churlish maybe and being a sepia tinted sort of guy I actually preferred it before the vibrant reds were glazed onto the work.

Don't worry its just me referring to the image up top ....... nice pic :)

Beautiful family photo -

Looking at your Henry Miller Penguin ed. made me feel v. nostalgic. I must have read hundreds of Penguins pbks with the orange tops. They haven't lasted very well - I had a set of Durrell's books - pages so yellow and brittle they just cracked if you turned them. So most of mine are gone.

Nice new thread, Ilana! I love the painting and the photo of your aunt Helene.

#36 I get a kick out of seeing the progression as well, especially as I tend to ilke the process more than the finished results usually.

#37 Oh well, you can't please all of the people all of the time. It's about to get much more colourful soon too, so you might want to avert your eyes next time! ;-b

#38 Alex - not worried, it's just I've had some much brighter images on other threads, so I wasn't sure what you meant!

#39 Lucy, I've hardly owned any of the old Penguin editions, if any? This one is also crumbling and cracking. The pages are browned and must be turned very gently to avoid them falling out. The front cover has split off and the back cover threatens to do the same at any time. I hesitate to read the book because I worry I'll ruin it for good!

#40 Thanks Darryl!




Quiet, very quiet day today as I'm exhausted from the class yesterday. Whoever has the idea that making art is all rest and relaxation has either a) never taken an art class or b) not tried hard enough. It's work! Fun work, but work all the same. And being a perfectionist well... so yes. A day of rest is needed today. Am very happy that the day is gorgeous and the weather perfect and cool. What more can I ask for? Oh yes... want to get lots of reading done today. Really enjoying The Coroner's Lunch more with every passing chapter. It's safe to say I'm hooked and will be following Dr. Siri along his journey from now on. Have less than 100 pages to go with Wolf Hall too! WOO HOO! I've learned SO much through my tutorial with Suzanne, it's just amazing. I'll want to follow up with Bring Up the Bodies for sure, though I can't say when exactly. Some time this year though, while it's all still fresh in my mind.

I wish that cover in 31 above was in my Penguin postcard collection. :-)

I so enjoy your art work, Ilana. And I'm glad you were able to enjoy a quiet day when you needed it.

Ilana - your painting is hauntingly beautiful!

I have just finished So long, See you tomorrow by William Maxwell - have you read it? It is a short book, but rather wonderful. Next up for me is Rock Springs by Richard Ford - I am making myself hold off reading Canada - something to do with prolonged anticipation! I'm so glad you 'allowed' yourself not to do that class but only sorry it caused such angst along the way!

That red totally pops and caught my eye right from the beginning. Beautiful progress Ilana! Can't wait to see what the final product will look like. Are you planning on keeping this piece for yourself?

#42 I have to agree with you Ellen, it would probably be my favourite postcard too. I'm glad you like my artwork. It gives me so much enjoyment to take classes with great, stimulating teachers, working with inspiring models, and the sheer joyful escape of making it, which always feels a bit like creating magic. This project in particular has been really amazing to work on.

#43 Hi Prue, thanks for the comment on my work in progress. I can't wait till next week to get to work on it again and see what next transformation it goes through!

Funny you should mention So Long, See You Tomorrow, because, while I have not read it yet, I think I must have added it to my wishlist sometime in the last couple of weeks after listening to an episode of Fresh Air, for which Maxwell was being interviewed. I've added several of his books in fact, but will add you as a recommender for this one in particular and try to get to it soon. I also really look forward to reading Canada. Sounds like a pretty exciting story!

About that class: I was so torn about taking it or not, and finally the teacher got back to me a couple of days ago, apologizing for not having seen my message sooner (did I mention she's great but a bit flakey?) and saying some really wonderful things about my artwork and general abilities. Anyway, I was inspired to ask her if I might just take one class to try out the experience and she was amenable to that, so I called the VAC and they made an exception and allowed me to take an individual class (I'm not supposed to tell anyone about it, in fact!). I may even take the next one too, but the great thing is I can decide as I go. As it happens, they're meeting this coming Monday at Atwater Market, which is just 10 minutes away from my place on foot, which is incredibly convenient. I really look forward to it!

#44 Hi Val! As I was saying to Paul, you can't please all the people all the time: he didn't like the red, while you do. Heh. You'll be happy I think, because next week there'll be a lot more red in it too! Hopefully I won't totally ruin it in the final steps, but it hardly matters because I'll have enjoyed the process so much. Do I plan on keeping it? Well... I'd like to start selling some of my work eventually, which a few of my friends have been pushing me to do... so if and when I get around to it, I just might be willing to part with it for a decent price. Why, do you know any potential buyers? ;-)

Oh dear - so behind over here. Where to start?

I agree with Ellen that the cover in post 19 is eye candy - just gorgeous! Thanks for sharing that.

So very fascinated with watching the artwork that you are posting the progress of - just so very incredible to watch it evolve. You are so very talented!

So thrilled that you are loving Dr. Siri! I am about to dip into the fifth one just for fun. Something light to go along with the more intense stuff that I have been reading lately. I recently finished Bring Up the Bodies and am sure that you will be happy to hear that in addition t being shorter than Wolf Hall, it is also much more accessible. Picks up right where Wolf Hall left off and is easier to follow. And yes, do get to it while the storyline and Mantel's writing style are still fresh in your mind.

And what great news about that art class - hooray for you for asking!

Hope today is kind to you.

>45 Smiler69: Wow, way to go on getting that individual class to try, Ilana! Brilliant solution.

Happy Friday, and have a great weekend.

Haha, I don't know any potential buyers yet...but I think I was on the same wavelength as your friends in that I think you should totally set up an online thing where people have the option of buying your work! :) What a creative spirit you are, Ilana!

I stayed up till 4:30 a.m. this morning to finish up The Coroner's Lunch. Staying up that late to finish a novel is something I hadn't done for a long while now, and it's safe to say I enjoyed this book quite a lot. Am really tempted to go ahead and reserve the second one from the library right away, but will control myself—there are books I've planned to read that have been cast aside in the meanwhile, such as East of Eden, which I plan to start on no later than tonight.

My friend Kim invited me over to her place tomorrow afternoon for a belated b-day affair; cocktails by the swimming pool after a bit of swimming (it'll hot tomorrow, so perfect timing for that), then lobster on the barbecue followed by a dessert her daughter Emma (going on 16 next month) has decided she wants to make for me. How sweet is that? Apart from the fact that it'll be a really fun day, Kim is also an amazing cook, so I'm in for a great homemade meal, which is probably the biggest kind of treat for me nowadays. I'll be brining Coco along too, though I doubt he'll want to come swimming; last time I tried to get him into the pool, he didn't seem to enjoy himself very much, poor thing. That being said, Coco is doing very well and we've both gotten over the surgery, though I'm still paying for it...

Sitting in a shady spot on my balcony right now, surrounded with trees and sunshine. Perfect weather today, 23 degrees (73 F) with a soft cool breeze, the ideal kind of summer day I wish they were all like. I'll be plunging back into Wolf Hall in a moment as I'm now quite impatient to finish it, which should happen sometime in the coming week.

The Coroner's Lunch is a good one:)

Sounds like a wonderful day planned for tomorrow - hope you have fun.

So lucky to have a perfect summer day - they are unfortunately few and far between.

#46 Hi Mamie! What is eye candy for if not to be shared? is my way of thinking. I can't wait to crack that book open and find out for myself why this one in particular won the Booker Prize, when so many other books of hers got shortlisted. Iris Murdoch is one of those authors I'd steered clear away from, intimidated by her literary achievements, but I needn't have because A Severed Head was such a fun romp, and I have you to thank for encouraging me to pick it up.

I just said a few minutes ago in #49 that I'd wait before jumping into Thirty-Three Teeth, but as I like nothing better than contradicting myself, I just broke down and went ahead an reserved it anyway. I figure sometime after I finish Wolf Hall, and while I'm still involved in East of Eden, which should take a few weeks, I'll be dying to jump into lighter fare again...

#47 Hi Joe, now I wish I'd thought of that solution before making a big drama about it all, but then maybe I wouldn't have thought about it if it hadn't caused such inner turmoil, so it's all good. Should be a fun few hours on Monday and I look forward to it.

#48 Valerie, it's been at least a couple of years now that I've been thinking of opening up my own Etsy shop (see http://www.etsy.com if you're not familiar with them already: unique handmade and vintage finds—it's a pretty awesome site). As with most things, it takes me a long time before actually following through with an idea, and starting to sell my artwork will be a big mental adjustment for me... I really fall into that cliché of the artist with no brains for business—never mind that I'll actually have to finish a few pieces before I can even consider offering them for sale! :-)

Hi calm! Sorry I skipped over you. Tomorrow should be lots of fun but you know, I'm so incorrigible that I can't help but regret the fact that it'll mean time away from LT and my beloved books! :-)

Glad to see that you enjoyed The Coroner's Lunch! I also wanted to run out right away and get the second book but I refrained due to the many books here screaming for attention

Have fun at your belated bday party tomorrow!

Thanks Chelle! I'll report on my pool party when I get back tomorrow, if it's not too late by then.

I don't know where the afternoon went, but I still haven't picked up Wolf Hall and since I won't time to read tomorrow, I'd better jump into it now!

I'm with you on the casting aside of books I've intended to read. I have not yet started East of Eden and I'm the thread host! But I have four books to pick up at the library this weekend, and I still haven't finished Wolf Hall.....

Then I tell myself that reading is supposed to be fun. I do it for pleasure and my life has enough pressure in it without letting the eternal lists of books I want to read turn into a burden. We read what we choose, when we choose, and that's all there is to it. The lists and the plans are fun; but I do have to remind myself that they are never, ever set in stone.

It's Friday afternoon and I'm sitting at my desk avoiding writing an annual review of one of my "direct reports." I should probably just bag it and head home....

Ellen, I say bag it and head home!

And yes, reading is supposed to be fun. That being said, I've just got 30-40 pages of Wolf Hall to go, and really want to finish it tonight, but as I was sitting on my balcony up until 10 minutes ago, I felt like what I really wanted to be reading was the next Dr Siri book and NOT all this serious historical stuff. I don't know why I felt like that, because I've been enjoying the book all along, but I guess when I force myself to do anything, it stops being fun, which is how it must be for most people.

I hurt my back earlier today. When I woke up, I thought 'why don't I start doing yoga today, I bet my body would really thank me for it.'. Then I didn't. Then I sat outside on my balcony with my computer and books, and just tried to nudge my patio table (super light, plastic) just a few inches and threw my back with what obviously was a false movement. I keep doing that. Then I get angry at myself because it probably wouldn't happen if I did yoga as I keep meaning to, which would strengthen my back. So now I'm punished. :-(

Hi Ilana- "And yes, reading is supposed to be fun." Amen, my friend! I'm so glad you are officially on the Dr. Siri Express! The next 2 books are also terrific, maybe even better. Do you like the narrator? I've heard a couple people grumble about him but I think he does a fantastic job. And isn't it great, when the same reader does all of them?

Woo HOO! Just finished Wolf Hall ten minutes ago. Somehow, I thought this day would never come. I really enjoyed it, but it was quite a lot of work to get through, and if it hadn't been for Suzanne's patient tutoring, I think probably 90% of it would have gone over my head. As it is, that percentage is maybe only 15-25%, which is entirely acceptable. I'll look forward to Bring Up the Bodies, but will take a break of at least a couple of months before plunging in again. I don't remember the last time I found a book quite this difficult. But I've certainly learned a lot!

#57 Oh Mark, I firmly decided NOT to go with with the audio version with the Dr. Siri series after sampling the narrator a couple of times. I listened to him again just now, just to confirm this, but he just sounds soooooo BORED! So yes, borrowing the paperbacks from the library is the way to go with this one for me!

Hi Ilana!
LOVE your painting - the process and the results! You could almost stop at any step and it would be lovely - but then you do the next thing and it is even better! I love the red.

So glad you are able to give that art class a try with a sample day or two. I'd say all your agonizing was worth it if you came up with a great solution.

I did the same thing you did! After reading The Coroner's Lunch I resolved to wait a bit to read the second book. Before long, I reserved it at the library then went to pick it up pronto! Oh well... I admit it. I'm weak.
Hope you have a perfectly wonderful celebration tomorrow.
Be well.

Oh: a great time to be back here! Loving the latest artwork and especially like the yellow (kind of greenish undertones on my computer; very attractive; I love color--oh, yeah, I guess I mentioned that before!) and the astonishing difference that the draperies make! Whew!

So anyway, I'm glad you finished up Wolf Hall, which I certainly can see would be a difficult book if one wasn't intimately familiar with the Tudors. I loved it though. She's got some sort of autobiographical thing written as well that I'm really interested in; I think she's had some serious health issues? Maybe? Anyway, another book to scope out.

Loving Audible. I get the oddest things on there, things probably most people don't want. Oh, I'm trying some Shakespeare plays...remember we talked about that? I have a terrible time with The Tempest, and so thought hearing it while reading along with the text might make it work. One good thing about listening to stuff (for me) is this: my auditory learning ability is so far below my visual learning that if I have to replay something numerous times, it doesn't bother me at all; I don't feel inadequate or whatever, if I'm making myself at all clear. Its just nonthreatening to my ego, I guess. And the lulling sound of being read to: both of my parents read to us when we were small, every night; I read to my daughter every night for years and years. So there's an emotional thing tied up there as well. I did have to practice a bit with short stories, as I told you.

Oops, major thread hijack there, sorry! But I wanted you to know that you opened up a new a different reading pleasure for me.

So there.

xOx
gail

Congratulations on finishing Wolf Hall!!!!! I KNEW you could do it! *does the happy dance for Ilana's sticktoitiveness* Oh, happy day!

#59 Claudia, I always love it when something good comes out of my agonizing over something. I feel like at least all that moaning and self-torture was not completely in vain, you know? :-) The only trouble is of course, it only reinforces the behaviour because I'm always convinced that if I don't make a big deal out of things, then... well nothing will happen one way or the other. Which... that's just boring, right?

We'll see how long it is before I jump into to Thirty-Three Teeth. The request has just been put in... so I should get it by this time next week...

#60 Oh Gail, DO hijack my thread as often as you like! For the painting, the yellow will change next week. It's just a first layer, onto which we'll be applying a second layer next week, so I wouldn't get too attached to it. It was meant to be a bit more toward burnt sienna (brownish) so I was a bit horrified when I realized what I'd done, but the teacher said it would make no difference by next week. I hope he's right, because I certainly don't want her turning green!

I said at some point I wanted to read about Tudor history, and Linda (Whisper 1) sent me a very helpful little book called Beware, Princess Elizabeth, which is a YA book written from the perspective of the young Elizabeth I, which explains what happened from the moment her father Henry died to the moment she finally became queen of England. I felt like I had a pretty good handle on things after that, but going from that book to Wolf Hall was sort of like going from junior high into postgrad studies (I imagine, having not done the latter!) Anyway, Suz helped a whole lot and I think I got most of it and do want to read the next book, so I guess I did ok. But it was work to be sure.

Really glad you've taken to audiobooks and are loving Audible. I think I understand about it not being threatening to your ego. It's always so funny to me that I've turned into a champion of audiobooks when not so long ago, I used to think they were a total cop-out! Heh.

#61 Thanks Mamie! :-)

Next up: East of Eden. I really look forward to it and am sure I'll enjoy it, but truth be told, I'd rather NOT start another big brick of a book right now as I wouldn't mind doing a bunch of mindless reading for a while... especially as I've still got Our Mutual Friend Going. But it's all good. I'm sure I'll be glad to have committed to it after all. Off to start on it very shortly in fact!

You finished Wolf Hall!!!!! High five, as they (who?) say!

I hope to follow you in this accomplishment and in getting started on East of Eden. But first I have to find out what happens to Russell in Zoo Station....

*heads off to bed with book*

but truth be told, I'd rather NOT start another big brick of a book right now as I wouldn't mind doing a bunch of mindless reading for a while...

I am having the same dilemma here. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has got my attention now (a re, re, re-read for me). I am stressed & Hitchhiker's always cheers me up; love the snark. But, I have "started" EoE and am already impressed with some of the metaphors Steinbeck comes up with.

#63 I can hardly believe it Ellen. I think two months may be the longest it's ever taken me to finish a book. Actually, that's a complete lie, as you will notice if you look at how long some of my "currently reading" books have been at the top of my thread(s), but whatever.

Enjoy Zoo Station, it's really excellent. I think once I'm up to date with the John Russell series, I might start up with Philip Kerr's Berlin Noir series...

#64 I started on East of Eden last night and am thoroughly hooked, so no regrets there whatsoever. As for THGttG, I'm a lifelong fan of the radio serial, but was quite disappointed with the book when I read it a couple of years ago... maybe because I don't have the imagination to animate the characters the way they are in the BBC production. I'll revisit all the same eventually because I have nifty new editions of the whole series picked up at a library sale, but what I mostly look forward to is listening to the next installation in the radio production, The Secondary Phase.




I'll be getting ready to depart to my friend Kim's shortly. All I need do is pack my bathing suit, a bottle of chilled white wine (a Chardonnay, something I always like) and Coco into a carry-all, wrap the b-day gift I hadn't given her yet for her own special day, and off we go. But first, will lurk on a couple of threads, just to feel like I'm more or less on top of things here (an illusory feeling if ever there was one!)

So glad you're enjoying Dr. Siri, Ilana! You're out ahead of me with David Downing's books. I liked Zoo Station a lot, and look forward to reading the others.

Ilana - trust that you enjoy your evening just as thoroughly as you are enjoying Dr. Siri. Same trap for me - 33 teeth will have been well and truly cleaned by the end of my Sunday here. x

65 > in my opinion the audio radio production is the only way to listen/absorb - I have the whole collection & listen to it often!

Well, I'm now sucked right back into Wolf Hall. How weird.

And you're instantly hooked on East of Eden. I've got to figure out how to fit that in!

I am not sure I have ever read East of Eden. I really have to rectify that.

I had a really nice outing at my friend Kim's yesterday. I took a bus to get there. They've changed the rules for transporting dogs in the public transit system this year, so that the animal must be completely enclosed now. It was really hot yesterday, so I let Coco keep his head out of the carrier bag, and lucky for both of us, the bus driver didn't say anything. A little black girl and her mother came in; the little one was 4 and a half and sat next to me, very shy at first. I encouraged her to pet Coco, and within ten minutes she started talking up a storm. She was incredibly pretty, and on top of it, they'd been to the "Nuits d'Afrique" festival, so she had on this fanciful white and gold face paint on which made her look incredibly regal. I was dying to take a picture of her but instead tried to memorize her face. At Kim's I received a kaleidoscope from Italy which she purchased during her trip to the Czech republic at Christmas to add to my growing collection. We were joined by her friend Jackie who's usually with us during such events and sat at around the pool sipping Negronis in her gorgeous yard filled with different sorts of trees, including a large weeping willow. It was very warm, so I enjoyed a nice long soak and a bit of a swim—the first since last year during my last birthday celebration. Kim's daughter Emma had made me these white chocolate truffles in strawberry and lemon flavours which apparently took her hours to make. I stayed outside while they went in to boil the lobsters and read a chapter from East of Eden. I can't be around when live lobsters are being cooked, else I can't eat them. I know they're not actually screaming in pain, but it's all the same to me. We sat outside and had a simple and delicious lobster dinner accompanied by Cupcake Chardonnay. I treated Coco and Kim's standard poodle Theo(dore) to bits of lobster from the leftover carcasses. I doubt Coco had had lobster before in his lifetime, somehow. The whole affair was very casual, and since Kim had been unwell for the past couple of days, she'd put off preparations and so put together my favourite b-day dessert before my eyes: a strawberry shortcake, something I've asked her for three years in a row now when asked what I'd like... I got to bring a huge piece of it home (including a drive straight to my door), so I'll be breakfasting and midnight-snacking on that for at least a couple of days. I really feel so lucky to have a special friend like that who goes out of her way to put together a little celebration for me... most of my adult life since my mother's been gone I haven't had anything special at all to mark my birthday, so it's really very special to me. In fact, I'll call her now to thank her again...

#66 Joe, so far, I've never really felt the need to read a series back-to-back, no matter how much I've enjoyed the books, but something tells me this just may happen with the Dr. Siris. They're short and the first one was so much fun that it seems like perfect summer reading and a good way to break up the more serious stuff I've got going on at the same time.

I've already reserved Potsdam Station—have no way of knowing if there are others ahead of me in the queue, but if not, should receive it sometime in mid-August. Something else to look forward to!

#67 Paul, I'm imagining you've polished off Thirty-Three Teeth already, since you're well into Monday by now... I'll drop by to see if that's the case shortly.

#68 Ellen - it was interesting with Wolf Hall because usually I make sure to read from a book every day to keep the flow going, but I guess because I was taking time to take notes, then typing my questions on the tutorial thread and waiting for Suzanne's answers, I was able to skip one or two days between reading sessions without losing the continuity of the story somehow. It stayed in the back of my mind between reading sessions and I was always a bit resistant to plunging in again because of the extra load involved with taking notes, but when I did I was always sucked right back in. Until the last two chapters that is, by which time I really just wanted to get it finished, but I got a lot out of the experience.

As for East of Eden, when I tinkered with the reading schedule, I made sure to follow it up with a short read in August (The Red Pony, just over 100 pages), precisely so people could take up to two months with it. Even though you're officially hosting the thread, that doesn't put you under any obligation. I hadn't participated to it until now, but will start doing so and as you know they usually take care of themselves, though the occasional bump as I saw you did today is perfectly fine. Like everything else, it's supposed to be fun, not a drag and a burden! That said, I just finished chapter 8 about the beastly Cathy Ames last night, and if that doesn't hook you in when you get there, I'll be most surprised!

#69 Stasia, of course you're welcome to join us this month or next if you can make time for it. But otherwise, East of Eden will be there for you when you feel disposed to it. It's not a "light" read by any means, but it's very engrossing!

That sounds like a most splendiferous day. The little girl you met on the bus sounds delightful, and I agree sometimes a photo opportunity has to be passed by.
I think I'll have to make a strawberry shortcake as soon as our summer berries start appearing. At present we are stuck in full wet winter mode, so I'm concentrating on making soup.

#19 I love that book cover! I had a look at the others in that series but nothing grabbed me as much as the Murdoch cover. I have an older copy of The Sea, The Sea with a rather unattractive 1970s cover - I think I need to upgrade.

#35 I saw your blog post when you posted it and forgot to comment (again) but I wanted to say that I'm finding it fascinating to see all the different stages that go into a piece like this. I know almost nothing about art and from looking at a finished picture I would have no idea of all the stages involved. How many stages will there be?

#49 Also thrilled that you liked Dr Siri so much! I should really get a copy...

#58 Woo hoo! I found Bring Up the Bodies felt like it required less mental effort than WH so I'm hopeful that you'll find that one easier going. But yeah, take a break first :-)

#60 "She's got some sort of autobiographical thing written as well that I'm really interested in; I think she's had some serious health issues?" I think that's right Gail. She's written an autobiography/memoir (is there a difference between the two?) called Giving Up the Ghost and a short piece about a recent hospital stay called Ink in the Blood which might only be available digitally. I haven't read either yet.

#65 "I think once I'm up to date with the John Russell series, I might start up with Philip Kerr's Berlin Noir series..." Again, I haven't read either but I pushed my husband onto the Berlin Noir books after he enjoyed the John Russell books so much and they were a big hit with him.

#71 Sounds like a really lovely day :-)

49: Hi Ilana. I'm going to keep your late night in mind for when I begin The Coroner's Lunch. I need my beauty rest. Lol.

Good for you on finishing Wolf Hall. So much of that book went over my head. I've enjoyed the parts of Suzanne's tutorial that I've read. I think you'll find the sequel much easier going.

Have a good week!

Ilana, I was very tempted to read the Dr Siri series back to back, but I didn't want to go through them too quickly. So I'm trying to pretend I don't see the 4th in the series teasing me from my TBR Tower whenever I head over there for my next read, and I'll try to give it another month before reading it.

I wrote a bunch of responses and then my web browser went funny... so I've lost it all. Not very pleased about that. Here goes again:

#73 Kerry, as I was saying, it's strange to me to think my b-day could be celebrated in winter-time, or imagine eating strawberry shortcake in the middle of January... Kim's is really special because she douses the sliced berries in a good aged balsamic vinegar (along with sugar I imagine), which she lets macerate for a few hours before putting the shortcake together. It's really quite exceptionally yummy.

#74 Hi Heather. I too looked at the other covers available from Vintage in the Victoria & Albert collection, and the only other one I might have considered buying for the cover design would have been The End of the Affair, but I've already decided I want to get that one on audio because I like one of the narrators who does it quite a lot. There's a new release read by Colin Firth I would have died to get my hands on, but unfortunately it's not available to us in Canada. Such a shame!

I almost went ahead and purchased Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill, but since it was published in 2011, I could request the library to purchase it instead (they only purchase books published in the last couple of years), so I'll try that route since I've already been twice lucky when I've made such requests before (most recently with The Conference of the Birds by Peter Sís). I'd be highly surprised if you too didn't fall in love with Dr. Siri too!

I do expect that Bring Up the Bodies will be a lot easier than WH was, if only because with the first book, a lot of the initial questions I had were simply figuring out who's who among the nobility and the various family ties and titles. I'm still not sure the whole family tree is perfectly clear in my head, but I've got a handle on the major players, and the importance of Cromwell having come from such humble roots and being elevated quite so high in those days... so I imagine I'd have far less questions with BUtB. It's a pretty safe bet I'll be reading it this year and it looks like Suzanne is very keen on tutoring me on that one too!

Looking up Philip Kerr yesterday, I did notice that you had several books from the Berlin Noir series in your collections and saw from the tags that they were your husband's. I'm glad to know read he also them after the John Russell series and loved them too, that's rather encouraging!

It was indeed a lovely day yesterday and I've been enjoying the treats I brought home today a lot too. Just spent a good 10-15 minutes looking at the gorgeous kaleidoscope Kim gave me. It's amazing how much beauty and wonderment those neat constructions create. I have a good half-dozen different ones by now, and each holds it's own little ever-changing magical world.

Hi Ilana- Sounds like you had a nice weekend. I have the 1st 3 books in the Berlin Noir. I read March Violets several years ago and really liked but I'm planning on listening to it again and then continuing with the series. That's the plan anyway.

#75 Welcome Donna! I rarely allow myself to stay up into the morning hours to finish books anymore, because it did become a habit of mine at one point and I was holding ridiculous hours (MORE ridiculous than I do now, I mean!) I'm trying to adopt a more reasonable schedule, but when I hit really great books (which happens quite often, thanks to this group and my well-stocked shelves), it's very difficult turning out the lights when I'm meant to, which is 1:30 a.m. these days and we're meant to work our way to midnight or so, but I'm having trouble holding to that!

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who struggled with Wolf Hall. If not for Suzannes tutoring, I don't think I would have attempted it on my own again until such time as I would have gained a better understanding of the Tudor era. Somehow I feel this book was truly written for a readership which is already well acquainted with all the characters and events. Not that I've been well schooled on the subject, thanks to Suzanne, I feel I'm very well prepared to take on Dissolution by C. J. Sansom, a series I know you've been enjoying a lot and which I greatly look forward jumping into as well!

#76 Caro, I don't usually have the patience to read a series back to back, if only because I like to switch it up all the time, altering genres and time periods and styles and what have you from one book to the next, otherwise I get quickly bored. I completely see your point about wanting to make the pleasure last, but since I've been taking pains to list all the series I've got going and intend to pursue already, there seems to be no lack of options as far as that goes! I'll see how many Dr. Siri books I end up reading in a row before taking a break. I never was much of a series reader before joining this group, if you don't count Agatha Christie and the odd trilogy here and there and seeing that I'm onto book 2 in most of the series I've got going now, it's easy for me to count how many I've started based on great recommendations here!

I'm tempted to do that series list for myself. I have an ongoing series category in my 12in12 but I'm still not reading the books I should be.

edit: and I'll hunt down a ss recipe that includes balsamic vinegar.

#78 Hi Mark! I did have a very nice weekend, thank you. It'll have to end quite early tonight, as I'll be heading to an art class tomorrow morning and I want to be as fresh as possible for that AND get a few chapters of East of Eden in before lights out! I'm really quite engrossed in it now. I'm very tempted to listen to the Berlin Noir series on audio, and to my great annoyance, they have the first three books on audio available at the library, BUT in the French translation! Grrr. That's out of the question of course. They have the omnibus of books 1-3 available on print format too, so I think I'll go with that to start, and then switch to audio with the others if/when I get there. John Lee narrates most of them, which is quite a treat. Enjoy! I won't start on this one for a while though, as I have so many series going currently, and never mind all the first in series that are waiting on my tbr too...

#80 Kerry, I'm doing that series list little by little, because it's quite a bit of work, given I'm linking each series title to it's LT page. But it's worth it to me, because it'll be another one of those lists I'll be referring to a lot and carrying forward into each thread.

It looks like I'll probably head to bed extra early tonight. The outdoor sketching class went well today—we started at the farmer's market (I drew artichokes) and then crossed the street over to the Lachine Canal for some landscape-type things. I might post what I did on my blog, not sure though... they're really rough sketches and not all that successful at that, but I did have fun working on them, so that's all that really matters.

It was very very hot out today, and I sat in full sun for a good 45 minutes, something I never do usually, though I did have sunblock on and a hat. Then we had a big thunderstorm tonight, so between the heat and the migraine caused by the low pressure system, I'm quite knackered.

Finished Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens on audio today. Lots of interesting storylines that end up intersecting at the end. Now I've switched over to Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen for a complete change of pace. It's fluffy and silly and a perfect counterbalance for East of Eden, which is anything but fluffy or lighthearted, but which I'm enjoying tremendously.

Have my photo group tomorrow. I'm have some homework to do, but too tired, so I'll throw something together tomorrow before the meet-up. Right now, I think all I can handle is making lists, so I'm off to add more books to my series lineup.

Ilana, it's funny that you say you weren't a series person until you joined this group. I had never read a series in order until I joined this group. I had always hopped around. But then I was introduced to some new series here and since I had been recommended the first in the series, I ended up just reading some of them in order ... and probably enjoying them more than if I had done my usual hop around. Yet another unexpected benefit of joining LT. :-)

Yet another unexpected benefit of joining LT. :-)

Yes, and indeed there are many! I like to start at the beginning whenever possible, but like you, it wasn't an absolute imperative before I joined this group. I do like to figure out whether it makes a difference or not to give myself leeway though, because sometimes a book becomes available (on sale or on BookMooch for example) and it's nice to be able to enjoy it knowing that nothing is missed.

Ilana, getting all caught up over here. So glad to hear that you had such a good time at your friend Kim's. Her strawberry shortcake sounds amazing - I would never have thought of balsamic vinegar, but now I simply must try it!

I just finished the fifth book in the Dr. Siri series, and am already looking forward to the next one. I just adore him and all of his quirky cohorts.

I, too, have the first three books in the Berlin Noir, but I haven't read them yet. Maybe this Fall.

I will have to look into The End of the Affair read by Colin Firth because..well...Colin Firth!!

I guess that about does it for now - sounds like your outdoor sketching class was a hit. Excellent! I bet your results are better than you think because you are probably your own worse critic - so hard on yourself when you are so very talented. I always love to see whatever you feel like sharing.

Wishing you sweet dreams and a tomorrow that is kind to you. Take care.

Oh Mamie, I hope for your sake you can get the recording by Colin Firth, though I'm almost certain you can.

Hello lovely - I am at work at the moment, so only time for the quickest of 'hellos' to you. Glad your friend spoiled you - and very envious of both the Strawberry Shortcake and (especially) the lobster - which is prohibitively expensive here! Have a fabulous day. xx

Hi Ilana,
Just dropping in (before I drop out again) to say a quick hello.
Hot days and big thunderstorms at night sounds great! (although not for your health), there's nothing like a dramatic clap of thunder when youre tucked up nice and warm in your bed.
Take care.

#87 Hi Prue, glad you dropped by. Lobster is definitely a treat for me, even thought in this season it's always to be had at reasonable prices—I just can't bring myself to cook the poor things, but when my mum was close by she used to lobster as a regular feature for my b-day dinners, along with the ubiquitous Strawberry Shortcake of course! Funny how I never tire of certain things!

#88 Hi Megan, nice to see you in these parts! I love thunderstorms, and last night's was a dramatic one with intense and frequent lightning and crashing thunder. I always feel a bit afraid, but in that fun way you get from amusing thrills, and I can enjoy them guilt-free since my three pets seem to tolerate them well too.




I started working on my review of A Mind of Winter a couple of days ago, and then just as I was putting the finishing touches on it, got really frustrated with it for some reason. It doesn't help that every time I read reviews I've posted here before re-posting them on my blog or on the Audible site, as happened in the last couple of days, I'm mortified to find how badly they'd been initially written! Ugh! Anyway, I'll finish it up today and post it good or bad, hopefully along with at least a couple more so I can get caught up with myself... watch this space!

Sounds like you had a fantastic time with your friend Kim and how thoughtful she is to have celebrated the special day with you. :)
It bodes well for me that you are enjoying EoE. I will get to it one of these days...

Ilana - not overly keen of thunderstorms if truth be known - see enough of them first hand everytime the kids are doing their schoolwork and it doesn't pass muster with SWMBO.....the clouds roll over a lowering battleship grey and the thunder rolls around our home in a tempest fit to send the Titanic to the bottom of the Atlantic.

The Colin Firth recording is indeed available here, Ilana! *rubs hands together gleefully* I just need to read a few more books for Ellen's challenge before purchasing it, but then it is mine, mine, all mine.

How's your day going?

Just stopping by to say hi, Ilana!

#90 Nathalie, yesterday I went to bed extra early, all excited that I had almost two whole hours of reading time before my usual "lights out" time to read from East of Eden. Can't tell you how disappointed I was when 45 minutes into it I found I could barely keep my eyes open from sheer fatigue! I'll try to do the same tonight and see if I'm more successful at it.

#91 Paul, I can imagine that indoor thunderstorms of the kind your household seems prone to don't seem quite as fun as the ones provided when the elements of nature are unleashed in the skies. Maybe you might encourage them to take it outside next time so you can benefit from good weather?

#92 Hi Mamie! My day went ok, though as usual, I didn't manage to do much. I've yet to finish that review I was talking about earlier, and need to head to bed early so I can be all rested for my painting class tomorrow... We'll see what I can do in the next hour or less. Very envious that you can get the Colin Firth, but I'm glad at least one of us can enjoy it. I've listened to the sample and have no doubt I'd like it very much indeed. Think of me when you get to it!

#93 Hi Joe! :-)



I just posted a fun little bookish something on my blog just now: http://fromsmilerwithlove.com/2012/07/24/diy-book-sculpture/

The bookish something is very amusing!

That was quite the storm wasn't it? We got 3 inches of rain. I see you have finished up OMF - I have finally (somewhere about halfway) gotten properly engaged in it. If it hadn't been a group read.... I don't think I would have made it that far.

94. A Mind of Winter by Shira Nayman ★★★★
(Early Reviewers, also read for TIOLI #9: Read a book with a Deckle Edge, and 12/12 Category #8: Hot Off the Press)

This novel is mostly set in 1951 and describes the paths it’s three main characters have taken in the war's aftermath. Christine, formerly a teacher at a girl's private school in England, has fled to Shanghai, ostensibly after uncovering a horrible secret about the first man she had ever let herself fall in love with. She is a gorgeous woman and used to having men bend over backwards to accommodate her, but Han Shu, the owner of the upscale bar she’s been frequenting decides her credit is no longer valid in his establishment, and Christine, who's come to the last of her meagre teacher-salary savings, is desperately in want of a means to earn a living. Her most pressing need is feeding the opium addiction which has taken over her life, and against her better judgment, she finds herself accepting a job from Han Shu, who hires her to give private instruction in a home he keeps in a run-down neighbourhood, presumably an establishment to help young orphaned girls.

Meanwhile in Long Island, Oscar is a fabulously wealthy man with a sprawling domain on the beachfront, and a house which is always filled with guests. We know little about his past when the story begins, only that he’s an Englishman, that "Oscar" is an assumed identity and that he's never gotten over the aforementioned Christine. As the story evolves, we come to learn about his complicated past, how he built his fortune after the war, and what role Christine played in his life. One semi-permanent fixture in his home is Marilyn, a photographer who’s made a name for herself with the harrowing images captured in London during the war. She escapes from her Manhattan residence weekly to Oscar’s swank retreat to sort out her work and what she fears are too strong feelings for her husband to find some kind of solace in the arms of one of Oscar‘s friends.

I rather enjoyed this complex and mysterious novel and the morally skewed individuals who people it, each with their own reasons to lie and deceive, each with their own share of light and shade. The settings she creates for them are convincing, and they are believable as complex, living, breathing characters, even though at times they seem almost too archetypal. The prose flowed easily, save for a few awkward moments when it seemed Nayman had tried too hard to reach for poetic imagery and came up short, but overall, and unlike many other reviewers, I found this to be a very good novel and well worth my while.

#95 I'm glad you liked it Lucy! I don't know how much rain we got here, but it was lots and lots for sure. They were predicting more storms this evening, and goodness knows there was a good cloud cover, nothing as yet.

Why were you having such a hard time getting into Our Mutual Friend? Is it a re-read or first time for you?

Teehee...you called me Nathalie, but since you are such a nice gal, I'll let it slide this time. ;)
I'm still hoping to get to it sometime this month!

Oh gosh, sorry Valerie, I hope it's very rare that I slip up like that. I DO try to be careful, but goodness knows I make plenty of mistakes. Thanks for letting it slide. :-)

95. Angel by Elizabeth Taylor ★★★★½
(Group Read with Virago Modern Classics, TIOLI #10: a book by an author whose surname could also be a first name, 12/12 #1: The First Half 1901-1951)

I absolutely loved this book about a character who, almost from the first, I couldn't help loving to hate, and yet, also from the first, couldn't help liking a little bit too. Angel (for Angelica) Deverell has always lived in a fantasy world of her own making, and while some would have called her a liar as a young girl, she would have retorted that she was simply imagining a better living for herself, well within her reach. In the earliest years of the 20th century, we find Angel at fifteen being taken to task for using vocabulary in a composition which is much too sophisticated for her, smacking of plagiarism. Though she lives above the grocery shop owned and operated by her mother, Angel likes to imagine herself living at Paradise House and being waited upon by an army of hired help, though she's never laid her eyes on the place, nor does she wish to—and risk diluting her perfect fantasy of it—and the only real information she has on the great house is provided by her aunt Lottie, who has worked there as lady's maid for eighteen years, since "Madam" herself arrived there as a young bride. When word gets around she’s telling lies to her schoolmates, Angel decides her schooling is over and resolves to become a successful writer, in spite of the many protestations and outrage this decision causes her mother and aunt, this latter having paid for her niece to attend a private school so she can have better chances in life. When it becomes clear Angel will not budge from her decision, aunt Lottie comes back with a job offer from the great house as a lady's maid to the young lady Angel has been named after. Angel is outraged and in characteristic fashion, thoroughly insults her aunt for making such a suggestion. Feigning sickness to buy herself time, Angel pens her first masterwork, The Lady Irania, which in reality is a farce of a novel, florid and utterly lacking in sophistication, albeit it tells a story set among the highest strata of English society. Determined to find a publisher, she sends the manuscript around, undeterred by rejection, until one publisher, Theo Gilbright of Gilbright & Brace, sees a potential moneymaker in what might become a party-piece and face utter ridicule or become a runaway bestseller; his letter suggests a generous advance and invites Angel to a meeting in London. The partners expect to meet a doddering old maid smelling of camphor, and are confronted instead with the humourless young girl, who categorically refuses to make any changes whatsoever to her book, even though she has someone opening a bottle of champagne with a corkscrew as one of many glaring mistakes. The gamble pays off, and Angel becomes the fabulously wealthy author she had determined to become, which only encourages her to continue indulging her every whim and vanity. This was my second novel by Elizabeth Taylor, and it made me want to get my hands on everything else she's ever written, although I'm assured by various readers that this novel is not typical of her work. All the same, this is a wickedly entertaining little book which I have no doubt I'll be reading again. My NYRB edition features an introduction by Hilary Mantel; I wisely kept it for the end which definitely helped to prolong the pleasure.

Its perfectly normal. We've ALL, myself included, have done it at least once. So many people, so many threads, bound to happen. Thank goodness we are all such nice and easy going peeps. ;)

I've seen this book reviewed on several other threads this month and it looks like everyone is giving it some positive ratings. Each review is pushing me one step closer to giving this book a chance! Thanks for the review, Ilana! :)

#101 I guess it might take at least another review to push you over the edge Valerie. Lucky for you, since it was a group read this month, there must be more reviews in the works!




Painting class tomorrow. Will have something to show for it at the end of the day I expect. Off to try to get a decent night's sleep (while still fitting in a few pages of East of Eden.)

Hi Ilana,
Great review of Angel.
And I am 100% with you re: Colin Firth. I will watch or listen to absolutely anything with him in it. And his Mr. Darcy will, for me, always be the best Mr. Darcy.

Had a great class today, but I've been feeling like a dishrag all evening. I made some progress on my painting, though didn't manage to finish it today. I'll still post pictures of what I did during class to show where it's at, but I'll do that tomorrow as it seems like more work than I can handle right now. I really love art classes, but as I'm sure I've said before, I invest myself 150% into them when I'm there, which is why so tired after. We watched an hour-long documentary about the figure and portraiture paintings of artist Lucian Freud as a treat, which featured many of his models giving insights to his approach, and as quite a few of them were family members (including a few of his many daughters), there were plenty of insights about the man and father and lover as well. Really interesting and of course, plenty of examples of his work were shown. It seems he typically had his models sit for him several hours, several times a week for sometimes well over a year. Makes me feel better about how slow I am. Maybe if I slowed down even more I'd become an artist of note too? Oh right, first I'd have to spend my days producing more work, which would definitely mean less LT time!

#103 Hi Ellen, glad you liked my review. I just read Lucy's real quick this morning and thought hers was truly excellent. Colin Firth is a dreamboat.

In reading news, I gave up on Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen today. I was about a third of the way in and was dreading having to spend twice yet as much time with it because really couldn't bring myself to care one way or another. It had it's amusing moments, but I guess I'm not the ideal target audience for cozy mysteries and chick lit. Too cynical maybe. In the meantime, listening to a few more of Muriel Spark's short stories (I WILL get through that volume some day!) and will start up on I Capture the Castle in a day or two.

eta: forgot to mention before that I ordered pizza tonight (pepperoni, bacon, onions, tomato, mozzarella and an extra of black olives) which I had with a diet Coke. This is only worth mentioning because I order pizza maybe twice a year and have soft drinks very very rarely... just couldn't face having to prepare myself anything, though I did nosh on a quick salad (tomato, cucumber, avocado, balsamic vinegar). Yeah. Am officially brain-dead now.

Your pizza sounds pretty delicious, Ilana, and I'm glad you gave yourself permission to give up on Her Royal Spyness. As I think you and I have said before, reading time (well, all time) is too precious to waste on something that feels like too much work or simply doesn't engage our attention or imagination.

Did I mention that your pizza topping combo sounds delicious? ;-)

I hope you gain some energy in the next day or two and find yourself enjoying the other things you are reading/listening to.

Ah, the pizza sounds terrific, Ilana. We have them so very seldom now; sigh.

Did I tell you (probably not) that I have the audio of the Spark short stories as well? How are they? I'm bogged down with lots of other stuff right now--surprise!--but am trying to get some serious reading done. Trying...

xOx

Ellen - as you know, I read across pretty well all genres and given the right mood will enjoy most things, but fluff rarely grabs me enough to make it worth my time. As I said to Heather on her thread, there was a time when I was working under constant stress when I didn't have the brain power to read anything but the lightest of fare (the first three Shopaholic books, The Devil Wear Prada & co.), but circumstances have changed quite a lot since then. Still, there's always a time and a place for the light stuff, so I hesitate to knock it.

The pizza should last me through at least a couple more meals since I ordered a medium. I'll probably freeze a portion or two to have it handy as a lunch option for my next art class (the only food outlet within easy reach is the Subway at the Home Depot, and the smell of their food alone makes me gag).

Today so far has been sleep, more sleep, then lounging in bed doing nothing of consequence, then lounging on my couch doing same. So far so good on the resting front. :-)

Hi Gail! I try to eat reasonably well with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables thrown in, but I've let myself slip quite a lot these past couple of weeks with meals of chips & salsa & beer, or cake and a glass of milk or... well you get the idea. Nothing a nutritionist would approve of... my philosophy is anything in moderate quantities is ok for you, but I'll have to start making a small effort to eat a bit better, so pizza won't be featured too prominently in my future..

I've been enjoying the Muriel Spak short stories little by little. Between full-length books, I'll listen to 2-3 of her short stories, so I've been listening to this audio for months now. There's really a very wide range of styles and approaches. Some are like little episodes from life, some are more far fetched fantasies. I'd say so far I've enjoyed about 50% of them and the other half not quite as much, but if only for the chance to get an idea of how creative Spark was as a writer, this collection is well-worth it. I listed all the short stories on the work page so that when I finish the book I can look back and identify those I liked best, which will help me with whatever review I can manage to concoct eventually.

Why would you force yourself to do "serious" reading if that's not what suits you at the moment? Just enjoy reading whatever feels right and don't worry about it, you have my blessing. ;-)

Dear Ilana - your pizza description has me salivating. Always tell myself that those things are not healthy but when the kids prevail upon me to order (Canadian Pizza btw) I always relent and always always eat the most. If the staff work on Saturdays (rarely) I normally order pizza for the office and we spend more time stuffing our faces than working. (psst plenty of nutrition in beer! x)

Who is reading the Muriel Spark short stories for the audio?

I have a bit of a strange situation with someone who wants to be my friend I've been trying to sort out these past few months now I'd like to share with those of you who are interested. About a year ago, I started doing my groceries at a health food store right next to my art school. It's a tiny shop owned by a young woman of Chinese origin, Clara. She's a bright girl and quite engaging, so we talked quite a lot whenever I went there, and eventually spontaneously went to see The Hunger Games at the cinema when it came out. Clara, almost 30, still lives with her parents who help her with her business, which is not unusual in that culture. But the contrast of her background and sheltered life with my own... practically opposite experiences really fascinated her and she eventually said she'd like to be my friend. We've gone out to brunch once, and I invited her over for a casual bite at my place a couple of times. We haven't seen each other much because I for one tend to isolate myself quite a lot, and she's often busy with her shop and friends and family, which suited me just fine, because quite frankly, I find she has a strange attitude and is often rude, making inappropriate personal remarks (which show how limited her life experience is) or constantly texting on her phone when we're together, or just being abrupt, brooding and uncommunicative much of the time, and quick to take offence, which has made me uncomfortable on many occasions already, even when I simply go shopping there, though this might a) be a generational thing and b) have nothing to do with me.

She's given me a couple of small gifts and most recently, she sent me that huge bouquet of peonies (out of season!) on my birthday. I was delighted but also uneasy as we hadn't talked or gotten together in quite some time, and never mind that we haven't really built the kind of friendship to warrant that kind of thing. When I called her to thank her, she clearly said she was unhappy about me not having taken her up on offers to get together recently (she has on occasion sent me a text message out of the blue on an afternoon inviting me to dinner that night) and that next time I wanted to see her, I'd have to "make a move". I've told her many times that I'm not the most sociable person and that I often don't want to see anyone, and definitely not in the right place in my life to be much of a friend to anyone at all and she shouldn't take it personally, which she says she understands, but clearly her behaviour shows she doesn't.

Then I went grocery shopping last week, and spontaneously asked her if she wanted to come over and have a beer on my balcony. She couldn't come because she was busy and said "that doesn't count by the way as an invitation, because it was just too convenient for you. I'm a girl you know and you have to make more efforts to be a good friend.". Well. First of all, I thought that was immature and petty, and second of all, I'd rather NOT have her as a friend at all if emotional blackmail is her thing and just keep her as my grocer, which we had agreed was our primary "relationship" if any at all. I haven't said anything at all to her since last week. Now I need groceries, and I'm frankly uncomfortable going there, or even calling her to deliver any. I don't want to have a conversation with her, because frankly, I don't feel invested enough in our casual friendship to make a big deal out of it, but I like getting my groceries there, both for the great selection of organic fresh foods, the personal service, and for the convenience, which is no small thing.

I don't know what to do. Suggestions anyone? I'm listening...,

Sorry Paul, I was typing up my long screed up there when you posted. I've heard that "plenty of nutrition in beer" argument many a time in my life and sorry, but I just don't buy it! :-b

The readers for the Muriel Spark short stories are quite great: Juliet Stevenson, Amelia Fox and Richard E. Grant.

Friendship is not supposed to be that much work. It can be work sometimes, sure, just like any relationship. However, I would expect the work to come after we've established a strong connection and are committed, then, to working through things when there is a misunderstanding or hurt feelings or whatever. For me, if it's this much work to even create the friendship, then I'm not in. I would probably feel similarly to you in terms of discomfort shopping there, so I'm not sure what to "advise." I might try to go there to do my shopping and, if the question of getting together comes up, I might say something like "you know, I like you a lot, but it seems like we're in different places right now in terms of what we need from a friendship. I hope we can continue to be friendly, but, at least at present, maybe we should just give the friendship effort a bit of a break." I might even say that I really enjoy shopping in her place and that I hope she's okay with me continuing to do so...... but I don't know. All this is much easier to say in the abstract than to actually put into action.....

I had a friend several years ago who was very hurt when I went back to the town in which she lived (and where I used to live) and didn't connect with her on one of my visits. The problem (from my perspective) was that I had a number of friends there and I just couldn't see every one of them on every visit. I had to spread it around some. From her perspective, this was evidence that I meant more to her than she meant to me, and at some point I decided that it wasn't worth arguing that point. I mean, she was right. I was sad that the disparity meant we really couldn't be connected at all, but that seemed to be the way it was.

I hope you find some peace and resolution with the situation, Ilana.

Ellen, I'm so glad you've taken the time to advise me on this. I was even thinking of sending you a small message inviting you over as was wanting your opinion, but you've shown up before I had taken that step! :-)

I just think a friendship should be an organic thing, and flow naturally, at least, in the initial stages of "getting to know you". If there are snags already then, I don't see the point of going forward. What's been interesting here is the age difference. With almost 15 years between us, a difference which is accrued with the vastly different levels of life experiences we've had, it's hard to tell sometimes where the misunderstandings lie. All I know, to be brutally honest, is that I want to be able to get my groceries with a minimum of fuss and maximum quality and convenience. It was probably my mistake to go to the cinema with her to begin with, thus opening the door to personal problems, but then, I don't want to shield myself from people any more than I do already and create all these insurmountable boundaries, especially considering how much I do hide myself behind a great wall already! Your advice makes perfect sense to me, though there was also a possible sub-text I wondered about, which I thought you might pick up on...

#77 I hope you enjoy the Berlin Noir series - that and the John Russell are both on series I'd like to read but I keep giving other things priority (also more series? Eek!)

#100 Hooray - so pleased you liked it! The only thing that made me sad about my green copy is that it doesn't have the Hilary Mantel introduction which the new Virago edition has. I assume it's the same introduction as your NYRB edition - would be strange if Mantel had written two different introductions.

#101 Go on Valerie - adding a little push!

#110 Oh, tough situation. It sounds like you have different desires/needs/expectations from a friendship and whilst you might be able to work round those with lots of effort on both sides, I agree with Ellen, if it's this much work to create the friendship then maybe it's not the right friendship for both of you at the moment.

And I also agree with Ellen's comments about the grocery shopping. In fact, I should probably have just said "I agree with Ellen" and left it there :-)

"It was probably my mistake to go to the cinema with her to begin with, thus opening the door to personal problems" I wouldn't say so - you tried something to see if you would connect, you didn't and normally both people would realise and just shrug and go back to casual meetings. It sounds like she didn't realise you didn't connect, or rather, she did, but somehow she thinks that's your fault.

Heather, having just finished the exercise of listing all the series I currently have going, I'm tempted to also list all the first in series books I have on my tbr. Off the top of my head I can think of Dissolution by C. J. Sansom and The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch both of which I can't wait to get to, but there are quite a few more to be sure!

The Hilary Mantel introduction to Angel is well worth seeking out imho, so maybe if you see the new Virago edition in a store you could read those few pages at the store to save on buying a whole new copy...

I'm not very gifted when it comes to interpersonal relationships in RL. I tend to retreat into solitude very quickly at the first signs of trouble to avoid any kind of unpleasantness or confrontations. Kind of funny when you think how many confrontations I've had with perfect strangers who've been rude to me, or with my own father in the not so distant past... I think one of the reasons my friend Kim and I have kept things going is because neither of us makes demands on the other and we're comfortable seeing each other when the occasion best suits us, and cancelling when we're not well without being made to feel guilty. Maybe if I didn't have such a solitary nature I'd be willing to make lots more efforts. I think timing is important but also that there are many things unsaid that just need to sort of click into place to make a friendship possible, eta: and most of all, lasting.

Ilana- I have both Dissolution & The Lies of Locke Lamora waiting on audio. See, we do follow each other around. I might have to pick up some overtime, (NOT!) just to get some more audio time in.

Okay, first I just want to say that I would like some of that pizza - sounds absolutely delicious! I simply adore pizza...sigh...

Second, I agree with Ellen and Heather. She doesn't really want to be YOUR friend if she wants to tell you how to behave and set the tone for everything - she wants you to be HER friend. You so don't need that, Ilana. People who truly care about you and want to share a friendship should meet you where you are at, not tell you how to act. She sounds selfish and immature, and life is just too short for that. I used to have a friend that always kept track of everything - now it's your turn to invite us to dinner, now it's your turn to plan the play date for the kids. It's exhausting and belittling - if we have to keep score, then I don't want to play. I think Ellen gave excellent advice when she said:

I might try to go there to do my shopping and, if the question of getting together comes up, I might say something like "you know, I like you a lot, but it seems like we're in different places right now in terms of what we need from a friendship. I hope we can continue to be friendly, but, at least at present, maybe we should just give the friendship effort a bit of a break."

Then you can just take it from there, and if it feels too awkward, then you might take a break from shopping there for a bit just to calm the waters. When you start back, just keep things firmly where you want them - it's okay to be friendly but not friends. You get to decide. Don't let her pressure you because you don't need that - I think friendly but firm is the ticket. And remember, we're all right here to back you up.

#116 I might have to pick up some overtime, (NOT!) just to get some more audio time in

Mark, have to admit that made me smile and still does. I know just what you mean. I just double-checked at the library to see if they happened to have either on audio available. Dissolution is available, but only on cassette tapes (really?!) and no audio for the The Lies at all, and in fact, the book is only available in French translation, which as I remember now, is the reason I purchased it to begin with.

#117 She doesn't really want to be YOUR friend if she wants to tell you how to behave and set the tone for everything - she wants you to be HER friend.

That's so clever Mamie, I'd never thought of it that way before. I know what you mean about keeping tabs. It just doesn't work with me. For instance, when I used to go out to restaurants a lot with friends, it would often happen that one of us would take care of the tab, and it was understood that we'd alternate, but nobody actually kept score. I know when cash is low some people really do have to keep track of things like that, but this whole notion that things have to be calculated down to the last cent drives me bonkers. So that's a no go for me too. Then there are those who abuse of that kind of situation, as I found out with a friend I'd had for 15 years (but seen only sporadically) who came to stay over for what I thought was a few days and ended up staying for months and taking advantage of the situation in ways that would make your hair stand on end if I started listing them. Well, as you can imagine, he's an EX-friend now! As for Clara, maybe I should just print out Ellen's perfect little speech and hand it over to her because while my intention would be to convey exactly that message, it would probably come out much less clearly. Or better yet, I could just copy it and text it over to her, since she's plugged onto her messaging all the time! :-)

Hello hello! Can't stop but thinking of you!

So today was a MAJOR indulgence day as far as book-buying goes. I've been listless and suffering from migraine with the low pressure system here (we're expecting rain any moment, with heavy clouds all day), so I thought a little retail therapy would do me some good. I did hesitate for several days before making most of my purchases (which were from AbeBooks, where I had a very full shopping cart, though of course, you never CAN fill an online shopping cart to the brim, can you?) because now that Fall registration is just around the corner for my art classes, I think of everything in terms of "now if I didn't buy this, it would cover HALF the cost of that class". Anyway, I went ahead and splurged. Mostly on Elizabeth Taylor books as it happens, as I really wanted to get my hands on the old green Virago Classics editions, so most of them are coming all the way from England. Here's what I got:



At Mrs Lippincote's
The Soul of Kindness
Blaming
Palladian
and A Wreath of Roses all by Elizabeth Taylor
The Impressionist by Hari Kunzru (Penguin Celebrations edition)
Any Human Heart by William Boyd (Penguin Celebrations)
Mondrian Flowers by David Shapiro - the most gorgeous flower paintings you can imagine. I saw this book at the Visual Arts Centre years ago and have been drooling over it ever since.

Also:
♫ The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce - had my eye on it when it came out at Audible on Tuesday and when I found out it was Longlisted for the Booker Prize, I jumped.

Also, brought back from the library:
Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
♫ Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson
♫ The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
♫ Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Céline
♫ Legend by Marie Lu (YA)

Hi Prue! Didn't see you up there!

Wow, nice book haul! Some fine titles. Thanks to you, I snagged the audio of the Angel's Game but I doubt I'll be able to get to it for another month.

Mark - Yes, that haul should keep me busy for a little while. Don't know when I'll get to Angel's Game... my audio collection has been growing exponentially it seems!

What a fun review of Angel that is, Ilana! Thumb from me. I really enjoyed Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, and need to read some more Elizabeth Taylor.

Thanks for the thumb Joe! Looks like I'll be making good on my declaration that I'll be getting my hands on everything the lady's written! At least, I have a nice little cache of her books coming my way!



Right, migraine is still killing me so I think I'll lurk a little bit here and there for a few minutes then call it a night. A domani friends!

15 books one way or another my dear and, given my own predilictions I had to comment on that first!

Your "friend" situation has been dealt with admirably by Ellen, Heather and Mamie and I must concur with them. The poor girl sounds something of a troubled soul but friends should be a succour and a comfort and a joy to be around - it simply shouldn't involve the stress that you can do well enough without. Mamie's juxtaposition is clever but I am not so sure that talking frankly to the young lady will move things forward at all. Wide berth and discretion over valour would be my watchwords. x

Still here, hi Paul! 15 books is right... yikes, of course you would be the one to total them up... I hadn't even thought of counting them!

Agreed that sometimes talking things out does nothing to help a situation. This is something it's taken me until now to figure out and I'm still having to remind myself of on a daily basis as I tend to be (big revelation here) overcommunicative (shocking reveal, I know).


Forgot to mention somewhere here that I started on I Capture the Castle this evening. Have only gotten through the first two chapters, but I'm quite charmed so far. Off to do end of day things like walking Coco and cleaning out the cat litter, which should give me time to listen to at least another chapter, maybe two.

>100 Smiler69: Loved your review of Angel. Angel reminds me of how incredibly stubborn I was at that age; I'm surprised my mother let me live. Angel goes on to my ever-increasing wish list.

113> I want to be able to get my groceries with a minimum of fuss and maximum quality and convenience.
I may be wrong, but that feels like age. The older I get, the less patience I have for unnecessary drama. I want drama in my novels and in my films, not so much in my relationships. I'm NOT saying you're old, Ilana (grin), but the age difference between you and the grocer is -- I think you're right -- part of the issue.

Uh oh, I'm worried that I missed the "subtext".....

120> So today was a MAJOR indulgence day as far as book-buying goes.
I so very much can't wait until I've read my ten required (by me) owned books and can go back to normal life when, especially on a tough day, I can just buy a book or two (or three) (or four)......

xoxo

Last message: Ilana, I finally completed Wolf Hall!!!! Like you, I was a very slow mover on this one, but I gave it four stars in the end. I think it's a wonderful novel, but my oh my, it was work.

#128 Glad you enjoyed the review, thanks! I'm not even going to go into what kind of person I was at fifteen. Let's just say I made Angel look like... well, and angel. No joke. :-\

Ellen, feel free to post here as much (or as little) as you like! I try to avoid drama in my relationships because there's already so much of it built into my life as it is between my mental condition and my relationships with my parents and what have you... is it too much to ask to want to do my groceries in peace really?! Heh. No, of course it's not.

Don't worry about said "subtext". It's probably something I imagined.

As for you book-buying rule, I thought I understood it was one book purchase for every ten read?

I agree Wolf Hall was a lot of work. I still don't know how I'll rate it, but four stars at least. I'm very encouraged to know that Bring Up the Bodies is really easy in comparison.

I couldn't help myself last night and started on Thirty-Three Teeth. Read only 2 chapters as also want to keep on top of East of Eden. I think today I'll try to make time for as much reading as possible. I still have a migraine and my back is hurting me, probably from a combo of lack of exercise and prolonged sessions of sitting with my laptop on my couch...

Forgot to mention yesterday because it had stayed hidden in my carrier bag, that I also brought back the audio of The Ball by Irene Nemirovsky from the library. I decided I want to read it and maybe also David Golder to discover some of her earlier writing before getting into Suite Française.

Hi Ilana- Did you listen to the Inspector Montalbano books? I'm listening to book 2 and the audio is really good. Since the delivery is so perfect, I find myself chuckling out loud quite a bit. I think I'll continue the series on audio.
I had to double-check but the narrator is Grover Gardner, who always does a stellar job.

Mark, so far I've listened to two of the Montalbano books on audio; those were The Snack Thief (#3) and The Voice of the Violin (#4). The next in line, Excursion to Tindari, was sent to me by my mother as a gift quite a while ago, when she encouraged me to go with the French translation which she found superior to the English. Well I went and read the first two in French and beg to disagree, but since I already have it, I'll go with the French print edition for book 5 and then will switch back to the audiobooks read by Grover Gardner, whom I agree is just perfect for this.

Good haul of books, Ilana. We all need indulgence days every once in a while. Hope your migraine is all gone and you have a wonderful weekend.

Thanks Caro. I just had a slice of leftover pizza and a beer, and the headache seems to have abated somewhat for now. I'm sure for some people that must sound like the perfect cure!

I had very good intentions as far as catching up on reviews today, but migraine, bleh, nothing getting done today. Oh well.

Nice haul, Ilana! I have yet to read any Elizabeth Taylor, but I have a couple of hers in my TBR stack so will get to her sooner or later. I will have to check into the Montalbano series in audio - I am wondering if our library has any. I finished the second one today and liked it even better than the first one, so I know I will be getting to the next one sometime soon. And to the next Dr. Siri - he always makes me smile; I just love him. He's a really great companion for some of the bigger, heavier tomes that I am reading.

Hope your migraine disappears and that tomorrow is kind to you.

Hi Mamie, still under the weather today I'm afraid, but the good news is, I really don't have to do anything today, other than lounge around if I want to. Of course, the house is a mess and I have an enormous pile of laundry on the floor, and more waiting to be folded and ironed, but that's nothing new...

I'm halfway through Thirty-Three Teeth and plan on reading quite a bit more. Also finished Part 2 of East of Eden last night, so looking forward to starting the next section.

I'll put up the latest version of my Pascale painting on my blog in a moment, and maybe maybe maybe write a review or two if it's not too mentally challenging (don't want to make my head ache more than it does already).

We've got a cloud cover today, which bothers me not at all except for the fact it's probably partly responsible for my migraine, but otherwise perfectly tolerable weather so that I can enjoy my balcony right now in perfect comfort. What more can a girl ask for, right?

Sorry to hear about your migraine. Housework will wait - give yourself a quiet day. Looking forward to the latest version of Pascale :-)

Gosh Heather, I don't know how you got to my blog so fast—I didn't even get a chance to invite you over! LOL. It makes me feel special to have you visit and leave messages over there. :-)

Housework, believe me dear, always DOES wait around here. It waits and waits and waits and waits and is truly the exception to the rule. I wish I were more disciplined that way, and probably would be if I lived with someone (of the two-legged variety that is!) When it gets too impossibly gross, I just call in my cleaning lady to do all the heavy work! Though of course that always means sacrificing money that could be spent towards books and art classes and supplies...

eta: migraines: they've always been a fact of life for me. I don't know what I'd do if they disappeared completely—where would my excuse for NOT doing things go? And what would I complain about? ;-)

I've just posted the latest developments to my painting of Pascale (the above is just one of the steps shown). Heather has already visited, but if you haven't yet, just go to createthreesixty5.com.

Ilana - Hope the clouds clear and your migraine clears with them. Will bear pizza in mind next time my own head feels ready to explode.
The background colour and headdress certainly bring out Pascale's face beautifully.

I am really enjoying watching the progression of you painting as it transitions through the various steps involved - amazing! Thank you so much for sharing with us - I did visit the blog to see all the photos you posted. That red is so vibrant - I just love that!

It was overcast here today as well - no rain, but a day that cried out for reading in bed. So I did! Finished No Longer at Ease - the second book in Chinua Achebe's African Trilogy. Not as good as the first one, I think, but still very good. Trying to decided what I will rate it. Now I'm reading Call for the Dead because it was sitting right here and because my Kindle is charging at the moment.

Hope you find a way to rid yourself of that migraine - I always get bad headaches when the weather fronts come through, but never anything like a migraine - sorry you still have it today.

Fascinating, Ilana, thanks!

Thanks for your visits and comments Paul, Mamie and Joe.

I didn't so much have a headache today (well, yes, a little), but mostly feel the side-effects of the migraine condition, leaving me in a strange and not quite grounded place and feeling like I'm not completely in control. Something like that. It happens a lot, and I'm never sure what to attribute it to, but my neurologist said it was likely due to that particular condition. Hopefully I'll be better after a good night's sleep. Else, I've got plenty of reading to keep me occupied while I sort myself out.

Thanks for the comments on my painting. I really hope I'll follow through with this one and finish it and not just add it to the growing pile of unfinished canvases I've got sitting at home.

Am almost done with Thirty-Three Teeth. Could finish it tonight I guess, but I'll dive back into East of Eden instead. Am liking I Capture the Castle and the narrator is excellent, but I can't say it's grabbed me so far. Am maybe a third of the way in. Still, two out of three ain't bad

Mamie, I've added No Longer at Ease to the wishlist as I really liked Things Fall Apart. They don't have it at the library though, so I'll have to track it down somewhere else eventually.

I enjoyed Call for the Dead quite a lot. More than The Spy Who Came in From the Cold in fact. Though I'll probably have to give the latter another spin sometime to see if I change my mind.

Ilana, my original commitment was simply that I couldn't buy any more books until I had read ten that I already owned. It was a one-time commitment. Given my liberal use of the library, this is taking a looooong time..... I've gone back and forth on what I will do once I achieve those ten. I don't think I want to repeat the commitment. I want to be able to buy books; I just felt it had gotten out of hand. Maybe I'll do a buy-one-for-every-ten-read challenge and allow library books to count. It would still slow down my purchasing, but not so agonizingly as this.........

I'll get Thirty-three Teeth from the infamous library in a couple of weeks, I think, and I'm not sure when I'm going to actually get around to reading East of Eden, which I do own.......

Ellen, I can well imagine that your commitment might seem too restrictive by this point. Every time I look at some of the books I've got accumulated here, I start thinking I really need to stop buying books AND getting them from the library because I wonder if and when I'll get to my own, but it's no use—I'd just be too miserable if I stopped buying them completely. Maybe next year I'll try something like 1 month on 1 month off... but I always worry that whatever efforts I make to restrain myself are bound to backfire somehow. I think in your case, counting library books might be a good idea... except for the fact of course that that doesn't get you reading your own books really, does it? :-)

I think I'll finish the Siri book today. I've already ordered Disco for the Departed in the middle of the night from the library. Just couldn't resist!

As for East of Eden... you'll get to it when you get to it. I'm halfway through and really glad I made myself start on it, but that's me. I guess I should start thinking of the thread for The Red Pony since I'll be hosting that one!

It does seem that every effort I make to slow it down simply ends up being swept aside when I have the urge or opportunity..... I am doing better though diligently reading the books I already have.

I thought I'd already posted here about how much I've enjoyed watching the progress of your Pascale painting.
I've found being on LT has made me acquire so many more books than I truly need and I really should just read from my tbr stack and limit my library borrowing.
Elizabeth Taylor came to my notice a couple of years back when I read a great blog review of one of her books and now this year everyone except me seems to be reading her. I'll get there one day, at present I'm reading a Swedish YA fantasy, The Circle that Anders and Eva both really liked.

I've just realized I've skipped a book in the Dr Siri series. I'd read Thirty Three Teeth and had Anarchy and Old Dogs in my TBR Tower. I've just read Anarchy and Old Dogs ... oops... forgot that Disco for the Departed should have been read first.

Oh well ... I think they can probably stand on their own, so I'll catch up with this one later.

Remnants of the migraine gone today, Ilana?

Lucy - I enjoy adding books to the wishlist and generally scoping them out so much... then buying them so much that I wouldn't want to lose that enjoyment, but I do have so many great books right here at home already. But I can't see how I could put a stop to the purchases while remaining in this group. Too much temptation!

Kerry - there's a lot of activity around Elizabeth Taylor this year because it marks her hundredth birthday (which was this month, on the 3rd) and the Virago Classics group are doing group reads of all her novels through the year. I had heard about it through Heather (souloftherose), and as I'd gotten a couple of her books from NYRB, joined for those. But Angel really made me want to explore a lot more of her work.

I haven't kept up with anyone in the 12/12 group this year so far because I've struggled so much to even keep up in this group and doing other things with my time too, but I'll have to make time for Anders and Eva's threads at some point to see what they've been up to because they always have some interesting books and reviews to share.

Thanks for the comments on my painting! My favourite part of most of the work I do is seeing the progression... much more than the actual finished work usually!

Caro - I guess any book from any series could be said to stand on it's own in a way, but I did notice in Thirty-Three Teeth that there are quite a few references to the first book, but maybe that's just because it's the start of the series. I'm sure it won't take away from your enjoyment of Disco for the Departed when you get to it. How I DO love that title! :-)

Unfortunately still feeling out of sorts today. Slight headache, but mostly just feel generally weird. I don't think it's really a mood thing either... hard to explain. My dad moved at the beginning of the month and I said I'd go visit him this weekend, and also since I think he wants to do a little something for my b-day, but I'm just not well enough to see him. I'm not feeling very sociable this week what with not feeling great, and with my father especially, it's essential that I feel strong and well centred as otherwise that's when things tend to go wrong with us. It's too bad because I really did want to see him this weekend, but I think playing it safe is important because missing him is much better than feeling terrible for losing my cool when I'm not up to it and he ends up driving me crazy.

I'm supporting the option to do what you can not to be driven crazy, Ilana.

Btw, I'm loving the progression of Pascale!

It's mostly that I don't want to make other people suffer because of my inability to handle interpersonal issues, which I really suck at when I'm not feeling optimal. And as you probably know by now, things haven't always been easy with my dad... we've had a good long streak of being fine for a while now, and I'd like to keep it that way.

As for Pascale, to "actual" Pascale said something to me about possibly sitting for me again when I want to finish the painting, which is really cool, but that idea wouldn't work as we'd have to have the exact same setup so the lighting and reflections on the skin would be the same. So I'll have to work with what's there. I do like a challenge once in a while...

Off to finish Thirty-Three Teeth now...

All done! The next book should be ready to pick up at the library sometime this week. Off to take Coco for a walk, then figure out what I can put together as a meal of sorts. Freezer filled with meat, BBQ still not cleaned and barely anything in the fridge. But most of the world's population survives on rice, right? That, I have LOTS of.

Yippee for another Dr. Siri finished! I think you made such a smart decision concerning seeing your Dad this weekend - so kudos for knowing your own self so well. And don't worry about tracking down a copy of No Longer at Ease - I'll send you mine as soon as I write up my review of it. So did you just have rice for dinner?

Mamie - Siri really is good fun. Cotterill seems to always be walking the line between pure mystery and fantasy with these two first books anyway, doesn't he?

So sweet of you to offer me No Longer at Ease! I just hope the shipping cost to Canada doesn't end up being equivalent to the price of a new book!

Yes, I did have rice for dinner, but I also had a look at my tins as I have quite a lot of them, mostly a variety of beans, which I thought would be appropriate, and lo and behold, there was a perfectly good tin of Amy's medium spicy chilli! So that was my dinner—chilli over white basmati rice, no veg. I usually make quite a point of having vegetables with every meal, but oh well. Plenty of people don't eat them as a rule and survive just fine. I just hope it doesn't end up doing a number on my digestive system, which tends to rebel at the least provocation these days. Still resisting doing my groceries. But then, I have a perfectly good excuse in the fact that I don't feel all that well, don't I?

I think that's what I like about the Siri books, Ilana. The fact that they cross genres - and they are fun and fast to read so they are perfect to pair with heavier stuff.

Don't worry about the shipping - I would love to pass it on to someone who shares a love of reading.

Chili over rice sounds much better than just rice - more filling! I have to go to the market tomorrow as we are running low on quite a bit - luckily our market is large and so no one wants to be my friend there! Last time I was there I bought a bottle of wine and the check out lady asked to see my I.D. Totally cracked me up - I was standing there with my 20 year old daughter pulling out my identification! I told her that I was way over qualified. Alas, she did not get my joke, just continued to stare at me - tough old biddy.

96. The Conference of the Birds by Peter Sís ★★★¾
(Read for July TIOLI #8: the author's initials form a commonly used abbreviation or initialism or acronym - p.s. post scriptum, 12/12 Category #9: Visual Treats)

After seeing several people rave about this book, I almost decided to purchase it sight unseen, but instead put in a purchase request at the library and was lucky enough to receive it within a couple of weeks. I thought the illustrations were lovely of course, being a fan of Peter Sis's work as I am, but I can't say I was all that taken by the project a whole, no matter how badly I wanted to be. Perhaps it was my head space, but this Sufi poem didn't appeal to me all that much in this abridged version (not that I've read the original), and the spiritual message which I'll resume here as being "the power is always within you", doesn't do much for me in my current state of mind. I saw many comments were made about the choice of paper for this Penguin Press edition, and I can see why it might have appealed, but it so happens that as a designer I've seen many types of paper samples in my career, and I've never been fond of this particular paper texture, which is meant to imitate linen. Perhaps if my expectation hadn't been so high I would have been blown away by this book, but as it is, I just found it to be quite good, but no more. I partly lay the blame on Sís himself; I've looked at and read quite a few of his books by now and have come to expect from him the kind gorgeous imagery he seems to deliver every time with his unique style and personal imprint. That being said, I strongly recommend this book; it's an excellent project, call me blasé, that's all. I'll just have to get my hands on the more recently released edition by SelfMadeHero and see if a change of mood and paper texture might up my appreciation factor.

Ilana - sorry to see things are a bit "heavy" this Weekend and that you put off your Dad as a result. Probably the right decision though as quality time looks like it is essential with your old man. Mamie is right the Dr. Siri books are good to pair with more "substantial" works.

That's a funny story about having to show your ID Mamie. Of course I don't know what you like, having seen photos of your gorgeous kids but not you (hint?), but I would definitely take that as a major compliment. Funny your comment about nobody wanting to be your friend at the large market, because at first I was so glad for the kind of personal service you can't usually get anywhere else, but yes... 'nuf said.

Much agreed that Siri is even more perfect when paired with denser material.

Paul, I wouldn't say things are necessarily heavy, though goodness knows I often do tend to lean in that direction unfortunately. I'm just in a strange headspace as probably caused as one of the effect of the migraine condition, as explained to me by my neurologist. I really want to be able to appreciate my time with my dad, and unless I'm feeling perfectly well (or as well as can be), I tend to be horrible to him, or anyway not have much patience for his strange ways.

The good news, which I can't believe I forgot to post about earlier, is that I ACTUALLY DID SOME YOGA TODAY!
It was probably under ten minutes, maybe 7, and most gentle and slow, with a DVD I have by Gaiam, who produce some awesome fitness videos of all kinds. This particular one is with Rodney Yee and filmed on a gorgeous location by the ocean, so very dreamy with very soothing music. I can't remember the last time I had taken out my yoga mat, so I was quite proud of myself, and did feel the physical benefits for a while after that.

97. The Coroner’s Lunch by Collin Cotterill ★★★★
(July TIOLI Challenge #8: the author's initials form a commonly used abbreviation or initialism or acronym - c/c cubic centimetres, 12/12 Category #6: Going Places)

In the first book of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series which begins in 1976, we're introduced to the good doctor, seventy-two years young and newly made the official coroner of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, a nation recently taken over by the communist party, which Siri himself has helped come into power. But the coroner seems a reluctant communist and is definitely not happy about this new position, having only worked with live patients before and never performed an autopsy. As it happens, he has two very helpful and entertaining side-kicks in nurse Dtui, who helps him takes notes and aspires to take on more responsibilities, and Geung, who has Down syndrome, a condition which apparently comes with the gift of an amazing capacity to remember details, which comes in especially handy as Geung previously worked with the former coroner and is able to steer Dr. Siri in the right direction as the latter figures out what his job entails exactly. Of course, some of the bodies that come to him bear clues of foul play, and the doctor, working in conditions that could be said to be the polar opposite of the high-tech CSI seen on tv, must make do with what tools and methods are at his disposal. Siri is a rational man of science, so he can't figure out what his strange dreams are about, in which the patients who've ended up at the morgue come to visit him, seemingly to give him clues about how they came to die. It's difficult to describe the type of dry humour found throughout, which makes this a very amusing read. Much fun is made at the expense of the complications created by the new communist regime and it's inefficient methods, overbearing bureaucracy and already widespread corruption. I jumped on this book after seeing the series recommended by innumerable LT members, and though the first chapter didn't exactly grab me, things soon picked up and by chapter 3, I was made a Siri fan too.

Oh brother... the August TIOLI thread has been up for hours already... and here I was all ready to call it a night!

Great review of the Coroner's Lunch! You are officially a board the Dr. Siri Express. It doesn't stop until book 8! Sit back and enjoy!

Mark - Well, hopefully book 8 isn't quite the end and there'll be more coming out? Actually, don't tell me, I'd rather not know at this point. It's looking like I very possibly will be reading them all this summer—never have read a series back to back before, but we'll see...

Laughing at your reaction to the August tioli thread being up. I had a similar reaction! Thanks for finding a place for both East of Eden and The Red Pony, as I do plan to read both of them this month....

Hi There

I so enjoy visiting here, for many reasons: Your lovely art work, the lively conversations, your keen insight into people and events and simply because you are a special person.

Congratulations on finishing Wolf Hall. I think it is a difficult book to read if you don't have a background in Tudor history. That is one of the few faults I have with the book, ie the author expected readers to be able to follow her.

What a good, honest review of Conference of Birds, Ilana, and I loved the Coroner's Lunch review. The comparison with CSI struck me, and you concisely captured what the start of the series is all about - and why these books are so addictive. Thumbs from me!

#170 Ellen, if I hadn't found an existing challenge on the August TIOLI to fit in East of Eden, I would have created one, already had one in mind in fact. I for one, am only halfway through, but I also want to encourage others who may not have begun yet to pick it up because it's a great read. My list of reads for August keeps growing and growing. Lots of great challenges as always!

#171 Hi Linda, lovely to see you in these parts, and glad you find plenty to keep you interested here. With Wolf Hall, I must say part of me was annoyed that Mantel assumed her readers knew all about Tudor history, but I couldn't really fault her for that because if she'd taken the time to educate readers like me who are fairly new to it, she wouldn't have written the book she did. It was a big learning curve, but I had a great teacher in Suzanne, and as as you know firsthand, I was keen to learn about this period of history, so this was almost like going back to school! In the end it was well worth the effort and I'm sure I'll read it again in a few years once I've become even more familiar with the Tudors as I'll then be able to really enjoy how good her writing is and how well she recreated all these characters.

#172 Aw, thanks Joe. I had put off reviewing Conference of the Birds because I felt badly about not having enjoyed it more and wanted to figure out why that was before putting it into words. But I do know in the end that we all seem to appreciate seeing different points of view, even when it comes to books we love, so I don't shy away from writing less than glowing reviews usually. Thanks for the thumb on The Coroner's Lunch. I did watch CSI for a while a few years back, and it always made me smile to think that facilities like that probably don't exist anywhere in the world—or at least not for police work, not even in NYC I'm sure, and Cotterill's emphasis on how backward everything was in Laos really added a lot to my overall enjoyment of the first couple of books I've read so far.

Ilana- I'm only on book 3 of the Dr. Siri series. I hope to get to #4 , during September S & S! You'll probably pass me up. I'm not sure if the series ended on book 8. I know he started a new series as well.

Still no time to stop for a decent visit - and I have a horrible cold which disinclines me to much at all. BUT had to say how much I LOVE LOVE your progress on Pascale. Goodness but you are one talented gal! mwah sweetie and hope your migraine is better!

Two very nice reviews, Ilana. You have been busy! And you did some yoga - BONUS!! The ID thing was not a compliment - I think she must ask to see everyone's ID even though she is not required to. I definitely look over 21!! At least she didn't scream when she saw the photo because, trust me, it is VERY scary.

I will echo Ellen's sentiments and say thanks for finding spots in the August TIOLI for the Steinbeck reads.

I keep trying to make myself hoard the Dr. Siri books since there only eight of them, but it isn't working because I can't resist them.

Can't believe it's already evening, and that Monday is slipping away along with the month of July - just one more day of it. Truly unbelievable!

Hope today was kind to you.

Congratulations on the Yoga! I'm not afraid of exercise: I'll lie down and go to sleep right next to it.

Love the progress on your painting.

I caught the subtext on the friend thing. How awkward, really, to want to shop there and have al this silliness about interpersonal relations adding to it. Poo.

xOx

Hi Ilana! Missed you this past week while I was on vacation.
One quick message before I head off to bed...
LOVE your painting in progress - please don't abandon it. Finish it up - it's so worth it! Knowing nothing about painting, I am quite amazed that so much work goes into the final result. Great job!!!

Sorry about the migraine. I've been pretty lucky to not suffer any lately. Hope you are pulling out of it and feeling better.

I have absolutely no advice on friendship as I have plenty of issues with that myself. I hope you won't starve over this grocer glitch. Should I send food?
Ellen and Mamie always seem to give such good advice. In the end, you will find your way if you stay true to yourself.

Gentle Hugs to you!

#175 Mark, if I keep it up at this rate, I may be all done with the series by the time September rolls around... or maybe I'll decide like Mamie to hoard them when I get past the midway point. I know about the other series because saw Heather's review of Killed at the Whim of a Hat. I just LOVE that title, and especially knowing it's a direct quote from a speech by George Bush (see the main page for another great quotes mentioned in the book!)

#176 Hi Prue, so sorry to hear you're not well. I know the feeling of not being up to doing anything all too well. Migraine is still sticking around I'm afraid. At least it's not a five-alarm one, meaning the pain is at a tolerable level, but it's more the feeling of disconnect that comes with it that's bothersome. Sometimes I wonder if my migraines aren't all psychosomatic, but there isn't really any way to find out! Thanks for the compliments on my latest painting. I'm quite determined to finish it. I hope.

#177 Mamie, I was going to write up more reviews yesterday, but ran out of time as it was getting late and they always take me quite a while to put together, even when I think I'm just writing in a stream of consciousness. Mostly what takes time is working around my constant memory blocks when seeking for words that I know fully well. Very annoying that.

Don't most people look terrible on their photo IDs? I thought that was the whole point? That is to say, I'm sure that woman must see plenty of scary pictures if she insists on everyone showing them to her. Either she really likes seeing how bad people's photos are, or she's on a power trip. I'm guessing the latter. But all the same, I don't believe you can look scary on any photo. You're much too lovely a woman for that.

I know... time goes by so very quickly. It always scares me a little. It seems like I only have time to get up, do two or three things, and then it's time to go to sleep again. Mind you, it could have something to do with me getting up so late in the day... On August 1st, registration begins at the Visual Arts Centre, and I intend to be among the first in line to make sure I get into the classes and workshops I've decided to take. Only problem is, my credit card is pretty full up... and I've been declined for an increase today. Boo. They even said to try after January. What?? Don't they know already how much money they're making off me paying all that interest? Actually, I managed to get a low interest card, so that's not really a problem. But I may have to take out a loan (which IS available to me) at higher interest, and I don't like that very much...

But I blab! And it's already time for me to think of winding down for the night! Eek!

#178 Gail! So nice to see you in these parts. I fell horribly behind on your thread. Haven't had time somehow to do the rounds lately, but I must come by soon to see how you are. Yes, I was quite pleased with myself about the yoga. It's been over five years now since I've done any exercise at all. Went from being a complete exercise freak and stick thin to... well, nothing. I've always alternated between exercise freak to couch potato, but my body keeps giving me reminders that I really need to start taking better care of it, because I'm getting all these aches and pains that I know could be avoided if I lubricated my joints a little bit. I don't know if having done it once means I've broken the ice and will keep it up? I hope so. More on the groceries to follow.

#179 Claudia!!! You've been missed! Yes, I'm quite determined to finish that painting. This one was indeed a lot of work, though they mostly all tend to be that. It's such a letdown when they're finished, or somewhere near completion, to have them just sitting around in a stack with a bunch of other canvases (I never paint things thinking I'll put them up on my walls, and in fact wouldn't really want to see most of my work on a daily basis) not sure what to do about that. Suggestions are welcome. My friend Kim keeps telling me I ought to sell, but that seems like a whole other logistical problem.

If any of you were concerned about me potentially starving to death, you can stop worrying now. I've gone and gotten a HUGE grocery order which should last me a good couple of weeks at least. The two essential food groups for me are fruit and dairy. And veggies too, which come in third I guess. But when I run out of the first two, then it's really time for me to do something about it. I wasn't feeling well today again, but I forced myself to go to the health food store today, as I also needed to get some art materials from the art store next door for Wednesday's class. Sometimes, being unwell is kind of useful, though I hate to say it. Clara greeted me with a very loud "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!?", but she was busy serving other customers, so I just took my cart and started doing my thing. Then when she came to me to speak, I told her very truthfully I'd had a migraine the whole week and was still feeling unwell. It's not hard to guess either, because I could barely talk today, with just a tiny little voice too. Then her phone rang, so that took care of that. She's a nice girl and means well, but I noticed again today just how abrupt, verging on outward rude she is, which really doesn't sit well with me. But then I've heard her speak to her parents in the same exact tone and wondered if it was just her, or whether it's maybe a Chinese thing? I'm only saying this because every time I've seen Chinese people in conversation, they sounded to me very similar to Clara: loud, abrupt and argumentative. But I might be completely wrong about this and really hope I don't come off as being a bigot. Does anyone know anything about this? In any case, I got all the fruits, milk, yoghourt and whatnot I could possibly need, and my art supplies, and avoided weirdness with Clara (or as much as was possible, because she always makes me feel incredibly awkward no matter what). Could do without the migraine honestly, but days like today, it comes in handy as a valid excuse for not holding any real conversations. There's always a silver lining, isn't there?

Almost finished with I Capture the Castle, probably will finish it tonight as I walk Coco and prepare for bed. It grew on me. Goodness knows it took a while, but it really grew on me and now I'm kind of sad that it's already over with. Which is a good thing I guess.

So sorry the migraine persists... now that you have some good food you need to pay more attention to your diet. No more beer and cake for awhile! (Sorry. That's the mother in me.)
You were very brave to go grocery shopping - so glad things seemed to pop up to make it easier on you. Clara just doesn't seem easy to get along with (not to mention be friends with) - hard for you and perhaps not worth the effort at this time. You handled it well.

Isn't it time for another Coco picture? Just sayin...

Great book haul - I loved The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and hope you do too. And Mondrian Flowers sounds wonderful!
Hope you get the classes you want...get plenty of rest tonight!

I found this: LOUD - the gist being that the high loud tone shows positive liking and conviction -- there are many pages of commentary about loudness - it was quite illuminating. Seems too that many Chinese are becoming aware that this is something that bothers those from many other cultures, including ours.

Ha! I agree with Cee. Haven't seen my little furbuddy in a while.....

I hope your head feels better today, Ilana.

Ilana well done for whizzing past 100 books already this year. I do hope that your persistent migraine is clearing up.

Well - how did it go? Did you get the classes that you wanted? Glad to hear that you braved the grocery store. Well done. Sounds like you did just fine. I know just what you mean about I Capture the Castle - I just loved the narrator in that book, and I missed her when I was done.

Hoping that your headache is all gone and that today was kind to you.

Whew! I can't believe this is the first time I get to sit down and visit my own thread! Once again, not sure where the day went. I do know I started listening to Eugénie Grandet by Honoré de Balzac read by a wonderful French actor I like very much (André Dussolier, for those in the know). It's not a very big book, so have gotten through maybe three quarters of it and found I was inspired to do a bunch of housework just so I could listen. Also, my place was had already fallen into a state I would be ashamed for anyone to see. I've barely scratched the surface as far as housework goes, but every time I read Balzac, I am amazed that it's taken me this long to start reading him (since last year, I think). Mind you, I did try one of his books in my teens and somehow found it "boring", which I just can't imagine now. This one is about an incredibly rich man who is also the most miserable miser and mistreats and takes advantage of his own wife and daughter and all those around him. After having read Our Mutual Friend, where there is such a character, I'm given to wonder if Dickens might have been inspired by Balzac...

Headache was actually worse today, so once again, didn't go to my photo group. Just couldn't face it in this condition. Interestingly enough though, it doesn't matter what state I'll be in tomorrow when I wake up, because I'm taking myself to my painting class no matter what, unless I'm literally on the brink of dying. I guess I like to choose where I carry my pain to. lol. Some situations make the pain go away and others exacerbates it and I'm becoming fairly good at identifying one from another.

I've already received TWO shipments of books I ordered from the UK today. 4 or the 5 Elizabeth Taylor books have come in, including the William Boyd in the Penguin Classics edition for a future reread. Unbelievable they arrived already, considering they were sent out at the end of last week and it's international shipping. I've noticed that delivery from the UK is generally very fast. Is it a Commonwealth thing I wonder?

Also picked up Potsdam Station, the 4th in the John Russell series by David Downing, along with a French translation on audio of Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco narrated by a reader I really like.

Off to bed early tonight so my time on LT is very limited. Will try to make the most of it. I won't get to finish writing all my July reviews, but then I rarely manage to wrap up any month neatly like that.

Please, whether you're a regular visitor or a lurker, go ahead and post something on this thread, ANYTHING because I really want to be able to start a new thread with the new month!

I've just had the most horrible thing happen. I'd written responses to everyone's messages when my web browser just quit, and now it's all lost. So now I don't have time to rewrite it all because as you may know I do tend to go on sometimes. Please know that I'd taken the time to write thoughtful responses to everyone, and apologies for my very short replies this time:

Claudia - I know you didn't mean it that way, but cake and beer taken together is a notion that makes my stomach churn. I promise not to ever do that. Promise.

Looking forward to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry this month. Would you say it's Booker-worthy though?

Noted on the Coco photo request. I'd been thinking it had been a while myself.

Lucy - thanks for the link. Interesting how different cultures interpret the same signals so very differently. It made me smile to see someone (presumably Chinese) comment that usually it's Americans who are given to talk very loudly. Can't say I disagree, though of course I would never generalize about that.

Ellen - I've got a really cute pic of Mimi I could post, but I'll get one of Coco v v soon and post them both at the same time, how's that? I might even throw in one of Ezra if he'll let me snap him.

Paul - over 100 books maybe, but I've just checked, and over half of those are audiobooks... definitely helps me read a lot more, otherwise I might be struggling to get to 75...

Mamie - registration only starts tomorrow, and I called today to ask if I really need to rush in and was told I can take it easy. I'll be taking 2 classes, one drawing class, and one painting class this fall. No all-day classes, although I'd like to take one, but finances being what they are... can't buy EVERYTHING I want apparently! ;-)

I Capture the Castle: the narrator really grew on me, and the narrator of the audiobook Jenny Agutter, was also wonderful, so it was a double treat!

I agree -- it was fascinating that it is Chinese admonishing fellow Chinese. Most Chinese have not traveled anywhere until very recently, so possibly absorbing that other cultures have other modes may take some time. We're all guilty of it, of course. Not Canadians, however!

Hi Ilana!

Is The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry Booker worthy?
I have no idea.
Some of the winners surprise me - like, how the heck did that one win? I guess I don't really know the judging criteria. But... all that aside, I did like the book very much :)

btw - I don't order a lot of books from the UK. However, the few I did order came VERY fast.

Dear Ilana - sorry you lost your typing - that is really frustrating because we can never redo it all the same can we? I now split responses if I have more than 5 or 6 posts to reply to and some of my posts tend towards the verbose as you may have noticed.
I have a cure for headache which is painful of itself but extremely effective. It involves the application of pressure (by having someone squeeze intensely) on the ligament between your thumb and first finger. If and when we meet-up and you are afflicted I will demonstrate the cure - SWMBO is a convert to it which was shown to me and her by my business partner.
Jenny Agutter - was so in love with her in the 1980's - she was a nurse generous with her favours in American Werewolf in London and I remember many sleepless nights with visions of her ensconced on my overly active teenage mind.

Ack to lost posting! Grrrr... on your behalf.

Ilana, post pics whenever you can. I do enjoy seeing the furkidz now and then. For now, I'm off for a 4-day camping/hiking/reading trip, so I'll be incommunicado until sometime next week anyway.

I am, even as we speak, putting a hex on your headache. Begone, headache, I say!!!!!

Hope that helps. :-|

xo

Good that you don't have to rush to get the classes that you want. Sorry to hear that you are still under the weather. And the posting thing - that has happened to me several times. I really hate it when it happens with reviews - it makes me want to pull all of my hair out!

Forgot to say that I hope you have sweet dreams and awake to find your headache miraculously gone.

Should also add that I hope you get enough posts to be able to start a new thread.

So I'm crossing my fingers about that.

And thinking good thoughts.

Oh yes, here I am doing my bit - I get very frustrated now when I want to start a new thread and can't!

-- I think I've heard of the pressure thing.

In fact because you are so close I will post like this and .....

VOILA!

Had a good class yesterday. We worked on the underpainting for our next project with a male model this time (whose name I don't recall). I took photos and will post them today on my blog. Brought my Pascale painting home and promised myself I'd work on it this week. Even stopped over at Home Depot to get one of those clip-on lamps to put over my easel for that purpose.

Was too pooped last night to do much of anything, so I sat back and watched the Oscar-winning A Man For All Seasons, which Suzanne had recommended on the Wolf Hall thread. It's about Thomas Moore and very well made. I loved how Henry VIII was portrayed as the charismatic man he is supposed to have been, and also a raving maniac. I could go on more at length about this movie, but won't, unless anyone else wants to take up the subject. It did inspire an idea for a future painting though, using my newly acquired glazing technique: Orson Welles in the role of Cardinal Wolsey was so picturesque I took out my camera and spent maybe 20 minutes playing a 2-minute scene over and over while I snapped away.

Today am feeling the usual after-class hangover. Major plans are starting a new thread, as well as one for The Red Pony, this month's Steinbeck read, and dropping by the post-office to pick up a package, no doubt my latest art book. And plenty of rest.

And... success! A 2nd 10-minute yoga session when I got up, which means the illustration-based motivation on my threads is starting to pay off, so I think I might continue with that for a bit.

Lucy - I'm sure even we inconspicuous Canadians must manage to break some cultural taboos. I do know we've been much less liked around the world since we've had Stephen Harper as a Prime Minister.

Claudia, whether or not The Unlikely Pilgrimage is Booker-worthy or not won't influence my enjoyment of it, though the fact that it was Longlisted did encourage me to pick it up faster than an I might have otherwise, what with countless other books on the wishlist.

Paul - I know exactly what spot on the hand you're talking about. I learned about that many years ago, but keep forgetting about it, mostly I think because it has yet to work for me. I tried it again at least 3 times since yesterday because of your reminder, to no avail. I guess I'll have plenty of opportunity to practice since this accursed migraine doesn't seem to want to budge. Once again though, it's tolerable pain, and for that at least, I am most grateful.

Ellen - I guess you're away now, so not likely to see this message, but I wish you a great time and just know you'll enjoy yourself!

Mamie, I signed up for one of the two classes I want to take yesterday. I'm hoping the other class fills up slowly enough that I can hold off another 3 weeks till my next pay comes in, though my dad has offered to pay for one of the classes. I was just hoping to save that amount toward a workshop I want to take in January.

By the way, you multiple posts gave me a great big laugh last night when I quickly checked my thread before going to bed. Still makes me smile wide. :-)

Lucy - thanks for that, I don't know if it'll always be possible, but if I can I do want to start new threads to keep my months more or less organized. And now I can! :-)

Want to catch up with a few threads, so won't start up my new thread till later today.