brenzi's 2013 Reading Reaching the Goalline

Ekaterina Frolova - Artist



“My thoughts went round and round and it occurred to me that if I ever wrote a novel it would be of the 'stream of consciousness' type and deal with an hour in the life of a woman at the sink.”
― Barbara Pym, Excellent Women

OTS – Off the Shelf

L - library book

NF – Non-fiction







BOOKS READ IN 2013

79. Lucia in London - E. F. Benson - UK - eBooks - 4 stars
78. Through the Evil Days - Julia Spencer-Fleming - L - 4.3 stars
77. An Academic Question - Barbara Pym - OTS - UK - 4 stars
76. Can You Forgive Her? - Anthony Trollope - eBook - UK - 4.2 stars
75. Temporary Kings - Anthony Powell - UK - 4.2 stars
74. The Man without a Face - Masha Gessen - L - Russia - NF - 4.5 stars
73. The Luminaries - Eleanor Catton - NZ - 4.5 stars
72. An Unsuitable Attachment - Barbara Pym - UK - 4 stars
71. Books Do Furnish the Room - Anthony Powell - UK - 4.8 stars
70. The Signature of All Things - Elizabeth Gilbert - L - 4.8 stars
69. The Lowland - Jhumpa Lahiri - L - India - 3.7 stars
68. Let Him Go - Larry Watson - ER - 4.7 stars
67. Empire of the Summer Moon - S. C. Gwynne - NF - OTS - 4 stars
66. The Son - Phillipp Meyer - L - 4.3 stars
65. Crampton Hodnet - Barbara Pym - OTS - UK - 4 stars
64. Harvest - Jim Crace - L - UK - 3 stars
63. The Military Philosophers - Anthony Powell - UK - OTS - 4.4 stars
62. The Lieutenant - Kate Grenville - OTS - Australia - 4 stars
61. The Glass Room - Simon Mawer - OTS - Czechoslovakia - 4.6 stars
60. Miss Mapp - E. F. Benson - eBook - UK - 4 stars
59. How the Light Gets In - Louise Penny - L - Canada - 5 stars
58. Hellhound on his Trail - Hampton Sides - NF - OTS - 4.7 stars
57. A Few Green Leaves - Barbara Pym - UK - OTS - 4.4 stars
56. The Small House at Allingham - Anthony Trollope - UK - eBook - 4.4 stars
55. Night Film - Marisha Pessl - ER - 3.4 stars
54. The Soldier's Art - Anthony Powell - UK - 4.5 stars
53. Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II - Keith Lowe - eBook - NF - 4 stars
52. A Tale for the Time Being - Ruth Ozeki - L - Canada/Japan - 3.4 stars
51. The Twin - Gerbrand Bakker - Holland - OTS - 4.3 stars
50. The Sweet Dove Died - Barbara Pym - UK - OTS - 4 stars
49. The Valley of Bones - Anthony Powell - UK - 4.2 stars
48. One Was a Soldier - Julia Spencer-Fleming - L - 4 stars
47. The Long Ships - Frans Bengttson - Scandanavia - OTS - 4.4 stars
46. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks - Scotland - OTS - 2.5 stars
45. The Polysyllabic Spree - Nick Hornby - OTS - 4 stars
44. Quartet in Autumn - Barbara Pym - UK - OTS - NF - 5 stars
43. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena - Anthony Marra - L - Chechnya - 5 stars
42. I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith - OTS - UK - 3.7 stars
41. The Kindly Ones - Anthony Powell - UK - OTS - 4.7 stars
40. No Fond Return of Love - Barbara Pym - L - UK - 4 stars
39. Framley Parsonage - Anthony Trollope - eBook - UK - 4.3 stars
38. Isaac's Storm - Erik Larson - NF - OTS - 4.2 stars
37. Queen Lucia - E. F. Benson - UK - eBook - 4 stars
36. And the Mountains Echoed - Khaled Hosseini - Afghanistan/France/U.S. - L - 4.6 stars
35. Cassanova's Chinese Restaurant - Anthony Powell - UK - 4.4 stars
34. A Glass of Blessings - Barbara Pym - UK - eBook - 4 stars
33. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - Michael Chabon - OTS - 4.4 stars
32. Agent Zigzag - Ben Macintyre - NF - UK - OTS - 4.5 stars
31. Black Irish - Stephan Talty - L - 4.1 stars
30. Curse of the Narrows - Laura M. MacDonald - NF - Canada - 4.2 stars
29. Less Than Angels - Barbara Pym - UK - eBook - 3 stars
28. At Lady Molly's - Anthony Powell - UK - 3.5 stars
27. Life After Life - Kate Atkinson - L - UK - 5 stars
26. Wave - Sonali Deraniyagala - NF - L - Sri Lanka - 4 stars
25. The Dinner - Herman Koch - L - Holland - 3 stars
24. Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood - OTS - Canada - 4.5 stars
23. TransAtlantic - Colum McCann - Ireland - ER - 4.5 stars
22. Mary Coin - Marisa Silver - L - 3.5 stars
21. The Good Soldier - Ford Maddox Ford - eBook - 4 stars
20. The Acceptance World - Anthony Powell - OTS - UK - 4.2 stars
19. The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century - Edward Dolnick - NF - OTS - Holland/Gremany - 4 stars
18. Jane and Prudence - Barbara Pym - UK - OTS - 4 stars
17. Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales - Yoko Ogawa - Japan - L - 3.8 stars
16. Doctor Thorne - Anthony Trollope - eBook - UK - 4.2 stars
15. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - Ben Fountain - eBook - 4 stars
14. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia - Mohsin Hamid - ER - 4 stars
13. Geek Love - Katherine Dunn - OTS - 4.5 stars
12. The Lions of Al-Rassan - Guy Gavriel Guy - L - 4.5 stars
11. A Buyer's Market - Anthony Powell - 4 stars
10. Galore - Michael Crummey - Canada - OTS - 5 stars
9. Excellent Women - Barbara Pym - UK - OTS - 4.3 stars
8. The River of Doubt - Candice Millard - OTS - Brazil - 4.5 stars
7. Barchester Towers - Anthony Trollope - eBook - UK - 5 stars
6. The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien - OTS - Viet Nam - 4.4 stars
5. The Line -- Olga Grushin - L - Russia - 4.4 stars
4. We Die Alone - David Howarth - NF - eBook - Norway - 3.8 stars
3. A Question of Upbringing - Anthony Powell - UK - 3.7 stars
2. The Burgess Boys - Elizabeth Strout - ER - 4.5 stars
1. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy- L - Russia - 4.9 stars

Currently Reading :



BOOKS THAT CAME INTO THE HOUSE THIS MONTH:

One of Ours - Willa Cather - Abe Books
11/22/63 - Stephen King - Kindle
Ordinary Grace - William Kent Krueger - Kindle

Favorite Reads from the first half of 2013:

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope - 5 stars
The River of Doubt by Candace Millard
Galore by Michael Crummey - 5 stars
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
Transatlantic by Colum McCann
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson - 5 stars
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
A Dance to the Music of Time: the Second Movement by Anthony Powell
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra - 5 stars
Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym - 5 stars

My Buddy:

68.



Let Him Go by Larry Watson 4.7 stars

This book was unexpectedly powerful. I had already read Watson’s previous effort, Montana 1948, which was very well done, but this book just left me reeling, literally staggering around the room, totally dazed. And the reason for that was that it sneaked up on me. I was reading along, minding my own business when, “BOOM!” an explosion of totally unforeseen circumstances.

The premise presented by Watson is fairly straightforward: it’s September 1951 and George and Margaret Blackledge have put the death of their son James, thrown from a horse a few years ago, behind them. Margaret, however, cannot forget the fact that their grandson Jimmy has been taken to the other side of the Badlands by his mother and her new husband, Donnie Weboy. So off they go to find him and try to convince his mother to bring him back to Dalton, North Dakota. But Donnie’s family has other ideas and the Blackledges have no idea what lengths this family will go to to keep Jimmy and his mother right where they are.

Written in spare stark prose Let Him Go gradually draws you in to a tale of unparalleled suspense and serves to remind us that humans are unpredictable and capable of untold violence when they think they have something important to protect. Heartbreaking in its vividness, tragic in that the choices, in the end, are desperate, this is a book not to be missed.

Wow, Bonnie! Excellent review of Let Him Go. Hopefully, that will spark more people to check it out. I might still give Montana 1948 the edge but I haven't read that one in awhile.
Glad you loved it. I hope you feel the same about the Lowland.

Eli is back among the whites. I like his sections the best.

Thanks Mark, no I'm afraid this one tops Montana 1948 by a wide margin, for me anyway. And I can't get it out of my head. I'm afraid Ms. Lahiri is suffering in comparison, at least in the early going.

I liked Peter's sections best:)

I liked Peter's sections best too!

I had a similar problem with The Lowland - I read it right on the heels of Arcadia which really resonated and I too felt disappointed with the Lahiri in the beginning. But it grew on me, even more so after discussing with my book group. Hope it improves for you.

I loved Montana 1948 so will eagerly look for Let Him Go - thanks.

Our next book group pick is The Goldfinch which got a great NY Times review this week.

Bonnie, I have Let Him Go queued up to read this month. I look forward to a staggering read after being somewhat disappointed in The Lowland. I actually thought the first part was better than the last half. Vivian, I usually end up liking a book better after a thoughtful discussion of it. Unfortunately, I didn't have that option with the new Lahiri.

>7 vivians: Oh I have The Goldfinch on hold at the library Vivian; no idea where I am in the queue. I'm reading The Lowland against my better judgement. I didn't like The Namesake and feel she is a much better short story writer. I loved both of her collections. I got caught up in the Booker hype or I never would have picked this one up.

>8 Donna828: Hi Donna, I hope I didn't oversell Let Him Go but I couldn't help it. It was just sooo good. Hmmm you were disappointed by The Lowland too? Doesn't sound good for me.

>4 brenzi: Excellent! The book awaits me. I am such a fanboy that I'm actually holding off a bit, keeping it for a tonic to chase the ~meh~s away.

Hi Bonnie - I loved The Namesake. I think Lahiri was much more ambitious in scope in The Lowland. I love her characters. I'll be anxious to hear what you think.

>10 richardderus: Oh it will definitely "chase the ~meh~s away," Richard. You were the one who got me to read Montana 1948 if I recall. Thanks for that. I must seek out more of Watson's oeuvre...

>11 BLBera: Hi Beth, well I'm only a little more than a hundred pages in and it's only mildly keeping my interest at this point.

>4 brenzi: yay! I can get excited about that book now. And I will. I have had 1948 on my radar for years, thanks to LT. In all my book fairs and second hand sales I have yet to find a copy either. But I shall! One day.

>11 BLBera: Hey Beth, I'm so glad someone else loved The Namesake. I would rate it as one of my best reads this year. I agree that she does wonderful character portrayals and I find the subject of adapting to new cultures and learning about others fascinating. I'm really looking forward to The Lowland.

Oh, Bonnie, loved your review of Let Him Go. This is one I don't think I can pass up! Have just requested it from my library; I see that it is newly arrived in HQ and about to hit the loan circuit. I'm 3 of 3. Yay! Thumb-up from me : ).

Hi, Bonnie! Doing interesting reading as usual!
oh - and Happy New Thread! I love your lovely ladies at the top!

>13 LovingLit: Haha, well OK Megan. You go right on looking. You may get lucky one day:-)

>14 HelenBaker: Hi Helen!

>15 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy, if you like living on the dark side, this may well be the book for you;-)

>16 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, I thought those ladies were the coolest things in the world. The artist is Russian.

Bonnie- Now, I know exactly what you mean about comparing The Son and Lonesome Dove. Honestly, the first 1/3 could have been in the same ballpark, I truly loved it but the second half just wasn't as compelling. I liked the book a lot but it did not reach those lofty heights.

Lovely new thread Bonnie and great review of Let Him Go!

As usual, Buddy is such a handsome way to start off your thread, but I wanted to comment on the lovely thread topping art. The beauty shop scene made me smile!

Lovely new thread!

#3 Wow! But I worry about the books getting wet when it rains . . .

That's an excellent review of Let Him Go, Bonnie!

>18 msf59: Yeah really no comparison Mark. And I found the last two thirds of the book more compelling than the first third. Go figure. LOL

>19 TinaV95: Thanks Tina, I love those beauty shop ladies. It reminds me of when I was a child and would sometimes go with my Mom to the weekly beauty shop appointment haha.

>20 tymfos: Thanks Terri! Yeah somebody evidently thinks they will have only sunny days.

I had seen Let Him Go in this month's Kindle sale books, but passed it by. I am going back now to download a sample. Your review makes it sound irresistible!

Happy new thread, Bonnie! And what a great review - adding that one to my list! Nothing like luring people in with a new thread and then hitting them with a book bullet right away!!

>22 Linda92007: Hi Linda, if you like dark, and suspenseful, this may be the book for you. It certainly was for me.

>23 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie, yes I have gotten the reputation (undeservedly) of "luring people in...and then hitting them with a book bullet right away" haha. I like to think I was aiming right at you;-)

69.



The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri 3.7 stars

I think I liked this book. I kept turning the pages anyway. But I should have loved it. I mean we’re talking about Jhumpa Lahiri. She won the Pulitzer. This book is nominated for both the National Book Award and the Man Booker Prize. And yet….something was missing. I only marked two passages in the whole book. Where was her trademark salubrious prose? The characters were, I don’t know, flat and mostly dispassionate. Which is pretty amazing considering the heavy, serious subject matter Lahiri chose to highlight. Let’s just say the book could have been entitled Novel for Miserable Mothers.

Subhash and his brother, Udayan, born fifteen months apart, spend their early years in Calcutta, being mistaken for each other. But, in fact, they are very different and soon go their separate ways. In the late 60s, Udayan gets involved with the Naxalite movement, a rebellion that wanted to address inequality and poverty. Subhash, on the other hand, chose to leave Calcutta and lead a quiet life of scientific research in Rhode Island. But when his brother is killed by police, Subhash returns and decides it is his duty to marry his brother’s bride, Gauri, who is pregnant. But Gauri turns out to be miserable as a mother and Subhash is the nurturing parent to their daughter, Bela until Gauri does the most reprehensible thing a mother could do.

I think the problem is that the sweeping epic got away from Lahiri. She just tried to do too much. She created a totally unlikable character in Gauri, and then, at the end, tried to make her into someone we would sympathize with. I’m sorry, that won’t work. Gauri is not just unlikeable. She’s completely selfish as well and I’m not going to sympathize with her at all.

So why do I think I liked this book? I’m not exactly sure but it was suspenseful in spots and, as I said, I kept turning the pages. It’s just that I expected more from this author.

Oh dear...~meh~ isn't what one expects from Lahiri at all. That's just too bad.

Bonnie, you said what I felt better than I did. Are you a mind reader? I too liked the book but I didn't love it, and it could...no, make that should...have been great instead of merely good!

>26 richardderus: It is too bad Richard, but apparently the judges for the Booker and the national Book Award saw something that I totally missed.

>27 Donna828: I don't think I said it any better than you Donna. You said, "Even Lahiri's exquisite writing can't put emotion into the lives of a family so disconnected." And that really captured it well. I'm wondering if any mother could love this book.

Great review of The Lowland, Bonnie. Wish it had been a better read. Yours is not the first review I've read which observes that Lahiri tries to do too much. And your point is well taken that an author can't write a miserable, selfish character like Gauri, and then try to sway readers to sympathize with her at the close of a story. Anyway, this is one I have on request from the library, but I'm thinking I'm not in any hurry to get to it.

I'm still waiting for The Lowland from my library, Bonnie -- shouldn't be much longer. For some reason I'm intrigued by the mixed reviews.

>29 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy, the fact that it's getting mixed reviews means that some people liked it. I was expecting more and I doubt if I would have read it had I known that one of the themes was so unpalatable, at least in my view. IDK, I'm on to something else now.

>30 lauralkeet: Intrigued huh? Well, I hope you enjoy it Laura.

Right now I am about 100 pages into Elizabeth Gilbert's new one, The Signature of All Things. I mentioned upthread that I hated Eat, Pray, Love but this one is a horse of a different color entirely and so compelling I have a hard time putting it down. The writing itself is wonderful. At 500 pages I'll probably be on it the rest of the week.

Delighted to hear Gilbert has redeemed herself with The Signature of All Things, Bonnie. There's not much that better than a compelling read : ).

I completely agree with you on the Jhumpa Lahiri tome -- flat and affectless was the note I made to myself at the midway point, referring to the middle half of the novel (by which I mean the half of the book that comes between the first 100 pages (engaging) and the final denouement (moderately interesting) and that ends up making up more than half the book.) I did like the writing more than you did, but all the characters left me completely cold. To be clear, I can find an unlikeable character completely fascinating, so it wasn't that Gauri or anyone else wasn't a person I would like to meet. They just didn't feel like real people, which was particularly jarring given some of the themes she was dealing with. They were cardboard characters being shoved around a chess board by the author.

#3 -- ah, Hay-on-Wye... I have an eerily similar pic in my online photo collection.

I'm on a list for The Goldfinch, too, but am not in a tearing hurry to read it. Whenever it gets to me is fine. The weird thing about our system is that I can't tell WHERE I am on the list. Sigh.

Sharp review of Let Him Go, Bonnie. You've piqued my interest - like you, I liked Montana 1948, but wasn't bowled over by it the way some others have been.

BTW, Excellent Women was . . . excellent, and I'll look for more by Ms. Pym.

Loved your review of Let Him Go, Bonnie. It sounds like something I should read. I have to add that to my obese wish list...no second thoughts necessary. ;-)

>33 lit_chick: This is going to be one of those books that can really be called a spontaneous read Nancy. I kept seeing reference to many, many rave reviews so I requested it from the library and was slightly surprised that there was no queue for it. Even after I got it home I wasn't sure I'd actually read it. Then, as I was finishing up The Lowland I was going through the Book Riot website and, boom, another rave review. So I think I was destined to read this book which became even more apparent after the first couple of pages:)

>34 Chatterbox: Hi Suzanne, I can read a book with unlikable characters and be perfectly fine with it. What I didn't like with this one was the fact that at the end Lahiri seemed to be trying to gain sympathy for Gauri which is just ridiculous. Maybe you didn't get that feeling.

Thanks for identifying the picture in #3. I wondered where that was.

>35 jnwelch: Thanks Joe. wasn't bowled over Exactly. I really liked Let Him Go though. Really liked. And I'm so glad you enjoyed Excellent Women. I wondered if it would be too, IDK, Pymish for you. I see you recommended it to Mark. I'm not sure about that. Haha.

>36 cameling: Thanks Caro, always happy to add to your obese WL LOL.

Bonnie- I am so glad you are enjoying the Gilbert book. Don't laugh, but I actually liked the memoir. On audio, read by Gilbert, I found it engaging. Of course it was sappy in parts but not bad.
BTW- Your goodie is on the way.

Hahaha I would never have guessed you were a fan of Eat, Pray, Love Mark. Sappy?? Well there's a good description of it. Never mind about that, her new book is knocking my socks off. I'm just about at halfway mark and loving it more every day:)

Lots of parallel reading here! My book group chose The Goldfinch for our next read; I've put Let Him Go high on the TBR pile;I'm waiting for The Luminaries from the library.
Right now I'm reading The Hired Man Aminatta Forna which I am loving and highly recommend. And...my first disappointing Pym: No Fond Return of Love. Somehow I find myself very annoyed by the irritable Viola Dace and the snooping Dulcie....maybe it will grow on me as I read on. What a nice surprise that you are enjoying the new Gilbert. I guess I'll have to consider it!

Hi Bonnie,
I'll echo Caro for a different book , The Signature of All Things...
"I have to add that to my (WL)...no second thoughts necessary."

The Hired Man is absolutely wonderful, IMHO.

Bonnie, I did get the sense that Lahiri was trying to get the reader's something for Gauri. Perhaps not completely sympathy? Perhaps understanding, or empathy? I suppose that's a bit of splitting hairs on my part -- like one person's excuse being another's reason. And even if it was comprehension for Gauri's behavior that she was suggesting that we try to acquire, it didn't work for me in the context of anything that had gone before: it just wasn't convincing.

Ho hum. Well, it's one book that I probably won't re-read, although I'll hang on to the ARC for its descriptive prowess.

>40 vivians: Hi Vivian, The Hired Man is one I have to make room for. I loved The Memory of Love. Although No Fond Return of Love was not my favorite Pym, it's not my least favorite either. That was Less Than Angels. I thought Dulcie stopped just short of stalking. LOL.

>41 -Cee-: Hi Cee, good to see you. I don't think you'll regret it at all.

>42 Chatterbox: I actually thought of that Suzanne. Maybe she's trying to make me understand Gauri and her reasons for doing this but too little too late. It just didn't work.

Hi, Bonnie. Thanks for warning me away from the Lahiri, not that I was going to jump on it right away. Some day, I expect. I do want to get to The Hired Man too, but it will have to wait a long time. On the other hand, have you or anybody else visiting here read The Flame Throwers, nominated for the NBA? I just put it on my Kindle for $1.99; at that price I can certainly do some checking it out.

Sooooo......

Last night I went to see David Sedaris. OMG, if you ever get the chance, go. Run. He is even more hysterical in person than in his books. Now that is saying something.

An interesting thing that happened was when he held up a copy of Barbara Demick's Nothing to Envy and read the part about nobody celebrating their own birthday, only the birthday of the Great Leader and how every home has a picture of the Dear Leader on the wall (nothing else can be on the wall) and a cloth that must only be used to clean that picture. He was just gushing about the book and had copies available for purchase beside his own.

Now I have a nice, shiny copy of Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls signed by Sedaris. He is absolutely charming in person and really takes his time with signing. Luckily for us, we knew two of the people working on the performance and they managed to get us in line right near the front. Otherwise I don't bother with signings because the lines are always incredibly long.

>44 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, I think I'm going to download that one too although its gotten mixed reviews. I liked her first novel, Telex From Cuba so I'm hoping I fall in with the ones who like this one too:)

Bonnie- Sounds like you had a great time with Mr. Sedaris. Very cool story about Nothing to Envy. You know I am crazy about that book.
I do not think I have ever read or listened to a complete Sedaris book. I might have to do that. I have his latest saved on audio and he narrates.

I am another who loved The Memory of Love and has The Hired Man on her list. Problem: time (what else?). Presently, I'm taking a work-related online course, on top of working a crazy (but very interesting) job! Time, time, time ...

>47 msf59: On audio, Sedaris would be a stitch Mark. His voice is just , IDK, it just adds so much to whatever hysterical story he's telling. I've read most of his books.

>48 lit_chick: Well, Nancy, you have a job. But what's my excuse? Haha.

Hi Bonnie! Finally catching up with your thread after too long an absence :-( I love your opening Pym quote.

Given I haven't read anything by Lahiri yet I am going to try her short stories first as most people seem to prefer those.

>50 souloftherose: Hi there Heather, yes read Unaccustomed Earth or Interpreter of Maladies. I loved both of those:)

70.



The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert 4.8 stars

MY REVIEW

Holy sweeping epic! Where to start? I finished this book a couple of days ago and have let it just percolate in my head because its massiveness, in more ways than one, is just so overwhelming. And it’s a book that needs to reveal its luscious beauty to each reader so I don’t want to say an awful lot.

”She was her father’s daughter. It was said of her from the beginning. For one thing, Alma Whitaker looked precisely like Henry: ginger of hair, florid of skin, small of mouth, wide of brow, abundant of nose…What’s more, Alma was clever like him. Sturdy, too. A right little dromedary she was---tireless and uncomplaining. Never took ill. Stubborn. From the moment the girl learned to speak, she could not put an argument to rest…She wanted to understand the world, and she made a habit of chasing down information to its last hiding place, as though the fate of nations were at stake in every instance.” (Page 51)

Alma Whitaker is born on the cusp of the 19th century to a family of wealth in Philadelphia. Her father, Henry, worked his way up from poverty in Great Britain to be a leading botanical importer/exporter. She is an inquisitive, extremely intelligent child and enjoys her parents’ dinner table which comes alive with guests whose intellectual powers soon absorb and draw her in. Her inborn curiosity soon leads her to become a published author whose scientific knowledge of botanicals in general and mosses in particular set her on a lifelong path of scientific inquiry. Meanwhile, Alma is also on a road of self-discovery as she tries to uncover the intricacies of life itself. But then she finds herself falling in love with a man who introduces her to the spiritual world which raises many questions in her scientific mind.

Gilbert weaves the scientific with the human interest stories that surround Alma with a driving narrative that is hard to resist. Across the globe and through the century, from Peru and London to Holland and Tahiti, Gilbert doesn’t miss a beat with a driving narrative that made this book hard to put to down. Brilliantly researched, passionately written, I did not want this book to end. Very highly recommended.

Quite the heap of praise you've piled up there, Bonnie! A thumb was applied.

Wow, great review with high praise. Onto the wish list it went.

Bonnie, what a fabulous review of A Signature of All Things! Thumb-up from me, my friend, and onto my WL it goes as well : ).

>53 richardderus: Thanks for the thumb Richard:)

>54 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba, I hope you manage to squeeze it in sometime.

>55 lit_chick: Thank you Nancy, the ever burgeoning WL. I know it well;-)
ETA my copy of The Last Crossing arrived last week. Now I just have to make time for it.

Adding The Signature of All Things to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Bonnie.

Delighted The Last Crossing arrived, Bonnie. *standing by patiently* LOL.

Excellent, thumbalicious review of The Signature of All Things, Bonnie. Onto the tbr it goes.

Hi Bonnie- Great review of the Gilbert book. If you loved it, I most likely will too! She was featured on the most recent NPR Book podcast. See if you could find it.

>57 alcottacre: You are very welcome Stasia. Good to see you:)

>58 lit_chick: Yeah I'm not sure when I will be able to squeeze it in nancy. I am currently overloaded with lengthy library books and Trollope is coming up in November. But I will get to it.

>59 jnwelch: Thanks Joe. Hmmm I wonder if your TBR looks anything like my teetering tower haha.

>60 msf59: Thanks Mark, I will look for that NPR podcast.

Another thumb; another book for the list. Happy day!

Dang! Two book bullets! Let Him Go and The Signature of All Things--I must find them! Great reviews. : )

>62 LizzieD: Thanks Peggy, glad to see you.

>63 Berly: Thanks Kim. Hmmm, I think I was aiming right at you haha.

Couldn't resist:-)

71.



Books Do Furnish a Room, Book 10/12 of A Dance to the Music of Time 4.8 stars

Here's my usual non-review for this series:)

We’re into the homestretch of the Powell magnum opus now with just two volumes to go. Nick Jenkins, our intrepid narrator, who tells us next to nothing about his personal life, is in his 40s in the late 1940s. The war is over but its devastation is evident in the destruction of many of the buildings in London and many of the lives that have been altered or lost. Nick is back working in the literary world, writing a biography of Robert Burton, whose study on the theme of melancholy would work well in these post-war years. Opening the volume in Oxford, Nick’s old stomping grounds, provides the nostalgia that continues throughout.

A little later we meet Nick’s new colleagues at the emerging literary magazine,Fission and among those is the writer X. Trapnel, whom Nick describes in this way:

”Trapnel wanted, among other things, to be a writer, a dandy, a lover, a comrade, an eccentric, a sage, a virtuoso, a good chap, a man of honour, a hard case, a spendthrift, an opportunist, a raisonneur; to be very rich, to be very poor, to possess a thousand mistresses, to win the heart of one love to whom he was ever faithful, to be on the best of terms with all men, to avenge savagely the lightest affront, to live to a hundred full of years and honour, to die young and unknown but recognized the following day as the most neglected genius of the age.” (Page 144)

The thing that Trapnel wants most is Widmerpool’s wife, the inscrutable Pamela, who eventually uses him up and disposes of him, just as she did Widmerpool, who has now moved on to the House of Commons. Destruction is her game and she plays it in a most devastating manner.

I can only think that Powell is brilliant in the way he brings us full circle at the end of the novel as Nick is back at Eton enrolling his son and who should be sitting at the library desk but LeBas, his old house master (who I could have sworn had died earlier).

Masterful and maybe my favorite volume yet. I’m already regretting the end while simultaneously looking forward to rereading the whole “Dance.”

What a devastating description of Trapnel! This is a series of fortunate events for you, eh Bonnie? :-)

A most enticing (non)-review of your latest Dance, Bonnie. This is a series I'm going to HAVE to get to; and I love the way you've read a book a month this year. Is it possible 2013 is already coming to a close? Good grief!

Btw, I laughed out loud at your grammar Nazi cartoon. That'd be me! And you!

The Signature of All Things sounds like a great book, and its setting (at least in part) in Philadelphia is certainly appealing. A thumb for your review, and I've added it to my wish list.

I agree with Suz; The Hired Man was superb, and it should have been longlisted (and shortlisted) for this year's Booker Prize. And The Memory of Love was even better. I have no idea why Aminatta Forna's last two novels have been largely ignored by the jurors of the major literary prizes.

>67 richardderus: Exactly Richard. What a good description, series of fortunate events. Perfect actually.

>68 lit_chick: Well if I manage to get one person to take on the Powell books I will be happy Nancy. And reading one novella per month really was a great way to approach it. I was skeptical at first but I think it worked out well. I am planning on taking on the mammoth Clarissa in the same way next year. My iBook edition is divided into nine volumes so I'll finish it in September assuming it's as good as everyone says.

>69 kidzdoc: Hi Darryl, you might appreciate the scientific angle even more than I did. With an average LT rating of 4.55 I'm not the only one who was wowed by it. I have to get to The Hired Man. My next read, however, is the book that just about everyone is reading---The Luminaries.

Hi Bonnie- Just checking in. Any luck with the book?

I have no excuse why I have consistently dragged my feet on starting The Memory of Love. Bad Mark!

My copy of The Luminaries just arrived and I plan to start tonight. There was a Janet Maslin review today in the Times but I only skimmed it, disappointed after reading the first paragraph in which she called Wolf Hall "a grueling read" and then referred to the The Luminaries as a "critic's nightmare." I think I'll ignore it and just delve in!
I just finished Let Him Go thanks to your recommendation and thought it was even better than Montana 1948. What a talent.
I'm glad you have The Hired Man on your list - probably one of my top ten this year and I agree with Darryl in his puzzlement over why it wasn't chosen for the Booker.
Not sure if I mentioned it but my Alaskan pilot son has been transferred to Boston - I'm as thrilled as can be!
Hope all's well there.

>72 vivians:: I think I'll ignore it and just delve in!
Good call, Vivian! I'm 75% of the way through The Luminaries and enjoying it very much. I started reading Maslin's review as well, but abandoned it after a couple paragraphs. That was the NYT's second review of this book; I liked this one better -- it was published the day after the prize announcement.

>71 msf59: Mark, you must read The Memory of Love. There won't be any line for it at the library now.

>72 vivians: Hi Vivian, you know, I think some (most) of the NY Times critics get real enjoyment out of doing a hatchet job on books they review. I don't know if they get a high out of demeaning and belittling or if they just feel smarter than the rest of us but I pay very little attention to their reviews. I will be starting The Luminaries tomorrow because tonight I have to finish my latest Pym. I liked Let Him Go better than Montana 1948 but I will be looking for his other books too. Don't ask me why but my library still doesn't have The Hired Man. It is on order though so I joined the queue. I can see your grin all the way at the other end of the state having your son so close again.

>73 lauralkeet: That does look better Laura. There have been enough good reviews here on LT to convince me, including your positive comments.

I think some (most) of the NY Times critics get real enjoyment out of doing a hatchet job on books they review. I don't know if they get a high out of demeaning and belittling or if they just feel smarter than the rest of us but I pay very little attention to their reviews.

Well said, Bonnie! I tend to agree. :)

>66 brenzi: Book ten? Wow, ten books. Go you!

Have fun with the Luminaries in 19th C Hokitika! Just a hop skip and a jump (and over a hundred years) away from where I live.

Janet Maslin wouldn't recognize a great literary novel if it hit her in the mouth. Although I subscribe to the NYT I no longer read her reviews, as they are universally useless and directed toward the Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Velveeta crowd. She should write for People magazine or USA Today instead of the "paper of record". NYT book reviewers do seem to harbor a perversity for tearing down promising young writers, particularly female ones such as Eleanor Catton and Madeline Miller, whose Orange Prize winning novel The Song of Achilles was eviscerated by a smart @$$ in the Sunday Book Review. And the worst of the hatchet wielders has to be Michiko Kakutani, the weird and reclusive book editor who is probably the most hated book reviewer in the English speaking world.

I hope that you enjoy The Luminaries as much as most of the rest of us have, Bonnie!

Bonnie

As always, yours is a dangerous thread for the tbr pile. Let Him Go and The Signature of All Things are now on the TBR pile.

Happy Sunday!!

>75 tymfos: It seems to be fairly consistent Terri.

>76 LovingLit: Oh you're that close to Hokitika Megan? And yes, I have have only two books left in A Dance to the Music of Time and I will hate to see it end.

>77 kidzdoc: I'm in total agreement with you Darryl and I seldom read their reviews either. I find the reviews here on LT are my best bet, normal people who have no ax to grind and whose opinions often mirror my own. So far about 200 pages in I am absolutely loving The Luminaries.

>78 Whisper1: Hi Linda, I'm always happy to add to your TBR pile. Those two books were exceptionally good.

So I'm really taken up with my new read, The Luminaries. I haven't looked forward to a book this much since, hmmm, let's see, well.............Bring Up the Bodies. So the minute I got my hands on it I wanted to read it and, therefore I never wrote any review or even, a few comments, on my last book, book number 72, An Unsuitable Attachment by Barbara Pym. It was another one of Pym's wry comedy of manners, punctuated with her uncanny observational tidbits and I gave it 4 stars. Not my favorite Pym but still very good.

>80 brenzi:: not surprised at all by your reaction to The Luminaries, Bonnie! It's such a great book to get lost in.

rant

I read the Sunday NYT Book Review, because we get the Sunday Times and I enjoy spreading the paper out over the kitchen table and reading while drinking my coffee. But oh, I get so disenchanted with the Book Review, I really do. They are notorious with VIDA, an organization that tracks gender bias in book reviews and reviewers (see their latest stats here. I was really torqued last week -- the NYT ran a favorable review of Catton's book the day after the prize announcement, but the Sunday Book Review focused on white male "titans" Mailer & Roth. I realize the Sunday edition was probably in the planning stages for quite a while and I didn't expect the Booker to be a cover story, but do Roth and Mailer really need the publicity?

/rant

OK Laura, I spent way too much time exploring the websites and clicking on links and generally being very discouraged by the apparent bias. I was aware of it but I didn't realize the extent of it. As far as Roth goes, he doesn't really seem to want any publicity which is just about right as he is one of the most over-rated authors ever. He is very fond of his own work though so I guess that has to be taken into consideration;-) It's all very disappointing.

>82 brenzi:: yeah, it's depressing, Bonnie. But I am glad there's an organization to share this perspective with the world. I subscribe to their Facebook page because I like being aware of the issues and causes they champion.

Oh Bonnie! I love the Grammar Nazi cartoon!!!!! :D

>83 lauralkeet: Well I like to be aware too so I just liked them Laura. Did you see Eleanor Catton's response to the criticism she's taken after winning the Booker (yes the haters are out in full force)? It was here in the Guardia.n

>84 TinaV95: Hi Tina, glad I could brighten your day:-)

Yeah Bonnie, I liked that article!!

Bonnie- Actually, I own the Memory of Love, so my excuses, have just narrowed down a wee bit. I am going to start the Returned, which has been getting some good buzz. Have you heard of it?

Hi Bonnie, I finished Let Him Go and oh, wow. What a book.

>87 msf59: Mark, I have The Returned checked out of the library but I don't know if I'll get to it.

>86 lauralkeet: Great article Laura.

>87 msf59: I haven't heard anything about The Returned Mark so I will wait for your reaction to it. You must squeeze in The Memory of Love. You will not regret it.

>88 Copperskye: Joanne, I know!!!! What a book is right!

Bonnie, I have fallen behind here. You are hard to keep up with these days! I didn't even realize there was so much controversy about Eleanor Catton. I just picked up The Luminaries at the library. I'd love to dive in, but have to read The Golden Notebook for next week's book group first. It's another BIG book. My wrists are in for a workout in November!

I'm glad you liked Gilbert's new book. I'll add it to next year's wish list!

Bonnie, I am impossibly behind, but doing a drive-by to say hello anyway : ).

Bonnie, thanks for putting up the article on Eleanor Catton. I am slowly wending my way through her immense but elegant tale.

I am sure Megan now has her two boys digging up the back garden in search of gold.

Have a lovely weekend.

>90 Donna828: Hi there Donna, it's starting to feel like I've been reading The Luminaries for most of my adult life but it is very, very good. I'll give myself a break and read something short before I settle in with the next Trollope. BTW the Gilbert is another door stopper. I suspended my hold on The Goldfinch because it's also over 800 pages. What's with all these long books? Is this some kind of new trend?

>91 lit_chick: Waving madly at Nancy as she drives by....

>92 PaulCranswick: Yes elegant Paul. Exactly. Megen did say that she was fairly close to the setting's locale. Hmmm......

73.



The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton 4.5 stars

MY REVIEW

What you have here is a writer’s magnum opus after they’ve written ten or twelve previous novels, after they have mellowed and grown as a writer, after they have gotten all the kinks out of their writing style and developed their work to a smooth and masterful presentation. But how do you explain a book like this from a twenty-eight year old woman who has only previously written a slight, debut novel? It’s rather mind-boggling. But then so is the construction of this novel. At 832 pages, the novel is divided into twelve books – each part half the length of that which came before. Throw in that each character is identified with astrological signs: a dead man is identified with terra firma (earth) and revolving around him are twelve stellar planets representing astrological signs. Fortunately, you can ignore all that and do what I did---sit back and enjoy an excellent historical novel about a time and place that I knew very little about.

In 1866, Walter Moody arrives in Hokitika, New Zealand to try his luck in the gold fields. He wanders into the hotel’s smoking room and finds himself in the midst of a tense group of men who are discussing some disturbing events, that each of the men seem to have some part in: the unexpected death of a drunken hermit and the discovery of an enormous fortune in his cottage, the apparent suicide attempt of a popular town prostitute, and the apparent disappearance of the town’s wealthiest man.

And then we’re off to the races, as Catton leads us through the 360 page first book, setting up one of the most unique and complicated mysteries ever written. As Moody listens, he ponders the information and its consequences:

No one man could really be called “guilty,” just as no man could really be called “innocent.” They were ---associated? Involved? Entangled? Moody frowned. He felt that he did not possess the right word to describe their interrelation. Pritchard had used the word “conspiracy”…but the term was hardly applicable, when each man’s involvement was so incidental, and each man’s relation to the events in question so palpably different. No: the real agents, and the real conspirators, were surely those men and women who were not present---who each had a secret that he or she was trying to hide!” (Page 350)

Filled with rich characters, the author transports us to the middle of the gold fields and into the town that holds everyone’s dreams in the palm of its hand. Her ability to bring to life this time period is only surpassed by her intricate plotting. Very highly recommended.

It's a warm snuggie blankie of a book that wraps you up and makes you a hot toddy to ease your soreness from trying to lift its heft. Thumbed your review.

Superb review of The Luminaries, Bonnie. Like you, I think I'd choose to sit back, feet up, and ignore the astrology in favour of a excellent read about a time and place that I knew very little about. Catton's accomplishment here sounds extraordinary, according to the reviews I've read. Great quote, too. Thumb-up : ).

Hi Bonnie - The Luminaries sounds great. You've had a pretty good string of excellent reads lately.

Yay! Another fan of Ellie's (so far) masterpiece. Another thumb from me.

Off to add my thumb! Great review Bonnie.

Bonnie- Great review of The Luminaries. Big Big Thumb! I was planning on reading this in December and you just sealed the deal. Hugs!

>95 richardderus: Thanks Richard, what a great description of the book! I love it!

>96 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy, when your work load allows you the time to sit back with this one, I think you will enjoy it.

>97 BLBera: Hi Beth, yes I have had a lot of great reads and I hope they will continue far into the future:)

>98 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl, is this her masterpiece then? But what about her next book? Where does she go from here? How does she surpass this? Interesting ideas to ponder, don't you think?

>99 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. It's certainly a winner.

>100 msf59: Thanks Mark, well you're on a roll of really long books so this one will be a piece of cake for you haha.

Many thanks for your review, Bonnie, and also for the link to the Guardian article. It is helpful without spoiling. I'm a bit bummed that the Kindle copy doesn't have the astrological charts. I can't leave that aspect alone although I don't know what I think I'm going to do with it!

>103 LizzieD:: I'm a bit bummed that the Kindle copy doesn't have the astrological charts
In my Kindle edition, the opening of each part ncludes an astrological diagram: a circle with the signs of the zodiac and various other symbols. I didn't now how to interpret these and didn't want to have to stop reading to figure them out!

Peggy, if you are still in Part I -- and you might be, since it's 300+ pages -- you will have seen only one of these charts so far, at the very beginning of the book.

>103 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. The physical book has the charts at the beginning of each book but there is no chart that explains what each symbol stands for. So the charts are not at all helpful and, frankly, add little to nothing to the narrative. I really think this gimmick was an unnecessary affectation although I know that others would probably disagree with me. Anyway, after trying to figure it out I just ignored it and was fully absorbed by the narrative.

Great review, Bonnie, and thanks for posting the Guardian article. I'm looking forward to delving in but I'm just finishing a 1200+ page book and want to enjoy a few shorter ones first.

Oh, thanks, Laura. I'll go back to the beginning and check. I am still in the first part.
Bonnie, I'm currently reading "Saturn in Libra" and googled it just to see. It seems that it has to do with fairness or justice, so I'm trying to look for that as I read (I guess - I was not interested to do more than skim). Bonnie, I think I may agree with you, but I'm trying!

>106 Oregonreader: Thanks Jan, I need a short book or three after I read a door stopper too. And I have another Trollope coming up this month so I will read a couple short ones first.

>107 LizzieD: Well Peggy, you're more ambitious than I was so maybe it will come together in a more meaningful way for you. Good luck!

Peggy, if you figure out the astrological connections I'd love to hear about them. I wasn't motivated enough to research but am still curious.

...hello...? Bonnie, are you home?

I'm here Richard, I'm here. Just catching up on a review:-)

74.



The Man Without a Face: the Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin by Masha Gessen 4.5 stars

A tip of the hat and a big thank you to Suzanne who raved about this book last year and enticed me to read this. Fasten your seat belt for quite a ride:)

MY REVIEW

Absolutely riveting. I think if Edward Snowden had cracked this book before he accepted Vladimir Putin’s offer of temporary asylum in Russia, he might have come home to face the charges against him. Masha Gessen’s illuminating portrait of the low level KGB agent and his improbable rise to occupy the seat at the head of the Russian parliament (he’s now on an unprecedented third term) had me frantically turning pages well into the night.

Putin was plucked from obscurity in 2000 to take over for the ailing (and drunken) Russian Premier Boris Yeltsin. Suddenly the scrappy boy from Leningrad had the power he had always dreamed of. After dismantling the tentative early steps to democracy begun by Yeltsin, Putin went on to employ henchmen to carry out his vision of a return to the old USSR. Among his achievements: the government takeover of the cable TV stations, the seizure of assets from members of the Russian oligarchy, total control and manipulation of elections, the transition of the upper house of parliament from an elected body to an appointed one, and the accumulation of personal wealth that has been estimated at $40 billion dollars. Under Putin’s watch the arrest, imprisonment, murder or poisoning of those who disagreed with him were common. His term has been highlighted by several calamities that were mishandled terribly by Putin. In August of 2000, the nuclear submarine Kursk exploded killing most of the 118 member crew immediately but 23 people were in a part of the submarine that saved them from the initial blast. However, Putin wouldn’t accept help offered by Norway and Great Britain and, indeed, did not have anything to say about the tragedy because he was vacationing at a beach resort on the Black Sea. When he finally spoke five days into the ordeal, he was dismissive of the whole incident and spoke only of salvaging what they could from the submarine. After nine days the 23 seamen perished as well.

Greshen lays out the evidence in a narrative that proceeds at breakneck speed illustrating, step by step, how Putin has pulled off this incredible heist of Russian wealth and a tally of the growing stack of dead bodies he leaves in his wake. Narrative non-fiction at its best. This one is not to be missed.

Great review, Bonnie. I've often wondered why Putin isn't more roundly denounced for what he is and what he's done.

>112 brenzi: Thumbed with verve and gusto! What a horror that man is. That country is!

Another excellent review, Bonnie! Thumb from me, too, and I'm adding that one to the giant WL.

Bonnie, The Man Without a Face does sound riveting! And I know nothing about Putin, or Yeltsin for that matter. Superb review, and thumb from me, two three? four? more?

>113 katiekrug: Thanks Katie, in a word, most people are scared of hm, and rightfully so. The author still lives in Moscow but admits that she is seldom outside by herself.

>114 richardderus: Thanks Richard, horror just about sums it up. And yet Medyedved (the puppet President) increased the term to six years which means he will probably be in office until 2024!

>115 Crazymamie: Thanks so much Mamie, I'm always happy to add to anyone's WL:-)

>116 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy, riveting is the one word definition for this one. Maddening is another. Disgusting works too.

Nice review of The Man Without a Face, Bonnie.

Great review -- on my WL now too.

>118 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl, it was an eye-opening read.

>119 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba, happy to add to your WL.

Bonnie, I thought you might follow up The Luminaries with a little light reading. At least you chose something in a different genre. I gave up on Catton's book -- but its not as bad as it sounds. This just wasn't the best timing for it. I think I am going to change my user name to BookWimp!

#94 Stonking review of The Luminaries, Bonnie, which I have duly thumbed. My library copy is rather intimidating in size but I am looking forward to it.

#112 And another great review of The Man Without a Face - scary stuff.

Hi Bonnie,

Thank you for your reviews of The Luminaries and The Man Without a Face. I know I want to read the former at some point but I'm not sure that I want to spend any time with Putin. Your review is tempting though.

>121 Donna828: Something light?? Well I guess I could have gone with one of the Mapp and Lucia books but I've had The Man Without a Face out of the library for some time now Donna so I felt like I needed to read it. But honestly after The Luminaries I just wanted something entirely different and short, the latter being the most important consideration. Book wimp?? You?? The person who reads one door stopper after another? I don't think so.

>122 souloftherose: Oh, I think this is my first "stonking review." Thanks Heather LOL. And yes, Putin is very scary indeed.

>123 Copperskye: You are very welcome Joanne. I aim to tempt haha.

Great reviews of The Luminaries and Man Without a Face, Bonnie. And it figures that if you stay away from LT for months at a time you come back to a hail of book bullets. Adding the Gilbert book to my wishlist.

Hi Anne! Welcome back and I'm sorry to hit you with a BB but that is the name of the game here. I play fair for the most part haha.

Temporary Kings by Anthony Powell 4.2 stars

These are just some comments I posted on the thread for the GR. They'll probably only make sense to someone who has read the book.

Spoilers Galore

I finished the book yesterday and really enjoyed it even with the obvious turn toward sexual undertones to just about everything. I had to Google Candaules and Gyges to understand what sort of voyeurism Widmerpool engaged in. And the part with Nick visiting his friend Morland, knowing he might not live much longer was just so touching and sad. And Mrs. Erdleigh is still kicking?? Good lord, she must be in her 90s and still doling out people's fortunes, in Pamela Widerpool's case, very accurately.

MY QUESTIONS: Does anyone else have trouble figuring out Pamela? She cannot be satisfied with one man, that's for sure. But when the end comes for her we are left as mystified as ever.

Why did Widmerpool show up at Tokenhouse's flat while Nick, Ada and Glober were there viewing his paintings?

I think this book had me asking more questions than any of the previous ones. This book seemed to leave me feeling particularly isolated and lonely. I can't believe we only have one left to read. I'm really going to miss the Dance come January.

AND THAT WAS NUMBER 75. WOO HOOT!!!

Hi Bonnie - Congrats on reaching 75!

Hooray for 75! And a fitting one, too, given the year-long read. I am planning to get to TK in the second half of the month...

Yay! Congrats on 75, Bonnie!


Enjoyed your comments on Powell even though I haven't read it : ).

>128 BLBera: Thanks Beth!

>129 katiekrug: Thanks Katie, are you enjoying this series as much as I am?

>130 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy, I think you might enjoy this series and I loved reading it as a monthly installment. I was skeptical at first but it really worked out well.

I am, Bonnie, though I liked the immediate pre-war volumes the most. It seems a lot of our little group liked the ones set during the war best (at least so far). I'm very glad I committed to reading the cycle this way; otherwise, I don't think I would have ever gotten to it, though I had bought all the books after Laura's praise last year!

I can believee that finishing the dance will leave a reading void. Finishing the count of monte cristo was like that for me. Congrats on reaching 75. We all knew you would.

I'm so glad that the Putin tome was a hit with you as well, Bonnie. Granted, the author is coming to this with her own political POV and prejudices, but I confess I find it hard to see in Putin anything but a caricature of the worst of Soviet leaders from Stalin onward. I did try to delve into a more straightforward book about the guy from Angus Roxburgh, but bogged down -- it was very, very dry.

I haven't read Maslin's review, but I can see why Catton's novel might be a critic's nightmare. Beneath the surface narrative, it has such an intricate structure that trying to understand what it is that she is going and explaining that (beneath the aforesaid surface narrative) has got to be fairly nightmarish. Just listen to her acceptance speech at the Booker awards dinner, and you'll see what I mean. You can read it on any number of levels, but it's not a straightforward book, by any means. I don't read many reviews, to be honest, not because I have preconceptions about the reviewer's merits or lack thereof, but more because I prefer to come to a book on my own terms. I do read some movie reviews, and in that case, I'm usually paying attention less to the reviewer's opinion than to decoding my sense of whether I'll like a movie based on what's in it. I really don't think any of us avid readers would do a much better or worse job than any of the reviewers out there, at least when it comes to formulating ideas. Writing about books, or music, or food, etc. seems easy but really isn't if you're trying to delve beneath the surface and do so in a thoughtful, concise and articulate way. That said, an opinion is an opinion is an opinion, and that's what it boils down to. And every publication picks a reviewer that seems in tune with their audience's interests/tastes, just as readers tend to follow reviewers whose taste mirrors their own.

That said, I got rather annoyed at a new piece by Susan Sontag that takes a rather dismissive approach to Camus! (In NYRB)

Oh, I stole the grammar nazi image for my Facebook page...

Congratulations on 75!!

Hi Bonnie- It looks like I haven't been by awhile. Bad Mark. I guess I've been screwing around with the AAC, which has been a lot of fun.
The Putin books sounds terrific, something I am sure I would enjoy. Have you read Motherless Brooklyn? That will be my next audio. I'll also be starting Munro's first collection.

Hope all is well. Oh, yeah: Congrats on hitting 75! Very nice!

Congrats on 75 Bonnie, and nice that you hit it with a Powell book. I'm so glad you've enjoyed the series so much although I have to agree with your feelings about book 11.

Thanks for an illuminating 75th review, Bonnie!

>132 katiekrug: Yes I bought them when Laura was singing their praises too Katie. I would be hard pressed to say which volume I liked best but this final one is better than I expected. There;s just so much going on.

>133 cammykitty: Thanks Katie, and that's good to know about The Count of Monte Cristo which I plan on reading in 2014:-)

>134 Chatterbox: I listened to an NPR interview of Gessen and the interviewer pointed out that a journalist in this country would never take part in government protests (like she did) and I thought that was a fair point Suzanne. But I guess I was so stunned by the revelations that it had quite an impact on me. Some of the things she brought out I was aware of but the accumulated offenses were just so stunning that I had my mouth open from beginning to end. And her narrative flow was so engaging too.

I honestly don't read many professional reviews because they usually include massive spoilers and the negative ones are usually so mean spirited. I rely on other LTers for book suggestions.

>135 RebaRelishesReading: You would definitely enjoy the Putin book Mark. I don't think there's any question about that considering how much you like NNF. I have not read anything by Lethem so I'll be looking for your thoughts on it. Yes, the AAC really took off. I'll be joining you for some of them like Cather, Wharton, Faulkner, Baldwin, Welty and Twain. Good idea to clear the shelves a bit.

>137 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura, and thanks for enticing me to first, get the books and then to read them. I'm trying to figure out why this last movement put you off so much but I guess after I finish the last one I will just read your review.

>138 richardderus: Oh my Richard, that's a mighty big bulb. Thanks so much.

Congrats!

A big hooray on the 75 books, Bonnie! I am reading Trollope before Powell this month. I may read the last two installments of the Dance closer together than I normally do. I too will miss the series next year, but it looks like we have plenty of Trollope in our future. Love those Anthonys!

Congrats, Bonnie!

Some day I hope to get immersed in Dance to the Music of Time. It's such a commitment! Kudos to you for working your way through it.

>112 brenzi: The Man Without a Face: the Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin by Masha Gessen- this one looks a cracker! I wonder if my library has it....

Glad you loved the Luminaries too. Hokitika where it is set is about a 3 hour drive from me, over those pesky Alps which happen to be so beautiful, but also happen to slow you down a bit :)

Confusing that book 11 was your 75th ;)
Congratulations on hitting 75!!

Bonnie, yes, I overlooked the partisan part as well -- in part because I think in Russia it's hard to find anyone who is informed, part of the country's zeitgeist and who doesn't have a POV. I had become a bit more familiar with Putin before reading this because of Anna Politkovskaya -- she was given an award by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) at a gala that I was at before her murder, and it was a reminder of just how dangerous it can be to oppose Putin. Anna came across as more intense and more humorless than Geesen, but hey, if you had to work as a serious journalist in that country.... *shudder*

Happy belated 75!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

>141 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

>142 Donna828: Thanks Donna, I don't know if I'm done with Powell yet. I may look for some of his other novels because I really like his style and his dry sense of humor. I'm reading Trollope now too and isn't it interesting how quickly you're drawn into his world?

>143 jnwelch: Thanks Joe, I think I read Dance in the easiest way possible---one book per month. That actually didn't seem like much of a commitment.

>144 LovingLit: Thanks Megan, I hope your library does have The Man Without a Face because it is definitely is a cracker haha.

>145 Chatterbox: Thanks Suzanne, *shudder* is right. The interviewer did ask if she wasn't scared for her safety but she seemed to take it in stride while still taking safety precautions like not being out alone, especially after dark. So interesting that you were at a dinner with Anna Politkovskaya. Her story was fascinating and alarming.

Congrats on 75 Bonnie!!

Congratulations on reading 75 bokos Bonnie!

not at all caught up, but I wanted to say hello :) I see that you have 75!!!! *throws confetti*

>147 Copperskye: Thanks Joanne!

>148 souloftherose: Thanks Heather!

>149 mckait: Caught up?? What's that Kath? Happy to see you especially since I am covered with confetti:-)

Congrats on #75, Bonnie!!

So I guess I am being sucked into Mark's American Authors Challenge. Here's what I might read:

Willa Cather- January - Death Comes for the Archbishop
Cormac McCarthy- February substitute Henry James - The Portrait of a Lady
William Faulkner- March - Light in August
Toni Morrison- April - substitute - Russell Banks - Continental Drift
Eudora Welty- May - Delta Wedding
Kurt Vonnegut- June - substitute Ivan Doig - English Creek
Mark Twain - July - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Philip Roth- August - substitute Richard Ford - The Sportswriter
James Baldwin- September - Go Tell it on the Mountain
Edith Wharton- October - Fighting France
John Updike- November - substitute Ray Bradbury - Dandelion Wine
Larry Watson - December - substitute John Irving - A Prayer for Owen Meany

>151 lyzard: Thanks Liz, I am pretty well into Can You Forgive Her? through chapter 27 but way behind everyone else in the group.

No, no! - Anne (DC) is just starting. You should come across to the thread and keep her company. :)

Some marvellous reading lists are popping up around the place...

OK Liz, I'm just a bit concerned about spoilers.

People have been pretty careful about bolding the chapters they're commenting on. You're only a little way behind Donna who has just added some comments.

"So I guess I am being sucked into Mark's American Authors Challenge." You don't sound very happy about it? LOL. I think most of us, would like to get some of these titles off the shelf. Personally, I could use a kick in the pants, to read some of this earlier stuff. I seem to be always swamped with more recent titles.

I really like your AAC list and like your substitutions were perfect too. I loved both Continental Drift & English Creek. I also might read The Sportswriter with you.

>156 lyzard: OK Liz, I actually have been on the thread. That's how I know that I know I'm way behind. But I have been using the "Mark as read to here" feature but all of a sudden there was a huge jump from ch. 18 to chapter 31 or something like that. Anyway I will pipe up at some point.

>157 msf59: Oh, did I say that Mark?? **Batts eyelashes** Haha I didn't mean anything by it. It actually does exactly what you said it would---clears the books off the shelf. You might notice that this list looks a little different from the one I posted on your thread when Heather reminded me (on her thread) of a couple books that I own and would really appreciate an excuse to read.

I forgot to mention, I loved your Putin review and will have to look for that title. I have not read anything about current Russia, in a long time and Putin sounds like a very interesting guy.
Have you read Lethem? I am nearly done with Motherless Brooklyn, which is my introduction to this guy and I LOVE it.

Thanks Mark, I'm pretty sure you will enjoy (and be terrified by) the Putin book. I got that out of the library or I'd send it your way. I have not read anything by Lethem so I will be looking for your review of that one.

Great American Authors reading list, Bonnie. You go! It's a wonderful idea Mark has sprung ...

Belated congrats on #75, Bonnie!

I really enjoyed your reviews of The Luminaries and The Man Without a Face. You made me want to read both books.

Just dropping by to add my "Congrats on #75, Bonnie!" to all the others! Sorry I didn't get here sooner! ;-) Have a great weekend!

>161 lit_chick: I think it will be a lot of fun Nancy:)

>162 tymfos: Thanks Terri, You made me want to read both books. Ah well, my work here is done;-)

>163 Nancy618: Thanks Nancy, there's no rush really. Anytime you want to drop in you're welcome:)

Have you read the View From Castle Rock? I just started it but immediately thought: This is a "Bonnie" book. Munro is a heck of a writer.

Mark, the Lethem book is great, but thus far is by far my favorite of what I've read by him. I'm dithering over reading his new one, Dissident Gardens.

Hmm, Henry James. Maybe it's about time for me to try some of his longer tomes once more, now that I've read and liked two of his shorter books in recent years.

"but thus far is by far" Boy, you can say that again! What are a couple of your favorite Lethem titles? I found his new one too but also grabbed As She Climbed Across the Table & Gun, with occasional music, both sound good. I have The Fortress of Solitude on shelf.

>165 msf59: No I haven't read The View from Castle Rock even though I own a nice hardback copy of it. And before you say what I know you're thinking I am in the middle of Trollope's Can You Forgive Her? and have the new Russ VanAlstyne/Clare Fergusson mystery waiting for me at the library and the next Pym novel needs to be squeezed in before the end of the month too. But maybe next month....

>166 Chatterbox: I haven't read anything by Henry James Suzanne but I plan to read the two I own. I'll start with What Maisie Knew.

I missed that you'd hit your 75. Congratulations!

Just stopping by to say congratulations on reaching the magic number of 75! I'm slowly making my way through the threads; my neglect of LT this year has been a matter of regret ffor me.

Some great reviews here, Bonnie.

>169 SandDune: Thanks Rhian:)

>170 Matke: Thanks Gail, I'm glad to see you:-)

I'd like to curl up just about anywhere here:)

The living room of my dreams!!!

Mark, The Fortress of Solitude was one I never got into, but I liked Chronic City more than a lot of other people, I think.

Oooooh, I'm salivating ...

Oooh, wow, send me there!

I just checked my library to see about The Man Without a Face and they have it! yay. I may be able to read it sometime in the next year (or two) :)

I'm calling that leather sofa to stretch out on! Actually, I don't think I could nap or read in that gorgeous room. Too many book distractions. I'll give up my place on the sofa because I know I'll be too busy manhandling the books!

#152 Your list of American authors looks good Bonnie! Now you've tempted me to change my list again as I also have The Portrait of a Lady and A Prayer for Owen Meany in my TBR and a few Ray Bradbury titles. Oh decisions...

#172 Oh that's lovely!

Hi Bonnie- I LOVED Castle Rock. Please try to move it up a few notches. I am sure this will be your cuppa. I am getting ready to start The Circle. I have such mixed things about this one. I am bit apprehensive.

Ohhh visitors....hello to Reba, Suzanne, Nancy, Terri, Megan, Donna, Heather and Mark. I'm glad you liked the reading room I am having installed in my imaginary retreat;-)

I'm glad your library has The Man Without a Face Megan. Allow yourself some uninterrupted time because it is unputdownable.

Heather, yes, it's the decisions that are the hard part of choosing once you start perusing the shelves. I had to put A Prayer for Owen Meany on the list as it's one of Donna's favorites.

Mark, I saw you gave Castle Rock 5 stars and immediately decided to read it in December. What made you decide to read The Circle? Was it the LT GR of it? Reviews have been decidedly mixed.

I do like Eggers and have enjoyed the 2 books I have read, especially Zeitoun. I saw that they were giving away extra ARCs of the Circle, so I requested one and received it, so I might as well give it a shot. I was also planning on starting Troubles this month, that will have to wait, for immediately after. Have you read that one?

I LOVED Troubles Mark.

LOVE the book porn in post 178, Bonnie! And if you and heather read A Prayer for Owen Meany next year, I just might have to join you as I have that one on the shelves. Hoping that your Wednesday is full of fabulous!

153 Bonnie, I was just looking at substitutions for my AAC list, as few on my original list are from my own shelves. We seem to have come up with a couple of similar solutions. I was thinking of doing a Ray Bradbury, too (though I just read Dandelion Wine a while back, so it would probably be a different one) and John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany.

>184 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie, yeah that room could be my abode for life. I would never leave. I'll be watching to see if you end up picking up A Prayer for Owen Meany.

>185 tymfos: Hi Terri, I decided to read only from the books on my shelf for this challenge. Hmmm, it's starting to look like A Prayer for Owen Meany may be a GR:-)

Bonnie, I think I've abandoned the idea of reading Owen Meany. I've started it twice, and couldn't get through it either time. I just can't make myself want to try again. And it wouldn't work in December, anyway, as I really want to do another Larry Watson.

Sometimes choosing books to read just gets way too complicated . . . ;-)

76.



Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope 4.2 stars

This was a story of three marriages and possibly the vilest literary villain, George Vavasor. Totally devoid of a conscience, or any kind of moral scruples, George is out for no one but himself. Along the way he manages to get himself engaged to be married, twice, to his cousin Alice, one of the most confounding women in literature. Page after page, for 800+ pages she put herself down, full of regrets until I wanted to scream or at least throttle her. In between her engagements to George she was engaged to the extremely marriageable John Grey.

Making up for her shortfalls is the feisty Lady Glencora who, even though we are in the Victorian Age, is not afraid to leave her husband, a rising star in Parliament by the name of Palliser, and her fortune in order to be with the man she should have married, the ne'er do well Burgo Fitzgerald. But my favorite has got to be Aunt Arabella Greenow who married a very wealthy (and very old) man first and now that he's gone and she's rich she doesn't mind taking up with a penniless former military man over the wealthy farmer, Mr. Cheesacre.

But this is Trollope so it is all great fun. Layered between the love stories are the inklings of the political story that will be developed in the subsequent volumes, the intricacies of which are merely hinted at.

Totally delightful, just as I've come to expect from Trollope.

Bonnie, lovely review of Can You Forgive Her?. Chuckled at your understandable impatience with Alice: until I wanted to scream or at least throttle her. And loved your closing line: Totally delightful, just as I've come to expect from Trollope. Yes, indeed! Thumb up from me : ).

George Vavasor makes Raskolnikov look sweet and kind and thoughtful. Lady Glencora is a pistol, though I doubt much she'd've done what Trollope has her do.

Aunt Arabella is calculating charmer, isn't she? I'll bet she made the old gent's world very happy before he died.

I really liked your review of Can You Forgive Her? I like The Pallisers far more than the Barchester series, probably because I find 19th century British politics so interesting. You are making me want to start a re- read.

>187 tymfos: Sometimes choosing books to read just gets way too complicated. Couldn't agree with you more Terri.

>189 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy, I'm already looking forward to more Trollope:-)

>190 richardderus: One thing I admire about Trollope is his meaty characters Richard. Even though I had no patience for Alice's dithering, I still understood the characterization of British women at that time.

>191 helensq: Thanks Helen, you might appreciate the Group Read and some of the commentary that is going on there. It can be found right here. (rereaders welcome:-)

I finally bought a Trollope this summer -- now to get it to the top of Mt. TBR. He really does sound delicious.

>181 brenzi: Allow yourself some uninterrupted time because it is unputdownable.
I usually read in the evening instead of watching TV. This way I get 2 hours a night to read minimum- unless I am going out. Then I read 3 sentences in a desperate attempt to just read something and then nod off ;)

>193 RebaRelishesReading: He is one of the best finds I've ever had Reba and without LT I doubt that I would have ever read anything he'd written. You're in for a treat.

>194 LovingLit: Yes, Megan, three sentences is about all I can read before nodding off too haha.

Kindle Alert!

Stephen King's 11/22/63 is just $2.99 today.

Hi, Bonnie! I'm not about to read the Putin book, but I'm happy to have read your review of it. I also commend your review of Can You Forgive Her? - and isn't that a curious concept?
I wish I had waited for the Kindle Daily Deal, but I've started 11/22/63 in the great big hardback that I just received from AMP.
And DO read Henry James - although I'm not sure that What Maisie Knew is the place I'd start. (I'd advise Portrait of a Lady or The Bostonians or Washington Square depending on how much time you wanted to devote to him.)

Hi Peggy, I have The Portrait of a Lady scheduled to read in February so I will hold off on What Maisie Knew. I don't even know how it came to be on my shelf.

What happened to you with 11/22/63 has happened to me with many books. So much so that I hesitate to purchase any really long books haha.

Bonnie, I'm glad you enjoyed the Trollope. I didn't join in on this one, but am glad to see so many people liked it. I'll probably read the last Barchester book soon though. I have a little compulsion to complete the series.

I need to read more Trollope, Bonnie. You make it sound so good. Including your excellent Can You Forgive Her review, which I've thumbed. I've only read Barchester Towers. I liked it, but wasn't tempted to continue at that time. Sounds like I need to reconsider.

Henry James is/was one of my favorite authors. I read everything he had written when I was in my 20's and haven't been back since although this summer I bought a beautiful copy of Portrait of a Lady and plan a reread of it soon.

Permaybehaps you could fit in a short James...like The Aspern Papers or The Spoils of Poynton? Both are excellent introductions to the themes that obsessed ol' Henry and aren't wrist-sprainers.

I myownself really like What Maisie Knew, but I don't think I'd recommend it as a first encounter necessarily.

Added my thumb to your review of Can You Forgive Her? Bonnie!

>198 lauralkeet: Hi Laura, yep I think Trollope will go down as one of my great finds and someone I probably wouldn't have read at all were it not for LT. I wonder when Liz is planning The Last Chronicle of Barset...

>199 jnwelch: Thanks Joe, I might not be the best person to guide you through Trollope if Barchester Towers wasn't enough to get you to continue through the rest of the Chronicles of Barsetshire. I never considered not continuing and have been delighted throughout. Liz (lyzard) is a mighty fine leader and the GR threads have been invaluable.

>200 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba, I have no idea why I have never read anything by Henry James but I will be remedying that in 2014 and I'm looking forward to it. Is The Portrait of a Lady your favorite?

>201 richardderus: Excellent suggestion Richard and thank you for that. I've been overloaded with "wrist-sprainers" lately.

>202 souloftherose: Thanks Heather!

I honestly don't remember what my favorite was (it's been 40 years since I read them). I bought it because I came across such a beautiful, leather-bound copy.

Bonnie - As usual I am a laggard and am only about to start Can You Forgive Her? today so I am waiting until I am ensconced in it to follow the reviews. It is amazing that he wasn't considered much above a journeyman writer during his day which is as unfair as it is inaccurate.

Henry James? Turn of the Screw is my present favourite but I haven't read too much by him in truth.

Have a lovely weekend.

>204 RebaRelishesReading: That's a good enough reason Reba haha.

>205 PaulCranswick: Hi there Paul. It is amazing that he wasn't considered much above a journeyman writer during his day That's nothing short of unbelievable. I am so glad to have discovered him thanks to LT. Thanks for suggesting Turn of the Screw.

Trollope's books were considered "too real" to be great literature: he didn't create, he just copied life. Also, he confessed to working at his writing like you'd work at any other job, which tagged him as a hack instead of an artist. Artists don't work, you understand...

We do not have a set date yet for The Last Chronicle Of Barset, though it will probably be February or March...or whenever I can squeeze it into an already insanely over-filled schedule! :)

Inspired by your suggestion and the excellent thread, I too have just started on Can You Forgive Her and am enjoying rediscovering Trollope.

Hi Bonnie,
I'm finally visiting your thread. I loved your review of Can You Forgive Her? and it's going on the wishlist for 2014. I have never read Trollope and this sounds like a good one.

Like Mark, I loved The View from Castle Rock and I hope you enjoy it next month. I didn't give it the full five stars, but it was close.

>207 lyzard:: We do not have a set date yet for The Last Chronicle Of Barset, though it will probably be February or March.
Oh yay! I was wondering about that. I really want to finish the series and was thinking of starting on my own, but I so enjoy reading these books as a a group so I will pencil it in for Feb/Mar.

>207 lyzard: OK Liz February or March it is. I will look forward to it of course. I hate to ask this but I guess I'd like to know: was Trollope considered less of a writer than Dickens?

>208 helensq: Oh good, Helen. I'm glad to have been able to play a small part in your Trollope re-visit:)

>209 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, it's great to see you. Trollope has been a wonderful addition to my reading this year and I'm a gushing fan so I hope you enjoy him as much as I have. Glad to know another fan of The View from Castle Rock.

>210 lauralkeet: Hi Laura!

The Barsetshire and Palliser novels were extremely well-received, along with a few of the other chunksters, but Trollope liked to experiment with styles and lengths and there was some negativity about those "lesser" works and a lot of pressure on him to keep writing the same sorts of books, which he found frustrating.

His reputation began to drop off later in his career, particularly following the publication of his autobiography with its airing of his pragmatic views on writing as a job like any other, and fell off very badly in the first half of the 20th century, when he was dismissed as a documentarian rather than a creator. There was a rediscovery and a revival in the 1960s (when ironically his "documenting" of Victorian life was highly valued from an historical perspective), and a greater appreciation of his novels has been developing since.

I don't know how (if) Dickens' reputation has risen and fallen - Peggy might be able to help you with that - but I suspect that his idiosyncracies meant that a different system of judgement may have been applied.

As I pointed out when we were doing The Warden, Dickens and Trollope were not really rivals in the sense of going "head to head": there careers overlapped only for a few years.

Cool beans. I will definitely plan to read some Trollope in 2014!

>212 lyzard: As usual, excellent insight Liz. It's always interesting to see which writers achieved long lasting success and others, who may have been very popular at the time they wrote, disappear from sight and their books are out of print in no time at all.

>213 EBT1002: There you go Ellen. When you're ready to start it you really need to use Liz's threads for The Group Reads. They really made the reading experience so much more valuable.

78.



Through the Evil Days by Julia Spencer-Fleming 4.3 stars

You’ve got to hand it to Julia Spencer-Fleming. She has ideas about the timing of her series that fly in the face of common, accepted practice among series writers. Bottom line---it has taken 30 months, almost three years, since her last book. This is fairly unprecedented among mystery series writers. Most readers want to read the latest offering every 12 months or so. But the upside of the long wait for a new book is the top notch story that the author cranks out. And the newest edition is a humdinger.

Russ and Clare are about to leave for a week of ice fishing (Clare really needs to explain to him what a real vacation looks like) when a house is burned to the ground and the two adults in the house were both shot in the head before the house was torched. But the big question is where is young Mikayla, a child who had undergone a liver transplant and needs vital immunosuppressant drugs.

As with other books in this series, there is more than one mystery to try to solve, and the quality throughout is very high in both the development of the twisting turning plot and the wonderful prose construction. And of course, Clare gets herself involved in ways that had me scratching my head and thinking, “What was she thinking?” And the usual people from the Millers Kill Police Department have plenty to do as an ice storm of epic proportions makes communication between Russ and the other police agencies impossible and finding the missing child in time nearly impossible.

All in all, another excellent edition in this high quality mystery series. And now the wait begins for the next book and it will be a particularly heart wrenching wait because, darn it all, Spencer-Fleming left us with an incredible cliff hanger.

#214 - I will check that out, Bonnie. Thanks for the tip.

Nice review, Bonnie. I thought you would like it. I'm glad she takes her time. I have a hard time keeping up with series.

I only read the first paragraph of your review Bonnie, since I will definitely read that book soon and I'm about to read One Was a Soldier. But the first paragraph was enough to assure me it will be time well spent.

Imaginary reading rooms... good.

Choosing a book can indeed be complicated at times....

I really liked 11/22/63!

I am currently reading nothing... as the reading part of my brain has shut down.

I did want to pop in and wish you a Happy Thanksgiving week :)

Tickled you are enjoying the Julia Spencer-Fleming series, Bonnie. This is one that's on my list to eventually get to. I've added my thumb to your review of Through the Evil Days : ).

#206 - 214 Loving the mini-Trollope tutorial - thanks Liz! :-)

I think Dickens' works have stayed consistently very popular since and during his lifetime - I don't know if they've also always been critically well received.

#215 Despite your excellent review I'm dodging that particular book bullet. Last time I checked her books weren't easy to find in the UK and I don't need another series!

>216 EBT1002: You are welcome Ellen and expect to have some wonderful reading ahead of you:)

>217 BLBera: Thanks Beth, I only follow a couple of series so I like to have a steady supply of new books in the pipeline. I'm planning on starting the Susan Hill Simon Serrailler series next year which has seven books already published and I still have a couple of the Matthew Shardlake mysteries by C. J. Sansom so I'm pretty well-supplied with mysteries to look forward to.

>218 lauralkeet: I loved One was a Soldier Laura and btw, thanks for introducing me to this series:-)

>219 mckait: Thank you Kath. I'm sorry to hear " reading part of my brain has shut down." That's awful. Must catch up on your thread....

>220 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy. I would highly recommend this series.

>221 souloftherose: It's definitely great to have our own Trollope expert, isn't it Heather? Very nice. I've kind of neglected Dickens this year but hope to get back on track next year. Too bad you can't get the Julia Spencer-Fleming books there. Strange, that.

So my current book is:



This is the third book in the Mapp and Lucia series that I have been enjoying haphazardly over the course of the year. It also explains why I am presently walking around with a grin on my face. I just love this kind of humor.

Bonnie, I read your review of Through the Evil Days because I trust you not to give any major spoilers. I got a kick out of the vacation comment. I love the humor in these books. I still have the Soldier book to read but may hold off a bit, though, knowing that a cliffhanger is coming in the next book.

I will busy in the kitchen the next 48 hours so will wish you a Happy Thanksgiving a bit early. I hope you avoid the projected snow that wants to mess up travel plans.

Hi Donna, I don't think the snow is missing us. No as I look out the window it definitely is not missing us LOL. I think you'll like One was a Soldier and Through the Evil Days when you get to it. I'm all caught up with this series and the Penny series so I'm going to start the Susan Hill series next year. Lots of people love that one too. Thank you for your Thanksgiving wishes. We will be going to my daughter and son-in-law's for dinner. I'm happy to pass the torch LOL.

Guess who just picked Barbara Pym's A Glass of Blessings as her book of the year? None other than Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, she of Half of a Yellow Sun and Purple Hibiscus. She calls Pym "funny and witty, brilliant at portraying the middle-class English of the 1950s, and in particular the psychology of femaleness."

Read it right here.

>226 brenzi: cool! I didn't know Pym was still active, literally (as it were??!) Or wasn't it written this year? (*going to check*)
Oooh, interesting! A new one.

I guess I will chuck it on the massive WL, it is getting so big it might crash the library systems website ;)

btw- I thoroughly disliked The Turn of the Screw ;)

Hi Megan, Pym died in 1980 and I've been reading her books this year as part of the Centenary that the Virago Group is doing and I have come to love her books. I don't think the books in that survey on The Guardian were necessarily published this year. Your thoughts on Turn of the Screw are duly noted. I think it will probably be The Aspern Papers.

Happy Thanksgiving Bonnie.

Happy Thanksgiving, Bonnie! Many happy memories made for you today.

Happy Thanksgiving, Bonnie : ).

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day and congrats on 75+!

Happy Thanksgiving to one of my best reading buddies! Have a great time with your family, Bonnie!

Happy Thanksgiving, Bonnie!

Happy Thanksgiving, Bonnie!

Happy Thanksgiving, Bonnie. Glad the snow's moved on and all is well.

To the Queen of Reviews, I may not be entirely qualified as an exiled Brit but I want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, Bonnie.

Hello to Beth, Richard, Nancy, Reba, Cee, Mark, Darryl, Joe, Lynda, and Paul.

I'm properly stuffed and and thankful for so much including my wonderful LT friends.

Happy Thanksgiving, Bonnie! Sounds like you have had a lovely day.

Happy Thanksgiving evening!

Thank you so much Cushla and Linda. We had a lovely day.

I really enjoyed The Aspern Papers, if that's any help. I seem to have a much easier time with James' shorter works than his big thick novels.

Happy belated Thanksgiving! I just ate my stuffed turkey breast (well, some of it...) tonight. didn't feel like cooking it yesterday!

>228 brenzi: I guess publication date and death-of-author date do not necessarily coincide. :) I didn't think Pym was still producing works!

Glad you had a filling and happy Thanksgiving. And hope hat you are enjoying the long weekend.

Belated happy thansgiving wishes Bonnie!

>243 Chatterbox: Hi Suzanne. I guess I'm going to try both a small and a thick book of Henry James. I generally really like getting immersed in a long book but we shall see.

>244 LovingLit: Hi Megan. It would be a shame if authors all died on the day their book was published LOL. Of course that would certainly help my teetering tower. Not much chance of it growing if all authors never got beyond their first book haha.

>245 souloftherose: Thanks so much Heather!

79.



Lucia in London by E. F. Benson

In Volume 3 of the Mapp and Lucia series, Lucia and Peppino have inherited a house in London on the death of his Aunt Amy. In true Riseholme fashion, the news travels fast from neighbor to neighbor and everyone is, of course, trying to figure out what Lucia will do---will she go or will she stay. In the end, she and Peppino decide to divide their time between Riseholme and London. They make many new friends, or at least fascinated people who are fairly astounded by the sheer audacity that is Lucia.

And Riseholme adjusts to Lucia's absence and, with the help of Daisy Quantock's Ouija board, the town's people decide to erect a museum and fill it with local antiquities that may interest tourists. There also seems to be renewed interest in golf. But after more than a few missteps on Lucia's part, it becomes more apparent that the town needs her as much as she needs it.

It's all told with great humor, just as the first two volumes were. This series just oozes with delightful passages, biting satire, one-upsmanship and intricate plotting by all involved to get the better of the next guy and I can't seem to get enough of it. Absolutely delicious.

I'll get to the Mapp and Lucia books one of these days, Bonnie. You Enabler, You! I have fallen behind as I usually do at this time of year. I did not get to the November installment of The Dance of Time yet... but that means I get to read the last two books at the same time. I'll make it a priority for December. I'm glad you had a good Thanksgiving. We still have way too much pie around here!

Woot! I am not even familiar with the Mapp and Luica series, Bonnie, but you have convinced me that has to change! Sounds irresistible: This series just oozes with delightful passages, biting satire, one-upsmanship and intricate plotting by all involved to get the better of the next guy and I can't seem to get enough of it. Absolutely delicious. And another thumb-up from me : ).

As you know, Bonnie, I just finished that very same Lucia novel myself, and enjoyed it just as much as you did. I have one more on my shelves and am in search of the others (I want them all in those lovely Moyer Bell covers). I will probably cave and buy used from somewhere, since PBS hasn't granted my wishes and there's no fairy godmother to make them arrive unannounced on my doorstep.

Hi Bonnie- Hope you are enjoying your weekend. I am loving Troubles. I am already looking forward to reading his other work. Next up, will be Night Film, which I know you had problems with. I am hoping it works for me.

>247 brenzi: A thumb was applied. I was in the vicinity when it happened. There may or may not be a causal link between these facts.

>248 Donna828: I am no more an enabler than....you are Donna haha. What?? Too much pie?? We don't consider that a problem around here;-) I am going to make the last book in A Dance to the Music of Time my next book and then (cue the Roy Orbison song here) It's over.....So sad to see it end.

>249 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy. Read the Mapp and Lucia books when you are in the mood for something light and humorous Not great literary fiction by any means but absolutely delightful.

>250 lauralkeet: I wish I had the books Laura but I've been reading a $.99 Kindle version. I don't blame you for wanting to acquire all six of the books; a nice addition to any library.

>251 msf59: Hi mark, I absolutely loved Troubles---5 stars! I have the other two books in the Empire Trilogy but have yet to read them. Maybe next year. I hope you like Night Film.

>252 richardderus: Hmmmm, I would be inclined to think there is a causal link between the two Richard. Thanks so much.