Roberta's (luvamystery65) Colorful Challenge third thread

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Roberta's (luvamystery65) Colorful Challenge third thread

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1luvamystery65
Editado: Sep 7, 2017, 5:53 pm

WELCOME TO MY COLORFUL CHALLENGE THIRD THREAD



Howdy! I'm Roberta from the suburbs of Houston, Texas US. Last year I did a very loose and unstructured challenge. I'm ready to commit to some reading I have put off long enough. I had some great ideas for themes but they didn't merge well with the things I want to read this year. I decided to use color as a way to bring my categories together.

I look forward to year of both fun and challenging reading!

I finally made it to the Pacific Northwest and one of the highlights of my trip was a visit to the Chihuly museum. It's an explosion of color so I will feature some photos of Chihuly's work throughout my thread.



color definitions/blurbs from the websites Color Matters, Color Psychology and Wiki.



I will post some things in more than one category if they apply. Where I post them in italics it is a way for me to keep track of a series, 1001 Books, or ROOT that I've counted in a different category. I won't double count but I'll double post.

TICKERS






2luvamystery65
Editado: Ene 1, 2018, 9:59 am

PINK
Feminist Authors and Novels COMPLETED



Pink is combination of the colors red and white. In almost every culture, one stereotype emerges: pink is associated with girls.

A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit COMPLETED
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf COMPLETED
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay COMPLETED
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde COMPLETED

3luvamystery65
Editado: Ene 1, 2018, 9:59 am

RED
Graphic Novels COMPLETED



Red is the color of extremes. It’s the color of passionate love, seduction, violence, danger, anger, and adventure.

Black Butler, Volume 2 by Yana Toboso COMPLETED
Maus by Art Spiegleman COMPLETED
Preacher Book 1: Gone to Texas by Garth Ennis & Steve Dillon COMPLETED
Saga Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples COMPLETED

--------------------------------------------------------
Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 3: The Flute of the Fallen Tiger by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima COMPLETED
Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 4: The Bell Warden by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima COMPLETED
Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 5: Black Wind by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima COMPLETED
Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 6: Lanterns for the Dead by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima COMPLETED
Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 7: Cloud Dragon, Wind Tiger Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima COMPLETED
Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 8: Chains of Death by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima COMPLETED
Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 9: Echo of the Assassin by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima COMPLETED

Preacher Book 2 by Garth Ennis & Steve Dillon COMPLETED
Saga Vol. 8 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples COMPLETED


4luvamystery65
Editado: Ene 1, 2018, 9:59 am

ORANGE
1001 Books to Read Before You Die COMPLETED



Orange is vibrant. It’s a polarizing color. People either love it or detest it.

I'll pick a few of these out throughout the year.



North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell COMPLETED
Bleak House by Charles Dickens COMPLETED
Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell COMPLETED
The Call of the Wild Jack London COMPLETED
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse COMPLETED
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami COMPLETED
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell COMPLETED
The Master and Margarita by Mikhil Bulgakov COMPLETED
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood COMPLETED
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte COMPLETED
Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry COMPLETED
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren COMPLETED
The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
-----------------------------------------------
Root books that fit this category

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Perfume by Patrick Suskind
A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
House Mother Normal by B.S. Johnson
Trawl by B.S. Johnson
Albert Angelo by B.S. Johnson
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carre
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft
Burmese Days George Orwell
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Hounds of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
Middlemarch George Elliot
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

5luvamystery65
Editado: Dic 29, 2017, 11:37 pm

YELLOW
Short stories, Anthologies, and Essays COMPLETED



Yellow is the most luminous of all the colors of the spectrum. It’s the color that captures our attention more than any other color.

The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan COMPLETED
Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin COMPLETED
The Whole Art of Detection: Lost Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes by Lyndsay Faye COMPLETED
The Things We Don't Do by Andrés Neuman COMPLETED
The Yellow Wallpaper and stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman COMPLETED

6luvamystery65
Editado: Ene 1, 2018, 10:00 am

GREEN
Series and Sequels COMPLETED



Since the beginning of time, green has signified growth, rebirth, and fertility.

Leaphorn and Chee Mysteries by Tony Hillerman #12-18
The First Eagle January (library) COMPLETED
Hunting Badger March (library) COMPLETED
The Wailing Wind May (library) COMPLETED
The Sinister Pig July (library) COMPLETED
Skeleton Man September (library) COMPLETED
The Shape Shifter November (library) COMPLETED

Spenser Mysteries by Robert B. Parker #22-25
Thin Air (library) COMPLETED
Chance (library) COMPLETED
Small Vices (library) COMPLETED
Sudden Mischief (library) COMPLETED

The Thirst by Jo Nesbo Harry Hole #11 COMPLETED

Dublin Murder Squad
The Secret Place COMPLETED
The Trespasser COMPLETED

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I Dare by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller COMPLETED
A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers COMPLETED
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling COMPLETED
Silence Fallen Patricia Briggs COMPLETED
The Western Star by Craig Johnson COMPLETED

7luvamystery65
Editado: Ene 1, 2018, 10:00 am

BLUE
Moby Dick and inspired works COMPLETED



Blue is the favorite color of all people. It’s nature’s color for water and sky.

The Whale: A Love Story by Mark Beauregard January COMPLETED
Moby Dick by Herman Melville COMPLETED
Why Read Moby Dick by Nathanial Philbrick (library) COMPLETED

Roberta sets sail on the Pequod!




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ahab's Wife Sena Jeter Naslund (shiny)

8luvamystery65
Editado: Ene 1, 2018, 10:02 am

PURPLE
The Chronicles of Barsetshire by Anthony Trollope COMPLETED



Purple symbolizes nobility and luxury to most people in the world. Purple is also a color of mourning. One of the most significant aspects of purple’s symbolism is the generational divide. Most young people view purple as a happy color. No baggage. Older adults view the color through a broader perspective.

The Warden (1855) COMPLETED
https://www.librarything.com/topic/140276#3649477
Barchester Towers (1857) COMPLETED
https://www.librarything.com/topic/144010
Doctor Thorne (1858) COMPLETED
https://www.librarything.com/topic/150713
Framley Parsonage (1861) August COMPLETED
https://www.librarything.com/topic/154823 & https://www.librarything.com/topic/154997
The Small House at Allington (1864) September COMPLETED
https://www.librarything.com/topic/157636
The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867) December https://www.librarything.com/topic/170949 COMPLETED



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope COMPLETED
Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope COMPLETED
The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope

9luvamystery65
Editado: Ene 1, 2018, 10:02 am

BROWN
ROOTS COMPLETED



Brown is made combining many of the colors. It is included in the orange family. It represents stability, structure and security.

I'll pull these off the shelves month to month.



Evicted by Matthew Desmond COMPLETED
Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold COMPLETED
Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler COMPLETED
Final Boarding by A.J. Mayers COMPLETED
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers COMPLETED
The Mothers: A Novel by Brit Bennett COMPLETED
Old Man's War by John Scalzi COMPLETED
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman COMPLETED
The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey COMPLETED
Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs COMPLETED
A Country Doctor by Franz Kafka COMPLETED

10luvamystery65
Editado: Ene 1, 2018, 10:09 am

BLACK
Bustle's 11 Books That Will Make You Think Even More Deeply About The #BlackLivesMatter Movement COMPLETED https://www.bustle.com/articles/103714-11-books-that-will-make-you-think-even-mo...



Black is the absorption of all color and the absence of light.

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine COMPLETED
Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 by Anna Deavere Smith (shiny)
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (library)
Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward (library)
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin COMPLETED
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander July COMPLETED
Native Son by Richard Nathaniel Wright (library)
The Color Purple by Alice Walker COMPLETED
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (shiny) COMPLETED
Assata by Assata Shakur

The goal is not to read all of these this year, but read what I can and add to this list.

11luvamystery65
Editado: Ene 1, 2018, 10:02 am

GRAY
Gothic/Horror/Dark Romantics/Weird Fiction (New Weird) COMPLETED



Grey (British English) or gray (American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is a color "without color". It is the color of a cloud-covered sky, of ash and of lead.

Horror! Group reads

Jan - Stephen King & Family - family month The Breathing Method by Stephen King COMPLETED
Feb - Shirley Jackson - psychological suspense The Lottery and Seven Other Stories by Shirley Jackson COMPLETED
Mar - Richard Matheson - creatures I am Legend by Richard Matheson COMPLETED
Apr - Daphne du Maurier - books made into films The Birds: and other stories by Daphne duMaurier COMPLETED
May - J. Sheridan le Fanu - ghosts In a Glass Darkly by Sheridan Le Fanu (Hoopla) COMPLETED
June - Ann Radcliffe - gothic The Mysteries of Udolpho (Hoopla audio) COMPLETED
July - Clive Barker/Neil Gaiman- GN/YA The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman COMPLETED
Aug - Flannery O'Connor - Women The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell COMPLETED
Sept - Poppy Z. Brite/Tananarive Due - diveristy Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff COMPLETED
Oct - Joyce Carol Oates - modern The Changeling by Victor LaValle COMPLETED
Nov - Edgar Allan Poe - short stories & poetry Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe COMPLETED
Dec - Marjorie Bowen - crime & mystery The Crown Derby Plate by Marjorie Bowen COMPLETED

12luvamystery65
Editado: Ene 1, 2018, 10:03 am

WHITE
Misc... COMPLETED



In color psychology white is the color of new beginnings, wiping the slate clean, so to speak. It is the blank canvas waiting to be written upon. While white isn't stimulating to the senses, it opens the way for the creation of anything the mind can conceive.

This is my overflow category where anything that doesn't fit elsewhere goes.



Swing Time by Zadie Smith COMPLETED
What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear by Danielle Ofri COMPLETED
Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag COMPLETED
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman COMPLETED
The Moorland Cottage by Elizabeth Gaskell COMPLETED
Mr. Harrison's Confessions by Elizabeth Gaskell COMPLETED

13luvamystery65
Editado: Ene 1, 2018, 10:11 am

BOOKS READ



Another homage to my trip to the Pacific Northwest. This is the fantastic The Elliot Bay Book Company.


http://www.elliottbaybook.com/

January
1. Why Read Moby Dick? Nathaniel Philbrick (library)
2. Evicted by Matthew Desmond (ROOT)
3. The Breathing Method by Stephen King (library)
4. The Whale: A Love Story by Mark Beauregard (ROOT)
5. Swing Time by Zadie Smith (Shiny)
6. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (ROOT)
7. The First Eagle by Tony Hillerman (library)
8. Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold (ROOT)
9. Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler (ROOT)
10. The Warden by Anthony Trollope (ROOT)
11. Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 3: The Flute of the Fallen Tiger by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima (library)
12. Final Boarding by A.J. Mayers (ROOT)
February
13. Thin Air by Robert B. Parker (library)
14. Bleak House by Charles Dickens (shiny)
15. Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 4: The Bell Warden by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima (library)
16. Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine (ROOT)
17. What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear by Danielle Ofri (Shiny)
18. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (ROOT)
19. The Mothers: A Novel by Brit Bennett (ROOT)
20. The Lottery and Seven other Stories by Shirley Jackson (library)
21. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf (ROOT)
22. Old Man's War by John Scalzi (ROOT)
March
23. I am Legend by Richard Matheson (library)
24. Preacher, Book 1: Gone to Texas by Garth Ennis & Steve Dillon (library)
25. The Secret Place by Tana French (ROOT)
26. Hunting Badger by Tony Hillerman (library)
27. The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina Keegan (library)
28. Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 5: Black Wind by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima
29. The Whole Art of Detection: Lost Mysteries Sherlock Holmes by Lyndsay Faye (Shiny)
30. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (ROOT)
31. The Expats by Chris Pavone (ROOT)
32. Saga Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (Shiny)
33. Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin (ROOT)
April
34. The Color Purple by Alice Walker (ROOT)
35. A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit (ROOT)
36. The Birds by Daphne duMaurier (library)
37. Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag (Shiny)
38. The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey (ROOT)
39. Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs (ROOT)
40. Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 6: Lanterns of the Dead by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima (library)
41. Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope (ROOT)
42. Lab Girl by Hope Jahren (ROOT)
43. Maus by Art Spiegleman (ROOT)
44. I Dare by Sharone Lee & Steve Miller (Shiny)
May
45. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (shiny)
46. Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 7: Cloud Dragon, Wind Tiger by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima (library)
47. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (shiny)
48. The Wailing Wind by Tony Hillerman (library)
49. The Trespasser by Tana French (ROOT)
50. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay (ROOT)
51. Chance by Robert B. Parker (library)
52. Call of the Wild by Jack London (ROOT)
53. Black Butler, Vol. 2 by Yana Toboso (ROOT)
June
54. In A Glass Darkly by Sheridan Le Fanu (library)
55. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (shiny)
56. Dr. Thorne by Anthony Trollope (ROOT)
57. The Things We Don't Do by Andrés Neuman (ROOT)
58. Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 8: Chains of Death by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima (library)
July
59. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (ROOT)
60. The Sinister Pig by Tony Hillerman (ROOT)
61. Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 9: Echo of the Assassin by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima (library)
62. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskill (ROOT)
63. Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs (library)
64. Preacher Book 2 by Garth Ennis & Steve Dillon (library)
65. The Moorland Cottage by Elizabeth Gaskell (library)
66. The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliff (shiny)
67. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander (shiny)
68. Mr. Harrison's Confessions by Elizabeth Gaskell (library)
August
69. Siddartha by Herman Hesse (ROOT)
70. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville (shiny)
71. Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope (ROOT)
72. The Thirst by Jo Nesbo (shiny)
73. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (library)
74. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (library)
75. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (ROOT)
September
76. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (ROOT)
77. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (library)
78. Skeleton Man by Tony Hillerman (library)
79. The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope (ROOT)
80. Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff (ROOT)
81. The Western Star by Craig Johnson (shiny)
October
82. The Old Nurse's Story and other tales by Elizabeth Gaskell (library)
83. Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope (library)
84. The Changeling by Victor Lavalle (library)
85. The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope (ROOT)
86. Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry (shiny)
87. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (ROOT)
88. The Yellow Wallpaper and other stories by Charlotte Perkins Gillman (shiny)
November
89. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (Shiny)
90. The Shape Shifter by Tony Hillerman (library)
91. Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope (library)
92. Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde (shiny)
93. How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind by Dana K. White (shiny)
94. The Fall of the House of Usher The Pit and the Pendulum The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe (shiny)
December
95. The Crown Derby Plate by Majorie Bowen (library)
96. 2 a.m. at the Cat's Pajamas by Marie-Helen Bertino (shiny)
97. The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope (library)
98. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (ROOT)
99. Sudden Mischief by Robert B. Parker (library)
100. A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin (ROOT)
101. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (shiny)
102. The Country Doctor by Franz Kafka (ROOT)
103. Saga Vol. 8 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples (library)

14luvamystery65
Editado: Sep 7, 2017, 7:20 pm

Book Bullets


The photo is my homage to Judy, little Miss Sureshot, who can shoot out those BB forwards, backwards and riding on her horse!

1. GUS OPENSHAW'S WHALE-KILLING JOURNAL: A Novel by Keith Thompson hit by Judy (DeltaQueen) because of course she should hit me with the first book bullet! ;-)

2. $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn J. Edin hit by Katie (katiekrug)

3. The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry by Lori (lkernagh)

4. What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear by Danielle Ofri by Darryl (kidzdoc) Well aimed

5. Christmas Days: 12 stories and 12 feasts for 12 days by Jeanette Winterson by Ardene (markon)

6. News of the World by Paulette Jiles by (clue)

7. The Assault by Harry Mulisch by Darryl (kidzdoc)

8. How Nancy Jackson Married Kate Wilson by Mark Twain by (mamzel)

9. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles by Mark (msf59)

10. Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton by Lisa (LisaMorr)

11. Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag by Mamie (Crazymamie) Bullseye! Damn good shot

HEYER RECOMMENDATION LIST (saving this here so I can plan a few for next year)
more intimate than the usual Heyer pairing.

Thanks to Julia (rosalita)

4.5 stars

* Black Sheep has everything a great Heyer novel needs: A feisty, independent heroine; a well-dressed, well-born hero who has no time for the insipid niceties of society’s norms; an older, well-meaning but scatterbrained woman to remind us what those societal norms were; a young naïve girl whose beauty has men swarming; and a handsome, charming fortune-hunter with an eye for young naïve beauties. The sparky dialogue between Abigail and Miles might remind you of Bacall and Bogart.

* A Civil Contract is notable for being very different from the usual Heyer formula, in large part because it doesn't end at the altar but rather begins there. A marriage of convenience between a handsome but penniless young aristocrat and a rich but plain commoner goes through some of the most realistic bumps and bruises that Heyer ever wrote. It seems people either love or hate this one for its genre-busting elements.

* Cotillion might be the laugh-out-loud funniest Heyer romance. Young Kitty rebels against her rich guardian’s demand that she marry one of his nephews or be turned out without a pence in her pocket, and contrives the most ridiculous scheme you could ever hope to read about to make sure she ends up snaring the one nephew she can stand. Her partner in crime is a goofball named Freddy, who defies every stereotype of a Heyer hero to great effect.

* Frederica was the Heyer that hooked me for good, after a positive experience with The Grand Sophy. Frederica’s complications include a heroine with two younger brothers with a penchant for getting into trouble, and a hero with two older sisters who seethe at his refusal to lift a finger to help their own children become established in society even as he involves himself in Frederica’s family tangles. Delightful.

* The Nonesuch sets an aristocrat down in the midst of landed gentry and other lesser beings, with amusing results. I also applied two of my quirkiest tags that might give you a hint: "cool dudes named Waldo" and "insufferable girls named Tiffany". Its country setting, away from London or Bath, gives it a fresher feeling than some others that focus exclusively on The Season.

* The heroine in Venetia is another of those independent women whose focus isn’t on marriage until she meets a dissolute rake whose past hides a scandalous secret. Some people say Venetia is too modern to be believable, but I love her and also her interactions with Jasper, which are less sparky and more intimate than the usual Heyer pairing.
Reply | More

4 stars

* I think I liked Bath Tangle more than most people, so take that into consideration. The heroine is a spitfire and her romantic foil is one of those ungentlemanly gentlemen that Heyer wrote so well. One of the tags I put on this one is "romantic quadrangles" which certainly sounds intriguing, doesn't it?

* My first Heyer, on recommendation from Liz, was The Grand Sophy and it’s an excellent introduction to the usual Heyer tropes. Sophy is, of course, unconventional, set down amidst a family of stuffy people who need to be shaken up just a bit, which she does with a vengeance.

* It’s appropriate that Sylvester is the only Heyer Regency with a subtitle, Or The Wicked Uncle, since a major plot point is a book written by the heroine with that title. Some of the tags I put on this one include "runaway women", "anonymous novelists", "kidnapping", "dogs", and "precocious children". Another one with its fair share of adventure in the big finish. It's rollicking good fun.

* These Old Shades is different in several ways. Most prominently, it’s set in the Georgian rather than Regency period, and largely in Paris rather than England. The hero is not very appealing, especially at first, and the several “mysteries” at the heart of the book just aren’t very mysterious. This one earned a fourth star strictly for the character of Leonie, a most unusual Heyer heroine who I enjoyed very much.

* The Unknown Ajax has a very unusual hero for Heyer and some plotting that dances along the line between romance and adventure. It’s also subversively funny in the way it mocks the classist assumptions of the English gentry. I liked this one even better when I read it the second time.

* Like The Unknown Ajax and Sylvester, The Tollgate also walks a fine line between romance and adventure. It has a completely unique set-up and is mostly told from the hero's POV. I liked it both because it was different and because it was very funny. As a bonus, the adventurous plotline wasn't completely ridiculous.

All of these were rated 3.5 by me, with a selection of the tags I used for each:
* Arabella — spunky girls, mistaken identity
* Charity Girl — mistreated relatives, romances where the hero and heroine don’t end up together
* Cousin Kate — intrigue, madness, shifty relatives
* Devil’s Cub — sequel to These Old Shades
* Regency Buck — wards and guardians, troublesome brothers, relatives who aren’t what they seem
* Sprig Muslin — runaways, marriages of convenience, precocious children
* The Corinthian — cross dressing, marriages of convenience
* April Lady — marriages of convenience (hmm, a pattern?), gambling, troublesome sisters
* The Convenient Marriage — Georgian, marriages of convenience (yep, definitely a pattern), gambling, wives who misbehave
* The Quiet Gentleman — more mystery than romance, attempted murder

And just to round it out, the 3 star reads in no particular order:
* An Infamous Army — this one got a star deducted for pages and pages of battle scenes at Waterloo, but if that’s your thing move this one higher.
* Faro's Daughter
* The Foundling
* Friday’s Child
* The Talisman Ring
* The Reluctant Widow
* Beauvallet
* The Masqueraders
* False Colours
* Powder and Patch
* Pistols for Two And Other Stories — an uneven collection of shorts

15luvamystery65
Editado: Nov 20, 2017, 11:18 am

Currently Reading





A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin

The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope

The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe

still on the list but not touching at the moment

Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin

17luvamystery65
Editado: Sep 7, 2017, 7:27 pm

PERSONAL PHOTOS



My amazing stay in Port Townsend, WA where our vacation rental looked out on Discovery Bay. The colors were gorgeous. I found a handmade poncho at a farmers market that captured the blues and greens in this part of the country. October 2016



With the lovely Lisa (LisaMorr) at Brazos Bookstore, March 1, 2017 for the book signing Q&A with Glenn Frankel author of High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic



A collection of Sherlockian short stories by the fabulous Lyndsay Faye. Most of the stories were previously published but she has expanded them and there are a couple of originals. Delightful!

I was fortunate enough to see Faye again on March 21st where she was promoting this book and the paperback version of Jane Steele

I went to see John Scalzi at Brazos Bookstore on March 27th. What a treat! He's very entertaining!



I read my first Scalzi, Old Man's War this year. I plan to read a couple more before the year is out.



18luvamystery65
Editado: Sep 7, 2017, 7:29 pm

Next one is yours.

19lkernagh
Sep 7, 2017, 8:56 pm

Happy new thread, Roberta!

20rabbitprincess
Sep 8, 2017, 2:43 am

Happy new thread! Loved going through your categories again and seeing how colourful they are! It is raining here today, so that shot of colour is exactly what I needed :)

21mstrust
Sep 8, 2017, 12:13 pm

Happy new thread, Roberta!

22DeltaQueen50
Sep 8, 2017, 12:33 pm

Hi Roberta, I've loved pouring over your lists of books read so far this year. I can see that Elizabeth Gaskell is a favorite of yours and an author that I need to get to. I've been very pleased with my reading from the 1001 list and I'm looking forward to adding more books to the 149 that I have so far.

23luvamystery65
Sep 8, 2017, 2:38 pm

>19 lkernagh: Thank you Lori!

>20 rabbitprincess: Thank you. I love the color categories as well. I plan to keep the theme for next year. I'm just going to tweak it a bit.

>21 mstrust: Thanks Jennifer!

>22 DeltaQueen50: Judy I really think you will love Gaskell as much as I have. I really wanted to read North and South for a long time and I had a copy of Mary Barton for a couple of years. I am enjoying her short stories. They aren't all as strong as her novels, but she has some good ones. Cranford is quite different than her northern novels. It was a nice collection of stories about an English village. I'm reading her works in publication order now. Up next will be Ruth which is according to Liz her most scandalous due to the subject matter. I look forward to it.

Gaskell has been a very pleasant surprise for me this year. She has a few works that are also 1001 books, so that's a great bonus for me.

24christina_reads
Sep 8, 2017, 5:04 pm

>14 luvamystery65: Love the Heyer recommendation list! It reminds me yet again why I love her books (not that I actually needed a reminder!).

25EBT1002
Sep 9, 2017, 1:11 am

Hi Roberta and happy new thread. I hope you and yours are well down there in Texas.

And I love the photo of you looking out the window at Port Townsend. It's one of my favorite places. And of course Elliott Bay Books. :-)

26MissWatson
Sep 11, 2017, 4:01 pm

Happy new thread, Roberta. Lovely photos. I hope you're safe!

27LisaMorr
Sep 11, 2017, 4:52 pm

Haven't read any Elizabeth Gaskell yet, but I did pick up Ruth from Kaboom Books when I was in Houston 3 weeks ago; I need to move her up the list!

I also enjoyed your Heyer recommendation list from Rosalita - I've been picking quite of few of these up over time, but haven't delved in yet. All but two of mine are on your list; maybe I'll work from the bottom to the top?

28Berly
Sep 14, 2017, 11:27 pm

Just read my first Heyer in ages, The Grand Sophy, and I loved it! Plan to fit in a few more in the near future. Where is your photo with Craig Johnson? : )

29luvamystery65
Sep 16, 2017, 9:07 am

>24 christina_reads: I haven't read any Heyer but I do have a few Kindle deals so I saved that recommendation by Julia.

>25 EBT1002: Doing well here Ellen. Waiting on someone to check out my roof. Seems I got some water in 2 of my vents but the attic is dry and cousin Joe got on the roof to check it out and it looks okay. I'm not panicking.

It's almost the anniversary of my trip and I can't wait for all the FB memory photos to pop up!

>26 MissWatson: Thank you my family is safe and sound. We were very lucky.

>27 LisaMorr: I haven't delved in to the Heyer yet. Probably year after next. I want to read a bit more non-English authors next year, with the exception of a couple of planned reads I already have in mind. One of those is to continue on with exploring Elizabeth Gaskell in publishing order. I need to finish the collection The Old Nurse's Story and I will be ready to start Ruth. Perhaps a shared read in late November?

>28 Berly: I think I'll put off Heyer for now, but I do look forward to reading her.

speaking of Craig Johnson...

30luvamystery65
Sep 16, 2017, 9:10 am

I was able to see Craig Johnson at Murder by the Book in Houston on Monday evening. He is very funny and such a natural storyteller.







This time I was earlier in line and I was able to share with Craig and his wife Judy about our group. They thought that was pretty cool.

Got a photo of him signing Kim's book. >28 Berly: Guess you won't have to wait on the library anymore. (Kim was #57 in the library queue with 11 copies in circulation.)





>28 Berly: Kim you've been with me on my projects since Spenser. It's been a pleasure to share ups, downs and rants with you.

31luvamystery65
Sep 16, 2017, 11:14 am

Currently reading:

A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin - Reading this one slowly. A story in the evening.

The Western Star by Craig Johnson - Started this one but I'm working this weekend so I'll likely pick it up again after I finish my library book.

The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope - This one I had targeted for next month, but I wanted to start since it's long and the last one in the series is even longer. This is an audio and I love the narration by Timothy West.

The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell - Started this collection for my last month Horror! group read. I'll pick up again towards the end of the month and carry over into October.

The Changeling by Victor LaValle - Picked it up from the or this month's Horror! group selection. I'll likely concentrate on this tomorrow and Monday on my days off. The theme is diversity.

I also have Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff as an alternative for Horror! group. I've had this on the shelf since it came out and I picked up the audio as well. I'll get to it sometime this month and carry over into October.

32ronincats
Sep 16, 2017, 2:48 pm

Hi, Ro! Looks like it was a great book signing experience.

33EBT1002
Sep 17, 2017, 1:53 pm

That was so cool of you to get a copy of the newest Longmire novel for Kim! And you got to meet the man yourself. Fun.

You have a number of books actively going right now, Ro. I am always impressed by that. I try it now and then but I do seem to slip back into my habit of having one book going at a time. Right now I am reading a mystery novel and a graphic novel simultaneously but that seems to be about as far as I can split my attention.

I hope you are doing well.

34mstrust
Sep 17, 2017, 4:49 pm

Those are great photos of your book signing. You look very happy to meet him.

35Berly
Sep 23, 2017, 1:19 pm

>30 luvamystery65: It came! It came!! Thank you so much for The Western Star, signed by the one and only Craig Johnson. I have to finish up one book and then it's next up! Gotta find out what's up with Sherif Longmire. : )

36VivienneR
Sep 23, 2017, 1:54 pm

Happy new thread Roberta! It's been fun reviewing what you have read as well as what is still on the "possibles" list. Bullets are flying, especially Craig Johnson's. Thanks for sharing the great photos.

37luvamystery65
Editado: Sep 23, 2017, 6:39 pm

>32 ronincats: Yes it was.

>33 EBT1002: It's a joy to to have the opportunity to give signed books to friends Ellen. I met Johnson last year, but his plane was very late due to weather. This year was much more relaxed and I really enjoyed telling him about our reading project.

I absolutely don't know how to read just 1 book at a time. I usually have about 5 or 6 started and actively read 3, while a few more just stare at me from the nightstand. ;-)

>34 mstrust: Thank you. He is quite a charmer.

>35 Berly: Yeehaw!

>36 VivienneR: Thank you. This year I've really stuck to my original goals. I think I finally found the right combination of planned and unplanned flexible reading. I'm likely going to stick to the same theme or very similar theme next year. I've loved the Longmire series. It has gotten better and better. I see myself rereading this series one day.

38Berly
Sep 30, 2017, 8:05 pm

>30 luvamystery65: Roberta--Boy Howdy!! Finished The Western Star. Craig better publish the next one soon, just saying. I do love this series. I could see waiting a few years and then reading them again; or better yet, listening on audio--love Guidall's narration. Thank again for the book and for our yearly mystery thread. You are the best! : )

39LisaMorr
Oct 2, 2017, 10:29 am

>29 luvamystery65: Hi Ro! I'll pencil in Ruth for the end of November.

40luvamystery65
Oct 2, 2017, 11:35 am

>38 Berly: I finished The Western Star on Saturday too. Boy Howdy! This is probably the best one yet. I get what you mean about the alternating timelines. Johnson did that a bit in Another Man's Mocassins and again in Spirit of Steamboat. It's tricky but I think it works for Walt.

>39 LisaMorr: I'm glad you'll join me Lisa.

41luvamystery65
Oct 2, 2017, 11:45 am

Currently reading

Still working on A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin and The Old Nurse's Story and other Tales by Elizabeth Gaskell

Started The Changeling by Victor LaValle and I'll finish for October

More spooky reads ahead include Perfume by Patrick Suskind, Interstate 10 by Ken Berglund, The Witch of Lime Street by David Jaher

I also started the first Pallister novel, Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope as it was recommended by Liz to read before The Last Chronicle of Barset.These books are getting longer and more complicated! I borrowed the audio from Hoopla with Simon Vance narrating. He's a great narrator, but I do love Timothy West's narration of this series.

42EBT1002
Oct 8, 2017, 8:33 pm

I've said it on a couple other threads: the love for the latest Walt Longmire has me anxious to get to it. I'm queuing up Any Other Name, which is my next one in the series, for listening to during my commute this week. I love George Guidall's narration of these!

43luvamystery65
Oct 9, 2017, 1:38 pm

>42 EBT1002: Ellen all the Longmire's are good, but Any Other Name requires a little suspension of disbelief. You'll know what I mean when you get there, but you should still enjoy the ride. ;-)

44Berly
Oct 23, 2017, 7:04 pm

How are the spooky reads going? : )

45EBT1002
Oct 25, 2017, 9:43 pm

I am indeed enjoying Any Other Name, although making my way through it rather slowly since it's an audiobook. I love Guidall's narration of these tales.

46Berly
Nov 1, 2017, 12:02 am



Trick or Treat!

47mathgirl40
Editado: Nov 1, 2017, 7:41 am

>41 luvamystery65: The Changeling looks good. I enjoyed reading The Ballad of Black Tom earlier this year and have been wanting to read more of LaValle's work.

48luvamystery65
Nov 1, 2017, 2:02 pm

>44 Berly: I didn't read enough spooky reads this year, but I loved the one I did.

>45 EBT1002: Guidall rocks the Longmires!

>46 Berly: Thanks Kim!

>47 mathgirl40: I loved The Changeling. I'll be mentioning LaValle in my ScaredyKIT month of Weird Fiction. Although he's not narrowly defined as a weird fiction writer, he does meet the broader definition. He is certainly inspired by Lovecraft, although he wonderfully turns him (HPL) on his head.

49mathgirl40
Nov 1, 2017, 2:34 pm

>48 luvamystery65: Good idea. I hadn't thought of using LaValle for that month's ScaredyKIT challenge, but that would work!

50EBT1002
Nov 6, 2017, 11:23 am

*waving at Ro*

51katiekrug
Nov 6, 2017, 2:21 pm

Howdy, Ro!

52lkernagh
Nov 12, 2017, 10:26 am

Stopping by to get caught up Ro and to say "Hi There!".

53DeltaQueen50
Nov 13, 2017, 4:32 pm

You must be busy right now, Ro, how's the reading going?

54mamzel
Nov 14, 2017, 12:31 pm

Thanks for all the pictures of you on your author visits. They look like so much fun. I haven't been to one in a while, goldarnit!

Catching up with everyone! Hope you have a wonderful rest of the year.

55Berly
Nov 14, 2017, 3:13 pm

Waving Hi!!

56DeltaQueen50
Nov 23, 2017, 11:57 pm

Hope you are having a great Thanksgiving, Ro!

57rabbitprincess
Nov 24, 2017, 4:21 pm

Hi Roberta! Happy Christmas-murder-mystery-thread day :) https://www.librarything.com/topic/275975

58luvamystery65
Nov 26, 2017, 1:33 pm

Thank you all for keeping my thread warm.

>49 mathgirl40: I don't think you can wrong with Victor LaValle.
>50 EBT1002: *waves back
>51 katiekrug: Howdy KAK!
>52 lkernagh: Hello
>53 DeltaQueen50: Yes, very busy. Reading has suffered, but I've been reading longer books.
>54 mamzel: I love my author visits.
>55 Berly: Hi!
>56 DeltaQueen50: It was nice until I had to take my aunt to the ER for back pain. They sorted her out and we went back home.
>57 rabbitprincess: WOO!!!

59luvamystery65
Editado: Nov 26, 2017, 2:25 pm

Currently, I am listening to The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope. It wasn't in my plans to go beyond The Barsetshire Chronicles this year, but then Liz had to mention that it would be better to read the first Palliser novel before the last Barset novel, and here I am! I just finished Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde. It was very heavy, but excellent. I'll have to read her poetry. I'm not a huge poetry person, but after these essays, I believe I should at least try her poetry out. I'm still plucking away at A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin. I truly love her writing. Some of stories hit too close to home with the alcoholism. I live with one, don't want to read about it right now. Still, it's a beautiful collection of stories and I am winding my way through. I have an annotated Poe collection I bought and I'm reading three of the stories for my Horror! Group selection this month, Fall of the House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum and The Purloined Letter. The three stories are listed in the 1001 Books to read before you die collection. I'll read those three, count it as one book read, and put the rest of the book aside to finish next year. I also joined the group read of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami over in the 75 Group. I'm a bit stalled out on it. I've picked up again as Whispersync. It seems to help. This is my third attempt at Murakami. I tried 1Q84 a few years ago, but put it aside. I read Kafka on the Shore earlier this year. I had a mixed reaction to it. I see why he is so beloved, but as a woman, I am bothered by his writing. I can't quite put my finger on it, which is why I am still reading him.

I hope to finish my Shirley Jackson biography by the end of the year and read Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell. I also want to read Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 by Anna Deavere Smith to close out my category challenge officially. Of course, I always make time for a Christmas murder mystery. I have to find my book, The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay, but I'm also reading 2 am at the Cat's Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino for my RL book club. I also hope to fit in The Crown Derby Plate by Marjorie Bowen for my last Horror! read.

Yes, I joined a RL book club! I've only been to one meeting. It was interesting. They mainly get together to drink wine, but that suits me. Y'all are my book club that I wouldn't trade for the world.

60lyzard
Nov 26, 2017, 2:03 pm

>59 luvamystery65:

I did, but I was referring to Can You Forgive Her? I've lost track a little with your reading: did you already tackle that?

That's a pretty impressive collection of reading, Ro!

61luvamystery65
Nov 26, 2017, 2:22 pm

>60 lyzard: Yes Liz, I read Can You Forgive Her?, Phineas Finn and I've started The Eustace Diamonds because I want to get back to Phineas. I can't stop myself. ;-) I do believe we have a murder mystery in Phineas Redux. I'm always excited for a murder.

62lyzard
Nov 26, 2017, 2:40 pm

Oh, good! I was worried for a moment I'd led you astray. :)

Yes, indeed we do...

63luvamystery65
Nov 26, 2017, 2:42 pm

>62 lyzard: You would never lead me astray Liz.

YES!

64Berly
Nov 28, 2017, 5:54 am

>59 luvamystery65: Goodness gracious! How do you keep all those straight in your head? The only one I am connected to is the Murakami. I hope TWUBC picks up for you. He is interesting, disturbing and thought provoking. I hear what you are saying about his portrayal of women. At least there was a little bit of an equalizer in this one. I found Book 2 a little slow, and then really enjoyed 3 and 4.

65Roro8
Nov 30, 2017, 2:35 pm

Just stopping by to say Hi, it looks like you have been very busy lately.

66ronincats
Nov 30, 2017, 6:46 pm

Just doing a bit of thread-warming here!

67Berly
Dic 14, 2017, 12:31 am

And here...

68EBT1002
Editado: Dic 21, 2017, 11:58 am

Hello Roberta! I hope you are doing well. I'm planning to do more of the Category Challenges in 2018 but I think I will only maintain one thread, that in the 75ers group. I can't imagine trying to keep up with two threads..... But the CATs look like fun!

69ronincats
Dic 23, 2017, 5:17 pm

It is that time of year again, between Solstice and Christmas, just after Hanukkah, when our thoughts turn to wishing each other well in whatever language or image is meaningful to the recipient. So, whether I wish you Happy Solstice or Merry Christmas, know that what I really wish you, and for you, is this:

70EBT1002
Dic 23, 2017, 5:18 pm



Roberta, I'm wishing you a holiday season filled with light, love, laugher, and good books.

71lkernagh
Dic 23, 2017, 7:53 pm

Hi Roberta, stopping by to wish you and your loved ones peace, joy and happiness this holiday season and for 2018!

72VivienneR
Dic 25, 2017, 11:01 am

73lsh63
Dic 25, 2017, 12:29 pm

Merry Christmas Roberta!

74Berly
Dic 26, 2017, 4:13 pm

Happy Boxing Day!!

75luvamystery65
Ene 1, 2018, 10:12 am

Happy New Year everyone! Thank you for the holiday greetings.

I officially completed my Category Challenge on 12/30/17 with The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin.



My new thread for 2018 is here http://www.librarything.com/topic/270737

I highlighted my favorites of 2017 by each category and also some monthly favorites here, http://www.librarything.com/topic/268929#6170467 I'll narrow it down on my new thread. See you there.

76VivienneR
Ene 2, 2018, 3:13 pm

Happy New Year! Looking forward to following your reading in 2018.

77richardderus
Ene 2, 2018, 5:14 pm

...so THIS is where you've stoured off...all right, I'm here, all will now proceed according to the Divine Plan.

78luvamystery65
Ene 2, 2018, 5:35 pm

>77 richardderus: I gave you last year's thread. Sorry! Addled brained. Here is my 2018 thread.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/270737