rabbitprincess paints a portrait of her reading year in 2019 - Part 4

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rabbitprincess paints a portrait of her reading year in 2019 - Part 4

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1rabbitprincess
Editado: Dic 15, 2019, 5:30 pm

The Scottish Art Category Challenge



The sign outside the Glasgow School of Art

This challenge is inspired by a 2008 documentary called "A Portrait of Scotland," presented by Peter Capaldi, that finally flipped the switch for me with regard to art appreciation.

Each of my usual categories will be illustrated by a work of Scottish art. Most of these are portraits featured in the program, but there are some landscapes and still lifes (still lives?) as well.

General fiction – The Blue Hat (J. D. Fergusson)
General non-fiction – Old Willie (James Guthrie)
Historical fiction – Walter Scott (Henry Raeburn)
Historical non-fiction – Mary Queen of Scots (after Nicholas Hilliard)
Mysteries – Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room (Steven Campbell)
SFF – The Mysterious Garden (Margaret Mackintosh)
Graphic novels and other miscellaneous books – Self-portrait (George Jamesone)
Audio – The Mantelpiece (Anne Redpath)
Plays – Tilda Swinton (John Byrne)
French – Boats at Royan (Samuel John Peploe)
Rereads – David Hume (Allan Ramsay)
Group reads – Poets' Pub (Sandy Moffat)
Scotland – Twa Plack (Calum Colvin)

ROOT 2019 ticker:




The 2019 Pool:



The BingoDOG:

2rabbitprincess
Editado: Dic 14, 2019, 9:41 am

General fiction – The Blue Hat (J. D. Fergusson)



Fergusson was one of a group known as the Scottish Colourists, who were influenced by the Impressionists and French modernist artists in the early years of the 20th century. In the documentary, Peter sketches this painting and laments that people don't wear fancy hats like this very often these days.

1. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman
2. First Term at Malory Towers, by Enid Blyton
3. The Little Drummer Girl, by John le Carré
4. Bleak House, by Charles Dickens (Serial Reader)
5. The Blue Castle, by L. M. Montgomery (Faded Page)
6. A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman (translated by Henning Koch)
7. In the Wet, by Nevil Shute
8. Corporal Cameron of the North West Mounted Police, by Ralph Connor (Project Gutenberg)
9. Shadow the Baron, by John Creasey (writing as Anthony Morton) (Overdrive)
10. The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk
11. The Aviator, by Ernest K. Gann
12. The Good Shepherd, by C.S. Forester
13. The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair (Serial Reader)
14. The Mayor of Côte St. Paul, by Ronald J. Cooke
15. The Looking-Glass War, by John le Carré
16. Tom Jones, by Henry Fielding (Serial Reader)
17. Running Blind, by Desmond Bagley
18. Medicine Walk, by Richard Wagamese
19. A Grue of Ice, by Geoffrey Jenkins
20. Lone Wolf, by Linwood Barclay
21. Circe, by Madeline Miller
22. Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens (Serial Reader)
23. Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (Serial Reader)
24. Agent Running in the Field, by John le Carré
25. Bear Island, by Alistair Maclean
26. Typhoon, by Joseph Conrad (Serial Reader)
27. The Twenty-Three, by Linwood Barclay

3rabbitprincess
Editado: Dic 28, 2019, 8:40 am

General non-fiction – Old Willie (James Guthrie)



This unflinching, realistic portrait of Old Willie, the village worthy, is characteristic of James Guthrie's work. Guthrie was part of a group known as the Glasgow Boys, who sought to paint realistic, unsentimental portraits of Scotland. They were opposing the overly sentimentalized "chocolate-box" paintings by artists such as Thomas Faed.

1. Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer, by Barbara Ehrenreich
2. The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul, by Eleanor Herman
3. With the End in Mind: Death, Dying and Wisdom in an Age of Denial, by Kathryn Mannix
4. Race to Hawaii: The 1927 Dole Air Derby and the Thrilling First Flights That Opened the Pacific, by Jason Ryan
5. The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London, by Christopher Skaife
6. Sympathy for the Traitor: A Translation Manifesto, by Mark Polizzotti
7. Helicopter Flying Handbook, by the Federal Aviation Administration
8. Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know about Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections, by Patrick Smith
9. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography, by Eric Idle
10. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg
11. No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work, by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy
12. Into the Abyss: How a Deadly Plane Crash Changed the Lives of a Pilot, a Politician, a Criminal and a Cop, by Carol Shaben
13. Understanding Gliding, by Derek Piggott
14. Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, by Caroline Criado Perez
15. Caesar's Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us, by Sam Kean
16. Unnatural Causes, by Richard Shepherd
17. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, by Patrick Lencioni
18. Covert Entry: Spies, Lies and Crimes Inside Canada's Secret Service, by Andrew Mitrovica
19. The Map of My Dead Pilots: The Dangerous Game of Flying in Alaska, by Colleen Mondor
20. Brainstorm: Detective Stories from the World of Neurology, by Suzanne O'Sullivan
21. Leaving Orbit: The Last Days of American Spaceflight, by Margaret Lazarus Dean
22. The Immortal Beaver: The World's Greatest Bush Plane, by Sean Rossiter
23. Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death, by Caitlin Doughty
24. Flight 232: A Story of Disaster and Survival, by Laurence Gonzales
25. The First Cell: And the Human Costs of Pursuing Cancer to the Last, by Azra Raza
26. Breaking News: Remaking Journalism and Why It Matters Now, by Alan Rusbridger
27. Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language, by Gretchen McCulloch
28. Scotty: A Hockey Life Like No Other, by Ken Dryden
29. Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World, by David Owen
30. Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style, by Benjamin Dreyer
31. How Charts Lie: Getting Smarter About Visual Information, by Alberto Cairo
32. The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience, and the Secret World of Sleep, by Guy Leschziner
33. The Body: A Guide for Occupants, by Bill Bryson

4rabbitprincess
Editado: Nov 11, 2019, 2:50 pm

Historical fiction – Sir Walter Scott (Henry Raeburn)



Raeburn had an energetic painting style: he worked without preparatory drawings and would run back and forth across his studio, studying his subject intently and then working from memory to slap down the highlights on the canvas.

1. The King's Agent, by J. Kent Clark
2. The Clansman, by Nigel Tranter
3. The Harper's Quine, by Pat McIntosh (Overdrive)
4. A Place of Greater Safety, by Hilary Mantel
5. The Stolen Voice, by Pat McIntosh
6. The Wallace, by Nigel Tranter
7. Pawn in Frankincense, by Dorothy Dunnett
8. Kopp Sisters on the March, by Amy Stewart

5rabbitprincess
Editado: Dic 14, 2019, 9:42 am

Historical non-fiction – Mary, Queen of Scots (after Nicholas Hilliard)



This portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots, is one of several paintings sketched by Peter over the course of the documentary. I read a lot about her in 2018 so thought she would be a good choice for my 2019 history category.

1. The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors, by Dan Jones
2. The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth: And Other Curiosities from the History of Medicine, by Thomas Morris
3. Erebus: One Ship, Two Epic Voyages, and the Greatest Naval Mystery of All Time, by Michael Palin
4. The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War, by Ben Macintyre
5. Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life, by Lucy Worsley
6. A Spitfire Girl, by Mary Ellis
7. Death on the Ice: The Great Newfoundland Sealing Disaster of 1914, by Cassie Brown with Harold Horwood
8. Henry I: Father of His People, by Edmund King
9. 1066: The Year of the Conquest, by David Howarth
10. The Voices of Nîmes: Women, Sex and Marriage in Reformation Languedoc, by Suzannah Lipscomb
11. Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson, by Mark Bourrie
12. An Acre of Time, by Phil Jenkins
13. Vimy, by Pierre Berton

6rabbitprincess
Editado: Dic 31, 2019, 7:44 pm

Mysteries – Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room (Steven Campbell)



Campbell, one of the New Glasgow Boys, was known for his surreal dreamscapes. This one feels a bit David Lynch-ian to me, probably because of the tallest man in the painting.

1. The Chinaman, by Friedrich Glauser (translated by Mike Mitchell)
2. A Pint of Murder, by Alisa Craig
3. Blackout, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Quentin Bates)
4. Rupture, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Quentin Bates)
5. The Golden Tresses of the Dead, by Alan Bradley
6. The Darkness, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Victoria Cribb)
7. Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here!, by Ed McBain
8. The Man Who Died, by Antti Tuomainen (translated by David Hackston)
9. The Locked Room, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (translated by Paul Britten Austin)
10. The Crow Trap, by Ann Cleeves
11. Clouds of Witness, by Dorothy L. Sayers (Faded Page)
12. The Fire Pit, by Chris Ould
13. The Arctic Patrol Mystery, by Franklin W. Dixon (Overdrive)
14. The 12:30 from Croydon, by Freeman Wills Crofts
15. Swing, Swing Together, by Peter Lovesey
16. Maigret Stonewalled, by Georges Simenon (translated by Margaret Marshall)
17. The Sentence is Death, by Anthony Horowitz
18. The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman
19. Whiteout, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Quentin Bates)
20. The Wanderer, by Michael Ridpath
21. The Goodbye Look, by Ross Macdonald
22. The Mad Hatter Mystery, by John Dickson Carr
23. Rocket to the Morgue, by Anthony Boucher
24. Smallbone Deceased, by Michael Gilbert
25. Death on the Aisle, by Frances and Richard Lockridge
26. The Long Call, by Ann Cleeves
27. A Puzzle for Fools, by Patrick Quentin
28. A Cold Death in Amsterdam, by Anja de Jager
29. Hidden Depths, by Ann Cleeves
30. Killer's Payoff, by Ed McBain
31. An Advancement of Learning, by Reginald Hill
32. Home Sweet Homicide, by Craig Rice
33. Gideon's Power, by J.J. Marric
34. A Taste for Death, by P. D. James
35. Kingdom of the Blind, by Louise Penny
36. The So Blue Marble, by Dorothy B. Hughes

7rabbitprincess
Editado: Dic 29, 2019, 7:16 pm

SFF – The Mysterious Garden (Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh)



Mackintosh, the wife of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, was an artist in her own right. She worked primarily in crafts (needlework, metalwork, and gesso panels), but also designed graphics, illustrated books, and produced decorative panels for interiors and furniture—including at the Willow Tea Rooms in Glasgow.

1. Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion, by Jenny T. Colgan
2. Doctor Who: Classic Doctors, New Monsters, Volume 2 (Big Finish audio drama)
3. Doctor Who: Rose, by Russell T. Davies
4. Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor, by Steven Moffat
5. Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos, by Terrance Dicks
6. Doctor Who: The Many Hands, by Dale Smith
7. Doctor Who: The Way Through the Woods, by Una McCormack
8. Doctor Who: Wishing Well, by Trevor Baxendale
9. Time Lord Fairytales, by Justin Richards (audio, read by various readers)
10. Doctor Who: Vengeance of the Stones (Destiny of the Doctor, #3), by Andrew Smith (audio, read by Richard Franklin and Trevor Littledale)
11. At the Earth's Core, by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Serial Reader)
12. The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal
13. Doctor Who and the Ribos Operation, by Ian Marter
14. Dalek Empire 1.1: Invasion of the Daleks (Big Finish audio drama)
15. The Fated Sky, by Mary Robinette Kowal
16. Dalek Empire 1.2: The Human Factor (Big Finish audio drama)
17. Lies Sleeping, by Ben Aaronovitch
18. Invasion of the Cat-People, by Gary Russell
19. Dalek Empire 1.3: "Death to the Daleks!" (Big Finish audio drama)
20. The Furthest Station, by Ben Aaronovitch
21. Dalek Empire 1.4: Project Infinity (Big Finish audio drama)
22. The Brick Moon, by Edward Everett Hale (Serial Reader)
23. Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters, by Malcolm Hulke
24. The Diary of River Song, Series 3 (Big Finish audio drama)
25. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams (reread)
26. The October Man, by Ben Aaronovitch
27. The Journey of Niels Klim to the World Underground, by Ludvig Holberg (Serial Reader)
28. Way Station, by Clifford D. Simak
29. From the Earth to the Moon, by Jules Verne (Serial Reader)
30. The War of the Worlds, by H. G. Wells (Serial Reader)
31. Round the Moon, by Jules Verne (Serial Reader)

8rabbitprincess
Editado: Dic 22, 2019, 2:18 pm

Graphic novels and other miscellaneous books – Self-portrait (George Jamesone)



Jamesone was the first Scottish artist to make a success of portrait painting in Scotland. This painting is said to be a kind of self-promotion, showcasing the kind of work he could do: portraits, seascapes, landscapes, mythological scenes, and so on. On our most recent trip to Scotland (in 2018), we went by his house on the Royal Mile! It's right next door to John Knox's house.

1. How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men's Feelings, by Sarah Cooper
2. I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life, by Anne Bogel
3. Across the Plains: With Other Memories and Essays, by Robert Louis Stevenson
4. Monty Python Speaks!, by David Morgan
5. The Furthest Station, by Ben Aaronovitch
6. The Sun Is Kind Of A Big Deal, by Nick Seluk
7. What Makes This Book So Great, by Jo Walton
8. That's So '90s!: A Pop Cultural Guide to the Raddest Decade, by Jo Stewart
9. Strange Things: The Malevolent North in Canadian Literature, by Margaret Atwood
10. Typeset in the Future: Typography and Design in Science Fiction Movies, by Dave Addey
11. Flight or Fright: 17 Turbulent Tales, ed. Stephen King and Bev Vincent
12. The Future is Female!: 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women, from Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K. Le Guin, ed. Lisa Yaszek
13. At the Controls: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Book of Cockpits, by Dana Bell, Tom Alison, and Eric Long
14. The Snooty Bookshop, by Tom Gauld
15. Scotchman's Return and Other Essays, by Hugh MacLennan
16. How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, by Randall Munroe
17. The Concorde Story, by Peter R. March
18. Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman, by Lindy West
19. Bodies from the Library, Volume 2: Forgotten Stories of Mystery and Suspense by the Queens of Crime and Other Masters of the Golden Age, ed. Tony Medawar
20. Concorde: A Photographic History, by Jonathan Falconer
21. Montreal Stories, by Mavis Gallant
22. Radio On: A Listener's Diary, by Sarah Vowell
23. The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James, by M. R. James (Faded Page)

9rabbitprincess
Editado: Dic 5, 2019, 7:41 pm

Audio – Still Life with White Tulips / The Mantelpiece (Anne Redpath)



Redpath was influenced by artists such as Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Matisse, and specialized in landscapes, church interiors, and still lifes. I've changed the painting from Still Life with White Tulips -- I lost a stable link to that painting, but I did find another painting of hers with books in it ;)

1. Doctor Who: Classic Doctors, New Monsters, Volume 2 (Big Finish audio drama)
2. Time Lord Fairy Tales, by various authors (read by various actors)
3. Doctor Who: Vengeance of the Stones (Destiny of the Doctor, #3), by Andrew Smith (audio, read by Richard Franklin and Trevor Littledale)
4. Dalek Empire 1.1: Invasion of the Daleks (Big Finish audio drama)
5. Dalek Empire 1.2: The Human Factor (Big Finish audio drama)
6. Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome (read by Hugh Laurie)
7. Dalek Empire 1.3: "Death to the Daleks!" (Big Finish audio drama)
8. Dalek Empire 1.4: Project Infinity (Big Finish audio drama)
9. Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth, by Frank Cottrell Boyce (read by Peter Capaldi) (re-read)
10. The Diary of River Song, Series 3 (Big Finish audio drama)

Possibilities:
Vengeance of the Stones, by Andrew Smith (Destiny of the Doctor #3)
Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome (read by Hugh Laurie)
Time Lord Fairy Tales, by various authors (read by various actors)


Plays – Tilda Swinton (John Byrne)



John Byrne is an artist and playwright, hence his painting being chosen for the Plays category. In the documentary, Byrne talks about portraits capturing not just a physical likeness of the person, but the spark of who that person is. And in this case he definitely succeeds: Tilda is instantly recognizable. The drawing was done in 20 minutes!

1. Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare
2. Richard III, by William Shakespeare
3. Dark Road, by Ian Rankin and Mark Thomson
4. The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams

Possibilities:
Dark Road, by Ian Rankin and Mark Thomson
Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare

10rabbitprincess
Editado: Dic 27, 2019, 11:11 am

French – Boats at Royan (S. J. Peploe)



Peploe was a fellow Scottish Colourist along with J. D. Fergusson, and you can really see the influence of Impressionist techniques in this painting. He was introduced to the use of bold colour on holidays in northern France, including one in 1910 in which he painted Boats at Royan.

1. Mourir sur Seine, by Michel Bussi
2. Vol de nuit, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
3. Au péril de la mer, by Dominique Fortier

Possibilities:
Au péril de la mer, by Dominique Fortier
Mourir sur Seine, by Michel Bussi


Rereads – David Hume (Allan Ramsay)



Ramsay was appointed the King's Painter by George III, whose Ramsay-painted portrait features on the cover of Revolution, by Peter Ackroyd. Ramsay's attention to detail, particularly of fabric and lacework, is exquisite (see his portrait of his second wife, Margaret Lindsay). This portrait of David Hume, a buddy of his from the Select Society, is one of my favourites of his.

1. McNally's Caper, by Lawrence Sanders
2. Cold Midnight in Vieux Québec, by Eric Wilson
3. The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick deWitt
4. A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman
5. Last Resort, by Linwood Barclay
6. The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories, by Agatha Christie
7. Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth, by Frank Cottrell Boyce (audio, read by Peter Capaldi)
8. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
9. The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side, by Agatha Christie
10. The ABC Murders, by Agatha Christie

Possibilities:
A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman
The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick deWitt

11rabbitprincess
Editado: Dic 31, 2019, 8:27 pm

Group reads – Poets' Pub (Sandy Moffat)



Alexander "Sandy" Moffat is part of a group of 20th-century Scottish artists known as the Scottish Realists. He taught at Glasgow School of Art when Peter was studying there. This painting by Moffat is an imagining of a gathering of Scottish poets and writers.

CalendarCAT
✔ January - Dark Road, by Ian Rankin (Burns Night 25 January)
✔ February - Tom Jones, by Henry Fielding (published 28 February 1749)
✔ March - Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare (beware the Ides of March)
April - Ships in the Bay!, by D.K. Broster (National Maritime Day 5 April)
May - The Custodian of Paradise, by Wayne Johnston (Wayne Johnston's birthday is 22 May)
✔ June - Au péril de la mer, by Dominique Fortier (reading a Quebec author in honour of St-Jean-Baptiste Day 24 June)
✔ July - Vengeance of the Stones, by Andrew Smith (a Third Doctor story in honour of Jon Pertwee's centenary on 7 July)
✔ August - The Mayor of Côte St. Paul, by Ronald J. Cooke (a Montreal-set book for the Quebec construction holiday at the end of July / beginning of August)
✔ September - The Wallace, by Nigel Tranter (the Battle of Stirling Bridge took place on 11 September)
✔ October - Time Lord Fairy Tales, by various authors (for that spooky Halloween spirit)
✔ November - Cheer Up Love: Adventures in Depression with the Crab of Hate, by Susan Calman (Susan Calman's birthday is 7 November)
✔ December - The Aviator, by Ernest K. Gann (International Civil Aviation Day is 7 December)

RandomCAT
✔ January (Your name in print) McNally's Caper, by Lawrence Sanders
✔ February (Let's take a break) Across the Plains, by Robert Louis Stevenson
✔ March (Brexit madness -- a book set in the EU) Mourir sur Seine, by Michel Bussi
✔ April (Easter greetings from the Rooster) The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick deWitt
✔ May (I could have danced all night) Swing, Swing Together, by Peter Lovesey
✔ June (Pick a card, any card!) When Eight Bells Toll, by Alistair MacLean (I picked the 8 of spades)
July (All about birds) Seven Fallen Feathers, by Tanya Talaga
✔ August (Back to school) An Advancement of Learning, by Reginald Hill (set at a university)
✔ September (Equinox) Vol de nuit, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
October (Knock-offs, follow-ups, satires and parodies) Now We Are Six Hundred: A Collection of Time Lord Verse, by James Goss
✔ November (Childhood memories) The ABC Murders, by Agatha Christie
December (Season's Readings -- book with a title starting with any of the letters in DECEMBER) Darkstar Academy / Day of the Cockroach (Doctor Who audio adventures)

SeriesCAT
✔ January: A series in translation: The Locked Room, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
✔ February: YA/children's series: First Term at Malory Towers, by Enid Blyton
✔ March: A series by a favourite author: The Twenty-Three, by Linwood Barclay
✔ April: A series you've been meaning to get back to: Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here, by Ed McBain
✔ May: The newest book in a favourite series: The Golden Tresses of the Dead, by Alan Bradley
June: A series that is definitely complete: Lone Wolf, by Linwood Barclay
✔ July: Genre: fantasy: Lies Sleeping, by Ben Aaronovitch
August: A series set in a country/region where you do not live: Gideon's Power, by J.J. Marric
✔ September: Genre: mystery: Maigret Stonewalled, by Georges Simenon
✔ October: A historical series: Pawn in Frankincense, by Dorothy Dunnett
✔ November: A series with a female protagonist: A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman
✔ December: A series that's new to you: A Pint of Murder, by Alisa Craig

TBRCAT
✔ January: First in, last out - read one of the oldest members of your tbr - Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome (one of my oldest audios!)
✔ February: A book you borrowed to read and still haven't got to - The Wars of the Roses, by Dan Jones (borrowed from library, didn't get to read, now parents have it)
✔ March: Book acquired on/for trips or for a special occasion - The Clansman (bought on my Ireland trip in 2014)
✔ April: Book originally acquired for an LT group read or challenge - A Place of Greater Safety, by Hilary Mantel
✔ May: Book that I keep looking at, but never manage to open - The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk
✔ June: Book bullet - Cheer Up Love, by Susan Calman (Jackie_K)
✔ July: Book by an author with more than one book on your TBR shelf - Scotchman’s Return, by Hugh MacLennan
✔ August: Book purchased with great excitement and with plans to read right away that is somehow still on my tbr a year later - Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters (this is really just representing ALL my Doctor Who novels)
September: Classics I feel I should read - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
October: Book purchased because of its visual appeal (striking cover or colors, beautiful edition, etc.) - Hungry Hill, by Daphne du Maurier
November: Book given to me as a gift - The Custodian of Paradise, by Wayne Johnston
✔ December: A book I bought because it was so cheap (library sale, remainder table, etc) - Invasion of the Cat-People, by Gary Russell

Shared reads
✔ Tom Jones, by Henry Fielding (2019 Category Challenge group read)
✔ The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair (shared read with LynnB)
✔ The 12:30 from Croydon, by Freeman Wills Crofts (shared read on Litsy)
✔ Into the Abyss: How a Deadly Plane Crash Changed the Lives of a Pilot, a Politician, a Criminal and a Cop, by Carol Shaben (shared read with an RL friend)
✔ Medicine Walk, by Richard Wagamese (shared read with DeltaQueen50 and VivienneR)

12rabbitprincess
Editado: Dic 5, 2019, 7:43 pm

Scotland – Twa Plack (Calum Colvin)



It wouldn't be a Scottish art category challenge without a category for my Scotland reading! I really like Calum Colvin's portraiture; it's a combination of painting, sculpture, and photography. This picture, "Twa Plack", was based on a stamp that Colvin found in a collection of Burns ephemera.

1. All the Hidden Truths, by Claire Askew
2. The Clansman, by Nigel Tranter
3. The Harper's Quine, by Pat McIntosh (Overdrive)
4. Doctor Who: The Many Hands, by Dale Smith
5. The Strings of Murder, by Oscar de Muriel
6. The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith
7. The Way of All Flesh, by Ambrose Parry
8. The Stolen Voice, by Pat McIntosh
9. Across the Plains, by Robert Louis Stevenson
10. Dark Road, by Ian Rankin and Mark Thomson
11. Made in Scotland: My Grand Adventures in a Wee Country, by Billy Connolly
12. Broken Ground, by Val McDermid
13. When Eight Bells Toll, by Alistair MacLean
14. Conviction, by Denise Mina
15. The Wallace, by Nigel Tranter
16. The Crow Road, by Iain Banks
17. Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth, by Frank Cottrell Boyce (audio, read by Peter Capaldi) (re-read)
18. Pawn in Frankincense, by Dorothy Dunnett
19. Cheer Up Love: Adventures in Depression with the Crab of Hate, by Susan Calman
20. All That Remains: A Life in Death, by Professor Dame Sue Black
21. My Scotland, by Val McDermid

Possibilities:
The Clansman, by Nigel Tranter (Rob Roy MacGregor #2)
Pawn in Frankincense, by Dorothy Dunnett (Lymond #4)
The Wallace, by Nigel Tranter
The Way of All Flesh, by Ambrose Parry
Cheer Up Love: Adventures in Depression with the Crab of Hate, by Susan Calman

13rabbitprincess
Editado: Nov 10, 2019, 10:14 am

This is the first book I've finished in nearly a week. It was a VERY busy week at work...

The ABC Murders, by Agatha Christie
Category: David Hume, Poets’ Pub (November RandomCAT - childhood memories)
Source: pilfered from grandparents
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/139917070

I spent many summer days at my grandparents' place, sitting sideways in the overstuffed armchair in the basement, endlessly re-reading Agatha Christies. The ABC Murders was one of my favourites, and I'm glad to have re-read it in this particular edition, which is the one my grandparents had (I stole a bunch of their Agathas, muahaha).

14lkernagh
Nov 10, 2019, 10:24 am

Happy new thread and love your trip down memory lane with your recent re-read!

15MissWatson
Nov 10, 2019, 10:55 am

Happy new thread! Ah, those lovely days of discovering Agatha Christie for the first time!

16rabbitprincess
Nov 10, 2019, 7:03 pm

>14 lkernagh: Thanks! That book in particular prompts strong nostalgia on my part.

>15 MissWatson: Thanks! And yes, lovely days indeed -- Agathas were the first grownup books I read (and from there, the usual middle grade novels didn't appeal).

****

I have three days off and three new releases to read. I'm aiming to read one a day. Doing well so far!

Agent Running in the Field, by John le Carré
Category: The Blue Hat
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/174579505

Picked this up this afternoon and couldn't put it down until I'd finished. Very well done!

17thornton37814
Nov 10, 2019, 8:54 pm

Happy new thread!

18NinieB
Nov 10, 2019, 9:11 pm

Happy new thread! and happy long weekend reading!

19DeltaQueen50
Nov 10, 2019, 10:30 pm

Happy new thread - it's hard to believe that we are nearing the end of the 2019 challenges!

20rabbitprincess
Nov 11, 2019, 9:54 am

>17 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori!

>18 NinieB: Thanks! It will have been a five-day weekend, although the first two days weren't really *that* relaxing. I'd been so busy that it took me that long to decompress!

>19 DeltaQueen50: Thanks! I know, it seems like just a few weeks ago we were setting up these threads for the first time!

21mstrust
Nov 11, 2019, 11:55 am

Happy new thread, princess! Nice to start out with a Christie :-)

22rabbitprincess
Nov 11, 2019, 3:02 pm

>21 mstrust: Thanks! I may have to try to fit a few more into my schedule.

****

Honoured Remembrance Day by reading Amy Stewart's latest novel.

Kopp Sisters on the March, by Amy Stewart
Category: Sir Walter Scott
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/174631481

This novel is set in the spring of 1917, as the US prepares to enter the First World War, and it highlights women's efforts during this time. It's always a pleasure to visit with the Kopp sisters.

23rabbitprincess
Nov 12, 2019, 1:38 pm

Finished three books in three days and am feeling much more like myself.

The October Man, by Ben Aaronovitch
Category: The Mysterious Garden
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/174675509

I enjoyed seeing the Rivers of London universe expand with this novella. Germany's not a place I visit often in my reading, so that was fun to do with this book. And because it was nice and short, it was a refreshing read as well.

24LittleTaiko
Nov 12, 2019, 2:49 pm

Congrats on finishing three books in three days!! Truly impressive. I'm quite envious of the extra time off as well.

25rabbitprincess
Nov 12, 2019, 3:24 pm

>24 LittleTaiko: Where I work, I get Remembrance Day off, and I'm on a training course tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday. So I didn't see the point of being in the office for just one day ;)

26Tanya-dogearedcopy
Nov 13, 2019, 12:17 am

>23 rabbitprincess: I listened to that one on audio. The narrator was clearly fluent in English and German but at the expense of where I felt like I missed the jokes when I couldn't see some of the German phrases or titles! Also, even though it's short, I must have zoned out somewhere because I didn't catch on to his name for the longest time! I might read in print one of these days, but overall, I think I'm done with Rivers of London. The last Peter Grant novel finished off the arc quite nicely I thought :-)

27mysterymax
Nov 14, 2019, 11:34 am

Just reading one you might enjoy - Who Says You're Dead by Jacob M. Appel, MD - using it as a discussion starter.

28VivienneR
Nov 14, 2019, 1:32 pm

Happy new thread!

>16 rabbitprincess: Glad to hear you enjoyed Agent Running in the Field. I am number eleven on the holds list at the library.

29rabbitprincess
Nov 14, 2019, 6:20 pm

>26 Tanya-dogearedcopy: That last Peter Grant novel did leave things in a good place! I will likely continue, because they are light fun.

>27 mysterymax: Looks like that would be a good discussion starter indeed!

>28 VivienneR: Exciting! I hope you enjoy it as well :)

30VivienneR
Nov 15, 2019, 1:10 am

>11 rabbitprincess: Your mention of Into the Abyss by Carol Shaben made me add it to my wishlist a while back. When I noticed the subtitle in your list above "Pilot, a Politician, a Criminal and a Cop" I remembered when the crash happened. I lived in Edmonton at the time and Grant Notley was seen as an up-and-coming political star. What a loss. That's one book that is getting moved higher on my list.

31rabbitprincess
Nov 16, 2019, 9:20 pm

>30 VivienneR: I do hope you find it interesting! I buddy-read that one with a pilot friend and we both liked it.

****

The Journey of Niels Klim to the World Underground by Ludvig Holberg
Category: The Mysterious Garden
Source: Serial Reader
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/174979974

Weird, but only 11 issues on Serial Reader, so entertaining enough.

32rabbitprincess
Nov 21, 2019, 8:34 pm

I had a bumper crop of reading in the first half of the week. Was out last night, so I'm only just now posting these.

Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now, by Alan Rusbridger
Category: Old Willie
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/174825136

I already had a favourable opinion going in because Peter Capaldi plays Alan Rusbridger in The Fifth Estate. But really, this is a great book. Anyone who works at the intersection of print and digital will find this interesting.

Bear Island, by Alistair MacLean
Category: The Blue Hat
Source: BMV
Rating: 2.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/116824940

The closed-circle mystery and the remote location appealed; the denouement less so, because it became a bit bananas and I didn't fully buy the murderer.

Typhoon, by Joseph Conrad
Category: The Blue Hat
Source: Serial Reader
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/174979577

My favourite Conrad so far. Straightforward storytelling and a nautical theme.

Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language, by Gretchen McCulloch
Category: Old Willie
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/174887522

This was fun and light and I could easily have read another 300 pages. I wrote the posted review (at the link) on my phone, which seemed appropriate.

33MissWatson
Nov 22, 2019, 3:52 am

>32 rabbitprincess: Great review of the Rusbridger book. Taking a BB as a long-time Guardian reader in its print days, when it was still known as the Grauniad because of the many printer's errors. I find that I read not nearly as much of it in the online version.

34NinieB
Nov 22, 2019, 8:38 am

>32 rabbitprincess: Oh, I'm so jealous you got all that reading in! I've been so busy and stressed out in real life that reading has had to take a back seat.

35rabbitprincess
Nov 26, 2019, 6:42 pm

>33 MissWatson: My favourite Graun error was the map they made of central Canada earlier this year, when there was a manhunt going on for two murder suspects -- somehow we got two extra Lake Winnipegs, as well as the city of "Montraal" and the province of "Qumbec": https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/canada-map-guardian-murder-suspects_ca_5d3f4...

>34 NinieB: I sympathize! That was me too until recently... and it sounds like the first quarter of next year will be the same :-/ I hope you can get back into the reading groove soon!

****

Getting around to reviewing a couple more books.

All That Remains: A Life in Death, by Professor Dame Sue Black
Category: Twa Plack
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/174921185

So good that I incurred library fines in order to finish it!

Way Station, by Clifford D. Simak
Category: The Mysterious Garden
Source: BMV
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/116825158

Not as pulpy as the cover of my edition would have you believe. Surprisingly hopeful.

36NinieB
Nov 26, 2019, 9:22 pm

>35 rabbitprincess: And aren't Montreal, Quebec, and Winnipeg just in the wrong places on that map? They look like commuting distance to the US . . .

37MissWatson
Nov 27, 2019, 3:56 am

>35 rabbitprincess: That is a major embarrassment.

38rabbitprincess
Nov 27, 2019, 6:36 pm

>36 NinieB: They're not far! Montréal is only a couple hours' drive from the States, which could be a longish commute, and Winnipeg and Québec are about a three-hour drive (if you believe Google Maps). But I wouldn't be surprised if the scale were off on the map as well, given all the other errors ;)

>37 MissWatson: Just a little :)

39rabbitprincess
Nov 29, 2019, 6:39 pm

Tom Gauld's latest book cartoon seems relevant as we get into "summing up our reading year" mode: https://www.theguardian.com/books/picture/2019/nov/29/tom-gauld-on-how-to-measur...

40RidgewayGirl
Nov 29, 2019, 8:03 pm

41rabbitprincess
Nov 30, 2019, 4:15 pm

Closing out the month with a couple of books associated with Montréal.

Montreal Stories, by Mavis Gallant
Category: George Jamesone
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/173895055

I found these absorbing but ultimately ran out of time and brainpower to finish the book. I read most of them, though, and liked the Linnet Muir ones best.

Scotty: A Hockey Life Like No Other, by Ken Dryden
Category: Old Willie
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/175219610

I'm not a hockey person but will happily read any of Ken Dryden's books on the subject. This biography of Scotty Bowman is well worth reading if you are a hockey person who is a fan of his.

42rabbitprincess
Editado: Nov 30, 2019, 4:25 pm

November recap

My brain was fried at the beginning of November. But a well-deserved five-day weekend, in which I read three books in three days, helped set the tone for the rest of the month and got me to 17 books read.

Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens (Serial Reader)
Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (Serial Reader)
The ABC Murders, by Agatha Christie (reread)
Agent Running in the Field, by John le Carré
Kopp Sisters on the March, by Amy Stewart
The October Man, by Ben Aaronovitch
Recasting History: How CBC Television Has Shaped Canada's Past, by Monica MacDonald
Ford AbomiNation, by Linwood Barclay
Niels Klim’s Journey Under the Ground, by Ludvig Holberg (Serial Reader)
Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now, by Alan Rusbridger
Bear Island, by Alistair MacLean
Typhoon, by Joseph Conrad (Serial Reader)
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language, by Gretchen McCulloch
All That Remains: A Life in Death, by Professor Dame Sue Black
Way Station, by Clifford D. Simak
Montreal Stories, by Mavis Gallant
Scotty: A Hockey Life Like No Other, by Ken Dryden

My favourite book of the month was Breaking News. I was expecting to like it, but wasn’t expecting to be glued to the couch for a whole afternoon, unable to put the book down until I’d finished it.

My least favourite book of the month was Recasting History. The idea was interesting, but I read only a few chapters of the whole thing. It is not an easy read.

Currently reading

Collected Ghost Stories, by M. R. James — Faded Page. I read a few more stories on my trip to Montréal but may not get to more until my trip home for Christmas.
Watership Down, by Richard Adams (audio, read by Peter Capaldi) — Similar to the M.R. James (which P-Cap would probably appreciate), I will likely keep this for a train read.
Vimy, by Pierre Berton — This is another solid choice for a train read, because I borrowed it from my parents and can then return it once I’m done.
From the Earth to the Moon, by Jules Verne — Serial Reader. I’m really enjoying this, not least because a French author writing about the US cracks me up.
The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells — Serial Reader. Apparently one of the few books my BF has read that I have not read.
Au péril de la mer, by Dominique Fortier — One of my Pool books. It’s a bit weird, because it has two viewpoints and the viewpoints aren’t clearly delineated. I like Du bon usage des étoiles better.
Flying Beyond: The Canadian Commercial Pilot Textbook, by Chris Hobbs — more of a flip-through book than a read-straight-through book, and one I can probably renew for a long time to get it all read.

December plans

I’m probably not going to finish my Pool this year, but I will give it a darn good try. All of the books currently in my purse, lined up for bus books, are from the Pool. I’d really like to get The Twenty-Three read, because I’m a few Linwood Barclays behind.

My reading whatever the heck I wanted proved pretty successful this month—the three books I read in three days were all four-star reads.

I will also be working my way through a bunch of library books before going home for Christmas. Some strategic renewing and re-requesting may be in order.

43Jackie_K
Nov 30, 2019, 4:27 pm

Well done, that was a great reading month! Sadly Vanity Fair fell by the wayside for me - I had hoped to finish it this month, but am still not yet half way through. I do need to finish it by the end of the year though in order to complete my Category Challenge.

44Helenliz
Dic 1, 2019, 4:35 pm

>39 rabbitprincess: Brilliant!
Hope you're enjoying the MR James, I've read one collection and enjoyed them.

45rabbitprincess
Dic 1, 2019, 5:42 pm

>44 Helenliz: I'd read Ghost Stories of an Antiquary through Serial Reader and really enjoyed that collection. This full collection has a few stories that feel kind of heavy, given the writing style, but James certainly excels at creating what I call the YEARGH moments, when you suddenly realize that something horrible has insinuated itself into the story. "The Diary of Mr. Poynter" was one such story -- I was reading it in public and nearly exclaimed out loud when I got to the reveal of the thing made entirely of hair.

46rabbitprincess
Dic 5, 2019, 7:40 pm

>43 Jackie_K: That's a good reason for a book to fall by the wayside... I would say just declare it finished ;)

****

So apparently I haven't recorded any of the books I've read in December. Let's fix that.

Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World, by David Owen
Category: Old Willie
Source: library
Rating: 5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/175348999

This was an excellent book and I recommend it to everyone. It's just the right length and is written well, two pluses for a non-fiction book.

The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams
Category: Tilda Swinton
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/174675483

LittleTaiko read this recently, which is what prompted me to pick it up. I can see how it would be a compelling play on stage.

Au péril de la mer, by Dominique Fortier
Category: Boats at Royan, Poets’ Pub (June CalendarCAT - Quebec author for Saint-Jean-Baptiste)
Source: Librairie du Soleil
Rating: 2/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/159969563

A contemplative, meandering book where not much really happens. I preferred Du bon usage des étoiles.

Home Sweet Homicide, by Craig Rice
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/175428615

I enjoyed this light mystery a lot -- it really does feel a bit like a screwball comedy! christina_reads, you might like this one. If you don't, pretend I didn't say anything ;)

My Scotland, by Val McDermid (photos by Alan McCredie)
Category: Twa Plack
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/175429418

A good book to read on breaks at work. Gorgeous photos and interesting insights into McDermid's work and life.

47christina_reads
Dic 6, 2019, 9:46 am

>46 rabbitprincess: Okay, you definitely got me with that BB for Home Sweet Homicide! Sounds delightful! :)

48rabbitprincess
Dic 8, 2019, 9:57 pm

>47 christina_reads: Muahaha excellent! :D

****

Gideon’s Power, by J.J. Marric (aka John Creasey)
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room
Source: Friends of Library and Archives Canada book sale (2012)
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/89848452

I stockpile Gideon mysteries because they are light police procedurals. This one fits the usual formula.

From the Earth to the Moon, by Jules Verne
Category: The Mysterious Garden
Source: Serial Reader
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/175544975

Read this with Round the Moon on hand. The ending of From the Earth... is such a cliffhanger that I had to start Round immediately afterward.

49rabbitprincess
Dic 14, 2019, 9:48 am

It's the last weekend before I go home for Christmas, so naturally I am wasting time on the internet instead of Christmas shopping. (December kicked my butt this year, so online shopping has not been an option...)

The Twenty-Three, by Linwood Barclay
Category: The Blue Hat
Source: Chaptigo
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/135690276

Finally finished the Promise Falls trilogy! It was a bit more compact than the previous two books (although that's a relative therm), so it might be my favourite of the three.

Vimy, by Pierre Berton
Category: Mary Queen of Scots
Source: borrowed from parents
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/171042852

Managed to finish this as a bus book. I liked Berton's writing style as usual, but it took me over a month to get through, even though it was just a small paperback.

50rabbitprincess
Dic 15, 2019, 5:34 pm

On today's episode of "I read this from the library and need my own copy":

Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style, by Benjamin Dreyer
Category: Old Willie
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/175857546

I enjoyed the writing style and the clear examples that illustrate exactly how to use commonly confused words. I liked Dreyer's honesty about hills that are OK to die on and some that you probably don't need to, editorially speaking. I enjoyed the footnotes but occasionally found them excessive (three or more on some pages is a bit much, especially when they are not short). That said, I would recommend this book heartily.

51JayneCM
Dic 15, 2019, 11:42 pm

>50 rabbitprincess: My hubby thinks I am mad when I do that! I often borrow a book to read first, to see if if I want to buy it. Or I love something so much, I just have to have it on my own shelf.

52RidgewayGirl
Dic 16, 2019, 9:57 am

>50 rabbitprincess: This is a book I'm hoping to get for Christmas. Ben Dreyer has a witty and opinionated twitter account that I very much enjoy. And, come this Spring, there'll be a game based on Dreyer's English that looks like a lot of fun.

53JayneCM
Dic 16, 2019, 5:01 pm

>52 RidgewayGirl: Now that sounds like my kind of game!

54rabbitprincess
Dic 16, 2019, 6:50 pm

>51 JayneCM: I think this is a perfectly reasonable thing to do ;)

>52 RidgewayGirl: >53 JayneCM: Ahaha that game does look delightful!

55mathgirl40
Dic 16, 2019, 9:35 pm

>50 rabbitprincess: Thanks for the recommendation. I've made a note of this one. I've got a couple of technical-writer friends who would also love this book.

56christina_reads
Dic 17, 2019, 11:32 am

I'm glad to hear that Dreyer's English is good! I was fortunate to pick it up at a conference where Dreyer was actually speaking, so I was able to get my book signed. He was fun to listen to in person!

57rabbitprincess
Dic 17, 2019, 9:35 pm

>55 mathgirl40: Aaaaand I just remembered I was going to write you a couple of Faded Page blurbs this weekend :) I know we're good for now, but I want to get them done ASAP. I've written the task down on a Post-it note... apparently manually writing stuff down is the only way I remember to do it!

Hope your technical-writer friends like it :)

>56 christina_reads: Ooh that would have been a lot of fun! :D

58JayneCM
Dic 17, 2019, 9:37 pm

>56 christina_reads: Oh, I just love this forum! Finding people that agree that a talk that like that would be 'fun'! Everyone I know in person would look at me like I was from another planet!

59rabbitprincess
Dic 18, 2019, 10:02 pm

>58 JayneCM: :D

****

Finishing up a couple of books before going on Christmas vacation. I will have to start raiding the shelves at my parents' place next :)

How Charts Lie: Getting Smarter About Visual Information, by Alberto Cairo
Category: Old Willie
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/176234071

I found this interesting and want to get some of my colleagues to read it so we can discuss it!

The War of the Worlds, by H. G. Wells
Category: The Mysterious Garden
Source: Serial Reader
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/175711054

I really liked this and had never actually read it before. (My BF: "What??? You haven't read this?!" Have to tell him I've finished it!)

Radio On: A Listener’s Diary, by Sarah Vowell
Category: George Jamesone
Source: Christmas present (from 2012!)
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/92563935

Boy am I glad to have read this Christmas present nearly seven years after receiving it :D This isn't my favourite Vowell book -- that will be Take the Cannoli -- but this was all right.

60JayneCM
Dic 19, 2019, 5:48 am

>59 rabbitprincess: I had never read either The War of the Worlds or The Time Machine and read them both this year. Really loved The War of the Worlds.

61rabbitprincess
Dic 19, 2019, 6:49 am

>60 JayneCM: I'd seen an adaptation of The Time Machine and read it for a course in university, but somehow The War of the Worlds had escaped my attention until now. The most I knew about it was that old story about Orson Welles's broadcast supposedly causing panic among the general populace -- that was debunked in a PBS documentary. The book was great!

62Jackie_K
Editado: Dic 19, 2019, 8:23 am

I only know The War of the Worlds from the Jeff Wayne musical version (which I must listen to again, haven't heard that for ages). So I imagine if I were to ever read the book I'd have the music in my head at key points!

63Helenliz
Dic 19, 2019, 8:40 am

>62 Jackie_K: That was exactly my introduction to the text. I finally read it a few years ago, humming along to myself at certain points. >:-)

64rabbitprincess
Dic 22, 2019, 2:23 pm

>62 Jackie_K: >63 Helenliz: Haha that would be a pretty interactive experience, having a built-in soundtrack :)

****

At my parents' place for Christmas. Most of the shopping is done (I have assigned my brother to pick up the last couple of things) and we are in full-on decorating mode. Or rather, my parents are... my mum knows what she wants to do so I am contributing by staying out of the way until I am summoned ;)

In between shopping and decorating, I've managed to finish a couple of books!

The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience, and the Secret World of Sleep, by Guy Leschziner
Category: Old Willie
Source: hometown library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/176663993

I was in line for this at my actual library, but my mum was able to borrow it from our hometown library on her card. She's read it and liked it, and I agree with her assessment. She's reading Why We Sleep right now, which I also have a hold on, so I may start it here and finish it when my actual hold finally comes in.

The Collected Ghost Stories, by M. R. James
Category: George Jamesone
Source: Faded Page
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/172428237

I've been reading this off and on (mostly off, to be honest) since August. Glad to finally finish it! There are some really good stories, but the writing style is a bit heavy, especially with the multiple layers of narrator. Worth reading if you like scary but not gory, although it's definitely something to chip away at gradually.

65VivienneR
Dic 22, 2019, 2:49 pm

Have a fun Christmas celebration with your parents!

66Jackie_K
Dic 22, 2019, 3:29 pm

>64 rabbitprincess: Enjoy your break! I read Why We Sleep this time last year and thought it was excellent.

67rabbitprincess
Dic 22, 2019, 6:32 pm

>65 VivienneR: Thanks! I hope you're able to take it easy this Christmas :)

>66 Jackie_K: Thanks, and merry Christmas to you as well! I did seem to recall you had read that book, so I am glad to have remembered correctly ;)

68pammab
Dic 22, 2019, 11:51 pm

>64 rabbitprincess: Congrats on being so near the end of the challenge and year and shopping and books and all the things!

69rabbitprincess
Dic 23, 2019, 8:52 am

>68 pammab: Thanks! Baking starts today, which is exciting. The head of quality assurance is reporting for duty ;)

70mstrust
Dic 23, 2019, 2:23 pm


Have a Merry Christmas!

71rabbitprincess
Dic 23, 2019, 5:07 pm

>70 mstrust: Thanks, Jennifer, and to you as well! :D

72DeltaQueen50
Dic 24, 2019, 1:48 pm



Happy Holidays!

73rabbitprincess
Dic 24, 2019, 4:41 pm

>72 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy! I hope you have a fun and restful Christmas and a healthy and happy new year!

74rabbitprincess
Dic 25, 2019, 2:41 pm

Merry Christmas to all! Hope everyone got some interesting books to read. I got two from my family:

Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style, by Kurt Vonnegut and Suzanne McConnell -- I'd borrowed this from the library but was going to run out of time with it, and from what little I'd read, I knew I wanted my own copy.
Between the Stops, by Sandi Toksvig -- Sandi's just written a memoir. It's on preorder at the moment, so I'll get it in January. Keeps the holiday fun going :)

I'm continuing to raid my parents' shelves while I'm here:

A Taste for Death, by P. D. James
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room
Source: borrowed from parents
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/176691599

To my recollection I've read two other P. D. James books, and this one is my favourite of the ones I've read so far. I like that the writing style is reminiscent of the Golden Age, but the murders are satisfyingly gory (and yet at the same time not excessive). I'm looking forward to reading more of her books and maybe re-reading the ones I read earlier.

75RidgewayGirl
Dic 25, 2019, 4:40 pm

I'm now looking forward to finding out if you like the new Sandy Toksvig book! I miss her on The News Quiz.

76rabbitprincess
Dic 27, 2019, 11:14 am

>75 RidgewayGirl: I'm really enjoying her tenure as host of QI. She's the kind of person I'd love to meet but would be deathly afraid of making a fool of myself in front of.

****

This was a fast read, which was just what I was after.

Kingdom of the Blind, by Louise Penny
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room
Source: borrowed from parents
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/176791687

Now I'm set to read A Better Man once my mum has read it (we gave her the hardcover for Christmas).

77rabbitprincess
Dic 28, 2019, 8:42 am

Managed to fit in one last book before heading home!

The Body: A Guide for Occupants, by Bill Bryson
Category: Old Willie
Source: borrowed from parents
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/176842305

I think this works well as an overview -- there's just too much to cover in very great depth. Still, a fun read with plenty of chuckles. (He's not grumpy in this one, unlike The Road to Little Dribbling.)

78JayneCM
Dic 29, 2019, 4:30 am

I have never read any Bill Bryson - I think I should remedy that next year!

79rabbitprincess
Dic 29, 2019, 12:36 pm

>78 JayneCM: He wrote one a long time ago about Australia (In a Sunburned Country, also titled Down Under) -- you might want to read that one to see how accurate (or not!) it is! I also liked Notes from a Small Island.

80Jackie_K
Dic 29, 2019, 12:50 pm

>78 JayneCM: Of his travel writing, I really liked Down Under and A Walk in the Woods, and most of his other travel books as well. I did though try to read The Road to Little Dribbling earlier this year and couldn't get into it at all - grumpy old man doesn't even begin to describe him! His non-travel writing is excellent - A Short History of Nearly Everything is great, and he's done stuff on language as well which I'm still to read.

81rabbitprincess
Dic 29, 2019, 1:02 pm

>80 Jackie_K: Yeah, he was pretttty grumpy in that one! I was especially disappointed because the concept was great -- a follow-up to Notes from a Small Island was what I'd been hoping for, but not like that.

82VivienneR
Dic 29, 2019, 1:20 pm

I enjoyed Bryson's short book Shakespeare: the world as a stage. I have both audio and print. The audiobook, read by Bryson, has an additional interview with him at the end that was very good.

83rabbitprincess
Dic 29, 2019, 2:54 pm

>82 VivienneR: Ooh, I think my mum has that one too! Will have to check with her and see if I can borrow it sometime.

84JayneCM
Dic 29, 2019, 5:56 pm

>79 rabbitprincess: I will definitely have to read the Aussie one - it is always interesting to see how 'outlanders' see your turf!

>82 VivienneR: I bought the Shakespeare one at an op shop recently - still need to get to it!.

85rabbitprincess
Dic 29, 2019, 7:20 pm

>84 JayneCM: It was originally published in 2000, so it might be a touch outdated :) Hope you like it!

****

Back from my parents' place and hoping to cram in as many books as possible in the next couple of days. We have a freezing-rain warning for tomorrow, and luckily I will be able to work from home. Such weather is also good weather for reading once I'm off the clock :)

This will be the last Serial Reader book I finish this year.

Round the Moon, by Jules Verne
Category: The Mysterious Garden
Source: Serial Reader
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/176277867

This really needs to be read immediately after From the Earth to the Moon. Both are pretty short and unintentionally funny in places. Worth reading, if a bit translation-sounding in the Project Gutenberg edition.

86JayneCM
Dic 29, 2019, 9:08 pm

>I'll have to try and remember what Oz was like in 2000! A big year for us with the Sydney Olympics.

I would welcome some rain - we are on high fire alert again, with high winds and temperatures of 40+ degrees C.
Hope you get lots of reading time to round out the year!

87VivienneR
Dic 31, 2019, 10:13 am

>85 rabbitprincess: Hope you got lots of reading done while sitting out the freezing rain. We had heavy rain over Christmas that melted all our snow until today when we have a snow alert.

88rabbitprincess
Dic 31, 2019, 2:48 pm

>86 JayneCM: Ugh, as much as I am not crazy about freezing rain, I will take it over 40+ temperatures! I hope you get rain soon. I have a friend in Melbourne and hope she is OK.

>87 VivienneR: I ended up going out to the library to pick up a bunch of holds, then I spent most of my evening setting up my 2019 recaps and 2020 reading logs!

89JayneCM
Dic 31, 2019, 5:33 pm

>88 rabbitprincess: It is looking slightly better today on the fire front but we are heating up again in the next few days. Melbourne has been OK, just a small fire on the outskirts.

90VivienneR
Dic 31, 2019, 5:44 pm

>88 rabbitprincess: I don't plan ahead anymore. I found that I rarely stuck with a reading plan even if it was only for one month or even less.

Wishing you a Happy New Year filled with good books!

91rabbitprincess
Dic 31, 2019, 6:55 pm

>89 JayneCM: Yikes, "just" a small fire! Thinking cold thoughts and sending them your way! Want this extra snow we got dumped on us today? I'll send it over.

>90 VivienneR: I'm not really planning what to read when, just setting up blank logs to record next year's reading. It's like getting a new notebook, full of potential :D I hope your year is filled with good books too!

92rabbitprincess
Dic 31, 2019, 7:46 pm

I'm going to call this my last book of the year. Month-end and year-end recaps to follow.

The So Blue Marble, by Dorothy B. Hughes
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/176390951

This was Dorothy B. Hughes's first novel, and while the plot is somewhat far-fetched, Hughes grabs the reader with a tense first chapter and propels the story along from there. I read this in a few hours. A great indulgence.

93rabbitprincess
Dic 31, 2019, 8:08 pm

December recap

I got back into the reading saddle with a vengeance and ended the year with 20 books.

Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World, by David Owen
The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams
Au péril de la mer, by Dominique Fortier
Home Sweet Homicide, by Craig Rice
My Scotland, by Val McDermid (photos by Alan McCredie)
Gideon’s Power, by J.J. Marric
From the Earth to the Moon, by Jules Verne (Serial Reader)
The Twenty-Three, by Linwood Barclay
Vimy, by Pierre Berton
Dreyer’s English: The Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style, by Benjamin Dreyer
How Charts Lie: Getting Smarter About Visual Information, by Alberto Cairo
The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells (Serial Reader)
Radio On: A Listener’s Diary, by Sarah Vowell
The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience, and the Secret World of Sleep, by Guy Leschziner
The Collected Ghost Stories, by M. R. James (Faded Page)
A Taste for Death, by P. D. James
Kingdom of the Blind, by Louise Penny
The Body: A Guide for Occupants, by Bill Bryson
Round the Moon, by Jules Verne (Serial Reader)
The So Blue Marble, by Dorothy B. Hughes

My favourite book of the month was Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World. It was exactly the right length and presented exactly what I expected it to, and did it well.

My least favourite book of the month was Au péril de la mer, by Dominique Fortier. The plot wasn’t as compelling (or as existent) for me as her other book I’ve read, Du bon usage des étoiles. Also, I’ve noticed that I often find books about monks boring. So this could just be an “it’s not you, it’s me” reaction.

Currently reading

Watership Down, by Richard Adams (audio, read by Peter Capaldi) — I made more progress with this on the train to and from my parents’ over Christmas, but I think I’ll have to do some audio-knitting with it sometime this month.
Flying Beyond: The Canadian Commercial Pilot Textbook, by Chris Hobbs — My BF asked earlier “Don’t you have to return this to the library?” I’ve been able to renew it twice so far and will likely have to renew it at least once more…
The Mystery of Orcival, by Emile Gaboriau (Serial Reader) — A Monsieur Lecoq mystery I found on Serial Reader. It’s all right.
The Bellamy Trial, by Frances Noyes Hart (Faded Page) — I had borrowed the American Mystery Classics edition from the library but ran out of time for it. Then pamelad alerted me to the fact that Faded Page had it as a public-domain ebook. So now I can read it AND count it in my favour on the 2-for-1 TBR.
Solomon Gursky Was Here, by Mordecai Richler — I started this for the January RandomCAT, because I borrowed it from my parents back in July and it is such a big book that I’ve procrastinated actually reading it.
Wives and Daughters, by Elizabeth Gaskell (Serial Reader) — The random number generator chose this one for me from my list of “Read Later” serials. At 95 issues, it will take me a while to finish.

January plans

This month I managed to read The Twenty-Three off my Pool, which was good. I had a string of four-star reads over the Christmas holidays; my parents keep some pretty good books on their shelves.

I have to reboot the on-deck pile to add stuff from my 2020 Pool and move books back to the shelves if I'm not planning to read them anytime soon. One thing I do want to chip away at is my bundle of Doctor Who comics, the purchase of which has at least partly contributed to my excessively high 2-for-1 TBR starting number.

94rabbitprincess
Dic 31, 2019, 8:41 pm

2019 in stats:

Total books read: 206

Category totals (these may add up to more than 206 because I posted a few in multiple categories)

General fiction – The Blue Hat (J. D. Fergusson): 27
General non-fiction – Old Willie (James Guthrie): 33
Historical fiction – Walter Scott (Henry Raeburn): 8
Historical non-fiction – Mary Queen of Scots (after Nicholas Hilliard): 13
Mysteries – Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room (Steven Campbell): 36
SFF – The Mysterious Garden (Margaret Mackintosh): 31
Graphic novels and other miscellaneous books – Self-portrait (George Jamesone): 23
Audio – The Mantelpiece (Anne Redpath): 10
Plays – Tilda Swinton (John Byrne): 4
French – Boats at Royan (Samuel John Peploe): 3
Rereads – David Hume (Allan Ramsay): 10
Group reads – Poets' Pub (Sandy Moffat): 43 (10 CalendarCAT + 9 RandomCAT + 10 SeriesCAT + 9 TBRCAT + 5 shared reads)
Scotland – Twa Plack (Calum Colvin): 21

My reading as a whole was down from last year (233), but to be fair I had a stressful autumn and there were a couple of months where I found it hard to focus on reading.

I read a lot more general books (both fiction and non-fiction) than last year. My historical fiction reading declined, so I’ve combined the two historical categories into a single category for next year. I was really pleased with my mystery reading this year—the first half of the year saw me reading a lot of translated mysteries, which I don’t think I’ve done in a while. My plays and French categories held steady, as I expected them to do. My audiobook reading went down a bit, but I have been enjoying what I do get around to listening. SFF was up very slightly, and there was a bit more variety thanks to Serial Reader’s collection of early sci-fi. I re-read slightly more than last year, possibly indicative of the extra stress I was going through. I will miss my Scotland category next year, but I will definitely not stop reading Scottish books!

I ended the year with 26/30 books read from my Pool, so 2018 was a fluke, I guess.

Top books of the year (five from each quarter):

Picks of Q1 (Jan/Feb/Mar)
With the End in Mind: Death, Dying and Wisdom in an Age of Denial by Kathryn Mannix
Cold Midnight in Vieux Québec, by Eric Wilson
The Blue Castle, by L. M. Montgomery
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman
Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor, by Steven Moffat

Picks of Q2 (Apr/May/Jun)
The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal
Into the Abyss: How a Deadly Plane Crash Changed the Lives of a Pilot, a Politician, a Criminal and a Cop, by Carol Shaben
Clyde Fans, by Seth
The Trespasser, by Tana French
No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work, by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy

Picks of Q3 (Jul/Aug/Sep)
Strange Things: The Malevolent North in Canadian Literature, by Margaret Atwood
The Future is Female!: 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women, from Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K. LeGuin, ed. Lisa Yaszek
Medicine Walk, by Richard Wagamese
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, by Caroline Criado Perez
The Map of My Dead Pilots: The Dangerous Game of Flying in Alaska, by Colleen Mondor

Picks of Q4 (Oct/Nov/Dec)
The First Cell: And the Human Costs of Pursuing Cancer to the Last, by Azra Raza
Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now, by Alan Rusbridger
Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World, by David Owen
Circe, by Madeline Miller
All That Remains: A Life in Death, by Professor Dame Sue Black

95JayneCM
Dic 31, 2019, 10:21 pm

>93 rabbitprincess: Audio-knitting - love it!

I want to reread Watership Down after having first read it in my teens and loving it.

What a great reading year! See you in 2020!

96rabbitprincess
Ene 1, 2020, 12:13 am

>95 JayneCM: It was a great reading year indeed!

97JayneCM
Ene 1, 2020, 2:27 am

I haave taken so many BBs from various people that my want to read list on Goodreads has more than 1000 books on it! Not sure when I am getting to all those!

98rabbitprincess
Ene 1, 2020, 10:26 am

>97 JayneCM: It just gives you choices for every possible reading mood :)

99JayneCM
Ene 1, 2020, 9:43 pm

>98 rabbitprincess: Sure does! Sometimes though there are so many choices, I have trouble making a decision!

100pammab
Ene 2, 2020, 6:24 pm

>94 rabbitprincess: I am going to look into No Hard Feelings. It sounds like it might be a good book for my workplace.... Congrats on and thanks for the recap!

101rabbitprincess
Ene 2, 2020, 8:27 pm

>99 JayneCM: Haha I can relate!

>100 pammab: Excellent, hope you like it! My mum read it after I did, borrowing it from the library, and she ended up buying her own copy. I'm going to have to borrow it and read it again.

102mathgirl40
Ene 2, 2020, 10:05 pm

>57 rabbitprincess: I always appreciate your help with Faded Page!

>94 rabbitprincess: Congratulations on a great reading year! A total of 206 books is really impressive. I'm looking forward to following your 2020 reading, as I always get a good number of BBs from you.

103rabbitprincess
Ene 3, 2020, 6:51 pm

>102 mathgirl40: And now I can adapt my review of The Bellamy Trial for a future blurb! :D Hoping to dip into the catalogue on FP for some of my reading next year.

104mathgirl40
Ene 4, 2020, 8:24 pm

>103 rabbitprincess: Sounds good to me! :)