Mamie returns to Casablanca, page 2

Greetings from the great fair to middling state of Georgia. I'm Mamie, and I have attempted the Category Challenge multiple times and failed every time. So at least I am consistent. Heh.

For this attempt, I am recycling my theme from 2014 - favorite quotes from the movie Casablanca, which is one of my favorite films. I have come up with 13 categories that will help me to track my reading for this year.

Currently Reading:
......

...

"It seems that destiny has taken a hand."

Category 1: Books listed in The Modern Library: The 200 Best Novels in English Since 1950. I found this book last year and was intrigued - the Amazon blurb says:

"For Colm Toíbín and Carmen Callil there is no difference between literary and commercial writing - there is only the good novel: engrossing, inspirational, compelling. In their selection of the best 200 novels written since 1950, the editors make a case for the best and the best-loved works and argue why each should be considered a modern classic. Enlightening, often unexpected and always engaging this tour through the world of fiction is full of surprises, forgotten masterpieces and a valuable guide to what to read next."

I have read 21 of the 200 and have another 30 in the stacks. I created a category in my LT library for these titles, and it is here: Modern Library Book List

1. The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins, trade paperback acquired in 2014, literary fiction (Virago) - 4 stars
2. Injury Time by Beryl Bainbridge, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/infidelity/dark comedy - 3.5 stars
3. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Sparks, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/coming of age/1930a - 3.5 stars
4. The Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical fiction/WWII - 4 stars
5. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, Kindle, acquired in 2013, crime fiction/classic - 4 stars
6. Interview With a Vampire by Anne Rice, audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, horror/vampires (The Vampire Chronicles, book 1) - 4.5 stars
7. Possession by A. S. Byatt, Kindle acquired in 2020, historical fiction/academia - 4.5 stars

Category 2: Series that I am already pursuing

1. Battle Ground by Jim Butcher, audiobook narrated by James Marsters, urban fantasy (Dresden Files, Book 17) - 4 stars
2. Paper Girls: Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Cliff Chiang (artist), Matt Wilson (colors), Jared K. Fletcher (letters), paperback, acquired in 2021, GN/time travel - 4 stars
3. Paper Girls: Volume 3 by Brian K Vaughan (writer), Cliff Chiang (artist), Matt Wilson (colors), paperback, acquired in 2021, GN/time travel - 3 stars
4. Descender Vol. 2 by Jeff Lemire (author), Dustin Nguyen (artist), Kindle Fire, borrowed, GN/space opera/AI - 4.5 stars - recommended by Joe
5. Body in the Castle Well by Martin Walker, trade paperback, acquired in 2020, police procedural (Bruno Courrèges, book 12) - 4 stars
6. The Shooting at Chateau Rock by Martin Walker, trade paperback, acquired in 2021, police procedural/France (Bruno Courrèges, book 13) - 3.5 stars
7. The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman, Mike Dringenberg (Illustrator), Malcolm Jones Iii (Illustrator), paperback acquired in 2013, GN/horror - 3.5 stars
8. Descender Vol. 3: Singularities by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 4 stars
9. Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country buy Neil Gaiman, Kelley Jones (illustrator/artist), borrowed, GN/horror/mythology - 3 stars
10. The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire by Molly Harper, Kindle, acquired in 2016, paranormal mystery/romance (Half Moon Hollow, book 3) - 3 stars
11. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths, hardback, acquired in 2018, murder mystery, ( Harbinder Kaur, book 1) - reread
12. The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths, Kindle, acquired in 2021, police procedural (Harbinder Kaur, book 2) - 4 stars
13. The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths, Kindle, acquired in 2021, police procedural/forensic anthropology (Ruth Galloway, book 13) - 3.5 stars
14. Descender Vol. 4 Orbital Mechanics by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 4 stars
15. A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark, library hardback, fantasy/steampunk/1912 Cairo - 4 stars
16. Descender Vol. 5: Rise Of The Robots by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 4 stars
17. Descender Vol. 6: The Machine War by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 5 stars
18. Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical romance (Spindle Cove, book 5) (Castles Ever After, book 4) - 4 stars
19. Hickory, Dickory, Dock by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, acquired in 2012, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 29) - 3.5 stars, read this with Birdy
20. Mrs. McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie, trade paperback acquired forever ago, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 27, Ariadne Oliver, book 3) - reread, read with Birdy
21. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 17, Colonel Race, book 3) - reread, read with Birdy
22. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson, Audiobook narrated by Susan Jameson, crime fiction/detective (Jackson Brodie, book 1) - reread - 4.5 stars
23. The Coldest Case by Martin Walker, library hardback, crime fiction/police procedural (Bruno Courrèges, book 14) - 4 stars
24. Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, crime fiction/mystery, (Hercule Poirot, book 35, Ariadne Oliver, book 7) - reread
25. Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen, Audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren, historical mystery, (Her Royal Spyness, book 7) - 4 stars

Here's looking at you, kid."

Category 3: Obsessions. I have a slight addiction to certain subjects - the writing of George Orwell, Ian Fleming's James Bond, the Bloomsbury Group, the Lost Generation...

1. Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge, Hardback, acquired in 2021, graphic biography in verse/books about books - 5 stars
2. Destroyer by Victor LaValle (writer), Micaela Dawn (cover art), Smith Dietrich (artist), Joana Lafuente (colorist), Kindle Fire, borrowed, GN/sci fi/Frankenstein retelling - 4.5 stars - recommended by Roberta
3. The Man with the Golden Typewriter edited by Fergus Fleming, narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt, audiobook, acquired on 2018, non-fiction/letters/Ian Fleming/James Bond - 5 stars
4. Orwell's Nose: A Pathological Biography by John Sutherland, Kindle, acquired in 2016, literary criticism/biography - 4 stars - Charlotte told me about this one
5. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, Hardback acquired in 2021, dystopian/classic - reread (my newest addition, this was the Penguin Clothbound Classics edition)
6. 1984 THE GRAPHIC NOVEL by George Orwell, Fido Nesti (Illustrator), Hardback acquired in 2021, dystopian/classic - 4 stars

Possibilities from my stacks:
The Same Man: George Orwell and Evelyn Waugh in Love and War by David Lebedoff

George Orwell Diaries by George Orwell, Peter Davison (Editor)

Dear Scott/Dear Max: The F. Scott Fitzgerald - Maxwell Perkins Correspondence by John Kuehl (Editor), Jackson R. Bryer (Editor)

Sissinghurst: Vita Sackville-West and the Creation of a Garden by Vita Sackville-West (Author), Sarah Raven (Author)

Virginia Woolf's Garden: The Story of the Garden at Monk's House by Caroline Zoob (Author), Caroline Arber (Photographer)

The Man With the Golden Typewriter: Ian Fleming's James Bond Letters by Ian Fleming

Some Kind of Hero: The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films by Matthew Fields

Nobody Does it Better: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of James Bond by Edward Gross

"Just because you despise me, you are the only one I trust."

Category 4: Non-fiction

1. Medieval People by Eileen Powers, Kindle, acquired in 2020, non-fiction/social history/Middle Ages - 4.25 stars
2. Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge, Hardback, acquired in 2021, graphic biography in verse/books about books - 5 stars
3. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen, paperback (with deckled edges pages!), acquired in 2016, travel writing/Nepal/Tibet/Buddhism/grief - 4 stars
4. Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion, Hardback, library book, non-fiction/essays
5. The Man with the Golden Typewriter edited by Fergus Fleming, narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt, audiobook, acquired on 2018, non-fiction/letters/Ian Fleming/James Bond - 5 stars
6. Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink, Kindle, acquired in 2021, memoir/books about books - 4 stars - recommended by Helen
7. The Window Seat: Notes from a Life in Motion by Aminatta Forna, library hardback, non-fiction/essays - 4.5 stars
8. All the President's Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Trade Paperback acquired in 2021, non-fiction/politics/Watergate/Washington Post - 4 stars, buddy read with Susan and Birdy
9. Cassandra Speaks by Elizabeth Lesser, Audiobook narrated by Xe Sands, feminism - 3 stars
10. Orwell's Nose: A Pathological Biography by John Sutherland, Kindle, acquired in 2016, literary criticism/biography - 4 stars - Charlotte told me about this one

Category 5: Classics of any genre - I feel like reading a classic is always a gamble.

1. The Yellow Wallpaper: a graphic novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore, illustrated by Sara Barkat
2. Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, translated by ?, audiobook narrated by Kate Winslet, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/classic - 3 stars
3. Passing by Nella Larson, hardback, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/race/1920s - 4 stars
4. The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene, Kindle, acquired in 2019, literary fiction/Catholicism/religious persecution - 4 stars
5. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Sparks, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/coming of age/1930a - 3.5 stars
6. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding, hardback and audio narrated by Kenneth Danzinger, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/classics/humor
7. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, acquired in 2020, classic/shipwreck/survival - 3.5 stars
8. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, Audiobook narrated by Juliet Stevenson, classic/literary fiction/industrialism - 5 stars
9. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, Kindle, acquired in 2013, crime fiction/classic - 4 stars
10. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster, Audiobook narrated by Rebecca Hall, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, literary fiction - 5 stars
11. All the President's Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Trade Paperback acquired in 2021, non-fiction/politics/Watergate/Washington Post - 4 stars, buddy read with Susan and Birdy
12. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 17, Colonel Race, book 3) - reread, read with Birdy
13. Interview With a Vampire by Anne Rice, audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, horror/vampires (The Vampire Chronicles, book 1) - 4.5 stars
14. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, audiobook narrated by Mia Farrow, horror - 4 stars
15. Swann's Way by Marcel Proust, translated from French by Lydia Davis, trade paperback acquired in 2018, French literature/classic (In Search of Lost Time, Volume I), shared read with Mark et al - 4.5 stars
16. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Audiobook narrated by Hugh Grant (borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog), classic/Christmas - reread
17. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, Hardback acquired in 2021, dystopian/classic - reread (my newest addition, this was the Penguin Clothbound Classics edition)
18. 1984 THE GRAPHIC NOVEL by George Orwell, Fido Nesti (Illustrator), Hardback acquired in 2021, dystopian/classic - 4 stars
19. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, translated by ?, Audiobook narrated by Patrick Tull, acquired in 2021, French literature/classic - 4 stars

Classics Challenge (I totally stole this from Jean)

✅1. A 19th century classic - any book published between 1800 and 1899. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

✅2. A 20th century classic - any book published between 1900 and 1971. As in past years, all books MUST have been published at least 50 years ago to qualify. The only exception is books written at least 50 years ago, but published later, such as posthumous publications. The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene, published 1940

✅3. A classic by a woman author. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Sparks

✅4. A classic in translation. Any book originally written published in a language other than your native language. Feel free to read the book in your language or the original language. (You can also read books in translation for any of the other categories). Modern translations are acceptable as long as the original work fits the guidelines for publications as explained in the challenge rules.Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, translated by ?

✅5. A children's classic. Indulge your inner child and read that classic that you somehow missed years ago. Short stories are fine, but it must be a complete volume. Young adult and picture books don't count! Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

✅6. A classic crime story, fiction or non-fiction. This can be a true crime story, mystery, detective novel, spy novel, etc., as long as a crime is an integral part of the story and it was published at least 50 years ago. Examples include The 39 Steps, Strangers on a Train, In Cold Blood, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, etc. The Haycraft-Queen Cornerstones list is an excellent source for suggestions. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

✅7. A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction. The journey itself must be the major plot point -- not just the destination. Good examples include The Hobbit, Around the World in 80 Days, Unbeaten Tracks in Japan, Kon-Tiki, Travels with Charley, etc. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

✅8. A classic with a single-word title. No articles please! Proper names are fine -- Emma, Germinal, Middlemarch, Kidnapped, etc. Passing by Nella Larson

✅ 9. A classic with a color in the title. The Woman in White; Anne of Green Gables; The Red and the Black, and so on. (Silver, gold, etc. are acceptable. Basically, if it's a color in a Crayola box of crayons, it's fine!) The Yellow Wallpaper: a graphic novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore, illustrated by Sara Barkat

✅ 10. A classic by an author that's new to you. Choose an author you've never read before. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding

✅11. A classic that scares you. Is there a classic you've been putting off forever? A really long book which intimidates you because of its sheer length? Now's the time to read it, and hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised! Swann's Way by Marcel Proust

✅12. Re-read a favorite classic. Like me, you probably have a lot of favorites -- choose one and read it again. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Category 6: Female Authors

January:
1. The Yellow Wallpaper: a graphic novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore, illustrated by Sara Barkat
2. The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins, trade paperback acquired in 2014, literary fiction (Virago) - 4 stars
3. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos, Kindle, humor - 3 stars
4. Medieval People by Eileen Powers, Kindle, acquired in 2020, non-fiction/social history/Middle Ages - 4.25 stars
5. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Kindle, acquired in 2020, gothic horror - 3.5 stars
6. Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls, Kindle, acquired in 2021, novella/grief - 4 stars
7. Babette's Feast by Isak Dinesen, Kindle, acquired in 2020, short story/food - 4.5 stars
8. Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge, Hardback, acquired in 2021, graphic biography in verse/books about books - 5 stars

February:
9. Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer, audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren, acquired in 2021, YA/historical mystery (Enola Holmes, book 1) - 4 stars
10. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, translated by Megan Backus, Kindle, acquired in 2020, novellas/grief - 2 stars
11. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, Kindle, acquired in 2020, Polish fiction/animal rights - 4 stars
12. Summerwater by Sarah Moss, Kindle, acquired in 2021, contemporary fiction/linked vignettes - 4.5 stars

March:
13. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourne, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical mystery (Veronica Speedwell, book 1) - 4 stars - recommended by Chelle
14. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon, Kindle, acquired in 2019, police procedural/Venice (Commissario Brunetti, book 1) - 3 stars
15. West by Carys Davies, Kindle, acquired in 2020, historical fiction/western/novella - 4.5 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen
16. Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars by Miranda Emmerson, Kindle, acquired in 2021, mystery/amateur sleuth - 4 stars (Anna Treadway, book 1) - recommended by Charlotte

April:
17. Injury Time by Beryl Bainbridge, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/infidelity/dark comedy - 3.5 stars
18. Passing by Nella Larson, hardback, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/race/1920s - 4 stars
19. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson, translated by Thomas Teal, Kindle, acquired in 2020, literary fiction/linked vignettes - 4.5 stars - recommended by Helen
20. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Sparks, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/coming of age/1930a - 3.5 stars

May:
21. Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi, hardback, library book, literary fiction/mother-daughter relationships/dementia - 3 stars
22. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/relationships/infidelity/grief - 4.5 stars
23. Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion, Hardback, library book, non-fiction/essays
24. All Systems Red by Martha Wells, Kindle, acquired in 2018, sci fi/AI/space opera - reread
25. Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor, Hardback, library book, sci fi/death - 4 stars
26. Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/gothic/psychological thriller - 3.75 stars
27. Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry, Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/noir/private detective - 4.5 stars - recommended by Jennifer (mstrust)

June:
28. The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire by Molly Harper, Kindle, acquired in 2016, paranormal mystery/romance (Half Moon Hollow, book 3) - 3 stars
29. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths, hardback, acquired in 2018, murder mystery, (Harbinder Kaur, book 1) - reread
30. The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths, Kindle, acquired in 2021, police procedural (Harbinder Kaur, book 2) - 4 stars

July:
31. The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths, Kindle, acquired in 2021, police procedural/forensic anthropology (Ruth Galloway, book 13) - 3.5 stars
32. Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller, hardback, library book, literary fiction/poverty/grief - 4 stars

August:
33. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri, library hardback, translation, literary fiction/linked vignettes/solitude - 4 stars
34. Ankomst by Gøhril Gabrielsen, translated by Deborah Dawkin, Kindle, acquired in 2021, psychological thriller/novella - 3 stars, recommended by Helen
35. A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher, Kindle, acquired in 2021, Children's literature/fantasy/wizards - 4 stars - recommended by Richard
36. Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant, Kindle, acquired in 2021, novella/horror/mermaids - 4 stars
37. Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink, Kindle, acquired in 2021, memoir/books about books - 4 stars - recommended by Helen
38. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, Audiobook narrated by Juliet Stevenson, classic/literary fiction/industrialism - 5 stars
39. Remake by Connie Willis, Audiobook narrated by Christopher Kipiniak, acquired in 2021, sf/Hollywood/futuristic - 4.5 stars
40. Essential Welty by Eudora Welty, Audiobook narrated by Eudora Welty, acquired in 2017, short stories/Southern fiction - 4.5 stars
41. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, Kindle, acquired in 2013, crime fiction/classic - 4 stars
42. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, Audiobook narrated by Fenella Woolgar, acquired in 2013, historical fiction/alternate lives - 4.5 stars

September:
43. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warren, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/feminism - 3 stars
44. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark, Audiobook narrated by Nadia May, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, literary fiction/old age - 4 stars
45. The Window Seat: Notes from a Life in Motion by Aminatta Forna, library hardback, non-fiction/essays - 4.5 stars
46. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical romance - 4.5 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen
47. Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical romance (Spindle Cove, book 5) (Castles Ever After, book 4) - 4 stars
48. Hickory, Dickory, Dock by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, acquired in 2012, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 29) - 3.5 stars, read this with Birdy
49. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal, Kindle, acquired in 2021, immigration/assimilation/feminism - 3.5 stars, Katie's Dirty Dozen
50. Mrs. McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie, trade paperback acquired forever ago, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 27, Ariadne Oliver, book 3) - reread, read with Birdy

October:
51. Cassandra Speaks by Elizabeth Lesser, Audiobook narrated by Xe Sands, feminism - 3 stars
52. Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza, translated by Thomas Bunstead, Kindle, acquired in 2021, autofiction/art history/linked vignettes - 4 stars
53. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 17, Colonel Race, book 3) - reread, read with Birdy
54. Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe, Kindle, acquired in 2021, space opera (The Protectorate, book 1) - recommended by Jim
55. Interview With a Vampire by Anne Rice, audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, horror/vampires (The Vampire Chronicles, book 1) - 4.5 stars
56. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson, Audiobook narrated by Susan Jameson, crime fiction/detective (Jackson Brodie, book 1) - reread - 4.5 stars

November:
57. Winter Flowers by Angélique Villeneuve, translated by Adriana Hunter, Kindle, historical fiction/WWI/France - 5 stars - recommended by Charlotte
58. Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, crime fiction/mystery, (Hercule Poirot, book 35, Ariadne Oliver, book 7) - reread
59. The Wizards of Once: Never and Forever by Cressida Cowell, Audiobook narrated by David Tennant, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, children's literature/magic/witches - 4 stars
60. Possession by A. S. Byatt, Kindle acquired in 2020, historical fiction/academia - 4.5 stars
61. A Cornish Christmas by Lily Graham, Kindle acquired in 2021, contemporary romance/grief - 3..5 stars - Richard mentioned this on Katie's thread

December:
62. Still Life by Sara Winman, library hardback and audiobook narrated by the author acquired in 2021, historical fiction/relationships/art/ A Room With a View - 5 stars - read this one with Mark
63. 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard, Kindle acquired in 2021, psychological thriller/Ireland/Covid-19 - 4 stars
64. Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen, Audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren, historical mystery, (Her Royal Spyness, book 7) - 4 stars
65. The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan, Kindle acquired in 2021, contemporary fiction/books about books - 4 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen

Category 7: Authors that are new to me

January:
1. River of Darkness by Rennie Airth, trade paperback acquired in 2014, crime fiction (John Madden, book 1) - 4 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen
2. The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins, trade paperback acquired in 2014, literary fiction (Virago) - 4 stars
3. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos, Kindle, humor - 3 stars
4. Medieval People by Eileen Powers, Kindle, acquired in 2020, non-fiction/social history/Middle Ages - 4.25 stars
5. Bloody January by Alan Parks, Kindle, acquired in 2020, crime fiction (Harry McCoy, book 1) - 2.5 stars
6. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Kindle, acquired in 2020, gothic horror - 3.5 stars
7. Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls, Kindle, acquired in 2021, novella/grief - 4 stars

February:
8. Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer, audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren, acquired in 2021, YA/historical mystery (Enola Holmes, book 1) - 4 stars
9. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, translated by Megan Backus, Kindle, acquired in 2020, novellas/grief - 2 stars
10. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, Kindle, acquired in 2020, Polish fiction/animal rights - 4 stars

March:
11. I Will Have Vengeance by Maurizio de Giovanni, translated by Anne Milano Appel, police procedural/Naples/1930s - 4 stars (Commisario Riccardi, book 1)
12. Death in August by Marco Vichi, translated by Stephen Sartarelli, Kindle, acquired in 2018, police procedural/Florence (Inspector Bordelli, book 1) - 3 stars
13. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon, Kindle, acquired in 2019, police procedural/Venice (Commissario Brunetti, book 1) - 3 stars
14. West by Carys Davies, Kindle, acquired in 2020, historical fiction/western/novella - 4.5 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen
15. Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, translated by ?, audiobook narrated by Kate Winslet, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/classic - 3 stars

April:
16. Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars by Miranda Emmerson, Kindle, acquired in 2021, mystery/amateur sleuth - 4 stars (Anna Treadway, book 1) - recommended by Charlotte
17. Injury Time by Beryl Bainbridge, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/infidelity/dark comedy - 3.5 stars
18. Passing by Nella Larson, hardback, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/race/1920s - 4 stars
19. Destroyer by Victor LaValle (writer), Micaela Dawn (cover art), Smith Dietrich (artist), Joana Lafuente (colorist), Kindle Fire, borrowed, GN/sci fi/Frankenstein retelling - 4.5 stars - recommended by Roberta
20. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson, translated by Thomas Teal, Kindle, acquired in 2020, literary fiction/linked vignettes - 4.5 stars - recommended by Helen
21. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Sparks, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/coming of age/1930a - 3.5 stars

May:
22. Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi, hardback, library book, literary fiction/mother-daughter relationships/dementia - 3 stars
23. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/relationships/infidelity/grief - 4.5 stars
24. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding, hardback and audio narrated by Kenneth Danzinger, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/classics/humor
25. Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry, Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/noir/private detective - 4.5 stars - recommended by Jennifer (mstrust)
26. Restless by William Boyd, audiobook narrated by Rosamund Pike, acquired in 2015, thriller/espionage/WWII - 4 stars - recommended by Bonnie and Donna

June:
27. Mediterranean Mood Food by Paula See, hardback, library book, cookbook

July:
28. The Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical fiction/WWII - 4 stars
29. Dead Man in a Ditch by Luke Arnold, 2021 acquired audiobook narrated by Luke Arnold, fantasy/private detective/noir - 3.5 stars

August:
30. Ankomst by Gøhril Gabrielsen, translated by Deborah Dawkin, Kindle, acquired in 2021, psychological thriller/novella - 3 stars, recommended by Helen
31. The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson, Kindle, acquired in 2021, biographical novel/journalism/Puerto Rico - 3 stars
32. A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher, Kindle, acquired in 2021, Children's literature/fantasy/wizards - 4 stars - recommended by Richard
33. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, translated by ?, Kindle, acquired in 2021, linked vignettes/Marco Polo/Kublai Khan - 2.5 stars
34. Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink, Kindle, acquired in 2021, memoir/books about books - 4 stars - recommended by Helen
39. Remake by Connie Willis, Audiobook narrated by Christopher Kipiniak, acquired in 2021, sf/Hollywood/futuristic - 4.5 stars

September:
40. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warren, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/feminism - 3 stars
41. All the President's Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Trade Paperback acquired in 2021, non-fiction/politics/Watergate/Washington Post - 4 stars, buddy read with Susan and Birdy
42. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical romance - 4.5 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen
43. My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, library hardback, horror - 5 stars - recommended by Richard
44. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal, Kindle, acquired in 2021, immigration/assimilation/feminism - 3.5 stars, Katie's Dirty Dozen

October:
45. The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs, Audiobook narrated by George Guidall, acquired in 2018, children's literature/magic
46. Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza, translated by Thomas Bunstead, Kindle, acquired in 2021, autofiction/art history/linked vignettes - 4 stars
47. Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe, Kindle, acquired in 2021, space opera (The Protectorate, book 1) - recommended by Jim - 4.5 stars
48. Interview With a Vampire by Anne Rice, audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, horror/vampires (The Vampire Chronicles, book 1) - 4.5 stars
49. Orwell's Nose: A Pathological Biography by John Sutherland, Kindle, acquired in 2016, literary criticism/biography - 4 stars - Charlotte told me about this one

November:
50. Winter Flowers by Angélique Villeneuve, translated by Adriana Hunter, Kindle, historical fiction/WWI/France - 5 stars - recommended by Charlotte
51. Swann's Way by Marcel Proust, translated from French by Lydia Davis, trade paperback acquired in 2018, French literature/classic (In Search of Lost Time, Volume I), shared read with Mark et al - 4.5 stars
52. The Wardrobe Mistress by Patrick McGrath, Kindle acquired in 2021, historical fiction/post WWII, grief - thinking - Richard mentioned this on Katie's thread
55. Possession by A. S. Byatt, Kindle acquired in 2020, historical fiction/academia - 4.5 stars
56. A Cornish Christmas by Lily Graham, Kindle acquired in 2021, contemporary romance/grief - 3..5 stars - Richard mentioned this on Katie's thread

December:
57. 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard, Kindle acquired in 2021, psychological thriller/Ireland/Covid-19 - 4 stars
58. The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan, Kindle acquired in 2021, contemporary fiction/books about books - 4 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen
59. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, translated by ?, Audiobook narrated by Patrick Tull, acquired in 2021, French literature/classic - 4 stars

“You know what I want to hear. … You played it for her, you can play it for me!”

Category 8: Audiobooks

1. Battle Ground by Jim Butcher, audiobook narrated by James Marsters, urban fantasy (Dresden Files, Book 17) - 4 stars
2. The Weirdies by Michael Buckley, borrowed audiobook narrated by Kate Winslet, juvenile fiction/humor - 5 stars
3. Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer, audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren, acquired in 2021, YA/historical mystery (Enola Holmes, book 1) - 4 stars
4. Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, translated by ?, audiobook narrated by Kate Winslet, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/classic - 3 stars
5. The Man with the Golden Typewriter edited by Fergus Fleming, narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt, audiobook, acquired on 2018, non-fiction/letters/Ian Fleming/James Bond - 5 stars
6. Restless by William Boyd, audiobook narrated by Rosamund Pike, acquired in 2015, thriller/espionage/WWII - 4 stars - recommended by Bonnie and Donna
7. Dead Man in a Ditch by Luke Arnold, 2021 acquired audiobook narrated by Luke Arnold, fantasy/private detective/noir - 3.5 stars
8. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, acquired in 2020, classic/shipwreck/survival - 3.5 stars
9. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, Audiobook narrated by Juliet Stevenson, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, classic/literary fiction/industrialism - 5 stars
9. Remake by Connie Willis, Audiobook narrated by Christopher Kipiniak, acquired in 2021, sf/Hollywood/futuristic - 4.5 stars
10. Essential Welty by Eudora Welty, Audiobook narrated by Eudora Welty, acquired in 2017, short stories/Southern fiction - 4.5 stars
11. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, Audiobook narrated by Fenella Woolgar, acquired in 2013, historical fiction/alternate lives - 4.5 stars
12. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark, Audiobook narrated by Nadia May, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, literary fiction/old age - 4 stars
13. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster, Audiobook narrated by Rebecca Hall, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, literary fiction - 5 stars
14. Cassandra Speaks by Elizabeth Lesser, Audiobook narrated by Xe Sands, feminism - 3 stars
15. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, audiobook narrated by Mia Farrow, horror - 4 stars
16. The Wizards of Once: Never and Forever by Cressida Cowell, Audiobook narrated by David Tennant, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, children's literature/magic/witches - 4 stars
17. Still Life by Sara Winman, library hardback and audiobook narrated by the author acquired in 2021, historical fiction/relationships/art/ A Room With a View - 5 stars - read this one with Mark
18. The Shortest Day by Colm Tóibín, Audiobook narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds, borrowed from Prime reading, literary fiction/short story/Irish myth - 4 stars
19. Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen, Audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren, historical mystery, (Her Royal Spyness, book 7) - 4 stars
20. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Audiobook narrated by Hugh Grant (borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog), classic/Christmas - reread
21. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, Audiobook acquired in 2021, French literature/classic - 4 stars
22. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, Audiobook narrated by Ray Porter, acquired in 2021, science fiction/space travel - 5 stars

Category 9: Translations

February:
1. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, translated by Megan Backus, Kindle, acquired in 2020, novellas/grief - 2 stars
2. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, Kindle, acquired in 2020, Polish fiction/animal rights - 4 stars

March:
3. I Will Have Vengeance by Maurizio de Giovanni, translated by Anne Milano Appel, police procedural/Naples/1930s - 4 stars (Commisario Riccardi, book 1)
4. Death in August by Marco Vichi, translated by Stephen Sartarelli, Kindle, acquired in 2018, police procedural/Florence (Inspector Bordelli, book 1) - 3 stars
5. Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, translated by ?, audiobook narrated by Kate Winslet, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/classic - 3 stars

April:
6. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson, translated by Thomas Teal, Kindle, acquired in 2020, literary fiction/linked vignettes - 4.5 stars - recommended by Helen

August:
7. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri, library hardback, translated by the author, literary fiction/linked vignettes/solitude - 4 stars
8. Ankomst by Gøhril Gabrielsen, translated by Deborah Dawkin, Kindle, acquired in 2021, psychological thriller/novella - 3 stars, recommended by Helen
9. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, translated by ?, Kindle, acquired in 2021, linked vignettes/Marco Polo/Kublai Khan - 2.5 stars

October:
10. Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza, translated by Thomas Bunstead, Kindle, acquired in 2021, autofiction/art history/linked vignettes - 4 stars

November:
11. Winter Flowers by Angélique Villeneuve, translated by Adriana Hunter, Kindle, historical fiction/WWI/France - 5 stars - recommended by Charlotte
12. Swann's Way by Marcel Proust, translated from French by Lydia Davis, trade paperback acquired in 2018, French literature/classic (In Search of Lost Time, Volume I), shared read with Mark et al - 4.5 stars

December:
13. In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way: A Graphic Novel by Marcel Proust, Stéphane Heuet (Adapter), Arthur Goldhammer (Translator) - GN acquired in 2018, French literature/classic - 4 stars
14. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, translated by ?, Audiobook narrated by Patrick Tull, acquired in 2021, French literature/classic - 4 stars

"Was that canon fire, or is it my heart pounding?"

Category 10: KITs and CATs - This will probably be mostly MysteryKIT and ScaredyKIT, but I plan to jump in and out of some of the others as the mood takes me. It turns out that I love to participate in the various KITS and CATS, but I am not good with keeping track of them, so I'm changing this to:

Graphic Novels

1. The Yellow Wallpaper: a graphic novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore, illustrated by Sara Barkat, paperback acquired in 2020, horror - 4.5 stars
2. The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman, Sam Keith (Illustrator), Mike Dringenberg (Illustrator) - paperback acquired in 2013, GN, horror - 4.5 stars
3. Paper Girls Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Cliff Chiang (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Artist), Kindle, borrowed, GN, time travel - 3.5 stars
4. Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge, Hardback, acquired in 2021, graphic biography in verse/books about books - 5 stars
5. Paper Girls: Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Cliff Chiang (artist), Matt Wilson (colors), Jared K. Fletcher (letters), paperback, acquired in 2021, GN/time travel - 4 stars
6. Paper Girls: Volume 3 by Brian K Vaughan (writer), Cliff Chiang (artist), Matt Wilson (colors), paperback, acquired in 2021, GN/time travel - 3 stars
7. Destroyer by Victor LaValle (writer), Micaela Dawn (cover art), Smith Dietrich (artist), Joana Lafuente (colorist), Kindle Fire, borrowed, GN/sci fi/Frankenstein retelling - 4.5 stars - recommended by Roberta
8. Descender Vol. 1: Tin Stars by Jeff Lemire (author), Dustin Nguyen (artist), Kindle Fire, borrowed, GN/space opera/AI - 5 stars - recommended by Joe
9. Descender Vol. 2 by Jeff Lemire (author), Dustin Nguyen (artist), Kindle Fire, borrowed, GN/space opera/AI - 4.5 stars - recommended by Joe
10. The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman, Mike Dringenberg (Illustrator), Malcolm Jones Iii (Illustrator), paperback acquired in 2013, GN/horror - 3.5 stars
11. Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry, Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/noir/private detective - 4.5 stars - recommended by Jennifer (mstrust)
12. Descender Vol. 3: Singularities by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 4 stars
13. Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country buy Neil Gaiman, Kelley Jones (illustrator/artist), borrowed, GN/horror/mythology - 3 stars
14. Descender Vol. 4 Orbital Mechanics by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 4 stars
15. Descender Vol. 5: Rise Of The Robots by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 4 stars
16. Descender Vol. 6: The Machine War by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 5 stars
17. 1984 THE GRAPHIC NOVEL by George Orwell, Fido Nesti (Illustrator), Hardback acquired in 2021, dystopian/classic - 4 stars

"It's still the same old story..."

Category 11: Rereads

1. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - GN
2. All Systems Red by Martha Wells, Kindle, acquired in 2018, sci fi/AI/space opera - reread
3. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths, hardback, acquired in 2018, murder mystery, (Harbinder Kaur, book 1) - reread
4. Mrs. McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie, trade paperback acquired forever ago, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 27, Ariadne Oliver, book 3) - reread, read with Birdy
5. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 17, Colonel Race, book 3) - reread, read with Birdy
6. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson, Audiobook narrated by Susan Jameson, crime fiction/detective (Jackson Brodie, book 1) - reread - 4.5 stars
7. Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, crime fiction/mystery, (Hercule Poirot, book 35, Ariadne Oliver, book 7) - reread
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, Hardback acquired in 2021, dystopian/classic - reread (my newest addition, this was the Penguin Clothbound Classics edition)
9. 1984 THE GRAPHIC NOVEL by George Orwell, Fido Nesti (Illustrator), Hardback acquired in 2021, dystopian/classic - 4 stars

"I like to think that you killed a man. It's the Romantic in me..."

Category 12: Katie's Dirty Dozen - I always keep a list of book bullets that Katie has hit me with, and since Katie loves her a good romance...This space will feature both the newly acquired 2021 list and the list of what I read from her previous hits. I have a category in my LT library listing all of these titles - Katie's Dirty Dozens

1. River of Darkness by Rennie Airth, trade paperback acquired in 2014, crime fiction (John Madden, book 1) - 4 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen
2. West by Carys Davies, Kindle, acquired in 2020, historical fiction/western/novella - 4.5 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen
3. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical romance - 4.5 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen
4. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal, Kindle, acquired in 2021, immigration/assimilation/feminism - 3.5 stars, Katie's Dirty Dozen
5. The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan, Kindle acquired in 2021, contemporary fiction/books about books - 4 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen

Category 13: Everything Else

1. Up at the Villa by W. Somerset Maugham, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/Florence/ just pre-WWII - 3 stars
2. Up in Honey's Room by Elmore Leonard, Kindle, acquired in 2021, crime fiction/WWII/humor - 3 stars

Welcome, y'all! Come on in and make yourselves at home.

Cheers to your new thread! I really need to rewatch "Casablanca."

>17 christina_reads: Thank you, Christina! And yes, get to that rewatch of Casablanca soon.

86. Hickory, Dickory, Dock by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, acquired in 2012, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 29) - 3.5 stars, read this with Birdy

Many years ago, I received an Agatha Christie for Christmas - Mrs. McGinty's Dead, and I loved it. I was probably 12 or 13. Stayed up into the wee small hours finishing it and then proceeded to devour them one after another. Hercule Poirot has always been my favorite of her detectives, but honestly they are all fun. After finishing our read aloud of All The President's Men, my daughter Birdy and I decided to do another book together, and she wanted to try an Agatha Christie because she has never read one - she picked this title from the stacks. I could not remember if I had read it before or not. Not, as it turns out, or else I have completely forgotten it, which could also happen. *blinks* Anyway, it was nice and twisty, and we enjoyed reading it together. We have decide to continue with Christie, so yesterday we started Mrs. McGinty's Dead. We are going to watch any film or tv miniseries versions of the books as we finish them, so up first will be Hickory, Hickory, Dock from Agatha Christie's Poirot - Season 6 Episode 2 which features David Suchet as Hercule Poirot.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread! I love that you're doing some Agatha Christie reading and watching.

Fun idea to have an Agatha read-and-watch-along! My parents are doing this with the Wallander series: or rather, my mum is reading the Wallander books, then she and my dad watch the appropriate episode from the Kenneth Branagh adaptation.

>19 Crazymamie: that's lovely!

Happy new thread. It's always lovely to visit Rick's Café.

>20 Jackie_K: Thank you!

>21 NinieB: Thanks. I think it will be a very fun project - I have not read Christie in years, but her books are what made me fall in love with the genre.

>22 rabbitprincess: We are already having a lot of fun with it. Wallender is also an excellent idea. My oldest daughter, Rae, and I both love watching the Shetland and Vera series together, but I have not gotten her to read the books yet.

>23 VictoriaPL: Thank you. I love that she wanted to keep going.

87. My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, library hardback, horror - 5 stars - recommended by Richard

I loved this! The 80s were my teenage years, and my friends and I used to go in a big group to all of the horror movies that were so popular at that time. This book is an homage to those movies, both the slashers and the thrillers like Jaws and Poltergeist. And yet it is so much more than that. The storytelling here is epic, and I was completely awed by the terrible beauty here and charmed by exactly how it was delivered. It's just So. Well. Done. If you want a better idea about what the book is about, then you should read Richard's Brilliant Review of it, which is what landed this title on The List.

A huge thanks to Richard for bringing this one to my attention - one of my favorite reads of the year so far.

Happy new thread, Mamie. I've enjoyed scrolling down and seeing all the stills from Casablanca - what a wonderful cast! I am adding My Heart is a Chainsaw (what a great title!) to my ever-growing list!

>27 DeltaQueen50: Thank you, Judy! Hooray for My Heart is a Chainsaw! I was telling Richard that I think I need my own copy.

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal, Kindle, acquired in 2021, immigration/assimilation/feminism - 3.5 stars, Katie's Dirty Dozen

I thought this was good but not great, but I loved the premise. Nikki, who is Punjabi Sikh born and raised in England to parents who immigrated from India, takes a part time job in Southall teaching storytelling to a class of Punjabi widows. What she has really been hired for is to teach them to read and write in English. What the widows want is to write erotic stories - an idea they get from a book in Nikki's bag that she bought as a gag gift. Along the way, the women find their voice. There are multiple storylines woven into the narrative, and they are all interesting - they ask questions about culture and assimilation and women's rights. I wish the author had spent more time developing the characters, as the story felt slightly shallow to me - I also wanted a longer story arc and more complex and realistic resolutions to the issues presented. It seemed too easy and too neat.

Here's question - I like to track an author's nationality, and this author was born in Singapore and grew up in Japan, Russia, and the Philippines, but she is also listed as an Australian author. Where would you put her? LT lists her nationality as Australian, but other sites say Singaporean.

>29 Crazymamie: I'd say Singaporean, if you had to choose just one place, because she was born there and lived there from 8 - 15, and her parents are Singaporean. She's won some book awards in Australia, where she is living at the moment. I'm sure we're happy to adopt her, particularly since she's successful!

>30 pamelad: Thanks for that - I was kind of leaning that way but was not sure.

Yesterday was my tenth Thingaversary, and here is my haul that I have been collecting throughout September:

..
Penguin Clothbound Classics

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell - Yes, I already have multiple copies of this, but look how pretty!
The Lonely Londoners by Samuel Selvon
The Travels by Marco Polo - I have wanted to read this since reading Eileen Powell's Medieval People


Everyman's Library

The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann - I want to read Mann before reading Colm Tóibín's The Magician


Penguin Modern Classics

The Letters of Nancy Mitford and Evelyn Waugh edited by Charlotte Mosley - recommended by Susan


Gallery / Saga Press Hardback

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones - I wanted my own copy

On Kindle:
The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey - recommended by VictoriaPL
The Gadfly by Ethel Voynich - recommended by Richard
The Heroine's Journey: For Writers, Readers, and Fans of Pop Culture by Gail Carriger
Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers by Daniel Ellsberg
Personal History by Katherine Graham - from Katie's Dirty Dozen

>32 Crazymamie: I remember enjoying The Letters of Nancy Mitford and Evelyn Waugh. They're so funny and gossipy!

Oh, the Penguin clothbound classics are lovely. I have four and they are placed where I can see them.

>32 Crazymamie: Happy belated Thingaversary! Those Penguins are gorgeous!

>33 christina_reads: I am looking forward to dipping into it. I love reading letters, and when I mentioned this on Susan's thread, she recommended it and also Counting One's Blessings: The Selected Letters of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, which I picked up in Kindle.

>34 RidgewayGirl: I love them, too! I have been collecting them for years, and they never fail to make me smile - it's like having art on my shelves. Just counted, and I have 35 of them.

>35 MissWatson: Thank you! I agree about the Penguins. I love those covers.

89. Mrs. McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie, trade paperback acquired forever ago, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 27, Ariadne Oliver, book 3) - reread, read with Birdy

"Authors were shy, unsociable creatures, atoning for their lack of social aptitude by inventing their own companions and conversations."

As I mentioned before, this was my introduction to Agatha Christie. I first read it when I was twelve or thirteen and received it as a Christmas present. Why this particular Christie? I have no idea. Anyway, even though it is not her best twisty mystery, I have a soft spot for it. And Ariadne Oliver shows up in it! She writes books featuring a Finnish detective that is every bit as eccentric as Poirot, and I love this quote from her talking about her most famous character:

"Why a Finn when I know nothing about Finland? Why a vegetarian? Why all these idiotic mannerisms he's got? These things just happen. You try something - and people seem to like it - and then you go on - and before you know where you are, you've got someone like that maddening Sven Hjerson tied to you for life."

Birdy liked this one even better than Hickory Hickory Dock. We are planning to watch the tv version of it sometime in the next few days - we have to wait for Rae (my oldest daughter), who wants to watch it with us. Next up Birdy has chosen Death on the Nile, which is one of my favorites.

>37 Crazymamie: I love Mrs. Oliver's musings on mystery writing. They are the highlight in some of the really late books.

Death on the Nile is one of my very favorites, right up there with Roger Ackroyd and And Then There Were None. Enjoy!

>38 NinieB: Agreed! Birdy loved her, too. You have just listed three of my very favorites - Roger Ackroyd is in the stack of Birdy's chosen books. I'm hoping I can talk her into And Then There Were None - Rae had some video game of it when they were much younger, and apparently Birdy found it very scary, so she doesn't want to read that one. I'm hoping once she gets a feel for Christie's writing she will change her mind. We'll see.

Storytime at the Pecan Paradisio

September Reads:
79. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warren, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/feminism - 3 stars
80. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark, Audiobook narrated by Nadia May, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, literary fiction/old age - 4 stars
81. The Window Seat: Notes from a Life in Motion by Aminatta Forna, library hardback, non-fiction/essays - 4.5 stars
82. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster, Audiobook narrated by Rebecca Hall, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, literary fiction - 5 stars
83. All the President's Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Trade Paperback acquired in 2021, non-fiction/politics/Watergate/Washington Post - 4 stars, buddy read with Susan and Birdy
84. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical romance (Spindle Cove, book 4) - 4.5 stars, Katie's Dirty Dozen
85. Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical romance (Spindle Cove, book 5) (Castles Ever After, book 4) - 4 stars
86. Hickory, Dickory, Dock by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, acquired in 2012, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 29) - 3.5 stars, read this with Birdy
87. My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, library hardback, horror - 5 stars - recommended by Richard
88. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal, Kindle, acquired in 2021, immigration/assimilation/feminism - 3.5 stars, Katie's Dirty Dozen
89. Mrs. McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie, trade paperback acquired forever ago, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 27, Ariadne Oliver, book 3) - reread

I read 10 books in September. My favorite was My Heart is a Chainsaw. Birdy and I managed to read 3 books together, so that was fun. Two were audiobooks and 2 were non-fiction.

All the President's Men felt like reading immersion with reading the book aloud with Birdy and watching the documentary made from the podcast Slow Burn. This was also a buddy read with Susan. I am just now remembering that we still need to rewatch the movie, which Birdy and I both love.

90. Cassandra Speaks by Elizabeth Lesser, Audiobook narrated by Xe Sands, feminism - 3 stars

"A good way to measure the ubiquity of the male perspective masquerading as the human perspective is to check out the Nobel Prizes. The Nobel Prizes are awarded in six categories: literature, medicine, chemistry, peace, physics, and economics. Who we are as a species, what we value, where we expend our energy and our resources, and our priorities, goals, and dreams can be charted through the development of these categories. As of 2018, Nobel Prizes in total have been awarded to 853 men and 51 women. One hundred ten Nobel Prizes in Literature have been awarded since 1901, and only 14 of those were awarded to women... The world would have been different-and better-if women had had equal say in the development of literature, medicine, chemistry, physics, peace, and economics. Better, not because women are better, but because they are more than half of humanity, representing more than half of what it means to be human. If you can convince me otherwise, you should receive a Nobel Prize."

This was not quite what I was expecting. Well...the first part was. It does exactly what the book description promises:

from the Audible blurb

"Cassandra Speaks is about the stories we tell and how those stories become the culture. It’s about the stories we still blindly cling to, and the ones that cling to us: the origin tales, the guiding myths, the religious parables, the literature and films and fairy tales passed down through the centuries about women and men, power and war, sex and love, and the values we live by. Stories written mostly by men with lessons and laws for all of humanity. We have outgrown so many of them, and still they endure. This book is about what happens when women are the storytellers too - when we speak from our authentic voices, when we flex our values, when we become protagonists in the tales we tell about what it means to be human."

I thought that the first part was really interesting - there has been a movement in the last several years that has presented us with new translations of some of the old myths and legends, of fairy tales. Whether you agree or disagree with the context of these new translations, they are interesting to read. We also have some fabulous examples of simply retelling the stories through the eyes of the women in the story instead of the men. Books like Circe and The Silence of the Girls.

According to the Audible blurb: "Part Two looks at women and power and expands what it means to be courageous, daring, and strong." The first half of this is also interesting, and although I did not agree with all of her points, the conversation that her thoughts would generate would be worth having. Unfortunately, from here on out, this dissolves into a self-help book. Meditation and questions to answer, writing prompts, advice. Part Three is a "A Toolbox for Inner Strength". Um...no. Again, there are some valid points and some good ideas here, but I can think for myself, thank you. So the second half of the book felt slightly self-righteous to me. And judgy. What I wanted, and frankly what I thought I was getting, was more of what she delivers in Part One.

91. The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs, Audiobook narrated by George Guidall, acquired in 2018, children's literature/magic - 3.5 stars

"'Then there's no point in our being logical, is there?' said Jonathan...
'What do you mean?' said Lewis and Mrs. Zimmerman at the same time.
'I mean,' he said patiently, 'that we're no good at that sort of game. Our game is wild swoops, sudden inexplicable discoveries, cloudy thinking. Knights' jumps instead of files of rooks plowing across the board. So we'd better play our way if we expect to win.'"

This was fun. And there are more! I wish I had found this one when I was a child because I would have loved it then. Loads of humor and also sweetness without being saccharine. George Guidall does a good job of delivering it, but I would love to hear it narrated by Kate Winslet or David Tennant, either of whom I think would elevate it on audio.

92. Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza, translated by Thomas Bunstead, Kindle, acquired in 2021, autofiction/art history/linked vignettes - 4 stars

"Carelessly administered, the history of art can be as lethal as strychnine."

This was so interesting and different. It reminded me a bit of Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri in that it is one woman's thoughts and observations presented in linked vignettes with no real plot or character development. This is also autofiction - the main character is named María and is an art critic living in Buenos Aires, just like the author, and some of the stories are based on truth. What she does here that is so different is to link art criticism and art history to the main character's personal experiences. She is gifted with how she can pull you into the paintings, showing you what she sees, presenting so much information, but all of it is accessible and fascinating and provides perspective without making you work for it. Without leaving you behind because you know nothing about art. And in learning about the art, you are also learning about María.

There is a great article/interview written by Nathan Scott McNamara with the author of Optic Nerve on Literary Hub. You can find it here: An Afternoon at María Gainza’s Buenos Aires Home. And I loved this photo that was at the top:

93. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 17, Colonel Race, book 3) - reread

This was my latest Christie read with Birdy. I have read this one several times already starting back in my teens, and it remains one of my favorites. Birdy loved it, too. After finishing it, we watched the 1978 movie version of it - the one featuring Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot. The rest of the Pecan Paradisio joined us, so that was fun. I had completely forgotten about the snake left in Hercule Poirot's cabin. YIKES! You know how I feel about snakes, and I have seen the movie multiple times, so I cannot believe I had just completely blanked on it. That scene does not occur in the book. Next we want to watch the BBC version of it featuring David Suchet as Poirot. It will be interesting to see what characters get cut from the narrative and if they are the same characters that got cut from the 1978 movie version. I would love to see a new limited tv series that keeps everyone and all of the story intact.

.

Craig and I went to a book store on our anniversary earlier this month, and I found both Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express in beautiful hardback editions with deckled edge pages!!! Of course, I purchased both of these for Birdy's library so she can have a book memory of our reading them together - we have not yet read Murder on the Orient Express together, but it is on Birdy's list. We have already started on our next read - Hallowe'en Party.

94. Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe, Kindle, acquired in 2021, space opera (The Protectorate, book 1) - recommended by Jim - 4.5 stars

Here's the Amazon blurb:

"NOMINATED FOR THE PHILIP K. DICK AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL * Dazzling space battles, intergalactic politics, and rogue AI collide in Velocity Weapon, the first book in this epic space opera trilogy by award-winning author Megan O'Keefe.

Sanda and Biran Greeve were siblings destined for greatness. A high-flying sergeant, Sanda has the skills to take down any enemy combatant. Biran is a savvy politician who aims to use his new political position to prevent conflict from escalating to total destruction.
However, on a routine maneuver, Sanda loses consciousness when her gunship is blown out of the sky. Instead of finding herself in friendly hands, she awakens 230 years later on a deserted enemy warship controlled by an AI who calls himself Bero. The war is lost. The star system is dead. Ada Prime and its rival Icarion have wiped each other from the universe.
Now, separated by time and space, Sanda and Biran must fight to put things right."

This is a bit of a slow start because it has three separate narratives going, and it has to develop the world building, but once it's up and running, it really takes off. When I reached that point, I could not put it down and just powered through until the end. A huge thanks to Jim, who put it on The List. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

*This is currently just $4.99 on Kindle

>44 Crazymamie: Books and a cat. She's one of us.

>47 RidgewayGirl: Right?! My thoughts exactly!

I watched the 1992 movie of Howard's End this weekend - it is full of gorgeous and beautifully done. I have read the book several times, most recently last year. I love Forster's writing although he tends to dwell on the sad - missed opportunities, misunderstandings, mistakes. He always weaves his stories together in a way that draws me in and makes me want more. I feel that this movie fully articulated his story, not an easy task in a mere two hours and twenty minutes. Now I am wanting to watch the newer tv miniseries version featuring Matthew Macfadyen. I have big love for Macfadyen - he is my very favorite Darcy with Colin Firth coming in a close second. Don't get me started on Pride and Prejudice -you won't be able to shut me up.

I also watched The Mayor of Casterbridge this weekend. I read and absolutely hated the book back in high school, but when I saw that this tv series featured Ciarán Hinds as Michael Henchard, I could not resist. I adore Hinds, and for me he will forever be Captain Wentworth from Persuasion. *sigh* He is also excellent as Franklin in The Terror. Just saying...
This is every bit as depressingly sad as I remembered it, but the casting is brilliant and the photography is full of beauty. It also features James Purefoy as Farfrae. He is very easy on the eyes.

Abby (my middle daughter) has been on a Jaws kick - she has watched the first three movies and wanted company watching The Meg, another shark movie. I had not heard of this one - filmed in 2018 and featuring Jason Statham and Bingbing Li as the leads. The photography is fun here, and there are some great moments, like the one where the little girl, played by Shuya Sophia Cai, in the undersea station sees the shark for the first time:





Very fun without being too scary if you like this kind of thing.

>50 Crazymamie: Yay Ciaran Hinds! For me he is Roy Bland from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy :) He was also Claudius in the Benedict Cumberbatch production of Hamlet at the National Theatre.

>52 rabbitprincess: Yes! He is excellent in that one, too. I would love to see that Benedict Cumberbatch production that you mention - sounds full if fabulous!

>53 Crazymamie: It was really good! Just did some digging and it is available for rent via National Theatre at Home. https://www.ntathome.com/products/hamlet

>54 rabbitprincess: Thanks so much for that!!!

95. Interview With a Vampire by Anne Rice, audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, horror/vampires (The Vampire Chronicles, book 1) - 4.5 stars

I read this one now because of Richard's 1976 publication read that was happening this month. I'm so glad that I finally got to it. Very good, and not what I was expecting, although I don't know exactly what I was expecting. Something scarier? A vampire who was less conflicted? Once you reach a certain point in the narrative, it is very hard to put down. It also works very well on audio - this was narrated by Simon Vance, who did an excellent job. I kind of want to read the next one, but don't want to ruin the experience - thoughts? I know the next one focuses on Lestat and is set in the 1980s - kind of hard to resist as I have a thing for the 80s since those were my teenage years. The music. The shoulder pads. The hair!

Yesterday was full of the lazy and it was a delight. The weather cooperated, and with the overhead fan on, the screened-in porch was an excellent reading spot. I love when I can read out there and glance up between chapters to gaze at those beautiful pecan trees that back up to our property. The day temps are still in the 80s, but after 9pm or so, we can open up the windows and invite the cooler temps inside.

I spent the entire afternoon porching, first listening to Case Histories (this is a reread for me) while working on a digital jigsaw puzzle, and then reading from The Coldest Case, which is the latest entry in Martin Walker's Bruno Courrèges series. It's a library copy, but it has deckled edge pages. *squee* If Martin does not move along the storyline in this one, it might be my last Bruno because I grow weary of his romantic entanglements that have stalled in an unhappy mess that cannot provide what he wants from life. Just get on with it already! The last few books have felt like a mystery squeezed in between meals that begin to all sound alike and stolen moments of happiness that can never make up a whole.

In the evening, my daughter Rae and I watched some West Wing (we have been rewatching this from the beginning and are in the middle of season two currently), some Bones and some Buffy. We have made it to the final season of Buffy - no spoilers, please, and I feel like I am finally going to actually watch the ending. No promises, but it's looking good.

....

My insomnia read has been Orwell's Nose, and I am closing in on the end. It's been very interesting - apparently Orwell had one of those noses that can separate smells into their component parts. This is why he was so sensitive to smells and why his writing is filled with so many references to it. I had not noticed this before, but now I cannot NOT notice it. Heh. Anyway, I am immersed in Orwell at the moment - I'm reading the nose book, Nineteen Eighty-Four (a reread), 1984 The Graphic Novel (the new GN version that was just recently published), and Homage to Catalonia (which I have been reading slowly for a while). And guess what just arrived in the mail yesterday? Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit! I cannot wait to get to this one.

<57 That sounds lovely! I've got Orwell's Roses on my wishlist and I'm really hopeful that Santa spots it there :)

>58 Jackie_K: Crossing my fingers for you that Santa delivers!

>57 Crazymamie: I was going to ask if you had come across the new Solnit. What a gorgeous looking book. I look forward to hearing what you make of it.

Charlotte, it is very pretty. I came across it accidentally when looking for something else, so I was MOST pleased.

>61 Crazymamie: Ooh yes. I happened along a signed copy of a book I wanted, just yesterday, so very happy about that.

Very good luck for both os us, then!!

>57 Crazymamie: You are so lucky to have received Orwell's Roses so soon! Mine is in transit but always takes so long to get here. Intended to be a Christmas gift for my son who is also an Orwell fan and shares his interest in politics and gardening, but I'm hoping I can have a quick read before it's wrapped.

I first heard of Orwell from my dad when I was about 12 as he told me about essays he was reading by an author who could write about anything, in this case roses. Orwell claimed the best roses he bought were from Woolworth's and my dad agreed, having been surprised with great success of his roses bought from the same store. My dad died young and I was never able to tell him about my own discovery of Orwell.

>64 VivienneR: I am thrilled to have it - I pre-ordered it as soon as I read about it. I would love to save it to read on December, but I doubt I will be able to wait that long. I'm hoping your son's copy arrives in plenty of time for you to read it before wrapping it.

What a lovely story about your dad first telling you about Orwell. I am sorry that he died so young and you did not have chance to share your own insights with him. I bet your sharing Orwell with your own son would have been very happy making for him. I would love any recommendations on Orwell that you or your son could make to me. Some of my favorites so far have been:

Non-fiction:
Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin
The Ministry of Truth: The Biography of George Orwell's 1984 by Dorian Lanskey
Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for Freedom by Thomas E. Ricks

Fiction:
Burning Down George Orwell's House by Andrew Ervin
The Last Man in Europe by Dennis Glover

I have Christopher Hitchens' Why Orwell Matters in the stacks.

>65 Crazymamie: I pre-ordered mine too from the Book Depository, but it takes weeks to come from England to Canada, and then add a couple of days because we're not close to any city.

I've read the books by Emma Larkin and Thomas E. Ricks as well as Christopher Hitchens'. Really enjoyed all three. And I own The Last Man in Europe but haven't read it yet. I'm going to investigate Dorian Lynskey and Andrew Ervin. I'm always willing to get another book about Orwell.

As well as the books published by Orwell, I have Diaries and The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters in 4 volumes that have developed a very well-used look because one of us is always dipping into them. The essays are of course widely available but the letters are more personal. I also have a few biographies a couple of which are so far unread. My favourite is The Crystal Spirit: a study of George Orwell by George Woodcock.

Going further back in your thread I was delighted to see your interest in Agatha Christie too! I've been re-reading some of my favourites recently and enjoying them just as much as ever.

>66 VivienneR: Vivienne, thanks so much for getting back to me. The Last Man in Europe is full of fabulous - I loved it and thought it was really well researched. The Dorian Lynskey is very good but also very dense, so not like some of the narrative non-fiction that pulls you in and is unputdownable. That being said, it has so much great information that I think you will eventually want to read it. The Andrew Ervin is just a fun novel (dark comedy) that is set in Jura in the house that Orwell wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four in, and the main character ponders Orwell while drinking commodious amounts of scotch. Not a lot about Orwell, but it was fun, and I can't resist anything with Orwell in the title.

I do have Diaries and have read parts of it, but I am hoping to read all of it next year. I have been looking at that four volume set you mention and am greatly tempted. I have some of his collected essays, but not all of them, and no letters. Thanks so much for the recommendation of a biography - I was wondering where to start. I have finished Orwell's Nose, so my thoughts on that will be coming up soon - hopefully today.

I love Agatha Christie! My oldest sister is a huge fan, and she gifted me one of the books as a Christmas gift one year when I was 12 or 13, and then I read all of them that I could get my hands on. My youngest daughter, Birdy, was interested in reading one of her books together, and that is what kicked us off on our latest adventures. It's been really fun, and I am going to make our shared reads one of my categories for next year.

Agatha Christie, The West Wing, Buffy...so glad to see other people enjoy the things I love! :)

I love reading your thread, Mamie, and look forward to more. I can't wait to read your opinion on the ending of Buffy, and the show as a whole.

>68 Julie_in_the_Library: Hello, Julie! How fun, and thank you for those kind words. Do you have a thread here?

>69 Crazymamie: I do have a thread here, though I update rather sporadically.

>70 Julie_in_the_Library: Oh! Thanks for that!

96. Orwell's Nose: A Pathological Biography by John Sutherland, Kindle, acquired in 2016, literary criticism/biography - 4 stars - Charlotte told me about this one

"Orwell was born with a singularly diagnostic sense of smell. He had the beagles rare ability to particularize and separate out the ingredients that go into any aroma."

I had not thought about just how malodorous Orwell's books are before reading this unique biography, but now I can't NOT notice all the aromas and descriptions of smells that infiltrate his pages. I was reading this at the same time as I was rereading Nineteen Eighty-Four and also the newest graphic novel version of 1984 that recently was published. I wanted to read the two versions of Nineteen Eighty-Four together so that I could see what got cut to make the book fit into the GN format. So, because I was reading about Orwell's nose, I realized that a lot of the stench was omitted. Interesting.

This fairly short biography, weighing in at just 256 pages, packs a punch. I learned more than I actually wanted to know, especially in the beginning chapters. After that it settles down into more of what you expect in a biography but with a focus on scents and Orwell's fixation on them. It's well done and offers up a lot to think about. I did not agree with all of Sutherland's conclusions. I am wanting to read more of Orwell's Diaries and dip into his correspondence to give myself a wider base for my own thoughts on Orwell. I think I might give him his own category next year in my Category Challenge.

There is a great appendix in the back of the book, in three parts: Appendix I is Blair/Orwell's Smoking Diary, II is The Smell Narrative of A Clergyman's Daughter, III is The Smell Narrative of The Road to Wigan Pier. This is followed by References and Index. I liked the organization and insights into his research and thought process.

*In a bit of serendipity, here is a funny. Some of you know that a small group of us will be reading Swann's Way together next month. There has been mention of madeleines. In Orwell's Nose, there is a chapter called Madeleines and All That. Here's how it starts:

"When from a long-distance past nothing subsists, after the people are dead, after the things are broken and scattered, taste and smell alone, more fragile but more enduring, more unsubstantial, more persistent, more faithful, remain." - Marcel Proust, Remembrance of Things Past

Comparisons with the so-called 'Proust Phenomenon' (as psychologists call it) - temps perdus recovered via the smell of a teacake - are not out of place when discussing Orwell's fiction.

>72 Crazymamie: Now I want a tea cake.
(Much nicer than a Madeleine, imho)

I am trying to think of a memory linked to smell, and struggling. Maybe it is just triggered when I smell the thing (and then I forget?)

>73 charl08: I would take either, Charlotte - they both go nicely with coffee.

I have loads of smell memories. The one that comes back to me every summer when I smell hot asphalt is a fun one. When I was growing up, we lived within walking distance of a Dairy Queen - the old fashioned kind that were only open in the summer and that you don't go inside. There was parking on one side of the building, and tables to eat at on the other side, but if you drove, you had to get out and stand in line at one of the two windows in front to place your order - no drive thru. Their parking lot was asphalt, and I spent hours of my summers either waiting in line there or sitting at the tables. Waiting in line you could smell that hot asphalt and feel the heat wafting up from it, so that smell always takes me back to my childhood. And ice cream.

On the reading front, I finished up my reread of Case Histories, and I loved it just as much as my previous reads of it. I listened to it - narrated by Susan Jameson, and she gets it just right. SO full of fabulous! I'm hoping to finish up The Coldest Case today. Birdy and I are about halfway through our Agatha Christie read of Hallowe'en Party.


My new insomnia read is Why Read the Classics by Italo Calvino, and I am loving it so far. I liked this idea:

"All that can be done is for each of us to invent our own ideal library of our classics; and I would say that one half of it should consist of books we have read and that have meant something to us, and the other half of books which we intend to read and which we suppose might mean something to us. We should also leave a section of empty space for surprises and chance discovering."

On the reading front, Birdy and I read some more in Halowe'en Party - we are closing in on the finish, which is good because tomorrow is Halloween. I also read from The Coldest Case. I was really hoping to finish this one up yesterday, but I kept getting interrupted - sometimes this place resembles a hotel, but these are my people, so I can't help it they love me so much. Now if I could just get them to go away and let me read. What I need is a secret room with a hidden entry. Anyway, I will definitely finish up the Bruno book today and also Rosemary's Baby, which is my current audio inspired by Amber, so thank you Amber. Mia Farrow narrates it, and while she is not up there with the best narrators, she is also not bad, which is important. It's a very good creep this book has going. Perfect for October.

>75 Crazymamie: I like that quote!

>77 RidgewayGirl: Me, too! The book is a collection of 36 essays of literary criticism by Calvino. Really great so far.

98. The Coldest Case by Martin Walker, library hardback, crime fiction/police procedural (Bruno Courrèges, book 14) - 4 stars

The most recent installment in Martin's Bruno Courrèges series. These are police procedurals set in the south of France where food and wine are as much a part of the story as the mystery. This one redeemed the series a bit - the last one felt like the author was just going through the motions. If you decide to give these a chance, be sure to start with the first book, Bruno, Chief of Police because the backstories that develop through the series is half the fun.


99. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, audiobook narrated by Mia Farrow, horror - 4 stars

This was perfect for October - very creepy. Mia Farrow narrates the audiobook, and while she is not up there with the vocal talents that elevate the books they read, she is also not horrible. A few mispronounced words which made me slightly crazy, but she does a very good job with the ending. Can I just say, Rosemary is a complete moron. She had SO many opportunities to change the storyline. I have also read A Kiss Before Dying by the same author, and that one is also very good with the creepy.

100. Winter Flowers by Angélique Villeneuve, translated by Adriana Hunter, Kindle, historical fiction/WWI/France - 5 stars - recommended by Charlotte

The writing in this was gorgeous. The author has written other books, but this is the first and the only on to be translated into English so far. Here's the Amazon blurb:

"It’s October 1918 and the war is drawing to a close.

Toussaint Caillet returns home to his wife, Jeanne, and the young daughter he hasn’t seen growing up. He is not coming back from the front line but from the department for facial injuries at Val-de-Grâce military hospital, where he has spent the last two years.

For Jeanne, who has struggled to endure his absence and the hardships of wartime, her husband’s return marks the beginning of a new battle. With the promise of peace now in sight, the family must try to stitch together a new life from the tatters of what they had before."

What is so well done here is that we are given a glimpse into both sides of the story. First, the wife who remained at home struggling to provide for herself and her young daughter. She makes and sells artificial flowers, which is where the title comes from. There is a lot of detail about the flower making, and it is fascinating. We also get to see into the husband's story and understand that he has experienced things that he cannot share properly with someone who wasn't there. They wrote during the war, but in order to spare each other, they did not write of the horrors they were each experiencing. They did not share their struggles. And when her husband is injured and he writes telling her not to come, she is hurt and angry.

"She always woke with a start first thing in the morning. She should have stirred herself, gone straight back to work, but for many months Toussaint's words tore at her. They were dark words.

I want you not to come.

Over time, the unusual construction so intrigued her that she tried to read into it what hadn't been said. Why hadn't he added 'my little darling', as he so often did, why hadn't he written, 'It's better if you don't come for now'? Or 'We need to be patient', or 'The doctor would rather we waited before you visit', or worst of all, 'I don't want you to come'? Touissaint hadn't chosen any of these. Perhaps he's had enough of not wanting, because no one ever listened to him. He had told his wife what he wanted, not what he didn't want.

I want you not to come."

When he finally does come home, bridging the gap seems too big an ask. This, for me, was a perfect read. Thanks so much to Charlotte for bringing it to my attention.

101. Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, crime fiction/mystery, (Hercule Poirot, book 35, Ariadne Oliver, book 7) - reread

This is not my favorite Agatha Christie, but it is still fun and it features Ariadne Oliver in addition to Hercule Poirot. The murder takes place at a Hallowe'en party. Earlier in the day a young girl said that she had seen a murder. It was years ago, and at the time she did not realize it was a murder. She is mentioning this because Mrs. Oliver, the famous murder mystery author is present and she wants to impress her. No one takes her seriously because she is always making up stories, but later when she turns up dead Mrs. Oliver remembers her confession and calls in the great Hercule Poirot.


We watched the corresponding episode of Agatha's Christie's Poirot, featuring David Suchet - you can find it in Season 12, episode 2. We were disappointed with this adaptation/version of the novel - they cut some characters and added some that did not seem to bring much to the story. And they completely changed Mrs. Goodbody. Still loads of twists and turns, but the book is so much better.

*Next up is Murder on the Orient Express and Rae and Abby will joining in with Birdy and me. Abby was reading the last few chapters of Hallowe'en Party out loud to us as Birdy and I were making dinner. We didn't get it all finished, and after dinner we moved to the bedroom, and Rae settled in for the rest of the story. SO much fun that they decided they wanted to read along, too.

So November was not a big month for my reading numbers (just 7 books), but I did have two large tomes in there - Swann's Way and Possession. I ended up really liking Possession, but it is SO long. I though it would never be finished - I read this one slowly over several months as I truly think that trying to sit and read it all at once might have killed me. There is a lot of poetry in there, and while I can admire and be impressed by the effort and skill that Byatt put into this one, I did have to be in the right mood to read the next section. The clear winner for the month was Winter Flowers, which is just gorgeous.

November Reads:
100. Winter Flowers by Angélique Villeneuve, translated by Adriana Hunter, Kindle, historical fiction/WWI/France - 5 stars - recommended by Charlotte
101. Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, crime fiction/mystery, (Hercule Poirot, book 35, Ariadne Oliver, book 7) - reread
103. Swann's Way by Marcel Proust, translated from French by Lydia Davis, trade paperback acquired in 2018, French literature/classic (In Search of Lost Time, Volume I), shared read with Mark et al - 4.5 stars
104. The Wardrobe Mistress by Patrick McGrath, Kindle acquired in 2021, historical fiction/post WWII, grief - 4 stars - Richard mentioned this on Katie's thread
105. The Wizards of Once: Never and Forever by Cressida Cowell, Audiobook narrated by David Tennant, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, children's literature/magic/witches - 4 stars
106. Possession by A. S. Byatt, Kindle acquired in 2020, historical fiction/academia - 4.5 stars
107. A Cornish Christmas by Lily Graham, Kindle acquired in 2021, contemporary romance/grief - 3.5 stars - Richard mentioned this on Katie's thread

>82 Crazymamie: Many years ago I read the Scott Moncrieff translation of the first three books of Remembrance of Things Past and could get no further, but the new translations of In Search of Lost Time, including Lydia Davis's Swann's Way were a big improvement and I read the lot. In the Moncrieff version I didn't notice Proust's humour, but it was evident in every volume of the new translations.

>83 pamelad: You are so right that the humor comes through - I read the Lydia Davis translation, and I ended up liking it so much more than I thought I would. I was sad when I checked and found that she did not do the rest of the books. I'm so happy to hear they are good. I'm definitely going to read the next one.

>82 Crazymamie: WOW, a reading month in which you finish a Proust book is a fantastic month indeed!

>85 rabbitprincess: Thanks! I must admit that I am very happy about finishing my very first Proust.

Mamie, you've made me feel less nervous about picking up Proust when the time comes. And you also given me the idea of reading Possession slowly over a lengthy period of time. I don't have any Proust yet, but Possession has been sitting on my shelf for some time.

>81 Crazymamie: I envy the fun you must have reading aloud with your family.

>82 Crazymamie: On the contrary, that sounds like an excellent reading month! And I've taken a BB for Winter Flowers.

>87 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I was nervous about jumping into the Proust, too, so it was lovely to read it with Mark and a few others. He writes in a kind of circular way. Here's what I said about it over on my other thread:

I am liking Proust more than I thought I would. I think it takes a moment to get into his rhythm and his cyclical way of telling a story. You kind of just have to embrace his style and not worry about how long his sentences are - I feel like he uses punctuation more as a narrative flow device than as structure, if that makes any sense. It's about cadence. He uses words like a painter uses brushstrokes. Each one fleshing out the bigger picture. The writing is gorgeous. And thought provoking.

I am currently reading the GN In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way: A Graphic Novel (because I was curious how they could do it in GN format) and Paintings in Proust: A Visual Companion to In Search of Lost Time.

For Possession, I highly recommend reading it slowly - dipping in and out of it when the mood is right.

>88 VivienneR: Vivienne, it has been very fun, and it surprised me that they wanted to join Birdy and I. We used to do it all the time when they were little, but they are Allin their 20s now, so it's really lovely that we are reading together again that way.

Thank you in regards to my reading. I just cannot recommend Winter Flowers highly enough - hoping you love it when you get to it.

Hello, Everyone! Sorry for my absence - I have been dealing with some truly awful stomach flu. Finally starting to feel better, but I lost about 5 days doing mostly not much of anything. Poor Rae has it now, but the rest have managed to avoid it so far. Anyway, I hope not to do it again for a very long time.

On the reading front, here's what I have finished this month so far:

December Reads:


108. Still Life by Sara Winman, library hardback and audiobook narrated by the author acquired in 2021, historical fiction/relationships/art/ A Room With a View - 5 stars - read this one with Mark

I read this with Mark (over in the 75ers) and absolutely loved it. In fact, I have loved everything by her that I have read. The audio is amazing - Winman narrates it herself and it is full of fabulous. I do have quotes that I marked, so I will share later today. Hopefully.


109. The Shortest Day by Colm Tóibín, Audiobook narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds, borrowed from Prime reading, literary fiction/short story/Irish myth - 4 stars

If you have Amazon Prime, you can borrow the ebook and the audio, which is what I did. As always Tóibín has a way with language that creates atmosphere and sense of place. This is set during the Winter Solstice, which makes it a perfect holiday read.


110. 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard, Kindle acquired in 2021, psychological thriller/Ireland/Covid-19 - 4 stars

This one pulls you in and keeps you guessing. I actually liked the shifting timelines and the changing narratives, but if you don't like that type if thing, skip this one.


111. Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen, Audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren, historical mystery, (Her Royal Spyness, book 7) - 4 stars

I love this historical mystery series set in 1930s England, and it is full of fabulous on audio narrated by Katherine Kellgren. This was the seventh entry in the series, and you want to read these in order to get the most out of them. I don't often do cozy mysteries, but I make an exception for these.


112. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Audiobook narrated by Hugh Grant (borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog), classic/Christmas - reread

I have big love for this story, and I listen or read it pretty much every year. This year, I decided to try the new narration by Hugh Grant since it was available for free from the Audible Plus Catalog. It's very well done, but not my favorite audio narration of the story - Neil Gaiman does a fabulous one if you can track it down, but my favorite is by Tim Curry.

Last night we watched Christmas in Connecticut, which is one of my absolute favorites - sometimes I watch this multiple times in the season. Uncle Felix and Nora crack me up - they steal the show for me, although I have big love for "The Fat Man" Sydney Greenstreet, too. It's charming and silly and great fun. Some of our favorite quotes used regularly at the Pecan Paradiso come from this one. If you haven't seen it before, and you love screwball comedies, then check this one out. After that, I lost my company because apparently bedtime is a thing, but I stayed up and watched Food Club - anyone seen this one? I hadn't seen it before but the premise ("Three life long girlfriends decide to travel to Italy together to attend a cooking course in Puglia and here they each find the opportunity to redefine themselves.") sounded good. It's a Danish film, so subtitles. I was hoping for more cooking and less angst, but it was good, and I loved the ending. Also the scenery is full of gorgeous.



On the reading front, I read several chapters in The Bookshop on the Corner, which I am reading with Morphy. It's charming so far and a perfect pick for a holiday read. On audio I started Project Hail Mary, which is narrated by Ray Porter - not very far in, but it's very good so far.

Sorry to hear that you haven't been feeling well, Mamie, but glad that it has run it's course. I love Christmas in Connecticut as well, my only quibble has been that I wished for a more dynamic leading man as Dennis Morgan isn't a favorite of mine, but Barbara Stanwyck and the rest of the cast are perfect.

>92 DeltaQueen50: Thank you, Judy. I hear you about Dennis Morgan, but he is not the star of the show for me. I love all the secondary characters.

114. In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way: A Graphic Novel by Marcel Proust, Stéphane Heuet (Adapter), Arthur Goldhammer (Translator) - GN acquired in 2018, French literature/classic - 4 stars

I was impressed with how well done this is - breaking down Swann's Way to fit into GN format cannot have been easy. This does not capture the ethereal quality of reading Proust's writing, but it does do a very descent job of conveying the story. There is a gorgeous map, a glossary, and a character tree in addition to the actual story.

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115. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, Hardback acquired in 2021, dystopian/classic - reread (my newest addition, this was the Penguin Clothbound Classics edition)
116. 1984 THE GRAPHIC NOVEL by George Orwell, Fido Nesti (Illustrator), Hardback acquired in 2021, dystopian/classic - 4 stars

I read these in tandem so that I could compare the GN with the original text. I have read Nineteen Eighty-Four before, and I think it is brilliant. Not the most exciting book to read, but what Orwell presents is so spot on. I wondered how the GN would deal with presenting the book within the book, and the answer is it doesn't. The GN goes from graphic format to full pages of text with one smaller illustration per page. Sounds like cheating, but it is effective, and I don't know how you would encapsulate the text without diminishing it. Anyway, I thought it was well done - read the print version to get the full onslaught, but the GN is a great entry if you want to get a feel for the novel without reading the full text or if you are wanting to revisit it.

117. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, translated by ?, Audiobook narrated by Patrick Tull, acquired in 2021, French literature/classic - 4 stars

This was delightful - I can't believe it has taken me so long to get to it. It also completes the very last prompt in my classics challenge, so hooray for that. Patrick Tull does an excellent job with the narration. Audible is not great with providing information about the translator, so I have no idea who it was, which is annoying. My very first Jules Verne, but it will not be my last.