October RandomKit: What's in a Name?

The Random KIT theme for October is What's in a Name? The challenge is to read a book with a name in the title.

some examples:
Where'd You Go, Bernadette?
Dash and Lily's Book of Dares
My Antonia
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Daisy Jones and the Six
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Florence Adler Swims Forever
A Man Called Ove
The One Hundred Years of Lenni & Margot
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Acts of Violet

For those who want an October or Halloween theme:
Dracula
Coraline
Frankenstein
Rosemary's Baby
The Vampire Lestat
Carrie
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Odd Thomas



https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/RandomKIT_2022

What a great theme! I will take this opportunity to read The Princess of Cleves a BB from Birgit. Hmmm...this is a title in the title! I will go back and see if I can really find a name!

I am planning on reading The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North.

eta: I thought I should qualify that Hope is the name of the main character in this book.

Great theme! Lots to choose from here. I just downloaded The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot so that is a possibility.

>3 DeltaQueen50: - I read her book The First 15 Lives of Harry August earlier this year. (Another option for this month.)

I think I'll read One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot which was one of my Thingaversary purchases.

I thought I might read Code Name Helene this month but I'm not going to get to it so that's a possibiliby. I've also got my eyes on Marlene by C. W. Gortner. Uh-oh, I see that I already have Grace Notes and The Murder of Mr. Wickham on my next month maybe list! So, we'll see what I feel like at the time.

I have reconsidered and will be reading Martha Washington: An American Life by Patricia Brady. A BB for Luanne, I think!

I'll use this opportunity to knock a really long-standing book off Mount TBR: Pascoe's Ghost, by Reginald Hill.

>8 rabbitprincess: - And I have Puccini's Ghost by Morag Joss on my TBR pile. It's been there a while so maybe I should read this instead.

I'll be reading Miss Marjoribanks by Margaret Oliphant as part of a group read with Liz (lyzard).

I'm planning to read Dracula by Bram Stoker for one of my book clubs.

>7 Tess_W: May have been, I read it and liked it. I'm planning on reading more biographies of early president's wives next year. If they exist that is.

I've been meaning to read Beulah by Christi Nogle, which I've heard fantastic things about, so this is the perfect time!

>4 LadyoftheLodge: oh, I loved that book! Get the tissues ready.

I have a buddy read of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau in October, if my library hold arrives in time. Otherwise, I have The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle.

Many possibilities here, but I am looking at Vespasian: 1 -3 by Robert Fabbri, where the name is in the omnibus title if not in the individual volumes.

Excellent theme!

At first glance I have The Talented Mr Ripley or Medea on the shelves.

Looks like I'll be reading:
The Ophelia Cut / John Lescroart
and/or
Something About Sophie / Mary Kay McComas

I'm thinking it will be Lord Arthur Savile's Crime by Oscar Wilde.

>14 JayneCM: I read a sample of it before purchasing it, so I am ready to read the rest of the story. Thanks!

I will be reading The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia because it is my October real life bookclub pick.

I think I will go with The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller.

I think I'm going to read Mrs. Bridge.

I'm also planning to read For the Love of Mike by Rhys Bowen, an early Molly Murphy Mystery (in addition to Dracula >11 sallylou61:)

I will try to get to Oh William! by the end of the month. I want to read Lucy By the Sea but have been advised to read Oh William first.

I’m planning to read Claudius the God by Robert Graves.

I've decided not to read The Sudden Appearance of Hope for this RandomCat, instead I will be reading Willard and His Bowling Trophies by Richard Brautigan.

I've finished The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann Weisgarber

Two for me today, and I expect I'll have a few more this month:

Yotsuba&! Vol. 2 by Kiyohiko Azuma
The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor

I completed The Gustave Sonata by Rose Tremain. Gustave was Gustave Perle, one of the main characters in the the book. I'll probably have a few more to add.

I'll be reading Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel.

I finished My Name is Victoria which really got boring after awhile. The basic premise is interesting (the future Queen Victoria switches placing with her companion who becomes the queen) but the story seemed to drag along until the end.

I have finished Vivaldi und seine Töchter which is about the life of the composer.

I just finished the delightful Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold. The titular Captain Vorpatril is Ivan, one of my favorite characters in the series, and his book did not disappoint!

I reread a childhood favorite, Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman, and was delighted to find it's as good as I remembered!

On a bleaker note, I read Elegy for Mary Turner: An Illustrated Account of a Lynching.

>36 susanna.fraser: This sounds right up my husband's alley. Taking a BB for him

For this challenge I am reading Yours Cruelly, Elvira by Cassandra Peterson

I read Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love by Dava Sobel. I first read this pre-LibraryThing but thoroughly enjoyed this second reading.

I just read For the Love of Mike, an early Molly Murphy mystery by Rhys Bowen. Molly runs into a lot of danger in this novel.

I'm going for a three-fer, with a book I meant to read for a September CAT but then didn't quite reach it in time. Michel the Giant: An African in Greenland by Tete-Michel Kpomassie will count for the September AuthorCAT (African Writers), October AuthorCAT (Writers in Translation), and the October RandomKIT (What's in a Name?). I'm really looking forward to this one.

I'm claiming Neues von Elmar und seinen Freunden by David McKee for title includes a name. Elmar/Elmer the Elephant is the multicoloured chequered Elephant that features in the title. Read in German.

>35 christina_reads: I read that one earlier this year, for the first time. I concur, fun adult read!

I reread a book from my childhood, one I recently bought for my granddaughters, Bedtime for Frances.

What a delightful book! I gave it a full five stars.

I am reading Sophie Valroux's Paris Stars by Samantha Verant

I am about to start The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding by Holly Ringland - my signed copy finally arrived! One of my most anticipated releases of the year as I love The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart SO much. (And no idea why the author of Lost Flowers is so weird!)

I have re-read Der Tod des Iwan Iljitsch after forty years, and it is still as powerful as it was then.

Yesterday I finished two books: Miss Marjoribanks by Margaret Oliphant (1866), which was a bit strange at first, but got better as the book went along.

I also finished an audiobook re-read of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens (1839), which is always a delight, although I'd forgotten some of the darker elements and how many passages there are of Mrs Nickleby's long, wandering monologues.

>43 fuzzi: I loved reading the Frances books to my children, and more recently to my grandson. They really are wonderful.

And another!


Lottie and Lisa by Erich Kastner

Simple and sweet story about twins separated at birth who discover their parents' secret. Yes, it's the source of The Parent Trap, but is much more gentle and less raucous than the Disney movie.

November RandomKIT is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/345135

Changed my read to Laurinda by Alice Pung, the fictional name of a private girls' school in Melbourne. It was published in the UK as Lucy and Linh, so still fits the name prompt!

The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe by Angela Kelly

This was a serendipitous find at the library. Tremendously interesting and with lots of details that have never reached the media as well as wonderful photos and the stories behind them. The details about dressing The Queen for special events were fascinating. The book was published with The Queen's endorsement.

I finished Arthur and George, which I found very pleasant.

I finished the very strange and weird Willard and his Bowling Trophies.

I've finished a first read of Medea. Now to re-read with the notes.

Oops - wrong thread.

Starting Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye

Forever Liesl: A Memoir of The Sound of Music / Charmian Carr
3.5 stars

Charmian Carr was the actress who played Liesl in “The Sound of Music”. She was actually 21-years old playing 16. The first half of the book is memories of making the movie, and the second half looks at some of her own life and family, as well as the ongoing friendships she had with the other children from the movie (and more). Before each chapter is a brief reminisce of someone who loved the movie. And there are plenty of photos throughout.

“The Sound of Music” is one of my all-time favourite movies. Every time she mentioned a scene or some dialogue or a song, I was able to easily picture it in my head. So it was fun to learn of so much that happened behind the scenes. Have to admit I knew none of the child actors’ names (until now!). At 21, but playing one of the children, Charmian was sort of between the adult and child actors on the set.

She was primarily very positive with things she said about the people and the making of the movie. But there were a few little things. But I really think she is sincere in how much making the movie meant to her. So I did learn a few things about Christopher Plummer (Chris) and Julie Andrews, as well. There was a chapter near the end that told more of the actual von Trapp family and their real story, since so much of the movie was fictionalized; that was very interesting.

I was tempted to rate this a bit higher, but I’m certain that’s only due to how much I love the movie itself, so I’ve kept it at a “good” rating.

>58 LibraryCin: you might enjoy The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp. I read it as a teen.

>59 fuzzi: I read it in 8th grade when the movie came out, and still own my original copy of the book. Our class went to see it for a matinee and it is still one of my fave movies.

>59 fuzzi: Oooh, thank you for mentioning it! Ah, I did already add it to the tbr. I think it was mentioned somewhere else recently. :-)

COMPLETED Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whyte

My review:
Bryson accepts a dare to date the first person who asks him each week. This week Kai is the first, and the dare said "person" rather than "girl" so Bryson agrees to accept Kai as his secret boyfriend.

The basic premise is absurd but the author handles it well, making for an engaging fantasy that kept me turning the pages and wishing there had been such books around when I was that age. About 2/3 of the way through the whole fantasy comes crashing to the ground as reality intrudes when Kai's parents find out what is happening and Kai is outed in the school magazine. The author's touch is less sure in this part of the book and the occasional preachy element in the first part of the book takes over to become the dominant theme of the last 1/3 much to its detriment.

I also read Hob and the Goblins by William Mayne this month. Since Hob is the name of the main character, it fits the category. I will also read Matilda by Roald Dahl before the end of the month.

I have also finished Miss Marjoribanks which has a very unusual heroine for a Victorian novel.

I've completed Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters by Jennifer Chiaverini. It fills a Bingo square too!

completed The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

I read Christine Falls by Benjamin Black.
A bleak story of corruption involving the export of babies of unwed mothers to the US where they will be adopted and raised to become nuns and priests. Quirke, a pathologist, is investigating the death of a young mother after discovering records being falsified by his brother-in-law. An unpleasant, dark story told in Black's elegant yet melancholy style.

Currently reading The Jeeves Omnibus Vol 3 by P. G. Wodehouse. I've just finished the first novel in the omnibus, Ring for Jeeves, which fits this month's prompt.

I read Michel the Giant: An African in Greenland by Tete-Michel Kpomassie, which was terrific.

>68 Robertgreaves: Have you read any of the new Jeeves and Bertie stories? They are spin-offs by current authors. I enjoyed the ones I read--the authors did a pretty good job of invoking Wodehouse.

I read four novels this month that fit - only one was planned for this, so quite a coincidence.

Aunt Bessie Considers by Diana Xarissa
A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Three more that I read after mid-month:

The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde (play)
The John McPhee Reader, John McPhee (essays)
Cousin Phillis and Other Tales, Elizabeth Gaskell (short stories); I especially loved the title story (really more of a novella), "Cousin Phillis", which evokes a English rural village as the railroads are being built.

>70 LadyoftheLodge: I am still working my way through the originals. But by and large I'm more Team Blandings than Team Jeeves

I have one more for here that I may not finish till closer to the end of the week, but I'll get to it as soon as I can!

I read The Daughter of Doctor Moreau which works here.

Finally finished Claudius the God and his wife Messalina by Robert Graves.

I'm super-late posting, but finally finished reviewing the book I picked up for October's randomcat. And since it's a new book by a little-known author, which I adored, I wanted to make sure to come back to post:

Beulah by Christi Nogle

The fascinating thing about Beulah is how Nogle manages to make ghosts unremarkable--and I mean that in the best way possible.

In another author's hands, 18-year-old Georgie's ability to see ghosts would be the centerpiece of everything, the keystone on which the rest of the story hinged. Instead, Georgie's struggle to simply exist, while being part of her family and taking care of her little sister, are the focus, and the ghosts and hauntings which torment her just as much as they keep her going are, in their own way, simply a part of her reality (and thus the reader's). There's no mistaking this for a coming-of-age story or a family drama, however, because the paranormal aspects of the story live in the cracks of each memory, in Georgie's every hesitation, and in every corner of Beulah that means such different things for the various characters in this book.

From the moment I fell into Nogle's novel, I was stolen into her world and her voice. It's hypnotizing, powerful, and the carrier of a reality that feels deeper than the story she's built. It is, simply put, pretty wonderful, and I hope you'll look it up. Just be ready for the darkness of it, and prepared to lose some days to its pull.

Absolutely recommended.

>77 whitewavedarling: Another latecomer here!

I just finished Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit a five-star read.

I've never read a book where I was so tempted to underline passages or add comments in the margin - in fact, I've never been tempted to do this - until now. Resisting, my book is now bristling with post-it notes. Solnit touches on many topics: climate change, women's suffrage, art, social conditions, nature, all in some way connected to Orwell, his roses, politics, and opinions. This is an excellent celebration of Orwell who took pleasure in the simple life while fighting against the big things. Solnit has reminded the reader that there is more to Orwell than his handful of novels but that his substantial essays, diaries, letters, and reviews provide a bigger picture from which she has drawn for this articulate book.

Personal note: the first time I heard about George Orwell was when I was in my early teens. My father, in defence of my question about why he was buying roses from Woolworth's, which seemed to me to be a strange source, told me about Orwell's article in Tribune and again in the essay A Good Word for the Vicar of Bray where he praised Woolworth's roses for price and success.