Chatterbox Embarks on a New Year of Slightly Obsessive Reading: Part the Fourth

Well, it turned into a hellish spring. My reading pace has slumped to a snail's pace. And I'm not sure why I decided to start each thread with a poem by a Romantic poet. I've changed my mind. I'm going to kick off with one that has been running through my mind a lot recently instead, by a poet who died a century ago this year.

One Day
by Rupert Brooke

Today I have been happy. All the day
I held the memory of you, and wove
Its laughter with the dancing light o' the spray,
And sowed the sky with tiny clouds of love,
And sent you following the white waves of sea,
And crowned your head with fancies, nothing worth,
Stray buds from that old dust of misery,
Being glad with a new foolish quiet mirth.

So lightly I played with those dark memories,
Just as a child, beneath the summer skies,
Plays hour by hour with a strange shining stone,
For which (he knows not) towns were fire of old,
And love has been betrayed, and murder done,
And great kings turned to a little bitter mould.

(1913)

As noted above, this has been a deeply bad year. A friend of mine in New York has been battling ill health; then in late April, a very dear friend of 25 years, an ex-bf for 7 or 8 of those years, died suddenly at the age of 59. Only a few days later, I had to put Tigger to sleep; it was J., my ex, who had given him his name 12 years ago. I'm still reeling, as J. and I had remained v. close friends, sharing books and ideas constantly; it's hard to imagine a world without him.

All that seems to make nonsense of my idea of discussing only books on LT. Thanks to everyone who voiced their support during these exceptionally difficult days and weeks. For context, there was at least one week during which I didn't finish reading a single book. I can't remember that ever happening in my life. Ever. If I didn't say thank you before clearly enough -- in case I didn't -- thank you now. Your support was noticed and appreciated, more than words can say.

I'm still behind on chronicling my books on this list, though have now caught up on my capsule reviews (see the previous thread). I'll try to catch up on this list soon, and keep it up to date. You can always check what I've been reading by going to my library and going to the category of "Books Read in 2015", which I HAVE kept up to date, or my tag "Read in 2015", although there are three or four books missing from that, I fear. Shall try to do better.

Herewith, the list...

Since I inevitably read far more than 75 books a year, I've decided this year to simply stop breaking it into groups of 75 and to try to keep two tickers going (one for the current 75, and the other for my cumulative reading). It's just extra fiddly work for me. I'll keep a single ticker, keeping tabs of my total reading, and I'll simply have it roll over a bit so that you never see more than 75 to 100 books at a time.

If you want to see what I have read earlier this year, you're welcome to page back through these threads, or just turn to my master list in "my library". As I complete a book, I'll rate it and add it to the list. You'll be able to see it by clicking on this link https://www.librarything.com/catalog/Chatterbox/booksreadin2015, or by going the long way around, to my books, and going to the tag labeled "Books Read in 2015". You can sort it anyway you want when you're there.




My guide to my ratings:

1.5 or less: A tree gave its life so that this book could be printed and distributed?
1.5 to 2.7: Are you really prepared to give up hours of your life for this?? I wouldn't recommend doing so...
2.8 to 3.3: Do you need something to fill in some time waiting to see the dentist? Either reasonably good within a ho-hum genre (chick lit or thrillers), something that's OK to read when you've nothing else with you, or that you'll find adequate to pass the time and forget later on.
3.4 to 3.8: Want to know what a thumping good read is like, or a book that has a fascinating premise, but doesn't quite deliver? This is where you'll find 'em.
3.9 to 4.4: So, you want a hearty endorsement? These books have what it takes to make me happy I read them.
4.5 to 5: The books that I wish I hadn't read yet, so I could experience the joy of discovering them again for the first time. Sometimes disquieting, sometimes sentimental faves, sometimes dramatic -- they are a highly personal/subjective collection!

The list!

1. Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm, 2.8 stars, READ 1/1/2015 (fiction)
2. Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers by Alexander McCall Smith, 3.5 stars, STARTED 1/1/15, FINISHED 1/2/15 (fiction)
3. Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn, 3.85 stars, STARTED 1/2/15, FINISHED 1/3/15 (fiction)
4. The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald, 4.5 stars, STARTED 1/2/15, FINISHED 1/3/15 (fiction)
5. To Dwell in Darkness by Deborah Crombie, 3.25 stars, STARTED 1/2/15, FINISHED 1/4/15 (fiction)
6. The Last Good Paradise by Tatjana Soli, 4.1 stars, STARTED 1/1/15, FINISHED 1/4/15 (fiction)
7. The War That Forged a Nation by James McPherson, 4.2, STARTED 1/5/15, FINISHED 1/7/15 (non-fiction)
8. The Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell, 4.35, STARTED 12/29/14, FINISHED 1/9/15 (audiobook) (fiction)
9. I Can't Begin to Tell You by Elizabeth Buchan, 4 stars, STARTED 1/6/15, FINISHED 1/10/15 (fiction)
10. The Fair Fight by Anna Ford STARTED, 4.7 stars, 1/5/15, FINISHED 1/10/15 (fiction)
11. Too Bad to Die by Francine Mathews STARTED, 3.5, 1/7/15, FINISHED 1/11/15 (fiction)
12. *The American Heiress by Dorothy Eden, 3.3, STARTED 1/8/15, FINISHED 1/11/15 (fiction)
13. King Lear by William Shakespeare, 4.5, STARTED 1/9/15, FINISHED 1/11/15 (drama)
14. Limonov by Emmanuel Carrère, 4.75, STARTED 1/4/15, FINISHED 1/12/15 (non-fiction)
15. Gwendolen by Diana Souhami, 3.25, STARTED 1/8/15, FINISHED 1/13/15 (fiction)
16. Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch, 4, STARTED 1/8/15, FINISHED 1/14/15 (fiction)
17. A Touch of Stardust by Kate Alcott, 4.15 READ 1/15/15 (fiction)
18. Department of Speculation by Jenny Offill, 4, STARTED 1/14/15, FINISHED 1/16/15 (fiction)
19. Day of Atonement by David Liss, 4.4, STARTED 1/14/15, FINISHED 12/18/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
20. The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter, 4.5, STARTED 1/15/15, FINISHED 1/17/15 (fiction)
21. All the Old Knives by Olen Steinhauer, 4.2 STARTED 1/18/15, FINISHED 1/19/15 (fiction)
22. Uncle Janice by Matt Burgess, 2.4, STARTED 1/14/15, FINISHED 1/19/15 (fiction)
23. Long Way Down by Jason Sears, 3.4, STARTED 1/17/15, FINISHED 1/19/15 (fiction)
24. As Good as Dead by Elizabeth Evans, 2, STARTED 12/28/14, FINISHED 1/20/14 (fiction)
25. A Spider in the Cup by Barbara Cleverly 3.1 STARTED 1/17/15, FINISHED 1/20/14 (fiction)
26. The Devil’s Company by David Liss, 4.5 STARTED 1/18/15, FINISHED 1/21/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
27. Sisters of Heart and Snow by Margaret Dilloway, 3.2 STARTED 1/19/15, FINISHED 1/21/15 (fiction)
28. Enter Pale Death by Barbara Cleverly, 3.2, STARTED 1/20/15, FINISHED 1/22/15 (fiction)
29. A Stranger in My Own Country by Hans Fallada, 4.7, STARTED 1/19/15, FINISHED 1/23/15 (non-fiction)
30. *The Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown, 3.9 STARTED 1/15/15, FINISHED 1/23/15 (fiction)
31. Wolf Winter by Cecilia Eckback, 2.75, STARTED 1/12/15, FINISHED 1/24/15 (fiction)
32. The Blood of the Tiger by J.A. Mills, 3.85, STARTED 1/22/15, FINISHED 1/24/15 (non-fiction)
33. Ravensbruck by Sarah Helm, 5, STARTED 1/10/15, FINISHED 1/25/15 (non-fiction)
34. The Tutor by Andrea Chapin, 3.4, STARTED 1/24/15, FINISHED 1/26/15 (fiction)
35. The Scent of Almonds by Camilla Lackberg, 2.9, STARTED 1/25/15, FINISHED 1/26/15 (fiction)
36. Emma by Alexander McCall Smith, 2.3, STARTED 12/15/14, FINISHED 1/27/15 (fiction)
37. Single, Carefree, Mellow by Katherine Heiny, 4.5, STARTED 1/26/15, FINISHED 1/27/15 (fiction)
38. Mr. Mac and Me by Esther Freud, 3.7, STARTED 1/25/15, FINISHED 1/28/15 (fiction)
39. The Smoke is Rising by Mahesh Rao, 3.8, STARTED 1/22/15, FINISHED 1/29/15 (fiction)
40. The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys, 3, STARTED 1/28/15, FINISHED 1/29/15 (fiction)
41. Ambition and Desire by Kate Williams, 3.2, STARTED 12/20/14, FINISHED 1/30/15 (non-fiction)
42. *Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart, 4.1, STARTED 1/29/15, FINISHED 1/30/15 (fiction)
43. The Whispers of Nemesis by Anne Zouroudi, 3.8, READ 1/30/15 (fiction)
44. Tokyo Kill by Barry Lancet, 3.8, STARTED 1/29/15, FINISHED 1/31/15 (fiction)
45. Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh by Slobodan Novak, 2.9 STARTED 1/29/15, FINISHED 1/31/15 (fiction)
46. So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson, 4.4, STARTED 1/30/15, FINISHED 1/31/15 (non-fiction)
47. Losing Faith by Adam Mitzner, 3.1, STARTED 1/8/15, FINISHED 1/31/15 (fiction) (fiction)
48. The Counterfeit Heiress by Tasha Alexander, 3.1, READ 2/1/15 (fiction)
49. Ruin Falls by Jenny Milchman, 3.7, STARTED 2/1/15, FINISHED 2/2/15 (fiction)
50.The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss, 3.9, STARTED 1/22/15, FINISHED 2/3/15 (fiction)
51.A Force for Good ed. by John Taft, 3.75, STARTED 1/18/15, FINISHED 2/4/15 (non-fiction)
52.*Pistols for Two by Georgette Heyer, 3.3, READ 2/5/15 (fiction)
53. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, 4.35, STARTED 2/3/15, FINISHED 2/6/15 (non-fiction)
54. Twelve Days by Alex Berenson, 3.4, STARTED 2/3/15, FINISHED 2/6/15 (fiction)
55. When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning, 4.2, STARTED 2/6/15, FINISHED 2/8/15 (non-fiction)
56. Honeymoon Hotel by Hester Browne, 3.5, STARTED 2/5/15, FINISHED 2/7/15 (fiction)
57. The List of My Desires by Gregoire Delacourt, 4.15, STARTED 2/7/15, FINISHED 2/8/15 (fiction)
58. A Demon Summer by G.M. Malliet, 2.9, STARTED 2/1/15, FINISHED 2/1/15 (fiction)
59. *Dead Man's Ransom by Ellis Peters, 3.5 STARTED 2/08/15, FINISHED 2/9/15 (fiction)
60. *Saint Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters, 3.4 STARTED 2/11/15, FINISHED 2/12/15 (fiction)
61. The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths, 3.9 STARTED 2/10/15, FINISHED 2/13/15 (fiction)
62. The Last Flight of Poxl West by Daniel Torday, 3.75, STARTED 2/12/15, FINISHED 2/14/15 (fiction)
63. The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James, 4.15, STARTED 2/13/15, FINISHED 2/14/15 (fiction)
64. The American Boy by Andrew Taylor, 4.75, STARTED 2/5/15, FINISHED 2/15/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
65. The Honest Folk of Guadeloupe by Timothy Williams, 2, STARTED 1/12/15, FINISHED 2/10/15 (fiction)
66. The Price of Blood by Patricia Bracewell, 4, STARTED 2/11/15, FINISHED 2/15/15 (fiction)
67. The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce, 4.15, STARTED 2/15/17, FINISHED 2/16/17 (fiction)
68. The Whites by Harry Brandt, 4.3, STARTED 2/14/15, FINISHED 2/17/15 (fiction)
69. 419 by Will Ferguson, 3.75, STARTED 2/13/15, FINISHED 2/19/15 (fiction)
70. Girl in the Dark by Anna Lyndsey, 4.25, STARTED 2/17/15, FINISHED 2/17/15 (non-fiction)
71. A Fireproof Home for the Bride by Amy Scheibe, 3.25, STARTED 2/18/15, FINISHED 2/20/15 (fiction)
72. Nobody Walks by Mick Herron, 3.45, STARTED 2/19/15, FINISHED 2/20/15 (fiction)
73. Vanessa and Her Sister by Priya Parmar, 3.5, STARTED 2/17/15, FINISHED 2/21/15 (fiction)
74. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, 5, STARTED 2/16/15, FINISHED 2/22/15 (fiction)
75. The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope, 3.25 STARTED 2/18/15, FINISHED 2/23/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
76. Winter Siege by Ariana Franklin, 3.3, STARTED 2/23/15, FINISHED 2/25/15 (fiction)
77. Slightly Out of Focus by Robert Capa, 4.2, STARTED 2/7/15, FINISHED 2/26/15 (non-fiction)
78. Six and a Half Deadly Sins by Colin Cotterill, 4.25, STARTED 2/23/15, FINISHED 2/26/15 (fiction)
79. *On the Beach by Nevil Shute, 4.2, STARTED 2/24/15, FINISHED 2/27/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
80. *Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, 4.3, STARTED 2/18/15, FINISHED 2/27/15 (non-fiction)
81. Confrontation by Alain Badiou & Alain Finkielkraut, ed. by Aude Lancelin STARTED 2/15/15, FINISHED 2/28/15 (non-fiction)
82. Helena by Evelyn Waugh, 4.35 STARTED 2/27/15, FINISHED 2/28/15 (fiction)
83. The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, 3.7, STARTED 2/24/15, FINISHED 2/28/15 (fiction)
84. Creature Comforts by Trisha Ashley, 3.6 STARTED 2/26/15, FINISHED 3/1/15 (fiction)
85. Last Man Standing by Davide Longo, 3.9 STARTED 2/22/15, FINISHED 3/3/15 (fiction)
86. The Dead Can Wait by Robert Ryan, 4.7, STARTED 3/1/15, FINISHED 3/2/15 (fiction)
87. A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear, 2.85, STARTED 2/28/15, FINISHED 3/3/15 (fiction)
88. Her Name is Rose by Christine Breen, 1.4, STARTED 3/3/15, FINISHED 3/4/15 (fiction)
89. Death Comes to the Ballets Russes by David Dickinson, 3.85, STARTED 3/3/15, FINISHED 3/6/15 (fiction)
90. Mademoiselle Chanel by C.W. Gortner, 4.3, STARTED 2/26/15, FINISHED 3/7/15 (fiction)
91. Screening Room by Alan Lightman, 3.5, STARTED 3/7/15, FINISHED 3/8/15 (non-fiction)
92. The Silver Swan by Benjamin Black, 3.3, STARTED 2/28/15, FINISHED 3/8/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
93. A Study in Murder by Robert Ryan, 4.2, STARTED 3/7/15, FINISHED 3/9/15 (fiction)
94. Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty, 4.4, STARTED 3/9/15, FINISHED 3/10/15 (fiction)
95. A Proper Family Holiday by Chrissie Manby, 2.4, STARTED 3/8/13, FINISHED 3/11/13 (fiction)
96. Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran, 4.35, STARTED 3/11/15, FINISHED 3/13/15
97. Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova, 1.8, STARTED 3/12/15, FINISHED 3/13/15 (fiction)
98. Village of Secrets by Caroline Moorehead, 4.5, STARTED 3/13/15, FINISHED 3/16/15 (non-fiction)
99. *The Unlikely Spy by Daniel Silva, 4.35, STARTED 3/8/15, FINISHED 3/17/15 (fiction) (re-read)
100. Children of the Stone by Sandy Tolan, 4.8, STARTED 3/16/15, FINISHED 3/18/15 (non-fiction)

The Second Hundred!

101. The Shadow of the Crescent Moon by Fatima Bhutto, 4.1 STARTED 3/18/15, FINISHED 3/19/15 (fiction)
102. The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood, 4.4, STARTED 3/16/15, FINISHED 3/21/15 (fiction) (audiobook)
103. The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks, 3.4, STARTED 3/18/15, FINISHED 3/20/15 (non-fiction)
104. Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell, 4.45, STARTED 3/6/15, FINISHED 3/21/15 (fiction)
105. Bury Me Standing by Isabel Fonseca, 4.25
106. Pursuit by Thomas Perry, 3.6
107. Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon, 4.2
108. Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight, 3
109. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, 4.2
110. The Dragon of Handale by Cassandra Clark, 3.15
111. Secrets of State by Matthew Palmer, 2.8
112. The Valley by John Lenehan, 4
113. Dead Sleep by Greg Iles, 3.85
114. The Jazz Palace by Mary Morris, 4
115. The Iron Hand of Mars by Lindsey Davis, 4.15

reserved

Happy to see a new thread Suz. I hope it marks a less bitter season.

>5 Oberon: Call me little lady echo.

ETA: I just saw your post on fb about getting a galley of The Courtesan. I don't want to be ugly on fb, but I don't mind being ugly here. Although you wanted a copy, A VINE was willing instead to send a copy to a woman who wrote this sentence, "The author was very descriptive in her writing which made this book so interesting to read as it included what was going on with the Chinese way of life." Gah.

>6 LizzieD: Don't get me started about Vine. It wants to send me toys and skin care items instead of books... I wasn't offered the book, and I think it went through the leftovers section sometime when I was in Toronto.

So, my brother has decided that i need to support my mother, financially. Basically, he is not doing it, leaving me to step in or not. In one fell swoop, he has managed to eradicate the financial benefits of moving to Providence. Both he and my SIL have six-figure incomes, own several properties, etc. They are about to set off on a two-week vacation (their second so far this year). This means I will have to cut off my own health insurance, immediately. I'm reeling.

Wait a minute. Why are you saying yes??? Stop enabling them!

>8 ffortsa: I really don't have a choice, Judy. They are off on vacation, leaving her with $20 in her bank account, judging by the e-mail chain. There is a limit to what I can do and am prepared to do; I went through my financials with a fine-toothed comb today. It's just infuriating. For god's sake, I BARTERED to get my plane ticket to Toronto. I will cover her spending $$ for groceries, but they will have to continue shouldering the mortgage (which is only slightly more than my rent).

>9 Chatterbox: Can't she get any help from social services in Canada? Your situation isn't that elastic, obviously.

She gets what she is entitled to, which is the Canadian equivalent of Social Security. Since she didn't start working until after my parents divorced, it's only about $300 a month. There's nothing else. I can't force her to sell her condo and live in a one room place somewhere, and I'm not sure it would save $$ anyway. Unlike my brother, she is quite good with money.

On the plus side, I am still getting packages from publishers post BookExpo. One from Penguin today contained the aforementioned The Courtesan, as noted in >6 LizzieD:. Another shipment from Penguin is due tomorrow; it could be almost anything, as there were about half a dozen books in their catalog that I drooled over with the publicist. It could come from almost any imprint, too... I've had one package from Algonquin (two books) and one from Public Affairs (two books) as well. This is a Good Thing.

Currently reading two works of non-fiction; one about Soviet spies, the other about Waterloo. Crafting a lengthy e-mail to a friend of mine who's an economist at the U. of Edinburgh, and trying to figure out how to get myself to and from Tanglewood to hear Bryn Terfel sing next month. Not sure the latter is going to be feasible, sadly.

I'm gobsmacked about the situation with your family. Do not stop your health insurance. Do NOT.
On the other hand, I'm glad that your packages are arriving. Yay! I can't wait to see the full list when you have time to compile it. I wonder what you've gotten from Algonquin.
Bryn Terfel.... I couldn't hear him in person even if I could........ I'd drool.

>13 LizzieD: I had already mailed the check for my July premium, so that is covered. But it will be struggle to cover that and commit to pay what I have said I would. My brother clearly would like me to take over from half to 100% of the burden; I'm offering to cover about 25%, which is a very big stretch for me. It means no more Audible books; no more Netflix; cutting everything to the bone.

If you go to my library list, Peggy, you can see my list of BEA trophies -- tagged BEA 2015. I'll try and post it here when I get organized. From Algonquin, at the show I got Fall of Princes by Robert Goolrick and The Muralist by B.A. Shapiro; the ones that followed me home are Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian (because the NetGalley file was corrupted) and Empire of Deception by Dean Jobb.

ETA: The vet called to tell me that all the blood work on the cats and the other tests came back almost completely clean. Molly is apparently the model of a healthy cat -- she is "perfect", the vet said. Cassie has a bit of protein in her urine, but that's possible because of the test method, so nothing to worry about at this stage. They both need to lose a bit of weight, and Molly is very sad and lonely without either Tigger or Jasper, but that's all. The vet suggested that I think about adopted a young neutered male cat as company for Molly... I don't think I'm ready for that yet. But it's sad that Molly and Cassie avoid each other like the plague. Cassie is fine as a de facto singleton; Molly keeps trying to turn me into a cat.

Two books to add:

174. Circling the Sun by Paula McLain


I approached this with a bit of trepidation, since I wasn't a big fan of The Paris Wife, and IMO, biographical novels are a bit tricky to write. So I'm glad that this one turned out to be very good -- in large part because the protagonist wasn't just there as a witness or a wife of or daughter of someone important, but as a major player telling her own fascinating story. It's the story of the early life of Beryl Markham, right up to the point where she becomes fascinated with air flight, including her early years as Kenya's first woman racehorse trainer (while she was only 20 years old) and her involvement with Denys Finch Hatton (also the lover of Karen Blixen/Isak Dinesen). Very well handled, if still a conventional women's romance at heart. 4.3 stars. Don't expect any new ground to be broken, but it's an excellent example of the genre, albeit with predictable writing.

175. Will College Pay Off? by Peter Cappelli


This is actually the topic of the column I have to write tomorrow for the Guardian, which will run on the weekend; I interviewed the author on Wednesday afternoon. He makes some fascinating points about the way our imaginings about the college experience diverge from the reality, even as the cost climbs. It should be a "must read" for every parent, if only so they can make informed decisions about what they actually are paying those massive sums for. It debunks a lot of myths about career-oriented programs, etc, too. One takeaway: the cost of an American college education is four times that of the average OECD education; the average American family, however, pays 7 times more than the average family in any other developed nation because of the lack of support from the government. A lot flows from that, including the need to rationalize those high costs by saying a college education is required to get a job. But increasingly, many of those jobs simply are jobs that once were taken by people with high school educations or other credentials -- and while there is still a wage premium, it doesn't mean wages are high enough to justify the high costs of that education. It's like lifting up a rock and finding a particularly nasty bunch of stuff underneath... 4.4 stars; very well documented.

So sorry to hear about your family situation Suz. What possible justification does your brother have for thinking that you should take on 100% of the financial burden?

As someone who will have a son going to university in three years time the cost of it all is taking a more prominent place in my mind. The annual careers fair at his school usually has a talk on the practicalities of studying abroad, and with costs in many other European countries being much cheaper than in the UK it does look an attractive option. But saying that, payment for student loans here is a little more relaxed. Repayments don't start until you earn a certain amount and then are graduated dependent on salary, and any balance is written off at retirement age, so student loans are never going to bankrupt you.

>16 SandDune: Rhian, I think the "logic" is that (a) he thinks he can't (or rather that he shouldn't keep doing so) and (b) he has three kids and his first responsibility is to them. But I don't know, because he doesn't share any of this information. He simply informs me of his conclusions.

I empathize with the costs of university. Even in Canada, the costs have soared dramatically in the 30 years since I graduated and paid $1,200 for tuition in my final year. Now it's significantly more -- but still small compared to US levels. And of course, in the US, loans can not only bankrupt you, but they don't disappear when you declare bankruptcy. You can't discharge them as part of a bankruptcy filing. So it's a massive financial risk. I honestly don't know how US families with several children cope with this.

Sigh, my book count is off. I have read one more book than I have logged book reviews/comments, so I'll have to back track and figure out which one it is. Meanwhile, this brings me up to 177 books, although my "Books Read in 2015" category in my library (the most authoritative measure) tells me the correct figure is 178.

176. The Ivory Dagger by Patricia Wentworth


This is another re-read of another Miss Silver mystery; once again, set in a country house, once again, with an ingenue and and a dapper hero who couldn't possibly have committed the crime because they are just too nice, and a hapless female who needs to be rescued, and Miss Silver on hand to make sure all comes out as it should. There are some good twists and turns at the end, though, so I really didn't see the culprit being who it was (and since it's been more than 20 years since I first devoured these...) If I didn't find the main characters so namby pamby, they might be more fun; as it is, they are the veritable blancmange of books. To read when one's brain can't cope with more. 3.2 stars.

177. The Billion Dollar Spy by David E. Hoffman


This is an ARC of a non-fiction espionage book that comes out next month, and for those interested in true tales of Cold War derring do, it's really worth laying hands on this. The reason that the Americans managed to stay ahead of the Soviet Union in the final stages of the Cold War -- perhaps laying the groundwork for the collapse of the Soviet regime -- may be due to the efforts of one man to smuggle out top secret documents. Adolf Tolkacheff, whose wife's parents were victims of Stalin's purges in the 1930s and who was outraged by what he saw of the Soviet system, began as an internal dissident -- and then realized that he could do more damage to the system by becoming a spy. It took more than a year to get the Americans to accept that he was for real, but when they did, they realized that he was perhaps the most valuable ever to offer his services to them -- literally saving them billions in military R&D. It's a suspenseful yarn, full of insights into what it was like to be a CIA spook in Moscow in the 70s and early 1980s. 4.35 stars.

>17 Chatterbox: Same here. When I went tuition was free and I got a grant for living costs, so I left University completely debt free. Now tuition costs are £9,000 per annum, and subsidence grants for living costs are available only for students from low income families.

Found the missing book! Read in the final stages of Tigger's illness, and among the first batch I should have logged when I was trying to catch up. Very unmemorable. So, here it is, together with a new book I just finished. It will be in its "proper" place in my log up above (#140 instead of #178); apologies for any confusion...)

178. Pinnacle Event by Richard A. Clarke


Once again, Ray Bowman (hero of the previous novel by Richard Clarke) has to save the world, this time by tracking down missing nuclear weapons. I feel as if I've read this novel before. Since this was an ARC from Amazon, it couldn't have been this novel, literally, but one eerily like it. Which tells me there was absolutely nothing fresh or surprising here. Yawn. It so bored me that I even forgot to log my capsule review. 2.7 stars; it's only that high because Clarke knows his national security stuff.

179. Typhoon by Charles Cumming


This starts in Hong Kong on the eve of reunification with China and doesn't wrap up for many more years. It's narrated indirectly, by an observer to the main events. And you've got to have patience, since it's slow moving and sometimes oblique. But by the end it punches quite a wallop. There are two strands to the narrative -- the personal animosity between Joe, the MI6 agent and Miles, his counterpart in the CIA, and their professional rivalry over Typhoon, a plot to stir up trouble involving the Uighur minority in western China. What is Miles up to, is the question that Joe has to answer when he is sent to Shanghai years after his first fateful encounter with key players in the drama... Maybe Joe is too white a hat; maybe Miles is too black a hat, but it's still a great yarn. I listened to the audio, which also is very good. 4.4 stars. One of the author's best.

Lots more great reads to take note of. I just started The Spanish Game but after a few pages thought I should go back and read the first book, A spy by nature as there seems to be a back story worth knowing about. Will keep Typhoon in mind.

>21 avatiakh: Yes, those two are linked. Typhoon is a standalone. He seems to vary. A Foreign Country and A Colder War are two novels that also are linked. I also liked The Trinity Six, which is a take on the Philby/Burgess/Maclean spy case, the whole Fifth Man issue, etc. He's quite cerebral. Not as good or as well known as Robert Harris has become, but still worth looking out for.

Instead of offering me books, Amazon Vine is deluging me with interesting other stuff. In the last week, I've managed to pick up some coconut oil skin moisturizer, a new pillow and, just now, a portable A/C. Which I hope will work better than the one I have in my bedroom. It's a bit too effective for me to not use a sheet at all at night (and it's now too hot to sleep without -- at least, if I want to sleep), but if I do sleep under something, I usually wake up feeling hot at some point. Frustrating. I now have the other A/Cs in the living room windows, but haven't really had to use them yet. I have the baby fan running beside me right now and that's all I need. Slowly, though, the inside of the house will get warmer and warmer, and I won't be able to avoid it.

The good news is that the kickball league that play in the park on Saturdays seem to have ditched their loudspeaker, through which they used to broadcast loud player commentary and rock music for nine or ten hours every weekend. It's the first Saturday I've been here since mid-May, and it's blissfully tranquil. Had been dreading it, but they were having fun playing, and I was having a quiet day, so everyone was happy.

Hi there. I have been lurking most sporadically, and I seem to have missed a lot. I am sorry about the loss of your friend and Tigger as well. That's a lot to take in. I can't remember which book I read this in at the moment, but I'm a big fan of the idea of a Happy Hunting Ground for our animal friends.

Hooray for no loudspeaker! Lol. Maybe it's a sign that things are looking up.

I know you've been doing a lot of WWI reading. Have you come across a good (not too long) book about Gallipoli? My husband wants to read about Gallipoli and he's not really much of a reader. He likes technical bits and strategy, so it doesn't need to be a light read, just good and not 900 pages. I have only read big comprehensive books on WWI, so I've no idea what might be good. Anyway, if you've got a suggestion or two, that would be great.

>23 nittnut: Wouldn't it be nice if our individual ideas of heaven, for ourselves and our critters, turned out to be true, for each as we conceive them?

Apocalyptic rain today, Noah and his ark style. I shall need webbed feet if I want to venture outdoors.

Meanwhile -- try Alan Moorhead's book about Gallipoli. It's excellent, and while not supershort (perhaps 350 pages after you take out the footnotes?) it's tightly-written, and combines the politics, the strategy and the human stories. If he's looking for something that focuses more on the military element, I've heard good stuff about a book by Tim Travers, which I haven't read myself, but that is supposed to be very precise and careful in its analysis in what remains a very controversial part of WW1 history (even as WW1 goes, which is saying something...) I think the latter is published by a specialist press or self published, but is readily available still.

^It would be nice. I know my heaven would have comfy chairs and lots of books, and some family and friends who also enjoy comfy chairs and books. And I wouldn't be allergic to cats anymore.

Thanks for the book recs. I think 350 pp is about right, I just know he's not up for an 800 page book. I will take a look at both of those.

Seems like a rainy year everywhere - except California. Hope you get to stay in and dry. :)

Ha, I have just returned from a damp and humid trek to the post office. 'nuff said on that matter. I would happily donate some of our rain to California, but it doesn't seem to work that way.

>26 Chatterbox: We'd happily take some of your rain here in Washington state, too. I do wish it worked that way.
On the other hand, we don't have A/C at all but it cools down so nicely at night that a window fan usually suffices.

Sorry to hear about your reading slump. May and early June felt like that for me, too. I just felt like everything I read was a slog, even books I enjoyed and rated highly! It's getting better now that spring term is done and I'm moving into summer mode. Right now I have two books going, The Buried Giant and Dear Life and I'm very much enjoying them both!

Time for me to play catch-up again with my reviews. Sorry, my week got away with me. Work, headaches, other weirdness in my life.

180. The News from Waterloo by Brian Cathcart


This was a fascinating read for history buffs, revolving about the difficulties in getting the news of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo from the battlefield to London and using that chronicle as a way to comment on related issues, from military strategies, to the state of transportation in the era, to newspapers, to censorship, to politics, to the ways the Napoleonic wars had been financed. If you enjoy creative approaches to writing about historic events, you'll adore this. 4.5 stars.

181. Volcanic Airs by Elizabeth Pewsey


Another in Pewsey's whimsical, quirky Mountjoy chronicles. Thomas, bullied at his new school, Gryme, bolts, and heads for an Italian island Aeolus. His de facto stepmother, Magdalena, fed up with husband Valdemar's philandering, rapidly follows, and a whole host of Eyotshire characters soon find themselves (and find themselves) on Aeolus. Except for the irate Valdemar, who finally gets his comeuppance, as a series of divine winds conspire against his own pursuit of his errant family members... Funny, if you like the author's admitted quirkiness. 4.3 stars.

182. Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner


Beautiful, fascinating writing style, but Lerner is writing about what, exactly? It's a slacker novel, and the slacker ends up getting caught by his own slackerdom, in a way. Living in Spain on a fellowship for a year, and trying to drift, he pretends to write poetry, only to find himself acclaimed for writing great poetry. He claims to the reader that he doesn't understand Spanish at all, until one of the other characters outs him as speaking perfectly. He drifts, but he's drifting in search of something to react to. And yet when the event comes -- the bombing at Atocha station -- he's shacked up at a luxury hotel nearby with a woman, charging the evening to his parents' credit card. As one character tells him, "stop pretending that you're only pretending". This is a novel that I think I'm going to have to re-read a few times to fully appreciate. I'd caution against dismissing it on a first read, however frustrating it feels, and however annoying the narrator's maunderings become. This is the kind of the book that cries out for a book group discussion by serious and thoughtful readers who will say more than "I didn't like the narrator". For now, 4 stars.

183. The Mask: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel by Taylor Stevens


I'm getting tired of this series. An action suspense series, but this book is set in Japan, which really isn't conducive to that: It's an orderly society, so even when Vanessa Michael Munroe goes to join her lover, Miles Bradford, there, while he is investigating a corporate espionage case and ends up finding that he has been set up to take the blame for a murder at the company in question, it's tough for her to navigate her way through the situation using her tried and true tactics as she has in previous books set in places like East Africa and West Africa. She's in a different world, and it just doesn't work, however good the author's research is. The pace is jerky, and the result is a book that isn't really convincing or all that compelling. 3.1 stars.

184. The Gods of Tango by Carolina de Robertis


This is, quite simply, a brilliant and evocative novel about the world of Buenos Aires, and the world of tango, in the early years of the 20th century. When Leda travels to Buenos Aires in 1913, it is to marry her cousin Dante. But Dante is dead... and there is no work that a young woman can do respectably that will allow her to support herself. But Leda has the violin that has come down through her family for generations, a passion for music -- and Dante's clothes and an androgynous physique. And, as it turns out, a fierce talent for tango. The author chronicles the transformation of tango along with Leda/Dante's own transformation and his/her recognition of her true self. Technically, I suppose, an LGBT novel, but SO much more than that. Brilliant, and beautifully written. You must read this. 5 stars.

185. The Sunlit Night by Rebecca Dinerstein


Dinerstein has an eye for the quirky detail but it's hard to tell what she's trying to do in this novel, which involves a lot of people bumbling around in the far north of Norway. I ended up not caring very much at all. A lot of dysfunctional family units, and I've seen enough of that in real life, thanks anyway. It's all very exaggerated for effect. She can write, but until she can write something that doesn't rely on so much exaggeration for its effect, I'll pass. 3 stars.

186. Cleopatra's Shadows by Emily Holleman


This marks the very welcome arrival of a talented new author to the historical fiction landscape. I got this as one of the ARCs at BookExpo; I think the book will be out in the fall, and if you're interested in ancient Egypt and historical fiction, you should definitely keep an eye open for it. It's not breaking new ground, a la Hilary Mantel, but it's well above average. Holleman is telling the tale of Cleopatra's two sisters, the elder (Berenice) who briefly deposed their father and reigned alone in Alexandria, and the younger, Arsinoe, who is left behind when both her parents flee, her father having eyes only for Cleopatra; her mother intent only on saving her two young sons. Arsinoe, only nine years old, must navigate the bloodthirsty court of Berenice, and saver her life -- while ensuring that Cleopatra won't see her as a traitor when she returns. It's not perfect, but it's a thumping good read, and I'm prepared to bet that there will be a sequel. Yum. 4 stars.

187. Postern of Fate by Agatha Christie


Some of Agatha Christie's later novels just don't work at all, and this Tommy and Tuppence yarn is one. I don't remember why I even saved this paperback book, rediscovered in a clear-out recently, and it won't survive the current purge. T & T, in their 70s, attempt to solve a mystery that dates so far back in time one wonders why they bother at all -- they would have been toddlers when the murder was committed, and Christie's attempt to make it relevant to them and more than of academic interest is flabby in the extreme. Don't bother. 2 stars, and one of those is sentimental, because I think I liked it at one point. I don't know why.

The Gods of Tango sounds real good to me. The last tango book I read was Twelve Minutes Of Love A Tango Story, a nonfiction account of tango obsession. I've been to BA several times and love reading about the city.
I have so many books on request at my library I'm now requesting them on my daughter's card.

>29 avatiakh: if you like reading about BA, you will LOVE this book... I've never been there, but rarely have I received such a vivid sense of a place I've never been -- or an era. The author knocked this one right out of the park, IMHO. This was an ARC, the book comes out in the US on July 7.

It's already on request from the library, they have a few copies on order.

Cleopatra's Shadows sounds like my kind of book. I'm putting it on the list. :)

O.K. *GodsoTango* is on the list. I see that I have a copy of Perla, thanks to you I'm pretty sure, that I might read first..... *Tango* hits me because an Argentinian character in my current KSR environmental novel, Sixty Days and Counting, goes to a tango performance featuring the music of Astor Piazolla, and I've had to listen on YouTube. Serendipity!
And Pewsey. I need to read Pewsey, also thanks to you.
Hope the world is being kind to you this weekend!

>33 LizzieD: Perla is a very different kind of book -- lots of magical realism. I think this one is much better and more accessible. For what it's worth... I would try this one first, and then go back to read Perla.

Some more very interesting reading!

I know you've probably tried everything for your migraines, Suz, but when I saw this, I have to share, just in case...

Suz, it's been a week. Hope all is okay there.

>35 ronincats: I saw that on Facebook. I don't see how that would help, but I'm curious if anyone has tried it and if it helped or not.

I see a new historical fiction is out this week about Catherine de'Medici and Marguerite de Valois called The Rival Queens. Have you read it?

Roni - I can't remember if you've already read Uprooted. If you haven't you'll probably enjoy, it's pretty much unputdownable.

eta: wrong thread I just noticed

Sorry to have been AWOL. June was actually a bad migraine month, and has otherwise been fairly stressful, and a bit busy.

A friend and I took Tigger's ashes out, along with those of Jasper (2002-2012) and buried them in a bird sanctuary nearby, in a sunny spot underneath a tree. Probably not really allowed, but what the heck... Not very many people go there, it's quiet, and I can sort of see Tigger and Jasper lounging around sunbathing, or roaming around chasing squirrels.

I'm picking up the reading pace a bit, but I have read very little that has really wowed me. One or two books, here or there. A friend of mine in New York, who treats me as a kind of book guru because she loved my suggested of Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada, contacted me desperately today, urgently needing a new book to read, and I had to scramble to come up with something. Luckily, she hadn't read Joseph Boyden, so I was able to steer her to Through Black Spruce in good conscience, but it made me realize how little truly excellent stuff I had read so far this year. I did very much like The Gods of Tango, but it wouldn't be for everyone, and I don't think it would be for her; and while I very much liked Cleopatra's Shadows, that's a "thumping good read", rather than a fabulous novel. I'm short on the latter category thus far, and am not sure whether it's because I'm not reading them or because the candidates simply aren't measuring up. Meh.

Work is busy but aside from today's massive upheaval -- stock market systems shutdown, China's freefalling market, Greece heading into uncharted waters, the Wall Street Journal systems crashing! -- still quiet. Had a few days on Cape Cod, and on Saturday am going back for a whole WEEK! My high school buddy D is flying up from Atlanta; I'm meeting him in Boston and we'll head out to the Cape from there. Hoping the weather cooperates. A friend is lending me her house for an entire week -- free! We're going to rent bikes and otherwise be lazy. I'll have to write my column but that's it. And yes, I will pack books...

Got to meet the wonderful Miss Posey (and Lucy/sibyx, her human) on my last Cape sojurn, which was great.

The only other news is intriguing. Two days after J's funeral, Pat, his partner, started trying to get hold of me. Not having my e-mail address, she went to great lengths to hunt me down on the Internet, and eventually found my blog and THAT e-mail address, and sent me an apology for her rudeness at the reception. It was quite astonishing. Now she wants to either meet for a drink in Toronto (not happening, since I won't be traveling there for a while) or find time to talk on the phone. Which could be interesting. Oh well, life is never dull.

Meanwhile, I clearly am, yet again, very far behind on my book reviews.

188. The Lady of Misrule by Suzannah Dunn


I've been reading this author's historical novels for a while; for all their flaws, they often are entertaining. She tends to turn her characters into very 20th/21st century personalities, complete with modern verbiage, which is at once odd and interesting. It makes their behavior and especially their language very anachronistic, but it does create some imaginative twists on what are (to me, at least) some very well known sets of events. In this case, it's the tale of Lady Jane Grey, and her main character, through whose eyes events are related, is a young woman who is assigned to be Jane's companion in her final months in the Tower. At first, it's assumed that when things settle down, Jane will be sent off into oblivion in the countryside, and the narrator struggles to understand that this will never be allowed to happen; that Jane is too dangerous an enemy to Mary Tudor.... 3.75 stars.

189. Outline by Rachel Cusk


I confess I struggled with this. There were segments where the language or imagery was beautiful, or the ideas fascinated me. But the whole? I could see what the author was trying to do -- people share stories about their lives with each other, over the course of which we learn the most about the narrator, an English language writing instructor teaching a course in Athens. And yet little here caught or engaged me emotionally. Sentences moved me; the whole book left me as cold as an iceberg. 3.4 stars. I could admire the artistry, but found myself almost repelled by its cerebral nature.

190. The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers


My first novel by this author (read for my book circle) but it won't be my last. Loved the vivid descriptions and the almost jagged emotional edges of McCullers' prose. I'm not a big fan of coming of age books, but this is one I relished, and it fueled a lot of good discussion. 4.3 stars.

191. A Kind of Grief by A.D. Scott


I think I'm wearing of this overly-cozy cozy Highlands mystery series. Just a bit too twee. This time, the author does throw in some intriguing suspense, but she is still going all over the place with too little focus on the main plot and too much sentimentality. The novelty of the setting is wearing off, too. 3.25 stars.

192. The Final Throw by Michael Gilbert


This was a great re-read, and reminded me of what I love about Michael Gilbert's novels, at their best. He has a kind of elliptical style; leaving out a lot of critical information and letting the reader guess at it. Which is fine, because it's all part of piecing together the complex, 3-D puzzle. This is set way back in the 1950s or 1960s or so, and it's got a fun kind of nostalgia to it. But there's also a truly gripping climax, and some deeply evil bad guys. 4 stars. Enough to make me dig out some more Gilbert novels to re-read.

193. The Third Horseman by William Rosen


This was interesting, if sometimes frustrating. Rosen's previous book, Justinian's Flea, was much more tightly focused and structured than this, but any book that blends geopolitics and natural phenomena will grab my interest. (There's another book out there about how a volcanic eruption in the dark ages may have altered the course of history that also intrigues me.) This particular series of events was one I actually wasn't aware of, though I did know that the medieval warm period came to an end early in the 14th century (early 1300s). Rosen pins it down, and shows how it corresponded to key events in the history of England and Scotland, then fighting Edward II for its independence under Robert Bruce. First came unexpectedly cold winters, followed by flooding, then cattle died. Even salt became scarce, meaning that fish couldn't be preserved. Rosen has a command of everything from baronial alliances to trade routes. This time around, though, he's trying to pull together too many strands of an argument, and it sometimes becomes a strain. Still, fascinating for anyone interested in the era or topic -- climate change WITHOUT man's help (though warfare certainly might have played a role in worsening matters...) 3.85 stars.

194. The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope


This, together with The Small House at Allington, are probably my fave Trollope novels to date, even if they are more sentimental than the Palliser political books. I like the fact that Trollope doesn't go out of his way to give fairy tale endings to some of the characters here, and even ostensible heroes have significant flaws. These are all real people, some of whom will find what they deserve; others will never be able to determine just what that is. Mrs. Proudie gets her just deserts, for instance... in a spectacular, memorable way. Septimus Harding gets a suitably weepy, Dickensian farewell. This was an audiobook, and tremendously enjoyable. 4.4 stars.

More to come later. If you want to see what I've been reading, you can go to my "Books Read in 2015" collection in my library -- I believe the total, as of tonight, is now 210.

Glad to see you Suzanne. The trip to Cape Cod sounds fun and restful.

I know Lucy goes to Wellfleet, I think? Where is the house-for-a-week? We go to Harwich/Chatham.

>42 katiekrug: The house-for-a-week is in Chatham, Katie! About a mile/mile and a half from Harding's beach?

The bike people will deliver and pick up the rental bikes. Which is good because D, inexplicably to me, has allowed his driver's license to lapse. He does his consulting work from home, and cycles to his other job, so I suppose it wasn't on his mind, but still... *sigh*

So how are you getting from Boston to the Cape? I've taken the bus - it's not bad...

Chatham is so lovely. Two bookstores: Where the Sidewalk Ends (http://www.booksonthecape.com/) and Yellow Umbrella (http://yellowumbrellabooks.net/). And I like to have lunch at Blue Coral, which is tucked away behind the main drag:



Wish I was going this year!

Yes, we'll get the P&B bus from Logan to Hyannis. Then a taxi from Hyannis to Chatham, getting the taxi to stop en route at Stop & Shop to get groceries (multi-tasking...)

Shall bear the restaurant tips in mind, but am trying NOT to go book shopping!

Yay! Suz is back and posting about books. Great thanksgiving all around!!
Another week at the Cape sounds perfect. *sigh* I've never been that far north..........
You're trying not to go book shopping? My heart is breaking here. I do live vicariously. Feel well and have a great time!
RIP Jasper and Tigger both.
Hmmmm..........Pat.

>46 LizzieD: You could come, too, Peggy! There's a third bedroom, although it has bunkbeds... :-)

Sorry, but my budget is incredibly tight. I'd like to get the Ta-Nehisi Coates book when it comes out this month, but other than that...

yes, hmmm, Pat, indeed. I have at least three theories about what might be going on. The most benign are (a) simple curiosity about J and I that she now feels able to satisfy and (b) she may wish to offer me some of the books that I gave to J over the course of our friendship, or even ask if I want some of his books as a memento. (c) would be more complex. Oh well.

195. The Expatriates: A Novel by Janice Lee


This was one of the ARCs that I got at BookExpo; the novel won't be out until January. In case you were awaiting it eagerly, I can tell you that it's OK to relax. It's rather banal and eminently predictable. The story of three women whose lives are intertwined in Hong Kong, with the theme of motherhood. All are expats, living different kinds of expat life. That drew me to the book, but it's actually rather annoying. It is pretend-literary, striving to be something it isn't, dealing with very ordinary themes in women's fiction in a faux, mannered way. As you can tell, Ms. Lee's pretensions got on my nerves. 3 stars.

196. Victoria: A Life by A.N. Wilson


I had read all but the last 100 or so pages of this gem of a biography, so went back and finished it off. It really does remain a gem, right up to the last pages. Wilson pulls no punches: Victoria is a batty lady, obese in bombazine, nutty as a fruitcake. Not for him any awe or reverence for her status. What he does admire is who she was as a person; her honesty and straightforwardness and lack of humbug, even as he deplores her greed and calls her out on her hypocrisy. A very entertaining and authoritative biography; highly recommended. 5 stars.

197. The Brothers: The Road to an American Tragedy by Masha Gessen


Oh, what a disappointment. Gessen's book about Putin, Man without a Face was so interesting that I thought this might be intriguing -- the tale of the Tsarnaev brothers, the Boston marathon bombers. But Gessen does a perfunctory job of chronicling their family background (yes, sure, she knows the intricacies of Dagestan and Chechen communities, but she doesn't show how that may have affected the two of them, as opposed to their parents or their community) There's a lot of to-ing and fro-ing by family members -- and then the bomb explodes. Wait a second -- don't we get any insight into the two men/boys and what they were doing and thinking? Nope. But it seems that Gessen is more interested in writing about everyone EXCEPT the brothers, including Dzhokhar's circle of friends, several of whom face lengthy prison sentences. We hear more about their plight than his thinking or mental processes. It's all very bemusing and frustrating. I'm not entirely sure, even now, what she was trying to do here, except perhaps suggest that the elder brother may have been an FBI informant and may have been disaffected and lashed out at them? Or something? I can't recommend this. 2.9 stars.

198. The Red Eagles by David Downing


A very entertaining and fast-paced, if fantastical, spy yarn, set in WW2 America. What if a Soviet spy buried in the the US tried to hijack a train containing uranium and ship it to the USSR, with the help of a team of German agents? Yeah, that. Hey, it worked for me, as a genre novel. This one slipped under the radar. By the author of the "Station" novels. Not sure it's out in the US, though. 3.85 stars. Not plausible, but fun.

199. H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald


Loved this, and took time to savor it while reading it. It also is a grief memoir, as well as a book about a falcon, so this hasn't been exactly the right time to be reading it. That said, beautifully written; almost an elegy. It has earned every word of praise it has received. I can see myself dipping into it frequently for re-reads. 4.7 stars.

200. The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie


I needed to wash the taste of that dismal Christie novel out of my mouth and this was the solution (a recent Kindle sale purchase). A stand-alone novel, not one of the Poirot or Miss Marple books, and very good fun, if still very boring language. I remember that Christie's books were some of the first that I read in French, and this was why -- the writing was SO plain vanilla that they were easier to read in a foreign language than most children's novels! Some fun twists and turns in this one. 3.45 stars.

Hi Suz - have a great time on Cape Cod. And thank you for the latest book bullet - the new David Downing is 99p on my Kindle!! I seem to be stuck in a (good) rut of spy novels and now I have another one to read...

>47 Chatterbox: That's a generous offer, Suz, and if it were possible, I'd be willing to risk more than bunk beds. Here I am, and here I stay, married to Mr. I-have-everything-in-the-world-I-want-right-here-Why-would-I-go-somewhere-else?!
Enjoy your week a LOT!!!
(Meanwhile, I'm thinking hard about the Wilson bio of QV.)

Katie, I was trying to remember the name of Blue Coral for someone I bumped into at the airport while I waited for D's flight to arrive (she was from Montreal and waiting for family members to arrive, and also heading for Chatham...)

Confess that didn't even make it to the beach today, too busy just doing R&R. Bikes were delivered this afternoon, however!

I hope that you have a very relaxing and enjoyable vacation at the beach.

Happy vacationing. We were watching a minor league baseball game last night - they were playing in Chatham. :)

Sad that The Tsarnaev Brothers was such a disappointment. I also thought Man Without A Face was very interesting. I probably will pass on this one.

I'm likely to still try The Third Horseman because the topic interests me, but good to know it's not quite as great as Justinian's Flea, which I really, really liked.

Sorry. double post. LT is being a bit weird for me today. Very slow.

Tempted by the David Downing, I found the British spy in Berlin a bit difficult to believe after a few of those, so would be good to pick him up in a new setting. I am another one reading H is for Hawk: as you say, a book to go back to (at least, this was my excuse for buying my own copy).

Hope you have a wonderful break.

Vacationing has been nice. Made it to the beach this afternoon and avoided getting a sunburn (hurrah!) The cycle back takes us past a place that sells Hawaiian shaved ice, with a dizzying number of flavors. My choice? Pineapple. Yum. (Though it turned my tongue orange, allegedly??)

Baking a blueberry pie; shrimps being grilled and will go into a coconut curry sauce with some Thai rice noodles. Oh yes, and I wrote a story for 'Fiscal Times' about Harper Lee's "new" book.

Your vacation sounds wonderful!

Beach, sun, pineapple shaved ice, blueberry pie, grilled shrimp, and still getting "work" done. Wonderful!

I confess, I went to a bookstore in Chatham... :-) I mostly did it so I could continue to hold my head up high within this group, however. I haven't yet finished a single book since we arrived on Saturday evening. It was the Yellow Umbrella, and I bought three books for myself and one for D. Then a three-mile cycle home, where baked potatoes and steaks are now on the grill (while I sit on my laptop and preparing to finish reading that book I started Saturday...)

Sounds like you are having a great time! If anyone deserves it, it is certainly you. Hurray!

It all sounds absolutely lovely, and I'm relieved that you made it into a bookshop and out with purchases.

>58 Chatterbox: - It's a nice little shop, isn't it? I always find something....

Still having a great time. Still not reading that much. Oh well. :-) That's an acceptable tradeoff, and vastly preferable to being miserable and not reading that much.

I always think I am going to read more books while on vacation but usually I have so many other activities that I read less. Oh well, that doesn't interfere with the fun of planning what books to take with me!

Glad to hear you are having a good time, Suzanne.

Yup, that's about the way it went. I'd pick up a book, read three pages, and end up doing something else... :-)

And lugged all the books home with me, unread. Has NEVER happened before. I'll need to pick up the pace if I'm going to make my year-end target.

Home again, only slightly sunburned. :-)

Hi Suz, as always, this is a dangerous thread for me to visit. I have already ordered a copy of The News from Waterloo but now I've also added The Gods of Tango to my wish list. And I'm looking forward to reading H is for Hawk as so many people have loved it.

I'm sorry I missed the passing of Tigger. I know that you are still sad about that (it's been over four years and I still miss my Edgar every. single. day.).

I'm actually kind of glad to hear that some of the folks whom I consider find themselves getting less read on vacation than they had planned. It's probably a good thing that we get distracted with other things to do! Tomorrow I fly back home and I will, of course, do as much reading on the plane(s) as I can manage.

Well, vacation was wonderful. Real life, not so much. I'm battling a dental problem of some kind -- nagging pain deep in my jaw somewhere that occasionally flares up -- and inadequate amounts of work. Can't see the dentist till the 24th or so. Keep fingers and toes crossed.

Grumpy because no one is making breakfast for me in the mornings, and because I can't just get up and go cycle to a beach and sit and read, and not even alternating salt and hot water and antibiotic rinse is helping the dental pain. Oh, do I sound irritable? Sorry...

Still, shall try to catch up with some notes on reading, which I also have been neglecting. Shame on me. Have had other stuff on my mind, some good, some bad, some neutral (like new neighbor upstairs -- seems like nice guy; he is -- wait for it -- a juggling comedian. I kid you not.)

201. Take No Farewell by Robert Goddard


This was a re-read for me of one of the earlier novels by Robert Goddard; I had almost completely forgotten the book, which I think may have been published in the late 1980s or very early 1990s. It's rather good -- a successful architect is forced to realize the shell that his life has become when a woman is arrested for murder. She's the wife of a former client, for whom he designed the best country mansion/property he ever created in the halcyon days pre-WW1; it's now the 1920s and much has changed. Can he save her life? As with all Goddard's best books, to get at the truth, the hero must peel back layer after layer of secrets... 4.15 stars.

202. Love, Nina: A Nanny Writes Home by Nina Stibbe


This was hilarious, in a deadpan, laugh out loud kind of way. The author comes to work as a nanny for the founder and editor of the London Review of Books, in a home where Alan Bennett (AB in the narrative) drops in for tea almost daily. (This is set in the 1980s, mostly, so it's also a period piece.) Nina isn't exactly a literary type, so her interactions with her employer and the latter's circle are hilarious, but not in a gentle and knowing way. The tales about the two boys she cares for are loving and warm. It's a delightful book, and a GREAT period piece. Read it -- an epistolary yarn, as it's composed of letters she wrote to her sister over the several years she was based in Primrose Hill. (What was amusing to me is that this is a neighborhood I know well, as a close friend used to live on the same street...) 4.25 stars.

203. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro


An audiobook "re-listen" of a book I've re-read a few times, which revealed and emphasized new elements. I'm not sure I'd rate it as highly today as I did when I first read it, but I still like the dynamics of the relationship between the three main characters, and Ishiguro has a knack for the telling detail. After The Remains of the Day, this is my favorite from amongst his books. 4.1 stars.

204. Palace of Treason by Jason Matthews


Hmm. I really liked Red Sparrow, which was a fast-paced thriller set against the backdrop of Putin's new Russia and featuring a feisty Russian heroine. Formula, but good and well written. This sequel is overly long, and it's as if Matthews has let the praise go to his head; someone has told him that every word he writes is golden, and that more is better. It isn't. The narrative tension loses steam and it isn't until the book is nearly halfway through that I managed to get caught up in the plot. I also found ending each chapter with recipes (none of which can be followed, since quantities aren't given) to be distracting and annoying for this kind of book. Let's hope he pulls himself together and remembers he's just another Daniel Silva. 3.6 stars.

205. Among the Ten Thousand Things by Julia Pierpont


A very promising young author with a real knack for taking what could be trite and turning it into something very intriguing and different, even if she doesn't always deliver, completely, on the promise she displays early on. It's the story of how an affair involving a married man wreaks havoc on his family, but if I tell you that, I'm only telling you about the bit of the iceberg that sticks above the surface. It's tremendously nuanced, and Pierpont is eerily young to have this kind of insight into how women think and behave. There are no heroes here, just lots of intriguing character studies, and some VERY good writing. 4.4 stars. Can't wait to see what she does next.

206. The Toll-Gate by Georgette Heyer


Every so often I'm reminded that I have yet to read all of Heyer's romantic novels, and this was one of those discoveries. What fun it was! A dashing gentleman arrives at a toll gate to find it abandoned except by a young boy. On impulse, the gentleman decides to investigate the mystery, and when he falls in love with the young woman at the manor house nearby, has even more motivation to figure out what's afoot. I think I got so caught up reading the London-based books like The Grand Sophy and Frederica that I never bothered with this... Pity. Oh well, it's rectified now! 3.85 stars.

207. All Who Go Do Not Return by Shulem Deen


A moving and thoughtful memoir about what happens when an ultra Orthodox member of one of the Hasidic communities in New York realizes not only that he doesn't belong within the Haredim community, but has no religious faith whatsoever. It's heart-rending and provocative, and it's a careful look at the importance of community in our lives -- how that can keep us in one place even when faith is lacking. Particularly important to read right now, perhaps, in the wake of the suicide in New York in recent weeks of a young Hasidic woman who had left her own community years ago, and had been shunned by her family members as a result. 4.8 stars. There are no easy answers -- and this is a book that should be read by anyone who believes that there are.

208. Tightrope by Simon Mawer


The sequel to Trapeze, and if you haven't read that, stop reading this now, because I'm about to deliver a bit of a spoiler. Marion Sutro has survived imprisonment and returns to postwar England, but struggles to find her footing in that world; the reader struggles along with her, alas, as she dips back into postwar espionage. But it's not as focused or as tautly written as its predecessor and lacks a sense of tension or suspense. It's also written, in some ways, through the eyes of a young boy/man who is Marion's junior, and who looks on at her life and then ends up looking back at it. IMHO, it's a decidedly inferior book to its predecessor. 3.8 stars.

More to come....

Love Nina sounds wonderful: one for the wishlist.

I hope she thanked her sister for keeping all those letters!

And here are more:

209. Every Fifteen Minutes by Lisa Scottoline


Scottoline's stand-alone books simply don't work for me, I've decided; this "thriller" really didn't either thrill or chill or even intrigue me all that much. Every step the hero/protagonist took, he ended up in more trouble, but the denouement was more or less predictable. Yes, there was a big twist at the end (well, two of them), but they were too big, and came too much out of the blue. Meh. 3.25 stars.

210. The Wreckage by Michael Robotham


This was a thumping good read; perhaps one of Robotham's best. (And if you're into thrillers, he is perhaps one of the most under-recognized writers in the genre...) There are several strands here, including one that starts in Baghdad with some bank heists, and one involving some rather nasty people pursuing Vincent Ruiz, a former London policeman. Then there's the wife of a London banker, who doesn't know why her husband has gone AWOL and is about to uncover some deeply nasty secrets... They all come together and bang, a big thriller explodes. 4.3 stars. Recommended.

211. The Luxembourg Run by Stanley Ellin


Ellin is a classic late golden age mystery writer, with an eye for irony and the darkly devious habits of people. (Check out "The Specialty of the House" if you doubt me...) This was one of the first books of his that I read, and remains one of my faves; I was delighted to re-read it. A young man coming of age in the 60s gets fed up with his family's issues (his father marries over and over again, to younger and younger women; his mother marries a corrupt Greek shipping owner) and walks away from his life to live under a new identity in Europe, only to become entangled on the fringes of a criminal element. When years later that goes horribly wrong, his enemies think he's dead. But Jan van Zee isn't a Dutchman and isn't dead -- and David Shaw, resurrected as an American has inherited his grandfather's fortune and is plotting his revenge. Good fun. 4.2 stars.

212. Miss Emily by Nuala O'Connor


I'm not sure that I've completely made my mind up about this yet. I liked the writing, but... It's the story of the relationship between Emily Dickinson and an Irish maid in the Dickinson household; ultimately it ends up being far more about the maid and the situation of domestics and the Irish in the era than it does about Emily Dickinson, although there's some interesting/provocative stuff about her here, too. I think the problem is that I know too little about Dickinson and am not a massive fan (though I enjoy her poetry, I don't worship it), so I didn't find it as compelling as I might have. (Give me Austen's wry social commentary over Dickinson's elliptical, enigmatic observations any day of the week.) 3.9 stars; interesting as history.

213. The Rising: Murder, Heartbreak and the Power of Human Resilience in an American Town by Ryan D'Agostino


Well, I hate saying this, because I feel like I'm evil, but it simply doesn't do what it says it will. Had D'Agostino simply tried to write a true crime book, that would have been fine. But it's clear that the victim of the horrible home invasion in Connecticut, and subject of this book -- a doctor whose wife and two daughters were murdered, while he survived -- wouldn't have cooperated with that kind of book. So instead, he wrote a book about resilience, and building a new life amidst the wreckage, and how William Pettit moved on, remarried and had a child. But there is almost nothing about what it is within him, as a person, that enabled him to do this. Whether D'Agostino didn't ask the tough questions or didn't get the answers, I don't know. We go from descriptions of him grieving, to descriptions of him working on a family foundation, to him meeting his new wife. It's all description. There is little that tells us how he thought at various stages, or what makes this different from what we might imagine it would be. In other words, why write this about him and invade his privacy, if we're not doing a better job than, say, a People magazine profile? And other than the breadth of the descriptions, really, we're not. So, what's going on here? That's why I say we might almost be better off reading a plain vanilla true crime book -- more intellectually honest. 3.45 stars.

214. Saint Mazie by Jami Attenberg


I've been reading the bio of Joseph Mitchell, notable contributor to the New Yorker in its glory days from the Depression onward. Now here is a richly imagined novel about one of his profile subjects, Mazie Phillips, proprietess of a Bowery movie theater. Written in diary entries, Attenberg has fleshed out Mazie's own comments on her life with observations by people whom the (anonymous/invisible) researcher is interviewing about Mazie for a project; we end up learning as much about how hard it is to learn about Mazie as we do about her life in a crucial 20-year period. It's a love letter to New York City, and vividly written. Loved this. 4.35 stars.

215. The Explorers Club by Nell Benjamin


I listened to an audio version of this play, and it's one occasion where I would have done better reading the script. It's a comedy and relies a great deal on physical humor, which doesn't come across in the audio. I'd recommend reading it, or seeing it; it's worthwhile and very well written, but listening to it alone, you'll miss about 20% of what happens. A funny imaginary tale of "exploration", full of absurdity. 3.5 stars.

216. The Dancing Floor by Barbara Michaels


Another re-read; a novel by the late, great Barbara Michaels. It's amusing to think how this might have been written had Michaels written it in an era with cell phone and wi fi technology! But fun, and not too much supernatural stuff. Heather Tradescant is fascinated with old gardens, and is exploring English gardens associated with the Tradescants (John Sr and John Jr, famous gardeners in Elizabethan/Jacobean days) that she should have made with her recently dead father) when she literally stumbles into a maze and a mystery. A good yarn. 3.5 stars.

217. Under the Net by Iris Murdoch


This is the first novel by Murdoch I've read in a long time; I loved The Sea, the Sea when I read it about 1984, and then got over ambitious and read books by her that I wasn't ready for and couldn't appreciate (though oddly, I enjoyed Acastos...) and stopped again. Then Jim/magicians_nephew picked this for our book circle, and I loved it, as did most of the elite group who gathered last week to discuss it. (the handful of folks who hadn't read it, clearly bitterly regretted not doing so... What a prose stylist Murdoch is, and what a talented wry, sardonic commentator! I loved this story of Jake Donaghue, and his careening around. I loved Murdoch's prose. I loved her ability to turn London itself into a character, and her evident love for the city. You HAVE to read this, if you love real writing and creative, playful, serious fiction. 5 stars.

218. Avenue of Spies by Alex Kershaw


The reason I'm not all that excited about this is that I feel that I've read it all before, in one way or another. I've read about Paris under the occupation, about the SOE, about Ravensbruck. Kershaw does a perfectly good job of telling the story of Sumner Jackson and his family, but it never really becomes truly galvanizing or transcends a perfectly respectable biography. The less you've read about the era, the more intriguing you're likely to find this, I suspect. 3.75 stars.

I'm now going to go and finish reading something. Loving Kamily Shamsie's A God in Every Stone, and having the most tremendous fun with the audiobook of Soulless by Gail Carriger. Also, enjoying my next Daniel Liss book, A Conspiracy of Paper. I will have finished all of these by this time tomorrow, if not sooner.

Then, shall have to get back to work. China market turmoil, dontcha know. And other stuff. Sigh.

Cape Cod was so much fun that D and I already are trying to find an affordable way to get there in the offseason, at a time when he has some consulting work and can travel with it, and when I can get away for a week again.

Sorry you have post-holiday blues and a sore mouth. Wish I could recommend something useful. Sympathy is all I've got.
I sure wish I had one more Georgette Heyer to discover, but alas, I believe I've read them all. More than once. :)

Cross posted- so I have to come back and say that I can't wait to hear what you think of A God in Every Stone. I really enjoyed it.

>69 nittnut: I'm nearly finished and really enjoying A God in Every Stone! It won't be my last by this author...

The upside of the post holiday blues is that it means that I really enjoyed a holiday, as opposed to merely just being somewhere different for a few days. So I'll try to focus on that!

>67 charl08: Definitely! I wonder whether she didn't keep copies of the letters herself? I realized recently that I have a lot of letter drafts (from my own pre-e-mail days). It reminded me of how much we have lost with the advent of e-mail and -- worse still -- texting. Very curt/abrupt/ephemeral.

>65 EBT1002: Tks for the kind words, Ellen. I think Molly misses Tigger most; she is clinging to me like glue and treating me like a substitute cat. I just found a pic of her curled up with Tigger, posted on FB exactly a year ago today... They really were great companions. I'm second best, because I am Not A Cat. A fundamental flaw, it's clear.

I'm so irked by this gnawing dental pain. Mostly it's not major, just niggling and survivable. That said, I'd like to get some antibiotics, to avoid something major flaring up. Sigh, just when life seemed to be getting back on track.

I sympathize with your dental pain - I went through a nasty bout of the stuff when I was in grad school and couldn't afford proper treatment. I really hope it gets sorted for you soon.

Also, I'm adding Love, Nina to my list - it sounds great!

I'm so glad you had such a wonderful vacation - well-deserved, I think! But boo to the tooth woes...

BOOKS!

Love Nina is already on my Kindle from a sale a few months ago. Glad to hear it's such a good one!

I listened to Never Let Me Go earlier this year, and kind of wish I had read it in print first, as I think the narrator negatively affected my reaction to it. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would... I had also previously read a spoiler about it which probably impacted my experience.

I'm next in line at the library for the one Kindle "copy" of Saint Mazie and am very much looking forward to it. I really liked her The Middlesteins when I read it a few years ago...

Lots of others to investigate, and you've reminded me I still have not read Mawer, despite having two of his novels on my shelf.

And Barbara Michaels! I was a sucker for her and Victoria Holt when I was about 11. Perhaps not appropriate reading material but my parents let me read what I wanted to. Those were my first two "discoveries" when I started looking in the library stacks outside the childrens section...

>71 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. I had started down the road of dealing with my dental problems, but then got derailed by (a) the weather (making it difficult to travel), (b) Tigger being so very sick (meaning I had to be here to give him his meds twice a day) and then, well, the rest of it all. It has literally only been in the last few weeks that everything has settled down to a normal pace for the first time in five or six months. And of course this happens. I'm just praying this doesn't flare into an abscess before I can get it dealt with.

I can't imagine most of the folks in this group -- at least, those with a willingness to venture into flippant, light-hearted territory occasionally -- not enjoying Love, Nina. It's well-written and humorous, but not in a heavy-handed manner.

>72 katiekrug: I should try some more of Jami Attenberg's books; this was my introduction to her books. I don't think I discovered Barbara Michaels (or even Victoria Holt) until I was about 12 and we were back living in Canada. But my parents never once censored my reading. My mother had to go with me to the adult book section in Harrod's and tell the nice man there that I was allowed to buy anything I wanted to with my pocket money when I was 9 or 10 -- but I mostly bought books by Georgette Heyer or Jean Plaidy. (I suspect I was closer to ten...) By the time I was 12, though, I was reading indiscriminately, and had no restrictions at the library or anywhere else. Read Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters; read the Jalna novels. Read all the golden age mysteries for the first time. Read Rebecca the summer I was 14 and we moved to Belgium and then promptly devoured everything else by du Maurier; that fall, read my first novel by Rumer Godden, and went on to read most of the adult novels of hers that I could find (many were out of print). I think family acquaintances were shocked when they saw me reading DH Lawrence at 15, but that, at least, was for school!

Love, Nina and Saint Mazie are firmly on my wish list now, with thanks. I could kick myself for missing *SM* when it was on sale. Alas.
I have yet to read Up in the Old Hotel, but I have it and also great interest in the J. Mitchell bio since he grew up in Fairmont or its environs and that's in southern RobCo. The timing is right for my g-grandfather to have been one of his teachers, but I don't know that. Anyway, Lucy sent me the *New Yorker* bit of memoir, and I loved it, so I hope to get to him sooner rather than later. Oh..... I met his niece 3 years ago in Chapel Hill, and she was amazed that I had even heard of him. Good Grief!
And glad to see things coming calm for you in spite of the dental worries. I hope it clears itself up.

>74 LizzieD: Heard from my dentist, who agrees with me (!!!) that it's an abscess taking shape. Oh well. Inevitable, really. He has phoned in a prescription for antibiotics, so that is taken care of for the time being and hopefully I have fended off any apocalyptic pain until his return. The tooth already is earmarked for disappearance, and replacement with an implant down the road.

I may be able to send you an ARC of the Joseph Mitchell bio in a few months, when the six month waiting period now mandated by Amazon Vine has passed, if you don't get it from the library by then. Just holler. I'm reading it slowly; it's a fascinating period piece! I had read bits and pieces of Up in the Old Hotel but never the whole thing.

If you enjoyed The Toll-Gate, I would strongly recommend The Unknown Ajax if you haven't read it yet. So glad you had a great vacation, and hope the antibiotics take care of the tooth pain very quickly!

I second *Ajax* and everything else Roni says. I'm likely to take you up with thanks on the JM bio later if you still have it around. It's one our library certainly OUGHT to have.

Ha, "Ajax" looks like fun. It's not sounding familiar (or more familiar than a generic Heyer plot...) so mayhap shall try it out. The antibiotics are here, and I've just checked out two gyms.

Option A: Actual gym. $10 less a month, will let me try it out for 3 days free. More restrictive/limited hours; right across the street from the bus stop, however. Quite professional setup right downtown. Doesn't have either a pool or a rowing machine; does have an elliptical machine without those irritating swinging arms. Trainers roam the floors to help and membership includes free intro training session. There's also an online tool to manage workouts and targets, etc. There is a sauna.

Option B: gym in a hotel (the Omni): $10 more a month; will have to pay $10 for a day pass to try it out. Hours are amazing, from 5 a.m. until 11 pm six days a week, and then 7 am until 7 p.m. on Sundays. Basically, whenever I'd want to use it, they'd be open. Rowing machine with a great view of the State House. Nice, sunny setting. There's a pool, but it's on the small side, and might be crowded (gym is shared with hotel guests). The setup seems more casual and less fitness oriented -- it's there primarily to serve hotel guests. There are three trainers, however, and several classes as well (yoga and zumba at both this place & the other one). The changing room is MUCH nicer, but there is no sauna.

I'm dithering. Thoughts?? I need to do something other than sit on my rear end, and just the occasional walk around isn't getting enuf exercise. I can afford it, kinda/sorta. It's $39 vs $49 a month.

When I picked out a gym- I looked at the following-
Where did I feel most comfortable?
Was it close to my house so I would actually go there? - Classes are good if you find an instructor that you like and can follow- and one who watches the class to correct any problems.
Option B seems to have hours that would work for you.

I agree ^ the most important thing is whether you feel comfortable there and whether the hours work for you.

I always vote for the pool if you swim. If not, why not? To quote old HS student, "The pool cures everything." Well, maybe not an abscessed tooth.....

Ha! The downside with the pool, as D pointed out when I talked over the pros and cons with him tonight, is that it's a small hotel pool with no lap swimming lanes. Which means that when the hotel is full, there could be hordes of screaming children. And even when it isn't, it's a tiny pool -- five strokes of crawl and I'll brain myself at the opposite end. So the pool, in practice, is less of an attraction than it might be. Especially since I'd need to traverse the entire gym area in my bathing suit, climb a flight of stairs and then get to the pool -- there is no direct link from the changing rooms/showers. If I really want to swim, I'd have to make the effort to join a Y, but there isn't one in traveling distance.

So the big advantages, I think, are the hours and the rowing machine. As set against, at the "gym gym" (vs the "hotel gym"), the geographic convenience (across the street from the bus stop, with plenty of places to put bike), the lower cost and a rather interesting feature that they e-mailed me about. They have an online tool that allows me to keep track of:

"Training Session Scheduling and Calendar
Weight Goals and Fitness Targets
Charted Progress and Nutrition Reports for weight, stress, energy, body fat, blood pressure, nutrition data, etc.
Daily Meal Log, Nutritional Targets Calculator complete with daily calorie intake & weight gain/loss ratios
Exercise Activity Log and Library
Day-to-Day Journal Entry - weight, water consumption, vitamins, and stress/energy/motivation levels
Articles on exercise, weight loss, strength training, flexibility, mind/body, etc.
Discussion Forums with other members and trainers
Individualized Profile (i.e., emergency contact, physician information)"

If they'd buy a rowing machine, it might be a no-brainer!... *grin* Realistically, I'm probably NOT going to be at the gym after 9 p.m. here, so the hours are less crucial.

I have to say, now that I'm thinking about it, I got a not-great feeling from the fact that the "hotel gym" wouldn't offer me a complimentary one-day trial pass to check it out.

Omigod, a whole post that has nothing to do with books! Well, we can't have that, can we??

(Btw, I interviewed Dean Baquet, the executive editor of the NY Times today, for a short magazine profile I'm writing. I asked him what his favorite pastime was; the answer was reading; he says he reads " a lot". I replied, "so do I." He said, "No, really, I mean a LOT." I replied, "So do I" and gave him last year's figure -- in excess of 450. A deathly silence came down the phone line. "That IS a lot," he said, finally. I nearly choked trying not to laugh out loud. Alpha male reader, vanquished. Such fun.)

219. As Night Falls by Jenny Milchman


I had read and enjoyed one of Milchman's thrillers previously, so thought I'd try this. It was adequate, but nothing more. A home invasion turns out to have deep roots in the past (revealed in some of the chapters that alternate in between the main narrative and prove to contain flashback material). It's violent and yet banal. 3.25 stars. An OK airplane or beach book.

220. Headhunters by Jo Nesbø


This is a standalone thriller, and is a GREAT one, proving just how twisty Nesbø's mind really is -- very, is the answer. His main character here is a headhunter, who manipulates his clients and candidates -- and then encounters someone even more devious than himself; someone who collects a very different kind of "head", and who embarks on very different kinds of "hunts". Tremendously twisting narrative, with lots of surprises on the way. I alternated between reading and listening and both were great, although the narrator is perhaps a bit pedantic in tone. Really, you can't go wrong with this; ties the stomach in knots. 4.4 stars.

221. The Iceberg: a Memoir by Marion Coutts


Won the Wellcome Prize, and was a finalist for the Samuel Johnson Prize (a great prize to watch for excellent non-fiction, incidentally...) This is an almost overly lyrical memoir that sometimes became stylistically unapproachable, yet at other points was exceptionally beautiful and thoughtful, even as Coutts retraces what is by now well-trodden ground, that of the "grief memoir". In this case, she is writing about the years that elapsed between the diagnosis of her husband's brain tumor and his death, even as they try to raise their toddler son. It's almost painfully honest, and therein lies its virtue -- that and the beauty of the prose. 4.25 stars. Not always my cup of tea, but hard to put down.

222. The Burning Gates by Parker Bilal


Oh dear, not my fave of Bilal's mysteries, which up until now I have loved. But this one was cluttered with groups of people chasing each other, and I got confused. There was a renegade Iraqi war criminal in Cairo, two groups of Americans, and some Egyptian special forces, and Bilal's fabulous fictional creation, Makana, the Sudanese-born former cop and now political exile in Egypt who ekes out a living as a private detective while living on a dilapidated houseboat in the Nile. Read his others first -- they are fabulous. This one is OK, but even being motivated, I found it hard to keep track. 3.9 stars.

223. London Rain by Nicola Upson


The next in the series of mysteries featuring Josephine Tey as a detective, or a figure involved in mysteries. And it's very, very good. It takes place right around the Coronation of George VI, and is set in the world of the BBC's Broadcasting House. Unusually, we get to see into the murderer's mind -- only to discover that the first murder is only the tip of the iceberg. There's no great outcome here, but maybe there will at least be justice?? This is a great series; no wonder that the late PD James mentored Upson. 4.35 stars.

224. A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie


Ambitious, compelling, elegant, intriguing -- I think I am in danger of running out of adjectives to describe this novel, which definitely won't be my last by Shamsie. It's not perfect -- Shamsie is so intent on exploring big themes that sometimes her characters (and even the occasional incidental fact) get trampled in the rush to do so. Tahsin Bey, whose relationship with Vivian Spencer on the eve of WW1, serves as a catalyst to get the latter to Peshawar, where it's clear that Shamsie is most interested in exploring questions of power, empire and relations between individuals in the hierarchy. But does that mean he has to be kind of disposed of so readily -- shuffled off to Buffalo, so to speak? Yes, because Shamsie's goal is to write about something different -- the British Raj, and power, and speaking truth to power, and how archaelogy fits into that. So her characters are there to serve her broader ends. To some extent, it's a tribute to her talent that what exists is such a fascinating tale, but it's also a bit too choppy to be completely engrossing. It could have been a five star book, and bits of it are, but the whole isn't what the parts suggest it could be. Shamsie is trying to construct a symphony when she might have written for, say, an octet and done a brilliant job. It's still amazing, and fascinating, especially the vivid descriptions of Peshawar and the intensity of the relationship between the Gul brothers. She may not quite live up to my expectations, but on the other hand there are no false notes, either. 4.3 stars.

And now I'm completely up to date!!!

It sounds like the gym-gym is the best bet. And it's cheaper! With that difference in cost, you could apparently just buy yourself a rowing machine in six months:

http://www.amazon.com/Sunny-Health-Fitness-Rowing-Machine/dp/B009QXP77I/ref=sr_1...

(I suspect that it's not really a good idea to get the cheapest rowing machine ever, but you could probably get a decent used rowing machine with the savings within a year.)

>83 _Zoe_: I had thought of buying a rowing machine in the past, but then wondered where exactly I'd end up putting the damn thing! They are not exactly small... The one I've used in gyms and that is good is the Concept II, which runs about $900, though I suspect hunting around would mean finding one for less. What I like is that they are ideal at combining strength and cardio. I think I also may mention it to the "gym gym" -- like, here is this crucial piece of equipment that you're missing, that people who do CrossFit consider vital, and see what they say. I also haven't checked out the Planet Fitness place, either -- it's closer, and will be ultra cheap, but a zoo.I may do that on Saturday -- and see if they have rowing machines.

I'd go with the cheaper gym option. Must avoid screaming children, or potential thereof, at all costs!

I was looking up Michael Robotham books this morning thanks to your endorsement. Does the series need to be read in order, do you think? My library, helpful as always, only has numbers 3 and 4...

>85 katiekrug: Hmm, I haven't been reading the series in order, except for the latter books. I've missed all the early ones, and it's pretty easy to pick up on the details of the characters' lives. I'm not sure now whether I'll ever go back and read the first books, though I suspect thatat some point I probably will; they are good enough to do that.

I think screaming kids would be confined to the pool area. It's odd, the hotel gym has the most defined upsides (the views from the windows, the rowing machine, the hours) but also the most defined downsides (the attitude of the staff, who are friendly, but clearly don't really want to bring you on as a member; the less convenient location, the fact that it's in a hotel and that the pool isn't all that nice; a slightly creepy trainer.) As I was telling D, it would be a great choice if I was certain that 100% of what I wanted to do was self-directed; if I want/need any help developing a workout routine or other stuff, I'd get more support at the gym gym.

No gym today, however. Headache instead.

Another vote for the gym gym. I know ALL about trying to swim laps in a tiny pool - way too frustrating to be of any worth.
I also broke down and ordered the first Upson/Tey mystery from PBS, so thanks again.

When I lived in Philly I found the health club I liked best and that was also closest to us was a zoo at certain hours and completely empty at others, like 10:30 a.m. on weekdays. . . . so I adjusted to that to have the place to myself. . .

You've been really reading lots! Had to WL the A.N. Wilson bio (I love his fiction already). Glad your second Cape Cod vaca was so marvelous! Sounds as if the weather cooperated. Yay!

creepy trainer!!!! go to the other gym!

>87 LizzieD: Oh goodie, a book bullet!!

>88 sibylline: Yes, it was pretty much a perfect vacation. Well, both were, really! Just very different in nature. Do you remember that house on a hill that I pointed to that had tables put out under the trees? That's where we ate the one night we ate out, with Michele, Gary and their daughters, the night we went to see the elder in the W.H.A.T tent theater show (which was fun...) The food was quite good and the atmosphere was perfect, perched up there. And yes, the weather was generally much, MUCH better the second time -- warm during the days, cooler in the evenings (enuf to sleep with the windows open and no A/C, hurrah). We had one day of rain, but by mid-afternoon it had eased up and we cycled into Chatham proper for a very late lunch (about 3 miles) and saw the Yellow Umbrella bookstore; coming back, it had begun to get very foggy. But we weren't out in the evenings, just making dinner and hanging out, so the cool temps weren't an issue. And I even ended up with a small bit of sunburn on my last day on the beach. So now the plan is afoot to figure out a way to go back for a week in the off season, perhaps mid Sept. or October, though I don't expect that we'll be lucky enough to score free accommodation again!!

>89 torontoc: I say creepy, but that was the effect this one guy had on me. He probably isn't, really. He's older, and clearly very fit (maybe in his 60s). Tiny, but wizened, like a circus performer. Brown and wrinkled, but with teeth that look like perfect plastic veneers. Eerie. He's shorter than I am. I'm sure he actually isn't creepy, and is probably very nice, but it's like, if this is what this guy thinks looks good... *shudder* Oh dear, now I'm guilty of lookism. There are two other trainers at the hotel gym, one who is apparently really intense (probably more so than I need; I saw him at work, and yeah, more than I would want to have to work with...) and a woman who wasn't there when I dropped in.

When my headache abates, I may cycle over to Planet Fitness and see what's what over there. They are so cheap ($10 a month) that even if it was mostly dreadful, but had rowing machines, I could combine that with the gym gym and still be OK.

I have nothing meaningful to add to your gym selection quandary other that to say whatever keeps you going to the gym most should be the main factor. Much too easy to fall out of the habit of exercising.

On an entirely unrelated subject, the next time you run into Ms. Tolman you should ask if the gallery has parted ways with Ray Morimura. I can't seem to find his work on their website anymore. A real shame because it is toward the top of my impulse buy list if I had spare money.

>91 Oberon: Hmm, that is perplexing... I will ask about Morimura-san. In all the turmoil, I haven't made an effort to keep up with Allison, and she has been whipping around the world, too.

If you can ride your bike to one gym but not the other, and have somewhere safe to put it etc, that sounds like a strong argument, both for convenience and because you will be exercising on your way there and back. Just seems more efficient somehow!

Reading the gym debate with interest. Mine has gone down in my estimation as they have kid sessions at the time I want to workout (In theory, I think introducing kids to exercise is great, but these kids aren't properly supervised and they worry me, as well as clogging up the machines having a good gossip without using them!). But in exciting news, my local uni has been spending megabucks on expanding their facilities, including what looks like a wonderful pool. So I'm probably going to move my business in September.

>93 elkiedee: Yes, even if it's only by a block or two, and I won't be cycling in winter (brrrrr)

>94 charl08: I wish it were possible to get access to a university fitness facility, but 'tis not...

UK kindle FREE offer - Europe's Tragedy: History of the Thirty Years War by Peter H Wilson, published by Penguin, an account of 17th century Europe.

>96 elkiedee: Phew, nabbed it! Thanks, Luci!!!

Other good news, will be going back to Cape Cod for another week in September, sometime after Labor Day. :-) :-)

Great review of A God in Every Stone. I really liked it as well.

London Rain looks good. :)

Just saw this on twitter, Patrick Leigh Fermor's Moussaka recipe - http://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/patrick-leigh-fermors-moussaka

>99 avatiakh: Ooooh, love it -- Paddy's ANYTHING goes straight to the top of my personal hit parade. Even moussaka. (It's the cinnamon in it that doesn't appeal to my taste buds, I confess...)

I think I might opt for the hotel gym. I was there last night for the first time, and while the staff is more offhand, and the equipment a bit older, the changing rooms are very nice and there's the rowing machine (a Concept II erg, for anyone who is aware of these things...) I actually ended up walking downtown yesterday, since it's just a bit further from the bus stop (only two blocks) at the other end, which actually might be another good thing. It's higher up and has great views up toward the State House. I'll go back again over the weekend and perhaps a third time on Monday to see what the atmosphere is like on a regular working day at the time I'd use it, but I really liked not feeling rushed about the hours -- omigod, if I don't leave RIGHT NOW I won't have time to work out. It's open until 11 p.m., so I can work until 7:30 p.m. if I need to. And it's not a lifetime commitment. I can join for a year and if I find that the rest of the equipment is too old, or the vibe is annoying, next summer I can make the move to the other place.

What are courgettes? (I know, I can look it up, but I've never heard of them.)

ETA Oh, zucchini.

>101 ronincats: - So that is what those things are. That ranks up there with my rather recent realization (thanks to Google) that cilantro and coriander are the same thing. ;-)

And then there is rocket, which is arugula.

So now I know what argula is! Courgette, coriander and rocket are the words we would use here, although I did know the other versions of the first two.

Eta arugula - not only did I not know what it was - I couldn't even spell it!

That Nicola Upson series has been calling to me and your review of London Rain has cemented it.

I knew arugula but not courgettes. New words: yay!

I use coriander (don't even know if that's the English or American version); prefer courgettes to zucchini, but am agnostic (in other words I mentally translate without thinking about it) and definitely prefer arugula to rocket, which doesn't sound as if it belongs in a salad!

Shall bring my reading list up to date soon... Ellen, I think you'll like that series.

One you might overlook that is published later this month is The Ambassador by the late Israeli diplomat, Yehuda Avner. It's co-written by Matt Rees, an alternate history thriller where Israel was created in 1938 not 1948.

Here in NZ we use the UK version of the vege/herb names but are mostly familiar with their European/US alternate names. Another is aubergines/eggplants. I go with eggplants myself but love 'aubergine' as a colour.

Yum! You've just reminded me I haven't had arugula in a long while and I do love the stuff—young growths, that is, otherwise it's too bitter for me. 'Rocket' indeed doesn't sound like it should be eaten. Courgette I knew of course because that's the French word, though now I think of it, we do say zucchhini in Quebec as well. Coriander for me too; cilantro always leaves me wondering for a moment.

>107 avatiakh: I'm not going to overlook that -- Matt is a friend/connection of mine, through journalistic circles... He's been chattering about it (on Facebook) for a while now!

>108 Smiler69: Whether courgette or zucchini -- I just want to cook with it. Yum.

Thanks to your enthusiasm for Robert Ryan's Dr. Watson WWI series, Judy (DeltaQueen) and I both bought the first book in the series during our Thingaversary shopping sprees earlier this summer. We just finished a tandem read of Dead Man's Land and we both enjoyed it. I doubt I'd have discovered the series if I hadn't seen it here, so thanks!

>109 Chatterbox: Oh good. I'm currently really enjoying Avner's memoir The Prime Ministers on audio, so am also looking forward to getting to the novel.

We went to a pub quiz last night (in the Pig & Abbot in Abington Piggots - isn't that a great name) and one of the first questions was 'What do they call an aubergine in the US'. Easy peasy!

>112 SandDune: An eggplant, of course!! :-) That's one where I prefer aubergine, but always use eggplant... (And how on earth did they come up with eggplant anyway?? It looks nothing like an egg... Unless it's an ostrich egg??)

>111 avatiakh: I am, too, although with such a massive TBR, heaven knows when I'll get to it. I have been so far behind on Amazon Vine books since my Cape Cod trip that I haven't been able to request any more, and I'm not sure I'll catch up this month. I'm trying to pace myself a little more.

>110 cbl_tn: Oh, I'm so glad! I noticed that you were reading them, and hoped that you'd like them! They were a great discovery for me, because I've had a mixed response to Ryan's other books. I enjoyed one, then read another that felt too much like one of those SAS/Boy's Own Adventure type novels, pretty much designed for male readers, with no complexity in the plots or characters and the emphasis solely on derring do by the hero, and was meh about starting the series. When I did, though, I couldn't stop.

I've been approved for a cluster of NetGalley ARCs, and have just started one of those books (a Vine ARC, Days of Awe by Lauren Fox, that I really hope is going to live up to the caliber of the writing and vivid/pointed details/observations in the first chapter or two, and not relapse into banality. It's tough, because it's about a woman with a crisis in her life -- dead friend, husband who has left her, child developing her independent identity, with difficulty -- dealing with what that means for her. That could be very, very good, or dreadful: first world family problems are tough in fiction. Fingers crossed. Meanwhile, the ARC's cover is full of polka dots and is, I think, contributing to my migraine today.

Perchance whoever named them encountered the non-aubergine version first?


I always knew from context that rocket was some kind of salad green , but didn't know it was arugula.

In the midwest, it was always coriander, but that is because when I lived there, you only experienced it as coriander seed. Once I got to San Diego, however, I quickly encountered cilantro, that multipurpose fresh herb that goes with almost everything, like parsley, but with more zest.

The next Dr. Watson book is on my wishlist awaiting my next new book splurge. Or maybe Santa will bring it to me. :)

I call them zucchini here and courgettes when I lived in England. We don't eat raw zucchini here. I loved raw courgettes in salad in England. For some reason raw courgettes sound much more appetizing than raw zucchini.

Back from lurk to confess that I always end up eating the sauce and leaving the eggplant. And it definitely tastes like eggplant and not that sophisticated aubergine stuff.

>114 ronincats: - You are a genius, Roni! I'd bet a hundred bucks that that is how it happened.

Was disappointed to learn that rocket salad is really just nasty ol' arugula. I had so hoped that it was something new and super tasty and instead it's just some kind of nasty ol' bitter crap that I've had and hated.

Hi Suzanne! Hope the reading is going well. So sorry to hear about all of the terrible things that have happened and especially about the loss of poor Tigger.

>114 ronincats: Perfect!!

>115 cbl_tn:
>116 LizzieD:
The psychology of vegetable names. Can eggplant ever taste like aubergines, or zucchini as ravissante as courgettes??

>115 cbl_tn: If I had a hard copy of the second and third Dr. Watson books, I would play Santa and send them to you. Alas, they are on my UK Kindle, and thus unavailable even for lending... You may have to tough it out until December...

>117 Fourpawz2:
Thanks... Tigger is much missed, especially by poor Molly. She is lonely without a companion cat. Cassie and she exist in a state of armed neutrality (think, Cold War)

Reading the new/upcoming Tony Hill/Carol Jordan suspense novel from Val McDermid. Alternating between that and Days of Awe. Both excellent.

225. Soulless by Gail Carriger


My first book in the steampunk "parasol protectorate" series, and it won't be my last, however absurd the whole premise is. Alexia, the heroine, is soulless, and is enamored of a werewolf who, when it's not the full moon, also happens to be London's most eligible bachelor, and has a delightful Scottish accent. If you can swallow that, and a lot of silly romance, and camp dialog involving a vampire, you'll have fun with this novel, which is goofy in the extreme. I went the audiobook route, and am very glad I did, as it's one of those cases where the narrator is perfectly suited to the book. Have downloaded book #2 already. 3.85 stars. Not literary but imaginative enough to be entertaining.

226. One Man's Flag by David Downing


The second in a new series by the author of the "Station" novels (eg Stettin Station), set during World War I. The problem here is partly the hero, who invariably foils the dastardly plots of his enemies, and in this second volume, partly the fact that there are two entirely separate narrative strands that don't converge until far too late in the book. While in many ways it's an improvement on book #1, it's still nowhere near as good as the first series. Underwhelming. 3.45 stars. (And I told the Soho Press folks so at BEA...)

227. Veronica by Mary Gaitskill


This is a short novel that puzzled me. I appreciated the writing, the insights, the author's ability to deliver character studies of two very different women and the ways their lives intersected. But I also felt too emotionally distanced from the whole book for it to resonate in any significant manner. *shrug* I ended up feeling that I should have liked it more than I did. One to set aside and try again in a year's time, perhaps -- or perhaps to try another of the author's work? 3.8 stars.

228. The Doors Open by Michael Gilbert


One of my re-reading projects for this year (along with Robert Goddard). Gilbert set a lot of his mysteries against business and legal settings, and this early novel is one -- a lot is implied early on, leaving the reader slightly puzzled as to what's afoot. You have to trust him to lead you through the puzzle. There is corruption and derring do, inevitably. In this case, there's insurance fraud and busines malfeasance on a grand scale. Not for those who like lots of suspense and action -- although there is some of that, too. 3.5 stars. An old-fashioned kind of yarn, set and written in the 1950s.

229. A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss


This is the first time that I regretted reading these novels backwards; it's Liss's first novel featuring Benjamin Weaver, pugilist turned private investigator in early Georgian London, and he's investigating his father's death amidst the world of stock jobbers on the 'Change. But too many of the book's revelations involved stuff I already knew from having read later books about him, so... 3.75 stars, would have been 4.25 stars were it not for that. By all means, read these books, but start with this one!

230. Speaking in Bones by Kathy Reichs


This book is evidence that you can skip several books in the series and not really miss all that much. A DIY investigator bursts into Tempe Brennan's North Carolina office to demand that she investigate a missing woman and connect it with some unidentified bones; the mystery (of course) proves more complicated and murder follows. It's all quite predictable, and predictably, her personal life, too, is still complicated. Yawn, really. 3.5 stars.

231. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates


Hmmm. This is extremely powerful, but a writer who has written forcefully on the question of "race" (there's a reason I put the word in inverted commas; you'll need to read the book, tho) and what it means to not be one of the people who consider themselves to be white (his construct) in America today. I found it fascinating, but also alienating, simply because I never once felt that he was addressing me. (Stylistically, he's actually writing this as a kind of long letter to his teenage son.) Fair enough -- why should he try to explain himself to me? -- but at the same time, I and people like me will be part of his audience, so why use a tone and voice that often is exclusionary? It all reflects the way the nature of the debate seems to me to be hardening as the violence and injustice escalates. I understand, but while I found this fascinating and informative, I also felt as if I had joined someone else's gathering, uninvited, by reading it. It was a disconcerting experience. Nothing overt, and perhaps it's because I read it in the wake of a number of discussions on related topics among people I know IRL. But... It's worthwhile, and indeed, probably should be mandatory reading. Just don't expect it to be comforting or reassuring, or even all that accessible if you are not African-American/black. 4.25 stars

232. Silent Creed by Alex Kava


OK, I didn't expect much beyond formula fiction, but I expected it to hang together, more or less. It didn't. It just sort of drifted around, touch on trite themes -- hidden lab in forest running tests! viruses! landslide! people being murdered! hero and heroine in jeopardy! who can be trusted? Ultimately it just jumped around from here to there, touching on one predictable theme after another, I rolled my eyes, got through it (have to write an Amazon Vine review) and finished. But really... 2.2 stars. That's it for that series/author.

233. As Shadows Haunting by Deryn Lake/Dinah Lampitt


A re-read; the author's historical novels have been released on UK Kindle at very affordable prices, and if you're a historical fiction buff, keep an eye open for them on the US Kindle as well. This actually is a dual narrative (think, Susanna Kearsley...), with one strand set in 1990s London and the other in 1750s/60s London. The contemporary thread involves a professional harpsichord player, Sidonie, who moves to a flat whose back entrance gives on to Holland Walk, in turn connected to the gardens that are near all that is left of Holland House, once the home of one of the famous Lennox sisters and her husband, Mr. Henry Fox. (This for anyone who remembers Aristocrats by Stella Tillyard...) One of the youngest of the Lennox sisters, Lady Sarah, has just arrived to make her debut at court in the historic part of the novel, and catches the eye of the young and handsome George III, who wants to make her his wife. Tragedy follows. Sidonie seems to be able to slip back into the past, where she can spy on Sarah over the course of her life; Sarah, too, can glimpse Sidonie... The reader gets both their stories, as Sidonie struggles with building her career and love. A really good historical/woman's novel. 4.25 stars. Makes me want to watch the DVD of the Aristocrats miniseries again.

More later.

I've decided the reason that I delay posting these reviews so much now is that I really hate looking for the cover images and having to spend the time sorting that stuff out. It was much faster and easier to just hammer out the words and thoughts. Now it's finicky and annoying and time consuming, and so I procrastinate about doing it, and they pile up and I dread what has become a task.

>119 Chatterbox: So delighted that you found Soulless as entertaining as I did, despite or perhaps because of its ridiculousness! I found the second book to be the weakest of the quintet, but still worth enjoying, and the series picks back up after that.

>119 Chatterbox: - Well, there's no rule that says you have to post the covers. Maybe just put the titles in bold so if someone is skimming, they will pause and take note?

Anyway, as always, your comments are great and I appreciate the breadth of your reading!

Yes, me too re the appreciation of your reviews and the range of the books that you cover. Although the pictures are great, it's really the words that I'm after.

Hi Suz! I hope you're well. Only meaning to flip to the bottom of the thread, I inadvertently added several books to my TBR. My thoughts are with you, hoping you are all coping well after the loss of Tigger. (((Suz)))

Suz, what process do you use to look for the cover images? I just right-click on the touchstone, tell it to open an new window (which is the page for the work in LT) and then right-click on the cover image there to copy the image URL.

I always enjoy your reviews too. You brought David Liss to my attention with your positive review of The Day of Atonement. I have yet to pick up anything by him and look forward to it, and glad you are confirming one should indeed start the Benjamin Weaver series with the first book. I tend to follow series in order anyway, but might have been tempted to start with the second or third book since those are available on audio whereas Paper is not. About to start on Dead Man's Land now... another one you highly recommended.

Many thanks for the good reviews! I have picked up As Shadows Haunting at least 3 times since you recommended it when I was enamored of The Aristocrats. It's summer; I need to go ahead and read it!

>124 ronincats: I go to Google images. But part of my problem is that I can never remember the command line to create an image, so I always have to go to the cheat sheet, look it up, cut it & past it, and then add the URL for the image. So it becomes a multi-stage process.

Just crawled home from NYC after a busy but very productive trip (unlike the last one, which was simply busy and tiring.) Led the discussion of The Stranger, which everybody seems to have relished, and which ended up with some really vividly expressed opinions! Had an excellent lunch at a club frequented by the 0.1% (my posh editor took me), which was a hilarious but tasty experience, and had a good and interesting conversation with her. Met a new source who turned out to be fun in his own right -- not always the case. Bumped into another editor on the street. Collected a check. Got to see my young friend Theo and hear all about his plans to get a dog. And I mean ALL about his plans. (an Irish Setter; the name already has been chosen...)

Now I just need to recover. Will be making two or three more trips down between now and the middle of September -- dentist, neurologist and book party on the 9th for my friend Greg's book about Jacob Fugger.

Annoyingly, I appear to have misplaced all my odds and ends of jewelry (two of my three favorite pairs of earrings, a necklace, etc.) I had put them into a little chamois bag to take with me and was positive I had put the chamois bag into my big cosmetics bag. But it wasn't there on arrival. And I can't find the little chamois bag elsewhere. I was wearing one of the other pairs of earrings, so... But still, I'm v. upset. I pulled this stuff together the evening before I left and it didn't have much time to go AWOL. Another incentive to deal with the clutter around here.

>125 Smiler69: I'm not sure that "Paper" is the best of his books, so don't give up on the series if you don't love it. On the other hand, I could just be judging by the fact that I read it last, and some of it was spoiled by having read the earlier books first!

>127 Chatterbox: Yes, As Shadows Haunting is a perfect summer book...

Speaking of The Stranger, have you heard anything about The Meursault Investigation?

http://www.npr.org/2015/08/21/432618805/novelist-kamel-daoud-finding-dignity-in-...

Good luck on finding your trove.

Robert

>129 Mr.Durick: I'm reading it now, Robert! Had started the translation, but found it meh, so am reading it in French instead.

I came by to see whether the jewelry has turned up. My instinct is that it's somewhere in your house. I hope so!

>130 Chatterbox: That's disappointing. I could possibly puzzle through it in French, but I would have no idea about how it reads. If when you're done you can comment on how the two might fit together in a single reading I'll be interested.

Robert

Capsicum/Bell Pepper - just thought I'd add to the veg discussion way back up there.

I read Soulless last year and was mildly entertained. I haven't gone for the second one, but an audio sounds like a very good idea.

Good luck finding the jewelry!

I remember ages ago when the posh names for vegetables and herbs started up being at someone's house and she was gushing about cilantro which I had not heard of and so I tasted some and said, Hmm it tastes a lot like coriander. And getting..... a look that silenced me utterly and I only later learned they ARE one and the same. I always wonder, did she know? Or was I just ruining her 'moment'? Sigh.

BTW the wisdom is that if you chew some coriander/cilantro seeds after eating something garlicky it really helps.

Hi Suzanne, just dropped by to add my thanks to Carrie's as your review led us both to Dead Man's Land.

I also checked my Kindle and an assortment of Derwyn Lake novels are only $3.99. I picked up Sutton Place and To Sleep No More.

Looking forward to your impressions on Meursault I won't say what I thought of it right away, but for the fact that I was anxious to finish it... The French is probably better than the translation, based on the sample I heard on Audible.

>136 Smiler69: I loved it and thought it was fascinating. I went back and re-read the translation after reading the original so at least I could comment about what most people will end up reading. Parts are wince-inducing, but it's manageable, and Daoud's ideas transcend the occasional clunkiness. He has done what Camus didn't, and turned his version of the story into a work of political philosophy, but it's one that really doesn't stand on its own without the original book, or at least, you'll miss 90% of how clever it actually is if you haven't read Camus. That's its primary weakness. That said, I was impressed with the ways he weaves into novel so many of the same themes, events, etc. -- from characters, the mother figure, Marie/Meriem, the priest/the imam, to even the smallest anecdote, the way the narrator watches passers by in his neighborhood and the way Meurseult is described passing a Sunday after his mother's death just watching people go to and fro from the window/balcony of his Algiers apartment. Anyone who teaches The Stranger and who misses the opportunity to use this as a parallel text, will be squandering an opportunity. But, more later. I've had a string of bad, sleepless nights -- humidity is high, I'm restless, blah blah blah -- and I'm exhausted.

On another sequel related note, I finished Gail Carriger's Changeless and am very, very annoyed that it ended on a big cliffhanger for the lives of the main characters (if not a plot cliffhanger). I find that tacky in the extreme -- forcing people to buy the next book. It's OK to leave something unresolved, but not a major source of drama, of this kind. (I'm not revealing it, since it's spoiler-ish, but I got to it and was furious.) I did download the next book from Audible, but plan to do something heinous and return it when I've listened to it, out of sheer pique. Glad Audible makes that so simple.

Been running around busily -- reading, in NYC to see my neurologist, etc. etc.

I DID find my jewelry bag, however! It got layered in between layers of clothes that I'm sorting out in my bedroom. Sigh.

I also found a plastic bag containing sixteen rolls of undeveloped film, some dating back more than 30 years, I think. All survived 9/11 (the only things of mine that did.) I took them off to be developed. Part of my house cleaning binge.

Book updates to come when I get home. Dentist trip tomorrow. Dread, terror, fear. Gulp.

I just downloaded the audio of Kirstin Downey's Isabella: warrior queen and wondered if you had an opinion on the book. I'm hoping I can get used to the narrator's voice.

>139 avatiakh: I thought the bio benefitted a lot from the fact that it really is the only substantive English-language bio of Isabella that draws on all the major contemporary sources... The problem that annoyed me constantly was the endless citing of secondary sources, though. I mean, it was constant, two or three times per page. I kept waiting for the author's own voice and perspective to emerge, and I'm not sure it ever did. So it ended up feeling like a very solid and creditable roundup, but with nothing to make me feel "wow!" I learned a lot from it, but only rarely did it fascinate or intrigue me as much as it should have done, given the times and experiences that Isabella lived through. Not what I had been hoping for

#1, #2, #7 Oh Suzanne, I've been out of the loop, so I didn't realise - it really has been a rubbish year for you. I'm so sorry for the loss of your dear friend (and of course Tigger too, who I did know about), there are few things more devastating. Glad you had such a fantastic holiday though - sounds like it was very needed.

#28 The Gods of Tango is definitely going on my wishlist!

#47 I've yet to see a bad review of H is for Hawk - I gave it to my Dad for Christmas and am currently anxiously waiting for him to get on with reading it so that I can borrow it back! (bad Fliss).

#106 How are you on aubergine vs eggplant?! ...ah, #113. Well obviously aubergine is better ;o)

#115 cbl_tn "For some reason raw courgettes sound much more appetizing than raw zucchini." - there is something in this sentence that pleases me immensely! ;o)

>140 Chatterbox: Thanks for that. I'll probably still have a listen as I'm keen to know more about this era.

I'm enjoying The Gods of Tango though had to put it aside for a while to finish some other library books.

Just checking in. Glad you found your jewelry and let's hope that film you found develops!

I hate this new thing of ending with a cliffhanger - adopted from TV.

I thought I should post this meet-up photo on Suz's thread, as well as my own. This is Suz and me in front of the Chihuly sculpture at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.

I looked a lot better after I got my hair cut an hour or two after this pic was taken... :-) And Ellen is VERY lucky that she left with that T-shirt still on her back. I love the slogan... *grin*

We had a great time touring the photos taken by an African American photographer who went back to his segregated home town in Kansas in 1950 to follow the lives of his grade 9 classmates, and document segregation for a story (that never ran) for Life magazine. The exhibit says that the reason it didn't run was that the Korean war broke out, and then other reasons surfaced, etc. But I wonder whether the editors would have had the courage to run these powerful and eloquent photos. I also kept wondering what it would be like for a photographer to track down the great-grandchildren of these people, who would be in their 20s or 30s today, and document their lives...

http://www.mfa.org/news/gordon-parks

I don't see how you could look much better after a haircut - you both look gorgeous to me in that photo!

I love meet-up pictures. *sigh*

>145 Chatterbox: I'm so glad you posted a description of the Gordon Parks exhibit. I have found myself thinking about that series of photos again and again, as well as your idea of a photographer to try to track down the great grandchildren of the people in Parks' photos. It was a moving and worthwhile exhibit.

That shirt is one of my absolute favorites.

>146 scaifea: That is very nice to say, Amber. We sure had fun so I'm glad we looked, um, gorgeous doing it! :-)

I agree I love Ellen's t-shirt, very cool. Lovely to see that meetup photo too!

Add another agree-er!
I had sort of forgotten Gordon Parks, so I'm happy to be reacquainted and to know that his pictures are still receiving the attention they deserve.

Oh, and Ellen talked me into getting a membership to the museum, too... :-)

I've been out of commission for several days with a migraine. Started Thursday morning and just kept going... Had to go to a walk-in clinic in NY to get some painkillers strong enough to get me onto the train on Friday (after delaying a day) and they didn't work all that well. Went straight from the train to the ER, and it took them seven hours to boot the thing. Woke up today feeling more human (by noon at least) only something that they gave me seems to have given me a mild fever -- I look like I have a sunburn and am running a temp of 99.5. Sigh. Murphy's law.

Oh, and in the headache fugue state, I lost track of my UK Kindle, which is a real crisis. I'm hoping it's still at the friend's apartment where I stay when I'm in NY. He's out in LA and won't be back until tomorrow, and I'll know. If not, it's gone for good, somewhere/somehow in my travels home. Gah. Dunno how I'll set about replacing it.

The only good news is that Thursday is the day I set off to Boston to meet D and then we head to the Cape for a whole 8 days! Woot... And the weather has been fabulous -- still warm -- so there's a decent chance of some beach time, and maybe (if they are up and running) the opportunity to take out a boat or catamaran for a few hours.

Oh, and I saw my publicist from when "Chasing Goldman Sachs" was published for lunch on Thurs, despite the headache (which wasn't as bad as it got that afternoon. She now works for Amazon, and gave me a gift card for two free Audible books! :-) And amusingly, my editor for the same project walked into the same restaurant -- he now works for Public Affairs books.

The reading is suffering. Not that I have read a lot that has been terribly compelling this summer, I confess. I'm hoping that things pick up soon...

Oh dear, I'm so sorry to hear about that headache. It sounds horrid! And I do hope your friend gives you the news that your UK Kindle is indeed in his apartment. Yikes.

You know that I'm envious of your upcoming 8 days at the Cape. Having been there now, I know what a special place it is. I wish for you lots of time on the beach, some great reading, and perhaps a lovely meal or two (or eight). :-)
And good time with D!!!!!

Hope your headache is on its way somewhere else Suz. I have struggled with RL a bit this year and not been able to keep up as normal. Have missed being completely awed by your reading numbers.

Suz, you know I know only too well what you must be suffering, and I hope the pain releases its hold on you asap. Yay for free Audible credits! :-)

The pain is gone, and the fever is gone. And so, finally, is the beeping noise from the dying battery in the smoke alarm in the spare bedroom. My next door neighbors came to the rescue, finally, after almost 24 hours of non-stop beeping (no idea where landlord is at...) and provided ladder and a tall person to climb up and remove the damn thing before I went completely demented. Good heavens.

Paul, my reading numbers are underwhelming this year, I fear....

No word yet on the UK Kindle. Am going to go listen to the audio of the Lisbeth Salander sequel, and see whether that restores my equanimity. Have finally managed to file my Guardian column -- two days late. Grrrr.

Pain and fever gone. Good.

Your underwhelming numbers are still awe-inspiring.

Bummer! I'll look forward to reading your Guardian column, though.

>154 Chatterbox: Underwhelming by whose standards, exactly? I think for most people, your reading list for this year is already quite impressive as it is!

Glad to know pain and fever are gone. I know for a fact I couldn't stand even 10 minutes of fire or smoke alarm, never mind 24 hours and might have called the firemen in to make it stop, seeing as it would likely cause a medical emergency in the form of a monster migraine, which, there must be a correlation there with your latest bout, no?? If people can call in firemen to rescue cats from trees, then surely that situation is a valid one too, no?... just sayin'.

>156 Smiler69: Oh, the migraine started in NYC, not here. The beeping didn't start until I'd been back from the hospital for about 18 hours -- of course. It was enough to make me crazy, though. NOW I'm dealing with heartburn. Wondering whether it's connected with the fact that my pharmacy switched to a new preferred supplier for generic migraine meds. Sigh. Please, someone, make this stop. Preferably NOW.

I'm reading the Lisbeth Salander sequel and enjoying it for what it is at present. A long time since I read the originals so I'm not so invested in the 'changing of the guard'.

I woke up this morning to a beeping smoke alarm in the living room. I had spare batteries and a step-ladder so it was only a minor annoyance for me. However, it was a Major Event for Adrian, who hid under a table until well after the beeping stopped. I wasn't sure he was going to come out to eat his breakfast. Poor little guy! How do cats react to that annoying chirping?

>158 avatiakh: I finished the sequel last night (an antidote to the beeping -- an audiobook) and quite liked it, but found it slow to get going. I liked the fact that there was less emphasis on Blomkvist the great lover this time around, with women swooning at his feet. And one of the key villains turned out to be a figure I had long been curious about, so that was kind of satisfying. All in all, in worked, was quite taut as a narrative, even if not quite as complex in terms of themes, details or plot as the originals. I listened to the originals over the winter as audiobooks, after reading them when they originally appeared, so I was up to speed and it felt like picking up where they left off, but the break was still quite apparent to me.

>159 cbl_tn: I'm going to order some batteries via Amazon today, but am not going to spend more than $150 on the right height of ladder. Grrr. The cats have been very clingy, and I have had them as bookends in my bed, which is as far as they can get from the beeps. But I can see them flinch with each chirp.

#145 That exhibition sounds fantastic - I'm rather sad not to see it.

Glad to hear of the dismissal of the migraine, even if it did involve fever. Fingers crossed for the retrieval of your Kindle too. I have to admit, due to a minor panic when mine briefly died a while ago, I now have 2. The second is locked away in a fireproof box with my back-up hard drive, in case of a similar emergency ;o)

Thank god, the Kindle IS in New York. The downside is that I won't be able to retrieve it prior to my Cape Cod vacation, probably -- Jewish holidays will make that unlikely...

Thank goodness for that. Fliss, I currently have 3 and a Kindle Fire. My original Kindle keyboard and Mike's seemed to have completely died, I had a Paperwhite - I did sadly lose the first on a train in January and had to replace it, Mike was given one of the most basic ones for Christmas by my mum. And then the Kindle keyboards came back to life. I do prefer reading on the Paperwhite, the light makes a real difference to reading comfort.

I would gladly loan you my stepladder if we lived in the same neighborhood. With chronic inner ear issues it's not always a good idea for me to be climbing a stepladder when I'm home alone. Fortunately replacing the battery is a one-handed job with my current smoke detectors. The first ones I had in this house required both hands, and it wasn't an easy job.

I'm glad you've located the missing Kindle!

Headache gone, beeping stopped, UK Kindle safe if unavailable - all to the good. Life has a way of keeping at us, I've learned.
Hope your 8 days on the Cape are idyllic!

The management company's maintenance guys finally showed up to stop the (resumed) beeping from the smoke detector at around 4 p.m. (It started again at midnight -- apparently it didn't like having the battery removed, either...) I got them to replace the batteries in ALL the things, figuring that this would simply happen to the others very shortly, so we're now OK -- or should be. Phew. Also got him to figure out how to open up the fancy thermostat and replace those batteries, so when it gets chilly in a month or two, I can have heat!

>163 elkiedee: I'm with you on the Paperwhite, Luci... I do read on the Voyage for my US content, because I like the page turn mechanism (no swiping required...) but don't think that feature alone is worth the extra price tag. (And the other features don't matter enough to me -- eg, size/shape/weight -- they are more of a headache since I have to buy different shape cases, etc.) I quite like the original Kindle, but that e-Ink was a killer...

I have SO MANY BOOKS. Thought that when I got the spare room sorted out, I might have space for them all, but nope. This is a last call -- does anyone want the early books written by Anne Perry -- hardcover editions?

I'm currently trying to weed the books I don't have room for, so sympathy with the post spare room sort out above.

Mostly wanted to say thanks for the Dr Watson in WW1 Robert Ryan reviews - gripped by this series, will be looking for the third as soon as possible!

Hi Suz,
I'm just swinging by to see how you're doing. I finally created a Twitter account, thinking that I will follow but not actually tweet (language - it does crack me up). I will look for you via The Guardian and follow you.

I hope you're doing well.

Oh, Providence is a no go (you'll know what I mean).

I'm just swinging by too. Your non-presence here speaks good things for the Cape, I trust. I do look forward to your renewed presence.

Sorry to have been AWOL yet again. This year I've been more absent than present, I fear. Yes, the Cape was fabulous. D flew back to Atlanta on Monday; one of his consulting projects fell apart when the buyer decided not to go ahead with the merger, but there is another just starting up, thank heavens. All of us self employed folks really do live on the margins. Then went to NYC for my book circle meeting on Thursday and came home yesterday, to beat the bad weather. Exhausted and headachey today.

>168 EBT1002: Sorry to hear that, Ellen, but hopefully that doesn't rule out a day trip next summer!

Speaking of seasons, temperatures down in the 50s now, and cats clinging to me for warmth. (After spending the days in which D was here in Providence hiding under the bed in the spare bedroom; sigh...)

First things first - So relieved you found the UK Kindle!

Sorry about the terrible migraine.
Very happy the Cape was good.
Hope you feel better soon - post holiday blues maybe?

>171 nittnut: anxiety about something specific, not post-holiday blues. Well, that and a new, small headache, and what might be a sore throat -- the first cold of the season?

Should I get a flu shot?? What is the verdict? (I hate shots... and does it give you even a mild dose of flu or make you sick, like the typhoid shot does??) I'm not working with small kids or vulnerable people; I'm not part of an at-risk group where the flu would kill me. In fact, most of the winter I spend indoors working, going out once or twice a week.

>172 Chatterbox: I don't think anyone likes shot, but I'm always in favor of this one.

Just to ease your mind, and contrary to what a lot of people think, the flu shot cannot make you sick or give you a mild case of the flu - the virus is dead, dead, dead and the purpose of the shot is to present the viral structure to your immune system so it can be recognized when alive. And now that you are insured, it's probably free.

That said, the makeup of the flue vaccine every year is a 'best guess' based on last year's bugs and the likelihood of mutation, which the flu bug is very good at doing. In addition to being hard to target, its virulence is hard to predict, so we never know if we are protecting ourselves against an annoyance or a killer.

You make a good point of your limited contact with other people, of course. I was talking to Caro and Edd about this over dinner on Friday, and they feel they don't need it because they are very healthy and also feel they don't have interactions with vulnerable people. But I'm not sure if you can transmit the flu bug before you feel sick enough to stay home from an interview or office or away from the elderly.

If we don't know when we are contagious, we don't know if we are spreading germs to vulnerable populations. For instance, we had a Legionnaire's scare at work a couple of months ago, and one of our workmates has a wife who is immune-compromised. He's very healthy, rarely sick, but when he heard the news, he packed up and left immediately, not because he could get sick, but because his wife could, and for her, that would be disastrous.

So, although I hate to pun, take your best shot at this decision.

On another topic, did you see my second reply to your post on Facebook about the insurance bill?

>173 ffortsa: Yes, Judy -- saw yr note re the insurance bill. I'll put in a call and request an itemized bill when they are open on Monday. I've always had that in the past. This time, the only breakdown is ER and physician services (i.e. the hospital itself and the services of the docs). I'm kind of hoping that they forgot to apply an insurance discount to the total... But even then, post discount, it's still going to be very high. I had hoped for no more than few hundred bucks, but it's clearly going to be at least $1,500 and possibly as much as $4k.

I'm appalled about the hospital bill........and wish that did you some good.
And I'm another pro-flu-shot person without Judy's ability for rational and expert analysis. My thing has always been that flu is not a bad cold, and if I can avoid even a small case of it, I'm going to.
And I'm glad to see you back!

Ha, well, on top of the hospital bill is the fact that my migraine meds just TRIPLED in cost. Thanks to the insurance company.

You'd better bet that I'll be writing about this... for the Guardian.

Yuck about the bills. My prescriptions tripled in cost this year as well--never good.

I hate needles and shots. The flue shot is super tiny needle and you hardly even feel it--really!!

>177 ronincats: Roni, are these the prices that you pay as set by the insurance company? I had just written about this as it pertained to obscure drugs or those developed as a result of really cutting edge new science (like the new hepatitis C treatments). But my migraine meds are nearly a century old (developed in the 1920s) and are made by no fewer than three generic companies, as well as the brand manufacturer, so I'm at a loss as to why they are so pricey. Especially since three of the ingredients definitely are not: acetominophen (sp?), caffeine and codeine. Perhaps I'll eventually find out??

I just found you here. I had no idea you were back. So I have had a good read down your thread with its usual book bullets. You really have had an annus horribilis, haven't you? I hope you can sail through what remains of the year with nary a bump.

I'm a big fan of the flu shot, unless you have a compelling reason not to get it. The thing is, if you do get the flu, you will likely be very, very sick. I've had it once, and I have never been sicker in my life. I really thought I was going to die. It's the kind of thing where you are so sure that if you move you will die, that you consider not going to the toilet and not eating. So, you will need someone to take care of you. Bring you food, possibly even convince you that wetting the bed really isn't worth it, and feed your cats. I missed 2 weeks of work and was another 3-4 weeks getting back to normal. So Not Worth It in my book.

Probably I should say I have never been more ill? I have spent too much time thinking about it now. Sigh.

Noticed that you plan to read Longbow girl which I'm currently reading and wondered how you came across it. I saw a positive review on Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books blog which decided me on reading it.

Chiming in as another believer in the flu shot. It's definitely worth it if it keeps you from getting a bad case of the stuff, which can be downright awful, as Jenn says. Whew!

This is overdue...

234. The Richest Man Who Ever Lived by Greg Steinmetz


OK, consider that this was written by a friend and former WSJ colleague who has since left journalism and pursued this as a "passion project", but it remains a fascinating biography of a little known figure without whom the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg family (Maria Theresa, Marie Antoinette, etc.) might never have existed. Who knows what that would mean to history?? He was a financier who literally changed the face of finance; a commoner who rose to become the wealthiest man in the world, making and breaking others. He was Jacob Fugger, and if you're at all interested in early 16th century Europe, you need to read this, or if you're curious about history's turning points. 4.4 stars.

235. Dark Star by Alan Furst


An early good one by Furst that I hadn't read previously, with Andre Szara, a journalist for Pravda working in Paris and Berlin and distrusted by his masters. Trying merely to survive and outwit the double- and triple-crossing takes creativity, and there are some suspenseful scenes here, but I think I'm almost at the point with Furst where I've read too many of his books, and his heroes, plots and scenarios are all blurring together in my brain. He needs to shift gears somehow. 3.9 stars.

236. The Novel Habits of Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith


This is the latest in the Isabel Dalhousie "philosophy" series, which is almost the only one by this author that I read with active enjoyment these days. I like Isabel and her random musings; her affection for the fox in her backyard, the city she lives in, art and music. That said, it does ramble, and if you haven't read and enjoyed the others in the series, this comes with a big "do not attempt" warning sign on it. 3.6 stars.

237. Invasion of Privacy by Christopher Reich


The latest theme in thrillers appears to be either drones or cyberspace; this one focuses on the latter. Slain FBI agent's widow takes on the task of avenging him -- so far, so predictable. Aided by professionally disgraced journalist -- so far, so unconvincing. It works as a thriller, sorta kinda, but only if you suspend disbelief. Reich has done a lot better, though he also has done worse. 3.35 stars. Look elsewhere unless you're a devotee.

238. Run You Down by Julia Dahl


Interesting in part because of its setting -- Dahl sets part of this mystery against the backdrop of an ultra-Orthodox/Hasidic Jewish community in upstate New York, based on some that exist in real life. A young journalist is called on to investigate a mysterious death in the community; the kind that her own mother may have walked away from before abandoning her with her (Christian) father and his family as an infant. The mystery is tangled up with Rebekah's search for her roots. A bit predictable, but the background makes it intriguing. 3.7 stars. There was an earlier book that I didn't read; this was an Amazon Vine ARC.

239. The Boyfriend by Thomas Perry


A re-read/audiobook listen of a book I'd read a while ago. Perry has a knack for turning out pacey suspense tomes, and this one falls into that category. A hit man uses women as convenient "shields" for his hits, pretending to be live-in boyfriends during the planning stages before murdering them and moving on. The crimes look like random murders until Perry's hero spots the pattern and the crimes that lie beneath that, and lays a trap for the killer. 3.7 stars.

240. Sky High by Michael Gilbert


A re-read of one of Gilbert's earliest and best novels, featuring Inspector Hazelrigg. From the golden era of detective fiction. Think foggy streets, and men who wear hats and women who are called girls but who still indulge in snappy repartee. Smarter than the average noir book, though. So glad I discovered this author, though.

241. Forty Thieves by Thomas Perry


An ARC of Perry's newest book, due out this winter. Some of his are memorable, like Death Benefits, or the Jane Whitefield series, which I can happily re-read ad nauseam. Not this one. It was fine to read once, but after that, the tale of two teams of rival investigators competing -- one with sociopathic violence -- over whether or not a crime would be solved left me underwhelmed. 3.3 stars.

242. The Stranger by Albert Camus


I picked this for our book circle, and the discussion that flowed from it was fast and furious. It's a provocative book, and re-reading it after reading it in French (as a teen, before my French was up to the task) was interesting and thought provoking, but I think I still prefer The Plague, where the ideas don't swamp the plot as much. That said, I loved the vivid descriptive power of Camus' prose, even in translation.

243. The Revolving Door of Life by Alexander McCall Smith


The other series by this author that I still dip into -- the world of 44 Scotland Street, Bertie and his obnoxious mother, Cyril, the dog with the golden tooth, and so on. It's an episodic novel, and thus the rambling is intentional, and some episodes work better than others. The same warning applies as to the Isabel Dalhousie series, though.

244. Days of Awe by Lauren Fox


This really worked for me, although it won't be for all tastes. It's primarily a domestic novel; a woman's novel: its protagonist has lost her best friend (to death) and her husband (who has left her) and now she has to rebuild her life, in some manner, though she fights against it. Fox's way with language is adroit; her ability to craft the most wince-inducing scenes is astonishing. To some extent, in at least one way, any middle-aged woman has experienced something of what Isabel Moore is undergoing in her mid-life crisis as everyone else is picking up and preparing for the next act. 4.5 stars.

245. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters


After reading two novels by this author that I loved, The Paying Guests and Fingersmith, I was prepared to love this one, but didn't. It was merely OK. I found the picaresque plot overly predictable and the main character unsympathetic. And it dragged on and on and on. At times, it felt like an excuse to explore every possible dimension of a lesbian woman's life in Victorian England, except that I just didn't care enough. Either it was melodrama or bathos. When Waters has done so much better, this irritated me. 3.5 stars, more for the occasional vivid turn of phrase and the author's ability to set a scene than for the narrative itself.

More to come later. This only brings me up to August 17... *eyes roll*

only August 17 ???

Oh my.
Thanks, Suz. Off to wishlist the Fugger...
Hope all is well with you.

The Fugger does look interesting. Looking forward to the rest of your list.
I'm currently reading Murder in Amsterdam that you recommended a couple of years ago. Just read the bit where the Moroccan descent psychologist has the theory that second/third generation male immigrants are susceptible to schizophrenia due to the demands of integration which runs against their family traditions. I've also been reading a couple of news items about how this new wave of 'Syrian' immigration is causing consternation with Dutch society as there have been several reports of child brides arriving with their much older husbands - 40yr olds with 14 yr old brides which goes against Dutch law, so dealing with all these cultural differences brings more difference rather than easy integration.

>186 avatiakh: My mum has a former colleague and friend who works in a university at the Hague. He finds the Netherlands a depressingly racist place towards Muslims. I suspect he's not particularly religious either.

I'm rather shellshocked by overhearing a conversation in the school playground, I was waiting to talk to a teacher about something else entirely and realised that the other parent ranting at her was more than a bit racist. He was objecting to the content of a religious education lesson, and demanding that kids should be taught that both Muslim and Jewish slaughter practices are "barbaric". Sure that's going to go down well with a load of 5/6 year olds.... FFS. I'm glad his son isn't in Conor's year, but really.

>187 elkiedee: I think most critics aren't so critical of the religion but more worried about the political aspects of Islamism, radicalisation, and crime. Also the inability to assimilate/integrate as other immigrant communities have managed more easily to do. The author interviews people from all aspects of Dutch society to try to find what is at play.

Personally I don't think any sort of religious education should be taught in public schools. I always pulled my children out of those classes on principle.

>187 elkiedee:
>188 avatiakh:
hmm, a lot of the folks I know in Brussels and Amsterdam who have encountered this have said that when they drill down, they tend to discover that it covers up the kind of anti-immigrant sentiments that we have here. Here in the US we can't usually do that kind of linkage to Islamism and radicalization that they can in Europe, since most of our immigrants are Hispanic. In Canada, however, the just-dispatched Tory government set up phone lines where you can call, anonymously, to report your suspicions about your un-Canadian neighbors. A friend of mine (a lawyer who practices Charter law) has studied the results of these calls and found that almost all are directed against observant Muslims, none of whom are doing anything other than being, gasp, observant Muslims. There clearly is a problem of radicalization, but I think, too, it may be a chicken-and-egg issue: when a country like France tries to insist that differences don't exist and mustn't exist, and to deny the reality that its minority populations of all kinds (from Senegalese to Laotians, Maghrebis to its Jewish inhabitants) experience on a day to day basis, then the backlash is stronger. A friend of mine runs an organization that tries to combat resurgent anti-Semitism in continental Europe, and this is the conclusion he has reached, at least in the case of France and Belgium. And it seems that the experience of a typical third generation "Moroccan" resident of Paris is roughly equivalent to that of an African-American: if he or she has a name that will identify his "race", there are studies showing it will make it harder to get a job, can make it impossible to find an apartment and even cause difficulties in opening a bank account -- even if they aren't observant Muslims. A friend of mine is married to a Tunisian-born academic here in Providence, who is an atheist, and who has reacted very strongly to the treatment he has experienced since 9/11 (even though he has been a US citizen since the early 1980s...)

In terms of assimilation, I remember reading some newspapers aimed at Irish Catholic immigrants in the US in the 1850s, telling them where they shouldn't go and what they shouldn't do. And the last time I was in NY, I saw an ultra-Orthodox man shove a woman who sat next to him on the subway so that she almost ended up on the ground -- her skirt had brushed his arm or something. That's not assimilation, in my book. We do tend to forget, now, how relatively un-assimilated many groups were for many many years -- and how the assimilation all went in one direction, too, with one group abandoning its religious traditions to conform to the majority (with Jews working on the Sabbath, for instance). I suspect there's a middle way, that can accommodate halal and kosher food and the hijab (when it's a matter of choice), and not others that are going to damage society, like teen marriage, FGM, polygamy, sharia law, etc.

When we talk about assimilation, too, I wonder what the First Nations people would say about us... We've done a fairly poor job of assimilating to their world...

Sorry for the screed!

>184 catarina1: Yup, only mid-August. I'm up to about 308 books total now...

A few more books...

246. Barbara the Slut and Other People by Lauren Holmes


The stories in this collection were original, often very witty, but I never really connected with them. They were almost too knowing and self aware, if that makes sense. The tales were provocative -- a young woman who has to pretend to be a lesbian to get a job in a sex shop, and the lengths she goes to in order to protect her new identity; a young woman lets a foreign exchange student into her life and at first infatuated, later can't get rid of him; communication troubles at an STD clinic; etc. They're clever, but the cleverness weighs down the ability to connect. 3.85.

247. Splinter the Silence by Val McDermid


The new Tony Hill and Carol Jordan thriller from McDermid; it starts out with circumstances driving Tony and Carol back together again on the eve of Carol being offered a new job. Then, the crime pattern that her squad investigates as a test case turns out to be real -- and the suspense is off and running. Very good thriller from a pro in the genre! 4.15 stars.

248. Those Secrets We Keep by Emily Liebert


Trite, tedious and unconvincing. I should stop picking Amazon Vine ARCs just because they "might" be good. It's clearly a bad idea. This one was boring -- three woman with secrets at a lake front house for a month in the summer. Of course, the secrets get revealed. Of course, there are ructions and explosions. Some of the secrets simply aren't convincing, and neither are the characters. 2 stars, only because I managed to finish it, though I'm not sure how.

249. The Illuminations by Andrew O'Hagan


This was the first of the Man Booker Prize nominees that I read this year -- I don't imagine I'll read all that many of the longlist, ultimately -- and it was only OK. I loved the writing, but the plot was only OK -- O'Hagan brings together two stories, of an elderly woman slipping into senility, and her young grandson, to whom she connects closely (leaving her daughter out in the cold) and who is serving in Afghanistan. The stories do converge, but in a rather desultory way. I found O'Hagan's ability to capture the world of elderly Anne Quirk, once a photographer, who know can't even toast her own bread, wonderful, but was less captivated by his war tales -- perhaps I've just read too much "war fiction" in the last year. Overall, 4 stars.

250. The Assassins by Gayle Lynds


Fast paced thriller, but you really need to have read others of Lynds' books -- and relatively recently -- to make sense of the characters and personalities. I found myself a bit lost at times, as it had been too long a gap between The Book of Spies and this work. Still, another chase-themed spy movie, with the good guys needing to identify the bad guy working against them from within, and finding allies in unexpected places. Lynds has left the door open for a sequel -- will the hero go to the dark side or not?? 3.8 stars.

There, I'm now up to August 24...

A treat to see so many reviews posted on your thread. Trying to avoid the BB's with limited success...

>249 I think I liked The Illuminations more than you did. Your point about comparisons to other novels dealing with the Afghan / Iraq conflict makes sense. I do tend to avoid these, so had little to compare this to. Looking forward to the rest of August.

Great to see you back and in the swing (a little like my own experience, Suz) - "up to August 24"!!!!

So many great books and how lucky that your friend's book (for which I have seen positive reviews elsewhere) turned out to be such a winner. I agree with you on your assessment of Camus - I mean this in a literary not a literal sense - give me The Plague any day over his other fiction!

On racial intolerance, there is far too little emphasis on the shared values between the religions than their (often ritualistic) differences. In fairness, and as one of the only muslims in the group (maybe the only one), I believe I am free to say that the muslim world, if there is such a beast, often contributes to the intolerance against it by propogating it too. Militancy in a religious sense is always a problem whichever creed it is and I am lucky that Malaysia is largely tolerant of other views and opinions in this regard as the very religion dictates.

An odd thing to say, but yeah, the Fugger looks good! :)

Did you ever read Anabel Donald's Alex Tanner series about a London based woman PI who when she's not working likes to read PI classics herself? Just wondering because Pan Macmillan is reissuing all 5 books today under its Bello imprint.

>191 PaulCranswick: I completely agree with you, Paul, on the problem with emphasizing the differences vs the similarities. it's a problem that I suspect is common to all religions and branches of various faiths (look at the Sunni/Shi'a rift, and that between Catholics and Protestants), and whenever we focus on differences and absolutes, it hardens quickly into intolerance. I actually believe that atheism and secularism -- in the form that it exists in a nation such as France -- can be seen as a religion of sorts, too, in that it, too, insists that there is only one way in which it is permissible/logical to view the world, rejecting all others as invalid. Islam as practiced in SE Asia is no the Islam of the Gulf, or of Iran, or of Africa. Ismaili Islam, or Sufism, isn't Wahhabism. And so on. Even being a very observant Sunni from Iraq, Syria or Pakistan doesn't make you an IS supporter! Just as being a devout Catholic doesn't mean that you're a rigid and inflexible thinker, as the current pope is reminding us all.

>192 drneutron: Fugger has opened up an entirely new world of great puns... Fuggheddaboutit. Others that are less printable.

>193 elkiedee: I haven't even heard of them! Will take a look and if they are cheap/affordable, might -- just might -- nibble on one. Budget is very tight right now.

>190 charl08: It's interesting to write these capsule reviews after the lapse of so many weeks. I think I expected The Illuminations to stay with me; it really didn't. It simply wasn't all that memorable, oddly enough. The details of some books stick in your mind and kind of haunt you (Saint Mazie continues to dance around the fringes of my consciousness, for instance.) This one? It exited, stage left, very rapidly after I finished, and I don't have the least interest in revisiting it. Which is unfortunate, since it's on my Kindle. Oh well...

In at the Deep End is Read Now on Netgalley, but of course I don't know it's available to you in the US.

Another person happy to see the spate of reviews and, yes, I definitely want to read the book about Fugger as well. And the library does have one copy. I'm 9th in line on the Hold list, but that's okay as I have a bunch out right now already.

308 books!! I continue to be amazed at the number of books that you read.

Hi Suz, I definitely need to make time to catch up on all I've missed here so far. In the meantime, I hope you forgive me for hijacking your thread for a public announcement (I very much hope you'll come to make suggestions too):



After some discussion on Paul's thread recently, where the excitement of the 2016 BAC planning is going full tilt, it was suggested we run a Canadian Authors Challenge in 2016. I've put together the Canadian Author's Challenge (CAC) 2016 Planning thread here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/201195

Come one, come all to discuss which authors you'd most like to see represented!

>195 elkiedee: I found one called An Uncommon Murder on NetGalley as a read now title, available for download to me, so I got it. Shall report back!

That's the one I meant, don't know why I typed a different title from the series!

So thrilled to have seen you at the Boston Book Festival, Suz! As always, you are enchanting a stimulating company. Hope to see you soon -- don't forget the Yelp review!

Hi Suz, just following along, mostly lurking.

Hi Suz - I'm catching up on here and just starting to read your reviews properly. I will almost certainly read the new David Downing, even though I didn't love Jack of Spies, either. And I just went back to re-read the reviews and realise I can't remember what happened, a really bad sign!

I don't know how this happened, but I am a month behind.

Sorry about all your migraines, but glad you had another blissful stay at the Cape. When you moved to Providence one of my first thoughts was that you would have this wonderful place to escape to and relax, and I am so happy that is happening.

The Fugger bio looks intriguing, actually. I find those "behind the scenes" people fascinating.

I too adore Michael Gilbert - the datedness is acceptable somehow.

Not a Waters fan, I read one, Fingerpost?, from beginning to end, waiting to love it, but I never did.

Sorry to have been AWOL again... Rushing around, but somehow not getting all that much accomplished. To NYC for my book circle meeting (A Man for All Seasons -- amazing how it has affected the public view of Thomas More; if you want someone with integrity willing to die for their beliefs, I prefer Sophie Scholl, who at least didn't advocate burning heretics, etc...)

Then to the dentist, which was an ordeal. Not at the time, but the pain hit on the way home and was significant. So by Friday, was dealing with that, a migraine from not eating for two days (due to dental surgery) AND the onset of what now appears to be a ferocious cold. Harumph.

Am finishing up some mindless reading for October. Really, this year hasn't seemed to have as many outstanding books in it as 2014 did, at least not yet. Some that I have enjoyed a lot, but that weren't great books, and some books that had merit but that never really clicked with me. And so it goes.

Now that the ghouls and ghosts have finished for the evening, I can crawl back under the duvet and read the last 100 pages of the upcoming Barry Lancet thriller, Pacific Burn.

More books....

251. Changeless by Gail Carriger


The second book in my first steampunk series. Alexia, newly married, heads off to Scotland. This was merely OK, and didn't have quite the charm of discovery of the first book, although there is some fun stuff involving how one commuted via Victorian blimps in the "aether" (I listened to the audiobooks; good narrator). Liked it, but didn't love it. 3.5 stars.

252. Malice at the Palace by Rhys Bowen


This was one of the better books in this series, which is the only Rhys Bowen mystery series I'm reading. (They aren't good enough to convince me to try the author's other books, but I rather like Georgianna, the main character, and unlike too many longer-lived series, Bowen at least manages to differentiate each book from the other.) In this outing, Georgie is called on to help a new royal bride, Princess Marina, adjust to England in her first days -- and shelter her from her groom's not very salubrious personal background. A good-time girl with a mysterious past and ties to the royal duke is found dead on the premises of Kensington Palace, and Georgie joins the investigation, of course. More fun than many in the series. 3.7 stars.

253. Holy Spy by Rory Clements


I really recommend these books to anyone who likes the CJ Sansom/Shardlake novels. They are grittier, in many ways, and set in Elizabeth's England (vs that of Henry VIII) but equally compelling and revolving around the geopolitical issues of the era. While the first books were set in the aftermath of Mary Stuart's execution, in this book and its immediate predecessor, Clements has taken a step back in time, to the conspiracies that led up to Mary's death, and I'm glad. Sure, we know what happened to his main character, John Shakespeare (Will's big brother) and his sidekick, but Clements is a good enough novelist to make a reader forget that. This is all about the early years of the Babington plot, and the way Sir Francis Walsingham served as an agent provocateur, forcing those conspirators to incriminate themselves in order to entrap Mary and convict her. Machiavelli had nothing on Walsingham, and this is a chilling suspense yarn... 4.3 stars.

254. The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin


Sigh. Well, you'd think that Empress Elisabeth of Austria would be a fascinating subject for a novel, but thus far, I've encountered one utterly disgustingly unreadable one (by Alison Pataki, daughter of the former New York state governor) and then this, in which Sissi is a major character, alongside a playboy expert horseman, and a rather plain young woman who is an heiress and expert photographer. Goodwin tries to turn this into a romance, but it never really clicks. 3.3 stars.

255. Villa on the Riviera by Elizabeth Edmondson


Didn't realize until I started reading this that it was a re-print of "The Art of Love", originally published in the early/mid 1990s, and being reissued now that the author has the rights to the book again and is publishing a new series of titles. Ho hum. Just as well that I had forgotten most of the details of the book. It's not as strong as Voyage of Innocence or others of her early books, but if you like a complicated romance-based tale, this works. Underpinning it is a somewhat strained tale of art forging, false identities and crime. 3.8 stars.

256. Blameless by Gail Carriger


The third episode of Alexia's adventures as a soulless individual amongst the werewolves and vampires, although in this case, she has been cast out by the former and is being pursued by the latter, all because she is, improbably enough, pregnant. Will she survive to give birth? And can she foil all kinds of other dastardly plans against her? Amusing, but again, not as fresh as the first book. It's starting to feel like a conventional romance novel with lots of baroque embellishments. 3.7 stars.

257. The Underwriting by Michelle Miller


This is a fairly suspenseful novel as well as being an accurate (if dramatically enhanced) chronicle of an IPO underwriting. Of course, no such deal would ever take place as described, but the author knows what she's talking about technically and doesn't make obvious goofs, which is a BIG help. Instead of being about Tinder, it's about an online dating app called "Hook", and there's lots of conspiracy surrounding both the company and the deal. A fun read, but definitely one to borrow from the library rather than buy. 3.9 stars.

258. The Song Collector by Natasha Solomons


I should like this author and the novels she writes more than I do -- they check all the right boxes for me: family sagas, good writing, themes that resonate, settings that appeal. But they never grab me. This one is about a guy who falls in love as an impressionable youngster with the young woman -- a singer -- his brother brings home one day in the aftermath of WW2, and is narrated by him as a young man and as a sadder elderly 80-something, having learned life's lessons. Ho hum. 3.7 stars.

259. The Scent of Death by Andrew Taylor


Taylor's historical suspense tales deserve to be MUCH better known than they are. I LOVED The American Boy (the title of which refers to the young Edgar Allan Poe, a character in a previous novel narrated by Poe's childhood friend's tutor), and so turned to this book, set in New York in 1778, besieged by American rebels. The protagonist and narrator has been dispatched by his mentor in England, a connection of his wife's, on what is intended to be a short-term mission, but much as Savill dislikes New York, he finds his time there stretches out interminably -- he is asked to extend his stay and continue his work aiding displaced loyalists. Meanwhile, there's a mystery involving the family where he lodges, one in which he becomes entangled and that threatens his future and his safety. It's a typically "noir" tale by Taylor, and well worth a read, though it has a bleak feel to it. 4.2 stars.

260. The Courtesan by Alexandra Curry


I wanted to like this historical novel about an almost apocryphal Chinese courtesan of the late 19th century much more than I did. It ended up feeling perfunctory, and the story line was overly linear. You think you see where it's going to go -- and surprise, surprise, that's precisely where it does go. The result was that there was little here that engaged me or fascinated me. Annoyingly, when the author DOES throw out hints that she's taking the tale in new directions, they prove to be dead ends, and unconvincing ones, at that. Lovely cover, but disappointing contents. 3.25 stars.

261. Clandestine by J. Robert Janes


I give up. I simply can't read this author's books. I try and try and try, and find myself having to backtrack to find out what precisely he's trying to say. The writing style is elliptical and staccato, and exceptionally frustrating and had I not HAD to read this for an Amazon Vine review, I would have tossed it aside long before finishing. I should have liked it -- complex plot involving crime in Occupation-era Paris. But I had so much trouble following what was going on that I just ended up not caring. Meh. 2 stars.

262. The Taming of the Queen by Phiippa Gregory


Aside from the "taming" scenes implied in the title, this was better than I feared it might be and than it could have been, based on Gregory's rather dire Plantagenet novels. It's the tale of Katherine Parr, Henry VIII's final queen, and Gregory makes a case for Parr becoming an intellectual and a Protestant over the course of her marriage, rather than being so at the time of her wedding, which is interesting. Say what you will about Gregory's writing style (I'm rarely a fan), I do find that her big picture ideas often are interesting. 4 stars.

263. The Guest Cottage by Nancy Thayer


Very predictable and overly saccharine. Man and woman both end up being promised use of holiday house on Nantucket; they agree to share. Both find romantic happiness follows. Big surprise (not). Better than some of her recent books, at least. (This was a library book; I've sworn never to buy another of her books or even to get one in ARC form if I have to review it!) 3 stars.

264. The Lure of the Moonflower by Lauren Willig


I'm sad to say goodbye to the Pink Carnation gang with this novel, but Willig at least is ending a series before it dies under its own weight. I've come to really enjoy the silly and frivolous exploits of the gang of implausible Napoleonic-era spies, and think Willig is FAR better as a tongue-in-cheek comic writer than as a serious romantic novelist. 4.1 stars.

265. Up and Down by Terry Fallis


Terry Fallis should be better known in the US, and this Canadian novel/satire is a great example of why. Hired by a PR agency, the protagonist is roped in to work on a project to boost the image of NASA and space (and protect the agency's budget). His unlikely idea, shot down by an unpleasant and cynical US boss, ends up being the winner: send one US and one Canadian winner of a lottery into space as citizen astronauts. Then it turns out that the Canadian winner is an eccentric elderly lesbian doctor living in BC, who has trained for space travel for decades in her remote corner of the woods, even building her own G-force machine. She aces all the training, but will she make it into space, over the objections of the holier than though establishment figures, who want to manipulate the whole process? It's a great, heartwarming tale, and fabulous fun too. I have one Fallis novel left to read, so he'd better get busy writing more... 4.2 stars.

266. A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan


This novel got a LOT Of attention, given that it came out in the midst of the hullabaloo surrounding the NYT story about Amazon's work conditions, and Egan, a former Amazon employee, wrote about the plight of a 40-something having to go back to work for 20-somethings in an unpredictable startup environment where nothing seems to work in a rational manner and where irrational demands are made on people's lives. That said, I've read variants on this theme for at least 30 years: women and work/life balance. And there's nothing really new here. It's "Devil Wears Prada", or scores of other women in the workplace novels. It's well written, but nothing fresh. 3.85 stars.

267. The Adventuress by Tasha Alexander


I'm getting weary of this series, and the author's attempts to liven things up by stretching the formula didn't do much for me. Lady Emily's longtime swain, the Duke of Bainbridge, is finally getting married, and his American fiancée seems to swing between loathing Emily and craving her approval. Emily is simply bemused, being happily married. Needless to say, crimes and mysteries are involved, and accidents involving the duke. But I was bored. Meh. At the point where I could care less, really. 3.3 stars.

268. Deadly Election by Lindsey Davis


I'm still really enjoying this series of mysteries, featuring Flavia Albia, adopted daughter of Davis' other protagonist, Falco; I think this is the third? In fact, I think I prefer them to the three or four Falco novels I've read (and it helps that the audiobook narrator is very good). Albia is a feisty and independent sort of woman, who also is convincingly complex as a character. In this outing, she works with her friend the aedile, who clearly is romantically interested in Albia even if he's still fighting those feelings, as she probes the question of just how a body ended up in a chest at her father's auction house, and what that had to do with an election campaign in which Faustus, the aedile, is managing the efforts of a friend to be elected. Reluctantly, Albia agrees to help out by probing the candidates' backgrounds, but no one in this election has clean hands. It seems politics is a very ugly business indeed... 4.1 stars.

I am adding Rory Clements to my proverbial list. I also think that P would like that series so thanks for the suggestion.

I'll investigate Lindsey Davis, too.

>207 EBT1002: I don't think you'll regret either. Both have the good combination that I look for: strong characters and plots that are distinctive and interesting, and that don't blur together from one book to the next. OK, in the Clements books that does happen, to some extent, because the theme remains the same -- the protagonist is trying to steer a course between protecting the country from Catholic invaders who would put the inquisition back in place, and the intolerant Protestant wing.

Thanks for all the potted reviews. The Egan sounded like a good premise but from what you say I've also read plemty in that vein.

The Terry Fallis book sounds great, another Canadian author I've missed. Will look out for a copy.

I thought the Daisy Goodwin book was very disappointing - I liked My Last Duchess aka The American Heiress better, though I also had a very annoyingly printed proof, with consistently wrongly spaced punctuation, think there were spaces before full stops and commas etc, I can't remember. My review also said "I looked up Sisi and her real story is fascinating - much more so than the fictional version."

>209 charl08: I can't remember who recommended Fallis to me -- it must have been a Canadian friend. There's a two-book series featuring an accidentally-elected member of parliament, and then this one, and No Relation, with a guy who shares a name with Ernest Hemingway.

>210 elkiedee: I first discovered Sissi as a pre-teen, when I started reading books in French. There was a YA series of books about her in the library in Ottawa that I read, and then when we moved to Brussels, there was a lot more -- she is to European historical fiction what Anne Boleyn is to English-language historical novels, I think. Romy Schneider played her in a very good film, and there were other films, too. So she has been well-served by non-English books and films, most of which have never made the leap and been translated.

Hurrah, reviews! You remind me I need to go back to the Georgiana series--I've read the first three, I think.

You've convinced me to try the Rory Clements series. I'm also reminded that I have A Royal Pain in my TBR stash. And thanks for the reminder of Andrew Taylor. I liked the one book of his that I've read.

I've just put Martyr, the first John Shakespeare on my Kindle - cheap.....$1.99 for anybody else who's interested. Thanks for the tip. And the next ones aren't much more expensive. Yay!

Great reviews Suzanne - like Peggy, I've just bought the first John Shakespeare for my Kindle. Never heard of Rory Clements till I read your review!

269. The Gazebo by Patricia Wentworth


A re-read of one of the better Miss Silver mysteries, although as always you know going in that the ingenue and the hero, her love interest, are as innocent as the driven snow, however unjustly suspected they might be. This one at least does have some real suspense in it, although the ingenue in question starts off as an annoyingly trampled-upon young woman who made me crazy. Definitely library reads; don't pay a big price for these! 3.1 stars.

270. Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing by May Sarton


I haven't read all that many of Sarton's novels, although I adore her slim books of memoirs. I picked this one up, secondhand, from a bookstore on Cape Cod, and I'm not sure it has convinced me to read more. The idea is intriguing -- two young people drive out to a coastal location (akin to the Cape) to interview an aging writer and poet about her muse and her works, and by discussing the latter, often obliquely, she revisits her past experiences and loves. It's a bit precious in tone and while some of the imagery and writing is astonishing and beautiful, as a whole it's at once too much (overly structured and mannered) and too little (lots of talk talk talk; little development of characters, really.) If you're interested in novels that are people talking about literary ideas, give it a try. Otherwise, try her memoirs, books like Journal of a Solitude or Plant Dreaming Deep. 3.9 stars.

271. Flame Tree Road by Shona Patel


Oh dear. Just not good at all. Plodding and pedestrian linear tale of a young Indian man in Edwardian England and India, on a mission to educate women. It's very heavy handed, and very obvious. Worst of all, the author devotes a lot of time and pages to repetitive stuff, then rushes past potentially more dramatic and interesting plot points, especially at the end, where she seems to have written herself into a corner and kills off a main character in a paragraph as a kind of "by the way". Dislike, in spite of the setting. 1.4 stars.

272. The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz


The "sequel" commissioned by Stieg Larsson's estate, to the Millennium Trilogy, is much better than I feared it might be. For one thing, Blomkvist isn't any longer falling into bed with one woman who lusts after him, after another. (I always thought that was wish fulfillment on Larsson's part...) Instead, the focus is squarely on the plot, and it's interesting, involving artificial intelligence, an autistic-savant boy, and evil doers. A character that I had always thought HAD to appear at some point does so here, to my great pleasure, and the pace and suspense level is high throughout. Worthwhile, and it's nice that this isn't quite as massive a tome as the final volume of the original trilogy. Hopefully Lagercrantz will keep going; I'd certainly read more. 4.1 stars.

273. The Lake House by Kate Morton


This took me longer to get into than some of Morton's other books (it's similar in tone and approach -- a past mystery, explored by a modern-day character, with two narrative voices and lines), but ultimately turned out well, if you forget about the over-the-top and unbelievable twist/plot element that wrapped things up FAR too neatly. That knocked a full half-point off my rating. The core story involves a young boy, a toddler, who goes missing during a midsummer party in the interwar years; he is never found and his disappearance casts a shadow over the lives of his parents and three elder sisters for the rest of their lives. Flash forward, and only two sisters are alive when a police officer with a shadow over her name goes to stay with her grandfather near the lake house of the title, left shut up just as it was when the young boy disappeared. I really hated the unbelievable coincidences at the end, but before that, and after a slow start, it's a good read. 3.6 stars.

274. Heartless by Gail Carriger


More Alexia, more werewolves, more vampires. I do like the camp vampire who is her mentor, but I'm getting a bit tired of her werewolf husband, who growls and is over protective and Harlequin-novel style romantic. They're waiting to see what kind of baby a werewolf and a soulless person can produce when word comes of a threat to the queen. But nothing is quite as Alexia assumes, and some major changes are in the offing... 3.4 stars.

275. The Hot Countries by Timothy Hallinan


Until now, I had been listening to these novels via audio rather than reading them, and I have to say that they will join my very short list of books that I may prefer to listen to than to read. (the Aubrey/Maturin series, as narrated by Patrick Tull, is on it, as are Kobna Holbrook-Smith's narrations of the Rivers of London books by Ben Aaronovitch.) Still, it's good addition to one of my favorite new discoveries in terms of mystery series -- set in Thailand, and featuring Poke Rafferty, sometime travel writer and Bangkok expat, his wife, former bar girl Rose, and their adopted daughter, Miaow, once a street kid but now an aspiring actress at the International School. Start at the beginning and read them all the way through; I think this one impressed me less than the others in part because it resolves a long-running plot line involving one of Poke's adversaries that has been going on for three books, now, even though each plot is self-contained. The series is great; this book, though not quite as strong, is still 4 stars.

276. The Fall by John Lescroart


Another series that has passed its best before date and is struggling along. Lescroart shifts focus here, slightly; the daughter of his longtime protagonist, lawyer Dismas Hardy, emerges as a major character in her own right, taking on a murder defense. But there are few of the layers and levels of complexity to the case that characterized the author's early books, some of the characters are two dimensional, and I could see the "twist" coming from a mile away. Predictable and disappointing, if still readable for fans of the series. 3.3 stars.

277. Tell by Frances Itani


Fascinating and evocative; Itani tells the story of a young man who has returned to his small Ontario community after WW1, and his battle to return to life. Alongside is the story of relatives and their own struggle to deal with ghosts of their past in the pre-war era, and the events that brought them to live in the town. Music, and winter, and community, play a role. Beautifully written. 4.5 stars.

278. The Singing Sands by Josephine Tey


I think this is my favorite of the Inspector Grant books by Tey, though I may need to re-read A Shilling for Candles to verify that! Alan Grant embarks on a quest to understand why a man found dead in a sleeping compartment on a train to Scotland doesn't seem to him to be a Frenchman -- by following clues in a poem jotted down in the margins of a newspaper that Grant accidentally picks up when he sees the dead body while getting off the train. I love the way Tey blends the mystery with ordinary narrative; this was a joy to revisit. 4.6 stars.

279. A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale


This is going to require a re-read, as I don't think I got out of it all that is there. The narrative jumps around in time and space as the main character is sent off to Canada, becomes a farmer, fights in WW1 and then ends up in a loony bin, and I read it in bits and pieces, picking it up and putting it down. I think you need to sit down and devote your full attention to it, however hard you find it to get into. (And I think that was my problem -- it was just slower than I wanted/needed at first.) Gale's writing is elegant and evocative and I need to read more by him, but this didn't immediately grab me in the same way that Notes from an Exhibition did. If anyone has a recommendation for more by Gale that are as accessible as that one, I'm in the market... Still 4.25 stars, but could have been higher.

280. The Turning Point by Freya North


Overly romantic, even for romantic fiction. Man and woman meet cute (in a hotel lobby) and fall in love. Ultimate long-distance relationship ensues (he's in British Columbia; she in England). Very predictable, and too trite, and without the humor that North often brings to her chick lit tales. Meh. 3.25 stars.

Yay! Reviews!

The Scent of Death is only $0.99 on Kindle right now, so I snapped it up.

ETA: I see Tell is a sequel to Deafening. Have you read that one? Should it be read first?

>217 katiekrug: I didn't know that Tell was a sequel until you mentioned it; just reading about the other book's plot, I can see how they are related, but I don't think you'd have to read Deafening first. Grania, the main character in that book, is offstage in this one, although she is a presence indirectly. I doubt it matters which you read first -- but I do recommend Itani as an author!

Cool - thanks!

OK, now moving into October's books... I may even get caught up before the end of the year!

281. Timeless by Gail Carriger


The final book in Alexia's adventures (although there is one involving her daughter as an adult that I may sample later -- much later). I was ready for the series to end: yes, it was fun and whimsical and entertaining, but at heart, it's really just a historical romance with lots of steampunk accessories. In this case, Alexia has to go off to Egypt to preserve the status quo in the world of unnaturals. I think I've had enough Carriger for a while, although I do have some of her other series on my Kindle, thanks to some sale pricing ($1.99 apiece). That's enough for now, though. 3.4 stars.

282. The Plague by Albert Camus


This was, I think, the first book that I ever read as a critical/analytical reader, in my first year of my two-year International Bacc. English course, so it changed my life in that way. My existing copy is so marked up and battered, nearly 40 years later, that I had to purchase a new one in order to re-read it for my book circle, most of whose members seem to prefer The Stranger. I don't; I like the metaphors in this book and the characters, even if they do stand for something else. Great to revisit this as a way of looking at a society forced to evaluate its own limitations. 4.65 stars.

283. Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS by Joby Warrick


Hmm, not quite what I was expecting/hoping for. I had wanted something that would explain to me how and why ISIS, in particular, evolved in the way that it did. Instead, this covers (yet again) some fairly familiar ground to anyone who has read a lot about the events of the last 20 years in Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Syria. There's a lot about the US invasion and generally speaking, this is written from a Western pov, almost exclusively. So nope, not a lot from inside ISIS -- who these people are, how they think and behave, etc. It's really another regional history that is piggybacking on headlines. As such it's good, and yes it does end up addressing the rise of ISIS in the final chapters, but that is a byproduct. 3.75 stars.

284. The Book of Mormon Girl by Joanna Brooks


Another book that wasn't quite as good as it could have been. Brooks is writing about her drift away from her Mormon/LDS roots, and the tug she still feels -- more of nostalgia and community than of faith. That's problematic, since as anyone who IS religious will tell you, religion is primarily about faith and all the rest of the cool stuff, from the great music to the community, is the icing on the cake. Nor did I ever really get a clear understanding of just why she moved away from the LDS community: there is a lot of rather vague discussion about academics who were cast out by the church leadership, and the church attitude toward women, but she never really comes out and says what she thinks, how it crystallized, or anything else. So, this memoir relies on colorful anecdotes rather than rigor to carry it through. For many readers that will probably be enough, but it didn't quite do it for me. 3.3 stars.

285. The Diamond Caper by Peter Mayle


Do yourself a favor, and go read, or re-read, Hotel Pastis or A Good Year instead of this slim offering. Mayle delivers a perfunctory "mystery" that is really just an excuse for his protagonists/alter egos (beautiful talented people) to swan around in luxury in Provence and eat and drink fabulous stuff. It gets tedious, and he's clearly given up even on inventing a series of fresh plots and characters for each book, having discovered that these "caper" books will sell. Thankfully, I got an e-galley from the publishers... 2.9 stars, because it's mildly entertaining.

286. The Sunken Cathedral by Kate Walbert


In some time in the future, the weather is even more erratic than it is now, and a major storm is heading towards New York City, home to the three women whose lives form the backbone of this intriguing but not easily-accessible novel. Two are senior citizens, taking an art class; the third is the mother of a difficult child who rents the apartment upstairs from one of the widowed older women. Saying much more about this is difficult, as it's really about relationships rather than plot or events; I'm not sure that I extracted all that I could from it in terms of meaning or enjoyment, though Walbert's style is awe-inspiring. 4.1 stars.

287. The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny


I will never like Louise Penny's staccato writing style, with its choppy and sometimes incomplete sentences. I sometimes like the plots and characters, although I find the whole idea of Three Pines just too... twee, for want of a better phrase. That said, I enjoyed this more than many others in the series, perhaps because we're finally past Gamache's great conspiratorial tangles in the Quebec police. But will Armand stay retired?? That's the question that rears its head when the death of a young boy leads to an astonishing discovery in the hills above the village. 3.9 stars.

288. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald


These whimsical and cute novels can go either way, but this one ended up working for me, at least as far as entertainment goes. Written by a Swedish novelist and translated, it's set in a dying town in the US midwest; a young Swedish girl has struck up a pen friendship with an older American woman there about books, and goes to visit when she loses her job at a bookshop, only to find the older woman has died. But the townspeople are eager to keep her in place, and go to extreme lengths. Perhaps she can help revive the community? Bivald doesn't always "get" the US, and the story is sometimes overly sentimental, but it was still a fun read. A NetGalley ARC. 3.8 stars.

289. Nemesis by Jo Nesbø


It's been a few years since I read Redbreast and and now I'm finally moving forward with the next book in the series. That said, I'm still not in love with Harry Hole or the series, though I'll at least try one more reasonably soon. Hole just feels like a sadsack and I ended up puzzled that he could figure out anything. Good enough, but there are plenty of authors whose books I'd rather read. 3.7 stars.

290. A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley


A delight to revisit this childhood favorite, and one of the first books that introduced me to the idea of time travel! Set in the Edwardian era, I think, and written in the first half of the 20th century, it's the story of Penelope, who, while visiting an aunt and uncle at a farm and discovering the delights of a simple life there, finds first that she can see people who lived hundreds of years earlier -- and then that she can cross over, and participate in their lives. The people in question? Well, the family of Anthony Babington, conspiring to free Mary Queen of Scots... Precognition is one of the things that fails Penelope when she goes back in time, so she only knows vaguely that it's all doomed... This reminded me a lot, in tone and feeling, of reading Linnets and Valerians by Elizabeth Goudge -- the same emphasis on a simple country lifestyle in England, on childhood, on a family of choice as well as birth. Lovely. 4.4 stars.

291. Ostend: Stefan Zweig, Joseph Roth, and the Summer Before the Dark by Volker Weiderman


This was another e-galley from Knopf, and a whole-hearted 5 stars. (Not out until January here in the US, alas, but keep an eye open for it if you're interested!!) It's a short tale, about two exiled writers and the times in which their lives overlapped, in Ostend in the 1930s, as both were in exile from the literary worlds that had created them and that enabled them to flourish. Neither Zweig nor Roth would survive that exile, and this elegantly-translated chronicle of their final encounters is beautifully told -- an elegy for an old Ostend that no longer exists and a way of literary life that was vanishing like the sand beneath their feet on the beach. Highly recommended for anyone interested in that dirty decade of the 1930s; in the literary history of the era, or in either of the writers in question. (I know there are a lot of Zweig fans lurking out there...) 5 stars! (Not many of those this year....)

292. Dictator by Robert Harris


Finally, the long-awaited conclusion to the trilogy about Cicero, narrated by his slave, Tiro. Alas... I don't know whether it's because Harris felt duty-bound to write this and not very inspired, or whether it was trying to cover this material, which sprawls a lot, covering well-trodden ground but requiring a lot of exposition, but it doesn't measure up to the first two books. Still worth reading, but not one of Harris's best, alas...

293. Dying Day by Robert Ryan


Waiting for the next (the fourth) mystery featuring Dr. Watson to be released early in the new year, I turned to this older book by Ryan, and was delighted that I did -- it's a nicely complex suspense yarn, set in 1948. It has been four years since Laura's sister, Diana, disappeared during an SOE mission in France, and Laura intends to find out precisely what happened to her. Her quest gets tangled up with some nasty and complicated Cold War espionage and the Berlin airlift, and the result is a thumping good read! 4.5 stars. I didn't realize that I might have/could have read The Last Sunrise first, and be introduced to one of the characters in events that precede this novel -- Laura had served the SOE in SE Asia, and the character in question is an American pilot who flew the "Hump" from India to Kunming in China. I'll let some time elapse and then go back and check it out -- along with some of Ryan's other stand-alone books!

294. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn


This launches a new series by Raybourn with a rather peculiar heroine. Veronica Speedwell (yes, a terribly botanical name...) is extremely liberated by our standards, much less Victorian ones, with her casual attitude to relationships with men (but only foreigners!) and her adventures abroad in pursuit of rare butterflies. This first book deals with the mystery of her real identity, which becomes urgent on the death of her guardian/aunt. You'll need to completely suspend your disbelief while reading this, but it's moderately entertaining and even somewhat fun. 3.6 stars.

295. Invisible by James Patterson


Picked this up in the library because, why not? It was sitting on the shelf. Fairly predictable stuff. Young woman in law enforcement claims to have identified a pattern of someone murdering people and then setting fires to cover up the crimes; her sister was one of the victims. She finally succeeds in persuading the powers that be of what's happening, but that's just the start of the problem in nailing the culprit. An unexpected twist at the end bumped this up to 3 stars.

I'm now up to October 12! Less than a month's worth of books to log...

And a few more:

296. $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn Edin


An ARC that I got at BookExpo, and a chilling read. An astonishing percentage of the American population is living without cash income, affecting their ability to cover the costs of things that can't be paid for with food stamps, etc. Those include rent, dental treatment, transportation, etc. -- not just the luxuries that politicians sneered at "welfare queens" for enjoying at our collective expense. The authors tell the tales of individuals and families who fall in between the cracks -- ever widening -- of the social safety net, and what this means for their lives on a day to day basis, as well as analyzing the policies that led to this and the economic consequences. Well researched (although it's being criticized, I can't see how the critics come by their analysis) and compelling, even if it's depressing to read. 4.3 stars.

297. Summer on the River by Marcia Willett


Sweet (overly so) and it doesn't ever really resolve itself in the end. Another tale by Willett of family upheavals involving a cast of disparate characters whose lives overlap. Set in the west country of England; I found myself envying the place and lifestyle described more than I was gripped by the plot or characters, however. Try some of the author's earlier books.

298. The Moor's Account by Laila Lalami


Longlisted for the Man Booker prize; I preferred this to The Illuminations, the only other longlisted book I've read yet. (By the end of the year, I'd like to have read six of the longlisted books, and half of the shortlist.) A fascinating and beautifully told novel, vivid and unexpected, of the almost anonymous slave who was one of a tiny handful of survivors of an ill-fated Spanish exploration of Florida. Lalami imagines a backstory for her character -- and a later life -- which the historical records don't do, and makes him the focal point of the narrative, from the day when he picks up what might be pyrite at an abandoned, poor Indian fishing village, and has the Spaniards greedily decide that it MUST be gold. As they pursue the gold, with increasingly violence and desperation, he himself is torn: identifying with the victims of their depradations yet still hopeful that if he can be the person who leads them to gold, he'll be rewarded with his freedom. Great novel. 4.6 stars.

299. Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart


A delightful tale, and a thumping good read, based on a real story. It's the early 1920s, and Constance Kopp's refusal to back down from what she knows she is owed by the ill-mannered factory owner who ran her and her sisters off the road in their buggy with his flashy new automobile ignites a ferocious tug of war. But just as the factory owner is more than he appears -- he's a thug, brute and bully with friends in organized crime -- so Constance, too, is more than SHE appears, and the tale of their showdown is brilliantly told and well-paced. A fabulous yarn. 4.65 stars.

300. The Looking Glass War by John Le Carré


Is it heresy to say that I'm lukewarm to Le Carré? I liked Our Kind of Traitor, but earlier attempts to read the Smiley novels have met with mixed success. So I thought I'd try this novel. It's oblique and cryptic and felt very old-fashioned. At its heart are a bunch of cynical and jaded spies who hang an asset out to dry -- but after one or two opening suspenseful chapters, I never got a feeling that much was at stake. There was little narrative suspense, with tradecraft being discussed and discussed, along with motivations (but always obliquely) and much as I love a multi-layered narrative, I just ended up not caring very much and finding this tedious. So -- 3.2 stars.

301. Welcome to Meantime by Murray Davies


I loved two of Davies' recent (well, relatively recent) books, Collaborator (an alternative WW2 story in which the Germans occupy England after an invasion), and The Dogs in the Streets about the aftermath of an IRA bombing incident, from the perspective of both the victims and the perpetrators, that is truly chilling. Both are must-reads if you like that kind of thing. This one is a reasonably good mystery, which seems to be first in a series, set in London, featuring a wealthy but overly independent-minded inspector, Patsy Chalke, who is posted to a new office in south London, where she works with a more rough and ready East End guy to solve a series of crimes whose roots lie in a decades-old heist. Pretty plain vanilla police procedural, but it didn't measure up to the two other books. It did prompt me to buy (cheaply!) an earlier book by Davies, The Samson Option, to see which camp it falls into. 3.9 stars.

302. Last Words by Michael Koryta


This was my first foray into Koryta's work, via audiobook, and I'm not really sure if I'm ready for more. It's good enough as far as it goes -- private investigator is dispatched to check on a guy at his own request, because the community suspects him of murdering a young girl whom he rescued from a cave -- though when he emerges with her, she is already dead. There was never enough evidence to prosecute, however, and the man -- quirky, with a thing for caves and a conviction that this cave system is a living, breathing entity -- has lived on the margins ever since. Was he guilty or not? By the time we get to that point, the novel has gone round and round in circles, with a complicated, multi-stranded plot, to the point where I could only say, "so what"? Then, too, there's the fact that I hate tight spaces (claustrophobia...) and there are plenty of scenes of the hero and others in the caves and getting stuck in narrow, tight, impossible to navigate spots... Gah. Gave me nightmares, since I like to listen to audiobooks before I go to sleep. So, only 3.7 stars. A bit two-dimensional.

I was really disappointed in The Looking Glass War too - gave it 2 1/2 stars. There are some Le Carre novels that I love but not this one.

Off to investigate the 2 Robert Ryans.

Some great fun catching up with you catching up with your reading and plenty of pointers about what should go into my own library.

The Plague is a favourite of mine too and I really must look out for Ostend.

Have a great weekend, Suz.

Heavens, I just realized that I completed missed my Thingaversary. It was my ninth, and it happened almost exactly a month ago, on October 6.

Since I have been buying books (not many, but some), I've already purchased my Thinga-books.

They are:

Where my Heart Used to Beat by Sebastian Faulks
Dictator by Robert Harris
Arab Jazz by Karim Miske
Common People: In Pursuit of my Ancestors by Alison Light
Us Conductors by Sean Michaels
Dancer by Colum McCann
Infinite Home by Kathleen Alcott
The Poet and the Vampyre by Andrew McConnell Stott
Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane

and my bonus book:
A Slanting of the Sun by Donal Ryan

>224 Chatterbox: Wow Suz - a decent week's reading!

I really liked Arab Jazz, and although haven't got very far with Landmarks, enjoying the weird and wonderful lists of words. My mum grew up in Cumbria and wasn't familiar with some of the attributed words (which only supports the author's point).

Girl waits with Gun and The Moor's Account were both on my radar but will make sure I get to them soonish- sound good.

Thanks for the review of Ostend, Stefan Zweig. Joseph Roth and the Summer before the Dark - I will look out for it. I have the Frances Itani book on my book pile- will have to get to it soon.

>225 PaulCranswick: Oh, I think I'm going to ration them out!! My book budget is very tiny indeed these days, so... To buy a book, it needs to be something that isn't available from the library and/or that will take me so long to read that I need to own a copy myself.

>226 charl08: Good to hear about Arab Jazz; the description intrigued me and it was discounted. Landmarks I bought in spite of the fact that it wasn't discounted, when it made the shortlist for the Samuel Johnson Prize. I'm not sure the winner, a book called Neurotribes, is in my area of interest and I suspect it may be over my head, but I wanted to read this and one or two of the others on the shortlist.

Yes, Amy Stewart's novel is definitely going to come close to the top of my list of the year's "thumping good reads"!

>227 torontoc: DO keep an eye open for that. The writing and the translation are both beautiful, the book is short and fascinating. It's political history, socio-cultural history and literary history, all in one nice, elegant package.

Sad day. Just heard of the death of my "foreign service father", Doug Small. It's eerie, because it comes hard on the heels of Ken Taylor's death -- I had known both of them since I was a small child in London, when my father worked at the Canadian high commission there. Ken, of course, became world famous for saving some of the US embassy staff in Tehran. Doug, although he saved some US embassy staff in Islamabad when that embassy was burned down at about the same time (and several people were killed -- all the Benghazi talk reminded me of this) managed to stay out of the spotlight and go on to work in Ottawa when his stint as ambassador to Pakistan and Afghanistan was up (enabling him to come to my college graduation when my own father couldn't make it...) and then went on to be High Commissioner in New Zealand until he retired in 1989. His older son has followed in his footsteps and just completed a stint as high commissioner in Australia. He was a lovely man; a gentleman of the old school, elegant, charming and fiercely intelligent. He and Helen had been married for 63 years... I loved them both very much and yes, while he was 91 and had a good, long life, the world will be a poorer place without people of his caliber: calm, rational and cerebral. Ironically, he died less than a week after Ken's memorial service in Toronto. The only good thing about this fresh wave of death is that my parents are communicating with each other in a civil fashion for the first time in nearly 30 years. It won't last, but I'll take what I can get.

>229 Chatterbox: Sorry to hear that Suz. Very eloquently expressed eulogy. xx

Too many deaths this year. My cousin Jack, on my birthday in February. Jim, in April, followed by Tigger, less than a week later. Now Ken and Doug, back to back. All but Jim had reached their 80s -- I think Ken was just 80 -- but I'm tired of this. I feel the grim reaper coming closer. My parents are 77 and 78 (about to be 79). So... yeah.

I've had that kind of year too, Suzanne, although all of mine are much younger. My brother in March, a colleague of over 30 years in May, the son of my best friend in June, my long-time beautician's husband in July, a teaching colleague in August, a friend at the pottery my age in September, and just found out my best friend from graduate school has stage four cancer. It's the pits, indeed.

Roni, how terrible. My condolences... I realize now how relatively blessed I've been. Yes, there have been deaths, but at one more remove. Each of these has hit a key emotional connection, albeit a different one each time. One was young (relatively) -- Jim would have been 60 in September, on the same day my nephew turned 12.