MDGentleReader reads tattered, big, small, paperback, hardback, ebooks 2015 Chapter 1

I like gentle reads by authors who like people and are even kind to the badly behaved characters in their books. A recent revelation is that I have a strong preference for character driven books. If the characters are believeable, consistent and dealt with kindly by the author I can live without a strong plot. Well, for a few books in a row anywa :-). I'll try to find the quote from DES about why she thinks it is really important for an author to know his or her characters and have a pretty complete back story for each one even if it is never used explicitly in the book.

This is my first try a keeping a reading thread, I already know that it will most likely not be updated regularly, but I'll try to keep track of my reading here for the first time.

A somewhat complete list of books I read last year, I am not yet in the habit of keeping track.

Brimstone in the garden TBSL
Carol goes backstage TBSL
Carol on Broadway TBSL
Carol on tour TBSL
Carol plays summer stock TBSL
Hospital Summer TBSL
Last straw for Harriet TBSL
Madam, will you talk? TBSL
Marjorie's New Friend TBSL
Miss Buncle, married (being the further adventures of the celebrated authoress) TBSL
Mrs. Tim gets a job TBSL
Nine coaches waiting TBSL
Sallys Family TBSL
Sister the war diary of a nurse TBSL
Sue Barton Staff Nurse (Sue Barton Series, Volume 7 - Final Book in the Series) TBSL
Sue Barton Superintendent of Nurses (Sue Barton Series, Volume 5) TBSL
Sue Barton Visiting Nurse (Sue Barton Series, Volume 3) TBSL
Sue Barton, Neighbourhood Nurse (Knight Books) TBSL
Sue Barton, Rural Nurse (Knight Books) TBSL
Sue Barton, Senior Nurse (Knight Books) TBSL
Sue Barton, Student Nurse (Knight Books) TBSL
The cuckoo in spring TBSL
The First Fifth Form TBSL
The first year TBSL
The lark in the morn TBSL
The Lark on the Wing (The Haverard Family, #2) TBSL
They loved to laugh TBSL
Understood Betsy TBSL
A month in the country
Ajax Penumbra 1969 (Kindle Single)
Animating Maria
Are your lights on? : how to figure out what the problem really is
Brothers far from home : the World War I diary of Eliza Bates
By myself and then some
Chalet School World: 12 Brand New Short Stories
Changeless
Charlie the Ranch Dog
Chicken Sunday
Curtsies & conspiracies
Deep Wizardry
Desire
Don't call me Katie Rose
Emilie and the Hollow World
Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn
Etiquette & espionage
Exiled: Memoirs of a Camel
Family gathering
FIRST TERM AT TREBIZON
Flowering spring
Forward, Shakespeare!
Good Grief 50th Ann Ed
Highland interlude (A Corgi romance)
Hospital Circles
How to go on living when someone you love dies
Howl's Moving Castle
I am half-sick of shadows
I Gave My Mom a Castle: Poems
In Enzo's splendid gardens
Jane and the Chalet school
Just One Damned Thing After Another (The Chronicles of St. Mary's Series)
Kate
Look through my window
Lost Lake
Murder and mendelssohn
My Friend the Professor
No Time for Romance
Oh Myyy!: There Goes The Internet
Orphan at My Door : The Home Child Diary of Victoria Cope
Otherwise Engaged
Penelope's English Experiences
Princess Academy
Queen of Hearts (Royal Spyness Mysteries Book 8)
Raising my rainbow : adventures in raising a slightly effeminate, possibly gay, totally fabulous son
Second Term at Trebizon
Seven Sisters at Queen Anne's
Shivering Sands (Casablanca Classics)
Silent song
So you want to Be a Wizard
Somewhere in France
Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good: The New Mitford Novel
Terrible, horrible Edie
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
The bitter kingdom
The crown of embers
The Duke and I
The frozen Thames
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book II: The Hidden Gallery
The keeping quilt
The lost steersman
The magicians' guild
The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla: A Pink Carnation Novel
The marrying kind
The Parasol Protectorate Boxed Set: Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless and Timeless
The passion of the purple plumeria : a Pink Carnation novel
The past tense of love
The Secret Countess
The Sinister Side (Ulverscroft Large Print)
The Small Sixth Form
The spring of the year
The Springs of joy
The Steerswoman (Steerswoman Series Book 1)
The Story of the Trapp Family Singers
This is the story of a happy marriage
Waistcoats & Weaponry
Waking Kate
What Are You Optimistic About?
When a Child is Born - A Chronicles of St. Mary's short story
When he was wicked

Favorite non re-reads off the top of my head:
Last Straw for Harriet
Somewhere Safe With SOmebody GOod
The Steerswoman series
The Frozen Thames
Curtsies & Conspiracies series
The lark in the morn (Haverard series, I lack the last on)

I'm so excited that you have a reading thread for me to follow this year! I feel like it's Christmas all over again! Even if you only do intermittent updates, I know there will be lots and lots of books that I'll want to read (or have already read).

The Frozen Thames is one that has been in my recommendations ever since I joined LibraryThing. Maybe I should actually get around to looking for it.

Finished Jennings Goes To School, well done, will look for the others, but most likely not to own
Mom Can't See Me
Drina Dances in Italy like this series. This was book 4. I own 2-4 I hope to get 1 and 5-11.

Mrs. Lorimer's Family really enjoyed this one. Now I need to look out for other Molly Clavering books. THis was a much appreciate Christmas present. Still haven't cataloged my Christmas presents.

I have Mom Can't See Me. The pictures are very dated, but I keep it because the subject matter is very personal to me.

You were lucky to get Mrs. Lorimer's Family. It seems that her other books are extremely scarce, but I think there was a rumour recently about one of them being reissued. I keep wondering now just how closely the Colonel resembles D. E. Stevenson's husband.

Oh good! You are always reading books that interest me too!

I just had to share this with folks who would understand.

My library system's on line access has been down since December 23. It is still not possible to access one's library account to find out what is checked out, when the checked out items are due, what holds have come in, put anything on hold, etc.

Woe is you. I hope they get your system back up soon. It's like having a hand tied behind your back. Eh? Good thing you have us to fall back on.

Finally finished the Cow in the Parking Lot. The finally is mostly because it was an ebook and I find those easy to put aside and not get back to. I think I will look for a physical copy of this book.

The title comes from the premise that you would react very differently about a cow "taking" the parking spot you have your eye on versus someone driving a vehicle taking that same spot. So why react with anger in either case? It goes on to explain other ways that anger is destructive to the person who is angry. Not a comprehensive book by any means, but well worth the relatively small time needed to read it. There are exercises as we'll to help apply what you have read about to your own life.

Touch Not the Cat read this when I couldn't sleep and wanted a story that would suck me in. It did the trick.

So glad to see you enjoyed The lark in the morn and its sequel. I loved these books and still have the fifth one on Mount Tbr. I keep putting off reading it because I don't want the series to end!
I do like the Drina books, but the coincidence of her finding a ballet company to dance with wherever she happens to be gets a bit ridiculous. I was expecting the next book to be Drina Dances in Outer Mongolia!

I hope that 2015 brings you lots more of the books you love.

>12 Sakerfalcon: You make a valid point about the series ending. Hmm.

You mean.. there is no Drina Dances in Outer Mongolia? ** lip quivers slightly, heads for the chocolate covered blueberries **

Well, yes, I wonder what else is going to need to go wrong for her to be able to dance in the next 8 books.

Thanks!

>9 2wonderY: It should be mostly restored by today, although they ask that no one call about their accounts until a later date. I wound up returning five ILL loans early before I properly cataloged or gathered quotes from them since I wasn't sure when they were due or how sympathetic the other library systems would be if I was late returning them. Grump. Guess I need to start stamping due dates on books again. I like being able to login in and look regularly. I really missed it.

Currently reading Thinking Fast and Slow I seem to be enjoying it and getting more out of it than many other reviewers, but I am only about 27% through it. Sometimes I think that I must be more resistant to boredom and more tolerant of author's agendas compared to the average reviewer.

Got you starred and looking forward to seeing your reading this year!

Finally finished Mama's Bank Account. Charming, I am glad that I own it and will be able to easily re-read it.

>3 SylviaC: Thank you for the kind words. I think Frozen Thames is a special book. It is very slender, though and memorable enough that I am not sure that it lends itself to mutiple re-reads. It is a book that if I knew enough people I see regularly who would appreciate it, I'd get a copy just for loaning. If you lived nearby, I'd be handing you books to read all the time.

3>, >7 2wonderY:, >12 Sakerfalcon: & >15 ronincats: It is my enjoyment of threads like yours is one of the things that led me to take this step.

In this short time that I've had this thread, I've realized I probably failed to record a lot of my reading last year. There may come a time when I appreciate having this record. The time when I just remembered everything I read has slipped into the past. I've read that it is because at this stage in life my brain is so full of knowledge that I have to let some things go, perfectly natural.

Yes, I agree! Plot is good, but characters that are real, that have some depth and believability (a word?) are most important in a story.

>2 MDGentleReader: aha! You read Animating Maria, did you read the others in that series by Marion Chesney?

>3 SylviaC: I just read The Frozen Thames a week or so ago, and liked it. I did have to order it through ILL, though, as our local public library did not own a copy. I don't think I would want to own a copy, though.

Touch Not the Cat THe Hounds of Gabriel and The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet.

The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar will go back to the library unread. It's due today and someone else wants it. Another time...

ETC: book title a cat was actually a key plot point at the end and I keyed in on that since the Gabriel Hounds did not prove to be scary at all although they were often mentioned in the book

Have you read Touch Not the Cat before? I think it's probably my favourite Mary Stewart book. It has a more modern feel to it that most of them, and the characters have a bit more depth to them.

>19 MDGentleReader:, I read Touch Not the Cat in >11 MDGentleReader:, not when I posted >19 MDGentleReader:. When I read it meant that I didn't take in as many details as I might have. I plan to add it to my Amazon Wishlist so that I can easily re-read it. My most recent Mary Stewart was The Hounds of Gabriel

Started The Call. Put it aside for the moment. Id on't like the main character very much and I think that format makes it hard to connect to any of them. I do think the book is well done and the characters believeable and I will finish it. I already anticipate that it is not one that I will re-read.

Dipping in and out of Ortho-Bionomy A a Path to Self-Care. My two favorite massage therapists are trained in this. I find the effects last much longer than with traditional massage. I've been reading up on hands tonight, I hope to be able to help my Sweetie with his hand this evening.

Started The Stowaway to the Mushroom Planet. It says a lot about my current frame of mind that I put this one aside, too once the villian showed up. It is a children's book written in 1956, there are sequels! The Mushroom planet will NOT be overrun with reporters and tourists. It's going to be okay.

I also started a re-read of Katherine Wentworth, it was lovely. Then I got to the chapter where Anthea mentions the club. aaad I put it aside. That business was rather nasty.

I really want a little more substance in my reading right now, but I just can't seem to tolerate unpleasantness of even the mildest kind right now. Oh, well, it'll pass.

{{{{hugs}}}} re: the book funk. It will pass, yes.

>23 MDGentleReader: time to reread Anne of Green Gables? :)

I was going to suggest Greenwillow. I see it's in your 'to read' collection.

>23 MDGentleReader: That is an unusually nasty bit for D. E. Stevenson. I often do some skimming in that section.

What about The Four Graces? Aunt Rona is the worst character there, and she is just annoying, not actually bad.

>25 fuzzi: alas, I can rememeber a couple of points in the story where I would put the book down in my current fram eof mind. I'm going to give reading rest through the weekend, I think.

>26 2wonderY: It is, but I don't own it. Not available at library or via ILL, but I can get it on Kindle. As I said above, I am going to give it a rest for a little bit and do other things. If I don't feel like picking up one of the books I am in the middle of, I'll give Greenwillow a try. Thanks.

Another book a gave up on last week, I think was Gilead. I'll return it to the library unread and try another time.

My bathroom book (I don't always have one) is How Patients Should Think: 10 Questions on How to Make Better Decisions about Drugs, Tests, and Treatment. I don't really care for the title, I don't want to be told how to think. It does have some useful information, though. I've just been dipping into it. Mostly it raises my blood pressure about the healthcare industry.

A prime example is osteoporosis. I damaged my back a few years ago. It was clearly muscular, but wound up getting an x-ray anyway. Report said that I had osteoporosis. This shocked everyone I told. I have drunk milk my entire life, no one else in the family has osteoporosis and I am kind of young to be dealing with that. My chiropractor and massage therapist were talking supplements. I was concerned and got my GP involved. Compared to a young woman, which is what all these bone density analyses compare to, I have thinning bones. Thing is, I am middle aged. This is completely NORMAL. Not only that, I am big boned, even when I was 20% underweight no one would have called me small or petite and I am not tall. My bones are well supported by muscle, I am fairly flexible. The only person I could some up with in the family who had ever had a fracture was my great-grandmother - someone hit her with a shopping cart when she was 90 and broke her hip. I can totally see having a bone density scan if you seem prone to fractures, but otherwise? Just a way to generate revenue for manufacturers of osteoporosis drugs.

Climbs down off of soapbox.

One question he doesn't seem to mention is one I always ask healthcare professionals. If you are you loved one was in this situation, what would you do? Often a different answer from what they feel compelled to offer in terms of test or treatment.

>27 SylviaC: I had blocked it from my mind. Even when I think about it I substitute a carzy scavenger hunt in Mrs. Tim

Four Graces would work, I think. I do feel like I've done an awful lot of re-reading the last year or two and was trying to branch out. But, as I said, I'll just do other things through the weekend and will hopefully come out feeling ready to tackle a villian in a 1950s children's book, for instance.

>29 MDGentleReader: First published in 1930 rather than 1950s, but I see you have a copy of Swallows and Amazons in your library. The nearest they get to a villain is Captain Flint. Unless you've re-read it recently, I'd recommend it. All together now:

"Roger, aged seven, and no longer the youngest of the family, ran in wide zigzags, to and fro, across the steep field that sloped up from the lake to Holly Howe, the farm where they were staying for part of the summer holidays. ..."

I had to investigate the "Drina" books...ballet stories. Wow! I had never heard of them. I have two books by Mabel Esther Allan...more obscure ones I guess. Strangers in Skye which is sort of a teen romance I vaguely remember, and the other, Romansgrove, is a time travel theme. Allan wrote a staggering number of books!

re Katherine Wentworth I very recently read it, and the sequel, and I somehow can't remember anything that was so villainous about it, except that his sister was so weird.

>30 Cynfelyn: I blush to admit that I have never read Swallows and Amazons. Perhaps I'll choose that as one to end my reading slump. I've decided to give it a few more days before I really begin trying to read again. Spent a few hours the last few days walking, my body really apreciated that. Might do a little walking this evening.

>31 SaintSunniva: I've only read the Drina books so far. Sometimes they are exactly the right kind of book for me.

I've blocked most of the nastiness in Katehrine Wentworth, I had forgotten it existed in that book at all before Althea mentioned the club. I retained enough memory of it that I did decide to stop reading, though. Yes, the sister was weird.

I finally finished Stowaway to the Mushroom Planet. I think I can give that series a rest for a bit.

I got two lovely packages of books in the mail yesterday and such is my funk that I haven't even cataloged them. One was from fuzzi and the other from GGBP, so you know they were awesome books.

I did, however, read one. The Pavilion :-). I am sad because it is the last in the series. There are a fair number of characters and there are mostly related to one another. I think it say a lot for this author that a few peeks at the family tree at the front were suficent to re-orient me to how everyone was related to one another. Each character is so defined that even if the person was only were mentioned briefly in this book, all I had to was glance at the family tree and I remembered exactly who the person was and what sort of personality they have and how they interact with siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. I really, really like this series.

31> Apparently she wrote the Lorna Hill books, too! I only have one other of hers, The Wyndhams Went to Wales. I liked the characters well enough, but it didn't go on my list of favorites. Not even sure how soon I'd re-read it although I own it. I can see myself re-reading the Drina books, although not very often.

>33 MDGentleReader: No, Lorna Hill wrote the Lorna Hill books! She is not Mabel Esther Allen but they are two quite separate people. If you have any GGBP editions by either of them they will include biographical details. I particularly like Lorna Hill as she lived in and set her stories in North East England, an area that I'm quite familiar with. I haven't read much MEA but she has a very wide range of settings and stories.

>34 CDVicarage: You beat me to it!

>34 CDVicarage:, >35 Sakerfalcon: Oops. Must have misread my GGBP catalog. Thanks for the info. I don't have any Lorna Hill books, if I did, I hope that I wouldn't have made the mistake.

Read Mermaid House. I really wasn't quite in the right mood for it. I'll re-read it again some time. I liked reading about the characters and I think it can interesting to re-read a story that has a mystery element to it when you already know the solution to see how the behavior of the characters fits in with what was actualy going on versus what the characters thought was going on at the time.

Re-read a favorite of mine - the most expensive book I own, My Friends George and Tom. There is an awful lot in it about kindness and lives well lived. I'll try to post some quotes at some point here and it CK. It is book 19 in the series. Started re-reading My Friend Muriel which is a favorite of mine in the same series because it talks about how the main character met her husband. It is not as well written as My Friends George and Tom, the narrator inserts herself a little too often, but I really love some of the quotes and the discussions about words. Maybe I'll copy a couple of them here to see if anyone else enjoys that kind of wordplay.

ETC: a comment meant for one book wound up in the para for another, it is unlikely that I'll be posting quotes from Mermaid House.

>37 MDGentleReader: Oh yes, do!

A quote I already put in CK for My Friend Muriel :
"If you are eccentric enough to want a hobby that no one else has yet tried, try taking about five hundred alert and inquiring minds and setting them down in a wood in the middle of Buckinghamshire and give them a year or two to ferment. The results will astonish you."

So far, I've only read the first "My Friend..." book, but I do have My Friend Muriel waiting on my TBR shelf.

>40 SylviaC: I really enjoy the My Friend series, but I the only other reader who enjoyed them as much as I do here or in RL was my aunt. Maybe folks who like Miss Read books? Be warned, the narrator inserts herself in My Friend Muriel. I seem to remember that as a pet peeve of yours. I haven't read My Friend the Misses Boyds recently enough to remember if the narrator inserts herself there. The first three were accepted for publication at the same time, but were published out of the order the author preferred.

The Mystery at the Chalet School and Robin Heeds the Call.

I have no problem at all with intrusive narrators in fiction. It just bugs me in nonfiction, when an author makes it more about themself than the subject.

Miss Read is one of my "I should like it" authors. Every now and then I give her books a shot, but can never get into them. Barbara Pym and Angela Thirkell are two others.

>42 SylviaC: I have to be in the right mood for Miss Read. Barbara Pym and Angela Thirkell are two on my SHOULD like, but just can't into authors. Neither of them are kindly enough disposed to any of the characters I have have come across in their books for my taste.

Intrusive narrators do happen way too often in non-fiction. Some of the authors seem to have enormous egos. Others seem to just insert personal stuff in the narrative. Maybe a misguided attempt to make ther material more accessible or entertaining or something? That is the benefit of the doubt I give to authors where the author's huge ego isn't incredibly obvious.

Everything On a Waffle and Changes for the Chalet School.

Drina Dances in Paris

Stopping by to see how it's going.

This afternoon I shopped at our public library's FOTL used book sale. When I discovered on a table the first three books in the Thomas Costain series of English history, I thought of you. :)

>46 fuzzi: Sunday I am going to one of our local FOTL permanent bookstores. The children's book selection at these stores is usually wonderful. I don't go very often because I am really short of room, but this will be an outing with my cousin - her birthday is tomorrow.

Nice to thought of - thanks! Thomas B. Costain. Ooh.

Read Champion of the Chalet School Saturday while *successfully* fighting off the cold my Sweetie has been suffering with. Excellent fill-in for the series.

Didn't make it to the FOTL bookstore, my cousin went on Thursday, she had some extra time in the area.

Finally finished Jane of Lantern Hill. Classic L. M. Montgomery, have also been dipping back in to Thinking Fast and Slow, but that is not a good book to read right before trying to go to sleep. Does anyone else have trouble keeping up with ebooks? I find it very easy to forget that I am reading something on an ereader and not get back to it. A physical books seems to call out to me. Also, it is sitting right out there in plain sight and I know about where I am in it.

>48 MDGentleReader: that's a good point. I also forget that I am reading an ebook. I've several, at least, that I started, but neglected to continue. I wonder if that is more due to the content of the book, or the medium.

I've not yet read Jane of Lantern Hill, but am pretty sure it's on the shelves, here, somewhere!

>48 MDGentleReader: I too thought Champion of the Chalet School was very good.
And I need to reread Jane of Lantern Hill.

>I've decided it is the format. I've inadvertently neglected some excellent reads.

I've had Emily's Quest for years. Got the trilogy in ebook format and recently read the first two. Emily of New Moon is my favorite of the three. Emily Climbs is my second favorite. I suspect I will enjoy my next read of Emily's Quest more now that I have read the first two.

Finally finished The Call. I got drawn in more and enjoyed it more for the part. I am not drawn to the format, though. Chops things up too much fir me. High marks for originality and fir telling a story, revealing character and showing character within the limitations of the format.

The Nothing Girl. Jodi Taylor. Happy sigh. Recommended unless you cannot handle any magical realism or romance.

>38 2wonderY: Some quotes from George and Tom.

"I tell in detail of George's and Tom's taking to the telephone because it is a concrete instance of how they could demonstrate their sense of wonder, their gratitude for the miraculous, how sharply pleasant was their experience of the strange and new. In a century where there has been so much of the strange and new, I feel that too many of us have allowed our capability for experience to become blunted so that we accept passively much that should be looked upon and thought about with wonder and gratitude."

My aunt never lost her capacity for wonder and enjoyment. I miss her so very, very much.

"'When you are as old as I am, I think you will come to believe as I do that love between people of a family is the strongest love of all, where it exists, that is, for all members of a family do not love one another.'"

"They were incapable of being bored, I only now came fully to understand, because they gave their total attention to everything they did, so the nothing was reduced to the level of a chore that was a bore."

"'It was undertaken out of love,' he said, 'and not to make a show or to impress the neighbors or any other vulgar reason. It was bound to prosper.'"

""Oh no!" George said hastily, 'You mustn't do that. If we had a television set, Murdo and Grantie and Malcolm wouldn't ask us anymore. They would feel they were being an imposition. And we like to go to see them.'"

How Patients Should Think. I don't like the title, but the book is filled with good information. Not the most well written book I've read, and a tad repetitive. However, it is filled really, really important information given in a non-inflammatory, non-sensationalized, non-demonizing way. Warning, some sections made me really angry and I had to put the book down for a bit. On another thread, someone wanted to hear more. I'll post here and repeat the post where the information was asked for.

Important points:
Medication review. Anyone being treated with medicine for multiple conditions by multiple medical professionals should undergo one. All supplements should be included. It is appalling how many health problems are caused by side effects of medicines or interactions between medicines (including supplements and herbals).

Decision aids. Look for unbiased decision aids whenever you are faced with decisions about treating (or not) any medical condition.

Who profits? Does the medical group where you receive care own the testing equipment at the center you are being referred to? Perhaps the medical group manager encourages referral to that center because it affects profits.

Perhaps the medical rep for a particular drug is a really nice fellow and provides educational and dining opportunities to medical practitioners and is available when there are questions. Does a competing drug get a look in when it comes to writing a prescription?

Is the patient group or medical foundation you are trusting to provide you with information about your condition receiving money from a drug or testing equipment manufacturer?

What are the side effects for this medication, treatment or surgery? Are there controlled studies showing the benefit of what is being recommended? What is the likely outcome if nothing at all is done? Have you given your health care provider detailed information about your current health, recent health, health care history. Have you explained what negative outcomes are acceptable and what are not?

My favorite question to ask which is not mentioned in the book is "What would you do if you were in my shoes?". The answer is usually very different from what is being offered.

Tests are not harmless. Consider very carefully the risks/benefits for any test that is offered.

Places like the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews do meta-analysis of quality studies of medical care seeking to improve the evidence base of health care.

Media reporting is a problem. For assessments of media reporting of health news:
Media Doctor Australia
Media Doctor Canada
Hitting the Headlines (UK)
Health News Review (US)

There are many books out there reporting on these issues, I encourage folks to read this one or any other that sounds interesting.

I am reading a new to me Georgette Heyer. I am trying to make it last. Pistols for Two is a title that I thought would be one of her detective novels, it is not. It is Regency romance short stories. Lovely.

What is The Nothing Girl about? If you like it that much, I probably will, too.

Hmm. Kinda coming of age, if you can come of age at 28?!? Some romance, some suspense, some magical realism. Some quirky characters. Animals.

That help? Don't want to give anything away.

ETA: Mary Stewart-like?
ETA: cross between Mary Stewart and Sarah Addison Allen

>53 MDGentleReader: NHS Choices is a good site that tries to combat the poor media treatment of studies.

>57 JerryMmm: that looks like a great resource.

>56 MDGentleReader: Acquired.

>59 SylviaC: I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

>53 MDGentleReader: I think I just got hit by this BB...thank you. I try to be an informed patient.

>61 fuzzi: I got it pretty cheap at Daedelous Books.

Little Donkey. A short story that takes place 6 months after The Nothing Girl ends. Very sweet. Very short.

Hope all is well with you this week!

>64 ronincats: It's been okay. Not much reading has been done lack of time and lack of interest. With one exception...

Had a bad day at work yesterday, was pretty upset. Went home and read Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day . Happy sigh. What a lovely book.

Wrote out a post yesterday about the other books I am slowly reading and explaing the good points and bad and whether or not I would carry on with them at some pint. Browser died, lost the post. Might recreate it at some point, not sure.

I want to reread Miss Pettigrew sometime soon.

>65 MDGentleReader: I've had that experience of losing a long post during composition. Nice dollop to your hard day. I hope you have an emergency chocolate supply.

>65 MDGentleReader: when I am writing a long post, I sometimes will compose in Word, because it auto-saves, or even write it in an email for the same reason.

Sorry about work, and glad to hear about your escape. :)

I used to have something with the name Lazarus (would that be an App?) which saved everything you typed online. Then if a page died or something before you were finished, you could get it there.

The Cat Sitter's Nine Lives. A tiny, fluffy bit of a cozy mystery. Will consider others in the series when/if I am in the mood for this kind of book.

Frederica, one of my favorites by Georgette Heyer. Happy sigh.

>70 MDGentleReader: Frederica is one of my favourite Heyer's too.

>71 Sakerfalcon: I've recently read it and loved it.

I think Fredrica is the Heyer book that probably has the widest appeal. It is the one that I always recommend as the best starter book for people who want to get started on her books.

>73 SylviaC: I think you're right, Sylvia. It's the one my mum used to get me started!

I'm trying to think if I've read any Georgette Heyer....

>may I be the first to recommend Frederica?

Finally finished Rosemary and Roman Holiday. I recommend them both. The first is a classic TBSL, published in 1922 with a likeable, believable heroine and interesting characters. The second is a Chronicle of St. Mary short story that fits between the 3rd and 4th volumes in the series. The fifth volume in this series about historians who observe events in contemporary time comes out in the US in July. Lots of fun. I inadvertently abandoned both of these for weeks if not months. They were both compelling enough that when I picked them up again there was no need to go back and re-read the bits I'd already read, but I still think that I would have enjoyed them more if I'd read them in their entirety in a shorter period of time.

Gone-away lake, a re-read that I enjoyed even more this time around. The first time I read it was for the story and because I had read the sequel first and wanted the background. This time I was able to concentrate on the wonderful way the characters and their environment were brought to life and really enjoy both. A Newbery Honor and a TBSL.

>76 MDGentleReader: absolutely.

I checked my LT stats, and I don't have any of her books listed as having been read. Of course, I might have missed a book here or there...

Addendum: guess what I borrowed from the library today...? ;)

>78 MDGentleReader: I remember Gone-away Lake from my girlhood, but I haven't read it since then. After reading the reviews on LT, and yours, I know I will have to revisit it soon.

>51 MDGentleReader: re The Nothing Girl, is it in book form? I'm surprised my library doesn't seem to have it. I'd like to read it.

I just finished a 1937 Junior Literary Guild novel, Jasmine: A Story of Persia. Wow, I LOVED it. It was a contemporary novel at the time...lots of local color, customs, religious practice, with a complicated mystery and danger thrown in. It's illustrated, too, by Kurt Wiese.

>81 SaintSunniva: Kurt Weise was a wonderful illustrator. I first saw his works in the Silver Chief books.

>82 fuzzi: I agree about Kurt Wiese, for sure. My daughter loves those books - Silver Chief - too.

I've never read Georgette Heyer either. Isn't that shocking!

>80 SaintSunniva: It was first published in May, I don't think Jodi Taylor is an author who is nearly well-known as she should be. I found Nothing Girl on Amazon, but not very many copies and all copies were from 3rd party vendors.

>84 The_Hibernator: Not if the work romance sends you running for the hills :-). She invented the Regency Romance, varied her plots and wrote wonderful dialogue. Nothing in them to make you blush.

I'm reading The Nothing Girl now, and enjoying it immensely.

Woo Hoo! As simliar as our tastes in books are, I'm always a little nervous when I recommend a book to you. I enjoy the Chronicles of St. Mary's books, but I thought Nothing Girl was better written. She is the only author currently writing who is on my automatic buy list.

>85 MDGentleReader: I love Marion Chesney's books, at least some of them (especially The School for Manners and The Six Sisters series), and I imagine Georgette Heyer is similar.

I also have read some Norah Lofts, but it's been a while.

>88 fuzzi: I do enjoy the Marion CHesney romances from time to time, however, Georgette Heyer does dialogue and characters and plot so much better. I envy that you have her books to read for the first time ahead of you. YOu should be able to get them at the library. She also writes historical fiction and detective novels(just warning you when you are looking for titles). I am not a fan of her detective novels myself. Most of the book titles make the type of book fairly clear. One of her historicals, An Infamous Army is apparently studied at Sandhurst, there are a LOT of details of the Battle of Waterloo.

>89 MDGentleReader: I will start on Frederica (library) soon...I'm trying to get a couple of my ROOT books done, first. :)

One notable difference between Marion Chesney and Georgette Heyer is that Chesney keeps letting the reader know that she researched the regency period, whereas Heyer just immerses you in it. There is also more substance to Heyer's books.

>91 SylviaC: Yes.

>90 fuzzi: She'll wait you've taken your time getting to Georgette Heyer, but she's been around for awhile and not going anywhere, they've been reprinting them quite recently.

Dog On It fun detective story told from the POV of the detective's dog Chet. Action and violence, which is not always what I am looking for. I'll keep the series in mind when I am looking for a quick, fun read and can handle the violence. Plenty of humor.

>93 MDGentleReader: I love "Chet" the dog's voice. :)

>93 MDGentleReader: I don't recall it being violent, not more than any mystery?

>94 MrsLee: Chet is awesome and really funny.

>95 fuzzi: Not any more than any mystery, no. Sometimes my tolerance isfor violence is pretty low.

An Uncommon Reader, a re-read. Lovely short book about reading and the Uncommon Reader :-). Happy sigh.

That would be Alan Bennett's book, right? I've got to read that.

>98 2wonderY: Yes. Touchstones were a little odd. Yes, do! Your library should have it. I actually re-read it because I plan to loan it to a friend and wanted to be able to discuss it.

Just stopping in to say hi and thank you for all your support. Hope all is good with you.

>100 ronincats: Good to see you around a little bit. My loss is not nearly as recent as yours, but I still mourn my Dad and his only sibling. I am the eldest in that branch of the family. Weird.

Hugs.

Finished Rainbow Hill, a novel written in 1922 eventually published with two other in a book called Girls's Stories. Plenty of illustrations of "right living", but the children behave like real children (albeit of their time) and the stories held my interest. This is my second novel about the same characters, Girls's Stories contains a third, Rosemary and the Princess that I will read eventually.

I find that I cannot read Stuff Matters: exploring the marvelous materials that shape our man-made world, right before bed - too stimulating. It also brings home to me just how much I have lost when my family members died. This is the sort of book that would have passed around my family and the person currently reading would wander in to where someone else was reading to read a bit aloud to them. Then we'd head for the reference books in the basement to look up more information on the topic. The discussions would go on for months. Sometimes I miss that kind of interaction almost to the point of a physical ache.

The author is so engaging and enthusiastic, his knowledge of materials, chemistry and physics seems to be broad and deep, but I have never felt buried by what he knows. Highly recommended to anyone remotely curious about the man-made world we live. Maybe not right before bed, though :-),

>102 MDGentleReader: Stuff Matters is a book bullet... ;)

I've been reading Stuff Matters, too! I have it in audio, so I only hear a few minutes of it a day, but I'm really enjoying it. And I can see why it would appeal to a family of engineers. The author's enthusiasm is obvious, but he doesn't get so carried away with technical details that the non-scientific reader can't follow along.

>103 fuzzi: * blows BB firing barrell to cool it off *. I think it is a book that you will really enjoy. I am pretty sure that SylviaC bears to the ultimate responsibility, though. I really need to start recording who hits me with all these book bullets.

>104 SylviaC: It actually lends itself really well to reading just a little at a time. A topic that is fairly complete in itself may only take a page or less in the physical copy. This is one I may actually buy in physical form ( I am reading the library's copy).

Just for the record - my mother was an English major. She was amused when I came home from college talking about UNIX - she knew the word with a very different spelling :-). We all shared an interest in pretty much everything and a love for wordplay. And, my brother deliberately chose to go to a school where what he wanted to study was NOT in the school of engineering :-). Nonetheless, he is a software engineer. even if his degree is Computer Science. So, mostly a household of engineers. Both my grandfathers were engineers, too.

Have you already enjoyed the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall-Smith? And the Greek Village series by Sara Alexi? Also, the Rumpole of the Bailey series by the late John Mortimer? I think they are good fits for the kinds of books you enjoy.

Sorry if all these suggestions are already part of your reading life.

I believe that I am up to date on the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series. I enjoy them. I don't re-read them as often as I thought I would. Possibly because I've learned about so many other wonderful books from folks like you on LT that I don't re-read anything as much as I used to.

I've read one Rumpole of the Bailey, I wouldn't rule out reading another, but I wasn't compelled to go back to the library and take home the whole section that has books about him.

Ooh, the Sara Alexi series is entirely new to me. The review of The Illegal Gardener by MiriamMartin "2 main characters are believable and well developed.... The story is full of hope that leaves you feeling that you can overcome even the most difficult obstacles." Makes it sound like something I'd really like. Thanks!

No need to apologize that I've read some of your suggestions, that just shows that you have a pretty good handle on what I might like :-).

>105 MDGentleReader: I searched and found Stuff Matters at the library! I'm going to try to pick it up after work tomorrow.

Woo hoo!

Yeah, me too.
Aren't we all like lemmings?

LOLOL 2wonderY!

Look what I found...

>92 MDGentleReader: this evening I finished reading Frederica, and thoroughly enjoyed it, thank you for the recommendation!

Three in Scotland: Still Glides the Stream, and Shoulder the Sky by D.E. Stevenson. I just love her stories! And a new one, borrowed...44 Scotland Street, which I thought I'd maybe not care for, but really enjoyed...the narcissistic Bruce made me laugh uncomfortably, and I liked getting to know the other characters.

>97 MDGentleReader: I listened to the three disc audio of The Uncommon Reader while on the road yesterday. It was delightful.

I haven't read these murder mysteries, except for Death of a Maid, but they have been compared to both Christie and McCall-Smith novels: Two series -- Agatha Raisin of the Cotswalds and Hamish Macbeth of the Scottish Highlands, by M.C. Beaton. I think there's dozens of 'em!

I've read two Adriana Trigiani novels (but probably won't read more as I'm not a particularly Gentle Reader) one about an interior decorator ambitious to re-do his parish church, another about a woman resurrecting her family's shoe manufactory. Plenty of humor and even social commentary.

Wish I could think of lesser known authors. Chances are you've gobbled these up.

Thanks for keeping my thread warm - my Mays are really, really busy, this one exceptionally so and I spent a lot of April preparing for it.

>114 2wonderY: The Uncommon Reader is just a delightful book.

>113 SaintSunniva: I read 44 Scotland Street and recognized it as a good book, but not for me. I am glad that you enjoyed it.

>112 fuzzi: I am so glad you enjoyed Frederica. I recently re-read Regency Buck, The Corinthian, The Reluctant Widow, and The Nonesuch. I also read The Loves of Lord Granton for the first time. I am pretty sure that it is your enthusiasm for Marion Chesney that caused me to reserve this one book of hers that is in the local library system. Thank you.

>111 fuzzi: Big grin. There is definitely some of that lemming-like behavior that can happen with book reviews. I am glad that here on LT most folks are quite happy to agree to disagree about a book and keep on discussing books honestly.

>108 fuzzi: & >110 2wonderY: I do hope you enjoy Stuff Matters. I have Molecules: The Elements and the Architecture of Everything out from the library. It is a coffee table book of Molecules. I think it is extremely well done. The pictures are gorgeous, the text is accessible, the uses, architecture, and properties of the molecules is fascinating. However, it is not drawing me in. I think if my Dad was still alive, I'd get it for my coffee table and we'd have a blast with it when he came to visit. As it is, maybe I'll just check it out of the library now and again.

Ordered from GGPB for my upcoming Thingaversary:

These will all be new to me:
Margaret Finds a Future by Mabel Esther Allan
Shocks for the Chalet School by Elinor Brent-Dyer (CS 25)
The Ballet Family by Mabel Esther Allan
The Chalet School Reunion (no 50) by Elinor Brent-Dyer

Replacements for abridged Armada paperbacks
The Princess of the Chalet School (no 3) by Elinor Brent-Dyer
The Rivals of the Chalet School (no 5) by Elinor Brent-Dyer

My most recent reads are Palace of Stone, a Princess Academy book. A YA adventure that emphasizes friendship, has realistic characters and a heroine who is not perfect and uses her strengths.

I read a light, fun one yesterday - The Nightingale Before Christmas. It made me want to decorate for Christmas. The last two Christmases for me were preceded by the death of two close relatives, by blood and by choice so I haven't felt much like decorating. I definitely have to be in the right mood for this series, but when I am I really enjoy them. I think the series has been getting a bit better, but when I looked to see if LTers agreed with me, I found that they don't. I did find one I haven't read, though - Lord of the Wings (ah, I checked - it isn't out yet). Small town, over the top characters and situations, but the ongoing characters are written consistently and I do not find it difficult to suspend disbelief about the people and situations that crop up to bring murder to this small town.

Just finished three quality and gentle reads that you might like, if you haven't read them already: Longbourn, The President's Hat, and Madame Verona Comes Down the Hill. I've reviewed all three, if you want a biased opinion before taking the plunge. They may help you decide if they're to your taste.

>117 Limelite: I love Longbourn! And it took a recommendation by a fellow LTer to get me interested.

>116 MDGentleReader: Chesney has some fair books, but the two series I really loved were The School for Manners and A House for the Season. Delightful, and hard to find! Did you try ILL for copies elsewhere?

I did like Stuff Matters:, thanks for the recommendation.

I've not had bereavement coincide with the holiday season, but you still have my sympathy. It's during the holidays when I miss my mother the most. Mother's Day used to be tough on me.

It does get some better. (((((Hugs)))))

Nice to see you back, MDGentleReader!

I wasn't able to make it through the first Meg Langslow mystery. I don't know just what it was that bothered me, but I didn't like it. Donna Andrews is one of the few authors that we don't agree on!

Glad you were able to make a little time to check in!

>116 MDGentleReader: I hope you enjoy all those lovely Girls Gone By books! It's always a treat when a package arrives from them!

>119 SylviaC: I have no problem at all understanding why anyone wouldn't like the Meg Langslow books. I must've read the first few ine the right frame of mind and now I am accustomed to them. There are times when I cannot read them.

Superfluous Women. Another cozy mystery series I follow. Set in England between the world wars. Main character a journalist whose father was an Earl. 22 in the series, I've read all the ones I've found easily at the library.

Started an interesting book - Smarter Than You Think. On page 16 and there are at least 4 quotes and thoughts I wanted to jot down while reading.

>121 Sakerfalcon: inhaled two already - Ballet Family and Chloe Takes Control. Enjoyed them both.

Glad to see you check in. I'll be interested in your opinion of the book by the time you finish it.

>124 MDGentleReader: I'd like to know what you think of that one, too. It looks interesting.

Haven't gotten much further with smarter Than You Think, too thought provoking to read right before bed. Then there was preparation for family visit and trip, the family visit and trip and now, bronchitis.

Oh, yuck! Bronchitis is no fun. I hope you feel better soon. Hugs.

Hope the bronchitis is gone now and you are feeling better!

>130 ronincats: Used to get bronchitis all the time, good at making it go away. The cold that caused it was another matter altogether. Yesterday was the first day I felt okay sine it all started. Now I am fussed because my Sweetie was quite ill yesterday evening. Combo of potassium and food poisoning. Last heard from him about 5 hours ago, hopefully he is sleeping his way to health. Can't seem to settle to anything.

>131 MDGentleReader: Can't seem to settle to anything.

Not unusual when your body is trying to get back on track. But I hope it passes soon, and that your sweetie gets better so you can quit fussing about him.

>131 MDGentleReader: I hope you both feel better soon. Hugs!

>131 MDGentleReader: glad you're feeling some better. I've had bronchitis a LOT. It's no fun, you've no energy. :(

I can hardly believe my find, Children of the Blizzard, at a thrift store. I have read and enjoyed Wild Like the Foxes by the same author...actually author-combo.

For my Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice/Holiday image this year (we are so diverse!), I've chosen this photograph by local photographer Mark Lenoce of the pier at Pacific Beach to express my holiday wishes to you: Peace on Earth and Good Will toward All!

>136 ronincats: oh, that's just lovely! Thank you.

>136 ronincats: Beautiful, such a peaceful image, it calms the soul.

>136 ronincats: Beautiful! Thank you!

I would imagine your holiday to be a bit subdued this year. Been thinking about you lately.

Hugs.

edited: to add message reference

My SIL was admitted to UNC hospital last night. Prayers, white light, whatever you have would be appreciated.

Someday I'll update this thread with what's been going on the last 4 months, good and bad.

Maybe I'll update with the year's reads, too. They are tagged in my collection with 2015. Lots of re-reads for comfort.

Most recent: Between a Heart and Rock Place - Enjoyed, Pat Benatar is just as good and straightforward a person on the page as she is on stage. Saw her 36th anniversary tour this year - she and Neil still rock.

Winter Solstice a re-read. Love Elfrida. Thanks, SylviaC for mentioning it lately.

Currently reading Hattie Big Sky, The Foundling (re-read) and Motherless Daughters. My mother died almost 26 years ago, but I find more recent losses are helping me miss her more than usual right now.

Happy New Year! Off to recharge my batteries with board games, good times with RL friends and good food for the next few days.

Been thinking of you too, dear. So sorry to hear about your SIL and all support on the way!

I wish your SIL and family well. Comfort to you all.

I've missed you, and will be glad to see you back here whenever you can make it.

>141 ronincats: >142 SylviaC: Thank you for your support, it means a lot to me.

2015 reads, heavy emphasis on re-reads also posted on new thread):

Anna and her daughters 2015, TBSL
Bel Lamington 2015
The Bell Family2015
Between a heart and a rock place : a memoir 2015
The blue sapphire 2015
The call : a novel 2015
Canary yellow 2015
The cat sitter's nine lives 2015
Champion of the Chalet School GGBP, 2015
Changes for the Chalet School 2015
Charlotte Fairlie 2015, TBSL
The Corinthian TBSL, 2015
The corner shop 2015
CotillionTBSL, 2015
The Cow in the Parking Lot: A Zen Approach to Overcoming Anger 2015
Crystal Clear 2015
Deck with Flowers 2015
Devil's Cub 2015
Drina dances in Italy 2015
Drina Dances in Paris 2015
Family gathering 2015
Fardingales 2015
Five windows TBSL, 2015
The fledgling 2015
Fletchers End 2015
Frederica 2015
The friendly air 2015
The Gabriel hounds 2015
Gerald and Elizabeth2015
Gone-Away Lake TBSL, 2015
The grand SophyTBSL, 2015
The Handsome Man's De Luxe Cafe 2015
The house of the deer TBSL, 2015
The house on the cliff 2015
The housekeeper and the professor 2015
How Patients Should Think: 10 Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Drugs, Tests, and Treatment 2015
In storm and in calm 2015
Jane of Lantern Hill TBSL, 2015
Jennings goes to school 2015
Katherine's Marriage 2015
Listening valley TBSL, 2015
Little Donkey: - a short story 2015
Mable Riley : a reliable record of humdrum, peril, and romance 2015
Madcap Miss 2015
Mama's bank account TBSL, 2015
Manners & Mutiny (Finishing School Series) 2015
Mayhem and Miranda 2015
Mermaid House 2015
Miss Pettigrew lives for a day TBSL, 2015
Mom can't see me 2015
Mrs Tim carries on : leaves from the diary of an officer's wife in the year 1940 TBSL, 2015
Mrs. Lorimer's family 2015
Mrs. Tim flies home 2015, TBSL
Mrs. Tim gets a job TBSL 2015
Mrs. Tim of the Regiment: A Novel (Bloomsbury Group) 2015, TBSL
Music in the hills TBSL, 2015
My Friend Cousin Emmie 2015
My Friend Madame Zora 2015
My friend Muriel TBSL, 2015
My Friend Sandy gentle read, 2015
My Friend the Swallow gentle read, 2015
My Friends George and Tom gentle read, 2015
The Mystery at the Chalet School and Robin Heeds the Call 2015, GGBP
The Nonesuch 2015
The Nothing Girl 2015
One Night in London 2015
The past tense of love 2015
The pavilion 2015
The Penderwicks in spring 2015
Prudence 2015
Queenie Peavy 2015
Rainbow Hill TBSL, 2015
Regency Buck TBSL, 2015
The reluctant widow TBSL, 2015
Return match 2015
Return to Gone-Away 2015
Roman Holiday (The Chronicles of St. Mary's) 2015
Rosemary 2015, TBSL
A Scandalous Lady 2015
The secret language 2015
Shoulder the sky, a story of winter in the hills TBSL, 2015
Sprig muslin 2015, TBSL
Spring Magic TBSL, 2015
Sylvester, or, The wicked uncle TBSL, 2015
The talisman ring 2015
The tall stranger 2015, TBSL
The wonderful flight to the Mushroom Planet TBSL, 2015
These Old Shades2015, TBSL
The Toll-Gate TBSL, 2015
The unknown Ajax TBSL, 2015
Venetia TBSL, 2015
Vittoria Cottage TBSL, 2015
Winter solstice 2015
The wisdom of menopause : creating physical and emotional health during the change 2015

We shared four reads: Jane of Lantern Hill (which I really liked), Frederica, and two rereads, Queenie Peavey, and The Secret Language.

146> Of those 4, only Frederica was a re-read for me. I also really liked Jane of Lantern Hill.

Are you at my house? Because those sure sound like my books.

>148 aviddiva: Wouldn't it be lovely if we could browse one another's bookshelves in person? It would be a long process, I think? How did you find out about this one? Have you read this other one by the same author? Ooh, those illustrations are lovely, I have seen this person's illustrations in this other book....

>148 aviddiva: & >149 MDGentleReader: That's why I so appreciate being able to hang out here with younse. There isn't anyone locally who appreciates these same kinds of books, as far as I have found. We are rare birds. Thanks LT for introducing us.

>150 2wonderY: agreed, especially the TBSL bunch. :)

>149 MDGentleReader: I discovered Ballet for Drina last year and was happily *un*surprised to find you were there before me. :)

>149 MDGentleReader: Yes! I've often wanted to loan out books to others here, too, or borrow from their collections.

>149 MDGentleReader: This would indeed be a wonderful thing! I think we'd all be borrowing from one another.

Very quiet here...

Have started anne of Green Gables series. Am in Anne of Avonlea right now. Sitting in jury lounge right now waiting to find out if we'll be able to leave soon.

read The War That Saved My Life recently. Thought it was really good. Slowly reading The Summer Book and delaying the end of My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry.

Had a really wonderful trip to Richmond, Virginia last weekend. Glad this week's storm forecast changed to rain. Tired of difficult walking and driving and having to work extra on days we go into work to make up time.

Oh! Have you read the Anne books before?

Hope you're enjoying Anne. I've spent a lot of time reading in jury rooms over the years. I've been called for duty a few times, but have never been selected to serve.

157> My favorite Aunt and one of my very favorite people was named Anne with an E. SO, yes, I was well supplied with Anne books. Got a little confused when I saw Anne of Windy Willows at my Aunt's house. Even more confused when I was quite certain that I read it, but that bits were missing. Anne of Windy Poplars was the US edition.

Good to see you checking in. Missed you!