inge87's 2015: Miles and Miles of Reading, Part II
Dit is een voortzetting van het onderwerp inge87's 2015: Miles and Miles of Reading.
Discussie75 Books Challenge for 2015
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3inge87
Books Read in December
Well that's it for 2015! Come and see what I have in store for 2016 over here at my new thread!
* = re-read
+ = owned and unread for at least a year (Mt. TBR)
^ = foreign language book
1 star = Did trees really have to die for this?
2 stars = Almost a good book
3 stars = A solid, good book
4 stars = A very good book
5 stars = An amazingly good book
Well that's it for 2015! Come and see what I have in store for 2016 over here at my new thread!
* = re-read
+ = owned and unread for at least a year (Mt. TBR)
^ = foreign language book
1 star = Did trees really have to die for this?
2 stars = Almost a good book
3 stars = A solid, good book
4 stars = A very good book
5 stars = An amazingly good book
4inge87
Books Read in January
1. Christmas Carols: From Village Green to Church Choir by Andrew Gant (4)
2. Snow Comes to Hawk's Folly by J. Kathleen Cheney (4)
3. Dog on It by Spencer Quinn (3)
4. The Vanished Landscape: A 1930s Childhood in the Potteries by Paul Johnson (5)
5. Patricia Brent, Spinster by Herbert Jenkins (2)
6. The Frog Earl by Carola Dunn (3)
7. Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews (3)
8. The Devil Takes Half by Leta Serafim (3)
9. Good Dog: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Loyalty by David DiBenedetto and the Editors of Garden and Gun (3)
10. Snowfall by J. Kathleen Cheney (3)
11. A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively (4)
12. Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms: Journeys Into the Disappearing Religions of the Middle East by Gerard Russell (4)
13. Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews (3)
14. Astercote by Penelope Lively (3)
15. Ancient Syria: A Three Thousand Year History by Trevor Bryce (3)
Monthly Total = 15 Books
Books Read in February
16. Uniformity with God's Will by St. Alphonsus Liguori (4)
17. Turning to Tradition: Converts and the Making of an American Orthodox Church by D. Oliver Herbel (4)
18. Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death by James Runcie (4)
19. Brother Petroc's Return by S.M.C. (3)
20. Wildalone by Krassi Zourkova (3)
21. Dead Man Walker by Duffy Brown (3)
22. Garlic: An Edible Biography by Robin Cherry (3)
23. Saint Athanasius: Defender of the Faith by Michael Davies (5)
24. The Allure of the Archives by Arlette Farge (4)
25. The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Paton Walsh (4)
26. The Didache (3)
27. Why Must I Suffer? by Fr. F. J. Remler (2)
28. Epistle to Diognetus (3)
29. The Père-Lachaise Mystery by Claude Izner (3)
30. Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart by Jacques Philippe (3)
31. The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians by St. Polycarp of Smyrna (3)
32. Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews (4)
33. Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews (4)
36. Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews (4)
35. Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews (3)
Monthly Total = 20 Books Read
Books Read in March
36. The Letters of Ignatius of Antioch by St. Ignatius of Antioch* (3)
37. Dominus Est—It Is the Lord! Reflections of a Bishop of Central Asia on Holy Communion by Athanasius Schneider+ (4)
38. Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church by Robert Dodaro, OSA (Ed.) (4)
39. The First Apology by St. Justin Martyr (3)
40. Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer* (5)
41. The Agency: Rivals in the City by Y. S. Lee (3)
42. The Montmartre Investigation by Claude Izner (2)
43. On the Unity of the Church by St. Cyprian of Carthage+ (3)
44. The Closing of the Muslim Mind: How Intellectual Suicide Created the Modern Islamist Crisis by Robert R. Reilly (4)
45. Der Dom by Gertrud von le Fort^ (3)
46. Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer* (5)
47. The Life of the Right Reverend Ronald Knox by Evelyn Waugh (4)
48. Helena by Evelyn Waugh (4)
49. The Life of Anthony by St. Athanasius of Alexandria+ (3)
50. The Cornish Coast Murder by John Bude (3)
51. Empress of the Garden by G. Michael Shoup (3)
52. On the Mysteries by St. Ambrose of Milan (4)
Monthly Total = 17 Books Read
1. Christmas Carols: From Village Green to Church Choir by Andrew Gant (4)
2. Snow Comes to Hawk's Folly by J. Kathleen Cheney (4)
3. Dog on It by Spencer Quinn (3)
4. The Vanished Landscape: A 1930s Childhood in the Potteries by Paul Johnson (5)
5. Patricia Brent, Spinster by Herbert Jenkins (2)
6. The Frog Earl by Carola Dunn (3)
7. Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews (3)
8. The Devil Takes Half by Leta Serafim (3)
9. Good Dog: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Loyalty by David DiBenedetto and the Editors of Garden and Gun (3)
10. Snowfall by J. Kathleen Cheney (3)
11. A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively (4)
12. Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms: Journeys Into the Disappearing Religions of the Middle East by Gerard Russell (4)
13. Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews (3)
14. Astercote by Penelope Lively (3)
15. Ancient Syria: A Three Thousand Year History by Trevor Bryce (3)
Monthly Total = 15 Books
Books Read in February
16. Uniformity with God's Will by St. Alphonsus Liguori (4)
17. Turning to Tradition: Converts and the Making of an American Orthodox Church by D. Oliver Herbel (4)
18. Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death by James Runcie (4)
19. Brother Petroc's Return by S.M.C. (3)
20. Wildalone by Krassi Zourkova (3)
21. Dead Man Walker by Duffy Brown (3)
22. Garlic: An Edible Biography by Robin Cherry (3)
23. Saint Athanasius: Defender of the Faith by Michael Davies (5)
24. The Allure of the Archives by Arlette Farge (4)
25. The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Paton Walsh (4)
26. The Didache (3)
27. Why Must I Suffer? by Fr. F. J. Remler (2)
28. Epistle to Diognetus (3)
29. The Père-Lachaise Mystery by Claude Izner (3)
30. Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart by Jacques Philippe (3)
31. The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians by St. Polycarp of Smyrna (3)
32. Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews (4)
33. Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews (4)
36. Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews (4)
35. Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews (3)
Monthly Total = 20 Books Read
Books Read in March
36. The Letters of Ignatius of Antioch by St. Ignatius of Antioch* (3)
37. Dominus Est—It Is the Lord! Reflections of a Bishop of Central Asia on Holy Communion by Athanasius Schneider+ (4)
38. Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church by Robert Dodaro, OSA (Ed.) (4)
39. The First Apology by St. Justin Martyr (3)
40. Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer* (5)
41. The Agency: Rivals in the City by Y. S. Lee (3)
42. The Montmartre Investigation by Claude Izner (2)
43. On the Unity of the Church by St. Cyprian of Carthage+ (3)
44. The Closing of the Muslim Mind: How Intellectual Suicide Created the Modern Islamist Crisis by Robert R. Reilly (4)
45. Der Dom by Gertrud von le Fort^ (3)
46. Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer* (5)
47. The Life of the Right Reverend Ronald Knox by Evelyn Waugh (4)
48. Helena by Evelyn Waugh (4)
49. The Life of Anthony by St. Athanasius of Alexandria+ (3)
50. The Cornish Coast Murder by John Bude (3)
51. Empress of the Garden by G. Michael Shoup (3)
52. On the Mysteries by St. Ambrose of Milan (4)
Monthly Total = 17 Books Read
5inge87
Books Read in April
53. Robinson by Muriel Spark (3)
54. Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop (3)
55. The Tamarind Seed by Evelyn Anthony (4)
56. Gregorian Chant: A Guide to the History and Liturgy by Dr. Daniel Saulnier (3)
57. Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis (3)
58. The Dragon's Child: Two Short Stories by J. Kathleen Cheney (3)
59. The Dragon's Pearl: Three Short Stories by J. Kathleen Cheney (3)
60. The Eretik by J. Kathleen Cheney (3)
61. Touching the Dead: Three Short Stories by J. Kathleen Cheney (4)
62. A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (3)
63. Wide Open by Deborah Coates (4)
64. Hobson's Choice by Harold Brighouse (4)
Monthly Total = 12 Books Read
Books Read in May
65. A Dangerous Mourning by Anne Perry (3)
66. The Sins of the Wolf by Anne Perry (3)
67. The Italians by John Hooper (4)
68. Victorian Secrets: What a Corset Taught Me about the Past, the Present, and Myself by Sarah A. Chrisman (4)
69. Fall with Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout (2)
70. Dream a Little Dream by Kirsten Gier (3)
71. A Bride's Story, Volume 1 by Kaoru Mori (4)
72. There is Only the Earth: Images from the Armenian Diaspora Project by Scout Tufankjian (4)
73. Pius XI: the Pope and the Man by Zsolt Aradi (3)
74. The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan (4)
75. A Wind in Cairo by Judith Tarr (3)
76. Holiness for Housewives (And Other Working Women) by Dom Hubert Van Zeller (3)
77. What the Dog Knows: Scent, Science, and the Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World by Cat Warren (3)
78. Scarlet Devices by Delphine Dryden (3)
79. The Sea Inside by Philip Hoare (3)
80. The Land Where Lemons Grow: The Story of Italy and Its Citrus Fruit by Helena Attlee (4)
81. The Little Book of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Model of Christians, Cause of our Joy by Raoul Plus, SJ (3)
82. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume 1 by Alan Moore (3)
83. Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal (3)
84. Rock with Wings by Anne Hillerman (3)
85. Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament: Readings for the Month of May by St. Pierre Julian Eymard (3)
86. Charlotte Cross and Aunt Deb; or, the Queerest Trip on Record by May Hollis Barton (3)
87. Finding Confidence in Times of Trial: Letters of St. John of Avila by St. John of Avila (3)
Monthly Total = 23 Books Read
Books Read in June
88. Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamond by Mrs. Oliphant (4)
89. The Edge of the World: A Cultural History of the North Sea and the Transformation of Europe by Michael Pye (3)
90. A Champion of the Church: St. Peter Canisius, SJ by William Reany (4)
91. Small Catechism for Catholics by St. Peter Canisius (4)
92. Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson (3)
93. A Hundred Years of Mount Holyoke College: The Evolution of an Educational Ideal by Arthur Charles Cole (3)
94. 100 Days of Real Food: How We Did It, What We Learned, and 100 Easy, Wholesome Recipes Your Family Will Love by Lisa Leake (3)
95. A Tapestry of Lives, Volume 1 by Jean Sims (4)
96. The Attacking Ocean: The Past, Present, and Future of Rising Sea Levels by Brian M. Fagan (4)
97. August Folly by Angela Thirkell (3)
98. Only a Promise by Mary Balogh (3)
99. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert (5)
100. Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching: A Defense of the Church's True Teachings on Marriage, Family, and the State by Anthony Esolen (4)
101. The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir by Leslie Marmon Silko (2)
102. The Changeling Sea by Patricia A. McKillip* (4)
103. Contraception and Persecution by Charles E. Rice (5)
Monthly Total = 16 Books Read
53. Robinson by Muriel Spark (3)
54. Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop (3)
55. The Tamarind Seed by Evelyn Anthony (4)
56. Gregorian Chant: A Guide to the History and Liturgy by Dr. Daniel Saulnier (3)
57. Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis (3)
58. The Dragon's Child: Two Short Stories by J. Kathleen Cheney (3)
59. The Dragon's Pearl: Three Short Stories by J. Kathleen Cheney (3)
60. The Eretik by J. Kathleen Cheney (3)
61. Touching the Dead: Three Short Stories by J. Kathleen Cheney (4)
62. A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (3)
63. Wide Open by Deborah Coates (4)
64. Hobson's Choice by Harold Brighouse (4)
Monthly Total = 12 Books Read
Books Read in May
65. A Dangerous Mourning by Anne Perry (3)
66. The Sins of the Wolf by Anne Perry (3)
67. The Italians by John Hooper (4)
68. Victorian Secrets: What a Corset Taught Me about the Past, the Present, and Myself by Sarah A. Chrisman (4)
69. Fall with Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout (2)
70. Dream a Little Dream by Kirsten Gier (3)
71. A Bride's Story, Volume 1 by Kaoru Mori (4)
72. There is Only the Earth: Images from the Armenian Diaspora Project by Scout Tufankjian (4)
73. Pius XI: the Pope and the Man by Zsolt Aradi (3)
74. The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan (4)
75. A Wind in Cairo by Judith Tarr (3)
76. Holiness for Housewives (And Other Working Women) by Dom Hubert Van Zeller (3)
77. What the Dog Knows: Scent, Science, and the Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World by Cat Warren (3)
78. Scarlet Devices by Delphine Dryden (3)
79. The Sea Inside by Philip Hoare (3)
80. The Land Where Lemons Grow: The Story of Italy and Its Citrus Fruit by Helena Attlee (4)
81. The Little Book of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Model of Christians, Cause of our Joy by Raoul Plus, SJ (3)
82. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume 1 by Alan Moore (3)
83. Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal (3)
84. Rock with Wings by Anne Hillerman (3)
85. Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament: Readings for the Month of May by St. Pierre Julian Eymard (3)
86. Charlotte Cross and Aunt Deb; or, the Queerest Trip on Record by May Hollis Barton (3)
87. Finding Confidence in Times of Trial: Letters of St. John of Avila by St. John of Avila (3)
Monthly Total = 23 Books Read
Books Read in June
88. Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamond by Mrs. Oliphant (4)
89. The Edge of the World: A Cultural History of the North Sea and the Transformation of Europe by Michael Pye (3)
90. A Champion of the Church: St. Peter Canisius, SJ by William Reany (4)
91. Small Catechism for Catholics by St. Peter Canisius (4)
92. Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson (3)
93. A Hundred Years of Mount Holyoke College: The Evolution of an Educational Ideal by Arthur Charles Cole (3)
94. 100 Days of Real Food: How We Did It, What We Learned, and 100 Easy, Wholesome Recipes Your Family Will Love by Lisa Leake (3)
95. A Tapestry of Lives, Volume 1 by Jean Sims (4)
96. The Attacking Ocean: The Past, Present, and Future of Rising Sea Levels by Brian M. Fagan (4)
97. August Folly by Angela Thirkell (3)
98. Only a Promise by Mary Balogh (3)
99. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert (5)
100. Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching: A Defense of the Church's True Teachings on Marriage, Family, and the State by Anthony Esolen (4)
101. The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir by Leslie Marmon Silko (2)
102. The Changeling Sea by Patricia A. McKillip* (4)
103. Contraception and Persecution by Charles E. Rice (5)
Monthly Total = 16 Books Read
6inge87
Books Read in July
103. Stained Glass: Radiant Art by Virginia Chieffo Raguin (3)
104. Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart* (4)
105. Climbing Parnassus: A New Apologia for Greek and Latin by Tracy Lee Simmons (3)
106. How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction by Beth Shapiro (4)
107. The Property by Rutu Modan (4)
108. Jane, the Fox, and Me by Fanny Britt & Isabelle Arsenault (5)
109. The Shores of Spain by J. Kathleen Cheney (4)
110. A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin (3)
111. A Deadly Wandering: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention by Matt Richtel (5)
112. The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan (3)
113. Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America by François Weil (3)
114. Ending Up by Kingsley Amis (2)
115. The Crossing Place: A Journey Among the Armenians by Philip Marsden (4)
116. Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende (2)
117. Rook by Sharon Cameron (4)
118. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 2 by Naoko Takeuchi (4)
119. A Decent Birth, a Happy Funeral by William Saroyan (2)
120. Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore (4)
121. The Story of Our Churches and Cathedrals by Richard Bowood (4)
122. Global Crisis: War, Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century by Geoffrey Parker (3)
Monthly Total = 20 Books Read
Books Read in August
123. Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers (4)
124. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 3 by Naoko Takeuchi (3)
125. The Spirit-Wrestlers by Philip Marsden (4)
126. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 4 by Naoko Takeuchi (3)
127. The Misogynist by Piers Paul Read (3)
128. The Four Men: A Farrago by Hilaire Belloc (4)
129. My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by Stephanie Perkins (ed.) (2)
130. Lingo: A Language Spotters Guide to Europe by Gaston Dorren (3)
131. The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera (3)
132. Underlands: A Journey through Britain's Lost Landscape by Ted Nield (4)
133. The Good Comrade by Una L. Silberrad (5)
134. The African Equation by Yasmina Khadra (4)
135. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 5 by Naoko Takeuchi (3)
136. Nature's Engraver: A Life of Thomas Bewick by Jenny Uglow (3)
137. The Fault Line: Traveling the Other Europe, From Finland to Ukraine by Paolo Rumiz (3)
138. Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne (4)
139. Saints and Ourselves: Personal Studies by Philip Caraman, SJ (ed.) (3)
140. George V: The Unexpected King by David Cannadine (4)
141. Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart* (4)
Monthly Total = 19 Books Read
Books Read in September
142. The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett (5)
143. Lady of Magick by Sylvia Izzo Hunter (2)
144. No Holly for Miss Quinn by Miss Read (2)
145. George VI: The Dutiful King by Philip Ziegler (3)
146. Black Diamonds by Catherine Bailey (4)
147. Village Affairs by Miss Read (3)
148. Twelfth Night, or What You Will by William Shakespeare (3)
149. God or Nothing: A Conversation on Faith with Nicolas Diat by Robert Cardinal Sarah (5)
150. Saints and Ourselves: Second Series: Personal Studies of Favorite Saints by Philip Caraman (ed.) (4)
151. Eugenics and Other Evils by G. K. Chesterton (2)
152. The Superstition of Divorce by G. K. Chesterton (3)
153. How to Speak Brit: The Quintessential Guide to the King's English, Cockney Slang, and Other Flummoxing British Phrases by Christopher J. Moore (3)
154. Daughters of the Samurai: A Journey from East to West and Back by Janice P. Nimura (3)
155. The Authority of Women in the Catholic Church by Monica Migliorino Miller (4)
156. Pawpaw: In Search of America's Forgotten Fruit by Andrew Moore (3)
157. The Choice of the Family: A Call to Wholeness, Abundant Life, and Enduring Happiness by Jean Laffitte (3)
158. Dictatorship of the Dress by Jessica Topper (3)
159. Timeless: Love, Morgenthau, and Me by Lucinda Franks (3)
160. Stephen: The Reign of Anarchy by Carl Watkins (4)
161. Elizabeth II: The Steadfast by Douglas Hurd (2)
162. The White Robin by Miss Read (3)
163. Just So Happens by Fumio Obata (3)
164. In These Times: Living in Britain through Napoleon's Wars, 1793-1815 by Jenny Uglow (3)
165. Kate's Progress by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles* (5)
166. The Church Ascending: How Saints and Sinners Brought About the Triumph of Christianity in the West by Diane Moczar+ (3)
Monthly Total = 25 Books Read
Books Read in October
167. Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells by Helen Scales (4)
168. Practically Perfect by Katie Fforde* (3)
169. Alfred the Great by Eleanor Shipley Duckett (3)
170. Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family: Essays from a Pastoral Viewpoint by Winfried Aymans (ed.) (3)
171. The Running Foxes by Joyce Stranger* (5)
172. The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer* (3)
173. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (3)
174. Still Glides the Stream by Flora Thompson (3)
175. A London Child of the 1870s by Molly Hughes (3)
176. The Right Line of Cerdic by Alfred Duggan (3)
177. Becoming Confederates: Paths to a New National Loyalty by Gary W. Gallagher (4)
178. Cotillion by Georgette Heyer* (3)
179. Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War against Hitler by Mark Riebling (4)
180. Village Centenary by Miss Read (3)
181. Forgotten Land: Journeys Among the Ghosts of East Prussia by Max Egremont (4)
182. The Hanged Man by P. N. Elrod (2)
183. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell* (4)
184. The Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson (3)
185. Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer* (4)
186. Persuasion, Captain Wentworth and Cracklin' Cornbread by Mary Jane Hathaway* (4)
187. Germania: A Personal History of Germans Ancient and Modern by Simon Winder (3)
188. Summer at Fairacre by Miss Read (3)
189. The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales by Franz Xaver von Schönwerth (3)
190. Sword and Serpent by Taylor Marshall (3)
191. Pride, Prejudice, and Cheese Grits by Mary Jane Hathaway (3)
192. The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse by Piu Marie Eatwell (3)
193. Island on Fire: The Extraordinary Story of Laki, the Volcano that Turned Eighteenth-Century Europe Dark by Alexandra Witze & Jeff Kanipe (4)
Monthly Total = 27 Books Read
Books Read in November
194. Champion of Truth: The Life of Saint Athanasius by Michael E. Molloy (3)
195. Tobit's Dog by Michael Nicholas Richard (3)
196. St. Maria Goretti: In Garments All Red by Fr. Godfrey Poage, CP (3)
197. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Volume 1 by Hayao Miyazaki (3)
198. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Volume 2 by Hayao Miyazaki (3)
199. Saint Among Savages: The Life of St. Isaac Jogues by Francis Talbot, SJ (4)
200. Overcoming Sinful Anger: How to Master Your Emotions and Bring Peace to Your Life by Fr. T. G. Morrow (4)
201. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Volume 3 by Hayao Miyazaki (3)
202. Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888 by Ernest Lawrence Thayer (3)
203. Infectious Madness: The Surprising Science of How We "Catch" Mental Illness by Harriet A. Washington (3)
204. Das Evangelium der ehelichen Treue: Eine Antwort auf Kardinal Kasper by Rainer Beckmann^ (4)
205. The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay (3)
206. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski* (5)
207. Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon (4)
208. Ice, Mud and Blood: Lessons from Climates Past by Chris Turney (3)
209. When the Mississippi Ran Backwards: Empire, Intrigue, Murder, and the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-12 by Jay Feldman (2)
210. Summer Half by Angela Thirkell (3)
211. Return of the Gar by Mark Spitzer (1) (unt)
212. Hymnen an die Kirche by Gertrud von Le Fort^ (4)
Monthly Total = 19 Books Read
Books Read in December
213. The Huron Carol by St. Jean de Brébeuf (4)
214. In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward (4)
215. Pomfret Towers by Angela Thirkell (4)
216. Cold Magic by Kate Elliot (3)
217. Mrs. Pringle of Fairacre by Miss Read (2)
218. The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear (3)
219. In Franco's Spain: Being the experiences of an Irish war-correspondent during the Great Civil War which began in 1936 by Cap. Francis McCullagh (3)
220. Goodbye to A River by John Graves (5)
221. Changes at Fairacre by Miss Read (3)
222. Farewell to Fairacre by Miss Read (3)
223. A Peaceful Retirement by Miss Read (3)
224. Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg (1)
225. The Seven Good Years: A Memoir by Etgar Keret (4)
226. Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews* (3)
227. Falling Like Snowflakes by Denise Hunter (2)
228. The Emperor Far Away: Travels at the Edge of China by David Eimer (3)
229. Exclusive by Sandra Brown (2)
230. Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill by Sonia Purnell (4)
231. Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews (3)
232. Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews (4)
233. Sankt Martin by Sebastian Tonner (4)
Monthly Total = 21 Books Read
103. Stained Glass: Radiant Art by Virginia Chieffo Raguin (3)
104. Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart* (4)
105. Climbing Parnassus: A New Apologia for Greek and Latin by Tracy Lee Simmons (3)
106. How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction by Beth Shapiro (4)
107. The Property by Rutu Modan (4)
108. Jane, the Fox, and Me by Fanny Britt & Isabelle Arsenault (5)
109. The Shores of Spain by J. Kathleen Cheney (4)
110. A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin (3)
111. A Deadly Wandering: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention by Matt Richtel (5)
112. The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan (3)
113. Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America by François Weil (3)
114. Ending Up by Kingsley Amis (2)
115. The Crossing Place: A Journey Among the Armenians by Philip Marsden (4)
116. Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende (2)
117. Rook by Sharon Cameron (4)
118. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 2 by Naoko Takeuchi (4)
119. A Decent Birth, a Happy Funeral by William Saroyan (2)
120. Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore (4)
121. The Story of Our Churches and Cathedrals by Richard Bowood (4)
122. Global Crisis: War, Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century by Geoffrey Parker (3)
Monthly Total = 20 Books Read
Books Read in August
123. Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers (4)
124. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 3 by Naoko Takeuchi (3)
125. The Spirit-Wrestlers by Philip Marsden (4)
126. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 4 by Naoko Takeuchi (3)
127. The Misogynist by Piers Paul Read (3)
128. The Four Men: A Farrago by Hilaire Belloc (4)
129. My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by Stephanie Perkins (ed.) (2)
130. Lingo: A Language Spotters Guide to Europe by Gaston Dorren (3)
131. The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera (3)
132. Underlands: A Journey through Britain's Lost Landscape by Ted Nield (4)
133. The Good Comrade by Una L. Silberrad (5)
134. The African Equation by Yasmina Khadra (4)
135. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 5 by Naoko Takeuchi (3)
136. Nature's Engraver: A Life of Thomas Bewick by Jenny Uglow (3)
137. The Fault Line: Traveling the Other Europe, From Finland to Ukraine by Paolo Rumiz (3)
138. Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne (4)
139. Saints and Ourselves: Personal Studies by Philip Caraman, SJ (ed.) (3)
140. George V: The Unexpected King by David Cannadine (4)
141. Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart* (4)
Monthly Total = 19 Books Read
Books Read in September
142. The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett (5)
143. Lady of Magick by Sylvia Izzo Hunter (2)
144. No Holly for Miss Quinn by Miss Read (2)
145. George VI: The Dutiful King by Philip Ziegler (3)
146. Black Diamonds by Catherine Bailey (4)
147. Village Affairs by Miss Read (3)
148. Twelfth Night, or What You Will by William Shakespeare (3)
149. God or Nothing: A Conversation on Faith with Nicolas Diat by Robert Cardinal Sarah (5)
150. Saints and Ourselves: Second Series: Personal Studies of Favorite Saints by Philip Caraman (ed.) (4)
151. Eugenics and Other Evils by G. K. Chesterton (2)
152. The Superstition of Divorce by G. K. Chesterton (3)
153. How to Speak Brit: The Quintessential Guide to the King's English, Cockney Slang, and Other Flummoxing British Phrases by Christopher J. Moore (3)
154. Daughters of the Samurai: A Journey from East to West and Back by Janice P. Nimura (3)
155. The Authority of Women in the Catholic Church by Monica Migliorino Miller (4)
156. Pawpaw: In Search of America's Forgotten Fruit by Andrew Moore (3)
157. The Choice of the Family: A Call to Wholeness, Abundant Life, and Enduring Happiness by Jean Laffitte (3)
158. Dictatorship of the Dress by Jessica Topper (3)
159. Timeless: Love, Morgenthau, and Me by Lucinda Franks (3)
160. Stephen: The Reign of Anarchy by Carl Watkins (4)
161. Elizabeth II: The Steadfast by Douglas Hurd (2)
162. The White Robin by Miss Read (3)
163. Just So Happens by Fumio Obata (3)
164. In These Times: Living in Britain through Napoleon's Wars, 1793-1815 by Jenny Uglow (3)
165. Kate's Progress by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles* (5)
166. The Church Ascending: How Saints and Sinners Brought About the Triumph of Christianity in the West by Diane Moczar+ (3)
Monthly Total = 25 Books Read
Books Read in October
167. Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells by Helen Scales (4)
168. Practically Perfect by Katie Fforde* (3)
169. Alfred the Great by Eleanor Shipley Duckett (3)
170. Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family: Essays from a Pastoral Viewpoint by Winfried Aymans (ed.) (3)
171. The Running Foxes by Joyce Stranger* (5)
172. The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer* (3)
173. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (3)
174. Still Glides the Stream by Flora Thompson (3)
175. A London Child of the 1870s by Molly Hughes (3)
176. The Right Line of Cerdic by Alfred Duggan (3)
177. Becoming Confederates: Paths to a New National Loyalty by Gary W. Gallagher (4)
178. Cotillion by Georgette Heyer* (3)
179. Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War against Hitler by Mark Riebling (4)
180. Village Centenary by Miss Read (3)
181. Forgotten Land: Journeys Among the Ghosts of East Prussia by Max Egremont (4)
182. The Hanged Man by P. N. Elrod (2)
183. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell* (4)
184. The Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson (3)
185. Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer* (4)
186. Persuasion, Captain Wentworth and Cracklin' Cornbread by Mary Jane Hathaway* (4)
187. Germania: A Personal History of Germans Ancient and Modern by Simon Winder (3)
188. Summer at Fairacre by Miss Read (3)
189. The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales by Franz Xaver von Schönwerth (3)
190. Sword and Serpent by Taylor Marshall (3)
191. Pride, Prejudice, and Cheese Grits by Mary Jane Hathaway (3)
192. The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse by Piu Marie Eatwell (3)
193. Island on Fire: The Extraordinary Story of Laki, the Volcano that Turned Eighteenth-Century Europe Dark by Alexandra Witze & Jeff Kanipe (4)
Monthly Total = 27 Books Read
Books Read in November
194. Champion of Truth: The Life of Saint Athanasius by Michael E. Molloy (3)
195. Tobit's Dog by Michael Nicholas Richard (3)
196. St. Maria Goretti: In Garments All Red by Fr. Godfrey Poage, CP (3)
197. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Volume 1 by Hayao Miyazaki (3)
198. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Volume 2 by Hayao Miyazaki (3)
199. Saint Among Savages: The Life of St. Isaac Jogues by Francis Talbot, SJ (4)
200. Overcoming Sinful Anger: How to Master Your Emotions and Bring Peace to Your Life by Fr. T. G. Morrow (4)
201. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Volume 3 by Hayao Miyazaki (3)
202. Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888 by Ernest Lawrence Thayer (3)
203. Infectious Madness: The Surprising Science of How We "Catch" Mental Illness by Harriet A. Washington (3)
204. Das Evangelium der ehelichen Treue: Eine Antwort auf Kardinal Kasper by Rainer Beckmann^ (4)
205. The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay (3)
206. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski* (5)
207. Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon (4)
208. Ice, Mud and Blood: Lessons from Climates Past by Chris Turney (3)
209. When the Mississippi Ran Backwards: Empire, Intrigue, Murder, and the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-12 by Jay Feldman (2)
210. Summer Half by Angela Thirkell (3)
211. Return of the Gar by Mark Spitzer (1) (unt)
212. Hymnen an die Kirche by Gertrud von Le Fort^ (4)
Monthly Total = 19 Books Read
Books Read in December
213. The Huron Carol by St. Jean de Brébeuf (4)
214. In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward (4)
215. Pomfret Towers by Angela Thirkell (4)
216. Cold Magic by Kate Elliot (3)
217. Mrs. Pringle of Fairacre by Miss Read (2)
218. The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear (3)
219. In Franco's Spain: Being the experiences of an Irish war-correspondent during the Great Civil War which began in 1936 by Cap. Francis McCullagh (3)
220. Goodbye to A River by John Graves (5)
221. Changes at Fairacre by Miss Read (3)
222. Farewell to Fairacre by Miss Read (3)
223. A Peaceful Retirement by Miss Read (3)
224. Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg (1)
225. The Seven Good Years: A Memoir by Etgar Keret (4)
226. Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews* (3)
227. Falling Like Snowflakes by Denise Hunter (2)
228. The Emperor Far Away: Travels at the Edge of China by David Eimer (3)
229. Exclusive by Sandra Brown (2)
230. Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill by Sonia Purnell (4)
231. Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews (3)
232. Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews (4)
233. Sankt Martin by Sebastian Tonner (4)
Monthly Total = 21 Books Read
7inge87
Several Centuries of Reading (adopted from Dejah_Thoris who adopted it from souloftherose)
late 1st/early 2nd century AD The Didache
c. 108 The Letters of Ignatius of Antioch by St. Ignatius of Antioch
c. 110-140 The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians by St. Polycarp of Smyrna
c. 151-155 First Apology by St. Justin Martyr
late 2nd century AD Epistle to Diognetus
c. 251 On the Unity of the Church by St. Cyprian of Carthage
c. 360 The Life of Anthony by St. Athanasius of Alexandria
c. 387 On the Mysteries by St. Ambrose of Milan
1558 Small Catechism for Catholics by St. Peter Canisius
1602 Twelfth Night, or What You Will by William Shakespeare
c. 1642 The Huron Carol by St. Jean de Brébeuf
1755 Uniformity with God's Will by St. Alphonsus Liguori
1871 The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear
1873 Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament by St. Pierre Julian Eymard
1888 Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
1890 Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamond by Mrs. Oliphant
1893 The Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson
1900
1901 The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett
1902
1903
1904 Finding Confidence in Times of Trial by St. John of Avila
1905
1906
1907 The Good Comrade by Una L. Silberrad
1908 The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
1909
1910
1911 The Four Men by Hilaire Belloc
1912
1913
1914
1915 Hobson's Choice by Harold Brighouse / The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
1916
1917
1918 Patricia Brent, Spinster by Herbert Jenkins
1919
1920 The Superstition of Divorce by G. K. Chesterton
1921
1922 Eugenics and Other Evils by G. K. Chesterton
1923 Why Must I Suffer? by Fr. F. J. Remler
1924 Hymnen an die Kirche by Gertrud von Le Fort
1925
1926 Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
1927
1928
1929
1930
1931 Charlotte Cross and Aunt Deb by May Hollis Barton / A Champion of the Church by William Reany
1932 The Little Book of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Raoul Plus, SJ
1933 Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers
1934 A London Child of the 1870s by Molly Hughes
1935 The Cornish Coast Murder by John Bude / Saint Among Savages by Francis Talbot, SJ
1936 August Folly by Angela Thirkell / The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay
1937 Brother Petroc's Return / Mystery in White / Summer Half / In Franco's Spain
1938 Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis / Pomfret Towers by Angela Thirkell
1939
1940 A Hundred Years of Mount Holyoke College by Arthur Charles Cole
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946 The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer
1947
1948 Still Glides the Stream by Flora Thompson
1949 A Decent Birth, a Happy Funeral by William Saroyan
1950 Helena by Evelyn Waugh / St. Maria Goretti by Fr. Godfrey Poage, CP
1951 Holiness for Housewives (And Other Working Women) by Dom Hubert van Zeller
1952
1953 Saints and Ourselves by Philip Caraman, SJ (ed.) / Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
1955 Saints and Ourselves: Second Series by Philip Caraman, SJ (ed.)
1956 Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart / Alfred the Great by Eleanor Shipley Duckett
1957
1958 Robinson by Muriel Spark / Pius XI by Zsolt Aradi
1959 The Life of Ronald Knox by Evelyn Waugh
1960 Goodbye to A River by John Graves
1961 The Right Line of Cerdic by Alfred Duggan
1962
1963
1964 The Story of Our Churches and Cathedrals by Richard Bowood
1965 Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart / The Running Foxes by Joyce Stranger
1966 Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer
1967
1968 Der Dom by Gertrud von le Fort / Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer
1969
1970 Astercote by Penelope Lively
1971 The Tamarind Seed by Evelyn Anthony
1972 Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer
1973
1974 Ending Up by Kingsley Amis
1975
1976 A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively / No Holly for Miss Quinn by Miss Read
1977 Village Affairs by Miss Read
1978
1979 The White Robin by Miss Read
1980 Village Centenary by Miss Read
1981
1982 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Vol. 1 by Hayao Miyazaki
1983 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Vol. 2 by Hayao Miyazaki
1984 Summer at Fairacre by Miss Read / Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Vol. 3 by Hayao Miyazaki
1985 Saint Athanasius by Michael Davies
1986
1987
1988 The Changeling Sea by Patricia A. McKillip
1989 The Allure of the Archives / A Wind in Cairo / Mrs. Pringle of Fairacre
1990
1991 Searching for and Maintaining Peace / A Dangerous Mourning / Changes at Fairacre
1992 The Frog Earl by Carola Dunn
1993 The Crossing Place by Philip Marsden / Farewell to Fairacre by Miss Read
1994 The Sins of the Wolf by Anne Perry
1995 Gregorian Chant by Dr. Daniel Saulnier, OSB / The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
1996 A Peaceful Retirement by Miss Read / Exclusive by Sandra Brown
1997
1998 The Spirit-Wrestlers by Philip Marsden
1999
2000
2001
2002 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume 1 by Alan Moore / Climbing Parnassus by Tracy Lee Simmons
2003 The Père-Lachaise Mystery / The Montmartre Investigation / Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 2 / Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 3 / Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 4 / Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 5 / Champion of Truth
2004 The Vanished Landscape by Paul Johnson / Better Off by Eric Brende
2005 When the Mississippi Ran Backwards by Jay Feldman / Sankt Martin by Sebastian Tonner
2006 Nature's Engraver / The Church Ascending / Practically Perfect
2007 Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews / Black Diamonds by Catherine Bailey
2008 Magic Burns / Dominus Est—It Is the Lord! / Ice, Mud and Blood
2009 Dog on It / Magic Strikes / A Bride's Story, Vol. 1
2010 Snow Comes to Hawk's Folly / The Attenbury Emeralds / Magic Bleeds / The Closing of the Muslim Mind / The Turquoise Ledge / The Misogynist / Germania / Cold Magic / Ballet for Martha
2011 Magic Slays / The Dragon's Child / Touching the Dead / The Fault Line / The Choice of the Family / Forgotten Land / Magic Dreams / Silver Shark
2012 Snowfall / Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death / Empress of the Garden / The Dragon's Pearl / The Eretik / Wide Open / Glamour in Glass / Jane, the Fox, & Me
2013 Turning to Tradition / A Natural History of Dragons / Victorian Secrets / Dream a Little Dream / What the Dog Knows / The Sea Inside / Once We Were Brothers / The Attacking Ocean / Stained Glass: Radiant Art / The Property / Family Trees / Global Crisis / The Awakening of Miss Prim / Kate's Progress / Becoming Confederates / Fangirl / Clean Sweep
2014 Christmas Carols / Burn for Me / The Devil Takes Half / Good Dog / Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms / Ancient Syria / Garlic: An Edible Biography / Remaining in the Truth of Christ / Rivals in the City / The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter / Scarlet Devices / The Land Where Lemons Grow / The Edge of the World / 100 Days of Real Food / A Tapestry of Lives, Volume 1 / The Sixth Extinction / Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching / Contraception and Persecution / A Deadly Wandering / Bittersweet / Lingo / Underlands / George V / George VI / How to Speak Brit / Timeless: Love, Morgenthau, and Me / Just So Happens / Persuasion, Captain Wentworth and Cracklin' Cornbread / Pride, Prejudice and Cheese Grits / The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse / Island on Fire / Tobit's Dog / Overcoming Sinful Anger / The Emperor Far Away
2015 Wildalone / Dead Man Walker / Vision in Silver / The Italians / Fall with Me / There is Only the Earth / Rock with Wings / Only a Promise / How to Clone a Mammoth / The Shores of Spain / A School for Unusual Girls / Rook / Lady of Magick / God or Nothing / Daughters of the Samurai / The Authority of Women in the Catholic Church / Pawpaw / Dictatorship of the Dress / Stephen: The Reign of Anarchy / Elizabeth II: The Steadfast / Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family / Church of Spies / The Hanged Man / The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales / Infectious Madness / Das Evangelium der ehelichen Treue / Return of the Gar / In Bitter Chill / The Seven Good Years / Clementine
late 1st/early 2nd century AD The Didache
c. 108 The Letters of Ignatius of Antioch by St. Ignatius of Antioch
c. 110-140 The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians by St. Polycarp of Smyrna
c. 151-155 First Apology by St. Justin Martyr
late 2nd century AD Epistle to Diognetus
c. 251 On the Unity of the Church by St. Cyprian of Carthage
c. 360 The Life of Anthony by St. Athanasius of Alexandria
c. 387 On the Mysteries by St. Ambrose of Milan
1558 Small Catechism for Catholics by St. Peter Canisius
1602 Twelfth Night, or What You Will by William Shakespeare
c. 1642 The Huron Carol by St. Jean de Brébeuf
1755 Uniformity with God's Will by St. Alphonsus Liguori
1871 The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear
1873 Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament by St. Pierre Julian Eymard
1888 Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
1890 Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamond by Mrs. Oliphant
1893 The Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson
1900
1901 The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett
1902
1903
1904 Finding Confidence in Times of Trial by St. John of Avila
1905
1906
1907 The Good Comrade by Una L. Silberrad
1908 The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
1909
1910
1911 The Four Men by Hilaire Belloc
1912
1913
1914
1915 Hobson's Choice by Harold Brighouse / The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
1916
1917
1918 Patricia Brent, Spinster by Herbert Jenkins
1919
1920 The Superstition of Divorce by G. K. Chesterton
1921
1922 Eugenics and Other Evils by G. K. Chesterton
1923 Why Must I Suffer? by Fr. F. J. Remler
1924 Hymnen an die Kirche by Gertrud von Le Fort
1925
1926 Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
1927
1928
1929
1930
1931 Charlotte Cross and Aunt Deb by May Hollis Barton / A Champion of the Church by William Reany
1932 The Little Book of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Raoul Plus, SJ
1933 Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers
1934 A London Child of the 1870s by Molly Hughes
1935 The Cornish Coast Murder by John Bude / Saint Among Savages by Francis Talbot, SJ
1936 August Folly by Angela Thirkell / The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay
1937 Brother Petroc's Return / Mystery in White / Summer Half / In Franco's Spain
1938 Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis / Pomfret Towers by Angela Thirkell
1939
1940 A Hundred Years of Mount Holyoke College by Arthur Charles Cole
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946 The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer
1947
1948 Still Glides the Stream by Flora Thompson
1949 A Decent Birth, a Happy Funeral by William Saroyan
1950 Helena by Evelyn Waugh / St. Maria Goretti by Fr. Godfrey Poage, CP
1951 Holiness for Housewives (And Other Working Women) by Dom Hubert van Zeller
1952
1953 Saints and Ourselves by Philip Caraman, SJ (ed.) / Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
1955 Saints and Ourselves: Second Series by Philip Caraman, SJ (ed.)
1956 Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart / Alfred the Great by Eleanor Shipley Duckett
1957
1958 Robinson by Muriel Spark / Pius XI by Zsolt Aradi
1959 The Life of Ronald Knox by Evelyn Waugh
1960 Goodbye to A River by John Graves
1961 The Right Line of Cerdic by Alfred Duggan
1962
1963
1964 The Story of Our Churches and Cathedrals by Richard Bowood
1965 Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart / The Running Foxes by Joyce Stranger
1966 Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer
1967
1968 Der Dom by Gertrud von le Fort / Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer
1969
1970 Astercote by Penelope Lively
1971 The Tamarind Seed by Evelyn Anthony
1972 Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer
1973
1974 Ending Up by Kingsley Amis
1975
1976 A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively / No Holly for Miss Quinn by Miss Read
1977 Village Affairs by Miss Read
1978
1979 The White Robin by Miss Read
1980 Village Centenary by Miss Read
1981
1982 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Vol. 1 by Hayao Miyazaki
1983 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Vol. 2 by Hayao Miyazaki
1984 Summer at Fairacre by Miss Read / Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Vol. 3 by Hayao Miyazaki
1985 Saint Athanasius by Michael Davies
1986
1987
1988 The Changeling Sea by Patricia A. McKillip
1989 The Allure of the Archives / A Wind in Cairo / Mrs. Pringle of Fairacre
1990
1991 Searching for and Maintaining Peace / A Dangerous Mourning / Changes at Fairacre
1992 The Frog Earl by Carola Dunn
1993 The Crossing Place by Philip Marsden / Farewell to Fairacre by Miss Read
1994 The Sins of the Wolf by Anne Perry
1995 Gregorian Chant by Dr. Daniel Saulnier, OSB / The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
1996 A Peaceful Retirement by Miss Read / Exclusive by Sandra Brown
1997
1998 The Spirit-Wrestlers by Philip Marsden
1999
2000
2001
2002 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume 1 by Alan Moore / Climbing Parnassus by Tracy Lee Simmons
2003 The Père-Lachaise Mystery / The Montmartre Investigation / Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 2 / Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 3 / Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 4 / Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 5 / Champion of Truth
2004 The Vanished Landscape by Paul Johnson / Better Off by Eric Brende
2005 When the Mississippi Ran Backwards by Jay Feldman / Sankt Martin by Sebastian Tonner
2006 Nature's Engraver / The Church Ascending / Practically Perfect
2007 Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews / Black Diamonds by Catherine Bailey
2008 Magic Burns / Dominus Est—It Is the Lord! / Ice, Mud and Blood
2009 Dog on It / Magic Strikes / A Bride's Story, Vol. 1
2010 Snow Comes to Hawk's Folly / The Attenbury Emeralds / Magic Bleeds / The Closing of the Muslim Mind / The Turquoise Ledge / The Misogynist / Germania / Cold Magic / Ballet for Martha
2011 Magic Slays / The Dragon's Child / Touching the Dead / The Fault Line / The Choice of the Family / Forgotten Land / Magic Dreams / Silver Shark
2012 Snowfall / Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death / Empress of the Garden / The Dragon's Pearl / The Eretik / Wide Open / Glamour in Glass / Jane, the Fox, & Me
2013 Turning to Tradition / A Natural History of Dragons / Victorian Secrets / Dream a Little Dream / What the Dog Knows / The Sea Inside / Once We Were Brothers / The Attacking Ocean / Stained Glass: Radiant Art / The Property / Family Trees / Global Crisis / The Awakening of Miss Prim / Kate's Progress / Becoming Confederates / Fangirl / Clean Sweep
2014 Christmas Carols / Burn for Me / The Devil Takes Half / Good Dog / Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms / Ancient Syria / Garlic: An Edible Biography / Remaining in the Truth of Christ / Rivals in the City / The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter / Scarlet Devices / The Land Where Lemons Grow / The Edge of the World / 100 Days of Real Food / A Tapestry of Lives, Volume 1 / The Sixth Extinction / Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching / Contraception and Persecution / A Deadly Wandering / Bittersweet / Lingo / Underlands / George V / George VI / How to Speak Brit / Timeless: Love, Morgenthau, and Me / Just So Happens / Persuasion, Captain Wentworth and Cracklin' Cornbread / Pride, Prejudice and Cheese Grits / The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse / Island on Fire / Tobit's Dog / Overcoming Sinful Anger / The Emperor Far Away
2015 Wildalone / Dead Man Walker / Vision in Silver / The Italians / Fall with Me / There is Only the Earth / Rock with Wings / Only a Promise / How to Clone a Mammoth / The Shores of Spain / A School for Unusual Girls / Rook / Lady of Magick / God or Nothing / Daughters of the Samurai / The Authority of Women in the Catholic Church / Pawpaw / Dictatorship of the Dress / Stephen: The Reign of Anarchy / Elizabeth II: The Steadfast / Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family / Church of Spies / The Hanged Man / The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales / Infectious Madness / Das Evangelium der ehelichen Treue / Return of the Gar / In Bitter Chill / The Seven Good Years / Clementine
8inge87
LC Classification Spread My reading according to the Library of Congress Classification System.
B The Closing of the Muslim Mind (1)
BF A Deadly Wandering (1)
BL Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms (1)
BR Saint Athanasius (7)
BS The Didache (1)
BT The Little Book of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1)
BV Christmas Carols (3)
BX Uniformity with God's Will (23)
CD The Allure of the Archives (1)
CS Family Trees (1)
D The Edge of the World (3)
DA The Vanished Landscape (8)
DD Germania (1)
DG The Italians (1)
DK The Spirit-Wrestlers (2)
DP In Franco's Spain (1)
DS Ancient Syria (4)
E Becoming Confederates (1)
F Goodbye to A River (1)
GC The Sea Inside (2)
GR The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales (1)
GT Victorian Secrets (1)
HM Better Off (1)
HQ Contraception and Persecution (3)
KD The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse (1)
LC Climbing Parnassus (1)
LD A Hundred Years of Mount Holyoke College (1)
ML Gregorian Chant (1)
NA The Story of Our Churches and Cathedrals (1)
NE Nature's Engraver (1)
NK Stained Glass: Radiant Art (1)
P Lingo (1)
PE How to Speak Brit (1)
PJ The Property (2)
PL A Bride's Story, Volume 1 (8)
PN Timeless: Love, Morgenthau, and Me (1)
PQ The Père-Lachaise Mystery (3)
PR Patricia Brent, Spinster (49)
PS Snow Comes to Hawk's Folly (40)
PT Der Dom (1)
PZ A Stitch in Time (18)
QC Ice, Mud, & Blood (1)
QE The Sixth Extinction (4)
QK Pawpaw (1)
QL How to Clone a Mammoth (3)
RC Infectious Madness (1)
SB Empress of the Garden (2)
SF Good Dog (2)
TR There is Only the Earth (1)
TX Garlic: An Edible Biography (2)
B The Closing of the Muslim Mind (1)
BF A Deadly Wandering (1)
BL Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms (1)
BR Saint Athanasius (7)
BS The Didache (1)
BT The Little Book of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1)
BV Christmas Carols (3)
BX Uniformity with God's Will (23)
CD The Allure of the Archives (1)
CS Family Trees (1)
D The Edge of the World (3)
DA The Vanished Landscape (8)
DD Germania (1)
DG The Italians (1)
DK The Spirit-Wrestlers (2)
DP In Franco's Spain (1)
DS Ancient Syria (4)
E Becoming Confederates (1)
F Goodbye to A River (1)
GC The Sea Inside (2)
GR The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales (1)
GT Victorian Secrets (1)
HM Better Off (1)
HQ Contraception and Persecution (3)
KD The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse (1)
LC Climbing Parnassus (1)
LD A Hundred Years of Mount Holyoke College (1)
ML Gregorian Chant (1)
NA The Story of Our Churches and Cathedrals (1)
NE Nature's Engraver (1)
NK Stained Glass: Radiant Art (1)
P Lingo (1)
PE How to Speak Brit (1)
PJ The Property (2)
PL A Bride's Story, Volume 1 (8)
PN Timeless: Love, Morgenthau, and Me (1)
PQ The Père-Lachaise Mystery (3)
PR Patricia Brent, Spinster (49)
PS Snow Comes to Hawk's Folly (40)
PT Der Dom (1)
PZ A Stitch in Time (18)
QC Ice, Mud, & Blood (1)
QE The Sixth Extinction (4)
QK Pawpaw (1)
QL How to Clone a Mammoth (3)
RC Infectious Madness (1)
SB Empress of the Garden (2)
SF Good Dog (2)
TR There is Only the Earth (1)
TX Garlic: An Edible Biography (2)
9inge87
Books Acquired in 2015*** Keeping myself honest
January
1.Snow Comes to Hawk's Folly by J. Kathleen Cheney - read 1/15
2. The Church and the Human Quest for Truth by Charles Morerod, OP
3. Readings in Political Theory by Juan Donoso Cortés
4. Saint Dominic: The Grace of the Word by Guy Bedouelle
5.The Frog Earl by Carola Dunn - read 1/15
6.Saints Preserved: An Encyclopedia of Relics by Thomas J. Craughwell - rehomed 7/15
7.Father Elijah by Michael O'Brien - read 2012
8. A Man of the Beatitudes: Pier Giorgio Frassati by Luciana Frassati
9. Kleine Geschichte des Dominikanerordens by William H. Hinnebusch
10.Snowfall by J. Kathleen Cheney - read 1/15
11.Saint Athanasius: Defender of the Faith by Michael Davies - read 2/15
12.Why Must I Suffer? by Fr. F. J. Remler - read 2/15
13. Bretonische Verhältnisse by Jean-Luc Bannalec
14.In These Times: Living in Britain through Napoleon's Wars, 1793-1815 by Jenny Uglow - read 9/15
February
15.Uniformity with God's Will by St. Alphonsus Liguori - read 2/15
16. Unterwerfung: Roman by Michel Houellebecq
17.Dead Man Walker by Duffy Brown - read 2/15
18. Making Sense out of Suffering by Peter Kreeft
19. De Controversiis: On the Marks of the Church by Robert Bellarmine
April
20. The Life of St. Philip Neri by Mrs. Hope
21.A Small Catechism for Catholics by St. Peter Canisius - read 6/15
22. The Spiritual Life of Cardinal Merry del Val by Jerome dal Gal
23.A Champion of the Church: St. Peter Canisius, S.J. by William Reany - read 6/15
24. Social Wellsprings, Volume II: Eighteen Encyclicals of Social Reconstruction by Pope Pius XI
25.The Dragon's Child: Two Short Stories by J. Kathleen Cheney - read 4/15
26.The Dragon's Pearl: Three Short Stories by J. Kathleen Cheney - read 4/15
27.The Eretik by J. Kathleen Cheney - read 4/15
28. Interior Freedom by Jacques Philippe
29. The Mind of Pius XII by Pope Pius XII
30.Touching the Dead by J. Kathleen Cheney - read 4/15
31. Where the Buffalo Roam: The Storm over the Revolutionary Plan to Restore America's Great Plains by Anne Matthews
32.Wide Open by Deborah Coates - read 4/15
33. Der Papst an die Deutschen by Pope Pius XII
34.Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching by Anthony Esolen - read 6/15
35. How to Get More out of Holy Communion by St. Pierre Julian Eymard
36. Theological and Dogmatic works by St. Ambrose of Milan
May
37. Basara, Vol. 1 by Yumi Tamura
38.Holiness for Housewives (And Other Working Women) by Hubert van Zeller - read 5/15
39.Finding Confidence in Times of Trial: Letters of St. John of Avila by St. John of Avila - read 5/15
40.The Little Book of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Model of Christians, Cause of our Joy by Roul Plus, SJ - read 5/15
41. Prayer and the Will of God by Hubert van Zeller
42.There is Only the Earth: Images from the Armenian Diaspora Project by Scout Tufankjian - read 5/15
43.A Bride's Story, Volume 1 by Kaoru Mori - read 5/15
44.A Wind in Cairo by Judith Tarr - read 5/15, rehomed 7/15
45.What the Dog Knows: Scent, Science, and the Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World by Cat Warren - read 5/15
46.Scarlet Devices by Delphine Dryden - read 5/15
47.The Sea Inside by Philip Hoare - read 5/15
48.The Land Where Lemons Grow: The Story of Italy and Its Citrus Fruit by Helena Attlee - read 5/15
49. Fashioning the Body: An Intimate History of the Silhouette by Denis Bruna
50.The Edge of the World: A Cultural History of the North Sea and the Transformation of Europe by Michael Pye - read 6/15
51. Freiwild: Das Schicksal deutscher Frauen 1945 by Ingeborg Jacobs
52. Pomfret Towers by Angela Thirkell
53.Charlotte Cross and Aunt Deb; or, The Queerest Trip on Record by May Hollis Barton - read 5/15
June
54. Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People by Elizabeth A. Fenn
55.100 Days of Real Food: How We Did It, What We Learned, and 100 Easy, Wholesome Recipes Your Family Will Love by Lisa Leake - read 6/15
56. De Controversiis: On the Roman Pontiff, Books 1 & 2 by St. Robert Bellarmine
57.A Tapestry of Lives, Volume 1 by Jean Sims - read 6/15
July
58. Pro Archia by Cicero
59. The Silver Bough by Lisa Tuttle
60.The Crossing Place: A Journey among the Armenians by Philip Marsden - read 7/15
61.The Shores of Spain by J. Kathleen Cheney - read 7/15
62. How to Converse with God by St. Alphonsus Liguori
63. Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England by William Cronon
64. 1864: The forgotten war that shaped modern Europe by Tom Buk-Swienty
65. The Cure for Consumerism by Gregory Jensen
66. Hymnen an die Kirche by Gertrud von Le Fort
67. Fromme Übungen by Lorenz Jäger
68.Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 2 by Naoko Takeuchi - read 7/15
69. Faith and Certitude: Can we be sure of the things that matter most to us? by Thomas Dubay
70.The Story of Our Churches and Cathedrals by Richard Bowood - read 7/15
71. Latin: Third Year by Robert Henle
72.Germania : a personal history of Germans ancient and modern by Simon Winder - read 10/15
73.Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 3 by Naoko Takeuchi - read 8/15
74.Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 4 by Naoko Takeuchi - read 8/15
75.Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 5 by Naoko Takeuchi - read 8/15
August
76.The Spirit-Wrestlers by Philip Marsden - read 8/15
77.Lingo: A Language Spotters' Guide to Europe by Gaston Dorren - read 8/15
78.Saints and Ourselves: Personal Studies by Philip Caraman, SJ (ed.) - read 8/15
79.Saints and Ourselves: Second Series by Philip Caraman, SJ (ed.) - read 9/15
80.Underlands: A Journey through Britain's Lost Landscape by Ted Nield - read 8/15
81. The Feast of Faith: Approaches to a Theology of the Liturgy by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
82.The Good Comrade by Una L. Silberrad - read 8/15
83.El Despertar de la señorita Prim by Natalia Sanmartín Fenollera - read 8/15
84. London War Notes, 1939-1945 by Mollie Panter-Downes
85.The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett - read 9/15
86. Developing library and information center collections by G. Edward Evans
September
87.A London Child of the 1870s by Molly Hughes - read 10/15
88.The Choice of the Family: A Call to Wholeness, Abundant Life, and Enduring Happiness by Jean Laffitte et al. - read 9/15
89.The Authority of Women in the Catholic Church by Monica Migliorino Miller - read 9/15
90.Forgotten Land: Journeys Among the Ghosts of East Prussia by Max Egremont - read 10/15
91.Black Diamonds: The Downfall of an Aristocratic Dynasty and the Fifty Years that Changed England by Catharine Bailey - read 9/15
92.Timeless: Love, Morgenthau, and Me by Lucinda Franks - read 9/15
93.God or Nothing: A Conversation on Faith with Nicolas Diat by Robert Cardinal Sarah and Nicolas Diat - read 9/15
94.Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family by Winfried Aymans (ed.) - read 10/15
95. Christ's New Homeland—Africa by Robert Cardinal Sarah, Francis Cardinal Arinze, et al.
total acquired - 95
total read - 55 - 57.89%
***My workplace had to get rid of around a third of its reference collection so the administration could put in offices for another department. I brought home something like 30+books from discards, but they're reference only, so I'm not counting them here.
January
1.
2. The Church and the Human Quest for Truth by Charles Morerod, OP
3. Readings in Political Theory by Juan Donoso Cortés
4. Saint Dominic: The Grace of the Word by Guy Bedouelle
5.
6.
7.
8. A Man of the Beatitudes: Pier Giorgio Frassati by Luciana Frassati
9. Kleine Geschichte des Dominikanerordens by William H. Hinnebusch
10.
11.
12.
13. Bretonische Verhältnisse by Jean-Luc Bannalec
14.
February
15.
16. Unterwerfung: Roman by Michel Houellebecq
17.
18. Making Sense out of Suffering by Peter Kreeft
19. De Controversiis: On the Marks of the Church by Robert Bellarmine
April
20. The Life of St. Philip Neri by Mrs. Hope
21.
22. The Spiritual Life of Cardinal Merry del Val by Jerome dal Gal
23.
24. Social Wellsprings, Volume II: Eighteen Encyclicals of Social Reconstruction by Pope Pius XI
25.
26.
27.
28. Interior Freedom by Jacques Philippe
29. The Mind of Pius XII by Pope Pius XII
30.
31. Where the Buffalo Roam: The Storm over the Revolutionary Plan to Restore America's Great Plains by Anne Matthews
32.
33. Der Papst an die Deutschen by Pope Pius XII
34.
35. How to Get More out of Holy Communion by St. Pierre Julian Eymard
36. Theological and Dogmatic works by St. Ambrose of Milan
May
37. Basara, Vol. 1 by Yumi Tamura
38.
39.
40.
41. Prayer and the Will of God by Hubert van Zeller
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49. Fashioning the Body: An Intimate History of the Silhouette by Denis Bruna
50.
51. Freiwild: Das Schicksal deutscher Frauen 1945 by Ingeborg Jacobs
52. Pomfret Towers by Angela Thirkell
53.
June
54. Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People by Elizabeth A. Fenn
55.
56. De Controversiis: On the Roman Pontiff, Books 1 & 2 by St. Robert Bellarmine
57.
July
58. Pro Archia by Cicero
59. The Silver Bough by Lisa Tuttle
60.
61.
62. How to Converse with God by St. Alphonsus Liguori
63. Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England by William Cronon
64. 1864: The forgotten war that shaped modern Europe by Tom Buk-Swienty
65. The Cure for Consumerism by Gregory Jensen
66. Hymnen an die Kirche by Gertrud von Le Fort
67. Fromme Übungen by Lorenz Jäger
68.
69. Faith and Certitude: Can we be sure of the things that matter most to us? by Thomas Dubay
70.
71. Latin: Third Year by Robert Henle
72.
73.
74.
75.
August
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81. The Feast of Faith: Approaches to a Theology of the Liturgy by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
82.
83.
84. London War Notes, 1939-1945 by Mollie Panter-Downes
85.
86. Developing library and information center collections by G. Edward Evans
September
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95. Christ's New Homeland—Africa by Robert Cardinal Sarah, Francis Cardinal Arinze, et al.
total acquired - 95
total read - 55 - 57.89%
***My workplace had to get rid of around a third of its reference collection so the administration could put in offices for another department. I brought home something like 30+books from discards, but they're reference only, so I'm not counting them here.
10inge87
The Best of the First Half of 2015
Fiction
A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively
Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death by James Runcie
Helena by Evelyn Waugh
The Tamarind Seed by Evelyn Anthony
Touching the Dead: Three Short Stories by J. Kathleen Cheney
The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan
Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamond by Mrs. Oliphant
Non-Fiction
The Vanished Landscape: A 1930s Childhood in the Potteries by Paul Johnson
Saint Athanasius: Defender of the Faith by Michael Davies
The Closing of the Muslim Mind: How Intellectual Suicide Created the Modern Islamist Crisis by Robert R. Reilly
The Land Where Lemons Grow: The Story of Italy and Its Citrus Fruit by Helena Attlee The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
Contraception and Persecution by Charles E. Rice
Fiction
A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively
Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death by James Runcie
Helena by Evelyn Waugh
The Tamarind Seed by Evelyn Anthony
Touching the Dead: Three Short Stories by J. Kathleen Cheney
The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan
Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamond by Mrs. Oliphant
Non-Fiction
The Vanished Landscape: A 1930s Childhood in the Potteries by Paul Johnson
Saint Athanasius: Defender of the Faith by Michael Davies
The Closing of the Muslim Mind: How Intellectual Suicide Created the Modern Islamist Crisis by Robert R. Reilly
The Land Where Lemons Grow: The Story of Italy and Its Citrus Fruit by Helena Attlee The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
Contraception and Persecution by Charles E. Rice
13inge87
>12 susanj67: Thanks!
18inge87
Stained Glass: Radiant Art by Virginia Chieffo Raguin
Source: work
Recommendation: I was looking for short non-fiction
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: NK 5306 R345 2013
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Stained Glass: Radiant Art contains everything you ever wanted to know about medieval and early modern stained glass: how it was made, how it was used, and how it was and is conserved. Full of glorious images of stained glass in the Getty Museum collection, it does an excellent job of explaining complex ideas with little jargon. It is a perfect example of how good illustrations can support ideas in a text and reduce the need for extra explanations. For anyone interested in stained glass or interesting short art books, I can definitely recommend this book.
First Line: Stained glass windows were essential features of medieval and Renaissance buildings, providing not only light to illuminate the interior but also specific and permanent imagery that proclaimed the importance of place.
Source: work
Recommendation: I was looking for short non-fiction
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: NK 5306 R345 2013
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Stained Glass: Radiant Art contains everything you ever wanted to know about medieval and early modern stained glass: how it was made, how it was used, and how it was and is conserved. Full of glorious images of stained glass in the Getty Museum collection, it does an excellent job of explaining complex ideas with little jargon. It is a perfect example of how good illustrations can support ideas in a text and reduce the need for extra explanations. For anyone interested in stained glass or interesting short art books, I can definitely recommend this book.
First Line: Stained glass windows were essential features of medieval and Renaissance buildings, providing not only light to illuminate the interior but also specific and permanent imagery that proclaimed the importance of place.
20inge87
>19 ronincats: Thanks!
21inge87
Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart*
Source: me (10/11)
Recommendation: I felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1956
LC Call #: PR 6069 T46 W55 1956
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Wildfire at Midnight is a classic Mary Stewart thriller, with a rather innocent young woman travels far from the safety of London to find adventure, dangers, and a hint of romance. This time Gianetta, a "mannequin" (model), flees the congestion of London in the run-up to the coronation for the wilds of Skye. Upon arrival, it appears her vacation is destined for rockiness, because her ex-husband is staying at her hotel. Talk about awkward. Then people start dying and a fellow resident receives a kind of voodoo doll, and everything begins spiraling out of control. All she wanted to do was do a bit of hiking and perhaps learn to fish. Ultimately, she is going to have to learn to survive instead.
One of my favorite of Stewart's thrillers. The final twist (the one after the murderer is caught) has not aged particularly well, but if you can get past that particularly interesting take on women and their desires, it's an excellent book. Highly recommended for the retro thriller lover in all of us.
First Line: In the first place, I suppose, it was my parents' fault for giving me a silly name like Gianetta.
Source: me (10/11)
Recommendation: I felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1956
LC Call #: PR 6069 T46 W55 1956
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Wildfire at Midnight is a classic Mary Stewart thriller, with a rather innocent young woman travels far from the safety of London to find adventure, dangers, and a hint of romance. This time Gianetta, a "mannequin" (model), flees the congestion of London in the run-up to the coronation for the wilds of Skye. Upon arrival, it appears her vacation is destined for rockiness, because her ex-husband is staying at her hotel. Talk about awkward. Then people start dying and a fellow resident receives a kind of voodoo doll, and everything begins spiraling out of control. All she wanted to do was do a bit of hiking and perhaps learn to fish. Ultimately, she is going to have to learn to survive instead.
One of my favorite of Stewart's thrillers. The final twist (the one after the murderer is caught) has not aged particularly well, but if you can get past that particularly interesting take on women and their desires, it's an excellent book. Highly recommended for the retro thriller lover in all of us.
First Line: In the first place, I suppose, it was my parents' fault for giving me a silly name like Gianetta.
22inge87
Climbing Parnassus: A New Apologia for Greek and Latin by Tracy Lee Simmons
Source: work
Recommendation: It sounded interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2002
LC Call #: LC 1011 S53 2007
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Climbing Parnassus is a collection of three essays extolling the virtues of old-school classical education with a focus on Latin and Ancient Greek. The first essay focuses on the nature and goals of classical education, the second on the history of classical education from ancient times to the twentieth century, and the third on the fate and role of classical education in the modern era. For those, like me, who are already sympathetic with the theme, it makes for quite the stirring read. My only complaint is that the bibliography is a bit insufficient and could have been more substantial. I'm not sure that anyone not interested in the topic would want to pick it up, but if you've ever wondered about the place of the Classics in the modern world, this book is for you.
First Line: Anyone setting out to defend what Albert Jay Nock once called "the grand old fortifying classical curriculum" — essentially Greek and Latin — does so knowing that he fies the tattered flag of a lost cause.
Source: work
Recommendation: It sounded interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2002
LC Call #: LC 1011 S53 2007
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Climbing Parnassus is a collection of three essays extolling the virtues of old-school classical education with a focus on Latin and Ancient Greek. The first essay focuses on the nature and goals of classical education, the second on the history of classical education from ancient times to the twentieth century, and the third on the fate and role of classical education in the modern era. For those, like me, who are already sympathetic with the theme, it makes for quite the stirring read. My only complaint is that the bibliography is a bit insufficient and could have been more substantial. I'm not sure that anyone not interested in the topic would want to pick it up, but if you've ever wondered about the place of the Classics in the modern world, this book is for you.
First Line: Anyone setting out to defend what Albert Jay Nock once called "the grand old fortifying classical curriculum" — essentially Greek and Latin — does so knowing that he fies the tattered flag of a lost cause.
23inge87
How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction by Beth Shapiro
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: Library Journal, I think
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: QL 88 S49 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
How to Clone a Mammoth is a step-by-step guide to how to recreate lost species—if that really is what we want to do. The author's examples tend to be mammoths and passenger pigeons (as she herself admits) because that is what her lab's work has done the most work on and therefore what she knows best. The Chapter titles give a good summary of the book's content: Reversing Extinction, Select a Species, Find a Well-Preserved Specimen, Create a Clone, Breed Them Back, Reconstruct the Genome, Reconstruct Part of the Genome, Now Create a Clone, Make More of Them, Set Them Free, and Should We?. It turns out, after all, that de-exctinction is actually much more complicated than simple cloning and that cloning may not always be the best solution to filling the ecological niches that humans and time have emptied.
A highly interesting book that manages to be both full of science and yet extremely accessible to interested laypeople. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in extinction and de-extinction.
First Line: A few years ago, a colleague of mine practically bit my head off for geting the end date of the Cretaceous period wrong by a little bit.
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: Library Journal, I think
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: QL 88 S49 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
How to Clone a Mammoth is a step-by-step guide to how to recreate lost species—if that really is what we want to do. The author's examples tend to be mammoths and passenger pigeons (as she herself admits) because that is what her lab's work has done the most work on and therefore what she knows best. The Chapter titles give a good summary of the book's content: Reversing Extinction, Select a Species, Find a Well-Preserved Specimen, Create a Clone, Breed Them Back, Reconstruct the Genome, Reconstruct Part of the Genome, Now Create a Clone, Make More of Them, Set Them Free, and Should We?. It turns out, after all, that de-exctinction is actually much more complicated than simple cloning and that cloning may not always be the best solution to filling the ecological niches that humans and time have emptied.
A highly interesting book that manages to be both full of science and yet extremely accessible to interested laypeople. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in extinction and de-extinction.
First Line: A few years ago, a colleague of mine practically bit my head off for geting the end date of the Cretaceous period wrong by a little bit.
24inge87
The Property by Rutu Modan
Source: work
Recommendation: somewhere on the internet
Original Title: הנכס (haNekhes)
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: PJ 5055.34 O33 N3313 2013
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Property is the tale of Israeli Mica Segal and her grandmother Regina, who travel to the grandmother's home city of Warsaw a few months after Mica's father's death. It is the first time Regina has returned to the city since she left in the 1930s, surviving the Holocaust by being in Palestine when Poland was invaded. However, the rest of her family died in the ensuing persecution. Ostensibly she and Mica are in Warsaw to claim her family's apartment, which was seized during the Nazi occupation, but is that really why she's finally decided to return? Mica can tell something is up, she just can't quite figure out what, but she makes a new friend in Tomasz Novak, who helps her discover Warsaw without her grandmother's "assistance". A beautifully illustrated and wonderfully plotted work about family, loss, and second chances. Perfect for anyone with an interest in Holocaust fiction or good narrative graphic novels.
First Line: Ben-Gurion Airport, end of October, 200X.
Source: work
Recommendation: somewhere on the internet
Original Title: הנכס (haNekhes)
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: PJ 5055.34 O33 N3313 2013
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Property is the tale of Israeli Mica Segal and her grandmother Regina, who travel to the grandmother's home city of Warsaw a few months after Mica's father's death. It is the first time Regina has returned to the city since she left in the 1930s, surviving the Holocaust by being in Palestine when Poland was invaded. However, the rest of her family died in the ensuing persecution. Ostensibly she and Mica are in Warsaw to claim her family's apartment, which was seized during the Nazi occupation, but is that really why she's finally decided to return? Mica can tell something is up, she just can't quite figure out what, but she makes a new friend in Tomasz Novak, who helps her discover Warsaw without her grandmother's "assistance". A beautifully illustrated and wonderfully plotted work about family, loss, and second chances. Perfect for anyone with an interest in Holocaust fiction or good narrative graphic novels.
First Line: Ben-Gurion Airport, end of October, 200X.
25inge87
Jane, the Fox, and Me by Fanny Britt & Isabelle Arsenault
Source: work
Recommendation: review in The Guardian
Original Title: Jane, le renard & moi
Year of Original Pub.: 2012
LC Call #: PZ 7.7 B754 Jan 2013
Rating: 5 stars / 5
Jane, the Fox, and Me is a gem of a graphic novel set in Montreal about Hélène, a girl struggling to get by after all of her friends abandon her. Constantly bullied, she takes inspiration from reading Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. Nothing seems to go well for her and she is shockingly unhappy. The adults just don't understand. Just when it seems that things couldn't get worse, she entire class has to camping on a school trip. Poor Héléne, will she ever catch a break?
The perfect blend of text and artwork, Jane, the Fox, and Me is marketed as a juvenile graphic novel, but has definite appeal to people of all ages.
First Line: There was no possibility of hiding anywhere today.
Source: work
Recommendation: review in The Guardian
Original Title: Jane, le renard & moi
Year of Original Pub.: 2012
LC Call #: PZ 7.7 B754 Jan 2013
Rating: 5 stars / 5
Jane, the Fox, and Me is a gem of a graphic novel set in Montreal about Hélène, a girl struggling to get by after all of her friends abandon her. Constantly bullied, she takes inspiration from reading Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. Nothing seems to go well for her and she is shockingly unhappy. The adults just don't understand. Just when it seems that things couldn't get worse, she entire class has to camping on a school trip. Poor Héléne, will she ever catch a break?
The perfect blend of text and artwork, Jane, the Fox, and Me is marketed as a juvenile graphic novel, but has definite appeal to people of all ages.
First Line: There was no possibility of hiding anywhere today.
26inge87
The Shores of Spain by J. Kathleen Cheney
Source: me (7/15)
Recommendation: Continuing series
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: The Golden City (3/3)
LC Call #: PS 3603 H4574 S56 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Shores of Spain is the final book of the Golden City trilogy and marks a return to the high quality of the first volume. Oriana and Duilio are hard at work trying to re-open ties with the Siren government, when a new series of problems emerge and he calls upon his favorite relative to follow up in Spain. What he and his companions find there explains quite a few events of Oriana's past and reveals a web of lies and intrigue far beyond what anyone ever imagined.
This is all perfect and wonderful, although I thought there was too much Joaquin and Company towards the end. I no longer think his beloved is too stupid to live like I did in the second book, but they're really not my favorite people and I would have preferred more of Oriana and Duilio's story. But other than that, it's a fantastic read and everyone who enjoyed The Golden City should definitely seek it out.
First Line: Marina Arenias curled up in one of the upholstered chairs in the front sitting room of the Ferreira home, the room in the house with the best light even now, past sunset.
Source: me (7/15)
Recommendation: Continuing series
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: The Golden City (3/3)
LC Call #: PS 3603 H4574 S56 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Shores of Spain is the final book of the Golden City trilogy and marks a return to the high quality of the first volume. Oriana and Duilio are hard at work trying to re-open ties with the Siren government, when a new series of problems emerge and he calls upon his favorite relative to follow up in Spain. What he and his companions find there explains quite a few events of Oriana's past and reveals a web of lies and intrigue far beyond what anyone ever imagined.
This is all perfect and wonderful, although I thought there was too much Joaquin and Company towards the end. I no longer think his beloved is too stupid to live like I did in the second book, but they're really not my favorite people and I would have preferred more of Oriana and Duilio's story. But other than that, it's a fantastic read and everyone who enjoyed The Golden City should definitely seek it out.
First Line: Marina Arenias curled up in one of the upholstered chairs in the front sitting room of the Ferreira home, the room in the house with the best light even now, past sunset.
27inge87
A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin
Source: work
Recommendation: The Book Smugglers
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: Stranje House (1/?)
LC Call #: PZ 7.1 B357 Sc 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
A School for Unusual Girls is the tale of Georgiana, who is shipped off to boarding school after a scientific experiment gone wrong destroys her father's stables. It might have blown over—if this were the first time her curiosity hadn't gotten her in trouble. So Stranje House it is, where Georgie is sure she is going to be miserable, but not all is as it seems. Stranje House is really a refuge for "unusual girls" whose eccentricities make them unappreciated by their families but useful in other ways and soon enough Georgie's failed experiment is brought back to help the war effort. naturally brings the war and all its violence directly to Georgie's new friends, and only she can save them.
A fun YA historical. The fantasy element does not really come into play until the last third of the book, when it becomes more obviously alternative history. There are some psychic elements earlier in the book, but since Georgie does not really trust anyone at first, neither do the readers. For those who love Regency-set or boarding school fantasies.
First Line: "What if Sir Isaac Newton's parents had packed him off to a school to reform his manners?"
Source: work
Recommendation: The Book Smugglers
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: Stranje House (1/?)
LC Call #: PZ 7.1 B357 Sc 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
A School for Unusual Girls is the tale of Georgiana, who is shipped off to boarding school after a scientific experiment gone wrong destroys her father's stables. It might have blown over—if this were the first time her curiosity hadn't gotten her in trouble. So Stranje House it is, where Georgie is sure she is going to be miserable, but not all is as it seems. Stranje House is really a refuge for "unusual girls" whose eccentricities make them unappreciated by their families but useful in other ways and soon enough Georgie's failed experiment is brought back to help the war effort. naturally brings the war and all its violence directly to Georgie's new friends, and only she can save them.
A fun YA historical. The fantasy element does not really come into play until the last third of the book, when it becomes more obviously alternative history. There are some psychic elements earlier in the book, but since Georgie does not really trust anyone at first, neither do the readers. For those who love Regency-set or boarding school fantasies.
First Line: "What if Sir Isaac Newton's parents had packed him off to a school to reform his manners?"
28inge87
A Deadly Wandering: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention by Matt Richtel
Source: work
Recommendation: various places in print and online
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: BF 323 D5 R53 2014
Rating: 5 stars / 5
A Deadly Wandering is really two stories: that of the science of the human brain and how it handles distraction and that of Reggie Shaw, who swerved into oncoming traffic while texting his girlfriend and killed two people. Reggie can't remember the wreck and his family circles the wagons to protect him, meanwhile the families of those killed struggle to put together what happened and find some measure of justice. A law enforcement officer thinks it was his texting that did it, but he must find proof and then a prosecutor willing to think that Reggie did anything wrong while texting and driving. There is also the story of the victim's advocate who overcame a history of family violence to help others like her, but most of the story is Reggie, how he struggles to come to terms with what he did and how he has used his experience to try to keep others from suffering the way he has.
The neurology/brain science part is interesting, and if you've ever wondered why multitasking is so hard or why you get on the computer to do one quick thing and then find yourself still on it two hours later reading bad Harry Potter fanfiction or celebrity gossip, it is definitely a book to pick up. Also, if you've ever wondered how Utah, of all places, became one of the first places to take up anti-texting and driving legislation, you'll find your answer here as well. Suffice to say texting and driving is bad, really bad, because your brain zones out and focuses on the digital world instead of the one on the other side of the windshield. A must for anyone who's ever texted while driving or anyone looking for good quality non-fiction, it's one of the best non-fiction works I've read this year.
First Line: "Are you comfortable, Reggie?"
Source: work
Recommendation: various places in print and online
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: BF 323 D5 R53 2014
Rating: 5 stars / 5
A Deadly Wandering is really two stories: that of the science of the human brain and how it handles distraction and that of Reggie Shaw, who swerved into oncoming traffic while texting his girlfriend and killed two people. Reggie can't remember the wreck and his family circles the wagons to protect him, meanwhile the families of those killed struggle to put together what happened and find some measure of justice. A law enforcement officer thinks it was his texting that did it, but he must find proof and then a prosecutor willing to think that Reggie did anything wrong while texting and driving. There is also the story of the victim's advocate who overcame a history of family violence to help others like her, but most of the story is Reggie, how he struggles to come to terms with what he did and how he has used his experience to try to keep others from suffering the way he has.
The neurology/brain science part is interesting, and if you've ever wondered why multitasking is so hard or why you get on the computer to do one quick thing and then find yourself still on it two hours later reading bad Harry Potter fanfiction or celebrity gossip, it is definitely a book to pick up. Also, if you've ever wondered how Utah, of all places, became one of the first places to take up anti-texting and driving legislation, you'll find your answer here as well. Suffice to say texting and driving is bad, really bad, because your brain zones out and focuses on the digital world instead of the one on the other side of the windshield. A must for anyone who's ever texted while driving or anyone looking for good quality non-fiction, it's one of the best non-fiction works I've read this year.
First Line: "Are you comfortable, Reggie?"
29MickyFine
>28 inge87: Glad to hear this one is a good read. I ordered it for work. :)
30susanj67
Jennifer, I popped in to say that I've just finished How to Clone a Mammoth after seeing it on your thread, and I thought it was excellent. Thanks for a great recommendation! And now, of course, I've seen A Deadly Wandering and ascertained that it's available at a library nearish to me - a perfect walking project tomorrow during the tube strike :-)
31inge87
>29 MickyFine: Funny, I was reading the copy I had ordered for my workplace. It's a very thought-provoking book though and totally worth it.
>30 susanj67: I've been skimping on everything but keeping my thread updated due to graduate school (only one semester left!), and having been visiting threads as I ought. I'm glad you enjoyed How to Clone a Mammoth and hope you find A Deadly Wandering as interesting as I did. :)
>30 susanj67: I've been skimping on everything but keeping my thread updated due to graduate school (only one semester left!), and having been visiting threads as I ought. I'm glad you enjoyed How to Clone a Mammoth and hope you find A Deadly Wandering as interesting as I did. :)
32inge87
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
Source: work
Recommendation: felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1915
LC Call #: PR 6003 U13 T5 2004
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Thirty-Nine Steps is the one man's adventure, after he takes in a stranger, only to find him murdered shortly thereafter. Deciding that either everyone will think he did it and that the secrets his "friend" carried are important enough to seek out, he goes on the run, meets a lot of people both friendly and threatening, before finding the place with thirty-nine steps and uncovering a political conspiracy. But not before he almost dies a few times. It's a classic of its genre, but I thought there a few too many happy coincidences. For those looking for a fun, short read though, it's still very much worth it.
First Line: I returned from the City about three o'clock on that May afternoon pretty well disgusted with life.
Source: work
Recommendation: felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1915
LC Call #: PR 6003 U13 T5 2004
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Thirty-Nine Steps is the one man's adventure, after he takes in a stranger, only to find him murdered shortly thereafter. Deciding that either everyone will think he did it and that the secrets his "friend" carried are important enough to seek out, he goes on the run, meets a lot of people both friendly and threatening, before finding the place with thirty-nine steps and uncovering a political conspiracy. But not before he almost dies a few times. It's a classic of its genre, but I thought there a few too many happy coincidences. For those looking for a fun, short read though, it's still very much worth it.
First Line: I returned from the City about three o'clock on that May afternoon pretty well disgusted with life.
33inge87
Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America by François Weil
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: TBR list
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: CS 9 W45 2013
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Family Trees is a history of Americans' fascination with their ancestors (or lack thereof) from the earliest days of British colonialism to the present (c. 2013). Suffice to say a lot depended on politics: sometimes you wanted to be descended from a lord, sometimes you didn't. There is also a very interesting section on African-American genealogy. But my favorite bit of the book were the dark brown end-pages textured like tree bark. You just don't see nice touches like that anymore. For anyone with an interest in the history of genealogy or American self-perception.
First Line: The 2008 and 2012 presidential elections generated extraordinary interest in Barack and Michelle Obama's genealogies.
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: TBR list
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: CS 9 W45 2013
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Family Trees is a history of Americans' fascination with their ancestors (or lack thereof) from the earliest days of British colonialism to the present (c. 2013). Suffice to say a lot depended on politics: sometimes you wanted to be descended from a lord, sometimes you didn't. There is also a very interesting section on African-American genealogy. But my favorite bit of the book were the dark brown end-pages textured like tree bark. You just don't see nice touches like that anymore. For anyone with an interest in the history of genealogy or American self-perception.
First Line: The 2008 and 2012 presidential elections generated extraordinary interest in Barack and Michelle Obama's genealogies.
34inge87
Ending Up by Kingsley Amis
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: Tim and the desire to catch up on some 15-in-15 category reading
Year of Original Pub.: 1974
LC Call #: PR 6001 M6 E5 2015
Rating: 2 stars / 5
Ending Up is a book about crotchety old people struggling to live together in order to get by on their pensions. Suffice to say, they are the perfect examples of Sartre's adage about Hell being other people. I rarely enjoy satires, but every now and then I pick one up and delude myself that maybe this time I'll like it. I never do. The ending on this one I found particularly pointless, which was probably the point. But I don't want a pointless ending. Suffice to say, if you like satires, you'll probably enjoy this one much more than I did.
First Line: 'How's your leg this morning, Bernard?' asked Adela Bastable.
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: Tim and the desire to catch up on some 15-in-15 category reading
Year of Original Pub.: 1974
LC Call #: PR 6001 M6 E5 2015
Rating: 2 stars / 5
Ending Up is a book about crotchety old people struggling to live together in order to get by on their pensions. Suffice to say, they are the perfect examples of Sartre's adage about Hell being other people. I rarely enjoy satires, but every now and then I pick one up and delude myself that maybe this time I'll like it. I never do. The ending on this one I found particularly pointless, which was probably the point. But I don't want a pointless ending. Suffice to say, if you like satires, you'll probably enjoy this one much more than I did.
First Line: 'How's your leg this morning, Bernard?' asked Adela Bastable.
35inge87
The Crossing Place: A Journey Among the Armenians by Philip Marsden
Source: me (7/15)
Recommendation: Mt. TBR – It got republished
Year of Original Pub.: 1993
LC Call #: DS 165 M37 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Crossing Place is the story of the author's journey among the Armenian diaspora of the Middle East and Eastern Europe on his way to what was then Soviet Armenia. Beginning his journey in Venice after a long stay in Jerusalem, he travelled though the Middle East, visiting diaspora communities as well as historic site connected to both the genocide and the time before. From there, in order to reach Armenia he travelled through Bulgaria and Romania to the Soviet Union, reaching the Caucasus via the Black Sea. He meets some interesting people and is able to visit with some of the last genocide survivors, something that would not have been possible if he had made the trip even a few years later. 1991 was a different world, and yet so much has not changed. For anyone interested in Armenians, their culture, and their history, and those who enjoy interesting travel memoirs.
My edition, brought out in 2015 to coincide with the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, contains a very interesting preface by the author describing what has happened to some of the places he visited in the time after the book's publication. Many of the places he visited in Syria are under ISIS control, and, as one might expect, the Armenian sites have not fared well there.
First Line: One summer, walking in the hills of eastern Turkey, I came across a short piece of bone.
Source: me (7/15)
Recommendation: Mt. TBR – It got republished
Year of Original Pub.: 1993
LC Call #: DS 165 M37 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Crossing Place is the story of the author's journey among the Armenian diaspora of the Middle East and Eastern Europe on his way to what was then Soviet Armenia. Beginning his journey in Venice after a long stay in Jerusalem, he travelled though the Middle East, visiting diaspora communities as well as historic site connected to both the genocide and the time before. From there, in order to reach Armenia he travelled through Bulgaria and Romania to the Soviet Union, reaching the Caucasus via the Black Sea. He meets some interesting people and is able to visit with some of the last genocide survivors, something that would not have been possible if he had made the trip even a few years later. 1991 was a different world, and yet so much has not changed. For anyone interested in Armenians, their culture, and their history, and those who enjoy interesting travel memoirs.
My edition, brought out in 2015 to coincide with the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, contains a very interesting preface by the author describing what has happened to some of the places he visited in the time after the book's publication. Many of the places he visited in Syria are under ISIS control, and, as one might expect, the Armenian sites have not fared well there.
First Line: One summer, walking in the hills of eastern Turkey, I came across a short piece of bone.
36inge87
Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende
Source: ILL (Texas Christian U.)
Recommendation: TBR list
Year of Original Pub.: 2004
LC Call #: HM 846 B74 2004
Rating: 2 stars / 5
Better Off is the tale of a man and his wife who spend a year living in an Amish-like community somewhere in the American Midwest as part of a grad school project. He goes to great lengths to hide the identity of this community, calling them "Minimites"; however, I imagine based on some things he says that they are German Baptists (but I could be wrong). There's a big learning curve, but slowly but surely they become part of the society fabric. They almost make plans to stay, except it turns out his wife is allergic to horses, so they don't. This could be a very compelling memoir, but it comes off flaky and shallow instead. I really can't recommend it, even for those interested in the topic.
First Line: I used to be as optimistic as anyone about technology.
Source: ILL (Texas Christian U.)
Recommendation: TBR list
Year of Original Pub.: 2004
LC Call #: HM 846 B74 2004
Rating: 2 stars / 5
Better Off is the tale of a man and his wife who spend a year living in an Amish-like community somewhere in the American Midwest as part of a grad school project. He goes to great lengths to hide the identity of this community, calling them "Minimites"; however, I imagine based on some things he says that they are German Baptists (but I could be wrong). There's a big learning curve, but slowly but surely they become part of the society fabric. They almost make plans to stay, except it turns out his wife is allergic to horses, so they don't. This could be a very compelling memoir, but it comes off flaky and shallow instead. I really can't recommend it, even for those interested in the topic.
First Line: I used to be as optimistic as anyone about technology.
37inge87
Rook by Sharon Cameron
Source: work
Recommendation: The Book Smugglers
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: PZ 7 C1438 Ro 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Rook is a YA dystopia set in a future Britain and France after destruction and chaos caused by a partial reversal of the magnetic poles destroyed most hints of the civilized world we know today. Based on, but not a strict retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel, Paris is divided into two spheres: the privileged live above ground and those who serve them live below in what used to be the catacombs. A new government focuses on terror in the name of Fate, and our heroine spends her time rescuing people from French jails and bringing them across the Channel to safety. However, after her father engages her to a French noble in order to raise money and keep the family estate, life suddenly becomes a lot more interesting . . . and dangerous. Because this time, instead of going to the French government, the French government has come to her.
An excellent adventure, with just the right touch of romance. For anyone who enjoys well-written stand along YA fantasy or enjoyed The Scarlet Pimpernel. Highly Recommended.
First Line: The heavy blade hung high above the prisoners, glinting against the stars, and then the Razor came down, a wedge of falling darkness cutting through the torchlight.
Source: work
Recommendation: The Book Smugglers
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: PZ 7 C1438 Ro 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Rook is a YA dystopia set in a future Britain and France after destruction and chaos caused by a partial reversal of the magnetic poles destroyed most hints of the civilized world we know today. Based on, but not a strict retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel, Paris is divided into two spheres: the privileged live above ground and those who serve them live below in what used to be the catacombs. A new government focuses on terror in the name of Fate, and our heroine spends her time rescuing people from French jails and bringing them across the Channel to safety. However, after her father engages her to a French noble in order to raise money and keep the family estate, life suddenly becomes a lot more interesting . . . and dangerous. Because this time, instead of going to the French government, the French government has come to her.
An excellent adventure, with just the right touch of romance. For anyone who enjoys well-written stand along YA fantasy or enjoyed The Scarlet Pimpernel. Highly Recommended.
First Line: The heavy blade hung high above the prisoners, glinting against the stars, and then the Razor came down, a wedge of falling darkness cutting through the torchlight.
38inge87
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 2 by Naoko Takeuchi
Source: me (7/2015)
Original Title: 美少女戦士セーラームーン (Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn)
Recommendation: Birthday Present
Year of Original Pub.: 2003
Series: Sailor Moon (2/12)
LC Call #: PL 876 A348 P7413 2011 Vol. 2
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 2 continues the adventures of Sailor Moon and friends as they recover their memories, rediscover lost loves, and gear up to fight an ancient adversary. We finally meet Sailor V in the flesh, and the tragic love of moon princess and earth prince plays out before our eyes. Just as fun as book one, and since all the major players for this arch have been introduced, the story can only get better.
Those new to the series should start with book one, where most of the characters are introduced. The manga is different from the anime, so if you've seen it but not read the books don't assume you already know what is going to happen.
First Line: So you're awake?
Source: me (7/2015)
Original Title: 美少女戦士セーラームーン (Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn)
Recommendation: Birthday Present
Year of Original Pub.: 2003
Series: Sailor Moon (2/12)
LC Call #: PL 876 A348 P7413 2011 Vol. 2
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 2 continues the adventures of Sailor Moon and friends as they recover their memories, rediscover lost loves, and gear up to fight an ancient adversary. We finally meet Sailor V in the flesh, and the tragic love of moon princess and earth prince plays out before our eyes. Just as fun as book one, and since all the major players for this arch have been introduced, the story can only get better.
Those new to the series should start with book one, where most of the characters are introduced. The manga is different from the anime, so if you've seen it but not read the books don't assume you already know what is going to happen.
First Line: So you're awake?
39inge87
A Decent Birth, A Happy Funeral by William Saroyan
Source: work
Recommendation: A The Crossing Place-inspired interest in Saroyan's work
Year of Original Pub.: 1949
LC Call #: PS 3537 A826 D49
Rating: 2 stars / 5
A Decent Birth, a Happy Funeral is a comedy about two men who meet randomly and just happen to share the same name and to have grown up in the same orphanage, even though they aren't related and never met before this point. Both want to enroll in the army, but one is deaf in one ear and ineligible. The other, an actor, drags him off to an Hungarian restaurant where he introduces him to an actress co-worker. A drunken Hungarian shouts lot in what appears to be Polish and tarot cards are read. Maybe this works a lot better on stage than on the page, but I was ultimately very unimpressed.
Source: work
Recommendation: A The Crossing Place-inspired interest in Saroyan's work
Year of Original Pub.: 1949
LC Call #: PS 3537 A826 D49
Rating: 2 stars / 5
A Decent Birth, a Happy Funeral is a comedy about two men who meet randomly and just happen to share the same name and to have grown up in the same orphanage, even though they aren't related and never met before this point. Both want to enroll in the army, but one is deaf in one ear and ineligible. The other, an actor, drags him off to an Hungarian restaurant where he introduces him to an actress co-worker. A drunken Hungarian shouts lot in what appears to be Polish and tarot cards are read. Maybe this works a lot better on stage than on the page, but I was ultimately very unimpressed.
40inge87
Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Source: work
Recommendation: pre-pub reviews, probably from LibraryJournal
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: PS 3602 E845 B68 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Bittersweet is an interesting, suspenseful take on growing up and falling in love in the shadow of wealthy privilege and family secrets. Mabel, our heroine, is away from home when she forms a kind of friendship with her wealthy roommate and gets invited to join her at her family's compound in Maine for the summer. Coming from a working-class family in Portland, Oregon, she immediately realizes that she's out of her element. As someone who didn't know that "summer" was a very until I went to college in Massachusetts, this is something I can understand—not that I ever had a millionaire roommate whose family had such a compound. Mabel becomes obsessed with the Winslow family, and what she discovers will lead her to all kinds of choices, few of which have easy answers. But the summer sun has a way of lulling everyone into a sense of calm, which only makes the coming reckoning even more destructive.
Highly recommended. It's a perfect summer read, as long as you don't have any unscrupulous or criminal relatives hiding in your closet.
First Line: Before she loathed me, before she loved me, Genevra Katherine Winslow didn't know that I existed.
Source: work
Recommendation: pre-pub reviews, probably from LibraryJournal
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: PS 3602 E845 B68 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Bittersweet is an interesting, suspenseful take on growing up and falling in love in the shadow of wealthy privilege and family secrets. Mabel, our heroine, is away from home when she forms a kind of friendship with her wealthy roommate and gets invited to join her at her family's compound in Maine for the summer. Coming from a working-class family in Portland, Oregon, she immediately realizes that she's out of her element. As someone who didn't know that "summer" was a very until I went to college in Massachusetts, this is something I can understand—not that I ever had a millionaire roommate whose family had such a compound. Mabel becomes obsessed with the Winslow family, and what she discovers will lead her to all kinds of choices, few of which have easy answers. But the summer sun has a way of lulling everyone into a sense of calm, which only makes the coming reckoning even more destructive.
Highly recommended. It's a perfect summer read, as long as you don't have any unscrupulous or criminal relatives hiding in your closet.
First Line: Before she loathed me, before she loved me, Genevra Katherine Winslow didn't know that I existed.
41inge87
And just to show that covers can be everything sometimes, part of what drew me to Bittersweet was the cover:
I might never had read it if I lived in the UK. That cover looks like it's selling a completely different book:
I might never had read it if I lived in the UK. That cover looks like it's selling a completely different book:
42inge87
The Story of Our Churches and Cathedrals by Richard Bowood
Source: me (7/14)
Recommendation: it spoke to me
Year of Original Pub.: 1964
LC Call #: NA 5461 B69 1964
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Story of Our Churches and Cathedrals is a lovely overview of English ecclesiastical architecture. Aimed at children, it provides clear descriptions of the various building styles from Saxon to today (c. 1964). It is a perfect introduction to the subject for anyone looking for an accessible overview, whether young in body or young at heart. And the illustrations are attractive enough to lure even those who don't see much fun in learning about the three English Gothic styles.
First Line:
Source: me (7/14)
Recommendation: it spoke to me
Year of Original Pub.: 1964
LC Call #: NA 5461 B69 1964
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Story of Our Churches and Cathedrals is a lovely overview of English ecclesiastical architecture. Aimed at children, it provides clear descriptions of the various building styles from Saxon to today (c. 1964). It is a perfect introduction to the subject for anyone looking for an accessible overview, whether young in body or young at heart. And the illustrations are attractive enough to lure even those who don't see much fun in learning about the three English Gothic styles.
First Line:
43inge87
Global Crisis: War, Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century by Geoffrey Parker
Source: me (7/14)
Recommendation: HistoryCAT
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: D 247 P37 2013
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Global Crisis is a comprehensive take on the series of calamities that affected most of the globe during the 17th century and how climate and weather played a role. Known as the "General Crisis", this is the period that saw the fall of the Mind dynasty in China, several rounds of civil war and regime change in Britain, chaos in the Ottoman Empire, civil war and unrest in the Netherlands, and the Thirty-Years' War in most of Central Europe, among other disasters. Life in this period was often short and miserable. And the author does a good job of showing how it all comes together. It's a very interesting book, more than likely the definitive take on the subject; however, it can be remarkably dense, with individual chapters sometimes eighty pages long. But if you want to know to how send a nation into untold suffering or how to avoid that fate, there's a lot of useful information here.
Probably for the more academically-minded than the average layman. But worth a read for the dedicated.
First Line: The French philosopher and author Voltaire was the first to write about a Global Crisis in the seventeenth century.
Source: me (7/14)
Recommendation: HistoryCAT
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: D 247 P37 2013
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Global Crisis is a comprehensive take on the series of calamities that affected most of the globe during the 17th century and how climate and weather played a role. Known as the "General Crisis", this is the period that saw the fall of the Mind dynasty in China, several rounds of civil war and regime change in Britain, chaos in the Ottoman Empire, civil war and unrest in the Netherlands, and the Thirty-Years' War in most of Central Europe, among other disasters. Life in this period was often short and miserable. And the author does a good job of showing how it all comes together. It's a very interesting book, more than likely the definitive take on the subject; however, it can be remarkably dense, with individual chapters sometimes eighty pages long. But if you want to know to how send a nation into untold suffering or how to avoid that fate, there's a lot of useful information here.
Probably for the more academically-minded than the average layman. But worth a read for the dedicated.
First Line: The French philosopher and author Voltaire was the first to write about a Global Crisis in the seventeenth century.
44inge87
July Reading Round-Up!
Books Read: 20
Genre
Fiction - 11 - 55%
Non-Fiction - 9 - 45%
Sources
Work - 12 - 60%
Me (this month) - 4 - 20%
Irving PL - 2 - 10%
ILL - 1 - 5%
Me (other) - 1 - 5%
Authors
Female - 11 - 55%
Male - 9 - 45%
Edition Language
English - 20 - 100%
Original Language
English - 17 - 85%
French - 1 - 5%
Japanese - 1 - 5%
Modern Hebrew - 1 - 5%
Series
Stand-Alone Books - 17 - 85%
Series Books - 3 - 15%
Average Original Date of Publication
1996
Median Original Date of Publication
2013
Ratings Distribution
1 star - 0 - 0%
2 stars - 2 - 10%
3 stars - 6 - 30%
4 stars - 9 - 45%
5 stars - 2 - 10%
Average Rating
3.4
Best of the Month
Fiction: Jane, the Fox, and Me by Fanny Britt & Isabelle Arsenault
Non-Fiction: A Deadly Wandering: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention by Matt Richtel
Books Read: 20
Genre
Fiction - 11 - 55%
Non-Fiction - 9 - 45%
Sources
Work - 12 - 60%
Me (this month) - 4 - 20%
Irving PL - 2 - 10%
ILL - 1 - 5%
Me (other) - 1 - 5%
Authors
Female - 11 - 55%
Male - 9 - 45%
Edition Language
English - 20 - 100%
Original Language
English - 17 - 85%
French - 1 - 5%
Japanese - 1 - 5%
Modern Hebrew - 1 - 5%
Series
Stand-Alone Books - 17 - 85%
Series Books - 3 - 15%
Average Original Date of Publication
1996
Median Original Date of Publication
2013
Ratings Distribution
1 star - 0 - 0%
2 stars - 2 - 10%
3 stars - 6 - 30%
4 stars - 9 - 45%
5 stars - 2 - 10%
Average Rating
3.4
Best of the Month
Fiction: Jane, the Fox, and Me by Fanny Britt & Isabelle Arsenault
Non-Fiction: A Deadly Wandering: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention by Matt Richtel
45ronincats
>43 inge87: The library has it and on the wishlist (and the hold request) it goes! Looks good. I just finished a history of the Reformation in that century a month or so ago.
46inge87
>45 ronincats: It was a very good read—just a bit much to take in at times.
47inge87
Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers
Source: work
Recommendation: I wanted to finish my mystery category for 15-in-15
Year of Original Pub.: 1933
Series: Lord Peter Wimsey (10/13)
LC Call #: PR 6037 A95 M8 1953
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Murder Must Advertise finds Lord Peter pretending (and somewhat succeeding) to be a common advertising copy-writer after a mysterious death gets referred to him. Peter can never resist a mystery, and he soon finds that advertising has its fun points, even if it can often me a bit shallow. But the office soon turns out to be full of sharks, and possibly one dope smuggling kingpin. If only Peter can stay out of trouble long enough to figure out who he is.
More fun with everyone's favorite ducal scion. Sayers worked in advertising before turning fully to writing, so she knew what she was talking about and includes all kinds of interesting tid-bits. For fans of Peter and golden age mysteries. Those new to the series should probably start with Whose Body?.
First Line: 'And by the way,' said Mr. Hankin, arresting Miss Rossiter as she rose to go, 'there is a new copy-writer coming in today.'
Source: work
Recommendation: I wanted to finish my mystery category for 15-in-15
Year of Original Pub.: 1933
Series: Lord Peter Wimsey (10/13)
LC Call #: PR 6037 A95 M8 1953
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Murder Must Advertise finds Lord Peter pretending (and somewhat succeeding) to be a common advertising copy-writer after a mysterious death gets referred to him. Peter can never resist a mystery, and he soon finds that advertising has its fun points, even if it can often me a bit shallow. But the office soon turns out to be full of sharks, and possibly one dope smuggling kingpin. If only Peter can stay out of trouble long enough to figure out who he is.
More fun with everyone's favorite ducal scion. Sayers worked in advertising before turning fully to writing, so she knew what she was talking about and includes all kinds of interesting tid-bits. For fans of Peter and golden age mysteries. Those new to the series should probably start with Whose Body?.
First Line: 'And by the way,' said Mr. Hankin, arresting Miss Rossiter as she rose to go, 'there is a new copy-writer coming in today.'
48inge87
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 3 by Naoko Takeuchi
Source: me (7/15)
Original Title: 美少女戦士セーラームーン (Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn)
Recommendation: Barnes & Noble had a "buy 2, get 1" on manga
Year of Original Pub.: 2003
Series: Sailor Moon (3/12)
LC Call #: PL 876 A348 P7413 2011 Vol. 3
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 3 picks up where the cliffhanger ending of Volume 2 left off. Mamorou has been possessed by the bad guys and Sailor Moon is upset (it's what she does best). Everyone wants the Legendary Silver Crystal, but no one seems to know exactly what it does or how to control it. But this being Sailor Moon, we all know she'll manage to muddle through anyhow. This volume marks the end of the first story arch and the beginning of the second, featuring everyone's favorite brat, Chibi-Usa. Usagi may be the lone hold out on that point, but if some strange girl showed up out of the blue and convinced your parents to make her part of the family, you'd be a bit put out too. Especially if said girl is really fond of your boyfriend. But of course, she's come for a reason, and there's a new villainous group plotting against the Sailor Scouts: the Black Moon and they've kidnapped Sailor Mercury—whatever will Sailor Moon and her friends do now!?!
Sailor Moon has a strong tendency towards melodrama, but it's so much fun that you don't really care. Recommended for fans of the series.
First Line: He's become the tool of Queen Beryl, the queen of the evil empire, the Dark Kingdom.
Source: me (7/15)
Original Title: 美少女戦士セーラームーン (Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn)
Recommendation: Barnes & Noble had a "buy 2, get 1" on manga
Year of Original Pub.: 2003
Series: Sailor Moon (3/12)
LC Call #: PL 876 A348 P7413 2011 Vol. 3
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 3 picks up where the cliffhanger ending of Volume 2 left off. Mamorou has been possessed by the bad guys and Sailor Moon is upset (it's what she does best). Everyone wants the Legendary Silver Crystal, but no one seems to know exactly what it does or how to control it. But this being Sailor Moon, we all know she'll manage to muddle through anyhow. This volume marks the end of the first story arch and the beginning of the second, featuring everyone's favorite brat, Chibi-Usa. Usagi may be the lone hold out on that point, but if some strange girl showed up out of the blue and convinced your parents to make her part of the family, you'd be a bit put out too. Especially if said girl is really fond of your boyfriend. But of course, she's come for a reason, and there's a new villainous group plotting against the Sailor Scouts: the Black Moon and they've kidnapped Sailor Mercury—whatever will Sailor Moon and her friends do now!?!
Sailor Moon has a strong tendency towards melodrama, but it's so much fun that you don't really care. Recommended for fans of the series.
First Line: He's become the tool of Queen Beryl, the queen of the evil empire, the Dark Kingdom.
49inge87
The Spirit-Wrestlers And Other Survivors of the the Russian Century by Philip Marsden
Source: me (8/15)
Recommendation: I liked The Crossing Place
Year of Original Pub.: 1998
LC Call #: DK 29.2 M377 1999
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Spirit-Wrestlers documents Marsden's journey in search of Russia's southern frontier, a place of pirates and religious exiles, not to mention restive natives. Marsden was inspired by accounts he read in the Lenin Library of dissident religious sects, particularly the Doukhobors or Spirit-Wrestlers, who once populated the Russian countryside. Sent into exile on the Southern Steppe and beyond to the Caucasus, these people helped establish Russian hegemony on its fragile borders even while their presents in far-off outposts helped keep things peaceful in the heartland. Marsden first sets off for Rostov-on-Don, Cossack capital and father of crime (one of the most oft repeated phrases in the book is that Odessa is the mother of crime and Rostov is the father). Cossacks were essentially pirate bands operating on a sea of grass while following their own rules. It is in this region that Marsden finds the first remnants of religious dissenters as well as a burgeoning population of Old Believers (essentially unreformed Russian Orthodox who refused to follow 17th century reforms).
But religion is not Marsden's only interest in southern Russia: he is also looking for the people who lived their first, like the Adyghe and the Ossetians. War with Georgia also causes issues, since his ultimate goal, the place where the Doukhobors burned their weapons in the face of conscription, lies in the present day republic. The author does an excellent job of showing just how un-Russian many of these frontier places are, especially closer to the Caucasus, through his experiences without ever saying anything. In my mind this is the sign of a good writer, and I will definitely be reading more Marsden in the future. Highly recommended.
First Line: For the best part of one post-Soviet Moscow winter I travelled in to the Lenin Library and read stories of Cossacks and Old Believers and plotted a journey to the south.
Source: me (8/15)
Recommendation: I liked The Crossing Place
Year of Original Pub.: 1998
LC Call #: DK 29.2 M377 1999
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Spirit-Wrestlers documents Marsden's journey in search of Russia's southern frontier, a place of pirates and religious exiles, not to mention restive natives. Marsden was inspired by accounts he read in the Lenin Library of dissident religious sects, particularly the Doukhobors or Spirit-Wrestlers, who once populated the Russian countryside. Sent into exile on the Southern Steppe and beyond to the Caucasus, these people helped establish Russian hegemony on its fragile borders even while their presents in far-off outposts helped keep things peaceful in the heartland. Marsden first sets off for Rostov-on-Don, Cossack capital and father of crime (one of the most oft repeated phrases in the book is that Odessa is the mother of crime and Rostov is the father). Cossacks were essentially pirate bands operating on a sea of grass while following their own rules. It is in this region that Marsden finds the first remnants of religious dissenters as well as a burgeoning population of Old Believers (essentially unreformed Russian Orthodox who refused to follow 17th century reforms).
But religion is not Marsden's only interest in southern Russia: he is also looking for the people who lived their first, like the Adyghe and the Ossetians. War with Georgia also causes issues, since his ultimate goal, the place where the Doukhobors burned their weapons in the face of conscription, lies in the present day republic. The author does an excellent job of showing just how un-Russian many of these frontier places are, especially closer to the Caucasus, through his experiences without ever saying anything. In my mind this is the sign of a good writer, and I will definitely be reading more Marsden in the future. Highly recommended.
First Line: For the best part of one post-Soviet Moscow winter I travelled in to the Lenin Library and read stories of Cossacks and Old Believers and plotted a journey to the south.
50inge87
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 4 by Naoko Takeuchi
Source: me (7/15)
Original Title: 美少女戦士セーラームーン (Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn)
Recommendation: Barnes & Noble had a "buy 2, get 1" on manga
Year of Original Pub.: 2003
Series: Sailor Moon (4/12)
LC Call #: PL 876 A348 P7413 2011 Vol. 4
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 4 is where we finally get to meet Sailor Pluto, and suffice to say, Chibi-Usa's actions have caused quite a few problems for her. But in order to save this world and the next, Usagi and her few non-kidnapped friends must travel to the future where things become a bit clearer. It appears that Crystal Tokyo is not their final destination, but Nemesis—the secret dark planet hidden beyond Pluto, a place of criminal exile and evil. It is thence the Dark Moon supporters have come and it is there our band of travellers must go if they want to save their friends and their future. But what about Chibi-Usa? It seems to her that no one wants her, even Pluto who she thought was a friend. It seems her actions are about to have far direr consequences than she could ever have imagined.
Continuing the second story arc, we get to me some old friends and new faces, but the the cliffhangers keep coming and the action shows no sign of letting up.
First Line: . . . I never even dreamed that something like this would happen!
Source: me (7/15)
Original Title: 美少女戦士セーラームーン (Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn)
Recommendation: Barnes & Noble had a "buy 2, get 1" on manga
Year of Original Pub.: 2003
Series: Sailor Moon (4/12)
LC Call #: PL 876 A348 P7413 2011 Vol. 4
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 4 is where we finally get to meet Sailor Pluto, and suffice to say, Chibi-Usa's actions have caused quite a few problems for her. But in order to save this world and the next, Usagi and her few non-kidnapped friends must travel to the future where things become a bit clearer. It appears that Crystal Tokyo is not their final destination, but Nemesis—the secret dark planet hidden beyond Pluto, a place of criminal exile and evil. It is thence the Dark Moon supporters have come and it is there our band of travellers must go if they want to save their friends and their future. But what about Chibi-Usa? It seems to her that no one wants her, even Pluto who she thought was a friend. It seems her actions are about to have far direr consequences than she could ever have imagined.
Continuing the second story arc, we get to me some old friends and new faces, but the the cliffhangers keep coming and the action shows no sign of letting up.
First Line: . . . I never even dreamed that something like this would happen!
51inge87
The Misogynist by Piers Paul Read
Source: work
Recommendation: Tim
Year of Original Pub.: 2010
LC Call #: PR 6068 E25 M57 2010
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Misogynist is a rather bleak book about a middle-aged Londoner stuck in a rut as all around him seem to thrive and prosper. Nothing seemed to work out for him: his wife left him and his children prefer her new family to him, because they are successful, while he is obviously not. But ultimately all Jomier wants is to be loved and to be happy, even if he is not entirely sure how to love himself. Bitterness is a constantly lurking companion. And just when he meets someone who helps him find his way, his daughter comes down with a rare form of aenemia and he will have to make the kind of sacrifice that can only come from love—a moment that ultimately redeemed what for me was a rather plodding, depressive work. I'm really not sure what the target audience for this one is, but if you're a middle-aged man with a jaundiced view of modern society, or want to know how such a man thinks, this may be the book for you.
First Line: Jomier broods.
Source: work
Recommendation: Tim
Year of Original Pub.: 2010
LC Call #: PR 6068 E25 M57 2010
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Misogynist is a rather bleak book about a middle-aged Londoner stuck in a rut as all around him seem to thrive and prosper. Nothing seemed to work out for him: his wife left him and his children prefer her new family to him, because they are successful, while he is obviously not. But ultimately all Jomier wants is to be loved and to be happy, even if he is not entirely sure how to love himself. Bitterness is a constantly lurking companion. And just when he meets someone who helps him find his way, his daughter comes down with a rare form of aenemia and he will have to make the kind of sacrifice that can only come from love—a moment that ultimately redeemed what for me was a rather plodding, depressive work. I'm really not sure what the target audience for this one is, but if you're a middle-aged man with a jaundiced view of modern society, or want to know how such a man thinks, this may be the book for you.
First Line: Jomier broods.
52inge87
The Four Men: A Farrago by Hilaire Belloc
Source: work
Recommendation: sudden inspiration
Year of Original Pub.: 1911
LC Call #: PR 6003 E45 F6 1912
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Four Men is an account of a fictional journey through Sussex taken by four men: Myself, Greybeard, the Sailor, and the Poet, who represent different aspects of Belloc's personality. In this way, it is a kind of philosophical dialogue, albeit one centered around long walks and good beer. More a series of episodes and thought processes than a true novel, this is a book of friendship and companionship on the way with lots of singing and debate, and a book of the fleeting nature of time and the inevitable changes she brings. Such is its uniqueness that I really cannot think of anything to compare it to. For lovers of Sussex, Belloc, the joy of wandering, or the warmth of home.
First Line: My County, it has been proved in the life of every man that though his loves are human and therefore changeable, yet in proportion as he attaches them to things unchageable, so they mature and broaden.
Source: work
Recommendation: sudden inspiration
Year of Original Pub.: 1911
LC Call #: PR 6003 E45 F6 1912
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Four Men is an account of a fictional journey through Sussex taken by four men: Myself, Greybeard, the Sailor, and the Poet, who represent different aspects of Belloc's personality. In this way, it is a kind of philosophical dialogue, albeit one centered around long walks and good beer. More a series of episodes and thought processes than a true novel, this is a book of friendship and companionship on the way with lots of singing and debate, and a book of the fleeting nature of time and the inevitable changes she brings. Such is its uniqueness that I really cannot think of anything to compare it to. For lovers of Sussex, Belloc, the joy of wandering, or the warmth of home.
First Line: My County, it has been proved in the life of every man that though his loves are human and therefore changeable, yet in proportion as he attaches them to things unchageable, so they mature and broaden.
53inge87
My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by Stephanie Perkins (Ed.)
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: library patron recommendation
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: PZ 7 P4317 My 2014
Rating: 2 stars / 5
My True Love Gave To Me is a collection of YA short stories concerning Christmas and the holiday season. Some have fantastical elements but, with the exception of one about elves at the North Pole, they are all set in regular contemporary society. As is always the case with such collections, a few stories are quite good while the rest all seem like they were patched together to earn a few extra bucks. Overall, I found it mediocre and several of the stories reminded me why I prefer YA fantasy to YA contemporary. Only for fans of the authors involved, otherwise there are much better ways to spend one's time.
First Line: It was cold out on the patio, under the deck.
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: library patron recommendation
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: PZ 7 P4317 My 2014
Rating: 2 stars / 5
My True Love Gave To Me is a collection of YA short stories concerning Christmas and the holiday season. Some have fantastical elements but, with the exception of one about elves at the North Pole, they are all set in regular contemporary society. As is always the case with such collections, a few stories are quite good while the rest all seem like they were patched together to earn a few extra bucks. Overall, I found it mediocre and several of the stories reminded me why I prefer YA fantasy to YA contemporary. Only for fans of the authors involved, otherwise there are much better ways to spend one's time.
First Line: It was cold out on the patio, under the deck.
54inge87
Lingo: A Language Spotters' Guide to Europe by Gaston Dorren
Source: me (8/15)
Recommendation: It sounded interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: P 112 D67 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Lingo is a hodgepodge of a book, consisting of thematically grouped essays about various European languages or at least aspects of various European languages. It's a fun book, but not particularly scholarly, and you get a good idea of what the author considers the ideal language. Each chapter/essay ends with a word English has adopted from that language(s) and a word they have for a concept English does not. Based off of the author's Dutch-language book, Taaltoerisme (Language Tourism), it has clearly been modified for an English audience. Whether that is good or not, I leave up to you. The perfect stocking-stuffer for your favorite language-enthusiast. It's a fun way to learn—just don't go in expecting a serious work on European languages or linguistics.
First Line: The attitude of English speakers to foreign languages can be summed up thus: let's plunder, not learn them.
Source: me (8/15)
Recommendation: It sounded interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: P 112 D67 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Lingo is a hodgepodge of a book, consisting of thematically grouped essays about various European languages or at least aspects of various European languages. It's a fun book, but not particularly scholarly, and you get a good idea of what the author considers the ideal language. Each chapter/essay ends with a word English has adopted from that language(s) and a word they have for a concept English does not. Based off of the author's Dutch-language book, Taaltoerisme (Language Tourism), it has clearly been modified for an English audience. Whether that is good or not, I leave up to you. The perfect stocking-stuffer for your favorite language-enthusiast. It's a fun way to learn—just don't go in expecting a serious work on European languages or linguistics.
First Line: The attitude of English speakers to foreign languages can be summed up thus: let's plunder, not learn them.
55inge87
The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera
Source: ILL (Dallas PL)
Original Title: El despertar de la señorita Prim
Recommendation: The German edition was a "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" recommendation on Amazon.de for a random book of Catholic essays I was eyeing.
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: PQ 6719 A4542 D4813 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Awakening of Miss Prim is a first novel with good bones, but that suffers from a truly inferior translation. It doesn't help matters that it is a domestic novel translated from Spanish into British English and then never touched up for the American market. Even though it is domestic words that differ the most between Englishes. For example, tea is always a drink in the United States, while in Britain (and in the novel) it can also be a meal.
But enough about the translation. If my boss ever decided to stop being a dean of libraries and decided to write women's fiction, he would write this book. It is very much the kind of book I expect to be published by Ignatius Press, not Simon & Schuster. As that might suggest it is a very conservative Catholic novel, about a free-thinker who goes to work as the librarian for "the man in the armchair", who is homeschooling his nieces and nephews according to his very strict ideas of what qualifies as an education. Naturally, Miss Prim and her employer butt heads a lot. And she has some interesting run-ins with the local villagers as well, before things come to a head. It's an interesting premise, and for a first book, it is quite well-done. The plotting could be better, but I can't decide how much is the author and how much is the translation. But I liked it enough to find a cheap Spanish copy to work may way through and figure that out, so clearly it must be pretty good. For lovers of contemporary Catholic novels, this is a book that is worth seeking out.
First Line: Everyone in San Ireneo de Arnois remarked on Miss Prim's arrival.
Source: ILL (Dallas PL)
Original Title: El despertar de la señorita Prim
Recommendation: The German edition was a "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" recommendation on Amazon.de for a random book of Catholic essays I was eyeing.
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: PQ 6719 A4542 D4813 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Awakening of Miss Prim is a first novel with good bones, but that suffers from a truly inferior translation. It doesn't help matters that it is a domestic novel translated from Spanish into British English and then never touched up for the American market. Even though it is domestic words that differ the most between Englishes. For example, tea is always a drink in the United States, while in Britain (and in the novel) it can also be a meal.
But enough about the translation. If my boss ever decided to stop being a dean of libraries and decided to write women's fiction, he would write this book. It is very much the kind of book I expect to be published by Ignatius Press, not Simon & Schuster. As that might suggest it is a very conservative Catholic novel, about a free-thinker who goes to work as the librarian for "the man in the armchair", who is homeschooling his nieces and nephews according to his very strict ideas of what qualifies as an education. Naturally, Miss Prim and her employer butt heads a lot. And she has some interesting run-ins with the local villagers as well, before things come to a head. It's an interesting premise, and for a first book, it is quite well-done. The plotting could be better, but I can't decide how much is the author and how much is the translation. But I liked it enough to find a cheap Spanish copy to work may way through and figure that out, so clearly it must be pretty good. For lovers of contemporary Catholic novels, this is a book that is worth seeking out.
First Line: Everyone in San Ireneo de Arnois remarked on Miss Prim's arrival.
56inge87
Underlands: A Journey through Britain's Lost Landscape by Ted Nield
Source: me (8/15)
Recommendation: Somewhere on the internet/BookDepository had the hardcover on sale for $11
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: QE 261 N54 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Underlands is one geologist's plea for local, sustainable mining. Raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Wales, Nield's mother's family comes from the mining community of Aberfan and this heritage has played a major role in his life. Whether it was fossil hunting on the Dorset coast or doing schoolwork in the local pits, the places where man once interacted with the earth and its resources were a constant presence. But now that that king of industry has mostly become a part of Britain's past, opportunities to interact with the earth are being lost. Also, globalized minerals are an inherently unsustainable business. For example, most granite, no matter where it is initially mined, is processed in China before being sent on to its final destination. Peak oil would certainly make that kind of thing part of the past. But by far the best part of the book are the author's stories about his family, whether it is his coal-mining great-grandfather, whose tomb in the Aberfan cemetery the author has rebuilt in one chapter, or his grandmother who frequently reminded him on one visit that she and her husband had saved his life by moving to Swansea to raise his mother, because otherwise he would have been one of the dead Aberfan schoolchildren in 1966. Once upon a time most communities had a quarry or brick-works to produce a local supply of building material, but those days are gone. Nield makes a good argument for bringing them back, but whether that will ever actually occur is another matter entirely.
Recommended for fans of interesting memoirs, Welsh history, or the ground beneath our feet.
First Line: Happy Valley is a public park in Llandudno, Wales.
Source: me (8/15)
Recommendation: Somewhere on the internet/BookDepository had the hardcover on sale for $11
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: QE 261 N54 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Underlands is one geologist's plea for local, sustainable mining. Raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Wales, Nield's mother's family comes from the mining community of Aberfan and this heritage has played a major role in his life. Whether it was fossil hunting on the Dorset coast or doing schoolwork in the local pits, the places where man once interacted with the earth and its resources were a constant presence. But now that that king of industry has mostly become a part of Britain's past, opportunities to interact with the earth are being lost. Also, globalized minerals are an inherently unsustainable business. For example, most granite, no matter where it is initially mined, is processed in China before being sent on to its final destination. Peak oil would certainly make that kind of thing part of the past. But by far the best part of the book are the author's stories about his family, whether it is his coal-mining great-grandfather, whose tomb in the Aberfan cemetery the author has rebuilt in one chapter, or his grandmother who frequently reminded him on one visit that she and her husband had saved his life by moving to Swansea to raise his mother, because otherwise he would have been one of the dead Aberfan schoolchildren in 1966. Once upon a time most communities had a quarry or brick-works to produce a local supply of building material, but those days are gone. Nield makes a good argument for bringing them back, but whether that will ever actually occur is another matter entirely.
Recommended for fans of interesting memoirs, Welsh history, or the ground beneath our feet.
First Line: Happy Valley is a public park in Llandudno, Wales.
57inge87
The Good Comrade by Una L. Silberrad
Source: me (8/15)
Recommendation: This Guardian top-10 book list
Year of Original Pub.: 1907
LC Call #: PR 6037 I45 G66 2014
Rating: 5 stars / 5
Despite what you might think from reading the title, The Good Comrade is not a book about communism. Instead it is an excellent work about self-worth, personal honor, and social class with a healthy touch of romance. The Polkington's live life constantly on the edge of insolvency: the mother and two of her daughters want to live as they are accustomed and the father is a retired officer prone to drinking and gambling, which leaves only the middle daughter to hold things together. All she wants is to live a decent honorable life, but her family's refusal to be realistic about their situation makes it impossible. Especially once her father gambles off this quarter's check. An argument with one of his creditors leaves Julia desperate to prove her family's worth by coming up with £30 (roughly £2800 in today's money). So she decides to steal a rare daffodil bulb and joins the grower's family in the Netherlands as a companion. Naturally, she cannot bring herself to follow through with it, and a renewed acquaintance with her family's creditor leaves her feeling more awkward than ever while also offering her a way to prove her worth.
Not just a romance, but a serious look at the foibles of the middle-class values of the day (the part about the younger sister's marriage's "breaking-in" period is positively chilling). The love story is remarkably realistic and compelling, while not overwhelming Julia's overall search for self-respect and happiness. I'm surprised Persephone Books never picked this one up, as it's very much in their line. Highly recommended.
First Line: The Polkingtons were of those people who do not dine.
Source: me (8/15)
Recommendation: This Guardian top-10 book list
Year of Original Pub.: 1907
LC Call #: PR 6037 I45 G66 2014
Rating: 5 stars / 5
Despite what you might think from reading the title, The Good Comrade is not a book about communism. Instead it is an excellent work about self-worth, personal honor, and social class with a healthy touch of romance. The Polkington's live life constantly on the edge of insolvency: the mother and two of her daughters want to live as they are accustomed and the father is a retired officer prone to drinking and gambling, which leaves only the middle daughter to hold things together. All she wants is to live a decent honorable life, but her family's refusal to be realistic about their situation makes it impossible. Especially once her father gambles off this quarter's check. An argument with one of his creditors leaves Julia desperate to prove her family's worth by coming up with £30 (roughly £2800 in today's money). So she decides to steal a rare daffodil bulb and joins the grower's family in the Netherlands as a companion. Naturally, she cannot bring herself to follow through with it, and a renewed acquaintance with her family's creditor leaves her feeling more awkward than ever while also offering her a way to prove her worth.
Not just a romance, but a serious look at the foibles of the middle-class values of the day (the part about the younger sister's marriage's "breaking-in" period is positively chilling). The love story is remarkably realistic and compelling, while not overwhelming Julia's overall search for self-respect and happiness. I'm surprised Persephone Books never picked this one up, as it's very much in their line. Highly recommended.
First Line: The Polkingtons were of those people who do not dine.
58inge87
The African Equation by Yasmina Khadra
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: Kirkus, I think
Year of Original Pub.: 2011
LC Call #: PQ 3989.2 K386 E6813 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The African Equation is a thought-provoking book about a Frankfurt doctor who travels with a friend on a humanitarian mission to the Comoros Islands, only to be kidnapped by Somali pirates on the way. Kurt is struggling to overcome the sudden death of his wife and the trip was supposed to be a kind of distraction. It turns into an all-consuming battle for survival, as he and his (now wounded) friend are separated and he is put with a French expatriate with a love of Africa. Their hosts balance on an ever narrower edge between kindness and madness, and it will take everything the two have to make it back home alive.
A brilliant mediation on life and what truly matters and a rather damning take on first world problems and the blindness of modern society.
First Line: When I found love, I told myself, that's it, I've gone from just existing to actually living, and I swore to do whatever it took to ensure my joy would never end.
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: Kirkus, I think
Year of Original Pub.: 2011
LC Call #: PQ 3989.2 K386 E6813 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The African Equation is a thought-provoking book about a Frankfurt doctor who travels with a friend on a humanitarian mission to the Comoros Islands, only to be kidnapped by Somali pirates on the way. Kurt is struggling to overcome the sudden death of his wife and the trip was supposed to be a kind of distraction. It turns into an all-consuming battle for survival, as he and his (now wounded) friend are separated and he is put with a French expatriate with a love of Africa. Their hosts balance on an ever narrower edge between kindness and madness, and it will take everything the two have to make it back home alive.
A brilliant mediation on life and what truly matters and a rather damning take on first world problems and the blindness of modern society.
First Line: When I found love, I told myself, that's it, I've gone from just existing to actually living, and I swore to do whatever it took to ensure my joy would never end.
59inge87
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 5 by Naoko Takeuchi
Source: me (7/15)
Original Title: 美少女戦士セーラームーン (Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn)
Recommendation: Barnes & Noble had a "buy 2, get 1" on manga
Year of Original Pub.: 2003
Series: Sailor Moon (5/12)
LC Call #: PL 876 A348 P7413 2011 Vol. 5
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 5 picks up where Volume 4 left off, with Chibi Usa lost in time and Tuxedo Mask trying to find her. However, there is very little of Chibi Usa in the Dark Lady of Planet Nemesis that he finds. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon and friends are trying to sort everything out, and learn all about the evils of Nemesis and Wiseman. Ultimately this is Pluto's time to shine though, as she makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to save her friends. Will they survive through the end of the story arc to see another day? Will Usagi ever see the end of Chibi Usa—and does she really want to? Read on and find out!
First Line: ". . . Now . . . Come to me, and take my hand."
Source: me (7/15)
Original Title: 美少女戦士セーラームーン (Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn)
Recommendation: Barnes & Noble had a "buy 2, get 1" on manga
Year of Original Pub.: 2003
Series: Sailor Moon (5/12)
LC Call #: PL 876 A348 P7413 2011 Vol. 5
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 5 picks up where Volume 4 left off, with Chibi Usa lost in time and Tuxedo Mask trying to find her. However, there is very little of Chibi Usa in the Dark Lady of Planet Nemesis that he finds. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon and friends are trying to sort everything out, and learn all about the evils of Nemesis and Wiseman. Ultimately this is Pluto's time to shine though, as she makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to save her friends. Will they survive through the end of the story arc to see another day? Will Usagi ever see the end of Chibi Usa—and does she really want to? Read on and find out!
First Line: ". . . Now . . . Come to me, and take my hand."
60inge87
Nature's Engraver: A Life of Thomas Bewick by Jenny Uglow
Source: work
Recommendation: I liked The Pinecone
Year of Original Pub.: 2006
LC Call #: NE 1147.6 B47 U94 2007
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Nature's Engraver is exactly what the subtitle says it is: a life of Thomas Bewick, an 18th century engraver best known for his books about mammals and birds. Based in Newcastle, Bewick was a master wood-engraver and a great lover and observer of nature. There is a lot here about the art of engraving as well as about middle-class life outside of London. But the most striking thing to me is just how much people walked back then and how little they thought about it. It seems like nothing for Bewick to decide to take trips of 20 or even 100 miles by foot, something that few would do outside of a special vacation trip today.
Recommended for those interested in the art of engraving or about 18th century life.
First Line: The Tyne has changed course often since Thomas Bewick was born here two hundred and fifty years ago.
Source: work
Recommendation: I liked The Pinecone
Year of Original Pub.: 2006
LC Call #: NE 1147.6 B47 U94 2007
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Nature's Engraver is exactly what the subtitle says it is: a life of Thomas Bewick, an 18th century engraver best known for his books about mammals and birds. Based in Newcastle, Bewick was a master wood-engraver and a great lover and observer of nature. There is a lot here about the art of engraving as well as about middle-class life outside of London. But the most striking thing to me is just how much people walked back then and how little they thought about it. It seems like nothing for Bewick to decide to take trips of 20 or even 100 miles by foot, something that few would do outside of a special vacation trip today.
Recommended for those interested in the art of engraving or about 18th century life.
First Line: The Tyne has changed course often since Thomas Bewick was born here two hundred and fifty years ago.
61inge87
The Fault Line: Traveling the Other Europe, From Finland to Ukraine by Paolo Rumiz
Source: Irving PL
Original Title: Trans Europa Express
Recommendation: Pre-pub reviews somewhere
Year of Original Pub.: 2011
LC Call #: D 923 R8625 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Fault Line is normally the kind of book I love: journalists travelling through Eastern Europe seem to be a specialty of mine. Beginning at the border near Murmansk, Russia, Rumiz and his companion travelled through Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, East Prussia/Kaliningrad, Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine to Odessa before continuing on to Istanbul, Turkey via ship. Along the way they meet a lot of very interesting people who have been living at the border's edge for hundreds if not thousands of years and he also experiences the ghosts of those whose existences there were exterminated by the powers that be in years past but whose absences can still be felt. Normally this is all I need for a happy reading experience. But this book hit a false note.
It wasn't the author's Russophilia, which can come a bit too close to today's Russian nationalist bombast--something that was only beginning to express itself in 2008 when he made his journey. It's also not his anti-EU leftist political leanings—if disagreeing with an author's politics was an issue I would hardly read anything and I am the proud owner of a healthy dose of Euroscepticism myself. It's his particularly school of leftist thought that bothers me; the "don't let them develop and lose their culture/soul" school. Poor countries have just as much right to development and wealth as those who already made the leap, even if you think that what they want is wrong, it's incredibly condescending to tell them what they should want and what they should do. Ultimately, it was this that knocked The Fault Line from a four-star book to a three, and even had me considering giving it two. But if you can look beyond the author's shortcomings, there's quite of a lot of interesting food for thought here. If only this journey did not have so much baggage.
First Line: You always go back to the scene of the crime.
Source: Irving PL
Original Title: Trans Europa Express
Recommendation: Pre-pub reviews somewhere
Year of Original Pub.: 2011
LC Call #: D 923 R8625 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Fault Line is normally the kind of book I love: journalists travelling through Eastern Europe seem to be a specialty of mine. Beginning at the border near Murmansk, Russia, Rumiz and his companion travelled through Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, East Prussia/Kaliningrad, Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine to Odessa before continuing on to Istanbul, Turkey via ship. Along the way they meet a lot of very interesting people who have been living at the border's edge for hundreds if not thousands of years and he also experiences the ghosts of those whose existences there were exterminated by the powers that be in years past but whose absences can still be felt. Normally this is all I need for a happy reading experience. But this book hit a false note.
It wasn't the author's Russophilia, which can come a bit too close to today's Russian nationalist bombast--something that was only beginning to express itself in 2008 when he made his journey. It's also not his anti-EU leftist political leanings—if disagreeing with an author's politics was an issue I would hardly read anything and I am the proud owner of a healthy dose of Euroscepticism myself. It's his particularly school of leftist thought that bothers me; the "don't let them develop and lose their culture/soul" school. Poor countries have just as much right to development and wealth as those who already made the leap, even if you think that what they want is wrong, it's incredibly condescending to tell them what they should want and what they should do. Ultimately, it was this that knocked The Fault Line from a four-star book to a three, and even had me considering giving it two. But if you can look beyond the author's shortcomings, there's quite of a lot of interesting food for thought here. If only this journey did not have so much baggage.
First Line: You always go back to the scene of the crime.
62inge87
Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
Source: work
Recommendation: Felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1926
Series: Winnie-the-Pooh (1/4)
LC Call #: PZ 7 M64 Wi 1991
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Winnie-the-Pooh is the book that started the Pooh phenomenon. We meet Edward Bear, better known as Winnie-the-Pooh, and his friends Christopher Robin, Piglet, Rabbit, Kanga, and Roo. Heffalumps and woozles also make an invisible appearance. If you enjoyed the cartoon you'll want to pick it up, it's fun in its own way, even if The House on Pooh Corner is probably the better book in my opinion (something to look forward to if you read this one). It's good for a nostalgia read or who those who enjoy vintage children's books.
First Line: Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin.
Source: work
Recommendation: Felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1926
Series: Winnie-the-Pooh (1/4)
LC Call #: PZ 7 M64 Wi 1991
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Winnie-the-Pooh is the book that started the Pooh phenomenon. We meet Edward Bear, better known as Winnie-the-Pooh, and his friends Christopher Robin, Piglet, Rabbit, Kanga, and Roo. Heffalumps and woozles also make an invisible appearance. If you enjoyed the cartoon you'll want to pick it up, it's fun in its own way, even if The House on Pooh Corner is probably the better book in my opinion (something to look forward to if you read this one). It's good for a nostalgia read or who those who enjoy vintage children's books.
First Line: Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin.
63inge87
Saints and Ourselves: Personal Studies by Philip Caraman (ed.)
Source: me (8/15)
Recommendation: It looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 1953
Series: Saints and Ourselves (1/3)
LC Call #: BX 4657 M65 1953
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Saints and Ourselves is a collection of essays by various notables (mostly writers) about a saint that means something to them. Evelyn Waugh and Antonia White are probably the contributors with the most name recognition today; the only other name I recognized with Sheila Kaye-Smith's. But obscurity does not mean they can't write a good essay.
Originally published serially in a magazine, there is a saint for everyone here, from the obvious ones like Francis, Therese, or Thomas Aquinas, to the surprising like Gregory of Tours. The only non-saint was the then Ven. Marie of the Incarnation, who was eventually canonized by Pope Francis in 2014, she also happens to be the one I'm most leery of, but even the writer admits that the situation with her son was incredibly awkward (she'd never be allowed to join a convent in that situation today, for good reason). Overall, it's a nice set of essays about an interesting topic. Recommended for those who enjoy well-written saints lives or Catholic spiritual reading.
First Line: We are advised to meditate on the lives of the saints, but this precept originated in the ages when meditation was a more precise and arduous activity than we are tempted to think it today. (Evelyn Waugh, "St. Helena Empress")
Source: me (8/15)
Recommendation: It looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 1953
Series: Saints and Ourselves (1/3)
LC Call #: BX 4657 M65 1953
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Saints and Ourselves is a collection of essays by various notables (mostly writers) about a saint that means something to them. Evelyn Waugh and Antonia White are probably the contributors with the most name recognition today; the only other name I recognized with Sheila Kaye-Smith's. But obscurity does not mean they can't write a good essay.
Originally published serially in a magazine, there is a saint for everyone here, from the obvious ones like Francis, Therese, or Thomas Aquinas, to the surprising like Gregory of Tours. The only non-saint was the then Ven. Marie of the Incarnation, who was eventually canonized by Pope Francis in 2014, she also happens to be the one I'm most leery of, but even the writer admits that the situation with her son was incredibly awkward (she'd never be allowed to join a convent in that situation today, for good reason). Overall, it's a nice set of essays about an interesting topic. Recommended for those who enjoy well-written saints lives or Catholic spiritual reading.
First Line: We are advised to meditate on the lives of the saints, but this precept originated in the ages when meditation was a more precise and arduous activity than we are tempted to think it today. (Evelyn Waugh, "St. Helena Empress")
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George V: The Unexpected King by David Cannadine
Source: work
Recommendation: It looked interesting (and short) and I needed a book for my history category in 15-in-15
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
Series: Penguin Monarchs (43/45)
LC Call #: DA 573 C26 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
George V is an excellent short biography of a man who grew up expecting his brother would be king. Not that that brother was in any shape to take on such responsibilities, but he was born first. Therefore George (known as Albert by his family) received no formal education except how to survive the Royal Navy (his sisters were apparently practically illiterate). The absolute lack of education among members of the royal family (George V's children weren't much better) is one of the things I learned from this book. But when the going gets tough, the tough get going. George married his brother's fiancee and managed surprisingly well, despite taking the through just in time for World War I. A polar opposite to his father, Edward VII, he was just the thing Britain needed. I honestly did not know much about this particular king before reading this book, and it was the perfect introduction, managing to be both thorough and highly accessible. I can't wait to get my hands on more of the series.
First Line: The future King-Emperor George V, who would reign from 1910 to 1936, was born at Marlborough House, the palatial London residence of his parents, on 3 June 1865, and he would be christened Prince George Frederick Ernest Albert.
Source: work
Recommendation: It looked interesting (and short) and I needed a book for my history category in 15-in-15
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
Series: Penguin Monarchs (43/45)
LC Call #: DA 573 C26 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
George V is an excellent short biography of a man who grew up expecting his brother would be king. Not that that brother was in any shape to take on such responsibilities, but he was born first. Therefore George (known as Albert by his family) received no formal education except how to survive the Royal Navy (his sisters were apparently practically illiterate). The absolute lack of education among members of the royal family (George V's children weren't much better) is one of the things I learned from this book. But when the going gets tough, the tough get going. George married his brother's fiancee and managed surprisingly well, despite taking the through just in time for World War I. A polar opposite to his father, Edward VII, he was just the thing Britain needed. I honestly did not know much about this particular king before reading this book, and it was the perfect introduction, managing to be both thorough and highly accessible. I can't wait to get my hands on more of the series.
First Line: The future King-Emperor George V, who would reign from 1910 to 1936, was born at Marlborough House, the palatial London residence of his parents, on 3 June 1865, and he would be christened Prince George Frederick Ernest Albert.
65inge87
Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart
Source: work (I couldn't find my personal copy)
Recommendation: I felt an urge to read Mary Stewart
Year of Original Pub.: 1965
LC Call #: PR 6069 T46 A5 1965
Rating: 4 stars / 5
When Vanessa uncovers evidence that her husband is not on a business trip in Stockholm but rather in southeastern Austria, she knew her life was suddenly about to be more interesting. She just had no idea how interesting it was going to be. But soon enough she finds herself escorting the son of a family friend to Vienna and discovers the wonders of the Airs Above the Ground that are the trademark of the Spanish Riding School and its Lipizzaner horses. But her husband's business is more complicated than she knew and it seems like this time she is going to get dragged into it too.
A fun period thriller. This is rather unique for Stewart in that the couple sort out their issues quite quickly and work together to solve the bigger problem. Highly recommended for fans of Stewart or the genre.
First Line: Carmel Lacy is the silliest woman I know, which is saying a good deal.
Source: work (I couldn't find my personal copy)
Recommendation: I felt an urge to read Mary Stewart
Year of Original Pub.: 1965
LC Call #: PR 6069 T46 A5 1965
Rating: 4 stars / 5
When Vanessa uncovers evidence that her husband is not on a business trip in Stockholm but rather in southeastern Austria, she knew her life was suddenly about to be more interesting. She just had no idea how interesting it was going to be. But soon enough she finds herself escorting the son of a family friend to Vienna and discovers the wonders of the Airs Above the Ground that are the trademark of the Spanish Riding School and its Lipizzaner horses. But her husband's business is more complicated than she knew and it seems like this time she is going to get dragged into it too.
A fun period thriller. This is rather unique for Stewart in that the couple sort out their issues quite quickly and work together to solve the bigger problem. Highly recommended for fans of Stewart or the genre.
First Line: Carmel Lacy is the silliest woman I know, which is saying a good deal.
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August Reading Round-Up!
Books Read: 19
Genre
Fiction - 12 - 63.16%
Non-Fiction - 7 - 36.84%
Sources
Work - 7 - 36.84%
Me (this month) - 5 - 22.3%
Irving PL - 3 - 17.8%
Me (last month) - 3 - 17.8%
ILL - 1 - 5.26%
Authors
Male - 10 - 58.8%
Female - 7 - 41.2%
Edition Language
English - 20 - 100%
Original Language
English - 12 - 63.16%
Japanese - 3 - 17.8%
Dutch - 1 - 5.26%
French - 1 - 5.26%
Italian - 1 - 5.26%
Spanish - 1 - 5.26%
Series
Stand-Alone Books - 12 - 63.16%
Series Books - 7 - 36.84%
Average Original Date of Publication
1986
Median Original Date of Publication
2003
Ratings Distribution
1 star - 0 - 0%
2 stars - 1 - 5.26%
3 stars - 9 - 47.34%
4 stars - 7 - 36.84%
5 stars - 1 - 5.26%
Average Rating
3.26
Best of the Month
Fiction: The Good Comrade by Una L. Silberrad
Non-Fiction (tie): George V: The Unexpected King by David Cannadine & Underlands: A Journey through Britain's Lost Landscape by Ted Nield
Books Read: 19
Genre
Fiction - 12 - 63.16%
Non-Fiction - 7 - 36.84%
Sources
Work - 7 - 36.84%
Me (this month) - 5 - 22.3%
Irving PL - 3 - 17.8%
Me (last month) - 3 - 17.8%
ILL - 1 - 5.26%
Authors
Male - 10 - 58.8%
Female - 7 - 41.2%
Edition Language
English - 20 - 100%
Original Language
English - 12 - 63.16%
Japanese - 3 - 17.8%
Dutch - 1 - 5.26%
French - 1 - 5.26%
Italian - 1 - 5.26%
Spanish - 1 - 5.26%
Series
Stand-Alone Books - 12 - 63.16%
Series Books - 7 - 36.84%
Average Original Date of Publication
1986
Median Original Date of Publication
2003
Ratings Distribution
1 star - 0 - 0%
2 stars - 1 - 5.26%
3 stars - 9 - 47.34%
4 stars - 7 - 36.84%
5 stars - 1 - 5.26%
Average Rating
3.26
Best of the Month
Fiction: The Good Comrade by Una L. Silberrad
Non-Fiction (tie): George V: The Unexpected King by David Cannadine & Underlands: A Journey through Britain's Lost Landscape by Ted Nield
67inge87
The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Source: me (8/15)
Recommendation: Persephone had a "Buy 2, Get a free Mollie Panter-Downes book" offer going
Year of Original Pub.: 1901
Series: Emily Fox-Seton (omnibus)
LC Call #: PS 1214 M3 2001
Rating: 5 stars / 5
My edition of The Making of a Marchioness is actually an omnibus containing both The Making of a Marchioness proper and The Methods of Lady Walderhurst; this set up has also been published as Emily Fox-Seton. It is also the natural setting for the works, which even the author admitted were really two parts of one whole. The first part, concerns Emily Fox-Seton, an impoverished woman of good family who scratches out a living running errands for others who don't have the time or the desire to do it. She makes herself indispensable, while living in fear of being too old to be useful. When one of her patrons invites her to a country house party to assist her, she welcomes the opportunity. There she shows everyone the true value of her good character and attracts a marriage offer from an unlikely direction.
The second part is Emily's "happily-ever-after" as the Marchioness of Walderhurst. But when her husband's heir presumptive travels back from India with his wife and her Indian nurse, things get interesting. Walderhust can't stand his heir, for good reason. But Emily can't help but try to befriend and help Hester, his wife. In turn, it soon becomes apparent that they wouldn't mind if she died in a convenient accident. Naturally, Walderhurst is in India on business for this part, making his wife easy prey. Will she live long enough for her husband to return to her? Will her tormentor earn their just deserts? You'll have to read on and find out!
Highly recommended. If you enjoyed A Little Princess or The Secret Garden, you'll definitely want to pick up this one of her adult works.
First Line: When Miss Fox-Seton descended from the two-penny 'bus as it drew up, she gathered her trim tailor-made skirt about her with neatness and decorum, being well used to getting in and out of two-penny 'buses and to making her way across muddy London streets.
Source: me (8/15)
Recommendation: Persephone had a "Buy 2, Get a free Mollie Panter-Downes book" offer going
Year of Original Pub.: 1901
Series: Emily Fox-Seton (omnibus)
LC Call #: PS 1214 M3 2001
Rating: 5 stars / 5
My edition of The Making of a Marchioness is actually an omnibus containing both The Making of a Marchioness proper and The Methods of Lady Walderhurst; this set up has also been published as Emily Fox-Seton. It is also the natural setting for the works, which even the author admitted were really two parts of one whole. The first part, concerns Emily Fox-Seton, an impoverished woman of good family who scratches out a living running errands for others who don't have the time or the desire to do it. She makes herself indispensable, while living in fear of being too old to be useful. When one of her patrons invites her to a country house party to assist her, she welcomes the opportunity. There she shows everyone the true value of her good character and attracts a marriage offer from an unlikely direction.
The second part is Emily's "happily-ever-after" as the Marchioness of Walderhurst. But when her husband's heir presumptive travels back from India with his wife and her Indian nurse, things get interesting. Walderhust can't stand his heir, for good reason. But Emily can't help but try to befriend and help Hester, his wife. In turn, it soon becomes apparent that they wouldn't mind if she died in a convenient accident. Naturally, Walderhurst is in India on business for this part, making his wife easy prey. Will she live long enough for her husband to return to her? Will her tormentor earn their just deserts? You'll have to read on and find out!
Highly recommended. If you enjoyed A Little Princess or The Secret Garden, you'll definitely want to pick up this one of her adult works.
First Line: When Miss Fox-Seton descended from the two-penny 'bus as it drew up, she gathered her trim tailor-made skirt about her with neatness and decorum, being well used to getting in and out of two-penny 'buses and to making her way across muddy London streets.
68inge87
Lady of Magick by Sylvia Izzo Hunter
Recommendation: I liked The Midnight Queen
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: Noctis Magicae (2/?)
LC Call #: PR 9199.4 H8684 L33 2015
Rating: 2 stars / 5
Lady of Magick is one of those sequels that fails to live up to the promise of the first book. I can't pin down just exactly what is wrong with it; I read to the end and thought "That was it?". Perhaps it was that I did not like Joanna's character, and this book was almost more her's than Sophie and Gray's. Perhaps it was the way that I can't seem to feel where this series is going. Whatever it was, I'm not sure I'll be reading book 3.
The book picks up a few years after The Midnight Queen. Sophie and her husband are at Oxford, where she is not having a good time because many reject her for being female. So when Gray gets an invitation to lecture at the University of Dun Edin (Edinburgh), which is coeducational, they jump at the chance. Joanna, who has aspirations at getting involved with politics and diplomacy, is not sure they should be going due to some political issues, but doesn't want to reveal anything she shouldn't and doesn't say anything. Naturally, Gray disappears, and a political crisis appears to be brewing with Sophie (once again) at the center of it. Cue a visit from Joanna and things begin to head in directions no one ever wanted to think of.
Read it if you liked the first book, and perhaps you'll like it more than I did.
First Line:
Recommendation: I liked The Midnight Queen
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: Noctis Magicae (2/?)
LC Call #: PR 9199.4 H8684 L33 2015
Rating: 2 stars / 5
Lady of Magick is one of those sequels that fails to live up to the promise of the first book. I can't pin down just exactly what is wrong with it; I read to the end and thought "That was it?". Perhaps it was that I did not like Joanna's character, and this book was almost more her's than Sophie and Gray's. Perhaps it was the way that I can't seem to feel where this series is going. Whatever it was, I'm not sure I'll be reading book 3.
The book picks up a few years after The Midnight Queen. Sophie and her husband are at Oxford, where she is not having a good time because many reject her for being female. So when Gray gets an invitation to lecture at the University of Dun Edin (Edinburgh), which is coeducational, they jump at the chance. Joanna, who has aspirations at getting involved with politics and diplomacy, is not sure they should be going due to some political issues, but doesn't want to reveal anything she shouldn't and doesn't say anything. Naturally, Gray disappears, and a political crisis appears to be brewing with Sophie (once again) at the center of it. Cue a visit from Joanna and things begin to head in directions no one ever wanted to think of.
Read it if you liked the first book, and perhaps you'll like it more than I did.
First Line:
69inge87
No Holly for Miss Quinn by Miss Read
Source: work
Recommendation: Filling out a 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1976
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (12/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 N6 1976
Rating: 2 stars / 5
No Holly for Miss Quinn is a bit of a series "Christmas Special", Miss Quinn, who works as a private secretary, takes the tenancy of a cottage in Fairacre, but craves her privacy and independence about all else. She's looking forward to a quiet Christmas at home when she gets a phone-call from her vicar brother in Norfolk, begging her to come because his wife is in the hospital and he is too busy with Christmas services to take proper care of their three children. So off she goes. Naturally, she has much more fun than she ever expected. The book is overall, quite good. It is just the ending I take exception to, as I feel it doesn't quite fit. But if you're looking for some Christmas cheer, you may just find it here.
First Line: If you take the road from the downland village of Fairacre to Beech Green, you will notice three things.
Source: work
Recommendation: Filling out a 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1976
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (12/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 N6 1976
Rating: 2 stars / 5
No Holly for Miss Quinn is a bit of a series "Christmas Special", Miss Quinn, who works as a private secretary, takes the tenancy of a cottage in Fairacre, but craves her privacy and independence about all else. She's looking forward to a quiet Christmas at home when she gets a phone-call from her vicar brother in Norfolk, begging her to come because his wife is in the hospital and he is too busy with Christmas services to take proper care of their three children. So off she goes. Naturally, she has much more fun than she ever expected. The book is overall, quite good. It is just the ending I take exception to, as I feel it doesn't quite fit. But if you're looking for some Christmas cheer, you may just find it here.
First Line: If you take the road from the downland village of Fairacre to Beech Green, you will notice three things.
70inge87
George VI: The Dutiful King by Philip Ziegler
Source: work
Recommendation: I enjoyed the volume on George V
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
Series: Penguin Monarchs (44/45)
LC Call #: DA 584 Z544 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
George VI tells the story of a man who was not born to be king and probably would have preferred not to be king, but who became king all the same. Bertie was a second son destined for the navy until his brother decided to marry an inappropriate woman and abdicate the throne. But as George VI he never let his personal insecurities get in the way of trying to do his duty and be the best king he could be. He must have done a good job, in spite of chronic health issues and an extremely poor education, because his daughter was able to inherit his throne while so many of his cousins' lost theirs to revolution and republicanism. An interesting take on a man little remembered today except for The King's Speech.
First Line: If Ethelred was nortoriously 'Unready' and Alfred 'Great', King George VI should bear the designation of 'George the Dutiful'.
Source: work
Recommendation: I enjoyed the volume on George V
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
Series: Penguin Monarchs (44/45)
LC Call #: DA 584 Z544 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
George VI tells the story of a man who was not born to be king and probably would have preferred not to be king, but who became king all the same. Bertie was a second son destined for the navy until his brother decided to marry an inappropriate woman and abdicate the throne. But as George VI he never let his personal insecurities get in the way of trying to do his duty and be the best king he could be. He must have done a good job, in spite of chronic health issues and an extremely poor education, because his daughter was able to inherit his throne while so many of his cousins' lost theirs to revolution and republicanism. An interesting take on a man little remembered today except for The King's Speech.
First Line: If Ethelred was nortoriously 'Unready' and Alfred 'Great', King George VI should bear the designation of 'George the Dutiful'.
71inge87
Black Diamonds: The Downfall of an Aristocratic Dynasty and the Fifty Years that Changed England by Catherine Bailey
Source: work
Recommendation: I loved The Secret Rooms
Year of Original Pub.: 2007
LC Call #: DA 670 Y6 B145 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Black Diamonds is the story of the Earls Fitzwilliam and their family, who built a fortune on the backs of South Yorkshire coal miners and then watched it all fall to ruin. The family thrived on secrets and their love of secrecy (combined with a tradition of inter-generational hatred) proved to be their undoing. If you want to read about a group of questionable people living the high life while doing sordid things behind the scenes, but in a classy way, this book is for you. If you like it when the little man gets his say, this book is for you. There's even a healthy dose of Kennedy family conspiracies (anyone who thinks the rot in the Catholic Church set in after Vatican II needs to read the part where Kathleen goes bishop-shopping). Overall, I think I liked The Secret Rooms better, but that was one of the best books I read that year, so this one is still quite good.
For those who like their histories British and their revenge served coaled. Highly recommended.
First Line: In the crush of mourners, one man walked alone behind the glass hearse.
Source: work
Recommendation: I loved The Secret Rooms
Year of Original Pub.: 2007
LC Call #: DA 670 Y6 B145 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Black Diamonds is the story of the Earls Fitzwilliam and their family, who built a fortune on the backs of South Yorkshire coal miners and then watched it all fall to ruin. The family thrived on secrets and their love of secrecy (combined with a tradition of inter-generational hatred) proved to be their undoing. If you want to read about a group of questionable people living the high life while doing sordid things behind the scenes, but in a classy way, this book is for you. If you like it when the little man gets his say, this book is for you. There's even a healthy dose of Kennedy family conspiracies (anyone who thinks the rot in the Catholic Church set in after Vatican II needs to read the part where Kathleen goes bishop-shopping). Overall, I think I liked The Secret Rooms better, but that was one of the best books I read that year, so this one is still quite good.
For those who like their histories British and their revenge served coaled. Highly recommended.
First Line: In the crush of mourners, one man walked alone behind the glass hearse.
72susanj67
Yay, Black Diamonds! One of my top NF reads of all time. And they're making it into a TV series. Here's an odd suggestion, but try The Importance of Being Kennedy by Laurie Graham soon. It's a novel, but it goes with Black Diamonds really well.
73inge87
Village Affairs by Miss Read
Source: work
Recommendation: Filling out a 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1977
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (13/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 V53 1977
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Village Affairs finds Miss Read's school threatened with closure. No one in the village wants to send their small children on the bus to Beech Green, but they may not have a choice. Nevertheless, the Fairacre school attempts to carry on as before, even though there is a sword hanging above its metaphorical neck. Life in the village goes on much as before, except that someone has been stealing lead from the roofs, and one villagers marital life also becomes the subject of concern. Somehow though, the village will help everyone get by, even if some of them don't deserve to. And maybe, just maybe, the school will survive another term too.
A nice cozy novel, you don't need to read the rest of the series to get by, but it wouldn't hurt either.
First Line: It is an undisputed fact that people who choose to live in in the country must expect to be caught up, willy-nilly, in the cycle of the seasons.
Source: work
Recommendation: Filling out a 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1977
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (13/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 V53 1977
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Village Affairs finds Miss Read's school threatened with closure. No one in the village wants to send their small children on the bus to Beech Green, but they may not have a choice. Nevertheless, the Fairacre school attempts to carry on as before, even though there is a sword hanging above its metaphorical neck. Life in the village goes on much as before, except that someone has been stealing lead from the roofs, and one villagers marital life also becomes the subject of concern. Somehow though, the village will help everyone get by, even if some of them don't deserve to. And maybe, just maybe, the school will survive another term too.
A nice cozy novel, you don't need to read the rest of the series to get by, but it wouldn't hurt either.
First Line: It is an undisputed fact that people who choose to live in in the country must expect to be caught up, willy-nilly, in the cycle of the seasons.
74inge87
>72 susanj67: I have a severe case of Kennedy-fatigue (I'm from Dallas, it comes with the territory), but Black Diamonds managed to make me read about them and actually enjoy it, even if I found myself emphasizing with Rose more than rooting for Kathleen.
I'm not surprised that the book is being made into a tv show, the Fitzwilliams seem to have lived life like they were the stars of a seedy soap opera. And then regretted it and tried to erase any evidence that it ever happened.
I'm not surprised that the book is being made into a tv show, the Fitzwilliams seem to have lived life like they were the stars of a seedy soap opera. And then regretted it and tried to erase any evidence that it ever happened.
75inge87
Twelfth Night, or What You Will by William Shakespeare
Source: work
Recommendation: Felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1602
LC Call #: PR 2837 A2 R5 2001
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Twelfth Night is, of course, the story of what happens when twins get separated in a shipwreck, a sister disguises herself as a man to woo a girl for her employer, only to have the employer fall for her (as a man) and herself fall in love with her employer. Just when things could not get more complicated, the brother appears and gets dragged off to a secret wedding by the woman his sister is wooing for her employer (not that the poor brother knows anything about any of this). Luckily, it all turns out happily in the end, because this is Shakespearean comedy and that's how things work!
I like Twelfth Night, but I like Shakespeare in general. For those who do not like Shakespeare so much, this is a nice one, as are Much Ado about Nothing and Henry V. Ultimately with Shakespeare, I think that dipping in and figuring out what you like and what you don't like is key. Just don't give up on him because you were forced to read Romeo and Juliet or Julius Caesar in school and hated it.
First Line:
If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it; that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.
Source: work
Recommendation: Felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1602
LC Call #: PR 2837 A2 R5 2001
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Twelfth Night is, of course, the story of what happens when twins get separated in a shipwreck, a sister disguises herself as a man to woo a girl for her employer, only to have the employer fall for her (as a man) and herself fall in love with her employer. Just when things could not get more complicated, the brother appears and gets dragged off to a secret wedding by the woman his sister is wooing for her employer (not that the poor brother knows anything about any of this). Luckily, it all turns out happily in the end, because this is Shakespearean comedy and that's how things work!
I like Twelfth Night, but I like Shakespeare in general. For those who do not like Shakespeare so much, this is a nice one, as are Much Ado about Nothing and Henry V. Ultimately with Shakespeare, I think that dipping in and figuring out what you like and what you don't like is key. Just don't give up on him because you were forced to read Romeo and Juliet or Julius Caesar in school and hated it.
First Line:
If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it; that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.
76inge87
God or Nothing: A Conversation on Faith with Nicolas Diat by Robert Cardinal Sarah
Source: me (9/15)
Original Title: Dieu ou rien: Entretien sur la foi
Recommendation: Interest in Cardinal Sarah
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: BX 4705 S3408 A513 2015
Rating: 5 stars / 5
God or Nothing is the result of what must have been quite a series of interviews between Robert Cardinal Sarah (the man on the cover) and reporter Nicolas Diat. Sarah is noteworthy for a variety of worthy reasons, and hopefully the translation of this book means that he will get more recognition in the Anglophone world. Born in a small village in a remote part of the West African nation of Guinea (then a French colony), no one would have guessed that he would manage to become a Catholic priest, much less Archbishop of Conakry or a cardinal in the Curia. Especially, once Guinea gained its independence from France and was plunged into a decades-long Marxist revolution by its new leader. But achieve it he did.
Along with his life's story, we also learn his thoughts on every Pope who has reigned during his life, what he thinks Pope Francis really means, as well as his thoughts on the major theological issues of the day. His opinions on Pope Pius XII from the perspective of a survivor of a more recent despotic regime were particularly interesting. I will admit to stereotyping social justice Catholics as white upper and middle-class children of the 60s, but Sarah presents a view of social justice for the poor that is untainted by the kinds of issues such as women's ordination that it got mixed with in the West. This is the kind of social justice that every Catholic can get behind. And as a bonus, the whole thing makes for absolutely compulsive reading.
Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the Church in Africa and Catholic current events.
First Line: There are radical encounters that change that change some aspects of our way of looking at things.
Source: me (9/15)
Original Title: Dieu ou rien: Entretien sur la foi
Recommendation: Interest in Cardinal Sarah
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: BX 4705 S3408 A513 2015
Rating: 5 stars / 5
God or Nothing is the result of what must have been quite a series of interviews between Robert Cardinal Sarah (the man on the cover) and reporter Nicolas Diat. Sarah is noteworthy for a variety of worthy reasons, and hopefully the translation of this book means that he will get more recognition in the Anglophone world. Born in a small village in a remote part of the West African nation of Guinea (then a French colony), no one would have guessed that he would manage to become a Catholic priest, much less Archbishop of Conakry or a cardinal in the Curia. Especially, once Guinea gained its independence from France and was plunged into a decades-long Marxist revolution by its new leader. But achieve it he did.
Along with his life's story, we also learn his thoughts on every Pope who has reigned during his life, what he thinks Pope Francis really means, as well as his thoughts on the major theological issues of the day. His opinions on Pope Pius XII from the perspective of a survivor of a more recent despotic regime were particularly interesting. I will admit to stereotyping social justice Catholics as white upper and middle-class children of the 60s, but Sarah presents a view of social justice for the poor that is untainted by the kinds of issues such as women's ordination that it got mixed with in the West. This is the kind of social justice that every Catholic can get behind. And as a bonus, the whole thing makes for absolutely compulsive reading.
Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the Church in Africa and Catholic current events.
First Line: There are radical encounters that change that change some aspects of our way of looking at things.
77Kassilem
Hi! I'm here to lurk for book recommendations a little bit as I get my LT thread-watching groove back under my feet. :)
78inge87
>77 Kassilem: You're farther along in that process, than I am! I'm still pretty much on my thread and nowhere else. Maybe in December when the semester (and my master's degree) are finished . . .
80inge87
>79 Kassilem: Thanks!
81inge87
Saints and Ourselves, Second Series: Personal Studies of Favorite Saints by Philip Caraman, SJ (ed.)
Source: me (8/15)
Recommendation: One of the essays is on St. Margaret of Scotland
Year of Original Pub.: 1955
LC Call #: BX 4657 M652 1956
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Saints and Ourselves, Second Series continues in the same mode as the first book, and while the authors and the saints may be a bit more obscure this time, I think this the better book. The work is a collection of essays that were previously published in a magazine, in which notable Catholics write about their favorite saint. Boniface, Louis, Margaret of Scotland, and Alphonsus Liguori, all make an appearance this time, as do several others with interesting lives. Recommended for those interested in the saints or looking for good spiritual reading materials.
First Line: After twelve hundred years it is high time that we remembered St. Boniface. (Christopher Dawson, "St. Boniface")
Source: me (8/15)
Recommendation: One of the essays is on St. Margaret of Scotland
Year of Original Pub.: 1955
LC Call #: BX 4657 M652 1956
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Saints and Ourselves, Second Series continues in the same mode as the first book, and while the authors and the saints may be a bit more obscure this time, I think this the better book. The work is a collection of essays that were previously published in a magazine, in which notable Catholics write about their favorite saint. Boniface, Louis, Margaret of Scotland, and Alphonsus Liguori, all make an appearance this time, as do several others with interesting lives. Recommended for those interested in the saints or looking for good spiritual reading materials.
First Line: After twelve hundred years it is high time that we remembered St. Boniface. (Christopher Dawson, "St. Boniface")
82inge87
Eugenics and Other Evils by G. K. Chesterton
Source: ILL (TCU)
Recommendation: the internet
Year of Original Pub.: 1922
LC Call #: HQ 755 C48 1987
Rating: 2 stars / 5
Eugenics and Other Evils is a rather extensive argument by Chesterton against the evils of eugenics. I found it a bit too full of rhetoric, so that the argument got lost in the words. So much so that I could not even give it three stars.
First Line: The wisest thing in the world is to cry out before you are hurt.
Source: ILL (TCU)
Recommendation: the internet
Year of Original Pub.: 1922
LC Call #: HQ 755 C48 1987
Rating: 2 stars / 5
Eugenics and Other Evils is a rather extensive argument by Chesterton against the evils of eugenics. I found it a bit too full of rhetoric, so that the argument got lost in the words. So much so that I could not even give it three stars.
First Line: The wisest thing in the world is to cry out before you are hurt.
83inge87
The Superstition of Divorce by G. K. Chesterton
Source: ILL (TCU)
Recommendation: It was in the Chesterton omnibus I was reading and sounded interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 1920
LC Call #: HQ 814 C5 1987
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Superstition of Divorce is work that was expanded by Chesterton from a series of essays into book form. Within it he argues persuasively against divorce. That horse has pretty much bolted from the barn at this point, so only Catholics or some conservative Protestants will be interested in it now. But I thought it well-argued and quite nicely written.
First Line: It is futile to talk of reform with reference to form.
Source: ILL (TCU)
Recommendation: It was in the Chesterton omnibus I was reading and sounded interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 1920
LC Call #: HQ 814 C5 1987
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Superstition of Divorce is work that was expanded by Chesterton from a series of essays into book form. Within it he argues persuasively against divorce. That horse has pretty much bolted from the barn at this point, so only Catholics or some conservative Protestants will be interested in it now. But I thought it well-argued and quite nicely written.
First Line: It is futile to talk of reform with reference to form.
84inge87
How to Speak Brit: The Quintessential Guide to the King's English, Cockney Slang, and Other Flummoxing British Phrases by Christopher J. Moore
Source: work
Recommendation: I was bored and it was there
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: PE 1704 M58 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
How to Speak Brit is a short, cheeky dictionary of stereotypically British phrases, organized thematically. Definitely more of a gift book than a serious, buy-for-yourself book. Plus, for some reason, it doesn't have "old bean" in it. I'm fairly certain a book of this type fails its mission if that one's not there. But it's at least moderately amusing, which is more than one can say for most gift books.
First Line: There is something that has to be understood straightaway about the British: As soon as you open your mouth, your listener puts you into a social category.
Source: work
Recommendation: I was bored and it was there
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: PE 1704 M58 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
How to Speak Brit is a short, cheeky dictionary of stereotypically British phrases, organized thematically. Definitely more of a gift book than a serious, buy-for-yourself book. Plus, for some reason, it doesn't have "old bean" in it. I'm fairly certain a book of this type fails its mission if that one's not there. But it's at least moderately amusing, which is more than one can say for most gift books.
First Line: There is something that has to be understood straightaway about the British: As soon as you open your mouth, your listener puts you into a social category.
85inge87
Daughters of the Samurai: A Journey from East to West and Back by Janice P. Nimura
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: pre-pub reviews
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: DS 883 N56 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Daughters of the Samurai is the tale of an interesting education experiment in late 19th century Japan, in which five girls were sent to the United States to learn English and Western ways with the hope of then coming back and helping the advancement of their homeland. Only three of them made it all ten years, and when they returned to Japan, they found themselves straddling a strange line between native and foreigner. One managed fairly well by finding a husband and a niche and sticking with it. One married very well and struggled with the attention given to her and her odd western ways. The youngest, who barely remembered Japan by the time she returned, struggled the most but possibly achieved the most. This is a remarkable story of three girls cast to the wind, only to find that home what not quite what they remembered by the time they made it back.
Recommended for those interested in Japanese culture and history, the history of American-Japanese relations, and interesting stories about women and education.
First Line: Of the five girls on their way to America, the middle one in age, Sutematsu Yamakawa, had raveled the farthest, whether the distance was reckoned in miles or memories.
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: pre-pub reviews
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: DS 883 N56 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Daughters of the Samurai is the tale of an interesting education experiment in late 19th century Japan, in which five girls were sent to the United States to learn English and Western ways with the hope of then coming back and helping the advancement of their homeland. Only three of them made it all ten years, and when they returned to Japan, they found themselves straddling a strange line between native and foreigner. One managed fairly well by finding a husband and a niche and sticking with it. One married very well and struggled with the attention given to her and her odd western ways. The youngest, who barely remembered Japan by the time she returned, struggled the most but possibly achieved the most. This is a remarkable story of three girls cast to the wind, only to find that home what not quite what they remembered by the time they made it back.
Recommended for those interested in Japanese culture and history, the history of American-Japanese relations, and interesting stories about women and education.
First Line: Of the five girls on their way to America, the middle one in age, Sutematsu Yamakawa, had raveled the farthest, whether the distance was reckoned in miles or memories.
86inge87
The Authority of Women in the Catholic Church by Monica Migliorino Miller
Source: me (9/15)
Recommendation: internet
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: BX 2347.8 W6 M56 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Authority of Women in the Catholic Church sets out an excellent, orthodox Catholic theology of women. If you've ever wondered how the Church views women and why it feels they are important, this book will be useful. But be warned that the author is looking at theology here, and does not address the kinds of issues frequently trotted out as "women's issues", such as female ordination, because she is working from Church teachings and views them as besides the point. For those interested in women and the Church or complementarianism. Highly recommended.
First Line: In 1987 I attended a rally sponsored by the National Organization for Women (NOW).
Source: me (9/15)
Recommendation: internet
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: BX 2347.8 W6 M56 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Authority of Women in the Catholic Church sets out an excellent, orthodox Catholic theology of women. If you've ever wondered how the Church views women and why it feels they are important, this book will be useful. But be warned that the author is looking at theology here, and does not address the kinds of issues frequently trotted out as "women's issues", such as female ordination, because she is working from Church teachings and views them as besides the point. For those interested in women and the Church or complementarianism. Highly recommended.
First Line: In 1987 I attended a rally sponsored by the National Organization for Women (NOW).
87inge87
Pawpaw: In Search of America's Forgotten Fruit by Andrew Moore
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: It looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: QK 495 A6 M66 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Pawpaw is a book dedicated to the largest fruit native to North America: the pawpaw. If you're wondering why you've never heard of this most interesting fruit, the only non-tropical member of its family, this book will tell you why. It will also make you want to go find some. Divided into three sections, the author gives an overview of the history of the pawpaw, the people and organizations trying to grow the fruit and spread the news about the joys of pawpaws, and a travel memoir of the author's journeys throughout the pawpaw belt, where the tree grows natively. There is a lot here about the native Appalachian pawpaw culture, which seems to have kept awareness of the fruit the longest. I'm one or two hours west of the part of Texas that has pawpaws, so I've never eaten one, but this book makes me want to go find one. And it will make you want to go pawpaw hunting too.
First Line: Throughout the years it's gone by a lot of names—frost banana, Indiana banana, fetid-bush, bandango, custard apple, prairie banana, poor man's banana—but most of the time it's just been called pawpaw.
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: It looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: QK 495 A6 M66 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Pawpaw is a book dedicated to the largest fruit native to North America: the pawpaw. If you're wondering why you've never heard of this most interesting fruit, the only non-tropical member of its family, this book will tell you why. It will also make you want to go find some. Divided into three sections, the author gives an overview of the history of the pawpaw, the people and organizations trying to grow the fruit and spread the news about the joys of pawpaws, and a travel memoir of the author's journeys throughout the pawpaw belt, where the tree grows natively. There is a lot here about the native Appalachian pawpaw culture, which seems to have kept awareness of the fruit the longest. I'm one or two hours west of the part of Texas that has pawpaws, so I've never eaten one, but this book makes me want to go find one. And it will make you want to go pawpaw hunting too.
First Line: Throughout the years it's gone by a lot of names—frost banana, Indiana banana, fetid-bush, bandango, custard apple, prairie banana, poor man's banana—but most of the time it's just been called pawpaw.
88inge87
Dictatorship of the Dress by Jessica Topper
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: Library impulse grab
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: Much "I Do" About Nothing (1/?)
LC Call #: PS 3620 O664 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Dictatorship of the Dress takes weather-induced flight cancellations to a whole new level. Laney is just trying to get her mother's wedding dress to Hawaii in time for the wedding, while Noah is trying to cope with his bridezilla fiancee while travelling to his Vegas bachelor party. Naturally, then end up sitting next to each other, and the next thing they know everyone thinks they're engaged to each other. Which works out well when it gets them the last room in a Chicago hotel after their connecting flights are snowed in. As one might expect from the genre, they both have baggage, but they can't stay away from each other either? How will they ever get their happily ever after, when fate seems to be both throwing them together and tearing them apart? You'll have to read on to find out.
A fun, albeit silly, contemporary romance. Which is really all I ask for from the genre.
First Line: Really, LaGuardia?
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: Library impulse grab
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: Much "I Do" About Nothing (1/?)
LC Call #: PS 3620 O664 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Dictatorship of the Dress takes weather-induced flight cancellations to a whole new level. Laney is just trying to get her mother's wedding dress to Hawaii in time for the wedding, while Noah is trying to cope with his bridezilla fiancee while travelling to his Vegas bachelor party. Naturally, then end up sitting next to each other, and the next thing they know everyone thinks they're engaged to each other. Which works out well when it gets them the last room in a Chicago hotel after their connecting flights are snowed in. As one might expect from the genre, they both have baggage, but they can't stay away from each other either? How will they ever get their happily ever after, when fate seems to be both throwing them together and tearing them apart? You'll have to read on to find out.
A fun, albeit silly, contemporary romance. Which is really all I ask for from the genre.
First Line: Really, LaGuardia?
89inge87
Timeless: Love, Morgenthau, and Me by Lucinda Franks
Source: me (9/15)
Recommendation: internet
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: PN 4874 F6155 A3 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Timeless: Love, Morgenthau, and Me is one of those memoirs that benefits from mixing interesting people with quality writing, the kind that makes even the most mundane bits of life sound interesting. Lucinda Franks was young radical reporter with a draft resister boyfriend when she first met New York District Attorney Robert Morgenthau III. He was old enough to be her father and even had children older than her. But they fell in love and that was that. The rest of the book chronicles their marriage, the people they met the cases her husband tried and everything in between. Opposites often attract and that is certainly the case here, but their happiness is undeniable even the face of cancer scares and undiagnosed PTSD.
Who those who enjoy memoirs of everyday life and successful marriages or memoirs about New York City or the lives of journalists, this book may be for you.
First Line: The last thing I wanted to do was to marry my husband.
Source: me (9/15)
Recommendation: internet
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: PN 4874 F6155 A3 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Timeless: Love, Morgenthau, and Me is one of those memoirs that benefits from mixing interesting people with quality writing, the kind that makes even the most mundane bits of life sound interesting. Lucinda Franks was young radical reporter with a draft resister boyfriend when she first met New York District Attorney Robert Morgenthau III. He was old enough to be her father and even had children older than her. But they fell in love and that was that. The rest of the book chronicles their marriage, the people they met the cases her husband tried and everything in between. Opposites often attract and that is certainly the case here, but their happiness is undeniable even the face of cancer scares and undiagnosed PTSD.
Who those who enjoy memoirs of everyday life and successful marriages or memoirs about New York City or the lives of journalists, this book may be for you.
First Line: The last thing I wanted to do was to marry my husband.
90inge87
Stephen: The Reign of Anarchy by Carl Watkins
Source: me (9/15)
Recommendation: I enjoyed the volume on George V
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: Penguin Monarchs (8/45)
LC Call #: DA 198.5 W35 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Stephen: The Reign of Anarchy is a good, basic introduction to one of England's more questionable medieval kings. The subtitle, "Reign of Anarchy" sums up his reign in a nutshell. Stephen was never supposed to become king, in fact he swore an oath to ensure the succession of Henry I's daughter, Matilda. But once Henry was dead, he decided being king sounded like a good idea. Only to find himself completely out of his element once he actually succeeded. Barons being barons, they noticed and took advantage, as did David I of Scotland who basically took over all of Yorkshire, and Matilda's husband, Geoffrey of Anjou who seized Normandy. Matilda herself proceeded to be a pain in his side for the rest of Stephen's life until he finally named her son, the future Henry II, his heir. Suffice to say, it was not a good time to live on the Isle of Britain.
For anyone with an interested in the era of Stephen and Matilda. It's short, succinct, and full of fun family squabbles. Highly recommended.
First Line: Henry I slipped into his final illness on the cusp of winter 1135.
Source: me (9/15)
Recommendation: I enjoyed the volume on George V
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: Penguin Monarchs (8/45)
LC Call #: DA 198.5 W35 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Stephen: The Reign of Anarchy is a good, basic introduction to one of England's more questionable medieval kings. The subtitle, "Reign of Anarchy" sums up his reign in a nutshell. Stephen was never supposed to become king, in fact he swore an oath to ensure the succession of Henry I's daughter, Matilda. But once Henry was dead, he decided being king sounded like a good idea. Only to find himself completely out of his element once he actually succeeded. Barons being barons, they noticed and took advantage, as did David I of Scotland who basically took over all of Yorkshire, and Matilda's husband, Geoffrey of Anjou who seized Normandy. Matilda herself proceeded to be a pain in his side for the rest of Stephen's life until he finally named her son, the future Henry II, his heir. Suffice to say, it was not a good time to live on the Isle of Britain.
For anyone with an interested in the era of Stephen and Matilda. It's short, succinct, and full of fun family squabbles. Highly recommended.
First Line: Henry I slipped into his final illness on the cusp of winter 1135.
91inge87
Elizabeth II: The Steadfast by Douglas Hurd
Source: me (9/15)
Recommendation: I enjoyed the volume on George V
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: Penguin Monarchs (45/45)
LC Call #: DA 590 H87 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Elizabeth II: The Steadfast is an odd duck: part meditation on the nature of queenship, part apology for the British monarchy. What it isn't is a good biography. It's arranged thematically, sort of, but some chapters are so disjointed that it almost feels they've been written in the style of a stream of consciousness novel, ideas pop up, disappear, and then pop up again two chapters later. The writer's priorities are also a bit odd. There is a chapter dedicated to the royal yacht and one to her horses, but you would never know that she had any children besides Charles (who gets three or four mentions, total). There's no mention of the Winter of Discontent, no Falklands War, no Fergie. The Suez Crisis is over in a paragraph, If you want to understand how supporters view the monarchy and what they think motivates the Queen to act the way she does, this book might be useful, but it's a far cry from the quality of the other books I've read in this series. Maybe because almost everyone is still alive? Like I said, it's an odd duck. But the Duke of Cambridge wrote the preface, and surely that counts for something . . . right?
First Line: The Minister of State was ill at ease.
Source: me (9/15)
Recommendation: I enjoyed the volume on George V
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: Penguin Monarchs (45/45)
LC Call #: DA 590 H87 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Elizabeth II: The Steadfast is an odd duck: part meditation on the nature of queenship, part apology for the British monarchy. What it isn't is a good biography. It's arranged thematically, sort of, but some chapters are so disjointed that it almost feels they've been written in the style of a stream of consciousness novel, ideas pop up, disappear, and then pop up again two chapters later. The writer's priorities are also a bit odd. There is a chapter dedicated to the royal yacht and one to her horses, but you would never know that she had any children besides Charles (who gets three or four mentions, total). There's no mention of the Winter of Discontent, no Falklands War, no Fergie. The Suez Crisis is over in a paragraph, If you want to understand how supporters view the monarchy and what they think motivates the Queen to act the way she does, this book might be useful, but it's a far cry from the quality of the other books I've read in this series. Maybe because almost everyone is still alive? Like I said, it's an odd duck. But the Duke of Cambridge wrote the preface, and surely that counts for something . . . right?
First Line: The Minister of State was ill at ease.
92inge87
The White Robin by Miss Read
Source: work
Recommendation: Still filling out a 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1979
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (14/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 W48 1980
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The White Robin is the tale of what happens when a white robin is discovered living on the Fairacre school grounds. Everyone is excited about their "albino" robin (the animal is actually leucistic), and he quickly becomes a kind of village mascot. Meanwhile a boy from a troubled family comes to stay with relatives in Fairacre. His mother is mentally ill and his father is overwhelmed with caring for the family, so when he isn't getting the attention he wants, the boy acts out. The results are tragic, but as always the author manages to end on an optimistic note. Recommended for fans of the series and for those interested in vintage stories about families dealing with the effects of mental illness.
First Line: Village schols get rarer every year, but there are a small number, up and down the country, which still look much the same as they did some hundred years ago.
Source: work
Recommendation: Still filling out a 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1979
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (14/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 W48 1980
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The White Robin is the tale of what happens when a white robin is discovered living on the Fairacre school grounds. Everyone is excited about their "albino" robin (the animal is actually leucistic), and he quickly becomes a kind of village mascot. Meanwhile a boy from a troubled family comes to stay with relatives in Fairacre. His mother is mentally ill and his father is overwhelmed with caring for the family, so when he isn't getting the attention he wants, the boy acts out. The results are tragic, but as always the author manages to end on an optimistic note. Recommended for fans of the series and for those interested in vintage stories about families dealing with the effects of mental illness.
First Line: Village schols get rarer every year, but there are a small number, up and down the country, which still look much the same as they did some hundred years ago.
93inge87
Just So Happens by Fumio Obata
Source: ILL (Richardson PL)
Recommendation: Kirkus
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: PR 6115 B38 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Just So Happens is a graphic novel about a Japanese expatriate who returns to Tokyo from London in order to attend her father's funeral. While she is there she deals with her sense of belonging in two places at once and has strange encounters with a man dressed for a Noh play. Is he real or just a way for her mind to work out its troubles? Does Yumiko really want to be in London or does she belong in Japan? Is she living out her mother's dreams or is she living for herself? These are all issues that Yumiko finds herself facing on this trip, even as she must also face all the intricacies and details of a traditional Japanese funeral.
An interesting mediation on life, death, and belonging.
First Line: How long have I been here?
Source: ILL (Richardson PL)
Recommendation: Kirkus
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: PR 6115 B38 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Just So Happens is a graphic novel about a Japanese expatriate who returns to Tokyo from London in order to attend her father's funeral. While she is there she deals with her sense of belonging in two places at once and has strange encounters with a man dressed for a Noh play. Is he real or just a way for her mind to work out its troubles? Does Yumiko really want to be in London or does she belong in Japan? Is she living out her mother's dreams or is she living for herself? These are all issues that Yumiko finds herself facing on this trip, even as she must also face all the intricacies and details of a traditional Japanese funeral.
An interesting mediation on life, death, and belonging.
First Line: How long have I been here?
94inge87
In These Times: Living in Britain through Napoleon's Wars, 1793-1815 by Jenny Uglow
Source: me (1/15)
Recommendation: I loved The Pinecone
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: DA 520 U45 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
In These Times is a masterful study of life on the homefront in Britain during the Napoleonic Wars. From the humblest weaver to the royal family, everyone makes an appearance here. There is a map at the beginning of the book showing every town that gets a mention and the map is positively covered. The result is a detailed description of everyday life in the late 18th and early 19th century. It doesn't sound particularly enjoyable, but clearly people made their own fun.
For those interested in Regency Era Britain or the Napoleonic Wars, highly recommended.
First Line: The cathedral city of Canterbury has a barracks on the downs nearby until it closed, when the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders left, in March 2013.
Source: me (1/15)
Recommendation: I loved The Pinecone
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: DA 520 U45 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
In These Times is a masterful study of life on the homefront in Britain during the Napoleonic Wars. From the humblest weaver to the royal family, everyone makes an appearance here. There is a map at the beginning of the book showing every town that gets a mention and the map is positively covered. The result is a detailed description of everyday life in the late 18th and early 19th century. It doesn't sound particularly enjoyable, but clearly people made their own fun.
For those interested in Regency Era Britain or the Napoleonic Wars, highly recommended.
First Line: The cathedral city of Canterbury has a barracks on the downs nearby until it closed, when the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders left, in March 2013.
95inge87
Kate's Progress by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles*
Source: me (9/13)
Recommendation: I felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: PR 6058 A6945 K3 2013
Rating: 5 stars / 5
Kate's Progress is a charming romance about Kate, who receives an inheritance from her grandmother and decides to leave London and buy a cottage on Exmoor. While fixing up the rather run-down house, she makes friends with the neighbors, especially the Blackmore family: Darcy-like awkward brooding Ed, happy-go-lucky playboy Jack, their rather feather-brained stepmother, and their lonely young half-sister Jocasta. Kate came to Somerset to get away from the London dating scene, but will she be able to withstand the attentions of a few good West Country men?
This is a quiet, slow paced book; the perfect comfort read. There's a bit of suspense because someone wants Kate to get out of town, but it never really dominates the plot. Instead it focuses on the good things in life like pub lunches, horse riding with friends, walking dogs, and besting manipulative romantic rivals who kick said dogs. Recommended for those seeking a good comfort read or those who like well-written romances.
First Line: The May sunshine was warm in the sheltered spot between the cottage and the garden wall.
Source: me (9/13)
Recommendation: I felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: PR 6058 A6945 K3 2013
Rating: 5 stars / 5
Kate's Progress is a charming romance about Kate, who receives an inheritance from her grandmother and decides to leave London and buy a cottage on Exmoor. While fixing up the rather run-down house, she makes friends with the neighbors, especially the Blackmore family: Darcy-like awkward brooding Ed, happy-go-lucky playboy Jack, their rather feather-brained stepmother, and their lonely young half-sister Jocasta. Kate came to Somerset to get away from the London dating scene, but will she be able to withstand the attentions of a few good West Country men?
This is a quiet, slow paced book; the perfect comfort read. There's a bit of suspense because someone wants Kate to get out of town, but it never really dominates the plot. Instead it focuses on the good things in life like pub lunches, horse riding with friends, walking dogs, and besting manipulative romantic rivals who kick said dogs. Recommended for those seeking a good comfort read or those who like well-written romances.
First Line: The May sunshine was warm in the sheltered spot between the cottage and the garden wall.
96inge87
The Church Ascending: How Saints and Sinners Brought about the Triumph of Christianity in the West by Diane Moczar+
Source: me (7/14)
Recommendation: Finishing up the History Category for 15-in-15
Year of Original Pub.: 2006
LC Call #: BX 945.3 M62 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Church Ascending is a short work of history covering the development of Christianity and European civilization from the beginnings of the Church through the end of the 15th century. It's a fun work and you can tell the author did her research, but it's definitely a popular work, not a scholarly one. She calls Emperor Frederick II Barbarossa "Fred" for example and discusses how she does not like him and thinks him a bit evil. Each chapter ends with some questions for thought and a short annotated bibliography of works she recommends, most of them older. It's a great place for someone to start learning about early and medieval history, but it should not be your only resource.
Recommended for those looking for a readable history of early and medieval Europe with a focus on the Catholic Church and those associated with it.
First Line: What do you think the following passage describes?
Source: me (7/14)
Recommendation: Finishing up the History Category for 15-in-15
Year of Original Pub.: 2006
LC Call #: BX 945.3 M62 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Church Ascending is a short work of history covering the development of Christianity and European civilization from the beginnings of the Church through the end of the 15th century. It's a fun work and you can tell the author did her research, but it's definitely a popular work, not a scholarly one. She calls Emperor Frederick II Barbarossa "Fred" for example and discusses how she does not like him and thinks him a bit evil. Each chapter ends with some questions for thought and a short annotated bibliography of works she recommends, most of them older. It's a great place for someone to start learning about early and medieval history, but it should not be your only resource.
Recommended for those looking for a readable history of early and medieval Europe with a focus on the Catholic Church and those associated with it.
First Line: What do you think the following passage describes?
97inge87
September Reading Round-Up!
Books Read: 25
Genre
Non-Fiction - 16 - 67%
Fiction - 9 - 36%
Sources
Me (this month) - 7 - 28%
Work - 6 - 24%
ILL - 3 - 12%
Irving PL - 3 - 12%
Me (last month) - 3 - 12%
Me (other) - 3 - 12%
Authors
Female - 11 - 41.2%
Male - 10 - 45.45%
Edition Language
English - 25 - 100%
Original Language
English - 23 - 92%
French - 2 - 8%
Series
Stand-Alone Books - 15 - 60%
Series Books - 10 - 40%
Average Original Date of Publication (with Shakespeare)
1978
Average Original Date of Publication (without Shakespeare)
1994
Median Original Date of Publication
2014
Ratings Distribution
1 star - 0 - 0%
2 stars - 4 - 16%
3 stars - 14 - 56%
4 stars - 4 - 16%
5 stars - 3 - 12%
Average Rating
3.24
Best of the Month
Fiction: The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Non-Fiction: God or Nothing: A Conversation on Faith with Nicolas Diat by Robert Cardinal Sarah
Books Read: 25
Genre
Non-Fiction - 16 - 67%
Fiction - 9 - 36%
Sources
Me (this month) - 7 - 28%
Work - 6 - 24%
ILL - 3 - 12%
Irving PL - 3 - 12%
Me (last month) - 3 - 12%
Me (other) - 3 - 12%
Authors
Female - 11 - 41.2%
Male - 10 - 45.45%
Edition Language
English - 25 - 100%
Original Language
English - 23 - 92%
French - 2 - 8%
Series
Stand-Alone Books - 15 - 60%
Series Books - 10 - 40%
Average Original Date of Publication (with Shakespeare)
1978
Average Original Date of Publication (without Shakespeare)
1994
Median Original Date of Publication
2014
Ratings Distribution
1 star - 0 - 0%
2 stars - 4 - 16%
3 stars - 14 - 56%
4 stars - 4 - 16%
5 stars - 3 - 12%
Average Rating
3.24
Best of the Month
Fiction: The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Non-Fiction: God or Nothing: A Conversation on Faith with Nicolas Diat by Robert Cardinal Sarah
98inge87
This just came in the mail, and I am super excited . . . but have to finish Spirals in Time and a grad school assignment first.
Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War against Hitler, about how the Vatican used spies to fight Nazi Germany. The epigraph is a quote by Alfred Delp! Did I mention I was excited? :)
Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War against Hitler, about how the Vatican used spies to fight Nazi Germany. The epigraph is a quote by Alfred Delp! Did I mention I was excited? :)
99inge87
Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells by Helen Scales
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: It looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: QL 405 S33 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Spirals in Time is the guide to everything mollusc that you never knew you needed. But you do. Whether you prefer snails, oysters, or octopuses, you will learn something here. You'll also discover new species, such as argonauts (octopuses with shells) and cone snails (avoid at all costs). There is also a rather extensive section on shell collecting and how to do so ethically (if that's even possible). Together readers and author get to travel millions of years and around the world in search of molluscan history. The author does an excellent job of making the book both full of cutting edge science and still accessible to the average reader. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in natural science, molluscs, or well-written non-fiction.
First Line: Never go anywhere without your seashell.
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: It looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: QL 405 S33 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Spirals in Time is the guide to everything mollusc that you never knew you needed. But you do. Whether you prefer snails, oysters, or octopuses, you will learn something here. You'll also discover new species, such as argonauts (octopuses with shells) and cone snails (avoid at all costs). There is also a rather extensive section on shell collecting and how to do so ethically (if that's even possible). Together readers and author get to travel millions of years and around the world in search of molluscan history. The author does an excellent job of making the book both full of cutting edge science and still accessible to the average reader. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in natural science, molluscs, or well-written non-fiction.
First Line: Never go anywhere without your seashell.
100inge87
Practically Perfect by Katie Fforde*
Source: me (10/15)
Recommendation: Nostalgia
Year of Original Pub.: 2006
LC Call #: PR 6056 F675 P73 2007
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Practically Perfect is a contemporary romance set in a Cotswolds village. Anna is an interior designer (like an architect, but with less education) and has bought a cottage to renovate and flip. She soon befriends her next door neighbor and finds herself the guardian of Caroline, an ex-racing greyhound. This leads to several award meetings with Rob, another local who cannot seem to avoid making bad impressions. Toss in the sudden appearance of "the one who got away" years ago, and we have a plot. Or at least as much of a plot as one expects from romance novels.
A fun, escapist read. Perfect for dog-lovers and romance-lovers alike.
First Line: The candle at her side flickered, and Anna shifted her position on the pair of steps where she was perched.
Source: me (10/15)
Recommendation: Nostalgia
Year of Original Pub.: 2006
LC Call #: PR 6056 F675 P73 2007
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Practically Perfect is a contemporary romance set in a Cotswolds village. Anna is an interior designer (like an architect, but with less education) and has bought a cottage to renovate and flip. She soon befriends her next door neighbor and finds herself the guardian of Caroline, an ex-racing greyhound. This leads to several award meetings with Rob, another local who cannot seem to avoid making bad impressions. Toss in the sudden appearance of "the one who got away" years ago, and we have a plot. Or at least as much of a plot as one expects from romance novels.
A fun, escapist read. Perfect for dog-lovers and romance-lovers alike.
First Line: The candle at her side flickered, and Anna shifted her position on the pair of steps where she was perched.
101thornton37814
>92 inge87: I started re-reading the Miss Read Fairacre books. I need to resume that project. It may be next year before I have a chance though. Between the American and British author challenges, some ARCs, a couple of categories that I need to finish, and a busy schedule, I just don't see how I'll manage to squeeze another in 2015.
102inge87
>101 thornton37814: Funny, I'm reading so much Miss Read right now because I'm desperately trying to make progress in my 1970-1999 fiction category. It has been much harder to fill that one than I expected and it is definitely getting merged back in with the 2000-present fiction category in 2016. But there are worse things I could be forced to read than cozy novels set in idyllic English villages. Far worse things.
103inge87
Alfred the Great by Eleanor Shipley Duckett
Source: work
Recommendation: the author was recommended in The Church Ascending
Year of Original Pub.: 1956
LC Call #: DA 153 D85
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Alfred the Great is a fairly short, very readable biography of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex and a man who almost lost his kingdom only to establish a greater one. The book has a very strong narrative feel and at times it seems almost like you are reading a novel instead of a biography. It helps of course that Alfred and his contemporaries lived very eventful lives. I do think there was more focus on Alfred's translations than was proportionate or necessary, but other than that it's a lovely book. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Anglo-Saxon England or early medieval Wales and France.
First Line: The ninth century in all its course was the century of Alfred the Great.
Source: work
Recommendation: the author was recommended in The Church Ascending
Year of Original Pub.: 1956
LC Call #: DA 153 D85
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Alfred the Great is a fairly short, very readable biography of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex and a man who almost lost his kingdom only to establish a greater one. The book has a very strong narrative feel and at times it seems almost like you are reading a novel instead of a biography. It helps of course that Alfred and his contemporaries lived very eventful lives. I do think there was more focus on Alfred's translations than was proportionate or necessary, but other than that it's a lovely book. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Anglo-Saxon England or early medieval Wales and France.
First Line: The ninth century in all its course was the century of Alfred the Great.
104inge87
Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family: Essays from a Pastoral Viewpoint by Winfried Aymans (ed.)
Source: me (9/15)
Recommendation: the internet
Original Title: 11 Kardinäle zu Ehe und Familie: Essays aus pastoraler Sicht
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: BX 2351 A9613 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family, also known as the "Eleven Cardinals Book", is a collection of essays by eleven Cardinals from around the world about various aspects of Catholic marriage. It can be seen in some ways as a fallow up to last year's "Five Cardinals Books" (Remaining in the Truth of Christ); however, the individual essays in this one are shorter and less technical than the other book. If you are interested in Catholic views on marriage, annulment, and divorce, then you may want to pick this one up.
First Line: These reflections focus on the act in which God's mercy shines forth in its preeminent form: the forgiveness of a sinner.
Source: me (9/15)
Recommendation: the internet
Original Title: 11 Kardinäle zu Ehe und Familie: Essays aus pastoraler Sicht
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: BX 2351 A9613 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family, also known as the "Eleven Cardinals Book", is a collection of essays by eleven Cardinals from around the world about various aspects of Catholic marriage. It can be seen in some ways as a fallow up to last year's "Five Cardinals Books" (Remaining in the Truth of Christ); however, the individual essays in this one are shorter and less technical than the other book. If you are interested in Catholic views on marriage, annulment, and divorce, then you may want to pick this one up.
First Line: These reflections focus on the act in which God's mercy shines forth in its preeminent form: the forgiveness of a sinner.
105inge87
The Running Foxes by Joyce Stranger*
Source: me (4/13)
Recommendation: I felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1965
LC Call #: PR 6069 T68 R86 1997
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Running Foxes is a beautiful, nostalgic depiction of life in rural England during the 1960s, as related by the local people, their dogs, and the foxes they hunt together. Jasper is an old man, who lives alone with his terrier and his cat, and is too elderly for the hunt (which is done on foot in this village, not on horseback). One day he spots a wily vixen and her two cubs, and decides to get back at the hunt by hiding their presence. Over time, he watches the cunning foxes with appreciation and gradually gains more allies for his unofficial fox-preservation cause. Meanwhile, the vixen teaches her boys to hunt and survive on their own as they grow up into adulthood. A moving account of the gentle tyranny of time passing by.
Recommended for those who like wistful fiction about the past and/or rural society, as well as those who appreciate animal fiction such as Big Red, The Incredible Journey, Bambi, and especially James Herriot's books which have a similar atmosphere.
Tissue Alert!: If you're the kind of person (like me) who cried when the dog dies in books like Where the Red Fern Grows or Old Yeller, this book may make you cry. But it's so worth it.
First Line: Rufus and Rusty became legends round Hortonmere, that autumn and winter.
Source: me (4/13)
Recommendation: I felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1965
LC Call #: PR 6069 T68 R86 1997
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Running Foxes is a beautiful, nostalgic depiction of life in rural England during the 1960s, as related by the local people, their dogs, and the foxes they hunt together. Jasper is an old man, who lives alone with his terrier and his cat, and is too elderly for the hunt (which is done on foot in this village, not on horseback). One day he spots a wily vixen and her two cubs, and decides to get back at the hunt by hiding their presence. Over time, he watches the cunning foxes with appreciation and gradually gains more allies for his unofficial fox-preservation cause. Meanwhile, the vixen teaches her boys to hunt and survive on their own as they grow up into adulthood. A moving account of the gentle tyranny of time passing by.
Recommended for those who like wistful fiction about the past and/or rural society, as well as those who appreciate animal fiction such as Big Red, The Incredible Journey, Bambi, and especially James Herriot's books which have a similar atmosphere.
Tissue Alert!: If you're the kind of person (like me) who cried when the dog dies in books like Where the Red Fern Grows or Old Yeller, this book may make you cry. But it's so worth it.
First Line: Rufus and Rusty became legends round Hortonmere, that autumn and winter.
106inge87
The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer*
Source: me (1/09)
Recommendation: I felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1946
LC Call #: PR 6015 E795 R46 2008
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Reluctant Widow is a Regency Era-set thriller, about a governess on her way to a new position who gets in the wrong carriage and finds herself on the adventure of a lifetime. Instead of a matron and a handful of spoiled children, she meets a Lord Carlyon, who is expecting a wife for his wastrel of a cousin. Since she's there, he offers the position to her, and thinking him crazy she refuses—until events force her to give in just in time for widowhood.
There is a lot of that in this book. Carlyon's will is an unmovable object and everyone else complains loudly about it but always gives in. It gets rather tiring, and I'm not sure I'd want him to be my romantic hero. And then again he isn't really one until the last chapter of the book anyway.
Overall, the book is uneven, but fun in its own way. It's not one of Heyer's best works, but it's not her worst either. Recommended for fans of Heyer and historical thrillers.
First Line: It was dark when the London to Littlehampton stagecoach lurched into the village of Billingshurst, and a cold mist was beginning to creep knee-high over the dimly seen countryside.
Source: me (1/09)
Recommendation: I felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1946
LC Call #: PR 6015 E795 R46 2008
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Reluctant Widow is a Regency Era-set thriller, about a governess on her way to a new position who gets in the wrong carriage and finds herself on the adventure of a lifetime. Instead of a matron and a handful of spoiled children, she meets a Lord Carlyon, who is expecting a wife for his wastrel of a cousin. Since she's there, he offers the position to her, and thinking him crazy she refuses—until events force her to give in just in time for widowhood.
There is a lot of that in this book. Carlyon's will is an unmovable object and everyone else complains loudly about it but always gives in. It gets rather tiring, and I'm not sure I'd want him to be my romantic hero. And then again he isn't really one until the last chapter of the book anyway.
Overall, the book is uneven, but fun in its own way. It's not one of Heyer's best works, but it's not her worst either. Recommended for fans of Heyer and historical thrillers.
First Line: It was dark when the London to Littlehampton stagecoach lurched into the village of Billingshurst, and a cold mist was beginning to creep knee-high over the dimly seen countryside.
107inge87
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Source: work
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1908
LC Call #: PZ 7 G759 Wi 1983
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Wind in the Willows begins when Mole journeys out of his borrow and into the wider world. He quickly makes friends with the River Rat and meets the wealthy eccentric Toad. When Toad decides to do something, he goes all in. So when motor cars become his obsession and Badger and his companions try to stop him, he steals one and ends up in jail. Jail is no place for a toad, so he breaks out and has to find his way home. But will Toad Hall have managed while he was away, and has Toad really changed into a New Toad. You'll have to read on and find out.
A classic children's novel that is also a study of the British class system. It's fun for all ages and species.
First Line: The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home.
Source: work
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1908
LC Call #: PZ 7 G759 Wi 1983
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Wind in the Willows begins when Mole journeys out of his borrow and into the wider world. He quickly makes friends with the River Rat and meets the wealthy eccentric Toad. When Toad decides to do something, he goes all in. So when motor cars become his obsession and Badger and his companions try to stop him, he steals one and ends up in jail. Jail is no place for a toad, so he breaks out and has to find his way home. But will Toad Hall have managed while he was away, and has Toad really changed into a New Toad. You'll have to read on and find out.
A classic children's novel that is also a study of the British class system. It's fun for all ages and species.
First Line: The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home.
108inge87
Still Glides the Stream by Flora Thompson
Source: ILL (Baylor U.)
Recommendation: It sounded interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 1948
LC Call #: PR 6039 H653 S7 1948
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Still Glides the Stream is a nostalgic look at rural life in later 19th century England. The narrator returns to the village where she grew up and remembers how things once had been. In the process we learn about her parents and her cousins, their joys and their disappointments, but also about their Nellie-Olsen-like neighbor whose beauty disguises inner ugliness and a predisposition for trouble. From the book’s opening chapter, readers know that something bad is coming, but the catastrophe when it hits is both all-consuming and banal, just as such things usually are.
Published posthumously, this is a compelling fictional take on everyday life in an era lost to history. For those who enjoy historical fiction, stories of common people, and nostalgic reminiscences. Highly recommended.
First Line: The Oxfordshire village of Restharrow has changed little in outward appearance during the last fifty years.
Source: ILL (Baylor U.)
Recommendation: It sounded interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 1948
LC Call #: PR 6039 H653 S7 1948
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Still Glides the Stream is a nostalgic look at rural life in later 19th century England. The narrator returns to the village where she grew up and remembers how things once had been. In the process we learn about her parents and her cousins, their joys and their disappointments, but also about their Nellie-Olsen-like neighbor whose beauty disguises inner ugliness and a predisposition for trouble. From the book’s opening chapter, readers know that something bad is coming, but the catastrophe when it hits is both all-consuming and banal, just as such things usually are.
Published posthumously, this is a compelling fictional take on everyday life in an era lost to history. For those who enjoy historical fiction, stories of common people, and nostalgic reminiscences. Highly recommended.
First Line: The Oxfordshire village of Restharrow has changed little in outward appearance during the last fifty years.
109inge87
A London Child of the 1870s by Molly Hughes
Source: me (9/15)
Recommendation: HistoryCAT
Year of Original Pub.: 1934
LC Call #: DA 688 H84 2005
Rating: 3 stars / 5
A London Child of the 1870s is Molly Hughes' memoir of growing up in middle class London in the 1870s. The youngest of five and the only daughter, she and her brothers managed to get in and out of trouble quite regularly and sound like they had quite a bit of fun along the way. I think my favorite part though is when they travel to her mother's people in Cornwall and stay at the family's farm. But such an idyll can only last so long before darkness follows, and in Molly's case it comes quickly out of the blue.
A lovely, nostalgic look at a happy Victorian childhood. Recommended for those interested in the period or those who enjoy memoirs of childhood.
First Line: A girl with four brothers older than herself is born under a lucky star.
Source: me (9/15)
Recommendation: HistoryCAT
Year of Original Pub.: 1934
LC Call #: DA 688 H84 2005
Rating: 3 stars / 5
A London Child of the 1870s is Molly Hughes' memoir of growing up in middle class London in the 1870s. The youngest of five and the only daughter, she and her brothers managed to get in and out of trouble quite regularly and sound like they had quite a bit of fun along the way. I think my favorite part though is when they travel to her mother's people in Cornwall and stay at the family's farm. But such an idyll can only last so long before darkness follows, and in Molly's case it comes quickly out of the blue.
A lovely, nostalgic look at a happy Victorian childhood. Recommended for those interested in the period or those who enjoy memoirs of childhood.
First Line: A girl with four brothers older than herself is born under a lucky star.
110inge87
The Right Line of Cerdic by Alfred Duggan
Source: ILL (Texas A&M U. at Commerce)
Recommendation: The Church Ascending
Year of Original Pub.: 1961
LC Call #: PR 6007 U358 R5 1962
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Right Line of Cerdic (UK title: The King of Athelney) is a rather odd historical novel retelling the life of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex. Its structure and narrative are rather standard for fictionalized biographies; the details are where it gets strange. For example, the first third or so of the novel is obsessed with Alfred's sudden bowel movements. Really. I don't doubt that he had issues in that area, but there is no need to go on about it the way the author does. He also takes a rather dated view of Alfred's queen, whom he depicts as an empty-headed feather-brain who only cares about her children and can't follow much else. But if you ignore those points and are interested in the life of Alfred the Great, you'll probably still want to pick this up.
First Line: A group of chamberlains and chaplains stood before the palace of the Lateran, enjoying the last rays of spring sunshine and making plans for tomorrow.
Source: ILL (Texas A&M U. at Commerce)
Recommendation: The Church Ascending
Year of Original Pub.: 1961
LC Call #: PR 6007 U358 R5 1962
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Right Line of Cerdic (UK title: The King of Athelney) is a rather odd historical novel retelling the life of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex. Its structure and narrative are rather standard for fictionalized biographies; the details are where it gets strange. For example, the first third or so of the novel is obsessed with Alfred's sudden bowel movements. Really. I don't doubt that he had issues in that area, but there is no need to go on about it the way the author does. He also takes a rather dated view of Alfred's queen, whom he depicts as an empty-headed feather-brain who only cares about her children and can't follow much else. But if you ignore those points and are interested in the life of Alfred the Great, you'll probably still want to pick this up.
First Line: A group of chamberlains and chaplains stood before the palace of the Lateran, enjoying the last rays of spring sunshine and making plans for tomorrow.
111inge87
Becoming Confederates: Paths to a New National Loyalty by Gary W. Gallagher
Source: ILL (SMU)
Recommendation: It looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: E 468.9 G34 2013
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Becoming Confederates is a very interesting and readable short book that seeks to uncover just what made people switch their allegiance from the United States to the Confederacy using as case studies the lives of three Confederate generals: Robert E. Lee, Stephen Dodson Ramseur, and Jubal Early. Each man approached the issue from a different angle, and by examining their lives readers can see how something that might seem impossible might have become the only option for many. Originally given as a series of lectures at Mercer University in 2011, the fact that they were originally conceived as spoken word may account for the book's sheer readability.
For anyone with an interest in the American Civil War or the concept of national identity.
First Line: The seeds of this short book lie in my examination of Stephen Dodson Ramseur as a case study in the development of officers in the Army of Northern Virginia.
Source: ILL (SMU)
Recommendation: It looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: E 468.9 G34 2013
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Becoming Confederates is a very interesting and readable short book that seeks to uncover just what made people switch their allegiance from the United States to the Confederacy using as case studies the lives of three Confederate generals: Robert E. Lee, Stephen Dodson Ramseur, and Jubal Early. Each man approached the issue from a different angle, and by examining their lives readers can see how something that might seem impossible might have become the only option for many. Originally given as a series of lectures at Mercer University in 2011, the fact that they were originally conceived as spoken word may account for the book's sheer readability.
For anyone with an interest in the American Civil War or the concept of national identity.
First Line: The seeds of this short book lie in my examination of Stephen Dodson Ramseur as a case study in the development of officers in the Army of Northern Virginia.
112inge87
Cotillion by Georgette Heyer*
Source: me (1/09)
Recommendation: Felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1953
LC Call #: PR 6015 E795 C68 2007
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Cotillion is another fun Regency adventure from the woman who brought you Frederica among other such delights. Plot-wise, this one is rather a cross between that book and Arabella. Old Mr. Penicuik has a decided that he is dying and has summoned all his great-nephews to his estate. It turns out that he wants one of them to propose to his ward, Katherine. If she accepts one he will name her his heiress, but if she doesn't marry one of them she'll be left penniless. Unfortunately, the nephew he had in mind has declined to come. This leaves Kitty in a state of panic until she runs into Freddy. The dim-witted dandy had decided to eat before coming to his uncle's and was running. She convinces him to fake an engagement, so that she can go to London. But in a world where everyone seems to have ulterior motives, just what could Kitty be up to?
Naturally once in London, she creates a series of problems for Freddy to deal with, but it turns out there's some serious brainpower behind the empty facade. Those who like Heyer will certainly enjoy this one, and it's a fairly accessible book for those just getting started with her works.
First Line: The saloon, like every other room in Arnside House, was large and lofty, and had been furnished, possibly some twenty years earlier, in what had then been the first style of elegance.
Source: me (1/09)
Recommendation: Felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1953
LC Call #: PR 6015 E795 C68 2007
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Cotillion is another fun Regency adventure from the woman who brought you Frederica among other such delights. Plot-wise, this one is rather a cross between that book and Arabella. Old Mr. Penicuik has a decided that he is dying and has summoned all his great-nephews to his estate. It turns out that he wants one of them to propose to his ward, Katherine. If she accepts one he will name her his heiress, but if she doesn't marry one of them she'll be left penniless. Unfortunately, the nephew he had in mind has declined to come. This leaves Kitty in a state of panic until she runs into Freddy. The dim-witted dandy had decided to eat before coming to his uncle's and was running. She convinces him to fake an engagement, so that she can go to London. But in a world where everyone seems to have ulterior motives, just what could Kitty be up to?
Naturally once in London, she creates a series of problems for Freddy to deal with, but it turns out there's some serious brainpower behind the empty facade. Those who like Heyer will certainly enjoy this one, and it's a fairly accessible book for those just getting started with her works.
First Line: The saloon, like every other room in Arnside House, was large and lofty, and had been furnished, possibly some twenty years earlier, in what had then been the first style of elegance.
113inge87
Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War against Hitler by Mark Riebling
Source: me (10/15)
Recommendation: Kirkus, I think
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: BX 1378 R54 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Church of Spies is the thrilling story of how Pope Pius XII joined with the Admiral Canaris and his circle in the plot to assassinate Hitler. The go-between was a Munich lawyer named Joseph Müller. Since the Pope felt it was too risky to speak out against Hitler (who had a nasty habit of arresting, torturing, and killing Catholics in response), he turned to espionage. Naturally, Hitler had spies in the Vatican too, and the two sides would play a game of cat and mouse until the plot was uncovered in 1944 and the German participants arrested. The events are so fantastic it reads like a novel. Once the plot is broken up, the book turns into a gripping and inspiring testimony of what political prisoners endured in Nazi Germany, as many are hung and a few lucky prisoners manage to survive to the end of the war.
In a time, when we seem to have lost sight of what suffering and being willing to die for a cause truly means, Church of Spies offers a reminder that sometimes the things you think are worth dying for may in fact require you to die for them. A compelling account of a dark chapter of European history, perfect for those who interested in Pius XII, German history, plots to assassinate Hitler, or real life spy stories. Highly recommended.
First Line: In April 1945, the Nazis tried to break the man they called "the best agent of the Vatican Intelligence in Germany."
Source: me (10/15)
Recommendation: Kirkus, I think
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: BX 1378 R54 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Church of Spies is the thrilling story of how Pope Pius XII joined with the Admiral Canaris and his circle in the plot to assassinate Hitler. The go-between was a Munich lawyer named Joseph Müller. Since the Pope felt it was too risky to speak out against Hitler (who had a nasty habit of arresting, torturing, and killing Catholics in response), he turned to espionage. Naturally, Hitler had spies in the Vatican too, and the two sides would play a game of cat and mouse until the plot was uncovered in 1944 and the German participants arrested. The events are so fantastic it reads like a novel. Once the plot is broken up, the book turns into a gripping and inspiring testimony of what political prisoners endured in Nazi Germany, as many are hung and a few lucky prisoners manage to survive to the end of the war.
In a time, when we seem to have lost sight of what suffering and being willing to die for a cause truly means, Church of Spies offers a reminder that sometimes the things you think are worth dying for may in fact require you to die for them. A compelling account of a dark chapter of European history, perfect for those who interested in Pius XII, German history, plots to assassinate Hitler, or real life spy stories. Highly recommended.
First Line: In April 1945, the Nazis tried to break the man they called "the best agent of the Vatican Intelligence in Germany."
114inge87
Village Centenary by Miss Read
Source: work
Recommendation: continuing series
Year of Original Pub.: 1980
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (15/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 V5 1981
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Village Centenary documents Fairacre School's one hundredth year. And what a year it was. Between planning the centennial celebration, trying to get the skylight replaced, and trying to figure out the new infant teacher, Miss Read has her hands full. As you can see from the cover there is a lot of Miss Clare in this one, and Miss Read spends a lot of time worrying about her, as she has become quite frail. Holly Cottage is also being put up for sale, which leads Miss Read to consider her own situation and what she will do once she retires and has to leave her cottage. But as this is Miss Read, everything gets sorted out just as it should be and just in time for the centenary party in December.
If you like the rest of Miss Read's books, you'll like this one. But as it revisits some older story-lines, you won't want to start here.
First Line: It was Miss Clare who first pointed out that Fairacre School was one hundred years old.
Source: work
Recommendation: continuing series
Year of Original Pub.: 1980
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (15/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 V5 1981
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Village Centenary documents Fairacre School's one hundredth year. And what a year it was. Between planning the centennial celebration, trying to get the skylight replaced, and trying to figure out the new infant teacher, Miss Read has her hands full. As you can see from the cover there is a lot of Miss Clare in this one, and Miss Read spends a lot of time worrying about her, as she has become quite frail. Holly Cottage is also being put up for sale, which leads Miss Read to consider her own situation and what she will do once she retires and has to leave her cottage. But as this is Miss Read, everything gets sorted out just as it should be and just in time for the centenary party in December.
If you like the rest of Miss Read's books, you'll like this one. But as it revisits some older story-lines, you won't want to start here.
First Line: It was Miss Clare who first pointed out that Fairacre School was one hundred years old.
115inge87
Forgotten Land: Journeys Among the Ghosts of East Prussia by Max Egremont
Source: me (9/15)
Recommendation: trying to work on my travel category for 15-in-15
Year of Original Pub.: 2011
LC Call #: DK 4600 P775 E47 2012
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Forgotten Land is an account of the history of German East Prussia from its beginnings through its partition and ethnic cleansing to the present day. Now divided between Lithuania, Russia, and Poland, East Prussia is in many ways a place lost to the winds; however, through this book Egremont manages to bring it back to life. Wanting to understand the land and the people who lived there, he travelled to Russian Kaliningrad, to the Lithuanian Memelland, and Polish Masuria as well as to the Königsberg Museum in Duisburg and the East Prussian Museum in Lüneburg. But it is the people he meets and the stories he recounts that truly makes the story shine. Even when it was still an integral part of Germany, East Prussia remained a place apart: still rural and semi-feudal and dominated by the Baltic and the forest. The bread-basket of Germany, it was a major center for trading with the lands to the east and a world apart from Cologne, Munich, or even Berlin. What existed there can never return, but it is good I think that people remember what once was, whether it is the hunting lodge at Rominten, Thomas Mann's seaside cottage at Nidden, or the middle class Königsberg society that produced both Kant and Käthe Kollwitz.
A nostalgic history of a land that is no more and yet can be visited to this day. Highly recommended.
First Line: Marjellchen is a restaurant in a street of monolithic apartment blocks off Berlin's Kurfürstendamm.
Source: me (9/15)
Recommendation: trying to work on my travel category for 15-in-15
Year of Original Pub.: 2011
LC Call #: DK 4600 P775 E47 2012
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Forgotten Land is an account of the history of German East Prussia from its beginnings through its partition and ethnic cleansing to the present day. Now divided between Lithuania, Russia, and Poland, East Prussia is in many ways a place lost to the winds; however, through this book Egremont manages to bring it back to life. Wanting to understand the land and the people who lived there, he travelled to Russian Kaliningrad, to the Lithuanian Memelland, and Polish Masuria as well as to the Königsberg Museum in Duisburg and the East Prussian Museum in Lüneburg. But it is the people he meets and the stories he recounts that truly makes the story shine. Even when it was still an integral part of Germany, East Prussia remained a place apart: still rural and semi-feudal and dominated by the Baltic and the forest. The bread-basket of Germany, it was a major center for trading with the lands to the east and a world apart from Cologne, Munich, or even Berlin. What existed there can never return, but it is good I think that people remember what once was, whether it is the hunting lodge at Rominten, Thomas Mann's seaside cottage at Nidden, or the middle class Königsberg society that produced both Kant and Käthe Kollwitz.
A nostalgic history of a land that is no more and yet can be visited to this day. Highly recommended.
First Line: Marjellchen is a restaurant in a street of monolithic apartment blocks off Berlin's Kurfürstendamm.
116inge87
The Hanged Man by P. N. Elrod
Source: work
Recommendation: it looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: Her Majesty's Psychic Service (1/?)
LC Call #: PS 3555 L68 H36 2015
Rating: 2 stars / 5
The Hanged Man is the first in a projected new series about a young member of Her Majesty's Psychic Service, a kind of paranormal Scotland Yard. Set in an alternative steampunk London. The women now get to wear trousers, something the author feels the need to mention several times. Alex does not get along with her family and lives alone while working as a psychic investigator, when she gets a call to look at a suicide that she soon discovers is actually a murder. And then it turns out that the victim is the father she has not seen or heard from in over a decade and chaos breaks loose. There is something rotten going on and Alex is determined to get to the bottom of it. The front flap promises a romance complete with three potential suitors, but there's really nothing until the last chapter and only one suitor.
I finished this and shrugged. It is as if the author had a checklist of everything that needed to be in a novel of this genre and put it in. It wasn't a bad book and it wasn't a good one; it's the epitome of "meh". For serious fans of the genre only.
First Line: When informed at the age of ten that she was likely to be queen of England, it was reported that Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent replied, 'I will be good.'
Source: work
Recommendation: it looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: Her Majesty's Psychic Service (1/?)
LC Call #: PS 3555 L68 H36 2015
Rating: 2 stars / 5
The Hanged Man is the first in a projected new series about a young member of Her Majesty's Psychic Service, a kind of paranormal Scotland Yard. Set in an alternative steampunk London. The women now get to wear trousers, something the author feels the need to mention several times. Alex does not get along with her family and lives alone while working as a psychic investigator, when she gets a call to look at a suicide that she soon discovers is actually a murder. And then it turns out that the victim is the father she has not seen or heard from in over a decade and chaos breaks loose. There is something rotten going on and Alex is determined to get to the bottom of it. The front flap promises a romance complete with three potential suitors, but there's really nothing until the last chapter and only one suitor.
I finished this and shrugged. It is as if the author had a checklist of everything that needed to be in a novel of this genre and put it in. It wasn't a bad book and it wasn't a good one; it's the epitome of "meh". For serious fans of the genre only.
First Line: When informed at the age of ten that she was likely to be queen of England, it was reported that Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent replied, 'I will be good.'
117inge87
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell*
Source: me (12/13)
Recommendation: felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: PZ 7 R79613 Fan 2013
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Fangirl is the story of Cath, a shy, socially awkward girl who is also an amazingly talented writer. She and her twin sister Wren are starting college at the University of Nebraska. Once the two were inseparable and both obsessed with the Simon Snow novels (think Harry Potter). Cath is now famous on the internet as a fanfiction author, but Wren claims to have moved past Simon and Baz and become an adult. She also refuses to room with Cath, saying she wants to be independent. With her strange roommate, a writing professor who hates fanfiction, and constant worries about her father back home in Omaha, it's all Cath can do to keep herself together. Plus there's the boy issue. It will take strength she never knew she had to survive, and in the process she may just discover that there's more to her than she ever dreamed.
A charming, compelling coming of age story, that in many ways reflected my own college experience. Highly recommended for anyone who ever liked fanfiction, strong female protagonists, or plain old fashioned good storytelling. Don't let the YA tag scare you away.
First Line: There was a boy in her room.
Source: me (12/13)
Recommendation: felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
LC Call #: PZ 7 R79613 Fan 2013
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Fangirl is the story of Cath, a shy, socially awkward girl who is also an amazingly talented writer. She and her twin sister Wren are starting college at the University of Nebraska. Once the two were inseparable and both obsessed with the Simon Snow novels (think Harry Potter). Cath is now famous on the internet as a fanfiction author, but Wren claims to have moved past Simon and Baz and become an adult. She also refuses to room with Cath, saying she wants to be independent. With her strange roommate, a writing professor who hates fanfiction, and constant worries about her father back home in Omaha, it's all Cath can do to keep herself together. Plus there's the boy issue. It will take strength she never knew she had to survive, and in the process she may just discover that there's more to her than she ever dreamed.
A charming, compelling coming of age story, that in many ways reflected my own college experience. Highly recommended for anyone who ever liked fanfiction, strong female protagonists, or plain old fashioned good storytelling. Don't let the YA tag scare you away.
First Line: There was a boy in her room.
118inge87
The Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson
Source: Project Gutenberg
Recommendation: Fr. Z, in passing
Year of Original Pub.: 1893
LC Call #: PR 5651 H68 1922
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Hound of Heaven is a short, moving poem about how even when we run from God, he is always seeking us. The poem itself is well-written and moving, but there are more reasons than that to pick up the book. Project Gutenberg's edition is from 1922 and has some fantastic modernist illustrations; however, the poem itself was originally published in the 1890s. Thompson's biography is also worth a read, as his life's story is remarkable: he went from being a homeless addict on the street to being a famous poet in a very short time.
For those who enjoy inspirational poetry, especially that of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
First Line: I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Source: Project Gutenberg
Recommendation: Fr. Z, in passing
Year of Original Pub.: 1893
LC Call #: PR 5651 H68 1922
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Hound of Heaven is a short, moving poem about how even when we run from God, he is always seeking us. The poem itself is well-written and moving, but there are more reasons than that to pick up the book. Project Gutenberg's edition is from 1922 and has some fantastic modernist illustrations; however, the poem itself was originally published in the 1890s. Thompson's biography is also worth a read, as his life's story is remarkable: he went from being a homeless addict on the street to being a famous poet in a very short time.
For those who enjoy inspirational poetry, especially that of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
First Line: I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
119inge87
A few scanned images of Stella Langdale's fantastic illustrations from the edition of The Hound of Heaven on Project Gutenberg:
120inge87
Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer*
Source: me (8/09)
Recommendation: Felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1968
LC Call #: PR 6015 E795 C69 2009
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Cousin Kate is a Gothic romance by Georgette Heyer. Poor, orphaned Kate finds herself penniless and out of a position after her employer's mother-in-law forced her out of her governess position. Now living with her old nurse in London, she is trying to figure out her next steps when her father's half-sister Lady Broome swoops down to take Kate to her estate Staplewood and all the comfort she's missed. The daughter of a military man, who grew up on the peninsula front, Kate is hardly a simpering miss, but she is swept up in her aunt's generosity, and agrees to go for the summer at least.
But after a lifetime of being ignored by her relations (her parents were cut off after they eloped), why would her aunt want Kate now? Just what is troubling her cousin Torquil? Is his cousin Philip out to get him in order to inherit the Broome estate? It will take all of her wits to make it out alive! (cue the suspenseful music)
Cousin Kate takes the usual Heyer romance and kicks it up a notch with some suspense. From the calm to the storm to the aftermath, Kate is up for everything and afraid of nothing. That is until all her worst fears begin to come true.
First Line: At no time during the twenty-four hours was the Bull and Mouth Inn a place of quiet or repose, and by ten o'clock in the morning, when the stage-coach from Wisbech, turning top-heavily out of Aldersgate, lumbered into its yard, it seemed, to one weary and downcast passenger at least, to be crowded with vehicles of every descripton, from a yellow-bodied post-chaise to a wagon, with its shafts cocked up and the various packages and bundles it carried strewn over the yard.
Source: me (8/09)
Recommendation: Felt like it
Year of Original Pub.: 1968
LC Call #: PR 6015 E795 C69 2009
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Cousin Kate is a Gothic romance by Georgette Heyer. Poor, orphaned Kate finds herself penniless and out of a position after her employer's mother-in-law forced her out of her governess position. Now living with her old nurse in London, she is trying to figure out her next steps when her father's half-sister Lady Broome swoops down to take Kate to her estate Staplewood and all the comfort she's missed. The daughter of a military man, who grew up on the peninsula front, Kate is hardly a simpering miss, but she is swept up in her aunt's generosity, and agrees to go for the summer at least.
But after a lifetime of being ignored by her relations (her parents were cut off after they eloped), why would her aunt want Kate now? Just what is troubling her cousin Torquil? Is his cousin Philip out to get him in order to inherit the Broome estate? It will take all of her wits to make it out alive! (cue the suspenseful music)
Cousin Kate takes the usual Heyer romance and kicks it up a notch with some suspense. From the calm to the storm to the aftermath, Kate is up for everything and afraid of nothing. That is until all her worst fears begin to come true.
First Line: At no time during the twenty-four hours was the Bull and Mouth Inn a place of quiet or repose, and by ten o'clock in the morning, when the stage-coach from Wisbech, turning top-heavily out of Aldersgate, lumbered into its yard, it seemed, to one weary and downcast passenger at least, to be crowded with vehicles of every descripton, from a yellow-bodied post-chaise to a wagon, with its shafts cocked up and the various packages and bundles it carried strewn over the yard.
121ronincats
>120 inge87: Not one of my favorite Heyers...
122inge87
>121 ronincats: It's a marmite book, everyone seems to love it or hate it: I've never met anyone indifferent to it.
123inge87
Persuasion, Captain Wentworth and Cracklin' Cornbread by Mary Jane Hathaway*
Source: me (11/14)
Recommendation: trying to knock out 15-in-15 categories
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
Series: Jane Austen Takes the South (3/3)
LC Call #: PS 3608 A8644 P47 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Persuasion, Captain Wentworth and Cracklin' Cornbread is a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion set in modern-day Tupelo, Mississippi. Lucy is an archivist who spends most of her day either thinking about the Civil War or trying to figure out how to save her family from itself. Nothing has been the same since her mother died, and now she is afraid they are about to lose the house her family has lived for 150 years to creditors. Then her meddling aunt connects her to the Tupelo Free Clinic, which is looking for a bigger facility. The back part of Lucy's family home would do nicely and more than pay off the mortgages. The only problem is that with the clinic comes its newest doctor, Jem Chevy. Eight years ago, Lucy's family made her break up with him. After all, they are from an old established black family, and he is a white boy from the trailer park.
But now that the tables are turned, will Lucy and Jem find a way to be together or are the events of the past destined to tear them apart? I think everyone knows the answer to that question, but the journey is still worth it.
A fun Austen retelling, this is quality Christian fiction, not the kind with random Bible verses, come-to-Jesus moments, and talk of "baby Christians", but the kind with characters who happen to be Christian and who attempt to follow their faith through the trials of everyday existence. In short, it's not preachy at all and perfect for Jane Austen lovers everywhere, whether Christian or not.
First Line: "This is an effort to collect a debt. Any information obtained will be used for that purpose."
Source: me (11/14)
Recommendation: trying to knock out 15-in-15 categories
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
Series: Jane Austen Takes the South (3/3)
LC Call #: PS 3608 A8644 P47 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Persuasion, Captain Wentworth and Cracklin' Cornbread is a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion set in modern-day Tupelo, Mississippi. Lucy is an archivist who spends most of her day either thinking about the Civil War or trying to figure out how to save her family from itself. Nothing has been the same since her mother died, and now she is afraid they are about to lose the house her family has lived for 150 years to creditors. Then her meddling aunt connects her to the Tupelo Free Clinic, which is looking for a bigger facility. The back part of Lucy's family home would do nicely and more than pay off the mortgages. The only problem is that with the clinic comes its newest doctor, Jem Chevy. Eight years ago, Lucy's family made her break up with him. After all, they are from an old established black family, and he is a white boy from the trailer park.
But now that the tables are turned, will Lucy and Jem find a way to be together or are the events of the past destined to tear them apart? I think everyone knows the answer to that question, but the journey is still worth it.
A fun Austen retelling, this is quality Christian fiction, not the kind with random Bible verses, come-to-Jesus moments, and talk of "baby Christians", but the kind with characters who happen to be Christian and who attempt to follow their faith through the trials of everyday existence. In short, it's not preachy at all and perfect for Jane Austen lovers everywhere, whether Christian or not.
First Line: "This is an effort to collect a debt. Any information obtained will be used for that purpose."
124inge87
Germania: A Personal History of Germans Ancient and Modern by Simon Winder
Source: me (7/15)
Recommendation: 15-in-15 travel category
Year of Original Pub.: 2010
LC Call #: DD 61 W545 2010
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Germania is a book that only a middle aged British man could write. That doesn't make it bad; it just explains things like the book's seeming obsession with Nazis and an oddly phrased remark that Handel wasn't German. Remarkably, the closer one gets to the Nazi Era, the less he talks about Nazis, so while I almost gave the book up because it seemed that every aspect of early and medieval Germany was related to or foreshadowed the Nazis, I'm glad I stuck with it because it did get better. Winder's work is an overview of German history from the beginning through 1933 told through the filter of his travels around Germany seeking out the historic and the eccentric. And he gets to spend a lot of time complaining about the French—a favorite pastime of Britons and Germans. If you like obscure German microstates, questionable street food, or ridiculous provincial museums, this book is for you, because Winder does too. And he travels the length and breadth of Germany in his quest for the next juicy tidbit. But he also spends time on serious matters: his thoughts about the fall of pre-1914 European civilization especially is worth the effort of finishing the book.
Overall, it's a fun, accessible read written in a style that lets the author's personality and humor shine through. Although he does offer references/further reading at the end, this should not be confused an academic history and was never meant to be one.
Recommended for Germanophiles looking for a fun read; the follow-up Danubia, about Austria-Hungary, is even better.
First Line: I have spent many years chewing over German history and this book is an entirely personal response to it.
Source: me (7/15)
Recommendation: 15-in-15 travel category
Year of Original Pub.: 2010
LC Call #: DD 61 W545 2010
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Germania is a book that only a middle aged British man could write. That doesn't make it bad; it just explains things like the book's seeming obsession with Nazis and an oddly phrased remark that Handel wasn't German. Remarkably, the closer one gets to the Nazi Era, the less he talks about Nazis, so while I almost gave the book up because it seemed that every aspect of early and medieval Germany was related to or foreshadowed the Nazis, I'm glad I stuck with it because it did get better. Winder's work is an overview of German history from the beginning through 1933 told through the filter of his travels around Germany seeking out the historic and the eccentric. And he gets to spend a lot of time complaining about the French—a favorite pastime of Britons and Germans. If you like obscure German microstates, questionable street food, or ridiculous provincial museums, this book is for you, because Winder does too. And he travels the length and breadth of Germany in his quest for the next juicy tidbit. But he also spends time on serious matters: his thoughts about the fall of pre-1914 European civilization especially is worth the effort of finishing the book.
Overall, it's a fun, accessible read written in a style that lets the author's personality and humor shine through. Although he does offer references/further reading at the end, this should not be confused an academic history and was never meant to be one.
Recommended for Germanophiles looking for a fun read; the follow-up Danubia, about Austria-Hungary, is even better.
First Line: I have spent many years chewing over German history and this book is an entirely personal response to it.
125inge87
I got a note on my other thread that the Hound of Heaven images weren't working. I've fixed them, and they should be visible now.
126inge87
Summer at Fairacre by Miss Read
Source: ILL (Richardson PL)
Recommendation: continuing series
Year of Original Pub.: 1984
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (16/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 S9 2001
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Summer at Fairacre finds Miss Read dealing with the familiar ups and downs of village life. She doesn't have to worry about where she'll live in retirement, she gets to worry about other things, like what will happen to Joseph Coggs while his mother is in the hospital or whether Mrs. Pringle will continue to clean the school or retire. Plus, it looks like Miss Quinn may have an admirer. Summer is supposed to be a time to relax, but at Fairacre there is always something going on. This summer is no exception.
More fun in Fairacre, you really get the sense that things may be wrapping up and coming to a close, but Miss Read doesn't seem ready to go quite yet.
First Line: 'What the Hanover d'you make of this, Miss Read?'
Source: ILL (Richardson PL)
Recommendation: continuing series
Year of Original Pub.: 1984
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (16/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 S9 2001
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Summer at Fairacre finds Miss Read dealing with the familiar ups and downs of village life. She doesn't have to worry about where she'll live in retirement, she gets to worry about other things, like what will happen to Joseph Coggs while his mother is in the hospital or whether Mrs. Pringle will continue to clean the school or retire. Plus, it looks like Miss Quinn may have an admirer. Summer is supposed to be a time to relax, but at Fairacre there is always something going on. This summer is no exception.
More fun in Fairacre, you really get the sense that things may be wrapping up and coming to a close, but Miss Read doesn't seem ready to go quite yet.
First Line: 'What the Hanover d'you make of this, Miss Read?'
127inge87
The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales by Franz Xaver von Schönwerth
Source: work
Recommendation: Article in the Guardian
Year of Original Pub.: 2015 (but individual stories were collected in the 1850s)
LC Call #: GR 167 B3 S378513 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales is a collection of fairy tales and legends collected in the 1850s in the Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz) region of Bavaria by the civil servant Franz Xaver von Schönwerth. Some of the stories were published in his three volume collection of collected stories, while others come from a recently rediscovered collection in a German archive. Overall, they are nice stories, a mixture of new variants of familiar tales together with some unfamiliar ones.
The collection was probably a bit overhyped in the media (and in the introductory essays for that matter), leading to disappointment in some quarters; however, if you are looking for some fun fairy tale adventures, it is very much worth reading. Also, they are still rather dark and unsanitized, so this isn't the best gift for your favorite five-year-old. But if you like fairy tales, you'll want to pick this up.
First Line: One day a prince lost his way in the woods. ("The Turnip Princess")
Source: work
Recommendation: Article in the Guardian
Year of Original Pub.: 2015 (but individual stories were collected in the 1850s)
LC Call #: GR 167 B3 S378513 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales is a collection of fairy tales and legends collected in the 1850s in the Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz) region of Bavaria by the civil servant Franz Xaver von Schönwerth. Some of the stories were published in his three volume collection of collected stories, while others come from a recently rediscovered collection in a German archive. Overall, they are nice stories, a mixture of new variants of familiar tales together with some unfamiliar ones.
The collection was probably a bit overhyped in the media (and in the introductory essays for that matter), leading to disappointment in some quarters; however, if you are looking for some fun fairy tale adventures, it is very much worth reading. Also, they are still rather dark and unsanitized, so this isn't the best gift for your favorite five-year-old. But if you like fairy tales, you'll want to pick this up.
First Line: One day a prince lost his way in the woods. ("The Turnip Princess")
128inge87
Sword and Serpent by Taylor Marshall
Source: ILL (Dauphin Co. Lib. System–Harrisburg, PA)
Recommendation: the internet
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: PZ 7 M3783 Swo 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Sword and Serpent is a Christian YA novel belonging to that most retro of genres: sword and sandals Christian historical fiction. A retelling of the ancient story of Saint George and the dragon, it takes place during the early days of Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians. Driven from their home due to their family's faith, Jurian and his sister Mariam travel across Anatolia and the Mediterranian to Rome to fulfill their mother's dying wish. However, they are not alone. Jurian's rival Casca is hunting them and wants them dead. Luckily, they make some familiar friends (i.e. saints you'll recognize) along the way. Meanwhile in Libya, Sabra is priestess of her city's local god—a god who has been demanding child sacrifices for years, something that is becoming less and less bearable for her. An old prophecy will bring her and Jurian together, just in time for the fight of their lives.
A clean YA historical read. Its Catholicism is rather blatant, but that's usually the case in Roman Empire Christian persecution novels. The cliffhanger ending promises at least one more book, and I think it will be interesting to see where the author goes with the story. Highly recommended for those looking for interesting Catholic historical fiction.
First Line: "Domine. The gods are silent."
Source: ILL (Dauphin Co. Lib. System–Harrisburg, PA)
Recommendation: the internet
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: PZ 7 M3783 Swo 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Sword and Serpent is a Christian YA novel belonging to that most retro of genres: sword and sandals Christian historical fiction. A retelling of the ancient story of Saint George and the dragon, it takes place during the early days of Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians. Driven from their home due to their family's faith, Jurian and his sister Mariam travel across Anatolia and the Mediterranian to Rome to fulfill their mother's dying wish. However, they are not alone. Jurian's rival Casca is hunting them and wants them dead. Luckily, they make some familiar friends (i.e. saints you'll recognize) along the way. Meanwhile in Libya, Sabra is priestess of her city's local god—a god who has been demanding child sacrifices for years, something that is becoming less and less bearable for her. An old prophecy will bring her and Jurian together, just in time for the fight of their lives.
A clean YA historical read. Its Catholicism is rather blatant, but that's usually the case in Roman Empire Christian persecution novels. The cliffhanger ending promises at least one more book, and I think it will be interesting to see where the author goes with the story. Highly recommended for those looking for interesting Catholic historical fiction.
First Line: "Domine. The gods are silent."
129inge87
Pride, Prejudice, and Cheese Grits by Mary Jane Hathaway
Source: me (10/15)
Recommendation: I liked book three and thought I should read the rest of the trilogy
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
Series: Jane Austen Takes the South (1/3)
LC Call #: PS 3608 A8644 P75 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Pride, Prejudice, and Cheese Grits is a Pride & Prejudice retelling set in a Southern college. Shelby (Elizabeth) is a Civil War historian tying to get tenure. Just when she has published a book and appears to be getting close to her goal, her reputation is demolished when a highly esteemed historian Ranson Fielding (Darcy) publishes a scathing (and somewhat inaccurate) review. Imagine her joy when it turns out he will be a visiting lecturer for the academic year. He feels bad about the situation and wants to make up, but every time they meet sparks and words start flying. Toss in a sleazy developer with a dark side and a hateful department chair and you've got the plot. It's what the author does with it that sparkles.
A fun, Austeneque contemporary romance set in the realm of modern academia. Recommended for fans of the genre and those who love Austen remakes.
First Line: Shelby Roswell rooted through her purse for the third time, tossing receipts and gum wrappers onto the cluttered desk.
Source: me (10/15)
Recommendation: I liked book three and thought I should read the rest of the trilogy
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
Series: Jane Austen Takes the South (1/3)
LC Call #: PS 3608 A8644 P75 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Pride, Prejudice, and Cheese Grits is a Pride & Prejudice retelling set in a Southern college. Shelby (Elizabeth) is a Civil War historian tying to get tenure. Just when she has published a book and appears to be getting close to her goal, her reputation is demolished when a highly esteemed historian Ranson Fielding (Darcy) publishes a scathing (and somewhat inaccurate) review. Imagine her joy when it turns out he will be a visiting lecturer for the academic year. He feels bad about the situation and wants to make up, but every time they meet sparks and words start flying. Toss in a sleazy developer with a dark side and a hateful department chair and you've got the plot. It's what the author does with it that sparkles.
A fun, Austeneque contemporary romance set in the realm of modern academia. Recommended for fans of the genre and those who love Austen remakes.
First Line: Shelby Roswell rooted through her purse for the third time, tossing receipts and gum wrappers onto the cluttered desk.
130inge87
The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse by Piu Marie Eatwell
Source: me (10/15)
Recommendation: LibraryJournal
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: KD 372 P67 E28 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse is the story of the Druce-Portland case in which an impoverished London widow claimed that her late father-in-law had in fact been the 5th Duke of Portland living a secret second life. It was a late Victorian sensation, revealing as it did sordid details about illegitimate children, abandoned families, and the various eccentricities of the 5th Duke himself. This was a man who wanted to disappear, ordered his servants to ignore him, and had a whole warren of underground rooms excavated underneath his Nottinghamshire estate. Just who was T. C. Druce? And what drove the 5th Duke to be so eccentric? These are just a few of the mysteries that the author tries to answer in this book. And what she is able to uncover over a century later is remarkable.
More Victorian social history than true crime, the book reminds me of Catherine Bailey's The Secret Rooms both in subject and atmosphere: both involve ducal families with dark secrets that they wanted covered up and both involve the author beginning to peel back that layer of secrecy to the extent that one can using the bits that were missed in the initial cover-up.
Overall, a very good story about what happens when a story goes viral and the kind of people that the possibility of fame, wealth, and revenge can draw out of the woodwork. Highly recommended.
First Line: It was a dark, windy winter evening a few days before Christmas 1879.
Source: me (10/15)
Recommendation: LibraryJournal
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: KD 372 P67 E28 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse is the story of the Druce-Portland case in which an impoverished London widow claimed that her late father-in-law had in fact been the 5th Duke of Portland living a secret second life. It was a late Victorian sensation, revealing as it did sordid details about illegitimate children, abandoned families, and the various eccentricities of the 5th Duke himself. This was a man who wanted to disappear, ordered his servants to ignore him, and had a whole warren of underground rooms excavated underneath his Nottinghamshire estate. Just who was T. C. Druce? And what drove the 5th Duke to be so eccentric? These are just a few of the mysteries that the author tries to answer in this book. And what she is able to uncover over a century later is remarkable.
More Victorian social history than true crime, the book reminds me of Catherine Bailey's The Secret Rooms both in subject and atmosphere: both involve ducal families with dark secrets that they wanted covered up and both involve the author beginning to peel back that layer of secrecy to the extent that one can using the bits that were missed in the initial cover-up.
Overall, a very good story about what happens when a story goes viral and the kind of people that the possibility of fame, wealth, and revenge can draw out of the woodwork. Highly recommended.
First Line: It was a dark, windy winter evening a few days before Christmas 1879.
131inge87
Island on Fire: The Extraordinary Story of a Forgotten Volcano that Changed the World by Alexandra Witze & Jeff Kanipe
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: 15-in-15/it looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: QE 523 L25 W58 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Island on Fire is both the story of the Laki eruption of 1783 and a highly readable introduction to volcanology. Laki was not a single eruption, but rather a series of eruptions from a row of (at least 130) craters centered around Laki peak in southeastern Iceland. The narrator of this story is local minister Jón Steingrímsson, who left a detailed diary of the events that occurred to his neighborhood beginning around Pentecost Sunday 1783 when he first beheld a dark cloud rising over the hills on his way to church. This eruption not only devastated Iceland, but sent clouds of ash and poisonous gas across Europe, destroying crops and respiratory systems wherever it went.
The authors use Laki and the events surrounding its eruption as a pathway to explore the field of volcanology. They explain the Volcanic Explosivity Index and the concept of "supervolcanoes". I especially liked how their explanations did not just include technical definitions but also narrative descriptions of what such an eruption would be like for those who experience it. There is also a very nice chapter covering all the ways a volcano can kill you.
Overall, it is an excellent work, perfect for volcano experts and novices a like. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in interesting non-fiction, volcanic eruptions, or Icelandic history.
First Line: At least everyone was at home, sung in their beds, when the world began to end.
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: 15-in-15/it looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: QE 523 L25 W58 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Island on Fire is both the story of the Laki eruption of 1783 and a highly readable introduction to volcanology. Laki was not a single eruption, but rather a series of eruptions from a row of (at least 130) craters centered around Laki peak in southeastern Iceland. The narrator of this story is local minister Jón Steingrímsson, who left a detailed diary of the events that occurred to his neighborhood beginning around Pentecost Sunday 1783 when he first beheld a dark cloud rising over the hills on his way to church. This eruption not only devastated Iceland, but sent clouds of ash and poisonous gas across Europe, destroying crops and respiratory systems wherever it went.
The authors use Laki and the events surrounding its eruption as a pathway to explore the field of volcanology. They explain the Volcanic Explosivity Index and the concept of "supervolcanoes". I especially liked how their explanations did not just include technical definitions but also narrative descriptions of what such an eruption would be like for those who experience it. There is also a very nice chapter covering all the ways a volcano can kill you.
Overall, it is an excellent work, perfect for volcano experts and novices a like. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in interesting non-fiction, volcanic eruptions, or Icelandic history.
First Line: At least everyone was at home, sung in their beds, when the world began to end.
132inge87
October Reading Round-Up!
Books Read: 27
Genre
Fiction - 17 - 62.96%
Non-Fiction - 10 - 37.04%
Sources
Me (other) - 7 - 25.93%
ILL - 5 - 18.52%
Work - 5 - 18.52%
Me (this month) - 4 - 14.81%
Me (last month) - 3 - 11.11%
Irving PL - 2 - 7.4%
Free Online E-Book - 1 - 3.7%
Authors
Female - 13 - 56%
Male - 11 - 44%
Edition Language
English - 27 - 100%
Original Language
English - 26 - 96.3%
German - 1 - 3.7%
Series
Stand-Alone Books - 20 - 74.07%
Series Books - 7 - 25.93%
Average Original Date of Publication
1985
Median Original Date of Publication
2010
Ratings Distribution
1 star - 0 - 0%
2 stars - 1 - 3.7%
3 stars - 17 - 62.96%
4 stars - 8 - 29.64%
5 stars - 1 - 3.7%
Average Rating
3.33
Best of the Month
Fiction: The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales by Franz Xaver von Schönwerth
Non-Fiction (tie): Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War against Hitler by Mark Riebling & Forgotten Land: Journeys Among the Ghosts of East Prussia by Max Egremont
Books Read: 27
Genre
Fiction - 17 - 62.96%
Non-Fiction - 10 - 37.04%
Sources
Me (other) - 7 - 25.93%
ILL - 5 - 18.52%
Work - 5 - 18.52%
Me (this month) - 4 - 14.81%
Me (last month) - 3 - 11.11%
Irving PL - 2 - 7.4%
Free Online E-Book - 1 - 3.7%
Authors
Female - 13 - 56%
Male - 11 - 44%
Edition Language
English - 27 - 100%
Original Language
English - 26 - 96.3%
German - 1 - 3.7%
Series
Stand-Alone Books - 20 - 74.07%
Series Books - 7 - 25.93%
Average Original Date of Publication
1985
Median Original Date of Publication
2010
Ratings Distribution
1 star - 0 - 0%
2 stars - 1 - 3.7%
3 stars - 17 - 62.96%
4 stars - 8 - 29.64%
5 stars - 1 - 3.7%
Average Rating
3.33
Best of the Month
Fiction: The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales by Franz Xaver von Schönwerth
Non-Fiction (tie): Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War against Hitler by Mark Riebling & Forgotten Land: Journeys Among the Ghosts of East Prussia by Max Egremont
133lkernagh
>130 inge87: - Love that cover! Adding it to my future reading list, which might not happen as the only Eatwell book my local library has is They eat horses, don't they?. Even that one looks rather interesting.
134inge87
>133 lkernagh: The Dead Duke just came out in North America at end of October, so it may just turn up one of these days. We've got They Eat Horses Don't They at work, but I've never really looked at it.
135lkernagh
>134 inge87: - Even better that it has just come out. That means I can put in a book purchase request for my local library to consider.
136inge87
Champion of Truth: The Life of Saint Athanasius by Michael E. Molloy
Source: me (10/15)
Recommendation: interest in the subject
Year of Original Pub.: 2003
LC Call #: BR 1720 A7 M65 2003
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Champion of Truth is a short biography of the life of Saint Athanasius, the Bishop of Alexandria who played an instrumental role in the defeat of Arianism. The author is an Eastern Orthodox priest and book does lean towards hagiography; however, this is not entirely his fault. Very little in terms of actual history has come down to us from the chaotic period in which Athanasius lived, so much must be either guessed at or taken from ecclesiastical sources. But Athansius lived a life so incredible that it would probably always seem a bit far-fetched. More oddly, background details about Roman Egypt, the city of Alexandria, and Roman Christianity are put set at the end of the book in appendices, instead of integrated into the main text. The author even suggests that in some cases the reader may want to read these sections first! It's rather strange, but doesn't detract too much from the overall work.
Recommended for those interested in the life of one of Christianity's great historical figures.
First Line: Saint Athanasius was born in a tumultuous age.
Source: me (10/15)
Recommendation: interest in the subject
Year of Original Pub.: 2003
LC Call #: BR 1720 A7 M65 2003
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Champion of Truth is a short biography of the life of Saint Athanasius, the Bishop of Alexandria who played an instrumental role in the defeat of Arianism. The author is an Eastern Orthodox priest and book does lean towards hagiography; however, this is not entirely his fault. Very little in terms of actual history has come down to us from the chaotic period in which Athanasius lived, so much must be either guessed at or taken from ecclesiastical sources. But Athansius lived a life so incredible that it would probably always seem a bit far-fetched. More oddly, background details about Roman Egypt, the city of Alexandria, and Roman Christianity are put set at the end of the book in appendices, instead of integrated into the main text. The author even suggests that in some cases the reader may want to read these sections first! It's rather strange, but doesn't detract too much from the overall work.
Recommended for those interested in the life of one of Christianity's great historical figures.
First Line: Saint Athanasius was born in a tumultuous age.
137inge87
Tobit's Dog by Michael Nicholas Richard
Source: ILL (St. Mary's Seminary, Houston)
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: PS 3618 I3345 T63 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Tobit's Dog takes the Biblical story of Tobit and sets it in Depression-era North Carolina. Life was not easy for anyone in those days, but, as African Americans, the Messager family has it particularly bad. Especially since the sheriff has made it clear that he has it in for them. When a local boy appears to have been lynched, Tobias Messager travels with the local minister to take the body down, since law enforcement won't. This lands him (and his mule) in prison. Meanwhile his son Tobit Messager, who is training as a mechanic meets a distant cousin from Louisiana who wants him to travel with him to collect a debt owed to Tobias. In the course of his journey Tobit will uncover great injustices and right some very great wrongs. And then he has to come home again.
A nice piece of historical fiction. Richard does not shy away from the cruelties of the age, and this is definitely not a cozy novel. Another issue is that the dog on the cover looks nothing like Tobit's dog (Okra) as described in the book. Biblical retellings can be tricky, but this one is mostly successful. Recommended for fans of Catholic fiction, Biblical retellings, and historical fiction set in the early 20th century South.
First Line: A flood of scent unfolded around Okra.
Source: ILL (St. Mary's Seminary, Houston)
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: PS 3618 I3345 T63 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Tobit's Dog takes the Biblical story of Tobit and sets it in Depression-era North Carolina. Life was not easy for anyone in those days, but, as African Americans, the Messager family has it particularly bad. Especially since the sheriff has made it clear that he has it in for them. When a local boy appears to have been lynched, Tobias Messager travels with the local minister to take the body down, since law enforcement won't. This lands him (and his mule) in prison. Meanwhile his son Tobit Messager, who is training as a mechanic meets a distant cousin from Louisiana who wants him to travel with him to collect a debt owed to Tobias. In the course of his journey Tobit will uncover great injustices and right some very great wrongs. And then he has to come home again.
A nice piece of historical fiction. Richard does not shy away from the cruelties of the age, and this is definitely not a cozy novel. Another issue is that the dog on the cover looks nothing like Tobit's dog (Okra) as described in the book. Biblical retellings can be tricky, but this one is mostly successful. Recommended for fans of Catholic fiction, Biblical retellings, and historical fiction set in the early 20th century South.
First Line: A flood of scent unfolded around Okra.
138inge87
St. Maria Goretti: In Garments All Red by Fr. Godfrey Poage, CP
Source: me (11/15)
Recommendation: I saw her relics while they were in Tyler on 2 Nov.
Year of Original Pub.: 1950
LC Call #: BX 4700 M368 P6 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
St. Maria Goretti is a short biography of the short life of St. Maria Goretti, who was murdered at the age of 12 in the course of a rape attempt and later become the youngest official saint of the Catholic Church. She forgave her murderer while dying in the hospital and he later repented of his act and became a Capuchin lay brother after leaving prison. Originally published in 1950 in conjunction with her official canonization, the book has held up well because the story was well-documented to begin with. My edition also contains her canonization speech by Pope Pius XII as well as another speech about her that he gave to youth, along with an forward by the priest responsible for bringing her relics on tour to the United States in 2015 along with a novena and a couple other prayers associated with her. The power of forgiveness is perhaps the most important lesson to be learned from St. Maria's life, and that is something that modern society really does need to learn.
Recommended for anyone interested in the life of this most relevant of saints.
First Line: "Assunta, I tell you, we'd do better to leave this place," Luigi exclaimed.
Source: me (11/15)
Recommendation: I saw her relics while they were in Tyler on 2 Nov.
Year of Original Pub.: 1950
LC Call #: BX 4700 M368 P6 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
St. Maria Goretti is a short biography of the short life of St. Maria Goretti, who was murdered at the age of 12 in the course of a rape attempt and later become the youngest official saint of the Catholic Church. She forgave her murderer while dying in the hospital and he later repented of his act and became a Capuchin lay brother after leaving prison. Originally published in 1950 in conjunction with her official canonization, the book has held up well because the story was well-documented to begin with. My edition also contains her canonization speech by Pope Pius XII as well as another speech about her that he gave to youth, along with an forward by the priest responsible for bringing her relics on tour to the United States in 2015 along with a novena and a couple other prayers associated with her. The power of forgiveness is perhaps the most important lesson to be learned from St. Maria's life, and that is something that modern society really does need to learn.
Recommended for anyone interested in the life of this most relevant of saints.
First Line: "Assunta, I tell you, we'd do better to leave this place," Luigi exclaimed.
139inge87
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Volume 1 by Hayao Miyazaki
Source: Irving PL
Original Title: 風の谷のナウシカ 1 (Kaze no Tani no Naushika 1)
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1982
Series: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1/7)
LC Call #: PL 856 I939 K3913 Vol. 1
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Volume 1 is the first volume of the manga that was adapted as the film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The film was actually made before the third volume was published, but the plot is mostly the same up until that point. Nausicaä is the princess of the Valley of the Wind, protected by the evils of the post-apocalyptic fungal forests by fresh winds coming off the sea. Once mankind had achieved great things but their ambition ruined them and the world in which they live. A world now inhabited by poisonous spores and giant insects. Nausicaä's world is turned upside down when an airship from a nearby kingdom crashes in the Valley of the Wind and brings the troubles of the outside world into her isolated homeland. She is given no choice but to leave and face a destiny outside of her people. But just what that would be is anyone's guess.
If you liked the movie you should read the manga. Recommended for those who enjoy older mangas or those with environmental themes.
First Line: These are the marks of an Ohmu's teeth . . . I'm sure of it.
Source: Irving PL
Original Title: 風の谷のナウシカ 1 (Kaze no Tani no Naushika 1)
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1982
Series: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1/7)
LC Call #: PL 856 I939 K3913 Vol. 1
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Volume 1 is the first volume of the manga that was adapted as the film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The film was actually made before the third volume was published, but the plot is mostly the same up until that point. Nausicaä is the princess of the Valley of the Wind, protected by the evils of the post-apocalyptic fungal forests by fresh winds coming off the sea. Once mankind had achieved great things but their ambition ruined them and the world in which they live. A world now inhabited by poisonous spores and giant insects. Nausicaä's world is turned upside down when an airship from a nearby kingdom crashes in the Valley of the Wind and brings the troubles of the outside world into her isolated homeland. She is given no choice but to leave and face a destiny outside of her people. But just what that would be is anyone's guess.
If you liked the movie you should read the manga. Recommended for those who enjoy older mangas or those with environmental themes.
First Line: These are the marks of an Ohmu's teeth . . . I'm sure of it.
140inge87
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Volume 2 by Hayao Miyazaki
Source: Irving PL
Original Title: 風の谷のナウシカ 2 (Kaze no Tani no Naushika 2)
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1983
Series: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (2/7)
LC Call #: PL 856 I939 K3913 Vol. 2
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Volume 2 is the second volume of the manga that was adapted as the film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Nausicaä has left her home in the Valley of the Wind to join the Torumekian Empire in its battle against their rivals the Doroks. Her inner idealist quickly comes into conflict with the realities of her situation, but her spirit inspires everyone she encounters, including those who should be her enemies. The Doroks believe that she is the one mentioned in their prophecy, who will come dressed in blue and save them all. But is this really true?
If you liked the movie you should read the manga. Recommended for those who enjoy older mangas, those with strong female leads, or those with environmental themes.
First Line: We're through the roof of the canopy!
Source: Irving PL
Original Title: 風の谷のナウシカ 2 (Kaze no Tani no Naushika 2)
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1983
Series: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (2/7)
LC Call #: PL 856 I939 K3913 Vol. 2
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Volume 2 is the second volume of the manga that was adapted as the film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Nausicaä has left her home in the Valley of the Wind to join the Torumekian Empire in its battle against their rivals the Doroks. Her inner idealist quickly comes into conflict with the realities of her situation, but her spirit inspires everyone she encounters, including those who should be her enemies. The Doroks believe that she is the one mentioned in their prophecy, who will come dressed in blue and save them all. But is this really true?
If you liked the movie you should read the manga. Recommended for those who enjoy older mangas, those with strong female leads, or those with environmental themes.
First Line: We're through the roof of the canopy!
141inge87
Saint among Savages: The Life of Saint Isaac Jogues by Fr. Francis Talbot, SJ
Source: me (10/15)
Recommendation: internet
Year of Original Pub.: 1935
LC Call #: BX 4700 J564 T35 2002
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Saint among Savages tells the remarkable story of St. Isaac Jogues, a French Jesuit who was killed by Mohawks while serving as a missionary in New France. Coming from a upper middle class life in Orleans, he knew from an early age that he wanted to be a priest and serve abroad as a missionary to risk his life in order to save souls. Along with several others, collectively known as the North American Martyrs, he followed his dreams and met death in the American wilderness. Living with the Huron people in what is now Ontario, he was captured by Mohawk warriors and tortured and held captive for over a year. He escaped back to France with help from the Dutch in New York, and remarkably insisted on going back to New France, even though he knew what he might be facing. Besides Jogues' life there is also a lot of material about the lives and customs of the Native American peoples who lived along the St. Lawrence River. All-in-all, it's an exciting read about a fascinating man who gave everything for his faith, including his life.
First Line: Orléans was at peace.
Source: me (10/15)
Recommendation: internet
Year of Original Pub.: 1935
LC Call #: BX 4700 J564 T35 2002
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Saint among Savages tells the remarkable story of St. Isaac Jogues, a French Jesuit who was killed by Mohawks while serving as a missionary in New France. Coming from a upper middle class life in Orleans, he knew from an early age that he wanted to be a priest and serve abroad as a missionary to risk his life in order to save souls. Along with several others, collectively known as the North American Martyrs, he followed his dreams and met death in the American wilderness. Living with the Huron people in what is now Ontario, he was captured by Mohawk warriors and tortured and held captive for over a year. He escaped back to France with help from the Dutch in New York, and remarkably insisted on going back to New France, even though he knew what he might be facing. Besides Jogues' life there is also a lot of material about the lives and customs of the Native American peoples who lived along the St. Lawrence River. All-in-all, it's an exciting read about a fascinating man who gave everything for his faith, including his life.
First Line: Orléans was at peace.
142inge87
Overcoming Sinful Anger: How to Master Your Emotions and Bring Peace to Your Life by T. G. Morrow
Source: me (10/15)
Recommendation: it seemed relevant
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: BV 4627 A5 M67 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Overcoming Sinful Anger is a short, readable guide to anger management from a Catholic perspective. It is full of good advice and practical tips in on how to reduce and eliminate sinful anger from your life. Anger itself is a reaction, not a sin. Sinful anger is the kind that lingers and festers inside of you and makes people miserable. Besides general advice there is also advice for spouses dealing with significant others and parents for dealing with children. Overall, a good overview of an important topic that affects everyone.
First Line: Years back a husband told me that his wife said to him one evening when she was feeling stressed, "Get me a glass of wine."
Source: me (10/15)
Recommendation: it seemed relevant
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: BV 4627 A5 M67 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Overcoming Sinful Anger is a short, readable guide to anger management from a Catholic perspective. It is full of good advice and practical tips in on how to reduce and eliminate sinful anger from your life. Anger itself is a reaction, not a sin. Sinful anger is the kind that lingers and festers inside of you and makes people miserable. Besides general advice there is also advice for spouses dealing with significant others and parents for dealing with children. Overall, a good overview of an important topic that affects everyone.
First Line: Years back a husband told me that his wife said to him one evening when she was feeling stressed, "Get me a glass of wine."
143inge87
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Volume 3 by Hayao Miyazaki
Source: Irving PL
Original Title: 風の谷のナウシカ 3 (Kaze no Tani no Naushika 3)
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1984
Series: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (3/7)
LC Call #: PL 856 I939 K3913 Vol. 3
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Volume 3 finds Nausicaä travelling deep into Dorok territory. War is all around her and she does not like the bloodshed. But what can she do? Meanwhile, the Dorok government is concerned that old stories about a figure in blue are being believed again. They use their psychic powers, but still Nausicaä eludes them. Until of course the battle really begins and choices have to be made.
This volume was more about setting up the next story arch and getting Nausicaä to Dorok than moving the plot along. However, Nausicaä makes some important decisions at the end and we meet her next challenge, who is a strange being indeed. This is the part where the manga really diverts from the film, so if you haven't been reading the books, you'll want to start with volume 1.
First Line: <Stay away from me!!>
Source: Irving PL
Original Title: 風の谷のナウシカ 3 (Kaze no Tani no Naushika 3)
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1984
Series: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (3/7)
LC Call #: PL 856 I939 K3913 Vol. 3
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Volume 3 finds Nausicaä travelling deep into Dorok territory. War is all around her and she does not like the bloodshed. But what can she do? Meanwhile, the Dorok government is concerned that old stories about a figure in blue are being believed again. They use their psychic powers, but still Nausicaä eludes them. Until of course the battle really begins and choices have to be made.
This volume was more about setting up the next story arch and getting Nausicaä to Dorok than moving the plot along. However, Nausicaä makes some important decisions at the end and we meet her next challenge, who is a strange being indeed. This is the part where the manga really diverts from the film, so if you haven't been reading the books, you'll want to start with volume 1.
First Line: <Stay away from me!!>
144inge87
Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888 by Ernest L. Thayer
Source: work
Recommendation: impulse grab
Year of Original Pub.: 1888
LC Call #: PZ 7 T53944 Cas 2000
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Casey at the Bat is probably the most famous baseball poem besides Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Concerning one teams attempt to make a comeback at the bottom of the ninth and their star player's battle at the plate, it's cultural impact in the sport is great. The edition I read was illustrated by Christopher Bing and won a Caldecott Honor. However, I can't help thinking that the set up is designed to appeal more to nostalgic adults than to children. For one, the illustrations are busy: imitation newspaper articles with clippings and other ephemera stacked on top. There are a lot of words in small print about things like racism and the Negro leagues that are not really going to appeal to the picture book set. But the poem is worth reading, even though I'm not sure the illustrations truly succeed, so I'll still give it three stars.
Every baseball fan should read the poem, just not necessarily this edition.
First Line: The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;
The score stood four to two with but one inning more to play.
Source: work
Recommendation: impulse grab
Year of Original Pub.: 1888
LC Call #: PZ 7 T53944 Cas 2000
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Casey at the Bat is probably the most famous baseball poem besides Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Concerning one teams attempt to make a comeback at the bottom of the ninth and their star player's battle at the plate, it's cultural impact in the sport is great. The edition I read was illustrated by Christopher Bing and won a Caldecott Honor. However, I can't help thinking that the set up is designed to appeal more to nostalgic adults than to children. For one, the illustrations are busy: imitation newspaper articles with clippings and other ephemera stacked on top. There are a lot of words in small print about things like racism and the Negro leagues that are not really going to appeal to the picture book set. But the poem is worth reading, even though I'm not sure the illustrations truly succeed, so I'll still give it three stars.
Every baseball fan should read the poem, just not necessarily this edition.
First Line: The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;
The score stood four to two with but one inning more to play.
145inge87
Infectious Madness: The Surprising Science of How We "Catch" Mental Illness by Harriet A. Washington
Source: Irving PL (e-book)
Recommendation: I have a relative with dementia, which has driven an interest in the science of brain health
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: RC 455.4 B5 W373 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Infectious Madness is an interesting work of popular science exploring the connections between conditions such viral and bacterial infections and mental illness. The connection between cats, Toxoplasma gondii, and schizophrenia is fairly well-known, but there are many other similar situations where an infection causes mental illness. The illness is just the result of brain damage caused by the infection. Unfortunately the science of the brain and mental illness was not well understood or even studied scientifically until fairly recently, because mental illnesses were seen as a sign of personal issues. Also, it is often impossible to gain a clear diagnosis until after the sufferer has died. But this is changing and the theories and discoveries are fascinating.
Highly recommended for anyone who likes cutting-edge popular science that pushes us past our preconceptions into the realm of possibilities.
First Line: Gazing into the night sky with its seemingly numberless stars evokes our sense of infinity, but if you seek the ultimate multitude, look closer to home.
Source: Irving PL (e-book)
Recommendation: I have a relative with dementia, which has driven an interest in the science of brain health
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: RC 455.4 B5 W373 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Infectious Madness is an interesting work of popular science exploring the connections between conditions such viral and bacterial infections and mental illness. The connection between cats, Toxoplasma gondii, and schizophrenia is fairly well-known, but there are many other similar situations where an infection causes mental illness. The illness is just the result of brain damage caused by the infection. Unfortunately the science of the brain and mental illness was not well understood or even studied scientifically until fairly recently, because mental illnesses were seen as a sign of personal issues. Also, it is often impossible to gain a clear diagnosis until after the sufferer has died. But this is changing and the theories and discoveries are fascinating.
Highly recommended for anyone who likes cutting-edge popular science that pushes us past our preconceptions into the realm of possibilities.
First Line: Gazing into the night sky with its seemingly numberless stars evokes our sense of infinity, but if you seek the ultimate multitude, look closer to home.
146inge87
Das Evangelium der ehelichen Treue: Eine Antwort auf Kardinal Kasper by Rainer Beckmann^
Source: me (10/15)
Title in English: The Gospel of Marital Fidelity: A Reply to Cardinal Kapser
Recommendation: Cardinal Cordes in Eleven Cardinals Speak
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: BX 2351 B43 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Das Evangelium der ehelichen Treue is, as the subtitle would suggest, a personal response to Cardinal Kasper's statements about Catholics who have divorced and remarried receiving communion. The author is himself a divorced Catholic, who decided after his wife left him that he could not in good conscience begin a new relationship even though she did and all his friends said he should. Of all the books to have come out of the Synod of the Family debacle, this is by far the best of them, along with the Five Cardinals Book. It manages to combine an accessible explanation all of the required theological issues while never forgetting that there are actual lives involved here. It's just the kind of thing that Ignatius Press would publish, and who knows, maybe one day they'll bring out a translation.
First Line: Die Diskussion über den Umgang der katholischen Kirche mit Gläubigen, die sich nach einer ersten katholischen Eheschließung getrennt und zivilrechtlich ein zweites mal geheiratet haben, wird intensiv geführt.
(My paraphrase: The Catholic Church's handling of believers, who marry in the Church, get divorced, and then marry a second time in a civil ceremony, has been the subject of intense discussion.)
Source: me (10/15)
Title in English: The Gospel of Marital Fidelity: A Reply to Cardinal Kapser
Recommendation: Cardinal Cordes in Eleven Cardinals Speak
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: BX 2351 B43 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Das Evangelium der ehelichen Treue is, as the subtitle would suggest, a personal response to Cardinal Kasper's statements about Catholics who have divorced and remarried receiving communion. The author is himself a divorced Catholic, who decided after his wife left him that he could not in good conscience begin a new relationship even though she did and all his friends said he should. Of all the books to have come out of the Synod of the Family debacle, this is by far the best of them, along with the Five Cardinals Book. It manages to combine an accessible explanation all of the required theological issues while never forgetting that there are actual lives involved here. It's just the kind of thing that Ignatius Press would publish, and who knows, maybe one day they'll bring out a translation.
First Line: Die Diskussion über den Umgang der katholischen Kirche mit Gläubigen, die sich nach einer ersten katholischen Eheschließung getrennt und zivilrechtlich ein zweites mal geheiratet haben, wird intensiv geführt.
(My paraphrase: The Catholic Church's handling of believers, who marry in the Church, get divorced, and then marry a second time in a civil ceremony, has been the subject of intense discussion.)
147inge87
The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay
Source: me (11/15)
Recommendation: It sounded fun
Year of Original Pub.: 1936
LC Call #: PR 6015 A7928 S26 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Santa Klaus Murder tells the story of a happy family Christmas gone very, very wrong. Of course, as the reader knows from the very beginning, the happy family is anything but. Between the controlling patriarch and the secretary that everyone thinks has designs on his fortune, no one is particularly happy to be at Flaxmede. Especially after Santa kills Dad. But in a house where everyone has a motive, who decided enough was enough? The poor inspector has to figure that out, luckily the actor lover of one of the dead man's daughter has volunteered his aid. Or is he just trying to cover up his own role? You'll have to read on to the end to find out.
A fun golden age murder mystery with the perfect amount of Christmas spirit. If you think your family's holidays are miserable, Hay's book will set you straight. Highly recommended.
First Line: I have known the Melbury family since the time when Jennifer, the youngest daughter, and I climbed trees and built wigwams together in the Flaxmere garden.
Source: me (11/15)
Recommendation: It sounded fun
Year of Original Pub.: 1936
LC Call #: PR 6015 A7928 S26 2015
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Santa Klaus Murder tells the story of a happy family Christmas gone very, very wrong. Of course, as the reader knows from the very beginning, the happy family is anything but. Between the controlling patriarch and the secretary that everyone thinks has designs on his fortune, no one is particularly happy to be at Flaxmede. Especially after Santa kills Dad. But in a house where everyone has a motive, who decided enough was enough? The poor inspector has to figure that out, luckily the actor lover of one of the dead man's daughter has volunteered his aid. Or is he just trying to cover up his own role? You'll have to read on to the end to find out.
A fun golden age murder mystery with the perfect amount of Christmas spirit. If you think your family's holidays are miserable, Hay's book will set you straight. Highly recommended.
First Line: I have known the Melbury family since the time when Jennifer, the youngest daughter, and I climbed trees and built wigwams together in the Flaxmere garden.
148inge87
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski*
Source: Corsicana PL
Recommendation: Nostalgia
Year of Original Pub.: 1995
LC Call #: PZ 7 W65354 Chr 1995
Rating: 5 stars / 5
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey is probably the favorite of all the various Christmas books I was read to as a child. Jonathan Toomey is a wood carver in a small New England village, who suffered a great loss in the past and has buried his pain beneath a gruff demeanor. Then one day a widow, newly moved to town with her son, commissions a nativity set to replace one she lost in the move. What happens next will change all of their lives.
Did I mention I love this book? I always imagined it set in some obscure European outpost, but reading it again as an adult who lived in western Massachusetts for four years, it's very clearly set somewhere in or near Vermont. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a good story full of Christmas inspiration.
First Line: The village children called him Mr. Gloomy.
Source: Corsicana PL
Recommendation: Nostalgia
Year of Original Pub.: 1995
LC Call #: PZ 7 W65354 Chr 1995
Rating: 5 stars / 5
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey is probably the favorite of all the various Christmas books I was read to as a child. Jonathan Toomey is a wood carver in a small New England village, who suffered a great loss in the past and has buried his pain beneath a gruff demeanor. Then one day a widow, newly moved to town with her son, commissions a nativity set to replace one she lost in the move. What happens next will change all of their lives.
Did I mention I love this book? I always imagined it set in some obscure European outpost, but reading it again as an adult who lived in western Massachusetts for four years, it's very clearly set somewhere in or near Vermont. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a good story full of Christmas inspiration.
First Line: The village children called him Mr. Gloomy.
149inge87
Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon
Source: ILL (TCU)
Recommendation: It sounded interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 1937
LC Call #: PR 6011 A74 M96 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Mystery in White finds a group of strangers travelling together in a third-class train carriage stranded in a blizzard. Deciding to leave the train behind, they stumble over land and end up at a that is clearly awaiting guests—and completely empty. Just whose house is it and why is it empty? And what is with the dead bodies that keep turning up? Sometimes a situation is just too good to be true. It's a feeling that gets more than one of our travellers wishing they had stayed on the train.
When the weather outside is frightful, sometimes the fire leads to things that are not so delightful. A thrilling Christmas mystery with just the right sense of dread. Highly recommended.
First Line: The Great Snow began on the evening of December 19th.
Source: ILL (TCU)
Recommendation: It sounded interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 1937
LC Call #: PR 6011 A74 M96 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Mystery in White finds a group of strangers travelling together in a third-class train carriage stranded in a blizzard. Deciding to leave the train behind, they stumble over land and end up at a that is clearly awaiting guests—and completely empty. Just whose house is it and why is it empty? And what is with the dead bodies that keep turning up? Sometimes a situation is just too good to be true. It's a feeling that gets more than one of our travellers wishing they had stayed on the train.
When the weather outside is frightful, sometimes the fire leads to things that are not so delightful. A thrilling Christmas mystery with just the right sense of dread. Highly recommended.
First Line: The Great Snow began on the evening of December 19th.
150inge87
Ice, Mud and Blood: Lessons from Climates Past by Chris Turney
Source: work
Recommendation: I wanted to read a QC and this sounded the most interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2008
LC Call #: QC 861.3 T87 2008
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Ice, Mud and Blood (which I consistently read as Ice, Mudblood, which sounds like a book by Draco Malfoy) is an attempt to understand the future of Earth's climate by looking at its past. And what a past it was: sometimes much warmer, sometimes much colder than our climate today. But just because it survived those periods does not necessarily mean it was easy or that we would want to do so again if we can avoid it. This is something that has been done before (and will certainly be done again), but author does provide some interesting insights. For example, diabetes type 1 is probably a genetic hold-over from when having too much sugar in your blood helped people survive freezing ice age climates. Written in an accessible style, it's perfect for anyone with an interest in the subjects of climate history or climate change, no matter how much background they have. Highly recommended.
First Line: Imagine a world of wildly escalating temperatures, apocalyptic flooding, devastating storms and catastrophic sea level rise.
Source: work
Recommendation: I wanted to read a QC and this sounded the most interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2008
LC Call #: QC 861.3 T87 2008
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Ice, Mud and Blood (which I consistently read as Ice, Mudblood, which sounds like a book by Draco Malfoy) is an attempt to understand the future of Earth's climate by looking at its past. And what a past it was: sometimes much warmer, sometimes much colder than our climate today. But just because it survived those periods does not necessarily mean it was easy or that we would want to do so again if we can avoid it. This is something that has been done before (and will certainly be done again), but author does provide some interesting insights. For example, diabetes type 1 is probably a genetic hold-over from when having too much sugar in your blood helped people survive freezing ice age climates. Written in an accessible style, it's perfect for anyone with an interest in the subjects of climate history or climate change, no matter how much background they have. Highly recommended.
First Line: Imagine a world of wildly escalating temperatures, apocalyptic flooding, devastating storms and catastrophic sea level rise.
151inge87
When the Mississippi Ran Backwards: Empire, Intrigue, Murder, and the New Madrid Earthquakes by Jay Feldman
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: It looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2005
LC Call #: QE 535.2 U6 F45 2005
Rating: 2 stars / 5
When the Mississippi Ran Backwards tells the story of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 to 1812. Centered around the village of New Madrid, Missouri, along the Mississippi River, these were the most powerful earthquakes to hit the United States in recorded history. Besides the story of the earthquakes themselves, the author tells the story of a slave murder committed by Thomas Jefferson's nephews in Kentucky that was only uncovered due to bad luck and earthquakes, of the first steamboat voyage down the Mississippi, and of Tecumseh and his attempt to rally Native American tribes against the expansionist United States. All in all, it's interesting stuff, although the book just seems to be missing something to make it really spark. But if you're interested in the New Madrid earthquakes, it may be a good place to start.
First Line: Accompanied by an entourage of Shawnee, Kickapoo, and Winnebago warriors, the Shawnee chief strode decisively through the Creek village of Tuckhabatchee.
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: It looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2005
LC Call #: QE 535.2 U6 F45 2005
Rating: 2 stars / 5
When the Mississippi Ran Backwards tells the story of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 to 1812. Centered around the village of New Madrid, Missouri, along the Mississippi River, these were the most powerful earthquakes to hit the United States in recorded history. Besides the story of the earthquakes themselves, the author tells the story of a slave murder committed by Thomas Jefferson's nephews in Kentucky that was only uncovered due to bad luck and earthquakes, of the first steamboat voyage down the Mississippi, and of Tecumseh and his attempt to rally Native American tribes against the expansionist United States. All in all, it's interesting stuff, although the book just seems to be missing something to make it really spark. But if you're interested in the New Madrid earthquakes, it may be a good place to start.
First Line: Accompanied by an entourage of Shawnee, Kickapoo, and Winnebago warriors, the Shawnee chief strode decisively through the Creek village of Tuckhabatchee.
152inge87
Summer Half by Angela Thirkell
Source: ILL (SMU)
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1937
Series: Barsetshire (5/29)
LC Call #: PR 6039 H43 S86 1991
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Summer Half is the story of what happens when Colin Keith decides he need to get a job on top of reading to be a barrister. It turns out that boarding school, especially a boarding school for boys, can be a pretty insane place. It doesn't help that one of the pupils has a chameleon and that another is Tony Morland (for a quote from his younger self in High Rising, click here). But the biggest problem of all is Rose, the headmaster's daughter who can't help getting engaged. Her latest victim is one of Colin's fellow teacher, but she seems to have her mind set on getting Colin's attention too, much to everyone's dismay. If he can only make it to the end of summer half, then he will be free to escape to London and barrister-dom; however, that might be easier said than done.
Another quirky Thirkell Barsetshire novel. Even she admitted it was not very realistic, but it is fun in its own way. Recommended for fans of Thirkell's novels or those who enjoy books set in boarding schools.
First Line: The sudden collapse into complete senility of that licensed old imposter, Mr Bradford, had made it possible for the new headmaster to make some changes in the staff and replace him by a young man, not long down from the University, and Colin Keith was the man..
Source: ILL (SMU)
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1937
Series: Barsetshire (5/29)
LC Call #: PR 6039 H43 S86 1991
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Summer Half is the story of what happens when Colin Keith decides he need to get a job on top of reading to be a barrister. It turns out that boarding school, especially a boarding school for boys, can be a pretty insane place. It doesn't help that one of the pupils has a chameleon and that another is Tony Morland (for a quote from his younger self in High Rising, click here). But the biggest problem of all is Rose, the headmaster's daughter who can't help getting engaged. Her latest victim is one of Colin's fellow teacher, but she seems to have her mind set on getting Colin's attention too, much to everyone's dismay. If he can only make it to the end of summer half, then he will be free to escape to London and barrister-dom; however, that might be easier said than done.
Another quirky Thirkell Barsetshire novel. Even she admitted it was not very realistic, but it is fun in its own way. Recommended for fans of Thirkell's novels or those who enjoy books set in boarding schools.
First Line: The sudden collapse into complete senility of that licensed old imposter, Mr Bradford, had made it possible for the new headmaster to make some changes in the staff and replace him by a young man, not long down from the University, and Colin Keith was the man..
153inge87
Return of the Gar by Mark Spitzer
Source: ILL (U. of North Texas)
Recommendation: review in CHOICE
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: QL 638 L4 S64 2015
Rating: 1 stars / 5
Return of the Gar is supposedly a book about gar, an ancient and rather spectacular family of fish that hunts in the waters of North and Central America as well as the islands of the Caribbean. Or did before it was wiped out in much of North America by people who believed it has bad for fishing. Spitzer apparently wrote the first book about gar and got a lot of television publicity about it. So now he's written this one, which unfortunately seems to be less about gar than about his travels and his fishing buddies who all call each other by ridiculous nicknames the way men do. If you are interested in gar, whether aligator gar or one of its smaller cousins, and want to read a book, you may be stuck with this one. But honestly you'd be better off visiting one in person at an aquarium or zoo (or the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center if you ever find yourself near Athens). You'd certainly gain an actual understanding that way, which is more than I can say about Return of the Gar.
First Line: The number one question I get asked about gar is why I'm so interested in them.
Source: ILL (U. of North Texas)
Recommendation: review in CHOICE
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: QL 638 L4 S64 2015
Rating: 1 stars / 5
Return of the Gar is supposedly a book about gar, an ancient and rather spectacular family of fish that hunts in the waters of North and Central America as well as the islands of the Caribbean. Or did before it was wiped out in much of North America by people who believed it has bad for fishing. Spitzer apparently wrote the first book about gar and got a lot of television publicity about it. So now he's written this one, which unfortunately seems to be less about gar than about his travels and his fishing buddies who all call each other by ridiculous nicknames the way men do. If you are interested in gar, whether aligator gar or one of its smaller cousins, and want to read a book, you may be stuck with this one. But honestly you'd be better off visiting one in person at an aquarium or zoo (or the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center if you ever find yourself near Athens). You'd certainly gain an actual understanding that way, which is more than I can say about Return of the Gar.
First Line: The number one question I get asked about gar is why I'm so interested in them.
154inge87
Hymnen an die Kirche by Gertrud von Le Fort^
Source: me (7/15)
Title in English: Hymns to the Church
Recommendation: I'm a big fan of Gertrud von Le Fort
Year of Original Pub.: 1924
LC Call #: PT 2623 E26 H9 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Hymnen an die Kirche is a volume of devotional poetry focused on the soul's relationship to God. Published a couple of years before the author converted to the Catholic church, you can see the beginnings of that process in the work. Overall, it's an excellent work, but sadly it doesn't appear to have been translated into English.
First Line: Die »Hymnen an die Kirche« stellen ein Zwiegespräch dar.
(My translation: The "Hymns to the Church" represent a dialogue.)
Source: me (7/15)
Title in English: Hymns to the Church
Recommendation: I'm a big fan of Gertrud von Le Fort
Year of Original Pub.: 1924
LC Call #: PT 2623 E26 H9 2014
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Hymnen an die Kirche is a volume of devotional poetry focused on the soul's relationship to God. Published a couple of years before the author converted to the Catholic church, you can see the beginnings of that process in the work. Overall, it's an excellent work, but sadly it doesn't appear to have been translated into English.
First Line: Die »Hymnen an die Kirche« stellen ein Zwiegespräch dar.
(My translation: The "Hymns to the Church" represent a dialogue.)
155inge87
November Reading Round-Up!
Books Read: 19
Genre
Fiction - 10 - 52.63%
Non-Fiction - 9 - 47.37%
Sources
ILL - 4 - 21.05%
Irving PL (book) - 4 - 21.05%
Me (last month) - 3 - 15.79%
Me (other) - 2 - 10.53%
Me (this month) - 2 - 10.53%
Work - 2 - 10.53%
Corsicana PL - 1 - 5.26%
Irving PL (e-book) - 1 - 5.26%
Authors
Male - 12 - 70.59%
Female - 5 - 29.41%
Edition Language
English - 17 - 89.47%
German - 2 - 10.53%
Original Language
English - 14 - 73.68%
Japanese - 3 - 15.79%
German - 2 - 10.53%
Series
Stand-Alone Books - 20 - 74.07%
Series Books - 7 - 25.93%
Average Original Date of Publication
1976
Median Original Date of Publication
1984
Ratings Distribution
1 star - 1 - 5.26%
2 stars - 1 - 5.26%
3 stars - 11 - 54.81%
4 stars - 5 - 29.41%
5 stars - 1 - 5.26%
Average Rating
3.21
Best of the Month
Fiction: Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon
Non-Fiction (tie): Das Evangelium der ehelichen Treue: Eine Antwort auf Kardinal Kasper by Rainer Beckmann & Saint Among Savages: The Life of St. Isaac Jogues by Francis Talbot, SJ
Books Read: 19
Genre
Fiction - 10 - 52.63%
Non-Fiction - 9 - 47.37%
Sources
ILL - 4 - 21.05%
Irving PL (book) - 4 - 21.05%
Me (last month) - 3 - 15.79%
Me (other) - 2 - 10.53%
Me (this month) - 2 - 10.53%
Work - 2 - 10.53%
Corsicana PL - 1 - 5.26%
Irving PL (e-book) - 1 - 5.26%
Authors
Male - 12 - 70.59%
Female - 5 - 29.41%
Edition Language
English - 17 - 89.47%
German - 2 - 10.53%
Original Language
English - 14 - 73.68%
Japanese - 3 - 15.79%
German - 2 - 10.53%
Series
Stand-Alone Books - 20 - 74.07%
Series Books - 7 - 25.93%
Average Original Date of Publication
1976
Median Original Date of Publication
1984
Ratings Distribution
1 star - 1 - 5.26%
2 stars - 1 - 5.26%
3 stars - 11 - 54.81%
4 stars - 5 - 29.41%
5 stars - 1 - 5.26%
Average Rating
3.21
Best of the Month
Fiction: Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon
Non-Fiction (tie): Das Evangelium der ehelichen Treue: Eine Antwort auf Kardinal Kasper by Rainer Beckmann & Saint Among Savages: The Life of St. Isaac Jogues by Francis Talbot, SJ
156inge87
The Huron Carol by Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Source: Corsicana PL
Original Title: Jesous Ahatonhia
Recommendation: it felt seasonally appropriate
Year of Original Pub.: c. 1642
LC Call #: PZ 7 B74348 Hur 1990
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Huron Carol is a seventeenth century carol originally written in the Wyandot (Huron) language by the French Jesuit missionary Saint Jean de Brébeuf. The English lyrics describe Nativity narrative while using Native American situations and concepts. The illustrations in my edition, by Frances Tyrrell, capture the mood quite nicely while remaining respectful to the traditions involved. There is also a very good note at the end discussing the carol's history and the illustrator's philosophy behind creating the illustrations and the book. Overall, it's a lovely edition and a very good addition to anyone's collection of Christmas picture books.
First Line: 'Twas in the moon of wintertime
When all the birds had fled,
That mighty Gitchi Manitou Sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the stars grew dim,
And wandering hunters heard the hymn:
"Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, In excelsis gloria!"
Source: Corsicana PL
Original Title: Jesous Ahatonhia
Recommendation: it felt seasonally appropriate
Year of Original Pub.: c. 1642
LC Call #: PZ 7 B74348 Hur 1990
Rating: 4 stars / 5
The Huron Carol is a seventeenth century carol originally written in the Wyandot (Huron) language by the French Jesuit missionary Saint Jean de Brébeuf. The English lyrics describe Nativity narrative while using Native American situations and concepts. The illustrations in my edition, by Frances Tyrrell, capture the mood quite nicely while remaining respectful to the traditions involved. There is also a very good note at the end discussing the carol's history and the illustrator's philosophy behind creating the illustrations and the book. Overall, it's a lovely edition and a very good addition to anyone's collection of Christmas picture books.
First Line: 'Twas in the moon of wintertime
When all the birds had fled,
That mighty Gitchi Manitou Sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the stars grew dim,
And wandering hunters heard the hymn:
"Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, In excelsis gloria!"
157inge87
In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward
Source: Austin PL (e-book)
Recommendation: Review in the Guardian
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: PR 6123 A717 I53 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
In Bitter Chill is a compelling thriller set in the cold Derbyshire winter. In 1978, two girls were grabbed on their way to school. Only one lived to stumble out of the woods and she could never remember a single detail about what happened once they were in their kidnapper's car. Thirty years later, the mother of the missing girl commits suicide in a local hotel and then a teacher is found murdered near where Rachel (the survivor) was discovered. Is there a connection to the cold case? Has the kidnapper emerged to kill again? Police reopen the case and begin to discover leads that suggest Rachel is the key, but why? Rachel is now a local professional genealogist, and the events lead her to investigate too. Maybe one day she'll finally remember the things that her mind has tried so hard to forget—or maybe she'll finally meet the fate she escaped from as a girl. You'll have to read on to find out.
An excellent debut, I look forward to the author's future book. Highly recommended for fans of the genre and those who enjoy good stories.
First Line: Detective Inspector Francis Sadler watched the heavy clouds gather through the window and cursed the role that central heating had played in dislocating him from the elements.
Source: Austin PL (e-book)
Recommendation: Review in the Guardian
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: PR 6123 A717 I53 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
In Bitter Chill is a compelling thriller set in the cold Derbyshire winter. In 1978, two girls were grabbed on their way to school. Only one lived to stumble out of the woods and she could never remember a single detail about what happened once they were in their kidnapper's car. Thirty years later, the mother of the missing girl commits suicide in a local hotel and then a teacher is found murdered near where Rachel (the survivor) was discovered. Is there a connection to the cold case? Has the kidnapper emerged to kill again? Police reopen the case and begin to discover leads that suggest Rachel is the key, but why? Rachel is now a local professional genealogist, and the events lead her to investigate too. Maybe one day she'll finally remember the things that her mind has tried so hard to forget—or maybe she'll finally meet the fate she escaped from as a girl. You'll have to read on to find out.
An excellent debut, I look forward to the author's future book. Highly recommended for fans of the genre and those who enjoy good stories.
First Line: Detective Inspector Francis Sadler watched the heavy clouds gather through the window and cursed the role that central heating had played in dislocating him from the elements.
158inge87
Pomfret Towers by Angela Thirkell
Source: me (5/15)
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1938
Series: Barsetshire (6/29)
LC Call #: PR 6039 H43 P66 2013
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Pomfret Towers is the story of a house party at the estate of the same name and the effects it has on the members of several Barsetshire families. The Earl of Pomfret's wife is back home from the Continent and her husband has decided to throw a house party full of young people to amuse her. Shy little Alice Barton is among them. Most of the book consists of her (mis)adventures while away from home, along with the attempts of Hermione Rivers to outwit her publishers and to get the earl's heir for her daughter. If you've read Thirkell before, you can imagine much of what goes on, but it is a higher level than most of her work and by far the best, I think, since High Rising. Recommended for Thirkell fans and those who enjoy stories about the things people get up to at house parties.
First Line: Nutfield is quite the most delightful town in that part of England.
Source: me (5/15)
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1938
Series: Barsetshire (6/29)
LC Call #: PR 6039 H43 P66 2013
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Pomfret Towers is the story of a house party at the estate of the same name and the effects it has on the members of several Barsetshire families. The Earl of Pomfret's wife is back home from the Continent and her husband has decided to throw a house party full of young people to amuse her. Shy little Alice Barton is among them. Most of the book consists of her (mis)adventures while away from home, along with the attempts of Hermione Rivers to outwit her publishers and to get the earl's heir for her daughter. If you've read Thirkell before, you can imagine much of what goes on, but it is a higher level than most of her work and by far the best, I think, since High Rising. Recommended for Thirkell fans and those who enjoy stories about the things people get up to at house parties.
First Line: Nutfield is quite the most delightful town in that part of England.
159inge87
Cold Magic by Kate Elliott
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: It looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2010
Series: Spiritwalker Trilogy (1/3)
LC Call #: PS 3568 A7178 S756 2010
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Cold Magic begins the story of Catherine Hassi Barahal, a normal Phoenician girl in Northern Europe in a world in which ice age conditions still exist and much of history has changed as a result. Her normal life ends when a man turns up and claims her, as the eldest Hassi Barahal daughter, as his wife. But what is going on and what are her aunt and uncle hiding. And who is this stuffy cold mage (a wielder of cold magic) that she has married? Suffice to say some truths will emerge that many had tried to keep hidden and it will be all Catherine can do to stay alive to the end of the book.
A fun alternative history fantasy. It will be interesting to see where the author takes this.
First Line: The history of the world begins in ice, and it will end in ice.
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: It looked interesting
Year of Original Pub.: 2010
Series: Spiritwalker Trilogy (1/3)
LC Call #: PS 3568 A7178 S756 2010
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Cold Magic begins the story of Catherine Hassi Barahal, a normal Phoenician girl in Northern Europe in a world in which ice age conditions still exist and much of history has changed as a result. Her normal life ends when a man turns up and claims her, as the eldest Hassi Barahal daughter, as his wife. But what is going on and what are her aunt and uncle hiding. And who is this stuffy cold mage (a wielder of cold magic) that she has married? Suffice to say some truths will emerge that many had tried to keep hidden and it will be all Catherine can do to stay alive to the end of the book.
A fun alternative history fantasy. It will be interesting to see where the author takes this.
First Line: The history of the world begins in ice, and it will end in ice.
160inge87
Mrs. Pringle of Fairacre by Miss Read
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: continuing series
Year of Original Pub.: 1989
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (17/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 M77 2001
Rating: 2 stars / 5
Mrs. Pringle of Fairacre is a kind of rehash of the Mrs. Pringle story arcs as told by various Fairacre residents within a Christmas frame narrative. If you've been reading the Fairacre series to this point, then you will have heard this before. So this is probably for Mrs. Pringle fans or Miss Read completists only.
First Line: It is snowing again.
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: continuing series
Year of Original Pub.: 1989
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (17/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 M77 2001
Rating: 2 stars / 5
Mrs. Pringle of Fairacre is a kind of rehash of the Mrs. Pringle story arcs as told by various Fairacre residents within a Christmas frame narrative. If you've been reading the Fairacre series to this point, then you will have heard this before. So this is probably for Mrs. Pringle fans or Miss Read completists only.
First Line: It is snowing again.
161inge87
The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear
Source: work
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1871
LC Call #: PZ 7 L43 Owl 2006
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Owl and the Pussycat is a well-known nonsense poem about an owl and a cat who go out to sea and get married. The point is that it sounds nice rather than that it makes sense. It's fun and that's what matters. I'm less keen on Anne Mortimer's illustrations. There's just something odd about them and they don't quite fit. But if you're looking for something to read aloud, The Owl and the Pussycat is certainly a good choice.
First Line: The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
Source: work
Recommendation: 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 1871
LC Call #: PZ 7 L43 Owl 2006
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Owl and the Pussycat is a well-known nonsense poem about an owl and a cat who go out to sea and get married. The point is that it sounds nice rather than that it makes sense. It's fun and that's what matters. I'm less keen on Anne Mortimer's illustrations. There's just something odd about them and they don't quite fit. But if you're looking for something to read aloud, The Owl and the Pussycat is certainly a good choice.
First Line: The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
162inge87
In Franco's Spain: Being the experiences of an Irish war-correspondent during the Great Civil War which began in 1936 by Cap. Francis McCullagh
Source: ILL (U. of Texas)
Recommendation: It sounded interesting and the perspective was one I hadn't read before
Year of Original Pub.: 1937
LC Call #: DP 269 M2 1937
Rating: 3 stars / 5
In Franco's Spain is an Irish war correspondent's memoir of a year spent in Civil War Spain among the Nationalists. The book is worth reading for the preface alone in which McCullagh announces that this is to be his last war, " . . . not because I am too old—I am only sixty-three—but because I am frightened by the sort of thing into which revolution and war are developing . . ." (p. vii) "It seems to indicate that we are on the eve of a throw-back to those appalling wars of extermination, so common in antiquity, wars in which women and children were slaughtered as a matter of course, and whole nations literally wiped out" (p. ix). All of this was written in 1936 and 1937 and yet he seems to instinctively know that the horror of the Second World War was right around the corner.
The book itself reveals the banality of existence in a war torn country with currency issues and overzealous press minders. McCullugh does not have a lot of fun or excitement, but he does meet some interesting (and not-so-interesting) people. However, as an insight into how many Europeans came to support Franco, a man now derided in history as an arm of Hitler and a destroyer of human rights, it is very good.
For those interested in alternative views and first-person accounts of the Spanish Civil War. Highly recommended.
First Line: Ten days before General Franco unfurled the standard of revolt in the market-place of Melilla, I passed that fortress in a vessel going from Majorca to Gibraltar, and, in the merciless gale of an African sun, it looked profoundly somnolent and peaceful.
Source: ILL (U. of Texas)
Recommendation: It sounded interesting and the perspective was one I hadn't read before
Year of Original Pub.: 1937
LC Call #: DP 269 M2 1937
Rating: 3 stars / 5
In Franco's Spain is an Irish war correspondent's memoir of a year spent in Civil War Spain among the Nationalists. The book is worth reading for the preface alone in which McCullagh announces that this is to be his last war, " . . . not because I am too old—I am only sixty-three—but because I am frightened by the sort of thing into which revolution and war are developing . . ." (p. vii) "It seems to indicate that we are on the eve of a throw-back to those appalling wars of extermination, so common in antiquity, wars in which women and children were slaughtered as a matter of course, and whole nations literally wiped out" (p. ix). All of this was written in 1936 and 1937 and yet he seems to instinctively know that the horror of the Second World War was right around the corner.
The book itself reveals the banality of existence in a war torn country with currency issues and overzealous press minders. McCullugh does not have a lot of fun or excitement, but he does meet some interesting (and not-so-interesting) people. However, as an insight into how many Europeans came to support Franco, a man now derided in history as an arm of Hitler and a destroyer of human rights, it is very good.
For those interested in alternative views and first-person accounts of the Spanish Civil War. Highly recommended.
First Line: Ten days before General Franco unfurled the standard of revolt in the market-place of Melilla, I passed that fortress in a vessel going from Majorca to Gibraltar, and, in the merciless gale of an African sun, it looked profoundly somnolent and peaceful.
163inge87
Goodbye to a River: A Narrative by John Graves
Source: work
Recommendation: CHOICE review of a different book about the Brazos
Year of Original Pub.: 1960
LC Call #: F 392 B842 G7 1960
Rating: 5 stars / 5
Goodbye to a River is the story of the author's three week trip down the Middle Brazos river in 1957 from the Possum Kingdom Dam to Lake Whitney. He took the trip to say farewell to a river that he knew was going to change (there were plans to put five new dams on it). But the book is more than just a story about a man and his dachshund and a canoe trip down a river. It is a history of the people and places that make up that stretch of Western Texas, from the Comanches to the present day. I've always lived one river east of the Brazos and only really know it from Waco (south of the end of Graves' trip), but this book makes me want to go northwest and see what is left (a good swath was inundated by Lake Granbury but not all of the dams ended up being built). Graves unveils the secrets of a time that was gone even when he was writing, and a people that were even then leaving for better pastures.
Highly recommended for those interesting in travel memoirs, western Texas, environmental and local histories, and really really good books.
First Line: Usually, fall is the good time to go to the Brazos, and when you can choose, October is the best month—if, for that matter, you choose to go there at all, and most people don't.
Source: work
Recommendation: CHOICE review of a different book about the Brazos
Year of Original Pub.: 1960
LC Call #: F 392 B842 G7 1960
Rating: 5 stars / 5
Goodbye to a River is the story of the author's three week trip down the Middle Brazos river in 1957 from the Possum Kingdom Dam to Lake Whitney. He took the trip to say farewell to a river that he knew was going to change (there were plans to put five new dams on it). But the book is more than just a story about a man and his dachshund and a canoe trip down a river. It is a history of the people and places that make up that stretch of Western Texas, from the Comanches to the present day. I've always lived one river east of the Brazos and only really know it from Waco (south of the end of Graves' trip), but this book makes me want to go northwest and see what is left (a good swath was inundated by Lake Granbury but not all of the dams ended up being built). Graves unveils the secrets of a time that was gone even when he was writing, and a people that were even then leaving for better pastures.
Highly recommended for those interesting in travel memoirs, western Texas, environmental and local histories, and really really good books.
First Line: Usually, fall is the good time to go to the Brazos, and when you can choose, October is the best month—if, for that matter, you choose to go there at all, and most people don't.
164lkernagh
The Santa Klaus Murder sounds like the perfect read for this time of year, as does Mystery in White.
165inge87
>164 lkernagh: Mystery in White was the slightly better book, but both it and The Santa Klaus Murder are perfect for anyone looking for a bit of vintage Christmas mystery.
166inge87
Changes at Fairacre by Miss Read
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: continuing series
Year of Original Pub.: 1991
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (18/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 C43 1992
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Changes at Fairacre finds Miss Read moving from her cottage in Fairacre to nearby Beech Green in order to keep an eye on her old colleague and friend Dolly Clare. The new commute to work brings new neighbors and new challenges, while many of the old challenges in Fairacre remain the same. Plus there's Dolly's health to worry about. But somehow Miss Read pulls through as usual.
Definitely not one to start with, because you can feel the author beginning to wrap the series up, but if you've enjoyed the previous books you'll want to pick this one up.
First Line: Spring came early to Fairacre that year.
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: continuing series
Year of Original Pub.: 1991
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (18/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 C43 1992
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Changes at Fairacre finds Miss Read moving from her cottage in Fairacre to nearby Beech Green in order to keep an eye on her old colleague and friend Dolly Clare. The new commute to work brings new neighbors and new challenges, while many of the old challenges in Fairacre remain the same. Plus there's Dolly's health to worry about. But somehow Miss Read pulls through as usual.
Definitely not one to start with, because you can feel the author beginning to wrap the series up, but if you've enjoyed the previous books you'll want to pick this one up.
First Line: Spring came early to Fairacre that year.
167inge87
Farewell to Fairacre by Miss Read
Source: Corsicana PL
Recommendation: continuing series
Year of Original Pub.: 1993
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (19/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 F37 1994
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Farewell to Fairacre finds Miss Read enjoying her cottage in Beech Green and considering what she wants to do with her life. She loves teaching, but she is also beginning to feel her age. On the other hand, she has attracted a pair of rival suitors. Having never wanted to marry before (no matter what Amy might think), Miss Read can't quite see why she would want to now. And then something happens that seems to make all her decisions for her.
You can feel the series end approaching, so anyone who hasn't read the previous books won't want to start here.
First Line: The first day of term has a flavour that is all its own.
Source: Corsicana PL
Recommendation: continuing series
Year of Original Pub.: 1993
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (19/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 F37 1994
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Farewell to Fairacre finds Miss Read enjoying her cottage in Beech Green and considering what she wants to do with her life. She loves teaching, but she is also beginning to feel her age. On the other hand, she has attracted a pair of rival suitors. Having never wanted to marry before (no matter what Amy might think), Miss Read can't quite see why she would want to now. And then something happens that seems to make all her decisions for her.
You can feel the series end approaching, so anyone who hasn't read the previous books won't want to start here.
First Line: The first day of term has a flavour that is all its own.
168inge87
A Peaceful Retirement by Miss Read
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: continuing series
Year of Original Pub.: 1996
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (20/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 F37 1996
Rating: 3 stars / 5
A Peaceful Retirement covers the beginning of Miss Read's life after teaching. She's not entirely sure what she wants, but she knows she needs to do something. Every one her her friends has a suggestion, and they keep her quite busy. But ultimately only she knows what will make her happy, whether it is marriage, friendship, idleness or occupation. And in this case, one end may bring another beginning.
This is the last Fairacre book, and as such an end rather than a beginning. The book feels a bit weird because it has a different illustrator than the rest of the series, but those who have loved the rest of the series will not want to miss the finale.
First Line: When I retired, after many years as headmistress of Fairacre School, I received a great deal of advice.
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: continuing series
Year of Original Pub.: 1996
Series: Chronicles of Fairacre (20/20)
LC Call #: PR 6069 A42 F37 1996
Rating: 3 stars / 5
A Peaceful Retirement covers the beginning of Miss Read's life after teaching. She's not entirely sure what she wants, but she knows she needs to do something. Every one her her friends has a suggestion, and they keep her quite busy. But ultimately only she knows what will make her happy, whether it is marriage, friendship, idleness or occupation. And in this case, one end may bring another beginning.
This is the last Fairacre book, and as such an end rather than a beginning. The book feels a bit weird because it has a different illustrator than the rest of the series, but those who have loved the rest of the series will not want to miss the finale.
First Line: When I retired, after many years as headmistress of Fairacre School, I received a great deal of advice.
169inge87
Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg, Sandra Jordan, & Brian Floca
Source: Austin PL (e-book)
Recommendation: impulse click
Year of Original Pub.: 2010
LC Call #: PZ 7 G7445 Bal 2010
Rating: 1 stars / 5
Ballet for Martha is one of those picture books that I can picture adults coming up with but not children actually wanting to read. For one, it's wordy and uses an advanced and often subject-specific language that requires a lot of explaining for young readers. Secondly, none of the subjects have particular appeal to the picture book set: Martha Graham, Appalachian Spring, and the creative process are not going hold young attention spans. But an adult reader who likes those things and picture books may like it, I don't know.
A picture book about the creation of the modern ballet Appalachian Spring, flip through it first if you're curious but otherwise skip it: there are much better picture books out there.
First Line: The dancer and choreographer.
Source: Austin PL (e-book)
Recommendation: impulse click
Year of Original Pub.: 2010
LC Call #: PZ 7 G7445 Bal 2010
Rating: 1 stars / 5
Ballet for Martha is one of those picture books that I can picture adults coming up with but not children actually wanting to read. For one, it's wordy and uses an advanced and often subject-specific language that requires a lot of explaining for young readers. Secondly, none of the subjects have particular appeal to the picture book set: Martha Graham, Appalachian Spring, and the creative process are not going hold young attention spans. But an adult reader who likes those things and picture books may like it, I don't know.
A picture book about the creation of the modern ballet Appalachian Spring, flip through it first if you're curious but otherwise skip it: there are much better picture books out there.
First Line: The dancer and choreographer.
170inge87
The Seven Good Years: A Memoir by Etgar Keret
Source: Austin PL (e-book)
Recommendation: Author interview on TV
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: PJ 5054 Z4613 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Ballet for Martha is the author's memoir of the seven years between the birth of his son and the death of his father. And what a crazy seven years they are. Told in a series of vignettes, we experience Keret's life as a family-man, an Israeli, and a world-travelling writer. His zany, manic sense of humor is ever-present and finds a way to make even the most serious moment lighter. But I imagine that his wife has to put up with a lot.
Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys good writing, is interested in contemporary Israeli life, or likes humorous memoirs.
First Line: "I just hate terrorist attacks," the thin nurse says to the older one.
Source: Austin PL (e-book)
Recommendation: Author interview on TV
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: PJ 5054 Z4613 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Ballet for Martha is the author's memoir of the seven years between the birth of his son and the death of his father. And what a crazy seven years they are. Told in a series of vignettes, we experience Keret's life as a family-man, an Israeli, and a world-travelling writer. His zany, manic sense of humor is ever-present and finds a way to make even the most serious moment lighter. But I imagine that his wife has to put up with a lot.
Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys good writing, is interested in contemporary Israeli life, or likes humorous memoirs.
First Line: "I just hate terrorist attacks," the thin nurse says to the older one.
171ronincats
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!
172susanj67
Happy Christmas, Jennifer. In August you said you only had one semester of grad school left, so does that mean you've finished now?
173PaulCranswick
Have a lovely holiday, Jennifer
174inge87
>171 ronincats: Thanks, and a merry Christmas to you too!
>172 susanj67: Yes, I graduated on December 11th. You should see a lot more of me in 2016.
>173 PaulCranswick: Thanks, I hope you have a merry Christmas as well!
>172 susanj67: Yes, I graduated on December 11th. You should see a lot more of me in 2016.
>173 PaulCranswick: Thanks, I hope you have a merry Christmas as well!
176inge87
Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews*
Source: Austin PL (e-book)
Recommendation: it was available and I'd enjoyed it before
Year of Original Pub.: 2011
Series: Kate Daniels (4.5/10)
LC Call #: PS 3601 N56 M35365 2012
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Magic Dreams is a novella featuring Jim and Dali and focusing on Asian magical traditions in Atlanta, of which Dali is the resident shifter expert. Someone or something has started murdering cat shifters, and it looks like Jim will be the next victim. Will Dali and her magical skills be enough to save him? You'll have to read this novella to find out.
This was originally published in the novella collection Hexed, so if you've read that book, you've read this story before. But it's a good one, so why not? There are only vague allusions to Kate and her various activities, so I guess you could read it without having read any of the series' books, but it's probably more enjoyable with some background.
First Line: I peered through the windshield of my '93 Mustang.
Source: Austin PL (e-book)
Recommendation: it was available and I'd enjoyed it before
Year of Original Pub.: 2011
Series: Kate Daniels (4.5/10)
LC Call #: PS 3601 N56 M35365 2012
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Magic Dreams is a novella featuring Jim and Dali and focusing on Asian magical traditions in Atlanta, of which Dali is the resident shifter expert. Someone or something has started murdering cat shifters, and it looks like Jim will be the next victim. Will Dali and her magical skills be enough to save him? You'll have to read this novella to find out.
This was originally published in the novella collection Hexed, so if you've read that book, you've read this story before. But it's a good one, so why not? There are only vague allusions to Kate and her various activities, so I guess you could read it without having read any of the series' books, but it's probably more enjoyable with some background.
First Line: I peered through the windshield of my '93 Mustang.
177inge87
Falling Like Snowflakes by Denise Hunter
Source: Austin PL (e-book)
Recommendation: it completed a 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: Summer Harbor (1/?)
LC Call #: PS 3608 U5925 F35 2015
Rating: 2 stars / 5
Falling Like Snowflakes is a rather cliched romance-suspense novel, in which a traumatised woman from an abusive marriage flees to the wilds of Maine with her even more traumatized son just before Christmas. Naturally they have car trouble in the middle of nowhere and naturally some nice people take them in and the woman gets to meet her happily-ever-after in the flesh. But trouble has followed our heroine to Summer Harbor, will she survive Christmas or become another casualty of the holiday season?
I like the odd romance novel, some of them are quite good, but this one was just average. If you like stories where the heroine is running for her life (literally) and the hero gets to help save her, then you'll like this one. If you don't then you won't.
First Line: It was amazing, the depth of courage a mother could find when the life of her child was on the line.
Source: Austin PL (e-book)
Recommendation: it completed a 15-in-15 category
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
Series: Summer Harbor (1/?)
LC Call #: PS 3608 U5925 F35 2015
Rating: 2 stars / 5
Falling Like Snowflakes is a rather cliched romance-suspense novel, in which a traumatised woman from an abusive marriage flees to the wilds of Maine with her even more traumatized son just before Christmas. Naturally they have car trouble in the middle of nowhere and naturally some nice people take them in and the woman gets to meet her happily-ever-after in the flesh. But trouble has followed our heroine to Summer Harbor, will she survive Christmas or become another casualty of the holiday season?
I like the odd romance novel, some of them are quite good, but this one was just average. If you like stories where the heroine is running for her life (literally) and the hero gets to help save her, then you'll like this one. If you don't then you won't.
First Line: It was amazing, the depth of courage a mother could find when the life of her child was on the line.
178inge87
The Emperor Far Away: Travels at the Edge of China by David Eimer
Source: Austin PL (e-book)
Recommendation: it was the most interesting looking travel e-book they had
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: DS 712 E45 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Emperor Far Away is journalist Eimer's account of his travels to the edges of Chinese civilization: Xinjiang, Tibet, Yunnan Province, and Manchuria. Always staying one half-step ahead of the Chinese authorities, he manages to meet an astonishing number of people and see a great number of things that the Chinese government would probably prefer he didn't (he had to use a secret second passport to even enter Tibet as it is closed to journalists). Overall, it's an excellent book to areas that few know about or have access to. If you've ever wondered about what life is really like for Uyghurs, Tibetans, or any of the dozens of Chinese minority groups, you'll want to pick this one up. The same goes for anyone interested in modern China or interesting travel narratives.
First Line: For almost 400 years, the fort at Jiayuguan marked the end of the known world for the Chinese.
Source: Austin PL (e-book)
Recommendation: it was the most interesting looking travel e-book they had
Year of Original Pub.: 2014
LC Call #: DS 712 E45 2014
Rating: 3 stars / 5
The Emperor Far Away is journalist Eimer's account of his travels to the edges of Chinese civilization: Xinjiang, Tibet, Yunnan Province, and Manchuria. Always staying one half-step ahead of the Chinese authorities, he manages to meet an astonishing number of people and see a great number of things that the Chinese government would probably prefer he didn't (he had to use a secret second passport to even enter Tibet as it is closed to journalists). Overall, it's an excellent book to areas that few know about or have access to. If you've ever wondered about what life is really like for Uyghurs, Tibetans, or any of the dozens of Chinese minority groups, you'll want to pick this one up. The same goes for anyone interested in modern China or interesting travel narratives.
First Line: For almost 400 years, the fort at Jiayuguan marked the end of the known world for the Chinese.
179inge87
Exclusive by Sandra Brown
Source: Corsicana PL
Recommendation: it finishes my 15-in-15 challenge
Year of Original Pub.: 1996
LC Call #: PS 3552 R718 E93 1996
Rating: 2 stars / 5
Exclusive is the story of a journalist who gets the interview of a lifetime, when the First Lady agrees to sit down with her on television. What she doesn't expect is the allegations of murder she'll hear. She also doesn't think about the consequences of following up on those suggestions. All of a sudden she's a target and so is the First Lady. But just who wants her dead and what is he hiding? You'll have to read to the end (the very end) to find out.
I struggled with rating this one, because while it is a decent thriller, it is not a very good Sandra Brown thriller. I expect better of her than what this book delivers. For Brown completists only.
First Line: "You're looking well, Mrs. Merritt."
Source: Corsicana PL
Recommendation: it finishes my 15-in-15 challenge
Year of Original Pub.: 1996
LC Call #: PS 3552 R718 E93 1996
Rating: 2 stars / 5
Exclusive is the story of a journalist who gets the interview of a lifetime, when the First Lady agrees to sit down with her on television. What she doesn't expect is the allegations of murder she'll hear. She also doesn't think about the consequences of following up on those suggestions. All of a sudden she's a target and so is the First Lady. But just who wants her dead and what is he hiding? You'll have to read to the end (the very end) to find out.
I struggled with rating this one, because while it is a decent thriller, it is not a very good Sandra Brown thriller. I expect better of her than what this book delivers. For Brown completists only.
First Line: "You're looking well, Mrs. Merritt."
180inge87
Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill by Sonia Purnell
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: LibraryJournal
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: DA 3552 R718 E93 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Clementine is, as its subtitle would suggest, a biography of Winston Churchill's wife. But Clementine is much more than just the domestic shadow of an important man, she lived a very interesting life in her own right, even if she made her husband's comfort her priority. Born to an aristocrat turned bohemian and her military husband (although the husband was more than likely not actually Clementine's father), her early life was full of upheaval and poverty. Eventually her mother settled in Dieppe, where she could live better on less, although the family never had much money and Clementine was actually working for a wage when she met Winston. They were opposites in many ways, especially when it came to spending money, yet somehow they made it work. The narrative slows down a bit for the Second World War, which was probably inevitable because Clementine was doing so much that a Prime Minister's wife had never done before, but it did seem to drag on a bit.
Overally an excellent biography about a woman right in the middle of things and yet outside of the public consciousness. Originally published in the UK as First Lady: The Life and Wars of Clementine Churchill, this is the perfect book for those who enjoy biographies of twentieth-century women as well as those interested in Winston Churchill and 20th century British politics.
First Line: Fear defined Clementine Hozier's earliest memory.
Source: Irving PL
Recommendation: LibraryJournal
Year of Original Pub.: 2015
LC Call #: DA 3552 R718 E93 2015
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Clementine is, as its subtitle would suggest, a biography of Winston Churchill's wife. But Clementine is much more than just the domestic shadow of an important man, she lived a very interesting life in her own right, even if she made her husband's comfort her priority. Born to an aristocrat turned bohemian and her military husband (although the husband was more than likely not actually Clementine's father), her early life was full of upheaval and poverty. Eventually her mother settled in Dieppe, where she could live better on less, although the family never had much money and Clementine was actually working for a wage when she met Winston. They were opposites in many ways, especially when it came to spending money, yet somehow they made it work. The narrative slows down a bit for the Second World War, which was probably inevitable because Clementine was doing so much that a Prime Minister's wife had never done before, but it did seem to drag on a bit.
Overally an excellent biography about a woman right in the middle of things and yet outside of the public consciousness. Originally published in the UK as First Lady: The Life and Wars of Clementine Churchill, this is the perfect book for those who enjoy biographies of twentieth-century women as well as those interested in Winston Churchill and 20th century British politics.
First Line: Fear defined Clementine Hozier's earliest memory.
181inge87
Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
Source: Austin PL (e-book)
Recommendation: I like Ilona Andrews
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
Series: Innkeeper Chronicles (1/?)
LC Call #: PS 3601 N56 C54 2013
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Clean Sweep is a novella originally published online in serial format. Set in fictional Red Deer, Texas, it details the intergallactic adventures of Dina. Dina is an innkeeper, the guardian of an inn where aliens stay while they are visiting Earth. Since they must be neutral or risk losing rating stars and potential guests, the fact that someone or something is killing local dogs is a big problem. Toss in a few vampires and a werewolf who doesn't know the first thing about werewolf history or culture and things get even more exciting. But Dina doesn't want exciting. She just wants her inn to stay safe and maybe get a few more guests.
Lots of characters in this one, from Dina's shih-tzu of doom to her inn's mello yello and funyon-loving resident despot-in-exile. I can't wait to see what Dina gets up to next.
First Line: Brutus was dead.
Source: Austin PL (e-book)
Recommendation: I like Ilona Andrews
Year of Original Pub.: 2013
Series: Innkeeper Chronicles (1/?)
LC Call #: PS 3601 N56 C54 2013
Rating: 3 stars / 5
Clean Sweep is a novella originally published online in serial format. Set in fictional Red Deer, Texas, it details the intergallactic adventures of Dina. Dina is an innkeeper, the guardian of an inn where aliens stay while they are visiting Earth. Since they must be neutral or risk losing rating stars and potential guests, the fact that someone or something is killing local dogs is a big problem. Toss in a few vampires and a werewolf who doesn't know the first thing about werewolf history or culture and things get even more exciting. But Dina doesn't want exciting. She just wants her inn to stay safe and maybe get a few more guests.
Lots of characters in this one, from Dina's shih-tzu of doom to her inn's mello yello and funyon-loving resident despot-in-exile. I can't wait to see what Dina gets up to next.
First Line: Brutus was dead.
182inge87
Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews
Source: me (12/15)
Recommendation: Did I mention that I like Ilona Andrews?
Year of Original Pub.: 2011
Series: Kinsmen Series (2/2)
LC Call #: PS 3601 N56 S55 2011
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Silver Shark is the story of a war refugee who finds herself on a new planet after her side loses a long and costly war. But Claire has more to worry about than the average refugee, because she is keeping a deadly secret: she is a psycher and never should have been allowed to leave her planet alive, much less be accepted as a refugee on her new planet. It doesn't help that her new boss is also a powerful psycher, who may be her salvation or her downfall. Because when it comes to refugees they may be offered a new start, but that doesn't mean that their old lives won't come back to haunt them.
For those who like their romance with a hint of science fiction. If you like Ilona Andrews, you will love this. Highly recommended.
First Line: Claire awoke early.
Source: me (12/15)
Recommendation: Did I mention that I like Ilona Andrews?
Year of Original Pub.: 2011
Series: Kinsmen Series (2/2)
LC Call #: PS 3601 N56 S55 2011
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Silver Shark is the story of a war refugee who finds herself on a new planet after her side loses a long and costly war. But Claire has more to worry about than the average refugee, because she is keeping a deadly secret: she is a psycher and never should have been allowed to leave her planet alive, much less be accepted as a refugee on her new planet. It doesn't help that her new boss is also a powerful psycher, who may be her salvation or her downfall. Because when it comes to refugees they may be offered a new start, but that doesn't mean that their old lives won't come back to haunt them.
For those who like their romance with a hint of science fiction. If you like Ilona Andrews, you will love this. Highly recommended.
First Line: Claire awoke early.
183inge87
Sankt Martin by Sebastian Tonner
Source: me (12/15)
Title in English: Saint Martin
Recommendation: I liked the look of the illustrations
Year of Original Pub.: 2005
LC Call #: PZ 7 T667 San 2005
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Sankt Martin is a picture book covering the life of Saint Martin of Tours, who is a much bigger deal in Germany than in most English-speaking lands. It covers his entire life, with a focus on his childhood, the famous incident with the cloak, and retirement from the army. What really makes this book though is the lovely watercolor illustrations by Johanna Ignjatovic they perfectly balance beauty and accessibility to tell Saint Martin's story to those who can't read the text yet. Highly recommended.
First Line: Martin wurde vor vielen hundert Jahren in Ungarn geboren.
(My translation: Martin was born many centuries ago in Hungary.)
Source: me (12/15)
Title in English: Saint Martin
Recommendation: I liked the look of the illustrations
Year of Original Pub.: 2005
LC Call #: PZ 7 T667 San 2005
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Sankt Martin is a picture book covering the life of Saint Martin of Tours, who is a much bigger deal in Germany than in most English-speaking lands. It covers his entire life, with a focus on his childhood, the famous incident with the cloak, and retirement from the army. What really makes this book though is the lovely watercolor illustrations by Johanna Ignjatovic they perfectly balance beauty and accessibility to tell Saint Martin's story to those who can't read the text yet. Highly recommended.
First Line: Martin wurde vor vielen hundert Jahren in Ungarn geboren.
(My translation: Martin was born many centuries ago in Hungary.)
184inge87
December Reading Round-Up!
Books Read: 21
Genre
Fiction - 13 - 61.9%
Non-Fiction - 8 - 38.1%
Sources
Austin PL (e-book) - 7 - 33.33%
Irving PL - 5 - 23.8%
Corsicana PL - 3 - 14.28%
Me (this month) - 2 - 9.52%
Work - 2 - 9.52%
ILL - 1 - 4.76%
Me (other) - 1 - 4.76%
Authors
Female - 7 - 46.67%
Male - 7 - 46.67%
Both - 1 - 6.67%
Edition Language
English - 20 - 95.24%
German - 1 - 4.76%
Original Language
English - 19 - 85.72%
German - 1 - 4.76%
Modern Hebrew - 1 - 4.76%
Wyandot (Huron) - 1 - 4.76%
Series
Stand-Alone Books - 11 - 52.36%
Series Books - 10 - 47.64%
Average Original Date of Publication
1974
Median Original Date of Publication
2005
Ratings Distribution
1 star - 1 - 4.76%
2 stars - 3 - 14.29%
3 stars - 9 - 42.86%
4 stars - 7 - 33.33%
5 stars - 1 - 4.76%
Average Rating
3.19
Best of the Month
Fiction: In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward
Non-Fiction: Goodbye to a River by John Graves
Books Read: 21
Genre
Fiction - 13 - 61.9%
Non-Fiction - 8 - 38.1%
Sources
Austin PL (e-book) - 7 - 33.33%
Irving PL - 5 - 23.8%
Corsicana PL - 3 - 14.28%
Me (this month) - 2 - 9.52%
Work - 2 - 9.52%
ILL - 1 - 4.76%
Me (other) - 1 - 4.76%
Authors
Female - 7 - 46.67%
Male - 7 - 46.67%
Both - 1 - 6.67%
Edition Language
English - 20 - 95.24%
German - 1 - 4.76%
Original Language
English - 19 - 85.72%
German - 1 - 4.76%
Modern Hebrew - 1 - 4.76%
Wyandot (Huron) - 1 - 4.76%
Series
Stand-Alone Books - 11 - 52.36%
Series Books - 10 - 47.64%
Average Original Date of Publication
1974
Median Original Date of Publication
2005
Ratings Distribution
1 star - 1 - 4.76%
2 stars - 3 - 14.29%
3 stars - 9 - 42.86%
4 stars - 7 - 33.33%
5 stars - 1 - 4.76%
Average Rating
3.19
Best of the Month
Fiction: In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward
Non-Fiction: Goodbye to a River by John Graves
185inge87
We've reached the end of our journey, but a new one has just begun over at my 2016 thread To Every Read there is a Season. So why don't you come on over and join me!