Chatterbox Reads and Reads and Reads in 2018... Part the Second
Dit is een voortzetting van het onderwerp Chatterbox Reads and Reads and Reads in 2018... Part the First.
Dit onderwerp werd voortgezet door Chatterbox Reads and Reads and Reads in 2018... Part the Third.
Discussie75 Books Challenge for 2018
Sluit je aan bij LibraryThing om te posten.
Dit onderwerp is gemarkeerd als "slapend"—het laatste bericht is van meer dan 90 dagen geleden. Je kan het activeren door een een bericht toe te voegen.
1Chatterbox
Ithaka
by C.P. Cavafy
(1863-1933)
As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.
Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind—
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you’re destined for.
But don’t hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you’re old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn't have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.
by C.P. Cavafy
(1863-1933)
As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.
Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind—
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you’re destined for.
But don’t hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you’re old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn't have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.
2Chatterbox
I picked this poem for the introduction for a number of reasons: it features in one of my favorite books so far this year, An Odyssey: A Father, A Son and An Epic by Daniel Mendelsohn; it's by a favorite poet of mine, Cavafy, a Greek who lived in Alexandria; and I've been reading a lot about Odysseus, one way or another -- in Madeline Miller's upcoming novel, Circe, and the ARC of Barry Unsworth's re-released novel of the events in Aulis preceding the Trojan war, The Songs of the Kings. All excellent. Those aside, my reading has been uneven this year so far, with some real duds and a handful of highlights. When battling migraines, I've resorted to listening to old favorites or books that require little brainpower or attention on my part. So, we'll see... My list, as a result, has been an eccentric one.
I always read far more than 75 books a year (and already have hit my first 75) and so just keep a single ticker to track my total reading. I'll start new threads when the total number of posts hits between 250 and 300. I will try to keep the list current but last year, keeping up with mini-reviews of the books I read, with capsule comments, defeated me. Here we are, January 1, and I still have about two dozen to write!!
This year I'm setting my goal at my 8-year average, 430 books. We'll see...
If you want to see what I have been reading in real time, your best bet is to go to my library on LT, and look at the dedicated collection I've established there, under the label "Books Read in 2018". As I complete a book, I'll rate it and add it to the list. I'll also tag it, "Read in 2018". You'll be able to see it by either searching under that tag, or clicking on https://www.librarything.com/catalog/Chatterbox/booksreadin2018.
My TBR mountain no less out of control. Last year, for every book that I read, I acquired two. That's actually a better ratio than I anticipated -- but not all of the books I read were those that I acquired, of course. Sigh. Still, I paid full price for only 16%! The rest were free galleys/advance review copies or Kindle sale books ($1.99 or so), or books bought using money from Apple's settlement with Kindle -- I got some MORE Kindle credit. So I can console myself that I actually didn't spend that much. But the book stalagmites continue to grow around the house, with all the ARCs (advance review copies) that remain unread! And I have bags of ARCs and other books that I set aside for last May's yard sale that remain unsold... Clearly, one project this year will be another purge of my shelves. I become more ruthless as I age.
I do have some reading objectives -- I refuse to call them challenges or targets or anything else -- ranging from specific books to themes and even authors I plan to re-read. I'll note those down in the coming posts.
As of May 9, none of the touchstones are working at all, after days of fighting with them to post. I can try reducing them to a single book, and I still don't get a touchstone -- just a whirling whirling whirling circle, followed by a 504 Gateway Time Out. After simply trying to update this list with a single book earlier today, I can't do anything, and none of my other touchstones will function either. I apologize, but it appears we all will have to live with them until LT gets them working again. I apologize for the ugly and dysfunctional appearance, but there literally is nothing whatsoever that I can do.
My guide to my ratings:
1.5 or less: A tree gave its life so that this book could be printed and distributed?
1.5 to 2.7: Are you really prepared to give up hours of your life for this?? I wouldn't recommend doing so...
2.8 to 3.3: Do you need something to fill in some time waiting to see the dentist? Either reasonably good within a ho-hum genre (chick lit or thrillers), something that's OK to read when you've nothing else with you, or that you'll find adequate to pass the time and forget later on.
3.4 to 3.8: Want to know what a thumping good read is like, or a book that has a fascinating premise, but doesn't quite deliver? This is where you'll find 'em.
3.9 to 4.4: So, you want a hearty endorsement? These books have what it takes to make me happy I read them.
4.5 to 5: The books that I wish I hadn't read yet, so I could experience the joy of discovering them again for the first time. Sometimes disquieting, sometimes sentimental faves, sometimes dramatic -- they are a highly personal/subjective collection!
Starting with my reads in May, here is the list. If you want to see what I have read earlier this year, check the next few posts.
The May list:
142. The Dark Clouds Shining by David Downing (finished 5/1/18) 4.1 stars
143. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler (finished 5/2/18) 4.35 stars
144. The Death of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic by Benjamin Carter Hett (finished 5/3/18) 4.6 stars (A)
145. The Fire Court by Andrew Taylor (finished 5/4/18) 4.3 stars
146. Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves by Rachel Malik (finished 5/5/18) 4 stars
147. A Killer in King's Cove by Iona Whishaw (finished 5/6/18) 3.85 stars
148. The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer (finished 5/7/18) 3.6 stars
149. The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers (finished 5/7/18) 4.7 stars
150. Death in a Darkening Mist by Iona Whishaw (finished 5/8/18) 3.8 stars
151. Amnesia by Michael Ridpath (finished 5/9/18) 4 stars (partly A)
152. An Old, Cold Grave by Iona Whishaw (finished 5/9/18) 3.65 stars
153. Denmark Vesey's Garden: Slavery and Memory in the Cradle of the Confederacy by Ethan Kyle (finished 5/11/18) 4.7 stars (A)
154. *Cue for Treason by Geoffrey Trease (finished 5/12/18) 4.5 stars (A)
155. It Begins in Betrayal by Iona Whishaw (finished 5/13/18) 4 stars
156. *Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie (finished 5/14/18) 3.9 stars (A)
157. My Name is Venus Black by Heather Lloyd (finished 5/15/18) 3.6 stars
158. Appointment With Death by Agatha Christie (finished 5/15/18) 3.6 stars (A)
159. Tangerine by Christine Mangan (finished 5/16/18) 3.75 stars
160. *Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea (finished 5/17/18) 3.9 stars (A)
161. High Rising by Angela Thirkell (finished 5/18/18) 4 stars
162. Brothers of the Gun: A Memoir of the Syrian War by Marwan Hisham & Molly Crabapple (illustrator) (finished 5/19/18) 4.2 stars
163. *The Night of the Twelfth by Michael Gilbert (finished 5/21/18) 3.8 stars
164. It's Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America by Donald Cay Johnston (finished 5/22/18) 4.5 stars
165. Wild Strawberries by Angela Thirkell (finished 5/22/18) 3.65 stars
166. This Could Hurt by Jillian Medoff (finished 5/23/18) 3.1 stars
167. The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington by Charles Rosenberg (finished 5/25/18) 3.85 stars
168. *Forty Thieves by Thomas Perry (finished 5/25/18) 3.65 stars (A)
169. A Howl of Wolves by Judith Flanders (finished 5/26/18) 4.1 stars
170. Bannerless by Carrie Vaughan (finished 5/26/18) 2.9 stars
171. Death Has Deep Roots by Michael Gilbert (finished 5/27/18) 4.1 stars
172. Star of the North by D.B. John (finished 5/27/18) 4.2 stars
173. Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller (finished 5/28/18) 4.2 stars (A)
174. A Nantucket Wedding by Nancy Thayer (finished 5/28/18) 3.2 stars
175. The Demon in the House by Angela Thirkell (finished 5/28/18) 3.45 stars
176. Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King (finished 5/30/18) 4.35 stars
The June list:
177. Jacob's Room is Full of Books: a Year of Reading by Susan Hill (finished 6/2/18) 4.3 stars
178. *Painting the Darkness by Robert Goddard (finished 6/2/18) 4.2 stars (A)
179. Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts (finished 6/3/18) 3.7 stars
180. The Devouring by James R. Benn (finished 6/3/18) 3.65 stars
181. The Wardrobe Mistress by Patrick McGrath (finished 6/3/18) 4.4 stars
182. The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman (finished 6/5/18) 4.35 stars
183. Black Water Rising by Attica Locke (finished 6/6/18) 4.4 stars (A)
184. I'll Keep You Safe by Peter May (finished 6/6/18) 3.8 stars
185. The Butcher's Daughter by Victoria Glendinning (finished 6/7/18) 3.9 stars
186. Aunt Dimity and the Widow's Curse by Nancy Atherton (finished 6/8/18) 3.8 stars
187. *Game Without Rules by Michael Gilbert (finished 6/9/18) 4 stars
188. Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist by Franchesca Ramsey (finished 6/10/18) 3.75 stars
189. The Museum of Lost Art by Noah Charney (finished 6/11/18) 4.35 stars
190. The Quiet Side of Passion by Alexander McCall Smith (finished 6/12/18) 3.9 stars
191. Aunt Dimity and the King's Ransom by Nancy Atherton (finished 6/13/18) 3.9 stars
192. The Shadow District by Arnaldur Indridason (finished 6/13/18) 3.7 stars
193. *The Rich Are Different by Susan Howatch (finished 6/14/18) 3.65 stars (A)
194. The Queen's Mary by Sarah Gristwood (finished 6/14/18) 4.15 stars
195. Map of a Nation: A Biography Of The Ordnance Survey by Rachel Hewitt (finished 6/15/18) 4.1 stars
196. The Assize of the Dying by Ellis Peters (finished 6/17/18) 3.45 stars
197. The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch (finished 6/18/18) 4.5 stars
198. *Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens by Michael Gilbert (finished 6/19/18) 3.85 stars
199. The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker (finished 6/19/18) 3.9 stars (A)
200. The Poison Bed by E.C. Fremantle (finished 6/20/18) 4.1 stars
201. Rain: Four Walks in English Weather by Melissa Harrison (finished 6/20/18) 3.9 stars
202. The Librarian by Salley Vickers (finished 6/21/18) 4 stars
203. The Quantum Spy by David Ignatius (finished 6/22/18) 3.9 stars
204. The Outcasts of Time by Ian Mortimer (finished 6/23/18) 3.75 stars
205. *Hornet Flight by Ken Follett (finished 6/23/18) 3.65 stars (A)
206. The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World by Catherine Nixey (finished 6/24/18) 5 stars
207. *The Piper on the Mountain by Ellis Peters (finished 6/25/18) 3.45 stars (A)
208. Poison by John Lescroart (finished 6/27/18) 3.8 stars (A)
209. The Secrets of the Bastide Blanche by M.L. Longworth (finished 6/28/18) 3.55 stars
210. *Figures in Silk by Vanora Bennett (finished 6/29/18) 3.85 stars (A)
211. Life in the Garden by Penelope Lively (finished 6/30/18) 4.2 stars
The July list:
212. We Begin Our Ascent by Joe Mungo Reed (finished 7/1/18) 4.35 stars
213. The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick (finished 7/2/18) 3.35 stars
214. The Summer House Party by Caro Fraser (finished 7/2/18) 4.1 star (A)
215. Moskva by Jack Grimwood (finished 7/3/18) 3.8 stars
216. Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War by Gus Russo & Eric Dezenhall (finished 7/4/18) 4.4 stars
217. The Game of Hope by Sandra Gulland (finished 7/4/18) 3.35 stars
218. The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner (finished 7/6/18) 3.75 stars
219. Vox by Christina Delcher (finished 7/6/18) 4.45 stars
220. Quicksand by Malin Persson Giolito (finished 7/7/18) 4.3 stars (A)
221. God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza (finished 7/8/18) 3.8 stars (A)
222. Firefly by Henry Porter (finished 7/8/18) 4.4 stars
223. The Library Book by Susan Orlean (finished 7/10/18) 4.65 stars
224. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (finished 7/10/18) 4.15 stars
225. *Sins of the Fathers by Susan Howatch (finished 7/11/18) 3.45 stars (A)
226. A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo (finished 7/12/18) 4 stars
227. *Magic Flutes by Eva Ibbotson (finished 7/13/18) 3.5 stars
228. Our Friends in Berlin by Anthony Quinn (finished 7/14/18) 4.4 stars
229. The Gate Keeper by Charles Todd (finished 7/14/18) 4 stars (A)
230. The Middleman by Olen Steinhauer (finished 7/15/18) 4.65 stars
231. The Foreign Correspondent by Alan Furst (finished 7/16/18) 4.1 stars (A)
232. Song of a Captive Bird by Jasmin Darznik (finished 7/17/18) 4.35 stars
233. Testimony by Anita Shreve (finished 7/18/18) 4.5 stars
234. The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz (finished 7/19/18) 3.7 stars
235. *The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst (finished 7/20/18) 4.1 stars (A)
236. Mad Scenes and Exit Arias: The Death of the New York City Opera and the Future of Opera in America by Heidi Waleson (finished 7/20/18) 4.2 stars
237. The Governor's Ladies by Deryn Lake (finished 7/22/18) 3 stars
238. The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors by Dan Jones (finished 7/23/18) 3.9 stars
239. Don't Eat Me by Colin Cotterill (finished 7/24/18) 4.3 stars
240. Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza (finished 7/25/18) 3.75 stars
241. The Other Woman by Daniel Silva (finished 7/27/18) 4 stars
242. The Incurable Romantic: and Other Tales of Madness and Desire by Frank Tallis (finished 7/28/18) 4.2 stars
243. The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Blythell (finished 7/30/18) 3.85 stars
244. Who is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht (finished 7/30/18) 3.7 stars (A)
245. *Holiday With Violence by Ellis Peters (finished 7/31/18) 3.85 stars
The August List:
246. The Burglar by Thomas Perry (finished 8/2/18) 3.5 stars
247. From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan (finished 8/2/18) 4.75 stars
248. The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook (finished 8/3/18) 4.1 stars
249. Murder on Union Square by Victoria Thompson (finished 8/4/18) 3.55 stars
250. The Never-Open Desert Diner by James Thompson (finished 8/5/18) 4.45 stars
251. Day of the Dead by Nicci French (finished 8/8/18) 4.6 stars
252. Interior States: Essays by Meghan O'Gieblyn (finished 8/9/18) 3.9 stars
253. The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason (finished 8/10/18) 4.65 stars
254. *The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie (finished 8/11/18) 3.5 stars (A)
255. In Prior's Wood by G.M. Malliet (finished 8/13/18) 3.2 stars
256. *The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers by Margaret George (finished 8/15/18) 4.35 stars (A)
257. The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone (finished 8/15/18) 4.2 stars
258. Last Stories by William Trevor (finished 8/17/18) 4.35 stars
259. *The Bell Ringers by Henry Porter (finished 8/17/18) 4.15 stars (A)
260. The Potter's Hand by A.N. Wilson (finished 8/18/18) 4.65 stars
261. *Three Guineas by Virginia Woolf (finished 8/18/18) 4.85 stars
262. Prague Spring by Simon Mawer (finished 8/18/18) 4.35 stars
263. The Seabird's Cry by Adam Nicolson (finished 8/18/18) 5 stars
265. Fatal Inheritance by Rachel Rhys (finished 8/19/18) 3.8 stars
266. The Fifth to Die by J.D. Barker (finished 8/21/18) 3.3 stars (A)
267. Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding by Rhys Bowen (finished 8/22/18) 3.7 stars
268. Do This For Me by Eliza Kennedy (finished 8/23/18) 3.4 stars
269. Season of Darkness by Maureen Jennings (finished 8/24/18) 3.55 stars
270. The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre (finished 8/26/18) 4.6 stars
271. Rendezvous with Oblivion: Essays by Thomas Frank (finished 8/27/18) 3.7 stars
272. A Casualty of War by Charles Todd (finished 8/28/18) 3.85 stars
* Re-Reads
(A) Audiobook
I always read far more than 75 books a year (and already have hit my first 75) and so just keep a single ticker to track my total reading. I'll start new threads when the total number of posts hits between 250 and 300. I will try to keep the list current but last year, keeping up with mini-reviews of the books I read, with capsule comments, defeated me. Here we are, January 1, and I still have about two dozen to write!!
This year I'm setting my goal at my 8-year average, 430 books. We'll see...
If you want to see what I have been reading in real time, your best bet is to go to my library on LT, and look at the dedicated collection I've established there, under the label "Books Read in 2018". As I complete a book, I'll rate it and add it to the list. I'll also tag it, "Read in 2018". You'll be able to see it by either searching under that tag, or clicking on https://www.librarything.com/catalog/Chatterbox/booksreadin2018.
My TBR mountain no less out of control. Last year, for every book that I read, I acquired two. That's actually a better ratio than I anticipated -- but not all of the books I read were those that I acquired, of course. Sigh. Still, I paid full price for only 16%! The rest were free galleys/advance review copies or Kindle sale books ($1.99 or so), or books bought using money from Apple's settlement with Kindle -- I got some MORE Kindle credit. So I can console myself that I actually didn't spend that much. But the book stalagmites continue to grow around the house, with all the ARCs (advance review copies) that remain unread! And I have bags of ARCs and other books that I set aside for last May's yard sale that remain unsold... Clearly, one project this year will be another purge of my shelves. I become more ruthless as I age.
I do have some reading objectives -- I refuse to call them challenges or targets or anything else -- ranging from specific books to themes and even authors I plan to re-read. I'll note those down in the coming posts.
As of May 9, none of the touchstones are working at all, after days of fighting with them to post. I can try reducing them to a single book, and I still don't get a touchstone -- just a whirling whirling whirling circle, followed by a 504 Gateway Time Out. After simply trying to update this list with a single book earlier today, I can't do anything, and none of my other touchstones will function either. I apologize, but it appears we all will have to live with them until LT gets them working again. I apologize for the ugly and dysfunctional appearance, but there literally is nothing whatsoever that I can do.
My guide to my ratings:
1.5 or less: A tree gave its life so that this book could be printed and distributed?
1.5 to 2.7: Are you really prepared to give up hours of your life for this?? I wouldn't recommend doing so...
2.8 to 3.3: Do you need something to fill in some time waiting to see the dentist? Either reasonably good within a ho-hum genre (chick lit or thrillers), something that's OK to read when you've nothing else with you, or that you'll find adequate to pass the time and forget later on.
3.4 to 3.8: Want to know what a thumping good read is like, or a book that has a fascinating premise, but doesn't quite deliver? This is where you'll find 'em.
3.9 to 4.4: So, you want a hearty endorsement? These books have what it takes to make me happy I read them.
4.5 to 5: The books that I wish I hadn't read yet, so I could experience the joy of discovering them again for the first time. Sometimes disquieting, sometimes sentimental faves, sometimes dramatic -- they are a highly personal/subjective collection!
Starting with my reads in May, here is the list. If you want to see what I have read earlier this year, check the next few posts.
The May list:
142. The Dark Clouds Shining by David Downing (finished 5/1/18) 4.1 stars
143. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler (finished 5/2/18) 4.35 stars
144. The Death of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic by Benjamin Carter Hett (finished 5/3/18) 4.6 stars (A)
145. The Fire Court by Andrew Taylor (finished 5/4/18) 4.3 stars
146. Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves by Rachel Malik (finished 5/5/18) 4 stars
147. A Killer in King's Cove by Iona Whishaw (finished 5/6/18) 3.85 stars
148. The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer (finished 5/7/18) 3.6 stars
149. The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers (finished 5/7/18) 4.7 stars
150. Death in a Darkening Mist by Iona Whishaw (finished 5/8/18) 3.8 stars
151. Amnesia by Michael Ridpath (finished 5/9/18) 4 stars (partly A)
152. An Old, Cold Grave by Iona Whishaw (finished 5/9/18) 3.65 stars
153. Denmark Vesey's Garden: Slavery and Memory in the Cradle of the Confederacy by Ethan Kyle (finished 5/11/18) 4.7 stars (A)
154. *Cue for Treason by Geoffrey Trease (finished 5/12/18) 4.5 stars (A)
155. It Begins in Betrayal by Iona Whishaw (finished 5/13/18) 4 stars
156. *Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie (finished 5/14/18) 3.9 stars (A)
157. My Name is Venus Black by Heather Lloyd (finished 5/15/18) 3.6 stars
158. Appointment With Death by Agatha Christie (finished 5/15/18) 3.6 stars (A)
159. Tangerine by Christine Mangan (finished 5/16/18) 3.75 stars
160. *Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea (finished 5/17/18) 3.9 stars (A)
161. High Rising by Angela Thirkell (finished 5/18/18) 4 stars
162. Brothers of the Gun: A Memoir of the Syrian War by Marwan Hisham & Molly Crabapple (illustrator) (finished 5/19/18) 4.2 stars
163. *The Night of the Twelfth by Michael Gilbert (finished 5/21/18) 3.8 stars
164. It's Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America by Donald Cay Johnston (finished 5/22/18) 4.5 stars
165. Wild Strawberries by Angela Thirkell (finished 5/22/18) 3.65 stars
166. This Could Hurt by Jillian Medoff (finished 5/23/18) 3.1 stars
167. The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington by Charles Rosenberg (finished 5/25/18) 3.85 stars
168. *Forty Thieves by Thomas Perry (finished 5/25/18) 3.65 stars (A)
169. A Howl of Wolves by Judith Flanders (finished 5/26/18) 4.1 stars
170. Bannerless by Carrie Vaughan (finished 5/26/18) 2.9 stars
171. Death Has Deep Roots by Michael Gilbert (finished 5/27/18) 4.1 stars
172. Star of the North by D.B. John (finished 5/27/18) 4.2 stars
173. Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller (finished 5/28/18) 4.2 stars (A)
174. A Nantucket Wedding by Nancy Thayer (finished 5/28/18) 3.2 stars
175. The Demon in the House by Angela Thirkell (finished 5/28/18) 3.45 stars
176. Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King (finished 5/30/18) 4.35 stars
The June list:
177. Jacob's Room is Full of Books: a Year of Reading by Susan Hill (finished 6/2/18) 4.3 stars
178. *Painting the Darkness by Robert Goddard (finished 6/2/18) 4.2 stars (A)
179. Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts (finished 6/3/18) 3.7 stars
180. The Devouring by James R. Benn (finished 6/3/18) 3.65 stars
181. The Wardrobe Mistress by Patrick McGrath (finished 6/3/18) 4.4 stars
182. The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman (finished 6/5/18) 4.35 stars
183. Black Water Rising by Attica Locke (finished 6/6/18) 4.4 stars (A)
184. I'll Keep You Safe by Peter May (finished 6/6/18) 3.8 stars
185. The Butcher's Daughter by Victoria Glendinning (finished 6/7/18) 3.9 stars
186. Aunt Dimity and the Widow's Curse by Nancy Atherton (finished 6/8/18) 3.8 stars
187. *Game Without Rules by Michael Gilbert (finished 6/9/18) 4 stars
188. Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist by Franchesca Ramsey (finished 6/10/18) 3.75 stars
189. The Museum of Lost Art by Noah Charney (finished 6/11/18) 4.35 stars
190. The Quiet Side of Passion by Alexander McCall Smith (finished 6/12/18) 3.9 stars
191. Aunt Dimity and the King's Ransom by Nancy Atherton (finished 6/13/18) 3.9 stars
192. The Shadow District by Arnaldur Indridason (finished 6/13/18) 3.7 stars
193. *The Rich Are Different by Susan Howatch (finished 6/14/18) 3.65 stars (A)
194. The Queen's Mary by Sarah Gristwood (finished 6/14/18) 4.15 stars
195. Map of a Nation: A Biography Of The Ordnance Survey by Rachel Hewitt (finished 6/15/18) 4.1 stars
196. The Assize of the Dying by Ellis Peters (finished 6/17/18) 3.45 stars
197. The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch (finished 6/18/18) 4.5 stars
198. *Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens by Michael Gilbert (finished 6/19/18) 3.85 stars
199. The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker (finished 6/19/18) 3.9 stars (A)
200. The Poison Bed by E.C. Fremantle (finished 6/20/18) 4.1 stars
201. Rain: Four Walks in English Weather by Melissa Harrison (finished 6/20/18) 3.9 stars
202. The Librarian by Salley Vickers (finished 6/21/18) 4 stars
203. The Quantum Spy by David Ignatius (finished 6/22/18) 3.9 stars
204. The Outcasts of Time by Ian Mortimer (finished 6/23/18) 3.75 stars
205. *Hornet Flight by Ken Follett (finished 6/23/18) 3.65 stars (A)
206. The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World by Catherine Nixey (finished 6/24/18) 5 stars
207. *The Piper on the Mountain by Ellis Peters (finished 6/25/18) 3.45 stars (A)
208. Poison by John Lescroart (finished 6/27/18) 3.8 stars (A)
209. The Secrets of the Bastide Blanche by M.L. Longworth (finished 6/28/18) 3.55 stars
210. *Figures in Silk by Vanora Bennett (finished 6/29/18) 3.85 stars (A)
211. Life in the Garden by Penelope Lively (finished 6/30/18) 4.2 stars
The July list:
212. We Begin Our Ascent by Joe Mungo Reed (finished 7/1/18) 4.35 stars
213. The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick (finished 7/2/18) 3.35 stars
214. The Summer House Party by Caro Fraser (finished 7/2/18) 4.1 star (A)
215. Moskva by Jack Grimwood (finished 7/3/18) 3.8 stars
216. Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War by Gus Russo & Eric Dezenhall (finished 7/4/18) 4.4 stars
217. The Game of Hope by Sandra Gulland (finished 7/4/18) 3.35 stars
218. The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner (finished 7/6/18) 3.75 stars
219. Vox by Christina Delcher (finished 7/6/18) 4.45 stars
220. Quicksand by Malin Persson Giolito (finished 7/7/18) 4.3 stars (A)
221. God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza (finished 7/8/18) 3.8 stars (A)
222. Firefly by Henry Porter (finished 7/8/18) 4.4 stars
223. The Library Book by Susan Orlean (finished 7/10/18) 4.65 stars
224. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (finished 7/10/18) 4.15 stars
225. *Sins of the Fathers by Susan Howatch (finished 7/11/18) 3.45 stars (A)
226. A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo (finished 7/12/18) 4 stars
227. *Magic Flutes by Eva Ibbotson (finished 7/13/18) 3.5 stars
228. Our Friends in Berlin by Anthony Quinn (finished 7/14/18) 4.4 stars
229. The Gate Keeper by Charles Todd (finished 7/14/18) 4 stars (A)
230. The Middleman by Olen Steinhauer (finished 7/15/18) 4.65 stars
231. The Foreign Correspondent by Alan Furst (finished 7/16/18) 4.1 stars (A)
232. Song of a Captive Bird by Jasmin Darznik (finished 7/17/18) 4.35 stars
233. Testimony by Anita Shreve (finished 7/18/18) 4.5 stars
234. The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz (finished 7/19/18) 3.7 stars
235. *The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst (finished 7/20/18) 4.1 stars (A)
236. Mad Scenes and Exit Arias: The Death of the New York City Opera and the Future of Opera in America by Heidi Waleson (finished 7/20/18) 4.2 stars
237. The Governor's Ladies by Deryn Lake (finished 7/22/18) 3 stars
238. The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors by Dan Jones (finished 7/23/18) 3.9 stars
239. Don't Eat Me by Colin Cotterill (finished 7/24/18) 4.3 stars
240. Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza (finished 7/25/18) 3.75 stars
241. The Other Woman by Daniel Silva (finished 7/27/18) 4 stars
242. The Incurable Romantic: and Other Tales of Madness and Desire by Frank Tallis (finished 7/28/18) 4.2 stars
243. The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Blythell (finished 7/30/18) 3.85 stars
244. Who is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht (finished 7/30/18) 3.7 stars (A)
245. *Holiday With Violence by Ellis Peters (finished 7/31/18) 3.85 stars
The August List:
246. The Burglar by Thomas Perry (finished 8/2/18) 3.5 stars
247. From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan (finished 8/2/18) 4.75 stars
248. The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook (finished 8/3/18) 4.1 stars
249. Murder on Union Square by Victoria Thompson (finished 8/4/18) 3.55 stars
250. The Never-Open Desert Diner by James Thompson (finished 8/5/18) 4.45 stars
251. Day of the Dead by Nicci French (finished 8/8/18) 4.6 stars
252. Interior States: Essays by Meghan O'Gieblyn (finished 8/9/18) 3.9 stars
253. The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason (finished 8/10/18) 4.65 stars
254. *The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie (finished 8/11/18) 3.5 stars (A)
255. In Prior's Wood by G.M. Malliet (finished 8/13/18) 3.2 stars
256. *The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers by Margaret George (finished 8/15/18) 4.35 stars (A)
257. The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone (finished 8/15/18) 4.2 stars
258. Last Stories by William Trevor (finished 8/17/18) 4.35 stars
259. *The Bell Ringers by Henry Porter (finished 8/17/18) 4.15 stars (A)
260. The Potter's Hand by A.N. Wilson (finished 8/18/18) 4.65 stars
261. *Three Guineas by Virginia Woolf (finished 8/18/18) 4.85 stars
262. Prague Spring by Simon Mawer (finished 8/18/18) 4.35 stars
263. The Seabird's Cry by Adam Nicolson (finished 8/18/18) 5 stars
265. Fatal Inheritance by Rachel Rhys (finished 8/19/18) 3.8 stars
266. The Fifth to Die by J.D. Barker (finished 8/21/18) 3.3 stars (A)
267. Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding by Rhys Bowen (finished 8/22/18) 3.7 stars
268. Do This For Me by Eliza Kennedy (finished 8/23/18) 3.4 stars
269. Season of Darkness by Maureen Jennings (finished 8/24/18) 3.55 stars
270. The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre (finished 8/26/18) 4.6 stars
271. Rendezvous with Oblivion: Essays by Thomas Frank (finished 8/27/18) 3.7 stars
272. A Casualty of War by Charles Todd (finished 8/28/18) 3.85 stars
* Re-Reads
(A) Audiobook
3Chatterbox
The January list:
1. The Feast of Artemis by Anne Zouroudi (finished 1/2/18) 3.7 stars
2. *Children of Chance by Elizabeth Pewsey (finished 1/3/18) 4 stars (A)
3. Admissions: Life as a Brain Surgeon by Henry Marsh (finished 1/5/18) 3.8 stars
4. *Divine Comedy by Elizabeth Pewsey (finished (1/6/18) 4 stars (A)
5. Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff (finished 1/7/18) 4.3 stars
6. Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin (finished 1/7/18) 5 stars
7. Travelers in the Third Reich: The Rise of Fascism: 1919-1945 by Julia Boyd (finished 1/9/18) 4.3 stars
8. Maid of the King's Court by Lucy Worsley (finished 1/9/18) 2.75 stars
9. The Radicals by Ryan McIlvain (finished 1/10/18) 4.2 stars
10. Love in Idleness by Amanda Craig (finished 1/10/18) 3.7 stars
11. *Unholy Harmonies by Elizabeth Pewsey (finished 1/11/18) 4 stars (A)
12. The Black Hand by Will Thomas (finished 1/12/18) 3.7 stars
13. The Way of the Writer: Reflections on the Art and Craft of Storytelling by Charles Johnson (finished 1/12/18) 4.1 stars
14. The Necessary Angel by C.K. Stead (finished 1/13/18) 4.2 stars
15. The Spy Across the Table by Barry Lancet (finished 1/14/18) 3.9 stars
16. Thale's Folly by Dorothy Gilman (finished 1/15/18) 3 stars (A)
17. *Volcanic Airs by Elizabeth Pewsey (finished 1/16/18) 3.9 stars (A)
18. The Last Hours by Minette Walters (finished 1/16/18) 4 stars
19. Death Comes to Lynchester Close by David Dickinson (finished 1/17/18) 3.7 stars
20. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (finished 1/18/18) 4.45 stars
21. *Unaccustomed Spirits by Elizabeth Pewsey (finished 1/19/18) 4.1 stars (A)
22. Blue Madonna by James R. Benn (finished 1/20/18) 4 stars (A)
23. The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy (finished 1/20/18) 2.5 stars
24. Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic by David Frum (finished 1/21/18) 5 stars (A)
25. The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn (finished 1/22/18) 4.4 stars
26. The Templars' Last Secret by Martin Walker (finished 1/22/18) 4 stars
27. The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler (finished 1/23/18) 4.5 stars
28. *Brotherly Love by Elizabeth Pewsey (finished 1/23/18) 4 stars (A)
29. The Girl on the Velvet Swing: Sex, Murder, and Madness at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century by Simon Baatz (finished 1/24/18) 4.15 stars
30. The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash (finished 1/25/18) 4.2 stars
31. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy (finished 1/26/18) 4.3 stars
32. *Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey (finished 1/27/18) 4.5 stars (A)
33. *The Old Man by Thomas Perry (finished 1/28/18) 3.7 stars (A)
34. The Third Victim by Phillip Margolin (finished 1/29/18) 3.4 stars
35. Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Golden Samovar by Olga Wjotas (finished 1/29/18) 3.85 stars
36. Hitler, My Neighbor: Memories of a Jewish Childhood, 1929-1939 by Edgar Feuchtwanger (finished 1/30/18) 4 stars
37. The Hound in the Left-Hand Corner by Giles Waterfield (finished 1/30/18) 4.3 stars
38. The Penalty Area by Alain Grillot (finished 1/31/18) 4.1 stars
39. The Judge Hunter by Christopher Buckley (finished 1/31/18) 4.2 stars
The February List:
40. Fatal Enquiry by Will Thomas (finished 2/1/18) 3.85 stars
41. The Take by Christopher Reich (finished 2/3/18) 3.8 stars
42. Coming Home to Island House by Erica James (finished 2/4/18) 3.3 stars
43. The Wife by Alafair Burke (finished 2/4/18) 4.15 stars (A)
44. *The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (finished 2/5/18) 4.8 stars (A)
45. Death in St. Petersburg by Tasha Alexander (finished 2/6/18) 3.7 stars
46. Twenty-One Days by Anne Perry (finished 2/6/18) 4.1 stars
47. Only Child by Rhiannon Navin (finished 2/8/18) 4.2 stars
48. Two Sisters: A Father, His Daughters, and Their Journey into the Syrian Jihad by Asne Seierstad (finished 2/10/18) 4.2 stars
49. The Rooster Bar by John Grisham (finished 2/13/18) 3.5 stars (A)
50. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig (finished 2/14/18) 4.3 stars
51. Year One by Nora Roberts (finished 2/15/18) 3.45 stars
52. Republican Like Me by Ken Stern (finished 2/16/18) 4.35 stars
53. Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell (finished 2/17/18) 4 stars
54. A Death in Live Oak by James Grippando (finished 2/18/18) 4.2 stars (A)
55. The Storied City: The Quest for Timbuktu and the Fantastic Mission to Save Its Past by Charlie English (finished 2/18/18) 4.4 stars
56. Faith Fox by Jane Gardam (finished 2/19/18) 4 stars
57. Queens of the Conquest by Alison Weir (finished 2/20/18) 3.1 stars (A)
58. Circe by Madeline Miller (finished 2/21/18) 5 stars
59. Most Dangerous Place by James Grippando (finished 2/21/18) 3.85 stars (A)
60. The King's Witch by Tracy Borman (finished 2/23/18) 4.2 stars
61. Anatomy of Evil by Will Thomas (finished 2/24/18) 3.9 stars
62. Oriana Fallaci: The Journalist, the Agitator, the Legend by Cristina De Stefano (finished 2/24/18) 3.25 stars
63. The French Girl by Lexie Elliott (finished 2/25/18) 4.1 stars
64. *Katherine of Aragon: the True Queen by Alison Weir (finished 2/26/18) 4.1 stars (A)
65. Hell Bay by Will Thomas (finished 2/26/18) 3.65 stars
66. Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging by Alex Wagner (finished 2/27/18) 4.65 stars
67. A Crime in the Family: A World War II Secret Buried in Silence--And My Search for the Truth by Sacha Batthyany (finished 2/27/18) 3.85 stars (A) in part
68. Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce (finished 2/28/18) 4.2 stars
69. The Revolution of the Moon by Andrea Camilleri (finished 2/28/18) 4.25 stars
* Re-Reads
(A) Audiobook
1. The Feast of Artemis by Anne Zouroudi (finished 1/2/18) 3.7 stars
2. *Children of Chance by Elizabeth Pewsey (finished 1/3/18) 4 stars (A)
3. Admissions: Life as a Brain Surgeon by Henry Marsh (finished 1/5/18) 3.8 stars
4. *Divine Comedy by Elizabeth Pewsey (finished (1/6/18) 4 stars (A)
5. Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff (finished 1/7/18) 4.3 stars
6. Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin (finished 1/7/18) 5 stars
7. Travelers in the Third Reich: The Rise of Fascism: 1919-1945 by Julia Boyd (finished 1/9/18) 4.3 stars
8. Maid of the King's Court by Lucy Worsley (finished 1/9/18) 2.75 stars
9. The Radicals by Ryan McIlvain (finished 1/10/18) 4.2 stars
10. Love in Idleness by Amanda Craig (finished 1/10/18) 3.7 stars
11. *Unholy Harmonies by Elizabeth Pewsey (finished 1/11/18) 4 stars (A)
12. The Black Hand by Will Thomas (finished 1/12/18) 3.7 stars
13. The Way of the Writer: Reflections on the Art and Craft of Storytelling by Charles Johnson (finished 1/12/18) 4.1 stars
14. The Necessary Angel by C.K. Stead (finished 1/13/18) 4.2 stars
15. The Spy Across the Table by Barry Lancet (finished 1/14/18) 3.9 stars
16. Thale's Folly by Dorothy Gilman (finished 1/15/18) 3 stars (A)
17. *Volcanic Airs by Elizabeth Pewsey (finished 1/16/18) 3.9 stars (A)
18. The Last Hours by Minette Walters (finished 1/16/18) 4 stars
19. Death Comes to Lynchester Close by David Dickinson (finished 1/17/18) 3.7 stars
20. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (finished 1/18/18) 4.45 stars
21. *Unaccustomed Spirits by Elizabeth Pewsey (finished 1/19/18) 4.1 stars (A)
22. Blue Madonna by James R. Benn (finished 1/20/18) 4 stars (A)
23. The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy (finished 1/20/18) 2.5 stars
24. Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic by David Frum (finished 1/21/18) 5 stars (A)
25. The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn (finished 1/22/18) 4.4 stars
26. The Templars' Last Secret by Martin Walker (finished 1/22/18) 4 stars
27. The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler (finished 1/23/18) 4.5 stars
28. *Brotherly Love by Elizabeth Pewsey (finished 1/23/18) 4 stars (A)
29. The Girl on the Velvet Swing: Sex, Murder, and Madness at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century by Simon Baatz (finished 1/24/18) 4.15 stars
30. The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash (finished 1/25/18) 4.2 stars
31. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy (finished 1/26/18) 4.3 stars
32. *Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey (finished 1/27/18) 4.5 stars (A)
33. *The Old Man by Thomas Perry (finished 1/28/18) 3.7 stars (A)
34. The Third Victim by Phillip Margolin (finished 1/29/18) 3.4 stars
35. Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Golden Samovar by Olga Wjotas (finished 1/29/18) 3.85 stars
36. Hitler, My Neighbor: Memories of a Jewish Childhood, 1929-1939 by Edgar Feuchtwanger (finished 1/30/18) 4 stars
37. The Hound in the Left-Hand Corner by Giles Waterfield (finished 1/30/18) 4.3 stars
38. The Penalty Area by Alain Grillot (finished 1/31/18) 4.1 stars
39. The Judge Hunter by Christopher Buckley (finished 1/31/18) 4.2 stars
The February List:
40. Fatal Enquiry by Will Thomas (finished 2/1/18) 3.85 stars
41. The Take by Christopher Reich (finished 2/3/18) 3.8 stars
42. Coming Home to Island House by Erica James (finished 2/4/18) 3.3 stars
43. The Wife by Alafair Burke (finished 2/4/18) 4.15 stars (A)
44. *The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (finished 2/5/18) 4.8 stars (A)
45. Death in St. Petersburg by Tasha Alexander (finished 2/6/18) 3.7 stars
46. Twenty-One Days by Anne Perry (finished 2/6/18) 4.1 stars
47. Only Child by Rhiannon Navin (finished 2/8/18) 4.2 stars
48. Two Sisters: A Father, His Daughters, and Their Journey into the Syrian Jihad by Asne Seierstad (finished 2/10/18) 4.2 stars
49. The Rooster Bar by John Grisham (finished 2/13/18) 3.5 stars (A)
50. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig (finished 2/14/18) 4.3 stars
51. Year One by Nora Roberts (finished 2/15/18) 3.45 stars
52. Republican Like Me by Ken Stern (finished 2/16/18) 4.35 stars
53. Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell (finished 2/17/18) 4 stars
54. A Death in Live Oak by James Grippando (finished 2/18/18) 4.2 stars (A)
55. The Storied City: The Quest for Timbuktu and the Fantastic Mission to Save Its Past by Charlie English (finished 2/18/18) 4.4 stars
56. Faith Fox by Jane Gardam (finished 2/19/18) 4 stars
57. Queens of the Conquest by Alison Weir (finished 2/20/18) 3.1 stars (A)
58. Circe by Madeline Miller (finished 2/21/18) 5 stars
59. Most Dangerous Place by James Grippando (finished 2/21/18) 3.85 stars (A)
60. The King's Witch by Tracy Borman (finished 2/23/18) 4.2 stars
61. Anatomy of Evil by Will Thomas (finished 2/24/18) 3.9 stars
62. Oriana Fallaci: The Journalist, the Agitator, the Legend by Cristina De Stefano (finished 2/24/18) 3.25 stars
63. The French Girl by Lexie Elliott (finished 2/25/18) 4.1 stars
64. *Katherine of Aragon: the True Queen by Alison Weir (finished 2/26/18) 4.1 stars (A)
65. Hell Bay by Will Thomas (finished 2/26/18) 3.65 stars
66. Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging by Alex Wagner (finished 2/27/18) 4.65 stars
67. A Crime in the Family: A World War II Secret Buried in Silence--And My Search for the Truth by Sacha Batthyany (finished 2/27/18) 3.85 stars (A) in part
68. Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce (finished 2/28/18) 4.2 stars
69. The Revolution of the Moon by Andrea Camilleri (finished 2/28/18) 4.25 stars
* Re-Reads
(A) Audiobook
4Chatterbox
The March list:
70. *Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession by Alison Weir (finished 3/1/18) 4.15 stars (A)
71. Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir (finished 3/2/18) 4 stars
72. Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost (finished 3/2/18) 3.85 stars
73. First Night by Jane Aiken Hodge (finished 3/3/18) 3.45 stars
74. An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic by Daniel Mendelsohn (finished 3/4/18) 5 stars (A) in part
75. *Fidelity by Thomas Perry (finished 3/4/18) 3.4 stars (A)
76. *The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey (finished 3/5/18) 5 stars (A)
77. Last Act by Jane Aiken Hodge (finished 3/5/18) 3.3 stars
78. Ike and Kay by James MacManus (finished 3/6/18) 2.7 stars
79. The Last Man in Europe by Dennis Glover (finished 3/7/18) 4.5 stars
80. Beau Death by Peter Lovesey (finished 3/8/18) 4.15 stars (A) (mostly)
81. The House of Hopes and Dreams by Trisha Ashley (finished 3/9/18) 3.8 stars
82. *Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (finished 3/10/18) 5 stars
83. The Birdwatcher by William Shaw (finished 3/10/18) 4.35 stars
84. *Dead Aim by Thomas Perry (finished 3/11/18) 3.65 stars (A)
85. The Songs of the Kings by Barry Unsworth (finished 3/11/18) 4.4 stars
86. Old Scores by Will Thomas (finished 3/12/18) 3.65 stars
87. The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes (finished 3/13/18) 3.45 stars (A)
88. Love of Country: A Hebridean Journey by Madeleine Bunting (finished 3/15/18) 5 stars
89. Small Country by Gaël Faye (finished 3/15/18) 4.2 stars
90. Light in August by William Faulkner (finished 3/17/18) 4.5 stars
91. The Shakespeare Requirement by Julie Schumacher (finished 3/17/18) 3.9 stars
92. The Summer Seaside Kitchen by Jenny Colgan (finished 3/18/18) 3.6 stars
93. The Language of Kindness: A Nurse's Story by Christie Watson (finished 3/19/18) 4 stars
94. You by Caroline Kepnes (finished 3/20/18) 4 stars
95. Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes (finished 3/22/18) 3.9 stars
96. Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley (finished 3/22/18) 3.8 stars (A)
97. *Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare (finished 3/23/18) 3.75 stars
98. Beloved by Toni Morrison (finished 3/24/18) 5 stars
99. Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam by Mark Bowden (finished 3/25/18) 4.15 stars (A) (mostly)
100. To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear (finished 3/27/18) 4 stars
101. The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere by Pico Iyer (finished 3/27/18) 3.65 stars
102. The Cutting Season by Attica Locke (finished 3/28/18) 4.3 stars (A)
103. The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George (finished 3/29/18) 4 stars
104. One Brother Shy by Terry Fallis (finished 3/30/18) 3.65 stars
105. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (finished 3/30/18) 4.4 stars
106. *Lonesome Road by Patricia Wentworth (finished 3/31/18) 3.45 stars (A)
The April list:
107. *City of Gold and Shadows by Ellis Peters (finished 4/2/18) 3.75 stars (A)
108. The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley (finished 4/2/18) 3.9 stars
109. Safe Houses by Dan Fesperman (finished 4/4/18) 4.25 stars
110. *Rainbow's End by Ellis Peters (finished 4/5/18) 3.7 stars (A)
111. Disappointment River: Finding and Losing the Northwest Passage by Brian Castner (finished 4/6/18) 4.5 stars
112. Fall of Angels by Barbara Cleverly (finished 4/6/18) 4 stars
113. Two Nights by Kathy Reich (finished 4/7/18) 3.9 stars
114. The Partnership by Barry Unsworth (finished 4/7/18) 3.85 stars
115. *The Key by Patricia Wentworth (finished 4/7/18) 3.4 stars (A)
116. Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit by Amy Stevens (finished 4/8/18) 4.1 stars
117. Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck (finished 4/8/18) 4.75 stars
118. *The Benevent Treasure by Patricia Wentworth (finished 4/9/18) 3.4 stars (A)
119. *The Officers' Wives by Thomas Fleming (finished 4/12/18) 3.9 stars
120. A Tokyo Romance: A Memoir by Ian Buruma (finished 4/14/18) 4.15 stars
121. Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen (finished 4/15/18) 4.2 stars
122. *Mila 18 by Leon Uris (finished 4/16/18) 3.4 stars
123. Daughters of the Winter Queen: Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia, and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots by Nancy Goldstone (finished 4/18/18) 4.2 stars
124. Ecstasy by Mary Sharratt (finished 4/18/18) 4.1 stars
125. Bilgewater by Jane Gardam (finished 4/19/18) 4.2 stars
126. The Man Who Snapped His Fingers by Fariba Hachtroudi (finished 4/19/18) 4.3 stars
127. Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris (finished 4/20/18) 3.85 stars
128. Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh (finished 4/20/18) 3.65 stars
129. The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth Winthrop (finished 4/21/18) 4.5 stars
130. *A Good Heart is Hard to Find by Trisha Ashley (finished 4/22/18) 3.45 stars (A)
131. Florence of Arabia by Christopher Buckley (finished 4/23/18) 3.7 stars (A)
132. The New Neighbors by Simon Lelic (finished 4/24/18) 3.9 stars
133. Memento Mori by Ruth Downie (finished 4/25/18) 3.7 stars (A)
134. Impossible Views of the World by Lucy Ives (finished 4/25/18) 1.8 stars
135. Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic (finished 4/26/18) 4.3 stars
136. Radio Free Vermont by Bill McKibben (finished 4/27/18) 3.65 stars
137. How to Be Safe by Tom McCallister (finished 4/28/18) 5 stars (A)
138. Chosen Country: A Rebellion in the West by James Pogue (finished 4/28/18) 3.8 stars
139. A Perilous Path: Talking Race, Inequality, and the Law by Sherrily Ifill et. al. (finished 4/29/18) 4.3 stars
140. *The Empty House by Michael Gilbert (finished 4/29/18) 3.9 stars
141. A Double Life by Flynn Barry (finished 4/30/18) 4.2 stars
70. *Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession by Alison Weir (finished 3/1/18) 4.15 stars (A)
71. Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir (finished 3/2/18) 4 stars
72. Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost (finished 3/2/18) 3.85 stars
73. First Night by Jane Aiken Hodge (finished 3/3/18) 3.45 stars
74. An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic by Daniel Mendelsohn (finished 3/4/18) 5 stars (A) in part
75. *Fidelity by Thomas Perry (finished 3/4/18) 3.4 stars (A)
76. *The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey (finished 3/5/18) 5 stars (A)
77. Last Act by Jane Aiken Hodge (finished 3/5/18) 3.3 stars
78. Ike and Kay by James MacManus (finished 3/6/18) 2.7 stars
79. The Last Man in Europe by Dennis Glover (finished 3/7/18) 4.5 stars
80. Beau Death by Peter Lovesey (finished 3/8/18) 4.15 stars (A) (mostly)
81. The House of Hopes and Dreams by Trisha Ashley (finished 3/9/18) 3.8 stars
82. *Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (finished 3/10/18) 5 stars
83. The Birdwatcher by William Shaw (finished 3/10/18) 4.35 stars
84. *Dead Aim by Thomas Perry (finished 3/11/18) 3.65 stars (A)
85. The Songs of the Kings by Barry Unsworth (finished 3/11/18) 4.4 stars
86. Old Scores by Will Thomas (finished 3/12/18) 3.65 stars
87. The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes (finished 3/13/18) 3.45 stars (A)
88. Love of Country: A Hebridean Journey by Madeleine Bunting (finished 3/15/18) 5 stars
89. Small Country by Gaël Faye (finished 3/15/18) 4.2 stars
90. Light in August by William Faulkner (finished 3/17/18) 4.5 stars
91. The Shakespeare Requirement by Julie Schumacher (finished 3/17/18) 3.9 stars
92. The Summer Seaside Kitchen by Jenny Colgan (finished 3/18/18) 3.6 stars
93. The Language of Kindness: A Nurse's Story by Christie Watson (finished 3/19/18) 4 stars
94. You by Caroline Kepnes (finished 3/20/18) 4 stars
95. Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes (finished 3/22/18) 3.9 stars
96. Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley (finished 3/22/18) 3.8 stars (A)
97. *Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare (finished 3/23/18) 3.75 stars
98. Beloved by Toni Morrison (finished 3/24/18) 5 stars
99. Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam by Mark Bowden (finished 3/25/18) 4.15 stars (A) (mostly)
100. To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear (finished 3/27/18) 4 stars
101. The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere by Pico Iyer (finished 3/27/18) 3.65 stars
102. The Cutting Season by Attica Locke (finished 3/28/18) 4.3 stars (A)
103. The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George (finished 3/29/18) 4 stars
104. One Brother Shy by Terry Fallis (finished 3/30/18) 3.65 stars
105. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (finished 3/30/18) 4.4 stars
106. *Lonesome Road by Patricia Wentworth (finished 3/31/18) 3.45 stars (A)
The April list:
107. *City of Gold and Shadows by Ellis Peters (finished 4/2/18) 3.75 stars (A)
108. The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley (finished 4/2/18) 3.9 stars
109. Safe Houses by Dan Fesperman (finished 4/4/18) 4.25 stars
110. *Rainbow's End by Ellis Peters (finished 4/5/18) 3.7 stars (A)
111. Disappointment River: Finding and Losing the Northwest Passage by Brian Castner (finished 4/6/18) 4.5 stars
112. Fall of Angels by Barbara Cleverly (finished 4/6/18) 4 stars
113. Two Nights by Kathy Reich (finished 4/7/18) 3.9 stars
114. The Partnership by Barry Unsworth (finished 4/7/18) 3.85 stars
115. *The Key by Patricia Wentworth (finished 4/7/18) 3.4 stars (A)
116. Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit by Amy Stevens (finished 4/8/18) 4.1 stars
117. Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck (finished 4/8/18) 4.75 stars
118. *The Benevent Treasure by Patricia Wentworth (finished 4/9/18) 3.4 stars (A)
119. *The Officers' Wives by Thomas Fleming (finished 4/12/18) 3.9 stars
120. A Tokyo Romance: A Memoir by Ian Buruma (finished 4/14/18) 4.15 stars
121. Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen (finished 4/15/18) 4.2 stars
122. *Mila 18 by Leon Uris (finished 4/16/18) 3.4 stars
123. Daughters of the Winter Queen: Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia, and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots by Nancy Goldstone (finished 4/18/18) 4.2 stars
124. Ecstasy by Mary Sharratt (finished 4/18/18) 4.1 stars
125. Bilgewater by Jane Gardam (finished 4/19/18) 4.2 stars
126. The Man Who Snapped His Fingers by Fariba Hachtroudi (finished 4/19/18) 4.3 stars
127. Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris (finished 4/20/18) 3.85 stars
128. Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh (finished 4/20/18) 3.65 stars
129. The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth Winthrop (finished 4/21/18) 4.5 stars
130. *A Good Heart is Hard to Find by Trisha Ashley (finished 4/22/18) 3.45 stars (A)
131. Florence of Arabia by Christopher Buckley (finished 4/23/18) 3.7 stars (A)
132. The New Neighbors by Simon Lelic (finished 4/24/18) 3.9 stars
133. Memento Mori by Ruth Downie (finished 4/25/18) 3.7 stars (A)
134. Impossible Views of the World by Lucy Ives (finished 4/25/18) 1.8 stars
135. Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic (finished 4/26/18) 4.3 stars
136. Radio Free Vermont by Bill McKibben (finished 4/27/18) 3.65 stars
137. How to Be Safe by Tom McCallister (finished 4/28/18) 5 stars (A)
138. Chosen Country: A Rebellion in the West by James Pogue (finished 4/28/18) 3.8 stars
139. A Perilous Path: Talking Race, Inequality, and the Law by Sherrily Ifill et. al. (finished 4/29/18) 4.3 stars
140. *The Empty House by Michael Gilbert (finished 4/29/18) 3.9 stars
141. A Double Life by Flynn Barry (finished 4/30/18) 4.2 stars
5Chatterbox
As I mentioned above, I do have some reading goals/objectives. I don't want to call them targets, because they are purely aspirational -- I will not be heartbroken or feel that I have failed if I fail to check off every book on these lists! It simply means that I found something else that grabbed my attention more insistently, and that I felt I needed to read more urgently. Or that the book that I planned to read simply wasn't worth my time or energy and I stalled reading it for now.
Overarching goals:
* To read more by Virginia Woolf, from her essays to her novels
* To read Paul Theroux’s travel books
* To Finish up some mystery series that I’ve started and stalled on; start reading Robinson’s “Inspector Banks” mysteries, Ian Hamilton’s “Ava Lee” books, combining a re-read of Ngaio Marsh/Agatha Christie and Margery Allingham with a read of books by them that I’d never encountered.
* To direct a lot of reading to the US Revolutionary War and the French Revolution, and related characters
* To read more short stories, with particular attention to Alice Munro and Mavis Gallant
My re-reading plans: Michael Gilbert’s mysteries; mystery series by Staynes & Storey, aka “Susannah Stacey” (long out of print, alas… published 1987-1998), books by Laurie Colwin, listening to the Mountjoy novels by Elizabeth Pewsey on audiobook (COMPLETED!!), and re-reading more of Patricia Wentworth’s “Miss Silver” mysteries as and when the mood strikes me. Finishing up my re-reading of Georgette Heyer novels.
Books in French
L’homme qui regardait la nuit by Gilbert Sinoue
L’art de perdre by Alice Zeniter
Un aller simple by Didier van Cauwelaart
La vie des elfes by Muriel Barbery
Le cuisinier de Talleyrand by Jean-Christophe Duchon-Doris
Merveilleuses by Catherine Hermary-Vieille
Le tour du monde du roi Zibelline by Jean-Christophe Rufin
Les enfants d’Alexandrie by Francoise Chandernagor
Retour indésirable by Charles Lewinsky
Le dernier des nôtres by Adelaide Clermont-Tonnerre
Les mots du passé by Jean-Michel Denis
Tower of ARCs
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Tangerine by Christine Mangan Read
Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss
The Maze at Windermere by Gregory Blake Smith
Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane
Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King Read
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
The Leavers by Lisa Ko
Paris in the Present Tense by Mark Helprin
The Revolution of Marina M by Janet Fitch
The Quantum Spy by David Ignatius Read
A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar by Suzanne Joinson
The Hot Country by Robert Olen Butler
The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook Read
A Burnable Book by Bruce Holsinger
The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz Read
West of Sunset by Stewart O’Nan
The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Canadian Content
The Lonely Hearts Hotel – Heather O’Neill
Creation by Katherine Govier
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler Read
The Betrayers by David Bezmozgis
The Diviners by Margaret Laurence
Barometer Rising by Hugh Maclennan
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
The Rebel Angels by Robertson Davies
One Brother Shy by Terry Fallis Read
The Break by Katherena Vermette
The Only Café by Linden MacIntyre
Classics
Kim by Rudyard Kipling
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
The Three Musketeers by Dumas
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Overarching goals:
* To read more by Virginia Woolf, from her essays to her novels
* To read Paul Theroux’s travel books
* To Finish up some mystery series that I’ve started and stalled on; start reading Robinson’s “Inspector Banks” mysteries, Ian Hamilton’s “Ava Lee” books, combining a re-read of Ngaio Marsh/Agatha Christie and Margery Allingham with a read of books by them that I’d never encountered.
* To direct a lot of reading to the US Revolutionary War and the French Revolution, and related characters
* To read more short stories, with particular attention to Alice Munro and Mavis Gallant
My re-reading plans: Michael Gilbert’s mysteries; mystery series by Staynes & Storey, aka “Susannah Stacey” (long out of print, alas… published 1987-1998), books by Laurie Colwin, listening to the Mountjoy novels by Elizabeth Pewsey on audiobook (COMPLETED!!), and re-reading more of Patricia Wentworth’s “Miss Silver” mysteries as and when the mood strikes me. Finishing up my re-reading of Georgette Heyer novels.
Books in French
L’homme qui regardait la nuit by Gilbert Sinoue
L’art de perdre by Alice Zeniter
Un aller simple by Didier van Cauwelaart
La vie des elfes by Muriel Barbery
Le cuisinier de Talleyrand by Jean-Christophe Duchon-Doris
Merveilleuses by Catherine Hermary-Vieille
Le tour du monde du roi Zibelline by Jean-Christophe Rufin
Les enfants d’Alexandrie by Francoise Chandernagor
Retour indésirable by Charles Lewinsky
Le dernier des nôtres by Adelaide Clermont-Tonnerre
Les mots du passé by Jean-Michel Denis
Tower of ARCs
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Tangerine by Christine Mangan Read
Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss
The Maze at Windermere by Gregory Blake Smith
Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane
Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King Read
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
The Leavers by Lisa Ko
Paris in the Present Tense by Mark Helprin
The Revolution of Marina M by Janet Fitch
The Quantum Spy by David Ignatius Read
A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar by Suzanne Joinson
The Hot Country by Robert Olen Butler
The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook Read
A Burnable Book by Bruce Holsinger
The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz Read
West of Sunset by Stewart O’Nan
The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Canadian Content
The Lonely Hearts Hotel – Heather O’Neill
Creation by Katherine Govier
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler Read
The Betrayers by David Bezmozgis
The Diviners by Margaret Laurence
Barometer Rising by Hugh Maclennan
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
The Rebel Angels by Robertson Davies
One Brother Shy by Terry Fallis Read
The Break by Katherena Vermette
The Only Café by Linden MacIntyre
Classics
Kim by Rudyard Kipling
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
The Three Musketeers by Dumas
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
6Chatterbox
Audiobooks
The Soldier’s Curse by Tom & Meg Keneally
The Cutting Season by Attica Locke Read
The Lost Pages by Marija Percic
When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro
Boomsday by Christopher Buckley Read
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdich
The Chosen Ones by Steve Sem-Sandberg
The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes Read
My October by Claire Holden Rothman
Neglected NetGalley Offerings...
The Melody by Jim Crace
Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella
The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers Read
Gateway to the Moon by Mary Morris
The Bookworm by Mitch Silver
The Vineyard by Maria Duenas
The Spy Across the Table by Barry Lancet Read
The Radicals by Ryan McIlvain Read
Miss Burma by Charmaine Craig
Enchantress of Numbers by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst
The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat
Radio Free Vermont by Bill McKibben Read
The Prague Sonata by Bradford Morrow
Macbeth by Jo Nesbo
Mystery Mania
The Birdwatcher by William Shaw Read
The Long Drop by Denise Mina
The Appraisal by Anna Porter
Amnesia by Michael Ridpath Read
In Prior's Wood by G.M. Malliet Read
Displaced by Stephen Abarbanell
The Dry by Jane Harper
Season of Darkness by Maureen Jennings Read
City of Ink by Elsa Hart
A Death at Fountains Abbey by Antonia Hodgson
Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh Read
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
I'll Keep You Safe by Peter May Read
The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor
Soul Cage by Tetsuya Honda
The Dark Clouds Shining by David Downing Read
New to Me
The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash Read
The Largesse of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson
Beloved by Toni Morrison Read
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin . Read
Climbing Mt. TBR
Barkskins by Annie Proulx
The Never-Open Desert Diner by James Anderson Read
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
The Outcasts of Time by Ian Mortimer Read
The Potter’s Hand by A.N. Wilson Read
Moskva by Jack Grimwood Read
The Lubetkin Legacy by Marina Lewycka
Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor
The Soldier’s Curse by Tom & Meg Keneally
The Cutting Season by Attica Locke Read
The Lost Pages by Marija Percic
When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro
Boomsday by Christopher Buckley Read
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdich
The Chosen Ones by Steve Sem-Sandberg
The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes Read
My October by Claire Holden Rothman
Neglected NetGalley Offerings...
The Melody by Jim Crace
Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella
The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers Read
Gateway to the Moon by Mary Morris
The Bookworm by Mitch Silver
The Vineyard by Maria Duenas
The Spy Across the Table by Barry Lancet Read
The Radicals by Ryan McIlvain Read
Miss Burma by Charmaine Craig
Enchantress of Numbers by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst
The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat
Radio Free Vermont by Bill McKibben Read
The Prague Sonata by Bradford Morrow
Macbeth by Jo Nesbo
Mystery Mania
The Birdwatcher by William Shaw Read
The Long Drop by Denise Mina
The Appraisal by Anna Porter
Amnesia by Michael Ridpath Read
In Prior's Wood by G.M. Malliet Read
Displaced by Stephen Abarbanell
The Dry by Jane Harper
Season of Darkness by Maureen Jennings Read
City of Ink by Elsa Hart
A Death at Fountains Abbey by Antonia Hodgson
Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh Read
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
I'll Keep You Safe by Peter May Read
The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor
Soul Cage by Tetsuya Honda
The Dark Clouds Shining by David Downing Read
New to Me
The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash Read
The Largesse of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson
Beloved by Toni Morrison Read
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin . Read
Climbing Mt. TBR
Barkskins by Annie Proulx
The Never-Open Desert Diner by James Anderson Read
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
The Outcasts of Time by Ian Mortimer Read
The Potter’s Hand by A.N. Wilson Read
Moskva by Jack Grimwood Read
The Lubetkin Legacy by Marina Lewycka
Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor
7Chatterbox
The Wonderful World of Nonfiction
The Unruly City: Paris London and New York in the Age of Revolution by Mike Rappaport
Be Like the Fox by Erica Benner
The Curious World of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn by Margaret Willes
Left Bank: Art, Passion and the Rebirth of Paris by Agnes Poirier
A Crime in the Family: A World War II Secret Buried in Silence – and My Search for the Truth by Sacha Batthyany Read
Hue 1968 by Mark Bowden Read
Oriana Fallaci by Cristina de Stefano Read
A World Ablaze: the Rise of Martin Luther and the Birth of the Reformation by Craig Harline
True Gentlemen: the Broken Pledge of America’s Fraternities by John Hechinger
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev
The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve by Stephen Greenblatt
Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire by Kurt Anderson
Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities by Paul Bettany
The Dawn Watch: Joseph Conrad in a Global World by Maya Jasanoff
A Flag Worth Dying For: the Power and Politics of National Symbols by Tim Marshall
Patriot Number One: American Dreams in Chinatown by Lauren Hilgers
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann Read
The Seabird's Cry by Adam Nicolson Read
Daughters of the Winter Queen by Nancy Goldstone Read
Notes on a Foreign Country: An American Abroad in in a Post American World by Suzy Hansen
The Geography of Genius by Eric Weiner
The Library Book by Susan Orlean Read
How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds by Alan Jacobs
The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World by Catherine Nixey Read
Leningrad: Siege and Symphony by Bryan Moynahan
The World Broke in Two by Bill Goldstein
Making the Monster: the Science Behind Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein by Kathryn Harkup
The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexeivech
The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
Around the World (Kinda) in 34 Books
This Earth of Mankind by Pramoedya Ananta Toer (Indonesia)
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata – (Japan) Read
More by Hakan Gunday (Turkey)
Time Ages in a Hurry by Antonio Tabucchi (Italy)
Three Floors Up by Eshkol Nevo (Israel)
First Person by Richard Flanagan (Australia)
Katalin Street by Magda Szabo (Hungary)
I Hear Your Voice by Young-ha Kim (S. Korea)
Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck (Germany) Read
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (Finland)
Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi (Ghana)
Song for an Approaching Storm by Peter Froeberg Idling (Norway)
The Man Who Snapped His Fingers by Fariba Hachtroudi (Iran) Read
Measuring Time by Helon Habila (Nigeria)
Skylight by Jose Saramagao (Portugal)
The Penalty Area by Alain Grillot (France) Read
The Necessary Angel by C.K. Stead (New Zealand) Read
The Widow Killer by Pavel Kohut (Czech Republic)
The Scapegoat by Sophia Nikolaidu (Greece-US)
A House for Mr. Biswas by VS Naipaul (Trinidad-UK)
The Life and Times of Michael K. by J.M. Coetzee (South Africa)
Azazeel by Youssef Ziedan (Egypt)
Like a Fading Shadow by Antonio Munoz Molino (Spain)
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan (Palestine)
Small Country by Gaël Faye (Burundi) Read
The Gardener From Ochakov by Andrey Kurkov (Ukraine)
From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan (Ireland) Read
The Dream Life of Sukhanov by Olga Grushin (Russia)
Music of the Ghosts by Vaddey Ratner (Cambodia)
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy (India) Read
Fish Have No Feet by Jon Kalman Stefansson (Iceland)
Explosion Chronicles by Yan Lianke (China)
The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler (Austrla) Read
The Same Night Awaits Us All by Hristo Karastoyanov (Bulgaria)
The Unruly City: Paris London and New York in the Age of Revolution by Mike Rappaport
Be Like the Fox by Erica Benner
The Curious World of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn by Margaret Willes
Left Bank: Art, Passion and the Rebirth of Paris by Agnes Poirier
A Crime in the Family: A World War II Secret Buried in Silence – and My Search for the Truth by Sacha Batthyany Read
Hue 1968 by Mark Bowden Read
Oriana Fallaci by Cristina de Stefano Read
A World Ablaze: the Rise of Martin Luther and the Birth of the Reformation by Craig Harline
True Gentlemen: the Broken Pledge of America’s Fraternities by John Hechinger
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev
The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve by Stephen Greenblatt
Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire by Kurt Anderson
Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities by Paul Bettany
The Dawn Watch: Joseph Conrad in a Global World by Maya Jasanoff
A Flag Worth Dying For: the Power and Politics of National Symbols by Tim Marshall
Patriot Number One: American Dreams in Chinatown by Lauren Hilgers
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann Read
The Seabird's Cry by Adam Nicolson Read
Daughters of the Winter Queen by Nancy Goldstone Read
Notes on a Foreign Country: An American Abroad in in a Post American World by Suzy Hansen
The Geography of Genius by Eric Weiner
The Library Book by Susan Orlean Read
How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds by Alan Jacobs
The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World by Catherine Nixey Read
Leningrad: Siege and Symphony by Bryan Moynahan
The World Broke in Two by Bill Goldstein
Making the Monster: the Science Behind Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein by Kathryn Harkup
The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexeivech
The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
Around the World (Kinda) in 34 Books
This Earth of Mankind by Pramoedya Ananta Toer (Indonesia)
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata – (Japan) Read
More by Hakan Gunday (Turkey)
Time Ages in a Hurry by Antonio Tabucchi (Italy)
Three Floors Up by Eshkol Nevo (Israel)
First Person by Richard Flanagan (Australia)
Katalin Street by Magda Szabo (Hungary)
I Hear Your Voice by Young-ha Kim (S. Korea)
Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck (Germany) Read
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (Finland)
Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi (Ghana)
Song for an Approaching Storm by Peter Froeberg Idling (Norway)
The Man Who Snapped His Fingers by Fariba Hachtroudi (Iran) Read
Measuring Time by Helon Habila (Nigeria)
Skylight by Jose Saramagao (Portugal)
The Penalty Area by Alain Grillot (France) Read
The Necessary Angel by C.K. Stead (New Zealand) Read
The Widow Killer by Pavel Kohut (Czech Republic)
The Scapegoat by Sophia Nikolaidu (Greece-US)
A House for Mr. Biswas by VS Naipaul (Trinidad-UK)
The Life and Times of Michael K. by J.M. Coetzee (South Africa)
Azazeel by Youssef Ziedan (Egypt)
Like a Fading Shadow by Antonio Munoz Molino (Spain)
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan (Palestine)
Small Country by Gaël Faye (Burundi) Read
The Gardener From Ochakov by Andrey Kurkov (Ukraine)
From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan (Ireland) Read
The Dream Life of Sukhanov by Olga Grushin (Russia)
Music of the Ghosts by Vaddey Ratner (Cambodia)
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy (India) Read
Fish Have No Feet by Jon Kalman Stefansson (Iceland)
Explosion Chronicles by Yan Lianke (China)
The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler (Austrla) Read
The Same Night Awaits Us All by Hristo Karastoyanov (Bulgaria)
8Chatterbox
Books Purchased Or Otherwise Permanently Acquired 2018
Part I
1. Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World by Laura Spinney (Kindle Sale, $) 1/1/18
2. The Walworth Beauty by Michele Roberts (UK Kindle sale, $) 1/1/18
3. Vindolanda by Adrian Goldsworthy (UK Kindle sale, $) 1/1/18
4. Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay (Kindle sale, $) 1/2/18
5. Find You in the Dark by Nathan Ripley (NetGalley) 1/2/18
6. Alternative Remedies for Loss by Joanna Cantor (NetGalley) 1/2/18
7. Demi-Gods by Eliza Robertson (NetGalley) 1/2/18
8. The Queen's Embroiderer: A True Story of Paris, Lovers, Swindlers, and the First Stock Market Crisis by Joan DeJean (NetGalley) 1/2/18
9. Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do About It by Richard V. Reeves (NetGalley) 1/2/18
10. The Bad Daughter by Joy Fielding (NetGalley) 1/2/18
11. The Necessary Angel by C.K. Stead (Gift) 1/2/18 read
12. All the Names They Used For God by Anjali Sachdeva (NetGalley) 1/2/18
13. Maid of the King's Court by Lucy Worsley (Kindle, gift certificate) 1/2/18 read
14. Like a Fading Shadow by Antonio Muñoz Molina (Kindle, gift certificate) 1/2/18
15. Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap? by Graham Allison (NetGalley) 1/3/18
16. Mr. Flood's Last Resort by Jess Kidd (NetGalley) 1/3/18
17. Force of Nature by Jane Harper (NetGalley) 1/3/18
18. Travelers in the Third Reich: The Rise of Fascism: 1919-1945 by Julia Boyd (Edelweiss e-galley) 1/3/18 read
19. The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman (NetGalley) 1/3/18 read
20. There There by Tommy Orange (NetGalley from Publisher) 1/5/18
21. The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir (NetGalley from Publisher) 1/5/18
22. A Taste for Vengeance by Martin Walker (NetGalley from Publisher) 1/5/18
23. Good Trouble: Stories by Joseph O'Neill (NetGalley from Publisher) 1/5/18
24. 20894098::The Common Good by Robert Reich (NetGalley from Publisher) 1/5/18
25. Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff (Kindle, $$) 1/6/18 read
26. Pursuit of a Parcel by Patricia Wentworth (Kindle, $$) 1/6/18
27. 20904235::The Ocean Liner by Marius Gabriel (NetGalley) 1/8/18
28. Paris Still Life by Rosalind Brackenbury (NetGalley) 1/8/18
29. The War on Normal People: The Truth About America's Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future by Andrew Yang (NetGalley) 1/8/18
30. Blown by Mark Haskell Smith (NetGalley) 1/8/18
31. Do We Need Economic Inequality? (The Future of Capitalism) by Danny Dorling (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/9/18
32. I'll Stay by Karen Day (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/9/18
33. Gun Love by Jennifer Clement (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/9/18
34. Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe (NetGalley) 1/9/18
35. Limelight by Amy Poeppel (NetGalley) 1/9/18
36. My Name is Nobody by Matthew Richardson (UK Kindle, $$) 1/9/18
37. 15831878::The Principle by Jérôme Ferrari (Kindle, gift certificate) 1/10/18
38. Love in Idleness by Amanda Craig (Kindle, gift certificate) 1/10/18 read
39. Exhibit Alexandra by Natasha Bell (NetGalley) 1/10/18
40. Star of the North by D.B. John (NetGalley) 1/10/18 read
41. Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy by Jonah Goldberg (NetGalley) 1/10/18
42. The Third Victim by Phillip Margolin (NetGalley) 1/10/18 read
43. Coming Home to Island House by Erica James (UK Kindle, $$) 1/11/18 read
44. I'll Keep You Safe by Peter May (UK Kindle, $$) 1/11/18
45. Circe by Madeline Miller (NetGalley) 1/11/18 read
46. The Verdun Affair by Nick Dybek (NetGalley) 1/11/18
47. Death Comes to Lynchester Close by David Dickinson (UK Kindle, $$) 1/13/18 read
48. Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker (UK Kindle, sale $) 1/14/18
49. 14572779::Collected Stores by Bernard MacLaverty (UK kindle, Sale, $) 1/14/18
50. The Lake District Murder by John Bude (UK kindle, sale, $) 1/14/18
51. Un aller simple by Didier van Cauwelaert (UK Kindle, $$) 1/14/18
52. Les cinq quartiers de la lune by Gilbert Sinoue (Kindle, $$) 1/14/18
53. Le dernier des notres by Adelaide de Clermont-Tonnerre (UK Kindle, $$) 1/14/18
54. A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn (UK Kindle, sale, $) 1/14/18
55. The Killing Site by Caro Peacock (NetGalley) 1/14/18
56. Second Wind: A Sunfish Sailor, an Island, and the Voyage That Brought a Family Together by Nathaniel Philbrick (NetGalley) 1/16/18
57. Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic by David Frum (Audiobook; $$) 1/16/18 . read
58. Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce (NetGalley) 1/17/18 read
59. Nothing is Forgotten by Peter Golden (NetGalley) 1/20/18
60. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder (gift) 1/20/18
61. What Is Russia Up To in the Middle East? by Dmitri Trenin (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/20/18
62. The Song of the Kings by Barry Unsworth (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/22/18 read
63. Rainbirds by Clarissa Goenawan (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/22/18
64. Eden Gardens by Louise Brown (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/22/18
65. The City Where We Once Lived by Eric Barnes (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/22/18
66. The Stranger in My Home by Adele Parks (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/23/18
67. History Teaches Us to Resist: How Progressive Movements Have Succeeded in Challenging Times by Mary Frances Berry (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/23/18
68. The Dragon Queen by William Andrews (NetGalley) 1/23/18
69. 20992898::The Storm by Arif Anwar (NetGalley) 1/24/18
70. The Only Café by Linden Macintyre (Kindle, gift certificate) 1/24/18
71. The Ghost Notebooks by Ben Dolnick (hardcover, from publisher) 1/24/18
72. Ritz and Escoffier: The Hotelier, The Chef, and the Rise of the Leisure Class by Luke Barr (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/24/18
73. Seven Days in Summer by Marcia Willett (UK Kindle, sale, $) 1/25/18
74. The History Thieves: Secrets, Lies and the Shaping of a Modern Nation by Iain Cobain (UK Kindle sale, $) 1/25/18
75. Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Golden Samovar by Olga Wjotas (UK Kindle, $$) 1/25/18 read
76. Eagle & Crane by Suzanne Rindell (NetGalley) 1/25/18
77. Twenty-one Days: A Daniel Pitt Novel by Anne Perry (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/25/18 read
78. The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton (NetGalley) 1/25/18
79. Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/27/18
80. Anatomy of a Miracle by Jonathan Miles (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/27/18
81. Bay of Secrets by Rosanna Ley (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/27/18
82. The Judge Hunter by Christopher Buckley (NetGalley) 1/29/18 Read
83. In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin (UK Kindle, sale, $) 1/30/18
84. Coffin, Scarcely Used by Colin Watson (NetGalley) 1/30/18
85. The Same Night Awaits Us All by Hristo Karastoyanov (ARC from publisher) 1/30/18
86. There Are No Dead Here: A Story of Murder and Denial in Colombia by Maria Mcfarland Sánchez-moreno (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/30/18
87. 1947: Where Now Begins by Elisabeth Åsbrink (Kindle, gift certificate) 1/31/18
88. Lullaby Road by James Anderson (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/31/18
89. Timekeepers: How the World Became Obsessed With Time by Simon Garfield (NetGalley) 2/2/18
90. Sal by Mick Kitson (NetGalley) 2/2/18
91. What Would Virginia Woolf Do?: And Other Questions I Ask Myself as I Attempt to Age Without Apology by Nina Lorez Collins (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/2/18
92. The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America by Timothy Snyder (NetGalley) 2/3/18
93. Invitation to a Bonfire by Adrienne Celt (NetGalley) 2/3/18
94. Milk!: A 10,000-Year Food Fracas by Mark Kurlansky (NetGalley) 2/3/18
95. The Rooster Bar by John Grisham (Audiobook, $$) 2/4/18) Read
96. 19934118::The Wife by Alafair Burke (Audiobook, $$) 2/3/18 Read
97. Faking Friends by Jane Fallon (Audiobook, $$) 2/4/18
98. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/3/18
99. Righteous by Joe Ide (Kindle sale, $) 2/4/18
100. Every Last Lie by Mary Kubica (Kindle sale, $) 2/4/18
101. Two Sisters: A Father, His Daughters, and Their Journey into the Syrian Jihad by Asne Seierstad (NetGalley) 2/6/18 Read
102. The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner (NetGalley) 2/6/18
103. A Death in Live Oak by Jack Grippando (Audiobook, $$) 2/6/18 Read
104. Orchid and the Wasp by Caollin Hughes (NetGalley) 2/6/18
105. The Winter Station by Jody Shields (NetGalley) 2/11/18
106. Lady be Good by Amber Brock (NetGalley) 2/11/18
107. Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer by Barbara Ehrenreich (NetGalley) 2/11/18
108. Upstate by James Wood (NetGalley) 2/13/18
109. Just a Breath Away by Carlene Thompson (NetGalley) 2/15/18
110. The Reluctant Assassin by Fiona Buckley (NetGalley) 2/15/18
111. The Girl in the Woods by Patricia MacDonald (NetGalley) 2/15/18
112. The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics by Salena Zito (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/15/18
113. Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging by Alex Wagner (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/15/18 Read
114. The Endless Beach by Jenny Colgan (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/15/18
115. 19667830::Nucleus by Rory Clements (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/15/18
116. Down the River unto the Sea by Walter Mosley (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/17/18
Part I
1. Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World by Laura Spinney (Kindle Sale, $) 1/1/18
2. The Walworth Beauty by Michele Roberts (UK Kindle sale, $) 1/1/18
3. Vindolanda by Adrian Goldsworthy (UK Kindle sale, $) 1/1/18
4. Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay (Kindle sale, $) 1/2/18
5. Find You in the Dark by Nathan Ripley (NetGalley) 1/2/18
6. Alternative Remedies for Loss by Joanna Cantor (NetGalley) 1/2/18
7. Demi-Gods by Eliza Robertson (NetGalley) 1/2/18
8. The Queen's Embroiderer: A True Story of Paris, Lovers, Swindlers, and the First Stock Market Crisis by Joan DeJean (NetGalley) 1/2/18
9. Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do About It by Richard V. Reeves (NetGalley) 1/2/18
10. The Bad Daughter by Joy Fielding (NetGalley) 1/2/18
11. The Necessary Angel by C.K. Stead (Gift) 1/2/18 read
12. All the Names They Used For God by Anjali Sachdeva (NetGalley) 1/2/18
13. Maid of the King's Court by Lucy Worsley (Kindle, gift certificate) 1/2/18 read
14. Like a Fading Shadow by Antonio Muñoz Molina (Kindle, gift certificate) 1/2/18
15. Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap? by Graham Allison (NetGalley) 1/3/18
16. Mr. Flood's Last Resort by Jess Kidd (NetGalley) 1/3/18
17. Force of Nature by Jane Harper (NetGalley) 1/3/18
18. Travelers in the Third Reich: The Rise of Fascism: 1919-1945 by Julia Boyd (Edelweiss e-galley) 1/3/18 read
19. The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman (NetGalley) 1/3/18 read
20. There There by Tommy Orange (NetGalley from Publisher) 1/5/18
21. The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir (NetGalley from Publisher) 1/5/18
22. A Taste for Vengeance by Martin Walker (NetGalley from Publisher) 1/5/18
23. Good Trouble: Stories by Joseph O'Neill (NetGalley from Publisher) 1/5/18
24. 20894098::The Common Good by Robert Reich (NetGalley from Publisher) 1/5/18
25. Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff (Kindle, $$) 1/6/18 read
26. Pursuit of a Parcel by Patricia Wentworth (Kindle, $$) 1/6/18
27. 20904235::The Ocean Liner by Marius Gabriel (NetGalley) 1/8/18
28. Paris Still Life by Rosalind Brackenbury (NetGalley) 1/8/18
29. The War on Normal People: The Truth About America's Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future by Andrew Yang (NetGalley) 1/8/18
30. Blown by Mark Haskell Smith (NetGalley) 1/8/18
31. Do We Need Economic Inequality? (The Future of Capitalism) by Danny Dorling (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/9/18
32. I'll Stay by Karen Day (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/9/18
33. Gun Love by Jennifer Clement (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/9/18
34. Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe (NetGalley) 1/9/18
35. Limelight by Amy Poeppel (NetGalley) 1/9/18
36. My Name is Nobody by Matthew Richardson (UK Kindle, $$) 1/9/18
37. 15831878::The Principle by Jérôme Ferrari (Kindle, gift certificate) 1/10/18
38. Love in Idleness by Amanda Craig (Kindle, gift certificate) 1/10/18 read
39. Exhibit Alexandra by Natasha Bell (NetGalley) 1/10/18
40. Star of the North by D.B. John (NetGalley) 1/10/18 read
41. Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy by Jonah Goldberg (NetGalley) 1/10/18
42. The Third Victim by Phillip Margolin (NetGalley) 1/10/18 read
43. Coming Home to Island House by Erica James (UK Kindle, $$) 1/11/18 read
44. I'll Keep You Safe by Peter May (UK Kindle, $$) 1/11/18
45. Circe by Madeline Miller (NetGalley) 1/11/18 read
46. The Verdun Affair by Nick Dybek (NetGalley) 1/11/18
47. Death Comes to Lynchester Close by David Dickinson (UK Kindle, $$) 1/13/18 read
48. Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker (UK Kindle, sale $) 1/14/18
49. 14572779::Collected Stores by Bernard MacLaverty (UK kindle, Sale, $) 1/14/18
50. The Lake District Murder by John Bude (UK kindle, sale, $) 1/14/18
51. Un aller simple by Didier van Cauwelaert (UK Kindle, $$) 1/14/18
52. Les cinq quartiers de la lune by Gilbert Sinoue (Kindle, $$) 1/14/18
53. Le dernier des notres by Adelaide de Clermont-Tonnerre (UK Kindle, $$) 1/14/18
54. A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn (UK Kindle, sale, $) 1/14/18
55. The Killing Site by Caro Peacock (NetGalley) 1/14/18
56. Second Wind: A Sunfish Sailor, an Island, and the Voyage That Brought a Family Together by Nathaniel Philbrick (NetGalley) 1/16/18
57. Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic by David Frum (Audiobook; $$) 1/16/18 . read
58. Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce (NetGalley) 1/17/18 read
59. Nothing is Forgotten by Peter Golden (NetGalley) 1/20/18
60. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder (gift) 1/20/18
61. What Is Russia Up To in the Middle East? by Dmitri Trenin (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/20/18
62. The Song of the Kings by Barry Unsworth (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/22/18 read
63. Rainbirds by Clarissa Goenawan (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/22/18
64. Eden Gardens by Louise Brown (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/22/18
65. The City Where We Once Lived by Eric Barnes (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/22/18
66. The Stranger in My Home by Adele Parks (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/23/18
67. History Teaches Us to Resist: How Progressive Movements Have Succeeded in Challenging Times by Mary Frances Berry (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/23/18
68. The Dragon Queen by William Andrews (NetGalley) 1/23/18
69. 20992898::The Storm by Arif Anwar (NetGalley) 1/24/18
70. The Only Café by Linden Macintyre (Kindle, gift certificate) 1/24/18
71. The Ghost Notebooks by Ben Dolnick (hardcover, from publisher) 1/24/18
72. Ritz and Escoffier: The Hotelier, The Chef, and the Rise of the Leisure Class by Luke Barr (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/24/18
73. Seven Days in Summer by Marcia Willett (UK Kindle, sale, $) 1/25/18
74. The History Thieves: Secrets, Lies and the Shaping of a Modern Nation by Iain Cobain (UK Kindle sale, $) 1/25/18
75. Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Golden Samovar by Olga Wjotas (UK Kindle, $$) 1/25/18 read
76. Eagle & Crane by Suzanne Rindell (NetGalley) 1/25/18
77. Twenty-one Days: A Daniel Pitt Novel by Anne Perry (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/25/18 read
78. The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton (NetGalley) 1/25/18
79. Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/27/18
80. Anatomy of a Miracle by Jonathan Miles (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/27/18
81. Bay of Secrets by Rosanna Ley (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/27/18
82. The Judge Hunter by Christopher Buckley (NetGalley) 1/29/18 Read
83. In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin (UK Kindle, sale, $) 1/30/18
84. Coffin, Scarcely Used by Colin Watson (NetGalley) 1/30/18
85. The Same Night Awaits Us All by Hristo Karastoyanov (ARC from publisher) 1/30/18
86. There Are No Dead Here: A Story of Murder and Denial in Colombia by Maria Mcfarland Sánchez-moreno (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/30/18
87. 1947: Where Now Begins by Elisabeth Åsbrink (Kindle, gift certificate) 1/31/18
88. Lullaby Road by James Anderson (Amazon Vine ARC) 1/31/18
89. Timekeepers: How the World Became Obsessed With Time by Simon Garfield (NetGalley) 2/2/18
90. Sal by Mick Kitson (NetGalley) 2/2/18
91. What Would Virginia Woolf Do?: And Other Questions I Ask Myself as I Attempt to Age Without Apology by Nina Lorez Collins (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/2/18
92. The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America by Timothy Snyder (NetGalley) 2/3/18
93. Invitation to a Bonfire by Adrienne Celt (NetGalley) 2/3/18
94. Milk!: A 10,000-Year Food Fracas by Mark Kurlansky (NetGalley) 2/3/18
95. The Rooster Bar by John Grisham (Audiobook, $$) 2/4/18) Read
96. 19934118::The Wife by Alafair Burke (Audiobook, $$) 2/3/18 Read
97. Faking Friends by Jane Fallon (Audiobook, $$) 2/4/18
98. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/3/18
99. Righteous by Joe Ide (Kindle sale, $) 2/4/18
100. Every Last Lie by Mary Kubica (Kindle sale, $) 2/4/18
101. Two Sisters: A Father, His Daughters, and Their Journey into the Syrian Jihad by Asne Seierstad (NetGalley) 2/6/18 Read
102. The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner (NetGalley) 2/6/18
103. A Death in Live Oak by Jack Grippando (Audiobook, $$) 2/6/18 Read
104. Orchid and the Wasp by Caollin Hughes (NetGalley) 2/6/18
105. The Winter Station by Jody Shields (NetGalley) 2/11/18
106. Lady be Good by Amber Brock (NetGalley) 2/11/18
107. Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer by Barbara Ehrenreich (NetGalley) 2/11/18
108. Upstate by James Wood (NetGalley) 2/13/18
109. Just a Breath Away by Carlene Thompson (NetGalley) 2/15/18
110. The Reluctant Assassin by Fiona Buckley (NetGalley) 2/15/18
111. The Girl in the Woods by Patricia MacDonald (NetGalley) 2/15/18
112. The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics by Salena Zito (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/15/18
113. Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging by Alex Wagner (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/15/18 Read
114. The Endless Beach by Jenny Colgan (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/15/18
115. 19667830::Nucleus by Rory Clements (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/15/18
116. Down the River unto the Sea by Walter Mosley (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/17/18
9Chatterbox
Books Purchased Or Otherwise Permanently Acquired 2018
Part II
All books on this list are ARCs acquired from ALA Midwinter in Denver, Feb 9-12
117. The Honey Farm by Harriet Alida Lye
118. All the Beautiful Girls by Elizabeth J. Church
119. Paris Metro by Wendell Steavenson
120. Varina by Charles Frazier
121. The High Season by Judy Blundell
122. The Optimistic Decade by Heather Abel
123. Chicago: a Novel by David Mamet
124. To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear Read
125. 84k by Claire North
126. House Witness by Mike Lawson
127. How it Happened by Michael Koryta
128. Blood & Ivy: The 1849 Murder That Scandalized Harvard by Paul Collins
129. Social Creature by Tara Isabelle Burton
130. How Hard Can It Be? by Allison Pearson
131. Send Down the Rain by Charles Martin
132. A Dangerous Crossing by Ausma Zehanat Khan
133. Fall of Angels by Barbara Cleverly Read
134. Undiscovered Country by Kelly O'Connor McNees
135. Texas Ranger by James Patterson
136. All That is Left Is All That Matters by Mark Slouka
137. Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, and Criminal in 19th-Century New York by Stacy Horn
138. April in Paris, 1921 by Tessa Lunney
139. Ike and Kay by James MacManus Read
140. The King's Witch by Tracy Borman Read
141. The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth Winthrop Read
142. Still Lives by Maria Hummel
143. The Life to Come by Michelle De Kretser
144. Searching for the Amazons: The Real Warrior Women of the Ancient World by John Man
145. Plum Rains by Andromeda Romano-Lax
146. Tyrant by Stephen Greenblatt
147. The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths Read
148. My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
149. Sharp: The Women Who Made An Art of Having an Opinion by Michelle Dean
150. Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern
151. The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders by Stuart Kells
152. All the Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson
153. The Overstory by Richard Powers
154. The Wind in My Hair: My Fight for Freedom in Modern Iran by Masih Alinejad
155. Warning Light by David Ricciardi
156. Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India by Shashi Tharoor
157. Impossible Saints by Clarissa Harwood
158. The Real Michael Swann by Bryan Reardon
159. Disappointment River: Finding and Losing the Northwest Passage by Brian Castner Read
160. The Magnificent Esme Wells by Adrienne Sharp
161. T Singer by Dag Solstad
162. For Two Thousand Years by Mihail Sebastian
163. Eventide by Therese Bohman
164. All These Beautiful Strangers by Elizabeth Klehfoth
165. Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan by Ruby Lal
166. Census by Jesse Ball
167. Never Anyone But You by Rupert Thomson
168. The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman
169. The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar
170. Love and Ruin by Paula McLain
171. Midnight Blue by Simone van der Vlugt
172. After Anna by Lisa Scottoline
173. The Lost Family by Jenna Blum
174. The Imam of Tawi-Tawi by Ian Hamilton
175. How to Be Safe by Tom McAllister Read
176. The Break by Katherena Vermette
177. Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
178. The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll
179. The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
180. The Last Cowboys: A Pioneer Family in the New West by John Branch
181. Berlin 1936: Sixteen Days in August by Oliver Hilmes
182. The Devil's Reward by Emanuelle de Villepin
183. Other People's Houses by Abbi Waxman
184. The Beekeeper:Rescuing the Stolen Women of Iraq by Dunya Mikhail
185. The Darkling Bride by Laura Andersen
186. No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria by Rania Abouzeid
187. Living with Leonardo by Martin Kemp
188. Another Side of Paradise by Sally Koslow
189. Ecstasy: A Novel by Mary Sharratt Read
190. A Lady's Guide to Selling Out by Sally Franson
191. A Reckoning: A Novel by Linda Spalding
192. The Secrets Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
193. The Elimination: A survivor of the Khmer Rouge confronts his past and the commandant of the killing fields by Rithy Panh
194. Freebird by Jonathan Raymond
195. Providence by Caroline Kepnes
196. Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
197. To the Edges of the Earth: 1909, the Race for the Three Poles, and the Climax of the Age of Exploration by Edward Larson
198. The Fox Hunt: A Refugee’s Memoir of Coming to America by Mohammed Al Samawi
199. Jane and Dorothy: A True Tale of Sense and Sensibility:The Lives of Jane Austen and Dorothy Wordsworth by Marian Veevers
200. The Spy of Venice by Benet Brandreth
201. A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
202. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World by Steve Brusette
203. The Dependents by Katharine Dion
204. The Husband Hour by Jamie Brenner
205. Cave of Bones by Anne Hillerman
206. Property: Stories Between Two Novellas by Lionel Shriver
207. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
208. The Island that Disappeared: The Lost History of the Mayflower's Sister Ship and Its Rival Puritan Colony by Tom Feiling
209. Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao
210. Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh
211. When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors
212. Every Note Played by Lisa Genova
213. You Think It, I'll Say It: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld
214. The Hush by John Hart
215. The Away Game: The Epic Search for Soccer's Next Superstars by Sebastian Abbot
216. No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert
217. The Ensemble by Aja Gabel
218. The Great Stain: Witnessing American Slavery by Noel Rae
219. Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley
220. This is What Happened by Mick Herron
221. Wicked River by Jenny Milchman
222. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig Read
223. The Dark Clouds Shining by David Downing Read
224. Southernmost by Silas House
225. Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent
226. Campaign Widows by Aimee Agresti
227. A Million Drops by Victor del Arbol
228. My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray
229. The Little Clan by Iris Martin Cohen
230. The Cactus by Sarah Haywood
231. Look Alive Out There: Essays by Sloane Crosley
232. Furyborn by Claire Legrand
233. Kill the Farm Boy by Kevin Hearne
234. Traitor by Jonathan de Shalit
Part II
All books on this list are ARCs acquired from ALA Midwinter in Denver, Feb 9-12
117. The Honey Farm by Harriet Alida Lye
118. All the Beautiful Girls by Elizabeth J. Church
119. Paris Metro by Wendell Steavenson
120. Varina by Charles Frazier
121. The High Season by Judy Blundell
122. The Optimistic Decade by Heather Abel
123. Chicago: a Novel by David Mamet
124. To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear Read
125. 84k by Claire North
126. House Witness by Mike Lawson
127. How it Happened by Michael Koryta
128. Blood & Ivy: The 1849 Murder That Scandalized Harvard by Paul Collins
129. Social Creature by Tara Isabelle Burton
130. How Hard Can It Be? by Allison Pearson
131. Send Down the Rain by Charles Martin
132. A Dangerous Crossing by Ausma Zehanat Khan
133. Fall of Angels by Barbara Cleverly Read
134. Undiscovered Country by Kelly O'Connor McNees
135. Texas Ranger by James Patterson
136. All That is Left Is All That Matters by Mark Slouka
137. Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, and Criminal in 19th-Century New York by Stacy Horn
138. April in Paris, 1921 by Tessa Lunney
139. Ike and Kay by James MacManus Read
140. The King's Witch by Tracy Borman Read
141. The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth Winthrop Read
142. Still Lives by Maria Hummel
143. The Life to Come by Michelle De Kretser
144. Searching for the Amazons: The Real Warrior Women of the Ancient World by John Man
145. Plum Rains by Andromeda Romano-Lax
146. Tyrant by Stephen Greenblatt
147. The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths Read
148. My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
149. Sharp: The Women Who Made An Art of Having an Opinion by Michelle Dean
150. Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern
151. The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders by Stuart Kells
152. All the Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson
153. The Overstory by Richard Powers
154. The Wind in My Hair: My Fight for Freedom in Modern Iran by Masih Alinejad
155. Warning Light by David Ricciardi
156. Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India by Shashi Tharoor
157. Impossible Saints by Clarissa Harwood
158. The Real Michael Swann by Bryan Reardon
159. Disappointment River: Finding and Losing the Northwest Passage by Brian Castner Read
160. The Magnificent Esme Wells by Adrienne Sharp
161. T Singer by Dag Solstad
162. For Two Thousand Years by Mihail Sebastian
163. Eventide by Therese Bohman
164. All These Beautiful Strangers by Elizabeth Klehfoth
165. Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan by Ruby Lal
166. Census by Jesse Ball
167. Never Anyone But You by Rupert Thomson
168. The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman
169. The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar
170. Love and Ruin by Paula McLain
171. Midnight Blue by Simone van der Vlugt
172. After Anna by Lisa Scottoline
173. The Lost Family by Jenna Blum
174. The Imam of Tawi-Tawi by Ian Hamilton
175. How to Be Safe by Tom McAllister Read
176. The Break by Katherena Vermette
177. Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
178. The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll
179. The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
180. The Last Cowboys: A Pioneer Family in the New West by John Branch
181. Berlin 1936: Sixteen Days in August by Oliver Hilmes
182. The Devil's Reward by Emanuelle de Villepin
183. Other People's Houses by Abbi Waxman
184. The Beekeeper:Rescuing the Stolen Women of Iraq by Dunya Mikhail
185. The Darkling Bride by Laura Andersen
186. No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria by Rania Abouzeid
187. Living with Leonardo by Martin Kemp
188. Another Side of Paradise by Sally Koslow
189. Ecstasy: A Novel by Mary Sharratt Read
190. A Lady's Guide to Selling Out by Sally Franson
191. A Reckoning: A Novel by Linda Spalding
192. The Secrets Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
193. The Elimination: A survivor of the Khmer Rouge confronts his past and the commandant of the killing fields by Rithy Panh
194. Freebird by Jonathan Raymond
195. Providence by Caroline Kepnes
196. Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
197. To the Edges of the Earth: 1909, the Race for the Three Poles, and the Climax of the Age of Exploration by Edward Larson
198. The Fox Hunt: A Refugee’s Memoir of Coming to America by Mohammed Al Samawi
199. Jane and Dorothy: A True Tale of Sense and Sensibility:The Lives of Jane Austen and Dorothy Wordsworth by Marian Veevers
200. The Spy of Venice by Benet Brandreth
201. A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
202. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World by Steve Brusette
203. The Dependents by Katharine Dion
204. The Husband Hour by Jamie Brenner
205. Cave of Bones by Anne Hillerman
206. Property: Stories Between Two Novellas by Lionel Shriver
207. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
208. The Island that Disappeared: The Lost History of the Mayflower's Sister Ship and Its Rival Puritan Colony by Tom Feiling
209. Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao
210. Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh
211. When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors
212. Every Note Played by Lisa Genova
213. You Think It, I'll Say It: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld
214. The Hush by John Hart
215. The Away Game: The Epic Search for Soccer's Next Superstars by Sebastian Abbot
216. No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert
217. The Ensemble by Aja Gabel
218. The Great Stain: Witnessing American Slavery by Noel Rae
219. Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley
220. This is What Happened by Mick Herron
221. Wicked River by Jenny Milchman
222. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig Read
223. The Dark Clouds Shining by David Downing Read
224. Southernmost by Silas House
225. Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent
226. Campaign Widows by Aimee Agresti
227. A Million Drops by Victor del Arbol
228. My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray
229. The Little Clan by Iris Martin Cohen
230. The Cactus by Sarah Haywood
231. Look Alive Out There: Essays by Sloane Crosley
232. Furyborn by Claire Legrand
233. Kill the Farm Boy by Kevin Hearne
234. Traitor by Jonathan de Shalit
10Chatterbox
Books Purchased Or Otherwise Permanently Acquired 2018
Part III
235. You Are Dead by Peter James (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/19/18
236. An Argumentation of Historians by Jodi Taylor (Edelweiss e-galley/ARC) 2/19/18
237. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin (paperback, $$) 2/21/18
238. Beloved by Toni Morrison (paperback, $$) 2/21/18 Read
239. Light in August by William Faulkener (paperback, $$) 2/21/18 Read
240. Go: A Coming of Age Novel by Kazuki Kaneshiro (Kindle First freebie) 2/21/18
241. The Wildflowers by Harriet Evans (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/21/18
242. An Unsuitable Match by Joanna Trollope (UK Kindle, $$) 2/21/18
243. The Kremlin's Candidate by Jason Matthews (Kindle, $$) 2/22/18
244. Red Gold by Alan Furst (Kindle Sale, $) 2/22/18
245. The Middleman by Olen Steinhauer (NetGalley) 2/22/18 Read
246. Blood Moon: An American Epic of War and Splendor in the Cherokee Nation by John Sedgwick (NetGalley) 2/22/18
247. Wallis in Love by Andrew Morton (NetGalley) 2/23/18
248. The Red Hand of Fury by R.N. Morris (NetGalley) 2/23/18
249. The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/23/18
250. A Crime in the Family by Sacha Batthyany (Audiobook, $$) 2/23/18 Read
251. East of Eden by John Steinbeck (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/25/18
252. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/25/18
253. The French Girl by Lexie Elliott (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/25/18 (actually earlier, but not logged) Read
254. Paper Ghosts by Julia Heaberlin (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/25/18
255. The Swordfish and the Star: Life on Cornwall's most treacherous stretch of coast by Gavin Knight (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/25/18
256. The Chains of Heaven: An Ethiopian Romance by Phillip Marsden (UK Kindle, $$) 2/25/18
257. Levelling Sea: The Story of a Cornish Haven and the Age of Sail by Philip Marsden (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/25/18
258. Measuring Time by Helon Habila (UK Kindle, $$) 2/25/18
259. Islander: A Journey Around Our Archipelago by Patrick Barkham (UK Kindle, $$) 2/25/18
260. A Country Escape by Katie Fforde (UK Kindle, $$) 2/25/18
261. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai (NetGalley, from Publisher) 2/25/18
262. No Good Alternative: Volume Two of Carbon Ideologies by William Vollman (NetGalley, from Publisher) 2/25/18)
263. The Gardener From Ochakov by Andrey Kurkov (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/26/18
264. After Hannibal by Barry Unsworth (Kindle, $$) 2/26/18
265. Denmark Vesey’s Garden: Slavery and Memory in the Cradle of the Confederacy by Ethan J. Kytle (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/26/18 Read
266. Death of a Novice by Cora Harrison (NetGalley) 2/26/18
267. Big Guns: A Novel by Steve Israel (NetGalley, from Publisher) 2/26/18
268. Small Country by Gaël Faye (NetGalley) 2/27/18 Read
269. Chosen Country: A Rebellion in the West by James Pogue (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/27/18 Read
270. A Tokyo Romance: A Memoir by Ian Buruma (e-Galley, First to Read) 2/27/18 Read
271. The Reservoir Tapes by Jon McGregor (Edelweiss, e-galley) 2/27/18
272. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly (Audiobook sale, $) 2/28/18
273. Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/28/18
274. The Language of Kindness by Christie Watson (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/28/18 Read
275. My October by Claire Holden Rothman (Audiobook, $$) 2/28/18
276. Jane Seymour, the Haunted Queen by Alison Weir (NetGalley) 2/28/18 Read
277. Gnomon by Nick Harkaway (NetGalley) 2/28/18
278. Time Pieces: A Dublin Memoir by John Banville (NetGalley, from publisher) 2/28/18
279. Digging In: A Novel by Loretta Nyhan (Kindle First, Kindle freebie) 3/1/18
280. The Last Man in Europe by Dennis Glover (Kindle, $$) 3/1/18 Read
281. The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers (UK Kindle sale, $) 3/1/18
282. Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves by Rachel Malik (UK Kindle, $$) 3/1/18 Read
283. The Draughtsman by Robert Lautner (UK Kindle, $$) 3/1/18
284. The Year That Changed Everything by Cathy Kelly (UK Kindle, $$) 3/1/18
285. Sunburn by Laura Lippmann (UK Kindle sale, $) 3/1/18
286. The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer (UK Kindle sale, $) 3/2/18
287. To Love and Be Wise by Josephine Tey (UK Kindle sale, $) 3/2/18
288. Flesh and Blood by John Harvey (UK Kindle sale, $) 3/2/18
289. District VIII by Adam LeBor (Edelweiss e-galley) 3/2/18
290. Joe Hill by Wallace Stegner (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/2/18
291. Recapitulation by Wallace Stegner (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/2/18
292. The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind by Barbara Lipska (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/2/18
293. When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger (NetGalley) 3/2/18
294. First Night by Jane Aiken Hodge (NetGalley) 3/2/18 Read
295. That Great Lucifer: A Portrait of Sir Walter Ralegh by Margaret Irwin (NetGalley) 3/2/18
296. Last Act by Jane Aiken Hodge (Kindle, $$) 3/4/18 Read
297. The Gabriel Hounds by Mary Stewart (Kindle sale, $) 3/4/18
298. Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart (Kindle sale, $) 3/4/18
299. Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/5/18 Read
300. Time is a Killer by Michel Bussi (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/5/18
301. Dancing Bears: True Stories of People Nostalgic for Life Under Tyranny by Witold Szablowski (Kindle, $$) 3/6/18
302. The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss (Audible, $$) 3/6/18
303. Sorority by Genevieve Sly Crane (NetGalley) 3/6/18
304. theMystery.doc by Matthew McIntosh (publisher freebie for Kindle) 3/6/18
305. My Name is Venus Black by Heather Lloyd (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/6/18 Read
306. The Shadow Killer by Arnaldur Indridason (NetGalley) 3/7/18
307. The House of Hopes and Dreams by Trisha Ashley (UK Kindle, $$) 3/7/18 Read
308. A Different Class of Murder by Laura Thompson (Kindle Sale, $) 3/8/18
309. In Prior's Wood by G.M. Malliet (NetGalley) 3/8/18 Read
310. The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware (NetGalley) 3/8/18
311. River Road by Carol Goodman (Kindle, Kindle sale, $) 3/11/18
312. Safekeeping by Jessamyn Hope (Kindle, Kindle sale, $) 3/11/18
313. American by Day by Derek B. Miller (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/12/18
314. Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller (Audiobook, $$) 3/12/18 Read
315. Istanbul Letters by Eliot Ackerman (Kindle Single, $) 3/12/18
316. Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution's Lost Hero by Christian Di Spigna (NetGalley) 3/12/18
317. Give People Money: How a Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revolutionize Work, and Remake the World by Annie Lowrey (NetGalley) 3/12/18
318. Silver Wedding by Maeve Binchy (Kindle Sale, $) 3/13/18
319. Coming Home by Rosamund Pilcher (Audiobook, $$) 3/13/18
320. Whisky Galore by Compton Mackenzie (Audiobook, $$) 3/14/18
321. The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes (UK Kindle/Audiobook, $$) 3/14/18 Read
322. Queen's Progress by M.J. Trow (NetGalley) 3/14/18
323. A Sharp Solitude by Christine Carbo (NetGalley) 3/14/18
324. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh (NetGalley) 3/15/18
325. The New Neighbors by Simon Lelic (First to Read freebie) 3/15/18 Read
326. The Banker's Wife by Cristina Alger (NetGalley) 3/15/18
327. The Shakespeare Requirement by Julie Schumacher (NetGalley) 3/15/18 Read
328. Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris (NetGalley) 3/16/18 Read
329. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (Amazon Vine, hardcover) 3/17/18
330. Nantucket Wedding by Nancy Thayer (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/17/18 Read
331. Rendezvous With Oblivion: Essays by Thomas Frank (NetGalley) 3/18/18 Read
332. The Best American Mystery Stories 2017 edited by John Sandford (Kindle sale, $) 3/19/18
333. The Untelling by Tayari Jones (Kindle sale, $) 3/19/18
334. The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George (Kindle, $$) 3/20/18 Read
335. Panic Room by Robert Goddard (UK Kindle, $$) 3/21/18
336. Last Letter Home by Rachel Hore (UK Kindle, $$) 3/21/18
337. Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi (UK Kindle, $$) 3/21/18
338. Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh (Audiobook, $$) 3/21/18 Read
339. Died in the Wool by Ngaio Marsh (Audiobook, $$) 3/21/18
340. Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy (UK Kindle, sale, $) 3/21/18
341. At Freddie's by Penelope Fitzgerald (UK Kindle, sale, $) 3/21/18
342. From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan (UK Kindle, $$) 3/21/18 Read
343. The Island Dwellers by Jen Silverman (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/22/18
344. Sail Away by Celia Imrie (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/22/18
345. No Man Dies Twice by Michael Smith (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/23/18
346. Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/23/18
347. No Place to Call Home by J.J. Bola (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/22/18
348. Between Earth and Sky by Amanda Skenandore (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/25/18
349. Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck (Kindle, $$) 3/25/18 Read
350. The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl (Audiobook, sale, $) 3/25/18
351. Stickle Island by Tim Orchard (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/25/18
352. From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds by Daniel Dennett (UK Kindle, sale, $) 3/27/18
353. Miss Kopp Just Won’t Quit by Amy Stewart (NetGalley) 3/27/18 Read
354. Black Water Rising by Attica Locke (Kindle, $$) 3/28/18 Read
355. Pleasantville by Attica Locke (UK Kindle, sale, $) 3/28/18
356. The House of Government: A Saga of the Russian Revolution by Yuri Slezkine (Audiobook, $$) 3/28/18
357. Believe Me by JP Delaney (NetGalley) 3/29/18
358. Lost in September by Kathleen Winter (Canadian Kindle, $$) 3/29/18
359. One Brother Shy by Tarry Fallis (Canadian Kindle, $$) 3/29/18 Read
360. Serial Monogamy by Kate Taylor (Canadian Kindle, $$) 3/29/18
361. The Far Side of the Sky by Daniel Kalla (Kindle, $$) 3/29/18
362. The White Angel by John MacLachlan Gray (Canadian Kindle, $$) 3/29/18)
363. The Emperor of Shoes by Spencer Wise (NetGalley) 3/30/18
364. Hate: Why We Should Resist it with Free Speech, Not Censorship by Nadine Strossen (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/30/18
365. We Begin Our Ascent by Joe Mungo Reed (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/30/18 Read
366. A Revolution of Feeling: The Decade that Forged the Modern Mind by Rachel Hewitt (UK Kindle, $$) 3/30/18
Part III
235. You Are Dead by Peter James (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/19/18
236. An Argumentation of Historians by Jodi Taylor (Edelweiss e-galley/ARC) 2/19/18
237. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin (paperback, $$) 2/21/18
238. Beloved by Toni Morrison (paperback, $$) 2/21/18 Read
239. Light in August by William Faulkener (paperback, $$) 2/21/18 Read
240. Go: A Coming of Age Novel by Kazuki Kaneshiro (Kindle First freebie) 2/21/18
241. The Wildflowers by Harriet Evans (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/21/18
242. An Unsuitable Match by Joanna Trollope (UK Kindle, $$) 2/21/18
243. The Kremlin's Candidate by Jason Matthews (Kindle, $$) 2/22/18
244. Red Gold by Alan Furst (Kindle Sale, $) 2/22/18
245. The Middleman by Olen Steinhauer (NetGalley) 2/22/18 Read
246. Blood Moon: An American Epic of War and Splendor in the Cherokee Nation by John Sedgwick (NetGalley) 2/22/18
247. Wallis in Love by Andrew Morton (NetGalley) 2/23/18
248. The Red Hand of Fury by R.N. Morris (NetGalley) 2/23/18
249. The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/23/18
250. A Crime in the Family by Sacha Batthyany (Audiobook, $$) 2/23/18 Read
251. East of Eden by John Steinbeck (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/25/18
252. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/25/18
253. The French Girl by Lexie Elliott (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/25/18 (actually earlier, but not logged) Read
254. Paper Ghosts by Julia Heaberlin (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/25/18
255. The Swordfish and the Star: Life on Cornwall's most treacherous stretch of coast by Gavin Knight (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/25/18
256. The Chains of Heaven: An Ethiopian Romance by Phillip Marsden (UK Kindle, $$) 2/25/18
257. Levelling Sea: The Story of a Cornish Haven and the Age of Sail by Philip Marsden (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/25/18
258. Measuring Time by Helon Habila (UK Kindle, $$) 2/25/18
259. Islander: A Journey Around Our Archipelago by Patrick Barkham (UK Kindle, $$) 2/25/18
260. A Country Escape by Katie Fforde (UK Kindle, $$) 2/25/18
261. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai (NetGalley, from Publisher) 2/25/18
262. No Good Alternative: Volume Two of Carbon Ideologies by William Vollman (NetGalley, from Publisher) 2/25/18)
263. The Gardener From Ochakov by Andrey Kurkov (UK Kindle, sale, $) 2/26/18
264. After Hannibal by Barry Unsworth (Kindle, $$) 2/26/18
265. Denmark Vesey’s Garden: Slavery and Memory in the Cradle of the Confederacy by Ethan J. Kytle (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/26/18 Read
266. Death of a Novice by Cora Harrison (NetGalley) 2/26/18
267. Big Guns: A Novel by Steve Israel (NetGalley, from Publisher) 2/26/18
268. Small Country by Gaël Faye (NetGalley) 2/27/18 Read
269. Chosen Country: A Rebellion in the West by James Pogue (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/27/18 Read
270. A Tokyo Romance: A Memoir by Ian Buruma (e-Galley, First to Read) 2/27/18 Read
271. The Reservoir Tapes by Jon McGregor (Edelweiss, e-galley) 2/27/18
272. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly (Audiobook sale, $) 2/28/18
273. Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/28/18
274. The Language of Kindness by Christie Watson (Amazon Vine ARC) 2/28/18 Read
275. My October by Claire Holden Rothman (Audiobook, $$) 2/28/18
276. Jane Seymour, the Haunted Queen by Alison Weir (NetGalley) 2/28/18 Read
277. Gnomon by Nick Harkaway (NetGalley) 2/28/18
278. Time Pieces: A Dublin Memoir by John Banville (NetGalley, from publisher) 2/28/18
279. Digging In: A Novel by Loretta Nyhan (Kindle First, Kindle freebie) 3/1/18
280. The Last Man in Europe by Dennis Glover (Kindle, $$) 3/1/18 Read
281. The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers (UK Kindle sale, $) 3/1/18
282. Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves by Rachel Malik (UK Kindle, $$) 3/1/18 Read
283. The Draughtsman by Robert Lautner (UK Kindle, $$) 3/1/18
284. The Year That Changed Everything by Cathy Kelly (UK Kindle, $$) 3/1/18
285. Sunburn by Laura Lippmann (UK Kindle sale, $) 3/1/18
286. The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer (UK Kindle sale, $) 3/2/18
287. To Love and Be Wise by Josephine Tey (UK Kindle sale, $) 3/2/18
288. Flesh and Blood by John Harvey (UK Kindle sale, $) 3/2/18
289. District VIII by Adam LeBor (Edelweiss e-galley) 3/2/18
290. Joe Hill by Wallace Stegner (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/2/18
291. Recapitulation by Wallace Stegner (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/2/18
292. The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind by Barbara Lipska (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/2/18
293. When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger (NetGalley) 3/2/18
294. First Night by Jane Aiken Hodge (NetGalley) 3/2/18 Read
295. That Great Lucifer: A Portrait of Sir Walter Ralegh by Margaret Irwin (NetGalley) 3/2/18
296. Last Act by Jane Aiken Hodge (Kindle, $$) 3/4/18 Read
297. The Gabriel Hounds by Mary Stewart (Kindle sale, $) 3/4/18
298. Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart (Kindle sale, $) 3/4/18
299. Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/5/18 Read
300. Time is a Killer by Michel Bussi (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/5/18
301. Dancing Bears: True Stories of People Nostalgic for Life Under Tyranny by Witold Szablowski (Kindle, $$) 3/6/18
302. The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss (Audible, $$) 3/6/18
303. Sorority by Genevieve Sly Crane (NetGalley) 3/6/18
304. theMystery.doc by Matthew McIntosh (publisher freebie for Kindle) 3/6/18
305. My Name is Venus Black by Heather Lloyd (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/6/18 Read
306. The Shadow Killer by Arnaldur Indridason (NetGalley) 3/7/18
307. The House of Hopes and Dreams by Trisha Ashley (UK Kindle, $$) 3/7/18 Read
308. A Different Class of Murder by Laura Thompson (Kindle Sale, $) 3/8/18
309. In Prior's Wood by G.M. Malliet (NetGalley) 3/8/18 Read
310. The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware (NetGalley) 3/8/18
311. River Road by Carol Goodman (Kindle, Kindle sale, $) 3/11/18
312. Safekeeping by Jessamyn Hope (Kindle, Kindle sale, $) 3/11/18
313. American by Day by Derek B. Miller (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/12/18
314. Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller (Audiobook, $$) 3/12/18 Read
315. Istanbul Letters by Eliot Ackerman (Kindle Single, $) 3/12/18
316. Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution's Lost Hero by Christian Di Spigna (NetGalley) 3/12/18
317. Give People Money: How a Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revolutionize Work, and Remake the World by Annie Lowrey (NetGalley) 3/12/18
318. Silver Wedding by Maeve Binchy (Kindle Sale, $) 3/13/18
319. Coming Home by Rosamund Pilcher (Audiobook, $$) 3/13/18
320. Whisky Galore by Compton Mackenzie (Audiobook, $$) 3/14/18
321. The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes (UK Kindle/Audiobook, $$) 3/14/18 Read
322. Queen's Progress by M.J. Trow (NetGalley) 3/14/18
323. A Sharp Solitude by Christine Carbo (NetGalley) 3/14/18
324. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh (NetGalley) 3/15/18
325. The New Neighbors by Simon Lelic (First to Read freebie) 3/15/18 Read
326. The Banker's Wife by Cristina Alger (NetGalley) 3/15/18
327. The Shakespeare Requirement by Julie Schumacher (NetGalley) 3/15/18 Read
328. Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris (NetGalley) 3/16/18 Read
329. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (Amazon Vine, hardcover) 3/17/18
330. Nantucket Wedding by Nancy Thayer (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/17/18 Read
331. Rendezvous With Oblivion: Essays by Thomas Frank (NetGalley) 3/18/18 Read
332. The Best American Mystery Stories 2017 edited by John Sandford (Kindle sale, $) 3/19/18
333. The Untelling by Tayari Jones (Kindle sale, $) 3/19/18
334. The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George (Kindle, $$) 3/20/18 Read
335. Panic Room by Robert Goddard (UK Kindle, $$) 3/21/18
336. Last Letter Home by Rachel Hore (UK Kindle, $$) 3/21/18
337. Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi (UK Kindle, $$) 3/21/18
338. Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh (Audiobook, $$) 3/21/18 Read
339. Died in the Wool by Ngaio Marsh (Audiobook, $$) 3/21/18
340. Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy (UK Kindle, sale, $) 3/21/18
341. At Freddie's by Penelope Fitzgerald (UK Kindle, sale, $) 3/21/18
342. From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan (UK Kindle, $$) 3/21/18 Read
343. The Island Dwellers by Jen Silverman (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/22/18
344. Sail Away by Celia Imrie (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/22/18
345. No Man Dies Twice by Michael Smith (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/23/18
346. Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/23/18
347. No Place to Call Home by J.J. Bola (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/22/18
348. Between Earth and Sky by Amanda Skenandore (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/25/18
349. Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck (Kindle, $$) 3/25/18 Read
350. The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl (Audiobook, sale, $) 3/25/18
351. Stickle Island by Tim Orchard (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/25/18
352. From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds by Daniel Dennett (UK Kindle, sale, $) 3/27/18
353. Miss Kopp Just Won’t Quit by Amy Stewart (NetGalley) 3/27/18 Read
354. Black Water Rising by Attica Locke (Kindle, $$) 3/28/18 Read
355. Pleasantville by Attica Locke (UK Kindle, sale, $) 3/28/18
356. The House of Government: A Saga of the Russian Revolution by Yuri Slezkine (Audiobook, $$) 3/28/18
357. Believe Me by JP Delaney (NetGalley) 3/29/18
358. Lost in September by Kathleen Winter (Canadian Kindle, $$) 3/29/18
359. One Brother Shy by Tarry Fallis (Canadian Kindle, $$) 3/29/18 Read
360. Serial Monogamy by Kate Taylor (Canadian Kindle, $$) 3/29/18
361. The Far Side of the Sky by Daniel Kalla (Kindle, $$) 3/29/18
362. The White Angel by John MacLachlan Gray (Canadian Kindle, $$) 3/29/18)
363. The Emperor of Shoes by Spencer Wise (NetGalley) 3/30/18
364. Hate: Why We Should Resist it with Free Speech, Not Censorship by Nadine Strossen (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/30/18
365. We Begin Our Ascent by Joe Mungo Reed (Amazon Vine ARC) 3/30/18 Read
366. A Revolution of Feeling: The Decade that Forged the Modern Mind by Rachel Hewitt (UK Kindle, $$) 3/30/18
11Chatterbox
Books Purchased Or Otherwise Permanently Acquired 2018
Part IV
367. Mary B: A Novel: An untold story of Pride and Prejudice by Katherine Chen (NetGalley) 3/31/18
368. Albert Einstein Speaking by R.J. Gadney (NetGalley) 3/31/18
369. No Such Creature by Giles Blunt (Canadian Kindle, $$) 4/2/18
370. Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston (Canadian Kindle, $$) 4/2/18
371. Woman of the Ashes by Mia Couto (NetGalley) 4/2/18
372. In the Garden of the Fugitives by Ceridwen Dovey (NetGalley) 4/2/18
373. Safe Houses by Dan Fesperman (NetGalley) 4/2/18 Read
374. Immigrant, Montana by Amitava Kumar (NetGalley, from publisher) 4/2/18
375. Notes From the Fog by Ben Marcus (NetGOnalley, from publisher) 4/2/18
376. Red, White, Blue by Lea Carpenter (NetGalley, from publisher) 4/2/18
377. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler (NetGalley) 4/2/18
378. Brother by David Chariandy (NetGalley) 4/2/18
379. Brothers of the Gun: A Memoir of the Syrian War by Marwan Hisham (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/2/18 Read
380. The Mandela Plot by Kenneth Bonert (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/2/18
381. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker (NetGalley) 4/3/18
382. The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India's New Gilded Age by James Crabtree (NetGalley) 4/3/18
383. Ticker: The Quest to Create an Artificial Heart by Mimi Swartz (NetGalley) 4/3/18
384. Sight: A Novel by Jessie Greengrass (NetGalley) 4/3/18
385. The Sapphire Widow by Dinah Jefferies (NetGalley) 4/4/18
386. One Day in December by Josie Silver (NetGalley) 4/4/18
387. The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham (NetGalley) 4/4/18
388. Necessary Evil: How to Fix Finance by Saving Human Rights by David Kinley (Amazon Vine) 4/4/18
389. Map of a Nation: A Biography Of The Ordnance Survey by Rachel Hewitt (Kindle, $$) 4/4/18 Read
390. The Fire Court by Andrew Taylor (UK Kindle, $$) 4/4/18 Read
391. Pandora's Boy by Lindsey Davis (UK Kindle, $$) 4/4/18
392. Painter to the King by Amy Sackville (UK Kindle, $$) 4/4/18
393. March Violets by Philip Kerr (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/4/18
394. The Glovemaker's Daughter by Leah Fleming (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/4/18
395. Icon by Frederick Forsyth (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/4/18
396. Dublin: Foundation by Edward Rutherfurd (UK Kindle, sale,$) 4/4/18
397. The Mirage Factory: Illusion, Imagination, and the Invention of Los Angeles by Gary Krist (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/4/18
398. Through the Wall by Patricia Wentworth (Kindle, sale, $) 4/4/18
399. Blake's Reach by Catherine Gaskin (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/4/18
400. Impossible Owls by Brian Phillips (NetGalley) 4/5/18
401. Rainbow's End by Ellis Peters (Audiobook, sale, $) 4/5/18 Read
402. The Removes by Tatjana Soli (NetGalley) 4/6/18
403. The Dark Interval: Letters on Loss, Grief, and Transformation by Rainer Maria Rilke (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/6/18
404. The Human Advantage: The Future of American Work in an Age of Smart Machines by Jay Richards (Amazon Vine hardcover) 4/6/18
405. Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/6/18
406. Greeks Bearing Gifts by Phillip Kerr (Audiobook, $$) 4/6/18
407. Blood Safari by Deon Meyer (Audiobook, $$) 4/6/18
408. Quick on the Draw by Susan Moody (NetGalley) 4/6/18
409. The Queen's Promise by Brenda Rickman Vantrease (NetGalley) 4/6/18
410. Hiding in Plain Sight by Mary Ellis (NetGalley) 4/6/18
411. In the Presence of Evil by Tania Bayard (NetGalley) 4/6/18
412. Living Dangerously by Katie Fforde (UK Kindle sale, $) 4/10/18
413. Loyalties by Thomas Fleming (Kindle, $$) 4/10/18
414. Miracle Cure by Harlan Coben (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/14/18
415. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler (Kindle, $$) 4/15/18 Read
416. Among the Ruins by Ausma Zehanat Khan (Audiobook, $$) 4/15/18
417. Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal (Kindle, sale, $) 4/15/18
418. The Girl Before by JP Delany (NetGalley) 4/15/18
419. 21716969::My Mother. Barack Obama. Donald Trump. And the Last Stand of the Angry White Man by Kevin Powell (NetGalley) 4/16/18
420. Less by Andrew Sean Greer (Kindle, $$) 4/16/18
421. Spring by Karl Ove Knausgaard (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/16/18
422. A Perilous Path: Talking Race, Inequality, and the Law by Sherrilyn Ifill (Amazon Vine hardcover) 4/16/18 Read
423. The Baghdad Clock by Shahad Al Rawi (LT Early Reviewer) 4/16/18
424. 21717628::The Wolf by Alex Grecian (UK Kindle sale, $) 4/16/18
425. The Prodigal Spy by Joseph Kanon (UK Kindle sale, $) 4/16/18
426. The Immeasurable World: Journeys in Desert Places by William Atkins (NetGalley) 4/17/18
427. The Smiling Man by Joseph Knox (NetGalley) 4/17/18
428. 21719276::What If This Were Enough? by Heather Havrilesky (NetGalley) 4/17/18
429. 21719278::The Last Palace: Europe's Turbulent Century in Five Lives and One Legendary House by Norman Eisen (NetGalley) 4/17/18
430. 21719283::Only to Sleep by Lawrence Osborne (NetGalley) 4/17/18
431. My Dead Parents: A Memoir by Anya Yurchyshyn (Hardcover, $$) 4/17/18
432. 21721603::The Infinite Blacktop by Sarah Gran (NetGalley) 4/18/18
433. 21721606::Shell: A Novel by Kristina Olsson (NetGalley) 4/18/18
434. Ohio by Stephen Markley (NetGalley) 4/19/18
435. Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin (Kindle Freebie) 4/19/18
436. Those Wild Wyndhams: Three Sisters at the Heart of Power by Claudia Renton (NetGalley) 4/20/18
437. The Washington Decree by Jussi Adler-Olsen (NetGalley) 4/20/18
438. The King's Sister by Anne O'Brien (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/21/18
439. Whistle in the Dark by Emma Healey (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/23/18
440. Sirens by Joseph Knox (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/23/18
442. The Very Marrow of Our Bones by Christine Higdon (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/23/18
443. A Good Heart is Hard to Find by Trisha Ashley (Audiobook, $$) 4/23/18 Read
444. Severance by Ling Ma (NetGalley) 4/24/18
445. The Man of Gold by Evelyn Hervey (NetGalley) 4/24/18
446. The Rain Watcher by Tatiana de Rosnay (NetGalley) 4/24/18
447. 20760641::There Are No Grown-ups: A Midlife Coming-of-Age Story by Pamela Druckerman (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/25/18
448. A Murder of Quality by George Le Carré (UK Kindle, Kindle sale, $) 4/26/18
449. A Double Life by Flynn Berry (NetGalley) 4/26/18 Read
450. The Killing Habit by Mark Billingham (NetGalley) 4/26/18
451. Seven Types of Atheism by John Gray (NetGalley) 4/26/18
452. What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City by Mona Hanna-Attisha (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/26/18
453. The Darker the Night, the Brighter the Stars: A Neuropsychologist's Odyssey Through Consciousness by Paul Broks (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/26/18
454. Visible Empire by Hannah Pittard (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/26/18
455. Island of the Mad by Laurie King (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/26/18
456. 21394655::Cold Bayou by Barbara Hambly (NetGalley) 4/27/18
457. 20701526::My Husband and I: The Inside Story of 70 Years of the Royal Marriage by Ingrid Seward (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/27/18
458. 15865851::In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware (Kindle sale, $) 4/28/18
459. 20969300::The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis (Edelweiss e-galley) 4/28/18
460. 20564195::Hidden Lives by Judith Lennox (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/29/18
461. 5416931::Before the Storm by Judith Lennox (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/29/18
462. 564610::The Dark-Eyed Girls by Judith Lennox (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/29/18
463. 21642488::The Librarian by Salley Vickers (UK Kindle, $$) 4/29/18 Read
464. 20852002::Slave Old Man by Patrick Chamoiseau (Amazon Vine hardcover) 4/29/18
465. 20943923::The Death of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic by Benjamin Carter Hett (Audiobook, $$) 4/30/18 Read
466. 247513::Beware of the Trains by Edmund Crispin (NetGalley) 5/1/18
467. 21765598::Waiting for Eden by Eliot Ackerman (NetGalley from publisher) 5/1/18
468. 21765600::Love Is Blind by William Boyd (NetGalley from publisher) 5/1/18
469. 21653931::American Dialogue: The Founding Fathers and Us by Joseph Ellis (NetGalley from publisher) 5/1/18
470. 20934112::Washington Black by Esi Edugyan (NetGalley from publisher) 5/1/18
471. 21439505::Debussy: A Painter in Sound by Stephen Walsh (NetGalley from publisher) 5/1/18
472. 21765627::The Night Ferry by Lotte & Søren Hammer (NetGalley from publisher) 5/1/18
473. 21765628::Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future by Mary Robinson (NetGalley from publisher) 5/1/18
474. 21765634::The Splintering of the American Mind: Identity Politics, Inequality, and Community on Today’s College Campuses by William Egginton (NetGalley) 5/1/18
475. 20946892::Salt Lane by William Shaw (UK Kindle, $$) 5/2/18
476. 17689377::Mysterious Fragrance of the Yellow Mountains by Yasuko Thanh (Canadian Kindle, $$) 5/4/18
477. 21775420::A Long Island Story by Rick Gekoski (NetGalley) 5/4/18
478. 21722394::The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason (NetGalley) 5/4/18
479. 21092556::Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy (NetGalley) 5/4/18
Part IV
367. Mary B: A Novel: An untold story of Pride and Prejudice by Katherine Chen (NetGalley) 3/31/18
368. Albert Einstein Speaking by R.J. Gadney (NetGalley) 3/31/18
369. No Such Creature by Giles Blunt (Canadian Kindle, $$) 4/2/18
370. Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston (Canadian Kindle, $$) 4/2/18
371. Woman of the Ashes by Mia Couto (NetGalley) 4/2/18
372. In the Garden of the Fugitives by Ceridwen Dovey (NetGalley) 4/2/18
373. Safe Houses by Dan Fesperman (NetGalley) 4/2/18 Read
374. Immigrant, Montana by Amitava Kumar (NetGalley, from publisher) 4/2/18
375. Notes From the Fog by Ben Marcus (NetGOnalley, from publisher) 4/2/18
376. Red, White, Blue by Lea Carpenter (NetGalley, from publisher) 4/2/18
377. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler (NetGalley) 4/2/18
378. Brother by David Chariandy (NetGalley) 4/2/18
379. Brothers of the Gun: A Memoir of the Syrian War by Marwan Hisham (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/2/18 Read
380. The Mandela Plot by Kenneth Bonert (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/2/18
381. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker (NetGalley) 4/3/18
382. The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India's New Gilded Age by James Crabtree (NetGalley) 4/3/18
383. Ticker: The Quest to Create an Artificial Heart by Mimi Swartz (NetGalley) 4/3/18
384. Sight: A Novel by Jessie Greengrass (NetGalley) 4/3/18
385. The Sapphire Widow by Dinah Jefferies (NetGalley) 4/4/18
386. One Day in December by Josie Silver (NetGalley) 4/4/18
387. The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham (NetGalley) 4/4/18
388. Necessary Evil: How to Fix Finance by Saving Human Rights by David Kinley (Amazon Vine) 4/4/18
389. Map of a Nation: A Biography Of The Ordnance Survey by Rachel Hewitt (Kindle, $$) 4/4/18 Read
390. The Fire Court by Andrew Taylor (UK Kindle, $$) 4/4/18 Read
391. Pandora's Boy by Lindsey Davis (UK Kindle, $$) 4/4/18
392. Painter to the King by Amy Sackville (UK Kindle, $$) 4/4/18
393. March Violets by Philip Kerr (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/4/18
394. The Glovemaker's Daughter by Leah Fleming (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/4/18
395. Icon by Frederick Forsyth (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/4/18
396. Dublin: Foundation by Edward Rutherfurd (UK Kindle, sale,$) 4/4/18
397. The Mirage Factory: Illusion, Imagination, and the Invention of Los Angeles by Gary Krist (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/4/18
398. Through the Wall by Patricia Wentworth (Kindle, sale, $) 4/4/18
399. Blake's Reach by Catherine Gaskin (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/4/18
400. Impossible Owls by Brian Phillips (NetGalley) 4/5/18
401. Rainbow's End by Ellis Peters (Audiobook, sale, $) 4/5/18 Read
402. The Removes by Tatjana Soli (NetGalley) 4/6/18
403. The Dark Interval: Letters on Loss, Grief, and Transformation by Rainer Maria Rilke (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/6/18
404. The Human Advantage: The Future of American Work in an Age of Smart Machines by Jay Richards (Amazon Vine hardcover) 4/6/18
405. Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/6/18
406. Greeks Bearing Gifts by Phillip Kerr (Audiobook, $$) 4/6/18
407. Blood Safari by Deon Meyer (Audiobook, $$) 4/6/18
408. Quick on the Draw by Susan Moody (NetGalley) 4/6/18
409. The Queen's Promise by Brenda Rickman Vantrease (NetGalley) 4/6/18
410. Hiding in Plain Sight by Mary Ellis (NetGalley) 4/6/18
411. In the Presence of Evil by Tania Bayard (NetGalley) 4/6/18
412. Living Dangerously by Katie Fforde (UK Kindle sale, $) 4/10/18
413. Loyalties by Thomas Fleming (Kindle, $$) 4/10/18
414. Miracle Cure by Harlan Coben (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/14/18
415. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler (Kindle, $$) 4/15/18 Read
416. Among the Ruins by Ausma Zehanat Khan (Audiobook, $$) 4/15/18
417. Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal (Kindle, sale, $) 4/15/18
418. The Girl Before by JP Delany (NetGalley) 4/15/18
419. 21716969::My Mother. Barack Obama. Donald Trump. And the Last Stand of the Angry White Man by Kevin Powell (NetGalley) 4/16/18
420. Less by Andrew Sean Greer (Kindle, $$) 4/16/18
421. Spring by Karl Ove Knausgaard (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/16/18
422. A Perilous Path: Talking Race, Inequality, and the Law by Sherrilyn Ifill (Amazon Vine hardcover) 4/16/18 Read
423. The Baghdad Clock by Shahad Al Rawi (LT Early Reviewer) 4/16/18
424. 21717628::The Wolf by Alex Grecian (UK Kindle sale, $) 4/16/18
425. The Prodigal Spy by Joseph Kanon (UK Kindle sale, $) 4/16/18
426. The Immeasurable World: Journeys in Desert Places by William Atkins (NetGalley) 4/17/18
427. The Smiling Man by Joseph Knox (NetGalley) 4/17/18
428. 21719276::What If This Were Enough? by Heather Havrilesky (NetGalley) 4/17/18
429. 21719278::The Last Palace: Europe's Turbulent Century in Five Lives and One Legendary House by Norman Eisen (NetGalley) 4/17/18
430. 21719283::Only to Sleep by Lawrence Osborne (NetGalley) 4/17/18
431. My Dead Parents: A Memoir by Anya Yurchyshyn (Hardcover, $$) 4/17/18
432. 21721603::The Infinite Blacktop by Sarah Gran (NetGalley) 4/18/18
433. 21721606::Shell: A Novel by Kristina Olsson (NetGalley) 4/18/18
434. Ohio by Stephen Markley (NetGalley) 4/19/18
435. Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin (Kindle Freebie) 4/19/18
436. Those Wild Wyndhams: Three Sisters at the Heart of Power by Claudia Renton (NetGalley) 4/20/18
437. The Washington Decree by Jussi Adler-Olsen (NetGalley) 4/20/18
438. The King's Sister by Anne O'Brien (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/21/18
439. Whistle in the Dark by Emma Healey (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/23/18
440. Sirens by Joseph Knox (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/23/18
442. The Very Marrow of Our Bones by Christine Higdon (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/23/18
443. A Good Heart is Hard to Find by Trisha Ashley (Audiobook, $$) 4/23/18 Read
444. Severance by Ling Ma (NetGalley) 4/24/18
445. The Man of Gold by Evelyn Hervey (NetGalley) 4/24/18
446. The Rain Watcher by Tatiana de Rosnay (NetGalley) 4/24/18
447. 20760641::There Are No Grown-ups: A Midlife Coming-of-Age Story by Pamela Druckerman (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/25/18
448. A Murder of Quality by George Le Carré (UK Kindle, Kindle sale, $) 4/26/18
449. A Double Life by Flynn Berry (NetGalley) 4/26/18 Read
450. The Killing Habit by Mark Billingham (NetGalley) 4/26/18
451. Seven Types of Atheism by John Gray (NetGalley) 4/26/18
452. What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City by Mona Hanna-Attisha (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/26/18
453. The Darker the Night, the Brighter the Stars: A Neuropsychologist's Odyssey Through Consciousness by Paul Broks (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/26/18
454. Visible Empire by Hannah Pittard (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/26/18
455. Island of the Mad by Laurie King (Amazon Vine ARC) 4/26/18
456. 21394655::Cold Bayou by Barbara Hambly (NetGalley) 4/27/18
457. 20701526::My Husband and I: The Inside Story of 70 Years of the Royal Marriage by Ingrid Seward (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/27/18
458. 15865851::In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware (Kindle sale, $) 4/28/18
459. 20969300::The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis (Edelweiss e-galley) 4/28/18
460. 20564195::Hidden Lives by Judith Lennox (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/29/18
461. 5416931::Before the Storm by Judith Lennox (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/29/18
462. 564610::The Dark-Eyed Girls by Judith Lennox (UK Kindle, sale, $) 4/29/18
463. 21642488::The Librarian by Salley Vickers (UK Kindle, $$) 4/29/18 Read
464. 20852002::Slave Old Man by Patrick Chamoiseau (Amazon Vine hardcover) 4/29/18
465. 20943923::The Death of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic by Benjamin Carter Hett (Audiobook, $$) 4/30/18 Read
466. 247513::Beware of the Trains by Edmund Crispin (NetGalley) 5/1/18
467. 21765598::Waiting for Eden by Eliot Ackerman (NetGalley from publisher) 5/1/18
468. 21765600::Love Is Blind by William Boyd (NetGalley from publisher) 5/1/18
469. 21653931::American Dialogue: The Founding Fathers and Us by Joseph Ellis (NetGalley from publisher) 5/1/18
470. 20934112::Washington Black by Esi Edugyan (NetGalley from publisher) 5/1/18
471. 21439505::Debussy: A Painter in Sound by Stephen Walsh (NetGalley from publisher) 5/1/18
472. 21765627::The Night Ferry by Lotte & Søren Hammer (NetGalley from publisher) 5/1/18
473. 21765628::Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future by Mary Robinson (NetGalley from publisher) 5/1/18
474. 21765634::The Splintering of the American Mind: Identity Politics, Inequality, and Community on Today’s College Campuses by William Egginton (NetGalley) 5/1/18
475. 20946892::Salt Lane by William Shaw (UK Kindle, $$) 5/2/18
476. 17689377::Mysterious Fragrance of the Yellow Mountains by Yasuko Thanh (Canadian Kindle, $$) 5/4/18
477. 21775420::A Long Island Story by Rick Gekoski (NetGalley) 5/4/18
478. 21722394::The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason (NetGalley) 5/4/18
479. 21092556::Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy (NetGalley) 5/4/18
12Chatterbox
Books Purchased Or Otherwise Permanently Acquired 2018
Part V
480. Money in the Morgue by Ngaio Marsh and Stella Duffy (UK Kindle, $$) 5/4/18
481. The Diviners by Margaret Laurence (Canadian Kindle, $$) 5/4/18
482. Ragged Company by Laurence Wagamese (Canadian Kindle, $$) 5/4/18
483. Little Sister by David Hewson (UK Kindle, $$) 5/4/18
484. Dazzle Patterns by Allison Watt (Kindle, $$) 5/4/18
485. The Dragon Man by Garry Disher (Kindle, sale, $) 5/5/18
486. 19099927::The Vimy Trap: Or, How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Great War by Ian McKay (Canadian Kindle, $$) 5/5/18
487. The Cornish Trilogy by Robertson Davies (Canadian Kindle, $$) 5/5/18
488. Babylon Berlin by Volker Kutscher (UK Kindle, sale, $) 5/5/18
489. Divided: Why We're Living in an Age of Walls by Tim Marshall (UK Kindle, $$) 5/5/18
490. A Killer in King's Cove by Iona Whishaw (Canadian Kindle, $$) 5/5/18 Read
491. Death in a Darkening Mist by Iona Whishaw (Kindle, $$) 5/5/18 Read
492. American Pharoah: The Untold Story of the Triple Crown Winner's Legendary Rise by Joe Drape (Audiobook freebie) 5/5/18
493. Body and Soul by John Harvey (UK Kindle, $$) 5/6/18
494. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield (Kindle, sale, $) 5/6/18
495. The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer (Audiobook, $$) 5/7/18 (but bought earlier) Read
496. An Old, Cold Grave by Iona Whishaw (Kindle, $$) 5/7/18 Read
497. It Begins in Betrayal by Iona Whishaw (Kindle, $$) 5/7/18 Read
498. An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma (NetGalley) 5/7/18
499. The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry (NetGalley) 5/8/18
500. What My Sister Knew by Nina Laurin (NetGalley) 5/8/18
501. City of Ink by Elsa Hart (NetGalley) 5/8/18
502. The Lost Love Letters of Henri Fournier: A Novel by Rosalind Brackenbury (NetGalley) 5/9/18
503. Thomas Paine's Rights of Man: A Biography: Books That Changed the World by Christopher Hitchens (Audiobook, $$) 5/9/18
504. Estoril by Dejan Tiago-Stankovic (UK Kindle, $$) 5/9/18
505. And Fire Came Down by Emma Viskic (Edelweiss e-galley) 5/9/18
506. Kafka's Last Trial: The Case of a Literary Legacy by Benjamin Balint (Edelweiss e-galley) 5/10/18
507. Mad Scenes and Exit Arias: The Death of the New York City Opera and the Future of Opera in America by Heidi Waleson (NetGalley) 5/10/18
508. Pan Tadeusz: The Last Foray in Lithuania by Adam Mickiewicz (Edelweiss e-galley) 5/10/18
509. The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook by Niall Ferguson (UK Kindle, sale, $) 5/11/18
510. The Library Book by Susan Orlean (NetGalley) 5/11/18 Read
511. They Eat Puppies, Don't They? By Christopher Buckley (Audiobook, $$) 5/13/18
512. Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver (NetGalley) 5/14/18
513. Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie (Audiobook, $$) 5/14/18 Read
514. Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie (Audiobook, $$) 5/14/18
515. The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington by Charles Rosenberg (Amazon Vine ARC) 5/15/18 Read
516. Exit Strategy by Charlton Pettus (Amazon Vine ARC) 5/15/18
517. Appointment With Death by Agatha Christie (Audiobook, $$) 5/15/18 Read
518. Mrs. McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie (Audiobook, $$) 5/15/18
519. Maulever Hall by Jane Aiken Hodge (NetGalley) 5/16/18
520. The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton (NetGalley) 5/16/18
521. The Most Dangerous Branch: Inside the Supreme Court's Assault on the Constitution by David A. Kaplan (NetGalley) 5/16/18
522. Burden: A Preacher, a Klansman, and a True Story of Redemption in the Modern South by Courtney Hargrave (NetGalley) 5/16/18
523. The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick (Kindle, sale, $) 5/16/18
524. The Family Tabor by Cherise Wolas (Amazon Vine ARC) 5/16/18
525. A Family Recipe by Veronica Henry (UK Kindle, $$) 5/16/18
526. The Butcher's Daughter by Victoria Glendinning (UK Kindle, $$) 5/16/18 Read
527. The Land of Green Ginger by Winnifred Holtby (UK Kindle, sale, $) 5/16/18
528. Feared by Lisa Scottoline (NetGalley, from publisher) 5/16/18
529. The Wedding: Savages by Sabri Louatah (UK Kindle, $$) 5/16/18
530. The Valley at the Centre of the World by Malachy Tallack (Kindle, $$) 5/16/18
531. Drama Teacher by Koren Zailckas (NetGalley) 5/17/18
532. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (UK Kindle, kindle sale, $) 5/17/18
533. Barometer Rising by Hugh Maclennan (paperback, $$) 5/17/18
534. The Night of the Twelfth by Michael Gilbert (paperback, $$) 5/17/18 Read
535. The Black Seraphim by Michael Gilbert (paperback, $$) 5/17/18
536. Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea (audiobook, $$) 5/17/18 Read
537. A City of Bells by Elizabeth Goudge (UK Kindle, sale, $) 5/20/18
538. Towers in the Mist by Elizabeth Goudge (UK Kindle, sale, $) 5/20/18
539. Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves (Amazon Vine, hardcover) 5/20/18
540. House of Gold by Natasha Solomons (ARC, Amazon Vine) 5/20/18
541. Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier (ARC, Amazon Vine) 5/20/18
542. Us Against You by Fredrik Backman (NetGalley) 5/21/18
543. All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin (NetGalley) 5/22/18
544. The Pisces by Melissa Broder (Amazon Vine ARC) 5/22/18
545. OK, Mr. Field by Katherine Kilalea (Amazon Vine ARC) 5/22/18
546. The Accident on the A35 by Graeme Macrae Burnet (Edelweiss e-galley) 5/22/18
547. The Golden Hour by Todd Moss (audiobook, $$) 5/22/18
548. In the Grip of It by Sheena Kamal (Kindle Single, $) 5/22/18
549. How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them by Jason Stanley (NetGalley) 5/23/18
550. The Kinship of Secrets by Eugenia Kim (NetGalley) 5/24/18
551. The Pasha of Cuisine by Saygin Ersin (Edelweiss e-galley) 5/25/18
552. Spindrift by Phyllis Whitney (Kindle, Kindle sale) 5/25/18
553. The Golden Unicorn by Phyllis Whitney (Kindle, Kindle sale) 5/25/18
554. Seven Tears for Apollo by Phyllis Whitney (Kindle, Kindle sale) 5/25/18
555. A Howl of Wolves by Judith Flanders (Kindle, $$) 5/25/18 Read
556. After the Fine Weather by Michael Gilbert (paperback, $$) 5/26/18
557. Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza (NetGalley) 5/27/18 Read
558. The Quiet Side of Passion by Alexander McCall Smith (First to Read) 5/29/18 Read
559. The Game of Hope by Sandra Gulland (First to Read) 5/29/18 Read
560. Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts (Kindle & audiobook, $$) 5/29/18 Read
561. The Girl They Left Behind by Roxanne Veletzos (NetGalley) 5/29/18
562. We All Love the Beautiful Girls by Joanne Proulx (NetGalley) 5/29/18
563. Days of Awe by A.M. Homes (NetGalley, from publisher) 5/31/18
564. Ghosted: A Novel by Rosie Walsh (NetGalley, from publisher) 5/31/18
565. The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan (NetGalley, from publisher) 5/31/18
566. The Late Bloomers' Club by Louise Miller (Netgalley, from publisher) 5/31/18
567. Aunt Dimity and the King's Ransom by Nancy Atherton (NetGalley, from publisher) 5/31/18 Read
578. Temp: How American Work, American Business, and the American Dream Became Temporary by Louis Hyman (NetGalley, from publisher) 5/31/18
579. Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World by Adam Tooze (NetGalley, from publisher) 5/31/18
580. A Passionate Man by Joanna Trollope (UK Kindle, sale, $) 5/31/18
581. Firefly by Henry Porter (NetGalley) 6/1/18 Read
582. The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey (NetGalley) 6/1/18
583. Melmoth by Sarah Perry (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/1/18
584. The Sideman by Caro Ramsay (NetGalley) 6/1/18
585. The Angel in the Glass by Alys Clare (NetGalley) 6/1/18
586. Dark Queen Rising by Paul Doherty (NetGalley) 6/1/18
587. Aunt Dimity and the Widow's Curse by Nancy Atherton (Kindle, $$) 6/1/18 Read
588. She Was the Quiet One by Michele Campbell (NetGalley) 6/1/18
589. Priceless by Zygmunt Miloszewski (NetGalley) 6/1/18
590. Boundless: Tracing Land and Dream in a New Northwest Passage by Annabel Winter (Kindle, $$) 6/2/18
591. The Queen's Mary by Sarah Gristwood (Kindle First, freebie) 6/2/18 Read
592. I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara (Kindle, $$) 6/3/18
593. Rain: Four Walks in English Weather by Melissa Harrison (UK Kindle, $$) 6/3/18 Read
594. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford (paperback, $$) 6/4/18
595. The Department of Missing Persons by Ruth Zylberman (hardcover, $$) 6/4/18
596. The Man Between by Charles Cumming (UK Kindle) 6/5/18
597. Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, its Chaotic Founding... its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-class Metropolis by Sam Anderson (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/5/18
598. Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment by Francis Fukuyama (Netgalley) 6/6/18
599. My Purple-Scented Novel by Ian MacEwan (NetGalley) 6/6/18
600. Smoke and Ashes by Abir Mukherjee (UK Kindle, $$) 6/7/18
601. Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist by Franchesca Ramsay (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/7/18 Read
602. Paris in the Dark by Robert Olen Butler (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/8/18
603. Solemn Graves by James R. Benn (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/8/18
604. Blood Money by Tom Bradby (UK Kindle, sale, $) 6/8/18
605. The Intrusions by Stav Sherez (Kindle, $$) 6/9/18
606. The Unmourned by Thomas Keneally (Kindle, $$) 6/9/18
607. Last Stories by William Trevor (Kindle, $$) 6/9/18
608. Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect by Mick West (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/11/18
609. The Court Dancer by Kyung-Sook Shin (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/12/18
610. Life in the Garden by Penelope Lively (Kindle, $$) 6/12/18 Read
611. The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/13/18 Read
612. Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War by Gus Russo & Eric Dezenhall (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/13/18 Read
613. The Story of a Marriage by Geir Gulliksen (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/13/18
614. The Poison Bed by E.C. Fremantle (UK Kindle, $$) 6/13/18 Read
615. The Dinner Guest by Gabriela Ybarra (UK Kindle, $$) 6/13/18
616. Like a Sword Wound by Ahmet Altan (Edelweiss E-books) 6/14/18
617. The Second Rider by Alex Beer (Edelweiss e-galleys) 6/14/18
618. Last Woman Standing by Amy Gentry (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/14/18
619. Bramton Wick by Elizabeth Fair (UK Kindle sale, $) 6/14/18
620. The Lark by E. Nesbit (UK Kindle sale, $) 6/14/18
621. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett (audiobook, $$) 6/14/18
622. The Theban Mysteries by Amanda Cross (Kindle, $$) 6/15/18
623. The Beach House by James Patterson (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18
624. Three Little Lies by Laura Marshall (NetGalley) 6/15/18
625. Fifth to Die by J.D. Barker (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/15/18 Read
626. The Groves of Academe by Mary McCarthy (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18
627. The First of July by Elizabeth Speller (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18
628. The Beautiful Visit by Elizabeth Jane Howard (Kindle Sale, $) 6/15/18
629. The Hearth and the Eagle by Anya Seton (Kindle Sale, $) 6/15/18
630. City of God: A Novel of the Borgias by Cecelia Holland (Kindle Sale, $) 6/15/18
631. Judgment Day by Penelope Lively (Kindle Sale, $) 6/15/18
632. Assize of the Dying by Ellis Peters (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18 Read
633. When the Devil Drives by Chris Brookmyre (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18
634. The Smiler With the Knife by Nicholas Blake (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18
635. Mourning Raga by Ellis Peters (Kindle Sale, $) 6/15/18
636. The Grass Widow's Tale by Ellis Peters (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18
637. The Flight of a Witch by Ellis Peters (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18
638. Icebreaker: A Voyage Far North by Horatio Clare (UK Kindle, $$) 6/17/18
639. The Harder They Come by T.C. Boyle (Kindle, sale, $) 6/17/18
640. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Hariri (NetGalley) 6/18/18
641. Our Homesick Songs by Emma Hooper (NetGalley, from publisher) 6/18/18
642. Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller (Edelweiss, E-galley) 6/19/18
643. Real Tigers by Mick Herron (UK Kindle sale, $) 6/20/18
644. Transcription by Kate Atkinson (NetGalley) 6/21/18
645. White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America by Margaret Hagerman (NetGalley) 6/21/18
646. Rush: Revolution, Madness, and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father by Stephen Freid (NetGalley) 6/21/18
647. The Other Sister by Sarah Zettel (NetGalley) 6/21/18
648. We That Are Young by Preti Taneja (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/21/18
649. Algiers, Third World Capital: Freedom Fighters, Revolutionaries, Black Panthers by Elaine Mokhtefi (Amazon Vine) 6/22/18
650. Chariot on the Mountain by Jack Ford (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/23/18
Part V
480. Money in the Morgue by Ngaio Marsh and Stella Duffy (UK Kindle, $$) 5/4/18
481. The Diviners by Margaret Laurence (Canadian Kindle, $$) 5/4/18
482. Ragged Company by Laurence Wagamese (Canadian Kindle, $$) 5/4/18
483. Little Sister by David Hewson (UK Kindle, $$) 5/4/18
484. Dazzle Patterns by Allison Watt (Kindle, $$) 5/4/18
485. The Dragon Man by Garry Disher (Kindle, sale, $) 5/5/18
486. 19099927::The Vimy Trap: Or, How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Great War by Ian McKay (Canadian Kindle, $$) 5/5/18
487. The Cornish Trilogy by Robertson Davies (Canadian Kindle, $$) 5/5/18
488. Babylon Berlin by Volker Kutscher (UK Kindle, sale, $) 5/5/18
489. Divided: Why We're Living in an Age of Walls by Tim Marshall (UK Kindle, $$) 5/5/18
490. A Killer in King's Cove by Iona Whishaw (Canadian Kindle, $$) 5/5/18 Read
491. Death in a Darkening Mist by Iona Whishaw (Kindle, $$) 5/5/18 Read
492. American Pharoah: The Untold Story of the Triple Crown Winner's Legendary Rise by Joe Drape (Audiobook freebie) 5/5/18
493. Body and Soul by John Harvey (UK Kindle, $$) 5/6/18
494. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield (Kindle, sale, $) 5/6/18
495. The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer (Audiobook, $$) 5/7/18 (but bought earlier) Read
496. An Old, Cold Grave by Iona Whishaw (Kindle, $$) 5/7/18 Read
497. It Begins in Betrayal by Iona Whishaw (Kindle, $$) 5/7/18 Read
498. An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma (NetGalley) 5/7/18
499. The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry (NetGalley) 5/8/18
500. What My Sister Knew by Nina Laurin (NetGalley) 5/8/18
501. City of Ink by Elsa Hart (NetGalley) 5/8/18
502. The Lost Love Letters of Henri Fournier: A Novel by Rosalind Brackenbury (NetGalley) 5/9/18
503. Thomas Paine's Rights of Man: A Biography: Books That Changed the World by Christopher Hitchens (Audiobook, $$) 5/9/18
504. Estoril by Dejan Tiago-Stankovic (UK Kindle, $$) 5/9/18
505. And Fire Came Down by Emma Viskic (Edelweiss e-galley) 5/9/18
506. Kafka's Last Trial: The Case of a Literary Legacy by Benjamin Balint (Edelweiss e-galley) 5/10/18
507. Mad Scenes and Exit Arias: The Death of the New York City Opera and the Future of Opera in America by Heidi Waleson (NetGalley) 5/10/18
508. Pan Tadeusz: The Last Foray in Lithuania by Adam Mickiewicz (Edelweiss e-galley) 5/10/18
509. The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook by Niall Ferguson (UK Kindle, sale, $) 5/11/18
510. The Library Book by Susan Orlean (NetGalley) 5/11/18 Read
511. They Eat Puppies, Don't They? By Christopher Buckley (Audiobook, $$) 5/13/18
512. Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver (NetGalley) 5/14/18
513. Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie (Audiobook, $$) 5/14/18 Read
514. Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie (Audiobook, $$) 5/14/18
515. The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington by Charles Rosenberg (Amazon Vine ARC) 5/15/18 Read
516. Exit Strategy by Charlton Pettus (Amazon Vine ARC) 5/15/18
517. Appointment With Death by Agatha Christie (Audiobook, $$) 5/15/18 Read
518. Mrs. McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie (Audiobook, $$) 5/15/18
519. Maulever Hall by Jane Aiken Hodge (NetGalley) 5/16/18
520. The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton (NetGalley) 5/16/18
521. The Most Dangerous Branch: Inside the Supreme Court's Assault on the Constitution by David A. Kaplan (NetGalley) 5/16/18
522. Burden: A Preacher, a Klansman, and a True Story of Redemption in the Modern South by Courtney Hargrave (NetGalley) 5/16/18
523. The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick (Kindle, sale, $) 5/16/18
524. The Family Tabor by Cherise Wolas (Amazon Vine ARC) 5/16/18
525. A Family Recipe by Veronica Henry (UK Kindle, $$) 5/16/18
526. The Butcher's Daughter by Victoria Glendinning (UK Kindle, $$) 5/16/18 Read
527. The Land of Green Ginger by Winnifred Holtby (UK Kindle, sale, $) 5/16/18
528. Feared by Lisa Scottoline (NetGalley, from publisher) 5/16/18
529. The Wedding: Savages by Sabri Louatah (UK Kindle, $$) 5/16/18
530. The Valley at the Centre of the World by Malachy Tallack (Kindle, $$) 5/16/18
531. Drama Teacher by Koren Zailckas (NetGalley) 5/17/18
532. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (UK Kindle, kindle sale, $) 5/17/18
533. Barometer Rising by Hugh Maclennan (paperback, $$) 5/17/18
534. The Night of the Twelfth by Michael Gilbert (paperback, $$) 5/17/18 Read
535. The Black Seraphim by Michael Gilbert (paperback, $$) 5/17/18
536. Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea (audiobook, $$) 5/17/18 Read
537. A City of Bells by Elizabeth Goudge (UK Kindle, sale, $) 5/20/18
538. Towers in the Mist by Elizabeth Goudge (UK Kindle, sale, $) 5/20/18
539. Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves (Amazon Vine, hardcover) 5/20/18
540. House of Gold by Natasha Solomons (ARC, Amazon Vine) 5/20/18
541. Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier (ARC, Amazon Vine) 5/20/18
542. Us Against You by Fredrik Backman (NetGalley) 5/21/18
543. All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin (NetGalley) 5/22/18
544. The Pisces by Melissa Broder (Amazon Vine ARC) 5/22/18
545. OK, Mr. Field by Katherine Kilalea (Amazon Vine ARC) 5/22/18
546. The Accident on the A35 by Graeme Macrae Burnet (Edelweiss e-galley) 5/22/18
547. The Golden Hour by Todd Moss (audiobook, $$) 5/22/18
548. In the Grip of It by Sheena Kamal (Kindle Single, $) 5/22/18
549. How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them by Jason Stanley (NetGalley) 5/23/18
550. The Kinship of Secrets by Eugenia Kim (NetGalley) 5/24/18
551. The Pasha of Cuisine by Saygin Ersin (Edelweiss e-galley) 5/25/18
552. Spindrift by Phyllis Whitney (Kindle, Kindle sale) 5/25/18
553. The Golden Unicorn by Phyllis Whitney (Kindle, Kindle sale) 5/25/18
554. Seven Tears for Apollo by Phyllis Whitney (Kindle, Kindle sale) 5/25/18
555. A Howl of Wolves by Judith Flanders (Kindle, $$) 5/25/18 Read
556. After the Fine Weather by Michael Gilbert (paperback, $$) 5/26/18
557. Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza (NetGalley) 5/27/18 Read
558. The Quiet Side of Passion by Alexander McCall Smith (First to Read) 5/29/18 Read
559. The Game of Hope by Sandra Gulland (First to Read) 5/29/18 Read
560. Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts (Kindle & audiobook, $$) 5/29/18 Read
561. The Girl They Left Behind by Roxanne Veletzos (NetGalley) 5/29/18
562. We All Love the Beautiful Girls by Joanne Proulx (NetGalley) 5/29/18
563. Days of Awe by A.M. Homes (NetGalley, from publisher) 5/31/18
564. Ghosted: A Novel by Rosie Walsh (NetGalley, from publisher) 5/31/18
565. The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan (NetGalley, from publisher) 5/31/18
566. The Late Bloomers' Club by Louise Miller (Netgalley, from publisher) 5/31/18
567. Aunt Dimity and the King's Ransom by Nancy Atherton (NetGalley, from publisher) 5/31/18 Read
578. Temp: How American Work, American Business, and the American Dream Became Temporary by Louis Hyman (NetGalley, from publisher) 5/31/18
579. Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World by Adam Tooze (NetGalley, from publisher) 5/31/18
580. A Passionate Man by Joanna Trollope (UK Kindle, sale, $) 5/31/18
581. Firefly by Henry Porter (NetGalley) 6/1/18 Read
582. The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey (NetGalley) 6/1/18
583. Melmoth by Sarah Perry (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/1/18
584. The Sideman by Caro Ramsay (NetGalley) 6/1/18
585. The Angel in the Glass by Alys Clare (NetGalley) 6/1/18
586. Dark Queen Rising by Paul Doherty (NetGalley) 6/1/18
587. Aunt Dimity and the Widow's Curse by Nancy Atherton (Kindle, $$) 6/1/18 Read
588. She Was the Quiet One by Michele Campbell (NetGalley) 6/1/18
589. Priceless by Zygmunt Miloszewski (NetGalley) 6/1/18
590. Boundless: Tracing Land and Dream in a New Northwest Passage by Annabel Winter (Kindle, $$) 6/2/18
591. The Queen's Mary by Sarah Gristwood (Kindle First, freebie) 6/2/18 Read
592. I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara (Kindle, $$) 6/3/18
593. Rain: Four Walks in English Weather by Melissa Harrison (UK Kindle, $$) 6/3/18 Read
594. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford (paperback, $$) 6/4/18
595. The Department of Missing Persons by Ruth Zylberman (hardcover, $$) 6/4/18
596. The Man Between by Charles Cumming (UK Kindle) 6/5/18
597. Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, its Chaotic Founding... its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-class Metropolis by Sam Anderson (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/5/18
598. Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment by Francis Fukuyama (Netgalley) 6/6/18
599. My Purple-Scented Novel by Ian MacEwan (NetGalley) 6/6/18
600. Smoke and Ashes by Abir Mukherjee (UK Kindle, $$) 6/7/18
601. Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist by Franchesca Ramsay (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/7/18 Read
602. Paris in the Dark by Robert Olen Butler (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/8/18
603. Solemn Graves by James R. Benn (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/8/18
604. Blood Money by Tom Bradby (UK Kindle, sale, $) 6/8/18
605. The Intrusions by Stav Sherez (Kindle, $$) 6/9/18
606. The Unmourned by Thomas Keneally (Kindle, $$) 6/9/18
607. Last Stories by William Trevor (Kindle, $$) 6/9/18
608. Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect by Mick West (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/11/18
609. The Court Dancer by Kyung-Sook Shin (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/12/18
610. Life in the Garden by Penelope Lively (Kindle, $$) 6/12/18 Read
611. The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/13/18 Read
612. Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War by Gus Russo & Eric Dezenhall (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/13/18 Read
613. The Story of a Marriage by Geir Gulliksen (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/13/18
614. The Poison Bed by E.C. Fremantle (UK Kindle, $$) 6/13/18 Read
615. The Dinner Guest by Gabriela Ybarra (UK Kindle, $$) 6/13/18
616. Like a Sword Wound by Ahmet Altan (Edelweiss E-books) 6/14/18
617. The Second Rider by Alex Beer (Edelweiss e-galleys) 6/14/18
618. Last Woman Standing by Amy Gentry (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/14/18
619. Bramton Wick by Elizabeth Fair (UK Kindle sale, $) 6/14/18
620. The Lark by E. Nesbit (UK Kindle sale, $) 6/14/18
621. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett (audiobook, $$) 6/14/18
622. The Theban Mysteries by Amanda Cross (Kindle, $$) 6/15/18
623. The Beach House by James Patterson (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18
624. Three Little Lies by Laura Marshall (NetGalley) 6/15/18
625. Fifth to Die by J.D. Barker (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/15/18 Read
626. The Groves of Academe by Mary McCarthy (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18
627. The First of July by Elizabeth Speller (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18
628. The Beautiful Visit by Elizabeth Jane Howard (Kindle Sale, $) 6/15/18
629. The Hearth and the Eagle by Anya Seton (Kindle Sale, $) 6/15/18
630. City of God: A Novel of the Borgias by Cecelia Holland (Kindle Sale, $) 6/15/18
631. Judgment Day by Penelope Lively (Kindle Sale, $) 6/15/18
632. Assize of the Dying by Ellis Peters (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18 Read
633. When the Devil Drives by Chris Brookmyre (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18
634. The Smiler With the Knife by Nicholas Blake (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18
635. Mourning Raga by Ellis Peters (Kindle Sale, $) 6/15/18
636. The Grass Widow's Tale by Ellis Peters (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18
637. The Flight of a Witch by Ellis Peters (Kindle sale, $) 6/15/18
638. Icebreaker: A Voyage Far North by Horatio Clare (UK Kindle, $$) 6/17/18
639. The Harder They Come by T.C. Boyle (Kindle, sale, $) 6/17/18
640. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Hariri (NetGalley) 6/18/18
641. Our Homesick Songs by Emma Hooper (NetGalley, from publisher) 6/18/18
642. Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller (Edelweiss, E-galley) 6/19/18
643. Real Tigers by Mick Herron (UK Kindle sale, $) 6/20/18
644. Transcription by Kate Atkinson (NetGalley) 6/21/18
645. White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America by Margaret Hagerman (NetGalley) 6/21/18
646. Rush: Revolution, Madness, and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father by Stephen Freid (NetGalley) 6/21/18
647. The Other Sister by Sarah Zettel (NetGalley) 6/21/18
648. We That Are Young by Preti Taneja (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/21/18
649. Algiers, Third World Capital: Freedom Fighters, Revolutionaries, Black Panthers by Elaine Mokhtefi (Amazon Vine) 6/22/18
650. Chariot on the Mountain by Jack Ford (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/23/18
13figsfromthistle
Happy new thread!
14Chatterbox
>13 figsfromthistle: Thanks! Creating a new thread is such an ordeal, especially transferring all the lists, that I postpone it as long as possible... I'm still trying to move all the lists and fix the touchstones -- the worst part.
16Chatterbox
>15 LovingLit: They would be more impressive had I read more of them... *sigh* That said, at least I'm paying full price for relatively few of them...
17thornton37814
I remember when we used to tease Paul about his acquisitions, but I think we need to begin talking about Chatterbox-sized hauls!
19ffortsa
The topper is a terrific poem. I haven't read any Cavafy, and I appreciate your introduction to his work.
Some of your aspirations for this year are of interest to me, so I'll watch your current reading list as it goes, and maybe jump in alongside from time to time.
eta: I think you'll like the Theroux travel books. I've read a few of them in the past, and they were always enjoyable.
Some of your aspirations for this year are of interest to me, so I'll watch your current reading list as it goes, and maybe jump in alongside from time to time.
eta: I think you'll like the Theroux travel books. I've read a few of them in the past, and they were always enjoyable.
20FAMeulstee
Happy new thread, Suzanne!
I feel so moderate looking at the books you acquired.
I feel so moderate looking at the books you acquired.
21benitastrnad
I love that poem. Thanks for posting it first on your thread.
I love the word Ithaka. I have had a long time ambition to tour the world by I's. To tour as many places as possible that have a place name that start's with I. Ithaka is first on that list.
I also love the idea of Ithaka as a place in the mind.
I love the word Ithaka. I have had a long time ambition to tour the world by I's. To tour as many places as possible that have a place name that start's with I. Ithaka is first on that list.
I also love the idea of Ithaka as a place in the mind.
22benitastrnad
I read Daniel Mendelsohn's book The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million and liked it so much that I gave it as my gift title for several years. He is a terrific writer.
24Chatterbox
I stumbled over Cavafy -- can no longer remember how -- way back in the early/mid 1980s, and for a long time, a paperback volume of his selected poetry was one of my faves, to the point where pages have started falling out. I even remember when/where I bought it: at Kramerbooks in Washington, DC in the spring of 1984. But then Mendelsohn edited a complete (and bilingual) edition of his poetry, including some homoerotic works that hadn't really seen the light of day until then. It was a title I rushed off to buy as soon as it became available.
One of his best known and one of my favorite titles is "Waiting for the Barbarians", which begins with a community officiously getting all prepared for a ceremonial welcome for the barbarian hordes, etc. Then...
"Why this sudden bewilderment, this confusion?
(How serious people’s faces have become.)
Why are the streets and squares emptying so rapidly,
everyone going home lost in thought?
Because night has fallen and the barbarians haven't come.
And some of our men just in from the border say
there are no barbarians any longer.
Now what’s going to happen to us without barbarians?
Those people were a kind of solution."
That last line... Perfection.
Or there is this:
"And if you can’t shape your life the way you want,
at least try as much as you can
not to degrade it
by too much contact with the world,
by too much activity and talk.
Try not to degrade it by dragging it along,
taking it around and exposing it so often
to the daily silliness
of social events and parties,
until it comes to seem a boring hanger-on. "
Or "Morning Sea":
"Let me stop here. Let me, too, look at nature awhile.
The brilliant blue of the morning sea, of the cloudless sky,
the yellow shore; all lovely,
all bathed in light.
Let me stand here. And let me pretend I see all this
(I really did see it for a minute when I first stopped)
and not my usual day-dreams here too,
my memories, those images of sensual pleasure."
These aren't the Mendelsohn translations (I don't feel like re-typing those from the book; this is the earlier translation that I had in my 1984 book.) But I still like them.
One of his best known and one of my favorite titles is "Waiting for the Barbarians", which begins with a community officiously getting all prepared for a ceremonial welcome for the barbarian hordes, etc. Then...
"Why this sudden bewilderment, this confusion?
(How serious people’s faces have become.)
Why are the streets and squares emptying so rapidly,
everyone going home lost in thought?
Because night has fallen and the barbarians haven't come.
And some of our men just in from the border say
there are no barbarians any longer.
Now what’s going to happen to us without barbarians?
Those people were a kind of solution."
That last line... Perfection.
Or there is this:
"And if you can’t shape your life the way you want,
at least try as much as you can
not to degrade it
by too much contact with the world,
by too much activity and talk.
Try not to degrade it by dragging it along,
taking it around and exposing it so often
to the daily silliness
of social events and parties,
until it comes to seem a boring hanger-on. "
Or "Morning Sea":
"Let me stop here. Let me, too, look at nature awhile.
The brilliant blue of the morning sea, of the cloudless sky,
the yellow shore; all lovely,
all bathed in light.
Let me stand here. And let me pretend I see all this
(I really did see it for a minute when I first stopped)
and not my usual day-dreams here too,
my memories, those images of sensual pleasure."
These aren't the Mendelsohn translations (I don't feel like re-typing those from the book; this is the earlier translation that I had in my 1984 book.) But I still like them.
25Chatterbox
>17 thornton37814: Paul's wife posted some astonishing pictures of his unread stacks of books on his FB page. I feel MUCH, MUCH better about mine now.
I also take comfort in the fact that of all those books, I have paid the full price for only 31 books (hardcovers, paperbacks, Kindle books or audiobooks.) All the others were on sale (for $3.99 or less) or were free to me (digital galleys, ARCs or free copies that just materialized in the mail; Penguin Random House has me on some weird list, and half of the books I get I wouldn't read, but I know others who would probably love them. *shrug*)
I've read some of Theroux's travel books before; The Pillars of Hercules, his book about traveling around England, his epic book about train travel. But there are several I haven't read. His wife is a friend of mine (she does PR), so I feel kind of under a bit of pressure to play catch up with that, and with some of his fiction...
>20 FAMeulstee: LOL Anita; you are moderate. I'm obsessive. I freely admit it. When it comes to books and my cats and, to a slightly lesser extent, classical music. Can't be helped (probably.)
>21 benitastrnad: I can see some logistical challenges in designing a single "I" journey! I once undertook (accidentally) a "B" trip. Using a Cathay Pacific All-Asia Pass (do they still sell those?) between my jobs in NYC and London, I took three weeks' vacation, and using a friend's place in Hong Kong as a base, visited Bali, Bangkok and Beijing. Bangkok was a return trip, but Bali and Beijing were new discoveries, and it was an intriguing time for the former, as it was in spring 1998, when the Asian financial crisis had caused turbulence and riots in parts of Indonesia, but not Bali. We knew SOMETHING was amiss because the value of the Indonesian rupiah kept moving (in our favor) by about 10% a day, but not what was going on until we got back onto a Cathay Pacific airliner and could read non-censored papers. Oh, riots... Indonesians murdering ethnic Chinese and blaming them.... Okay... (The pre-Internet age, or just at the dawn of the Internet as we know it -- no Internet cafés anywhere.) My next SE Asia trip in January/February 2002, there was e-mail access fairly easily and yes, you could find Internet cafés in Hanoi and Phnom Penh.
The world shrinks. I like being able to be in touch, but I don't like HAVING to be in touch. (I still remember how an editor hunted me down in Rome, while I was on vacation in the early 90s, after they had decided to run a story that had been sitting around for weeks, so that I could answer some questions about it. You used to be able to go away on vacation and have it really BE a vacation. I couldn't do that today...)
Glad everyone liked the Ithaka poem. I wish Mendelsohn had recited it for us at the Providence Athenaeum salon at which he spoke. I suspect there is now an audio of that event, for those who want to seek out the Athenaeum's website and see if they can find it.
And yes, I'm aware that I'm far behind on posting my mini-reviews. We're due for ANOTHER snowstorm, so maybe that's something I can do then.
I also take comfort in the fact that of all those books, I have paid the full price for only 31 books (hardcovers, paperbacks, Kindle books or audiobooks.) All the others were on sale (for $3.99 or less) or were free to me (digital galleys, ARCs or free copies that just materialized in the mail; Penguin Random House has me on some weird list, and half of the books I get I wouldn't read, but I know others who would probably love them. *shrug*)
I've read some of Theroux's travel books before; The Pillars of Hercules, his book about traveling around England, his epic book about train travel. But there are several I haven't read. His wife is a friend of mine (she does PR), so I feel kind of under a bit of pressure to play catch up with that, and with some of his fiction...
>20 FAMeulstee: LOL Anita; you are moderate. I'm obsessive. I freely admit it. When it comes to books and my cats and, to a slightly lesser extent, classical music. Can't be helped (probably.)
>21 benitastrnad: I can see some logistical challenges in designing a single "I" journey! I once undertook (accidentally) a "B" trip. Using a Cathay Pacific All-Asia Pass (do they still sell those?) between my jobs in NYC and London, I took three weeks' vacation, and using a friend's place in Hong Kong as a base, visited Bali, Bangkok and Beijing. Bangkok was a return trip, but Bali and Beijing were new discoveries, and it was an intriguing time for the former, as it was in spring 1998, when the Asian financial crisis had caused turbulence and riots in parts of Indonesia, but not Bali. We knew SOMETHING was amiss because the value of the Indonesian rupiah kept moving (in our favor) by about 10% a day, but not what was going on until we got back onto a Cathay Pacific airliner and could read non-censored papers. Oh, riots... Indonesians murdering ethnic Chinese and blaming them.... Okay... (The pre-Internet age, or just at the dawn of the Internet as we know it -- no Internet cafés anywhere.) My next SE Asia trip in January/February 2002, there was e-mail access fairly easily and yes, you could find Internet cafés in Hanoi and Phnom Penh.
The world shrinks. I like being able to be in touch, but I don't like HAVING to be in touch. (I still remember how an editor hunted me down in Rome, while I was on vacation in the early 90s, after they had decided to run a story that had been sitting around for weeks, so that I could answer some questions about it. You used to be able to go away on vacation and have it really BE a vacation. I couldn't do that today...)
Glad everyone liked the Ithaka poem. I wish Mendelsohn had recited it for us at the Providence Athenaeum salon at which he spoke. I suspect there is now an audio of that event, for those who want to seek out the Athenaeum's website and see if they can find it.
And yes, I'm aware that I'm far behind on posting my mini-reviews. We're due for ANOTHER snowstorm, so maybe that's something I can do then.
26PaulCranswick
>17 thornton37814: Couldn't agree more, Lori. Certainly Chatterboxian would outdo Cranswickian at the moment! 310 books acquired and barely a fifth of a year done. The "best" I have managed in a year is 1,200+ and Suz is well on the way to waltz past that.
I will say that a good 2/3rds of them were added at full price (although books here retail for around $12 new).
Happy new thread, Suz and thanks for the reminder of just how accomplished a poet CP Cavafy was.
I will say that a good 2/3rds of them were added at full price (although books here retail for around $12 new).
Happy new thread, Suz and thanks for the reminder of just how accomplished a poet CP Cavafy was.
27vivians
Hi - hope you're feeling ok given the impending storm...I just finished Birdcage Walk and really enjoyed it. I'm ashamed to say it's my first Dunmore, something I intend to correct soon (I hope). I'm a little daunted by the Bernie Gunther title on the list because I have yet to read#1! I think Prussian Blue is the 12th.
Good luck tomorrow!
Good luck tomorrow!
28Chatterbox
>27 vivians: I think you'll really enjoy the first three Bernie Gunther novels -- they are set in late Weimar/early Reich Germany and set up the later books, which go between past/"present", and so really must be read to understand who Bernie is as a character. Many would argue that they are the strongest books in the series; I'm not sure I completely agree, but they are very good. It's definitely a series that's worth reading, although you probably won't what to whip through them. A superfluity of Bernie cracking wise is, well, a superfluity!
Yes, the THIRD winter storm seems likely to be the worst in terms of snowfall. The first was bad in terms of wind (and a LOT of rain, mostly); the last one was bad for wet snow. This time they are calling for 15 to 18 inches of snow and already have cancelled school for tomorrow, imposed a street parking ban, and delayed garbage pickup by a day for everyone. So clearly they think it will be bad. Thankfully, did my shopping yesterday. My head is banging away, and I slept very badly (i.e. almost not at all) last night. Sigh.
>26 PaulCranswick: Yes, Cavafy is a fave. And a reminder to me to seek out more new poetry, just because there is a lot to be found that I know I would love.
Yes, the THIRD winter storm seems likely to be the worst in terms of snowfall. The first was bad in terms of wind (and a LOT of rain, mostly); the last one was bad for wet snow. This time they are calling for 15 to 18 inches of snow and already have cancelled school for tomorrow, imposed a street parking ban, and delayed garbage pickup by a day for everyone. So clearly they think it will be bad. Thankfully, did my shopping yesterday. My head is banging away, and I slept very badly (i.e. almost not at all) last night. Sigh.
>26 PaulCranswick: Yes, Cavafy is a fave. And a reminder to me to seek out more new poetry, just because there is a lot to be found that I know I would love.
29ChelleBearss
Happy new thread!
I saw this today and thought of you and your storms!
I saw this today and thought of you and your storms!
30elkiedee
>25 Chatterbox: I'm fascinated that Penguin Random House manage to send you so many books you wouldn't read. It seems a shame that they don't target better! And at least some of those acquisitions are only taking up bytes on your Kindle or on your account, surely? I've reached a point of having to delete stuff on my Kindle to be able to download anything else. The Amazon Vine books are becoming a problem space wise though.
31Chatterbox
>29 ChelleBearss: Priceless -- especially given that we're now forecast to get a fourth nor'easter early next week!!
>30 elkiedee: Thankfully, I get these in hard copy, not e-galleys. That said, it's a bit of a puzzle. A package arrives, and I have no idea whether it's something I'll want to read or not. I've had new editions of The Haunting of Hill House and Frankenstein, and ARCs of some cool books that I do want to read, like The Feather Thief, which my "Random Penguin" marketing buddy, Hugo, has been raving about. Some others make sense, like a volume of stories by Tim Gautreaux, or a novel by Ben Dolnick -- authors I haven't encountered before and feel no particular urge to read, but that I'm now curious to pick up, simply because hey, the books are here and free! But others? Like Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame by Mara Wilson, a former child actress? Nope. Or a book about how trees talk to each other, or one about the history of different colors (which graphic artists would love, but that is of only the mildest interest of me to pick up and put down.) There's also one about Penguin cover art somewhere, Classic Penguin: Cover to Cover. I was able to pass along The Ultimate Ambition in the Arts of Erudition: A Compendium of Knowledge from the Classical Islamic World to the husband of a friend of mine... I will want to read How I Became a North Korean by Krys Lee and Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane (though I already had bought it for my UK Kindle...), but then they get a bee in their bonnet about business books and send me something like The Mosaic Principle: The Six Dimensions of a Remarkable Life and Career. No mysteries, of course. Sigh.
>30 elkiedee: Thankfully, I get these in hard copy, not e-galleys. That said, it's a bit of a puzzle. A package arrives, and I have no idea whether it's something I'll want to read or not. I've had new editions of The Haunting of Hill House and Frankenstein, and ARCs of some cool books that I do want to read, like The Feather Thief, which my "Random Penguin" marketing buddy, Hugo, has been raving about. Some others make sense, like a volume of stories by Tim Gautreaux, or a novel by Ben Dolnick -- authors I haven't encountered before and feel no particular urge to read, but that I'm now curious to pick up, simply because hey, the books are here and free! But others? Like Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame by Mara Wilson, a former child actress? Nope. Or a book about how trees talk to each other, or one about the history of different colors (which graphic artists would love, but that is of only the mildest interest of me to pick up and put down.) There's also one about Penguin cover art somewhere, Classic Penguin: Cover to Cover. I was able to pass along The Ultimate Ambition in the Arts of Erudition: A Compendium of Knowledge from the Classical Islamic World to the husband of a friend of mine... I will want to read How I Became a North Korean by Krys Lee and Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane (though I already had bought it for my UK Kindle...), but then they get a bee in their bonnet about business books and send me something like The Mosaic Principle: The Six Dimensions of a Remarkable Life and Career. No mysteries, of course. Sigh.
32elkiedee
I should have put in a paragraph break and made it clearer - I realise that the Penguin Random House books are hard copies. Some of them do sound interesting, but very random indeed.
33Chatterbox
I've been AWOL in terms of posting -- lots of migraines. I've tried to keep up with some reading, at least.
Have you ever noticed how reading can go in clusters? I've already had an "Odysseus cluster" in the last few months. It started when I read House of Names, Colm Toibin's take on the Oreisteia the events following Agamemnon's return home -- not really Odysseus, but it's relevant to the Odyssey and Odysseus's own story. Then came An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, An Epic by Daniel Mendelssohn, a memoir about teaching the Greek classics and the Odyssey in particular, and traveling to the sites themselves, all against the backdrop of his own relationship with his own father, who attends his seminar at Bard College. In a gap in reading that, I picked up Circe, by Madeline Miller, her second novel, which of course has Odysseus as a key character -- an excellent follow up to her novel about Achilles. Finally, I read a very good re-release of a novel by Barry Unsworth, The Songs of the Kings, in which Odysseus appears as a Machiavellian character, manipulating everyone who is waiting for the winds to change at Aulis and trying to convince Agamemnon that the only solution is the sacrifice of Iphigenia.
The next "cluster" is my Hebridean one, which began with The Last Man in Europe by Dennis Glover, a long-listed novel for the Walter Scott Award -- it's a biographical novel based on the life of George Orwell, and a big chunk of it is set on Jura as he writes 1984. Then I moved on to Love of Country: a Hebridean Journey by Madeleine Bunting, which is excellent, and a whimsical chick lit book, The Summer Seaside Kitchen by Jenny Colgan. Looming on the horizon is a classic: Whisky Galore by Compton Mackenzie, which was of course turned into a brilliant comic film.
I can see one more "cluster" looming on the horizon, about Frankenstein! Starting with the novel itself, then moving on to Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi, and a newish book, Making the Monster: The Science Behind Mary Shelley's Frankenstein by Kathryn Harkup. I may even look for another book about Mary Shelley and that critical summer in Switzerland during which she, Keats and Byron were scribbling away.
For now, I have to read Beloved by Toni Morrison for my final Athenaeum Academy session this coming Saturday -- I can't believe it's over already. Faulkner was the real challenge, as I expected, in part because the book was 500 pages and "Southern Gothic" isn't an area I'm widely read in, so I'm glad to have had some guidance through the book. Nor have I read Beloved -- don't know why, it's just one of those novels I've always assumed I would get to one day but felt no particular urge to read, perhaps because they feel so "you must read this/canonical". Which is odd to say about anything written by an African-American, isn't it??
Balancing that, a lot of mysteries are lined up, including the just-released new novel by Elizabeth George in the Lynley/Havers series. And I'm listening to Hue 1968 by Mark Bowden, which is fascinating, if tricky to follow all the people. So I'll probably end up re-reading it. (It was a deep-discount audiobook sale addition to my library; I already have a large/heavy ARC...)
So that's all the new news.
Have you ever noticed how reading can go in clusters? I've already had an "Odysseus cluster" in the last few months. It started when I read House of Names, Colm Toibin's take on the Oreisteia the events following Agamemnon's return home -- not really Odysseus, but it's relevant to the Odyssey and Odysseus's own story. Then came An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, An Epic by Daniel Mendelssohn, a memoir about teaching the Greek classics and the Odyssey in particular, and traveling to the sites themselves, all against the backdrop of his own relationship with his own father, who attends his seminar at Bard College. In a gap in reading that, I picked up Circe, by Madeline Miller, her second novel, which of course has Odysseus as a key character -- an excellent follow up to her novel about Achilles. Finally, I read a very good re-release of a novel by Barry Unsworth, The Songs of the Kings, in which Odysseus appears as a Machiavellian character, manipulating everyone who is waiting for the winds to change at Aulis and trying to convince Agamemnon that the only solution is the sacrifice of Iphigenia.
The next "cluster" is my Hebridean one, which began with The Last Man in Europe by Dennis Glover, a long-listed novel for the Walter Scott Award -- it's a biographical novel based on the life of George Orwell, and a big chunk of it is set on Jura as he writes 1984. Then I moved on to Love of Country: a Hebridean Journey by Madeleine Bunting, which is excellent, and a whimsical chick lit book, The Summer Seaside Kitchen by Jenny Colgan. Looming on the horizon is a classic: Whisky Galore by Compton Mackenzie, which was of course turned into a brilliant comic film.
I can see one more "cluster" looming on the horizon, about Frankenstein! Starting with the novel itself, then moving on to Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi, and a newish book, Making the Monster: The Science Behind Mary Shelley's Frankenstein by Kathryn Harkup. I may even look for another book about Mary Shelley and that critical summer in Switzerland during which she, Keats and Byron were scribbling away.
For now, I have to read Beloved by Toni Morrison for my final Athenaeum Academy session this coming Saturday -- I can't believe it's over already. Faulkner was the real challenge, as I expected, in part because the book was 500 pages and "Southern Gothic" isn't an area I'm widely read in, so I'm glad to have had some guidance through the book. Nor have I read Beloved -- don't know why, it's just one of those novels I've always assumed I would get to one day but felt no particular urge to read, perhaps because they feel so "you must read this/canonical". Which is odd to say about anything written by an African-American, isn't it??
Balancing that, a lot of mysteries are lined up, including the just-released new novel by Elizabeth George in the Lynley/Havers series. And I'm listening to Hue 1968 by Mark Bowden, which is fascinating, if tricky to follow all the people. So I'll probably end up re-reading it. (It was a deep-discount audiobook sale addition to my library; I already have a large/heavy ARC...)
So that's all the new news.
34benitastrnad
I, too, have been plagued by headaches. For the last week. It started when I was at home in Kansas and has been almost continuous since Friday. I think it has to do with the low pressure system that was in Kansas and followed me on my trip back to Alabama. For the last two days it just sat here, and the exploded last night. In the meantime, I had my first discussion with my supervisor about my yearly evaluation, and no matter what administration tells you, yearly evaluations, are never positive. They can always find something that they want you to do better or more of.
I am intrigued by your cluster reading. I have also noticed that in my own reading. It seems that from time-to-time I tend to read about one subject. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. Sometimes the cluster is short lived and sometimes it has stretched over a period of a couple of years. Now that I have joined a couple of challenges here on LT, I have spent some time reading about the American West, again, years ago, I devoured whatever I could get my hands on about Colorado after reading Centennial. Then I was reading books about people hunting for missing family members and that started with Daniel Mendelsohn's book Lost: The Search for Six of Six Million and included mysteries and other memoirs. This year, I am reading mysteries set in Italy for another challenge. For the last year, I have been reading travel books, particularly about the UK. This started with a book I read for my real life book discussion group last summer, and it hasn't abated.
You are so lucky to have found the Athenaeum and the activities that it affords you. Those discussions sound wonderful.
I have not read Beloved either, and it keeps popping up in my life during the last year. Perhaps, this will be the year I get to it.
I am intrigued by your cluster reading. I have also noticed that in my own reading. It seems that from time-to-time I tend to read about one subject. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. Sometimes the cluster is short lived and sometimes it has stretched over a period of a couple of years. Now that I have joined a couple of challenges here on LT, I have spent some time reading about the American West, again, years ago, I devoured whatever I could get my hands on about Colorado after reading Centennial. Then I was reading books about people hunting for missing family members and that started with Daniel Mendelsohn's book Lost: The Search for Six of Six Million and included mysteries and other memoirs. This year, I am reading mysteries set in Italy for another challenge. For the last year, I have been reading travel books, particularly about the UK. This started with a book I read for my real life book discussion group last summer, and it hasn't abated.
You are so lucky to have found the Athenaeum and the activities that it affords you. Those discussions sound wonderful.
I have not read Beloved either, and it keeps popping up in my life during the last year. Perhaps, this will be the year I get to it.
35Fourpawz2
Beloved is almost dead ahead for me. I can see it from where I sit - number three on my non-series TBR shelf.
36magicians_nephew
Faulkner is a closed book to me - tried to read him again and again - doesn't resonate.
Now I leave him be and he leaves me be
Now I leave him be and he leaves me be
37benitastrnad
#36
I agree with that statement.
I agree with that statement.
38LizzieD
Hope you wake with the headache lifted, Suz.
I love the way clusters happen. I wish I had the mental wherewithal to expand them, but alas! My name is Random.
Thanks for the mention of the Hebridean cluster. Both the Glover and the Bunting appeal to me. Alas, again. PBS doesn't have the Glover in its system yet.
I love the way clusters happen. I wish I had the mental wherewithal to expand them, but alas! My name is Random.
Thanks for the mention of the Hebridean cluster. Both the Glover and the Bunting appeal to me. Alas, again. PBS doesn't have the Glover in its system yet.
39benitastrnad
I finished listening to the recorded version of War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. This is the second book about Ada Smith, an abused child who is evacuated from London's East End to the farm country of Kent during WWII. The previous book was War That Saved My Life. Both books are narrated by the incomparable Jayne Entwistle. (She also does the Flavia De Luce series.) These are children's books, but they will hold the interest of adults. If you are looking for something occupy you and your kids while on a road trip, these will fit the bill. I have really enjoyed them.
40Chatterbox
>38 LizzieD: I checked to see whether the publisher had enabled lending for the Kindle edition of The Last Man in Europe but NOPE. The least expensive copies I can see on Amazon are in the range of $11, but then it's brand spanking new... I would give it a few months?
I had a whole THREE DAYS with no headache. Which was great. Until it ended yesterday, the day I had to get home through the storms (a real phenom in NYC, where most trains were cancelled) and a non-event in Providence and Boston, where everything was closed down in anticipation of snow that never arrived. So I have had a quiet day today, kicking the headache to the curb AGAIN.
>36 magicians_nephew: >37 benitastrnad: I find Faulkner intriguing enough to want to try to read more, but daunting enough that I need some kind of external "kick in the pants" to get me moving. I may never end up really liking him, but I can still find his books thought-provoking. At least I can concentrate on those books that our "Saturday professor" thinks of as those he wrote in his golden period, like Sanctuary, Go Down Moses, and Absalom, Absalom, among others. I have now read two -- As I Lay Dying and this one.
>35 Fourpawz2: You sound VERY organized -- #3 and not number #2 or #4? *grin*
I had long been aware of "chain reading", where one book leads to another -- reading one piques my curiosity in a subject/author, etc., and I keep reading around a subject, from an artist to a historical period, to some kind of scientific phenomenon, based on something mentioned in the previous book that I want to read more about. But "cluster reading" seems to me to be less conscious and more accidental/serendipitous.
OK, off to delve into Beloved....
I had a whole THREE DAYS with no headache. Which was great. Until it ended yesterday, the day I had to get home through the storms (a real phenom in NYC, where most trains were cancelled) and a non-event in Providence and Boston, where everything was closed down in anticipation of snow that never arrived. So I have had a quiet day today, kicking the headache to the curb AGAIN.
>36 magicians_nephew: >37 benitastrnad: I find Faulkner intriguing enough to want to try to read more, but daunting enough that I need some kind of external "kick in the pants" to get me moving. I may never end up really liking him, but I can still find his books thought-provoking. At least I can concentrate on those books that our "Saturday professor" thinks of as those he wrote in his golden period, like Sanctuary, Go Down Moses, and Absalom, Absalom, among others. I have now read two -- As I Lay Dying and this one.
>35 Fourpawz2: You sound VERY organized -- #3 and not number #2 or #4? *grin*
I had long been aware of "chain reading", where one book leads to another -- reading one piques my curiosity in a subject/author, etc., and I keep reading around a subject, from an artist to a historical period, to some kind of scientific phenomenon, based on something mentioned in the previous book that I want to read more about. But "cluster reading" seems to me to be less conscious and more accidental/serendipitous.
OK, off to delve into Beloved....
41klobrien2
>33 Chatterbox: Hope that your migraines let up!
I love it when I find myself in a cluster of reading--a synchronicity that happens even when not planned. For instance, I recently read The Sociopath Next Door and now I'm reading Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. And I'm not really joking.
But I like your clusters better -- especially the Odyssey one. I have the ebook An Odyssey: A Father, A Son, and an Epic requested but it's taking an eon to get it. Can't wait!
Karen O.
I love it when I find myself in a cluster of reading--a synchronicity that happens even when not planned. For instance, I recently read The Sociopath Next Door and now I'm reading Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. And I'm not really joking.
But I like your clusters better -- especially the Odyssey one. I have the ebook An Odyssey: A Father, A Son, and an Epic requested but it's taking an eon to get it. Can't wait!
Karen O.
42ELiz_M
>40 Chatterbox: Good to hear that you did, eventually, get home and so nice of the headaches to stop long enough for a quick NYC visit :)
43Chatterbox
>42 ELiz_M: Hey Liz! Yes, I did -- though it has taken me a day to get back to recover from the storm/trip back, it was VERY much worth it, and the opera was an utter delight -- thank you again!! Hope you are back on your feet...
>43 Chatterbox: I chortled when I read your most recent example of synchonicity at work in your book selections -- and then stopped laughing when I realized the implications for us and not just for those living on Pennsylvania Avenue. Sigh.
Intriguingly, my Hebridean cluster may have a mini-extension in that the new travel book that I have picked up to read for March's non-fiction challenge, Disappointment River, is about the Mackenzie River, and deals in part with an adventure traveler/wilderness guide's decision to canoe its entire length and in part with the river's discover in the late 18th century by Alexander Mackenzie who -- you got it -- came from a Hebridean island to the US and thence to the northwest frontier of Canada to try and make his fortune via the fur trade and exploration. (Since I'd known of Mackenzie since my youth, it was kind of a shock that the author admits to never having heard of him before something triggers his curiosity about the NW passage, generally, and the river in particular.)
Now, an informal quiz for all the Americans out there: how many of you firmly believe that Lewis and Clark were the first to complete an East to West crossing of North America (i.e. north of the Mexican border?) Bzzzzt. WRONG. Alexander Mackenzie did it a whole 12 years earlier, in 1793, but in what is now Canadian territory and as a British citizen, so presumably it doesn't "count", right? He got to the Pacific in what is now British Columbia in 1793. It always annoys me when I hear all the adulation for Lewis and Clark, so that's a big reason why I wanted to read this book: I don't know yet whether the author sets the record straight in that regard (he's writing about the Mackenzie River, which flows north into the Arctic, in 1789, and I don't know whether he gets to the second voyage, which took him to the Peace River, etc. What I DO like about the book so far is Castner's important note that these explorers weren't "discoverers" of anything that had previously been unknown to anyone -- an acknowledgement that these were inhabited lands known well by their indigenous citizens. But Mackenzie and his ilk did two thinks that previous travelers hadn't done: they mapped the lands they traveled through and then shared their discoveries -- flora, fauna, peoples and their languages, travel and trade routes, geological formations, etc. -- with the world. (Oh, and of course a chunk of them then went about claiming a right to what they saw as under-exploited land... because any place that isn't domesticated and where resources aren't exploited for profit by definition must be abandoned, the thinking went. ARGH. We reap the results of THAT today...) Mackenzie's contemporaries wouldn't have understood this distinction, but it's important to us today to acknowledge it, I think.
>43 Chatterbox: I chortled when I read your most recent example of synchonicity at work in your book selections -- and then stopped laughing when I realized the implications for us and not just for those living on Pennsylvania Avenue. Sigh.
Intriguingly, my Hebridean cluster may have a mini-extension in that the new travel book that I have picked up to read for March's non-fiction challenge, Disappointment River, is about the Mackenzie River, and deals in part with an adventure traveler/wilderness guide's decision to canoe its entire length and in part with the river's discover in the late 18th century by Alexander Mackenzie who -- you got it -- came from a Hebridean island to the US and thence to the northwest frontier of Canada to try and make his fortune via the fur trade and exploration. (Since I'd known of Mackenzie since my youth, it was kind of a shock that the author admits to never having heard of him before something triggers his curiosity about the NW passage, generally, and the river in particular.)
Now, an informal quiz for all the Americans out there: how many of you firmly believe that Lewis and Clark were the first to complete an East to West crossing of North America (i.e. north of the Mexican border?) Bzzzzt. WRONG. Alexander Mackenzie did it a whole 12 years earlier, in 1793, but in what is now Canadian territory and as a British citizen, so presumably it doesn't "count", right? He got to the Pacific in what is now British Columbia in 1793. It always annoys me when I hear all the adulation for Lewis and Clark, so that's a big reason why I wanted to read this book: I don't know yet whether the author sets the record straight in that regard (he's writing about the Mackenzie River, which flows north into the Arctic, in 1789, and I don't know whether he gets to the second voyage, which took him to the Peace River, etc. What I DO like about the book so far is Castner's important note that these explorers weren't "discoverers" of anything that had previously been unknown to anyone -- an acknowledgement that these were inhabited lands known well by their indigenous citizens. But Mackenzie and his ilk did two thinks that previous travelers hadn't done: they mapped the lands they traveled through and then shared their discoveries -- flora, fauna, peoples and their languages, travel and trade routes, geological formations, etc. -- with the world. (Oh, and of course a chunk of them then went about claiming a right to what they saw as under-exploited land... because any place that isn't domesticated and where resources aren't exploited for profit by definition must be abandoned, the thinking went. ARGH. We reap the results of THAT today...) Mackenzie's contemporaries wouldn't have understood this distinction, but it's important to us today to acknowledge it, I think.
44m.belljackson
>36 magicians_nephew: >40 Chatterbox:
As I Lay Dying - though monstrously depressing - was incredibly well written.
I was headed toward others, my daughter said she read a Faulkner quote
that was strongly racist.
As I Lay Dying - though monstrously depressing - was incredibly well written.
I was headed toward others, my daughter said she read a Faulkner quote
that was strongly racist.
45benitastrnad
#43
I laughed when I read this paragraph. I wish that more teacher's would say that Lewis and Clark were the first American's to transverse what is now the Continental U. S. Of course, that is too much work. American's even have a hard time acknowledging that the French and Spanish did more exploration in North America than the British did.
I laughed when I read this paragraph. I wish that more teacher's would say that Lewis and Clark were the first American's to transverse what is now the Continental U. S. Of course, that is too much work. American's even have a hard time acknowledging that the French and Spanish did more exploration in North America than the British did.
46Chatterbox
>44 m.belljackson: I don't know about Faulkner's personal attitudes. I would just say that judging by his works, and what I have read about his characters in other works (such as in The Sound and the Fury) he either seems to step outside racism or to condemn those who make easy judgments based on race. Some of the language he uses is difficult, and in Light in August the key character is someone who literally doesn't know whether he is part black or not and chooses to simultaneously believe he is part "n*****" and to loathe that part of his "blood" and to allow it to "taint" him -- but it's his own response to his own beliefs that is portrayed as the problem and not the facts, whatever they may be, and society's treatment of black people, that are portrayed as the problem. It's the narrowness of that thinking that is wrong, as Faulkner writes the story, and ironically the character, dubbed "Christmas" (irony, irony...) ends up literally meeting a Christ-like fate, being virtually crucified and only finding peace in death. But the author isn't judging him for his race... The people he judges are those who warp the young boy into this tormented adult -- and they are white. On a personal level, he used part of his Nobel prize money to establish a scholarship program for African-American teachers -- this would have been in the very early 1950s in Mississippi, in the height of the Jim Crow days. So, I don't know a lot about Faulkner's detailed bio or convictions, but I wouldn't NOT read him thinking he was a racist, based on what I myself know at this point, especially given his importance to American literature.
That said, he's damn depressing. I might well avoid him for the sake of my own mental health and wellbeing.
>45 benitastrnad: Isn't that true?? The devil is in the details.
Oh, reading Disappointment River sent me off on a brief tangent. I was reading about Mackenzie's experience in Montreal, and the French/Indian war (part of the Seven Years' War) and remembered a children's book that I had really enjoyed in my early teens and had picked up during a Kindle sale -- Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare. The main character, Miriam Willard, is captured by Abenaki Indians during a raid on a New Hampshire fort and surrounding farms, along with her sister and the latter's family, and they all are force-marched north, first to Saint Francis, a native community, and finally to Montreal. It's based on the true story of the family's (mis)adventures, including the birth of a baby, Captive, on the march. At first, I was disappointed, as it felt as if the author was dealing in clichés of avaricious, rampaging savages, etc., but actually Speare is showing us the story through Miriam's eyes -- and forcing us to realize that a 15-year-old raised in the New England of the mid-18th century would have seen things differently than we do today. She also captures Miriam's grudging recognition of different ways of living and thinking, both in the native encampment and in Montreal, where she encounters real luxury for the first time, but also understands its price. It's really a classic work of historical fiction for kids, although it ends too abruptly, with an epilogue telling us what happened to Miriam and her family eventually.
That said, he's damn depressing. I might well avoid him for the sake of my own mental health and wellbeing.
>45 benitastrnad: Isn't that true?? The devil is in the details.
Oh, reading Disappointment River sent me off on a brief tangent. I was reading about Mackenzie's experience in Montreal, and the French/Indian war (part of the Seven Years' War) and remembered a children's book that I had really enjoyed in my early teens and had picked up during a Kindle sale -- Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare. The main character, Miriam Willard, is captured by Abenaki Indians during a raid on a New Hampshire fort and surrounding farms, along with her sister and the latter's family, and they all are force-marched north, first to Saint Francis, a native community, and finally to Montreal. It's based on the true story of the family's (mis)adventures, including the birth of a baby, Captive, on the march. At first, I was disappointed, as it felt as if the author was dealing in clichés of avaricious, rampaging savages, etc., but actually Speare is showing us the story through Miriam's eyes -- and forcing us to realize that a 15-year-old raised in the New England of the mid-18th century would have seen things differently than we do today. She also captures Miriam's grudging recognition of different ways of living and thinking, both in the native encampment and in Montreal, where she encounters real luxury for the first time, but also understands its price. It's really a classic work of historical fiction for kids, although it ends too abruptly, with an epilogue telling us what happened to Miriam and her family eventually.
47benitastrnad
#46
I loved Witch of Blackbird Pond when I was in 5th and 6th grade. It is also by Elizabeth George Speare and thought it a great work of historical fiction. When I reread it about 10 years ago, I found it naive, in the sense that it was simplistic. However, it still conveyed the sense of hysteria and the vindictiveness of a society convinced it was right. I have been wanting to go back and reread I, Juan de Pareja again to see how it stands up to time.
I loved Witch of Blackbird Pond when I was in 5th and 6th grade. It is also by Elizabeth George Speare and thought it a great work of historical fiction. When I reread it about 10 years ago, I found it naive, in the sense that it was simplistic. However, it still conveyed the sense of hysteria and the vindictiveness of a society convinced it was right. I have been wanting to go back and reread I, Juan de Pareja again to see how it stands up to time.
48Chatterbox
>47 benitastrnad: Loved I, Juan de Pareja, and think the history there was pretty good -- I re-read it many times as a kid though not recently. I think I still may have my copy; certainly it's one that I wouldn't have decided to discard. I also liked Eloise Jarvis McGraw's historical novels, notably The Golden Goblet, which I re-read so many times that the pages probably fell out of the battered paperback. And two years or so ago I re-read some historical novels by Hilda Lewis for kids that I have always loved, like The Gentle Falcon. But my favorites were and remain those by Geoffrey Trease. I'll probably keep and re-read these until I drop dead. (And I just re-read his adult historical novels earlier this year.) He was a socialist, and so his characters are always "ordinary" young people, rather than princes or princesses, caught up in the doings of the time and having adventures, and so were very relate-able. Also -- and this was unusual -- he almost always included a girl or young woman in the mix, with a few limitations. Trease never violated what was likely for the historical era, so sometimes the female protagonist would be an outsider, or violating social norms, or cross-dressing, etc., or would take somewhat of a back seat at times, but intellectually she would always be on a par with the male character(s), which I liked. So there's a female revolutionary in his novel about Garibaldi, a female runaway heiress who goes on the stage (disguised as a boy) in Elizabethan England, a young woman trying to save her father who travels to Rome in disguise, a slave girl in Athens (outside social norms) and so on.
49benitastrnad
I also liked the work of Rosemary Sutcliff. Her Roman Britain series was outstanding. Eagle of the Ninth is probably the most famous of that series, but she has so many good ones about the early history of Britain it is hard to pick one that is better than the others. Her medieval series is also good.
50elkiedee
I read lots of Rosemary Sutcliff, and some Geoffrey Trease and other writers, as a child. For my mum, being given Rosemary Sutcliff's latest book was an occasional treat when she was young, as her father worked for Sutcliff's publisher, OXford University Press, and I think I have a couple of family copies of those books from the 1950s, but minus dustjackets and a little bit battered. Another of my favourites was Ransom for a Knight by Barbara Leonie Picard, in which a medieval 13 year old girl learns that her father has been captured after a battle by the Scottish, and somehow manages to travel all the way up from the south coast of England to get him, encountering many different people in the places she stays in en route.
52ffortsa
I seem to have had a blighted young adulthood, never hearing about the books you are talking about. Does Thomas Costain count?
53Chatterbox
>51 elkiedee: NO! I hadn't.... I just read the Guardian's obit, and they don't mention a cause of death. He was only six years older than I am... (On a separate note, I didn't realize that he was married to Jane Thynne...) (On another note entirely, and being very cynical, I wonder whether this explains the Walter Scott prize nomination, which puzzled me? That he was suddenly ill, and that this would be in the nature of a lifetime achievement nod of some kind?)
There is one new book, out in the next few weeks -- I think next month? Sigh.
On a completely separate note, when I went to that website I also found that Penny Vincenzi had died, late in February. Her escapist sagas are novels I have always enjoyed because they were such good escapist fare, and probably helped to spawn "chick lit" and prepare the way for long, complex yarns like "Outlander" (although Vincenzi's books were contemporary in the extreme...)
>52 ffortsa: Not blighted exactly, just deprived. Most of these authors are English, and few made it across the Atlantic, where editors (perhaps correctly) assumed that kids wanted to read different kinds of books. I didn't, however, and I was hooked on these (and I loved the OUP editions -- the hardcovers and the paperbacks. Other authors -- the Flambards series from K.M. Peyton, and the books set in Tsarist Russia by E.M. Almedingen (SP?), which were available in the paperback in the 1970s. I wasn't as much a fan of Rosemary Sutcliff -- enjoyed but didn't love. Couldn't tell you why. On the other hand, I loved Mara Kay's books, Masha and The Youngest Lady in Waiting. Both are out of print and incredibly rare today -- ripe for re-release. I actually thought that they would be reprinted, but nope. (Some of Trease's novels are very scarce and tough to find, like The Hills of Varna, which I wanted to buy for a friend's daughter, but if you don't mind older copies, they are usually find-able.)
Costain would count as historical fiction, but he was writing for an adult audience. I first read him when I was 12 and had moved back to Canada -- my grandfather had one or two, and then I discovered some of the others at the library. By then, I had already read my way through a good chunk of Jean Plaidy's novels (or whatever was in print and available to me in paperback with my pocket money in London, since I wasn't allowed to use the adult library there by the diktat of the authorities...) for adults that were historical fiction. I had also read a number of Georgette Heyer's Regency romances and even Hornblower's adventures and some of Mary Renault's books, on a cruise we went on the summer that I was 11. (I remember getting very peculiar looks from other kids' mothers...)
There is one new book, out in the next few weeks -- I think next month? Sigh.
On a completely separate note, when I went to that website I also found that Penny Vincenzi had died, late in February. Her escapist sagas are novels I have always enjoyed because they were such good escapist fare, and probably helped to spawn "chick lit" and prepare the way for long, complex yarns like "Outlander" (although Vincenzi's books were contemporary in the extreme...)
>52 ffortsa: Not blighted exactly, just deprived. Most of these authors are English, and few made it across the Atlantic, where editors (perhaps correctly) assumed that kids wanted to read different kinds of books. I didn't, however, and I was hooked on these (and I loved the OUP editions -- the hardcovers and the paperbacks. Other authors -- the Flambards series from K.M. Peyton, and the books set in Tsarist Russia by E.M. Almedingen (SP?), which were available in the paperback in the 1970s. I wasn't as much a fan of Rosemary Sutcliff -- enjoyed but didn't love. Couldn't tell you why. On the other hand, I loved Mara Kay's books, Masha and The Youngest Lady in Waiting. Both are out of print and incredibly rare today -- ripe for re-release. I actually thought that they would be reprinted, but nope. (Some of Trease's novels are very scarce and tough to find, like The Hills of Varna, which I wanted to buy for a friend's daughter, but if you don't mind older copies, they are usually find-able.)
Costain would count as historical fiction, but he was writing for an adult audience. I first read him when I was 12 and had moved back to Canada -- my grandfather had one or two, and then I discovered some of the others at the library. By then, I had already read my way through a good chunk of Jean Plaidy's novels (or whatever was in print and available to me in paperback with my pocket money in London, since I wasn't allowed to use the adult library there by the diktat of the authorities...) for adults that were historical fiction. I had also read a number of Georgette Heyer's Regency romances and even Hornblower's adventures and some of Mary Renault's books, on a cruise we went on the summer that I was 11. (I remember getting very peculiar looks from other kids' mothers...)
54elkiedee
Apparently as well as Greeks Bearing Gifts there is a 14th novel in the series just sent to the publisher and due to come out next year. Apparently he had cancer but I wonder if he was only diagnosed very shortly before he died. I only saw the news quite late on Saturday afternoon but there are quite a lot of tweets from Friday.
I was also really sad to learn about Penny Vincenzi - surprisingly her last novel appeared in Vine for All last year so I have it waiting.
I was also really sad to learn about Penny Vincenzi - surprisingly her last novel appeared in Vine for All last year so I have it waiting.
55Chatterbox
I got the last (sniff) Vincenzi for my illicit (!?!) UK Kindle last year when it came out, so I have it waiting, too. I may push it to one side and leave it as a treat for later, since it WILL be the last.
I saw the reference to the 14th, but it also mentioned that it was a first draft, which gives me pause. I wonder if it will be like Elizabeth Peters' final novel, finished up by Joan Hess (who didn't really capture her style or brio...) Sometimes, I suppose, you just have to learn to say farewell. And if that isn't a lesson of middle age, I don't know what is. Sigh.
Reading the ARC of the new Jacqueline Winspear novel that I snaffled at ALA Midwinter; its publication date is next week. Also reading Disappointment River, finishing the audiobook of Hué 1968 by Mark Bowden, which is fascinating in its detail, but I keep getting lost in all the detail. After that, there is the new Donal Ryan novel, or perhaps Paris Metro by Wendell Steavenson, which I was talking about with a new friend from my Athenaeum Academy course, which had its final meeting today. (sniff, sniff.) She wants to read it, and since I have the ARC, I'll bump it up the priority list and pass it along.
And TWO more book requests came in at the Athenaeum (they are SO good about placing book orders for me; it's very enabling...), The Seabird's Cry, by Adam Nicolson (which may even fit into my Hebrides cluster of books, since I think Nicolson's Scottish island retreat might be in the Hebrides, and the birds he is focusing are definitely from that region), and the new book by Paul Goldberg, The Château. They are piling up.
I saw the reference to the 14th, but it also mentioned that it was a first draft, which gives me pause. I wonder if it will be like Elizabeth Peters' final novel, finished up by Joan Hess (who didn't really capture her style or brio...) Sometimes, I suppose, you just have to learn to say farewell. And if that isn't a lesson of middle age, I don't know what is. Sigh.
Reading the ARC of the new Jacqueline Winspear novel that I snaffled at ALA Midwinter; its publication date is next week. Also reading Disappointment River, finishing the audiobook of Hué 1968 by Mark Bowden, which is fascinating in its detail, but I keep getting lost in all the detail. After that, there is the new Donal Ryan novel, or perhaps Paris Metro by Wendell Steavenson, which I was talking about with a new friend from my Athenaeum Academy course, which had its final meeting today. (sniff, sniff.) She wants to read it, and since I have the ARC, I'll bump it up the priority list and pass it along.
And TWO more book requests came in at the Athenaeum (they are SO good about placing book orders for me; it's very enabling...), The Seabird's Cry, by Adam Nicolson (which may even fit into my Hebrides cluster of books, since I think Nicolson's Scottish island retreat might be in the Hebrides, and the birds he is focusing are definitely from that region), and the new book by Paul Goldberg, The Château. They are piling up.
56katiekrug
I got an ARC of The Chateau as a prize at the trivia night I went to on Friday at my local indie bookseller. The Wayne wants to read it because it mentions his hometown in the description on the back... :-P
57benitastrnad
#55
I just put in a request for The Seabird's Cry for the library. The reviews of it were very very good.
I just put in a request for The Seabird's Cry for the library. The reviews of it were very very good.
58benitastrnad
Back to the discussion about historical fiction for a minute. Have you read any of the novels of Susan Howatch? I was browsing in the library on Saturday and picked up Cashelmara. Somehow this author had escaped my notice, but when I looked her up in Wikipedia this morning, to my surprise I found that she is well known for the sweeping family sagas like the Poldark novels. I wonder how I missed this?
59Chatterbox
Yes, I've read most of Howatch's novels, at least until she became a devout Church of England convert, and began writing a six-part series about clerics and mystical stuff. My first attempt to read some of those bogged down completely. But what's fun about Penmarric and Cashelmara is that they (and others) are based on English royal dysfunctional families. Penmarric is based on Henry I, the Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Henry and Eleanor's royal brood and Henry's illegitimate children. Cashelmara, meanwhile, is the story of Edward I, his second wife (much younger than him), Edward II and his wife, the latter's lover etc. and the civil war involving the barons that resulted in the overthrow (and later death/murder of Edward II) by Isabella and Mortimer. The book ends with the fictional version of Edward III tossing his mother out on reaching his majority and murdering Mortimer. In both cases, the large manor houses or castles of the titles and the property attached to them stand for the "kingdoms" -- in an era when wealthy landowners really were little monarchs of all they surveyed. The Wheel of Fortune, set on the estate of Oxmoon in the Gower Peninsula in Wales, is Edward III's family -- the Black Prince, his children and the Lancastrian dynasty that unseat Richard II. Then there is a two-parter, starting with The Rich Are Different, based on Anthony and Cleopatra, in which the character of Dinah van Slade is Cleopatra. It continues into a second volume with Augustus/Octavian trying to order his children around. Susan Howatch also wrote a bunch of much, much shorter Gothic women's novels published in the 60s and 70s -- very typical of their time. Most of those are out of print now.
60elkiedee
I loved the Susan Howatch family sagas, but didn't realise the royal stories connection. I didn't realise that there was one connected with Antony and Cleopatra - I did the Shakespeare play for A level.
61benitastrnad
I really didn’t know about Susan Howatch and that type of historical saga was something that I liked to read back in the day. I put Cashelmara on the bedside table this afternoon as that is something that I want to read. Soon.
The reviews said that the Penmarric, Cashelmara, and Wheel of Fortune were based on the Plantagenet family. I will now have to decide if I should finish up the Sharon Kay Penman books or go on to these. I am ready to start Lionheart which is book 4 in the Penmen series, so maybe I should finish those first and then go back to Howatch! Oh Gosh! So many bookish decisions to make.
The reviews said that the Penmarric, Cashelmara, and Wheel of Fortune were based on the Plantagenet family. I will now have to decide if I should finish up the Sharon Kay Penman books or go on to these. I am ready to start Lionheart which is book 4 in the Penmen series, so maybe I should finish those first and then go back to Howatch! Oh Gosh! So many bookish decisions to make.
62LizzieD
Disappointment River is a BB for me. Geoffrey Trease would be too, but I can't tell which are YA and which are adult. I loved Rosemary Sutcliff and had designs on many, many in our HS library which hadn't been checked out in a decade or two and should have been pulled while I was still there and could have bought them for pennies. Alas.
I'm sorry about Philip Kerr and also had no idea that he was married to Jane Thynne.
Otherwise, I have nothing to add to this conversation, but I'm glad that you're home and hoping that you're having good days, Suzanne!
I'm sorry about Philip Kerr and also had no idea that he was married to Jane Thynne.
Otherwise, I have nothing to add to this conversation, but I'm glad that you're home and hoping that you're having good days, Suzanne!
63Chatterbox
>62 LizzieD: There are only two adult novels written by Geoffrey Trease (though he did write a handful of non-fiction books, one about the condottieri (sp?) and one about the Grand Tour, for instance, for adults). They are Snared Nightingale and So Wild the Heart. I prefer the former.
64msf59
Happy New Thread, Suzanne. I like the Ithaka poem. Normally, I don't connect with older poetry, but this one works for me. I think I need more practice, with the older stuff.
I am starting I'll Be Gone in the Dark today. I have heard very good things. Have you read it yet?
I hope you are doing well, my friend.
I am starting I'll Be Gone in the Dark today. I have heard very good things. Have you read it yet?
I hope you are doing well, my friend.
65magicians_nephew
Love me my Sharon Kay Penman - kept loaning people my copy of her Richard III book The Sunne in Splendour and never getting it back.
66Chatterbox
>64 msf59: Have never heard of that book before -- true crime? memoir? or...? Doing OK. Too little work; too many headaches. But lotsa books to read, so that's good.
And yes, poetry is all about finding one piece that intrigues you and then just sampling more, one bit at a time. I'm fine with most anything, except for ponderous mid-Victorian stuff (although even some Tennyson is fine...)
>65 magicians_nephew: Yes indeedy. And I wish that more of her novels were available for audiobook, too! Frustrating. She has struggled, also, with illness and physical disabilities in getting her newest one complete, but is good about keeping people informed via FB. Do you still have a copy of the Richard III novel, or do you need me to keep an eye open for a spare copy here? I probably have spares of most of her books.
I got my first ER book (well, was notified I will receive one) for literally years! A debut novel by an Iraqi-born author, The Baghdad Clock. Might be great; might not. We shall see!
And yes, poetry is all about finding one piece that intrigues you and then just sampling more, one bit at a time. I'm fine with most anything, except for ponderous mid-Victorian stuff (although even some Tennyson is fine...)
>65 magicians_nephew: Yes indeedy. And I wish that more of her novels were available for audiobook, too! Frustrating. She has struggled, also, with illness and physical disabilities in getting her newest one complete, but is good about keeping people informed via FB. Do you still have a copy of the Richard III novel, or do you need me to keep an eye open for a spare copy here? I probably have spares of most of her books.
I got my first ER book (well, was notified I will receive one) for literally years! A debut novel by an Iraqi-born author, The Baghdad Clock. Might be great; might not. We shall see!
67benitastrnad
Penman also writes some really good medieval mysteries. I have one or two of them on my shelves and hope to read all of them. She was nominated for an Edgar award for the first one. I also wish that some of these older (?) novels would be recorded. I noticed that the older mysteries of Tony Hillerman were being recorded and reissued, so there is hope that some other authors will get the same treatment.
68Chatterbox
She started writing those mysteries while writing her first long novels, but they didn't sell as well, or her publishers pushed her to concentrate on the epics. So.... I'm surprised that they aren't available for audio, but few of her novels are, only the most recent. Slowly, there is some catchup taking place as more people use audiobooks. But there remain big backlist gaps.
69Chatterbox
Well, I finally heard back from the white paper folks that I was working with last fall and into the early New Year, who told me to just hang on while they considered what to do about this complicated project. It turns out that what they decided to do was to do without me -- to turn it over to a contract PR firm, break the work into three pieces, etc. etc. And ignore my e-mails (very intermittent, as I had been told "don't call us, we'll call you." Now I've been told to submit a discounted invoice, even though I put in significantly more work than originally anticipated, at least in part because there were too many cooks stirring this broth and i had to keep rewriting it to keep each new constituency happy. Clearly I don't have that knack -- and that is my fault. So I spent a lot of time on this, lose the income and have no ability to use them as a reference (since they are spinning this as my inability to manage the challenge.) Frustrating, because the PR guy in question doesn't understand the subject matter (he sat in on the interviews/discussions.) But if he can manage the people involved, well, god bless him. And good political work by him, too, is all that I can say.
70klobrien2
>69 Chatterbox: So sorry...this totally sucks. I don't even know what to say, but I'm thinking of you and wishing you some good news.
Karen O.
Karen O.
71m.belljackson
>69 Chatterbox:
That is horrible. Is there a way to have a lawyer (the kind who collect only if you win) sue for damages?
That is horrible. Is there a way to have a lawyer (the kind who collect only if you win) sue for damages?
72Chatterbox
>71 m.belljackson: No, they are completely within their rights. It was a freelance assignment. In the same way that someone can spike a story and pay me a kill fee, they can opt not to continue with me. It's the lack of goodwill and communication that annoy me so deeply. And the consequences of this, which are not encouraging. A friend of mine recommended me for this gig, and that's not good from that POV -- I will have embarrassed her to some degree. I obviously can't use them as a reference. And the blow to my self-esteem is, ahem, significant. I feel as if I have done something very wrong and not figured it out, and I should have been figuring it out. ARGH.
73msf59
I'll Be Gone in the Dark is True Crime and it has been getting all kinds of buzz. McNamara died, as she was finishing the book and now her husband, Patton Oswalt and Gillian Flynn are touring together, promoting the book. She was a strong writer and became quite obsessed with this case.
74Chatterbox
>73 msf59: That's quite a backstory!!
75Chatterbox
Just typed an entire message, hit post, and nothing happened. Hit post again, it told me I had a duplicate post, and so I assumed that if I refreshed the page, the message would appear. I assumed incorrectly and the message had completely vanished.
I don't have the energy to retype the whole thing. Basically -- just completed The Cutting Season by Attica Locke (book #102!) and loved it, so went and bought Black Water Rising, her first novel, to see if my streak of really enjoying this author's books continues. Can't get too much of a good thing... even if it interrupts my "really should read this" stack of reading material. Also, got approved by NetGalley for the next "Miss Kopp" novel by Amy Stewart. Lots of good reading ahead, assuming I can find time and energy!!
I don't have the energy to retype the whole thing. Basically -- just completed The Cutting Season by Attica Locke (book #102!) and loved it, so went and bought Black Water Rising, her first novel, to see if my streak of really enjoying this author's books continues. Can't get too much of a good thing... even if it interrupts my "really should read this" stack of reading material. Also, got approved by NetGalley for the next "Miss Kopp" novel by Amy Stewart. Lots of good reading ahead, assuming I can find time and energy!!
76Chatterbox
And another piece of work -- smallish but would have been helpful -- just got canceled. Would have been working on op-ed pieces for the friend's book that I proofread (that he was so pleased with) back in December. I don't THINK it has anything to do with me or my capabilities -- he said he thinks working on these side projects right now is a distraction and probably not worthwhile -- but after the white paper, I don't feel confident about that, and it's a blow. And I had to ask what was happening with it, and whether there was something that I should be doing, as I simply wasn't hearing from him. So I'm back to the barest of bare bones, workwise, and no upside potential.
77ffortsa
>76 Chatterbox: Oh dear. That's not a promising outlook. Freelancing must be so hard. Even when I was technically a freelancer, agents found me long contracts on full time assignments. Every time I finished one, I panicked. It was a relief to find something that felt permanent, as it indeed was.
I wish you great opportunities in the near future.
I wish you great opportunities in the near future.
78Chatterbox
>77 ffortsa: Thanks, Judy. I'm just feeling very despairing right now. I hope things will improve. I thought they finally were looking up toward the end of last year, but perhaps not. And it just gets harder to try. I will stop having a pity party soon, I promise. And focus on reporting on my books.
79benitastrnad
The freelancing thing is so risky and it is endemic in what were white collar jobs. I feel so bad for you and so many who are stuck in these situations. It is even rampant in academe. We hire short term people with no benefits. It is not right. I just don’t know what to say to you or others in the same situation. I do hurt for you, but I know that is small comfort.
80ronincats
Agree with Benita that this whole move to contract work out rather than have actual staff is not right and is hurting the industries and professions where it is rampant. I blame companies working to provide the highest return to stockholders, and the product be damned. Feel for you, Suz.
81Chatterbox
I freelanced successfully for a while, and then in the last three/four years or so, everything has gone completely pear-shaped. Actually, it has become increasingly difficult in the last six or seven years, and now it's almost impossible. And I'm older, and more tired, and feel more vulnerable. So let's have a self-pity party! (or let's not...)
Fergus caught another mouse today. He left it for me to find, of course.
Fergus caught another mouse today. He left it for me to find, of course.
82Chatterbox
So, I've been trying to decide which of the Walter Scott Prize nominees (for best historical novel) to read next, and just realized that now two of the nominees have died: Helen Dunmore and Philip Kerr.... *sadz*
I've read both of their novels, and would strongly recommend Birdcage Walk by Dunmore. (Well, Kerr's mystery is good, but you really have to have been following the entire series for it to make sense...) I also thought The Last Man in Europe by Dennis Glover was very good, and I probably wouldn't have been aware of it had it not been for this list. I think Jennifer Egan's novel is good, and suspenseful, but in this company? Well, it's on a par with Kerr, but... Dunno which I'll read next. Have been struggling with "serious" reading that requires concentration -- thank you v. much, migraine....
I've read both of their novels, and would strongly recommend Birdcage Walk by Dunmore. (Well, Kerr's mystery is good, but you really have to have been following the entire series for it to make sense...) I also thought The Last Man in Europe by Dennis Glover was very good, and I probably wouldn't have been aware of it had it not been for this list. I think Jennifer Egan's novel is good, and suspenseful, but in this company? Well, it's on a par with Kerr, but... Dunno which I'll read next. Have been struggling with "serious" reading that requires concentration -- thank you v. much, migraine....
83charl08
Thanks for the nudge about the WS prize - I like the idea of The Last Man In Europe, enjoyed Jane Harris's previous book so think will look for Sugar Money . A fan of Bernie, so sad about Kerr and will look for Prussian Blue - the Prague set one was really good, I thought. New (to me) books - The Draughtsman, Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves and The Bedlam Stacks all sound intriguing.
Hope your migraine gets better soon.
Hope your migraine gets better soon.
84Chatterbox
I tried The Draughtsman but stumbled on it. Will have to try again later. I have both of the others (the latter of them from the library) and so will try to get to them soonish. Also the Jane Harris novel, because I, too, really enjoyed Gillespie and I. Wickedly subversive tone to it.
85Chatterbox
Things have been very, very dull. I find myself listening to "migraine audiobooks" -- books that I know well already, and want to 'read' anyway, and thus don't demand much of my attention -- on audio, when my head is pounding, and then returning to "real" books when the migraine abates.
Loved Go Went Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck. It and Exit West make great bookends to discuss the refugee/migrant experience -- one very realist with fascinating dimensions, and one that starts out as a realist novel and spins into magical realism quite rapidly. I finally finished my travel narrative for the March non-fiction challenge (Disappointment River, about canoeing the whole Mackenzie River), which I ended up loving -- the author provided just the right about historical backdrop/context for his adventure in the feet of Alexander MacKenzie. And I've got a stack of other things to read, of which Ian Buruma's memoir feels most appealing...
Loved Go Went Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck. It and Exit West make great bookends to discuss the refugee/migrant experience -- one very realist with fascinating dimensions, and one that starts out as a realist novel and spins into magical realism quite rapidly. I finally finished my travel narrative for the March non-fiction challenge (Disappointment River, about canoeing the whole Mackenzie River), which I ended up loving -- the author provided just the right about historical backdrop/context for his adventure in the feet of Alexander MacKenzie. And I've got a stack of other things to read, of which Ian Buruma's memoir feels most appealing...
86LovingLit
>72 Chatterbox: I feel as if I have done something very wrong and not figured it out, and I should have been figuring it out.
I hate that feeling, having the rug pulled out from under you like that. I think a pity-tea-party is warranted, and then dust yourself off and to H$!! with them!
I hate that feeling, having the rug pulled out from under you like that. I think a pity-tea-party is warranted, and then dust yourself off and to H$!! with them!
87LizzieD
First, I must say that a person with integrity expects that same integrity from the people she proposes to work with. People who use your work and don't communicate in the process are beneath contempt. I'm wishing you better, soon. You deserve better. Courage!
I'm so happy to have at least 3 of the books you've enjoyed lately, and I'm looking at Disappointment River. Thank you!
I'm so happy to have at least 3 of the books you've enjoyed lately, and I'm looking at Disappointment River. Thank you!
88benitastrnad
Suz where are you? We are beginning to wonder. I spent a good portion of Sunday in bed with a headache and I still have the residual ache today. The weather here was foul all weekend and I am sure that is why I have the headache.
The book I read for this month's challenge will be on my end-of-the-year best books list. I am glad I finally got to it.
The book I read for this month's challenge will be on my end-of-the-year best books list. I am glad I finally got to it.
90Chatterbox
Hi everyone,
Sorry, I appear to have run out of "oomph." I have barely been reading. I have been posting pictures of art on my FB page, and doing any work that I have to, and that's about it. Dealing with headaches, traveling to NYC to see my neurologist -- and then discovering after I left that my sister in law had been there with my niece and elder nephew and hadn't told me...
Also went to see the designer of the 9/11 museum talk at the Athenaeum. Fascinating, but not good for PTSD as it turns out.
The good news is that a friend of mine is coming to give a reading of her new book here tomorrow: Mary Morris, talking about her new novel, Gateway to the Moon. So I shall go to that and meet up with her.
Glad I have the cats to keep me going!
Sorry, I appear to have run out of "oomph." I have barely been reading. I have been posting pictures of art on my FB page, and doing any work that I have to, and that's about it. Dealing with headaches, traveling to NYC to see my neurologist -- and then discovering after I left that my sister in law had been there with my niece and elder nephew and hadn't told me...
Also went to see the designer of the 9/11 museum talk at the Athenaeum. Fascinating, but not good for PTSD as it turns out.
The good news is that a friend of mine is coming to give a reading of her new book here tomorrow: Mary Morris, talking about her new novel, Gateway to the Moon. So I shall go to that and meet up with her.
Glad I have the cats to keep me going!
91libraryperilous
>90 Chatterbox: I hope you feel better soon, Suzanne. Kitty pajama parties make everything better.
I've been not very good about keeping up with other LTers' threads, but your voracious reading is an inspiration to me. I've skimmed the thread, but I'll go back later to look for your thoughts on some of the titles that jumped out at me. And, of course, to document the trajectory of the book bullets.
I've not read any of Trease's YA historicals, which I gather are his best, but the first Bannermere book is fun. There's some sly socialist commentary inserted, and Trease has bits where it seems he's poking fun at Bill's sexism. Also, there is treasure to find and there are bikes to ride and a boat to row!
Once, in Egypt (although not Alexandria), I had some English dude sneer at me because I said "Ithaka" was my favorite of Cavafy's poems. But said dude didn't know that Leonard Cohen had based "Alexandra Leaving" on "The God Abandons Antony," so I still felt v. smug. Ban men. (I had one today tell me that I "look like a mother" because I was ... wait for it ... carrying my library books in one arm.)
I've been not very good about keeping up with other LTers' threads, but your voracious reading is an inspiration to me. I've skimmed the thread, but I'll go back later to look for your thoughts on some of the titles that jumped out at me. And, of course, to document the trajectory of the book bullets.
I've not read any of Trease's YA historicals, which I gather are his best, but the first Bannermere book is fun. There's some sly socialist commentary inserted, and Trease has bits where it seems he's poking fun at Bill's sexism. Also, there is treasure to find and there are bikes to ride and a boat to row!
Once, in Egypt (although not Alexandria), I had some English dude sneer at me because I said "Ithaka" was my favorite of Cavafy's poems. But said dude didn't know that Leonard Cohen had based "Alexandra Leaving" on "The God Abandons Antony," so I still felt v. smug. Ban men. (I had one today tell me that I "look like a mother" because I was ... wait for it ... carrying my library books in one arm.)
92Chatterbox
>91 libraryperilous: Thanks for the visit! And I've been appalling about visits to other threads. Like so much else in my life of late, it has gone by the wayside. Re your Egyptian anecdote, that is astonishing. Some people are just arrogant with zero foundation for that behavior. And yet they build on that arrogance. I don't get it. (And yet when I try to be self-confident, I feel anything but inside; sigh.)
And as for looking like a mother -- what on earth does that even MEAN? Erm, what about looking like a scholar? And what does he tell a guy carrying a lot of books?
For that matter -- why is it that only women seem to read? I was at a book reading last night. Now granted, all five authors reading were women. But 90% of the audience was female. My friend was there to talk about and read from her new book, Gateway to the Moon. She was the oldest there by a decade or two, and most of the others were debut writers, two or three of which bashed Amazon reviewers (with yours truly, Amazon Vine reviewer, sitting in the audience, arms folded...) Mary, who has been writing for many years, has taught many people (including Jodi Picoult) wasn't impressed by their attitude. She said one described writing a novel as being like learning to ride a bike. "Yes, if by that she meant falling off the bike, shattering bones in your face and being covered in blood, then getting up and doing it all over again," she commented, wryly.
Am still struggling to get any serious reading done, but am making some headway in Daughters of the Winter Queen by Nancy Goldstone. It's one of her better books, but it's less a biography than a history, or at least combines biography with a history of the 30-years' war and the English Civil War, and the biographies are as much the Winter Queen of the title (daughter of James I of England, grandmother of George I of Hanover and England) as of her daughters, most of whose lives aren't all that compelling. I think the title is there to sell the book.
And as for looking like a mother -- what on earth does that even MEAN? Erm, what about looking like a scholar? And what does he tell a guy carrying a lot of books?
For that matter -- why is it that only women seem to read? I was at a book reading last night. Now granted, all five authors reading were women. But 90% of the audience was female. My friend was there to talk about and read from her new book, Gateway to the Moon. She was the oldest there by a decade or two, and most of the others were debut writers, two or three of which bashed Amazon reviewers (with yours truly, Amazon Vine reviewer, sitting in the audience, arms folded...) Mary, who has been writing for many years, has taught many people (including Jodi Picoult) wasn't impressed by their attitude. She said one described writing a novel as being like learning to ride a bike. "Yes, if by that she meant falling off the bike, shattering bones in your face and being covered in blood, then getting up and doing it all over again," she commented, wryly.
Am still struggling to get any serious reading done, but am making some headway in Daughters of the Winter Queen by Nancy Goldstone. It's one of her better books, but it's less a biography than a history, or at least combines biography with a history of the 30-years' war and the English Civil War, and the biographies are as much the Winter Queen of the title (daughter of James I of England, grandmother of George I of Hanover and England) as of her daughters, most of whose lives aren't all that compelling. I think the title is there to sell the book.
93benitastrnad
It might be snarky of me, but even though I have read Nancy Goldstone and like her work, I think that of most of the ones I have read. But they sure are fun to read. History lite.
94Chatterbox
>93 benitastrnad: I did like the last one quite a lot -- the dual bio of Catherine de Medici and her daughter. It really did "click". This one was fascinating, too -- it just wasn't what the title suggested. Which was just as well, I suppose.
95benitastrnad
There really isn’t much out there on the 30 years war. In English- that is, so this would be a good one to read.
I am sorry to have been absent from the threads as well. It is annual evaluation time and I have been buried in citation analysis. Why or why can’t educated people change the title in their CV when an article is published, from the pre-pub draft? It is the bane of every librarians existence. It is enough to make me retreat to my latest read Work Like Any Other - which I am not enjoying that much. I know it was the one title from the Booker Longlist that many people liked, but it is turning out to not be the reading adventure I thought it would be. Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945 has it beat all to heck.
I am sorry to have been absent from the threads as well. It is annual evaluation time and I have been buried in citation analysis. Why or why can’t educated people change the title in their CV when an article is published, from the pre-pub draft? It is the bane of every librarians existence. It is enough to make me retreat to my latest read Work Like Any Other - which I am not enjoying that much. I know it was the one title from the Booker Longlist that many people liked, but it is turning out to not be the reading adventure I thought it would be. Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945 has it beat all to heck.
96Chatterbox
>95 benitastrnad: I thought Work Like Any Other was OK, but like Emily Fridlund's novel last year, had no idea what it was doing on the Man Booker longlist. Confess I miss the days when US novels were not included. There are plenty of ways to learn about what is being published in the US...
97magicians_nephew
When Phillip Kerr is good he is very very good - and when he is not so good he's still pretty good.
Sorry to hear the migraine monster is in residence - hope you feel better soon
Sorry to hear the migraine monster is in residence - hope you feel better soon
98benitastrnad
I finished Work Like Any Other and, while I picked up in the last third of the novel, I was beginning to wonder why it was on the Booker list. It certainly wasn't going to keep most people reading on what it offered the reader just out of the gate. I read it because my real life book discussion group is reading it as our Alabama book for the year. It did get better, and in the end I liked it better than I thought I was going to. But it is still only average in my book and I am not sure why it was on the list. I wonder what they committee was thinking when they put that title on the list?
99Chatterbox
Finally finished reading Impossible Views of the World by Lucy Ives, so that I could return to the library, and because I kept thinking to myself, surely it must deliver on its promise somewhere, sometime. It doesn't. Misadventures of the impossibly self-satisfied, edgily self-aware and pretentious, perhaps? Rarely does a novel annoy me this much. I'm slapping the "Suzanne Warning Label" on it. i really, really don't know what the reviewers see/saw in it. Midway through, I went to see what they had said, out of curiosity, then went back to the novel with more commitment. But nope. It floats around, with little dashes in various directions now and again, but to no purpose. I prefer a good, honest unpretentious mystery that doesn't pretend to be anything else to this, that doesn't really know WHAT it is or what it's trying to do. I don't care that maybe, beneath it all, the author can write. Who cares, if she can't tell a story, or figure out what story she's telling? I certainly couldn't, and I certainly didn't give a damn.
100benitastrnad
#99
that is some review. I just finished reading Story of A New Name and, while I like this novel, I am not sure that it deserves all the accolades. I got hours of enjoyment out of it, but to call it bold and innovative? Not sure where the critics are coming from on that one.
that is some review. I just finished reading Story of A New Name and, while I like this novel, I am not sure that it deserves all the accolades. I got hours of enjoyment out of it, but to call it bold and innovative? Not sure where the critics are coming from on that one.
101Chatterbox
Does anyone else have this problem with LibraryThing? I'll have to go from it to another website and then tab back to it, but when I go to the tab and click on it, instead of opening it just vanishes. It makes me crazy when doing the non-fiction challenge, as I have to tab away to get each image, and sometimes EACH TIME I go back, I end up closing down the page and losing everything I typed. In this case, I had just typed a long post here about the Walter Scott Prize and the books on the shortlist, including the ones that didn't make it onto the longlist, and went to the website to double check the amount of the prize. I came back to LT and bang, as soon as I put my cursor on the tab, it closed. And NO, I did not hit the X mark. I only have five windows open -- even if I wasn't being extraordinarily careful, there simply was no way I would have done so without trying to hit it deliberately.
I don't feel like retyping the whole damn post, which I started some 20 minutes ago, so I'll just say that I'm sorry that The Last Man in Europe by Dennis Glover didn't make the cut, and that I'm a bit bemused by all the fuss over Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan, which didn't do that for me, in spite of the noirish tone and focus on new topics like women going naval diving during WW2. Clearly, I'm missing something here. I just finished Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves, another short-listed book, and it, too, didn't wow me -- very predictable, and very slow reading; a novel that should have been 100 pages shorter and was in need of something that made it interesting. Yes, a lesbian couple (the author downplays anything explicit about the nature of the relationship in the novel, and makes it a story about a partnership and a question about what makes life worthwhile) is a new focus, but that alone can't carry a book if the pace is sluggish, and this was. Next up will be The Wardrobe Mistress by Patrick McGrath and Sugar Money by Jane Harris. I have one of the other two short-listed books after that, The Gallows Pole, since it was super-cheap on Amazon UK, but am not in a rush to read it.
Oh well. Clearly the judges and I do not have tastes in common?
I don't feel like retyping the whole damn post, which I started some 20 minutes ago, so I'll just say that I'm sorry that The Last Man in Europe by Dennis Glover didn't make the cut, and that I'm a bit bemused by all the fuss over Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan, which didn't do that for me, in spite of the noirish tone and focus on new topics like women going naval diving during WW2. Clearly, I'm missing something here. I just finished Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves, another short-listed book, and it, too, didn't wow me -- very predictable, and very slow reading; a novel that should have been 100 pages shorter and was in need of something that made it interesting. Yes, a lesbian couple (the author downplays anything explicit about the nature of the relationship in the novel, and makes it a story about a partnership and a question about what makes life worthwhile) is a new focus, but that alone can't carry a book if the pace is sluggish, and this was. Next up will be The Wardrobe Mistress by Patrick McGrath and Sugar Money by Jane Harris. I have one of the other two short-listed books after that, The Gallows Pole, since it was super-cheap on Amazon UK, but am not in a rush to read it.
Oh well. Clearly the judges and I do not have tastes in common?
102lindapanzo
When I try to type something in an LT message box, sometimes, all I get is a black box. Not this time though. Very annoying.
104benitastrnad
#101
I would report this problem on the LT bugs thread - especially if it is consistent.
I have not had that problem, but I can’t seem to get the thumbnail book covers implanted on a thread. I must be doing something wrong as others clearly don’t have that problem. Today I tried to put something into a LT wiki and I couldn’t get it to look like everybody else’s entry so I quit. To me it just isn’t worth the time I have to spend to get it to work to do some of that fancy stuff. However, I understand that others like to mess around with things and get them to work. I just don’t have the time or the inclination to do it.
I hope that you will get it figured out as I like your posts and critics about books. I’ll bet your post on the Walter Scott Prize would have been interesting.
I would report this problem on the LT bugs thread - especially if it is consistent.
I have not had that problem, but I can’t seem to get the thumbnail book covers implanted on a thread. I must be doing something wrong as others clearly don’t have that problem. Today I tried to put something into a LT wiki and I couldn’t get it to look like everybody else’s entry so I quit. To me it just isn’t worth the time I have to spend to get it to work to do some of that fancy stuff. However, I understand that others like to mess around with things and get them to work. I just don’t have the time or the inclination to do it.
I hope that you will get it figured out as I like your posts and critics about books. I’ll bet your post on the Walter Scott Prize would have been interesting.
105LizzieD
I don't have the same problem, Suz, but I appreciate your abbreviated post in >101 Chatterbox:.
106Chatterbox
>105 LizzieD: Sorry they were abbreviated. I just ran out of energy to rewrite them all... Blech. Maybe later. But I already have an immense backlog of mini-reviews.
I'd note book #144 on my log, listed in >2 Chatterbox:, The Death of Democracy by Benjamin Carter Hett. He has written all about the Weimar republic and its long slow demise -- he dismisses easy, glib answers (it was all about reparations; it was all about the 1929 bank crash and economic crisis; there was something uniquely weak about the weimar constitution), and instead delves deeply into the very specific factors about Germany that led both to Weimar's weakening and to Hitler's rise -- and that the two sometimes overlapped and sometimes diverged. Very thought-provoking, the more so for not explicitly trying to draw comparisons with democracy today until literally the very final sentence.
I'd note book #144 on my log, listed in >2 Chatterbox:, The Death of Democracy by Benjamin Carter Hett. He has written all about the Weimar republic and its long slow demise -- he dismisses easy, glib answers (it was all about reparations; it was all about the 1929 bank crash and economic crisis; there was something uniquely weak about the weimar constitution), and instead delves deeply into the very specific factors about Germany that led both to Weimar's weakening and to Hitler's rise -- and that the two sometimes overlapped and sometimes diverged. Very thought-provoking, the more so for not explicitly trying to draw comparisons with democracy today until literally the very final sentence.
107Chatterbox
Just logged book #150 -- my second 75 books. It was the second mystery in a new series I've started reading by Iona Whishaw, Death in a Darkening Mist. They are quite good, set in British Columbia in the immediate aftermath of WW2. Not astonishingly distinctive, but a unique setting and characters make them stand out from the crowd.
108charl08
Congrats on the 150! I liked Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves more than you, I think. I liked the structure being a bit different, zipping through some periods and focussing on others.
109Chatterbox
>108 charl08: That's an aspect of it that I hadn't really focused on, actually -- interesting. I linked the wrench about leaving the first farm, but that also felt like a dangling loose thread. I understand (having read the postscript) that it was based on a skeleton structure of real identities, and perhaps the author felt constrained? Yes, it was true to life in that sense -- but while the character of Ernest was clearly a chicken coming home to roost, I kept thinking how much more satisfying it could have been had the farm also been involved. (Trying to be a bit oblique for those who have yet to read this.) At the same time, I liked the emphasis on the mutual incomprehension between the "mainstream" lifestyles and the satisfaction of the two women with their lives -- or the contentment they had with what a consumer society would deem to be little. She didn't make the mistake of preaching about consumerism, etc., but did it subtly.
NetGalley just approved me for the upcoming mystery by Elsa Hart, set in 18th century China, whose central character is a roaming scholar named Li Du. Excellent! I really liked the first two...
Have started reading The Wardrobe Mistress by Patrick McGrath, another Walter Scott short list book, and it augurs well so far (25 pages or so into it. I like the writing style.
Oh, I REALLY recommend The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers. A great adventure story about a young Yemeni-American who wants to become a coffee entrepreneur. An against-the-odds tale -- will he or won't he succeed in reviving the Yemeni coffee industry in the midst of a civil war? GREAT yarn, and very well told. I just ripped right through it.
NetGalley just approved me for the upcoming mystery by Elsa Hart, set in 18th century China, whose central character is a roaming scholar named Li Du. Excellent! I really liked the first two...
Have started reading The Wardrobe Mistress by Patrick McGrath, another Walter Scott short list book, and it augurs well so far (25 pages or so into it. I like the writing style.
Oh, I REALLY recommend The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers. A great adventure story about a young Yemeni-American who wants to become a coffee entrepreneur. An against-the-odds tale -- will he or won't he succeed in reviving the Yemeni coffee industry in the midst of a civil war? GREAT yarn, and very well told. I just ripped right through it.
110benitastrnad
#109
I have seen Monk of Mokha in several places, but haven't taken the time to even look at it. I will have to do so. Which means I will probably buy it. ... Or at least add it to my every growing wishlist.
I have seen Monk of Mokha in several places, but haven't taken the time to even look at it. I will have to do so. Which means I will probably buy it. ... Or at least add it to my every growing wishlist.
112Chatterbox
I live to serve. Or at least, I live to add book bullets to folks' lists... :-)
113ronincats
When I go to get an image, like a book cover, I right click on "open a new window" and get the image address there, then just close it to get back to my post in progress. A couple of times when I've forgotten and just clicked on the touchstone, yes, it will disappear. Although usually if I use the back arrow, what I've already typed is still there.
114Chatterbox
>113 ronincats: Hmm, yes, I pull my covers from Google. I never touch the touchstones at all until I've finished doing whatever else I need to do, when I check to see whether the touchstone is (a) working and (b) correct. 2% of the time it is both, so I usually have to fix it or else post, and then reopen the post to try and get the touchstones to work at all. That doesn't affect the problem I'm having, which affects the closing down of the whole page -- the back arrow won't work, because there is no back arrow to click, because the entire page has simply shut down instead of coming to the front when I opted for that window. So, I'll have four or five windows open -- my e-mail, Facebook, the LT page and Google. and if I move from Google back to LT, LT just shuts down. Bizarro. I think it hates me. Really. :-)
115ChelleBearss
Congrats on hitting 150 already! Wow :)
Goodreads tells me I'm ahead of my goal so I hope to hit 100 by the end of the year :)
Goodreads tells me I'm ahead of my goal so I hope to hit 100 by the end of the year :)
116Chatterbox
>115 ChelleBearss: Hurray! Good for you for keeping ahead of the pace! I'm not sure whether or not I'm ahead of my goal. I'm fairly sure that I'm not keeping up with my planned reading, and I know I keep diverting my attention to mysteries and light reading right now. Or sometimes to re-reads.That seems to be what I can cope with. Plus the occasional non-fiction gem, like Denmark Vesey's Garden, which even though it sometimes drags on too long, does a great job of approach familiar issues in a new and interesting way, and in a topical one, given the debate over pulling down statues, renaming buildings, etc. Who does history and memory belong to? Who gets to tell stories about the past? It's amazing to me to fully understand the extent to which the story of a single community (Charleston) was coopted and distorted by the white community in the wake of the Civil War.
117LizzieD
>116 Chatterbox: Dear Suz, HOORAY for the freedom to read what we want to read when we want to read it! No shame. No guilt. Enjoy the light stuff.
Thank you for the heads-up on Denmark Vesey's Garden. Another BB right to my little southern heart.
Thank you for the heads-up on Denmark Vesey's Garden. Another BB right to my little southern heart.
118libraryperilous
>101 Chatterbox: UGH I AM STILL SO DISAPPOINTED IN MANHATTAN BEACH AND ITS BAD GENDER ROLES THAT WERE LABELED FEMINIST BY LAZY REVIEWERS.
Anyway! I was otherwise intrigued by this year's Scott prize list. Alas, my library does not have the Jane Harris title, which piqued my interest the most. I may have to buy it. I always find the long- and shortlists for the Scott prize interesting, even though I don't read all of the titles.
>106 Chatterbox: and >107 Chatterbox: Congrats! You've hit me with two that sound intriguing and weren't already on my ridiculous TBR list.
I hope your migraine has gone away.
Anyway! I was otherwise intrigued by this year's Scott prize list. Alas, my library does not have the Jane Harris title, which piqued my interest the most. I may have to buy it. I always find the long- and shortlists for the Scott prize interesting, even though I don't read all of the titles.
>106 Chatterbox: and >107 Chatterbox: Congrats! You've hit me with two that sound intriguing and weren't already on my ridiculous TBR list.
I hope your migraine has gone away.
119Chatterbox
The FDA FINALLY APPROVED THE NEW MIGRAINE DRUGS!!
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/17/health/migraines-prevention-drug-aimovig.html
Now the question is how I will be able to pay for them; whether insurance will do so. Fingers and toes crossed.
Meanwhile: have started reading the first of the Angela Thirkell "Barsetshire" novels, High Rising. It seems that she was a bit of a snob about her own books, preferring to read Dickens and Austen and assuming that her friends would do the same rather than read what she had written. But I'm finding it rather fun and likely will continue with the series for a while, although it has a LOT of books, perhaps two dozen. Even the incredibly prolix Trollope himself might well reel back in astonishment.
>118 libraryperilous: PM me your address and I'll send you the ARC of the Jane Harris book when I'm finished with it in a week or two's time, if you can hang on that long.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/17/health/migraines-prevention-drug-aimovig.html
Now the question is how I will be able to pay for them; whether insurance will do so. Fingers and toes crossed.
Meanwhile: have started reading the first of the Angela Thirkell "Barsetshire" novels, High Rising. It seems that she was a bit of a snob about her own books, preferring to read Dickens and Austen and assuming that her friends would do the same rather than read what she had written. But I'm finding it rather fun and likely will continue with the series for a while, although it has a LOT of books, perhaps two dozen. Even the incredibly prolix Trollope himself might well reel back in astonishment.
>118 libraryperilous: PM me your address and I'll send you the ARC of the Jane Harris book when I'm finished with it in a week or two's time, if you can hang on that long.
121Chatterbox
>120 m.belljackson: I hope that insurance will cover them -- they should, since I have more than 15 migraine days a month and have had multiple medications fail to resolve them adequately. We'll see. Even so, when you consider that an ER visit is $2,000, the annual cost is equivalent to 3.5 ER visits to treat a severe migraine.
And what price actually having a life that is livable? I honestly wouldn't recognize what that is like. The description of life with a severe & chronic migraine condition, according to a survey conducted and reported on in this story is given as patients who are '“frustrated, depressed, defeated, isolated,” the report said, or felt they were a burden to society.' That captures me perfectly. Oh, add despairing and occasionally suicidal.
And what price actually having a life that is livable? I honestly wouldn't recognize what that is like. The description of life with a severe & chronic migraine condition, according to a survey conducted and reported on in this story is given as patients who are '“frustrated, depressed, defeated, isolated,” the report said, or felt they were a burden to society.' That captures me perfectly. Oh, add despairing and occasionally suicidal.
122lindapanzo
>116 Chatterbox: Since my surgery, I've been focused exclusively only on what I want to read, which is typically cozies and sports-related books. As I feel better now, I'm branching out a bit, though I might put aside How to Read Poetry Like a Professor.
123LizzieD
I was going to ask about the new migraine drug. I do so hope that your insurance is cooperative and that the drug is good for you.
124thornton37814
The only thing that helped a friend of mine with migraines is Botox injections which are quite pricy too. She thinks she was on a clinical trial for this drug.
125Fourpawz2
Thought of you right away when I heard the news yesterday. Sure hope that it does the trick for you, Suzanne (and that it is covered by your insurance.)
126benitastrnad
I am so glad to hear the news about the migraine medicine. I hope it works out and works for you.
I know you aren’t going but, but ALA is in New Orleans in a little over a months time. Abby and Tim will be going and have already told me that they will have free passes available for LT members. I don’t have a thread or anything set up yet, but will let you know when I do. I am also planning a meet-up for any LT members who are going. I was thinking of a breakfast meeting at Le Madeline’s out in the River Bend area of NOLA.
I had hoped you would be well enough to attend. Watching you work the publishers booths is a thing of beauty.
I know you aren’t going but, but ALA is in New Orleans in a little over a months time. Abby and Tim will be going and have already told me that they will have free passes available for LT members. I don’t have a thread or anything set up yet, but will let you know when I do. I am also planning a meet-up for any LT members who are going. I was thinking of a breakfast meeting at Le Madeline’s out in the River Bend area of NOLA.
I had hoped you would be well enough to attend. Watching you work the publishers booths is a thing of beauty.
127benitastrnad
Did you watch the wedding yesterday. I did and was disappointed by the coverage. I watched the BBC coverage on my local PBS station and was very disappointed that they didn’t tell the viewers who it was that was walking down to the church. They kept interrupting the coverage to interview various charity workers and organizers. I wanted to know what peers and guests were there and a lot more history and background of the protocols and the places. I did not want to hear about the charities and their work. Perhaps I should have watched a different channel with different coverage.
128Chatterbox
I did watch some of the streaming coverage of the ceremony, but wasn't that interested in most of the guests, to be honest. Since it wasn't a state occasion, there wouldn't have been many peers of the realm there unless they had a personal relationship to Harry (eg, John Major was there because he was Harry's guardian after Diana's death, for a short while, but not current PM Theresa May. So a lot of the people were friends, relatives or people that Harry works with at those charities... I suspect so many of them were enough of the radar that they weren't recognizable to most TV channels, which is why they kept cutting to the Beckhams, George Clooney and one or two others in the crowd, because this is a v. small venue and there were few well known faces/names -- Kate's sister was there, the usual royals but not en masse. Probably most of the peers who did attend were also relatives -- the Kents, Gloucesters and so on.
I only watched out of mild curiosity. My favorite moments were the fact that she walked herself down the aisle at the beginning, and looking at the gobsmacked faces of the English establishment during the Chicago bishop's classic "we're all just plain folks here together" classic African-American (albeit somewhat muted for that kind of sermon) homily on the power of love. They were kind of stunned into immobility and I just loved it. And I loved the gospel choir, and every moment that was non-traditional that kind of made it more real and substantive and less about pageantry. The royal family has plenty of pageantry and tradition -- so much more than it needs to survive. Lest you think I want to banish the royals, I really don't: they are useful, constitutionally speaking, and provide a historic link and center for the country (if not really for the Commonwealth, despite the rhetoric. When royals go off and promote British goods overseas at the expense of those made by other Commonwealth countries, that kind of undermines the whole idea of a COMMON-WEALTH...) But I do NOT get into the whole reverence for them as people and gooey-eyed sentimentality. They are human beings; some are a waste of space, some are probably good people and some are simply not all that bright but exceptionally diligent and hard working, with a sense of duty. I just don't think that going all mushy at the idea of princes or princesses appeals to me at all. Just another form of celebrity, except unearned. They were just born into it, and suddenly everyone else is curtseying or bowing to them? Puhleez.
Sorry for the long response. Probably TMI...
I only watched out of mild curiosity. My favorite moments were the fact that she walked herself down the aisle at the beginning, and looking at the gobsmacked faces of the English establishment during the Chicago bishop's classic "we're all just plain folks here together" classic African-American (albeit somewhat muted for that kind of sermon) homily on the power of love. They were kind of stunned into immobility and I just loved it. And I loved the gospel choir, and every moment that was non-traditional that kind of made it more real and substantive and less about pageantry. The royal family has plenty of pageantry and tradition -- so much more than it needs to survive. Lest you think I want to banish the royals, I really don't: they are useful, constitutionally speaking, and provide a historic link and center for the country (if not really for the Commonwealth, despite the rhetoric. When royals go off and promote British goods overseas at the expense of those made by other Commonwealth countries, that kind of undermines the whole idea of a COMMON-WEALTH...) But I do NOT get into the whole reverence for them as people and gooey-eyed sentimentality. They are human beings; some are a waste of space, some are probably good people and some are simply not all that bright but exceptionally diligent and hard working, with a sense of duty. I just don't think that going all mushy at the idea of princes or princesses appeals to me at all. Just another form of celebrity, except unearned. They were just born into it, and suddenly everyone else is curtseying or bowing to them? Puhleez.
Sorry for the long response. Probably TMI...
129charl08
Hope that the medication is available soon (and works) on your plan Suzanne. The wedding stuff is interesting, not tmi for me. Lots of people seemed to have a nice day, which seems like a bonus when compared to some of the other 'news' stories.
130benitastrnad
I enjoyed your rant. I think the reason I wanted to see more of the history and who are these people than the charity stuff is that it bores me. I also wanted more history - like why the uniform with the frock coat instead of the short coat, why are they called the Blues & Royals. Why Windsor Castle? What is so special about St. George’s chapel? Why was the carriage called the Ascot carriage? Why a carriage instead of an open car? (I think a carriage would shake that tiara right off her head.). Why children as bridesmaids instead of a huge crowd of people dressed in pink fru-fru dresses? And what’s with this signing the register thingy?
You can see that I thought the coverage less than adequate and totally boring. I don’t know why anybody would bother to watch that crappy broadcasting. I expected way more from the BBC.
You can see that I thought the coverage less than adequate and totally boring. I don’t know why anybody would bother to watch that crappy broadcasting. I expected way more from the BBC.
131Chatterbox
Oh, I suppose for the Brits some of that stuff is a bit of a given -- no wedding in the Church of England is official until the register is signed. And it's quite traditional to have children as bridesmaids (the same as it is to have choirs of boys and men.) Every regiment has its own dress uniform and that is the one of the Blues and Royals, which is the one Harry served with in Afghanistan. The Blues is the nickname of one of the two regiments and the Royals is the other (Royal Dragoons) -- they were merged to form this cavalry regiment post ww2 sometime. It's called an Ascot carriage because it's one of the ones that takes the Queen and her party to Ascot, and it's good for processions because it's very high -- people in it can be easily viewed from further back. I'm assuming it's well sprung...
Why Windsor & St. George's? It's not a state occasion. Windsor is a primary residence of the royal family, and St. George's is under Queen Elizabeth's direct jurisdiction, not that of the church, so it's like being married in a family chapel, albeit one that seats hundreds. It's where the Queen's father is buried (along with several other monarchs -- Edward IV, from the 15th century, Henry VIII, the decapitated Charles I, George III, etc.) and where she plans to be buried.
I suspect the BBC was forgetting that it was talking to more than Brits in its broadcast. I saw a few bits of both an ABC and a CBS broadcast and they covered Harry's uniform (at least the fact that he got permission from the Queen to wear it, and to remain unshaven while doing so), and some stuff about St. George's, which I already knew, thanks to the fire at Windsor in the 1990s and generally just being a history buff. They had Brits and Americans anchoring, to balance the unknown stuff, so presumably the Americans could explain Curry's preaching style to gobsmacked Brits who tuned in....
Why Windsor & St. George's? It's not a state occasion. Windsor is a primary residence of the royal family, and St. George's is under Queen Elizabeth's direct jurisdiction, not that of the church, so it's like being married in a family chapel, albeit one that seats hundreds. It's where the Queen's father is buried (along with several other monarchs -- Edward IV, from the 15th century, Henry VIII, the decapitated Charles I, George III, etc.) and where she plans to be buried.
I suspect the BBC was forgetting that it was talking to more than Brits in its broadcast. I saw a few bits of both an ABC and a CBS broadcast and they covered Harry's uniform (at least the fact that he got permission from the Queen to wear it, and to remain unshaven while doing so), and some stuff about St. George's, which I already knew, thanks to the fire at Windsor in the 1990s and generally just being a history buff. They had Brits and Americans anchoring, to balance the unknown stuff, so presumably the Americans could explain Curry's preaching style to gobsmacked Brits who tuned in....
132katiekrug
I watched CNN's coverage and it had a lot of interesting information about many of the details. They also had British contributors to cover some of the protocol and information Brits might take for granted that would be foreign to an American audience. I ended up learning a lot!
133Chatterbox
Lots of comments about "why was the Queen scowling?" though... Hey, she's 92, has resting bitch face except when she's watching her horses, and takes religious and formal events seriously. She's entitled not to be a grinning sentimental person at bit ceremonies. Doesn't mean she's not happy... If she didn't like the whole wedding or the bride, it wouldn't have been happening at all... And Phillip grinned. He CLEARLY approves of having another attractive young woman in the family, even at nearly 97.
134libraryperilous
Fingers crossed for you for the migraine medication, Suzanne!
I mean, I appreciate a good burn down the system kind of person. It's why, eg, Matt Harvey is my favorite baseball player. So I've always eyed Harry's escapades with approval. Also 100% approve of the way Harry and Meghan trolled everyone with that ceremony, and the symbolism meant a lot to a number of Black intellectuals I follow on Twitter. Here for that, too. As for the Queen, she definitely has resting Queen Bitch face, but I also think she was discomfited by the ceremony. Good.
I so would be an ardent republican if I lived in a monarchy.
>133 Chatterbox: She also likes cows. :)
>119 Chatterbox: Thank you for the generous offer. I've put it on my new materials request at the library. If they don't order it, I definitely will PM you. I look forward to your review of it.
I mean, I appreciate a good burn down the system kind of person. It's why, eg, Matt Harvey is my favorite baseball player. So I've always eyed Harry's escapades with approval. Also 100% approve of the way Harry and Meghan trolled everyone with that ceremony, and the symbolism meant a lot to a number of Black intellectuals I follow on Twitter. Here for that, too. As for the Queen, she definitely has resting Queen Bitch face, but I also think she was discomfited by the ceremony. Good.
I so would be an ardent republican if I lived in a monarchy.
>133 Chatterbox: She also likes cows. :)
>119 Chatterbox: Thank you for the generous offer. I've put it on my new materials request at the library. If they don't order it, I definitely will PM you. I look forward to your review of it.
135benitastrnad
I spent the day at home with the plumbers. I have gone round and round with them and my landlord regarding a hot water leak for two months and finally it got fixed today. I now have a hole in my kitchen floor, with the refrigerator blocking up the entire kitchen making it impossible to cook anything in there. I can’t move it as the cement has to dry for at least 24 hours and then tile will have to be relaid, and then I can get the kitchen back into a semblance of order. In the meantime, I see lots of tacos and other fast food as my evening meal. Luckily, I made a huge batch of granola on Saturday, so I will have granola and yogurt for breakfast. And the refrigerator is on, so I do have cold food storage. The repairs l went smoothly, and so I am glad as I was thinking it would take several days for all of the repairs to happen. Small blessings and all that. Also, it was a mild day here - not hot and humid like it usually is in the summer.
136Chatterbox
>134 libraryperilous: I'm a dual citizen, and one of those parts of me is Canadian and thus a subject of a monarchy, and I appreciate the fact that we don't have to elect a head of state, but have a symbolic one. There's something to be said for an unflashy, resting bitchface queen with a highly developed sense of duty. I have a lot of respect for her. And for Charles, too, for that matter, in spite of his idiocy in marrying Diana when he knew he was going to be an asshole in that relationship. But he has been a good father, and I think will be a good, unflashy constitutional monarch. Meghan has settled Harry down (I didn't appreciate many of his antics; I DO appreciate many of his current serious commitments.)
>135 benitastrnad: I spent part of the day googling airfare and even trainfare to New Orleans and sadly realizing that I WILL HAVE NO MORE BIG INFLOWS OF FREE BOOKS THIS YEAR. It is a tragedy. I really want to go, but can't. Air fares are $500 plus, even before hotels. Just -- no. Maybe Seattle. Am very sad. It's just because I'm reading galley guides for BEA...
>135 benitastrnad: I spent part of the day googling airfare and even trainfare to New Orleans and sadly realizing that I WILL HAVE NO MORE BIG INFLOWS OF FREE BOOKS THIS YEAR. It is a tragedy. I really want to go, but can't. Air fares are $500 plus, even before hotels. Just -- no. Maybe Seattle. Am very sad. It's just because I'm reading galley guides for BEA...
137libraryperilous
>136 Chatterbox: I've always felt sorry for Charles, because he was forced into a marriage he didn't want. It seems the queen has perhaps learned her lesson from that sorry mess.
138Chatterbox
>137 libraryperilous: Oh yes... And perhaps OKing his marriage to Camilla, followed by this marriage (an American, divorced, mixed race -- all things that, delightfully, will get up the noses of the nobility, though the Queen seems to like her) are a sign that she is willing to bend and accept (especially now that the Church, too, allows for more flexibility...)
139libraryperilous
>138 Chatterbox: And the low key shade (not even low key, really) of naming them Duke and Duchess of Sussex was too good. Honestly, the whole shebang makes me want to read The Uncommon Reader.
Also, I know it's not a big deal to most people nowadays, but I love that Meghan's a few years older than Harry. I mean, some people do still judge that, so it's just one more cool thing about it.
PS: I like Camilla! I used to live in London, and the press was so mean to her and misogynistic in their coverage. So I decided to like her in feminist solidarity.
Also, I know it's not a big deal to most people nowadays, but I love that Meghan's a few years older than Harry. I mean, some people do still judge that, so it's just one more cool thing about it.
PS: I like Camilla! I used to live in London, and the press was so mean to her and misogynistic in their coverage. So I decided to like her in feminist solidarity.
140Chatterbox
>139 libraryperilous: So do I like Camilla -- I was living in London on the day that they had their first "public date", and came home via Piccadilly (I worked just off Ludgate Hill and would take a bus to Oxford Street via the Strand & Regent Street, and then another bus from there up to St. John's Wood.) I saw all the paparazzi swarming around the Ritz but it wasn't until I got home that I realized what had been afoot. They were waiting for the two to appear TOGETHER. They clearly are a happy couple. And while I feel that Diana was messed about by everyone, I also didn't think that I had to hate anyone else because of that. None of my beeswax.
Well, none of it is, really. And now all the drama is over, thankfully, and we can all get on with our ordinary lives and just read books and worry about Donald Trump. You see, Trump is the kind of elected head of state who makes me v.v. grateful for a hereditary monarch whose powers are minimal and checked. And for a PM who can't run amok because of the hereditary monarch. The longer I live in the US, the more I like the parliamentary system, regardless of some of the nutcases it, too, can throw up as individuals.
Can you tell that I just finished reading It's Even Worse Than You Think by David Cay Johnston? He has convinced me that he chose the correct title...
Well, none of it is, really. And now all the drama is over, thankfully, and we can all get on with our ordinary lives and just read books and worry about Donald Trump. You see, Trump is the kind of elected head of state who makes me v.v. grateful for a hereditary monarch whose powers are minimal and checked. And for a PM who can't run amok because of the hereditary monarch. The longer I live in the US, the more I like the parliamentary system, regardless of some of the nutcases it, too, can throw up as individuals.
Can you tell that I just finished reading It's Even Worse Than You Think by David Cay Johnston? He has convinced me that he chose the correct title...
141m.belljackson
>133 Chatterbox:
Geez - any Queen who, at age 92! - after having dealt with her oddball family
and challenging country for many long years,
can still dress up in lime green and purple!
and stand, walk, and sit long enough for yet another public appearance,
deserves to show any old game face she pleases!
Re: Harry and "antics" > having dressed up as a Nazi
and having now married a biracial woman,
he clearly has learned a message that could sway the alt-right.
Charles and Camilla?
Didn't their long-standing liaison end up driving Diana out of England?
And, how was he "forced" to marry her?
It was fun to watch Meghan singing "God Save the Queen."
Geez - any Queen who, at age 92! - after having dealt with her oddball family
and challenging country for many long years,
can still dress up in lime green and purple!
and stand, walk, and sit long enough for yet another public appearance,
deserves to show any old game face she pleases!
Re: Harry and "antics" > having dressed up as a Nazi
and having now married a biracial woman,
he clearly has learned a message that could sway the alt-right.
Charles and Camilla?
Didn't their long-standing liaison end up driving Diana out of England?
And, how was he "forced" to marry her?
It was fun to watch Meghan singing "God Save the Queen."
142libraryperilous
Ugh. I'd forgotten about the Nazi thing. That was straight up trash. His fountain frolicking was delightful, though.
>140 Chatterbox:
Yes, Diana definitely was the most sympathetic figure. I've just always spared a little room for Charles, too. Cool story about your stay in London. It's such a great city. I loved my time there.
I actually would love to see the US switch to a more parliamentary style of politics, though not one rooted in a monarchy. Presidentialism adds an extra layer of difficulty and messiness in a democracy, and it also makes backsliding a smidge easier. Plus, the power creep on the executive side that's been constant since, oh, FDR, is not cool.
I need to add that one to my Trump Reads list. I have a few out from the library right now.
>140 Chatterbox:
Yes, Diana definitely was the most sympathetic figure. I've just always spared a little room for Charles, too. Cool story about your stay in London. It's such a great city. I loved my time there.
I actually would love to see the US switch to a more parliamentary style of politics, though not one rooted in a monarchy. Presidentialism adds an extra layer of difficulty and messiness in a democracy, and it also makes backsliding a smidge easier. Plus, the power creep on the executive side that's been constant since, oh, FDR, is not cool.
I need to add that one to my Trump Reads list. I have a few out from the library right now.
143Chatterbox
>142 libraryperilous: Try reading The Imperial Presidency by Arthur Schlesinger Jr., if you haven't already! It was a classic read back in the days when I was a grad student in political science. My emphasis was on international relations, but in practice (sigh) couldn't avoid studying US politics because understanding how US foreign policy was formed was critical to understanding the rest of it -- even civil wars are never really domestic affairs (as Syria has been reminding us most dramatically right now...) It's probably out of date, in that it won't go past the 1970s, but it will cover FDR and on to Nixon, if I recall correctly -- def. Vietnam.
(I must say that by the time of Diana's death, I became a little tired of the attempts to manipulate the media. Yes, she was hard done by. But she got in plenty of licks of her own, and she didn't need to play many of the poor pitiful me games that she did. And so her divorce lawyers advised her, I gather from one of the solicitors who worked in their chambers, who is a friend of a friend of mine, and who spent a week at our mutual friends' summer rental in the summer of '96...)
Trying to line up some great reading for the long weekend, and (horrors) hoping that it will rain so that my neighbors will not have 70 people over and a racous all-day party in their back yard... with the kids running around outside MY house as well.
(I must say that by the time of Diana's death, I became a little tired of the attempts to manipulate the media. Yes, she was hard done by. But she got in plenty of licks of her own, and she didn't need to play many of the poor pitiful me games that she did. And so her divorce lawyers advised her, I gather from one of the solicitors who worked in their chambers, who is a friend of a friend of mine, and who spent a week at our mutual friends' summer rental in the summer of '96...)
Trying to line up some great reading for the long weekend, and (horrors) hoping that it will rain so that my neighbors will not have 70 people over and a racous all-day party in their back yard... with the kids running around outside MY house as well.
144benitastrnad
#139
Meghan Markle isn't the only older woman to marry a red headed British royal. Eleanor of Aquitaine was born in 1122 and Henry II Plantagenet was born in 1133. Wikipedia says that Henry was good looking, red haired, and freckled.
Of course, Henry had a good example. His mother, Empress Matilda was born in 1102 and married Geoffrey of Anjou as her second husband. He was born in 1113.
Just goes to show that rarely is there anything new under the sun.
Meghan Markle isn't the only older woman to marry a red headed British royal. Eleanor of Aquitaine was born in 1122 and Henry II Plantagenet was born in 1133. Wikipedia says that Henry was good looking, red haired, and freckled.
Of course, Henry had a good example. His mother, Empress Matilda was born in 1102 and married Geoffrey of Anjou as her second husband. He was born in 1113.
Just goes to show that rarely is there anything new under the sun.
145libraryperilous
>143 Chatterbox: Oh my, yes. Thanks for the rec. Have you read Sailing the Water's Edge?
IR is my thing, although I haven't yet decided to commit to a PhD in the field. It would just be a knowledge for knowledge's sake kind of degree, and because I thought I always would get one. We shall see how it unfolds, but I have travel and a move planned for the next couple of years. In the meantime, I try to stay reasonably up to speed, but you know how that goes.
>144 benitastrnad: Hee! :)
IR is my thing, although I haven't yet decided to commit to a PhD in the field. It would just be a knowledge for knowledge's sake kind of degree, and because I thought I always would get one. We shall see how it unfolds, but I have travel and a move planned for the next couple of years. In the meantime, I try to stay reasonably up to speed, but you know how that goes.
>144 benitastrnad: Hee! :)
146Chatterbox
>144 benitastrnad: Yes, indeed -- a famous match that started out as a tempestuous love match -- and she was an older DIVORCED woman, to boot! But alas, didn't end too well. He locked her up in Sarum (Salisbury) for the final years of his reign. While "The Lion in Winter" is not good history, it does capture their mutual animus by then. She had power in her own right and they divided over how it should be used and allocated to their sons. But she was his wife, so... But Richard revered her and even her son John respected her authority. Amazing figure in history.
>145 libraryperilous: IR was my field, academically, until the mid 1980s and remains my interest (still read some foreign policy rags/journals). But yes, you really must read the Schlesinger tome. Like Essence of Decision, it's one of those key books that even though they have been superseded by others, knowing and knowing about, kind of represent a bit of "topical literacy", I think. Especially for US foreign policy wonks, trying to understand the relationship between domestic institutions and who has the power to do what. It's amazing the extent to which how few of our actual involvements in war have been accompanied by formal declarations of war, for instance. Is that the US system changing? Is it the advent of an international system? Or...?
If you pursued a PhD, do you have a sense of what area you would focus on or what kind of topic you would target for a thesis? My area of interest was always the interplay of global and local affairs. I was lucky enough, at my grad school in Japan, to have as one of my professors a guy from the Wilson school at Princeton, who was on sabbatical, Bob Gilpin. It was the only real academic highlight of my time there, and I was able to do some fascinating work. I never had any real interest or intention in going further, but just working with him made my brain feel as if it were growing several-fold! He was working on his book about the political economy of international relations, which is what I was trying to focus on, too -- the way that trade relations are geopolitical and strategic in nature, eg that Japan went to war in 1941 to secure its access to markets and raw materials, after it felt that the US blockade was blocking it in. But I also did work on the way that great powers use smaller regional ones as ways to act out their conflicts "safely", which I think also happens in this era of state-sponsored terrorism. Gilpin -- now an emeritus professor and mostly retired -- is of the realist school, a disciple of thinkers like Morgenthau and Waltz; the latter's "Theory of International Politics" was central to me in my undergrad days.
Enuf blathering... :-)
I'm trying to read an ARC of an alternate history book, The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington, but the author keeps making the silliest errors of historical fact that distract me. For instance, he mentions George III & Queen Charlotte as having just had their 13th child -- William -- when the book takes place. Wrong, and wrong. Baby #14 was a year or two old, and was named Alfred; William was a strapping teenager. (in the footnotes, he gets it even more wrong, by identifying William as George's eldest son, and saying he inherited the throne from his father in quite the wrong year. He wasn't the eldest son; he inherited the throne from his brother; and he did it in a different year.) So, how do I trust -- even in an alternative history book -- some of the other facts on which this work of fantasy is based? This is why authors get bent out of shape by small historical errors. We don't nitpick -- we get annoyed and distracted and can't immerse ourselves in the novel. Lazy author...
>145 libraryperilous: IR was my field, academically, until the mid 1980s and remains my interest (still read some foreign policy rags/journals). But yes, you really must read the Schlesinger tome. Like Essence of Decision, it's one of those key books that even though they have been superseded by others, knowing and knowing about, kind of represent a bit of "topical literacy", I think. Especially for US foreign policy wonks, trying to understand the relationship between domestic institutions and who has the power to do what. It's amazing the extent to which how few of our actual involvements in war have been accompanied by formal declarations of war, for instance. Is that the US system changing? Is it the advent of an international system? Or...?
If you pursued a PhD, do you have a sense of what area you would focus on or what kind of topic you would target for a thesis? My area of interest was always the interplay of global and local affairs. I was lucky enough, at my grad school in Japan, to have as one of my professors a guy from the Wilson school at Princeton, who was on sabbatical, Bob Gilpin. It was the only real academic highlight of my time there, and I was able to do some fascinating work. I never had any real interest or intention in going further, but just working with him made my brain feel as if it were growing several-fold! He was working on his book about the political economy of international relations, which is what I was trying to focus on, too -- the way that trade relations are geopolitical and strategic in nature, eg that Japan went to war in 1941 to secure its access to markets and raw materials, after it felt that the US blockade was blocking it in. But I also did work on the way that great powers use smaller regional ones as ways to act out their conflicts "safely", which I think also happens in this era of state-sponsored terrorism. Gilpin -- now an emeritus professor and mostly retired -- is of the realist school, a disciple of thinkers like Morgenthau and Waltz; the latter's "Theory of International Politics" was central to me in my undergrad days.
Enuf blathering... :-)
I'm trying to read an ARC of an alternate history book, The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington, but the author keeps making the silliest errors of historical fact that distract me. For instance, he mentions George III & Queen Charlotte as having just had their 13th child -- William -- when the book takes place. Wrong, and wrong. Baby #14 was a year or two old, and was named Alfred; William was a strapping teenager. (in the footnotes, he gets it even more wrong, by identifying William as George's eldest son, and saying he inherited the throne from his father in quite the wrong year. He wasn't the eldest son; he inherited the throne from his brother; and he did it in a different year.) So, how do I trust -- even in an alternative history book -- some of the other facts on which this work of fantasy is based? This is why authors get bent out of shape by small historical errors. We don't nitpick -- we get annoyed and distracted and can't immerse ourselves in the novel. Lazy author...
147Chatterbox
Well, looking at some of my reading goals -- I completed my re-read of the Mountjoy novels by Elizabeth Pewsey early on, and have done some listening to audiobooks by Ngaio Marsh (and have others ready to go...) I'm now delving into my re-reads of books by Michael Gilbert, focusing on some of those that I've not read in many years, and have actually ordered new copies of reissues by the House of Stratus, as my existing copies (mass market paperbacks) are 30 or so years old and falling apart (and have that yucky feeling to their pages...)
Not making much progress on some of my personal challenges but there are still seven months left in the year!!
Not making much progress on some of my personal challenges but there are still seven months left in the year!!
148benitastrnad
I have been laid low by a headache today. It is not a major head pounder, but the back of my neck is sore and between my eyes. Tropical Storm Alberto is coming and I think that this is one of his gifts. It has been really hot and humid today. I went to the pool but didn’t stay long as I couldn’t tolerate it with the headache.
My kitchen is still a mess and so I can’t cook. That means take out and going to eat out, which I don’t like because it is expensive and I don’t eat as well. However, I can barely get the refrigerator door open and can’t use the microwave at all since the refrigerator is right in front of it. I hope my kitchen can get back to normal this week, but am not counting on it with the holiday interfering.
My kitchen is still a mess and so I can’t cook. That means take out and going to eat out, which I don’t like because it is expensive and I don’t eat as well. However, I can barely get the refrigerator door open and can’t use the microwave at all since the refrigerator is right in front of it. I hope my kitchen can get back to normal this week, but am not counting on it with the holiday interfering.
149Chatterbox
>148 benitastrnad: I am just emerging from 8 days, of which I have had 2 without a migraine. It has been... unpleasant.
I have been listening to audiobooks and trying to read to distract myself from the pain, when I can, but, meh. Some luck, not much.
Angela Thirkell's books are good for migraines -- require absolutely NO concentration on my part whatsoever (and some are on audio, so big plus there.) I've now finished three of those.
Thought Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller was immensely creative for what was, in essence, a very predictable plotline -- the main character, an elderly American widower who is basically dragged to Norway by his granddaughter, who has married a Norwegian, already is having flashbacks to his own service in Korea (or is he?) and to his son's death in Vietnam in a kind of hallucinatory way when he witnesses the violent death of a young Albanian Serb woman while protecting/shielding her young son. He goes on the run in an unfamiliar country, with the little boy, who doesn't communicate at all, running from the police (who may turn the boy over to the murderer, his own father) and to the criminal gang who killed the woman. Waiting for me is the sequel, American by Day, about the Norwegian detective, who heads to the US...
Star of the North by D.B. John, a thriller about North Korea, was a real page-turner, with suitably unbelievable twists and turns, but I literally couldn't stop reading it. VERY topical right now, even though it was set a decade or so ago, in the final months before the current Kim's accession to power.
And Feast of Sorrow was a thumping good read for me, at least. There are very mixed reviews, but I ended up listening to the audio version (migraine...) and was captivated by the story of ancient Rome. Very tragic, lots of sadness, don't expect a happy ending, but this is true to ancient Rome's reality, so... If you have very, very tender sensibilities, don't read it, but it's a thumping good read. If you want ancient Rome sanitized, try Lindsey Davis's Falco mysteries.
Cassie is still a very skinny cat, although she has only lost 1/4 of a pound since last summer, when she was at the vet's. But she REFUSES to eat prescription cat food, to my frustration. Waiting to hear blood test results, as I'm terrified that there is lymphoma or something going on underneath. She is (cover your ears with your paws, Molly) my most beloved cat, so I really can't stand the idea of losing her.
Meanwhile, Sir Fergus the Fat is doing his valiant best to live up to his moniker. He WADDLES when he walks, and is too heavy for me to take to the vet on my own. I should note that he arrived chez moi seriously overweight, and his scavenging habits have simply resulted in him becoming more chunky still. That said, he charms everyone that he meets: he trots out on the porch to greet the mail guy and anyone else who stops by.
Molly-cat just wants to attach herself to me with velcro and purr, LOUDLY. And then to meow, LOUDLY if I don't pay her enough attention or feed her rapidly enough. But she will soon be 16 years old, so...
And that is the household update...
I have been listening to audiobooks and trying to read to distract myself from the pain, when I can, but, meh. Some luck, not much.
Angela Thirkell's books are good for migraines -- require absolutely NO concentration on my part whatsoever (and some are on audio, so big plus there.) I've now finished three of those.
Thought Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller was immensely creative for what was, in essence, a very predictable plotline -- the main character, an elderly American widower who is basically dragged to Norway by his granddaughter, who has married a Norwegian, already is having flashbacks to his own service in Korea (or is he?) and to his son's death in Vietnam in a kind of hallucinatory way when he witnesses the violent death of a young Albanian Serb woman while protecting/shielding her young son. He goes on the run in an unfamiliar country, with the little boy, who doesn't communicate at all, running from the police (who may turn the boy over to the murderer, his own father) and to the criminal gang who killed the woman. Waiting for me is the sequel, American by Day, about the Norwegian detective, who heads to the US...
Star of the North by D.B. John, a thriller about North Korea, was a real page-turner, with suitably unbelievable twists and turns, but I literally couldn't stop reading it. VERY topical right now, even though it was set a decade or so ago, in the final months before the current Kim's accession to power.
And Feast of Sorrow was a thumping good read for me, at least. There are very mixed reviews, but I ended up listening to the audio version (migraine...) and was captivated by the story of ancient Rome. Very tragic, lots of sadness, don't expect a happy ending, but this is true to ancient Rome's reality, so... If you have very, very tender sensibilities, don't read it, but it's a thumping good read. If you want ancient Rome sanitized, try Lindsey Davis's Falco mysteries.
Cassie is still a very skinny cat, although she has only lost 1/4 of a pound since last summer, when she was at the vet's. But she REFUSES to eat prescription cat food, to my frustration. Waiting to hear blood test results, as I'm terrified that there is lymphoma or something going on underneath. She is (cover your ears with your paws, Molly) my most beloved cat, so I really can't stand the idea of losing her.
Meanwhile, Sir Fergus the Fat is doing his valiant best to live up to his moniker. He WADDLES when he walks, and is too heavy for me to take to the vet on my own. I should note that he arrived chez moi seriously overweight, and his scavenging habits have simply resulted in him becoming more chunky still. That said, he charms everyone that he meets: he trots out on the porch to greet the mail guy and anyone else who stops by.
Molly-cat just wants to attach herself to me with velcro and purr, LOUDLY. And then to meow, LOUDLY if I don't pay her enough attention or feed her rapidly enough. But she will soon be 16 years old, so...
And that is the household update...
151m.belljackson
>149 Chatterbox:
Hope your cat can find good food that she wants to eat.
My lovely 17 year old Victoria refuses all RX and Organics in favor of Fancy Feast, Sheba, etc.
She just passed an Echocardiogram for 4/6 heart murmur and also has nightly thyroid medicine -
thyroid problem had caused her weight loss.
This week's (May 28 - June 10) NEW YORK magazine (Not recommended. I got a free year subscription
for survey completion and will not renew. Yet, every 3-4 months, it has one great article.)
has a short feature on the new Migraine Prevention medication.
Insurers, from Medicare to all profits,
STILL have not decided what, if anything, they will pay.
Hopefully, as they finally did with Cologuard, they will come through.
Hope your cat can find good food that she wants to eat.
My lovely 17 year old Victoria refuses all RX and Organics in favor of Fancy Feast, Sheba, etc.
She just passed an Echocardiogram for 4/6 heart murmur and also has nightly thyroid medicine -
thyroid problem had caused her weight loss.
This week's (May 28 - June 10) NEW YORK magazine (Not recommended. I got a free year subscription
for survey completion and will not renew. Yet, every 3-4 months, it has one great article.)
has a short feature on the new Migraine Prevention medication.
Insurers, from Medicare to all profits,
STILL have not decided what, if anything, they will pay.
Hopefully, as they finally did with Cologuard, they will come through.
152LizzieD
Amen to what m.belljackson just said! Meanwhile, I hope you have another without migraine tomorrow and the next day and Monday too - at least!
Oh dear. I do hope you get good news from Molly's tests. Anything that can be handled will be good news in my book. At the moment all of our fur children are well. I enjoy every day!
As for books, you have gotten me once again with both Feast of Sorrow (as a conscientious Latin teacher, I have my copy of Apicius) and Star of the North: both firmly wished-for.
Thank you, Suzanne!
Oh dear. I do hope you get good news from Molly's tests. Anything that can be handled will be good news in my book. At the moment all of our fur children are well. I enjoy every day!
As for books, you have gotten me once again with both Feast of Sorrow (as a conscientious Latin teacher, I have my copy of Apicius) and Star of the North: both firmly wished-for.
Thank you, Suzanne!
153sibylline
I love that Cavafy poem.
So so sorry about migraines and all the frustration of medications new and old not helping.
To heck with freelancing! What about you writing a thumping good historical mystery novel?
Love your description of Sir Fergus. Hope that Cassie is doing all right.
So so sorry about migraines and all the frustration of medications new and old not helping.
To heck with freelancing! What about you writing a thumping good historical mystery novel?
Love your description of Sir Fergus. Hope that Cassie is doing all right.
154ChelleBearss
Sorry to see that you are still struggling with migraines. Hope you find some relief soon!
155Chatterbox
Well, I had a good migraine day yesterday, and today is not quite as good, so I'm kind of tiptoeing around. Piffle. There are thunderstorms in the forecast, which may be an explanation. It's unfortunate, as I really wanted to clean up my appallingly messy apartment.
>150 Whisper1: I'm mad, but it's actually more disheartening. I end up feeling as if I just am incapable of doing any good work any longer, puts a dent in my self confidence, my ability to focus and think of ideas and have initiative, etc. Add that to the migraine issues, which always keep me anxious and on edge (the magnitude of the pain and the fear of doing something that is going to leave me in agony for days) and life pretty much stinks. Oh well. You know whereof I speak, even more than I do, since you have had to deal with 24/7 pain with no let up. Although unlike supportive human beings, cats just look at me blankly when I ask them to fetch ice packs from fridge, etc.
>151 m.belljackson: I did see that NY mag article! And I've been talking to my neurologist about the insurance issues and standards, etc. I may have to figure out a way to fund the first few shots of this stuff for myself, just to get the ball rolling, while the insurers argue over what they will pay for. Because I honestly don't know if I can wait much longer knowing it's there and that insurance nonsense is stopping me. Can I afford that? No. But can I afford not to? No. It's a devil's dilemma. I am grateful to the pharma companies for the work they have put it, and know it has been difficult -- they had to scrap it and go back and start again when the original idea turned out to have toxic effects on the liver in stage 3 trials. So I know a lot of money has gone into this -- the first drug to attack migraine based on what we know about migraine vs simply trying to address symptoms, or being a "gee whiz, I know this is supposed to treat seizures, but people also get fewer migraines on it, so let's use it for that too" drug. And I know if insurers approved it for everyone, they would go broke -- they already are under pressure and this is bloody expensive. But they have known it was coming for two years, and should have started developing protocols and standards for it, so as to be prepared. Who gets it? What are the standards? People with an x-year history, who have tried x different treatments, or whatever. It's clearly not a first-line treatment, though people will try to use it as such.
>152 LizzieD: Apicius, in this novel, is not altogether a sympathetic character, but to me a convincing one. I'll be curious to see what you think of the book. Think Roman tragedy by Shakespeare, and you'd be close. But then, anything else would not have been historically true, would it?! I alternated between reading and listening, and as soon as I heard a particular individual's name come up, I knew we were in for some serious villainy... King has taken some historical liberties, perhaps, in linking Apicius' family to that of the villain in question, but it's one that might be justified by the family names of the latter's wife, so I was willing to roll with it, and she makes it work. The narration provided by the slave cook works, too -- reminds me of Robert Harris's trilogy about Cicero, narrated by his slave, Tiro, which I loved (the first two books of that series were better than this, I confess.)
>153 sibylline: Waiting for the results of Cassie's blood tests. Sir Fergus spent some time supervising the world from the porch; eventually had to physically drag him indoors, to our mutual disgust.
No historical mysteries here; I don't think I could write a mystery as I don't have the knack for the strategic reveal, etc. That said, I still am considering, taking first steps towards, a novel about Thomas Paine. It's too good an idea not to pursue. The disappointed idealist, who becomes his own worst enemy -- too radical in the US revolution, not radical enough in France... dies impoverished and mocked in NYC after his "these are the times that try men's souls" was possibly single-handedly responsible for galvanizing recruiting efforts in that dire winter of 1776/77 (and after he donated all royalties to equipping Washington's army...) Libeled as an atheist (he wasn't). Is it too sad a tale to work? I struggle with that, and finding a way to make it work.
>150 Whisper1: I'm mad, but it's actually more disheartening. I end up feeling as if I just am incapable of doing any good work any longer, puts a dent in my self confidence, my ability to focus and think of ideas and have initiative, etc. Add that to the migraine issues, which always keep me anxious and on edge (the magnitude of the pain and the fear of doing something that is going to leave me in agony for days) and life pretty much stinks. Oh well. You know whereof I speak, even more than I do, since you have had to deal with 24/7 pain with no let up. Although unlike supportive human beings, cats just look at me blankly when I ask them to fetch ice packs from fridge, etc.
>151 m.belljackson: I did see that NY mag article! And I've been talking to my neurologist about the insurance issues and standards, etc. I may have to figure out a way to fund the first few shots of this stuff for myself, just to get the ball rolling, while the insurers argue over what they will pay for. Because I honestly don't know if I can wait much longer knowing it's there and that insurance nonsense is stopping me. Can I afford that? No. But can I afford not to? No. It's a devil's dilemma. I am grateful to the pharma companies for the work they have put it, and know it has been difficult -- they had to scrap it and go back and start again when the original idea turned out to have toxic effects on the liver in stage 3 trials. So I know a lot of money has gone into this -- the first drug to attack migraine based on what we know about migraine vs simply trying to address symptoms, or being a "gee whiz, I know this is supposed to treat seizures, but people also get fewer migraines on it, so let's use it for that too" drug. And I know if insurers approved it for everyone, they would go broke -- they already are under pressure and this is bloody expensive. But they have known it was coming for two years, and should have started developing protocols and standards for it, so as to be prepared. Who gets it? What are the standards? People with an x-year history, who have tried x different treatments, or whatever. It's clearly not a first-line treatment, though people will try to use it as such.
>152 LizzieD: Apicius, in this novel, is not altogether a sympathetic character, but to me a convincing one. I'll be curious to see what you think of the book. Think Roman tragedy by Shakespeare, and you'd be close. But then, anything else would not have been historically true, would it?! I alternated between reading and listening, and as soon as I heard a particular individual's name come up, I knew we were in for some serious villainy... King has taken some historical liberties, perhaps, in linking Apicius' family to that of the villain in question, but it's one that might be justified by the family names of the latter's wife, so I was willing to roll with it, and she makes it work. The narration provided by the slave cook works, too -- reminds me of Robert Harris's trilogy about Cicero, narrated by his slave, Tiro, which I loved (the first two books of that series were better than this, I confess.)
>153 sibylline: Waiting for the results of Cassie's blood tests. Sir Fergus spent some time supervising the world from the porch; eventually had to physically drag him indoors, to our mutual disgust.
No historical mysteries here; I don't think I could write a mystery as I don't have the knack for the strategic reveal, etc. That said, I still am considering, taking first steps towards, a novel about Thomas Paine. It's too good an idea not to pursue. The disappointed idealist, who becomes his own worst enemy -- too radical in the US revolution, not radical enough in France... dies impoverished and mocked in NYC after his "these are the times that try men's souls" was possibly single-handedly responsible for galvanizing recruiting efforts in that dire winter of 1776/77 (and after he donated all royalties to equipping Washington's army...) Libeled as an atheist (he wasn't). Is it too sad a tale to work? I struggle with that, and finding a way to make it work.
156Chatterbox
>154 ChelleBearss:, Thanks, Chelle...
Oh, I just finished reading a book that is out in the UK but not apparently in the US yet (so, BD calls?)
Remember, all of you who were here a number of years ago, when Howard's End is on the Landing by Susan Hill came out? And we all seemed to be reading it -- it was about the novelist's efforts to purge her library to a core, essential number of books, and decide, in the process, what were the essential books to read.
Well, she seems to have done a sequel of sorts in the shape of Jacob's Room is Full of Books, with the title being a nod to Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf, one of Hills' fave authors. It's broken down into monthly chapters (Hill's book, that is), with each month being composed of a scattershot section of ruminations about the weather and the landscape where she lives in Norfolk; her life as a reader; the birds she sees when she is out and about; and then thoughts about books more broadly, sometimes revolving very, very loosely around some kind of a theme -- books you would give to others, literary prizes and a sense of entitlement, literary careers and how to write, and so on.
It's not as tightly knit as the first book, and when she wrote that her first draft of a book is often her last draft, I found myself muttering to myself, "Yes, and I can see that, and in this case, you should at least have read it over and cut out the repetitions!" She tells us three or four times about why she prefers physical books to e-books, that she writes in the margins of her books, and that students keep asking her silly questions about her own book, The Woman in Black, now part of an A-level curriculum. The first time interesting; the second, repetitive; the third, annoying as can be. She also has her idiosyncracies and biases about books that sometimes strike me as just dotty. She seems to think William Hazlitt is merely a clone of Addison and the prose stylists of essayists of yore, who never lets his thoughts or emotions show. Has she EVER read a Hazlitt essay, one wonders? She makes a big to-do over her credentials as an English literature scholar, notes that she isn't as well-read in foreign literature (indeed, the gaps are surprising) -- but then mentions she has never read Jane Eyre. Moreover, she doesn't seem to find this surprising or as something that she should (just perhaps) try to address. Admittedly, it's not Wuthering Heights, but it's still a landmark novel, and to not even have attempted it, and still pat oneself on the back is bizarre. Still, there are other points that she makes that I thoroughly endorse. She notes with bemusement Toni Morrison going to the chair of the National Book Award Committee in 1987 after it failed to select her book for the prize and saying "thank you for ruining my life." As Hill writes, "If your life depends on winning an award chosen by a few people over lunch, there's something wrong..." She tells of the problems that dog promising writers whose first book is seized on as the greatest thing since sliced bread -- if the second book can't live up to that, their career is doomed. Her sympathy is for the writers, who are poorly served by the publishers and their own agents. She thinks it's horrific to dole out 20,000 pounds for the best short story.
So why read this? Because Hill has spent a long time in the trenches of literature, and is thoughtful about all of this, even when she rambles and even when I disagree with her. Because she's amusing talking about how books physically overtake her. "As fast as I get one out of the back door, two more ones come in through the front anyway." Anyway, as she notes, "books breed. They beget second copies because you have mislaid the first and buy another, the day before you find the first. They inter-breed too, so you have The Cambridge Companion to the Bible next to the Oxford ditto, and several copies of Quentin Bell's biography of Virginia Woolf next to the one by Hermione Lee."
Well, if she owned a Kindle, she'd solve the problem of the replicating books because of loss? Just saying... :-)
Worth a look for those of you who liked the "Howard's End..." tome.
Oh, I just finished reading a book that is out in the UK but not apparently in the US yet (so, BD calls?)
Remember, all of you who were here a number of years ago, when Howard's End is on the Landing by Susan Hill came out? And we all seemed to be reading it -- it was about the novelist's efforts to purge her library to a core, essential number of books, and decide, in the process, what were the essential books to read.
Well, she seems to have done a sequel of sorts in the shape of Jacob's Room is Full of Books, with the title being a nod to Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf, one of Hills' fave authors. It's broken down into monthly chapters (Hill's book, that is), with each month being composed of a scattershot section of ruminations about the weather and the landscape where she lives in Norfolk; her life as a reader; the birds she sees when she is out and about; and then thoughts about books more broadly, sometimes revolving very, very loosely around some kind of a theme -- books you would give to others, literary prizes and a sense of entitlement, literary careers and how to write, and so on.
It's not as tightly knit as the first book, and when she wrote that her first draft of a book is often her last draft, I found myself muttering to myself, "Yes, and I can see that, and in this case, you should at least have read it over and cut out the repetitions!" She tells us three or four times about why she prefers physical books to e-books, that she writes in the margins of her books, and that students keep asking her silly questions about her own book, The Woman in Black, now part of an A-level curriculum. The first time interesting; the second, repetitive; the third, annoying as can be. She also has her idiosyncracies and biases about books that sometimes strike me as just dotty. She seems to think William Hazlitt is merely a clone of Addison and the prose stylists of essayists of yore, who never lets his thoughts or emotions show. Has she EVER read a Hazlitt essay, one wonders? She makes a big to-do over her credentials as an English literature scholar, notes that she isn't as well-read in foreign literature (indeed, the gaps are surprising) -- but then mentions she has never read Jane Eyre. Moreover, she doesn't seem to find this surprising or as something that she should (just perhaps) try to address. Admittedly, it's not Wuthering Heights, but it's still a landmark novel, and to not even have attempted it, and still pat oneself on the back is bizarre. Still, there are other points that she makes that I thoroughly endorse. She notes with bemusement Toni Morrison going to the chair of the National Book Award Committee in 1987 after it failed to select her book for the prize and saying "thank you for ruining my life." As Hill writes, "If your life depends on winning an award chosen by a few people over lunch, there's something wrong..." She tells of the problems that dog promising writers whose first book is seized on as the greatest thing since sliced bread -- if the second book can't live up to that, their career is doomed. Her sympathy is for the writers, who are poorly served by the publishers and their own agents. She thinks it's horrific to dole out 20,000 pounds for the best short story.
So why read this? Because Hill has spent a long time in the trenches of literature, and is thoughtful about all of this, even when she rambles and even when I disagree with her. Because she's amusing talking about how books physically overtake her. "As fast as I get one out of the back door, two more ones come in through the front anyway." Anyway, as she notes, "books breed. They beget second copies because you have mislaid the first and buy another, the day before you find the first. They inter-breed too, so you have The Cambridge Companion to the Bible next to the Oxford ditto, and several copies of Quentin Bell's biography of Virginia Woolf next to the one by Hermione Lee."
Well, if she owned a Kindle, she'd solve the problem of the replicating books because of loss? Just saying... :-)
Worth a look for those of you who liked the "Howard's End..." tome.
157m.belljackson
>155 Chatterbox:
A friend with a long history of debilitating migraines now receives Disability and drug insurance to cover most RX.
Another friend with a chronic disability was sent to online links for people with low incomes who need help to pay for drugs. One suggested that people directly contact the drug company offering the expensive drugs.
She was able to negotiate a substantial discount.
Both got started with doctor referrals to compassionate Social Worker case workers.
???
Your Paine book may have its sad parts
(Like Paine, Harriet Tubman died in poverty after serving as a Union spy, then was denied military benefits.),
yet for these trying times, it would make compelling reading, giving inspiration to our downtrodden spirits, and
maybe with a "lesson" to tread carefully when attacking Christian beliefs in a nominally Christian country
which still does not practice the New Testament teachings.
A friend with a long history of debilitating migraines now receives Disability and drug insurance to cover most RX.
Another friend with a chronic disability was sent to online links for people with low incomes who need help to pay for drugs. One suggested that people directly contact the drug company offering the expensive drugs.
She was able to negotiate a substantial discount.
Both got started with doctor referrals to compassionate Social Worker case workers.
???
Your Paine book may have its sad parts
(Like Paine, Harriet Tubman died in poverty after serving as a Union spy, then was denied military benefits.),
yet for these trying times, it would make compelling reading, giving inspiration to our downtrodden spirits, and
maybe with a "lesson" to tread carefully when attacking Christian beliefs in a nominally Christian country
which still does not practice the New Testament teachings.
158Chatterbox
>157 m.belljackson: Yes, I'm thinking about reaching out to the drug company. A friend of mine has a friend who worked on developing the drug, so that would be a starting point, too.
I wouldn't get disability, since I'm self employed, but there are other options. Heck, even get someone to set up a GoFundMe page! lol...
Re Paine -- he's kind of interesting. He was religious -- he said he believed in "one god, no more, and I hope for happiness beyond this life." And he had a religious creed, which really boils down to little more than the golden rule: "I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy." But he was a deist who opposed the idea of any state religion and who insisted that he had the right not to believe in miracles that he saw as not being founded on reason or evidence, such as the virgin birth or the resurrection. I'm not sure that he himself intended to attack Christian beliefs (having read his work, he was pretty much about "live and let live" when it came to beliefs), but he would have attacked the idea of basing a political system on religious ideas or theology, for reasons that he pretty much spelled out (and that history rather supports...) in his writings. It's interesting that people invented quotes and then applied them to him to try to blacken his name -- things he is alleged to have said, but never did, such as "by the time I have finished, there will not be five Bibles left in America." He DID say that belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man, which people later abbreviated to say that people who believed in God were cruel -- an easy example of how "Chinese whispers" can be used to misrepresent what someone actually thinks and says to discredit them, because their ideas on other subjects (specifically, the balance of economic power) are dangerous.
I think the lesson MAY be that he was never political enough. He didn't forge alliances; he didn't know when to shut up or how to network. He was someone who was all about ideas, and simply ahead of his time. Some of his ideas were NEVER going to be palatable, and still aren't today (the reason there is still no memorial to him in Washington...) The first major piece he wrote for a publication after arriving in Philadelphia was a major call for the abolition of slavery, for instance. He wrote "we have enslaved multitudes and shed much innocent blood." In contrast to other abolitionists, like Dr. Rush, he actually put forward a plan for what would happen: those given their freedom could be given farms and settled on frontier lands (yup, no word about what would happen to indigenous peoples there, but...) Very far ahead of what any others were thinking -- the best coherent plan anyone else came up with was Liberia, for heaven's sake. (Getting them out of the country...) And we know how well that worked out.
PS Thanks for the words of encouragement....
I wouldn't get disability, since I'm self employed, but there are other options. Heck, even get someone to set up a GoFundMe page! lol...
Re Paine -- he's kind of interesting. He was religious -- he said he believed in "one god, no more, and I hope for happiness beyond this life." And he had a religious creed, which really boils down to little more than the golden rule: "I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy." But he was a deist who opposed the idea of any state religion and who insisted that he had the right not to believe in miracles that he saw as not being founded on reason or evidence, such as the virgin birth or the resurrection. I'm not sure that he himself intended to attack Christian beliefs (having read his work, he was pretty much about "live and let live" when it came to beliefs), but he would have attacked the idea of basing a political system on religious ideas or theology, for reasons that he pretty much spelled out (and that history rather supports...) in his writings. It's interesting that people invented quotes and then applied them to him to try to blacken his name -- things he is alleged to have said, but never did, such as "by the time I have finished, there will not be five Bibles left in America." He DID say that belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man, which people later abbreviated to say that people who believed in God were cruel -- an easy example of how "Chinese whispers" can be used to misrepresent what someone actually thinks and says to discredit them, because their ideas on other subjects (specifically, the balance of economic power) are dangerous.
I think the lesson MAY be that he was never political enough. He didn't forge alliances; he didn't know when to shut up or how to network. He was someone who was all about ideas, and simply ahead of his time. Some of his ideas were NEVER going to be palatable, and still aren't today (the reason there is still no memorial to him in Washington...) The first major piece he wrote for a publication after arriving in Philadelphia was a major call for the abolition of slavery, for instance. He wrote "we have enslaved multitudes and shed much innocent blood." In contrast to other abolitionists, like Dr. Rush, he actually put forward a plan for what would happen: those given their freedom could be given farms and settled on frontier lands (yup, no word about what would happen to indigenous peoples there, but...) Very far ahead of what any others were thinking -- the best coherent plan anyone else came up with was Liberia, for heaven's sake. (Getting them out of the country...) And we know how well that worked out.
PS Thanks for the words of encouragement....
159sibylline
Wow. Thomas Paine, eh? A million narrative decisions ensue. I am here if you want someone to bounce ideas off of.
160Chatterbox
Yeah, it's those narrative decisions that have me tied up in knots... *grin*
161LizzieD
I'm waiting!
Meanwhile, Cassie, Cassie, Cassie! Not Molly. I worry about myself. If I lose the ability to read, where will I be?
I don't remember but two things about Apicius - his shrimp trip and his last banquet - but neither of those is particularly likeable.
Meanwhile, Cassie, Cassie, Cassie! Not Molly. I worry about myself. If I lose the ability to read, where will I be?
I don't remember but two things about Apicius - his shrimp trip and his last banquet - but neither of those is particularly likeable.
162Chatterbox
>161 LizzieD: The last banquet comes across more sympathetically here, I think. To some extent. You end up feeling for him, if not for his reasons or his "plight".
163Chatterbox
For those who liked The Imperfectionists but were disappointed by Tom Rachman's follow-up novel, The Rise and Fall of Great Powers, I can report The Italian Teacher falls somewhere in between. He does a good job with characters and relationships, but the narrative tension ebbs and flows unevenly. It's still worth reading for the way he pillories obnoxious artists...
164benitastrnad
I just set up the ALA thread. Here is the link http://www.librarything.com/topic/292255
The ALA summer conference will be in New Orleans, Louisiana starting on Friday, June 22 and ending on Monday June 25, 2018. LT is providing free passes to the exhibits. (Information on how to get that will be on the above mentioned thread. Just use the link.) I just got the thread set up and will be adding to it through the day, so check back, or post a question.
I will mention that using the exhibit pass allows you to freely wander through the exhibit hall, which is quite large and populated by companies of all kinds that provide machines or services to libraries. This includes publishers who tend to have free ARC (Advanced Reader's Copies) of books that they give away. They also sell books for low cost so if you want a book and it isn't on the free piles, ask first. Talk to the publishers they love to talk about their books and authors.
The ALA summer conference will be in New Orleans, Louisiana starting on Friday, June 22 and ending on Monday June 25, 2018. LT is providing free passes to the exhibits. (Information on how to get that will be on the above mentioned thread. Just use the link.) I just got the thread set up and will be adding to it through the day, so check back, or post a question.
I will mention that using the exhibit pass allows you to freely wander through the exhibit hall, which is quite large and populated by companies of all kinds that provide machines or services to libraries. This includes publishers who tend to have free ARC (Advanced Reader's Copies) of books that they give away. They also sell books for low cost so if you want a book and it isn't on the free piles, ask first. Talk to the publishers they love to talk about their books and authors.
165Chatterbox
>164 benitastrnad: Oh, please don't taunt me... :-)
166LovingLit
>163 Chatterbox: I swear I have read The Imperfectionists (just checked, I have)...only, I can't remember it; was it about a journalist? It appears I liked it about 3 stars worth, which doesn't sound much.
>164 benitastrnad: >165 Chatterbox: it is things like this that make me happy/sad that I am not a person handy to the US!
>164 benitastrnad: >165 Chatterbox: it is things like this that make me happy/sad that I am not a person handy to the US!
167Chatterbox
>166 LovingLit: It was a novel made up of stories about people working for an English-language newspaper in Rome. I really liked it because he "caught" the feel of what it's like to be an expat journalist for this kind of newspaper, but others didn't like it because many of the characters were "unsympathetic" -- i.e. the reader wasn't encouraged to like them.
168benitastrnad
In my Publisher’s Weekly newsletter today they announced that Blackstone Audio has purchased the James Clavell catalog. I wonder who they will get to read those novels? Do you think it will be somebody with the voice of Richard Chamberlain?
Recorded books are so hot right now that publishers are doing recorded versions of lots of the books that are still under copyright. For instance the Tony Hillerman Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn novels are being done. I wonder whose catalog will be next?
Recorded books are so hot right now that publishers are doing recorded versions of lots of the books that are still under copyright. For instance the Tony Hillerman Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn novels are being done. I wonder whose catalog will be next?
169Chatterbox
>168 benitastrnad: It's also becoming as routine to release a recorded book/audiobook version along with the "book book" edition, as it is to release a Kindle/digital book version. I'm glad. I'm a late convert, and quite enjoy being able to make the switch back and forth between audio and book, but a LOT depends on the narrator. A bad narrator will spoil the most excellent book, while a great narrator can transform a meh book into something extraordinary.
170benitastrnad
#169
I agree with you about the narrator. I listen to many books while I am traveling and just on my commutes in the car and there are some narrators that just make the book something wonderful. I think that about the children's book reader Gerard Doyle. He makes a book come alive.
I agree with you about the narrator. I listen to many books while I am traveling and just on my commutes in the car and there are some narrators that just make the book something wonderful. I think that about the children's book reader Gerard Doyle. He makes a book come alive.
171avatiakh
I read Susan Hill's book Jacob's Room is full of books at the start of the year. enjoyed it, felt she rambled but I enjoyed her rambling and talk of nature etc.
I just came across Seagull Books, it's an Indian publisher from Kolkata who publish a wonderful selection of books from around the world all translated to English.
http://www.seagullbooks.org/
http://indianquarterly.com/the-little-publisher-that-could/
I just came across Seagull Books, it's an Indian publisher from Kolkata who publish a wonderful selection of books from around the world all translated to English.
http://www.seagullbooks.org/
http://indianquarterly.com/the-little-publisher-that-could/
172ffortsa
>171 avatiakh: I just took a brief look at their catalogue. It looks fascinating, but all the books are printed, not electronic. Have I missed something? I dread to think of shipping costs to the US.
173GoodShipTBR
>172 ffortsa: Most are available through Amazon and BD. They usually cost around $20-$30 and qualify for free shipping. U of Chicago is one of their US distributing publishers. There might be others.
174libraryperilous
>173 GoodShipTBR: Err, sorry. I forgot I was in my TBR account when I posted that.
Anyway, Seagull publish lots of cool titles, and you might even be able to get some through an ILL program. They seem to be popular with university libraries—at least, that was my experience when I read a few of them.
Anyway, Seagull publish lots of cool titles, and you might even be able to get some through an ILL program. They seem to be popular with university libraries—at least, that was my experience when I read a few of them.
175Chatterbox
I looked at a few, but they seemed a bit pricey for me -- no discounts available, etc. There's one that's relatively inexpensive on Amazon UK (3.79 vs more than $20 in the US), so ordering from there may make sense, if I wanted to read it. I just don't know if I want to enough... These would blow up my book budget. I'd like to read the "Offence" series, for instance, but at $20 plus per book??? (and the books are 110 to 150 pages, or less...)
Hopefully one day they will offer electronic books, or the books themselves will become a bit less pricey. I do understand the economics of commissioning translations, and small presses, but equally, it needs to work for my budget, and this really doesn't even begin to. I could pick one or two and ask the Athenaeum to purchase, I suppose. Sigh. Other small presses understand the need for e-books for just this reason -- it helps reach more readers and makes books accessible (financially and physically.
Still, >171 avatiakh:, thanks for the heads up.
Meanwhile, I have to read my most recent request for the Athenaeum's purchase of an overly-pricey for my budget book: The Museum of Lost Art by Noah Charney. Although I requested the purchase and thus became the first to read it, there is now a waiting list of three people behind me!! Which makes me feel less guilty for advocating for a book with a sticker price of $35 (though I'm sure they paid less...)
Hopefully one day they will offer electronic books, or the books themselves will become a bit less pricey. I do understand the economics of commissioning translations, and small presses, but equally, it needs to work for my budget, and this really doesn't even begin to. I could pick one or two and ask the Athenaeum to purchase, I suppose. Sigh. Other small presses understand the need for e-books for just this reason -- it helps reach more readers and makes books accessible (financially and physically.
Still, >171 avatiakh:, thanks for the heads up.
Meanwhile, I have to read my most recent request for the Athenaeum's purchase of an overly-pricey for my budget book: The Museum of Lost Art by Noah Charney. Although I requested the purchase and thus became the first to read it, there is now a waiting list of three people behind me!! Which makes me feel less guilty for advocating for a book with a sticker price of $35 (though I'm sure they paid less...)
176m.belljackson
>176 m.belljackson:
Briefly back to migraines = is there any way to stop the motion ads and 'things' that come up on the internet,
like today's GOOGLE trolls? My head starts reeling as soon as they grace the screen.
Briefly back to migraines = is there any way to stop the motion ads and 'things' that come up on the internet,
like today's GOOGLE trolls? My head starts reeling as soon as they grace the screen.
177Chatterbox
>176 m.belljackson: Not that I know of, which is why I dramatically limit my screen time when I am "coping" (or not) with a migraine. Sorry about the trolls...
178Chatterbox
My latest book prompted an interesting contrast...
I just finished reading The Museum of Lost Art, which was absolutely fascinating, a compendium kind of way. Noah Charney knows his stuff, and he goes beyond the disappearance of art in war, by theft and obvious means, like fire, to look at things like iconoclasm (from Savonarola, the Calvinists and so on, to ISIS and the Taliban) and artists and even patrons destroying their own works, or allowing them to gradually disappear, as part of the artistic experience -- the idea of art as being a transient thing. Moreover, he isn't just bemoaning big cases of lost art like the Gardner thefts (if I read another book about that, I will probably just erupt in fury -- there are plenty of other cases of stolen art...) but writing about art that mysteriously vanishes -- and that mysteriously reappears. Sometimes art that is discovered when no one knew it was there, like a work by Millet that he painted over to create another work -- a work that folks had long speculated about since there was a lot of history about how the first painting's lackluster reception had resulted in him changing artistic direction. So what had happened to it? Well, he simply painted over it. Or Goya painting over a portrait of Joseph Bonaparte after the Napoleonic forces were chased out of Spain, probably saving his life and definitely saving his career. Or a blue-washed second story of an oratory attached to a monastery in Rome. The ground floor has long had a series of fascinating if little-visited medieval frescoes, but then one day someone decided to see what lay beneath the blue wash covering the walls on the upper floor. It turned out that it was an entirely new and different series of frescoes on very different themes -- lots of secular subjects of ordinary people, etc.
So, a fascinating book. What WOULD a museum of lost art look like (and Charney points out in his conclusion that technology enables us to create an approximation, though he adds it would "lack soul")? When logging the book, however, I looked back, remembering that I had read a novel by the same author that I hadn't enjoyed all that much -- and discovered I had given it ONLY A SINGLE STAR. Now, to get that low a rating, it must have been very, very appalling. So all I can say is avoid this dude's attempts at turning his scholarship into fiction. But if your interested in a quick survey that goes beyond the very, very obvious stuff (that Munch theft; stolen antiquities, art theft in general) and looks at everything from the creation of the Field of the Cloth of Gold to why shipwrecks are good for sculpture, this is the place to go. (I knew there was a reason I was fascinated by marine archaeology -- now to find a good book on THAT topic...)
I just finished reading The Museum of Lost Art, which was absolutely fascinating, a compendium kind of way. Noah Charney knows his stuff, and he goes beyond the disappearance of art in war, by theft and obvious means, like fire, to look at things like iconoclasm (from Savonarola, the Calvinists and so on, to ISIS and the Taliban) and artists and even patrons destroying their own works, or allowing them to gradually disappear, as part of the artistic experience -- the idea of art as being a transient thing. Moreover, he isn't just bemoaning big cases of lost art like the Gardner thefts (if I read another book about that, I will probably just erupt in fury -- there are plenty of other cases of stolen art...) but writing about art that mysteriously vanishes -- and that mysteriously reappears. Sometimes art that is discovered when no one knew it was there, like a work by Millet that he painted over to create another work -- a work that folks had long speculated about since there was a lot of history about how the first painting's lackluster reception had resulted in him changing artistic direction. So what had happened to it? Well, he simply painted over it. Or Goya painting over a portrait of Joseph Bonaparte after the Napoleonic forces were chased out of Spain, probably saving his life and definitely saving his career. Or a blue-washed second story of an oratory attached to a monastery in Rome. The ground floor has long had a series of fascinating if little-visited medieval frescoes, but then one day someone decided to see what lay beneath the blue wash covering the walls on the upper floor. It turned out that it was an entirely new and different series of frescoes on very different themes -- lots of secular subjects of ordinary people, etc.
So, a fascinating book. What WOULD a museum of lost art look like (and Charney points out in his conclusion that technology enables us to create an approximation, though he adds it would "lack soul")? When logging the book, however, I looked back, remembering that I had read a novel by the same author that I hadn't enjoyed all that much -- and discovered I had given it ONLY A SINGLE STAR. Now, to get that low a rating, it must have been very, very appalling. So all I can say is avoid this dude's attempts at turning his scholarship into fiction. But if your interested in a quick survey that goes beyond the very, very obvious stuff (that Munch theft; stolen antiquities, art theft in general) and looks at everything from the creation of the Field of the Cloth of Gold to why shipwrecks are good for sculpture, this is the place to go. (I knew there was a reason I was fascinated by marine archaeology -- now to find a good book on THAT topic...)
179benitastrnad
Instead of reading about the Gardner thefts or the Munch theft, you could read about the Mystic Lamb thefts. Noah Charney wrote a book titled Stealing the Mystic Lamb: The True Story of the World's Most Coveted Masterpiece as well as that appalling novel he wrote titled The Art Thief (which I have on my shelves and haven't read - apparently for good reason.) He also wrote one about the Thefts of the Mona Lisa: On Stealing the World's Most Famous Painting.
180katiekrug
>178 Chatterbox: - Fascinating stuff!
181Chatterbox
>179 benitastrnad: I think this book -- which touches on the Mystic Lamb AND all the other thefts, near thefts, returned after being stolen, ransomed, rescued and other works -- is THE book to read. It doesn't bore, because it never goes into endless detail about any single case but instead steps back to ask some interesting questions about the role of art, and why it matters that some art is lost and other works are saved, and the different kinds of triage are there for a reason, which he approaches thoughtfully, and not just because they are categories. It is as good as the novel was dire, precisely because it does put the lost works in that "what is art?" context, which is thoughtful and intriguing...
If you've got room in your budget, and interest, it might even be worthy buying. Do NOT read a digital copy, though, because there are all kind of great plates and illustrations, and you'll miss lots of detail in them if you don't have a real copy of the actual hardcover. I may wait until it's available in softcover in a year or two and then look for a used copy. It's too pricey as a new book (this was a Phaidon book that I got the Athenaeum to purchase and a lot of people already are lined up to read it...)
If you've got room in your budget, and interest, it might even be worthy buying. Do NOT read a digital copy, though, because there are all kind of great plates and illustrations, and you'll miss lots of detail in them if you don't have a real copy of the actual hardcover. I may wait until it's available in softcover in a year or two and then look for a used copy. It's too pricey as a new book (this was a Phaidon book that I got the Athenaeum to purchase and a lot of people already are lined up to read it...)
182sibylline
>169 Chatterbox: We listened to Hillerman yonks ago when they were done on audio tape and they sent them to you? Remember those days?
Oh dear, onto the wish list the Charney goes although I can't think what library in Vermont would buy it. It is rather pricey. Great that other folks lined up to read after you! Interesting that he couldn't make a novel out of his scholarship.
Oh dear, onto the wish list the Charney goes although I can't think what library in Vermont would buy it. It is rather pricey. Great that other folks lined up to read after you! Interesting that he couldn't make a novel out of his scholarship.
183Chatterbox
>182 sibylline: Well, maybe it will be available at a sale price in a little while? It's only just out. It's the kind of book that's worth actually owning, because it would be fun to pick up and page through. I'd pay $10 to $15 for a second-hand copy of it once they start coming onto the market...
I don't actually remember the days when tapes were sent to you! I was largely oblivious to audiobooks/books on tape until very recently, and certainly until they were available on CD. I bought five or six on CD, but only when Audible came along and the now ex-bf persuaded me (lots of arm-twisting, via free access to his library) did I finally seriously try audiobooks. Now I'm hooked, but still don't think it's like "reading".
Still reading slowly, but had a good re-read of The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch, after a lapse of 30 plus years, for our book circle. The joys of re-reading serious fiction in your 50s -- there's so much you get that you didn't see before, simply because you've read more widely and lived more and understand more. This was my first exposure to Murdoch, about whom I knew absolutely nothing other than that the novel had won the Booker when I read it in about 1984. Since then, have gotten to know more about Murdoch, can see more themes in the novel, am more of a "close reader", etc. Fun.
I don't actually remember the days when tapes were sent to you! I was largely oblivious to audiobooks/books on tape until very recently, and certainly until they were available on CD. I bought five or six on CD, but only when Audible came along and the now ex-bf persuaded me (lots of arm-twisting, via free access to his library) did I finally seriously try audiobooks. Now I'm hooked, but still don't think it's like "reading".
Still reading slowly, but had a good re-read of The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch, after a lapse of 30 plus years, for our book circle. The joys of re-reading serious fiction in your 50s -- there's so much you get that you didn't see before, simply because you've read more widely and lived more and understand more. This was my first exposure to Murdoch, about whom I knew absolutely nothing other than that the novel had won the Booker when I read it in about 1984. Since then, have gotten to know more about Murdoch, can see more themes in the novel, am more of a "close reader", etc. Fun.
184EllaTim
>181 Chatterbox: The Mystic Lamb made the news yesterday. They are doing a restoration, and it has turned out that the Lamb originally had a completely different face. During the first restoration they painted over the original face. Who does a thing like that!
See: https://nos.nl/artikel/2237343-andere-ogen-oren-en-snuit-voor-lam-gods-van-gebro...
It's in Dutch, couldn't find it in English, but there's a picture of its original face there.
See: https://nos.nl/artikel/2237343-andere-ogen-oren-en-snuit-voor-lam-gods-van-gebro...
It's in Dutch, couldn't find it in English, but there's a picture of its original face there.
185m.belljackson
>181 Chatterbox: >184 EllaTim:
A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY weaves a nice gentle tale of a medieval restoration and why it might have been covered.
A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY weaves a nice gentle tale of a medieval restoration and why it might have been covered.
186Chatterbox
I had an entire post typed out when LibraryThing once again decided to close down on me as I tabbed back to it after checking a fact online before hitting post. I have four tabs open. I click on LT and it shuts down. I am getting VERY SICK of this, and YES I have told the tech people, and NO, no one has an answer. It happens every time I post a list of covers for the non-fiction challenge, which is why putting that together can three or four hours.
>185 m.belljackson: I loved that book AND the movie. One of Kenneth Branagh's very first films, and early outings for both Colin Firth and the late Natasha Richardson. Highly recommended novella for anyone looking for something thoughtful, interesting, etc. for summer.
>184 EllaTim: There is a case in the book that Charney points to where overpainting distorted the nature of a portrait so much that it was not only misidentified but came close to being dismissed as a 19th century fake. At first, the picture was thought to be a Bronzino portrait of Eleanor of Toledo, but curators increasingly were uncomfortable -- the "craquelure" was all wrong, and it was just too "pretty". Looked like something from a chocolate box cover. So they turned it over to conservators to prove it was a fake, and the latter found instead that the problem was a 19th century restorer, who had overpainted an original work by a 16th century artist, Alessandro Allori, to make it more appealing to the eye and thus more sale-able. The actual subject of the portrait turned out to be less glamorous but much more interesting: Isabella de Medici, the daughter of Eleanor of Toledo. And particularly interesting to me, as she is the subject of a bio I've dipped into several times, Murder of a Medici Princess by Caroline Murphy, that I picked up at a sale at Strand many years ago. Isabella had an affair and her husband and father decided to strangle her to punish her -- and got away with it. This was in the 1570s... https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/carnegie-conservators-reveal-true-face-of-me...
>185 m.belljackson: I loved that book AND the movie. One of Kenneth Branagh's very first films, and early outings for both Colin Firth and the late Natasha Richardson. Highly recommended novella for anyone looking for something thoughtful, interesting, etc. for summer.
>184 EllaTim: There is a case in the book that Charney points to where overpainting distorted the nature of a portrait so much that it was not only misidentified but came close to being dismissed as a 19th century fake. At first, the picture was thought to be a Bronzino portrait of Eleanor of Toledo, but curators increasingly were uncomfortable -- the "craquelure" was all wrong, and it was just too "pretty". Looked like something from a chocolate box cover. So they turned it over to conservators to prove it was a fake, and the latter found instead that the problem was a 19th century restorer, who had overpainted an original work by a 16th century artist, Alessandro Allori, to make it more appealing to the eye and thus more sale-able. The actual subject of the portrait turned out to be less glamorous but much more interesting: Isabella de Medici, the daughter of Eleanor of Toledo. And particularly interesting to me, as she is the subject of a bio I've dipped into several times, Murder of a Medici Princess by Caroline Murphy, that I picked up at a sale at Strand many years ago. Isabella had an affair and her husband and father decided to strangle her to punish her -- and got away with it. This was in the 1570s... https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/carnegie-conservators-reveal-true-face-of-me...
187benitastrnad
I am wrapping things up here at work. I have a list of books to get and I think I will be able to pick up lots of others as well. I am leaving in the morning - driving, so I don't have to be frugal with my book choices. I can just grab and sort it out later when I get home.
188Chatterbox
I can just anticipate your book grabbing frenzy, Benita -- have a blast!! And enjoy the sessions, too...
189EllaTim
>186 Chatterbox: Interesting story!
190ffortsa
>186 Chatterbox: Regarding the Charney: Coincidentally, I've gone back to trying to read forward in my interminable collection of New Yorkers. In the May 8, 2009 edition, there's a story by Rebecca Mead on Christian Scheidemann, evidentally the go-to guy for all manner of old and (especially) newer art. In a typical although rather extreme example, he was called to Copenhagen to repair a Chris Ofili work, obtaining the requisite replacement elephant dung from the London Zoo where Ofili sources his material. It's a good article, full of interesting solutions to seemingly intractable problems.
In fact, the issues from the entire month of May that year is chock-full of fascinating pieces. I've tired my eyes reading them these last few days. Once I can focus again, I'll write some notes on my New Yorker thread and maybe post the url on my thread here. I think this qualifies as a book read.
In fact, the issues from the entire month of May that year is chock-full of fascinating pieces. I've tired my eyes reading them these last few days. Once I can focus again, I'll write some notes on my New Yorker thread and maybe post the url on my thread here. I think this qualifies as a book read.
191benitastrnad
#188
It was indeed a frenzy. Michelle Obama was the speaker to day so NOLA was very crowded. With all the one way streets it was hard to get to the hotel. It made me happy for the taxi’s in all those cities to which we librarians journey. It is hot! And humid.
Opening of the convention exhibits was not the rush it was in Denver because the opening overlapped with the Obama speech. There are lots of authors signing at this one and the lines were very long. They blocked up the booths. I am going to a HarperCollins breakfast tomorrow and will get some books there. Then to a committee meeting.
It was indeed a frenzy. Michelle Obama was the speaker to day so NOLA was very crowded. With all the one way streets it was hard to get to the hotel. It made me happy for the taxi’s in all those cities to which we librarians journey. It is hot! And humid.
Opening of the convention exhibits was not the rush it was in Denver because the opening overlapped with the Obama speech. There are lots of authors signing at this one and the lines were very long. They blocked up the booths. I am going to a HarperCollins breakfast tomorrow and will get some books there. Then to a committee meeting.
192Chatterbox
So, book #206 for me was The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World by Catherine Nixey. It was so good that I actually wrote a review on the book's page, because I was so annoyed at the three-star review left there by someone fretting that it was anti-Christian and biased. When it's HISTORY and based on FACTS. Another example of the confusion of opinion and facts. Grrrr. My view? Five stars. She took Gibbon's analysis in "Decline and Fall" and went into what non-Christians said, wrote and thought about the minority faith during the crucial centuries when it rose to power. When Constantine converted, only 10% of people in his empire were Christian -- about the same percentage that are Muslim in Europe today, with a few percentage points here or there. Imagine waking up and finding that Europe is now, by edict of the EU, to be Muslim? Yeah, that must have kind of been what it was like, given that the world in 300 AD was a really hodge-podge of beliefs and unbelief/skepticism, with philosophy often taking the place of religion. 300 years later, under Justinian, it was literally illegal, ultimately on pain of death, to not be Christian. And that's what she writes about -- that transformation.
194ffortsa
>192 Chatterbox: Ah, another book that sounds like it would fit my swerve to non-fiction. I have the Gibbon on my Kindle, so maybe I'll read that first. What do you think?
195Chatterbox
>194 ffortsa: The Gibbon is LONG and dense. You might undertake Gibbon as a year-long project, and then when you get to the relevant parts (Gibbon himself wrote a defense of the fifteenth and sixteenth chapters, I believe, in response to what was widely viewed as an attack on Christianity vs an historical analysis) then segue to read this (which could be quickly read and would supplement what Gibbon wrote, and give you a break from 18th century prose...)
But yes, it's an excellent book. What appealed to it about me is that it's the kind of tome that makes you think about the underlying concepts. What does it mean to insist on the truth? To be a zealot and dogmatic? Why did people do it then and under what circumstances do they do it now? Even when authors don't explore those ideas explicitly, I like encountering books that open the door to them.
But yes, it's an excellent book. What appealed to it about me is that it's the kind of tome that makes you think about the underlying concepts. What does it mean to insist on the truth? To be a zealot and dogmatic? Why did people do it then and under what circumstances do they do it now? Even when authors don't explore those ideas explicitly, I like encountering books that open the door to them.
196ronincats
>192 Chatterbox: Oh, that one is leaping onto the wishlist immediately. I did read Gibbon's Decline and Fall in my 20s but recollect nothing of it, unfortunately. This sounds right up my alley.
197calm
>192 Chatterbox: - Sounds good. Reserved at the library :)
198benitastrnad
I am back from New Orleans and the ALA conference. I saw lots of books being flogged by lots of publishing houses for all ages of readers. Usually, the adult authors that are featured at this conference are mid-list and new authors that publishers want librarians to read and push to library users. This conference was no exception in that regard. The real stars of this show are the YA and children's authors. They had long, and I mean long lines waiting to sign books. Long enough lines that people attending some of the programs were complaining about the amount of time they were having to spend in line.
Most interesting program, I attended was the one on Gender and Sexuality in Science Fiction. The room seated about 250 and it was overflowing with people standing and sitting on the floor. Security types don't like that and generally make those people unlucky enough to not find a seat leave. New Orleans security was rather lax. That was a good thing.
Most interesting program, I attended was the one on Gender and Sexuality in Science Fiction. The room seated about 250 and it was overflowing with people standing and sitting on the floor. Security types don't like that and generally make those people unlucky enough to not find a seat leave. New Orleans security was rather lax. That was a good thing.
199Chatterbox
>198 benitastrnad: Sounds like a good time! And Gender and Sexuality in SciFi would be intriguing -- it still strikes me as a genre for male readers, primarily, with characters who are designed to appeal to men, for the most part (or at least, on my forays into the genre, that has been my experience -- the women I've encountered as characters have been two-dimensional or there for window dressing.) That's NOT the case in fantasy, curiously. I actually found myself thinking about this a while back in connection with the whole "Gamer-gate" horror show and the related misogyny, and wondering whether there's a link between poorly developed female roles within these games, the way women gamers are treated, etc., and the fact that scifi is a favorite form of literature? Although it wouldn't explain the difference between that and fantasy. Again, this is simply my perception, but it would have been enough to prod me to go to the program (had I had the right kind of badge!!)
YA stuff is not up my alley, alas. Or rather, very, very, very little of it interests me. I'll re-read whatever I read when I was that age, and perhaps stumble over one or two other books (I enjoyed the "Hunger Games" trilogy) but it starts feeling repetitive. And ultimately, of course, I'm not that age any more, and unlike others I know, am not interested in reading books written to be read as if I were still a teenager. I have noticed that some publishers do showcase their children's and YA stuff at ALA and that some, like Bloomsbury, don't even bring adult fare at all. Bloomsbury auto-approves me for NetGalley content though, so I shouldn't grumble too much!
Got your e-mail, and while I'm sorry you missed out on so many culinary treats, the conference seems to have been good -- and airconditioned!!
>196 ronincats: I'm going to have to go back and read the whole of Gibbon, from page 1 through to the end. I have dipped into it, and have a few volumes that belonged to my great-grandfather, but have not read the whole thing. And it's so iconic: one of the earliest (non-classical) works of rigorous, fact-based history, that evolved from the Enlightenment approach to knowledge and learning.
I've been stuck with audiobooks this week, courtesy of my (multiple expletives deleted) migraines.
Icing on the cake: my brother and sister-in-law are separating and things are not going pleasantly. Unsurprising, I suppose, but my sister in law seems to want to call my mother constantly to ask for her support and to complain about my brother, which is inappropriate and puts a LOT of stress on my mother, whose health is fragile. Any more of this and I will go into full ninja mode.
YA stuff is not up my alley, alas. Or rather, very, very, very little of it interests me. I'll re-read whatever I read when I was that age, and perhaps stumble over one or two other books (I enjoyed the "Hunger Games" trilogy) but it starts feeling repetitive. And ultimately, of course, I'm not that age any more, and unlike others I know, am not interested in reading books written to be read as if I were still a teenager. I have noticed that some publishers do showcase their children's and YA stuff at ALA and that some, like Bloomsbury, don't even bring adult fare at all. Bloomsbury auto-approves me for NetGalley content though, so I shouldn't grumble too much!
Got your e-mail, and while I'm sorry you missed out on so many culinary treats, the conference seems to have been good -- and airconditioned!!
>196 ronincats: I'm going to have to go back and read the whole of Gibbon, from page 1 through to the end. I have dipped into it, and have a few volumes that belonged to my great-grandfather, but have not read the whole thing. And it's so iconic: one of the earliest (non-classical) works of rigorous, fact-based history, that evolved from the Enlightenment approach to knowledge and learning.
I've been stuck with audiobooks this week, courtesy of my (multiple expletives deleted) migraines.
Icing on the cake: my brother and sister-in-law are separating and things are not going pleasantly. Unsurprising, I suppose, but my sister in law seems to want to call my mother constantly to ask for her support and to complain about my brother, which is inappropriate and puts a LOT of stress on my mother, whose health is fragile. Any more of this and I will go into full ninja mode.
200The_Hibernator
YA has gotten a bit repetitive if you're reading the popular stuff. Totally agree. Says the person currently rereading Harry Potter.
201Chatterbox
Cross-posting this from the non-fiction challenge for June:
finished the Penelope Lively book, Life in the Garden, late in the evening of the 30th, thus squeaking in under the wire. It was good, but a little scattershot: compares and ruminates on real-life gardening and gardens in books and what gardens symbolize to us -- places of peace and contemplation, a stake in the future, etc. She notes that some authors seem really to have understood viscerally what it means to have gotten their hands dirty in a garden and to grasp the nuances of plantings, while others just read seed catalogs (PG Wodehouse, in spite of the marvelous description of a Scottish gardener in one of his Blandings novels...) She hops, skips and jumps all over the place: gardening and social class (giant red dahlias are vulgar, but dainty blue and silvery-white cultivars of campanula are higher-class); how the landscape gardeners like Repton and Capability Brown were mocked in fiction and how they transformed landscaping; the astonishing impact of Gertrude Jekyll; the Englishness of the herbaceous border and how it came to be. All this interwoven with gardens she has known and created, plants she has loved or loathed and books or literary snippets referring to gardening. Worth a read if you're an avid gardener; not so much if you're not already even an armchair gardener (and somewhat knowledgeable.) These days I'm strictly armchair but enjoyed the discussion of roses...
I gave it 4.2 stars.
I've flagged a whole bunch of arts-related non-fiction books to read in July, but my first non-fiction book likely will be an espionage tome, LOL!
finished the Penelope Lively book, Life in the Garden, late in the evening of the 30th, thus squeaking in under the wire. It was good, but a little scattershot: compares and ruminates on real-life gardening and gardens in books and what gardens symbolize to us -- places of peace and contemplation, a stake in the future, etc. She notes that some authors seem really to have understood viscerally what it means to have gotten their hands dirty in a garden and to grasp the nuances of plantings, while others just read seed catalogs (PG Wodehouse, in spite of the marvelous description of a Scottish gardener in one of his Blandings novels...) She hops, skips and jumps all over the place: gardening and social class (giant red dahlias are vulgar, but dainty blue and silvery-white cultivars of campanula are higher-class); how the landscape gardeners like Repton and Capability Brown were mocked in fiction and how they transformed landscaping; the astonishing impact of Gertrude Jekyll; the Englishness of the herbaceous border and how it came to be. All this interwoven with gardens she has known and created, plants she has loved or loathed and books or literary snippets referring to gardening. Worth a read if you're an avid gardener; not so much if you're not already even an armchair gardener (and somewhat knowledgeable.) These days I'm strictly armchair but enjoyed the discussion of roses...
I gave it 4.2 stars.
I've flagged a whole bunch of arts-related non-fiction books to read in July, but my first non-fiction book likely will be an espionage tome, LOL!
202benitastrnad
#201
I saw this book at ALA but saw it on Friday night when they wouldn't let me have the hardback copy. Of course, when I got back there on Monday it was gone. I would like to read it someday and I like Penelope Lively as an author.
I just checked and I have read three of her books, so I must like them. The best of the lot was Moon Tiger. I put that book on my best of the year when I read it in 2015.
I saw this book at ALA but saw it on Friday night when they wouldn't let me have the hardback copy. Of course, when I got back there on Monday it was gone. I would like to read it someday and I like Penelope Lively as an author.
I just checked and I have read three of her books, so I must like them. The best of the lot was Moon Tiger. I put that book on my best of the year when I read it in 2015.
203magicians_nephew
I still recall when I was getting new glasses my doctor gave me a little plastic card with different sizes of type on it and asked me to read the smallest I could see.
The text on the card was from Gibbon's "Decline and Fall".
The fact that I knew what book it was from never ceases to amaze my doctor - apparently i was the first patient to identify the source of it
Yes Gibbon is fascinating but needs to be put in context - especially for a modern audience
The text on the card was from Gibbon's "Decline and Fall".
The fact that I knew what book it was from never ceases to amaze my doctor - apparently i was the first patient to identify the source of it
Yes Gibbon is fascinating but needs to be put in context - especially for a modern audience
204Chatterbox
>202 benitastrnad: Well, pooh. I wish I could share it with you. I just checked, but it's not a lendable Kindle title -- surprisingly few books are. Maybe request that your library get it?
I have read two of her novels -- How it All Began and Consequences, both of which I liked, the former a bit more. And I've picked up several more of her books during various Kindle sales, most recently Judgement Day. I have a copy of Moon Tiger as a book bullet from LT... but unread.
>203 magicians_nephew: LOL, that's priceless. Of course, the accuracy of that test would hinge on his patients NOT recognizing that it was Gibbon and NOT recognizing the quotation, wouldn't it? Which is kind of sad, if you stop and think...
It is unbelievably, surreally hot here, just as it is in NYC and elsewhere. 100 degrees (humidex reading or whatever) with the temp alone at 93 degrees. Just horrific. I came back in from taking my rent over to my landlord's office and in spite of hydrating constantly, when I bent over to pick up the mail, I just literally toppled over, and blacked out -- meeting the cool air after the heat. Four hours later, and I'm sort of back in one piece.
Can't remember offhand who was urging me to read Greg Hurwitz's Orphan X books, but the first three are available to "read now" on NetGalley, meaning that if you sign up and have an account (and an e-reader), you can get them free, no need to be formally approved. They'll be available until Friday, I think? Or at least, until end of day Thursday.
And I'm very excited, because the mail brought with it the new novel by Simon Mawer, or at least an ARC of it, Prague Spring. Spies! Cold War!
I have read two of her novels -- How it All Began and Consequences, both of which I liked, the former a bit more. And I've picked up several more of her books during various Kindle sales, most recently Judgement Day. I have a copy of Moon Tiger as a book bullet from LT... but unread.
>203 magicians_nephew: LOL, that's priceless. Of course, the accuracy of that test would hinge on his patients NOT recognizing that it was Gibbon and NOT recognizing the quotation, wouldn't it? Which is kind of sad, if you stop and think...
It is unbelievably, surreally hot here, just as it is in NYC and elsewhere. 100 degrees (humidex reading or whatever) with the temp alone at 93 degrees. Just horrific. I came back in from taking my rent over to my landlord's office and in spite of hydrating constantly, when I bent over to pick up the mail, I just literally toppled over, and blacked out -- meeting the cool air after the heat. Four hours later, and I'm sort of back in one piece.
Can't remember offhand who was urging me to read Greg Hurwitz's Orphan X books, but the first three are available to "read now" on NetGalley, meaning that if you sign up and have an account (and an e-reader), you can get them free, no need to be formally approved. They'll be available until Friday, I think? Or at least, until end of day Thursday.
And I'm very excited, because the mail brought with it the new novel by Simon Mawer, or at least an ARC of it, Prague Spring. Spies! Cold War!
206The_Hibernator
Wow! Glad you're feeling better.
207thornton37814
>201 Chatterbox: I ordered that one recently, and it is sitting next to my sofa to read. I want to get through this month's challenge books first. I think I ordered that one for last month's challenge, but I read another one while I was awaiting on it to arrive and never got around to it before the end of the month.
208Chatterbox
>207 thornton37814: I think I'm still playing catchup with May's challenge books... At least I have STARTED one for June! (Actually I've started TWO, so we'll see which one gets finished first...)
It feels like Christmas around here, thanks to Benita -- I got a box of 20 (yes TWENTY!!!) ARCs (advance reading copies) from ALA New Orleans. Some were from my wish list, like Vox by Christina Dalcher and Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata; some were great inspired finds like Wild Fire by Ann Cleeves (which the author has said will be the last in the Shetland series of mysteries), and some were intriguing novels or non-fiction books that I knew nothing about but that already have piqued my curiosity (like the diary of a bookseller in Scotland, which I have pulled from the pile to read this month.)
THANK YOU to Benita, intrepid book chaser!!
We're having some thunderstorms blow through -- hurrah! So it's kind of a day to stay indoors and read, anyway. The humidity and heat should diminish.
Now, if I could only coax Cassie to eat more than a thimbleful of food...
It feels like Christmas around here, thanks to Benita -- I got a box of 20 (yes TWENTY!!!) ARCs (advance reading copies) from ALA New Orleans. Some were from my wish list, like Vox by Christina Dalcher and Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata; some were great inspired finds like Wild Fire by Ann Cleeves (which the author has said will be the last in the Shetland series of mysteries), and some were intriguing novels or non-fiction books that I knew nothing about but that already have piqued my curiosity (like the diary of a bookseller in Scotland, which I have pulled from the pile to read this month.)
THANK YOU to Benita, intrepid book chaser!!
We're having some thunderstorms blow through -- hurrah! So it's kind of a day to stay indoors and read, anyway. The humidity and heat should diminish.
Now, if I could only coax Cassie to eat more than a thimbleful of food...
209LizzieD
--- the diary of a bookseller in Scotland???? Title? Author? Inquiring minds want to know and read!
Happy you to have an end to so much heat and humidity! I know that they are my lot.
Love to Cassie from Lulu, who went to the vet today for some sub-cu fluid and an anti-nausea shot. She is a young cat though, and I'm much relieved that she's more like herself tonight. (We suspect a bad bag of dry food not something more dire.)
Happy you to have an end to so much heat and humidity! I know that they are my lot.
Love to Cassie from Lulu, who went to the vet today for some sub-cu fluid and an anti-nausea shot. She is a young cat though, and I'm much relieved that she's more like herself tonight. (We suspect a bad bag of dry food not something more dire.)
210Chatterbox
>209 LizzieD: It is (drum roll please) The Diary of a Bookseller (LOL) by Shaun Bythell...
Bwahahaha
More seriously -- if anyone is curious about the list, it's on my list of library holdings, with the tags ALA 2018 and "From Benita".
Cassie would send get well soon purrs to Lulu if she weren't a selfish kittie and still focusing on trying to find something that tastes good to her. I'm worried she might actually starve to death. She is hungry, but nothing I have found anywhere -- including forbidden treats -- appeals. I actually fed her a bit of one kind of duck wet food with a spoon this afternoon.
Molly-cat DOES send consoling purrs to Lulu. She is a very tender-hearted cat, whose primary goal in life is to convince me that I'm really a cat, too. That would make her happy, if I learned to purr, meow and groom myself properly so that she doesn't have to do it for me. I clearly frustrate her sometimes. But in her 23 hours a day of sleeping, she is most happy sleeping right smooshed up next to me...
I just finished Vox by Christina Delcher. Imagine wearing a Fitbit style watch on your wrist that gives you an electrical jolt each time you utter a word more than 100 words a day? That's the United States that the author conjures up for women, who are silenced -- young children as well. They can't read. Heads of households (men) can open mailboxes with keys but women can't read recipes, even. Sign language? Forget about it. The plot revolves around a neurolinguist whose research hinged on finding a cure for a kind of aphasia or confusion between the brain and speech centers. Suddenly, the government needs her to go back to work... but why, exactly? When I finished the book, I realized its flaws: a too-pat and clumsy creation of the circumstances that led to this state of affairs; a rather unbelievable series of coincidences and a too-pat conclusion -- but while I was reading I didn't really care. It doesn't measure up to The Handmaid's Tale in either the caliber of writing or the overly-simplistic plot, but these days, it doesn't need to, sadly. It's enough to see what is happening in various pockets of our country and imagine "what if?" -- which is easier now than it was 30 years ago when Atwood's novel was published. Especially with the Supreme Court now in play... DEFINITELY worth reading if you liked Atwood's novel -- it's as if someone took that core concept of women being denied a role and made it literal (women being denied any voice and the right to language itself -- all in the name of masculine insecurity) and turned it into a quasi-suspense novel as well as a dystopian yarn. 4.4 stars, with extra points for being a Thumping Good Read.
Bwahahaha
More seriously -- if anyone is curious about the list, it's on my list of library holdings, with the tags ALA 2018 and "From Benita".
Cassie would send get well soon purrs to Lulu if she weren't a selfish kittie and still focusing on trying to find something that tastes good to her. I'm worried she might actually starve to death. She is hungry, but nothing I have found anywhere -- including forbidden treats -- appeals. I actually fed her a bit of one kind of duck wet food with a spoon this afternoon.
Molly-cat DOES send consoling purrs to Lulu. She is a very tender-hearted cat, whose primary goal in life is to convince me that I'm really a cat, too. That would make her happy, if I learned to purr, meow and groom myself properly so that she doesn't have to do it for me. I clearly frustrate her sometimes. But in her 23 hours a day of sleeping, she is most happy sleeping right smooshed up next to me...
I just finished Vox by Christina Delcher. Imagine wearing a Fitbit style watch on your wrist that gives you an electrical jolt each time you utter a word more than 100 words a day? That's the United States that the author conjures up for women, who are silenced -- young children as well. They can't read. Heads of households (men) can open mailboxes with keys but women can't read recipes, even. Sign language? Forget about it. The plot revolves around a neurolinguist whose research hinged on finding a cure for a kind of aphasia or confusion between the brain and speech centers. Suddenly, the government needs her to go back to work... but why, exactly? When I finished the book, I realized its flaws: a too-pat and clumsy creation of the circumstances that led to this state of affairs; a rather unbelievable series of coincidences and a too-pat conclusion -- but while I was reading I didn't really care. It doesn't measure up to The Handmaid's Tale in either the caliber of writing or the overly-simplistic plot, but these days, it doesn't need to, sadly. It's enough to see what is happening in various pockets of our country and imagine "what if?" -- which is easier now than it was 30 years ago when Atwood's novel was published. Especially with the Supreme Court now in play... DEFINITELY worth reading if you liked Atwood's novel -- it's as if someone took that core concept of women being denied a role and made it literal (women being denied any voice and the right to language itself -- all in the name of masculine insecurity) and turned it into a quasi-suspense novel as well as a dystopian yarn. 4.4 stars, with extra points for being a Thumping Good Read.
211libraryperilous
I noticed when perusing its LT data that you've rated We Begin Our Ascent 4.5 stars. I'm on hold for it at the library, because it involves cycling, but domestic fiction isn't my usual thing.
I've seen Diary of a Bookseller reviewed favorably in several places on the interwebz. I hope you enjoy it. Yay for boxes of books arriving in the mail!
I've seen Diary of a Bookseller reviewed favorably in several places on the interwebz. I hope you enjoy it. Yay for boxes of books arriving in the mail!
212Chatterbox
>211 libraryperilous: To be precise, I rated it 4.35 stars -- which means it gets rounded up to 4.5 stars! You can always see the hyper-specific rating on my lists up above -- just do a CTRL + F and type in the name of the book and author, and if I've read it this year, it will be there. I liked the details of the cycling, and the relationships among the members of the group, and the lead character's discussion of what it means to be a cyclist with aspirations, but not the star: good enough to make it onto the Tour, but always expected to do it all for your colleagues on the team. The "all", in the case of this team and its manager, gets pushed a bit far... I think the author's writing is excellent, and I'll look forward to seeing what else he comes up with.
I'm having fun with "Bookseller" -- am only up to March so far. Finished listening to Quicksand on audiobook while washing kitchen and living room floors and doing other cleaning chores. It's 4.3 stars, which again means it gets rounded up to 4.5 stars.
I'm having fun with "Bookseller" -- am only up to March so far. Finished listening to Quicksand on audiobook while washing kitchen and living room floors and doing other cleaning chores. It's 4.3 stars, which again means it gets rounded up to 4.5 stars.
213LizzieD
*Bookseller* is immediately on my list with thanks! I'll certainly keep Vox in mind.
Lulu thanks Molly for the good wishes. The anti-nausea shot did its work, and she's back to her ravenous self and able to keep her normal diet down. I do so feel for both you and Cassie. I have been there with good cats of old. Rice in chicken broth doesn't work, I suppose.
Lulu thanks Molly for the good wishes. The anti-nausea shot did its work, and she's back to her ravenous self and able to keep her normal diet down. I do so feel for both you and Cassie. I have been there with good cats of old. Rice in chicken broth doesn't work, I suppose.
214benitastrnad
My sister in Bozeman MT finally got her box of books today, so that will clear off that tracking ticket from the P. O. I am starting to get round two packed and ready to mail.
215Chatterbox
My third attempt to create this list (the page keeps crashing, as happens EVERY SINGLE TIME I try to create one of these lists, or otherwise navigate away from this page when I'm writing a message. Infuriating.
Books Purchased Or Otherwise Permanently Acquired 2018
Part VI
651. Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement by Janet Dewart Bell (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/23/18
652. Sight: A Novel by Jessie Greengrass (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/23/18
653. To the Bridge: A True Story of Motherhood and Murder by Nancy Rommelman (Kindle First, Freebie) 6/24/18
654. Marathon Man by William Goldman (Kindle sale, $) 6/24/18
655. Hitler's American Friends: The Third Reich's Supporters in the United States by Bradley Hart (NetGalley) 6/25/18
656. The Piper on the Mountain by Ellis Peters (audiobook, $$) 6/27/18 Read
657. The Race to Save the Romanovs: The Truth Behind the Secret Plans to Rescue the Russian Imperial Family by Helen Rappaport (NetGalley) 6/27/18
658. Don't Eat Me by Colin Cotterill (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/27/18 Read
659. All the Lives We Never Lived by Anuradha Roy (NetGalley) 6/27/18
660. The Other Wife by Michael Robotham (UK Kindle, $$) 6/27/18
661. The Mechanical Devil by Kate Ellis (Kindle, $$) 6/27/18
662. The Conjuror's Bird by Martin Davies (UK Kindle, $$) 6/27/18
663. Lake Success by Gary Shteyngart (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/27/18
664. This Could Change Everything by Jill Mansell (Kindle, $$) 6/27/18
665. The Bell Ringers by Henry Porter (audiobook, $$) 6/27/18 Read
666. Bone on Bone by Julia Keller (NetGalley) 6/28/18
667. Button Man by Andrew Gross (NetGalley) 6/28/18
668. The Imposter: A True Story by Javier Cercas (First to Read 6/28/18
669. Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/29/18
670. The Summer of Ellen by Agnete Friis (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/29/18
671. Godsend by John Wray (NetGalley) 6/29/18
672. Shades Within Us: Tales of Migrations and Fractured Borders (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/30/18
673. Red by John Logan (Audiobook, sale, $) 7/1/18
674. God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza (Audiobook, sale, $) 7/1/18 Read
675. The Savage Shore by David Hewson (NetGalley) 7/2/18
676. Beautiful Exiles by Meg Waite Clayton (Kindle First, Freebie) 7/2/18
677. A Face to the World: On Self Portraits by Laura Cumming (Kindle, $$) 7/3/18
678. Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America's Most Powerful Mobster by Stephen L. Carter (NetGalley) 7/3/18
679. The Necessary Beggar by Susan Palwick (Kindle sale, $) 7/3/18
680. Death and the Joyful Woman by Ellis Peters (Kindle sale, $) 7/3/18
681. Holiday With Violence by Ellis Peters (Kindle, $$) 7/3/18
682. How to Leave: Quitting the City and Coping with a New Reality by Erin Clune (NetGalley) 7/3/18
683. A Shot in the Dark: A Constable Twitten Mystery by Lynne Truss (NetGalley) 7/3/18
684. Little Dancer Aged Fourteen by Camille Laurens (ARC from publisher) 7/3/18
685. Prague Spring by Simon Mawer (ARC from publisher) 7/3/18 Read
686. Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz (NetGalley) 7/3/18
687. Hellbent by Gregg Hurwitz (NetGalley) 7/3/18
688. The Nowhere Man by Gregg Hurwitz (NetGalley) 7/3/18
689. Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran (Kindle sale, $) 7/3/18
690. City of Devils: The Two Men Who Ruled the Underworld of Old Shanghai by Paul French (Audiobook, $$) 7/4/18
691. Testimony by Anita Shreve (Audiobook sale, $) 7/4/18 Read
692. The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan (UK Kindle sale, $) 7/4/18
693. The Honeymoon by Tina Seskis (UK Kindle sale, $) 7/4/18
694. Never Alone by Elizabeth Haynes (UK Kindle sale, $) 7/4/18
695. The Party by Elizabeth Day (UK Kindle sale, $) 7/4/18
696. Versailles by Colin Jones (NetGalley) 7/5/18
From ALA (via Benita!); almost all ARCs
all 7/5/18
697. Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan
698. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata Read
699. The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
700. The Dutch Wife by Ellen Keith
701. Find Me Gone by Sarah Meuleman
702. Wild Fire by Ann Cleeves
703. Vox by Christina Dalcher Read
704. Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough
705. Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography by Andrea Warner
706. Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction by Alec Nevala-Lee
707. The Collector's Apprentice by B.A. Shapiro
708. These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore (sampler only)
709. Ordinary People by Diana Evans
710. Putney by Sofka Zinovieff
711. Elsey Come Home by Susan Conley
712. Seaweed Chronicles: A World at the Water’s Edge by Susan Hand Shetterly
713. The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
714. The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell Read
715. Interior States: Essays by Meghan O'Gieblyn Read
That's the end of the ALA listings!
716. A Mind Unraveled: A Memoir by Kurt Eichenwald (Amazon Vine ARC) 7/5/18
717. The Sword of Justice by Leif G. W. Persson (Amazon Vine ARC) 7/5/18
718. The Caregiver by Samuel Park (NetGalley) 7/5/18
719. Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson (Edelweiss e-galley) 7/6/18
720. Caroline's Bikini by Kirsty Gunn (Edelweiss e-galley) 7/6/18
721. Mad, Bad, Dangerous to Know: The Fathers of Wilde, Yeats, and Joyce by Colm Toibin (NetGalley) 7/9/18
722. The Forbidden Place by Susanne Jansson (NetGalley) 7/9/18
723. A Cloudy Day on the Western Shore by Mohamed Mansi Qandi (Edelweiss e-galley) 7/9/18
724. Horseman of the Sands by Leonid Yuzefovich (Edelweiss e-galley) 7/9/18
725. The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah (Audiobook, $$) 7/9/18
726. Who is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht (Audiobook, $$) 7/9/18 Read
727. A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo (Kindle, $$) 7/10/18 Read
728. November Road by Lou Berney (NetGalley) 7/11/18
729. The Waiter by Matias Faldbakken (Edelweiss e-galley) 7/11/18
730. Our Friends in Berlin by Anthony Quinn (UK Kindle, $$) 7/11/18 Read
731. Palaces for the People: How To Build a More Equal and United Society by Eric Klinenberg (Amazon Vine ARC) 7/11/18
732. Death Notice by Haohui Zhou (Kindle, $$) 7/11/18
733. The Lion in the Living Room: How House Cats Tamed Us and Took Over the World by Abigail Tucker (Kindle, $$) 7/11/18
734. Virgil Wander by Leif Enger (Amazon Vine ARC) 7/14/18
735. The Gate Keeper by Charles Todd (Audiobook, $$) (Actually acquired 2/18/18, not logged then...) Read
736. The Jungle Grows Back: America and Our Imperiled World by Robert Kagan (NetGalley) 7/15/18
737. A Death in Eden by Keith McCafferty (NetGalley) 7/15/18
738. Bitwise: A Life in Code by David Auerbach (NetGalley) 7/15/18
739. Daemon Voices: On Stories and Storytelling by Phillip Pullman (NetGalley) 7/15/18
740. The Strange Order of Things: Life, Feeling, and the Making of Cultures by Antonio Damasio (NetGalley) 7/15/18
741. The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle (NetGalley) 7/16/18
742. The Girl in the Glass Box by James Grippando (NetGalley) 7/16/18
743. Love in a Mist by Sarah Harrison (NetGalley) 7/16/18
744. As the Crow Flies by Jeffrey Archer (Kindle Sale, $) 7/16/18
745. Blood Money by James Grippando (Kindle Sale, $) 7/16/18
746. The King Tides by James Swain (Kindle First freebie, Kindle Days freebie) 7/17/18
747. Boomer1 by Daniel Torday (NetGalley) 7/17/18
748. The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre (First to Read, e-galley) 7/18/18 Read
749. The Empty Throne: America's Abdication of Global Leadership by Ivo Daalder (NetGalley)
More From ALA (via Benita!); all ARCs 7/18/18 (books 750-755)
750. Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs
751. The Fall of Wisconsin by Dan Kaufman
752. Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter
753. Whiskey When We're Dry by John Larison
754. Presidents of War by Michael Beschloss
755. The Sea Queen by Linnea Hartsuyker
Books Purchased Or Otherwise Permanently Acquired 2018
Part VI
651. Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement by Janet Dewart Bell (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/23/18
652. Sight: A Novel by Jessie Greengrass (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/23/18
653. To the Bridge: A True Story of Motherhood and Murder by Nancy Rommelman (Kindle First, Freebie) 6/24/18
654. Marathon Man by William Goldman (Kindle sale, $) 6/24/18
655. Hitler's American Friends: The Third Reich's Supporters in the United States by Bradley Hart (NetGalley) 6/25/18
656. The Piper on the Mountain by Ellis Peters (audiobook, $$) 6/27/18 Read
657. The Race to Save the Romanovs: The Truth Behind the Secret Plans to Rescue the Russian Imperial Family by Helen Rappaport (NetGalley) 6/27/18
658. Don't Eat Me by Colin Cotterill (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/27/18 Read
659. All the Lives We Never Lived by Anuradha Roy (NetGalley) 6/27/18
660. The Other Wife by Michael Robotham (UK Kindle, $$) 6/27/18
661. The Mechanical Devil by Kate Ellis (Kindle, $$) 6/27/18
662. The Conjuror's Bird by Martin Davies (UK Kindle, $$) 6/27/18
663. Lake Success by Gary Shteyngart (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/27/18
664. This Could Change Everything by Jill Mansell (Kindle, $$) 6/27/18
665. The Bell Ringers by Henry Porter (audiobook, $$) 6/27/18 Read
666. Bone on Bone by Julia Keller (NetGalley) 6/28/18
667. Button Man by Andrew Gross (NetGalley) 6/28/18
668. The Imposter: A True Story by Javier Cercas (First to Read 6/28/18
669. Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson (Amazon Vine ARC) 6/29/18
670. The Summer of Ellen by Agnete Friis (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/29/18
671. Godsend by John Wray (NetGalley) 6/29/18
672. Shades Within Us: Tales of Migrations and Fractured Borders (Edelweiss e-galley) 6/30/18
673. Red by John Logan (Audiobook, sale, $) 7/1/18
674. God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza (Audiobook, sale, $) 7/1/18 Read
675. The Savage Shore by David Hewson (NetGalley) 7/2/18
676. Beautiful Exiles by Meg Waite Clayton (Kindle First, Freebie) 7/2/18
677. A Face to the World: On Self Portraits by Laura Cumming (Kindle, $$) 7/3/18
678. Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America's Most Powerful Mobster by Stephen L. Carter (NetGalley) 7/3/18
679. The Necessary Beggar by Susan Palwick (Kindle sale, $) 7/3/18
680. Death and the Joyful Woman by Ellis Peters (Kindle sale, $) 7/3/18
681. Holiday With Violence by Ellis Peters (Kindle, $$) 7/3/18
682. How to Leave: Quitting the City and Coping with a New Reality by Erin Clune (NetGalley) 7/3/18
683. A Shot in the Dark: A Constable Twitten Mystery by Lynne Truss (NetGalley) 7/3/18
684. Little Dancer Aged Fourteen by Camille Laurens (ARC from publisher) 7/3/18
685. Prague Spring by Simon Mawer (ARC from publisher) 7/3/18 Read
686. Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz (NetGalley) 7/3/18
687. Hellbent by Gregg Hurwitz (NetGalley) 7/3/18
688. The Nowhere Man by Gregg Hurwitz (NetGalley) 7/3/18
689. Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran (Kindle sale, $) 7/3/18
690. City of Devils: The Two Men Who Ruled the Underworld of Old Shanghai by Paul French (Audiobook, $$) 7/4/18
691. Testimony by Anita Shreve (Audiobook sale, $) 7/4/18 Read
692. The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan (UK Kindle sale, $) 7/4/18
693. The Honeymoon by Tina Seskis (UK Kindle sale, $) 7/4/18
694. Never Alone by Elizabeth Haynes (UK Kindle sale, $) 7/4/18
695. The Party by Elizabeth Day (UK Kindle sale, $) 7/4/18
696. Versailles by Colin Jones (NetGalley) 7/5/18
From ALA (via Benita!); almost all ARCs
all 7/5/18
697. Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan
698. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata Read
699. The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
700. The Dutch Wife by Ellen Keith
701. Find Me Gone by Sarah Meuleman
702. Wild Fire by Ann Cleeves
703. Vox by Christina Dalcher Read
704. Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough
705. Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography by Andrea Warner
706. Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction by Alec Nevala-Lee
707. The Collector's Apprentice by B.A. Shapiro
708. These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore (sampler only)
709. Ordinary People by Diana Evans
710. Putney by Sofka Zinovieff
711. Elsey Come Home by Susan Conley
712. Seaweed Chronicles: A World at the Water’s Edge by Susan Hand Shetterly
713. The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
714. The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell Read
715. Interior States: Essays by Meghan O'Gieblyn Read
That's the end of the ALA listings!
716. A Mind Unraveled: A Memoir by Kurt Eichenwald (Amazon Vine ARC) 7/5/18
717. The Sword of Justice by Leif G. W. Persson (Amazon Vine ARC) 7/5/18
718. The Caregiver by Samuel Park (NetGalley) 7/5/18
719. Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson (Edelweiss e-galley) 7/6/18
720. Caroline's Bikini by Kirsty Gunn (Edelweiss e-galley) 7/6/18
721. Mad, Bad, Dangerous to Know: The Fathers of Wilde, Yeats, and Joyce by Colm Toibin (NetGalley) 7/9/18
722. The Forbidden Place by Susanne Jansson (NetGalley) 7/9/18
723. A Cloudy Day on the Western Shore by Mohamed Mansi Qandi (Edelweiss e-galley) 7/9/18
724. Horseman of the Sands by Leonid Yuzefovich (Edelweiss e-galley) 7/9/18
725. The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah (Audiobook, $$) 7/9/18
726. Who is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht (Audiobook, $$) 7/9/18 Read
727. A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo (Kindle, $$) 7/10/18 Read
728. November Road by Lou Berney (NetGalley) 7/11/18
729. The Waiter by Matias Faldbakken (Edelweiss e-galley) 7/11/18
730. Our Friends in Berlin by Anthony Quinn (UK Kindle, $$) 7/11/18 Read
731. Palaces for the People: How To Build a More Equal and United Society by Eric Klinenberg (Amazon Vine ARC) 7/11/18
732. Death Notice by Haohui Zhou (Kindle, $$) 7/11/18
733. The Lion in the Living Room: How House Cats Tamed Us and Took Over the World by Abigail Tucker (Kindle, $$) 7/11/18
734. Virgil Wander by Leif Enger (Amazon Vine ARC) 7/14/18
735. The Gate Keeper by Charles Todd (Audiobook, $$) (Actually acquired 2/18/18, not logged then...) Read
736. The Jungle Grows Back: America and Our Imperiled World by Robert Kagan (NetGalley) 7/15/18
737. A Death in Eden by Keith McCafferty (NetGalley) 7/15/18
738. Bitwise: A Life in Code by David Auerbach (NetGalley) 7/15/18
739. Daemon Voices: On Stories and Storytelling by Phillip Pullman (NetGalley) 7/15/18
740. The Strange Order of Things: Life, Feeling, and the Making of Cultures by Antonio Damasio (NetGalley) 7/15/18
741. The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle (NetGalley) 7/16/18
742. The Girl in the Glass Box by James Grippando (NetGalley) 7/16/18
743. Love in a Mist by Sarah Harrison (NetGalley) 7/16/18
744. As the Crow Flies by Jeffrey Archer (Kindle Sale, $) 7/16/18
745. Blood Money by James Grippando (Kindle Sale, $) 7/16/18
746. The King Tides by James Swain (Kindle First freebie, Kindle Days freebie) 7/17/18
747. Boomer1 by Daniel Torday (NetGalley) 7/17/18
748. The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre (First to Read, e-galley) 7/18/18 Read
749. The Empty Throne: America's Abdication of Global Leadership by Ivo Daalder (NetGalley)
More From ALA (via Benita!); all ARCs 7/18/18 (books 750-755)
750. Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs
751. The Fall of Wisconsin by Dan Kaufman
752. Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter
753. Whiskey When We're Dry by John Larison
754. Presidents of War by Michael Beschloss
755. The Sea Queen by Linnea Hartsuyker
216LizzieD
I'm sorry that making the list is so frustrating, but I really appreciate it! I'll research my way through book by book, but I know already that I'm going to be impatient for a copy of *Mad, Bad*! Thanks, Suz.
217Chatterbox
>216 LizzieD: Some of the touchstones are wrong... When the list starts getting "too" long, touchstones stop working completely, I'm afraid.
218Chatterbox
So, the pesky pain in my arm and shoulder? It's acute bursitis. Which over the months has probably caused the arthritis that the doctor I finally consulted to spot in the second look at the X-rays. So, bursitis, arthritis -- and a migraine, because waiting around at the doc's yesterday for X-rays meant that I skipped lunch. And when they called me with the secondary arthritis diagnosis, I asked the doc about the ankle pain I've been having, off and on, for 18 months, and he practically went through the roof. Even in the absence of redness, swelling or any visible heat/inflammation, the odds are high that it, too, is arthritis, and now I'll need more x-rays and stuff.
Just as the treatment of one chronic pain condition becomes at least a theoretical possibility with the new migraine drug (still waiting to see if I'm approved) a new one hits. It would be enough to make me depressed -- if I weren't already. Cue hollow laugh.
Trying to listen to audiobooks, since my head hurts, but I keep losing my place and I'm struggling to find something that appeals and that I can focus on.
Basically, I'm grumpy, and venting.
Is everyone getting ready for Bastille Day??
Just as the treatment of one chronic pain condition becomes at least a theoretical possibility with the new migraine drug (still waiting to see if I'm approved) a new one hits. It would be enough to make me depressed -- if I weren't already. Cue hollow laugh.
Trying to listen to audiobooks, since my head hurts, but I keep losing my place and I'm struggling to find something that appeals and that I can focus on.
Basically, I'm grumpy, and venting.
Is everyone getting ready for Bastille Day??
219m.belljackson
>218 Chatterbox:
In case your blood pressure is getting low, here's one to boost it:
Two mornings ago, I drove my 42 year old daughter to Urgent Care for another migraine not responding to Medications (Butalbital,
Naratriptan, and Hydrocodone) or which she couldn't keep down.
The last time she had to do this, a shot of Demerol was
(FINALLY - after they decided to believe she was not a drug addict looking for a fix) administered.
This time, instead, a lengthy regime of various intravenous drugs (one resulting in a severe allergic reaction) was given.
The doctor stated that doctors are no longer allowed to give Demerol for migraine relief/ending/cure due to the anti-opioid scare.
In case your blood pressure is getting low, here's one to boost it:
Two mornings ago, I drove my 42 year old daughter to Urgent Care for another migraine not responding to Medications (Butalbital,
Naratriptan, and Hydrocodone) or which she couldn't keep down.
The last time she had to do this, a shot of Demerol was
(FINALLY - after they decided to believe she was not a drug addict looking for a fix) administered.
This time, instead, a lengthy regime of various intravenous drugs (one resulting in a severe allergic reaction) was given.
The doctor stated that doctors are no longer allowed to give Demerol for migraine relief/ending/cure due to the anti-opioid scare.
220Chatterbox
>219 m.belljackson: Yes, that certainly DID boost my blood pressure. When will these people realize that folks with a documented history of migraine are not drug-seekers, but merely trying to get relief from acute pain, and that an ER visit is usually a last-ditch option, given that it involves noise, lights, etc. etc. Isn't refusing effective treatment for non-medical reasons a violation of their Hippocratic oath??
We need to push back on this. I worry how long it will be before my neurologist's views are ruled irrelevant, and I'm no longer allowed to take a medication containing codeine (butalbital with codeine). Even though I've been taking it for decades, in about the same quantities), and it helps me manage the migraines more effectively than other pain killers (including Tylenol with codeine or hydrocodone). Some arbitrary decision that, wow, I might suddenly go off buying fentanyl on the black market or start snorting some other kinds of drugs? Irrational and unfounded. But that's the way it's going.
I've rarely ended up with Demerol (it makes me barf) -- my first line ER treatment is an IV cocktail of reglan and toradol, with Benadryl; followed by a small dose of morphine or some morphine derivative with a second IV dose if the first one isn't effective. That is usually enough to 'blanket' the pain and give me enough relief that I can sleep, and my whole body isn't in spasm.
I'm so, so sorry that your daughter didn't get the treatment she needed, and instead dealt with stuff that made her MORE unwell, and with bullshit reasons. I would try to follow that up with the hospital when you're not under pressure. It's probably their policy -- or even possibly an insurance policy. Time to fight to ensure that patients are treated based on what the medical need is and not on arbitrary policies. I kind of wonder, too, whether this would be happening if it involved a chronic pain condition that affected mostly men? I've had so many friends who have had their migraines dismissed by physicians and encountered that myself, that I'm a little skeptical. I still remember my student health center physician sending me to a shrink (at 18) when I asked him to begin prescribing the Rx my neurologist had been prescribing for two years by then -- because migraines were, of course, a sign of mental illness of some kind. Or the doctor that told a friend of mine that her migraines would disappear if she had a "satisfying" sexual relationship. I could go on, but won't.
I had a migraine two days ago too, but am OK now -- I hope your daughters has rebounded in time to enjoy the weekend...
We need to push back on this. I worry how long it will be before my neurologist's views are ruled irrelevant, and I'm no longer allowed to take a medication containing codeine (butalbital with codeine). Even though I've been taking it for decades, in about the same quantities), and it helps me manage the migraines more effectively than other pain killers (including Tylenol with codeine or hydrocodone). Some arbitrary decision that, wow, I might suddenly go off buying fentanyl on the black market or start snorting some other kinds of drugs? Irrational and unfounded. But that's the way it's going.
I've rarely ended up with Demerol (it makes me barf) -- my first line ER treatment is an IV cocktail of reglan and toradol, with Benadryl; followed by a small dose of morphine or some morphine derivative with a second IV dose if the first one isn't effective. That is usually enough to 'blanket' the pain and give me enough relief that I can sleep, and my whole body isn't in spasm.
I'm so, so sorry that your daughter didn't get the treatment she needed, and instead dealt with stuff that made her MORE unwell, and with bullshit reasons. I would try to follow that up with the hospital when you're not under pressure. It's probably their policy -- or even possibly an insurance policy. Time to fight to ensure that patients are treated based on what the medical need is and not on arbitrary policies. I kind of wonder, too, whether this would be happening if it involved a chronic pain condition that affected mostly men? I've had so many friends who have had their migraines dismissed by physicians and encountered that myself, that I'm a little skeptical. I still remember my student health center physician sending me to a shrink (at 18) when I asked him to begin prescribing the Rx my neurologist had been prescribing for two years by then -- because migraines were, of course, a sign of mental illness of some kind. Or the doctor that told a friend of mine that her migraines would disappear if she had a "satisfying" sexual relationship. I could go on, but won't.
I had a migraine two days ago too, but am OK now -- I hope your daughters has rebounded in time to enjoy the weekend...
221The_Hibernator
Wow. Hope your pain gets better soon. That sounds really hard.
222m.belljackson
>220 Chatterbox:
Daughter's headache subsided to a 3-4, but, even after a night of semi-sleep,
lingers with threat to return due to changing weather (heavy thunderstorms), pollen, "something I ate," or ???
Best wishes that your weekend also stays pain free.
This month's art books are definitely easier on stress levels than even small doses of On Tyranny.
Daughter's headache subsided to a 3-4, but, even after a night of semi-sleep,
lingers with threat to return due to changing weather (heavy thunderstorms), pollen, "something I ate," or ???
Best wishes that your weekend also stays pain free.
This month's art books are definitely easier on stress levels than even small doses of On Tyranny.
223Chatterbox
>221 The_Hibernator: Yes, it's the "?????" factor that is the annoying one. Both my mother and I are coping with the "circling like helicopters deciding whether or not to land" variants. I had a 3-ish head this morning, which is down to a 2 now, but who knows where it will be in a few hours? So I can't really do all that much, even if my arm wanted to let me. Which it doesn't. Bah.
>220 Chatterbox: Look, it's not like late-stage congestive heart failure or ALS, and I have friends coping with both of those right now. These are just lifestyle ailments that make living tougher on a daily basis. I do have perspective. But sometimes it all reaches a tipping point...
Apparently my sister in law is annoyed that I haven't responded to HER, in response to my brother telling me about their separation. We have never been close and rarely communicated about much, so I'm really not sure what to say. She hasn't reached out to tell me or ask me anything, so I'm not sure what to do, frankly. In her interactions with my mother, she is trying to sow divisiveness, criticizing my brother and creating trouble. I don't want to get involved. I just don't know what to do. Any advice from folks here? I can't ask on Facebook, where she will see whatever I post.
>220 Chatterbox: Look, it's not like late-stage congestive heart failure or ALS, and I have friends coping with both of those right now. These are just lifestyle ailments that make living tougher on a daily basis. I do have perspective. But sometimes it all reaches a tipping point...
Apparently my sister in law is annoyed that I haven't responded to HER, in response to my brother telling me about their separation. We have never been close and rarely communicated about much, so I'm really not sure what to say. She hasn't reached out to tell me or ask me anything, so I'm not sure what to do, frankly. In her interactions with my mother, she is trying to sow divisiveness, criticizing my brother and creating trouble. I don't want to get involved. I just don't know what to do. Any advice from folks here? I can't ask on Facebook, where she will see whatever I post.
224benitastrnad
I have troubles on the home front. My mother fell this last week and broke her leg. She will need surgery to set it and that is scheduled for Monday. I may be making a fast trip to Kansas.
225m.belljackson
>223 Chatterbox:
Can you communicate with SIL only via email?
...expressing that you are sorry/sad/? to hear that she and brother have separated
and that you hope that their Mediator/Marriage and Family Therapist/Counselor can help
them work things out...you let her know you are concerned in a way that does not
invite involvement with her...?
If she continues to involve your mother, all of you meeting together with an MFT could help set
more comfortable boundaries.
Can you communicate with SIL only via email?
...expressing that you are sorry/sad/? to hear that she and brother have separated
and that you hope that their Mediator/Marriage and Family Therapist/Counselor can help
them work things out...you let her know you are concerned in a way that does not
invite involvement with her...?
If she continues to involve your mother, all of you meeting together with an MFT could help set
more comfortable boundaries.
226Chatterbox
>225 m.belljackson: Well, since we live in different cities and countries, yes -- that's easy. In fact, we never communicate any other way. It's just surprising that she now seems to WANT me to communicate with her, when she has actively avoided communicating with me (as when she took my niece and older nephew to NYC in late spring, when I was in the city, but didn't tell me they would be there -- and so I missed the chance to spend a rare time with them.) For context, SIL has put her foot down consistently on visiting me in the US or inviting me to join them on family vacations in Turks & Caicos -- only her siblings are invited. So it's very odd that she now expects me to reach out to her. I suppose I would feel different had she e-mailed me and said, I hope we can still be friends, here is what is going on, as my brother did.
I've really never had any relationship with her at all, and honestly, gave up active efforts to achieve one, simply not trying to involve myself at all or care about being shut out. I just feel bemused that NOW I'm wanted? This started very early on, when my brother had to insist that I be given some kind of role at the wedding (reading something). Honestly, it didn't matter as much to me as it did to my mother and to him, but my SIL didn't want me involved in the wedding. Yes, it was hurtful, but she didn't know me that well (I lived in NYC; she lived in Toronto; she had her own circle of friends, etc.). I think I was more disappointed that I didn't have a SIL who would become a friend and who would make me feel closer to my brother. Now I just feel sad for him and for the kids. But she's at least 15 years too late to elicit spontaneous demonstrations of anything from me, honestly.
I've really never had any relationship with her at all, and honestly, gave up active efforts to achieve one, simply not trying to involve myself at all or care about being shut out. I just feel bemused that NOW I'm wanted? This started very early on, when my brother had to insist that I be given some kind of role at the wedding (reading something). Honestly, it didn't matter as much to me as it did to my mother and to him, but my SIL didn't want me involved in the wedding. Yes, it was hurtful, but she didn't know me that well (I lived in NYC; she lived in Toronto; she had her own circle of friends, etc.). I think I was more disappointed that I didn't have a SIL who would become a friend and who would make me feel closer to my brother. Now I just feel sad for him and for the kids. But she's at least 15 years too late to elicit spontaneous demonstrations of anything from me, honestly.
227elkiedee
No advice, but astonished at your SIL after previous stories of her rudeness to you - I remember more than one story of her snubbing you in relation to your niece and nephew(s).
228ChelleBearss
Sorry to hear you are hurting still between the migraines and bursitis. Hope you find some relief soon.
Honestly, your SIL sounds kind of annoying. If she hasn't wanted a relationship up until now then why should she expect one as she is on her way out of your family. Sounds like she is trying to make trouble. If it was me I would probably just ignore it and not bother to email her.
Honestly, your SIL sounds kind of annoying. If she hasn't wanted a relationship up until now then why should she expect one as she is on her way out of your family. Sounds like she is trying to make trouble. If it was me I would probably just ignore it and not bother to email her.
229Chatterbox
Thanks for the thoughts. I'm not looking for justification, some reasonable and impartial advice/guidance. I don't want to feel guilted into anything, and this feels a bit like emotional manipulation. I just don't have time or energy for that. I do consider that she will still be a part of the family, because she will still be the mother of my niece and nephews. But just because she feels the need for some kind of support or validation doesn't mean that she should assume I should rush to deliver it to her. If she wants to reach out to me, that's another matter. Then I can see what she thinks I can do, and evaluate that. Oh well...
Meanwhile, have just picked up the e-galley of The Middle-Man by Olen Steinhauer, to read. The publication date is August 7, and if you're at all interested in political thrillers, you will not want to miss it. I'm less than halfway through it, and I can't put it down. Really... The whole plot is underpinned by the 99% versus the 1%, and if that isn't timely, I don't know what is!!!
Meanwhile, have just picked up the e-galley of The Middle-Man by Olen Steinhauer, to read. The publication date is August 7, and if you're at all interested in political thrillers, you will not want to miss it. I'm less than halfway through it, and I can't put it down. Really... The whole plot is underpinned by the 99% versus the 1%, and if that isn't timely, I don't know what is!!!
230Chatterbox
OK, finished The Middleman by Olen Steinhauer. Both that and Firefly by Henry Porter (and to a lesser extent, Vox by Christina Dalcher), are great, compulsively readable suspense novels tied to political issues that are in the headlines right now. In the case of the former, it's about the pushback against the 1% by the 99% and the question of how to know when a series of mysterious stuff might be a conspiracy theory or just somebody letting their logical powers collapse -- but the core question is HOW to push back and enable your voice to be heard against power in the face of cynicism and even "pragmatism." Henry Porter, author of "Firefly", has addressed that in previous novels, but this time is tackling something more straightforward: his main character must try to find a single migrant/refugee among a stream of many thousands making their way toward Western Europe along the migrant trails through the Balkans. The young boy is a genius, and has in his possession info about an important terrorist from Syria. That terrorist is aware of what the boy has, and it's a race to see who can find one young kid among many, many others -- and rescue or kill him. But then the rescuers' motives become more complicated...
As I noted earlier, the story behind "Vox" is timely, too, but more dystopian -- what would happen if you could only utter 100 words a day and were banned from any other use of language (including reading and sign language?) Just because you're a woman? In this story, all women and girls are fitted with "bracelets" counting down to give electrical shocks if a woman exceeds her word quota -- and the heroine's young daughter is proud when she gets ice cream for not speaking at all in school (where only numeracy is taught...) Then the government requires the heroine's skills as a neuroscientist involved in how brain trauma affects language, and bargains with her: either her bracelet comes off until she completes the work (and she can teach her daughter at home) or she must wear a new bracelet, one programmed with ZERO words a day. When she figures out the true purpose of the research, the dilemma is still more acute. In the current environment, with the nature of the threats that women get in exchange for speaking on on #metoo issues and the likelihood of an ultimate repeal of Roe v. Wade, it's timely, if still dystopian in nature.
As I noted earlier, the story behind "Vox" is timely, too, but more dystopian -- what would happen if you could only utter 100 words a day and were banned from any other use of language (including reading and sign language?) Just because you're a woman? In this story, all women and girls are fitted with "bracelets" counting down to give electrical shocks if a woman exceeds her word quota -- and the heroine's young daughter is proud when she gets ice cream for not speaking at all in school (where only numeracy is taught...) Then the government requires the heroine's skills as a neuroscientist involved in how brain trauma affects language, and bargains with her: either her bracelet comes off until she completes the work (and she can teach her daughter at home) or she must wear a new bracelet, one programmed with ZERO words a day. When she figures out the true purpose of the research, the dilemma is still more acute. In the current environment, with the nature of the threats that women get in exchange for speaking on on #metoo issues and the likelihood of an ultimate repeal of Roe v. Wade, it's timely, if still dystopian in nature.
231benitastrnad
Glad to see you are getting some of the books read from the box. There is a second box on the way. I am not sure what will be in there that will be of interest to you, but there should be some gems in it.
I enjoy reading many of the ARC's I get at ALA. Many of them turn out to be great reads. I was happy to note that Brass by Xhenet Aliu was a featured title from Denver (the author spoke at one of the debut author breakfasts) and the reader here on LT enjoyed the book very much. (I think it was somebody over on Joe's thread who read it.) I have not gotten to that novel, as I have been reading many YA books this summer and those are job related.
At our meetup with Tim and Abby one of the things discussed, besides the state of ALA conferences, was the state of ARC's. Publishers are clearly pushing people to the e-galley's. There are positives and negatives with that policy, but from the publishers side of things the positives out weigh the negatives. They get feedback quicker and for less money. It is easier for those reviewing the books to add their comments in an electronic world than it seems to be in a hardcopy physical world. However, everybody at the table that night preferred to get paper copies of the new titles. It seems there is a physical reason why we are book people. We like to hold things in our hands and turn pages.
I enjoy reading many of the ARC's I get at ALA. Many of them turn out to be great reads. I was happy to note that Brass by Xhenet Aliu was a featured title from Denver (the author spoke at one of the debut author breakfasts) and the reader here on LT enjoyed the book very much. (I think it was somebody over on Joe's thread who read it.) I have not gotten to that novel, as I have been reading many YA books this summer and those are job related.
At our meetup with Tim and Abby one of the things discussed, besides the state of ALA conferences, was the state of ARC's. Publishers are clearly pushing people to the e-galley's. There are positives and negatives with that policy, but from the publishers side of things the positives out weigh the negatives. They get feedback quicker and for less money. It is easier for those reviewing the books to add their comments in an electronic world than it seems to be in a hardcopy physical world. However, everybody at the table that night preferred to get paper copies of the new titles. It seems there is a physical reason why we are book people. We like to hold things in our hands and turn pages.
232Chatterbox
I am, and have always been, very very agnostic when it comes to e-readers. I was elated to discover what they made possible -- that I could travel with literally hundreds of books (and now with thousands.) And now I don't need to worry about trying to find that elusive copy of a favorite book that I want to re-read, or a galley arriving in the mail damaged to due to rain, etc. Plus, the SPACE. If all my unread books were in physical form, I wouldn't be able to move around the apartment, or FIND them.
But I'm not everybody. Other people read differently. And even in my case, there are instances where I really want or NEED to read a physical book. I want to be able to pull it off a shelf and browse through it. I want to be able to flip quickly between the book and the notes or bibliography. I want to be able to appreciate the beautiful design and printing job or the great illustrations. Sometimes I hate having to read an e-galley, as in the case of the First to Read books, that are all Adobe digital editions ONLY, and timed to expire 40 days after they become available. Not acceptable, really, since that means I can only read on my laptop, which is an ergonomic nightmare. A counterpart to that is wanting to read an older book and finding that the paper it's printed on has become so coarse to the touch that it my fingertips actually recoil from turning the pages.
I'm glad that real books still exist and that bookstores still exist (although I wish they were healthier and do my best to support them). On the other hand, I'm glad e-books and my Kindle exist, and I will fight to keep them. I see no reason at all why the two can't coexist. If I end up adding more e-books to my stack of books, it's because it's less expense to buy Kindle books (and they take up less space -- I'm trying to de-accession physical books, not acquire them, now that I'm in my mid-50s) and because when publishers are willing to give me galleys in between ALA/BEA events, almost always (except for Other Press) they tend to be e-galleys.
***************
>231 benitastrnad: Meanwhile, looking forward to getting the other box and am very curious as to what might be in it! If you have any insight/idea as to a delivery time, that would be marvelous, as Mike the mail dude nearly lynched me for not being home at first, the last time around. I'll try to be home all this week.
***************
I'm not sleeping well, possibly the heat, possibly just discomfort from the arm/shoulder; who knows. Regardless, it's annoying, because it leaves me dragging, and struggling to read the serious stuff I want to -- like a nonfiction book about literary modernism, Robert Kagain's latest about the US and foreign relations, prompted after reading his excellent piece about Trump in the modern world, etc. Plus, I still have Adam Nicolson's book about seabirds AND newish book the Templars that need to go back to the Athenaeum soon!!
But I'm not everybody. Other people read differently. And even in my case, there are instances where I really want or NEED to read a physical book. I want to be able to pull it off a shelf and browse through it. I want to be able to flip quickly between the book and the notes or bibliography. I want to be able to appreciate the beautiful design and printing job or the great illustrations. Sometimes I hate having to read an e-galley, as in the case of the First to Read books, that are all Adobe digital editions ONLY, and timed to expire 40 days after they become available. Not acceptable, really, since that means I can only read on my laptop, which is an ergonomic nightmare. A counterpart to that is wanting to read an older book and finding that the paper it's printed on has become so coarse to the touch that it my fingertips actually recoil from turning the pages.
I'm glad that real books still exist and that bookstores still exist (although I wish they were healthier and do my best to support them). On the other hand, I'm glad e-books and my Kindle exist, and I will fight to keep them. I see no reason at all why the two can't coexist. If I end up adding more e-books to my stack of books, it's because it's less expense to buy Kindle books (and they take up less space -- I'm trying to de-accession physical books, not acquire them, now that I'm in my mid-50s) and because when publishers are willing to give me galleys in between ALA/BEA events, almost always (except for Other Press) they tend to be e-galleys.
***************
>231 benitastrnad: Meanwhile, looking forward to getting the other box and am very curious as to what might be in it! If you have any insight/idea as to a delivery time, that would be marvelous, as Mike the mail dude nearly lynched me for not being home at first, the last time around. I'll try to be home all this week.
***************
I'm not sleeping well, possibly the heat, possibly just discomfort from the arm/shoulder; who knows. Regardless, it's annoying, because it leaves me dragging, and struggling to read the serious stuff I want to -- like a nonfiction book about literary modernism, Robert Kagain's latest about the US and foreign relations, prompted after reading his excellent piece about Trump in the modern world, etc. Plus, I still have Adam Nicolson's book about seabirds AND newish book the Templars that need to go back to the Athenaeum soon!!
233Chatterbox
Hurrah for Benita! Another smaller box of ARCs from ALA in New Orleans arrived today, with half a dozen intriguing titles in there, ranging from a memoir by Steve Jobs' daughter to Presidents of War by Michael Beschloss and book #2 of a Viking series with a FABULOUs cover that makes me want to go and find book #1.
I finished listening to the audiobook of Testimony by Anita Shreve -- a very nuanced audiobook, read by an entire cast of people, and a very well-thought out novel on a subject that could be a very heavy handed: a sex act involving a younger student and senior students (eg 17, 18, 19) and caught on tape. But Shreve tells the story from different perspectives. How and why did this happen? And she ends up coaxing us away from looking for someone to blame, from looking for easy answers or even "AN answer" and instead seeing the whole thing as a complex tragedy of the kind that is all too common in the lives of adults but that teenagers are ill-equipped to handle. Which is precisely the message that Shreve ends up subtly delivering. If there is any fault here, it is that adults consciously or unconsciously leave teens to deal as if they WERE adults, or make decisions about their own lives that have consequences for teenagers. What seems rational in isolation is irrational in its long-term consequences for the teenagers who must cope with the fallout. Very good and thought-provoking. There are no heroes or heroines here, and yes, it's one of those first-world novels that involve navel-gazing, but these feel like real people. We can be scornful that this is our society, sure, but it is, and Shreve captures it in a way that isn't cynical but also doesn't embrace false values. It's about humanity. Highly recommended.4.5 stars.
I finished listening to the audiobook of Testimony by Anita Shreve -- a very nuanced audiobook, read by an entire cast of people, and a very well-thought out novel on a subject that could be a very heavy handed: a sex act involving a younger student and senior students (eg 17, 18, 19) and caught on tape. But Shreve tells the story from different perspectives. How and why did this happen? And she ends up coaxing us away from looking for someone to blame, from looking for easy answers or even "AN answer" and instead seeing the whole thing as a complex tragedy of the kind that is all too common in the lives of adults but that teenagers are ill-equipped to handle. Which is precisely the message that Shreve ends up subtly delivering. If there is any fault here, it is that adults consciously or unconsciously leave teens to deal as if they WERE adults, or make decisions about their own lives that have consequences for teenagers. What seems rational in isolation is irrational in its long-term consequences for the teenagers who must cope with the fallout. Very good and thought-provoking. There are no heroes or heroines here, and yes, it's one of those first-world novels that involve navel-gazing, but these feel like real people. We can be scornful that this is our society, sure, but it is, and Shreve captures it in a way that isn't cynical but also doesn't embrace false values. It's about humanity. Highly recommended.4.5 stars.
234libraryperilous
That is a fabulous cover. I didn't like the first volume, but I have less than zero interest in Vikings. It was an extremely well-written book. I expect most lovers of historical fiction, especially ones who are less picky about time periods, would like it very much.
235Chatterbox
>234 libraryperilous: I used an audiobook credit to get book #1 from Audible. If I dislike it or am even lukewarm -- it can simply go back and I will get my credit back... :-) I greatly appreciate that feature, and they don't give me grief about using it, either, although I do have to chat or phone to take advantage of it, since I've returned/exchanged far more than two books or whatever the annual limit is to do so online.
236katiekrug
>233 Chatterbox: - Anita Shreve can be a bit hit or miss for me, but I remember thinking Testimony was very good.
237Chatterbox
I've read very little of hers, to my shame. I keep meaning to read more. I was signed up to go listen to her speak at the Athenaeum here and then she canceled when she was first diagnosed with cancer 18 months or so ago. And then she died just before she was re-scheduled. Sigh.
238katiekrug
I've enjoyed her older novels more than her more recent ones. I especially liked The Weight of Water, All He Ever Wanted, and Fortune's Rocks.
239LovingLit
>167 Chatterbox: I rather like unsympathetic characters, generally.
>233 Chatterbox: I am intrigues as to what Steve Jobs' daughter would have to say...
Sorry to hear about your sleep troubles, it does put a dampener on the following day.
>233 Chatterbox: I am intrigues as to what Steve Jobs' daughter would have to say...
Sorry to hear about your sleep troubles, it does put a dampener on the following day.
240benitastrnad
#233
I figured that since you liked the Bernard Cornwell series about the Saxons and the Vikings that you might like this series as well. They may be very different from the Utred series but ...
I am glad that the box got there OK. It was stuffed and I was afraid that it would burst. That’s the reason for all the tape.
I figured that since you liked the Bernard Cornwell series about the Saxons and the Vikings that you might like this series as well. They may be very different from the Utred series but ...
I am glad that the box got there OK. It was stuffed and I was afraid that it would burst. That’s the reason for all the tape.
241LizzieD
>240 benitastrnad: A box stuffed with books! I'm dying here.
242Chatterbox
>240 benitastrnad: Definitely; and I liked Hild by Nicola Griffith as well. I had heard that she was writing a sequel, but her new book is something quite different -- LGBTQ related. Which is fine, but I was hoping for a sequel!!
>241 LizzieD: Please don't hyperventilate... There were six ARCs/books, which is lovely, very, very creatively packed in a smallish box that my mail guy didn't get peeved at me for having to carry to the door! But it did require creativity to get them all in without squashing or damaging anything...
>239 LovingLit: I am a big, big fan of unsympathetic heroes/heroines. They always seem more authentic as characters to me. A classic example would be An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine. I don't need to like a character. I do need to find him or her understandable. I need to empathize with their actions, even if I deplore them. It's how people deal with their flaws and mistakes that make them interesting, especially in fiction. Perfection is boring, and the alternative to perfection or imperfection is a character who lives only in his or her head, which is just not convincing or true. So, you can say "I can live with these flaws and not others in the characters I read about" but that's absurd. These are fictional characters, not people you have to live with in real life. No one expects you to approve or disapprove of them as people. The only question is whether the author succeeds in bringing them to life and putting them in a compelling plot and writing well. And if you reach the point where you're irritated and saying you disapprove because they are committing adultery or whatever -- well, that's a sign that the book has met one test of being good, because it has convinced you the character is "real." So it's a test for you, as a reader...
>238 katiekrug: Thanks for the suggestions of other Anita Shreve novels. I may look at one of those going forward... Possibly also in audiobook, as I just returned some that I know I'll never listen to (loser books, at least in audio format, as our cheeto in chief would say...)
Just finished a very good book about the life and death of the New York City Opera, Mad Scenes and Exit Arias by Heidi Waleson. it's an ARC, will be out in the fall, I think. It drags a bit in the middle, and the reader wants to shriek at the board members and say "you stupid, stupid people", but gets very, very interesting toward the end when the author starts discussing all the new ways that opera is being produced and commissioned -- creative approaches that have allowed established companies to survive and new entities to spring up. The bottom line is that not everyone can do or should do "grand opera" in big giant theaters like the Met, which is fine. What City Opera used to do was launch new works (which I missed when it started floundering and began losing its way), and take different approaches to smaller or lesser known operas or producing operas in different ways. A friend of mine is a librettist, doing small-scale stuff (just had a work for one singer produced in DC) so I was making mental links to what he does throughout that discussion. The reality is that we have a vibrant opera scene here, but it isn't like that in Europe and arts support (unfortunately) isn't as lavish, so a lot of creativity has to be devoted to finding the money and new models. But that isn't all bad, either, since the result is places like Santa Fe, Glimmerglass, and new and creative second stage ventures. 4.2 stars, read for this month's non-fiction challenge (the them being the arts.)
>241 LizzieD: Please don't hyperventilate... There were six ARCs/books, which is lovely, very, very creatively packed in a smallish box that my mail guy didn't get peeved at me for having to carry to the door! But it did require creativity to get them all in without squashing or damaging anything...
>239 LovingLit: I am a big, big fan of unsympathetic heroes/heroines. They always seem more authentic as characters to me. A classic example would be An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine. I don't need to like a character. I do need to find him or her understandable. I need to empathize with their actions, even if I deplore them. It's how people deal with their flaws and mistakes that make them interesting, especially in fiction. Perfection is boring, and the alternative to perfection or imperfection is a character who lives only in his or her head, which is just not convincing or true. So, you can say "I can live with these flaws and not others in the characters I read about" but that's absurd. These are fictional characters, not people you have to live with in real life. No one expects you to approve or disapprove of them as people. The only question is whether the author succeeds in bringing them to life and putting them in a compelling plot and writing well. And if you reach the point where you're irritated and saying you disapprove because they are committing adultery or whatever -- well, that's a sign that the book has met one test of being good, because it has convinced you the character is "real." So it's a test for you, as a reader...
>238 katiekrug: Thanks for the suggestions of other Anita Shreve novels. I may look at one of those going forward... Possibly also in audiobook, as I just returned some that I know I'll never listen to (loser books, at least in audio format, as our cheeto in chief would say...)
Just finished a very good book about the life and death of the New York City Opera, Mad Scenes and Exit Arias by Heidi Waleson. it's an ARC, will be out in the fall, I think. It drags a bit in the middle, and the reader wants to shriek at the board members and say "you stupid, stupid people", but gets very, very interesting toward the end when the author starts discussing all the new ways that opera is being produced and commissioned -- creative approaches that have allowed established companies to survive and new entities to spring up. The bottom line is that not everyone can do or should do "grand opera" in big giant theaters like the Met, which is fine. What City Opera used to do was launch new works (which I missed when it started floundering and began losing its way), and take different approaches to smaller or lesser known operas or producing operas in different ways. A friend of mine is a librettist, doing small-scale stuff (just had a work for one singer produced in DC) so I was making mental links to what he does throughout that discussion. The reality is that we have a vibrant opera scene here, but it isn't like that in Europe and arts support (unfortunately) isn't as lavish, so a lot of creativity has to be devoted to finding the money and new models. But that isn't all bad, either, since the result is places like Santa Fe, Glimmerglass, and new and creative second stage ventures. 4.2 stars, read for this month's non-fiction challenge (the them being the arts.)
243benitastrnad
I have been reading lots of science fiction this summer and today I went to my local public library to return a book I had read and get another. I noticed a sign in the science fiction section advertising a science fiction book club. It meets this Thursday. The book looked interesting - Year Zero by Rob Reid. So I made inguiry. Turns out that the book was on a list of book recommended by comedy writer John Hodgman, who is associated with Jon Stewart and The Daily Show.
I found out it is a book club that the library is starting (this is the second meeting) for Young Adults, but everybody is welcome. So I signed up. As I was getting the book the librarian told me that they were trying to keep kids reading through the summer months because of the “summer slump” syndrome. I asked her about the first meeting, which was in June. They read Ready Player One and sadly nobody showed up for the discussion. (There are only three people signed up for this discussion.) She and I had a short discussion about what might be the cause. This lead into a short discussion of the rampant anti-intellectualism found in the American South and the ripple effects of that. I am going to tell some people about this new book group but I am not sure that my friends will know Young Adults who can get a 300 page book read in a week.
I found out it is a book club that the library is starting (this is the second meeting) for Young Adults, but everybody is welcome. So I signed up. As I was getting the book the librarian told me that they were trying to keep kids reading through the summer months because of the “summer slump” syndrome. I asked her about the first meeting, which was in June. They read Ready Player One and sadly nobody showed up for the discussion. (There are only three people signed up for this discussion.) She and I had a short discussion about what might be the cause. This lead into a short discussion of the rampant anti-intellectualism found in the American South and the ripple effects of that. I am going to tell some people about this new book group but I am not sure that my friends will know Young Adults who can get a 300 page book read in a week.
244sibylline
Got me with the Nixey!
So sorry about your woes with your family. It is hard to know what to do.
So sorry about your woes with your family. It is hard to know what to do.
245benitastrnad
As if I needed another excuse to listen to a Book Review podcast - I got a notice today from HarperCollins about their new podcast for librarians. Here is the link https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-library-love-fest-podcast/id1378604121?m...
Should be lots of fun. Virginia Stanley at HarperCollins is a hoot!
Should be lots of fun. Virginia Stanley at HarperCollins is a hoot!
246ChelleBearss
>233 Chatterbox: That is a beautiful cover! I'll have to keep an eye out for your thoughts on the first one. I do love historical fiction
247The_Hibernator
Hi! Hopefully you're having a good start to the week!
248benitastrnad
I have been missing your pithy comments on the threads. I hope you are doing better.
249Chatterbox
I'm back in Providence for a few days, which is a relief. I have lost my non-driver's ID, my anti-migraine sunglasses, etc. etc. I'm burned out, essentially, and recognizing how much this caregiving stint is costing me both financially and non-financially. It's difficult helping friends who are simultaneously good friends to you but also have the capability of being (when healthy) extremely self-absorbed, etc. So now that the crisis period has abated, I have returned chez moi to deal with some local stuff and try to replace my ID (flushing ANOTHER $100 down the toilet for that alone. Sigh.)
My reading is suffering, too.
Did watch a few episodes of "Shetland." Has anyone else noticed -- anyone who has read the mystery novels by Ann Cleeves and then turned to the TV series -- how different the underlying back stories of the main characters (eg Jimmy Perez) are in the TV series? Very disorienting. Yes, it's good TV, but if you try and relate it to the books it will make you crazy.
>247 The_Hibernator: Thanks for the good wishes....
The Athenaeum has five books on hold for me, and I'm about to finish The Seabird's Cry among others, to return to them. It has been a fascinating and wonderful book to read. After learning that trees communicate, why should I have been so astonished at what birds do? But I was... And Nicolson combines lots of great information with a lyrical writing voice and a tone of wonder and respect for these birds.
My reading is suffering, too.
Did watch a few episodes of "Shetland." Has anyone else noticed -- anyone who has read the mystery novels by Ann Cleeves and then turned to the TV series -- how different the underlying back stories of the main characters (eg Jimmy Perez) are in the TV series? Very disorienting. Yes, it's good TV, but if you try and relate it to the books it will make you crazy.
>247 The_Hibernator: Thanks for the good wishes....
The Athenaeum has five books on hold for me, and I'm about to finish The Seabird's Cry among others, to return to them. It has been a fascinating and wonderful book to read. After learning that trees communicate, why should I have been so astonished at what birds do? But I was... And Nicolson combines lots of great information with a lyrical writing voice and a tone of wonder and respect for these birds.
250EllaTim
>248 benitastrnad: The Seabird's Cry sounds just like my cup of tea, so Thanks for the BB!
Hope you get some rest and relaxation in spite of all the stuff you have to deal with!
Hope you get some rest and relaxation in spite of all the stuff you have to deal with!
251libraryperilous
I haven't made it through any of this year's Wainwright longlist yet, but I was pleased The Seabird's Cry was the eventual winner. Nicolson is a favorite writer of mine, so unapologetically erudite. The book also showed up on the Popular Science August reading list, through which I slowly am working.
I hope you feel better soon.
edited: typo
I hope you feel better soon.
edited: typo
252Chatterbox
>251 libraryperilous: I hadn't heard of the Wainwright prize (for others interested, it's the Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize, awarded for natural history writing) before, so that you for that!! And I got a reverse book bullet, in the shape of last year's winner, a book about the Western Front of WW1 and natural history, Where Poppies Blow. Sigh, so many books...
Speaking of which, there were actually SIX books waiting for me at the Athenaeum. I returned only three. All were purchase requests. I'm wreaking havoc on their budget, but apparently the books I request do circulate a lot, so that's good...
I should start a new thread. And I should pick out some books to do mini-commentaries on. And I should...
Well, it's a long list.
Thanks for visiting, in spite of my prolonged absences.
Speaking of which, there were actually SIX books waiting for me at the Athenaeum. I returned only three. All were purchase requests. I'm wreaking havoc on their budget, but apparently the books I request do circulate a lot, so that's good...
I should start a new thread. And I should pick out some books to do mini-commentaries on. And I should...
Well, it's a long list.
Thanks for visiting, in spite of my prolonged absences.
253Chatterbox
Yet another book list
Books Purchased Or Otherwise Permanently Acquired 2018
Part VII
756. The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker (Audiobook, $$) 7/18/18
757. The Poems of T.S. Eliot by T.S. Eliot, read by Jeremy Irons (Audiobook, $) 7/21/18
758. Into the Fire by Alexander Fullerton (UK Kindle sale, $) 7/21/18
759. The Fallen Architect by Charles Belfoure (NetGalley) 7/23/18
760. A Christmas Revelation by Anne Perry (NetGalley) 7//23/18
761. The Cut Out Girl: A Story of War and Family, Lost and Found by Bart van Es (Amazon Vine ARC) 7/24/18
762. The Incurable Romantic: and Other Unsettling Revelations by Frank Tallis (Amazon Vine ARC) 7/24/18 Read
763. What's Left of the Night by Ersi Sotiropoulos (Edelweiss e-galley) 7/25/18
765. The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Quest for Earth's Ultimate Trophy by Paige Williams (Amazon Vine ARC) 7/25/18
766. Broken Ground by Val McDermid (NetGalley) 7/25/18
767. The Skin of the Lion by Michael Ondaatje (Audiobook, sale, $) 7/25/18
768. The Other Woman by Daniel Silva (Audiobook, $$) 7/24/18 Read
769. The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store by Cait Flanders (Audiobook, sale, $) 7/27/18
770. Uneasy Lies the Crown by Tasha Alexander (NetGalley) 7/27/18
771. The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump by Michiko Kakutani (Kindle, $$) 7/28/18
772. Shakespeare and the Resistance: The Earl of Southampton, the Essex Rebellion, and the Poems that Challenged Tudor Tyranny by Clare Asquith (ARC, Amazon Vine) 7/30/18
773. Reckless: Henry Kissinger and the Tragedy of Vietnam by Robert Brigham (ARC, Amazon Vine) 7/30/18
774. Everything for Everyone: The Radical Tradition That Is Shaping the Next Economy by Nathan Schneider (ARC, Amazon Vine) 7/30/18
775. War of the Wolf by Bernard Cornwell (Edelweiss E-galley) 7/30/18
776. The Burglar by Thomas Perry (NetGalley) 7/31/18 Read
777. Elsewhere, Home by Leila Aboulela (NetGalley) 7/31/18
778. Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist by Eli Saslow (NetGalley) 7/31/18
779. In Our Mad and Furious City by Guy Gunaratne (UK Kindle, $$) 7/31/18
780. The Great Level by Stella Tillyard (UK Kindle, $$) 7/31/18
781. Why I Am a Hindu by Shashi Tharoor (Edelweiss e-galley) 7/31/18
782. Mr. Campion's War by Mike Ripley (NetGalley) 8/1/18
783. A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne (NetGalley) 8/1/18
784. The Lost Night by Andrea Bartz (NetGalley) 8/1/18
785. In Miniature: How Small Things Illuminate the World by Simon Garfield (NetGalley) 8/1/18
786. A Spy in Exile by Jonathan de Shalit (NetGalley) 8/1/18
787. No Time to Cry by James Oswald (UK Kindle, $$) 8/1/18
788. The Leopard by Jo Nesbo (UK Kindle, sale, $) 8/1/18
789. The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore (UK Kindle, sale, $) 8/1/18
790. The Thirty-One Kings: Richard Hannay Returns by Robert J. Harris (UK Kindle, Sale, $) 8/1/18
791. An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden (UK Kindle, sale, $) 8/1/18
792. Thursday's Children by Rumer Godden (UK Kindle, sale, $) 8/1/18
793. Biografi by Lloyd Jones (UK Kindle, $$) 8/2/18
794. The Moscow Sleepers by Stella Rimington (NetGalley) 8/2/18
795. The Independent Woman by Simone de Beauvoir (NetGalley) 8/2/18
795. A Savage Order: How the World's Deadliest Countries Can Forge a Path to Security by Rachel Kleinfeld (NetGalley) 8/2/18
796. Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami (NetGalley, from publisher) 8/2/18
797. God in the Qur'an by Jack Miles (NetGalley, from publisher) 8/2/18
798. The Great Stink by Clare Clark (Kindle, sale, $) 8/3/18
799. His Right Hand by Mette Ivie Harrison (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
800. Run! by Patricia Wentworth (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
801. Lake Isle by Nicolas Freeling (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
802. Prayer of the Dragon by Eliot Pattison (kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
803. Passion and Affect by Laurie Colwin (Kindle Sale, $) 8/3/18
804. Pack of Cards by Penelope Lively (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
805. Murder at Cape Three Points by Kwei Quartey (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
806. Dogs Bark, but the Caravan Rolls On: Observations from Then and Now by Frank Conroy (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
807. The Florentine Emerald: The Secret of the Convert's Ring by Agustín B. Palatchi (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
808. The Wives by Lauren Weisberger (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
809. Fatal Inheritance by Rachel Rhys (UK Kindle, $$) 8/3/18 Read
810. One Point Two Billion by Mahesh Rao (Kindle, $$) 8/4/18
811. A Question of Proof by Nicholas Blake (Kindle Unlimited) 8/4/18
812. I Should Have Honor: A Memoir of Hope and Pride in Pakistan by Khalida Brodi (Amazon Vine ARC) 8/5/18
813. The Distance Home by Paula Saunders (Amazon Vine ARC) 8/6/18
814. As Wide As the Sky by Jessica Pack (Amazon Vine ARC) 8/6/18
815. The Latecomers by Helen Klein Ross (Amazon Vine ARC) 8/6/18
816. A Paris Life, A Baltimore Treasure: The Remarkable Lives of George A. Lucas and His Art Collection
817. Day of the Dead by Stanley Mazaroff (Amazon Vine hardcover) 8/6/18
818. Annelies by David Gilham (NetGalley) 8/7/18
819. Chroniques: Selected Columns, 2010-2016 by Kamel Daoud (from publisher, ARC) 8/7/18
820. The Little Snake by A.L. Kennedy (NetGalley) 8/8/18
821. The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye (ARC from Benita) 8/8/18
822. Tell Me You're Mine by Elisabeth Noreback (Edelweiss e-galley) 8/8/18
823. League of Spies: Fortunes of France: Volume 4 by Robert Merle (Edelweiss e-galley) 8/8/18
824. How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide by Crystal Marie Fleming (Edelweiss e-galley) 8/8/18
825. When Death Becomes Life: Notes from a Transplant Surgeon by Joshua Mezrich (Edelweiss e-galley) 8/9/18)
826. Friend of the Family by Tasmina Perry (UK Kindle, $$) 8/10/18
827. Winter Hours: Prose, Prose Poems, and Poems by Mary Oliver (Kindle Unlimited) 8/12/18
828. Death to the Landlords by Ellis Peters (Kindle, sale, $) 8/12/18
829. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (Kindle, sale, $) 8/12/18
830. Perfidious Albion by Sam Byers (UK Kindle, $$) 8/12/18
831. The Escape Artists: A Band of Daredevil Pilots and the Greatest Prison Break of the Great War by Neal Bascomb (NetGalley) 8/13/18
832. An American Summer: Love and Death in Chicago by Alex Kotlowitz (NetGalley) 8/13/18
833. The Class: A Life-Changing Teacher, His World-Changing Kids, and the Most Inventive Classroom in America by Heather Won Tesoriero (Amazon Vine ARC) 8/15/18
834. The Hour of the Fox by Kurt Palka (Audiobook, $$) 8/15/18
835. 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal: Your Guide to a Better Life by Elizabeth White (NetGalley) 8/15/18
836 A Forgotten Place by Charles Todd (ARC, LTER, from publisher) 8/15/18
837. American Heroin by Melissa Scrivner Love (NetGalley) 8/15/18
838. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway (UK Kindle sale, $) 8/15/18
839. Warlight by Michael Ondaatje (Kindle & Audiobook, $$) 8/16/18
840. Suicide Club: A Novel About Living by Rachel Heng (Kindle, $$) 8/16/18
841. Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger by Rebecca Traister (NetGalley) 8/17/18
842. Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President What We Don't, Can't, and Do Know by Kathleen Hall Jamieson (Amazon Vine ARC) 8/17/18
843. Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey (Audiobook, $$) 8/17/18
844. Walking the Woods and the Water: In Patrick Leigh Fermor's Footsteps from the Hook of Holland to the Golden Horn by Nick Hunt (UK Kindle, $$) 8/18/18
845. Three Guineas by Virginia Woolf (Kindle Unlimited) 8/18/18 Read
Books Purchased Or Otherwise Permanently Acquired 2018
Part VII
756. The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker (Audiobook, $$) 7/18/18
757. The Poems of T.S. Eliot by T.S. Eliot, read by Jeremy Irons (Audiobook, $) 7/21/18
758. Into the Fire by Alexander Fullerton (UK Kindle sale, $) 7/21/18
759. The Fallen Architect by Charles Belfoure (NetGalley) 7/23/18
760. A Christmas Revelation by Anne Perry (NetGalley) 7//23/18
761. The Cut Out Girl: A Story of War and Family, Lost and Found by Bart van Es (Amazon Vine ARC) 7/24/18
762. The Incurable Romantic: and Other Unsettling Revelations by Frank Tallis (Amazon Vine ARC) 7/24/18 Read
763. What's Left of the Night by Ersi Sotiropoulos (Edelweiss e-galley) 7/25/18
765. The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Quest for Earth's Ultimate Trophy by Paige Williams (Amazon Vine ARC) 7/25/18
766. Broken Ground by Val McDermid (NetGalley) 7/25/18
767. The Skin of the Lion by Michael Ondaatje (Audiobook, sale, $) 7/25/18
768. The Other Woman by Daniel Silva (Audiobook, $$) 7/24/18 Read
769. The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store by Cait Flanders (Audiobook, sale, $) 7/27/18
770. Uneasy Lies the Crown by Tasha Alexander (NetGalley) 7/27/18
771. The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump by Michiko Kakutani (Kindle, $$) 7/28/18
772. Shakespeare and the Resistance: The Earl of Southampton, the Essex Rebellion, and the Poems that Challenged Tudor Tyranny by Clare Asquith (ARC, Amazon Vine) 7/30/18
773. Reckless: Henry Kissinger and the Tragedy of Vietnam by Robert Brigham (ARC, Amazon Vine) 7/30/18
774. Everything for Everyone: The Radical Tradition That Is Shaping the Next Economy by Nathan Schneider (ARC, Amazon Vine) 7/30/18
775. War of the Wolf by Bernard Cornwell (Edelweiss E-galley) 7/30/18
776. The Burglar by Thomas Perry (NetGalley) 7/31/18 Read
777. Elsewhere, Home by Leila Aboulela (NetGalley) 7/31/18
778. Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist by Eli Saslow (NetGalley) 7/31/18
779. In Our Mad and Furious City by Guy Gunaratne (UK Kindle, $$) 7/31/18
780. The Great Level by Stella Tillyard (UK Kindle, $$) 7/31/18
781. Why I Am a Hindu by Shashi Tharoor (Edelweiss e-galley) 7/31/18
782. Mr. Campion's War by Mike Ripley (NetGalley) 8/1/18
783. A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne (NetGalley) 8/1/18
784. The Lost Night by Andrea Bartz (NetGalley) 8/1/18
785. In Miniature: How Small Things Illuminate the World by Simon Garfield (NetGalley) 8/1/18
786. A Spy in Exile by Jonathan de Shalit (NetGalley) 8/1/18
787. No Time to Cry by James Oswald (UK Kindle, $$) 8/1/18
788. The Leopard by Jo Nesbo (UK Kindle, sale, $) 8/1/18
789. The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore (UK Kindle, sale, $) 8/1/18
790. The Thirty-One Kings: Richard Hannay Returns by Robert J. Harris (UK Kindle, Sale, $) 8/1/18
791. An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden (UK Kindle, sale, $) 8/1/18
792. Thursday's Children by Rumer Godden (UK Kindle, sale, $) 8/1/18
793. Biografi by Lloyd Jones (UK Kindle, $$) 8/2/18
794. The Moscow Sleepers by Stella Rimington (NetGalley) 8/2/18
795. The Independent Woman by Simone de Beauvoir (NetGalley) 8/2/18
795. A Savage Order: How the World's Deadliest Countries Can Forge a Path to Security by Rachel Kleinfeld (NetGalley) 8/2/18
796. Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami (NetGalley, from publisher) 8/2/18
797. God in the Qur'an by Jack Miles (NetGalley, from publisher) 8/2/18
798. The Great Stink by Clare Clark (Kindle, sale, $) 8/3/18
799. His Right Hand by Mette Ivie Harrison (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
800. Run! by Patricia Wentworth (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
801. Lake Isle by Nicolas Freeling (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
802. Prayer of the Dragon by Eliot Pattison (kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
803. Passion and Affect by Laurie Colwin (Kindle Sale, $) 8/3/18
804. Pack of Cards by Penelope Lively (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
805. Murder at Cape Three Points by Kwei Quartey (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
806. Dogs Bark, but the Caravan Rolls On: Observations from Then and Now by Frank Conroy (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
807. The Florentine Emerald: The Secret of the Convert's Ring by Agustín B. Palatchi (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
808. The Wives by Lauren Weisberger (Kindle sale, $) 8/3/18
809. Fatal Inheritance by Rachel Rhys (UK Kindle, $$) 8/3/18 Read
810. One Point Two Billion by Mahesh Rao (Kindle, $$) 8/4/18
811. A Question of Proof by Nicholas Blake (Kindle Unlimited) 8/4/18
812. I Should Have Honor: A Memoir of Hope and Pride in Pakistan by Khalida Brodi (Amazon Vine ARC) 8/5/18
813. The Distance Home by Paula Saunders (Amazon Vine ARC) 8/6/18
814. As Wide As the Sky by Jessica Pack (Amazon Vine ARC) 8/6/18
815. The Latecomers by Helen Klein Ross (Amazon Vine ARC) 8/6/18
816. A Paris Life, A Baltimore Treasure: The Remarkable Lives of George A. Lucas and His Art Collection
817. Day of the Dead by Stanley Mazaroff (Amazon Vine hardcover) 8/6/18
818. Annelies by David Gilham (NetGalley) 8/7/18
819. Chroniques: Selected Columns, 2010-2016 by Kamel Daoud (from publisher, ARC) 8/7/18
820. The Little Snake by A.L. Kennedy (NetGalley) 8/8/18
821. The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye (ARC from Benita) 8/8/18
822. Tell Me You're Mine by Elisabeth Noreback (Edelweiss e-galley) 8/8/18
823. League of Spies: Fortunes of France: Volume 4 by Robert Merle (Edelweiss e-galley) 8/8/18
824. How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide by Crystal Marie Fleming (Edelweiss e-galley) 8/8/18
825. When Death Becomes Life: Notes from a Transplant Surgeon by Joshua Mezrich (Edelweiss e-galley) 8/9/18)
826. Friend of the Family by Tasmina Perry (UK Kindle, $$) 8/10/18
827. Winter Hours: Prose, Prose Poems, and Poems by Mary Oliver (Kindle Unlimited) 8/12/18
828. Death to the Landlords by Ellis Peters (Kindle, sale, $) 8/12/18
829. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (Kindle, sale, $) 8/12/18
830. Perfidious Albion by Sam Byers (UK Kindle, $$) 8/12/18
831. The Escape Artists: A Band of Daredevil Pilots and the Greatest Prison Break of the Great War by Neal Bascomb (NetGalley) 8/13/18
832. An American Summer: Love and Death in Chicago by Alex Kotlowitz (NetGalley) 8/13/18
833. The Class: A Life-Changing Teacher, His World-Changing Kids, and the Most Inventive Classroom in America by Heather Won Tesoriero (Amazon Vine ARC) 8/15/18
834. The Hour of the Fox by Kurt Palka (Audiobook, $$) 8/15/18
835. 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal: Your Guide to a Better Life by Elizabeth White (NetGalley) 8/15/18
836 A Forgotten Place by Charles Todd (ARC, LTER, from publisher) 8/15/18
837. American Heroin by Melissa Scrivner Love (NetGalley) 8/15/18
838. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway (UK Kindle sale, $) 8/15/18
839. Warlight by Michael Ondaatje (Kindle & Audiobook, $$) 8/16/18
840. Suicide Club: A Novel About Living by Rachel Heng (Kindle, $$) 8/16/18
841. Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger by Rebecca Traister (NetGalley) 8/17/18
842. Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President What We Don't, Can't, and Do Know by Kathleen Hall Jamieson (Amazon Vine ARC) 8/17/18
843. Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey (Audiobook, $$) 8/17/18
844. Walking the Woods and the Water: In Patrick Leigh Fermor's Footsteps from the Hook of Holland to the Golden Horn by Nick Hunt (UK Kindle, $$) 8/18/18
845. Three Guineas by Virginia Woolf (Kindle Unlimited) 8/18/18 Read
254avatiakh
Regarding Biografi: A Traveler's Tale, I recently looked out a copy because of some article I read.
Did you know that Lloyd Jones' older brother, Bob Jones, is one of NZ's more successful and irreverent businessmen. Well worth looking out a few of his articles, he has opinions and doesn't mind giving them. When he'd had enough of politicians he started his own political party for one election cycle and he's also written several books.
Did you know that Lloyd Jones' older brother, Bob Jones, is one of NZ's more successful and irreverent businessmen. Well worth looking out a few of his articles, he has opinions and doesn't mind giving them. When he'd had enough of politicians he started his own political party for one election cycle and he's also written several books.
255LizzieD
Glad to see you back here, Suzanne. I'm glad that you are finally able to be at home a little and let down a bit - at least, I hope so. I've favorited your latest acquired list since I see almost nothing that I own - much less that I know about.
I hope that your friend continues to improve and that you don't pay too much for your kindness.
I hope that your friend continues to improve and that you don't pay too much for your kindness.
256Chatterbox
>254 avatiakh: Speaking of new political parties, do check out the Hungarian Two-tailed Dog Party. You don't need to understand Hungarian to follow the interview, not really. If you need a laugh...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMYTIMHzKmM
It says a lot that I might have actually voted for them if the alternatives were Orban or Jobbik. Sigh.
>255 LizzieD: Well, some of my new acquisitions are ARCs or e-galleys, so think of it as an "early warning list." My library books will show up on my reading list, but not in acquisitions.
I'm going back to NYC tomorrow. Am so burned out it's ridiculous. And so broke, ditto. No idea how I will pay September rent. All the $$ has gone to bus fares, stuff for friend in hospital, blah blah blah. Oh, and cat sitting at $25 a day. But he doesn't really have enough money to pay me back. Even if he really intended to do so. It's an issue. I'm not being taken for granted as a person, but the financial part of this is. "You can get some more work." Well, if it were that simple...
off to do some laundry, packing and maybe some reading. I finished up an amazing FOUR BOOKS yesterday, so I'm starting a new batch today... :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMYTIMHzKmM
It says a lot that I might have actually voted for them if the alternatives were Orban or Jobbik. Sigh.
>255 LizzieD: Well, some of my new acquisitions are ARCs or e-galleys, so think of it as an "early warning list." My library books will show up on my reading list, but not in acquisitions.
I'm going back to NYC tomorrow. Am so burned out it's ridiculous. And so broke, ditto. No idea how I will pay September rent. All the $$ has gone to bus fares, stuff for friend in hospital, blah blah blah. Oh, and cat sitting at $25 a day. But he doesn't really have enough money to pay me back. Even if he really intended to do so. It's an issue. I'm not being taken for granted as a person, but the financial part of this is. "You can get some more work." Well, if it were that simple...
off to do some laundry, packing and maybe some reading. I finished up an amazing FOUR BOOKS yesterday, so I'm starting a new batch today... :-)
257Chatterbox
Not going anywhere today, because like an idiot I slipped, fell, and whacked my head. Which already still hurt.
Perhaps tomorrow. Shall enlist cats as a comfort brigade.
Perhaps tomorrow. Shall enlist cats as a comfort brigade.
259benitastrnad
I am sorry to hear about your troubles. You are correct - care giving is very time consuming and costly. It is one of those underrated things in our economy since much of the time it is considered to be women's work. It is also something that friends tend to do for friends and it can get to be a real drag. I spent lots of time with an elderly friend of mine whose care giving got to be more and more time consuming as time went on. It was very hard to balance work, home, and getting her the things she needed.
260benitastrnad
This little tidbit just came across my e-mail lists from the Independent Publishers Consortium. Since Rebecca Solnit is a favorite of many of those who follow your thread I thought I would post it here.
Extra, Extra, Read All About It: Rebecca Solnit's Reading List
What’s on Rebecca Solnit’s nightstand right now? “There’s quite a pillar at this point, including . . . Adrienne Maree Brown’s Emergent Strategy (AK Press) and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor’s How We Get Free (Haymarket Books),” Solnit told the New York Times Book Review in her August 19 By the Book interview, which appears just weeks before the publication of Solnit’s newest book, Call Them By Their True Names: American Crises (Haymarket Press). She used the platform to praise authors she admires, including Ocean Vuong (Night Sky with Exit Wounds, Copper Canyon Press) and Valeria Luiselli (Tell Me How It Ends, Coffee House Press), and cited City Lights head buyer Paul Yamazaki as her most trusted book expert.
Extra, Extra, Read All About It: Rebecca Solnit's Reading List
What’s on Rebecca Solnit’s nightstand right now? “There’s quite a pillar at this point, including . . . Adrienne Maree Brown’s Emergent Strategy (AK Press) and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor’s How We Get Free (Haymarket Books),” Solnit told the New York Times Book Review in her August 19 By the Book interview, which appears just weeks before the publication of Solnit’s newest book, Call Them By Their True Names: American Crises (Haymarket Press). She used the platform to praise authors she admires, including Ocean Vuong (Night Sky with Exit Wounds, Copper Canyon Press) and Valeria Luiselli (Tell Me How It Ends, Coffee House Press), and cited City Lights head buyer Paul Yamazaki as her most trusted book expert.
261Chatterbox
>260 benitastrnad: Interesting! I don't know many of these books, although I have run across Valeria Luiselli's name with growing frequency, and have some of her books on a wish list. Tks for the info!!
And yes, caregiving is one of those things taken for granted & that women tend to do. When my mother had a triple bypass, I was the one who cared for her 24/7 after her release, from bathing to cooking to helping her adjust pillows in the middle of the night. I slept on an air mattress on the floor -- for two weeks. My brother came to visit twice, for an hour or so each time... (not even long enough for me to go and catch up on sleep for an afternoon at a friend's or get out and go for a walk.) Nor did/does he understand why this rankled! Sigh. Completely different mindset.
>258 avatiakh: The bump on the head and the rest of me was less debilitating than the migraine of which my clumsiness was a symptom. I'm finally starting to pull out of it and hopefully tomorrow will be better. Yesterday was a horrific nightmare. I'm an agnostic/atheist, and I was praying to a god I don't really believe in to make it stop.
I did listen to a whole audiobook, Fifth to Die, by J.D. Barker, sequel to an OK/good thriller. So what happens? It ends with a cliffhanger and the words, "to be continued." I was SO DAMN INFURIATED.
And yes, caregiving is one of those things taken for granted & that women tend to do. When my mother had a triple bypass, I was the one who cared for her 24/7 after her release, from bathing to cooking to helping her adjust pillows in the middle of the night. I slept on an air mattress on the floor -- for two weeks. My brother came to visit twice, for an hour or so each time... (not even long enough for me to go and catch up on sleep for an afternoon at a friend's or get out and go for a walk.) Nor did/does he understand why this rankled! Sigh. Completely different mindset.
>258 avatiakh: The bump on the head and the rest of me was less debilitating than the migraine of which my clumsiness was a symptom. I'm finally starting to pull out of it and hopefully tomorrow will be better. Yesterday was a horrific nightmare. I'm an agnostic/atheist, and I was praying to a god I don't really believe in to make it stop.
I did listen to a whole audiobook, Fifth to Die, by J.D. Barker, sequel to an OK/good thriller. So what happens? It ends with a cliffhanger and the words, "to be continued." I was SO DAMN INFURIATED.
262brodiew2
Hello Chatterbox. I'm just wondering if you have read any Doc Ford novels by Randy Wayne White?
I am listening to Mangrove Lightning and it a quirky, haunting crime novel. It is compelling in a weird way, but the author has been doing it for quite a while.
I am listening to Mangrove Lightning and it a quirky, haunting crime novel. It is compelling in a weird way, but the author has been doing it for quite a while.
263Chatterbox
>262 brodiew2: Nope, that is a new author for me. I will look for them at the library or the Athenaeum, and sample one. Tks for the tip.
I do have a lot to read, mystery-wise. It feels like about 2/3 of my TBR mountain is made up of mysteries! But I want to finish reading Warlight, when my migraine finally decides to exit, stage left. I can't appreciate Ondaatje's prose with evil demons doing the fandango on the right side of my skull, wearing hobnailed boots.
I do have a lot to read, mystery-wise. It feels like about 2/3 of my TBR mountain is made up of mysteries! But I want to finish reading Warlight, when my migraine finally decides to exit, stage left. I can't appreciate Ondaatje's prose with evil demons doing the fandango on the right side of my skull, wearing hobnailed boots.
265Chatterbox
>264 brodiew2: Thanks! It has gone for now, although I can feel it lurking in the wings. I am glowering at it and hoping it will stay gone.
Moving friend to rehab. Arduous business. Shan't go into details, but it's just very wearing. I'm hoping that it will soon be done, that he settles down and no longer wants to murder anyone at this new place and can tolerate it, so I can have some peace and quiet and go home to Providence. Until it's time for him to move home, and then we go through the whole rigamarole all over again.
Moving friend to rehab. Arduous business. Shan't go into details, but it's just very wearing. I'm hoping that it will soon be done, that he settles down and no longer wants to murder anyone at this new place and can tolerate it, so I can have some peace and quiet and go home to Providence. Until it's time for him to move home, and then we go through the whole rigamarole all over again.
267Chatterbox
>266 ffortsa: Oi indeed. G is in Williamsburg -- deep in the heart of Hasid country. It's very entertaining for me to walk to and from the subway and be looked on as the devil by all the girls and young women. And I have the Mawer book for Jim -- if you guys are around on Sunday, mebbe?
268benitastrnad
It is still hot an miserable in Alabama so I have been staying at home doing baking and reading. I lots of books started and only a couple of them finished. Classes started this week, and I was not looking forward to the students coming back. However, on Wednesday when things started I had lots of fun with the ones who came to the library. It wasn’t the onslaught I thought it was going to be. So, I made it.
Last night was the traditional departmental party for the start of the school year. It was held at the home of the department head and I made my Green Goddess potato salad. I almost forgot about the party and so at 4:00 p.m. went to the grocery store to get the ingredients and had it done by 6:10 - just in time to make it to the party that started at 6:30 p.m.
I know what you mean about moving people to and from Rehad. I will be leaving Tuscaloosa next weekend to take Medical Leave to move my mother home from Rehab after her hip replacement. However, yesterday my sister told me that she is coming home on Tuesday, and so will be at home for a week without me, or my sister, being there. I think it will work out, as Mom is doing much better than she thinks she is.
Last night was the traditional departmental party for the start of the school year. It was held at the home of the department head and I made my Green Goddess potato salad. I almost forgot about the party and so at 4:00 p.m. went to the grocery store to get the ingredients and had it done by 6:10 - just in time to make it to the party that started at 6:30 p.m.
I know what you mean about moving people to and from Rehad. I will be leaving Tuscaloosa next weekend to take Medical Leave to move my mother home from Rehab after her hip replacement. However, yesterday my sister told me that she is coming home on Tuesday, and so will be at home for a week without me, or my sister, being there. I think it will work out, as Mom is doing much better than she thinks she is.
269Familyhistorian
I hope the move to rehab went relatively painlessly and you are able to get back to your own life soon. Care giving is one of the most thankless tasks you can do but if you don't do it then who?
270Chatterbox
>269 Familyhistorian: That's precisely it...
So, the good news is that my closest friend from college, who lives in Toronto and was recently made a judge (rah, Freya!!!) is coming to NYC, so I'm going to stay on for a day or two to spend some time with her and her partner and their daughter.
The bad news? I just got booted out of Amazon Vine. So no more ARCs from that source. So I will HAVE to figure out a way to get to Seattle for ALA in January/February, right??? It has been a good nine year run, but... *sadz*
So, the good news is that my closest friend from college, who lives in Toronto and was recently made a judge (rah, Freya!!!) is coming to NYC, so I'm going to stay on for a day or two to spend some time with her and her partner and their daughter.
The bad news? I just got booted out of Amazon Vine. So no more ARCs from that source. So I will HAVE to figure out a way to get to Seattle for ALA in January/February, right??? It has been a good nine year run, but... *sadz*
271LizzieD
I find the Amazon Vine thing extremely weird. In fact, it's a stupid thing for them to do.
Having some time with your college friend + sounds like a lovely bonus. I'm happy for all of you!
Having some time with your college friend + sounds like a lovely bonus. I'm happy for all of you!
272libraryperilous
Cannot recommend How We Get Free highly enough: genuine socialism, not Chapo Trap House garbage.
>252 Chatterbox:
The Wainwright and the Walter Scott are the only prizes I follow and use as a reading guide. Sorry not sorry about the TBR expansion.
Hope you enjoy your time with your friend.
>252 Chatterbox:
The Wainwright and the Walter Scott are the only prizes I follow and use as a reading guide. Sorry not sorry about the TBR expansion.
Hope you enjoy your time with your friend.
273Chatterbox
>272 libraryperilous: Will put in a book purchase request for the Athenaeum and widen their horizons a wee bit... :-) Thanks for the book bullet!
>271 LizzieD: Yeah, I'm a bit sad about the books. But it was tempting me to request silly things I didn't need (tablecloths...) as well as books that looked intriguing but really weren't more than marginally my thing. I'd be happy with NetGalley and Edelweiss, if I can be sure of getting the books I really, really want.
>271 LizzieD: Yeah, I'm a bit sad about the books. But it was tempting me to request silly things I didn't need (tablecloths...) as well as books that looked intriguing but really weren't more than marginally my thing. I'd be happy with NetGalley and Edelweiss, if I can be sure of getting the books I really, really want.
274thornton37814
>270 Chatterbox: Hopefully you can find plenty of other sources for reading materials!
275Chatterbox
>274 thornton37814: Sigh. Yes, I hope so. But if you look at my VERY LONG lists of books, you'll see how many I do/did get from Amazon Vine. It will definitely put a dent in things!!!
Dit onderwerp werd voortgezet door Chatterbox Reads and Reads and Reads in 2018... Part the Third.
