DeltaQueen's 75 Book Challenge for 2013 - Part Six

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DeltaQueen's 75 Book Challenge for 2013 - Part Six

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1DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Oct 28, 2013, 12:08 am

Welcome to my 6th thread.

2013 is winding down and we are looking forward to the festive season. I can't believe we are in the closing months of the year, where has the time gone?

I've been having a very successful reading year and I hope to have two more months of good reads to post about and discuss here.

During these dull days of late autum and early winter, I am attracted to paintings with rich, warm colors such as the ones below:



Dahlias by Henri Fantin-Latour



Still Life with Parrot by Franz Xavier Putter



Chrysanthemums by Pierre Auguste Renoir

2DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Oct 28, 2013, 12:09 am

Number of Books Read in 2013:




Number of Pages read in 2013:




3DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Déc 29, 2013, 1:03 pm

Currently Reading:



The Devil's Oasis by Bartle Bull

4DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Oct 28, 2013, 12:12 am

BOOKS READ

January


1. The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie (256 pages) - 4.0 ★
2. Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden (304 pages) - 4.2 ★
3. Double Crossing†† by Meg Mims (264 pages) - 2.0 ★
4. The Missing by Jane Casey (496 pages) - 3.7 ★
5. Domain of the Dead†† by Iain McKinnon (216 pages) - 3.5 ★
6. I Was Amelia Earhart†† by Jane Mendelsohn (160 pages) - 4.0 ★
7. Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith (480 pages) - 4.1 ★
8. The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli (272 pages) - 3.3 ★
9. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (288 pages) - 5.0 ★
10. The Sandman Vol 2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman (232 pages) - 4.5 ★
11. Hunter by Joy Cowley (176 pages) - 4.3 ★
12. Insurgent by Veronica Roth (592 pages) - 4.1 ★
13. Tilt-A-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein (321 pages) - 4.0 ★
14. Brighton Rock - Graham Greene (324 pages) - 4.5 ★
15. Fright by Cornel Woolrich (256 pages) - 4.0 ★
16. An Irish Country Girl by Patrick Taylor (320 pages) - 3.8 ★

February

17. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah (229 pages) - 4.4 ★
18. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (563 pages) - 5.0 ★
19. Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy Sayers (256 pages) - 3.8 ★
20. The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville (326 pages) - 4.1 ★
21. Ice Forged by Gail Z. Martin (563 pages) - 3.1 ★
22. The Armada Boy by Kate Ellis (217 pages) - 4.0 ★
23. The Scorpio Races†† by Maggie Stiefvater (410 pages) - 2.0 ★
24. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (534 pages) - 4.3 ★
25. The Sandman Vol 3: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman (160 pages) - 4.0 ★
26. Penrod by Booth Tarkington (186 pages) - 3.2 ★
27. A Long And Winding Road†† by Win Blevins (336 pages) - 3.1★
28. Black Mulberries by Caitlin Davies (551 pages) - 3.6 ★
29. Winter in Thrush Green†† by Miss Read (Dora Saint) (219 pages) - 4.2 ★
30. Dark Matter†† by Michelle Paver (256 pages) - 4.5 ★
31. Cold Light by John Harvey (375 pages) - 4.3 ★
32. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (363 pages) - 4.0 ★

5DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Nov 3, 2013, 3:06 am

BOOKS READ

March

33. A Year In the Life of the Cotswolds by Beata Moore (111 pages) - 3.3 ★
34. Leave the Grave Green by Deborah Crombie (336 pages) - 3.6 ★
35. Once Upon A River by Bonnie Jo Campbell (352 pages)( - 4.4 ★
36. Under An Afghan Sky by Mellissa Fung (331 pages) - 4.4 ★
37. The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie (200 pages) - 3.7 ★
38. The Sandman Vol 4: Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman (192 pages) - 4.2 ★
39. Plainsong by Kent Haruf (301 pages) - 5.0 ★
40. Kindness Goes Unpunished†† by Craig Johnson (336 pages) - 4.5 ★
41. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill (271 pages) - 4.5 ★
42. Daughters Who Walk This Path by Yejide Kilanko (329 pages) - 4.5 ★
43. Ashfall by Mike Mullin (463 pages) - 4.7 ★
44. Dissolution by C.J. Sansom (443 pages) - 4.2 ★
45. Skippy Dies by Paul Murray (661 pages) - 5.0 ★
46. Hocus by Jan Burke (449 pages) - 3.3 ★
47. The Plague Court Murders†† by John Dickson Carr (230 pages) - 3.2 ★
48. The Witch Doctor's Wife by Tamar Myers (307 pages) - 4.0 ★

April

49. The Count of Monte Cristo†† by Alexandre Dumas (1,116 pages) - 4.4 ★
50. Dust And Decay by Jonathan Maberry (520 pages) - 4.5 ★
51. Outlaw by Angus Donald (365 pages) - 4.0 ★
52. Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber, and Life with the Tree-Planting Tribe by Charlotte Gill (244 pages) - 4.4 ★
53. The Enchanted April†† by Elizbeth von Arnim (232 pages) - 3.3 ★
54. The Walking Dead Vol 15: We Find Ourselves by Robert Kirkland (132 pages) - 4.0 ★
55. Devil-Devil by Graeme Kent (281 pages) - 3.8 ★
56. Zorro by Isabel Allende (390 pages) - 4.5 ★
57. Rules by Cynthia Lord (200 pages) - 4.0 ★
58. Alias Grace†† by Margaret Atwood (560 pages) - 4.1 ★
59. The Sandman Vol 5: A Game of You by Neil Gaiman (192 pages) - 4.5 ★
60. Day By Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne (200 pages) - 4.3 ★
61. River Secrets†† by Shannon Hale (320 pages) - 3.4 ★
62. Flood by Andrew Vachss (368 pages) - 4.2 ★
63. My Enemy's Cradle by Sara Young (384 pages) - 3.4 ★
64. Red Bones by Ann Cleeves (392 pages) - 4.0 ★

6DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Oct 28, 2013, 12:18 am

BOOKS READ

May

65. American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett (662 pages) - 3.0 ★
66. Sky Burial by Xinran (206 pages) - 4.5 ★
67. The Persian Pickle Club†† by Sandra Dallas (192 pages) - 4.5 ★
68. A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch (309Pages) - 4.0 ★
69. The Storm In the Barn by Matt Phelan (201 pages) - 3.3 ★
70. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (205 pages) - 5.0 ★
71. The Red Dahlia by Lynda La Plante (416 pages) - 4.2 ★
72. The Winter Prince by Cheryl Sawyer (377 pages) - 3.3 ★
73. King of the Khyber Rifles†† by Talbot Mundy (245 pages) - 3.8 ★
74. Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne (340 pages) - 5.0 ★
75. The Sandman Vol 6: Fables & Reflections by Neil Gaiman (168 pages) - 4.3 ★
76. The Crime At Black Dudley by Margery Allingham (256 pages) - 4.0 ★
77. The Eleventh Plague†† by Jeff Hirsch (304 pages) - 3.0 ★
78. Butcher's Crossing by John Williams (274 pages) - 4.7 ★
79. Nineteen Seventy Four by David Peace (294 pages) - 2.5 ★
80. The Firemaker by Peter May (403 pages) - 4.5 ★

June

81. Anne of Green Gables†† by L.M. Montgomery (309 pages) - 5.0 ★
82. The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan (440 pages) - 2.7 ★
83. The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney (371 pages) - 3.2 ★
84. Shards of Honor†† by Lois McMaster Bujold (239 pages) - 4.1 ★
85. Almost the Truth by Margaret Yorke (294 pages) - 4.0 ★
86. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest (416 pages) - 3.1 ★
87. Million Dollar Baby by Amy Patricia Meade (351 pages) - 4.2 ★
88. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark (226 pages) - 4.5 ★
89. A Bride's Story by Kaoru Mori (192 pages) - 4.1 ★
90. The Blue Notebook by James Levine (226 pages) - 4.0 ★
91. Rowboat in a Hurricane by Julie Angus (264 pages) - 4.4 ★
92. What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn (242 pages) - 5.0 ★
93. Fer-de-Lance†† by Rex Stout (304 pages) - 3.8 ★
94. Ashes, Ashes†† by Jo Treggiari (340 pages) - 2.0 ★
95. Midwife of the Blue Ridge by Christine Blevins (417 pages) - 3.8 ★

7DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Oct 28, 2013, 12:20 am

BOOKS READ

July


96. Murder At The Vicarage†† by Agatha Christie (304 pages) - 4.1 ★
97. Book Lust by Nancy Pearl (256 pages) - 4.0 ★
98. Talulla Rising by Glen Duncan (368 pages) - 4.2 ★
99. The Sandman Vol 7: Brief Lives by Neil Gaiman (168 pages) - 5.0 ★
100. Getting Stoned With Savages by J. Maarten Troost (235 pages) - 3.2 ★
101. A Beautiful Place To Die by Malla Nunn (375 pages) - 4.1 ★
102. Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster (137 pages) - 3.8 ★
103. Jane: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan by Robin Maxwell (312 pages) - 4.5 ★
104. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin (272 pages) - 4.3 ★
105. The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengstsson (475 pages) - 4.7 ★
106. The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh (217 pages) - 3.2 ★
107. Trainspotting†† by Irvine Welsh (340 pages) - 5.0 ★
108. Shadow Patriots by Lucia St Clair Robson (360 pages) - 3.6 ★
109. Walking With Ghosts by John Baker (308 pages) - 4.2 ★
110. The Hours Before Dawn by Celia Fremlin (190 pages - 4.3 ★
111. The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer (307 pages) - 4.1 ★
112. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (309 pages) - 5.0 ★

August

113. The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey (278 pages) - 4.5 ★
114. Anne of Avonlea†† by L.M. Montgomery (320 pages) - 4.5 ★
115. The Cleanup by Sean Doolittle (304 pages) - 3.5 ★
116. A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (248 pages) - 3.8 ★
117. The Spy Who Never Was:The Life and Loves of Mata Hari by Julia Keay (209 pages) - 3.6 ★
118. Dragonfly in Amber†† by Diana Gabaldon (752 pages) - 5.0 ★
119. A Thousand Shades of Blue by Robin Stevenson (231 pages) - 3.8 ★
120. The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen (395 pages) - 4.5 ★
121. I Am Algonquin by Rick Revelle (260 pages) - 4.0 ★
122. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens (340 pages) - 3.8 ★
123. Jalna†† by Mazo De La Roche (356 pages) - 3.9 ★
124. Henrietta Sees It Through†† by Joyce Dennys (176 pages) - 3.7 ★
125. Sob Story by Carol Anne Davis (254 pages) - 4.0 ★
126. News From Thrush Green by Miss Read (175 pages) - 4.2 ★

8DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Oct 30, 2013, 6:10 pm

BOOKS READ

September


127. The Fear by Charlie Higson (460 pages) - 4.0 ★
128. Indelible by Karin Slaughter (388 pages) - 3.5 ★
129. The Lady of the Decoration†† by Frances Little (256 pages) - 3.8 ★
130. The Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch (320 pages) - 4.2 ★
131. The Bounty Hunters by Elmore Leonard (324 pages) - 3.6 ★
132. Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin (567 pages) - 3.4 ★
133. An Ice Cream War by William Boyd (396 pages) - 5.0 ★
134. Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier (310 pages) - 4.1 ★
135. The Leopard's Prey by Suzanne Arruda (384 pages) - 3.8 ★
136. Where Earth Meets Sky by Annie Murray (526 pages) - 3.0 ★
137. The Unpleasantness At The Bellona Club by Dorothy Sayers (192 pages) - 4.0 ★
138. At The Mercy of the River by Peter Stark (321 pages) - 4.2 ★
139. Laura by Vera Caspary (219 pages) - 4.3 ★
140. Watching the Dark by Peter Robinson (406 pages) - 4.1 ★
141. Anne of the Island†† by L.M. Montgomery (282 pages) - 4.2 ★
142. Number The Stars†† by Lois Lowry (156 pages) - 4.1 ★
143. Outpost†† by Ann Aguirre (336 pages) - 4.0 ★

October

144. Queen Lucia†† by E.F. Benson (188 pages) - 3.9 ★
145. The Trader's Wife†† by Anna Jacobs (336 pages) - 3.8 ★
146. The Inheritors by William Golding (240 pages) - 4.3 ★
147. Mosquito by Roma Tearne (296 pages) - 3.0 ★
148. Flesh Eaters by Joe McKinney (364 pages) - 4.0 ★
149. The Sandman Vol.8: Worlds' End by Neil Gaiman (165 pages) - 4.3 ★
150. The Cleaner by Paul Cleave (384 Pages) - 5.0 ★
151. American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee by Karen Abbott (353 pages) - 4.2 ★
152. The Sandman Vol 9: The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman(305 pages) - 5.0 ★
153. The Bloody Chamber; And Other Stories by Angela Carter (149 pages) - 4.2 ★
154. Running The Rift by Naomi Benaron (384 pages) - 4.4 ★
155. The Reapers Are The Angels by Alden Bell(225 pages) - 4.5 ★
156. Blackfly Season by Giles Blunt (326 pages) - 3.8 ★
157. Let Him Go by Larry Watson (269 pages) - 5.0 ★
158. A High Wind In Jamaica†† by Richard Hughes (296 pages) - 3.8 ★
159. The Woman In Black by Susan Hill (200 pages) - 4.3 ★

9DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Déc 31, 2013, 4:06 pm

BOOKS READ

November


160. The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. by Sandra Gulland (430 pages) - 4.6 ★
161. You Are One of Them by Elliott Holt (293 pages) - 3.4 ★
162. Among Others by Jo Walton (302 pages) - 3.8 ★
163. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (332 pages) - 2.8 ★
164. The Sandman Vol. 10: The Wake by Neil Gaiman (186 pages) - 4.2 ★
165. Fighting Caravans by Zane Grey (268 pages) - 3.4 ★
166. The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (442 pages) - 4.5 ★
167. Good Graces by Lesley Kagen (387 pages) - 4.5 ★
168. Lord Grizzly by Frederick Manfred (351 pages) - 4.6 ★
169. Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery (258 pages) - 3.4 ★
170. Riders of the Purple Sage†† by Zane Grey (304 pages) - 2.5 ★
171. Escape from Berlin by Irene N. Watts (417 pages) - 4.2 ★
172. Birds, Beasts and Relatives by Gerald Durrell (220 pages) - 4.1 ★
173. The Winthrop Woman†† by Anya Seton (608 pages) - 4.6 ★
174. Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther - 4.1 ★
175. Wish Upon A Star†† by Trisha Ashley (400 pages) - 3.3 ★

December

176. The Song Is You by Megan Abbott (242 pages) - 4.4 ★
177. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (302 pages) - 3.6 ★
178. London Calling by Edward Bloor (286 pages) - 3.7 ★
179. The Book of Lies by Mary Horlock (325 pages) - 3.3 ★
180. Winter Thunder by Mari Sandoz (70 pages) - 3.8 ★
181. The Broken Shore by Peter Temple (345 pages) - 4.3 ★
182. Un Lun Dun†† by China Mieville (432 pages) - 4.0 ★
183. Good People by Ewart Hutton (326 pages) - 4.2 ★
184. The New Sonia Wayward by Michael Innes (218 pages) - 4.1 ★
185. The Secret River by Kate Grenville (334 pages) - 5.0 ★
186. A Darcy Christmas†† by Sharon Lathan, Caroline Eberhart & Amanda Grange (224 pages) - 3.1 ★
187. Corpsing by Toby Litt (374 pages) - 4.2 ★
188. Anne's House of Dreams†† by L.M. Montgomery (228 pages) - 3.8 ★
189. An Anne Perry Christmas: Two Holiday Novels by Anne Perry (304 pages) - 3.1 ★
190. The Devil's Oasis by Bartle Bull (329 pages) - 3.9 ★

10DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Oct 28, 2013, 12:25 am

One last painting, this one again by Renoir:

11Kassilem
Oct 28, 2013, 12:39 am

Got you starred. Someday soon I'll catch up on everyone's threads! Happy reading

12ronincats
Oct 28, 2013, 1:19 am

Such lovely fall flower displays here, Judy! Great new thread.

13souloftherose
Oct 28, 2013, 4:14 am

Beautiful paintings Judy. Happy new thread!

14msf59
Oct 28, 2013, 7:11 am

Gorgeous new thread, Judy! Hope you had a nice weekend.

15rosalita
Oct 28, 2013, 9:03 am

Beautiful paintings, Judy. They really capture the color palette of autumn.

16Carmenere
Oct 28, 2013, 9:08 am

Hi Judy! Happy beautiful 6th thread!
I really enjoyed The Woman in Black hope you do too.

17Crazymamie
Oct 28, 2013, 9:29 am

Happy new thread, Judy! I had lost you, but now you are found! Now I just have to catch up with your last thread - which means I'll need to keep a notepad handy for those book bullets I'm expecting. Hoping you enjoy The Woman in Black as much as I did. Not scary, really, but deliciously creepy, I thought.

18jnwelch
Oct 28, 2013, 10:02 am

Lovely flower paintings, Judy. Congrats on the new thread! My daughter loved The Woman in Black, too. We saw the movie together, which was okay but not great.

19lkernagh
Oct 28, 2013, 1:48 pm

Migrating over to your new thread, Judy and oggling the fact that you have already read 157 books this year!

20DeltaQueen50
Oct 28, 2013, 5:50 pm

Welcome to my new thread. Today was simply a gorgeous day, warm with brillant sunshine and just enough of a breeze to scatter the falling leaves. It is our 35th wedding anniversary today, so we went out for a nice lunch along the waterfront. We were planning on going away this coming weekend, but remembered that we have already committed to having the grandkids for the weekend. So we will try to get away in a week or two.

#11 - Melissa, I know how easy it is to get behind here. Have fun catching up with everyone.

#12 - I love autumn colors, Roni. Today was a perfect day to admire the turning leaves, they are only about a third of the way through falling but any day now the rain will come along and wash them all away.

#13 - Thanks Heather, I particularly love the Renoir paintings.

#14 - Hi Mark, yes a quiet weekend, but must build up my strength since the grandkids are coming next weekend!

#15 - Julia, thanks for visiting.

#16 - Lynda, all of the last week we were totally fogged in, and I thought how great it will be when I start The Woman in Black to snuggle on the couch and every now and again glance out the window at the fog swirling in the streetlight. But now I am reading it, and the weather has changed to brillant sunshine - of course, I'm not complaining!

#17 - Hey Mamie, deliciously creepy sounds right up my alley. I enjoy a good ghost story and they are few and far between. Glad you found your way back to my thread.

#18 - I haven't seen the film yet, Joe, I pretty much always prefer to read the book first. I will probably watch it at some point though. It will be interesting to see Daniel Radcliffe as somebody other than Harry Potter.

#19 - Hi Lori, I've had a very good reading year, last year I read 158 books in total and it looks like I am going to blow past that figure. I do think that I read more thicker books in 2012 (thinking of those three Dickens), but at the rate I am going I might just go and up my quota for the 2014 Category Challenge.

21ronincats
Oct 28, 2013, 6:13 pm

Happy Anniversary, Judy!

22BLBera
Oct 28, 2013, 6:17 pm

Gorgeous new thread, Judy. The colors are nice this time of year.

23DeltaQueen50
Oct 28, 2013, 6:30 pm

#21 - Thanks, Roni. It's been a pretty great 35 years so far! :)

#22 - Welcome to my new thread, Beth.

24DeltaQueen50
Oct 28, 2013, 6:35 pm

158. A High Wind in Jamaica†† by Richard Hughes - 3.8 ★
13 in 13 Category: Graham Greene - Author's I am Curious About
Commonwealth Challenge: Jamaica
October AlphaCat: J
TIOLI #5: A Halloween Word From the Provided List Can Be Made From the Letters in the Title




I found this a rather difficult book to write about. At first I was a little disappointed as it wasn’t the straight forward adventure story that I expected. But as I read on it became clear that this was an absorbing psychological character study on the nature of children. A High Wind In Jamaica tells of a group of young children travelling from Jamaica to school in England that inadvertently are captured by pirates. The pirates have no idea of what to do with these children and after one half-hearted attempt to get rid of them, basically ignore them and let them run wild on their ship. I was very much reminded of The Lord of the Flies, in that the author appears fully convinced that children, once lacking in adult supervision, quickly deviate into savages, totally without empathy, kindness or morals.

This is a disturbing story of children, and in particular one young girl, Emily, who at the age of ten has the power to give one chills with her thoughts and inner conversations. The children lose one of their own through his own misadventure but actually give him very little thought, they seem much more concerned with the fate of their pet pig who is destined to become dinner. I don’t totally agree with the author’s point of view, I think most people, child or adult, are born with a compassionate, loving nature and it is life’s circumstances that can harden them.

A High Wind in Jamaica is also about the complex relationships that exist between children and adults. I would certainly not call this a YA or children’s book as it deals with very adult matters from murder, awakening sexuality to implied rape. Overall an interesting read but the author didn’t manage to change my viewpoint.

25Donna828
Oct 28, 2013, 8:02 pm

Judy, I love the autumn colors in those paintings. I'm still waiting to see some beautiful fall foliage. I drove across Kansas today which is not the place to go for fall color!

I'll be reading Running the Rift because of your review on your last thread. I wanted to read it for a shared read with you on TIOLI but I am running out of month! That happens too often.

26PrueGallagher
Oct 28, 2013, 9:22 pm

Hello Judy! Congratulation on achieving 35 years together - that's wonderful. A high wind in Jamaica sounds nothing like I would have expected, either!

27lkernagh
Oct 28, 2013, 9:23 pm

Happy anniversary, Judy! What a wonderful milestone!

28msf59
Modifié : Oct 28, 2013, 9:43 pm

Happy anniversary, Judy! And I loved your review of Let Him Go. What an excellent read! I was crazy about Montana 1948 too and NEED to read more of his work.

29scaifea
Oct 29, 2013, 7:16 am

Happy Anniversary!!

30DeltaQueen50
Oct 29, 2013, 12:55 pm

It looks to be another beautiful day here and I have promised myself that I will go for a walk. I need to enjoy this great weather while it lasts as I know all too soon the rains will start.

I know the new TIOLI's will be posted at any time and I find myself lurking around LT waiting to them. I use these challenges to finalize my monthly reading so I am looking forward to seeing what they are for November.

#25 - Hi Donna, I know you are heading to Denver so I would think you will see some great fall color when you get to the mountains. Enjoy your trip.

#26 - Prue, isn't is strange that a book that's fairly well known like A High Wind In Jamaica can actually be so different from what one expects. I know there is a movie based on this book and I am now eager to see it. I wonder if it stays true to the book?

#27 - Thanks, Lori.

#28 - Thanks, Mark. I am looking forward to reading Montana 1948. I love how this guy writes!

#29 - Thanks, Amber.

31DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Oct 30, 2013, 10:39 pm

159. The Woman In Black by Susan Hill - 4.3 ★
13 in 13 Category: H.P. Lovecraft - Dark Fantasy
Halloween Theme Reading
October AlphaCat: W
October RandomCat: "Dark Half"
TIOLI #6: A Book By An Author Who Has Judged the Man-Booker Prize




I am not going to write a full review of The Woman In Black as I see there are well over a hundred reviews already posted. I was trying to stretch this book out until Halloween, but the story grabbed me and I found myself gobbling it up. Not a problem as now I can get an early start on my planned November reading.

I thought this short book was a very good ghost story and it managed to give me the chills a couple of time. I won’t swear to it, but I think I may have even shivered a little as well. The descriptive writing and the strange, eerie atmosphere made this a perfect read for a foggy October evening. The Woman In Black would make a good addition to anyone’s collection of ghost stories.

32-Cee-
Oct 30, 2013, 9:22 pm

Hi Judy!
I loved The Woman in Black too... it was spooky.

btw - Happy Anniversary to you both! Isn't October the BEST time to be married???? I thought so ;-) hehehe

33DeltaQueen50
Oct 30, 2013, 10:41 pm

You know Cee, October is obviously the best month for me seeing as how both my birthday and my anniversary are in October.

I'm looking forward to tracking down books by Susan Hill.

34jnwelch
Oct 31, 2013, 11:49 am

Nice mini-review of The Woman in Black, Judy. Congrats on your anniversary, too.

35DeltaQueen50
Oct 31, 2013, 12:55 pm

#34 - Thanks, Joe.

Happy Halloween to everyone!

36susiesharp
Oct 31, 2013, 2:11 pm

I loved Woman in Black too, the movie is good and our local theater did the stage play that was really good too!

37DeltaQueen50
Nov 1, 2013, 10:17 pm

Hi Susie, a good ghost story is hard to find and this one told a good story and didn't get silly or over-the-top which so often happens.

38DeltaQueen50
Nov 1, 2013, 10:22 pm

160. The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. by Sandra Gulland - 4.6 ★
13 in 13 Category: Patrick O'Brian - Historical Fiction
Reading Through Time Quarterly Theme: Napoleonic Era
TIOLI #4: Title Contains 15 or More Letters




The first of a trilogy, The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. is by Sandra Gulland. I found this first volume to be a compelling, extremely readable story about a young girl, Marie-Josephe-Rose Tascher de la Pagerie, from the island of Martinique, who eventually, through her marriage to Napoleon Buonaparte, becomes the first Empress of France.

The story is told through her diaries and letters and appears to have been thoroughly researched with many footnotes detailing the actual events that are mentioned in passing. This book covers her life from age fourteen through to her betrothal and unhappy marriage to Alexandre de Beauharnais. This was never a love match, but they did have two children, a boy, Eugene, and a girl, Hortense. Although she went by the name of Rose through all her younger years, Napoleon decided to call her Josephine, and this became how she is known historically. Her married life was brought to an unhappy conclusion with the death of her husband at the guillotine. Rose herself was imprisoned but was released five days after her husband’s death. This first volume concludes with the marriage of Josephine and Napoleon.

This was great read, rich with historical details, full of political intrigue, revolution and romance. Josephine comes across as a real person with hopes and dreams and I was pleased to find her such an appealing heroine. I will certainly be continuing on with this trilogy as I am eager to learn more about this fascinating woman of history.

39ronincats
Nov 2, 2013, 12:28 am

That sounds very interesting, Judy. I'll be waiting to see if the next two books live up to this one.

40PaulCranswick
Nov 2, 2013, 5:00 am

The Sandra Gulland book is a new one to me Judy. Enjoyed your review and will look out for the book in the stores (like I need any more books!).

Have a lovely weekend.

41msf59
Nov 2, 2013, 9:00 am

Hi Judy- Just a quick check-in. I liked The Woman In Black too. I just felt it was a bit slight. I plan on starting the Zane Grey, early next week. I have not read an old classic western in many years.

42DeltaQueen50
Nov 2, 2013, 2:23 pm

#39 - Hi Roni, I sure hope they do. I haven't read very much about Josephine so there were lots of new things I hadn't really known about her before that I found interesting. The next book should focus on her marriage to Napoleon and I am looking forward to that.

#40 - Hi Paul. I find it hard to believe that I have read a book that you don't know about (or own)! I hope you are having a lovely weekend and resting those eyes. I'm going to pick up the grandkids in an hour and they are staying overnight.

#41 - Mark, The Woman in Black left me wishing there was a little more as well but perhaps that's the mark of good story. I remember wishing Lonesome Dove was longer than it's 900 plus pages! I'm looking forward to Riders of the Purple Sage and will probably be getting to it next week as well. I have a few library books to work through first, including the highly recommended Among Others which I am enjoying right now.

43souloftherose
Nov 2, 2013, 3:40 pm

Hi Judy!

#31 I enjoyed The Woman in Black too, but my scare threshold is much lower and I found it terrifying! :-)

44BLBera
Nov 3, 2013, 7:06 am

Hi Judy - I hope you're having a nice weekend. The Gullard book sounds great. I don't like ghost stories, like Heather I have a low scare threshold! I'll skip The Woman in Black.

45luvamystery65
Nov 3, 2013, 12:49 pm

From your last thread I started Running the Rift last year based on Joe's review. It coincided with a really bad time in my life so I returned it to the library. You just reminded me that I need to finish it before the year is out.

Maybe I will try The Woman in Black next October.

Let Him Go sounds so good. On the wish list it goes.

46DeltaQueen50
Nov 3, 2013, 8:17 pm

#43 - Hi Heather, I don't scare too easily but I admit I definitely don't want to go out walking in the fog until this book fades from my mind a bit.

#44 - Hi Beth, yes, the grandkids were here over the weekend and everything went well. This afternoon was sunny so we all went outside and helped Grandpa rake the leaves.

#45 - Hi Roberta, I have to admit that I had to put Running the Rift aside for a few days at one point. I could see where it was going, and of course, knowing the history I actually expected reading it would be harder than it turned out to be. Defiinitely, get your hands on Let Him Go, simply a wonderful read.

47DeltaQueen50
Nov 3, 2013, 8:21 pm

161. You Are One of Them by Elliott Holt - 3.4 ★
13 in 13 Category: Dora Saint - Reader's Choice
November AlphaCat: Y
TIOLI #4: Title Contains 15 or More Letters




You Are One of Them by Elliot Holt is a coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of the fear and anxiety that gripped America during the cold war. In 1982, two ten year old girls compose letters to the leader of the Soviet Union, Yuri Andropov. One of these little girls, Jenny, gets not only an answer to her letter but an invitation for herself and her family to visit Russia. Jenny becomes a instant celebrity and soon the other girl, Sarah has been left behind, ignored, feeling left out and missing her best friend. When Jenny and her parents perish in a plane crash, Sarah has difficulty coming to terms with her death.

Flash forward 10 years, and Sarah has now graduated from university when she receives a mysterious letter from a woman that Jenny met in Moscow. The letter implies that perhaps Jenny and her family did not perish in the plane crash . Sarah immediately sets off to Russia hoping to find answers. But is this a dangerous secret that waits to revealed or an elaborate hoax?

An interesting read, but truthfully I never felt fully connected to the story. I think I was looking for more of a mystery than the book actually turned out to be. Ultimately this was more about Sarah, her inner conflicts and resolving her unfinished issues that lingered from not having closure with Jenny. I did feel that the author’s descriptions of the budding friendship between the two girls was very well done, and also thought the frustrations and difficulties in trying to converse much less get answers in a country like Russia was both accurate and at times quite humorous.

48DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Nov 5, 2013, 4:48 pm

162. Among Others by Jo Walton - 3.8 ★
13 in 13 Category: J.M. Barrie - YA & Children's Literature
November AwardCat: 2012 Hugo Award Winner of Best Novel
TIOLI #6: Author's Name or Title of Book Starts with a Straight Letter




WARNING: SPOILERS

I am probably in the minority here, but I wasn’t totally blown away by Jo Walton’s Among Others. I found the author’s use of books as a story device both original and interesting, her obvious love of the genre of science-fiction shines on every page, and her main character gobbling up book after book reminds me of my own young years. I think my problem was in relating to the actual genre. I have discovered sci-fi later in life, so the books that she mentions didn’t resonate with me the way they would with a sci-fi lover who was introduced to the genre at a young age and discovered for themselves many of the books mentioned in these pages.

The story itself was intriguing and raised a lot of questions. A young girl recovering from a horrendous accident, that she explains as a magical battle where she and her twin sister fought their witch mother and although the girls won, she was left crippled and her twin lost her life. But, reading between the pages, did this really happen? I got the feeling that there was a car accident that Mori blamed on her mother. She mentions once that it was her mother that pulled the plug on her sister’s life support system. Mori ran away from home and was taken into child care, but now she appears to be in the custody of her father, a man she never knew before. She finds herself being sent to a boarding school where she doesn’t fit in, so it’s no wonder that she finds escape from her anger, confusion and despair in books and her own imagination.

The author did end the story on a hopeful note, Mori was starting to fit in, finding a few friends, and learning how to cope with life as it is. No, I can’t say that I was totally blown away by Among Others, but I enjoyed my time spent with the book and felt a genuine connection to author’s passion for reading.

49rosalita
Nov 5, 2013, 5:27 pm

Judy, I think you and I had almost identical reactions to 'Among Others'. Very nice review.

50msf59
Nov 5, 2013, 9:02 pm

Judy- Sorry Among Others didn't work for you a bit better! I do like your review and agree with some of your comments but it all worked for me.

What do you think of Riders of the Purple Sage? Honestly, I don't think it has aged well. That dialogue is a howl. I will finish it though. I just passed the halfway point.

51DeltaQueen50
Nov 5, 2013, 9:57 pm

#49 - Julia, I think if I had grown up reading Science Fiction, I would have totally fallen in love with this book, after all a book about books and having two librarians as fairly main characters - that's a pretty good thing!

#50 - Hi Mark. I haven't gotten to Riders of the Purple Sage yet. I am trying to get my library books completed first. I can imagine that it hasn't aged well. I've read other Zane Grey's and found that his language was very dated, but there is something in the way he writes that allows his love of nature to come through.

52susiesharp
Nov 6, 2013, 3:06 pm

I've been wanting to read Among Others now may have to give it a try!

53BLBera
Nov 6, 2013, 6:56 pm

Hi Judy - Nice review of Among Others. I loved the originality of it, but since I was unfamiliar with many of the books mentioned, I had some of the same issues that you mentioned.

54DeltaQueen50
Nov 6, 2013, 9:55 pm

Went out to my car this morning and found that someone (probably kids) had rifled through the glove compartment and storge spaces in my car. My own fault as I didn't lock it, silly me thinking it would be ok sitting in the car port next to the house. Well, they didn't get much, just the change I keep in the ashtray for coffee and parking.

Then I went to the eye doctor and found I have to have cataract surgery on both eyes. They make it sound simple and routine, but even so, it's my EYES!!! It won't happen until sometime in the new year, so I have lots of time to get used to the idea.

#52 - Hi Susie, I think you would enjoy Among Others.

#53 - Thanks, Beth. I can imagine the joy this book must give someone who discovered sci-fi at a young age and was familiar with the books she discussed.

55rosalita
Nov 6, 2013, 10:49 pm

Oh, Judy! No matter how routine it is, I think all readers can sympathize with you. No one wants to have their EYES messed with! On the other hand, perhaps you will be able to read even better and longer afterward, so there's that to look forward to.

Was it Karen who just had cataract surgery not too long ago? She came through with flying colors, and I'm sure you will, too.

56scaifea
Nov 7, 2013, 7:12 am

I completely understand your reaction to eye surgery, but, yes, several people in my family have had the procedure and it's apparently not nearly as scary as it sounds. And just think of all the books you'll be able to read that much more clearly!

57Crazymamie
Nov 7, 2013, 12:15 pm

Sorry about the upcoming cataract surgery, Judy. I would feel the same way. Julia is right, it was Karen who just had the surgery recently and came sailing through it. We will be keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.

On the reading front, too bad about You Are One of Them because it had such a great premise - lots of possibilities there. I skipped your review of Among Others since you said there were spoilers, and I am hoping to get to it someday.

Hoping that today is kind to you.

58jnwelch
Nov 7, 2013, 3:37 pm

I do think it adds to the enjoyment if you've read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy before reading Among Others. She refers to so many. But it's certainly not essential.

59phebj
Nov 7, 2013, 5:03 pm

Hi Judy! Are you going to do one eye at a time? Someone in my yoga class just had her first eye done and it went very well and is just waiting for clearance from the doctor to do the second one.

I'm not sure how similar it is but years ago I had Lasik surgery to correct my vision and I remember being very anxious the night before thinking it was voluntary surgery and why did I want to risk my eyesight. The only way I could get to sleep was to tell myself I would show up at the doctor's office the next morning and if I really didn't want to do it, I wouldn't. Needless to say I went through with it and was very happy with the results. That plus it was so quick and painless.

60BLBera
Nov 7, 2013, 6:32 pm

Hi Judy - Good luck with the cataract surgery. Do they do both eyes at once or one at a time?

61DeltaQueen50
Nov 7, 2013, 8:15 pm

Hello everyone, I've been running around a lot today since my husband is off work and we are finally getting ready to do some house renovations that we've been planning for quite some time. We are putting in a pantry space, a home office space and a music room (for hubby). We added on to the house a number of years ago and created a new dining area so our original dining room has been used mostly for storage for quite some time. Of course now that we have picked up the project again, we would like to have it done before Christmas. We've had a few quotes done and today we visited the showroom of the contractor that we are going with to finalize things like desktops, hardware, etc. My elder daughter is getting a new kitchen installed by the same contractor so he seems to be bending over backwards to please us.

# 55 - That exactly what the eye doctor said, Julia - "You will be able to read better and longer" I am definitely going to hold him to those words.

#56 - Hi Amber, I know there is very little to be concerned about with this type of procedure, but I wasn't too unhappy when they told me that I will have to wait until the New Year. :)

#57 - Mamie, I was really hoping for a much more interesting story with You Are One of Them - that's a dumb title as well, sounds like a horror story.

#58 - Joe, I am starting to think that I am just a cranky-pants this month, as I am currently reading another LT favorite that I thought I would love. Instead I am struggling to finish it.

#59 - Hi Pat, great to see you making the rounds. I am having one eye done at a time, the doctor says they like to wait at least a month between the procedures, so round about next spring I should be enjoying much better vision!

#60 - Thanks, Beth - see above (one eye at a time).

62DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Nov 7, 2013, 10:41 pm

163. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein - 2.8 ★
13 in 13 Category: Patrick O'Brian - Historical Fiction
November RandomCat: Author Shares First Name With One of the Pilgrims
Reading Through Time Monthly Theme: World War II
TIOLI #17: Read a Book About a Veteran, Conflict or War




******WARNING - MAJOR SPOILERS******

I really struggled with Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, almost giving up more than once. I had fully expected to love this story, it seems very popular and is set in a time period that I love to read about. Unfortunately I found it unbelievable and rather meandering in it’s style. I enjoyed the parts that were from Maddie’s perspective more than those from Julie. Those I found totally improbable. I was easily able to read between the lines and could see that Julie was far from the coward she was pretending to be. I could also sense that she was going to be the martyr heroine, and perhaps because of this she never came across as “real”.

Overall, I simply found the plot too preposterous and I wasn’t able to let myself go and sink into the story. I know this book was written for a younger audience but even so I found myself constantly distracted by plot holes and inconsistencies. Obviously even though I wanted it to be, Code Name Verity simply isn't the book for me.

63PrueGallagher
Nov 8, 2013, 1:14 am

Hello Judy - any surgery is nerve-wracking, but - literally - eye on the prize! More reading!

64jnwelch
Modifié : Nov 8, 2013, 12:17 pm

Too bad re Code Name Verity. You've got a point about suspending disbelief, although I was impressed with the research she did to support the book.

I've got several pairs of crankypants, so no worries there.

65susiesharp
Nov 8, 2013, 2:40 pm

So sorry you didn't enjoy Code Name Verity, maybe the audio made it more real for me.

66DeltaQueen50
Nov 8, 2013, 4:56 pm

#63 - Hi Prue, more reading is always good!

#64 - Joe, I sought refuge in the Sandman series and I am feeling much less cranky today.

#65 - Hi Susie, I really expected that Code Name Verity would be a highly rated read for me, I guess it just goes to show how subjective reading is.

67jnwelch
Nov 8, 2013, 4:57 pm

>66 DeltaQueen50: Good choice of refuge!

68DeltaQueen50
Nov 8, 2013, 5:03 pm

164. The Sandman Vol. 10: The Wake by Neil Gaiman - 4.3 ★
13 in 13 Category: Neil Gaiman - Graphic Novels
The Sandman Yearly Group Read




SPOILERS

The Sandman Vol 10: The Wake opens with a detailed story on the wake held for Morpheus, and I admit I was quite touched by the heartfelt goodbyes. Matthew plays an important role in this story as he struggles to accept and move on. Continuing on with the theme of closure, we are also given stories featuring both Hob and Shakespeare and both these stories have a feeling of finality. But the book also gives us insight into the Endless and why they are called so.

I am feeling rather blue to have reached the end, and although I would not rate this volume as highly as the previous one called The Kindly Ones, it is nevertheless a fitting finale to this dark, romantic, twisted and quite wonderful epic.

69luvamystery65
Modifié : Nov 9, 2013, 12:50 pm

Judy - I felt the same way about Kindly Ones. I thought of itThe Wake more as an epilogue and a sweet goodbye to the series.

ETA: We are all entitled to cranky pants moments. Hang in there.

ETA: It meaning The Wake.

70msf59
Nov 8, 2013, 8:43 pm

Judy- Sorry you did not care for Code Name Verity. I was a fan. We rarely disagree. Maybe, this will start a trend. You might love Purple Sage! LOL.

71DeltaQueen50
Nov 8, 2013, 10:04 pm

#69 - Thanks Roberta, luckily I have fallen head over heels for my current read, The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. Hopefully the cranky-pants can be put away for another day.

#70 - Mark, I guess we had to disagree at some point. I can't seem to think of Purple Sage without thinking Purple Prose. I have started another Zane Grey called The Fighting Caravans which I admit is rather dated, especially in regards to their attitude towards Indians, but I am enjoying it

72jnwelch
Nov 9, 2013, 11:52 am

Well put on The Wake, Judy. Heartfelt goodbyes after a high point in The Kindly Ones.

73susanj67
Nov 9, 2013, 2:41 pm

Judy, reading better and longer sounds good! My father is about to have the same procedure, although he isn't a reader so that wouldn't be a selling point for him :-)

74EBT1002
Nov 10, 2013, 12:56 am

Hi Judy!
I love the paintings of flowers at the top of your new thread.

You know, there has been much talk of Code Name Verity around here and it just hasn't seemed like something I would like. I appreciate your honest comments and will let it remain on the "one more book I don't have to have."

Happy Sunday!

75souloftherose
Modifié : Nov 10, 2013, 1:27 pm

Hi Judy.

#48 Sorry you didn't enjoy Among Others as much as you'd hoped. I think I liked it more than you did but also came away wondering what had really happened to Moro and her sister.

#54 but even so, it's my EYES!!!

That would be my reaction too! Will be thinking of you when you have it done - hopefully it will give you many more years of reading ahead!

#62 And sorry to hear Code Name Verity was a dud for you too. I always feel worse when I don't enjoy something that everyone else has loved.

76ronincats
Nov 10, 2013, 2:17 pm

I know what you mean about "my EYES!" I've avoided having Lazik surgery for that reason. However, I've had several friends who have had your surgery with no complications at all, and it's really improved their quality of life.

77DeltaQueen50
Nov 10, 2013, 8:02 pm

I've been spending the day in sorting and packing china as we empty out our dining room furniture and send it off to my daughter's. I've packed a lot of stuff off for the charity shop and the rest of the stuff is spread all over the living room. This coming week we are having the "popcorn" ceiling taken out which I am not really looking forward to as I know from previous experience what a mess this can make. The contractor is coming out to make some final measurements and assures us that it will all be done by the end of the first week in December. We'll see.

#72 - Joe, I am going to miss The Sandman, I really enjoyed reading them over the course of the year. Of course, next year I am planning on doing the same with the Vorkosigan series, so I have that to look forward to.

#73 - Susan, I have heard nothing but positive comments on having the procedure so I am ready!

#74 - Hi Ellen, as the days get duller outside, it's nice to have a bright splash of color to cheer one up. After my last few books I really needed a good one and luckily I found that in The Curse of Chalion, I'm having trouble putting it down to do anything else.

#75 - Heather, I really did feel bad that I didn't love both those books. So many people on LT whose book taste I really respect loved them.

#76 - Roni, firstly I do believe I owe you another big Thank You, I think you are the one who first brought Lois McMaster Bujold to my attention and right now I am loving The Curse of Chalion! My biggest fear with the cataract surgery was how long I would be kept from reading, so I was mightily assured when the doctor told me that I would probably be able to pick up a book the very day of the procedure.

78DeltaQueen50
Nov 10, 2013, 10:40 pm

165. Fighting Caravans by Zane Grey - 3.4 ★
13 in 13 Category: Edgar Rice Burroughs - Adventure
Zane Grey November
TIOLI #20: Another Title Can Be Made By Scrambling the Letters of The Title




I have mixed feelings about Fighting Caravans by Zane Grey. On the one hand this was a thrilling adventure story, but on the other, his historical facts were few and far between. This is the story of a young boy, Clint Belmet, who is travelling west with his parents when they are attacked by a group of Comanche. They are able to fight them off, but Clint’s mother takes a bullet and dies. Clint and his father then decide that they don’t have the heart to homestead without her, and so become freight wagon drivers. This is a dangerous job as they pick up goods in Kansas City and transport them to forts along the western trail, often travelling as far as Santa Fe.

There were so many Indian battles in this book that they became a little repetitious and I know for a fact that there wasn’t an unlimited Indian population on the American plains so these battles where up to 60 Indians are killed are definitely the work of Grey’s imagination. Originally published in 1929, there is a great deal of racial stereotyping and a far bit of prejudice as well. I have read other Zane Grey’s where his point of view is very fair to the Indian so I am thinking that these prejudices were included to reflect the feeling of the times not the author’s personal point of view.

Where this book shines is in his description of the American West. He captures on the page the sights, sounds and smells of the open prairie and transports his reader to another place and time. Although the language is dated and there are lines such as the cringe-worthy, “The only good Indian is a dead one”, I feel that Fighting Caravans does accurately portray the attitudes and customs of this particular time in the opening of the American West.

79luvamystery65
Modifié : Nov 11, 2013, 8:49 am

Judy as much as I would love the descriptions I can't tolerate much of the rest. You are braver than me to try it.

ETA: Actually, if it had been Zane Grey January I might have had the energy to try it. It's been too long a year for me to attempt him in November.

80tymfos
Nov 11, 2013, 9:11 am

Good morning, Judy! My, I'm just now getting to this lovely thread. What beautiful thread-topping paintings! Belated congratulations for your 35th anniversary. It sounds like your reading has been a bit of a mixed bag, with some great reads and some disappointments. I'm sorry to hear of the upcoming eye surgery and the incident with your car.

81Chatterbox
Nov 11, 2013, 5:51 pm

I completely agree with you on Code Name Verity; I found it somewhat exasperating, even after allowing for the YA target audience.

Re cataract surgery: my father had it done last Thursday on just one eye. By Saturday morning, he was back online, raving about it. A few days before he had been seriously spooked by the prospect (yes, the eyes!!) but his grandmother (my great-grandmother) was essentially blind for the last six or seven years of her long life (she lived to be 95) because at 82, the docs decided she was too old for the surgery. He was telling me how she lost everything she enjoyed, from reading to watching hockey games, and it was that that decided him to go ahead now. (He'll be 77 in January.) It's almost funny how big the turnaround has been -- from utter dread to utter delight. So, focus on the outcome...

82ronincats
Nov 11, 2013, 8:06 pm

Oh, Judy, I'm so happy for you! The Curse of Chalion is wonderful. And you'll love Paladin of Souls just as much, I predict.

83DeltaQueen50
Nov 12, 2013, 7:11 pm

#79 Roberta, I actually enjoy reading Zane Grey. I don't mind the dated language as it fits with the time period that he is writing about and although it is difficult at times to read about the attitudes toward the Indians and other minorities, it was the norm for that time period as well. Of course I love westerns in general and I'm sure that plays into it as well.

#80 Hi Terri, thanks for the anniversary wishes. :) Yes, my reading has been quite mixed lately, some really good ones and a few not so good. I think I am about to start a run of good ones as I am loving the two that I am reading right now.

#81 - Hi Suzanne, yes, I am looking forward to improved eyesight though I still have a few months to wait. I'm glad that I am not the only one who was less than thrilled with Code Name Verity.

#82 - Roni, The Curse of Chalion is a treat to read. I have already added the next one, Paladin of Souls to my reading line-up for next year. Between this series and the Vorkosigan Group Read next year, I will be spending a lot of time with Lois McMaster Bujold.

84DeltaQueen50
Nov 13, 2013, 5:46 pm

166. The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold - 4.5 ★
13 in 13 Category: Hans Christian Andersen - Fantasy
November AwardCat: 2002 Hugo Award
TIOLI #30: Another Title Can Be Made From the Scrambled Letters of the Title




The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold is a wonderful old-time fantasy that blends adventure, politics, religion and romance. Following the battered, almost broken ex-soldier, Cazaril as he thinks he has found a place of quiet and safety with his a simple job of secretary-tutor to a couple of high class young girls. But one of the girls, the beautiful, strong willed Iselle isn’t just any girl, she is a member of the House of Chalion and happens to be second in line for the throne behind her impetuous younger brother. When her sickly elder half-brother calls these two young people to take their place at court, Cazaril finds himself standing as protector between Iselle and the unscrupulous Chancellor, Dy Jironal and his evil brother. Worse even than this is the discovery of an dark curse that has been cast upon the House of Chalion. A saviour is needed, could Cazaril be the one to lift this darkness?

Lois McMaster Bujold has created characters that are fully fleshed out, so although the plot is somewhat familiar, it is these characters that make it come to such vivid life. The reluctant hero, Cazaril is one that I grew very fond of and will long remember. She has also developed a wonderful, medieval world which includes an intricate religion which plays an important part in the story.

The Curse of Chalion has a quiet understated tone yet the reader is continuously drawn deeper and deeper into this world. I totally enjoyed the time I spent immersed in this book.

85ronincats
Nov 14, 2013, 11:31 pm

VERY nice review, Judy. You know the next book is the story of Ista after these events, don't you?

86DeltaQueen50
Nov 14, 2013, 11:51 pm

Hi Roni, I made of point of making sure I will be able to fit Paladin of Souls into my next year's category challenge. I am looking forward to continuing with this trilogy.

87DeltaQueen50
Nov 15, 2013, 9:53 pm

167. Good Graces by Lesley Kagen - 4.5 ★
13 in 13 Category: Dora Saint - Reader's Choice
November AlphaCat: K
TIOLI #5: Rolling Challenge Based on Colors on Cover




In Good Graces by Lesley Kagen we revisit the fabulous O’Malley sisters in Milwaukee during the summer of 1960. It’s been one year since the events of Whistling In the Dark and although a few things have changed, twelve year old Sally is still trying to honor her promise made to her dying father to protect her younger sister, Troo. Troo, on her part, doesn’t make this easy. She seems to be focused on behaving badly and getting herself in trouble, from shop-lifting at the local five and dime to skipping out on her extra religious instruction with Father Timothy.

Although the girls’ mother is home from the hospital and on the mend, and they are all now living with Detective Dave Rasmussen, the sisters aren’t getting too much supervision and are free to wander the neighbourhood and spend lots of time with their friends. The days are long and hot, and the kids have lots of things to talk about, from the disappearance of an orphan boy, to a rash of burglaries, and the news that Greasy Al has escaped the reform school and could be on his way back to Milwaukee to seek his revenge on Troo.

The story is told by Sally, and the author has captured the intonation and innocence of a twelve year old beautifully as the story becomes in turns funny, irreverent, earnest and thoughtful . Troo is wonderfully independent, and more than a bit of a drama-queen. All the characters are well-rounded and real. These books remind me very much of my own childhood.

I thoroughly enjoyed my revisit with the O’Malley sisters, the author has delivered a moving, humorous story with a touch of suspense. A story that is both charming and riveting.

88Donna828
Nov 16, 2013, 11:56 am

Judy, I have The Curse of Chalion on the iPad waiting for a good time to read it. Ha! All my books are clamoring for me to pick them next. Seriously, your review reminds me that I have several good ones waiting for me on the Kindle site. Dang, just when I thought I was making progress with reading my own books.

I had lens implants years ago to correct my terrible vision. It's the same deal as having cataract surgery, and it was no problem for me. The worst part was going to Europe and having to mess with the eyedrops so frequently. As a plus to that vision correction, I will never have cataracts. Yay!

89DeltaQueen50
Nov 17, 2013, 3:28 pm

Hi Donna, I certainly know how you feel. Everytime I am about to pat myself on the back for removing another book from my shelves, I remember that I have added a couple more to my Kindle! As always - so many books - so little time!

Thanks for the implant story, I am worrying less and less about the procedure. I just wish I could make that waiting list move along at a faster rate.

90DeltaQueen50
Nov 17, 2013, 3:30 pm

168. Lord Grizzly by Frederick Manfred - 4.6 ★
13 in 13 Category: Edgar Rice Burroughs - Adventure
November AwardCat: 1955 Fiction Finalist - National Book Award
TIOLI #6: Authors Name or Title of Book Starts With A Straight Letter




Lord Grizzly by Frederick Manfred is a mythical survivor story based on fact. Hugh Glass was part of a fur-trapping brigade travelling up the Missouri River in September of 1822. While out hunting, Glass surprised a mother Grizzly bear with two cubs. Before he could react, the bear was on him. The bear did tremendous damage, but when he regained consciousness and discovered that he had been tended to and then left to die fuelled his rage to the point that he was able to drag himself over 200 miles back to Fort Kiowa. He then embarked on a trail of vengeance against his best friends that had left him to die alone and weaponless in the wild.

An amazing story and in the capable hands of author Frederick Manfred the legend and the facts are blended into one almost unsurpassable adventure story. His descriptions are spot on, whether he’s writing of hostile Indians, the natural wildlife, or the scope and vistas of the American west, he paints a rich yet real picture of this wilderness.

Lord Grizzly is a book I would recommend to anyone with an interest in the American West. The author writes of an incredible event and manages to do so without placing the main character on a pedestal. Hugh Glass is portrayed as a real human with many flaws, and like many men that migrated to the west in those days, one that had both selfish and slightly shady reasons for doing so. The author makes no excuses for this character but simply tells the story and leaves it’s moral quandaries in the reader’s hands.

91souloftherose
Nov 17, 2013, 4:01 pm

#77 "the doctor told me that I would probably be able to pick up a book the very day of the procedure." Brilliant!

#84 YAY! Chalion love :-)

92DeltaQueen50
Nov 18, 2013, 12:22 pm

91 - Heather, that shows you where my priorities lie - Reading first!

Yep, I am now hooked on another Lois McMaster Bujold series!

93ronincats
Nov 18, 2013, 12:37 pm

At least this one is a lot shorter! ;-)

Actually, the third book, while taking place on the same world, has no direct connections to the first two.

94DeltaQueen50
Nov 18, 2013, 3:48 pm

#93 - Good morning, Roni. Yes, I do like the idea that the Chalion books are a trilogy rather than a huge series. I seem to have trouble keeping up with all the series that I am following.

95DeltaQueen50
Nov 18, 2013, 3:52 pm

169. Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery - 3.4 ★
13 in 13 Category: J.M. Barrie - YA and Children's Literature
TIOLI #5: Rolling Challenge Based on the Colors On Cover




Anne of Windy Poplars is the fourth book in the Anne series, and this one is told in epistolary style as Anne has become the principal of Summerside High School and is writing letters to her finance Gilbert while he is in medical school. This book covers the three years that the two have to wait until Gilbert becomes a doctor and they are able to marry.

Windy Poplars is the home that Annie is boarding in. Owned by two widows and run by a salt-of-the-earth housekeeper, Anne arrives like a breath of spring air. Along with these women, Anne makes other friends in and around Summerside and is able in her own winning way to bring happiness and change into many lives. This book comes to an end as Anne returns home to Green Gables knowing in a very short while she will finally become Mrs. Gilbert Blyth.

I was a little disappointed with Anne of Windy Poplars as much of the story felt repetitious and Anne seemed a little too perfect. I missed the Anne that often make mistakes and learned life lessons from her errors. I found the author seemed more moralistic and a little preach-y in this volume. I also missed the great descriptive writing about the passing of the seasons that I have enjoyed in the previous three volumes. I note that this book is often the one missing from boxed sets of the Anne of Green Gables series, and I also know that although it is the fourth book in chronological order, it was actually the seventh one to be published.

96BLBera
Nov 18, 2013, 6:46 pm

Judy - Nice review of Anne of Windy Poplars. I think that's one we missed. Maybe it was an afterthought. I agree that a lot of Anne's charm is her impulsiveness.

97DeltaQueen50
Nov 19, 2013, 2:24 pm

Hi Beth, I think Anne of Windy Poplars was definitely an afterthought. The book immediately before this one was published in 1915 and the one immediately after came along in 1917. Anne of Windy Poplars wasn't pubished until 1936. I guess that explains why it doesn't seem to fit seamlessly into the series.

98jnwelch
Nov 19, 2013, 3:32 pm

Interesting to read this, Judy. I loved the first one, but haven't read any of the others, and hadn't heard of this one. Sounds like maybe it has proven to be a weak entry over time. I hope to find time to read the others.

99souloftherose
Nov 19, 2013, 4:06 pm

Judy, I loved all the Anne books as a child but had never realised they weren't published in chronological order. You're making me want to reread them, I wonder if I can squeeze that into my 2014 plans? (Isn't it worrying that I think I've already overplanned for 2014 when it's still 2013?)

100DeltaQueen50
Nov 19, 2013, 4:46 pm

#98 - Joe, it is a wonderful series and one that I think really captures the feel of Canadian rural life in the early years of the century.

#99 - Katie, I have also noticed that Book #6 Anne of Ingleside was also published much later, in 1939. By that time Anne was a firmly established literary heroine and I am hoping that this doesn't make the author put her up on a pedestal. Although by this time Anne is in her middle thirties so she probably has better control of her emotions and isn't quite so implusive.

101Crazymamie
Nov 20, 2013, 12:51 pm

I was SO behind over here, Judy, but I am all caught up now. I am still hoping to get to Code Name Verity this month, and I am hoping that I like it more than you did. If not, then I guess at least I will be able to make a bit more room on the bookshelf space it has been occupying!

Curse of the Chalion sounds like one I would love, and I am thinking that maybe it is already on my WL from someone else singing its praises - possibly Heather. I will go check as soon as I finish here. Anyway, you make me want to make sure I get to it sooner rather than later.

Lord Grizzly sounds like one that my son Dan would enjoy - he loves survival stories. I will have to track that one down for him.

Hoping that your Wednesday is full of fabulous!

102DeltaQueen50
Nov 20, 2013, 1:10 pm

Hi Mamie, I will be interested in your thoughs on Code Name Verity. I hope you are able to track down a copy of Lord Grizzly. It is well worth the hunt.

103DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Nov 20, 2013, 1:15 pm

170. Riders of the Purple Sage†† by Zane Grey - 2.5 ★
13 in 13 Category: Edgar Rice Burroughs - Adventure
Zane Grey November Group Read
TIOLI #4: A Book Whose Title Contains 15 Letters or More




Zane Grey never allowed political correctness or historical accuracy to interfere in his storytelling but in the case of the overly dramatic, downright cheesy Riders of the Purple Sage, he should have. I am a fan of Grey’s and have enjoyed other books of his that I have read, but I really had trouble sticking with this story to the end. This is a book that should have disappeared, stored away up in grandpa’s dusty attic years ago. It is certainly not a book that should be used today to represent Zane Grey’s work.

I had hoped that Riders of the Purple Sage would be a straight forward “cowboy story”, instead it is a strange blend of Morman bashing and romance. The plot points sound good on paper: Cattle rustlers, two couples falling in love and overcoming many obstacles to be together, along with horse stealing, a mysterious masked rider and a little orphan girl, but the one point the readers will take away from this book is the low opinion of Mormon’s that the author must have had. The one area that I felt Zane Grey excelled in was his beautiful descriptive writing. Although it seemed a little over-blown at times, I have travelled in this area of Southern Utah and the colors and scenery are incredible.

Riders of the Purple Sage was originally published in 1912 and unfortunately just doesn’t hold up well today.

104DeltaQueen50
Nov 21, 2013, 2:24 pm

171. Escape from Berlin by Irene N. Watts - 4.2 ★
13 in 13 Category: J.M. Barrie - YA and Children's Literature
Early Review Program
November Reading Through Time Monthly Theme: WW II
TIOLI #4: A Book Whose Title Contains 15 Letters or More




Escape from Berlin by Irene N. Watts is composed of three novellas that blend perfectly together to make one cohesive story about Jewish children who were saved from the Nazi’s by the Kindertransport. The Kindertransport was a program set up by the Refugee Children’s Movement with the full support of the British Government and many other groups. In the nine months before the war “at-risk’ children were moved out of Germany to safety in Britain. During this time, over ten thousand children were saved. These stories are being issued as one book in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Kindertransport.

The book is told from two of the children’s point of view, starting in 1938 with eleven year old, Marianne Kohn. Her parents reach the difficult decision to send her to England with the knowledge that they themselves would possibly not be able to get out of Germany. On the train to England, Marianne watches out for seven year old Sophie Mandel after her mother thrusts her on the train just as it is pulling out.

The story captures beautifully the confusion, fear and sadness of the girls as they are sent away from their parents, their home and their country and set down in a place where they are strangers. This was an emotional and moving account of these children as they struggle with a different language and a different religion along with strange foods and customs and overwhelming homesickness. That they eventually adapt and actually thrived had a great deal to do with new friends and guardians.

At the end of the war these two girls have grown into young women of eighteen and fourteen. They meet again at a hospital where Marianne is training to be a nurse and Sophie volunteers. The end of the war brings with it a new set of anxieties as now they wait to hear some word of not only what happened to their families but also are they willing give up the lives they have in England to be with family that they haven’t seen in seven years.

Wonderfully written, this would be an excellent book for young readers to gain an understanding of what was actually happening in Germany to the non-Aryan residents both through the war and in the years leading up to it. The author herself was a child saved by the Kindertransport, and although this isn’t her story , Escape from Berlin gives an accurate picture of what these children experienced.

105DeltaQueen50
Nov 23, 2013, 2:24 pm

172. Birds, Beasts and Relatives by Gerald Durrell - 4.1 ★
13 in 13 Category: Pierre Burton - Non-Fiction
TIOLI #15: A Book Title that Completes the Phrase "I Am Thankful For ..."




As the author’s family feared, Gerald Durrell had many more stories of their life in Corfu to tell, and in Birds, Beasts and Relatives, the second of his Corfu Trilogy, he delivers a few of his favorites ones. As always this interesting clan with their varied interests, vague mother and Gerry’s assorted creatures makes for delightful reading.

Extremely entertaining, this short volume is chock full of stories that are both humorous and informative. Whether he is making discoveries of curious creatures like the strange spider crabs or dancing with Pavlo the bear, Gerry is living a childhood that we all wish could have been ours.

And with all of his humorous tales and vivid descriptions the beautiful sun-drenched island of Corfu comes alive. Gerald Durrell had a wonderful time in the years he spent there and his Corfu Trilogy lets us all in on his adventure.

106Storeetllr
Nov 23, 2013, 6:39 pm

Hi, Judy! Hope you're having a great weekend! I haven't been online a lot lately so have missed a lot, I see. Enjoyed your review of Curse of Challion and agree that it was really good. Also enjoyed your review of The Wake and now want to reread the entire series.

107msf59
Nov 23, 2013, 7:04 pm

Hi Judy- Of course I loved your review of Purple Sage. I am glad you felt the same way I did. Ugh! It sounds like he improved as a writer, so that is a good thing. I will have to reread the Light of the Western Stars at some point, because it was such a pivotal book in my youth.
I wonder what old Louis L' Amour thought of Purple Prose? He went in the complete opposite direction, where men were laconic.

108BLBera
Nov 23, 2013, 7:26 pm

Hi Judy - Both Escape from Berlin and Birds, Beasts and Relatives sound great. Onto the list they go. Have a nice weekend.

109PaulCranswick
Nov 23, 2013, 8:46 pm

Judy, thanks for your review of Gerald Durrell's continuing childhood reminiscences of Corfu and his family. His brother Lawrence was a technically more gifted writer but Gerald the far more agreeable to read.

Have a lovely weekend.

110thornton37814
Nov 23, 2013, 9:24 pm

I wondered if Lawrence was related to Gerald. I read his book Bitter Lemons for Cyprus in the Europe Endless Challenge.

111Donna828
Nov 24, 2013, 7:22 pm

>105 DeltaQueen50:: What a lovely thing (actually three things) to be thankful for, Judy. I have yet to read the brothers Durrell. I have The Alexandria Quartet on my iPad but I think Birds, Beasts and Relatives by brother Gerald sounds much less daunting.

112DeltaQueen50
Nov 24, 2013, 7:29 pm

We went out for breakfast this morning and then found ourselves doing some Christmas shopping. It seems every year that Christmas comes faster and I always end up feeling like I am running behind. I have plans to do some more Christmas shopping this Thursday with the eldest daughter. My living room is a huge mess right now as we are having our dining room converted into an office and music room with some pantry space as well. The builders are telling me that they will have it all done by the first week of December and I hope so. We have the grandkids that weekend and have promised them that we'll put the tree up.

#106 - Hi Mary, I can certainly see that I will want to re-read the whole Sandman series at some point. I think I would pick up a lot of things I missed the first time through. I loved The Curse of Chalion and plan to get to the next book in the trilogy early next year.

#107 - Yes, very glad that we can both put Riders of the Purple Sage behind us! I have more Zane Grey's on my TBR but will probably wait awhile before I pick them up! Louis L'Amour did use a lot less words than Zane Grey that's for sure!

#108 - Hi Beth, I hope you had a great weekend as well. The Gerald Durrell books are great - light reads, lots of humor and an added bonus of usually learning something about nature. Escape From Berlin has got me curious to read more about the Kindertransport and I was glad to find that my library has one non-fiction book about it. I have added it my future list.

#109 - Hi Paul, I haven't read anything by Lawrence Durrell yet, but I certainly would like to. Larry seems to be one of Gerald's favorite targets as he never misses a shot at showing how pompous he could be.

#110 - Hi Lori, yes, quite the family and Gerald Durrell likes to highlight all their eccentric behavior in his books.

113DeltaQueen50
Nov 24, 2013, 7:31 pm

111 - Hi Donna, you are right both about the three things to be thankful for and that Gerald Durrell's books are far less daunting than Lawrence Durrell's.

114tymfos
Nov 24, 2013, 10:29 pm

Hi, Judy. Good luck with the renovations! I hope they are completed on schedule.

115luvamystery65
Nov 25, 2013, 12:21 pm

Judy Lord Grizzly sounds really interesting and I will add it as a maybe for my 2014 Challenge and a for sure on the TBR mountain.

116jnwelch
Nov 25, 2013, 12:48 pm

Judy, it doesn't look like you've read any of the Inspector Gamache mysteries, right? We were talking about how Still Life apparently was televised in Canada, and wondered how good it was. There's no word, as far as I know, as to when it might reach the States.

117DeltaQueen50
Nov 25, 2013, 2:05 pm

#114 - Hi Terri, thanks, renovations seem to always be equal parts of exciting and frustrating but usually well worth it in the end.

#115 - Roberta, Lord Grizzly is one of those rarities in adventure stories, both well written and a great story. It was a 1955 Fiction Finalist for the American National Book Awards and well deserving of it's nomination. Hope you enjoy it.

#116 - Hi Joe, actually I have read the first Gamache book, Still Life and I recorded the TV program but haven't yet watched it. I am one of the ones that didn't totally fall in love with this series, but from all that I have read here on LT and in RL, I am planning on continuing with the series as it seems to get better as you go along. I know both my sister and mother are totally involved (and by involved I mean in LOVE) with Gamache as well.

118DeltaQueen50
Nov 25, 2013, 2:10 pm

173. The Winthrop Woman †† by Anya Seton - 4.6 ★
13 in 13 Category: Patrick O'Brian - Historical Fiction
November AwardCat: 1959 Fiction Finalist - National Book Award
November RandomCat: Main Character Shares Her Name With One of the Pilgrims
TIOLI #6: Title Or Author's Name Starts With a Straight Letter




This was a very satisfactory read. In The Winthrop Woman, Anya Seton writes a rich and varied story about one woman’s life and by doing so provides extensive historical data on the early days of the American colonies. The political and religious strife, the difficulties with both the native Indians and the neighbouring Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, as well as the perilous nature of life lived on the edge of a vast wilderness are all explored in this book.

Elizabeth Winthrop was a beautiful, strong willed, healthy woman who unfortunately did not easily fit into the life that was meant to be hers. She was not willing to be a subservient chattel, to be ordered around by her male guardians, neither could she live the strict Puritan lifestyle that was expected of her, but by being both strong and independent she brought much hardship and difficulties into her life. That Elizabeth Winthrop was a real person who lived in the 1600’s and was related to a family that provided leadership to the American colonies made the story all the more interesting.

Extremely well written and researched, this is historical fiction at it’s best. A great story, wonderful characters and a realistic look at past events that helped to shape the future. This is a fascinating time to read about and the author’s skill at giving Elizabeth’s story both romance and adventure but still staying true to the conservative nature of the early settlers and the hardships that they faced makes this a great read.

119rosalita
Nov 25, 2013, 2:53 pm

That sounds like an interesting historical fiction, Judy!

120Chatterbox
Nov 25, 2013, 5:40 pm

Glad you enjoyed The Winthrop Woman so much, Judy -- it's definitely one of those overlooked HF gems! I'm hoping to re-read Avalon next year, and perhaps one of her other US historical novels, after my recent re-read of Devil Water. It's odd that over the 30 plus years that she was actively writing, she wrote so few novels, and that there are so many that really don't engage me. Dragonwyck, for instance, is a gothic potboiler, and Foxfire just a tedious novel. The Turquoise is only just OK, but neither the plot nor the characters are as interesting as the backdrop. And then there is The Winthrop Woman, Katherine, Devil Water and to a slightly lesser extent, Avalon and The Hearth and the Eagle. Go figure... Katherine would be on my list of top 10 historical novels of all time.

121DeltaQueen50
Nov 25, 2013, 6:16 pm

Suzanne, I read a lot of Anya Seton books when I was younger and as far as I remember, Katherine was one of my all-time favorites as well. I would like to try to re-read it next year. I have recently read both Dragonwyck and Green Darkness and enjoyed them both but neither as well as The Winthrop Woman. I think I better add both Devil Water and The Hearth and the Eagle to my re-read list.

122katiekrug
Nov 26, 2013, 12:20 am

I have a few Anya Seton novels on the TBR shelves and a plan to read more historical fiction in 2014, so... YAY!

Nice review, Judy.

123DeltaQueen50
Nov 26, 2013, 1:01 pm

Hi Katie, since I had read Anya Seton when I was a lot younger my memory of her stories was quite vague. I remembered that I loved reading her, but I am surprised when I reread these books how much historical research and detail has been included. I am really enjoying rediscovering her.

124DeltaQueen50
Nov 26, 2013, 1:07 pm

174. Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther - 4.1 ★
13 in 13 Category: Graham Greene - Authors I Am Curious About
Reading Through Time Monthly Theme: WWII
TIOLI #6: Title or Author's Name Starts With a Straight Letter




The Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struthers that I just read has very little in common with the 1942 film of the same name starring Greer Garson. But looking a little closer, perhaps the film is the future for the Miniver family, what happened after the book closed. In any case, both the book and the movie paint a distinct picture of the stoic English upper middle class of the 1930’s.

First off I loved how the author set the scene, imprinting vividly the absolute Englishness of Mrs. Miniver and her family. The book is comprised of a series of essays, and whether it’s her gentle musings on her home, family and friends, or her razor-sharp observations on human nature in general, Mrs. Miniver is a joy to read. The war is very much in the background of this book, you sense it coming along on cat’s paws, first lightly mentioned in passing, then on to the fitting of gas masks, and eventually we find Mrs. Miniver planning her 1939 Christmas that will include her seven evacuee children and may not include her husband unless he is able to get leave from his unit to be with them.

The book is deceptively charming and sentimental, but underneath you can feel strength of purpose and steadfastness that the author is portraying, Mrs. Miniver was originally meant as a propaganda article and was published in the newspaper, nevertheless this is a literary piece that captures a certain type of woman in what will probably be her finest hour.

125Storeetllr
Nov 28, 2013, 1:34 am

Hi, Judy ~ Thank you so much for your holiday wishes! Happy Thanksgiving to you too! Hope you and your family have a wonderful day!

126-Cee-
Nov 28, 2013, 1:14 pm

Have a special treat today and join us in a day to feast!

127DeltaQueen50
Nov 28, 2013, 10:29 pm

Thanks Mary and Cee, I actually spent today doing some Christmas shopping today with my older daughter. Had a very nice day and pretty much wrapped up the shopping for the grandkids.

128DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Déc 6, 2013, 12:30 pm

175. Wish Upon A Star†† by Trisha Ashley - 3.1 ★
13 in 13 Category: Dora Saint - Reader's Choice
TIOLI #3: Read a Book With A Holiday Theme




I picked this up to help close out the month of November and to hopefully get a start on the festive season with a Christmas story. Wish Upon A Star by Trisha Ashley tells the story of Cally and her young daughter, Stella. They have moved to the village of Sticklepond to live with Cally‘s mother in order to help save money for a trip to the United States so Stella can have an experimental operation that she needs. Meanwhile, Jago is also new to the area and he is looking for a location to set up his wedding cake business. Cally is into cakes as well and writes recipes in both a magazine and a Sunday Supplement. This is not the right time for either of them to be getting involved in a relationship, but it appears to everyone that these two are perfect for each other and they can only fool themselves for so long.

This story could easily have been overly sentimental but the author manages to keep the story moving along and does not allow it to bog down in pathos. Stella is a very sick child but the characters around her remain optimistic that the operation will give her a normal life. The bulk of the story is about the raising of the money for Stella’s operation, and the establishing of Jago’s business. There are a couple of over-the-top ex-fiancés that were a little silly, but overall this was a nice light romance with enough seasonal touches to give it a festive feel. The book reaches it’s romantic conclusion as Christmas draws near and it brings a nice, satisfying closure to the story.

This is the first book I have read by Trisha Ashley, and I understand that she often bases her stories in this village which seems to have an almost magical feeling about it. Although this story was not exactly a show stopper, I would certainly like to try other books by this author. One warning however, be prepared to read about a wide variety of yummy sounding cakes (some recipes are provided in the back of the book).

129DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Déc 6, 2013, 12:30 pm

176. The Song Is You by Megan Abbott - 4.4 ★
13 in 13 Category: Kate Atkinson - Women Authors of Crime
December Random Cat: Auld Acquaintances
TIOLI #3: Rolling Challenge by Country




Through all the powder, greasepaint and glamour, we’ve always known that the Hollywood that we see on the screen is an illusion. In The Song Is You, author Megan Abbott cuts through the illusion and shows the slick, sleazy and dangerous underbelly that was part of the film business of the late 1940‘s and early 1950’s.

By mixing real life stories with fiction, the author delivers a spellbinding noir narrative that is both a seductive mystery and a tour of the murky, sordid tinseltown that was kept tightly under wraps by the big studios’ publicity departments. These tragedies of real life aspiring actresses Jean Spangler and Barbara Payton, one an apparent murder victim and the other a example of how too much sex, alcohol and bad publicity could send someone on a downward spiral with no chance of recovery are ingeniously woven together with her own fictional characters to create an atmospheric story that had me running to Google more than once to sort the fact from the fiction.

I found The Song Is You to be a twisted, ardent tale about a Hollywood cover-up and one man’s guilty desire to know what really happened on that fateful night that he walked away. This is not a story for those that are sensitive to violence and sexual depravity, but frankly I totally fell under it’s spell

130msf59
Déc 1, 2013, 5:34 pm

Hi Judy- Great review of The Song Is You. Big Thumb! I am not familiar with that title or author but I love dark noir. I am a fan of Ellroy and this seems like his style. Have you read him?

131Chatterbox
Déc 1, 2013, 5:47 pm

For Trisha Ashley's really excellent novels, go back to some of her earlier books -- Singled Out, Every Woman for Herself, Sowing Secrets, Good Husband Material and The Urge to Jump. Their heroines are a little bit more feisty and the romance element is delivered as a nice bonus rather than in the tone of "all that a woman needs is a man, and when she's got one, she'll live happily ever after". I really love these ones. The books set in this area -- like Chocolate Wishes, Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues don't have the same kind of slightly wry witty edge that I like about her others and are far more genre reads.

132DeltaQueen50
Déc 1, 2013, 5:50 pm

Mark, Ellroy is on my list and I have Black Dahlia on my shelves so I don't have any excuse not to have read him yet. I've seen him referred to as the Master of Hollywood Noir so I am positive that I am going to love him. The Song Is You has been called Megan Abbotts' tribute to James Ellroy, so she is obviously influenced by him.

133DeltaQueen50
Déc 1, 2013, 5:51 pm

#131 - Thanks Suzanne, I will take note of those titles and give them a try.

134Crazymamie
Déc 1, 2013, 6:26 pm

I'm also giving your review of The Song is You a thumb. That sounds like one for my WL. I'm a huge fan of noir. I have Black Dahlia sitting on my shelves, too, so let me know when you get to it, and I'll join you!

135Crazymamie
Modifié : Déc 1, 2013, 6:32 pm

Oh, dear. The rare double post - let's see, what shall I replace it with? How about Christmas cookies?

136msf59
Déc 1, 2013, 6:33 pm

L.A. Confidential is one of my all-time favorite crime novels. And the film version, is one of the best of it's kind too! I have read Black Dahlia, liked it, but it didn't leave the same impression, although it's been many years.

137phebj
Déc 1, 2013, 7:54 pm

Hi Judy! Just catching up. Reading through your thread I was reminded that I have brand new copies of Anne of Green Gables and Laura waiting to be read. I bought them after reading your reviews.

Hope all is well with you and your sister and good luck with the renovations.

138PrueGallagher
Déc 1, 2013, 9:28 pm

Trying to catch up - some great reviews as always. Think you might have got me with The Song is You!

139DeltaQueen50
Déc 1, 2013, 10:20 pm

#134 - Sounds like a plan, Mamie. I think it's been sitting on my shelf for so long as I am slightly familiar with the story so haven't been driven by curiosity to pick it up.

#135 - Mmmm, Christmas Cookies! :)

#136 - I loved the movie, L.A. Confidential as well, and that is probably also why I haven't rushed to get the book - my familiarity with the story.

#137 - Hi Pat, I think those are a couple of very good reads so I sure hope you enjoy them. My sister has had her last chemo treatment a few days ago. I am not sure what the next step is, although I do know that she has to come over to Vancouver for a test after Christmas.

#138 - Thanks, Prue. Megan Abbott's first three or four books are all noir type mysteries of which I have read Queenpin and now The Song Is You. Lately she is writing mysteries that are set in current times and I haven't read any of them yet. I think I will try to work through her noir ones first.

140Chatterbox
Déc 2, 2013, 5:36 pm

Christmas cookies made me go off in search of a recipe for almond cookies...

141luvamystery65
Déc 2, 2013, 6:05 pm

Judy - I marked The Song is You as a potential for my Noir/Hardboiled category next year. It sounds very good.

142DeltaQueen50
Déc 2, 2013, 11:31 pm

#140 - I love eating cookies, but have have very little patience when it come to baking them myself. I'd rather make muffins, squares or cakes.

#141 - I think that book would be a great choice for your hard-boiled category, Roberta.

143DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Déc 6, 2013, 12:29 pm

177. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - 3.6 ★
13 in 13 Category: Dora Saint - Reader's Choice
December AlphaCat: L
50 States Reading Challenge: South Carolina
TIOLI #4: Secrets & Lies




Set in South Carolina during 1964, The Secret Life of Bees is an eloquent and emotional coming-of-age story about a young girl called Lily who is being raised by a harsh and unloving father. Shadowing Lily’s life are the sad events that occurred the day her mother died. Lily has been raised by a black woman, Rosaleen, and when Rosaleen gets into trouble with three racists and is beaten and thrown in jail, Lily is able to free her and the two embark on a life altering trip to find a place of safety and love.

I was a little sceptical about this book, fearing it would be overly sentimental but both the story and the writing won me over. A young white girl living with a group of eccentric black women who teach her about not only the meaning of family but also of the empowerment of women made for a poignant and touching tale. That the book is written in a strong authentic southern voice made the characters come alive and the story seamless.

There does seem to be a running theme in many books by southern authors these days of white girls learning life lessons while getting love and security from a black woman but even though the plot was familiar, I enjoyed this particular book and would recommend The Secret Life of Bees to anyone who enjoys this type of story.

144thornton37814
Déc 3, 2013, 12:53 pm

The Secret Life of Bees is one of those books I keep meaning to read and never get around to reading.

145jnwelch
Déc 3, 2013, 12:54 pm

Well said, Judy. I liked this one, too.

146Crazymamie
Déc 3, 2013, 1:08 pm

Nice review, Judy. I really liked that book, too.

147rosalita
Déc 3, 2013, 2:48 pm

I've always seen that one recommended all over the place but have never read it. It sounds promising. Nice review, Judy!

148DeltaQueen50
Déc 3, 2013, 3:05 pm

#144 - Lori, The Secret of Bees had been on my wishlist a long time as well, what finally gave me the push was deciding to read a book for my long neglected 50 States Challenge. Now that I have South Carolina completed, I have 5 more states to go.

#145 & #146 - It's a hard book not to like, I was skeptical before I started it, but was totally pulled into the story and before I knew it was lost in that drowsy, hot summer on the Honey Farm.

149DeltaQueen50
Déc 3, 2013, 3:14 pm

And now it's time to confess. I spent my Cyber Monday NOT buying presents for other people, but in adding more books to my overloaded Kindle. Saved a lot of money and added the following:

Trumpets West by Luke Short - classic western
Last Stand At Saber River by Elmore Leonard - love this author
The Zona by Nathan L. Yocum - saw Richard's recommendation
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - on my wishlist
Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers - the next in the series that's not on my shelf
Jealous Woman by James M. Cain - I think I bought this just for the cover!

Bullet for a Star by Stuart Kaminsky *
Murder on the Yellow Brick Road by Stuart Kaminsky*
You Bet Your Life by Stuart Kaminsky*

* I haven't read anything by this author but this series looked to be set in Hollywood in the 1940's and I love that era and any references to old movies. Does anyone know anything about this series?

150rosalita
Déc 3, 2013, 3:27 pm

Judy, confession is good for the soul, right? I just snagged The Goldfinch as well, along with The Son and Burial Rites, all of which look excellent. What makes ebook sales so irresistible?!

151DeltaQueen50
Déc 3, 2013, 3:44 pm

I was just over on your thread, Julia, and saw that The Son was on at a reduced price, so I just added that one as well.

I feel a little guilty but when I see that I acquired 10 books and spent no more than $20.00, well, you just can't be guilty about that!

E-books are deadly though, push a button here, push a button there, before you know it you have hundreds of books waiting to be read!

152rosalita
Déc 3, 2013, 3:52 pm

The bargain prices definitely help me feel less guilty! I figure I would happily pay $2.99 for any of those books at a used bookstore, and this isn't really any different except they don't take up space.

I am really going to have to be serious about making reading my own books one of my challenges for next year. I may have to cut myself off from the library (eek!)

153DeltaQueen50
Déc 3, 2013, 3:59 pm

Another upside is your $2.99 copy is fresh and new, no worries about ripped pages or strange smells or stains. My last library book had the stranges bright yellow stain on one of the pages, don't think I want to know where it came from!

I am planning on tracking my off the shelf reading carefully next year and have set a goal of 60% to be off my shelves. Actually I should up that goal to 70%!

154rosalita
Déc 3, 2013, 4:33 pm

Good points, Judy! If I keep buying 16 books every two days I'll need to make my off-the-shelf percentage about 90%!

155Crazymamie
Déc 4, 2013, 7:49 pm

OH. Good. Comrades. I NEED to concentrate on on the shelf next year - so nice to know what lovely company I will have.

156rosalita
Modifié : Déc 4, 2013, 8:57 pm

There is strength in numbers, Mamie!

157Crazymamie
Déc 4, 2013, 8:35 pm

Yes, ma'am!

158DeltaQueen50
Déc 4, 2013, 11:10 pm

Oh good, we can encourage each other to look to our shelves for the buried treasures we are sure to find there.

159DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Déc 6, 2013, 12:29 pm

178. London Calling by Edward Bloor - 3.7 ★
13 in 13 Category: J.M. Barrie - YA and Children's Literature
December AlphaCat: L
Reading Through Time Monthly Theme: Time Travel
TIOLI #1: Has a 2 Word Tag That Starts With the Same Letter




I quite enjoyed London Calling by Edward Bloor, a time travelling story where a young American boy from 2005 travels back to 1940 London during the Blitz by way of an old radio that he inherited from his grandmother. He meets up with another young boy who seems to expect him and who requires him to witness certain events. These events are then used in the future to resolve certain issues. Along the way, his family gets a new direction that puts them on the road to healing.

This is a YA book and I think a very good one, but it is very slow at the start and I don’t know if it would hold the attention of a younger person long enough for them to get immersed in the plot. If they stick with it, they will be rewarded with a very good story that is interesting and has a degree of complexity. The main character is a Catholic and spiritual beliefs come into play as well.

London Calling would be an excellent introduction or jumping off place for young readers to learn about the Blitz.

160luvamystery65
Déc 4, 2013, 11:27 pm

Judy I love your Kindle shopping shenanigans! I picked up a few but then had to tell myself if the library had it then I really shouldn't get it. *sigh*

I really liked The Secret Lives of Bees when I read it.

161DeltaQueen50
Déc 4, 2013, 11:31 pm

Roberta, I added a couple more today:

American Boy by Larry Watson

and to read with my granddaughter:

The Dolls' House by Rumer Godden

Now, I have told myself quite sternly "That's it!"

162Matke
Déc 5, 2013, 8:06 am

Hi, Judy. Just drifted through your thread and came away with 5 for the WL. I may have to check out The Winthrop Woman since I have fond memories of reading it back in my previous life.
You've done a remarkable amount of reading this year! Sending you the very best wishes for quick and successful surgery.
Glad to see many of us are planning to read off the shelves next year. "Buy with 1 Click" has certainly become a problem for me. As I do some rearranging of physical books, I'm astonished at the variety and extent of my collection.

163Crazymamie
Déc 5, 2013, 8:39 am

Judy, I have not read that one by Edward Bloor, although I do think we have it on the shelves somewhere. I have, however, read Tangerine by him, and I absolutely loved it - so did all of my kids. Highly recommended if you have not yet read that one. No time travel, though.

164humouress
Déc 5, 2013, 11:31 pm

Hi, Judy. I haven't been by in quite a while. My dad is also due for cataract surgery next year (but the cataracts aren't quite ready to be removed, apparently, so he has to wait); but my mum had it years ago. When she came home, she said she didn't realise the house was so dusty! (Though, personally, I thought it was fine.) Best of luck - it'll be fine.

For all the book bullets I've caught up on, here's a suggestion for you. Have you read Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher mysteries? They're set in Melbourne (Australia), between the wars; they seem like they'd be up your street.

165DeltaQueen50
Déc 6, 2013, 12:03 am

I am exhausted this evening as I spent the day Christmas shopping with my youngest daughter. I am very close to being finished which is making me happy. Our renovations have been put in and the new pantry, office, music room looks great. When I have more energy I will try to take a picture and post it. The grandkids are coming for the weekend so we will probably put up the tree with them on Saturday, I think I am finally getting a little of that famous Christmas spirit!

#162 - Hi Gail, it's great to see you. I have been remiss in visiting your thread as well, this whole year just seems to be slipping away at an incredible speed! I loved my re-read of The Winthrop Woman and I see that Ilana has just read another one I recently read and enjoyed, Dragonwyck and she gave a rave review. I would like to work more Anya Seton into my reading, I have The Hearth and the Eagle on my shelves so will start with that one.

#163 - Mamie, I noticed that Edward Bloor has written quite a few children's books, I will have to investigate. Tangerine will be the subject of my first investigation!

#164 - Hi Nina, I have to admit that I have been in lurk-mode on your thread lately. I have the first two Phryne Fisher books on my Kindle, I think I picked them up as a daily deal not too long ago. We are doing both a geography challenge and a mystery challenge at the Category Challenges next year and I hope to read at least the first one for one of those.

Oh no, are you telling me that I am going to have cataract surgery and then have an overwhelming desire to clean my house!!! Now I am a little nervous about how dusty my house is going to look, it's kinda nice when you just don't see it. ;)

166EBT1002
Déc 6, 2013, 10:48 am

Hmmm...... tentatively considering the goal of 60% of 2014 reads being off the shelves and already owned. The stacks (they no longer fit on the shelves, they haven't done so for a very long time!) are about to take over the bedroom......

Hi Judy!

167luvamystery65
Déc 6, 2013, 11:04 am

Judy - This reminded me of Lord Grizzly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDCY56azew8

"The manliest low calorie soda..." LOL!

168DeltaQueen50
Déc 6, 2013, 12:27 pm

#166 - I fear that all of us LTers are in danger of being crushed by the piles of books we all have. For our own safety we should all plan on reducing those piles next year!

#167 - LOL is right, Roberta! I love how he just peels some bark off the tree for breakfast - now that's manly!

169DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Déc 8, 2013, 6:08 pm

179. The Book of Lies by Mary Horlock - 3.3 ★
13 in 13 Category: Ariana Franklin - Historical Mystery
December AlphaCat: L
TIOLI #4: Secrets & Lies




I found The Book of Lies by Mary Horlock to be both interesting and informative, but unfortunately I also found myself struggling to finish the book. I didn’t mind that I disliked all the characters, they were well developed and distinct, but the stories just didn’t hold my interest or were able to draw me in. I say stories as the book, set on Guernsey Island, actually covers two, in one we are introduced to a 1980’s teenager, Catherine, who informs us that she has murdered her best friend. She is writing down the events that led up to this tragedy and we learn how insecure, truth-stretching Catherine was ever so grateful for the friendship Nicolette offered, that she apparently didn’t see how Nic was using her for her own benefit. Nic eventually turned her back on Catherine and ensured through her bulling and belittling that Catherine once again was a social outcast. Along with Catherine’s story, is that of her uncle’s anguish over events that happened on Guernsey during the German occupation of the 1940’s.

These are stories that are about the truth, but as seen through the eyes of one who only knows half the story, the truth becomes rather flexible. The lines here are blurred and fluid. I did feel that the author, who grew up on Guernsey, captured the claustrophobic feeling of living on an small island where everyone either knows or is related to everyone excellently

I found it slightly jarring to be in one time period and then suddenly in another. I was surprised that of the two, I actually preferred Catherine’s story and I did quite like how these stories were wrapped up. Overall, The Book of Lies was an original idea but for me, it just feel short of the mark.

170thornton37814
Déc 6, 2013, 6:39 pm

Judy> I'd love to reduce my TBR pile. I do think I'm making progress on cutting down the on-hand stock because I'm making myself rely on the library more. The problem is that the list of books I want to read is running in the thousands now (and that doesn't include what's on hand that hasn't been read). It's a balancing act.

171PaulCranswick
Déc 6, 2013, 7:23 pm

Two years ago I joined a misguided group with Caro, Darryl and others to Read More Than You Buy. After staying strong for five weeks last Jan-Feb I of course failed miserably if less spectacularly than this year.
I would like to start next year with similar ideals but I am afraid people will only laugh at me. I do need to read more and buy less but I have to be realistic too.

Have a lovely weekend Judy.

172Chatterbox
Déc 6, 2013, 10:28 pm

*chortling at Paul's optimism*

*kicking myself at being so unsupportive*

173jnwelch
Déc 7, 2013, 12:11 pm

What drew you to The Book of Lies, Judy? I applaud you for taking a chance on it. I try to do the same thing, and the result is some winners, and some close and not so close losers.

174humouress
Déc 7, 2013, 5:32 pm

>172 Chatterbox:: *ditto*
;0)

175EBT1002
Déc 8, 2013, 1:40 am

Reading more than we buy. Ha. That's all I have to say about that.

176souloftherose
Déc 8, 2013, 2:54 pm

Judy, just popped over to see what you made of The Book of Lies. I think I enjoyed it a bit more than you did and found it quite gripping but I'm still not sure it quite hit the mark.

Spoilers: I was a bit surprised that there didn't seem to be any lies/twistsin Catherine's tale of what happened to Nicolette. There were in both her uncle's account and the mystery of what happened to her father but I was expecting there to be something like that in each storyline from the title. Maybe I missed it?

177DeltaQueen50
Déc 8, 2013, 6:03 pm

I've been AWOL for the last couple of days as my grandchildren were visiting for the weekend. We did get the house decorated top to bottom for Christmas and having them here made it a lot of fun. My granddaughter and I started reading The Doll's House by Rumer Godden and we both are loving it. It's a fun book to read aloud and Camille has been totally drawn into it. When we weren't reading it, she was drawing pictures and talking about it. It is such a joy to me that she not only tolerates my reading to her, but that she loves the older stories. I can certainly see more Rumer Godden in our future!

#170 - Lori, your recent reviews of the Rumer Godden books that you have been reading gave me the idea of trying one with my granddaughter and I thank you for that. "Balancing Act" indeed, I think we all have to realize that not buying books is pretty much impossible, but if I can ensure that 65-70% comes from own shelves, than at least I am moving them along fairly quickly and can avoid excessive guilt.

#171 - Paul, I do remember when you joined that Ban on Buying Books and I admit that I giggled a little and sympathized a lot over your failure. Maybe if you set yourself a smaller target and ensure that a certain percentage of what you read comes from your shelves it would work better for you. Let's face it, when it comes to books 'Cold Turkey' doesn't work!

#172 & #174 - I suspect we all get a certain amount of gratification in Paul's purchases, I know I have pointed his book lists to my husband as proof that there are people out there who buy a lot more books than me.

#173 - Joe, I have read a few books about Guernsey Island and find myself quite intriqued by that location. I am sure that I must have read a review of The Book of Lies here on LT and as I like books that have twists or unexpected events I thought this would be a good read for me. It almost was a good read, I think for me it just didn't go far enough.

#175 - I think we all share that opinion, Ellen. I suspect we are fooling ourselves if we think otherwise.

#176 - Hi Heather, I think I was hoping for the book to go further than it did, and I also was expecting that Catherine's story would have more of a twist, (SPOILERS follow) although I have the feeling that things were about to catch up to her as I don't think Michael had any intention of taking her with him when he leaves the island, and as she had written everything down she was probably going to be exposed. The uncle's story didn't grab me but you're right it did have more lies and twists and I quite liked the ending. As to her father's death, that was interesting as well since the reader could interpret it a number of ways. I can't really put my finger on why I didn't really like this book more, other than I did find the writing a little flat and stodgy, I think I would have like a lighter touch and maybe a little black humor included.

178DeltaQueen50
Déc 8, 2013, 6:08 pm

180. Winter Thunder by Mari Sandoz - 3.8 ★
13 in 13 Category: Edgar Rice Burroughs - Adventure
TIOLI #8: Winter in the Title or Author's Name




After her own niece, a young school teacher, and some of her pupils were lost and found in a harsh blizzard in 1949, Mari Sandoz wrote the novella Winter Thunder to describe a similar event. A twenty-three year old teacher along with the sixteen year old bus driver and a small group of children are stranded after a sudden storm wipes out any trace of the road. Eventually the bus tips over, catches fire and they are stranded in open country, miles from any ranch house. This small group must find some kind of shelter in order to wait out the blizzard. Showing great resourcefulness and courage they manage to cling to each other and to life for a number of days until rescue comes.

The author makes no effort to soften this story. These winter storms that could and often did hit suddenly were deadly to be stranded in. This young teacher had to deal with food shortages, sickness among the children, a young man, the bus driver, who thought he should try and strike out across the country on his own, and at least one case of extreme frostbite. So much responsibility was on her young shoulders and I do believe the author meant this to be tribute to her niece.

I applaud the fact that this very short story was named one of the ten best American Short Novels by Reader’s Digest and although this is far from a thriller, the author quietly draws the reader into this survival story and I found Winter Thunder to be a compelling tale.

179tymfos
Déc 9, 2013, 8:09 pm

Hi, Judy! Great review of Winter Thunder. That one sounds like one I'd like to read. A while back I read the excellent non-fiction The Children's Blizzard, about a long-ago blizzard that claimed many young lives, also with some amazing survival stories.

I think most of us here probably buy more than we'll ever read, but it sure is fun! And, true, e-books are just too easy to acquire.

180DeltaQueen50
Déc 9, 2013, 10:51 pm

Hi Terri, I also read The Children's Blizzard and thought it was a very good book. Just a note of caution, although considered a novel, this is a very short book of approx. 70 pages, so really is more like a short story, I wouldn't want you to pay a full book price and then be disappointed at how short the story actually is.

181rosalita
Déc 10, 2013, 1:07 pm

Judy, a friend only recently recommended Mari Sandoz to me, whom I had never heard of before (bad Julia). That sounds like a great one to maybe start with. I am somewhat fascinated by extreme weather stories, I must admit.

182DeltaQueen50
Déc 10, 2013, 3:24 pm

#181 - I am a big fan of survival books of any type, Julia, but the few I have read that are about the blizzards on the great plains of America are quite enthralling.

183DeltaQueen50
Déc 10, 2013, 3:27 pm

181. The Broken Shore by Peter Temple - 4.3 ★
13 in 13 Category: Henning Mankell - Global Crime
December AwardCat: 2006 Long List, Miles Franklin Award
TIOLI #3: Rolling Challenge by Country




The Broken Shore by Peter Temple is a above-average police procedural that had me engrossed for days. Joe Cashin, a Melbourne homicide detective has been assigned to the rural area in south-eastern Australia that he grew up in. He is recovering from injuries that were sustained while on the job. Now having to deal with constant pain is part of his life. Unfortunately, small-town doesn’t mean small crime as all too soon Joe finds himself involved in a murder investigation of a prominent local man.

The plot unfolds slowly but the style and sense of place were riveting. The author doles out information, letting the reader slowly put the facts together both on Joe’s back story and with the investigation. I have a feeling that this story with it’s racial tensions, corruption at various levels and such a dark view on humanity in general is one that would be familiar in many countries. The author also knew when to give the reader a break from such a bleak outlook and his use of humor was spot on. Of course, I just have to mention the two wonderful Standard Poodles that Joe has, these are not pampered show-dogs, but actual hunting hounds and it is very clear that this author knows not only dogs but this particular breed of dog.

I have checked and it appears that there is a further book set in this area, but it also appears that the main character in the next book is not Joe Cashin, but his immediate supervisor and friend who had a supporting role in The Broken Shore. I will definitely be looking for this book and keeping my fingers crossed that this author returns to Joe's story as I would really like to read more about him.

184katiekrug
Déc 10, 2013, 6:40 pm

Nice review, Judy. I have this one on the TBR shelves...

185BLBera
Déc 11, 2013, 8:51 pm

Hi Judy - Wow! There's a lot going on here. I think if I could aim for 30% of my reading being off the shelf, it might be realistic? It would be nice to read things and pass some on.

The Broken Shore sounds good. I haven't read any Ellroy either, but would like to try him.

I know what you mean about the ebooks being so easy to buy. I pretend they don't count.

Hooray for getting the house decorated. I've done a little. I suspect it will be more fun when Scout is a little older.

186DeltaQueen50
Déc 11, 2013, 10:43 pm

#184 - Thanks, Katie. I think you'll like it when you get to it.

#185 - Hi Beth, I have been reading up a storm just lately as I have quite a pile that I wanted to get finished before the year ends. I remember when we had to be careful of the decorations as the little ones like to put everything into their mouths. Enjoy all the time you can with her, they grow up far too quickly!

187DeltaQueen50
Déc 11, 2013, 10:45 pm

182. Un Lun Dun†† by China Mieville - 4.0
13 in 13 Category: Hans Christian Andersen - Fantasy
December RandomCat: Auld Acquaintances
TIOLI #2: What's On Your Holiday Table?




China Mieville has been classed as one of the author’s of the new weird style of fantasy fiction, and in Un Lun Dun his replica of London becomes a fantastic, surprising and at times slightly disturbing image, but as this book is aimed at a younger audience, he appears to have a tighter control on his creations. Un Lun Dun has a charm and whimsy that will definitely set younger minds at ease.

The book is set in two London’s. The real London and another distorted, magical one where the garbage comes to life and the buses fly. This other London, the Un Lun Dun, is threatened by a growing pollution, called Smog. However, unlike the pollution that we know in our world, over there the Smog has thoughts, feelings and a plan to take over.

The book does move along at a fast pace and I truly think this would be an excellent read for a fantasy loving child. In fact, I may be reading this again, but to my Granddaughter, as I think she would love it, and enjoy the humor that the author has slyly inserted. I also enjoyed that not only does he turn London on it’s head, he also has inverted the familiar plot of “the chosen one”. For me somewhere around a 3.3 star read, but I am giving it 4 stars as I believe this would delight it’s targeted audience.

188cammykitty
Déc 11, 2013, 10:54 pm

Hunting poodles! Got to love it! That's what they were initially bred for, and what I've heard from friends that have them, hunting and love of the water is gone from so many of them. I may have to look into that book.

& interested in your review The Curse of Chalion. It's one of three books (okay, four books) that I'm thinking of reading next.

189DeltaQueen50
Déc 11, 2013, 11:02 pm

Hi Katie, I loved the parts of The Broken Shore that was about these dogs. You could tell that the author knew about dogs. I hope you do choose The Curse of Chalion, it's really good. :)

190luvamystery65
Déc 11, 2013, 11:09 pm

Judy - I agree with your assessment of Un Lun Dun. I think it would be a perfect read for your Granddaughter. I plan on sharing it with my great nieces at some point. They are only 18 months right now so it will be a few year yet. I loved Deeba and thought I would have loved to read this story when I was younger.

191Storeetllr
Déc 12, 2013, 12:48 am

I've been wanting to read Un Lun Dun for awhile now, though Meiville isn't my favorite author. Or, perhaps it would be more truthful to say that his novels make me work harder to understand them than I sometimes want.

192humouress
Déc 12, 2013, 2:02 am

>188 cammykitty:: yay for Chalion! Oops, sorry - did I say that before?

Book bullet! Un Lun Dun.

193Carmenere
Déc 12, 2013, 8:14 am

Howdy Judy, Wow, you've read some awesome books since October. So let me get this straight, not all Zane Grey books are like Purple Sage, is that right? Well, I may give him another chance to redeem himself sometime in the future.
Hope all is merry and bright in your neck of the woods.

194DeltaQueen50
Déc 12, 2013, 9:39 pm

Another day spent Christmas shopping, but I have just about finished and the little bit that's left I can do locally without driving into the city. YEAH!!!

#190 - Roberta, my granddaughter. Camille, will be 10 next summer and I think she will be ready for this book by then, expecially if we read it together. She loves words and always wants to know the meaning of any word that she is unfamiliar with, she also often surprises me with the questions she asks so I have to be on my toes when I read with her.

#191 - Mary, I would say that you should give Un Lun Dun a try, this is definitely a much more accessible China Mieville that his adult books.

#192 - I agree, Nina, yay for Chalion!! :)

#193 - Lynda, as you know I really didn't care for Riders of the Purple Sage but I have read other Zane Grey's that I have enjoyed. Of course, his books are always quite dated, and he can be very moralistic, but I think, for example, his Ohio Trilogy, which is loosely based on his own family's history worked well with his style of writing.

195msf59
Déc 12, 2013, 9:48 pm

Hi Judy- Good review of The Broken Shore. Understandably, I am very hesitant on starting another crime series. LOL, but this does sound good.
I've been meaning to get to The Children's Blizzard forever. Fortunately, I have a copy on shelf.

196luvamystery65
Déc 13, 2013, 9:11 am

I am very hesitant on starting another crime series Oh Mark you made chuckle! The King of book recommenders.

197DeltaQueen50
Déc 13, 2013, 9:25 pm

#195 - I know how you feel Mark, but since there are only two books in this series, I am going to risk it! Of course you may want to look away from the next book I am going to review, as it turned out to be a excellent and very twisted mystery. Unfortunately this second book is the first of another series!

#196 - We do get a lot of recs from Mark, I am thinking that one year one of my categories over at the Category Challenge will be "Books Recommended by Mark"!

198msf59
Déc 13, 2013, 9:49 pm

Oh, you guys exaggerate! Sure, there might be a book here and there. One or two possibly, sometimes less. You people and your TALL TALES.

199DeltaQueen50
Déc 14, 2013, 2:05 pm

#198 - Face it, Mark. you are a virtual fountain of book recommendations! ;)

200DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Déc 14, 2013, 2:11 pm

183. Good People by Ewart Hutton - 4.3 ★
Category: Lawrence Block - Male Authors of Crime
Commonwealth Challenge: Wales
TIOLI #9: A Book From the Kirkus Reviews List of Best Fiction 2013




Good People by Ewart Hutton is the first of a mystery series set in Wales. The main character, D.S. Glyn Capaldi, has been sent from the city of Cardiff to the rural district of central Wales as a punishment for breaking the rules, something he is all too fond of doing. This is an area populated by “good people”, people with strong, moral attitudes and an area where major crime simply doesn’t exist.

But one night six men and a young woman disappear, and when they are found the next day only five have returned. These five are well known young men of the community and they have a good explanation about what happened. The local police accept the story and are ready to close the book on the affair, but Capaldi remains unconvinced. On his own, he digs deeper and starts to uncover a web of lies and deceit that lead him to a depth of moral corruption that is horrifying.

This story is complex and twisting. Just when you think you have figured out where it’s going, it takes another turn. Capaldi is a very engaging character, but I was left scratching my head at how quickly he was able to put the pieces together, if he is that smart, then how did he let himself fall from grace and get posted to this remote area in the first place. That said, I still was quite impressed with this first book and plan to continue on with the series. A word of warning about the degree of sexual depravity that this book contains, the storyline becomes quite gruesome in places but overall, I found Good People to be a dark and engrossing thriller.

201BLBera
Déc 14, 2013, 3:00 pm

Hi Judy - It sounds like you are ready for Christmas. Do you have big family plans? Good People sounds interesting - I'm not usually a fan of "gruesome," but it sounds like a promising series.

202PaulCranswick
Déc 15, 2013, 4:05 am

Judy - I do like the books by Peter Temple, a rare example of a thriller writer winning a major literary prize. He won the Miles Franklin Prize for his book Truth which I hope to get to soon.

Smiled at you showing off my own folly to excuse your own book-buying-habit. Of course I don't mind in the slightest, so long as SWMBO doesn't catch on to the extent of my buying. Up to 1,080 physical books bought this year which is an average of 90 books per month whilst I average reading about 13 books a month!

Have a lovely weekend, dear Guru.

203Donna828
Déc 15, 2013, 11:37 am

Judy, I think I may have my Christmas shopping done, too. I have three more presents to wrap on the dining room table and expect two more from Amazon early in the week. Whew! This is the first year I did over half my shopping online. I really enjoy the tactile experience in a real store but the weather and time constraints made me change gears. Not a bad experience so far. I hope there are no exchanges to be made when presents are opened.

Yes, Mark, is my No. 1 cheerleader for books. It is hard to resist his enthusiasm. It's also hard to resist those e-books. I tend to agree with the comment that they shouldn't count. At least I don't have the problem of finding a place on the crowded bookshelves for them.

204DeltaQueen50
Déc 15, 2013, 6:21 pm

Since we were up early this morning, my husband and I went out for a nice breakfast. Now I am relaxing while browing LT and hope to fit some reading time in later.

#201 - Beth, I am very lucky in that my daughters live close to me, so after the grandkids open their gifts and stockings at their house, both my daughters families come here for presents and brunch. Then my youngest daughter and her husband usually head off to spend the remainder of the day with his family. My oldest daughter and her family go home to allow the kids time to play with their new gifts and they cook the Christmas dinner, so after a quiet nap, my husband and I will join them for dinner. So a great day filled with family and not too much work since we share it out. On Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) I will be going over to Vancouver Island to spend some time with my mother.

#202 - Paul, Truth appears to be the sequel to The Broken Shore although with a different main character. I am also looking forward to it.
I've haven't kept an exact count of the books that I have bought this year but I am pretty sure that it is nowhere near your total although I do know even after having read 112 books off my shelves & Kindle, they are both still stuffed to the brim!

#203 - Donna, I am taking today off from Christmas, but first thing tomorrow I will start my wrapping. I haven't done much on-line shopping (except for books) but I am definitely going to be looking into doing more of my shopping that way. Anything to avoid the crowds not to mention the horror of finding a parking spot!

205humouress
Déc 17, 2013, 10:21 am

Sounds like a lovely, relaxed day.

206DeltaQueen50
Déc 17, 2013, 3:28 pm

#205 - Nina, it was a nice relaxing day, and now this week I am finishing up the wrapping, finalizing my brunch menu and assembling grocery lists. I feel very much ahead of things this year and keep waiting for something to go wrong.

207DeltaQueen50
Déc 17, 2013, 3:31 pm

184. The New Sonia Wayward by Michael Innes - 4.1 ★
Category: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Classic Mysteries
TIOLI #10: Read a Book With a Predominantly Blue Cover




Sonia Wayward is a well known writer of formula romance novels. When she suddenly drops dead while on a yachting holiday, her husband, Colonel Petticate, slips her body overboard and proceeds to cover up her death, telling people that Sonia has gone abroad on a little holiday. He finishes her current novel and submits it for publication and is not at all surprised in the slightest that this book is very well received. He is prepared to carry on with his deception in order to continue living his comfortable life of ease and quiet refinement.

The New Sonia Wayward is a very clever book, but does ask for a huge leap of faith from its readers to believe that Colonel Petticate would throw his wife’s body overboard. It is never fully explained why he wouldn’t report her natural death and then carry on living from the royalties that she has acquired. However, as you read about this character, his actions seem to fit in with his rather nasty self-serving personality.

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive”! This old saying certainly fits as Colonel Petticate has a difficult time to keep things from unravelling and is struggling to keep the truth from surfacing. Both it’s withering look at the literary world and following Petticate as he sweats through the various complications that arise made for a very humorous read. Added to that is the author’s light prose and spirited dialogue which elevated The New Sonia Wayward to a much higher level.

208thornton37814
Déc 17, 2013, 10:18 pm

Judy, I can't quite decide if I would like that last one or not. A part of me thinks I would, and a part of me thinks I wouldn't. I guess I'll just think on it for awhile.

209DeltaQueen50
Déc 18, 2013, 12:24 am

Lori, it was very different from what I expected. Really not a mystery at all, and even though most every character is pretty unlikeable, it was both a fun and interesting read.

210DeltaQueen50
Déc 18, 2013, 5:07 pm

185. The Secret River by Kate Grenville - 5.0 ★
13 in 13 Category: Xinran - Global Reading - Australia
December Award Cat: Miles Franklin Award Shortlist (2006)
TIOLI #4: The Words Secrets of Lies in the Title




Author Kate Grenville paints a powerful picture of the conditions that were awaiting the early convicts that were transported to Australia and the conflict between them and the Aborigines in The Secret River. Sent to this new and strange land not by personal choice but from conviction by an English court and, after working off their sentence, it was very difficult to return to England. Instead they were encouraged to claim a piece of land from this seemingly empty continent. Of course the fact that it was populated by a native population was discounted and these people were dismissed as “naked savages”. That this was the way of things time and time again as white people “discovered” new continents does not make this story any less harsh.

William Thornhill was born into the lowest class of English society, raised in poverty, and even though trained as a waterman on the Thames River, still had to rely on petty thievery as a way of making ends meet. He was eventually caught and sentenced to be transported to Australia. Along with his pregnant wife and young son, he embarked on a life changing adventure. It wasn’t long before Thornhill knew that he had no desire to return to England, that he and his children had a far better chance at improving themselves by staying in Australia. His wife, Sal, felt different and was counting the days until they could return. Taking up property and building themselves into people of consideration was his goal, but standing in the way were the Aborigines who felt that these interlopers had no right to fence the land or claim the crops as their own. When violence escalated, Thornhill had to make a difficult decision. Pack up and leave or stay and sweep the Aborigines from his land.

This was a wonderful piece of historical fiction both well written and researched. The characters, especially William Thornhill are complex, multi faceted people that express real human emotions. There is a general sense of foreboding as we can see both a future confrontation between Will and his wife, as well as the build up of tensions with the natives. The author tells a very emotional story without the reader feeling manipulated. This is an in-depth look at how this land was settled by violence through mutual incomprehension and lack of understanding.

211Storeetllr
Déc 18, 2013, 7:20 pm

Hi, Judy! I'm so impressed with your preparation for the holidays. Me? I don't even know yet where I'll be celebrating Christmas. I do have most of my knitting done (scarves and hats for the nieces and my sister, though I don't know yet who will be getting which set).

212DeltaQueen50
Déc 18, 2013, 10:27 pm

Mary, I am usually a bit of Scrooge at Christmas finding it all a too much but this year, I actualy have the Christmas spirit and I am enjoying getting everything ready for the holidays.

I have made a reservation on the 11:00 am ferry on Boxing Day (day after Christmas) to go over and visit with my Mom and other family members. Really looking forward to that. I guess when I get back it will be time to set up my first 2014 thread!

213scaifea
Déc 19, 2013, 6:41 am

I've got the Christmas spirit something fierce this year; I suspect it has something to do with having a 5-year-old in the house... And I had the same thought about our post-Christmas traveling as you: we'll get back home on the 31st, which will be just in time to wrap up the 2013 thread and start the new 2014 one! Exciting, no?

214susiesharp
Déc 19, 2013, 2:26 pm

The Secret River sounds really good adding it to the pile!

215msf59
Déc 19, 2013, 2:49 pm

Great review of The Secret River! I loved it too! Hope the week is going well.

216DeltaQueen50
Déc 19, 2013, 10:15 pm

#213 - I bet having a five-year-old in the house does help with the Christmas spirit. I know having the grandkids up to visit gives us that little shot that we need. Camille, who is nine, is a little concerned that perhaps she wasn't quite good enough this year and as she puts it, she's trying to "clean up her act" so there's lots of stuff under the tree for her. To her everlasting chagrin, her elder brother is just naturally well behaved. I admit to having a great deal of sympaty for her, as I had an older sister who was always much better behaved than I.

#214 - Susie, I've picked up so many book bullets from your thread recently, it's good to know I am reciprocating. :)

#215 - Mark, have you read any of the other in Grenville's Colonial Trilogy? I am quite eager to get to the next one.

217Crazymamie
Déc 20, 2013, 4:49 am

All caught up here, Judy. What a nice bunch of reviews! I am trying not to add to my WL, but I don't know how to come to your thread and NOT do that! Your Christmas preparations sound lovely - you are certainly embracing the season. I laughed out loud when I read about your granddaughter trying to "clean up her act" in time for the holiday! Too funny! What a delight she must be!!

218alcottacre
Déc 20, 2013, 5:06 am

#210: Great review, Judy. I really must get to that one soon - especially as I own it!

219scaifea
Déc 20, 2013, 7:40 am

>216 DeltaQueen50:: Ha! I love Camille already!

220DeltaQueen50
Déc 20, 2013, 1:25 pm

It's snowing here today and since it started last night, the ground is covered and it is so beautiful outside. We don't get snow often so it's rather a special occasion when we do. Of course it is extra nice knowing that I don't have to go anywhere today and can enjoy the winter wonderland without the stress of having to drive in it.

#217 - Hi Mamie, I've learned that a major part of LT is the book bullets so now I embrace them. I know I will never get to read all the books I am adding to my wish list but, I never have to complain about not having any reading ideas either. Yes, Camille is a very interesting little girl, she loves reading and loves using words and always has lots to say on just about every subject. I also love that she is still young enough to just chatter away, her older brother, Clayton, at fourteen is much more guarded in his conversation.

#218 - Stasia, you have a great reading experience ahead of you with The Secret River.

#219 - Amber, our two grandchildren are the joy of our lives, Very different from each other, but each so special in their own way. Clayton was an old soul from day one and he and I have also been very simpatico. Camille keeps me young and on my toes! Reminds me a lot of myself at the same age.

221DeltaQueen50
Déc 20, 2013, 1:30 pm

186. A Darcy Christmas †† by Sharon Lathan, Caroline Eberhart and Amanda Grange - 3.1 ★
13 in 13 Category: Dora Saint - Reader's Choice
TIOLI #1: Book Has a 2 Word Tag that Starts With the Same Letter




A Darcy Christmas consists of a Christmas themed trio of novellas that are all involving Jane Austin’s characters from Pride and Prejudice. The first story, Mr. Darcy’s Christmas Carol, just about had me tossing the book across the room, written by Carolyn Eberhart, this was a take-off on the Dickens classic. There was nothing clever about this at all, the author seemed to simply insert the names of the main characters from Pride and Prejudice into the story by Dickens which resulted in an extremely silly story. This should never have been placed first in the book, as it was very off-putting and almost led me to abandon the read.

The second story was much stronger, entitled The Christmas Present by Amanda Grange, it tells the story of a very pregnant Elizabeth and her husband going to visit Jane and Charles Bingley for Christmas. Jane herself, has just had a baby. Many familiar characters show up in this story, from Elizabeth and Jane’s parents to Lady Catherine DeBourgh. This one, I think came the closest to capturing the essence of a Jane Austen novel.

My personal favorite was the third entry, A Darcy Christmas, although this didn’t seem to capture the voice of Jane Austen as well as the previous one, it was much more Christmas-y and that was the reason I was reading the book in the first place, to get a large helping of Christmas. The Christmas Present was a series of chapters and each chapter dealt with a different Christmas through the years at Pemberley.

I wouldn’t recommend this book to Austen purists, as I don’t believe these stories are strong enough to stand up to any comparison to the original, but if you want a story that captures a little Christmas, at least two of the three work quite well.

222richardderus
Déc 20, 2013, 2:52 pm

In happy hopes that 2014 will bring ever greater pleasures to your reading world, Judy:



Celebrate the return of the light with feasts, merriment, and gratitude for all the wonders of this wide green earth.

RMD

223humouress
Déc 20, 2013, 4:19 pm

224lkernagh
Déc 20, 2013, 9:32 pm

You got snow!?! How lovely! I woke up to a temporary presence of slush that was then washed away by the rain. I so wanted a white christmas this year. ;-(

225DeltaQueen50
Déc 20, 2013, 10:17 pm

#222 - What a gorgeous picture! Thank you so much Richard, I am wishing you all the best of the holiday season as well.

#223 - She can be very cute at times, Nina, but she also keeps you on your toes!

#224 - Lori, we got quite a lot of snow today, right now it is quite mild and mushy but apparently it's going to get cold tonight and everything will freeze so we will probably have a right mess tomorrow. And tomorrow I have to go out - ugh!

226alcottacre
Déc 21, 2013, 5:59 am

#220: Stasia, you have a great reading experience ahead of you with The Secret River.

Good to know!

227DeltaQueen50
Déc 22, 2013, 2:09 pm

We paid for our lovely but heavy snowfall with a power outage on Friday night. I guess the heaviness of the snow brought down some power lines. It didn't really affect us as we were having a quiet evening at home so just went to bed early, but I felt sorry for anyone who was entertaining or doing any baking. It went down around 9:30 pm and didn't come again until after midnight.

Last night we had a get together at a neighbour's house which was nice as we don't get to see our neighbours as often as we should. Our neighbourhood is slowly changing as many of us "oldsters" are moving into senior housing and making room for younger families.

228DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Déc 22, 2013, 2:37 pm

187. Corpsing by Toby Litt - 4.2 ★
Category: Graham Greene - Authors I Want to Try
December AlphaCat: L
TIOLI #3: Rolling Challenge by Country




Corpsing by Toby Litt was quite unlike any other book I have read this year. Set in contemporary London, the author writes his story with an stylish flare, and at first the book appears to be a straight forward mystery, but as the story unfolds it’s soon apparent that there is much more going on here than meets the eye. The narrator, Conrad Redman is invited to meet his ex-girlfriend for dinner at a posh restaurant. Hoping for some sort of a reunion he rushes off to meet her. They aren’t sitting at the table very long however, before they are gunned down. Conrad survives the attack, Lily does not.

After his rehab, Conrad is determined to find out what exactly happened and who is behind Lily‘s death. Neither the police nor Lily‘s parents are very forthcoming so Conrad soon takes things into his own hands. The deeper he digs, the more complex and bizarre the story becomes. There are many twists and turns as the readers, along with Conrad, find out who was the catalyst behind this attack and who was the dupe.

Although I found that the story lagged a little in the middle portion of the book, overall I enjoyed this very different read finding it both unique and engrossing. I am looking forward to discovering more books by this author in the future.

229msf59
Déc 22, 2013, 3:05 pm

Hi Judy- The Secret River is the only one of the trilogy that I have read. It sounds like the other books are not as strong, according to a couple other LTers. I'll probably give them a try at some point.
Speaking of Aussies, I started Dirt Music, my first Winton and I am loving it.

230DeltaQueen50
Déc 22, 2013, 3:14 pm

#229 - Hi Mark, I haven't read any Tim Winton and will be interested in your comments on Dirt Music as it appears to get very mixed reviews. I am just starting The Devil's Oasis the third in Bartle Bull's African trilogy. I'll be sorry to finish this as it is the last book of his that I haven't read.

231DeltaQueen50
Déc 22, 2013, 3:38 pm

Over at Mamie's thread, she has listed her top reads of 2013. I have gone through my lists and these are the books I consider my top reads of 2013:

The Sandman Series: Volume One - Ten by Neil Gaiman
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
Let Him Go by Larry Watson
Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
An Ice Cream War by Wiiiam Boyd

I couldn't limited it to five, had enough of a problem keeping it to seven!

A few runner-ups:

The Secret River by Kate Grenville
The Winthrop Woman by Anya Seton
The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey
What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn

232msf59
Déc 22, 2013, 5:26 pm

Judy- I LOVE your list! "Empire" was my favorite read of last year. Plainsong is one of my all-time best. And I adored Trainspotting and Let Him Go. I only read the first few of the Sandman books. I need to start from the beginning. I also have Skippy Dies on shelf.

233DeltaQueen50
Déc 22, 2013, 11:23 pm

Thanks Mark, I think at least three of the above mentioned books were originally recommended to me by YOU! Let's see - Empire of the Summer Moon, Let Him Go and Plainsong. I guess hanging out at your thread has really paid off for me! :)

234ronincats
Déc 22, 2013, 11:37 pm

Judy, I am echoing your experiences this week, with our snow last night and with enjoying my great-nieces and great-nephews at Christmas time. I can't wait to see them open their gifts. Having Christmas with kids around is definitely a different experience.

235BLBera
Déc 22, 2013, 11:44 pm

Hi Judy - I hope you have a lovely Christmas and best wishes for 2014. What a great list of top reads. I'm especially looking at the Grenville and the Tey.

236Crazymamie
Déc 23, 2013, 8:08 am

I have only read one of the books on your list, Judy - Empire of the Summer Moon, and it was one of my favorites from the year even though it just missed making my top 5. I am happy to report that I have the first two books from the Sandman series, Let Him Go, and Plainsong all waiting patiently on my shelves. Skippy Dies is on my WL, thanks to your review earlier this year - sounds like I need to check out those others that you mention.

Happy Monday to you!

237rosalita
Déc 23, 2013, 9:23 am

Judy, that's a great year-end list. I've only read "Plainsong" quite a few years ago, but if I had been tracking my reading back then it certainly would have been in that year's Top 5. I've got my eye on a couple of the others — this Larry Watson fellow seems to be quite popular with the LT crowd, as is "Let Him Go". I've been reading good reviews of "Skippy Dies" for a while, too.

I hope you have a very merry Christmas indeed. Thanks for being a great LT friend in 2013.

238jnwelch
Modifié : Déc 23, 2013, 10:50 am

Chiming in about your year-end list, Judy. Great! I'm a big Sandman and Plainsong fan. I've read the Josephine Tey and like all of hers. Besides those, you've given me a number of books to mull over.

239DeltaQueen50
Déc 23, 2013, 2:13 pm

#234 - Hi Roni, sounds you are going to have a wonderful Christmas with family, young ones and snow. Our snow is gone now, washed away in the rain yesterday, but today is my favorite type of west coast winter day, mild and sunny.

#235 - Hi Beth, I am slowly working my way through Josephine Tey's body of work and I really haven't found a dud yet. I still have Daughter of Time to read and from what I have heard, it could be the best one yet. Wishing you and your family a lovely Christmas.

#236 - Happy Monday to you too, Mamie. I don't want to get all mushy here, but I have enjoyed so much following not just your reading but your life adventures this year. I am sure you and your wonderful family will have a great Christmas and I wish I was close enough to drop by and join in with the festivities.

#237 - I have so enjoyed getting to know you as well, Julia. I remember when I first visited your thread, I was attracted by the name Rosalita and wondered if there was a Springsteen connection. How wonderful that we not only shared a love of the Boss, but also many of the same books as well.

#238 - Hi Joe, I loved discovering the Sandman series this year through the year-long group read, I am looking forward to the Vorkosigan series this year. I have Eventide on my shelves which gives me something to look forward to.

240DeltaQueen50
Déc 23, 2013, 2:19 pm

188. Anne's House of Dreams†† by L.M. Montgomery - 3.8 ★
13 in 13 Category: J.M. Barrie - YA and Children's Literature
December AlphaCat: L
December RandomCat: Auld Acquaintances
TIOLI #3: Rolling Challenge by Country




Anne’s House of Dreams tells the story of Anne’s first couple of years of marriage to Gilbert Blythe. Anne must make her goodbyes to Marilla, Mrs. Lynde and the twins as she and Gilbert will be relocating to the area of Glen St Mary where Gilbert is setting up his practise. Of course first comes their wedding which is held in the old orchard at Green Gables.

Anne is terribly homesick at first, but grows to love her new home, the House of Dreams that she has been wishing for. She also makes some interesting and colourful friends and it isn’t long before she is helping others find their own peace and happiness. She loves married life and even though they are sorely tested by tragedy, she and Gilbert only grow to love each other more.

This entry in the series captures the essence that was missing in the last book. I could quite happily leave this series here and now, but the completist in me will continue on.

241jnwelch
Déc 23, 2013, 2:27 pm

Oh, that Anne Shirley book sounds mighty good, Judy. Somehow I've got to find time to read this series. I've only read the first one.

Eventide is excellent, and I found Benediction maybe the best of all. There may not be many others putting it that high up, but for me it hit all the right notes.

242DeltaQueen50
Déc 23, 2013, 2:45 pm

#241 - Good news, Joe, now I have two excellent Kent Haruf's to look forward to.

243DeltaQueen50
Déc 23, 2013, 3:22 pm

I am going to be popping in and out of LibraryThing over the next couple of days and then I will be away visiting relatives until the New Year. I would like to take this opportunity to pass on my best wishes to everyone for a wonderful holiday.

244humouress
Déc 23, 2013, 3:30 pm

>240 DeltaQueen50:, 241: Do read / finish the Anne series.

For me, Anne of Green Gables will always be the best, but I like them all.

245thornton37814
Déc 23, 2013, 8:39 pm

I hope to re-read at least part of the Anne series next year. However, I've got some other series I want to re-read also. It's sometimes hard to make myself do a re-read with so many things I haven't read tempting me.

246msf59
Déc 23, 2013, 9:41 pm

Merry Christmas, Judy! Once again, I had a fantastic time gabbing about books with you, through-out the year. What would we do without this place?

247PaulCranswick
Déc 24, 2013, 6:31 am



Judy, you were one of my first friends in the group and have remained one of the fastest. Your welcoming abode here is always good for tips and an insightful review.
Have a wonderful Christmas. xx

248Carmenere
Déc 24, 2013, 7:53 am

Judy! wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas from across the border.

249wilkiec
Déc 24, 2013, 9:15 am

Hi Judy,

250BLBera
Déc 24, 2013, 10:25 am

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Judy. I hope your holidays are filled with family and laughter.

251SandDune
Déc 24, 2013, 10:30 am

Judy, have a great Christmas and new Year.

252humouress
Modifié : Déc 24, 2013, 11:13 am



Best wishes for the festive season, Judy, and for 2014.

Enjoy your time with your family; it sounds like fun.

253susanj67
Déc 24, 2013, 11:13 am

Happy Christmas, Judy, and all the best for 2014.

254tymfos
Déc 24, 2013, 12:02 pm

Best wishes, Judy!


glitter-graphics.com

255luvamystery65
Déc 24, 2013, 1:09 pm

Merry Christmas Judy. It has been such a pleasure to follow your reading. Thank you especially for the September Series and Sequels! I took a week off this year and it was splendid. It will soon become a tradition.

256ChelleBearss
Déc 24, 2013, 11:13 pm


Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!

257ronincats
Déc 24, 2013, 11:15 pm

Merry Christmas, Judy!

258Donna828
Déc 24, 2013, 11:25 pm

Judy, nice top of the year list. I especially liked seeing Let Him Go and Plainsong there. Have a lovely Christmas tomorrow and a good visit with your mother, sister, and other family members when you go island hopping to visit. I understand your part of the world better after reading The Sea Runners. Such a beautiful place.

259Chatterbox
Déc 25, 2013, 1:00 am

Merry Happy Joyful Peaceful Festive Christmas! (Why stick with just one adjective???)

Hope you have a lovely day, and that your packages all prove to be 5-star books...

Oh, and you scored a book bullet with The Ice-Cream War by William Boyd. I've already got it on my Kindle, I think from some Kindle sale or other...

260Storeetllr
Déc 25, 2013, 2:05 am



Merry Christmas, Judy, and warm wishes for a wonderful New Year filled with good books. good friends and good times!

261-Cee-
Déc 25, 2013, 7:59 am

Happy Christmas, Judy! Hope Santa brings you lots of books!

262katiekrug
Déc 25, 2013, 4:31 pm

Merry Christmas, Judy!

263Crazymamie
Déc 25, 2013, 7:37 pm



Merry Christmas, Judy! When I saw this image, I immediately thought of you and your love for Westerns! Hoping that your holidays are filled with fabulous. Looking forward to following you again in the New Year - it promises to be another grand adventure!

264EBT1002
Déc 26, 2013, 12:33 pm

Happy Belated Christmas, Judy! Wishing you all the best in 2014!

265lkernagh
Déc 26, 2013, 5:40 pm

Hi Judy - Stopping by with belated Christmas wishes and a

266luvamystery65
Déc 27, 2013, 11:18 pm

Mamie's cowboy Santa is perfect for your thread Judy!

267alcottacre
Déc 27, 2013, 11:52 pm

Happy Holidays, Judy!

268DeltaQueen50
Déc 29, 2013, 12:49 pm

What a lovely surprise it was to open my thread this morning and find all these lovely messages and pictures. I hope everyone had a great Christmas, I certainly did with family and friends along with great food and lots of presents, including a supply of books that let me know my family really did check my wishlist very carefully! I will list all the new books when I return and open my 2014 thread. I am now in Victoria visiting my Mom and family and have had very little reading or computer time, but have been keeping busy.

As many of you know my sister is battling cancer and although we thought she was done with chemo she had to go back and have one more session just before Christmas. They have done a scan and the tumor has shrunk significantly. The next step is a test that she has to go over to Vancouver for which will happen in January. After that the decision will be made about where they will go next. She is in good spirits and we are very positive and hopeful.

I haven't had a lot of reading time, but I do hope to finish two more books before year's end and the closing of this thread. Take care and I look forward to catching up with everyone in January.

269DeltaQueen50
Déc 29, 2013, 12:50 pm

189. An Anne Perry Christmas: Two Holiday Novels by Anne Perry - 3.1 ★
13 in 13 Category: Ariana Franklin - Historical Mysteries
TIOLI #16: Book Title Has An Embedded Word




I was a little let down by this book as I didn't find it giving me much in the way of Christmas nor were the mysteries very compelling. Two novellas, one dealing with a suicide and the other a murder over inheritance, both set at Christmas time. Of the two I preferred the first story, A Christmas Journey, but I highly doubt that I will continue with this series in the future.

270DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Déc 29, 2013, 1:02 pm

Whoops, a double posting!

271jnwelch
Déc 29, 2013, 12:59 pm

Happy Holidays, Judy, and best wishes for a wonderful 2014!

272rosalita
Déc 29, 2013, 12:59 pm

Judy, that's good news about your sister. I'm continuing to send positive thoughts her way. I've not read any Anne Perry but she is tentatively in my 2014 Challenge plans, though looks like that one can be skipped safely.

273Kassilem
Déc 29, 2013, 1:20 pm

I glad thinks are looking positive. Best wishes to her and your family

274Whisper1
Déc 29, 2013, 1:28 pm

Prayers are sent for your sister. Hang tight to the good news.

Like you, I find some of Anne Perry's books mediocore.

275thornton37814
Déc 29, 2013, 6:42 pm

I'm not a huge fan of Perry's Christmas series featuring minor characters. They are ok, but not great.

276BLBera
Déc 29, 2013, 7:04 pm

Happy New Year, Judy. I'll keep my fingers crossed for your sister. It sounds like you are having a wonderful holiday.

277DeltaQueen50
Modifié : Déc 31, 2013, 4:09 pm

Happy New Year, everyone. I am about to post my last book of 2013 and then will be ready to move on to the new 2014 Challenge. This has been an excellent year of reading and chatting about books and life in general here on LT and I thank you all for that. I will be searching for everyone's 2014 threads when I return.

278DeltaQueen50
Déc 31, 2013, 4:10 pm

190. The Devil's Oasis by Bartle Bull - 3.9 ★
13 in 13 Category: Edgar Rice Burroughs - Adventure
December RandomCat: Old Acquaintances
TIOLI #1: Book has a Two Word Tag That Starts With the Same Letter




The Devil's Oasis is the third volume in Bartle Bull's African trilogy. This has been an excellent adventure story that spans the years just after WW I and continues up and into the WW II years. This final story deals with the North African campaign and Rommel's bid for Tobruk. My only quibble with this entry is that I found the story reminded me a lot in the story that was told in volume two.

All the familiar characters from the first two books are here, and the action, romance and intrigue is non-stop whether in the city of Cairo or out on the desert. Even though this third volume is the weakest of the three, I would still recommend this trilogy to anyone who is looking to read an exciting adventure story with an exotic setting.

279Samantha_kathy
Jan 1, 2014, 12:46 pm

Once your 2014 thread is up, please drop a link here and I'll come find you!

280Storeetllr
Jan 1, 2014, 1:57 pm

Happy New Year, Judy! Hope 2014 brings good things. I'm praying for your sis and hope her recovery continues.

281jnwelch
Jan 1, 2014, 3:33 pm

Happy New Year, Judy! Looking forward to another great year on LT.

282PaulCranswick
Jan 2, 2014, 11:44 pm

Looking for you over in the 2014 group, dear Guru. Don't be too long!

283cammykitty
Jan 2, 2014, 11:51 pm

Ah, I remember you talking about the earlier two in The Devil's Oasis series. Still on my WL! So, are you doing 75 & Category Challenge in 2014? Give us some thread urls!

284humouress
Jan 3, 2014, 5:34 am

That's good news about your sister. I hope her recovery continues.

Will look for you in the 2014 group.

285phebj
Jan 3, 2014, 1:28 pm

I've also been looking for your 2014 thread to pop up. Hope all is well.

286Crazymamie
Jan 3, 2014, 1:30 pm

Judy - We really need you over in 2014. We miss you. I, too, am hoping that all is well and that you are just very busy.

287Carmenere
Jan 3, 2014, 1:59 pm

Hey Judy, I hope the news will continue to be good for your sister. Still looking for DeltaQueen's 2014 thread.

288DeltaQueen50
Jan 4, 2014, 8:45 pm

Got back today and my first priority was to set up my 2014 thread. Looking forward to catching up with everyone over the next few days.

Goodbye 2013.