CBL Goes Off to Work in 2014, part 4

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CBL Goes Off to Work in 2014, part 4

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1cbl_tn
Bearbeitet: Sept. 30, 2014, 1:51 pm

Welcome to my 4th 2014 Category Thread! This year's categories are inspired by one of my favorite animated movies, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I will attempt to read 14 books in each of 7 categories for a total of 98 books.

Bashful – Books coaxed from my TBR stash
Doc – Books I read to learn something
Dopey - Books I read just for fun
Grumpy – Books full of murder & mischief
Happy - New books
Sleepy - Cozies, comfort reads, and children’s lit
Sneezy - Old tomes (books originally published before I was born)

2cbl_tn
Bearbeitet: Okt. 26, 2014, 9:57 pm

Bashful - Books coaxed from my TBR stash

1. Praisesong for the Widow by Paule Marshall (4) - completed 1/12/14
2. In Search of Our Roots by Henry Louis Gates Jr. (3.5) - completed 2/25/14
3. The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs. Beeton by Kathryn Hughes (4) - completed 2/28/14
4. The Technologists by Matthew Pearl (4) - completed 3/22/14
5. The Cruel Stars of the Night by Kjell Eriksson (3.5) - completed 4/13/14
6. The Secret Holocaust Diaries by Nonna Bannister (3.5) - completed 4/30/14
7. The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte (3) - completed 5/7/14
8. The Beach at Galle Road by Joanna Luloff (3.5) - completed 5/29/14
9. The Likeness by Tana French (3.5) - completed 6/20/14
10. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (3.5) - completed 7/4/14
11. The Cincinnati Red Stalkings by Troy Soos (4) - completed 7/5/14
12. Necessary As Blood by Deborah Crombie (4.5) - completed 8/23/14
13. Nocturne: A Short Story by Deborah Crombie (3) - completed 8/23/14
14. Murder on Lexington Avenue by Victoria Thompson (3.5) - completed 9/6/14
15. The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim (5) - completed 9/16/14
16. Murder in Mykonos by Jeffrey Siger (4) - completed 10/19/14
17. The Book of Murder by Guillermo Martinez (4) - completed 10/25/14

3cbl_tn
Bearbeitet: Dez. 10, 2014, 9:59 pm

Doc - Books I read to learn something. This category will probably lean toward non-fiction, but it won't be exclusively non-fiction.

1. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (3.5) - completed 1/14/14
2. Middling Folk by Linda H. Matthews (4) - completed 1/19/14
3. World War One: History in an Hour by Rupert Colley (2.5) - completed 1/19/14
4. The First World War: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Howard (3.5) - completed 1/21/14
5. Testimony of an Irish Slave Girl by Kate McCafferty (2.5) - completed 3/15/14
6. How to Cook a Tapir by Joan Fry (3.5) - completed 3/27/14
7. The First World War by John Keegan (4) - completed 3/30/14
8. A State of Independence by Caryl Phillips (3.5) - completed 4/2/14
9. Calligrams by Guillaume Apollinaire (3) - completed 4/8/14
10. George, Nicholas and Wilhelm by Miranda Carter (3.5) - completed 4/29/14
11. Sold by Patricia McCormick (4) - completed 5/17/14
12. Wild Swans by Jung Chang (4) - completed 5/25/14
13. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer (4.5) - completed 7/19/14
14. Hoosh: Roast Penguin, Scurvy Day, and Other Stories of Antarctic Cuisine by Jason C. Anthony (3.5) - completed 7/26/14
15. Back to the Front by Stephen O'Shea (4) - completed 7/30/14
16. Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe by Nancy Goldstone (3.5) - completed 8/28/14
17. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom (5) - completed 8/30/14
18. The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman (4) - completed 9/7/14
19. The King's Speech by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi (4) - completed 9/14/14
20. The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna (4) - completed 9/28/14
21. All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith (3.5) - completed 10/14/14
22. The Sly Company of People Who Care by Rahul Bhattacharya (2.5) - completed 10/29/14
23. Beowulf (4) - completed 10/31/14
24. On Shaky Ground: The New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812 by Norma Hayes Bagnall (3.5) - completed 11/10/14
25. The Remains of Company D by James Carl Nelson (3) - completed 11/24/14
26. I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (4) - completed 11/29/14
27. Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce by Stanley Weintraub (2.5) - completed 12/10/14

4cbl_tn
Bearbeitet: Dez. 22, 2014, 7:50 pm

Dopey - Books I read just for fun

1. The Bughouse Affair by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini (2) - completed 1/27/14
2. Napoleon's Pyramids by William Dietrich (1.5) - completed 2/5/14
3. Joy in the Morning by P. G. Wodehouse (5) - completed 2/18/14
4. The Hen of the Baskervilles by Donna Andrews (4) - completed 3/15/14
5. Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton (4) - completed 4/6/14
6. The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (4) - completed 4/19/14
7. The Art Detective by Philip Mould (4) - completed 5/31/14
8. Maigret in Holland by Georges Simenon (3.5) - completed 5/31/14
9. A Royal Murder by Elliott Roosevelt (3.5) - completed 6/1/14
10. Heat Wave by Richard Castle (3.5) - completed 6/13/14
11. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon (4) - completed 6/29/14
12. The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County: And Other Stories by Mark Twain (4) - completed 7/11/14
13. The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde (4.5) - completed 7/21/14
14. Unusual Uses for Olive Oil by Alexander McCall Smith (3) - completed 8/9/14
15. Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii by Lee Goldberg (4) - completed 9/7/14
16. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (4) - completed 9/21/14
17. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill (3.5) - completed 10/7/14
18. The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton (3) - completed 10/31/14
19. Murder at Fenway Park by Troy Soos (2.5) - completed 11/14/14
20. Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke (2.5) - completed 12/19/14
21. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (4) - completed 12/21/14

5cbl_tn
Bearbeitet: Dez. 28, 2014, 6:11 pm

Grumpy - Books full of murder & mischief. Unsolved mysteries will make anyone grumpy.

1. Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout (4) - completed 1/6/14
2. Killing Cassidy by Jeanne Dams (3) - completed 2/22/14
3. The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie (4) - completed 2/28/14
4. The Novice's Tale by Margaret Frazer (3.5) - completed 4/11/14
5. The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis (3.5) - completed 4/14/14
6. The Chinese Orange Mystery by Ellery Queen (3.5) - completed 5/6/14
7. Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie (4) - completed 5/14/14
8. Past Tense by Catherine Aird (3.5) - completed 5/23/14
9. The Best Man to Die by Ruth Rendell (3.5) - completed 6/8/14
10. Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson (3.5) - completed 6/15/14
11. The Axeman's Jazz by Julie Smith (2.5) - completed 6/24/14
12. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (3) - completed 7/3/14
13. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (4) - completed 7/19/14
14. The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller (4) - completed 8/20/14
15. A Simple Murder by Eleanor Kuhns (2) - completed 9/24/14
16. Devil-Devil by Graeme Kent (4) - completed 10/5/14
17. The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi (4) - completed 10/15/14
18. Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (3.5) - completed 11/8/14
19. A Watery Grave by Joan Druett (3.5) - completed 11/16/14
20. A Christmas Odyssey by Anne Perry (2) - completed 12/9/14
21. Dead at Daybreak by Deon Meyer (4) - completed 12/13/14
22. The Long Way Home by Louise Penny (3) - completed 12/16/14
23. Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris (4) - completed 12/28/14

6cbl_tn
Bearbeitet: Nov. 20, 2014, 5:20 pm

Happy - Happiness is a new book!

1. Golden State by Michelle Richmond (2.5) - completed 1/31/14
2. Kilmoon by Lisa Alber (1.5) - completed 2/16/14
3. World War One British Poets edited by Candace Ward (4) - completed 4/14/14
4. Spies, Patriots, and Traitors by Kenneth A. Daigler (4) - completed 4/21/14
5. Paperboy by Tony Macaulay (4.5) - completed 5/4/14
6. The Map Thief by Michael Blanding (4.5) - completed 5/12/14
7. The Devil's Workshop by Alex Grecian (2) - completed 5/30/14
8. The Aunt Paradox by Chris Dolley (3.5) - completed 6/11/14
9. Murder at Hatfield House by Amanda Carmack (3.5) - completed 6/16/14
10. Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (3.5) - completed 8/11/14
11. A Dead Man in Malta by Michael Pearce (3) - completed 8/17/14
12. Why Homer Matters by Adam Nicolson (4) - completed 10/8/14
13. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley (4) - completed 11/3/14
14. The Last Song by Eva Wiseman (3) - completed 11/17/14
15. Jane Austen Cover to Cover by Margaret C. Sullivan (4.5) - completed 11/19/14

7cbl_tn
Bearbeitet: Dez. 31, 2014, 9:45 am

Sleepy - Cozies, comfort reads, and children's literature

1. Jesus by Anselm Grun with illustrations by Giuliano Ferri (2.5) - completed 2/8/14
2. Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski (4.5) - completed 2/9/14
3. The Jungle Pyramid by Franklin W. Dixon (1) - completed 3/2/14
4. The Mystery of the Third Lucretia by Susan Runholt (4) - completed 3/8/14
5. Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach (4) - completed 3/8/14
6. Once by Morris Gleitzman (4.5) - completed 4/22/14
7. Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy (3.5) - completed 5/10/14
8. Life in New Amsterdam by Laura Fischer (2.5) - completed 5/29/14
9. They Found Him Dead by Georgette Heyer (4) - completed 6/27/14
10. Manger compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins; illustrated by Helen Cann (4.5) - completed 7/16/14
11. The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain (4) - completed 8/2/14
12. In the Blood by Fay Sampson (1.5) - completed 8/30/14
13. Farewell, Miss Zukas by Jo Dereske (5) - completed 9/13/14
14. Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle (3) - completed 9/14/14
15. Coraline by Neil Gaiman (4) - completed 10/25/14
16. The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie (3.5) - completed 11/2/14
17. Death Comes As the End by Agatha Christie (4) - completed 11/20/14
18. The World of O. Henry by O. Henry (4) - completed 12/2/14
19. Death at Sandringham House by C. C. Benison (3.5) - completed 12/28/14
20. Mad as the Dickens by Toni L. P. Kelner (3.5) - completed 12/31/14

8cbl_tn
Bearbeitet: Dez. 14, 2014, 8:34 pm

Sneezy - Old tomes - books originally published before I was born. (The physical book may not be that old - or I may not read a physical book!)

1. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf (3.5) - completed 1/9/14
2. My Antonia by Willa Cather (4.5) - completed 1/27/14
3. Bleak House by Charles Dickens (3.5) - completed 1/28/14
4. Greenmantle by John Buchan (3.5) - completed 2/26/14
5. The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope (5) - completed 3/23/14
6. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (3.5) - completed 3/27/14
7. The Sonnets of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare (3) - completed 4/29/14
8. Bengal Fire by Lawrence Blochman (2) - completed 5/26/14
9. Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (4) - completed 6/7/14
10. Towards Zero by Agatha Christie (3.5) - completed 6/20/14
11. The Tempest by William Shakespeare (4) - completed 6/24/14
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (4) - completed 7/10/14
13. Armadale by Wilkie Collins (3.5) - completed 7/12/14
14. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell (4) - completed 8/3/14
15. Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope (4.5) - completed 8/28/14
16. The Aspern Papers by Henry James (3.5) - completed 9/29/14
17. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (3.5) - completed 10/22/14
18. The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West (4.5) - completed 10/25/14
19. Shirley by Charlotte Bronte (3.5) - completed 12/7/14
20. Sanditon by Jane Austen (3) - completed 12/14/14

9cbl_tn
Bearbeitet: Sept. 30, 2014, 2:17 pm

Just three books to go in my Happy category to complete my challenge. I'm reading one of them now. If my July and the other August Early Reviewer book ever show up that will do it.

10rabbitprincess
Sept. 30, 2014, 6:52 pm

Hurray, you're very close! Hope your ER books show up soon.

11DeltaQueen50
Sept. 30, 2014, 7:15 pm

You are very close to finishing, Carrie. I like to finish a little early and give myself a couple of months to browse and choose randomly. I'll be more than ready to jump into the 2015 Challenge come January!

12cbl_tn
Sept. 30, 2014, 10:07 pm

>10 rabbitprincess: Thanks! I won another one today, so if 2 out of the 3 arrive I'll be in good shape!

>11 DeltaQueen50: I still have a full plate between now and the end of the year with the CATs and the Commonwealth challenge. I do plan to reward myself when I finish by setting up my 2015 challenge thread.

13-Eva-
Okt. 1, 2014, 12:14 am

Happy new thread! Fantastic progress!

14VivienneR
Okt. 1, 2014, 12:28 am

Congratulations on a new thread. You've done so well and went over in most categories. I've enjoyed following your reading.

15RidgewayGirl
Okt. 1, 2014, 2:59 am

Carrie, my first category filled is always the new and shiny one. I'm impressed with your ability not to do so!

16cbl_tn
Okt. 1, 2014, 6:40 am

>13 -Eva-: >14 VivienneR: Thanks Eva & Vivienne!

>15 RidgewayGirl: I didn't realize at the beginning of the year that I would have such a hard time filling this one. I thought I read plenty of new books - until this year, when I had a category for them.

17cbl_tn
Okt. 4, 2014, 5:32 pm

Right now I'm listening to The Coroner's Lunch, a mystery set in 1976 Laos, where the inhabitants speak Lao. I'm also reading Devil-Devil, a mystery set in mainly on Malaita in the Solomon Islands in 1960 where the local language is Lau. I'm not sure I should be doing these simultaneously, but that's just the way it has worked out!

18VivienneR
Okt. 4, 2014, 8:26 pm

That's such a funny coincidence! Devil-Devil was good. I tried listening to The Coroner's Lunch but was losing track of the names, so I got a print copy that I hope to start soon.

19cbl_tn
Okt. 4, 2014, 10:21 pm

So far I'm liking Devil-Devil best. There is more emphasis on spirit possession in The Coroner's Lunch than I'm comfortable with so I probably won't continue with the series.

20VivienneR
Okt. 5, 2014, 2:25 am

I'm not comfortable with that either so this might be the only one for me too by Cotterill.

21cbl_tn
Okt. 5, 2014, 7:03 pm

Book 16 in my Grumpy category: Devil-Devil by Graeme Kent
MysteryCAT

Ben Kella is both a sergeant in the Solomon Islands police force and an aofia, one chosen to keep the peace between the clans on the island of Malaita. Sister Conchita is a newly arrived American nun assigned to a mission school on Malaita. Their paths cross after the disappearance of a white anthropologist and the discovery of a skeleton near the mission. Both of their lives are in danger until they figure out who is behind the crimes on Malaita. Kella must balance his job as a policeman with his spiritual role among his people.

The location and time both contribute to the appeal of this unusual first-in-series police procedural. It's 1960, and many of the male characters fought against the Japanese in World War II. The police headquarters is in the capital, Honiara, on Guadalcanal. The Solomon Islands are still under British control, but there is a growing awareness that independence won't be long in coming. Many expect that Kella will become the head of the police force once that happens. Kella realizes that his successes are a threat to his superiors and that he can't entirely trust them.

Traditional beliefs and customs drive much of the action in the novel. However, the emphasis on the supernatural is slight. Most of the events related to traditional religious beliefs are of human agency. Some Catholic readers might be bothered by one priest's acceptance and even promotion of traditional religion.

Recommended for readers who enjoy mysteries set in exotic locations.

4 stars

22sjmccreary
Okt. 5, 2014, 7:18 pm

>21 cbl_tn: Book bullet!

23cbl_tn
Okt. 5, 2014, 7:22 pm

Oh good! I think you'll like it.

24lkernagh
Okt. 5, 2014, 8:49 pm

>21 cbl_tn: - Also taking the BB for that one!

25cbl_tn
Okt. 6, 2014, 9:20 pm

>24 lkernagh: It will fill in your Solomon Islands spot in the Commonwealth Challenge!

26-Eva-
Bearbeitet: Okt. 7, 2014, 12:38 am

>21 cbl_tn:
I've got that one down for this month's RandomCAT (although the books in the queue ahead of it are many, many...).

27cbl_tn
Okt. 7, 2014, 10:45 pm

>26 -Eva-: I hope you enjoy it if you get to it!

28cbl_tn
Okt. 7, 2014, 10:50 pm

I finished The Coroner's Lunch on my way home from my allergy shots this morning. (Review to come.) I started The Monster of Florence about a serial killer in Italy. The first murder it discusses describes a witness who heard a car stereo (possibly the victims') playing John Lennon's "Imagine" near the time of the murders. Guess what song was playing when I pulled in from work this evening? "Imagine", of course. Kind of a spooky coincidence.

29VivienneR
Okt. 7, 2014, 11:03 pm

Very spooky! I love creepy coincidences like that.

30cbl_tn
Okt. 7, 2014, 11:21 pm

>29 VivienneR: I was very glad there wasn't a serial killer lurking in the yard. Although now that I think about it, my neighbor across the street has been known to shoot at the foxes and raccoons that go after his chickens at night. Fortunately tonight wasn't one of those nights!

31cbl_tn
Okt. 7, 2014, 11:23 pm

Book 17 in my Dopey category: The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill
MysteryCAT
RandomCAT

At an age when most people would be thinking seriously about retirement, Dr. Siri Paiboun has embarked on a new career. At the age of 72 he is appointed as Laos's state coroner – a job he really doesn't want and for which he has no training. He has a lab and two assistants – a young nurse and a man with Down syndrome – but he has few supplies or textbooks. He does have an unusual resource that compensates for his lack of experience. He sees dead people. They visit him in his dreams and tell him things about their deaths. As Dr. Siri works on three cases, two of which appear to be related, he becomes aware that his life is in danger. He races against an unknown assailant to identify the agents responsible for the murders.

Dr. Siri is old enough not to fear the consequences of speaking his mind. This results in some very funny conversations with his much younger superiors. Dr. Siri doesn't spend all of his time in the lab. Readers get a nicely detailed picture of 1970s Laos as Dr. Siri goes back and forth between work and home, visits friends, and travels to a Hmong village to find evidence that can help him determine the cause of death of one of his “customers”. I can see why this series has so many fans. Although I liked a lot of things about this book, the emphasis on spirit possession exceeded my comfort level. Since that seems to be a key feature of the series, I doubt I'll continue reading it.

3.5 stars

Next up in audio: The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston

32cbl_tn
Okt. 10, 2014, 8:53 pm

My friend and I took Adrian and Stella to the pet store this evening and I came home with a Halloween costume for Adrian:



33rabbitprincess
Okt. 10, 2014, 9:19 pm

I awww'd out loud! So cute!

34DeltaQueen50
Okt. 10, 2014, 10:11 pm

I would certainly give Adrian a treat or two if I saw him dressed like that!

35-Eva-
Okt. 11, 2014, 12:03 am

>32 cbl_tn:
Big awwww from me too! Impressive that he lets you do that - mine would never!

36VivienneR
Okt. 11, 2014, 2:11 am

Adrian is such a sweetie anyway but his Halloween costume just makes him cuter.

I am reminded to get doggie treats as I'm sure some Halloweeners will be accompanied by their canine companions. I bet they won't beat Adrian's costume.

37Roro8
Okt. 11, 2014, 2:58 am

Very cute costume for your Adrian.

38cbl_tn
Okt. 11, 2014, 9:48 am

>33 rabbitprincess: Thanks RP!

>34 DeltaQueen50: Thanks Judy! Adrian happily accepts any and all treats.

>35 -Eva-: Adrian doesn't like hoods or hats, but he tolerates them - at least long enough for me to snap a picture!

>36 VivienneR: I live on a dead end road and I've never had trick or treaters in the last 11 years I've lived here. Adrian and I got to know the few children on the street this year so I may have a handful this year.

>37 Roro8: Thanks Ro!

39lkernagh
Okt. 13, 2014, 12:09 pm

>32 cbl_tn: - Awe, Adrian is ready to meet the Great Pumpkin!

40cbl_tn
Okt. 13, 2014, 6:22 pm

>39 lkernagh: Thanks Lori! My book club is meeting on Thursday evening and I guess the dogs will be wearing their Halloween costumes to the meeting. I got an email from Stella's "mommy" this morning. She found a Dorothy costume for Stella and she plans for Stella to wear it to the book club meeting. (Stella is a Cairn terrier just like Toto.)

41mamzel
Okt. 14, 2014, 11:56 am

I saw this cute bunch last week on Bookriot. Superman is too, too!

42DeltaQueen50
Okt. 14, 2014, 1:31 pm

>41 mamzel: OMG I love those kids! I couldn't stop smiling when I saw Raggidy Anne!

43cbl_tn
Okt. 14, 2014, 2:34 pm

>41 mamzel: They're adorable! Thanks for sharing!

44cbl_tn
Okt. 19, 2014, 5:54 pm

Book 12 in my Happy category: Why Homer Matters by Adam Nicolson

Like many students in Western schools, I read The Odyssey in high school. I regularly run across references to The Iliad and The Odyssey in books and essays. Maybe that's why the lessons have stayed with me for so long. What is it about Homer's works that gives them such a lasting influence?

Author Adam Nicolson looks at Homer's influence through the ages, traces the earliest remaining fragments of his works, closely examines internal evidence for the origin of the works, and describes the remnants of Homer's world that are still visible in modern landscapes. Nicolson makes a convincing case for a much earlier date for Homer's works than is generally believed.

Nicolson also reflects on Homeric parallels in his own life, particularly through his sailing experience. It is evident that Homer matters very much to Nicolson, and he writes so lovingly and persuasively that most readers will agree with him.

One short section of the book seemed discordant to me, and it affected my overall perception of the book. Nicolson surprises readers with a description of his experience as a victim of a sexual assault on his travels in Syria as a young adult. At that point the focus shifted from Homer to the author in a way that detracted from the book's theme, and it made me very uncomfortable as a reader.

This review is based on an advanced reading copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

4 stars

45-Eva-
Okt. 19, 2014, 6:20 pm

Did the Syrian event get connected in any way with his topic? Otherwise, very random thing to put in a book about Homer.

46cbl_tn
Okt. 19, 2014, 6:25 pm

>45 -Eva-: It was in a chapter discussing the violence in Homer, but even so it still seemed out of place. I also happened to stop reading right before that section so it was the first thing I read the next time I picked it up.

47cbl_tn
Okt. 19, 2014, 6:30 pm

Book 21 in my Doc category: All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith
GeoCAT

This book seems to be the product of the author's sabbatical, although she doesn't exactly state it that way. The author teaches Jane Austen to students at a California university. She spent her sabbatical year in six different Latin American countries, meeting with at least one book group in each country to discuss one of Austen's works. She wanted to find out how readers in these countries would perceive Austen's novels. Would they view her work as entirely foreign and unrelated to their lives, or would they make a personal connection to her novel? She also wanted to learn about national authors whose works might be comparable to Austen's within their own cultures.

Smith visited Guatemala, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay, and Argentina. I've been to Mexico several times (although not to Puerto Vallarta), and I've kept in touch with a high school friend whose family lives in Ecuador. I wasn't nearly as familiar with the other countries Smith visited. I'm sure I would experience these countries very differently if I were to visit. I wouldn't spend as much time in bars since I'm a teetotaler. Smith also seems to have a higher tolerance for risk than I do. (I might add that this didn't always work out well for her.)

The book groups in Chile and Argentina were the most interesting to me. Most of the Chile group were poets and their discussion focused mainly on their opinions of Austen's technique. Argentina was interesting because it was the only country in which the reading group hadn't been prearranged. As soon as she arrived in Buenos Aires, Smith began visiting bookstores and libraries to recruit readers.

I made a list of the national authors mentioned for each country. Few of them seem to be available in English translation, so it didn't greatly inflate my wishlist.

The book is more literary travel than Austen criticism. Familiarity with the films of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma is probably the only necessary prerequisite for reading.

3.5 stars

48cbl_tn
Okt. 19, 2014, 7:24 pm

Book 17 in my Grumpy category: The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi

Thriller writer Douglas Preston went to Italy with his family intending to write a novel. Instead, he became caught up in a decades old unsolved mystery regarding a serial killer dubbed the Monster of Florence. Preston became friends with Italian journalist Mario Spezi, who had been covering the Monster of Florence investigation for years. Spezi shared with Preston the history of the Monster killings, his discoveries about the killings, and his conclusions about the Monster's identity. The two collaborated on a book to be published in Italy in 2006. In the weeks leading up to the publication date, the two became targets of the Prosecutor of Perugia. After jailing a series of suspects who proved to be innocent when the next murder took place during their incarceration, the Italian investigators abandoned a trail that seemed like it must eventually lead to the serial killer. The Prosecutor of Perugia then pursued a theory involving ritual killings by a conspiracy of occult worshipers from among the ranks of the upper middle and wealthy classes. His accusations were strangely similar to the assertions of a self-proclaimed psychic. The remainder of the story is an account of Preston's experience with the Italian justice system and issues of journalistic freedom.

Spezi and Preston's theory of the Monster's crimes makes much more sense than that of the Italian investigators. It fits the FBI profile, which the Italian investigators requested but then ignored. Perception seemed to be more important than the truth to the Italian authorities. Their initial theory of the crime seemed to be very close to the truth. The killer had to be one of a small circle of suspects with regional and family ties. The investigators began to appear foolish when they arrested one after another of the men in this circle, only to have the next murder occur while the suspect was in custody. Instead of continuing to narrow down the suspects within that circle, they abandoned that trail and refused to reopen it. All evidence was made to fit their new conspiracy theory. An object as innocuous as a doorstop became an occult object. Their behavior seemed like something right out of 17th century Salem, Massachusetts. They were literally on a witch hunt.

In the book's conclusion, Preston mentions that the Prosecutor of Perugia was in charge of the investigation of Meredith Kercher's murder and the prosecution of Amanda Knox. This prosecutor's propensity for forcing evidence to fit his theory and refusing to accept any evidence that discredits his theory removes any lingering doubt in my mind of Amanda Knox's innocence of Meredith Kercher's murder. Her book is now on my wishlist.

4 stars

Next up in audio: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

49cbl_tn
Okt. 19, 2014, 7:50 pm

Book 16 in my Bashful category: Murder in Mykonos by Jeffrey Siger
MysteryCAT

Andreas Kaldis is unhappy with his recent appointment as police chief on the Greek island Mykonos. Although it has the appearance of a promotion, it's actually an exile from Athens after he riled his superiors in his last investigation. Mykonos has a reputation as a party island, and crimes often go unacknowledged to avoid negative publicity that might damage the tourist economy. When Kaldis discovers evidence that a serial killer has been murdering tourists for nearly 20 years, he knows he's in hot water. The investigation becomes more urgent when he learns that the deputy minister's niece is missing on Mykonos. Kaldis and his men are in a race against time to find the missing woman before she becomes the killer's next victim.

This first in series book has all the ingredients of a film thriller. Since this is the first book in a series, it's hard to say at this point which path the series will follow – thriller or police procedural. The setting, characters, and politics that underlie both professional and social interaction all seem authentic, probably because the author lives in Mykonos for part of the year. This series will appeal to readers who enjoy crime novels with exotic settings. The occasionally strong language and sexual content may be too much for readers with a preference for cozy/gentle reads.

4 stars

50RidgewayGirl
Okt. 20, 2014, 10:27 am

It's been a while since I read The Monster of Florence, but my conclusion was that the author was so biased that there's no way of being able to decide who had the better theory based only on that book. Also, the author sure does have a high estimation of himself and a low one of everyone around him, didn't he? It put me off ever reading any of his fiction.

51cbl_tn
Okt. 20, 2014, 10:50 am

>50 RidgewayGirl: Also, the author sure does have a high estimation of himself and a low one of everyone around him, didn't he?

It didn't come across that way in the audio version in the reader's tone of voice so I didn't pick up on that. The reader made Preston sound more naive than conceited. The audio version concludes with an interview with the author where he says that his experience has made him doubt whether their own theory is correct. He now believes that the Monster will never be identified without a confession.

Even if Spezi and Preston's theory isn't correct, it is plausible, whereas the Perugian prosecutor's theory of a vast conspiracy involving Satanic rituals, etc., is just bizarre.

52RidgewayGirl
Okt. 20, 2014, 10:52 am

You have a good point, Carrie. I think that I just hated the author making the book all about him so much that I was determined to side with anyone who disagreed with him.

53cbl_tn
Okt. 20, 2014, 10:58 am

It does seem a bit like a "bait and switch", with the book's marketing making it sound like the book is more of a typical true crime story all about the serial killings and the primary suspects. That's true of only half of the book.

54cbl_tn
Okt. 22, 2014, 8:57 pm

Book 17 in my Sneezy category: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Since references to the basic plot points of this story are so pervasive in popular culture, it's impossible to read this story for the first time without an awareness of what is to come. The removal of the element of suspense leaves the story flat, and its conclusion drags due to a lengthy revelation. While this revelation diluted the story's emotional effect for me, its content intrigued me. Jekyll's description of his tortured mind is infused with both theological and psychological themes. I'm not the first person to notice this. I discovered several articles in theological journals comparing its themes to Romans 7, and I'm sure I would have similar results in a search of the psychological literature. The audio version didn't work well for me because it didn't allow me to pause for reflection. I'll read a print edition next time.

3.5 stars

Next up in audio: Coraline by Neil Gaiman

55-Eva-
Okt. 25, 2014, 6:49 pm

>54 cbl_tn:
I read an abridged version of that as a kid, but it's on my potentials-list for Halloween.

56cbl_tn
Okt. 25, 2014, 10:39 pm

>55 -Eva-: It's a good Halloween read. I'm positive I've never read it before, but I'm also positive I've seen at least one film/TV adaptation.

57cbl_tn
Okt. 26, 2014, 9:58 pm

Book 17 in my Bashful category: The Book of Murder by Guillermo Martinez
GeoCAT (Argentina)
MysteryCAT

*This review is necessarily spoilerish, so proceed with caution if you haven't read the book.*

Ten years ago, the unnamed narrator had broken his wrist and, at the suggestion of his publisher, he hired a typist so that he could continue writing while his wrist healed. The young typist, Luciana, already had experience working for an established writer. The narrator is surprised to hear from Luciana after ten years, and he agrees to meet her to hear her story. Her fiance and most of her family have died since the narrator last saw her. She is certain that Kloster, the famous novelist she worked for, caused their deaths, and that he plans to continue killing those closest to her. She recognizes details from the novels Kloster dictated to her. Perhaps against his better judgment, the narrator agrees to become involved. He becomes alarmed when he perceives a pattern in the deaths, but the interpretation depends on one's perspective. What is true and what is real, and are these even the same?

This postmodern crime novel leaves readers with more questions than answers. There is no question that there have been deaths. But were they murders? And which came first – death or the thought of death? Whose version of truth should the narrator accept – Luciana's or Kloster's? Can we even trust the narrator? There will be as many opinions as there are readers, and an individual reader's opinion will probably change with each reading.

4 stars

58VivienneR
Okt. 27, 2014, 2:48 pm

Excellent review. I recently bought this book at a library book sale, but will have forgotten any "spoilerish" areas of your comments by the time I get around to reading it. Glad you enjoyed it. I liked The Oxford Murders by the same author.

59RidgewayGirl
Okt. 27, 2014, 4:04 pm

I'm avoiding your review, except to note that you liked it.

60cbl_tn
Okt. 27, 2014, 4:28 pm

>58 VivienneR: >59 RidgewayGirl: I liked this one better than The Oxford Murders. If the book description interests you, it would be worth giving it a try, particularly since it's such a quick read. Most people could probably read it in a single sitting.

61cbl_tn
Okt. 27, 2014, 5:48 pm

Book 18 in my Sneezy category: The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West

Christopher Baldry's wife Kitty and his cousin Jenny wait for him at his home in Harrow Weald and imagine the dangers facing him in the trenches. Memories of Christopher are everywhere in the house and on the grounds of the estate that he loves so well. However, when Christopher unexpectedly returns to them, he has left those memories behind. A concussion has left him with amnesia and no memory of the last 15 years of his life, or of his wife, Kitty. In his mind, he is a young man still in the throes of his first love. No matter what happens next, nothing will ever be the same for Christopher or for the three women who love him.

This novel retains the immediacy of the emotional burden borne by the women on the home front during World War I. Women were not physically present in the trenches, yet the trenches left an imprint in their souls. While some women had to deal with the death of their husbands, lovers, or sons on the battlefield, others, like the women in this short novel, had to adapt to men who had been physically or psychologically wounded. 21st century novelists like Jacqueline Winspear and Charles Todd attempt to recreate the social context of WWI. Rebecca West lived through it, and her novel allows 21st century readers to briefly inhabit that world.

4.5 stars

62lkernagh
Okt. 28, 2014, 9:43 am

Glad to see you enjoyed The Book of Murder. I liked both that one and The Oxford Murders. I don't think any of his other books have been translated into English yet, sadly.

63cbl_tn
Okt. 29, 2014, 9:59 pm

>62 lkernagh: Hi Lori! I had already come to that disappointing realization. I will probably re-read The Book of Murder sometime so at least I have that to look forward to.

64cbl_tn
Okt. 30, 2014, 6:09 pm

Book 15 in my Sleepy category: Coraline by Neil Gaiman

On a dreary day during the school holidays, Coraline must entertain herself indoors since both of her parents are busy. Coraline is curious about a door in the drawing room that doesn't seem to go anywhere … except suddenly it does. Coraline finds herself in a place that looks very much like her house with people who look very much like her parents...until they don't. Coraline's courage will be tested as she tries to find a way back to her real home and to a reunion with her parents.

Coraline's problems will resonate with many elementary aged children. She's lonely and bored, her adult neighbors can't get her name right (they insist on calling her Caroline), and her father insists on cooking from recipes that are never to Coraline's liking. Children may fantasize about what life might be like if their parents indulged all their wishes and didn't spoil all their fun. Gaiman's story may help children to see that such dreams might prove to be nightmares. Think Wizard of Oz with a 21st century twist.

Next up in audio: The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie

65cbl_tn
Okt. 30, 2014, 7:25 pm

Book 22 in my Doc category: The Sly Company of People Who Care by Rahul Bhattacharya
GeoCAT

Guyana had the feel of an accidental place. Partly it was the epic indolence. Partly it was the ethnic composition. In the slang of the street there were chinee, putagee, buck, coolie, blackman, and the combinations emanating from these, a separate and large lexicon. On the ramble in such a land you could encounter a story every day.

The twenty-something Indian narrator returns to Guyana, where he once spent a week, seeking relief from his restlessness. He plans to spend a year there and then return to India. He doesn't have a goal other than to observe the culture and see as much of the country as possible. Over the course of the year he forms loose partnerships with a string of individuals who become short-term traveling companions.

Parts of the book are very good, and the rest is either over my head or ineffective. Most of the conversations are written in Guyanese street slang and it makes very difficult reading. There are frequent references to alternative music genres that are completely unfamiliar to me. The book has won some literary prizes and been shortlisted for others, so maybe it's just me. I know I'm not the right audience for the book. However, I'm having trouble deciding who would be in the target audience. I'm not certain that even readers who read mostly from among the short- or long-lists for literary prizes will have the patience for this one. I stuck it out because of its descriptions of Guyana, which is why I wanted to read it in the first place. I couldn't help wondering why the author chose to write this as a novel when it would have made a very good literary travel book. Guyana is a very small nation, with a population of less than 1 million. Perhaps the author thought it would be safer to distance himself from his Guyanese acquaintances through fiction.

2.5 stars

66cbl_tn
Nov. 1, 2014, 7:45 am

Book 18 in my Dopey category: The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton's ghost stories read like they're written by either someone who doesn't believe in ghosts or someone who believes so strongly in them that they're trying to avoid scaring themselves. The afterword includes an excerpt that apparently didn't make it into Wharton's autobiography in which she admits to living in terror of the supernatural after nearly dying as a child, so perhaps Wharton was fearful of wandering too deeply into the unknown. The stories weren't spine-tingling for me, and I doubt they will produce chills for those who read more supernatural or horror stories than I do. Thrill-seeking readers won't find them here. Recommended mainly for Wharton completists.

3 stars

67cbl_tn
Nov. 1, 2014, 7:55 am

Book 23 in my Doc category: Beowulf

I read at least portions of Beowulf years ago in school, perhaps even in elementary school if my foggy memory is reliable. Halloween seemed like a good time to revisit this epic monster tale. I chose the translation by renowned poet Seamus Heaney. His translation is very readable for this generation, except for the names, which he couldn't do much about. The meaning is clear, and I rarely had to re-read passages to tease out their meaning. My only quibble is that Heaney used too many modern idioms and expressions. Beowulf predates Shakespeare, the King James Bible, and other modern sources of commonly used expressions. Phrases derived from modern sources seem like anachronisms in Beowulf.

4 stars

68cbl_tn
Nov. 1, 2014, 8:17 am

October Recap

Bashful:
Books coaxed from my TBR stash - 17/14
Murder in Mykonos by Jeffrey Siger (4) (MysteryCAT)
The Book of Murder by Guillermo Martinez (4) (MysteryCAT, GeoCAT)

Doc: Books I read to learn something – 23/14
All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith (3.5) (GeoCAT)
The Sly Company of People Who Care by Rahul Bhattacharya (2.5) (GeoCAT)
Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney (4)

Dopey: Books I read just for fun – 18/14
*The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill (3.5) (MysteryCAT)
The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton (3)

Grumpy: Books full of murder & mischief – 17/14
Devil-Devil by Graeme Kent (4) (MysteryCAT)
*The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi (4)

Happy: Happiness is a new book! - 12/14
Why Homer Matters by Adam Nicolson (4)

Sleepy: Cozies, comfort reads, and children's literature – 15/14
*Coraline by Neil Gaiman (4)

Sneezy: Old tomes (books originally published before I was born) – 18/14
*The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (3.5)
The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West (4.5)

Best of the month: The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
Worst of the month: The Sly Company of People Who Care by Rahul Bhattacharya

*Audiobooks

Owned/physical: 3
Owned/ebook: 1
Borrowed/physical: 5
ARCs: 1
Borrowed/audiobook: 3
Owned/audiobook: 1
Categories completed: 6 Doc (July), Dopey, Grumpy, Sneezy (August), Bashful, Sleepy (September)

Just two books to go to finish my challenge, and I'm reading one of them now.

69sjmccreary
Nov. 1, 2014, 3:27 pm

>68 cbl_tn: Hooray for being so close to finishing your challenge! I still need 4 books, and they're all in progress right now, but at least 2 of them are very slow-going. You'll get to the end before me, I'm certain!

I see that you listed The Sly Company of People Who Care as your worst book of the month. However, I thought your review was so compelling that I added it to my wishlist in spite of your reservations. I'm not going to take it off now, despite being reminded that you really didn't love it. Let's hope this will be one of those times when 2 books lovers just don't agree on which books to love!

70-Eva-
Nov. 1, 2014, 7:30 pm

Great progress! And only two to go - that's fantastic!

71cbl_tn
Nov. 1, 2014, 7:34 pm

>69 sjmccreary: I'll be interested to see what you think of The Sly Company of People Who Care. I think the extensive use of slang will force most people to read more slowly than usual.

>70 -Eva-: Thanks Eva! Just one more after I finish the ARC of the next Flavia de Luce book!

72lkernagh
Nov. 2, 2014, 1:09 am

Just two books to go to finish my challenge, and I'm reading one of them now.

That is great news and - Wait - you have an ARC of the next Flavia book?! So exciting!

73lindapanzo
Nov. 2, 2014, 9:28 am

Two books?!? Wow, great news. You'll be done soon.

I've got 12 left, I think, but 10 of them are series mysteries so I can't complain.

74VivienneR
Nov. 2, 2014, 1:05 pm

Seamus Heaney's version of Beowulf sounds interesting. I'm adding it to my wishlist.

75cbl_tn
Nov. 2, 2014, 1:21 pm

>72 lkernagh: I was a little nervous about this one because Bradley clearly signaled a change of direction for the series at the end of the last book. I should have realized that Flavia is still Flavia wherever she goes. This one is set in a Toronto boarding school, presenting all sorts of new challenges (and adversaries) for Flavia.

>73 lindapanzo: You're in good shape to finish your challenge too!

>74 VivienneR: I read our library's print copy, then found out that we also have it on audio CD. I'll have to give that a try next time.

76cbl_tn
Nov. 2, 2014, 9:28 pm

Book 16 in my Sleepy category: The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie

Mrs. Willet and her daughter Violet, recent arrivals from South Africa, have leased Sittaford House near Dartmoor for the winter from its owner, Captain Trevelyan. They have invited several local residents to Sittaford House on a snowy day that soon cuts them off from the rest of the world. Someone suggests table turning to pass the time, and all are shocked when the letters spell out a message that Captain Trevelyan has been murdered. It doesn't take the police long to learn that Captain Trevelyan's nephew – and one of the heirs in his will – is in the area and doesn't have an alibi. His fiancee, Emily Trefusis, undertakes her own investigation to make sure that an innocent man isn't hanged for murder.

Several of Christie's earlier mysteries feature young adult amateur sleuths who figure more prominently than the police. They're usually energetic and determined, and the young women are always clever and bold. Emily Trefusis is no exception, but she disappointed me with her rationale for a decision she makes at the end of the book. I had read this recently enough that I remembered the murderer's identity and motive. Despite being aware of this from the beginning, I still couldn't see how Emily figured out how the murder must have happened. It all made perfect sense once she explained it.

3.5 stars

77Roro8
Nov. 3, 2014, 12:08 am

So there must only be one more book to go now! Excellent. I think I have about seven. There is still heaps of time though.

78cbl_tn
Nov. 3, 2014, 5:51 am

>77 Roro8: No, still 2 more to go. I'd be finiished by now if I hadn't had so many ER no shows recently. I'm reading a NetGalley ARC that will fill in one of the slots.

79mamzel
Nov. 3, 2014, 12:29 pm

>66 cbl_tn: I tried to read these stories but, like you, found them boring, and I didn't finish the book.

>67 cbl_tn: I've only ever read a graphic novel adaptation of Beowulf, and I read Grendel many, many moons ago. I don't know if I'm up for the original.

>71 cbl_tn: An ARC of the next Flavia?? Color me jealous!

>75 cbl_tn: *fingers in ears* Naa, naa, naa. Not listening.

>78 cbl_tn: Well done!

80cbl_tn
Nov. 3, 2014, 9:41 pm

>79 mamzel: I'd encourage anyone to give the original of Beowulf a try. It's not long and could be read in a single evening.

The latest Flavia isn't my favorite, but it's enjoyable.

81cbl_tn
Bearbeitet: Nov. 4, 2014, 7:56 am

Book 13 in my Happy category: As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley
MysteryCAT

Flavia de Luce's seventh outing finds her en route to Toronto to enroll in a boarding school. Before she has time to settle in, a body is discovered in her room's chimney. Flavia is on the case. She uses her status as a new arrival to nose around and ask questions. She soon learns about other mysterious happenings at the school, including the unexplained disappearances of several students. When Flavia concludes she can't trust either her fellow students or the adults in the school to tell her the truth, she draws on her formidable detection skills to discover the identity of the body and the killer.

I was worried that the series might be heading in a different direction. My fears were needless. The Flavia I've grown to love in her Buckshaw chemical laboratory is the same Flavia in Toronto. The boarding school setting allows Flavia to test the skills she has acquired in her prior investigations, and it provides her with a new set of people with whom to match wits. Flavia hasn't forgotten her family and friends in Bishop's Lacey. I'm not sure who misses them more – Flavia or me. I hope there's a happy reunion in store.

This review is based on an electronic advance reading copy provided by the publisher through NetLibrary NetGalley.

4 stars

This leaves just one more book to go to complete my challenge!

82VivienneR
Bearbeitet: Nov. 4, 2014, 8:50 pm

I'm so glad you posted your review of Bradley's latest Flavia de Luce tale. This one goes on my Christmas list for Santa!

ETA I would have thumbed it but your review is not on the book page.

83cbl_tn
Nov. 4, 2014, 10:44 pm

>82 VivienneR: Thanks Vivienne! The book won't be released until January and I'm not supposed to publish my review before then. I fudge a little bit and post it on my thread, but I won't post it on the book page until the release date.

84VivienneR
Nov. 4, 2014, 11:24 pm

Oh, I see. I'll hold the thumb until then.

85mysterymax
Nov. 5, 2014, 6:04 am

What good news that Flavia remains the same. I was so worried I didn't know if I could read the next one. Now I will await it happily. Thanks!

86cbl_tn
Nov. 5, 2014, 9:29 pm

>85 mysterymax: Glad I could help!

87-Eva-
Bearbeitet: Nov. 6, 2014, 7:51 pm

>81 cbl_tn:
I too had worries about its direction, so very glad to see that review!

88lkernagh
Nov. 6, 2014, 10:55 pm

Glad to know I can look forward to the next Flavia installment!

89cbl_tn
Nov. 7, 2014, 12:35 am

>87 -Eva-: >88 lkernagh: Glad I could help!

90cbl_tn
Nov. 8, 2014, 10:27 am

I've been in San Diego since Thursday afternoon for a meeting. I've had a little time to read since I wake up so early. I finished Cocaine Blues this morning but I'll wait to review it until I'm home since I just brought the iPad Mini on the trip.

The weather has been gorgeous so far. I had time to see the USS Midway after we arrived on Thursday. We ate at Ocran Beach last night after our meeting ended for the day.

91RidgewayGirl
Nov. 8, 2014, 10:57 am

Are you at the same place as Lori?

92cbl_tn
Nov. 8, 2014, 12:09 pm

>91 RidgewayGirl: Yes, I am! We're even sharing a hotel room.

93RidgewayGirl
Nov. 8, 2014, 12:22 pm

Have fun!

94thornton37814
Nov. 9, 2014, 8:44 am

We're at the airport getting ready to head home. :-)

95cbl_tn
Nov. 10, 2014, 8:18 pm

Book 18 in my Grumpy category: Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood
MysteryCAT
GeoCAT

A father's concern for his daughter's welfare is the impetus for the Honourable Phryne Fisher's return to her native Australia. Although her father is titled now, that wasn't always the case. Phryne is more than capable of mixing with both upper and lower classes. Phryne's discreet investigation into Lydia Andrews' marriage and health is sidetracked by her accidental involvement with a Russian family searching for the King of Snow – a ruthless cocaine dealer.

I had seen the television adaptation before reading the book. I like the television series so I was predisposed to like the book. It's a little more risque than I prefer, but it never exceeded what I can tolerate. There aren't many historical mystery series set in Australia, and the unusual location will draw me back from time to time.

3.5 stars

96cbl_tn
Nov. 10, 2014, 8:34 pm

Book 24 in my Doc category: On Shaky Ground: The New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812 by Norma Hayes Bagnall
RandomCAT

I've had an interest in the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812 since I first learned about them in Tennessee history class in 7th grade. The earthquakes formed Reelfoot Lake, the only natural lake in Tennessee. This book is a nice introduction to the earthquakes, earthquake preparedness, and New Madrid's local history. The book also covers the earthquake scare of the fall of 1990, when the media hyped a prediction that the New Madrid fault would experience a major earthquake in December of that year. There were some in Knoxville who expected that the predicted quake would affect our area. They were buying earthquake insurance and stocking up on disaster supplies. Even though the quake didn't happen as predicted, it did raise the level of preparedness for such a disaster. The book is basically a literature review. It isn't a definitive account of the earthquakes, but it will point readers in that direction. It will take a little extra effort to locate the sources Bagnall cites in her bibliography since it is organized alphabetically by title rather than by author.

3.5 stars

97cbl_tn
Nov. 11, 2014, 11:50 am

I just picked up my "new" eyeglasses from the optometrist's. (The lenses are new, but the frame is not.) It's my first pair of all-purpose progressive lenses. I've had progressive lenses for computer work & reading for a couple of years and a pair of distance glasses for everything else. That made sense when I was having so much trouble with vertigo and dizziness. I haven't experienced problems with vertigo lately now that the allergies and asthma are under control, so I let the eye doc persuade me to give these a try. I think they're going to work for me. I don't feel weird when I'm wearing them, and I went to the grocery store and drove home without any problem.

The friend who kept Adrian while I was in California noticed some odd behavior over the weekend. I took him to the vet yesterday and learned that he has a bladder infection. It's unusual for male dogs, but when she did a prostate exam she discovered a sore where he had somehow injured himself. That seems to be the source of the infection. I'm praying that the antibiotics and the ointment will clear it up. If not, he'll have to be tested for more serious problems.

98RidgewayGirl
Nov. 11, 2014, 11:55 am

I'm wishing you all the best for both Adrian and your glasses. Adrian is lucky to have you and an attentive dog sitter.

99cbl_tn
Nov. 11, 2014, 12:31 pm

I hadn't noticed Adrian's symptoms before I left. Now that I know what he has and what the symptoms are, I still haven't noticed unusual behavior since I've been home. However, the vet says that the symptoms develop gradually so it makes sense that I wouldn't notice incremental changes while my friend who hadn't seen him for a while did.

100DeltaQueen50
Nov. 11, 2014, 11:48 pm

I am looking forward to getting to Cocaine Blues sometime this month, sounds like another new series to follow!

Hope Adrian's infection responds to the medication and that he is soon back in top form.

101cbl_tn
Nov. 12, 2014, 7:55 am

>100 DeltaQueen50: I hope you enjoy it too! I noticed that Adrian didn't drink quite as much yesterday as he's been drinking. That may indicate that the antibiotics are already working. The vet said that is one of the signs to watch for.

102lkernagh
Nov. 12, 2014, 9:45 pm

I had heard a lot of negative stories about progressive lens so I was a bit apprehensive at first when my eye doctor recommended them to me my last visit. My eyes had changed just enough to make me one of those borderline cases but as I am near-sighted, and need to wear my eyeglasses at all times, I figured being a borderline case was a good time to test drive progressive lens. Glad to see you have already tested your new lens with a trip to the grocery store and driving without any problems!

Sorry to see that Adrian has developed an infection but good for you to have him checked and that he is responding to the treatment. Our cats seldom had any medical issues but when they did, they were terrible patients. ;-)

103mamzel
Nov. 13, 2014, 10:40 am

One of the things I was warned about when getting used to the progressive lens was going down steps.

104cbl_tn
Nov. 13, 2014, 5:01 pm

>102 lkernagh: >103 mamzel: I had heard about going down steps as well as other potential problems. I think it has helped that I was already used to my computer/reading progressive lenses and that I occasionally walk around in them when I'm interrupted while reading or using the computer. The new glasses haven't been as much of an adjustment for me, just as the doctor thought.

105sjmccreary
Nov. 13, 2014, 10:13 pm

>104 cbl_tn: That's good news. I've been wearing progressive lenses for more than 10 years now and was so nervous about them the first time that I took my son with his brand new driver's license with me to go pick them up. For the first 15 minutes or so, sitting in the office and looking around, things were kind of swimming. But by the time I left there, everything was fine and I've had no problems since. (I did let him drive us home, though, just in case.)

Today, I went to pick up my newest pair and felt like a dog who snaps at invisible bugs when I was noticing the different way these new glasses focus compared to my old ones - you know, looking at things that aren't really there, just seeing the how to use the different parts of the lenses. I always credited my ease in making the transition to the fact that my first pair was the very lowest magnification available. And the fact that I was highly motivated to get them - my eye doctor practically makes people beg for their first pair of bifocals - I do a lot of close up work and I simply couldn't see clearly with the old single vision lenses. And as I'm typing this and looking at the screen, I'm pleased to notice how crisp and clear the letters are compared to yesterday!

106casvelyn
Nov. 14, 2014, 6:20 pm

>105 sjmccreary: I'm pleased to notice how crisp and clear the letters are compared to yesterday!

When I first got glasses back in 6th grade, I royally annoyed my mom by coming home and saying "Look at all the dust!" There was so much I was missing and I didn't even know it.

107VivienneR
Nov. 15, 2014, 1:20 am

>106 casvelyn: That's hilarious! I'm sure royally annoyed perfectly describes your mom's reaction!

108cbl_tn
Nov. 15, 2014, 9:22 am

Thanks for sharing your stories. It helps to know what to expect with such a major change.

>106 casvelyn: If I had said the same thing to my mother, I think she would have immediately handed me a dust rag and told me to get to work!

It seems I'm still going to have a problem with dirt on the floor. The area around my feet is blurry unless I hold my head just right. I can see the ground clearly if I look straight down, but then I run the risk of walking into things in front of me...

109-Eva-
Nov. 16, 2014, 1:09 am

I recently got progressives as well and am really happy I had no problem adjusting to them as I have a friend who has had hers for a year and still isn't comfortable.

Hope Adrian is back to normal soon!!

Oh, you were in my (almost) neck of the wood - San Diego is quite nice, especially this time of the year when it isn't crazy hot.

110cbl_tn
Nov. 16, 2014, 7:46 am

The only place I ever go in California is San Diego. That was my fourth trip. I'm getting to know my way around! It was warmer last weekend than it was in June last year when I was in San Diego for a library conference. I'm not sure it got much above 70 degrees during the conference.

111cbl_tn
Nov. 16, 2014, 7:57 am

My October Early Reviewers book was waiting for me when I returned from California. It's the final book I need to complete this year's challenge. I'm getting ready to start it and I might even be able to finish it today. It's appropriately titled The Last Song!

112cbl_tn
Nov. 16, 2014, 9:31 pm

Book 19 in my Dopey category: Murder at Fenway Park by Troy Soos
MysteryCAT

Utility player Mickey Rawlings arrives at Fenway Park to start the season with the Red Sox. While searching for the offices to report to management, he stumbles over a dead body. Although Mickey has just arrived in Boston and hardly knows anyone in town, he finds himself suspected of the man's murder. Afraid that he'll be blamed for the murder if the police fail to find the killer, Mickey sets out to solve the crime without calling more attention to himself in the process. The more Mickey learns, the more the clues point to the already legendary Ty Cobb. Could the best baseball player in the country also be a killer?

This is the first book in the Mickey Rawlings series and it has some weaknesses common to series debuts. The unraveling of the mystery stalls in the middle of the book as it takes a back seat to baseball. I started this series out of order so I know that the balance between baseball and sleuthing improves. However, it seems like convoluted mystery plots may be characteristic for this series. I like both baseball and historical mysteries so I plan to continue reading this series, especially since I already know that the stories will get better.

2.5 stars

Next up in audio: Death Comes As the End by Agatha Christie

113cbl_tn
Bearbeitet: Nov. 17, 2014, 8:15 am

Book 19 in my Grumpy category: A Watery Grave by Joan Druett
MysteryCAT

Wiki Coffin has been appointed as linguister for the U.S. South Seas Exploring Expedition. Wiki is the illegitimate son of an American ship captain and a Maori woman, and he can converse in several Polynesian languages. Wiki's good friend, George Rochester, will captain one of the expedition's ships. Wiki's discovery of a woman's body just as he should be boarding his ship threatens to leave him stranded in Virginia. Once the sheriff is convinced that Wiki didn't murder the woman, he enlists Wiki's help to discover the murderer among the fellow members of the expedition.

I enjoyed this unusual mystery even though I occasionally had to suspend my disbelief. It's as much historical adventure as historical mystery, and the adventure worked better for me than the mystery. The murderer was obvious to me from the beginning, and I was never distracted by the few red herrings offered along the way. Before I continue with the series I'd like to learn a bit more about the expedition. The members of the expedition were continually shuffled between the expedition's ships, and that seemed odd to me. I'd like to find out if that really was characteristic of the expedition or if the author took liberties with this. In order for the plot to work, Wiki needed to interact with men assigned to different vessels. The book ends on a cliffhanger that seems to lead to the next book in the series. Fortunately my public library has the next book!

3.5 stars

ETA: Touchstones don't seem to be working at the moment. I'll come back and fix it when they're working again.

114cbl_tn
Bearbeitet: Nov. 17, 2014, 6:57 pm

Book 14 in my Happy category: The Last Song by Eva Wiseman

Young teenager Isabel lives with her parents in Toledo, Spain, where her father is a physician in the court of Ferdinand and Isabella. When Isabel objects to her father's intent to betroth her to Luis, a repulsive teenager from an Old Christian family, she learns a closely held family secret. Isabel's family are conversos, Jews who converted to Christianity as a result of persecution. All conversos are in danger from Torquemada's inquisition. Isabel meets a Jewish boy, Yonah, who helps her learn about her family's Jewish faith. As Isabel and Yonah's friendship deepens, the inquisition threatens to separate them forever.

Isabel seemed a bit too childish for that era. She literally couldn't keep a secret to save her life. As soon as Isabel's parents confided in her and urged her to keep these secrets for the family's safety, she was off telling one of her friends – even new friends that she barely knew. The style leans a bit too much toward the didactic for my taste. The historical milieu seems to drive the plot rather than to provide a backdrop for it. Teen readers may not be bothered by some of the characteristics that troubled me as an adult reader. Young teen girls will identify with Isabel and her courage in the face of great danger.

3 stars

ETA: This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

And that completes my 2014 challenge! I will continue with overflow in my current categories until the end of the year. I'm finalizing the last couple of categories for my 2015 challenge and I'll start a thread there soon to be ready for January 1.

115sjmccreary
Nov. 17, 2014, 6:40 pm

Congratulations!

116cbl_tn
Nov. 17, 2014, 6:43 pm

>115 sjmccreary: Thanks! I think I was posting on your thread while you were posting here! :)

117lkernagh
Nov. 17, 2014, 9:25 pm

Congratulations on completing your challenge, Carrie! *Whoot! Whoot!*

118rabbitprincess
Nov. 17, 2014, 10:22 pm

Woo hoo! Congratulations!

119VivienneR
Nov. 18, 2014, 12:23 am

Congratulations Carrie!

120RidgewayGirl
Nov. 18, 2014, 2:19 am

Yay! Congratulations on finishing with plenty of time to spare.

121AHS-Wolfy
Nov. 18, 2014, 6:01 am

Congrats on completing your challenge!

122cbl_tn
Nov. 18, 2014, 6:05 am

Thanks everyone!

123MissWatson
Nov. 18, 2014, 6:27 am

Congratulations and enjoy the free reading!

124cbl_tn
Nov. 18, 2014, 6:29 am

Thanks!

125mamzel
Nov. 18, 2014, 11:19 am

More congratulations!

126cbl_tn
Nov. 18, 2014, 11:23 am

And more thanks! :)

127lindapanzo
Nov. 18, 2014, 12:08 pm

Congrats on finishing your challenge, Carrie. Great job!!

128DeltaQueen50
Nov. 18, 2014, 5:30 pm

Congratulations, Carrie!

129cbl_tn
Nov. 18, 2014, 5:31 pm

130cbl_tn
Nov. 20, 2014, 5:21 pm

Book 15 in my Happy category: Jane Austen Cover to Cover by Margaret C. Sullivan

This decade will see many anniversaries related to Jane Austen, from the publication of her first novel to her death. Jane Austen seems to be as popular as ever nearly 200 years after her death, and many publications are taking stock of Austen and her work at this two century milestone. Margaret Sullivan has compiled two hundred years worth of examples of cover illustrations from Austen's works. The examples range from first editions to ebook “cover” art, abridged editions for younger readers, audio recordings, graphic novels, movie tie-in editions, and translations into other languages.

From these examples and Sullivan's commentary, readers may trace Austen's reception among both scholars and the general public through the last two centuries. Readers may draw conclusions about the publishing industry by reflecting on the ways in which Austen's works have been marketed to readers through the years. Social historians might find it useful for looking at Austen's impact on popular culture. Collectors may find it useful for identifying and adding particular editions of Austen's works to their wishlists.

This book's own cover is eye-catching and will adorn any coffee table. It would be a perfect gift for any Janeites on one's gift list, with the added benefit that it will be useful for identifying more potential gifts for the next occasion. Highly recommended.

This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

4.5 stars

131Roro8
Nov. 20, 2014, 10:36 pm

Hooray! You've finished. Congrats from me too.

132mysterymax
Nov. 21, 2014, 7:30 pm

Congrats! Lots of good reading this year.

133cbl_tn
Nov. 21, 2014, 9:51 pm

134cbl_tn
Nov. 22, 2014, 4:56 pm

Not much reading going on here today. I've been working on organizing my DNA matches for my family history, updating software, etc. I'm happy with what I've accomplished today so I'll try to spend at least part of the evening reading. I'd like to finish The Remains of Company D this weekend and make a lot of progress with Shirley.

I left work at lunchtime yesterday with a cold. I lost my voice during the morning and took it as a sign that I needed to go home and rest. My voice/throat is better today, but I'm now in the sneezing phase. If it gets any worse I probably need to stick to my ebook since it's easier to sanitize than paper. :-/

135paruline
Nov. 22, 2014, 6:43 pm

Adding my congratulations!

136-Eva-
Nov. 22, 2014, 8:26 pm

Congrats on finishing from me too!

Hope the sneezes are the end stage. :)

137cbl_tn
Nov. 22, 2014, 10:42 pm

>135 paruline: >136 -Eva-: Thanks!

If I'm still sneezing this much in the morning I'll self-quarantine and stay home from church. I don't need to spread my germs around in a crowd, especially not right before a holiday.

138cbl_tn
Nov. 24, 2014, 9:23 pm

Book 17 in my Sleepy category: Death Comes As the End by Agatha Christie
MysteryCAT

After her husband's death, Renisenb has returned to her family home. It's not quite the same as it was when she left, nor is she quite the same person. The household is disturbed when her father, Imhotep, returns from a business trip with Nofret, a concubine about Renisenb's age. Nofret doesn't waste much time setting the members of the household against each other. Imhotep is contemplating changes to his will when he goes on another business trip, leaving Nofret behind with his family. If he had taken her with him, she might have lived...

Despite it's exotic setting in Ancient Egypt, the mystery plot is typical Christie. In fact, it's a lot like a country house mystery, with a family at odds with each other over an inheritance, and a couple of long-time retainers who may not be as loyal as they appear. I still marvel at Christie's ability to develop a plot and establish a setting largely through dialogue. The flow isn't interrupted with long monologues or lengthy descriptions. Highly recommended.

Next up in audio: The World of O. Henry

139cbl_tn
Nov. 24, 2014, 10:26 pm

Book 25 in my Doc category: The Remains of Company D by James Carl Nelson

Journalist James Carl Nelson's grandfather never said much about his experiences in World War I. Nelson knew that his grandfather was wounded, and that each year he spent the anniversary of the day he fell on the battlefield in a quiet retreat with his wife. After his grandfather's death, Nelson wanted to learn more about his grandfather's experience in the war. Most researchers would be satisfied with their loved one's service record, and perhaps stories from a local newspaper mentioning their loved one's service. In order to put his grandfather's service into context, he broadened his research to his grandfather's company. He learned about each of the men that made up that company - their lives before the war, their experiences during the war, and their fate.

The book wasn't quite what I expected. I anticipated a little more focus on the individual soldiers and their families before and after the war. For the most part, however, the book reads like standard combat history. I also expected the focus to stay on the members of Company D. However, it was easy to lose track of Company D during the descriptions of battles since many other companies made up the larger units of which Company D was a part. Finally, Nelson provides an account of American actions during the engagements in which Company D participated with very little analysis or discussion of German actions. Nelson's tone seems to suggest that the sacrifices of the men of Company D were wasted. That may be true, but I'd like to look at the German perspective before drawing conclusions. What was going on behind the German lines during these engagements? I would have liked a little more context than Nelson provides. Now I'm looking for another book or two that will provide a more balanced analysis of the American participation to add to my World War I reading list.

3 stars

140cbl_tn
Nov. 30, 2014, 6:30 pm

Book 26 in my Doc category: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai, a Pashtun teenager from Pakistan's Swat valley, had an international following before she reached her teens. At age 11, Malala was chosen to write a blog for the BBC about life under the Taliban. Although the blog was written under a pseudonym, it eventually became known that Malala was the author. At age 12 she was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize by Desmond Tutu. She met with national and international leaders as part of delegations from her region. As Malala's reputation grew, her family was aware that she might be targeted by the Taliban and like minded individuals. However, Malala believed that her father was the more likely target. She learned that she was wrong when the bus she was riding home from school was stopped and she was shot in the head. Malala survived to tell her story in this book. Since its publication she has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Malala's father, the founder of the girls' school that Malala attended, undoubtedly contributed to this book. He must be the source for many of the personal details and the conversations quoted in the book. Malala couldn't have known these things unless her father had shared them with her. Journalist Christina Lamb is credited for her contributions to the book. It's hard to discern how far those contributions extend. In any case, the voice is that of an intelligent teenager.

Malala's story added depth to my perception of Pakistan and the world events that have played out in that part of the world over the last decade. It's one thing to read a news story about a Taliban stronghold in an area between Afghanistan and Pakistan that doesn't have a strong allegiance to either nation. Malala's description of the Swat Valley and her explanation of the social structure and mores gave me a new perspective on the events of the last ten years.

Malala seems destined for politics. She already has more international influence than many elected officials. I hope she has a long and successful career and that the first attempt on her life will also be the last.

4 stars

141cbl_tn
Nov. 30, 2014, 6:45 pm

November Recap

Bashful:
Books coaxed from my TBR stash - 17/14

Doc: Books I read to learn something – 26/14
On Shaky Ground: The New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812 by Norma Hayes Bagnall (3.5)
The Remains of Company D by James Carl Nelson (3)
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (4)

Dopey: Books I read just for fun – 19/14
*Murder at Fenway Park by Troy Soos (2.5)

Grumpy: Books full of murder & mischief – 19/14
Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (3.5)
A Watery Grave by Joan Druett (

Happy: Happiness is a new book! - 15/14
As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley (4)
The Last Song by Eva Wiseman (3)
Jane Austen Cover to Cover by Margaret C. Sullivan (4.5)

Sleepy: Cozies, comfort reads, and children's literature – 17/14
*The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie (3.5)
*Death Comes As the End by Agatha Christie (4)

Sneezy: Old tomes (books originally published before I was born) – 18/14

Best of the month: Jane Austen Cover to Cover by Margaret C. Sullivan
Worst of the month: Murder at Fenway Park by Troy Soos

*Audiobooks

Owned/physical: 3
Owned/ebook: 1
Borrowed/physical: 3
ARCs: 1
Borrowed/audiobook: 3
Borrowed/ebook: 1
All categories completed!

142MissWatson
Dez. 1, 2014, 8:17 am

Congratulations on completing your challenge. And with so many books over target!

143cbl_tn
Dez. 1, 2014, 6:10 pm

>142 MissWatson: Thanks! It wouldn't have taken so long to complete if I hadn't had so many recent Early Reviewer books go AWOL.

144cbl_tn
Dez. 2, 2014, 3:17 pm

Book 18 in my Sleepy category: The World of O. Henry by O. Henry

This collection of stories by O. Henry starts with “The Gift of the Magi”, the one almost everyone has heard of, even if they couldn't say who wrote it. There is at least one more Christmas story in the collection, as well as a Thanksgiving story. I liked some stories better than others, but there really isn't a bad one in the bunch. O. Henry knew how to tell a story, and most of these end with that ironic twist that Henry does so well. I listened to an audio version read by Frank Muller, whose vocal characterizations matched the tone of each story perfectly. Warmly recommended.

4 stars

Next up in audio: A Christmas Odyssey by Anne Perry

145cbl_tn
Dez. 6, 2014, 10:57 am

It's a dreary, rainy day here in East TN. I took Adrian to the groomer this morning and he got a head start on the bath in just a short distance outside. I shopped for groceries after I dropped him off, then came home and started on my laundry. I hadn't realized that I was almost out of fabric softener. I had enough for the first load but not for any more. I'll substitute vinegar for the next load or two, then run into the grocery store again when I pick up Adrian. Sigh.

146thornton37814
Dez. 6, 2014, 7:45 pm

>145 cbl_tn: I went to Yoder's to pick up ingredients for "jar gifts" for my colleagues at work. I forgot to get some fresh dried thyme and ended up having to pay an arm and leg for it at Food City (which was cheaper than Ingles because it was on sale with the valucard). I had way more of most of my dry ingredients than I needed. I was just a little short on one thing, but it was something that I had some "older" in my own cupboard. I decided that if I used mostly fresh in each and just put the small amount needed to round it up from the old, I would be okay. I guess if I go back to Yoder's soon I can make some more jars to have on hand for incidental gifts I might need.

147cbl_tn
Dez. 7, 2014, 4:43 pm

>146 thornton37814: I hate it when I miss an item on my list, particularly if I've made a special trip somewhere. I'm glad you had a workaround.

148cbl_tn
Dez. 7, 2014, 4:44 pm

Book 19 in my Sneezy category: Shirley by Charlotte Bronte

People hate to be reminded of ills they are unable or unwilling to remedy. Such reminder, in forcing on them a sense of their own incapacity, or a more painful sense of an obligation to make some unpleasant effort, troubles their ease and shakes their self-complacency. Old maids, like the houseless and unemployed poor, should not ask for a place and an occupation in the world; the demand disturbs the happy and rich...

Shirley may be a disappointment to readers expecting a romance of the same caliber as Jane Eyre. The titular character doesn't appear until well into the novel, and she never fully wrests the position of protagonist from Caroline Helstone. Bronte resorts to the device of a journal to reveal one character's innermost thoughts since that person is without a natural confidante among the other characters.

Shirley holds more interest as a social novel addressing issues of social, economic, and gender equity. The depression of 1811-1812 provides the backdrop for the action. It pits textile mill operator Robert Moore and others of his station against desperate unemployed mill workers. Both orphan Caroline Helstone, a dependent of her clergyman uncle, and heiress Shirley Keeldar are reluctant to accept the roles assigned to them as single women of marriageable age. Shirley's inheritance allows her to openly defy society's expectations, while Caroline's lack of options as her uncle's dependent is at least a partial cause of her mental and physical depression. Recommended particularly for readers with an interest in women's history/women's rights or 19th century English social history.

3.5 stars

149mamzel
Dez. 8, 2014, 11:49 am

>147 cbl_tn: I wanted to make some biscotti yesterday and had to go to three stores before I could find some hazelnuts! I didn't know they were so rare. My last stop was Whole Foods. Their regular hazelnuts ($13.99/lb.) were gone and I ended up buying much more expensive sprouted (?!) hazelnuts.

150thornton37814
Dez. 9, 2014, 4:11 pm

>149 mamzel: I think Ingles here has hazelnuts. I'm pretty sure I've gotten them there before. I would buy them at Yoder's most of the time now though. Their prices are usually much better than the grocery store.

151RidgewayGirl
Dez. 9, 2014, 4:24 pm

Do you have a Trader Joe's? They're good for things like that at a reasonable price.

152cbl_tn
Dez. 9, 2014, 9:27 pm

Book 20 in my Grumpy category: A Christmas Odyssey by Anne Perry

As Christmas approaches, an old friend asks Henry Rathbone for a favor. The friend's son, Lucien, has been drawn into the lifestyle of London's underworld. Lucien's father wants Henry to find Lucien before it's too late. Henry knows he needs help, but he's reluctant to ask his friends, William and Hester Monk, to involve themselves in this quest. Henry turns instead to Squeaky Robinson, the bookkeeper for Hester Monk's clinic and a man with a criminal past, and the inscrutable Dr. Crow. The three men search for Lucien in the parts of London that aren't safe even for criminals. Following a promising lead to Lucien's whereabouts, they instead discover evidence of murder. Is Lucien the victim...or the killer?

Anne Perry's Christmas novellas feature secondary characters from her two Victorian crime series. They typically have themes of reconciliation and redemption, visiting some dark places in the process. This one is even darker than most and dwells excessively on perversion. The balance leans too far toward evil, and the redemptive acts are too insubstantial to erase the darkness that pervades so much of the story. Not recommended.

2 stars

Next up in audio: The Long Way Home by Louise Penny

153cbl_tn
Dez. 9, 2014, 9:30 pm

>149 mamzel: I love hazelnut flavor but I've never shopped just for hazelnuts. I'd have no idea where to look if Kroger or Food City didn't have them. I'd probably start at one of the specialty shops on the other side of town. Trader Joe's is farther away than some of the others so I'd only end up there if none of the closer shops carry them.

I used to make biscotti but I haven't done it in years. It wasn't very difficult, so I'm not sure why I quit making it.

154mamzel
Dez. 10, 2014, 11:50 am

Our Trader Joe's is just a couple of doors down from Whole Foods and they didn't have any either.

155cbl_tn
Dez. 10, 2014, 8:38 pm

>154 mamzel: Wow! I wonder if they're always this hard to find or if it's just a seasonal shortage?

156cbl_tn
Dez. 10, 2014, 8:38 pm

I finally feel like it's Christmas this evening. I heard my favorite Christmas song on the way home from work - The 12 Days of Christmas by Straight No Chaser. I just got back from a Lessons and Carols service at the school where I work. It was a very simple service with advent readings interspersed with solos by a harpist, cellist, hammer dulcimer, and organ, as well as a few congregational carols. I could feel the stress flowing away.

157cbl_tn
Dez. 10, 2014, 9:59 pm

Book 27 in my Doc category: Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce by Stanley Weintraub
RandomCAT

This account of the spontaneous World War I Christmas truce is mildly disappointing. Had I not read other World War I histories earlier this year, I wouldn't have had enough context for the events described in the book. It also bothered me that Weintraub intersperses accounts of fictional characters with those of real people. I had a hard time sorting out which events were real and which were fictional but based on real events. I think it would have been better if Weintraub had discussed fictional accounts of the truce in a single chapter. The book is worth reading for those with a strong interest in the topic, but readers should already have a basic familiarity with World War I history and chronology.

2.5 stars

158sallylou61
Dez. 10, 2014, 10:22 pm

I found your review of Stanley Weintraub's Silent Night : The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce interesting; I'm sorry it was disappointing. Although I don't think I have ever read any of his books, Weintraub is a prolific author who was on the faculty at Penn State for many years -- including the time I was a librarian there. One of my favorite Christmas songs is folksinger John McCutcheon's "Christmas in the Trenches" which is based on that event. McCutcheon used to sing that song at all of his concerts, regardless of the season, because of the message it contains. I had thought of reading Weintraub's book although I have never done anything about actually obtaining it.

159RidgewayGirl
Dez. 11, 2014, 3:58 am

>156 cbl_tn: So the opposite happened to me this morning. I gave the kids a ride to school and a Christmas carol came on (the identity of which I have blocked, but one of those upbeat, Santa Clausy ones) and it was being sung really slowly and badly but I didn't want to be the Grinch and change the station (here the Christmas carols do not take over the airwaves) and then my son said, from the back seat, "this is a really, really bad version." So we changed stations and listened to Geronimo instead.

160cbl_tn
Dez. 11, 2014, 8:03 am

>158 sallylou61: Weintraub discusses the McCutcheon song toward the end of the book! I don't think I've heard the song before. I'll see if I can find a recording on YouTube. Even though this book didn't quite meet my expectations, I'll be reading more of Weintraub's books. I have his General Washington's Christmas Farewell on next year's Christmas reading list.

>159 RidgewayGirl: At least it's encouraging that your son shares your taste in music and can recognize poor quality when he hears it! I have a satellite radio in my car and this time of year I keep it tuned to one of the 24x7 Christmas channels. Where else could I hear a great Christmas classic like "Dominick the Donkey" on the way to work?!

161-Eva-
Bearbeitet: Dez. 13, 2014, 7:30 pm

>159 RidgewayGirl:
I was listening to our local classical music station this morning and they were playing this really sad funeral dirge. Or at least that's what I thought it was until I listened to what the choir was actually singing and realized it was supposed to be "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen." Not very jolly, that. :)

162RidgewayGirl
Dez. 12, 2014, 2:20 am

I'm glad I didn't hear that, Eva! God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen is one of my favorites.

163cbl_tn
Dez. 12, 2014, 7:48 am

>161 -Eva-: Apparently it wasn't the Barenaked Ladies/Sarah McLachlan version! Another of my Christmas favorites.

164RidgewayGirl
Dez. 12, 2014, 8:47 am

I did not know that the Barenaked Ladies had a Christmas album! I'm listening to it now. Thank you!

165cbl_tn
Dez. 12, 2014, 5:23 pm

>164 RidgewayGirl: Hope you enjoyed it!

166cbl_tn
Dez. 12, 2014, 8:53 pm

I'm getting ready to curl up in front of the TV to watch the adaptation of Louise Penny's Still Life.

167cbl_tn
Dez. 13, 2014, 9:46 am

>172 cbl_tn: Thank you Barbara! It's off to a great start with a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning. It will be perfect for trying out my new prescription sunglasses, which I'll pick up later this morning.

Last night I watched the Canadian TV adaptation of Louise Penny's Still Life. I don't think it's ever shown on TV in my area, but it's available on disc from Netflix. The adaptation was pretty faithful to the book. They found a perfect location for filming. The fall colors are gorgeous. The bistro looked very much like my mental image. The only wrong note was the casting of Peter and Clara Morrow. They are both about 20 years too young. I had always pictured Ruth Zardo as Sophia from the Golden Girls. The actress who plays her doesn't look like Sophia, but she still fits the part. Agent Nichol didn't look like my mental image of her either, but she plays the role well.

168rabbitprincess
Dez. 13, 2014, 10:28 am

>167 cbl_tn: What I found weird about Still Life the movie was the fact that Inspector Lynley plays Gamache. He did all right, but since he's already associated with a well-known mystery franchise in which he plays a policeman, I had to work harder to separate the two and focus on the performance at hand.

169cbl_tn
Dez. 13, 2014, 12:30 pm

>168 rabbitprincess: It was a little odd at first but I got used to it. It's been a while since I've seen any of the Lynley episodes.

170-Eva-
Dez. 13, 2014, 7:33 pm

>163 cbl_tn: & >164 RidgewayGirl:
Ooh, I'm going to check that one out as well!

171cbl_tn
Dez. 13, 2014, 7:50 pm

>170 -Eva-: It's a great arrangement!

172cbl_tn
Dez. 13, 2014, 7:52 pm

Book 21 in my Grumpy category: Dead at Daybreak by Deon Meyer
GeoCAT

Hope Beneke is running out of time. With only a week to find a missing will for her client, the mistress of a murdered man, she turns to private investigator Zatopek van Heerden. Van Heerden had been a police officer, but he left the force five years earlier after a trauma so terrible that he has suppressed the memories. While combing through the police reports from the murder investigation, van Heerden spots an angle that the police didn't investigate. Since it seems to be the only lead, van Heerden follows it. The trail leads to unexpected revelations about the dead man and to some very dangerous associates from his past. Now van Heerden isn't just racing against the clock. He's also trying to catch a killer before the killer catches him.

This book seems like a cross between Tom Clancy and Tana French. Although van Heerden used to be a policeman and there are police investigators involved in the criminal investigation, most of the action revolves around military, special forces, and mercenaries. Meyer's novels seem to be related to each other in the same way that Tana French's are. While the same characters appear in many of the novels, the protagonist changes with each novel. Thobela Mpayipheli and Mat Joubert have supporting roles in this novel, and each has a central role in another of Meyer's novels. The high body count, the profanity, and the sexual content may be too much for some readers. It exceeded my comfort level so I probably won't seek out any more books by this author. Although the book contains many elements I didn't like, I was impressed by the author's skill. The race against time to find the missing will alternates with van Heerden's back story, gradually revealing the cause of his psychological damage. The construction of the plot and the pacing are very effective. Readers who enjoy this type of crime thriller should add Meyer to their list of must-read authors.

4 stars

173cbl_tn
Bearbeitet: Dez. 14, 2014, 8:35 pm

Book 20 in my Sneezy category: Sanditon by Jane Austen

Jane Austen started this novel during her final illness. She had only written eleven chapters and part of a twelfth when she died. Although she had already made some revisions to the manuscript, she likely would have made more edits and revisions had she lived to complete the novel. It reads like a draft and doesn't have the polish of her completed works.

A coach accident brings the Parkers of Sanditon into the Heywood home. In gratitude for the family's assistance, Mr. Parker invites Charlotte, one of the Heywood daughters, to return to Sanditon with them. The coach journey provides plenty of time for Mr. Parker to familiarize Charlotte with his siblings; his most distinguished neighbor, Lady Denham; and their joint project to develop Sanditon into a seaside resort town. Austen didn't tell readers much about Charlotte in the chapters she completed other than what can be inferred from her opinions of the people she meets. Lady Denham is surrounded by poor relatives eager to secure a legacy in her will. Three of Mr. Parker's four siblings are hypochondriacs who talk incessantly about their infirmities. It seems ironic that Austen's final work centered so much on illness and medical treatments. Would a healthy Austen have written about this topic in this way? Did Austen receive a lot of unsolicited advice as her illness progressed, and was this her way of expressing her irritation?

3 stars

174VivienneR
Dez. 15, 2014, 1:31 pm

You have made some interesting observations. I haven't read Sanditon and maybe I'll leave it that way. I'd prefer to think of Austen in her prime.

175cbl_tn
Dez. 15, 2014, 4:43 pm

>174 VivienneR: Thanks Vivienne! I wanted to read it before I watch the Pemberley Digital adaptation on YouTube. I figure the adaptation will make more sense if I'm familiar with the original.

176cbl_tn
Dez. 16, 2014, 10:24 pm

Book 22 in my Grumpy category: The Long Way Home by Louise Penny
RandomCAT

When Peter and Clara Morrow separated, they agreed that Peter would return exactly one year later and they would reassess their relationship. More than a year has passed and Peter hasn't returned. Clara is worried and asks her neighbor, former Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, to help her search for her husband. Clara, her friend Myrna, Gamache, and his former second-in-command and now son-in-law Jean-Guy Beauvoir, set about tracking Peter's movements over the last year. Their search involves a close analysis of Peter's art and travel to a remote part of Quebec.

Since I've never liked Peter, it was difficult for me to care about what happened to him. The mystery didn't work for me either. This was a missing person case, not a murder, so the two homicide detectives were working outside their expertise. The group's theories were based more on feelings and intutition rather than facts and evidence. I never understood why the theory of the tenth Muse was so scandalous since the Muses are mythical. Theories constantly change, and interpretations of things change. Nine planets become eight. Eight multiple intelligences become nine or ten. I don't lose any sleep over this.

It's hard to accept Gamache's retirement. He spent most of the book allowing Clara to take the lead in the search for Peter. (That's probably a big source of my dissatisfaction with the plot.) Gamache's age is revealed as 55 in this book, and there are hints that his retirement may not be permanent. His wife seems to think he will eventually go back to the Surete. That would be good news for series fans. As much as I like Clara as a character, she doesn't turn out to be a very good detective.

This was my first experience with the audio version of this series. I've heard wonderful things about Ralph Cosham's narration, and I discovered that everything I heard is true. Sadly, Mr. Cosham recently passed away and this is the last of Penny's novels he will narrate. He will be difficult to replace.

3 stars

Next up in audio: Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

177LittleTaiko
Dez. 17, 2014, 9:41 am

Finally, somebody else who didn't love the latest book Gamache book either. While I liked it, it just didn't work for some of the reasons you mentioned above. It was really more of a missing persons story with a quite a few scenes that were supposed to be dramatic that just felt overdone instead.

178cbl_tn
Dez. 17, 2014, 5:21 pm

>177 LittleTaiko: It's nice to have company! I was going to be a hard sell anyway since I disliked Peter so much. I thought A Trick of the Light was just so-so, too. I'd say that I prefer Peter and Clara in the supporting cast rather than center stage, except I loved A Rule Against Murder.

Bean's reappearance was the highlight of this book.

179cbl_tn
Dez. 19, 2014, 9:08 pm

Book 20 in my Dopey category: Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
RandomCAT

Hannah Swensen is helping to compile a town cookbook. The final recipes will be tested at a holiday buffet with many of the town's residents in attendance. Hannah's mother's contribution to the event is a recent acquisition – a valuable antique cake knife that she insists that Hannah use. The arrival of Martin Dubinski with his new wife, a Vegas showgirl, creates a stir. Her presence upsets someone in the crowd enough to murder her – with Hannah's mother's cake knife. Fortunately, Hannah's policeman boyfriend Mike is at the event, so when Hannah stumbles over the body, she immediately informs him of the death. However, Mike's presence doesn't keep her from doing her own investigating.

The events leading up to the murder and its conclusion take place over the course of a single day. A snow storm strands the guests at the party, giving the police – and Hannah – plenty of time to conduct a discreet investigation without raising a general alarm. I think Fluke could have come up with a better reason for the gathering. Recipe testing provides the author with an excuse for filling the book with recipes, but it's a weak excuse. I've been involved with several community cookbooks and none of them required recipe testing. We've already sampled most of the contributions at church pot lucks or similar gatherings.

The Christmas novels in this series are enjoyable fluff for the busy holiday season, but I couldn't tolerate a steady diet of this series. Hannah's unwillingness to commit to just one of her two boyfriends annoys me. Her relationship with Mike is more adolescent than adult. He brings out the worst in Hannah – jealousy, keeping score, and one-upmanship. On the other hand, dentist Norman treats Hannah with respect. I have a strong urge to sit down with Hannah and talk some sense into her.

2.5 stars

Next up in audio: Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris

180cbl_tn
Bearbeitet: Dez. 22, 2014, 7:56 pm

Book 21 in my Dopey category: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

In preparation for the dedication of the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral, Lady Schrapnell has all available historians traveling through time to locate the bishop's bird stump that was never found among the bombed ruins of the original cathedral. When Ned Henry begins to suffer from the effects of so many jumps, the head of the lab sends him to the Victorian era to hide from Lady Schrapnell so he can rest. He just has one assignment to take care of first. Too bad his brain is too scrambled to understand it. Ned meets up with other time travelers with their own assignments, and together they must figure out a way to get events on the proper course and avoid catastrophe.

This fun and fanciful story has some weighty questions at its heart, such as the philosophy of history and the possibility of free will. This is science fiction with cross genre appeal, especially for mystery lovers. There are lots of references to classic mystery authors and their characters, including Wilkie Collins' Moonstone, Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane, and Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. Willis assumes the reader's familiarity with these novels and series, and the dialogue about these novels includes spoilers. The title is taken from one of my favorite books, Three Men in a Boat. Ned also seems to be a fan, and his knowledge of the book will come in handy on his own Thames boat journey. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy time travel, classic mysteries, the Victorian era, and cats.

4 stars

181cbl_tn
Dez. 23, 2014, 8:10 pm

I'm ready for Christmas! The last of the gifts I ordered arrived today. Most of the presents are wrapped except for a couple for my brother and SIL who won't be here until next week. I'm going to stay with friends for a couple of days, and my bag is packed. I'll just need to throw in a couple more things in the morning and pack Adrian's things and I'm all set. I'm ready to relax and watch one of my favorite Christmas movies.

I'm really happy with what I ended up doing for my SIL's gift. When my father died 3 years ago, I saved a couple of roses from his casket spray and dried them. One of them was always meant for my SIL but I haven't been able to get it to her. I've seen her several times, but we've always been flying and I didn't want to risk the dried flower getting damaged. Since they're driving in this time, I decided to get a decorative bud vase for the dried rose. After an unsuccessful shopping trip on Saturday, I ended up ordering one I liked from Amazon. It arrived today...from England. I paid $3 extra for expedited shipping to make sure it arrived before my brother and SIL left for home. Now I just have to figure out how to wrap it.

182lkernagh
Dez. 24, 2014, 7:07 pm

Well, yay for being ready for Christmas! I don't think I have ever been able to make that statement and not retract it - I love my father to bits but he is notorious for buying what we buy for him, turning us into last minute shoppers of what can only be described as being a desperate effort at Plan B. ;-)

Stopping by to wish you a Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2015!

183DeltaQueen50
Dez. 24, 2014, 8:03 pm

Carrie, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas. I've loved hearing about Adrian's progress over the year and look forward to more Adrian stories next year!

184cbl_tn
Dez. 24, 2014, 8:48 pm

Thanks Lori and Judy!

185rabbitprincess
Dez. 24, 2014, 9:17 pm

Merry Christmas to you and Adrian!

186VivienneR
Dez. 24, 2014, 9:35 pm

Just wishing you and Adrian a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful year ahead. I'm looking forward to all those book bullets!

187mathgirl40
Dez. 24, 2014, 10:32 pm

>176 cbl_tn: I enjoyed reading your thoughts on The Long Way Home. I had mixed feelings about the book myself. It took me a long time to warm up to it, but the ending saved it for me. It really did feel different from all her other books.

I'm also glad to hear you enjoyed the TV adaptation of Still Life. I haven't seen it yet. I like Nathaniel Parker as an actor but I do have a hard time envisioning him as Gamache. In my own mind, I see Roy Marsden (as he appeared in the Inspector Dalgleish series) as Gamache.

I hadn't heard about Ralph Cosham passing away. I will miss his narration of Penny's books.

Merry Christmas, and best wishes for the new year!

188RidgewayGirl
Dez. 25, 2014, 10:45 am

Merry Christmas, Carrie. With love to Adrian, of course.

189cbl_tn
Dez. 25, 2014, 7:49 pm

R>185 rabbitprincess: >186 VivienneR: >187 mathgirl40: >188 RidgewayGirl: Thanks everyone! Adrian and I ended up having a good day after a rocky start. He was due for his heartworm pill this morning. It's chewable, but he doesn't like it so I always have to hide it in something. i've never had a problem...until today. I tried the usual spray cheese. I tried peanut butter. I tried yogurt. I mixed it in his food but he ate around it. I saved what was left of it and was able to get him to eat it with his dinner by mixing chicken into it. I hope enough of it was left to do him some good. I'll call his vet to make sure.

Santa brought a couple of books from my wishlist-Sense & Sensibility by Joanna Trollope, and Hoosiers: A New History of Indiana. The first of my SantaThing books arrived yesterday: Amerigo: The Man Who Gave His Name to America.

190cbl_tn
Dez. 26, 2014, 2:50 pm

I arrived home this afternoon to find a strange man walking at the top of our dead end road. When I got to my house, I waited in the car to see what he was going to do. He went into the neighbor's driveway across the street. They spend a lot of time out in their yard in warm weather so I see their regular visitors when I'm out with Adrian. I know I've never seen this man before. I'm a little nervous since most of my neighbors are away for the holidays, but I think the neighbors across the street will let me know if there is anything I should be concerned about. I'm keeping all the doors locked while I'm at home. Adrian isn't much of a guard dog, but he spends most of his time at the window overlooking the road and he does bark when someone comes into the driveway.

191cbl_tn
Dez. 26, 2014, 10:22 pm

We watched Guardian of the Galaxy at my friends' house on Christmas eve. I rarely go to movies so I hadn't heard of it, and it really isn't my type of film, but I loved the soundtrack. It's great songs from my childhood/teen years. One of my Christmas presents was an iTunes gift card and I've already spent part of it on the movie soundtrack.

192cbl_tn
Dez. 28, 2014, 5:37 pm

Book 19 in my Sleepy category: Death at Sandringham House by C. C. Benison
MysteryCAT
RandomCAT

Housemaid Jane Bee is part of the Buckingham House staff transferred to Sandringham for the Queen's residence through the Christmas season. Since the flu is making its rounds, the healthy staff have to take on unaccustomed duties to cover for sick staff. Jane is sent on an errand to the Village Hall just as the hunting party is expected to arrive for lunch. Before Jane can slip out unobtrusively, a woman's body is discovered backstage. The woman is an actress in the Pantomime currently running at the Hall, and she is still in her costume from the night before – dressed as the Queen, complete with a tiara. The authorities focused their investigation on the animal rights group that had targeted the dead woman, who flaunted her fur coat everywhere she went. However, the Queen suspects there may be a connection to the tiara and its history and, as she had months earlier when a footman was murdered in Buckingham Palace, she uses Jane to gather information that might solve the murder. This time Jane gets additional assistance from her father, a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who just happens to be visiting his daughter over the holidays.

I enjoy this series more for the royal connections and behind-the-scene-at-the-palace setting rather than the mystery. The mystery plot isn't bad, but the author doesn't play fair with readers when he allows Jane to discover crucial information “off stage” and withhold it until the final summation when all the suspects have been gathered. Also, I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Jane's father. I have one book left to read in this series. I need to save it for sometime when I have plenty of time since this author's books tend to be a lot longer than a typical cozy.

3.5 stars

193cbl_tn
Dez. 28, 2014, 6:15 pm

Book 23 in my Grumpy category:
Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris
MysteryCAT
RandomCAT

Lily Bard is a house cleaner in Shakespeare, Arkansas, who is determined not to be defined by her past as the victim of a violent crime. For that reason, she has avoided visits to her family and her hometown for many years. Lily's sister Varena has planned a Christmas wedding that will finally bring Lily back to Bartley. During some of the pre-wedding activities, Lily and Varena discover the bodies of the town doctor and his nurse in the office where they had been beaten to death. Then Lily's private eye boyfriend shows up to see Lily and meet the family, but that's not the only reason he's in town. He's been hired to look for a girl who was kidnapped as an infant eight years earlier – and Varena's fiance, a widower, has an 8-year-old daughter. Lily realizes that she must help Jack solve his case before her sister's wedding.

This book is darker than most cozies, but it still retains some of the small town charm characteristic of many cozy series. I liked Lily. She's not one of those “too stupid to live” characters that populate so many cozies. She isn't impulsive; she is smart, strong, thoughtful, and aware of the risks she undertakes. The reader, Julia Gibson, seems perfect for Lily's voice. I picked this one up because I was looking for an audiobook with a Christmas setting. Now I will be looking for the rest of the books in this series.

4 stars

Next up in audio: Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth

194rabbitprincess
Dez. 28, 2014, 6:17 pm

I would have liked to see more of Jane's dad too! They made a great team. I hope you like Death at Windsor Castle whenever you get to it. It takes place on Garter Day and during Ascot in June, if you want to time it appropriately :)

195cbl_tn
Dez. 28, 2014, 7:25 pm

>194 rabbitprincess: Thanks! I'll keep that in mind! He still needs to write the Balmoral book.

196rabbitprincess
Dez. 28, 2014, 9:34 pm

And Holyroodhouse too!

197cbl_tn
Dez. 28, 2014, 9:49 pm

>196 rabbitprincess: Do they stay there too? I wasn't sure.

198rabbitprincess
Dez. 28, 2014, 9:57 pm

Not as much as Balmoral, but apparently they do spend at least a week there in the summer: http://www.royal.gov.uk/theroyalresidences/thepalaceofholyroodhouse/thepalaceofh...
Incidentally I myself visited Holyroodhouse on our trip to Edinburgh and it was very nice.

199cbl_tn
Dez. 28, 2014, 10:05 pm

>198 rabbitprincess: If they stay there, then we must have a book about it!

200cbl_tn
Dez. 28, 2014, 10:10 pm

First there was The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, then Emma Approved, and now The March Family Letters, a retelling of Little Women. It's being distributed by Pemberley Digital, but apparently they don't produce it. I just found out about it this evening. There's only one episode out so far so for once I don't have to catch up with the episodes I've missed. It looks like new episodes will be released on Tuesdays and Fridays.

201-Eva-
Dez. 29, 2014, 9:05 pm

>191 cbl_tn:
That soundtrack is fantastic!!

202cbl_tn
Dez. 30, 2014, 7:36 am

>201 -Eva-: I did a lot of cleaning over the weekend to prepare for company. The soundtrack helped me speed through my chores!

203christina_reads
Dez. 30, 2014, 11:57 am

>200 cbl_tn: Oh, didn't realize "The March Family Letters" was out already! I'll have to check it out. Loved "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries" and "Emma Approved," but wasn't crazy about "Frankenstein M.D."

204cbl_tn
Dez. 31, 2014, 7:14 am

>203 christina_reads: Yesterday's episode was strange. If it doesn't improve soon, I may not follow it like I did the Austens. I'm not a Little Women fan to begin with so it needs to get off to a good start to hold my interest.

205cbl_tn
Dez. 31, 2014, 9:46 am

Book 20 in my Sleepy category: Mad as the Dickens by Toni L. P. Kelner
MysteryCAT
RandomCAT

Boston residents Laura Fleming and her husband, Richard, are in Laura's North Carolina hometown for Christmas after Laura's cousin Vasti invited Richard to direct her production of A Christmas Carol. New mother Vasti got a late start on the play, and Richard is pressed for time to get the actors into shape. His biggest problem is that likeable Seth Murdstone is all wrong as Scrooge. It's soon apparent that at least one person doesn't like Seth Murdstone at all when someone murders him during a rehearsal break. While Richard keeps the show going, vacationing police chief Junior Norton talks the 5-months pregnant Laura “Laurie Anne” into helping her with an unofficial investigation of the murder. Chief Norton doubts that Mark Pope, the deputy in charge of the investigation, will find the real killer. Meanwhile, a practical joker seems to be trying to sabotage the show with increasingly dangerous pranks. Are the prankster and the murderer the same person?

The series has a weak premise for Laura's involvement in murder investigations. It's improbable that a law enforcement officer, even on vacation, would ask a civilian to lead a murder investigation. At least Laura isn't one of the “too stupid to live” variety of amateur sleuths. The Christmas Carol production firmly anchors the book in the Christmas season. It's an average cozy, but it gets an extra half star for the Christmas shopping scene that was so funny that it had me laughing out loud.

3.5 stars

206hailelib
Dez. 31, 2014, 12:17 pm

>205 cbl_tn:

That sounds like a mystery I can safely skip!

Came to wish you a great New Year.

207cbl_tn
Dez. 31, 2014, 2:56 pm

>206 hailelib: Thank you! Happy New Year to you as well!

208cbl_tn
Jan. 1, 2015, 8:46 am

December Recap

Bashful:
Books coaxed from my TBR stash - 17/14

Doc: Books I read to learn something – 27/14
Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce by Stanley Weintraub (2.5)

Dopey: Books I read just for fun – 21/14
*Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke (2.5)
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (4)

Grumpy: Books full of murder & mischief – 23/14
*A Christmas Odyssey by Anne Perry (2)
Dead at Daybreak by Deon Meyer (4)
*The Long Way Home by Louise Penny (3)
*Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris (4)

Happy: Happiness is a new book! - 15/14

Sleepy: Cozies, comfort reads, and children's literature – 17/14
*The World of O. Henry by O. Henry (4)
Death at Sandringham House by C. C. Benison (3.5)
Mad as the Dickens by Toni L. P. Kelner (3.5)

Sneezy: Old tomes (books originally published before I was born) – 20/14
Shirley by Charlotte Bronte (3.5)
Sanditon by Jane Austen (3)

Best of the month: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Worst of the month: A Christmas Odyssey by Anne Perry

*Audiobooks

Owned/physical: 2
Owned/ebook: 2
Borrowed/physical: 3
Borrowed/audiobook: 5
Borrowed/ebook: 1
All categories completed!

209sallylou61
Jan. 1, 2015, 9:53 am

Congratulations on finishing your challenge, Carrie.

210cbl_tn
Jan. 1, 2015, 9:58 am

>209 sallylou61: Thanks! I had a pretty good reading year in 2014, and I'm hoping that 2015 will be even better!