Clam Reads Books & Dreams of Cheese ❂ 2022 ~ Part II ❂

Time for a new thread. I was going to try to wait until the end of March, but it was getting a bit unwieldy.



For years I have been meaning to finish The Dark is Rising Sequence, and I think libraryperilous and Marissa_Doyle both reread the second book, The Dark is Rising, near the end of last year and thus reminded me to get on with it. I enjoyed Greenwitch, though I almost bailed in the beginning because it was feeling too juvenile even for a children's book. But it improved quite a bit as I got into it.

I'm moving on to a book I've been meaning to reread for decades, A Separate Peace. This one ambushed me because of the "read your birth year' thread.

I think the ending of Greenwitch especially is pretty mature for a children's book - Susan's wish and its consequences are more subtle than you often find in books for that age group. I agree that the beginning with the squabbling gets old quickly. The next volume, The grey king, is generally reckoned to be the best in the series.

>2 Sakerfalcon: I thought so about Susan and her actions. Definitely loved how she had such a big part to play in this one. I will keep going, but will read a few other things in between to as palate cleanser.

In the meantime I'm finding the John Knowles book I'm reading from my birth year to be anything but YA, despite it taking place in a New England boy's high school during WW II.

>3 clamairy: A Separate Peace was commonly assigned reading for kids growing up in NH, as the author supposedly used his school here in Exeter as the basis for the setting, so lots of teachers used it in classes in high school. I remember it being somewhat dismal and sad, but I guess that was probably his point of setting it during WWII. I definitely didn't appreciate it much as a teen, but reread it a few years ago and had a better experience.

>4 Darth-Heather: Yes, we also read it in HS back in the late 1970s. I have very little memory of it, so I suspect I wasn't enjoying it and sped read it, gathering just enough to pass whatever tests or papers there were. I am enjoying it now.

I don't think we read a single book in HS that wasn't dismal or sad. The Red Pony, Flowers for Algernon, The Pearl, Nectar in a Sieve, The Old Man and the Sea, Of Mice and Men... A real laugh riot.

>5 clamairy: ugh, a regular lineup of gloom right there! I remember reading some of those, plus the also-dismal I Am The Cheese and The Chocolate War. Tough slogging for teens who are already prone to emotional ups and downs!

Although to be fair, my experience is probably a poor metric - I didn't realize until I was much older that Holden Caulfield was supposed to be having a nervous breakdown; as a teen I thought he was just struggling to make sense of his world, like we all were.

Congrats on the new thread!

>7 Karlstar: Pretty sure my kids read The Chocolate War, but I never heard of the other one. (And I think I'm glad.)

>8 clamairy: Thank you!

I own both a hardcover and the Audible version of The Yellow House by Sarah Broom, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at a reading of this book back in 2019, before it won The National Book Award. I don't read a lot of print, but I wanted to support the author, and then I decided I'd rather listen to her tell me the tale.

I found much to relate to, despite this being the story of a house in New Orleans. Both Ms. Broom and I are the youngest of 9 children (though she also has two half brothers and I do not.) We both grew up in big houses that were not in the best of shape due both to age of the home and to having fathers who were not particularly handy. LOL Both of these homes were demolished. Mine to make way for a bunch of new homes on smaller lots, hers because of the damage it sustained from Hurricane Katrina 2005. After that the similarity ends. She's been a writer for O magazine, the communications maven for Mayor Ray Nagin, and she worked in Burundi as well.

Coincidentally she finished this book in a house about 10 miles from where I live now, and was caught in rising flood waters from Hurricane Sandy when that storm hit this area in 2012.

When I had her sign the book I had a mini panic attack, as I was planning to have her inscribe it to my daughter. I then realized she might be taken aback by my daughter's name, (Katrina) and so I had her write the inscription to me.

I decided to reread A Separate Peace because of the 'Reading the year of your birth' thread. I had only a few vague memories about this one from HS, oddly I remembered very vividly that Finny died, but not that Gene had jiggled the limb of the tree, causing Finny's first accident. For some reason I thought he had pushed him. (Which would have been much worse.) I thought this wasn't revealed until the end of the book. Nope, it's pretty early in the book. Odd tricks the memory can play. Either way I thought the writing was mostly incredible, and since I wasn't reading under duress there was much more reading pleasure involved this time around. I also liked both boys this time around. I seem to recall liking Finny, but thinking Gene was a jerk.

Not sure what book is up next. I'm going to try to read something I own again. And right now I am listening to Trinity because St. Patrick's Day is next week. Our family gathering is this weekend, and both of my kids will be visiting so they can attend. We haven't had a full sized one since 2019.

I also want to continue sharing some of my favorite cheeses. This one came from Costco, and it's a goat cheese similar to a Manchego that is coated in Rosemary. Delicious! ( I think I might have to find a better quality photo...)

>11 clamairy: That sounds amazing! I love Manchego so would definitely give that a try if I had the chance.

Ah manchego. Back when we ate pasta, the husband would make mac & cheese with it. Heavenly.

>13 Bookmarque: No wheat, or no carbs? I'm sure you know that you can buy pasta made out of all sorts of things now, including lentils. I've tried a few. I use mostly whole wheat pasta, because I still eat plenty of grains. I just try to stick to whole one.

>12 Sakerfalcon: It's from California, but I'm sure you could find some similar cheeses from Europe.

No processed foods so far as possible. When we did this and basically cut out gluten, we decided not to replace those foods with gluten free versions. We wanted to replace nutrient poor foods with nutrient rich ones. Pasta made with cauliflower is as empty as wheat pasta is so it doesn't make sense. It's only a vehicle for the sauce anyway and we put that on ground meat patties instead. Or a meatloaf or meatzza.

>16 Bookmarque: Got ya. I love my whole grains, but I have cut back. I can't go completely without, though.

I decided I needed to read Death on the Nile (my first time) since the new movie will start streaming in a few weeks. That way I can complain abut what was changed. ;o) Anyway, I did enjoy it, but for some reason I can't get over how many of her characters were snobs. I haven't read her autobiography but I suspect Christie was the victim of a lot of that same variety of snobbery, at least before she got extremely famous.

Suddenly I wanted another British mystery, but maybe one that didn't take itself quite so seriously, so I am reading Whose Body (my first ever Sayers!) and chuckling quite a bit.

Sorry I haven't been around much. Lots of stuff going on, all good.

I hope you enjoy the Sayers books.

>19 pgmcc: Thank you! I had started it once before and only got a couple of pages in before a digital loan distracted me. And then it got buried on my kindle. Luckily I had bought it when it was on sale, so I knew it would be there when I wanted it again.

>18 clamairy: I think Death on the Nile is one of Christie's more interesting titles. Thematically, in my view, it's all about ownership -- real and assumed. On the one hand, I really want to watch Brannagh's version (once it's available on streaming) but on the other hand, I know I will object to his changes. Because it didn't need to be changed. The author HAD a point and she created a vehicle that conveyed that point. I suspect the most recent version will miss that point.

For the record, you should know I have had a thing for Kenneth Brannagh FOREVER. I love his Henry V and his Hamlet as well as the early Much Ado About Nothing with Emma Thompson. But his Poirot just irks me. I still watch but it irks me.

>20 clamairy:
It is the first of her Lord Peter stories so you have the chance to read them in publication order if you choose to do so.

>21 jillmwo: I really enjoyed his version of Murder on the Orient Express, except for one scene that seemed much longer than it needed to be.

>22 pgmcc: Yes, that's why I started with this one, even though it's not the highest rated of the series.

>20 clamairy: I envy you your first Sayers!

I am excited about the new Christie movie as well. Thought I had the book here in a set, but apparently not. :/

>24 MrsLee: Yes, it's perfectly silly and wonderful. I had no idea there were so many of them, though!

Have you read that Christie before? (I have only read a handful.) It should be easy enough to find a used copy if you're sure you don't have one.

I absolutely adored Christie and Sayers and Allingham and the other Golden Age of Detective Fiction authors back when I read them in the 70s and 80s. I tried recently to reread a couple (I think one was a Lord Peter and one a Poirot), but I just could not seem to get into them. I wish I could - it was another world!

>25 clamairy: I have read all the Christie mysteries at one time or other, but I didn't keep them and it's been years. Death on the Nile was one my mom had in hardcover and I would grab it whenever I was there. I could start reading at any place in the book. I enjoyed the setting as much or more than the story itself.

I think one of my nieces must have nabbed that one from mom's house.

>27 MrsLee: Ahh, so you don't really need to reread it before you watch the movie. I liked this one as much as Roger Ackeroyd, and definitely more than the Halloween one I read. The only others I've read were the re-titled And Then There Were None, (we won't discuss the previous titles!) and Orient Express. My mom must not have been much of a Christie fan. She was more of a John le Carré fan.

>26 Storeetllr: I think I only had read one or two Christie books before I hit my 40s. I enjoyed them well enough, but it didn't spur me to read more. It's the humor in the Sayers that is so entertaining.

>21 jillmwo: Ken and Em's Much Ado is my all-time favorite movie. I like it so well that my wife got me the poster as a gift one year. Whenever I see Kate Beckinsale elsewhere, I think/say, oh it's Leonato's short daughter.

I definitely prefer Sayers over Christie.

>30 Jim53: That movie was wonderful. Too bad they split.

Yes, the Christie books seem a bit stuffy by comparison to the Sayers, though there is some extremely dry humor.

I'm halfway through Whose Body? and I want my own Bunter. Badly...

He is the BEST. Unfortunately for us, he is singular. He is a marvel.

>32 clamairy: Oh yes!

>33 reconditereader: He is. I already wanted him for the coffee, but when he wouldn't let Lord Peter go to a luncheon without changing his clothes I realized what a gem he is.

>34 MrsLee: The only modern 'person' I can compare him to is Sonny in the film version of I, Robot.

Whose Body was a lot more fun than I expected it to be, and surprisingly touching in a few spots. I was completely blindsided by Lord Peter's PTSD, and I got a giant lump in my throat when Bunter came to his aid.

I will definitely continue with this series, but not right away. I'm working on The Trespassers and Genius Foods*, but I'm not going to have much time to read until next week.

*I started this one ages ago, set it aside for an OverDrive loan and then forgot about it.

>36 clamairy: The spoilered section hit me really hard as well! (And may have prompted me to start drawing a venn diagram of Lord Peter, Batman, and the Scarlet Pimpernel, but that's by the by)

>37 nonil: I get the Batman thing, but it's been so long (45 years at least) since I read The Scarlet Pimpernel that now I'm going to have to do some Googling.

>36 clamairy: And really that very first title, Whose Body is the very worst of all of her novels. The writing gets better and better as you read through the full set. (And yes, we all need a Bunter. But I'm afraid they broke the mold.)

I am amazed you haven't read more of Sayers.

>39 jillmwo: I never even heard of her until people started chatting about her in this group. (But I am not much of a mystery reader.) I bought a few for my Kindle when they went on sale.

>40 clamairy: I look forward to hearing your reactions to her other stories. You have a lot of good reading in your future!

>41 MrsLee: Happy to hear this. Do I need to read them in order? I don't own the next one, but my library seems to have all of them for Kindle, thankfully.

You don't need to read them in order, but it is nice. Mostly, Strong Poison, Gaudy Night, and Busman's Honeymoon should be read in that order. I feel like you can skip around through the rest.

i was a great mystery reader in my youth. I did all of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, John Dickson Carr, and many more. My mother introduced me to the Lord Peter novels when I was a young teen, with the caution that I ought to save the four Harriet Vane novels for later "because they're a little old for you." I loved them all. The Nine Tailors stood out. I thought and still think it contains one of the most beautiful lines in English literature: the voices of the bells in the tower.

The bells gave tongue: Gaude, Sabaoth, John, Jericho, Jubilee, Dimity, Batty Thomas and Tailor Paul, rioting and exulting high up in the dark tower, wide mouths rising and falling, brazen tongues clamouring, huge wheels turning to the dance of the leaping ropes. Tin tan din dan bim bam bom bo...

I have really enjoyed the Lord Peter books. I find Dorothy L. Sayers a fascinating person, and her fiction has so many extra layers and allusions that reading it is so much more than simply reading a murder mystery. So far I have read about half of the Lord Peter stories. I started with The Nine Tailors and then went on to Murder Must Advertise and Clouds of Witness. At that point I decided I needed to get a bit more disciplined and started reading them in chronological order. My next book will be Have His Carcase.

I was drawn in by Busman's Honeymoon and then found my way through the tale of Harriet and Peter chronologically. Of course, that was back when mass market paperback editions were relatively ubiquitous. Barnes and Noble had them and while they only rarely had ALL the titles available at the same time, it wasn't that hard to gradually work your way through the whole series.

>42 clamairy: What >43 reconditereader: and >44 Meredy: said. :)
I kind of think I read the three with Harriet Vane in them first, then gobbled down the rest as I found them. I was 20 when I discovered Sayers. I've read them all at least three times through. As >45 pgmcc: says, there are many layers, but I love the cast, that's why I read them again and again.

I highly recommend Murder Must Advertise. I think you would enjoy it. Although, I don't think Bunter appears much in it. Uh oh, I better go read it again and refresh my memory.

>47 MrsLee: Murder Must Advertise is great. It is the one in which one character describes Lord Peter as an intelligent Bertie Wooster, or words to that effect.

It is also the one that encouraged me to investigate Dorothy L. Sayers's career and to discover that she worked as an advertising agent. One of her clients was Guinness and she was responsible for many of the iconic Guinness marketing symbols and slogans, such as the toucan and the phrase, "Guinness is Good for You!"

>48 pgmcc: not sure which book, but somewhere Bunter says “ I endeavour to give satisfaction, sir”, to which Lord Peter replies “Don’t talk like Jeeves, it irritates me”.

>49 haydninvienna: :-)

I do not think I have reached that book yet.

>50 pgmcc: It may have been The Nine Tailors. Perhaps MrsLee or jillmwo can shed some light.

>51 haydninvienna:
I do not recall Bunter being in The Nine Tailors. That could be my faulty recall.

>52 pgmcc: Bunter is there already on the first or second page of The Nine Tailors. I do not recall the exchange to which >49 haydninvienna: refers.

Ha! From Strong Poison, chapter XX:

"The devil!" cried Wimsey. "That's one up to you, Miss Murchison. We didn't think of that. The water-bottle--yes--a perfectly fruity idea. You recollect, Charles, that in the Bravo case, it was suggested that a disgruntled servant had put tartar emetic in the water-bottle. Oh, Bunter--here you are! Next time you hold Hannah's hand, will you ask her whether Mr. Boyes drank any water from his bedroom water-bottle before dinner?"

"Pardon me, my lord, the possibility had already presented itself to my mind."

"It had?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Do you never overlook anything, Bunter?"

"I endeavour to give satisfaction, my lord."

"Well then, don't talk like Jeeves. It irritates me. What about the water-bottle?"

Thanks to FadedPage.com.

There are four novels with Harriet Vane. The first is Strong Poison. The four really should be read in order:

Strong Poison (1930)
Have His Carcase (1932)
Gaudy Night (1936)
Busman's Honeymoon (1937)

>53 hfglen: Now that you mention it there was something about Bunter getting friendly with one of the maids.

Oh, boy. I may have to reread the Lord Peter mysteries, which I originally read in (I think) the 1980s. There is also a collection of short stories which I tried to read last year but just could not get into, so I didn't think I'd appreciate the novels either. You all have managed to make me reconsider!

In a happy coincidence, I was watching a Tommy and Tuppence mystery tonight (for all of 10 minutes before I quit) and she was reading Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers. :)

I haven't been around because I've been whooping it up in New Orleans since last Thursday. I was there for a family destination wedding (my niece) and had a wonderful time. I returned home late last night, and now I have a head cold and don't feel like posting much. (It was worth it!)

Thank you for all the Lord Peter commentary!

I had a fantastic time in New Orleans, but I'm getting old and don't bounce back from partying (and crappy sleep) like I used to.



I figured the last of the Dublin Murder Squad books by Tana French would be a great distraction from the airport and plane ride, and I was mostly right. The Trespasser is not my favorite in the series, but it was still quite good. I am more than just a little sad that there are none left to look forward to. Especially since her last non-series book was almost mediocre.

The Secret History was a recommendation that popped up on LibraryThing when I was looking through a few Tana French books I enjoyed so much, specifically The Likeness. They are both about college students involved in a murder and all the friction between friends that this murder causes, but the similarities mostly end there. This Donna Tarrt book (which I enjoyed so much more than The Goldfinch) is set in the 1980s at a college in Vermont. It's a barely disguised Bennington College, which the author attended herself. I am familiar with the school because my daughter was accepted there and we visited the place. It's quite isolated now, and must have seemed even more so before cell phones and the interwebs. I got sucked right into this one. I started this book once a long time ago, at (I believe) the recommendation of Tane, back before LibraryThing even existed. But at that point in my life I couldn't get into it, and returned it to the library. I grabbed a used copy at one of the library sales fully intending to give it another try at some point. I'm glad I did. Holy smoking turdballs! This is not for everyone. It's intense, and full of Latin & Greek (they are students studying the classics) and there is an amazing amount of drinking and drug use. But it was the perfect read for me while I was nursing my head cold.

Right now I am giving Love and Friendship a try, because I have been watching season 2 of Sandition and I need a Austen fix since I have to wait a whole week for the next episode.

>61 clamairy: I enjoyed The Secret History some time ago. Like you, I started it and did not take to it right away. When I tried it again some years later I enjoyed it. I have not tried any of her other books but do believe I have them stalking my shelves somewhere. Sorry to hear The Goldfinch did not leave as good an impression on you.

>62 pgmcc:, >63 Sakerfalcon: I loved The secret history but had the same initial experience as you two! I did enjoy The goldfinch but I think I liked Secret History better. I do like "dark academia" (which is now a cool trend among the yoof, so I gather).

>62 pgmcc: & >63 Sakerfalcon: That's very interesting that we all had the same experience. I hadn't made it very far when I gave up that first time. BTW, I didn't dislike The Goldfinch, but I still don't understand how it won the Pulitzer. I realize now that in both books she chose to write in the first person and used a young male protagonist.

I liked TSH both times I read it - in the 90s and the mid-2000s, but The Little Friend put me off her so much I haven't read anything from her since. Not that there's been anything except The Goldfinch. When stuff like that wins I always think it's to make up for not awarding it to an earlier, better novel. Sort of like a consolation prize. Yeah, you won, but not for your best work.

>65 Bookmarque: I wondered about that myself after finishing the earlier book yesterday. I looked up the stats on The Little Friend in here, and noticed that they were significantly lower than the other two, so I decided to give it a hard pass. Glad to have that decision reinforced.

Here's the review I wrote of The Little Friend:

Brilliant prose, exceptional characters, vivid setting, gripping scenes, complex plot: how can a story have so many virtues and yet leave me feeling so ill-served?

I invested many hours in reading this 555-page novel, and it wasn't until I actually reached the last page that it dawned on me that the author was going to leave me in ignorance: not just about the plot's driving question but about thread after thread of subplot and secondary character.

That's not what I expected after reading the author's other two novels, and it's not what I expected from the implicit promises of this one.

It may be that that's life; but that's not a satisfying novel.

I'm not going to cite passages or quote noteworthy excerpts or praise the themes and motifs and figurative language, although I might have. Instead I'm just going to walk away; but I am going to call back over my shoulder and say, "And besides, you don't know how to conjugate 'lay.'"

OMG, Meredy that's almost exactly what I wrote. My review has a numbered list about what was wrong with the book. I think it's rather funny. Some days I'm more "on" than others.

>67 Meredy: Even more reinforcement! Thank you for sharing this.

And The Goldfinch ought to have been only 5/8 of its length. I gave it a sterling review, though.

>70 Meredy: Agreed. I'm not sure I needed all that detailed extended drug use.

I've been having issues finding something to really pull me in after The Secret History. I returned a book about tidal pools to OverDrive after reading about a dozen pages. I am on a wait list for Hamnet. Patricia MacLachlan passed, so I decided to read Sarah, Plain and Tall and I found it very sweet. A bit like Willa Cather light!

Now I might go back to Down Among the Sticks and Bones which I have set aside a few times now. I've been watching The Gilded Age on HBO and enjoying it, so was also looking for something set in that era in NYC. Maybe a not depressing Edith Wharton... Is there one? LOL

>72 clamairy:
Have you tried A Man With One of Those Faces? If not, I think you would find it a book that would pull you in.

>72 clamairy: Glimpses of the Moon is my favorite Wharton.

May I have the title of the tidal pools book? Thank you.

>74 libraryperilous: It's Life Between the Tides by Adam Nicolson. It wasn't the book, it was me. I have bought a couple of books for Kindle about oceans/beaches that I need to read before I try to borrow this again.

I think I own that Wharton!

>73 pgmcc: It's on my wishlist already!

>75 clamairy: Thank you. I have that one on my TBR and his seabird book on my shelf. Nicolson's writing often is discursive, so I have to be in a certain mood to read him.

>77 libraryperilous: It wasn't working for me right now, and the reviews I read in here seem to imply that the second half is more readable than the first.

>72 clamairy: Have you read The Alienist and Angel of Darkness, Caleb Carr's books set in that time period in New York? I know they came out awhile ago, but I remember they were very good. I think there's a TV serial based on them. I haven't seen it yet.

The Wayward Children books are hit-and-miss for me. My favorite in the series was from last year - Across The Green Grass Fields.

>79 Storeetllr: Yes, I read them both many years ago. I preferred The Alienist and I wish he'd write more in that style.

Have you read anything by McGuire's alias Mira Grant? I have not.

>80 clamairy: If you liked The Alienist, and have not yet read Stefanie Pintoff, I'd recommend her Simon Ziele Mysteries. Set around the turn from 19th to 20th centuries in New York City, the first book is In The Shadow of Gotham. I liked her take on the era a little better than Carr's - although I thought The Alienist was also a good read.

>81 ScoLgo: Many thanks! I will put it on my OverDrive wishlist.

I'll echo >81 ScoLgo: recommendation re Pintoff. My husband thoroughly enjoyed the depth of the New York history.

>83 jillmwo: Thanks for seconding the recommendation. Sadly it's not available through OverDrive, but I might request they acquire it for me if it's not on Hoopla.

Can you believe that the New York City Public Library does not have a digital copy of In the Shadow of Gotham? Neither does my local library here in Nyack, which is - literally - in the shadow of Gotham. What the actual heck!?!

>85 Storeetllr: I don't get it. It's not available for me through OverDrive or Hoopla, but they have several of her other books. I might use more nefarious means to get a digital copy. I'm not paying full price for a book from 2009.

Well, looking at some of the background, I can make a guess at some of what's going on. Minotaur Books is an imprint from Macmillan. Macmillan is one of the publishers that is trying to limit digital availability to the library market sector. (For some of the background, read this: https://www.niso.org/niso-io/2020/01/ebooks-and-embargoes-eleven-links). They would prefer that libraries purchase print (no, the logic isn't entirely clear to me either).

Remember as well that the states of New York and Maryland were the two states that were trying to pass legislation to force the publishers to license ebooks to libraries the same way that they license ebooks to individuals. The law in Maryland got shot down by the courts when AAP (representing the trade publishers) filed a lawsuit and New York has put their version of the same law into a desk drawer somewhere until the situation simmers down. Theoretically, the idea is that publishers want those in middle- and upper-income brackets to buy their books in either print or electronic form when those books are front-list. They don't want the libraries to cut into that initial front-list sales opportunity; they'd prefer libraries wait before providing the digital to those consumers reluctant to buy (whether middle-class or lower-income) and stick with buying print for those individuals. The libraries of course want to provide whatever format their patrons are asking for. The publishers point out that they're working on behalf of the creators and sustaining those livelihoods.

>87 jillmwo: Yes, it's a slippery slope and as a reader (who isn't an author) I want the best of both worlds. I want to be able to borrow anything I don't think I'd read twice, but I also want authors making good money. I try to buy hard copies of heavily illustrated things when I can, but I've cut back on my hard copy purchases significantly since I moved. I still have books in boxes because I want to redesign the room I call the library and have more built-in shelves added. (Another wall of them.) As a consumer I'm on the libraries' side.

>79 Storeetllr: >80 clamairy: >81 ScoLgo: The same Alienist that they made into a TV show? Did any of you watch it?

I enjoyed The Alienist but was disappointed with The Angel of Darkness. I was not impressed by The Italian Secretary. I had not realised before reading it that it is a Sherlock Holmes story. Caleb Carr is no Arthur Conan Doyle.

>89 Karlstar: I did not see it. Was it any good?

>90 pgmcc: I had the same experience with those two books, and haven't read anything else he's written.

>91 clamairy: We watched about 3 shows, then it just got too gory for us, we quit.

>92 Karlstar: I understand that. Reading about brutal murders is one thing, but seeing them on a screen can be too much.

And committing them... hoo-boy!

>94 MrAndrew: Messy.

>94 MrAndrew: >95 clamairy: HAHAHAHAHA!

I didn't see the TV serial of The Alienist, but mainly because I don't watch a lot of TV on a regular basis. Usually only when I'm stressed or depressed beyond the usual, and then I tend to go for lighter fare.

>90 pgmcc: Yes, Angel of Darkness was not as "enjoyable" for me as The Alienist, but I submit that the villain in Angel is the MOST villainous of any villain ever, so there is that. I don't remember reading The Italian Secretary, probably because I'm also not a lover of Sherlock Holmes pastiche stories. Except Lyndsay Faye's The Whole Art of Detection was actually pretty good, which reminds me that she also wrote a trilogy of mysteries set in NYC in the mid 1800s, which I know is earlier than the Gilded Age but which were still pretty good.

I'm not sure how I feel about the McMillan/public library mess, but I doubt if the publishing house cares as much about its authors getting paid more than getting more profits for itself. Sorry, I know that's cynical, but in my experience it's typical of corporations of any and all kinds.

>94 MrAndrew: and >95 clamairy: I thought we'd managed to get away from that whole unfortunate reputation of there being a remarkably well-read set of axe murderers hanging out here in the Pub.

(Dumb comment deleted.)

Many thanks to libraryperilous for this bullet, which I took between the eyes in my own thread. LOL I've always loved the way Wharton wrote, but I think the last novel of hers I read was The House of Mirth and anyone who knows that book knows why I stopped there. (I did read her collection of ghost stories after that.) The Glimpses of the Moon was quite good, and just what I wanted after watching The Gilded Age.

I've already started The Druid by Jeff Wheeler which I just got from Amazon for free. The buzz is quite good for this book, but so far it's reading like YA. I'll give it more time.

>99 clamairy: Yay! I'm glad you liked it. My aim was true.

>100 libraryperilous: It was! Well done! Thank you again.

>99 clamairy:, >100 libraryperilous: It's not considered one of Wharton's great novels but I really liked it too! I think Custom of the country is my favourite though for the wonderful anti-heroine Undine Spragg!

>102 Sakerfalcon: That's on my TBR stack... I'm glad I have another one to look forward to where no one starves to death because they are too genteel to work for a living.

The Druid by Jeff Wheeler was a selection for Amazon Prime Reads this month, and since I've seen this author get decent ratings here on LT this was my selection. I did enjoy it, but I think I would have given it an even higher rating if it had been labeled YA. The language is a bit simplistic, especially for the first half of the book. The story is quite well done, though. I suspect I will snag the sequel when it is published later in the year.

You know, I almost picked that one (The Druid), but I picked The Last Goddess instead and I read part of it and it was horrible and made me sad so I deleted it right off my kindle.

>105 Silversi: Oh, that's too bad. You might be able to return that and pick another since you didn't finish it. I try to wait until I see a few people have rated something here on LT before I make a choice. This one had a 4.5 (with two ratings) when I grabbed it.

My 16th Thingaversary is in a few days. Luckily I've been on a buying jag for both Kindle books and Audible books. (In fact I think I might take a year off from Audible, or just starting giving more Audio Books as gifts. They are really starting to pile up!)

>107 clamairy:
Have a wonderful Thingaversary!

ETA: Now that you mention it my 16th was on the 2nd April.

>108 pgmcc: Thank you, and Happy Thingaversary to you as well. Having kept up on your thread I'm reasonably sure that you've already bought yourself a hefty pile of books without even realizing you had anything to commemorate.

>109 clamairy:
Thank you for your good wishes.

I had a quick check. Apparently I have bought 18 books on or since 2nd April. If I go back to 1st Feb the number increases by a few more. As for January,… Well, it was a new book buying year.

I think I am safe with regards to The Enforcers.

>107 clamairy: Happy (slightly belated) Thingaversary, Clam!

>111 haydninvienna: Thanks, but it's not until the 27th! It's Peter's that was several weeks ago.

Happy upcoming Thingaversary, Clammy. Where are we going to hide Peter? Somehow the Enforcers found out that he is overdue.

>112 clamairy: Ahem. Can we make it a happy Thingaversary well in advance then? >108 pgmcc: Happy (slightly belated) Thingaversary, Pete!

Sorry about all that. I obviously wasn’t watching.

>107 clamairy: and >108 pgmcc: Sixteen years is a good celebratory occasion (and probably a dangerous multiplier in terms of purchasing). I hope you're taking all the time necessary to consider the various book options available to you. (Not to guilt either of you into anything but as a word to the book-buying public. I was listening in on a book publishers' conference last week and, while sales were shown as being up in 2020-21, they would like to see increased growth moving forward.)

>115 jillmwo: Did they benefit from the pandemic?

>107 clamairy: >108 pgmcc: Happy Thingaversary to you both!

Happy Thingaversary to both clam and pgmcc!

>116 Meredy: The graph on the CEO's slide showed increases but not a huge spike. We're talking single digit growth for the most part.

Another amazing read for me! My 2022 reading has been mostly outstanding so far. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell was so good that after finishing it this morning I could not bring myself to immediately start something else. I need to savor and unpack this one. (At least until bedtime.) Thank you, NPR, for recommending this one during the lockdown, and thank you Jim53 for seconding the recommendation last December.

I am toying with the idea of watching whatever version of Hamlet I can find of one of my streaming services tonight. (I saw somewhere online that HBO Max has the Olivier version!)

I think The Girl with the Louding Voice is up next.

>115 jillmwo: Well I just bought three more Audible books yesterday. I didn't even cash in credits because they were only $4 a piece.

So I have a pair of Bluetooth earbuds but I can't hear my books if I'm using the vacuum, the weed whacker, the mini-wood chipper, the lawn mower, etc. I think I'm getting myself a pair of noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones for Mother's Day. LOL

>113 Meredy: Thank you, my dear!

Noise canceling Bluetooth ear buds are the bomb. Can’t imagine vacuuming without them.

>123 Bookmarque: Are you using actual buds or the "over ear" variety? I checked a few lists and the over-the-ear ones are supposed to do a better job, but they look cumbersome.

>120 clamairy: I read the description, or maybe it was a review, it sounded good, but possibly emotionally harrowing? I love the cover.

iPods now. Was using some Bose over ears until I got these. Still use the Bose in planes because they do have an edge.

>125 MrsLee: Yes, it was a bit harrowing, but well worth it, IMHO.

>126 Bookmarque: The Bose are very highly rated. Are they uncomfortable at all? I'm assuming they will make my ears sweaty.

I’ve never noticed sweaty ears with them. But then again, I do live in northern Wisconsin. It was 28 when I got up and it snowed.

So the ONLY bad thing about reading a book as good as Hamnet is that nothing else I'm trying to read is pleasing me right now. I bought, started and returned to Amazon The Girl with the Louding Voice, because I can't make myself read a book about a child bride who only wants to go to school but is being sold as a 3rd wife to an older man. I'm sure it's a great book, I just can't deal with it right now. I tried going back to The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois again, but the problem with that one is that it jumps back in forth in time, and I am only interested in the narrative involving the past. Maybe I'll just skip those bits...

>129 clamairy: Sometimes when this happens to me, I unwind with a middle grade novel. Sometimes I try a few chapters in a nonfiction book. Sometimes I just have to wait it out. I hope you find a new excellent book soon!

>130 libraryperilous: Thank you for the suggestions. My non-fiction read is The Genius of Birds and I usually read it at bedtime, especially if I'm having trouble sleeping. I have started The Priory of the Orange Tree and I'm enjoying it so far. *fingers crossed*

>129 clamairy: I think you can add a notch to your Kindle for the hit I took on that one.

I read Genius of Birds a couple years ago and liked it quite a bit.

Ack! It was 2017! Tempus fugit indeed.

>131 clamairy: I loved Priory. The fashions! The food! The dragons! I hope it continues to hit the spot for you.

>129 clamairy: Ugh! I hate when that happens. Sometimes when it does I have to go back to a comfort read and hope that gets me back on track. Well, tbh, I reread comfort reads a lot these days in between (and alongside) new books.

>131 clamairy: I've heard of The Priory of the Orange Tree before but haven't read it. I'll check back, see how it went for you, and maybe check it out.

>132 Meredy: Which one? The one I abandoned, or the one I started in its place?

>133 Bookmarque: It's actually a wonderful book, but since I own it I find it is easy to set it aside.

>134 libraryperilous: It's all good so far! (Except I do not like seeing I still have over 20 hours of reading left! *gasp*)

>135 Storeetllr: I very rarely reread, unless multiple decades have gone by. (Es: right now I am listening to Trinity which I read about 40 years ago and had little memory of.)

>136 clamairy: I used to seldom reread, but, in the past few years, I've found that rereading comfort reads is life- and sanity-saving. Sometimes I reread books I read long ago when I was young, mostly to see if I still feel the same about them as I did then. I seldom do. That was the motive for my recent reread of Death on the Nile.

>137 Storeetllr: Fear of an encounter with the Suck Fairy is usually enough to keep me from a re-read, though I'll sometimes listen to something I've read.

>136 clamairy: Hamnet. I know you wrote about it further up, but it was this mention that got me.

>139 Meredy: Ahh, I think you will appreciate it.

>131 clamairy: I checked out Priory from the library last January. I didn’t realize it was so big. I didn’t even start it. It’s a summer read for me. I’m curious to see what you think of it.

>141 catzteach: Yes, in paper form it must be a doorstop. I've been reading for days and I'm only 11% through.

>142 clamairy: I just got back from Barnes & Noble. I took a look when I was there. It’s over 800 pages, in paperback. Yep, quite the doorstop.

I'm sorry I haven't really been around. My daughter was visiting, plus I had massive amount of outdoor yard work and gardening to do, and then my dog got injured. I'm finally more than halfway through Priory, and though I am enjoying it I do find myself resenting that its great length is keeping me from reading other things. LOL

It's going to rain tomorrow, so I will attempt to catch up on all of the ever-growing threads in here.

>144 clamairy: oh no, what happened to your dog?

>145 Darth-Heather: She was attacked in my own yard by a neighbor's dog who broke through their invisible fence, and bit her on the throat. She's okay. She's on an antibiotic for 14 days, and I'm doing a wound care routine twice a day. She's 12, which is pretty old for a Boxer, so I was just as worried about the stress causing a heart attack as I was the injury.

>146 clamairy: oh my. that must have scared her badly... poor sweet girl. I hope the neighbor can contain his dog now? I've known some dogs that don't respond to the invisible fence once they learn that they can run through really fast and get out of range of it.

>146 clamairy:
I am really sorry to hear that. I hope she gets well soon.

>146 clamairy: That's awful. I'm sorry that Sammie got hurt that way. I have always wondered about electric fences but I didn't realize that they could be escaped quite so easily. ((Hugs))

>146 clamairy: Oh no! I hope your puppy has a speedy recovery and no more confrontations with the neighborhood bully.

This is actually my big fear about our dog. As a rescue with an apparently horrific childhood, he is super fear-aggressive and will attack any other animal that comes near. No way I would ever trust an invisible fence so I built a physical one to keep him contained. He is wonderful around people and is great with kids - but other animals make him freak out. People that have witnessed it are always shocked at the transformation, (as was I the first time it happened).

>144 clamairy: Sorry to hear that, I hope she heals soon.

>146 clamairy: How awful! May she heal well and fast, and my your neighbor get a proper fence up soon!

>144 clamairy: Hope poor Sammie is recovering from her ordeal. What an awful thing to happen in your own garden.

Best wishes to Sammie for a speedy recovery -- and that includes her mind!

Thanks, all. I think after the first 24 hours she was over it. I'm more traumatized than she is. After all those years of living with bears, coyotes and bobcats walking through my yard in CT, to have a dog right down the street be the thing that attacks her seems crazy to me.

I have been using invisible fences since 2006, with great success. My dogs have occasionally gone through it, but always come right back. I'm starting to rethink the whole thing. We'll see.

So sorry to hear your dog was injured but glad she's recovered. It must have been terrifying. Poor baby. I've never trusted the concept of invisible fences. Has the neighbor taken steps to contain the dog that attacked Sammie?

>156 Storeetllr: I assume they will make sure there is a fresh battery in his collar, for a while at least. I've been here almost 4 years, and this was the first time he that he came into my yard. Keeping my fingers crossed it was a fluke.

I FINALLY finished The Priory of the Orange Tree. I gave it four stars, because I have a few quibbles, *cough* LENGHTH but I did enjoy it very much, and I got attached to several characters. I was particularly fascinated by the different varieties of Dragons (wyrms, but that is derogatory) and I wished there were some illustrations to help me keep them sorted in my mind. I do highly recommend this one. I probably should have read it during the Winter, though. Right now I am trying to get a lot of planting and weeding done., so I have been listening to audio books. This took me a lot more time to get through than I would have liked.

I've started a quick reread pf Bill Bryson's Shakespeare: The World as a Stage. I decided I need to reacquaint myself with the life of The Bard after having loved Hamnet so much.

Glad Sammie is doing ok. Poor thing.

Priory really does sound like a book I would enjoy. I noticed it’s out in paperback. I think I’ll request it this summer. I’ll be able to just sit and read.

>158 clamairy:
I have a few more books to get through before I am ready for The Priory. Your enthusiasm is a guarantee that it will be moved up Mount TBR.

re 158 {I can't find the angle brackets on my phone} I remember enjoying Priory a lot when I read it, but now it's escaping my recall. I'll have to look back for some reminders.

I loved Priory, so I'm glad it worked for you too! I agree that an illustrated version would be fantastic to have!

>158 clamairy: I have to admit I'm really tempted by The Priory of the Orange Tree but the length seems -- not intimidating, necessarily -- but certainly more demanding of a commitment than I can currently take on. 848 pages!! Phew. (Yes, it might well have to be one of my two-weeks-off, Christmas vacation choices.)

>159 catzteach:, >160 pgmcc: & >163 jillmwo: I hope you three enjoy it, but it is not without flaws. I think it could have used some additional editing, or I should have read it in the Winter when I have less going on and I could have read during the day. The two different takes on the same religious origin story was absolutely fascinating!

Thank you everyone for the kind words and wishes for my pup. She is pretty much completely recovered.

I read Trinity by Leon Uris back in the 1980s and enjoyed it. I recently decided I wanted to read the sequel, and realized I remembered NOTHING (zippo, zilch, nada!) about the first book. Rather than reread it I decided to listen to it, and snagged a copy via Audible during one of the 'twofer' events. I started it around St. Patrick's Day, and it took me over two months to finish. (It is over 34 hours long.) Anyway, little bits came back to me during the listening process, and the Irish half of me was ready to throttle and English part. Ha ha... (I'm laughing now, but I wasn't during the listening process. And yes, I realize this is politics, so I will stop here, but holy shirt!) So sometime in the next year, before I forget it all again, I will move on to Redemption.



I also finished reading The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi after being hit by several bullets in here, and I laughed harder than I have over a book in a very long time. Good stuff, and a quick read, too. The author explains at the end that he wrote a very serious book during the pandemic, and then realized he wasn't ready to publish it at the last minute. Thankfully he whipped up this light humorous gem instead. Highly recommended.

Best quotation from this one:

“Any dietary restrictions?”
“I tried being a vegan for a while, but I couldn’t live without cheese.”
“They have vegan cheese.”
“No, they don’t. They have shredded orange and white sadness that mocks cheese and everything it stands for.”

>165 clamairy: oh, to have the writing talent to just “whip something up.” And you hit me with a BB on this one.

>166 catzteach: Agreed! I hope you love it.

>165 clamairy: Love the quote. Now I have to ponder what cheese stands for. Seems to me that could become a very broad search.

>168 Meredy: Yes, it could represent just about anything we've tried (and failed) to find an adequate substitute for.

>158 clamairy: - I really liked Orange tree too, there was a lot of recommendations from GDers. Sadly I didn't get on with bone season at all.

>170 reading_fox: I had heard that title, but never realized it was the same author. I see the ratings here on LT aren't terrible but are noticeably lower than Orange Tree. I will steer clear of it.

>169 clamairy: I tried a non-alcohol tequila once. That quote fits very well. Just sadness with a horrible aftertaste.

>172 MrsLee: We need synthehol. All the gin you want!

>173 clamairy: Yes, I like the taste, and the fun of making cocktails, but don't care for the way it affects my body anymore. No buzz, just instant headache and gut ache. My new "something-besides-water" drink is Spindrift. Grapefruit being our favorite.

>174 MrsLee: It can be problematic, especially on an empty stomach. I do Campari with seltzer. The amount of alcohol (when mixed with the seltzer) is very low, and it's also grapefruit! It is very pleasing to the eye.

Isn't it time for a new thread?

>176 Karlstar: I usually only do three a year, but I guess we were extra chatty.

>175 clamairy: So make yourself a Campari and seltzer and live it up a little bit this week!. Go ahead and start a new thread -- what'll it hurt?

>178 jillmwo: I will. I finished a book last night, so I'll start the new thread with that.