January 2024 Janus

"In Roman mythology, Janus was the god of dualities, doors, gates, and transitions. Janus represented the middle ground between both concrete and abstract dualities such as life/death, beginning/end, youth/adulthood, rural/urban, war/peace, and barbarism/civilization.

Though the traditions and worship surrounding the Roman god Janus were practiced long ago, similar practices endure today. Many Jewish homes, for instance, display a mezuzah on the doorway, following the commandment to “write the words of God on the gates and doorposts of your house.” Similarly, Christians often display a cross above the entrance to their home, and Muslims have specific rituals and greetings for entering a mosque.

Because events like season changes, a new year or month, birthdays, births, deaths, marriages, and even starting a new job are, in a sense, doorways between the past and future, in our reading we can reflect on what weve experienced, , through change and transformation."

BTW I got this introduction from Anderson Locks web page that popped up when I googled. thought it rather apt

also interesting from wiki: Janus presided over the beginning and ending of conflict, and hence war and peace. The gates of a building in Rome named after him (not a temple, as it is often called, but an open enclosure with gates at each end) were opened in time of war, and closed to mark the arrival of peace.

So this month is pretty open, maybe with reads from last years beginnings and ends themes, but I think there is more going on here .Im interested in books with dualities Ill post some ideas, and looking forward to what you all will read!

And I wish all of you have a smooth trasition to the new year and hope its filled with peace, joy, good health, and lots of reading!

Book about transitions from goodreads lots of non fiction self help that can be skipped if your like

other ideas:
books with dual stories

stories about twins, masks, secret identity, comedy tragedy, the Bard would

probably work here

war and peace

books with doors leading into or out of

I accidentaly made a duplicate thread please ignore the other one

I don't know yet what I will be reading, but can recommend King's 11-22-63, which has the door thing going on and it's an amazing read! I may just re-read it.

In my beginning is my end.
Of your kindness, pray for the soul of Thomas Stearns Eliot, poet.
In my end is my beginning.

I'll be doing a reread of The Waste Land, Prufrock, and whatnot using the new second edition of the Norton Critical The Waste Land and Other Poems to include the supplementary materials. More importantly, I want to do a reread (after some half-a-century) of Russell Kirk's Eliot and His Age, which may well still be the best introduction to Eliot after all these years.

Kirk himself represents a bit of a "beginning" as the intellectual founder of post-WW2 American conservatism. (Forget about Buckley, who was a promoter, and often a self-promoter, not an academic.) Kirk also represents a "looking back" as a representative of the Old Right, like his friend and mentor Eliot much more a cultural than an economic conservative, once calling libertarians "chirping sectaries." (A lifelong anti-interventionist, he had voted Socialist for Norman Thomas in 1944 because he couldn't stand Dewey or Roosevelt and, though not a pacifist, liked Thomas's pre-Pearl Harbor "Keep America Out of War" Committee.)

ETA: For anyone interested in a read on Mary Queen of Scots, In my end is my beginning was her motto.

forgot about a favorite: vanishing half a really excellent novel about a pair of twins in the south and one decision to 'pass'

door into summer is probably my favorite heinlein

some more door books

Not sure what I'll read but I like the idea of equating doors with time travel... hmmm... We'll see, since I usually like to do nonfiction for this group, but I don't always stick to that.

Id be interested in what non fiction youd pick! btw Sliding Doors is one of my all time fav movies, just saying

Oh and house of doors has been getting lots of press hereabouts, I might read this. Also found a very interesting looking sci fi the doors of eden that might be a little intense but I love this author so might be worth a try

I did not get to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis last year, but I think it fits here perfectly: Both because of the life/death and the war/peace theme as well as because the wardrobe serves as a door to Narnia.

I have added a link to our 2024 Reading Plans to this thread and have added January's Janus to the Wiki which can be found here:

https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Reading_Through_Time_Challenge

If anyone is ever looking for the Wiki, it can always be reached from the Reading Through Time Main page. Just click on "see more" box and the Wiki Links can be found at the bottom.

I am planning on reading The Sea Gate by Jane Johnson. This book has a dual time line - one takes us back to World War II, and the other is set in the present.

>11 DeltaQueen50: thanks for doing that!

>9 cindydavid4: 100% agree - just had a rewatch of Sliding Doors; not sure how many times I have seen it now.

I am going to read The Wars of the Roses: Peace and Conflict in 15th Century England by John Gillingham, available on KU (at least in Australia).

>9 cindydavid4: I highly recommend House of Doors, it should made it to the Short List imho, much more enjoyable read for me than the winning Prophet Song.

For now, I've got a short and literal choice for this prompt, "Two Faces of Janus: A Short Story of Ancient Rome" (by Linnea Tanner). It's a historical fiction short set in Ancient Rome. I'll probably tackle it this weekend :-)

For now, I've got a short and literal choice for this prompt, "Two Faces of Janus: A Short Story of Ancient Rome" (by Linnea Tanner). It's a historical fiction short set in Ancient Rome. I'll probably tackle it this weekend :-)

EDIT: OK, I just realized the subtitle said it all! 🤦🏻‍♀️

I'm thinking that The Splendid and the Vile sounds like there is duality in it.

>15 dianelouise100: I thought Prophet Song put all other Booker contenders in the shade. I thought it was brilliant. House of Doors was an enjoyable read but didn’t have the punch for me. I wonder how much listening rather than print-reading it makes any difference. Did you read both in print?

>14 JayneCM: what is “KU”?

>20 kjuliff: KU is Kindle Unlimited. The joiner pays a monthly fee and there is no charge for the available books. The secret is to order and read a lot of books so that the monthly fee is more than covered.

>21 DeltaQueen50: Thanks. I used to read Kindle but now I can only read audio, my vision is so bad. I’ll check if it’s on Audio.

Well, the title works for this, I think (Before and After)? So I might give that one a try. As long as my library has it.

Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children's Home Society / Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate

I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and there is duality in it in several ways: Life/Death, War/Peace, Summer/Winter. Youth/Adulthood is also hinted at, although this theme becomes stronger in the following books.

The wardrobe also is a door to Narnia!

I have to admit that when I first saw this prompt, I wasn’t sure what in my stacks was going to qualify— so I started off with something short and literal: Two Faces of Janus: A Short Story of Ancient Rome (by Linnea Tanner).

Lucius Antonius expect to be appointed as a praetor in the court of Augustus Caesar but instead finds himself faced with a loyalty test between his father & family versus the Emperor. Lucius comes to terms with the swiftly changing political environment and his personal prospects by remembering that as one door closes, he must wait for Janus to open another.

The author packs a lot of research into this short and the attention to detail is remarkable; but it doesn’t quite pack the emotional punch one might expect from the high drama depicted. Still, might be a good start for those interested in pursuing the Ancient Rome line when we get to the Ancient & Biblical Times quarter.

ETA: After reading this, I’m thinking Bildungsroman lit would fit this prompt nicely.

Will need a lot of thought to see what I want to read for this theme. It's not something one can easily search for on my books list.

Hmmm, as I read the description I was also thinking of opposites, which is why I thought "Before and After" might fit. I also have "North and South" (John Jakes... but being so long not sure if I'll get to that one), but now I'm unsure (as I saw an explanation in the planning thread that focused more on specifically changes, transitions, beginnings/endings, etc.)

Janus is the god of doors gates and keys. think of what that means in terms of freedom or prison, transitions from jobs or in personal life. before and after, beginnings and ends, war and peace as well as changes and transitions.and the conflicts between them. So you'll be fine with this. He is the god of twins as welll so if you want to find a story about twins that might be interesting.

sorry if I made this confusing. My idea was of the two faced god, looking at dualities, you can pick your own; north and south is great esp if there is some tug and pull, some conflict . You can also pick books with characters who were indeed two faced not sincere, saying unpleasant things about you to other people while seeming to be pleasant when they are with you. Perhaps a politician or two...

most important thing NO STRESS Im not throwing anyone out who picks something I dont approve of. Pick a book you think will work, and have fun'!

>28 cindydavid4: Thank you so much! I remember having a bit of trouble with this topic when it was done a few years back, as well!

My first book of the year, Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling 3*** (a rather generous rating). A weird combo of scifi based on pop quantum physics, some horror, and a thriller. The ending was disappointingly inconclusive, perhaps designed as a lead-in to a sequel (that I won't be reading), but that's just my opinion and I know Starling does have a respectable following.

The basis of the plot is the appearance through a quantum door of some sort of a doppelganger who takes over the life of a somewhat nasty scientist who's sold out on academia in favor of working for a super-corp. Hence my inclusion of it on this month's theme, because the door (more than one, actually) is an essential plot element....

....which also brings me to the question of the doppelganger. If the two faces of Janus make a doppelganger a legitimate subject for this month's theme, then there's Dostoevsky's The Double and Descent into Hell by Charles Williams (far and away the best of his seven "Christian metaphysical" novels, and I reread it this past 2023 year). I might even do a reread of The Double for this month (haven't read ol' Fyodor in a half-century, since I took an Honors seminar on Russian Lit in translation in my first college semester and the teacher turned it into a Dostoevsky seminar). Only problems are that I've been hoping to stick to my own back inventory this year and not buy oodles of new books (and I'd wind up buying the Pevear-Volokhonsky translation of The Double) and, if I'm going Dostoevsky, there's a lot more important to read than The Double.

And there's plenty more doppelganger fiction out there – and hard science non-fiction as well if anyone's interested in quantum weirdness.

oh I hadnt thought of that idea! the talented mr ripley immediatly comes to mind

>31 cindydavid4: And thank you, Cindy. I have The Complete Ripley Novels in a deluxe hardcover box set and know exactly where to put my dirty little paws on it. I've read a little of Highsmith (Patricia Highsmith: Selected Novels and Short Stories, which includes Strangers on a Train and The Price of Salt and some short stories, along with a Kindle version of A Suspension of Mercy), but it was ten or so years ago and no Ripley. My first priority at this point is my Eliot project, but if I have time I may turn to Highsmith.

So there's a "double" in the first Ripley book? Does this run through the series? (Don't answer this if I'm inadvertently calling for a SPOILER, cuz I dunno nuttin' about Ripley and I'm wandering in the dark.)

>10 MissBrangwen: When I first saw this topic, I wasn't sure what I had that might fit, but when >3 cindydavid4: mentioned doors, I immediately thought of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe since the wardrobe is a door into another world. You also point out some additional dualities that I hadn't immediately thought of. So I may do a re-read of that book this month.

>32 CurrerBell: I have only read the first Ripley so I dont have an answer to your question, but I think you are in for an enjoyable read,

>32 CurrerBell: I love Highsmith. She has a very interesting life. I think that had she been born later, life would have been easier on her. I won’t comment on Ripley as it would spoil it.

I will probably look for some kind of book featuring doubles - which I also did for the April Fool's theme last year The Scapegoat by Daphne du Maurier.

I just finished Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon and it occurred to me that it fits this topic as well since the standing stones serve as a door to the past when Claire travels to the 1740s and back, and watches Geillis/Gillian leave in the end of the novel..

I have finally chosen a book for this! House of Odysseus as Penelope is trapped between two kings, trying to prevent war.

oh I love Claire North, have you read any of her other books? that one does look perfect for the theme !

>39 cindydavid4: I read Ithaca last year which I really enjoyed - House of Odysseus is the second book in the Songs of Penelope trilogy. The last book, The Last Song of Penelope is due for publication in June this year.
I do also want to read The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, which sounds intriguing and I LOVE anything time travel.

I didn't realize north wrote that series, will have to look in to it .have you read circe? its an excellent take on Homers work. I dont think it fits here, although she also has to make a choice between two people, so maybe? hope your able to read Harry august; a very unusual look at time travel, through reincarntation! check it out

>38 JayneCM: It’s been a few years since I read The Fifteen Lives of Harry August and few more since I read the Matthew Swift trilogy (under the name of Kate Griffin) but I love both. I should definitely check out her other other pseudonym and works!

>41 cindydavid4: Yes, loved Circe as well. I have a think for Greek mythology retellings, although they are coming out so quickly that I cannot keep up.

>42 Tanya-dogearedcopy: hmmm, will need to check out the other pseudonym!

Madelene Miller also wrote song of achilles its a book that got very confusing but I think it helped having read Circe so your more familiar with the background. another author is Natalie Haynes who writes good retelling, including a thousand ships, and her latest one was stone blind about medusa

"In Roman mythology, Janus was the god of dualities, doors, gates, and transitions. Janus represented the middle ground between both concrete and abstract dualities such as life/death, beginning/end, youth/adulthood, rural/urban, war/peace, and barbarism/civilization."

This pretty much defines the issues dealt with in Isaac B. Singer's 1967 novel, The Manor We are in Poland in the later decades of the 19th century. The novel begins just after an 1863 uprising by the Polish nobility against what had become ongoing Russian rule has ended in humiliating disaster. With this nationalist movement quashed, Poland instead turns to business, and the modern world begins seeping into Poland: mines, factories, railroads begin appearing. For Poland's Jews, the period is one of liberalism. In the town of Jampol, one of the insurrectionists, Count Wladislaw Jampolski, has been banished to Siberia, and a Jew, Calman Jacoby, has managed to win the right to lease the count's large landholding and manor house. He judiciously allows the count's family to continue living in the manor house, in order to avoid offending the local Poles, and he begins making money growing and selling crops on the land and, in particular, selling timber to be used as railroad ties. So begins our tale, with Calman at the center of what becomes a whirlwind of cultural and religious change and the personal crises and moral choices, both good and bad, of an expanding group of characters.

Calman himself is an observant Jew. He expects his children to stay within that community and some do. But the Jewish community as a whole does not stand apart from the modernism taking hold in Poland, and Calman, to his woe, as lived to see a growing divide among Poland's Jews: those who demand adherence to the old ways, and those who look westward with approval at the assimilation of the Jews of France, Germany and elsewhere. To them, the exotic, "Asiatic" dress, the standing apart from Polish society as a whole, is a self-defeating lifestyle of superstition, destined to bring down further antisemitism on all of their heads. To the traditionalists, antisemitism is a constant, sure to come in future waves however they're dressed and however they worship. Faith in God and loyalty to the commandments is the only path. Calman's children, as they grow to adulthood, more or less split down the middle of this divide. One of his daughters goes so far as to run off with the count's son. But the world of the Polish nobility is on no more solid ground than the world of the Hassids. In the meantime, socialism, Zionism, nihilism, anarchism and more are debated and sometimes adopted. The roles of women in this world are changing as well. Although this topic is not made specific, the limitations faced by The Manor's female characters, and the extremely unsatisfactory choices they're forced into, become an undeniable theme of the novel.

I don't want to give the idea that Singer's presentation here is devoid of sympathy and even love for the ways and tribulations of the observant Jews. Indeed, his portrayal is lace strongly with affection and understanding. All in all, highly recommended.

I read The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel for my book club this month. As I reached the end of the book, I realized that it also fits this challenge. It's about transitions, as everyone in France is impacted by Nazi occupation during WWII. The heroine is forced to change and grow into a new person, as are most of the characters. There is also a gate or doorway in the sense that many people are trying to escape from France into neutral Switzerland, and there's a chapter where we see some of them cross that border. There are also dualities, as people take on new identities and pretend to be people other than who they really are.

This book tells the story of Eva Traube, a French Jew, whose parents had emigrated to France from Poland. The Nazis take control of Paris during WWII and her father is rounded up and sent to a concentration camp. Eva and her mother escape to a mountain village in Free France in the south, where she becomes involved in forging documents and creating false identities for Jews, especially children, fleeing to Switzerland. She wants to find a way to preserve their real names, and a system of encoding those names in the Book of Lost Names is created.

I thought the idea for this book was very interesting, and it was an enjoyable read, telling of Eva's experiences and including a romance with a fellow forger and member of the resistance. I didn't enjoy the conflict Eva experienced with her mother. And some of the plot wasn't really believable to me. But throughout the book the author expresses a love of libraries and books and the magic of books, so who here wouldn't like that? Overall, I did like the story.

>40 JayneCM: ok its all your fault, I had a plan of what I was going to read this month then I realized I had the gameshouse on my shelf. so of course I had to start it and well everything else is on hold. this is the reason that I dont really plan what I will be reading because most of the time I dont follow it!! now very much enjoying this read, thanks!

and actually considering how much duplicity is in here, Id say it fits the theme anyway! :)

I decided the book I had originally chosen (Before and After) did fit after all (adoptions - I figure that's a pretty big change). Looks like I forgot to post my review. Will do that shortly. ETA: Oh, I haven't posted here yet because I haven't yet posted it anywhere! It's coming!)

Of course, had I realized my book club book would fit (700+ pages!!!!), I would have just used it. I will be posting that one, as well (though it's not obvious why the book fits, as the would be a bit of a spoiler, but it definitely fits). Fayne / Ann-Marie MacDonald.

no stress on the reviews, they are welcomed when you can

the more I am reading the gameshousethe more I am thinking this really does go on here. more later

I decided in the end to keep it simple and read a time travel story as that fits most of the key criteria for this theme. So I'm reading the 10th book in the excellent and light hearted Time Bubble series.

I do not know this series and looks like I should check it out. would you recommend starting from the first one, or is this a stand alone?

>49 cindydavid4: Thanks! Honestly, I'm just happy it fit! (Though I was also lucky I ended up with two that fit!)

Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans... / Judy Christie, Lisa Wingate
3 stars

Lisa Wingate’s “Before We Were Yours” is a fictional account of Georgia Tann and her illegally obtaining kids and babies to illegally adopt out. With the popularity of that book, she and Judy Christie decided to reach out to many of those “kids” (now adults, of course) to hear their stories and to set up a reunion.

I listened to the audio and that may have been my downfall. Because there were multiple individual stories to this one, it was more similar to a book of essays or short stories, so (because – audio) when I missed parts, it was hard to “catch up” on what I’d missed before we moved on to the next story. It did seem like many of the adopted kids had good lives, in the end.

There was some talk at the end about one of the reunion attendees not having a great home life post-adoption and that she was heartened to find others out there with a similar story – that is, she wasn’t alone in that. But if those stories were told in this book, I missed them. The entire story (Georgia Tann) is sad, but I suspect I might have liked this more if I’d actually read it. In any case, I’m still rating it ok.

This one definitely fits, but I feel it would be a spoiler to say why/how

Fayne / Ann-Marie MacDonald
3 stars

In the late 19th century, 12-year old Charlotte lives with her father at Fayne (in Scotland or England). Her mother died in childbirth and her brother died when she was young, as well (Charlotte does not remember her brother). Charlotte is extremely smart and her father hires a tutor for her (who is initially perturbed that he was brought to tutor a girl). She wants to attend university.

This did not turn out as I’d expected. It was very long and I’m rating it ok. There were parts I liked (more toward the beginning of the book), but whenever we switched perspectives, I felt like I was starting over (even though after the first couple of times, we were mostly going back and continuing from where the last switch left off), and wasn’t interested for the first bit (of every switch). It took time to get interested again, but just as that happened, we switched again.

So, the other perspective is Charlotte’s mother. I honestly didn’t find this nearly as interesting, overall, as Charlotte herself. Though, after a bit, I was interested (then… switch!). Clarissa (Charlotte’s aunt) was a piece of work, wow! I didn’t like her from the start. The end was a bit weird: Did Charlotte live to about 140 years old!?

>47 cindydavid4: Ooh, this looks interesting! Added to my to read list.

I read House of Odysseus by Claire North. Plenty of duplicity, double crossing, political intrigue, murder and all that seems to go with Ancient Greece.
I enjoyed reading more about Penelope, the 'tricksy Ithacan queen' and her cunning manipulation of Menelaus and the other men while they spend their time self importantly swaggering around.
I was not really taken with it being from Aphrodite's viewpoint - I would have preferred the voice of Penelope telling her own story.

>51 cindydavid4: Hi Cindy, I assume your reply was to me? I would recommend starting from the first one as they are interlinked with many overlapping characters. Though that said, this one is fairly independent so could probably be read as a standalone.

Yes it was to you, need to remember to put the number on! thanks for the suggestions!

>58 cindydavid4: If you click "Reply" under the message, it automatically adds the number for you.

I know, but I usually assume if Im responding to the post above mine they would know its me. But I shouldnt assume, so Ill just do it that way :)

>60 cindydavid4: if you are interested Cindy I posted a review of the book in my own thread of reviews https://www.librarything.com/topic/356478#n8361786 in the 100 Books 2024 Challenge group. There are spoilers though.

I read Helen of Troy by Margaret George for this prompt. I think it had enough dualities to be applicable here: two main protagonists: Paris/Menelaus, Sparta v. Greece, god v. man, life v. hades. At the end, Paris (dead) was inviting Helen to join him in Hades; to crossover. I'm not a mythology fan, but this was a long (662 pages), but very good book.

I remember reading that book ages ago, and liked it very much. also liked her book about Eliz and Mary queen of scotts. disappointed with Cleopatra, but i think because so little was known of her, much of the book was speculation

>50 john257hopper: >51 cindydavid4: I thought the Time Bubble series sounded familiar. I can get the whole series on Kindle Unlimited (in Australia, not sure about other locations), so already had it on my to read list. It looks like fun.

>64 JayneCM: yes it is great fun :)

I'm not sure this fits the challenge, but I'm reading "I Remain in Darkness" by Annie Ernaux. A daughter with a role of caretaker, fighting against a form of dementia and eventual acceptance, if I'm understanding the write-ups correctly. Still looking around for something in the ancient history realm ... and I'm noting The Janus Eagle: The Shattered Frontier as perhaps an alternative (historical fiction) if I find the Ernaux book doesn't match up. We shall see ...

OK, just finished another book that I realized fits into this month's theme. Elaine Pagels, Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas 4****.

Pagels is a specialist on Gnostic and other heterodox Christian scriptures. We're going to be reading the Gospel of Thomas for a Bible study group I'm a member of, and Thomas (Greek Didymus) means "Twin." The implication in Gnostic literature is that he was the twin of Jesus and that he had special, secret knowledge that competed with the orthodox, canonical Gospel of John.

Really excellent. I think I may have read this umpteen years ago (it was published in 2003), and some of it seems familiar (though that may be from other works I've read). Definitely worth a reread in prep for covering the Gospel of Thomas in the study group.

I was thinking of her books as well; read that ages ago and loved it, gave me a much better sense of early Christianity, as well as the gnostics. She also wrote The Gnostic Gospels that I remember liking, and other works as well.

>68 cindydavid4: I read a number of her books, I think, but it's been so long that I don't really remember a lot. The titles ring a bell, though.

I have finished my read for January with The Sea Gate, a dual time-line story set in Cornwall, U.K.

my review of the gameshouse

the gameshouse I spent my day thinking about the character I didn't like and read the second section again. I need now to edit my review:

why did I choose this book I love Norths books, and someone here mentionted this one I hadnt heard of before Chosen for the RTT January theme of Janus.

synopsis without spoilers

"Everyone has heard of the Gameshouse. But few know all its secrets... It is the place where fortunes can be made and lost through chess, backgammon--every game under the sun. But those whom fortune favors may be invited to compete in the higher league, where the games played are of politics and nations, of economics and kings. It is a contest where capture the castle involves real castles and where hide-and seek takes place on the scale of a continent. Among those worthy of competing in the higher league, three unusually talented contestants play for the highest stakes of all-

this book reminds me a bit of my dungeons and dragons days, esp when we played it outdoors. theres a game master, there are cards instead of dice and different levels of play. There is a cat and mouse trap portion that would make Agatha Christie take notes,its a true thriller, which is the kind of mystery I like, with turns and spins that make it all worthwhile

what kept you reading

her books never fail to get my attention and keep it for several hundred pages. this is no exception. The book is actually three novellas;the second one is an anchor of sorts,

I had trouble reading the last section for it changes tone from a fun thriller to horror but i can tell you that its the perfect book for this theme

>63 cindydavid4: I loved the early Margaret George books I read. I have Helen of Troy and Mary Magdalene as well as her Nero books on my TBR list.

>72 john257hopper: I really liked Helen of Troy, Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles and Memoirs of Cleopatra. I have read Mary called Magdalene and didn't really care for that one.

>62 Tess_W: >72 john257hopper: >73 Tess_W:
My first Margaret George novel was about Henry VIII and I must have read it close to 39 years ago! It came from the bookshelves of my late FIL and I still have it around. 🙂

My sister and I both read and loved the one about Mary, Queen of Scots. Afterwards, she wanted to get a Rottweiler and name him Bosworth. Didn’t happen, but not for her lack of want! 😂

I can’t imagine not having the read the one about Elizabeth I but I’m drawing a blank 😕

The one I started but could not finish was the one about Mary Magdalene. I was a new Mom at the time and the separation between the mother and daughter was too much. My daughter is in college now, but I still haven’t gone back to it!

I just realized that the Margaret George novels I’ve read all have strong associations with family members 🙂

>74 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I will read her other ones some day, all on my TBR list which is already longer than my reasonably likely remaining lifespan haha.

I think you mean Bothwell, not Bosworth though?

>75 john257hopper: Probably 😅
(Meaning that yes, ”Bothwell” would be the correct association with Mary, Queen of Scots but I’m not discounting the idea that the name may have evolved into “Bosworth” for reasons long forgotten!)

>76 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Bosworth Field ... "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!"

I finished The Odyssey this morning. Odysseus left and returned. Will that count?

On so many levels, yes!

Thank you.

>78 mnleona: I'm reading a book on the significance of Homer (not for this theme). Feel a bit ambiguous about it.

>67 CurrerBell: I also read this one quite a while back and really enjoyed it. This was my favorite of her books which I read.

I think I can count Miss Marple – The Complete Short Stories here, because a surprising number of the crimes solved here involve the switching of clothes, bodies and identities. Most of them were written in the Thirties, so nearly a century old. Yet they have lost none of their sparkle.

>78 mnleona: >81 john257hopper: my review of the book is on my thread here if anyone is interested - https://www.librarything.com/topic/356478#n8375688

>84 john257hopper: I read the review and the others. Thanks for the post.

Completed I Remain in Darkness by Annie Ernaux for this challenge of duality.

For a bare bones description: the journal entries by a middle aged writer as she witnesses and experiences the several years of her mother's Alzheimer's illness and end of life.

I was uncertain as to whether this book would meet the duality theme beyond ideas of the life/death doorway or mother/daughter caretaker relationship. But the author clearly states at the beginning of the book:

"I remain in darkness" was the last sentence my mother wrote. I often dream of her, picturing her the way she was before her illness. She is alive and yet she has been dead. When I wake up, for a few moments, I am certain that she is still living out there under this dual identity, at once dead and alive, reminding me of those characters in Greek mythology whose souls have been ferried twice across the River Styx.

That helped me immensely in understanding the author's witnessing of the physical decline of her mother's body while seeing that body as her own. And coming away from this book thinking, "holey smokes! That about sums up the entirety of mother-daughter relationships!" Or at least their relationship. It is an intensely personal book at the same time it feels very universal. The love and guilt, the dread and denial ... wow, what a book. I will re-read this, I have no doubt.

That book did check off all the boxes; looks like a good read . I read her the years which I liked, so interested in that one. Will have to check it out

Just started Heaven and Earth Grocery Store which probably will fit here as well; about a small community in pennsylvania filled with jewish and african american residents. Lots of tragedies here as well as much happiness - lots of transitions and dual stories. Probably wont finish it by the 31 but Ill still count it

>19 kjuliff: Sorry to be so late in replying, Kate. I’m behind on reading this thread, too much to get done this first month. I also thought Prophet Song was the best of the contenders for the Booker, but I thought House of Doors should have made the shortlist before If I Survive You or Western Lane. And yes, I do think that the book’s format makes a difference: I think the impact of PS would have been even stronger listening to a good narrator; but I think House of Doors as audio would have had less appeal to me—I need to luxuriate in an especially beautiful or well written passage, and I think going back over something would be inconvenient on audio. (Any advice about that? I love AB)

I've started Daphne du Maurier's The Scapegoat. Definitely a Double (sort of like The Prisoner of Zenda, I'm thinking, but a lot darker). I'm hoping to finish up my T.S. Eliot project (In my beginning is my end.... In my end is my beginning) but I want to do Du Maurier as well because she's the January VMC Monthly Author and I'm trying to get back a bit to Virago. (Although Highsmith's Ripley, if it's got a Double, ties in to this month's RTT theme, I'm going to hold off and do a complete Ripley for March to tie in to Highsmith as the March VMC Monthly Author.)

>89 CurrerBell: I read The Scapegoat for the April Fool theme last year. Really enjoyed it.

I’ve read two books this month that fit this topic. The first was The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng with its theme of memory and forgetting. This theme is beautifully symbolized in a garden often visited by the protagonist, by the twin statues in the middle of a pool, Mnemosyne (Memory) and the other statue, whose name has been forgotten. The only difference in the twins is the much vaguer, less defined, smoother features of the second sculpture.

The second book is a short work of nonfiction The Southernization of America by two Alabamians, both well-respected journalists: Cynthia Tucker, an African American woman, and Frye Gaillard, a white man. The book explores the ups and downs of race relations in the U.S. over the last decades, from the presidency of Jimmy Carter to the current presidency of Joe Biden, with some warnings about the immediate future. Very interesting and well written book and to my mind, very even handed. Two good writers and a comparison of our two political parties’ handling of the issue of white supremacy.

I strongly recommend both these books.

>91 dianelouise100: I am just near the end of House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng and have quite enjoyed it.

>91 dianelouise100: >92 john257hopper: my review of this is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/357654#n8384124

In my beginning is my end....
In my end is my beginning.

Finished T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land and Other Poems in the Second Norton Critical Edition for a reread of the early Eliot along with the NCE's supplemental materials, some of which were quite tedious (I was surprisingly disappointed with Inventing Prufrock by Helen Vendler, but that may just have been its condition as an excerpt) but it was worth it, if for nothing else, for the 25-page The Waste Land: An Analysis by Cleanth Brooks.

I really do want to finish my already started reread of Russell Kirk's Eliot and His Age but I did the Norton Critical first because it's only the earlier poems. I'm going to have to do a reread of at least the later poems as well as of the plays (without going into the literary and political writings) as I go further through Kirk.

But for the moment, on to Du Maurier's The Scapegoat.

Creation Stories of the Ancient World (Great Courses Plus) should qualify as a "beginning." Give this one 2** only, a real disappointment considering the usual high quality of Great Courses videos; but this one's a talking-head narration by the professor Joseph Lam.

I've subscribed to Great Courses Plus for a few years now but haven't been using it like I ought to. At $150 a year, working out to $12.50/month, it's a really good deal if you use these streaming videos on a regular basis.

I've got COPD, for which I'm now using a nebulizer for an hour or two a day, so I'm going to do my nebulizing at my desktop computer and watch these streaming videos while I do so. They'll be particularly good for the quarterly reads because I'll have more time to get through a 12- or 18-hour course without a lot of pressure to get it finished in just a month.

>95 CurrerBell: was this a promo for the Great Courses Plus?

>96 cfk: No, I've been a member of Plus (now Wondrium) for a few years now. I've watched several really top-notch programs. This one was just an unusual disappointment.

ETA: Just started on the 18-hour Human Prehistory and the First Civilizations for our 1st quarter period. Hoping it's better.

>95 CurrerBell: I am interested in a few of the Great Courses, but don't want too strict of a commitment. Once you purchase a course, how long do you have to listen or watch it?

>98 Tess_W: You can purchase courses (yours for life) through https://www.thegreatcourses.com (same company, but a different URL from https://www.wondrium.com, which is the new name of The Great Courses Plus). If you buy a course through thegreatcourses.com, you can get pay extra for a DVD set along with streaming rights, as I recall. In the case of Wondrium, you're just getting streaming rights. In some cases, there may be a course available only for purchase through thegreatcourses.com (often, though, an older course that's only available in audio) and you can't get it through Wondrium.

Some of these courses can be quite pricey if you purchase them through thegreatcourses.com and I wouldn't recommend it just for the sake of a hard-copy DVD (and maybe also a hard-copy printed version of the course booklet). Take, for example, Field Guide to North American Wildlife, to which you currently buy streaming rights for $169.95 and get a DVD thrown in if you pay $219.95 – but which you can get for streaming by subscribing to Wondrium at $150 a year, which is only $12.50/month!

I don't think it's worth buying through thegreatcourses.com even if Wondrium is a full-year commitment. If you want to get a taste for what the streaming is like, they seem to have a trial membership (but I don't know how long it lasts). Or you could try to find yourself something you're interested in on thegreatcourses.com that's reasonably priced (and lots of them are in the twenty-or-thirty-dollar range, usually on periodic sales), get that on streaming (which I'm almost sure is permanent streaming rights) but don't waste money on a DVD, then decide if you want to go with a Wondrium subscription.

You can continue streaming a course through Wondrium for as long as you like and you're not paying anything for it other than your annual subscription. And there's no limit to how many courses you can view in a year. (I do assume that they have some way of checking to prevent you from abusive sharing of your account with a whole bunch of family members.)

I strongly recommend the subscription to Wondrium rather than putting money into ownership via thegreatcourses.com. It's a much better buy.

Why would anyone purchase through thegreatcourses.com? Maybe there's some particular course that's just not available for Wondrium streaming, but that's pretty rare. And it may be that some educational institutions purchase DVDs for classroom viewing and the instructor really does want that hard-copy disc.

>99 CurrerBell: Thanks! I agree, no sense in getting an actual DVD, when streaming will work for me. Greatcourses do have several on sale right now for $35. I might buy one for that price and see if I really will listen, or it will become just another "book" on my virtual shelf!

>99 CurrerBell: I have purchased several Great Courses over the years, all on DVD. But I started before streaming was an option. It's been a while since I bought any, but I've been thinking about it this month since I received their sale catalog. They're very worthwhile when they are on sale. I haven't tried the streaming option yet.

>100 Tess_W: If you plan only on listening, check Audible as well. Some classes require the visual part but a lot of them work just fine on Audio only. And Audible also gives you a downloadable PDF with the class materials (which is useful).

I don't know about other countries, but in Germany there are a lot of Great Courses on Audible as well - not as videos, but as audiobooks. Most are accompanied by a pdf document of the lecture notes.

>102 AnnieMod: Ha, we crossposted!

>103 MissBrangwen: Thanks
>102 AnnieMod: Thanks

I have a membership to audible and I have seen them on there, some of them free! I would probably mostly get history courses, so video not needed. However, if I'm going to do an art history or something--would like video. I see that some of the courses on Great Courses are on sale for $35. The two I'm interested in are 26 episodes each. That will keep me busy for two years, at least!

For another Double, I just finished Daphne du Maurier's The Scapegoat 3½***

Now on to finishing up my after-fifty-years reread of Russell Kirk's Eliot and His Age, a very definite 5*****. (Kirk's most influential work was The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Santayana, but his work on his friend and mentor Eliot was his best.) I'm about a third of the way through, so I'm not sure I'll get it done by month's end, but I'll be so well along that I'll finish it and post it to the Wiki anyway in early February.

>103 MissBrangwen: Ha, yes :)

>104 Tess_W: Yep, the history ones work just fine on Audio only (although I did find the PDFs useful as well). Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity, History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective and Ancient Mesopotamia: Life in the Cradle of Civilization are the three I listened to and they were all very good (reviews in the works if you want to look at them). Even if you go for another channel, you may want to listen to the sample in Audible (or elsewhere if they have one) to see if you like the narrator -- these are lectures so if you cannot stand the voice, they will be hard to go through. :)

I'm not sure if this book fits the theme, but I read The White Company, an early novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1891). This is historical fiction set in 1366-67 during the Hundred Years' War. Alleyne Edricson is an orphan and has been raised in a Hampshire abbey. Under his father's will, the abbey received money and land as long as Alleyne was kept at the abbey until his 20th year. At that time his father's will specified that Alleyne must spend at least one year "in the world" and then may decide if he wishes to remain in the world or return to the abbey.

Alleyne ventures out and is eventually drawn into the ranks of The White Company, led by Sir Nigel Loring, to re-capture the throne of Spain at the Battle of Najera. These last are all real events and The White Company and Sir Loring are real characters in the war whose history fascinated Doyle. Our young Alleyne (a fictional character) shows his mettle and by the end of the book joins the ranks of the knights.

This started out well, but I must admit all the adventures, fights and capers just got repetitive. We don't get the decisive battle until the last 30 pages of the book. I did enjoy the writing and the characterizations, but it was just over-long for me. My edition from 1965 has some wonderful water-color illustrations by N. C. Wyeth, though:

too bad that didn't work out, but it did remind me of a company of liars which is filled with deceit and dualities.....may need to reread that

>107 kac522: Beautiful illustrations, indeed! Thank you for sharing!

>109 PocheFamily: Yes, they are--it's what drew me to pick up the book at a library sale (and a long handwritten note inside to a recovering young person from an elderly man who had read this book when he was laid up as a youngster). But I think it's going to get donated again.

thanks everyone for participating! lots of great reads; Be sure to put yours on wiki

I read By the Sea by the Nobel Prize winning author Abdulrazak Gurnah. I love this man's writing. It is so quiet and strong and this book is a great example of that style. The book fits into the Janus theme for January because the book is about a man who is forced to immigrate using illegal means to Great Britian. He is forced into this situation because of decisions he made regarding family finances and because of misunderstandings regarding those finances. Most of the accusations were unjust and made by corrupt officials in his home country. After the death of his wife and child and his release from prison, he assumed the identity of a man who had died in order to get into Britain. This novel is the story of how the life of this one man unfolded due to a decision made by his father and that trail down to the present day resulted in the hero having two identities - one that looked forward and one that looked backward.

I can't recommend this novel highly enough. Gurnah certainly deserves the prize that he won. He is an outstanding author from an unheralded part of the earth.

>112 benitastrnad: That was my introduction to him - not by choice - it was just the only book by him the library had the day he won the Nobel. :) I found it a great introduction. And I really need to get back to where I left off with his novels. :)

thats the first book i read by that author and Ive since read several others. You are right, this one fits . thanks for chiming in