Nickelini's Challenge for 2015

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Nickelini's Challenge for 2015

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1Nickelini
des. 23, 2014, 2:14 am

I'm sorry to say that even after watching this group for the past month or so, I remain uninspired. So please accept me with my humble challenge: 3 groups in which I will read a minimum of 5 books (3 x 5 = 15, as in 2015).

2Nickelini
Editat: oct. 1, 2015, 5:07 pm

Category One: Fairy Tales


I hope I can get this picture to stick to this post. 398 is the Dewey Decimal number for fairy tales.

In 2013 I started an erratic study of fairy tales. I will try to focus on it and continue it here.

1. Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Other Classic Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault, Angela Carter (January)
2. Through the Woods, Emily Carroll (March)
3. Red Riding Hood Uncloaked, Catherine Orenstein (April)
4. Hansel & Gretel: a Toon Graphic, Neil Gaiman (August)
5. Gossip from the Forest: the Tangled Roots of Our Forests ad Fairy Tales, Sara Maitland

I have about 20 books related to fairy tales in my TBR pile. Some I might read: Tender Morsels, Gossip from the Forest, Red Riding Hood Uncloaked, The Irresistible Fairy Tale, Classic Fairy Tales, Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion

3Nickelini
Editat: des. 23, 2015, 1:45 pm

Category Two: 1001 and Guardian 1000 Books



I like to read off of the lists 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die and the Guardian 1000 list. I'm not interested in loads of the books, but I like to stretch my horizons and catch up with classics, and these lists area great place to help me with that.

1. The Story of O, Pauline Reage (February, 1001)
2. The Grass is Singing, Doris Lessing (April, both 1001 & 1000)
3. The Swimming Pool Library, Alan Hollinghurst (June, 1001)
4. Fifth Business, Robertson Davies (June, 1001)
5. Microserfs, Douglas Coupland (August, 1000)
6. Howards End, EM Forster (September , 1001 & 1000)
7. Hard Times, Charles Dickens (November, 1001 & 1000)
8. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (November, 1001)
9. Smilla's Sense of Snow, Peter Hoeg (December, 1001 & 1000)

I think I have about 140 1001 books in my TBR, and about 110 from the Guardian 1000 list (many are on both lists). Tempting to list some I might read, but I usually find I don't end up reading anything that I mention at the beginning of the challenge.

Also read, but not counted as I used it in category 3: Beyond Black, Hilary Mantel (Guardian 1000)

4Nickelini
Editat: nov. 28, 2015, 1:54 pm

Category Three: Contemporaneous British Women



Contemporaneous with me, that is: British women published since 1963.

1. Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason, Helen Fielding (February)
2. Poor Cow, Nell Dunn (April)
3. The Millstone, Margaret Drabble (April)
4. Beyond Black, Hilary Mantel (August) (could have also gone in category 2, as it's on the Guardian 1000 list)
5. Treasures of Time, Penelope Lively
6. The Mist in the Mirror, Susan Hill
7. Dancing with Mr Darcy, Sarah Waters, ed

In my TBR pile:

Margaret Drabble 7 books ✔
Hilary Mantel 7 ✔
Penelope Fitzgerald 5
Penelope Lively 5 ✔
Iris Murdoch 4
Sarah Waters 4 ✔
Susan Hill 3 ✔
Anita Brookner 3
Kate Atkinson 2
Susan Fletcher 2
Penelope Mortimer 2
Maggie O'Farrell 2
Rose Tremain
Elizabeth Taylor
Barbara Pym
Elizabeth Jenkins
Winifred Holtby
Penelope Evans
Sarah Hall
Linda Grant
Nell Dunn ✔
Jennifer Dunn
Poppy Adams

5dudes22
des. 23, 2014, 7:29 am

Can't believe I'm the first one here to say welcome. I see a few writers in your British women category that I'll be watching to see who and what you choose.

6japaul22
des. 23, 2014, 7:37 am

I'll probably mainly follow your Club Read thread, but good to see you here too!

7rabbitprincess
des. 23, 2014, 11:45 am

That sounds like a great plan! Will be interested to see what you read this year.

8Poquette
des. 23, 2014, 1:30 pm

Good to see you and other familiar names from Club Read. Will be watching for your continued "eratic study of fairy tales." ;-)

9VivienneR
des. 23, 2014, 2:11 pm

Looking forward to following your reading this coming year, Joyce

10skrouhan
des. 23, 2014, 2:20 pm

Looking forward to seeing how you fill your categories!

11DeltaQueen50
des. 23, 2014, 6:23 pm

Dropping my star and looking forward to following along!

12mamzel
des. 23, 2014, 11:18 pm

Oh, goody! Another interesting thread to follow. Hope this year pans out better for your reading.

13lkernagh
des. 25, 2014, 11:23 pm

Good to see you back for another year!

14christina_reads
des. 26, 2014, 10:35 pm

Love your categories!

15The_Hibernator
des. 27, 2014, 5:59 pm

I'm really interested in fairy tales and retellings too. Good luck with your challenge!

16Nickelini
des. 29, 2014, 12:48 pm

Okay, got my pictures in and my categories set up . . . the images may change over the year as I find importing pics into LT to be very unstable, and also, I may find pictures I prefer to these. Stay tuned.

17-Eva-
des. 29, 2014, 9:56 pm

Those categories could make for some extremely interesting reading. Looking forward to following along!

18Nickelini
Editat: gen. 8, 2015, 10:39 am

2015 Meme - Answers Based On Books I Read in 2014

Describe yourself: A Short History of Myth (no books actually answered this in any realistic sense, but I picked this because aren't we all legends in our own minds?)

Describe how you feel: Sweet Tooth (going through withdrawal from all the Christmas sweets around)

Describe where you currently live: The Birds on the Trees

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: England, England

Your favourite form of transportation: The London Train

Your best friend is: The Leopard

You and your friends are: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

What’s the weather like: Every Day Was Summer

You fear: Silent Spring (no, really, I do)

What is the best advice you have to give: Nothing to Envy (play the hand you're dealt?), or if that doesn't speak to you, Mennonites Don't Dance (maybe you have to be Mennonite to get that).

Thought for the day: Without You, There is No Us

How I would like to die: Before I Wake

My soul’s present condition: Celebrating Pride and Prejudice

19dudes22
gen. 8, 2015, 5:44 am

Did you mean " play the hand you're dealt"? I love to see how our books fit these questions.

20Nickelini
gen. 8, 2015, 10:39 am

#19 - I did indeed. It was way past my bedtime. Thanks for pointing that out. Off to fix it.

21VivienneR
gen. 8, 2015, 3:14 pm

Great answers. Watch out for those friends!

22_Zoe_
gen. 8, 2015, 3:20 pm

Your fairy tales category sounds fantastic! I'm looking forward to hearing about your reads.

23electrice
gen. 8, 2015, 7:54 pm

>4 Nickelini: Oh, I really love this photo!

>18 Nickelini: Would you mind some company to celebrate Pride and Prejudice with you? If not, I'm game :)

24Nickelini
gen. 9, 2015, 3:12 pm

#23 - Electrice - the more the merrier!

25Nickelini
gen. 19, 2015, 1:53 pm

Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Other Classic Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault, Angels Carter (1977), Introduction by Jack Zipes (2008)


Cover comments: I like that the Penguin Classics cover has a bright rendition of Red Riding Hood.

Comments: Unlike her later subversive and edgy The Bloody Chamber, this fairy tale book by Angela Carter is fairly straight-forward. She does not alter the plots or characters, but injects humour where she can and uses spritely language.

Charles Perrault wrote these tales in the late 1600s. They are much older folk tales that he adapted for his cultural world. It is interesting to compare them with the different versions that the Brothers Grimm adapted for their own society 150 years later.

Jack Zipes is one of the leading fairy tale scholars working today. His 27 page introduction covers both Carter and Perrault.

The 10 tales in this volume are: 'Little Red Riding Hood,' 'Bluebeard,' 'Puss in Boots,' 'Sleeping Beauty in the Wood,' 'The Fairies,' 'Cinderella: or, the Little Glass Slipper,' 'Ricky with the Tuft,' 'Hop o' My Thumb,' 'The Foolish Wishes,' and "Donkey Skin."

Why I Read This Now: it's part of my personal multi-year study of fairy tales.

Recommended for: people who want a short (78 pages + introduction) version of Perrault's tales.

26Nickelini
Editat: feb. 15, 2015, 10:12 pm

The Story of O, Pauline Reage, 1954, translated from French by Sabine D'Estree


Cover comments: tasteful, not bad, but sort of boring. There is some nice design on the back cover.

Comments: a notorious scandalous fable about one woman's fantasy and experience with sexual slavery. Not too many positive reviews on LT. I was puzzled by much of what I read, so did a little research that made me feel ambivalent, and now, ultimately bored.

Why I Read This Now: it's on the 1001 lists--I think it's all the media around the 50 Shades of Grey movie that reminded me that the Story of O was in my tbr pile.

Recommended for scholars of bdsm.

27lkernagh
feb. 15, 2015, 7:57 pm

I have never read The Story of O but I do remember watching an episode of the TV sitcom Frazer many years ago. One episode involved a costume/theme party and Roz (one of the characters) kept explaining to everyone at the party that her costume was "O", from the story. I never did investigate that one further but it sounds like the Reage book is what that part of the show was supposed to be based upon.

28Nickelini
feb. 15, 2015, 10:18 pm

I don't think I saw that episode of Frasier, but it's mentioned in the Story of O page on Wikipedia.

Here is a picture I found:
O wears something very distinctive, and it isn't this. Still, I think it's funny they did this storyline.

29-Eva-
feb. 16, 2015, 5:18 pm

I tried The Story of O many years ago, but couldn't quite stomach it. It's still on Mt. TBR, so there's a chance I'll try it again some time.

30DeltaQueen50
feb. 16, 2015, 5:39 pm

I couldn't finish The Story of O either when I tried it, but I read enough so I can nod my head knowingly when it comes up in conversation.

31Nickelini
feb. 16, 2015, 6:31 pm

#29 & #30 - Despite being on the 1001 books you must read before you die list, you definitely do not have to read The Story of O. Not a must read, by any stretch. But it was short and the language wasn't difficult, so it wasn't much of a time investment for me.

32Nickelini
Editat: feb. 17, 2015, 11:40 am

One for my contemporaneous British women category

Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason, Helen Fielding, 1999


cover comments: ambivalent about this one.

Comments: I loved Bridget Jones's Diary so much when I read it back in the 90s (before the movie). When Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason was released though, I wasn't interested. I've been burned by low quality sequels in the past and just couldn't stand to read this book and be disappointed. About ten years ago a friend gave me a copy and told me it was pretty good. I didn't want to take the risk and so it sat in my basement without any thought of me ever reading it. In the meantime, the movie version of The Edge of Reason came out and it was the debacle that I expected. Although it was great to see all those lovely characters again, it was just embarrassing watching them try to make a film out of that script. My shunning of this novel was justified. Or so I thought.

After my recent reread of Bridget Jones's Diary I thought that maybe I should give this a try. Thankfully, it's very different from the film version. Maybe it was my low expectations, but I found it delightful. In some ways I think it was better, in a literary sense, than the original. Bridget shows more character growth by the end, and there is some clever use of the Kipling poem "If". At first I was greatly frustrated by her friends sabatoging of Bridget's relationship with Mark Darcy, but as events unfolded, they redeemed themselves. Sure, Bridget really needs to toss the self help books and actually TALK to Mark (and he to her), but then there wouldn't be a story. And there were lots of laugh out loud moments. Including the scene where Bridget gets to interview Colin Firth (which unfortunately they couldn't possibly put in the movie--but they did film a version of it as an extra. Go to YouTube and search "Bridget Jones interviews Colin Firth").

In the film version, Bridget is uncomfortably cringe inducing, and I can't figure out why Mark sees anything in her whatsoever. In the book version, you see her insecurities and vulnerabilities and also see more of what he is dealing with, and they actually seem like two people that you want to cheer for (whereas in the film I end up wanting her to go sit down and grow up and want Darcy to move back here to Vancouver and meet me). As with the first book, Bridget Jones is more relatable than in the film where she's too over the top.

I read 7/8s of this in one sitting, which is almost unheard of for me, and it was a luxury I fully enjoyed.

Recommended for: literary snobs with no sense of humour should stay away from this.

Why I Read This Now I think I said it in my comments.

And because I usually include a Darcy pic when I read a Darcy book, here's a clip from the film:


the bitch fights between Mark Darcy/Colin Firth and Daniel Cleever/Hugh Grant never fail to make me laugh (I think the actors just stop acting for these scenes) (and no, this didn't happen in the book. One of the few improvements the movie made).

33DeltaQueen50
feb. 17, 2015, 1:43 pm

>32 Nickelini: Just seeing that picture of those two going at it makes me smile! Now for the big question - are you going to continue on and read the third book, Mad About The Boy? I am planning on avoiding it, yet I can't help but be curious ...

34Nickelini
Editat: feb. 17, 2015, 1:55 pm

#33 - Judy -- funny you should ask. I've never been vaguely interested in Mad About the Boy, especially when I heard that Fielding killed off Mark Darcy. But then I read The Edge of Reason and I reconsidered, and I looked up some reviews and they are all pretty good, actually! I've changed my mind, and if I have time I'm going to stop by Value Villiage later today and see if they have a copy.

Edited to add: How could Fielding kill him off? She created the books because she was so swept up by 1995 P&P's Darcy. She's made of tougher stuff than I.

35DeltaQueen50
feb. 17, 2015, 2:00 pm

>34 Nickelini: Killing off Mark Darcy is the reason I have avoided the book, but I am curious and will probably pick up a copy if I see it in a second hand store or it becomes a daily deal on the Kindle. I enjoyed both the first two books a lot and although I loved the casting of the two male leads, the movies never quite grabbed me as much as the books.

36klarusu
feb. 17, 2015, 3:43 pm

>32 Nickelini: Thank you for reminding me of the fights! The restaurant one in the first film just makes me cry with laughter. I remember quite enjoying Bridget Jones' Diary years ago, even though It's really not a genre I would choose to read.

37Nickelini
feb. 18, 2015, 3:42 pm

the movies never quite grabbed me as much as the books.

Judy - Until you said this, I had forgotten that when the first movie came out, I liked it but didn't love it. I didn't start to love it until I'd watched it a few times (and now I can't count how many times I've seen it). I also forgot how much they had changed the book.

In both films, Bidget is way more frustrating and annoying than she is in the book. I mean really, there is absolutely no chance, zero, that Mark Darcy would fall for her. But in the books it's believable.

I never liked the second film because her stupidity was just over the top.

I hear that Hugh Grant has pulled out of the third film (which isn't even filming yet. Who knows if it will ever be made). He says it can go on without him.

38DeltaQueen50
feb. 18, 2015, 5:37 pm

Since I haven't read the third book, I don't know whether Hugh Grant's character is a major one. If he is then he will be greatly missed from the movie as I think they would have to write him out as I don't think a re-cast would be accepted.

Actually when I think about it, I doubt whether most people will accept Renee Zellweger as Bridget anymore with her new face. Might be better if they left this movie unfilmed!

39Nickelini
feb. 19, 2015, 1:51 am

Might be better if they left this movie unfilmed!

I've thought the same thing myself. I mean, I know the characters are supposed to be in their 50s, so maybe Renee Zellweger will still fit, but I question it. I don't know, it all seems a bit risky and dodgy. Hugh Grant often says he hates acting, Colin Firth has done more than his share of questionable films . . . I say leave this one alone.

40VivienneR
feb. 21, 2015, 7:49 pm

>39 Nickelini: Colin Firth has done more than his share of questionable films . . . I say leave this one alone.

OH and I went to the movies a couple of days ago to see Colin Firth in Kingsman. It certainly wasn't our usual movie fare but I found it very funny, kind of sweet, and have to admit I enjoyed it. Can't say the same for my husband who hasn't mentioned it since :(

41Nickelini
abr. 1, 2015, 12:20 am

Through the Woods, Emily Carroll, 2014


Cover comments: This gives you a good sense of the atmosphere of the book. I like it.

Comments: Through the Woods is an excellent series of graphic short stories--all creepy, unsettling, and somewhat unresolved. The illustrations were haunting. All together, a great package, but the take on Red Riding Hood at the end was predictably my favourite. All of the stories are a cross between fairy tales and horror stories.

Recommended for: I found this similar is some ways to the miniseries "Over the Garden Wall," and a little bit like Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton (I believe Carroll and Beaton are friends, or maybe more), so fans of those will like this too. This book can be read in about an hour, but the combination of text and art makes it earn many rereads.

Why I Read This Now: My 15 year old daughter wanted me to read it, since I had enjoyed "Over the Garden Wall" and "Welcome to Night Vale" with her. I happily agreed, since I saw that it also fit in with my fairy tale theme read.

Rating: a healthy 4.5 stars. Note that there are 23 reviews here on LT. The lowest is 3 stars and 21 are 4-to-5 stars.

42mamzel
abr. 1, 2015, 6:44 pm

I just read this today as well and agree with you. Delicious horror.

43Nickelini
abr. 13, 2015, 1:01 pm

The Grass is Singing, Doris Lessing, 1950


Cover comments: an understated approach that I rather like.

Comments: The Grass is Singing starts at the end--Mary Turner, a farmer's wife in Rhodesia, has been murdered and their houseboy has been arrested. The novel then tells Mary's story of how she ended up there.

After a horrid childhood, Mary makes a comfortable life for herself, living in a city that she likes, working at a job she enjoys, and hanging out with friends. Unfortunately, she bowed to peer pressure and got married to a man she didn't love. Dick Turner is a hard working farmer who has little success to show for his efforts. Away on the African veld, Mary soon finds herself trapped in a loop of oppressive heat and dust, boredom, grinding poverty, Dick's recurrent bouts of malaria, hatred for the Africans, classism, sexism, and mental illness. Mary is not a likeable person and is one of the worst racists I've come across in literature, but despite this the reader still feels empathy for her suffering.

The Grass is Singing is Novel Prize Laureate Lessing's first novel. Aside from the interesting events and characters, the writing itself is masterful, especially in how she structures the story.

Rating & Recommended for: The Grass is Singing is understandably a 20th century classic, and is on both the Guardian 1000 and the 1001 Books lists. I particularly recommend it to aspiring writers as an example to emulate. Four and a half stars.

44Nickelini
abr. 13, 2015, 1:07 pm

>40 VivienneR: Ack! How did I miss replying to this earlier? Sorry! We went and saw Kingsman too. My husband tends to like that sort of film (I don't), but we wanted to go see a movie, the critic's reviews were favourable, and of course, Colin Firth. It was an entertaining enough couple of hours but I wouldn't watch it again.

45VivienneR
abr. 13, 2015, 4:51 pm

>44 Nickelini: It was a good night out at the movies, but I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone. The strange thing was that in our small town it ran for 6 weeks!! We went in the first week and there were only about a dozen people in the audience. The remaining five weeks must have been like that old joke: "What time does the movie start?" Reply: "What time will you be here?"

46Nickelini
Editat: abr. 13, 2015, 6:18 pm

>45 VivienneR: "What time does the movie start?" Reply: "What time will you be here?"

That's funny!

47DeltaQueen50
abr. 14, 2015, 12:40 am

>43 Nickelini: You've intrigued me and I am going to search out a copy of The Grass Is Singing and see if I have been wrong in avoiding Doris Lessing all these years.

48Nickelini
abr. 14, 2015, 10:48 am

> 47 There seems to be a few of us around LT who are intimidated by Doris Lessing. I think this is a good place to start, because it was very readable.

49Nickelini
Editat: abr. 15, 2015, 4:31 pm

Contemporaneous British Women category:

Poor Cow, Nell Dunn, 1967


Cover comments: Absolutely love this. I was surprised to learn that the picture was taken during the filming of the movie. Movie tie-in covers are usually terrible, but once in a while they can get it right.

Comments: Joy is a young mum, getting by in 1960s London and Poor Cow is a slice of her life told in 134 pages. Her husband gets himself sent to prison, and Joy falls in love with Dave, one of his crime friends. He eventually gets sent to prison too, and Joy works as a barmaid, does some modelling, loves her son, and has lots of sex, sometimes for money. Although her life is at times pretty rough, Joy is endlessly optimistic. As she says, all she really wants is to be happy and contented. She is a complex character that doesn't fit into any stereotype slots.

The narration of this short novel is unusual. It slips between third and first person, and sometimes semi-literate letters written to Dave. Dunn uses a lot of 1960s British slang, and sometimes writes in sentence fragments. Because of this, and also because some readers will find Joy too unsavory, Poor Cow isn't for everyone.

Margaret Drabble wrote the introduction to this Virago Modern Classics edition.

Recommended for: readers who like unique characters and are interested in the 1960s London setting.

Rating: 4 stars.

Why I Read This Now: I have a lot of books by British women in my TBR pile and this one has always intrigued me.

Now, off to watch the 1968 film. It's on YouTube.

50-Eva-
abr. 15, 2015, 5:03 pm

>49 Nickelini:
Funny, I was just talking to my mum about that film since it's one of the few Ken Loach films neither of us has seen - I'll be adding the book to the wishlist!

51VivienneR
abr. 17, 2015, 11:13 am

>49 Nickelini: That one is going on my wishlist too. I'll also check out the film on YouTube.

52Nickelini
abr. 24, 2015, 1:03 pm

This book fits in two of my three categories, but I'm putting it in British Women because Margaret Drabble is one of the authors on my list.

The Millstone, by Margaret Drabble, 1965


Cover comments: My edition is part of the Penguin Decades series, with Allen Jones artwork for all the 1960s covers. As a set, they're just fabulous.

Comments: Rosamund Stacey is an aspiring academic living rent-free in her parent's apartment just off Marylebone High St in London in the 1960s. She gets pregnant and decides to keep her baby. At the moment I have a severely cold-addled brain, so I'm not going to say much more and instead point anyone interested to this excellent review:

"But to see this book as primarily about the sexual revolution, illegitimacy, and the swinging London of the 1960s, is to miss its point. The Millstone is about liberal guilt. It is perhaps one of the most philosophical books written on the subject, full of the sly profundity that is sometimes the special strength of spare, comic novels." More at . . . http://www.newrepublic.com/book/review/millstone-margaret-drabble-adelle-waldman

I also found Drabble's 2011 comments very interesting: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/mar/19/book-club-margaret-drabble-millston...

The Millstone is on the Guardian 1000 list.

What I Really Liked About This Book: Well, the writing is fabulous, and it's all expertly contained in 167 pages. I'll take a smart compact novel over a bloated 500 pager any day. I was also fascinated to read about the character negotiating the medical system of the 1960s. Others have commented on the coldness of the NHS that Drabble portrays, but I think a lot of the attitudes were common outside of Britain at the time. In one scene, Rosamund's baby has had serious surgery, and when she returns to the hospital, the nurse says the baby is resting and she can't visit now. Okay, that sounds like something that would have happened in the early 60s. And then the nurse proceeds to tell her to return in a fortnight! Can you imagine your baby having surgery and the hospital telling you to come back in two weeks? Yeah, so I'll just say that this novel pressed some of my emotional buttons.

What I Didn't Like: The driving action of this novel depends on a major pet peeve of mine: woman has sex for the first time and gets pregnant. I'll giving Drabble a pass since this book is 50 years old; however, authors now need to throw that overused cliche away. (Yes, it's possible. The average rate of conception from any one sexual encounter is about 11%, but in novels if you are a virgin, it's hovering around 95%. Please stop.)

Rating: When I finished it I thought 4 stars, but now that I think about it some more, I'm going to bump it up to 4.5 stars.

Why I Read This Now: Earlier this month I read Poor Cow, which also centres on a young mother in 1960s London, so I thought I'd read this as a companion and comparison. Very different books, but obviously also similar. Also, I've read and enjoyed several Drabbles, but they've all been more recent novels. I wanted to read one of her more famous and earlier works.

Recommended for: readers of literary fiction, of course, but also anyone who is interested in the health care system of the 1960s (such an interesting contrast in attitudes from today).

I hope this all makes some sense. I apologize for writing under the influence of a head clogged with cold.

53Nickelini
abr. 29, 2015, 1:36 pm

Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked: Sex, Morality, and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale, Catherine Orenstein, 2002


Cover comments: considering the subject of this book, this cover is lazy and uninspired.

Comments: It's really difficult to describe this book well in a few sentences. Orenstein delves into all the corners of the tale of Red Riding Hood, from Charles Perrault's rapey version that was a warning for young ladies to stay away from wolfish men, through the later Grimms' version that told little girls to always obey their parents . . . and back to older versions, and forward to every twist on the tale you can imagine. Orenstein looks at both popular culture and history.

Rating: this was an enjoyable and interesting read. She included many unusual illustrations that added a lot to the text. 4.5 stars.

Recommended for: people interested in cultural studies and fairy tales.


I just like this cover.

Why I Read This Now: Fairy tales is one of my areas of self-study. Red Riding Hood is my favourite tale.

54VivienneR
maig 1, 2015, 4:53 pm

>53 Nickelini: The Beni Montresor cover is beautiful.

55Nickelini
ag. 11, 2015, 1:05 pm

Beyond Black, Hilary Mantel, 2005


Cover comments: well, isn't this just a great picture. The cover itself is okay.

Why I Read This Now: I have 7 Hilary Mantel novels in my TBR and I'm not mentally ready for Wolf Hall. This one was nominated for the Booker, the Orange Prize, and is on the Guardian 1000 list. Also, I started this last month, so "Orange July at LT".

Comments: Well, this was much better than I expected.

Alison is a medium who really can talk to the dead. She works the circuit outside of London, performing to crowds. She meets the prickly Colette, who becomes her personal assistant and room mate. But Alison is haunted herself by a childhood that would horrify Charles Dickens. Seriously, I don't know if I've ever read a more disturbing childhood. At least since I read Push--although to this book's advantage, Alison doesn't remember much, and doesn't understand a lot of what she sees.

I've only read one other Mantel, An Experiment in Love, which was good but not particularly notable. I have to say that the premise of Beyond Black actually turned me off -- I don't find mediums very interesting due to the fact that I think they are all, 100% of them, frauds. Just not into that whole "woo" thing. Because of all of that, I approached Beyond Black with some trepidation. Right from the start though, the writing grabbed me, and the whole "woo" thing wasn't an issue at all--after all, I told myself, I enjoyed the movie "Ghost" without believing any of it. It's fiction, and anything can happen. Relax, enjoy.

I read this with a pencil because there were so many great snippets of fabulous writing, both on a sentence level, as well as on the level of the entire novel. I particularly loved how Mantel painted such a bleak picture of England--the grey modern suburbs, the bland food, the banal people (that said, my personal experience of England has been much rosier. I've seen interesting cities, towns, and villages, and gorgeous countryside, eaten fabulous food regularly, and met so many "lovely" people. I say "lovely" because people I meet in England seem to use that word more than we do in Canada. Still, I could appreciate this satirical look at England circa 1997-2002).

Now the downside. Too long, too repetitive. My edition was 450-odd pages, should have been no more than 350, maybe a bit less.

Rating: waffling between 4 & 4.5 stars. Had it been 300 pages it would have been a 5 star read.

Recommended for: readers who love dark humour and sharp writing.

56Nickelini
ag. 11, 2015, 1:16 pm

Forgot about this one from June:

The Swimming Pool Library, Alan Hollinghurst, 1988


Cover comments: I think this is fabulous. The image under the shimmering blue water is a detail from The Dying Slave by Michelangelo. Fits the novel perfectly--the designer obviously read and understood the book.

Comments: The Swimming Pool Library is a beautifully written, layered novel, set in a London inhabited almost entirely by gay men just before the AIDS epidemic. The story is told by Will, a privileged 25 year old, and is mirrored in the story of his new friend, an elderly Lord.

Rating: I really didn't expect to like this at all. I bought a used copy of the book years ago when I had just started collecting books from the 1001 list, but never expected to read it just because I have so many other books. Right from the start, it was a pleasant surprise. 4 stars.

Why I Read This Now: not really sure what exactly made me pick this up. I loved The Stranger's Child by the same author and thought I should at least give this a chance before I chucked it in the charity bin.

Recommended for: readers who like literary fiction and books set in London. Readers who don't like reading about promiscuity should skip this one.

57Nickelini
ag. 12, 2015, 1:57 pm

Hansel & Gretel: a Toon Graphic, Neil Gaiman, 2014, illustrations by Lorenzo Mattotti


Cover comments: Although it's well done, I don't like this art. Too dark for my tastes. I also don't like the typeface they used.

Comments: "Hansel & Gretel" is one of my favourite fairy tales. I still find it shocking that parents would discard their children this way, I love the motif of the threatening forest, and I love the bizarre gingerbread cottage cannibal witch hidden deep, deep in the woods (what is she doing there? who has she been eating up to this point?). It all adds up to one great story in my opinion.

Neil Gaiman is a talented writer who brings this story to life. He avoids that distant narrator technique that is so common in fairy tales, and injects just enough detail to make this fresh.

As for the India ink illustrations, well, it certainly captures the menacing feel of this story. They were originally created for an exhibit celebrating the Metropolitan Opera's performance of Hansel and Gretel. Personally I found them too murky, too aggressive, and too violent, and lacking a touch of whimsy. Still, the book as a whole is attractive.

58skrouhan
ag. 15, 2015, 2:47 pm

>53 Nickelini: Sounds interesting! I'm adding that to my TBR!

59Nickelini
ag. 21, 2015, 11:50 am

Microserfs, Douglas Coupland, 1995


Cover comments: When I picked up this book I thought the cover was pretty horrible, although it does have sort of a techy cleanness to it. After reading the book, I see how it fits, in sort of a weird way.

Comments: A group of 20-somethings who work for Microsoft eventually end up in Silicon Valley. As with everything Coupland writes, lots of witty observations, astute cultural references, and a nice blend of seriousness and humour. It started quite strongly, then got sort of flabby, and then had a very unexpected and powerful last four pages.

I found this one a bit dated (it is 20 years old after all), and definitely not my favourite of Coupland's novels (I preferred Eleanor Rigby and Hey, Nostradamus!, or even the very weird Girlfriend in a Coma).

Microserfs is on the Guardian 1000 list under the "State of the Nation" category.

Why I Read This Now: I have seven Couplands in my TBR stack. At one time I thought I'd read his whole oeuvre, but he's fairly prolific and I'm not sure that that's necessary anymore.

Recommended for: people who want a retro visit to 90s geek culture?

Rating: Even a "meh" Coupland is still good.

60Nickelini
ag. 28, 2015, 11:42 am

Contemporaneous British Women category:

Treasures of Time, Penelope Lively, 1979


Cover comments: This is part of the Penguin Decades series for the 1970s, which all have covers by fashion designer Zandra Rhodes. I like this one, but not as much as others in the series. As a set they are fabulous. The inside of the covers is fuchsia, and very attractive whilst reading.

Comments: Past secrets are uncovered and memories are questioned in the family of a recently deceased British archaeologist. Interesting and realistic characters, nuanced and intelligent writing, and the Wiltshire setting made this book sing for me.

Rating: 4.5 stars. The only other novel I've read by Lively is the Booker-winning Moon Tiger, and I prefer this one.

Why I Read This Now: I've been meaning to read this for 5 years and it bubbled up to the top of the pile.

Recommended for: Although I recommend this highly, other readers don't appear to like this as much as I did. Some say it's pointless and nothing happens. I completely disagree. I can't exactly explain why, but there is just something about mid-20th century British novels that I love.

61Nickelini
set. 27, 2015, 2:31 pm

1001 & Guardian 1000 category

Howards End, EM Forster, 1910


Cover comments: I adore this cover. It is part of my EM Forster set (the only edition I'm missing is A Passage to India). The cover extends around the spine, and they look splendid on my bookshelf. The picture itself is a detail of Brightwell Church and Village by John Constable

Comments The classic novel of the clash of ideas occupying Edwardian England, with many shades of the devastation awaiting them in the near future. The ideals are played out by the lively and progressive Schlegel family, the traditional and imperialistic Wilcoxes, and the struggling Leonard Bast and his questionable wife.

I've seen the Merchant Ivory film twice, so no surprises in this one. There was some lovely writing. A solid and enjoyable book, but not my favourite Forster.

Why I Read This Now: It's been on my shelf for years and it's the sort of book I get in the mood for this time of year. Love those Edwardians.

Rating: 4 stars


Filming location for the film version of Howards End. In real life, it's Peppard Cottage, Rotherfield Peppard, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

62VivienneR
set. 27, 2015, 4:35 pm

>60 Nickelini: I recently added this one to my wishlist. I've enjoyed other books by Lively.

>61 Nickelini: Another one of those books where, if you've seen the movie, the actors' voices can be heard as you read. I thought the book was excellent.

63-Eva-
set. 27, 2015, 6:30 pm

>61 Nickelini:
I haven't seen that beautiful film in such a long time - time for a rewatch!

64Nickelini
Editat: oct. 2, 2015, 3:45 pm

Gossip from the Forest: the Tangled Roots of Our Forests and Fairytales, Sara Maitland, 2012


Cover comments: most fitting.

Comments: This book is divided by month, beginning in March and ending in February, and each month is made up of an extended essay, followed by a fairy tale retelling. The author visited one forest in England or Scotland every month, and her essays meandered like hikers lost in a proverbial forest . . . topics went from sciency discussions on specific types of trees, to folk legends, to social history, to forest management practices, to discussion on the origins of fairy tales, to natural history, and a lot in between. Maitland focuses on the Teutonic roots of Britain and tied it into the stories recorded by the Brothers Grimm. Although she goes off on countess tangled tangents, her main thesis seems to concern the symbiotic relationship between people and forests and the symbiotic relationship between forests and fairy tales.

The fairy tales were fun and interesting, and tended to tell the story from an unexpected viewpoint. For example, in "Hansel and Gretel," they are now in their 50s and look back on their childhood. "Sleeping Beauty" is told in 100 short dreams.

Forests visited (and now added to my bucket list):
March - Airyolland Wood, Galloway (Scotland)
April - Saltridge Wood, Gloucestershire
May - New Forest, Hampshire
June - Epping Forest, NE London
July - Great North Wook, Dulwich (South London)
August - Staverton Thicks, Suffolk
September - Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
October - Ballochbuie and the Forest of Mar, Scotland
November - Kielder Forest, Northumberland
December - Purgatory Wood, Galloway
January - Glenlee, Galloway
February - Knockman Wood, Galloway

Fairy tales retold:
March - Thumbling (Tom Thumb)
April - White Snake
May - Rumpelstiltskin
June - Hansel & Gretel
July - Little Goose Girl
August - Seven Swans' Sister
September - Seven Dwarves
October - Rapunzel
November - Little Red Riding Hood & the Big Bad Wolf
December - Four Comrades (Musicians of Bremen)
January - Dancing Shoes
February - Sleeping Beauty

Rating: I'm a lover of forests, and I find the idea of forests that people have lived with for thousands of years incredibly interesting. I also love fairy tales. So I liked this a lot. It's right up my tree.

The book had more than a few problems though -- first, there where very few illustrations, and this just cried out to be heavily illustrated. There were a few photos, but they were all boring and extremely poor quality black and white. Full colour was needed for this. Also, the book desperately needed maps. I also think it needed a separate introduction to outline what all of thees details were supposed to add up to. This info was buried in the first month (March), but a crisper structure would have helped. There are lots of end notes, and they held all sorts of interesting detail, but it was cumbersome flipping back to it, so they should have been footnotes instead (or sidebar information if they had hired the book designer this material deserved.) Finally, Gossip from the Forest would have benefited tremendously from an index--so many little tidbits of information, I don't know how I'll ever find anything if I want to go back and look up what she had to say about "mushrooms," "William the Conquer and the beginning of royal forests," or "pollarding," for example.

In conclusion, the material was great, but the presentation left everything to be desired.

Recommended for: Definitely not for everyone--even for the reader who is interested in forests and fairy tales, there's just so much here and it's sort of a mash. I can see many readers losing patience with this one. But if you're anything like me, you'll love it.

Why I Read it Now: "now" has actually been "over the past year." I started this in November 2014 with the plan to read a chapter a month (I started with her November chapter with the plan to have the book follow the seasons). Didn't quite work out as there were months I skipped and months I read more, but I still ended up finishing on schedule.

65mathgirl40
oct. 1, 2015, 9:23 pm

>61 Nickelini: I rewatched the film version of Howard's End recently with my 16-year-old daughter and would like to reread the book sometime. Forster is one of my favourites.

66lkernagh
oct. 2, 2015, 9:40 am

I like the setup for the Maitland book. Sad to learn that it is sort of a mash.

67Nickelini
oct. 30, 2015, 2:18 am

The Mist in the Mirror, Susan Hill, 1992


Cover comments: This Vintage edition cover is the sort I like for a ghost story.

Comments This is one of those bookended stories -- like Heart of Darkness (1899) or Turn of the Screw (1898), and although written nearly 100 years later, Susan Hill does an fabulous job of capturing the style of that era.

The main story is of an Englishman who was raised abroad, and travelled extensively through Africa and Asia before returning to an England he doesn't remember. He sets off on an academic quest, but continually gets warned off. Distracted, he goes on a quest for his roots, and again is warned off. (Hint: ask these people for details of what exactly they are warning you about.)

Lots of atmospheric, creepy passages. Hill's particular talent is to write a book that is somewhat timeless, in that it could be set anywhere in the 20th century. It feels Victorian--people take trains and wear spectacles, but every once in a while she'll drop in an electrical switch or telephone or automobile. No markers, such as WWI or WWII, or anything that would give it a firm time frame. But not so antiquated that we absolutely know it's in the past -- after all, we still take trains and wear spectacles (although we only call them that when we are being cute or clever or whatever).

Alas, the story was . . . weak. Characterization? Also weak. I give her a lot for the atmosphere, but honestly, I could really rip this apart if I felt like it.

Recommended for: Lovers of ghost stories. If you liked the author's Woman in Black, this is similar but not as good. If you didn't like WiB, don't even bother.

Rating: some parts were 4. and some 2 -- sounds like a 3, I guess. Don't regret reading it, and it was short.

Why I Read This Now: a Halloween read.

68Nickelini
nov. 23, 2015, 5:51 pm

Both a Guardian and a 1001 book:

Hard Times, Charles Dickens, 1854


Cover comments: A very pleasing and fitting cover. If you look closely, it's actually a modern picture, which is common with Premier Classics editions. I like this line--they're pretty bare bones, but they are nicely put together and are tactilely pleasing.

Comments: Hard Times isn't anyone's favourite Dickens. The story is pretty straightforward, there isn't much humour or pathos, and there aren't any of those great big Dickens characters. It can also at times be confusing. That said, it was still a decent read, and I managed to copy the writing that I found notable sufficient to cover 6 pages in my journal.

Why I Read This Now: it's been at the top of my TBR for about 5 years.

Recommended for: Dickens fans. Don't suggest it as a first Dickens, even though it's short.

69Nickelini
nov. 28, 2015, 1:53 pm

Dancing with Mr Darcy: Stories Inspired by Jane Austen and Chawton House, Sarah Waters, editor, 2009


Cover comments: Pleasing colour and art, although it speaks to the Austen theme, it doesn't represent the stories.

Comments: Reviews of this at LT are quite mediocre, so I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. Twenty short stories, all written by what appears to be British women, that were part of "the Best of the Jane Austen Short Story Competition." All the stories are just a few pages long, and the ties to Jane Austen are loose. As with probably every single collection of short stories, a few were very good, and a few unreadable.

Recommended for: For most of these stories, one doesn't need to know a thing about Jane Austen or her novels to read this in order to find enjoyment. Janeites looking for Austen-language stories and Austen fanfic readers will be disappointed. If you're interested in writing that takes its inspiration from former literary works, authors, and places, and then does something completely different, this may be for you.

Rating: pleasantly surprised.

Why I Read This Now time to move it out of the tbr pile.

70Nickelini
des. 11, 2015, 10:18 pm

>33 DeltaQueen50: - >36 klarusu: - >40 VivienneR:

Back in February we had a conversation about the Bridget Jones books and movies. They really are filming the third movie, and it looks pretty cringe-worthy. According to IMDb, it ISN"T Mad About the Boy but instead some other script by Helen Fielding.

- I think Renee Zellwegger is looking more like herself again. Here's a pinterest board with lots of pictures from the film set (Colin Firth way down the page): https://www.pinterest.com/priyanka161316/bridget-joness-diary/

- the actress is 46 in real life and her character is pregnant (not sure how this fits in the time lines of the book), which is a bit of a stretch since she's supposed to have been together with Mark Darcy since sometime in her early-mid-30s

- as we discussed in February, Hugh Grant has passed on this. Now we have a new love triangle person, played by Patrick Dempsey. Not sure what the storyline is, but the fact that there is a love triangle at all is not cool with me!

- apparently in the newspaper columns, Bridget got pregnant by Daniel because she couldn't conceive with Mark -- which just sounds icky to even type, and also makes me glad I never read the newspaper columns! I don't think they can do that though without Hugh Grant, so I hope they've come up with something not so repulsive.

I guess we'll have to wait and see. I'm sure I'll end up seeing it eventually.

71DeltaQueen50
des. 12, 2015, 5:57 pm

>70 Nickelini: She does look more like herself, but I still doubt if I will shell out any money for this movie. Curiosity will probably make me watch it on TV at some point though. I will miss Hugh Grant. I always found him and Colin Firth a great combination.

72Nickelini
des. 12, 2015, 7:08 pm

> 71 I will miss Hugh Grant. I always found him and Colin Firth a great combination.

-------

Yes!!!!

73Nickelini
des. 23, 2015, 1:44 pm

Smilla's Sense of Snow, Peter Hoeg, 1993, translated from Danish by Tina Nunnaly


Cover comments: undebatably a very ugly cover, but even worse now that I've read the physical description of Smilla and this face isn't hers. Sure, just throw in any picture of a dark-coloured female--it'll do.

Comments: Lots of great atmosphere of deep winter in Copenhagen and Greenland, all sorts of interesting details on a wealth of subjects. Other than that, this Scandinavian crime thriller was less than thrilling and left me rather cold. Too much going on that didn't make sense--I never did figure out why everyone on the ship was trying to kill Smilla.

Smilla's Sense of Snow is on the Guardian 1000, the 1001 Books and the 501 Books lists.

Recommended for: lots of people liked this one a lot, but I can't recommend it.

Why I Read This Now: it's been in my TBR forever; it seemed like a nice chilly December read

Rating: 2 stars

74lkernagh
des. 24, 2015, 4:58 pm

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas, Joyce!


75VivienneR
des. 24, 2015, 5:46 pm



Merry Christmas Joyce!

76rabbitprincess
des. 24, 2015, 6:21 pm

Wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

77Nickelini
des. 24, 2015, 8:28 pm

>74 lkernagh:, >75 VivienneR:, >76 rabbitprincess:

Thanks! And Merry Christmas to all of you too!

Vivienne -- We went skiing at Mnt Baker the other day and that's exactly what it looked like (except the moon didn't come out until we were off the mountain and out of the snow). But the road and forest looked exactly like that.

78VivienneR
des. 25, 2015, 1:59 am

>77 Nickelini: Oh that must have been an excellent ski trip!

79-Eva-
des. 27, 2015, 7:19 pm

>70 Nickelini:
So no new "excellent" fight between Grant and Firth - those are the best. :)

80VivienneR
des. 31, 2015, 5:21 pm

81Nickelini
gen. 1, 2016, 3:28 pm

Thank, Vivienne! Happy New Years to you too.

Well, this wraps up this challenge. My goal was to read 5 books in 3 categories for a modest total of 15, and I completed the challenge in early October, then kept adding books to end up with 21 books total (out of the grand total of 68 books read this year).

I will set up my 2016 challenge in the next few days. See you over there.

82lkernagh
gen. 1, 2016, 6:15 pm

Happy New Year and best wishes for 2016, Joyce!