Leslie's Reading Rainbow in 2015 - Part 2

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Leslie's Reading Rainbow in 2015 - Part 2

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1leslie.98
Editat: jul. 2, 2015, 4:59 pm

     

Welcome to Part 2 of my colors challenge! Books can be used in more than one category. Total number of books read in 2015, including rereads, audiobooks, ebooks, library books, etc.


2leslie.98
Editat: des. 27, 2015, 4:09 pm

Mysteries
Mysteries remain my main genre of reading, so I have several categories or challenges here. In particular, I would like to finish up several series that I have started and start the Travis McGee series by John D. MacDonald.

Scarlet challenge #1: (scarlet ibis)   

Continue working on (and hopefully finish!) my "Read the USA" Mystery Challenge. This is the one category that didn't get done in 2014...

visited 46 states (92%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or Triposo world travel guide for Android

new states
·January Exposure {North Dakota} (done 1/9)
·Out on a Limb {Tennessee} (done 4/15)
·A Deal on a Handshake {Wyoming} (done 6/18)
·Finger Lickin' Fifteen {New Jersey} (done 9/11)
·If Fried Chicken Could Fly {Missouri} (done 9/20)
·The Gray and Guilty Sea {Oregon} (done 11/12)
·Riders of the Purple Sage {Utah} (done 11/11) {not a mystery}
·Death of a Couch Potato's Wife {Indiana} (done 12/11)

duplicate states
·The Deep Blue Good-by {Florida} (done 1/19)
·A Bobwhite Killing {Minnesota} (done 1/24)
·Deadly Valentine {Virginia} (done 2/7)
·Nightmare in Pink {New York} (done 2/15)
·Open Season {Vermont} (done 4/6)
·Friday the Rabbi Slept Late {Massachusetts} (4/22)
·Yesterday's Body {Virginia} (6/11)
·One Fearful Yellow Eye {Illinois} (11/30)
·Christmas Carol Murder {Maine} (12/20)
·Clobbered by Camembert {Ohio} (currently reading)

Ruby    (ruby-throated hummingbird)

Foreign mysteries (mysteries originally not written in English): including finishing Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö's Martin Beck series and continuing the Andrea Camilleri Montalbano series, Arnaldur Indriðason (Icelandic), Georges Simenon (French), Boris Akunin (Russian) plus miscellaneous others

Italian:
·The Voice of the Violin (done 2/2) {reread}
·Excursion to Tindari (done 3/17)
·The Smell of the Night (done 7/29)
·Rounding the Mark (done 12/23)

Icelandic:
·Strange Shores (done 3/3)

Danish:
·The Purity of Vengeance (done 4/28)
·The King's Hounds (done 6/26)
·Oathbreaker (done 9/26)
·A Man's Word (done 12/18)

Swedish
·The Locked Room (done 7/20)

3leslie.98
Editat: des. 27, 2015, 4:01 pm

Maroon challenge #2:   

Read paperback mysteries already owned, focusing on finishing Michael Innes' Inspector Appleby series & starting the Travis McGee series by John D. MacDonald
goal=24+; progress=14

Inspector Appleby series
·The Weight of the Evidence (done 1/2)
·Appleby's End (done 2/24)
·A Night of Errors (done 4/19)
·The Paper Thunderbolt (done 7/9)
·Silence Observed (done 8/29)
·One Man Show (not a ROOT) (done 9/16)
·Death by Water (done 12/22)

Travis McGee series
·The Deep Blue Good-by (not a ROOT) (done 1/19)
·Nightmare in Pink (done 2/15)
·The Quick Red Fox (done 4/1)
·A Deadly Shade of Gold (done 5/31)
·Bright Orange for the Shroud (done 7/24)
·Darker Than Amber (done 9/2)
·One Fearful Yellow Eye (done 11/30)

miscellaneous mystery ROOTS
·The Three Coffins (done 4/26)
·Journey Into Fear (read in the omnibus "Intrigue") (done 9/25)

4leslie.98
Editat: des. 8, 2015, 5:38 pm

✔Brick challenge #3:   

Books in translation (world lit):
3 major parts to this challenge are A) classics & books from Guardian list; B) Around the World type challenge; and C) foreign mysteries

For the second half of the year, I need to work on the Southern Hemisphere!!


visited 30 states (13.3%)
Create your own visited map of The World or Brazil travel guide for Android

Books read for A & B (books for part C will be listed above under Ruby):
Goal=10+; Progress=24
  ·The Three Musketeers, French (done 1/7)
  ·Austerlitz, German (done 1/30)
  ·Heidi, Swiss German (done 1/30) {reread via audiobook}
  ·Bel-Ami, French (done 2/5)
  ·Strait is the Gate under the title "The Narrow Gate", French (done 2/25)
  ·Twenty Years After, French (done 3/11)
  ·Wolf Totem, Chinese (done 3/16)
  ·Invisible Cities, Italian (done 4/1)
  ·The Guest Cat, Japanese (done 4/2)
  ·Uncle Vanya, Russian (done 4/3)
  ·Love in the Time of Cholera, Spanish (done 4/17) {audiobook}
  ·Cheri, French (done 5/5)
  ·Right You Are (If You Think So), Italian (done 5/27)
  ·The Vicomte de Bragelonne, French (done 5/28) {audiobook & Kindle}
  ·The Sea-Gull, Russian (done 6/1)
  ·Ten Years Later, French (done 6/16)
  ·C. P. Cavafy: Collected Poems, Greek (done 6/23)
  ·Facing the River, Polish (done 7/20)
  ·The Miser, French (done 7/22)
  ·Louise de la Valliere, French (done 8/9)
  ·The Man in the Iron Mask, French (done 8/12)
  ·Lovers' Vows, German (done 8/28)
  ·Suite Francaise, French (done 8/29)
  ·Bells in Winter, Polish (done 8/30)
  ·Across the Land and the Water, German (done 9/13)
  ·Orestes, ancient Greek (done 12/8)

5leslie.98
Editat: ag. 18, 2015, 2:16 pm

Pink challenge #4:      

Read 15+ Kindle books owned before July 2014 (Kindle catch-up) -- Done!!
(to see the first 15 titles, please go to the previous thread)
16. Uncle Vanya (done 4/3)
17. Open Season (done 4/6)
18. Ruth (done 4/14)
19. Out on a Limb: A Smoky Mountain Mystery (4/15)
20. Wine of Violence (4/27)
21. Right You Are! (If You Think So) (done 5/27) (contained in omnibus Three Plays)
22. The Vicomte de Bragelonne (done 5/28)
23. Yesterday's Body (done 6/11)
24. Ten Years Later (done 6/16)
25. Two Gentlemen of Verona (contained in the omnibus "The Complete Works") (done 6/22)
26. The Riddle of the Sands (done 6/28)
27. King John (contained in the omnibus "The Complete Works") (done 7/11)
28. Our Mutual Friend (done 7/16)
29. Three Men in a Boat (done 7/19)
30. The Miser (done 7/22)
31. The Awakening and Selected Short Stories (done 8/18)

6leslie.98
Editat: des. 11, 2015, 7:28 pm

7leslie.98
Editat: des. 27, 2015, 4:02 pm

Tan challenge #6:   

Historical fiction & Adventure
A) Read/reread the whole d'Artagnan series by Dumas -- Done!
   ·The Three Musketeers (audiobook) {reread}
   ·Twenty Years After
   ·The Vicomte of Bragelonne
   ·Ten Years Later
   ·Louis de la Valliere
   ·The Man in the Iron Mask {reread}

B) read 3+ Sabatini off my shelves
  ·

C) miscellaneous historical fiction
(see previous thread for misc. historical fiction read between Jan. & June 2015)
  ·King John (done 7/11)
  ·The Grand Sophy {reread via audiobook} (done 9/5)
  ·The Old Brown Suitcase {audiobook} (done 9/9)
  ·Oathbreaker (done 9/26)
  ·Run With the Horsemen (done 10/13)
  ·The Long Home (done 11/10)
  ·The Explorers Club (done 12/27)

8leslie.98
Editat: des. 12, 2015, 1:25 pm

Yellow challenge #7: (yellow warber)   

Read at least 25 books (new-to-me) from the Guardian's list of 1000 novels. -- Done!
This doesn't include books from the Discworld series which comprise a single entry on the list (see my powder blue challenge below for those books).



1. The Vicar of Wakefield (done 1/9)
2. Regeneration (done 1/21)
3. Austerlitz (done 1/30)
4. Bel-Ami (done 2/5)
5. Wide Sargasso Sea (done 2/9)
6. Affinity (done 2/22)
7. Strait is the Gate (under the title "The Narrow Gate") (done 2/25)
8. Tales of the City (done 3/16)
9. Invisible Cities (done 4/1)
10. The Man in the High Castle (done 4/10)
11. Ruth (done 4/14)
12. Love in the Time of Cholera (done 4/17) {audiobook}
13. Friday the Rabbi Slept Late (done 4/22)
14. Cloud Atlas (done 4/24)
15. The Three Coffins (done 4/26)
16. Chéri (done 5/5)
17. The Left Hand of Darkness (done 5/24)
18. The Remains of the Day (done 5/31)
19. The New York Trilogy (done 6/6)
20. The Riddle of the Sands (done 6/28)
21. Three Men in a Boat (done 7/19)
22. Love in a Cold Climate (done 7/29)
23. The Awakening (done 8/15)
24. Suite Francaise (done 8/29)
25. Sanctuary (done 8/30)

26. Cop Hater (done 9/3)
27. At Swim-Two-Birds (done 9/22)
28. Journey Into Fear (done 9/25)
29. The Monk (done 11/3)
30. Molloy (done 11/4)
31. Crome Yellow (done 11/16)
32. How Green Was My Valley (done 11/28)
33. Neuromancer (done 12/12)

9leslie.98
Editat: des. 27, 2015, 4:04 pm

✓ Green challenge #8:   

Read 24 plays (2 per month): -- Done (11/12)!
1. Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare (done 1/10)
2. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (done 1/21)
3. Caesar and Cleopatra by George Bernard Shaw (done 2/9)
4. Caesar's Wife by W. Somerset Maugham (done 2/24)
5. The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster (done 3/16)
6. Uncle Vanya (done 4/3)
7. Fanny's First Play (done 4/15)
8. Right You Are! (If You Think So) (done 5/27) (contained in omnibus Three Plays)
9. The Sea-Gull (6/1)
10. Long Day's Journey into Night (6/15)
11. Two Gentlemen of Verona (done 6/22) (contained in the omnibus "The Complete Works")
12. Pericles, Prince of Tyre (done 7/10) (not in my omnibus!!)
13. King John (done 7/11) (contained in my new omnibus of Shakespeare's "Complete Works")
14. The Doctor's Dilemma (done 7/18) (contained in the omnibus "The Plays of Shaw")
15. The Miser (done 7/22)
16. Major Barbara (done 8/13) (contained in the omnibus "The Plays of Shaw")
17. Lovers' Vows (done 8/28) {touchstones not pointed to correct work}
18. The Mousetrap (done 9/4)
19. The Hollow: A Play in Three Acts (done 9/10)
20. Press Cuttings (done 10/12)
21. The Goat, or Who is Sylvia (done 10/17)
22. The School for Scandal (done 10/17)
23. The Good-Natured Man (done 10/28)
24. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (done 11/12)

25. Orestes (done 12/8)
26. The Explorers Club (done 12/27)

10leslie.98
Editat: des. 3, 2015, 9:47 pm

Science Fiction & Fantasy

#9: Author Challenges
A) Indigo (indigo bunting)   
Continue reading Charles de Lint's Newford series (and his other books as well, such as Yarrow)
·The Very Best of Charles de Lint (done 4/7)
·The Onion Girl (done 9/9)

✔ B) Navy   
Finish reading Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series: Done! (12/3)

✔Shards of Honor -- book 1
✔ The Warrior's Apprentice -- book 2
✔ Ethan of Athos - book 3
✔ The Borders of Infinity - {novella} 3a
✔ Falling Free -- book 4
✔Brothers in Arms -- book 5
✔ The Mountains of Mourning -- {novella} 5a
✔ Labyrinth -- {novella} 5b
✗ Borders of Infinity -- Book 6 = novellas 3a,5a,5b
✔ The Vor Game -- Book 7
✔ Barrayar -- Book 8
✔ Mirror Dance -- Book 9
✔ Cetaganda -- Book 10
✔ Memory -- Book 11
✔ Komarr -- Book 12
✔ Civil Campaign -- Book 13
✔ Diplomatic Immunity -- Book 14
✔ Winterfair Gifts -- {novella} 14a
✔ Cryoburn -- Book 15
✔ Captain Vorpatril's Alliance -- Book 16
✗ Dreamweaver's Dilemma: Short Stories and Essays by Lois McMaster Bujold contains prequel
-----------------------------------------------------------
Omnibus editions:
✓ 1) Cordelia's Honor = 1 & 8 (read in 2008)
✓ 2) Young Miles = 2,5a,7 (read in 2014)
✓ 3) Miles, Mystery & Mayhem = 3,5b,10 (read in 2014)
✓ 4) Miles Errant = 3a,5,9 (done 3/29)
✓ Memory -- Book 11 (not included in omnibus) (done 6/8)
✓ 5) Miles in Love = 12-13,14a (done 7/11)
✓ 6) Miles, Mutants and Microbes = 4,5b,14 (done 9/2)

11leslie.98
Editat: des. 27, 2015, 4:05 pm

Powder blue challenge #10:   

Read 5+ books from the Discworld series: (Done! 12/11)
1. Men at Arms (done 2/1)
2. The Color of Magic (done 5/30)
3. Feet of Clay (done 6/19)
4. The Light Fantastic (done 10/30)
5. Jingo (done 12/11)

Miscellaneous sci fi/fantasy books:
(for misc. sci fi & fantasy books read between Jan. and June 2015, see previous thread)
  ·The Waters Rising (done 7/14) {reread}
  ·Fish Tails (done 7/17)
  ·The Handmaid's Tale (done 8/26) {reread}
  ·Artemis Fowl (done 11/2)
  ·Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (done 12/25) {reread}

12leslie.98
Editat: des. 11, 2015, 7:29 pm

✔ Violet challenge #11:      

Read 12 poetry collections (one per month) -- Done!

1. Collected Poems 1909-1962 by T.S. Eliot (done 1/16)
2. New and Selected Poems by Mary Oliver (done 2/12)
3. Classic Love Poems by various authors, narrated by Richard Armitage (done 2/15)
4. The Poetry of Derek Walcott 1948-2013
5. This Great Unknowing : Last Poems by Denise Levertov (done 4/12)
6. Telephone Ringing in the Labyrinth by Adrienne Rich (done 4/23)
7. The Jacob's Ladder by Denise Levertov (done 5/20)
8. C.P. Cavafy Collected Poems by C.P. Cavafy, translated by Daniel Mendelsohn (done 6/23)
9. Facing the River by Czeslaw Milosz, translated by author & Robert Hass (done 7/20)
10. Bells in Winter by Czeslaw Milosz, translated by author & Lillian Vallee (done 8/30)
11. Across the Land and the Water by W.G. Sebald, translated by Iain Galbraith (done 9/13)
12. The Wild Swans at Coole (done 10/19)

13. The Wind Among the Reeds (done 10/30)
14. Collected Poems by Philip Larkin (done 11/22)
15. District and Circle by Seamus Heaney (done 12/11)

13leslie.98
Editat: des. 1, 2015, 1:14 pm

✔ Purple challenge #12 (purple-throated sunbird)   

Reading Bingo -- Done!


1A) A book with more than 500 pages: The Three Musketeers
1B) A forgotten classic: The Vicar of Wakefield (done 1/9)
1C) A book that became a movie: The Forsyte Saga (done 3/18)
1D) A book published this year: X (done 9/27)
1E) A book with a number in the title: Twenty Years After (done 3/11)

2A) A book written by someone under 30: The Luminaries (done 1/16)
2B) A book with non-human characters: Robots and Empire (done 1/18)
2C) A funny book: Indiscretions of Archie (done 1/28)
2D) A book by a female author: A Bobwhite Killing (done 1/24)
2E) A book with a mystery: The Weight Of The Evidence (done 1/2)

3A) A book with a one word title: Affinity (done 2/22)
3B) A book of short stories: Rain and Other South Sea Stories
X) FREE CHOICE - Poetry book Collected Poems 1909-1962 (done 1/16)
3D) A book set on a different continent: Austerlitz (done 1/30)
3E) A book of non-fiction: Life on the Mississippi (audiobook) (done 1/25)

4A) The first book by a favourite author: Pebble in the Sky (done 2/28)
4B) A book you heard about online: Corpse Diplomatique (done 4/7)
4C) A bestselling book: The Guest Cat {NYT Bestseller} (done 4/2)
4D) A book based on a true story: Regeneration (done 1/21)
4E) A book at the bottom of your TBR pile: The Monk (done 11/3)

5A) A book your friend loves: The Name of the Wind (done 4/25)
5B) A book that scares you: Locke & Key, Vol. 1 Welcome To Lovecraft (done 10/13)
5C) A book that is more than 10 years old: She Shall Have Murder (done 1/13)
5D) The second book in a series: Nightmare in Pink (done 2/15)
5E) A book with a blue cover: January Exposure (done 1/9)

14leslie.98
Editat: nov. 4, 2015, 9:18 pm

✔ Silver challenge #13:
Read at least 3 nonfiction books: -- Done!
1. Life on the Mississippi (audiobook) (done 1/25)
2. The Souls of Black Folks (audiobook & Kindle) (done 2/21)
3. The Story of Mount Desert Island (done 8/3)

4. The Black Count (done 8/20)
5. 84, Charing Cross Road (done 10/13)
6. The Duchess of Bloomsbury (done 10/23)
7. Klondike House Memories of an Irish Country Childhood (done 11/2)

15leslie.98
Editat: nov. 18, 2015, 11:36 pm

✔ Alabaster challenge #14:      

A-to-Z challenge (restricting it to titles). Mysteries will be listed in bold. Done!! (11/18)

A = Austerlitz (done 1/30) or Appleby's End (done 2/24)
B = A Bobwhite Killing (done 1/24)
C = Caesar and Cleopatra (done 2/9) or Corpse Diplomatique (done 4/7)
D = The Deep Blue Good-by (done 1/19)
E = Excursion to Tindari (done 3/17)
F = Friday the Rabbi Slept Late (done 4/22)
G = The Guest Cat (done 4/2) or The Gray and Guilty Sea (done 11/12)
H = How the Light Gets In (done 2/12)
I = Indiscretions of Archie (done 1/28) or If Fried Chicken Could Fly (done 9/20)
J = January Exposure (done 1/9)
K = The King's Hounds (done 6/26)
L = The Luminaries (done 1/16) or The Locked Room (done 7/20)
M = Men at Arms (done 2/1) or The Masuda Affair (done 3/19)
N = Nightmare in Pink (done 2/15)
O = Open Season (done 4/6)
P = Pebble in the Sky (done 2/28) or The Purity of Vengeance (done 4/28)
Q = The Quick Red Fox (done 4/1)
R = A Red Herring Without Mustard (audiobook) (done 1/15)
S = She Shall Have Murder (done 1/13)
T = The Three Musketeers (done 1/2) or The Three Coffins (done 4/26)
U = Uncle Vanya (done 4/3)
V = The Vicar of Wakefield (done 1/9); The Voice of the Violin (done 2/2)
W = The Weight of the Evidence (done 1/2)
X = X (done 9/27)
Y = Yellow Crocus (done 2/12) or Yesterday's Body (done 6/11)
Z = The Zero Trap (done 11/18)

16leslie.98
Editat: oct. 28, 2015, 8:28 pm

✔ Black challenge #15:    (raven)   

Hoarder's Corner
# of Books for this challenge: 10

Progress: 10/10 books - Done!

✔1. A book that has been on my TBR shelf for years -- Our Mutual Friend (done 7/16)
✔2. A book that I think I'll hate -- Cloud Atlas (done 4/24)
✔3. A book I received for free -- A Darker Shade of Magic (done 10/10) {received from Ford via Ford Audiobook Club on GR}
✔4. A book recommendation from a friend -- The Name of the Wind (done 4/25)
✔5. A book club selection that I missed -- The Grand Sophy {GR Heyer group BoTM for August} (done 9/5)
✔6. A book with a hideous cover -- A Deadly Shade of Gold done 5/31)
✔7. A book that is so long I want to cry -- Twenty Years After (done 3/11)
✔8. A book that is so short it's barely a book at all -- Awakening (done 2/22)
✔9. A book that I know nothing about -- The Souls of Black Folk (done 2/21)
✔10. A book that has won awards -- The Luminaries (done 1/16)

17lkernagh
jul. 2, 2015, 8:54 pm

Happy new thread and only three more books to complete a blackout of your Bingo card!

18rabbitprincess
jul. 2, 2015, 9:50 pm

Hurray, part 2! That's a very pretty bird in your maroon category.

19MissWatson
jul. 3, 2015, 4:08 am

Happy new thread! The pictures are lovely. I had no clear idea what colour maroon is, until now. Gorgeous!

20mamzel
jul. 3, 2015, 9:34 pm

Happy new colors!

21-Eva-
jul. 3, 2015, 11:31 pm

Happy new thread - looking great!!

22leslie.98
jul. 4, 2015, 2:01 am

>17 lkernagh: Finally got enough on the first thread to open a new one ;) I have been stuck with those three squares on my Bingo card for a while now -- can't seem to finish them up.

>18 rabbitprincess: & >19 MissWatson: I was surprised to find a maroon colored bird -- the wonders of Google image search engine!

>20 mamzel: & >21 -Eva-: Thanks! Hopefully the second half of the year will go as well as the first half did :)

23leslie.98
Editat: jul. 4, 2015, 2:21 am

Navy Challenge: Vorkosigan series

A Civil Campaign   (done 7/4)
(second novel in omnibus Miles in Love)  

5★ More romance and a bit less adventure in this entry of the Vorkosigan series made for a thoroughly satisfying book. Gover Gardner's narration was the icing on the cake & brought this up to a full 5 stars.

Proverbially, the path of true love doesn't run smooth and certainly Miles, his clone brother Mark, and his cousin Ivan all show the truth of that! I was glad to see Mark appear in a more separate storyline; he and Miles were more fraternal. Ivan also had a more independent role this time instead of being Miles' sidekick.

24lkernagh
jul. 4, 2015, 9:43 am

"a book that scares me" was my last bingo square to fill. That one was tough. I decided to read a horror book, taking the square idea literally and while the book I choose was only slightly hair-raising, I still counted it. ;-)

25leslie.98
jul. 4, 2015, 9:46 am

>24 lkernagh: I am toying with the idea of reading my first Stephen King for that square. Although someone suggested A Clockwork Orange -- that movie certainly scared me!!

26DeltaQueen50
jul. 4, 2015, 3:56 pm

Happy new thread, love all the color!

27leslie.98
jul. 6, 2015, 8:33 am

>26 DeltaQueen50: Thanks Judy! I went overboard with the images but it was fun :-)

28leslie.98
Editat: jul. 9, 2015, 7:32 pm

Maroon Challenge: Paperback Mystery ROOTs

The Paper Thunderbolt (also known as Operation Pax)   (done 7/9)

4★ This 12th entry in the Inspector Appleby series was more of a suspense thriller than a traditional mystery -- something I am beginning to expect with Innes. Appleby himself plays a minor role with more of the action being done by his youngest (and closest) sister Jane, an Oxford student whose fiancé is missing. However, even this situation is secondary to the sinister criminal conspiracy discovered by the petty con-man Routh. The two become entangled when Jane happens to accidentally knock Routh down with her bicycle... A bit slow getting started but by Part Two, Innes' humor had me chuckling & by Part Three (when Appleby makes his first appearance), the suspense had really built and I was hooked.

I thought I had spotted the "Director" of the evil conspiracy early on and so the climax in the last chapter (when I discovered I was wrong) was a big surprise! I like that & Jane was a great protagonist. I hope she shows up again.

29leslie.98
jul. 10, 2015, 4:49 pm

Green Challenge: Plays

Pericles, Prince of Tyre   (done 7/10)

3★ I'm not sure what to think about this play. It had been listed as one of Shakespeare's comedies but it didn't strike me as humorous. In fact, despite the happy ending with Pericles and his family reunited, I found much of the subject matter upsetting.

The play starts with the young prince of Tyre, Pericles, searching for a bride. He visits a neighboring kingdom but unfortunately the beautiful daughter of the king is in an incestuous relationship with her father. Pericles flees upon discovering that secret but the king sends an assassin after him. After this disturbing opening, Pericles undergoes various adventures, mostly standard fare.

Later in the play is another worrisome section, when Marina (daughter of Pericles) is captured by pirates and sold into prostitution..

I guess it was considered a comedy because it didn't end with a bunch of dead bodies!

30leslie.98
Editat: jul. 11, 2015, 11:03 pm

Navy Challenge: Vorkosigan series
AlphaCAT July: W & K

Winterfair Gifts   (done 7/11) {finishes omnibus Miles in Love}

★ for the story and 4 stars for the audiobook.

This final section of the omnibus "Miles in Love" is a long short story (or a very short novella) featuring Sgt. Taura and Armsman Roic (who first made a brief appearance in the previous book, "A Civil Campaign").

Once again, Grover Gardner does a wonderful narration. I own these omnibus editions in both paperback and Kindle form but the audiobooks (borrowed from the library) are a great way to experience these books. In this case, I did an immersion read using the Kindle edition and discovered that the audiobook edition is based on a slightly different text! Just minor changes but now I am curious whether the paperback matches the Kindle, the audio or neither!

Regarding the entire omnibus: This set of stories mark a change in direction for Miles - both in his career and his personal life. This has been my favorite outing in the Vorkosigan series so far but I don't think that it would have the same appeal if one hasn't read the series in order. Listening to the individual books in this omnibus via library audiobooks narrated by Grover Gardner enhanced the experience for me.

31leslie.98
Editat: jul. 12, 2015, 12:06 am

Green Challenge: Plays
Tan Challenge: Historical Fiction
AlphaCAT July: W & K

King John   (done 7/11)

2★ I think I would like a modern English version of this historical (fiction?) play as there was plenty of action. However I struggled with Shakespeare's writing too much to enjoy it. Read as part of my new Kindle edition of Shakespeare's "Complete Works" while listening to the Librivox full cast recording.

32leslie.98
Editat: jul. 17, 2015, 11:44 pm

Blue Challenge: Sci fi & Fantasy
AlphaCAT July: W & K
SFFFCAT July: Critters and Creatures

The Waters Rising   (done 7/14) {reread}

4★ Perhaps for someone who hasn't enjoyed the first book, A Plague of Angels, this would be a 3 star book. Both books have parts that are perhaps a tad preachy but since I tend to agree with the message being preached, it doesn't bother me. This book isn't quite as good as the first one but I was happy to see Abasio again.

One thing bothered me a bit on this reread -- the age difference between Abasio and Xulai. It isn't clear how much time is supposed to have passed but the indications are it has been years (maybe a decade? or even longer). So I think Abasio must be about twice Xulai's age... Not that ~40 year-old men don't fall in love with 19 year-old women!

The parallels with A Plague of Angels were most obvious to me in the "bad guys" -- Alicia, Duchess of Altamont is almost a carbon copy of Ellel. Even the same hang-ups about daddy... However the main theme, indicated by the title, was more reminiscent of Tepper's novel Singer from the Sea (and to a lesser extent The Family Tree) -- a world inevitably to become "drowned" and humans being 'evolved' or engineered to survive living in the seas. Interestingly, in both this and Singer for the Sea Tepper had humans evolve gills but most marine mammals don't have gills... .

I can include this month's Sci Fi/Fantasy CAT as it had a talking horse as well as various other speaking animals (including a Kraken!) and a android-type machine (part flesh and part machine).

33mathgirl40
jul. 15, 2015, 10:16 pm

>30 leslie.98: I enjoyed reading your thoughts on Winterfair Gifts. I too love Grover Gardner's narration, but unfortunately, my library has only a couple of the Vorkosigan books on audio, so I've read most of them in print or e-book form.

I generally agree that reading the books in order is good. However, I did start with this omnibus before reading the other Vorkosigan books (because a friend gave me A Civil Campaign and I didn't want to have to read 12 books before starting it), and I enjoyed it immensely. I was totally hooked after Komarr. It's possible that I would have enjoyed the omnibus more reading in order (and I do plan a reread sometime), but Komarr is not a bad starting point for the series.

34leslie.98
jul. 16, 2015, 10:13 am

>33 mathgirl40: I can see that Komarr might be a good entry point, since there isn't a huge amount that depends upon the previous books (unlike Mirror Dance for example). Bujold does a great job sweeping me up in the story that I think I would have been hooked no matter where I had started -- I was just lucky that I had been given Cordelia's Honor first.

35leslie.98
jul. 17, 2015, 11:47 pm

Blue Challenge: Sci fi & Fantasy
SFFFCAT July: Critters and Creatures

Fish Tails   (done 7/17)

★ I really wanted to love this. Tepper is one of my favorite authors and I have read many of her books multiple times.

Unfortunately, it is in need of a better editor which became apparent quite early when Chapter 2 had large sections identical to the prologue, read only 50 pages or so before. That plus small errors (such as calling Bertram the tailor "Bernard") were irritating but not very important. What I found more disturbing was problems in continuity, as they call it in the film industry. Various comments or plot elements which were contrary to the world as it had been portrayed previously (either previously in this book or in the other books in the series). One example was in Chapter 11, when Coyote is tracking the stinkers. He has various memories involving Xulai, such as "(Xulai said that a lot. "Are these pans clean enough, Xulai?" "Just barely.")" or "Xulai had told him the most difficult things about giving animals speech had been to fit words with how their brains worked rather than changing their brains so much that they would lose their coyote-ity, or their bear-ity, or their horse-ity." but Coyote has only spent one day in Xulai's company!! When were these memories supposed to have been made? Is this supposed to be Ollie he is remembering? And what would Xulai know about the genetic engineering that went into making animals talk? Did she get scientific training in the 8 months since the end of The Waters Rising while taking care of the newborn twins? Precious Wind is now apparently "like a sister" to Xulai both in age & relationship -- odd for a woman who helped to raise her & had been her teacher.

I was also disturbed by the much increased use of machines -- by the Artemesians in particular as it seemed contrary to the philosophy they espoused in A Plague of Angels. And Xulai & Abasio's ul xaolat's internal dialogue appeared to me to be indicative of walker mentality, a problem which is never explored but struck me as ironic in the extreme.

But the main reason I was disappointed in this novel was the deus ex machina ending of the plot. Fixit swoops in with his mysterious and powerful machines (& 3 people from the True Game series) and explains how everything is going to be OK. Phooey.

I did like the short story that I discovered after the Author's Note called "The Story of the Kindly Teacher". Very well done with a similar message as one of the themes in the Grass trilogy (esp. in the second book) about the Baidee.

36leslie.98
jul. 19, 2015, 11:51 am

Black Hoarder's Challenge (#1)
Pink Challenge: Kindle ROOTs

Our Mutual Friend     (done 7/16)

★ I would have given this 5 stars except that there were certain passages (too many in my opinion) which were too obviously Dickens getting on his soapbox and not really relevant to the story. Dickens does this in most (all?) of his novels and I have often enjoyed the sarcastic wit in these asides but for some reason, I found them less funny and more bitter in this novel & therefore less enjoyable. (I will try to track down some examples to include here later)

The plot itself I loved. It had all the twists and turns and branches that I appreciate so much in Dickens as well as the wonderful cast of characters. The only thing missing was one or two "light relief" eccentric but harmless characters such as Mr. Micawber in David Copperfield although I suppose Jenny Wren & Mr. Tremlow do fulfill that function to some extent. I was pleased to find that Mr. Boffin hadn't been corrupted by wealth after all. One of my favorite chapters in the last book was the one where the truth is revealed to Bella and then to Silas Wegg. And I loved the happy endings all around with even Eugene Wraeburn surviving and turning over a new leaf once he was married to Lizzie.

While this review is for the book itself, I will strongly recommend Mil Nicholson's narration (Librivox recording, version 3) to anyone who listens to audiobooks. I give the audiobook 5

37leslie.98
jul. 19, 2015, 12:40 pm

Green Challenge: Plays

The Doctor's Dilemma     (done 7/18)

4★ I listened to this full cast audiobook while skimming/reading the play in my Kindle omnibus The Plays of Shaw.

I realized fairly quickly after starting this play that I had seen a film version of it with Leslie Caron. While I enjoyed listening to the play, I would recommend the 1958 movie over this audiobook to anyone interested in it. The pace of the audiobook (too slow) and the necessary (but not always complete) stage directions interrupting the flow both detracted from my enjoyment.

Regarding the plot: Shaw has some funny scenes in Act 1 satirizing the successful "Harley Street" physician (Harley Street is a street in London that was well-known for being the location of society doctors; it is similar to the term "Fleet Street" meaning the location of publishers of newspapers). I was surprised by how apt some of the satire still is over 100 years later!

The main dilemma is one of morality: is it ethical or right to deny possibly life-saving treatment to someone who is a cad? If the availability of treatment is limited, should the moral and potential future usefulness of the patient be a consideration? Shaw also uses Dubedat to challenge the views of the doctors (and audience) as to the relative importance of artistic genius compared to obeying society's rules. Even the ending raises some interesting questions: Dr. Ridgeon believes that he has saved Jennifer Dubedat unhappiness and pain by preventing her from finding out what a bounder Dubedat really was and letting her go through life with her idealized view of him intact. Regardless of the moral issue of whether he should be making such a decision in the first place, is he right? Perhaps she wouldn't have cared! Her sense of right and wrong are not necessarily the same as Ridgeon's. To add to the "dilemma", the good but poor doctor who got the treatment denied to Dubedat has become something of a know-it-all, no longer the nice man he was before. So doubt is thrown on using character as a guide to who deserves treatment from both sides.

38leslie.98
jul. 19, 2015, 1:15 pm

Yellow Challenge: Guardian's List
Pink Challenge: Kindle ROOTs

Three Men in a Boat     (done 7/19)

5★ for the illustrated book & 4★ for the audiobook.

The book is probably 4.5 stars but this Kindle edition from Project Gutenberg has wonderful illustrations which helped put it up to a 5 star book (by the way, the cover shown above wasn't from Project Gutenberg but although their Kindle edition had great illustrations it did not have a cover image!). For those of you (like myself) who like to get the free ebook editions, note that the free Amazon Kindle edition doesn't have these illustrations but just has phrases describing the image instead.

As for a review of the book itself, all I can really say is that I found it hilarious for the most part. This is supposed to be a travelogue of sorts but Jerome goes off on all kinds of tangents, giving anecdotes to illustrate some point he had been making. These anecdotes were the best part for me; some sections of the actual description of the countryside I found less interesting (perhaps because I am unfamiliar with the area).

Jerome's sense of humor and writing style reminded me of P.G. Wodehouse & now I have read this, I suspect that this must have been an inspiration to Wodehouse. If you don't enjoy Wodehouse, chances are you won't find this novel funny either.

I don't often rate the audiobook less than the text (partly because if I am hating the narration I will dump the audio). However, I do so in this instance, even though I thought that Steven Crossley did a fine narration, for two reasons.

1) Unfortunately I found the sound quality to be a little uneven; the biggest issue was that at times his voice seemed to be fading away even though I hadn't changed the volume. I don't know if that was part of the recording or an issue with my individual download but it was noticeable enough to be disconcerting especially in the car.

2) The illustrations in my Kindle edition were so enjoyable and added to the fun of the book so I felt that in this case, the text had to have a higher rating than the audio.

39leslie.98
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 11:27 am

Violet Challenge: Poetry
Brick Challenge: Books in Translation (Polish to English)

Facing the River   (done 7/20)

★ This book of poetry by the Nobel Laureate Czeslaw Milosz probably deserves a higher rating. The poems clearly showed me some of the feelings of survivors guilt & bitterness that I guess Milosz felt upon returning home to what had become Lithuania in 1989. While I can sympathize with these feelings, I can't share them. I did find the bitter anger in "Sarajevo" to be quite moving. Several of the poems reflect upon religion, particularly Catholicism, which doesn't much interest me very much.

My favorites from this volume were "At a Certain Age", "Lithuania, After Fifty-Two Years" (especially the section entitled "Who?"), "Woe!" and "To Mrs. Professor in Defense of My Cat's Honour and Not Only". I found the text explaining the poem "Undressing Justine" fascinating.

I am interested in seeking out some other poetry by this poet; perhaps something published at a different time in his life will have a different mood & speak more to me.

40leslie.98
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 8:02 pm

Ruby Challenge: Foreign Mysteries (Swedish)

The Locked Room   (done 7/20)

4★ Maybe even 4.5 stars! While the locked room part of the mystery was not as clever as John Dickson Carr's, it was a great backdrop to Martin Beck's recovery (from his injury in the previous book) and Sjöwall & Wahlöö did a great job entwining it with the series of bank robberies that Kollberg and others are investigating.

But what really lifts this police procedural from above average to excellent is the look at 1971 Sweden that we get and the snide comments about bureaucracy (and the District Attorney is a wonderful character in this sense!). And the irony of the ending was also satisfying despite the fact that generally I don't like it when the guilty person escapes detection. In this case though, Mauritzon gets convicted for a bank robbery & shooting he didn't do but was exonerated for the murder he actually committed!

41rabbitprincess
jul. 20, 2015, 8:29 pm

>40 leslie.98: Really looking forward to that one! I'm still at The Fire Engine That Disappeared.

42leslie.98
Editat: jul. 21, 2015, 10:16 am

>41 rabbitprincess: It is such a good series! I don't know why I wait so long in between books but each time I come back to it, I get caught up right away. Too bad there are only 10 books in the series...

43AHS-Wolfy
jul. 21, 2015, 4:14 pm

>40 leslie.98: & >41 rabbitprincess: I'm lagging behind on the series as well. It's good to hear that you're continuing to enjoy it.

44leslie.98
Editat: jul. 22, 2015, 2:40 pm

Green Challenge: Plays
Brick Challenge: Books in translation (French -> English)
Pink Challenge: Kindle ROOTs

The Miser   (done 7/22) {reread}

4★ This French classic was my first experience of Molière and made me a lifelong fan. Unfortunately, the translation in this Kindle edition (my copy is from Project Gutenberg) by Charles Heron Wall isn't as good as the one I remember from years ago (Richard Wilbur's??). While easy to read, I miss the rhyming couplets and the word play isn't as sparkling as I expect from Molière.

Even with these flaws, I still had fun reading this. The ending reminded me of something from a Shakespeare comedy ("The Comedy of Errors" perhaps) but I love the fact that Harpagon stays miserly to the end. And the scene where Harpagon is accusing Valere of stealing his gold & Valere thinks he is talking about the fact that Valere loves Elise is truly hilarious. Now I wish I could find a live performance somewhere!

45leslie.98
jul. 24, 2015, 8:37 pm

Maroon Challenge: Mysteries off my shelves

Bright Orange for the Shroud   (done 7/24)

★ As I am beginning to expect with this series, this isn't really a mystery. Travis McGee is a 1960s version of the gang in the TV show "Leverage", only he works mostly alone and without all the cool gadgets. In this entry of the series, McGee doesn't get a romantic interest but that is OK as it is taken up by the client and a dancer friend of McGee's.

If you like suspense/thrillers and don't mind a high body count, this McGee novel might appeal. It was less dated than some of the previous books in the series and had less snide social-commentary. For me, the first of those was a plus but the second a minus...

46leslie.98
jul. 27, 2015, 8:41 pm

Orange Challange: Short Stories

The Chronicles of Clovis   (done 7/27)

4★ Amusing short stories but not quite as good as Beasts and Superbeasts. Saki has a very British sense of humor -- if you don't like Wodehouse, Jerome or other authors of that ilk, you will probably not find these funny...

47leslie.98
Editat: ag. 9, 2015, 3:41 pm

Ruby Challenge: Foreign Mysteries (Italian)

The Smell of the Night   (done 7/29)

4★ This sixth entry in the Inspector Montalbano series was the perfect beach book for me! The book drew me in and captured my attention despite the distractions of the sun, sand and kids & I finished it the same day I started.

I won't say anything about the mystery (which was as good as usual with this series) but a quick comment about Montalbano's personal life -- I was glad to see that he and Francisco have established a good relationship after the trouble which occurred a few books back. Now I hope that a similar improvement happens with Livia...

48leslie.98
Editat: ag. 9, 2015, 4:10 pm

Yellow Challenge: Guardian's list

Love in a Cold Climate   (done 7/29)

★ Amusing story about British life between the wars but a tad predictable. I preferred Mitford's The Pursuit of Love. If you like Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies, then this novel is worth trying and gives a different perspective of the same time period.

49leslie.98
ag. 9, 2015, 4:41 pm

Tan Challenge: Historical Fiction
Brick Challenge: Books in Translation (French)

Louise de la Valliere   (done 8/9)    

3★ This 3rd part of the final book in the d'Artagnan trilogy was the least interesting to me -- lots about life at court & the love affairs of the King and his sister-in-law (the sister of the English King Charles II) and very little adventure. I also really don't like Louise, whose character strikes me as too hypocritically prudish. Maybe I am just too much of a partisan of Raoul... The final few chapters of the book started getting more interesting so hopefully my good memory of the last part (The Man in the Iron Mask) will be confirmed. Perhaps with all this background it will be even better!

Regarding the audiobook(s): The Blackstone audiobooks are based on the 3-volume edition of Dumas' final book of the d'Artagnan trilogy, "The Vicomte de Bragelonne, or Ten Years Later" but my Kindle ebook is based on the 4-volume edition. This meant that I started about 60% of the way into the audiobook of "Louise de la Valliere" (the earlier section having been covered in my "Ten Years Later") and then continued into "The Man in the Iron Mask" for ~30%.

Simon Vance is excellent but I got these audiobooks via Hoopla and not being able to download it to my phone was a pain since it limited me to only being able to listen when at home -- I wasn't going to stream over my data plan!

50leslie.98
ag. 9, 2015, 4:51 pm

Silver Challenge: Nonfiction -- done!

The Story of Mount Desert Island   (done 8/3)

4★ Fun read for those that know the island. The early history was particularly interesting & I learned where many of the place names originated.

51lkernagh
ag. 9, 2015, 5:09 pm

>49 leslie.98: - Thank goodness it isn't just me who found the 3rd d'Artagnan book a bit on the 'dull' or uninteresting side.

Re: the issue with not being able to download the audiobooks to your phone. Is this something new or has it always been a problem? I had the same issue last year with my iPod Touch. When I complained to Hoopla, via their online comments section, I was informed that my Hoopla issues were due to the fact that my device was not running iOS version 7.1.2 or newer. Suffice to say I got a little snippy in my response back, taking them to task a bit considering their major revenue stream is licensing use of their services to public libraries who have patrons who probably cannot afford to have the latest and greatest technology at their fingertips (yes, I got on my soapbox a bit). I avoided Hoopla downloads for a number of months after that altercation. Gravitated back to Hoopla after the new year and I seem to no longer have any difficulties with downloading Hoopla audiobooks to my iPod Touch. Of course, I haven't tried downloading any Hoopla audiobooks to my new smartphone, yet. I don't want to reopen that can of worms. ;-)

52leslie.98
Editat: ag. 9, 2015, 8:07 pm

This has been my first experience with Hoopla audiobooks. Downloading is "allowed" but only to my phone's built-in storage (2 Gb), not to my SD card (25 Gb). Unfortunately, even though I got this phone in January (my first Android smart phone) I still haven't figured out how to remove (or move to the SD card) a bunch of apps that came pre-packaged and take up about 75% of my built-in storage. So I can't say it was completely Hoopla's fault, but their app is less user-friendly than Overdrive (which is how I normally get library audiobooks).

53lkernagh
ag. 9, 2015, 5:40 pm

Good point. I hadn't thought about built-in storage versus SD card. I can see how that would be a problem.

54leslie.98
Editat: ag. 13, 2015, 1:17 pm

Tan Challenge: Historical Fiction
Brick Challenge: Books in Translation
AlphaCAT August: M & V

The Man in the Iron Mask     (done 8/12)

★ Having finally read the entire series, I found that I liked this final section even more. Some sections that I previously thought a bit dull or unrelated I now realize where the continuation or wrapping up of things that had happened previously. Several of the relationships, such as that between Raoul & Louise, are not at all clear if you read this as a stand-alone but make perfect sense having read the previous parts of "Vicomte de Bragelonne; or Ten Years Later". However the book is still a fun read even lacking the nuances of these relations as long as you know "The Three Musketeers" 4 main characters.

One thing I had forgotten was how sad this book ends up being. I was feeling a bit annoyed in the middle that Louis XIV wasn't left in the Bastille and Phillipe on the throne, especially after Louis behaviour towards Fouquet in the second half of the book. But upon reflection, Dumas chose the more realistic path and allowed the characters to show their sense of honor or lack thereof. I remain saddened by the division between the 4 friends which is only partially healed in the end. Poor Aramis tried to become another Richelieu and failed. It is interesting the the musketeer who started off as the most devout ended up being the most corrupted by ambition while the one who started off with the most ambition ended up the most dutiful to his moral obligations. So sad that d'Artagnan dies just as he is about to achieve the one ambition left to him!

For those unaware, Dumas' mammoth third book in the d'Artagnan series ("Vicomte de Bragelonne; or Ten Years Later") is generally divided into several volumes, most commonly 3 or 4. Unfortunately, these volumes usually have the same name even though they cover slightly different material. This book is covers the material in the 4th volume of a 4 volume edition. I also listened to the Blackstone audiobook edition narrated by Simon Vance which is the final volume of a 3 volume edition (and also a slightly different translation although the translation information is not provided). For those wanting to read this classic as a stand-alone, I would recommend the 4 volume edition -- the 3 volume edition contains about 30% more material at the beginning (covered in my 3rd volume "Louise de la Valliere") which only minimally helps understand the relationships I mentioned above and lacks the adventure and action of the first & last parts.

55lkernagh
Editat: ag. 12, 2015, 3:33 pm

Well done on completing your read of the d'Artagnan series!

56leslie.98
ag. 13, 2015, 12:55 pm

>55 lkernagh: Thanks! I can't believe I hadn't read this series before; the second book, Twenty Years After, in particular is one that should have crossed my radar years ago.

57leslie.98
ag. 13, 2015, 7:07 pm

Green Challenge: Plays
AlphaCAT August: M & V

Major Barbara   (done 8/13)

4★ Read as part of my Kindle omnibus "The Plays of Shaw". Also listened to the Librivox full cast recording as I read this: http://librivox.org/major-barbara-by-george-bernard-shaw/

Very witty satire about Barbara Undershaft, a major in the Salvation Army, and her family, most notably her father who owns & operates a munitions factory. The debate about physical versus moral power is a bit wordy in places otherwise I might have given this a 5 star rating. Now I am off to watch the film version with Rex Harrison and Wendy Hiller...

58leslie.98
ag. 17, 2015, 8:11 pm

Navy Challenge: Vorkosigan series
SFFFCAT August: Other Worlds

Falling Free     (done 8/17)

4★ for the audiobook. Maybe only 3.5 stars for the book itself. Grover Gardner once again does a marvelous job with the narration -- I am so glad that the whole series has been recorded with the same narrator!

This novel, #4 in the Vorkosigan series, is really a prequel. Set ~200 years before Miles' birth, it explains the origin of the quaddies. I think that I would have liked it more if I hadn't come to it in the middle of reading the series, as I missed Miles & it suffered in comparison to "Miles in Love" which I recently read and adored. It has several features which I generally like in my sci fi/fantasy reading such as the moral dilemma posed by a company creating humanoid workers who are considered the property of the company. I will have to revisit this Nebula award-winner sometime and see how it fares as a stand-alone.

59leslie.98
ag. 18, 2015, 2:28 pm

Yellow Challenge: Guardian's list
Orange Challenge: Short Stories
Pink Challenge: Kindle ROOTs

The Awakening and Selected Short Stories   (done 8/18)



While I acquired this Kindle book because The Awakening is on the Guardian's 1000 Novels Everyone Should Read list, it was the short stories that really captured me, especially Beyond the Bayou, The Kiss and The Silk Stockings. The descriptions gave me the feeling of the French Creole presence in Louisiana in the period during and just after the American Civil War and Chopin's women, while quite different from me & my friends, still felt real to me. The lovely prose reminded me a bit of Willa Cather's writing although the setting is quite different. I will have to look for more short stories by Chopin...

The novella The Awakening I found sad in the same way that Anna Karenina and Mrs. Dalloway were. The story has a lot in common with Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary & some other classics from around this time. I can see that when it was first published in 1899, it might have been thought shocking or daring but just as with Anna, I found the main character Edna more annoying than sympathetic (although Edna was nowhere near as annoying as Anna!). I was much more sympathetic to Robert! I guess this is one instance to which my modern sensibilities just can't really relate.

60leslie.98
Editat: ag. 21, 2015, 2:20 pm

Silver Challenge: Nonfiction -- Done!
BioKIT (?): Third Quarter Group Read

The Black Count   (done 8/20)

4★ Reiss's writing style was engaging and easy to read. Don't be intimidated by the length of the book as a lot of it is notes & references. The actual text was about 330 pages.

I felt that this was not a traditional biography; rather, Reiss used General Alexandre Dumas (father of the famous writer) to illustrate the history of race relations in France & French colonies during the final decades of the monarchy, through the Revolution and into the early years of Napoleon's reign. Sadly, the principles of freedom which were originally applied to all were perverted under Napoleon -- I hadn't realized what a weasel Napoleon was!

Here is an image of a painting showing General Dumas at the bridge outside Brixen on 25 March 1797 where, while waiting for reinforcements, he single-handedly kept the Austrians from crossing:



Note how tall Dumas is compared to the other soldiers!! At this point, Dumas was considered a national hero in France and held to be a specimen of perfect manliness. By the time he died in 1806, blacks, mulattoes and 'men of color' were forbidden to enter the continental territory of the Republic under any cause or pretext, unless supplied with special authorization & those already present were not allowed to live in Paris or its surrounding area or marry across racial boundaries. It was such a shock to me to see how quickly France went from being a mostly 'color-blind' society to having such racist laws (and actually enforcing them).

Some fun facts I picked up along the way:
· Nicolas Conté, a self-taught engineer, physician, painter, and inventor, who, among his many patriotic accomplishments, had founded the world’s first air force – the French army’s “Aerostatic Brigade.” He had converted on of Louis XVI’s old palaces into an air base, from which the brigade launched military balloons that hovered over battlefields on France’s frontiers in the mid-1790s, spying on troop movements.

·   “Perhaps one of the most touching of the forgotten stories from this period was how revolutionary France, under the outwardly soulless Directory, instituted the world’s first color-blind elite secondary school. It gave the sons of former slaves – alongside the sons of privileged mixed-race and white abolitionists – one of the world’s finest educations at a time when the English-speaking world still considered it a crime for black children to learn to read.
It began in the mid-1790s, when, at the invitation of prominent members of the Society of the Friends of the Blacks, revolutionaries “of color” in the French colonies began sending their children to school in Paris. The government responded by creating an elite boarding school, the National Colonial Institute, which would be the world’s first experiment in integrated secondary education. Among its founders were leading civil rights activists like Julien Raimond, the Abbé Grègoire, and Léger-Félicité Sonthonax, the man who had first ordered abolition in Saint-Domingue.”
(from page 185)

·   “Tissot {Europe's leading medical expert} professed that the most surefire way to lose you life force was the obvious one. His 1758 book on sperm conservation – Onanism: A Treatise on the Diseases Produced by Masturbation – argued that semen loss via masturbation led to disease and death. Tissot’s revelations about masturbation and illness – especially his “proof” that the act caused blindness – formed mainstream medical opinion on the subject until Kinsey’s Sexual Behavior in the Human Male overturned him in 1948.” (from page 303). I had heard of this idea of it causing blindness being used to try to stop boys from masturbating in the 1940s but had no idea it dated back 200 years!

· regarding the National Assembly’s new location in the Tuileries in the Manège (indoors riding hall) in 1789: “The hall’s strange, narrow design, with tiered seating on both sides, caused the deputies to divide themselves according to their political opinions: radicals to the left of the Assembly’s president, conservatives to his right, the origin of the political terms “left” and “right”.” (from page 113)

61leslie.98
ag. 29, 2015, 12:39 pm

Orange Challenge: Short Stories
Agatha in August

Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories   (done 8/28)

Upgrading this rating from 2 to 2.5 stars after rereading it in 2015.

I found this collection of short stories to be a bit of a grab bag. On the whole, it was a pleasant way to spend some time however, I find several of these stories not really to my taste. In particular, I am not a fan of the hint of supernatural found in the Mr. Satterthwaite/Harley Quin stories.

I did like the two Parker Pyne stories "The Problem at Pollensa Bay" and "The Regatta Mystery" and the non-mystery story "Next to a Dog" was very touching.

62leslie.98
ag. 29, 2015, 12:49 pm

Green Challenge: Plays
Brick Challenge: Books in translation (German -> English)

Lovers' Vows   (done 8/28)

Note: Touchstones doesn't point to the correct work, but a different edition of the one I mean

4★ This 1798 adaptation by Elizabeth Inchbald of the German play Das Kind der Liebe by August von Kotzebue was a surprisingly quick and easy read. The play, about an unwed mother and her illegitimate son, is in some aspects a typical melodrama but the morality advocated isn't of the Victorian variety.

I downloaded this from Project Gutenberg because I am rereading Mansfield Park and this is the play that Tom Bertram and the others decide to put on. Jane Austin's contemporary readers would have been familiar with the play but the scene in which Maria and Julia argue about who will play Agatha was a bit unclear to me. So glad I decided to take the time to read this!

I must say that I am more in sympathy with the morality of the play than with Fanny & Edmund's reaction to it!

63leslie.98
ag. 29, 2015, 12:57 pm

Yellow Challenge: Guardian's list
Brick Challenge: Books in translation (French -> English)

Suite Francaise   (done 8/29)

3.5 stars While I found this easy to read and the wide variety of reactions to the German occupation of France (in 1940-41) fascinating, the story itself lacked plot. I am a reader who likes plot-driven narrative over character studies so if you aren't, you will probably like this more than I did! I felt the book lacked cohesion and especially the first section "Storm in June" seemed to be mostly vignettes. Some of that lack stems from the fact that this is an unfinished novel (due to the fact that Némirovsky was arrested by the Nazis in July 1942, sent to Auschwitz and died on 17 August 1942) but I got the sense from her notes that it was intended to be more of a study of French character.

Having said that, her characters are extremely well drawn, even the ones we meet only fleetingly. It was difficult to remember that this was a contemporary account as she wrote it with such a clear and unsentimental style that it feels as though it had the emotional distance of years. There was only one incident that didn't seem to me to fit - the death of the priest Philippe Péricand at the hands of the orphan boys. Actually it isn't so much the boys killing Philippe that bothered me as their behavior throughout the trip with Philippe. It just didn't seem like the behavior of adolescent boys to me, even if they had been raised in a dysfunctional orphanage.

64leslie.98
Editat: ag. 29, 2015, 5:00 pm

Maroon Challenge: Mysteries off my shelves
AlphaCAT August: M & V

Silence Observed by Michael Innes   (done 8/29)

★ This 19th entry in the Appleby series was a more traditional police-based mystery though I hesitate to call it a police procedural as very little procedure is followed! Sir John is drawn into investigating a potential case of forged forgeries (!) just as Sir Gabriel Gulliver, an old family friend of his wife, asks him to look into the willful disappearance of a beautiful girl with an unknown Rembrandt. Some aspects of the plot were a little predictable but there were enough twists to keep me satisfied.

65mathgirl40
ag. 29, 2015, 10:35 pm

>58 leslie.98: Falling Free is one of the few books I have left to read in the series, and I'm looking forward to learning more about the quaddies. I agree that Grover Gardner is a terrific narrator. I just finished listening to him narrate one of Andrea Camilleri's mysteries and it's amazing that he can do such a range of characters so well.

66leslie.98
ag. 30, 2015, 4:10 pm

>65 mathgirl40: It has gotten better in my mind as time has passed so I think you will enjoy it! I haven't thought of trying Camilleri as an audiobook -- I'll have to look into what holdings my library has.

67leslie.98
ag. 30, 2015, 4:35 pm

Violet Challenge: Poetry
Brick Challenge: Books in translation (Polish -> English)

Bells in Winter   (done 8/30)

3★ This was my second book of poetry by Milosz. I can say now that as talented a poet as he is, his poems just don't resonate with me. I liked a few in this collection but disliked several others. I am glad I gave this Nobel-Laureate a second try but won't be reading any more of his work anytime soon.

68leslie.98
set. 1, 2015, 2:26 pm

Yellow Challenge: Guardian's list

Sanctuary   (done 8/30)

This book completes my challenge to read 25 new-to-me books from the Guardian's list this year!

4★ Hmmm... what to say about this novel? I can see why Faulkner referred to it as a pot-boiler but, as with some other wonderful writers (Graham Greene for example), it is so well-written that it is something more than just a crime story. And what a crime story! I would put it in the category of "Brighton Rock" or perhaps classic film noir -- there is no real hero (even Horace Benbow has his flaws, the most objectionable being his lusting after his step-daughter). The chapter near the end about Popeye's upbringing struck me as very modern -- something I would expect to see in a psychological thriller by Ruth Rendell.

This novel was certainly one of the easiest novels of Faulkner's to read -- almost no stream-of-consciousness writing (it does pop up in a few scenes) and a fairly linear plot. If you have been afraid to try his books, this one might be a good place to start, but be prepared to meet a bunch of very unpleasant people! Yet out of all the criminals (moonshiners, prostitutes, etc.), corrupt officials and mean-spirited townspeople in the book, I think Horace's sister Narcissa may have been the character I disliked the most.

69leslie.98
Editat: set. 2, 2015, 7:17 pm

Navy Challenge: Vorkosigan series

Diplomatic Immunity      (done 9/2)

★ for the book and 4* for the audiobook. I found this one a bit slow going at the beginning although it certainly had plenty of action by the end!! It was nice to find that Bel Thorne had ended up with Nicol after all & makes me glad that I had taken the time to reread Labyrinth before reading this one. Grover Gardner again gives a stellar narration.

I think the final book in the omnibus of Miles, Mutants and Microbes, "Diplomatic Immunity", was more enjoyable to me than the first one, "Falling Free", but that Falling Free was a better novel overall, one that had something for the reader to think over once the book was finished. Diplomatic Immunity was more fun for me because it was the next installment in the serial about Miles Vorkosigan's life and just as with fans of daytime soap operas, I needed my fix. But that having been achieved, there was less substance to this novel -- plenty of action but not as much social commentary.

I am glad that I decided to reread the novella "Labyrinth" that separated the two novels as that was the best part of the whole omnibus!

70leslie.98
set. 2, 2015, 7:51 pm

Maroon Challenge: Mystery ROOTs

Darker Than Amber   (done 9/2)

3ચ This 7th entry in the Travis McGee series is the first one in which McGee's neighbor & friend Meyer has a major role. I liked the dynamic between Meyer & McGee and Meyer balances out McGee's personality.

However, I find the attitudes to women & sex sometimes mildly offensive; interestingly I think McGee is much more of a "love 'em and leave 'em" guy than James Bond ever was (at least in the books). I realize that these books are very much of their times (mid 60s) but passages like

"I was a prude, in my own fashion. I had been emotionally involved a few times with women with enough of a record of promiscuity to make me vaguely uneasy. It is difficult to put much value on something the lady has distributed all too generously."

make me cringe especially since this standard of behavior clearly isn't intended to be applied to McGee himself!

71leslie.98
Editat: set. 4, 2015, 1:43 pm

Yellow Challenge: Guardian's list

Cop Hater   (done 9/3)

4★ This first book in the 87th Precinct series is a landmark in the mystery genre. It was the first mystery in which the hero wasn't an individual cop but a whole precinct & it was also the first to be set in a realistic but fictional city. This series paved the way for many other novels and also TV shows such as Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue and others.

Given that significance, I was a bit generous with my rating. The actual plot was engrossing but I was able to figure out the solution about 3/4 of the way through -- although if I had been reading it in 1956 I might not have! One feature I have not run across before was the images of police forms and documents -- that was cool!

Oh, and this Kindle edition had a hilarious typo, when in the autopsy report of the first victim says "Approximate weight 210 pounds; height 28.9 cm." (my underlining) This makes Michael Reardon about 11 inches tall!!! It is a strange typo too as it couldn't be 289 cm as that would make him over 8 feet tall! Either a humunculus or a giant it would seem - LOL!

72leslie.98
set. 4, 2015, 1:38 pm

Green Challenge: Plays
AlphaCAT September: O & A

The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie   (done 9/4)

★ I can see why this play enjoyed such a long run! Great take on the country home mystery, a new guest house (sort of like a bed & breakfast but serving all meals) opens one winter day, coincidentally when a blizzard is occurring. On the radio as the play opens is the news of a murder in London...

I am a Christie fan but for some reason have never read this play before. It is very well done and she manages to make the audience suspect each person in turn and yet the guilty person is still a surprise! Sadly, it might not appeal to today's young people as the plot does depend on the murderer cutting the telephone wire to isolate the house even more -- the prevalence today of cell phones has made this whole subgenre of mysteries obsolete (or at least dependent on exotic circumstances).

Note: I read this in the omnibus "The Mousetrap and Other Plays"

73rabbitprincess
set. 4, 2015, 5:54 pm

>70 leslie.98: Haha! That's a great typo! Glad you liked Cop Hater. There's plenty more where that came from ;) although the quality does vary.

74leslie.98
set. 4, 2015, 9:36 pm

>73 rabbitprincess: I liked it enough to read more but not enough to commit to the whole series -- there are a huge number, something like 54 of them! I picked this up from the Amazon Prime lending library so if I could get them free that way, I am more likely to read them than if I had to buy them...

75AHS-Wolfy
set. 5, 2015, 4:06 am

>71 leslie.98: Glad you enjoyed this one as it's on my tbr shelves. It's often cited as an inspiration for the Martin Beck police procedural series by Sjowall and Wahloo which I'm partway through and enjoying.

76leslie.98
set. 5, 2015, 12:39 pm

>75 AHS-Wolfy: Really? That seems a bit surprising to me although I guess Beck's colleagues do get a fair amount of attention. I do love the Martin Beck series even though I have been slow in getting them from the library. I only have two more to go, Cop Killer and The Terrorists. Which one are you up to?

77AHS-Wolfy
set. 5, 2015, 1:04 pm

I've only read the first 3 in the series so far but have the next couple on the tbr shelves to get to at some point.

78leslie.98
set. 5, 2015, 8:49 pm

>77 AHS-Wolfy: Oh I think the fourth one, The Laughing Policeman, is one of the best in the series! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did when you get to it :)

79leslie.98
set. 5, 2015, 9:05 pm

Tan Challenge: Historical Fiction
Black Hoarder's Challenge: Missed book club selection

The Grand Sophy   (done 9/5) {reread via audiobook}

4★ While I enjoyed listening to this Heyer, one of my favorites in print, Sarah Woodward wasn't the perfect narrator. There were substantial pauses (between paragraphs??) that I found disconcerting enough to wonder if my app had crashed.

(Group read of the Georgette Heyer group on GoodReads for August 2015)

80leslie.98
Editat: set. 9, 2015, 6:58 pm

Indigo Challenge: Charles de Lint
AlphaCAT September: O and A
SFFF CAT September: Slipstream & Interstitial

The Onion Girl   (done 9/9)

4★ I found this entry in the Newford series a bit hard to take at times as it dealt with adult survivors of childhood abuse. At the heart of the novel is the difficulty abuse victims have in coming to terms with what happened to them, regardless of how well they might appear to be doing from the outside.

Jilly Coppercorn describes herself (among other things) as the Onion Girl because there are layers buried under the surface, some of them from her traumatic childhood and others from a troubled time as a teen runaway living on the streets. After being severely injured in a car crash, Jilly is forced to examine some of her past choices including leaving her little sister Raylene behind when she ran away from her abusive childhood home. The book alternates between different perspectives, primarily that of Raylene, Jilly and some of Jilly's friends. Raylene and Jilly underwent similar abuse but ended up reacting to it in very different ways, partly due to circumstance and partly due to their fundamental natures. I thought that the ending was a bit of a disappointment; while heartwarming to have Raylene turn her life around, it seemed extremely unlikely. I get that the message is that it is never too late to try to be a better person, no matter how bad you were before. But I guess I am more like Jack -- where is the justice/retribution for those murdered unicorns? Is there no need for payback?

81leslie.98
Editat: set. 9, 2015, 7:15 pm

I have set up my 2016 Challenge! Feel free to stop by with suggestions or comments.

82leslie.98
set. 9, 2015, 7:18 pm

Tan Challenge: Historical Fiction
AlphaCAT September: O & A

The Old Brown Suitcase   (done 9/9)

3★ The story I would probably rate slightly higher but the audiobook slightly lower. Sofia Bunting-Newman did a great job with the Polish names and accents but she had a trick of audibly swallowing that I found increasingly disgusting as I progressed with this audiobook.

As for the story, I found the sections of the story set in Canada more interesting until it turned into a typical YA romance: does he like me? what if he likes her more? etc. etc.. But even that had its place and I guess it emphasizes the point that however different an immigrant teenage girl might seem (appearance, accent or language, customs), teens are basically all alike!

83leslie.98
set. 10, 2015, 6:31 pm

Green Challenge: Plays

The Hollow: A Play in Three Acts   (done 9/10)

4★ Read as part of The Mousetrap and Other Plays.

Christie adapted her Poirot novel "The Hollow" for the stage & in the process removed Poirot from the story. The plot flows more smoothly without his presence (even though Poirot is one of my favorite consulting detectives). A quick fun read and a play I would like to see performed.

After reading this, I wanted to see a performance of the play but could only find the episode from the Poirot TV series with David Suchet on YouTube. It is obviously based on the novel rather than the play as it includes Poirot! Same basic plot but some of the details are different.

84leslie.98
set. 11, 2015, 12:38 pm

Scarlet Challenge: Read the USA mysteries {New Jersey}

Finger Lickin' Fifteen   (done 9/11)

★ Lorelei King's excellent narration, especially the voices of Lula and Ranger, gained this book an extra star. Evanovitch's book was a reminder of why I stopped reading this series -- none of the characters grow or change. Instead, this 15th book in the series has Stephanie Plum still relying on her male friends/lovers to bail her out and help her do her job (and Lula doesn't seem to do any work at all!) and still unable to choose between Ranger and Morelli. The various incidents with her "skips" are funny but a bit overdone and I found myself wondering why she still had this job when she continually lets people escape. Wouldn't you think that in 15 years (or even in 4 years if each book covers a season), she would have learned how to apprehend these bozos?

In this entry in the series there are 2 main threads to the plot -- two killers whom Lula saw decapitate a man are now trying to kill Lula because she was a witness & someone is messing with Ranger's security business by breaking into his clients' premises. The killers are the most incompetent criminals I have read about in a long time -- it boggles my mind that they weren't captured much much sooner -- and the case is solved by dumb luck more than by any sort of detection. I found the Ranger plot more satisfying but I have learned that I prefer mysteries in which the reader has some chance of solving it. Neither of the main "mysteries" were of that sort and that was disappointing to me.

85leslie.98
set. 13, 2015, 12:37 pm

Violet Challenge: Poetry
Brick Challenge: Books in translation (German -> English)

Across the Land and the Water   (done 9/13)

★ While I liked some of these poems very much, others were puzzling or incomprehensible to me -- my rating is an attempt to average out my responses. The sections I liked best were "Poemtrees" and "Across the Land and the Water"; "The Year Before Last" was the section I enjoyed least.

The two poems that appealed to me most were "Life is Beautiful" (from Poemtrees) and "New Jersey Journey" (from Across the Land and the Water).

86leslie.98
set. 16, 2015, 6:23 pm

AlphaCAT September: O and A

One-Man Show   (done 9/16)

4★ This 13th entry in the Inspector Appleby series was a witty art-based mystery with a twist at the end. I was pleased to see Judith Appleby play a significant role, not just introducing her husband to the case. This book just hit the right note for me right now & I knew that would be so when I was already chuckling on page 2! For that reason I am giving 4 stars to what is in all probability a 3½ star book.

87leslie.98
Editat: set. 25, 2015, 2:04 pm

Scarlet Challenge: Read-the USA mysteries {Missouri}

If Fried Chicken Could Fly   (done 9/20)

2★ I realize that cozy mysteries are inherently unrealistic but I would like them to be probable enough that I can suspend my disbelief long enough to enjoy the book. The paranormal (in this case a ghost) is just too far across the line for me... I don't know why it is but although I can enjoy the supernatural in many books, I don't like it in mysteries.

The other strike against this mystery set in southern Missouri is my doubts about the historical accuracy of the "Old West" history of this town -- since when was 1912 the time of gun fights in the streets? I think that era was 50 years earlier (and further west). And newspapers of that time using the phrase "good guys or bad guys"... I checked on that one -- the use of the word "guy" to mean man, chap, fellow started in the United States in 1896, so in 1912 Missouri it would be possible (though IMO unlikely) for it to appear in a newspaper but it still jarred upon me.

The mystery was OK but not possible for the reader to solve ahead of the narrator. I did like the twist that Everett was Jenna's biological father & they were both descended from Jerome. & felt that the balance of personal life and sleuthing was good.

88leslie.98
set. 25, 2015, 1:29 pm

Orange Challenge: Short Stories
AlphaCAT September: O & A

Collected Short Stories by Aldous Huxley   (done 9/25)

3★ These stories were good but not as compelling as his full length novels. A couple of them had some curious people or plots which I may revisit. I was a bit surprised by the fact that almost half the stories were set in (at least partially) Italy.

And this completes my Orange category!

89leslie.98
set. 25, 2015, 1:57 pm

Yellow Challenge: Guardian books
Maroon Challenge: Mystery ROOTs
AlphaCAT September: O & A

Journey Into Fear by Eric Ambler     (done 9/25)

★ Read as part of the omnibus "Intrigue" (shown above)

I don't know what it is but despite the fact that this thriller had many elements I like, as a whole it didn't quite work for me. Maybe it was the personality of the main character... Maybe it was just my mood right now. Even though it was missing some ingredient to make it a great book for me, it was still a good example of the "innocent person caught up in intrigue" type of thriller & the setting was wonderful.

90leslie.98
set. 25, 2015, 2:02 pm

Yellow Challenge: Guardian Books
AlphaCAT September: O & A

At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien   (done 9/22)

3.5★ This might have been a 4* book for me if I had been more familiar with Irish legends and culture. After a bit of a rocky start, I started enjoying this. People who like or admire James Joyce will probably like this even more than I did -- I am not a fan of Joyce's style of writing in "Ulysses" which O'Brien parodies here.

91leslie.98
Editat: set. 26, 2015, 10:21 pm

Ruby Challenge: Foreign Mysteries
Tan Challenge: Historical Fiction
AlphaCAT September: O & A

Oathbreaker   (done 9/26)

★ The second book in the Danish historical fiction mystery series by Martin Jensen. It feels a bit strange to read a translated book set in England but this series is set in the time of King Cnut (Canute) when England was ruled by a Dane. The tensions between the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings are even more evident in this second book of the series. While that part of the story was interesting, I found the dispute between the two monasteries even more fascinating. I look forward to reading more of this series.

92rabbitprincess
set. 27, 2015, 2:01 am

>91 leslie.98: Aw man, yet another series that sounds interesting! ;) I'm trying to explore earlier periods of English history so this would be a good one to check out!

93leslie.98
set. 27, 2015, 1:38 pm

>92 rabbitprincess: My knowledge of pre-Norman England is negligible (based mostly on Cadfael mysteries!) so I can't judge how accurate the history is. It seems well-researched though... and the mysteries are pretty good too :)

94MissWatson
set. 27, 2015, 1:51 pm

>93 leslie.98: Actually, the Cadfael series is very much post-Norman invasion. The civil war between the grandchildren of William the Conqueror, Maud and Stephen, provides a lot of the political backdrop. It looked very well-researched to me.

95leslie.98
Editat: set. 27, 2015, 1:57 pm

>93 leslie.98: Oops! Well, that just shows how negligible my knowledge of early English history is! But my comment about the accuracy of the history was referring to Martin Jensen's series, not the Cadfael books (although it is my opinion about those too).

96mathgirl40
set. 27, 2015, 5:34 pm

>80 leslie.98: I've only read one book of Charles de Lint's (The Mystery of Grace) and I'd like to read more. I've heard The Onion Girl is one that works well as a standalone, but would it be better to read earlier Newford books first?

97-Eva-
set. 27, 2015, 5:38 pm

>90 leslie.98:
We read that one at University and went through it quite thoroughly and I remember it being absolutely fantastic. I should really go back for a reread to see how much it stands out today. Flann O'Brien is one of my favorite authors, so I'm not too worried. :)

98leslie.98
set. 27, 2015, 8:46 pm

>96 mathgirl40: Hmmm... I don't know if I would start the Newford series with The Onion Girl. It would work as a standalone but it is pretty dark. I fell in love with the series with the short stories in Dreams Underfoot so I usually recommend that as a good intro but if you don't like short stories, I would say try either Trader or Memory and Dream. In non-Newford books, I liked Greenmantle.

>97 -Eva-: I can see At Swim-Two-Birds as a great book to study in uni. I think it would be better reading it for a second time, when I already have at least a vague idea of what was going on :)

99leslie.98
set. 27, 2015, 9:01 pm

Purple Challenge: BINGO (book published in 2015)
Alabaster A-to-Z Challenge

X   (done 9/27)

4★ This 24th entry in the Kinsey Millhone series was a lot of fun. I haven't kept up with this series so I was slightly surprised to find that it was still set in the late 1980s. Having lived in California during the drought well described in a nice subplot involving Kinsey's landlord Henry's attempt to conserve water, I enjoyed the nostalgic trip down memory lane. The two main investigations Kinsey is involved in during this novel were well done. The ending of the one involving Ned Lowe wasn't to my taste - having the bad guy get away bothers me, although it was realistic. I just hope that he doesn't reappear in one of the remaining two books of the series!

100mathgirl40
set. 27, 2015, 9:36 pm

>98 leslie.98: Thanks for the recommendations. I do like short stories, so starting with Dreams Underfoot sounds good.

101MissWatson
set. 28, 2015, 4:16 am

>95 leslie.98: Ah, I see. The Martin Jensen series looks very promising!

102LittleTaiko
oct. 1, 2015, 9:26 pm

>99 leslie.98: Looking forward to reading that one next year - assuming I can wait that long.

103leslie.98
oct. 11, 2015, 3:21 pm

I haven't been keeping up with my summaries -- ran out of steam for reviews temporarily. But I have read a few more books for my challenges:

Navy Challenge: Vorkosigan series

CryoBurn     (done 10/5)

4★ After all of Bujold's explorations into the possible consequences of technology-assisted reproduction, it was interesting to read one about technology-assisted dying (well, prevention of death via freezing). While Miles is older, this one had the feel of some of his earlier adventures, perhaps due to the adolescent Jin. I loved his character! And it was fun to see more of Roik's thoughts this time out. Once again, while I own this as a print book (and a Kindle one too!), I listened to Grover Gardner's marvelous narration in the audiobook from the library. Only one more to go in this series but sadly, I don't own a copy of it: Captain Vorpatril's Alliance. But my library does have the audiobook :-)

Black Hoarder's Challenge (#3: a book gotten for free) -- challenge completed

A Darker Shade of Magic   (done 10/10)

★ I received this audiobook from Ford through the now-defunct Ford Audiobook Group on Goodreads. Steven Crossley did an excellent narration and I liked the concept of the 4 parallel worlds, each with a different level of magic in it. However, some historical anachronisms bothered me and the main plot was fairly standard fantasy/adventure. I'm not sure I would read more in this series despite Schwab's leaving intriguing unresolved issues in this one (such as where did Kell come from?).

Orange Challenge: Short Stories

I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down   (done 10/11)

4★ I had never heard of William Gay until a short time ago when one of my online reading groups decided to feature him. I got these short stories as a Kindle book from the library & for a while, I couldn't decide what I thought of them. Each story immediately engaged me but then some disturbing dark or twisted element would enter the story. In the end, I decided to just go with the darkness; once I accepted that it was going to be part of the story, I found it bothered me less. Gay's descriptions of Tennessee, both physical and cultural, were brilliant & I look forward to reading some of his full-length novels.

104leslie.98
Editat: oct. 12, 2015, 4:28 pm

Green Challenge: Plays
AlphaCAT October: U & P

Press Cuttings     (done 10/12)

4★ Perhaps even 4½ stars! Read as part of the Kindle omnibus "Plays of Shaw".

I found this one-act play hilarious. Set in 1911, at the time of suffragettes trying to get votes for women, it uses reductio ad absurdum to show the logic of the government and military positions. Some of the military attitudes would be an appropriate commentary to today's military in my opinion. For example, this exchange between the Prime Minister Balsquith and the general Mitchener:

Mitchener: How do the inhabitants sleep with the possibility of invasion, of bombardment, continually present in their minds? Would you have our English slumbers broken in the same way? Are we also to live without security?
Balsquith (dogmatically): Yes. There's no such thing as security in the world; and there never can be as long as men are mortal. England will be secure when England is dead, just as the streets of London will be safe when there is no longer a man in her streets to be run over, or a vehicle to run over him. When you military chaps as for security, you are crying for the moon.

I can imagine this exchange as referring to the "war on terrorism".

105leslie.98
Editat: oct. 13, 2015, 7:44 pm

Purple Challenge: Bingo (Book that scares you)

Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome To Lovecraft   (done 10/13)

★ I really didn't like this but gave it an extra star for the quality of the artwork. I read/looked at this, my first graphic novel, while listening to the audiobook Locke & Key (which covers more than the first volume of this series).

While I was reading & listening to this, I couldn't stop thinking about the Cherokee proverb:

There is a battle of two wolfs inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, lies, inferiority and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy and truth. The wolf that wins? The one you feed.

This graphic novel is definitely feeding the wrong wolf -- far too violent & gruesome for me. It was good to have both graphic novel & audiobook because neither gives a complete story. Too bad the story it told was so awful...

On the plus side, I now only have one square left in my BINGO challenge!

106leslie.98
Editat: oct. 17, 2015, 2:50 pm

Green Challenge: Plays

The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?   (done 10/17)

4★ I found this strange, funny in places & sad as well. I have some thoughts about what Albee was trying to say but need to mull it over some first.

107leslie.98
oct. 17, 2015, 10:19 pm

Green Challenge: Plays

The School for Scandal   (done 10/17)

5★ for the play, 4* for the Librivox audiobook.

I fell in love with comedies early in life & Richard Brinsley Sheridan was one of the authors responsible for that. While I have reread his most famous two plays (this and The Rivals) more than once, it has been some time since I revisited The School for Scandal. It was a joy to discover that this satire still makes me laugh.

A big part of the fun for me were the names -- Lady Sneerwell, Sir Benjamin Backbite, Mr. Joseph Surface, Mrs. Candour, Miss Gadabout, Sir Filagree Flirt ... I could go on but the point has been made. This satire about gossip and hypocrisy may feel dated in its setting to some readers (though it is like home to me after all the Georgette Heyer I have read), but the situations are still relevant & still funny. As David Garrick (in the original production at Drury Lane Theater in 1777) said in his prologue:

"Thus at our friends we laugh, who feel the dart;
To reach our feelings, we ourselves must smart."

So true! Whether it is the slapstick pie in the face or slip on the banana peel or the more sophisticated comedy of manners presented here, we laugh at things that would not be funny if they were happening to us. Being talked about behind our back is one such situation.

A few funny bits (my underlining):

Joseph Surface: The license of invention some people take is monstrous indeed.
Maria: 'Tis so; but, in my opinion, those who report such things are equally culpable.
Mrs. Candour: To be sure they are; tale-bearers are as bad as the tale-makers -- 'tis an old observation, and a very true one" but what's to be done, as I said before? how will you prevent people from talking? To-day, Mrs. Clackitt assured me, Mr. and Mrs. Honeymoon were at last become mere man and wife, like the rest of their acquaintance. She likewise hinted that a certain widow, in the next street, had got rid of her dropsy and recovered her shape in a most surprising manner. And at the same time Miss Tattle, who was by, affirmed, that Lord Buffalo had discovered his lady at a house of no extraordinary fame; ... But, Lord, do you think I would report these things! No, no! tale-bearers, as I said before, are just as bad as tale-makers."

And

Mrs. Candour: They'll not allow our friend Miss Vermillion to be handsome.
Lady Sneerwell: Oh, surely she is a pretty woman.
Crabtree: I am very glad you think so, ma'am.
Mrs. Candour: She has a charming fresh colour.
Lady Teazle: Yes, when it is fresh put on.
Mrs. Candour: Oh, fie! I'll swear her colour is natural: I have seen it come and go!
Lady Teazle: I dare swear you have ma'am: it goes off at night, and comes again in the morning.

Hahahaha!! But the main theme of the play revolves around two brothers: Joseph and Charles Surface. Everyone (except Lady Sneerwell) thinks Joseph is the virtuous good brother and Charles is the profligate ne'er-do-well. But, as Sheridan has foreshadowed for us, we must look below the surface to find the true character of these two men.

It is sadly hard to find productions of this play, on video or in live theater. Unfortunately, I found that the Librivox audiobook full cast recording, while good, wasn't as good as the play in print. I found the pace too slow (especially with Sir Peter and Charles) and hearing some of the stage directions read interrupted the flow for me. Not a bad experience but I would recommend someone unfamiliar with the play to read it rather than listen to this edition.

108lkernagh
oct. 18, 2015, 11:16 am

The School for Scandal sounds great!

109-Eva-
oct. 18, 2015, 4:08 pm

>107 leslie.98:
That is such a fun play! I've not read it, but I've seen it live and it was quite the treat.

110leslie.98
oct. 19, 2015, 2:31 am

>108 lkernagh: I certainly think so! I hope you spend a few hours reading it sometime :)

>109 -Eva-: I'm turning green with jealousy -- I'd love to see it live!!

111leslie.98
oct. 28, 2015, 2:56 pm

Green Challenge: Plays

The Good-Natured Man   (done 10/28)

3★ for the Librivox audiobook; 4 stars for the play itself. This full cast recording had a few members whom I found hard to listen to (due to either accent or the flow of the narration) so I ended up reading the play along with listening.

This play isn't quite as much fun as Goldsmith's more famous "She Stoops to Conquer" but had the same type of humor. I'm glad I discovered it! And as a result of wanting the text to go along with this audiobook, I also discovered a lovely illustrated "Works of Oliver Goldsmith" on Project Gutenberg :)

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/49325

112leslie.98
oct. 30, 2015, 12:18 pm

Violet Challenge: Poetry

The Wind Among the Reeds   (done 10/30)

3★ I think I am done with Yeats for the moment -- there were a lot of poems in this collection I felt I should like but none of them really connected with me.

113leslie.98
oct. 31, 2015, 10:41 am

Powder Blue Challenge: Discworld
AlphaCAT October: U & P

The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett   (done 10/30)

4★ I much enjoyed this second Discworld book but wish there had been chapter divisions. I like the combination of Rincewind and Twoflower - Twoflower on his own might be a bit much with his relentless optimism. As Pratchett puts it:

"Twoflower didn't just look at the world through rose-tinted spectacles, Rincewind knew -- he looked at it through a rose-tinted brain, too, and heard it through rose-tinted ears."

I marked this passage because it struck me as so insightful:

"Rincewind stared, and knew that there were far worse things than Evil. All the demons in Hell would torture your very soul, but that was precisely because they valued souls very highly; evil would always try to steal the universe, but at least it considered the universe worth stealing. But the gray world behind those empty eyes would trample and destroy without even according its victims the dignity of hatred. It wouldn't even notice them."

114leslie.98
nov. 4, 2015, 9:24 pm

Yellow Challenge: Guardian's list

Molloy     (done 11/4)

★ 5 stars for the magnificent narration of Barrett & Crowley; 4½ for the book itself (but this may change with time).

I mostly read along with the narration in my (quite poor) Kindle edition of the trilogy "Molloy, Malone Dies, & The Unnamed" as Beckett is an author I find demands concentration.

In common with "Waiting for Godot", the characters in "Molloy" have a purpose which they themselves are unclear about. In this, the uncertainty of identity is explored. The feeling that Moran was in fact some version of Molloy grew on me until it becomes fairly clear at the end -- or at least as clear as anything in Beckett ever is!!.

I suspect that I will be thinking about this one on and off for a while! I highlighted quite a few passages which I will be using to come up with a proper review at some later time...

115leslie.98
nov. 4, 2015, 10:36 pm

Yellow Challenge: Guardian's list
Purple Challenge: BINGO

The Monk   (done 11/3)

4★ The biggest flaw of this Gothic horror story for me was the somewhat dated style of writing (similar to that of Defoe). I think the creepiest part may have been the very end, in which the Spanish Inquisition is investigating Ambrosio (the monk) - partly because I suspect some of the tortures described may have been really used during this period of history!

I could quickly see why this book fell into disrepute during the early Victorian times, as it includes somewhat graphic (if flowery) descriptions of carnal sins and horrifying tortures. I did have to chuckle a few times at the very English repugnance of Catholics that showed in some of the descriptions! And I could see why authors such as Jane Austen parodied this type of melodrama. However, I was surprised by the fact that Ambrosio wasn't painted as entirely evil & his struggles with his conscience were sometimes quite moving.

116leslie.98
nov. 9, 2015, 10:00 pm

My 2016 thread is up, for those interested. Here is the link:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/195478

117leslie.98
Editat: nov. 16, 2015, 4:54 pm

Yellow Challenge: Guardian's List
Pink Challenge: Kindle Catch up
AlphaCAT November: N & C

Crome Yellow   (done 11/16)

3.5Crome Yellow has been languishing on my Kindle since August 2012. This is a satire or comedy of manners so there is not much action. Various people are gathered at a country house for a visit which gives Huxley a chance to show us different types of 'bright young things' (this was published in the early 1920s). I found much to amuse me but it rarely made me laugh out loud.

One character I found particularly funny was the local vicar, Mr. Bodiham: "He preached with fury, with passion, an iron man beating with a flail upon the souls of his congregation. But the souls of the faithful at Crome were made of india-rubber, solid rubber; the flail rebounded." A predecessor of Amos in Stella Gibbons' Cold Comfort Farm!

There were indications of Huxley's masterpiece to come, Brave New World. For example, in this early passage by one of the guests (Mr. Scogan):

"Eros, for those who wish it, is now an entirely free god; his deplorable associations with Lucina may be broken at will. In the course of the next few centuries, who knows? the world may see a more complete severance. I look forward to it optimistically. ... our descendants will experiment and succeed. An impersonal generation will take the place of Nature's hideous system. In vast state incubators, rows upon rows of gravid bottles will supply the world with the population it requires. The family system will disappear; society, sapped at its very base, will have to find new foundations; and Eros, beautifully and irresponsibly free, will flit like a gay butterfly from flower to flower through a sunlit world."

Finally, a quote I love from this (also by Mr. Scogan):
"After all, what is reading but a vice, like drink or venery or any other form of excessive self-indulgence? One reads to tickle and amuse one's mind; one reads, above all, to prevent oneself thinking."

118LittleTaiko
nov. 17, 2015, 7:39 pm

>117 leslie.98: Love that last quote! Combine that with the fact that I just read Brave New World recently and I'm quite intrigued by your review. On to the wish list it goes.

119leslie.98
nov. 17, 2015, 7:47 pm

Glad to tickle your fancy >118 LittleTaiko:! If you use an ereader, you can get Crome Yellow free from various places (such as Project Gutenburg).

120leslie.98
Editat: nov. 18, 2015, 11:47 pm

Alabaster Challenge: A-to-Z (done!)

The Zero Trap   (done 11/18)

4★ A murder mystery buried inside a thriller about hostages held in a remote Finnish house. There was a surprise twist or two towards the end but the romance angle wasn't one of them :)

121LittleTaiko
nov. 19, 2015, 9:52 pm

Another intriguing book - you are on a roll!

122leslie.98
nov. 20, 2015, 3:51 pm

>121 LittleTaiko: I can't claim credit for discovering The Zero Trap as I picked it up off my mom's bookcase because I wanted a mystery that started with a Z. She then surprised me by saying it was one of her top 10 mysteries! :)

123mamzel
nov. 20, 2015, 4:00 pm

Lucky happenstance!

124leslie.98
nov. 30, 2015, 12:37 pm

Yellow Challenge: Guardian's list

How Green Was My Valley     (done 11/28)

5★ for both book & audiobook

Lovely writing in this story of a Welsh family in a coal-mining village (I think in the Rhondda valley area altough the author didn't specify) from about 1890 to 1910. Ralph Cosham was the perfect narrator for this classic. I don't know if he is Welsh but his voice had the wonderful lilting quality I associate with a Welsh accent.

While ostensibly about the Morgan family, this novel is documenting the end of an era. I had seen the film but years ago and I was struck when reading this by the similarities to the more recent film "Brassed Off" about the colliery closings in northern England (Yorkshire?) during Margaret Thatcher's time. Different times and places but the same loss of a way of life & the same sense of sadness.

Some of Llewellyn's descriptions caught my breath such as this one of Angharad when fighting with 14-year-old Huw:

" 'I hate you,' she said, and wrapped her cloak round her so that she was a black pillar, with a white face and her eyes with glitter and shine to make you afraid."

Even though I knew the ending, I found myself weeping. It wasn't just the death of Huw's father but the sense of alone-ness with all his brothers gone, one dead and 4 overseas. And the loss of the family home which is being buried by the slag heaps (as the reader knows from the very first page) just makes it all more poignant.

125DeltaQueen50
nov. 30, 2015, 5:52 pm

I have never read the book, but How Green Was My Valley is one of my favorite movies. I've seen it countless times yet I still seem to cry at certain points everytime!

126-Eva-
nov. 30, 2015, 11:17 pm

>124 leslie.98:
Ooh, a 5-star! That one's been sitting on my Mt. TBR for years and years, but I've never even thought to actually read it (I think it was part of a "classics" box I got at some booksale). Looks like I should remedy that. :)

127leslie.98
des. 1, 2015, 12:04 am

>125 DeltaQueen50: After I finished the book, I rewatched the film. I had forgotten that Huw was played by a very young Roddy McDowell! A funny thing is that I got this book out of the library thinking it was the one about the school teacher (The Corn is Green) which is another wonderful film.

>126 -Eva-: Definitely pull it out!

128leslie.98
Editat: des. 1, 2015, 12:17 am

Maroon Challenge: Mystery ROOTs

One Fearful Yellow Eye   (done 11/30)

★ While I have been mildly enjoying these nontraditional mysteries, the McGee series is a bit dated. I think that this will be the last one for a while; I'm going to put this series on the back burner as I have plenty of others awaiting.

129leslie.98
des. 4, 2015, 1:22 am

Navy Challenge: Vorkosigan series (Done!)

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance   (done 12/3)

4★ A fun entry in the Vorkosigan series featuring Miles's cousin Ivan Vorpatril. I do wish that I had read (or, rather, listened to) this before Cryoburn though, as it is clearly set prior to it. While I enjoyed this very much, this one had less social commentary in it and so wasn't quite as good a book as some of the others in the series in my opinion.

Grover Gardner once again shines as the narrator of this audiobook edition. I couldn't stop listening once I started :)

130leslie.98
Editat: des. 11, 2015, 2:09 am

Powder Blue Challenge: Discworld series

Jingo   (done 12/11)

★ This satire of jingoism is hilarious but also sadly appropriate these days. I wish that the United States had a Lord Vetinari and/or a Commander Vimes to balance out our Lord Rusts...

I loved seeing Carrot (now a captain) in action once again. And Leonard of Quirms made me chuckle to myself several times...

This completes my goal of reading at least 5 books from the Discworld series this year! I have enjoyed these so I will be continuing to read this series next year...

131leslie.98
Editat: des. 11, 2015, 3:35 pm

Scarlet Challenge: Read the USA mysteries {Indiana}

Death of a Couch Potato's Wife   (done 12/11)

★ I would have given this 3 stars but there were a few things that bothered me.

First off, I was confused by how old the protagonist Laura Berry was -- she starts off by saying her 70-year-old friend Babe was about 3 times her age; okay, I'm a math geek so I figure 70 ÷ 3 = ~23. On the young side to be a suburban housewife but possible. A chapter or so later though, we are told she met her husband when a sophomore in college and she has been married for 6 years; later we are told they dated for 2 years before marrying. Either she is super smart & went to college at 13-14 years old or she is NOT 1/3 of 70. I know that this isn't really important but it distracted me from the story trying to figure it all out.

Then there were the names -- Tiara, Darius, Chief Romeo, Gia, Steele, Babe etc. They just sound phony to me... Although I did like the fact that Laura lived on the Dullington Estates in Boring, Indiana!

Next was the repeated discussion about mowing lawns in winter -- does the author not know that winter is from the end of December to the end of March? Who mows in Indiana or any of the northern US then?? Even if the ground is free of snow, the plants are not growing.

Lastly, the religious aspects of Laura's life were a bit much for me. This one was just a minor issue but it came up more and more as the book went on & I would have some concerns about this in future books in the series.

On the plus side, I liked the protagonist & the setting. The writing was decent and the mystery kept me guessing. I would try another one from the library but I wouldn't pay for it.

132leslie.98
des. 12, 2015, 9:15 pm

Yellow Challenge: Guardian's list
SFFFCat December: Award winners
AlphaCAT December: G & S

Neuromancer by William Gibson   (done 12/12)

3★ I might have given this a higher rating if I had read this in print (or ebook). I found it hard to follow in the audiobook - even with rewinding and listening to certain parts more than once.

Despite this difficulty, I found the plot ground-breaking with its invention of a cyberspace "matrix". But I think that I prefer this sub-genre of science fiction (cyberpunk) in movie form rather than in book form...

133lkernagh
des. 20, 2015, 6:40 pm

>131 leslie.98: - I have to admit, I do like the title for that book! Sorry to see it was a dud read. I hate it when books cannot keep their facts straight. Drives me crazy!

134leslie.98
des. 23, 2015, 11:24 pm

>133 lkernagh: It wasn't horrible, just flawed. I agree that the title is a winner ;)

135leslie.98
des. 23, 2015, 11:28 pm

I am behind in posting updates but it will have to wait until after the holiday.

Happy holidays everyone!

136paruline
des. 31, 2015, 8:19 am

Happy holidays to you too! I'll be following your 2016 thread :)