Rabbitprincess is in the thick of it for 2015 - Part 4

Això és la continuació del tema Rabbitprincess is in the thick of it for 2015 - Part 3.

Converses2015 Category Challenge

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Rabbitprincess is in the thick of it for 2015 - Part 4

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1rabbitprincess
Editat: set. 10, 2015, 10:04 pm

Welcome to Part 4 of my Peter Capaldi-themed Category Challenge.

Peter has appeared more than once in the Whoniverse. Below is his first appearance, as Caecilius in "The Fires of Pompeii".



Categories are:

Fortysomething - general fiction
Wasps' Nest - mysteries
The Musketeers - history, HistoryCAT, and livres en français
Doctor Who - SFF and SFFFCAT
Local Hero - rereads
A Portrait of Scotland - books about/set in Scotland or by Scottish authors, and books about art
Dreamboys - audiobooks
Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life - short stories, essays, poetry and plays
The Fifth Estate - non-fiction
In the Loop - group reads (2015 CC and British Author Challenge) and RandomCAT

Any category can overlap with any of the CATs or group reads. Example: if I want to read my audiobook of Graham Greene's The End of the Affair for the British Author Challenge, I will count it under both the Dreamboys and the In the Loop categories.

2rabbitprincess
Editat: des. 17, 2015, 9:25 pm

Fortysomething - General fiction



You may recall that "Fortysomething" was also used as the general fiction category in my 2014 challenge. That is correct: both Benedict and Peter appeared in this show! Peter plays Dr. Ronnie Pilfrey.

1. Red or Dead, by David Peace
2. Brighton Rock, by Graham Greene
3. Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh
4. The House on the Strand, by Daphne du Maurier
5. Epitaph: A Novel of the O.K. Corral, by Mary Doria Russell
6. No Relation, by Terry Fallis
7. How to Build a Girl, by Caitlin Moran
8. Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen
9. Finders Keepers, by Stephen King
10. The Horizontal Man, by Helen Eustis
11. In a Lonely Place, by Dorothy B. Hughes
12. The Blank Wall, by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding
13. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
14. The Z Murders, by J. Jefferson Farjeon
15. Vertigo, by Boileau-Narcejac (translated by Geoffrey Sainsbury)

3rabbitprincess
Editat: des. 31, 2015, 6:32 pm

Wasps' Nest - Mysteries



Agatha Christie adaptations often feature actors who have since gone on to greatness. Peter is no exception. In "Wasps' Nest", he plays artist Claude Langton.

Christina pointed me toward the blog My Reader's Block, which features a Vintage Mystery Bingo card. I will be using the card but not limiting myself to either Silver or Golden Age mysteries. It is a 6x6 grid because the letters at the top spell either SILVER or GOLDEN.

✓ Book with a colour in the title / cover colour: Mystery in White, by J. Jefferson Farjeon
✓ Book set anywhere except the US and England: The Clue in the Crossword Cipher, by Carolyn Keene (set in Peru)
✓ Book that features a crime other than murder: The Instant Enemy, by Ross Macdonald (kidnapping)
✓ Locked-room mystery/impossible crime: The Hollow Man, by John Dickson Carr
✓ Medical mystery (or book featuring a doctor or nurse): The Nursing Home Murder, by Ngaio Marsh
✓ Book with a professional detective: The Likeness, by Tana French

✓ TBR First Lines (pick 4 books from TBR, read each first sentence, then choose 1 of the 4 to read): Dead Water, by Ngaio Marsh
✓ Book with a number/quantity in the title: Nineteen Seventy-Four, by David Peace
✓ Book with an animal in the title: The Zebra-Striped Hearse, by Ross Macdonald
✓ Book by an author you've never read before: Ashes to Dust, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
✓ Book with a "spooky" title or cover: Where the Shadows Lie, by Michael Ridpath
✓ Book with a woman in the title: The Wolfe Widow, by Victoria Abbott

✓ Book set in the entertainment world: To Love and Be Wise, by Josephine Tey
✓ Book made into a movie or TV series: Wobble to Death, by Peter Lovesey
✓ Book with an amateur detective: As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, by Alan Bradley
✓ Book with a man in the title: Down Among the Dead Men, by Michelle Williams
✓ Academic mystery: Death on the Cherwell, by Mavis Doriel Hay
✓ Book that involves a mode of transportation: Gideon's Ride, by J.J. Marric

✓ Country house mystery: Cover Her Face, by P.D. James
✓ Book with a lawyer, courtroom, judge, etc.: A Very British Murder, by Lucy Worsley
✓ Book already read by a fellow (Category) challenger: Nineteen Seventy-Seven, by David Peace
✓ Book outside your comfort zone: Sleepyhead, by Mark Billingham
✓ Book involving the clergy or religion: The Cornish Coast Murder, by John Bude
✓ Author with first or last name beginning with same letter as yours: We'll use either P or C (for Peter or Capaldi) A Case of Spirits, by Peter Lovesey

✓ Book with a detective "team": The Water Room, by Christopher Fowler
✓ Book with a time, day, month, etc. in the title: The Two Faces of January, by Patricia Highsmith
✓ Book published in birth year of you or a loved one/friend: Going with Peter Capaldi's birth year, 1958. Playback, by Raymond Chandler
✓ Short story collection: OxCrimes, ed. Peter Florence and Mark Ellingham
✓ Book set in England or the US: The Sussex Downs Murder, by John Bude
✓ Book that you have to borrow: How the Light Gets In, by Louise Penny

✓ Book with a method of murder in the title: Mr. Mercedes, by Stephen King -- the serial killer uses a Mercedes to run a bunch of people over
✓ Book with a place in the title: A Scream in Soho, by John G. Brandon
✓ Book published under more than one title: McGarr on the Cliffs of Moher, by Bartholomew Gill (also published as Death of an Irish Lass)
✓ Historical mystery: A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters
✓ Book written by an author with a pseudonym: The Man in the Queue, by Josephine Tey (pseudonym of Elizabeth Mackintosh)
✓ Book that features food/drink/a party: Faithful Place, by Tana French

Many of these categories appeared on the 2014 card. As a bonus, I'm including the categories from 2014 that didn't make it to the 2015 card:

✓ Book by an author you have read before: No Known Grave, by Maureen Jennings
✓ Mystery that involves water: Broken Harbour, by Tana French
✓ Translated book: Strange Shores, by Arnaldur Indridason (translated by Victoria Cribb)
✓ Book with a size in the title: The Long Goodbye, by Raymond Chandler (I'm decreeing "long" is a pant size, as opposed to regular and short.)

Any other mysteries that don't fit the card (or duplicate squares) will go in general fiction, if only because I'm worried about having too many touchstones in a single post.

4rabbitprincess
Editat: des. 29, 2015, 5:23 pm

The Musketeers - History, HistoryCAT and livres en francais



I'm not sure how historically accurate either the book or the miniseries is, but Peter is suitably badass as Cardinal Richelieu in this adaptation.

This category will also hold my yearly quota of books in French.

History
1. The Long Shadow: The Legacies of the Great War in the Twentieth Century, by David Reynolds
2. SS-GB, by Len Deighton
3. The Tragic Story of the Empress of Ireland, by Logan Marshall
4. Moonfleet, by J. Meade Falkner
5. Ross Poldark, by Winston Graham
6. The Napoleonic Wars: A Very Short Introduction, by Mike Rapport
7. A History of London in 100 Places, by David Long
8. Sarum: The Novel of England, by Edward Rutherfurd
9. The Bastard of Fort Stikine, by Debra Komer
10. The Story of Hampton Court Palace, by Lucy Worsley
11. Kensington Palace: The Official Illustrated History, by Edward Impey
12. Jeremy Poldark, by Winston Graham
13. Fighting in Flanders: Gas. Mud. Memory., by Mélanie Morin-Pelletier
14. Secret Warriors: Key Scientists, Code Breakers and Propagandists of the Great War, by Taylor Downing
15. Warleggan, by Winston Graham
16. Midshipman Bolitho, by Alexander Kent (omnibus of the first three books in the Bolitho series)
17. The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made England, by Dan Jones

HistoryCAT
January (theme: Myths and Legends): The Luck of Troy, by Roger Lancelyn Green
February (time period: 1CE to 500CE): Astérix et les Gothes, by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
March (theme: Exploration and Conquest): Into the Silence, by Wade Davis
April (time period: 1000 to 1300) (theme: crime and mysteries): A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters
May (time period: 1300 to 1500): Lords of Misrule, by Nigel Tranter
June (theme: culture and the arts) A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare
July (time period: 1600 to 1700): Charles II: His Life and Likeness, by Hesketh Pearson
August (time period: 1700 to 1800): (theme: medicine and disease) Demelza, by Winston Graham
September (time period: 1800 to 1850): David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens
October (time period: 1850 to 1900): see September HistoryCAT
November (time period: 1900 to 1945) (theme: war and peace) Arthur and George, by Julian Barnes
December (time period: 1945 to 1990) ??

Livres en français
1. Astérix et les Gothes, by Goscinny and Uderzo
2. Le Misanthrope, by Molière

5rabbitprincess
Editat: des. 29, 2015, 5:20 pm

Doctor Who - SFF and SFFFCAT



Peter Capaldi is the Twelfth Doctor and I am loving every minute of it. Not that I don't like the other Doctors, but it is so wonderful to see Peter living the Whovian dream.

SFF
1. Plague of the Cybermen, by Justin Richards
2. A Big Hand for the Doctor, by Eoin Colfer
3. The Nameless City, by Michael Scott
4. Foxglove Summer, by Ben Aaronovitch
5. The Spear of Destiny, by Marcus Sedgwick
6. Doctor Who: Time Trips, by Cecelia Ahern et al.
7. The Roots of Evil, by Philip Reeve
8. Tip of the Tongue, by Patrick Ness
9. Something Borrowed, by Richelle Mead
10. The Ripple Effect, by Malorie Blackman
11. Players, by Terrance Dicks
12. Spore, by Alex Scarrow
13. The Beast of Babylon, by Charlie Higson
14. The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage, by Derek Landy
15. Nothing O'Clock, by Neil Gaiman
16. Lights Out, by Holly Black

SFFFCAT
January: (Steampunk, Gaslamp, Historical SFF) Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
February: (Classics of Sci-Fi) The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham
March: (It's the End of the World As We Know It) MaddAddam, by Margaret Atwood
April: (Fairy Tales and Mighty Myths) Irish Fairy and Folk Tales, ed. W.B. Yeats -- on hold
May: (Women SFF Writers) Among Others, by Jo Walton -- never got around to it
June: (time travel) Doctor Who and the Horror of Fang Rock, by Terrance Dicks
July: (fantastical creatures) Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen, by Terrance Dicks
August: (other worlds: space opera, first contact, dropping into Oz) Engines of War, by George Mann
September: (slipstream, interstitial, magical realism, genre benders) The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkaway
October: (paranormal, urban fantasy) The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman
November: (quests and puzzles) Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, by Douglas Adams
December: (influential/award-winning SFF) The Return of the King, by JRR Tolkien

6rabbitprincess
Editat: des. 15, 2015, 8:49 pm

Local Hero - Rereads



Local Hero was Peter's big break, in which he played Danny Oldsen. I chose this as the theme for my rereads category because this was a movie from Peter's younger days, and a lot of my rereads are from my younger days.

1. Mrs. Pollifax on Safari, by Dorothy Gilman
2. Barometer Rising, by Hugh MacLennan
3. Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen
4. Death at Windsor Castle, by C.C. Benison
5. A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare
6. South Riding, by Winifred Holtby
7. Remembered Death, by Agatha Christie
8. Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie
9. And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie

7rabbitprincess
Editat: nov. 16, 2015, 6:26 pm

A Portrait of Scotland - Books set in or about Scotland, and books by Scottish authors



This is a documentary about the history of Scottish portrait painting. As an alumnus of the Glasgow School of Art, Peter has the technical chops to hold some really in-depth conversations with his interviewees, and his enthusiasm and interest in the subject bring it to life for the viewer. It's available on YouTube if you're interested.

1. Rob Roy, by Sir Walter Scott
2. Astérix and the Picts, by Jean-Yves Ferri, Didier Conrad (illustrator), Anthea Bell (translator)
3. Lords of Misrule, by Nigel Tranter
4. Floodgate, by Alistair MacLean
5. Memento Mori, by Muriel Spark

The Field of Blood - Scottish mysteries



Because I read way too many Scottish mysteries, let's have a sub-category for them! Also, this is a good excuse for me to put David Morrissey in this year's challenge (spoiler alert: he's the theme of my 2016 challenge).

1. The Papers of Tony Veitch, by William McIlvanney
2. Flesh Wounds, by Christopher Brookmyre
3. Saints of the Shadow Bible, by Ian Rankin
4. The Low Road, by Reginald Hill
5. The Dead Hour, by Denise Mina
6. Slip of the Knife, by Denise Mina
7. Raven Black, by Ann Cleeves
8. Still Midnight, by Denise Mina

8rabbitprincess
Editat: des. 5, 2015, 3:48 pm

Dreamboys - Audiobooks



When Peter was in university, he played guitar and sang in a punk rock band with future Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson on drums. You can find a few songs of theirs on YouTube. My favourite is "Bela Lugosi's Birthday".

1. Autobiography, by Morrissey (unabridged, read by David Morrissey)
2. Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned, by Alan Alda (abridged, read by Alan Alda)

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - full-cast dramatization

9rabbitprincess
Editat: des. 5, 2015, 3:50 pm

Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life - Short stories, essays, poetry and plays, GNs



In addition to being an actor, Peter is an Oscar-winning director. This is his award-winning short film. Also on YouTube.

Goal: at least three plays

Plays

1. Blithe Spirit, by Noël Coward
2. Mauritius, by Theresa Rebeck
3. The Last Confession, by Roger Crane

The rest

1. Darkwing Duck: The Duck Knight Returns, by Ian Brill (writer) and James Silvani (illustrator)
2. Psychiatric Tales, by Darryl Cunningham
3. El Deafo, by Cece Bell
4. The Frozen Thames, by Helen Humphreys
5. Live Right and Find Happiness (Although Beer is Much Faster), by Dave Barry
6. Daddy Lenin and Other Stories, by Guy Vanderhaeghe
7. The Curious Case of the Copper Corpse, by Alan Bradley
8. The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media, by Brooke Gladstone
9. Moonbeams from the Larger Lunacy, by Stephen Leacock
10. Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall, by Spike Milligan
11. I Think You'll Find It's a Bit More Complicated Than That, by Ben Goldacre
12. The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil, by Stephen Collins
13. Very British Problems: Making Life Awkward for Ourselves, One Rainy Day at a Time, by Rob Temple

10rabbitprincess
Editat: des. 20, 2015, 11:24 am

The Fifth Estate - General non-fiction



This is information the world needs to know! Peter plays Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger in the 2013 film that strangely enough also features Benedict!

1. The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction, by Alan Jacobs
2. The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code, by Margalit Fox
3. The Pythons Autobiography, by the Pythons
4. Bizarre London, by David Long
5. How to Speak Brit, by Christopher J. Moore
6. Introduction to Marine Engineering, Revised 2nd Edition, by D.A. Taylor
7. The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media, by Brooke Gladstone
8. The Ships of Canada's Marine Services, by Charles D. Maginley
9. Full Upright and Locked Position: Not-So-Comfortable Truths About Air Travel Today, by Mark Gerchick
10. Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks, by Ken Jennings
11. The Story of the Mary Rose, by Ernle Dusgate Selby Bradford
12. It's Been Said Before: A Guide to the Use and Abuse of Clichés, by Orin Hargraves
13. Notes from a Small Island, by Bill Bryson
14. The Golden Age of Murder, by Martin Edwards
15. The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century, by Steven Pinker
16. The Guy on the Left: Sports Stories from the Best Seat in the House, by James Duthie
17. Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data, by Charles Wheelan
18. Exploring English Castles, by Edd Morris
19. Dreamstreets, by Jacqueline Yallop

11rabbitprincess
Editat: des. 29, 2015, 5:21 pm

In the Loop - Group reads and RandomCAT



FINALLY I create a separate category for group reads! Of course Peter's character needs little introduction: he's the ferocious Malcolm Tucker. Watch out for those attack eyebrows!

Books will be touchstoned as they are completed.

Group Reads

January: none
February: Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh (BAC)
March: The House on the Strand, by Daphne du Maurier (BAC)
April: none
May: Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen (year-long Austen read)
June: Death at Windsor Castle, by C.C. Benison (shared read with cbl_tn); A Dead Man in Deptford, Inside Mr Enderby (reread), On Going to Bed, by Anthony Burgess (BAC)
July: none
August: Remembered Death, by Agatha Christie (Agatha Christie August)
September: Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen (year-long group read)
October: none
November: Memento Mori, by Muriel Spark (BAC)
December: A Place of Greater Safety, by Hilary Mantel (BAC); Ten Lords a-Leaping, by CC Benison (Christmas Murder Mystery Group Read)

RandomCAT

January: (Olympus Has Fallen) The Cornish Coast Murder, by John Bude
February: (Let's Go to the Movies) Sleepyhead, by Mark Billingham (adapted into Thorne, 2010)
March: (All the Cool Kids Are Doing It) Foxglove Summer, by Ben Aaronovitch
April: (Aperire - major life change by main character) How to Build a Girl, by Caitlin Moran
May: (Place name in the title) Sarum, by Edward Rutherfurd
June: (On the Water) Moonfleet, by J. Meade Falkner
July: (Let There Be Light) Moonbeams from the Larger Lunacy, by Stephen Leacock
August (Dog Days of Summer) Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned, by Alan Alda
September (How's the Weather?) Floodgate, by Alistair MacLean
October (In the Steps of a Friend) The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
November (Books and the Big City) A March on London, by G.A. Henty
December (Home for the Holidays) The Red House Mystery, by A.A. Milne

12rabbitprincess
set. 10, 2015, 10:22 pm

Fresh new reviews for a fresh new thread.

Kensington Palace: The Official Illustrated History, by Edward Impey

Category: The Musketeers
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/121094660

Another fine publication by Historic Royal Palaces. Now if only the library would order ones about Kew Palace, Banqueting House and the Tower of London!

Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie

Category: Local Hero
Source: borrowed from parents
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119375869

After finally getting the BF to read this one, I decided to re-read it myself. And once again I think the book is better. The book can just simply state that everyone took it in turns to stab Ratchett. In the David Suchet adaptation, you actually see them all filing in, in a nice orderly queue, stabbing him one by one, and it seems more hilarious than horrifying.

13MissWatson
set. 11, 2015, 5:16 am

Nice to revisit the pics. Happy new thread!

14DeltaQueen50
set. 11, 2015, 10:52 am

Happy new thread, RP!

15leslie.98
set. 11, 2015, 11:40 am

Happy new thread!

16mstrust
set. 11, 2015, 11:41 am

Yea, new thread! Looking forward to your reviews!

17mamzel
set. 11, 2015, 11:43 am

I am also looking forward to a new season of the Doctor. I have been taping the popular episodes they have been showing on BBC America because of the young blond woman, who means nothing to me, telling me what makes those shows so special. It was most satisfying fast-forwarding through her segments. I would watch, though, when Stephen Moffat talked.

Happy New Thread!

18andreablythe
set. 11, 2015, 2:24 pm

Happy New Thread.

I'm looking forward to the new Doctor Who season, but with reservations. As great as Capaldi was, the most recent season didn't grab me as much as others had in the past. But I'm very curious to see where they will take things.

19dudes22
set. 12, 2015, 6:50 am

Happy new thread! I always enjoy looking through a thread's book list at the start of a new thread.

20rabbitprincess
set. 12, 2015, 11:09 am

>13 MissWatson: Thanks! It's also fun to go browsing for a new thread topper. :)

>14 DeltaQueen50: >15 leslie.98: Thank you!

>16 mstrust: I look forward to providing them!

>17 mamzel: Haha! That would be very satisfying. I watch Doctor Who on the Space channel here and enjoy fast-forwarding/leaving the room when the hosts of InnerSpace come on to inform us just how "geeky" and excited they are about the show. Yes, so am I, so give me the show instead of prattling on mindlessly!

>18 andreablythe: I'm really looking forward to an episode later this season that will allegedly feature Peter Capaldi as the ONLY character. Last season felt like "The Clara Oswald Show Occasionally Featuring This Guy Called The Doctor, You May Have Heard of Him?", so an episode without Clara would be refreshing.

>19 dudes22: Thanks! Yes, it's fun to see what all has been read over the course of the year. Also kind of alarming for me when I read the list and some of the items on it take a bit longer for me to remember ;)

****

Decided to read my September book early for a change!

The Beast of Babylon, by Charlie Higson

Category: Doctor Who
Source: Doctor Who box set
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/115001946

That ended up being pretty good! Also, more companions like Ali, please.

21paruline
set. 12, 2015, 12:19 pm

Yeah new thread!

22andreablythe
set. 14, 2015, 12:25 pm

>20 rabbitprincess:
Yeah. I never watched the Eleventh Doctor (I know! I know!), so I don't know how Clara interacted with him, but I'm not that into her as a companion. I don't hate her the way some people do, but she doesn't appeal to me that much, especially with Capaldi, so maybe that's part of why I wasn't that into the last season.

23rabbitprincess
set. 14, 2015, 4:49 pm

>21 paruline: Yay!! :)

>22 andreablythe: That's allowed! :) My BF has never watched the Tenth Doctor, himself. As for Clara, "hate" is too mild a word to describe my opinion of her. Last season I would read recaps before watching the episodes so that I would know just how annoying she would be and be prepared.

24rabbitprincess
set. 15, 2015, 2:46 pm

If you ever find yourself in Bath, England (aka the home of all things Jane Austen), I strongly recommend indulging in a Book Spa at Mr. B's Emporium of Reading Delights. This afternoon I spent a couple of hours chatting with a highly knowledgeable member of staff about all things bookish and getting a big stack of books to check out and potentially take home with me. All this while drinking tea and eating some delicious chocolate cake!

The stack of books was high and some of the decisions were difficult, but I ended up walking away with the following:

The Great Fire of London, by Samuel Pepys (part of the Penguin "Little Black Classics" series)
The Missing, by Tim Gautreaux
Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie
The Saga of Gosta Berling, by Selma Lagerlof (translated by Paul Norlen)
The Lost Books of the Odyssey, by Zachary Mason
The Gospel of Loki, by Joanne M. Harris
We, the Drowned, by Carsten Jensen (translated by Charlotte Barslund and Emma Ryder)

I am so excited about all of these books. The Jensen especially is making me want to drop everything and read it immediately.

And even better, I'll get an email with the list of other books I didn't end up taking home, in case I want to hunt them up elsewhere at another time.

So yes, it has been a highly successful day in Bath. This is probably also going to be a significant chunk of my book-buying for the whole trip, and there's still a week and a half to go ;)

25mstrust
set. 15, 2015, 4:00 pm

Oooh, I'm so filled with envy! I see you got an hour to discuss books with a staff member (can such a fun job exist) and I want to know all: what books you talked about, what tea you drank, what was the lighting like, the temperature of the room... and I'm glad you're having a great time!

26DeltaQueen50
set. 15, 2015, 6:24 pm

Now that sounds like the perfect way to shop for books! (Especially the chocolate cake and tea) :)

27VioletBramble
set. 15, 2015, 11:21 pm

>25 mstrust: That sounds like one of the best jobs ever.

>20 rabbitprincess: Will you get to see the premiere of Doctor Who while you're in England? Very cool.
I'm hoping this series will not be a repeat of the Clara show. I wish she had left as planned. I'm impatiently waiting for the return of River Song at Christmas.

28mysterymax
set. 16, 2015, 9:51 am

I think I got hit by a BB with the Jensen book. Sounds wonderful. I can tell you are having a great time. Hope you are remembering your 'summit' friends as you enjoy all those wonderful tea stops complete with books. Maybe next year we should carry your luggage!

29rabbitprincess
set. 16, 2015, 4:13 pm

>25 mstrust: It does seem like a really fun job! To answer your other questions:
- other books discussed included the MaddAddam trilogy, Alias Grace, An Amorous Discourse in the Suburbs of Hell, Vampires in the Lemon Grove, Signs Preceding the End of the World, The Song of Achilles, The Little Stranger, and The Night Watch
- the tea was black, I assume an English Breakfast or orange pekoe
- lighting was bright, because it was still afternoon
- room temp was normal although I was a bit warm from drinking all that tea :)

>26 DeltaQueen50: Indeed! There were also comfy leather chairs on hand, although I preferred to sit on the floor surrounded by stacks of books.

>27 VioletBramble: Same here! Argh. I have been informed that she is reportedly leaving, although it's almost like crying wolf at this point since she's nearly left several times.
My family will probably watch the premiere but I haven't decided whether I will or whether I should read spoilers and wait until I get back.

>28 mysterymax: I sure am thinking of my summit friends! I also found a book stall at the Bath Market that we would have liked.

****

Today we left Bath and headed to Salisbury, but not before stumbling upon a very well-stocked book stall at the Bath Market. Bought two books that I thought were on my list (but actually neither were):

A Three-Pipe Problem, by Julian Symons
Doctor Who and the Crusaders, by David Whitaker

If I hadn't just been to the book spa, I would have bought a lot more!

30Helenliz
set. 16, 2015, 4:37 pm

A book spa?! That's my birthday present sorted! Perfect way to while away some time. And Bath is beautiful (if hilly).

31rabbitprincess
set. 17, 2015, 4:19 am

>30 Helenliz: It would be an excellent birthday present! Or even a gift to yourself, as mine was ;)

Bath is indeed beautiful. Lovely architecture!

32mstrust
set. 17, 2015, 12:21 pm

Thanks for all the info! You know how to travel!

33-Eva-
set. 18, 2015, 5:13 pm

Oops, almost missed the new thread. Careless! :)

34rabbitprincess
set. 18, 2015, 6:34 pm

>32 mstrust: At least when it comes to bookshops ;)

>33 -Eva-: *waves* Yup, decided to sneak in another little one before the end of the year.

****

Haven't bought any more books since my last update, which is a good thing for my suitcase. Going to have to haul everything out and repack to ensure that the weight is distributed evenly. But I did manage to lighten the load by removing this book:

Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall, by Spike Milligan

Category: Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life
Source: adopted from a coworker doing a book purge (always happy to help)
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/80729702

35mathgirl40
set. 18, 2015, 7:44 pm

I agree about Murder on the Orient Express. I've seen at least a couple of film adaptations and I thought the book was better.

Sounds like you're having a great time in England. I loved Bath and Salisbury when our family visited 7 years ago, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to explore the book shops.

36rabbitprincess
Editat: set. 22, 2015, 4:21 am

>35 mathgirl40: My BF wants to see the Albert Finney version but we haven't found a way to watch it without purchasing a DVD. And even then he might have to go through Amazon, which I would prefer to avoid if possible.

And yep, we are having a great time :) I've explored bookshops in Portsmouth and Falmouth now and was successful in each. Really hoping we don't find too many more bookshops!

****

Bought two more books since my last update:

Malice Aforethought, by Francis Iles -- Adelphi Books, Portsmouth
Death of an Airman, by Christopher St. John Sprigg -- Falmouth Bookseller, Falmouth

Yesterday was a very long travel day so I managed to get some reading done and to start thinking about reviews for two more books I've finished on the trip:

Still Midnight, by Denise Mina

Category: The Field of Blood
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/121094326

I continue to devour Denise Mina's books. Not too many mystery authors can make me compulsively plow through multiple consecutive installments; usually I space them out as much as possible. All this to say I expect to be borrowing The End of the Wasp Season very soon ;)

Dead Water, by Ngaio Marsh

Category: Wasps' Nest (square: TBR First Lines)
Source: L'Armee du Salut, Montreal
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70474013

A better Ngaio Marsh than I've read recently, so that was good. I did find it hard to focus but that could also have been my general restlessness while travelling on the train.

37RidgewayGirl
set. 22, 2015, 2:24 am

Glad to not be the only person hooked on Mina.

38lkernagh
set. 25, 2015, 5:14 pm

Better late than never with my happy new thread wishes. Looks like you have been scoring the book purchases during your trip across the pond!

39rabbitprincess
set. 26, 2015, 3:30 pm

>37 RidgewayGirl: She seems to be a well-kept secret! I mentioned her to my Book Spa facilitator in response to the question of "what books have you found particularly exciting in the past month". Had to spread the love!

>38 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori! It has been a successful trip. Haven't bought any books in the past few days, although there is always a chance I might pick some up tomorrow. We go home on Monday.

****

This entry is brought to you from Plymouth, aka the land of gin and Sir Francis Drake. It's a lovely city but we are just stopping through on our way to Windsor (tomorrow) and home (Monday -- we fly out of Heathrow so very handy to be at Windsor the day before). We'll have to come back sometime and visit this city properly.

While we were still in Cornwall, I finished the third book in the Poldark series:

Jeremy Poldark, by Winston Graham

Category: The Musketeers
Source: Phoenix Books, Owen Sound, ON
Rating; 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119422108

The blurb was slightly misleading in that it conflated two significant events. For most of the book Demelza is pregnant with the title character, and it is true that she is pregnant with him while Ross is on trial. However, she's not THAT pregnant at the time -- she's only a few months along, not ready to pop any minute! But still, a great book, and I can't wait to see it on the screen as part of Poldark Season 2, which is filming now!

40rabbitprincess
set. 30, 2015, 6:25 pm

No further books bought on our trip ("whew!", said my suitcase). We arrived home on Monday, I went back to work today (after a recovery day of sorts yesterday), and now it's the end of September. How did THAT happen?! Time for a recap.

September recap

Double digits, but a quieter reading month: 10 books read.

Where the Shadows Lie, by Michael Ridpath
Ashes to Dust, by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (trans. Philip Roughton)
Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned, by Alan Alda (audio, read by Alan Alda)
Kensington Palace: The Official Illustrated History, by Edward Impey
Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie (reread)
The Beast of Babylon, by Charlie Higson (Doctor Who box set #9)
Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall, by Spike Milligan
Still Midnight, by Denise Mina
Dead Water, by Ngaio Marsh
Jeremy Poldark, by Winston Graham

My favourite book of the month was Still Midnight, by Denise Mina. More impulse mystery reading.

My least favourite book was Dead Water, by Ngaio Marsh. It was only a 3-star book, and that's better than the past two Marshes I've read, so this is more a case of "less good" than outright bad.

Of my September plans, I haven't actually finished any of the books I'd intended to read, but two are in progress. I'm reading my RandomCAT book on the bus and have been working my way through my HistoryCAT choice on my iPad (which is actually easier to read than my fragile old copy, so I might continue with it.) And as predicted, I really enjoyed reading Ashes to Dust.

Currently reading

David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens -- my September HistoryCAT selection. It is indeed populated with very colourful characters. Thanks, paruline, for the endorsement! :) I'm somewhere around Chapter 18… and there are something like 60 chapters? This might turn into a "read a chapter a night and two on the weekends" kind of deal.
Floodgate, by Alistair MacLean -- my September RandomCAT selection (the weather word is "flood"). The idea behind the plot is great but the dialogue is ridiculous. Still, not his worst. That honour has to go to Goodbye California.
The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century, by Steven Pinker -- I really want to cut down the on-deck pile, and this was at the top of it. A bedside book, probably. The Dickens may end up being my "evening" book.

I am also debating whether to try to read Bad Pharma, by Ben Goldacre, before it's due back at the library on Saturday.

October plans

HistoryCAT: Arthur and George, by Julian Barnes -- George Edalji's conviction occurred in the second half of the 19th century, so even though Arthur Conan Doyle didn't get involved until the very early 1900s, I'm counting it for this challenge. Also, the library just ordered the DVD of the recent TV adaptation and I need to get a move on and read it!
RandomCAT: The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck -- My "in the steps of a friend" book is a book that my boyfriend, who doesn't often read for pleasure, has actually read. I also considered Anna Karenina, but he hasn't finished that one -- the bookmark is still in it ;)
SFFFCAT: The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman -- A nice short urban/contemporary fantasy book to balance out some of the heavier books.
Group read: No group reads scheduled again!

On the library front, I am expecting a boatload of new books to come in. I had to suspend rather a lot of holds while on vacation and they are slowly being reactivated. These include a lot of suspense novels by women crime writers: two omnibuses of four novels each are both on their way, and Patricia Highsmith's The Two Faces of January is ready for pickup. So it will be a great month for women's fiction around here!

The October Doctor Who story has a suitably spooky title for the Tenth Doctor's adventure: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage.

This month's DVD pile might end up being a big one as well. In transit right now is a collection of Joan Hickson Marples, and the recent BBC adaptation of Jamaica Inn. So even more support for women writers! :D

41RidgewayGirl
oct. 1, 2015, 3:37 pm

Yes, the library holds tend to come in herds.

And you've got two fantastic books up this month with Arthur and George and The Grapes of Wrath. When you finish the Steinbeck, I recommend reading Obscene in the Extreme, which is about his writing of the book, but mostly about the reaction to his book in the area of California where it takes place. It's fascinating stuff.

42cbl_tn
oct. 1, 2015, 6:54 pm

Hi RP! I love Windsor! It was just about my favorite place to go on a day trip when I lived in England. And the book spa sounds like bliss. :-)

43rabbitprincess
oct. 1, 2015, 9:22 pm

>41 RidgewayGirl: And this is despite my attempting to stagger the activation dates a bit! Fortunately some won't be reactivated until mid-October. The two suspense writer omnibuses have arrived and I think you might like them -- they're edited by the same person who put together Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives (which I still have to read!)

Wow, I didn't know Grapes of Wrath was so controversial in the area where it was set! I'll have to keep an eye out for Obscene in the Extreme.

Arthur and George is ready to go for my bus ride tomorrow!

>42 cbl_tn: Windsor was lovely! The Queen wasn't home, so we got to tour the State Apartments. I especially liked the Waterloo Chamber and St. George's Hall. They also had a photo exhibit set up in the quadrangle to commemorate the fact that she is now the longest reigning monarch of England.

The book spa was bliss indeed. I do recommend it if you're planning to visit that part of the UK. They did pretty well with me -- of all the recommendations, there was only one book I'd read! (It was The Little Stranger, which sadly I hadn't ended up liking as much as I had hoped, but it was a fair recommendation because it did sound like something I'd be interested in. So even that was pretty much on target!)

44rabbitprincess
oct. 2, 2015, 9:20 pm

While this book ended up being disappointing, I am at least glad to have read it and decided to remove it from my shelves.

Floodgate, by Alistair MacLean

Category: A Portrait of Scotland (he's a Scottish author)
Source: library book sale
Rating: 2/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/98728548

The basic idea of this story reminded me of the invasion of Canada in the 1870s. (Insert Kate Beaton comic reference here.) The premise was certainly unusual, but it was a real struggle to finish. Not my favourite MacLean.

45RidgewayGirl
oct. 3, 2015, 9:59 am

At least you can get rid of it without qualms? That leads to a certain sense of accomplishment. I recently took a bag of books to donate to a charity book sale and I felt a sense of accomplishment out of all proportion to the actual amount of work involved.

(Which also utterly ignores the fact that I will be bringing a similarly sized bag of books home with me from the book sale next weekend.)

46rabbitprincess
Editat: oct. 15, 2015, 7:10 pm

>45 RidgewayGirl: Yes, it does make me feel accomplished! As does my twice-a-year culling. I do think I've become a bit more callous though, scrutinizing the shelves for weaker or sicker members of the herd to take out.

Ooh, book sale next weekend! Have fun! I missed out on one of the big book sales here because it happened while I was out of the country, and this was really disappointing even though I'd managed to buy quite a few books on my trip.

****

I'm reviewing each of the volumes in my Women Crime Writers omnibus individually (and counting them individually in my stats, muahaha). This is the second book in the 1940s omnibus; the first, Laura, I have already read.

The Horizontal Man, by Helen Eustis

Category: Fortysomething
Source: library, part of the Women Crime Writers of the 1940s omnibus
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/122043080 (of the full omnibus)

Helen Eustis' debut won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1947. It has elements of creepiness, including the ability to give me such a bad nightmare that I had to start reading during daylight hours only, but the middle is less creepy than the beginning or the end. It's an interesting entry in the collection, but I'm not sure whether I would have gone out of my way to hunt it up.

47dudes22
oct. 4, 2015, 5:24 pm

I've been inventorying my TBR pile this week and was wondering if I should do a "culling", but decided to wait for now.

48rabbitprincess
oct. 7, 2015, 5:14 pm

>47 dudes22: There's a big used-book sale in November that I've never been to but that my coworkers assure me is amazing, so I'm thinking ahead to the extra shelf space...

Sometimes I do a preliminary cull, where books that are likely to be donated get stacked on top of one of my bookcases. Then when it's time for a book sale that wants donations, I have a pile ready for them.

49rabbitprincess
oct. 9, 2015, 7:35 pm

This is my book of the month, right here.

Arthur & George, by Julian Barnes

Category: The Musketeers
Source: BMV (Edward St.), Toronto
Rating: 5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/116825106

Loved it. Lots to think about and plenty of good quotes that will reward a rereading. And I gasped out loud at the Author's note.

Also found this when doing a search for George Edalji: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/18/arthur-conan-doyle-set-up-by-police...

50leslie.98
oct. 9, 2015, 10:06 pm

>49 rabbitprincess: Did you watch this on PBS last month? Very good 3-part dramatization I thought.

51rabbitprincess
oct. 10, 2015, 9:27 am

>50 leslie.98: Unfortunately it happened to coincide with my trip overseas so I didn't watch it, and even forgot to tape it. But I have a request in for it at the library. Glad to hear it is good!

52RidgewayGirl
oct. 10, 2015, 11:06 am

I'm so glad you liked Arthur and George. It's been years since I read it - before LT in any case, but I still remember it fondly. I may have to reread it.

53mstrust
oct. 10, 2015, 1:04 pm

>50 leslie.98: I liked it a lot too. And since I belong to a RL Sherlock club, of course I couldn't miss it.

54rabbitprincess
oct. 10, 2015, 2:58 pm

>52 RidgewayGirl: I was glad I liked it so much! I was expecting to at least find it a 3.5, but it blew me away. I also like the very handsome Vintage Canada cover design. It was a lucky find at BMV.

>53 mstrust: Did you watch it with the club? That would have been fun! :)

****

A 12th Doctor 1:6 scale action figure? I am all over this. http://www.bigchiefstudios.co.uk/collectables/doctor-who/sixth-scale-figures/12t...

55lkernagh
oct. 10, 2015, 6:54 pm

>49 rabbitprincess: - Making note of the 5 star rating for Arthur & George as I have a copy of that one waiting in the wings for me to get around to reading.

56rabbitprincess
Editat: oct. 15, 2015, 7:10 pm

>55 lkernagh: I hope you like it!

****

Finished another book in the omnibus yesterday, and despite staying up a bit late to finish, I did not have nightmares. Whew!

In a Lonely Place, by Dorothy B. Hughes

Category: Fortysomething
Source: Women Crime Writers of the 1940s omnibus
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/122043080 (of entire omnibus)

An early portrait of a serial killer, and a creepy one. Adapted into a movie with Humphrey Bogart as the main character, with a significant change: Dix Steele (Bogart) is innocent of the crimes he is accused of, whereas in the book he is guilty of them. I'm not sure I approve of this change.

57DeltaQueen50
oct. 11, 2015, 11:01 pm

I've seen the movie so I know what the change is and I have a copy of the book on my shelves so I am looking forward to it.

58mstrust
oct. 12, 2015, 11:53 am

>54 rabbitprincess: No, we didn't watch together, but you're right, that would have been fun. But we meet in restaurants because people are driving to the meetings from all over the valley.

I've read and seen the movie of In A Lonely Place too, and while I like Bogart a lot, the book was so well written that it shouldn't have been changed for the movie.

59rabbitprincess
oct. 15, 2015, 7:25 pm

>57 DeltaQueen50: Hope you like it! It was a great example of noir.

>58 mstrust: I wonder if it was changed because audiences might not have been able to accept Bogie as a serial killer? Part of me wants to see this remade properly, but another part of me thinks we have had more than enough examples of serial killer movies and we should leave well enough alone.

****

Finished the omnibus yesterday! If you want the touchstone: Women Crime Writers: Four Suspense Novels of the 1940s

The Blank Wall, by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding

Category: Fortysomething
Source: Women Crime Writers omnibus
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/122043080

This ended up being better than I expected from the summary. Also, this book taught me that there was rationing in the US during the Second World War! For some reason that surprised me. I knew Canada had rationing though.

60mathgirl40
oct. 15, 2015, 9:48 pm

I've been meaning to read more Barnes since I'd read The Sense of an Ending several years ago. I'll keep Arthur and George in mind.

61rabbitprincess
Editat: oct. 17, 2015, 8:43 pm

>60 mathgirl40: It was certainly an interesting book! Hope you like it. :)

****

Continuing my run of women crime/suspense writers with this thriller:

The Two Faces of January, by Patricia Highsmith

Category: Wasps' Nest
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/122043016

Viggo Mortensen plays Chester Macfarland in the recent movie adaptation, which is the reason I am reading the book. Now I'm not sure I can watch the movie, because Highsmith is very good at presenting situations that must be extremely painful for everyone involved. I do recommend the book, but maybe in a smaller edition, because the copy I had was a trade paperback and had very big pages and wide margins, and it made the book feel slow in places.

62mamzel
oct. 17, 2015, 11:11 pm

How did I miss that movie with Viggo?

*off to check Netflix*

63DeltaQueen50
oct. 18, 2015, 2:59 pm

>61 rabbitprincess: >62 mamzel: I was thinking the same thing! Fingers crossed that it is on Netflix!

64rabbitprincess
oct. 18, 2015, 8:18 pm

>62 mamzel: >63 DeltaQueen50: It premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2014 and has been a fairly low-key release -- I don't remember seeing it in theatres here. The library has it on DVD now, so I hope it's on Netflix for you!

65rabbitprincess
oct. 18, 2015, 9:56 pm

A most productive day today. Finished a book this morning, raked leaves over at the BFparents' this afternoon, and wrote a review this evening.

The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century, by Steven Pinker

Category: The Fifth Estate
Source: The Book Company (a Chapters store), Ottawa
Rating: 5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119074138

If we do a Secret Santa at the office this year and I get my fellow editor in the draw, she's getting a copy of this. And she's going to guess the Santa right away because I've been gushing about this book to her over the past week or so. But it's such a good book! I particularly liked the chapter on coherence and the idea of "the curse of knowledge". This will definitely be re-read many times.

66thornton37814
oct. 19, 2015, 9:52 am

>65 rabbitprincess: Thanks for the gift idea! I know someone who really might appreciate that one for Christmas.

67rabbitprincess
oct. 24, 2015, 11:09 am

>66 thornton37814: You're welcome! I hope they like it. :)

****

All has been quiet here, except that I have accrued a massive stack of library books and a total of 20 items checked out (either books or DVDs). Going to have to get cracking to get them all read and watched! Fortunately, two of the books are graphic novels, so those won't take too long. Others might have to be returned and re-requested, but I'll figure that out once their due dates approach.

And of course, because I have library books to read, I'm reading my own books on the bus!

Faithful Place, by Tana French

Category: Wasps' Nest
Source: Book Bazaar
Rating: 5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119684179

Wavered between a 4.5 and a 5 because Frank can make for an uncomfortable protagonist, but the whole book was so consistently tense and emotional that I had to give it the full 5. I also appreciated its shorter length, at least in the edition I had. Many thanks to luvamystery65 for mentioning this on her thread recently and prompting me to move it up the pile!

68dudes22
oct. 24, 2015, 3:02 pm

Faithful Place is next up for me in the series. Can't say I liked Frank all that much in the last book, so I wasn't in that much of a rush to read this one. But knowing it's a 4.5-5 might have me changing my mind. It's not in my TBR pile though so I might wait until next year.

69RidgewayGirl
oct. 24, 2015, 3:06 pm

I like that French takes someone who was a jerk in a previous book and makes them the main character. She does this brilliantly in Broken Harbor.

70dudes22
oct. 24, 2015, 3:07 pm

Ok - now I have to read this one to get to that one.

71rabbitprincess
oct. 25, 2015, 10:41 am

>68 dudes22: >70 dudes22: Yep, Frank can still be a jerk at times in this one, but the story kept me going. Seeing his family in this one may perhaps shed a light on how he became the person he is... and that was another interesting angle, thinking about families and how strong a pull they can have on you, even when you don't want them to.

>69 RidgewayGirl: Now I have to add Broken Harbor to the on-deck pile! And it looks like The Secret Place is in paperback now, so will have to grab a copy of that too, assuming my mum doesn't buy it first. I am trying to synchronize our libraries but with limited success so far.

****

My mum texted me a couple of days ago informing me that I need to read Warleggan immediately, because SOMETHING HAPPENS that she needs to discuss with someone. This request made me happy (the thing that happens is apparently not so great... it was accompanied by a crying emoji). With luck, I'll get to it before Christmas.

72luvamystery65
oct. 25, 2015, 3:33 pm

>67 rabbitprincess: You're welcome! Faithful Place was so good. None of the characters were completely likable but French still manages to make you care about the story.

>69 RidgewayGirl: Ooh!

Looks like we might be doing a shared read of Broken Harbor RP. Let me know when you want to get around to it.

73-Eva-
oct. 25, 2015, 9:11 pm

"that she needs to discuss with someone"
Haha, my mum does that too!

74rabbitprincess
oct. 25, 2015, 10:38 pm

>72 luvamystery65: It's on the pile now but I would not be surprised if I did not get to it until after Christmas or into the new year. Will keep you posted :)

>73 -Eva-: I'm just glad my mum isn't into a series with a high body count, like Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead. I'd be getting a lot of texts! ;)

When I called my parents yesterday, my mum was in the background asking "Did you read Warleggan yet?" Mum, I can't read THAT quickly!

****

Finished another bedside book.

I Think You'll Find It's a Bit More Complicated Than That, by Ben Goldacre

Category: Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/122135807

This is a great book for reading in chunks. I ended up gobbling entire sections in one sitting instead of just one column at a time. And I'd love the cover on a T-shirt. (Ben Goldacre's website does have the name of the book available on a T-shirt, but I didn't see it done in the style of the book cover. I love the pretty colours.)

75-Eva-
oct. 26, 2015, 1:07 am

>74 rabbitprincess:

Haha!

The last season of Downton Abbey is being shown in Sweden now, so she keeps hinting at stuff she will want to talk about once it's being shown here. I told her to just make a list instead of teasing me, but no such luck! :)

76rabbitprincess
Editat: oct. 31, 2015, 10:39 am

>75 -Eva-: Downton is popular at my parents' as well, but they're in Canada so they won't get it for another couple of months. They take forever to watch Doctor Who though, so I get my own back by teasing them about things on that show ;) A list would be a great idea!

****

For once I am actually reading a challenge book within the assigned month! Thanks, SFFFCAT.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman

Category: Doctor Who
Source: Chaptigo (bought in the presence of paruline!)
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/99601059

This book had a really creepy atmosphere, which was exactly what I hoped. I still like Neverwhere better, but this was pretty good too.

77rabbitprincess
oct. 31, 2015, 1:13 pm

A flurry of reviews to wind up October. Recap post to follow later today.

Strange Shores, by Arnaldur Indridason (translated by Victoria Cribb)

Category: Wasps' Nest
Source: Chaptigo
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/101986994

I can see why my manager found this a bit slow. I should probably have read it sooner myself, when I had more impetus to complete it. Still, worth reading.

The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil, by Stephen Collins

Category: Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/122325317

I heard about this from at least one other person in the Category Challenge and was surprised to see the library had ordered it. Glad they did -- it was weird and really neat.

The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage, by Derek Landy

Category: Doctor Who
Source: 12 Doctors, 12 Stories box set
Rating: 5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/115001960

This is the 10th Doctor's story in the 12 Doctors, 12 Stories box set and my favourite of the collection. There was a lot of laughing out loud and reading bits aloud to whoever happened to be in the room.

78rabbitprincess
oct. 31, 2015, 4:06 pm

October recap

My total of 13 books this month was helped greatly by reading an omnibus of crime fiction and counting each book in the omnibus individually.

Floodgate, by Alistair MacLean
The Horizontal Man, by Helen Eustis (part of the Women Crime Writers 1940s omnibus)
Arthur & George, by Julian Barnes
In a Lonely Place, by Dorothy B. Hughes (part of the Women Crime Writers 1940s omnibus)
The Blank Wall, by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding (part of the Women Crime Writers omnibus)
The Two Faces of January, by Patricia Highsmith
The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century, by Steven Pinker
Faithful Place, by Tana French
I Think You'll Find It's a Bit More Complicated Than That, by Ben Goldacre
The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman
Strange Shores, by Arnaldur Indridason (translated by Victoria Cribb)
The Gigantic Beard that Was Evil, by Stephen Collins
The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage, by Derek Landy (Doctor Who box set #10)

My favourite book of the month was Arthur & George, by Julian Barnes. Looking forward to rereading it and to watching the TV adaptation.

My least favourite book was Floodgate, by Alistair MacLean. Working my way through his oeuvre, I am discovering that he has a talent for devising plots but the execution can sometimes leave something to be desired.

Of my October plans, I've decided to count Arthur & George for November's HistoryCAT instead, because it fits the time period better, so I am at least ahead of the game for that month ;) I did read The Ocean at the End of the Lane for the SFFFCAT, and The Grapes of Wrath is in my purse ready to serve as a bus book soon. And I did manage to get through one of the women crime writer omnibuses -- the other was returned to be requested at a later date.

Currently reading

David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens -- I'm up to Chapter 25 and plan to make some more headway today.
Secret Warriors: Key Scientists, Code Breakers and Propagandists of the Great War, by Taylor Downing -- one of my many library books. Haven't met too many scientists yet, but the early days of aviation have been discussed in detail.
Fighting in Flanders: Gas, Mud, Memory, by Mélanie Morin-Pelletier -- the catalogue intended to accompany the exhibition of the same name at the Canadian War Museum. I am kicking myself for having missed the exhibition, but am glad the library ordered a copy of the catalogue.
How the Light Gets In, by Louise Penny -- cueing up my bus book for next week. I borrowed this from my parents and they are intending to visit soon, so I hope to be able to return it when they come up.

November plans

HistoryCAT: As mentioned, counting Arthur & George for this one instead. I could also count Secret Warriors, I guess.
RandomCAT: A March on London, by G.A. Henty -- a old-fashioned historical children's book.
SFFFCAT: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, by Douglas Adams -- a full-cast audio dramatization featuring Billy Boyd. This works for the "puzzles" aspect of this month's theme, as LittleTaiko pointed out. :)
Group reads: I am shadowing the British Authors' Challenge in the 75 Books group and have lined up Memento Mori, by Muriel Spark.

The library book I am most looking forward to reading this month is Seeing Things As They Are, a collection of George Orwell's essays. I also have a collection of London-based crime stories called Capital Crimes that looks interesting, and finally got a copy of The Last Confession, which I saw in Toronto in 2014 (starring David Suchet!).

In November, we'll be visiting the Eleventh Doctor at Nothing O'Clock, in a story written by Neil Gaiman.

DVD-wise, I have more Marple mysteries to watch -- Joan Hickson is perfect! And I have Season 1 of Halt and Catch Fire to try, as well as assorted documentaries.

79VioletBramble
nov. 1, 2015, 9:58 pm

Yay! I'm glad you liked The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage. I thought it was the most fun read out of the 50th anniversary books. I still haven't read the 12th Doctor book though.

80luvamystery65
nov. 1, 2015, 10:21 pm

I picked up a couple of Christmas mysteries at Murder by the Book this weekend. In case you missed it, this is my annual "hint" "hint" that you please host the Christmas Murder Mystery thread! ;-)

81RidgewayGirl
nov. 2, 2015, 8:41 am

Have you finished Warleggan yet?

82leslie.98
nov. 2, 2015, 12:08 pm

>78 rabbitprincess:. You have some good books in your currently reading list! I think David Copperfield is my favorite Dickens (though that changes with my mood!). And I couldn't put How the Light Gets In down - enjoy!

83rabbitprincess
nov. 2, 2015, 5:25 pm

>79 VioletBramble: I agree with your assessment! I laughed SO HARD at the part where the sparkly vampire appears, and Martha says something to the effect of "Don't you dare judge me." And overall it was just a hoot.

>80 luvamystery65: Hint taken! I shall post it the day after American Thanksgiving :)

>81 RidgewayGirl: Hahahaha! It will enter my bus-book rotation sometime this week, so it's getting closer.

>82 leslie.98: I'm really enjoying How the Light Gets In! I started it yesterday and am already on Chapter 26.

84luvamystery65
nov. 2, 2015, 5:51 pm

Happy Dance!!!

85rabbitprincess
nov. 3, 2015, 9:07 pm

>84 luvamystery65: Glad to serve! :)

****

Still chipping away at the library backlog, this time by zipping through the shorter books.

Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, by Roz Chast

Category: Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/122380868

I think I saw this on LittleTaiko's thread. It was very good, and very true. Recommended.

Fighting in Flanders: Gas. Mud. Memory., by Mélanie Morin-Pelletier

Category: The Musketeers
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/122325296

A little exhibition catalogue published by the Canadian War Museum. Should have gone to see the exhibit but never did. It was probably better.

86rabbitprincess
Editat: nov. 7, 2015, 8:35 pm

As chronicled in my Charity Shop group thread, I went to a new-to-me book sale today with some friends and coworkers. The pickings were very, very good. Note: the Twelfth Doctor action figure beside the pile is approximately 1 foot tall (it's a 1:6 scale model, and Peter Capaldi is about 6 feet).



Book titles:

The Blue Ice, by Hammond Innes
Campbell's Kingdom, by Hammond Innes
Night Without End, by Alistair MacLean
Seawitch, by Alistair Maclean
Spinsters in Jeopardy, by Ngaio Marsh
'Til Death, by Ed McBain
Last Leaves, by Stephen Leacock
My Discovery of England, by Stephen Leacock
Billy Boyle, by James R. Benn
Sharpe's Tiger, by Bernard Cornwell
Niccolo Rising, by Dorothy Dunnett
Island: The Collected Stories of Alistair MacLeod, by Alistair MacLeod

My coworkers had never been to a book sale with me before and were a bit surprised by the scale of my plundering. But I saw people carrying full boxes around -- I just had a medium-size tote bag.

****

It's been somewhat of a busy week, so I'm only just now getting around to putting up reviews.

Secret Warriors: Key Scientists, Code Breakers and Propagandists of the Great War, by Taylor Downing

Category: The Musketeers
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/122162104

Not bad, but definitely a book you can skip around in. I was most interested in the medical chapters.

How the Light Gets In, by Louise Penny

Category: Wasps' Nest
Source: borrowed from parents
Rating: 5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119456857

I was reading this on my lunch break one day and nearly yelled "WHAT THE SHIT?!" out loud. That's how intense this book got. Much better than The Beautiful Mystery. Wraps things up nicely (but the series continues...).

87-Eva-
nov. 7, 2015, 8:32 pm

"were a bit surprised by the scale of my plundering"
Congrats on coming out as a bookoholic! :) Great loot!

88rabbitprincess
nov. 7, 2015, 8:41 pm

>87 -Eva-: And most of that was from just one section! The sale had a really good selection of mysteries and thrillers, and the books overall were in very good condition.

I fully expect to be teased about my book pillaging on Monday :)

89lkernagh
nov. 8, 2015, 1:28 am

Love the "loot" and the Twelfth Doctor action figure. ;-)

90dudes22
nov. 8, 2015, 5:18 am

I don't think 12 is too many. I'd be happy if I could keep it that low.

91RidgewayGirl
nov. 8, 2015, 8:09 am

That is a modest book haul. Small, but fine. At the last sale I went to, I came home with eleven and felt very proud of my restraint, especially given that one of the books was for my husband.

92rabbitprincess
nov. 8, 2015, 9:21 am

>89 lkernagh: Thanks! I have been having a lot of fun with this action figure. Last night we watched Doctor Who together :)

>90 dudes22: Yep, there was still room in the bag! There were SO many good books at that sale, including some nicer copies of books I already own.

>91 RidgewayGirl: And it turns out that half of them were already on my to-read list, which makes me feel even more virtuous!
Great restraint on your part! Books for other people don't count in your totals, so really you only came home with 10.

93mysterymax
nov. 8, 2015, 11:02 am

A very nice collection, congrats. I think How the Light Gets In is the best book in the series.

94mstrust
nov. 8, 2015, 11:07 am

That's a nice haul, and if many were on your list, consider buying them an achievement
I missed our library sale last week because they're moving them around the city.

95DeltaQueen50
nov. 8, 2015, 3:19 pm

Hooray for book hauls and isn't attending a book sale one of the best things to do on a weekend?

96VivienneR
nov. 8, 2015, 4:10 pm

A great haul of books! You should be really proud of yourself.

When my daughter-in-law went with me to the most recent book sale we bought over 100 books, but only 10 were for me. And she found hers in less time than I did. She has honed her book-buying skills to Olympic standards! Then she puts me to shame by actually reading them all, while mine are still languishing on the tbr shelves.

97rabbitprincess
nov. 8, 2015, 6:51 pm

>93 mysterymax: It is at least a very close second to Bury Your Dead, which may be my most favourite for sentimental reasons (I love Quebec City).

>94 mstrust: A moving target! I hope the next one is easier to track down.

>95 DeltaQueen50: It sure is! Even better is that all of us who met up at the sale went for lunch afterward. That was a lot of fun too.

>96 VivienneR: Wow! That is an AMAZING total. And she actually reads them all! That's the hardest part.

****

Went to see the National Theatre encore presentation of Hamlet (featuring Benedict Cumberbatch). A great cast and an excellent performance from the leading man.



We were also amused to note afterward that Polonius was played by none other than Bishop Brennan from Father Ted! I thought I recognized that voice.

98-Eva-
nov. 8, 2015, 7:19 pm

>97 rabbitprincess:
Ooh, was he as good as expected?

99cbl_tn
nov. 8, 2015, 7:53 pm

>97 rabbitprincess: Sounds like you've had a great weekend! I'd love to see Benedict Cumberbatch on stage!

I love the last couple of chapters of How the Light Gets In. It had me alternately laughing and crying. I love the bit where the Three Pines regulars pretend to go to church for choir practice (or whatever their excuse was.

100Tanya-dogearedcopy
Editat: nov. 8, 2015, 10:23 pm

>98 -Eva-: "Hamlet" is one of my favorite plays, and I see it whenever I can. I saw the Live Steam HD event a couple of weeks ago; and to say that BC was good is something of an understatement. Though I was not a fan of the way some of the characters were performed/directed (e.g. Ophelia), there was a liveliness and immediacy to BC's performance, and a way in which he seemed to have taken possession of the role which made him stand out. Hamlet was more than a sulky, moody, melancholic character: He was alive with contradictions, humor, cleverness, and a sort of desperation... :-)

101rabbitprincess
nov. 8, 2015, 8:49 pm

>98 -Eva-: I really enjoyed it! But I must be heartless because I didn't cry at the end. I think I cried for David Tennant's Hamlet.

>99 cbl_tn: I want to see it again!
When Gamache shot Francoeur, I nearly exclaimed aloud in public, complete with fist-pump. "Wooo! You get 'im!"
And yes, that scene was clever. Nichol did a good job too! :)


>100 Tanya-dogearedcopy: My friends would concur with your assessment of Ophelia. I had a hard time understanding her delivery in places. Same with Hipster Horatio.
And regarding B, I loved all the scenes involving him in that Redcoat uniform. "Words. Words. Wooooorrrrrrdddddsssss."
He also seemed to have been working out a lot, possibly for his role as Dr Strange. He had ferocious arms!

102leslie.98
nov. 8, 2015, 11:32 pm

>86 rabbitprincess: Nice haul! Have you read Hammond Innes before? I got a couple of his books during my folks' clear-out...

103-Eva-
nov. 10, 2015, 5:02 pm

>100 Tanya-dogearedcopy: & >101 rabbitprincess:
Great! I do hope I get a chance to see it.

104rabbitprincess
nov. 10, 2015, 7:19 pm

>102 leslie.98: I haven't, but I've seen a few summaries of his books at the back of old Alistair MacLean novels. Looking forward to trying his work out.

>103 -Eva-: I hope you do too! I also hope they decide to release it on DVD... it would make them a comfortable amount of money.

****

The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck

Category: Fortysomething, In the Loop
Source: belongs to the BF
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70473648

I'm glad whitewavedarling picked the theme for October and prompted me to read this book -- this is one of a select number of books my BF has actually read, so it was nice to have an in-depth book-related conversation with him as I read. This is probably my favourite of the Steinbecks I've read (the others being East of Eden and Of Mice and Men).

105rabbitprincess
nov. 12, 2015, 8:21 pm

Finished off my plays subcategory with this one, which I had the privilege of seeing in person last year.

The Last Confession, by Roger Crane

Category: Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/122516435

David Suchet really makes this play. As Benelli, the cardinal who "investigates" the death of Pope John Paul I, one can't help but be reminded of Poirot. I saw this one in 2014 when it came to Toronto, and he is magnetic.

106rabbitprincess
nov. 16, 2015, 6:33 pm

Clearing out a backlog of reviews.

Memento Mori, by Muriel Spark

Category: A Portrait of Scotland, In the Loop
Source: Friends of Library and Archives Canada book sale
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/102194362

This had its moments, but the story just kind of stopped. Hasn't deterred me from trying more Spark, though, because I did like her observations on the older generation.

The Guy on the Left: Sports Stories from the Best Seat in the House, by James Duthie

Category: The Fifth Estate
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123222685

Lots of great stories in this memoir and reliving of several historic sports moments for Canada, not least of which is the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. A fun read.

Very British Problems: Making Life Awkward for Ourselves, One Day at a Time, by Rob Temple

Category: Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123191717

This prompted many chuckles, a few instances of laughing out loud, and several trips to the commonplace book to write quotes down. Sometimes the illustrations were even funnier than the incidents they were illustrating.

107leslie.98
nov. 17, 2015, 1:26 pm

>106 rabbitprincess: I found Memento Mori a bit strange -- I much prefer the other Spark books I have read! I especially liked Loitering with Intent.

108rabbitprincess
nov. 21, 2015, 6:28 pm

>107 leslie.98: I've added Loitering with Intent to the to-read list! Thanks for the tip. :)

****

It has been a productive Saturday, by which I mean I spent the day loafing around the house, finishing up a couple of mostly-done books, whittling the to-read list down a bit, and going to the library to pick up some holds that had arrived.

I also found time to write a review.

Warleggan, by Winston Graham

Category: The Musketeers
Source: Phoenix Books, Owen Sound, Ontario
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/work/534303/reviews/119422120

If I had not been reading on the bus, there would have been a lot more yelps and exclamations directed at this book. Some surprising developments in this one. There is certainly never a dull moment in Poldark country.

109DeltaQueen50
nov. 21, 2015, 6:35 pm

>108 rabbitprincess: Even though it's been 10 years or more since I read the series, I still remember my shock and dismay over Ross' behavior. It's always a disappointment when someone we have held in some esteem turns out to have feet of clay!

110rabbitprincess
nov. 21, 2015, 6:59 pm

>109 DeltaQueen50: And I think part of me is looking ahead to Season 2 of the new adaptation, and imagining Aidan Turner saying and doing what he did... that made it even worse. I hope Ross shapes up in the next book.

111RidgewayGirl
nov. 24, 2015, 8:20 am

Up until now, I had been perfectly willing to watch the series without reading the books. I will now have to rethink that. Grrrr.

112rabbitprincess
nov. 24, 2015, 9:24 pm

>111 RidgewayGirl: I think the series has been doing a very good job, so you're probably safe to continue not reading the books, but they do make a good sweeping-you-away kind of read.

****

I've been nibbling at all sorts of books lately, partly because library deadlines are a constant threat and I'm still trying to maintain my discipline of reading off my own shelves. This is helped by reading my own books on the bus, such as this one:

The Instant Enemy, by Ross Macdonald

Category: Wasps' Nest
Source: Christmas gift 2012
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/92563856

I think mysterymax mentioned this on her thread recently, which prompted me to add it to the on-deck pile. If that was the case, I'm glad for it, because it was great! The blurb did give me some trepidation, but the story moves very quickly and it handles the subject matter decently.

113luvamystery65
nov. 24, 2015, 9:58 pm

Howdy RP! I am in for reading Broken Harbor in December. I do believe I have it in audio and print. Not sure which I'll pick yet.

114mysterymax
nov. 25, 2015, 9:22 am

>112 rabbitprincess: I'll have to go back and look to see what I said! Glad you enjoyed it though. I am a fan of Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer.

115mathgirl40
nov. 28, 2015, 9:07 pm

>86 rabbitprincess: I'm glad you felt the same way I did about How the Light Gets In. It gave such satisfying conclusions to several story arcs. "Intense" was the right word for this novel.

116rabbitprincess
nov. 29, 2015, 12:18 pm

>113 luvamystery65: Yay, looking forward to it! I am going to get through one more library book on the bus and then will be all set for Broken Harbour. :)

>114 mysterymax: I like Archer too. He seems very sensible (or maybe grounded?) in comparison to other hard-boiled PIs. He tells his story in an understated manner that works really well.

>115 mathgirl40: It was a very satisfying book!

****

As the end of the month approaches, I am experiencing the usual panic of "holy crap I have so many library books out and not enough time to read them all before they go back". Need to clone myself so that I can read all my books AND hold down a job. Maybe another clone to get through all my library DVDs...

But I did find time to finish and review these books:

Midshipman Bolitho omnibus (contains three novels), by Alexander Kent

Category: The Musketeers
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123532086

This was a satisfactory collection, but the third book was more muddled than the other two. Keeping the series on the list for undemanding comfort reading.

Nothing O'Clock, by Neil Gaiman

Category: Doctor Who
Source: Doctor Who box set
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/115001974

Delightfully creepy with a good "dun dun DUNNNNN" moment at the end. I am a sucker for that sort of ending on Doctor Who.

117rabbitprincess
nov. 30, 2015, 6:38 pm

Finished two more books for the end of the month. Here's the review for one. A monthly recap will follow later today, and the other book's review tomorrow.

Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data, by Charles Wheelan

Category: The Fifth Estate
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123275469

I have no idea how this came to my attention, but I requested it after reading Ben Goldacre's collection of essays. Worth reading, but take your time over it.

118cbl_tn
nov. 30, 2015, 7:00 pm

>116 rabbitprincess: Need to clone myself so that I can read all my books AND hold down a job. Maybe another clone to get through all my library DVDs...

If you figure out how to do that, would you share your secret with me? I think that sounds like a great plan!

119rabbitprincess
nov. 30, 2015, 10:49 pm

>118 cbl_tn: Of course! Then all our clones can hang out together and read :)

****

November recap

Another omnibus, some shorter works and one partly read (but still reviewed) book bring my total for November to 17 books.

Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, by Roz Chast
Fighting in Flanders: Gas. Mud. Memory., by Mélanie Morin-Pelletier
Secret Warriors: Key Scientists, Code Breakers and Propagandists of the Great War, by Taylor Downing (partly read)
How the Light Gets In, by Louise Penny
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
The Last Confession, by Roger Crane
Memento Mori, by Muriel Spark
The Guy on the Left: Sports Stories from the Best Seat in the House, by James Duthie
Very British Problems: Making Life Awkward for Ourselves, One Rainy Day at a Time, by Rob Temple
Warleggan, by Winston Graham
The Instant Enemy, by Ross Macdonald
Richard Bolitho, Midshipman, by Alexander Kent (part of the Midshipman Bolitho omnibus)
Midshipman Bolitho and the Avenger, by Alexander Kent (part of the Midshipman Bolitho omnibus)
Band of Brothers, by Alexander Kent (part of the Midshipman Bolitho omnibus)
Nothing O'Clock, by Neil Gaiman (Doctor Who box set #11)
Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data, by Charles Wheelan
The Z Murders, by J. Jefferson Farjeon

My favourite book of the month was How the Light Gets In, by Louise Penny. I was thrilled to read what was in many ways a concluding volume in the series. Whether I continue the series or not, this book is a good one to end on.

My least favourite book was Band of Brothers, by Alexander Kent. This was the third book in the Midshipman Bolitho omnibus and felt muddled and disorienting in comparison to the two previous books in the omnibus.

Of my November plans, the only CAT book I've read is Memento Mori, and the only library book I listed in last month's recap that ended up getting read in its entirety was The Last Confession. This just goes to show that I am becoming allergic to planning ;)

Currently reading

David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens -- Trying to decide whether to continue, because one of the few essays I read in the George Orwell collection I borrowed gave away the ending!
The Return of the King, by JRR Tolkien -- reading for the December SFFFCAT. This will take a couple of months.
Le Misanthrope, by Molière -- trying to get my second French book in before the end of the year!
The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones -- I am gripped with a sudden desire to read a big fat history book, and this certainly fits the bill. Also, it's due back at the library soon.

December plans

HistoryCAT: Haven't really picked anything.
RandomCAT: The Red House Mystery, by A.A. Milne
SFFFCAT: The Return of the King, by JRR Tolkien
Group reads: A Place of Greater Safety, by Hilary Mantel (BAC); Ten Lords A-Leaping, by CC Benison (Christmas Murder Mystery Group Read)

I would really like to get to the biography of John le Carré I've borrowed, but failing that I will be happy to spend some time flipping through Exploring English Castles.

And in December we conclude the Doctor Who box set with Holly Black's Twelfth Doctor adventure, Lights Out.

I am also going on a huge Shakespeare binge this month on DVDs. Most looking forward to my Shakespeare's Globe productions of Macbeth and The Tempest. Now to turn down all future social commitments and watch DVDs!

120-Eva-
nov. 30, 2015, 11:21 pm

"Now to turn down all future social commitments and watch DVDs!"
I've tried that, but for some reason my friends frown on that type of behaviour... :)

121rabbitprincess
des. 2, 2015, 10:08 pm

>120 -Eva-: Maybe I should try hosting a reading party for some of my friends: BYOB, where the second B stands for Book. Lots of plush furnishings and snacks on hand, but the goal is to read together companionably.

****

Got distracted from my Shakespeare binge with other things, including the sudden urgent need to find, print out and colour a Ravenclaw crest to decorate my office with, but I did manage to get a review done for this book:

The Z Murders, by J. Jefferson Farjeon

Category: Fortysomething
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123538090

This is totally bonkers, but in a much more enjoyable way than I was expecting. JJF and I are not the best of pals, but he did a good job with this one.

122kac522
des. 3, 2015, 12:20 am

>121 rabbitprincess: BYOB--I love it! My reading group calls our December meeting "Readers Round-up" (where we each bring a book we've enjoyed during the year), but I think the BYOB might draw a bigger crowd!

123mstrust
des. 3, 2015, 11:46 am

It should be a pajama BYOBB party, so you can all have a little wine, flop onto pillows and read til you're sleepy.

124RidgewayGirl
des. 3, 2015, 11:48 am

>123 mstrust: I would enjoy that!

125LittleTaiko
des. 4, 2015, 9:17 pm

>123 mstrust: - That would be the perfect party!

126rabbitprincess
des. 5, 2015, 3:46 pm

>122 kac522: That sounds like a fun edition of the reading group! I don't do real-life book clubs where everyone reads the same book every month, but a reading group where everyone just shared what they were reading would be lots of fun. Like LT, but in real life.

>123 mstrust: >124 RidgewayGirl: >125 LittleTaiko: Excellent idea! I shall have to keep that in mind as a housewarming party for whenever we finally get a house. We don't have enough reading areas in the apartment.

****

Decided to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon reading. I had an Overdrive book due back today and then discovered it was on Project Gutenberg as well, so I read a Gutenberg copy instead. (And bonus: the formatting was better in the Gutenberg version.)

The Red House Mystery, by A.A. Milne

Category: In the Loop
Source: Project Gutenberg
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123322921

I read this for the December RandomCAT (Home for the Holidays) and found it a pleasant diversion. Started last night and finished this afternoon. Very quick once you get into it. Also some good quotes about books and browsing other people's libraries :)

127mamzel
des. 7, 2015, 11:26 am

>126 rabbitprincess: I'm surprised the Gutenberg version was better. It's been a while since I've looked at anything but what I remember is scanned pages which were very hard to read.

128rabbitprincess
des. 7, 2015, 5:29 pm

>127 mamzel: Probably "Gutenberg as filtered through iBooks" is more accurate. Overdrive doesn't always feel the most comfortable to read in.

129rabbitprincess
des. 12, 2015, 7:53 pm

I've been bogged down in the Plantagenets this week, which is why the book below is only the second I've finished this month:

Broken Harbour, by Tana French

Category: Wasps' Nest
Source: Book Bazaar, Ottawa
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119684206

Another winner from Tana French. I love how she follows different members of the Murder Squad in each book, and I love how the Irish accents of the narration linger for a while in my consciousness after I have to stop reading. Looking forward to picking up a paperback copy of The Secret Place after Christmas (or receiving it as a present... who knows?).

****

Speaking of presents, I braved the mall early this morning to do some shopping for the family. I was only partly successful, but I was very good at getting stuff for myself too. Lots of Doctor Who nerdery (two sets of earrings and two T-shirts, one of which had Peter Capaldi on it! SWOON) and a couple of items of everyday clothing.

Hoping to get out again tomorrow, list in hand, and NOT buy anything for myself. I have to finish up my friend's present because she will be going home for Christmas on Friday night!

130rabbitprincess
des. 15, 2015, 9:01 pm

Even though the weather feels more like March than December, the Christmas season continues apace. Two parties this week, and some gifts to swap (which reminds me, I still have to assemble one of them...).

Reading also continues at a slower pace than usual.

Exploring English Castles, by Edd Morris

Category: The Fifth Estate
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123693781

I was prepared to give this a higher rating, but it was brought down by some shocking spelling errors of the sort that spellchecker would not catch. Pity, because the photos are great and the text itself is laid out nicely.

And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie

Category: Local Hero
Source: Big Box o'Christies
Rating: 5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/70476346

A reread in preparation for the BBC adaptation that is slated to air over three evenings, starting on Boxing Day. Excellently done.

131rabbitprincess
des. 17, 2015, 9:30 pm

Vertigo, by Boileau-Narcejac (translated by Geoffrey Sainsbury)

Category: Fortysomething
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123740789

It was interesting to read this and try to remember how various aspects were dealt with in the movie. This taught me I really don't remember much about the movie. The obsession is much more pronounced in the book, which can be wearisome after a while, but overall I found this a good read.

132rabbitprincess
des. 19, 2015, 10:32 am

Ack! How did it get to be six days before Christmas? We have snow on the ground today but it's supposed to warm up again next week -- a high of TEN DEGREES ON CHRISTMAS EVE! A green Christmas is therefore a certainty :(

Managed to finish this book, despite it having holds at the library, thanks to an e-copy that was available.

The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made England, by Dan Jones (also subtitled as "The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England")

Category: The Musketeers
Source: library (print and Overdrive)
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123538037

Dan Jones writes well about an interesting period in English history. I especially enjoyed learning about Edward III and the beginning of the Hundred Years' War, a conflict I'd like to read more about. I also liked the annotated Further Reading section.

133DeltaQueen50
des. 19, 2015, 3:44 pm

Sorry to hear that you will be getting a green Christmas, I lived in Ottawa for a number of years way back in the 1960s and 70s and I only remember one green Christmas. It's funny green Christmas is the norm here on the West Coast and I love the mild winters, but it seems that it should be snowing in Eastern Canada.

134Tanya-dogearedcopy
Editat: des. 19, 2015, 5:07 pm

Growing up on the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., Christmas were if not snowy, at least cold! This year, my folks back home are expecting Christmas to be in the 70s (degrees Fahrenheit!) My mother was just fretting that it doesn't seem "right."

I live in the Pacific Northwest now, but more accurately, closer to Northern California. We've had three years of little rainfall or snowpack which has meant drought. In the past ten days, however, we've seen record amounts of rain and snow. Hopefully, it will continue and we'll have decent snowmelt in the Spring!

The weather is definitely conducive to snuggling in for fireside reading, hot tea, and toddies! :-)

135mysterymax
Editat: des. 19, 2015, 11:14 pm

What drives me crazy is the 60F one day and the 35F the next. I just wish it would be one or the other.

136dudes22
des. 20, 2015, 7:27 am

>135 mysterymax: - so true. Much as I like the milder weather, it should be cold. Yesterday was the first day I wore gloves and earmuffs to walk the dog.

137rabbitprincess
des. 20, 2015, 11:35 am

>133 DeltaQueen50: Ah, you would have been here for that really snowy winter -- 1970-71 I think? That was a record breaker!

>134 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I agree with your mother! It feels very strange to be able to go outside without a hat and gloves, and to wear shoes instead of boots, and the lighter coat.

Hoping you continue to accrue precipitation and get a good snowmelt in the spring to eliminate the drought!

>135 mysterymax:, 136 Yes! These fluctuations must be confusing the heck out of nature, too. This morning I saw a very fat squirrel out and about -- it was obviously prepared for hibernation, but the poor thing is going to be boiling on Thursday with the projected high of 10 degrees!

****

Another partly read book to add to the total.

Dreamstreets: A Journey Through Britain's Village Utopias, by Jacqueline Yallop

Category: The Fifth Estate
Source: library
Rating: 2.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/123981802

I read only the last two chapters because the book was due back soon and those were the most interesting places to me (Port Sunlight in Liverpool and Portmeirion in Gwynedd). Almost liked it, but not quite.

138Tanya-dogearedcopy
des. 20, 2015, 2:51 pm

>137 rabbitprincess: Today, I can only laugh, or else I would cry: We now have flood warnings, and three highways & the pass are closed! It reminds me of the saying, "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!"

139rabbitprincess
des. 20, 2015, 4:05 pm

>138 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Oh no!!! The weather does not do a very good job of spreading precipitation out evenly!

140mysterymax
des. 20, 2015, 11:21 pm

We did get about half an inch of snow, but your rain is on its way here... supposed to rain off and on pretty well all week.

141DeltaQueen50
des. 21, 2015, 1:15 am

>137 rabbitprincess: Yes, I do remember that year. Lots and lots of snow! I left in 1974, moved out west, first to Victoria and then to Vancouver and have stayed put ever since.

142lkernagh
des. 22, 2015, 9:48 pm

Stopping by to get caught up and you got me with the BYOB.... love it!

>130 rabbitprincess: - "Even though the weather feels more like March than December," Yup... Crazy weather this December. Sorry to see you will be having a Green Christmas. That is the usual here on the island. At least my parents will have a white Christmas as Calgary currently has snow and the temps are expected to stay below freezing until Boxing Day when a potential Chinook might breeze through and melt all the white stuff away. Now, that is my idea of a White Christmas: "Snow for Christmas and then gone." :-)

I thought the island was going to be in for a potential drought next summer after the hot dry summer we had this year but apparently not. The reservoir that supplies water for the area is already at 100% capacity and flowing spill off water into the Sooke River.

143MissWatson
des. 23, 2015, 6:59 am

Wishing you a very lovely holiday season and lots of exciting books for the new Year!

144rabbitprincess
Editat: des. 23, 2015, 8:53 pm

>140 mysterymax: Yep, it's been raining off and on all week here, too. High of +16 tomorrow, then when I come home on Monday the overnight low will be -15. Crazy weather.

>141 DeltaQueen50: This year has given me a taste of what winter must be normally like for you guys! A couple of my colleagues lived in Victoria at some point and they say this is the sort of winter they remember.

>142 lkernagh: Yes, I definitely think there should be snow at Christmas! Doesn't feel the same without it. I considered postponing Christmas to the Greek Orthodox Christmas in January so that there'd be more chance of snow...

>143 MissWatson: Thank you, and the same to you! :)

****

Today was very foggy, to go with all of our delightful rain that we've been experiencing. I'm heading home tomorrow for the long weekend -- Friday is Christmas and then we get Monday off to substitute for Boxing Day, which falls on Saturday. I decided this year was my turn to work on Christmas Eve as I have never done so before!

And speaking of Christmas, here is my group read for the Christmas mystery/gift thread:

Ten Lords a-Leaping, by CC Benison

Category: In the Loop
Source: Christmas gift 2013
Rating: 2/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/104608090

This book did not need to be 500 pages. Also, while I enjoyed seeing Jane Bee playing a key role in this mystery, this book just served to remind me how much I miss her. Might be due for another go through that series.

145mysterymax
des. 24, 2015, 10:36 am

Happy holidays and New Year.

146paruline
des. 24, 2015, 2:54 pm

Feels weird to wish you a Merry Chrismas with the spring-like weather but here I go anyway: Merry Christmas and safe travels!

147VivienneR
des. 24, 2015, 3:05 pm

>144 rabbitprincess: There is lots of snow around here! (South-eastern BC)

Merry Christmas!

148rabbitprincess
des. 24, 2015, 4:13 pm

>145 mysterymax: Thank you, and the same to you!

>146 paruline: I know right? It got up to 17 this morning! Would be great weather for March. I am on the train now and it is reasonably full but not too bad.

>147 VivienneR: I'll be right over ;)

149luvamystery65
des. 24, 2015, 4:14 pm



Merry Christmas

150lkernagh
des. 24, 2015, 4:50 pm

Stopping by to wish you the very best this holiday season, RP!

151rabbitprincess
des. 24, 2015, 5:44 pm

>149 luvamystery65: >150 lkernagh: Thank you both for the holiday greetings!

152dudes22
des. 25, 2015, 7:23 am

Merry Christmas, RP!

153rabbitprincess
des. 25, 2015, 3:05 pm

>152 dudes22: Thanks, Betty!

****

In the spirit of my 2016 challenge, here is Jackson Lake (David Morrissey) to wish you all a merry Christmas!



This Christmas has been more abbreviated than usual, because my brother has to work today. He works at the movie theatre and it has been very busy with the new Star Wars film. He had a late shift yesterday and an early shift today, and by extension so did we. This morning we just opened our stockings; we'll probably do the presents under the tree tomorrow.

This means I have only one new book to report so far: The Santa Klaus Murder, by Mavis Doriel Hay, in the very handsome British Library Crime Classics edition.

Once my brother went to work, we all went back to bed and had a nice nap. Thus refreshed, I was able to pen the following review:

To Love and Be Wise, by Josephine Tey

Category: Wasps' Nest
Source: borrowed from parents
Rating: 3/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/119456528

I liked how this was written but am still not entirely sure I understood what happened at the end. Not a Tey to start out with.

154cbl_tn
des. 25, 2015, 3:09 pm

Merry Christmas RP! I'm envious of your gift book. I didn't receive any books, and The Santa Klaus Murder is on my wishlist.

155Helenliz
des. 25, 2015, 3:16 pm

Seem to be a trend, I bought The Santa Klaus Murder for my husband. Which means I'll get to it shortly. What's his is mine and all that jazz >;-)

156VivienneR
des. 25, 2015, 3:37 pm

>155 Helenliz: Smart move! I've used that technique too.

157rabbitprincess
des. 26, 2015, 11:27 am

>154 cbl_tn: Merry Christmas! I ended up receiving fewer books than usual but that is probably because I just keep going out and buying them for myself. Hope you have a chance to treat yourself to some books.

>155 Helenliz: and >156 VivienneR: Very smart! Must admit that a couple of gifts to my family were bought in that spirit :)

****

A few more books to report:

Sherlock: Chronicles, by Steve Tribe
Franklin's Lost Ship, by John Geiger
Baking with Mary Berry, by Mary Berry

158VioletBramble
des. 26, 2015, 9:31 pm

Happy Holidays RP! Sounds like you had a good Christmas.

159-Eva-
des. 27, 2015, 5:48 pm

How nice that you got to spend Christmas with family, even if it was an abbreviated version. Happy Holidays!

160rabbitprincess
Editat: des. 27, 2015, 6:05 pm

>158 VioletBramble: >159 -Eva-: Thanks, and to you as well!

>158 VioletBramble: Yep, it was a pretty good Christmas.

>159 -Eva-: Going home tomorrow! A whirlwind visit.

****

Today we went into Toronto to see the Pompeii exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum. It was all right but very crowded (the tickets were timed), and more intended for the casual visitor than someone who knows a bit about the topic. My parents then checked out the rest of the museum while my brother and I went to the BMV bookstore at Bloor and Brunswick. Naturally, this meant a few Doctor Who books followed me home...

Fear of the Dark, by Trevor Baxendale (a Fifth Doctor story that apparently was on my to-read list already! Bonus)
The Sands of Time, by Justin Richards (another Fifth Doctor story, part of the Monsters collection)
The Androids of Tara, by Terrance Dicks (a Fourth Doctor story in the classic Target series of novelizations)

161-Eva-
des. 27, 2015, 8:06 pm

>160 rabbitprincess:
I wonder if that's the same exhibit I saw last year at the California Science Center - SO fascinating!

162dudes22
des. 28, 2015, 8:10 am

I read Pompei by Robert Harris a few years ago and found it very interesting. I'll bet that exhibit was great!

163RidgewayGirl
des. 28, 2015, 9:04 am

The stuff in the National Museum in Naples from Pompeii and Herculaneum is fascinating. Did they include any of the glass objects deformed by the heat of the ash?

164rabbitprincess
des. 28, 2015, 10:13 am

>161 -Eva-: A quick glance at the press release for the California Science Center exhibit suggests that they're not the same. The Toronto one didn't have many simulations and no replica of a brothel (although it did have a little corner about "sex in the city"). The California one does sound really neat!

>162 dudes22: Pompeii the book was really interesting! The part with the actual eruption was very well done; he captured the dread and horror that the Pompeians must have felt as darkness fell over the city and rocks rained down from the sky.

>163 RidgewayGirl: Yes, they did have a few of those, but they stated that the deformation may have been caused by the objects being trapped in an enclosed space with some sort of combustible material, e.g. an oil lamp in a cupboard that got knocked over from all the shaking and volcanic activity.

165mstrust
des. 28, 2015, 1:58 pm

It's been a few years, but I loved the section of the Royal Ontario Museum devoted to all the sea creatures. I have a small collection of photos of that room.

166-Eva-
des. 28, 2015, 11:34 pm

>164 rabbitprincess:
The line into the brothel section was looong - it had a lot of erotica and for some reason a lot of people seemed particularly interested in those art pieces... :)

167rabbitprincess
des. 29, 2015, 5:40 pm

>165 mstrust: I think the last time I visited the ROM was when my age was still in single digits. Sea creatures would be very interesting! My parents checked out the Egyptian gallery and the dinosaurs.

>166 -Eva-: Haha I wonder why!

****

Boo! I got a cold for Christmas :( Stayed home today and spent the afternoon going through my currently reading pile and whittle it down. Discarded three books and read a fourth from cover to cover.

Books I discarded:

The Skeleton Road, by Val McDermid (not categorized) -- seemed like it was going to be more about the Balkans than about Edinburgh. I also found the description a bit clunky.
Le Misanthrope, by Molière (categorized under The Musketeers) -- I found the French verse very heavy going for some reason. Not sure if reading an English translation would be more effective.
A March on London, by G.A. Henty (categorized under In the Loop, as it was read for the November RandomCAT, "Read a book with a city in the title") -- boring. Every single character talked in long flowery historical speeches. Dan Jones' history of the Plantagenets tells the story of this era with much less fuss.

The book I read from cover to cover:

Lights Out, by Holly Black

Category: Doctor Who
Source: Doctor Who box set
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/115001987

Twelve is in fine form in this one, and mercifully Mary Sue Clara is not actually in this story. (She does get name-checked, annoyingly, but at least she isn't here.)

168VivienneR
des. 31, 2015, 5:20 pm

169rabbitprincess
des. 31, 2015, 6:31 pm

>168 VivienneR: Thanks, Vivienne! Can't believe it's the end of 2015 already!

****

A busy agenda around these parts. First, the last two books of the year. Second, my December recap. Third, a brief year-end recap with the best of the best.

****

My last two books of the challenge are similar in the sense that they are non-fiction written by women and deal with dead people. I am also sneakily using them to fill the last two squares on my Wasps' Nest challenge.

A Very British Murder, by Lucy Worsley

Category: Wasps' Nest (features the courts and justice system)
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/124244725

The book was produced to accompany a BBC Four series. I watched the first episode but strangely enough found the book better, at least for the days of Georgian and Victorian crime. You might not need to read it if you've read The Invention of Murder, but still enjoyable.

Down Among the Dead Men: A Year in the Life of a Mortuary Technician, by Michelle Williams

Category: Wasps' Nest (with the word "men" in the title)
Source: library
Rating: 2.5/5
Review: http://www.librarything.com/review/124244779

The actual descriptions of life in the mortuary are interesting (and hand-clapped-to-mouth horrifying), but the personal anecdotes seem irrelevant and shallow in comparison. The writing style also sounded unpolished. I had my imaginary red pencil in hand imagining how this could have been tightened up and told more vividly.

170rabbitprincess
des. 31, 2015, 6:48 pm

December recap

This month didn't feel like a productive reading month. A lot of my time was taken up with The Plantagenets and doing all that Christmas stuff. But a burst of energy in abandoning books, plus some quality time with the sofa while I recovered from a cold enabled me to end the month with 13 books.

The Red House Mystery, by A.A. Milne
Broken Harbour, by Tana French
Exploring English Castles: Evocative, Romantic, and Mysterious True Tales of the Kings and Queens of the British Isles, by Edd Morris
Ten Little Indians, by Agatha Christie (reread)
Vertigo, by Boileau-Narcejac (translated by Geoffrey Sainsbury)
The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made England, by Dan Jones
Ten Lords a-Leaping, by C.C. Benison
To Love and Be Wise, by Josephine Tey
Lights Out, by Holly Black (Doctor Who box set #12)
Le Misanthrope, ou L'Atrabilaire Amoureux, by Moliere
A March on London, by G.A. Henty
A Very British Murder, by Lucy Worsley
Down Among the Dead Men: A Year in the Life of a Mortuary Technician, by Michelle Williams

My favourite book of the month was Broken Harbour, by Tana French. I am so glad to have discovered the Dublin Murder Squad series, although next year I will probably be up to date if I read The Secret Place! Yikes.

My least favourite book was Le Misanthrope, by Molière. This is probably not very fair to him, because I was reading in my second language, but I didn't find the edition I was reading particularly helpful for explaining the text. I'll try again with an English translation, or ideally a side-by-side version with old and new French.

Of my December plans, I read my RandomCAT selection and a book for the Christmas murder mystery thread. I also finished off my Doctor Who collection and did flip through the coffee-table book about castles, although it ended up not being really to my taste.

Currently reading

David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens -- I'm at Chapter 33! Just over halfway through! This is a project and a half.
The Return of the King, by JRR Tolkien -- This is sitting on my bedside table waiting to be read. I might have read it over the past couple of nights but was sleeping on the couch with my yucky cold.
Death of an Airman, by Christopher St. John Sprigg -- The first of my 2016 Pool books! I am so excited to read this.

January plans

I've decided the only challenge plans I'm going to list are the RandomCAT and Group Reads. All other challenge books will be read whenever I feel like them. In that spirit, I hope to be starting City of Death on audio for the RandomCAT (I share it with one other person).

To make up for what can seem like somewhat perfunctory plans, I'll change up this part of my recap to list all of the library books waiting to be read (gulp).

The Dark Winter, by David Mark (first in the Aector McAvoy series)
Blood Sisters, by Sarah Gristwood (borrowed after reading The Plantagenets)
The Friends of Eddie Coyle, by George V. Higgins (from the US/UK combined Top 100 crime novels list)
Meltwater, by Michael Ridpath (from the Fire and Ice series)
Memoirs of an Infantry Officer, by Siegfried Sassoon (I already renewed this once…)
Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery, by Henry Marsh (this looks so good!)
Red Arctic, by Richard Rohmer (totally cheesy-looking thriller that fairly leaped off the shelves at me)
Underground, Overground: A Passenger's History of the Tube, by Andrew Martin (was kind of surprised the library ordered this, but great!)
A Shameful Murder, by Cora Harrison (begins a new series set in Cork in the 1920s -- and it's actually an Overdrive e-book, but I used a notebook to create a physical placeholder for it on my library shelf so that I would remember to read it)

And we're beginning 2016 with a small stack of library DVDs: Roman Holiday for the mister and Animal Misfits for me.

171rabbitprincess
Editat: des. 31, 2015, 7:53 pm

The year-end wrap-up

Total books read: 159

Category totals (these may add up to more than 159 because I posted a few in multiple categories):
Fortysomething (general fiction): 15
Wasps' Nest (mystery): 40
The Musketeers (history, HistoryCAT and French): 28 (=17 history, 9 HistoryCAT, 2 French)
Doctor Who (SFF, SFFFCAT): 23 (=16 SFF, 7 SFFFCAT)
Local Hero (rereads): 9
A Portrait of Scotland (books by Scottish authors, Scottish mysteries): 13 (=5 Scottish authors, 8 Scottish mysteries)
Dreamboys (audiobooks): 2
Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life (plays, poetry, short stories, essays, GNs): 16 (=3 plays, 13 other genres)
The Fifth Estate (non-fiction): 19
In the Loop (group reads and RandomCAT): 20 (=8 group reads and 12 RandomCAT)

I'm surprised that my Scottish numbers aren't higher, and the SFFFCAT was by far my lowest participation rate. But I am glad I made time for the RandomCAT each month (or at least managed to read something for each of the months). I am hoping that my strategy of reading the non-RandomCAT challenge books whenever I feel like it will boost my participation rate.

And while I did find the bingo card a bit of fun for the mystery category, I'm not posting it next year. I'll keep a copy on my computer and use it as an idea generator, but I won't be enslaved to it. (I'm using the BingoDOG and WomenBingoPUP cards the same way -- not playing along, but they did help me generate the 2016 pool.)

Now for my favourites of the year, the top five in each quarter.

Picks of Q1 (Jan-Mar)
Bred in the Bone, by Christopher Brookmyre (review)
The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham (review)
MaddAddam, by Margaret Atwood (review)
The Long Shadow: The Legacies of the Great War in the Twentieth Century, by David Reynolds (review)
The House on the Strand, by Daphne du Maurier (review)

Picks of Q2 (Apr-Jun)
How to Build a Girl, by Caitlin Moran (review)
No Safe House, by Linwood Barclay (review)
Ross Poldark, by Winston Graham (review)
Mr. Mercedes, by Stephen King (review)
Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen (review)

Picks of Q3 (Jul-Sep)
Slip of the Knife, by Denise Mina (review)
Finders Keepers, by Stephen King (review)
Still Midnight, by Denise Mina (review)
The Golden Age of Murder, by Martin Edwards (review)
Demelza, by Winston Graham (review)

Picks of Q4 (Oct-Dec)
Arthur and George, by Julian Barnes (review)
How the Light Gets In, by Louise Penny (review)
Broken Harbour, by Tana French (review)
The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage, by Derek Landy (review)
The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century, by Steven Pinker (review)

Thanks for playing along with my Peter Capaldi challenge. See you in 2016 on the David Morrissey Challenge. Play us out, Peter!

Los Straitjackets - Soul'd Lang Syne (I know Peter does not actually play on this song, but it is time-of-year appropriate.)


172paruline
des. 31, 2015, 8:11 pm

Congratulations! 159 is a great number of books!

173rabbitprincess
gen. 1, 2016, 11:00 am

>172 paruline: Thanks, and happy new year!

174mathgirl40
gen. 1, 2016, 8:18 pm

>171 rabbitprincess: Looks like you had a very good reading year!

Glad to hear you're having a good holiday. The ROM and BMV are among my favourite Toronto places.

See you over in the 2016 group!

175rabbitprincess
gen. 1, 2016, 10:50 pm

>174 mathgirl40: I did indeed, on both counts. I got a longer holiday than anticipated -- was supposed to be back at work Tuesday but have been sick all this week! Argh.

Onward and upward!