lit_chick's 2015 Reading (5)

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lit_chick's 2015 Reading (5)

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1lit_chick
Editat: gen. 2, 2016, 1:07 am

Welcome to 2015's literary adventures, everyone. All aboard!

I live in British Columbia’s very beautiful Okanagan Valley. My thread toppers this year will feature paintings of the area by local artist Angela Roth McIntosh.



Angela Roth McIntosh, Munson's Mountain, Okanagan Lake




December
52. The Chimes, Charles Dickens
51. Rivals, Jilly Cooper
50. Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts

November
49. Let the Great World Spin, Colum McCann
48. The Silkworm, Robert Galbraith
47. All Change, Elizabeth Jane Howard
46. The Green Road, Anne Enright

October
45. Casting Off, Elizabeth Jane Howard
44. If I Fall, I Die, Michael Christie
43. The Man Who Went Up in Smoke, Maj Sjöwall/Per Wahlöö
42. Confusion, Elizabeth Jane Howard
41. The Tie That Binds, Kent Haruf

September
40. Marking Time, Elizabeth Jane Howard
39. The Illuminations, Andrew O'Hagan
38. A Spool of Blue Thread, Anne Tyler

August
37. Indian Horse, Richard Wagamese
36. Roseanna, Maj Sjöwall/Per Wahlöö
35. The Light Years, Elizabeth Jane Howard
34. The Mystery at Lilac Inn, Carolyn Keene

July
33. Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton
32. The Paper Moon, Andrea Camilleri
31. The End of Absence, Michael Harris
30. Black Skies, Arnaldur Indridason
29. The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert

June
28. A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Backman
27. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L'Engle

May
26. Tom's Midnight Garden, Philippa Pearce
25. A Week in Winter, Maeve Binchy

April
24. Chi Running, Danny Dreyer
23. The Lincoln Lawyer, Michael Connelly
22. Three Day Road, Joseph Boyden
21. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain

March
20. The Railway Children, E. Nesbit
19. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
18. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. The Corinthian, Georgette Heyer
16. The Secret of the Old Clock, Carolyn Keene

February
15. Galore, Michael Crummey
14. Rescue, Anita Shreve
13. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
12. The Patience of the Spider, Andrea Camilleri
11. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, Maggie O'Farrell
10. Rounding the Mark, Andrea Camilleri

January
9. The Smell of the Night, Andrea Camilleri
8. Excursion to Tindari, Andrea Cmailleri
7. A House in the Sky, Amanda Lindhout
6. The Postmistress, Sarah Blake
5. The Voice of the Violin, Andrea Camilleri
4. Us, David Nicholls
3. The Snack Thief, Andrea Camilleri
2. A Land More Kind Than Home, Wiley Cash
1. The Terra-Cotta Dog, Andrea Camilleri

2lit_chick
Editat: oct. 11, 2015, 9:24 pm

42.
Confusion, Elizabeth Jane Howard



Rating: 4.5/5

2014, Audible Inc., Read by Jill Balcon

Book Description: adapted from Amazon.ca
Set in London and the English countryside, Confusion opens in the spring of 1942, and continues the saga of the Cazalets begun in The Light Years and Marking Time. Much of the story focuses on the eldest Cazalet cousins, Louise, Polly and Clary, as they exit their teens and take their first steps into adulthood. Former acting student Louise has been swept into a brilliant but chilly marriage to Michael Hadleigh, a glamorous portrait painter and aspiring Member of Parliament whose life is controlled by his powerful mother. Best friends Polly and Clary leave the cozy confines of the Cazalets’ country home to begin what they hope will be terribly grown-up lives in London. While Polly mourns the recent death of her mother, Clary keeps a journal that she hopes to give to her father, who has been missing since the invasion of Normandy. Alternating with the cousins' stories are chapters devoted to the rest of the Cazalet clan, their friends and lovers, bringing readers up to date on the doings of adulterous Edward, his dutiful spinster sister Rachel, her loving best friend Margot Sidney and others. Howard creates a nearly palpaple world, peopled with the sort of well-conceived characters that linger long in the reader's mind.

My Review:
Confusion is a novel most aptly named. In fact, confusion abounds – not only about the prolonged war and Rupert’s whereabouts, but personal confusion as well, mostly to do with love and relationships. The tone here is somber and uncertain – and it occurred to me often throughout the novel that Howard has done a brilliant job reflecting the tone of history in the personal lives of her characters. Louise, conflicted by the state of her chilly marriage, becomes careless and begins acting out in ways I think she may well later regret. Polly is devastated by misplaced first love; and even Clary, so endearing with her enthusiastic journaling for Rupert, is unable to prevent herself from falling into hopelessness – or at least grave doubt.

Delightful, and highly recommended! Indeed, I find Howard’s characters lingering long in my thoughts. So much so, that I’ve found myself thirsting for the next in the series with each consecutive read. On that note, here comes Casting Off.

3BLBera
oct. 11, 2015, 10:09 pm

Happy new thread, Nancy. I'm enjoying your comments on the Cazalet saga -- you're making me want to read them again. I haven't read the fifth one, yet. Maybe I'll get to it this year.

4LizzieD
oct. 11, 2015, 10:17 pm

Happy New Thread, Nancy!
You're now officially ahead of me since I haven't read Confusion yet. I've skimmed your review and look forward to the book. Thanks!

5AMQS
oct. 11, 2015, 10:37 pm

Happy new thread to you, and happy, happy Thanksgiving!

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy can I not find the Cazalet books!? Seems so awfully unfair:(

From your previous thread" I just love Haruf. There's something about his writing that just grabs me and doesn't let go. Yes, exactly!

6Familyhistorian
oct. 11, 2015, 11:17 pm

Happy Thanksgiving and happy new thread!

7lit_chick
oct. 12, 2015, 12:24 am

>3 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. Good to have another Cazalet fan on board. This series was another gift from LT: I learned about the Cazalets on Heather's thread.

>4 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. I am quite sure you will enjoy Confusion.

>5 AMQS: Thank you, Anne. It's most unfair that you cannot find the Cazalet books! Will your local library order them for you? Yes, oh yes, to all things Haruf!

>6 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg from Coquitlam! A local girl! (relatively speaking, of course, LOL).

8vancouverdeb
oct. 12, 2015, 12:49 am

Oh! A brand new thread! Happy new thread. I hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving! Great review of Confusion. Like you, I'm really stuck in a series, my Maisie Dobbs series. My serious literary self wanted to read something of gravity, but my read for entertainment self decided to start Pardonable Lies. I'll try to alternate for awhile. :)

9ctpress
oct. 12, 2015, 6:09 am

Happy new thread, Nancy - and once again a beautiful top picture.

You make me want to join the Cazalets more and more. Great review. Great to know this series exist for a rainy day (or rainy season).

10charl08
oct. 12, 2015, 6:10 am

Gorgeous painting again. I was struck how much darker this one seems than the others you've posted.

Happy new thread!

11lit_chick
oct. 12, 2015, 12:14 pm

>8 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. Thanksgiving was lovely; I hope your was, too. Love this!: My serious literary self wanted to read something of gravity, but my read for entertainment self decided to start Pardonable Lies. I always know I'm about to have a great deal of fun when my read for entertainment self is at the helm!

>9 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten. I do so hope you'll join the Cazalet crew : ). Deb has purchased the first of these, too! I am loving the series on audio. Jill Balcon is a narrator extraordinaire!

>10 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. Yes, the same thing struck me about this particular painting, so I thought it worked well for fall coming into winter.

12johnsimpson
oct. 12, 2015, 3:48 pm

Happy new thread Nancy and another great thread topper, I love this lady's art work. Hope you are having a good Monday my dear.

13Donna828
oct. 12, 2015, 4:06 pm

I love the McIntosh in your opener, Nancy. Is that writing on the mountain? I can't make it out too well if it is. Perhaps it's in code?

I always forget that Canadians have their Thanksgiving in October. I may join in next year as our American Thanksgiving is just a precursor to Black Friday sales. I am so not into shopping anymore since I have Amazon Prime. I'd prefer that Thanksgiving be recognized for what it is…a day set aside to be thankful. And to eat lots of good food, of course!

I wish you wouldn't tempt me with a new series like that. I will write it in pencil on my WL. I have so many books to read before I can even think about it, but I am a sucker for historical sagas. This one looks good.

14lit_chick
oct. 12, 2015, 8:09 pm

>12 johnsimpson: Thank you, John. I too love McIntosh's paintings of the Okanagan.

>13 Donna828: Thanks, Donna. Yes, the writing on the mountain says Pentiction, which is the name of a city at the south end of Okanagan Lake. I live at the north end of the Lake, but some distance away -- the lake is enormous at 135 km long!

It's true our Thanksgiving is much earlier than yours. But I like it that way: much more separation from the Christmas holiday and from, as you point out, the precursor to the mad shopping.

I so understand writing in pencil on your WL! I do think the Cazalets is a series you would enjoy, being a sucker for historical sagas and all. No pressure, LOL!

15LizzieD
oct. 12, 2015, 9:47 pm

I'm not going to win any friends here, but the reason I didn't power through the Cazalets is that I had just finished Mary Hocking's absolutely wonderful trilogy about the Fairley family, beginning with Good Daughters. It is similar in time and superficially in treatment to the Cazalets, and I think that the writing is a shade better.
(Not shopping for Christmas at Thanksgiving EVER!!!!!)

16lit_chick
oct. 13, 2015, 10:01 am

>15 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, you've hit me squarely with a BB for Hocking's trilogy about the Fairley family. Have just looked these up: Good Daughters, Indifferent Heroes, and Welcome Strangers. I've discovered that I love to lose myself in a great series, reading them one after the next.

17lkernagh
oct. 14, 2015, 9:43 am

Happy new thread, Nancy! I wasn't expecting to get hit with a BB right on the second post, though. ;-)

18mdoris
oct. 14, 2015, 9:34 pm

Hi Nancy,
Thanks for the visit. You have been reading lots of wonderful books and I have been following your reviews with great enthusiasm. I loved your reference to the "entertaining self" being at the helm. Oh the pressures of so much choice.

I think i'm still full of turkey dinner!

19vancouverdeb
oct. 15, 2015, 1:28 am

Just stopping by to say hi. I had not realized that letters on the hill spelled Penticton. It has been a while since I have visited the Okanagan,but yes indeed, the Okanagan Lake is a large and long and beautiful lake. As beautiful as the Vancouver area is, I do think you live the second most beautiful part of B.C. And at least you have a drier climate. As per usual I was out walking the dog, having spent eons blowing drying my hair quite straight and using my straightening iron on my hair, only to find that upon returning home that the whole mop had waved and curled in the most unflattering way. I really should give up. LOL!

20lit_chick
oct. 15, 2015, 11:16 am

>17 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori. You would enjoy the Cazalets! And I know you listen to audiobooks. Jill Balcon is an exceptional narrator.

>18 mdoris: Hi Mary, thank you. It was Deb who coined entertaining self and literary self, and they are great expressions, aren't they?

>19 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, the Okanagan is the most beautiful part of BC, with Vancouver coming in second, LOL! Seriously, our province has many, many beautiful regions … really like driving through several provinces in terms of geography and climate. Oh you make me laugh with trying to keep your hair straight in your always-rainy climate! Lovely as Vancouver is, I don't think I could take the constant damp.

21lit_chick
Editat: oct. 18, 2015, 12:19 am

43.
The Man Who Went Up in Smoke, Maj Sjöwall/Per Wahlöö



Rating: 3.5/5

Book Description: adapted from Amazon.ca
Beck’s summer vacation is abruptly terminated when the top brass at the foreign office pack him off to Budapest to search for Alf Matsson, a well-known Swedish journalist who has vanished. Beck investigates viperous Eastern European underworld figures and – at the risk of his life – stumbles upon the international racket in which Matsson was involved. With the coolly efficient local police on his side and a predatory nymphet on his tail, Beck pursues a case whose international implications grow with each new clue.

My Review:
There are lots of twists and turns here, and definitely something rotten! Matsson, who Beck will discover was well-dressed but a boor and a nasty drunk, had been seen in Budapest by five people: a passport officer, two taxi drivers and two hotel receptionists. However, he has seemingly went up in smoke. He did leave one single clue behind: the key to his hotel room, found on the steps outside the police station. What? Beck is on the case and on the move – and he’ll have an interesting time losing the predatory nymphet on his tail. There was some interesting reading!

Didn’t enjoy this one as much as Roseanna, but I do very much like the character, Martin Beck. He’s smart, professional, and a straight shooter. Will read more!

22PaulCranswick
oct. 17, 2015, 9:52 pm

Nancy, the Martin Beck series was the true start of the Scandi craze only it took more than a decade for everyone to catch on!

Have a lovely weekend.

23lit_chick
oct. 18, 2015, 12:21 am

>22 PaulCranswick: Paul, I didn't realize it was this series that kicked off the Scandi-Crime craze! In that case, I absolutely must continue reading. Thanks for that.

24vancouverdeb
Editat: oct. 18, 2015, 1:10 am

Glad you enjoyed The Man Who Went Up in Smoke, Nancy. Eventually I will get to read my copy of Roseanna, which is a book bullet I received from you. I'm loving and enjoying Pardonable Lies. I should be finished it by now - but I am caught in election fever and my silly watching of the Big Bang Theory DVD's as I just realized after 9 season of the show playing on TV that I find it hilarious. I can tell that besides voting on Monday, my butt will parked on the couch watching the election. Anyone but Harper, and as I don't watch hockey, politics is my vice. I think I may have driven those around me with my " political talk.' No worse than discussing hockey teams, I think, but much more interesting! :)

I have a couple of books from the library, His Whole Life by Elizabeth Hay, as well as Fifteen Dogs, Daddy Lenin, all of them on one of the Giller / Rogers/ Scotiabank Can Lit prize lists, so I am trying to read one of those next.

Hmmm a predatory nymphet.. sounds interesting! Nice review!

25lit_chick
oct. 18, 2015, 2:53 am

>24 vancouverdeb: Deb, I'm looking forward to getting to Maisie Dobbs! Don't know whether I'll get to the series this year, probably not. Want to finish the Cazalets first. I've discovered my library has a nice collection of these audiobooks, so I'm going that route.

Have wondered about His Whole Life. Will wait on your assessment of that one. I really enjoyed Hay's Late Nights on Air: very genuine portrayal of Canada's North, I thought.

Election fever, eh? I voted in advance polls, and I don't have cable vision any more. Still, I can probably watch the coverage online I would expect. And yes, anyone but Harper!

26BLBera
oct. 18, 2015, 12:52 pm

Hi Nancy - I loved the Beck series -- it gets better and better. I have been looking at Late Nights on Air lately; I think I will try to get to it soon.

27Familyhistorian
oct. 18, 2015, 1:56 pm

The predatory nymphet caught my eye too. Tomorrow should be interesting and I agree anyone but Harper. I just hope he doesn't get in because the vote gets split between the NDP and Liberals! I also want to see if BC will have an impact on the election this time for a change. The party leaders seem to think so because they are all here today.

28ctpress
oct. 18, 2015, 5:38 pm

Thanks for that review, Nancy. LOL. Glad you're enjoying original Scandic-Crime - A "predatory nymphet on his tale" sounds straight out of a Marlowe-crime :)

I have problems finishing Hypothermia. I upgraded my iPhone to ios9 and now the app to the danish library ebooks and audiobooks doesn't work. Just as Erlendur was about to get very close to another family secret. I guess I have to go down to the old library and see if I can lend a "real" book. Ah, well, one has to support the librarians now and then so they don't get all lonely.

29lit_chick
oct. 18, 2015, 10:20 pm

>26 BLBera: Hi Beth, I remember you endorsing the Beck series, which was one of the reasons I picked it up! I think you would enjoy Late Nights on Air.

>27 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg, when I red predatory nymphet in the review at Amazon, it made me chuckle : ). Yes, I noticed that our aspiring political leaders are in BC today.

>28 ctpress: Hi Carsten, you has the same chuckle about the nymphet! Not a feature one expects in a crime story, ha! Argh, IOS 9 update sounds like a frustrating experience. I hope you enjoy saying hello to your local librarians : ).

30vancouverdeb
Editat: oct. 19, 2015, 12:06 am

>28 ctpress: Why I am afraid to upgrade my I phone! :) Oh the election, on the phone to a couple of people today , to make sure they had a ride to vote. Oh I am so into it!!!!! Any one but Harper and I think it is looking good, but never count your chickens before they are hatched . Sad to say that my sons are among the " disaffected youth" who do not think it worth it to vote. How did I go so wrong when I brought them up, Nancy?? I think I might faint if I saw Trudeau in the flesh!!!! :) But I was too lazy to go to Surrey - such a long drive etc. At the start of the election I had thought Trudeau was more of just a pretty face. Now that I have followed the debates etc quite closely I'm convinced otherwise, though if Mulcair gets in I'll live just fine too. But Harper............... "not morally fit to lead the country" as one of his defector's said today! :)

31charl08
oct. 19, 2015, 6:11 am

>28 ctpress: Oh no! That's a technology fail for sure. Hope you were able to get hold of a hard copy.

32lit_chick
oct. 19, 2015, 10:40 am

>30 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, you must give your sons a ride to the polling station, LOL! I think Trudeau has done a good job of engaging the young vote, which makes this election the more exciting. Unfortunately, I also do not believe that Harper is morally fit to lead the country. You know the old adage: Power corrupts. And absolute power corrupts absolutely.

>31 charl08: Technology fail, indeed, if my books won't work on my devices!

33ctpress
oct. 19, 2015, 11:06 am

Happy election, Deborah :)

I usually wait to upgrade until a .1 is ready (9.1), but as I just bought a new iphone it was already installed on it. Works ok besides this annoying error with the library app. Hopefully apple or the library will fix the bug soon.

I got a copy now so I can finish the book.

34lit_chick
Editat: oct. 19, 2015, 3:51 pm

>33 ctpress: That's a good strategy: to wait until a .1 update is available before updating. At least you found a library copy so you can finish Hypothermia, Carsten!

35Familyhistorian
oct. 20, 2015, 12:49 am

Well it looks like the election was all over but the crying before it got to BC. We will have to see how our ridings shake out.

36lit_chick
oct. 20, 2015, 10:38 am

>35 Familyhistorian: Exactly, Meg. Just now checking the BC ridings over morning coffee.

37vancouverdeb
oct. 20, 2015, 5:00 pm

One of my son's and his wife actually voted for the " correct party" all on their own! I had offered my mom a ride, but she walked. So we got out there. Sadly my MP lost by 242 votes. Perhaps a recount will happen. But federally the correct party got in, in my view! I am so secretive. LOL!

38lit_chick
oct. 20, 2015, 5:18 pm

>37 vancouverdeb: Yes, the correct party got in according to my view as well, Deb. Phew!

39lit_chick
oct. 20, 2015, 5:26 pm

Canada elected a new first family last night! This is an older photo; Justin and Sophie now have a third child who is 18 months:

40Familyhistorian
oct. 21, 2015, 10:15 am

>39 lit_chick: A lot different than the photos of our previous Prime Minister!

41vancouverdeb
oct. 22, 2015, 11:53 pm

So happy to have sent you a couple of book bullets, Nancy:) I hope your enjoy the Maisie Dobbs series and feel happy with yourself for biting the bullet with Fifteen Dogs.

42lit_chick
oct. 23, 2015, 11:39 am

>40 Familyhistorian: Exactly, Meg!

>41 vancouverdeb: Bang, bang, Deb! Quite certain I'll enjoy the Maisie Dobbs series. I've requested Fifteen Dogs from the library, but I've got 38 readers in front of me, so that one will be a wait.

43vancouverdeb
Editat: oct. 23, 2015, 10:23 pm

Nancy I'll get back to my thread soon. The reason that the name Andre Alexis might seem familiar to you is that he was shortlisted for some Can Lit prize last year, Pastoral, which I read and reasonably enjoyed. I had a sad night last night. I heard a sound like my car starting outside, but thinking that we are in a townhouse , I figured it must just be the people next door having someone dropped off . But it seemed to start to stop a couple of times, so I went and opened the door to see MY CAR being driven away by thieves/ thief. I am pretty shocked and sad , though I know it's a common kind of thing. It was an older car and but it ran well and all I can say is I am shocked and not happy. I could not quite believe my eyes. So, no reading got done. I really hope it turns up in good shape, but who knows. The cops came last night etc , did the ICBC thing etc, but I am hoping that they find it, rather than I get a small payout and we have to purchase a new second hand car. DRAT!

44lkernagh
oct. 24, 2015, 12:42 am

>43 vancouverdeb: - OMG on the car theft, Deb! I totally hear you on the ICBC small payout. I was the victim of a rear end collision 9-years ago and the result was that the car was deemed by ICBC to be a write-off. It was an older car with hard to replace parts but we took exceptional issue with the fact that ICBC came up with a settlement based on the resale value of the same make and model car in New Jersey. Yup, New Jersey. U.S.A. When we provided sales evidence of the same make and model car here on the island - at a considerably higher payout amount for ICBC - they didn't want to know. In fact, they got down right bitchy about the whole situation. Their software system at the time - which may be the same now - takes the lowest re-sale price that it finds anywhere in North America, regardless of the fact that resale prices vary across North America. I wish you all the best of luck in the return of your stolen vehicle.

Before I forget.... Happy weekend, Nancy!

45PaulCranswick
oct. 24, 2015, 10:53 am

Hope you don't have Deb's car, Nancy!

Have a great weekend. xx

46lit_chick
oct. 24, 2015, 1:03 pm

>43 vancouverdeb: OMG, Deb, on your car having been stolen! I also hope it turns up in decent shape, but I fear otherwise. You're right about the small payout from ICBC on an older car, but do keep me posted! Thinking of you.

>44 lkernagh: Hi Lori, I had the same experience as you did, being rear-ended in an old car several years ago. I drove a little Toyota Tercel for 21 years! Bought it new, treated it well, and it was a gem. When I was rear-ended, I thought the worst, that my experience would mirror yours, and that ICBC would surely write it off, being 15 or so years old at the time. But my experience both surprised and delighted me! I had a great adjustor, and he found parts from wherever he could, including demolition yards, in order to keep my car on the road. I was so grateful.

>45 PaulCranswick: Shh, Paul! You troublemaker!

47lkernagh
oct. 24, 2015, 5:34 pm

So glad to see your ICBC experience was better than mine was, Nancy!

48lit_chick
oct. 24, 2015, 7:50 pm

>47 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori. These experiences shouldn't depend on which adjustor one talks to, but it seems they do. ICBC needs to do more to let the vehicle owner decide on the fate of the vehicle.

49lit_chick
Editat: oct. 30, 2015, 11:04 am

44.
If I Fall, I Die, Michael Christie



Rating: 3.5/5

“Of course He’d considered going Outside thousands of times – as he’d considered executing a standing double backflip or walking around with his feet magnetized to the ceiling or chainsawing a trapdoor in the floor – but had never dared.” (5)

Young Will has never been Outside, at least for as long as he can remember. He’s happy, for the most part, tucked safely Inside the Thunder Bay home he shares with his mother, Diane – a loving, but eccentric and off-the-charts agoraphobe, who fears even the thought of opening the front door. Finally, however, Will can no longer be contained. He ventures first into the back yard, then into the neighbourhood, later to the public school, and at last, to the place his mother fears most, the place where bad things happen – to the habour front. Will meets two local, native boys Outside, Marcus and Jonah. It is after Marcus goes missing, that Will convinces Jonah to investigate with him, unaware, and perhaps even unconcerned, that in doing so, they will venture right into Thunder Bay’s criminal element. The question: is Diane capable of saving her son?

If I Fall, I Die caught my attention when it was longlisted for Canada’s 2015 Giller Prize. It is a debut novel and, although Christie cannot resist overwriting occasionally, it is for the most part well written. The chapters alternate effectively between Will’s Outside exploits and Diane’s Relaxation Time. Christie offers a real look at the racism and racist stereotypes which continue to burden many of Canada’s native citizens – difficulties which I expect are still in evidence in Thunder Bay, ON. At its core, If I Fall, I Die is an unconventional read about overcoming our fears and about learning when to let the ones we love fall.

Recommended: Quietly. Perhaps those looking for something different in Canadian literature, those who follow Canadian literary prize selections, and/or those who enjoyed Donahue’s Room – which this one called to mind more than once.

“He’d always known that if fear took her for good, he’d be left treading water forever in the ocean of life with nothing to buoy him.” (6)

50vancouverdeb
Editat: oct. 25, 2015, 5:03 am

Great review, Nancy and thumbed. I guess I liked a little better than you, giving it a 4 star rating. I gave it " guarded 4 stars" because I think it will have a limited appeal, though I really loved the sense of place , and the real look at the racism and racist stereotypes which continue to burden many of Canada’s native citizens . As you say, it is overwritten - or as I put it, strains credulity at times.

As for the stolen car, just a Lori said, I'm concerned about dealing with ICBC. Because it is an old car, but in very good shape , it is valuable to me, but not to ICBC. The girl I spoke to over the phone was very pleasant but talked about closing the file in a week, whereas one can keep it open for 30 days. I'd like to keep the file open for 30 days, just in case it turns up. If the thieves park it somewhere, it can take a while for someone to notice it. Fortunately we had yet to get rid of my "fossil car" , so I still have ride. ICBC offered me a rental car, but I decided just to drive my fossil. I'm a practical person at heart and I'd just as soon drive my fossil car as a rental. I am kind of losing hope that it will be found, but Dave and I are thinking over what we will do if it not found . I'll try to stay optimistic.

ICBC wanted me to drop off all the keys to the car on Monday, but I am having second thoughts about that. I am not handing my car over to ICBC until more time goes by and there is hope of it being found. Like you, I am person to drive a car for 20 + plus years and treat it well.

At least got out this evening with to my son and daughter- in laws for a pizza night and they also had home made cranberry ice cream , and as usual, with 11 member of my family present, wild discussions ensued, over " bleeding hearts" vs " throw the book at them " and - Harper was good man ( my sister and her family ) and those of us who are keen on anyone but Harper. Never a dull moment with my near and dears! :) No use talking about the wallpaper, I suppose. LOL! Was a bit wild for me, even though I'm pretty good at discussions.

51ctpress
Editat: oct. 25, 2015, 11:36 am

Great review, Nancy. It's not really calling out to me, but good to know about what's stirring in Canadian literature and Giller prize novels.

The touchstone got me to "History of the Conquest of Peru" - can't figure out the resemblance. Another of LT's weird links.

Deborah - Good you had a heated political discussion to take your mind of the stolen car. I would say as the police. Good that you didn't go to the carport earlier - no one knows how desperate measures the thieves would take. Still, must have been quite a shock.

52lit_chick
oct. 25, 2015, 12:19 pm

>50 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. I enjoyed If I Fall, I Die: very different CanLit, and glad I read it. Really, it belonged somewhere between 3.5 and 4*, but I had to make a decision!

I do hope that if your car is not found in good working order, you will have an experience with ICBC similar to the one I had when I was rear-ended in my old-but-in-mint-shape Toyota Tercel some years ago. I, too, feared that it would be written off as it was worth nothing to an insurance company. But I made it clear to the adjustor that it was worth a great deal to me, and he was accommodating and very reasonable. I was so glad they agreed to repair it!

Pizza at your son and DIL's sounds lovely, but the conversation would be perhaps a little wild for me, too, LOL!

>51 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten, fixed the touchstone. Good grief, I also can't figure out how it got to the History of the Conquest of Peru! That's computer logic! I think the strong point of If I Fall, I Die is that it brings something very different to CanLit's landscape.

53lit_chick
oct. 26, 2015, 6:15 pm

45.
Casting Off, Elizabeth Jane Howard



Rating: 4.5/5

2014, Audible Inc., Read by Jill Balcon

Book Description: adapted from Amazon.co.uk
The aftermath of war, and the slow dawning of a new era of freedom and opportunity, shape the destinies of the Cazalets in the fourth volume of this magnificent family saga. Polly, Clary and Louise, now grown up, are ready to discover the truth about the adult world. While Rupert, Hugh and Edward must make the choices that will decide their own – and the family’s – future.

For the Cazalets, and all those close to them, one end is another beginning . . .

My Review:
I will remember Casting Off as Howard’s novel on the Cazalet relationships: siblings with one another and with parents; adults with lovers; husbands with wives, and vice versa; relationships between friends and acquaintances; even with pets. My favourite parts of the novel, perhaps not surprisingly, deal with Polly, Clary, and Louise – and while it’s true they are now grown up, I am not so certain they are ready to discover the truth about the adult world, which can be cruel and unforgiving, and which is inhabited by cads as well as gentlemen. Still, the young ladies grow from their heartaches and blunders, and, for the most part, they are flourishing by the end of this installment.

Having read the chronicles one after the next thus far, I was going to delay reading All Change, but I cannot! Howard’s series is one I highly recommend, and for those readers who enjoy audiobooks, Jill Balcon is truly exceptional!

54lkernagh
oct. 26, 2015, 9:01 pm

Hey... I saw over on Mary's (mdoris) thread that you were wondering about the Canadian Author Challenge. There is currently a planning thread, which can be found here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/201195

55lit_chick
oct. 26, 2015, 9:55 pm

>54 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori!

56mdoris
oct. 27, 2015, 8:43 pm

HI Nancy, Yes there is a new group Canadian Author Challenge that is being organized by Smiler69 (bless her heart!). There is a very active thread with people giving suggestions and hopefully you will join and give your suggestions as a terrific reader and reader of lots of Canadian content!
http://www.librarything.com/topic/201195
I'm not sure how you are supposed to do the cut and paste for this sort of thing so I hope this works.

57mdoris
oct. 27, 2015, 8:45 pm

ooops, I never saw Lori 's comment (>54 lkernagh:.) I should look before I leap.......

58lit_chick
oct. 27, 2015, 10:25 pm

>56 mdoris:, >57 mdoris: Thank you, Mary!

59vancouverdeb
oct. 29, 2015, 7:48 pm

There you are, Nancy! I actually sneaked onto your thread a couple of days ago and thumbed your review of Casting Off. Nice review. I suppose my sons' have casted off. Lucky for me I can still snuggle my Poppy dog , or Dave :) Off to suffer for art and read some more pages of Daddy Lenin. Truthfully it is better than I expected .

60lit_chick
oct. 29, 2015, 9:36 pm

>59 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb, thumbs appreciated : ). I'm so glad you are willing to suffer for art and then tell me which of the Canadian literary prize nominees I should read! Good to hear about the new Vanderhaeghe. Off to snuggle my Cairo!

61LizzieD
oct. 29, 2015, 10:55 pm

You almost always read good stuff, Nancy. You always write about it well. In a perfect world I'd pick up *If I fall* in a heartbeat. In this one I have so much good stuff on the shelf that I'll just have to think about it some more.
The 6 send greetings to Cairo. Hope you are both having a good night!

62lit_chick
oct. 30, 2015, 11:10 am

>61 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. Wouldn't it be lovely to live in a perfect book world? Cairo sends greetings back to the 6:

63mdoris
oct. 30, 2015, 7:44 pm

Cairo is simply gorgeous. I love seeing a gorgeous black cat the day before Hallowe'en.

64lkernagh
oct. 30, 2015, 10:20 pm

Cairo seems to want attention.... at least, that is what I thought whenever our cats would lie across whatever we were reading or working on. ;-)

What a sweet shot!

65vancouverdeb
oct. 30, 2015, 10:25 pm

Cairo is so handsome! Poppy is a bit like a cat. If I am sitting or loafing on the couch, she jumps on top of the top edge of the couch and then leaps onto my lap or tummy and licks my face! At least Poppy cannot get onto my desk top computer , because I am sure she would lick and chew it.

66lit_chick
oct. 31, 2015, 2:00 pm



>63 mdoris: Cairo and I thank you, Mary! I love the look of a black cat, too, like mini-panthers. He is not let out of my sight over Halloween!

>64 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori. Cairo definitely knows how to command all the attention he needs!

>65 vancouverdeb: Cairo and I thank you, Deb! Sounds like Poppy also knows how to command whatever she might need at any given moment, LOL!

67vancouverdeb
Editat: oct. 31, 2015, 9:27 pm

Thanks for the lovely Halloween wishes, Nancy. Yes, I will be home along handing out little chocolate bars, with just Poppy banned to the upstairs for her safety. She barks everytime someone comes to the door, and would probably run out the door if I did not keep her gated upstairs this evening. Yes, we do get trick or treaters at our place and as is often the case, Dave works til 7 - 8-30 pm, so I have man the door all by myself.

Sorry I don't have any graphics.

Say, I sent a book bullet to the librarian yesterday! :) Took back Fifteen Dogs and it was a couple of days overdue, so I handed to the librarian and she asked me what I thought of it. I told her dark, dystopian but very well written - and she said she was adding to the hold list at the library. I put in a plug for Daddy Lenin, which is proving to be excellent! I'm not sure if she took that bullet, but I gave a try.

Happy Halloween to you and Cairo!

68lit_chick
oct. 31, 2015, 8:59 pm

>67 vancouverdeb: Have fun Halloween-ing with the little trick-or-treaters, Deb. Glad Poppy is safely upstairs.

LOVE it that you hit the librarian with a book bullet. Go, Deb, go! You've nearly got me talked into Daddy Lenin now, LOL!

69ctpress
nov. 1, 2015, 7:59 am

Cairo, the author! Seems he's about to write some scary stuff :)

Happy Halloween, Nancy!!

70sibylline
nov. 1, 2015, 11:26 am

Can't read the Cazelet reviews yet, not until I've read them!

A new PM in Canada causes barely a ripple in the newsfeed in the US. Shameful.

71lkernagh
nov. 1, 2015, 3:21 pm

Happy post-Halloween Sunday, Nancy!

72johnsimpson
nov. 1, 2015, 4:22 pm

Hi Nancy, Happy post-Halloween my dear, we have been rather busy the last few days with the wedding and are still on an emotional high, sending love and hugs.

73vancouverdeb
nov. 1, 2015, 8:24 pm

Okay, I've finished Daddy Lenin and I do believe you may want to give it a go, but I do understand that short stories are not your thing. I really loved them, so much so that I have put a hold on Homesick by the same author, and ordered another collection of his short stories, Man Descending. I gave myself a couple of book bullets with the read of Daddy Lenin.

74LovingLit
nov. 1, 2015, 10:01 pm

>62 lit_chick: aw, cute :)
Flying visit (again!), but If I Fall, if I Die looks appealing. The premise anyway, if not the execution.

75nittnut
nov. 1, 2015, 10:36 pm

>62 lit_chick: Hello Cairo. :)

I've got 2 extra kids at the moment and I'm not reading much, but I keep adding to the TBR pile. :)

76lit_chick
nov. 1, 2015, 10:42 pm

>69 ctpress: Hi Carsten, yes, Cairo is soon to be a published author, LOL!

>70 sibylline: Lucy, I predict you will love the Cazalet Chronicles. Agree it is shameful that a new Canada PM makes barely a ripple in the US news circuit.

>71 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori.

>72 johnsimpson: Thank you, John. How lovely to hear that you and Karen are so excited!

>73 vancouverdeb: Wow, Deb! Impressed with your recommendation of Daddy Lenin. Must give that a go at some point. I love Guy Vanderhaeghe.

>74 LovingLit: Hi Megan! I enjoyed If I Fall, I Die, and think you might, too.

>75 nittnut: Hi Jenn, Cairo sends greetings too : ). Understand that reading is slow with two extra kids on board!

77Donna828
nov. 2, 2015, 11:46 am

How lucky you are owning a beautiful black cat to help you celebrate Halloween. It's a good thing you kept him inside.

I'm looking forward to reading some new Canadian authors next month via the CAC. I can always count on my Canadian friends for good recommendations.

78lit_chick
nov. 2, 2015, 4:27 pm

>77 Donna828: Donna, Cairo and I enjoyed a rainy Halloween, cuddled up by our new fireplace : ). I hope you will find some new Canadian authors who resonate.

79lit_chick
Editat: nov. 2, 2015, 8:54 pm

46.
The Green Road, Anne Enright



Rating: 5/5

“It still got to them. Rosaleen never said it to your face, whatever it was. She moved instead around and behind her children, in some churning state of mild and constant distraction … She was afraid it was all her fault … All the things that were unsayable: failure, money, sex, drink.” (224)

Rosaleen Madigan, who married beneath her and is now widowed, raised her children in the West of Ireland. For reasons unknown even to herself, she is unable to love them. Not surprisingly, they will as adults make decisions which take them away from her, both geographically and emotionally. Dan announces he will enter the priesthood and emigrate to New York amidst the AIDS crisis; Emmet departs for the backlands of the Third World, affirming the fragility of love and order; actress Hannah leaves for modern-day Dublin, disappearing into alcoholism and the trials of motherhood. Constance alone remains local, but will experience a painful descent into obesity. When Rosaleen decides to sell the family home, all of her adult children visit for Christmas – bringing with them, of course, the complications of their present lives as well as the dysfunction of their past. And Rosaleen will play them like she always has, knowing precisely how each will react to a given tactic – a master of control, she will cause them to form alliances with and against herself and one another, until she has everyone to their very limits.

The Green Road is a stunner – one of those rare gifts that resonated deeply and personally from the first page – and which comes along only ever so rarely. Enright gifts us with an extraordinary and intimate story of one family: of its fractures and selfishness and humanity. And through her fabulously developed characters, she teaches us about the gaps in the human heart and how we learn to fill them. Most highly recommended.

“And when she had won, when she had everyone at the limit of themselves – Constance weeping as she rushed up the broken china, Constance begging to be forgiven – then she might decide not to sell the house after all. She might not bother. And life would continue as before.” (246)

80charl08
Editat: nov. 2, 2015, 4:30 pm

Great review. As you say an unusually wonderful book.

81katiekrug
nov. 2, 2015, 6:13 pm

Wonderful review, Nancy. The Green Road is firmly on my WL.

82lkernagh
nov. 2, 2015, 7:43 pm

>79 lit_chick: - Very enticing review, Nancy. My Anne Enright experience has been limited to what was for me a very unsatisfying read of The Gathering. Probably a bit wrong of me to write off an author because of one bad read so I will ask you, have you read The Gathering, and if so, did you like it and how does it compare to The Green Road?

83lauralkeet
nov. 2, 2015, 8:08 pm

Oh my you hit me hard with The Green Road. Like Lori I was a little wary of the author after reading The Gathering, but this one sounds like a winner.

84vancouverdeb
Editat: nov. 2, 2015, 8:21 pm

Fabulous review of The Green Road , Nancy! I've had The Green Road on the hold list at my library for at least a couple of months now, but I'll be looking all the more foward to the book! Thumb!

I have to rave a little about The Rector's Wife that I am currently reading! I know Mark " warbles" but I rave! It's just a fabulous witty piece of writing! So much fun! And then my hold on Homesick by Guy Vanderhaeghe came in from the library! Another collection of short stories. And - swoon - I have Man Descending from amazon ca. I had to order my sister a book from amazon ca for her birthday, and you know you always must get a present for oneself! :) I'm in a swoon of happiness today! LOL!

85lit_chick
Editat: nov. 2, 2015, 8:54 pm

>80 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte : ). ETA: I've just been quickly perusing threads, trying to remember where I got the rec for The Green Road, and I see you gave it 5* too!

>81 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. I hope you will enjoy The Green Road as much as I did!

>82 lkernagh: Hi Lori, I've not read The Gathering, so can't help you there. Just went and looked at some of the reviews: yikes, there are several very poor ratings offered. Sounds like it is also about a dysfunctional family. Be curious to see how the two compare. The Green Road resonated very personally with me, but it won't be so for everyone.

>83 lauralkeet: Hi Laura, I need to read The Gathering, or you or Lori need to read The Green Road!

>84 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb! I had The Green Road on request at the library, too, and was surprised to get my hands on it so quickly. Rec from someone among the 75ers, but can't think who now …

You've had a fabulous day shopping at Amazon.ca! Naturally, it would be unthinkable to buy a book for another without buying one for oneself! Make me smile: I'm in a swoon of happiness today! LOL!

86mdoris
nov. 2, 2015, 10:07 pm

Great review Nancy of The Green Road. I read The Gathering so long ago I can't remember my feelings about it.

87lit_chick
nov. 2, 2015, 11:02 pm

>86 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. I've added The Gathering to my list. Don't know when I'll get to it, but now I'm curious.

88LovingLit
nov. 2, 2015, 11:58 pm

>79 lit_chick: Oooh, I love reading about fractures, selfishness and humanity!
#notanotherbookbullet
;)

89ctpress
nov. 3, 2015, 9:11 am

Great review, Nancy. Thumb.

She teaches us about the gaps in the human heart and how we learn to fill them.. I'm all ears. Have to make a note on that one. Although I might not be in the mood for it right now.

90lit_chick
nov. 3, 2015, 10:24 am

>88 LovingLit: Hi Megan, me too! LOVE the hashtag, that made me smile : ).

>89 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten. I hope you will enjoy The Green Road as much as I did. But it's not a light read, so by all means wait until you're in the mood.

91vancouverdeb
nov. 3, 2015, 10:42 pm

Nancy, Fifteen Dogs just won the Rogers Trust Literary Award of 100,000 and I've read it! Now you'll have to read it - but not really - but it is very brilliant. It will be interesting to see who wins the Giller Prize on November 10, I think it is. Maybe Fifteen Dogs again? Difficult to say.

92lit_chick
nov. 3, 2015, 11:00 pm

>91 vancouverdeb: Woot! Thanks for letting me know about the Rogers Trust, Deb. I've got Fifteen Dogs on request at the library. Hadn't remembered that the Giller winner is soon to be announced, too : ).

93vancouverdeb
Editat: nov. 4, 2015, 12:23 am

Oh, yes , such a Canlit Literary snob I am! :) Today, at least. I wondered why my nose was so persistently in the air today and then I realized that I had read the Rogers Trust book . I hope my nose is back to normal by tomorrow:)

94charl08
nov. 4, 2015, 4:43 am

>85 lit_chick: I loved this, but was meh about The Gathering. Maybe I should go back and try again...

95lit_chick
nov. 4, 2015, 1:31 pm

>93 vancouverdeb: Make me smile, Deb! You are my Canadian Literary Aficionado. But here's one on Book Snob, which I think fits much better!



>94 charl08: Charlotte, I'm thinking I got the idea for The Green Road from your thread. Don't remember reading anything about The Gathering on yours or Lori's. I've added it to my list, and will request it from my library at some point.

96BLBera
nov. 4, 2015, 5:03 pm

Nancy - Great comments on The Green Road -- off to reserve it from the library.

97lit_chick
nov. 4, 2015, 5:50 pm

>96 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! Oh, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

98vancouverdeb
Editat: nov. 5, 2015, 12:59 am

You crack me up, Nancy! Book Snob! Yesterday I had to purchase a new winter jacket and of course I had pop into Indigo Spirit. ( ie a very small version of Chapters). I was browsing, looking for what is new , and also the The Green Road, just to have a look at it, since I have been waiting since the end of August from local library. The clerk kindly approached me and asked me - did you know we have the latest Stephen King thriller in? Inside I recoiled in horror! Do I look like a Stephen King reader! Shocked. I said - I am not a Stephen King fan, so then the young man let me know that a new book by Robert Galbraith was in too. I said - oh you mean J.K.Rowling.The clerk did not know that they are one and the same . ( Not that I mentioned it ). Next thing the clerk will be directing me to the romance or true crime section. Anyway, it has all come crashing to a halt today as a water main broke in our complex so we have had no water since 2 pm and do not know when it will go back on, plus it will take several days to repair. All of my literary aspirations have gone out the window as I try to live without water. I am hoping they will get it back on overnight. They had a small jackhammer in intially, but could not find the source of the leak, and now they have a big jackhammer in.

From Literary Snob to third world living in one day.

LOL!

99lit_chick
nov. 5, 2015, 1:15 pm

>98 vancouverdeb: How absolutely ghastly, Deb!: From Literary Snob to third world living in one day. On a serious note, you have my full empathy, managing without water. I find that almost impossible to do! And in spite of the fact I know I don't have water, I will turn the tap every time I need it, because I've forgotten. I do hope yours is back on very soon!

It's disheartening, isn't it, that people with so little knowledge of books seem to work at the big book chains? Argh! Stephen King? Are you freaking kidding me, LOL? I'm like you: Do I look like a Stephen King reader? Not to take anything away from his very successful career, but he is NOT my cuppa.

100souloftherose
nov. 5, 2015, 3:03 pm

Nancy, I have enjoyed reading your reviews of the Cazalet books so much that I am almost tempted to reread the series. But then Peggy reminded me of the fact that I have Mary Hocking's Fairley trilogy on my shelves so perhaps I should read that instead.

>98 vancouverdeb: No water Deborah! :-(

101vancouverdeb
nov. 5, 2015, 5:36 pm

Well, that water came back on at 11 pm last night, on today , but then off tomorrow while they do more serious repair and how many days after that? At least we get the water on during the evening, or so goes the plan. The plumber's re -routed the water from the break for now, and still have to see if it is leaking into a second townhouse. So tomorrow the major repairs start on the main line that feeds the 34 townhouses in our complex. I suppose I should be grateful that it's not our townhouse that the main line burst underneath.

It really is ghastly.

Yes, truthfully I think Stephen Kind is brilliant in his way - clearly many people love his books, he is a prolific writer. Horror is just not my cup of tea .

102lit_chick
Editat: nov. 5, 2015, 6:54 pm

>100 souloftherose: Heather, it was you who hit me with the Cazalet Chronicles, so I'm glad you're enjoying my reviews : ). I can see myself rereading these at some point too. I also took a Peggy-bullet with the Fairley trilogy, but I'm not sure how easy it will be to get my hands on these.

eta: my library has books 2 and 3, but not Good Daughters, so I've put in a request-to-purchase. We'll see.

>101 vancouverdeb: Deb, sounds like some progress is being made on the water front, but that the repairs are fairly major and will take time. Yes, I'd definitely be grateful that it was not MY townhouse under which the line burst!

103johnsimpson
nov. 6, 2015, 5:05 pm

Hi Nancy, wishing you a very happy weekend my dear.

104LovingLit
nov. 6, 2015, 5:50 pm

>99 lit_chick: we had no water here after the earthquakes for a few days, others for a few weeks! My friend took her newborn baby home from the hospital to a house with no power and no electricity, lasted a few hours then decided to go to the grandparents house. Sensible, I reckon! It is hard work without it, we take it for granted that fresh drinking water comes from our taps.

105LizzieD
Editat: nov. 6, 2015, 7:03 pm

Good grief, Nancy! I know that I read your review of The Green Road and am tempted mightily. Thank you for it. I read The Forgotten Waltz and think I remember liking but not loving it. I also skimmed some of The Gathering and thought "not now."
Poor Deborah. No water is serious business. Sometimes we lose it with hurricanes but we haven't had such a bad one in many years, thank God!
Enjoy your weekend!!!!

ETA: Mercy, I rated *Waltz* with 4½ stars and remember almost nothing about it!

106lit_chick
nov. 6, 2015, 8:19 pm

>103 johnsimpson: Thank you, John. Same to you and Karen : ).

>104 LovingLit: Amen, Megan: we take it for granted that fresh drinking water comes from our taps.

>105 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, you've hit me with a bullet on my own thread! The Forgotten Waltz hits the list!

107lit_chick
Editat: nov. 21, 2015, 12:13 pm

I'm just about to finish the fifth and final novel in the Cazalet Chronicles, which I've absolutely loved. Here's to Elizabeth Jane Howard, (1923-2014), who created so many hours of fine enjoyment. There are hundreds of photos of her online, but I really loved this one.

108vancouverdeb
nov. 7, 2015, 11:53 pm

Glad you enjoyed The Cazalet Chronicles so much! I've still got Light Years to start with, waiting in my TBR stacks. Darling little Pomeranian in her lap! ( At least I think it's a Pomeranian. ) . I see you've been loading up the Neapolitan Chronicles . I've been looking at those books in the store, by Elena Ferrante and been uncertain. Do let me know if you read them.

109lit_chick
nov. 7, 2015, 11:59 pm

>108 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, I listened to all of the Cazalet Chronicles, one after the next. The narrator, Jill Balcon, is sublime! Oh, I so enjoyed! Yes, I'm going to try a couple of the Neapolitan Chronicles, and I think I'd also like to listen to these. However, they're not next up. I'm going to take up (listen) to Shantaram next; a friend told me about this one over the summer, and our reading tastes are often similar.

110BLBera
nov. 8, 2015, 11:35 am

Nancy - I'll watch for your comments on the last one -- I still haven't read that one. Is it as good as the rest of them?

111lit_chick
nov. 8, 2015, 12:49 pm

>110 BLBera: Oh, Beth, the last one is the best! I'm just about to post my comments.

112lit_chick
Editat: nov. 8, 2015, 11:28 pm

47.
All Change, Elizabeth Jane Howard



Rating: 5/5

2013, Pan MacMillan Publishers, Read by Penelope Wilton

Book Description: adapted from Amazon.ca
It is the 1950s and as the Duchy, the Cazalets' beloved matriarch, dies, she takes with her the last remnants of a disappearing world – of houses with servants, of class and tradition – in which the Cazalets have thrived. Louise, now divorced, becomes entangled in a painful affair; while Polly and Clary must balance marriage and motherhood with their own ideas and ambitions. Hugh and Edward, now in their sixties, are feeling ill-equipped for this modern world; while Villy, long abandoned by her husband, must at last learn to live independently. But it is Rachel, who has always lived for others, who will face her greatest challenges yet. Events converge at Christmas; as a new generation of Cazalets descend on Home Place. Only one thing is certain: nothing will ever be the same again.

My Review:
I’ve listened adoringly to the Cazalet Chronicles one after the next, and the old cliché is true here that Howard saved the best for the last. There is a sadness to the tone here, or perhaps tribute is a better word: a tribute to days and times gone by – and a reminiscence that, as well as the lean years of war, there were many good times.

Over the span of the chronicles, I’ve loved observing the characters grow into adolescence, adulthood, and, in the case of the three Cazalet brothers, into their senior years. Clary and Archie have difficulty in All Change: human, relatable difficulty which challenges their marriage, if not their love. Polly and Gerald are a joy to behold. And, surprise me!: Edward, who for most of the series behaved so abominably that I disliked him intensely, has come to look rather pitiful, and I found myself sorry for him and for the poor choices he’d made. For Hugh and Jemima, I wanted to stand up and cheer! And little Georgie, along with his pet rat Rivers, I won’t ever forget.

Howard’s Cazalet Chronicles are most highly recommended, and All Change is my favourite of the five. I listened to the series on audiobook and would be remiss not to mention that narrators Jill Balcon and Penelope Wilton are sublime! The last Christmas at Home Place is so beautifully written that I wanted to crawl into the pages and share in the family’s joy, sadness, humour, and hope:

“Snow fell in the night, large flakes as big as feathers. And after a while, it began to settle. The bare trees became heavy with it. It thickened on the ground so that it became like the icing on a cake, then a satisfactory three inches of dazzling crunch. Spiders’ webs sparked with icicles, the sky was the colour of dirty pearls, and the air smelled of snow.”

113charl08
nov. 8, 2015, 2:36 pm

>112 lit_chick: Lovely review of the final book in the Cazalet series. I love Penelope Wilton, can imagine that she would do a great job on audio. Such a warm voice.

114lkernagh
nov. 8, 2015, 3:41 pm

Sounds like the Cazalet series is one that suck the reader in to the point where the reader is sad to see the relationship end. Definitely my kind of saga/series read!

115lit_chick
nov. 8, 2015, 3:51 pm

>113 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. Was not familiar with Penelope Wilton until this narration but you are right about her voice, it's lovely.

>114 lkernagh: Oh, Lori, I am sad indeed to see the series and my relationship with the Cazalets end. You would enjoy!

116vancouverdeb
nov. 8, 2015, 5:52 pm

Sounds like a lovely series and a great review, Nancy. I'll soon get to The Light Years, waiting in my TBR Pile. Thumbed of course!

117lit_chick
nov. 8, 2015, 9:11 pm

>116 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb, yes, a wonderful series. Thumb appreciated : ).

118ctpress
nov. 9, 2015, 1:59 am

What a wonderful review, Nancy. That's how a long family saga should feel like. Affection for the characters and a sense of nostalgia. I feel certain I will give this series a try sometimes.

119mdoris
nov. 9, 2015, 2:15 am

>112 lit_chick: Loved your review. To say that you listened "adoringly" is fantastic, such enthusiasm for books and a series is wonderful. Wow 5/5.

120nittnut
nov. 9, 2015, 4:28 am

>95 lit_chick: Love that. I will embrace the title of Book Snob, if that's the definition. :)

>107 lit_chick: I just finished The Light Years, thanks for the recommendation. :) I am looking forward to the rest of the series. I might just get the audio for a few of them, since you warble so highly of listening.

121lit_chick
nov. 9, 2015, 11:02 am

>118 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten. Exactly: That's how a long family saga should feel like. Affection for the characters and a sense of nostalgia. I'm sure this is a series you will enjoy.

>119 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. Yes, fantastic!

>120 nittnut: Hi Jenn, I too will embrace the title of Book Snob, if that's the definition. I hope you will try some of the Cazalet Chronicles on audio, and enjoy them as much as I did! awesome that you've read The Light Years. I love how recommendations on LT are passed around: I took the bullet from Heather, you took it from me ...

122vancouverdeb
Editat: nov. 10, 2015, 5:22 pm

Well, Nancy, the Giller Prize is announced sometime tonight. I am hoping for Fifteen Dogs, since I've already read it:) From what I read at Kevin from Canadian, and an article in the Globe and Mail this weekend, some seem to think Martin John might be be the winner. If so, I'm not I am going to read that book. It's a book about a fellow who exposes himself in public and has a lot of issues. The article in the Globe and Mail discussed how perhaps the Giller Prize was less about more iconic writers , or more mainstream novels, and this past year or so, about choosing edgy books, that were not that likely to be read by the general public. The Globe and Mail discussion seemed to feel that the Giller should better represent more mainstream Canadian Literature and I would tend to agree. It will be interesting to see who wins.

Dave and I and Poppy are on quite a time shift. Dave is on a course at work and gets up at 4:30 am , and returns home around 3 pm. Poppy is really confused by that . I am a bit thrown too. 6 weeks of the course, which Dave descibes as " hell" , mainly due to the early start time. Dave finishes the course just in time to go back to his usual shift of 9:20 am to 7:30 - 8:30 pm, four on, four off, right through the Christmas Holidays. Oh well.

123lit_chick
nov. 10, 2015, 8:01 pm

>122 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, still no winner announced. I'll try to remember to check later. Haven't read the discussion in the Globe and Mail, but you've got my full agreement that the Giller Prize needs to be represent mainstream Canadian Literature. I'm not sure what the point is with edgy.

Goodness, you, Dave, and Poppy are on a wild schedule right now for sure. 4:30 AM is like the middle of the night to me! Glad the course will be over before the holidays, but it's unfortunate that Dave works all through Christmas. I guess he's only off if his usual four-off happen to fall on the right days?

124lit_chick
nov. 10, 2015, 11:59 pm

Lest we forget:

125vancouverdeb
Editat: nov. 11, 2015, 12:12 am

Giller Prize : Fifteen Dogs, ScotiaBank Giller Prize, Fifteen Dogs , and Governor's General's Literary Prize Daddy Lenin and I"ve read them all! :) That's a first for me! Hat Trick Can Lit Snob for today! :)

Beautiful picture @124.

Believe me, I'm not up at 4:30 am , but Dave usually takes the dog out for 20 minutes before work and now he's not. Poppy wonders what the heck is going on. Yes, Dave works whenever his 4 days on happen to fall. He even works tomorrow , though he's on a course, because they just fit in Federal Holidays into your shift days and that's just that. No overtime, no anything. Oh well, that is life.

126nittnut
nov. 11, 2015, 3:22 am

>124 lit_chick: Lovely photo. We've had some amazing and poignant experiences this year with all the memorial activities around NZ. One of the most heart breaking - yet lovely - things was traveling over ANZAC weekend and seeing every tiny little town we passed through had their memorial and a service of some kind. When you reflect that NZ lost about 93% of their forces in WWI, it's almost unimaginable.

127lit_chick
nov. 11, 2015, 1:45 pm

>Yay, Deb, I know you were rooting for Fifteen Dogs to take the Giller. I thank you as my personal Canadian Literary Aficiando, LOL! Must get to these! *so little time, so many books*

>126 nittnut: Jenn, I did not know that about NZ having lost 93% of forces in WWI. It is absolutely unimaginable.

128nittnut
nov. 12, 2015, 4:53 am

^Sigh. I have my numbers wrong. There was something about the 93% at the Gallipoli exhibit, but it wasn't 93% casualty. It will bug me and I'll have to go figure it out. Sorry. :P
Casualties were closer to 60% including those who died from their wounds in the year following the war. 60% is bad enough though.

129lit_chick
nov. 12, 2015, 11:57 am

>128 nittnut: Hi Jenn, agree that even 60% is a staggering, gruesome number.

130vancouverdeb
nov. 12, 2015, 3:06 pm

Glad to hear that you are picking up the Maisie Dobbs series on audio. You have such an amazing library! I hope you enjoy them. And Susan Hill please churn out a new book in the Simon Serrallier (sp) series!

131lit_chick
nov. 12, 2015, 8:31 pm

>130 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, I think I will thoroughly enjoy both the Maisie Dobbs and the Susan Hill series.

132lit_chick
nov. 14, 2015, 11:36 pm

48.
The Silkworm, Robert Galbraith



Rating: 3.5/5

Book Description: adapted from Amazon.ca
When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days – as he has done before – and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home. But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives – meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced. When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before ...

My Review:
Strike and his resourceful assistant Robin are an irresistible team, and there are some developments in The Silkworm which will see them working even more closely together in future. Truthfully, the crime cases in these Galbraith novels are secondary for me: I’m reading to witness Cormoran and Robin’s developing relationship. Too, I love Strike’s dry, wry sense of humour. As an aside, I’ve yet to figure out what Robin sees in her fiancé, Matthew, who seems arrogant, insecure, and unsupportive. (Of course, that might be exactly the point, non?)

My criticism: I found the novel much longer than it needed to be. Still, looking forward to Career of Evil.

133AMQS
nov. 15, 2015, 1:25 am

Hi Nancy! As usual, I have fallen far, far behind:( Lots to love here -- congrats on your new prime minister! I followed your election with excitement.

>62 lit_chick: Cairo is such a handsome kitty! Love this pic.

>79 lit_chick: Wow, a 5-star book -- I love it! Sounds depressing, though. I read The Gathering and liked it. Sounds like this would be a good one for me at the right time.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend. We're headed your way (ish) next weekend: to Vancouver for a tour of UBC. I've never been to Vancouver before, so I'm excited.

134vancouverdeb
Editat: nov. 15, 2015, 1:54 am

Great review of The Silkworm, Nancy. Truthfully, the crime cases in these Galbraith novels are secondary for me: I’m reading to witness Cormoran and Robin’s developing relationship . I understand that! I read the Elly Griffiths series less for the mystery and more for developing and changing relationships between a few of the main characters. Enjoy!

135lauralkeet
nov. 15, 2015, 6:42 am

I agree wtih your thoughts on The Silkworm, Nancy. I love the Cormoran/Robin duo. Are you going to read Career of Evil right away?

136lit_chick
nov. 15, 2015, 4:44 pm

>133 AMQS: Hi Anne! Both Cairo and I thank you for your comments books and cats, LOL! Enjoy Vancouver and UBC!

>134 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, isn't it wonderful when the characters' relationships are so engaging? Love it!

>135 lauralkeet: Hi Laura, not going to read Career of Evil right away, but am looking forward to it. I wonder how many of these Rowling is going to write? I had it in my head that the Coromoran Strike books were to be a trilogy (can't remember why I thought that), but perhaps there will be more?

137lauralkeet
Editat: nov. 15, 2015, 7:08 pm

I heard somewhere she was planning on 7 books, just like HP. But I think I heard that here on LT, and am not sure if there's an official source or if that was wishful thinking on someone's part!

138vancouverdeb
nov. 15, 2015, 7:25 pm

In the past few years, if the characters aren't at least as engaging as the mystery, I can't be bothered to read the book. I expect you are the same, Nancy. But such books can be difficult to find.

139Familyhistorian
nov. 15, 2015, 9:06 pm

You got me with a BB with your review of The Silkworm, Nancy. I picked up the first of the Cormoran Strike novels to see what they are all about. It is great when the characters are engaging so I hope for good things out of the novel. Who knows I might even like the writing. At this point I don't know as I have never read anything by Rowling.

140lit_chick
nov. 15, 2015, 10:54 pm

>137 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura! Seven would be better than a trilogy! Lots of room for a developing relationship : ).

>138 vancouverdeb: Yes, I am the same, Deb. And you're right, such can be difficult to find.

>139 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg, always happy to help with a BB! I was also hit with the idea here on LT to read the Cormoran Strike novels, and I'd also not read anything by Rowling.

141LovingLit
nov. 15, 2015, 11:38 pm

>134 vancouverdeb: it's hard to pick books based on the fact that sometimes the plot really is the secondary aspect! I like to read for the journey rather than the plot and it is so hard to find a book when all you get is plot descriptions....
Just musing.

142lauralkeet
nov. 16, 2015, 7:31 am

>140 lit_chick: Good morning, Nancy! I did a little Google sleuthing and learned the Sunday Times was first to break the news (back in Feb 2014) that 7 Cormoran Strike books are planned. I couldn't read the full article without registering on the site, but the first paragraph reads, "JK ROWLING has mapped out a series of up to seven crime novels featuring her private investigator Cormoran Strike — in a repeat of the approach she took with her Harry Potter books." So there you have it!
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/article1379066.ece

143lit_chick
nov. 16, 2015, 10:52 am

>141 LovingLit: Hi Megan, I like to read for the journey rather than the plot. Exactly! All musing welcomed on this thread!

>142 lauralkeet: Oh, wonderful Google sleuthing, Laura! Seven it is! What a departure for Rowling from her HP books. She's probably having a ball! That's a wonderful pic of her in the article.

144nittnut
nov. 17, 2015, 4:20 am

>132 lit_chick: I haven't read any of these yet, but your review bumped them up the lists a little. :) I love a good mystery.

145lit_chick
nov. 17, 2015, 10:25 am

>144 nittnut: I hope you'll enjoy, Jenn. There are going to be seven of them, as our Google sleuth, Laura, has confirmed : ).

146lauralkeet
nov. 17, 2015, 12:36 pm

147vancouverdeb
nov. 17, 2015, 3:37 pm

Career of Evil - does that describe your work, Nancy? I am off to the dentist today. Perhaps my dentist has a Career of Evil, but I won't suggest that idea to her, for fear of more pain!LOL!

148lit_chick
nov. 17, 2015, 8:51 pm

>146 lauralkeet: Hard at work, LOL:



>147 vancouverdeb: Well, there are certainly those days at work, Deb, LOL! Good idea not to mention this to your dentist!

149lauralkeet
nov. 18, 2015, 6:28 am

>148 lit_chick: I love it!

150lkernagh
nov. 18, 2015, 10:40 pm

>132 lit_chick: - A 3.5 rating from you means I can continue to ignore the books Rowling has written under her Galbraith pseudonym. Besides, I haven't even read the Harry Potter books. ;-0

151mdoris
nov. 19, 2015, 12:26 am

True confessions. I haven't read the Harry Potter books either.

152lit_chick
nov. 19, 2015, 12:35 am

>149 lauralkeet: You have a new nickname now, Laura, our Google sleuth, LOL!

>150 lkernagh: Oh, I know what you mean about following the readings and ratings of others, Lori. But I hope you don't ignore the Cormoran Strike novels because I think you'd enjoy them. I knocked this one down to 3.5* because I thought it was longer than it needed to be. But Strike is a fabulous character. I've also never read the HP books.

>151 mdoris: That's three of us, Mary!

153vancouverdeb
Editat: nov. 20, 2015, 1:19 am

Read that fab trilogy by Brendan O'Carroll. Now I have to go and have a peek at what you are reading right now. Ah, Shantaram and Let the Great World Spin. I hope you enjoy. My DVD copy of Granchester arrived at the library today ( 3 holds ahead of me ) so I hope to get in there sooner than later so I can have a watch.

154lit_chick
nov. 20, 2015, 6:34 pm

>153 vancouverdeb: Yes, O'Carroll has made the WL, many thanks to your recommendation, Deb. Shantaram is a long one, but interesting enough to keep me listening. Let the Great World Spin I've had very little time for so far. But I can report that Grantchester is wonderful! I'll finish it tonight. Thanks to Carsten for that rec!

155PaulCranswick
nov. 21, 2015, 5:19 am

In the month it takes to read Shantaram for us mere mortals you can follow it up with the sequel just released - Mountain Shadow; just as bloody long.

>107 lit_chick: Speaking of long, I couldn't help noticing that your homily to Elizabeth Jane Howard and photo details that she lived to the ripe old age of 991!! I think you ought to edit that one, my dear, hehehe.

Have a lovely weekend. xx

156lit_chick
nov. 21, 2015, 12:15 pm

>155 PaulCranswick: Paul, if Mountain Shadow is just as bloody long (make me LOL!) as Shantaram, it is highly unlikely I will be reading it.

Oh my goodness, you're the first to point out that I had Howard pegged at 991 years old! Fixed, my dear.

You have a lovely weekend, too.

157PaulCranswick
nov. 21, 2015, 12:58 pm

>156 lit_chick: I couldn't resist mentioning the typo, Nancy, as it made me smile so.

158sibylline
nov. 22, 2015, 9:31 am

The Enright got lobbed on the WL. And I have amassed the Cazelets, soon to start them, I think. I am pretty sure I will tear through them and be impossible in RL while doing so, so trying to wait until the snow is swirling and keeping me home anyway.

159ctpress
nov. 22, 2015, 2:58 pm

Oh, a lot of comments here while I've been a away from LT a couple of day. I've also been thinking of reading another Rowling-novel besides Harry Potter. A good sign when you are looking forward to the next one in the series.

After a mild november it suddenly it changed here and lots and lots of snow now and quite cold. Dark and cold Denmark. Maybe it's time for a Scandic-Crime.

160lit_chick
nov. 22, 2015, 4:32 pm

>157 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul : ).

>158 sibylline: Woot! Lucy, I'm delighted that you've collected the Cazalets and that the Enright has hit the WL. Once I started listening to the Cazalets, I couldn't stop either; so waiting on the snow is a good idea.

>159 ctpress: Hi Carsten, I think you'd enjoy the Cormoran Strike novels; they're long-winded, no question, but he's a great character!

Ah, since dark and cold Denmark has settled upon the season, I think another Scandi-Crime is definitely in order, Carsten.

161charl08
nov. 22, 2015, 5:29 pm

>159 ctpress:.Time for Scandi crime? What's on the menu?

162LovingLit
nov. 25, 2015, 8:18 pm

Just dropping by, not much to say apart from that my current read is not ringing my bell. It's Salvage the Bones...but I am liking my urban social theory reading. So that at is something..

163lit_chick
nov. 25, 2015, 9:01 pm

>162 LovingLit: Hmm, haven't read Salvage the Bones although I've seen it. When your text books are ringing your bell louder than your novel, you're reading the wrong novel, LOL.

164vancouverdeb
nov. 27, 2015, 6:10 pm

Hiding on us, are you Nancy! Just stopped by to wish you a wonderful Friday and weekend!. Yes, I think you would enjoy Sky Bridge.

165lit_chick
nov. 27, 2015, 10:23 pm

>164 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, you have a wonderful weekend too! You've discovered so much wonderful reading recently … here's to more of it!

166LizzieD
nov. 27, 2015, 11:10 pm

>163 lit_chick: I pretty much agree. Although I suppose one should really, really love her major concentration.

167Donna828
nov. 29, 2015, 1:09 pm

Nancy, your thread is a dangerous place for me. I find myself wanting to read the Cazalet books AND the Cormoran Strike series. Oh my, I feel like such a reading slacker. Perhaps I should devote 2016 to series reading.

I am very interested in your thoughts on Shantaram. I know it has flaws but I got sucked into Roberts' world and have already purchased Mountain Shadow which I am saving for a special treat.

168lit_chick
nov. 29, 2015, 6:23 pm

>166 LizzieD: Hi Peggy!

>167 Donna828: Donna, there are a lot of dangerous places in this 75 Group! My experience when visiting your thread is the same! That said, I think you would enjoy both the Cazalet and the Cormoran Strike series.

Shantaram has got me in its grips! I'm over half way through now, and while I earlier thought that I would not pursue Mountain Shadow, I've changed my mind. Roberts' India has me spellbound. I'm listening, and the reader is perfection! His penchant for accents (not just Indian and American) and the vernacular is incredible.

169vancouverdeb
nov. 29, 2015, 6:26 pm

Good to know that Shantram has you in its grips, Nancy! Maybe there is reason it has remained so popular! Ah! An audio- book! You are so good with those.

170lit_chick
nov. 29, 2015, 6:34 pm

49.
Let the Great World Spin, Colum McCann



Rating: 3.5/5

Book Description: adapted from Amazon.ca
One August morning in 1974, a tightrope walker makes his way between the World Trade Center towers, stunning thousands of watchers below. Using the true story of Philippe Petit as a pull-through metaphor, McCann crafts a portrait of a city and a people. Corrigan, a radical, young Irish monk, struggles with his demons as he lives among the prostitutes in the burning Bronx. A group of mothers gathers in a Park Avenue apartment to mourn their sons who have died in Vietnam, only to discover how much divides them even in their grief. Farther uptown, Tillie, a 38-year-old grandmother, turns tricks alongside her teenaged daughter, determined not only to take care of her “babies” but also to prove her own worth.

My Review:
TransAtlantic, a rare 5 star read for me, led me to Let the Great World Spin, but this was a story I could just not get into. It's not that McCann's writing disappoints because it is gorgeous as ever. But try as I might, I could not connect with, or care about, the characters or their stories. And at times the intersection of characters' lives seemed quite contrived. Perhaps it was simply the right book but the wrong time.

171vancouverdeb
Editat: nov. 29, 2015, 7:55 pm

Ah! Sorry that Let the Great World Spin did not work for you. I'd have trouble with the tightrope walker, true story or not. I'll skip this one, but I really need to look into Transatlantic, because I remember how much you enjoyed that book by Colum McCann, Nice review! Is your review on the main page - because I was looking for it there.

172vancouverdeb
nov. 29, 2015, 8:02 pm

Oh yes, I've returned to flog a book to you. The Long listed Orange prize Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans has been so loved here on LT, including me and Charlotte, Ellen and I'm not sure who all, you owe to yourself to read it!

173lit_chick
nov. 29, 2015, 8:21 pm

>171 vancouverdeb:, >172 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, forgot to post my comments on Let the Great World Spin on the book page. I'll do that now. And yes, you must look into TransAtlantic. I've got Crooked Heart requested at my library and am waiting patiently (not!).

174Berly
Editat: nov. 30, 2015, 1:05 am

>159 ctpress: I have read the first Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) novel, and am actually listening to the second one right now. I very much enjoy the tough, flawed detective and his female side kick. You should give them a try!

Hi Nancy. Haven't read either Colum McCann. Maybe the first one, TransAtlantic, since you gave it a five-star....

175ctpress
nov. 30, 2015, 1:28 pm

#174 Berly - I do think the curiosity of Rowling writing crime fiction will win me over eventually - together with the recommendations, thanks.

I was entriqued by the cover, Nancy - thought it might be Philippe Petit (can recommend the documentary "Man on Wire" - fascinating persona). But I guess his story is not prominent in the novel. Ah, getting into the story, thats the trick. Hope you have better luck next time.

176lit_chick
nov. 30, 2015, 2:58 pm

>Hi Kim, me too: I very much enjoy the tough, flawed detective and his female side kick.

>Hi Carsten, will keep an eye open for the documentary Man on Wire, which sounds very good. McCann's Let the Great World Spin is highly reviewed here on LT; unfortunately, it just wasn't one I could grab hold to.

177johnsimpson
nov. 30, 2015, 4:27 pm

Hi Deb, thanks for popping by my dear, the Fountain pens I got yesterday write beautifully and I am well pleased with my purchases. Sending love and hugs from over the pond.

178charl08
nov. 30, 2015, 5:54 pm

>170 lit_chick: Your review reminded me that I was underwhelmed by Let the Great World Spin - especially when compared to his other books. I'm not one for heights, not sure if that contributed!

179lit_chick
nov. 30, 2015, 7:30 pm

>177 johnsimpson: Hi John, you're thinking you're on Deb's thread … wrong Canuck! But love and hugs anyway : ).

>178 charl08: Hi Charlotte, good to know I'm not alone in feeling underwhelmed by Let the Great World Spin.

180LovingLit
des. 1, 2015, 3:56 am

>170 lit_chick: I have had that book on my shelf for a while, and I meant to read it even before I loved Transatlantic. But, the print is small and the pages many. That put me off, frankly. But, my copy is pretty so just to hold it frequently I may get to it yet!

181lauralkeet
des. 1, 2015, 9:01 am

>175 ctpress: I also recommend Man on Wire. I was hoping for something more like it in Let the Great World Spin.

182lit_chick
des. 1, 2015, 10:29 am

>180 LovingLit: Hi Megan, I also find very small print a put-off. That said, I hope you will read and enjoy Let the Great World Spin.

>181 lauralkeet: Another endorsement for Man on Wire. Must find this! Thanks, Laura.

183johnsimpson
des. 1, 2015, 3:45 pm

>179 lit_chick:, Hi Nancy i'm obviously getting a bit senile or is it that the Christmas shopping season is upon us and I was a bit excited about getting my Fountain pens. Hope all is well with you and your reading is going great I see. I have been picking up ideas for books from your thread my dear. Sending love and hugs to you my dear.

184souloftherose
des. 1, 2015, 4:03 pm

Hi Nancy - a long overdue catch up but thrilled to see you enjoyed your Cazalet journey so much :-)

I was quite underwhelmed by Transatlantic when I read it so I think I will skip Let the Great World Spin.

185lit_chick
des. 1, 2015, 4:07 pm

>183 johnsimpson: Hi John, no worries! I'm a bit senile, too, and enjoying it actually! Hugs.

>184 souloftherose: Hi Heather, can't thank you enough for introducing me to the wonderful world of the Cazalets. If you underwhelmed by TransAtlantic, then skipping the other is probably sound thinking.

186vancouverdeb
des. 1, 2015, 5:06 pm

Ha! I recall when my grandpa was always talking about going senile, likely from the time he was 60 or so. And he was the least senile person that I knew. I'm sure teased me that I was going senile any time I forgot something from the age of 12 or 13 years old .

187lit_chick
des. 1, 2015, 6:03 pm

>186 vancouverdeb: Fun memory of your grandfather, Deb : ).

188Berly
des. 2, 2015, 2:02 am

I made the mistake of telling me Dad at the ripe old age of 12 that I never forgot anything! Famous last words, which he constantly reminds of. LOL.

189lit_chick
des. 2, 2015, 2:38 pm

>188 Berly: Ha! Good one, Kim : ). Those famous last words are infamous for biting one in the behind.

190mdoris
des. 7, 2015, 12:56 am

Hi Nancy, I've been thinking of you on the home stretch of the fall term. Hope that it has gone well and hope that you have some steam left to enjoy the upcoming holidays. As I recall this fall term usually feels like a loooooooong one. Sorry that Let the Great World Spin was not such a great hit for you. No doubt you have lots of great reads planned for the break!

191lit_chick
des. 7, 2015, 10:44 am

>190 mdoris: Hi Mary, I'm seriously running out of steam, so the holiday, as always, will be timely. Yes, the fall term is a long stretch. Have some reading planned for break : ).

192ctpress
des. 7, 2015, 11:51 am

Hang in there, Nancy. Good to have a pile of books to look forward to in the holiday :)

193vancouverdeb
Editat: des. 8, 2015, 3:53 pm

Yes, The Golden Son is holding up very well, Nancy, sorry to tell you! :)

194lit_chick
des. 8, 2015, 5:55 pm

>192 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten, counting the sleeps now until holiday!

>193 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, I've added The Golden Son to the list! Caught your comments over at your thread this morning that it was holding up well : ).

195lit_chick
des. 13, 2015, 6:03 pm

So, I've been reading/listening to the same doorstoppers for ages: reading Jilly Cooper's Rivals, the second in her Rutshire Chronicales, which is steamy and treacherous; and listening to Shantaram, which is epic and fabulous. In the absence of any book reviews to post, I decided to upload some Christmas photos. Looking very forward to the holiday break; one more week to work!

196lit_chick
des. 13, 2015, 6:19 pm

Here are some photos of what Christmas looks like this year in my home. When I refurnished my living room over the summer, the furniture I chose is larger than what was previously in place. When I realized I wouldn't have room for my big Christmas tree, at least not without rearranging furniture, I decided to see what was new. Found this pencil tree at The Bay, which I fell in love with, and which fits perfectly between my kitchen and living room. Waited for a pre-Christmas 50% off blowout day, and the deal was sealed. To go with a new tree, I decided I wanted to change up some decorations too. Enter Michael's 50-70% pre-Christmas blowout weekend, and here we are in a pewter/burlap theme.





197katiekrug
Editat: des. 13, 2015, 7:27 pm

I love the pewter and burlap, Nancy!

I'm such a voyeur, but I love seeing glimpses of people's homes and non-book related lives :)

Hope you survive that last week at work!

198lauralkeet
des. 13, 2015, 9:16 pm

Very pretty decorations Nancy! I love the idea of a pencil tree to save space -- I've never seen one before.

199vancouverdeb
des. 13, 2015, 10:21 pm

Lovely decor and love the pencil sized tree! That is what we need, except I suspect Poppy would make short work of the tree. Cairo doesn't try to climb the tree?

Merry Christmas , in advance!

200vancouverdeb
des. 13, 2015, 10:35 pm

Love your dining room, by the way! So uncluttered, unlike yours truly.

201lit_chick
des. 14, 2015, 1:13 am

>197 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! I really like the pewter/burlap theme too. Need some garland, I think, and some red in the program, but that's for another year. I also really enjoy browsing threads to see others' Christmas decorations.

>198 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura : ). Pencil trees are new to me, too, but, previous to this year, I haven't looked for a Christmas tree for years.

>199 vancouverdeb: >200 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb : ). I don't want to type that Cairo has not yet bothered the tree this year. Last year, I was finding ornaments all over!

202johnsimpson
des. 14, 2015, 3:33 pm

Hi Nancy, I just loved the Rutshire novels myself and hope she will write some more. Sending love and hugs to you from over the pond.

203lit_chick
des. 14, 2015, 4:36 pm

>202 johnsimpson: Hi John, I'm also enjoying Jilly Cooper: great writing vocabulary. Love back to you and Karen.

204LizzieD
des. 14, 2015, 5:43 pm

So sophisticated, Nancy! And so lovely to come home to!
Courage and patience for the last week!!!!!

205lit_chick
des. 14, 2015, 8:39 pm

>204 LizzieD: Thank you, Peggy : ). I do love coming home to the Christmas tree.

206vancouverdeb
des. 15, 2015, 12:20 am

Hmmm - I'm thinking we are going to both end up reading 50 books this year, or there abouts. You had such a strong start and me so slow and now I'm picking up a bit of speed ( famous last words). I think I'll make it to 50 books this year, even if I have to find a really skinny book for number 50! :)

207lit_chick
des. 15, 2015, 10:18 am

>206 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, yes, I vaguely remember my strong start, LOL! I only ever achieved 75 books the first year I joined LT. Darn! You have indeed been having a great stretch this past while. Here's to 50!

208AMQS
des. 15, 2015, 3:59 pm

Beautiful decorations, Nancy! Our tree just went up today. Ugh. Hoping to get lights on and ornaments. We've been so busy with life and school and performances that Christmas kind of sneaked up on us. Now I'm spending my unexpected snow day on LT (and not regretting it for a second!)

209ctpress
des. 15, 2015, 5:27 pm

Great idea with the slim Christmas tree, Nancy. I'm sure that will get you in the right Christmas spirit, when you get home.

Here's to 50 books...next year. I've just counted. Six books since june! What happened? I've even taken the consequenses and stopped my Audible subscription.

210lit_chick
des. 15, 2015, 8:46 pm

>208 AMQS: Thanks, Anne : ). Gotta love an unexpected snow day! They don't come along very often.

>209 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten. Yes, I thoroughly enjoy my Christmas tree every year, including the slimmed down version which is this year's.

My goodness, your work life has been much too busy for the last several months. One can only deal with so many demands. So, I'll join you with Here's to 50 books next year! We'll get that Audible account burning at both ends again : ).

211BLBera
des. 17, 2015, 4:31 pm

I love your decorations, Nancy. I am WAY behind.

212lit_chick
des. 17, 2015, 8:31 pm

>211 BLBera: Thanks, Beth : ). It's not hard to fall behind, is it? And this time of year seems worst than most!

213sibylline
des. 18, 2015, 10:51 am

Trying to keep up! Beautiful decorations!

214mdoris
des. 18, 2015, 11:46 am

Congrats Nancy for making it to the finish line. Is this your last day before a well deserved break? Have a happy relaxing time. Love your Christmas tree!

215lit_chick
des. 18, 2015, 4:47 pm

>213 sibylline: Thank you, Lucy : ).

>214 mdoris: Thank you, Mary, I'm done! Enjoying break with Cairo as we speak : ).

216lit_chick
Editat: des. 18, 2015, 8:23 pm

50.
Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts



Rating: 5/5

2006, Blackstone Audiobooks, Read by Humphrey Bower

"It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured."

So begins the epic Shantaram, and I was hooked! Set in the underworld of contemporary Bombay, the novel is narrated by Lin, an Australian convict who escaped maximum security prison and fled, with a false passport, into the teeming Indian city to disappear. A hunted man, with no home, no family, and no identity, Lin is accompanied by Prabaker, his guide and steadfast friend as he navigates the city. His search for love and for purpose leads him to Bombay’s poorest slums, prison torture, criminal war, five star hotels, spiritual gurus, murder, and bloody betrayal. Two characters Lin will meet along the way hold the key to his very being: Khader Khan, mafia godfather; and Karla, elusive, dangerous, and beautiful.

Shantaram held me mesmerized: a web of intrigue and a story of staggering breadth of human experience. Its criminal element alone is an enigma: drugs, money laundering, fraud, forgery, robbery, prostitution. The author does occasionally tend to the overwritten, largely overdone similes and metaphors; and I considered a lesser rating on this account. But the story is so epic, so wholly entertaining, and written always with such a passionate love for India, that I could not but give it 5 stars. Finally, narrator Humphrey Bower is nothing short of remarkable! Highly, highly recommended!

217LizzieD
Editat: des. 18, 2015, 5:15 pm

Wow! And I have it......... Maybe in 2016!
Meanwhile, thanks for a super review, Nancy. So why isn't it on the book page?????

218vancouverdeb
Editat: des. 18, 2015, 5:29 pm

Excellent review, Nancy! You may have convinced me to try Shantaram. Thumb!

219lit_chick
des. 18, 2015, 8:24 pm

>217 LizzieD: Oh, Peggy, I hope you will read Shantaram! Review should be on the book page; I posted it.

>218 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb! Woot! Hope I have convinced you!

220ctpress
des. 19, 2015, 10:29 am

Mmmm..I want to go back to India :) Great review, Nancy, Thumb. A web of intrigue and a story of staggering breadth of human experience. Sounds just wonderful.

Have a good Christmas weekend.

221lit_chick
des. 19, 2015, 12:20 pm

>220 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten. If you want to go back to India, I highly recommend journeying with Gregory David Roberts! You have a wonderful Christmas weekend, too : ).

222lit_chick
des. 20, 2015, 4:33 pm

51.
Rivals, Jilly Cooper



Rating: 3/5

Book Description: adapted from Amazon.ca
Into the cut-throat world of Corinium television comes Declan O'Hara, glamourous Irish mega-star, with his radiant wife, handsome son and ravishing teenage daughters. Living rather too closely across the valley is Rupert Campbell-Black, divorced and as dissolute as ever, and now the Tory Minister for Sport. Declan needs only a few days at Corinium to realize that the Managing Director, Lord Baddingham, is a crook who has recruited him merely to help retain the franchise for Corinium. Baddingham has also enticed Cameron Cook, a gorgeous but domineering woman executive, to produce Declan's programme. Declan and Cameron detest each other, provoking a storm of controversy into which Rupert plunges with his usual abandon. As a rival group emerges to pitch for the franchise, reputations ripen and decline, true love blossoms and burns, marriages are made and shattered … and the race is on to capture the Cotswold Crown.

My Review:
Jilly Cooper never fails to entertain: high-flung drama, sex, smut, betrayal – what’s not to love? It is a guilty pleasure of mine to escape into her novels, full of characters who are often stereotypical, but for whom I’m drawn to root nonetheless: case in point, the lecherous Rupert Campbell-Black. Enjoyed this drama about two rival groups bidding for a multi-million (billion?) pound television franchise. Somehow I expect real-life network bids are probably as double-crossing and back-stabbing as they are in the delightful world Cooper has created in Rivals.

223ctpress
des. 20, 2015, 6:08 pm

We all have our "guilty pleasures" when it comes to reading, Nancy :)

The cover about says it all. A stiletto crushing a greedy male hand. Welcome to my world at Danish Television, DR :) Well, maybe in the corridors of our esteemed network there are fightings like this going on.

224vancouverdeb
des. 20, 2015, 7:13 pm

Glad that your enjoyed Rivals by Jilly Cooper. Even her name says it all! ;-) Oh the drama of working for Danish Television, Carsten! From your review Lord Baddingham, is a crook . Such nuance to be mined! Christmas is the time for guilty pleasures!

By the way, I think you would enjoy William Boyd and his book Restless. He was a choice for the British Author Challenge , and I happened to see Restless in a second hand book store . I really enjoyed it. He seems to have written a variety of books, and I'll be seeking him out in the future. I think you would enjoy. He's won quite a few literary prizes over the years, but Restless was very readable.

225lit_chick
Editat: des. 20, 2015, 8:53 pm

>223 ctpress: Yes, how dull would life be without its guilty pleasures, Carsten? Oh, you made me smile with welcome to my world at Danish Television!. Too much!

>224 vancouverdeb: I couldn't agree more, Deb: Christmas is the time for guilty pleasures! Thoroughly enjoyed your review of William Boyd's Restless. He's definitely an author I might need to become acquainted with.

226lit_chick
des. 20, 2015, 8:55 pm

52.
The Chimes, Charles Dickens



Rating: 3/5

2015, Public Doman (Audible, Inc.), Read by Richard Armitage

Book Description: adapted from Amazon.ca
The Chimes is a short novel by Dickens, written and published in 1844, one year after A Christmas Carol. It is the second in his series of "Christmas books": five short books with strong social and moral messages that he published during the 1840's. The main character, Trotty Veck, is a poor ticket porter, whose outlook is changed from despair to hope by the spirits of the chimes on New Year's Eve.

My Review:
Richard Armitage reads beautifully, but I found The Chimes rather bleak, truth be told. It was disheartening that Trotty, so misfortunate and unassuming, should learn to hope by experiencing the heartbreaking, devastating visions as presented by the spirits of the chimes. Seemed to me that this tact would have been better visited upon the pompous Alderman Cute or the despot, Sir Joseph Bowlby – of course, I suppose that would have made the story A Christmas Carol.

227cushlareads
des. 20, 2015, 11:54 pm

Hi Nancy,

I can see a Silkworm review up the page, and I'll be back to read your thread as soon as I've finished the book!

Lovely Christmas tree and decorations. Our tree had a near-death experience when I pruned it a bit hard last year. It's a living one that stays in a pot - it has survived neglect and being tipped on its side by accident for nearly a year...anyway it is still alive and looks ok when covered in tinsel!

228lit_chick
des. 21, 2015, 1:29 am

>227 cushlareads: Wonderful to see you, Cushla! I hope you enjoy The Silkworm. Love the idea of a living Christmas tree … sounds hardy, too, LOL!

229ctpress
des. 21, 2015, 6:00 pm

Hi Nancy - Too bad the spirits of New Year wasn't as enthralling as the spirits of Christmas, but I like the festive cover (apparently not representative of the story). Maybe Dickens editor demanded a sequel. I didn't know there were more of these "Christmas" short books. I'll have to explore....

230vancouverdeb
Editat: des. 21, 2015, 6:39 pm

Auch, lass, I be sorry that The Chimes was not a wee bit better! Aye and a wonderful review! My current Highland read is affecting my speech patterns. Canna be helped. I am off for a dram of whiskey before I get out in the dreich for a wee bit of a walk! ;)

231lit_chick
des. 21, 2015, 7:23 pm

>229 ctpress: Carsten, I also didn't know Dickens had done several short Christmas books. Didn't care too much for The Chimes, but I may explore the other.

>230 vancouverdeb: Make me smile, Deb! Auch! Enjoy your wee bit of a walk because I know you do not take a dram of whiskey, LOL!

232Donna828
des. 21, 2015, 9:17 pm

Nancy, your Christmas decor is so elegant. When the grandkids converge on us, I tend to bring out the chubby Santas and colored lights. This year we are going to them so it's more about candles, greenery, and bows.

Thumb from me on your excellent review of Shantaram. As you know, I too loved the book and hope to read the new one next month when my life will be much quieter. Enjoy your holiday break. I remember how precious that time was when I was teaching.

233lit_chick
des. 22, 2015, 12:40 am

>232 Donna828: Thanks, Donna. Candles, greenery, and bows sound lovely. Have a very Merry Christmas with your family.

I will also read The Mountain Shadow, but I will wait until the audiobook is available. I do hope it is the same reader, Humphrey Bower. Incredible!

234vancouverdeb
Editat: des. 22, 2015, 4:39 pm

Just popping by to hi and I notice that you are reading a couple of my favourite books! :) I so enjoyed How it All Began by Penelope Lively , as well as another one by her - can't think of the title now. Hope you are enjoying Maisie Dobbs. It is a fun and interesting read. Just so you know, I started a new thread and of course I messed it up and created two threads. I hope you can find your way to the correct one. * sigh*

235LizzieD
Editat: des. 22, 2015, 10:40 pm

Back again to say that I did finally discover that my view of reviews has shifted from last first to first last. Your review of Shantaram duly thumbed. Now all I have to do is figure out how to get the reviews back in the order I was accustomed to have.
Do put me in the company of those who thoroughly enjoyed Restless!

236nittnut
des. 23, 2015, 4:21 am

Just dropping by to wish you a Merry Christmas! Hope you have a lovely family and book filled time. :)

237lit_chick
des. 23, 2015, 1:14 pm

>234 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, haven't yet actually started How It All Began or Maisie Dobbs, but they're both on tap. Have been playing around with some knitting, doing a set of leg warmers which I thought would be fun. But I'm so out of practice …

I saw your thread blooper! Technology! Argh! I did find you; of course, I did!

>235 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy! I've done that more than once, somehow messed up my view of reviews from last to first. If you click on the Date at the top of the reviews, that will re-order them, beginning with most recent. Appreciate your endorsement of Restless.

>236 nittnut: Hi Jenn, have just come from your thread, and several others, spreading Christmas wishes. Thank you so much.

238souloftherose
des. 23, 2015, 1:57 pm

>196 lit_chick: Very classy decorations Nancy!

>226 lit_chick: I read The Chimes a few years ago and found it much less heart-warming than A Christmas Carol. Apparently Dickens was attacking specific politicians' political views but I think that meant he felt it wouldn't be as effective if the ending was too happy....

Sending you bookish Christmas wishes!

239SandDune
des. 23, 2015, 2:46 pm



Happy Christmas Nancy!

240lit_chick
des. 23, 2015, 4:22 pm

>238 souloftherose: Thanks, Heather : ). Makes sense what you write about Dickens attacking specific politicians' views, but it certainly did make for a less than heartwarming read.

>239 SandDune: Thank you, Rhian!

241lit_chick
des. 23, 2015, 4:25 pm

Wishing all of my LT friends the Merriest of Christmases! Here's to love, laughter, and, of course, great books!

242vancouverdeb
des. 23, 2015, 4:47 pm

Merry Christmas, Nancy! Have a wonderful time! Best of luck with the leg warmers! Me, I've still got lot of dog walks in the next few days, rain or not

243ronincats
des. 23, 2015, 6:13 pm



For my Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice/Holiday image this year (we are so diverse!), I've chosen this photograph by local photographer Mark Lenoce of the pier at Pacific Beach to express my holiday wishes to you: Peace on Earth and Good Will toward All!

244Familyhistorian
des. 24, 2015, 12:59 am



Merry Christmas!

245johnsimpson
des. 24, 2015, 8:24 am

Hi Nancy, sending Christmas greetings to you my dear, hope you have a lovely day. Sending love and hugs from across the pond.

246ctpress
des. 24, 2015, 11:50 am

Merry Christmas, Nancy. Hope you have a blessed time with family and friends.

247lkernagh
des. 24, 2015, 1:01 pm

I have to admit to skim reading your thread to get caught up, Nancy. Your tree looks wonderful! Love the new decor of your dining room. I am a big fan of clean lines and uncluttered spaces. ;-)

>216 lit_chick: - Very happy to see the 5 star rating for Shantaram! I have a copy of that one lurking on my TBR bookcases.

Wishing you the very best this holiday season!


248katiekrug
des. 24, 2015, 2:12 pm



Warm wishes for a magical holiday season, Nancy!

249PaulCranswick
des. 24, 2015, 3:06 pm



Have a lovely holiday, Nancy

250lit_chick
des. 24, 2015, 7:17 pm

Thank you for the warm holiday wishes, Deb, Roni, Meg, John, Carsten, Lori, Katie, Paul.

>247 lkernagh: Lori, I hope you will love Shantaram as much as I did!

251mdoris
des. 24, 2015, 11:47 pm

HI Nancy,
Wishing you a very wonderful Christmas day tomorrow. Hope you get to relax and enjoy!

252cushlareads
des. 24, 2015, 11:53 pm

Merry Christmas, Nancy! Hope you have a lovely day tomorrow.

253LizzieD
des. 25, 2015, 8:26 pm

Merry Christmas and Happy, Happy New Year, Nancy! (And thanks for the "date" tip for reviews!)

254ChelleBearss
des. 26, 2015, 9:21 am


Merry Christmas, Nancy!

255BLBera
des. 26, 2015, 12:02 pm

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Nancy. I will be following your reading again in 2016. I've gotten a lot of great reading ideas from you.

256lit_chick
des. 26, 2015, 12:57 pm

Thank you, Peggy, Chelle, Beth! Glad I've been able to help with some reading ideas, Beth. Our 75 Group is a great place for that! I've gotten many ideas from you as well : ).

257Berly
des. 26, 2015, 4:10 pm

Love the decorations!! Merry Christmas!



258lit_chick
des. 26, 2015, 7:46 pm

Thank you, Kim! Merry Christmas to you!

259lit_chick
des. 26, 2015, 8:02 pm

End of the Year Book Meme:

Describe yourself: A Wrinkle in Time
Describe how you feel: Confusion
Describe where you currently live: A House in the Sky
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Secret Garden
Your favorite form of transportation: Indian Horse
Your best friend is: Roseanna
You and your friends are: Galore
What’s the weather like: Rounding the Mark
You fear: Black Skies
What is the best advice you have to give: Let the Great World Spin
Thought for the day: If I Fall, I Die
How I would like to die: The Man Who Went Up in Smoke
My soul’s present condition: The Illuminations

260Berly
des. 26, 2015, 8:07 pm

Love your best advice and you friends. : )

261LovingLit
des. 27, 2015, 1:17 am

Great meme, always a laugh :)
Glad to see Shantaram scoring 5/5, I loved it when I read it years ago. Quite the doorstopper!

262AMQS
des. 27, 2015, 2:52 am

Hi Nancy! OK, you definitely got me with Shantaram. I'm always looking for a good audiobook, particularly as I'll be going back to school Jan. 4. Looks like a good choice -- thanks for the recommendation!

I MUST find a Richard Armitage narration (SWOON). I've seen that he narrates several abridged versions of Georgette Heyer books, and I may try one. I generally avoid abridged versions, but I just finished a Heyer on audio, and though I really enjoyed it, I could see how it could be abridged... Sounds scandalous to even say such things, but Richard Armitage!

263vancouverdeb
des. 27, 2015, 9:53 am

Great job on the meme, Nancy! :) Any snow for Christmas? Not here, for which I am thankful!

264lit_chick
des. 27, 2015, 6:52 pm

>261 LovingLit: Hi Megan, don't know how I missed Shantaram until recently, but I did. Glad you also enjoyed it, and, yes, definitely a doorstopper!

>262 AMQS: Hi Anne, I hope you will love Shantaram on audio as much as I did! Generally, I feel just as you do about abridged books, but Richard Ermitage indeed! Oh, swoon! I trust you've seen the BBC production of North and South?



>263 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, we did indeed have a white Christmas, for the first time in years. It was lovely!

265vancouverdeb
des. 27, 2015, 7:39 pm

Much swooning over audio book readers, I see! ;) I see you appear to be enjoying the Maisie Dobbs series? Brr to a snowy Christmas, mind you a damp and 2 C Christmas is not a lot warmer! Oh the damp gets into your bones!

266AMQS
des. 27, 2015, 8:37 pm

>264 lit_chick: Oh yes indeed -- we own it! I binge-watched both North & South and Emma (miniseries version with Jonny Lee Miller) when I had my gum surgery. I wasn't looking forward to the surgery & recovery, but very much looking forward to the movies:)

267lit_chick
des. 27, 2015, 9:36 pm

>265 vancouverdeb: Yes, Deb, you must join we swoons! I'm several chapters into the Maisie Dobbs audiobook. Very much enjoying. Couldn't agree more about the damp getting into one's bones. It's the reason I prefer snow to rain this time of year, provided, of course, that the temps are only just below zero and not freaking freezing!

>266 AMQS: Anne, I just recently re-watched North and South, too. Must look for Emma, the miniseries. I can understand looking forward to recovery from surgery when it involves swooning, LOL!

268LizzieD
des. 27, 2015, 11:06 pm

I should have dropped from lurk to say that your fun with the meme inspired me to try it again.
We are HOT through Wednesday - I'm talking 78 or 79° F and wet, wet, wet. Yuck, in fact. I despise cold weather, but we really could use some before the mosquitoes organize and take us out.

269lit_chick
des. 27, 2015, 11:51 pm

>268 LizzieD: Hi Peggy, glad you had fun with the meme again. I forget whose thread I saw it on this year, but I'm glad it's back.

Woot! I'll say you're HOT at 79 F. Sorry but had to chuckle at we really could use some before the mosquitoes organize and take us out.

270lkernagh
des. 29, 2015, 8:47 pm

>259 lit_chick: - Great meme answers! I particularly like your weather (Rounding the Mark) and your soul's present condition (The Illuminations) answers.

>264 lit_chick: - You had snow?! *whimpers* I wanted snow for Christmas.... didn't happen. ;-(

271LauraBrook
des. 30, 2015, 12:11 pm

Happy New Year, Nancy!

272ctpress
Editat: des. 30, 2015, 3:28 pm

Hi Nancy.

Great meme. I laughed a lot. Describe yourself: A Wrinkle in Time. Hilarious.

A double feature binge-watching of "North and South" and “Emma“. Gaskell and Austen!! Why was I not invited? Of course I would call it "the tv-version of Emma with Romola Garai" :) It has become my favorite version.

I just gave the dvd of North and South to my sister at Christmas. I know she'll love it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, NANCY. See you on a thread in the near future (next year).

273AMQS
des. 31, 2015, 2:12 am

>272 ctpress: I like your style, Carsten! I would have loved for you and Nancy to join me! And what a perfect gift for your sister- of course she'll love it!

274ctpress
des. 31, 2015, 2:38 am

#266 Ah, it was YOU, Anne :) I would still have loved an invitation :)

Nancy - Well, as you know by now - I would also recommend the Emma mini series. Great cast and performance.

275lit_chick
des. 31, 2015, 12:07 pm

>270 lkernagh: Thank for posting my favourite meme, Lori! Love reading everyone's answers to this one.

It was lovely to have some white for Christmas. Now I am ready for July!

>271 LauraBrook: Thanks, Laura, and to you!

>272 ctpress: >274 ctpress: Thanks, Carsten, and Happy New Year to you! Glad you liked the meme : ). Hope you have posted it on your thread, too, because the meme police will be by shortly.

Big meanie Anne did not invite you to her marathon of Emma and North and South! I will talk to her for you, LOL! What a wonderful gift for your sister! You have fabulous taste, and, yes, she will love it!

>273 AMQS: Hi Anne, we need a time warp machine for US, Canada, Denmark, and then watch out Emma and North and South!

276johnsimpson
des. 31, 2015, 12:57 pm

Hi Nancy, wishing you a very Happy New Year my dear and sending special love and hugs.

277lit_chick
gen. 2, 2016, 12:23 am

>276 johnsimpson: Thank you, John. Happy New Year to you and Karen.

278Berly
gen. 2, 2016, 8:21 pm



Is your 2016 up yet? : )

279lit_chick
Editat: gen. 3, 2016, 2:16 pm

2015 Wrap-Up:
(also posted on my new 2016 thread)

The Best:
(Top 5 Reads)
The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert
All Change, Elizabeth Jane Howard
The Tie That Binds, Kent Haruf
The Green Road, Anne Enright
Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts

Elizabeth Jane Howard: The Cazalet Chronicles
(Fabulousness! The entire series!)
The Light Years
Marking Time
Confusion
Casting Off
All Change

280lit_chick
gen. 3, 2016, 2:15 pm

And here's the end of another year. Come and visit at my new 2016 thread.