Helenliz does battle with the books in 2018 part 2

Seeing we're at the half way point of the year (give or take a few days) and I've hit 200 posts, seems I may as well have a second thread for the year.

I'm Helen, and I'm a Quality Manager for a small company making medical devices (asthma inhalers). I enjoy reading, cross stitch embroidery, growing edible things in my garden (and then eating the results!) and watching documentaries (usually to relieve the boredom of ironing).

This year was supposed to be a nice easy year, no particular numbers in any category, but that's not to say I don't want to stretch my reading, as ever. Having said that I do, of course have some reading targets. So far I seem to have set up reasonably and the categories are helping me meet a few of them. My theme is castles. I like visiting castles, they come in all shapes and sizes and histories. They're fun to clamber around, they look interesting in the landscape and they tell us something of who we are. I've tried to pair the castles with the themes I've picked.

And with that, I'm all set up and ready for the second half the of year.

Currently reading:


The Man who Loved Children

December's plan:
RandomCat:
AlphaKIT: C&W: none
ColourCat: White: A Little Life (white cover)
Heyer Read: The Conqueror (which I do now own!) (completed)
HP re-read: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (completed)

Library books out on loan (which I really ought to get too sooner rather than later!)
The Italian Wife
The Absentee
Belinda
A Modern Comedy (books 4-6 of the Forstye Saga)
The Scarlet Letter

Yearlong list
January
1. The Black Moth, Georgette Heyer, ****1/2
2. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, ***
3. Jolly Wicked, Actually, Tony Thorne, Non-Fiction, Audio, ****
4. Rosie Revere, Engineer, Andrea Beaty, *****
5. Life After Life, Kate Atkinson, ****
6. Property, Valerie Martin ****
7. A History of Britain in 21 Women, Jenni Murray, Non-Fiction ****
8. Piccadilly Jim, PG Wodehouse, ***
9. An Experiment in Love, Hilary Mantel, ***

February
10. Powder and Patch, Georgette Heyer, ***
11. A Brief Summary, In Plain Language, Of The Most Important Laws Of England Concerning Women: Together With A Few Observations Thereon, Barbara Bodichon, ***
12. Religio Medici, Sir Thomas Browne, Non-Fiction *****
13. Suffer Little Children, Peter Tremayne, ***

March
14. The Art of Flying, Antonio Altaribba, ****
15. The Tales of Max Carrados, Ernest Bramah, Audio, ***
16. The Green Walk into the Trees, Hugh Thomson, Non-Fiction, **
17. Eggs, Beans and Crumpets, PG Wodehouse, Audio, ***
18. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft, Non-Fiction ***

April
19. The Best Bear in All the World, Various, *****
20. The Periodic Table of Feminism, Marisa Bate, Non-Fiction, ***
21. Tyrannosaurus Rex versus The Corduroy Kid, Simon Armitage, ***
22. Happiness, Like Water, Chinelo Okparanta, ****
23. Lucky Button, Michael Morpurgo, ****
24. Threads of Feeling, John Styles, Non-Fiction, ****
25. The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry , ****1/2
26. Lie by Moonlight, Amanda Quick, ***
27. Murder Under the Christmas Tree, Various, ****
28. Dom Casmurro, Machado de Assis, *****
29. Last Writes, Catharine Aird, Audio, ****
30. The Great Roxhythe, Georgette Heyer, ***

May
31. The Pie at Night, Stuart Maconie, Non-Fiction, ***
32. Simon the Coldheart, Georgette Heyer, ***
33. A Spot of Folly Ruth Rendell, Audio, ****
34. Don Quixote, Cervantes, ***
35. These Old Shades, Georgette Heyer, ***
36. Married Love and Other Stories, Tessa Hadley, ****

June
37. Flight Behaviour, Barbara Kingsolver, ***
38. The Diving-bell and the Butterfly, Jean-Dominique Bauby, Non-Fiction, ****
39. The Convict and Other Stories, James Lee Burke, Audio, ****
40. The Man of Property, John Galsworthy, ****
41. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling, ****

July
42. Uncle Fred in the Springtime, PG Wodehouse, ***
43. Wish I Was Here, Jackie Kay, Audio, ****
44. NW, Zadie Smith, **
45. Indian Summer of a Forsyte, John Galsworthy, ****
46. In Chancery, John Galsworthy, ****
47. Pugwash on the Pacific, John Ryan, ***
48. The Field of the Cloth of Gold, Magus Mills, ***
49. The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer, ****
50. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, JK Rowling, ***

August
51. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, ***
52. To a Mountain in Tibet, Colin Thubron, ****
53. Awakening, John Galsworthy, ***
54. 100 First Women Portraits, Anita Corbin, **** non-fiction
55. Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe, ***
56. Reality, Reality, Jackie Kay, ****
57. We Shall Fight Until We Win, various, ***
58. To Let, John Galsworthy, ****
59. The Cottage Book, Sir Edward & Dorothy Grey, ***, Non-Fiction

September
60. Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves, Rachel Malik, ****
61. The Rendezvous and Other Stories, Daphne du Maurier, ***, Audio
62. Beauvallet, Georgette Heyer, ****
63. Undertones of War, Edmund Blunden, ***, Non-fiction
64. The Lacuna, Barbara Kingsolver, ****
65. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, JK Rowling, ***

October
66. Bats in the Belfry, ECR Lorac, ***
67. Eight Ghosts, Various, ***
68. Pulse, Julian Barnes, ***, Audio
69. The Buddha of Suburbia, Hanif Kureishi, ***
70. The Mysteries of Udolpho, Ann Radcliffe, ***

November
71. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling, ****
72. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and My Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson, ****
73. The Time Travellers Almanac: Part II, Various, ***, Audio
74. A Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh, ***

December
75. A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara, ****1/2
76. Saints and Sinners, Edna O'Brien, ***, Audio
77. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, JK Rowling, ****
78. Echoes from the Macabre, Daphne du Maurier, ****, Audio
79. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Robert L May, ****
80. The Conqueror, Georgette Heyer, ****

Challenge 1 - books by women authors

Castle: Corfe Castle


Corfe Castle is a natural site for a castle, it dominates the landscape and was probably a fortified place long before the Normans put a stone castle in this location. It's importance is clear from the fact that this is one of the first Norman castle to be built in stone - most early castles were wooden palisades on top of a motte.
It continued to be a royal residence into the medieval period, with it being one of King John's favourite places.
However it's applicability to women comes to light during the Civil War. It was then owned by the Bankes family, a Royalist family in a parliamentary county. It was placed under siege when Lord Bankes was absent. That didn't deter the lady of the castle. Lady Bankes, her maids and 5 men defended the castle in a 6 week siege. Later in the civil war, Corfe again came under siege and Lady Bankes, again, rose to the occasion. The small group of retainers and servants defended the castle successfully. The castle was only taken when one of her men betrayed the defenders by letting the parlimetary forces in a side door. Pah! Men, can't trust them.
Lady Bankes' courage was saluted, however, as she was allowed to keep all of the keys to the castle. After it was taken by parliamentary forces, the castle was slighted, to prevent it being used defensively again.

So far in 2017 I've read 2/3 by women authors, which was never an intention, but is quite impressive. I'd like to maintain at least parity between the sexes in terms of authorship in 2018

Corfe Castle is now in the hands of the National Trust.
Should you be feeling equally brave, you can attempt to take the castle with your teddy bear. We never leave a bear behind

1. The Black Moth, Georgette Heyer
2. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
3. Rosie Revere, Engineer, Andrea Beaty
4. Life After Life, Kate Atkinson
5 Property, Valerie Martin
6. A History of Britain in 21 Women, Jenni Murray
7. An Experiment in Love, Hilary Mantel
8. Powder and Patch, Georgette Heyer
9. A Brief Summary, In Plain Language, Of The Most Important Laws Of England Concerning Women: Together With A Few Observations Thereon, Barbara Bodichon
10. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft
11. The Periodic Table of Feminism, Marisa Bate
12. Happiness, Like Water, Chinelo Okparanta
13. Lie by Moonlight, Amanda Quick
14. Last Writes Catherine Aird
15. The Great Roxhythe, Georgette Heyer
16. Simon the Coldheart, Georgette Heyer
17. A Spot of Folly Ruth Rendell
18. These Old Shades, Georgette Heyer
19. Married Love and Other Stories, Tessa Hadley
20. Flight Behaviour, Barbara Kingsolver
21. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
22. Wish I Was Here, Jackie Kay
23. NW, Zadie Smith
24. The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer
25. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, JK Rowling
26. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
27. 100 First Women Portraits, Anita Corbin,
28. Reality, Reality, Jackie Kay
29. Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves, Rachel Malik
30. The Rendezvous and Other Stories, Daphne du Maurier
31. Beauvallet, Georgette Heyer
32. The Lacuna, Barbara Kingsolver
33. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, JK Rowling
34. Bats in the Belfry, ECR Lorac
35. The Mysteries of Udolpho, Ann Radcliffe
36. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
37. A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara
38. Saints and Sinners, Edna O'Brien
39. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, JK Rowling
40. Echoes from the Macabre, Daphne du Maurier
41. The Conqueror, Georgette Heyer

Challenge 2 - Mysteries

Castle: Maiden Castle



Maiden Castle is an earthworks castle, with the natural hill being fortified with ditches and banks. It is an ancient site, with evidence of neolithic habitation, ~ 6000 years ago. Its use continues into the Iron age, with the multiple ditches and banks being formed in stages of activity. It was in use at the time of the Roman invasion, but does not seem to have been the site of a pitched battle. It was abandoned during the Roman occupation.

It's a very strange site to visit. You're alone in this windy location with birds overhead and you can easily loose people in the scale of the castle and it's fortifications. I found it somewhat eerie and strange, somewhat mysterious in fact.

I'm a fan of historic mysteries, Sayers, Christie and the golden age mysteries. I don't like blood & gore, so nothing too modern and gory will be found in here.

Maiden Castle is maintained by English Heritage and is free to visit at any reasonable time. I'd not go at night, it was haunting enough during the day.

1. Suffer Little Children, Peter Tremayne
2. The Tales of Max Carrados, Ernest Bramah
3. Murder Under the Christmas Tree, Various
4. Last Writes, Catharine Aird
5. A Spot of Folly Ruth Rendell
6. Bats in the Belfry, ECR Lorac

Challenge 3 - Classics

Castle: Ashby de la Zouch



Ashby Castle is not one of the classic castles one thinks of when the word is used. But it fits this challenge, as it features as a backdrop for the joust in Walter Scott's Ivanhoe. It is the creation of the later middle ages, being built in the last quarter of the 15th Century. It remained unfinished, although was the seat of power of the throughout the Tudor & Stewart periods. It hosted a number of royal visits and held Mary Queen of Scots for a while (although the castle that didn't is rare indeed!). During the Civil war it was a Royalist stronghold, and hosted Charles 1 on more than one occasion, including after the defeat at Naseby. It was surrendered to the Parliamentarians and the defences were enthusiastically destroyed by them.
The ruins became popular after they featured in Ivanhoe. Thereafter, visitor numbers increased as the Victorians got their taste for the picturesque and the romantic impressions that these places offer.

These days it remains an attractive place to visit, with the tower walls standing to full height in places. There are gardens to stroll around and you can find a bench to read Ivanhoe.

I have a feeling that I'm under-read. I'm trying to wander my way through a load of the classics, just to catch up.

Ashby de la Zouch Castle is now maintained by English Heritage

1. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
2. Don Quixote, Cervantes
3. The Man of Property, John Galsworthy
4. Indian Summer of a Forsyte, John Galsworthy
5. In Chancery, John Galsworthy
6. Awakening, John Galsworthy
7. Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe
8. To Let, John Galsworthy
9. The Mysteries of Udolpho, Ann Radcliffe
10. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and My Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson

Challenge 4 - History

Castle: Dover Castle


Dover Castle is selected to represent History as it has featured in pretty much every age of English History. It has evidence of Roman occupation (a Roman lighthouse still stands) was occupied by the saxons (the church foundation is Saxon), was a Norman keep, formed part of the defence of England in multiple wars and was active through to the Second World War with the relief of Dunkirk being planned from the Second world war tunnels. If you wanted to capture a nation's story in one location, you'd be hard pressed to beat this.

We stayed here in November. English Heritage have created small cottages for holiday lets in some of their properties, and Dover Castle is one of them. I couldn't resist the idea of getting to stay in a 12th Century gatehouse (with 21st Century mod cons) It was fabulous.



Dover Castle is maintained by English Heritage.

This category will include straight history as well as historical fiction.

1. Property Valerie Martin
2. A History of Britain in 21 Women Jenni Murray
3. Suffer Little Children, Peter Tremayne
4. A Periodic Table of Feminism, Marisa Bate
5. Threads of Feeling, John Styles
6. Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves, Rachel Malik
7. Undertones of War, Edmund Blunden

Challenge 5 - Non-Fiction

Castle: Deal Castle


Deal Castle is one of a series of defences built by Henry VIII against probably invasion from the continent. They are known, collectively, as the Cinque Ports and they are all of this form, although to different degrees and scales. They are beautiful and deadly. From the air it looks too pretty to be effective, but this was the cutting edge of technology at the time. The circular construction is to allow the defensive cannons to have an effective and uninterrupted field of fire. The low height is to prevent it offering an attractive target to ship borne cannon and invaders. There's nothing superfluous or fanciful about this, it is all about effectiveness as a fighting machine. To that end, I've selected this for my Non-Fiction category.

I try and read about 1 non-fiction per month, but will be happy with 9 over the year. I like science (I once was a scientist) & history.

Deal Castle is maintained by English Heritage and is one I haven't visited, although it remains on the list...

1. Jolly Wicked, Actually, Tony Thorne
2. A History of Britain in 21 Women, Jenni Murray
3. A Brief Summary, In Plain Language, Of The Most Important Laws Of England Concerning Women: Together With A Few Observations Thereon, Barbara Bodichon
4. Religio Medici, Sir Thomas Browne
5. The Green Walk into the Trees, Hugh Thomson
6. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft
7. A Periodic Table of Feminism, Marisa Bate
8. Threads of Feeling, John Styles
9. The Pie at Night, Stuart Maconie
10. The Diving-bell and the Butterfly, Jean-Dominique Bauby
11. To a Mountain in Tibet, Colin Thubron
12. 100 First Women Portraits, Anita Corbin,
13. We Shall Fight Until We Win, Various
14. The Cottage Book, Sir Edward & Dorothy Grey
15. Undertones of War, Edmund Blunden

Challenge 6 - Romance

Castle: Castle Coch


Castle Coch (it means Red Castle) may be an old site, but its current presentation is an imaginative imagining of what a fairytale medieval castle might be, one that ought to be populated by damsels in distress and bold knights. It is the creation of Victorian money and artistic talent and I loved it. Although don't ask me to stay there - the walls are far to busy for a restful night's sleep. Never intended as more than a country retreat it is a brilliant invention of the Victorian High Gothic period. It could be a romantic vision of the past, and so is a suitable castle for my Romances.

This is not a major category, but occasionally it is something I turn to.

Castle Coch is maintained by CADW, the Welsh equivalent to English Heritage.

1. Lie by Moonlight, Amanda Quick

Challenge 7 - Georgette Heyer Read

Castle: Hackness Martello Tower



The Martello towers were a series of forts that were built along the coast to protect shipping and ports from invasion during the Napoleonic wars. They were all built on the same basic plan, such that a soldier could be deployed to any of them and be familiar with the fort's layout. They were never used in anger. Some have fallen into disrepair, some have been converted into an unusual house or accommodation. Only a very few are open to visit, Hackness being just one example.

The overlap between the building period of the Martello towers and the Regency period, of which Georgette Heyer is most well known is why this odd combination has been chosen. I'm planning on reading Heyer's romances in publication order.

Hackness Martello Tower is maintained by Historic Scotland. It is not one I have visited, it is selected as an archetype.

Heyer romances:
(r) Set in Regency Period
(g) Set in Georgian Period
(h) Set in prior historical Periods.

Finished
The Black Moth (g) 1921 Finished 01Jan18, ****1/2
Powder and Patch (g) 1923 Finished 05Feb18, ***
The Great Roxhythe (h) 1923 Finished 30Apr18, ***
Simon the Coldheart (h) 1925 Finished 7May18, ***
These Old Shades (g) 1926 Finished 31May18, ***
The Masqueraders (g) 1928 Finished 17Jul18, ****
Beauvallet (h) 1929 Finished 08Sep2018, ****
The Conqueror (h) 1931 Finished 25Dec2018, ****

To be Read
Devil's Cub (g) 1932
The Convenient Marriage (g) 1934
Regency Buck (r) 1935
The Talisman Ring (g) 1936
An Infamous Army (r) 1937
Royal Escape (h) 1938
The Spanish Bride (r) 1940
The Corinthian (r) 1940
Faro's Daughter (g) 1941
Friday's Child (r) 1944
The Reluctant Widow (r) 1946
The Foundling (r) 1948
Arabella (r) 1949
The Grand Sophy (r) 1950
The Quiet Gentleman (r) 1951
Cotillion (r) 1953
The Toll Gate (r) 1954
Bath Tangle (r) 1955
Sprig Muslin (r) 1956
April Lady (r) 1957
Sylvester, or The Wicked Uncle (r) 1957
Venetia (r) 1958
The Unknown Ajax (r) 1959
Pistols for Two (short stories) 1960
A Civil Contract (r) 1961
The Nonesuch (r) 1962
False Colours (r) 1963
Frederica (r) 1965
Black Sheep (r) 1966
Cousin Kate (r) 1968
Charity Girl (r) 1970
Lady of Quality (r) 1972
My Lord John (h) 1975

Challenge 8 - Orange Prize

Castle: Tower of London



The Tower of London has everything. It has been the heart of the nation's life since the White Tower (the keep at the centre of the complex) was built after the Norman invasion. It has been extended, expanded, and altered by every generation since it was built. It has been the key the keeping the country every since. It is the jewel in the crown, the prize any invader sets their heart on. Hence it being selected for my read of Orange prize winner and shortlisted books.

I'm going to aim for at least 6 of these over the course of the year.

It was also the location of the moving installation of poppies to mark the start of the first world war. We visited a few weeks before it was completed. I couldn't help but be impressed by the grand scope of the idea and the attention to detail of the installation. Some of my images are below.


The Tower of London is in the hands of the Historic Royal Palaces. I happily spent an entire day here and am still not convinced I saw all of it.

1. Life After Life, Kate Atkinson.
2. Property, Valerie Martin
3. Flight Behaviour, Barbara Kingsolver
4. NW, Zadie Smith
5. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
6. The Lacuna, Barbara Kingsolver
7. A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara

Challenge 9 - Flights of Fancy

Castle: Alnwick Castle



Alnwick castle was bought by a Percy in 1309, when there was already a motte & baily castle in existence on the site. Over the years, the castle was extended and modified to meet the requirements of the family as they caused trouble in the political scene. They have, more than once, ended up on the wrong side, yet seem to survive, as did their castle.

Alnwick Castle is probably best known now for being one of the locations used for the Harry Potter films. In which case this will be used for any book that is not set in a realistic mode. Any fantasy, magic and so on. I might try a Harry Potter series read, as I'm still pretty sure I've not read all of them, even though we have them all on the shelf.

Alnwick Castle remains owned by the Percy family, who have held it for over 700 years.

1. The Best Bear in All the World, Various
2. Lucky Button, Michael Morpurgo
3. The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
4. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
5. Pugwash on the Pacific, John Ryan
6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, JK Rowling
7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, JK Rowling
8. Eight Ghosts, Various
9. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
10. The Time Travellers Almanac: Part II, Various
11. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, JK Rowling
12. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Robert L May

Challenge 10 - Miscellaneous

Castle: Portchester Castle



Portchester castle is the best preserved Roman fort north of the Alps. Which is quite some claim to fame. It was built by the Romans to deter the marauding Saxons who were harrying Britain from all sides. After the Roman retreat, the Saxons took over and built a town within the walls. They stayed until the Normans arrived and built the castle in one quarter and the church (originally a priory) in another quarter of the extensive fort. The church remains in use. The castle was used primarily as a prison in its later life with the peak occupancy during the Napoleonic wars.

Seeing this castle has a bit of everything, it will serve for all books that can't fit anywhere else - a miscellany.

Portchester Castle is in the care of English Heritage, although the church remains an active parish church and is maintained by the diocese of Portsmouth.

If any castle can be said to be mine, this is it. I grew up 10 miles up the road, and while Portsmouth is surrounded by various fortifications of various ages, this was always my favourite. Probably as it was the one you could go in and climb up and down and round and that always appeals to a child.

1. Piccadilly Jim, PG Wodehouse
2. The Art of Flying, Antonio Altaribba
3. Eggs, Beans and Crumpets, PG Wodehouse
4. Tyrannosaurus Rex versus The Corduroy Kid, Simon Armitage
5. Dom Casmurro, Machado de Assis
6. The Convict and Other Stories, James Lee Burke
7. Uncle Fred in the Springtime, PG Wodehouse
8. The Field of the Cloth of Gold, Magus Mills
9. Pulse, Julian Barnes
10. The Buddha of Suburbia, Hanif Kureishi
11. A Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh

Challenge 11 - CATs

Castle: Belfast Castle



I know little about Belfast castle, but a search lead me to discover that it has a legend that there should always be a cat in the castle, else it will fall.To avoid such an eventuality, they have introduced a cat garden at the castle. How adorable. There are 9 different cats in the garden, some of them are shown below.



Belfast Castle is run by Belfast city council. I've never been, but now I know about the cat garden, it's crept up the list.

Colour CAT
January/Black - luvamystery65 - The Black Moth
February/Brown - whitewavedarling - Religio Medici, Sir Thomas Browne
March/Green - DeltaQueen50 - The Green Walk into the Trees
April/Yellow - VivienneR - The Best Bear in All the World (Winnie-the-Pooh is yellow, as is Honey, and the cover was a yellow/gold)
May/Blue - RidgewayGirl The Pie at Night (blue cover)
June/Purple - sallylou61 These Old Shades (purple clothing in first page)
July/Pink - clue Uncle Fred in the Springtime (Pink cover)
August/Grey - LittleTaiko The Cottage Book Sir Edward and Dorothy Grey
September/Metallic - VioletBramble Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, JK Rowling (gold embossed letter and gold edges pages)
October/Orange - virginiahomeschooler
November/Red - MissWatson
December/White - Chrischi_HH

Mystery CAT
January: Nordic Mysteries hosted by sushicat
February: Female Cop/Sleuth/Detective hosted by LittleTaiko - Suffer Little Children
March: Global Mysteries hosted by VivienneR
April: Classic and Golden Age Mysteries hosted by mathgirl40 - Murder Under the Christmas Tree
May: Mysteries involving Transit hosted by rabbitprincess
June: True Crime hosted by LibraryCin
July: Police Procedurals hosted by DeltaQueen50
August: Historical Mysteries hosted by majkia
September: Noir and Hard-Boiled Mysteries hosted by RidgewayGirl
October: Espionage hosted by MissWatson
November: Cozy Mysteries hosted by virginiahomeschooler
December: Third World Mysteries hosted by LisaMorr

Random CAT
January: DeltaQueen50 - Ack! I’ve Been Hit - The Ever Dangerous Book Bullets - Life After Life
February: majkia - Laissez les bons temps rouler - Powder and Patch
March: RidgewayGirl - Ripped From the Headlines - A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
April: clue - April Loves Books! - Murder Under the Christmas Tree
May: Chrischi_HH - Spring is all around
June: VioletBramble - Unusual Narrators
July: beebeereads - Getting to know you - NW, Zadie Smith
August: sturlington - To the Mountains - To a Mountain in Tibet, Colin Thubron
September: Robertgreaves - Happy Birthday - The Lacuna, Barbara Kingsolver
October: LittleTaiko
November: sushicat
December: LibraryCin

AlphaKit
I intend to use this to pick Orange prize winners by author's name.
January: V, M Property, Valerie Martin
February : P, J
March: F, I
April: Y, U
May: Q, K Flight Behaviour, Barbara Kingsolver
June: G, R
July: S, A NW, Zadie Smith, Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
August: O, D
September: B, E, The Lacuna, Barbara Kingsolver
October: N, L
November: T, H
December: C, W

Challenge 12 - BingoDog

Castle: Leeds Castle


Leeds Castle is not obviously a castle at first glance. I has been beautified over the ages, such that it is marketed as the loveliest castle in the world. I think it's had a bit too much work and has lost something of its age under a veneer of prettification. But that's just me. It has Norman origins and was a favourite castle of Henry VIII. It fits here as it also has an exhibition of dog collars. Yes, really.

Leeds Castle was transferred to a charitable trust by the last owner and is open as an attraction most days of the year.

1. Book that fits at least 2 KIT’s/CAT’s Powder and Patch
2. Title contains name of a famous person, real or fictional Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
3. Money in the title - any form of currency, type of payment, etc... The Field of the Cloth of Gold
4. Originally in a different language The Art of Flying
5. Book bought in 2017 that hasn’t been read yet Property
6. New-to-you author Jolly Wicked, Actually
7. Autobiography/memoir Dom Casmurro
8. Book published in 2018 The Periodic Table of Feminism
9. A long-time TBR/TBR the longest Life After Life
10. Book with a beautiful cover (in your opinion) The Green Walk into the Trees
11. Poetry or plays Tyrannosaurus Rex versus The Corduroy Kid
12. LGBT central character Happiness, Like Water
13. Read a CAT (middle square) Americanah
14. Title contains a person’s rank, real or fictional The Little Prince
15. Published more than 100 years ago Religio Medici
16. Book that is humorous Eggs, Beans and Crumpets
17. Fat book - 500 plus pages Don Quixote
18. X somewhere in the title An Experiment in Love
19. Relative name in the title (aunt, niece, etc...) Uncle Fred in the Springtime
20. Related to the Pacific Ocean Pugwash in the Pacific
21. Book set during a holiday Murder Under the Christmas Tree
22. Title contains something you would see in the sky The Black Moth
23. Book on the 1001 list Frankenstein
24. Number in the title A History of Britain in 21 Women
25. Story involves travel Piccadilly Jim



Seeing I've *almost* finished my Bingo card, I'm going to add the Popsugar reading challenge to this thread. Just for fun. I will happily use books I have already read this year for some of the categories.

2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge
http://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Reading-Challenge-2018-44138581

1. A book made into a movie you've already seen
2. True crime
3. The next book in a series you started Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
4. A book involving a heist
5. Nordic noir
6. A novel based on a real person Lucky Button
7. A book set in a country that fascinates you Beauvallet
8. A book with a time of day in the title The Pie at Night
9. A book about a villain or antihero The Black Moth
10. A book about death or grief The Art of Flying
11. A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
12. A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist Happiness, Like Water
13. A book that is also a stage play or musical The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
14. A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you Wish I was Here
15. A book about feminism A Brief Summary, In Plain Language, Of The Most Important Laws Of England Concerning Women: Together With A Few Observations Thereon
16. A book about mental health
17. A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift NW
18. A book by two authors (well actually more than 2) Murder Under the Christmas Tree
19. A book about or involving a sport Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
20. A book by a local author -
21. A book with your favorite color in the title
22. A book with alliteration in the title Rosie Revere, Engineer
23. A book about time travel The Time Travellers Almanac: Part II
24. A book with a weather element in the title Simon the COLDheart
25. A book set at sea Pugwash in the Pacific
26. A book with an animal in the title The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
27. A book set on a different planet
28. A book with song lyrics in the title
29. A book about or set on Halloween Eight Ghosts, Various
30. A book with characters who are twins Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
31. A book mentioned in another book Religio Medici
32. A book from a celebrity book club
33. A childhood classic you've never read The Little Prince
34. A book that's published in 2018 The Periodic Table of Feminism
35. A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner
36. A book set in the decade you were born The Buddha of Suburbia
37. A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to Property
38. A book with an ugly cover
39. A book that involves a bookstore or library
40. Your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenges (you can easily Google these)

Advanced Reading Challenge

1. A bestseller from the year you graduated high school
2. A cyberpunk book
3. A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place
4. A book tied to your ancestry Undertones of War
5. A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title Eggs, Beans and Crumpets
6. An allegory The Field of the Cloth of Gold
7. A book by an author with the same first or last name as you
8. A microhistory
9. A book about a problem facing society today Americanah
10. A book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves

Happy new thread!

I'm sure I said this when you set up your first thread too, but Corfe Castle is just about my most favourite castle anywhere in the world. Great place.

Also, looking at your 'currently reading' post reminded me that a month or so ago in the ROOT group, someone asked me if I was actually Jackie Kay posting incognito! I could only wish I had a fraction of her talent. It made me laugh, because I normally find poetry pretty baffling!

>16 Jackie_K: thanks. I think you did to, and seeing your north of the boarder allegiance, that's an impressive statement.

Are you not Jackie Kay? I mean, you could be... This is the first of her writing I have read. The one I'm listening to is a book of short stories. A lot of them about love and loss, the end of relationships feature heavily.

Happy new thread! I enjoyed seeing all the castles again :)

Speaking of castles, I've just added Bothwell Castle and Crookston Castle to my list of castles to see, after they featured in Bloody Scotland.

>18 rabbitprincess: Thanks. It's been fun finding a different picture for each one. Funny how, for a number of them I was drawn to the image I'd picked for the first thread...

You will find there are always more castles than time! Not visited those two. *scurries off to check them out*

>17 Helenliz: Well I am English (despite living in Scotland for a good while now and having no particular desire to live south of the border again), so whilst Scottish castles are indeed excellent, I do appreciate a good castle wherever they are, and actually I have a soft spot for quite a lot of Dorset (especially the coastline). We had a few family holidays in or around Weymouth when I was a little kid, so Corfe Castle was a good day trip from there.

Sadly my poetic ability is considerably less than Jackie Kay's! I could manage terrible doggerel if I really put my mind to it, but somehow doubt it would do as well as her writing!

Book 42
Title: Uncle Fred in the Springtime
Author: PG Wodehouse
Rating: ***
Where from: library
Why: Fits a Bingo square
Category: Miscellaneous, Bingo square Relative in the title (I had a Great Uncle Fred, so it works on more than one level!)
TIOLI: July Challenge #15. Read a Book where a name in the title or author matches a close family relative

This is a so-so story from Wodehouse. It has the usual set of people, country house, engagements on and off, loopy uncle, brain doctors, butlers and aunts. And they are doing the kinds of thing that only really happen in Wodehouse novels. Kidnapping pigs, betting on outfits, deceiving dukes and generally behaving in a manner unbecomming. This story lets itself down in that the last we see of the Empress of Blandings, she is trotting out of a ground floor bedroom suite. Does she make it to her sty? Will she be pig-napped again? It all becomes rather far-fetched.
And yet, despite all that, it remains fun and the light hearted spirit in which these stories are told went a long way to enliven a dreadfully long return train journey. Not the best, I think the Jeeves books have that edge, but I've read many a worse book.

Book 43
Title: Wish I Was Here
Author: Jackie Kay
Rating: ***
Where from: library
Why: Audio
Category: Woman author
TIOLI: July Challenge #6: Read a book with a word in the title that is also contained in a song title on Billboards Top 100 week of June 23, 2018

This collection of short stories are all about love, and mainly about loosing it. Noticeable that the majority deal with a lesbian relationship, which certainly allows a different take from the "oh, he's left me" style of love. Some of them grabbed me more than others, in some of them there's a sense of what happened next being a mystery - leaving Hamish & Don on a mountain in Scotland has to the be ultimate in cliff-hangers - which feels like there is unfinished business there. The other thing that dawned on me is that most of these tales are about a longer-standing relationship, some of them had been a couple for 10 to 15 years before we hear about them, this isn't the usual young love, this is a more mature, more settled kind of affection that is being turned on its head. Maybe that increases the surprise at the breakup at all.
Teh writing is at times start and at others lyrical. I believe she also writes poetry and in the rhythm of some of the sentences, that really comes out, she has a ear for a turn of phrase, that is for sure.
It's not always a very hopeful set of stories, in some of them you wonder how the narrator will extricate themselves from their situation. Yet, bizarrely, the one that I found most hopeful was the one about the man whose wife has left him and he's decided to commit suicide. Something in the fact that he wants to do it without it looking like suicide and by doing so starts to pull his life together makes me think that he, of anyone in the book, will make it through d out the other side of the breakup slough of despond.

>20 Jackie_K: well if you're not Jackie Kay, you should take some pleasure in being asked if you were. I've not read any of her work before, I only picked this up as I'm usually selecting short story collection to listen to in the car these days. This was a great selection. She has an ear for a turn of phrase, that's for sure. You say she writes poetry, at times I could hear that in the narration. I may seek her out again.

>23 Helenliz: Yes, I was really chuffed to be asked! (even though it did make me laugh). She is actually Scotland's makar at present (the Scottish equivalent of Poet Laureate). I agree, whenever I've heard her on the radio reading from her work (or even just talking about it) it's been clear she uses words beautifully.

>24 Jackie_K: I've requested another CD set of her short stories. The library doesn't hold any of her poetry.

>43 Helenliz: Excellent and thoughtful review, Helen - you got me with that one.

>26 Crazymamie: why thank you! It dawned on my gradually that this was a collection that was not the usual in several different ways. I have another collection of short stories by her, Reality, Reality on order from the library. I'm hoping for something equally as good.

Actually, they do have some of her poetry, but only in book form. And I really don't need any more books on loan right now...

Book 44
Title: NW
Author: Zadie Smith
Rating: **
Where from: library
Why: Orange fiction shortlist
Category: Woman author, Orange shortlist, Alphakit.
TIOLI: July Challenge #4. Read a book where the author's first and last names have the same number of letters

The cover blurb lauds this book the to highest, but I'm afraid I just don't get it.
I didn't like the style it was presented in. Sentences start in the middle, speech is not indicated with punctuation, meaning sometimes it's hard to know who is speaking, thinking or what is going on. It's written in the vernacular, which I'm afraid grates on my ear. I'm sure there's a good story in here, I just didn't find it in this book.

>28 Helenliz: I'll definitely pass on this one. Call me old-fashioned, but I like speech to be indicated with punctuation!

>29 rabbitprincess: I can't recommend it. Punctuation is there for a reason, it helps the reader understand. I fail to see why being contemporary means you don't have to use proper grammar.
*grumpy old person icon required*

Book 45
Title: Indian Summer of a Forsyte
Author: John Galsworthy
Rating: ****
Where from: library
Why: Forsyte Saga read
Category: Classics
TIOLI: July Challenge #9. Rolling Challenge: Red White And Blue

This is the first interlude in The Forsyte Saga. Coming a few years after the events in The Man of Property, it aims to fill in some details of the period prior to the start of the next book. Old Jolyon has bought Soames' house, Robin Hill, and is living there with his son, daughter in law and the grandchildren, June, Jolly & Holly. At the time of the interlude, we have most of the family away, Jolly at school the other adults on a tour of the continent, such that this is Old Jolyon's story.
He comes across Irene in the gardens of Robin Hill one evening, and spends time with her. She has left Soames, but is still mourning Bosinney. She is making a life of her own and in this she comes more human, in a way she didn't in the first book. However, it's Old Jolyon that is the most vivid character in this interlude. I found myself warming to him, he's a grumpy patriarch but has a warm heart. He turns out to be both of his type and capable of acting against type. The action he takes with respect to his will, I suspect, will have implications for the future. It costs him so little, but will change a lot.

And it was written with grammar and punctuation and everything and was a whole lot more enjoyable for it.

Happy new thread and I see you are very close to a blackout Bingo!

>32 lkernagh: thank you - and I have titles lined up for the missing ones, so I should be on for completion of that pretty soon. hurrah!

It's been a difficult day. Attended the funeral of my cousin today. Died at 38, leaves a daughter of 16 months. Life is very cruel at times. If in every death you see your own, then this one is rather too close to home, thank you very much. I'm the oldest of the cousins, and instead of 5, we're now 4. They're members of a non-traditional church and I find the style of service very difficult. Not that I'm at all religious, but at least with a traditional service, you have the comfort of familiarity of words and rhythm. This I just find a bit uncomfortable. I'm too strait-laced (and probably too much of a snob) to enjoy an evangelical style of worship.

Train journey home was made better by being able to immerse myself in another family's troubles, I've finished In Chancery. But I am probably not in the frame of mind to write it a fair review right now, so that's going to be a few days before I process it.

>33 Helenliz: I'm so sorry to hear of your cousin's death, you're right that is very close to home. I hope that you are able to find comfort in the coming days even if you weren't able to at the actual funeral.

>33 Helenliz: I'm so sorry for your loss.

>33 Helenliz: I'm sorry to hear of your loss. It is so terribly sad when young children are left behind.

Thank you all. It has been anticipated for some time, but I'm not sure that makes it any easier when it does happen.

I believe I offered condolences in another thread. Even when anticipated, the blow is still devastating. My thoughts are with you.

Book 47
Title: Pugwash in the Pacific
Author: John Ryan
Rating: ***
Where from: library
Why: A little light relief, selected solely to fill a Bingo square.
Category: Flights of Fancy & Bingo square "Pacific"
TIOLI: July Challenge #1. Read a book whose title’s opening letters names an animal

What's not to like? Captain Pugwash and his crew are resting on their laurels on a Pacific island. There is, however, a black cloud on the horizon - at home the Prime Minister sends the Navy to bring Pugwash home and to justice. (boo).
Back on the island, Pugwash's lookout spots a flag and the crew all scarper, leaving the loot and Pugwash's hat behind. It turns out not to be the Navy, yet, but Pugwash's arch enemy, Black Jake. Jake takes the loot and buries it (as that's what sensible pirates do). Due to some sleight of hand, Tom the cabin boy pulls of a stunt that see's Jake heading home courtesy of the Navy and Pugwash enjoying his Pacific island again.

Listening to this as a adult was an interesting experience. The theme music and sound effects make this more interesting to listen to, I should imagine. There is also a line in defiance of authority that I doubt I'd have recognised as a child. In this book, Tom, the cabin boy, saves the day and says nothing, he also uses slight of hand to gain the advantage over Black Jake. Pugwash is fun to spend some time with again.

>38 VivienneR:. Thank you. I see I've not responded on that thread yet; I will acknowledge your thoughts here.

Just wanted to add my condolences -- I will be thinking of you and your family!

>33 Helenliz: I'm very sorry to hear about your loss.

Thank you. Now we pick ourselves up and move on.

>33 Helenliz: - "Life is very cruel at times."

I agree. Sending my heartfelt condolences to your and your family on this loss.

Thank you. I've had a chance to mull over In Chancery and separate my emotions from the book. This in numbered in order I finished it.

Book 46
Title: In Chancery
Author: John Galsworthy
Rating: ****
Where from: library
Why: Forsyte Saga group read
Category: Classics
TIOLI: July Challenge #8. Read a book that appears on the same LT list as a book you've read this year

I found this really very good. The line about each family being uniquely unhappy is apt, as the extended Forsyte family is not a happy ship. In this book, set at the turn of the 20th century, there is a sense of change. There is the understandable changing of the guard, Old Jolyon has died before the book starts, one sister and James pass on during the book, all having achieved a ripe old age. The middle generation, of which young Jolyon & Soames are the main protagonists, are moving towards being the elders of the family. They are, in a sense stepping into their father's shoes. The younger generation are the ones trying to move out and into the world, rather than simply follow their fathers.
I still can't like Soames. His behavior towards Irene and his new wife strikes me as reminiscent of Henry VIII - I must have a son and any lengths will I go to. The way he goes about his divorce of Irene strikes me as being almost vengeful. I accept that at the time adultery was the main way in which a divorce could be sought, however he wants the divorce, but not his name to be associated with the scandal of being the guilty party (despite the fact that he has been taking prostitutes, whereas Irene says she has not been having affairs). It feels like he wants his take and to eat it. It feels that he, in fact, precipitates the relationship between Irene & Jolyon that he quotes as evidence in the divorce. I don't like the way he treats his new wife either. She, similarly to Irene, seems to have signed a pact with her happiness for security. I don't envy her her lot.
The younger generation are a mixed bag. Young Dartie and Jolly get to show their teeth to each other, then end up in deeper trouble than anticipated, with not backing down resulting in them heading off to fight a war. That the precipitates the girls to follow suit and nurse them. They feel more impetuous, but that is probably both their age and the age they come of age in, there's a raft of social changes at this time.
Overall, this is turning into a really good read. I was intimidated by the size of the task, but the idea of a book a month breaks the saga down into manageable chunks and I look forward to finding out what lies in store for the family in the new century.

Book 48
Title: The Field of the Cloth of Gold
Author: Magnus Mills
Rating: ***
Where from: library
Why: Audio book
Category: Contains a "money" word for a Bingo square.
TIOLI: July Challenge #3: Read a book you find on the top shelf

I'm really not sure what to make of this. It narrated by an unnamed narrator, who has arrived at a field and set up camp. His discusses the other people on the field, and the comings and going of people to and around the field. How they survive, find water, food etc is never covered, this is more an allegory than a story based in the hard realities.
The various parties in the field come and go, move and interact with each other. The balance of power shifts around, with different parties seeming to be in the ascendant. The filed is several times identified as somewhere something special will happen, but this event doesn't seem to feature. Towards the end a final new commer predicts that the field will fall and the end of the book seems to imply that the prophecy is coming true.
I still don't know what this was really about; human nature, I suppose. It was well constructed, the first person narrator bringing an immediacy to the text. The descriptions were vivid and the filed certainly came to life. But it still leaves me scratching my head. Not sure I'm going to rush out and buy his back catalogue.

Book 49
Title: The Masqueraders
Author: Georgette Heyer
Rating: ****
Where from: my shelves
Why: Heyer ordered read
Category: Women author, Heyer read
TIOLI: July Challenge #7. Read a book that relates to a New Year's Resolution you made this year

First an admission. I maybe wasn't paying attention at the beginning, I took this with me to the blood donor session and it's possible I missed something, but for the first 50 odd pages I was very very confused. Then, finally, the penny dropped and I realised that Robin & Prudence were masquerading as the opposite sex and were then Kate & Peter. At which point I read the first 50 pages again and it all made a lot more sense. Clearly this one needs you to pay attention!
This starts with Kate & Peter taking refuge in an inn and rescuing an eloping heiress who has since changed her mind about her beau. Having saved the day onto the scene arrives Sir Anthony Fanshawe (who does NOT want to marry Letty) and the book sets off. These 4 are the key characters and the rest of the book follows their somewhat eccentric adventures. Set after the Jacobite uprising, the reason for the disguises becomes clearer as the book progresses, Robin & Prudence have been involved on the losing side.
This book features a particularly outlandish character, Robin & Prudence's father. He's clearly a rackety type, having dragged them across Europe, owned a gaming den, taken multiple names and generally not been a credit to his family. He turns up in London society claiming to be the long lost brother and now heir to an estate. Even his children are surprised and can;t tell if he is who he now claims to be or not. Is he or not hangs in the balance for a fair portion of the book, but in the end it does all work out.
It's fun, it's a bit far fetched, but none the less enjoyable for that.

>33 Helenliz:
My cousin too recently passed away, much too early. I missed the funeral, but at the family reunion last month, we had a little non-glum memorial for her, which was lovely.

>33 Helenliz: that sounds like the best way to remember her.

We had this at Mum's funeral, it sums up, for me, something of the turmoil of emotions.

Death (If I Should Go) - Poem by Joyce Grenfell
If I should die before the rest of you,
Break not a flower nor inscribe a stone.
Nor, when I'm gone, speak in a Sunday voice,
But be the usual selves that I have known.
Weep if you must,
Parting is hell.
But life goes on,
So........ sing as well.

Book 50
Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Author: JK Rowling
Rating: ***
Where from: my shelves
Why: Harry Potter series re-read.
Category: Women author, Flights of Fancy
TIOLI: July Challenge #10. Re-read a book

Maybe re-reading these was a mistake. I find myself unconvinced by the unlikelihood of the problems encountered being solved by 3 students when the entire weight of the faculty is apparently flummoxed. In the conclusion of this one, at least, Dumbledore does seem to have some inkling of what is going on, his pointed comments as he is removed from post clearly show that he is aware of more than he is maybe in a position to do something about. I also found the Tom Riddle business, frankly, a bit ridiculous. The anagram probably looks good (it's almost something that was designed to be filmed) but it lacks a certain coherence in the making up a new name.
Apart from that, it is, again, a fast paced story, with plenty of incident. I enjoyed it on an uncritical level, and I can see why it appeals to teens and why I enjoyed them first time through, you do get swept along. Only this time my critical brain is engaged and it is less convinced.

>33 Helenliz: So sorry to read this, that sounds very hard to come to terms with.

>50 Helenliz: Oh no! I've done this with a couple of childhood favourites (especially thinking of I Capture the Castle where I went from thinking it was a perfect book to being really frustrated by the heroine!

Last week we were away in the North of England. And I can confirm that is is, indeed, cold up north. temperatures of low 20s all week were cold compared to what we'd been experiencing the previous few weeks. As such I did lots of visiting castles, houses, forts and the like, as well as had a wander along a section of Hadrian's wall. As we had some internet connection issues, this lot had to wait until I got back for review and listing.

Book 51
Title: Americanah
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Rating: ***
Where from: library
Why: July CAT (A)
Category: Women author, Orange Prize
TIOLI: August Challenge #1. Read a book whose ISBN contains a sequence of a three-in-a-row number

This tells of two childhood sweethearts and how they plan their lives - only it doesn't quite go to plan. Along the way, they loose touch, their lives drift in very different directions and they almost forget each other. Almost, but not quite.
Ifemelu and Obinze meet at school. He is the one with grand plans to go to America and make a new life for himself. Ifemelu is rather more content to follow his lead. When they graduate, she is the one who is able to get the visa to the US and works her way through a number of different jobs to make ends meet. Not all of them where what she had intended to so and this is one of the causes is disillusionment that run through the book. Obinze ends up in the UK, as an imiogrant who has overstayed his visa and is working jobs on someone else's NI number in order to make ends meet. He ends up being uncovered and deported. In different ways, the two of them end up back in Nigeria. There is, again, an air of expectation being un-met on their return and things not entirely going to the plan that you have for your life as a young adult.
It could be described as a love story, and there is a thread of these two being destined for each other throughout. However I thought it was as much about making the best of what you have - the grass is not greener on the other side for either of the two protagonists.
There is a fair propiriton of the book devoted to the subject of race and skin colour. I'm not at all qualified to comment. It was interesting in terms of perspective and the dangers of grouping people of disparate experience into a single bucket. It was not especially edifying. It was, overall an enjoyable books and one I found easier to relate to than the previous book of hers I had read.

Book 52
Title: To a Mountain in Tibet
Author: Colin Thubron
Rating: ****
Where from: library
Why: August CAT (mountains) and non-fiction
Category: CAT, non-fiction
TIOLI: August Challenge #2. Read a book whose title suggests a journey

This is, on one level, a trek to Mount Kailas, a sacred mountain in Tibet. It is also, although not overtly, a journey into the soul. The author has experienced the loss of his sister, when young, and now both parents, such that he is alone in the world. He undertakes the journey to circumnavigate Mt Kailas, which is scared to Buddhists and Hindus. To do so in not a light undertaking and the trek to just the foot of the mountain is hard going. He describes it all in some detail, and is, at times, unsparing in his descriptions. There is poverty here, but there is also something soul enhancing. Even for a non-believer, he experiences something over and above the travel in this trek. The details of the journey are well described, the history, background, geology and political turmoil all feature. It is when he is meditating on his fellow humanity and the act of memory that he is at his most human.

Book 53
Title: Awakening
Author: John Galsworthy
Rating: ***
Where from: library
Why: Forsyte Saga read
Category: Classics
TIOLI: August Challenge #6. The Location, Location, Location Rolling Challenge!

This is less obviously a set up for the next novel int he series than interlude 1 was. Jon is now a young boy and is just at that age when he is beginning to discover the world around him. His parents are still together, June still adopting lost causes and so it serves as a means to catch up on a number of the family.

Glad you had a good trip in northern England and even if it was chilly, it sounds like fun.

It seems you omitted the title and author of book 51. I'm guessing it was Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Interesting, but there are many books around on similar topics, it might be a while before I'm ready for another one.

Colin Thubron's book sounds more enticing.

>53 VivienneR: Thanks for spotting the omission. I was trying to be too smart and get 3 books in 1 post. Omission now rectified. Your deduction was correct.
It was a perfectly acceptable UK summer temperature, but after having loved the 30 ish degrees of the last few weeks, low to mid 20s was noticeably cooler. I love the heat, but I realise I'm about the only person who does! It did make my trek along a portion of the wall bearable though; 12 miles hard walking in 30 odd degrees would have been distinctly less enjoyable than it was.

I've not read any of Thubron's other books, but he seems to be a noted travel writer, according to the cover notes. There was something quite understated about it,yet it had a beauty in language.

>53 VivienneR: >54 Helenliz: I really like Colin Thubron's writing. I read Among the Russians last month (review on my thread) and The Lost Heart of Asia many years ago, and really enjoyed them both. I also recently bought In Siberia which I'm looking forward to. Thubron was one of Patrick Leigh Fermor's literary executors, and (along with Artemis Cooper, PLF's biographer) got the final book of his travel trilogy, The Broken Road, to publication.

>55 Jackie_K: thank you for the background detail. I've not heard of him before, but will certainly pick up something else, if I see it.

Book 54
Title: 100 First Women Portraits
Author: Anita Corbin
Rating: ****
Where from: purchased
Why: non-fiction
Category: Women Authors, non-fiction
TIOLI: August Challenge #5. Read a book about a sports star, name the sport and star if not obvious from the title

Exhibition catalogue for https://1stwomenuk.co.uk/2011/11/20/100-portraits/
Large format book, which does the pictures justice, encasing them in something of substance. For each woman there is her name and her "first" and a short biography. Some of them choose to be pictured in their professional capacity, with their robes or paraphernalia around them, others choose to be pictured at home, as if being a woman comes first and the first is secondary. They are mostly, far too young. How can we still be having firsts as we enter the 21st century? The oldest is Edith Kent who was the first woman to gain equal pay as her male colleagues - in 1943. She sits, as tranquil as any old lady, in her chair, but is that a steely glint in her eye?
They are here to inspire and maybe, just maybe, encourage the next generation to change the world as these women have done.

>57 Helenliz: Sounds like a lovely addition to any library. I will ask at work if we can get a copy, sounds like something any education establishment should have.

>58 charl08: do! It is a lovely thing as well as being an important record.

So I've been collared with the facebook 10 books in 10 days thing. 10 books that made an impact on you the first time you read them. Post the cover and nominate someone each day.

hmm. Let me think. This may change, depending on mood, clearly!

1. Winne the Pooh Not necessarily because it was the first books I read (they probably weren't) but they are representative of that phase of childhood when books became my first love.
2. Religio Medici Because he blew me away. I sense a meeting of minds and this is one person I'd be inviting to my dinner party.
3. The Uncommon Reader I love Alan Bennett and his Eeyore-esque personality. But mainly I love him because the man can write like a dream. The surmise is so simple, but the end result is shocking - and all the more for being so unexpected. And all packed in ~ 100 pages. A novel doesn't need to be 1000 pages long to have impact.
4. Mort I was given this for a 16th birthday present with the hesitant "we think you'll like it, we hope you do". And I did. I was sucked into Pratchett's improbable but entirely familiar world and have loved it ever since. I *think* this one remains my favourite, as they say, you always remember your first.
5. I, Claudius think of any soap opera and this outdoes it. It has all the works, family feuds, sex, power, ambition and the most unlikely narrator. Told in the first person, it remains immediate and a rip-roaring tale.
6. Cloud Atlas Some people this this pretensions tripe, but I fell for it, hook line and sinker. Loved the unusual setup, the different voices (some people find it hard to write in one voice, Mitchell manages to write convincingly in 6 different ones!). One I will return to again and again.
7. Katherine by Anya Seton was one of those that I'd shunned for being on my mother's book shelf. Then I picked it up (I forget now) and devoured it in one sitting. I should have been doing housework, but this was far far more fun.
8. Physical Chemisty - Atkins. My goto text in university. I got rid of most of the uni text, but this one remains on the shelf, for old times sake.
9. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight It's medieval poetry, retold in this case by Simon Armitage. And it is very different from the rhyming that we are attuned to. But the story form is the important thing, the format works for being read aloud, continuing the oral tradition.
10. Hamlet You know what they say about Shakespeare, there's the one you did at school and all the others. This is the one I did at school, but that didn't manage t put me off. There's something in it that speaks to the tortured teen (all that angst!) but it grows with you. I think you can be introduced to Shakespeare badly, I seem to have escaped that fate. I've not read a play since school, but I have a significant collection of Shakespeare (both straight and the based on type) on the DVD shelf.

>59 Helenliz: I'm in complete agreement on #3. Alan Bennett is one of my favourite authors and I thought The Uncommon Reader was brilliant.

Some others on your list I will have to look for.

>60 VivienneR: He is a class act. And seems to be able to write a variety of styles with the same highly observational yet understated style.

My list may well change by the time I finish, you know...

It was interesting looking through my scores, some books I'd given 5 stars to immediately sprang to mind on reading the title, others I can now barely remember.

I received a parcel today, 10 copies of We Shall Fight until we Win a graphic novel project I backed a little while ago. The 10 pack was intended for book book groups, but I'm no in now, so I'm looking for suggestions for places (in the UK) to donate a copy to.

If you have a suggestion of a person, organisation or other book collection that would benefit from a copy, please reply in this thread, including why a copy of this book should go there. I'll then take those on board and decide what to do with my spare copies.

Cool! Maybe Glasgow Women's Library? If you have any guide groups near you, they might also appreciate a copy. I'd happily pass one on to our uni library if you'd like (or pass on the address).

Book 55
Title: Robinson Crusoe
Author: Daniel Defoe
Rating: ***
Where from: my shelves
Why: group read
Category: Classics
TIOLI: August Challenge #7: Read a book where the letters of the title on the cover are all black or all white

There's probably nothing I can say about this that hasn't already been said. my thoughts on the matter as as follows.
I'm not sure this was what I was expecting. Having thought of it as something you tend to read in school, I wasn't expecting the depth that is to be found in here. In a sense it is a morality play, in that the young Crusoe sins (by leaving to seek adventure), suffers (shipwreck and being stranded on the island) seeks redemption (finds God) and finally is brought safe home. The redemption passage was a little bit wearing, that's really not my thing, but the notes helped put this into some context of the time and nature of religion when this was written. There's an element of you know what happens in outline, so the first part of the book is spent wondering how he's going to get shipwrecked. Once he's on the island, you're waiting for Friday to appear and the pair of them to get off the island again. That is, I think, to do it a disservice. The manner by which Crusoe is able to set up his life is interesting, it makes you wonder how you'd cope if suddenly you were responsible for your own survival - how would you cope? (frankly, I probably wouldn't!).
The passage about the savages was, to me, totally unexpected. How did I miss a major plot point like that?! It was dramatic and startling, but could have done with a little less angst about it all. The end all felt a little bit rushed and not necessarily thought through. He sends an emissary to the Spaniards on the mainland and then leaves the island in the hands of some good for nothings and just disappears off home. It didn't seem terribly consistent behaviour.
It's certainly a book I am glad I have finally read, but I'm not sure it is one I will return to repeatedly.

>63 charl08: Hadn't thought of a women's library, but it's a good shout, I will look them up and offer it. I had my local library and the local secondary school as possibilities, guides now added to the list. By all means, seeing you alerted me to this in the first place, I'll send one for your uni library. The more these can make an impact the better.

Glasgow Women's Library is a fantastic resource for the whole of Scotland. I know they offer really brilliant research internships for gender studies students etc. A wonderful, brilliant organisation.

Book 56
Title: Reality, Reality
Author: Jackie Kay
Rating: ****
Where from: library
Why: audio
Category: Women authors
TIOLI: August Challenge #14. Read a second book by an author whom you've read for the first time this year

As with any collection, there are some stories that are better than others. There are a couple that are related, with the same day being told from two different viewpoints, which makes for an interesting compare and contrast. The story of the woman starting her diet is absolute genius. It is so well observed and true to life that it caught me (who has been on her latest diet for ~ 4 months) a little sharply at times. It has such an ambivalent ending that your are left wondering what happens the next day. A couple of the stories have an air of uncertainty about them. the last one, for example, has a woman who is clearly suffering from some mental breakdown and receives a visitor. But you're left wondering who she is, where she came from, where she goes and if she is even real.
Narrated by multiple women, this was a really good listen and I would recommend it.

I would have finished it quite a bit sooner, as I was half way through the final CD 3 weeks ago - and then I managed to run into the back of someone at a roundabout and write my car off. All OK, just shocked and inconvenienced somewhat. We had a hire car for 2 weeks, which didn't have a CD player, so my plan to listen to some audio books while pootling around on holiday didn't quite plan out. Picked up my new car (new to me, that is) on Monday, so this was the first trip to work with the new wheels and the first chance to listen to an audio book on my way home. All's well that ends well.

>66 Jackie_K: thanks for the endorsement. I will get in touch and see if they already have a copy.

Book 57
Title: We Shall Fight Until We Win
Author: various
Rating: ****
Where from: funded
Why: non-fiction
Category: Women authors
TIOLI: August Challenge #3. Read a book where the author’s last name starts with a vowel – A, E, I, O, or U and for this challenge Y is included

I wanted to love this, but I'm afraid it wasn't as stand out impressive as I wanted it to be. It has a series of short biographies of women, presented in graphic novel form. With any book like this, it is the selection that has a huge impact on the book. It needs a balance of women from past and present, covering the period of interest and the breadth of focus. I felt that the book was too heavily weighted to the present, with what felt like the final 1/3 of the book being living politicians. While I'm sure that the ladies featured will prove to be influential, it is surely too early to discuss their legacy, especially where that may well not be entirely positive in some cases.
The first half worked for me, there were a mix of women, some of whom I had not heard of, and they had a variety of roles in society. The second felt too politically skewed, although it did make a valiant effort to deal with Mrs Thatcher which I admired for capturing the difficulty of her legacy. The section dealing with those who are unknown, but have been role models in a private manner were also taken into account, which I thought was a very good touch.
Should you read this? Yes. Will it be all you read on the subject? No, but it does give you a jumping off point. Was I blown away? No, does that make it any less valuable, no, I think not. Read it. Make sure the young women in your lives read it too.

oh no!
My book box, from Book Voyage, has been having distribution problems, such that I'm still missing June's & July's boxes. They had let everyone know that they were having problems. But now they've mailed that they're going to close down. Not economically viable. >:-(
So that's a brilliant birthday present to suggest to the husband down the tube. Am currently browsing other options.

>70 Helenliz: I've heard good things about the reading bundles from Mr B's Emporium:

https://mrbsemporium.com/gifts/

>70 Helenliz: Oh no! That's a shame.

I did Mr. B's Book Spa, and based on that experience I imagine their reading bundles would be good :)

>70 Helenliz: Oh no! Always think these are such tempting options.
I've just signed up for a subscription to Granta magazine, despite struggling to read my LRB one!

Book 58
Title: To Let
Author: John Galsworthy
Rating: ****
Where from: library
Why: Forsyte saga group read
Category: Classic
TIOLI: August Challenge #12. Read a book with a multiple word title, with words of increasing length

This takes place over a comparatively short period of time, and focuses on the relationship between Jon (son of Young Jolyon & Irene) and Fleur (daughter of Soames and Annette). It is, as one might imagine, doomed from the start.
Fleur is very direct and goes after what she wants. She is, after all, the apple of her father's eye and has never been denied anything. Spoilt, in other words. She embarks on the grand passion she has for Jon in a very self centered way, it is always about her. At one point Irene sums them up as Jon is a giver and Fleur a taker - which might look like a model for an ideal marriage, but I suspect it would be a disaster as well. Jon, however, seems a bit bewildered by it all, being swept along by Fleur and never really being actively involved. Until he does make a stand and that one is irrevocable.
Of the older generation, Soames is more rounded here, he clearly adores Fleur, but has not really developed any emotional intelligence in the almost 20 years since we sw him last. Irene remains unknowable and distant, known only through young Jolyon, really, we see her through his eyes. It's a period of upheaval for the world, the shadow of WW1 hangs over this, although we don't hear of there being much impact on the Forsytes of this, they are either too old or too young, as a rule. It also has the passing of the last Forsyte and the most complicated will imaginable, which, by my calculation,might just be paid out in a year or so's time!
I have thoroughly enjoyed this sequence of books and can see myself finishing the 9 book sequence at some time.

Book 59
Title: The Cottage Book
Author: Edward Grey
Rating: ***
Where from: library
Why: Non-Fiction
Category: Non-Fiction, History
TIOLI: August Challenge #17. Read a book with a 3-word-title which is an airport abbreviation (rolling challenge, travelling east)

This is an unusual book. At its core is a nature diary that was kept by Sir Edward Grey and his first wife, Dorothy, of their time (mostly weekends) at a cottage on the river Itchen in Hampshire. It was published privately in the early 1900s and the editor has tracked down a copy and had more widely published. Beautifully illustrated with watercolours and period photographs, it records their travels on foot and by bicycle, records the seasons on the local flora and spends a great deal of time recording the bird song and sightings they make.
It also betrays that age-old preoccupation of the British with the weather. A good proportion of the entries give the weather and the impact on the country side. It was frequently too wet, too dry, too cold - we're never happier than having the weather to moan about. I was most struck by the frosts, as late as May and as early as October. I know we had a hard winter last year, but the year before I think I counted 5 frosty mornings in the entire season.
There are some footnotes from the person who has tracked this originally privately published diary down, and I think I wanted more of his notes. They were on the way that the countryside has changed, how the bird species mentioned have fared in this part of Hampshire, on one occasion how a new species has extended its range. In one case he was in the same place described 100 years after the Greys had described it. The notes were all useful and informative.
The Greys themselves are interesting. Edward was the Foreign Secretary at the start of WW1 but there is little of his public life in here.
I imagine this would appeal to the naturalist and those who have a passing acquaintance with the area .

>74 Helenliz: Excellent review of To Let! Glad you enjoyed it. The following trilogy is set in the twenties and while Fleur's personality remains much the same, Soames becomes confounded with the evolving society, which makes him a bit more human. I hope you continue with the series.

>76 VivienneR: Thanks. I've already placed a reservation on the next trilogy at the library. But then seeing as I took out this one in January, don't expect completion anytime soon!

>75 Helenliz: I've just added The Cottage Book to my wishlist, that sounds like my kind of book.

>78 Jackie_K: Hope you enjoy it. It was an odd selection for me, picked mainly because of the author's name for the coloutCat. But while I don't know the area intimately, I do know it well enough to know where the various towns being discussed were. I grew up near the downs, so that kind of chalk hill with river valley environment was familiar to me. I don't have the knowledge to identify the birds by their song through; I can identify the common ones, but that's about my limit. It was quite gentle and engaging from that perspective. Someone with an eye for nature and the countryside would probably get more from it than I did.

Today I found myself reading Edmund Blunden Undertones of War while in a Wetherspoons, eating pizza and drinking wine. That is not necessarily an ideal book/location pairing... >;-)
Good pizza, though.

Book 60
Title: Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves
Author: Rachel Malik
Rating: ****
Where from: library
Why: recommended by someone dangerous...
Category: Women writers, History
TIOLI: September Challenge #4. Read a book with the name of a railway station in the title

This is one of those books where there's a lot going on, but a lot of it is unsaid, the action is all going on just under the surface. At face value this is a book about two women who find themselves teaming up, almost against the world until something comes to tear the world they have so carefully constructed apart. It starts unpromisingly enough, Miss Boston (Elsie) is the owner of Starlight Farm, having bene one of several siblings, all of whom have died, or married and moved away (although I'm still not entirely clear what happened to Moira), leaving Elsie to struggle on as best she can. It's also clear that she's not exactly in tip top condition in the head, something on the Autism spectrum seems possible, she's bright but went to pieces in the exams and has trouble relating to and communicating with people. It's early in WW2 and she's finally accepted that she needs some help, and has been allocated a Land Girl. Enter Miss Hargreaves (Rene, for now). She, too, has a past that's not simple to explain. And so they both have something to want to hide from the world. In each other they find something of what they are missing, Rene deals with the people who come to call while Elsie deals with the animals and garden. It is a division of labours that makes them mutually supportive together they are stronger than they are apart. In the face of their growing reliance on each other, the world again intervenes. In the midst of WW2 there is a need to make sure that land is being used efficiently, and Starlight is assessed as failing by the local Land Committee. Not on the basis of fact, you are to understand, but as a result of prejudice to an incoming family and a woman farmer. As a result, they sell up and begin a more precarious life, as labourers, traveling around the country looking for work and accommodation on various farms. And yet they can't leave the past behind them, it returns to intervene once more.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. It is quite understated and restrained, yet manages to leave the impression of being a love story without ever once having used expressions of love.

A quick summary on how this is going, with a third of the year to go. I did this at the end of April, so this is the second summary, after the second 4 months.

Completed: 60 books.
In my April summary, I';d read 30 books in 4 months. I seem to have managed to maintain that with 60 books in 8 months. That remains on track for 90 in the year, which is more than I'd have anticipated at the start of the year.

Category 1: Women Authors: 29/60
Just marginally under half female authors, which remains an almost equal balance of female authors to those at are authored, or part authored, by men. That's a good balance and one I'd want to try and maintain for the remainder of the year.

Category 2: Mysteries: 5 completed
Just 1 more added in 4 months. I will need to reconsider this for next year.

Category 3: Classics: 8 completed
A group read of The Forsyte Saga added 3 books and 2 interludes to this tally, maybe artificially inflating this total a little. Even so, that's still a good number of classics read, this was never going to be a high total.

Category 4: History: 6 completed
A mix of fiction and non-fiction in here. I'm quite pleased this isn't higher. My non-fiction reading had tended to history and I did want to broaden that. Good progress on this one.

Category 5: Non-Fiction: 14 completed
With 8 books at 4 months this was ahead of schedule. I then aimed to achieve 16 in the year, meaning that is ahead of revised plan as well. I will continue to aim for 1 non-fictton a month, meaning the revised aim is 18.

Category 6: Romance: 1 completed
No change here. But it was an anticipated low scorer is proving to be the case. Nothing to worry about here.

Category 7: Heyer series read: 6 completed
3 finished in 4 months now becomes 6 in 8 months, so this just needs to carry on.

Category 8: Orange Prize: 5 completed
I wanted to read 6 in the year, so 5 in 8 months is slightly ahead of schedule. I have at least 2 more on loan from the library that I need to get too sooner or later...

Category 9: Flights of Fancy: 6 completed
This was always a bit vague, but the Harry Potter re-read has at least started. This category has tended to capture reads based in childhood. Nothing of note or to change here.

Category 10: Miscellaneous: 8 completed
Mildly surprised that there are 8 in here at all. These are the books that don't fit anywhere else. This is the one that I should be looking at to revise categories for next year.

Category 11: CATs
Colourcat: 8/8
Mysterycat:2/8
Randomcat: 6/8
Alphacat:4/8
A mixed bag here. Colourcat has managed to fill every month (even if a little tenuously!). RandomCat has been quite interesting, although a few have just been too difficult to find a book to fit. I intended to use alphacat to select Orange prize winner by name, and that's has worked reasonably well, with 4 selected and read in their appropriate month. Helped by 2 in one month though.

Category 12: Bingo: fully completed
A little bit of fiddling meant that I did manage to finish my Bingo card.

In summary, going OK so far in the year. >:-)

>81 Helenliz: Glad you liked this too! I agree with you about the understated love story - very different to so much other fiction (in a good way).

>83 charl08: I did enjoy it, thankyou. It was quite different in tone from a lot of current fiction. I would be pointing fingers at you, but it's hard to blame someone for an enjoyable experience. >;-)

Yay, glad to see that all is going OK with your reading goals! :)

>82 Helenliz: Great recap! Are you enjoying your Harry Potter reread so far? I've read the first three books and liked them a lot, particularly Prisoner of Azkaban. I'm looking forward to Goblet of Fire this month...I remember it being my favorite of the series!

>81 Helenliz: Lovely review! I'm adding this one to my wishlist.

>82 Helenliz: Your year is going well! Congratulations on completing your Bingo card.

>87 VivienneR: - oh good, you can blame Charlotte too. >;-)

>86 christina_reads: - I missed last month, so still have Prisoner of Azkahban to read. I'm slightly struggling with the idea that 3 children can solve problems that the united faculty can't. Strikes me as a little unbelievable. But they are good stories, if you can put that hurdle aside.

>85 rabbitprincess:, >86 christina_reads:, >87 VivienneR: Thanks. Having few goals is one way to not miss them. I must try and remember that again when setting up next year, as it's working for me so far.

>88 Helenliz: That's a fair point! I'm able to suspend my disbelief because these books are written for children, so it makes sense that the protagonists solving the mysteries and having the adventures are also children. But I do have a somewhat more negative opinion of Dumbledore than I did the first time around...I feel like he should interfere a lot earlier and more often than he does!

Book 61
Title: The Rendezvous and Other Stories
Author: Daphne du Maurier
Rating: ***
Where from: library
Why: audio book
Category: Women writers
TIOLI: September Challenge #2. Read a work by or about a deceased playwright

A series of short and not so short stories that are a very wide range. There is mystery in here, at times of a detective type, at others of a supernatural type. They all have a twist in there somewhere. Those I enjoyed the most were the first, a detective is set out to discover why a young pregnant wife suddenly commits suicide, and one where a ship in the North Sea in WW2 encounters a submarine and an escort. All the stories are worth reading, and while some are better than others, there are no real clunkers in the collection.

I listened to this, read by Edward da Souza, who has a very pleasant reading voice. Heartily recommended!

>89 christina_reads: I find that I can suspend disbelief for a period of time, and then something happens and I get pulled back into doubting again. I accept that I'm not the target audience for the books. I also think that first time through this was less of an issue for me - maybe it's me rather than the books this time around.

>90 Helenliz: I love Daphne du Maurier's writing! That seems to be one of the collections I haven't yet managed to read.

>92 rabbitprincess: I'd say it would be worth seeking out. It was not, maybe, her best writing, but it was varied and there were some good ideas in here. I'm slowly making my way through her work, but I say that about so many people!

Book 62
Title: Beauvallet
Author: Georgette Heyer
Rating: ****
Where from: my shelves
Why: Heyer romances order read
Category: Women writers, Heyer read
TIOLI: September Challenge #1. Read a book with a one-word title which contains at least one double letter

Re-read review. This being a re-read, you already know that Nicholas Beauvallet, pirate and heir to an estate, is going to get his lady. To be honest, that's pretty obvious on the first reading of it as well. What this allows you to do on a re-read is to enjoy the ride, knowing that the end arrives safely. The pair of them spar from the first, when he captures the ship she is traveling back to Spain in. He promises to come and find her in Spain and take her to be his bride. There are then any number of schemes and escapades as he enters Spain, traces the lady and follows her to achieve his aim. It is a load of fun, so sit back and enjoy the ride.

Book 63
Title: Undertones of War
Author: Edmund Blunden
Rating: ***
Where from: my shelves
Why: non-fiction
Category: non-fiction, history.
TIOLI: September Challenge #5. Read a book with a 3 word title and there must be at least one person on the cover

This is a war memoir written by a man with an eye to the natural world. He views the landscape with the eye of someone who can see its potential and how it is ruined and abused causes him almost as much pain as the death of those around him. At times this focus on the natural means that the impact of the war is barely noticeable. Blunden participated in some of the major battles of WW1, and these are described in a very sparse, understated way. At times the horror creeps up on you as it is certainly not overt in the style of writing he adopts. In the introduction it is noted that this can be difficult for the later reader, in that this was almost written with those who were there in mind, not for posterity. We have not experienced anything like what these men went through, and so the gulf between our imagination and their reality is hard to bridge.
It feels wrong to say I enjoyed this based on the subject matter, however I certainly enjoyed his style of observational writing.

>90 Helenliz: Thanks for the audiobook recommendation. I've read several of Du Maurier's books but haven't listened to any audiobook versions yet. Nice to know that Edward da Souza does a good job.

>96 mathgirl40: He was very easy on the ear. I've taken to listening to short stories in the car, and this collection worked fine in that scenario. In the past, when I was commuting more, I listened to books, but now I simply don't get through them quickly enough for that to work for me.

Book 64
Title: The Lacuna
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Rating: ****
Where from: library
Why: AlphaKit
Category: Woman author, Orange prize, AlphaKit.
TIOLI: September Challenge #3. Read a book you MUST read

This was a really enjoyable read, even if it was a bulk 670 pages. Harrison Shepherd is a perpetual outsider. By birth, of an American father and Mexican mother, he is always the outsider in whichever country he chooses to live. He is an outsider, in his times, by sexual inclination. He is forced to be an outsider by those he has met and is perceived views - whether true or not. It makes for a narrative that is never settled and comfortable, there is always that feeling of being off balance or out of kilter with something, a bit like stroking a cat the wrong way. It's not always overt, but it is always there.
The book tells the story of his life, with inserts and annotations by his secretary, Violet Brown. It features his diaries and letters, and is not always coherent or consistent in its telling of events. Seeing the world through Harrison's eyes, you feel that there are times when he is missing something. He seems quite innocent and not always able to consider the possible implications or consequences of events.
In the latter part of the book, he is gradually drawn more and more tightly in the coils of the witch hunt for communists that swept the US after WW2. It s as incomprehensible to Harrison as it is to me, but that doesn't stop him being swept away by something far larger and uglier than he is.
The ending is ambiguous, which feels right and fits the tone of the rest of Harrison's life.

Book 65
Title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Author: JK Rowling
Rating: ***
Where from: my shelves
Why: Harry Potter re-read
Category: Woman author, Flights of Fancy
TIOLI: September Challenge #6. Read a book with a definite article in the title, but not at the beginning

After the first two, I did think re-reading these in order was a mistake, too many times I found myself thinking how unlikely it was the 3 children could solve the problems that had confounded the school's staff. It was as if my rational brain kept interfering with my ability to enjoy a good story. In this book, however, that was not the case, and I did enjoy this one more than the previous re-reads.
This has, at it's heart, perception and how what we believe can be wrong. Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban and is on the run. Everyone believes he defected to the dark side and is now trying to trace and kill Harry. Things, however, are not what they seem, on several levels. Several people have strong links back to the past and Harry's parents, in fact this entire story revolves around them as much as it does round Harry, Ron & Hermione. If we take anything from this it should be not to trust what we don't know to be true.

This one has justified the re-read project. I'm in a better frame of mind to tackle the larger books that follow having had a good experience with this one.

>99 Helenliz: This one was my favourite of the series, both book and movie.

>100 rabbitprincess: It certainly reminded me why the books were so good first time around. I am looking forward to book 4 after this one.

Woohoo, glad you enjoyed book 3 a little more than the previous books! It's one of my favorites in the series. I'm about to start Goblet of Fire and am looking forward to it!

>102 christina_reads:, I am quite relieved too, the thought of ploughing through the increasing size of 4, 5, 6 & 7 was somewhat depressing! I'm aiming to get to Goblet of Fire this month, but have (foolishly) picked up a big classic first. Harry may have to wait a bit.

A work trip to Holland - which is a lot less glamorous than it sounds - flight out Tuesday, then a train across the county, meal out, night in a hotel, day's work and travel back Wednesday night does not make for a relaxing 2 days, and that's before you factor in my fear of flying. Looking on the bright side, it did see 2 books completed, and I found a lovely scarf at the airport (so duty free) to match my new winter gloves and go with my black winter coat. Then I finally finished up the audiobook in the car today.

Book 66
Title: Bats in the Belfry
Author: E C R Lorac
Rating: ***
Where from: my shelves
Why: title intrigued me!
Category: Woman author, Mysteries.
TIOLI: October Challenge #16. Read a book with a ship on the cover

I will admit I mainly picked this up as I'm a bellringer, so was hoping to find corpses in belfries, a la The Nine Tailors. It wasn't like that, but it did have a most inventive mystery at its heart. Bruce Attleton is an author who had 2 popular books and nothing since. He and his wife are no longer in harmony and there are tensions between them and their circle for all sorts of reasons. The book starts with a fireside conversation about how to dispose of a body without getting caught, and in this are the seeds of the puzzle, if you know where to look. From there Brett heads off to France, only never arrives and his suitcase turns up, unexpectedly, in the rundown artists studio house in an old sect church, and known as the Belfry. Has he finally had it out with Debrette, who is believed to have been blackmailing him, has he been put away by one of those at the party for one of the various reasons (love, money, revenge, the usual)? It falls to Chief Inspector MacDonald to solve the mystery, which he seemingly does, only something remains nagging at him that all is not tied up as neatly as it seems. The solution, when it comes, is well played out.
By an author who wrote during the 20s & 30s, this is a period piece which has been republished in the British Library Crime Classics series. It was certainly intriguing enough to keep me occupied.

Book 67
Title: Eight Ghosts
Author: Various
Rating: ***
Where from: My Shelves
Why: It's October.
Category: Flights of Fancy
TIOLI: October Challenge #10. Read a book related to Ghouls, Goblins or Ghosts

This really isn't my thing, I'm not a fan of scary stories and wouldn't usually pick up a book of ghost stories. Not all of them have a traditional ghost, but there is something "other" going on in all of them. They are written by 8 different authors and are in response to a place held for posterity by English Heritage. Those that worked best for me where the ones where I had visited and the story brought back a sense of the place - for me that was in Dover and Pendennis Castles.
By not being filled with the traditional white sheet wielding ghosts this is actually more effective. The stories are a mixed bunch, in terms of style and story telling, some are set in the present, some in a recent or further distant past. The stories themselves are augmented by a brief history of the ghost story itself followed by a resume of some of the more haunted places that are held by English Heritage, included the 8 places featured in this collection.
So not really my thing, and I'm still not about to rush out and devour every ghost story, but I quite enjoyed this while I was warm and safe and reading in daylight...

Book 68
Title: Pulse
Author: Julian Barnes
Rating: ***
Where from: library
Why: Audio book
Category: Miscellaneous
TIOLI: October Challenge #7. Read a book with an odd number of letters in the title

This is a set of short stories in 2 parts. The first part are all modern, quite quick moving, quite light in tone. The second half are longer and more intense. Having listened to this, I didn't get the clear division of the book into 2 sections, however the stories themselves do that naturally.
I enjoyed the visits to Phil & Joanna's, with the middle class, middle aged couples sitting around the table discussing the great (and not so great)issues of the day. I think I know them!
Most of the stories concern relationships that are not going entirely smoothly, meaning it is not necessarily the sunniest of selections.
The best story, to my mind, was the final one and the titular story, where the protagonist is dealing with the break up of his marriage and contrasting it with his parents, as that also comes to an end. Moving and thought provoking.

>104 Helenliz: The British Library Crime Classics turn up some interesting forgotten books! Bats in the Belfry wasn't my favourite plot-wise, but I liked Lorac's writing.

>104 Helenliz: - Fear of flying and business travel are not great for enjoyable trip but nice to see you were able to take advantage of the duty free shop for something for yourself!

>105 rabbitprincess: It does indeed. We've got a couple of them now and they're always that little bit different. I liked the way MacDonald worked through his theories in order, adding one each time. It felt very human. I also liked that it wasn't him alone, his staff were involved, which made it, for me, more real.

>106 lkernagh: I'm never going to enjoy it, Valium makes it bearable. I was looking for a scarf and this was just too gorgeous to resist - we'll never discuss the cost. Wore it yesterday and it is both light weight, beautiful and warm. I am in lurve!

>107 Helenliz: They certainly are different! I picked one up at the Waterstones in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, called The Arsenal Stadium Mystery, that features the actual 1939 Arsenal side! I knew I would regret not buying it, so it had to come home with me.

Book 69
Title: The Buddha of Suburbia
Author: Hanif Kureishi
Rating: ***
Where from: library
Why: 1001 book
Category: Miscellaneous
TIOLI: October Challenge #6. Read a book with a setting of increasing age: Rolling challenge

This is a coming of age tale, and is filled with the usual angst that you might expect of such a tale. Where it differs from the norm is that the main protagonist is of mixed race, Indian father, English mother, and so is an outsider on more counts than usual. Set in the 70s, this has all the excess associated with the decade, the drugs sex and rock & roll that accompany the birth of punk. Rather too much sex, if truth be told.
There are some great characters in here, although Karim is not one of them, he comes across as a sulky, selfish teenage - typical, I suppose, and while by the end he does appear to have learnt something, it seems quite a sudden realisation. His parents are a mixed bunch, with his Dad leaving his Mum, but seeming to expect her to be waiting for him. It appears to come as a nasty shock to the system when he discovers that some decision cannot be reversed. It is the supporting cast that make this. Eva, always on the up, Jamila, a strong minded, driven woman (imagine what she could do if she took on the world), Auntie Jeeta (who comes into her own), Changez, who finds himself in a very unfamiliar place.

>104 Helenliz: I like the title Bats in the Belfry so much and for that reason alone I would buy it!

Congratulations on the beautiful scarf. I hope it made up a little bit for having to fly.

>110 VivienneR: Well that's pretty much why I bought it!
Still in lurve with the scarf. Think that's going to take a long time to fall out of love with.

Book 70
Title: The Mysteries of Udolpho
Author: Ann Radcliffe
Rating: ***
Where from: library
Why: 1001 book
Category: Women authors, classics
TIOLI: October Challenge #5. Read a book where a word in the title starts with the letters SAMHAIN in rolling order

Goodness, this is an odd book. And this is a spoiler-rich review.
Starts with Emily being a delicate flower, with sensibilities almost too delicate to function. Poor flower, she can bvarely function as a human being, fainting at the drop of a handkerchief (have you guessed how much she annoyed me?).
On this epic trip in the mountains, Emily and her father come across a young man who aids them while lost in the passes of the mountains, this is Valencourt and he manages to fall head over heels for Emily. Only the pair of them are far too sensitive and repressed to declare themselves (I'm not sure I'd have been much good as a 18th century lady!). St Aubyn approves of Valencourt, and so the pair of them do, start, to come to some understanding of each other's heart. awww. From here, however, things go down hill for Em. Her mother has died prior to the epic trip and during the journey home, her father also succumbs. He does so at a remote abbey near to a deserted chateau and Emily is devestated. He leaves a deathbed request that Emily retrieve some papers from a hiding place in his study and destroy them. This opens a bit of a can of worms that runs as an undercurrent until its resolution at the end of the book. Radcliffe does this a number of times, starts a hare running and then leaves it, not chased down, until it suddenly pops its head up again and a bit more gets revealed. I can't decide if it's a good trick or merely an annoying one.
Emily has been left in the care of her aunt, who turns out not the be the nicest person you've ever met. She blows hot and cold on the romance, initially disapproving of Valencourt, but then, after discovering he is a relation to a society hostess she is trying to impress, turns around and encourages the young lovers. Only then she has another change of heart, and goes as far as to turn him out of the house. At the end of volume 1, there is a declaration and part of me was urging Emily to accpet, purely to end the story there and then, thus saving me several hundred more pages of her company. Alas, it was not to be.
However, for me, this is where the book starts to pick up. The aunt is taken in by and marries an Italian noble (well, we'll see about that bit) Montoni, and so the action moves to Venice, where Emily attracts admirers and declines them, her heat being otherwise engaged. After a bit of an altercation in which a friend of Montoni commits murder (casually, like you do), they all decamp to Montoni's castle in the Appennines, Udolpho. Here things take is distinctly darker turn, with the aunt being subject to pressure to turn over her lands to Montoni who, (colour me not surprised) has turned out to be a bad egg, a spendthrift and gambler. Not only has he come into the ownership of the castle in dodgy circumstances - where is the missing lady who was the heir to the estate prior to Montoni comming into ownership?. He's married her for the money and he wants it. This is in the midst of also turning into a bandit (saying it in Italian makes it no more attractive an occupation) and raiding the countryside for what he can steal. He has a number of friends staying in the castle and it's clear that they have some dark motive in mind for young Emily. During the stay here, there are a number of chills and terrors that shake Emily, but she seems to have grown some backbone, as the fainting distinctly decreases in frequency and it takes a lot more to induce such an episode. Good on ya, girl. One terror involves a veil over something that we undertstand to be a picture, and the significance of this is, again, revealed in book 4. She discovers that there is a prisioner in the castle of her native France and, with little evidence, decides that this is Valencourt. Nope. Turns out of have been a neighbour who has also fallen for her charms andm between him, her servant and her servant's admirer, they escape the castle.
Bizarrely, we then find them back in France and in the vicinty of the same chateau that was deserted in the midst of book 1. We meet the family and hear the tale of the haunted wing. Emily has to deal with her new-found admirer while dealing with some news that Valencourt has gone to rack and ruin in paris while she's been away. And here she is in danger of revertting to type, with what feels like a massive over-reaction to the news and the withdrawl of her affection from Valencourt. Oh deary me.
In the end it all comes out in the wash. There are a number of scares and those hares that had been set running earlier pop up and are caught. It all ties up very neatly, maybe rather too neatly. I still struggle with this idea of sensitivity being a virtue, Emily spends too much of her time fainting to function effectively, although she does seem to rise to the occasion when it is needed. I also struggled with the somewhat overlong and tedious attempts at poetry scattered through the book. I did read them, but it did turn into a skim read at times. I struggle with poetry at the best of times - and this was not poetry at its best. Was it worth all that frustration? Well yes. It's not going to be a book I come back to, but it does form an important point int the development of the novel. This gets referrenced numerous times, Northanger Abbey, for example, so it is a foundation work, if you like. It turned out better than it started, which is no bad thing.

>112 Helenliz: I have been eyeing The Mysteries of Udolpho since it is a 1,001 book, but I have to admit the sheer size has kept me from picking it up. I skimmed your review as I suspect I will get to it eventually.

>113 DeltaQueen50: It wasn't as bad as some. I only started it in October, and finished in the month. When you consider it took me 4 months to finish DOn Quixote you can see what I mean.
And, having read it, I do think it is worth reading, if only to understand all the works that refer back to it.

>112 Helenliz: This definitely sounds like one I'll read on Serial Reader rather than in book form, unless I find a secondhand copy. Wouldn't be able to read a library copy with all the other library holds I have!

Book 71
Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Author: JK Rowling
Rating: ****
Where from: my shelves
Why: HP reread
Category: Women author
TIOLI: October Challenge #14. read a book which starts with the same letter as your first name or LT handle

OK, this was worth re-reading the series for. The bulk of this large book centres on the event of the century, when the three wizarding schools come together for the tri-wizard tournament, when a champion from each school takes on 3 tasks for the honour of the school and a pot of gold. Someone with ill intent makes sure that Harry's name is added to the goblet which selects the champions and so the adventure begins. He faces a series of tasks that take all his skill and he recieves help form a number of sources. There is, obviously, more to it than just that and the last few chapters are quite intense. There is significant emotional impact and the end of the book is much darker than the previous books have been.

>115 rabbitprincess: Yup, I think it would work in that format. I took a break after volume 1, but read the remainder in order.

>116 Helenliz: This was the book I was most looking forward to rereading, and overall it did not disappoint! Those last few chapters are terrifying and gut-wrenching.

>117 christina_reads: I'd forgotten how dark this one was at the end. It's quite a rollercoaster.

Book 72
Title: The STrange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Rating: ****
Where from: library
Why: 1001 list
Category: Classic
TIOLI: October Challenge #17: read a book with a word of the title or author matching a London Tube station, rolling challenge

I've never read this before, even though it's impossible not to know a lot about it. So while the story arc was not entirely unexpected, the detail was. I'd not reaslised quite how short this story is. It took the form of a series of narratives, some chapetrs were in the form of letters or testimonials while others were narrated by the person investigating this "case" a Laywer called Utterson. He is of his time and class and is at first intent of finding what hold Hyde holds over Jekyll. It has a variety of twists and turns that, vene knowing the outline of the story, still came as a surprise. There's a lot that's left to the imagination, with Hyde's acts left largely in the dark, there's only 2 specific instances that are described. Then there are other things that are left unsaid, what was Danvers doing in a dodgy area of town when he was accosted by Hyde in the first place? It's an intriguing piece of work, for sure.

The edition I read had an introduction which advised that as the introduciotn contained plot details, the reader who was new to the story should go and read the book first, so I did. There was also 2 more short stories, The Body Snatchers and Olalla, as well as an abridged essay form Stevenson on how he came to write Jekyll & Hyde and an essay exploring the possible origins and inputs to the story. All of which were very interesting.

As an aside, today is 100 years since the Armistice at the end of WW1. This morning we made our contribution to the act of remembrance by ringing the bells half muffled. I'm ringing the first bell you hear, that with the highest note. If anyone is interested in some details, we're ringing a pattern called Stedman Caters (which means there are 9 working bells and the 10th stays at the back the entire time, setting a pace). Listen here

Book 73
Title: The Time Travellers Almanac: Part II
Author: various
Rating: ***
Where from: library
Why: audio
Category: Flights of Fancy
TIOLI: October Challenge #18: read a book with a body part in the author's name

This is a real mixture of stories, some dating back a long way, others far more recent. Like any colleciton, there are stories that are good and those that are a lot less good.
The good:
The butterfly effect - I knew the term, but this is the tale form which the term originates. By going back in time and stepping on a butterfly the outcome of the recent US presidential election is reversed and the tone of politics is much impaired. All in all the new winner sounded a lot like Trump, so all we now need the planet to do is invent a time machine, so back in time, step on a butterfly and all will be well...
Enoch Soames - time travel as part of a pact with the devil that, clearly, doesn;t turn out for the best. Excellent twist on a story. I was intrigued that the point he went forward to was the reading room of the British Museum in 1997. If it had been a few years later and it would have moved!

A couple take you back into history, which is an intriguing thought, with the history being quite convincing. Fire Watch was probably the most convicing of this type.

The bad: Why there is the need to travel back in time and have sex, I reallly don't know. The story where a 40 year old, desparate to change his present, goes back to teach himself at 21 some lessons, ends up swopping lives and having sex with his 20 year old girlfriend is, frankly, dreadful, the ick factor taking over everything.

This isn't my usual type of reading material, I'm not a huge fan of science fiction, too much of it, I fear, sacrifices sience for fiction. However, in this colleciton there are certainly some authors I will consider looking out more of. A mixed bag rating of 3 stars, some much better, some should be avoided

>121 Helenliz: Fire Watch is a Connie Willis story, right? I love her work, but I haven't read that one yet.

>122 christina_reads: yes, it is. It was intriguingly good. The surmise and the detail both worked. I hadn't read anything of hers before. I had heard good things of her and I do have To Say Nothing of the Dog on the shelf to read. It may have just jumped up the list.

Book 74
Title: A Handful of Dust
Author: Evelyn Waugh
Rating: ***
Where from: library
Why: 1001 group read
Category: Miscellaneous
TIOLI: October Challenge #5. Read a book where the title contains a measure of something

This starts off as a portrait of a marriage in the upper echelons of British society. Tony & Brenda are married and having to economise to keep the family pile, Hetton Abbey, afloat. Tony is fully invested in the place, Brenda less so. Brenda is now bored of her lifestyle, Tony's settled down and she either isn't ready to, or is bored with how their life has established itself. In fact, she's the one who precipitates the action, in some senses. She finds a flat in London and starts an affair with a worthless society sponger. She has friends who she attends parties with, but none of this gets to the root of her meaningless existence. You may guess from this that i didn't have a lot of sympathy for her. After agreeing that they will divorce, things take a turn for the worse when Brenda starts wanting Tony to finance her lifestyle and, in effect, buy her the man she now thinks she loves. Good for him that he does not.
It all takes a turn for the somewhat odd when Tony heads off to Brazil and gets himself stuck in a most unusual situation, from which he will be unable to extricate himself.
The book ends with Hetton being the focus of attention of another branch of the Last family, and it seems to have a life that somehow it lacked with Brenda as lady of the house.
The language is delightful, the portrait of a couple who are falling apart and failing to understand that is poignant. Waugh shows his teeth occasioanlly, and there is certainly a satirical edge, espeically with some of the pointed allusions and comparisons. Throughout the characters remain fairly two dimensional, this is about what happens to them, not how it affects them. An enjoyable short novel.

Our reading group at work read a Waugh (I think it was Vile Bodies, but my memory is shocking and I haven't updated LT) last year. I think almost all of us were unimpressed, but it was really interesting hearing from the person who had chosen the book and why she liked it. It hasn't led me to read more by him though.

I've read a few Waugh now. Brideshead Revisited is beautiful, Decline and Fall is quite different in tone and this was, well, a bit odd, but good to read.

Book 75
Title: A Little Life
Author: Hanya Yanagihara
Rating: ****1/2
Where from: library
Why: Orange shortlist
Category: Woman author, Orange prize
TIOLI: December Challenge #4. Read a book with the word "elf" somewhere in the title

This tells the story of a life, although it is not a little book. Jude meets Willem, JB & Malcolm on his first day at college, and this books follows them through their adult lives. The main focus of attention is Jude, and there is a lot of back story that gradually emerges about his childhood. Which is truly awful, just as a warning. I can imagine some people being very upset by this. He tries to reinvent himself, but can never fully escape his past.
At its core, I see this as a meditation on the nature of love and the effect of loss. The loss of innocence, the loss of self, the loss of love itself. Love, it seems, cannot cure all ills. The last ~100 pages were seering in their intensity and yet so well written that I simply couldn't put it down. It's been a while since a book reduced me to tears, but this did.
It is, maybe, a bit too long, but the build up and slow reveal of Jude's lfe to us before it is revealed to the people who love him can't be rushed, it would be too horrific. At times different chapters are narrated by different people in the first person and it can be hard to know who is speaking straight away. However that is worth it for the immediacy that the first person text brings. The final chapter would have been a lot less effective in the third person than it was the first.

Powerful review Helen.

I've avoided this one after reading her The People in the Trees: very well done, but so disturbing. She doesn't seem to worry about handling really hard issues.

>128 charl08: This I the first of hers I have read. Certainly she tackles big issues; child abuse and sexual exploitation is the backstory here. It is the first time I've read any account of self harm where I could understand why he was doing it. I'd agree, this too was very well done, but not an easy read.

Book 76
Title: Saints and Sinners
Author: Edna O'Brien
Rating: ***
Where from: library
Why: Audio
Category: Woman author,
TIOLI: December Challenge #7. Read a book where "and" is the middle word

A selection of short stories, narrated by a lovely Irish accent. I wasn't always sure when these stories were set, they felt to be older but there was little that would actually allow you to pin anything down. Mostly set in rural Ireland, there is a relaxed and unhurried pace to these, at times this is at odds with the story content, at others it matches beautifully. Few of the stories were greatly plot driven, most were as much an internal dialogue as a narration of events. There were few happy endings, in fact few of the stories had endings at all, some reached some sort of conclusion, but most left you and the participants in an unresolved state. Much like life, I suppose.
As to the title, I'm not sure that any of the people featured were entirely a saint or a sinner, those who were good still had their darkness, those who were bad had some redeeming quality. This was enjoyable in a slightly understated, mildly melancholic kind of way.

Good luck with the A**** word on Monday, Helen.

>131 charl08: thankyou. It should all be fine, but there's that nagging doubt at the back of my mind that there's some gaping hole I've not identified...

>132 Helenliz: audit concluded. Me now looking like this: >:-D
And stuffing my face with a cupcake.

All went well, 3 recommendations and no formal non-conformances means I am one very happy and most relieved bunny.

>133 Helenliz: Yay! A well-deserved cupcake indeed :D Congrats!

Glad to hear it all went well: cam you treat yourself (perhaps to a book?!)

>134 rabbitprincess: thank you. At one level I knew everything should be OK, but the worry pot part of me can't help fret that there might be something I've missed or forgotten.
>135 charl08: I like your thinking! Although do I really need yet another new book??? Stupid question, the answer to that is, as with shoes, always a yes!

Book 77
Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Author: JK Rowling
Rating: ****
Where from: our shelves
Why: HP series read
Category: Woman author,
TIOLI: December Challenge #1. Read a book with a title (not subtitle) or author's name which contains the letter x

This follows a familiar pattern, in one sense, Harry rushes into danger, nasty things happen, he comes out the other side and school finishes. There is more to it than that, of course. Against the backdrop of exams, there's a lot going on at school this year. There's a campaign by the minestry of magic to cast doubt on the news that Voldemort is back, with the newspaper leading the campaign of disinformation. That doesn't stop at the gates of school either, with Delores Umbridge, one of the nastiest pieces of work I can think of, being placed in Hogwarts as defence against the dark arts teacher - and promptly refusing to teach anyone anything. She also gets herself appointed Inquisitor at school, which goes down like a lead balloon. The upshot of this is that there are significant changes afoot, and it is against this increasing air of menace that the events are played out. There's also a romance that barely gets off the ground, which is about as awkward as it sounds.
As usual, things could have gone differently if Harry had taken advice, but what 15 yr old has ever taken advice from anyone?
Another books which tackles bigger themes, loss and death is more to the fore here than it is in the earlier stories. But then, so to is the effect of love and family and friends being on your side.

>137 Helenliz: I liked this installment of HP a lot more this time around! Umbridge really is a terrific villain; she's so incredibly odious. And the sequence in the Ministry of Magic near the end of the book is so well done and perfectly creepy!

>137 Helenliz: I like the movie of this better than the book, because I love Imelda Staunton. She does such a good job of being evil ;)

>138 christina_reads: I don't remember reading these before in any detail, but then it was when they first came out... and that's a while ago now. I agree the Ministry of magic sequence is creepy, but don't you love the way that they all insist on going with him?
>139 rabbitprincess: I've not seen all the movies, but I will bear that in mind. I can imagine she'd do a fine line in nasty.

>140 Helenliz: I do love how all his friends insist on coming, even Neville and Luna! I have such a soft spot for Neville, and he's so brave in this book!

Book 78
Title: Echoes from the Macabre
Author: Daphne du Maurier
Rating: ****
Where from: library
Why: Audio
Category: Woman author,
TIOLI: December Challenge #5: Read a book that features Red, Green, White, Silver or Gold in the Title or as the Main Color of the Cover

I listened to this, with it containing 5 stories, Don't look now, Kiss me Again Stranger, Not after Midnight, The Old Man and The Birds.
They all had an air of menace about them, some of them more overt than others. In each there was a bot of a twist, and in few pf them was there a comfortable resolution. The last of The Birds and I can see why it made a great film, as the sight of the Birds massing is epic when heard.
A very good listen, but I'm glad I was listening to it in for safety of my car, these could easily put the wind up me in other, less familiar, surroundings.

Book 79
Title: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Author: Robert L May
Rating: ****
Where from: my shelves
Why: It's Christmas Eve (duh!)
Category: Flight of Fancy
TIOLI: December Challenge #11: Make it a short read (150 pgs or less)

This was a family Christmas tradition - that I'd entirely mis-remembered!
I thought every year we'd sit down and have read to us 'Twas the night before Christmas in a pop-up book that had been my dad's as a child. Well the second part is true - the hand written note on the inside front cover dates it at 1952. But it turns out to be a different Christmas eve poem, this one all about Rudolph and his read nose saving the day. All in rhyming couplets with red lines under certain words to know what to stress. The covers have long since past their best (understatement, this is not merely foxed, but probably badgered and beared as well) but there is just 1 piece of popup that no longer pops.
The text is cute and fun, although more American than I remember, snow like the froth on a soda for example would not be something I think I'd have related to as a child. I'm also fairly sure that it borrows some lines from the poem, the ending for example, I'm sure is a complete copy! It's a bit twee, but perfect for reading aloud and with its tale of the bullied reindeer saving the day and becomming the hero of all, it still has something to say to children.

Have a wonderful Holiday, Helen!

Book 80
Title: The Conqueror
Author: Georgette Heyer
Rating: ****
Where from: my shelves
Why: Heyer series read
Category: Woman author, Heyer series read
TIOLI: December Challenge #15. Read a book which starts with a word from 'Silent Night, Holy Night

I finished this while waiting for the turkey to cook, and it's a good thing the last few chapters weren't longer, or we'd have had a burnt bird!
This tells the life story of William the Conqueror from his birth, through his struggles to hold the Duchy of Normandy to his invasion of England and being crowned King of England (I think I'm safe and that should not be a surprise to anyone). It is helped along by William's having a dedicated knight Raoul of Harcourt, who chooses to follow William and becomes as much a friend as a loyal knight. At first, Raoul admires William, but gradually he comes to realise that they have very different ambition, and that Williams ambitions could cause a lot of pain and hurt to Raoul and those he has come to call his friends. This is complicated further by one of his friends being Edgar,a Saxom thegn sent to William's court as a hostage. It gets complicated, in a way that books referencing battles rarely are. Things are not always black and white and there are divided loyalties that get in the way. The description of the battle of Hastings is every bit a vicious as a battle can be. It's not what you expect from a writer of romances, but it just shows her range. The ending is both sad and full of hope, there will be a future, both for Raoul and England, although they will not be a smooth ride, they will endure.

>144 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy - and the same to you and yours.

>145 Helenliz: I've only read Heyer's Regency romances and one of her mysteries and hadn't realized that she'd written historical fiction about earlier time periods as well. I'll have to look for this one.

>145 Helenliz: there are a few in there that are pre-Regency. The list in >10 Helenliz: has a key of the Georgian, Regency & earlier novels, if that's any help. This is the only one that I'd describe, thus far, as historical ficiton, as opposed to fiction set in the past (if that makes any sense).

>148 Helenliz: Thanks for the pointer to the list. That's very helpful.

>149 mathgirl40: no worries - seeing I'd taken someone else's hard work and typed it in, you may as well have the benefit! >;-)

I've been putting this off, thinking I'd finish one ... more ... book ... But it is not to be. I'm calling 2018 finished.

Completed: 80 books.
In April I'd read 30, in August 60, so the last third of the year has slowed somewhat. But 80 books in the year is more than I'd have guessed at initially - and some of them have been huge (Don Quixote, I'm looking at you). So, OK, I'll take that as a good round year.

Category 1: Women Authors: 41/80
I wanted to maintain a 50/50 split between the sexes, so 41 out of 80 just tips me over on the right side of that equation. A target to maintain next year.

Category 2: Mysteries: 6 completed
I used to devour mysteries like they were going out of fashion. Maybe I just need to find the right series again. I wonder about a Cadfael re-read, although I don't own them all. Maybe it is a mood thing, or that my tastes have changed. This category has been cut for next year.

Category 3: Classics: 10 completed
A group read of The Forsyte Saga added 3 books and 2 interludes to this tally, maybe artificially inflating this total a little. Even so, 10 classics is a good total and I'm pleased with the progress here. Most of them were a tick on the 1001 list and help me fill in the yawning gaps in my not-at-all classical secondary school education.

Category 4: History: 7 completed
A mix of fiction and non-fiction in here. I'm quite pleased this isn't higher. My non-fiction reading had tended to history and I did want to broaden that. I'll take this as a total, although this category has been cut for next year.

Category 5: Non-Fiction: 15 completed
I was thinking 10 to 12 for the year, aiming to read one a month. By August, I'd exceeded that. That rate of progress didn't carry through, with fewer in the last quarter. But my love of information remains strong and this category will appear again in 2019.

Category 6: Romance: 1 completed
I have been thinking about this one and have decided that minimal romances is a good thing. I have, in the past, resorted to romance when my emotional life is not happy, when I want to lose myself in a world where bad things may happen, but that they all pan out for the best. IN which case not feeling the urge to resort to romance is indicative of a happier emotional state - and I'm all in favour of that. I will continue the Heyer series read, but drop the Romance category for next year.

Category 7: Heyer series read: 8 completed
8 in 12 months was about where I thought I might be. 2 I discovered I didn;t own, which held progress up slightly. But a varied set of books here, I look forward to carrying this into the next few years.

Category 8: Orange Prize: 7 completed
I wanted to read 6 in the year, so 7 is a good total. The selecting books using AlphaKIT sort of worked, and I may as well try that again for the next year.

Category 9: Flights of Fancy: 12 completed
This was always a bit vague, but the Harry Potter re-read has at least started. This category has tended to capture reads based in childhood.

Category 10: Miscellaneous: 11 completed
These are the books that didn;t want to fit anywhere else. Mildly surprised that there are 11 of them, but then that's the idea of a miscellaneous category, to collect the eccentricities. This category will continue.

Category 11: CATs
I sort of fell off the CAT wagon sometime in September, whern finding them just became a bit too difficult, or reading them in the assigned month, I forget which really. But then these were only a bit of fun and so I'm not too worried about them either way.

Category 12: Bingo: fully completed
A little bit of fiddling meant that I did manage to finish my Bingo card.
I also made reasonable progress on the PopSugar challenge.

Best and worst of 2018.
Of the 80 books, I gave 5 stars to 4
Dom Casmurro
The Best Bear in all the World
Rosie Revere, Engineer
and the best book I've read in years Religio Medici This one is still playing on my mind and I read it in February.

Nothing was abandoned this year and only 2 books got awarded 2 stars, but those that barely achieve a "meh" rating were
NW
The Green Road into the Trees

So let's call that a good year and head off into 2019. I have set up home here.

That's an excellent year, especially finishing Don Quixote! I like your thoughtful analysis and may have to steal the format a bit when doing my own year-end wrap-up ;)

Congratulations on finishing your 2018 challenge! See you in next year's group. :)

>151 Helenliz: Congratulations! Wishing you a Happy New Year filled with good health and good reading.

Thank you for the best wishes - much appreciated.

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