rabbitprincess paints a portrait of her reading year in 2019 - Part 2

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rabbitprincess paints a portrait of her reading year in 2019 - Part 2

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1rabbitprincess
Redigerat: jun 30, 2019, 10:16 pm

The Scottish Art Category Challenge



The steps leading up to the Mackintosh Building, Glasgow School of Art

This challenge is inspired by a 2008 documentary called "A Portrait of Scotland," presented by Peter Capaldi, that finally flipped the switch for me with regard to art appreciation.

Each of my usual categories will be illustrated by a work of Scottish art. Most of these are portraits featured in the program, but there are some landscapes and still lifes (still lives?) as well.

General fiction – The Blue Hat (J. D. Fergusson)
General non-fiction – Old Willie (James Guthrie)
Historical fiction – Walter Scott (Henry Raeburn)
Historical non-fiction – Mary Queen of Scots (after Nicholas Hilliard)
Mysteries – Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room (Steven Campbell)
SFF – The Mysterious Garden (Margaret Mackintosh)
Graphic novels and other miscellaneous books – Self-portrait (George Jamesone)
Audio – Still Life with White Tulips (Anne Redpath)
Plays – Tilda Swinton (John Byrne)
French – Boats at Royan (Samuel John Peploe)
Rereads – David Hume (Allan Ramsay)
Group reads – Poets' Pub (Sandy Moffat)
Scotland – Twa Plack (Calum Colvin)

ROOT 2019 ticker:




The 2019 Pool:



The BingoDOG:

2rabbitprincess
Redigerat: jun 30, 2019, 10:17 pm

General fiction – The Blue Hat (J. D. Fergusson)

Fergusson was one of a group known as the Scottish Colourists, who were influenced by the Impressionists and French modernist artists in the early years of the 20th century. In the documentary, Peter sketches this painting and laments that people don't wear fancy hats like this very often these days.

1. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman
2. First Term at Malory Towers, by Enid Blyton
3. The Little Drummer Girl, by John le Carré
4. Bleak House, by Charles Dickens
5. The Blue Castle, by L. M. Montgomery
6. A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman (translated by Henning Koch)
7. In the Wet, by Nevil Shute
8. Corporal Cameron of the North West Mounted Police, by Ralph Connor (Project Gutenberg)
9. Shadow the Baron, by John Creasey (writing as Anthony Morton) (Overdrive)
10. The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk
11. The Aviator, by Ernest K. Gann
12. The Good Shepherd, by C.S. Forester
13. The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair
14. The Mayor of Côte St. Paul, by Ronald J. Cooke

3rabbitprincess
Redigerat: jun 30, 2019, 10:17 pm

General non-fiction – Old Willie (James Guthrie)

This unflinching, realistic portrait of Old Willie, the village worthy, is characteristic of James Guthrie's work. Guthrie was part of a group known as the Glasgow Boys, who sought to paint realistic, unsentimental portraits of Scotland. They were opposing the overly sentimentalized "chocolate-box" paintings by artists such as Thomas Faed.

1. Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer, by Barbara Ehrenreich
2. The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul, by Eleanor Herman
3. With the End in Mind: Death, Dying and Wisdom in an Age of Denial, by Kathryn Mannix
4. Race to Hawaii: The 1927 Dole Air Derby and the Thrilling First Flights That Opened the Pacific, by Jason Ryan
5. The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London, by Christopher Skaife
6. Sympathy for the Traitor: A Translation Manifesto, by Mark Polizzotti
7. Helicopter Flying Handbook, by the Federal Aviation Administration
8. Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know about Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections, by Patrick Smith
9. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography, by Eric Idle
10. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg
11. No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work, by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy
12. Into the Abyss: How a Deadly Plane Crash Changed the Lives of a Pilot, a Politician, a Criminal and a Cop, by Carol Shaben
13. Understanding Gliding, by Derek Piggott

4rabbitprincess
Redigerat: jun 30, 2019, 10:17 pm

Historical fiction – Sir Walter Scott (Henry Raeburn)

Raeburn had an energetic painting style: he worked without preparatory drawings and would run back and forth across his studio, studying his subject intently and then working from memory to slap down the highlights on the canvas.

1. The King's Agent, by J. Kent Clark
2. The Clansman, by Nigel Tranter
3. The Harper's Quine, by Pat McIntosh (Overdrive)
4. A Place of Greater Safety, by Hilary Mantel
5. The Stolen Voice, by Pat McIntosh

5rabbitprincess
Redigerat: jun 30, 2019, 10:18 pm

Historical non-fiction – Mary, Queen of Scots (after Nicholas Hilliard)

This portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots, is one of several paintings sketched by Peter over the course of the documentary. I read a lot about her in 2018 so thought she would be a good choice for my 2019 history category.

1. The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors, by Dan Jones
2. The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth: And Other Curiosities from the History of Medicine, by Thomas Morris
3. Erebus: One Ship, Two Epic Voyages, and the Greatest Naval Mystery of All Time, by Michael Palin
4. The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War, by Ben Macintyre
5. Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life, by Lucy Worsley
6. A Spitfire Girl, by Mary Ellis
7. Death on the Ice: The Great Newfoundland Sealing Disaster of 1914, by Cassie Brown with Harold Horwood

6rabbitprincess
Redigerat: jun 30, 2019, 10:18 pm

Mysteries – Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room (Steven Campbell)

Campbell, one of the New Glasgow Boys, was known for his surreal dreamscapes. This one feels a bit David Lynch-ian to me, probably because of the tallest man in the painting.

1. The Chinaman, by Friedrich Glauser (translated by Mike Mitchell)
2. A Pint of Murder, by Alisa Craig
3. Blackout, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Quentin Bates)
4. Rupture, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Quentin Bates)
5. The Golden Tresses of the Dead, by Alan Bradley
6. The Darkness, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Victoria Cribb)
7. Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here!, by Ed McBain
8. The Man Who Died, by Antti Tuomainen (translated by David Hackston)
9. The Locked Room, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (translated by Paul Britten Austin)
10. The Crow Trap, by Ann Cleeves
11. Clouds of Witness, by Dorothy L. Sayers
12. The Fire Pit, by Chris Ould
13. The Arctic Patrol Mystery, by Franklin W. Dixon
14. The 12:30 from Croydon, by Freeman Wills Crofts
15. Swing, Swing Together, by Peter Lovesey
16. Maigret Stonewalled, by Georges Simenon (translated by Margaret Marshall)
17. The Sentence is Death, by Anthony Horowitz

7rabbitprincess
Redigerat: jun 30, 2019, 10:18 pm

SFF – The Mysterious Garden (Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh)

Mackintosh, the wife of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, was an artist in her own right. She worked primarily in crafts (needlework, metalwork, and gesso panels), but also designed graphics, illustrated books, and produced decorative panels for interiors and furniture—including at the Willow Tea Rooms in Glasgow.

1. Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion, by Jenny T. Colgan
2. Doctor Who: Classic Doctors, New Monsters, Volume 2 (Big Finish audio drama)
3. Doctor Who: Rose, by Russell T. Davies
4. Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor, by Steven Moffat
5. Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos, by Terrance Dicks
6. Doctor Who: The Many Hands, by Dale Smith
7. Doctor Who: The Way Through the Woods, by Una McCormack
8. Doctor Who: Wishing Well, by Trevor Baxendale
9. Time Lord Fairytales, by Justin Richards (audio, read by various readers)
10. Doctor Who: Vengeance of the Stones (Destiny of the Doctor, #3), by Andrew Smith (audio, read by Richard Franklin and Trevor Littledale)
11. At the Earth's Core, by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Serial Reader)
12. The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal
13. Doctor Who and the Ribos Operation, by Ian Marter
14. Dalek Empire 1.1: Invasion of the Daleks (Big Finish audio drama)
15. The Fated Sky, by Mary Robinette Kowal
16. Dalek Empire 1.2: The Human Factor (Big Finish audio drama)
17. Lies Sleeping, by Ben Aaronovitch
18. Invasion of the Cat-People, by Gary Russell
19. Dalek Empire 1.3: "Death to the Daleks!" (Big Finish audio drama)
20. The Furthest Station, by Ben Aaronovitch
21. Dalek Empire 1.4: Project Infinity (Big Finish audio drama)

8rabbitprincess
Redigerat: jun 30, 2019, 10:19 pm

Graphic novels and other miscellaneous books – Self-portrait (George Jamesone)

Jamesone was the first Scottish artist to make a success of portrait painting in Scotland. This painting is said to be a kind of self-promotion, showcasing the kind of work he could do: portraits, seascapes, landscapes, mythological scenes, and so on. On our most recent trip to Scotland (in 2018), we went by his house on the Royal Mile! It's right next door to John Knox's house.

1. How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men's Feelings, by Sarah Cooper
2. I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life, by Anne Bogel
3. Across the Plains: With Other Memories and Essays, by Robert Louis Stevenson
4. Monty Python Speaks!, by David Morgan
5. The Furthest Station, by Ben Aaronovitch
6. The Sun Is Kind Of A Big Deal, by Nick Seluk

9rabbitprincess
Redigerat: jun 30, 2019, 10:20 pm

Audio – Still Life with White Tulips (Anne Redpath)

Redpath was influenced by artists such as Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Matisse, and specialized in landscapes, church interiors, and still lifes. This one is my favourite, not least because of the Penguin-style books on the table.

1. Doctor Who: Classic Doctors, New Monsters, Volume 2 (Big Finish audio drama)
2. Time Lord Fairy Tales, by various authors (read by various actors)
3. Doctor Who: Vengeance of the Stones (Destiny of the Doctor, #3), by Andrew Smith (audio, read by Richard Franklin and Trevor Littledale)
4. Dalek Empire 1.1: Invasion of the Daleks (Big Finish audio drama)
5. Dalek Empire 1.2: The Human Factor (Big Finish audio drama)
6. Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome (read by Hugh Laurie)
7. Dalek Empire 1.3: "Death to the Daleks!" (Big Finish audio drama)
8. Dalek Empire 1.4: Project Infinity (Big Finish audio drama)

Possibilities:
Vengeance of the Stones, by Andrew Smith (Destiny of the Doctor #3)
Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome (read by Hugh Laurie)
Time Lord Fairy Tales, by various authors (read by various actors)


Plays – Tilda Swinton (John Byrne)

John Byrne is an artist and playwright, hence his painting being chosen for the Plays category. In the documentary, Byrne talks about portraits capturing not just a physical likeness of the person, but the spark of who that person is. And in this case he definitely succeeds: Tilda is instantly recognizable. The drawing was done in 20 minutes!

1. Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare
2. Richard III, by William Shakespeare
3. Dark Road, by Ian Rankin and Mark Thomson

Possibilities:
Dark Road, by Ian Rankin and Mark Thomson
Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare

10rabbitprincess
Redigerat: jun 30, 2019, 10:21 pm

French – Boats at Royan (S. J. Peploe)

Peploe was a fellow Scottish Colourist along with J. D. Fergusson, and you can really see the influence of Impressionist techniques in this painting. He was introduced to the use of bold colour on holidays in northern France, including one in 1910 in which he painted Boats at Royan.

1. Mourir sur Seine, by Michel Bussi
2.

Possibiities:
Au péril de la mer, by Dominique Fortier
Mourir sur Seine, by Michel Bussi

Rereads – David Hume (Allan Ramsay)

Ramsay was appointed the King's Painter by George III, whose Ramsay-painted portrait features on the cover of Revolution, by Peter Ackroyd. Ramsay's attention to detail, particularly of fabric and lacework, is exquisite (see his portrait of his second wife, Margaret Lindsay). This portrait of David Hume, a buddy of his from the Select Society, is one of my favourites of his.

1. McNally's Caper, by Lawrence Sanders
2. Cold Midnight in Vieux Québec, by Eric Wilson
3. The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick deWitt
4. A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman
5.
6.

Possibilities:
A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman
The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick deWitt

11rabbitprincess
Redigerat: jun 30, 2019, 10:21 pm

Group reads – Poets' Pub (Sandy Moffat)

Alexander "Sandy" Moffat is part of a group of 20th-century Scottish artists known as the Scottish Realists. He taught at Glasgow School of Art when Peter was studying there. This painting by Moffat is an imagining of a gathering of Scottish poets and writers.

CalendarCAT
✔ January - Dark Road, by Ian Rankin (Burns Night 25 January)
February - Tom Jones, by Henry Fielding (published 28 February 1749)
✔ March - Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare (beware the Ides of March)
April - Ships in the Bay!, by D.K. Broster (National Maritime Day 5 April)
May - The Custodian of Paradise, by Wayne Johnston (Wayne Johnston's birthday is 22 May)
June - Au péril de la mer, by Dominique Fortier (reading a Quebec author in honour of St-Jean-Baptiste Day 24 June)
✔ July - Vengeance of the Stones, by Andrew Smith (a Third Doctor story in honour of Jon Pertwee's centenary on 7 July)
✔ August - The Mayor of Côte St. Paul, by Ronald J. Cooke (a Montreal-set book for the Quebec construction holiday at the end of July / beginning of August)
September - The Wallace, by Nigel Tranter (the Battle of Stirling Bridge took place on 11 September)
✔ October - Time Lord Fairy Tales, by various authors (for that spooky Halloween spirit)
November - Cheer Up Love: Adventures in Depression with the Crab of Hate, by Susan Calman (Susan Calman's birthday is 7 November)
✔ December - The Aviator, by Ernest K. Gann (International Civil Aviation Day is 7 December)

RandomCAT
✔ January (Your name in print) McNally's Caper, by Lawrence Sanders
✔ February (Let's take a break) Across the Plains, by Robert Louis Stevenson
✔ March (Brexit madness -- a book set in the EU) Mourir sur Seine, by Michel Bussi
✔ April (Easter greetings from the Rooster) The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick deWitt
✔ May (I could have danced all night) Swing, Swing Together, by Peter Lovesey
June (Pick a card, any card!) When Eight Bells Toll, by Alistair MacLean (I picked the 8 of spades)
July (All about birds) Seven Fallen Feathers, by Tanya Talaga
August
September
October
November
December

SeriesCAT
✔ January: A series in translation: The Locked Room, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
✔ February: YA/children's series: First Term at Malory Towers, by Enid Blyton
March: A series by a favourite author: The Twenty-Three, by Linwood Barclay
✔ April: A series you've been meaning to get back to: Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here, by Ed McBain
✔ May: The newest book in a favourite series: The Golden Tresses of the Dead, by Alan Bradley
June: A series that is definitely complete: Lone Wolf, by Linwood Barclay
✔ July: Genre: fantasy: Lies Sleeping, by Ben Aaronovitch
August: A series set in a country/region where you do not live: Gideon's Power, by J.J. Marric
✔ September: Genre: mystery: Maigret Stonewalled, by Georges Simenon
October: A historical series: Pawn in Frankincense, by Dorothy Dunnett
✔ November: A series with a female protagonist: A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman
✔ December: A series that's new to you: A Pint of Murder, by Alisa Craig

TBRCAT
✔ January: First in, last out - read one of the oldest members of your tbr - Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome (one of my oldest audios!)
✔ February: A book you borrowed to read and still haven't got to - The Wars of the Roses, by Dan Jones (borrowed from library, didn't get to read, now parents have it)
✔ March: Book acquired on/for trips or for a special occasion - The Clansman (bought on my Ireland trip in 2014)
✔ April: Book originally acquired for an LT group read or challenge - A Place of Greater Safety, by Hilary Mantel
✔ May: Book that I keep looking at, but never manage to open - The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk
June: Book bullet - Cheer Up Love, by Susan Calman (Jackie_K)
July: Book by an author with more than one book on your TBR shelf - Scotchman’s Return, by Hugh MacLennan
August: Book purchased with great excitement and with plans to read right away that is somehow still on my tbr a year later - Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters (this is really just representing ALL my Doctor Who novels)
September: Classics I feel I should read - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
October: Book purchased because of its visual appeal (striking cover or colors, beautiful edition, etc.) - Hungry Hill, by Daphne du Maurier
November: Book given to me as a gift - The Custodian of Paradise, by Wayne Johnston
✔ December: A book I bought because it was so cheap (library sale, remainder table, etc) - Invasion of the Cat-People, by Gary Russell

Shared reads
Tom Jones, by Henry Fielding (2019 Category Challenge group read)
✔ The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair (shared read with LynnB)
✔ The 12:30 from Croydon, by Freeman Wills Crofts (shared read on Litsy)
✔ Into the Abyss: How a Deadly Plane Crash Changed the Lives of a Pilot, a Politician, a Criminal and a Cop, by Carol Shaben (shared read with an RL friend)

12rabbitprincess
Redigerat: jun 30, 2019, 10:22 pm

Scotland – Twa Plack (Calum Colvin)

It wouldn't be a Scottish art category challenge without a category for my Scotland reading! I really like Calum Colvin's portraiture; it's a combination of painting, sculpture, and photography. This picture, "Twa Plack", was based on a stamp that Colvin found in a collection of Burns ephemera.

1. All the Hidden Truths, by Claire Askew
2. The Clansman, by Nigel Tranter
3. The Harper's Quine, by Pat McIntosh (Overdrive)
4. Doctor Who: The Many Hands, by Dale Smith
5. The Strings of Murder, by Oscar de Muriel
6. The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith
7. The Way of All Flesh, by Ambrose Parry
8. The Stolen Voice, by Pat McIntosh
9. Across the Plains, by Robert Louis Stevenson
10. Dark Road, by Ian Rankin and Mark Thomson
11. Made in Scotland: My Grand Adventures in a Wee Country, by Billy Connolly
12. Broken Ground, by Val McDermid

Possibilities:
The Clansman, by Nigel Tranter (Rob Roy MacGregor #2)
Pawn in Frankincense, by Dorothy Dunnett (Lymond #4)
The Wallace, by Nigel Tranter
The Way of All Flesh, by Ambrose Parry
Cheer Up Love: Adventures in Depression with the Crab of Hate, by Susan Calman

13rabbitprincess
feb 28, 2019, 10:18 pm

Starting my new thread with the February recap.

After a sci-fi-heavy January, I veered more toward mysteries in February. Once again, I read 18 books:

The Many Hands, by Dale Smith
The Chinaman, by Friedrich Glauser (translated by Mike Mitchell)
The Way Through the Woods, by Una McCormack
Wishing Well, by Trevor Baxendale
McNally’s Caper, by Lawrence Sanders (reread)
A Pint of Murder, by Alisa Craig
Blackout, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Quentin Bates)
The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London, by Christopher Skaife
Cold Midnight in Vieux Québec, by Eric Wilson (reread)
Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare
Rupture, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Quentin Bates)
The Golden Tresses of the Dead, by Alan Bradley
First Term at Malory Towers, by Enid Blyton
The Strings of Murder, by Oscar de Muriel
Sympathy for the Traitor: A Translation Manifesto, by Mark Polizzotti
The Darkness, by Ragnar Jónasson (translated by Victoria Cribb) (abandoned)
Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here!, by Ed McBain
Brown Girl in the Ring, by Nalo Hopkinson

It was a solid reading month, but there was no runaway favourite. So I’m going to break one of my rules and dub one of my rereads a favourite book of the month: Cold Midnight in Vieux Québec. So much nostalgia :)

My least favourite book of the month was A Pint of Murder. I should have bailed. I shouldn’t have bought it in the first place, but that’s another story.

Currently reading

Bleak House, by Charles Dickens (Serial Reader) — Yep, still reading this. It’s much more exciting than it was in print, though. I might be at a 3.5 star rating, which is much better than the 2 stars I originally gave it.
Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (Serial Reader) — I’ve been skim-reading a LOT of this. I will probably be finished skim-reading in March.
Doctor Who: Time Lord Fairy Tales, by Justin Richards (audio) — Still working on this collection. I like it but haven’t had the attention span for audiobooks lately.
A Place of Greater Safety, by Hilary Mantel — I did spend a fair chunk of February reading this, and it’s had to become an at-home book because its weight is hazardous to my purse straps.
Helicopter Flying Handbook, by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration — I’m still flipping through this one. Might end up returning it partly read, although the chapters I’ve been picking at are quite interesting.
The Little Drummer Girl, by John le Carré — Borrowed from my dad. I had to read this before watching the TV adaptation.
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War, by Ben Macintyre — A new Macintyre book is always cause for rejoicing.

And yes, I’m also continuing to read the Royal Commission of Inquiry report into the plane crash involving an Air New Zealand sightseeing flight in 1979 that crashed into Mount Erebus. I’m counting it as one of my own books, because I downloaded the PDF to my computer.

March plans

I ended up binging on some of the shorter mysteries in my Pool before finishing A Place of Greater Safety, for the sake of my sanity (although A Place of Greater Safety is still unfinished…) I did a good job on working on that category! Next, I might read another play. There’s one in my Pool and a different one on deck.

From the library, I have some more mysteries and some hefty non-fiction, because I’m a glutton for punishment. We’ll see how much strategic renewing I have to do.

14MissWatson
mar 1, 2019, 6:27 am

Happy new thread, rp! That is a very impressive staircase!

15dudes22
mar 1, 2019, 8:36 am

Happy New Thread! A new Ben Macintyre...I bought Agent Zig-Zag for my husband for Christmas based on your recommendation last year. Have to add this one to this year’s list.

16rabbitprincess
mar 1, 2019, 10:03 am

>14 MissWatson: Thanks! It is gorgeous, isn't it :)

>15 dudes22: Thanks! Agent Zigzag is briefly mentioned in this one, too. It's also making me want to re-read Rogue Heroes, which I had to return to the library partly read. My popular non-fiction holds always seem to come in at a time when I don't have enough time to read them and I can't renew them :-/

17mstrust
mar 1, 2019, 10:22 am

Happy new thread!
Oooh, the Air New Zealand crash is one I've never heard of, so your review will be interesting.

18rabbitprincess
mar 1, 2019, 10:58 am

>17 mstrust: Thanks! I'm not sure how I'm going to rate and review an accident investigation report, but it's certainly an interesting story.

19thornton37814
mar 1, 2019, 11:25 am

Happy new thread!

20rabbitprincess
mar 1, 2019, 12:47 pm

>19 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori! I thought the end of February / beginning of March was a good time to start a new thread :)

21LisaMorr
mar 1, 2019, 1:00 pm

From your previous thread: "Dystopian fiction set in Toronto may be a bit of a niche genre" - works for me too, and I'll take a BB!

22rabbitprincess
mar 1, 2019, 1:19 pm

>21 LisaMorr: Excellent, I hope you like it! The only other dystopian fiction I've read set (at least partly) in Toronto is Station Eleven :) I like seeing all the familiar place names.

23DeltaQueen50
mar 1, 2019, 3:23 pm

Happy new thread, RP!

24Jackie_K
mar 1, 2019, 4:45 pm

Happy new thread! It's good to see those paintings again. And it's been a while since I've seen the entrance to the School of Art - it's all cordoned off now :(

25rabbitprincess
mar 1, 2019, 5:14 pm

>23 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy!

>24 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie! Alas, the poor School. I'm kind of glad that we didn't make it over there when we were in Glasgow last year -- it would probably have been too upsetting :(

26lkernagh
mar 1, 2019, 6:31 pm

Happy new thread, RP!

27RidgewayGirl
mar 1, 2019, 6:56 pm

Happy new thread! It's always wonderful to have an excuse to look at those gorgeous paintings again.

28rabbitprincess
mar 2, 2019, 11:40 am

>26 lkernagh: >27 RidgewayGirl: Thanks for the new-thread wishes!

>27 RidgewayGirl: I love seeing them every time I update my category posts :)

****

Took the day off yesterday because I had some comp time to burn. It was a relatively last-minute decision (I made it maybe the week before), but it was nice to just have a random day to myself. Of note, I managed to finish a very good book:

The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War, by Ben Macintyre
Category: Mary Queen of Scots
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/165462559

A new Ben Macintyre book is always cause for rejoicing, and I particularly liked this one. Must be in one of my Cold War moods, because I'm also reading John le Carré :)

29mathgirl40
mar 3, 2019, 4:05 pm

Happy new thread! I've not read any of the Eric Wilson mysteries but I should keep them in mind for my Cross-Canada Journey category.

By the way, I thought of you when I saw this CBC article, saying that Ottawa deserves "the gold medal for winter misery" this year. :)

30rabbitprincess
mar 3, 2019, 5:23 pm

>29 mathgirl40: Thanks, Paulina! The Eric Wilsons make *very* light reading, but they would certainly be useful for that category :)

And yes, I'd agree with that assessment of our weather! There was a period of four or five weeks where we had at least one weather advisory (warning, watch, or special weather statement) per week. One week we had FOUR of them. Very draining. This week looks to be a bit calmer though, at least for now.

31VivienneR
mar 5, 2019, 5:31 pm

Happy new thread. That staircase is so inviting.

>28 rabbitprincess: Ben Macintyre can do no wrong! I haven't come across this title but I will be looking out for it.

32rabbitprincess
mar 5, 2019, 6:16 pm

>31 VivienneR: It is! And I hope you like the Macintyre book :)

****

I put in some good reading time this weekend and finished two books!

Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life, by Lucy Worsley
Category: Mary Queen of Scots
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/165539906

Had to vet this as a possible birthday or Christmas gift for my mother...or more accurately, tell her about it so that she buys it for herself -- I've created a monster who goes to book sales and shops on cheap book websites all the time. I think she'll like this one. And now I have to borrow her copy of Jane Austen at Home.

Time Lord Fairytales, by Justin Richards (audio, read by various readers)
Category: The Mysterious Garden, Still Life with Tulips, Poets’ Pub (October CalendarCAT)
Source: iTunes
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/152114490

This was an impulse purchase because I've been enjoying Doctor Who in audio form. The variety of readers may cause peaks and valleys in one's enjoyment of the collection overall, but I enjoyed the concept and particularly liked Nicholas Briggs's narration of "The Scruffy Piper".

33dudes22
mar 5, 2019, 7:50 pm

>32 rabbitprincess: - re: your mother, I’m addicted to library sales. I’ve been trying lately to restrain myself but I see library sale and have to go.

34rabbitprincess
mar 5, 2019, 8:06 pm

>33 dudes22: I used to go to library sales a lot! Now I'm lucky if I go to one sale a year. Otherwise it's mostly book shopping on trips. I think my mum has absorbed my book-sale energy ;)

35japaul22
mar 5, 2019, 8:23 pm

>32 rabbitprincess: I loved Jane Austen at Home. I'll have to check out Victoria. I didn't realize Lucy Worsley had a new book out.

36rabbitprincess
mar 5, 2019, 8:29 pm

>35 japaul22: I follow Lucy on Twitter, so that's probably how I heard about it. Trying to keep better track of where I get book recommendations from!

37mstrust
mar 6, 2019, 10:51 am

>18 rabbitprincess: Good point!
I think I'd like Jane Austen at Home too. Thanks for pointing it out.

38rabbitprincess
mar 6, 2019, 4:52 pm

>37 mstrust: Excellent! Hope you do like it :)

39rabbitprincess
mar 9, 2019, 10:53 am

It's been a slow reading week. Busy at work and whatever I have on hand for reading hasn't been grabbing me quite as much as I'd like.

Helicopter Flying Handbook, by the Federal Aviation Administration
Category: Old Willie
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/164317488

I'm not sure how one can "review" a handbook like this, which is an official U.S. government publication, but overall I can say that it would probably meet the needs of its target audience fairly well. Some of the images could do with some work, and at times I found the text repetitive and inconsistent in its use of abbreviations versus written-out terms, but it was an interesting book nevertheless. I particularly liked the chapters dealing with decision making, optical illusions, and emergencies. (I'll *never* be able to sit through chapters on basic aerodynamics...)

****

I also FINALLY finished A Place of Greater Safety this morning, so I'll review that in the next couple of days. Haha I've been reading it for so long it's been crowded out of my bookshelves. I'll have to see if my mum wants to read it.

40rabbitprincess
mar 10, 2019, 12:45 pm

A Place of Greater Safety, by Hilary Mantel
Category: Walter Scott, Poets’ Pub (April TBRCAT)
Source: gift
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/92563968

According to my tags on this book, I'd originally intended to read this back in 2015 for a group read. Obviously I never ended up reading it. It was a feat of endurance toward the end, because the book is over 700 pages in my edition, but it's piqued an interest in that time period so I will call it a win.

41Tess_W
mar 10, 2019, 2:57 pm

>40 rabbitprincess: I've read 3 of Mantel's and I would agree that I am "ready" for it to be over near the end; although I like all the books I have read. (but have not read this one, but it's on my wishlist)

42rabbitprincess
mar 10, 2019, 4:29 pm

>41 Tess_W: I did have to take a bit of a break from it about 2/3 of the way through and read something shorter. But now that I've read this one, I'm looking forward to trying Wolf Hall someday!

43mstrust
mar 10, 2019, 6:24 pm

Hooray for finishing the Mantel!
I've been reading The Stand for two months now and I'm only 150 pages in.

44rabbitprincess
mar 10, 2019, 7:05 pm

>43 mstrust: Good luck! You can do it!

45rabbitprincess
mar 13, 2019, 8:05 pm

Finally getting around to reviewing a book I finished on Sunday.

The Little Drummer Girl, by John le Carré
Category: The Blue Hat
Source: borrowed from parents
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/163596863

JLC writes well as always, and he captures well the emotional toll of going undercover, and how it lingers even after the agent's job is finished. It is an exhausting book, though, with everyone so on edge. I think I'll skip the TV adaptation.

46rabbitprincess
mar 16, 2019, 9:51 am

A couple more books to add to the total. Interestingly, so far this year over half the mysteries in my mystery category have been read in translation!

(Touchstones aren't working at the moment, so I've linked to the work pages)

The Man Who Died, by Antti Tuomainen (translated by David Hackston)
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/166216688

This has been on my radar since 2017 Bouchercon, when its author talked most charmingly about it at a panel on Nordic crime. It is very funny and I hope my library picks up more of his books.

The Locked Room, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (translated by Paul Britten Austin)
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room, Poets’ Pub (January SeriesCAT)
Source: Chaptigo
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/70473950

One of my favourite books in the Martin Beck series, although once again some gratuitous content that prevented me from giving this 4 stars. The case itself merits 4 stars though.

47rabbitprincess
mar 17, 2019, 2:56 pm

Well, this weekend has been pretty productive. Finished three books yesterday and another today. AND I've been doing housework. I shall have to reward myself with a Jameson's, ginger ale and lime cocktail in honour of St. Patrick's Day.

The Crow Trap, by Ann Cleeves
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/165963564

I've finally started the Vera series, after seeing bits of it on TV and hearing from Ann the story of how it was brought to the screen in the first place. It was a slow burn but a good one in the end. I like Vera as a protagonist more than Perez; also, I might find it more believable that Northumberland can accommodate all those murders ;)

I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life, by Anne Bogel
Category: George Jamesone self-portrait
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/166137948

A short book with plenty for avid readers to relate to. I love the cover, too.

The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith
Category: Twa Plack
Source: Serial Reader
Rating: 2/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/162292462

I've been reading this since November, and not really actively reading it for at least a month of that time :-/ Of Hume and Smith, Hume has much more accessible writing. But I am pleased with myself for trying.

48Jackie_K
mar 17, 2019, 3:22 pm

>47 rabbitprincess: I've recently started listening to Anne Bogel's podcast. I'll have to look out for the book.

49rabbitprincess
mar 17, 2019, 4:40 pm

>48 Jackie_K: I hope you like it! I like the idea of her podcast but am not very good at listening to podcasts. Same with reading magazines -- it's something about subscriptions where the back issues just keep piling up and it takes me forever to consume them.

50Jackie_K
mar 17, 2019, 5:15 pm

>49 rabbitprincess: I find it's a nice podcast to drift in and out of (I usually listen to podcasts in bed when I can't sleep) because it doesn't take too much concentration.

51lkernagh
mar 18, 2019, 11:22 pm

so far this year over half the mysteries in my mystery category have been read in translation!

That is a very interesting statistic! I am close to that number, but only because I was binge reading Inspector Montalbano books in January. ;-)

52rabbitprincess
mar 19, 2019, 7:01 pm

>50 Jackie_K: Maybe give me another five years and I'll get there eventually -- I did crack audiobooks, I suppose ;)

>51 lkernagh: It seemed like last year I didn't read quite so many mysteries in translation, so having so many this year was surprising. A binge on a single author's series would certainly bump up those numbers!

53rabbitprincess
Redigerat: mar 20, 2019, 9:58 pm

I had a bumper reading weekend this past weekend. Polished off two long-standing e-reads (one of which I posted earlier) and started AND finished another.

Bleak House, by Charles Dickens
Category: The Blue Hat
Source: Serial Reader
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/work/7425/reviews/70475004

I liked this way more in installment format than I did when I tried reading in a print edition. So if you want to crack this one, that may be the way to go.

The Blue Castle, by L. M. Montgomery
Category: The Blue Hat
Source: Faded Page
Rating: 5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/166853193

I LOVED THIS!!! Now I need my own copy. Actually, my parents might have one... will have to check their shelves.

54VivienneR
mar 20, 2019, 9:00 pm

>53 rabbitprincess: You did well in one weekend! While my reading almost came to a standstill. My numbers are going to plummet this month. I've been busy, but not that busy.

55rabbitprincess
mar 20, 2019, 9:59 pm

>54 VivienneR: To be fair, the Smith and the Dickens were very close to being finished, and I've been working on them for months. It just looks more impressive when I finish them so close together ;)

Also I just noticed I'd accidentally posted the Wealth of Nations review twice. Oops!

56DeltaQueen50
mar 21, 2019, 1:26 pm

Reading Bleak House by installments is an excellent idea, and one that I will probably adopt. I am currently reading Adam Bede by installment so it will be awhile before I need a new book but Bleak House is on my radar!

57Helenliz
mar 21, 2019, 3:26 pm

I have listened to Dickens on my commute before now. Where each chapter is about the same length, I could listen to a chapter a journey, then come back and have the next installment on the next trip. It worked really well. Where they were originally published in installments, you get a similar reading experience to the first readers (although without dragging it out over several years!).

58rabbitprincess
mar 21, 2019, 6:51 pm

>56 DeltaQueen50: I hope it works out for you when you get to it! Reading by installment works so well sometimes :)

>57 Helenliz: Installments by audio would be a great way to go too. And yes, it's nice to have the luxury of being able to read ahead if I wish!

59rabbitprincess
mar 24, 2019, 12:04 pm

Another quiet domestic weekend. The BF and I did our taxes yesterday, with minimal swearing on my part, so I consider that a success. Also went downtown and ran a few errands in the Market now that the March Break crowds are gone ;) Today I'll be doing some audiobaking; it's the BF's birthday at the end of the month, so we'll have a cake for ourselves this week and another cake with his family next weekend.

I'm also finally getting around to reviewing a book I finished on Wednesday...

The Way of All Flesh, by Ambrose Parry
Category: Twa Plack
Source: Bloody Scotland 2018
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/160724166

I think I had too-high or improperly calibrated expectations for this book. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the research (and the balance of gory details -- everything was described in a non-sensationalist manner), but the mystery element wasn't as prominent as I would have expected. So treat this as a primarily historical novel with a dash of mystery and you might get on with it better. I'd still very much recommend it if it interests you, and I will certainly read another book featuring these characters!

60mstrust
mar 24, 2019, 4:20 pm

Two cakes are always better than one. Happy birthday to the BF!

61rabbitprincess
mar 24, 2019, 4:51 pm

>60 mstrust: I agree! And thanks! I'm hoping we'll be able to go to the movies for his birthday. He's one of those "doesn't really want or need much, and what he does need or want he buys for himself" kind of people, so buying stuff is usually a lost cause (unless it's food).

62AHS-Wolfy
mar 24, 2019, 7:40 pm

>59 rabbitprincess: Sad that this one didn't live up to the expectations. I haven't got around to picking it up as yet but it's on the list so I'll get to it at some point because of who makes up the author pseudonym or at least part of it.

63rabbitprincess
mar 24, 2019, 9:34 pm

>62 AHS-Wolfy: I still thought it was very good as a historical novel in general; Dr Haetzman's research is excellent and the story wears the research well. Maybe I wasn't *quite* in the right mood for it despite thinking I was. It's a very complicated three stars ;) I'd still recommend it and would gladly pick up another.

64rabbitprincess
Redigerat: mar 29, 2019, 6:57 pm

A couple of books from a productive Sunday... when it's almost Friday.

Vengeance of the Stones (Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctor), by Andrew Smith (audio, read by Richard Franklin and Trevor Littledale)
Category: Still Life with White Tulips, The Mysterious Garden, Poets’ Pub (July CalendarCAT)
Source: Big Finish Humble Bundle
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/100241531

I picked out this audiobook because it is the Jon Pertwee centenary on July 7. I enjoyed it for the Scottish setting and the inclusion of fighter planes. The Doctor even flies a fighter plane himself, which is totally awesome. It's a quick listen and I had fun with it.

Clouds of Witness, by Dorothy L. Sayers
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room
Source: Faded Page
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/166216654

This was another quick ebook read thanks to Faded Page, which produces ebooks of literature in the public domain in Canada. I enjoyed this and really need to read more Wimseys.

65Helenliz
mar 29, 2019, 4:31 am

>64 rabbitprincess: My last project was to read all of Sayers' Wimsey book in order. I first read them as a teenager and still enjoy then even many years and many reads on.

66rabbitprincess
mar 29, 2019, 9:38 pm

>65 Helenliz: One of my friends did a similar project recently. She read all of the Ngaio Marshes in order, then the Sayers, and now I think she's onto the Allinghams.

****

Winding down the week with a book that I was only ehh about.

The Fire Pit, by Chris Ould
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room
Source: library
Rating: 2/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/166587441

While I still liked the setting of this book and the storyline about Hjalti having to be an acting inspector, I found the story about Jan's mum to go into far too creepy a direction for my liking. Skipped to the end, and even then I read too much :-/

67pamelad
mar 29, 2019, 11:28 pm

Checked out Faded Page - a great source of books from the thirties and earlier (if you are Canadian, of course). Thank you.

My favourite Wimsey is Murder Must Advertise, but they're all good.

68rabbitprincess
mar 30, 2019, 10:19 am

>67 pamelad: It does have some great stuff! I've helped proofread pages in a few books and written some blurbs for the site's Featured Book section. Haven't had much time to do so lately, but hopefully I'll be able to get back into it.

Murder Must Advertise is such fun! I love how he's trying to hold down a normal job.

69rabbitprincess
Redigerat: mar 31, 2019, 9:27 pm

I squeaked one more book under the wire to end March, but I'll review it tomorrow. In the meantime, here's the March recap.

I felt a bit frazzled and unfocused this month, but I still managed to read 18 books.

The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War, by Ben Macintyre
Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life, by Lucy Worsley
Time Lord Fairytales, by Justin Richards (audio, read by various readers)
Helicopter Flying Handbook, by the Federal Aviation Administration
A Place of Greater Safety, by Hilary Mantel
The Little Drummer Girl, by John le Carré
The Man Who Died, by Antti Tuomainen (translated by David Hackston)
The Locked Room, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (translated by Paul Britten Austin)
The Crow Trap, by Ann Cleeves
I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life, by Anne Bogel
The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (Serial Reader) (not really finished)
Bleak House, by Charles Dickens (Serial Reader)
The Blue Castle, by L. M. Montgomery (Faded Page)
The Way of All Flesh, by Ambrose Parry
Vengeance of the Stones (Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctor), by Andrew Smith (audio, read by Richard Franklin and Trevor Littledale)
Clouds of Witness, by Dorothy L. Sayers (Faded Page)
The Fire Pit, by Chris Ould
Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know about Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections, by Patrick Smith

My favourite book of the month was The Blue Castle. It was so refreshing and perfect and exactly what I needed.

My least favourite book of the month was The Fire Pit. I liked the other two books in the series, but this one was too creepy for my tastes.

Currently reading

At the Earth’s Core, by Edgar Rice Burroughs — Serial Reader read. One of these older sci-fi novels that is hilarious and cringey at the same time. Hilarious for the scientific ideas, cringey for the baked-in male chauvinism (at best).
Tom Jones, by Henry Fielding — also a Serial Reader read. There’s a group read in August, but I can’t wait that long. I’ll record my impressions as I go and share them once the group read gets started ;)
Richard III, by William Shakespeare — I started this mid-month but have set it aside for a bit, because library books have been more pressing, and because I haven’t had the brainpower to read this on the bus.
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography, by Eric Idle — Lining up my next library read, after just having finished Cockpit Confidential (about which, more tomorrow).

April plans

I have a couple of books from the Pool on deck: my Ian Rankin play and a re-read of The Sisters Brothers, which fits the RandomCAT theme. And if I can start Mourir sur Seine at some point this month, I’ll be on my way to cracking my French category.

70mstrust
apr 1, 2019, 1:13 pm

Richard III is my favorite from Will. And I've yet to read anything from Burroughs so your review will be interesting. Chauvinism even at the earth's core? Hmmph!

71christina_reads
apr 2, 2019, 4:33 pm

So glad you are enjoying the Peter Wimsey books! I'm in the process of reading them in publication order...next up for me is Murder Must Advertise, funnily enough!

72rabbitprincess
apr 2, 2019, 5:55 pm

>70 mstrust: Also some cringey imperialist/colonial sentiments!

>71 christina_reads: Hope you like it! I am merrily reading them out of order, because that's generally what I like to do ;)

****

This book ticked a lot of nerdy boxes for me.

Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know about Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections, by Patrick Smith
Category: Old Willie
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/166736269

This was an easy four stars. I enjoyed sharing some of the stories with pilot friends, too, to see how their experiences compared with the author's. Recommended.

73Helenliz
apr 3, 2019, 12:20 pm

>71 christina_reads: That ranks as one of my favourite books. And I'm pleased to see that order reigns. It is also one that can be read out of order, as it largely stands alone.

74christina_reads
apr 3, 2019, 5:47 pm

>73 Helenliz: Haha, well, I don't always read an author's works in publication order, but I try to do so for series. I have found that most of the Wimsey books can be read in any order, except for the ones that involve Harriet Vane.

75mathgirl40
apr 3, 2019, 9:35 pm

>46 rabbitprincess: Glad to see you liked The Man Who Died. I enjoyed The Mine enough that I'll definitely read more of Tuomainen's books.

>67 pamelad: A lot of books on Faded Page should be in Australia's public domain as well, so as long as they satisfy your copyright law, it'll be fine to download them. My (admittedly weak) understanding is that your country changed from death+50 to death+70 in 2004, but the change wasn't retroactive. So anything that was in the public domain in 2004 is still OK. I too volunteer at Faded Page and the admins are trying to figure this out, since the same thing will happen in Canada if/when the NAFTA replacement comes into effect.

>68 rabbitprincess: Thank you for your help at Faded Page! I'm always happy to get more featured-text blurbs, but no pressure .... :)

76pamelad
apr 4, 2019, 1:39 am

>75 mathgirl40: Thanks for that information. Now I can admit to the downloading I've done.

77Tess_W
apr 4, 2019, 3:24 am

TY for the info about Faded Page; it's now bookmarked!

78Helenliz
apr 4, 2019, 3:45 pm

>74 christina_reads: that's true, it is only really the Harriet/Peter romance that structures some of the series to be in order.

79mstrust
apr 4, 2019, 4:03 pm

>75 mathgirl40: Yes, we've just had a flood of works that became public domain this year that should have been released over 20 years ago. The long wait was because Disney didn't want their first cartoon, "Steamboat Willie", to go into public domain so they lobbied and got the copyright law changed, which meant all the other works that came out that same year got held up too. Money.

80rabbitprincess
apr 4, 2019, 7:21 pm

>75 mathgirl40: I'll have to look for The Mine now, too! And I have a few more Faded Page ebooks stocked up on my iPad, so I'll write blurbs for those too. And you can probably use or borrow my reviews for Clouds of Witness and The Blue Castle ;)

>77 Tess_W: You're welcome! There are some really interesting books on there.

81mathgirl40
apr 5, 2019, 10:07 am

>79 mstrust: It's usually all about money, isn't it? Makes it frustrating for those of us who just want the works to be available to as many people as possible.

>80 rabbitprincess: Darn, I just gave away my copy of The Mine. Should have saved it for you. I'd given it to a fellow BookCrossing friend who left it in a Little Library, and the last journal entry says it's somewhere in Florida now, so a long way from the wintry Finnish setting of the book.

Sounds great about the FP blurbs! Thanks so much.

82rabbitprincess
apr 6, 2019, 12:56 pm

>81 mathgirl40: No worries, I'll keep an eye out for it somewhere! Or I'll try to interlibrary-loan it.

I'll package up those FP blurbs for you sometime this weekend :) I wish I had more brainpower to help with proofreading, but after spending all day editing, editing is the last thing I want to be doing...

****

I was getting a bit worried yesterday because it was the fifth of April and I hadn't finished a book yet! So I finished one this morning.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography, by Eric Idle
Category: Old Willie
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/166824478

Some great photos and stories in this book, which talks about all aspects of Eric's life. Makes me want to watch The Rutles again and re-read The Road to Mars.

83rabbitprincess
apr 6, 2019, 10:40 pm

Remembered I'd borrowed an ebook from the library, and I made short work of it this afternoon.

The Arctic Patrol Mystery, by Franklin W. Dixon
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 2/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/167108363

This was a very silly book. While I don't regret reading it (I love books with planes and Iceland in them), I also don't regret not owning a copy!

84VivienneR
apr 7, 2019, 1:17 am

Just dropping by to wave!

I'm a fan of Faded Page too. Thanks for your contribution.

85rabbitprincess
apr 7, 2019, 8:46 am

>84 VivienneR: *waves back* Hi, Vivienne!

After the discussion of Faded Page, I raided the shelves there and downloaded a few Ted Scott Flying Stories, which were also written by "Franklin W. Dixon". Looking forward to reading those!

86rabbitprincess
apr 7, 2019, 11:18 am

This is probably more of an "it's not you, it's me" review...

Richard III, by William Shakespeare
Category: Tilda Swinton
Source: Pickwick Books, Waterdown, ON
Rating: 2/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/155955023

There are several reasons why this play might not have worked as well as it could have: 1) work frying my brain and making it hard to focus; 2) most of the violence and action happening offstage; 3) lots of similarly named characters that are hard to tell apart. I also found the notes on the side less useful than usual (defining words that I think people can figure out from context).

I'll have to watch a couple more adaptations and try again.

87christina_reads
apr 8, 2019, 2:54 pm

>86 rabbitprincess: Have you heard of the documentary Looking for Richard, directed by Al Pacino? It's a weird concept, but I strangely found it very helpful and effective in presenting Richard III.

88LittleTaiko
apr 8, 2019, 5:26 pm

>86 rabbitprincess: - Have you read Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey? It's a different look at the Richard III story that was quite interesting.

89rabbitprincess
apr 8, 2019, 6:32 pm

>87 christina_reads: I haven't, but I'll see if the library has it! The PBS series Shakespeare Uncovered also has an episode about RIII; I borrowed the set but ran out of time to watch it, so thanks for the indirect nudge to request it again!

>88 LittleTaiko: Yes, it was my favourite Josephine Tey :D Such an interesting way to present the story!

90christina_reads
apr 9, 2019, 6:22 pm

Ooh, there's also Sharon Kay Penman's The Sunne in Splendour, a very good (but very long) novel depicting Richard III in a positive light.

91rabbitprincess
apr 9, 2019, 6:57 pm

>90 christina_reads: Yes! Still have to read that one. I have a copy, but it's at my parents' place. Mum wanted to read it too :D

92rabbitprincess
apr 10, 2019, 8:29 pm

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg
Category: Old Willie
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/167022560

I eat breakfast at the office before starting work. Last year I got into the habit of reading while eating my breakfast (I arrive earlier than my scheduled start time). But in the past few weeks I'd become sucked into doing work while eating breakfast instead. Ironically enough, The Power of Habit was the book I chose to resume my book-and-breakfast habit. It was really interesting and I've already tested out the habit loop concept, with some success. It's a book I wouldn't mind owning a copy of, but I'm not going to actively look for it, which is why it's a 4.5 rather than a 5.

93thornton37814
apr 10, 2019, 9:16 pm

>83 rabbitprincess: I'm sure I loved that book back in the day. I much preferred the Hardy Boys to Nancy Drew. My brothers had left some at the house. A boy in my class owned most of them. Between the two collections, I read a whole lot of the Hardy Boys books. My friend Beth was into Nancy Drew. She loaned me some of those, but I just didn't like them as well so I pretty much stuck with the Hardy Boys after a bit.

94rabbitprincess
apr 10, 2019, 9:46 pm

>93 thornton37814: I read more of the Hardy Boys books as well. I'm really only reading more Nancys now, as an adult, which is an interesting experience.

95LittleTaiko
apr 11, 2019, 2:39 pm

That sounds really interesting. I definitely have a couple of bad habits that I could use help breaking. :)

96rabbitprincess
apr 11, 2019, 6:03 pm

>95 LittleTaiko: It's really good! Hope it helps :)

97dudes22
apr 12, 2019, 7:39 am

>92 rabbitprincess: - BB for me!

98rabbitprincess
apr 12, 2019, 6:45 pm

>97 dudes22: Excellent!

99rabbitprincess
apr 12, 2019, 10:32 pm

Finished up a couple of books over the past two days. I'm trying to get into the habit of reviewing a bit more promptly.

At the Earth’s Core, by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Category: The Mysterious Garden
Source: Serial Reader
Rating: 2/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/166847547

Early sci-fi is usually pretty silly. If you have to pick between this and Jules Verne, go with Verne (Journey to the Centre of the Earth). Good ending though.

A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman
Category: The Blue Hat
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/166410368

The BF's mum's book club had this on their list of possibilities for this year, so I finally decided to try out a book by this Backman fellow. I liked it well enough but am not sure whether I'd read more of them. It was a fairly quick read, though, so that was something.

100rabbitprincess
apr 17, 2019, 7:49 pm

Some light, undemanding reading.

The Stolen Voice, by Pat McIntosh
Category: Walter Scott, Twa Plack
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/167147240

Another installment in this medieval Glasgow mystery series I seem to have picked up. This installment takes place more in the Dunblane, Perth, and Balquhidder area. Coincidentally, I visited Perth and St. John's Kirk on my most recent trip to Scotland :)

101rabbitprincess
Redigerat: apr 19, 2019, 3:46 pm

I timed this well, finishing my latest bus book yesterday right before a four-day weekend. Yep, I get Friday and Monday off! We're expecting rain most of the weekend, and there are concerns about flooding, especially on the Gatineau side. So it sounds like a good time to read books and write reviews.

In the Wet, by Nevil Shute
Category: The Blue Hat
Source: church book sale
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/129906013

I loved the aviation bits of this -- Shute writes a fine plane story. And yay representation from Canada! The timeline was a bit weird, but I think most of my confusion stemmed from my not having re-read the back cover before starting this. The only thing that didn't work was the main character's nickname, which is not one we'd use today :-/ So that's why this isn't a 4.

In a strange coincidence, I happened to be near the Ottawa airport on Tuesday (was having dinner with friends who were staying out near the airport) and was reading a part of the book where the characters flew to Canada and landed at... the Ottawa airport.

102NinieB
apr 19, 2019, 6:18 pm

Had to laugh when I saw the title of your book.

103rabbitprincess
apr 19, 2019, 6:58 pm

>102 NinieB: Haha yes, it did end up being an appropriate title for the weekend weather! Didn't think of that :D

104rabbitprincess
apr 20, 2019, 10:13 am

I was worried about April being a lacklustre reading month. Fortunately, this book came along.

The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal
Category: The Mysterious Garden
Source: library
Rating: 5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/167302868

I LOVED this book. It had a very Hidden Figures vibe, which I liked, and there was a lot of bonus aviation content for a plane nerd like me. I've already requested the next book in the series.

105rabbitprincess
apr 21, 2019, 9:08 am

Long weekends are great for getting through the book stacks!

No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work, by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy
Category: Old Willie
Source: library
Rating: 5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/167302903

I loved this book and will need my own copy. Lots of cute illustrations and some practical tips. Some things I'd been doing already, but they are good reminders, and there is always room for improvement.

Across the Plains, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Category: George Jamesone, Poets’ Pub (February RandomCAT), Twa Plack
Source: By the Lake Books, Burlington, ON
Rating: 2/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/149484193

I picked this up for the February RandomCAT because it was a collection of travel essays. I stalled, though, and never really got back into it. So I am declaring it finished.

106mstrust
apr 21, 2019, 10:54 am

Happy Easter, princess!

107rabbitprincess
apr 21, 2019, 11:28 am

>106 mstrust: So pretty! Thank you, and happy Easter to you as well! Now I shall go eat Easter Reese's peanut butter cups :D

108VivienneR
apr 21, 2019, 11:30 am

>101 rabbitprincess: Maybe it's time to read The Dry by Jane Harper to counter your weather conditions. I just hope the flooding doesn't affect your Easter egg hunt.

109rabbitprincess
apr 21, 2019, 11:40 am

>108 VivienneR: Excellent idea!

The rainfall warning has ended, but the temperatures are warming up and the ground is saturated, so there's still potential for washouts and flooding, especially downriver from Ottawa. We do the egg hunt indoors, so that's not going to be affected. (And really, it's more for my mother-in-law -- she likes to find the eggs more than her now-30-something kids do.)

110lkernagh
apr 22, 2019, 4:52 pm

Hi RP. I am taking advantage of a rainy Easter Monday to get caught up with threads.

Remembered I'd borrowed an ebook from the library - Always easy to forget ebook borrows!

111rabbitprincess
apr 27, 2019, 11:25 am

>110 lkernagh: Thanks for stopping by! Yes, I find it difficult to remember that I've borrowed ebooks. Sometimes I'll take a notebook, tape some paper on the spine, write the title of the ebook on the paper, and put the notebook on the shelf where I keep the books I've checked out from the library. Having a physical reminder helps me a lot. Or I check out ebooks right before a trip when I specifically intend to read them.

****

It was a short work week this week, but I managed to finish two books on the bus.

Dark Road, by Ian Rankin and Mark Thomson
Category: Tilda Swinton, Poets’ Pub (January CalendarCAT), Twa Plack
Source: Christmas gift
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/114932890

This was in my Pool as my choice for January CalendarCAT (Rabbie Burns night), and it was pretty good for Rankin's first play. I liked the bonus material about how they put the stage production together.

Doctor Who and the Ribos Operation, by Ian Marter
Category: The Mysterious Garden
Source: Hay-on-Wye, Wales
Rating: 2/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/145800175

I read this after watching the TV episodes at a Doctor Who meetup. I found the original story slow-paced, and the novelization didn't grip me much more. I wonder if I find the Key to Time storyline forced or contrived for some reason; I was similarly restless with The Pirate Planet, which is about the second segment of the Key to Time.

112rabbitprincess
apr 27, 2019, 6:56 pm

More Doctor Who on this dreary Saturday afternoon (we even had SNOW, sigh).

Dalek Empire 1.1: Invasion of the Daleks (Big Finish audio drama)
Category: The Mysterious Garden
Source: Big Finish
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/154840711

This may be the sort of audiobook I have to listen to in one go, because it's only about an hour or so long. Listening to it in two goes breaks up the momentum. I do like a Dalek story though.

113rabbitprincess
apr 30, 2019, 8:08 pm

Last book of the month, which I finished over lunch.

A Spitfire Girl, by Mary Ellis
Category: Mary Queen of Scots
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/167647064

If you haven't heard of the Air Transport Auxiliary and specifically the female pilots of the ATA, this is a great memoir to start with. Her description of being at the controls of a Spitfire Mk V.b almost makes me want to take up flying. If anyone could persuade me, it would be her.

114rabbitprincess
apr 30, 2019, 8:49 pm

April recap

Even with a four-day weekend, I didn’t get all that much reading done. The total: 15 books.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography, by Eric Idle
The Arctic Patrol Mystery, by Franklin W. Dixon (Overdrive)
Richard III, by William Shakespeare
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg
At the Earth’s Core, by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Serial Reader)
A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman (translated by Henning Koch)
The Stolen Voice, by Pat McIntosh
In the Wet, by Nevil Shute
The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal
No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work, by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy
Across the Plains, by Robert Louis Stevenson (abandoned)
Dark Road, by Ian Rankin and Mark Thomson
Doctor Who and the Ribos Operation, by Ian Marter
Dalek Empire 1.1: Invasion of the Daleks (Big Finish audio drama)
A Spitfire Girl, by Mary Ellis (as told to Melody Foreman)

My favourite book of the month was The Calculating Stars. I already have the second book in the series ready to go!

I had more two-star books than I would have liked this month, so unfortunately a lot of choice for least favourite. I’ll go with Across the Plains, because I actually abandoned it unfinished.

Currently reading

Tom Jones, by Henry Fielding — Serial Reader. After being bored with it for a bit, I’ve regained interest.
Corporal Cameron of the North West Mounted Police, by Ralph Connor. A Project Gutenberg read. This was mentioned in Charlotte Gray’s The Massey Murder, so I’m using it for the “mentioned in another book” square on the Bingo card.
The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair — Serial Reader. I added this to my Serial Reader queue a while ago after reading Deborah Blum’s latest book, about food safety in the US.
Understanding Gliding, by Derek Piggott — another random gliding book. A very slow read; I read a few pages at a time.
The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick deWitt — a re-read for the April RandomCAT and because I want to watch the movie. I’m amazed by how much I’d forgotten from the book. It’s all great though.
Dalek Empire 1.2: The Human Factor (Big Finish audio drama) — cued up another Big Finish audio drama for my next weekend of chores.

May plans

I at least started both the Pool books I’d intended to start in April, but no luck with the French category yet. I’ll probably get Mourir sur Seine on deck after finishing The Sisters Brothers. We’re going on a road trip in May, so I will use that time to read Three Men in a Boat (the last remaining audiobook in my Pool), and maybe a couple of lightweight mysteries. But I still need to crack the historical fiction…

115Tess_W
maj 1, 2019, 1:04 am

>114 rabbitprincess: TY for reminding me about: 1) Tom Jones 2)Serial reader. I think that is the way to go to read Tom Jones!

116rabbitprincess
maj 1, 2019, 6:25 pm

>115 Tess_W: Agreed! My BF has a print copy of Tom Jones and there is no way I'd read it in that format.

117rabbitprincess
maj 5, 2019, 11:09 am

May is off to a good start. Three very good books in a row!

The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick deWitt
Category: David Hume
Source: gift
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/work/10895978/reviews/73593943

I re-read this so that I could be ready to borrow the movie from the library...eventually. So good! And now I have to read the other deWitt I have, Undermajordomo Minor.

The 12:30 from Croydon, by Freeman Wills Crofts
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room, Poets’ Pub (buddy read on Litsy)
Source: gift
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/137167315

Raiding my stash of British Library Crime Classics. The airplane bits at the beginning were great, and the structure of this story was unconventional for the time. Less shocking today but very well done nonetheless.

Into the Abyss: How a Deadly Plane Crash Changed the Lives of a Pilot, a Politician, a Criminal and a Cop, by Carol Shaben
Category: Old Willie, Poets’ Pub (inadvertent buddy read with a friend)
Source: library
Rating: 5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/168124726

I read this in an afternoon. COULD NOT put it down. A friend of mine happened to start reading it so I joined him on a buddy read... and of course finished first :D

118rabbitprincess
maj 8, 2019, 10:11 pm

Just added to my library: an audio edition of Watership Down read by Peter Capaldi! :D It's available on Audible in the UK and Canada, and I assume the US as well.

119Tanya-dogearedcopy
maj 9, 2019, 1:27 pm

>118 rabbitprincess: LOL, I knew you'd see that one!
(And yes, it's available in the US) :-)

120rabbitprincess
maj 10, 2019, 8:41 pm

>119 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Excellent! And yes, a Peter Capaldi news account I follow on Twitter tweeted about that, so of course I had to have it immediately ;)

****

I feel like I haven't got much reading done this month. This is only my fourth book of the month. Hoping that my vacation next week will give me a bit more reading time (although sometimes I read *less* on vacation because I'm busy doing other stuff).

The Fated Sky, by Mary Robinette Kowal
Category: The Mysterious Garden
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/168268436

Another great book in the Lady Astronaut series. Much higher stakes for the astronauts, now that they're heading to Mars.

121mathgirl40
maj 11, 2019, 8:06 pm

>120 rabbitprincess: I've been looking forward to starting the Lady Astronaut series, and now I'm even more excited about it after seeing your reviews. The first book is in my Hugo Voter Packet, which I just received today. However, I may wait for my library e-book hold to come in, as the packet has a pdf version only, which doesn't work well on my e-reader.

122rabbitprincess
maj 11, 2019, 9:48 pm

>121 mathgirl40: Ooh yay, I hope you like it! I really like the vibe of the early days of the space program -- it feels like a retro alternate history, if that makes any sense. And the aviation and space jargon feels very believable.

****

A road trip this week, which at least for me means more audiobooks. I find it difficult to read print in the car these days, sadly -- I think it's the stuffy, warm environment that makes me nauseated, because trains and planes (and often ferries) are fine.

Anyway, I knocked out this one:

Dalek Empire 1.2: The Human Factor (Big Finish audio drama)
Category: The Mysterious Garden, Still Life with Tulips
Source: Big Finish
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/154840857

I liked this slightly better than the first installment, perhaps because I now knew what to expect. The Dalek Emperor made me laugh out loud, with his deep voice and his use of the word "Excellent!" It was very Earthshock Cyber Leader of him ;) A good cliffhanger at the end, too.

123Tess_W
maj 12, 2019, 6:37 am

>122 rabbitprincess: I also can read in the car a anymore! It started when I go no-line bifocals. If there is even the least little bump from the car I lose my place--this doesn't happen sitting at home, of course. So that's when I first decided to try audiobooks a few years ago and now I've grown to love them, as I can listen to them while I prepare dinner or when I'm on the deck sunning myself and too lazy to read! I also listen while I'm weeding the garden so audio books are a win-win for me!

124rabbitprincess
maj 12, 2019, 7:08 am

>123 Tess_W: Commiserations on being in the no-reading-print-in-the-car club, too! I've really taken to audiobooks as well for chores. I am the primary doer of dishes and cleaner of the bathroom, so an audiobook makes those tasks go pretty quickly (and reading an audiobook in the chunk of time it takes to do the dishes each day really adds up).

125Jackie_K
maj 12, 2019, 7:12 am

I've always struggled with reading in cars and buses/coaches, although these days I can manage short periods using ebooks, for some reason. I think I'm one of those people that just needs to be staring out of the window to see where I'm going, in order to not feel sick. I've not taken to audiobooks though (primarily because I'd like a way of accessing them that doesn't involve a regular subscription, and which can more easily be loaded onto an mp3 player rather than my phone). My in-car entertainment tends to be listening to podcasts.

126rabbitprincess
maj 12, 2019, 7:18 am

>125 Jackie_K: And strangely enough I find it hard to do podcasts! I think it's the subscription bit of it that puts me off -- I would keep piling up unlistened-to episodes and it would be stressful/annoying for me. It's already bad enough that I am always about six months behind on Doctor Who Magazine :-/

Sometimes buses are OK -- city buses are usually fine, thank goodness, but the intercity coaches are too much like a car and I get queasy.

127rabbitprincess
maj 13, 2019, 9:30 am

It's been a successful road trip so far, despite the yucky rainy weather and cold temperatures (I actually had to borrow a sweatshirt from my mum because I had packed with more spring-like weather in mind).

Yesterday we stopped at Pickwick Books in Waterdown. I was very good and bought only four books, three of which were already on my to-read list.

The Witch Elm, by Tana French -- I'd been waiting for the paperback, but I won't say no to a cheap hardcover.
Hunter Killer, by Geoffrey Jenkins -- one of these Fontana thrillers I read about in the back of an Alistair MacLean novel.
The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman -- one of the few Mrs. Pollifaxes I never actually read in my teens. Also set in Bulgaria so I am totally using this for my Bingo card (the Eastern European setting).
True Canadian Stories of the Great Lakes, by Mark Bourrie -- the one book that wasn't already on my list, but how can I resist stories about boats?

We also picked up treats at a British bakery/grocery store in Burlington, including cheese scones, which I have just eaten for breakfast.

And yesterday morning I was up really early, so I took the opportunity to read a book in my Pool that lives here:

A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman
Category: David Hume, Poets' Pub (November SeriesCAT - female protagonist)
Source: pilfered from Grandma
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/70476211

This is one of my favourite Mrs. Pollifax novels. It's a breathless pace and has some charming moments. It's the one that comes after Elusive Mrs. Pollifax and makes some reference to that novel, but not super spoilery other than the fact that she survives, obviously.

128NinieB
maj 13, 2019, 6:08 pm

Ah, Mrs. Pollifax. I discovered her when I was in middle school. I don't really remember the plots, other than the first one in Albania, but she was always so congenial. And the whole concept that she walked into the CIA and asked to be a spy so goofy.

129NinieB
maj 13, 2019, 6:09 pm

Remind me where Palm is set?

130rabbitprincess
maj 13, 2019, 8:26 pm

>128 NinieB: I read Mrs. Pollifax in middle school and high school! Palm is set in Switzerland -- it's the one where she meets Robin Burke-Jones.

131rabbitprincess
maj 13, 2019, 9:06 pm

Calling this one done.

Corporal Cameron of the North West Mounted Police, by Ralph Connor
Category: The Blue Hat
Source: Project Gutenberg
Rating: 2/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/167520298

I was halfway through the book with no indication that Cameron was going to join the police anytime soon, so I called it done.

132NinieB
maj 14, 2019, 2:39 pm

>130 rabbitprincess: Right! A few years ago I did a Mrs Pollifax festival--I (re)read through the series up to the early 1990s, at which point my local library did not have the next one and I never requested an interlibrary loan. I should see about finishing the series up.

133VivienneR
maj 14, 2019, 4:33 pm

>131 rabbitprincess: Aw, too bad. It looked so promising.

134rabbitprincess
maj 14, 2019, 5:05 pm

>132 NinieB: That is a fun idea! And reading one in June would work for the SeriesCAT, because the series is complete :)

>133 VivienneR: Yeah, I'm disappointed I couldn't make it work. But at least I got it for free off Project Gutenberg.

****

Our road trip continues. Yesterday we went to Parry Sound, where I stopped in at Bearly Used Books and picked up a tidy haul:

Air Bridge, by Hammond Innes
The Wreck of the Mary Deare, by Hammond Innes
Tapestry of the Boar, by Nigel Tranter
A Rage of Regents, by Nigel Tranter
A Tapping at My Door, by David Jackson
The Oxford Book of English Detective Stories, edited by Patricia Craig

Today we're in Sault Ste Marie and have nice weather for once...although not for long.

135mstrust
maj 15, 2019, 4:34 pm

Glad you're having a good road trip, what with all these new books!

136Tess_W
maj 18, 2019, 8:56 am

Sounds like a great road trip and why would it not be with a stop at a bookstore!

137rabbitprincess
Redigerat: maj 19, 2019, 10:58 am

>135 mstrust: We also saw lots of neat things at museums, and best of all, got so much sleep!

>136 Tess_W: I definitely insisted on adding Bearly Used Books to the itinerary ;)

****

Home now from our road trip. After Parry Sound, we spent a few days in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (we didn't cross the border). I highly recommend the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre, if you're a plane nerd like me -- awesome planes and a very fine gift shop where I had to refrain from buying one of every item.

On our way from Sault Ste. Marie to North Bay, we stopped at Sudbury for lunch and a stretch, and because we were making very good time, my BF said we could kill some time in town.
Me: "...Is there a bookstore?"

Yes. Bay Used Books, which claims to have a quarter of a million volumes on two levels. I'd believe it. I had a lot of fun poking around, and managed to come away with four titles for myself:

Margaret the Queen, by Nigel Tranter
Chain of Destiny, by Nigel Tranter
Go Away Death, by John Creasey (I LOL'd at the title, and the cover is delightfully cheesy as well)
King Lear, by William Shakespeare (in the Folger Shakespeare Library edition!)

I also found a Craig Robertson book for my mum: Snapshot.

The North Bay Museum is worth checking out if you're a TRAIN nerd, which I am as well, so that was good :D A farmer's market was on in the square near the museum when we were there, so we wandered around there too. And if you're adventurous and in town on a Saturday afternoon, the Canadian Forces base has a museum about aerospace defence that we found interesting.

138Tess_W
maj 19, 2019, 6:31 am

>137 rabbitprincess: Oh wow--another used book store! I would love to come across even just 1---there is one about 20 miles from my home, but the prices are almost the same as I can get on Amazon. I just don't run across them much. I will have to make an effort to search them out when I go places.

139rabbitprincess
Redigerat: maj 19, 2019, 11:03 am

>138 Tess_W: That's a key part of my trip planning, looking for bookstores to haunt ;) The Sudbury one was a bit of a last-minute find on our part, because we hadn't actually intended to stop in town for long.

****

On the trip home last night I finished another audiobook.

Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome (audio, read by Hugh Laurie)
Category: Still Life With Tulips, Poets' Pub (January TBRCAT, first in, last out -- this is one of my oldest audiobooks in my collection)
Source: ripped from CDs
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/92952710

I greatly enjoyed Hugh Laurie's reading of this book and will have to read it again in print to get all of the jokes again -- listening in the car, I sometimes miss things because of the noise of the road or because my BF keeps talking to me while I'm trying to listen :P

140rabbitprincess
maj 19, 2019, 9:02 pm

Today I'm trying to get back into some semblance of a routine, although it's still the weekend AND we have the holiday Monday tomorrow! I did finish another book, an ebook I borrowed on impulse during our trip.

Shadow the Baron, by John Creasey (writing as Anthony Morton)
Category: The Blue Hat
Source: library, via Overdrive
Rating: 2.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/168700549

This was a very light, popcorny kind of thriller. Not gory or scary at all, which is fine by me. The ebook edition I read had some goofy OCR errors, so it would probably be better to read this in print.

141LisaMorr
maj 24, 2019, 3:01 pm

Catching up on your thread - lots of interesting, varied reading! I recently picked up Eric Idle's sortabiography and I'm looking forward to cracking the cover.

142rabbitprincess
Redigerat: maj 24, 2019, 6:23 pm

>141 LisaMorr: Thanks, Lisa! I hope you like Eric's book. It made me want to re-read The Greedy Bastard Diary and The Road to Mars :)

****

I'm behind on most things this week. Must have left my brain up north on our road trip. Anyway, here's a review of a book I read at least three days ago.

Lies Sleeping, by Ben Aaronovitch
Category: The Mysterious Garden, Poets’ Pub (July SeriesCAT — Fantasy)
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/168344062

I do love the Peter Grant series -- they are a lot of fun. But because I have space constraints on my bookshelves, I've made this a library series -- I enjoy the books in the moment but haven't been re-reading them.

143rabbitprincess
maj 27, 2019, 9:54 pm

Not a lot of reading round these parts. I was house-sitting this weekend, so you'd think I would have had time to read. You'd be wrong, because the owners of the house had a cat! So I spent a lot of time playing with the cat :D

I also went out to the Great Glebe Garage Sale, as is tradition -- or rather the book sale held by St. Matthew's Anglican Church in the Glebe. This year I bought

Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks, by Christopher Brookmyre (Jack Parlabane #5)
Murder, London-New York, by John Creasey (Inspector West # something ridiculous)
Lunenburg, by Keith Baker (a thriller set in Nova Scotia? OK)
The Matter of Wales: Epic Views of a Small Country, by Jan Morris (this came with a bookmark!)
Un jardin au bout du monde, by Gabrielle Roy (finally, a French book that isn't a police procedural, haha)
Winter Studies and Summer Rambles in Canada, by Anna Brownell Jameson (we saw a historical plaque about her in Sault Ste. Marie)

I also bought three books for my grandma: 44 Scotland Street, by Alexander McCall Smith; and two books by O. Douglas: The Setons and The Day of Small Things. Douglas was a Scottish author who wrote light romantic sort of fiction, and she's hard to find here, so I gambled and bought them without knowing which ones Grandma has. I'll bring them back on my next visit home.

Then at a garage sale stand I netted a copy of Vanishing Liner, by George Morse, which might be a first edition!

****

All this to say that because I was so not reading, I decided to call this book done.

Mourir sur Seine, by Michel Bussi
Category: Boats at Royan, Poets’ Pub (March RandomCAT — Brexit Madness)
Source: Rockcliffe Park book sale
Rating: 2/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/135780467

Meh. I liked learning some new French vocabulary, but really if I'd been reading this in English I would have abandoned it long ago. It was too long, with too many eensy-weensy short chapters that advanced the plot by an infintesimal amount.

144mstrust
maj 28, 2019, 11:19 am

You've managed to do very well at garage sales. Congrats!
My reading is being hindered by visiting with a Schnauzer several times a day starting yesterday and continuing for the next three days. But she's a sweet little thing and I just peek at my book when she lets me.

145VivienneR
maj 28, 2019, 5:34 pm

Nice haul at the garage sale!

Gabrielle Roy is wonderful, although as my French isn't good enough I have to read the English translations.

146rabbitprincess
maj 28, 2019, 7:34 pm

>144 mstrust: Awww schnauzer! My parents will be dog-sitting a poodle for two months and I will be visiting while she's there -- although I call dibs on NOT picking up the poop on walks!

>145 VivienneR: I read The Tin Flute many years ago in English translation but want to try again in French.

147mstrust
maj 28, 2019, 7:55 pm

Yeah, make your mom do it! ;-D

148rabbitprincess
maj 28, 2019, 8:44 pm

>147 mstrust: Haha it will totally end up being my dad who does that! My mum will be happy to go with them on wallks though.

149rabbitprincess
maj 31, 2019, 6:20 pm

A couple of reviews to round out the month, then a monthly recap.

Swing, Swing Together, by Peter Lovesey
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room, Poets’ Pub (May RandomCAT — I could have danced all night)
Source: Book Bazaar
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/130511492

This might be my favourite Sgt Cribb adventure. I especially enjoyed reading it so soon after having read Three Men in a Boat, although I definitely had an abridged audio -- have to get an unabridged copy.

Maigret Stonewalled, by Georges Simenon (translated by Margaret Marshall)
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room, Poets’ Pub (September SeriesCAT — mystery)
Source: pilfered from parents
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/101873160

This was a good, serviceable read. One of the early Maigrets.

150rabbitprincess
maj 31, 2019, 6:28 pm

May recap

Vacations mess with my reading time. What with being away for a week, I ended up reading only 13 books this month.

The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick deWitt (re-read)
The 12:30 from Croydon, by Freeman Wills Crofts
Into the Abyss: How a Deadly Plane Crash Changed the Lives of a Pilot, a Politician, a Criminal and a Cop, by Carol Shaben
The Fated Sky, by Mary Robinette Kowal
Dalek Empire 1.2: The Human Factor (Big Finish audio drama)
A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman (reread)
Corporal Cameron of the North West Mounted Police, by Ralph Connor (Project Gutenberg)
Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome (audio, read by Hugh Laurie)
Shadow the Baron, by John Creasey (writing as Anthony Morton) (Overdrive)
Lies Sleeping, by Ben Aaronovitch
Mourir sur Seine, by Michel Bussi (abandoned)
Swing, Swing Together, by Peter Lovesey
Maigret Stonewalled, by Georges Simenon (translated by Margaret Marshall)

I also gave away a book unread: Finn Mac Cool, by Morgan Llywelyn

My favourite book of the month was Into the Abyss, by Carol Shaben. I picked it up on a Saturday afternoon and couldn’t put it down until I’d finished. And I was talking about it for days afterward.

I’ll call Corporal Cameron of the North West Mounted Police my least favourite book of the month, because I bailed on it sooner than the other two-star book I had this month.

Currently reading

Tom Jones, by Henry Fielding — Serial Reader. Still reading it! I accrued a backlog of issues and had to rewind a couple of times.
The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair — Serial Reader. It’s really quite good! I accidentally “read ahead” earlier this week and don’t regret it.
Understanding Gliding, by Derek Piggott — Haven’t decided whether to abandon this yet.
Dalek Empire 1.3: Death to the Daleks! (Big Finish audio drama) — I’ve lined up this next installment of the original series of Dalek Empire but haven’t yet listened to it.
Death on the Ice: The Great Newfoundland Sealing Disaster of 1914, by Cassie Brown — This is SO GOOD but I haven’t been able to read more than a couple of pages at a time.
The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk — My May RandomCAT choice. It’s interesting so far.

June plans

I have a lot of library books this month, after all of my holds started being reactivated upon my return from vacation. I have a long weekend this month and a train trip at the end of it, so I’m hoping to take a big fat historical novel with me for that trip.

151Helenliz
jun 3, 2019, 2:00 pm

As an aside, I watched a documentary by the BBC on the Mackintosh building. After the first fire they started filming the recovery, restoration, talking to the crafts people involved, that kind of thing. And so it also covered the second fire. It's all very sad for what was such a lovely building. The interesting thing was the pictures of the library. Your first thread topper is a late image, those when it was first built have the woodwork as much lighter, it changes the look of the room substantially. For the bibliophile, images of charred books on charred shelves was not nice to see.

152rabbitprincess
jun 3, 2019, 4:53 pm

>151 Helenliz: The documentary sounds interesting, if tremendously sad at the same time. Hope I can find it on this side of the pond.

153rabbitprincess
jun 6, 2019, 9:18 pm

I packed three print books for a three-night trip. I've finished one already. May need to go on a bookstore run tomorrow ;)

The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk
Category: The Blue Hat, Poets' Pub (May TBRCAT: a book you keep looking at but haven't read yet)
Source: Book Bazaar
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/138119510

An interesting and challenging book. Still largely of the opinion that Queeg was a toxic captain and shouldn't have been in command, but it was hard to tell sometimes, depending on the viewpoint of the narrative.

154mstrust
jun 7, 2019, 12:11 pm

Another trip?! Jet-setter.

155rabbitprincess
jun 7, 2019, 9:19 pm

>154 mstrust: Last-minute work trip, representing my manager at a conference.

And I did go to a bookstore :D

156Helenliz
jun 8, 2019, 5:25 am

>155 rabbitprincess: excellent bookstore sneaking!
I always pack more books for a trip than I think I'll need, just in case...
One one occasion, flying back from Holland, we boarded the plane and I got to my seat, took out the book I was about to finish and a new one for the flight and stowed my bag. The man already in the seats next to mine made some disparaging remark to his partner, so I settled down to read and ignore him. We were then delayed on the stand for over an hour. He and his partner were getting more and more fidgetty, while I finished my book and made inroads into ther second. I may have laughed inside. >:-D

157rabbitprincess
jun 8, 2019, 6:37 am

>156 Helenliz: Muahaha! You definitely got the last laugh there :D

158Tess_W
jun 8, 2019, 8:35 am

>153 rabbitprincess: I thought Queeg was at times psychotic and at times rational.

159VivienneR
jun 8, 2019, 2:13 pm

>150 rabbitprincess: Into the Abyss goes on the wishlist!

160RidgewayGirl
jun 8, 2019, 2:21 pm

>156 Helenliz: Ha! That's wonderful! I was once on a flight that I didn't realize was delayed because I was reading. The woman next to me was a ball of rage (I did eventually notice that!) because of the delay and her screen not working. People, it's important to be prepared.

161rabbitprincess
jun 8, 2019, 9:57 pm

>158 Tess_W: Definitely. I spent most of the book considering him more irrational than rational, but he had his moments of normalcy. He actually reminded me of some horror stories I've read of toxic bosses in the workforce.

>159 VivienneR: Excellent! It was so good.

>160 RidgewayGirl: That must have been a really absorbing book! And yes, so important to have enough entertainment that doesn't rely on batteries or the airline providing it. Going to charge all my devices tonight to make sure they're ready for my flight home tomorrow.

162rabbitprincess
jun 9, 2019, 9:40 pm

Home from my trip. Met a lot of nice people, learned a lot of things, and enjoyed great weather (as well as ice cream, pub grub, and beer in varying quantities). It was productive on the reading front too.

Invasion of the Cat-People, by Gary Russell
Category: The Mysterious Garden, Poets’ Pub (December TBRCAT — bought because it was so cheap)
Source: St. Matthew’s Anglican Church book sale (the time they had a whole BOX of Doctor Who novels)
Rating: 2.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/141824545

This is a Second Doctor, Ben, and Polly adventure and it feels kind of cheesy and dated, even though the main storyline was current to the time of publication (set in 1994, published in 1995). Also, there was a bit too much weird stuff like tarot and ley lines and ghosts. A bit rich, perhaps, to complain about all that in a show about time travel, but still.

The Aviator, by Ernest K. Gann
Category: The Blue Hat, Poets’ Pub (December CalendarCAT — International Civil Aviation Day December 7)
Source: library book sale
Rating: 1.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/98728681

Oh man. This book has some great technical details that warmed my aviation-nerd heart, but the main storyline got REALLY awkward and I spent most of the book cringing. I hope Gann's other books are better.

163rabbitprincess
jun 15, 2019, 9:03 am

Finally getting a little bit of reading mojo back. May was hectic and June promises to be as well, so I shall have to be more mindful of cramming in reading time -- I feel so much better when I have time to read.

Understanding Gliding, by Derek Piggott
Category: Old Willie
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/167489473

I had this on my bedside table for a while and it did make a great falling-asleep book, but that's probably not what it was intended to do! More for a specialist audience than a general one, keen as that general audience may be.

Death on the Ice: The Great Newfoundland Sealing Disaster of 1914, by Cassie Brown with Harold Horwood
Category: Mary Queen of Scots
Source: library, via interlibrary loan
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/169135271

This was hard to read because of the conditions experienced by the men stranded on the ice, but also because it involved the seal hunt, which is distressing to read about on its own. Definite content warning for hunting of animals :(

164rabbitprincess
jun 16, 2019, 4:51 pm

A productive reading weekend! Saturday was rainy and blah, so perfect for staying in and reading. And today I did some cleaning and managed to finish off an audiobook.

Monty Python Speaks!, by David Morgan
Category: George Jamesone
Source: library
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/169263138

This is the newly updated 50th anniversary edition with a foreword by John Oliver. I enjoyed this book immensely and now wish I had a computer that could play the old Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time CD-ROM, which I LOVED.

Dalek Empire 1.3: “Death to the Daleks!” (Big Finish audio drama)
Category: Still Life with White Tulips, The Mysterious Garden
Source: Big Finish
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/154841164

This installment is setting up the final confrontation. I liked it well enough, although I've left too much of a gap between installments, because I had a hard time remembering a couple of characters (and wondering if I was supposed to be remembering others).

165rabbitprincess
jun 18, 2019, 9:22 pm

Steadily devouring more books.

The Furthest Station, by Ben Aaronovitch
Category: George Jamesone, The Mysterious Garden
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/169263123

I'd given up hope of reading this one because it was ebook only for a while, and I don't really read ebooks unless I can get them through the library or public-domain websites such as Faded Page or Project Gutenberg. But then a print edition appeared and my library acquired it. Good fun.

The Good Shepherd, by C.S. Forester
Category: The Blue Hat
Source: Friends of Library and Archives book sale
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/112662577

I think it's official: I like Forester's non-Hornblower books better. This was an excellent book about a very tense 48 hours in the life of a destroyer escorting a convoy through the North Atlantic in WW2.

166LisaMorr
Redigerat: jun 20, 2019, 1:47 pm

BB taken on Monty Python Speaks!

ETA: your touchstone somehow goes to a version that doesn't include your review?

167rabbitprincess
jun 20, 2019, 7:11 pm

>166 LisaMorr: Oh, I guess because mine is the 50th anniversary updated edition, it might not have been combined with the others yet.

168rabbitprincess
jun 21, 2019, 7:18 pm

It's a long weekend for me this weekend -- Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is on Monday. I plan to spend a fair chunk of it reading outside, because the weather is going to be gorgeous: 26 or 27 all weekend long, mix of sun and cloud.

I've managed to fit in a few more books this week:

Made in Scotland: My Grand Adventures in a Wee Country, by Billy Connolly
Category: Twa Plack
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/169263163

This was an impulse request from the library catalogue, and I enjoyed it a great deal. My favourite bit was his conversation about art with John Byrne (naturally, given my theme this year).

The Sentence is Death, by Anthony Horowitz
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room
Source: library
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/169301703

This is the follow-up to The Word is Murder; I preferred The Word is Murder. The Sentence is Death isn't as lightly fun as the first book was. It was OK, but not amazing.

The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair
Category: The Blue Hat, Poets’ Pub (a shared read with LynnB)
Source: Serial Reader
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/167734998

I picked this up because it was mentioned in The Poison Squad, and these books make good companion pieces. That said, The Jungle still felt relevant today, particularly with cheap labour being exploited by greedy bosses and with the private sector basically dividing up the world to ensure all of their friends maximized their profits.

169mathgirl40
jun 21, 2019, 10:44 pm

>168 rabbitprincess: I hope you enjoy your long weekend! It sounds like it'll be a bit warmer in your part of the country than in mine, but we're expecting nice clear days anyhow.

170rabbitprincess
jun 22, 2019, 8:51 am

>169 mathgirl40: Thanks, and I hope you have a good weekend as well!

171Jackie_K
jun 22, 2019, 12:17 pm

Ooh, long weekends are always excellent! Enjoy your reading time!

172rabbitprincess
jun 22, 2019, 12:27 pm

>171 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie! And the new sandals I ordered arrived this morning, so I can go sit outside and get a ridiculous sandal tan ;) Hope you have a good weekend as well!

173Jackie_K
jun 22, 2019, 12:40 pm

>172 rabbitprincess: Thank you! Doubt I'll be getting a sandal tan this side of the Pond at the moment (sigh). I will though be meeting an Aussie friend in Edinburgh tomorrow (if I'm not scuppered by all the ridiculous rail replacement buses), so inspired by you I've suggested we go to the Scottish national portrait gallery.

174rabbitprincess
jun 22, 2019, 12:50 pm

>173 Jackie_K: Yay! Give the Portrait Gallery my best :) Will have to make room for some sunshine in that parcel for you! (I brought it to work this week with the intention of sending it during lunch, but I haven't had a chance to do that yet :-/ Hoping for Tuesday.)

175rabbitprincess
jun 23, 2019, 10:59 am

So far this weekend I've been reading and knitting. Made excellent progress on a graphic novel and a square that will be contributed to a baby blanket; I plan to finish both today.

I've also finished a couple of short-ish books.

The Sun is Kind Of a Big Deal, by Nick Seluk
Category: George Jamesone
Source: library
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/170091261

A children's picture book by the creator of The Awkward Yeti (Heart and Brain). Cute and informative. I was evaluating its potential as a gift for my geeky friends with children.

Dalek Empire 1.4: Project Infinity (Big Finish audio drama)
Category: The Mysterious Garden, Still Life with White Tulips
Source: Big Finish
Rating: 3/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/154841277

Finished the first series of Dalek Empire. This installment felt a bit shouty and repetitive, but it had a surprising ending.

176rabbitprincess
jun 24, 2019, 12:58 pm

I totally haven't been reading outside this long weekend, but I have been reading!

Clyde Fans, by Seth
Category: George Jamesone
Source: library
Rating: 5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/169487332

This picture novel (as Seth calls it) was 20 years in the making. I would go so far as to recommend it to people who are skeptical of the graphic-novel format. It is breathtaking.

The Trespasser, by Tana French
Category: Three Men of Exactly the Same Size in an Unequal Room
Source: Book Depository
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/140498526

The sixth book in the Dublin Murder Squad series is a corker, as they usually are. More of a straightforward cop story than The Secret Place, perhaps, so if you weren't as crazy about that one, I still recommend trying this one.

177Jackie_K
jun 24, 2019, 5:35 pm

>174 rabbitprincess: I managed to get my buildings mixed up, and we ended up at the Scottish National Gallery, rather than the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, which I've *still* not been to!

Please can you hurry up with that sunshine you're sending over? We've had flash floods in Edinburgh and Stirling today!

178rabbitprincess
jun 24, 2019, 5:54 pm

>177 Jackie_K: Yikes, flash flooding?! Scary! I hope your place is safe!!

179Jackie_K
jun 25, 2019, 11:33 am

>178 rabbitprincess: Thanks, our place is fine - and in fact once the rain stopped it receded very quickly. But people had to be rescued by boat from the rugby club (which is on a bend in the river), and a friend said she saw water creeping up their drive, although it did stop before reaching the house! You can see some pictures and video here (check out the water slide one!): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-48755009

180rabbitprincess
jun 25, 2019, 6:33 pm

>179 Jackie_K: Whoa! I recognize the street that became a water slide!

We had a big thunderstorm this morning with a lot of rain, possibly in solidarity with your flooding. No water slides though.

181Jackie_K
jun 26, 2019, 1:15 pm

>180 rabbitprincess: And ridiculously, today the sun is splitting the rocks!

The guy going backwards on the waterslide thing really made me laugh.

182VivienneR
jun 26, 2019, 10:04 pm

>179 Jackie_K: Wow! That's a lot of rain! Your waterslide in the street was a first for me. We've had huge thunderstorms and torrential rain here too. Lightning has knocked out the power three times but strangely my garden is just as dry as ever next day.

183rabbitprincess
Redigerat: jun 30, 2019, 1:01 pm

>181 Jackie_K: Wild weather indeed! I hope it settles down for you for the weekend.

>182 VivienneR: Apparently there was a tornado warning in Gatineau today, but fortunately neither a tornado nor any thunderstorms materialized.

****

I read this book in pretty much one sitting on St-Jean Baptiste Day.

Broken Ground, by Val McDermid
Category: Twa Plack
Source: library
Rating: 4/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/169487280

Karen Pirie is my favourite of McDermid's characters. I like these solid police procedurals that give an excellent sense of Edinburgh (and in this case, the West Highlands of Scotland).

184rabbitprincess
jun 30, 2019, 1:03 pm

This may end up being the last book I finish this month, and it was a disappointment.

The Mayor of Côte St. Paul, by Ronald J. Cooke
Category: The Blue Hat, Poets’ Pub (August CalendarCAT — Quebec construction holiday in the last week of July and first week of August)
Source: Bouchercon 2017
Rating: 1/5
Review: https://www.librarything.com/review/147110182

I started this on my trip to Montréal because I like reading books set in the city when I'm there. The story concept is great, but the writing was making me gnash my teeth so much that I couldn't continue. It was a short book but would probably have taken me several weeks to read because of how annoying it was, so I DNF'd.

I'll start a new thread later with the June recap.

185VivienneR
jun 30, 2019, 8:38 pm

>183 rabbitprincess: I read about that tornado warning and thought of you. It seems our weather has settled down to sunshine, just in time for Canada Day. Have a good one!

186rabbitprincess
jun 30, 2019, 9:57 pm

>185 VivienneR: We keep having scary-looking clouds when we get thunderstorms these days! Apparently the Ottawa valley is now "Tornado Valley".

We're getting a high of 29, humidex 33, and mostly sunny, which is a good Canada Day forecast. I'll probably avoid downtown and just stay home because of being away for the past few days. Have a good Canada Day!