Autumn Reading October

7 years ago

Have just worked my way through a long-looked-for book The Good Companions by J B Priestley.

Did folk back in the 1920's really enjoy a 'good long read'? I think they must have as this came in at over 600 small print pages and while an enjoyable 'story' it had lots of little side turns and odd characters that came and went, much in the way of a Dickens novel. Although I am from a later generation in many ways I was able to recognise lots of the characters portrayed and how life carried on in small English provincial towns.

Perhaps we are too busy with modern life and so-called leisure time taken up with TV, shopping (most of it unnecessary) and the huge growth of social media causing so many of us to walk about with our faces glued to a small screen. Is this the same in your neck-of-the-woods? Are we RP'ers the few who still make/take time to read?

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vee_new
Original Author

7 years ago

Ann, I am surprised you don't remember the case of Regina v Little Noddy in which he was accused of murdering Big Ears. Luckily for our hero the defence proved that Big Ear's, who, you will remember, lived in a toadstool, had died as a result of eating part of his roof. A verdict of suicide was brought in.

Then there were the Famous Five and their deadly enemies the Secret Seven at each others throats for generations. One lot controlled Semtex mines, the other trafficked illegal immigrants via complicated cave systems deep in the Cornish cliffs. It all came to a very sticky end when the FF poisoned the SS's ginger pop little realising that the SS had just thrown a bag of explosive jam doughnuts into their hidy-hole. PC Plod has been reduced in rank to Toy Land's traffic warden and Gollywog to 50 hours of racial discrimination awareness sessions.

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vee_new
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I have been listening to via the BBC's 'Book at Bedtime' The Wonder by Emma Donoghue. Set in the Irish Midlands in the late 1850's, a village girl has been living without food for over four months. Do the small-minded and superstitious locals want to turn this into a miracle (how the tourists would flock) or do they doubt the truth?

A Nightingale trained nurse from England is hired to watch over the girl for a fortnight to check the evil Mother is not secretly feeding her. She learns the child is worried that her dead brother's soul will languish in Purgatory without this fast. This nurse seems the only person interested in the welfare of the child rather than her Immortal Soul . . . what will be the outcome?
vee_new
Original Author
7 years ago
Mary, we have seen much of the storms and flooding in your part of the world on TV. I hope things are easing for you there.
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annpanagain
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Lavender, go for the paperback publishing offer if you don't have to fund it!

Not everyone, myself included, have or want e-readers so you could be missing out on a large potential readership.
rouan
7 years ago
I went to Barnes & Noble today and treated myself to the newest Mercedes Lackey - Closer to the Chest. I had a 20% off coupon so got it for a good deal. It's the latest in her Valdemar series. So far it's okay, but I'm not really into it much right now. I suspect that has more to do with a cold I have been fighting than the quality of the story. I can't wait to feel normal again!
Rosefolly
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Freida, I think that is accurate, more a literary memoir than literary criticism. She discusses (among other things) how book heroines model romantic behavior. She had always admired Cathy and Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights, but in adulthood came to understand that theirs was not a remotely sustainable relationship. She mentioned Mary Yellan as the rare heroine who succeeded (maybe) in having a viable relationship with a Bad Boy.
carolyn_ky
7 years ago
I've begun The Jealous Kind by James Lee Burke. Lyrical writing as always, but this is one of the Holland family in Texas, and the two teenage boys who are the main characters seem a bit like baby Dave and Clete.
carolyn_ky
7 years ago
I finished The Jealous Kind and really liked it although I read the whole book with my heart in my throat. JLB wrote in his thank you's to everyone that he thinks it is his best book.
kathy_t
7 years ago
You read fast, Carolyn!
carolyn_ky
7 years ago
Ha, Kathy. I've had a lot of practice--I've been reading since I was four. Now I'm reading The Shattered Tree by Charles Todd. This is the most recent of his Bess Crawford, WWI nurse in France, series.
woodnymph2_gw
7 years ago
I'm currently reading "His Excellency: George Washington" by Joseph Ellis. This biography reveals our national hero had "feet of clay", to say the least -- a bad temper as well as bad teeth. Yet he had enough self control to refuse a third presidential term when it was offered him. I had not realized his lacks in formal education, unlike others of our "Founding Fathers." Washington was a self-made man, who learned much of practical use in his youth fighting the French and Indians on the frontier, which was then Ohio and Pennsylvania. And he actually was 6'3" tall.
reader_in_transit
7 years ago
After waiting several years for the long queue at the library to dwindle, I finally checked out The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. My sister got it from her public library on the East Coast and we are reading it at the same time. This is the first time we read the same book at the same time.
merryworld
7 years ago
I just finished The Sympathizer by Viet Than Nguyen about a communist Vietnamese spy. It was brilliant though it does have graphic violence and is obviously not going to brighten your day. One of the more thought provoking novels I've read recently.
msmeow
7 years ago
I've started The Fourteenth Colony by Steve Berry. So far I haven't really gotten into it, but I'll give it a couple more chapters before I give up on it.

Donna
woodnymph2_gw
7 years ago
I got bogged down in the Ellis biography of Washington. Now, I'm halfway through "All Summer Long" by Dorothea Benton Frank. As usual, this one is set in the Charleston SC area, and along the beaches and various islands. I'm finding the cast of characters interesting and the pacing is good. I've read a few of her novels, but this is the best one yet.
annpanagain
7 years ago
I have borrowed a library copy of "How to be a Heroine" and have to read it quickly as it is an Interlibrary Loan and has the exorbitant price of $A85 replacement cost so I dare not mislay it! I didn't realise that the heroine is the author, seeking her way through, so far as I have read, teenage years.

I needed a bit of non-fiction to balance out the "relationship" genre books I have been borrowing. As Vee mentioned before, the heroines there have very important jobs usually in the arts and lead very involved lives. They are different from my usual reading choice as they never trip over dead bodies.

I felt like a change.
msmeow
7 years ago
My checkout of The 14th Colony expired and it's on a wait list, so I've moved on to Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline. I've only read a few chapters; it will be interesting to see where she goes with the story line.

Donna
sheri_z6
7 years ago
I'm reading A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman for my next book group and so far I love it. The main character is a complete curmudgeon. He's complex, tragic, and (IMO) delightful. There are just so many good lines in this book, and Ove himself reminds me of several people I have known over the years.

I was surprised to discover a movie version out right now, too (warning, review contains spoilers) -- A Man Called Ove Movie Review.
carolyn_ky
7 years ago
I'm reading The Lost Girls by Heather Young. It is her first book, and I'm impressed. It's really good, about three generations of women who have lived in (or run away from) what was their family summer house on a lake in Minnesota after the 1930s Depression. Annpan, it has a bit of a mystery, too.
annpanagain
7 years ago
Carolyn, thanks. I see that there is a copy in a local library I can check out.

I have just bought a couple of Kerry Greenwood's Corinna Chapman books in a library sale today for $A2 each.

The city is running a "Garage Sale Trail" today and our library is part of it. It is a lovely sunny Spring day today so will be ideal for people to hunt for all kinds of bargains.
merryworld
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Currently reading The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney about some middle aged children who are expecting to inherit a substantial amount of money and then don't.

Sher_z6 A Man Called Ove is our November book club pick.
reader_in_transit
7 years ago
Finished The Night Circus. It could be shorter ( it is 512 pages long), takes a long time to pick up, and has more descriptions than a lot of readers would like, but I loved it (and so did my sister who was reading it at the same time on the East Coast). It is about two young dueling magicians, and the circus that is the venue for the duel.
sheri_z6
7 years ago
Finished A Man Called Ove and loved, loved, loved it. I haven't cried over a book in years, and this one was just wonderful. Merryworld, I think your book group will definitely enjoy it.

RIT, The Night Circus is one of my favorite books, and one that I have re-read a couple of times. It's not for everyone, certainly, but I thought it was magical and quite original.

Next up is the newest Flavia de Luce book by Alan Bradley (hooray!), Thrice the Brindled Cat Hath Mew'd. I can't wait to see what Flavia is up to in this one.
vee_new
Original Author
7 years ago
Ann and other Georgette Heyer fans. Three 'long' stories of hers have been reprinted, taken from journals published in the late '30's. They are described as "cosy, gay, nostalgic and a perfect antidote to the looming winter."

So, look out for Snowdrift and Other Stories
sheri_z6
7 years ago
Vee, thanks for that! I just ordered a copy.
annpanagain
7 years ago
Vee, thanks. I checked it out and notice it contains "Pistols for Two" which I have read before. I did have a collection of all the Regency novels and murder mystery books, some are Regency and murder! Also earlier "modern" works set around the 1920-30s and the historical ones but have lost the lot in moves around the world :-( and no longer have the room to start another collection.

It annoyed me that you mentioned someone dismissing them as adult Enid Blyton. They are much more than that and Enid never wrote of murder to my knowledge!
annpanagain
7 years ago
Vee, LOL, I must have missed those!

They were possibly on a top shelf with plain brown wrappers at the newsagent?
dandyrandylou
7 years ago
Have just read my first - but not my last - Preston & Child novel ... "The Lost Island" ... a truly fascinating thriller! Has anyone read their "The Cabinet of Curiosities" and can offer an opinion? Many thanks.
woodnymph2_gw
7 years ago
I am finishing up Tracey Chevalier's newest: "At the Edge of the Orchard." It's the story of a fragmented Ohio family originally from New England and how some members drift West in the pioneering days, during the Gold Rush period. It is quite evocative of that period in American history. The author captures the speech of that day, as well Turns out that folk hero "Johnny Appleseed " was an actual person.

.I've read every novel Chevalier has written save one, and liked them all. I think she is one of the best novelists living, even better than Geraldine Brooks, but not as great as Ian McEwan.
reader_in_transit
7 years ago
Woodnymph,

Thanks for reminding me about Tracy Chevalier. Somehow, she had fallen out my reader's radar. Of her books, I have read The Virgin Blue (didn't like it), The Lady and the Unicorn (liked it) and, of course, Girl with a Pearl Earring, which I loved, and have reread. Also saw the movie based on the book, and saw the original painting the year before the book was published. Do you have any favorite?

Your post triggered an hour long research of T. Chevalier's books, reading reviews, plots and opionions of library patrons of some of them.

Sheri_z6

Magical is the word to describe The Night Circus. I'll probably reread it at some point. I loved both main characters, none of them showy, despite their magic feats. The circus itself, which is another character, is fascinating.
merryworld
7 years ago
Sheri_z6 I think we have similar tastes in books. I loved The Night Circus and I love the Flavia de Luce mysteries, though I've fallen way behind.

I finished The Nest, which I enjoyed, though there were a few bits that annoyed me. The plot and style reminded me of other authors that write dysfunctional family novels like Julia Glass.

Speaking of dysfunctional families, I'm on to Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie.
msmeow
7 years ago
I finished Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline last night, and enjoyed it a lot! It had some twists I didn't foresee, and what I thought might happen, didn't. :)

Donna
woodnymph2_gw
7 years ago
reader, I liked Chevalier's "Remarkable Creatures." But my 2 favorites were "The Lady and the Unicorn" and "Virgin Blue." I admire the detail of historical research in Chevalier's novels.

Can someone tell me more about "The Night Circus." Is it magical realism?
Rosefolly
7 years ago
I just finished reading The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. It was a kind of steampunk/alternate world fantasy. Not badly done, but not my favorite sub-genre. Now on to the new Flavia de Luce novel.
BillyJohn2001
7 years ago
I am almost finished The Righteous Men by Sam Bourne and am looking at my "to read" pile of books. When I moved house recently, back to my native Scotland, I culled my bookshelves, donating over 50 books to my local charity shop, but the bookcase is starting to fill again. With Winter approaching and nights becoming darker, good books and a coffee are beckoning.

Tomorrow I am going to seek out my local library to see what's on the shelves.
BillyJohn2001
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
It's 5am UK time and I have just finished the book I was reading. It is one of those nights when sleep seems far away. Instead of going back to bed, I have perused the "to-read' pile and picked out 2 books -True Detectives by Jonathan Kellerman and The Ambleside Alibi by Rebecca Tope, but can't make up my mind which to start first. Perhaps I really should sleep on it ! Any suggestions?
annpanagain
7 years ago
BillyJohn, which part of Scotland do you live in? I have a relative near Inverness and have been on holiday around Fort William and on business to Glasgow and Edinborough.

At present I am re reading the Corinne Chapman series by Kerry Greenwood. I picked up some of the paperbacks in a library booksale and have forgotten how much I enjoyed visiting Insula and its inhabitants. A pity they have apparently ended while she continues the Phryne Fisher series.
vee_new
Original Author
7 years ago
A Booker prize-winner of some years ago The Gathering by Anne Enright is one of those strange books where you don't know if all the events of the past are true or just in the head of the writer.

Set in Ireland at the time of a brother's funeral the story jumps around a huge family . . . 12 living children and many miscarriages . . . the drunkeness, the quarreling, some nasty sexual goings-on. Not an easy book to admire and certainly not to enjoy but easy to see why the Booker judges loved it . . .
BillyJohn2001
7 years ago
annpanagain,

I am now settled on the west coast of Scotland, just outside the seaside town of Ayr and in the heart of Robbie Burns's country. I really must make an effort to read some of his poetry again.

Before giving up the struggle to stay awake and going back to bed for a nap, I decided to read a few pages of Rebecca Tope's The Ambleside Alibi, set in the Lake District, got hooked and 40 pages later eventually succumbed to sleep.
annpanagain
7 years ago
BillyJohn, I like living near the water too, although I am not at present but I can get to the ocean in about an hour. It is too cold and blowy at the present. Don't think that Australia is always hot! It depends where you live.

You mentioned going to a library. From what Vee says, the service has fallen off in England but you might find it is better in Scotland. I suppose it depends on funding.
merryworld
7 years ago
woodnymph2_gw, I wouldn't call The Night Circus magical realism, more fantasy. There is romance and competition and intrigue, but the magic, though real in the book, is still an entertainment and art form.
Lavender Lass
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
What would qualify as magical realism? I ask, because my book has the point of view that certain kinds of magic do exist. Whether other people choose to recognize them or not : )

Happy Halloween! Free today only. https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Burrows-Bay-Lorri-Moulton-ebook/dp/B01M5G6H3I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477943351&sr=8-1&keywords=the+magic+of+burrows+bay
Rosefolly
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I have a good feeling for how magical realism differs from fantasy, but I'm having trouble putting it into words. The American Heritage Dictionary (quoted through Wordnik) says "A chiefly literary style or genre originating in Latin America that combines fantastic or dreamlike elements with realism."

Hmm. That's not exactly how I would have put it. But then, I was struggling, so I guess I'll go with what they said, at least for now.

I will say that really well done fantasy is internally consistent, in that it doesn't just make things up as it goes along. Sometimes I feel that magical realism does, and that may be one of the reasons I dislike it so much, while liking both realism and fantasy.
Lavender Lass
7 years ago
Rose- I read that, too. I thought it was more...this is happening in real life. Right next door to you, so to speak. Not in fantasy land or fairytale adventure, but in the real world. : )
carolyn_ky
7 years ago
Remember Sarah Canary who used to post here? She took her screen name from a book of the same title, which I read and couldn't really appreciate, and which she said was magical realism.

I've just picked up Hell Bay by Will Thomas and Smoke and Mirrors by Elly Griffith from the library. The Thomas book is a continuation of the Barker & Llewelyn series, but the Griffith book is not a Ruth Galloway. I'm sorry about that; I really like the Galloway books.
merryworld
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I think the difference between magic in fantasy and in magical realism is that in fantasy the magic is an integral part of the world and story and it's not surprising that it's there. In magical realism, the magic is more an anomaly, someone has an unusual gift or something magical happens that is unusual in the realistic world the author created. Harry Potter, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and The Night Circus are fantasy, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Like Water for Chocolate, and possibly The Green Mile are magical realism. One creates a world where magic exists and one puts magic in our world.
carolyn_ky
7 years ago
"One creates a world where magic exists and one puts magic in our world." That's excellent, Merryworld,
chessey35
7 years ago
annpanagain - I'd be interested on your take of "Closed Casket" I read it a few weeks ago and IMHO she's not Agatha Christie.
annpanagain
7 years ago
Chessey, I had forgotten that book already! I had to wrack my brain to recall it...

The title was a puzzle as I don't recall that "casket" was a word used for a coffin in 1930s Britain so I wasn't confused about the double usage. I just wasn't familiar with the play to see where the plot was going.

I don't think it was really Christie's style either. It could have been written as a mystery novel without Poirot.
BillyJohn2001
7 years ago
annpanagain, re your earlier comments on library closures, it turned out that the village we moved to in July lost its local library in April, part of cutbacks that saw 20% of libraries in the county council closed. There is a monthly mobile library service to the village. I am probably fortunate in that the county town is only 3 miles away and the central library there, readily accessible as I drive, is well stocked.

After joining I came away with 3 books. The first, which I have already finished, was by a new author to me - Giles Kristian, with Raven Blood Eye, the first of a trilogy about Vikings' expansions into England. The other 2 were crime novels - 4th of July by James Patterson, a women's murder club offering; and a gentler The Coniston Case by Rebecca Tope, the third in her Lake District trilogy.

I am looking forward to making good use of this library facility and saving myself a fortune. I have read over 50 books already this year and do not even want to think how much I have spent.

Autumn Reading October

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vee_new
Original Author

vee_new
Original Author

vee_new
Original Author

vee_new
Original Author