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1BeyondEdenRock
I maychange them between now and the end of the year, but at the moment I am thinking my categories will be: -
1. Virago Modern Classics
2. Persephone Books
3. Contemporary writing
4. 20th Century writing
5. Period and historical writing
6. Books listed for Orange Prizes
7. Books that I have owned without reading for too long
8. Books about books, authors and writing
9. Biographical and autobiographical writing
1. Virago Modern Classics
2. Persephone Books
3. Contemporary writing
4. 20th Century writing
5. Period and historical writing
6. Books listed for Orange Prizes
7. Books that I have owned without reading for too long
8. Books about books, authors and writing
9. Biographical and autobiographical writing
3BeyondEdenRock
Persephone Books reprints forgotten classics by twentieth-century (mostly women) writers.
There are similarities with Virago Modern Classics, but Persephones tend have more intimate, domestic themes.
There is a Persephone group here on LibraryThing and Persephone Books themselves have an excellent website: - www.persephonebooks.co.uk.
There are similarities with Virago Modern Classics, but Persephones tend have more intimate, domestic themes.
There is a Persephone group here on LibraryThing and Persephone Books themselves have an excellent website: - www.persephonebooks.co.uk.
4englishrose60
Hello, returning your visit. You have chosen some very good categories. I am interested to see what books you choose for 8 and 9, might give me some ideas. :-))
5BeyondEdenRock
I'm not one of those people who is organised enough to know what I'm going to be reading so far in advance. I read whatever takes my fancy of my own books and the books that appear in the library.
So watch this space!
I am lucky to have a good public library with a great fiction reserve that I browse from time to time plus a wonderful private subscription library.
Possible though are Agatha Christie's autobiography, Laura Thompson's biography of Nancy Mitford (I read her Agatha Christie biography in my 888 challege this year and it was excellent) and Rosamond Lehmann's "A Swan In The Evening".
My aim is to to read biographies of the same writers whose fiction I am reading. For instance, I have books by R. C. Sheriff that I plan to read in my Persephone category and I have spotted his autobiography in the library.
So watch this space!
I am lucky to have a good public library with a great fiction reserve that I browse from time to time plus a wonderful private subscription library.
Possible though are Agatha Christie's autobiography, Laura Thompson's biography of Nancy Mitford (I read her Agatha Christie biography in my 888 challege this year and it was excellent) and Rosamond Lehmann's "A Swan In The Evening".
My aim is to to read biographies of the same writers whose fiction I am reading. For instance, I have books by R. C. Sheriff that I plan to read in my Persephone category and I have spotted his autobiography in the library.
6BeyondEdenRock
Well, having looked around other people's threads and looking again at my books I am making a couple of changes to my categories -
I'm splitting period and historical fiction into two separate categories.
I'm adding short stories. I love them when I read them, but I need that kick.
Going to make way are the Persephone and Orange categories. The books that I would have read there can be reallocated between my other categories.
I'm splitting period and historical fiction into two separate categories.
I'm adding short stories. I love them when I read them, but I need that kick.
Going to make way are the Persephone and Orange categories. The books that I would have read there can be reallocated between my other categories.
7BeyondEdenRock
So now my categories are: -
1. Virago Modern Classics
2. Short stories
3. Contemporary writing
4. 20th Century writing
5. Books written before 1900
6. Historical fiction
7. Books that I have owned without reading for too long
8. Books about books, authors and writing
9. Biographical and autobiographical writing
1. Virago Modern Classics
2. Short stories
3. Contemporary writing
4. 20th Century writing
5. Books written before 1900
6. Historical fiction
7. Books that I have owned without reading for too long
8. Books about books, authors and writing
9. Biographical and autobiographical writing
8socialpages
I've been thinking about adding Short Stories as a category too. Like you I enjoy them when I read them but they tend to get forgotten when another book grabs my attention. I'm trying to make this 999 Challenge a mix of some easy very general categories and some categories that I need an extra incentive to dip into. I like your idea of reading a biography of the author you intend to read.
Persephone books - do they have distinctive covers like the Virago Modern Classics?
Persephone books - do they have distinctive covers like the Virago Modern Classics?
9ShannonMDE
For the books about authors category, I read Mockingbird: a portrait of Harper Lee a few years ago and it was a great read.
10karenmarie
It's fun to think about books and categories, isn't it? I'll be interested in seeing what books you choose.
I debated a Short Stories category, but got excited about specific short stories instead - Ghost Stories, so that's one of my categories.
Good luck!
I debated a Short Stories category, but got excited about specific short stories instead - Ghost Stories, so that's one of my categories.
Good luck!
11BeyondEdenRock
Pesephone books all have plain silvery grey covers with a small cream block for the title and author.
The endpapers though are all different and are usually a fabric design from the same period as the book.
Oh and if you buy the book from direct from Persepone it will come with a bookmark that matches the endpapers and has a quote from the book on the back.
I have never seen the Harper Lee book, but I will look out for it.
My short stories cover a range of genres, but at least one selection will be ghost stories - a small volume by Muriel Spark.
The problem with categories for me at the moment is fitting everything in.
I still plan to read a few of my Persephones, but they will slot into the short stories and 20th century writing categories.
Ideally I would have a gothic category, but there is nothing else I want to take out so the books concerned will have to fit into the books written before 1900 category.
Unless I have another rethink ..... !
The endpapers though are all different and are usually a fabric design from the same period as the book.
Oh and if you buy the book from direct from Persepone it will come with a bookmark that matches the endpapers and has a quote from the book on the back.
I have never seen the Harper Lee book, but I will look out for it.
My short stories cover a range of genres, but at least one selection will be ghost stories - a small volume by Muriel Spark.
The problem with categories for me at the moment is fitting everything in.
I still plan to read a few of my Persephones, but they will slot into the short stories and 20th century writing categories.
Ideally I would have a gothic category, but there is nothing else I want to take out so the books concerned will have to fit into the books written before 1900 category.
Unless I have another rethink ..... !
12BeyondEdenRock
I'm thinking of adding another category - 1001 Books You Must Read ... - we had the book out today and it reminded me of so many things I want to read.
I'm thinking it will have to be an overlap category though. 90 books would be too many and I do want to hit some of the big books I never quite get to. So allof the books will come from another category but also get placed in the 1001 category.
Does that make sense?!
I'm thinking it will have to be an overlap category though. 90 books would be too many and I do want to hit some of the big books I never quite get to. So allof the books will come from another category but also get placed in the 1001 category.
Does that make sense?!
13LisaMorr
I received my first Virago Modern Classics book as a birthday gift last week - The Yellow Wallpaper; so nice to hear about the Persephone series - I'll have to check them out!
15englishrose60
Congratulations on your first VMC Lisa. It's a good one.
16PensiveCat
Ah! We both have Virago - love it! I was in the NY Public Library's daily library sale, and saw one woman buy 2 VMC's. I so wanted to ask her if she was on LT, but didn't. Kicking myself now!
17BeyondEdenRock
I have tweaked my category one more time because I want to do an art history challenge next year. So now, finally, here they are.
18BeyondEdenRock
Virago Modern Classics
I read (and loved) lots of them this year, but I still have a big backlog
1. Invitation to the Waltz by Rosamond Lehmann (March)
2. South Riding by Winifred Holtby (March)
3. The Doves of Venus by Olivia Manning (July)
4. Jenny Wren by E H Young (July)
5. Brother Jacob by George Eliot (November)
6. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (November)
7. Castle Dor by Arthur Quiller-Couch & Daphne Du Maurier (December)
8. Loitering With Intent by Muriel Spark (December)
9. I Will Not Serve by Eveline Mahyère (December)
I read (and loved) lots of them this year, but I still have a big backlog
1. Invitation to the Waltz by Rosamond Lehmann (March)
2. South Riding by Winifred Holtby (March)
3. The Doves of Venus by Olivia Manning (July)
4. Jenny Wren by E H Young (July)
5. Brother Jacob by George Eliot (November)
6. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (November)
7. Castle Dor by Arthur Quiller-Couch & Daphne Du Maurier (December)
8. Loitering With Intent by Muriel Spark (December)
9. I Will Not Serve by Eveline Mahyère (December)
19BeyondEdenRock
Short Stories
I love short stories when I read them, I frequently acquire new volumes but I tend to forget to take them off the shelves. This category is to help me put things right.
1. Memoirs of a Novelist by Virginia Woolf (February)
2. The Pyramid by Henning Mankell (June)
3. Nocturnes by Kazuo ishiguro (August)
4. Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley (September)
5. Ten Sorry Tales by Mick Jackson (October)
6. Mugby Junction by Charles Dickens (November)
7. Tales of terror from the Black Ship by Chris Priestley (November)
8. Dancing with Mr Darcy an anthology (December)
9. Tea with Mr Rochester by Frances Towers (December)
I love short stories when I read them, I frequently acquire new volumes but I tend to forget to take them off the shelves. This category is to help me put things right.
1. Memoirs of a Novelist by Virginia Woolf (February)
2. The Pyramid by Henning Mankell (June)
3. Nocturnes by Kazuo ishiguro (August)
4. Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley (September)
5. Ten Sorry Tales by Mick Jackson (October)
6. Mugby Junction by Charles Dickens (November)
7. Tales of terror from the Black Ship by Chris Priestley (November)
8. Dancing with Mr Darcy an anthology (December)
9. Tea with Mr Rochester by Frances Towers (December)
20BeyondEdenRock
Contemporary writing
Some of my favourite books in the 888 fell under this heading and I’m hoping for more great new books this year.
1. Monster Love by Carol Topolski (January)
2. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (February)
3. The Girl from the Chartreuse by Pierre Péju (February)
4. The Ice Princess by Camilla Läckberg (March)
5. The Island at the End of the World by Sam Taylor (March)
6. The Fire Gospel by Michel Faber (April)
7. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson (April)
8. The Spare Room by Helen Garner (April)
9. Yellow by Janni Visman (May)
Some of my favourite books in the 888 fell under this heading and I’m hoping for more great new books this year.
1. Monster Love by Carol Topolski (January)
2. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (February)
3. The Girl from the Chartreuse by Pierre Péju (February)
4. The Ice Princess by Camilla Läckberg (March)
5. The Island at the End of the World by Sam Taylor (March)
6. The Fire Gospel by Michel Faber (April)
7. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson (April)
8. The Spare Room by Helen Garner (April)
9. Yellow by Janni Visman (May)
21BeyondEdenRock
20th Century Writing
When I set up my 888 challenge I thought I was sure of getting all of my fiction reading in by having categories for contemporary fiction and historical and period fiction. Wrong! A lot of books from the 20th century fell between the two, and so I have this category to put them in this time around.
1. Great Granny Webster by Caroline Blackwood (January)
2. The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne (February)
3. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford (February)
4. Doreen by Barbara Noble (February)
5. Lady Into Fox by David Garnett (March)
6. Every Eye by Isobel English (April)
7. Pigeon Pie by Nancy Mitford (May)
8. Hetty Dorval by Ethel Wilson (August)
9. High Wages by Dorothy Whipple (August)
When I set up my 888 challenge I thought I was sure of getting all of my fiction reading in by having categories for contemporary fiction and historical and period fiction. Wrong! A lot of books from the 20th century fell between the two, and so I have this category to put them in this time around.
1. Great Granny Webster by Caroline Blackwood (January)
2. The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne (February)
3. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford (February)
4. Doreen by Barbara Noble (February)
5. Lady Into Fox by David Garnett (March)
6. Every Eye by Isobel English (April)
7. Pigeon Pie by Nancy Mitford (May)
8. Hetty Dorval by Ethel Wilson (August)
9. High Wages by Dorothy Whipple (August)
22BeyondEdenRock
Books written before 1900
I have always been an escapist reader and I enjoy few things more than escaping into the past
1. The Haunted House by Charles Dickens (January)
2. The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde (January)
3. Behind a Mask by Louisa May Alcott (January)
4. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (May)
5. Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens (June)
6. Miss Cayley's Adventures by Grant Allen (June)
7. Instructions to Servants by Jonathan Swift (July)
8. The Frozen Deep by Wilkie Collins (November)
9. Love and Friendship by Jane Austen (December)
I have always been an escapist reader and I enjoy few things more than escaping into the past
1. The Haunted House by Charles Dickens (January)
2. The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde (January)
3. Behind a Mask by Louisa May Alcott (January)
4. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (May)
5. Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens (June)
6. Miss Cayley's Adventures by Grant Allen (June)
7. Instructions to Servants by Jonathan Swift (July)
8. The Frozen Deep by Wilkie Collins (November)
9. Love and Friendship by Jane Austen (December)
23BeyondEdenRock
History: Fact & Fiction
I used to read a lot of historical fiction but I am moving more towards reading more history and historical biography. This covers me for both.
1. Henry: Virtuous Prince by David Starkey (April)
2. An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear (May)
3. The Alchemy of Murder by Carol McCleary (September)
4. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (September)
5. Gathering The Water by Robert Edric (September)
6. The Best of Men by Clare Letemendia (September)
7. The Owl Killers by Karen Maitland (October)
8. Instruments of Darkness by Imogen Robertson (December)
9. London War Notes 1939 to 1945 by Mollie Panter-Downes (December)
I used to read a lot of historical fiction but I am moving more towards reading more history and historical biography. This covers me for both.
1. Henry: Virtuous Prince by David Starkey (April)
2. An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear (May)
3. The Alchemy of Murder by Carol McCleary (September)
4. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (September)
5. Gathering The Water by Robert Edric (September)
6. The Best of Men by Clare Letemendia (September)
7. The Owl Killers by Karen Maitland (October)
8. Instruments of Darkness by Imogen Robertson (December)
9. London War Notes 1939 to 1945 by Mollie Panter-Downes (December)
24BeyondEdenRock
Books that I have owned without reading for too long
My TBR pile is ridiculous. I want to clear out some books I won’t want to keep once I’ve read them and I want to read some of the classics I keep putting off until I have more time. That day may never come!
1. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (January)
2. Baby Love by Louisa Young (January)
3. A Time of Angels by Patricia Schonstein (March)
4. We Have always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (October)
5. The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski (November)
6, The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin (November)
7. Little Indiscretions by Carmen Posadas (December)
8. Rock Crystal by Adalbery Stifter (December)
9. Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman (December)
My TBR pile is ridiculous. I want to clear out some books I won’t want to keep once I’ve read them and I want to read some of the classics I keep putting off until I have more time. That day may never come!
1. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (January)
2. Baby Love by Louisa Young (January)
3. A Time of Angels by Patricia Schonstein (March)
4. We Have always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (October)
5. The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski (November)
6, The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin (November)
7. Little Indiscretions by Carmen Posadas (December)
8. Rock Crystal by Adalbery Stifter (December)
9. Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman (December)
25BeyondEdenRock
Writers and Artists
I want to read more about some of my favourite writers and artists. I’m aiming to link fiction and literary biography and read about woman artists and some local artists whose work I can visit regularly.
1. Laura Knight by Caroline Fox (February)
2. The Great Western Beach by Emma Smith (February)
3. A Boy at the Hogarth Press by Richard Kennedy (May)
4. Without Knowing Mr Walkley by Edith Olivier (June)
5. The Swan in the Evening by Rosamond Lehmann (July)
6. Jane's Fame by Claire Harman (August)
7. The View From Downshire Hill by Elizabeth Jenkins (October)
8. Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen by Fay Weldon (October)
9. Moon Behind Clouds by Kate Campbell (December)
I want to read more about some of my favourite writers and artists. I’m aiming to link fiction and literary biography and read about woman artists and some local artists whose work I can visit regularly.
1. Laura Knight by Caroline Fox (February)
2. The Great Western Beach by Emma Smith (February)
3. A Boy at the Hogarth Press by Richard Kennedy (May)
4. Without Knowing Mr Walkley by Edith Olivier (June)
5. The Swan in the Evening by Rosamond Lehmann (July)
6. Jane's Fame by Claire Harman (August)
7. The View From Downshire Hill by Elizabeth Jenkins (October)
8. Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen by Fay Weldon (October)
9. Moon Behind Clouds by Kate Campbell (December)
26BeyondEdenRock
Biographies, Autobiographies, Letters & Diaries
This should cover the rest of my non fiction reading and may have to pick up an overflow from history, writers and artists. Last year when I set up my 888 challenge I thought I might struggle with non fiction, but I finished that category first and find myself reading more and more of it
1. "Marraine" by Oriel Malet (January) **
2. Time Was Soft There by Jeremy Mercer (January)
3. The Good Women of China by Xinran (March)
4. Where Shall We Go For Dinner?: A Food Romance by Tamasin Day-Lewis (September)
5. Notes From Walnut Tree Farm by Roger Deakin (October)
6. Kisses on a Postcard by Terence Frisby (November)
7. Arthur Rackham: A life in Illustration by James Hamilton (November)
8. Away From The Bombs by Ricky Clitheroe (November)
9. Night Thoughts of a Country Landlady by Edith Olivier (December)
** No copies on LibraryThing so no touchstone it seems!
This should cover the rest of my non fiction reading and may have to pick up an overflow from history, writers and artists. Last year when I set up my 888 challenge I thought I might struggle with non fiction, but I finished that category first and find myself reading more and more of it
1. "Marraine" by Oriel Malet (January) **
2. Time Was Soft There by Jeremy Mercer (January)
3. The Good Women of China by Xinran (March)
4. Where Shall We Go For Dinner?: A Food Romance by Tamasin Day-Lewis (September)
5. Notes From Walnut Tree Farm by Roger Deakin (October)
6. Kisses on a Postcard by Terence Frisby (November)
7. Arthur Rackham: A life in Illustration by James Hamilton (November)
8. Away From The Bombs by Ricky Clitheroe (November)
9. Night Thoughts of a Country Landlady by Edith Olivier (December)
** No copies on LibraryThing so no touchstone it seems!
27ShannonMDE
I went to a talk at the Texas Book Festival by Shannon McKenna Schmidt about her book Novel Destinations: Literary Landmarks from Jane Austen's Bath to Ernest Hemingway's Key West.. it would probably be great for your writers / artists category. It sure made me want to reignite my love / hate relationship with Mr. Hemingway.
28juliette07
Oh I did enjoy reading your thoughts and reflections regarding your categories -thank you! I too have been ruminating but have yet to decide. I love the way you wrote a little about each section and your thoughts about what you may read. Thanks!
29BeyondEdenRock
Shannon - Thank you, that does sound interesting. I shall have a browse of the library catalogue to see if they have a copy.
Julie - It is lovely to see you here. I do a lot of ruminating but for the moment I am trying to clear a backlog of library books and books that don't quite fit. And I am waiting to see your thread too!
Julie - It is lovely to see you here. I do a lot of ruminating but for the moment I am trying to clear a backlog of library books and books that don't quite fit. And I am waiting to see your thread too!
30juliette07
fleur - I am almost ready to post. Like you I simply cannot commit to casting my books in stone at the beginning of the year!! I am far too 'flighty' and get eeasily carried away and enthused especially when I feel an interest growing within that has been borne of ideas ot thoughts from another volume.
Your way of listing is rather similar to the way I organised myself for the 888. I kept returning to my thread and edited each time. Best wishes for a wonderful reading 2009!
Your way of listing is rather similar to the way I organised myself for the 888. I kept returning to my thread and edited each time. Best wishes for a wonderful reading 2009!
31BeyondEdenRock
Book 1
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Category: Books that I have owned without reading for too long
Rating: 3 / 5 (interesting but flawed)
More detailed thoughts here.
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Category: Books that I have owned without reading for too long
Rating: 3 / 5 (interesting but flawed)
More detailed thoughts here.
32Soupdragon
#31, I enjoyed reading your review.
Like you, I found this book "flawed but interesting". I read it a few years ago and remember feeling very drawn in emotionally by the book whilst I was reading it and then a bit manipulated after I'd put it down.
At the time I put the book's "flaws" down to it being a book aimed at teenagers. Now I wonder if that's a bit patronising!
edited to correct typos
Like you, I found this book "flawed but interesting". I read it a few years ago and remember feeling very drawn in emotionally by the book whilst I was reading it and then a bit manipulated after I'd put it down.
At the time I put the book's "flaws" down to it being a book aimed at teenagers. Now I wonder if that's a bit patronising!
edited to correct typos
33kittykay
31 : I really liked your review. It was an interesting read on a book I had never heard of! It seems interesting, although I would have to take a look at the book itself to make my idea about it. Thanks! :)
34BeyondEdenRock
soupdragon - I didn't feel manipulated but I wasn't quite as drawn in as i felt I should be.
kittykay - It's still a book worth reading if you have any interest in YA. Meg Rosoff's subsequent books look rather more juvenile, otherwise I would give her the benefit of the doubt and try them.
kittykay - It's still a book worth reading if you have any interest in YA. Meg Rosoff's subsequent books look rather more juvenile, otherwise I would give her the benefit of the doubt and try them.
35BeyondEdenRock
Book 2
Monster Love by Carol Topolski
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 3 /5 (very harrowing, but compelling)
More detailed thoughts here.
Monster Love by Carol Topolski
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 3 /5 (very harrowing, but compelling)
More detailed thoughts here.
36BeyondEdenRock
Book 3
The Haunted House by Charles Dickens
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 3.5 /5 (Linked ghost stories - a nice Victorian curio.)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Haunted House by Charles Dickens
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 3.5 /5 (Linked ghost stories - a nice Victorian curio.)
More detailed thoughts here.
37BeyondEdenRock
Book 4
Behind a Mask by Louisa May Alcott
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 4 /5 (Is a governess what she seems? - a great little page-turner!)
More detailed thoughts here.
Behind a Mask by Louisa May Alcott
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 4 /5 (Is a governess what she seems? - a great little page-turner!)
More detailed thoughts here.
38BeyondEdenRock
Book 5
Marraine by Oriel Malet
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 4 /5 (Wonderful family memoir.)
More detailed thoughts here.
Edited because it was listed in the wrong category.
Marraine by Oriel Malet
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 4 /5 (Wonderful family memoir.)
More detailed thoughts here.
Edited because it was listed in the wrong category.
39englishrose60
I am enjoying your reviews. More books for my wishlist:-)
40BeyondEdenRock
Thank you Englishrose. I have only just started reviewing (mainly to help me remember better what I read!), so it is nice to know that I am helping to steer someone else towards some of the books I have enjoyed.
41Soupdragon
I didn't know Louisa May Alcott had written adult fiction. Behind a Mask sounds fun. The other LT reviews suggest the story is one of a collection. Did your edition contain other stories or was it the novella alone?
42BeyondEdenRock
My edition was just the one novella published by Hesperus Press. There is another volume of the same title with a total of four novellas and there are a few anthologies of short stories around too, I believe.
43VictoriaPL
My edition of Behind a Mask has the four novellas in it. You're right, the stories are exactly what Jo would write. I love how melodramatic they are.
44BeyondEdenRock
Book 6
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 4.5 /5 (Dazzling!)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 4.5 /5 (Dazzling!)
More detailed thoughts here.
45BeyondEdenRock
Book 7
Time Was Soft There* by Jeremy Mercer
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 2 /5 (Parisienne bookshop memoir.)
More detailed thoughts here.
* That's the American title. Here in England it was "Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs" but there was no touchstone for that.
Time Was Soft There* by Jeremy Mercer
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 2 /5 (Parisienne bookshop memoir.)
More detailed thoughts here.
* That's the American title. Here in England it was "Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs" but there was no touchstone for that.
46Soupdragon
#44, I listened to a radio serialisation of Dorian Gray a few years ago and it was wonderful. Your review reminded me of why I should read the real thing. So many books...!
#45, The subject matter of this one sounds amazing! What a shame the book itself was disappointing.
#45, The subject matter of this one sounds amazing! What a shame the book itself was disappointing.
47BeyondEdenRock
I can imagine Dorian Gray working well on the radio. Hopefully BBC radio 7 will pull it out of the archive for us to listen to one day soon!
There is another book about Shakespeare & Co. - it was quoted on the dust jacket of the book I read but I forgot to note down the details. I'll try to remember to look at the book again next time I'm in the library.
I have been off challenge for a while, re-reading The Owl Service (thoughts here) for a childhood favourites reading challenge elsewhere.
I'm reading a 999 book again now though - a very good and beautifully illustrated biography of Laura Knight for my writers & artists category.
There is another book about Shakespeare & Co. - it was quoted on the dust jacket of the book I read but I forgot to note down the details. I'll try to remember to look at the book again next time I'm in the library.
I have been off challenge for a while, re-reading The Owl Service (thoughts here) for a childhood favourites reading challenge elsewhere.
I'm reading a 999 book again now though - a very good and beautifully illustrated biography of Laura Knight for my writers & artists category.
48Soupdragon
#47,
The Owl Service is one of my all-time favourite books and is probably the book I have re-read the most in my life! Have read it several times as a child, then again as a teenager,and once in my 20s and once in my 30s. (Must be due up again soon, thinking about it as I'm now 40!) Each time I've read it I've experienced it a little differently but it always keeps its magic. I have the same 1960s edition and also a more contemporary one that I bought when I couldn't find my original.
Have you read any of Garner's adult novels? I've only read Thursbitch which I found very affecting, once I'd got over the authentic, C18th rural dialect.
Edited to correct the word dialogue to dialect!
The Owl Service is one of my all-time favourite books and is probably the book I have re-read the most in my life! Have read it several times as a child, then again as a teenager,and once in my 20s and once in my 30s. (Must be due up again soon, thinking about it as I'm now 40!) Each time I've read it I've experienced it a little differently but it always keeps its magic. I have the same 1960s edition and also a more contemporary one that I bought when I couldn't find my original.
Have you read any of Garner's adult novels? I've only read Thursbitch which I found very affecting, once I'd got over the authentic, C18th rural dialect.
Edited to correct the word dialogue to dialect!
49BeyondEdenRock
I loved Alan Garner's books as child but I never owned them and completely forgot about him for a long time.
Re-reading childhood favourites is risky but this one was an absolute joy!
I have never come across his adult books -they are definitely something to look out for.
And now I know that the legend in the book comes from "The Mabinogion" I'm going to have to investigate that too!
Re-reading childhood favourites is risky but this one was an absolute joy!
I have never come across his adult books -they are definitely something to look out for.
And now I know that the legend in the book comes from "The Mabinogion" I'm going to have to investigate that too!
51BeyondEdenRock
Book 9
Great Granny Webster by Caroline Blackwood
Category: 20th Century Writing
Rating: 2 /5 (Black comedy with a tragic heart)
More detailed thoughts here.
Great Granny Webster by Caroline Blackwood
Category: 20th Century Writing
Rating: 2 /5 (Black comedy with a tragic heart)
More detailed thoughts here.
52BeyondEdenRock
Book 10
The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne
Category: 20th Century Writing
Rating: 3 /5 (1920s country house mystery)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne
Category: 20th Century Writing
Rating: 3 /5 (1920s country house mystery)
More detailed thoughts here.
53BeyondEdenRock
Book 11
Memoirs of a Novelist by Virginia Woolf
Category: Short Stories
Rating: 3.5 /5 (Five early stories)
More detailed thoughts here.
Memoirs of a Novelist by Virginia Woolf
Category: Short Stories
Rating: 3.5 /5 (Five early stories)
More detailed thoughts here.
54juliette07
Thank you fleur - a delightful resume of a delightful book!
55BeyondEdenRock
Book 12
Laura Knight by Caroline Fox
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 3 /5 (Good biography & wonderful paintings)
More detailed thoughts here.
Laura Knight by Caroline Fox
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 3 /5 (Good biography & wonderful paintings)
More detailed thoughts here.
56englishrose60
Enjoyed you review of Laura Knight. Looks like another one for the wishlist.
57englishrose60
Enjoyed your review of Laura Knight. Looks like another one for the wishlist. Sigh...
58BeyondEdenRock
Book 13
The Great Western Beach by Emma Smith
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 4.5 /5 (Lovely memoir of a Cornish childhood between the wars)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Great Western Beach by Emma Smith
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 4.5 /5 (Lovely memoir of a Cornish childhood between the wars)
More detailed thoughts here.
59juliette07
Really enjoyed reading your review fleur - that sense of loss when you finish a book that had appealed to you so much - I recognise that!
60BeyondEdenRock
Book 14
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 4 /5 (Wow!)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 4 /5 (Wow!)
More detailed thoughts here.
61englishrose60
Another one I must get Fleur after reading your blog. Sounds like a book I would enjoy.
62juliette07
Excellent review fleur - I loved it too=)
64BeyondEdenRock
Thank you both!
65BeyondEdenRock
Book 15
The Girl from the Chartreuse by Pierre Péju
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 3.5 /5 (A simple story to break your heart!)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Girl from the Chartreuse by Pierre Péju
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 3.5 /5 (A simple story to break your heart!)
More detailed thoughts here.
66BeyondEdenRock
I have wandered off-challenge to read another childhood favourites challenge book - The Borrowers by Mary Norton. I'd forgotten just how good - and how lcever - it is. Thoughts here.
67BeyondEdenRock
Book 16
The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
Category: 20th Century Writing
Rating: 3 /5 (unreliable narrator - early 20th century classic)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
Category: 20th Century Writing
Rating: 3 /5 (unreliable narrator - early 20th century classic)
More detailed thoughts here.
70BeyondEdenRock
I have yet to read Saplings, but it is mentioned in the introduction to Doreen. The latter book covers a short period - ending before the end of the war - and so focuses more on Doreen being pulled two ways in the present rather than the longer term consequences.
I have discovered a hole in my categories - nowhere to put books written this century about the past not old enough for me to call it history.
So I am reporting that I have just finished Out Stealing Horses, but I have no category to give it a home. Which is a shame because it is a wonderful book. Thoughts here.
I have discovered a hole in my categories - nowhere to put books written this century about the past not old enough for me to call it history.
So I am reporting that I have just finished Out Stealing Horses, but I have no category to give it a home. Which is a shame because it is a wonderful book. Thoughts here.
71BeyondEdenRock
Book 18
The Ice Princess by Camilla Läckberg
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 2.5 /5 (Swedish murder mystery)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Ice Princess by Camilla Läckberg
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 2.5 /5 (Swedish murder mystery)
More detailed thoughts here.
72BeyondEdenRock
Book 19
The Island at the End of the World by Sam Taylor
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 3 /5 (Is one family the last on earth?)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Island at the End of the World by Sam Taylor
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 3 /5 (Is one family the last on earth?)
More detailed thoughts here.
74BeyondEdenRock
Thank you trayfox. I started reviewing mainly to help my own memory and it is a lovely bonus when others read and enjoy.
I've been reading but I've rather slipped up on updating this thread. Time to put things right!
I've been reading but I've rather slipped up on updating this thread. Time to put things right!
75BeyondEdenRock
Book 20
Lady Into Fox by David Garnett
Category: 20th century writing
Rating: 4.5 /5 (A lovely little book)
More detailed thoughts here.
Lady Into Fox by David Garnett
Category: 20th century writing
Rating: 4.5 /5 (A lovely little book)
More detailed thoughts here.
76BeyondEdenRock
Book 21
A Time of Angels by Patricia Schonstein
Category: Books that I have owned without reading for too long
Rating: 2 / 5 (lovely writing but the mix of reality and magic realism didn't work for me)
More detailed thoughts here.
A Time of Angels by Patricia Schonstein
Category: Books that I have owned without reading for too long
Rating: 2 / 5 (lovely writing but the mix of reality and magic realism didn't work for me)
More detailed thoughts here.
77BeyondEdenRock
Book 22
Invitation to the Waltz by Rosamond Lehmann
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 4.5 /5 (A joy to read)
More detailed thoughts here.
Invitation to the Waltz by Rosamond Lehmann
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 4.5 /5 (A joy to read)
More detailed thoughts here.
78BeyondEdenRock
Book 23
South Riding by Winifred Holtby
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 5 /5 (Book of the year!)
More detailed thoughts here.
South Riding by Winifred Holtby
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 5 /5 (Book of the year!)
More detailed thoughts here.
79BeyondEdenRock
Book 24
The Good Women of China by Xinran
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 4 /5 (Extrordinary)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Good Women of China by Xinran
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 4 /5 (Extrordinary)
More detailed thoughts here.
80Soupdragon
Great reviews, as ever, Fleur!
If you haven't already, I really recommend The Weather in the Streets now you have read Invitation to the Waltz. It is rather different to ITTW and stands alone perfectly adequately but one of the things I enjoyed about it was identifying all the characters from the Waltz as they turned up in Olivia's further life.
You are certainly right about The Good Women of China being haunting. I read it several years ago but can't forget some of those true life stories.
If you haven't already, I really recommend The Weather in the Streets now you have read Invitation to the Waltz. It is rather different to ITTW and stands alone perfectly adequately but one of the things I enjoyed about it was identifying all the characters from the Waltz as they turned up in Olivia's further life.
You are certainly right about The Good Women of China being haunting. I read it several years ago but can't forget some of those true life stories.
82BeyondEdenRock
Soupdragon - I have The Weather In The Streets and I'm pleased to have a recommendation. It doesn't always work when authors go back to characters in a later period.
cmbohn - I'm having a good run of books!
cmbohn - I'm having a good run of books!
83BeyondEdenRock
Book 25
The Fire Gospel by Michel Faber
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 4 /5 (cleverly updated myth)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Fire Gospel by Michel Faber
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 4 /5 (cleverly updated myth)
More detailed thoughts here.
84BeyondEdenRock
Book 26
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 4 /5 (intelligent crime blockbuster)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 4 /5 (intelligent crime blockbuster)
More detailed thoughts here.
85BeyondEdenRock
Book 27
Henry: Virtuous Prince by David Starkey
Category: History - fact & Fiction
Rating: 1 /5 (A major disappointment)
More detailed thoughts here.
Henry: Virtuous Prince by David Starkey
Category: History - fact & Fiction
Rating: 1 /5 (A major disappointment)
More detailed thoughts here.
86BeyondEdenRock
Book 28
The Spare Room by Helen Garner
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 4.5 /5 (A difficult subject beautifully handled)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Spare Room by Helen Garner
Category: Contemporary writing
Rating: 4.5 /5 (A difficult subject beautifully handled)
More detailed thoughts here.
88judylou
Fleur, wonderful reviews as always. Your well thought out comments on the books you are reading are definitely influencing my tbr list. The Spare Room is an extraordinary book. After reading it last year, its story has remained with me. I lost an aunt last year in similar circumstances to the character in the book, and gave this book to my mother to read a little while after. She found it to be a real help to her coming to terms with the loss of her sister. It is a difficult book to read, but certainly a book that deserves to be read widely.
89BeyondEdenRock
Judylou, The Spare Room is sticking with me too.
I read an interesting short interview with Helen Garner here a few days ago.
It seems that the book is partially autobiographical. I had wondered - particularly since she gave the lead character her own name. I didn't want to mention it in my review as many authors resent the assumption that anything with a degree of relism must be taken from life.
I read an interesting short interview with Helen Garner here a few days ago.
It seems that the book is partially autobiographical. I had wondered - particularly since she gave the lead character her own name. I didn't want to mention it in my review as many authors resent the assumption that anything with a degree of relism must be taken from life.
90BeyondEdenRock
Book 30
Pigeon Pie by Nancy Mitford
Category: 20th century writing
Rating: 3 /5 (Sharp satire written and published in the "phony war")
More detailed thoughts here.
Pigeon Pie by Nancy Mitford
Category: 20th century writing
Rating: 3 /5 (Sharp satire written and published in the "phony war")
More detailed thoughts here.
93BeyondEdenRock
Book 33
An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 4/5
I don't normally classify 20th century books in history, but as the ramifications of World War I run through all of the Maisie Dobbs book it did seem right to put it here.
More detailed thoughts here.
An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 4/5
I don't normally classify 20th century books in history, but as the ramifications of World War I run through all of the Maisie Dobbs book it did seem right to put it here.
More detailed thoughts here.
94BeyondEdenRock
Book 34
A Boy at the Hogarth Press by Richard Kennedy
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 3 /5 (The office boy's view)
More detailed thoughts here.
A Boy at the Hogarth Press by Richard Kennedy
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 3 /5 (The office boy's view)
More detailed thoughts here.
95BeyondEdenRock
Book 35
The Pyramid by Henning Mankell
Category: Short Stories
Rating: 3 /5 (Short stories to fill in the background)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Pyramid by Henning Mankell
Category: Short Stories
Rating: 3 /5 (Short stories to fill in the background)
More detailed thoughts here.
96BeyondEdenRock
Book 36
Without Knowing Mr Walkley by Edith Olivier
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 3 /5 (Author's autobiograpy focuses not on herself but on the world around her)
More detailed thoughts here.
Without Knowing Mr Walkley by Edith Olivier
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 3 /5 (Author's autobiograpy focuses not on herself but on the world around her)
More detailed thoughts here.
98BeyondEdenRock
Book 38
The Solitude of Thomas Cave by Gergina Harding
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 5/5 (Extraordinary!)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Solitude of Thomas Cave by Gergina Harding
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 5/5 (Extraordinary!)
More detailed thoughts here.
99BeyondEdenRock
Book 39
Little Dorrit by Charles dickens
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 3.5 /5 (1070 pages!!!)
More detailed thoughts here.
Little Dorrit by Charles dickens
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 3.5 /5 (1070 pages!!!)
More detailed thoughts here.
100BeyondEdenRock
I am horribly behind in posting here, but I am going to try to catch up over the next few days.
101BeyondEdenRock
Book 40
Miss Cayley's Adventures by Grant Allen
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 4 /5 (Not your typical Victorian heroine)
More detailed thoughts here.
Miss Cayley's Adventures by Grant Allen
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 4 /5 (Not your typical Victorian heroine)
More detailed thoughts here.
102Nickelini
I found your comments on A Boy at the Hogarth Press very interesting. It sounds like a book I'd like to read, if I can get my hands on it.
I have mixed feelings about this sort of book though . . . there are certain historical figures (for me, Virginia Woolf, Jane Austen and Audrey Hepburn) who I just love to learn about . . . but then I see a lot of exploitation where some people churn out drudge and sell it using the famous name. Sounds like this one was okay.
I have mixed feelings about this sort of book though . . . there are certain historical figures (for me, Virginia Woolf, Jane Austen and Audrey Hepburn) who I just love to learn about . . . but then I see a lot of exploitation where some people churn out drudge and sell it using the famous name. Sounds like this one was okay.
103BeyondEdenRock
This one was good. Richard Kennedy stuck to what he saw and how he felt at the time. Clearly the name of Woolf may have helped him get published but I never felt he was exploiting the connection.
104BeyondEdenRock
Book 41
Directions to Servants by Jonathan Swift
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 3/5 (A satirical manual!)
More detailed thoughts here.
Directions to Servants by Jonathan Swift
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 3/5 (A satirical manual!)
More detailed thoughts here.
105BeyondEdenRock
Book 42
The swan in the Evening by Rosamond Lehmann
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 4 /5 (Sad fragments of autobiography)
More detailed thoughts here.
The swan in the Evening by Rosamond Lehmann
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 4 /5 (Sad fragments of autobiography)
More detailed thoughts here.
106BeyondEdenRock
Book 43
The Doves of Venus by Olivia Manning
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 4.5 /5 (magical!)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Doves of Venus by Olivia Manning
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 4.5 /5 (magical!)
More detailed thoughts here.
107BeyondEdenRock
Book 44
Jenny Wren by E H Young
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 4 /5 (the missing link between Jane Austen and Barbara Pym)
More detailed thoughts here.
Jenny Wren by E H Young
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 4 /5 (the missing link between Jane Austen and Barbara Pym)
More detailed thoughts here.
108BeyondEdenRock
Book 45
Noturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro
Category: Short Stories
Rating: 2.5 /5 (variations on a theme)
More detailed thoughts here.
Noturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro
Category: Short Stories
Rating: 2.5 /5 (variations on a theme)
More detailed thoughts here.
109BeyondEdenRock
Book 46
Jane's Fame by Claire Harman
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 3.5 /5 (How Jane Austen conquered the world!)
More detailed thoughts here.
Jane's Fame by Claire Harman
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 3.5 /5 (How Jane Austen conquered the world!)
More detailed thoughts here.
110BeyondEdenRock
Book 47
Hetty Dorval by Ethel Wilson
Category: 20th Century Writing
Rating: 3 /5 (A lovely little character study)
More detailed thoughts here.
Hetty Dorval by Ethel Wilson
Category: 20th Century Writing
Rating: 3 /5 (A lovely little character study)
More detailed thoughts here.
111BeyondEdenRock
Book 48
High Wages by Dorothy Whipple
Category: 20th Century Writing
Rating: 4.5 /5 (A wonderful addition to Persephone's list)
More detailed thoughts here.
High Wages by Dorothy Whipple
Category: 20th Century Writing
Rating: 4.5 /5 (A wonderful addition to Persephone's list)
More detailed thoughts here.
112BeyondEdenRock
Book 49
The Alchemy of Murder by Carol McCleary
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 3/5 (Mayhem at the World's Fair - unbelievable but highly entertaining!)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Alchemy of Murder by Carol McCleary
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 3/5 (Mayhem at the World's Fair - unbelievable but highly entertaining!)
More detailed thoughts here.
114digifish_books
Hi Jane, thanks for your detailed review of Jenny Wren. I am a big fan of Barbara Pym so I will look out E.H.Young's novels (now on my wishlist). Glad to see you loved High Wages, I have it on order and recently purchased They Knew Mr Knight.
115BeyondEdenRock
Hello!
Jenny Wren was my first book by E H Young and I will definitely be reading more. She doesn't quite have the wit of Barbara Pym (then again, who does?) but the observation and detail is spot on.
And High Wages is utterly charming. I'm lookingforward to reading more of Dorothy Whipple's words - if only there were more hours in the day!
Jenny Wren was my first book by E H Young and I will definitely be reading more. She doesn't quite have the wit of Barbara Pym (then again, who does?) but the observation and detail is spot on.
And High Wages is utterly charming. I'm lookingforward to reading more of Dorothy Whipple's words - if only there were more hours in the day!
116BeyondEdenRock
Book 51
Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley
Category: Short Stories
Rating: 4.5 /5 (Perfectly executed, linked spooky stories)
More detailed thoughts here.
Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley
Category: Short Stories
Rating: 4.5 /5 (Perfectly executed, linked spooky stories)
More detailed thoughts here.
117BeyondEdenRock
Book 52
Where Shall We Go For Dinner?: A Food Romance by Tamasin Day-Lewis
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 1.5 /5 (Disppointing memoir from a wonderful food writer.)
More detailed thoughts here.
Where Shall We Go For Dinner?: A Food Romance by Tamasin Day-Lewis
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 1.5 /5 (Disppointing memoir from a wonderful food writer.)
More detailed thoughts here.
118BeyondEdenRock
Book 53
Gathering the Water by Robert Erdic
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 4/5 (The coming of a reservoir changes lives and a community)
More detailed thoughts here.
Gathering the Water by Robert Erdic
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 4/5 (The coming of a reservoir changes lives and a community)
More detailed thoughts here.
119BeyondEdenRock
Book 54
The Best of Men by Clare Letemendia
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 3.5/5 (Intrigue, action, family drama & romance in the civil war)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Best of Men by Clare Letemendia
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 3.5/5 (Intrigue, action, family drama & romance in the civil war)
More detailed thoughts here.
120BeyondEdenRock
Book 55
The View from Downshire Hill by Elizabeth Jenkins
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 4 /5 (Selected memories from author in her nineties)
More detailed thoughts here.
The View from Downshire Hill by Elizabeth Jenkins
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 4 /5 (Selected memories from author in her nineties)
More detailed thoughts here.
121BeyondEdenRock
Book 56
Notes From Walnut Tree Farm by Roger Deakin
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 3.5 /5 (Country notebooks)
More detailed thoughts here.
Notes From Walnut Tree Farm by Roger Deakin
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 3.5 /5 (Country notebooks)
More detailed thoughts here.
122BeyondEdenRock
Book 57
Ten Sorry Tales by Mick Jackson
Category: Short Stories
Rating: 3.5 /5 (Strange little tales)
More detailed thoughts here.
Ten Sorry Tales by Mick Jackson
Category: Short Stories
Rating: 3.5 /5 (Strange little tales)
More detailed thoughts here.
123BeyondEdenRock
Book 58
Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen by Fay Weldon
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 4 /5 (Fiction letters to pay tribute to an author)
More detailed thoughts here.
Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen by Fay Weldon
Category: Artists & Writers
Rating: 4 /5 (Fiction letters to pay tribute to an author)
More detailed thoughts here.
124BeyondEdenRock
Book 59
The Owl Killers by Karen Maitland
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 4 /5 (A wonderful tale set in the dark ages)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Owl Killers by Karen Maitland
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 4 /5 (A wonderful tale set in the dark ages)
More detailed thoughts here.
125BeyondEdenRock
I'm still reading - I just forget to post updates!
126BeyondEdenRock
Book 60
We have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Category: Books that I have owned without reading for too long
Rating: 4.5 /5 (maybe the perfect spooky book.)
More detailed thoughts here.
We have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Category: Books that I have owned without reading for too long
Rating: 4.5 /5 (maybe the perfect spooky book.)
More detailed thoughts here.
127BeyondEdenRock
Book 61
Kisses on a Postcard by Terence Frisby
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 4.5 /5 (Memories of a Cornish evacuee.)
More detailed thoughts here.
Kisses on a Postcard by Terence Frisby
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 4.5 /5 (Memories of a Cornish evacuee.)
More detailed thoughts here.
128BeyondEdenRock
Book 62
Brother Jacob by George Eliot
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 2.5 /5 (a morality tale in novella form)
More detailed thoughts here.
Brother Jacob by George Eliot
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 2.5 /5 (a morality tale in novella form)
More detailed thoughts here.
129BeyondEdenRock
Book 63
The Frozen Deep by Wilkie Collins
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 3.5 /5 (Linked ghost stories - a nice Victorian curio.)
More detailed thoughts The Haunted House by Charles Dickens
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 3.5 /5 (Adventure and romance - much high drama!.)
More detailed thoughts a href="http://fleurfisher.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/the-frozen-deep-by-wilkie-collins/"here/a.">here.
The Frozen Deep by Wilkie Collins
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 3.5 /5 (Linked ghost stories - a nice Victorian curio.)
More detailed thoughts The Haunted House by Charles Dickens
Category: Books written before 1900
Rating: 3.5 /5 (Adventure and romance - much high drama!.)
More detailed thoughts a href="http://fleurfisher.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/the-frozen-deep-by-wilkie-collins/"here/a.">here.
130BeyondEdenRock
Book 63
Stone's Fall by Iain Peare
Category: History - fact & Fiction
Rating: 4 /5 (A wonderful, complex journey back through history to discover whay a man died.)
More detailed thoughts here.
Stone's Fall by Iain Peare
Category: History - fact & Fiction
Rating: 4 /5 (A wonderful, complex journey back through history to discover whay a man died.)
More detailed thoughts here.
131BeyondEdenRock
Book 64
Arthur Rackham: A Life in Illustration by James Hamilton
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 4.5 /5 (A well written biography and a wonderful range of illustrations.)
More detailed thoughts here.
Arthur Rackham: A Life in Illustration by James Hamilton
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 4.5 /5 (A well written biography and a wonderful range of illustrations.)
More detailed thoughts here.
132BeyondEdenRock
Book 65
Away From The Bombs by Ricky Clitheroe
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 4.5 /5 (Another Cornish evacuee - this one in my father's home town.)
More detailed thoughts here.
Away From The Bombs by Ricky Clitheroe
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 4.5 /5 (Another Cornish evacuee - this one in my father's home town.)
More detailed thoughts here.
133BeyondEdenRock
Book 66
The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski
Category: Books that I have owned without reading for too long
Rating: 4 / 5
More detailed thoughts here.
The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski
Category: Books that I have owned without reading for too long
Rating: 4 / 5
More detailed thoughts here.
134BeyondEdenRock
Book 67
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 5 /5 (Wow!)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 5 /5 (Wow!)
More detailed thoughts here.
135BeyondEdenRock
Book 67
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 5 /5 (Wow!)
More detailed thoughts here.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 5 /5 (Wow!)
More detailed thoughts here.
136BeyondEdenRock
Book 68
Instruments of Darkness by Imogen Robertson
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 3.5 /5 (A highly entertaining mix of history and mystery)
More detailed thoughts here.
Instruments of Darkness by Imogen Robertson
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 3.5 /5 (A highly entertaining mix of history and mystery)
More detailed thoughts here.
137BeyondEdenRock
Book 69
Castle Dor by Arthur Quiller-Couch & Daphne Du Maurier
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 3 /5 (Retelling of the legend of Tristan and Iseult - begun by AQQ and completed by DDM)
More detailed thoughts here.
Castle Dor by Arthur Quiller-Couch & Daphne Du Maurier
Category: Virago Modern Classics
Rating: 3 /5 (Retelling of the legend of Tristan and Iseult - begun by AQQ and completed by DDM)
More detailed thoughts here.
138BeyondEdenRock
Book 70
Night Thoughts of a Country Landlady by Edith Olivier
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 4.5 /5 (WW2 through the eyes of an old lady doing her bit in her village.)
More detailed thoughts here.
Night Thoughts of a Country Landlady by Edith Olivier
Category: Biographical and autobiographical writing
Rating: 4.5 /5 (WW2 through the eyes of an old lady doing her bit in her village.)
More detailed thoughts here.
139BeyondEdenRock
Book 71
London War Notes 1939 to 1945 by Mollie Panter-Downes
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 5 /5 (Extraordinarily vivid reports from wartime London. A book that really should be back in print.)
More detailed thoughts here.
London War Notes 1939 to 1945 by Mollie Panter-Downes
Category: History - Fact & Fiction
Rating: 5 /5 (Extraordinarily vivid reports from wartime London. A book that really should be back in print.)
More detailed thoughts here.
140BeyondEdenRock
Book 72
Little Indiscretions by Carmen Posada
Category: Books that I have owned without reading for too long
Rating: 2 / 5 (The cover promised a “Perfect blend of Agatha Christie and Pedro Almodóvar.” It didn't quite work.)
More detailed thoughts here.
Little Indiscretions by Carmen Posada
Category: Books that I have owned without reading for too long
Rating: 2 / 5 (The cover promised a “Perfect blend of Agatha Christie and Pedro Almodóvar.” It didn't quite work.)
More detailed thoughts here.
141BeyondEdenRock
Finished! Just in time!
I haven't done separate posts yet for my final books but I have entered them all in the lists back in messages 20 through 28.
Yay!
I haven't done separate posts yet for my final books but I have entered them all in the lists back in messages 20 through 28.
Yay!
142juliette07
Well done Fleur and what a feeling of achievement. I enjoyed looking at your lists! Happy New Year and enjoy your reading in 2010.