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Leslie's 14 Categories in 2014 Challenge
2014 A-to-Z Challenge Progress: 23/26 doneI think that I will try this again this year... As with last year, mysteries will be in bold, but this year I am only using titles (not authors' names).
A = An American Tragedy (audiobook) (3/3)
B = The Booktaker (audiobook)
C = The Cruelest Month (2/7)
D = Dog River Blues (1/10)
E = Enter A Murderer (3/7)
F = From Russia with Love (2/21) or Frequent Hearses (3/19)
G = The Game of Kings (1/17)
H = Hot Chocolate (1/26)
I = Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (2/24)
J = The Jewel That Was Ours (3/12)
K = Knots and Crosses (2/4)
L = Lorna Doone (3/18)
M = Middlemarch (3/2)
N = Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (2/17)
O = Outrage (2/1)
P = The Prime Minister (2/5)
Q = Queens' Play currently reading
R = The Rubber Band (1/6)
S= Spy Killer (2/11) (audiobook)
T = Twelve Drummers Drumming (1/9)
U =
V = Vile Bodies (1/26)
W = The Wench Is Dead (2/19)
X =
Y = Young Miles (3/21)
Z =
Thank you both John and Leslie! I have now reserved The Moving Toyshop at my local library, as they had it in Large Print! It's good to know that more are available on Kindle if it takes my fancy - the title does sound familiar...
I've been following this with interest. I've just checked and my library also has large print and ebooks by Crispin. So I might look at them also. Thanks to all
CAT #8: Science Fiction and FantasyYoung Miles by Lois McMaster Bujold
4½ stars. This second omnibus in the Vorkosigan series was a delight to read. We follow Miles as he matures into adulthood (the 3 novels included in this omnibus cover the time when Miles is 17 to almost 21) while getting some heart-stopping adventures along the way. It is clear why Bujold won several awards for these novels - the sci fi space opera is delicately balanced with the psychological and political insights. Nowhere is that more clear than in the center novella, The Mountains of Mourning, in which Miles is asked to stand for his father and deliver justice in a extremely rural area on his home planet of Barrayar. I think that Miles stole into my heart in this story in a way that he hadn't in the more thrilling The Warrior's Apprentice…
CAT #3: The Real ClassicsEumenides by Aeschylus, translated by George Thomson
4 stars. The final play of Aeschylus' trilogy The Orestiea, this one is quite short and more political than tragic. Orestes, having murdered his mother, is being pursued by the Furies (or Curses as it is translated in this) who are trying to drive him mad. Apollo, who had told Orestes to avenge his father, is trying to protect him. They all end up in Athens, where Athena is to judge the guilt of Orestes. She brings the case before the newly formed system of justice in Athens, a tribunal of the citizens. Both sides present their case.
A few aspects of this are interesting to me - first, that the gods (both young and old) allow the humans to be the judges. Secondly, the theme of old ways being (grudgingly) put aside for more modern methods is such a timeless one & was the theme of the novella The Mountains of Mourning! Thirdly, the way Aeschylus spends so much time at the end of this play with Athena soothing the Furies and turning them into allies.
Overall, I am glad that I read the entire trilogy but I would recommend Sophocles over Aeschylus any day.
Leslie - I know I've commented before on your beautifully set out challenge and the astonishing amount you read. You claim not to read in your sleep ;) - but why am I now thinking of the film "Multiplicity"...? LOL
LOL! Honestly the plays are quite short and I have been working on the sci fi for a while now...
CAT #10: Audiobooks I OwnGuardian list
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson, narrated by Susan Jameson
3 stars. It took me a long time to warm up to this story, but I am glad that I persevered. I may come back and adjust this rating once some time has passed, as the style which I found irritating did ultimately serve a purpose and so my irritation may fade as the novel becomes more of a whole in my mind.
I would note that it is possible that I would have been less irritated with the style if I had read this in print rather than listening to the audiobook. For the first half of the book, I found that whenever I returned to the audiobook I had to rewind quite a bit before I could figure out what was happening.
I don't generally listen to audio books, even though they can be useful, but isn't this a problem that one would face a lot with audio books, the rewinding I mean?
Charbel wrote: "I don't generally listen to audio books, even though they can be useful, but isn't this a problem that one would face a lot with audio books, the rewinding I mean?"Surprisingly it is not usually necessary, any more than rereading previous chapters of a print book when picking it back up is. Sometimes I have to rewind if my attention becomes removed from the book - for example, if I am listening in the car, I might need to pay attention to traffic and so miss some - but that is just the nature of audiobook listening. This was different - as if the plot wouldn't stay in my mind even though I had been paying attention.
CAT #4: French ClassicsGuardian's list
Bouvard and Pecuchet by Gustave Flaubert
2½ stars. Although I appreciated Flaubert's point and some sections of this book were quite amusing, overall I found it a bit of a struggle. The 2 main characters grated on my nerves after a while and I became impatient with their jumps from one subject to the next. Flaubert's language and writing was excellent but the subject matter didn't ultimately interest me.
Judy wrote: "Wow! Leslie, you are doing a wonderful job!! I like your post about "irony". Cute. I look forward to joining you in reading "Feast of the Goat" mid-week."Thanks, I am about a third done so not bad overall.
I will set up a readalong thread for Feast of the Goat...
Judy wrote: "I read the first chapter last night. I don't think I will be able to catch up with you, but I will knock out a 100 pages or so tonight. Off to find the thread."Oh sorry - I meant a third done with my challenges, not the book!!
CAT #6: Lymond series2nd book: Queens' Play
4 stars
Shifting allegiances, spies, opportunists, pragmatic politicians all play a role in this most opaque novel of the Lymond series. And it is because of its opacity that this is the book in the series I like least. The main plot is more intricate, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that there is less exposition on its details and less straightforward adventures to carry the reader along. There are adventures or escapades, but they almost all have a hidden motivation. (view spoiler)
On this rereading, I found that I had forgotten many of the details but remembered the big picture - I was more concerned with the Irish part this time and found that aspect of the book made more sense to me than it had in the past. However, I was more annoyed by O'LiamRoe than I recall.
2014 A-to-Z Challenge Progress: 23/26 doneI think that I will try this again this year... As with last year, mysteries will be in bold, but this year I am only using titles (not authors' names).
A = An American Tragedy (audiobook) (3/3)
B = The Booktaker (audiobook)
C = The Cruelest Month (2/7)
D = Dog River Blues (1/10)
E = Enter A Murderer (3/7)
F = From Russia with Love (2/21) or Frequent Hearses (3/19)
G = The Game of Kings (1/17)
H = Hot Chocolate (1/26)
I = Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (2/24)
J = The Jewel That Was Ours (3/12)
K = Knots and Crosses (2/4)
L = Lorna Doone (3/18) or The Long Divorce (3/30)
M = Middlemarch (3/2)
N = Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (2/17)
O = Outrage (2/1)
P = The Prime Minister (2/5) or The Poisoned Chocolates Case (4/5)
Q = Queens' Play (4/3)
R = The Rubber Band (1/6)
S= Spy Killer (2/11) (audiobook)
T = Twelve Drummers Drumming (1/9)
U =
V = Vile Bodies (1/26)
W = The Wench Is Dead (2/19)
X =
Y = Young Miles (3/21)
Z =
CAT #9: Foreign Mysteries (not originally written in English)2nd book for this cat. is The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch (German)
3 stars. Overall I thought that the historical fiction was better done than the mystery. I enjoyed it but the book is in need of editing - it is 100-150 pages too long. I will probably read the next one in the series but if it is of the same quality then I am not sure that I would continue any farther.
CAT #12: Group ReadsThe Poisoned Chocolates Case
Guardian's list
4½ stars. A Golden Age mystery with a fun twist, as you get 6 amateur sleuths and 6 solutions - each solution is quite convincing until the others start pointing out the weaknesses. It provides an interesting look at the various approaches to solving a mystery & the actual killer was a big surprise (at least to me!).
CAT #10: Audiobooks I already ownGuardian's list
Lady Audley's Secret is the 10th audiobook for this catagory.
4 stars. This was quite an exciting Victorian melodrama thriller/ mystery. I call it a mystery as Robert Audley spends a lot of time trying to find out (view spoiler) but this is not a traditional mystery trying to find "whodunit". It is more similar in style to a suspense novel - the cast of characters is fairly small and suspicions abound but the truth is uncertain until the last part of the book.
Braddon writes with great descriptive flair and the interior monologues for Lady Audley as well as Robert Audley enhanced the suspense for me. Nicola Barber did a good job with the narration, although at times it felt a bit strange hearing Robert Audley's thoughts in a female voice.
CAT #11: Mysteries off of my BookshelvesEndless Night by Agatha Christie is the 5th book in this category.
3 stars. This probably deserves a higher rating, as it is very well written, but it wasn't what I had expected. This novel felt more like a Mary Stewart than an Agatha Christie and I kept waiting for the 'mystery' to start.
I am a bit surprised to find that I had never read this before - I had assumed that I had (perhaps under some alternative title). However, once I started reading it, it was immediately clear that this was a new one for me, so I am happy to have read it now.
So Is Little Men in this challenge too, Leslie? just curious.
Amber wrote: "So Is Little Men in this challenge too, Leslie? just curious."Nope, although I did use it in a couple of the Theme challenges.
Oh okay, cool. ^_^ u are doing well in your challenges though.
Amber wrote: "Oh okay, cool. ^_^ u are doing well in your challenges though."Thanks! 43 done, 62 to go...
CAT #9: Foreign Mysteries (not originally in English)The Redbreast by Jo Nesbø (Norway) is my 3rd book for this category. 3 stars
While longer than I typically like in a mystery, this Norwegian thriller/mystery kept me engaged and guessing right up to the end and did so without drowning me in depressing grit and gore so common in many contemporary mysteries.
So why didn't I rate it higher than 3 stars? Primarily because of the fact that after 500+ pages, certain aspects of the plot were left unresolved and I don't like that in my mysteries. To be specific, (view spoiler)
CAT #4: French Classics and CAT #10: AudiobooksThe Red and the Black by Stendhal
3 stars. While I found the setting interesting, Julien Sorel himself annoyed me and I didn't find his behaviour that believable.
CAT #9: Foreign Mysteries and CAT #4: French LiteratureMaigret and the Black Sheep by Georges Simenon
3½ stars. A solid police procedural mystery, and I enjoyed learning a bit more about Maigret...
CAT #9: Foreign Mysteries The Abominable Man by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (Swedish)
4 stars. Maybe even 4½ stars - this 7th book in the Martin Beck series was a compelling read. So much of it seems contemporary that I kept being surprised to remember that it was first published in 1972! It is a bit more of a crime fiction rather than a mystery, which is why I didn't go for the higher rating (mysteries being my preference).
CAT #13: Plays and CAT #4: French LiteratureTartuffe by Molière, translation by Richard Wilbur.
5 stars. Molière is rapidly becoming one of my favorite playwrights. I read a different translation of this play last year but Richard Wilbur's is SO much better!! I love the rhyming couplets, and not only is the meaning completely clear, but the humor is as well. I am looking forward to reading the other 3 plays in the library book Four Comedies!
I have made progress on my challenge:CAT #5: Moonheart
CAT #7: Changing Places
CAT #9: The Absent One (Denmark) & Black Skies (Iceland)
CAT #13: 4 more plays (3 by Molière and She Stoops to Conquer by Goldsmith)
In addition to my pyramid challenge, I have a few miscellaneous challenges for 2014:✔A. Finish reading the Palliser series by Anthony Trollope - the series consists of: Can You Forgive Her? ✔, Phineas Finn ✔, The Eustace Diamonds ✔, Phineas Redux ✔, The Prime Minister ✔, The Duke's Children ✔
B. Finish reading the Barchester series by Angela Thirkell
C. Continue participating in the buddy read of the Inspector Morse mystery series in the English Mysteries Group
D. Read at least 25 books from the Guardian list which I haven't read before
http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/...
2014 Books from the Guardian's list
For those who don't know already, I am a tad obsessive about lists. In Aug. 2012, soon after I joined GoodReads, I was introduced to the Guardian newspaper's list of 1000 Novels Everyone Should Read and was dismayed to discover that I had read less than 15% of them. Since then I have been working on reading books from this list!
January
·Nightmare Abbey
·The Child in Time
·The Golden Notebook
·Vile Bodies
·War and Peace
February
·Something New {reread}
·The Immoralist
·Piccadilly Jim (audiobook) {reread}
March
·Middlemarch
·An American Tragedy (audiobook)
·Oliver Twist (audiobook) {reread}
·The Third Man
·Silas Marner (audiobook)
·Lorna Doone
·Behind the Scenes at the Museum (audiobook)
·Bouvard and Pécuchet
·My Cousin Rachel
April
·The Poisoned Chocolates Case
·Persuasion (audiobook) {reread}
·Lady Audley's Secret (audiobook)
·The Red and the Black (audiobook)
·The Island of Doctor Moreau
May
·Changing Places
·The Heart of Darkness (audiobook) {reread}
·Moll Flanders (audiobook)
·Little Dorrit (audiobook)
·Things Fall Apart
·The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (audiobook) {reread}
·Foucault's Pendulum
·Middlesex
·Crime and Punishment (audiobook)
CAT #6: Lymond SagaThe Disorderly Knights
5 stars. This 3rd book is where this series really gets going, in my opinion. The writing style is a bit easier (or to put it more accurately, it has fewer quotes in foreign languages & less abtruse vocabulary). What it does have is plenty of excitement as Lymond becomes entangled with the Knights Hospitaller of St. John. In addition to the historical battle ongoing between the Knights (and Emperor Charles of the Holy Roman Empire) and "infidels" in the form of Suleiman's army, Lymond is involved with a personal struggle (which I can't really describe without spoilers). I can't wait to reread the next one!
CAT #8: Science Fiction & FantasyThe Naked Sun
4 stars. I didn't think that this second book in the Robot series was quite as good as the first one ([The Caves of Steel]) but it was an excellent contrast. In the first book, Elijiah Baley investigates the murder of a "Spacer" (someone who comes from another world that Earth colonized in the past) on Earth, where there are lots of people and only a few robots. In this book, Baley has been requested to go to Solaria (one of the Spacer planets) where there are few people and lots of robots.
Having experienced Solaria in the Foundation series, it was interesting to contrast it here. The Foundation series is set millenia in the future compared to this story so some aspects of the society shown in this were clear signposts to what would evolve. However, knowing the society did lessen some of the dramatic tension of the book. Perhaps that is one reason I thoought this was not quite as good as the previous one!
Asimov writes a good story, engrossing and fun, yet with social commentary to mull over once you finish. In this one, the adaptation of humans to differing social mores (in this case, specifically to be solitary vs. to be in a crowd) is explored and the ultimate consequences of these adaptations is hinted at. I found it fascinating that even the "normal" Earth attitude
is strange to us (although crowding is a not uncommon theme is futuristic sci fi).
CAT #12: Group Reads LT Eco monthFoucault's Pendulum
2½ stars. Parts of this I really enjoyed and I liked the message that people will believe what they want to believe. However, there was too much cabalistic history that I really didn't get and had to just read for the sake of getting to a section that I could understand. I also found some of it ridiculous (as in a secret Templar actually wrote all of Shakespeare's work for him). The main plot, about Casaubon and Belbo, reminded me of a more erudite version of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, which was the best part of the book (although I did like Belbo's reminiscences about being a boy during WW2).
CAT #14: Read the USA mysteriesMoon Signs (West Virginia)
3 stars. While the mystery was OK, the protagonists, Kathleen and her sister Andrea, are the real appeal of this book. It was fun to see active, intelligent older women in the main roles (even if it didn't eliminate the romance angle!). I will be reading the next book in this series...
This is only my 3rd book in this tier; I need to pick up the pace!
Leslie, you are the mystery mistress!
Charbel wrote: "Leslie, you are the mystery mistress!"It is my favorite genre :)
CAT #5: Charles de LintSomeplace To Be Flying
4 stars. Once again de Lint's blend of fantasy, Native American mythology, and reality of small city Newford charmed me. Whilst I wasn't quite as entranced by this as I was by Trader, it did keep me glued to its pages (and listening to the crows that live in the woods near my home!). The ending was a bit disappointing, but I am still mulling it over so may change my mind about that.
CAT #7: Humor - SatireLucky Jim
4 stars. While I found this more amusing than outright funny, I did enjoy it very much. Jim is a young man in his first year teaching at university, unsure of his career, his position, and his ability to fit in socially. I think that the academic side of things would have been funnier to me if I was British; some aspects just stuck me as strange/unbelievable due to the different structure of American colleges & universities. The social/romantic side was very well-done.
Mod
CAT #4: French Classics - done!The Phantom Of The Opera by Gaston Leroux was originally published as a serial (similar to many of Dickens' classics). I found the audiobook, narrated by Ralph Cosham, very exciting & couldn't stop listening! I was surprised that this original version was as macabre as it turned out to be - I had assumed that the various film adaptations had been "spiced up" to appeal to contemporary audiences. 4½ stars.
Mod
The Phantom Of The Opera by Gaston Leroux was originally published as a serial (similar to many of Dickens' classics). I found the audi..."
Well Done Leslie!
Judy wrote: "Leslie, you are making excellent progress. Impressive and a nice variety of books."Thanks Judy! One reason I liked this structure to my challenge was that it did include a lot of variety (and "forces" me to stop reading mysteries for a bit and try something else!).
CAT # 13: PlaysLoot
Hilarious satire of British cops & robbers; Catholics & Protestents. Orton cited Richard Sheridan, Oliver Goldsmith, and Oscar Wilde as his influences, all of whom I love, so it is not surprising that I loved this too. This play has a very similar sense of humor but is less of a comedy of manners & more of a farce. 5 stars
CAT #8: Science Fiction and FantasyThe Dispossessed
Le Guin has explored the meaning of communism and anarchy and what being free really means in this novel. The people of Antarres, "Odonians", left their home planet of Urras about 200 years previously, and settled on the moon/sister planet to leave behind the evils of capitalism ("propertianism") and government oppression. Their society has no government, no ownership (even saying "my nose" is frowned upon -- "the nose" is preferred), no person or group in charge. However, the truth of those claims are tested when one Antarrian, Shevek, wishes to leave Antarres to go to Urras and pursue his physics research (which was not supported and even actively discouraged). Very thought-provoking. 4½ stars
CAT #7: Humor - SatireThe Uncommon Reader
I read this a few weeks ago but forgot to post here.
I found this novella charming and humorous. It was a quick and easy read which has a lot more to it than first appears. The more I think about this book, the more it seems to say - about the nature of reading, the effects books have on people, and on government & democracy. 5 stars
Here is another book for my challenge that I read a few weeks ago...CAT #9: Foreign Mysteries
Roseanna (from Swedish)
This first Martin Beck book is a true police procedural, and as such, isn't as exciting as some of the later books in the series. However, it is by no means dull! I am glad that I backtracked and read it, but it isn't necessary to read this to enjoy the series. 3 stars
Mod
The Uncommon Reader
I read this a few weeks ago but forgot to post here.
I found this novella charming and humor..."
I LOVED it
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Books mentioned in this topic
Long Day’s Journey into Night (other topics)Mourning Becomes Electra (other topics)
Anna Christie (other topics)
Anna Christie (other topics)
The Game of Kings (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Angela Thirkell (other topics)Anthony Trollope (other topics)
Charlotte Brontë (other topics)
Gaston Leroux (other topics)
Gustave Flaubert (other topics)
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Jean - I would second this opinion - I think that The Moving Toyshop is one of my top 10 mysteries of all time (although this list is constantly changing!). I didn't much care for the first book of the series The Case of the Gilded Fly, but otherwise I would recommend it.
I own maybe half of the books, but not in any order (I think I have #3, 4, 5, 7, 9) - but the month I joined the English Mysteries Group, the first book was BoTM and it started me off on (slowly) reading the whole series in order.