Reading with Style discussion
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Rebekah wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 397 Rebekah wrote: "20.8 Silent SpringMenaechmi; Or, the Twin-Brothers by Plautus
Review
Claims are made that this work is what Shake..."
I'm sorry I meant to put 20.6 instead of 20.4, I changed it on my post.
I don't see a double non-consecutive consonant in Plautus.
20.6 Dead SoulsThe Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart
This was such fun! I was immediately taken with the conversational, and somewhat breezy, style. I did not expect that for a book originally published in 1908. I think this is Rinehart's most well known novel, but I will happily look for another and see if it comes close to the same quality/enjoyment.
There are a couple of things which make its age noticeable: the electric company quits sending electricity at midnight, the doctor has a buggy, and the cab is a horse-drawn trap. Despite the age of the novel, it generally holds up well. I have admitted I'm no good at guessing things in a mystery. Though some of the things I found suspicious were, indeed, suspicious, it wasn't until the last 20 pages that I pretty much had things sorted out.
My top rating for the genre is 4-stars. This doesn't quite make that, but is a very strong 3-stars.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Oldies (1908)
Task total = 40
Season total = 460
20.9 JumboThe Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher
+20 Task
+5 Jumbo 630 pages
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 965
20.9 JumboOldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All by Allan Gurganus
I picked this up at a library book sale. I was not familiar with the title or the author, but the title was intriguing.
I was impressed with the scope of this novel. The title character, Lucy is recounting her life in the American South from the end of the 19th century through the publication of this novel in the mid 1980s. However, between the written dialect and the length of this book, I never fully connected with the story Lucy wanted to tell. I found very little characterization in this story. It was a recounting of facts without a lot of emotion. I did continue reading it, so there must have been something about the story or the writing that kept me coming back to it, but I cannot say what that was.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Jumbo
+5 Oldies
+5 Combo 20.6
Task Total: 50
Season Total: 370
20.4 Night WatchDavid Copperfield by Charles Dickens
I understand that this was Charles Dickens's favorite of his novels. With the presumption that it was his most autobiographical, I can understand why. This was not, however, my favorite Dickens.
Sometimes when I am reading the classics, especially the big (long) ones, I can appreciate the serialization of novels. Picking up this novel and reading it in pieces would be similar to watching a drama on TV or keeping up with a soap opera. Whereas reading the novel over the course of a couple of days may be more like binge watching the whole season.
I do appreciate Dickens's humor and find his characters to be outlandish. I felt he reigned some of that in for this novel. His characters were more human. Although there were times where I had to double check and make sure I wasn't re-reading parts I had already read, I mostly enjoyed the coming of age tale of Mr. Copperfield.
+20 Task (Russian edition: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...)
+15 Jumbo
+15 Oldies
+10 Combo (20.10, 20.9)
Post Total: 60
Season Total: 430
10.5 Green StoneBlack Ink: Literary Legends on the Peril, Power, and Pleasure of Reading and Writing edited by Stephanie Stokes Oliver
This collection of essays and excerpts was mostly fantastic! The diversity of the voices and the scope of time represented was impressive.
One of the things that stuck with me was the lack of diversity in literature; especially literature aimed at younger readers. Walter Dean Myers's final writing discussed the lack of color in books available to him as a young man. I am pretty sure I read at least a book by this man when I was young, but glancing through his titles, I do not immediately recognize which one that may be. I will be visiting some of his titles over the summer as my nieces and I explore our reading options.
This topic was also broached by Henry Louis Gates Jr. In his essay, he talks about the Penguin Classics and the lack of diversity within that canon. His quest to find additional material for the literary canon, embracing more black authors was illuminating.
I rated this 4 stars. Although, I could be convinced that I may want to revisit some of the individual essays at another time.
+10 Task (27 ratings)
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-Novel
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 460
20.6 Dead SoulsAnatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver
This was a great example of an early courtroom drama. Reading this could very easily be compared to watching early Perry Mason episodes. There is no Hollywood glamour associated with the lawyers or other 'heroes' of the story. Set in a small Midwest town in the mid or late 1950s, the pace is laid back, there is no desperation to this tale.
I appreciated the pure view of the American judicial system. The back and forth between the lawyers, the interjections from the judge, and the beauty of the process were on full display in this dense novel.
The story was broken into two parts: the investigation and the trial. The investigation looked at each of the players and allowed them to each have a voice. The trial provided the reader an opportunity to brush up on their legal terminology and dictionary usage.
I want to take a minute to appreciate the handling of a rape in 1950s literature. It was not glossed over and dealt with in innuendo nor was it used in a shock and awe manner. The discussion of the rape was approached straightforward.
I found this to be a compelling book, even if it did require a slower reading pace than I am accustomed.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Oldies
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 495
10.6 JustineMary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
I would love to write a review for this one. I enjoyed almost all of this book. However, so much has been written by people who know so much more than I that I shall allow Gaskell experts to expand on why this novel was important and great.
+10 Task
+15 Oldies
+5 Combo 20.10
Post Total: 30
Season Total: 525
20.8 Silent Spring (Ed's Task)Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
Well, many of you have probably seen the movie "My Fair Lady". This is the play on which it is based. The play, of course, is not a musical, but it is just as amusing. A Professor of Linguistics takes an interest in a common flower seller with an awful Cockney accent after a chance meeting. The girl comes to him for lessons on how to speak properly. The professor, who is a bit of an ass, makes a bet with his fellow professor, that he can pass off the girl, Eliza Doolittle, as a Duchess after 6 months of training. Eliza does make stunning progress...but becomes embittered when she realizes that she is the subject of a bet and seems to mean little as an individual to either of the Professors. In the movie, this all comes off comically...but in the play, their is a more tragic aspect to it all. Surprisingly, the movie actually spends more time explaining how Eliza is transformed than the play does. I don't really remember the end of the movie, but I seem to remember it ending on a happy note...and the play does not necessarily do so. Shaw adds a lengthy epilogue which, I think, unnecessarily, expands on how Eliza marries one of the minor characters in the play (not either of the Professors) and how difficult her life is even though she does finally get the flower shop she had always wanted. By the way, the epilogue is presented in narrative form and not in dramatic form. I was prepared to give the piece 4 stars until I read the epilogue....and reduced it to 3 1/2 stars...in an ungenerous mood.
task=20
Review=10
NaN=10
Oldie=20 (1912)
task total= 60
grand total= 1175
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 397 Rebekah wrote: "20.8 Silent SpringMenaechmi; Or, the Twin-Brothers by Plautus
Review
Claims are made that this wo..."
I'm sorry! Im truly losing it! I was thinking the title of MenaechMi!
I'll fix it!
20.8 Silent Spring (Ed's Task)The Best Short Stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
+20 Task
+15 Combo: 20.4 Night Watch / 20.6 Dead Souls / 20.10 My Comfort Zone
+10 Not a Novel
+10 Oldies (1881)
Task Total: 55
Season Total: 715
10.5 - Green StoneNorthern Lights: The Graphic Novel by Philip Pullman
Task total: 10
Season total: 235
10.5- Green StoneThe Great Cornish Getaway by Fern Britton
My review:
This is one of the silliest books I’ve ever read. It tells the story of a famous actor who decides he needs a break from everything and walks off set one afternoon, telling no one where he’s going and so prompting a flurry of newspaper stories about his disappearance.
The plot overall is pretty implausible but it’s really the long series of utterly unbelievable events that makes this book so ridiculous. A particular low point was when this famous actor encounters a mother feeding a young baby. She mentions that feeding isn’t going very well. But wait, film star to the rescue - within minutes he’s dispensed a few words of advice that have magically fixed the problems she’s been struggling with for weeks.
I didn’t have particularly high expectations of this book but even so I was disappointed that it was quite as implausible and silly as this. I gave it two stars, but only because I try to reserve one star ratings for books that I actually find offensive, rather than just bad.
+10 task
+ 10 review
Task total: 20
Season total: 255
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 373 Cory Day wrote: "20.10 My Comfort ZoneNorthanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Review: This is the last of Jane Austen’s novels I hadn’t read, and I knew it wasn’t goi..."
Yep, you're right. 10.9, not 10.5 :)
10.3 - SeriesThe Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
My review:
I’ve been slowly working my way through Agatha Christie’s Poirot series and this was my favourite so far. It was a real page turner and I ended up staying up far too late one night as I couldn’t wait to read more and find out “whodunnit”.
I’ve heard this described as Christie’s best book and I can see why. The plot is full of twists and turns and I didn’t guess the villain’s identity until it was revealed. However, after it was revealed I could immediately see all the little clues that I’d missed at the time, which I think shows what a clever writer Christie was.
I’m a little hesitant to say too much more in case I accidentally give away some small detail that spoils it for someone else! I read this when I was in a bit of a reading slump and it helped me get my reading motivation back. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good page turner to pull them out of a reading slump.
+10 task
+10 combo (10.9 [29 historical, 3894 mystery], 20.4 - Russian edition: Убийство Роджера Экройда)
+10 review
+10 oldie (published 1923)
Post total: 40
Season total: 295
10.5 - Green StonesLast Ditch by Ngaio Marsh
+10 (959 rating as of April 15th)
+5 oldies
Task total: 15
Grand total: 255
20.4 Night WatchThe Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carré
Russian edition: Шпион, пришедший с холода
My review:
This book completely changed my impression of spy novels. The other spy stories I’ve read were entertaining but quite predictable: terrible event takes place, spy is tasked with tracking down perpetrators, car chases, gun fights and explosions follow before the villain is captured and the secret service give themselves a round of applause. (I admit I may be basing my assessment on a small number of books.)
This was completely different. The plot was intelligent and original. The characters were complex and compelling. And John le Carré is a master at creating a really tense, foreboding atmosphere.
My only small criticism is that I felt some of the East German characters and the way they spoke were quite heavily based on stereotypes. That stood out because the British characters were so well developed in contrast.
Overall though I enjoyed this a lot and I’m looking forward to reading more of John le Carré’s books.
+20 task
+10 combo (10.3 - 3rd in George Smiley series, 10.9 - mystery 479, historical 56)
+5 oldie (published 1963)
+10 review
Post total: 45
Season total: 340
Task 20.4 Night WatchThe Night Circus (2011) by Erin Morgenstern
Russian Edition: Ночной цирк
Review: Set in Europe and North America 1870s-1910s, this novel is centered on a “night circus” where the magic is (mostly) real. The “night circus” comes from the fact that the circus is opened from sunset until sunrise. The color scheme (often referred to in the novel) is black & white & shades of grey. The performers use real magic, but include enough supporting props to make it look like the tricks are done with clever maneuvers instead of magic. Two magicians make a gentleman’s bet – each will train up one follower, and then the followers will compete. The overarching plot doesn’t take up much of the novel. Instead, the author spends pages devising very useful magical :enchanted” objects (umbrellas that keep you totally dry! is one) and dreaming up set pieces (stylish Midnight Dinners). The novel would have been improved by having more of a plot. Recommended as a slow-moving story about circuses and magic.
+20 Task
+20 Combo (#10.8 (setting: (70% Europe, 29% North America, 1% Egypt), #10.9 (historical fiction, mystery), #20.1 (major supporting characters fraternal twins), #20.6)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 20 + 10 = 50
Grand Total: 245 + 50 = 295
10.1 Square PegSmall Country: A Novel by Gaël Faye
+10 Task
+10 Review
Review: My first reaction was that this didn't feel like a translation - there were no clunky moments where the move from original to second language could be obvious.
New authors are advised to "write about what you know". Gael Faye has done that here - his main character, 11 year old Gabriel, has a French father, Rwandan mother, and lives in Burundi. While Faye has said that the book is not completely autobiographical, the descriptions of place, and thoughts and reactions of Gabriel feel authentic.
At heart, the book is about loss, of childhood, home, place, family, friends and identity. But it is not downbeat, and it does not dwell overmuch on the horrors of conflicts in Rwanda and Burundi. Instead it is poignant, and very relatable. Perhaps this is due partly to the relatively simple language (childlike, but not childish).
Points this post: 20
RwS total: 210
RtD total: -
Season Total: 210
Are we still doing the countries group challenge? This books was set in Burundi, which I think was one of the outstanding countries.
20.6 Dead SoulsThe League of Frightened Men by Rex Stout
This was a nice change from my last book – a plot!, some character development!, action!.... gasp!
This is the second book in the Nero Wolfe series. Right from the beginning of the book we seem to know who the villain is, but there is no evidence and the answer is more complex than pat. It requires all of Wolfe’s ingenuity to bring the case to a successful conclusion.
The book is narrated by Archie, Wolfe’s assistant, who is more of a man of action than deep thinker. We get a nice dose of their banter (sometimes disdainful = Wolfe, or snarky = Archie). This book is also quite heavy on the 1930s slang (esp. street slang), which generally is fine but occasionally I didn’t know what Archie was referring to. Of course, Wolfe never speaks in slang.
Even though this book is very much of it’s time, I think it holds up well. Stout has written his main characters in such a way that you are interested in what their back story may be. He also shows in this book, that even though all of the relationships are professional (in Wolfe’s house), there is real affection between them. It almost took my breath away that the pivotal incident, that caused the formation of the ‘League of Frightened Men’, was a hazing in college. That could have been taken from current headlines. Overall, an enjoyable read: 4*
20 task
10 review
10 oldie (1935)
_____
40
Running total: 520
20.5 - Keyhouse, the keysLocke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill - graphic novel, no styles
+20 task
Task total: 20
Grand total: 510
20.5 - Keyhouse, the keysLocke & Key, Vol 2: Head Games by Joe Hill - graphic novel, no styles
+20 task
Task total: 20
Grand total: 530
10.3 - #3Locke & Key, Vol. 3: Crown of Shadows by Joe Hill - graphic novel, no styles
+10 task
Task total: 10
Grand total: 540
20.3 SanctuaryThe Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder
Review
Wow! How can I even start to describe this play? The play is all over the place. It is set in modern New Jersey with a massive ice age coming, but then it seems it is really in the prehistoric times as they talking about inventing the alphabet and the wheel. It centers around one family. Mr. and Mrs. Anthrobus and their two children, Henry and Gladys, as well as their sometimes maid, sometimes Mr. Anthrobus’ paramour, Lily Sabina. There are a lot of Biblical references and allusions. The title for one and The Great Flood, Cain killing Abel, Adam and Eve, and probably more I haven’t figured out yet. The play occurs in three acts and they each end with the total destruction of the earth but with the survival of this family. The family is compelled to start society up from scratch again and again, yet nothing changes in their basic natures. In between all this, are the actors falling out of character to complain or explain or to have an impromptu rehearsal. Very schizoid manic but ticklebone funny .
+20 pts - Task
+ 5 pts - Combo (20.8)
+10 pts - Oldies (1942)
+10 pts - Not a Novel
+10 pts - Review
Task Total - 55 pts
Season Total - 370 pts
Task 20.8 Silent Spring (Ed's Task) For this task, read any book that is not a novel published in OR before 1962.
Man-Eaters of Kumaon (1944) by Jim Corbett
Russian: Кумаонские людоеды
Review: I read and reviewed Jim Corbett’s book The Temple Tiger and More Man-Eaters of Kumaon in June 2016. That book, like this book, relates how Jim Corbett hunted and killed man-eating tigers in northern India. Corbett begins each chapter with a quick but chilling description of some of the humans killed and eaten by the tiger he is planning to track and kill.
Corbett believes himself to be a moral hunter. He kills wildlife for only 1 of 2 reasons: 1. To eat the animal; and, 2. To remove a predator that is killing humans. On the last page of the book, the author states: “I am amply rewarded if my hunting has resulted in saving one human life.”
This particular book is not as respectful of local customs as the one he published several years later, The Temple Tiger and More Man-Eaters of Kumaon. (With age comes wisdom???)
Overall, I found this book interesting, and would recommend it to anyone interested in tigers, wild game hunting, or India.
+20 Task
+05 Combo (#20.4 Russian)
+05 Oldies -25 to 75 years old: (1943-1993)
+10 Not-a-Novel (non-fiction)
+10 Review
Task Total: 20 + 05 + 05 + 10 + 10 = 50
Grand Total: 295 + 50 = 345
From Post 376Louise Bro wrote: "20.4 Night Watch
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
Review: This novel is like two books shuffled together, as one would do with a deck of cards. One books is the story of ..."
+5 Combo 10.9
From Post 388Lalitha wrote: "20.6 Dead Souls
Hindutva by V.D. Savarkar
+20 Task
+10 Not a novel
+5 Combo (10.5, less than 1000 ratings)
+10 Oldies (1923)
Task Total = 45
Season Total = 280+45 ..."
+10 Combo 10.7 and 20.8
From Post 420Ed wrote: "20.8 Silent Spring (Ed's Task)
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
Well, many of you have probably seen the movie "My Fair Lady". This is the play on which it is based.
Oldie=20 (1912)..."
1912 publication date earns 10 oldies points not 20.
20.6 Dead SoulsTexts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters by Mallory Ortberg
+20 Task
+10 Not a Novel
Task Total: 30 pts
Grand Total: 330 Pts
20.2 Blazing WorldA Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
Shelved 289 times under feminism. The play explores the limitations and restrictions of women in the current times and what Nora the protagonist does to fight against them in her own way.
Review: I initially read this play years ago in first year Theatre School. I remember connecting to it more then than with this rereading. I read it as preparation for an audition for the part of Christine. It's not a terrible play but it's not terribly interesting either. I suspect that the events would have been more shocking in the late 1800's than now. The themes are still relevant but must be processed through metaphor and context as opposed to a current statement. Nora has a great character arc but her initial presentation is vapid and superficial. What is interesting is what is left out from the play, the audience or reader is forced to create backstories for Nora, Christine and Krogstad; they are not given their histories. This play is very flexible, there are potentially many ways for it to be present. I think that some plays are meant to be read, some to be seen and some either or; A Doll's House is probably most effective as a seen play.
+20 Task
+5 Combo 20.4 Night Watch
+5 Combo 20.8
+10 Not a Novel
+10 Oldies - published 1879
+10 Review
Task Total: 60 pts
Grand Total: 390 pts
20.2 The Blazing WorldSula by Toni Morrison
(Lexile 1050)
The character of Sula! I'm so glad that Nel was right there with me in being frustrated at not being able to fully understand her, even as Sula lived her life self-evidently and explained herself to her best friend. Sula's just living at a level beyond the ordinary. I spent the early chunk of the book wondering why this book was named for her when it seemed just as much about Nel (and Eva and Hannah, and a little about Helene, too), but Sula is the disruption to their shared world, the refusal to play within the framework. She's why this book demands a re-reading (eventually) from me.
And I'm glad I read this so soon after Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower, because it resonated hard.
Morrison's writing is beautiful without being distracting, but sometimes I let myself be distracted and mull over some phrases and read some dialogue out loud, because it was just that good. In a book heavy with grief and anger and pain, sometimes I really needed to linger on the language.
+20 Task -- approved in task thread
+20 Combo -- 10.6, 10.7, 10.9, 20.3
+10 Review
+5 Oldies
Task Total: 55
Season Total: 625
20.7 The Red QueenWar and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
It is very hard to write a review for a book such as this. Tolstoy is a celebrated writer and this book is one of the most analysed of his works - analysed by literary greats. What then can I write about the work? Yet it seems that I must pen down my thoughts on this magnum opus simply because every individual reads and relates to books in their own way.
Classics from a bygone era transports me to a time and place that I can never experience. Tolstoy successfully almost immediately transported me to early 19th century Russia. I was introduced to a slew of characters (too many actually), to pretty balls, grand dances, mostly handsome men and pretty women. It took me further reading (300 odd pages) and introduction to book three before I started getting my teeth into the story. It was then a quick read after that.
The story format is wonderful, with stories interspersed with tales of war - of Napoleon's onslaught and Russia's resilience in the backdrop of the lives of the royal class of Russia. This is a historical fiction and Tolstoy neatly develops fictional characters in very realistic situations. Military operations, the trials and tribulations of the warring soldiers, of prisoners and the general spirit of a nation is beautifully described. One of my most favourite parts is where Tolstoy deems that the force that the essentially weaker Russian army is able to inflict on the presumed mightier French army is like the physical expression of momentum, a product of mass and velocity, only that in the army, the velocity term is replaced by spirit and it is that spirit that forces the french army to retreat.
Apart from the overall story though I do have a few inhibitions - in general I could sense the feeling of gross dismissal of Napoleon's qualities. That history upholds Napoleon as one of history's master of military strategy is an epithet that revolts Tolstoy. On the other hand, Alexander's portrayal as almost godlike was a little annoying. I also did not like any of the characters much. They all seem to fall in love quite too easily (is this me being cynical?). My view of the women in the novel is that they are all supremely dull (is this because of the time it is set in?) and are all only waiting to get married. Reading through Epilogue-1 only reinforced the thought - apart from the character of Sonya who doesn't have much of dignity in herself anyway (critical?). The men are equally dull and apart from Prince Andrew who was only slightly deeper than the rest of the characters, I couldn't really pity any other. The supposed hero of the novel - Pierre, I could only see as a blundering fool.
The philosophical ramblings were alright, not stellar, but were weaved wonderfully throughout the novel. All in all, this must have required so much effort from Tolstoy that one must be forced to tip his hat to the great writer. The length of the book intimidated me at first but I quickly got into the novel after the first couple of books. The second epilogue was unnecessary while the first was a damp squib. Why couldn't Tolstoy just let it be? I would have easily given the book 4 stars. On the whole, this is a classic and I would award it 3 and a half stars.
+20 Task
+25 (20.9, 20.6, 20.4, 10.9, 10.8(?))
+10 Review
+25 Jumbo
+10 Oldies
Task Total = 90
Season Total = 335+90 = 425
Kate S wrote: "From Post 388Lalitha wrote: "20.6 Dead Souls
Hindutva by V.D. Savarkar
+20 Task
+10 Not a novel
+5 Combo (10.5, less than 1000 ratings)
+10 Oldies (1923)
Task To..."
Thank you! I will edit my total points now.
20.4 Night WatchIn the Café of Lost Youth by Patrick Modiano
+20 Task (Кафе утраченной молодости)
Points this post: 20
RwS total: 230
RtD total: -
Season Total: 230
10.9 Double TroubleThe Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley
10 task
____
10
Running total: 530
20.9- JumboThe Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Task +20
Combo +10 (20.1- twin sisters, 20.4)
Jumbo +10
Task total: 40
Season total: 340
20.6 Dead SoulsTell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions by Valeria Luiselli
+20 Task -- L
+10 Not-a-Novel
Task Total: 30
Season Total: 655
10.7 Neutral NameMaster and God by Lindsey Davis
+10 Task
+15 Combo 10.2 (set in Rome), 10.5, 20.7 (Emperor Domitian)
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 990
20.2 The Blazing WorldThe Power by Naomi Alderman
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo 10.8 (Europe and North America)
Post Total: 25
Season Total: 1015
10.9 Double Trouble Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
WOW! I can't recall where I heard about this book -- I think actually from a Goodreads email -- but I am so glad I did. I read a lot of suspense as it is, but this was a terrific addition for me. The premise of the novel is that a woman, Amber, is in a coma. The book is told from the perspective of "now" (while she is in a coma but can hear and think), "then" (the week leading up to the coma) and "before" (childhood diary). Throughout, we're trying to figure out what happened to land her in the hospital and whose fault it is - the intense sister? The maybe-cheating husband? The boss? Friends? The title suggests an unreliable narrator, and the book delivers in so many ways. It's hard to review this without spoilers, but I'll say this: this must have been an incredibly hard book to plan out, and the author did an unbelievable job of it. There are several big reveals, twists and turns I didn't see coming, but when I look back, the hints were right where they should have been. I will say the book started slowish - the first 25-30 pages I wasn't hooked - but by the time I got into it, it was a book I stayed up incredibly late to finish because I just couldn't stop. Highly recommended if you like thrillers, especially with unreliable narrators!
+10 task (mystery 280x, contemporary 46x)
+10 review
Task Total: 20
Season Total: 290
20.10 My comfort zoneFelix Holt: The Radical by George Eliot
+20 Task
+5 Combo 20.9
+15 Oldies (published 1866)
+5 Jumbo (545 pages)
Post Total: 45
Season Total: 1060
10.3 SeriesThe Rubber Band by Rex Stout
This is the third book in the Nero Wolfe series. It has been interesting reading the second book and the third so close together. The 1930s slang, that I had struggled with a little in book two, is gone. The mystery was complicated, but cleverly plotted when it is fully revealed to the reader. All of the action that we are privy to, takes place in Wolfe’s house which for me made the story a little less interesting (than book 2). Archie ‘tells’ us the other important plot events. We get to see a little bit more of Fritz (the cook/butler), and Horstmann (the gardener/orchid keeper) which added to the story. As well, the unprecedented happens – a woman (Wolfe’s client) has to stay at the house; which adds interest and some humor. Overall, a solid 3.5* (which I will round up for GR).
10 task
10 review
10 oldie
5 combo 20.6
______
35
Running total: 565
10.5 Green StoneThe Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia by Masha Gessen
This is a book that I have been looking for. There was the fall of the Berlin Wall, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the privatizing of Russian business, tanks on the streets of Moscow, Putin, oligarchs, annexation of Crimea, war in Ukraine, meddling in US elections etc. What happened? I have struggled to get the big picture amid the news reports. Gessen has given me a clearer, broader picture of what has happened. And she does it including stories of families that have lived the history. She also includes Russian sociologists and psychologists who have been struggling to understand their own people.
She leaves us in mid-stride about 2017 with a pretty pessimistic picture but some hope in a few opposition figures still in Russia and some working abroad.
+10 task (reserved in the task thread)
+10 review
+10 NAN
+5 combo 20.9
+5 jumbo
Task total 40
Season total: 335
20.3 SanctuaryEmporium by Adam Johnson
I had a wonderful literary experience attending the Orcas Island Lit Festival last weekend. Adam Johnson was one of the talented authors I had a chance to hear interviewed. I have read The Orphan Master's Son and Fortune Smiles, so I purchased Emporium for the signing and to read and enjoy his early work. One of the best features of the collection was the variety which kept my interest and showed the range of writing ability Johnson has to offer. At the festival, he told a story of his early life going to the zoo with his father who had a night job there. One of the stories in the book told this story in a different way and it was my favorite of the collection. The voice of Johnson’s storytelling ability came through loud and clear!
+20 Task
+10 Combo: 10.5 Green Stone / 20.6 Dead Souls
+10 Not a Novel
+10 Review
Task Total: 50
Season Total: 760
20.4 Night WatchOrdeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie
There’s been a lot of fuss about this book in the British media this week because the BBC showed an adaptation which changed a ton of things including the nature of many of the characters, the plot, the setting, and even the murderer … and still called it “Agatha Christie’s Ordeal By Innocence”, which it was NOT. It’s one of those times when I’m glad I don’t have a TV because I would probably have felt compelled to watch it and I’d have hated it. I enjoy retellings, but I think it’s deceptive to use the original title and author name.
I’m not sure if that’s really a book review, but it was the reason I reread this one this week. It’s one of her lesser-known mysteries, probably because it doesn’t feature Poirot or Miss Marple, but it has a good surprise at the end, I think ... in the original.
+20 task https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
+10 review
+ 5 oldies (1958)
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 945
Post 422 Karen Michele wrote: "20.8 Silent Spring (Ed's Task)The Best Short Stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
+20 Task
+15 Combo: 20.4 Night Watch / 20.6 Dead Souls / 20.10 My Comfort Zone
+10 Not a ..."
This doesn't work for 20.10 because Dostoyevsky was not born in either France or Britain.
Post 443 Lalitha wrote: "20.7 The Red QueenWar and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
It is very hard to write a review for a book such as this. Tolstoy is a celebrated writer and this book is one of the mo..."
Although Russia spans 2 continents, Moscow and that part of Russia west of Moscow is in Europe, so that this does not qualify for 10.8.
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Menaechmi; Or, the Twin-Brothers by Plautus
Review
Claims are made that this work is what Shakespeare’s
Twelfth Night
w..."
I'm sorry I meant to put 20.6 instead of 20.4, I changed it on my post.