Once again, I'm first with the latest: The Tenant of Widlfell Hall by Anne Bronte, first published in 1846. At that time it was regarded as "scandalous" but was nevertheless a best-seller, with a second edition following later in the same year, before her sisters suppressed the book , thus keeping it out of the public eye for most of the next hundred years.
The book was scandalous because it revealed that many "society" marriages were far from idyllic. In particular the "tenant" in question is a lady fleeing an abusive husband, who she had married "for love" , despite the advice of her guardian aunt that just because a man is handsome, says he loves you, and says he will shed his rakish habits and the "friends" that come with those habits ...... doesn't necessarily mean that he is a good man who will actually do those things. As the novel is set in the 1820s before the Married Womens' Property Act and related legislation, so that the husband has absolute legal control of her money and the children of the marriage. This makes her fleeing illegal under the law of the time, and made worse in the eyes of the law by her taking with her the only son of the marriage.
Finally gotten around to reading Harlan Ellison's The Glass Teat. These were his first year of television criticism columns published in the Los Angeles Free Press in 1968-9. He is probably best known for his science fiction works.
I'm reading Guy Gavriel Kay's newest, All the Seas of the World.
I loved this one. I am a huge GGK fan, and for me his books are divided into "liked a lot," "loved," and "this is forever one of my favourite books." This one was definitely in the "loved" category.
I've just finished "The Dun Cow Rib: A Very Natural Childhood" By John Lister-Kaye. Sort of on par with James Rebanks' books but also slightly akin to The Nightingale by Sam Lee.
I've been enjoying The Marches by Rory Stewart - he's the Conservative MP who went walking across Afghanistan a few years ago. This book is about walks along Hadrian's Wall and around the Scottish Borders and Lake District, but it's really about his relationship with his father, who served in the Black Watch in the Second World War and went on to become an intelligence officer in Malaysia. Lots of thoughts about cultural differences across borders, too.
I arrived too late for the book group on it, but was very excited last week to discover that my local public library had Piranesi in English. It lasted all of two days.
The thread is still around if you want to add your comments @la vie en rouge .
I've just re-read Muriel Spark's The Girls of Slender Means for the umteenth time. What an amazing book it is.
I read that about ten years ago. It was interesting to compare its plot with that of the movie adaptations (which just reinforced my opinion that the Ramon Navarro version was considerably better than the Charlton Heston version).
I read that about ten years ago. It was interesting to compare its plot with that of the movie adaptations (which just reinforced my opinion that the Ramon Navarro version was considerably better than the Charlton Heston version).
I have had the book for longer than that but not got round to reading it.
I've read two interesting non-fictions recently, both memoirs by Australians. Ben Bravery's The patient doctor, his experience as a young adult cancer patient and his subsequent retraining as a doctor. Also Tom Tilley's Speaking in Tongues about his childhood as the son of a pastor in the Revival Centres. Both pretty quick reads, but very interesting. Interviews with the authors can also be found on the ABC (Australian), Conversations page. I find this program points me to many good reads and always has interesting guests.
I have in waiting Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason for my real life book group.
We have read and discussed this now; none of us particularly enjoyed it. I found it boring, angsty, repetitive and non-funny (and some reviews made a point of commenting on the humour, which completely passed me by), though slightly more engaging towards the end when the protagonist started to be told a few home truths. It also drove me nuts that the author couldn't be bothered to punctuate properly.
August's book is The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen.
A bit of a busman's holiday for me is The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell. It's about The Bookshop in Wigtown, and his observations about customers, book buys and the state of the book trade are all very familiar.
A recent raid on a second-hand bookstore yielded the following Turquoise-booty, with plenty of change from a tenner (although of course I paid by card):
In order of reading:
Demonspawn: Fire*Wolf by J.H. Brennan
This is a "numbered paragraphs" choose-your-own adventure from the 1980s, written by the author of the "Grail Quest" series. But it's not as good as GrailQuest, which was genuinely hilarious. This takes itself a bit more seriously and goes for a darker ambience, which doesn't suit the writer's style. There are still flashes of humour, which are the best bits.
Paddington Takes The Air by Michael Bond
I really like the 1970s Paddington TV series and the recent movies are good too. As a child I liked the books too but now alas I find them a bit formulaic. Relaxing in a very-low-brain-intensity sort of way.
Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit
The most famous of my six choices. I've been meaning to read it for a long time. Was it worth it? Well... Nesbit is a funny sort of writer with a very dry, ironic style; a bit like Cold Comfort Farm which lots of people like but I don't. I did enjoy some of the scrapes the children got into but it won't be joining my "favourites" list.
Dawn of Fear by Susan Cooper
This was good. I have fond memories of The Dark is Rising series and even re-read it fairly recently. This is completely different, set during WWII and revolving around the possibility of an upcoming air-raid on the 9-year-old central character's home and his relative obliviousness to the danger. Not a cheery story but memorable.
A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively
Interesting sort-of-ghost-story. Very much focussed on the internal life of the narrator. I think Penelope Lively is quite well-known but I've not read anything else by her (most famous is "The Ghost of Thomas Kempe").
Sun Horse, Moon Horse by Rosemary Sutcliff
I like Rosemary Sutcliff. Her books are pretty dark really though - the central character usually experiences some major catastrophe that fundamentally blights their life and they have to come to terms with it and find a new way of life. This one is that in spades. It's set in just-pre-Roman Britain (but hardly mentions the Romans at all). Unusually the central character's core trait is his artistic gift. It's an imagination of how he came to produce the White Horse of Uffington. Recommended.
I'm slightly embarrassed to remember getting totally engrossed in Fire*Wolf when it first came out, to the extent of ignoring my friend when she spoke to me!
Sun Horse, Moon Horse is excellent.
I'm slightly embarrassed to remember getting totally engrossed in Fire*Wolf when it first came out, to the extent of ignoring my friend when she spoke to me!
Sun Horse, Moon Horse is excellent.
I was a big Fighting Fantasy gamebook fan back in the day and a good friend was very keen on Fire*Wolf which is why I picked it up when I saw it...
My favourites were the "Sorcery!" tetralogy by Steve Jackson and "Bloodfeud of Altheus" which was based on the adventures of Theseus's unreported younger brother. The "Lone Wolf" series was also good. Basically the longer and more complicated the series the better!
"The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek," by Kim Michele Richardson. I am usually not a fan of fiction, but so far loving this book for its look into Appalachian History. The heroine is one of the blue-skinned people of the Kentucky backcountry, and she is part of the government program that had women on horseback taking books into the hills of Kentucky.
I like Rosemary Sutcliff. Her books are pretty dark really though - the central character usually experiences some major catastrophe that fundamentally blights their life and they have to come to terms with it and find a new way of life. This one is that in spades. It's set in just-pre-Roman Britain (but hardly mentions the Romans at all). Unusually the central character's core trait is his artistic gift. It's an imagination of how he came to produce the White Horse of Uffington. Recommended.
Not read this one but I would if I had the chance.
I have read :-
The Eagle of the Ninth , Sword at Sunset and other Arthur books
The sequels to Eagle of the Ninth are good too - Rosemary Sutcliff kept on writing about the same family right the way through the Roman period. The next book in the series is The Silver Branch.
The sequels to Eagle of the Ninth are good too - Rosemary Sutcliff kept on writing about the same family right the way through the Roman period. The next book in the series is The Silver Branch.
Yes, I love all of them - the third in the series is The Lantern Bearers. I thought that was the last of the series but seem to remember reading or hearing somewhere that there is another about the same family. Does anyone know if that's the case?
I can't remember whether I have read Sun Horse, Moon Horse. I kind of recognise the story that @TurquoiseTastic describes, but I don't have the book on my shelf nor on my - now very seldom used - Kindle app. I would never have got rid of a Rosemary Sutcliff so it's possible I borrowed it at some point.
We read Edith Nesbit's The Story of the Amulet in the Ship's book club not so very long ago. It is, in my opinion, the best of the Psammead series and fun but really quite dated.
I’m almost finished with Dorothy Sayer’s The Nine Tailors.
Love that book! I've lost count of the number of times I've reread it. I'm after a copy, the one I had having gone missing years ago, but it's one of the few I read on my Kindle.
I’m almost finished with Dorothy Sayer’s The Nine Tailors.
Love that book! I've lost count of the number of times I've reread it. I'm after a copy, the one I had having gone missing years ago, but it's one of the few I read on my Kindle.
It is a very good read, but not one that I can read or appreciate if I’m at all tired, so not good for bedtime. As a result, it’s taken me awhile.
I was fortunate to have a couple of nice days nice reading last week. The Crimson Thread by Kate Forsyth, fiction but based in part on her relatives service in WW2 on Crete. Also Geraldine Brooks latest, Horse. I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did, but she always writes on such interesting topics. This novel being about the racehorse, Lexington and those who trained him and painted his portrait (set in the past) and in the present the man who comes across the old painting and with a friend, tries to discover more about his story.
The sequels to Eagle of the Ninth are good too - Rosemary Sutcliff kept on writing about the same family right the way through the Roman period. The next book in the series is The Silver Branch.
Yes, I love all of them - the third in the series is The Lantern Bearers. I thought that was the last of the series but seem to remember reading or hearing somewhere that there is another about the same family. Does anyone know if that's the case?
I can't remember whether I have read Sun Horse, Moon Horse. I kind of recognise the story that @TurquoiseTastic describes, but I don't have the book on my shelf nor on my - now very seldom used - Kindle app. I would never have got rid of a Rosemary Sutcliff so it's possible I borrowed it at some point.
We read Edith Nesbit's The Story of the Amulet in the Ship's book club not so very long ago. It is, in my opinion, the best of the Psammead series and fun but really quite dated.
The sequels to Eagle of the Ninth are good too - Rosemary Sutcliff kept on writing about the same family right the way through the Roman period. The next book in the series is The Silver Branch.
Yes, I love all of them - the third in the series is The Lantern Bearers. I thought that was the last of the series but seem to remember reading or hearing somewhere that there is another about the same family. Does anyone know if that's the case?
Frontier Wolf - another in the series about the same family, but I think it is a prequel, that it comes before Eagle of the Ninth chronologically.
Coincidentally I am reading another of hers - Flowers of Adonis, about the Greek soldier/statesman Alcibiades, a fascinating but flawed character.
I bought Shapi Korsandi "A Beginner's Guide to Acting English" because she is at Greenbelt, and I thought it would be interesting to read something of her. It is an interesting and challenging read, but very interesting to see the Iranian revolution through the eyes of a child - and one who was in England. And one whose family were threatened by the Ayatollah.
The sequels to Eagle of the Ninth are good too - Rosemary Sutcliff kept on writing about the same family right the way through the Roman period. The next book in the series is The Silver Branch.
Yes, I love all of them - the third in the series is The Lantern Bearers. I thought that was the last of the series but seem to remember reading or hearing somewhere that there is another about the same family. Does anyone know if that's the case?
Frontier Wolf - another in the series about the same family, but I think it is a prequel, that it comes before Eagle of the Ninth chronologically.
Thank you. I have that one on the shelf but can't remember anything about it. *adds to reading list*
I picked up Joanne Harris's Chocolat from one of those book boxes. I remember enjoying the film and I really wanted to like it. The premise is a good one - a chocolate shop opens in a small French village during Lent.
But. I ended up very annoyed. Reading about a village where 80% of the people attend mass and there are apparently no cars or telephones, I assumed it was set in about the 1960s. When I realised it was supposed to be the mid 1990s, I suddenly felt extremely cross. No, but sorry, no. We in the South West of France are not all stereotyped throwbacks, even rather charming ones. France Telecom had made it out to the sticks by then. A lot of other details were off as well. No self respecting French person eats tomatoes in March. And the priest going to the school "to tell the children about Easter"? Someone's losing their job over that.
Frontier Wolf comes after Eagle of the Ninth, IIRC. I'm trying to remember which is the last one in the sequence - Dawn Wind? Nope, it's gone.
@Eigon by a strange coincidence I went to Hay on Wye for the weekend last month and came back with my own copy of 'Diary of a bookseller.' Alas, it is still languishing towards the bottom of my TBR pile. Last time I went to the library I returned two books and got out four more... I think the books are winning.
A lot of other details were off as well. No self respecting French person eats tomatoes in March. And the priest going to the school "to tell the children about Easter"? Someone's losing their job over that.
Sounds like a case of "This is what rural France is like IN MY BRAIN" or even "I don't know or care what rural France is like, better make something up and hope no-one notices..."
To be fair I did once see a 1990s French picture book illustrating the EU in which the British were represented as wearing bowler hats all the time...
I picked up Joanne Harris's Chocolat from one of those book boxes. I remember enjoying the film and I really wanted to like it. The premise is a good one - a chocolate shop opens in a small French village during Lent.
But. I ended up very annoyed. Reading about a village where 80% of the people attend mass and there are apparently no cars or telephones, I assumed it was set in about the 1960s. When I realised it was supposed to be the mid 1990s, I suddenly felt extremely cross. No, but sorry, no. We in the South West of France are not all stereotyped throwbacks, even rather charming ones. France Telecom had made it out to the sticks by then. A lot of other details were off as well. No self respecting French person eats tomatoes in March. And the priest going to the school "to tell the children about Easter"? Someone's losing their job over that.
I'm quite glad I didn't pay money for it.
Does it say anywhere in the book that it's meant to be set in the 90s? (I know it was published in 1999). Harris has this interesting comment about the time setting of the book on her website:
Nor is the book set at any particular time. I deliberately wanted to give it an old-fashioned feel, to suggest that this was a place where nothing had changed in many years, whilst retaining some elements of modern life. There are still many rural communities in France - especially in the south - where this remains a true depiction, but Chocolat was never intended to be an accurate representation of "today's France". It is a France seen through a very selective, very personal filter which has as much to do with nostalgia as with present-day realism.
I read Chocolat many years ago and enjoyed it in a sort of almost fairytale way. but I do think that when authors try to do that thing of making the setting of a story "timeless," it often doesn't succeed well.
I picked up Joanne Harris's Chocolat from one of those book boxes. I remember enjoying the film and I really wanted to like it. The premise is a good one - a chocolate shop opens in a small French village during Lent.
But. I ended up very annoyed. Reading about a village where 80% of the people attend mass and there are apparently no cars or telephones, I assumed it was set in about the 1960s. When I realised it was supposed to be the mid 1990s, I suddenly felt extremely cross. No, but sorry, no. We in the South West of France are not all stereotyped throwbacks, even rather charming ones. France Telecom had made it out to the sticks by then. A lot of other details were off as well. No self respecting French person eats tomatoes in March. And the priest going to the school "to tell the children about Easter"? Someone's losing their job over that.
I'm quite glad I didn't pay money for it.
Does it say anywhere in the book that it's meant to be set in the 90s? (I know it was published in 1999). Harris has this interesting comment about the time setting of the book on her website:
Nor is the book set at any particular time. I deliberately wanted to give it an old-fashioned feel, to suggest that this was a place where nothing had changed in many years, whilst retaining some elements of modern life. There are still many rural communities in France - especially in the south - where this remains a true depiction, but Chocolat was never intended to be an accurate representation of "today's France". It is a France seen through a very selective, very personal filter which has as much to do with nostalgia as with present-day realism.
I read Chocolat many years ago and enjoyed it in a sort of almost fairytale way. but I do think that when authors try to do that thing of making the setting of a story "timeless," it often doesn't succeed well.
Doesn’t Chocolat fall in the genre of magical realism? That’s how I understood it, and that’s the context through which I viewed the . . . chronological ambiguity?
The movie, as I recall, is explicitly set 15 years “after the war,” so around 1960.
I picked up Joanne Harris's Chocolat from one of those book boxes. I remember enjoying the film and I really wanted to like it. The premise is a good one - a chocolate shop opens in a small French village during Lent.
But. I ended up very annoyed. Reading about a village where 80% of the people attend mass and there are apparently no cars or telephones, I assumed it was set in about the 1960s. When I realised it was supposed to be the mid 1990s, I suddenly felt extremely cross. No, but sorry, no. We in the South West of France are not all stereotyped throwbacks, even rather charming ones. France Telecom had made it out to the sticks by then. A lot of other details were off as well. No self respecting French person eats tomatoes in March. And the priest going to the school "to tell the children about Easter"? Someone's losing their job over that.
I'm quite glad I didn't pay money for it.
Does it say anywhere in the book that it's meant to be set in the 90s? (I know it was published in 1999). Harris has this interesting comment about the time setting of the book on her website:
Nor is the book set at any particular time. I deliberately wanted to give it an old-fashioned feel, to suggest that this was a place where nothing had changed in many years, whilst retaining some elements of modern life. There are still many rural communities in France - especially in the south - where this remains a true depiction, but Chocolat was never intended to be an accurate representation of "today's France". It is a France seen through a very selective, very personal filter which has as much to do with nostalgia as with present-day realism.
I read Chocolat many years ago and enjoyed it in a sort of almost fairytale way. but I do think that when authors try to do that thing of making the setting of a story "timeless," it often doesn't succeed well.
Doesn’t Chocolat fall in the genre of magical realism? That’s how I understood it, and that’s the context through which I viewed the . . . chronological ambiguity?
The movie, as I recall, is explicitly set 15 years “after the war,” so around 1960.
I think I just accepted it as it was, and put it in the 50s-60s. However, there is a real sense in her books of a slightly alternate reality. So a sort of magical realism.
(Re Chocolat) It read to me like someone who wanted to have a go at rural England but thought it would sell better if it was set in an 'exotic' location. And had been on one holiday to France and not bothered to do any more research. I read about four chapters and then got fed up and skipped to the end.
Yeah, there are tedious bits. Try to power through them.
Have now finished it I know what you mean. Some major characters in the book are omitted and some characters in the book are built up for the film. The Charlton Heston film is almost a different story and the emphasis is on action rather than the dialogue of the book
However, I did enjoy reading it even though it did appear to rush to a conclusion.
Comments
The book was scandalous because it revealed that many "society" marriages were far from idyllic. In particular the "tenant" in question is a lady fleeing an abusive husband, who she had married "for love" , despite the advice of her guardian aunt that just because a man is handsome, says he loves you, and says he will shed his rakish habits and the "friends" that come with those habits ...... doesn't necessarily mean that he is a good man who will actually do those things. As the novel is set in the 1820s before the Married Womens' Property Act and related legislation, so that the husband has absolute legal control of her money and the children of the marriage. This makes her fleeing illegal under the law of the time, and made worse in the eyes of the law by her taking with her the only son of the marriage.
I loved this one. I am a huge GGK fan, and for me his books are divided into "liked a lot," "loved," and "this is forever one of my favourite books." This one was definitely in the "loved" category.
It was a delicious read. Very gentle.
I have started reading Ben Hur.
I've just re-read Muriel Spark's The Girls of Slender Means for the umteenth time. What an amazing book it is.
I have had the book for longer than that but not got round to reading it.
Thanks. The description of the meeting of the wise men was probably used by David Lean when he did the entrance of Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia
August's book is The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen.
I am, as usual, reading vintage detective novels.
In order of reading:
Demonspawn: Fire*Wolf by J.H. Brennan
This is a "numbered paragraphs" choose-your-own adventure from the 1980s, written by the author of the "Grail Quest" series. But it's not as good as GrailQuest, which was genuinely hilarious. This takes itself a bit more seriously and goes for a darker ambience, which doesn't suit the writer's style. There are still flashes of humour, which are the best bits.
Paddington Takes The Air by Michael Bond
I really like the 1970s Paddington TV series and the recent movies are good too. As a child I liked the books too but now alas I find them a bit formulaic. Relaxing in a very-low-brain-intensity sort of way.
Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit
The most famous of my six choices. I've been meaning to read it for a long time. Was it worth it? Well... Nesbit is a funny sort of writer with a very dry, ironic style; a bit like Cold Comfort Farm which lots of people like but I don't. I did enjoy some of the scrapes the children got into but it won't be joining my "favourites" list.
Dawn of Fear by Susan Cooper
This was good. I have fond memories of The Dark is Rising series and even re-read it fairly recently. This is completely different, set during WWII and revolving around the possibility of an upcoming air-raid on the 9-year-old central character's home and his relative obliviousness to the danger. Not a cheery story but memorable.
A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively
Interesting sort-of-ghost-story. Very much focussed on the internal life of the narrator. I think Penelope Lively is quite well-known but I've not read anything else by her (most famous is "The Ghost of Thomas Kempe").
Sun Horse, Moon Horse by Rosemary Sutcliff
I like Rosemary Sutcliff. Her books are pretty dark really though - the central character usually experiences some major catastrophe that fundamentally blights their life and they have to come to terms with it and find a new way of life. This one is that in spades. It's set in just-pre-Roman Britain (but hardly mentions the Romans at all). Unusually the central character's core trait is his artistic gift. It's an imagination of how he came to produce the White Horse of Uffington. Recommended.
Sun Horse, Moon Horse is excellent.
I was a big Fighting Fantasy gamebook fan back in the day and a good friend was very keen on Fire*Wolf which is why I picked it up when I saw it...
My favourites were the "Sorcery!" tetralogy by Steve Jackson and "Bloodfeud of Altheus" which was based on the adventures of Theseus's unreported younger brother. The "Lone Wolf" series was also good. Basically the longer and more complicated the series the better!
Not read this one but I would if I had the chance.
I have read :-
The Eagle of the Ninth , Sword at Sunset and other Arthur books
Yes, I love all of them - the third in the series is The Lantern Bearers. I thought that was the last of the series but seem to remember reading or hearing somewhere that there is another about the same family. Does anyone know if that's the case?
I can't remember whether I have read Sun Horse, Moon Horse. I kind of recognise the story that @TurquoiseTastic describes, but I don't have the book on my shelf nor on my - now very seldom used - Kindle app. I would never have got rid of a Rosemary Sutcliff so it's possible I borrowed it at some point.
We read Edith Nesbit's The Story of the Amulet in the Ship's book club not so very long ago. It is, in my opinion, the best of the Psammead series and fun but really quite dated.
Written in 1905; of course it is dated
Frontier Wolf - another in the series about the same family, but I think it is a prequel, that it comes before Eagle of the Ninth chronologically.
Coincidentally I am reading another of hers - Flowers of Adonis, about the Greek soldier/statesman Alcibiades, a fascinating but flawed character.
Thank you. I have that one on the shelf but can't remember anything about it. *adds to reading list*
But. I ended up very annoyed. Reading about a village where 80% of the people attend mass and there are apparently no cars or telephones, I assumed it was set in about the 1960s. When I realised it was supposed to be the mid 1990s, I suddenly felt extremely cross. No, but sorry, no. We in the South West of France are not all stereotyped throwbacks, even rather charming ones. France Telecom had made it out to the sticks by then. A lot of other details were off as well. No self respecting French person eats tomatoes in March. And the priest going to the school "to tell the children about Easter"? Someone's losing their job over that.
I'm quite glad I didn't pay money for it.
@Eigon by a strange coincidence I went to Hay on Wye for the weekend last month and came back with my own copy of 'Diary of a bookseller.' Alas, it is still languishing towards the bottom of my TBR pile. Last time I went to the library I returned two books and got out four more... I think the books are winning.
To be fair I did once see a 1990s French picture book illustrating the EU in which the British were represented as wearing bowler hats all the time...
Does it say anywhere in the book that it's meant to be set in the 90s? (I know it was published in 1999). Harris has this interesting comment about the time setting of the book on her website:
I read Chocolat many years ago and enjoyed it in a sort of almost fairytale way. but I do think that when authors try to do that thing of making the setting of a story "timeless," it often doesn't succeed well.
The movie, as I recall, is explicitly set 15 years “after the war,” so around 1960.
I think I just accepted it as it was, and put it in the 50s-60s. However, there is a real sense in her books of a slightly alternate reality. So a sort of magical realism.
Magical realism is not my favourite genre, tbh.
Have now finished it I know what you mean. Some major characters in the book are omitted and some characters in the book are built up for the film. The Charlton Heston film is almost a different story and the emphasis is on action rather than the dialogue of the book
However, I did enjoy reading it even though it did appear to rush to a conclusion.
I very much enjoyed "A Walk Around the Lakes" by the same author a few years ago.
If I can find I will read it