Readerly Rambles: 10/03/2012

I haven't finished any of my reads this week.  Sigh.  This week's Readerly Rambles will be a bit different.  However, there is bookish activity afoot! 

Book Miscellany

Book buying in the future:  Y'all, I haven't purchased a single book since May.  MAY.  I'm suffering.  I have several book buying opportunities on the horizon.  I have a $30 worth of books for $15 coupon from Bookcloseouts.com.  I have $16 credit at a used bookstore in Athens.  I have a big box of books to trade in at a local shop.  The big news?  The massive library sale happens the last weekend in October and I am off that Friday.  I am so going. 

Book organization -- real world:  In a few weeks we are doing a massive rearranging of the house and changing things up in anticipation of the holidays (and Persy Jane).  To shorten a long and confusing explanation of the planned improvements, let's just say that my built in shelves in the living room will no longer store toys.  That frees up three selves.  My books from the bedroom will move and all be in the library.

Reading chair:  I am now on the prowl for the perfect reading chair, but it needs to be really reasonably (ahem, cheaply) priced.  I want something squishy for cozy reading, but firm enough for prolonged baby holding / breast feeding.  An ottoman would be an added bonus.  Since we've gotten scabies once and it was terrible I am incredibly wary of thrift store furniture.  We'll see if I can locate something.

Book organization -- virtual:  I still need to construct a shelf in GoodReads for my Classics Challenge and I really want to revive my LibraryThing account.  For LibraryThing I will need to delete a lot of the books and then start over cataloging my collection.  I'll see when I can work that in before the close of 2012.

Book Events

All Hallows Eve Swap:  Have you signed up?  I love the prospect of sending someone a scary book along with some added treats.  Sign-up is going on until Friday!  An added bonus is I think that this is the perfect way to make new bookish friends. 

Gothic in October:  I'm sort of participating.  I'm planning on reading The Italian by Ann Radcliffe, but I probably won't get to it until holiday break.  I'm reading a collection of M R James stories and I'm really enjoying it.  I plan on posting more thoroughly on the collection when I'm done. 

RIP:  The R.eaders' I.mbibing P.eril challenge is going along wonderfully.  I haven't had a chance to watch any films (does Sherlock season 2 count) but I plan on remedying that soon.  So far I've read three titles for RIP:  The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  I have loads more in the RIP pile:  MR James short stories, more Harry Potter, The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill, and The Solitary House by Lynn Shepard.  I'm also joining in on The Graveyard Book read-along, but I'll be listening to the audio version.

 

24-hour Readathon:  October 13th is the day!  Next weekend!  I'm hoping to make it a spectacular RIP readathon.  Of course, I will not be able to participate in all 24 hours.  Sam will spend most of the day with the kids, but I do want to see my kiddos a bit and "come up for air." 

Okay, nothing finished.  But as you can see I'm just as consumed by reading as ever.  Happy Reading, folks!

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril VII

Cheers to heralding in Autumn!  Carl's 7th year of hosting the RIP challenge is upon us.  Grab a mystery or something spooky and join in.  I'll be participating in several of the challenges: 

Peril the First:
I will be reading at least four creepy novels for this challenge.  In my choice pool I have The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (also a RIP read-along), the Harry Potter series (a non-RIP associated read-along),  Desperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy, Aurora Floyd by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lilith by George MacDonald, Locke and Key: Clockworks by Joe Hill, and a few volumes of Bill Willingham's Fables series.
Peril of the Short Story:
In October I will be reading The Haunted Dolls' House and Other Ghost Stories by MR James.

Peril on the Screen:
I plan to watch 5-7 creepy movies this autumn.  There's nothing better than getting good and scared.

A short and sweet post today.  I'm eager to get through the work day and crack open some books! 

A Victorian Celebration and a Summer Challenge

Anyone who knows the least little bit about me know that I am ga-ga over Victorian anything, but I'm especially ga-ga for Victorian literature.  I'm very excited to sign-up for Allie's Victorian Celebration challenge.  Essentially my goal is to read books by and about Victorians through the months of  June and July.  Sure, I'll read other things, but my main focus will be on the Victorians.  My personal goal is to read five books by or about Victorians (fiction and/or non-fiction).

This leads into a personal challenge.

In December I had painstakingly planned out my reading challenges.  I was going to focus on several challenges from January until April and then I had hoped to wrap at least one of them up.  That didn't happen.  I'm still going to do the challenges, but not with the time constraint.  However, I'm going to stick with not adding on any title specific challenges until I wrap-up the ones I've started.  I can do things like A Victorian Celebration because I can read title I already have on my existing challenge lists.  Instead I'm going to spend the summer reading JUST FROM MY STACKS.  That's right.  I'm finishing up my current book (Memento Mori) and then I am library book ban from Now until September 1st.  In September I'll be going on a library book blitz.  Being the good library girl that I am, I tend to read library books first so I can get them back to the library in a timely manner.  This means I end up reading mostly library books.

All that will change this summer.

I spent last night organizing my TBR stacks.  I have birthday books (and more on the way!) and I needed to add them on the shelves.  Unlike other challenges I'm allowing myself to buy/receive more books, but the caveat is that they must fit -- neatly, not all willy nilly -- on my TBR shelf.  Once a book is read I will decided if it is a keeper or a book sale donation and thereby make more room on my shelves.  Here is a snapshot of my current TBR shelf (excepting the Elizabeth Bowen short story collection which is in my bag and the books that are on the way).

Let's hope I stick with it!  Let me know if you'd like to join in.  

Truth in Fiction: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Poisoner's Handbook

I've always loved Agatha Christie mysteries.  When I was a little younger than Hope (about 10 or 11) I read aloud to the elderly lady next door.  Mrs. Jenkins was nuts about mysteries and especially Agatha Christie novels.  I cannot remember which ones we read, but I know that it gave me my first love of the thrill for the whodunnit.  After that I started to blow through as many Christie novels as I could and then I found that they started to lose appeal.  You see, I began to guess the murderer.  I would pick out the least likely person and I knew that 90% of the time that was the killer.  Now I know that to truly experience the thrill of Christie, I need to limit her and only read one book a year by this queen of mystery. 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was my Christie choice for this year as it is one I hadn't read before and is considered one of her finest.  I can honestly say that I did not guess the killer until the last 30 pages of the book.  I was shocked and surprised.  I can't say anything more about the novel for fear of spoiling it, but I do think it is one of her best and every one should wait for a rainy day, grab a cup of tea, and read it in one sitting.

Although poison makes an appearance in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, it isn't the star (that's the most I can say without giving the plot away).  So why did I chose Deborah Blum's The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York?   For one, I really wanted to read this book.  Secondly, time period wise it occurs about the same period of time.  Ackroyd was published in 1926 and the Jazz Age occurred in the 1920s.  But thirdly and most of all I wanted to read the two books in conjunction because of this quote, taken from Blum's epilogue to Poisoner's:

 "...[I]n reality, I find poison killing among the most disturbing of all homicides.... They're closer to that lurking monster in the closet than some drug-impaired crazy with a gun." 

 Blum recognizes that most poisoning cases are frightening because the murderer has planned to kill someone familiar and poison is the perfect way to go undetected.  Although Blum's book does detail some instances of poisoning from unsafe working conditions, accidental deaths, unregulated products, and a rogue killer; most of the cases involve someone poisoning their spouse, family, friends, children, etc.... I think that this is what links the book to Christie; her murderers live among the victims.  In other words, someone at the dinner table is a murderer and that in itself is horrifying.

While The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was entertaining and page-turning, I don't think I can say enough positives about Poisoner's Handbook.  The book details the science behind poison and forensics, but it also offers a fascinating history of Charles Norris (medical examiner) and Alexander Gettler (toxicologist) and how the two men increased the accuracy of forensic science by repeated experiments and scholarly research, established procedures and a place of professionalism, and cleaned out corruption within the office.  I also learned a great deal about the formation of the FDA, Prohibition, criminal organizations, and the dangerous life of Jazz Age New York (I never thought of what it would be like in NY with everyone driving and no standard driver's license or driving laws... ack!).

Blum really brought the science of toxicology to life; almost too much.  At one point I was reading about an autopsy and there was a discussion of various tools used to saw into parts and I literally had tunnel vision.  I thought I was going to black out!  I was disgusted by what my imagination did to the description and at the same time in awe of the powerful writing.

History, mystery, true crime, and science fans thoroughly enjoy The Poisoner's Handbook and mystery fans are sure to be stumped -- at least for a bit -- by The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was read for the Truth in Fiction challenge and Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge.

The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York was read for the Truth in Fiction challenge and the Support your Local Library Challenge

Truth in Fiction: Charles Dickens and Our Mutual Friend

This is my first post for my reading challenge that I am hosting (I'm a horrible challenge host) that seeks to pair non-fiction books with novels.  I read Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens in January and I read Claire Tomalin's Dickens biography in February.  Here it is mid-March and I'm finally writing.  Naughty blogger.

I've hesitated on writing because I was trying to figure out what "angle" I wanted to take.  I don't want to recite the life of Charles Dickens and I've already written a review of Our Mutual Friend.  I've decided to not rehash things and instead to talk about where these two books intersect.  First, let me warn you that there will be Our Mutual Friend spoilers galore and so don't read on if you have yet to read the novel.

Our Mutual Friend is Charles Dickens last completed novel before his death in 1870.  Published in a serialized format from 1864-1865, the novel concerns a mysterious death, a will, and -- a favorite topic to Dickens -- money.  This is the novel Dickens had with him when he was involved in the Staplehurst rail crash.  Dickens grabbed his manuscript and managed to help get other passengers to safety.  At the time he was traveling with his mistress Ellen Ternan.  Dickens had been involved in come capacity with Ellen Ternan for some time and he left his wife and mother of his brood of children to be with the young actress Ellen, called Nelly.

It is beyond a doubt that Dickens is a very fine writer and has great compassion for the poor and downtrodden; however, he is human and flawed and his abominable behavior towards his wife was the one glaring lapse of character (of course he had other flaws, but this is the most "public" of his faults).  In reading Tomalin's biography it is interesting to note that Dickens tries very hard to cover-up his faults and to almost talk himself into being faultless.  He assumes a victim like stance rushing towards separation, asking his children to abandon their mother, even taking the younger children from their mother, forcing Catherine Dickens to pretend that all was well and even make social calls to the Ternans.  All the while he raising money for orphans and working to establish and keep up his home for fallen women.  In addition he is doing public readings and writing... still the beloved Boz.

What links Our Mutual Friend to this duplicitous time in his life is the one glaring issues I had with Our Mutual Friend -- the manipulation and lies fed to Bella Wilfer and how it is TOTALLY okay and even joyous in the end.  In my review of Our Mutual Friend I discuss how Bella is duped into thinking that she is marrying John Rokesmith who in fact is John Harmon.  A condition of Harmon's inheritance is that he marry Bella Wilfour. Well, Harmon is thought dead, Bella is released from her engagement to a man she doesn't know, and the Boffins (common and good people) inherit the money.  The Boffins take on Bella as a ward and shower her with affections and gifts.  Enter John Rokesmith (aka Harmon) who is secretary to Mr. Boffin.  Bella and John fall in love; John is kicked out of the home, Bella follows him, they wed, time passes, she has a baby and then one day.  BAM!  John tells Bella who he really is after a ridiculous scene where we learn that the Boffins were "in on it" and knew that Bella was being tested.  John wanted to know that Bella just wasn't after the money and so there was a long period of time where Bella was actively deceived to test her worth.  Most surprising is Bella's reaction.  She isn't angry.  She doesn't question.  She accepts that she needs to put full faith in her husband and trust that all of his lies and deceptions were for her own good.

At the end everyone is happy and smiling and all is right.  And it smacks of falsity.  I think this is pushing it even by Victorian standards of wifely obedience.

So while Dickens is in the midst of trying to be the lovable, fatherly Boz and writing about societal ills and supporting through philanthropy those wronged by selfishness he is engaged in breaking up his home and his wife's heart and carrying on with a much younger actress.  I can't help but think, and this may be a stretch, that Dickens knew he was wrong and sought at every chance to validate his own willingness to deceive with his sense of morality.  This sort of cognitive dissonance is apparent in Bella's thankful attitude towards John and the Boffins deceiving and testing her character through their falseness. 

Once again, I don't have any evidence that this was really on Dickens's mind or that he truly struggled with his poor choices.  I like to think that he knew he was wrong and was seeking a way to make his errors seem not so bad, but I don't know that for sure.  It could just all be a coincidence, but it is interesting to ponder.

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Our Mutual Friend was read for January Charles Dickens month, the Truth in Fiction challenge, Classics Challenge 2012, Victorian Challenge 2012, Tea and Books challenge,  and The TBR Pile Challenge.

Charles Dickens: A Life was read for January Charles Dickens month and the Truth in Fiction challenge

The Sunday Salon: Classics Club

Okay, I've tried very hard to not sign-up for any new challenges until May and when I have a few completed (which reminds me I need to see where I'm at with my challenges).  BUT this isn't a year long challenge; this is a  five year challenge to read 50+ classics.  Of course we have the her bookishness Jillian to thank for this inspiring idea and pulling it all together.  I've picked 100 books to complete in the next five years (01 March 2012 - 01 March 2017).  You may notice that there are more than 100 books (technically) listed.  All of the novels composing The Forsyte Saga (9) and Kristen Lavransdatter (3) are not individually listed.  This will give me some wiggle room in case there are books I don't care to finish.  I have "shorter works" on my list, but I've chosen to read the entire short story collection to make it count.  I do have one play, Richard III, that is the shortest work on the list. 

I also set a few rules for myself:  1) all the books had to be published prior to 1950 and 2) I can reread, but only if I've read the book once or it has been over 5 years since I read the book).  So, alas, I cannot reread Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights over over over and over again. But the good news is that I will hopefully increase my list of classics I adore.

On to the list!  Turquoise books are rereads and Greens are Viragos!

1. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte (completed 04/17/12)
2. The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katherine Green
3. The Dead Secret by Wilkie Collins
4. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
5. Uncle Silas by Sheridan Le Fanu (completed 07/29/12)
6. The Warden by Anthony Trollope
7. Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
8. Doctor Thorne by  Anthony Trollope
9. Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope
10. Small House at Allington by  Anthony Trollope
11. Last Chronicle of Barset by  Anthony Trollope
12. Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
13. Kristen Lavransdatter (all three books) by Sigrid Undset
14. Hunger by Knut Hamsen
15. No Name by Wilkie Collins
16. Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
17. The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen
18. Gothic Tales by Elizabeth Gaskell
19. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
20. Adam's Breed by Radclyffe Hall
21. The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
22. The Collected Stories of Elizabeth Bowen (completed 07/01/12)
23. Howard's End by E. M. Forster 
24. The Golden Apples by Eudora Welty
25. The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
26. Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens 
27. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens 
28. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens 
29. Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens 
30. Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens 
31. Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens 
32. Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens 
33. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens 
34. Bleak House by Charles Dickens 
35. Hard Times by Charles Dickens 
36. Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens 
37. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 
38. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 
39. Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens 
40. Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens 
41. The Monk by Matthew Lewis
42. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
43. Richard III by William Shakespeare
44. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
45. Middlemarch by George Eliot
46. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
47. Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
48. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackery
49. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
50. The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton
51. The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen
52. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
53. The Forsyte Saga (all 9 books plus the "interludes")
54. The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
55. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
56. The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope
57. Diana of the Crossways by George Meredith
58. No Signposts in the Sea by Vita Sackville-West
59. The Friendly Young Ladies by Mary Renault
60. Hunt the Slipper by Violet Trefusis
61. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
62. The Italian by Ann Radcliffe
63. Lorna Doone by Richard Blackmore
64. Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
65. Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert
66. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
67. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James
68. He Knew He Was Right by Anthony Trollope
69. East Lynne by Ellen Wood
70. The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen
71. The Professor by Charlotte Bronte
72. The Oxford Book of Victorian Ghost Stories
73. The Rising Tide by Molly Keane
74. Without my Cloak by Kate O'Brien
75. Harriet Hume by Rebecca West
76. Persuasion by Jane Austen
77. Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Maturin
78. Trilby by George Du Maurier
79. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
80. The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
81. Passage to India by E M Forster
82. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
83. The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Tales by H P Lovecraft
84. The Call of Cthlulu and Other Weird Tales by H P Lovecraft
85. The Thinking Reed by Rebecca West
86. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
87. The Three Sisters by May Sinclair
88. Shirley by Charlotte Bronte
89. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
90. War and Peace by Leo Tolstory
91. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
92. A House and Its Head by Ivy Compton-Burnett
93. The Collected Shorter Fiction of Virginia Woolf
94. Summer will Show by Sylvia Townsend Warner
95. The Judge by Rebecca West
96. The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy (completed 12/31/12)
97. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
98. All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville West
99. A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh
100. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

I've thought long and hard about my list.  Over three quarters of the novels are books I own.  I'm also incorporating my desire to read all of Dickens's novels in order, complete a Trollope series, and read a stack of Viragos.  My approach is that challenge success is based on making challenges work together.

Okay -- mini-rewards.  For every 5 books off of this list I read I will purchase one classic novel NOT ON THIS LIST in a nice copy.  By nice copy I mean that it isn't a ratty paperback in a thrift store bin -- it could be a vintage something in good condition, a Penguin clothbound, a newish edition with a lovely introduction.  See, I'm already prepping for 2017 onward!  At the end of my 100 books read I will have 20 new-to-me classic novels that are lovely, pristine, and will beautify my shelves, my mind, and my imagination.

I hope you'll join us in the Classics Club!  I think this will be an amazing experience.

My Reading Challenge Adventures, Part 2 and A Day in Books Meme

Yesterday I talked about my first reading challenge chunk and today I want to talk about my overall reading challenge goals and general goals for the year.  The good thing about doing most of my challenges in themed chunks is that if April rolls around and I'm waaaaayyyyyy behind I can stretch out my list until May (or even longer if need be) and I just won't sign up for anymore challenges.  My yearly reading challenges will help shape my overall reading experience; sometimes I forget about short story collections, that novelist I always want to read again, or my ever-growing Virago collection.  Once again, my joy in challenges is that I'm reading more mindfully and I'm choosing books with a bit more care.  This post is very brief as I won't be listing quite so many titles, so I decided to follow it up with this fun little meme I found on A Work In Progress. 

The Challenges!

1. GoodReads reading goal (50 books in a year)
2. Tea and Books -- Chamomile Lover, read 2 books of 700+ pages.
3. Short Story Reading Challenge -- Tell Me a Story, 1-3 short story collections
4. Reading Challenge Addict -- On the roof, 6 - 10 challenges entered and completed!
5. Support Your Local Library -- Level 2, read 24 library books
6.  The TBR Pile Challenge -- Read 12 books on my TBR list (they all have been on my shelves for over a year!) within a year.  Each one must be reviewed!  My list of 12 titles and 2 alternates are listed below.

The TBR Pile Challenge!

1. Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
2. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. Zelda: A Life by Nancy Milford
4. The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
5. The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox
6. The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen
7. A House and Its Head by Ivy Compton-Burnett
8. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
9. Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
10. Uncle Silas by Sheridan Le Fanu
11. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
12. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
13. The Warden by Anthony Trollope (alternate)
14. Summer will Show by Sylvia Townsend-Warner (alternate)

The Meme!

Simply insert titles of books you read this year into the following phrases:

I began the day with The Bad Seed.
On my way to work I saw Someone at a Distance
and walked by Hotel du Lac
to avoid The Woman in Black.
But I made sure to stop at Wolf Hall.
In the office, my boss said, "Whose Body?"
and sent me to research Lady Audley's Secret.
At lunch with Excellent Woman
I noticed The Man Who Loved Books Too Much
under Locke and Key
then went back to my desk, Wonderstruck!
Later, on the journey home I bought Fragile Things
because I have The Ruby in the Smoke.
then settling down for the evening, I picked up The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories
and studied The Small Hand
before saying goodnight to Little Dorrit.

What fun! 

My 2012 Reading Challenge Adventures, Part 1

I rarely actually finish a reading challenge.  I bite off more than I can chew and go into my reading challenges with a list and good intentions, but I've never really "planned-out" my challenges.  2012 will be my kick-ass reading challenge year.  I like reading challenges because I feel more mindful about my reading; I tend to notice connections and read with more purpose and it helps to eliminate the panic of "what the heck do I read next?" 

My goal is to plan my reading to correspond with challenges and leave a few "wild card" reading spots open.  I've also decided that instead of planning and entire year, I'll take a four month block, plan it and have the fourth month as my catch-up month.  I've also planned to lump together reading challenges that overlap.  That should simplify things a bit.  I will be participating in a few long-term challenges that will last the entire year, but those challenges have more to do with page numbers, numbers of library books, etc... and have nothing to do with themes. 

Here is what the first reading challenge chunk looks like:

• January:  Charles Dickens Month / Truth in Fiction  / Back to Classics / Victorian
• February:  Truth in Fiction / Back to Classics / Victorian
• March:  Mystery / Vintage Mystery / Death by Gaslight / Victorian
• April:  Finish --> Classics / Mystery / Truth in Fiction / Victorian / READATHON

Here is what my first reading challenge chunk looks like:

1.  The Mammoth Book of Dickensian Whodunnits edited by Mike Ashley
2. Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
3. Charles Dickens, A Life by Claire Tomalin

Professor Level, 7 pairs of books

1.  Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens / Charles Dickens: a Life by Claire Tomalin
2. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie / The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum
3. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald / Zelda: A Life by Nancy Milford
4. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Ann Bronte / The Bronte Myth by Lucasta Miller
5. Richard III by William Shakespeare / The Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir
6. Transformations by Anne Sexton / Anne Sexton by Diane Middlebrook
7. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath / This Rough Magic by Paul Alexander

1.  19th Century:  Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
2. 20th Century:  This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. Reread:  The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Ann Bronte
4. Play:  Richard the III by William Shakespeare
5. Mystery/Horror/Crime:  The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katherine Green
6. Romance:  Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
7. Non-English:  Kristen Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
8. Award Winner:  Hunger by Knut Hamson
9. Other Country (real or imagined):  The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang

Read 5 Victorian novels

1.  Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
2. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Ann Bronte
3. Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
4. No Name by Wilkie Collins
5. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Deadly Decades, 8 books

1.  Pre-1900s:  The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katherine Green
2. 1900-1909:  The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart
3. 1910-1919:  The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
4. 1920-1929:  The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
5. 1930-1939:  The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
6. 1940-1949:  The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin
7. 1950-1959:  The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
8. Bonus:  Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith

Palmer the Poisoner, 10 books

1.  The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katherine Green
2. The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart
3. The Mammoth Book of Dickension Whodunnits edited by Mike Ashley
4. No Name by Wilkie Collins
5. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
6. The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman
7. The Tiger in the Well by Philip Pullman
8. The Tin Princess by Philip Pullman
9. The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox
10. The Glass of Time by Michael Cox

 Whew! Cross your fingers, folks.  I hope I can get these all completed.  It seems like a lot, but it overlaps nicely.  Tomorrow I'll discuss my long-term challenges.  Nerd Snorrrrtttt!

Truth in Fiction Challenge

Several weeks ago I was musing on pairs of books, namely fiction books paired with a related non-fiction book.  You can read all about that bookish musing here.  Once I started thinking of fiction and non-fiction pairings I simply couldn't help myself.  I had to make a challenge.

I present to you the TRUTH IN FICTION CHALLENGE!

The Details:
Challenge runs from 01/01/12 - 12/31/2012

Goal:  read a specified number of book pairs that are comprised of one fiction book and one related non-fiction book.  Think outside of the box; the non-fiction book could also be journals, letters, memoirs, etc.... The pairs needn't be exact matches, although there should be an easily detectable common thread.  Overlapping with other challenges is fine.

The catch:   Instead of individual reviews, after each book pair write a joint review.  For example, if I read The Bell Jar  by Sylvia Plath and then The Journals of Sylvia Plath then my review post will be focused on both books.  


Levels:
Freshman:  1 pair
Sophomore: 2 pairs
Junior: 3 pairs
Senior: 4 pairs
Masters: 5 pairs
PhD: 6 pairs
Professor:  7 pairs

Interested?  Leave a comment and with a URL to a post (with or without a book list) or leave me a comment with which level you'll be aspiring to complete. (EDIT: I had a Mr. Linky up and it was giving me fits, so we're back to leaving comments).

Bookish OCD Strikes Again and some Charles Dickens Love!

It is November.  This means that my readerly OCD is in full-bloom.  Around this time of year I begin to think about next year's reading.  I'm changing the way I approach challenges and my reading.  Normally I try to read a few library books (1-2) and then read something from my shelves.  I tend to just grab what catches my eye and I don't really have a method to my madness.  Except then I throw in challenges.  I always, always, always sign up for WAY too many challenges and spread myself too thin.  Then I don't complete anything.  So far, I've made a solid dent in many of my reading challenges but I've only finished ONE CHALLENGE. I do the same thing with Readathons; I have my hands (eyeballs?) in too many books and find at the end that I've finished too few titles.  After the last Readathon I got to thinking about creating a theme for my readathon TBR pile.  Perhaps centered around a theme?  Hummmm.... I can readathon and reading challenge at the same time.  Brilliant!

Now my bookish OCD has reared its head and I've decided to use a theme or challenge to help structure my monthly reading.  I'm not saying I won't read something different, but if my goal is to finish a challenge in month or so then focusing that reading may help my book anxiety.  What is book anxiety?  Well, I find myself overwhelmed by my bookshelves, the library stacks, interlibrary loan treasures, book challenges, and readalongs.  TOO MANY BOOKS FREAK OUT GASP GASP GASP!!!!!

Ahem.

May I present to you my theme for January:

I love Charles Dickens and his 200th birthday is in February so naturally I'd love to spend some time reading Dickens.  I will not only spend time reading Charles Dickens's fiction, but I'll also be reading non-fiction about Dickens and Victorian England and fiction based on Dickens's characters or even Dickens himself.  Of course I've already assembled a book pool (duh, book OCD):

My definitely reading list:

• Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
• A House to Let by Charles Dickens (with Wilkie Collins and Elizabeth Gaskell)
• Charles Dickens by Michael Slater
• Victorian London by Liza Picard
• The Mammoth Book of Dickensian Whodunnits edited by Mike Ashley

Other books I may work in:

• We Two:  Victoria and Albert by Gillian Gill
• Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
• The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl

In addition I'll be reviewing a few film versions of Dickensian works and -- the best part -- I've obtained permission to get into my library's rare book collection to lovingly caress (with a gloved hand, of course) some Dickens rarities.  I hope you'll stop by to wallow in Victorian novel goodness. 

Now it is time to spend the remainder of my Sunday "mom time" reading Wolf Hall. 

Things I'm Loving: 11/04/2011

Photo Credit

I love my little rental house, but the kitchen is functional and ugly as sin.  I'm been thinking of ways to spruce things up a bit and I love the idea of this fabric backsplash and the open cabinetry option. 

As I chopped a butternut squash last week to make chili I thought to myself, "my death will probably involve a knife and a butternut squash."  Here is a great tip for roasting a squash so I don't maim or kill myself with a knife. 

I'm totally signing up for this reading challenge.  In fact, next year I think I'll make a month my "read from my stacks" month.  I love supporting libraries, but I need to read the books on my shelf!

I desperately need a needlebook.  Luckily, I found a pretty awesome set of directions for a cute, scrappy needlebook.  I need to bust out those scraps and get to stitching!

I'm loving these beautiful Dahlia pins!  

As if I needed another excuse for plate thrifting.

Hello to all my baking and book buddies, Penguin is releasing in the US several titles from the Great Food series.  I want them all!  Geez those covers are lust-worthy.

Reason #372 on the "why I need a doughnut pan" list. 

Owl brooch!!!!!!!!!!!!

More embroidered book cover goodness.

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril Wrap-up!

Alas, my favorite reading challenge is over.  I look forward to Carl's RIP Reading Challenge every year.  I love spooky reads from short stories to contemporary fiction to classics and this challenge allows me to indulge in creepy, atmospheric reads.  I read 6 books for this challenge.  Yay!

Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon:  I loved this classic tail about one crazy, doll-face mama.  Although not as good as Wilkie Collins' in my humble opinion, this Victorian sensational novel was quite the page-turner.

The Bad Seed by William March:  HOLY CRAP!  This book was creepy and ten million times better than the movie.  Rhoda is a seemingly sweet, pretty little girl with a penchant for murder.  Chilling.

Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman:  I was a little bit "meh" about this collection, but not really.  Basically I loved the stories I loved and I hated the stories I hated.  There was never really an in between.  I think the collection is definitely worth a read, but I'd recommend dipping-in on occasion and not reading it straight through. 

Locke and Key, volume 1 by Joe Hill:  I liked this graphic novel, but it is really just a "dangling carrot" I have no idea what is going on and no idea what may or may not happen, but I know I MUST READ ON!

Clermont by Regina Maria Roche:  A classic, florid, ridiculous Gothic Novel.  I laughed and I imagined my self a shocked Jane Austen character reading this "horrid novel".  What a riot.

The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman:  The first in a young adult mystery series by the author of The Dark Materials Trilogy.  I loved this little book and I will certainly be hunting down the other three volumes.  The Ruby in the Smoke was a bit like Sherlock Holmes meets The Moonstone meets a Samantha Parkington book (yes, the American Girl doll -- shut-up).

Wow.  I just realized that I read in many different genres!  Two classics, a modern novel, a short story collection, and YA.  Interesting! 

I can't wait until next year's RIP challenge!!!

A Belated Brookner Day Post

Finally -- I have a functioning computer.  I've been without a home computer for nearly two weeks.  We've also had some other drama going on at home; Atticus has SEVERE separation anxiety.  But, of course, that's an entirely different post.  Let's just say that blogging has been nigh impossible at chez Roper.

Although I missed Anita Brookner day, I still wanted to post my thoughts on Hotel du Lac.  This is my first Brookner book.  I've always intended to read something by Brookner, but I think I was daunted by the number of books.  I didn't know where to start.  I picked Hotel du Lac because it was a Booker winner.

Hotel du Lac is what I would call a quiet novel.  There is a plot, but the strength of the book lies in the characters' unspoken thoughts, observations, and motivations.  The novel begins with Edith Hope -- a famed romance novelist -- settling in to a Swiss hotel after a socially embarrassing incident.  The hotel is sparsely peopled, but the handful of hotel residents fuel the humor, emotion, and, of course, move along the plot.

This slim volume -- under 200 pages -- clips along at a nice pace,the wit is sharp, and the characters are intriguing.... but...... I wouldn't say I like it.  I think I certainly like Brookner's writing.  She seems to be a sort of darker Barbara Pym with bits of Elizabeth Taylor cooked in and a dash of Iris Murdoch; you know, quintessentially British and witty, but with darker emotions and an elegiac tone.  Of course, I'm basing my assessment of Brookner's writing style from one book and I should really read all of them before I start making author-recipes.  I simply didn't care for any of the characters;  Edith Hope seems cold and I have a difficult time sympathizing her situation and all the other characters are obnoxious, shallow, and/or calculating.

For all my character dislikes, I simply cannot stop raving over the writing.  In addition to great dialogue and some marvelous descriptive passages, I found myself really loving the phrases that seemed to pop-out .  For example, the hotel corridor is described as being "vibrant with absence" (pg.13).  I remember pausing my reading to mull over that phrase.  It is such an apt description of that sensation that strikes out with emptiness when one is in a typically bustling place.  I can certainly say that the academic library I work at is vibrant with absence in the summer months!

So yes, certainly more Brookner in my future.  I'm planning on visiting the other Brookner posts to decide on which novel to read next!  Thanks Thomas and Simon for hosting International Anita Brookner Day!

Reading Challenge Update

Brief post to discuss my reading challenge progress.  Click here, if you'd like to see the books I've tentatively chosen for challenges; for most of the challenges (excepting Off the Shelf, Support Your Local Library, and Chunkster) the completed books are noted.

Off the Shelf:

• Goal:  Read 30 books I own
• Completed:  5 books (16.67%)

Support Your Local Library:

• Goal:  Read 30 books from the library
• Completed:  11 books (36.67%)

Chunkster:

• Goal:  Read 3 tomes of 750+ pages
• Completed:  1 book (33.33%)

To Be Read:

• Goal:  Read 12 books of my TBR list
• Completed:  3 books (25%)

Vintage Mysteries:

• Goal:  Read 5 vintage mysteries
• Completed: 2 books (40%)

Complete Booker:

• Goal: Read 12 short-listed or long-listed Man Booker books
• Completed:  1 book (8.33%)

What's in a Name:

• Goal:  Six books that meet the name criteria
• Completed:  2 books (33.33%)

First in a Series:

• Goal:  Read three books that are the first in a series
• Completed:  1 book (33.33%)

Seconds:

• Goal:  Read 12 books that are the second book in a series OR the second time you're reading the author.
• Completed:  4 books (33.33%)

Chivalrous Deeds:

• Goal:  Read seven historical novels
• Completed:  1 book (14.29%)

Dystopian Novels:

• Goal:  Read 5 novels set in a Dystopian setting
• Completed:  0 (0%, duh)  !!!

I'm making pretty good progress.... but .... I'm not really where I want to be.  So what does a bookworm do when overwhelmed with reading challenges? Why join another, of course!  I'm signing up for The Japanese Literature Challenge 5!  My only goal is to FINALLY read a Haruki Murakami book before the end of the year.

Happy Reading!!!

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

My first read of the year is an Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot mystery.  I'm truly at a loss as to how to review this engaging murder mystery without giving away the plot, so I'll be brief and endeavor to do my best.

The wealthy mistress of Styles Court, Mrs. Emily Inglethorp, is in her final death agonies early in the morning.  Present are Mr. Hastings (our narrator and visitor to Styles), Lawrence Cavendish (her stepson), John Cavendish (another stepson), John's wife Mary, and  Cynthia (a dependent relative to Mrs. Inglethorp).  Mrs. Inglethorp's husband of two months is not there.  The doctor's declare that Mrs. Inglethorp has been poisoned and immediately suspicion falls on the new husband who will gain a fortune now that Mrs. Inglethorp is dead.  But is he guilty?  Styles is filled with people with secrets, jealousy, and motives.  Typical of Agatha Christie, she leads the reader down false trails, twists and turns, and will keep you guessing until Hercule Poirot reveals the culprit.

I highly recommend this mystery and it is now one of my most favorite Christie novels.  This book counts for The Support Your Local Library Challenge and The Vintage Mystery Challenge.

Reading Goals for 2011

I'm not quite ready to post my wrap-up for my 2010 reading year, I'm still determined to finish North and South before midnight on January 1st!  I have been spending a great deal of time thinking about 2011.

This post will be in list format because I adore lists.

The Basics:

• Read a minimum of 75 books or 20,000 pages


• Participate in the April and October Readathons


• Participate in 3 other book blogging events (for example, I'm eager to participate in the Virago reading week and the Persephone reading weekend.)


• Do 5 readalongs.  They can be blog readalongs or GoodReads readalongs.  I'm signing up for several readalongs hosted by Allie at A Literary Odyssey


• Complete 3 reads for the Classics Circuit and POST ON TIME!


• Complete all the reading challenges I've signed up to do.


• Only do 12 challenges at a time.  I have to finish a challenge to signup for another.

Reading Challenges:

I'm still making my lists for these challenges, so check back soon!

1. Local Library Challenge -- Check out and read 30 library books


2. Off the Shelf Challenge -- Read 30 books off my shelves


3. Chunkster Challenge -- Read 8 chunksters or 3 tomes


4. To Be Read Challenge -- 12 books from my TBR pile


5. Special Topics in Calamity Physics Challenge -- Senior Level


6. Vintage Mystery Challenge -- Read 4-6 Vintage Mysteries


7. Man Booker Challenge -- A Booker's Dozen, read 12 of the winning, short-listed, or long-listed titles.


8. What's in a Name Challenge -- List coming soon!


9. First in a Series Challenge -- Read 3 books that are the first in any series


10. Seconds Challenge -- Read 12 books that are the second in a series or the second time I've read the author.


11. Chivalrous Deeds Historical Challenge -- Read 7 historical fiction books


12. Dystopia Challenge -- Read 5 Dystopian novels

Tomorrow I plan on posting my lists for the various challenges.  I need to read read read because there are so many other challenges I want to join.  Wish me luck!

I think that is it for my more concrete reading goals.  I also want to try to blog more reviews and do general reading updates.  A strict blog schedule isn't for me, but I'll try to be more devoted to maintaining the bookishness of this blog.

Library Loot and Reading Prep for 2011

Earlier this week I braved the cold with the kids in tow to the university library I work at.  As a staff member I enjoy extended checkout times and since this is the last week before the library shuts down for winter holiday I knew I needed to get there this week.  I limited myself to five books; two of the books were only available in large print.  I checked them out because I really want to read them, but I don't know if the print will prove annoying.  I was surprised that we even had large print books because we've never collected them before now; being on maternity leave had me totally out of the loop.

I'm still sticking with my goal of finishing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and North and South; this library loot haul is for my new reading year.  Later this month I'll post more on the 2011 challenges I'm joining, but for now I will list what challenges each book fulfills.

• First off is Agatha Christie's The Mysterious Affair at Styles, a Hercule Poirot novel involving a heiress murdered by poisoned coffee.  This mystery novel is for the Vintage Mystery challenge.


• I was so excited to find a copy of Phillipa Gregory's The Red Queen, the follow up novel to last year's The White Queen, of course it concerns my current historical obsession: The War of the Roses.  This novel will count for Chivalrous Deeds Historical Challenge.


• Next is another book I nabbed in large print as I was so excited, Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin.  This is a novelization of the friendship between Alice Liddell and Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll).  I'm always interested in different takes on authors and sometimes the conjecture of novels proves interesting.  This book will be for the New Authors Challenge.


• Room by Emma Donoghue has been all the buzz on book blogs.  Nominated for the Man Booker prize and based on a true story; this book is narrated from a child's perspective and a child narrating a horrific situation.  I think it will be interesting, but sometimes books with rape/sexual abuse really bother me (i.e nightmares) so I may or may not finish it.  We'll see how the subject manner is handled.  Of course, this is for the Man Booker Challenge.


• Finally, a selection for the Man Booker Challenge and the TBR Challenge:  A.S. Byatt's The Children's Book.  I've checked this out several times and I've never gotten around to reading it.  I can't tell you why!  I adore Byatt and I'm eagerly anticipating this read.

I have all 5 books stacked up and ready to go; I'm planning on kicking off the New Year diving into this stack of reads!

The Sunday Salon: The Hello, Reality Post

I haven't been blogging or reading much of late.  I'm too busy holding Atticus and snuggling away the day.  Actually, I've had quite an eye opening week.  Two things happened that made we ditch everything and just hold the baby.  1).  Atticus is allergic to formula (and possibly dairy).  Poor thing has been gassy and crying since Tuesday.  It will take a couple of weeks for him to get everything out of his system and so I'm abstaining from dairy just in case that is the cause and we will never use formula again.  NEVER.  I'm back to nursing him 100% of the time and I'm happy with that.  The other thing that happened is that I found some cute clothes for him and realized that they weren't in his size.  My five-week old baby is out of newborn clothes, barely fits 0-3 month sizes, and is sporting slightly too large 3-6 month sizes.

All this to say -- I only have a short while with baby Atticus.  Newborn Atticus has given way to baby Atticus and by this time next year he will be toddler Atticus.  Dickens and Trollope and all the others will be on my shelves for years.  Right now I need to focus on Atticus, Hope, Sam, and the holiday season.

I'm still reading a bit, but I've modified my reading goals.  My goal for December is to finish my reread of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and to finish Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South.  My reading goal this year was to read 75 books OR 20,000 pages.  Right now I've read only 46 books, but I've read just over 16,000 pages.  Considering this year has been quite the year for events (married, moved to a new home, and a new baby) I say this is not too shabby.

In addition to my current reading goals, I am looking towards 2011.  I believe book bloggers all over the world get excited about the upcoming reading year come December!  I've already decided to keep the same yearly goal (75 books OR 20,000 pages), but I'm going to structure my reading a bit differently.

I have a tendency to get overwhelmed by all the reading I want to do.  There are challenges and readalongs, GoodReads reading groups, LibraryThing early review copies, and then I must contend with my home bookshelves and the masses of wonderful library books I run across.  To help quell this bookish anxiety, I'm - surprise - making up some book lists.  I have a bunch of different categories (books on my shelves or authors I want to try, for example) and then I'm listing some books I really want to read to help me narrow my choices and not be overwhelmed.

I'm also applying this more structured approach to reading challenges.  Typically, I join challenges and never really pursue them in a methodical way.  For example, a may join a short story challenge, but I don't really think about it; I just count a book if I happen to read it.  I've done this because I'm loathe to commit myself to a list of books for a challenge.  However, if I view the list as a starting point I may be more inclined to consciously think about the challenge at hand.

Having said that, my plan is to work on these book lists.  I may have trouble concentrating with reading, but I can jot down titles and surf the web via my Blackberry to discover new titles while I'm holding Mr. Crankypants.  If all is well (i.e. if Atticus proves amenable) I might start posting some of these lists before the end of the year.

Before I sign off and feed Atticus, I wanted to apologize for my lack of commenting on other blogs.  I've been reading everyone's blogs RELIGIOUSLY.  Once again, via my Blackberry, I've been keeping up.  I just haven't mastered the art and science of typing comments with one hand!

Happy Reading!

September's Reads

I'm trying to catch up on my book reviews in anticipation of Dewey's 24-hour Readathon.  This is a surprisingly easy feat as I only read three books in September.  Granted, Mary Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley by Alison Weir was a sprawling 720 page non-fiction work, but, nonetheless, it still a puny number of reads.

I've already discussed the Weir book, so I'll review my other two reads: The Anatomy of Deception by Lawrence Goldstone and The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Incidentally, both books count toward my RIP challenge!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="504" caption="Painting by Thomas Eakins, 1889. Cover art for The Anatomy of Deception"][/caption]

The Anatomy of Deception is a forensic thriller set in the medical community of 1889 Philadelphia.  The plot concerns the death of a young socialite and the subsequent death of a shady medical student.  Medical student and doctor Ephraim Carroll finds himself in the midst of a murder investigation, questioning his mentor, finding and losing love, and contemplating a huge career move to a new medical university, Johns Hopkins.

The story itself was gripping, I did find myself eagerly turning the pages and the medical details (especially of the autopsies) fascinated me.  My problem with the novel is that it felt a bit lazy in regards to the characters.  None of the characters truly came to life and they seemed to be stock figures:  "The Austere Victorian Medical Student", "The Female Bohemian Artist", "The Shady Fellow at the Docks", and "The You-Know-I'm-The-Culprit Person."  In fact, I guessed who was going to be the "bad guy", but not because the character was fleshed out, it merely seemed like the only reason this person existed was to be thrown into the last quarter of the book and be pinned with the crime.    This book could have been so much better if it had been written by a more skilled author.

The second, slim book I read was The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  I read all the Sherlock Holmes stories and novels as a child and have recently decided to revisit them all.  I have to say that this is not my most favorite Holmes tale.  The story involves Holmes and Watson, a damsel in distress, a treasure, cryptic notes, and -- of course -- murder.  What particularly bothers me is the racism in the book.  Of course this is reflective of the time in which Doyle wrote but I think it a cop-out to *****spoiler alert ***** blame everything on the black guy.  There is another villain but he isn't as "bad" as the restless, simple, violent, dark native.  (eye roll)

When it comes to Sherlock Holmes, I think the short stories are far better.  While Holmes' character is fascinating, the other characters are lackluster.  Doyle's skill is with plot, mystery, and deduction and these elements truly shine in the shorter tales.  With the novellas, I find the plot a bit watered down to make room for the characters.

I have a huge pile of books for October and I'm hoping to read at least seven on the pile, hopefully the Readathon will give me a leg up on my October reading!

Library Loot: The R.I.P Edition

Today I spent several hours at the public library specifically seeking out books for Carl's R.eader's I.mbibing P.eril Challenge V (R.I.P).  Seriously this is my most favorite challenge of the year. The challenge runs from September 1st until October 31st.  The goal is to read books that are so good in the autumn months:  Creepy, Gothic, Mysterious, i.e. filled with Peril.

I'll be participating in Peril the First, which is to read four books.  I'll also try to read at least 2 short story collections in addition to the fiction.  As usual, I've created a pool of books to choose from; first of all the ones already at home:

• The Anatomy of Deception by Lawrence Goldstone  (library book, in progress)


• Masterpieces of Mystery and Deception by Agatha Christie (library book)


• The Alienist by Caleb Carr


• The Black Robe by Wilkie Collins (interlibrary loan, not here yet)


• Another short story collection that I haven't decided on yet!

I wanted a bigger pool of choices, so I was off to the library with goal of picking out 5 more books.  I spent well over an hour scanning the shelves and muttering "something creepy something creepy something creepy".  I found many other books I wanted to check out, but I resisted. Here are the five books I came away with:

• The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


• The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux


• Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss


• The Glass of Time by Michael Cox


• The Nature of Monsters by Clare Clark

Okay!  I'm already to have the bejabbers (and maybe a baby) scared out of me!