Tag: book lists

Reading Thirkell’s Barsetshire Series in Order: #26 A Double Affair + #25 Never Too Late Wrap-Up

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We’re nearing the end of the series, here. There are only four more books to go. I enjoyed the surprise at the end of Never Too Late, even though it was understated. Thanks for anyone who joined me by commenting, and I appreciate the efforts of people to find the books.

Our next book is A Double Affair, and I’ll be posting my review on Friday, July 28. I hope someone can read along with me.

And here’s our badge.

Another Classics Club Spin!

~ whatmeread ~ 8 Comments

Classics Club has just announced another spin. How does the spin work? Club members select 20 books from their Classics Club list and post them in a numbered list by this coming Sunday, June 18. The club then picks a number and that determines which book you read next, attempting to post a review by Sunday, August 6. So, with no further adieu, here is my list for the spin:

  1. Dust Tracks on a Road by Zora Neale Hurston
  2. The Deepening Stream by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
  3. The Princess of Cleves by Madame de La Fayette
  4. Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
  5. A Double Life by Karolina Pavlova
  6. Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth
  7. The Methods of Lady Walderhurst by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  8. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs
  9. Tis Pity She’s a Whore by John Ford
  10. The Tavern Knight by Rafael Sabatini
  11. The Tree of Heaven by May Sinclair
  12. The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz
  13. Miss Mole by E. H. Young
  14. Merkland: A Story of Scottish Life by Margaret Oliphant
  15. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
  16. Cecilia, Memoirs of an Heiress by Frances Burney
  17. Love’s Labour’s Lost by William Shakespeare
  18. The Book of Dede Korkut by Anonymous
  19. The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
  20. The Book of Lamentations by Rosario Castellanos

Are you participating in the spin? Which book would from your list do you hope is picked?

Reading Thirkell’s Barsetshire Series in Order: #25 Never Too Late + #24 Enter Sir Robert Wrap-Up

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I only had one person with me for the last book, so I was hoping we had more participation for Enter Sir Robert, which Thirkell ended with a little inside joke, so I steamed on ahead and hoped that somebody would join me and two of my stalwarts did. For the last five books, I’m in uncharted territory, for I haven’t read any of them. In any case, my thanks to any who are still keeping up or making comments. They are

The next book is Never Too Late, and I’ll be posting my review on Friday, June 30. I hope someone will join me in finding out who is not too late and for what.

And here’s our emblem.

If I Gave the Award

~ whatmeread ~ 2 Comments

With my review of The Deadman’s Pedal, I have finished reading the shortlisted books for the 2013 James Tait Black Fiction Prize. Therefore, it is time for my feature, where I decide whether the judges got it right. This year the shortlisted choices couldn’t be more different. They range from a very cerebral novel that traces a family history by imitating a classical bagpipe musical form to a less cerebral depiction of a deceptive personality to two novels about young people trying to find their way. Although all of these novels are about personal topics, I have ordered them in this paragraph from the most intellectually removed to the least.

The most cerebral of these novels is The Big Music by Kirsty Gunn. This novel traces relationships between fathers and sons by using a classical form of bagpipe music as its organizing structure. It is a form dependent on repetition and embellishment, so although I found this novel high in concept, it was also a bit fascinating. Still, the repetitions proved a bit much for me.

The next most cerebral of the novels is Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner. This is a novel about a poet who considers himself a fraud and spends his time arranging his face to look intelligent or thinking of profound things to say. The novel is funny at times, but I found myself getting lost in its logical circumlocutions and I strongly disliked the main character (not that that is necessarily bad).

At the beginning of the award-winning The Deadman’s Pedal, I found myself heartily disgusted by teenage boys and the love critics have for coming-of-age novels, those about boys, anyway. Then as the young Scottish protagonist went to work for the railroad, I got more interested until the book became mostly about adolescent sex.

That leaves me with The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan, although I am not entire satisfied with my choice. I was absolutely rivetted by this story of a vivid young girl who has been failed by the system. However, I also believe that in some ways this book is slighter than some of the others. I will say, though, that of these four authors, Fagan is the only one whose other books I have looked for.

Reading Thirkell’s Barsetshire Series in Order: #24 Enter Sir Robert + #23 What Did It Mean? Wrap-Up

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For the first time in the series, at the beginning of What Did It Mean?, I felt that the novel may not live up to the rest of the series. Eventually, though, it seemed to get back into the groove except for its obsession with a silly prophecy (hence the title), and I enjoyed it almost as much. My thanks to those who are still striving to keep up:

The next book is Enter Sir Robert, which is a reread for me, although so long ago that I can hardly remember it. It’s the last reread, though, so the rest of the series will be new to me. I’ll be reviewing it on Wednesday, May 31. I hope some people will join me!

And here’s out little emblem.