It’s the first Wednesday of the month, so it’s time for WWW Wednesday, an idea I borrowed from David Chazan, The Chocolate Lady, who borrowed it from someone else. For this feature, I report

• What I am reading now
• What I just finished reading
• What I intend to read next

This is something you can participate in, too, if you want, by leaving comments about what you’ve been reading.

What I Am Reading Now

Actually, at this writing I haven’t started it, but by the time this is posted tomorrow, I’ll be in the midst of September by Rosamunde Pilcher. I already checked this book out once from the library, to fill the 1990 gap in my A Century of Books project, but I knew I wasn’t going to finish one of the four library books I checked out, and unfortunately, chose one of the others to be the last one I read. Unfortunately, because it turned out someone else had put a hold on this one. But now I have it back. I haven’t read anything by Rosamunde Pilcher except The Shell Seekers, years and years ago, so I’m curious.

What I Just Finished Reading

I finally got to read Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus for my Literary Wives club. It has been sitting on my pile for over a year, waiting for its turn to come up for the club. I enjoyed it very much. Review coming at our next club meeting, Monday, March 3!

What I’ll Be Reading Next

I was glad to get a little heaviness break by reading the above two books (although September is very long), because I made the mistake of putting my books for A Century of Books into a pile by length, shortest first, in an effort to get as many read as possible before the end of last year. (Obviously, I haven’t met my goal for this project.) The result is that the heftiest are all waiting for me. And I haven’t yet found a book for every year. I have four more years to find books for and some books on hold at the library that are taking a long time to get here. Anyway, my next book falls into the middling hefty category, both in length and seriousness. It’s Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner. It’s been a long, long time since I read any Stegner, and I’m not sure if this was one that I read or not, way back then.

Of course, my reading plans sometimes get thrown off. They did in January, when I suddenly decided to reread Sense and Sensibility for ReadingAusten25 instead of How Green Was My Valley, and that could happen this time, too, if some of those books that I’ve had on hold for ages arrive from the library.

What about you? What have you been reading or plan to read next?

Happy New Year!

It’s the first Wednesday of the month, so it’s time for WWW Wednesday, an idea I borrowed from David Chazan, The Chocolate Lady, who borrowed it from someone else. For this feature, I report

• What I am reading now
• What I just finished reading
• What I intend to read next

This is something you can participate in, too, if you want, by leaving comments about what you’ve been reading.

What I Am Reading Now

I actually haven’t started this book as of this writing, but I’m drafting this a day ahead of time, so by the time you read this, it will be what I am reading now. The book is The Temptations of Big Bear by Rudy Wiebe. I believe that someone recommended it this year, so I put it in my pile and then found it would fill a hole in my A Century of Books project. It’s called “an epic of the Canadian West.” Should be interesting.

What I Just Finished Reading

As of this writing, I’m cheating, because I have a page and a half of this book to go, but I will have finished it within a few minutes. It is Island by Alastair MacLeod. I guess I’m on a Canadian kick.

I think I keep reading about Alistair MacLeod on Naomi’s site, Consumed by Ink. MacLeod is considered a master of the short story. This book is collection of all his stories, 14 of them, most of them set on Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. He also wrote one novel, which I will be looking for. It also qualifies for A Century of Books.

What I Will Read Next

Next, I am reading another book that qualifies for my A Century of Books project. It is a book I loved when I was younger, so I’m curious if I will love it now. It’s How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn.

The first Wednesday of the month, I try to have WWW Wednesday, for which I talk about

• What I just finished reading
• What I’m reading now
• What I intend to read next

I stole this idea from Davida, The Chocolate Lady, and I’ve found it to be a nice break. You can participate by commenting on your recent reading below. Please do!

What I just finished reading

In among all the reading for Novellas in November, Nonfiction November, A Century of Books, Literary Wives, and Dean Street December, I managed to stuff a couple of books for my other projects. The last one was The New Life by Tom Crewe for my Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction project. It is set in late 19th century London and is based loosely on the true story of two men who wrote a controversial book about homosexuality.

What I’m reading now

I thought I had read one Cadfael book years ago, and I did not really enjoy the TV series. However, when I saw that the first book in the series filled one of the holes in my A Century of Books project, I decided to read it. So far, it is pretty good! It’s A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters.

What I’m reading next

Of course, what I’m reading next often changes, but my plans are to fill another hole in my A Century of Books project by reading Cousin Rosamund by Rebecca West. It is the third in her Aubrey family trilogy, which I have been reading lately. (I believe I am reviewing the first one, The Fountain Overflows, on Christmas Eve.) I understand that trilogy was unfinished, which means this book is unfinished, but it has been compelling reading so far.

What about you? What have been been reading or plan to read next?

It’s my week for WWW Wednesday, where I answer three questions about my reading, and you can, too, if you like!

• What did I just finish reading?
• What am I reading now?
• What will I read next?

I stole this idea from The Chocolate Lady, and it seems to be popular. If you would like, please let me know about your own reading life!

What did I just finish reading?

I have been reading for several projects lately, although my intention was to read as many books as possible for my A Century of Books project before the end of the year. The book I read last was supposed to fill a hole in this project, but alas, once I had read it, I realized that I had already filled that particular hole. I thought that by making a list of the holes I had left and marking them off as I bought or reserved books at the library, I would avoid that, and I have so far. Until now. Anyway, this book was Beauvallet, one of Georgette Heyer’s early novels, and it is a swashbuckler rather than a Regency romance. It was supposed to fill the hole for 1929, but I read The Islander a week or so ago, and that filled it first. It’s possible that this book appeared in a list for the wrong year on Goodreads. I’ve seen them make that mistake before.

What am I reading now?

The book I am reading now is The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence, and it will indeed fill a hole in my Century of Books project. I thought I had read something by her before, but it turns out I have not. So far, it’s an interesting novel about the life in small-town Canada of a very old woman and about the perils of getting old. Although I am not as decrepit as this 90-year-old woman, it’s ringing some bells, let me tell you. Let’s hear it for filling the hole for 1964!

What will I read next?

I generally read well ahead of my posts unless I decide to insert reviews for a special occasion that I hadn’t planned (as I will be doing this month, getting ready for Dean Street in December). After I finish a book, I write up a rough review in a notebook, and then I prepare my posts about a month ahead. Why am I telling you this? Because I have already passed the point in my prepared posts for my Literary Wives review of Euphoria by Elin Cullhed. Got to get going on that! After that will come a couple of books for Dean Street, so I won’t be back on my Century of Books project for a few books.

Take a moment and let me know what you have been reading or plan to read!

My intention has been to do WWW Wednesday once a month, the first Wednesday of the month, if I remember. What is WWW Wednesday? It’s an idea I stole from the Chocolate Lady, who took it from someone else, I think. For that day, you discuss what you are reading now, what you just finished, and what you plan to read next.

If you like, please comment with your own answers to these questions.

What did I just finish?

My last book was one I read to fill a spot on my A Century of Books project. Unfortunately, as has happened all too often, by the time it surfaced in my stack, I had already read another book from that year. However, I enjoyed it very much. It was School for Love by Olivia Manning, who is best known for her Levant Trilogy. This book is also set in that area, in Jerusalem at the end of World War II. It’s about an orphaned teenage boy who is stuck in Jerusalem awaiting a place on a ship back to England.

What am I reading now?

I found this book when I was looking for more by First Nations authors. Thomas King was recommended, but it seemed as though he mostly writes short stories, which I am not big on, just because I usually want more. I thought this book was a novel, but it actually turned out to be nonfiction, which I would have figured out if I had read the subtitle. It is more like a set of essays on subjects to do with the treatment of native populations at the hands of both Canada and the United States. I am finding it interesting and written in a loose, acerbic style. Like Bill Bryson only with more sarcasm. The title of the book is The Inconvenient Indian.

What will I read next?

I’ve got another book lined up to fill a hole in my Century of Books project. I was so delighted with Cassandra at the Wedding that I was glad to see Young Man with a Horn listed by the same author, Dorothy Baker. So far, I don’t think I’ve read another book for the same year, so that will be nice, too.

Since we are now in the last quarter of the year, I’ll probably be concentrating on trying to finish this project, to the neglect of my other projects and contemporary reading. But you know me, I like to mix it up!

Take a minute and let me know what you have been reading or plan to read.

I stole this idea from the Chocolate Lady who stole it from someone else. What’s WWW Wednesday? It’s really just a check-in that I do once a month. I talk about what I just finished reading, what I am reading now, and what I expect to be reading next. That gives you a chance to do it, too! I wish you would!

What did I just finish reading?

I just finished the second of Caroline Graham’s Inspector Barnaby series, Death of a Hollow Man. I have long been a fan of Midsomer Murders, which is based on this series, although Graham only wrote a few books. I tried reading the series years ago but stopped after the first book because my ideas of the characters had been created by the TV show. In this book, there’s another shock, because Barnaby’s daughter Cully is depicted as acidic. However, I enjoyed the book, despite knowing the solution because of being so familiar with the TV series. Graham does a pretty brave thing in this book, using half the book to do the build-up and spending lots of time developing the characters before the crime.

What am I reading now?

I actually haven’t started reading the next book but have taken it out as I write, and I know absolutely nothing about it except it’s on my Walter Scott prize project list. It’s I’m Not Your Eve by Devika Ponnambalam, and I see it’s about the muse of Paul Gauguin. Well, that should be interesting. I’m looking forward to it.

What will I read next?

I went through my pile of To-Read books, and I took out all the books that will fill holes in my Century of Books project and put them in a little pile on my bed table. I’ve been trying to read one every other book. Death of a Hollow Man filled in 1989, and The Chateau by William Maxwell will fill in 1961. I’ve been reading lots and lots of books for the same years and quite a few published before the years my project covers, so I know I won’t make my deadline of reading all the books this year, but I will forge on! By the way, I know nothing about this book, including why I bought it!

What have you been reading, and what will you read next?

I meant to do WWW Wednesday last week, but I was traveling and sick, not a good combination. So, here goes today. What is WWW Wednesday (not my original idea)? It is simply a post about what I just read, what I’m reading now, and what I think I’ll be reading next. If you would like to join in, leave a comment about your recent reading experience.

What Am I Reading Now?

I am reading The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng and finding it very interesting. It’s so far about a visit that Somerset Maugham made to Penang in the 1920s, but I think it’s going to change soon to be about Sun Yat Sen. I am reading it for my Walter Scott Prize project, but I so much enjoyed The Garden of Evening Mists that I probably would read it anyway.

What Did I Just Finish Reading?

I just finished rereading Their Eyes Were Watching God for my Literary Wives club. I found that I felt pretty much the same about it as I did last time, but I found that reading almost the whole book in dialect was really tiring. Maybe that’s because I haven’t totally recovered yet, but it’s true that dialect is hard on the reader.

What Will I Read Next?

If it arrives before I start another book, I will read The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky for the 2024 Dostoevsky Read-a-Thon hosted by Russophile Reads. I thought I had a copy, but I seem to have almost all Dostoevsky except that. Then I thought the public library would have it, but no, although in general it is a much better library than the one in Austin was while we lived there. (They finally have a new one after talking about it forever.) If it doesn’t arrive before I finish The House of Doors, then I will probably give myself a break from literary books and read Broken by Karin Slaughter, the next in her Will Trent detective series.

What about you? What are you reading?

It’s the first Wednesday of the month, so now it’s time for my new feature, WWW Wednesday (which I stole from The Chocolate Lady). The idea is to talk about the book I’m reading now, what I just finished, and what I’ll read next. If you want to pop in and tell me about your reading, please do by adding your comments.

What Am I Reading Now?

I have to admit to not looking forward to this book for my Booker Prize project. It’s Glory by Noviolet Bulawayo. At this writing, I have just picked it up, but it is one of those allegories that uses animals as characters. My initial reaction is to think that Animal Farm was enough of that. Sigh. We’ll see how we go.

What Did I Just Finish Reading?

My last book was from Dean Street Press, the Furrowed Middlebrow line, a place I go for relaxation. It was Village Story by Celia Buckmaster. This is the second book I’ve read by Buckmaster, and they both seem to have lots of characters and less of a straightforward plot than most of the others. This one does indeed tell the story of a village through the characters of some of its principal citizens, through a few years in time. It was published in 1951, but its time setting isn’t clear.

What Will I Read Next?

I’ve been going back and forth on this. I picked up the next book in my stack, but when I read what it was about, I put it way back on my stack. Bad timing. However, a few months into my Century of Books project, I put my TBR list in order of publication date and picked out some books for years I didn’t have an entry. The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett was a book that had been on my list for a long time and that filled one of those holes. For some reason I thought it was nonfiction, but it says clearly on the front cover that it is a novel, about a voyage to Greenland.

No matter what you read next, I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you’re reading, if you don’t mind. Do any of these books sound tempting to you?

I got this idea from The Chocolate Lady, and it’s turned out to be a bit different and fun, so I’ll continue with it.

The idea is to talk about what you’re reading now, what you just read, and what you plan to read. If you’d like to do that, too, please leave a comment.

What Am I Reading Now?

I just started reading The Book of Dede Korkut, an anonymous 14th- or 15th-century work that calls on Turkish tales from much earlier than that. When I make up my Classics Club list, I try to find very early works to put on it, and this one surfaced last time. I am just reading the third of twelve tales, supposedly written or drawn together by the shaman and bard Dede Korkut, and so far, like with most early tales, there’s a whole lot of smiting going on.

What Did I Just Finish Reading?

In celebration of the revival of Dean Street Press’s Furrowed Middlebrow imprint, I just read The House Opposite by Barbara Noble. From 1943, this novel does the best I’ve ever read of conveying what it was like to live in London during the blitz. It’s about a friendship between neighbors that starts out as indifference and even enmity.

What Will I Probably Read Next?

Unless something drastic happens, the next book on my list is Deep Beneath Us by Catriona McPherson. Although McPherson has several series going, my favorites are her stand-alone thrillers. They are sort of cozy thrillers, if that’s not an oxymoron, usually set in rural Scotland. Whenever one is going to be published, I always purchase it pre-publication. This one just arrived last week.

What about you? Have you read any of these? Do they seem tempting?