WWW Wednesdays: Whatcha Reading?

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading.

To Play along, just answer the following three questios...

*What are you currently reading?

*What did you rencently finish reading?

*What do yo think you'll read next?

Current Read: The Divine Comedy: Hell by Dante Alighieri (trans by Dorothy L Sayers). With Virgil, the ultimate tour guide, in the lead, I'm going to follow Dante as he plunges through the circles of Hell...checking out the heretics and pagans, gluttons and seducers.

Recently Finished: Lady Fortescue Steps Out by Marion Chesney (click title for review). The unconventional life of poor relations in Regency England. Normally poor relations are shuffled around among the more prosperous of the family often destined to be companions to demanding elderly women. Lady Fortescue comes up with a daring plan to start a hotel run by poor relations like herself.

Up Next: The Divine Comedy: Purgatory by Dante Alighieri (trans by Dorothy L Sayers). I plan to continue my journey through Dante's Christian allegory.

Wish I Was Here

J.G. at the Hotchpot Cafe is making me long for other places.

Right now I'd rather be here:

Emerald Lake, Rocky Mt. National Park, CO

Or here:

Boundary Waters in MN

Or even here:

Lounge chair under my sprawling maple tree

So, where would you rather be today?

Birth Year Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

Well, I did it. I somehow managed to read 22 books written in the year I was born. I just want to thank J.G. & C.S. over at Hotchpot Cafe for sponsoring this one. Since I started blogging in April, I have been a reading challenge fool, signing up for just about every one that's come my way. And don't get me wrong, they're all good and I'm having a lot of fun. But the Birth Year Reading Challenge has been the most interesting one that I've been involved in. Who knew that books like Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut were "born" the same year as I was? I have had an absolute blast with re-reading old friends (I Sing the Body Electric by Ray Bradbury, Slaughterhouse, two by Richard Lockridge, Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie, and The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton, to name a few) as well as crossing off some long-time members of my TBR list (Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene, The Green Man by Kingsley Amis, and Behold the Man by Michael Moore). This challenge has also taken me into territory that I might not have ventured into without the birth year incentive. I've read gritty private eyes (Dress Her in Indigo by John D MacDonald--loved; The Big Bounce by Elmore Leonard--not so much). I've read memoir (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou--should have been on my TBR list & wasn't, but the challenge got me there anyway). I've read stark, post-apocalyptic science fiction (Damnation Alley by Roger Zelazny--used to be a SF fan, but not really into the dark post-apocalyptic stuff--great story)...and more. I'm proud to have met my goal, but I'm a little sorry it's over. It's been a wonderful time

For reviews of the books mentioned plus the rest of my Birth Year books...hop on over to the Hotchpot link (above) where J.G. has my list all nice and tidy with clickable review links.

Lady Fortescue Steps Out

Lady Fortescue Steps Out by Marion Chesney is like sitting and eating bon-bons. Wrapped in a cozy comforter. In a chair pulled up just the right distance from a crackling fire. This novel set in Regency England was just what was called for at the moment. Light and breezy. Funny and outlandish. Adventure and romance. It is the absolutely charming first novel in Chesney's The Poor Relation series.

The Poor Relation is the name which Lady Fortescue and her happy band of fellow poor relations give to their new hotel. Having tired of depending on reluctant relatives for handouts, small allowances, and infrequent invitations, Lady Fortescue meets up with Colonel Sandhurst and they decide to pool their resources. Soon they are on the look-out for other suitable impoverished gentry and the idea of the hotel is born. They will make the elite pay through the nose for the pleasure of being waited on by nobility. And the elite do pay.

Although the establishment is an immediate hit with the cream of London's citizenry, Lady Fortescue's nephew, the Duke of Rowcester, sets himself on a mission to end the endeavor--through buying out the six partners if necessary. He feels that his aunt's descent into trade will smear the family name--until he meets Miss Harriet James, a young woman who bewitched him in a previous Season before disappearing into obscurity on the death of her parents and loss of her fortune. Miss James has accepted Lady Fortescue's offer to be the hotel's chef. Once Rowcester sees Miss James he moves into the hotel--supposedly to keep an eye on his aunt. That's when the fun begins.

Marion Chesney tells a rollicking good story with plenty of period detail. There's romance without it turning into a bodice ripper. There's adventure without highwaymen. And there's good clean fun and lots of humor. I look forward to reading more of this series in the future. Three and a half stars for a good, solid read. (And, for whatever reason, I just love that cover.)

Top Ten Tuesday

This week at Top Ten Tuesday (brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish) the topic is the Top Ten Books I'm Dying to Read.

Okay....I just figured out that I have about 1500 books on my TBR lists. And that's only counting the ones I've remembered to write down at some point and not the ones that I see mentioned somewhere, think "yeah, that sounds good!" and then forget to make a note of. And I'm supposed to pick only ten? Hmmm. This may be a toughie. But here we go:

1. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (translated by Dorothy L Sayers). I am both intimidated and excited by this one. I have wanted to read it for a long time, but it is so-o-o-o-o out of my period that it scares me a bit.

2. Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. Another that has been on the TBR list for a long time. I loved The Moonstone and look forward to this one.

3. Crime on Her Mind: Fifteen Stories of Female Sleuths from the Victorian Era to the Forties by Michele Slung (ed)

4. The Lady Vanishes by Ethel Lina White. I've seen the Hitchcock movie based on this novel and have always wanted to read the book.

5. C. S. Lewis's Space Trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet; Perelandra; and That Hideous Strength

6. Emma by Jane Austen

7. The Complete Poetry & Selected Prose of John Donne

8. Poems & Prose by Christina Rossetti

9. The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer & the 19th Century Literary Imagination by Sandra M Gilbert & Susan Gubar

10. On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts by Thomas de Quincey

These are all books that I have owned or wanted to read for quite some time and just don't seem to move off the TBR list into my reading pile. Most of them I won't get to any time soon (unfortunately) because I have reading challenge commitments to fulfill (Dante will be read, though!)

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

*Grab your current read.
*Open to a random page.
*Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
*Be careful not to include spoiliers! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title and author, too, so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser from Lady Fortescue Steps Out by Marion Chesney (page 31):

For the rest of the week, Sir Philip raided during the night and sold the stuff during the day, so that by the end of his stay he was able to tip the butler and the housekeeper handsomely, so that when they subsequently found a surprising amount of stuff missing from the larder, they blamed a housemaid who had left the week before.

The Shelf of Awesome

I found this post, started by Wit and Sin, via Blkosiner's Book Blog. This is all about the books that you would put on your "keeper" shelf. The books you can't do without--not necessarily because they are all your favorites, but because of different meanings they may have for you. The books that inspire you in some way--to read, to write, to imagine, to love, to smile, to find happiness. Here are mine, using most of the categories I found on Wit and Sin:

Favorite Book(s) of All-Time
Any Nancy Drew--particularly The Clue of the Broken Locket (this series is what really inspired my love affair with books in general and mysteries in particular)
Strong Poison by Dorothy L Sayers
Persuasion by Jane Austen

These Are Classics for a Reason
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Deer Slayer by James Fenimore Cooper (one of the few classic American authors I love)
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The First
You can never forget your first romance novel.
Crimson Roses by Grace Livingston Hill

The Comfort Reads
The books I always return to:
Any Lord Peter Wimsey by Dorothy L Sayers
Any by Agatha Christie
Laddie by Gene Stratton-Porter

Books Mean Love
Or at least they do when your closest friends also happen to be avid readers. These books make the shelf not because of the stories or the authors that wrote them, but the people who gave them to me:
Complete Edgar Allan Poe by Poe (thanks, Nikki!)
Tom Thumb by Clifton Johnson (from my Grandma I)
Laddie by Gene Stratton-Porter (from my Grandma E)
Complete Jules Verne by Verne (thanks, Paula!)

It's Monday: What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, a bookish meme hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list. So hop on over to Journey and join in...and leave a comment here so I can check out what you're reading.

Here's mine:
Books Read Last Week (for a review click the title):Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Katherine by Anya Seton
The Bohemian Girl by Kenneth Cameron
The House on the Strand by Daphne Du Maurier

Finished Today:
The Thanksgiving Day Murder by Lee Harris
The Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchinson
The Book I'm Reading Now:
Lady Fortescue Steps Out by Marion Chesney: The unconventional life of poor relations in Regency England. Normally poor relations are shuffled around among the more prosperous of the family...often destined to be companions to demanding, elderly women. Lady Fortescue comes up with a daring plan to start a hotel run by poor relations like herself. (I'm taking a bit of a break from my more demanding reading challenges. This one will just cover my Support Your Local Library and 100+ Challenges.


Books that spark my interest this week:
Castle Dor by Daphne du Maurier & Arthur Quiller-Couch (TBR for my Daphne du Maurier Challenge): "The castle and the hills around it had seen a doomed love affair before, but the impulsive young woman and the impressionable young lad from Brittany with who she discovered a love heretofore denied her knew nothing of the past. They knew only the present--a present suddenly become alive and filled with enchantment, love, and danger."

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (TBR for my Really old Classics Challenge) The ultimate tour guide, Virgil, takes Dante (and the reader) on a tour of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. This has been on my personal TBR list for a loooooong time...now that I have Dorothy L Sayers' translation and a challenge to fulfill, I'll be checking it off my list.

Madam Crowl's Ghost & Other Stories by Sheridan Le Fanu (TBR for my Fall Into Reading Challenge) From Amazon: "A selection of the Le Fanu's best supernatural tales. In Stephen King style but a century earlier, Madame Crowl seems like the sweet old lady next door until she starts hovering outside upstairs windows late at night."

Not sure what I'll go for next. But I've sure got enough reading challenges going to keep me busy.

The Deathday Letter

Okay, I'm just going to start right off and say that Young Adult fiction isn't my usual cup of tea. I read this one because I needed a book by a debut author for my Fall Into Reading Challenge and when I did a search for that sort of thing The Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchinson came up several times. And my library actually had it. And the premise sounded interesting. But, just to be absolutely honest, if I'd known before I brought it home that it was YA....I don't know that I'd have ordered it up. Don't hate me, all you dear YA lovers who follow me...it's just who I am.

So what was the premise that reeled me in?

"The clock is ticking...Ollie can't be bothered to care about anything but girls, until he gets his Deathday Letter and learns he's going to die in twenty-four hours. Bummer.

Ollie does what he does best: nothing. Then his best friend convinces him to live a little, and go after Ronnie, the girl who recently trampled his about-to-expire heart. Ollie turns to carloads of pudding and over-the-top declarations, but even playing the death card doesn't work. All he wants is to set things right with the girl of his dreams. It's now or never...."

Hutchinson has written a brilliant first novel. He's bang on target in his characterization of a 15-year old boy dealing with death and hormones all at the same time. The story goes from down-right hilarious ("Because a teenage guy with a penis is like a twitchy marine with a live grenade. Got it?") to heart-rendingly poignant ("There's so much to say, too much to say. I want to tell her that she's the most important thing that ever happened to me. I want to tell her that every night before I went to sleep, it was her that I thought about...").

Following Ollie...and his friend Shane and his love Ronnie...through his last twenty-four hours is a trip I'll never forget. It's the chance to watch a 15-year old "jerk" realize what's important in life--and death. The chance to learn lessons that some of us never learn in a life-time, let alone a single day. Ollie and his friends will make you laugh and cry...and wonder just what you would do if you were certain that you only had twenty-four hours left.

Four stars out of five.

The Thanksgiving Day Murder

The Thanksgiving Day Murder by Lee Harris is one of a series...all with holiday-related titles...about Christine Bennett, an ex-nun who has a talent for solving mysteries that others have long given up on. In this one we find that

"More than a year ago Natalie Gordon vanished at the Thanksgiving Day Parade. The police and a private investigator still have no leads. When Natalie's despairing husband pleads with ex-nun Christine Bennett to help, she can't say no. Not only are Natalie's present whereabouts a mystery, but so is her past. Someone has stripped her personnel file in her old office. Starting with a cardboard box of Natalie's belongings--a few books, keys, some cosmetics--Christine searches for a life someone has tried very hard to erase...."

As Chris starts digging into the details of Natalie Gordon's life, she also finds a mystery related to her own memories of the Thanksgiving Day Parade. In each case she begins to wonder if she really wants to find the answers. Will Natalie's husband be hurt by what she finds? Will her own life be changed by what she discovers about her own past?

These mysteries featuring Chris Bennett are fun and light. No matter how difficult the subject matter, Lee Harris never gets gritty when writing about it. We definitely stay within the cozy realm and the books can easily be finished in an evening. While it may be said that Chris seems to have a lot of "luck" in her investigations, they are always interesting and her character is very likable and believable. It helps that she really likes what she does and is very compassionate in her dealings with victims and perpetrators alike. I highly recommend this series when you want something satisfying but not too heavy.

Three stars out of five on Visual Bookshelf.

50-Plus Give-Away Winners!

Congratulations are in order for Roof Beam Reader and CMash Loves to Read! These two are the lucky winners in my very first blog give-away. I have contacted them and they'll be choosing their prize from the four books advertised in the original post. For those who signed up but didn't win--don't despair! As soon as I hit 100 followers, I plan on celebrating again. Thanks to everyone for playing along and for following along!

The House on the Strand

"Am I my brother's keeper? Cain's cry of protest against God suddenly had new meaning for me as I watched the hands of the clock move towards ten past three. Roger was my keeper, I was his. There was no past, no present, no future. Everything living is part of the whole. We are all bound, one to the other, through time and eternity, and, our senses once opened, as mine had been opened by the drug, to a new understanding of his world and mine, fusion would take place, there would be no separation, there would be no death...This would be the ultimate meaning of the experiment, surely, that by moving about in time death would be destroyed."

The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier has a very intriguing concept: time-travel (of a sort) via hallucinogenic drugs. If I understand the concept properly, the mixture which Professor Magnus Lane has concocted awakens the the memories of the past which are carried in our cells (I would imagine in the DNA). For whatever reason, it brings the past of the 14th Century alive for both Professor Lane and his guineau pig, Richard Young. Richard has always been influenced by Magnus (ever since they were at school together) and falls in with his plans to test this "amazing new potion." Richard finds himself drawn into the lives of various members of the 14th Century and, having become disillusioned with his own life just prior to the events of the story, also finds himself more and more reluctant to take part in the activities of the here and now. The story climaxes with events that manage to mix the past and the present with all-too terrible results.

This story starts with a bang. Du Maurier takes you straight to the heart of the matter...time travel and her opening descriptions set the scene where all the action--both past and presnt--will take place. The Cornish countryside is beautifully described and soon becomes central to the story. Her descriptions of the the effects of the drug are also very apt. It places the traveler in an almost dream-like state with no real sensations of touch (Richard feels no cold in the middle of winter for instance) and yet all other senses are heightened--particularly sight. The blues of the sky and water seem more vivid. The grass and the trees seem much more alive.

I found myself very caught up in the story--wanting to find out what happened to Roger and Isolda, Sir John and Joanna, and all the others in the 14th Century. The story does lag a bit in the middle, but it is well worth it to stay the course to the end. The final action bears quite a twist and leaves the reader with questions. Not vital questions that the author should have answered, but questions that keep the reader thinking about the story. I think that is the mark of a very good writer.

Comparisons have been made to H.P. Lovecraft and gothic horror. I wouldn't say that is accurate. Some of the descriptions of the 14th Century may seem a bit harsh, but there is nothing of the horror genre about it. I would liken it more to H. G. Wells than Lovecraft.

Three and a half stars out five on Visual Bookshelf (I'm again subtracting a bit for the lag in the middle).

Who's Sitting at Your Table?

This week on Larissa's Bookish Life Tanya (filling in for Larissa while that lucky lady is at the Authors After Dark Conference in NYC) is asking us Who's Sitting at Your Table? If you could invite any six authors to dinner for conversation and gossip, who would you choose?

I'm assuming my magical hostess powers will allow me to use time travel to bring authors form the past to 2010. Here we go, in no particular order:

1. Dorothy Parker...the queen of NYC gossip in her time and the author of some pretty insightful essays as well as short stories and witty poems.
2. Dorothy L Sayers...not only would I want to talk about her literary creation, Lord Peter Wimsey, and all the literary allusions and quotations found in those novels, but I'd want to talk to her about her religious views as well.
3. C. S. Lewis...Let's put him beside DLS. That should make for some very interesting religious commentary.
4. David Lodge...master of the British academic satire. He and I could dish on the academic life all night.
5. Jane Austen...I'd love to hear her talk about the manners and customs of her time (live and in person) as well as hear her take on ours.
6. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle...let's just see if he can use the skills of his most famous creation to tell the group all about ourselves. I'd also like to quiz him about his views on spiritualism.

There we go...whose names will be on your invitations?

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!



Here's what I have checked out at the moment:

The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier (A haunting time travel story with history, romance, horror & suspense...set in the 14th Century)

The Thanksgiving Day Murder by Lee Harris (More than a year ago Natalie Gordon vanished at the Thanksgiving Day Parade. The police and a private investigator still have no leads. When Natalie's despairing husband pleads with ex-nun Christine Bennett to help, she can't say no.)

Lady Fortescue Steps Out by Marion Chesney (The unconventional life of poor relations in Regency England. Normally poor relations are shuffled around among the more prosperous of the family...often destined to be companions to demanding, elderly women. Lady Fortescue comes up with a daring plan to start a hotel run by poor relations like herself.)

The Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchinson ("The clock is ticking...Ollie can't be bothered to care about anything but girls, until he gets his Deathday Letter and learns he's going to die in twenty-four hours. Bummer.")

I'd also like to mention my Library Bookstore haul (our library has an in-house bookstore where donated used books, library discards, CDs, DVDs, and magazines can be had at bargain prices and all proceeds go to the library):

Abra-Cadaver by Christopher Monig (A delightful little pocket size 1st edition from 1965. I collect these editions and always snatch them up whenever I see them.)

Plus three CDs:
Gems from the Early Years (Frank Sinatra & Harry James)
Saxophone Masterpieces (Eugene Rousseau)
The Harp Duet (Joe & Shuhsin)

The Bohemian Girl

The Bohemian Girl by Kenneth Cameron is the second in his series about Denton, an American ex-patriot, former sheriff, and famous author, who finds himself embroiled in mysterious circumstances. This time he and his servant/friend Atkins have just returned from a trip to Eastern Europe (and a period of imprisonment on false charges of spying) to find a letter of entreaty waiting for Denton. A young woman has written to say that she is in danger and needs his help. The search for the young woman leads Denton to the bohemian haunts of artists--to places where the line between genius and madness is very fine. Just who was Mary Thomason? And has she disappeared voluntarily or has the expected danger caught up with her?

There is a second mystery following Denton. A certain Albert Cosgrove has become enamored of the famous author. He sends many notes begging to meet Denton and asking for signed copies of Denton's books. It soon becomes clear that Cosgrove's obsession has become dangerous and it soon begins to threaten those that Denton cares for as well.

Kenneth Cameron weaves a very enticing historical mystery. Set in the late Victorian/early 20th Century, Cameron manages to set the period without forced cockney accents or contrived trappings. His strong characters carry the story to an exhilarating finish--everyone from Denton to his manservant to the members of the police force are finely drawn. He also manages to tell a tale of the relations between men and women; the difference between love, sex, and perversion; and the difference between the necessary violence and the lust to provoke pain. This is an enjoyable read--one that was difficult to put down. And I particularly enjoyed watching the development of Denton...watching his struggles with love and the memories of the past which seem to threaten that love. I eagerly await the next installment. Four stars out of five on Visual Bookshelf.