Crow Lake

Crow Lake 

by Mary Lawson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such a lovely book. All the characters were well drawn; the story was structured in such a way that it unfolded at exactly the right speed to keep me engaged but not anxious about what would happen; and the writing was beautiful. I could clearly see the landscape where the story was set. The supporting characters were also wonderfully described:

"It shows the state I was in that for the first time in my life I almost wanted to accept that bosom for what it really is--a pillow to cry into. A great, soft, warm pillow, into which to unload all your grief and pain and regret, in the sure knowledge that Mrs. Stanovich will pass it all directly on to Jesus." 

I added this book to my TBR when I read what Stuck in a Book said about Mary Lawson's novel The Other Side of the Bridge which was in SiaB's top books of 2021 list. I plan to read more of Lawson's novels. 

Mary Lawson was born in Ontario and this story is set there. I am counting this toward the Canadian Reading Challenge. 

New to My TBR

Week 5: (November 29-December 3) — New to My TBR with Jaymi at The OC Book Girl: It’s been a month full of amazing nonfiction books! Which ones have made it onto your TBR? Be sure to link back to the original blogger who posted about that book! 

I didn't post for Week 4: (November 22-26) – Stranger Than Fiction with Christopher at Plucked from the Stacks which focused on all the great nonfiction books that *almost* don’t seem real. I couldn't think of any non-fiction that felt stranger than fiction to me. Maybe I'm just too cynical and prepared to believe outrageous things. 

Anyway, moving on to the 20 books I have added to my TBR during #nonficnov:

• The Art of the English Murder: From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock by Lucy Worsley (from Joy's Book Blog)
• Fridge Love: Organize Your Refrigerator for a Healthier, Happier Life by Kristen Hong (from Based on a True Story)
• The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman (this has been on my list, as I mentioned in week 3, but I was reminded about it by Deb At Readerbuzz)
• The Power of Ritual by Casper Ter Kuile (from Silver Button Books)
• Index, a History of the by Dennis Duncan (from Books Please)
• Vote First or Die by Scott Conroy (from Plucked from the Stacks)
• The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym by Paula Byrne (from Entering the Enchanted Castle) 
• The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson (from Gulfside Musing) 
• Enid by Robert Wainwright (from book'd out -- though it was on their TBR as well rather than a recommendation)
• Writing at the Kitchen Table: Elizabeth David, the Authorized Biography by Artemis Cooper (from Scones and Chaise Longues) -- I have already gotten this from the library and began reading it.
• The Brontes: Wild Genius on the Moors: The Story of Three Sisters by Juliet Barker (from Doing Dewey)
• The Barbizon by Paulina Bren and The Girl in White Gloves by Kerri Maher (a pairing from The Paperback Princess)
• The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (from Reading, Writing, Working, Playing) -- this work of fiction was paired with The Code Girls which I already read.
• Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (from The Thousand Book Project)
• Murder Your Darlings by Roy Peter Clark (from LisaNotes)
• The Moralist: Woodrow Wilson and the World He Made by Patricia O'Toole (recommended in a comment from Lory at Entering the Enchanted Castle)
• Off the Clock by Laura Vanderkam (from The Book Stop)
• Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant (from What's Nonfiction) -- essays from various people about eating/cooking for one
• A Libertarian Walks into a Bear by by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling (from What's Nonfiction and Plucked from the Stacks) -- both blogs featured it as stranger than fiction, but I've lived in NH long enough that I doubt I will find it that unlikely; I am interested in reading it. 

Wondrous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermuda Onion, where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our weekly reading.

eleemosynary (adj) (1620): of, or relating to, or supported by charity. (Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary)

"The effort on behalf of the immigrants is not of course purely eleemosynary. Israel needs these people to fill the vessel of the state." (p. 139, Practicing History by Barbara Tuchman)

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler
by Italo Calvino
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"But how to establish the exact moment in which a story begins? Everything has already begun before, the first line of the first page of every novel refers to something that has already happened outside the book. Or else the real story is the one that begins ten or a hundred pages further on, and everything that precedes it is only prologue. The lives of individuals of the human race form a constant plot, in which every attempt to isolate one piece of living that has a meaning separate from the rest--for example the meeting of two people, which will become decisive for both--must bear in mind that each of the two brings with himself a texture of events, environments, other people, and that from the meeting, in turn, other stories will be derived which will break off from their common story." (p. 153)

This book was tremendously clever and was definitely the most meta book I have ever read. It is about a reader, you, who is reading a book that is being written by another character in the book, and possibly translated by yet another, but it keeps ending abruptly and when the reader finds another copy it is another book. There is another reader also reading the same book as you. In the capable hands of Calvino this isn't confusing.

Back in 2013 Avid Reader's Musings hosted a readalong of this novel, so check out those posts for more points of view about this book.

This book is from my classics club list, but was written in 1979 so isn't old enough to qualify for the back-to-the-classics challenge. It does count toward the What's in a Name challenge as the title contains a season.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This counts toward my 2016 Back to the Classics Challenge for "re-read a classic you read in school." It is also on my Classics Club list.

I didn't have a strong recollection of this novel from having read it in college. I liked it at the time and remembered the crazy wife in the attic but not a lot else. I didn't have a much stronger reaction this time. It was fine, Rochester was dashing and appealing in many ways and St. John was creepy. Jane was a fine and upstanding heroine (reminded me of Meg March a bit), but it didn't wow me.
Several other Classics Club members reviewed this book and got a lot more out of it than I did. Both Riv and Margot have interesting reviews of this book.

Liebster Award

Riv at Bookish Realm nominated me for a Liebster Award which I thought was super-cool of her.  Thanks Riv!

The Set of Rules

1. Thank the blogger that nominated you and link back to their blog.

2. Display the award somewhere on your blog.

3. List 11 facts about yourself.

4. Answer 11 questions chosen by the blogger who nominated you.

5. Come up with 11 new questions to ask your nominees.

6. Nominate 5-11 blogs that you think deserve the award. 

7. Go to their blog and inform them that they've been nominated.

11 Facts about Me

1. I don't like celery--it's stringy, it tastes weird, and has negative calories which is just bizarre.
2. Purple is my absolute favorite color
3. I'm married to my best friend which is a wonderful thing.
4. I was the first (and so far only) woman to be the president of my local homebrew club.
5. I didn't learn how to drive until I was in my 30s.
6. I drink my coffee black but must have sugar in my tea.
7. I love Southern food (that is the Southern United States).
8. I am much more attached to my high school than to either of the Universities I got degrees from.
9. I only eat fresh tomatoes in the summer when they are actually fresh from the garden.
10. I have a collection of giraffes that began when I was a toddler.
11. The fact that I can have a Pandora station of nothing but showtunes makes me really happy.

Riv's 11 Questions Answered

1. Do you read magazines? Which are the ones you are subscribed to, or buy (fairly) regularly?

I read a couple of magazines pretty regularly and a ton of magazines at random when the covers appeal to me. Since I work at a library I walk past the rack of new issues all the time and can just pull out any that appeal to me, which I do. I actually subscribe to Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Yoga, and the Food Network Magazine so I read those regularly. I almost never buy a magazine beyond the ones I subscribe to.

2. Those of you that eat ice cream - what is your favourite flavour? Those who don't (if there are any) - why don't you eat ice cream? 
Mint chocolate chip is my favorite flavor, though I also really like black raspberry. I can't stand ice cream with bits of baked goods in it.

3. Do you have any pet peeves? Name some.
Ice cream with baked goods in it definitely comes to mind. Beyond that I am fairly irritated by people who misuse the word literally. 

4. From pet peeves to pets - do you have any pets? Please introduce them, and feel free to add your favourite photo of them. (Or talk about pets you have had in the past. Or pets you'd like to have in future.)

I'm really not a pet person. My sister has a cat with whom I maintain a distant but cordial relationship. I have a friend who makes dog treats from spent brewing grain (Gunther's Goodies) which I think is very resourceful and I would buy some except for the not-being-a-pet-person thing.

5. Choose your preferred one among the following: a handbag, a tote bag, a sleeping bag, a tea bag, a punching bag. Why did you choose the one you chose?

I prefer a handbag. I LOVE handbags. I make handbags. I have more handbags than I know what to do with. Do not let that last statement mislead you into thinking I won't be adding to the collection. Totebags are also good. Sometimes it is a fine line differentiating a handbag and a totebag. 

6. Do you keep (or have ever kept) a journal or a diary? Nope. 

7. Do you read any other type of blogs aside from book blogs? Feel free to link your favourites, if you feel like it. :) I read various food blogs (bowl of delicious is a current favorite) and lots of craft/quilting blogs (check out my blogroll at urbanquilter.com for a whole list of good ones)

8. Do you have a favourite nail polish brand? 

I don't have a favorite brand, but I definitely prefer the quick-dry stuff if I do my nails myself. If I go to a salon to have my nails done I have a friend with me so I can sit and wait for the stuff to dry, but at home I haven't got the patience for it. 

9. When was the last time you were on a plane?
I was on a plane at the beginning of May when my husband and I went to Washington, DC for a long week-end.

10. If there was a hashtag to describe your life, what would it be? #crazybutgood

11. Jan Special: If you could time travel, where would you go and why? I would go back to the places/times where stories that some of my friends have told occurred and see the events for myself.

My 11 Questions

1. Morning person, night person, or none-of-the-above?
2. Do you snack when you read? If so, on what?
3. If you could do any job in the world what would it be?
4. Does your partner (define that as you see fit) have similar reading habits to your own?
5. Are you a multiple-books-at-once or a one-at-a-time reader? 
6. What do you think makes a book blog worth reading?
7. How many languages can you speak/read? Which ones?
8. Do you write other blogs besides your book one? 
9. Chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry?
10. What is/was your favorite subject in school?
11. What fictional character would you like to have as a friend?

I nominate these blogs for a Liebster award

• Joy's Book Blog
• The Book Mine Set
• The Indextrious Reader
• Book Addicted Blonde 
• Brona's Books
• Bay State Reader's Advisory

Ten Most Influential Books

Random Ramblings challenged readers to create a list of ten books that have been most influential in their lives and to provide no explanation of why (thus giving you the reader an opportunity to be influenced or not in your own way). Roof Beam Reader and Brona's Books compiled lists. 
Here is mine (in no particular order):

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
3. The Illustrated Treasury of Poetry for Children edited by David Ross
4. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
5. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
6. Getting Things Done by David Allen
7. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
8. Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
9. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
10. Moby Dick by Herman Melville

For the record, just because I think a book influenced me it doesn't mean I liked it or even that I finished it.

Bookish MadLibs Meme

I saw this book meme at I'd Rather Be at the Beach and thought I would give it a try. I answered books I read over the past 2 years.

In school I was:  Twenty Six
People might be surprised I’m:  Generation X
I will never be:  A Perfect Mess (an imperfect one quite possibly!)
My fantasy job is:  The Art Forger
At the end of a long day I need:  A Room with a View
I hate it when: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Wish I had: A Year by the Sea
My family reunions are: Quiet  
At a party you’d find me: At Home in the World
I’ve never been to:  Beautiful Ruins
A happy day includes: Excellent Women
Motto I live by: Stirring it Up
On my bucket list: Magical Journey
In my next life, I want to be: In a Sunburned Country

CC Meme: October 2013

This month's Classics Club meme question is:

"We want you to mingle. Go to our member list and select a fellow classics clubber you’d like to feature on your blog. This can be someone who is active within the Classics Club, someone quiet who inspires with his/her posts, someone new to the club or scarce whom you’d like the club to meet. S/he can be a friend of yours, or someone you’ve never met. Tell readers why you value this club member. Highlight at least one post from his/her blog."

There are a lot of wonderful blogs written by Classics Club members, so it was a challenge to choose just one, but after thinking about it most of the month I decided on Bookish Realm.   I discovered this blog through a book blogging social thing -- I think it was Bout of Books, but I am not sure--and discovered that Riv, who writes Bookish Realm, is also a Classics Club member.  There is some overlap between my reading and Riv's, but what really makes me like her blog is how honest she is in her reviews (for example, Shatter Me). Some books just aren't that good and Riv will say so, which makes me trust her judgement more than I would if she claimed everything was fabulous. There is a good amount of humor and some of Riv's actual life mixed into the blog which is nice because it gives you a sense of who she is, but it doesn't go overboard. (Some book blogs have so much personal stuff on them I feel like I'm snooping in someone's diary when I read them--this could just be my issue though.) There is also a good mix of serious, important, classic lit and lighter reading reviewed on the site. The post I would like to highlight is Riv's review of The Blind Assassin, which I totally agree with her about. 

CC Meme: September 2013

This month's Classics Club meme question was contributed by Brona from Brona’s Books

Rereading a favourite classic at different stages of your life gives you different insights with each reading. Is there one classic you’ve read several times that also tells a story about you?

The only book I have re-read multiple times is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It was the first book I remember picking out at a bookstore. I was at a bookstore with my Dad and I can still picture the book on its elegant wooden shelf (the bookstore might have been Brentano's in NY, but I'm not sure about that). The book was a huge mass market paperback edition and I am sure it was fatter than any book I had read at that point, but I wanted it and my Dad bought it for me. I was probably about 8. I read it right away and I loved it. I wanted to be just like Jo March. 
I read Little Women again several times as I was growing up (my copy has a ribbon tied around it because many of the pages are no longer attached) and I continued to love it and to cry over the sad bits (I won't give away what they are, but be warned you should have tissues nearby when you read) and be thrilled at Jo's triumphs. As I got older I came to appreciate Meg more and more and to realize that she had very excellent taste in men. When I was in college I read Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan and I appreciated that book much more than I would have otherwise because of the role it plays in Little Women.
When I was in my mid-20's I read the novel as part of a book discussion group at work. Several of the people in the group (all women) had never read the novel and I was shocked by how old-fashioned and sexist it was through their eyes. I have read it again since then and while I do now see the mark of the times in which Alcott wrote in the portrayal of women I still love the characters, and the story, and the lessons the girls learn, and the way they interact with one another. It is a wonderful book and I think Meg's experience with making jam may be one of my favorite episodes in any book ever. 

Cross References for My Blog Posts

Thanks to Angie at Angela's Anxious Life my blog now has links to previous related posts ("see also" references) at the bottom of each post.
This is done with a super-simple-to-use service called LinkWithin.
This was one of the items on my Bloggiesta future projects list.

Bloggiesta - Mini-challenges

One of the items on my bloggiesta to-do list was "Check out the mini-challenges and complete at least one." 
I decided that my Bloggiesta Saturday would be all about the mini-challenges. Here are the mini-challenges I took on:

•  How to Host a Giveaway at The Book Monsters
  I haven't hosted a giveaway, but it sounds pretty do-able. The Book Depository seems like a great way to send books to lots of places around the world. Rafflecopter (which I have entered givaways with) looks like the way to go with this. There may be a giveaway in my blogging future.
  
  
• Post Brainstorming at My Little Pocketbooks
  Some excellent suggestions for post topics! The list of memes she pointed out at Readerbuzz has some cool ones I may want to play along with. (There is also a good list of memes at GirlXOXO.) The post suggestions in Help! Unique to You and Lists also seem like ideas that might work for me. I wanted to comment on this excellent post, but Disqus refused to let me in.
  
• Digital DeCluttering at Books a True Story
  I'm pretty obsessive about stuff going in folders, so I didn't have a ton to do for this challenge, but I did spend some time cleaning up folders of picture files and I cleared out the 75 files in my download folder.
  
• Book Blogging Heroes at Book Bloggers International
  I chose option 1 and visited 3 new blogs from among the bloggers who had been interviewed on the site. (I read a bunch of the interviews because they were so interesting). I visited (and plan to visit again):
  • Algonquin Side Table
  • Book Chatter
  • Book Dilettante
   
• I worked on How to Use IFTTT at Book Vixen, but didn't complete the mini-challenge because I had some problems getting my recipe to work correctly. I will keep playing around with it though as it seems like a great tool.
  
• I also want to mention How to Make GoodReads Work for You at The Book Addict's Guide which was a great post full of information about all the stuff you can do with GoodReads. I have used GoodReads for many years and already use all the bells and whistles so there was nothing for me to complete in this challenge. 

Cheers!

In honor of IPA day, I draw your attention to a book that I featured on Book Notes NH earlier this year. IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale by Mitch Steele (Boulder, CO: Brewers Publications, 2012) is the perfect book for the day. If reading about beer isn't your thing, perhaps reading a book set, at least partly, in India would be the proper way to celebrate: A Passage to India, The God of Small Things, The Namesake, and My Nine Lives are all excellent. 
If you need a beverage while you are reading I suggest you sample one of these fabulous IPAs: Heady Topper (The Alchemist), Stone Cali-Belgique, White Birch's Hooksett Ale.

Review: Wings of Fire

Wings Of Fire
by Charles Todd

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked the character of Rutledge, though I found the voice in his head a bit disconcerting at first. The question he goes to Cornwall to investigate is complex and I didn't figure out who the villan was until the very end. This is definitely a series I will read more of.
This title counts toward the What's in a Name 6 Challenge. Thanks to TracyK of Bitter Tea and Mystery for the recommendation.

Reading More Canadian Books

I have nearly completed the 6th Annual Canadian Book Challenge, and now it is time to sign up for #7. You can find all the details at the Book Mine Set.

The basic challenge is to read and write about 13 Canadian books between Canada Day 2013 and Canada Day 2014. (That is July 1st).

Even if you are not prepared to take on this challenge I encourage you to check out the site. Each month there is an update post with links to all the reviews written by the challenge participants. It is a great source of books by and about Canadians. 

Review: An Unsuitable Attachment

An Unsuitable Attachment
by Barbara Pym

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a charming novel about a librarian in a London parish and the people who are her neighbors in that community. It was full of excellent quotes and funny observations about the world. I especially liked the observations about what a clergyman's wife "ought" to do and say and how Sophia was such a contrast to those ideas.

I had never heard of Barbara Pym until earlier this week when The Indextrious Reader brought her to my attention in a post about the Week of Pym event at My Porch  in honor of the 100th anniversary of Pym's birth.

Review: Death Comes to Pemberley

Death Comes to Pemberley
by P.D. James

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It really wasn't in my plans, but now I feel like I need to reread Pride and Prejudice. This novel was nothing like any other P.D. James book, but it was a lot like a Jane Austen book. The tone was spot on and I loved that James decided why people in P&P did what they did and explained it all in this (essentially) sequal. I listened to this as an audiobook and the performance was very good except that occasionally the men's voices were a bit over done.

I'm thinking of participating in the Annual Austen in August event at Roof Beam Reader and may need to add P&P to my reading list for that.

Bout of Books - Wednesday

Report on day 3 of Bout of Books 7.0

I didn't get much reading in on Wednesday. I did visit  3 new-to-me book blogs and left some comments.

I got in about 60 minutes of audio-book listening (more of Bill Bryson on Australia) on my commute to work. I read 50 pages of Lord Edgware Dies, including a chapter during lunch without which my page count would have been even lower.  TRR read 1 chapter (20ish pages) of his book.

Progress to date: 9 new blogs visited, 3 different books read, 1 book finished.

Bout of Books - Tuesday

Report on day 2 of Bout of Books 7.0

I checked out 3 new blogs and left some comments. I also checked out the BoB7 updates from yesterday's new-to-me blogs. Not sure I can keep up with that as the week goes on but I'm going to try. 

I got in about 75 minutes of audio-book listening (Bill Bryson on Australia) while driving various places. 

I had plans for Tuesday evening so I didn't have as much time for reading as on Monday. I read  125 pages of Lord Edgware Dies and TRR read 63 pages of his book. 

Bout of Books - Monday

Report on day 1 of Bout of Books 7.0

I checked out 3 new blogs including Book Blog Bake which I will be visiting again. I was drawn to this blog because of the title and I really liked what I found. The reviews and other posts are thoughtful and well written and there are some interesting serial posts (take a chance on a classic is a great idea). The design of the blog is attractive and easy to navigate.

I got in about 90 minutes of audio-book listening (Bill Bryson on Australia) between commuting, running some errands, and my lunch break.

After dinner TRR read 95 pages of his book and I finished the Alan Bradley novel   I was working on. Next up is an Agatha Christie novel.