Little Pixie
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Posts posted by Little Pixie
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Wow, Pixie
You had some major reviews piled up there ,didn't you ? You've gotten tons of reading done .
I'm so glad the flooding may be done now. That looks pretty dangerous !
It`s a split-level house ( 3 storeys at the river side, 2 on the road side ) so it`s no problem getting out of the house ( though getting anywhere with flooding throughout town and diversions, etc - that`s another issue ) - they`re still searching for someone who went missing during the floods.
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Night Watch is the one book by Sarah Waters that I do have. Glad that it seems a goodie.
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Hope you`re feeling better now.
Treat yourself to some books, that works for me.
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Hurray, new books ! The Norse Myths one looks good.
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The Black-Eyed Blonde: A Philip Marlowe Novel by Benjamin Black 4.5/5
It's been decades since I've read any Philip Marlowe, but the similarities are more than striking. Black/Banville brings the detective to life, beautifully. A disillusioned detective, a beautiful damsel in distress, slippery gangsters populate, and move about in this Marlowe recreation in more or less the expected fashion. The prose is toned-down Banville, and as usual, gorgeous and descriptive in an unobtrusive manner.
I don't think I can put it anywhere near as accurately as the New York Times review by Janet Maslin, so I'll insert that link here. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/07/boo...
Recommended.
Ooh, sounds great. I love Philip Marlowe - I can even quote the opening paragraph of The Big Sleep.
I`ve sampled it, to try later.
BTW, we`re still waiting for the BBC to show Quirke on TV ( information just says ` early 2014` ).
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Great bookshelves, Gaia !
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Yup, I can certainly agree with that LP. It's a shame.
But the cats really are great.
Have you read the short stories LJB wrote that started the whole thing? The Cat Who Had 14 Tales is a great collection.
No, I managed to miss those ; I`m guessing I`d given up by that stage. Thanks so much for the heads-up.
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Bluestockings: The Remarkable Story of the First Women to Fight for an Education, by Jane Robinson
As the title suggests, this book discusses the first women in Britain to attend university. Broadly covering from the mid-late 19th century up until the second World War, it describes the opposition faced by prospective students, including doctors who believed that education could cause infertility (!), the belief that men would not want to marry an educated woman, and the widely held belief that women just did not need to be educated, when their sole purpose in life was to marry and have children.
Rather than giving a chronological account of how universities came to accept female students (it’s worth noting that Cambridge University would not award degrees to females until 1948, although females were allowed to study there prior to that date – Oxford beat them by 28 years by finally agreeing to award degrees to women in 1920), it focuses instead on what university life was like for women during the period covered, such as when women could only talk to men when there was a chaperone present, people would be expelled for extremely minor transgressions.
The book is packed with personal anecdotes, and includes many excerpts from the diaries and writings of former students. As expected, there are some truly inspirational stories included, as well as some more sombre accounts of student life from those who were not happy with university life, and found themselves ill-equipped to cope with their new circumstances. There are tales of families who struggled against convention and lack of finances, to send their daughter(s) to university to get an education, and stories of others who found help elsewhere. It also makes the point that for a very long time, having a degree was not considered any advantage in looking for a career, unless you wanted to be a teacher – indeed it was practically expected that if a woman did pursue a career after her degree, it would be in teaching.
The book is inspiring and well written…definitely recommended.
Sounds an excellent read.
Does it mention that Durham was the first English Univ. to award degrees to women in 1895 ? A couple of the Scottish places were even sooner than that.
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I'm glad to hear you like the Phrynne Fisher books. I loved the TV series, and bought the first book to see if I enjoyed it. Not read it yet, but it's always nice to hear when someone likes something that you have on your shelf.
Indeed.
I especially liked how the author conveyed the thoughts of the characters, which you can`t do in the TV show unless you have voice-overs, oslt.
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And now, catching up with all the books read.
Book # 22 Poetic Justice - Amanda Cross
I know they`re described as mysteries, but they`re really about Prof. Kate and the machinations at a NY University in the 60`s and 70`s. This one involves WH Auden`s work, an adult ed. college affiliated with the main University and how it`s perceived by the ( sometimes ) snobbish tutors at the `real` University and a clever mystery involving a tutor.
Book # 23 The Treehouse - Naomi Wolf
Bits resonated for me, bits didn`t. It`s a memoir of Naomi Wolf`s poet father and a course he taught at college on being an artist.
Book # 24 Fox Tracks - Rita Mae Brown
NY and Virginia in Winter, and a murder plot involving Cuban emigres. There`s lots about tobacco`s history in the US ( more interesting than it sounds
).Book # 25 Silent on the Moor - Deanna Raybourn
Yorkshire 1889. Lady Julia goes to visit her on again/off again beau and tumbles into a mystery. There`s much about the status of women in Victorian England, though you don`t feel like you`re being preached at. The characters are fascinating, though the mystery has some obvious bits ( and some very clever twists, too ).
Book # 26 Death and the Maiden - Frank Tallis
Turn of the Century Vienna. A Jewish psychologist and a humble-background Police Inspector are friends who team up to solve murders; this looks like it could be the final one in the series. Hugely evocative.
Book # 27 Fatal Remedies - Donna Leon
Another Inspector Brunetti cracker, involving his wife in a mystery.
Book # 28 Say No to Murder - Nancy Pickard
Amusing whodunnit set in New England.
Book # 29 Paw Tracks at Owl Cottage - Denis O`Connor
Memoir involving cats . Some nice stories, but also bits about animal cruelty - too upsetting.
Book # 30 The hen of the baskervilles - Donna Andrews
Book 15 of the Meg Langslow series, and my favourite series of the moment. Subtitled ` The curious incident of the hen in the nighttime`, this involves the kidnapping of rare breeds chickens at a county fair. Excellent mystery and very funny. Sample line, talking about the local dry cleaner, Daphne : Around here, Daphne`s so good, that we say if she can`t help you, God must want you to wear that stain.
Book # 31 Murder a la Mode - Patrica Moyes
Inspector Henry investigates a murder at a fashion magazine. A clever variation on a locked room murder.
Book # 32 Visions of Sugar Plums - Janet Evanovich
Amusing enough, but not her best book. Diverting enough, though.
Book # 33 The Moonspinners - Mary Stewart
Not as good as her previous books ; this goes straight into the action without giving the reader time to get to know the heroine, so you don`t feel invested in the character. Still, the ending is a real page-turner, and I`ll watch the Hayley Mills film of this the next time it`s on.
Book # 34 Miss Phryne Fisher Investigates - Kerry Greenwood
I really like the TV series, and the book didn`t disappoint. It fills in bits about the characters, and the plot is sufficently different to keep your attention. Quite short at around 170 pages, but a fun read.
Book # 35 The Theban Mysteries - Amanda Cross
This one centres around Antigone and the Vietnam war, with Prof. Kate returning to her alma mater to teach a seminar for teenagers.
Book # 36 No Body - Nancy Pickard
Jenny Cain attends a funeral and finds two bodies in the coffin. Lovely, funny heroine.
Book # 37 Flying Too High - Kerry Greenwood
Phryne investigates a murder and kidnapping in 1920`s Melbourne.
Book # 38 Tom Brown`s Body - Gladys Mitchell
Couldn`t get into this one at all. I didn`t find it funny like her other books, and most of it involved shcoolboys instead of the usual heroine.
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They were the lucky ones, some other families in the areas lost their houses in the fires. There has been a collection going around for any food stuffs, clothes, blankets and anything else you can think of for the families who lost everything. I donated some food and clothes.
I always think of you and all the others when I see the bad weather going on in the UK. It must be very scary. I hope you are all keeping dry.
We`ve had some nice - 12c - weather lately, so fingers crossed, that`s the last of the flooding and we can all dry out. We *might* be getting some Govt. money to help with better defences, yay.
Some flood pics :
Madam Xiao-Xiao notices her garden`s underwater :
Those big trees at the back are on the far side of the river bank. The other bank is by the dovecote, 3 trees in from the left.
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TBR 768 New Books Bought : 67 Total Cost : £138.23
A couple more funny whodunnits books by Nancy Pickard - No Body and Dead Crazy.
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I was wondering where you were
I`m going to try getting on more regularly and taking painkillers afterwards ; I usually just take them at night and try not to use the arm, `cos that makes it hurt more - but then I don`t do anything at all. Grr.
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Congrats on the new books! Two are on my TBR (Quentins and Dead Until Dark but I haven't read them yet. I hope you enjoy your new books
(great price btw for 24 books!).Thank you ! I was really excited ; there are lots of books in the list which were on my ` get round to buying at some point` list .
Shall get round to updating my `read list` soon.
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Another quick drive-by...Stoopid, stoopid shoulder.
Just back from the Save the Kitties shop with vast armfuls of cheery-up books :
I spent £17.50 and got... 24 books. Huzzah !
Disco for the Departed - Colin CotterillAny Human Heart - William BoydA Blunt Instrument - Georgette HeyerIf Morning ever Comes - Anne TylerThe Various Flavours of Coffee - Anthony CapellaA Parliament of Spies - Cassandra ClarkThe Shakespeare Secret - JL CarrellFull Stop - Joan SmithDead Until Dark - Charlaine HarrisThey Found Him Dead - Georgette HeyerThe Crossing Places - Elly GriffithsA History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters - Julian Barnes £17.50A new Dominion - Ruth Prawer JhabvalaFrom the Land of Shadows - Clive JamesThe Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel BarberyThe darling Buds of May, A breath of French Air , When the Green Woods laugh, Oh! To be in England, A little of What you fancy - HE BatesThe Memory Keeper`s daughter - Kim EdwardsThe Spellman Files - Lisa LutzA Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian - Marina LewyckaQuentins - Maeve Binchy -
Thank you so much for the NY info, Charles.
I`ve printed it off and shall stick it with my read-book-list-book ( the book I keep a record of all books read ) ; that`ll be hugely useful, `cos I was just thinking eh? again recently whilst reading a NY-set book.
Also, I`ll be able to see where all the bodega cats live.
( Shame, there only seem to be a few on that site ). -
Congrats on reading so many books so far and congrats on the new books
!Thanks ! I`m hoping to get to 41 books read by the end of March, which would equal my `books bought this year` total.
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The worst of it just missed us this time.
Hey, I think this is the designated spot, come on down!
<< Hands round cake >>
1/2 inch of the river in the house this time, but at least half a foot on the other side of the flood wall.
So, no exciting snow for you then ? Boo.
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Charles - if you have a few minutes - could you tell me the difference between Lower East / Upper East/ Lower West/ Upper West Manhattan ? It`s come up in a couple of books this year and I`m floundering; I`m thinking particularly of what sort of person would live in each area, ie, bohemian or snooty, etc.
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Great book haul !
I read the first Jed Rubenfeld ; looking forward to seeing if you liked this one.
I`ve not read that Midnight book ; keep meaning to look for a copy of it.
Havana Bay is excellent - I`ve liked all his books.
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Lilian Jackson Braun - Cat Who... 29: De Kat Die 60 Snorharen Had
Genre: Detective
Format: Paperback
Pages: 142 (120 read)
Synopsis (GoodReads):Polly Duncan is off to Paris, temporarily leaving Jim Qwilleran without his lady companion. Good thing there's lots to keep Jim busy. Like a mysterious death from a bee sting that leaves everyone but Koko the Siamese in a state of confusion. If only the kitty with sixty whiskers would stop pussyfooting around and let Jim in on the deadly secret..
My thoughts: I recently bought this book and usually read a detective / mystery / crime story for the read-a-thon and picked this one.
I remember reading some of this series when I was a teenager, at the library, but I don't remember much else. This book wasn't what I expected from it. I expected a murder mystery, instead most of the book (the 120 out of 142 pages I read) was about the main character's life and the many, many people he knew. I realise it's usually not good to start a series with the 29th book. This being, what I could see from the synopsis, a murder mystery, I thought it'd be okay since usually murder mystery series books can be read as standalones. While a few things were explained I found the whole of it very confusing. There were so many different side characters, present but also gossiped about, and I had trouble keeping them apart. I kept waiting for a murder mystery to happen but instead the main character, a journalist, just seemed to do a lot of random things, that for me, seemed kind of to drop out of nowhere. I didn't get many of the references to characters or things that had happened in the past. There was too much information in the book, I couldn't keep the character's names apart.
The thing I loved about the book were the bits about the cats. I liked reading about them.
Overall then I abandoned this book at 120 pages in out of 142, I found it very confusing and couldn't really follow the plot anymore (was there one?). Maybe if I had started at book one things would make sense, but for me the book wasn't at all what I expected it to me. There was hardly a murder mystery present and instead there were too many side characters and too much waffle about the main character's life (which is fine if that's what you're going for, but then don't advertise it as a murder mystery on the back).
Rating: ** (3/10)
I gave up the series at Book 24 ; I`d loved her books, but the last few had gone downhill, and the very last one which I read had felt like a badly written pastiche.
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Oh thanks, Sarah
It's not today, though - I'm just a bit late in posting that pic Oopsies. Happy Belated Wotsit.
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TBR 753 New Books Bought : 41 Total Cost : £114.62
Little Pixie`s Bookshelf 2014
in Past Book Logs
Posted
Ooh, you`ve read lots too ! Congrats !
Most of my books have been around 250 pages though ; I also have 3 Mighty Tomes on the go ( about 1/3 through the English Lit guide at page 300-ish , page 99 of an Alan Bennett book and page, erm, 3 of a Saki collection ).