libraryperilous vs the tsundoku 2020, round two

I've never had to do second thread before. Cheers!

Post as you like. I've no particular order that needs held.

As a welcome, here's a calming kitty video. Sound up!

Happy second thread!
(Cute kitty video.)

I haven't read any Stewart for decades, and I suspect that if I did I would stick to the Merlin books. I'm very glad you're enjoying the ones you're reading.

>1 libraryperilous: oh my God, the video 😂 this reminds me of when Otter goes out in the middle of the night, which is usually fine, but one time I let him out and when he came back in he had stepped in, ahem, dog waste, walked through the whole house to the bedroom, and then jumped straight into the human bed, at which point I discovered said dog waste.... Which led to me cleaning the floor and washing bedclothes at 3am. He's lucky he's so cute.

>1 libraryperilous: Happy new thread!
It seems that Our Astrid has a twin.

Happy new thread! Love the kitty video!

>2 clamairy: I'm torn on trying the Merlin series. I don't really like Arthuriana, but she's such an interesting writer. I'm curious how she describes the natural world in the Merlin series.

>2 clamairy:, >4 hfglen:, >5 Sakerfalcon: Thank you!

hfglen, your Astrid and her twin are very pretty kitties, indeed.

>3 curioussquared: I am cringing for you and full of secondhand embarrassment for Otter.

Hi. You said you were awaiting my review of Washington Black with interest, but once I finally finished the book and write about it, you have said nothing. Should I order that your response was very different from mine? I am genuinely interested in hearing your reaction to it.

>7 -pilgrim-: Oh, I'm sorry. I am behind on threads. I've left a comment on your spring thread, after reading your review of it with interest. I didn't get around to reading the book, and I was certain your review would let me know whether or not I should. I was right. Thanks for popping in to remind me!

>6 libraryperilous: The magic is very natural, if I might use that term. I hope it's not a spoiler to say Merlin basically has quite a bit of what they used to call ESP back in the 1970s. They're still my favorite Arthur books, though I have to admit I haven't read a ton.

>1 libraryperilous: Oh man, that video is hilarious. I, too, have a cat who fell into a toilet once...

Happy new thread!

>6 libraryperilous: No need to be embarrassed for Otter; he has no shame and was not at all sorry. But I appreciate the sympathetic cringing!

>10 LibraryLover23: I had two cats once who both fell into a bath at the same time. They had been fighting for my attention on the bathtub's rim.

>11 curioussquared: Probably for the best that he is so shameless! :)

I don't feel much like chatting online right now, so I'll try to catch up on your threads in a few days.

Books read August 1st through August 7th

No books read.

Books read August 8th through August 14th

I'm halfway through Let Them Eat Tweets, so you'll have to wait until my next wrap-up for a review.

The Heirs of Locksley: Four years have passed, and this time the Locksley children are tasked with befriending newly-crowned boy king Henry III. Hijinks and intrigues ensue. It's not as poignant as The Ghosts of Sherwood. This one is about the children as they navigate growing up without growing apart. I liked the author's note that posits all Robin Hood stories as fanfic. 4 stars.

Tiger Skin Rug: Lal and Dilip move to Scotland from India and are homesick. Their new home contains a magical tiger skin rug. The tiger needs their help to complete an unfinished quest. I loved this adventure story with light fantasy elements and a quiet conservation theme. The author also gently explores loyalty, how to be both bold and brave, and the small and large things that people mean when they say, "This is home." 4 stars.

Villains in Venice: This is my favorite series, and I've been waiting since May 2019 for this entry. The last book's cliffhanger is resolved with another cliffhanger. Lil and Sophie have a bit of a falling out. Sophie goes to Venice on the next secret mission, but Lil stays in London to follow leads on a secondary mystery. The girls are growing up, so this book is about each of them stretching themselves on their own—and then finding each other again. Woodfine is so good at writing sincere, caring friendships. All the threads are gathered for the series finale. Can't wait! 5 stars.

I still don't feel like chatting much online. I hope everyone is having a nice August! I apologize to -pilgrim-, because I do want to continue our conversation about Washington Black on your thread. I hope I'll feel a bit more like posting in a few days.

>25 libraryperilous: I am sorry that you seen to be having a rough time. I look forward to continuing our discussion.

>15 libraryperilous: Hope everything is okay. Sending supportive hugs your way.

Take care of yourself and I hope you continue to read good books.

>16 -pilgrim-:, >17 clamairy:, >18 Sakerfalcon: Thank you for the kind thoughts. I'm fine, and I'm sorry if I worried anyone. There's quite a bit to process right now, plus I'm busy with some personal things. So, I'm taking a break from the internet and some of the information overload.

>18 Sakerfalcon: I shall curl up with a Mary Stewart. :)

>19 libraryperilous: That sounds like the perfect escape!

>15 libraryperilous: I looked into Woodfine's series based on your review and I will have to keep an eye out for these! They look right up my alley. I hope you enjoy your time away from the internet and get some good reading in!

>20 Sakerfalcon: I've settled on Rose Cottage, and it's lovely so far.

>21 curioussquared: Oh, I think you would like Woodfine's books. I'd start with the earlier Sinclair's series. It's the same characters, only they're a bit younger, and they solve crimes while working in a fancy London department store. The first one is The Clockwork Sparrow.

Book read August 15th through August 21st

Let Them Eat Tweets: I don't really feel like reviewing this while trying to dodge Pub rules on politics. So: It's a quick but repetitive look at the root causes of democratic backsliding in the US. If you're unfamiliar with concepts like party capture, democratic backsliding, asymmetric polarization, and the Conservative Dilemma, this book offers a good overview. I don't disagree with the authors' conclusions. I find their conclusions incomplete and too narrowly focused on proving a specific talking point, rather than on shoring up their overall point.

>22 libraryperilous: Hold placed! The library only has a digital audio copy, but that should work :)

>24 curioussquared: Ooh, hope you like it! :)

Books read August 22nd through August 31st

Rose Cottage: lovely, quiet cottage tale set in a postwar English village. It was Stewart's last novel, and the writing style has a nostalgic flavor. The mystery is light and the romance even lighter. A slice-of-life story that charmed me from the start. Four stars.

Tris' Book: too much preteen angst, not enough pirates. Tris' magic is incredibly interesting. Enjoyable, but I don't think I'll continue the series at the moment. Four stars.

A Royal Affair: second in the Sparks and Bainbridge historical mysteries set in postwar London. The lighter, straightforward touch the author uses to explore postwar trauma is welcome, as are the slapstick spy elements and the screwball banter of the main characters. The real draw is the warmth of their friendship. Four stars.

Amazon seems to be running a Kindle sale on Mary Stewart's novels. I snagged a couple over the weekend. Today's deal is for The Moonspinners and Madam, Will You Talk?.

They each are 99 cents.

I have eight more of her adventure novels to acquire. We shall see if they also end up on flash sales over the next few days.

Edited: additional info

>27 libraryperilous: It looks like most of them are already on sale on Barnes and Noble as well.

>28 Marissa_Doyle: Alas, the rest have not gone on sale yet for Kindle. They currently are $2.99-4.99 each, but I'm waiting a bit longer to see if there's another sale.

I found this Which Mary Stewart Novel Should You Read? quiz. Predictably, I got This Rough Magic, which I am saving until last because it's set on Greece and I am 99% certain I'll love it.

>29 libraryperilous: Thank you for that link.

>29 libraryperilous: I got My brother Michael which is conveniently on my TBR pile! The ones I'd read and enjoyed came lowest, probably because I was trying to pick elements that were new to me.

>30 -pilgrim-: You're welcome.

>31 Sakerfalcon: I read My Brother Michael as a preteen. I remember very little, except it was an Adventure Abroad tale and that I liked it. My mom brought home a 70s paperback from a yard sale, along with a few other Adventure Abroad novels. I inhaled the lot of them. I wish I'd kept more of my childhood books.

I've taken the quiz a few times, each time trying to spoil it, and I keep getting This Rough Magic. The secondary recommendation does change.

Book read September 1st through September 7th

Touch Not the Cat: This was on sale, along with Madam, Will You Talk? and Nine Coaches Waiting. My mom and I snapped them up and decided to read one 'together.' She picked the cat one, of course, so off we went. Thanks, also, to Marissa for recommending it.

I liked it, although it's my least favorite so far. It's Stewart's contribution to the Modern Gothic Romance market. She makes fun of the genre in some places, but it never reaches satire. The romance is prominent and rooted in telepathy. Plus, there's an imbalance of power. When one person knows with whom they are corresponding/speaking, and the other person does not, the relationship is not equal. The Shop Around the Corner is the only successful variation of this trope for me. ETA: The ESP adds an extra element of creep. But the secret admirer trope is creepy on its own.

Stewart describes buildings and decor almost as well as she describes landscapes and nature. Touch Not the Cat makes good use of its shabby estate setting. This is a variation on her cottage tales, which I adore, but it doesn't reach their level. Much like Austen, a bad Stewart is still a good story, so I've rated this one four stars, and I did like it.

My mom's text review to me: "Loved it!" She's now moved on to The Moonspinners.

Speaking of Stewart's cottage tales, I'm reading Thornyhold right now, and it's lovely. This one is Stewart's attempt at a fairy tale retelling. It's a delightful exploration of the adventures to be found in the quotidian and the domestic.

Update: My mom finished The Moonspinners and "liked it" and I am a teeny bit sad that it did not rate a "Loved it!" from her.

I like your mom's rating system. Short and to the point!

>35 curioussquared: Me too. I might try it in the next weekly review.

I am applying for some publishing jobs that caught my attention, including one that I really, really want. (I know that's a bad way to approach it.)

Me: It'll be super easy to talk in my cover letter about how much I love to read.

Hours later ...

Me: I sound like a teenage dipshit and everyone who talks about books gushes about them this way.

>36 libraryperilous: Ooh, good luck!! I really considered pursuing publishing when I was in college until I realized I'd pretty much need to move to NY, at least starting out. I'm happy with having books as my hobby, but working with books does seem like the dream, doesn't it? I'd probably sound like a teenage dipshit, too.

>36 libraryperilous: Publishing is a weird business. Yes, you need to love books and reading...but in publishing you have to do the sausage-making (the editing, the marketing, etc.), and it tarnishes some of the magic...

>37 curioussquared: Thanks! I've submitted the application to the priority one, so we shall see.

>38 Marissa_Doyle: Ha, yes, I bet that would be be a bit dispiriting at times. The pay scale is lower, too, it seems.

I still have grad school plans in the library sciences. In the meantime, the jobs sound interesting, so I'm applying. Fingers crossed!

Book read September 8th through September 14th

Thornyhold: Loved it!

Books read September 15th through September 21st

I, Cosmo: Cosmo, an elderly golden retriever loves his human, Max, more than anything: "all his angles are the best." Sorosiak does a good job of capturing the off-kilter way a dog might think about humans and the human world. The unwavering love of a dog is used to good effect here, and the divorce topic is handled in a way that children probably will find comforting. But, really, this is just a good animal story, in which an older dog learns some new tricks (literally, in a dance competition) and offers wisdom. Four stars.

Madam, Will You Talk?: Look, I hated the romance, and not just the instalove element. The whole romance was creepy, and the hero is an absolute jerk. The rest of the story is a high-spirited adventure across Provence. The car chases are thrilling and the scenery is magical. As usual, Stewart paints the locale: "The \boats'\ ropes looked as fragile and as magical as gossamer. We stood looking over the sea-wall. A group of sailors, noisily talking and laughing, went past." Four stars.

The Silver Arrow: I hope I never get too old for train adventures, either armchair or real ones. When Kate writes to her wealthy, eccentric uncle for a birthday gift, she gets more than she bargained for. She and her brother, Tom, are whisked on a magical train adventure that stops in various ecosystems to collect endangered species and rehome them. Along the way, Kate learns that the hardest part of any adventure is not quitting when the adventuring gets a bit too hard. Four stars.

Happy Saturday! I saw you mentioned you were interested in Philippa Gregory's Tidelands on my thread -- just an FYI that it's 1.99 on Kindle right now.

It's interesting to see you reading the Mary Stewart books. I read them all in my teens and twenties, then revisited some of them about twenty years later. My feelings about them changed a lot over that time. I appreciated Rose Cottage more, still liked Touch Not the Cat, although not quite as much as I used to, and the suck fairy really hit Madam Will You Talk. Apparently I've lost my ability to ignore just how big of a jerk Richard is. Charity's driving skills are the best thing about the book, and quite unexpected in a book of that era.

>43 SylviaC: Fascinating - I knew of Mary Stewart through The Crystal cave; I hadn't realised that she wrote contemporary fiction as well.

>42 curioussquared: Thank you!

>43 SylviaC: It's lovely to hear from you, Sylvia. Are you threading anywhere this year?

I read My Brother Michael as a teen, but it didn't lead me to seek her other works. I'm lots older now, so I'm attracted to the plucky youngish heroines on an adventure plots. Ah, youth!

I suspect I would not be as enamored if the romances were more at the forefront. It always is sad when we reread books our younger selves loved and find the suck fairy has been at them. It is why I will never reread After Leaving Mr. Mackenzie. That book must stay the perfect encapsulation of my teen years!

Have you read Thornyhold? It's similar to Rose Cottage, I think, and it also isn't a long story.

>44 -pilgrim-: One of things that dates the stories the most is the endless smoking by the heroines. The later books I've read don't feature that, or at least I didn't notice it. The ones she wrote in the 1950s feel like they have a cigarette per page.

>44 -pilgrim-: The majority of her books were contemporary. The Crystal Cave series and a couple of children's books were her only fantasies. I read The Crystal Cave, but I've never been into Arthurian fantasy, so didn't read the rest of them.

>45 libraryperilous: It's nice to be back! No, I'm not doing my own thread this year. It just takes so much time that I'd rather spend reading. Maybe eventually I'll get back to it, because I did enjoy doing it, but it won't be for quit a while. Yours was one of the threads I missed the most while I was away.

>46 SylviaC: Aww, and I had especially missed our rants about bad romance tropes. I'm so glad you're commenting again, and I understand not wanting to set up a thread. Feel free to post about your readings on my thread if the LT posting muse strikes you. I enjoy your thoughtful comments. I shall strive to make my thread Sylvia-worthy.

On Stewart's fantasy novels, I've no interest in the Arthurian trilogy, but I gather that The Prince and the Pilgrim can be read as a standalone. I might read it somewhere down the line.

It almost is October, which means it almost is Victober!

Victober is a month-long Victorian literature readathon that was co-created by one of my favorite BookTubers, Katie at Books and Things. She also runs Jane Austen July.

The link I've posted has her challenge announcements and some reading recommendations. I'm not going to do any of the challenges. I'm just going to read as much of the Victorian literature on my shelves as I can during October. Victober focuses on British and Irish literature. For my own readings, I'm going with writers of any nationality who originally published work while Victoria was on the throne. This mostly is because I've had my eye on a Moby-Dick reread for quite some time, and late spring or early fall are best for Moby-Dick rereads.

If anyone wants to buddy read a specific title, let me know. Even if I don't own a copy, I can download a Kindle version.

To kick it off, here is one of my favorite poems. Housman is viewed as an Edwardian writer, but A Shropshire Lad first was published in 1896. I'll not dispute if people view him as in line with Edwardian sensibilities. Many late Victorian writers also wrote into the twentieth century, and the aesthetics are muddled together. For my part, I find A Shropshire Lad quite Victorian in some of its central themes.

"Reveille"

Wake: the silver dusk returning
Up the beach of darkness brims,
And the ship of sunrise burning
Strands upon the eastern rims.

Wake: the vaulted shadow shatters,
Trampled to the floor it spanned,
And the tent of night in tatters
Straws the sky-pavilioned land.

Up, lad, up, ‘tis late for lying;
Hear the drums of morning play;
Hark, the empty highways crying
‘Who’ll beyond the hills away?’

Towns and countries woo together,
Forelands beacon, belfries call;
Never lad that trod on leather
Lived to feast his heart with all.

Up, lad: thews that lie and cumber
Sunlit pallets never thrive;
Morns abed and daylight slumber
Were not meant for man alive.

Clay lies still, but blood’s a rover;
Breath’s a ware that will not keep.
Up, lad: when the journey’s over
There’ll be time enough to sleep.

>48 libraryperilous: I love the idea of Victober! Of course, between the books I've already planned for October and the return of classes for me, I don't expect to have much time left to join in.

If anyone wants to buddy read a specific title, let me know. Even if I don't own a copy, I can download a Kindle version.

Ah! One of the joys of older books: their availability!

>48 libraryperilous: That's poem is wonderful. I also love the idea of Victober. Like >49 Majel-Susan: if you pick something I will attempt to join you both. Nothing too doorstop-sized though, please.

>49 Majel-Susan: Yes! My library bought the Duke Classics collection that Overdrive released. So many titles! Good luck with the return of classes, especially in these stressful times.

>50 clamairy: I've come up with something relaxed. :)

Victober Read-along 2020: Vice v. Virtue; or, She Knew When She Was Defeated

I've come up with a sampler of shorter novels and novellas that traffic in the spooky or the saintly. Pick a title that interests you and read it during the month of October. Then, on or after Halloween Eve (October 30th), pop in to this thread to post the book you chose and a mini-review. Did you faint from fright or need revived with smelling salts from all the stultifying moralizing? Did anyone get redeemed, or was the fall from grace more of a thud into the grave? Spoilers over spoilers, please!

Here are some suggested titles, but feel free to pick something else, including a short story, poem, or collection of shorter works.

The Awakening
The Hound of the Baskervilles*
The House Behind the Cedars
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Silas Marner
Treasure Island**
The Turn of the Screw

Feel free to play with the definitions of vice, virtue, or any other part of the challenge. For example, Indian Summer is a comedic novel about a foolish middle-aged man on a trip abroad. There is a lovely redemption arc that might be said to be virtuous. Poe's "Annabel Lee" scans as a sad love poem. Dig a little deeper and it's ... well, you can find out for yourself.

*Technically published a year too late, but does anyone really classify Doyle as an Edwardian author?

**Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the more obvious choice, and Treasure Island is a shade too long, at around 310 pages. Both Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver are a mix of virtue and vice and often mirror each other.

I've read four of the seven of the books on your list, and Silas Marner has been on my radar for decades so I'll go with that and Indian Summer, which looks delightful.

>48 libraryperilous: I have to admit, that poem makes me want to go back to bed.

This started out as a message saying that I'm not a huge fan of Victorian literature, except for some of the lighter stuff. Then I started thinking about poetry, and now there's a huge pile of poetry books stacked up on my coffee table. So I guess I'll be reading some Victorian poetry in the next little while.

Maybe now would be a good time to go to the basement and check out that last box of poetry that I inherited from my mother. I think it was mostly Victorian, Elizabethan, and Arthurian stuff. Or maybe not, since I don't actually have any more self space to put them.

>52 libraryperilous: Ooh, sounds like fun! I read The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Turn of the Screw last October, but The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Awakening have been on my reading list for a while. The Awakening looks like a good novella to start with!

I'm also picking up Stories of Terror and the Supernatural, compiled by Herman Graf, a collection of twenty-two short horror stories by classic writers, including:

Edgar Allan Poe
Henry James
Willa Cather
Charles Dickens
Guy de Maupassant
Rudyard Kipling
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Charlotte Brontë
Honoré de Balzac
Thomas Hardy
Robert Louis Stevenson
Sheridan Le Fanu

>53 clamairy: I enjoyed Silas Marner, especially the details about village life. Someday I'll get to more Eliot. Indian Summer is delightful.

>54 SylviaC: A coffee table stacked with poetry books sounds perfect for fall reading. I'm planning on dipping in and out of some Christina Rossetti this month.

>55 Majel-Susan: I read The Awakening and "A Pair of Silk Stockings" in high school and found Chopin an interesting author, both thematically and in her writing style. Your anthology choice sounds perfect for spooky season.

Happy Victober readings, everyone!

I'm not sure how much reading I'm going to accomplish in October. I'm in the middle of a serious job search, planning my move to Philly (when it's safe to do so), and doing some volunteer work that's important to me.

Even casual readers of my column probably know how bad I am at following TBRs when I set them, so I've made my October list modest and put only Victober titles on it. I'm planning on:

Moby-Dick
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Goblin Market and Other Poems

I also would like to get to Two on a Tower if there is extra reading time in the month.

Books read September 22nd through September 30th

Burning Roses: Interesting, fast-paced historical fantasy novella featuring two middle-aged women hiding from their pasts who have formed a friendship, of sorts, based on hunting local monsters. When things get a little out of hand and their pasts catch up with them, they go on a journey to confront monsters and their memories. Memory is a tricky thing, and what we hide from ourselves may be worse that what's hiding under the bed. Four stars.

Gustavo, the Shy Ghost: Gorgeous picture book with Day of the Dead-inspired artwork and clever Easter eggs on its pages. Dragonflies have skulls for faces and Gustavo's cat has a boatload of toys. Shy Gustavo gets his happy ending in a story that turns spooky into sweet and is perfect for readers looking for something different in Halloween picture books. Five stars.

>56 libraryperilous: I did not love The Mill on the Floss but I thought Middlemarch was brilliant.

(Touchstones are busted, so I will try to come back to fix them later.)

Books read October 1st through October 7th

The Midnight Swan: Perfect ending to a lovely children's series I adore. Fisher sticks with her formula: a shorter adventure tale featuring kind and clever Seren and her sarcastic, enchanted clockwork crow tutor. The Fair Family might not be behind this latest escapade, but they certainly aren't staying out of it either. I love Fisher's fae: cold, clever, covetous and wholly interior. This series is a model for writing children's adventure stories, and they're proof that you needn't write 400-page epics to spin a grand tale. Five stars.

A Deadly Education: This is the third Novik novel I've read and the third one that has featured a bad 'romance.' In this one, she's verbally and even physically abusive and he's a stalker. Ugh. The rest of the book is derivative Harry Potter fanfic, and Novik can't decide whether she wants the story to be funny or dystopian. The mash-up doesn't work. I finished it, because I thought the evil magic school would feature more prominently. Instead, we get a ton of repetitious info dumping, and the bad magic is surprisingly lackluster in scope and easily defeated. Three stars.

Nine Coaches Waiting: My goodness, Linda is a drip. We gloss over the romance and her habit of quoting poetry while she's in dire straits. The rest of the book is Stewart's typical blend of adventure, sightseeing, and botany. I do enjoy the deadpan way Stewart's sly wit creeps in to her narration: "And meantime the sun and the woods between them lent to our desperate adventure, not the glamour of romance, but the everyday charm of a picnic." Four stars.

Nine Coaches Waiting is one of my least favourite of Mary Stewart's contemporary novels. I think it's the only one I only read once. I can't remember any details (it was probably close to 40 years ago), but I know I didn't like the characters and the general atmosphere.

>62 SebastianShillito: RIP

>61 SylviaC: I don't think it will be one I revisit. Neither the heroine nor the hero is interesting, and they both seem a bit childish. There also is quite a bit of TSTLing in this one, including the heroine pelting herself in front of a car in the fog to declare her love for the hero. I just ... I have too many books left on my TBR to even ponder doing that over a boy.

Do you have a favorite Stewart, Sylvia?

I spent an enjoyable weekend outside and reading. It always is a pleasure when one of your most-anticipated titles for the year exceeds the high expectations you've set. I also read a dead tree book for the first time in a few weeks. It was lovely to turn pages and a reminder that I should not neglect the books on my shelves for shiny new releases.

>63 libraryperilous: It's hard to say what my favourites would be now since it's been so long since I read many of them, and my tastes (and social awareness) have changed over the years. My favourites used to be Touch Not the Cat, This Rough Magic, The Ivy Tree, The Gabriel Hounds, and Madam, Will you Talk?. Of those, I have no desire at all to revisit Madam or Gabriel. I might check out the others just out of curiosity, but I already know that there are parts of each of them that I would find annoying.

Right now, I think the ones I would most enjoy are Rose Cottage and The Wind Off the Small Isles, which is a lovely little book, but not well known.

>64 SylviaC: I DNFed The Ivy Tree, although I may try it again soon. I expect I'll love This Rough Magic. I thought Rose Cottage was quietly delightful.

Books read October 8th through October 14th

The Devil and the Dark Water: What if Holmes and Mycroft really were Moriarty, but their plans get foiled by a lumbering giant of a Watson who's in love with Irene Adler, and the ship they're on is the Clue mansion, and all four of them decide to become The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in the end? Good fun, although it's commercial fiction through and through—and there's nothing wrong with that. Four stars.

Alice's Farm: My book of the year so far, a lovely story of a slightly bolder-than-average cottontail who hatches a brash plan to save her valley from development by helping some inept humans learn to farm. The animals of the valley forge an uneasy, then friendlier, alliance while the natural cycles of life/death and predator/prey are sensitively explored. Wood states that she drew on Charlotte's Web, but there's Babe and Rabbit Hill here, too. Yet Alice stands tall on her own, and this feels like a classic in the making. The wryly down-home narrative style adds to the charm. I absolutely loved this. Five stars.

The Pear Affair: Grand city adventure set in Paris, 1969: croissants, catacombs, the Metro, grands boulevards, fine hotels. And: a girl who loves maps, a missing nanny who now designs couture gowns, a mysterious bacteria infecting boulangeries, a gaggle of children who play in the tunnels. This is Judith Eagle's second middle grade historical adventure. She excels at picking time periods that are a bit outside the usual offerings and painting them in vivid pictures. She also did this in The Secret Starling with 1970s working class England and the ballet. Five stars.

Milton the Mighty: False widow Milton and some other spider friends find out their home is scheduled to be bugsprayed by a company spreading lies that Milton's species is fatal to humans. Milton and his friends hatch a tiny but mighty plan to foil the company by using the humans' (internet) web to counter the disinfo. I like children's ecofiction that focuses on overlooked or disliked species. This was a clever take on the topic. Milton's off to Hawaii in his next adventure! Four stars.

The Pear affair sounds like fun, and it's only 99p on kindle!

I'm interested in The devil and dark water as it's the second novel by the author of The seven deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle which I enjoyed. I will avoid your spoiler but glad you liked it well enough to give it 4 stars.

>67 Sakerfalcon: It definitely is worth the chance for only a quid!

I liked Turton's new mystery well enough to add Evelyn Hardcastle to my TBR. I'd been on the fence about the latter, but he has a breezy writing style and sense of humor. I'm curious to find out if those things are on display in his first novel.

Books read October 15th through October 21st

My Brother Michael: My favorite so far, along with The Moon-Spinners and Thornyhold. I loved the philosophical discussions Camilla and Simon had. I liked their quieter personalities. Their romance is gentle—wisps, really. Stewart clearly was in love with Greece and its history. Five stars.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London: enjoyable YA fantasy that doesn't feign or plumb further depths. We're in a vaguely alternate 1980s London, but the story could be contemporary. The time period drives nothing more than the characters' clothing and pop culture favorites and a couple of Thatcher jokes. (Side note: What's the point of making Attlee female in a throwaway comment?) A couple of important scenes take place in bookshops, and one of the characters loves to read, but there is little to do with books or bookshops in the story. Four stars.

Cozy: Cute story of tundra animals who shelter during a blizzard in Cozy the musk ox's luxurious fur. Cooperation ensues until everyone gets spring fever. Luckily, Cozy starts shedding his winter coat, so everyone heads to their own homes with promises of a snugglefest the next winter. Brett's trademark intricate and folksy illustrations give this the air of a folktale. Brett visited this musk ox farm for research. They assure readers the book is oxcellent. Four stars.

>69 libraryperilous: I have a lovely old hardback copy of My brother Michael that I have yet to read. Your review will make it my next Mary Stewart read.

My Brother Michael was my mother's favourite contemporary Stewart book. I liked it, but it wasn't one that aged well for me.

Cozy sounds adorable. I haven't bought anything by Jan Brett in a very long time. Maybe I should start dropping hints to my kids about Christmas presents.

>70 Sakerfalcon: I popped in to your catalog to look at your copy. It's gorgeous!

>71 SylviaC: My mom read it 'with' me and said this one is her least favorite so far. She didn't like the extended philosophizing. If you feel like sharing, was it something specific that didn't age well for you? The exoticization of Greek people definitely is problematic, as an example.

It's never too early to drop hints! Speaking of bookish Christmas presents: It almost is SantaThing time. I believe that usually gets started in mid-November. Hooray!

>72 libraryperilous: Haha, I have to confess that I haven't been able to find time to properly get started on The Awakening for Victober, and I'm probably running out of time for it, what with another exam next week -- but do tell me how SantaThing works! My class schedule for December looks pretty promising. :)

>73 Majel-Susan: Haha, no worries. I attempted Dorian Gray and DNFed it, so I may not even meet my own challenge. :)

SantaThing is LibraryThing's Secret Santa book exchange. No reading required, only signing up and then picking books for someone! It works like this:

You pick the amount you want to pay and the bookstore you want to use.
You pay LT through PayPal and then fill out a SantaThing entry that tells people what kinds of books you want/don't want.
LT matches the Santees with each other.
You pick books for someone in the amount they paid. Someone picks books for you in the amount you paid.
LT staff order the books for you on LT's credit card and bookstore account.
(LT staff are the only people who know your full name and address. You don't have to provide your credit card info to sign up.)
ETA: For bookstores that charge shipping, LT deducts $5 from the amount you've paid. Otherwise, they try to get as close to the amount as possible. They don't earn any profit, and they pay for any sales tax on orders themselves.

It's super fun!

Here are last year's entries. You can be as detailed or as freewheeling as you like in your entry. People leave suggestions on lots of the entries, especially the ones with more popular genre requests, so it's a nice TBR opportunity as well. :)

The sign up and selection periods are ample, so people have a few days to browse for books they think would be a good fit for their Santee.

>74 libraryperilous: Ahh, I see! Haha, I'm not quite adventurous enough for it, but sounds like fun at any rate.

I haven't read The Picture of Dorian Gray, but I do know more or less the whole major plot, as my sister told me all about it. I won't mention any of the spoilers in case you choose to continue, but I am curious to know why you dropped it.

>75 Majel-Susan: I think it was a combo of already knowing the plot and themes (from pop culture osmosis and reading about classics) and finding the philosophizing style of the conversations super annoying. There wasn't enough of a payoff to compel me through the parts I disliked, especially since I already knew what was going to happen. I may try it again at a later date. For now, I will try to get to a reread of The Hound of the Baskervilles to complete my Victober challenge.

re: SantaThing, Understandable! It's a bit of a leap of faith! I've only had one year where I felt I received less than stellar books. They weren't bad picks, per se, they just weren't quite what I had wanted.

If you want the general jollity of it all, people who don't sign up still can leave suggestions on the entries. Also, after the selection period ends, unpicked Santees are put up for adoption. Anyone can adopt and pick out books without paying for an entry of their own.

>66 libraryperilous: Just to let you know that I read The Pear affair and loved it! I will now be looking out for The secret starling. I think my older goddaughter might enjoy this author too. Thanks for the book bullet!

>77 Sakerfalcon: Hooray! I'm especially glad it worked for you since you mentioned on your thread you weren't sure middle grade was right for you anymore. I think I'd give a slight edge to The Secret Starling. Working class England in the 1970s is not a common children's book setting—at least in my reading life—plus there are the ballet bits. I hope you enjoy it if you decide to read it.

Edited: verb tense correction

>78 libraryperilous: Well I do love ballet, so I suspect I will enjoy The secret starling at least as much as The Pear affair!

You two are definitely tempting me to pick up The Secret Starling and The Pear Affair!

>80 curioussquared: I'm glad I discovered the UK's middle grade market. Most of my favorites come from it.

It looks like The Secret Starling is getting a US release in June 2021.

Victober After-read Party 2020

Happy Halloween! The thread is open for your reviews and comments on any Victorian literature you read in October. Cover any spoilers, please.

Feel free to chat amongst yourselves about your readings, even when I'm not around. I don't mind my thread being used by other posters. :)

Books read October 22nd through October 31st

Skunk and Badger: charming early middle grade tale of odd couple roommates. Fussy and reclusive Badger struggles to adapt to his new roommate, outgoing and creative Skunk, and ends up making a cruel comment that drives away Skunk. Badger must step outside their comfort zone to repair the relationship. Timberlake handles homelessness and prejudice against migrants in a sensitive way that never talks down to or above her readers. There also is an adorable orange fluffball of a chicken. Four stars.

The Hound of Baskervilles: One of the pleasures of rereading a favorite is that you never know which details will stand out to you during your reread. This time, perhaps because I read it around Halloween, I was entranced by the Gothic undertones, especially Doyle's descriptions of the moors and the Baskerville estate. Five stars.

>83 libraryperilous: Skunk and Badger sounds super-charming! I'm gonna look it up.

>84 Majel-Susan: It was extra charming, and I found it elegantly clever without being condescending to its readers. I'm still chuckling over eating paw-pies.

Books read November 1st through November 7th

No books finished. I did revisit some favorite poems, including Elizabeth Bishop's take on "Casabianca" and Helene Johnson's "Futility." I stumbled on "Futility" in high school, and I was struck at how it blended concise class analysis, a hopeful love story, and pure joie de vivre in just a few short lines. Truly, it's flash fiction before flash fiction was cool.

"Futility"

It is silly—
This waiting for love
In a parlor
When love is singing up and down the alley
Without a collar.

—Helene Johnson

>86 libraryperilous: I like that poem! And thank you for the introduction to Helene Johnson.

I seem to have acquired more books ...

>87 SylviaC: An underrated, talented poet of lovely and innovative verses.

Books read November 8th through November 14th

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen: -pilgrim- recommended this book's sequel, The Moon of Gomrath, for its depiction of the Wild Hunt. I decided to start at the beginning. Weirdstone is an enjoyable children's fantasy, although there is a grim edge to it. Garner develops twin themes. Magic can be wonderful but it also is wild. Encounters with even good magic never are wholly benign. I'll read the sequel soon. Four stars.

A Cat Story: charming middle grade graphic novel about two street cats who live on the docks in Valletta, Malta. Naive Cilla and cynical Betto are best friends. Betto is content to make do with fish scraps and a leaky boat for a home. Cilla would like a warm hearth and to be well-fed. When she learns of a legendary garden where all cats are welcome and no cat goes hungry, she sets off to find it, with Betto reluctantly tagging along. At its core, this is a friendship story about the idealism of youth and how earnestly they long to meet with kindness and to have their hopes taken seriously. Husted also spins an art history tale, as the cats hop into famous paintings to convey the legends they're retelling. This theme is a bit underdeveloped, as Husted doesn't really explore the way visual arts are a form of storytelling. She just uses it as a framing device. Sweet and enjoyable. Four stars.

A Christmas Resolution: Perry's Christmas mysteries have been lackluster for the last few years, and the one about mysticism that also contained rampant Islamophobia was dreadful. This is a decent entry, but the shine has worn off the concept. I suspect Perry has run out of ideas for the series. If you're interested in trying these, I recommend A Christmas Hope, A Christmas Garland, or A Christmas Grace. Three stars.

My TBR list is out of control again—around 4800 titles. I'm in the process of cleaning it up, but I can't quite decide the direction I want it to go. Do I want to make it a list of titles I'd love to try sometime in the next few years? Should it be a suggested list of readings, in case I develop an interest in the topic?

If any of you maintain a TBR, how do you interact with it?

>90 libraryperilous: I keep a list on my phone that is divided into categories, like: Spiritual reads, Non-fiction, Fiction, Series reads, Mythology, Short story collections, Group reads (if any), Seasonal reads (if any)

Obviously, there's a lot of overlap in the categories, but I've managed it pretty casually. The books I have in each category are arranged by order of how interested I am in them at the moment. If there's a group read or a season I'm interested in, those books will take priority; otherwise, the categories that move the most are the Spiritual reads, Series reads, and Fiction (which consists generally of all the miscellaneous books I'm actually most interested in). The Mythology reads and Short story collections belong more to the background, and I tend to take months to finish one book.

Of course, though, it would be a whole other matter if I had even 500 books in my TBR.

>91 Majel-Susan: That's an interesting system! I like the idea of arranging them in order of interest. Thank you for sharing it. I agree that it would be less easy to manage if you had a larger TBR.

I ended up deleting a number of titles and then deciding to ignore the TBR list for now. I've done a good job of training myself to just read what I want; no need to regress.

I've redone my ratings—again—and this time I'm experimenting with making a distinction between 4, 4.5, and 5 star reads. We'll see how long it lasts. I really don't like the aesthetics of half-stars. Never mind, I couldn't deal.

Book read November 15th through November 21st

The Moon of Gomrath: Thanks for the recommendation, -pilgrim-! You were right: The Wild Hunt is very memorable. I liked the way Garner built on the differences between Old and New magic. The ending is pitch perfect. An evocative read. 4.5 stars under my new system.

My SantaThing entry is live. I enjoy reading suggestions, but I don't usually get many comments. Thank you in advance if you leave a note for my Santa!

Is anyone a Mercedes Lackey fan? I've stumbled on a couple of Elementals books that sound fun. Can those be read as standalones?

>95 libraryperilous: I know way too much about Mercedes Lackey. Yes, you should be able to read them as standalones, especially the earlier entries (the latest ones have been more series-based, following the same characters through several books). Which ones are you eyeing?

>96 curioussquared: Thank you! I'm considering Reserved for the Cat and Home from the Sea. I'm in the mood for some standalone fairy tale retellings right now.

The Valdemar Family Spies trilogy looks fun, too, if I end up liking her books. I tried The House of the Four Winds a few years ago and didn't like it.

>97 libraryperilous: I read those and I think my overall reaction was "a little mindless but overall enjoyable." I haven't read The House of the Four Winds, but read a few of her earlier collaborations with James Mallory and didn't like those much. My favorite Elemental Masters books are probably the earlier ones; I remember really enjoying The Serpent's Shadow, The Gates of Sleep, and Phoenix and Ashes, though it's been a long time since I read them.

Family Spies has also been falling into the "mindless but fun" category for me :) I tend to think Lackey's earlier Valdemar books are stronger but they're also heavily nostalgic for me so hard to be 100% sure.

Have you read Robin McKinley? I love her fairytale stuff, specifically Beauty and Spindle's End.

>94 libraryperilous: You're so well-read, it's really hard to think of suggestions!

>96 curioussquared: I read The Fire Rose and The Serpent's Shadow before stopping with that series. They were almost romance-novel-esque? I enjoy romance novels, but I almost always am disappointed by novels which mix romance elements with fantasy. Maybe Lackey's other books are better? She's certainly well-known.

>98 curioussquared: Robin McKinley might be the only exception to that "rule". Her books are basically all fantastic. I'm actually an especial fan of Outlaws of Sherwood.

>99 Kanarthi: Thank you! That's quite the compliment from someone as well-read as you!

I don't typically enjoy romance in my fantasy, either, but I like fairy tale retellings with that element. Perhaps because I grew up enjoying the sanitized, Disney retellings? Nothing will top The Perilous Gard for me, ever, but I enjoy revisiting the retellings well infrequently.

I've borrowed one Lackey and one McKinley. We shall see if they are too romance-y for my tastes.

Books read November 22nd through November 30th

Wildwood Dancing: I enjoy retellings of the Twelve Dancing Princesses and the Frog Prince. Lo, a mashup!—along with vampire lore and a historical Transylvanian plateau setting. I wish Marillier had more fully explored the tension between the main characters' love of the land and its magic and the other villagers' fears of the wildwood. There are a few moving parts in this novel, and they don't all come together. Still, four stars to any book with the line, "you, I think, cannot see past the frog."

My Life as a Cat: charming middle grade novel about Leonard, an alien who botches his expedition to Earth. He gets distracted by the universe on the way in, lands several states away from his assigned location, and ends up in the body of a cat instead of a human. Oh, and the cat is stuck in a tree in a tropical storm. Luckily, there's preteen Olive, staying with her crusty sailor grandmother for the summer, to save him. This might be the family Leonard never knew he needed. Five stars.

The Thirteenth Princess: serviceable middle grade retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, in which the thirteenth sister, banished to servants' quarters, must save her sisters from a wicked enchantment. The enchantment is enticing: under a lake and through lush forests made of precious metals. It's not a particularly novel retelling, and it definitely is not a feminist one. For fans of Bella at Midnight. Four stars.

Take a Look at the Five and Ten: Connie Willis' new Christmas novella is a charming romance about the magic of Christmas. Ori and med student Lassiter team up to study Grandma Elving's fond memories of a holiday season decades ago, when Grandma worked as a shopgirl at the Denver Woolworth's. Lassiter is certain Grandma's need to talk about Woolworth's constantly is a traumatic flashbulb memory. Ori's not so sure. It seems like a happy memory, but Lassiter insists that happiness doesn't cause intense responses in the amygdala. I enjoyed the plot twist explanation for the medical research. As a fan of department store fiction, I wanted pages and pages more of the store and its bustling holiday magic. This is billed as a screwball comedy. It's more a Hallmark story with a slightly sardonic humor. It's also a delightful and quick read. Four stars.

Other than a couple of short stories, this was my first Willis. I like her writing style. Can I read Blackout and All Clear without reading the first two books in the Oxford series? The time period is more of interest to me, and all of the books are quite lengthy.

Edited: minor grammatical changes

>101 libraryperilous: I'm a huge Connie Willis fan...but if you've only read some of her shorts, I'm not sure I'd start my reading of her longer works with Blackout and All Clear. I enjoyed them, but I think they're books that would be enjoyed by readers who are already fans--they are quite long, and the pacing is not rapid. That being said, they are a brilliant evocation of WWII London. So no, I wouldn't recommend starting with them (plus, there are important characters in it from the earlier books that it helps to have already met before embarking on them.) Doomsday Book is brilliant and gripping...and To Say Nothing of the Dog is also brilliant (as well as very, very funny.)

>99 Kanarthi: Yes, Lackey usually has some romance in her books, especially these since fairy tales usually have some of that element as well. Lackey is... fine. Most of her books are kind of pulpy and she churns out something like 3 per year. I read her Valdemar books during those formative middle school years, so I have a nostalgic fondness that I don't think I'm ever going to get rid of, and will occasionally read my favorite Valdemar books as a comfort read. I usually read the new Valdemar and Elemental Masters books she puts out, but I've stopped expecting much from them.

>100 libraryperilous: I think you will much, much prefer McKinley, just based on what I know you like to read. And >99 Kanarthi: is 100% right -- you really can't choose a bad McKinley book. I love The Outlaws of Sherwood, too; Beauty and Spindle's End were just closer to the "fairy tale retelling" ask :) It might be time for me to go on a Robin McKinley binge...

>101 libraryperilous: I enjoyed Wildwood Dancing when I read it a few years ago! I've only read To Say Nothing of the Dog. I skipped Doomsday Book because no, I don't need a plague book right now. From what I understand you can read Blackout and All Clear without reading the other two as long as you read BOTH Blackout and All Clear as they are essentially one book. But, I think you would love To Say Nothing of the Dog if you choose to read that one first. It's one of my top books of 2020 and was such a delightful surprise.

>101 libraryperilous: Wildwood dancing has been on my TBR pile since forever (I actually bought the hardback because of the Kinuko Craft illustration). Ironically I've read the sequel, so I really should read the original.

I loved both Doomsday Book and To say nothing of the dog despite some massive inaccuracies in both. The emotion of the former and the humour of the latter transcended the issues. I haven't tried Blackout and All clear though because I've heard that the errors are more egregious and harder to ignore. But go with Marissa's opinion as she has actually read the books and has excellent taste!

>103 curioussquared: I agree about Lackey's books. I enjoyed the early Valdemar but had to give up on the trilogy about Darien because her fondness for lengthy interior monologues from self-pitying, self centred teenagers became too much for me. She's not a brilliant prose writer, but her books are like popcorn - comforting junk food that sometimes just hits the spot.

>104 Sakerfalcon: I'd be interested in comparing lists of inaccuracies in To say Nothing of the Dog. The big one to my mind is the assertion that the bombing of Coventry was only a few weeks before Pearl Harbor—in fact it was more than a year. But there were others. However, as you say, the book is so good that you ignore the inaccuracies.

>103 curioussquared: I read one of McKinley's Beauty and the Beast retellings several years ago, and I liked it but then never read any of her additional books. I've put Spindle's End on my TBR and also hope to get to one of the Lackeys soon.

>102 Marissa_Doyle:, >103 curioussquared:, >104 Sakerfalcon: I'm intrigued by all the titles in the Oxford series. Like Natalie, I can't deal with a plague book right now. I'll wait and start the series in a few months. Thanks, all, for the feedback!

I really like Willis' writing style, so I've borrowed another novella, Remake and am interested in exploring one of her standalone novels, perhaps Bellwether.

>103 curioussquared:, >104 Sakerfalcon: I think Marillier is a talented author. Also, the cover is gorgeous and intricate! I looked at Marillier's other novels, and none of them sounded too appealing—although I probably could be persuaded to try the Blackthorn and Grim series.

>106 libraryperilous: Bellwether is a fun, quick read--more a novella than a novel, though. I also love Uncharted Territory. Crosstalk is longer, but also a lot of fun. Passage is amazing, but heartbreaking.

Also, you could read To Say Nothing of the Dog before picking up Doomsday Book--they're related, but independent.

No, I do not know why I bought a novel about Lizzie Borden. No, I am not going to finish it.

I'm trying to work up the nerve to do a shelf purge. I imagine I have several titles that I no longer am interested in even starting.

>107 Marissa_Doyle: I looked at Passage but thought it sounded too sad for right now.

>106 libraryperilous: I've read the first two Blackthorn and Grim books and loved them. They are quite dark though as both main characters have suffered trauma in their pasts that still haunts them.

>109 Sakerfalcon: Thanks. I've read a few reviews for the last book in the trilogy, and I think I will skip the books. I'm iffy on high fantasy, anyway, outside of LotR.

Books read December 1st through December 7th

Unnatural Magic: Fun murder mystery set in a quasi-Victorian world of troll magic, wizardry schools, and the same constraints on women as there ever were. I like the novel, even though I don't think it is as clever or as feminist as advertised. Four stars.

The Secret Dragon: A lonely preteen finds a dragon while fossil collecting on the beach near her Welsh farm. Mari wants to be a scientist, so she decides to study the tiny dragon. The dragon, however, would rather be Mari's new friend. Hijinks and peril ensue. This is a sweet middle grade offering. Four stars

The House of Hidden Wonders: Wonderful middle grade historical adventure novel, set in 1879 Edinburgh, in which a young Arthur Conan Doyle uses Zinnie and her adopted sisters as Irregulars. The girls live underground in a squalid close. Thanks to Zinnie's resourcefulness and kindness, they eke out a living and are growing up clever and hopeful. There's a villain, an orphan girl and her pet monkey, an eccentric lady adventurer, and a lady doctor. The game's afoot when Zinnie marshals her resources to save the orphan and solve a murder. A standout in an overcrowded genre, both for its unusual locale and its well-written look at child poverty. Five stars.

I've begun my purging project, as well as a parallel project to read my own books instead of Kindle borrows. My mom is picking my TBR for me, three titles at a time.

One's library is personal. Over the years, I've had larger libraries, full of books purchased and then never read. Right now, while I'm job hunting and planning a move back to the East Coast, I want a smaller library, full of sentimental favorites and books I like well enough to reread. Maybe someday I'll have a beach house with space for lots of books. For now, when city life and apartment living are catnip to me, it makes more sense to have fewer volumes.

I also was inspired to start the purge by a comment from a BookTuber: "Overspending on books you never read is not a personality trait." Ouch! I don't like this comment, because I don't think people should care too much about another person's bookish habits. But, personally, it was another impetus to start my project.

>111 libraryperilous: Having lived most of my life in apartments with limited space and moved countless times, this makes a lot of sense to me. Over the years, we had pared down the number of books that we owned and even then, we lost most of those left to insect damage. I do like the thought of keeping more physical books in the home in the future, but being a rather space-conscious person, I don't think that I will want to buy a book unless I already know that I really love it or intend to refer to it often. In the mean time, however, it's all OverDrive borrows for me and I'm pretty satisfied with that at the present. Alright, so flipping back to refer to a previous passage that I'm not too sure where it is, drives me a bit mad, but the current alternative is not reading at all, so I can live with that quite happily.

>111 libraryperilous: Ooh, all three of those might be bullets for me. Curses!! *shakes fist* I admire your purging. I've done some smaller purges over the years but my library has only ever grown and is at its largest ever right now. I do think I do an OK job of keeping my unread books to about a fourth or less of my total library, and I could definitely pare down my collection somewhat if I were ever going to move to a smaller space. Lately I've also gotten a bit better at getting rid of unread books that I'm never actually going to read, though I could still improve in that area. I'm not typically a book overspender as most of my library has come from library book sales, but 2020 has definitely been an exception as I keep throwing money at my favorite indies to keep them afloat.

>111 libraryperilous: Unnatural magic is on my TBR pile so I'm glad you enjoyed it, and will bear your comments in mind when I get around to reading it. And I just The secret dragon to a friend who loves dragons, as part of her Christmas present.

I have tried to trim down my library over the years, but I inevitably end up buying new copies of a significant number of the books I had purged, sometimes at much higher prices than I bought them originally.

>113 curioussquared: Good news! The two middle grade novels are UK offerings, so you probably won't be able to find them stateside anytime soon. Unless you are quite keen to read them right now, in which case "Double curses!!"

>114 Sakerfalcon: The Secret Dragon is a cute novel, but it falls into the category of uncomplicated middle grade. There's a sequel that I eventually will pick up. I'll be interested in your review of Unnatural Magic. The author has a new book in the same universe out in 2021. I probably will read it, if only to see if she's tweaked some of the worldbuilding.

>112 Majel-Susan: I'm sorry you lost your library to insect damage! I also enjoy reading on my Kindle, but I do wonder about the different kind of reading experience you get on a device. I find that I skim digital books more easily. I try to switch off between Kindle and physical books, just to keep both sets of reading skills sharp. I am glad, though, that I've come around on reading e-books. I use my mom's library consortium. They have 160K+ titles available. It's nice to have such variety.

I've tried, over the last few years, to pare my book buying to only those books I'm 99% certain I'll like and that the library doesn't purchase. What I've found, two days into the purge, is that 99% certain is not 100% certain. Some of the nonfiction I thought I would like turns out to be rather navel-gazing upon skimming.

Like Claire, I've found myself repurchasing books over the years, often once they go out of print. Like Natalie, when I did have a larger library (around 3K titles), I had purchased most of the titles at book sales or used bookstores, or they had been books purchased for me as a child. My strongest regret is that I didn't keep very many childhood books.

For 2021, I'm going to do two book-related challenges: No books purchased until SantaThing and Christmas except one UK middle grade title per month, as a sort of book box treat. I also am going to try not to get caught up in release dates of 2021 titles. I'll read them when I can. I'm hopeful these tactics will help me both manage my library size and keep away the stress of a TBR.

Also: Has anyone read the Christopher Fowler Bryant and May series? Are the mysteries grim/gritty or veering into horror? I love London, and some of the titles sound like they make good use of their London setting. However, I am very iffy on contemporary crime, especially police procedurals. Thanks for any feedback!

ETA: I have stumbled on the covers for the May 2021 Norton reissue of the first three Aubrey-Maturin novels. I am not sure what look the designer was going for here, perhaps retro shipboard noir? The other two are more interesting, and I actually like the Post Captain cover.

>116 libraryperilous: I've read a couple of them. I wouldn't call them "procedurals" exactly—Bryant and May are in the Metropolitan Police but I doubt that the Force would recognise their methods. The stories tend to verge into "weird" rather than horror, at least in the ones I've read. Some of them are a bit grim, particularly the later ones where B&M are getting very old and the Bill is trying to get rid of them

>116 libraryperilous: I've read most of them and really enjoyed them. I wouldn't call them gritty or dark; I agree with haydninvienna that they're more weird, and quite often there's a strong vein of humor along with the weird/fantasy elements in them. Definitely not the usual police procedural.

>117 haydninvienna:, >118 Marissa_Doyle: Thank you! This is excellent information, as I'm keen to try this series. I'll have to rush to try it, because:

My mom received an email from the library consortium. Effective January, she will not be able to access ebooks through them. Their ebook vendor's contract terms have changed. Out-of-county library card purchasers will no longer be able to access ebooks. Her local library has only a fraction of the titles, and most are not to her reading tastes. She'll save $100 a year, but it really is a bummer for her.

>119 libraryperilous: That stinks! May I ask what kind of e-reader you use? I'm happy to lend you my collection of the Bryant & May books via Barnes & Noble (so EPUB, not MOBI.) I think they're lendable (would have to check.)

>119 libraryperilous: That is so frustrating! Sorry to you and her :(

>120 Marissa_Doyle: Thank you! It's so cool of you to offer. I use a Paperwhite. While I do have Calibre and can convert files, I'd be surprised if Barnes and Noble allows off-Nook lending, so to speak.

>121 curioussquared: She and my aunt both are extra bummed. They are constant readers in their retirement. I'm sad for them. :(

I could load up my Paperwhite and then turn on airplane mode, but the idea of leaving a bunch of read books loaded on my Kindle makes me itchy. Not because of the storage, but because it would look like clutter to me. I'm weird, I know.

I bought some books from Amazon a few weeks ago and have now realized I don't want to read them. I usually don't return books when this happens. It's my fault, after all, for buying them. But the return window is open because of the holidays ...

>119 libraryperilous: Ebooks are the bane of most librarians' lives. I work in an academic library and we find that there is no rhyme or reason to the price or access rights for titles. Some can be many, many times the price of a print copy and only allow one reader to access it at a time. Others allow multiple simultaneous users but for a limited time (often 1 year) after which you have to buy the book again. British universities are asking for an inquiry into ebook pricing as it seems exploitative, especially as prices suddenly increased when lockdown began. I can only imagine how hard it is for public libraries with their budgets under constant threat.

>123 Sakerfalcon: Yes, ebooks seem exploitative for everyone except publishers' bottom lines, even in better times. And the pandemic has opened new vistas of exploitative practices for many industries and corporations.

Update: I performed a science experiment on my Paperwhite. You can remove downloads while in airplane mode. That would clear some of the clutter off my home screen, since I keep my titles selection set to 'downloaded.' They'd still be on the Kindle, but at least I could do an out of sight, out of mind approach to books I've finished. We'll see if I can summon the energy to go on a downloading flurry later this month.

>123 Sakerfalcon: I had heard about the uproar and boycott of Macmillan after they announced ebook policy of only allowing libraries to buy one copy of new books at first, and I had some idea that lending ebooks is complicated, but I appreciate the context!

>124 libraryperilous: Good luck! I keep my read and unread books in separate collections on my Kindle, so I never see the read books unless I go looking for them. I also don't keep all my read books downloaded and have removed some I think I'm unlikely to read again. The problem I run into when I use airplane mode to keep library books past the return date is I always end up borrowing or buying new books and being unable to download them until I finish the past-due ones.

>125 curioussquared: Yes, I've resigned myself, if I do decide to scam the system, that I'll have to read any new titles on my Fire. I experimented with collections when I bought the Paperwhite. I might revisit it again, especially if I do end up downloading a large number of titles.

>126 libraryperilous: Same here; Airplane mode engaged to keep titles from disappearing too fast and read new downloads either on my phone or on the tablet using the Kindle app. It's also a nice way to share the device with Mrs. ScoLgo. She can read a borrowed book from the library on the kindle while I read a different title on the tablet/phone.

I'll be interested to hear if you experience much lag if/when you decide to download a large number of books. My first generation Paperwhite tends to lag heavily if too many titles are loaded on all at once. Mostly, it's the interface/system that bogs down while actual reading continues to work fine, (thankfully).

EtA: Oh, and I don't view it as 'scamming the system'. If there is a long wait list, I will employ the airplane mode to borrow and immediately return a title. That way the next person in line gets it quicker.

>127 ScoLgo: I always feel like I'm doing a small civic duty when I quickly return a book that has holds on it. :)

Thanks for the heads up re: lagging. I think what I'm going to do is load about 3-6 months' worth of titles. I'm still planning to move to Philly once the pandemic is under control, so I'm hopeful that I'll have access to a good library system again by the middle of 2021.

>93 libraryperilous: I am so glad you enjoyed The Moon of Gomrath. It remains very much a favourite of mine.

Alan Garner's other books are aimed at a slightly older audience, are rather darker in tone, but I would also recommend Elidor, Red Shift and Thursbitch.

Coincidentally, I have just finished another book with a version of the Wild Hunt in it: Trojans by Philip Purser-Hallard (the conclusion of his Devices Trilogy).

Also highly recommended, particularly if you enjoy the resonances of English myth (although starting with The Pendragon Protocol is pretty much essential).

I also use Airplane mode when I have a bunch of books I borrowed at the same time, but link to Wikipedia doesn't function then. And a lot of the things I look up are not to be found in the dictionary I have loaded. :o(

>121 curioussquared: If you have a Fire you can add those Nook books. There is a Nook App you can load on the Fire. I am not sure what the lending period is, and they might disappear before you're done. I don't think turning off the WiFi on the Fire helps you keep borrowed books.

>129 -pilgrim-: Oh, I'm glad the Devices series seems to have held up for you. It sounds very intriguing, so I hope to get to the first title soon—especially now that I know a Wild Hunt will be afoot later in the series.

I liked Garner's writing style, and Elidor and The Owl Service intrigue me. Thursbitch sounds excellent! I believe the library has Red Shift available as well.

>130 clamairy: Yes, I think it probably would be more trouble than it's worth, and I suspect my resolve would not last too long. I'll see how I feel toward the end of the month. I may just download some books from series I'm reading and anything that comes to mind, then call it a day.

I discovered that Diana Wynne Jones' Dogsbody is tagged with the Wild Hunt, so I may try to read it soon. I feel it might be sad. Has anyone read it to confirm?

>131 libraryperilous: I definitely cry every time I read Dogsbody, but it's a good cry. It's sad, but not horribly sad, I guess.

>131 libraryperilous: Don't be put off by the fact that I did not mention The Owl Service earlier. It is equally good.

>131 libraryperilous:, >133 -pilgrim-: I recently reread The owl service and it is still an excellent and very haunting read.

>134 Sakerfalcon: I reread Elidor a couple of years ago. It still induces goosepimples.

The Owl Service plus Robert Graves' footnotes in The Greek Myths were my gateway into the Welsh mythological cycle.

>135 -pilgrim-: Evangeline Walton's books were mine.

https://www.librarything.com/nseries/6577/Mabinogion-Tetralogy

>136 clamairy: Evangeline Walton's Mabinogion books are on my favorite books of all time shelf. I happened upon them in a bookstore at age 14 and they're still on that favorite books shelf 40+ years later.

>137 Marissa_Doyle: I loved them too, and I don't know what happened to my copies! They were long gone by the time I joined LT. I'm thinking I might have loaned them to someone way back in my teens or early 20s... Or they got so battered I donated them with the plan of replacing them. I loved the covers on my old Ballantine paperbacks.

I have both the old Ballantine paperbacks that I guard like they're my dragon hoard, and a newer omnibus edition that I let other people touch. :)

>139 Marissa_Doyle: That sounds appropriate!

>136 clamairy: Oh, those are beautiful covers on the LT "series" page!

My first "proper" read of the Mabionogion was in W. F. Skene's 1868 edition (borrowed from the library) and then the Jeffrey Gantz Penguin translation, as my own copy.

>141 -pilgrim-: Although, now that I think about it, I think the tale of Manannan Mac Llyr was in big, beautifully illustrated, "Fairy Tales from around the World" that I had from are zero, as being the Manx example.

They got me early...

>133 -pilgrim-:, >134 Sakerfalcon: I'm glad to know this and will bump it up the reading list.

Update on the Kindle downloading: As I suspected, it looked too much like clutter for me to proceed with my nefarious plans. I downloaded enough to corroborate ScoLgo's experience. It didn't take too many titles for the slowing to become noticeable. I did go a bit overboard with my experiment and now my mom and I are in library jail with her card.* I would have been cleverer to space out the project over a few days, instead of one afternoon.

The experiment solidified that my current 2021 reading plans are right for me at this time: Read books off my shelves; pay less attention to TBR titles and release dates for new books. I also increased my monthly book purchase limit for 2021 from one middle grade title to $25/month. This should allow me to acquire one physical UK middle grade book for my collection and a Kindle new release if the library doesn't order it. One hopes this system will mean I develop better reading habits: more focus on the books I'm reading and less on which books to read.

*My mom was not mad at me, as she has already purchased a library card for a different county's system. They have around 35K titles, which is about double what her home library has. She is satisfied with the selection between the two libraries. She did politely request that I not "do the airplane thingy" with these libraries. I have assured her that I will behave myself. :)

Books read December 8th through December 14th

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain: second in the Singing Hills cycle but also a standalone story. This one felt less like a miniature epic than The Empress of Salt and Fortune. The abrupt ending gives its interesting, sympathetic antagonists nothing to do but run away. When the Tiger asks important questions: Who decides which version of a story is true? Who should be responsible for the caretaking of a culture's history? Is the march of time ever really different down through the ages? I would have liked more focus on Cleric Chih's battle of wits with the Tiger Queen and less about the ancestral tiger. After all, as Cleric Chih acknowledges at the end, these tiger demons, too, will be hunted, and very soon. Four stars.

Evernight: clever start to a middle grade trilogy, in which magic is brewed in cauldrons, stoppered in bottles, and then fired from revolver chambers to activate. 13-year-old tosher Lara discovers that she's a Hag in possession of a clockwork bird that can stop a doomsday from occurring. Being a Hag is bad, because the tyrant on the throne and his witch helper have created an alternate system of 'pure' magic in order to cling to their power. The story has multiple viewpoints and several important social topics. The story doesn't always balance perfectly, but the author asks hard questions and trusts child readers to find their own answers. Four stars.

How to Catch a Snowman: serviceable winter-themed picture book, in which a snowman escapes capture while being cheered on by a child. Three stars.

The Serpent's Shadow: my first foray into the Elemental Masters series. Highly enjoyable, and I didn't find the romance intrusive. The magic system is interesting and the alternate yet familiar London is appealing. Four stars.

Steadfast: absolutely loved this one. I adore "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" tale, so I got swept away by this one. I adored holidaying in this Brighton of the early twentieth century, with its music halls, boardwalk, theater culture, and elemental mages hiding in plain sight. We also get a delightful collection of fire elementals, including cheeky salamanders and a gorgeous dragon of some gravitas. Plus the soldier and the dancer, of course. Five stars.

Perestroika in Paris: sweet fable about a racehorse that kicks up her hooves, grabs a nearby purse (she'd just won a purse, you see), and finds herself in Paris. Paras (short for Perestroika) falls in with a dog, some birds, a rat, and a lonely boy. They'll each learn to balance between being oneself and being a good friend—while visiting some food shops. They have a purse, after all. Smiley is a horse-lover, so I had expected this to be more of a girls' own horse story for grownups. Instead it's the kind of book you release around the holidays because it makes a nice gift: more slice-of-life tale than adventure story. Four stars.

>143 libraryperilous: LOL, library jail. Good luck with 2021 reading plans; I think they sound excellent! I have been much better at reading books off my shelves since joining the ROOT challenge. What can I say -- I'm motivated by arbitrary numbers goals I set myself! *shrug*

>144 libraryperilous: Oh, I'm glad you enjoyed the Elemental Masters books. I wasn't sure you would so I'm happy they hit the right notes for you! Perestroika in Paris is on my radar, and your review suggests it's about what I expected.

>145 curioussquared: I admire people who can set numerical goals or adhere to lists of titles to read. I like to be more freewheeling, apparently. I do have a basic "have fewer boxes of books to move" goal. I did another round of shelf purging today, and I'm trying to work up the nerve for one more.

>146 curioussquared: Yes, I'm pleased I like the series! I'm going to wait before I read another so that I don't overindulge and ruin it. I liked Perestroika in Paris more than I would have because I read a few chapters at a time and between other books. It would have felt cloying, to me, if I'd read it in one go.

I don't typically note DNFs on this thread. I've bounced off four that were on my TBR and mentioned in previous posts. I note them here for the record. Thank you, everyone who recommended these books or answered my questions about them. I appreciate the time you took, and I'm glad they're books that you enjoy!

Shards of Honor: felt too much like a romance, although I only read a few chapters.

Rivers of London: felt too much like a police procedural, and I found the narrator's dudebro outlook toward women and his sarcasm off-putting. I did like the author's obvious love for London's geography, including places often overlooked as shabby.

Full Dark House: ditto on the police procedural style. I also thought London's geography would be more of a presence, not just a setting. I may try another title in this series at a later date, perhaps if I can find one that is not 450+ pages long. I prefer shorter mysteries, although exceptions like Sovereign rank among my favorites.

Remake: a disappointment, because I expected to love this. I could see what Willis wanted to do, and I could tell with which theories of film she was interacting and why she made the narrative choices she made. I would have told this story very differently, and I couldn't get past that.* (Way back in my comp lit days, when I had delusions of academic grandeur, film theory—esp. of classic Hollywood cinema—was one of my special interests. I am very picky.)

>148 libraryperilous: You have encapsulated my reaction to Rivers of London fairly accurately.

Although I did stick it out -having bought a bargain set, and needing something fairly uncomplicated for during chemo - and came to the conclusion that this was an attitude of the character's rather than the author's, and Peter Grant (the character) is a very young man there, who does grow up.

>148 libraryperilous:, >149 -pilgrim-: You perfectly sum up why I didn't read past book 1 of the series. I really didn't need to know every time Peter had an erection.

>150 Sakerfalcon: That is even worse than the boob count that I seem to remember someone (YouKneek, maybe?) starting in response to with author's style!

>148 libraryperilous: >149 -pilgrim-: >150 Sakerfalcon: I still haven't finished it. I keep setting it aside for other books. I believe I will finish it, eventually... but I seriously doubt I'll keep going.

>152 clamairy:
The series does improve considerably, but I am not necessarily recommending continuing. I am almost completely up to date, having been reading them 2019-2020. My reviews are in the relevant threads, starting here.

I'm glad to know my reaction to Rivers of London was a standard one. I have ... rather a quick hook when it comes to endless erections.

I can see why the series is popular. It's a setting I should love and that I thought the author captured well. I liked Grant's mentor and the housekeeper. I was just too put off by Grant's persona to care. Ah, well: plenty of books, so little time, etc.

Books read December 15th through December 21st

Elidor: another fascinating Garner title, this one the unsettling story of a mundane family's normal life getting creeped on when their house is turned into a borderland between England and Elidor. Garner upends the traditional quest tale—although not the part about the quest being foisted upon you by forces outside your control. The four children quickly uncover Elidor's artifacts and are sent back to their own world to guard the treasures. It's there that the troubles begin. Only Roland, he of the overactive imagination, comes close to understanding the stakes. The rest of the novel is the children denying or ignoring what's happening, until things come to a head and they're forced to take action. There's a kind of cold precision to Garner's prose that enhances the creeping hand of Elidor. Thanks, -pilgrim-, for the rec! Four stars.

Briar's Book: my favorite of Pierce's Circle series. Briar and his magic are so interesting, although I wish a bit more use had been made of both in this story. The elements are there, but the story feels a bit detached. I'm not sure I like with the ending, which seems to disregard what Rosethorn wants and feels kind of ableist, to boot. It was interesting to read about a plague in which everyone dons masks without arguing about it. Four stars.

Nuts to You: charming tale of four squirrels who have a variety of adventures. Perkins has a great, folksy style of writing. She writes crisp sentences in service to slice-of-life stories. Her Secret Sisters of the Salty Sea is one of my favorite middle grade novels. I think I'd describe Perkins' writing style as similar to Patricia MacLachlan's, although I think Perkins tells more complex stories. Four stars.

Chalice: I love bees. My heart. Five stars. (Thanks for the McKinley rec, Natalie!)

The Buried Crown: It always is satisfying to read about Nazis getting their comeuppance. I especially enjoy it when young people sneer at the villains with the kind of disdain only young people can muster: "If your Fewer, or whatever he's called, fancies himself as King of England, he should know the job's taken." Four stars.

>155 libraryperilous: I last reread Elidor about five years ago... and still got creeped out when the damp patches started appearing on the attic wall. It was only on that reading that I started recognising the echoes of Irish myth - the location of the watchtowers, for example. As will as the original location of the Treasures inside a sidhe, of course. And the nature of the Treasures themselves...

Alan Garner is one of the writers whom I am most glad to have met in person.

>155 libraryperilous:, >156 -pilgrim-: I reread Elidor as an adult for my MA thesis, and found it chilling. Garner's prose is so powerful. -pilgrim- I am very envious of you having met him. What a wonderful experience to look back on.

>157 Sakerfalcon: It is indeed.

And now I am curious to hear more about your MA thesis.

>157 Sakerfalcon: Moi aussi!

>148 libraryperilous: That was my exact reaction to Rivers of London. I finished the book but decided to never read any other books in the series. I'm not sure I buy >149 -pilgrim-:'s assertion that the misogyny is confined to deliberate character writing. It was entirely unclear to me why this sarcastic idiot was chosen by his much older, wiser mentor ... or why any of the powerful magical creatures in the book gave him the time of day.

>160 Kanarthi: As I said when reviewing it, as far as I am concerned, there is a major plot hole on that respect.
His mentor takes him on because he is a policeman who has encountered the supernatural.
WHY the supernatural entity reveals himself to him did not make any sense whatsoever (although there is a vague attempt at retconning this later).
And the other supernatural entities take an interest precisely because he IS a gullible idiot whom they can manipulate.
It his dogged devotion to Lesley, as a friend, after what happens at the end of the book, that makes me think that the chump had some redeeming qualities

>161 -pilgrim-: Yeah, the character had some redeeming qualities, but the whole construction of the book centered around this ignorant, obnoxious character seemed wrong-headed and backwards to me. Why didn't his mentor just erase his memory and find a better-suited protege?

>162 Kanarthi: Well, compare how things go with his next protégé!

Happy holidays and season's readings!

I'm still waiting on my SantaThing box, but I received nine other books from my parents.

My mom sent me Tamsin, Little Women, The Dragonfly Pool, and The Star of Kazan.

From a separate wishlist, my dad picked How Did Lubitsch Do It?, Black and White Cinema, The Nature of Nature, Future Sea, and How to Get Away with Myrtle.

If you're wondering at the discrepancy in choices, this is an annual calculation on my part. My dad reads nonfiction and doesn't prefer to buy me anything but nonfiction. My mom reads fiction and enjoys picking those titles for me. I sneak one or two opposite choices on each of their lists. This year, my dad fell for it but my mom did not. :)

I also received a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card from another relative. I'm saving it for later, since I now am out of shelf space—again.

>164 libraryperilous: nice haul! I've read and enjoyed all of mom's picks :) dad's, not so much.

>165 curioussquared: I expect I'll get to my mom's picks much sooner than my dad's. My brain is in middle grade mode! :)

Books read December 22nd through December 31st

The Outlaws of Sherwood: brilliant retelling of the Robin Hood myth that focuses on two things: how the outlaws might actually have lived in Sherwood and what happens when people choose to believe in a legend while the legend still is alive and active. Thanks for the rec, Kanarthi and curioussquared! Five stars.

Calvino: young middle grade novel about an Andalusian horse in Spain during the 16th century. It's a bit short on historical atmosphere, but I enjoyed Calvino's narration. I probably will read other books in the series. Four stars.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane: Edward is a vain and snobby porcelain rabbit that gets washed overboard and begins a journey toward redemption and a place to call home. This book deals with a number of important topics, and I imagine most of a reader's focus is on Edward's story. But DiCamillo is so good at painting what Edwin Markham called "the long, long patience of the plundered poor." It is not just Edward who meets with cruelty on the journey. Edward is rescued by a succession of poor folk who eke livings on the margins. In each case, they are intentionally and cruelly separated from the rabbit who has come to mean a bit of relief and joy to them. Five stars.

The Tale of Despereaux: I didn't like this as much as Edward Tulane. In fact, it's rather a pedestrian story. I found the somewhat twee narration annoying. The multiple viewpoints, in such a short book, made it hard for me to care too much about Despereaux's journey. Still, I liked the central message of perseverance in readers (not just characters). What do readers owe a story?: "You must, frightened though you may be, read on and see for yourself. Reader, it is your duty." Four stars.

Happy new year! I'll post my 2021 thread soon.