The Christmas Train

Every year I read a Christmas book. I use to buy really sappy romance novels to take on our trip to visit my husband's family for several years. This year I chose The Christmas Train by David Baldacci. I didn't realize it was romance, I just like traveling by train and thought it would be a humous fun read. I have read books by David Baldacci but they were very different. I did enjoy this one and would recommend.

Back to the Classics Challenge 2016

I got off the track for the Back to the Classics Challenge 2016 about 6 months in and never got on that train again. But I plan to do it again or at least start it again in 2017. Granted I did not read 12 classics but I did read 6 which is 6 more than I would have if I hadn't joined the challenge. Therefore I see it as a success for me. But here is the recap:

January - The Chimes by Charles Dickens
January - The Gift of the Magi and Other New York Stories by Henry James
February - Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (in French) by Jules Vern
March - Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
April - To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
May - Animal Farm by George Orwell

reading update

I have read more books than reviewed so far. I just haven't taken the time to review or list them. So here I go trying to remember the additional ones.

1) The Twelve Dogs of Christmas
2) Turbo Twenty-three by Janet Evanovich
3) Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
4) Amy Snow by Tracy Rees
5) A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny

The Samantha Sweet series by Connie series:
6) Sweet Masterpiece
7) Sweet's Sweets
8) Sweet Holidays
9) Sweet Hearts
10) Bitter Sweet
11) Sweets Galore
12) Sweets Begorra
13) Sweet Payback
14) Sweet Somethings
15) Sweet Forgotten

16) Sins out of School by Jeanne Dams

There may have been more in the last 6 months but this is all I could remember.

More books by Dorothea Benton Frank

I have been going through her books like they were potato chips (You can't read just one). I enjoy the history she adds. They are romances without porn or sentimentality. So here is my list far the past couple of weeks: Folly Beach, The Hurricane Sisters, The Last Original Wife, Lowcountry Summer and Sullivans Island. All nice, light reads. Probably need to get back to reading my classics.

Without Warning by David Rosenfelt

I have read a couple of Rosenfelt's dog books before and liked them. Without Warning is a stand alone mystery, thriller maybe too strong of a description. I would still rank it with my cozy mysteries. This is good because cozy mysteries are my favorite reads for leisure. this is a book that keeps you guessing but you can read it alone at night and not have trouble going to sleep. I picked it up and to read anytime I had a free moment. Would definitely recommend.

The Four Agreements

Because of a recommendation on one of the blog I follow, I picked up The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz at the library. Over the next 2 days, I skimmed most of the first 24 pages but read the rest of the book. I liked the ideas presented so much that I bought the book and the companion book, The Four Agreements Companion Book: Using the Four Agreements to Master the Dream of Your Life (Toltec Wisdom). I feel this is a book that deserves rereading.

Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank

A nice, light summer "beach" read. Romance without the porn. The main character is a recently widowed nurse who served in Afghanistan.

The Accidental Book Club

I picked up this book and another by this same author at the library by mistake. I thought this Jennifer Scott was the same Jennifer L. Scott that wrote the Madame Chic books. On the first page of the novel I realized there was a definite difference in the language and style. But thought is was maybe the change from non-fiction to fiction. I didn't like the dysfunctional actions of the people but the characters did keep me coming back each night to read more. A bit like passing a car crash and not wanting to look but somehow you look anyway. The ending couldn't be described at "happy" but maybe "hopeful" would apply. Now whether I will read the other one sitting on my nightstand, the jury is still out on that one. But I do wish I belong to a book club and had these women for friends.

At Home with Madame Chic

I finished At Home with Madame Chic this morning. Liked this one also. Most of the guidance reaffirmed the cleaning regimes I already employ. It encouraged me to return to my meditation which is centering prayer. I also use a homemade vinegar cleaner but did not know about the addition of lavender or tea tree oil. So lavender oil is on my list. I have completed my summer 10 item wardrobe. I really need to update my closet which these books nudge me into doing. Got rid of 3 bags of clothes, scarves, and costume jewelry I didn't wear were bad purchases, or were worn out. I added 2 dresses, 2 new tops, a white tee, replaced my black flats, and some exercise clothes. Now I have some recipes for tea sandwiches.

Polish your Poise with Madame Chic

 

I have Jennifer L. Scott's first book Lessons from Madame Chic on my Kindle. I enjoyed it so when I discovered this new one at the library I picked it up only to discover there was one written between these two, At Home with Madame Chic. This one on poise was a refresher course, for me, of the first book with some additional ideas. It is a fast read at 271 pages but takes much more time to implement the principles presented. For me it was a reminder to check my posture; make sure my electronic devices (ie. IPad & IPhone) I own don't appear at the table during breakfast, lunch or dinner; and the need to review the 10 item wardrobe concept. I need to be present in the moment and enjoy the food, drink but most of all the people at my table. After all, if I cared enough to sit down with them to eat I should care enough to give them my full undivided attention. Polish your Poise with Madame Chic is definitely worth your time. So I am off the library to pick up the 2nd book, At Home with Madame Chic.

Summer Reading

I have taken a vacation in June from any serious reading. But have been enjoying some light reading material. I started off with Dorothea Benton Frank's, an author new to me, All the Single Ladies. I liked it enough to get a couple more of her novels but I think I might tire of this style shortly. Then I moved on to Rita Mae Brown's Tail Gate. It was better than her last two which I couldn't really get into and never finished. Then I enjoyed the Janet Evanovich's Tricky Twenty-Two. I always find her cast of characters entertaining.

John Muir Laws recent book

Recently I purchased  The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling on Amazon. I had bought his book for drawing birds last year and found it to be an excellent resource. Therefore when I discovered he had a new book out I bought it sight unseen. I was not disappointed. It collects all the nfo his tube videos provides and more all in one location. This is what got me interested in doing my Walks with Jake sketches.

The Wolves at the Door by Judith L. Pearson

Great Book! Read it on the recommendation of a friend and thoroughly enjoyed the book. It is the true story of an America woman who worked with and helped organize elements of the french resistance in France during WWII. A quick read written for adults but I think most teenage girls would find Virginia Hall an exciting and interesting role model. Also shows how a person with what most of us would see as a handicap can excel beyond the expectations of an average "normal" person. Hero is often defined as an ordinary person doing extraordinary things. But sometimes a heroine is an extraordinary person who does extraordinary things.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Somehow I never read this one in high school. It wasn't a long read and I enjoyed the allegory. The theme was obvious even if you did have the background knowledge of the farm compared to the rise and fall of the Soviet Union. Lord Acton's quote "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely" popped into my head as I finished this book.

This was for my dystopian classic read.

The Monogram Murders

I picked this up quickly when I was leaving the library. Therefore I didn't realize until I got home that an impostor was trying to make money off of a famous writer.  I gave it a try anyway. And I was not only disappointed but angry. If you are a writer then write something that comes from inside you not using someone else notoriety to fill your pockets. This book was hyped as being a Hercule Poirot mystery. I did not recognize the character name Poirot in the book to even come close to Agatha Christie creation. Sophie Hannah should apologies to all the Christie fans.

To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

I listened to the Audiobook version of Harper Lee’s, Pulitzer Prize winning book, To Kill a Mockingbird read by Sissy Spacek.

To Kill a Mockingbird is primarily a novel about growing in the 1930s in a small Southern United States. We  see justice through the eyes of a 8 year old girl, Scout Finch, over a 3 year period. But the book is more likely remembered for the trial where her father, Atticus an widower, represents a negro for the rape of a young woman. Certain ideas (often cliches) stick out as I look back on this book:

•    You never know a man until you put on a man’s shoes and walk around in them
•     Justice in this world is and always will be imperfect
•     Seeing a world from a child’s view  (Scout and Jem)
•        How to disarm anger (Atticus)
•       Most people are kind when you finally meet them individually;
•     Heroes are ordinary people who do extraordinary things (Bo and Atticus).

Good read but you must realize that it depicts a period and location in time.

This fulfills my banned or censor classic category.

Thale's Folly by Dorothy Gilman

Saw this one sitting on my book case and decided to take a look. I enjoyed Ms. Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax series and must have picked this book up at a library book sale. It was a very fast read (200 pages) and delightful. No trashy scenes or bad language. Wonderfully developed characters which you can't help but love and wish only good to happen in their lives. A feel good book that makes you smile and sorry to see the end. Like the Anatole France quote used by one of the characters of the book, "Chance was the word God used when he wished to remain anonymous".

Peyton Place

While growing up I remembered my mother using the expression "this is just a little Peyton Place". Although the profanity was not used as prolifically as in modern day novels, the situations show people are the same even if the time has chanced. I think the novel won it's acclaim because of shock value not from quality of writing. I know that there is a sequel and the ending left me with the feeling that this was just the first half of a longer book. Not a bad read but it never moved me or challenged me mentally.

This is my selection for "a classic with a title that includes a place name".

Vingt Mille Lieues Sous Les Mers (Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

Finally, yesterday afternoon I finished this book. The version I bought was bilingual, French and English. This was very helpful since my French is rusty plus many of the words were nautical and the language was dated. That said, it really did go pretty fast. I read the French and when I got stuck I peeked at the English translation. The story line is good and holds your interest until you run into the myriad lists of fish, sea creatures, and plants. I will confess to skimming these from time to time. I had read this book in 5th or 6th grade and loved it. There is enough mystery left in the ending that you finish feeling it was a good read and intriguing. I think it would make an excellent movie. I am glad I picked this Jules Verne book for my "classic in translation".

The Gift of the Magi and Other New York Stories by O'Henry

For my "12. A volume of classic short stories" I selected this book. I was first introduced to the short stories of O'Henry (William Sydney Porter) by my 6th grade elementary school teacher. Our textbook included 3 of his stories (The Gift of the Magi, The Last Leaf, and The Ransom of Red Chief). All three plus nine more stories and a biography were in this Kindle edition.

The only ones I didn't enjoy were

1. A Harlem Tragedy,
2. The Voice of the City
3.  The Skylight Room

The ones that I rate as OK were:

1. The Cop and the Anthem
2. The Making of a New Yorker
3. The biography (which included a critique of O'Henry's work)

The ones I really liked were:

1. The Gift of the Magi 
2. The Last Leaf
3. The Ransom of Red Chief
4. The Trimmed Lamp
5. A Retrieved Reformation
6. The Duplicity of Hargraves
7. The Whirligig of Life

Over all it was a great read. Each short story is about a facet of human nature that could easily be dropped in to 2016 and not lose their point. You will find some comedy, tragedy, sacrifice, and love (not just romantic love but love for your fellow human being). Definitely recommend this collection.

"X" by Sue Grafton

Yes, I have read her whole series and enjoy the Kinsey Millhone character. I think I like that there is no romantic side story going on. You would think that by the time the author has gotten to the 24th book in a series it would be very predictable and boring to the point the reader might think that they could have written the new variation on the theme. But I don't feel that is the case for Grafton's mysteries. It was a nice fun read. SPOILER!!! I think the quote at the end of the book sums up the theme: "There's a commonly accepted assumption that the rich are greedy and uncaring and the elderly are frail and ineffectual. This isn't always the case…"

The Martian (the movie)

There was nothing else on TV Saturday night we wanted to see and didn't feel like reading ... so we broke down and paid the $4.99 on pay for view to see this movie. This was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. Of course we are abit nerdy but loved the suspense and science stuff plus a touch of human relations and psychology. The theme was facing death but not giving up. Would he make it back against great odds or not, you have to see the film!

A 19th Century Classic - The Chimes (1844) by Charles Dickens

When I found out that this story is a New Year’s Eve story not a true Christmas story I thought it would be just the one to  start my 2016 challenge. Of course I have read A Christmas Carol but did not know that it was the first of 5 Christmas stories that Dickens wrote in the 1840’s. The Chimes is the second written in 1844. The Chimes are bells in a church near where the main character Trotty Veck, a messenger, waits for the gentry to employ him to deliver messages. He gets his name from his gate, a fast trot. You can help but continually compare it back to A Christmas Carol. There is the theme of injustice of the rich to the poor of the time, the ghosts, and the flight over the town to see into homes. I think it is fine and worth the read but not as good as the first. I feel a bit like I cheated because it was a quick read, about 4 hours.