A-Z Wednesday: "H"

A-Z Wednesday is hosted by Vicki at Reading At The Beach. To join in, just visit her blog for the guidelines and leave your link in a comment.

This week's letter is "H." So I went to my shelves, and this is what I pulled out.

Heresy
Written by S.J. Parris
Published 2009, 2010

Description from the book's page at Amazon.com:

Set in 1583 against a backdrop of religious-political intrigue and barbaric judicial reprisals, Parris's compelling debut centers on real-life Giordano Bruno, a former Italian monk excommunicated by the Roman Catholic church and hunted across Europe by the Inquisition for his belief in a heliocentric infinite universe. Befriended by the charismatic English courtier and soldier Sir Philip Sidney, the ambitious Bruno flees to more tolerant Protestant England, where Elizabeth I's secretary of state, Sir Francis Walsingham, recruits him to spy, under the cover of philosophical disputation, on secretly Catholic Oxford scholars suspected of plotting treason. As one Oxford fellow after another falls to gruesome homicide, Bruno struggles to unravel Oxford's tangled loyalties. Parris (the pseudonym of British journalist Stephanie Merritt) interweaves historical fact with psychological insight as Bruno, a humanist dangerously ahead of his time, begins his quest to light the fire of enlightenment in Europe.

See the book's page at Good Reads here.

I just finished reading an ARC of this one, although I believe it was released in the US in February. Hope to get my review up later today, or tomorrow.

Teaser Tuesdays: A Fair Maiden

This week, my teaser lines come from A Fair Maiden by Joyce Carol Oates. The dust jacket blurb calls it "an unsettling, ambiguous tale of mounting suspense and gradually unfolding horror." Well, so far I'm enjoying it a lot, and haven't noticed any horror unfolding yet. But it is quite suspenseful. In this snippet, sixteen-year-old Katya is just meeting sixty-eight-year-old Marcus Kidder for the first time:

He appeared to be of an age far beyond that of Katya's father, yet she couldn't believe that he was her grandfather's age: that terrifying limbo of free fall when specific ages become, to the young, beside the point. To the young there are no meaningful degrees of old, as there are no degrees of dead: either you are, or you are not. [pp.5-6]

Well, for me there are definite degrees of old, but then it's been a long time since anyone would have accused me of being among the young.


Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by mizB at Should Be Reading. If you'd like to read more teasers, or take part yourself, just head on over to her blog.

Review: Contact

Written by Carl Sagan
Simon & Schuster, 1985; 432 pages

Description, from Amazon.com:

A worldwide system of radio telescopes, in the charge of brilliant astrophysicist Ellie Arroway, picks up a "Message" from outer space. Ellie is instrumental in decoding the message and building the "Machine" for which it gives instructions (despite stiff opposition from religious fundamentalists and those scientists and politicians who fear it may be a Trojan Horse). Then she and fellow members of a small multinational team board the machine, take a startling trip into outer space and on their return must convince the scientific community that they are not the perpetrators of a hoax. Sagan's . . . informed and dramatically enacted speculations into the mysteries of the universe, taken to the point where science and religion touch, make his story an exciting intellectual adventure and science fiction of a high order.

********************

Before reading Carl Sagan's 1985 science fiction novel, Contact, I had read some of his nonfiction, and always enjoyed his many TV appearances. I suppose the old accusation about his being a "popularizer" is true, but I don't think there's really anything wrong with trying to bring an appreciation of science to the masses. But I have to admit it was the 1997 film of this novel that caught my interest and nudged me into reading the book. And that was a good thing, because it's a great read and I really enjoyed it, even though in many ways the film and book were very different – the film was probably more exciting, but the book naturally gives you a lot more to think about. Sagan wasn't brilliant at painting characters – aside from Ellie, most of the characters in the novel are a lot like interchangeable parts. But, after all, it's the story and the ideas behind that story that are the main reasons for reading the book.

A few things occurred to me as I was reading. One of them is that Sagan must have spent almost his entire life in meetings! He portrays the meeting, the conference, and the collaborative endeavor better than just about any writer I've ever come across. And he had some interesting ideas about religion – some of which is there in his nonfiction, of course. But it's much more entertaining here – there are some great exchanges between the scientists and the preachers. I loved this passage:

"If God is omnipotent and omniscient, why didn't he start the universe out in the first place so it would come out the way he wants? Why's he constantly repairing and complaining? No, there's one thing the Bible makes clear: The biblical God is a sloppy manufacturer. He's not good at design, he's not good at execution. He'd be out of business, if there was any competition."

I did find reading a sci-fi book from the '80s to be just a bit disorienting. Sagan's wonderfully inventive imagination didn't extend to cell phones or email or the Internet, and consequently much of his future world seems already outdated and a bit slow-moving. But that doesn't really take away from the overall enjoyment. This is one I'd definitely recommend.

Booking Through Thursday: Breaks

This week's BTT question is about reading patterns:

Do you take breaks while reading a book? Or read it straight through? (And, by breaks, I don't mean sleeping, eating and going to work; I mean putting it aside for a time while you read something else.)

Well, I've usually got several books going at once, so obviously I'm always putting one or another aside while I read one of the others. Briefly, anyway. Now and then, of course, I'll happen on a book that's so compelling or entertaining that I read it straight through, without dipping into something else along the way. I had that experience recently with Nicholson Baker's The Anthologist – I was so caught up in it from the opening paragraph that I just forgot about all my other books until I got it read.

Now occasionally I'll put aside everything else if there are time constraints involved – for instance, if the book is an advance reading copy and I've promised a fast review. But in general I'm definitely a break taker. However, I don't like to put a book aside for too long, because I find that frequently means I won't get back to it and it never gets finished. There are so many new and attractive books always catching my eye – makes it really hard to return to any of those half-finished books I've abandoned along the way. Oooh, that sounds sad, doesn't it – poor, abandoned books (sniff!).

So what about you? Are you a break-taker? Or do you go with one book at a time? Interesting question. Probably says something very revealing about our different personalities, right?

A-Z Wednesday: "G"

A-Z Wednesday is hosted by Vicki at Reading At The Beach. To join in, just visit her blog for the guidelines and leave your link in a comment.

This week's letter is "G." So I went to my shelves, and this is what I pulled out.

The Grand Complication
Written by Allen Kurzweil
Published 2001

Description from Amazon:

In this work, set in modern-day New York City, a wealthy and eccentric bibliophile named Henry James Jesson III hires a witty, browbeaten employee of the New York Public Library, Alexander Short, to search for the missing object. Alexander, the sexually malfunctioning husband of a French artist who designs pop-up books, accepts the commission. Utilizing his exceptional research skills, he determines that the empty compartment once contained an 18th century timepiece made for Marie Antoinette. The watch, named "The Grand Complication" for its technical superiority, was stolen from a Jerusalem museum in 1983 and has been missing ever since. As the investigation deepens and Alexander becomes privy to the cloistered world of Jesson's elegant Manhattan townhouse, Alexander realizes that the elusive timepiece is not the only object under scrutiny. The robust cast of supporting characters includes a bawdy library director whose nickname is the "Librarian of Sexual Congress"; a Marie Antoinette groupie who once tried to steal the queen's pillow from an exhibit; and a no-nonsense businessman determined to open a museum devoted to all things obsolete. All come together with great finesse in this enchanting quest one that is sure to appeal to fans of Arturo Perez-Reverte and anyone who appreciates an intellectual romp.

See my review here.

See the book's page at Good Reads here.

And a photo of the paperback edition:

Teaser Tuesdays: Heresy

This week, my teaser lines come from Heresy, by S.J. Parris. It's a mystery/thriller set in Elizabethan England, with the scientist-philosopher Giordano Bruno as its protagonist. I'm about halfway through the ARC, and enjoying it much more than I expected to.

This snippet comes from page 47, and has Dr. Underhill, Rector of Oxford's Lincoln College speaking about the education of his children:

"Both my children were close in age – barely more than a year between them – and I thought it unfair that my son should have lessons and my daughter be left only to sew. . . . But now it seems I have spoiled her for marriage – she loves nothing more than to dally in the library arguing ideas back and forth with the students when she has the chance, and is much too bold with her own opinions, which is hardly seemly in a lady and no gentleman wants in a wife. So it was all for naught."

Ah, one more clever girl doomed to spinsterhood because of an excess of braininess. Better watch out for those witch hunts!


Please note that the above quote is taken from an advance reading copy of the novel, and hasn't been checked against the published edition.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by mizB at Should Be Reading. If you'd like to read more teasers, or take part yourself, just head on over to her blog.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is now being hosted by Sheila at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books. If you want to let the world know what books you're going to be reading this week, head on over to her blog and leave your link.

I did a little better last week, and actually finished two books! Well, that's better than the one I finished the week before last. March has been a slow reading month for me, even though it seems to be going by at an alarmingly rapid rate. Unlike February which, though it's the shortest month of the year, seemed to drag on forever. Go figure.

But I digress (as usual). Here's how my reading is going this week.

• Finished last week:
  The Brontes Went to Woolworths, by Rachel Ferguson. This was an Early Reviewer book from Library Thing, so I put everything else aside in order to get it read and reviewed. See my review here.
  Mrs. Malory and Any Man's Death, by Hazel Holt
  
  
• Reviews posted last week:
  Just the one mentioned above.
  
  
• Reading this week:
  Heresy, by S.J. Parris. One of the ARCs I'm trying to hurry through.
  A Stitch in Time, by Monica Ferris
  A Fair Maiden, by Joyce Carol Oates
  
  
• Next up:
  The Swimming Pool, by Holly LeCraw
  
  
• Shelved for now:
  The Family Man, by Elinor Lipman. Will try to get back to this one later in the year; it looks really good.
  
  
• In the works (reviews to be finished):
  Contact, by Carl Sagan
  Homer & Langley, by E.L. Doctorow (read last year)
  The Lover, by Marguerite Duras (another holdover from last year)
  Mrs. Malory and Any Man's Death, by Hazel Holt
  People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks
  Stardust, by Joseph Kanon (and yet another leftover from last year)
  The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett (ditto)
  

Spring Reading Thing 2010

Yesterday was the first sign-up day for the 2010 Spring Reading Thing, hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days. I enjoyed this one a lot last year and got more reading done than I thought I would, so I'm definitely signing up again for the 2010 edition. Besides, Katrina always has such adorable buttons for her Things. How could I resist?

You can read all about the challenge and sign up by visiting the announcement page here. The guidelines are pretty simple; basically, just make a list of the books you think you might want to read between March 20th and June 20th, and post it on your blog. And then sign up.

These are some of the books I'm thinking of choosing from:

• Fiction:
  A Fair Maiden. Joyce Carol Oates
  Angels of Destruction. Keith Donohue
  The Children's Book. A.S. Byatt
  The Family Man. Elinor Lipman
  Good Morning, Midnight. Jean Rhys
  Heroic Measures. Jill Ciment
  The Late George Apley. John P. Marquand
  Lethal Legacy. Linda Fairstein
  Liberty. Garrison Keillor
  Los Alamos. Joseph Kanon
  The Lost Symbol. Dan Brown
  Olive Kitteridge. Elizabeth Strout
  The Rapture. Liz Jensen
  The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Alan Bradley
  
  
• Nonfiction:
  Just Kids. Patti Smith
  Manhattan, When I Was Young. Mary Cantwell
  The Pattern in the Carpet. Margaret Drabble
  Shakespeare and Company. Sylvia Beach
  The Story of the Armory Show. Milton W. Brown
  

My list is ridiculously long, I know – I'll never get all those books read, but hope (like spring) springs eternal. Fortunately, lists can be changed, and I'm sure mine will be. But whatever happens, I'll be updating my progress on my challenge blog during the next three months.

Review: The Brontes Went to Woolworths

Written by Rachel Ferguson
Bloomsbury USA, 2010; 188 pages
First published by Ernest Benn, 1931

(My copy of this book was provided by the publisher, through Library Thing's Early Reviewers program.)

After reading Rachel Ferguson's The Brontes Went to Woolworths, the first thing that springs to mind is this: A little whimsy goes a long, long way.

Ferguson's novel is quite simply one of the strangest books I've ever read. One of those books you finish and then head back to the beginning to check out all those things you think you must have missed the first time through. And while I didn't actually dislike the book, finishing it was a struggle at times.

The story is, in part, narrated by Deirdre Carne, one of three sisters living with their widowed mother in 1930s London. Deirdre is a journalist working on her first novel, Katrine is an aspiring actress, and the youngest, Sheil, is still at home being looked after by her governess Miss Agatha Martin (my favorite character). The girls, led by Deirdre and Mrs. Carne, have invented an intricate fantasy life to amuse themselves, which includes many imaginary friends – some of them based on real-life characters. The Carnes will go to great lengths in their attempts to "learn about people we love" (otherwise known as stalking):

We get their papers, and follow their careers, and pick up gossip, and memorise anecdotes, and study paragraphs, and follow their moves about the country, and, as usually happens if you really mean business, often get into personal touch with their friends or business associates, all with some fresh item or atom of knowledge to add to the heap. [p. 3]

One of these fantasy objects of desire is high-court Judge Herbert Toddington – the Carne women refer to him affectionately as "Toddy" and create a lavish make-believe story around him. Then one day Deirdre is introduced to Toddy's living and breathing real wife at a charity bazaar, and this new relationship leads to complications and family upheavals, as the real world and the imaginary one collide.

Those other sisters, the Bronte girls, do figure in the story as well, albeit (and necessarily) in a very shadowy fashion. I did enjoy that part of the book, and wished they could have stayed around a little longer. Similarly, I would have applauded a little more time spent with Miss Martin, the governess; she provided a bit of welcome relief from all that frenzied whimsy and fabrication.

I believe the reader's enjoyment of the book is probably completely tied up with whether or not you succumb to the (supposed) charm of the narrator and her seemingly deranged family. I guess I wasn't charmed, or at least not enough. Just like many other readers, I spent the first half of the book trying to decide what was real and what wasn't, before I finally realized that question wasn't getting me anywhere. Once I got that reality/fantasy problem out of the way, I actually had some fun with the second half of the book.

And even though I never really warmed to the story or its major characters enough to say I'd recommend it, I was impressed with Ferguson's ability to create a unique world of her own and people it with characters who feel and sound like they belong there, even though they might also be annoyingly silly. According to the information on the back of the book, The Brontes Went to Woolworths was her second novel, after which she wrote nine more before she died in 1957. I think those other novels are worth seeking out, if only to see if I find them as irritating as this one.

A-Z Wednesday: "F"

A-Z Wednesday is hosted by Vicki at Reading At The Beach. To join in, just visit her blog for the guidelines and leave your link in a comment.

This week's letter is "F." So I went to my shelves, and this is what I pulled out.

Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus
Written by Mary Shelley
First published 1818

Description from Good Reads:

The epic battle between man and monster reaches its greatest pitch in the famous story of Frankenstein. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor himself to the very brink. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship …and horror.

See the Wikipedia article about the book here.

See the Frankenstein page at Google Books here.

And a selection of some of the hundreds of covers the book has had over the years:

(Click on image to enlarge.)

ARCs TBR and the ARC Reading Challenge

This is sooooo embarrassing. But they say confession is good for the soul, right? So I'm 'fessing up to this huge backlog of ARCs I've got staring me in the face right now. I actually have books from a couple of years ago that I never got around to reading. For a while I thought "why bother?" – but that's the coward's way out, don't you think? And anyway, I feel I really owe it to the authors and publishers for sending me all those free books. So this year I'm pulling my socks up, putting on my big girl panties (and trotting out any other cliches I can come up with), and taking a real stab at reducing that humiliating stack.


And, apropos, I'm going to sign up for Teddy Rose's ARC Reading Challenge, if it's not too late. I'm signing up at the Bronze Level, which means I have to read and review at least twelve of the books on my list. I'll be starting with the most recent books, and then I'll go back and try to get the older ones read. It's almost certain that I won't get through all of these in a year's time, what with all my other reading commitments, but I'm going to give it my best shot (see - I did manage to find one more nice cliche). I'll be updating my progress throughout the year on my Challenge Blog.

And here's my list of ARCs to be read. More from 2008 than from last year. I did a little better in 2009, for some reason.

• Published in 2008
  Descartes' Bones. Russell Shorto
  The Glister. John Burnside
  The Heretic's Daughter. Kathleen Kent
  One More Year: Stories. Sana Krasikov
  Shadow of Colossus (A Seven Wonders Novel). T.L. Higley
  Stealing Athena. Karen Essex
  Stone Creek. Victoria Lustbader
  The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher. Kate Summerscale
  Tethered. Amy MacKinnon
  
  
• Published in 2009
  Angels of Destruction. Keith Donohue
  The Atlantis Revelation. Thomas Greanias
  The Manual of Detection. Jedediah Berry
  The Rapture. Liz Jensen
  Stone's Fall. Iain Pears
  
  
• Published in 2010
  The Brontes Went to Woolworths. Rachel Ferguson (reading now)
  Heresy. S.J. Parris
  The Swimming Pool. Holly LeCraw
  

Teaser Tuesdays: The Brontes Went to Woolworths

I've just started reading Rachel Ferguson's The Brontes Went to Woolworths and, so far, I'm not sure I know exactly what to make of it. But I'm only a few chapters in, so I expect something like an actual plot will present itself soon. I'm enjoying it, but it does seem a teensy bit vague in the beginning. Amusing, though. This quote is from the book's first page:

A woman at one of mother's parties once said to me, 'Do you like reading?' which smote us all to silence, for how could one tell her that books are like having a bath or sleeping, or eating bread - absolute necessities which one never thinks of in terms of appreciation. And we all sat waiting for her to say that she had so little time for reading, before ruling her right out for ever and ever.

This book was first published in 1931 and is one of the "lost classics" issued by the Bloomsbury Group: "books recommended by readers for readers." And that seems like such a worthy idea, doesn't it?


Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by mizb17 at Should Be Reading. If you'd like to read more teasers, or take part yourself, just head on over to her blog.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is now being hosted by Sheila at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books. If you want to let the world know what books you're going to be reading this week, head on over to her blog and leave your link.

So far, March hasn't been a stellar reading month for me. I only finished one book last week. Also didn't get any reviews posted, although I've got several started. All the rainy weather we've had recently, plus the time change, has slowed me down considerably; but I'm hoping to get back in the groove (or at least find the groove) this week.

• Finished last week:
  Contact by Carl Sagan. I've got a review of this one started, and hope to get it finished and posted soon.
  
  
• Reviews posted last week:
  None. As I said, I have several underway, and hope to get them all posted during the week.
  
  
• Reading this week:
  Mrs. Malory and Any Man's Death, by Hazel Holt (should finish this one later today).
  The Family Man, by Elinor Lipman.
  Continuing with The Library: An Illustrated History, by Stuart A.P. Murray.
  Also continuing with The Magnificent Ambersons, by Booth Tarkington. This is turning out to be quite a long-term project. But I really am enjoying it, and do intend to finish it up one of these days.
  
  
• Next up:
  A Fair Maiden, by Joyce Carol Oates. Found this at the library the other day and decided to take a look at it. It's recently published, though I hadn't heard anything about it. Haven't read that much JC Oates, but this one looks interesting (and short).
  

Booking Through Thursday: Illustrious

This week's BTT topic is about illustrations in books: "How do you feel about illustrations in your books? Graphs? Photos? Sketches?"

And it seems like we've answered this one before, but it's one of my favorite questions – always interesting to see all the differences of opinion.

Personally, I love having illustrations in my books. I'd like all books to be illustrated, fiction and non-. Photos, drawings, graphics of all kinds. I'm not proposing turning every book into a graphic novel, of course. But I think a few illustrations are a wonderful and welcome addition to almost any book. I'm thinking especially of the sort of illustrations in the novels of John Gardner, one of my favorite writers. He used to say that he liked including artwork in his books because it drew attention to the book as a work of art, and I like that. Guess I've just never gotten over my childhood love of picture books.

How about you? Yes, no? And why not?

A-Z Wednesday: "E"

A-Z Wednesday is hosted by Vicki at Reading At The Beach, and here are the guidelines:

To join, here's all you have to do:

Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with the letter of the week.
Post:

1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(Amazon, Barnes and Noble etc.)
4~ Return to the host's blog and leave your link in the comments.

************

This week's letter for A-Z Wednesday is "E." So I went to my shelves, and this is what I pulled out.

Edwin Mullhouse: The Life and Death of an American Writer 1943-1954 by Jeffrey Cartwright, by Steven Millhauser (1972)

1. Description from GoodReads:

Edwin Mullhouse, a novelist at 10, is mysteriously dead at 11. As a memorial, Edwin's best friend, Jeffrey Cartwright, decides that the life of this great American writer must be told. He follows Edwin's development from his pre-verbal first noises through his love for comic books to the fulfillment of his literary genius in the remarkable novel, Cartoons.

2. The book's page at LibraryThing here.

3. The cover from a recent reissue:


4. And the original cover, from my old 1972 edition:

This is one of the very few books for which I am a complete evangelist. The basic bones description above doesn't even hint at the extraordinary richness of Millhauser's novel. Everyone should read it.

Teaser Tuesdays: Brooklyn

Well, since I'm still reading the same books I was reading last week (I've been very lazy lately), my teaser lines for this week come from a book I haven't actually started yet – Colm Toibin's Brooklyn. The quote is from page 120; and I'm not exactly sure who all the characters are or how they relate to one another, but they're discussing a trip from Brooklyn to the Emerald City of Manhattan:

"Fifth Avenue is the most heavenly place," Patty said. "I'd give anything to live there. I'd love to marry a rich man with a mansion on Fifth Avenue."
"Or even a poor man," Diana said, "as long as he had a mansion."

Right. Well, with today's financial crisis, she probably wouldn't have much trouble finding a poor man with a mansion in Manhattan right now.


Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by mizb17 at Should Be Reading. If you'd like to read more teasers, or take part yourself, just head on over to her blog.

Booking Through Thursday: Grammar

This week's Booking Through Thursday topic is all about one of my favorite things:

". . . do you have any grammar books? Punctuation? Writing guidelines? Style books? More importantly, have you read them? How do you feel about grammar in general? Important? Vital? Unnecessary? Fussy?"

OK, I admit I'm a grammar geek. I can say without doubt or embarrassment that I think grammar is necessary – in fact, it's part of the glue that holds civilization together. I realize, of course, that there are times when breaking the rules of grammar is acceptable, even desirable. I do it myself (gasp!). And I think that's all right, so long as we recognize that there are rules.

Now about those books. I'm sure we've got the MLA Handbook, Strunk and White, and a copy of the Chicago Manual of Style around here somewhere. I've read them, or parts of them, in the past, but I haven't spent much time (well, I haven't spent any time) perusing them of late. I used to do a lot of editing work, and style books or sheets were often required reading. Not the most exciting reading matter, of course, but part of the job.

So, call me fussy – I won't mind a bit. Oh, and I'm absolutely thrilled to learn that today is National Grammar Day. In celebration, I'll try extra hard not to split any infinitives.

A-Z Wednesday: "D"

A-Z Wednesday is hosted by Vicki at Reading At The Beach, and here are the guidelines:

To join, here's all you have to do:

Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with the letter of the week.
Post:

1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(Amazon, Barnes and Noble etc.)
4~ Return to the host's blog and leave your link in the comments.

************

This week's letter for A-Z Wednesday is "D." So I went to my shelves, and this is what I pulled out.

The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody, by Will Cuppy (1950)

1. Description from GoodReads:

Ever wonder what Nero did before he began fiddling about in Rome, or wanted the bare facts about Lady Godiva? Maybe you've found the story of Lucrezia Borgia a bitter pill to swallow, or wanted the straight skinny on corpulent King Henry the Eighth, but you haven't the stomach for stuffy history books. Now these and twenty-two more of history's most famous personages are brought brilliantly to life, in this collection of unfailingly accurate yet undeniably hilarious biographies. You'll laugh while you learn about the very real people behind the legendary names, including why Montezuma was so vengeful, and why Catherine was so Great. You'll even finally lay to rest the rumor that Charlemagne was called "Chuck" by his friends.

2. See a little more about the book and the author (and read a few excerpts) here.

3. And a photo of the recent reissue:


Cuppy's wonderful humor is reason enough to read the book. But the original illustrations by William Steig are a very special added attraction.

Teaser Tuesdays: The Library

This week my teaser lines come from Stuart A.P. Murray's The Library: An Illustrated History. One of the books I picked up on my last visit to my own local public library, it's a very pretty book with lots of photos and illustrations, but one that's gotten mixed reviews from the critics (and many librarians). I'm enjoying it so far, but then I'm not a critic or a librarian.

This bit is from Chapter 4, and the subject is the libraries of "Europe's High Middle Ages":

Bibliophiles, such as Petrarch's acquaintance, English bishop Richard de Bury (1281-1345), gathered books (manuscripts) wherever and however they could. . . . As a high official of King Edward III, de Bury was showered with gifts and bribes from those who desired his favor and influence with the royal court. The best bribe, however, was a book. [p.69]

Yes, that usually works with me, too.


Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by mizb17 at Should Be Reading. If you'd like to read more teasers, or take part yourself, just head on over to her blog.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is now being hosted by Sheila at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books. If you want to let the world know what books you're going to be reading this week, head on over to her blog and leave your link.

Last week was a very slow week for me – in the area of reading, that is. I only finished one book, and didn't make much progress in any of the others I have going right now. Well, there was all that Olympics coverage to watch on the tube every evening – really cut into my reading time. Also, no reviews. But this is a brand new week, and month, and I'm going to try very hard to get myself back on track.

• Finished last week:
  People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. I'm working on a review of this one now, and hope to get it posted very soon.
  
  
• Reviews posted last week:
  Not a one.
  
  
• Reading this week (same as last week):
  Contact by Carl Sagan
  Mrs. Malory and Any Man's Death, by Hazel Holt
  Also continuing with The Magnificent Ambersons, by Booth Tarkington
  
  
• Next up:
  Think I'll probably be starting something for the Memorable Memoir Challenge I've signed up for. Most likely Margaret Drabble's The Pattern in the Carpet: A Personal History with Jigsaws. I was attracted to this one because of the connection with jigsaw puzzles, even though I've never really been able to read any of Drabble's fiction. But I've always been a jigsaw addict, so I'm giving this one a try.