A bit too acerbic to be PG Wodehouse but all the more reason to find its own niche. Sharp and at times laugh out loud funny. The kind of book that getA bit too acerbic to be PG Wodehouse but all the more reason to find its own niche. Sharp and at times laugh out loud funny. The kind of book that gets funnier with rereading. Lucky Jim indeed. I really thought his speech would be a slam dunk but it’s all good in the end. ...more
Reread in audio. A book I wish I could hug. Visiting these old friends is always a joy and as an adult I love the wilder chapters where Grahame capturReread in audio. A book I wish I could hug. Visiting these old friends is always a joy and as an adult I love the wilder chapters where Grahame captures the essence of animal instinct. I do love these four creatures. ...more
John Lithgow is my poetry kindred spirit. I loved his selections for this book but what I loved most is the way he talked about each poem. Not once doJohn Lithgow is my poetry kindred spirit. I loved his selections for this book but what I loved most is the way he talked about each poem. Not once does he slip from synthesis to analysis. He fosters love and I love him for it.
I highly recommend the audio. His folksy charm is infectious and do not think any of the famous readers reads the poems better than he does.
Thanks to my friend and Patron Alanna for the head's up about this book!...more
Loved this book even more the second time around and can see that the depth will require a third more careful reading if I can fit it in in the time ILoved this book even more the second time around and can see that the depth will require a third more careful reading if I can fit it in in the time I have left ;)
What makes this a 5-star book? The same thing that makes Shakespeare great. Eliot captures us, our motivations and our little deceptions, but she does it very softly and with only a tinge of irony that never veers into bitterness. That in itself is a special gift. ...more
This review is for the audiobook. My son introduced me this recording; he listens to it on autoplay. Julian Rh#theliterarylifepodcast #20for2020reads
This review is for the audiobook. My son introduced me this recording; he listens to it on autoplay. Julian Rhind-Tutt is one of the best narrators I have heard and this book is a perfect place for his talents with so many personalities and characters taking the stage.
This felt quite a bit different from the usual Agatha Christie, in fact, it felt a little bit like read another favorite author, John Buchan. This is This felt quite a bit different from the usual Agatha Christie, in fact, it felt a little bit like read another favorite author, John Buchan. This is a page turner from start to finish!
Nicholas Blake was the pen name of Cecil Day-Lewis, father the actor Daniel. Blake contributed to the era of the classic mur#20for2020 Classic Mystery
Nicholas Blake was the pen name of Cecil Day-Lewis, father the actor Daniel. Blake contributed to the era of the classic murder mysteries with his amatuer dectective Nigel Strangeways.
This first Nigel book is quite entertaining. I did not guess the murderer although I thought I had. Ithad all my favorite murder mystery tropes with a generous sprinkling of Shakespearean quotes. I will say the ending was a tiny bit disappointing with its stereotypical view of the Puritans. Nevertheless, onward and upward with Nigel Strangeways. ...more
Rose Macaulay was recommended to me as a great minor author by Mr. Thomas Banks of The Literary Life Podcast. Though fiction this book could also be cRose Macaulay was recommended to me as a great minor author by Mr. Thomas Banks of The Literary Life Podcast. Though fiction this book could also be called a travel logue and a quite enjoyable one at that. It is also deeply satirical and one of those books which would grow funnier with understanding. A bit Babylon Bee when it comes to the CofE but lovingly so. At times, it is positively Wodehousian although it ends with more pathos. #202for20 Satire or minor author...more
This is one of my favorite read-alouds. This time I picked it as the first book to read aloud to my granddaughters in our Social Distancing Morning TiThis is one of my favorite read-alouds. This time I picked it as the first book to read aloud to my granddaughters in our Social Distancing Morning Time. They both loved it and we read the last 4 chapters in one sitting because we couldn't help it. Even though I have read this book many times, I still got very teary in parts. Also I found it quite interesting that I related so much to the old grandmother this time. What a perfect book for such a time as this.
If you ever wonder how a book can have a moral without moralizing, try Treasures of the Snow....more
This was a nice daily read. Maybe it was my own restless mood in the middle of the quarantine but I did not like this as much as other Lewis books, buThis was a nice daily read. Maybe it was my own restless mood in the middle of the quarantine but I did not like this as much as other Lewis books, but it does bring me closer to my goal of reading all of his books....more
Earlier this year I read Diana Pavlac Glyer's Bandersnatch and absolutely adored it. That reading led me to this earlier, more scholarly look at The IEarlier this year I read Diana Pavlac Glyer's Bandersnatch and absolutely adored it. That reading led me to this earlier, more scholarly look at The Inklings and their influence over each other. The Company They Keep is simply full of tiny tidbits of delightful information about The Inklings. It is dense and scholarly but don't skip the notes if you do read it. I think I may have underlined as many of them as I did the regular text. I used Chapter 8 as a basis for my recent talk on creativity and collaboration. It has also provided more fodder for my continuing quest to find out just where CS Lewis and his friends did walk. In addition, it is also a great 'writers' book. It gives you a peak into the lives of all The Inklings and their habits of writing.
Karen Glass mentioned she was enjoying this and so I grabbed it. It remind me a little of Cider with Rosie only I think I liked this even better. It iKaren Glass mentioned she was enjoying this and so I grabbed it. It remind me a little of Cider with Rosie only I think I liked this even better. It is a memoir of the 1870’s. What a jolly, happy family. The warmth and love shine through every page.
One of the most surprising things I read was that there were no public restaurants in London at that time.
Warning: towards the end the “N” word is used. It was incredibly uncomfortable to read but on the other hand, I think it is historically important for it to remain for two reasons. One, it helps us see the attitude of the times. Two, of we whitewash it then we erase the oppression felt by the oppressed peoples. We need to understand both.
This was a nice daily read. Maybe it was my own restless mood in the middle of the quarantine but I did not like this as much as other Lewis books, buThis was a nice daily read. Maybe it was my own restless mood in the middle of the quarantine but I did not like this as much as other Lewis books, but it does bring me closer to my goal of reading all of his books....more
This is one of those books where nothing happens and everything happens. The prose is simply perfect. The picture #20for2020reads Biography or Memoir.
This is one of those books where nothing happens and everything happens. The prose is simply perfect. The picture of life in an English village before and after WWI is also perfect. Laurie leaves nothing out even some very distrubing things, but I think those things, too, add to our understanding of those times and maybe ours also. This is a slow read, not a page turner, but a great investment of time if you like visiting other times and other places....more
My friend Kim Huitt sent me one of these blessings and I loved it so much I immediately bought this book which turned out to be perfect Lenten readingMy friend Kim Huitt sent me one of these blessings and I loved it so much I immediately bought this book which turned out to be perfect Lenten reading. Here is one of my favorite blessings from the book:
FOR LONGING Blessed be the longing that brought you here And quickens your soul with wonder. May you have the courage to listen to the voice of desire That disturbs you when you have settled for something safe. May you have the wisdom to enter generously into your own unease To discover the new direction your longing wants you to take. May the forms of your belonging—in love, creativity, and friendship— Be equal to the grandeur and the call of your soul. May the one you long for long for you. May your dreams gradually reveal the destination of your desire. May a secret Providence guide your thought and nurture your feeling. May your mind inhabit your life with the sureness with which your body inhabits the world. May your heart never be haunted by ghoststructures of old damage. May you come to accept your longing as divine urgency. May you know the urgency with which God longs for you.
And the one my friend sent me is equally beautiful.
Beannacht
On the day when The weight deadens On your shoulders And you stumble, May the clay dance To balance you.
And when your eyes Freeze behind The grey window And the ghost of loss Gets in to you, May a flock of colours, Indigo, red, green, And azure blue, Come to awaken in you A meadow of delight.
When the canvas frays In the currach of thought And a stain of ocean Blackens beneath you, May there come across the waters A path of yellow moonlight To bring you safely home.
May the nourishment of the earth be yours, May the clarity of light be yours, May the fluency of the ocean be yours, May the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow Wind work these words Of love around you, An invisible cloak To mind your life....more
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