Connie ’s Comments (group member since Nov 11, 2013)

Connie ’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

20.22 O 72 Set in Ohio

The Fields by Conrad Richter

Conrad Richter's "The Awakening Land" trilogy began with "The Trees" when the Luckett family hiked into Ohio's untouched thick forests to build a new home. Hunting was an important source of food, and the logs from the towering trees were used to build their cabin. After her mother died, and her father headed into the Western wilderness, the oldest daughter Sayward raised her younger siblings. Sayward Luckett married the lawyer Portius Wheeler as the first book ended at the dawn of the 19th Century.

Sayward and Portius have a large family in the second book, "The Fields." Land was cleared and farming became a way of life. Sayward was physically and emotionally strong as she provided for her family. While Portius can teach the children how to read, Sayward taught them how to survive and farm the land. More families moved to the area so a church and a schoolhouse were constructed. A general store, a grist mill, and a boat landing were also built near Sayward's cabin. Their home was now in a prime location near the center of a growing community.

One of the biggest challenges was the failure of crops when a cold summer was followed by a dry summer. Dangers were always present - a terrible burn, a life-threatening snake bite, and other injuries. Relationship problems were just as hurtful as the challenges presented by Mother Nature.

I admire Sayward, and have enjoyed seeing her mature during the first two books of the trilogy. I'm looking forward to final book of the trilogy which will take us to Sayward's later years, and further along the progression from forest to farms to towns.

+20 task
+ 5 oldie (pub 1946)
+ 5 review
+50 BINGO

Bingo:
B15 15.16
I16 15.19
N43 15.17
G49 15.18
O72 20.22

Task total: 80
Season total: 600

20.21 N42 New Release-Published in 2022

The Maid by Nita Prose

"The truth is, I often have trouble with social situations; it's as though everyone is playing an elaborate game with complex rules they all know, but I'm always playing for the first time."

Molly loves her job at the Regency Grand Hotel, and is a perfect maid with her love of cleaning and her old-fashioned, polite manner. Although it's not mentioned in the book, Molly acts like she might be somewhere on the autism spectrum. When her grandmother was alive, she helped Molly interpret social clues, but Molly feels adrift since her death.

Molly has been assigned to clean the suite of the wealthy Mr Black. When she walks in with her cleaning trolley, she finds it much more messy than usual and Mr Black is lying dead in the bed.

Molly gives such unusual answers to the detective's questions that she finds she is the chief suspect! Molly has been unaware of some suspicious activity in the hotel, and others are out to frame her for the murder. Thankfully, she has friends who want to help her find the real murderer.

Molly was a caring, likable character, and it was very effective to have the book narrated in her voice. Although Molly was different, she was talented and strong in her own way. Molly's testimony in court was unexpected, and the real killer was a surprise to me. Nita Prose was a wonderful writer in this debut novel so I hope she has another one in the works.

+20 task
+ 5 review

Task total: 25
Season total: 520

15.20 B5 Biography, Autobiography, or Memoir

The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir

It was a race against time to save the life of Dr Thomas Patterson whose body was invaded by a superbug resistant to antibiotics. When he and his wife, Dr Steffanie Strathdee, were vacationing in Egypt, Tom was struck with pancreatitis and one of the most dangerous bacteria in the world. Medevac teams took him first to Germany, then later to the hospital at the University of California San Diego.

Steff was both a loving, concerned wife and a top scientist - an infectious disease epidemiologist and professor at UCSD. Tom was a psychology professor at UCSD. As her husband's condition deteriorated, Steff researched alternative medical therapies. She and the team of doctors collaborated with phage researchers who worked day and night to create a phage cocktail specific for Tom's infection. A bacteriophage is a "virus that will eat bacteria by injecting their DNA into them and turning them into phage manufacturing plants." The bacteria die and the phage virus multiplies. Phage therapy has been used in Poland, Russia, and Georgia, mainly by the military, but not in the United States. A history of phage research was also included in the book.

The book was a warning against overuse of antibiotics. Emergence of superbugs is a global emergency. For years antibiotics have been used to promote growth in livestock. Although this practice has now been banned in the United States, important antibiotics are still being used in some other countries as a growth enhancer in animals.

I'm glad that Tom Patterson's name was on the cover of the book as a co-author so I knew he lived through this frightening ordeal. Tom's resilience, family love, the dedication of the hospital staff, and the collaboration between world-class scientists, the FDA, and the doctors all contributed to his recovery. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and "The Perfect Predator" was as riveting as a thriller.

+15 task
+ 5 review

Task total: 20
Season total: 495

15.19 I 16 Author name does not contain the letter "I"

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

"The Lost Apothecary" takes us back in time to dark secrets and magic in 1790s London. Nella, with her great knowledge of herbs and poisons, helps women who have been wronged by men. She feels for these other women because of her own experiences. Woman had little power or choices in that time so murder by undetectable poison was an option they might consider. Things were going smoothly in Nella's secret apothecary shop until twelve-year-old Eliza Tanning appeared on a mission from her employer. Not only were Nella and Eliza in peril, but also scores of women who had used Nella's services.

In a present day timeline, Caroline is visiting London in what was supposed to be a tenth anniversary celebration. She's come alone since she had just discovered her husband's infidelity. Caroline goes mudlarking along the banks of the Thames and finds an apothecary vial etched with a symbol. Using the resources of the British Library, she makes the historical connection to Nella's apothecary shop. Caroline had once wanted her life to go in a different direction, and this might be the time to follow her interest in historical research.

Both of the timelines were interesting, although the historical look into the 1790s was the more fascinating. While poisoning is obviously illegal and gruesome, there is an understanding why the damaged women feel like they are using their last option and take justice into their own hands. There are some mentions of magic, which could also be luck or fate smiling down on them. "The Lost Apothecary" is a page-turner that combines mystery with historical fiction.

+15 task
+ 5 review

Task total: 20
Season total: 475

15.18 G49 MPE Page Count 400-499 pages

That Distant Land: The Collected Stories by Wendell Berry

Wendell Berry transports us to Port William, Kentucky in twenty-three wonderful short stories. His fiction covers about a century - from 1888 to 1986 - in the rural farming town. The stories are about three generations of neighbors who work and socialize together. Some of them act as parent figures to those orphaned or mistreated. The older men and women teach the young how to be fairly self-sufficient on the farms.

As time passes, many of their children no longer want the hard farming life, and they head to the cities for jobs or college. But they are leaving a quirky group of neighbors who emotionally support each other, and provide the physical help harvesting the crops. Farming is becoming more mechanized, but it's expensive to purchase the new farm equipment.

It's Wendell Berry's thoughtful writing, laced with humor and wisdom, that makes this book special. "That Distant Land" contains stories that will make the readers smile, and others that will bring tears to their eyes.

+15 task (448 pages)
+ 5 review

Task total: 20
Season total: 455

15.17 N43 Title has three words

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

"Even in death the boys were trouble."

"The Nickel Boys" is inspired by the real Dozier School for Boys with its unmarked graveyards in Marianna, Florida. The segregated Dozier School does not deserve to be called a school since little schoolwork was done. It was the staff, not the boys, that committed the crimes at the reform school that was open from 1900-2011. The boys were whipped, sexually abused, put in solitary confinement, and even murdered. Some of their food and supplies, provided by the State of Florida, were sold to people in town with the money kicked back to the directors. The boys worked on a farm, made bricks, and did work out in the community to support the school with some of the funds pocketed by the directors. When anthropology students from the University of South Florida found a graveyard full of murdered youths, the truth about the Dozier School emerged. Parents had been told that their murdered sons had run away from the school or other lies. Author Colson Whitehead's fictional story, set in the 1960s, about the Nickel School is partly based on testimony by formerly incarcerated boys.

Elwood Curtis was an intelligent black adolescent in the Jim Crow South who admired the teachings of Martin Luther King. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he hitchhiked, and was picked up by a guy in a stolen car. Elwood was sent to Nickel, and was severely whipped within 24 hours for trying to break up a fight. Elwood, who believed in social change, was befriended by Turner whose philosophy was to always stay unnoticed, under the radar, to survive. All the boys were significantly traumatized by their time in Nickel.

"The boys could have been many things had they not been ruined by that place. . . . They had been denied even the simple pleasure of being ordinary. Hobbled and handicapped before the race even began, never figuring out how to be normal."

"The Nickel Boys" is an important book to read. While everyone was mistreated, the prejudiced staff treated the black residents even worse than the white boys. It was a difficult book to read in some parts since it's troubling to read about violence directed toward children. There needs to be real oversight of both juvenile reform schools and adult prisons. Author Colson Whitehead wrote an excellent novel with a surprise near the end of the book.

+15 task
+ 5 review

Task total: 20
Season total: 435

15.16 B15 Boxall's 1001 Books

The Light of Day by Graham Swift

It's the second anniversary of a horrific event, and George Webb has plans to put flowers on a grave. During the course of a November day we learn about the situation through George's interior monologue which goes back and forth through time. We know a basic account of events early in the novel, then become aware of the details and motivation as the story of a crime unfolds.

Sarah Nash hires private investigator George Webb to follow her husband and his mistress to the airport. Kristina is a Croatian refugee, helped by the Nash family, who is flying back to her homeland. Mrs Nash wants to be certain that Kristina boards the plane and the affair has ended.

The book delves into the emotional details of the past in short chapters. Some parts of the story are partly told with sentence fragments as George's mind flits from one thing to another. George becomes obsessed with Sarah who loves her husband who cannot imagine his life without Kristina.

"The Light of Day" is not a book for readers who love fast-paced, plot-driven mysteries. It is written for readers who enjoy characters with deep psychological pasts, and their interactions. It's fascinating to see how author Graham Swift takes many small moments in the characters' lives and slowly lets the reader visualize the big picture.

+15 task
+ 5 review

Task total: 20
Season total: 415

Good luck with the surgery, Coralie!

15.15 O68 Author name does not contain the letter O

Watch With Me by Wendell Berry

"Watch With Me" is a heartwarming book of six short stories and a title novella set in the villages of Goforth and Port William, Kentucky. The gentle giant, Ptolemy (Tol) Proudfoot, was a gregarious farmer who starts courting Miss Minnie, a petite schoolteacher, after bidding a princely sum for her cake at the Harvest Festival. The stories follow them through a strong marriage, saddened only because they never had children. Tol was a great storyteller with a hearty laugh and a love of his community. Although he was wonderful with horses, Tol had some troubles with his Model A coupe, and one story tells of how they got "near" the state fair, but somehow got hopelessly lost.

The novella tells about a neighbor, "Nightlife" Thacker Hample, who grabs a shotgun which was loaded to kill a snake going after a nest of eggs. Thinking that "Nightlife" might kill himself, Tol and his neighbors follow the mentally ill man through the woods all day and through the night. Although they are not sure if they can help him, there is such a strong sense of community that they don't hesitate to try.

"Watch With Me" is a delightful group of interconnected stories revolving around Tol Proudfoot. They are written with warmth and a gentle humor. As always, I loved my literary visit to author Wendell Berry's Port William.

BINGO #3:
10.8 - B3
15.13 - I30
15.14 - N41
15.12 - G50
15.15 - O68

+15 task
+ 5 oldie (pub 1994)
+ 5 review
+50 BINGO

Post total: 75
Season total: 395

15.14 N41 Title Includes a Number

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

Author Fiona Davis is known for her historical novels set in famous, beautiful buildings. The New York Public Library, with its stairways guarded by majestic sculpted lions, is the repository of a noted rare book collection available to scholars. Two timelines - in 1913 and 1993 - both involve the theft of valuable books.

In 1913, the Lyons family are living in an apartment within the library where Jack Lyons holds the position of superintendent. His wife, Laura, feels restless spending her days homemaking and caring for their two children. She starts a course at the Columbia Journalism School. Laura becomes involved with women's suffrage and other feminist causes with a bohemian group of friends in Greenwich Village. When valuable books are stolen at the library, her family falls under suspicion.

In 1993, Sadie Donovan has just been appointed head curator at the New York Public Library, and a collection of their priceless books and artifacts is scheduled to be exhibited soon. A number of valuable books disappear from the library, and each book was supposed to be part of the upcoming exhibit. A private investigator is hired to find the thief. As Sadie learns about her family heritage, information surfaces that helps in the investigation.

I enjoyed learning about the history and mission of the New York Public Library. The Fifth Avenue building is not a lending library, and only holds valuable books that researchers examine onsite. The dual timelines contained lots of information about early feminism, journalism, childhood trauma, and traditional vs modern lifestyles for women. The mystery of the stolen books kept me guessing. I enjoyed both timelines in this historical novel.

+15 task
+ 5 review

Task total: 20
Season total: 320

15.13 I30 Book pub'd in the 30s

Mystery in the Channel by Freeman Wills Crofts

"The little yacht, with its fine lines and finish, its white deck and gleaming brasswork, its fresh paint and brightly coloured club flag, looked what it so obviously was, a rich man's toy, a craft given over to pleasure. On such the tragic and the sordid were out of place. Yet now they reigned supreme. The space which should fittingly have resounded with the laughs of pretty women and the voices of immaculately clad men, was empty, empty save for that hunched figure and that sinister stain with its hideous suggestion."

Two dead men were found on a yacht adrift in the English Channel, and Scotland Yard's Inspector French was assigned to the case. The murdered men were partners in Moxon's General Securities. Rumors were circulating that the financial firm was unstable and about to crash.

Inspector French is a hardworking detective with an eye for details. He works methodically using railroad timetables, shipping patterns, speeds of various types of boats, and other maritime details. There are lots of red herrings as the Inspector investigates in both England and France.

This is a plot-driven 1931 Golden Age Mystery featuring meticulous investigation of a puzzle. There is not much character development of Inspector French or any of the other characters. French is not colorful or a genius, but he is a detective to respect. While "Mystery in the Channel" was a well-written book, I tend to prefer books with more character development.

+15 task (pub 1931)
+ 5 oldie
+ 5 review

Task total: 25
Season total: 300

15.12 G50 Author born in the 50s

The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson

Author Kim Michele Richardson returns to eastern Kentucky in her sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. Cussy Mary and Jackson Lovett have a sixteen-year-old adopted daughter, Honey. Both Cussy Mary and Honey have a genetic condition called methemoglobinemia which gives the skin a blue color. Kentucky has miscegenation laws in the 1950s which ban marrying outside your color. Cussy Mary and Jackson were facing arrest so Honey escaped into the Appalachian woods, heading off to stay with an elderly family friend.

Honey makes some new friends including Pearl who is working in a fire tower, and Bonnie who labors as a coal miner. Both of her friends are subjected to prejudice from rough men who think that the women are taking away a man's job.

Honey gets a job delivering books with her mule in the beautiful Appalachian hills as part of the Pack Horse Library Project. She rides to the isolated homes, sharing her love of books and the latest news with her clients. Honey is as friendly and caring as her mother was when she worked as a Pack Horse Librarian.

There is prejudice against the blue skinned people, and terrible laws that treat orphans like prisoners if they don't have a court-appointed guardian. Honey has friends that help her with the challenges of the court system.

Folklore, traditional foods, and certain expressions of speech give the book a strong sense of place. I enjoyed reading about Honey, a courageous young woman with an independent streak and a compassionate heart. While this book could be read as a standalone book, it would be better to start with the first book of the series.

+15 task (born in 1957)
+ 5 review

Task total: 20
Season total: 275

15.11 O 71 One: First book in a series

The Trees by Conrad Richter

In the late 18th Century, the Ludkett family traveled by foot from Pennsylvania into neighboring Ohio while carrying a few essential belongings. Ohio was almost completely forested with tall hardwoods, and only an occasional ray of light shone through the trees. Worth Luckett was a woodsman, a hunter, and a trapper who wanted to travel westward in search of plentiful wild game. Jary was sickly but tried to be supportive of her husband. Their five children made the best of things, led by their oldest daughter, Sayward. After settling in central Ohio, the Lucketts faced challenges and losses. Sayward had the inner strength and strong work ethic that kept the family together.

Author Conrad Richter wrote in the Foreward that he had access to a historical collection of rare books, manuscripts, and letters that helped him document the speech of the early pioneers of the Ohio Valley. It did not take long to get used to the unusual expressions from the context.

"The Trees" is an engaging, slim book that ends with new promising events changing Sayward's life. Fortunately, this book is part of "The Awakening Land" trilogy so I still have "The Fields" and "The Town" to enjoy reading this summer.

+15 task
+ 5 oldie (pub 1940)
+ 5 review

Bingo:
10.7 - B10
10.10 - I18
10.9 - N36
10.5 - G56
15.11 - O71

Task total: 25
Bingo: 50
Season total: 255

10.10 I18 Inspirational

Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now by Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou's collection of short essays is inspirational and full of wisdom. She writes from the view of an African American and a woman, but anyone could appreciate her thoughts. She's willing to share experiences from her journey through life to illustrate her ideas. Her writing has a timeless quality although the book was published in 1993.

The title is taken from the lyrics of an African American spiritual about life's journey. The chorus of the song is:

"Oh, I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now
Gotta make it to Heaven somehow
Though the devil tempts me and he tried to turn me around
He's offered everything that's got a name
All the wealth I want and worldly fame
If I could, still I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now"

+10 task
+ 5 oldie pub in 1993
+ 5 review

Task total: 20
Season total: 180

10.9 N36 Not a Novel

Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit

"In the spring of 1936, a writer planted roses."

Author Rebecca Solnit shows us how George Orwell loved nature and the environment. Orwell was a writer who also brought the natural world into his essays and novels. Even in the grim times of his book "Nineteen Eighty-Four," Winston Smith dreams of a beautiful landscape that he calls the Golden Country.

"Orwell's Roses" is a collection of 27 essays, some about Orwell's life or his writing, while others go off on tangents. For example, when Solnit writes about Orwell's ancestors, she also tells about the sugar plantations in Jamaica where enslaved Africans labored. When Solnit discusses roses, she tells about a trip to Colombia to visit the greenhouses that supply American florists, and the poor working conditions in the "rose factories." Tangents about the Spanish Civil War and the policies of Stalin accompany Solnit's discussions of Orwell's writing.

Solnit visited the cottage in Wallington where Orwell planted roses in 1936. He also planted a garden and fruit trees, raised a few animals, and enjoyed fishing. Plagued by lifelong respiratory problems, it was good for his health to get away from the coal smoke of London. He was also escaping the dangers of the blitz when he moved to the English village.

His last residence was on the remote Scottish island of Jura where he hoped the clean air would help in his fight against tuberculosis. Again, he had a large garden and loved to spend time outdoors fishing. Orwell requested that rose bushes mark his gravesite.

This was an exceptional collection of essays. While it helped to have such an interesting subject as Orwell, Solnit is a brilliant writer who finds unexpected connections in her essays.

+10 task
+ 5 review

Task total: 15
Season total: 160

10.8 B3 Booker Prize Nominee

The Master by Colm Tóibín

"The Master" is a psychological portrait of Henry James set in the late 19th Century with flashbacks to his earlier life. Henry James came from an intellectual American family that traveled widely through Europe during his formative years. James spent time in the great European cities of London, Paris, Venice, Rome, and Florence. He enjoyed socializing, and often based characters in his books on people he met. But he also needed private, quiet time to think and write, and he found that solitude when he bought the Lamb House in Rye along the English coast.

James was a person who kept some distance between himself and his close friends which included writer Constance Fenimore Woolson and sculptor Hendrik Andersen. James is portrayed as a man who repressed his sexuality.

His relationships with his family members were interesting. He had a difficult father, a protective mother, and a brilliant invalid sister. There was rivalry with his older brother, and a feeling of guilt from witnessing the bravery of his younger brothers who fought in the Civil War.

Author Colm Toibin shows Henry James as a complex, intelligent man who was a close observer of people, but very private about revealing his life to others. The book was an interesting look at James' midlife while ideas of his next novels were percolating in his mind. Toibin's writing is lovely, and dwells on the inner life of his subject.

+10 task
+ 5 review

Task total: 15
Season total: 145

10.7 B10 Author born in the 10s

The Mudfog Papers by Charles Dickens

"The Mudfog Papers" are a collection of early works by Charles Dickens published in the literary journal "Bentley's Miscellary" in 1937-1838. "Public Life of Mr Tulrumble" is a delightful, humorous work about a man who feels overly important when he becomes the mayor of a small town.

Two sketches about the meetings of the Mudfog Association for the Advancement of Everything poke fun at the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Dickens combines satire with silliness in the notes from the meetings.

Four short works complete the collection. The final work, "Familiar Epistle From a Parent to a Child Aged Two Years and Two Months," is Dickens' "goodbye message" to the readers of "Bentley's Miscellany" as he resigned his position as its editor.

"The Mudfog Papers" give us a look at the work of Dickens as a young writer. Some of his early themes are expanded more in his novels. The collection is a mixed bag with the "Public Life of Mr Tulrumble" as my favorite.

+10 task (born 1812)
+ 5 oldie (1837)
+ 5 review

Task total: 20
Season total: 130

10.6 N-44 Author has 2 sets of double letters in name.

The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

I needed the name of a place to go, someplace far away, where women had babies and left them behind, like pieces of furniture too heavy to move. . . I was going to Saint Elizabeth's."

Rose Clinton was unhappy with her life. The thing she really loved was to drive, and she dreamed of escape from a marriage to a nice guy who she did not love. When she found she was pregnant, Rose went to Saint Elizabeth's with the intention of giving up her baby, but fate intervened.

"The Patron Saint of Liars" is told from several characters' points of view, including Rose, Son (the handyman at Saint Elizabeth's), and Rose's daughter. Sister Evangeline had a special gift where she could foresee the futures of the pregnant girls that came into her kitchen. Saint Elizabeth's Home is sheltering girls who have secrets, and Rose shares a small part of her past with Sister Evangeline. Rose is beautiful and mysterious, and tends to ignore the feelings of others. Are the characters being directed by messages or signs from God? We wonder what the future will bring for Rose and several other characters as the book ends.

I enjoyed Ann Patchett's writing with its religious symbolism and complicated characters. However, the ending was so abrupt that it left me wanting more of the loose ends tied up.

+10 task
+ 5 oldie (pub 1992)
+ 5 review
+50 first Bingo

First Bingo:
10.4 B9
10.2 I21
10.6 N44
10.1 G52
10.3 O75

Task total: 70
Season total: 160

10.5 G56 Humor

Walking Across Egypt by Clyde Edgerton

Mattie Rigsbee thinks she might be slowing down a bit at age 78, and has no time for a stray dog that shows up at her back door. A call to the dogcatcher starts a series of events that get more and more humorous. The dogcatcher has a 16-year-old nephew, Wesley, who is in juvenile rehabilitation, and Mattie brings him some of her home cooking. Wesley escapes and heads to Mattie's house for more of her pound cake. Mattie lives by the Gospel passage about doing good unto "the least of these my brethren" and takes Wesley under her wing for a few days. Concerned family members, the sheriff, inquisitive neighbors, and hypocritical church members add to the commotion. Soon, Mattie will have more than a stray dog to worry about. The book has all the vibes of a small North Carolina country town. I would love to stop by Mattie's kitchen for a slice of her apple pie and a few laughs.

+10 task
+ 5 oldie (pub 1987)
+ 5 review

Task total: 20
Season total: 90

10.4 B9 MPE Page Count of 100-199 pages

Three Tales by Gustave Flaubert

"Three Tales" is a collection of stories about characters exhibiting the saintly behavior of a strong faith and good works. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

"A Simple Heart" is a novella about Félicité, a 19th Century uneducated servant who lived a life of piety, service, and loss. Félicité took joy in simple pleasures and was known for her kindness. She was also devoted to her parrot, Loulou. As she aged her hearing and sight diminished, and she believed she had a vision of the Holy Spirit. Félicité had a loving heart and a strong religious faith.

"The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitaller" was inspired by the stained-glass windows in the cathedral in Flaubert's hometown of Rouen. Flaubert changed the fable of Saint Julian to create his own story which also has roots in the Oedipus myth. Set in the Middle Ages, Julian is a young man with bloodlust who loves to hunt. The violent man is cursed with a prophecy that he will murder his parents, but he moves far away from them to prevent it from happening. However, his parents search for him and the the prophecy becomes reality. Julian devotes himself to a life of penance at a ferry crossing. He is redeemed by his selfless kindness to a leper.

The third story is "Herodias" about the decapitation of John the Baptist on the evening of the birthday celebration of Herod Antipas. His wife, Herodias, uses her daughter Salome in her quest to kill John the Baptist. Flaubert writes excellent psychological descriptions of Herod Antipas and Herodias. The tale contains much pageantry, and seductive dancing by Salome leading up to the tragedy. While it was an interesting tale, there are too many historical and Biblical characters mentioned for a story of this length.

+10 task (144 pages)
+ 5 review
+ 5 oldie (pub 1877)

Task total: 20
Season total: 70