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FA 22 Completed Tasks
20.9 ABCsThe Stone Circle by Elly Griffiths
Many elements from past books come together in this eleventh in the Ruth Galloway series. Leif Andersen, the son of Eric from book one, comes looking for Ruth, and she's not sure why. She has to choose between continuing with her current job, house on the Saltmarsh, and uneasy relationship with DCI Nelson, or taking a step into an unknown future elsewhere.
All of this is very well done, but on the mystery side, I thought it fell short and repeated too much from other books. We have not one but two more missing children, and (view spoiler)
So I did enjoy this, but the mysteries are taking more of a back seat as the series goes on.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+ 5 Combo (10.4)
Post total: 35
Season total: 2365
20.8 Soups On! Cyrus had found he could not just wait in camp with
his bowl of soup and some stale bread
The Falcon of Sparta by Conn Iggulden
Another great book from one of new favorites, Conn Iggulden.
This is a HF retelling of Xenophon's (student of Socrates) "The Persian Expedition". Taking place in 401 BC, it is the story of 2 Persian brothers who clash over the throne. Iggulden is a master of pacing and kept me intrigued through out. Xeniophon was along on the march with the army of of the Prince Cyrus. When Cyrus and all the Generals fell to the Persian King (that is not a spoiler-lol), Xenophon took over the army and lead them through the Persian desert and mountains, known as The March of 10,000. Once again, this is something I vaguely remember from my studies in my youth😣. Shout out to all you youngsters, Stay safe and get old so you read all the sh$& you skimmed over in classes.
Another great book by an author who is becoming one of my go-to reads.
The author's notes are also well worth the effort to read. He does a lot of explaining and notates things he changed for the sake of space and story.
Recommended for HF and History fan
+20 task
+10 Reveiw
+10 Comb (10.3, 20.9)
Task Total 40
Season Total 1315
20.2 KingThe Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
"She was snarling like a cougar. I liked her like that."
"Stealing a man's wife, that's nothing, but stealing his car, that's larceny."
"The Postman Always Rings Twice" is a classic crime novel narrated by a 24-year-old drifter, Frank, who takes a job at a diner/gas station. It was not the job that attracted him, but the owner's wife, Cora, a femme fatale. Lust and greed motivate Frank and Cora to make a series of bad, violent choices.
Fate is a theme that runs through the book. Cats are often symbols of fate, and bring both good and bad luck to the duo. Even the title, "The Postman Always Rings Twice," suggests that Frank cannot escape fate. Missing "the first ring," he goes unpunished for a serious crime, but fate catches up to him later.
This is a fast-paced, short novel with well-written, edgy dialogue. Even though it was published in 1934, the book holds up to the test of time.
+20 task
+10 combo 10.2 Octoberfest (American); 10.3 9, 10, 11
+10 review
+10 oldie (1934)
Task total: 50
Season total: 975
20.5 FaulknerThe Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper on list
+20 pts - Task
+25 pts - Combo(10.2-US, 10.3, 10.4 - Leatherstocking Tales, 10.7, 20.4- setting is in New York start during French & Indian War 1754-1763)
+15 pts - Oldies (1841)
+ 5 pts - Jumbo (576 pages)
Task Total - 65 pts
20.9 ABCs Le travail m’a tué by Hubert Prolongeau, Grégory Mardon, Arnaud Delalande
All authors have alphabetical order names
+20 Task
No style, graphic novel
Task total = 20
Points total = 570
10.1 ; ... ; 10.3 ; 10.4 ; 10.5 ; 10.6 ; ... ; ... ; 10.9 ; ...
15.1 ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ...
20.1 (x3) ; 20.2 (x2) ; 20.3 ; 20.4 ; ... ; ... ; 20.7 ; 20.8 (x2) ; 20.9 (x4) ; 20.10 (x3)
20.10 BirthdayFly Girl: A Memoir by Ann Hood
Back in 2014, I was at a book festival where I heard Ann Hood speak about her most recently published novel. She happened to drop a tidbit about her early writing life: as a flight attendant, she'd be on the ground in the back galley with piles of notecards plotting out her first novel. I loved that story and so much wanted to read a whole book about her experience as a TWA flight attendant. Recently perusing my library's audiobook catalog, I saw that she'd come out with just the thing so I immediately downloaded and devoured it. It was as delightful as I'd hoped.
We get tidbits about the birth of commercial aviation, insights into what it took to be a flight attendant in the '70s (the requirements haven't changed much, except for the weigh ins which disappeared in the '90s thanks to a years of legal battle), and one very personal story of a girl from small town Rhode Island and her ticket to the world.
I related to this on so many levels and especially enjoyed when she'd talk about JFK Terminal 5: the iconic Saarinen TWA terminal...every day that I'm at work, I walk through that terminal and enjoy the feeling of walking through time. Now I'll be thinking of a very specific time and the experiences of a very specific flight attendant.
Enjoyed this a great deal.
+20 Task, pub. 2022
+10 Review
+15 Combo: 10.2 (born in RI, USA); 10.7 ("Adventure" is on MPG on my phone and ipad since they still use the old format, though with the new *horrible* format on my computer browser you have to hit "...more" to get to that listing, but it's in the top 10 which are historically listed as MPG); 20.9
Task total: 45
Season total: 1560
20.8 Soup's OnLetters from Skyeby Jessica Brockmole
"Someone handed her a bowl of soup." p50
Task +20
Combo +10 Octoberfest , 10.3 9,10,11
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 445
20.2 KingCasino Royale by Ian Fleming
I'm probably one of the few people in the world - yes, the entire world! - who has never seen a James Bond movie. OK, so a few scenes have passed before my eyes on TV, but that's it. What little I knew about James Bond from those few scenes is that his ego had no bounds and that he thought he was God's Gift to Women.
This book proved the ego bit and barely dispelled the women part. This was Fleming's debut and I was surprised - and pleased - to find it essentially polished. I felt Fleming had spent enough time thinking about his character to be fully ready to put pen to paper. This edition had a brief biography at the end and it is clear why this was so. Fleming worked for British Intelligence during WWII and he was also a journalist and drew from these two careers in his writing.
I do like thrillers. I think James Bond just doesn't do it for me, though. I'm happy to have read this, but I'm unlikely to read others in the series. This is a solid 3-stars in any case.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+15 Combo (10.3, 10.4, 20.5)
+ 5 Oldies (1953)
Task total = 45
Season total = 1140
EDIT: Another combo - 20.5 - and all my totals from here will be off by 5)
10.4 Series La Présidente by François Durpaire
+10 Task
No style points, graphic novel
Task total = 10
Points total = 580
10.1 ; ... ; 10.3 ; 10.4 (x2) ; 10.5 ; 10.6 ; ... ; ... ; 10.9 ; ...
15.1 ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ...
20.1 (x3) ; 20.2 (x2) ; 20.3 ; 20.4 ; ... ; ... ; 20.7 ; 20.8 (x2) ; 20.9 (x4) ; 20.10 (x3)
15.10 EotPThe Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak
+15 Task - 2011 International Dublin Literary Award
+100 EotP finish
+50 for all prizes within 10 years: 2003-2011
+200 Mega finish
Post Total: 365
Season Total: 2730
Rosemary wrote: "+100 EotP finish
+200 Mega finish"
Congratulations! Well done!
20.6 ColeridgeSnow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson #36 on list
+20 pts - Task
+25 pts - combo (10.2- USA, 20.1 - Japanese, 20.8 - after court on snowy day, lawyers talking about going home to eat warm soup, 20.9, 20.10 - 1994)
+5 pts - oldies -1994
Task Total - 50 pts
Task 20.10 Birthday (Elizabeth (Alaska's) TaskRead any book whose original publication year is 2 consecutive digits.
Published in 2008.
Poisoned Tarts (A Savannah Reid Mystery #13) (2008) by G.A. McKevett
+20 Task
+10 Combo (#10.2 born USA: #10.4 Series)
Task Total: 20 + 10 = 30
Grand Total: 580 + 30 = 610
20.7 CervantesRead any book whose MPG is Spanish Literature or Spain.
All This I Will Give to You by Dolores Redondo
MPG = Spain
+ 20 Task
+ 5 Combo (20.9 DR)
Task Total: 25
Season Total: 65
20.5 Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals by Immanuel Kant https://www.stamp-store.com/catalog/c...+20 pts -Task
+20 pts - Combo(10.2-Prussia, 10.3, 20.4, 20.9)
+15 Oldies (1797)
+10 LiT
Task Total -60 pts
15.10 EotP ReduxThe Shipping News by Annie Proulx
National Book Award for Fiction 1993
+15 task
+5 published before 1997 (first published 1993)
+50 all awards within 10 year period (1993-2002)
+100 completion bonus
Post Total = 170
Season Total = 1235
20.1 JemisinConcerning My Daughter by Kim Hye-Jin
+20 task
+10 combo (10.3; 20.2)
Post Total = 30
Season Total = 1265
20.3 VonnegutThe Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
+20 task
+5 oldies (first published 1990)
+10 combo (10.2; 20.10)
+200 Mega Finish
Post Total = 235
Season Total = 1500
10.10 - Group ReadThe Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre
Task: 10
Combo : 5 (20.9)
Post: 15
Season total: 275
15.3 - EoTPHugo Award winner
Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
Task: 15
Published in 1991 - 5
Post total: 20
Season total: 295
15.4 - EoTPNero Award - 1996
A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King
Task: 15
Pre - 1997 : 5
Post total: 20
Season total : 315
20.9 ABCs (Kate S's Task)The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo
This novel was a very well-written and clever locked-room mystery. The setting in Japan also made for some interesting quirks in the plot. In the beginning, I advise you to read while next to your computer so you can pull up some images of features in Japanese homes that are mentioned... but an Western reader would probably not be familiar with. A bride and groom are murdered in their locked home on their wedding night. Many people in the family have possible motives...but there are few clues...but then the misfit detective Kosuke Kaidichi arrives with his powers of deductive reasoning to help us see the truth. My complaint with many mysteries is that they are particularly and unnecessarily convoluted. Here, the mystery is very involved as well...but, I never felt lost...and never had an eye-rolling moment. Very few of the many volumes in this series are translated into English. I hope someone gets to the others soon because I intend to read them. 4 stars
Task=20
Combo=10 (10.4, 201- all the characters are Asian)
Review=10
LiT=10
Oldie=10 (1946)
Post Total=60
Grand Total=715
10.1; ---;10.3; 10.4 (2x); 10.5; ---; ---; ---; 10.9 ---;
15.1; 15.2; 15.3; 15.4;15.5; ----; ----; ----; ----; ----;
20.1;20.2; ----;20.4; ----;20.6;20.7; 20.8;20.9; 20.10
20.1 JemisinA Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
This is an important story, but I thought it was not well told. As I tried to figure out why, it occurred to me that perhaps Beah needed to hold himself apart, that allowing himself to get too close to his time as a child soldier will always be painful.
One of the things I learned is that the culture of Sierra Leone is one of a story-tellers. In the book there was the occasional scene of one of the well-known stories, sometimes told with a new twist or added embellisment. Having just finished I Heard the Owl Call My Name, I was interested in hearing similar stories (but not exactly the same!) from half a world away.
"We must strive to be like the moon." An old man in Kabati repeated this sentence often to people who walked past his house on their way to the river to fetch water, to hunt, to tap palm wine; and to their farms. I remember asking my grandmother what the old man meant. She explained that the adage served to remind people to always be on their best behavior and to be good to others. She said that people complain when there is too much sun and it gets uunbearably hot, and also when it rains too much or when it is cold. But, she said, no one grumbles when the moon shines. Everyone becomes happy and appreciates the moon in their own special way. Children watch their shadows and play in its light, people gather at the square to tell stories and dance through the night. A lot of happy things happen when the moon shines. These are some of the reasons why we should want to be like the moon.Soon after this passage, Beah begins to tell about civil war. People were definitely not striving to be like the moon. In standing somewhat apart from his experiences, I think Beah did try to convey the horrors of war without being more graphic than that telling requires. But make no mistake: some of this is quite graphic.
The ending - and we know what that is before the book begins - is quite poignant. It is also the best told. I see the average Goodreads rating is well over 4-stars. As much as I'm glad to have read this, I cannot go in that territory. I think this is a very good 3-stars only.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+20 Combo (10.3, 20.3, 20.8 - "Later he returned with fried-fish soup, rice, and a bucket of water.", 20.10 - 2007)
Task total = 50
Halfway Bonus (20 pointers) = 50 points
Season total = 1240
20.3 VonnegutUnder Fire by Henri Barbusse
This is an account of a French soldier involved in WWI's trench warfare in 1915. I could only read a chapter at a time. Conditions were horrible. The narrator relates every gritty detail (as he should)...but it so difficult to read. It seems so hopeless. Yet, some of the survivors somehow hope for better days. Things just have to get better from now on right? Well, as I said, this was 1915. The war still had a few more years to go. The novel is on Boxall's 1001 list...and I gather was controversial...not because of it's realism per se...but because of the real language that the soldiers use throughout.
Task=20
Review=10
LiT=10
Oldie=10 (1916)
Post Total=40
Grand Total=755
10.1; ---;10.3; 10.4 (2x); 10.5; ---; ---; ---; 10.9 ---;
15.1; 15.2; 15.3; 15.4;15.5; ----; ----; ----; ----; ----;
20.1;20.2;20.3;20.4; ----;20.6;20.7; 20.8;20.9; 20.10
20.10 BirthdayHow It Went: Thirteen Late Stories of the Port William Membership by Wendell Berry
Wendell Berry takes us back to Port William, Kentucky, with thirteen new short stories. The farming community has undergone many changes over the years with industrialization bringing problems as well as conveniences. Most of the stories are told from the perspective of Andy Catlett as a child, an adult, and as an aging man.
The stories have a sense of community, a love of family, and an appreciation of the land, but also a regret that the simpler rural way of life is now passing us by. There is humor in many of the stories, but there is a slightly different tone compared to Berry's earlier works. Author Wendell Berry has aged along with his character, Andy Catlett, and they are both idealizing the early 20th Century and feeling some trepidation of what the future will bring. Other important themes that run through the book are taking pride in doing a job well, and being aware of others that may need help due to age, injuries, or financial reasons.
A new reader of Wendell Berry's fictional books should start with his earlier novels and short stories since this book is a nostalgic look back. A visit to Port William is always a special experience.
+20 task
+ 5 combo 10.2 Octoberfest (American)
+10 review
Task total: 35
Season total: 1010
20.4 CervantesWhere the Air Is Clear by Carlos Fuentes
+20 pts - task
+20 pts - Combo (10.2-Mexico, 20.1, 20.2, 20.8 - Consomme, 20.9)
+ 5 pts - Oldies (1958)
+10 pts - LiT
Task Total 55 pts
20.1 JemisinThe Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano
+20 pts - Task
+10 pts - Combo (20.4, 20.5 http://img.bfdc.co.uk/fdc/20/w720/200... )
+15 pts - Oldies (1789)
Task Total - 45 pts
20.5 FaulknerPéplum by Amélie Nothomb
+20Task
+10 Combo (20.9 ; 20.10 - 1996)
+5 Oldies (1996)
Task total = 35
Points total = 615
10.1 ; ... ; 10.3 ; 10.4 (x2) ; 10.5 ; 10.6 ; ... ; ... ; 10.9 ; ...
15.1 ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ...
20.1 (x3) ; 20.2 (x2) ; 20.3 ; 20.4 ; 20.5 ; ... ; 20.7 ; 20.8 (x2) ; 20.9 (x4) ; 20.10 (x3)
20.9 ABCs Cassandra Darke by Posy Simmonds
+20 Task
No style, graphic novel
Task total = 20
Points total = 635
10.1 ; ... ; 10.3 ; 10.4 (x2) ; 10.5 ; 10.6 ; ... ; ... ; 10.9 ; ...
15.1 ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ... ; ...
20.1 (x3) ; 20.2 (x2) ; 20.3 ; 20.4 ; 20.5 ; ... ; 20.7 ; 20.8 (x2) ; 20.9 (x5) ; 20.10 (x3)
20.7 CervantesGypsy Ballads by Federico García Lorca
+20 Task
+10 LiT
+10 Oldies, pub. 1928
+10 Combo: 20.5 (on pre-approved list), 20.9
Task total: 50
Season total: 1610
15.7 EotPTrust Exercise by Susan Choi
2019 National Book Award
+15 Task
Task total: 15
Grand total: 1280
15.9 EotP2012 Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel.
Edge by Kōji Suzuki
+ 15 2012 Shirley Jackson Award
Points This Post: 15
Season Total: 140
Roster:
2008 James Tiptree Jr. Award Filter House by Nisi Shawl
2009 CWA Historical Dagger Award If The Dead Rise Not by Philip Kerr
2010 Cartier Diamond Award The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid
2011 Jerusalem Prize Black Dogs by Ian McEwan
2012 Shirley Jackson Award Edge by Kōji Suzuki
2013 OCBN Prize for Caribbean Literature. Archipelago by Monique Roffey
2014 Scotiabank Award Us Conductors by Sean Michaels
2015 Bram Stoker Award A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
2016
2017 Nebula Award for Novella All Systems Red by Martha Wells
15.9 EotP2016 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction.
Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic
+ 15 2016 Ned Kelly Award for First Fiction
Roster:
2008 James Tiptree Jr. Award Filter House by Nisi Shawl
2009 CWA Historical Dagger Award If The Dead Rise Not by Philip Kerr
2010 Cartier Diamond Award The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid
2011 Jerusalem Prize Black Dogs by Ian McEwan
2012 Shirley Jackson Award Edge by Kōji Suzuki
2013 OCBN Prize for Caribbean Literature. Archipelago by Monique Roffey
2014 Scotiabank Award Us Conductors by Sean Michaels
2015 Bram Stoker Award A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
2016 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction. Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic
2017 Nebula Award for Novella All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Points This Post: 15
BONUS: +50 points: All awards are within a 10-year period of your choice
BONUS: +100 points: Completing 10 Awards for EoTP Redux
Season Total: 305
20.10 - BirthdayDead Sleep by Greg Iles
+20 task - 2002
+20 Combo - 10.2 - Germany, 10.3, 10.9 - New Orleans, 20.9
+5 missed combo post 638
Task total: 45
Grand total: 965
20.9 - A,B, C'sLast Place You Look by Louisa Scarr
+20 task
+5 Combo - 10.4
Task total: 25
Grand total: 990
10.9 - NFLThe Dark Hours by Michael Connelly
+10 task - Los Angeles
+10 Combo - 10.2 - USA, 10.4
Task total: 20
Grand total: 1010
20.10 BirthdayThe Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
The age of binge-watching entire series of a show in the space of a week has officially ruined me. I currently feel like Veruca Salt in her infamous "I want it now!" scene and it's not cute.
This third installment of the Thursday Murder Club series was so good, so unexpected in the way it wrapped up, so cleverly crafted...and now I'm just left with empty hands, (not-so-)patiently waiting for the next adventure.
I was already in love with our main cast of characters (already have them cast in my head for the film version), but I think we may have collected a couple more mainstays and I am definitely alright with it (the "Viking" and the former KGB bigwig have personality to spare and I hope they don't just disappear from the series). I think my favorite aspect of these stories is that even when there's a "bad guy," they act in a very understandable/human/not-character-y way and they are rather quite reasonable and--dare I say--delightful.
+20 Task, pub. 2022
+10 Review
+5 Combo: 10.4
Task total: 35
Season total: 1645
10.10 Group ReadsWest with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
+10 Task
+15 Combo: 10.7 Geocaching / 20.8 Soup's On! (Making soup with tumbleweeds) / 20.9 ABCs (Kate S's Task)
Task Total: 25
10 Point Finish: 50
Season Total: 800
20.1 JemisinZia Summer by Rudolfo Anaya
+20 Task
+15 Combo: 10.2 Octoberfest / 10.4 Series / 20.10 Birthday (1995)
+. 5 Oldies (1995)
Task Total: 40
Season Total: 840
20.8 Soup's On! (Owlette's Task)The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
+20 Task: Vegetable Stew
+15 Combo: 10.10 Group Reads / 20.9 ABCs (Kate S's Task) / 20.10 Birthday (2008)
+. 5 Jumbo
+10 Lost in Translation
Task Total: 50
Season Total: 890
20.10 Birthday (Elizabeth (Alaska's) TaskTakes place in Andorra
Death Has a Thousand Doors by Patricia W. Grey
+20 Task:
+10 Combo: 20.2 King (https://www.patriciawgrey.com/biograp...) This led to her first novel Death Has a Thousand Doors, a finalist in the 2010 Proverse competition out of Hong Kong – the book was published by Proverse November 2011 / 20.8 Soup's On! (spinach soup)
Task Total: 30
Season Total: 920
20.5 FaulknerFélicie by Georges Simenon
I forget now how I stumbled across this series. Although at first blush, the series are very dissimilar, I read this for much the same reason that I read Nero Wolfe. It is for the lead character. Nero Wolfe displays his arrogrance and brilliance (and Archie his lack of reverence for the same) while Maigret just sort of plods along. Or he seems to just plod along. But we can be pretty sure that his instinct about the crime and eventually zeroing in on the perpetrator is correct, even when he has doubts himself. He wonders if he might be wrong, if this is really the way he should be conducting the investigation, but he can’t bring himself to leave, something is holding him back, though he’d been hard put to say what exactly.
The thing that Wolfe and Maigret have in common is an understanding of human psychology. Simenon also has a body of work one would classify as psychological novels. In his Maigret series, Simenon employs his knowledge of human psychology via Maigret, who solves the crimes by understanding human behavior. I guess Poirot does that too, though I would not make a similar comparison.
Anyway, this was just as good as any in the series. Maigret tried to push some buttons in people who were resistant, but eventually the crime was solved. I'd like to give this 4-stars, but even as much as I enjoyed it, it's far too short. Let's place it in the top portion of my 3-star group and let that stand.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+20 Combo (10.4, 20.8 - Two more customers who recognize him and prefer to abandon their onion soup and clear out; 20.9, 20.10)
+10 LiT
+10 Oldies (1944)
Task total = 70
Season total = 1310
20.8 Soup's On!Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson
No real review, just this: this is SUCH a good book (really, everything readable literary fiction should be). Also, a lot of soup is eaten in this novel!
20 task first mention of many: 'pg 14 '…and they dined on liver soup…'
10 combo 10.3, 20.10
_____
30
Running total: 905
20.3 Vonnegut Homefront 911: How Families of Veterans Are Wounded by Our Wars by Stacy Bannerman
+20 pts - task
+ 5 pts - Combo (10.2)
Task Total - 25 pts
20.8 Soup's OnGoing Rogueby Janet Evanovich
"Grandma took her bread and dunked it in her soup." p 48
Task +20
Como + 10 (10.4 series, 10.3 9,10,11)
Book total: 30
Grand Total: 475
Post 819 Apple wrote: "20.3 VonnegutThe Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
+20 task
+5 oldies (first published 1990)
+10 combo (10.2; 20.10)
+200 Mega Finish
Post Total = 235
Season Total ..."
+50 halfway bonus for 20 point task completion
Season Total = 1550
10.6 Bless the AnimalsMr. Chartwell by Rebecca Hunt
In July 1964, Winston Churchill was very apprehensive about his retirement from Parliament at age 89. Throughout his life he had suffered from bouts of severe depression which he described as "the black dog."
Esther, a librarian at the House of Commons, decides to rent out a spare room as the two year anniversary of her husband's death approaches. Mr Chartwell (also known as Black Pat) is interested in becoming a lodger.
Black Pat is a foul-smelling, huge 6' 7" dog who can walk upright on his two hind legs, and talk. He just moves into a place and takes over people's lives. Black Pat exhibits dog behavior, but also loves to make puns. His enormous size can have a smothering, crushing effect on people.
The lives of Churchill, Esther, and Black Pat intersect as Esther substitutes as a secretary to Churchill the evening before his retirement. Churchill has stern words of advice about resisting the black dog:
"You must hurl yourself into opposition, for you are at war."
The depiction of Clementine Churchill, and her role in the life of the great leader was heartwarming. The book had both serious and humorous moments. There is a lot of wordplay since Churchill, the librarians, and Black Pat all exhibit a love of famous quotes. "Mr Chartwell" is a cleverly written book about an important subject.
+10 task
+ 5 combo 20.2 King (debut novel)
+10 review
Task total: 35
Season total: 1035
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Seven Types of Ambiguity (other topics)Where the Air Is Clear (other topics)
A Fantasy of Dr. Ox (other topics)
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (other topics)
Glass Houses (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Elliot Perlman (other topics)Carlos Fuentes (other topics)
Jules Verne (other topics)
Rachel Cohn (other topics)
Louise Penny (other topics)
More...
Letters on England by Voltaire
In 1724 the 32-year-old Voltaire fled to England to escape the consequences of having challenged a French aristocrat to a duel. He stayed for three years and wrote a series of articles about English religion, customs, science, philosophy, and literature, which are collected in ‘Letters on England’.
It was a surprise to me how positive his views on England were, given the mistrust between England and France that dates from 1066 and persists to this day. He saw England as a freethinking and innovative society, while we in our history lessons are taught about one religious persecution after another. But by the beginning of the 18th century those had ended, and there was freedom of religious expression in Britain. A man still had to be a member of the Church of England/Scotland to practise most professions, but no religion was banned – Catholic, Jew, or Quaker was free to live and worship in their way – and the contrast with the grip of the Catholic church on the population of France before their revolution must have been huge.
Moving on to science, Voltaire points out that the genius of Isaac Newton was recognised in Britain, while in France a man had to be an aristocrat or have the patronage of one to get anywhere. He also admired the British willingness to be early adopters in science by inoculating their babies with smallpox in order to avoid a more serious case of the disease later. (The safer cowpox vaccination against smallpox was not developed until the end of the 18th century.)
On literature, Voltaire’s tastes have stood up less well. He admired Pope, but also Colley Cibber, who is not well regarded these days. He thought that Shakespeare was overrated and couldn’t be compared with Molière. He was especially critical of what a friend of mine calls "the hey-nonny-no element” in Shakespeare – the gravediggers and peasants who provided the comic relief that a 16th-century English audience apparently required, even in the midst of tragedy. French theatre was more formal and followed the classical rules where comedy and tragedy do not mix. We might see this as another example of British freethinking, but Voltaire seems to have drawn the line here and stayed on the side of his native country.
Overall, this was a refreshing view of early 18th-century English culture from the point of view of a visitor from an even-more-hidebound regime.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (20.5, 20.10 1733)
+10 LiT
+20 Oldies
Post total: 70
Season total: 2330