Welcome to Litsy!

An enjoyable October read, this ate up a lot of my focus for the month. I enjoyed many of the characters, as well as the twisty plot, even though it did begin to seem dragged out. I surmise that its original serialization is to blame for that. Not much else I can say without spoilers, beyond expressing that I am left entertained. I think I may end up trying to be a completist of Wilkie Collins, but perhaps I‘ll reserve his books for #Victober. ⬇️

Today was a weird day for me. It‘s one of those when I just crash. I retreated into my reading chair but I became hyper fixated on crochet. This morning I made a dishcloth, the green one on the right, and then searched for patterns/started the scarf on the left. When I hyper fixate it‘s like nothing else exists. Now, I‘m in the stage of awakening to the real world, just in time for bed! Maybe I‘ll read some of the tagged before I turn in. Hmff.

Just finished a reread of this surprisingly funny novel. I did not recall the humor Collins infuses in the mystery!

Poor poor Ezra Jennings; I‘m a bit cross at Collins for refusing to tell what surely was a tragic backstory. Collins could have given him his own novel!

The 1944 edition with William Sharp‘s illustrations was a delight, despite the very musty odor. Perhaps that contributed to the atmosphere?

Whenever I read Wilkie Collins it tends to be in October. Of course there‘s the #Victober tie-in, but his books also seem to fit the season. Melodrama, cliff-hanging chapter endings, mystery, dynamic characters. Something about the crisp fall weather makes me want to curl up, get cozy, and escape into a twisty story with a meticulously arranged plot. I started this yesterday morning and I‘ve been immersed since. 1/4 way through this page turner!

“Mr. Blake idly turned over the books on his bedroom table. I had taken the precaution of looking at them … all classical works; all of course, immediately immeasurably superior to any thing produced in later times; and of present point of view, possessing the one great merit of enchaining nobody‘s interest, and exciting nobody‘s brain.” 🥱😴

Bahahahaha This whole section of the chapter, not just that quote, had me laughing and made my day! 😆

Apparently humanity was living in a post fact world as far back as 1859. 😂 😅

Work has slowed down reading considerably. 😭 These two are buddy & bookclub rereads. Fortunately I remember next to nothing about either it was so long ago I first picked them up. Not really caring for Fitzgerald‘s writing style I dare say. 😳

I‘ve also picked up knitting again after I found this lovely Halloweeny combo in a nearby yarn shop. It‘s a lovely texture. This too is competing with reading.

I found this one to be a decent read as far as classics are considered. A mystery and Gothic tones as well as interesting characters was a solid way to pass my time during lunch breaks at work. #bookspin @thearomaofbooks

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I finally got around to reading the famous Moonstone!! When I read The Lady in White by Willie Collins I found myself in love with that book and decided to read this one.

Although this is a fairly easy read, it definitely didn‘t keep me as engaged as his other novel did. I found myself putting this one down longer than I was reading it.

Overall as a whole, I enjoyed it but The Lady in White was way better.

A soft pick, but I think it‘s still worth the time since it‘s one of the first detective novels. I kept thinking I had it right, then I got super duper confused, then it turned out I *was* right…mostly…Anyway, it‘s a ride, for sure. They got paid by the word at this point, and it was published serially, so take that into account. Also, Wilkie‘s mom died while he was writing this and it affected the narrative. 237/1,001 #1001Books #TBRTarot

#scarathlon #batbrigade @Catsandbooks

Ewwww

#scarathlon #batbrigade @Catsandbooks

#scarathlon #batbrigade @Catsandbooks

#scarathlon #batbrigade @Catsandbooks

Finished this today. It was... Fine. There were some genuinely hilarious moments (Betteredge [and what an appropriate name!] was my favorite character, hands down), but overall it was slow and slightly disappointing. I'm glad I read it, though. 620 #worsearch points

#scarathlon Team #BOOklovers @Bookwormjillk

Should have known better than to attempt a chunkster classic without the backing of the #HashtagBrigade 🤣 I had a really hard time concentrating on this one.

Did anyone else from team #BOOkLovers attempt this buddy read?

#Scarathlon #TEAMBooklovers

Week 1 game

Wilkie Collins baclist - 15 titles
Moonstone in title - 8

Total 23 titles × 10 pts = 230 points

The Shining - 980 + 230 = 1210 points

@Bookwormjillk @Clwojick @StayCurious

What a [LONG] ride! I loved Collins‘s THE WOMAN IN WHITE, and this is his other best known work. Being a friend of Dickens, Collins serialized this book, so the more he wrote, the more he got paid. It could have been whittled down quite a bit, but part of the fun in reading Victorian literature is the fact that a lot of them are chunky! 👇🏻

Library book club...
Very amusingly, I requested a copy from another branch and this one arrived. Its a young reader version, so condensed and 'accessible' in vocabulary and language. I'm thinking I could always opt for these versions!!!♡☆

“I address these lines—written in India—to my relatives in England.“
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

One of these years I‘ll finally try Wilkie Collins. They both seem like they‘d make good October reads and are patiently waiting on my shelves for whenever I‘m ready.

#OminousOctober #Moon
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

What happens when you take your kiddo and her nana to your favorite used book store: kiddo gets bored halfway through decimating the MG books and refuses to browse the non-series section, then they wander aimlessly, finding the one who actually wanted time to browse every 45 seconds to ask if you‘re done yet. Then MIL started reminding me we needed to get back to the house so she could work on dinner because the whole clan is coming 😫

I haven't finished either of my Jan #roll100 books but I'm still excited about the numbers for Feb! (I'll prob finish The Greatest Knight today, but the tordotcom short stories will definitely carry over.)
36 - Down Among the Sticks and Bones... apparently I messed up and put this on the list twice so it had slightly better odds lol
90 - The Moonstone
Looking forward to both! Thanks @PuddleJumper 🙂

My second Wilkie Collins, and though it didn‘t live up to The Woman in White, there‘s a lot here to enjoy for the detective fan! As one of the earliest in the genre, it helped codify many tropes, like the reenactment of the crime. A good mystery.

Once again Mr. Collins‘ characters express sexism, racism, & ableism throughout, yet once again he has written “exceptional” characters into the novel that defy these stereotypes. An interesting author.

This was great fun! I made it to 24 hours and then kept reading to finally finish the tagged book. @MonthlyBookClub #mbcreadathon #mbcbookfrogsreadathon13

It's that time of day! @MonthlyBookClub #mbcreadathon #mbcbookfrogsreadathon8

#doublebookspin #TheAromaofBooks

Reread of a favorite.

I dnf‘d this one a few years ago but I‘m going to try again with the audio version and a diamond painting

#taketwo #tryingagain #aclassic

#CurrentlyWatching

Weird story!

Thanks to @MoonWitch94 for the great books 📚 and the autumnal things including pumpkin spice frappe.

@rsteve388 @Bookgoil #LLFS #litsylovefallswap

2.75⭐️ Felt it was too long and it could have been a little shorter; also felt as though the story was too confusing and I just wish I could have followed the story better. Part of it was that it was a readalong and it was a book that I had never read #bookstagram #classics #bookreview #mystery #2020 #readalong #ebook

There was a twist that was cool, but other than that it dragged on and on and on. Also there were certain scenes that were so sexist, I was wondering if that's really just how bad it was back then, or it was so extreme that I wondered if the author was trying to be funny.

#jamminjune #moonlight The Moonstone, a priceless Indian diamond which had been brought to England as spoils of war, is given to Rachel Verrinder on her eighteenth birthday. That very night, the stone is stolen. Suspicion then falls on a housemaid, on Rachel's cousin Franklin Blake, on a troupe of mysterious Indian jugglers, and on Rachel herself.

Is this book ever going to end? 300 pgs longer than it needs to be.

1. The Moonstone
2. The Uncommon Reader
3. I've read quite a few books with 500+ pgs but the biggest was The Green Mile.

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

If I was judging a book by its cover I would have no clue how these 3 covers could combine into the same book.
My current read.

This hefty classic is a little daunting, but I quickly fell into the rhythm of the complex language and convoluted plot. The characters are fun, and there's some great satire, as well as an intriguing story and a satisfying resolution. Setting aside my anachronistic rage that the stone was stolen from India in the first place (Why didn't they just give it back?! That would've solved all the problems!), I thoroughly enjoyed this book! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was my second Collins after The Woman in White. I like his writing style, which is easy to read even though the books are big chunksters. I enjoyed it, even though the ending stretched credulity and Collins has weird ideas about 'ugly' people, who deserves happiness, and of course the typical racist and colonial views of his time.

I have finished my second Collins novel, and am once again surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Considered to be the first detective novel, it‘s a well-written Victorian era story that never got boring and has some really excellent characters. Gabriel Betteredge, despite his flaws, is fantastic whether he‘s narrating or not. Funny, smart, obsessed with Robinson Crusoe, he‘s basically the butler and carries this book with his detective fever.⬇️⬇️

Which one should I get to read first??????

I had no idea BBC had done a new adaptation of my favorite Wilke Collins novel. Im coming down with a lovely bug my son shared with me and this will be perfect to be sick with.

Loved this book all the way through

#anglophileapril

(Day 28 - #InvisibleTouch)

*I can only call this a stretch, but it‘s exactly where my mind went with the prompt. Some (suspend disbelief?) “invisible touches” in this novel:
~Rosanna Spearman, who manages to remove an article of clothing without the wearer, Franklin Blake, knowing it;
~Mr Candy, the doctor who secretly administers laudanum to Franklin;
~Franklin, who stole the Moonstone diamond, unbeknownst to himself.
💎 🧪 👰

1. Tagged
2. Try and get ahead with school work
3. Ewww no!
4. Hmmm idk, that‘s a difficult question. There are soo many names that I love that I would use!
#friyayintro @howjessreads

Illustration by William Sharp. 1944

Isn't that a thing of beauty! 1944

The moonstone is a legendary diamond named after the Hindu God of the Moon. In this classic, a young English girl inherits the diamond on her birthday, not knowing that it was stolen from its guardians and that Hindu priests have dedicated their lives to finding the missing treasure.

#winterwonderland #crystaldays

Still an intriguing puzzle told with a sly sense of humour by a chain of witnesses