Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Ruthiella

Ruthiella

Joined February 2018

review
Ruthiella
Julia | Sandra Newman
post image
Pickpick

#LitsyTOB24 First completed book for #BooksinBloom

I liked this a lot and am glad I re-read 1984 as preparation. The book gives Julia a backstory and interesting insight and contrasts to Winston Smith without detracting from its source material. Occasionally a little longer than it needed to be.

Catsandbooks Splendid! 👏🏼🌸 1d
59 likes1 comment
blurb
Ruthiella
The Secret at Shadow Ranch | Carolyn Keene, Russell H. Tandy
post image

For those #NancyDrewBR #LittenDetectives keeping count every time she gets coshed on the noggin! 😂😂😂

DebinHawaii @Librarybelle @dabbe @Read4life Love it! 🤣 Love it! We have agreed on the following hash tags: #NancyNogginKnockout or #NNK 3d
Read4life Yes! I love it! #NNK 😂😂 3d
See All 9 Comments
TheBookHippie 🤣🤣🤣🤣 3d
dabbe And the current score is #threeoffive #nancyisstillalive 🤩😂🤩 3d
kwmg40 Nancy is indestructible! 😂 3d
Bookwormjillk 🤣🤣🤣 As a sports mom the ignored traumatic brain injuries really stands out! 3d
jlhammar That is awesome 😂 3d
Bookwomble This reminded me of Jerry Seinfeld's "Helmets" routine ? https://youtu.be/xgOUgrOHuFc?si=TcGcExAXFV7GTeY_ 2d
66 likes9 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
post image

This is my TBR for the readathon #BooksinBloom hosted by @Catsandbooks which runs from today to next week Friday! Hopefully I will finish all of them by then with maybe the exception of #TheBros . 😬🤭

Catsandbooks Wonderful! Glad you're joining in! 🌸 3d
58 likes1 comment
review
Ruthiella
Anna and Her Daughters | D.E. Stevenson
post image
Pickpick

Anna and her grown daughters must downsize and leave their upper middle class London lifestyle. She decides to take a small cottage near to where she grew up in Scotland. Spoiled Helen is outraged and weak willed Rosalie agrees. Only bookish Jane sees the practicality of it. The first half of the book is delightful. The second half veers off into a predictable and slightly squicky direction. Still, overall enjoyable. #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Tamra Such lovely pics! 💙 1w
Ruthiella Thanks! 🙏 1w
CarolynM Heather😍 The story didn‘t go where I was expecting, that‘s for sure! 1w
See All 12 Comments
Ruthiella @CarolynM I was hoping that like Rosalie, Jane would find someone else who really appreciated her… But once Helen ran off, I thought, “oh, here we go…🙄” 1w
LeahBergen @Ruthiella Well, no one could help themselves around Helen. 🙄 Love your photo collage! 1w
quietjenn Fabulous collage. I'd move to Timble Cottage in a heartbeat! 1w
Ruthiella @LeahBergen I guess she was aptly named! 1w
Ruthiella @quietjenn The coziness of the cottage was definitely appealing! 1w
jlhammar Beautiful! I thought Timble Cottage and Jane‘s cozy attic sounded heavenly. Helen‘s aversion to the bird wallpaper was quite amusing “I never saw anything so hideous in all my life. They would give me the jim-jams.” 😆 1w
Ruthiella @jlhammar I‘m not sure what the jim-jams are. 😂 Maybe the heebie jeebies? (edited) 1w
Cathythoughts Nice review 👍🏻❤️ I‘m sorry I‘m not reading it now. I‘ll stack it up anyway 😁 5d
Ruthiella @Cathythoughts Save it for when you need a quick break from heavier books! 👍 5d
76 likes3 stack adds12 comments
quote
Ruthiella
The Secret at Shadow Ranch | Carolyn Keene, Russell H. Tandy
post image

#NancyDrewBR

“That‘s why I think they won‘t do it again”, Nancy replied. Probably they‘ll pick on a different place. Good luck! If you run into trouble, yell!”

Sound advice learned from Carson Drew in the last book!!!🙄😂 Just scream really loud when you‘re in danger ‼️

jlhammar 😂 1w
Librarybelle 😂 😂😂 1w
dabbe 😂😂😂 1w
57 likes3 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
post image

#weekendreads

1984 re-read as prep for Julia, still chugging along with #TheBros , the remaining three are for pure pleasure (and for #Roll100 , #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub , and #NancyDrewBR ! )

review
Ruthiella
post image
Pickpick

This is probably the last #LitsyToB24 entry I‘ll manage before the voting starts. I liked it, though it was more violent and brutal than I expected. I didn‘t realize it was about a series killer. It felt overstuffed with issues that Sheriff Crown is working through and the plotting was occasionally awkward IMO. Titus Crown is a great character, though. That‘s where I think Cosby excels. This could easily been the start of a series.

blurb
Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
post image

Spent the weekend in San Luis Obispo with a friend. We went to the local annual library book sale, naturally, and I picked up a few gems. 😃 The vintage Modern Library editions were tempting, but I unfortunately didn‘t find any titles that appealed.

LeahBergen Nice! I remember liking the Barbara Vine. 👍 2w
Christine SLO is so great!! Nice timing on your part. 😁 2w
squirrelbrain Looks great - so many books! 🥰 2w
See All 10 Comments
quietjenn Somewhere I have that edition of Miss Lonelyhearts, which I think I also got at a library book sale 😄 2w
Ruthiella @LeahBergen Good to know! 👍 I‘ve liked every Barbara Vine and Ruth Rendell book that I have read so far. 2w
Ruthiella @Christine It is a beautiful area! 🤩 The timing was perfect! 2w
Ruthiella @squirrelbrain It was an amazing amount of books. My friend picked up even more than I did! 😅 2w
Ruthiella @quietjenn I had no idea it was so short! I‘ve heard lots about it. 2w
batsy Fun! I remember loving that Nancy Drew. My Name is Red is dense but good and I also have The Last of the Wine waiting for me on my shelves 🙂 2w
Ruthiella @batsy I‘ve read two other books from Renault and they were both great.👍 2w
70 likes10 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Anna and Her Daughters | D.E. Stevenson
post image

Hiya #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub friends! It‘s time for our next bi-monthly read, this time a title by fan favorite D.E. Stevenson. I‘ve only read her Miss Buncle books and a previous group read “The English Air”. I‘m looking forward to diving in. As usual, read at your own pace, post at will, and tag the group if you do! 😃

willaful I read this one recently, so will bow out for this round. 3w
Ruthiella @willaful Catch you in May then! 😃 3w
LeahBergen Yay! 👏👏 3w
See All 14 Comments
batsy Woohoo! 3w
quietjenn Hurrah! 3w
Tamra 😃 (edited) 3w
catebutler Can‘t wait!! 3w
julieclair I‘m really looking forward to this one! 3w
erzascarletbookgasm I‘m sitting out on this, look forward to see everyone‘s posts 3w
jlhammar This will be my first Stevenson. Probably won't start until next weekend. Looking forward to it! 3w
rubyslippersreads Looking forward to it. 2w
Kimzey I read it and loved it! 😍 Will post my review once I recover from my work deadline. 2w
CarolynM Just getting started today🙂 2w
Jess_Read_This Oh! Thanks for the reminder and tag. I‘ll start this weekend! 1w
54 likes2 stack adds14 comments
review
Ruthiella
Lovesick Blossoms | Julia Watts
post image
Pickpick

#LitsyTOB24

While elements of the plot felt maybe a little by the numbers, I really liked the two main characters and was particularly invested in their fates. Two women fall in love in a small Kentucky college town in the 1950s. Unless one was Gertrude Stein or Rock Hudson, you can imagine at the obstacles faced by homosexuals in this era.

review
Ruthiella
post image
Pickpick

#LitsyToB24

A soft pick. The story was great and while the narrator, could be annoying, she does show growth by the end. I didn‘t mind the footnotes. I think Mia is also neurodivergent and this helped demonstrate it. But for such a propelling plot (a dad goes missing and the only witness is his severely, non-speaking autistic son), it was too long and I really disliked the foreshadowing - just tell the story- the reader can figure out the rest.

squirrelbrain Great review! I listened to this and it felt overlong on audio. 3w
Ruthiella @squirrelbrain Thanks! I am glad I read it, especially for its insight into autism and non-speaking autism. 3w
BarbaraBB I am a hundred pages in and liking it, although I already feel it‘s goin to be looong 3w
See All 6 Comments
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB I found it to be a worthy read, but for its mystery premise, too slow. 3w
Tamra Agreed! 3w
Ruthiella @Tamra Nice to be on the same page! 😃 3w
71 likes6 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
post image

#weekendreads

Hoping to wrap up my two #LitsyToB24 books this weekend. Still plugging away at my #ClassicLSFBF but considering DNFing it. 🫢 Continuing with #TheBros chapter a day read along. 👍

vivastory Is that your first Delany? He's a writer I've been wanting to try for awhile. 3w
BarbaraBB I‘m starting Happiness Falls. Are you enjoying it? 3w
Ruthiella @vivastory It is my first, but from what I understand, it‘s not typical of his normal SF books. So I will definitely try something else at some point. 3w
See All 10 Comments
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB It‘s okay. It has more foreshadowing than I like personally, but the story is interesting, particularly as it pertains to disability and our assumptions about people who are differently abled. (edited) 3w
RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella I can understand, Dhalgren is definitely not an easy read, it's very confusing as surreal. I won't be surprised by anyone who DNFs it. 3w
Ruthiella @RamsFan1963 I think I‘d get more out of a good review from someone who really loved it than I would reading it myself. But I definitely want to try some of his more conventional SF. 3w
Megabooks Have a great weekend! 3w
Ruthiella @Megabooks Thanks!😊 3w
batsy Ooof, Dhalgren and The Bros at the same time is a lot! 3w
Ruthiella @batsy Yes, I‘m afraid one of them has to go…but I do still have the book out from the library, so we‘ll see. I have to adjust my expectations maybe. 3w
54 likes10 comments
review
Ruthiella
post image
Pickpick

I ended liking this more than initially expected. It‘s a gentle novel, occasionally funny, but it lacks focus. In 1991, Emily moves to NYC after college, makes friends, loses friends, gets a job, etc. In 2005, Emily is married with a demanding job, a small child & some of her 90s past popping back up. Next to the other two coming of age stories in the #LitsyToB24 it doesn‘t stand a chance.

#52BookClub24 Chapters have dates
#pop24 coming of age

Bookwormjillk That‘s what I thought too- the book was fine but others in the tournament did it better. 4w
Librarybelle I put this on my to read list because of all of these great reviews! It sounds interesting! 4w
BarbaraBB Agree on your review regarding the other two coming of age novels 4w
See All 6 Comments
Ruthiella @Bookwormjillk @BarbaraBB The other two had a stronger emotional core, I think.🤔 4w
Ruthiella @Librarybelle It was entertaining in its way, and I‘d say probably particularly nostalgic for anyone who came of age in the 90s on the US. 4w
Librarybelle Sounds like my type of book! 4w
72 likes6 comments
review
Ruthiella
Hello Beautiful | Ann Napolitano
post image
Mehso-so

Beautiful cover but the story telling style was not for me. I know people IRL who have cut themselves off from their family as well as those who have been abandoned by family, and yet no one‘s behavior felt real to me here. And there was far too much repetition in my opinion. The Little Women retelling aspects were interesting, however.

#LitsyToB24
#52BookClub24 Includes a wedding
#pop24 at least 3 PoV

TheBookHippie I did not like this book. I bailed. 🤣😅😝 1mo
Tamra I‘ll pass. ☺️ 1mo
Ruthiella @TheBookHippie Good to know I‘m not alone-it‘s such a popular book. 1mo
See All 12 Comments
Ruthiella @Tamra You‘re already getting the best part of it, which is the cover. 😜 1mo
Tamra @Ruthiella bahaha it‘s sad when that is true. 1mo
TheBookHippie @Ruthiella You‘re right, none of it rang true or authentic, amongst other things I did not like- that one was the worst. 1mo
Reggie The amount of books this past year with split opinions by people I trust. Our planets must be in retrograde. lol I don‘t know what‘s going on. 1mo
Lesliereadsalot Really liked Dear Edward. But this one…meh. 1mo
Ruthiella @Reggie Trust no one! 😜 Just kidding. That‘s just the way it pans out sometimes. Maybe at a different point in my life as a reader, I‘d have loved it, who can say? 1mo
Ruthiella @Lesliereadsalot Good to know that you liked her other book! 👍 I won‘t count her out for now and may try another from her in future. 1mo
BkClubCare @Ruthiella - I adored this one!! 😆 and bought Dear Edward so I will check in with you if you might want me to send to you “someday”. I have it in the stack for “fitting a challenge category” but I am blanking on which! 😂 so might be long time… 4w
Ruthiella @BkClubCare I won‘t count her out just yet and I‘m glad this was a pick for you! 😃 4w
71 likes12 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
post image

#weekendreads

I‘m kind of hating both my #LitsyToB24 books and Dhalgren is a bit of a chore. ☹️ And #TheBros is only a chapter a day. Hopefully my reading pleasure will pick up soon. 🤞

monalyisha 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 1mo
Dilara I definitely agree about Dhalgren - and also, some parts really haven't aged well. 1mo
Ruthiella @monalyisha Thanks for the support! 🙏 1mo
See All 15 Comments
CSeydel Oh no! 1mo
Ruthiella @Dilara I‘m fine with a fantastical and strange landscape that might be real or maybe it is only the figment his imagination…but does it have to be 800 pages long? 😆 1mo
Ruthiella @CSeydel I know. It kinda sucks. And I have no Nancy Drew to take the edge off. 😅 1mo
fredthemoose I feel this. Currently slogging through Same Be Different Dreams and was so happy when the tagged book came in from the library! 1mo
Ruthiella @fredthemoose Books to rescue us from books! 🚑 😂 1mo
CSeydel @ruthiella I‘ve been feeling the same way. I started Neuromancer a couple of weeks ago because I thought it would be a fast-paced, fun read. I‘m finding it a real slog! And it‘s been blocking me from reading anything else. I have a book club tomorrow that I haven‘t finished the book for, and of course you know I forgot to read The Burden 🤦🏻‍♀️ 1mo
Kitta @CSeydel oh I read neuromancer a year or two ago and it‘s not an easy read at all! 1mo
Ruthiella @Kitta @CSeydel I agree. I also found it a book that I had to read very carefully, otherwise I had no idea what was going on. 1mo
squirrelbrain Sorry you‘re not enjoying the ToB books - you are allowed to bail! 😃 1mo
Reggie That is a lot to not enjoy through, yeah? Just bail, chica. 1mo
Ruthiella @reggie @squirrelbrain I have a real problem with bailing…😬 1mo
squirrelbrain So do I Ruth, so I‘m not the best person to be giving advice about bailing! 🤣 1mo
54 likes15 comments
review
Ruthiella
post image
Pickpick

Two novellas and three short stories, each set in a different African country; all are devastating and heartbreaking. 💔 Most feature children. This is fiction, but we know it is rooted in truth: exploitation, religious violence, ethnic conflict, poverty, despair.

#The52BookClub24 Sticker on cover (Oprah)
#Pop24 Title complete sentence
#TBRtarot (January) YOU in title
#Roll100 February

rockpools That sounds like (!) a very hard read 💔 (edited) 1mo
Ruthiella @rockpools It was. 💔 1mo
Librarybelle It sounds like a hard read but a necessary read. I‘ve not read it, but you‘re probably right that the fiction is rooted in what is happening in reality. 1mo
See All 6 Comments
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 1mo
Ruthiella @Librarybelle I was kind of dreading reading it, in fact. 1mo
Ruthiella @TheAromaofBooks Thanks!😊 1mo
83 likes1 stack add6 comments
review
Ruthiella
The Burden | Agatha Christie
post image
Pickpick

#MaryWestmacottBuddyRead #LMWBR

A soft pick, it rehashes some of the themes from the other novels and I found its dual narrative structure a little weird. Still, an interesting psychological portrait of sorts.

Shirley has always felt the weight of her older sister‘s love for her until Shirley falls for a faithless lover and marries him. Llewellyn gives up a powerful career, based on faith in his visions. Eventually their stories converge.

CSeydel Oh my gosh, I totally spaced on this one! It‘s already the third Saturday! 1mo
Ruthiella Thanks to @CSeydel for making this buddy read happen! 😃 I might never have dusted off this bind-up of the Westmacott novels that I‘ve had for 20 years now. 1mo
quietjenn @CSeydel I pretty much forgot as well. Oops! 1mo
See All 8 Comments
BarbaraJean @CSeydel @quietjenn I‘m glad it‘s not just me!! I don‘t know how it‘s the third Saturday already! (edited) 1mo
Ruthiella @CSeydel @quietjenn @BarbaraJean Well then, I‘m glad I reviewed it (because sometimes I don‘t). Consider it a public service announcement. 😆 1mo
CSeydel Yes, thank you @Ruthiella for keeping us on track! @quietjenn @BarbaraJean it sounds like it wouldn‘t be the end of the world if I post discussion questions next Saturday instead 😆 1mo
BarbaraJean @CSeydel Since I haven't started reading it yet--posting questions next Saturday would definitely not be the end of the world 😁 @Ruthiella Thank you for the PSA!! 1mo
quietjenn @CSeydel @BarbaraJean more than ok 😅 Way to keep us honest @Ruthiella 🙂 1mo
67 likes8 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
post image

Thank you for the tag @Eggs ! 😊

#Two4Tuesday

❤️ No plans

❤️ Any book is as good as another, IMO but if someone wanted to read something romantic, I‘d recommend Captain Wentworth‘s letter from Persuasion… I can listen no longer in silence.” ❤️❤️❤️

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! Happy Valentine's Day 1mo
Ruthiella @TheSpineView Thank you! Happy Valentines Day to you too! 1mo
BeeCurious Great choice for #2. Very romantic! 💕 1mo
See All 9 Comments
LeahBergen “You pierce my soul…” 1mo
Ruthiella @BeeCurious So romantic! 💘 1mo
batsy That letter! 1mo
Eggs 💙🩵💙 1mo
Ruthiella @batsy “I am half agony, half hope .” 1mo
42 likes9 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
post image

Thank you for the tag @BeeCurious ! 😊

#Thisorthat

1. Hardcover
2. Fast reader
3. Stand alone
4. Buy
5. Night Reader
6. Read on sofa
7. Enemies to lovers
8. Without music
9. One PoV
10. Long chapters

review
Ruthiella
Biography of X: A Novel | Catherine Lacey
post image
Pickpick

At first I found it pretentious and stilted but the story grew on me and I found myself curious to know what would happen next. Set in an alternate history America, the widow of X tries to unearth her (in)famous wife‘s history and learns secrets that make her question her relationship. Was she just another person to be used and subsequently discarded by X?

#LitsyToB24
#The52BookClub24 - grieving character
#pop24 - book about a writer

sarahbarnes Great review! 1mo
azulaco I‘ve been curious about this one. 1mo
BarbaraBB Great review indeed! I think you ended up liking it more than me 1mo
See All 8 Comments
squirrelbrain Great review - and well done for sticking with it when you weren‘t sure. 1mo
Ruthiella @sarahbarnes Thanks 😊 1mo
Ruthiella @azulaco Give it a try! It seems to be a kind of love it or hate it kind of thing. 1mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB I think I did like it more than you did. I found it ultimately very compelling, despite my less than positive start. 1mo
Ruthiella @squirrelbrain Thanks! I‘m glad I stuck with it too. 1mo
78 likes8 comments
review
Ruthiella
post image
Mehso-so

While parts of this really sparkled for me, I needed more of a cohesive plot than it provided. Overall this was a heartwarming story about a mixed Jewish and Black neighborhood in Pennsylvania in the 1930s. The first half centered around Jewish immigrant Moshe and his American born wife Chona and the second half on African Americans Addie and Nate and their ward, Dodo.

#LitsyToB24
#52BookClub24 character-driven novel

Ruthiella @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I kinda feel like there were two books in here! 1mo
squirrelbrain I agree - there wasn‘t enough of a plot for me. 1mo
See All 10 Comments
Hooked_on_books This one didn‘t deliver for me, either, and I loved his previous two books. 1mo
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 1mo
Librarybelle I‘ve seen so many so-so ratings for this! 1mo
Ruthiella @squirrelbrain Great characters though! But otherwise too rambling. 1mo
Ruthiella @Hooked_on_books Me too! I particularly loved The Good Lord Bird. 🪶 1mo
Ruthiella @Librarybelle So did I and I really thought for a while it would be a pick for me. 1mo
Ruthiella @TheAromaofBooks Thanks! 😊 1mo
75 likes10 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
post image

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

I am hoping to finish at least two of these this weekend, though not #TheBros of course.

CBee I loved The Ferryman 👏🏻👏🏻 1mo
Ruthiella @CBee I‘m about a quarter of the way through it and curious about how it will end up! 1mo
BarbaraBB Looking forward to your review of X! 1mo
See All 10 Comments
Lesliereadsalot Also really liked The Ferryman, but a little confused by the ending. 1mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB That‘s the book I think I will finish first. It‘s so compelling even though the narrator and her wife are fairly unsympathetic. 1mo
Ruthiella @Lesliereadsalot Ooh! Now I‘m really intrigued. 1mo
Reggie I do not know how you do this magic of balancing so many books, but good on you!!! 1mo
Ruthiella @Reggie Every now and again I find myself reading only one book at a time and I think, “this is nice”. 😆 1mo
Readerann Dostoyevsky and Nancy Drew! A reader after my own heart. 😊 1mo
Ruthiella @Readerann Balance is key! 😆 1mo
64 likes10 comments
review
Ruthiella
H.M.S. Surprise | Patrick O'Brian
post image
Pickpick

Third in the Aubrey-Maturin series - I loved it. Jack finally gets a command and is commissioned to sail to the Malay Peninsula, first stopping in India. There‘s espionage, romance, bromance, a naval battle, a duel at dawn, tragic death, sudden squalls, the literal doldrums…just fantastic.

#SeriesLove24
#pop24 - published under a pen name
#The52BookClub24 - features the ocean

BookDadGirlDad Loved this entire series!!! 1mo
TheSpineView Awesome! 1mo
LeahBergen I liked this one, too! 👍 1mo
67 likes3 comments
review
Ruthiella
Wolf in White Van | John Darnielle
post image
Pickpick

Strangely creepy, though not horror. I think it‘s because the narrator withholds so much information until late in the book. It‘s sort of hypnotic. There was an “accident”, severe injury, a trial, but the reader doesn‘t know what is connected and what isn‘t.

#Roll100
#pop24 A book that contains video games (RPG mainly but there is also mention of arcade games-close enough 😂)
#52BookClub24 Set in a city starting with the letter M (Montclair)

BarbaraBB This sounds right up my alley! I enjoyed this one a lot (edited) 1mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB I will definitely try his other stuff. It only took me 10 years to get around to his debut. 😂 1mo
See All 13 Comments
Librarybelle Hooray! 1mo
Ruthiella @Librarybelle So glad to knock it off my list! 1mo
BarbaraBB I found a copy for 5€ online so guess what 😂 1mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB You decided it would be wiser to put the €5 in your savings account…😆 Who are we kidding? You bought it! 1mo
BarbaraBB Which savings account 😂? 1mo
vivastory @BarbaraBB @ruthiella I have read 3 of his books & have loved all of them 💙 💙 (edited) 1mo
BarbaraBB @vivastory That‘s a great recommendation! Can‘t wait to read it 1mo
Ruthiella @vivastory I just hope it doesn‘t take me another 10 years to get to another from him! 1mo
Centique I read this years ago and was just gobsmacked by it. I wished i had someone to talk about it with…. And here you are! But ive forgotten too much of it now 😂😂 1mo
Ruthiella @Centique Timing is everything! 😂 I did read a number of reviews on goodreads after I finished it which sort of scratched that itch of wanting to know what others thought. 1mo
72 likes1 stack add13 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
The Dispossessed: A Novel | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

Question Two: The subtitle of the novel is “An Ambiguous Utopia”. What does that mean to you now after having read the book?

Follow up-would you rather live on Urras or Annares?

CatLass007 Years ago I learned that the word utopia was “invented” by an author for a book. I googled the word, and it was first coined by Sir Thomas More from the Greek words for “not” (oh) and place (topics). Literally, Utopia means “no place.” All the fictional utopias that will never come into existence are no place. 2mo
julesG @CatLass007 I learned about the literal meaning of "utopia" when I wrote my thesis about another book by Le Guin (a mere twenty years ago ? I'm officially old). It shocked me at first, but does make sense too. 2mo
julesG Does the subtitle fit? Yes. Can I explain why it works for me? Yes/No/Maybe? I'm not sure I can sort my thoughts into meaningful sentences. I might be able to comment though. Ambiguous, I know. 🙈 2mo
See All 11 Comments
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I think the conversation between Shevek and Keng (the Terran ambassador) at the end of the book sums it up pretty well. They can‘t agree on whether Urras is Hell or Paradise. I think it‘s important to remember that no two people agree 100% on everything and therefore I don‘t believe that a true utopia is achievable. Each person‘s own perspective molds whether they live in a utopia or not. Shevek prefers his utopia, but not everyone does. ⬇️ 2mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Both worlds have their flaws, especially their censorship. It may be Shevek‘s bias influencing me but from what I saw on Urras, they have less freedom of thought. That to me is more important than an easy life or physical comfort. I would choose Annares, it feels more hopeful. 2mo
Ruthiella @CatLass007 That‘s a good point: all utopias are bound to be imperfect. 2mo
Ruthiella @julesG You bring up one thing I really love about Le Guin and about classic sci-fi in general - it‘s endlessly debatable and open for further thought. I may not come to a conclusion, but I like thinking about it. 2mo
Ruthiella @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm The freedom on Annares from work as a means to assure one‘s future (retirement, social security, home ownership, etc.) was really appealing to me. I really don‘t even care about owning books as long as there‘s a public library to access. I would pick it too as well, I think. But people who game the system like Sabul, would drive me nuts. (edited) 2mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @Ruthiella Absolutely, Sabul really irked me. I felt towards the end though that Shevek and his friends had found a way around that a little bit. And him giving his theories to be broadcast to all the races in the solar system is, I think, another way for the people on each planet to subvert their established systems and communicate with like-minded peoples without the bureaucratic red tape. That‘s my naïve, optimistic hope at least. ? 2mo
kwmg40 I'm tempted to say I'd prefer Anarres because it seems to provide more freedom but when there's a scarcity of resources, there really isn't freedom at all. Shevek and friends are pressured into choices that they didn't truly want to make. 2mo
Ruthiella @kwmg40 Great insight. It makes me wonder if with more resources, if that kind of anarchic society could ever be maintained. 2mo
49 likes11 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
The Dispossessed: A Novel | Ursula K. Le Guin
post image

I‘ll post a couple of questions, even though I‘m not sure how many people actually read the January pick. 😂

Question One: Le Guin chose to have a male protagonist. In what ways, however, did you find this to be a feminist novel, if at all?

Side note- did you like Shevek as a hero/protagonist?

CSeydel I confess I skipped this one to read my AuldLangSpine picks 🙃 But I‘m going to try to get back on the wagon for February!! 2mo
CatLass007 I tried it but I bailed. I tried reading LeGuin once when I was young. I think I read Earthsea when it was just a trilogy. But I can‘t be certain. Whatever I read just didn‘t ever click for me. This was before I learned that it wasn‘t necessary to finish every book I started, before I learned “The Art of the Bail,” before I understood that not finishing a book was nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to feel guilty about. More recently, (cont)⬇️ (edited) 2mo
CatLass007 I attributed my dislike of LeGuin to my lack of maturity in my thinking. Maybe my thinking still lacks maturity but I won‘t be reading anything else by her. 🤷‍♀️ 2mo
See All 20 Comments
Ruthiella @CSeydel No worries! 😉 2mo
Ruthiella @CatLass007 Not every book is for every reader! That‘s fair. 😃 2mo
CatLass007 @Ruthiella Before I joined Litsy I only remember ever bailing on one book. I feel like Litsy taught me how to bail. It had never seemed like an option before. 2mo
rwmg I've read it before twice, but I don't have my copy with me so I don't remember it well enough to comment 2mo
julesG I read lots of Le Guin Sci-fi 20 years ago when writing my thesis about feminism in Sci-fi novels. That does not mean I'm about to lecture here. I see some feminist aspects in the celebration of labour and sexual freedom on Anarres. Yet I can easily agree with some critics who see anti-feminist undertones in the novel, too. Like although women created the society on Anarres, they are secondary to the main character, Shevek. 2mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I didn‘t particularly feel it was anymore a feminist story than a humanist story. Though I‘m not known for being clever enough to pick up on feminist undertones, despite being female. It felt more to me like it was a story questioning a person‘s place in and responsibility to their community/society. Whether we can be so individualistic while still being part of a whole. I did like Shevek in the end, especially because he was flawed, not perfect 2mo
TheSpineView I read this one before and found it difficult. Actually read the whole series. However this time I just couldn't get into it. Not only was it slow going but the undertones were so political it made it even harder to read. Not sure if my tastes have changed that much or it was more of a mood thing. 2mo
majkia I read it several years ago and it was a DNF for me. I found it boring and dull. 2mo
Ruthiella @julesG Great points! I think the thing that stood out for me was the difference between how women were treated on Annares, with much more equality than we have even now in the west IMO, and on Urras which is more like how women were treated in the Victorian era - elevated but oppressed. 2mo
Ruthiella @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I agree with your take on it - the overall aim was more a look at how we are influenced by our society. Like, are we really free to act as we want or are we more constrained by our upbringing and belief systems than we‘re aware. I liked Shevek too even when his actions sometimes frustrated me. 2mo
Ruthiella @majkia @TheSpineView It sounds like you had a similar experience revisiting it. It‘s so fascinating how we change as readers with both time and experience! 2mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @Ruthiella Yes, especially his actions with Vea. I get he‘s drunk for the first time, but there‘s no excuse. And then later when he reflects on that, it says something like, he forgave Vea her betrayal. I was like 👀 Bruh! 2mo
julesG @TheSpineView I didn't re-read it either, I admit. I dug out my (extensive) thesis notes - I am glad I had the foresight to keep, digitalise and cross-reference them (back when I thought I should go for a career in academia, before pursuing a different career in academia 🙄🙄). I'm sure I would have bailed this time round, too. 2mo
julesG I'm forever fascinated with how much of early Sci-fi has become reality, how accurate some of the predictions about the (near) future were, and how far off the mark and by that dated some of the classic Sci-fi stories are. It shows that even the wildest extrapolation of society is based in the author's contemporary culture/mindset and thereby hard to shake off. 2mo
kwmg40 I found this book challenging to read for many of the reasons already mentioned, such as the slow pace and the heavy political discourse. However, I did ultimately like it, as it was an interesting thought experiment, and I liked seeing the contrast between the two worlds. 2mo
Ruthiella @kwmg40 Do you think you would read more from Le Guin? Or is this enough of a taste? I‘ve only otherwise read The Left Hand of Darkness from her books for adults and I‘d say it‘s similarly slow and political. 2mo
kwmg40 @Ruthiella I would definitely read more from LeGuin. I too found The Left Hand of Darkness slow-paced and political but I still liked it very much. The worldbuilding and exploration of ideas make up for the weaknesses, IMO. Coincidentally, a local SFF book club I participate in chose The Lathe of Heaven this month, so I'm already reading more LeGuin, though I could have used a short break! 😅 2mo
39 likes20 comments
review
Ruthiella
Idlewild | James Frankie Thomas
post image
Pickpick

A compelling coming of age story which was both familiar and disturbing. Fay and Nell are best friends at a NYC private Quaker high school navigating teenage insecurity, solipsism, and queerness. Their friendship is insular and uneven, with Fay leading and Nell following. Seamlessly told in flashback by their adult selves, regretful and nostalgic.

Read for #LitsyToB24
#Pop24 Fiction by a trans author
#52Bookclub24 About finding identity

Hooked_on_books I really liked this one. I think it‘ll stick for a while. 2mo
Librarybelle Nice! 2mo
See All 19 Comments
Liz_M I was going to add this to my wishlist, based on your review, but it's already there. Now I know I really do want to read it. 😁 2mo
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 2mo
squirrelbrain Glad you liked it! 2mo
BarbaraBB Fab review! Such a good read. 2mo
Ruthiella @Hooked_on_books I think this will stick with me too. I am drawn to good portraits of adolescence and this was one. 2mo
Ruthiella @Liz_M I found it to be quite a page turner! 2mo
Ruthiella @squirrelbrain I thought of you when I managed to hit TWO reading prompts with one book. 😆 2mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB Thank you! I found it so compelling. 2mo
squirrelbrain Ooh, you clever thing! 🤣 And here‘s me, only doing *one* challenge this year, so no double-dipping (or more!) here. 2mo
Reggie Stacked. Wasn‘t gonna read this until now. Great review. Also credit to Tom Lake and looking back on one‘s life. 2mo
Ruthiella @Reggie It is rare when I can recommend you a book Reggie! I think, however you will like it. It has a lot of emotion and a little edge of fear. 2mo
Megabooks Love this review and this book, too!! 2mo
Megabooks @Reggie I agree with @Ruthiella definitely in your wheelhouse! 👍🏻👍🏻 2mo
Ruthiella Thanks! I‘m a real fan of good depictions of adolescence and this really felt right to me. 2mo
83 likes1 stack add19 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Wolf in White Van | John Darnielle
post image

Amazingly, I read all of my January #Roll100 books. 🤯 This is my February pile. Two are from my shelves, which is a bonus.

PuddleJumper Wahoo! Well done! 2mo
65 likes1 comment
blurb
Ruthiella
post image

Inspired by @TheKidUpstairs and @BarbaraBB here‘s my #womensdozen using only the short list and winners. Purposefully no overlap with my #bookerdozen with either author or title. Some are my favorite books of all time.

1. The Poisonwood Bible
2. Bel Canto
3. Purple Hibiscus
4. Old Filth
5. The Observations
6. The Tiger‘s Wife
7. Life After Life
8. The Goldfinch
9. Do No Say We Have Nothing
10. The Idiot
11. Girl, Woman, Other
12. Piranesi

Christine This is an amazing list, and now I‘m of course wondering which are your favorite books of all time! 2mo
vivastory I have read only 2 of these! I have a lot of reading to do as several of these are on my TBR 2mo
Ruthiella @Christine Thanks! Bel Canto, Old Filth, Life After Life and The Idiot would go on that list. 😃 2mo
See All 31 Comments
Ruthiella @vivastory So many books, so little time! 😃 2mo
vivastory So true, so true. If only work didn't keep interfering! 😅 2mo
vivastory @Ruthiella I have to ask: have you read other Atkinson books? I'm just curious, because I read “Case Histories“ & really loved it but it's the only Atkinson that I have read so far. 2mo
Ruthiella @vivastory I LOVE Atkinson. I‘ve read most of her novels and the entire Jackson Brodie series. I highly recommend it. When Will There Be Good News is IMO the best, but they‘re all great. @CarolynM is also a fan. 2mo
vivastory @Ruthiella Thanks! *Noted. I am def. planning on continuing the Brodie series, but also plan on checking out Life After Life. 2mo
BarbaraBB Such a great selection 😍. I loved Old Filth too. And Piranesi. And I should read 2mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB Discovering Jane Gardam was a revelation to me. I want to read everything she‘s written! 2mo
BarbaraBB I‘ve been thinking that too! And I noticed I already read The Tiger‘s Wife. Not even that long ago, in 2020. I don‘t remember a thing, isn‘t that weird? Or maybe it‘s because it‘s the damned Covid year… 😱 2mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB I definitely have read books where I have no memory. I sometimes wonder if I briefly had an out of body experience. 😂 2mo
BarbaraBB I am really shocked. I often don‘t remember what a book was about but not remembering that I read a book in the first place hasn‘t happened before, I think 👵🏼 2mo
vivastory @BarbaraBB If it's any consolation I recently started reading a short story collection thinking I had never read it & halfway through it I checked goodreads only to discover that I had read it 6 years ago 🙃 2mo
TheBookHippie The Observations is the only one I didn‘t read in your list!!!! Wow. 2mo
Ruthiella @TheBookHippie Wow! The Observations was great. I‘d recommend it to anyone who likes Sarah Waters. 2mo
Christine Worthy picks! Though I have to admit I‘ve never heard of Old Filth! 2mo
CarolynM Yep, big Atkinson fan. That one is probably my favourite Brodie (very hard to choose) I haven‘t read all of her non-Brodies yet @vivastory Of the ones I‘ve read I love Life After Life but my favourite is its companion novel 2mo
batsy Purple Hibiscus, The Idiot, and Piranesi! 💜 So many here that I must read. 2mo
Tamra I‘m still irritated by the The Goldfinch. I was downright angry at the time! 🤣 2mo
TheKidUpstairs So many good ones! Totally stacking The Observations and Old Filth! 2mo
Ruthiella @CarolynM The way the plot of When Will There Be Good News winds up was so amazing. I still get goosebumps. (edited) 2mo
Ruthiella @batsy A lovely list of possibilities! 😃 2mo
Ruthiella @Tamra I get that! Donna Tart‘s style can be indulgent and long winded. 😆 2mo
Ruthiella @TheKidUpstairs I hope you enjoy them! 2mo
Caryl Ooh! Some of my favorites (Bel Canto, Old Filth, Purple Hibiscus, Life After Life) and some shelf-sitters I need to get to (Piranesi, The Idiot). 2mo
Ruthiella @Caryl so many books, so little time! I hope you enjoy both when you get to them. 😃 2mo
Readerann Have read 7 of these and mostly agree with you, especially on 1 and 2! (edited) 2mo
Ruthiella Both were the first I‘d read from Patchett and Kingsolver and they knocked it out of the park. 2mo
BkClubCare Oh my, there are 5 on this list that I have yet to read.🧐 2mo
Ruthiella @BkClubCare Looking through the shortlist, I saw lots of books I already have on my mental TBR. 2mo
75 likes31 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Untitled | Untitled
post image

1. Moon Tiger by P. Lively
2. Never Let Me Go by K. Ishiguro
3. Possession by AS Byatt
4. Disgrace by JM Coetzee
5. The White Tiger by A. Adiga
6. Bring Up the Bodies by H. Mantel
7. The Luminaries by E. Catton
8. Milkman by A. Burns
9. A Month in the Country by JL Carr
10. The Hand Maid‘s Tale by M. Atwood
11. Any Human Heart by W. Boyd
12. Fingersmith by S. Waters
13. Cloud Atlas by D. Mitchell

The #bookerdozen can go up to 13! 😆

vivastory Excellent call on it being 13 😂 I *almost“ added “Possession“ to my list & it pained me to leave off “Month in the Country. That's one of my favorite shorter works of fiction. Several others are pretty high on my TBR (esp “Moon Tiger,“ Milkman“ “Bring Up The Bodies“ & “Disgrace“) Great list! 2mo
Ruthiella I just went with my gut. Tomorrow it would possibly be a slightly different list! I was tempted by so many other great books, some you listed, like The Underground Railroad and 2mo
vivastory @Ruthiella Completely understandable. I could have as easily selected “Blind Assassin“ as “Alias Grace“ 2mo
See All 23 Comments
Centique There are so many books i love on your list! 2mo
CatMS I'm reading number 11 now and it is highly recommended 2mo
TheKidUpstairs @vivastory choosing between Atwoods was tough! 2mo
Ruthiella @Centique There are so many great books to choose from. I‘m glad we align some what! 😃 2mo
Ruthiella @CatMS Any Human Heart remains my favorite book from Boyd. It was incredible. ❤️ 2mo
Ruthiella @TheKidUpstairs Agree! Also the multiple titles from Ishiguro and Mantel made it hard! 2mo
TheBookHippie Oh White Tiger… that too! 2mo
Ruthiella @TheBookHippie I loved the energy of the narrator. Not a necessarily nice person, but I understood his motivations. 2mo
Sapphire I haven‘t been able to get through Milkman. Not giving up yet though 2mo
BarbaraBB I need to make mine yet but I know already we have a lot of the same books! 2mo
Ruthiella @Sapphire I can understand that. It has a rhythm to it and you have to kinda feel it for the book to flow. I read a lot of it out loud (to myself and my dog and cat). 2mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB Love it! It‘s so fun to see the overlap and also get excited for those I haven‘t yet read. 2mo
BarbaraBB Yes! I want to read Any Human Heart now! 2mo
Liz_M Oooh 😍A Month in the Country 😍 2mo
Ruthiella @Liz_M That was such a great book . So much packed into a few pages. I‘m always amazed when an author can do that . 2mo
Caryl What a great list! Several of my faves, which means I should add all the others to my TBR. 📚😁 2mo
Ruthiella @Caryl Definitely give them a try…it‘s not a guarantee, but some times reading tastes do align! 😃 (edited) 2mo
BkClubCare Only 4 on this one. Looks like I need to have more 🐅 in my reading diet 😂 2mo
Ruthiella @BkClubCare Yes! 😂 🐅 This one is on my #womensdozen list also 2mo
68 likes23 comments
review
Ruthiella
Mobility | Lydia Kiesling
post image
Pickpick

Similar to her debut novel, there‘s a lot of mundane description in this book that‘s either going to work for a reader or it‘s not. I liked it. There was a lot about Bunny I could identify with, both good and bad. Capitalism, corporate greed, human indifference, the corruption of the oil industry, US complicity, etc. is all reflected through the lens of one ordinary person‘s life. The book is a wake up call and warning.

#LitsyToB24

BarbaraBB Fabulous review!! 2mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB Thank you 🙏 2mo
squirrelbrain Great review, and I agree with you - I rather liked the mundanity. 2mo
See All 6 Comments
Ruthiella @squirrelbrain I can totally see where it would irritate another reader though. 😄 2mo
Megabooks Great review! This was a hit for me, too. 👍🏻😁 2mo
Ruthiella @Megabooks Thanks! 😊 2mo
72 likes6 comments
review
Ruthiella
Wellness | Nathan Hill
post image
Pickpick

Other than the two I‘d read prior to our vote, this is the first #LitsyToB24 book I‘ve read. I really enjoyed it. It‘s less baggy than his debut, more focused, but still with a sharp satirical edge. After 20 years together, Jack and Elizabeth must reevaluate their “soul mates” status, a less romantic version of their origin story; the hopes and fears they‘ve never expressed. All this against the background of the insanity of 21st century America.

BarbaraBB Wow, great review of an impressive book! 2mo
sarahbarnes I‘m excited for this one! Great review! 2mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB Thanks.😊 It was a very satisfying read. 2mo
See All 11 Comments
Ruthiella @sarahbarnes I was really looking forward to this because I liked The Nix and I wasn‘t disappointed. 😃 2mo
squirrelbrain Glad you enjoyed it, and fab review! ❤️ 2mo
Megabooks Fantastic review!! 2mo
Chelsea.Poole Great review! I really enjoyed this one. 2mo
Ruthiella @Chelsea.Poole Thanks 🙏 I‘m already anticipating reading his third novel (whenever that might be!) (edited) 2mo
batsy I'm looking forward to this! 2mo
Ruthiella @batsy I hope you enjoy it! 😃 2mo
81 likes2 stack adds11 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
post image

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/01/05/how-many-books-did-you-read-2...

I‘m guessing a majority of Littens were WELL above the average in 2023! 📚❤️📚❤️📚

There are lots of interesting reading stats in this article. 👍

RaeLovesToRead Woo! We're special 🥰🥰🥰 2mo
Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead An elite cadre! 😂❤️📚 2mo
Suet624 I thought the same thing. 2mo
See All 21 Comments
Ruthiella @Suet624 Great minds! 😃 2mo
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 2mo
Centique Its nice to be in the top 1 percent for something good! 2mo
Ruthiella @Centique I know, right?!?! 2mo
CarolynM I had the worst reading year of my life and I‘m still in the top 1 percent😂 2mo
Ruthiella @CarolynM See! Amazing 🤩 2mo
Hooked_on_books I know a lot of people don‘t read, but I remembered seeing 50 books was what got you into the top 1% and thinking, “that‘s it?” 2mo
Ruthiella @Hooked_on_books Now 50 books a year feels normal to me. But before this century, when I was younger, had a more active social life and watched more television and movies, I read 10 to 20 books a year tops. 2mo
Hooked_on_books Oh yeah, I definitely read more books now than I was younger (though in middle and high school I read a book a day in the summer). But even 10 books a year put you in the 79th percentile. Which tells you how few (if any) books most people read. Which just makes me a bit sad. 2mo
Amiable @Hooked_on_books One of my brothers has actually bragged that he hasn‘t read a book since high school. And he‘s 51. I was horrified. 2mo
Ruthiella @Amiable That would be painful to think of! Over three decades and no books! 2mo
rubyslippersreads I realized I‘ve been in the top 1% since before I started kindergarten. 😁 2mo
Ruthiella @rubyslippersreads That‘s amazing! 🤩 2mo
rubyslippersreads @Ruthiella Well, the first couple of years, it was probably 50+ picture books. 😂 2mo
rubyslippersreads @Amiable @Hooked_on_books I‘ve encountered people (even in a book club!) who proudly proclaimed they were “too busy” to read. 2mo
Hooked_on_books @rubyslippersreads That one boils my blood! And they‘ll say it right as they mention spending hours bingeing a tv show! There‘s nothing wrong with bingeing, but I don‘t get why people feel the need to say they don‘t have time to read. If Obama was reading books while president, then the vast majority of people DO have time to read. 2mo
Ruthiella @Hooked_on_books @rubyslippersreads Absolutely. One has to make the time to read, prioritize it, just like anything else important. 2mo
Hooked_on_books @Ruthiella Preach! 🙌🏼 2mo
73 likes21 comments
review
Ruthiella
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
post image
Pickpick

Read for #ClassicLSFBC

The second novel that I‘ve now read from Le Guin‘s loosely connected Hainish Cycle. A thought experiment about what a pure anarchic culture might look like - pros & cons.

I love how this made me ponder about my culture and its benefits and limitations.

Shevek is a brilliant physicist from the splinter world of Annaraes where his brilliance is stifled but will he fare any better on the capitalist sister world of Urras?

RamsFan1963 I'm about 25% into this and I'm really enjoying it. The only other book I've read by Le Guin is The Left Hand of Darkness. 2mo
Ruthiella @RamsFan1963 That‘s the other Hainish Cycle book that I‘ve also already read. I loved it too. I have this on my bookshelf also, but so far unread 2mo
RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella I remember watching a TV version of The Lathe of Heaven back in the late 70s. It's a very intriguing idea, it might end up on a #ClassicLSFBC selection. 2mo
See All 11 Comments
vivastory @Ruthiella @ramsfan1963 The Lathe Of Heaven is my favorite Le Guin that I have read so far (out of the 3 or 4 that I have read) 2mo
Ruthiella @vivastory Awesome! I‘ll look forward to it. There are some sci-fi authors where I‘m happy to have just read enough to get a taste or content only their most famous work(s), but with Le Guin, I kind of want to be a completist. 2mo
vivastory Same! Rocannon's World is on my #auldlangspine list from @larkken The edition I checked out from the library contains the first 3 novels in the Hainish series, so I plan on reading the entire volume. 2mo
Centique The only LeGuin ive read is the first Wizard of Earthsea book. I liked it but i wasnt hooked. Maybe i should try this cycle? 2mo
Ruthiella @Centique I have also read the first Earthsea book and found it just okay. Her books for adults have been far more interesting to me, if that‘s any help. 2mo
Centique @Ruthiella definitely helps! Thank you 😘 2mo
Larkken @RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella @vivastory I agree with the feeling of wanting to be a le Guin - completist. I had great plans to get beyond Rocannons World last year but kept seeing other shiny things. Glad #classiclsfbc is giving my another excuse to try. 🙃 2mo
Ruthiella @Larkken Absolutely that is what I like about Litsy read alongs; they make me pick up books I‘ve been meaning to read sooner! 2mo
65 likes11 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Readathon: Occasional List : Geleentheidslys | Gauteng (South Africa). Education Media Service
post image

This is my #JoyousJanuary stack. The Brothers Karamazov is a chapter a day till March, but the others I hope to finish by the end of the readathon on January 21! 🤞

Megabooks I loved Wellness and the Lee! Enjoy! 2mo
Ruthiella I‘m almost done with Wellness and really enjoying it. 👍 I‘m less enamored with My Year Abroad. The story is interesting but the language is driving me a little nuts. Interesting to me because I liked his more restrained 2mo
sisilia Karamazov! Let me find that book and start reading it 😆 Picked it up in 2019 but I was not in the right mood. Now is the time 2mo
Ruthiella @sisilia You should grab it and read it with the #Pemberlittens crew #HashtagBrigade #TheBros ! You could easily catch up. 👍 2mo
68 likes4 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
post image

Keeping it literary!

1. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Ian Fleming)
2. The Joad‘s jerry rigged Hudson in the Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
3. Nancy Drew‘s red convertible (Carolyn Keen)

#TLT

Thanks for the tag @dabbe 😊

dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 2mo
bthegood ❤❤ 2mo
45 likes2 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
post image

Thank you for the tag @Eggs 😊

1. No, but sometimes when life gets too stressful, I can only read mysteries. Anything else feels too taxing.

2. I definitely preorder Kate Atkinson books.

3. Kazuo Ishiguro is also an auto-buy author for me.

#WondrousWednesday

Eggs Both are great writers ✍🏻 Thanks for playing 🥳 2mo
kspenmoll Mysteries are my go to as well when life is stressful 2mo
Ruthiella @kspenmoll I think there might be something comforting in that mystery novels (usually) are resolved at the end. It wraps up and is solved. I don‘t like romance as a genre, but I suspect the almost guaranteed HEA is also what some readers crave in times of stress. 2mo
kspenmoll @Ruthiella you are so right! There are often patterns & structure to the cozy ones that can be soothing, or Agatha C. whose books are generally not excessive descriptions of violence. 2mo
45 likes4 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
post image

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView 😊

1. No beverage preference specifically for reading. It‘s carving out time that really matters, and if I can throw in a cup of coffee along with, all the better. ☕️

2. I drove into work today and listened to My Year Abroad by Chang-Rae Lee and drank coffee from my travel mug. Very pleasant, even though I was late! 🙈

#Two4Tuesday

If you are reading this and feel like playing, consider yourself tagged. 👍

TheSpineView Thanks for playing ❤️📖📚 2mo
51 likes1 comment
review
Ruthiella
Murder While You Work | Susan Scarlett
post image
Pickpick

Fare thee well, Mr. Jones, fare thee well! The title is a clue that murder is part of the plot, yet I was not prepared for the level of menace this book had. 😆

Spunky young Judy goes to work in a munitions factory as part of the war effort. She‘s billeted outside of town with Mrs. Former, her daughter Miss Rose and granddaughter by marriage, Clara. But something‘s not quite right, not the least of which is Clara‘s creepy little boy, Desmond.

Tamra Menace! 👹 Fabulous pics! (edited) 2mo
elkeOriginal ‘Not quite right‘ - indeed! 2mo
See All 31 Comments
elkeOriginal Plus, Excellent collage! Captures it well 😁 2mo
dabbe #stacked! 🤩 2mo
Ruthiella @Tamra Thanks! Positively menacing! 👹 2mo
Ruthiella @elkeOriginal Thanks! It was fun to search them out! 2mo
Ruthiella @dabbe I hope you enjoy it! 2mo
LeahBergen 😂😂 I‘m laughing at Desmond and Syringe Lady! 2mo
dabbe @Ruthiella With the review you wrote? How can I not? 🤩😍😃 2mo
Ruthiella @LeahBergen They are supposed to chill you, not make you giggle! 😂 2mo
jlhammar Awesome collage! 2mo
batsy Great collage 😆 I'm still in the early stages of the book but have passed the chicken carcase episode and feeling greatly perturbed about it 🍗 and am also deeply protective of Mr. Jones! 2mo
Ruthiella @jlhammar Thanks! 😊 2mo
Ruthiella @batsy I was looking for a chicken carcass for the collage, but couldn‘t do it. It was too gross!🤢 🍗 2mo
quietjenn I love your collage! 😍 2mo
erzascarletbookgasm I‘m so intrigued by your review. And collage! 2mo
Ruthiella @quietjenn Thanks! 😊 2mo
Ruthiella @erzascarletbookgasm I can‘t wait to hear what you think of the book! 😃 2mo
CarolynM Great review, and wonderfully creepy pictures😱 2mo
Ruthiella @CarolynM Thanks! The story definitely put me on edge at times. 😱 2mo
batsy Oh my god, things escalated so fast! Mr Jones, noooo 😭 2mo
Ruthiella @batsy I know. That hit me hard too. Was not expecting this from the author of Babbacombe‘s and Clothes Pegs! 😭 2mo
rubyslippersreads This is fabulous! Isn‘t that actress on the right Gloria Stuart? (Old Rose from Titanic.) Also, Clara deserves the worst possible punishment just for what she did to Mr. Jones. 😭 (edited) 2mo
Ruthiella @rubyslippersreads It could be Gloria Stuart?!?! I just googled scary black and white movies. 😆 Yes to the punishment. We don‘t know exactly what happens, but surely being separated from Desmond will be enough to put her over the edge! 😠 2mo
Aimeesue Excellent collage! 2mo
Ruthiella @Aimeesue Thanks! 😊 2mo
Jess_Read_This Starting this one today so am looking forward to coming back to your post for the spoilery comment discussion! 😄 2mo
Ruthiella @Jess_Read_This Hope you like it! 👍 2mo
Jess_Read_This @batsy @Ruthiella 😭I wanted to just quit the book right then at there because of what happened to Mr Jones. 2mo
Ruthiella @Jess_Read_This I know! 😭 It was NOT a cozy murder mystery. 2mo
74 likes3 stack adds31 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
The bungalow mystery | Carolyn Keene, Russell H. Tandy
post image

“Humming softly, Nancy went to the modern pink-and-white kitchen. “

As a child, I wasn‘t concerned with interior design, but now I really want to see Nancy‘s kitchen! #NancyDrewBR

Librarybelle I think you found a good picture for it! 2mo
Ruthiella @Librarybelle Now I want to imagine the entire house! 😆 2mo
Tamra Oh wow, throwback! I appreciate the nostalgia, but I only think of Pepto Bismal when I see pink as an interior design element. 😝 2mo
See All 16 Comments
Ruthiella @Tamra Pink wouldn‘t be my first choice either, which is why I HAD to google it! 😂 2mo
Tamra @Ruthiella 🤣 I‘m glad you did! 2mo
LeahBergen I‘m digging it. 😆 2mo
Bookwormjillk I kind of love it. I would paint those wooden cabinets white though. 2mo
batsy Nice! I have to go down the Pinterest rabbit hole to look up 1930s and midcentury American kitchens 😆 2mo
jlhammar Oh my, that‘s a whole lot of pink! Great find. 2mo
Ruthiella @LeahBergen I think in the parlance of the day, you have to say it‘s “nifty”. 😆 2mo
Ruthiella @batsy I had to do it the minute I read MODERN! Not sure what the 1930s edition of the book had, however…still pink? 🤔 2mo
Ruthiella @Bookwormjillk I would be tempted to paint them too! 😃 (edited) 2mo
Ruthiella @jlhammar It‘s what Hannah Gruen wanted! 😆 2mo
LeahBergen Oh, that‘s right! 😆 2mo
kwmg40 Great photo! 😄 2mo
Ruthiella @kwmg40 Thanks! 😊 2mo
64 likes16 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
post image

I‘m not sure how big this group was in the States in the‘90s but they were huge in Europe and every time I see #thebros this is what I think of. 😆 Also, their hit “I owe you nothing” the theme song for almost every character so far!

#PemberLittens #HashtagBrigade

BarkingMadRead 🤣🤣🤣 amazing 2mo
OutsmartYourShelf Oh this brings back memories. Grolsch bottle tops on your shoes. 2mo
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 2mo
Aimeesue 😂😂😂 2mo
Centique Oh my god seeing this post made me GASP! Took me right back to 13yo - i was such a fan. I wonder why? 😂😂😂 2mo
63 likes5 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
post image

Picked up my #Roll100 books from the library today.

PuddleJumper 🎉🎉🎉 2mo
vivastory Vernon Subutex is an interesting read 2mo
Ruthiella @vivastory I just started Vernon, 50 pages in and am hooked! 2mo
60 likes3 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
post image

I just realized I forgot to include the next Aubrey-Maturin book, H.M.S. Surprise in my collage. 😂 In any case, it‘s not set in stone, but these are the series I‘d like to continue with for #SeriesLove2024.

rubyslippersreads ❤️❤️❤️ 3mo
TheSpineView Lookin' good! Enjoy!❤️📚❤️ 3mo
Andrew65 Some great series on there! Best of luck 😁 2mo
See All 12 Comments
CaramelLunacy Love the Amelia Peabody series! Hope you have a blast 2mo
Centique I loved the Imperial Radch series! 😍 2mo
Ruthiella @CaramelLunacy It is a super fun series. 😃 (edited) 2mo
Ruthiella @Centique Sentient AI? CHECK! 😂 2mo
vivastory I recently heard rumor of another Hobb trilogy
2mo
Ruthiella @vivastory What?!?! I would respectfully request she write slowly. I still have eight books to read! 😆 2mo
vivastory I've still only read the very first book lol 2mo
tokorowilliamwallace Nice the Forsyte Saga and Elizabeth Peters. I'm not very good with series myself. 2mo
Ruthiella @tokorowilliamwallace There‘s always something new that gets in the way. At least with The Forsythe Saga and the Elizabeth Peters‘ books, the series is complete. 2mo
69 likes12 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Untitled | Anonymous
post image

Thank you for the tag @The_Penniless_Author and @Eggs 😊

1. No goals other than to read as much as I can and to try to read what I own already or check out from the library rather than acquire more.

2. I‘m participating in a lot of Litsy events: #ClassicLSFBC #LitsySciFiBookClub #HashtagBrigade #LMWBR #NancyDrewBR #FurrowedMiddleBrowClub #LitsyToB24 #SeriesLove2024 #TBRTarot #Roll100 #pop24

#Two4Tuesday

TheSpineView Good luck on the reading your own shelves. I've tried the book buying ban to no avail. No will power. Thanks for playing and happy Tuesday 3mo
Ruthiella @TheSpineView Thanks! I know it‘s tough, so I don‘t have a strict rule. Psychologically, that works for me. 😂 3mo
Eggs ❤️❤️❤️ 3mo
sisilia I am with you on no.1 🦾 2mo
Ruthiella @sisilia Thanks for the solidarity! 😃👍 2mo
43 likes5 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
The Brothers Karamazov | Fyodor Dostoevsky
post image

I‘m reading from the same Penguin Black Spine edition as @mcctrish and @BarkingMadRead . 1000 plus pages…😬

#Pemberlittens #HashtagBrigade #TheBros

mcctrish Team Madcaps ✊🏻 3mo
eeclayton It's not an easy read, but a good one. Good luck! 3mo
Ruthiella @eeclayton Thanks! I hope it will be rewarding. 3mo
batsy I love this book! Hope you find it rewarding 🙂 3mo
67 likes5 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Murder While You Work | Susan Scarlett
post image

Happy New Year #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub members! 🥳

A quick reminder that we will be reading the tagged book to start our 2024 bimonthly group read in January. As usual, read at your own pace and post as you please. The general aim is to be finished by mid month. Happy reading!

If anyone wants to be added or removed from the list, let me know.

Tamra Looking forward to it! 💙 3mo
julieclair Any book described as “Frothily readable” sounds right up my alley! 😀 3mo
jlhammar Happy New Year!! Hoping to start this weekend. Can‘t wait! 3mo
See All 12 Comments
catebutler Happy New Year! Looking forward to our first book of 2024!! 3mo
LeahBergen And we begin again! Yayyyy! 👏👏 3mo
quietjenn Should be a fun way to kick off the year! 3mo
willaful Already read it and it's my least favorite of them, but I hope others will enjoy it. You can keep me on the list if it's not too much trouble. 3mo
Jess_Read_This Thanks for the tag! I‘ve got to rummage my shelves to see if own it. If not, I have to get my order in. 💸😂 3mo
CarolynM Just about to get started🙂 3mo
batsy Looking forward to this! Might save it for a midmonth pick me up 🤩 3mo
Cathythoughts Hi Ruth,reluctantly I‘d like to be removed from this list , please. I‘ll definitely still stay in the Persephone Club, but for the moment I‘ll pass on the Furrowed Middle Brow. I hope to come back to it in the future, but for now I‘ll bow out. I‘m definitely going to read this one though as the reviews are so good. Thanks Ruth , I hope you are well 😘 2mo
Ruthiella @Cathythoughts Will do Cathy. I will miss you. ❤️ 2mo
55 likes12 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
More Than Human | Theodore Sturgeon
post image

QUESTION 3: Can you think of any ways humans might now already operate in a group of human gestalt by “bleshing”- Where the sum of a group‘s energies is greater than each individual‘s part?

CatLass007 The first thing that comes to mind for me is the choral groups of which I have been a part over the course of my life. It‘s true of any musical ensemble. Sports teams with stars often are not as successful as teams in which there can be standout plays from the team working together. Teams that place all their emphasis on one or two players often don‘t win because the stars get bottled up. 3mo
Ruthiella @CatLass007 Great observations! I was thinking of an orchestra or band playing instruments but didn‘t think of voices melding in a choir. And you are so right about team sports. 3mo
Bookwomble I think anytime people come together in pro-social ways to act for the interests of community rather than for selfish individualism is a form of bleshing. Despite the Western and right-wing focus on “rugged individualism“, it is cooperation and empathy which has advanced humanity, and Sturgeon's gestalt is an evolutionary enhancement of that characteristic. 3mo
38 likes3 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
More Than Human | Theodore Sturgeon
post image

QUESTION 2: Originally, the middle story was published alone and the first and third sections were later added to make this a novel. The second part has a very different dynamic than the other two. Did you find this worked as a whole?

CatLass007 At first, it took some adjusting but I do believe it works. I like seeing how Sturgeon brings different parts of the story together. 3mo
Ruthiella @CatLass007 I think it works too, but to be honest, I liked the middle section best. It had a forward moving energy to it that the other sections didn‘t have. 3mo
RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella I think the middle section works as both a stand alone and as the middle act of 3. You can tell that it's the main story, and the others were created to support it. It has the strongest narrative. I think the 1st act could have been removed, kept the other two parts and it would still be a strong novella. 3mo
Ruthiella @RamsFan1963 The third act definitely gives the novel an emotional upswing , whereas the middle section alone leaves the reader with an open question as to which way the new human species will go. 3mo
35 likes4 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
More Than Human | Theodore Sturgeon
post image

I thought I‘d post a few discussion questions again for our monthly #ClassicLSFBC. I‘m tagging those who expressed previous interest - Anyone want to be added or removed, let me know!

QUESTION 1: The book was originally published in 1953, only eight years after the end of WWII. What is Sturgeon is trying to say about humanity with this title?

CatLass007 This is one of the most hopeful books I have ever read. I think Sturgeon wants us to know that we don‘t have to destroy ourselves with hate, that humanity as a whole is better than the some of its parts. 3mo
Ruthiella @CatLass007 Yes. The very end gives the reader a real “aha” moment. 3mo
Suet624 @CatLass007 I‘m not a sci-fi reader but your comment makes me want to read this. 3mo
See All 9 Comments
CatLass007 @Suet624 I hope you will read it. Science fiction is meant to entertain and enlighten. It‘s a way of commenting on events happening in this day and time. And, if it does its job it will encourage us to think differently about our present and our future. 3mo
CatLass007 @Ruthiella @Suet624 I have a friend who doesn‘t like sci-fi either but she‘s made an exception for Mary Doria Russell‘s The Sparrow. It is a wonderful book. 3mo
julesG 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ I forgot all about reading this. I'll get back to the discussion once I have read the book. 3mo
Ruthiella @julesG No worries! 😉 3mo
Bookwomble @Ruthiella @CatLass007 Most of the members of the gestalt would have been murdered in Nazi death camps due to neurodivergence, disability and/or race. I think it interesting that Sturgeon emphasises the importance and value of diversity within the collective entity. Eugenics had been a popular theory across the pre-war political spectrum, the horror of where that lead being a turning point for most. (edited) 3mo
Ruthiella @Bookwomble Yeah, I can‘t think that he wasn‘t in some way reacting to the horror of the war and Nazi atrocities, which would have been still fresh in most people‘s memories. 3mo
35 likes1 stack add9 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
Readathon: Occasional List : Geleentheidslys | Gauteng (South Africa). Education Media Service
post image

Here is my #OutwiththeOldInwiththeNew #20in4 stack. I‘m off work today and Monday and hope to finish the Tey, Gospodinov, and Lepore by then. If feasible, I‘ll then get stared on Wellness for #litsytob24 .

Andrew65 Best of luck 😁 3mo
Megabooks Enjoy Wellness!! 3mo
62 likes2 comments