I think I agree with the sentiment I‘ve heard that Christie‘s espionage novels are generally her weaker books. The international/political intrigue here was both weak and too convoluted; never mind the problematic stereotypes. Between that and the English country house party dynamics, there was just a little too much going on for me. I did enjoy Superintendent Battle‘s investigative methods, as he worked quietly in the background, almost ⤵️

Fiona returns to live with her grandparents on the beloved Western Isles of her birth. When she visits her family‘s former home on the island of Ron Mor, she‘s sure she sees a glimpse of her baby brother, who disappeared when her family left the island four years before. Such a sweet, lovely story of family and return, with hints of myth and magic—enhanced by Fry‘s drawings throughout. So glad I picked this as my 1957 book for #192025.

#5JoysFriday!

1. Lunch with a good friend
2. Closing out said lunch with Greek frozen yogurt topped with honey and baklava crumbles
3. Reading Terry Pratchett (tagged) for the #OokBOokClub
4. Discovering that Charles Dickens called his youngest son PLORN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Dickens
5. Laughing with my husband so hard I cried… over a bunch of fart joke memes

So, this week I discovered that Charles Dickens called his son Plorn. PLORN. Short for a babyhood nickname of “the Plornishghenter” which was shortened to “Plornish” and then PLORN. I can‘t. 🤣🤣 This will live rent-free in my head forever.

Also: I‘m guessing the characters Mr. & Mrs. Plornish in Little Dorrit may be named after good ol‘ Plorn, who was 3 years old when Dickens started publishing the book in serial form. #WhattheDickens indeed. 😂

Other than the egregious punctuation error in the title, this was fab. “Old-maid” twin sisters Augusta (Gus) and Julia are back in action, investigating dangerous mysteries from the past and working to right the injustices they uncover along the way. I‘m amazed at how Goodman tackles some very serious themes and dark situations, while keeping the overall tone witty, hilarious, and heartfelt. Looking forward to this series continuing!

Oh, this was good. Rich world-building, unique magic system, complex characters, nuanced political dynamics, and a fascinating examination of power, culture, history, and gender. All wrapped up in a fast-paced chosen-one/coming-of-age story with a (very complicated) found family vibe. The author makes bold choices here, exploring several very heavy themes and offering some jaw-dropping twists that kept me on my toes. Now I need the sequel!

I loved being back in the world of The Goblin Emperor, this time with a new protagonist: erstwhile scholar & historian Ulcetha Zhorvena. Ulcetha‘s best friend was killed in the accident on the Wisdom of Choharo, leaving behind a mystery for Ulcetha to unravel. This has a similar feel to the Cemeteries of Amalo series: a likable and unassuming main character with injustice in his past, leading a life very different from the one he had planned.⤵️

When I told a friend I was reading this, she said, “What, voluntarily?!” 🤣 I LOVED Dickens in college and grad school, and in many ways I still do, but here I was really feeling the “paid by the word” vibe. Several of the intersecting plots could have been lifted right out and I wouldn‘t have minded at all!

Little Dorrit has all the classic hallmarks of a Dickens novel: a sweet, industrious heroine and her imprudent, foolish, silly family; ⤵️

Fast-paced, snarky, ridiculous, and fun—this was just as expected. During the COVID pandemic, Jamie takes a job working for a secretive “animal rights organization” and finds himself part of a team studying and caring for, well—Kaiju. On an alternate world adjacent to our own. Naturally, hijinks ensue. I read this for my #50x50 challenge, for prompt 12 - a book I gave to someone else but still haven‘t read. (Well, now I have 😆) ⤵️

“The divine has such passionate creativity and instinct for the fully inhabited life. If you allow yourself to be the person that you are, then everything will come into rhythm. If you live the life you love, you will receive shelter and blessings. Sometimes the great famine of blessing in and around us derives from the fact that we are not living the life we love, rather we are living the life that is expected of us.”

💜💜

Back into the #LMMJournals today! Whenever I‘m reading these, I keep an eye out for mentions of what LMM is reading, partly because I love reading her thoughts about books, but I also look for good #LMMAdjacent picks. However, I don‘t think I‘ll add Les Mis to our list… 😂 (I‘m with LMM here, it was a wonder but I don‘t think I need to re-read it!)
#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead So, I had talked about us reading the 400-ish-page-long novel-in-verse Aurora Leigh after we read Emily Climbs. A couple of you were game to try but had trepidations. Ultimately I decided I have enough on my plate and am not that ambitious right now. 😂 BUT, after seeing references to “The Alhambra“ in Emily of New Moon (+ LMM has talked about it in her journals), I thought that might be a fun one to add. Who's in?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - African Farm discussion 5/5:

LMM references this book several times in her journals:
Vol. 1—Oct. 7, 1897, p. 38
Vol. 2—March 6, 1901, p. 9
Vol. 4—Jan. 31, 1920, pp. 240-41
Vol. 5—Oct. 29, 1925, p. 420

What do you think LMM appreciated about this book? Where do you see influences on her writing?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - African Farm discussion 4/5:

How did this work for you as a story, with so many philosophical or religious digressions? Would you have preferred the book to be one or the other—philosophy or story? Or did it work for you as is?

Published in 1883, this has been called an early feminist classic. What ideas (feminist or otherwise) did you find to be progressive for their time?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Story of an African Farm discussion 3/5:

Did you find the ending satisfying?
Do you think it offers resolution for the main characters and the questions they struggle with?
Did it offer resolution for you?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - discussion 2/5:
Part One focuses on Bonaparte‘s sojourn at the farm and Waldo, Lyndall, and Em together as children. Part Two focuses on the three as young adults making their way separate from one another.

How do the children‘s experiences in Part One shape their lives in Part Two?
Do you see other connections between Parts One & Two?
Did the two parts feel like a cohesive narrative to you? Why/why not?

This book was not at ALL what I expected! Let‘s discuss!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Story of an African Farm discussion 1/5:

What impact does the setting (the African Farm of the title) have on the story? How did you feel about the characterization and treatment of native people throughout the book?

What roles do the adults (Tant‘ Sannie, Otto, Bonaparte) play in the children‘s growth (whether positively or negatively)?

#5JoysFriday
1. First meeting of the Blueprint for Revolution book exploration on Zoom
2. Got my ticket for this and am looking forward to it! https://www.rabbitroom.com/housemoot
3. Reading the new Morrigan Crow
4. This video of Gregory Alan Isakov covering “The Trapeze Swinger” by Iron & Wine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiX4CIgKMEs
5. This reminder in my inbox this morning: https://flyingedna.com/products/the-moment-print

July wrap-up from StoryGraph! It looks like I hardly read any nonfiction in July—the truth is I hardly *finished* any nonfiction! I have several in progress that I‘ll finish in August. Lots of classics this month, thanks to several classic mysteries and finishing Little Dorrit for #WhattheDickens.

July #BookSpinBingo—I got one bingo 🎉 but haven‘t finished my #BookSpin or #DoubleSpin yet. The irony is that if I‘d finished both spins, I‘d have two more bingos 😆

This was a great month, with a lot of five-star reads and a few books that wouldn‘t fit on my grid because I used up all the free spaces already!

Favorites for July:
🌳This Here Flesh
🦭Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry
🌳Heartwood
🐦‍⬛Silverborn
✍🏻Emily of New Moon (re-read)

It‘s time for my #BookSpin list for AUGUST 😳 (How is it August tomorrow?!?)

Not included on this list: the five BookSpins and #DoubleSpins I still need to finish from previous months 😬

I came across this Summer Activity Checklist and I love everything about it except that it didn‘t include reading books. So I fixed it. Now it‘s perfect!

#DoorstopKristin #KLBR Discussion Questions (5/5):

Overall: what is it about these books that keeps you reading (or re-reading!)? Or, if you‘re struggling to get through them: what about the books has been an obstacle to keeping you engaged?

Are there any other themes, scenes, or characters you‘d like to discuss from The Wife?

#KLBR Discussion 4/5:

Kristin‘s faith & her feelings of guilt play a huge role in her motivations here. From the Penguin Reader‘s Guide: “Sigrid Undset said that Kristin‘s greatest sin was not indulging in sex before marriage, but the sin of pride…” Where do you see examples of Kristin‘s pride? Is there a connection between her pride and her feelings of guilt?

What impact do you think Kristin‘s faith has on her actions as a wife? As a daughter?

#DoorstopKristin #KLBR Discussion Questions (3/5):

There are SO many changing relationships to consider in this book, from the marriages (Erlend and Kristin, Lavrans and Ragnfried, Simon and Ramborg) to the family relationships (Erlend and Lavrans, Kristin and Lavrans, Simon and Kristin, Simon and Erlend…).

Which changing relational dynamic stood out to you the most? Which surprised you?

#DoorstopKristin #KLBR Discussion Questions (2/5):

What growth or change do you see in Kristin from The Wreath to The Wife?

Do you see any growth in Erlend? Has your opinion of him changed from The Wreath to The Wife? Why or why not?

Here we are at the end of #DoorstopKristin Book Two! #KLBR Discussion Questions (1/5):

Do you see Kristin and Erlend‘s relational struggles as inevitable? Are their temperaments and backgrounds just a bad fit, or could they have responded differently to each other?

What do you see as the main contributing factors to the breakdown of Kristin and Erlend‘s relationship?

What positive elements (if any!) do you see in Kristin and Erlend‘s marriage?

I loved this so, so much, and am pretty sure it‘s going to end up on my top-ten (or however many titles I allow myself to count as “top”) for the year. Erica, a trans teacher in small-town South Dakota—who‘s not yet out—befriends the only other trans person she knows: one of her students. Told from multiple perspectives, this gave such a rich, complex portrait of trans experience. The characterization and nuance here were phenomenal— ⤵️

Hello, #DoorstopKristin readers! Our second #KLBR discussion, on Book Two (The Wife/The Mistress of Husaby), will be on Friday, July 31.

I finished book two this week and it was slower-going than book one, but still SO GOOD. Also: equally if not more emotionally rough than book one. These characters live and breathe on the page. Looking forward to discussing this with you all next week!

(I‘m slowly trying to catch up on reviews back to MAY… when this was a #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent pick.)

This book for children, published in 1893, is based on the real-life story of a dog who‘s rescued from horrible abuse. When I was a kid, I loved animal stories, especially when told from the animal's perspective. And I think I‘d have enjoyed this “Autobiography of a Dog” much more as a kid. Or maybe not? ⤵️

I thought I would end up with very mixed feelings about this book, as often happens to me with Okorafor‘s work. I admired the main character, Zelu, but didn‘t much like her, and her family was infuriating. I enjoyed the interwoven book-within-a-book much more—but the framing made Zelu the focus, so I didn‘t enjoy the book as a whole as much as I wanted to. Until the end. The ending not only surprised me, it absolutely made the book for me. ⤵️

I‘d gotten out of the habit of #5JoysFriday lately, but the idea of joy kept popping up this week. I‘m calling it a sign to dive back in!
1. This poem: https://ahundredfallingveils.com/2022/11/13/lumbricus-terrestris/
2. Spiritual direction (with my own director and with one of my directees)
3. New delicious-smelling candle
4. Completing some writing (ironically, about joy) to read at my writing group today
5. India Rose Crawford‘s Frog pics 💜🐸

I knew this would be disturbing, and yeah. It was horrific. Also: I liked it better when it was called "Lord of the Flies."

Also also: Teenage boys. UGH.

But: one more complete for #192025! This one is for 1974.

I‘m trying to decide if I want to read the sequel. But first, I need a dessert book (which will be the new Morrigan Crow)!

Here's an idea: All emotions start out as love. Later, that love is worked on by the forces of luck and suffering.
Hate is just soured love.
Fear is wounded love.
Longing is homeless love.
Love, not pain, is the mother. Love is the taproot.

“…Bonaparte soon came to a conclusion as to the nature of the book and its contents, by the application of a simple rule now largely acted upon, but which, becoming universal, would save much thought and valuable time. It is of marvellous simplicity, of infinite utility, of universal applicability. It may easily be committed to memory, and runs thus:—
Whenever you come into contact with any book, person, or opinion… ⤵️

“When that day comes, and I am strong, I will hate everything that has power, and help everything that is weak.”

I LOVE Lyndall—the above quote is 🔥

Nine chapters in and I‘m feeling a lot of injustice fatigue with this book! Some wonderful characters, and some despicable. I‘m so interested to see what the author does with the views of God she‘s woven in so far.

How‘s your reading going? #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

“Her heart felt as if it were breaking in her breast, bleeding & bleeding, young & fierce. From grief over the warm & ardent love which she had lost and still secretly mourned; from anguished joy over the pale, luminous love which drew her to the farthest boundaries of life on this earth. Through the great darkness that would come, she saw the gleam of another, gentler sun, and she sensed the fragrance of the herbs in the garden at world's end.”⤵️

I‘m just about to start this, I‘m really looking forward to it, and also: I cannot express how much it annoys me that it‘s missing the necessary apostrophe after “Ladies.” Ladies‘ Guide. Plural possessive. COME ON, publisher. 😫

The next #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead pick is an #LMMAdjacent—LMM references Story of an African Farm several times in her journals. Published in 1883, it‘s been called an early feminist classic. However, I‘m bracing myself for the inevitable racism. 😬

I picked up my library copy today, and it‘s a big illustrated one! Super interested to dive in.

Schedule:
July 13 - 19: Chapters 1-9
July 20 - 26. Chapters 10-18
July 27 - Aug. 2: Chapters 19-27

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread

Do you agree with LMM that this is the best book she‘s written (thus far in her life)?

What criteria do you use when considering what is a “best book”? For you, is “best” different from “favorite”?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead LMMReread

For those of you who are re-reading, is there anything that landed differently for you on this reading?

If you‘re also reading the journals—how did the context of the journals affect your reading of the book?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread Emily of New Moon
As I was reading, I had a couple ideas I thought would be great for discussion questions. I was going to get up & note them down, but I was lazy and told myself of course I‘d remember. Well. I forgot. So. General discussion post! (I do have a couple of other questions I‘ll post separately)
What are your thoughts on Emily of New Moon? What themes, characters, scenes, or quotes stand out to you?

When it rains… 😳

I thought I was far enough down the holds list for Heartwood and Silverborn that it‘d take a LOT longer for those to make their way to me. Looks like I‘ll be needing to clear my schedule!!

“The happiest countries, like the happiest women, have no history,” said Dean.

“…like all female creatures, you form your opinions by your feelings.”

Every time I read this, I discover more reasons to hate Dean Priest. #LMMReread #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

I keep getting these ads on FB, and they have inspired an obsession with getting a bookshelf that spins. I don‘t have the room or the $$ for it, but it‘s going on the “someday library” list.

I follow Lauren Grubaugh Thomas‘ Substack, A Soulful Revolution, and today‘s piece was hopeful and encouraging to me, as I feel somewhat at a loss over effective action in the face of current events. I‘ll link her piece below. She highlighted the tagged book and an upcoming series of online book discussions, if anyone‘s interested in joining in. I just put the book on hold at the library! Links in comments ⤵️

“Sometimes it‘s better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness.”

🔥

#OokBOokClub

Here we are in July, and I‘ve started #DoorstopKristin Book Two: The Wife (The Mistress of Husaby in some editions). This book is so beautifully written, and so emotionally engaging—I‘m enjoying book two just as much as book one.

How is your #KLBR reading coming along? If you‘ve started book two, what are your thoughts so far?

I loved this. Manguel writes about being a reader in ways that are so relatable, even though I‘m pretty sure his reading is much more erudite than my own! Starting with reflections on setting up his own library, Manguel uses each chapter to examine a different aspect of libraries—the library as myth, as order, as space, as imagination, and so on. He brings together historical tidbits about personal and national libraries with his own reflections⤵️

I read this in May after seeing several reviews on Litsy. It‘s excellent—a Jewish perspective on current events in Gaza that traces the impact of the persecution Jews have faced and interrogates Israel‘s conflation of religious and national identity. It traces how Israel‘s establishment as a nation-state has largely changed its position from persecuted people to perpetrators of violence themselves, and how deeply problematic a persistent story ⤵️