ReneeMarie's 888

I'm in three face-to-face book groups, which should make fulfilling the requirements of this challenge a *bit* easier. I hope.

Here are my categories:

1. Historical Fiction (Adult and Juvenile Titles)


2. Historical Mystery


3. Historical Romance


4. Historical Nonfiction


5. Borrowed Books


6. Potpourri and ARCs


7. Classics


8. Science Fiction/Fantasy

NOTE: Titles will be chosen as I go, and added when I finish the book.

Gulp.
Renee

Edited to update categories. "Potpourri" equals miscellaneous.

A. Historical Fiction (Adult and Juvenile Titles)

1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (274p as ARC; 11 July 2008)


2. Shark Dialogues by Kiana Davenport (480p; 4 August 2008)


3. A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos (145p; 26 August 2008)


4. Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard (413p; 9 September 2008)


5. Smith by Leon Garfield (218p; 13 December 2008)


6. Jack Absolute by C.C. Humphreys (310p; 30 December 2008)


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B. Historical Mystery

1. Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith (294p; 6 July 2008)


2. The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen (370p; 16 July 2008)


3. Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas (304p; 2 November 2008)


4. Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn (511p; 23 November 2008)


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C. Historical Romance

1. Seize the Fire by Laura Kinsale (583p; 3 July 2008)


2. Miss Darby's Duenna by Sheri Cobb South (217p; 16 July 2008)


3. The Lion's Daughter by Loretta Chase (354p; 23 July 2008)


4. Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase (280p; 24 July 2008)


5. To Rescue a Rogue by Jo Beverley (411p; 25 July 2008)


6. The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn (371pp; 27 September 2008)


7. Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn (370pp; 28 September 2008)


8. Sugarplum Surprises by Elisabeth Fairchild (236pp; 26 November 2008)

D. Historical Nonfiction

1. Death in the Dining Room by Kenneth Ames (241p; 5 September 2008)


2. All the Happy Endings by Helen Papashvily (212p; 24 October 2008)


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E. Borrowed Books

1. Into the Fire by Suzanne Brockmann (496p; 22 July 2008)


2. Making a Literary Life by Carolyn See (260p; 20 August 2008)


3. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (235p; 1 September 2008)


4. Mackenzie's Mountain by Linda Howard (373p in LP; 1 September 2008)


5. Wisconsin Christmas Anthology by Terry R. Engels (152p; 10 November 2008)


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F. Potpourri and ARCs

1. _The Secretary Gets Her Man_ by Mindy Neff (248p; 28 September 2008)


2. Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner (286p as ARC; 28 November 2008)


3. The Lady Flees Her Lord by Michele Ann Young (401p as ARC; 13 December 2008)


4. Ace Is Wild by Penny McCall (309p; 29 December 2008)


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G. Classics

1. The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (61p including introductions and notes; 4 July 2008)


2. The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread by Don Robertson (256p; 18 July 2008)


3. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford (207p; 7 November 2008)


4. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley (98p; 18 November 2008)


5. The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley (253p; 26 November 2008)


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H. Science Fiction/Fantasy

1. Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland (333p as ARC; 1 December 2008)


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I guess if I don't want this thread to go dormant, I'll have to change the way I'm posting notes and comments on titles.

As regards Seize the Fire, I truly enjoyed it, although not as much as some of her other works, like Flowers from the Storm and Prince of Midnight. Her hero is seriously flawed, and her heroine needs some work on forgiveness. All in all, a bit closer to real people than your average romance hero and heroine.

Laura Kinsale, LaVyrle Spencer, and Pamela Morsi are the trinity for me, a major part of my romance pantheon. Kinsale has writer's block (but I'll wait), Spencer has retired, and Morsi no longer writes regular historical romances. There are authors I enjoy today, including some who are autobuys, but Spencer, Morsi, and Kinsale rule.

The Communist Manifesto was my pick for my classics book group. I understand where Niall Ferguson's title The Cash Nexus no doubt comes from, now. However, I think I need to read Marx's Capital for wider understanding of belief and intent. But I'll probably leave that, as well as The Wealth of Nations and Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith for another non-888 challenge day.

I had to finish it by July 4th, since that's when the Contemplate a Classic Book Group met to discuss it. It was originally supposed to be the August pick, but the person who was to pick for July decided due to time constraints that she'd remove herself from the lineup to pick titles, thus moving The Communist Manifesto ahead a month.

Holmes on the Range got a great (starred) review from _Publishers Weekly_ upon publication, so I read it then. It was chosen recently for my Historical Fiction Book Group, so I read it again. Group met July 7th, so finished it just in time.

The series is up to book three, but I haven't read the other two yet. I do like this Holmes/Watson duo. I also like the Holmes/Watson duo created by Will Thomas, starting with Some Danger Involved. I have also only read the first book in that series so far.

Loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Shaffer and Barrows. One of my all-time favorites, I believe. Will be my staff recommendation at the bookstore as soon as it's published.

It's funny, and sweet, and sad, and told completely via letters. Not sure I've ever read an epistolary novel before. Fun and historic way to tell a story.

Cheating a bit by putting the Gerritsen book under Historical Mystery. It's mostly set in the past, but it's a "multiple time periods" novel, with a woman today attempting to solve the mystery of whose bones she found in the garden of a house she bought. Has a bit of the "woo woo" about it, but just a bit. It did keep me reading. Never tried Gerritsen before. Tried this one only because of the historical tie.

The Sheri Cobb South book is her debut. Okay, but I didn't love it. I think I've read another of hers, The Weaver Takes a Wife, but not sure if I bought it or got it through the library. Will perhaps know by the time I get my entire book collection in. :-)

Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread is a book that was just reprinted. Originally published in 1965, the book seems to have won a regional award. The author won a Mark Twain award and a couple of awards for journalism.

There's a fellow Classics group member who's always tweaking me about me wanting the classics group to actually read classics. She gave me the choice of this Don Robertson book or something by Horatio Alger. Figured this would be easier to find.

It made me cry. Apparently he's written other books about Morris Bird III. I may go on to read them. But first I have to read Shark Dialogues for my Historical Fiction Book Group, and Rude Republic for my museum book group.

Still putting off my book group books a bit (which I shouldn't, because even though I finished GTSSB, I now have to read GWTW for classics book group. (That would be Gone with the Wind, for the acronym impaired.)

In the meantime, I'm considering changing 3 of my categories, to make me more likely to fill them: D-F would become Historical Nonfiction, Check out the Library (books sitting on my kitchen table, which is where I keep my library books to keep track of them), and Potpourri (aka Miscellaneous). That way when I read, I'll always be reading in a category. Right now, I have nowhere to put Into the Fire by Suzanne Brockmann, which I inhaled on Tuesday night. I started reading on my breaks at work, and finished around 1 a.m.

The Loretta Chase book I just finished at least fits my Historical Romance category. The Lion's Daughter reminds me of Laura Kinsale's work: interesting characters and fascinating locale. Yes, folks, a romance set in 1818 Albania. Whodathunkit. In her author's note at the end, she indicates what her major source materials were. Now I want to peek at them, too.

And I dug another of Chase's titles, Lord Perfect, out of the mountain range that is my TBR pile.

Hi ReneeMarie!
I have had to tweak my categories, too. And then there are the books that I just shoehorn in to sort of fit the category. I love that you have so many book groups. Anyway, good luck with your challenge!
--BJ

Apparently I'm in the middle of a reading binge. Have not read so much since before becoming involved in 3 book groups (oddly enough). Not sure if that means the 888 challenge is good for me, or bad for me. :-}

Finished the second Loretta Chase book yesterday, then read the Jo Beverley today, my day off. Enjoyed the Chase book more. Am going to have to add her to my favorite authors list.

Dug out some of my Charles Todd novels for the Historical Mystery portion of our program. (Couldn't get his name to come up with Touchstones, but he's already on my favorite authors list.) And found my copy of The Adventuress of Henrietta Street (Doctor Who) that might end up on my SF/Fantasy list.

Read about 30 pages of Davidson's _The Gargoyle_ last night -- I'm wimpy so I read the medical/burn parts with one eye closed and skipping every other word. Yikes. Ordinarily I would have wimped out entirely, but the author has an amazing voice, so I persevere.

Today I also read 80 pages of Shark Dialogues for book group like a good girl. Have not even cracked Gone with the Wind -- have never been able to bear the Scarlett of the movie, so am dreading having to read the book for reasons beyond the high page count. Need to dive into Rude Republic; have so far only read the introductory material. That was my pick for my museum book group, in honor of 2008 being an election year (and I hope a happy one), so I'd *better* finish it.

Probably little chance to read tomorrow. Working at the museum, and it's Laura Ingalls Wilder day so we'll be trampled by rushing children. :^0 Activities from stacking wood to playing cat's cradle to jumping in haystacks to stringing buttons have been planned for them. I'm still not sure my hands have recovered from the year I was the one helping them make corncob dolls.

Didn't realize until recently that this isn't an 888-in-a-year challenge, but rather an 888-in-2008 challenge. When I signed up, I assumed it was a rolling year rather than a calendar year. Not sure why. I *can* actually read for comprehension. Usually.

Bad month. I've read bits and pieces but not actually finished anything in that time, except Shark Dialogues and one other book (see below). The 1440+ pages of GWTW may kill me. And not just if I drop the book on myself. :-) I have my museum book group title out as an ILL, and it has to go back about two weeks from now. :-( Wow, I'm moody tonight.

And in news that's both good (free book that interests me) and bad (pressure to read and review), I got my first ever LTER ARC today. UPS delivered a Random House package containing The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss. We read A Conspiracy of Paper for my historical fiction book group a while back. I think I also have an autographed copy of The Coffee Trader somewhere. Don't think I bought his Spectacle of Corruption yet, though. Or maybe I did, if we had autographed copies of both at the same time. Hmmnn. (I really need to get my full library in here....)

Today I finished reading Making a Literary Life so I could return it to the library. Only two days late. Parts of it were amusing, although there seemed to be a bit of a focus on s/e/x, oddly enough. Some of her tips were interesting and worth trying. And her information about the shelf life of a book in a bookstore is spot on. (Current bookstore employee, and at my store I'm the one who sends out the returns.)

Finished A Gathering of Days yesterday morning. (Children's fiction set in New England in the antebellum era.) Story is framed by letters from grandmother to granddaughter. First letter accompanies the gift of her girlhood journal. Second letter responds to "what happened" questions and comments from the granddaughter on reading the journal.

Joan Blos won the Newbery for this one. I enjoyed it as I was reading it, even though I thought there were occasionally bits that needed more context for modern readers. Less than satisfied, however, with where the book ends. And the framing letters raise questions of their own concerning what the rest of the main character's life was like.

I'm now on page 489 of GWTW. Approximately 1/3 of the way through. I'm going to have to set myself page count goals, like reading for college classes, to get through by classics book group. Unfortunately this means I'm focussing more on what page I'm on and how much I have left, and just trying to get through the story. It's not what I expected, in the sense that it so far does not seem like a shrine to the lost cause. It's more nuanced.

Just read chapter one on hallways and hallstands in Death in the Dining Room. Highly recommend this book on material culture to anyone writing historical fiction. Allows you to see space and objects in a different way. This one is for my living history museum book group.

This morning I also dipped my toe into The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard. So to speak. I have to read it for historical fiction book group, but am the one who tossed the title into the "hat" for that group after an editor showed up on a list looking for historical fiction manuscripts and said that was one (of several) he enjoyed. I am enjoying the voice so far.

I've read a couple of chapters of my LT ER The Whiskey Rebels, too. I know Liss is an historian, which prejudices me favorably toward him as a writer to begin with. So far I'm liking the Joan Maycott character. Cheeky baggage. I'm curious to see what he'll do with the "disgraced spy" character of Ethan Saunders. Don't know much about 19th century espionage, but my general sense is that spies were viewed as less than honorable. A necessary evil.

I've put down To Say Nothing of the Dog, reluctantly, because I'm also reading In Their Own Words: Letters from Norwegian Immigrants for the 1840s Norwegian immigrant cabin I'm currently interpreting at the museum.

And did I mention the several thousand other unread books in my apartment? Or the 68 items currently checked out from my local library? I've been working seven days a week lately. Really looking forward to Labor Day, which will be my first day off in a while. And I'm sure I'll be spending a good part of it gone with the wind....

Renee

Read the first detective agency book by Alexander McCall Smith this morning. Also read the novella "The Mad Earl's Bride" by Loretta Chase in the anthology Three Weddings and a Kiss.

A couple of booksellers I work with love Precious Ramotswe. The plot is put together in an unusual way. Not sure if it's supposed to be evocative of African literature, since I don't remember ever reading anything by an African author, and have read very little set in Africa. McCall Smith's books have been so popular I thought I should try one. I did like the fact that a 16-year old girl outsmarted her. I liked her scruples, too. While I enjoyed the stories, I'm not in a hurry to read more.

I do like Loretta Chase in general. But I think this novella had been touted too much on some listservs to which I subscribe, so I expected to enjoy it more than I did. Maybe the length hampers it, as well. A truly amazing romance with a "mad" character is _The Portrait_ by Megan Chance. Don't own it but probably will someday.

On the book group front, I'm on page 707 in GWTW. And I'm in the second chapter of _Death in the Dining Room_. Will spend a good part of the day with them, as well as the David Liss ARC and Bayard's _The Pale Blue Eye_. The first two books have to be finished by Friday and Thursday, respectively.

I'd also like to spend more time on my LT library. Re-import some of the books already there that used Amazon as the source, and tag them. Enter and tag the three books I bought yesterday (how weak the will). And enter more of the books currently lying about on every surface in every room. I'm just treading water right now, but need to start swimming.

The same listserv discussing Loretta Chase recently had one participant state that Mackenzie's Mountain was her favorite romance (or maybe favorite novel, period) ever.

I've read it before, but got it from the library to refresh my memory. I don't read a lot of contemporary romance, as a percentage of my romance reading. I like MM a lot. It's a very primal, archetypal story with a worthy hero and heroine. A very satisfying read.

Back to book groups now...

Finished Death in the Dining Room. Book group doesn't meet until 9/15, but book was due back to the library 9/4.

DitDR considers Victorian material culture in five chapters, each one centering on a particular piece of decor (hallstands, sideboards, paper-punch embroidery mottoes, parlor organs/pianos, and tilted*/rocking chairs) to explain something about 19th century American beliefs and attitudes. And perhaps to also explain how we became who we are today.

The author comes off as anti-anti-intellectualism, anti-religion, and anti-misogyny. I quite liked the book. As I said in a previous post, it certainly makes you consider objects differently, and parts of it are great for a hopeful writer of historical fiction. Chapters 3 and 4 are likely to be the most helpful to me, although insights are available in the rest, as well. I think some of the "motivation" he ascribes to people acting in the past may be at less than a conscious level. Many people now seem to mouth beliefs without actively considering them. I doubt it was different in the 19th century.

Several of the books listed in the endnotes I already own, including The Feminization of American Culture by Ann Douglas, Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey by Lillian Schlissel, Intimate Matters by John D'Emilio & Estelle B. Freedman, and Confidence Men and Painted Women by Karen Halttunen.

The Halttunen book I almost chose for my next museum book group pick, but I ultimately went with This Republic of Suffering by Drew Gilpin Faust, instead. That's up in February of 2009.

* position, not type

Pale Blue Eye could equally have gone under "Historical Mystery," but it's shelved in general fiction in the bookstore where I work, so I've categorized it as "Historical Fiction," instead.

I had to read this one for historical fiction book group. Only a couple of us liked it. One of our members gave up after only 5 pages; she mentioned much preferring Holmes on the Range. A couple of others finished it but didn't esteem it.

I enjoyed the reading of it. The language. If parts of it were "over the top," I think it's because the author was invoking Poe. I'm a bit confused about the relationship of the captain and the colonel to the running of West Point, but not curious enough to look deeper into it. The author, or editor, or both, did seem to confuse Hitchcock and Thayer once or twice, too.

The novel made me more interested in learning something about Poe. Finding a good biography. Reading his work (which means rereading some of it). Even trying again at The Poe Shadow, which I found very easy to put down last time. I think I also have The Mystery of Mary Rogers. Somewhere. And I may also have to pick up The Black Tower by Bayard, which is about Vidocq. I'm fairly sure Poe led Bayard to Vidocq.

Have to start reading The Feminine Mystique now for classics book group. And Mila 18 for historical fiction book group. And One Drop of Blood by Malcolmson for the museum book group. And finish The Whiskey Rebels so I can review it.

Read The Lost Duke of Wyndham, which I've owned for a short while, because yesterday I picked up a copy of a related book, Mr. Cavendish, I Presume and wanted to read it right away.

I always enjoy Julia Quinn's work. This one felt a little less frothy than her Bridgerton novels. Not sure how I felt about the Dowager Duchess character as presented. I don't understand her and I'm not sure if that's something coming in book two perhaps?

The stories in books one and two are contemporaneous. That strikes me as difficult to pull off in an honest manner. Too much to leave out in each book to avoid compromising the stories. Or at least too much to leave out in the first book, which could in turn damage the second.

I started the second book today, even though there are many other things I should be reading, too. I'm making progress in two of three book group books, as well as the first LTER book I received.

Finished two books today: _Mr. Cavendish, I Presume_ by Julia Quinn, and _The Secretary Gets Her Man_ by Mindy Neff (Harlequin American Romance 857, January 2001).

Dialogue and some description are duplicated in the Quinn book, since now we see the same events already experienced in _The Lost Duke of Wyndham_. Not sure why two books, unless it was either a.) an experiment, or b.) from a belief that each romance needs a single hero and single heroine in the main roles, and secondary romances must be of secondary weight.

I hope she doesn't do it again. I think I'd rather see both stories in the same book, but not having read my copy of _An Instance of the Fingerpost_ yet, I may be wrong about that. :-/

I don't read a lot of contemporary romance, save for Suzanne Brockmann and Rachel Gibson. Sharon Sala, until quite recently. Janet Evanovich, until around book eight when the bedhopping began. And I don't tend to read much series romance anymore. I'd like to get rid of some of my books so I'll have more room in my apartment, and as I was looking over the stacks (no, not in the library sense) the Mindy Neff book caught my eye.

I read it this afternoon, in part wondering if I'd remember any of it (since it was in an "I've read this" stack). I have this horrible feeling I'll have to reread all the books I own and have read before being willing to part with them.

Anyway, the book was pure fantasy in its appeal. Girl done wrong goes back to hometown sixteen years later after her grandmother dies to close up the house. She hopes she's over the jock she tutored who she believes betrayed her and caused her years of grief. She's on the verge of a career change, from administrator to field agent for a covert state agency: she's in shape and she's got a gun. Several actually, not even counting her biceps. Strange things start to happen and she is NOT a TSTL heroine in dealing with danger and threats. Even better, for a while, is that jock, now sheriff, seems to be falling for her and she learns she may have misjudged the situation all those years ago. But she doesn't want to hurt him and she's sure she can and will. Pure fantasy, but in a good way. Woman empowered.

Just finished All the Happy Endings by Helen Papashvily not more than 15 minutes ago. The book has a sort of subtitle: "A study of the domestic novel in America, the women who wrote it, the women who read it, in the nineteenth century."

One of the areas in which I collect books (for information, not as artifacts) is that of women writers: their writing, biography and autobiography, etc. My interest wanes somewhat from the early twentieth century on, and is entirely lacking when it comes to Emily Dickinson. Not sure why. (If you're interested, see my "Scribbling Women" tag, although be warned that my library is only about 3/4 tagged.)

In any case, I've had this out from the library before, but this time I actually read it. And, having read it, I wish I owned it. The author comes off a bit anti-feminist in spots, but the rest of the book is wonderful. Smooth, easily read writing style; humor and interesting anecdotes abound. And often I found myself making a connection between bits of information I had that were not in context for me until now.

This book is research for a story idea I had that I *may* pursue in November, if I can get myself organized and motivated.

By the way, another absolutely wonderful book about women and the literary world in 19th century America is Megan Marshall's biography The Peabody Sisters. She draws the three sisters so well you feel like you know them. Could be a game: which Peabody sister are you the most like?

Finished The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford just in time, since I have book group in an hour. It was my pick for the classics group, in part because I knew it was somebody's (Modern Library?) pick for #1 in a list of top 100 novels.

Hated it for the first 80 pages, but then it grew on me. Part of it may be the meandering way it's told, the vagueness and vagaries of the story until you start to get some sense of who these people are and what's going on. Didn't really like any of the characters. Yet the way people treat each other and the inconstancies, delusions, and self-delusions and cross-purposes feel real.

Dowell is such an idiot, so (apparently) clueless, that I couldn't feel sorry for him. And the one thing that really bothered me about the way it was written is that some pronouncements, rather than giving the sense of an untrustworthy narrator gave instead the impression of a lazy author ("this is the way it works...I think or imagine" sort of statements).

And, of course, having read about the author's escapades made me look askance at his choice of subjects. I don't blame Moveable Feast with its sketch of Ford for that -- have a dislike of Hemingway so I don't take him terribly seriously. Cads and bounders both.

Wow. Almost forgot to mention that I had to read Some Danger Involved for the second time. I mentioned it when my historical fiction book group was discussing Holmes on the Range, and the other members had me add the title to "the hat" (titles are pulled at random from a small pink heart-shaped tin).

I didn't remember from my first reading how much *humor* is in the book. It made me chuckle in places. I enjoyed it again. Another group member mentioned getting the humor. A couple of other members said they enjoyed the story, and one confessed that just like me she was surprised by whodunnit. One member, however, mentioned that she wasn't sure we were all reading the same book, because she was not impressed by it.

For December we're reading Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn, and for January we're reading Jack Absolute by C.C. Humphreys.

Read Wisconsin Christmas Anthology for my museum book group. In late November/early December, we have a Christmas event, even though most of the museum is closed for the season (we're an open air/outdoor living history museum that covers 576 acres).

The anthology content ranges from reports by early missionaries to reminiscences. There are newspaper articles, novel excerpts, humorous pieces, and recipes. Want to know how to make cranberry muffins or plum pudding? It's in there.

Two of the funniest pieces are a poem from Godey's Lady's Book that's in answer to "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (what condition the children are in after he's been there) and a Huck Finn-like boy relating the hysterically hilarious adventures of his (roller) skating father from the pen of George W. Peck, out of Peck's Bad Boy. Peck was a Civil War veteran, journalist, and politician (Mayor of Milwaukee, Governor of Wisconsin).

I enjoyed most of the pieces, although some of the reminiscences were fairly repetitious. I did not like the way the contents were arranged: I would've preferred reading about Wisconsin Christmas in chronological order, with "modern" reminiscences separate and recipes in an appendix cross-referenced from the piece that mentioned that foodstuff. And maybe an introduction or essay in summary of the experience of Christmas in the state.

It is also unfortunate that the reminiscences are not dated -- neither when they were penned nor to what decade in Wisconsin history they referred. Especially since the copyright notice in the front of the book DOESN'T MENTION THE YEAR OF PUBLICATION(!) and there's no CIP data, not even an LCCN. Arrghhh.

Someone picked The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley for our December classics book group. Since Parnassus on Wheels introduces the characters in the chosen book -- and since it was short -- I read that first.

What a sweet, funny little book. Recommended to anyone who liked the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, or to anyone who likes books, period.

Helen McGill, 39 and a spinster, is keeping house on a farm with her author brother Andrew. Andrew, however, gets to tramp around the countryside gathering material, while she's left holding the farm. When a peddler comes by looking to sell Andrew his caravan (fitted out like a camper inside, fitted with shelves outside), his mobile bookstore, she's had it. She buys Parnassus herself and goes off, impetuously, with the man selling it along to show her how the business works. Problems ensue. Andrew proves difficult. Love blooms.

I'm set to start The Haunted Bookshop, and I'm in the middle of Silent in the Grave for my historical fiction book group. All in all, a wonderful month for reading.

Disposed of four titles this week, bringing me to a mere 30 books read since I joined the challenge in July. Among those four, two were read for book groups and one was the first Early Reviewer title I finished.

The Haunted Bookshop was read for my classics book group. I did not enjoy it the way I enjoyed Parnassus on Wheels. It was set during the days following 11/11/18, and had a plot related to the so recent war. I could've skipped the plot for the rest of the book:

I did enjoy the parallels between bookselling 90 years ago and bookselling today (much hasn't changed). I also enjoyed the recommendations of authors who in character Roger Mifflin's belief had a clear vision in regard to war. In particular I intend to look for Barbusse's Under Fire, Bertrand Russell's Why Men Fight, Thomas Hardy's The Dynasts (a very long drama I have never heard of before reading THB!), and the works of John Dos Passos (I already own Three Soldiers, but will also look for his U.S.A. trilogy).

Silent in the Grave was actually the first book I finished this week. Lady Julia Grey discovers that the apparently uninvited guest who helped the evening she was widowed was a private detective her husband had hired after receiving death threats. She doubts his tale of murder until she comes across one of the messages in her husband's desk almost a year later. Then she convinces Nicholas Brisbane to continue the investigation, and plays a role in the investigation herself. I enjoyed the book enough that I immediately went out and bought the second in the series.

I liked the characters, who were eccentric and sometimes bizarre without seeming caricaturish, even if Julia was occasionally a bit of a slowtop. I liked the voice, the manner in which the story was told. This debut novel, which though a mystery has the feel of an historical romance, got a starred review from _Publishers Weekly_.

Sugarplum Surprises is the Regency-era story of a young woman who has run away from the groom her stepmother chose for her. The plot has her father achieve a title in an unusual and unlikely way which probably got picked apart on the Regency romance lists. Anyway, the runaway has hidden herself in Bath in the guise of French dressmaker Mme. Nicolette, and meets the hero, a young Duke who has just jilted (yikes) his fiancée and left Mme. with no one to pay for the trousseau. She confronts him. He not only pays for the brideclothes, but takes his sisters to her for additional dresses, starting a stampede among the inhabitants of Bath. He discovers her true identity, starts to care for her. But what about her low station compared to his, the reputation she and her stepfamily have damaged? And, whoops, now her stepfamily is in town. Neither a horrible book nor a wonderful one.

Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner (pseudonym for two sisters who are booksellers in Paris) was published about five years ago in France as the first book in a series. This fall, it was offered in translation as part of the Early Reviewers program.

Before writing this, I checked out some profesional reviews as well as the LT ER reviews and those of readers at amazon.fr and amazon.co.uk. The professional reviews were more complimentary than those of the average reader at all three sites checked. Apparently I'm an average reader.

I have to wonder if the reason St. Martin's decided to bring this out in the US was to try to capitalize on the popularity of Erik Larsen's Devil in the White City, a non-fiction look at a serial murderer at the Chicago world's fair. The French and British reader reviews vary as widely as do the reviews here at LT, although the majority seem lukewarm toward it. And I doubt the translation is the reason for the "stilted language" referenced by some readers. One of the French reviews mentions an uneven quality to the writing.

I finished the book today. I didn't love it. However, it didn't disappoint me as greatly as another mystery featuring a bookseller which I read for my historical fiction book group. (_Ex-Libris_ by Ross King was much worse. I apologized profusely to my book group for that choice.)

Victor Legris is a secondhand bookseller in Paris, the setting for a world exposition and celebration of the completion of the Eiffel Tower. And the place where people are beginning to drop like flies -- er, like bee-sting victims. Legris becomes obsessed with a Russian artist and newspaper cartoonist, red-headed Tasha. He also becomes obsessed with finding out whether she or friend and mentor Kenji Mori could possibly be involved with the murders.

Many first in series mysteries suffer from too much backstory. I think this book had the reverse problem: we don't learn very much about the past of any of the characters, don't learn to care for them. The book doesn't even start in Victor's viewpoint: the characters we meet in the prologue and beginning of chapter one aren't around for long.

What we do learn about Victor doesn't endear him. Victor seems to be led entirely by his hormones through a good portion of the book. He's sleeping with married mistress Odette while chasing Tasha. And worrying about Tasha's virtue. He supposedly has a close relationship with his mentor, but cannot bring himself to ask questions which might either clear Kenji or enlist him in the hunt for the murderer.

The author sisters also drop in more information on the personages of fin-de-siecle Paris than needed to set the stage. And bits that are repeated turn out to be neither actual clues nor red herrings (Buffalo Bill's troupe, for example). A couple of the suspects who are NOT the murderer lie or are evasive for no discernible reason. Oddly, the newspaper articles claiming killer bees are responsible for the multiple deaths and the newspaper articles that claim these were murders seem to have no effect on the efforts of fairgoers to avoid being stung or murdered.

The answer to the mystery of why the murders are committed seems to come out of the blue. What Victor pursues through the book is primarily opportunity, with a bit of means sprinkled in, but never motive. Apparently I'm more interested in the why. The murderer's confession is printed in one of the newspapers of Paris at the end of the novel. The events of the novel happen primarily over the course of about a week, and presumably the murderer had expectations of continuing, yet the confession is up-to-date at the point he is stopped? I am skeptical.

And yet, for all that I didn't love the book, I do hope St. Martin's brings out at least one or two others in the US. I love the idea of mysteries associated with literature and bookselling. I love the 19th century. I love the idea of a series set in France. Perhaps later stories, which are already available in French and English bookstores, have improved.

With Any Given Doomsday I was able to put a first title in my Science Fiction/Fantasy category and finish reading an LT Early Reviewers title.

First, I think it was a mistake for the author to be more specific on the back cover letter to readers than she was enchanted by "urban fantasy." I think naming a best-selling author at that point just invites an accusation of hubris. Plus, even though I've never read Laurel K. Hamilton (despite having autographed copies of her books in my library), I'm aware from the booksigning I attended that she had rabid fans breathlessly wanting to know which of two males Anita Blake was going to "go for," for lack of a better term.

Handeland's heroine, Liz Phoenix, is interested, at least sexually, in both Jimmy Sanducci (boyhood friend and fellow foster child turned demon killer) and Sawyer (the mad, bad, and dangerous to know Navajo witch she's had to "train" with twice in her life). In addition to Hamilton's triangle, I kept thinking about Janet Evanovich's trio of Stephanie, Morelli, and Ranger. Other people have mentioned the questionable circumstances under which the heroine is involved in sex in this story. I do think the writer made a mistake there, as well. I wonder if anyone in the editing process raised a red flag, and if so why it wasn't rewritten?

Liz narrates the story in first person. It's a rather noir voice she speaks in, which can come off as cheesy, especially if the reader doesn't "get it." She also protests her situation. A lot. Real people may obsess and drag their feet over taking action -- I do it myself -- I'm just not sure it's a great narrative technique unless you want the character to annoy the reader.

What Liz protests is primarily the fact that she's just learned she bears the heaviest responsibility in an inchoate war between good and evil: not only is she a seer responsible for identifying evil (fallen angels/nephilim with human faces) so demon killers can do away with the evil, and not only is she to be a demon killer herself, but she is the leader of the seers.

Basing the war on Christian mythos is risky. It could draw some readers in, but could push others away. Yes, some people do look at the history of the world and see much to dislike in religious belief and organizations. Any religious belief and organized religion.

The biggest problem I have with the "logic" of the story isn't addressed in the novel: Liz was basically raised by the woman she replaced as "head honcho." Ruthie knew Liz had psychic abilities. Ruthie knew when her own death was approaching, the point when she would have to turn over her powers or have them lost forever. Presumably Liz was always heir apparent. Then why the heck didn't Ruthie prepare Liz better for the day she would take over? Hell, why didn't she prepare her AT ALL??!!!

I also think that there should either have been more obstacles in the path of Liz and Jimmy as they headed from Milwaukee to Albuquerque, or somebody should've been wondering why after an initial problem in Wisconsin it was clear sailing the whole way to New Mexico. Especially if demon killers and seers were already dying and there's the suspicion of a traitor on their own team.

In all, it was better than I expected from the reviews, but contained issues of logic that made it hard for me to suspend my disbelief. And I think I was supposed to find parts of it funny, but I'm not sure if the funniest part was supposed to be the placement of the snake tattoo on Sawyer's body. It was funny, but also ridiculous. When I read that part I was in the breakroom at work. I had some explaining to do.

Sourcebooks has been republishing Georgette Heyer titles lately -- big kudos to them. They've also been publishing new works of Regency romance. The Lady Flees Her Lord is the first of those I've read, and the first by Michele Ann Young -- though I may own another of her titles.

A box of Sourcebook romance ARCs arrived at the store recently. I brought home the Young book, as well as Pemberley by the Sea and Romeo Romeo (not my usual cuppa, but it was a Golden Heart winner so I thought I'd give it a try). The idea of a woman fleeing an abusive husband at a time divorce was less available, then falling in love with another man, intrigued me. I dove in right away. Read it in a day.

I really enjoyed Young's book. Her heroine isn't the perfectly shaped, conventional beauty of so many romances. Her villain(s) are interesting -- one of them VERY interesting and deserving of his own story. And I like the way she accomplishes the happily ever after (it's a romance, so of course there's a happily ever after). I'll definitely pick up her next book.

I'm not sure where I heard about the children's book author Leon Garfield. It may have been here at LT, or on one of the many book-related listservs and Yahoogroups I read. Like Michele Ann Young, he's also an author I'll look for again.

_Smith_ came out in the late 1960s, but it's the story of an 18th century 12-year old pickpocket. At the beginning of the book he robs an old man just before the man is murdered. And apparently has stolen the very item the murderers were looking for.

Now the murderers are hunting Smith, who has no idea what he has stolen, since it's a document and he's illiterate. He believes learning to read will save him, since he doesn't feel safe showing the document to anyone in his world who may already know how to read.

He falls in with a blind magistrate (shades of Justice Fielding) and his conflicted daughter. And, unfortunately, also comes to the notice of one of the villains of the piece.

For all that it's the story of a child trying to stay alive, it's also a VERY funny book. The characters are well depicted, often eccentric. I'd call it Charles Dickens lite for children.

Thanks to a car that overheated, requiring me to ride the bus to work for a while, I unexpectedly had more reading time at the end of the year. Unfortunately I won't make it to any of my January 2009 book groups because my car won't be fixed by then.

I'm "officially" ending my 888 challenge with the two books read the last week of 2008. That puts me at 35 books read for the "year" (I signed up 6/27/08, first book completed around 7/3). Unofficially, if I read a book in 2009 that doesn't fit in my 999 challenge but does fill a slot in my 888, I'll come back and plug it in. Will probably change the case to make it obvious at a glance which books are cheats.

Read Ace Is Wild by Penny McCall. It's contemporary romantic suspense with a psychic heroine and a federal prosecutor hero she tries to save from hit men. It's her third book, AFAIK, and the third book I've read by her. I don't think she does that good a job at creating a true sense of threat or tension, in the suspense at least, but there's something about her voice -- the way she tells the story or the characters she creates -- that always makes her books enjoyable for me. I'll be looking for number four.

Jack Absolute by C.C. Humphreys was the first book about the character until he wrote the prequel, The Blooding of Jack Absolute. This one I had to read for historical fiction book group. I'm told that Humphreys mentions in "Solander" (publication of The Historical Novel Society) that he was talking to his publisher(?) about this series not selling as well as he'd hoped and the publisher said books about real people were hot. Humphreys said all the good people were taken. Publisher suggested Vlad the Impaler. Off trots Humphreys.

Humphreys is a Canadian author and actor who started with a character lifted from the pages of "The Rivals," a play by R. B. Sheridan. Absolute is a slightly reluctant soldier and spy forced to take up a commission again thanks to fleeing authorities after a duel is forced on him. He's sent to North America to help put down the colonial rebellion. He's been there before. As a matter of fact, his companion in his travels is a Mohawk Indian, probably from the same tribe as his late wife. The Illuminati show up in the story. So do real characters from history including a couple of British Generals, Benedict Arnold, Banastre Tarleton, Major André, Peggy Shippen, etc.

Part of the problem he may face in US sales is that his character is officially "the enemy" for US readers. Hard to root for him to succeed, even if we know since this is historical fiction that his side doesn't suppress the rebellion. Much easier to root for Sharpe, one of my favorites, because his efforts were applied to stopping Napoleon's attempt at world conquest. (Which makes me wonder, now that I say it, how Sharpe sells in France. Or Corsica. :-)

I have books two and three in hardcover, and will read them. I also have a suggestion for a real character from early 19th century Britain who I think would make an awesome protagonist. I may have to e-mail him. :-)

Congratulations on reading so many books and writing so many reviews!
--BJ