tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12480893657566854952024-03-13T11:38:01.455-07:00Dusty Pages' Book ShelvesDescriptions and information about the hundreds of books in my house! My way of keeping track of them and perhaps recommending them to others!Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-22655745155653393422010-01-18T14:34:00.000-08:002010-10-23T19:33:42.301-07:00Many Books About Which to Write<span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />(I tried to write it: "Many books to write about", truly I did, but I just couldn't!)<br /><br />I have neglected this blog long enough. I have a list of wonderful books I've read over the past year, and I'm going to try to start on that list this month. Real life gets in the way of blogging sometimes, but that is really no excuse. It doesn't take long to write a quick post about a book.<br /><br />Here are some of the books I've enjoyed over the past few months:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie</span> by Alan Bradley -- WONDERFUL, award-winning novel. If you haven't read it, do so, and if you get the chance to listen to it on audio, do so. Jayne <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Entwistle</span> does a marvelous job narrating.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Before the Season Ends </span>and <span style="font-weight: bold;">The House in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Grovesnor</span> Square </span>by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Linore</span> Rose <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Burkard</span>. These were both really wonderful historical novels, nice, clean, relaxing feel-good reads, and I need to write about them because she has a new one out (third in the series) this month!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Name of the Rose</span> by Umberto Echo, <span style="font-weight: bold;">A Person of Interest</span> by Susan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Choi</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Amber Room</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Romanov Prophecy</span>, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Third Secret</span> by Steve Berry, and all of the "Cotton Malone" books by Steve Berry, beginning with <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Templar Legacy</span> (the other five I have yet to read). These are all older books that I really should have already read; I REALLY don't know how I missed reading <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Name of the Rose</span>.<br /><br />A few more that I read and want to write about are: <span style="font-weight: bold;">What Hath God Wrought</span> by Daniel Walker Howell, <span style="font-weight: bold;">My Dearest Friend: Letters of John and Abigail Adams</span>, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Country Cooking from Central France</span>.<br /><br />Quite an ambitious list, eh?<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><br /></span><br /></span></span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-67377641952873392392009-01-28T14:35:00.000-08:002009-01-28T15:20:03.200-08:00A Loud "Huzzah" to Captain Frances Grose<div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">From My Reference Shelves . . .</span><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/books.jpg" /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">. . . comes an interesting little book ~~</span><br /><br /><u><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;color:#330099;">1811 Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue</span></u><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#330099;">with a Foreword by Robert <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Cromie</span></span> </div><div><br />If you read literature written in the 1700s to early 1800s, or historical fiction that has been set during this time period, you are probably familiar with many of the colorful expressions used then, the "cant" and slang of the day. Or if you are a writer of historical fiction set during the Georgian or Regency periods of England, you may have an author's interest in the expressions in use during that time. I have such an interest, and that is how I came upon this little gem of a book.<br /><br />My copy is a 1971 edition and is unabridged from the original 1811 edition with a forew<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zdjX5raLdME/SYDoCKrVRrI/AAAAAAAAAto/qiPiBnOZDWw/s1600-h/1811+dictionary.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296488285711189682" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 128px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 120px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zdjX5raLdME/SYDoCKrVRrI/AAAAAAAAAto/qiPiBnOZDWw/s320/1811+dictionary.jpg" border="0" /></a>ord by Robert <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Cromie</span> of the Chicago Tribune. The inside title page announces rather grandly, "1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. A Dictionary of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Buckish</span> Slang, University Wit, and Pickpocket Eloquence."<br /><br />The original "Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue" was put together by Frances <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Grose</span>, an 18<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span> century antiquarian, back in 1785, and was titled "A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue." And, by the way, the word "vulgar", as it is used here, is in its original definition of meaning "commonplace, ordinary" or in "common or ordinary usage." Yes, some of the expressions and words in this dictionary were meant to be crude when they were used, but most are simply the slang of the day.<br /><br />The foreword by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Cromie</span> is as much fun to read as the dictionary itself. The blurb on the back of the book describes it as "An entertaining insight into the slang, wit and humor of late 18<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">th</span> and early 19<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">th</span> century England, when a '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Flaybottomist</span>' was a school teacher, a 'Carrion Hunter' an undertaker, and a 'Buttock Broker' a matchmaker. Many words had different meanings then -- 'High Living' meant 'to lodge in a garret or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">cockloft</span>,' a 'Faggot' was a stand-in soldier and, with special apologies to today's feminists, 'To Lib' meant 'to lie together.' And, believe it or not, a 'Pig' was a policeman."<br /><br />I wanted to pick out a few good ones to write about here, but it is just so hard to pick only a few. And actually I believe it would be better if I wrote about actual words or expressions culled from this book in my "usage" blog, <a href="http://i-stand-corrected.blogspot.com/">I Stand Corrected</a>, don't you think? So I'm going to mirror this entry over there or at least link to it, and I know this book will provide much good fodder for posts at that blog.<br /><br />If you should ever have the opportunity to read this book, or any of the editions of this book, do so. As <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Cromie</span> says, ". . . it is great fun to read through, or browse in, this gathering of words . . . . They will delight and instruct you, shock and intrigue you, titillate and anger you, but they will never bore you." </div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-74129271832021793852008-12-31T17:20:00.000-08:002009-01-01T11:01:25.956-08:00Around For One Whole Year<div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I missed the December 15 One Year Anniversary of this journal/blog, so I'll wish it a Happy Anniversary today!</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">And I need to get on here and make some new entries. It isn't as if I don't have plenty of books sitting around just waiting to be written about!</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">So, coming soon: </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><u>Protecting the Gift</u>, by Gavin de Becker</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><u>Whiskey Galore</u>, by Compton Mackenzie</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><u>Water on the Brain</u>, by Compton Mackenzie</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><u>1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue</u>, Francis Grose</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><u>The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations</u></span></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-90250699846347428142008-10-16T19:43:00.000-07:002008-10-16T20:58:35.081-07:00From My Crime/Detective Fiction Shelves<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">About a month ago I suddenly got a "hankering" for some crime fiction. I was in the mood to re-read some I hadn't read in a while, but I sneaked a new one or two in there, too. I'm not a big fan of gory crime fiction. I like technical novels like <a href="http://www.kathyreichs.com/">Kathy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Reichs</span></a>' <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Temperence</span> Brennan books (I like the TV series "Bones", but the books are much, much better), cloak and dagger stuff from Tom Clancy, law-related crime drama from John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Grishom</span>, light and funny detective fiction like the Stephanie Plum novels from Janet <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Evanovich</span>, and even lighter, but v</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ery</span> witty and funny books like Diana Mott Davidson's amateur sleuth caterer, Goldy Bear.</span><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />I thought I'd</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> share a few of the books I've read recently.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zdjX5raLdME/SPf-9Xn07jI/AAAAAAAAAls/OWi-HIxZCRA/s1600-h/The-Concrete-Blonde-MM.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zdjX5raLdME/SPf-9Xn07jI/AAAAAAAAAls/OWi-HIxZCRA/s320/The-Concrete-Blonde-MM.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257951420244880946" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >Michael <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Connelly</span> never disappoints. Harry Bosch is one of my very favorite characters. He's a real man's man and a homicide detective's</span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" > homicide detective. I like him because he comes o</span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >ff so real because of the way <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Connelly</span> creates him. I can't remember the first Bosch novel I read, but I've since read most of them. Somehow <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Concrete <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Blonde</span></span> had escaped me until recently, so it's a new addition to my shelves.<br /><br />In <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Concrete <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Blonde</span></span> a serial killer's widow is suing Bosch and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">LAPD</span> for killing the wrong man. And when a new victim is found with the "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Dollmaker's</span>" signature marks, it looks like the widow may be right. It's a fast-paced thrill ride a</span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >s Bosch tracks the blood-thirsty killer. <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Concrete <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Blonde</span></span> is more than detective fiction, more than courtroom fiction (although there is a really, really good courtroom scene), it's a great who-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">dunnit</span>, which is probably my favorite kind of crime fiction. Check out a copy at your local library if you haven't read it yet.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zdjX5raLdME/SPgBirJIRkI/AAAAAAAAAl0/deoQHDdsW1k/s1600-h/13706372.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 129px; height: 212px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zdjX5raLdME/SPgBirJIRkI/AAAAAAAAAl0/deoQHDdsW1k/s320/13706372.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257954260163249730" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The first book I read b</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">y Catherine <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Coulter</span> was <span style="font-weight: bold;">Eleventh Hour</span>, and it is still a favorite of mine of her novels. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Point Blank</span> is an FBI crime thriller that I </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">had never read before. I was a bit disappointed in it. It featured the recurring characters of married (to each other) agents <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Savitch</span> and Sherlock, whom I have come to like and respect. My personal favorite <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Coulter</span>-created character Agent Dane Carver is in this one, too, and Agent Ruth <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Warnecki</span>, whom I have to admit is an interesting character. Actually I like all the main "good guy" characters, but the book itself just wasn't as seamless as I like a good mystery to be. There are two plots</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> going on simultaneously. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Savitch</span> and Sherlock (and Dane and everyone on their FBI team) are after an insane, hate-filled old man (who has a grudge against <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Savitch)</span> and his psychotic and blood-thirsty girl friend. I really had to suspend disbelief with a lot of the plot twists and a lot of the dialogue as well. There were just too many passages that seemed to be either hastily stitched together or written with one hand while the author was yawning behind the other. The other plot involves a fortune i</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">n Confederate gold that amateur-spelunker <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Warnecki</span> is searching for in a cave in Virginia. A dead body found in the cave opens up a whole other investigation, led by the local sheriff. Ruth and the sheriff provide a nice <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">rom</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">antic sub-plot, but it's too little to save the book for me. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Savitch</span> and Sherlock drift in and out, helping with Ruth and the sheriff's investigation while they keep looking for the insane old man</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">. Of course, there are completely happy endings in the end, but I actually had to make myself finish it -- mainly because I wanted to know the answer to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">who-dunnit</span> of the cave murder. It wasn't who I thought it would be. This is not a book that I'll read again, so I'll pass it on to someone else. There were too many "huh?" moments for me. It was not the serious detective novel that I want to read from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Coulter</span>.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zdjX5raLdME/SPgH_9hOZ0I/AAAAAAAAAmM/-Q19XSdbYEo/s1600-h/the-unexpected-mrs-pollifax.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 110px; height: 180px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zdjX5raLdME/SPgH_9hOZ0I/AAAAAAAAAmM/-Q19XSdbYEo/s320/the-unexpected-mrs-pollifax.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257961360382125890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Next I turned to an old favorite spy-mystery that I haven't visited in several years. Dorothy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Gilman</span> created a wonderful Marple-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">esque</span> character in Mrs. Emily <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Pollifax</span>. We are introduced to her in the first of a lengthy series, </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >The Unexpected Mrs. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Pollifax</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">. She's an elderly widow who has decided she is not going to go gently into that good night -- she takes martial arts lessons when she's not busy with her gardening club -- and suddenly she takes it into her head to fulfill a childhood ambition that she should volunteer her services to the CIA. She applies in person and through a misunderstanding is given a courier's job. Of course the simple courier's mission turns into something quite unexpected, and Mrs. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Pollifax</span> finds herself a prison in a prison in Albania with a very important piece of microfilm that she doesn't even know she has. She acquires a very interesting "partner", and between the two of them, using each one's unusual skills and resourcefulness manage to escape from the enemy and return to the States </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" >with</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> the microfilm. I really do love this book. It's comical and witty, and Mrs. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Pollifax</span> is very endearing. She takes a personal interest in everyone she meets, and that always seems to pay off. If you've never read any of these books, start with this one and then go on to the others, of which I'll write soon -- because now that I've read the first one, I have to go through the whole series. Oh, and the "partner" she acquires in Albania? Well, he graces the pages of subsequent <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Pollifax</span> novels. Yes, you may have to suspend disbelief, but it's well-written, so you don't care. It's a fast, funny, smooth, enjoyable read, and if it's new to you, I recommend you give it a try.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Well, that's it for my shelves tonight. I'll be back soon with a few more picks.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span></span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-71254236527489750252008-10-08T20:17:00.001-07:002008-10-08T20:18:14.193-07:00Welcome!<span style="font-size:130%;color:#003333;">I'm so happy that the migration from AOL Journals went well. I do enjoy writing about the books on my shelves, and I plan to continue to do so here at this new location. Please check back in with me once in a while.</span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-72715355006393001672008-10-07T12:39:00.000-07:002008-10-08T20:14:42.707-07:00Moving<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>Within a few days I will begin migrating Dusty Pages Books Shelves over to Blogspot. I will leave a link to the new blog here if possible. If not possible, I will also leave a link to the new blog in my new Dusty Pages blog on blogspot. That URL is <A href="http://lori-dustypages@blogspot.com">http://lori-dustypages@blogspot.com</A>.</FONT></P>
<P> </P>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-58250456369254511222008-03-31T20:25:00.000-07:002008-10-08T20:14:42.708-07:00From My Reference Shelves . . .<P><IMG src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zdjX5raLdME/SO12_jtqZSI/AAAAAAAAAD0/88sIqHHqVv4/s1600-R/pic%3Fid%3D8b80fbj9AIPOLpgCHufYcYA0ez3ILzz25q0P%26size%3Dm"/> <FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=6>The Oxford Dictionary of</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=6> English Etymology</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=4>One of my favorite books on my shelves is <U>The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, </U>edited by <SPAN class=correction id="">C</SPAN>. T. Onions and first published in 1966. My copy is a 1974 printing, large, hard-cover, with no dust-jacket, that I bought on <SPAN class=correction id="">eBay</SPAN>. It is in excellent condition, and although it gets a pretty good workout from me, I am, so far, <EM>keeping</EM> it in excellent condition.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=4>The publisher's note inside described Dr. Onions as the last of the editors of the original <U>Oxford English Dictionary</U>. He died while the 1966 version that he edited was going through the press. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=4>Dr. Onions joined the staff of <U>The Oxford English Dictionary</U> in 1895. He published a Shakespeare Glossary in 1911, and that is next on my list of book "wants". </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial Narrow"><FONT size=4><U>The Oxford <SPAN class=correction id="">English</SPAN> Dictionary of </U>Etymology has 24,000 main entries, digging into the origins of more than 38,000 words. For each entry the dictionary gives the pronunciation, a short definition, and the century and source of the word's first recording.</FONT></P></FONT>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Dictionaries" target=_blank rel=tag>Dictionaries</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Oxford+English+Dictionary" target=_blank rel=tag>Oxford English Dictionary</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Oxford+English+Dictionary+of+Etymology" target=_blank rel=tag>Oxford English Dictionary of Etymology</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Dr.+C.+T.+Onions" target=_blank rel=tag>Dr. C. T. Onions</A></DIV>
<DIV id=metrics contentEditable=false style="DISPLAY: none; FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><A href="http://technorati.com/tag/aoljpictureUpload" target=_blank rel=tag>aoljpictureUpload</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/aoljpictureUpload_1" target=_blank rel=tag>aoljpictureUpload_1</A></DIV>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-11268189057995698892008-01-31T17:55:00.000-08:002008-10-08T20:14:42.708-07:00From My Young Adult Book Shelves<P><FONT face="Arial Black" size=5>ALICE, I THINK<FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=3> by Susan Juby</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><IMG src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zdjX5raLdME/SO13APaXT6I/AAAAAAAAAD8/yaDi6lceXI0/s1600-R/pic%3Fid%3D8b80fbj9AIPOLpgCHufYcYA0e8cMzQtuJzlT%26size%3Dm"/></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=4>I loved this book!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=4>And I think I have found a new favorite author. I bought this book at a library sale, and I'm so glad I did. I found it a delightful read, a true hard-to-put-down book. I knew it was going to be a delightful book when I read the first paragraph. Any book that begins, "I blame it all on THE HOBBIT. That, and my supportive home life." can only be wonderful!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=4>Alice is a home-schooled, intelligent girl with slightly wacky parents, but an adorable, normal younger brother, and a therapist she calls Death Lord Bob. Alice's parents had raised her to be creative and freely expressive, and the first week into her first grade school experience proved that this is not necessarily a good thing when dealing with your peers in a school setting. So they took her out of school and taught her at home. Now, at 15, she is going to go back to regular high school and is wondering how things will work out this time around. The story is told with a lot of satire and wry humor.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=4>Simply Audiobooks summed up their review of the book this way:<STRONG> "Alice, I Think is the story of a teenager attempting to survive her parents, her hometown, and her reentry into society. Told through keenly observant, satirical journal entries, Susan Juby's first novel is wise, witty, and utterly original."</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=4>Juby is very witty, and I cannot count the times I read a sentence and then had to re-read it just so I could experience again the pure joy of her turn of phrase. The description of Juby herself, on the back flyleaf, says it all:</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=4><STRONG>Susan Juby dropped out of fashion design college at a young age and it shows. She lives on an island with her husband, James, and their dog, who prefers to remain anonymous. Alice, I Think is Susan Juby's first novel. She hopes there will be many more, as a career in fashion does not, at this point, seem likely. </STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=4>I look forward to finding and reading more of her books and perusing <A href="http://susanjuby.com/">her web site</A>.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=4>My copy of ALICE, I THINK is a very good ex-library copy with dust jacket and was published in 2003 by Harper Tempest.</FONT></P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Susan+Juby" target=_blank rel=tag>Susan Juby</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Alice+I+Think" target=_blank rel=tag>Alice I Think</A></DIV>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-91393173689881883592008-01-22T19:49:00.000-08:002008-10-08T20:14:42.708-07:00Only Brave Tomorrows<P><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=5>From My Historical Fiction Shelves . . .</FONT></P>
<P><IMG src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/books.jpg"/></P>
<P><FONT size=6>ONLY BRAVE TOMORROWS</FONT></P>
<P>by Winifred Bruce Luhrmann</P>
<P>Published by Houghton Mifflin Company in 1989</P>
<P><FONT size=4>I found this book at a thrift store and thought it sounded good. ONLY BRAVE TOMORROWS is the story of a 15-year-old girl, Faith, who travels to New England in 1675 during <A href="http://www.pilgrimhall.org/philipwar.htm">King Philip's War</A>. King Philip was the Wappanoag Indian leader who waged a year-long war against the English colonists. Faith's father is a pious Puritan who is zealous not only about his religion but about the New World, and is determined to settle in one of the Massachusetts colonies, despite the Indian warfare.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Although the main characters are fictional, real historical characters are mentioned, such as the minister <A href="http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASA_INC.HTM">Increase Mather</A>, and militiaman <A href="http://www.franklincountyhistory.com/gill/everts/03.html">Captain Turner</A>. This is the only novel I could find published under the author's name of Winifred Bruce Luhrmann. On the back leaf of the dust cover the author says that she got the idea for the book, in part, from her own family genealogy. Her family has records indicating that they may be descendants of Metacomet, known to the English as King Philip. She states that she wanted the New England life of the complex Puritans and the equally complex Native Americans to "come alive."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>I enjoyed the book. It was a good, easy read with realistic characters. The story is well told, and the main character shows the type of strength and determination I like to see in the character of a young girl in a novel like this. I would let my 12-year-old daughter read this, and I believe she would enjoy it. It is not deep, although it covers a very bloody action during America's early years. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>My copy, as I said, is an ex-library copy in good shape with a well-maintained dust jacket.</FONT></P>
<P><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Only+Brave+Tomorrows" target=_blank rel=tag>Only Brave Tomorrows</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Winifred+Bruce+Luhrman" target=_blank rel=tag>Winifred Bruce Luhrman</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/King+Philip%27s+War" target=_blank rel=tag>King Philip's War</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Metacomet" target=_blank rel=tag>Metacomet</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/New+England" target=_blank rel=tag>New England</A></P>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-22045111687346472022008-01-21T20:05:00.000-08:002008-10-08T20:14:42.709-07:00Turning The Pages<DIV class=entry_title>
Turning The Pages</DIV><IMG src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/vintage_book_showcase_sm_nwm.gif"/>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>A few months ago someone, and I don't remember who, directed me to this site called <A href="http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ttpbooks.html"><FONT color=#0000ff>Turning the Pages</FONT></A>, which is part of the <A href="http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/homepage.html"><FONT color=#0000ff>Online Gallery</FONT></A> of the <A href="http://www.bl.uk/"><FONT color=#0000ff>British Library</FONT></A> web site. I had saved it to look at later, and about a month ago was "later". I was very enchanted with it, so I thought I'd share the info with you. I really enjoyed reading through the <U>Jane Austen's The History of England</U> in her own hand. This is a scanned copy of the book in her own handwriting, complete with little vignette sketches that she did. You can "turn" the pages, using your mouse, just as if you were holding the book in your hand. If her handwriting proves to be too hard to decipher, you can choose to read it in text or you can choose audio and listen to it being read as you read along. You can also magnify portions of the text.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>There are several very interesting pieces on the site, including a personal notebook of sketches of Leonardo DaVinci, Diamond Sutra -- the oldest printed book, and the first atlas of Europe, compiled in the 1570s.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>So check out <A href="http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ttpbooks.html"><FONT color=#0000ff>Turning the Pages</FONT></A> when you have a moment. And if one my readers is the one who first suggested it to me, then I apologise for taking so long to try it out!</FONT></P>
<DIV id=tagsLocation class="tags"><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/British+Library" target=_blank rel=tag>British Library</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Online+Gallery" target=_blank rel=tag>Online Gallery</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Turning+The+Pages" target=_blank rel=tag>Turning The Pages</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Jane+Austin%27s+History+of+England" target=_blank rel=tag>Jane Austin's History of England</A></DIV>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-76793087803552638892008-01-08T19:47:00.000-08:002008-10-08T20:14:42.709-07:00From My Mystery Shelves . . .<P><FONT face=Arial size=6>DEATH AT WHITECHAPEL</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial>by Robyn Page</FONT></P>
<P><IMG src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/0425173410.jpg"/> Published in 2000</P>
<P><FONT size=4>This is one of my favorite paperback mysteries on my shelves. I got it the year it came out, and I believe I have read it three times since then.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><A href="http://susanalbert.typepad.com/lifescapes/2007/02/robin_paige_ser.html">Robin Paige</A> is the pseudonym of the husband and wife writing team of Susan Wittig Albert and Bill Albert. This is as yet the only book by Paige that I have read, and I really must remedy that situation!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>From the <A href="http://berkleysignetmysteries.com/author162">Berkely Prime Crime</A> web site: "Sir Charles Sheridan is many things––an amateur scientist, a renowned photographer, a skilled detective, and married to Kate Ardleigh, an American writer of the popular, yet frowned upon, 'penny dreadfuls.' Together with the help of historical figures, like Beatrix Potter, they uncover sinister secrets and solve murders."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>In <U>Death At Whitechapel</U> the historical figure is Jenny Jerome Churchill, mother of Winston Churchill. Scandal is threatening Winston's blossoming political career by someone who threatens to have proof that Winston's father was Jack the Ripper. In order to help Jenny, Kate and her husband must delve into the mystery of the notorious murderer, discovering along the way a web of intrigue that goes all the way to the Royal family.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>The Alberts use research that actually had been done that connects Jack the Ripper to Churchill, to Queen Victoria's son, "Eddie", and others, as well as the society of Freemasons. I found the book intriguing, and have to say that in my opinion, of all the "Jack" theories out there, this one sounds the most plausible to me.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Check this one out at your local library and indulge in a thoroughly good read. You won't be able to put it down. </P></FONT>
<DIV id=tagsLocation class="tags"><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Death+at+Whitechapel" target=_blank rel=tag>Death at Whitechapel</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Robin+Paige" target=_blank rel=tag>Robin Paige</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Susan+Wittig+Albert" target=_blank rel=tag>Susan Wittig Albert</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Bill+Albert" target=_blank rel=tag>Bill Albert</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Jack+the+Ripper" target=_blank rel=tag>Jack the Ripper</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Winston+Churchill" target=_blank rel=tag>Winston Churchill</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Prince+Eddie" target=_blank rel=tag>Prince Eddie</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Queen+Victoria" target=_blank rel=tag>Queen Victoria</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Scottish+Rite+of+Freemasonry" target=_blank rel=tag>Scottish Rite of Freemasonry</A></DIV>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-127838618232466432007-12-21T18:22:00.000-08:002008-10-08T20:14:42.709-07:00Helen<DIV class=entry_title>Second Contemporary Novel, Eighth Published Novel</DIV>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=5><IMG src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zdjX5raLdME/SO13AjQ5BFI/AAAAAAAAAEE/B6DfZ5z1CDc/s1600-R/pic%3Fid%3D8b80fbj9AIPOLpgCHufYcYA0e9SPIZTafLuR%26size%3Dm"/> HELEN --<FONT size=3> published in 1928</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>I bought my copy of HELEN several months ago, but only recently sat down to read it. I found it extremely charming from page one.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>This is supposedly the most popular of the four contemporary novels, and the one that was the most autobiographical. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>Helen's father, faced with raising his daughter alone after his wife dies in childbirth, takes on the job with joy and much appreciation for his reserved, stoic, little girl. Helen, extremely close to her father, becomes his beloved companion. </FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>The book takes place before, during, and after World War I, and the great changes taking place in the world at that time form a background for the changes in the life of the main character, Helen. Since Heyer had lived this time period herself she is able to paint a very real, poignant picture of the aftermath of the great war on England.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>The love story in Helen is one of the most beautiful ones that Heyer ever wrote in my opinion. In Helen, when her father dies suddenly, she turns to her childhood friend, Richard, for comfort and realizes that she has previously undervalued his many good qualities. Richard is portrayed as an intelligent, athletic man who knows and understands Helen's natural reserve.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>Helen mirrors Georgette in many ways. She likes and understands men better than women. She is reserved, intelligent, self-controlled, and believes in the social classes. But Helen was very athletic, and Georgette wasn't.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>Georgette wrote Helen two years after her father died. There is a touching part in the book where Helen, also a writer, picks up her unfinished book for the first time since her father's death and sees some pencilled corrections he had made. But she goes on about her business, "dry-eyed and smiling", with Richard understanding and respecting her reserve. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>It is indeed a very beautiful, brilliant book, and if I had not already been a fan of Heyer this book would send me looking for her other novels. There is a happy ending, but there is much drama on the way there.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4><IMG src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zdjX5raLdME/SO13AwfIV4I/AAAAAAAAAEM/62hJPEt-yfs/s1600-R/pic%3Fid%3D8b80fbj9AIPOLpgCHufYcYA0e4d*Ot5CGyPW%26size%3Dm"/>My copy is a hardcover published by Buccaneer Books in the 1980s and is in perfect condition.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>Heyer dedicated HELEN to Leonard P. Moore, a friend of her father's and her agent with Christy & Moore.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>I have never seen HELEN in any library, but it is worth a look. It isn't too difficult to find a copy for sale, but you will not find a paperback, so expect to pay at least $20 or more on Amazon. I have once or twice seen a first edition on Ebay where the bidding went up very high.</FONT></P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Georgette+Heyer" target=_blank rel=tag>Georgette Heyer</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Helen" target=_blank rel=tag>Helen</A></DIV>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-47295462216444014002007-11-06T19:35:00.000-08:002008-10-08T20:14:42.710-07:00The "Old Gentleman" Orders All<P><FONT size=6>The Masqueraders</FONT></P>
<P><IMG src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/51SD5B5Y99L_AA240_.jpg"/></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>Heyer's seventh novel, <U>The Masqueraders</U>, was published in 1928. I absolutely love this one!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>Set in England it tells the story of Prudence and Robin Merriott, brother and sister, who arrive in England from France on the orders of their father, whom they call The Old Gentleman.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>The two have grown up following their father across Europe, often taking assumed names and even switching genders with one another -- which is how they arrive in England. Prudence, tall and built on queenly lines, dresses and acts the part of Mr. Peter Merriott, while Robin, small and compact, dresses and acts the part of Peter's sister, Kate. Since Robin, along with their father, has recently taken part in the late Jacobite Rebellion, they feel it is a matter of life or death to maintain such a desguise.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>They are guests of an old friend, Lady Lowestoft, who knows their true identities, and are supposed to wait quitely until their father arrives. But they are inadvertantly drawn into society in their disguises by chancing upon and twarting the abduction of a young innocent. Robin (Kate), of course, falls for the girl, Letty, while Prudence (Peter), befriended by Sir Anthony Fanshawe, a close friend of Letty's father, finds herself drawn to him.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>With the help of their faithful retainer, John, the two maintain their disguises through many close calls until the very end of the book, when The Old Gentleman sets all to rights with a surprise that rocks the <EM>ton</EM> and restores the family's fortune and rightful place in society.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4><U>The Masqueraders</U> has romance, adventure, intrigue, and one of the most annoyingly egotistical characters ever encountered -- The Old Gentleman. There is a dastardly villain, swordfights, tipping wine down sleeves (you have to read it to see what <EM>that</EM> means!), and a wonderful love story! All ends well, of course, but the journey to that delightful end makes this one that you MUST try to find in your local library. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>Heyer was only 25 when she wrote this book and was living in Africa with her husband at the time. This is one of my favorites, in my top 10. It is light, has a fast plot, and adorable main characters.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>My only copy is a hardcover, Heinemann edition, a fourth printing of the first editon, and even though it is in poor physical shape, I am very proud to have it. The image at the top is of a newer softcover copy.</FONT></P>
<P><IMG src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/masque2_sml.jpg"/></P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Georgette+Heyer" target=_blank rel=tag>Georgette Heyer</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/The+Masqueraders" target=_blank rel=tag>The Masqueraders</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Jacobites" target=_blank rel=tag>Jacobites</A></DIV>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-88388572053326715062007-09-30T14:12:00.000-07:002008-10-08T20:14:42.710-07:00Who's Who In British History<P><FONT face="Arial Narrow" color=#ff0000 size=4> <FONT size=5> <EM>The History Today Who's Who In British History</EM></FONT></FONT></P>
<P><IMG src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zdjX5raLdME/SO13B0cyx8I/AAAAAAAAAEU/wZsq6YdRiQI/s1600-R/pic%3Fid%3D8b80fbj9AIPOLpgCHufYcYA0eyEGImLEOfmC%26size%3Dm"/> <FONT color=#ff0000>Edited by Juliet Gardiner</FONT></P>
<P><FONT color=#000000 size=4>A few months ago I came across a reference to this book. I can't remember where or what the subject under discussion was, but I thought it might be a handy reference book to have around. A couple of weeks ago I found a copy on Ebay with a starting bid at $5.00. I was the only bidder and got it for that plus shipping.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>It's a very handsome book, about three inches thick, with 40,000 entries covering over 2,000 years of British history. (I could do without Cromwell's picture on the front, but I can live with it.) The book was published in 2000 by Collins & Brown, Limited.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>The book is edited by Juliet Gardiner, who also wrote the preface, but the entries are authored by six historians distinguished in their fields, with specialist contributions from eight period historians. The entries are concise, but very descriptive. The contributors chose for inclusion who they thought defined the historical period of their own expertise. It is quite a comprehensive list, but by no means is it complete. A complete "who's who" would undoubtedly fill a dozen more such volumes. The book is easy to navigate, and I have been having a lot of fun with it.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>My copy is in pristine condition with no tears in the dust jacket and no writing or stamping on the book at all; and I consider it a good bargain for the price I paid. The original price inside the book jacket is <FONT size=4>£25.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><FONT size=4>I am proud to have it on my reference shelves.</P></FONT></FONT>
<DIV id=tagsLocation class="tags"><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Reference+books" target=_blank rel=tag>Reference books</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Who%27s+Who+in+British+History" target=_blank rel=tag>Who's Who in British History</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Juliet+Gardiner" target=_blank rel=tag>Juliet Gardiner</A></DIV>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-16501835937420074462007-09-23T17:24:00.000-07:002008-10-08T20:14:42.711-07:00New Journal<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>I have now started a journal exclusively about Georgette Heyer. I will be mirroring entries about her books written in this journal, and also will be writing more about her and her life in general. Here is the link (it's also now in my sidebar): </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4><A href="http://journals.aol.com/helmswondermom/getting-to-know-georgette/">Getting To Know Georgette</A></FONT></P>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-43056753889379786062007-09-19T21:34:00.000-07:002008-10-08T20:14:42.711-07:00"What was her mysterious parentage?"<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000066 size=6> From My Heyer Shelves . . .</FONT></P>
<P><IMG src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/TheseOldShadespb.jpg"/> Published in 1926</P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=5><STRONG>THESE OLD SHADES by Georgette Heyer</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4><U>These Old Shades</U> was Heyer's sixth published novel, and was set in Georgian times. It tells the story of Leonie, a girl brought up in a humble home in Paris, but whose origins are anything <STRONG><EM>but</EM></STRONG> humble.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>Through a series of interesting events, (and after first masquerading as his page "Leon") Leonie becomes the ward of the Duke of Avon. The mystery of her real parentage lies in the hands of the Duke of Avon's enemy, the deadly Compte de Sainte-Vire, a man Leonie greatly fears. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>Published in 1926, the book is very much "of it's time", with a rather melodramatic tone. It seems to be a favorite with members of the Heyer Listserv (book discussion group), and Avon is definitely a favorite hero with the ladies on the list. Justin, Duke of Avon, is amusing, arrogant, self-centered, with a sometimes destructive wit at the beginning of the book. About halfway through we see him maturing a bit; he is kinder, his good characteristics have strengthened, and he actually puts someone else's interests above his own. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>Leonie, I have to admit, annoys me at times; she worships Avon with slavish adoration and defends him to all. The man's nickname is "Satanas", for goodness sake! But I still have a kindness for her, and, as I said, he does grow up. This is a Heyer that I do like to re-read once in a while. The characters of Justin's family are so very funny. There is a lot of wit and charm in the book (which one expects of Heyer, after all). I think my favorite character in the whole book is Rupert, the Duke's brother. Rupert makes the book worth reading all on his own. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>It is a fast-paced, tension-filled book, which will keep you laughing throughout -- from the moment Avon first meets Leonie, dressed in boy's clothes and going by the name of "Leon", to the excellent chase and rescue at the end. It is a feel-good read with hilarious dialogue throughout and characters that you can't help but love. And although it is not in my personal top 10, I know some who put it in the #1 spot on their Heyer list. So look for it in your library or buy an inexpensive paperback on Ebay or Amazon. It's worth the read.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#003300 size=4>My copy of TOS is a Bantam Books paperback, published in 1970. It is one of only a few that I do not yet have in hard cover.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4><STRONG>Note:</STRONG> Heyer did not do sequels, but it is generally accepted by "Heyerites" (and stated by Heyer biographer Jane Aiken Hodge) that she did take the main characters in <U>The Black Moth</U> and use them again, under different names, in <U>These Old Shades</U>. She titled the book so as a hint to her readers; the characters in TOS were "shades" of those in TBM.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>Since TOS was published in 1926, she was probably writing it at the time of her marriage to Ronald Rougier in 1925. It was published during what is known as The General Strike in England when there were not only no trains or newspapers, but no advertising or reviews, either. Yet the book was an instant success. Hodge suggests Heyer may have been encouraged to believe that she didn't need publicity to have a successful novel, after TOS sold 190,000 copies on publication.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial color=#993399><STRONG>My list, so far:</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial color=#993399><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><A href="http://journals.aol.com/helmswondermom/DustyPagesBookShelves/#Entry327">1. Simon The Coldheart</A></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><A href="http://journals.aol.com/helmswondermom/DustyPagesBookShelves/#Entry327">2. These Old Shades</A></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><A href="http://journals.aol.com/helmswondermom/DustyPagesBookShelves/#Entry114">3. The Great Roxhythe</A></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><A href="http://journals.aol.com/helmswondermom/DustyPagesBookShelves/#Entry114">4. Powder and Patch</A></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><A href="http://journals.aol.com/helmswondermom/DustyPagesBookShelves/entries/2006/04/08/a-story-for-a-convelescing-brother/108">5. The Black Moth</A></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><A href="http://journals.aol.com/helmswondermom/DustyPagesBookShelves/#Entry298">6. Instead of the Thorn</A></FONT></P></FONT>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Georgette+Heyer" target=_blank rel=tag>Georgette Heyer</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/These+Old+Shades" target=_blank rel=tag>These Old Shades</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Jane+Aiken+Hodge" target=_blank rel=tag>Jane Aiken Hodge</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/The+Private+World+of+Georgette+Heyer" target=_blank rel=tag>The Private World of Georgette Heyer</A></DIV>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-74992763996102808292007-09-19T20:36:00.000-07:002008-10-08T20:14:42.712-07:00Someday I'll Laugh About This<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=5>From My "Young Adult" Shelves</FONT></P>
<P><IMG src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/someday.jpg"/> </P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#cc66cc size=4><STRONG>SOMEDAY I'LL LAUGH ABOUT THIS by Linda Crew</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000000 size=4>I bought this book at a library sale. I don't believe I've ever read anything else by this author, but the blurb on the book jacket got my attention, and I'm glad it did.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>This is the story of a 12-year old girl who can't wait to get to the family's cottage on the Oregon coast for the yearly vacation with her cousins. This is a very sweet, coming-of-age book, that describes the simple pains and pleasures of being on the cusp of adulthood.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>Her favorite cousin, one year older than herself, has changed out of recognition, mooning over a boyfriend and making friends with the daughter of the despised developer who threatens to change the coastal scenery the family has enjoyed for more than two generations. Her favorite uncle is coming to visit and bringing someone "special" with him, whom Shelby does not want to meet at all.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4>The book is fast-paced, with a family of funny characters, and all of the angst of growing up and having to face those inevitable changes. Linda Crew writes about her inspiration for the book <A href="http://www.lindacrew.com/work6.htm">here</A>. I really enjoyed it, and look forward to my daughter reading it.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=4><U>Someday I'll Laugh About This</U> was published in 1990 by Delacorte Press, part of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.</FONT></P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Linda+Crew" target=_blank rel=tag>Linda Crew</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Someday+I%27ll+Laugh+About+This" target=_blank rel=tag>Someday I'll Laugh About This</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Young+Adult+books" target=_blank rel=tag>Young Adult books</A></DIV>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-47310056858806530702007-07-29T07:52:00.000-07:002011-11-14T21:42:13.346-08:00From The "Not My Favorite Book" Book Shelf<span style="font-size:130%;"></span><p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/young_librarian_standing_on_books_s.gif" /><span style="font-family:Arial Black;font-size:180%;">Fool Me Once by Fern <span class="correction" id="">Michaels</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;font-size:130%;">I'm never happy when I read I book that doesn't quite "do it" for me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;font-size:130%;"><span class="correction" id="">Eler</span> Beth and I attended a library sale recently, and I found a nice, big, hard copy with dust jacket of Fool Me Once by <a href="http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/fern-michaels/">Fern <span class="correction" id="">Michaels</span></a>. I, of course, recognized the name, Fern <span class="correction" id="">Michaels</span>, although I couldn't immediately think of what I had read by her. I knew she was a fairly <span class="correction" id="">prolific</span> writer, and had a vague feeling that she mostly wrote romance novels. The blurb on the jacket sounded good, and it didn't cost much, and the money went to charity, so I thought, why not?</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;font-size:130%;">On a scale of "Yuck" to "Super!" I would have to give it an "Eh!", nothing more.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;font-size:130%;">The plot is decent; I like the way she uses the dogs in the story -- I can tell she loves dogs, especially <span class="correction" id="">Yorkies</span>! But there are things about the way she develops her characters that seems very contrived to me. I found myself, about halfway through, doing some skimming before I finally started reading each word again. There were some twists that I didn't like -- not plot twists, but character twists. Some of the characters suddenly acted in a way that was totally unexpected, and there really didn't seem to be any need for it. How they acted didn't really affect the plot of the book, they would just suddenly say or do something that seemed to have been written in just for the heck of it. I almost got the feeling that the author was rather bored with the book herself.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;font-size:130%;">I persevered and made sure I read the whole thing, though. It did have a fairly satisfactory conclusion, except for the behavior of one minor character at the very end. It is a long book, so if you like to listen to audio books on a long trip or at work, I would recommend getting this one. Another thing I did like about it was that there were no graphic sex scenes; well, no sex scenes at all, really. I don't like sex scenes. I'd rather have that left to my imagination.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;font-size:130%;">I'm not sure how long this one will stay on my shelves. I doubt I'll ever read it again, so it may get <span class="correction" id="">freecycled</span> soon. I will, however, make a point to check out some other Fern Michaels books to see if like any of them. Maybe I'll find one that I've read before (because I'm pretty sure I have read <em>something</em> by her before!).</span></p><div id="tagsLocation" class="tags"><br />Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Fool+Me+Once" target="_blank" rel="tag">Fool Me Once</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Fern+Michaels" target="_blank" rel="tag">Fern Michaels</a></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-73170978133772077412007-06-18T21:11:00.000-07:002011-11-14T21:41:04.988-08:00Simon The Coldheart<p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:180%;">Book Number Five --</span></p><p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/SimonTheColdheart.jpg" /></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">Heyer published this book in 1925, the fifth of her 54 novels.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">I have to count Simon as a favorite, though not in my top 10.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">The book is set in the year 1400 and tells the story of Simon, the illegitimate son of Geoffrey of Malvallet who, at the age of 14, has to fend for himself. He puts himself in the service of Fulk of Montlice (his father's natural enemy), and I do mean "puts himself" into his service. He has a very forceful nature and gets what he wants. He wanted to serve Fulk, and so he does! He works his way up from page to Fulk to a friend and equal to Alan, Fulk's son. The book follows Simon to age 32, by which time he has made a name for himself as Simon of Beauvallet, has a castle of his own, and has won for wife the lady he chooses, a spitfire and a beauty.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">Simon is set during the reign of Henry IV, a favorite historical age for Heyer. She dedicated the book to her father, George, because of all her published books at the time, Simon was his favorite.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">Heyer, however, put Simon on the list of books she was adamant about keeping suppressed, even when fans wrote to ask that it be reissued. After her death, her son allowed it's publication in 1977, saying that in this one case his mother had been too harsh.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">I have to say I agree, because I do enjoy reading Simon now and again. My own hard cover copy looks exactly as the photograph above. I was able to get it on Ebay for $32.00 plus shipping, and it came to me encased in plastic and in pristine shape. It is a 1978 Book Club Associates edition, published by arrangement with William Heineman Ltd. And I don't mind at all that it isn't a first edition (which would be a find, indeed) because it is such a beautiful book, and I love that cover. I also have a Pan paperback, published in 1979.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">Now that I've written about Heyer's first five, I will begin to put them in the order in which I enjoy them. Of these first five, the order would be:</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">1. Simon The Coldheart</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">2. The Great Roxhythe</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">3. Powder And Patch</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">4. The Black Moth</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">5. Instead Of The Thorn</span></p><div class="tags" id="tagsLocation"><br />Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Simon+The+Coldheart" target="_blank" rel="tag">Simon The Coldheart</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Georgette+Heyer" target="_blank" rel="tag">Georgette Heyer</a></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-69541188173727535362007-04-21T15:01:00.000-07:002011-11-11T15:48:53.408-08:00INSTEAD OF THE THORN<p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/books.jpg" /> </p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:180%;">From my HEYER shelves...........................</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">In 1923 Georgette Heyer published her first contemporary novel, INSTEAD OF THE THORN; her fourth novel to be published. This post-WWI novel tells the story of Elizabeth Arden*, a sheltered 19-year-old who finds herself completely unprepared for the people and situations she finds when she ventures out into the world on her own.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">Elizabeth meets and imagines herself in love with Stephen, a successful novelist much older than herself. They marry, and young, innocent Elizabeth, who had been reared by her father and a spinster aunt, is horrified by her first sexual experience with her older husband. The father and aunt had balked at explaining the facts of life to Elizabeth in any way, and, unable to deal with the realities of married life, she runs away from her husband. She comes to learn a lot about herself and marriage in general, and eventually returns and <em>really</em> falls in love with her husband this time. Stephen is depicted as a very good, loving man, who shows a lot of forbearance for his young wife.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">This has been called a courageous book to have been written by an unmarried girl of the 1920s, and it is. The journey Elizabeth takes from being appalled by sexual relations to beginning to have real insight into herself and the world around her is well written, and the book sold well when it was published, although not as well as the historical novels.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;">INSTEAD OF THE THORN is one of only four contemporary novels that were not crime novels, and it is felt to be the most <em>feeling</em> of the four (Heyer later supressed all four of them). It is hard to find an older copy of this book without paying a fortune for it, but Buccaneer Books reprinted it in the 90s, along with the other three set in post-WWI, and this newer issue can be found and purchased at a decent price. The image below is of a 1923 issue.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:180%;"> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/InsteadoftheThorn.jpg" /> <span style="font-size:130%;">I do recommend reading this book if you have access to it, and if you are building a Heyer library, be sure to include the four post-WWI novels. They are the only novels that can be said to have offered any kind of insight into Heyer's everyday life.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:130%;color:#ff0000;">*It is interesting that the heroine's name is Elizabeth Arden, but there has never been any indication that this was not simply a name pulled out of a hat. The real-life Elizabeth Arden, of beauty spa fame, opened up her first salon in Paris in 1922, and I suppose it is possible that Heyer could have seen the name and that it appealed to her, but again, there is no evidence of that.</span></p><div class="tags" id="tagsLocation"><br />Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Instead+of+the+Thorn" target="_blank" rel="tag">Instead of the Thorn</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Georgette+Heyer" target="_blank" rel="tag">Georgette Heyer</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/" target="_blank" rel="tag"></a></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-66628283363745935192007-04-12T22:12:00.000-07:002011-11-11T15:48:33.425-08:00Mable Riley<p><span style="font-size:6;">From My "Borrowed Books" Shelf . . .</span></p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/MableRiley.jpg" /> <span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;"> <span style="font-size:130%;">I just finished a very good book from the library entitled, <span style="color:#800040;">MABLE RILEY; A RELIABLE RECORD OF HUMDRUM, PERIL AND ROMANCE, </span>by Marthe Jocelyn. The book is published by Candlewick Press, and the copyright is 2004.</span></span><p><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;font-size:130%;">This is the story of Mable, a teenage girl who, in 1901, goes with her older sister who is embarking on her first teaching job. The school where Viola will teach is quite a distance from their home and family, but Mable is glad of the opportunity to travel and is longing for adventures. Mable is to attend school and also act as Viola's assistant with the younger students.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;font-size:130%;">Mable and Viola board at the home of a farmer, his wife, and a grown son. Mable eventually makes a couple of friends at the school, and meets a neighbor lady, who is considered by the godly Methodist community as being a "bad apple". But Mable likes Mrs. Rattle, and very soon is pitched into an adventure that she didn't really bargain for, because Mrs. Rattle and a few other ladies in the community secretly hold suffragette meetings. Mable actually becomes involved in a strike on a local factory, almost ends up in jail, and eventually helps bring about a satisfactory ending to the workers' problems. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;font-size:130%;">There is a bit of romance in the story, too, for Viola and for Mable. The book is written in the form of a diary, written by the title character. This form does not interfere with the flow of the story at all. Within Mable's diary entries are absolutely wonderful little poems and a serial story that she writes for her school friends back home and sends in letters to her best friend.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;font-size:130%;">This is a book written for young adults, and can be found in the juvenile section of your public library. I find that quite often I crave a good novel written for the young adult, and this one fit the bill. I would highly recommend it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;font-size:130%;">The author says she got the inspiration for the book from reading the journals of her maternal grandmother, written more than 100 years earlier, even though her grandmothers' story was nothing like Mable's. Jocelyn says on the back flyleaf, "They are detailed accounts of unremarkable days, but hidden on the back pages are her terrible efforts at poetry...., but I am ever grateful for her need to record the particulars of ironing collars and the selection of hair ribbons."</span></p><div class="tags" id="tagsLocation"><br /><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;">Tags: </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Mable+Riley" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;">Mable Riley</span></a><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Marthe+Jocelyn" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;">Marthe Jocelyn</span></a><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;">, </span><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/young+adult+fiction" target="_blank" rel="tag"><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;">young adult fiction</span></a></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-1665445180397629092006-08-14T09:13:00.000-07:002011-11-10T10:57:37.843-08:00From My Heyer Shelf<p><span style="font-size:180%;color:#040080;"><strong>THE GREAT ROXHYTHE </strong></span><span style="font-size:85%;">by Georgette Heyer</span></p><p> <span style="color:#040080;"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/YGP2D9.jpg" border="0/" /> Set in Medieval England, this book was published in 1923.</span></p><p>Often this is a hard one to find. I remember watching several copies on various websites, with prices going up into the hundreds of dollars; then I finally found a copy that was around $32.00 including shipping. Mine is hardcover, without a dust jacket, in very good shape, and a second edition printing. I do not think that a paperback was ever published of this book; although with the new paperback GH re-issues that are coming out this year, I wouldn't be surprised if they are planning to print one now. </p><p>As an early Heyer, again, just like the two before it, I think it shows us Heyer's talent and to what we have to look forward. The time period in which it was set was, I believe, a favorite with Heyer. I have read other readers' comments who've not cared for the book because it is so long, because the language is sometimes stilted, and because the ending isn't all they would like it to be.</p><p>Personally, I really enjoyed reading the book, once I was able to obtain a copy. I do not believe it will be one that I can re-read regularly like I do so many others, but I believe I'll crave a re-reading once in a while.</p><p>The character of Roxhythe, himself, is conceited about his own accomplishments, powers, strengths, charm and wit. But the reader can't help liking him. You see, he really <em>is</em> all the things he says he is; and he is loyal, sometimes uncomprehendingly so, to his King (Charles II) and country. Heyer modeled Roxhythe after The Duke of Buckingham, according to Hode, although she never says what she basis her reasoning on.</p><p>The secondary character, Christopher, is one of my favorite of Heyer's. It is through Chris' eyes that we learn to see into Roxhythe; to see past the facade that he puts up for most of the world; to see the deeply-rooted convictions and loyalty, the love that he really has for his country. And it is through Chris' eyes that we see the gentle side of Roxhythe. There is, of course, a love story as well in the plot, and it is, refreshingly, a veryrealistic telling of a relationship between a man and a woman in love.</p><p>One of my favorite lines in the book is when Chrisis speaking in some doubt as to Roxhythe's power to get some gentlemen of the court to do his bidding. Roxhythe reassures him on that point, saying simply, "....I am Roxhythe."</p><p>As in all of Heyer's novels, there is plenty of humor and wit in <span style="color:#040080;">ROXHYTHE</span>. The book spans several years, and it is easy to get bogged down in it. It is not her usual fare; set during the intrigue and politics of Charles II's reign, it is a far cry from the Regency- and Georgian-period romances for which she is so well-known. But, especially remembering that Heyer was only 21 at the time of publication, I have to say that the book is quite a splendid accomplishment, and I could only <em>dream</em> of having had the knowledge and ability to write such a book when I was 21 years old. </p><p>I read a review in which the writer said that it is not up to Heyer's "usual standards"; considering that it was only the third of her novels to be published, I have to say that she hadn't really yet had time to set any standards. And it should be remembered that she wasn't at all satisfied with it herself (she often wasn't satisfied with her books). And still, though written by an "immature" writer at the time, it is still a very "mature" book. I believe the problem that some people have with the book is that they are accustomed to the light-hearted romances or the wonderfully well-written who-done-its of Heyer; when they finally have the chance to read <span style="color:#040080;">ROXHYTHE</span>, it is so entirely out of that realm that they are disappointed. So, I advise that if you get the chance to read it, you should do so with an open mind. Imagine it isn't Heyer writing it, but some other 21-year-old, newly published author.</p><p>As for the ending -- I appreciated it. I cried, but I thought it was well-done.</p><p>Copies of <span style="color:#040080;">THE GREAT ROXHYTHE </span><em>can</em> be found at a reasonable price. Do not be suckered into paying a fortune for one. If you are so fortunate as to have a copy in your local library (which I highly doubt) take advantage of it and give it a try. </p><p><span style="color:#cc0000;">Actually this should be listed as Heyer's second published novel, I believe. Please see my entry entitled "Yes, I'm A Heyer Addict" for details.</span> </p><div class="tags" id="tagsLocation"><br />Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Georgette+Heyer" target="_blank" rel="tag">Georgette Heyer</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/The+Great+Roxhythe" target="_blank" rel="tag">The Great Roxhythe</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Charles+I" target="_blank" rel="tag">Charles II</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/The+Duke+of+Buckingham" target="_blank" rel="tag">The Duke of Buckingham</a></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-8508914304183948102006-08-10T10:39:00.000-07:002008-10-08T20:14:42.714-07:00Some Massive Catching Up To Do!<P><FONT face="Arial Black" color=#800000 size=4> I have woefully neglected this journal, and I plan to remedy that as soon as possible. In my defense, I have been busy earlier in the summer with my job winding down; then having the kids home; and then this week, getting them back to school. Also, I have been trying to discipline myself to work on my own book with some kind of regularity -- so far, so good.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial Black" color=#800000 size=4>Catching up over the next few days, I plan to write about: THE GREAT ROXHYTHE, which is the next of GH's books in order; June's book of the month; July's book of the month; August's book of the month; then I will continue with GH's books in order; a mystery that I really love called DEATH IN WHITECHURCH; and then I'll throw in a few more off my shelves as well. Those are the plans for August, anyway.</FONT></P> <BR/>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-47030727486644286592006-05-05T23:07:00.000-07:002011-11-09T11:18:14.342-08:00May reading on the Heyer List<p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">This month we are reading two books concurrently: THE RELUCTANT WIDOW and DEATH IN THE STOCKS.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">I have not read TRW in a long time, and I am glad to be reading it now, because I had forgotton how much I like it. I started reading it yesterday and have had to make myself put it down to do other things. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">I have never read DEATH IN THE STOCKS, but I have a copy and will start it next week. I like most of Heyer's mysteries, so I'm sure I'll like this one. </span></p>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248089365756685495.post-13083785286641572052006-04-15T10:09:00.000-07:002011-11-09T11:12:34.999-08:00From My Heyer Shelves: Her Second Book<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/PowderandPatch.jpg" border="0/" /> <span style="font-family:Arial Narrow;font-size:180%;">POWDER AND PATCH</span><p>First published in 1923 under the title <span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>THE TRANSFORMATION OF PHILIP JETTAN, </strong></span>and under Heyer's pseudonym, <span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>Stella Martin</strong></span>.</p><p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/helmswondermom/Books%20and%20Writing/books.jpg" border="0/" /> </p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">The second book published by Georgette Heyer was Powder and Patch. My copy is a Mandarin paperback. I don't yet have a hard cover copy, but will be looking for one; preferably an old one.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">This book is the story of Philip Jettan, a very good, very irreproachable young man, who has all his life been in love with his childhood playmate, Cleone. When Cleone returns from her ladies' seminary, having acquired the polish and accomplishments necessary for a young lady about to be presented to society, she finds fault with Philip because he is not like the foppish dandies she has met in Town. Her heart may whisper his name to her, but as the book says, "Cleone was stern with her heart, for there was much in Mr. Jettan which did not meet with her approval." Even Philip's father wishes there were just a touch more wildness in his son. Philip is a good, steady man, who takes care of his responsibilities, has a good sense of humor and all the best character traits. But Cleone wishes for a little more dash; and she has become accustomed to being flirted with, and Philip does not flirt -- he just says what he thinks.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">On the advice of his father and uncle, Philip travels to Paris for an extended visit where he "transforms". He starts dressing, acting and speaking the part of a handsome, foppish, indolent young man of means. He even writes poetry and fights duels!! When Cleone sees him again, it is as if he is an entirely different person. But although this is what she seemingly wanted all along, for some reason she finds she doesn't like it, and wants the old Philip back.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">The book is very funny, and although, being only her second published work, it is not one of her best, still she writes it with a lot of insight and her characteristic wit. Of her first two I like it the better.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc0000;">Actually I believe this was her third published book, with The Great Roxhythe her second. Please see my earlier entry entitled "Yes, I'm A Heyer Addict" for details.</span></p><div class="tags" id="tagsLocation"><br />Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Georgette+Heyer" target="_blank" rel="tag">Georgette Heyer</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Stella+Martin" target="_blank" rel="tag">Stella Martin</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Powder+and+Patch" target="_blank" rel="tag">Powder and Patch</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/The+Transformation+of+Philip+Jettan" target="_blank" rel="tag">The Transformation of Philip Jettan</a></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com0