The Read goes ever on and on...MrsLee 2024 chapter 3

So here we are, half way through the year. My main reading goal at this point is being able to read. I am choosing at my whims, but most of those will be from my bookshelves. Because my eyes are misbehaving, I will probably be reading some of the backlog on my Kindle as well. Increasing that font size helps, although it doesn't make it perfect.

I am happy to say that I have read the "Five largest books on my TBR shelves" that I set aside at the beginning of this year to read.

Currently reading:
The Steel Bonnets: The Story of Anglo-Scottish Border Reivers, by George MacDonald Fraser. Fraser is engaging, and now and then some humor sneaks in, but I will be skimming the dull bits because although it is interesting to me in an historical way, I don't really care if I know it all down to the population statistics, etc.

Footloose and Ahorseback by Johnie Smyth. This one works well for dipping in and out of. Again, skimming when it becomes uninteresting to me, but historically it has some interest.

Happy new thread!

>1 MrsLee: Happy Summer Thread!

>2 haydninvienna: & >3 clamairy: Thank you. :)

>1 MrsLee: Happy new thread and congrats on getting those large books read. Your current reading sounds very interesting.

Happy new thread! Your thread generally strikes me as one of the most popular here in the Pub because you are always so positive and upbeat!! Love hearing what you're reading and doing! (And I do love your dressed-up skeleton photos.)

>6 jillmwo: Seconded! MrsLee is dealing with worse stuff than most of us have to, and yet manages unfailingly to be interesting.

Happy new thread. It is always a delight to read your reading, foody, family and travel posts

Happy New Thread! I second everyone above - your posts are a delight to read. Hugs :)

*blushing* Awe, thanks everyone. You know I feel the same about all of you and the others who post in the pub too. Aren't we lucky to have found the best place in the world to hang out with each other?

Since my eyes are not behaving, and my cats are having issues (the young male irritates and intimidates my tiny female, so she hangs out in the apartment and he is mostly confined to the attached house, they both seem to want my company and my reading chair is in the house, the TV is in the apartment) I have been watching Annika, a mystery series on PBS Masterpiece Theater channel. I love it. But I'm not reading as much.

Due to the 110+ weather, we are keeping our house between 80-83F during the day. I try to get any chores done by noon. After that I'm a puddle. Our power company is threatening to turn off the power in some areas this week due to fear of fire hazards. I am grateful not to be in those areas, but feeling horrible for the folks who are.

>10 MrsLee: I know it isn't expected to move on for a day or two, but I hope the heat passes soon. Hopefully they can keep the power on too - without fires. The forests should be wet, not dry this year?

>11 Karlstar: Hopefully the forest is wet, but sometimes that only encourages undergrowth which dries quickly in this heat and then burns. But if the trees are full of moisture, the hope is that any fire will burn the undergrowth quickly without doing as much damage as if the trees were dry. There are already fires and one community about 50 miles away from us was evacuating yesterday.

>12 MrsLee: Oh, dear. Wildfires. Stay safe, Lee!

>12 MrsLee: Ack!

>10 MrsLee: We are getting the heat as well. Not 110+. I think “only” 105ish is expected. We have been asked to “conserve power,” but I doubt many will. We haven’t gotten any threats of power outages yet. We already had a fire about 25 miles south of here. They were able to contain it at almost 4,000 acres.

Happy new thread! I hope your eye issues get sorted out soon.

In this best of all possible worlds, everything is for the best. Happy new thread!

I finished The Steel Bonnets yesterday. It held my interest until the end, in spite of that particular era and place not being one of great interest to me. This must be due to the author. He inserted the right amount of amusing comments to lighten the subject matter, but not to mock the gravity of it. He seemed to have a good amount of fair play, not being biased towards romancing the crimes or vilifying more than was called for. I liked that there were many quotes from source material. It was fun to try to read them and not as hard to make out what they said if you read phonetically and realized there was a brogue accent.

Next up is Pride and Prejudice. I am rereading this to see if I can appreciate Austen more as a mature woman than I did as a young woman in her twenties. Also I watched Death Comes to Pemberley the other night and realized I had forgotten much of the original.

>18 MrsLee: I reread The Scarlet Letter in my 60s. I still didn’t like the story, but as a reader, I could more maturely appreciate his word craft. It was an “Aha!” experience. I think you will appreciate Austen this time around.

>18 MrsLee: I've been quietly revisiting P&P for the past week. We can compare notes!

>18 MrsLee: Oh, P&P, how wonderful! I find that I appreciate Austen in different ways with every reread. It will be interesting to see what you think.

>18 MrsLee: I do hope you are enjoying it more this time around. It gets better for me every time. (I listened to it in May and discovered a few things that I'd either forgotten or not observed on the first few readings.)

>18 MrsLee: I’ve actually never read an Austen book. I do think a lot of great literature is wasted on high schoolers when they have to read them. Just too young and inexperienced to understand them.

And you can read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies afterwards with a greater appreciation of the subtle nuances.

>21 Alexandra_book_life: Yes, different things do leap out. This time around, for whatever reason, I've been very aware of Charlotte's decision to marry and the consequences thereof.

>22 clamairy: Appreciation grows with every reading.

>23 catzteach: I think you're absolutely right! That's why I am so glad that I never tried to read Mansfield Park until I was in my forties.

>24 MrAndrew: I am not entirely convinced that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies contained any form of nuance..

>25 jillmwo: "I am not entirely convinced that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies contained any form of nuance.."

Somehow, I think there may be a certain level of sarcasm in >24 MrAndrew:'s post...

I loved P&P but found P&P&Z ridiculously bad. I had high hopes for it after really enjoying the secret history approach of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

>26 ScoLgo: "Somehow, I think there may be a certain level of sarcasm in >24 MrAndrew: MrAndrew:'s post..."

Always. So much so that when he gives a serious response I have to reread it several times to make sure I'm not missing the punchline.

>26 ScoLgo: I did find one aspect of P&P&Z to be enjoyable - the baiting of zombie traps with heads of cauliflower because it looks like braaaaiiiinnnnsssss. Ha!

>27 clamairy:
He has given serious responses? Really?
I missed those.

>28 Darth-Heather:
LOL

>26 ScoLgo: and >27 clamairy: I am aware. Sarcasm and snark are generally about 2 inches deep on the floor of the Pub which has always created a bit of a problem for the non-aquatic Roombas. As it happens (she said in a dignified tone), I read the post by >24 MrAndrew: differently from either of you. I believed that he meant the reader would be better able to appreciate the subtle nuances found in the original source material and I was inviting him to post a clarification so that the meaning would be illuminated for all.

Jill hollers for a barkeep to bring her a bottle of hard lemonade, wondering how it could be that she was so utterly misunderstood by a group of such usually intelligent readers.

>19 2wonderY: I really liked The Scarlet Letter the first time in my 20s. Maybe I better hadn't visit it again!

>20 jillmwo: Looking forward to that!

>21 Alexandra_book_life: & >22 clamairy: I know I have changed much in these years, and I have never hated Austen, only when I was younger I thought the story frivolous.

>23 catzteach: I'm thinking it's time you read one, just to know. My favorite of hers has always been Northanger Abbey, because it is very tongue in cheek Gothic. It is a least favorite for many though.

>32 MrsLee:
I really enjoyed Northanger Abbey.

>24 MrAndrew: Perhaps it would help me to appreciate Austin's Braaaaaain!

>27 clamairy: Agreed!

>23 catzteach:  — >34 MrsLee: This sort of conversation is so much of why I love this place.

>35 haydninvienna: Agreed! :D

>32 MrsLee: I agree with you. I’ll have to search one out. I love some of the tv/movie renditions.

>36 catzteach: I "see" Darcy as Colin Firth when I'm reading.

>37 MrsLee: Oh yes... 😍

>37 MrsLee: hmm, maybe I should rewatch that one before I read it. :D

>31 jillmwo: yes... yes that was it. Exactly. Please follow me around the internet and let people know how erudite and perceptive my posts are. Strangely, some people just don't get that.

>35 haydninvienna: best of all possible places :)

One thing that strikes me as I'm rereading P&P, is the way Austin introduces characters. Within a few pages, sometimes a paragraph, the reader can take the measure of the character's looks, sound, personality and demeanor without the author directly telling the reader. This with all the indirect language of the day.

When I first read this, I was turned off by Elizabeth. Her arrogance and assumptions annoyed me. Now that I'm older I realize what a great portrait she is of a young woman who has little knowledge of the world but thinks herself quite clever. In fact, much like me at that age. lol

>41 MrsLee: Ah, yes, Austen builds her characters so subtly and so well.

Many of Austen's heroine's are surrounded by people less clever than they are. It tends to give you an elevated opinion of yourself, especially when you are young ;)

>41 MrsLee: I don't remember how old I was when I read it the first time, but it must have been for a college class. I read it for the second time in my mid 30s and I enjoyed it much more. I think I appreciated some of the language even more when listening to it recently, especially Elizabeth's quips. She is very clever, even if she does make some serious errors in judgement about the character of some of the people she encounters.

>43 clamairy: " She is very clever, even if she does make some serious errors in judgement about the character of some of the people she encounters."

Clever needs experience to guide it. Spoken from experience. ;)

>44 MrsLee: Exactly. Which was one of Dear Jane's main points. Both Elizabeth and Darcy were guilty of the same types of misjudgements. Jane was misled by a charming handsome charlatan, and Darcy based some of his opinions purely on appearances.

>45 clamairy: I am seeing much more of the title in the story this time as well. It isn't just Darcy's pride. Jane's was pricked when she overheard him say some demeaning (*lol, see the word usage thread to see why I chuckled here) things about her and others in her community.

>46 MrsLee:
I see what you did there.

:-)

>46 MrsLee: Well played!

Still working on P&P, enjoying it and in no hurry. Which is a good thing because I only have about four hours out of the day to use my eyes for things like reading. I have to choose between working on my family history book, reading various medical test results, looking at my phone or reading a book. The phone is last of importance on that list, but I do get caught up in the fire updates and texts from family and friends.

Happily, the latest medical test result was an MRI. Last week a P.E.T. showed that I had had a silent stroke, and since they like to do a brain MRI on melanoma patients every six months and I was due, they sent me for that. Got the results today and they show everything as normal and no changes since last November, so that makes me very happy! Guess it is time to make an appointment with my ophthalmologist and find out what is going on.

Yay for the good medical results!! And yay, as well, for you currently not needing to evacuate due to wildfires. I must say that I think of you every morning when the media starts showing film of the firefighters. Stay safe.

That is a relief and I hope it continues to be nothing and you improve in strength and vitality.

>49 MrsLee:
Good to hear some good news. Well done.

>49 MrsLee: Phew! That is good news, but I'm very sorry about the silent stroke. Hope all of the effects are reversible.

>49 MrsLee: This is good news! I wish you more and more great news.

>49 MrsLee: Thanks for the good news update :) Here's hoping for more.

>49 MrsLee: Yay for good news! Sorry about the stroke. Hopefully your eyes will start cooperating more.

>49 MrsLee: What everyone above me said.

>49 MrsLee: And another, all over again!

I finished Pride and Prejudice yesterday, here are my thoughts.

"Having read this in my twenties, and not being impressed, I wanted to read it again to see if age, experience and understanding would change my opinion. It did. The story did not sweep me off my feet, however, I was able to see the depth of talent the writer had. Her use of subtlety, the dry humor, the gentle telling of the tale, all were captivating. I find it amazing that so little can happen in a story and yet it is able to hold the reader. There are very few descriptions of clothing, furniture or landscape, and yet I felt I was there observing. I knew the characters within a few sentences, not because they were described, but because they were shaped for me to see. Wonderful talent.

The illustrator of the version I have, Isabel Bishop, did a lovely job of interpreting the characters as well. She took her cue from Austen and went as minimal as possible, concentrating on the lines of the clothing and figures to portray them. Hard to describe, but lovely to look at."

Next book on the pile is The RA Expeditions by Thor Heyerdahl

>59 MrsLee: I knew the characters within a few sentences, not because they were described, but because they were shaped for me to see. Wonderful talent.

What a lovely way to put it! Yes, I admire the way Austen draws her characters.

I've read Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific in a Raft, and enjoyed it a lot :)

You have made me want to read an Austen. I will hopefully do that before the end of summer. I almost bought Mansfield Park the other day. It was a really pretty copy. But then I thought I would just get it from the library and save a few bucks.

Now I want to reread some Austen. It's been too long. (Also, glad for the good medical news!)

>61 catzteach: I don't know if MP is a good one to start with. Jillmwo says it is her favorite, and that holds a lot of weight, but I didn't care for many of the characters in it, even the one who was meant to be the sympathetic one. I preferred P&P because there are several characters which appeal to me, although none are without their faults.

I should have said in the post above, thank you to all of you for the encouragement and well wishes.

>61 catzteach: and >63 MrsLee: I wouldn't start with Mansfield Park if I was just beginning to read Austen's work. I'd start with either Sense and Sensibility or Pride and Prejudice. There are also those who believe Emma is the best of them all.

Just catching up here. Glad to hear the good medical news! I hope you can get your eyesight sorted out.

>61 catzteach: Let me pile on and say don't start with Mansfield Park. (Yes, it is my least favorite of the six.)

I finished Footloose and Ahorseback: Memories of a buckaroo on Steens Mountain, Oregon by Johnie "Cactus" Smyth. It was an interesting read, although very localized and more pertinent to his own family than the general reader. I have to imagine that his experiences and the description of how the land was settled mirror the life of my father and grandfather. My grandfather was raised in Sisters, Oregon and although the valley in California was pretty settled when he came to live there, the lives of the cattlemen and ranchers were much the same as that of Smyth and his family. Only there was more water where my family lived.

Up next, with sever reservations, is Dry Guillotine: Fifteen Years among the Living Dead by René Belbenoit, Prisoner No. 46635. No, it isn't about Zombies and it isn't fiction. It is about the author's time spent on Devil's Island in French Guiana. Illustrated by a fellow prisoner, unnamed, translated by Preston Rambo from the original French. The reservations are because I don't like to read about horrors and I'm afraid this book might be full of them.

sever lol

>66 clamairy: >64 jillmwo: and >63 MrsLee: Thanks for the advice. I think I’ll start with Pride and Prejudice. Maybe with a rewatching of the movie. :)

>67 MrsLee: A book with ‘guillotine’ in the title might be a bit gory. I’m not sure I could read that book, either.

>68 MrAndrew: *snort* Good catch. Think I will leave it.

>68 MrAndrew: Bwahaha ...

Good to hear of the medical news! Hopefully the ophthalmologist has some solution.

I managed to finish Dry Guillotine: Fifteen Years among the Living Dead translated from the French by Preston Rambo, illustrations by an unnamed fellow prisoner of the author.

A stark reveal of life in the Prison at French Guiana, often referred to as Devil's Island, although that is only one part of the prison. It wasn't very nice. The story was engaging though, at times difficult to put down in spite of the horrors it described. He didn't go into excruciating details of torture, but described the cruelty pretty plain. As I have said before, it is difficult for me to imagine humans behaving in such a way towards each other in spite of whether they are criminals or not. Seems to me the death penalty would be more humane than making men live as starving beasts for years until they either die or lose their minds.
It's hard to believe anyone could survive under those conditions, and at times I wondered if the author was exaggerating, or compounding the experiences of many men into his story, but there were living witnesses to the truth of it. I'm not sorry I read this. It brought light to a part of the world I only knew in a vague way before, and it is a good survival tale if you like that sort of thing.

Next book to read is: The Traitor's Tale by Margaret Frazer. I need some of Dame Frevisse's calm, soothing meditative ways after that read.

I'm still reading The Ra Expeditions by Thor Heyerdahl, enjoying it.

Since I am going to visit my son and his family in Reno, NV for a week, I've selected some books to lug along on the trip, in addition to my Kindle and the two above mentioned books.

Tales from the Perilous Realm by J.R.R. Tolkien (took this on my last trip but didn't get to it; there are only a couple of tales in it I haven't read, but I will enjoy the illustrations of Alan Lee)
The King's General by Daphne du Maurier (I read this years ago, want to refresh my memory)
T.S. Eliot: Collected Poems 1909-1962 (No, I don't plan to finish these on my trip, but I would like to dip into them at least. This collection does not include Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats which is the only T. S. Eliot poem I am really familiar with.)

I do hope you enjoy the time with family. (Certainly, the book selections for the trip will be enjoyable. I haven't read that particular title by du Maurier so I'll be interested in learning more about it.)

>73 MrsLee: Enjoy! Are you driving to your son's, and, if you are, about how long is the trip?

>74 jillmwo: Thank you.

>75 clamairy: My husband is driving me. We only have the one car and for a long time I wasn't up to driving and we weren't sure I would be able to again. He will drop me off and then come pick me up. You will see what a kind man he is when I tell you how long the drive is.

Normally the trip is three to three and a half hours. This time it will be more like 4-5 hours because we have to detour around the Park Fire which is still burning. It has closed several of the routes we would usually take so we are going up and around it. It will be a smoky drive. We have mostly been without smoke even though that fire is less than 30 miles from us, because the smoke is blowing NE.

>76 MrsLee: Yowzer! That's a lot of driving. I'm glad you're not getting the smoke, but I feel badly for the people and animals on the NE side of the fire.

>76 MrsLee: I hope you have a safe trip and a lovely time with your family. Your husband is amazing! I hope the smoke on the drive isn't too strong.

>76 MrsLee: what >78 Sakerfalcon: said.

>76 MrsLee: And one more "what >78 Sakerfalcon: Sakerfalcon: said."

Hugs to both you and your husband!

>76 MrsLee: And a fourth!

>76 MrsLee: I will be thinking about both you and your husband in those conditions. Take care.

Thank you everyone for the good thoughts and wishes. Much appreciated.

I grieve for those in the path of the fire. It has burned through several small communities so far, and seems to be bent on burning up the side of Mount Lassen Park that fire didn't manage to reach a few years ago. Thankfully, no loss of human life the last time I checked, but a lot of structures burned. Some of those may be vacation cabins, but even those have sentimental value - some having been in the same family for years. We are so thankful and appreciative for all the firefighters working around the clock to stop this thing.

>76 MrsLee: Enjoy the trip! Glad you aren't too impacted by the fires. Seems like CA has had several bad fire years close together.

>73 MrsLee: That sounds like a fascinating, but difficult book. How hot is it supposed to be in Reno?

>85 Karlstar: I think it's supposed to be in the 80s, about 10 degrees cooler than here.

>86 MrsLee: Awesome.

Safe journey and have a great time. Your husband is a star.

Sorry to hear about the fire.

You posted over on my thread within the past 24 hours so I imagine you're okay amidst all the family fun and travel challenges. Have you been able to enjoy yourself >76 MrsLee:? You had some good books along.

>89 jillmwo: Thank you, I am well and home as of last night. Had a wonderful time playing with my grandson who learned very quickly that grandma can't resist when he raises his arms and looks at her with his big beautiful eyes, she will always pick him up.

During the day I read as much as I could, then when my eyes got blurry I watched "Resident Alien," which I don't get at home. I also did some weeding and meal prep. A wonderful week.

I was only able to finish A Traitor's Tale, and enjoyed it. This one was a bonus of Dame Frevisse and Joliffe.

I plan to continue with the other books I took with me. My eyes seem to go blurry faster when I use my phone, so I haven't been on it much.

>90 MrsLee: Glad you had a good trip! How's the wildfire situation in the area?

>91 Karlstar: Fire is 53% contained, 429,388 acres burned so far. They are keeping it from the several small towns up in the mountains, and so far it has burned 113,744 acres of Lassen National Forest, but only a small portion of the southern side of the actual Lassen Park entrance. No fatalities or injuries so far, 600+ structures lost.

Yesterday I began T.S. Eliot's Collected Poems: 1909-1962. The first poem has been read, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." I'm afraid I will most likely be reading these for the beauty of the cadence and words, because the meaning is likely to escape me. All I got from this is the poet wondering if saying anything is worthwhile if those you are saying it to don't understand what you are saying. I still enjoyed it. Probably will reread it before I read another. Spent a lot of time surfing the web yesterday reading about his life and his poetry.

I also ordered a hardcover of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. A modern version with illustrations by Edward Gorey. Did you know that Old Possum was Ezra Pound's nickname for T. S. Eliot? I didn't.

Since I'm enjoying The Ra Expeditions, I put the book by my reading chair instead of in the room which shall not be mentioned. In that room is now The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes edited by Iona and Peter Opie. Not sure where this came from, but it was either on my mom or my grandmother's bookshelves, because it has a bookplate from my great-uncle in the front. He was also an editor of books. There is a little sticker in the front which says, "Blackwell's Oxford, England." Tucked inside, discoloring the end pages, is an article from 'The Times Literary Supplement", 1968, about the history of nursery rhymes and it mentions this book as one of their sources of information. I'm looking forward to dawdling through this one. It's only 467 pages long. That includes the index though.

My son gifted me a new copy of The Lord of the Rings, illustrated by J.R.R. Tolkien. What a doorstop! It is lovely, and I may try to read it, or at least skim the illustrations. He bought it for my "collection." It includes two maps, and that makes me very happy.

>92 MrsLee:
I understand that copy of The Lord of the Rings is beautiful. Enjoy the edition as an piece of art in itself.

>93 pgmcc: Oh yes. I love it, but my arthritic hands do not.

>92 MrsLee: Oh, how wonderful! I have been eyeing that one. (Last year I did buy myself a copy of the Silmarillion illustrated by the author. It's not that big.)

Very relieved to hear so much progress has been made on that fire.

>92 MrsLee: I'm waiting for you to get to "Four Quartets" and "the Coming of the Magi".

>95 clamairy: He did get the Silmarillian for himself. I told him I was happy with my edition which has illustrations by Alan Lee.

>96 haydninvienna: Today was "Portrait of a Lady" which for some reason put me in mind of Gigi's grandmother entertaining the young man at tea or in the evening. Anyway, a grand social hostess who despite her age can entertain the young men, but not enslave them.

Pushed myself to finish The Ra Expeditions yesterday for the end of the month. I enjoyed most of it, although Heyerdahl tends to be repetitive trying to make his point. I find the actual building of the ship and the voyage the most interesting.

Not sure what I will pick up next or when. I'm enjoying the poetry of T. S. Eliot, and also the Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes. I finally finished the Introduction (over 50 pages) and am now to the rhymes themselves. Since both volumes are verse, I think I will pick up a prose to read as well. Not sure what yet.

Trying to pick my next book I managed to pull three off the shelf to rehome. I'm not interested in these authors anymore.
Timeline by Michael Crichton
Riptide by Douglas Preston
The Jester by James Patterson

I did decide to read One Shot by Lee Child. This should be a quick no brainer with lots of action and the bad guys get the crap beat out of them. So does Reacher, but it slides off him like water off a duck.

Finished my Jack Reacher book. If I recall correctly, it was much less stressful than the movie, which I appreciated.

I started Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett. I thought to have some easy reading by doing rereading, and from the comments on Narilka's thread, I can tell I've forgotten much of this.

>100 MrsLee: Exciting! I'm glad I helped inspired your next book choice :) I am loving it.

>100 MrsLee: Did you watch the Reacher mini-series?

>101 Narilka: I'm loving it. Realized that the whole sequence of the snowy mountain, drawrf realm, river "escape" and Gollum, was a nod to The Hobbit
"Right now we are only doing pumpkins." LOL

>102 Karlstar: Yes, both seasons and hoping they make a third. The actor who plays Reacher in the series looks like the Reacher in my mind when I read. Unlike the one who played him in the movie.

One thing I love about Pratchett, is he can take forever to build up the story to a terrible pun. In this one so far, the older Witches were berating Magrat for getting the wand. There was a lot of talk about foreign parts and such. When Magrat said she only came to visit the fairy godmother, and eat the foreign dishes that she liked to cook, she was accused of "currying" favor.:D

>104 MrsLee: Yeah, that was lovely word play :)

Pratchett was brilliant. That one's a classic!

I have a bunch of The Witches audiobooks on my old iPod. I'm pretty sure I can transfer those files and put them on my phone. I might do that... Enough time has gone by since the first listen that I have forgotten much. Thanks for the nudge, ladies.

Been reading along in the poems of T.S. Eliot. Had a run of them which I didn't care enough to try to understand. For me, they were like much of Modern art, more for the creator's satisfaction than for the viewer.

Today I read "The Hollow Men." Hauntingly beautiful and oh so very sad. I love this one so much.

>108 MrsLee: When he's good, he's very very good.

Finished Witches Abroad, enjoyed it so much. Was reading in the waiting room at the doctor's earlier this week and found it very difficult to not be giggling. At home I giggle. Mark asks me what's so funny, and I try to explain, but it doesn't work well. So much of the humor is a build up of what has gone before and who the character is.
I had forgotten that both Lilith and Granny went with Death. I loved the twin scenes and how Granny resolved the problem.

The main theme I saw was: Life is not "Happy ever After" and when a ruler tries to make it so for their subjects, they are bound to bring misery instead.

Choosing to reread some favorites while I work through some more difficult nonfiction works, my next read will be The Documents in the Case by Dorothy Sayers.

>110 MrsLee: My dear Lee, you are allowed to giggle in the doctor's office. It's a health-fostering activity!!

>111 jillmwo: Yes, I suppose so, and I do, but mostly I don't like the attention giggles bring. :P

>110 MrsLee: This sounds wonderful!
Of the Wiches' books I think I've read Wyrd Sisters and Maskerade so far, I have fond memories of both.

>112 MrsLee: Sometimes I giggle while commuting...

>113 Alexandra_book_life: I will probably read all the "Witches" stories again, clear through the Tiffany Aching books. So many thoughts to chew on in them between the giggles.

Speaking of thoughts to chew on: read T.S. Eliot's "Ash Wednesday" today. Had to read it more than once. My favorite bit being part VI, but having read that, I had the thought that perhaps the whole poem was an ode to Christ and his ordeal as a man and giving up His will to die for men. Not sure, but the title and some bits of it seem to be that. Could also be the struggles of an unbeliever to belief. I haven't looked up commentary on it because sometimes I like the way my brain sees a poem better than the way others have "analyzed" it.

>110 MrsLee: So glad you enjoyed the reread :)

>115 MrsLee: I haven't looked up commentary on it because sometimes I like the way my brain sees a poem better than the way others have "analyzed" it.. Exactly right. The enjoyment of poetry is not like enjoying a novel of prose. Your intuitive recognition serves you well. (That last sentence sounds like something from Obi-wan. Maybe I should go away and imbibe more coffee. Because I can't claim to be at all like a Jedi master.)

>117 jillmwo: Jedi master, I am not. At least until my second cup of coffee.

>115 MrsLee: A good poem can evoke both at the same time and more.

>118 MrsLee: Also, you're not small and green or live in a swamp.

or large and green and live in a swamp.

Its amazing how many cool green characters live in swamps. Kermit, Swamp Thing, Shrek, Yoda, the green M&M.

>120 haydninvienna: and >121 MrAndrew: I think y’all are making presumptive assumptives. Have you actually seen the putative MrsLee? My sense is that she’d be a charming green if she chose to be.

>115 MrsLee: Nothing ruins a piece of art faster than someone else telling you how you are supposed to be feeling about it.

>120 haydninvienna:, >121 MrAndrew:, & >122 2wonderY: I think we can rule out the "small." As far as the swamp, I have never lived in one, though I spent many happy hours playing in one when I was a young tike. There are two instances in my life where I turned a certain green color. Once when I tried smoking a cigar at about the age of 9, and once when I ate beef liver at my sister's house, age about 22ish. I was trying to be an adult. Never again. Adulting is highly overrated.

>115 MrsLee: Agreed.

>124 MrsLee: Liver and cigars are highly overrated. When I was about 9 or 10 I went to play at a friend's home, and lunch was liver. I followed the maternal injunction to Eat What Is Put In Front Of You. My reaction was such that I was confined to a darkened room until rescued. Never again.

>96 haydninvienna: I read "Journey of the Magi" today in Eliot's poems. The first part did not prepare me for the second part. The first reminding us that they were travelers on a real journey with all the gritty realities of travel. The second part reminding us that we are all travelers on that same journey of discovery; that when we arrive at the destination, we find both birth and death. A nice chewy poem.

Finished The Documents in the Case today. I had forgotten that there was no involvement at all of Lord Peter in this one. Enjoyed it, though I confess to some skimming of some of the letters from Mrs. Harrison and also some of the philosophic pondering of John Munting. What I most enjoyed was seeing how Sayers put such an individual style to each writer of the documents, and even managed to mock herself a bit through them.

I've dug out my chronology of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories, which has them all listed, even those in Lord Peter. I want to revisit him. So it seems I shall begin with "The Vindictive Story of the Footsteps that Ran" from Lord Peter.

>126 MrsLee: Still waiting for you to get to Four Quartets, and particularly the last one, "Little Gidding".

>127 haydninvienna: It will be a bit. They've put them almost last in this collection! I could cheat and skip there, but it goes against my principles. :P

>118 MrsLee: No problem. By the time you get to them, you will be attuned to Eliot's way of thinking.

Finished "The Vindictive Story of the Footsteps that Ran" a couple of days ago. Since it was a short short story, one day sufficed. It was set in 1921. Not a lot of character depth, because in 37 pages, who has time? However, Bunter and Lord Peter were as they are, which is delightful. A bit of fun banter in the kitchen about cookery. I'm trying to think why the story is vindictive? I suppose the murderer was vindictive, anyway, Footsteps that Ran doesn't have the same sort of ring to it, does it?

Have begun Whose Body?. This is one of my favorites for the picture it develops of Lord Peter and Bunter. The opening line is one of my favorites. "Oh Damn!" It describes Lord Peter's library/study as having the theme of "black and primrose." What color is primrose? Many of them are a cheerful yellow, but some are a vivid pink. The color chart I looked up had more subdued yellows and pink. Since it was set and written in the 1920s, it could very well have been pink. That jars me a bit, but I'm sure it was very tasteful.

>130 MrsLee: I hope it's yellow and not pink because I am picturing him with a library done up in bumble-bee colors - and I kinda want that now... ;-)

>130 MrsLee: I had always assumed that primrose was a pinkish shade. A hundred years later, his study could have been black and rose gold...

>131 ScoLgo: & *132 Re the library, "Its scheme was black and primrose. Its walls were lined with rare editions, and its chairs and Chesterfield sofa suggested the embraces of the houris. In one corner stood a baby black grand, a wood fire leaped on a wide old-fashioned hearth, and Sèvres cases on the chimneys were filled with ruddy and gold chrysanthemums."

This is one of my favorite library descriptions. To my mind, with the chrysanthemums, it needs yellow walls, but in 1923, with Art Nouveau, or if he was keeping up with the times, Art Deco, it very well could have been a pink. Still, I'm going to see it as yellow because of the chrysanthemums.

>130 MrsLee:  — >133 MrsLee: I think we can be pretty confident that "primrose" means pale yellow. The flowers of the common English primrose (Primula vulgaris) are indeed yellow.

ewww, common. How vulgar.

I would assume that primrose is a pale yellow. Probably for the reason that >134 haydninvienna: states.

>134 haydninvienna: & >136 Sakerfalcon: You ease my mind. :)
>135 MrAndrew: Pinky out!

>130 MrsLee: and all the following contributors. It is conversations like this on LT that brighten my day. Serious, bordering on erudite, humorous in tone, and always tasteful.

And now we have "Jazz colored" peacock robe. 🤔

I've done this before. I can't help it because I would love to see a well done movie or TV version of the Lord Peter mysteries. I know there have been some made, but either I haven't had access to them, or I couldn't bear to watch them because the actors were so far from the vision in my head. Since it's been 10 years at least, I am recasting the main roles. These are not set in stone, I have a hard time keeping up with modern actors because I haven't been keeping up with cinema.

Lord Peter - originally it was Peter O' Toole, but that ship has sailed. Paul Bettany is next in mind, but even he is getting a bit old for the earlier books, so let's think about Tom Hiddleston. I think he could do it. He has that nervous energy.

Bunter - Colin Firth, unless he's too old now. Bunter wasn't a lot older than Lord Peter.

Parker - Matt Smith?

Dowager Duchess of Denver - Dame Judi Dench

Suggestions? Arguments? I am particularly thinking of the book I'm reading Whose Body?, and I don't much care who plays the other roles.

Finished with Whose Body? and moving happily along to Clouds of Witness. Mr. Parker meets Peter's sister, Mary. Peter established himself as a useful member of the family, although still snubbed by his sister-in-law. I remember a harrowing trek through a marsh with quicksand, a la "Hounds of Baskerville" minus the hounds.

>141 MrsLee: Those are the only two I've read, I'm almost afraid to admit to this crowd. Enjoy your reread!

>140 MrsLee: I think I need to mull over the casting, but I think you've noted some good options. I hadn't considered Hiddleston as an option, but he'd qualify in terms of physical type.

>142 clamairy: I would gently encourage you to try the trilogy of his romancing of Harriot Vane. Those three are not only fun, they have a lot to say about women's independence at that time and the changing roles of men and women. The first is Strong Poison. I find knowing about Sayer's life (I read the two volume biography) gives even more depth to the novels she wrote.

>144 MrsLee: *takes notes*
Thank you for the encouragement. I had planned to keep going eventually.

Strong Poison is wonderful. One of my favorit-est of Sayers' novels.

I've been watching a lot of foreign murder mysteries, France, Italy and such. Tonight I started watching one from Finland. I couldn't figure out what was bugging me about their speaking, then it dawned on me. It's like listening to elvish. So now I'm imagining all the characters as elves. Several of them look like it, too.

>147 MrsLee: What is this series called and how can I gain access? I am interested in tracking it down!!

Read the 10 sections of T.S. Eliot's Choruses From 'The Rock'.

Powerful sermons on the life of modern man, and our failures. I was afraid they would end depressing, but the last one is a joyous cry of thanks. It lifts the heart and reminds us that there is much to be thankful for. These have deep theological meaning, which I won't go into here, but they also speak to the heart as we try to make sense of this world and our place in it.

>148 jillmwo: The Finnish series is: "Detective Maria Kallio, on Amazon Prime, but you better watch fast because it's leaving Prime in 8 days. I am going to try a couple more episodes, but I was somewhat lost on the first one.

I enjoyed the series; "Van Der Valk" 2024 on PBS Masterpiece. It is set in Amsterdam.

I finished T.S. Eliot Collected Poems: 1909-1962. Here is the review I wrote, modified for the pub.
"I am not an expert in poetry, but I enjoy reading some of it when the poet knows how to use the language. T. S. Eliot does that. Many of these poems were not to my taste, or beyond my understanding. The early poems are full of darkness, bleak and without hope; written in the chaotic way of modern art. The later poems, while still having a dim view of humanity, have a spark of hope in them. Their themes had an underlying order to them and many of the thoughts expressed were profound. It was in the later poems that I found my favorites. One early poem I loved was "The Hollow Men." Haunting. The following are what I discovered in my favorites, you might find other things because as all excellent writing, the reader can discover what it means to them.

"Ash Wednesday VI" A lovely picture of wanting God & coming to the point of accepting Him, and at the same time an ode to Christ and how He might have felt during His ordeal of manhood. I love the last stanza:

"...Suffer us not to mock ourselves with falsehood
Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still
Even among these rocks,
Our peace in His will
And even among these rocks
Sister, mother
And spirit of the river, spirit of the sea,
Suffer me not to be separated
And let my cry come unto Thee."

"Journey of the Magi" (discussed in previous post in this thread)

"Choruses from The Rock" - Damn good sermons. I was afraid that the climax of these poems, which seem to highlight our failures towards God and the world, would end depressing. But the final one is a beautiful praise of thanks unto Light Invisible for the light given.

"Four Quartets" - These seem to be all about time, eternity, past, future, present, the words wrap around one, flow in and out of our mind. For me, they were like quicksilver; lovely, but cannot quite be grasped.
My favorite was "Little Gidding." It starts with a faerie place, never-never, midwinter spring. The second part revolves around Air, Earth, Water & Fire; beautiful stanzas of eternity and the littleness of time.
The third, I felt that the beginning described the state of my being, a duality, but the insight with the answer eludes me.
The last might be my favorite lines of all:

"We shall not cease from exploration
and the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time."

"To Walter de la Mare" is a lovely tribute to a storyteller. Made me search out and buy a couple of his works to find out about him."

Will definitely be keeping this book, and most likely dipping into it again.

Also finished Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers. This was at least the third time I've read this. Takeaway thoughts this time.
Sayers uses the victim's connection with France to slightly mock the country Englishman's attitude towards France and everything French. I'm not sure country Englishman is the right phrase, but anyway, those Englishmen/women who have no interest in anything "Continental."

I also thought this might be an examination of the many different types of love between man and woman. These will have to be put under a spoiler tag.

The Duke of Denver and his wife have a serviceable, but not passionate marriage.

The Duke of Denver and the married woman with whom he has an affair are passionate, he is tender and protective towards her (but not enough to keep his distance knowing that his attentions put her life in danger), but neither want or expect it to be permanent.

The Grimestones marriage is horrifying. He is possessive, jealous and cruel, she is terrified, yet has an affair with the Duke as her only way to escape from reality.

Lord Peter has been dumped by his fiancée, Barbara.

Marchbanks have a comfortable and affectionate marriage, both are kindly towards the other.

Pettigrew-Robbins - Unclear, though both of them are distasteful people to be around.

Cathcart - Passionate affair to the point of destruction on his part, but sterile for her.

Mr. Parker - Hopeful puppy love

Lady Mary - Starry-eyed blind love, more for an idea than the man.

Notable quote: Lord Peter is speaking, "Boil my brains!...Boil 'em and mash 'em and serve 'em up with butter as a dish of turnips..."Reminded me of Sam Gamgee speaking of potatoes. Made me wonder if the expression was a common one or an advertising phrase at some point. This book was written in 1927.

>151 MrsLee: This is why I was waiting for you to get to Four Quartets. You’ve expressed exactly how I feel about them, particularly “Little Gidding” (my favourite also). I’ve seen landscapes in England in winter that the opening of the poem captures exactly.

You might already know that Little Gidding is a real place: it’s a tiny village north-west of Cambridge where one Nicholas Ferrar established a religious colony late in the 17th century. The house is still there (and you can actually stay in it, apparently). Ferrar was a friend of the poet George Herbert, who left his poems with Ferrar at his death, leaving the choice to Ferrar what to do with them. Ferrar published them.

Eliot probably knew de la Mare pretty well: Eliot was de la Mare’s publisher.

>151 MrsLee: and >153 haydninvienna: Those lines from Little Gidding are indeed exquisite. The breath catches as one reads them.

>153 haydninvienna: I meant to look up the places at the beginning of each Quartet, but didn't want to do it until I had read them all because I did look up to see what Eliot might have meant by the "rose" and the explanation (not Eliot's) was so far away from the image in my head that it hurt. I decided not to ruin my other imagery. Will go back and do that now.

>154 jillmwo: It brought to mind the discussion about rereading. Also of course how life and aging is.

I have a recording of "Four Quartets" read by the English actor Robert Speaight. Mellow warm-brown voice. Perfect.

>151 MrsLee: Thank you for this. I think the only TS Eliot I've read is Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.

I read The waste land for A level English and loved it. I've read Little Gidding, but need to read all of the Four Quartets.

Old Possum is marvellous!

>157 clamairy: I'm rereading Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats now. Yesterday my cat sat on my footstool while I read it aloud to him. He seemed to like it, especially the first one about naming a cat. For the record, my cat's names are:
Grár Boo ?
Jinn Tawney ?
Brindle BBC ?