Richard III

Richard III

William Shakespeare

I think that almost everyone knows Shakespeare's verson of the story of the monstrous King Richard III, how he plotted the murder of anyone who stood in the way of his gaining the crown of England.

This was certainly not my first encounter with Shakespeare. I've read his work several times before. However, I seem to have missed the history plays, until now.

I'm embarrassed to admit, that this is also the first time that I've felt the magic of Shakespeare. It's the first time I've been held in the thrall of the power of his words.

I've always enjoyed his work, but I never understood what all the fuss was about. Now I get it.

Some Tame Gazelle

Some Tame Gazelle

Barbara Pym

This is a gentle comedy of manners which takes place in an English village sometime during the first half of the Twentieth Century. It features two spinster sisters, curates, a rather sour, dour archeacon, a bishop, tea, cakes, church bazaars, knitting, and many more of the trappings you'd expect in to find in a gentle comedy of manners.

This book has been compared to Jane Austen's work. I can see that on the surface, but in the end, I don't think it really lives up to that billing. To be fair, can anything really live up to an original?

I enjoyed this, and am glad I read it. There were many passages that made me smile. I wouldn't say, though, that I was terribly impressed.

Roman Fever and Other Stories

Roman Fever and Other Stories

Edith Wharton

This book was a wonderful smorgasbord of delicious tidbits. I'm a fan of Edith Wharton, but I loved this collection of her short stories even more than I do the novels of hers I've read. Every story was a gem, and sparkled and shown in its own way.

My favorites were the title story, Roman Fever, Xingu, and Autre Temps. The thread through several of the stories is societal mores - what are the boundaries, and what happens when those boundaries are crossed.

Xingu was a jab at social and intellectual pretentions, and was almost told like a joke with a punchline. I saw the punchline coming a mile off, but I didn't mind, because it was such a great ride to get there.

Anyone looking for an introduction to Edith Wharton could not do better than this. Neither could anyone looking for an outstanding short story collection.

I loved this, and have added it to my always-growing list of favorites.

Madame Bovary

Madame Bovary

Gustave Flaubert

An inexperienced, passionate, romantic dreamer of a girl marries a boring, medicre, widowed, milksop, country doctor with predictable consequences.

My feelings about Madame Bovary are ambiguous. At times the writing seemed uneven. There were many brilliant passages, but many that were not so great. That might have been the fault of the translation.

I really couldn't sympathize with either Emma Bovary, nor her husband. The character that I had the most compassion for was Berthe, a minor character.

I'm glad that I read this, though, because I did enjoy some of the more outstanding passages, and it was so rich with symbolism and other literary devices, such as foreshadowing.

I can't help but conclude that Flaubert was a gifted writer.

The Western Lit Survival Kit: An Irreverant Guidd to the Classics, from Homer to Faulkner

The Western Lit Survival Kit: An Irreverant Guide to the Classics from Homer to Faulkner

Sandra Newman

The title and subtitle neatly explain what this book is about. Written with razor-sharp wit and satire, it also manages to convey a great deal of information and insight in a very accessible manner.

I didn't always agree with the author's assessment of a classic. For instance, she pretty much panned Frankenstein. I think she forgot that one keystone of great literature is that it addresses big questons - gets us to think about things that are larger than ourselves, particularly, the human condition. I consider Mary Shelley was a genius at this aspect of the writer's craft.

Even though I'm a bit put out about the author's assessment of Frankenstein, and even though it felt, at times, that the author were showing off a bit, I adored this book! I really needed to add dozens of books to my wishlist like I needed a hole in the head, (o.k., dozens might be a slight exaggeration), but that's exactly what I've done, thanks to this book. I'm also now dying to re-read some old favorites.

Sandra Newman is a book-junky's enabler.

Seriously, this book is more fun than a Six Flags theme park. It's a treasure for book lovers, and I think that it would make literature more accessible to those who are intimidated by it - as long as they're not intimidated by her erudition and dextrous display of wit.

The Thirty-Nine Steps and The Power-House

The Thirty-Nine Steps and The Power-House

John Buchan

This book is comprised of two rollicking-good novellas.

In each of these tales, the protagonist stumbles upon a plot that would have devastating consequences to the world. These protagonists, however, are no bumbling characters.

Both are pulled out of their comfortable lives, and both display razor-sharp wit and nerve as they desperately race to unravel and foil the plots. In the process, they put their own lives at risk.

I was delighted to find that The Thirty-Nine Steps is one in a series of four books featuring Richard Hannay. I'll be looking forward to reading them all. I still have to investigate whether The Power-House, which features Sir Edward Leithan, is part of a series or not.

These were wonderful tales of high adventure, espionage and poltiical intrigue, told with the kind of subtle humor that appeals to me.

I loved this book! It was great fun!

Footsteps in the Darkl

Footsteps in the Dark

Georgette Heyer

An old priory, the ghost of a monk, a skelton in a priest's hole, secret passages, and a murder sprinkled with a dose of humor and a small dash of romance is the perfect recipe for a great ghost story/mystery.

This book was so much fun! Add in some chilly, rainy weather that's perfect for bundling up and reading, and I feel as if I've nearly reached reading nirvana! I was almost sorry to have finished this book, and I will definitely be reading more of Georgette Heyer's mysteries in the future.

Exit the Milkman

Exit the Milkman

Charlotte MacLeod

When Jim Feldtster, the head of the dairy dept. at a small, New England, agricultural college disappears under mysterious circumstances, his unpleasant wife rouses her neighbor, Professor Peter Shandy, in the middle of the night. Shandy dismisses her pleas for help as attention-seekkng hystrionics.

When Feldster still hasn't turned up to teach his classes the next day, Shandy has second thoughts, and regrets being so dismissive the night before.

After Peter and Helen Shandy's friend, Catriona McBogle, gets lost on a rarely-used backroad and finds Feldster strapped into a wrecked car and apparently suffering from amnesia, the mystery only deepens.

The mystery becomes even more profound when Feldster's unpleasant wife is found dead in their immaculate home.

This was an entertaining read. Among the cozies I've read, I'd probably rate it somewhere in the middle - not the worst by any means, but certanly not the best.

The Australian Pen Pal

The Australian Pen Pal

Michelle Linn-Gust

Rachel Monroe has lost her husband, Tom, to cancer. During Tom's illness, she promised him that she would pursue the dreams that she had deferred during their marriage and his illness. Honoring Tom and her promise to him has made her a successful novelist.

When she is sent to Australia on a publicity tour, she seizes the opportunity to search for her teenage pen pal, who abruptly stopped writing.

What she finds is that life, in all of its aspects and fullness, can indeed move forward again, after loss.

I found Rachel's story moving. It was satisfying and inspirational to witness Rachel's heart learn to open up again.