reading challenge :: Classics Spin

Last week’s Bout Of Books readathon? Heh. Didn’t happen. Not a single word in any of my books. That’s what I get for trying to participate when every spare minute is devoted to packing up 7-1/2 years of stuff for a move. Rather than feel like a failure, though, I’ve stumbled across yet another reading challenge that’s more my speed. And something I’ve been meaning to do for years!

The Classics Spin is a challenge from The Classics Club blog that involves making a list of 20 titles from classic literature that you’ve intended to read, then waiting for the moderator to randomly select a number between 1 and 20. That number will be your challenge selection for the reading period. There are a few other rules about which titles to choose, as you’ll see below, but the gist is that you should commit to reading whichever title in your list corresponds to the number chosen at the Classics Club site.

I’ve come to this challenge very late, as it begins today, so this post is simply bare bones in order to get my list published before the deadline. After Monday the 20th, I’ll add appropriate links. For now, here’s my list of classics that have been hovering around my mind in recent (and not-so-recent) years. Every title listed here is one I intended to read at one point or another.

Don’t forget to check back on Tuesday for the reveal of which book I’ll be challenged to read during this event! And lest you wonder if I could be setting myself up for another failed reading event, I must be sure to tell you that this challenge continues through all of June. Hooray for slower reading!

CLASSICS SPIN BOOK LIST

Books I’ve Been Dreading A Little

• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Divine Comedy by Dante
• Moby Dick by Herman Melville
• Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Books I’ve Been On The Fence About

• 1984 by George Orwell
• The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
• The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
• Persuasion by Jane Austen

Books I’ve Been Looking Forward to Reading

• Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
• This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
• Dubliners by James Joyce

5 Other Choices From My Classics List

• One Thousand and One Nights
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
• Walden by Henry David Thoreau
• Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (a re-read in honor of the new Baz Luhrmann film)

 

To be in compliance with the rules of the challenge, and to mix things up a bit, I’ve shuffled my list and numbered it for the “spin.”

1. The Great Gatsby
2. Walden
3. Dubliners
4. Treasure Island
5. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass
6. Uncle Tom’s Cabin
7. One Thousand and One Nights
8. Catch 22
9. A Moveable Feast
10. Rebecca
11. Count of Monte Cristo
12. Our Man in Havana
13. Divine Comedy
14. The Time Machine
15. 1984
16. This Side of Paradise
17. Moby Dick
18. Persuasion
19. The Hobbit
20. The Forsyte Saga

a cozy mystery :: MURDER ON ASTOR PLACE by Victoria Thompson

In my search for cozy mysteries I discovered prolific author Victoria Thompson, who has written 15 books (so far) in her Gaslight Mysteries series. Set in early 20th century New York City, these books follow midwife Sarah Brandt as she is drawn into the investigations of mysterious deaths encountered during her work. The deciding factor in exploring this series was the NYC setting. There’s just magic in that place during that time, and I knew I would enjoy the stories if setting was allowed to be front and center. Thankfully, that is the case.

The first Gaslight title is Murder on Astor Place, and its plot is simple: a young socialite is murdered while hiding in a low-class boardinghouse and Sarah Brandt finds herself connected to the woman. While inquiring about circumstances of the crime, Sarah is drawn into the investigation by New York City detective Frank Malloy, and together they follow the leads to discover the truth. What makes the book intriguing – and what kept me reading even after encountering grammar errors and bad prose – is the detailed description of Old New York, with its crime-ridden neighborhoods, crooked police force, strict class system, and Knickerbocker families. Thompson’s imagery is vivid as she walks her characters (and readers) through the streets of NYC in the early 1900s, describing famous landmarks in their newness and beloved icons before they became legendary. The mystery often paled in comparison to the city’s varied lifestyles and burgeoning history. There were times, in fact, that I forgot a mystery was waiting to be solved! And this is really the only reason I will continue reading the titles in this series.

Murder on Astor Place came across to me as a “cozy” in the most negative sense. It’s a bit too lightweight, a bit too pretty. It’s not “fluff” but it lacks emotional depth. At first I wondered if this book was suffering from age, having been published in 1999, and then I wondered if it might have been the author’s first book. It’s not. Thompson had 20 novels published during the twelve years prior to the Gaslight Mysteries. Those are categorized as historical romances, though, so I wonder if the genre shift may have contributed to Astor Place feeling so light. I still continued to read and found a bit of groove in the final half that propelled me to the big reveal of the murderer. And despite a melodramatic ending that read like a bad Lifetime movie (imagine how bad that must be!), I still felt satisfied when reaching the conclusion. I’m also interested enough to read more Gaslight titles. I’m hoping the quality improves, and I’m hoping the main characters are further developed as the series progresses. Because, while vintage New York is endlessly fascinating and the book covers make my heart soar, I’m not sure that’s enough to wade through mysteries that are only semi-interesting. Time will tell.
 

NOTE: some book titles in this post are affiliate links

let’s do another readathon!

My first Spring Readathon of 2013 didn’t quite go as planned, as far as actual reading, so it’s time for a do-over. Bout of Books to the rescue!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is week-long event beginning 12:01am Monday, May 13th, and running through Sunday, May 19th, in whatever time zone you are in. There are optional challenges, giveaways, and even a grand prize, but the focus is on the reading, however much or little you choose. Bout of Books is low-pressure, a competition between you and your usual number of books read in a week. It was organized by Amanda at “On a Book Bender” and Kelly at “Reading the Paranormal,” and complete details can be found at the official Bout of Books site.

For my part, I will be reading as much as possible through the entire week. My goal is not to read a specific number of books but to finish a few that have been in progress for a while.

Paul: A Man of Grace and Grit by Charles Swindoll – While watching the final hour of The Bible miniseries (I need to blog about that soon!), I was particularly struck by the depiction of the Apostle Paul and how broken he was portrayed. In all of my personal Bible reading, no matter how familiar I am with the words of Paul, I’ve never considered this aspect of his personal journey. And yet, of course this was true. Having seen such representation, I can now feel his brokenness and overwhelming humility in every word of Paul’s included in the New Testament. The few scenes with the apostle in the miniseries led me to desire a greater understanding of the man behind the teachings, and Swindoll’s book is one of the best starting points. I’ve read approximately 1/4 of the chapters thus far, so I really want to put some effort into it during the Bout of Books readathon.

Murphy’s Law by Rhys Bowen – After enjoying Her Royal Spyness, I began another series by the same author to determine whether the feeling would continue. Murphy’s Law is the first title of the Molly Murphy Mysteries, and I’ve been reading it for a week but have not quite reached the halfway point. I was intrigued by the historical setting of late 19th century New York City as well as the protagonist’s Irish background, and I’ve enjoyed that the first major arc of the plot has taken her into the steerage compartment of a White Star Line ship, but the story has not really taken off for me yet. I also haven’t fallen in love with Molly Murphy, which is a problem when the entire series is built around her. But I love the historical elements and setting so I’ve not given up on it yet. I’m hoping by the time I reach its conclusion I’ll have the same feelings toward it that I did toward Murder on Astor Place, which is that I’d like to see what the next story brings to the series. Bout of Books is a great time to figure that out.

Lastly, if my reading really takes off and I can squeeze in enough time (or if I abruptly abandon Molly Murphy!), I do have one more book at the ready.

The Innocent by David Baldacci – This was a book I had really hoped to begin during Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon, so I’ve held onto it with great hopes of getting to it soon. The concept intrigues me – the hero is a hit man working for the government! – and I’m ready for something down and dirty after all these cozies. If nothing else, I’m hoping the Bout of Books readathon allows me to finish off other things in order to move on to this thriller series. I have very high hopes for it, and my anticipation is starting to reach maximum levels.

So, beginning Monday, I’ll be trying to squeeze a lot of reading time into an already full week of work, apartment packing, and a possible first stage of moving out of my current home. That in itself is a TALE… but for another time. Watch for Bout of Books updates on this site throughout next week, and please do follow me on Twitter as I post flash updates during my periods of reading. If you’re also participating in Bout of Books, let me know! I’d love to follow your progress, too.

note: this post contains affiliate links

HER ROYAL SPYNESS by Rhys Bowen

Earlier this year I had a thought to try reading cozy mysteries. I came to them while looking for new series to keep me engaged more than just one title, but I’ve never thought I’d be a fan of the cozy genre since I always prefer more involved reads that allow me to sink my teeth into a story for a long period of time. And then I considered how little I’m actually reading because of the time commitment. (Hint: close to nil) I’m rarely interested in chick lit or “inspirational” fiction – neither has enough grit for me – but I also don’t enjoy wading through profane language or grisly text just to make a story “colorful.” That’s when I remembered cozies. I made a few quick searches for “cozy mystery,” including the actual definition in case I was mistaking the term for a different type of book, and I found quite a few series that sounded interesting to me. My first selection was a trial run, but I quickly came on board with the fans of the cozies. It helped that my first choice had a historical fiction element to it.

Author Rhys Bowen has several series set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and I found two that instantly appealed to me. The Molly Murphy mysteries follow a young Irish woman who flees her country before being charged with murder only to find herself in the same situation as she enters America through Ellis Island in 1901. (I’m reading the first in that series now.) The second series centers on Lady Georgiana, a Scot who is 34th in line for the English throne but finds herself bored and broke in her family’s castle estate and sets out on her own with no means (or knowledge) to care for herself. I chose this latter tale as my first cozy read because of the setting – London during the time of not-yet-King Edward’s dalliance with Mrs. Wallis Simpson – and because of the title itself: Her Royal Spyness. In the end, Georgie’s story was a perfect introduction to this genre.

Lady Georgiana’s story begins to live up to its title when a man seeking to take her family’s 800-year-old estate ends up dead in the bathtub of her family’s London house and she takes on the role of amateur sleuth. The mystery is solid enough to keep me engaged, but it’s the descriptions of Georgie’s life as a royal-in-hiding that truly captivated me. With no money at her disposal, Georgie seeks to obtain employment among the working class of 1930′s London, yet doing so is forbidden by royal tradition. This sets about a number of fun little scenarios where she must hide herself among the servants and dodge anyone from her own societal class who might give her away – and ostracize her in the process. A few failed jobs later, Georgie becomes a cleaning maid to the very families she must avoid… and she finds herself enjoying it! Along the way Georgie follows clues to the murder mystery until one final reveal brings the story together in a fun, and kind of exciting, way.

I admit to being a snob about cozy mysteries, so I never expected to enjoy Her Royal Spyness as much as I did. In reading I discovered that the magic isn’t in the mystery but in the characters and the settings. I adored Lady Georgie. She has great spunk and determination, and the juxtaposition of her two lives lends an element of humor to everything in the story. I’ve always been a sucker for stories of British royals and have been fascinated by the story of David, Prince of Wales, and Mrs. Simpson for most of my life. Yet the greatest element of Georgie’s royal story are the many casual conversations she has with her cousin, the Queen, who enlists Georgie to keep tabs on her son as he insists on being in relationship with the divorcée Simpson. Such drama in the House of Windsor! And I loved seeing it included in this tale.

I became an instant convert to cozy mysteries in reading Her Royal Spyness, and I’m soon to read the second title in the series. It’s just enough fun to be easy reading yet intricate enough to keep me engaged. And beyond all that, I’m a total sucker for the book covers! I can’t say I’ll be drawn to every type of cozy in the future, or that my interest will last a long time, but I’m excited to have found several new series that will help increase my reading time without feeling bogged down by hundreds of hardcover-sized pages. Here’s to many more books completed this year!
 

   Check out my instant review at Goodreads from February 2013.
 

NOTE: some book titles are affiliate links

Have you seen our son?

 

One last funny from this spring’s readathon.
I laughed out loud and then couldn’t help but feel bad for doing it.
So I had to share.