First Book of the Year: 2020

Happy New Year! For the seventh year, Sheila at Book Journey is hosting the First Book of the Year event. The idea is simple - just share a photo of you and your first book. Sheila says:

Here we go – year 7.   I am THRILLED to continue this tradition, even when I don’t stay as well connected as I once did on this space. Thank you to those who have messaged me to ask if I will be doing it again. 

The answer is… Of course we are doing it...

So what is First Book?  First Book to me, is that first book you plan on reading for the New Year.  It can be a long-coveted read you have not had time for, a guilty pleasure read like a re-read of a favorite…  really it can be anything – it is, after all, YOUR First Book. 

Make it AWESOME.

My First Book...

One of my reading goals for 2020 is to get back to reading classics. Without really meaning to, I ignored them almost completely in 2019. So I will begin 2020 with my 13th  Trollope novel, The Way We Live Now.   As with the previous twelve Trollpe novels (The Barsetshire and Palliser series) I will be reading with our friend Audrey. We are just getting started and you're more than welcome to join us!

If you need a little more convincing, here's a sentence from the first paragraph. It's a perfect example of why I love Trollope:

"She spoke of herself in these days as a woman devoted to Literature, always spelling the word with a big L."

Have you selected your First Book of the Year?

First Book of the Year 2019
First Book of the Year 2018
First Book of the Year 2017
First Book of the Year 2016

First Book of the Year: 2019

Happy New Year! For the sixth year, Sheila at Book Journey is hosting the First Book of the Year event. The idea is simple - just share a photo of you and your first book. Sheila says:

Year 6.  I LOVE First book so much.  This tradition for me goes further back than the 6 years I have opened up to the reading world here on Book Journey.  I am THRILLED to be doing it again and thank you to those who have messaged me to ask if I will be doing it again.The answer  

Of course we are doing it.
My life has changed a bit – I may not be blogging as steady as I used to and I have moved to a more diverse site where I can share other things beyond books – check me out at I Guess I Am Doing This (also a work in process… but I am not giving up ;P ) 

Here is what First Book is.  The first book of the New Year should be:
A.  A coveted book that you have wanted to read but have just not found the time.
B.  A delicious favorite… one you have read before, but crave to read again.
C.  Really whatever you want it to – it is after all YOUR First Book Of the year. 

Make it AWESOME.

This year I have selected Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life by Jane Sherron De Hart...
"...fifteen years in work, written with the cooperation of Ruth Bader Ginsburg herself and based on many interviews with the justice, her husband, her children, her friends, and her associates."

The book was a Christmas present from my daughter. I also used an audible credit to make it a read/listen combination... at 750+pages and just over 24 hours, this may take a while!

Have you chosen your First Book of the Year?

First Book of the Year 2018
First Book of the Year 2017
First Book of the Year 2016

Six Degrees of Separation: From Atonement to Mrs. Osmond

Have you seen the Six Degrees of Separation meme? It's hosted by Kate @Books Are My Favourite and Best and has been around for a while. I frequently read the posts, but have never played along... until now.

Kate explains how #6degrees works:

On the first Saturday of every month, a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. Readers and bloggers are invited to join in by creating their own ‘chain’ leading from the selected book. 

Books can be linked in obvious ways – for example, books by the same authors, from the same era or genre, or books with similar themes or settings. Or, you may choose to link them in more personal or esoteric ways: books you read on the same holiday, books given to you by a particular friend, books that remind you of a particular time in your life, or books you read for an online challenge.

Simply put, "Start at the same place as other wonderful readers, add six books, and see where you end up!"

I like to think of this as a bookish free association exercise!

We begin with Atonement by Ian McEwan. I read this with an online book group many years ago (anyone remember Yahoo's Book Group List?) This is the book that introduced me to Ian McEwan, an author people seem to either love or hate. I've gone on to read quite a few of his novels and, although Atonement was not one of my favorites, I identify with the "love him" group.

This reminds me of another "gateway" book...  Wish You Were here by Stewart O'Nan. One year after the death of her husband, Emily Maxwell gathers her family on Lake Chautauqua in western New York for what will be a last vacation at their summer cottage. I remember reading this book over a rainy Labor Day weekend and enjoying it immensely. I went on to read several other novels by O'Nan including...

Emily, Alone which further chronicles the life of Emily Maxwell. It was a favorite the year I read it (2011) and I recall thinking how unusual and refreshing it was to read a book with an older female protagonist.

Since that time, it seems there have been more and more books featuring women "of a certain age." A few months ago I read  Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes. Three American women in the midst of upheavals in the personal lives bond and decide to rent a house in Italy for a year. The year, of course, is transforming. The book is positively sumptuous... the Italian countryside, the food, the art. It was the next best thing to being there!

Another book that transported me to Italy was The Enchanted April by Elizabeth van Arnim. This time a group of English women rent a castle in Portofino for a month. I remember it being dreary and cold here, but the book was like my own Italian vacation. Originally published in 1922, it is one of my favorite classic novels.

I do enjoy classics and am currently working on my second list for The Classics Club. The last one I read was The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James. A favorite nearly twenty years ago, James seemed a little more long-winded this time around. (Perhaps I'm growing impatient with age?) The audio version, narrated by Juliet Stevenson, helped pull me through.

I reread James because I wanted the story fresh in my mind before tackling Mrs. Ormond by John Banville.  In this novel, a sequel of sorts to The Portrait of a Lady, Banville takes on a Jamesian tone as he imagines Isabel Archer's life after her marriage to Gilbert Osmond. I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but honestly don't know why anyone unfamiliar with James' novel would want to read it!


So there you have it... my first #6degrees from Atonement by Ian McEwan to Mrs. Osmond by John Banville. Have you read any of these books?

Click over to Kate's post for links to more #6degrees.

First Book of the Year: 2018

Happy New Year! For the fifth year, Sheila at Book Journey is hosting the First Book of the Year event. The idea is simple - just share a photo of you and your first book. Sheila says:

Fifth year.  I LOVE First book so much.  This tradition for me goes further back than the 5 years I have opened up to the reading world here on Book Journey.  I am THRILLED to be doing it again and thank you to those who have messaged me to ask.
The answer is… 

Of course we are doing it. 

Here is what First Book is.  The first book of the New Year should be:
A.  A coveted book that you have wanted to read but have just not found the time.
B.  A delicious favorite… one you have read before, but crave to read again.
C.  Really whatever you want it to – it is after all YOUR First Book Of the year. 

Make it AWESOME.

This year I selected The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne. Like last year, I decided to begin 2018 with the 2017 release I most regret not reading before the year ended... and even treated myself to a new hardcover edition. The book begins:

Long before we discovered that he had fathered two children by two different women, one in Drimoleague and one in Clonakilty, Father James Monroe stood on the altar of the Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, in the parish of Goleen, West Cork, and denounced my mother as a whore.

How's that for an opening line?!  I'm hooked already and plan to spend the rest of the day reading.

Have you chosen your First Book of the Year?

First Book of the Year: 2017

Happy New Year!! For the fourth year, Sheila at Book Journey is hosting the First Book of the Year event. The idea is simple - just share a photo of you and your first book. Sheila says:

Yes.  YES!   We are totally doing this again.  This is the fourth year that I am thrilled to host the First Book Of The Year.  As always, I hope you will join in this fun event. I absolutely LOVE seeing the pictures from all over the world of all of you with your first books. 

So what is First Book of the year? 

The First Book is a book that maybe you have been wanting to read for a while but have not had time for, a coveted book, an old favorite re-read – whatever you want.  The point is that this is the book that will kick off the year for you.  What will it be?

This year I selected Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi... the book I most regret not reading in 2016. I borrowed it from the library, read the first chapter and thought it was wonderful, but the loan expired and the ebook disappeared from my kindle. As rave reviews continued to multiply, I decided to purchase my own copy and start the new year off right!
Here we go...

Have you chosen your First Book of the Year?

2016 Wrap-up: Stats and thoughts

It's a wrap... 

2016 has not been my most productive year in terms of reading or blogging, but it certainly has been fun. I tried to remove pressure and stress from my hobby  this year and, for the most part, succeeded:

• I accepted my last review book ten months ago and have remained commitment-free ever since. 
• I didn't join any challenges in 2016, not even the goodreads challenge. No more avoiding long books!
• I joined fewer events and readalongs, carefully selecting those that truly interested me.
• I wrote fewer book reviews, opting instead for shorter 'book briefs'.
• I mostly read what I wanted, when I wanted... free-range reading!

Number Of Books Read
51 - one book per week is a comfortable pace

Fiction/Nonfiction
70% / 30%
Nonfiction is down slightly from last year, but I'm still happy with 30%.

Female/Male authors 
66% / 34%

New authors/ tried-and-true authors
26 / 22

In translation
5 - down 50% from last year

Classics
7 - not as many as last year, but I have read 46/50 from my Classics Club list

Audiobooks
22 - 8 as audio only, 14 were read/listen combinations

Shortest & longest book:
Ten Days in a Mad House by Nellie Bly - 101 pages
City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg - 944 pages

Most popular & least popular book: 
(based on number of goodreads ratings)
The Nightingale by Kristin Hanna  - 521,084 ratings
Kings of Queens: Life Beyond Baseball with the '86 Mets by Erik Sherman - 19 ratings

Favorite Books Read In 2016:
Fiction: The Emperor's Children  by Claire Messud
Classic: Germinal by Emile Zola
Nonfiction: Just Mercy  by Bryan Stevenson
(my full list of 2016 favorites is here)

Most surprising book (in a good way):
City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg
My first, and longest, book of 2016... I waded through 900+ pages/nearly 24 hours of audio of this debut novel, only to be disappointed by the non-ending. Now, nearly a year later,  I'm still thinking about the characters and excellent writing. (my review)

2016 bookish highlights:
Germinal readalong
Nonfiction November
The Classics Club/Classics Club Spins
Litsy... have you joined yet?

Plans for 2017:
I don't anticipate any major changes at Lakeside Musing... more free-range reading, readalongs with friends, blogging events, and continued bookish chatter.

Thank you for reading and talking about books with me this year.
Happy 2017!




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This or That Book Tag

Pat at Posting For Now tagged me for This or That Book Tag, a meme created by Ayunda from Tea & Paperbacks that's making the rounds this week.

1.  Reading on the couch or reading in bed?

On the couch if I'm serious about reading, I usually fall asleep after ten or fifteen minutes in bed.


2.  Main character: Male or Female?

Female... easier to relate to, I guess.


3.  Sweet or salty snacks while reading?

I'll reach for a salty snack before dinner. This week it's Nabisco Good Thins rice crackers, sea salt & pepper.


4. Trilogies or quartets?

Neither. I prefer stand alone novels, although I did love all four of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Novels.


5.  First Person or Third Person POV?

Either one, but please not second person! That tends to annoy me.


6.  Night or morning reader?

Night (or late afternoon) for physical books or ebooks... audiobooks and a walk in the morning.


7.  Libraries or bookstores?

I'm very picky about the condition of books I read - no stains, funny smells, or badly battered books, please. Ebooks, new books, and digital audios are fine from the library, but I really love bookstores and new books!


8.  Books that make you laugh or books that make you cry?

I don't read many funny books, so I must prefer books that make me cry.


9.  Black or white book covers?

White. Black covers suggest vampires, paranormal, etc... and you know how I feel about that!


10.  Character driven or plot driven stories?

I want it all! If forced to choose, I'd go with character.


Thanks for tagging me, Pat. If anyone else would like to play along, please consider yourself tagged!

A Day in the Life: Snowbirding

Welcome to the second annual A Day in the Life event hosted by Trish at Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity. I didn't participate last year because I thought my day would be too boring and even though my life still isn't terribly exciting, I've decided to play along this year.

As most of you know, we have been in Florida since January trying out the snowbird lifestyle... and trying to make some decisions about whether/when/where retirement fits into our plan. My siblings often ask what we do all day down here and, in fact, I often wonder myself. Time seems to pass so quickly and we're often amazed to find the days over so soon.

This post chronicles Friday, March 18, which turned out to be an atypical day. Though I suppose we're still trying to work out what exactly constitutes a typical day.

6:45 AM || Just before dawn... throw on shorts and a t-shirt, turn on the coffee, and take Zelda out for a quick walk

7:00AM || Back home. Feed the dog, pour my coffee, head out to the lanai with my laptop to check email, news, etc.
- The house is still quiet. Everyone is sleeping in today... my husband, the twins, and Twin A's boyfriend.
- Another cup of coffee, read and comment on blogs, listen to the birds, enjoy the tropical breeze..
- Wash two loads of laundry
- Need to head out for a walk before it gets too hot

9:10 AM || Walk on the beach - 4 miles today. Sometimes my husband or daughter will go with me, but I'm alone today and listening to Be Frank With Me. Such a good book!

10:20 AM ||  Back home for breakfast - yogurt with grape nuts.
- I'll read a few blogs while I eat, then hop in the shower.
- Slight delay... discussion of "life issues" and upcoming NYC living situation with Twin A. Parenting isn't as physically demanding these days (no more college move-ins), but the emotional/mental aspect can be every bit as exhausting.

11:15 AM || Shower... at last!

11:50 AM ||  I'm finally ready to go, BUT hubby gets a call from the office.
This might take a while...
{At this point, we're running so late that I wonder about just staying home to watch March Madness - SU vs Dayton}

12:20 PM || Now we're really leaving...

12:30 PM || Arrive at the Sanibel Historical Museum and Village... beautifully preserved, it documents the history of old Sanibel "from the Calusa and Spanish eras to the early pioneer families who settled on the island in the 1800s." Very well done.

On to the marina and Gramma Dot's for lunch. Ugh... a long wait! We'll try The Lazy Flamingo, an old favorite, instead. They have the best peel-and-eat shrimp on the island!

2:05 PM ||  Here we are at the Flamingo and guess what?  I can follow the final 5 minutes of the Syracuse game on their patio TV. What luck!!  Since it's Friday and  March Madness, we order a pitcher of beer to go with our shrimp and watch the rest of the game. SU wins over #7 seed, Dayton. Here we come round 2!

The pitcher of beer (and our earlier discussion with Twin A) leads to us ponder life's big questions over lunch - when to retire, where to live, etc... No final decision, but we seem to be getting closer to an agreement.

4:00 PM ||  Home again. Received an email that I was approved for a review copy of Anna Quindlen's new novel, Miller's Valley. This is turning out to be a good day! I post a photo on Litsy, but today is boycott Instagram day.

4:20 PM ||  Reading time!  Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg ... I decide to head over to the pool.... where I may or may not have fallen asleep for a few minutes.

6:30 PM || Zelda loves beach as much as I do... we head out for another walk.

7:15  PM || We are on a late schedule today! It's time to think about dinner, but we're not all that hungry after such a late lunch. Decide to grill boneless chicken breasts. Steamed green beans and a salad sound good, too.

8:00 PM || The five of us sit down to dinner.

9:20 PM ||  Dinner over, kitchen clean. I call Daughter #1 to get a report on her first week of the new job. She sounds so happy.... and, of course, that makes me happy, too!

10:00 PM ||  Relax on lanai, read a little, talk over the day with my husband. Seems like a lot of "life stuff" for everyone right now...

10:45 PM || Read in bed

11:11 PM || Lights off, but I want to listen to a few more minutes of my audiobook. I put in an earbud and set the sleep timer for 8 minutes, but don't last quite that long. Zzzzzz...

That's our day of snow birding, or at least last Friday's version of it. I could get used to this...

Find links to more A Day in the Life posts here.

First Book of the Year: 2016

Happy New Year!! For the third year, Sheila at Book Journey is hosting the First Book of the Year event. The idea is simple - just share a photo of you and your first book. Sheila says:

This is the third year I am hosting this event and this year, it is all the more important to me... I would love for you to join me in this tradition of picking the book that you will be reading into the new year.  It can be a coveted book that you have been waiting to read, a guilty pleasure book, a re-read of a favorite that you want to explore once again… whatever you want.

This year my First Book was selected for me by our mysterious library hold system. My ebook hold of City on Fire by by Garth Risk Hallberg came in last weekend. You probably remember all the publicity the book received earlier in 2015... the author's advance was astronomical and the book is a whopping 944 pages long!

I have no hope of finishing the book before the 14-day loan period ends next weekend and may resort to airplane mode. If that doesn't work, I'd at least like to figure out whether it's worth purchasing a copy. I really hate deadlines ;-)

Have you chosen your First Book of the Year?

Did You Miss Me?

Three and a half weeks. It sure seems longer. Adult children and house guests have come and gone, an internship ended and a job offer was extended (!). We visited attractions all over New York state,  we cooked and ate fabulous food, we boated, kayaked, and cheered at a local triathlon, and now, summer is ending.

Twin A is back at school for one final semester. Sunday was move-in day... our last one. Ever. We've been moving kids in and out of college dorms and apartments since 2008, so this is the end of an era. No more tuition bills! But it's almost scary to think about how fast time is marching on.

Fall is almost here. Leaves are beginning to change and the air was tauntingly crisp last week. Orchards are open for picking and the arrival of pumpkin spice lattes is imminent. Perhaps they're already here? As much as I love fall, it still seems bittersweet. Summer is so short around here.

As for the blogging... I missed it! Or, to be more precise, I missed all of you. I did not, however, miss writing book reviews.

There wasn't much time for reading, but I did finish these books:

Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

Old Filth by Jane Gardam

Sabbathday River by Jean Hanff Korelitz 

The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck

I'll catch up on reviews with a series of "Book Briefs" over the next couple of weeks.

Now it's time for me to get back on a reading and blogging schedule again. Can't wait to catch up with all of you... what did I miss?

Six in Six: 2015 Edition

Jo at The Book Jotter  is running her Six in Six meme again this year. It's a fun way to summarize the first six months of your reading year by sorting books you've read into six different categories. Choose from the ones Jo suggests or feel free to create your own. The same book can obviously feature in more than one category.

I always enjoy this little exercise and participated in 2012 and 2013.  I could have sworn I played along last year, too, but can't seem to find the post.

Six new-to-me authors:
Emily St. John Mandel
Rabih Alameddine
Elena Ferrante
Paula Hawkins
Nickolas Butler
Atul Gawande

Six tried-and-true authors:
Dorothy Whipple
Stewart O'Nan
Anthony Trollope
Thomas Hardy
Theodore Dreiser
Lucy Knisley

Six classic novels:
Sister Carrie  by Theodore Dreiser
They Were Sisters  by Dorothy Whipple
Barchester Towers  by Anthony Trollope
Doctor Thorne  by Anthony Trollope
Far From the Madding Crowd  by Thomas Hardy
Bonjour Tristesse  by Françoise Sagan

Six Nonfiction titles:
Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?  by Roz Chast
Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading  by Nina Sankovitch
Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality  by Jacob Tomsky
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End  by Atul Gawande
On Immunity: An Inoculation  by Eula Biss
An Age of License: A Travelogue  by Lucy Knisley

Six in Translation:
My Brilliant Friend  by Elena Ferrante
The Story of a New Name  by Elena Ferrante
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay  by Elena Ferrante
Bonjour Tristesse  by Françoise Sagan
An Unnecessary Woman  by Rabih Alameddine
The Horla  by Guy de Maupassant

Six Newer Novels:
Shotgun Lovesongs  by Nickolas Butler
Euphoria  by Lily King
Station Eleven  by Emily St. John Mandel
Enchanted August: A Novel  by Brenda Bowen
Bittersweet: A Novel  by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
The Girl on the Train  by Paula Hawkins


How is your year stacking up? Let me know if you decide to play along.

The Classics Club: 50 Questions

1.  Share a link to your club list.
You can find  my evolving list here.

2.  When did you join The Classics Club? How many titles have you read for the club? (We are SO CHECKING UP ON YOU! Nah. We’re just asking.) 
I joined the club April 15, 2012 and have read 26 classics since then.

3.  What are you currently reading?
Christmas at High Rising by Angela Thirkell

4.  What did you just finish reading and what did you think of it?
I just finished The Hotel by Elizabeth Bowen. It was well-written, but a little too slow for my taste.

5.  What are you reading next? Why?
Up next is They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple for the Classics Club spin.

6.  Best book you’ve read so far with the club, and why?
Do I really have to choose just one? Narrowing it down to three is the best I can do..
Stoner by John Williams
An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki

7.  Book you most anticipate (or, anticipated) on your club list?
Probably An American Tragedy... it had been on my shelf for 35 years!

8.  Book on your club list you’ve been avoiding, if any? Why?
Crime and Punishment... quite possibly the Russians in general, and you probably know why!

9.  First classic you ever read?
Black Beauty,  I loved that book as a kid!

10.  Toughest classic you ever read?
Clarissa by Samuel Richardson (and famously failing my own readalong), but maybe this doesn't count because I never actually finished?

11.  Classic that inspired you? or scared you? made you cry? made you angry?
Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

12.  Longest classic you’ve read? Longest classic left on your club list?
The Count of Monte Cristo is probably the longest classics I've read, and The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope is the longest book left on my list.

13.  Oldest classic you’ve read? Oldest classic left on your club list?
I have no idea what the oldest classic I've read might be, but think Emma by Jane Austen may be the oldest one on my list.

14.  Favorite biography about a classic author you’ve read — or, the biography on a classic author you most want to read, if any?
The best author biography I've ever read is A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates by Blake Bailey.

15.  Which classic do you think EVERYONE should read? Why?
I think many readers rebel when told they SHOULD read something, at least I did.

16.  Favorite edition of a classic you own, if any?
I love my leather-bound Easton Press edition of Pride and Prejudice.

17.  Favorite movie adaption of a classic?
Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy... no doubt about it :-)

18. Classic which hasn’t been adapted yet (that you know of) which you very much wish would be adapted to film.
There are far too many film adaptations I have yet to see, so I won't suggest more.

19.  Least favorite classic? Why?
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.... so boring!

20.  Name five authors you haven’t read yet whom you cannot wait to read.
Anthony Powell, Elizabeth Taylor, Nancy Mitford, Thomas Mann, George Gissing

21.  Which title by one of the five you’ve listed above most excites you and why?
Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann... because Bellezza loved it.

22.  Have you read a classic you disliked on first read that you tried again and respected, appreciated, or even ended up loving? (This could be with the club or before it.)
The Old Man and the Sea - I hated it in high school, then couldn't believe it was the same book when I read it a few years ago.

23.  Which classic character can’t you get out of your head?
Tess from Tess of the d'Urbervilles

24.  Which classic character most reminds you of yourself?
Hmmm...

25.  Which classic character do you most wish you could be like?
I'm okay where I am.

26.  Which classic character reminds you of your best friend?
I have no idea.

27.  If a sudden announcement was made that 500 more pages had been discovered after the original “THE END” on a classic title you read and loved, which title would you most want to keep reading? Or, would you avoid the augmented manuscript in favor of the original? Why?
I'd avoid it.

28. Favorite children’s classic?
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

29.  Who recommended your first classic?
my mother

30.  Whose advice do you always take when it comes to literature. (Recommends the right editions, suggests great titles, etc.)
my blogging friends :-)

31.  Favorite memory with a classic?
my 4th grade teacher reading Charlotte's Web aloud to the class

32.  Classic author you’ve read the most works by?
Maybe Jane Austen...

33.  Classic author who has the most works on your club list?
Elizabeth Gaskell

34.  Classic author you own the most books by?
Jane Austen

35.  Classic title(s) that didn’t make it to your club list that you wish you’d included? (Or, since many people edit their lists as they go, which titles have you added since initially posting your club list?)
My list is evolving,  so I'm constantly adding titles.

36.  If you could explore one author’s literary career from first publication to last — meaning you have never read this author and want to explore him or her by reading what s/he wrote in order of publication — who would you explore? Obviously this should be an author you haven’t yet read, since you can’t do this experiment on an author you’re already familiar with. :) Or, which author’s work you are familiar with might it have been fun to approach this way?
I wouldn't attempt this without already "knowing" the author, but it might be a good way to approach Henry James.

37.  How many rereads are on your club list? If none, why? If some, which are you most looking forward to, or did you most enjoy?
I have five rereads on my list, but have not read any of the yet - Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Howards End by E.M. Forster, The Winter of our Discontent by John Steinbeck, Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I'm most looking forward to The Winter of our Discontent.

38.  Has there been a classic title you simply could not finish?
Clarissa by Samuel Richardson

39. Has there been a classic title you expected to dislike and ended up loving?
Not yet.

40.  Five things you’re looking forward to next year in classic literature?
- joining the readalong of The Forsyte Saga by John Galswothy
- future Classics Club spins
- beginning a project to read The Rougon-Marquart series by Emile Zola
- other Classics Club events and readalongs
- reading reviews by other club members

41.  Classic you are DEFINITELY GOING TO MAKE HAPPEN next year?
Wild Strawberries by Angela Thirkell... must continue her Barsetshire series

42.  Classic you are NOT GOING TO MAKE HAPPEN next year?
Can I put off the Russians for another year?

43.  Favorite thing about being a member of the Classics Club?
The feeling of community, definitely!

44. List five fellow clubbers whose blogs you frequent. What makes you love their blogs?
Only five?

45.  Favorite post you’ve read by a fellow clubber?
o @ Behold the Stars wrote a wonderful post about Clarissa

46.  If you’ve ever participated in a readalong on a classic, tell about the experience? If you’ve participated in more than one, what’s the very best experience? the best title you’ve completed? a fond memory? a good friend made?
Classics are always better with friends! I've participated in quite a few readalongs, but two that stand out in my mind are North and South  by Elizabeth Gaskell and Vanity Fair  by William Makepeace Thackery.

47.  If you could appeal for a readalong with others for any classic title, which title would you name? Why?
The Way We LiveNow  by Anthony Trollope  - because it's very long, and I think reading it with a group would be a lot of fun

48.  How long have you been reading classic literature?
Forever, really.  I loved classics as a child and that has continued through my adult life. I even owned a Classics group on Yahoo before blogging.

49.  Share up to five posts you’ve written that tell a bit about your reading story. Reviews, journal entries, posts on novels you loved or didn’t love, lists, etc.

The Classics Club: Midpoint Report
Thoughts on Reading An American Tragedy
The Age of Innocence and a Perfect Day
Discovering Angela Thirkell
The Old Man and the Sea, Revisited

50.  Question you wish was on this questionnaire? (Ask and answer it!)
I think you've covered just about everything ;-)

My Life in Books

Lakeside Musing may be quiet for Thanksgiving break, but it's a busy week over at Stuck in a Book. Simon has organized another series (his fifth!) of My Life in Books and today I'm paired up with Aarti of Book Lust.

In case you're not familiar with the series, Simon asks bloggers about books that have been important at various stages of their lives, gives them the list of books mentioned the other blogger, and then asks for comments about those choices. Part of the fun is that the pairing remains a mystery until the post is published.

Stop by and say hello... the post is here.

Tagged: Seven Deadly Sins

Have you seen the bookish Seven Deadly Sins meme making the rounds this week? I was tagged by Pat at Posting for Now, who was tagged by Diana at BookofSecrets, who was tagged by...

So, my sins:

1. Greed:  What is your most expensive book?

My husband bought me a beautiful set of leather bound Jane Austen novels from The Easton Press several years ago for Christmas - I love them!


2. Wrath: What author do you have a love/hate relationship with?

Jodi Picoult - I used to love her  earlier books (Plain Truth, My Sister's Keeper), but then they started to feel formulaic. Now I don't read her at all.


3. Gluttony:  What book have you devoured over and over again with no shame?

As a kid, there was a time when I read Harriet the Spy  once a month (maybe fifth grade). My adult answer is Pride and Prejudice.


4. Sloth:  Which book have you neglected reading due to laziness?

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - maybe this winter?


5. Pride:  What book do you most talk about in order to sound like an intellectual reader?

I think any book talk is perceived as intellectual among most people, but I particularly like talking about classics. Big surprise, right?


6. Lust:  What attributes do you find attractive in a male or female character?

Male: tall, dark, and handsome... intelligence and humor a big plus.
Female: intelligence and independence


7. Envy:  What book would you most like to receive as a gift?

I'd actually prefer a gift card so I can indulge my bookish whims and "buy with 1-click"!


Instead of tagging people, I'm going to urge you all to play along.
What are your bookish sins?

Today's Post is Brought to You By the Letter...

It all started with Simon. He began assigning letters to bloggers who agreed to list their favorite books, authors, movies, songs, and objects beginning with said letter. Anyone playing along can then "give" letters (using random.org) to others wanting to play along.  Frances got her letter from Simon, then selected one for Bellezza, who assigned a letter to Audrey... the source of my M.

Favorite book:

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. I actually left a New Year's Eve party early to go home and finish this book. No joke, that happened in 2004.

Favorite  author:

This one is easy - Jojo Moyes. Since December I've read Me Before You, The Girl You Left Behind, and Honeymoon in Paris. Over the weekend I started The Ship of Brides. She sure can tell a story!

Favorite song:

I had to think about this a little longer but decided on Paul McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed. Yes, I'm that old!

Favorite movie:

I'll go with Midnight in Paris - romance, Paris, time travel, 1920's, Hemingway, Fitzgerald. Who could ask for more?

Favorite object:

Miniature poodles, black. As much as I love greyhounds, my youth was spent with these smart little dogs and they still hold a special place in my heart. Don't tell Zelda...

Would you like to play?
Let me know and I'll assign you a letter.