Classics Club Spin #30
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The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
“When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday starts off by sounding like Sunday, there is something seriously wrong somewhere.”
It seems like eons ago that I read a book by John Wyndham …… The Chrysalids, I believe it was …. and I should have remembered that it was weird. Just like The Day of the Triffids. Meat-eating plants with poison stingers and an odd way of transportation, not to mention a world-wide calamity that leaves most of the population blind. What could be stranger?
20 Books (or so) of Summer 2022
The weather is still so terrible that it’s difficult to think of summer but perhaps this wonderful challenge, 20 Books of Summer, will bring that elusive season to the forefront. Wind, and rain, and really cold temperatures, especially at night, has been our present experience, however I feel warmer days are on the way. I’ve started learning to golf once again and am planting our garden. Summer must come!
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
Murder At The Vicarage: “It is difficult to know quite where to begin this story, but I have fixed my choice on a certain Wednesday at luncheon in the Vicarage.”
Detective: Miss Marple (first appearance)
Published: 1930
Length: 285 pages
Setting: St. Mary Mead, Downshire (fictional)
Canadian Con~voy 2022 & A Little Canadian History
I was reading Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and composing my review while thinking about times in history that featured non-violent protests. I read Gandhi’s autobiography, My Story of My Experiments with Truth, and along with King’s letter, one of the main things that stood out for me was their concern for their fellow man. While King is attempting to bring attention to racial injustice, the two main themes that ran throughout his letter were LOVE and BROTHERHOOD. And both men, while fighting peacefully for what they believed, actively tried to cultivate within themselves traits that would make them better human beings, traits that would foster unity, empathy, patience and love towards others. With all the turmoil, division and angst all over the world, it was a joy to read a narrative that, in spite of addressing negative issues, was positive in its make-up. Internally, I was lamenting the dearth of such leadership and sentiments today. And nothing similar would never happen in Canada, a country full of very compliant, quiet, obedient citizens. Until ….
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
“Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy.”
There is a wardrobe in an old room. Picture yourself opening the wardrobe door. You climb inside it, carefully leaving the door cracked open slightly as you push your way back in amongst the antique coats, which smell of dampness and age and silent history. But wait! It is cold underneath you and, as you reach down, you grasp a wet, slushy substance that could only be snow!
Deal Me In Challenge 2022
Jay at Bibliophiilopolis used to host the Deal Me In Challenge every year however 2020 seemed to be the end of the challenge. But since it was one of my favourite challenges, I’ve continued on my own. Last year was almost a complete bust, but I’m going to try again this year, if only for the value I received from stretching myself to read writing I wouldn’t normally choose. So here is my Deal Me In Challenge 2022!
Mapp and Lucia by E. F. Benson
“Though it was nearly a year since her husband’s death, Emmeline Lucas (universally known to her friends as Lucia) still wore the deepest and most uncompromising mourning. “
Why is it that the British seem overstocked with authors who can write humorous tales that make readers want to read more, immediately after they finish the first book? I can think of a number of books and authors that fit into this category: P.G. Wodehouse, Jerome K. Jerome, I Capture the Castle, The Diary of a Nobody, Henrietta’s War, Stella Gibbons, and now E.F. Benson comes to the forefront.
I first was introduced to the Mapp and Lucia BBC production and wondered if the books could be just as entertaining. I was wrong. This one was even better!
Back to the Classics Challenge 2022
If there’s one challenge I regularly participate in each year, it’s the Back to the Classics challenge. I participate whether I complete it or not as it gets me reading more classics and often helps me with my Classics Club list. I’m so glad that it’s back this year to give me more focus with my reading.
Ten Books to Finish in 2022
With both Christmas and New Year now over, I still haven’t posted any challenges and I’m still mulling over what I want to tackle. But what I do have is a couple of lists which I want to focus on. I usually read multiple books at a time but I’ve developed a bad habit over the last few years of starting books and not completing them, even though I have every intention of finishing. So my first list for the new year is unfinished books that I need to … well, FINISH!