Episode 76…
Where did it all go wrong?! I wrote this post on Sunday and boasted that the TBR had gone down 2. Since then it’s gone up again… by 4!! So now on 164 – I simply don’t understand it! It can’t be my fault…
Here are a few that will be rising to the top soon…
Factual
Ooh, I wished for this on NetGalley, and my wish was granted! The first time that’s happened. Let’s hope it won’t turn out to be a case of “careful what you wish for”. I’ve actually cheated and already started it. (Which means – Yes!! Henry IV is finished!! Phew – I think the book was longer than his reign.)
The Blurb says: Who, or what, is the Green Man, and why is this medieval image so present in our precarious modern times? An encounter with the Green Man at an ancient Herefordshire church in the wake of catastrophic weather leads Nina Lyon into an exploration of how the foliate heads of Norman stonemasons have evolved into today’s cult symbols. The Green Man’s association with the pantheistic beliefs of Celtic Christianity and with contemporary neo-paganism, with the shamanic traditions of the Anglo-Saxons and as a figurehead for ecological movements sees various paths crossing into a picture that reveals the hidden meanings of twenty-first-century Britain. Against a shifting backdrop of mountains, forests, rivers and stone circles, a cult of the Green Man emerges, manifesting itself in unexpected ways. Priests and philosophers, artists and shamans, morris dancers, folklorists and musicians offer stories about what the Green Man might mean and how he came into being. Meanwhile, in the woods strange things are happening, from an overgrown Welsh railway line to leafy London suburbia. Uprooted is a timely, provocative and beautifully written account of this most enduring and recognisable of Britain’s folk images.
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Fiction
Since it’s over a year since Revolutionary Road won the FF Award for Literary Fiction 2014, it’s way past time I read more Yates. This one comes courtesy of Santa…
The Blurb says: In The Easter Parade, first published in 1976, we meet sisters Sarah and Emily Grimes when they are still the children of divorced parents. We observe the sisters over four decades, watching them grow into two very different women. Sarah is stable and stalwart, settling into an unhappy marriage. Emily is precocious and independent, struggling with one unsatisfactory love affair after another. Richard Yates’s classic novel is about how both women struggle to overcome their tarnished family’s past, and how both finally reach for some semblance of renewal.
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Continuing on with my immersion in Pascal Garnier, next up is one that several people have said is their favourite. I’ve been categorising these as crime up till now, but I’m gradually concluding they really sit better in fiction. Courtesy of NetGalley…
The Blurb says: Given the choice, Martial would have preferred not to leave their suburban Paris life, but with all their friends moving away, or dying, his wife Odette is thrilled at the idea of moving to Les Conviviales, a gated retirement village in the South of France.
At first, Martial’s suspicions are confirmed. He and Odette are the only residents, and with the endless pouring rain, he is bored out of his mind. With the arrival of three new neighbours and a social secretary, Martial’s outlook improves and he begins to settle in to his new life. But in this isolated community, tensions never simmer far below the surface, and the arrival of some gypsies who set up camp outside the gates throws the fragile harmony into disarray. Everything comes to a head one terrible night; the night that the moon is reflected in the watchman’s eye…
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Crime
A People’s Choice winner from nearly 2 years ago, back when my TBR was a measly 96 (happy days!), it’s about time this one rose to the top of the heap. I have to tell you, People, you have a mixed history when it comes to your choices, so I hope this is one of your better efforts… 😉
The Blurb says: Gathering the finest adventures among private and police detectives from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries-including a wide range of overlooked gems-Michael Sims showcases the writers who ever since have inspired the field of detective fiction.
From luminaries Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Bret Harte, Wilkie Collins, and Arthur Conan Doyle to the forgotten author who helped inspire Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” to a surprising range of talented female authors and detectives, “The Dead Witness” offers mystery surprises from every direction. Introduced by Michael Sims’s insightful overview of detective fiction, “The Dead Witness” unfolds the irresistible antecedents of what would mature into the most popular genre of the twentieth century.
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NB All blurbs taken from Goodreads.
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So…what do you think? Do any of these tempt you?
The Dead Witness would me my pick. So much genius in one package!
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Sounds great, doesn’t it? Hopefully, it’ll turn out as good as it sounds…
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Personally, I blame Wullie the Piper for the increase in your TBR, FictionFan! 😉 – In all seriousness, I notice my own TBR creeping up dangerously, too. Not good! But what is good is Uprooted – well, at least the blurb looks good. I can see why it caught your fancy right away. I really look forward to your thoughts on that. And of course, I hope you’ll like the Garnier; he really did noir/i> rather well, I think.
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Hahaha! Yes, Wullie has a lot to answer for – I shall set Tuppence on him! 😉 ‘Uprooted’ is quite fun so far – not too serious and a bit flaky, but quite enjoyable. And I’m looking forward to the Garnier – he’s been quite a find for me these last few months, though I’m trying to spread them out a bit.
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Your tbr reminds me of stories where you try to get the blankety blank and destroy the the evil thing.
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Haha! Yes, it is beginning to haunt my nightmares, I admit! I shall have to hire an army of mercenaries to help me fight it…
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Make them eat cake.
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You think I’d give them any of my cake?!
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We didn’t specify what kind of cake.
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True! If it’s custard cake they can have it…
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It would make a great splat.
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Hmm, lots of tempting stuff here, but The Dead Witness is the most attractive of the lot. So much rich talent in a collection like that! Moon in a Dead Eye probably comes in second (though I haven’t read either one!)
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The Dead Witness sounds great, doesn’t it? I’m really enjoying reading these Pascal Garnier books – they’re all being translated one after the other and I can’t keep up! But I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the ones I’ve read so far, and this one looks like it should be another goodie! 🙂
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Uprooted does look rather cool! The green man reminds me of the Green Knight, the sudden. Did you ever read that story? You know, how he cut off his head and went to Arthur’s court. I think. Something like that, at least. I always liked that chap.
Mark Twain! Does that mean he has a story in there?
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I haven’t read that story, no, but she’s actually just mentioned the Green Knight in the book – apparently some people do think there’s a connection between him and the Green Man symbols. Well spotted, sir!
Yes – a chapter from Pudd’nhead Wilson, I think! The Assassin’s Natal Autograph…
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It’s sorta like a poem, if I remember. Aha! That’s awesome, then. I actually contributed something literary to the conversation! Nice. #cool
Oooo, what’s that?
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*laughs* You did! #verycool But don’t do it too often – you know I depend on you to steer the conversation off in uniquely different directions!!
Don’t know – haven’t read it yet. But if it’s any good, I might do a Tuesday ‘Tec post on it…
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*laughs* The sad thing is I don’t mean to steer the conversation in different directions; it just happens, you know. Whatever I think of first, usually.
Oh yes, yes. You must. I insist on it.
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*laughs too* Well, intentional or not, ’tis always fun! The Professorial thought processes are endlessly fascinating…
I shall then! Unless I hate it, in which case I shall not!!
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I wonder if there’s a method to how they work. Bet not!!
But that would make it even better. A ripping tech. #nice
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I reckon you’d win that bet…
Don’t hold your breath though – I’m so far behind with reading… couldn’t you read a few for me?
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The Green Man book has been presenting itself to me in various places, so I’ll be interested to hear what you think of that. And I have been flirting with Yates for years but have never read him, so again, will watch out with interest.
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So far the Green Man is quite fun in a flaky, hippy kind of way. Oh, you must try to fit Revolutionary Road in – a brilliant book, right up there next to Gatsby for American Dream books! I’m almost reluctant to read more of his stuff, ‘cos I don’t see how he could ever reach those heights again…
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You’ve done well…….the first 3 look very (Green Man, Yates) to pretty i(Garnier)it was moving it from crime to fiction) nteresting to me, and even the fourth wouldn’t take much of an arm twist
Mind you, I have bought or requested and been granted 4 books this week, not to mention the joyous experience of re-reading Woolf for Heaven Ali’s challenge led me to remove another Woolf from the read bookcase and place it on the bedside table for a re-read for March/April’s Woolfalong beginnings and endings, and the Beggorathon has immediately lured me to another re-read, so its all going a little unstoppable. And then there’s the excitement of kaggsys 1938 for next month, with a whole stack of exciting re-reads or new reads beckoning. Will I ever finish Freud’s 1900 Interpretation of Dreams…………(possibly only in my dreams!)
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You would so love the Green Man, I think! It’s fun so far – all the flaky New Age stuff, which she’s half taking seriously and half quite tongue-in-cheek about. Not sure where she’s heading with it though…
Garnier, I’m not sure whether you’d like or not. They’re pretty dark and can be gruesome, but they have too much depth to be merely shockers. And Yates I’m worried about, ‘cos I don’t see how he could ever achieve anything approaching Rev Road again…
I wondered what had happened to your century challenge! It might take you the whole century to finish Freud… 😉
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That is indeed my fear!
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Perhaps you could just dream that you’ve read it…
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I’m ALWAYS up for reading a Yates or Pascal Garnier, so those two would get my vote – but the other two look interesting as well.
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I’m a bit worried about the Yates ‘cos I have such high expectations after Revolutionary Road, but I’ve seen a few rave reviews for this one too, so fingers crossed! And yes, the other three should all be good too – in theory, at least… 😉
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I’m just starting to accept review requests again, so my TBR will start to rise again. I’m not going to put any of your add-ons on it. Instead, I will see what requests I receive this week, and then pick a couple of them to fill in 2 spots for this month and maybe 1 or 2 for April. I hope that some of them are worthwhile.
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It’s the review books that do for me too – they mean that all the other books I have sitting around keep getting pushed back down the list. I try to resist, but resistance is futile! I wish I had your willpower…
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Oooh The Green Man one looks good. I shall be very interested to know what that one is like. It is a subject that interests me very much. And of course, The Dead Witness catches my eye. You know that it is exactly my kind of thing!
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It’s quite fun so far – a bit hippyish and flaky, but not taking itself too seriously. Don’t quite know where it’s headed though…
Indeed! The Dead Witness has been sitting on my TBR for ever! Time to get into it properly at last!
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The Dead Witness sounds like a great selection of stories! Might have to throw it on my TBR pile… 🙂
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Yes, I think it should be great! Here’s hoping, anyway… 🙂
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I can honestly say I would happily read any of these this week although my top pick would be The Easter Parade – sorry to hear your TBR has grown to gigantic proportions 😉
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They all look good, don’t they? I’m really looking forward to The Easter Parade, though I’m a bit worried that my expectations might be too high after loving Revolutionary Road so much. Haha! No you are not!! 😉
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This is the second time today I have seen a Pascal Garnier, but before today I hadn’t heard of him. And he’s a no show at my library, apparently, so for now I will have to put him on the back burner.
The Easter Parade is one I would love to read!
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They’re issuing all the Garniers one after the other at the moment and they’re all turning up on NetGalley, so he’s kind of taken over the blogosphere! I’m not sure, but I think maybe they’re only out as e-books – so far all the ones I’ve got are novella length which makes them nice quick reads too. I’m really looking forward to The Easter Parade though I’m worried my expectations might be too high after loving Revolutionary Road so much…
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Well, I’m going to turn a blind eye to all of these this week. Desperate times call for desperate survival measures.
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Never mind – I’ll get you when I review them… *laughs like Cruella de Vil*
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I’d start reading Uprooted, if I were to pick from this stack. Though the blurb was confusing at first, since there are reviews of a different book called Uprooted floating around at the moment. I’m glad you like the book so far. That means I can look forward to learning all about the Green Man soon.
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It is quite a fun read but I think I’m learning more about how to be a leftover from the hippy era than about the Green Man, so far! I have a horrible feeling I’m going to be dancing round oaks at midnight and baying to the moon any time now… 😉
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I do hope you enjoy The Easter Parade. I reread it last year, and I think it’s one of my all-time favourites. It’s a little different to Rev Road, quieter in some ways and very sad. I’ll be interested to see what you make of it.
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Yes, it was your review of it that made me pick this one for my next Yates read. I’m always a bit wary when I’ve enjoyed a book as much as I did Rev Road – it sets an awfully high standard for an author to meet again. But since it’s well over a year now since I read it, hopefully enough time has passed to let me read this one without too much comparison…
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Call me superficial, but I would read The Easter Parade based on the cover art. I didn’t love Revolutionary Road, but the story and the unhappiness of the main characters has stuck in my head.
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It’s lovely, isn’t it? But I’m led to believe the book is at least as bleak as Revolutionary Road. I loved it (Rev Road, I mean) – it’s right up there with The Great Gatsby for me as the best American novels I’ve read. But it did rip my heart out and stamp on it. Have you seen the movie? It’s great too.
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No, I haven’t seen the movie yet, but as always it is on my list. If it is anything like the book I’ll watch it with a box of tissues in one hand and some chocolate in the other.
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The Green Man might be interesting. I looked at the contents page of the Dead Witness and I’ve read them all. Some of them are real goodies – Loveday Brooke, Pudd’nhead Wilson, November Joe – so I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
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Hmm… I doubt if I’m going to be forcing the Green Man on anyone – unless you know any leftover hippies! Yes, I have a feeling you said you read this when I first added it to the TBR back in the dim mists of time. As always with these anthologies, I’m sure there will be at least some real goodies…
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The Dead Witness sounds like it could either be a fun time or abysmal. I hope it is the former!
Uprooted has me intrigued. . . .
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Haha! Yes, I thought that too! I do hope it IS the former! Uprooted isn’t quite what I expected – still a long way to go, but I’m beginning to think it may be one for leftover hippies only… 😉
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