October Books

I haven't done a monthly recap post for a while, but I haven't posted much lately so I thought I'd do a summary of what I've read this month.

 

 

Firstly, I finally finished Lord of the Rings! I think it's been round about a year, perhaps just over, since I first picked up The Fellowship of the Ring. I tend to be very slow about reading long books - I need to take breaks to read other things in the middle - but I didn't quite expect to take so long to finish. I did enjoy it, and am partly tempted to start over again with FOTR, since it feels like an age since I read that. At any rate, I can now say that I have read it.

I made some progress with Mount TBR this month; I'm still hopelessly behind my goal of 24 books, but I did get a few off: The Return of the King (as mentioned above), Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, and Forged in the Fire by Ann Turnbull. Scarlet was a disappointment - despite having really enjoyed Cinder (last year), I found this a bit of a chore to get through; I think I just wasn't that interested in Scarlet and Wolf or their story. I did enjoy the bits with Cinder and Kai more. I'll probably still move on to Cress eventually, as it sounds like I'll enjoy it more, but it's not a top priority. Forged in the Fire I really enjoyed - despite also taking me a long time to read - but it's the kind of book you can quite easily put down and come back to without too much trouble. It's the sequel to No Shame, No Fear, which I read quite a number of years ago now, about Quakers and religious persecution in seventeenth-century England; this book (as the title suggests) deals with the years of the plague and the Great Fire of London. I'd recommend both books, and am looking forward to reading the third one, Seeking Eden.

 

Other books I've read this month:

The Bookseller's Tale by Ann Swinfen (reviewed here)

Jane Austen and Names by Maggie Lane; this was quite an interesting read, although short, although I already knew a bit about the subject so there wasn't that much that was new, and there were a couple of things that were incorrect, although these were pretty minor things. There was an index of names mentioned in Jane Austen's book at the back, which I thought was helpful.

Mr. Majeika on the Internet by Humphrey Carpenter; a fun, but kind of wacky children's book, that I'd definitely have enjoyed as a child.

Adrienne and the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer; enjoyable, but I prefer the earlier books in the series.

A Very Distant Shore by Jenny Colgan; this was OK.

 

Also, this is my 100th post! I find it hard to believe I've written so many, but there you are.

Footnotes: October 2017

 

Footnotes is a monthly link-up hosted by Ashley and Emily. It's all about sharing quotations. Just in time, I'm joining up with the October prompt, which is: a quotation from a poem.

 

There were quite a few quotations I could have shared this month, but I've chosen a short quote from Charlotte Bronte's poem "Gilbert":

            For words oft give but echo faint

            Of thoughts the mind conceives.

 

I've definitely experienced thoughts and feelings that I wasn't able to express in words; sometimes this might be because I don't have the words or don't understand my thoughts well enough, but other times it does seem like language is inadequate. However, one of the joys of collecting quotations is that sometimes you find that others have said things that express your thoughts perfectly, when you weren't able to do so yourself.

Weekly Poem: Psalm 13 by Mary Herbert

How long, O Lord, shall I forgotten be?

What? ever?

How long wilt thou thy hidden face from me

Dissever?

How long shall I consult with carefull sprite

In anguish?

How long shall I with foes triumphant might

Thus languish?

Behold me, Lord, let to thy hearing creep

My crying;

Nay, give me eyes and light, lest that I sleep

In dying;

Lest my foe brag, that in my ruin he

Prevailed;

And at my fall they joy that, troublous, me

Assailed.

No! no! I trust on thee, and joy in thy

Great pity:

Still, therefore, of thy graces shall be my

Song's ditty.

 

Mary Herbert

Book Review: The Bookseller's Tale by Ann Swinfen

Summary

The Bookseller's Tale is the first in a series of mysteries set in 14th-century Oxford. The book takes place a few years after the population has been decimated by the Black Death, the effects of which are still widely felt. Nicholas Elyot, the main character, is a bookseller who lost his wife to the plague. One day he finds the body of a student in the River Cherwell, and discovers that his death was not due to natural causes. The town authorities don't seem to have any interest in investigating the murder, but Nicholas and his friend Jordain Brinkylsworth, a member of the university, feel they owe it to the victim to find out.

 

Thoughts 

One of the big things I liked about this book was the historical detail - we find out quite a bit about medieval Oxford, the university, and particularly about Nicholas' work as a bookseller, which I found really interesting. Some readers might not enjoy these details as they mean there is a little less focus on the mystery, but I think they seemed to fit naturally into the story. I also enjoyed the scenes of domestic life, and how the effects of the Black Death were explored; for example, the characters feel that since "the Death", people are more immune to suffering and thus less willing to help others. I'm not sure whether this would have been the case but it's not something I'd thought about before, so it's interesting to consider.

 

As for the mystery, I thought it was good. Perhaps not surprisingly, books play a significant role, and it was one of those mysteries where there are various clues which don't make sense and have to be pieced together. There were a few twists along the way, which I didn't see coming (though perhaps others might).

 

The one thing I thought could have been improved on the characterisation. The main characters were all likeable enough, but they seemed a bit flat and forgettable; none of them exactly leapt off the page. Still, there were enough interesting things about this to keep me reading, and I'm hoping the characters might develop more in later books.
 

All in all, I thought this was a good read, and I'm looking forward to continuing with the series. (There are four books at present, and hopefully more to come.) I might also check out some of the author's other books, as most of them also sound interesting. If you enjoy mysteries, and/or have an interest in history or the Middle Ages, then I'd definitely suggest checking this out.

 

At time of posting, this is currently discounted to 99p/$1.29 on Kindle.

Weekly Poem: She walks in beauty, like the night



photo from Unsplash

She walks in beauty, like the night

   Of cloudless climes and starry skies,

And all that's best of dark and bright

   Meet in her aspect and her eyes:

Thus mellowed to that tender light

   Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

   Had half impaired the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

   Or softly lightened o'er her face,

Where thoughts serenely sweet express

   How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,

   So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

   But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

   A heart where love is innocent.

Lord Byron

Mini-Reviews #7: Classic Adventures

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Professor Arronax is on an expedition to find what is believed to be a large whale which has been attacking ships. However, his trip takes a surprising turn when he and two companions find themselves trapped on board the submarine Nautilus - the real culprit. Until they can find a way to escape, they must travel along with Captain Nemo and his men, exploring the underwater realm, and attempting to reach the South Pole, facing adventures and dangers along the way.
 

This was quite good. I didn't enjoy it as much as Journey to the Centre of the Earth, but I still found the adventures for the most part enjoyable, and I liked the character of Captain Nemo - he is a bit of an ambiguous character, someone who has suffered a lot and does some bad things, but he is an interesting character and I can't help liking him at least a bit. The descriptions of things seen under the sea were also interesting. I also liked the scientific details - there is enough to make the story somewhat believable, but not so that it gets bogged down in details.

 

The Prisoner of Zenda

Rudolf Rassendyll travels to Ruritania just before the coronation of King Rudolf IV, a distant cousin of his. He is surprised to find out just how much he and the King resemble each other - so much so that most people would not be able to tell them apart. As a result of this he ends up being drawn into a charade, by which he must pretend to be the King, now a prisoner of his half-brother Michael who is after his throne. Michael cannot reveal his as the pretender, without giving away that he has the real King as a prisoner. So Rassendyll, along with two loyal friends, must find a way to rescue the King without being killed themselves.

 

Altogether I really enjoyed this book. It's fast-paced and entertaining, but also has moments of reflection. There are also some quite funny moments, both in dialogue and in event, such as when Rudolf has to fight off three men with a tea-table (who would have thought it?). It's not a book that takes itself too seriously. But the ending too is pretty satisfying. I also liked Rudolf's intentions to be honourable and do the right thing - it also made the situations more complex, and the solutions more satisfying.

Weekly Poem: Let me not to the marriage of true minds

So, I was thinking a while back that it might be nice to share some of my favourite poems on here, and decided to try doing a weekly post. Despite getting a few posts together I didn't get round to actually posting anything, but I found this in my drafts recently and thought I might as well give it a go. How long I will keep it up I cannot say, but I have a few poems lined up for the coming weeks at least.

This was originally meant to be posted back in February, and I chose the poem in honour of Valentine's day and of I Love Austen Week (since the poem is quoted in the 1995 version of Sense & Sensibility and always makes me think of Marianne & Willoughby). It doesn't really fit quite so well now, but I've decided to share it anyway.

 

image by Christian Hebell // Creative Commons Zero

 Sonnet 116
 

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

    Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

    Or bends with the remover to remove.

O, no! It is an ever-fixèd mark,

    That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

    Whose worth's unknown, although his heart be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

    Within his bending sickle's compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

    But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

        If this be error, and upon me proved,

        I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

 

William Shakespeare