I thought it might be fun to do a six-month book review. (Or, is that "revue"? :::practicing high-kicking:::) Herewith enclosed are the books I read between January- August 2009:
Nothing Serious by PG Wodehouse. A better than average Wodehouse collection. (And since Plum’s 'average' is sublimity incarnate, you know his 'better than average' is positively superhuman.) The golf stories are particularly good. *****
The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith. It felt unintentionally hilarious which considerably heightened my enjoyment. ***
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson. Charming! Hat tip to auntlori & el for this terrific recommendation! *****
Cover Her Face by PD James. I have a lot of admiration for James the Christian (not to be confused with James the Lesser or the Greater or the Surfer) and so am sorry to say I found James the Mystery Writer rather disappointing. The story just didn’t move as I expected and hoped it would do. But, I'm no quitter and will likely take another stab (huh huh. get it. "stab".) at her crime fiction. **
Young Men In Spate by PG Wodehouse. Funny. Natch. *****
The Sailor from Gibraltar by Marguerite Duras. Perfectly captures the feeling of post-WW II malaise. But, is that a good thing? **
Under the Yum Yum Tree by Lawrence Roman. Waaaaay better than the movie. ***
Hot Water by PG Wodehouse. *****
She Fell Among Thieves by Dornford Yates. I enjoyed this period piece immensely! Not only was the story quite thrilling, but the first person narration was chock-full of unintentional hilarity. ****
The Light In the Piazza by Elizabeth Spencer. Haunting. ****
Esther’s Inheritance by Sandor Marai. My least favorite of the Marai translations. I just couldn’t detect that thread of grace necessary to redeem this relentlessly depressing tale. **
Mariana by Monica Dickens. Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! ‘I Capture the Castle’ for adults. *****
Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey. Remarkable for its economy of prose and insightful asides. But, sad. ***
Scott-King’s Modern Europe by Evelyn Waugh. Very funny. Very angry. Very Waugh. ****
:::impatiently awaiting the six-month book reviews (and accompanying chorus lines) of fellow contra-mundites:::
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ReplyDeletePoor Genna!!
ReplyDeleteGo to https://www.blogger.com/start and login using your regular gmail login and password. Contra Mundum should be on your Blogger page (above or below the Granny Goose Travel Blog).
If not, it may be that I sent permissions to your wrong e-mail address. I'll double-check to make sure!
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ReplyDeleteNow I see! Thank you Jani!!! <3
ReplyDeleteEgad! What timezone is this blog on??
ReplyDeleteTazmania maybe.
ReplyDeleteDoubtless.
ReplyDeleteI fixed it, however. Let the Tazmanians get their own blog!
I will have to look up your Wodehouse recommendations at the library...sounds like some enjoyable reading! :)
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