Tea Room
Chatsworth
A Novel Idea
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The one thing that struck me at the first reading of the chapter was how slow and sedate everything seemed - I don't mean in the sense of dull, but in the sense of that it displays a completely different attitude to time as we have. Mr Parker injures his ankle - a sprain, nothing more - and is laid up for two weeks, unable to travel, and his hosts, complete strangers until then, are happy to obligby Mari A. - JAFF Library
Well, 1st April was just a suggestion - if people want to start earlier, we can always do it, but I thought more people might have time to dive in if they have a bit of preparation time ;-)by Mari A. - JAFF Library
2 chapters a week sounds good to me. I tried to find another version of the e-book, just so we could have more choice, but couldn't find one. I'll be happy to work with the one I found, unless someone else has another suggestion? How does everybody like Easter Monday (1st April) as a starting day? We could put up a 'chapter 1' and a 'chapter 2' thread then and see what people want to discuss.by Mari A. - JAFF Library
KISS sounds good to me - I would suggest we start a new chapter with a new chapter thread and then there get a feeling for what topics people want to discuss about that chapter and branch out from there into fresh threads if a topic seems to get interest.by Mari A. - JAFF Library
I had a quick look at the text you linked and it seems that it has not only the eleven chapters I found, but goes further (in fact, their chapter eleven ends where my chapter eleven ends) - now I am pretty certain that the original draft for Sanditon had only eleven chapters, so it would appear your copy is a continuation, but I can't find any information on that page by whom it was done.by Mari A. - JAFF Library
Here's again a link to a free e-version of Sanditon: Sanditon @ girlebooks Has anyone had any ideas yet how to organise this? Does anybody want to play prompter/host? Do we want to assign special topics or just see where we end up? Do we want to discuss fanfic opportunities too, and possibilities for the vlog-series? In the copy I linked above, there are eleven chapters, so if we want to be doneby Mari A. - JAFF Library
Good to know! I had been wondering about this, but the title sounded so twee I felt reluctant to read it. Which reminds me I still haven't read Major Pettigrew in spite of so many people rec'ing it because I keep forgetting to tell my library to please order a copy.by Mari A. - JAFF Library
This book. Oh my god, people. This book. I wasn't sure whether I'd like it because I was rather 'meh' about The Thief of Time but. This book. Ford Maddox Ford has his narrator say in The Good Soldier, 'this is the saddest tale I ever heard.' Well this book may be one of the saddest tales I've ever read. Yes, it's heartbreaking and utterly gut-wrenching and just rips you apart from within. It'sby Mari A. - JAFF Library
I can't believe I'm actually talking about a JA-based book in the JAFF library! I think it's the first time for me ;-) Anyway, on to the book. I'm not sure if you'd heard of it before, but The Three Weissmanns of Westport, by Cathleen Schine, essentially is a modern-day re-telling of S&S. It tells the story of how Betty Weissmann is divorced by her husband of almost fifty years and because oby Mari A. - JAFF Library
So, I just finished A Dance with Dragons and I can't believe I was so stupid to begin a series where I don't even know when the next book will come out. I want to know how it goes on and how it ends! Jon can't be dead! I really hope it's just another bluff, just like with Davos and Tyrion and Theon (though I never cared much for Theon). And where's Sam? And why did he have to kill Quentyn when weby Mari A. - JAFF Library
It has been pointed out to me that I actually did not read From Time To Time, which is the second book in the series (of two books, afaik), but Time And Again, which is the first book. Stupid German translation titles don't correspond to the English ones. I hope I haven't made anyone seek out the books in the wrong sequence.by Mari A. - JAFF Library
If anybody is interested in webcomics, I can only recommend, ever so much The Dreamer, by Lora Innes. It's a comic about a normal Boston High School girl who at nights finds herself in the American War of Independence/Revolutionary War, surrounded by historical figures such as Nathan Hale or Thomas Knowlton. At first it's fun, and she enjoys the attentions of the dashing Major Alan Warren, but sby Mari A. - JAFF Library
The Ruby Red trilogy I mentioned below of course also heavily features time-travelling. But while it's a very sweet story, and full of interesting adventure, I must say that the whole time-travel/paradox/risks thereof-angle is hardly mentioned at all, and the technique behind the travelling is rather convoluted, which makes it difficult to follow.by Mari A. - JAFF Library
The Great House, by Nicole Krauss, is another book I would like to recommend. I picked this book from the library pretty much at random: The author's name seemed vaguely familiar (I realised later I'd mixed her up with someone else) and the book was brand new, which is always nice. The text on the back said something about a mysterious desk and other items that several people find and which are aby Mari A. - JAFF Library
I was wondering, am I the only one who loves to read a well-executed Time Travel now and then? I just finished From Time To Time by Jack Finney and was absolutely enamored with it (now trying to track down the sequel). In a nutshell, it's about an ordinary man from the 1970s, who travels to the 1880s in order to find out why a certain letter was posted on a certain day. There's more to it, of coby Mari A. - JAFF Library
Violent wikipedia-fu tells me that my three favourite novels of his are called French Leave, Frozen Assets and The Small Bachelor. At least, I think they are. The editions I have are all out of print, dating from the '60s and '70s, but I think I've got the titles right. I also quite liked Big Money and Barmy in Wonderland. I'm not sure at the moment what other books of his I read; I may also haveby Mari A. - JAFF Library
I've read a couple that were absolutely hilarious, but - those were German translations. I'm sure they're even better in English, though. I'll try to hunt down the titles in English. Funnily enough, I've never read any Jeeves and Wooster - I got my collection by nicking it from my dad's and grandma's bookshelves, so I had to make do with what was there to be, err, re-appropriated.by Mari A. - JAFF Library
Another book I absolutely must recommend: The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. Set in 1941, in the village of Franklin on Cape Cod, and in London during the Blitz and war-torn Europe, it tells the story of how Emma Fitch, the young doctor's wife, Iris James, the postmistress, and Frankie Bard, a radio journalist, are brought together over a letter, what it means to tell the truth, to seek it or to hiby Mari A. - JAFF Library
I think some of you have already read this, unless I'm mistaken? Anyway, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, is set in 1963 (I think - I had to return it to the library, so I can't check) in Mississippi, and is narrated by two black women who are 'the help' in white households, and a white woman who begins collecting the tales of the black servant women as she tries to find out what happened to her ownby Mari A. - JAFF Library
I don't think I've heard of her before, but now I'll see if my library carries the books (preferably the first one, since I don't like reading series out of order, even when it's not necessary to read them in order) - thanks for the recommendation!by Mari A. - JAFF Library
After reading so many positive reviews of it, I meant to check if my library had this book but of course I forgot again. Thank you though for the recommendation; when I finally get my hands on it, I'll let you know what I thought about it! ;-)by Mari A. - JAFF Library
Fall of Giants, apparently, is the first part of what is supposed to be a trilogy spanning the whole of the 20th century in a Rutherfordesque manner, that is, telling the history of several families who interact with each other. There is an Welsh mining family, an English noble family, a German noble family, a Russian family, an American diplomat and a bunch of other characters and in this the firby Mari A. - JAFF Library
I've known about this series for a while, but since it was only available in German so far, I didn't rec it. Now, however, it's being translated into English - amazon.us tells me that the first volume will be available in May, but I don't know if that is true for all countries. The author is Kerstin Gier, and the three books are Ruby Red (Rubinrot), Sapphire Blue (Saphirblau), Emerald Green (Smarby Mari A. - JAFF Library
(Lydia tells me there are several novels out there with that title, so, to specify, I am referring to the one by John Boyne.) First, let me perhaps explain the premise of this book. There are three different streams of narration, all by the same semi-omniscient narrator Matthieu Zela. Matthieu Zela narrates the book in 1999, and the first stream of narration deals with what he experiences in 1999by Mari A. - JAFF Library
If I understand Shem correctly - not having read the book in question - then chicklit snark is basically something that is snarking chicklit. Chicklit is a term to describe literature aimed primarily at women, mostly, that is, romances and romantic comedies, of various eras. Snark or snarking means to poke fun at something or parodying it, both lightly and in good humour as well as deeper and mby Mari A. - JAFF Library
Hm, yes and no. The similarity with Columbo lies perhaps in that to outsiders, he appears to be stumbling and blundering about, like Columbo. But other than that, I don't think, not really. Columbo always appears more like an outsider to whatever circle he's investigating in, whereas Robert Audley seems to fit so very much into it no one even notices him doing any real detection. At least, thatby Mari A. - JAFF Library
Yeah, apparently a lot of people thought that. I was convinced it was something to do with the Soviet union (don't know why) and showed possible dangers of an atomic war or the like.by Mari A. - JAFF Library
Maybe you are right and it was a quick read after all --- it didn't feel like that to me because it took me several days to get through it. Thinking about that though that may be because I usually read it on the train, not at home (I currently have an at-home book that is too big to carry around, which I've been reading for about two months now, and differing out-of-home books on the side, which sby Mari A. - JAFF Library
In my last review, I mentioned that The Last Dragonslayer was a quick, easy read. Shades definitely wasn't. That is not to say I didn't find it a good book - quite the contrary in fact. I've already shortlisted it for my personal Best Read of the Year (just for reference, I award that title to the book that leaves me with the best overall feeling after newly discovering it. In 2010, it was The Guby Mari A. - JAFF Library