A list of books within Crooked Heart and V for Victory by Lissa Evans

Book titles mentioned within a novel:

I have a couple of books which I classify as comfort reads. Despite the fact that I rarely reread books...there are a few. Lissa Evans' novels Crooked Heart and V for Victory are among those and I finished those this week.  

As I have reviewed them before I won't get into that now, however you can click on the titles to see my Goodreads review if interested. 👆

What I thought I'd write about today were the many book titles mentioned in both novels.

Have you ever been reading a book and one of the characters is reading something, causing you to check out that book on Goodreads? Well there are many titles within these two novels.

If you are a fan of British classics or detective novels then you will find quite a few embedded in the storyline.  Some are books Noel read when he was younger as well as the literature and nonfiction he reads for his educational tutoring in the second book.

The time periods are perfect for those who like WW II historical fiction, older mysteries as well fans of George Eliot books :-)  Here are a few I have noted as I read:

The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell

Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household 

Ministry of Fear by Graham Greene

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Middlemarch by George Eliot

 Silas Marner by George Eliot 

Daniel Deronda by George Eliot

The Complete Saki by Saki, an Edwardian author

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler 

Noel's love of detective stories in Crooked Heart included Dorothy Sayer's series about Lord Peter Wimsey as well as other detective series such as Edward Wallace, Dashiell Hammett, Albert Campion and Eric Ambler.

Evans also includes a few nonfiction titles which were written by air-raid wardens and published during the war which inspired her for one character's storyline:

Raiders overhead: A Diary of the London Blitz by Barbara Nixon

Post D by John Strachey

The Orwell book is on my classics list but Ministry of Fear ought to be added as well.

On a sad note, I no longer have my copy of Crooked Heart as I loaned it out to a former workmate and she has moved away. Ugh.  I checked the copy out of the library for my reread. Wah-wa 😞

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon. and Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday.

Snow, Snow Snow Song!

 

First book of the year hosted at Book Journey

 I'm joining in on the First Book of the Year hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.  Check out the link HERE and join in if you like. It's easy....you send Sheila a photo of yourself with the first book you plan to start in 2025.

I'm going with a memoir by Andrew Cotter titled Olive, Mabel & Me.  Many of us were introduced to Mr. Cotter when he used his Scottish broadcasting skills to describe Olive and Mabel in humorous narrative during the pandemic lockdown.  

If you've not seen the video please click HERE to watch Game of Bones.  It's about one minute in length.

This book will also be my first in the nonfiction challenge hosted by Shelleyrae at Book'd Out and I hope to start reading it the first week of January.

Do you have a particular book picked out to start the new year?

Thank you, Sheila, for hosting!

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon and Sheila at Book Journey.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Remains of the Day is a story about a seemingly cold unfeeling butler named Stevens and his reminiscing of days past.  It's more than that as you'll realize his memories are not so much flawed but, for him, a realization of what he missed out in his life. 

I know there is a movie based on this book but I have not seen it.  That said, knowing Anthony Hopkins stars as our main character Stevens, I heard his voice and accent throughout the book.

In 1956 Stevens' current employer, Mr. Farraday, insists he take a holiday, giving persmission to use his car while he is on  a trip to the U.S.  While Stevens drives through the English countryside he thinks back to war time when he was employed by Lord Darlington. The language is very formal and you get a clear image of the character displaying the utmost self control, even as he reminisces.  I enjoyed reading about his working relationship with head housekeeper Miss Kenton as he travels toward her home in south England. It's been decades since he'd worked with her but he has fond memories. He is about to be enlightened by what "could have been" when he finally arrives in her village.

If a person is shaped by their upbringing then Stevens is the ultimate example of controlling his emotions and showing zero empathy. Loyalty to the man he served is of the utmost importance, something he learned from his father who was considered one of the best butlers of his day.  Sadly, this transfers to personal relationships as well.  

When his father's health takes a turn for the worse you won't find any warmth between father and son.  I could feel the cold exchange between Stevens and his elderly father regarding the change of duties and thought it very sad. It’s hard enough to let a parent know their health or memory is failing but I’ve had warmer conversations with strangers.  

Dignity is clearly one of the cornerstones of Stevens' profession and his explanation of what distinguishes a butler from a manservant was interesting. 

"It is sometimes said that butlers only truly exist in England.  Other countries, whatever title is actually used, have only manservants.  I tend to believe this is true. Continentals are unable to be butlers because they are a breed incapable of the emotional restraint which only the English race are capable of."

Regret comes with reflection and sadly for Stevens, he makes this realization so very late in life.

"Looking back so much...I should adopt a more postive outlook and try and make the best of what remains of my day. After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as might have wished?"

This is not a fast paced book but one which captures the memories and considerations of an aged man who gave his life entirely to serving his employer. 

 This is the third book I have read by Ishiguro and my first for the Classics Club.

Sharing Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday.

2025 Nonfiction Reader Challenge

 The 2025 Nonfiction Reader Challenge is hosted by Shelleyrae at Book'd Out.  Check out the details HERE. There are twelve categories and I have a few books sitting on the shelf, ready to roll for the new year.  I am going for the Nonfiction Nibbler category of six.

That said, if I see some nonfiction of interest during the year I will just read more than the planned six.  

Categories:

History

Memoir/Biography 

True Crime 

Science 

Health

Food

Travel 

Garden

Myth, Legend and Folklore

Islands

How-To

Published in 2025 

Right now I am trying to decide which book to start within the history and memoir categories.

The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell (also a classic) or Olive, Mabel and Me by Andrew Cotter.  Maybe both for January ! It's always fun making the lists of books.

Check out the challenge link at Book'd Out.and join in.  Would love to see what others are reading!

Reading and watching

So far this month has been fairly laid back.  We watched season four of Van Der Valk so we are all caught up on that.  Just picked up Madam Secretary series from the library so we'll see if we like it enough continue with six or so seasons. Christmas movies are in the lineup soon.

This week I joined The Classics Club and added a tab at the top of my blog. 👆 I can link each book as I finish and started with The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. As I have been inside quite a bit I've made good progress with this book.  The setting is wartime England.

I also added a tab for apocalyptic/dystopian books with links for the ones I have read and reviewed.  Other titles will be added as I learn of them from Goodreads or suggestions by others.  Please feel free to share some of your favorites if you like that genre.

That's the weekly excitement around here, haha.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon. and Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday.

The Classics Club - My 50 titles

 Well I am taking the plunge and joining The Classics Club.  Having been intimidated by it for years I think I can manage these books in a five year period. Now I am excited by it and had a blast making my list!  

It's meant to be your personal dream list of titles and after reading the "rules" I am comfortable with the titles selected.  All are over 25 years in publication.  If you are interested check out the link HERE, or scroll to the bottom where I copied/pasted the details for joining in.

Here is my living list. I will add  a tab on this blog to link reviews and completion dates.

1. Braithwaite, E.R. - To Sir with Love
2. Brin, David - The Postman
3. Brittain, Vera - Testament of Youth (nonfiction)
4. Bronte, Anne - Agnes Grey
5. Bronte, Charlotte - Villette
6. Bronte, Emily - Wuthering Heights
7. Brookner, Anita - Hotel Du Lac
8. Capote, Truman - Breakfast at Tiffany's 
9. Christie, Agatha - And Then there Were None
10. Collins, Wilkie - The Woman in White 
11. Conrad, Joseph - The Heart of Darkness
12. Du Maurier, Daphne - Scapegoat
13. Fielding, Henry -Tom Jones
14. Ford Madox Ford - The Good Soldier 
15. Forster, E.M. - A Room with a View 
16. Forster, E.M. - Howards End 
17. Fowles, John - The Collector
18. Frank, Anne - The Diary of a Young Girl
19. Gaarder, Jostein - Sophie's World
20. Gallico, Paul -The Snow Goose 
21. Golden, Arthur - Memoirs of a Geisha
22. Greene, Bette - The Summer of my German Soldier
23. Greene, Graham - The Quiet American
24. Hardy, Thomas - Tess of the D'urbervilles
25. Heller, Joseph - Catch 22
26. Heller, Joseph - Closing Time
27. Hemingway, Ernest - A Moveable Feast (nonfiction)
28. Hemingway, Ernest - Farewell to Arms
29. Ishiguro, Kazuo -The Remains of the Day 
30. James, Henry - Daisy Miller
31. Kerouac, Jack - On the Road
32. Lewis, Sinclair - It Can't Happen Here 
33. Lindsay, Joan - Picnic at Hanging Rock
34. Magorian, Michelle - Goodnight, Mr. Tom
35. Maugham, W. Somerset - Of Human Bondage
36. McCullough, Colleen - The Thorn Birds
37. Michener, James - Chesapeake
38. Orwell, George - The Road to Wigan Pier (nonfiction)
39. Plath, Sylvia - The Bell Jar
40. Remarque, Erich - All Quiet on the Western Front
41. Shute, Nevil - A Town Like Alice
42. Steinbeck, John - The Pearl
43. Styron, William - Sophie's Choice 
44. Tolstoy, Leo - The Death of Ivan Ilyich
45. Vonnegut, Kurt - Slaughterhouse Five
46. Waugh, Evelyn - Brideshead Revisited 
47. Wilder, Laura Ingells - Little House on the Prairie
48. Wilder, Laura Ingells - Little House in the Big Woods 
49. Wodehouse, P.G. - My Man Jeeves
50. Woolf, Virginia - Mrs. Dalloway

My projected goal to complete this list will be December 30, 2029 but I hope to finish sooner.  Starting this month with The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

What is the Classics Club? From the blog:

• choose 50+ classics
• list them at your blog
• choose a reading completion goal date up to five years in the future and note that date on your classics list of 50+ titles
• e-mail the moderators of this blog (theclassicsclubblog@gmail.com) with your list link and information and it will be posted on the Members Page!
• write about each title on your list as you finish reading it, and link it to your main list
• when you’ve written about every single title, let us know.

Book one on tap 

Let's get reading!

I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger and I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

Two books this week.  Let's start with I Cheerfully Refuse as it was the better of the two I read.

Rainy is a musician living with Lark, a women he loved before he saw her face. He would hear her read aloud to others at a library and this introduced him to reading classics. Lark brought the stories to life for him. They have a good life and while money was tight thay made ends meet - he playing his bass guitar in a band and Lark forming a library and book store for those who still care about reading. Apparently in this dystopian time there are those who protest the shop, thinking reading is an evil thing. Geez....a little close to what some folks think today with the book banning. (Scary)

 

There are numerous passages I bookmarked in this dystopian/apocalyptic novel by Leif Enger.  In spite of society collapsing, there were still very good people, just ordinary people who didn't know wealth or privilege, going that extra mile to help others.

The early part sets the scene with Rainy describing a ruined road.  

Driving down the road that was described as level once it is now full of holes, shoulders of the pavement sagging into a ditch. There’s a spot where two flash floods in a month blew out a culvert. Technically, it’s still a state highway , but the state ignores their compliance saying they were going to “allocate funds“ but they never did repair it. 

Here is an example of people helping others when they didn’t have to:

“After more than a year, a pair of loggers, a basement contractor, and a retired mining engineer showed up with their skidders and chainsaws and cement truck and they rebuilt the missing section with pine logs and concrete.”  

A helping hand for those who didn't have the skills.  A small segment of the society who looked out for each other, helped when needed and knew they could count on their neighbors when they needed something.

In the beginning Rainy and Lark took in a boarder named Kellan.  He had his own secrets as he had escaped a “medicine ship."  People willingly signed on to live on the pharmaceutical ship  to be used for drug/medicine experiments.  They were working on a cure for something obscure, never quite sure what it was exactly.  After so much time they were allowed to leave and return to their families. You did what you had to for survival.  Apparently the trials were so bad that some people escaped and this was Kellan's situation.  That and some drugs he absconded with which meant....some one would come looking.

 Kellan warned Rainey about this mythical bad man named Werryck and true to form, Werryck was definitely one bad guy to be avoided. He warned Rainy, “You think he won’t come but he will. You’re big and strong? Doesn’t matter. Listen to me. When you see him standing in your kitchen, you slip out the back. Be quiet, be quick. Don’t hunt for your wallet. Don’t grab a coat. Go out the window if you have to.” 

Werryck did arrive and brought destruction, crushed Rainy's dreams and life, causing our narrator to flee in a ship he and Lark had once sailed.  The story takes us on a voyage across Lake Superior with Rainy doing what he can to survive, helping others even when it puts him in danger, giving hope to the humanity left when they choose to accept it.

The lake itself seemed like a character on it's own with the vivid descriptions of waves, the storms, the unpredictability of the weather and how a man can challenge it and still survive.

I would read more by this author. 4 stars

📚📚📚📚

This book - I Let You Go - is a hard one to rate.  I have enjoyed previous books by Clare Mackintosh and while this wasn't boring or dull it did deal with the death of child in the beginning. The settings are Bristol England and coastal Wales.  

Jenna is walking five year old Jacob home from school on a rainy evening.  While they are happily chattering away, despite the rain and cold, it seems like an ideal evening is in store for them.  Then he says, "race you home" and pulls away from her hand, running straight into the path of a car.  Every parents nightmare.  This is not a spoiler as it's stated in the book description straight away.

 

Jenna moves away from Bristol to a place she has never been to start over and leave memories behind.  She arrives in a remote town in Wales with zero possessions and rents a cottage well off the beaten track.  Meanwhile the police in Bristol are frantically searching for her as she was the only witness.  There is quite a bit more to the plot and story but suffice it to say, she is hiding a big secret.  It's sort of like Gone Girl where you read the first part of the story then go over the waterfall with all this information falling into place very quickly.  Themes of domestic abuse could be triggers for some readers.  As I said, I have enjoyed her other books but this wasn't my favorite. Rounded to 3 stars.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon. and Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday for Long Island and The Life Impossible.

November Reading Roundup

I can't believe I am getting my November reading round up posted in November! I read four books this month and made plans for some great challenges next year.   Looking forward to more buddy reads, classics and nonfiction....but for now let's get this short post started.

📚📚   Books read  📚

 

Bullfighting by Roddy Doyle

The Woman Behind the Door by Roddy Doyle

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

November book travel took me to Rhode Island, Ireland and Italy.

📚 Currently Reading 📚

That's it for the November round up.   Looking forward to more good reading in December. I'd love to know what books you favored this month and what reading goals you may have for next year.  Hope life is good for you all :-)

Here’s a snap of Loki soaking up the sunshine.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon. and Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving to ALL

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

This book is not at all what I expected.  I wanted a lighter read but nothing cozy or frivolous. The labels for chicklit and romance were neatly balanced by literary fiction and humor. Couldn't put this one down.

Without spoilers - this is a story about Phoebe, a serious intelligent woman, a professor of English literature, arriving at a posh hotel with the intention of taking her life.  She arrives when, unbeknownst to her, an enormous group of people swarm in for a million dollar wedding.  Lila is the bride-to-be and streams into the lobby with hoots and hugs, passing out gift bags to all.  She sees Phoebe, hugs her and tells her she is SO happy she could attend, gives her a gift bag and makes her rounds. Lila and Phoebe had never met until that moment.

Later they meet in the elevator:

"But you have to be in one of our families," Lila tells her.

"No," Phoebe says "I’m not in any family."

What has she got to lose now by telling the truth to this stranger and so she does.  Informs Lila she is there to kill herself. Lila informs her she just can't as this is a week long celebration culminating in her dream wedding.

 Believe it or not but this is the beginning of the strangest friendship and honest conversations ever. There were so many pages I bookmarked; here are some:

It’s been a crushing realization, one that started slowly after the divorce, and got stronger with each passing holiday, until she woke up this morning to a quiet house. She finally understood what it meant to have no family. She understood it would always be like this, just her, in bed alone. Not even the sound of her cat, Harry, meowing at the door. 

This is the gift random strangers can give you, Phoebe is realizing – the freedom to say or be anything around them. Because who cares? He doesn’t know her, and he’ll never know her. He will list all kinds of reasons why she shouldn’t die and she’ll tell him she’s not planning to die anymore then they’ll get out out of the hot tub and she'll carry on with her life. 

What a waste of money. A huge waste of money. “Every wedding even a successful wedding, is a waste Phoebe says. Every wedding is an egregious amount of money that could have been spent on much more practical things, like say a house, a down payment, on a school in a small dying Midtown. A wedding is a fleeting spectacle that is 100% going to become packed down into teeny tiny garbage squares that end up in your landfill one day. 

There are so many heartfelt conversations between the two women, revelations which helped them both.  Character growth and an ending I just loved. Both women were suffering with different issues and each sought to handle their problems  in very different ways. 

Themes of friendship, infidelity, infertility and hope are strewn throughout.  Would I read more by Alison Espach?  Absolutely. 4.5 stars