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. Blixen, Karen - Out of Africa
2. Braithwaite, E.R. - To Sir with Love
3. Brittain, Vera - Testament of Youth (nonfiction)
4. Bronte, Anne - Agnes Grey
5. Bronte, Charlotte - Villette
6. Brookner, Anita - Hotel Du Lac
7. Capote, Truman - Breakfast at Tiffany's 
8. Christie, Agatha - And Then there Were None
9. Collins, Wilkie - The Woman in White 
10. Conrad, Joseph - The Heart of Darkness
11. Du Maurier, Daphne - Scapegoat
12. Fielding, Henry -Tom Jones
13. Fitzgerald, F. Scott - The Great Gatsby
14. Ford Madox Ford - The Good Soldier DNF
15. Forster, E.M. - Howards End 
16. Fowles, John - The Collector
17. Gaarder, Jostein - Sophie's World
18. Gallico, Paul -The Snow Goose 
19. Golden, Arthur - Memoirs of a Geisha
20. Greene, Bette - The Summer of my German Soldier
21. Greene, Graham - The Quiet American
22. Hardy, Thomas - Tess of the D'urbervilles
23. Heller, Joseph - Catch 22
24. Heller, Joseph - Closing Time
25. Hemingway, Ernest - A Moveable Feast (nonfiction)
26. Hemingway, Ernest - Farewell to Arms
27. Hilton, James - Lost Horizon
28. Ishiguro, Kazuo -The Remains of the Day 
29. James, Henry - Daisy Miller
30. Kerouac, Jack - On the Road
31. Lewis, Sinclair - It Can't Happen Here 
32. Lindsay, Joan - Picnic at Hanging Rock
33. Magorian, Michelle - Goodnight, Mr. Tom
34. Maugham, W. Somerset - Of Human Bondage
35. McCullough, Colleen - The Thorn Birds
36. Michener, James - Chesapeake
37. Orwell, George - The Road to Wigan Pier (nonfiction)
38. Plath, Sylvia - The Bell Jar
39. Remarque, Erich - All Quiet on the Western Front
40. Shute, Nevil - A Town Like Alice
41. Shute, Nevil - Trustee from the Toolroom
42. Spark, Murial - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
43. Steinbeck, John - The Pearl
44. Steinbeck, JOhn - East of Eden
45. Styron, William - Sophie's Choice 
46. Tolstoy, Leo - The Death of Ivan Ilyich
47. Vonnegut, Kurt - Slaughterhouse Five
48. Waugh, Evelyn - Brideshead Revisited 
49. Wharton, Edith - Ethan Frome
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!