The Princess and the Goblin

Finished The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. Originally published in 1872, this is his first of two books featuring Princess Irene and Curdie. The book is fast paced and engaging. The character of Princess Irene's grandmother is especially interesting in her ability to morph from old to young, and to protect, guide and heal. The edition I read had wonderfully detailed drawings by Arthur Hughes.

I look forward to reading the sequel, The Princess and Curdie. The copy I have was given to me as a birthday present, in third grade, by my friend Anne. I remember trying to read the book at the time, but it was a bit too advanced for me. I did love the illustrations, also by Hughes, and was particularly fascinated by the idea of Curdie holding his hands in Irene's grandmother's fire of roses and not being burnt by it. Now I will finally find out what the scene was all about.

The Forgotten Waltz

Finished The Forgotten Waltz by Ann Enright. Set in Ireland, it is the story of a woman, the demise of her marriage as a result of her affair, and her life with her lover, the father of a special needs child. This book is raw and disturbing, proof that Enright is an excellent writer. I was alternately peevish and sullen while reading it. Not my usual cup of tea, but engaging nonetheless.

The Boss Dog

Finished The Boss Dog by M.F.K. Fisher. This is an enchanting book based on the author's time in Aix-en-Provence with her two young daughters, their daily visits to their favorite cafes and the dog who frequented them in his nonchalant, heroic way. It is all whimsy, wit and fun. A lovely confection for anyone who has enjoyed the charming hospitality of Aix's waiters who stick sparklers in your ice cream as if every day was your birthday.

The Quicksilver Pool

Finished The Quicksilver Pool by Phyllis A. Whitney. This is her second novel for adults. The library had it filed under mystery, but it could also be categorized as historical fiction.

Set during the American Civil War, a young woman named Lora marries Wade, a wounded soldier who she has nursed back to health. She travels with him to his home on Staten Island to live with his young son and his domineering mother. Wade's fist wife died under mysterious circumstances and her memory is alive and well in Wade's home. In some ways this reminded me of Rebecca, in the sense that a young bride must take her place in household riddled with the memory of her husband's first wife. Unlike the heroine in Rebecca, Lora is strong willed and fights for her place in the family. Meanwhile as the war drags on, the Peace Democrats, or Copperheads, connive a way to stop the war, causing riots against the draft in New York City and endangering the lives of freed slaves living in the North. This book was a fun and exciting read and I learned some history that I was unaware of.

Best Reads of 2011

Here is a list of my favorite reads from 2011:

10. The Beach Club

9. Captain's Courageous

8. Picture of Dorian Gray

7. My Day: The Best of Eleanor Roosevelt's Acclaimed Newspaper Columns, 1936-1962

6. The Grapes of Wrath

5. A Foreign Affair

4. Our Mutual Friend

3. The Blind Contessa's New Machine

2. The Help

1. Rules of Civility

The Provincial Lady in America

Finished The Provincial Lady in America by E. M. Delafield. This is the third book in the series. The Provincial Lady embarks on a North American book tour, visiting New York City, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Toronto, Washington D.C. and Boston. She is whirled through literary and high society, visits the Chicago World's Fair, is befriended by Alexander Wolcott and insists on visiting Louisa May Alcott's home in Concord, MA. I adored this book and laughed aloud on almost every page. Long live the Provincial Lady!

Happy Yoga

Finished Happy Yoga: 7 Reasons Why There's Nothing to Worry About by Steve Ross. I was a dedicated follower of Steve's yoga show, Inhale when it aired on Oxygyn TV. The most attractive thing about Steve as a teacher and writer is his sense of humor. This carries over very nicely into the book. I took my time reading it, savoring it with breakfast each morning, to start my day on a bright note. I expect to refer back to it often on my journey to a more balanced and relaxed existence.

A Glass of Blessings

Finished A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym. A wonderfully funny book with Pym's usual cast of clergy, archaeologists and old maids. However, this one is told from the perspective of a married woman. Cameo appearances by characters from her previous novels take place, including one by Prudence from Jane and Prudence. I always look forward to my next Pym read.

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

Finished Tiding of Comfort and Joy, this year's Christmas read, by Davis Bunn. It consists of two plot lines, one set in the U.S. in the present, the other set in an English village just after the end of World War II. In the present, fourteen year old Marissa is left with her grandmother to recuperate from a serious illness while the rest of her family vacations in Hawaii. Marissa is resentful of the situation and begins her visit on a very negative note. Her grandmother understands her completely though, and to help cheer her up she begins to tell her the story of the Christmas she lost just after the war. This is the English story line, where her grandmother, Emily, is a young woman who travels to London to marry her dashing fiancee, who sadly leaves her in the lurch. While trying to recover from this disappointment, Emily becomes involved in the village's effort to house and feed three hundred war orphans from all over Europe. This effort takes Emily out of her sorrow and helps her to form some of the most important relationships of her life. The English story line is by far the most interesting one. This was a cozy, comfortable holiday read.

The Language of Light

Finished The Language of Light by Meg Waite Clayton. Young widow and mother of two young sons, Nelly Grace, moves to the Maryland countryside into her father's family's former farm. A lost and disillusioned person, Nelly tries to rebuild her life in this new setting. She attempts to rekindle her dreams of being a photo journalist, like her father. She is influenced by her older, daring and beautiful neighbor Emma. As the story unfolds, Nelly discovers that her father and Emma were once lovers. While her friendships with Emma and Emma's son Dac grow, she fails to realize how controlling and manipulative Emma is of those around her. Vague references to infidelity and possible incest haunt Nelly and the reader as well. Some of these seem never to be quite proved or disproved. This was a good read with credible characters.

Five Children and It

Finished Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit. Originally published in 1902, it is the story of five children in England who find a sand fairy in a gravel pit who will grant them one wish a day. Each thing that they wish for somehow goes awry. Luckily the effects of these wishes only last until sundown. While perhaps charming in it's day, I found this book a bit tiresome. It has taken me quite a while to finish it. This was a surprise to me since I enjoyed Nesbit's The Railway Children so much when I read it.

The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Finished The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy. I've wanted to begin reading Russian literature, so starting with this novella seemed like a good idea. As the title suggests it's the story of a man's journey towards his own death. It begins with a simple physical accident and ends with an epiphany. Tolstoy's examination of this journey and it's stages is genuine and methodical. At times it reminded me of the film version of Wit, based on a play by Margaret Edson.

A Foreign Affair

Finished A Foreign Affair by Caro Peacock. I picked this up last month at Aunt Agatha's. It's the first book in a series based around the character of Liberty Lane. Set in Victorian England, this book was fun and fast paced. Liberty goes undercover as a governess in the house of a tyrant to help solve the mystery of her beloved father's death and uncovers a plot to unseat Young Queen Victoria from the throne. I very much look forward to reading more books in this series.

Ella Minnow Pea

Finished Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable by Mark Dunn. The island of Nollop is named for Nevin Nollop, the creator of the phrase "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog," which employs all 26 letters of the alphabet. It's inhabitants are devoted to a love of language. Theirs is a quaint and peaceful world until one day when one of the letters of this famous phrase falls off of the statute of Nollop. Community leaders puzzle over the meaning of this occurrence and decide that it is a sign from Nollop himself that the letter should be omitted from daily use. The rule is strict and penalties are harsh. As more letters fall and a totalitarian government emerges, the novel becomes tense and even terrifying. Not only are these letters banned from use, they also disappear from the novel itself. There were moments when I was reminded of 1984 and Brave New World. A quick and deliciously clever read.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Finished The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. Was there ever a cartoon that scared the pants off you more when you were a kid than Disney's version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow? My nineteen year old daughter still grabs my arm when we watch it every Halloween. Surprisingly enough, Disney stayed pretty close to the text. The version I read was illustrated by Arthur Rackham which was of course, an added treat. The story originally appears in a collection entitled, The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, as did Rip Van Winkle