Today I also finished The Girls at 17 Swann Street, which I described in my last post. It was a quick read, and a good one, though 4 stars, not 5.
On Tuesday, I found online confirmation of Julia Spencer-Fleming's next installment (#9) in the Claire Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series set in the Adirondacks of New York, expected to be published later in 2019. That news was stated in December 2018, about six weeks after the death of Spencer-Fleming's husband. I think there may be a slightly longer wait for #9, but at least there's one that's in the works. With that news, I felt free to start reading #8, Through the Evil Days. Claire and Russ are trying like mad to get away for a week's honeymoon, but huge problems beset them from all sides. This novel is quite a bit longer than the rest in the series, which is fine with me. I luxuriate in time spent in Claire's and Russ's company.
And a silly blunder with my Back to the Classics Challenge list. What next? Somehow or other I listed Snow by the Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk as my Asian, etc. book, totally neglecting to realize that this classic was published in 2005! The Challenge requires books to be published in 1969 or earlier! Yikes. I'm at a loss to explain how I overlooked that, but at least it's sorted out now.
Now I have a scramble to find a more time-appropriate Asian or African classic. I think I have one. Right now I'm gravitating toward Nectar in a Sieve, the Indian novel by Kamala Markandaya, which was the pseudonym of Kamala Purnaiya Taylor, an Indian novelist and journalist. I've always wanted to read it, so I'll move ahead with this one. It was published around 1954. I'd like to start reading it very soon.
I adored The Woman in White. My first Collins but not my last!
ReplyDeleteOopsie about Snow! I've done that before too for the Back to the Classics Challenge. We get carried away in our enthusiasm. :D
I agree with you wholeheartedly that I'll be seeking out other novels and shorts by Wilkie Collins. Before the laudanum got the better of him, anyway! That was very sad--he became deeply addicted to it.
DeleteYes, about Snow! Many people consider it a classic novel--this, I know, but it's totally 21st century. Was I ever off the mark!
Best wishes with your reading, Ruthiella!
This is a very interesting and diverse group of books. I think that I would like to read them all. At the very least I think that I will read Woman in White over the next year or so. I am curious to read what you will think of Nectar in a Sieve.
ReplyDeleteHi Brian,
DeleteI think you will find The Woman in White to be quite a reading adventure--a true literary escapade, at least it was for me.
I'm curious about Nectar in a Sieve. From what I've gathered, other, more contemporary Indian writers have written great books that have totally eclipsed this book. It's really off the radar now, but is it ever hard to find classics by Indian authors written in 1969 or earlier. There's the crux of the problem. I considered reading the first volume of The Raj Quartet (The Jewel in the Crown), but as good as it is, it was written by an English author, and I really wanted to read a book by an Indian writer. So it goes!
A happy weekend to you, Brian
Delighted that you loved The Woman in White so much. It bodes well for me reading it sometime this year. Will you read more by Wilkie Collins?
ReplyDeleteCath, I do declare that I believe that you will be enchanted by The Woman in White.
DeleteYes, I'll read more of Collins, but I have the sinking feeling, informed by other sources, that I've read his best work. I will try The Moonstone again. I tried it once in the 1980s, I believe, but I was working such long hours and could only read it before falling asleep. I did read some great classics this way, but The Moonstone did not take. I will try again for sure. And of course he wrote lots of other stuff--shorter, lesser known novels and short stories.
Are you hanging out in your garden these days? We still have 1.5 ft. of snow in our woods, but our dirt road is a muddy mess, so spring is coming!
Yes, hanging out in the garden a lot... last week at least as it was sunny and warm and lovely out there. This week the weather has returned to normal, much cooler, showery, even snow in places but not here. Plus I had a tooth out, unexpectedly, on Monday so I've been indoors more, feeling sorry for myself.
DeleteThe one Collins novel I've read is The Dead Secret. It wasn't bad, supposed to be set in Cornwall but there wasn't a strong sense on the county. Decent mystery though. I have his Rambles Beyond Railways to read at some stage, about a walking holiday he took in Cornwall.
Since you ended up like The Woman in White so much, I will start looking for a copy, although I don't know that I will try to read it this year. I would want to find a book with large enough print. I am glad to hear that you have confirmation of another book in the series by Spencer-Fleming. I have only read two so far, I need to move ahead on the series.
ReplyDeleteHi Tracy,
DeleteI know exactly what you mean about finding a copy that's "readable." One of the difficulties with The Woman in White is that it's over 600 pages. In large print, that may prove to be hefty. My hiking buddy thought that she'd get it on the Nook or Kindle, to ensure that she has the proper type size, but not too much weight.
For me right now, if there's enough "leading" between the lines, I can still read small print, so the Barnes and Noble Classic edition was fine. But Penguin has very little leading between the lines, and I just can't read them anymore.
This is getting to be a challenge, for sure, but hopefully not insurmountable.
Yes, what good news about Spencer-Fleming's next book. Still keeping my fingers crossed, though. I'm enjoying #8, but it is a long one.
So glad you enjoyed The Woman in White... and I agree about reading it slower a second time. I also loved The Moonstone and even left a New Years Eve party early one year so I could go home and read the final chapters! You make me want to dive into another Collins novel soon.
ReplyDeleteOh, JoAnn, I'm so glad to hear that you loved The Moonstone, because I had a not satisfactory encounter with it. I can't really count it, because I was so over the top with work that if it didn't "catch" me in those 20-30 minutes before falling asleep, I would cast books aside. So glad those days are over, though I did enjoy my work.
DeleteI do hope you lead the way into another Collins novel, JoAnn.
Best wishes.