Scallydandling about the books
The S Tag with added Scallydandling
updated
I give a summary of his life and briefly review two of his 150+ plays: London Assurance and The Colleen Bawn as part of my focus on the Victorian theatre for Victober 2024.
Photos of Dion and Agnes courtesy of The National Portrait Gallery, London.
0:00 Intro ramble
1:39 There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak. @tillysshelf and I recorded our discussion youtu.be/MrN8LhWZu8M?si=lhTNgiEdeIQMb534
2:36 The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernández translated by Natasha Wimmer
3:53 Ru by Kim Thuy translated by Sheila Fischman
5:08 Ti Amo by Hanne Ørstavik translated by Martin Aitken
6:17 A Little Luck by Claudia Piñeiro translated by Frances Riddle
8:03 Mammoth by Eva Baltasar translated by Julia Sanches
9:19 Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
11:42 Echoes by Evie Wyld
13:36 Fell by Sarah Moss
15:06 Quicksand by Nella Larsen
19:02 Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
20:50 Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
25:08 Spirit of Place by Susan Owens
26:27 In Parenthesis by David Jones
Thanks again to the various hosts of September reading events
Scott @GunpowderFictionPlot for Straya September
Elisabeth @bouquinsbooks Heather @heathergregg9975 Lindy @lindysmagpiereads and Hannah @HannahsBooks for Framed
Bert @pastorytime2683 and Heather @TooManyHeathers for Shorty September
Nora who is pear jelly on Instagram instagram.com/pear.jelly?igsh=eHBsMjg4ZGlrazR4 for Spinster September
Vera or the Nihilists
The Duchess of Padua
Salomé
Lady Windermere's Fan
A Woman of No Importance
The Ideal Husband
The Importance of Being Earnest
Thank you @Robert.Sheard for exemplary organisation of the competition and to all my fellow judges.
You could be a judge in 2025. Anyone active on bookish social media can take part if willing to commit to reading the books. Watch out for an announcement on the channel @BookTubePrize
For more about Victober check the announcements and tbr videos of my fellow hosts @katiejlumsden @katehowereads and Marissa @BlatantlyBookish
Do join the conversation on Discord discord.gg/u6Dam2wrYZ
And the Storygraph challenge app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/fd310e25-19f3-4aed-ad70-8c15a57e3803
Books mentioned
The Doctor's Wife by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell
A Terribly Strange Bed, The Dead Hand and The Dream Woman by Wilkie Collins
Study in Scarlet. The Sign of Four, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Conan Doyle
Charley's Aunt by Brandon Thomas
Salome by Oscar Wilde
London Assurance by Dion Boucicault
Afternoon by Ouida
Alan's Wife by Florence Bell and Elizabeth Robins
The Internet Archive archive.org
Thank you Scott @GunpowderFictionPlot for encouraging me to pick up Australian books this month. Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason is next on my list.
The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernández translated by Natasha Wimmer
Ru by Kim Thúy translated by Sheila Fischman
Ti Amo by Hanne Ørstavik translated by Martin Aitken
For more about that list of the best Canadian books of 21st century youtube.com/watch?v=Z2dkguNlyFs&t=0s from @BookwormAdventureGirl
And @lindysmagpiereads on Ru and the rest of a French Canadian top twenty youtu.be/5qra7JDeA00?si=F48wfg7wWa3dP8ZL
Events mentioned:
@BookTubePrize
#FaulknerinAugust
#WIT Women in Translation Month
@MarilynMayaMendoza Phenomenal Women readathon
Books mentioned:
North Woods by Daniel Mason
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner youtu.be/TKY2EbRTB8I
Small Joys by Elvin James Mensah youtu.be/L5ui8NqWtaQ
The Lost Love Songs of Boysie Singh by Ingrid Persaud youtu.be/fT734IzWf2A
Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder
Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon
The Apple in the Dark by Clarice Lispector translated by Benjamin Moser
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu translated by Royall Tyler
The Iliad by Homer translated by Emily Wilson and by Robert Fagles
Join the conversation on Discord discord.com/invite/Zn4AQPnmfu
The group read is the Doctor's Wife by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. Reading two chapters a day from 1st to 17th October and the last three on 18th.
The Challenges
Marissa's: Read a Victorian work that was originally serialised
Katie's: Read a Victorian book that plays with form in some way
Kate's: Read a Victorian book where religion is a component of the story
Mine: Experience Victorian drama - read, watch or listen to a Victorian play
Group challenge: Read a Victorian work by Wilkie Collins (loved by @jenniferbrooks) and/or Conan Doyle (loved by @AliceandtheGiantBookshelf )
The announcement videos for more inspiration
Marissa youtu.be/CXOcNjwVnhE?si=afkw73B5vlRWeqoq
Kate youtube.com/watch?v=qCRSmcSfpeE&t=0s
Katie youtube.com/watch?v=ynyQHVDh190&t=0s
Some Victorian dramatists and videos to get you inspired
Oscar Wilde youtu.be/2G6OsMp4oKo?si=plRHyxjIgvJJAfDz
George Bernard Shaw youtu.be/ZD5Vez-oy2o
Arthur Wing Pinero youtu.be/7Tb8CcP2PMU?si=Yc7GuC7KyAfLv1B2
Brandon Thomas youtu.be/xXsXVQ1p24o?si=PSC9TQO99tvuBbJh
WS Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan youtu.be/BWFcMRYjJtA?si=8oaFJRCrnDMvenZT
Project Gutenberg gutenberg.org
And an update thanks to the wonderful Jo Smith and Clare Potter
Jo says The Internet Archive archive.org/details/texts?tab=collection has at least three plays by Victorian women writers:
Afternoon by Ouida
Marjorie Daw by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Alan's Wife by Florence Bell
And Clare suggests Quid Pro Quo - The Day of the Dupes by Catherine Gore. It was performed at the Haymarket in 1844. There is a digitised version available on archive.org the audio is robotic but you can increase the text size.
Faulkner in August founders Allen and Brian @bighardbooks770 @BookishTexan
All the co-hosts:
@HannahsBooks
@BookChatWithPat8668
@aaronfacer
@anotherbibliophilereads
@RaynorReadsStuff
@knittingbooksetc.2810
@JimReadsTooSlow
@TheCodeXCantina
@M-J
Join us next August for Go Down Moses.
Framed hosted by @bouquinsbooks @HannahsBooks @lindysmagpiereads @anotherbibliophilereads and I missed saying Heather @heathergregg9975 but here is her announcement video youtu.be/ps9aPbLw6Hs?si=RNqMvE2lQoxJcztx and her inspiring pile of possibilities youtu.be/4eEGgqwm-aE?si=ELNz0bIq6IOMcwlt
Straya September hosted by @GunpowderFictionPlot
Shorty September hosted by @pastorytime2683 and @TooManyHeathers
I don't mention Shaketember in the video as it was getting overwhelming but I hope to also dip into that by reading Shakespeare's long poem The Rape of Lucrece. Shaketember announcement by Kelly youtu.be/TeVhBpYUQhU?si=PWxtVqJFYCR-6yIx
The TBR books:
There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
A Little Luck by Claudia Piñeiro translated by Frances Riddle
Spirit of Place by Susan Owens
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Ti Amo by Hanne Ørstavik translated by Martin Aitken
Ru by Kim Thúy translated by Sheila Fischman
The POP books:
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
The Stone Quartet by Alan Garner
Southern Mail/Night Flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry translated by Curtis Cate
The Fell by Sarah Moss
Moonraker by F. Tennyson Jesse
The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman translated and edited by Melanie Magidow
Yell Sam If You Still Can by Maylis Besserie translated by Clíona Ní Ríordáin
The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad
Quicksand by Nella Larsen
@BookwormAdventureGirl video about the best Canadian 21st century books youtu.be/wTP4ZpLsdUI?si=BqUCV5XxbzzE9mHG
Watch @shawnbreathesbooks interview the author youtu.be/ZSiLlBnQfD8?si=OK2ajZQFrHTJUHEg
And that video has links about where to get hold of it. In the UK it should be in your local bookshop.
We are discussing a recent novel every month this year. Our August book will be Small Joys by Elvin James Mensah. To whet your appetite here's @shawnbreathesbooks interviewing the author youtu.be/ZSiLlBnQfD8?si=WukfXEyOTYMsj5W9
And the second half is all the other books I read ending with my favourite of the month.
0:00 Intro ramble
0:53 The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst by Katie Lumsden
2:25 Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
5:45 Catharine and Other Writings by Jane Austen
6:48 The Genius of Jane Austen by Paula Byrne
8:33 Who's the Dupe and The Belle's Stratagem by Hannah Cowley
11:20 trouble with the cat
11:46 BookTube Prize reading - The Reformatory by Tannarive Due and Wellness by Nathan Hill
13:18 Factory Summers by Guy Delisle translated by Helge Dascher and Rob Aspinall
14:42 Hypnobirthing: Practical Ways to Make Your Birth Better by Siobhan Miller
15:49 A Time in Rome by Elizabeth Bowen
17:35 Selected Stories by Elizabeth Bowen selected by Tessa Hadley
19:13 Marzahn Mon Amour by Katja Oskamp translated by Jo Heinrich
23:00 Closing ramble
Austen's humour discussion with Tilly youtu.be/xqJMUhnOggA?si=BtJ3PiJQ4DjMtFmd
BookTube Prize semifinal mini reviews youtu.be/b8ENMIy9FP0?si=ry4VzKZnWWgEyKZ2
Reading events mentioned:
Faulkner in August youtu.be/XLhNaJu1-YU?si=Zn7GhI5v5wRkBh2P
Women in Translation Month
Phenomenal Women
BookTube Prize
Booktube channels mentioned:
@MarilynMayaMendoza
@BookTubePrize
@BernasBookishAdventures
@shawnbreathesbooks
@CharlieBrookReads
Books mentioned:
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
The Apple in the Dark by Clarice Lispector translated by Benjamin Moser
The Lost Love Songs of Boysie Singh by Ingrid Persaud
Small Joys by Elvin James Mensah
North Woods by Daniel Mason
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue
Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder
Eve: How the Female Body Shaped 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu edited and translated by Royall Tyler
Indigenous Literatures from Micronesia edited by Evelyn Flores and Emelihter Kihleng
The Iliad by Homer translated by Emily Wilson
In Parenthesis by David Jones
The Poems of Nazim Hikmet translated by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konak
Thank you @Robert.Sheard for all you do to make @BookTubePrize possible.
Find out more booktubeprize.org
You could be a judge in 2025.
This 1912 portrait of Woolf by Vanessa Bell is in the National Portrait Gallery in London. I don't know why her sister Bell blurred out her eyes.
Thank you to the #janeaustenjuly hosts for giving us the excuse to talk about her again.
@katiejlumsden
@SpinstersLibrary
@katehowereads
@BlatantlyBookish
Thunderclap by Laura Cummings
A Flat Place by Noreen Masud
The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
The Singapore Grip by JG Farrell
The Women of Troy by Pat Barker
The Apple in the Dark by Clarice Lispector translated by Benjamin Moser
Small Joys by Elvin James Mensah
My Friends by Hisham Matar
The Last Love Songs of Boysie Singh by Ingrid Persaud (also Love After Love)
The Voyage Home by Pat Barker
The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst by Katie Lumsden
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt
Home Child by Liz Berry
Human Acts by Han Kang translated by Deborah Smith
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Welcome to St Hell by Lewis Hancox
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
The Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes translated by Ann Goldstein
Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff (also Matrix)
Not a River by Selva Almada translated by Annie McDermott (also Brickmakers)
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Wife of Bath: A Biography by Marion Turner
Poyums by Len Pennie
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
Western Lane by Chetna Maroo
The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen
Blossomise by Simon Armitage illustrated by Angela Harding
The Night Alphabet by Joelle Taylor
Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy
Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel translated by Rosalind Harvey
Brotherless Nights by VV Ganeshananthan
After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz
Tilly and I are often in tune in our reactions but not this time.
Expect a return to harmony with our July choice The Trouble With Mrs Montgomery Hurst by Katie Lumsden @katiejlumsden . It's Katie of Books and Things second novel and comes out in the UK on 17th July.
Hear Katie talk about it youtu.be/XQ78AKalOqM?si=VvfFfJCt1ncOZEFQ or hear her read the first chapter youtu.be/IeSRPQ2t4RE?si=5gQLzDxOaK4cB6dY
0:00 Intro. Thoughts about the loveliness that was Alice @AliceandtheGiantBookshelf. And a happy day with Berna @BernasBookishAdventures youtu.be/TUmvlz0HUME?si=-jq3PdYM8Sw3TfIu
4:04 Pyongyang by Guy Delisle translated by Helge Dascher.
7:23 Give Birth Like a Feminist by Milli Hill
8:55 The Wife of Bath: a biography by Marion Turner
11:24 Not talking about BookTube Prize semi final reading Tom Lake and Lone Women. Then ten more novels to come.
12:53 Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hossein read for #CaribAthon
16:28 Elizabeth Bowen's Eva Trout and A World of Love
18:42 Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan
21:00 The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunarilaka and Brotherless Night youtu.be/WY5aFFl5DW0?si=HWx1nc3VgQ8GUTHG
22:56 You Dreamed of Empires by Alvaro Enrigues translated by Natasha Wimmer to be a discussion soon with @tillysshelf
24:13 The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
27:29 Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel translated by Rosalind Harvey
29:33 Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes translated by Ann Goldstein
33:10 After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz
Join me and the other hosts in a ftiendly Voxer group discussion of this fascinating and influential novel from 1930. There should be a good mix of Faulkner aficionados and Faulkner newbies.
My Voxer identity is rcook2207 to ask to join.
Your hosts are below and announcement videos are popping up now. You can also expect a video or two about the book in August from most of the hosts and you could make one too if you have a channel.
Allen @bighardbooks770
Brian @BookishTexan
Aaron @aaronfacer
Cristina @knittingbooksetc.2810
Greg @anotherbibliophilereads
Hannah @HannahsBooks
Jim @JimReadsTooSlow
MJ @M-J
Randy Ray @LiterateTexan
Una @TheCodeXCantina
Our June pick is You Dreamed of Empires by Alvaro Enrigues translated by Natasha Wimmer and published in English in 2024.
Katie youtu.be/wJ6CqZ1Zst4?si=RLGuZY5xH2_nDLdO
Claudia youtu.be/ZJwAILIW0Fk?si=h2sKwZcs2Y-BrroH
Marissa youtu.be/kPegr1krDcg?si=73CgXcGdk5zPRwC7
0:00 Intro ramble
1:00 Jane Austen July plans for 2024:
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, plus her letters and juvenilia
The Genius of Jane Austen, Paula Byrne.
Plays by Hannah Cowley including The Belle's Stratagem, Which Is the Man? Who's the Dupe? The Runaway
The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst, Katie Lumsden
12:00 other July reading plans:
Wellness, Nathan Hill
The Reformatory, Tannarive Due
The House of Doors, Tan Twan Eng
Marzahn Mon Amour, Katja Oskamp translated Jo Heinrich
Elizabeth Bowen Selected Stories and A Time in Rome
Factory Summers, Guy Delisle
Poems of Nazim Hikmet translated Randy Blasing & Mutlu Konak, a special gift from Berna @BernasBookishAdventures
Indigenous Literatures from Micronesia edited by Evelyn Flores and Emelihter Kihleng
Eve: how the female body drove 200 million years of human evolution, Cat Bohannon.
Tell me if you fancy reading any plays by Hannah Cowley during Jane Austen July.
And hear a taster of @katiejlumsden's new novel youtu.be/IeSRPQ2t4RE?si=-Z6JLGFTNOvjRhef
0:00 Intro ramble
1:30 Of Cattle and Men, Ana Paula Maia translated by Zoe Perry youtu.be/EHhr2pkU4ho?si=SsWpkF8ZTeJh7FGe for more about this
2:08 Hagstone, Sinead Gleeson youtu.be/61dLOOPDr-s?si=Zr0bSjAppBjdY-I3 if you want to hear more
3:06 The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer
3:50 Poyums, Len Pennie
5:52 Normal Women, Phillipa Gregory
6:56 Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer
8:01 Metamorphosis :a life in pieces, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst
9:28 Of Human Bondage, William Somerset Maugham
11:58 Reading Elizabeth Bowen - The Hotel, The Last September, The House in Paris
14:21 Brotherless Night, VV Ganeshananthan
16:28 James, Percival Everett
18:49 Wandering Stars, Tommy Orange
22:52 Closing ramble
Thank you to the May reading event hosts or for inspiring many of my choices
Scott @GunpowderFictionPlot and Gemma @GemofBooks
@MarilynMayaMendoza and Kim @MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH
Heidi @myreadinglife8816 Doris @alldbooks9165 Emma @ACupOfBooks Natalie @CuriousReader
Emily @novellenovels
@shawnbreathesbooks
Sarah @HardcoverHearts
There are two sets of questions depending on whether you use libraries or not.
*If you DO go to the library… answer these:
1. How often do you go to the library?
2. Do you belong to more than one library system?
3. What percentage of books you read come from the library?
4. Do you listen to audiobooks or get e-books from the library or are you hooked on Audible or Amazon or something else?
5. Did you go to story time at the library as a kid?
6. Have you ever borrowed a movie or video game from your library?
7. Have you ever been fined for returning books late? If so, how do you feel about that?
8. Do you attend special events, groups or book sales at the library?
9. Have you ever given or taken a book from a little free library, a book box or a book swap?
10. Bonus! Does your librarian know you by name?
11. Tag some friends!
*If you DON’T go to the library… answer these:
1. Why the heck not?
2. Where do you get your books from?
3. Have you ever had a library card or do you have one now?
4. When was the last time you stepped foot in the library?
5. Have you ever gone to an event at your library?
6. Do you have little free libraries or book boxes or book swaps where you live? Show us a picture if you do.
7. Tag some friends!
I tag:
@lindysmagpiereads
@novellenovels
@GemofBooks
@spreadbookjoy
@EveningReader
For an alternative perspective to mine watch
@EricKarlAnderson youtu.be/xzpcTRzDmb0?si=gjdBqPysWTtO6Aka
or @BobTheBookerer youtu.be/60H1HWCG-1s?si=3eQYr7hzdxm93Jp8
Books mentioned:
Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieira Junior translated by Johnny Lorenz
Not a River by Selva Almada translated by Annie McDermott
Of Cattle and Men by Ana Paula Maia translated by Zoe Perry
Simpatia by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón translated by Noel Hernandez Gonzalez and Daniel Hahn
Undiscovered by Gabriela Wiener translated by Julia Sanches
Also mentioned in passing Jorge Amado and Clarice Lispector.
This is a People April highlights conversation.
A huge thank you from me to Elisabeth @bouquinsbooks who had the idea of a readathon based on life writing of all kinds. She and I have been thrilled by how booktube has embraced this and we will definitely bring it back for a third round in 2025 so even more of us can be inspired to read biographies, memoirs, letters, diaries and more. The Discord conversations have been tremendous so thanks to everyone on there, including those who expanded my experience of the groupread I Am I Am I Am by MaggieO'Farrell. I have really enjoyed watching the responses to the This or That book tag and all the other great #peopleapril content I've seen. I wish I could link to everything!
Elisabeth has done a brilliant round up about both the groupread and the stats from the tag answers youtu.be/0RK8x4e6VZc?si=0SZKSF1eF3UxpJgT
Tilly and I mention #picturethis hosted by @spreadbookjoy and @Shellyish and the multiple People April videos by @saintdonoghue
If you want to check out many recommendations use the link to the Discord server discord.com/invite/ZTv3Z54AvJ
Books mentioned by Tilly or me:
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
Welcome To St Hell by Lewis Hancox
The Dam by David Almond and Levi Pinfold
Camille and the Sunflowers by Laurence Anholt
A Flat Place by Noreen Masud
Feral by George Monbiot
Thunderclap by Laura Cummings
The Midwife's Tale by Nicky Leap and Billy Hunt
The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman
Undiscovered by Gabriela Wiener translated by Julia Sanches
Handle With Care by Rachael Hearson
Why She Wrote by Lauren Burke and Hannah Chapman
A Nurse in Time by Evelyn Prentis
Raising Boys Who Do Better by Uju Asiha
I Can Be A Brave Adventurer by Frances Lincoln
Letters of Note: Mothers by Shaun Usher
Missing Persons or My Grandmother's Secrets by Clair Wills
Ducks by Kate Beaton
Books mentioned:
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
12 Birds to Save Your Life by Charlie Corbett
Poyums by Len Pennie
Metamorphosis: a life in pieces by Robert Douglas Fairhurst
Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes translated by Ann Goldstein
Of Cattle and Men by Ana Paula Maia translated by Zoe Perry
Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunarilaka
James by Percival Everett
The Hotel and Last September by Elizabeth Bowen
Normal Women by Philippa Gregory
In Parenthesis by David Jones
Events mentioned with host's channels:
Springathon @myreadinglife8816@alldbooks9165 @CuriousReader @ACupOfBooks
Mental Health May @MarilynMayaMendoza @MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH
Spoonies Readathon @novellenovels @BrewsandReviews
Misery May @GunpowderFictionPlot @GemofBooks I accidentally said Jack who is also a wonderful booktube friend
Asian Readathon @withcindy
Thank you to my People April co-host Elisabeth @bouquinsbooks and the Poetry Readathon hosts @CharlieBrookReads and @CharlesHeathcote
Here's a link to hear each of the poems. It was a struggle to narrow it down to these five. There's actually a pair for Donne!
John Donne
youtu.be/-4x6ZA3lfE0?si=B5CuCsUQqcEqhny1
youtu.be/YC52PiK4lgU?si=KOPSuQ0rYIaAIQHy
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
youtu.be/JT9MlPOI6C0?si=dYyuVUEQgNnvHuZ1
Seamus Heaney
youtu.be/KNRkPU1LSUg?si=4S6BIyNhKx3dn8S1
Joelle Taylor
youtu.be/K4EdtA4Aeyo?si=bf4pKWQ0Wq1E7-6c
Raymond Antrobus
youtu.be/CqSQqmVlwFE?si=Ou2GN5ocCdG0KZVE
Books or authors mentioned:
Undiscovered by Gabriela Wiener translated by Julia Sanches
PD James
JM Coetzee
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham
The Lover by Marguerite Duras
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
Karl Ove Knausgard
Annie Ernaux
Outline by Rachel Cusk
The Rings of Saturn by WG Sebald
For more about People April check my cohost Elisabeth's channel @bouquinsbooks youtu.be/Gt-_GfGU4wk?si=7izPg8ncK6c-8NLa
Tilly and I are reading and discussing a contemporary fiction book each month this year. Our April choice was Western Lane by Chetna Maroo which was published in 2023. Western Lane has had a lot of love and found its way onto the Booker and Women's Prize longlists. But there have also been some dissenting voices. We explain why it was a hit with both of us.
Use this tag to talk about what you like or dislike in nonfiction about people. Pick the prompts that appeal to you or allow you to enjoy being opinionated. Do mention books good and bad as you go along.
1) Big, fat and detailed biographies or short and succinct biographies?
2) Celebrity memoirs or average Joe memoirs?
3) Complete correspondence or selected letters?
4) Memoirs written when the events are fresh or memoirs written with hindsight?
5) Gossipy biographies or scholarly biographies?
6) Diaries of ordinary life or diaries of extraordinary events?
7) Arty memoirs or sporting memoirs?
8) Gritty autobiographical writing or inspirational autobiographical writing?
9) Biographies of historical figures or biographies of contemporary figures?
10) Memoirs of happy days or memoirs of tragic days?
Everyone interested in biography, memoirs, letters and diaries can consider themselves tagged. I'll tag some people I know are taking part in People April.
@saintdonoghue
@BookTimewithElvis
@spreadbookjoy
@lindysmagpiereads
@Eldertalk
@RaynorReadsStuff
@BooklessPete
@BookChatWithPat8668
@insearchofwonder
@AliceandtheGiantBookshelf
@sarah-roadworthy
@TriumphalReads
@GemofBooks
@novellenovels
@novelideea
@readandre-read
@booksimnotreading
@MarilynMayaMendoza
@BernasBookishAdventures
@stalkingkafka
Books mentioned or most of them!
Square Haunting by Francesca Wade
The Five by Hallie Rubenhold
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
None of the Above by Travis Alabanza
The Moon's a Balloon by David Niven
H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters by Charlotte Mosley
A Flat Place by Noreen Masud
Unspeakable: The Story of Junius Wilson by Susan Burch & Hannah Joyner @HannahsBooks
A Woman in Berlin by Marta Hillers
Bedsit Disco Queen by Tracey Thorn
Mountains of the Mind by Robert Macfarlane
Rosie, Scenes from a Vanished Life
Welcome to St Hell by Lewis Hancox
A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor
If This Is A Man by Primo Levi
0:00 Intro and personal bits. Thank you @katiejlumsden for organising the meeting youtu.be/A203etNe5R4?si=94gxdFBWwFcnFggF
2:32 Heartstopper 1 to 5 by Alice Oseman
5:03 Ness by Robert Macfarlane and Stanley Donwood
6:02 Blossomise by Simon Armitage
7:57 Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane
9:23 Happiness Falls by Angie Kim discussion with @tillysshelf youtu.be/RdtNz_q0YLU?si=LjnOTLTw2HKghTMp
11:00 The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
11:57 Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson translated by Elizabeth Portch
13:08 The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope
14:45 The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa translated by Stephen Snyder
16:23 Parasol Against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi
18:04 Briefly, A Delicious Life by Nell Stevens
20:22 Western Lane by Chetna Maroo
22:05 Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy
25:15 The Night Alphabet by Joelle Taylor
Reading events mentioned and a host for each if you want to know more:
March of the Mammoths @OldBluesChapterandVerse
Irish Readathon @lisainbookland
Fierce Reads @Shellyish
Middle Grade March @BooksAndJams
March Mystery Madness @MarilynMayaMendoza
24 in 24 Banned Book Challenge @M-J
The BookTube Prize @BookTubePrize
And if my opinion is not enough watch Bob's review @BobTheBookerer youtu.be/ZTP1VPsJitQ?si=o2Ux9fMWeyut2F8q
This was my Fierce Reads choice. Fierce Reads was hosted in March by
@Bookishtravels1
@MsReadsAlot
@Shellyish
@EntertheBook
I hope they do it again next year.
Thanks Tilly @tillysshelf for sharing this one with me.
Language is really important when talking about neurodivergence. Tilly and I tried to be mindful of this and apologies if we did not get this entirely right at all points.
I wanted to add two things. One is that Tilly mentions Aspergers at one point and it is worth saying that Brady does this in the book to give herself the opportunity to explain why it is no longer used as a term. I am not sure we made that clear. Also she has every right to be angry about things that happened in her childhood but I was happy she has found some understanding with her mother.
Group D books alphabetically by author below. To find out my ranking you'll just have to watch! If you are not a regular viewer I should probably mention that I have a broken arm, hence the uncomfortable posture and one handed gesticulation.
Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
0:00 introductory ramble
0:40 sixth and bottom despite being fine in its way
4:18 a controversial fifth place decision. Don’t shoot me please
9:40 a mixed bag comes fourth
13:34 intense and emotional third place and without the prize I wouldn't have read it
17:17 number two, one I devoured in a blaze but may not suit everyone
21:33 top for me and a beautifully crafted, multi layered novel
See more on People April on my cohost Elisabeth's channel @bouquinsbooks
Join us on Discord discord.com/invite/e9zBJKppAN
Storygraph challenge app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/3dec42aa-2357-4d33-bf39-f235089f711a
Two useful resources for People April
Letters of Note lettersofnote.com
Diaries of Note diariesofnote.com
Picture This hosts are @spreadbookjoy and @Shellyish
Check out TransGirl April with @CestKevvie
Disability Readathon run by @FromErinsLibrary and @nymeria941 disabilityreadathon.com
Deea's Alcott April announcement
youtu.be/AXqUrX0IBgE?si=b2J_tUy1PyVP9Kz_ @novelideea
The other wonderful April readathon that I don't mention in the video is hosted by @katiejlumsden (Books and Things) and is all about tackling your longterm TBR which would have been great if I wasn't buried in People April choices. The announcement youtu.be/pElOO3PrFkU?si=T9Uio_Bf9Testx0Q
Other Booktubers mentioned @tillysshelf @lindysmagpiereads and @shawnbreathesbooks
The books:
I Am I Am I Am by Maggie O'Farrell
Missing Persons or My Grandmother's Secrets by Clair Wills
Normal Women by Philippa Gregory
Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
Thunderclap by Laura Cummings
Welcome To St Hell by Lewis Hancox
Ducks by Kate Beaton
Why She Wrote by Lauren Burke, Hannah Chapman and Kaley Bales
The Dam by David Almond and Levi Pinfold
A Flat Place by Noreen Masud
Letters of Note: Mothers by Shaun Usher
In Parenthesis by David Jones
Human Acts by Han Kang translated by Deborah Smith
Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham
I am thrilled as I love her fiction including the wonderful Hamnet and this memoir sounds fascinating, worrying and yet life affirming.
The schedule is a relaxed 70 to 80 pages a week:
Week one - chapters 1 to 5
Week two - chapters 6 to 9
Week three - chapters 10 to 14
Week four - chapters 15 to 17
For more about People April you could check my cohost Elisabeth's channel @bouquinsbooks
Or our announcement videos
youtu.be/Gt-_GfGU4wk?si=PmZ52-Ws8qw75Jb4
youtu.be/C281LsPsk_c?si=gzTnS_fvxL8IRmrG
Tilly @tillysshelf and I are reading and chatting about a contemporary novel each month in 2024. The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright was our February choice. It was published late August 2023 and is hitting some book prize shortlists now. In fact it is on the Women's Prize for Fiction longlist announced the same day we put this video up.
Our March book will be Happiness Falls by Angie Kim. Here’s the article I mentioned about her motivation in depicting a particular character:
amp.theguardian.com/books/2024/jan/27/nonverbal-people-deserve-a-voice-angie-kim-on-why-she-wrote-a-novel-about-a-boy-with-severe-autism
Sorry about the variable lighting and the wild suggestion that's it is the end of March not the start. Working around the builders was a challenge and this was my fifth attempt at recording this.
Books I could talk about:
Fifteen Wild Decembers by Karen Powell
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright
Bright Fear by Mary Chan
Self-portrait As Othello by Jason Allen-Paisant
The Home Child by Liz Berry
The Singapore Grip by JG Farrell (also The Troubles and The Siege of Krishnapur)
Booktubers mentioned:
Tilly @tillysshelf
Priscilla @EveningReader
Sarah @sarah-roadworthy
"Biography should be written by an acute enemy." Arthur Balfour
"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train." Oscar Wilde
There's a Storygraph challenge app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/3dec42aa-2357-4d33-bf39-f235089f711a to record books you link to the prompts. Thanks @ameliareads589 for this.
We voted on the groupread over on Elisabeth's channel Bouquins and Books. The options were:
Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
Stranger in the Shogun's City by Amy Stanley
I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell OUR WINNER
Group read schedule
Week one - chapters 1 to 5
Week two - chapters 6 to 9
Week three - chapters 10 to 14
Week four - chapters 15 to 17
Link for the People April Discord discord.com/invite/QsTcSfpEMJ
Discord is free and is great for multiple conversations. If this link has expired leave a comment and I will update it.
Elisabeth's announcement video youtu.be/Gt-_GfGU4wk?si=8S_sMBJ19lp1Nq3-
Tilly @tillysshelf and I had a zoom chat about Enter Ghost youtu.be/GlZQpg0wfEc
0:00 Intro ramble
1:35 The Skull, Jon Klassen
3:12 The Women of Troy, Pat Barker
8:13 Enter Ghost, Isabella Hammad
9:39 Hotel Savoy, Joseph Roth translated by John Hoare
13:05 Kibogo, Scholastique Mukosonga translated by Mark Polizotti
14:34 Winter People, Grainne Murphy
16:05 Remains of Elmet, Ted Hughes
18:15 The Gallows Pole, Benjamin Myers
22:18 A Shining, Jon Fosse translated by Damion Searls
24:28 The Queen of Darkness, Grazia Deledda translated by Graham Anderson
27:30 Outro ramble
Tilly and I are planning on reading and discussing a recent(ish) release each month in 2024. This was our January choice. Expect a video about our February book The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright in early March.