Victober 2023 announcement: all you need to know, the challenges, the group read and more @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711

Scallydandling about the books Such a joy to be announcing another Victober.
00:00 Intro to Victober, the challenges, the group read and the discussion group
07:15 More on my challenge and recommendations of reading to meet it

Check each host's announcement video for more about their challenge and some suggestions and recommendations.
@katehowereads youtu.be/xJ8xftaK7rA?si=fNMnXcW3inRRNx3w
@katiejlumsden youtu.be/dwTa7bjePg4?si=j7lPGJEAPiFQBMk0
@BlatantlyBookish youtu.be/DDj47C04psg?si=61VUnUNGbsQd0kqD
@bookswithpetra youtu.be/jlUkLBdQR8k?si=nIwoEXOIJAsL6oU8

The challenges:
Kate’s challenge: Read a Victorian work featuring a stranger/outsider
Katie’s challenge: Read a piece of Victorian ‘New Woman’ fiction
Marissa’s challenge: Read a Victorian work by an author who is new to you
Petra’s challenge: Read a Victorian first-person narrative
Ros’s challenge: Read a Victorian work in which class features strongly

Join the Victober conversation on Discord discord.gg/9VX5spWD
If this link doesn't work mention in the comments.
There will still be a Goodreads group this year just in case some people want to meet and talk there.
Do use #victober for any Victober activity on social media.

The group read: The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope
Schedule:
1 October: chapters 1–4
2: 5–7
3: 8–10
4: 11–13
5: 14–16
6: 17–19
7: 20–23
8: 24–27
9: 28–30
10: 31–33
11: 34–36
12: 37–39
13: 40–42
14: 43–46
15: 47–50
16: 51–53
17: 54–56
18: 57–59
19: 60–62
20: 63–65
21: 66–69
22: 70–73
23: 74–76
24: 77–79
25: 80–82
26: 83–85
27: 86–88
28: 89–91
29: 92–94
30: 95–97
31: 98–100

Other authors and books mentioned:
Charlotte Bronte - Shirley, Jane Eyre
Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights
Anne Bronte - Agnes Grey
Charles Dickens - Hard Times, Bleak House, Great Expectations, David Copperefield
Elizabeth Gaskell - Mary Barton, North and South, Cranford
Thomas Hardy - Jude the Obscure, Tess of the D'Urbervilles
George Eliot - Silas Marner, Adam Bede
Benjamin Disraeli - Sybil
Dinah Mulock Craik - John Halifax Gentleman
George and Weedon Grossmith - Diary of a Nobody
Oscar Wilde - The Importance of Being Earnest
George Bernard Shaw - Mrs Warren's Profession

updated 1 year ago

Victober 2023 announcement: all you need to know, the challenges, the group read and more

Scallydandling about the books 2023-09-01 | Such a joy to be announcing another Victober.
00:00 Intro to Victober, the challenges, the group read and the discussion group
07:15 More on my challenge and recommendations of reading to meet it

Check each host's announcement video for more about their challenge and some suggestions and recommendations.
@katehowereads youtu.be/xJ8xftaK7rA?si=fNMnXcW3inRRNx3w
@katiejlumsden youtu.be/dwTa7bjePg4?si=j7lPGJEAPiFQBMk0
@BlatantlyBookish youtu.be/DDj47C04psg?si=61VUnUNGbsQd0kqD
@bookswithpetra youtu.be/jlUkLBdQR8k?si=nIwoEXOIJAsL6oU8

The challenges:
Kate’s challenge: Read a Victorian work featuring a stranger/outsider
Katie’s challenge: Read a piece of Victorian ‘New Woman’ fiction
Marissa’s challenge: Read a Victorian work by an author who is new to you
Petra’s challenge: Read a Victorian first-person narrative
Ros’s challenge: Read a Victorian work in which class features strongly

Join the Victober conversation on Discord discord.gg/9VX5spWD
If this link doesn't work mention in the comments.
There will still be a Goodreads group this year just in case some people want to meet and talk there.
Do use #victober for any Victober activity on social media.

The group read: The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope
Schedule:
1 October: chapters 1–4
2: 5–7
3: 8–10
4: 11–13
5: 14–16
6: 17–19
7: 20–23
8: 24–27
9: 28–30
10: 31–33
11: 34–36
12: 37–39
13: 40–42
14: 43–46
15: 47–50
16: 51–53
17: 54–56
18: 57–59
19: 60–62
20: 63–65
21: 66–69
22: 70–73
23: 74–76
24: 77–79
25: 80–82
26: 83–85
27: 86–88
28: 89–91
29: 92–94
30: 95–97
31: 98–100

Other authors and books mentioned:
Charlotte Bronte - Shirley, Jane Eyre
Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights
Anne Bronte - Agnes Grey
Charles Dickens - Hard Times, Bleak House, Great Expectations, David Copperefield
Elizabeth Gaskell - Mary Barton, North and South, Cranford
Thomas Hardy - Jude the Obscure, Tess of the D'Urbervilles
George Eliot - Silas Marner, Adam Bede
Benjamin Disraeli - Sybil
Dinah Mulock Craik - John Halifax Gentleman
George and Weedon Grossmith - Diary of a Nobody
Oscar Wilde - The Importance of Being Earnest
George Bernard Shaw - Mrs Warren's Profession

The colourful life of Dion Boucicault #victober

Scallydandling about the books 2024-10-13 | Dion Boucicault (Dionysius Lardner Boursiquot, Lee Moreton) was one of the most successful actor-playwright-theatremanagers of the Victorian age. Born in Dublin in 1820, he moved between Ireland, England and the USA making and losing fortunes, friends, wives and business partners until his death in New York in 1890.

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.

A September of super shorter reads

Scallydandling about the books 2024-10-09 | September for me had lots of rewarding shorter books.

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

Oscar Wildes plays: the famous, the infamous and the forgotten #victober

Scallydandling about the books 2024-10-06 | Oscar Wilde is my favourite Victorian playwright, along with many other readers and theatregoers. Here's an overview of Wilde's seven completed plays. He also left two unfinished ones which I don't cover.

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

BookTube Prize fiction final - how I cast my votes and why #booktubeprize

Scallydandling about the books 2024-10-05 | The BookTube Prize 2024 has reached its finale. The judges drawn from BookTube, Bookstagram and BookTok have cast their final votes and Gold, Silver and Bronze medals have been awarded for Fiction and Nonfiction. I was a fiction judge and here's my rating of the six finalists. Does it match the overall results and do you agree or disagree? For full details of the books in each round and how the prize is run visit booktubeprize.org

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

Happy Victober and heres my TBR #victober

Scallydandling about the books 2024-09-30 | Victober plans fill me with joy.
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

Mammoth by Eva Baltasar: a short and happy review #shortyseptember

Scallydandling about the books 2024-09-21 | Mammoth by Eva Baltasar translated from the Catalan by Julia Sanches is newly out in English in August 2024. It is book three in Baltasar's loose trilogy following Permafrost and Boulder.

The Echoes: new from Australian author Evie Wyld #shortyseptember #strayaseptember

Scallydandling about the books 2024-09-15 | The Echoes is the brand new (August 2024) novel by Anglo-Australian author Evie Wyld. This is shorter and more intense than Bass Rock.

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.

Three superb novels by women in translation: Ti Amo, Ru and The Twilight Zone #shortyseptember

Scallydandling about the books 2024-09-08 | I kicked off September with:
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

Augusts reading joys: new novels, opinionated nonfiction, women in translation and a true epic

Scallydandling about the books 2024-09-01 | A cheerful wrap up of August's reading.

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

Victober 2024 announcement #victober

Scallydandling about the books 2024-08-31 | It's always a joy to announce that Victober is coming soon. Your hosts Katie @katiejlumsden , Kate @katehowereads , Marissa @BlatantlyBookish and I invite you to join us in spending the month of October enjoying Victorian literature, that is works by British and Irish authors published or written between 1837 and 1901.

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.

As I Lay Dying: a chat with Steve at the end of Faulkner in August

Scallydandling about the books 2024-08-27 | This year's William Faulkner groupread in August was As I Lay Dying. Thanks to the crew of hosts and the wonderfully active members of the Voxer discussion group who expanded my experience of the novel.
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.

A September TBR with a Shorty pile of possibilities

Scallydandling about the books 2024-08-25 | I've got a definite plan for things to read in September plus a reckless pile of possibilities. Blame three attractive reading events:
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

Small Joys, Elvin James Mensah

Scallydandling about the books 2024-08-23 | Tilly @tillysshelf and I are reading and discussing one piece of contemporary fiction each month this year. Small Joys by Elvin James Mensah was published in 2023. It is a warm-hearted debut novel by a young author from South-East London.

Watch @shawnbreathesbooks interview the author youtu.be/ZSiLlBnQfD8?si=OK2ajZQFrHTJUHEg

Lost Love Songs make for a winning book

Scallydandling about the books 2024-08-11 | An enthusiastic review of Ingrid Persaud's second novel The Lost Love Songs of Boysie Singh which was published late April this year.

Delightful historical fiction - The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst #montgomeryhurst

Scallydandling about the books 2024-08-08 | Tilly @tillysshelf and I talk about the new novel by Katie of the wonderful booktube channel Books and Things. This is her second book. We loved it and so will you if you enjoy Victorian literature and smart historical fiction. Here is @katiejlumsden reading chapter one to get a taster youtu.be/IeSRPQ2t4RE?si=uJm4CV-QA0jSYtFy
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

Julys reading delights, Austen and otherwise

Scallydandling about the books 2024-08-03 | July is always #janeaustenjuly for me now so the first half of this wrap up is Austen related. starting with the new novel by @katiejlumsden

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

Augusts pile of possibilities - WIT and Phenomenal Women

Scallydandling about the books 2024-08-02 | A less excessive TBR than July's I hope.
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

Tough choices in the BookTube Prize semi finals #booktubeprize

Scallydandling about the books 2024-08-01 | Six mini reviews of the novels in the semifinal group I judged. How did I rank them and did I pick the three that will reach the final?
Thank you @Robert.Sheard for all you do to make @BookTubePrize possible.
Find out more booktubeprize.org
You could be a judge in 2025.

Which are the authors I have read all of or think I should?

Scallydandling about the books 2024-07-24 | Yes that's Virginia Woolf in the thumbnail. She's one of five authors I haven’t yet "completed" by reading all their novels but will. Are you a completist? I'm not as a rule but #janeaustenjuly made me reflect that there are a few authors I do feel that way about. I thought I'd share the ones like Austen that I have already read everything by, which I won't attempt and which I will. I'd love to know yours too.

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.

Ros and Tilly celebrate Jane Austens comic brilliance #janeaustenjuly

Scallydandling about the books 2024-07-20 | Tilly @tillysshelf and I share our appreciation of Jane Austen every year during Jane Austen July. This time we think about Austen's wicked wit and observational humour. We enjoy a happy ramble through some her comic writing, especially in her six major novels and reflect on how she uses humour to reveal character or progress a story.

Thank you to the #janeaustenjuly hosts for giving us the excuse to talk about her again.
@katiejlumsden
@SpinstersLibrary
@katehowereads
@BlatantlyBookish

A mid year reading celebration, with a nod to the mid year freak out book tag

Scallydandling about the books 2024-07-14 | My reading highlights from 2024 up until to the end of June. Loosely based on a venerable tag whose creator has long gone from BookTube. I talk at varying lengths about lots of books and authors. Here's a rough list in the order mentioned:

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

You Dreamed of Empires - Ros and Tilly disagree about this new novel

Scallydandling about the books 2024-07-11 | Tilly @tillysshelf and I are reading and discussing a contemporary novel every month this year. Our June choice was You Dreamed of Empires by Mexican writer Alvaro Enrigue translated by Natasha Wimmer. Pub;ished in Spanish in 2022 and in English in early 2024.

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

June is packed with books - better use the time stamps. But first a moment about Alice

Scallydandling about the books 2024-07-06 | A long and lively June wrap up with plenty of delights and discoveries. But first a little reflection on BookTube friendship, mourning Alice and meeting Berna.

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

As I Lay Dying #faulknerinaugust announcement

Scallydandling about the books 2024-06-30 | As I Lay Dying is this year's William Faulkner shared read for #FaulknerinAugust2024

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

Did we love Brotherless Night? Tilly and Ros on the Womens Prize and Carol Shields Prize winner

Scallydandling about the books 2024-06-28 | Tilly @tillysshelf and I are reading and discussing a recent novel each month in 2024. Our May choice was Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan. We didn't know then it was going to be the big prizewinner of May and June.

Our June pick is You Dreamed of Empires by Alvaro Enrigues translated by Natasha Wimmer and published in English in 2024.

A July TBR, mostly #janeaustenjuly of course

Scallydandling about the books 2024-06-24 | I'm buzzing with Jane Austen July plans. Thanks to the hosts and here are their announcement videos:
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

A Marvellous May packed with new fiction, golden oldies, fresh poetry and tremendous nonfiction

Scallydandling about the books 2024-06-23 | A romp through my May reading with some positive recommendations and no disappointments. A bit late as I have been away.

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

The Library Book Tag #librarybooktag

Scallydandling about the books 2024-05-28 | Thank you Charlotte @CoynieReads for tagging me and @BookBuds for creating this tag. Libraries are wonderful things that we should use and celebrate. The thumbnail images are from my wnderful local library in Brighton.

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

Hagstone, Sinéad Gleeson: exciting new fiction but did I love it?

Scallydandling about the books 2024-05-27 | Hagstone is writer and artist Sinéad Gleeson's debut novel.

For an alternative perspective to mine watch
@EricKarlAnderson youtu.be/xzpcTRzDmb0?si=gjdBqPysWTtO6Aka
or @BobTheBookerer youtu.be/60H1HWCG-1s?si=3eQYr7hzdxm93Jp8

Ive been feasting on South American fiction: Crooked Plow, Of Cattle and Men, Not a River & more

Scallydandling about the books 2024-05-19 | Readers in English are being treated at the moment to a wealth of fiction in translation from South American authors. Here are five I read in the past few weeks. What about you? Any hot tips?

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.

People April: Tilly and Ros sharing our highlights

Scallydandling about the books 2024-05-06 | The most exciting thing that's happened to me this weekend is that Tilly @tillysshelf came to visit bringing our new cat little Loki. But of course we also found time to talk books.

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

A pile of plans for May inspired by annoyingly inviting BookTube reading events

Scallydandling about the books 2024-05-01 | Who put so many great readathons in May and why can't I resist their attraction?

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

Five favourite autobiographical poems #peopleapril #poetryreadathon2024

Scallydandling about the books 2024-04-28 | I'm celebrating the end of People April, National Poetry Month and the Poetry Readathon with a selection of personal favourite autobiographical poems by poets writing in English.
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

Is autofiction a crime? The case for and against.

Scallydandling about the books 2024-04-21 | How do you feel about autofiction? Is it lazy, confusing or narcissistic? Or revealing and fascinating? Could it just be a new way of labelling a style of fiction that has been around forever? People April feels like a good excuse to discuss this literary controversy so share your thoughts in the comments. You could even make a response video if you are incensed or inspired by my opinion.

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

Western Lane: Tilly and Ros enthusing about Chetna Maroos #womensprize longlisted novel

Scallydandling about the books 2024-04-11 | Spoiler free in case you are wondering.

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.

This or That? A book tag for People April ORIGINAL version #peopleapril

Scallydandling about the books 2024-04-08 | The "This or That?" book tag: a new tag for People April and beyond from me and Elisabeth @bouquinsbooks

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

March wrap up - some brilliant books and a broken arm

Scallydandling about the books 2024-04-07 | March had its ups and downs for me but the books were all good or better.

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

What a stunner! The Night Alphabet by Joelle Taylor

Scallydandling about the books 2024-04-04 | This debut novel by Joelle Taylor is pretty special. The Night Alphabet was published in the UK in February 2024.

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.

Tilly and Ros discuss Strong Female Character by Fern Brady #peopleapril

Scallydandling about the books 2024-04-03 | Strong Female Character is stand up comedian Fern Brady's memoir looking back on her childhood in the knowledge she has now about being autistic. It is both sad and funny. It was the runner up in the vote on @bouquinsbooks my co-host Elisabeth's channel for the People April group read.
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.

BookTube Prize - my ranking and mini reviews for Fiction Group D #booktubeprize

Scallydandling about the books 2024-04-01 | Reading for the BookTube Prize is such fun even when I don't love every book. Thank you Robert @Robert.Sheard for amazing organisation of @BookTubePrize

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

People April Plans plus a dip into #picturethis #transgirlapril #disabilityreadathon #alcottapril

Scallydandling about the books 2024-03-29 | Lots to type with my lefthand so will be succinct.

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

New fiction: Parasol against the Axe, Helen Oyeyemi

Scallydandling about the books 2024-03-10 | I had a wild time reading Parasol against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi, published here on 30th January and just out stateside.

The People April group read is I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie OFarrell

Scallydandling about the books 2024-03-06 | The readers have spoken and picked Maggie O'Farrell's memoir with a difference as the group read book for #PeopleApril 2024. I hope you will want to read this and join the discussion on Discord discord.com/invite/QsTcSfpEMJ

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

The Wren, The Wren, Anne Enright: Tilly and Ros discussing new fiction #WomensPrize for fiction

Scallydandling about the books 2024-03-05 | SPOILER FREE
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

Februarys delights and discoveries or at least those I can talk about

Scallydandling about the books 2024-03-01 | I read lots of good stuff in February but can't talk about the four books I read for the BookTube Prize. Find out more about the prize booktubeprize.org and follow it on YouTube @BookTubePrize or Instagram instagram.com/booktubeprize?igsh=c3B2ODR0MnV1bW1i

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

People April announcement - reading nonfiction about people

Scallydandling about the books 2024-02-25 | Join me and Elisabeth @bouquinsbooks in a reading event all about reading nonfiction about people during April: biography, memoirs, diaries, letters and more. It's up to you whether you want to read a pile of fat biographies or one letter, but see if you can connect your choices to our two flexible prompts.

"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-

Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, a fresh voice in historical fiction

Scallydandling about the books 2024-02-25 | Glorious Exploits was published in January 2024. It is a debut novel set in Syracuse in 412 BC by young Irish author Ferdia Lennon. Steve convinced me to read it as he enjoyed it enormously so we talk about it together here.

Januarys bookish delights from Troy to Sardinia, via Palestine and Yorkshire

Scallydandling about the books 2024-02-10 | A skip through the ten books I finished in January. Thank you Berna @BernasBookishAdventures for a wonderful buddyread this month. Do investigate her channel if you don't know it.
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

Enter Ghost - Tilly and Ros discuss Isabella Hammads 2023 novel of Hamlet and Palestine

Scallydandling about the books 2024-02-05 | Tilly @tillysshelf and I both enjoyed Enter Ghost by British Palestinian author Isabella Hammad. It is a novel of ideas and emotion focused around a production of Hamlet on the West Bank.

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.

Want to walk with the Brontes? Dont miss Fifteen Wild Decembers by Karen Powell

Scallydandling about the books 2024-02-03 | A lovely new novel by Karen Powell that imagines the lives of the Bronte sisters. Fifteen Wild Decembers came out in September 2023 and I nearly skipped it until I heard @BobTheBookerer describe its gentle but positive charms.