Revisiting My 2016 Reading List

[osprey_archer]

I haven’t made a ton of progress on my 2015 book list since I posted it… but I’ve read so many books on my 2016 list that I figured I’d better hurry up and post it before they were all gone. It’s just that so many of the 2016 books are shorter than the remaining books on the 2015 list!

But I’m getting to the long books on the 2016 list now, so that should slow me down.

Barbara Cooney - Basket Moon (written by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Barbara Cooney) (never reviewed)

Abbie Farwell Brown - The Curious Book of Birds (I read this on Gutenberg on my phone, only near the end Gutenberg suddenly changed how it displayed on the phone so it was really irritating to read. I hope this isn’t permanent, or it’s going to seriously mess with my ability to read more Angela Brazil.) (Never reviewed this one either)

Hampton Sides - The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook (either On Desperate Ground: The Marines at The Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle or The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook. Has anyone read either?)

Margaret Oliphant - still haven’t finished Kirsteen for my 2015 list! But for 2016, Phoebe Jr. or perhaps Salem Chapel? (ended up bailing on Oliphant entirely for now. Sorry, Mrs. Oliphant.)

Gene Stratton Porter - The Harvester

Elizabeth Wein - American Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky (co-authored with Sherri L. Smith, author of Flygirls, super excited for this one)

Dorothy P Lathrop - The Colt from Moon Mountain

Enid Bagnold - National Velvet (might need to have an accompanying movie night?) (did not finish this but still want to have the movie night)

Robert McCloskey - Lentil

Ngaio Marsh - Tied Up in Tinsel (saving for the Christmas season)

Frances Hodgson Burnett - The Good Wolf

Elizabeth Enright - Then There Were Five

Katherine Milhous - A Book for Jennifer (written by Alice Dalgleish, illustrated by Katherine Milhous)

Emile Zola - Thérèse Raquin (I’ve read Germinal and Nana. Suggestions for my next foray?)

D. E. Stevenson - Young Mrs. Savage

Sorche Nic Leodhas - Sea-Spell and Moor-Magic: Tales of the Western Isles (also super excited for this one!) (I read this but apparently never reviewed it? Did not love it as much as I hoped.)

Maud Hart Lovelace - The Trees Kneel at Christmas (saving this for Christmas too obviously)

Comments

[rachelmanija]

National Velvet is great. It's much stranger/quirkier than the film, and really beautifully written. The most interesting character is actually Velvet's mother!

[osprey_archer]

I had always assumed that Velvet was the horse's name, to be honest. Although I guess it is possible that the horse's mother is the most interesting character in the book?

[rachelmanija]

In the book there's four (human) sisters, all with fancy names. The horse is The Pie!

[kore]

For sooo long I thought National Velvet was the name of the horse race.

[ethelmay]

Velvet is supposed to be completely homely compared to her gorgeous sisters, so of course she's played by Elizabeth Taylor. Because Hollywood. (I don't think I ever saw the whole movie, but I remember seeing part of it on television - my mother was watching it - and am not sure why I didn't stay. Probably because I was MUCH snobbier about films never being as good as books then. I have been told it's quite a good film in its own right, so perhaps I'll get round to it.)

[kore]

Ooh Thérèse Raquin, it's really Gothy.

[osprey_archer]

Thank you thank you! I'll put it on the list.

[asakiyume]

I am excited for your read of Sea-Spell and Moor-Magic too!

[osprey_archer]

I've read a couple of the stories! They have been less sea-inflected than I expected so far, but perhaps the sea stories are coming next.