The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell 

Thank you for joining me for Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please share the opening sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week. You can also share from a book that caught your fancy, even if you are not reading it right now.

MY BOOK BEGINNING

Anyone who has never before visited Krishnapur, and who approaches from the east, is likely to think he has reached the end of his journey a few miles sooner than he expected.

-- from The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell.

Farrell won the 1973 Booker Prize for The Siege of Krishnapur, a novel based on historical events. In telling the tale of one of the battles during India's 1857 Great Mutiny, Farrell critiques colonialism and examines the beginning of the end of the British Empire. 

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please add the link to your Book Beginnings post in the box below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag.

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THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 is a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings. The idea is to share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of your featured book. If you are reading an ebook or audiobook, find your teaser from the 56% mark.

Freda at Freda's Voice started and hosted The Friday 56 for a long, long time. She is taking a break and Anne at My Head is Full of Books has taken on hosting duties in her absence. Please visit Anne's blog and link to your Friday 56 post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from The Siege of Krishnapur:

Yet it was the Collector himself who was responsible for this fortnightly torment since it was he who had founded the Society. He had done so partly because he was a believer in the ennobling powers of literature, and partly because he was sorry for the ladies of the Cantonment who had, particularly during the hot season, so little to occupy them.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

India, 1857--the year of the Great Mutiny, when Muslim soldiers turned in bloody rebellion on their British overlords. This time of convulsion is the subject of J. G. Farrell's The Siege of Krishnapur, widely considered one of the finest British novels of the last fifty years.

Farrell's story is set in an isolated Victorian outpost on the subcontinent. Rumors of strife filter in from afar, and yet the members of the colonial community remain confident of their military and, above all, moral superiority. But when they find themselves under actual siege, the true character of their dominion--at once brutal, blundering, and wistful--is soon revealed.

My Wrap Up Post -- THE 2024 EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE

 

THE 2024 EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE

My Wrap Up Post

I finished the 2024 European Reading Challenge, but without any flair or fanfare. I even forgot to do a sign up post in 2024 -- and it's my challenge! 

There are some amazing ERC participants who always read interesting books from all over Europe. Some people have managed to read books from all 50 European nations in a year, even in multiple years. See Sabine's Literary World on Instagram to see what I mean. But my European tour was slapdash at best. I intend to be better planned in 2025. 

Go to the main 2024 European Reading Challenge page to see who signed up and find links to the reviews and wrap up pages. If you finished the challenge, please add a link to some sort of wrap up post (even an updated version of your sign up post) on the wrap up post here. 

If you want to join the 2025 European Reading Challenge (and I hope you do), go to the sign up page, here. 

MY 2024 EUROPEAN TOUR

In 2024, I read 125 books set in Europe or written by European authors, mostly from the UK. However, I only visited 14 different countries, and only one book from each country counts for the challenge. 

I traveled with English-speaking authors for the most part. Only four were in translation, something I struggle with every year. I mean to read more books in translation, but I also want to read the books on my TBR shelves. Those goals compete. 

Here is my itinerary, with one book from each country: 

AUSTRIA: Chess Story by Stefan Zweig (translated)

CROATIA: The Cheesemaker's Daughter by Kristin Vukovic

DENMARK: Scandinavian from Scratch: A Love Letter to the Baking of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden by Nichole Accettola

FRANCE: The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker

GERMANY: Advent: Festive German Bakes to Celebrate the Coming of Christmas by Anja Dunk

GREECE: The Light of Day by Eric Ambler

HOLLAND: King of the Rainy Country by Nicolas Freeling (translated)

ICELAND: My Kind of Place: Travel Stories from a Woman Who's Been Everywhere by Susan Orlean

IRELAND: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

ITALY: Still Life by Sarah Winman

SPAIN: The Vacationers by Emma Straub

SWEDEN: Beartown by Fredrik Backman (translated)

SWITZERLAND: Object by Kristin Louise Duncombe

UNITED KINGDOM: Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

My Sign Up Post -- TBR 25 IN '25 & MT. TBR CHALLENGES

 

THE TBR 25 IN '25 CHALLENGE

THE MT. TBR CHALLENGE

My Sign Up Post

This is my sign up post for the TBR 25 in '25 and Mt. TBR Challenges. If you want to join me in the TBR 25 in '25 Challenge (and I hope you do), go to the main challenge page, here. Bev at My Reader's Block hosts the Mt. TBR Challenge. You can find the details for that one here. 

The number of unread books on my shelves is staggering. I long ago stopped referring to "my TBR shelf" because there are many shelves of unread books in my house. I prefer to think to it as a "library" and may never get to all of them. But I mean to try. 

Last year, I read the 24 books I picked for the TBR 24 in '24 Challenge, plus another 70 books for the Mt. TBR Challenge, for a total of 94 books read from my TBR library. I hope to reach at least 100 this year. 

You do not have to pick your TBR 25 in '25 book ahead of time. You can. Or you can pick them as you go. Or you can pick and then change your mind. The only "rule" is that the books have to have been on your shelf before January 1, 2025. 

Here are my TBR 25 in '25 picks, in alphabetical order by author. I'll read them in any old order:

• One Man’s San Francisco by Herb Cain

• French Provincial Cooking by Elizabeth David

• The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell FINISHED

• Daphne du Maurier: The Secret Life of the Renowned Storyteller by Margaret Forster NOW

• Biter Orange by Claire Fuller

• Careless in Red by Elizabeth George

• Q.’s Legacy by Helene Hanff

• Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith

• Ripley’s Game by Patricia Highsmith

• Absolute Truths by Susan Howatch FINISHED

• Beat Not the Bones by Charlotte Jay

• The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis

• The Widow on Dwyer Court by Lisa Kusel

• The Lady of the Mine by Sergei Lebedev

• Lost & Found: Public Theology in the Secular Age by Michael A. Milton NOW

• Kingmaker: Pamela Harriman's Astonishing Life of Power, Seduction, and Intrigue by Sonia Purnell

• Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl

• Dragon’s Teeth by Upton Sinclair FINISHED

• The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen by Nigel Slater NOW

• The Maine Woods by Henry David Thoreau

• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

• A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg

• Zabar's: A Family Story, with Recipes by Lori Zabar

There was no rhyme or rhythm to how I picked these. A few, like the Herb Cain book, have languished on my shelves for too long. Others came to me more recently, but with the understanding that I would read them right away, which I haven't. Some are for group reads on Instagram, like Imitation of Christ and the du Maurier biography. A few won prizes and I'm trying to read all the winners, like the Charlotte Jay book that won the very first Edgar Award for best mystery in 1954.

I got this post up so late that I've already read several of these. I wanted to start strong in January so I have momentum to read these and then move on to my Mt. TBR books. 

I don't know which books I'll read for that one yet. But I signed up for the Mt. Everest level to read a total of 100 books off my shelves. That means I need 75 in addition tot he 25 listed above. I'm ready to climb!

 

The Little Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS O FRIDAYS

The Little Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien

Yikes! I did it again. I forgot to post. To be honest, I forgot what day it was and only realized this morning that it is Saturday already and I had forgotten (again) to post Book Beginnings.

There's been a break in my work while I wait for a big decision from the Court of Appeals. But I can't keep track of time or days without a work schedule. If I'm this bad when I'm only on a break, what will it be like when I retire? I better find a good calendaring system!

A big thank you to those of you who come back to add your Book Beginnings on Fridays post late. I'll see all of you back next week when I post on time. I Promise!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

The town takes its name from the river. 

-- from The Little Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien. 

Edna O'Brien sprang to literary fame, or notoriety, in 1960, with the publication of her first novel, The Country Girls (later expanded to The Country Girls Trilogy). The book scandalized Ireland with its honest portrayal of female sexuality. O'Brien continued to write books for decades, until she was almost 90 years old. The Little Red Chairs was her penultimate book, published in 2015 when she was 85.

I'm reading this now and it is fantastic. It's the story of a mysterious man claiming to be from Montenegro who moves to a small Irish village. Things are not what they seem. It's a great yarn, full of warmth, humor, intrigue, and anguish. I love it and plan to read more of her books. 

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please add the link to your Book Beginnings post in the linky box below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag so we can try to find you. 

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THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 is a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings. The idea is to share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of your featured book. If you are reading an ebook or audiobook, find your teaser from the 56% mark.

Freda at Freda's Voice started and hosted The Friday 56 for a long, long time. She is taking a break and Anne at My Head is Full of Books has taken on hosting duties in her absence. Please visit Anne's blog and link to your Friday 56 post.


MY FRIDAY 56

-- from The Little Red Chairs:

We were fifteen in all, boys and girls, and we walked in pairs through the town, over the bridge and about one mile more to Killooney Wood. We sang as we walked and when we could remember no more songs, the Doc sang folk songs from his own country, in his own tongue.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

One night, in the dead of winter, a mysterious stranger arrives in the small Irish town of Cloonoila. Broodingly handsome, worldly, and charismatic, Dr. Vladimir Dragan is a poet, a self-proclaimed holistic healer, and a welcome disruption to the monotony of village life. Before long, the beautiful black-haired Fidelma McBride falls under his spell and, defying the shackles of wedlock and convention, turns to him to cure her of her deepest pains.

Then, one morning, the illusion is abruptly shattered. . . . The Cloonoila community is devastated by this revelation, and no one more than Fidelma, who is made to pay for her deviance and desire. In disgrace and utterly alone, she embarks on a journey that will bring both profound hardship and, ultimately, the prospect of redemption.

Dragon's Teeth by Upton Sinclair -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Dragon's Teeth by Upton Sinclair

Thank you for joining me for Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please share the opening sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week. You can also share from a book that caught your fancy, even if you are not reading it right now.

MY BOOK BEGINNING

Lanny Budd was the only occupant of a small-sized reception-room. He was seated in a well-padded armchair, and had every reason to be comfortable, but did not appear so.

-- from Dragon's Teeth by Upton Sinclair. 

Upton Sinclair won the 1943 Pulitzer Prize for Dragon's Teeth, a chunky novel set in the 1930s in the lead up to WWII.  It is the third book in his "World's End" series featuring Lanny Budd, American playboy and son of an international arms dealer. I'm reading it because I'm working my way through all the Pulitzer Prize winners. It is one of my picks for the Classics Club. 

The story is dense with family matters (Lanny and his rich wife just had their first baby), high class living (yachts, the Riviera, mansions, Long Island, fancy parties, servants, etc.), social history (the Great Depression, the rise of Hitler), and politics (revolutionaries, reactionaries, Pinks, Reds, and Fascists). I expected it to be entertaining, in the way I love about shaggy novels written in the mid-1900s. I didn't expect it to feel so current. But the themes and conflicts of the 1930s seem very on-point to the issues of today. I' getting a lot of insight from it and think it deserves a bigger audience.  

See the Publisher's Description below for more details. 

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please add the link to your Book Beginnings post in the box below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag.

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THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 is a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings. The idea is to share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of your featured book. If you are reading an ebook or audiobook, find your teaser from the 56% mark.

Freda at Freda's Voice started and hosted The Friday 56 for a long, long time. She is taking a break and Anne at My Head is Full of Books has taken on hosting duties in her absence. Please visit Anne's blog and link to your Friday 56 post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from Dragon's Teeth:

I am to fly and join the yacht at Lisbon, and as soon as I can set a date, I will telegraph you. In the meantime, say nothing, and my father and I will be the only persons in the secret.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

In the wake of the 1929 stock market crash, Lanny Budd’s financial acumen and his marriage into great wealth enable him to continue the lifestyle he has always enjoyed. But the devastation the collapse has wrought on ordinary citizens has only strengthened Lanny’s socialist ideals—much to the chagrin of his heiress wife, Irma, a confirmed capitalist.

* * * 

Winner of the 1943 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Dragon’s Teeth brilliantly captures the nightmarish march toward the Second World War. An astonishing mix of history, adventure, and romance, the Lanny Budd Novels are a testament to the breathtaking scope of Upton Sinclair’s vision and his singular talents as a storyteller.

My Sign Up Post -- 2025 EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE

 

THE 2025 EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE

My Sign Up Post

This is my sign up post for the 2025 European Reading Challenge. To join the challenge yourself (and I hope you do), go to the main challenge page, here. 

Even though this is the 13th year I've hosted the challenge, I haven't been very good about my own participation. Last year, I even forgot to do a sign up post! I resolve to do better in 2025. 

I haven't picked any particular books for the challenge. Those in the photo are possibilities. My real goal is to read books by authors from, or set in, countries I don't often visit in books. I always read many books set in the UK or by UK authors. France is a close follow up. I usually manage to visit Italy, Greece, and a couple of Scandinavian countries (thanks to Nordic Noir). But I seldom get to the Baltics, Balkans, or micro states. And I read pathetically few books in translation. I hope to address both these weaknesses this year.

I want to pay particular attention to the Balkans this year because my sister and I are taking our 85-year-old mother on a cruise this summer. We will go to Greece, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy. I want to read a book by an author from each of these countries, preferably set in each country, before I go. 

Any suggestions? Here's what I came up with as possibilities:

GREECE: Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis

MONTENEGRO:

CROATIA:

SLOVENIA:

ITALY: Bread and Wine by Ignazio Silone

I have no ideas for the three countries left blank. I could be talked out of the two I picked for Greece and Italy. I picked books on my TBR shelves. 

I'm going to go back to the review pages for prior years of this challenge and see if I can find any for the missing three countries. 

  

A New Year of Book Beginnings!

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

A Fresh Start for the New Year!

Good grief! I had such Christmas Brain I forgot to post Book Beginnings on Fridays two weeks in a row! I've been late posting many times, but I've never forgotten entirely until now. Sorry! And thanks for coming back.

Please join me again in 2025 to post the opening sentence (or so) from the book you are reading this week. You can also post from a book that caught your attention and you want to highlight, even if you are not reading it right now. Leave the link to your Book Beginnings post in the Linky box below.

A natural tie-in with Book Beginnings is The Friday 56, now hosted by Anne at My Head is Full of Books. The idea is to share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of your featured book. If you are reading an ebook or audiobook, find your teaser from the 56% mark. Please visit Anne's blog and link to your Friday 56 post.

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MY BOOK BEGINNING

Two men sat in a darkened room.

-- from The Venetian Affair by Helen MacInnes. 

I love Helen MacInnes's Cold War thrillers. The protagonists are usually always smart, competent, and classy. The heroes are gentlemen, usually with an intellectual bent, and the women are all very intelligent, but can outrun bad guys even in high heels. 

Lately, I've fallen out of the habit of reading her books, but hope to change that this year. For starters, I'm doing a readalong of The Venetian Affair with some bookstagram buddies on Instagram. If you are on the 'gram and want to join us, follow me @gilioncdumas and I'll add you to the group chat. 

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from The Venetian Affair:

Fenner had a small, quiet room to himself, with old acquaintance Dade keeping so much in the background that he was practically a crack in the plaster. There was a stenotypist tapping noiselessly on a small machine that obediently sucked in every syllable and spewed out a continuous sheet of paper covered with compressed symbols.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

Fenner burned Rosenfeld’s message, reminding himself wryly that he was behaving in the very best tradition. This was a game not too difficult to learn, he thought. A game? A game in deadly earnest. A vacation in Venice that was grim business. A girl constantly beside him who wasn’t his. How the hell had he walked into this upside-down world? Where, he wondered suddenly, would Venice lead?

The 2025 European Reading Challenge -- WRAP UP PAGE

 

THE 2025 EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE

WRAP UP PAGE

THIS IS THE PAGE FOR WRAP UP POSTS

TO LIST YOUR REVIEWS, GO TO THIS PAGE

TO SIGN UP, GO TO THE MAIN CHALLENGE PAGE, HERE, OR CLICK THE BUTTON ABOVE

LINK YOUR POST

When you complete the 2025 European Reading Challenge at whatever level you signed up for, please do a wrap up post and enter a link to your post here. Please link to your wrap up post, NOT the main page of your blog or social media profile.

A wrap up post can be very simple. You can do a separate post on your blog or social media platform. Or, if you participate in the challenge on your blog and just update your original post without doing a separate wrap up post, that's OK too. Just post a link to your updated post here. If you participate on social media, please do some kind of wrap up post listing the books you read and link it here.

OR LEAVE A COMMENT

If you want, you can also simply leave a comment below listing the books you read. Please include your name, the names of the books, the authors of the books, and the countries of the books.

WANT THE PRIZE? WRAP IT UP!

Without some kind of wrap up post, I don't have any way to know if you finished the challenge. I like to know so I can visit everyone. But it is more important if you are competing for the Jet Setter Prize. If you want to compete for the prize, you have to leave a wrap up post or I will have no way to know if you visited more countries than the other people competing with you. This is also why you need to identify the country of your book. I don't want to guess and I don't want to research.

When I announce the prize winner, Honorable Mention will go to the participants who visited the most countries (but not as many as the winner), with links to their wrap up posts. If you don't link a wrap up post, I won't be able to find you.

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NOTE ABOUT DATES

You have until December 31, 2025, to finish reading the books. You have until January 31, 2026, to finish your reviews and your wrap up post. I will announce the winner as soon as possible after January 31, 2026.

The 2025 European Reading Challenge -- REVIEW PAGE

 

THE 2025 EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE

REVIEW PAGE

THIS IS THE PAGE TO LIST YOUR REVIEWS

IF YOU HAVE FINISHED, WRAP UP POSTS GO ON THIS PAGE

TO SIGN UP, GO TO THE MAIN CHALLENGE PAGE, HERE, OR CLICK THE BUTTON ABOVE

LINK YOUR REVIEWS HERE

Please add links to your review posts in the Linky box below. Please put your name and/or the name of your blog or social media handle, the name of the book you reviewed, and the country of the book or author. For example: Gilion at Rose City Reader, War and Peace, Russia.

   

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LINKS

When you review a book for the 2025 European Reading Challenge, please add it to this list using the Linky widget above. Please link to your review post, NOT the main page of your blog or social media account.

You do not need a blog to participate. If you review books on Instagram, Facebook, goodreads, or some other platform that generates a URL, you can add link to the review in the Linky box above the same as a link to a blog post. Please link to the review, not your profile page. If you have questions about how to find the URL for a social media review post, leave a comment to ask me, email me at gilion at dumasandvaughn dot com, or DM me on Instagram @gilioncdumas.

REVIEWS

You do not have to review books to complete the European Reading Challenge. You can complete the challenge simply by reading one to five books (or more), each set in a different European country or written by an author from a different European country. But if you do review books, please link your reviews here so other people can find them.

Also, if you want to win the Jet Setter Prize, you have to review the books. Only books reviewed count for the prize. If you are competing for the prize, definitely link your reviews here. You can link all your reviews, but only one book per country counts towards the prize.

WRAP UP

If you complete the challenge, please link some kind of wrap up post on the wrap up page. That way, I know who finished the challenge. If you do not do a wrap up post separate from your sign up post -- you just update your original post -- that's fine! But please, please, please link to the updated post after you finish the challenge. It is too hard for me to count all your reviews to figure out if you finished the challenge or not. If you are going for the prize, you have to leave a wrap up link so I know you are in the running. 

NOTE ABOUT DATES

You have to finish reading all books by December 31, 2025. You have until January 31, 2026, to finish your reviews and your wrap up post. I will announce the winner(s) as soon as possible after January 31, 2026.

Christmas!

 

CHRISTMAS

Have a merry and blessed Christmas!

1 Day to Christmas!

 

ADVENT

1 Day to Christmas!

2 Days to Christmas!

 

ADVENT

2 Days to Christmas!

The TBR 24 in '24 & Mt. TBR Challenges -- MY WRAP UP POST

 

THE TBR 24 IN '24 CHALLENGE

My Wrap Up Post

I have completed the TBR 24 in '24 Challenge! I read the 24 books off my TBR shelves that I picked for the challenge.

MY TBR 24 IN '24 BOOKS

I like to pick my books ahead of time for this annual challenge. I keep them stacked by my bedside to motivate me through the year. This year, I picked 12 fiction and 12 nonfiction. 

Here's a list of what is in the picture. Do any look good to you?

FICTION

Quentins by Maeve Binchy. I went on a Binchy jag years ago and read most of her books, including several that involve the fictional Dublin restaurant Quentins. But this one slipped past me.  

Rates of Exchange by Malcolm Bradbury. I loved Eating People is Wrong and The History Man and this one made me a confirmed Bradbury fan. 

The Horse's Mouth by Joyce Cary. This one is on Anthony Burgess's list of his 99 favorite novels, one of my favorite lists, but it fell flat for me.  

The King of the Rainy Country by Nicolas Freeling, an Edgar Award winner. This was a terrific vintage mystery with a lot of action and plenty of dry humor. 

 

A Paris Apartment by Michelle Gable was as fun as it looked to be.

J by Howard Jacobson. I like his books but this one is speculative, dystopian fiction, so I did not enjoy it as much as other things by him. 

Out of the Shelter by David Lodge. He is one of my favorite authors. This is his autobiographical first novel. It was very good, but not as rich as his later novels. 

The Nice and the Good by Iris Murdoch. So is she! This one was excellent, and a good example of Murdoch's fiction. 

The New Men by C. P. Snow. I've been plodding my way through his Strangers and Brothers series and am determine to get through the whole thing. This one was particularly dry.

A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler. As with Binchy, I went on an Anne Tyler tear several years ago. Then I just stopped. I'm trying to read the ones I missed. This one was charming. 

Come Fill the Cup by Harlan Ware. I bought this for the cool vintage cover and did not expect such a clever and exciting gangster story with a hard boiled newspaper journalist as the protagonist.

Chess Story by Stefan Zweig, which also counts as my Austria book for the 2024 European Reading Challenge.  

NONFICTION

My Almost Cashmere Life by Margy Adams. I ripped through this memoir. 

Cancel Your Own Goddam Subscription: Notes & Asides from National Review by William F. Buckley, Jr. This is one of my favorite titles ever. I grew up reading his Notes & Asides column and loved revisiting the columns in this collection.  

Political Woman: The Big Little Life of Jeane Kirkpatrick by Peter Collier. My husband gave this to me several years ago and I'm glad I finally read it. What a fascinating woman! 

An Omelette and a Glass of Wine by Elizabeth David. I love food writing and David is new to me. I will read more by her.  

Menagerie Manor by Gerald Durrell. I've read Lawrence Durrell books but never Gerald's. I love the TV show, The Durrells of Corfu, so was happy to finally read one of his books. I'll read more.

Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life by Zena Hitz. I bought this on a whim when it came out and am so glad I did. It was excellent.  

Songbook by Nick Hornby. Another favorite author, but I missed this one. 

The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis. I'm chipping away at reading all his books. 

Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo. I found this at a library book sale and it was terrific!  

The Old Patagonian Express: By Train Through the Americas by Paul Theroux. I expected to like this classic book of travel writing more than I did. There are a lot of descriptions of train rides on awful trains. It wasn't bad, just not as interesting as I anticipated.

Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris by Sarah Turnbull. I missed this when it came out and love ex-pat memoirs. This one was very good. 

I'll Take the Back Road by Marguerite Hurrey Wolf, a 1975 memoir about living on a farm in Vermont. Fantastic!  

THE MT. TBR CHALLENGE

This TBR 24 in '24 Challenge dovetails nicely with the Mt TBR Challenge that Bev at My Reader's Block hosts every year. Like I've done for the past couple of years, I signed up for the "Mt. Kilimanjaro" Level in 2024 to read a total of 60 books off my TBR shelves. 

I climbed much higher this year! In addition to the 24 book I read for the TBR 24 in '24 Challenge, I read 68 books off my TBR shelves, for a total of 92 TBR books. That's a record for me. 

MY MT. TBR BOOKS

Need Blind Ambition by Kevin Myers 

The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh

Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Mary Anne by Daphne du Maurier

The Year I Stopped to Notice by Miranda Keeling

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

Slow Horses by Mick Herron

My Kind of Place: Travel Stories from a Woman Who's Been Everywhere by Susan Orlean

Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope

The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle

The Curmudgeon's Guide to Getting Ahead: Dos and Don'ts of Right Behavior, Tough Thinking, Clear Writing, and Living a Good Life by Charles Murray

The Way We Lived Then: Recollections of a Well-Known Name Dropper by Dominick Dunne

Habits of the House by Fay Weldon

Long Live the King by Fay Weldon

The New Countess by Fay Weldon

His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle

Silverview by John le Carre

The Reivers by William Faulkner

Dead Lions by Mick Herron

Pocket Full of Poseys by Thomas Reed

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer

After All These Years by Susan Isaacs

Put Out More Flags by Evelyn Waugh

The Light of Day by Eric Ambler

With No One as Witness by Elizabeth George

Loser Takes All by Graham Greene

The Third Man by Graham Greene

The Fallen Idol by Graham Greene

The Messenger by Megan Davis

The Stranger House by Reginald Hill

Angel Falls by Kristin Hannah

The Vacationers by Emma Stroud

Hanging the Devil by Tim Maleeny

Castle Dor by Daphne du Maurier

Brighton Rock by Graham Greene

God in the Dock by C. S. Lewis

Men at Arms by Evelyn Waugh

Phineas Redux by Anthony Trollope

The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thakeray

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Officers and Gentlemen by Evelyn Waugh

The Prime Minister by Anthony Trollope

Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith, and Life Well Lived by Anton Scalia

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

What Came Before He Shot Her by Elizabeth George

The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

Don't Look Now by Daphne du Maurier

Living Color A Designer Works Magic with Traditional Interiors by Gary McBournie

The Girl on the Boat by P G. Wodehouse

The Unsuspected by Charlotte Armstrong

A Dram of Poison by Charlotte Armstrong

Cavedweller by Dorothy Allison

The Turret Room by Charlotte Armstrong

The Duke's Children by Anthony Trollope

Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell

Leaves of Grass, Vol. 1, and Democratic Vistas by Walt Whitman

Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler

Joe Country by Mick Herron

Christmas Holiday by W. Somerset Maugham

NOTE: Updated September 21, 2024. 

3 Days to Christmas!

 

ADVENT

3 Days to Christmas!

The TBR 25 in '25 Challenge -- WRAP UP PAGE

 

WRAP UP PAGE

FOR THE TBR 25 IN '25 CHALLENGE

January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025

THIS IS THE PAGE TO LINK YOUR WRAP UP POSTS

TO LINK A REVIEW, GO TO THIS PAGE

TO SIGN UP FOR THE CHALLENGE, GO TO THE MAIN CHALLENGE PAGE OR CLICK THE CHALLENGE BUTTON ABOVE

LINK YOUR WRAP UP POSTS HERE

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WRAP UP LINKS

If you complete the challenge, please link some kind of wrap up post in the Linky box above. That way, I know who finished the challenge. If you just update your original post and do not do a wrap up post separate from your sign up post that's fine! Please still add the link to the updated post in the box above.

If you have trouble adding your link, leave it in a comment and I will add it or email me your link at gilion (at) dumasandvaughn (dot) com and I will add it for you. Please put your name and the name of the your blog or your social media handle and the platform in the comment or email so I can find you. Thanks!

REVIEWS

If you review a book for the TBR 25 in '25 Challenge, please add the link to your review on the review page. Please link to your review post, not the main page of your blog or social media account.

You do not have to have a blog to participate in this challenge. If you review books on Instagram, goodreads, or some other social media, use the link from your social media review post in the Linky box on the review page. Please link to the review, not your profile page. If you have questions about how to find the URL for a social media review post, leave a comment, email me at gilion (at) dumasandvaughn (dot) com, or DM me on Instagram @gilioncdumas.

The TBR 25 in '25 Challenge -- REVIEW PAGE

 

REVIEW PAGE

FOR THE TBR 25 IN '25 CHALLENGE

January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025

THIS IS THE PAGE TO LIST YOUR REVIEWS

IF YOU HAVE FINISHED, WRAP UP POSTS GO ON THIS PAGE

TO SIGN UP, GO TO THE MAIN CHALLENGE PAGE OR CLICK THE BUTTON ABOVE

LINK YOUR REVIEWS HERE

Please put your name and/or the name of your blog or social media handle and the name of the book you reviewed. (EX: Rose City Reader, War & Peace or @gilioncdumas, Pride & Prejudice.) Please link to your review post and not your blog home page or main social media profile page.

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LINKS

If you review a book for the TBR 25 in '25 Challenge, please add the link to your review in the Linky box above. Please link to your review post, not the main page of your blog or social media account.

You do not have to have a blog to participate in this challenge. If you review books on Instagram, goodreads, or some other social media, use the link from your social media review post in the Linky box above. Please link to the review, not your profile page. If you have questions about how to find the URL for a social media review post, leave a comment, email me at gilion (at) dumasandvaughn (dot) com, or DM me on Instagram @gilioncdumas.

If you have trouble adding your link, leave it in a comment and I will add it or email me your link at gilion (at) dumasandvaughn (dot) com and I will add it for you. Please put your name and the name of the book you reviewed in the comment or email. Thanks!

BOOKS AND REVIEWS

You do not have to review books to complete the TBR 25 in '25 Challenge.

The only point of the challenge is to clear 25 books off your TBR shelf in 2025. You can pick all of them them ahead of time, some of them, or none of them. If you pick them, you can change your mind later and switch books. The only "rule" is that you must own the book before January 1, 2025.

Your TBR shelf can include a virtual shelf of ebooks or audiobooks, as long as you owned them prior to January 1, 2025. It does not include library books.

This is supposed to be fun!

WRAP UP

If you complete the challenge, please link some kind of wrap up post on the wrap up page. That way, I know who finished the challenge. If you just update your original post and do not do a wrap up post separate from your sign up post that's fine too! But please still add the link to the updated post on the wrap up page.

4 Days to Christmas!

 

ADVENT

4 Days to Christmas!

5 Days to Christmas!

ADVENT

5 Days to Christmas!

 

6 Days to Christmas!

 

ADVENT

6 Days to Christmas!

7 Days to Christmas!

 

ADVENT

7 Days to Christmas!

8 Days to Christmas!

 

ADVENT

8 Days to Christmas!

9 Days to Christmas!

 

ADVENT

9 Days to Christmas!

10 Days to Christmas!

 

ADVENT

10 Days to Christmas!

11 Days to Christmas!

 

ADVENT

11 Days to Christmas!

12 Days to Christmas!

 

ADVENT

12 Days to Christmas!

Exploring Wine Regions: México by Michael Higgins -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Exploring Wine Regions: México by Michael Higgins

Thank you for joining me for Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please share the opening sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week. You can also share from a book that caught your fancy, even if you are not reading it right now.

MY BOOK BEGINNING

In my quest to find knowledgeable and interesting pioneers to enlighten us on the history of viticulture in México, to set-the-stage for the value of this book, and to open our eyes to the wonderful things going on with Mexican wines in the wine regions of México... I was introduced to Doctora Marisa Ramos by Guanajuato's wine pioneer Ricardo Vega (we will hear more from him later).

-- from Exploring Wine Regions: México: Exploring México's Quality Wines and Phenomenal Cuisine by Michael Higgins (ellipses in original).

This México book is the fourth and latest in Michael Higgins's wonderful Exploring Wine Regions series. Like the earlier books, this one is meticulously researched and offers an insider account of wineries and vineyards, as well as travel tips for the food, special lodging, sights, and history of the region.

See my review of the earlier guides to Bordeaux and Argentina here and my review of the California book here.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please add the link to your Book Beginnings post in the box below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag.

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THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 is a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings. The idea is to share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of your featured book. If you are reading an ebook or audiobook, find your teaser from the 56% mark.

Freda at Freda's Voice started and hosted The Friday 56 for a long, long time. She is taking a break and Anne at My Head is Full of Books has taken on hosting duties in her absence. Please visit Anne's blog and link to your Friday 56 post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from Exploring Wine Regions: México:

The majority of wineries in Valle de Guadalupe are located on this north side of the valley. They are primarily up into the hills of the valley with a south-facing sun exposure for the vines.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

This is the fourth book in this award-winning series, now exploring the México Wine Regions. Does México make wine? Yes. Any good? Very good. While México is famous for producing Tequila, this book opens our eyes to high-quality Mexican wines. And the phenomenal cuisine and extraordinary tourism. This book takes you on a journey to discover these amazing wines; combining wine education, an insider travel guide and spectacular photography. Higgins again dazzles his audience with another informative and beautiful book.