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2 September 2003

• Jane Austen, Sanditon and Other Stories: a collection including the unfinished novels Sanditon and The Watsons, as well as juvenilia and the wonderful novella, Lady Susan, whose heroine is manipulative, scheming, and entirely fascinating.
  
  
• James Austen-Leigh, A Memoir of Jane Austen and Other Family Recollections: by Austen's nephew and including memoirs by two of her nieces - a little cloying at times, but sometimes very vivid.
  
  
• Maeve Binchy, The Glass Lake: another fine novel of Irish life.
  
  
• Gillian Bradshaw, The Somers Treatment: a gripping science fiction thriller.
  
  
• Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary: interesting for the light it throws on Wollstonecraft, who is far better known for her non-fiction (the feminist classic A Vindication of the Rights of Woman) than her fiction, but overly didactic and dry.

Books read: 5

7 September 2003

• Jane Austen, Mansfield Park: will eventually be on my favorites page.
  
  
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Writings: interesting collection of writings, of which the standout is of course "The Yellow Wallpaper", a nerve-wracking tale of a woman's insanity.
  
  
• Julie Smith, Mean Woman Blues: the latest in her excellent Skip Langdon mystery series, and a good one, although a little more melodramatic than previous books.

Books read: 3

13 September 2003

• Gillian Bradshaw, Render Unto Caesar: another excellent historical novel from one of my favorite writers of historical fiction.
  
  
• Charlotte Brontë, Shirley: not up to the standard of Jane Eyre or Villette, Shirley is still worth reading as an interesting commentary on the social unrest in England during the Industrial Revolution.
  
  
• Elizabeth George, A Traitor to Memory: overlong, but fairly engrossing entry in her Inspector Lynley series, with complex characters and an interesting plot.
  
  
• Elizabeth George, A Place of Hiding: the latest installment in her Inspector Lynley mystery series, and a disappointment. Too long, not very suspenseful, and I'm extremely tired of Simon and Deborah's continual relationship problems. Could we have another one about Havers, instead?
  
  
• Caroline Stevermer, The Serpent's Egg: a good fantasy of manners, though not as good as A College of Magicks.

Books read: 5

26 September 2003

• The Disney Imagineers, The Imagineering Way: a collection of short essays on creativity written by some of the Disney Imagineers, the folks who create the Disney theme parks.
  
  
• Antonia Forest, The Cricket Term: one of her wonderful, sharply characterized children's books about the Marlow family; this one, like Autumn Term and End of Term, follows Nicky and Laurie at school.
  
  
• Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho: oh, I tried to like it, and it did have some wonderfully atmospheric writing, but it also had a pallid and boring heroine and a dreadfully overwritten narrative.

Books read: 3

27 September 2003

• Laura Hillenbrand, Seabiscuit: absolutely enthralling.

Books read: 1

Total books read this month: 17
Total books read this year: 252

Last updated 29 November 2005. All text and photographs © George Mitchell and Margaret Johnston, unless otherwise noted Comments, questions, suggestions to margaret@lonelymountain.net.