20 books finished in 2013: Have His Carcase

Why are you reading this book?
No comment.

What is the first line?
The best remedy for a bruised heart is not, as so many people seem to think, repose upon a manly bosom. (And the next line. I can’t resist:) Much more efficacious are honest work, physical activity, and the sudden acquisition of wealth.

Describe the book in haiku form:
mystery writer
finds dead body on the beach.
who will believe her?

What will you do with it now?
keep for reference
x keep and loan out to friends x
keep to read again & again & again
post to paperbackswap.com
throw it away

Anything else you’d like to say?
Return of the lady friend! She has a name, and it’s Harriet Vane, and since Wimsey proposes to her at least a dozen times during the course of this book (she continues to refuse), I’m guessing she’ll show up in a few more. I love all the meta jokes about mystery novels that her presence allows.

19 books finished in 2013: The Five Red Herrings

Why are you reading this book?
See previous post.

What is the first line?
If one lives in Galloway, one either fishes or paints.

Describe the book in haiku form:
all you need to know:
Wimsey re-creates the crime
to prove whodunit

What will you do with it now?
keep for reference
x keep and loan out to friends x
keep to read again & again & again
post to paperbackswap.com
throw it away

Anything else you’d like to say?
This book was FUN! It was totally complicated, with those five red herrings, and I couldn’t keep track of all the suspects, and since it was set in Scotland, Sayers wrote in dialects that I could barely understand – I would have to read sentences out loud. Basically, the author and the protagonist were both having a great time, and you couldn’t help but join them.

18 books finished in 2013: Strong Poison

Why are you reading this book?
I’m totally smitten with Lord Peter Wimsey!

What is the first line?
There were crimson roses on the bench; they looked like splashes of blood.

Describe the book in haiku form:
a lady on trial!
for murdering her lover!
can we handle it?

What will you do with it now?
keep for reference
x keep and loan out to friends x
keep to read again & again & again
post to paperbackswap.com
throw it away

Anything else you’d like to say?
Finally! A lady with a bit of wit and verve! She writes mystery novels – how meta!

I made this for you!

It’s a short and heavily-themed list today, friends.

First, do you want new clothes but don’t want to go shopping for them? Check out Stitch Fix! (affiliate link – if you sign up, I’ll get credit) The waitlist isn’t super-long, so don’t be deterred. This seems like something my friends would appreciate.

Now, what are your thoughts on Slow Fashion? Especially after that garment factory collapse, I’m thinking more and more about it. For me, that often leads down a path of making my own clothes, though I tend to wonder whether the fabrics I have access to are any more ethical. I do think the best model is probably to invest in a small number of beautiful items, to care for them well, and to only replace them when necessary. Except, I love NEW and SHINY and TRENDS and PATTERNS and…

17 books finished in 2013: Alice Waters and Chez Panisse

Why are you reading this book?
I was waiting (impatiently) for a shipment of books, so my housemate pulled this from the shelf and told me to enjoy it.

What is the first line?
Late-summer sun streamed into the dining room, turning every westward surface gold — French gilt mirrors on ivory plaster walls, redwood trim, oak floors and flea-market oak chairs, mismatched flea-market china and flatware on red-and-white-checkered tablecloths, one great vase of flowers with a white-linened table all to itself. On the stairway to the second floor, a woman, on her knees, was nailing down an Oriental runner.

Describe the book in haiku form:
food revolution
totally disorganized
not for control freaks

What will you do with it now?
keep for reference
x put it back on the bookshelf x
keep to read again & again & again
post to paperbackswap.com
throw it away

Anything else you’d like to say?
Most books about food make me hungry. This book? Made me want to go back in time, move to Berkeley and take over management of the restaurant. It was so chaotic and unprofitable for so many years…and still might be, for all I know. So, fair warning, type-A friends: this book might not be for you.