More book talk
♦ Lu et commenté en français
♣ Read and commented in English
✓ Un livre qui compte pour mon bingo
#xxxx# A book I've read before
June
♣ 44. Victoire, Clare Darcy. A young rake comes back home to discover that his uncle is being blackmailed by the relatives of a girl he's supposed to have broken his promise to. As he knows very well that the girl he was seeing was up to all the tricks, he's very much surprised. More so when he discovers that the girl demanding reparation isn't the one he knows. It turns out that she's a young cousin of hers, barely out of the schoolroom, forced into the distateful business by her unscrupulous uncle. Disgusted by the uncle, what claim can he have to be protecting the child? No points for you if you guess how it ends, since it's the getting there that's all the fun. Features a character I love: the all-knowing old relative, who can detect love through any mask of denial, and guide the hero with the wisest hints.
-> keywords: blackmail, canon pairings are love, cliché, family, friendship, gossip, it's a romance!, secrets, time to change
catégories bingo: littérature des Etats-Unis, livre du 20e siècle, romance, livre publié sous un pseudonyme, livre écrit par une femme
July
♣ 51. Kissing Cousins, Joan Smith. A young girl is visiting London with her aunt. As she is bent on seeing the sights and having fun, she doesn't visit her stuffy cousin, head of the family. But when on the day they were supposed to leave her brother doesn't come home, having taken with him all of their available money, the girl and aunt very much fear he might have gone away with the friendly woman he's been seeing. There's nothing to it, the girl has to go to her cousin. The cousin so fears a scandal that he agrees to go with the girl on a wild gooose chase search for the couple. Predictable but entertaining.
-> keywords: canon pairings are love, cliché, decisions[,] decisions, family, friendship, gossip, it's a romance!, on the road again, pride, shame on us, time to change
catégories bingo: littérature des Etats-Unis, livre du 20e siècle, romance, livre en rapport avec la famille / une famille, livre écrit par une femme
♣ 52. The Man with the Golden Gun, Ian Flemming. My first time reading a James Bond book, when I've seen almost all of the movies. It was pleasant enough, even if the plot wasn't that intricate - here are villains, go kill them! The latent racism bothered me, though, probably because in my head James Bond is contemporary and "we don't talk like that anymore".
-> keywords: adventure i seek you, brothers in arms, cliché, decisions[,] decisions, friendship, good guys vs. bad guys, it's a men's world, many people die, maskerade, my fandom has slash, secrets
catégories bingo: littérature des îles britanniques, livre du 20e siècle, aventure, espionnage, tome d'une série qui n'est pas le premier, livre adapté au cinéma ou en série, livre dont l'action ne se déroule pas sur votre continent
♣ 53. The Talk of the Town, Joan Smith. This is one from the "arguing themselves into love" category, and how fun those are! Daphne comes to town to visit her scandalous aunt, far removed from society. After a scandalous youth, the aunt is now relatively impoverished and visits with no one. To enliven her stay, she starts telling her niece of stories of her youth, letting her read from her diary. Then comes a letter from a publisher asking the aunt to write her memoirs. The man cleverly inserts a notice in the Gazette, and in come trickling old friends, suddenly remembering trifling sums they may have borrowed without ever repaying her - no need to mention this in the book, right? Amongst the callers, the Duke of St Felix, head of his family trying to make sure his silly brother in law won't be ridiculed. As the aunt is strangely reluctant to receive him, he argues with the niece, and likes it so that he comes again and again - all on behalf of his brother in law, of course!
-> keywords: adultery, blackmail, book(s) in the book, canon pairings are love, cliché, diary, family, gossip, it's a romance!, secrets
catégories bingo: romance, livre en rapport avec la famille / une famille, livre d'un auteur que vous aimez beaucoup, livre écrit par une femme
♣ 54. Letty, Clare Darcy. A young girl, escaping her relatives who want to marry her off, meets with a young man of disreputable reputation. Of course, the sight of this young helpless girl turns him into a knight in shining armour and, with the help of a friend they meet at quite the right time, off they go to Vienna - the place to be of the moment - to open a high class gaming house where the girl will lure people with her incredible singing. Fun, but still rated "good, yet..."
-> keywords: adventure i seek you, blackmail, canon pairings are love, family, friendship, hidden in plain sight, secrets
catégories bingo: littérature des Etats-Unis, livre du 20e siècle, romance, livre écrit par une femme
♣ 55. The Notorious Lord Havergard, Joan Smith. L.A. Beddoes, spinster, is the guardian of a young man of fashion. As she steadily refuses to let him spend more than the interests accrued each quarter, in spite of his pleas, he comes to her house. There, Lord Havergard is surprised to find that his guardian is a woman, and more surprised to discover that she's no older than himself. He invites himself over, in the hope to sweeten up the girl, and a dissipated London friend, a duke, joins the neighbourly inn with two girls who aren't ladies, if you see what I mean. What ensues is your usual charade, and it's not unpleasant to read, but I never could believe it myself. Ah well, better luck next time.
-> keywords: cliché, decisions[,] decisions, family, friendship, it's a romance!, maskerade, strong women, time to change
catégories bingo: littérature des Etats-Unis, livre du 20e siècle, romance, livre écrit par une femme
♣ 56. Regency Charade, Margaret Mayhew. I found it striking, at first, how similar this book was to the previous one. A young man invites himself over into a woman's house as well, but this one comes with crushing news: the older brother, a rake buried days ago after losing his life in a curricle race, has lost the family house at cards, and the man is there to claim the property! The claim is genuine enough that the sister lets him take his residence with them, but she has a plan: she will make his stay so uncomfortable that he will soon want nothing to do with this ruin of a castle. This one I liked.
-> keywords: canon pairings are love, crossing the line, family, hidden in plain sight, house, i have a plan, it's a romance!, maskerade, secrets, strong women, the lady has a castle
catégories bingo: littérature des îles britanniques, livre du 20e siècle, romance, livre en rapport avec une maison, livre d'un auteur que vous ne connaissez pas du tout, livre écrit par une femme
♣ 57. The Incomparable Miss Compton, Regina Scott. A young ambitious politician decides it's time he weds - he needs someone to keep house for him, and to help him prepare his parliamentary speeches. It is pointed out to him that what those requirements suggest is a highly efficient secretary, but as he's aware that somewhere down the line he will have to produce an heir, a wife it is to be. At a ball, his attention is caught by the Incomparable of the Season, a young self-centered chit, but it is the Incomparable's chaperon who will keep his attention: this other Miss Compton is older, sufficiently composed to speak in his presence (a feat the debs seem to have a bit of trouble with), and able to argue with him - in other words, she's "not like other women", and therefore to be the heroin of this book. I enjoyed this one very much, and will certainly read others in the same world.
-> keywords: canon pairings are love, career, cliché, decisions[,] decisions, family, fools you shall suffer friendship, gossip, hero has no parents, i have a plan, it's a romance!, strong women, time to change, walking with your ghosts
catégories bingo: littérature des Etats-Unis, livre du 21e siècle, romance, livre d'un auteur que vous ne connaissez pas du tout, tome d'une série qui n'est pas le premier, livre dont vous n'aimez pas du tout la couverture, livre écrit par une femme
♣ 58. A Tall Dark Stranger, Joan Smith. In the country, a girl lives with her aunt and brother. A stranger comes in town, only to be murdered on their land a few hours after they've met him. Another stranger is soon seen in the vicinity. A tall, dark attractive stranger. But what is he doing here? Could he possibly be the murderer? Should Amy trust him? A fun story, with the right feelings at the right time.
-> keywords: canon pairings are love, crime, detective, family, first person narration, good guys vs. bad guys, gossip, hero has no parents, it's a romance!, maskerade, secrets, smart characters are smart, treasure
catégories bingo: littérature canadienne, livre du 20e siècle, policier, romance, livre d'un auteur que vous aimez beaucoup, livre écrit par une femme
♣ 59. #Sprig Muslin#, Georgette Heyer. I still have mixed feelings about this one because yes, Amanda and Gareth's story is fun, but they spend the three quarters of the book together - or he chasing her - yet they are not the main couple. I still love the ending, though, and the moment when Hester comes to the realisation that her family might disapprove of her, but that she can still do things. But banter and people being caught at their own game - come, not a bad one.
-> keywords: adventure i seek you, blackmail, canon pairings are love, decisions[,] decisions, i have a plan, liar liar pants on fire!, maskerade, on the road again, secrets, smart characters are smart, time to change, walking with your ghosts
catégories bingo: littérature des îles britanniques, livre du 20e siècle, aventure, humour, livre d'un auteur que vous aimez beaucoup, livre dont vous connaissez déjà la fin, livre écrit par une femme, livre avec plusieurs personnes sur la couverture
♣ 60. The Marriage Mart, Elizabeth Chater. I don't know why, but the title made me expect a romance poking fun at the genre while giving us a good story at the same time. This isn't what I got. It's the story of Athena, a terribly smart girl in a loving family far from being interested in intellectual pursuits. Her grandmother decides it's time to marry her off, treats her to a makeover, brings her to town, where she catches the attention of a Duke - that is, he totally disapproves of her and everything she stands for. You know where this is going, right?
-> keywords: book(s) in the book, family, it's a romance!, maskerade, secrets, smart characters are smart
catégories bingo: littérature canadienne, livre du 20e siècle, romance, livre en rapport avec les livres, livre d'un auteur que vous ne connaissez pas du tout, livre écrit par une femme
August
♣ 61. Old Lover's Ghost, Joan Smith. Full points for originality, but that's about it. Charity's father, a gentleman, has taken up ghost hunting since his dear wife's passing. Summoned to the best houses of the country, dautghter in tow, he seeks to appease the spirits. But it is no life for the girl! They each time stay as guests in those houses, but barely has she time to become acquainted with an eligible gentleman that her father takes her away to another house. The house they are staying this time is teeming with ghosts - and there's a good old fashioned mystery to solve too. The gentlemen of the house, two brothers, are as different as can be. The oldest doesn't for a moment believe in ghosts, while the youngest fancies himself a poet and claims to love a good ghost story. It was fun seeing the two men vying for her attention, but the ending felt more like relief at achieving a match at last than love love love - and why do we read romances if not for love matches?
-> keywords: blackmail, brothers, can't unthink it now, crossing the line, detective, maskerade, oh father!, secrets, supernatural, walking with your ghosts
catégories bingo: -->
✓ ♦ 62. L'écrivain de la famille, Grégoire Delacourt. L'histoire d'un enfant, d'une famille qui pourrait être la vôtre, la mienne. Des gens ordinaires qui voudraient que la vie soit comme au cinéma, mais à qui ça n'arrive pas. Les rencontres qu'on fait, les choix, les erreurs, les lâchetés. Petite faiblesse dans le style, j'ai trouvé qu'il y avait trop de ces sous-entendus laissant entendre ce qui se passerait ensuite - "elle croyait avoir trouvé le prince charmant, mais l'avenir montrerait que non", ce genre de choses. Largement autobiographique, comme beaucoup de premiers romans. Mais assez plaisant pour que je me réjouisse que l'auteur ait connu le succès populaire ensuite!
-> keywords: book(s) in the book, career, family, first person narration, therapy, time to change
catégories bingo: littérature française, livre du 21e siècle, livre en rapport avec la famille / une famille, livre en rapport avec les livres, livre avec une quête initiatique, livre dont l'action se passe dans votre région (ou ville), livre écrit par un auteur de votre région (ou ville), livre dont le personnage principal est un enfant, premier livre écrit par un auteur
♣ 63. Heartless, Mary Balogh. The damn woman kept me awake the best part of the night and I still didn't manage to finish the book then. There is much I want to protest against, things I didn't like, things that didn't feel era-appropriate at all, but at the end of the day, they weren't enough to stop me reading. Set before Regency, when men wore rouge and patches. Two words about the story: Anna has taken upon herself the burden of her family when both her parents died within two years of each other. At twenty-five, out of mourning at last, she comes to town with a younger sister to enjoy a respite before going back to spinsterhood. Luke was cast away from his family ten years ago, disgraced and penniless. But now that his father is dead, as is his older brother, childless, Luke is the new head of the family and like it or not, has new duties to take on. With two duchesses on his hands - his mother, the dowager, and his sister-in-law, he would have to take sides. Unless he were to bring home his duchess. Plenty of characters to love - the siblings are dear. The villain is terrifying. The beginning, hinting at the heroin's terrible secret, lasted a bit too long for me but well.
-> keywords: addiction, blackmail, brothers, crossing the line, decisions[,] decisions, family, it's a romance!, secrets, sisters, taboo, time to change, walking with your ghosts
catégories bingo: littérature des îles britanniques, livre du 20e siècle, fiction historique, romance, livre d'un auteur que vous ne connaissez pas du tout, livre écrit par une femme
✓ ♦ 64. Le roi fantôme, Pearl Buck. Années 60, un couple de châtelains anglais qui semble vivre encore dans un autre siècle voit débarquer un américain qui souhaite acheter leur château pour en faire un musée. Le seul hic: il veut le démonter pierre par pierre pour le transporter dans le Connecticut. Un drôle de roman, bâti sur une histoire basique avec peu de rebondissements. Evidemment il y a une jeune fille dans la maison, évidemment l'américain va la remarquer, et puis il y a ces curieuses relations que les propriétaires entretiennent avec ces 'autres' habitants du château, qui ne sont pas vraiment des fantômes parait-il, et ne sont apparemment pas vraiment amicaux non plus. Au final, un livre que j'ai lu distraitement, incapable de croire aux habitudes du vieux couple qui semblent d'un autre siècle, incrédule devant l'idée que l'américain puisse mettre son projet à exécution avec un million de dollars, et exaspérée par l'usage systématique de l'italique pour parler d'eux, les habitants pas-fantômes du château.
-> keywords: decisions[,] decisions, family, house, i have a plan, prejudice, secrets, supernatural, there's always a girl, time to change, walking with your ghosts
catégories bingo: littérature des Etats-Unis, livre du 20e siècle, livre en rapport avec une maison, livre écrit par un prix Nobel, livre écrit par une femme
✓ ♦ 65. Vingt-quatre heures d'une femme sensible, Constance de Salm. Parce qu'elle a vu son amant partir d'une soirée dans la voiture d'une autre, une femme, ivre de jalousie, lui écrit une quarantaine de lettres en 24 heures, du moment où elle rentre chez elle jusqu'à ce qu'enfin la situation se résolve. S'y mêlent les reproches, les souvenirs, un fol espoir que tout ne soit pas perdu pour elle. Mélodramatique, mais apparemment un grand succès en son temps.
-> keywords: addiction, adultery, all in a day's work, can't unthink it now, epistolary, first person narration, it burns oh it burns, secrets
catégories bingo: littérature française, livre du 19e siècle, epistolaire, livre d'un auteur que vous ne connaissez pas du tout, livre court, livre de votre collection préférée mais d'un auteur inconnu, livre écrit par une femme, livre avec un nombre dans le titre
♣ Read and commented in English
✓ Un livre qui compte pour mon bingo
#xxxx# A book I've read before
June
♣ 44. Victoire, Clare Darcy. A young rake comes back home to discover that his uncle is being blackmailed by the relatives of a girl he's supposed to have broken his promise to. As he knows very well that the girl he was seeing was up to all the tricks, he's very much surprised. More so when he discovers that the girl demanding reparation isn't the one he knows. It turns out that she's a young cousin of hers, barely out of the schoolroom, forced into the distateful business by her unscrupulous uncle. Disgusted by the uncle, what claim can he have to be protecting the child? No points for you if you guess how it ends, since it's the getting there that's all the fun. Features a character I love: the all-knowing old relative, who can detect love through any mask of denial, and guide the hero with the wisest hints.
-> keywords: blackmail, canon pairings are love, cliché, family, friendship, gossip, it's a romance!, secrets, time to change
catégories bingo: littérature des Etats-Unis, livre du 20e siècle, romance, livre publié sous un pseudonyme, livre écrit par une femme
July
♣ 51. Kissing Cousins, Joan Smith. A young girl is visiting London with her aunt. As she is bent on seeing the sights and having fun, she doesn't visit her stuffy cousin, head of the family. But when on the day they were supposed to leave her brother doesn't come home, having taken with him all of their available money, the girl and aunt very much fear he might have gone away with the friendly woman he's been seeing. There's nothing to it, the girl has to go to her cousin. The cousin so fears a scandal that he agrees to go with the girl on a wild gooose chase search for the couple. Predictable but entertaining.
-> keywords: canon pairings are love, cliché, decisions[,] decisions, family, friendship, gossip, it's a romance!, on the road again, pride, shame on us, time to change
catégories bingo: littérature des Etats-Unis, livre du 20e siècle, romance, livre en rapport avec la famille / une famille, livre écrit par une femme
♣ 52. The Man with the Golden Gun, Ian Flemming. My first time reading a James Bond book, when I've seen almost all of the movies. It was pleasant enough, even if the plot wasn't that intricate - here are villains, go kill them! The latent racism bothered me, though, probably because in my head James Bond is contemporary and "we don't talk like that anymore".
-> keywords: adventure i seek you, brothers in arms, cliché, decisions[,] decisions, friendship, good guys vs. bad guys, it's a men's world, many people die, maskerade, my fandom has slash, secrets
catégories bingo: littérature des îles britanniques, livre du 20e siècle, aventure, espionnage, tome d'une série qui n'est pas le premier, livre adapté au cinéma ou en série, livre dont l'action ne se déroule pas sur votre continent
♣ 53. The Talk of the Town, Joan Smith. This is one from the "arguing themselves into love" category, and how fun those are! Daphne comes to town to visit her scandalous aunt, far removed from society. After a scandalous youth, the aunt is now relatively impoverished and visits with no one. To enliven her stay, she starts telling her niece of stories of her youth, letting her read from her diary. Then comes a letter from a publisher asking the aunt to write her memoirs. The man cleverly inserts a notice in the Gazette, and in come trickling old friends, suddenly remembering trifling sums they may have borrowed without ever repaying her - no need to mention this in the book, right? Amongst the callers, the Duke of St Felix, head of his family trying to make sure his silly brother in law won't be ridiculed. As the aunt is strangely reluctant to receive him, he argues with the niece, and likes it so that he comes again and again - all on behalf of his brother in law, of course!
-> keywords: adultery, blackmail, book(s) in the book, canon pairings are love, cliché, diary, family, gossip, it's a romance!, secrets
catégories bingo: romance, livre en rapport avec la famille / une famille, livre d'un auteur que vous aimez beaucoup, livre écrit par une femme
♣ 54. Letty, Clare Darcy. A young girl, escaping her relatives who want to marry her off, meets with a young man of disreputable reputation. Of course, the sight of this young helpless girl turns him into a knight in shining armour and, with the help of a friend they meet at quite the right time, off they go to Vienna - the place to be of the moment - to open a high class gaming house where the girl will lure people with her incredible singing. Fun, but still rated "good, yet..."
-> keywords: adventure i seek you, blackmail, canon pairings are love, family, friendship, hidden in plain sight, secrets
catégories bingo: littérature des Etats-Unis, livre du 20e siècle, romance, livre écrit par une femme
♣ 55. The Notorious Lord Havergard, Joan Smith. L.A. Beddoes, spinster, is the guardian of a young man of fashion. As she steadily refuses to let him spend more than the interests accrued each quarter, in spite of his pleas, he comes to her house. There, Lord Havergard is surprised to find that his guardian is a woman, and more surprised to discover that she's no older than himself. He invites himself over, in the hope to sweeten up the girl, and a dissipated London friend, a duke, joins the neighbourly inn with two girls who aren't ladies, if you see what I mean. What ensues is your usual charade, and it's not unpleasant to read, but I never could believe it myself. Ah well, better luck next time.
-> keywords: cliché, decisions[,] decisions, family, friendship, it's a romance!, maskerade, strong women, time to change
catégories bingo: littérature des Etats-Unis, livre du 20e siècle, romance, livre écrit par une femme
♣ 56. Regency Charade, Margaret Mayhew. I found it striking, at first, how similar this book was to the previous one. A young man invites himself over into a woman's house as well, but this one comes with crushing news: the older brother, a rake buried days ago after losing his life in a curricle race, has lost the family house at cards, and the man is there to claim the property! The claim is genuine enough that the sister lets him take his residence with them, but she has a plan: she will make his stay so uncomfortable that he will soon want nothing to do with this ruin of a castle. This one I liked.
-> keywords: canon pairings are love, crossing the line, family, hidden in plain sight, house, i have a plan, it's a romance!, maskerade, secrets, strong women, the lady has a castle
catégories bingo: littérature des îles britanniques, livre du 20e siècle, romance, livre en rapport avec une maison, livre d'un auteur que vous ne connaissez pas du tout, livre écrit par une femme
♣ 57. The Incomparable Miss Compton, Regina Scott. A young ambitious politician decides it's time he weds - he needs someone to keep house for him, and to help him prepare his parliamentary speeches. It is pointed out to him that what those requirements suggest is a highly efficient secretary, but as he's aware that somewhere down the line he will have to produce an heir, a wife it is to be. At a ball, his attention is caught by the Incomparable of the Season, a young self-centered chit, but it is the Incomparable's chaperon who will keep his attention: this other Miss Compton is older, sufficiently composed to speak in his presence (a feat the debs seem to have a bit of trouble with), and able to argue with him - in other words, she's "not like other women", and therefore to be the heroin of this book. I enjoyed this one very much, and will certainly read others in the same world.
-> keywords: canon pairings are love, career, cliché, decisions[,] decisions, family, fools you shall suffer friendship, gossip, hero has no parents, i have a plan, it's a romance!, strong women, time to change, walking with your ghosts
catégories bingo: littérature des Etats-Unis, livre du 21e siècle, romance, livre d'un auteur que vous ne connaissez pas du tout, tome d'une série qui n'est pas le premier, livre dont vous n'aimez pas du tout la couverture, livre écrit par une femme
♣ 58. A Tall Dark Stranger, Joan Smith. In the country, a girl lives with her aunt and brother. A stranger comes in town, only to be murdered on their land a few hours after they've met him. Another stranger is soon seen in the vicinity. A tall, dark attractive stranger. But what is he doing here? Could he possibly be the murderer? Should Amy trust him? A fun story, with the right feelings at the right time.
-> keywords: canon pairings are love, crime, detective, family, first person narration, good guys vs. bad guys, gossip, hero has no parents, it's a romance!, maskerade, secrets, smart characters are smart, treasure
catégories bingo: littérature canadienne, livre du 20e siècle, policier, romance, livre d'un auteur que vous aimez beaucoup, livre écrit par une femme
♣ 59. #Sprig Muslin#, Georgette Heyer. I still have mixed feelings about this one because yes, Amanda and Gareth's story is fun, but they spend the three quarters of the book together - or he chasing her - yet they are not the main couple. I still love the ending, though, and the moment when Hester comes to the realisation that her family might disapprove of her, but that she can still do things. But banter and people being caught at their own game - come, not a bad one.
-> keywords: adventure i seek you, blackmail, canon pairings are love, decisions[,] decisions, i have a plan, liar liar pants on fire!, maskerade, on the road again, secrets, smart characters are smart, time to change, walking with your ghosts
catégories bingo: littérature des îles britanniques, livre du 20e siècle, aventure, humour, livre d'un auteur que vous aimez beaucoup, livre dont vous connaissez déjà la fin, livre écrit par une femme, livre avec plusieurs personnes sur la couverture
♣ 60. The Marriage Mart, Elizabeth Chater. I don't know why, but the title made me expect a romance poking fun at the genre while giving us a good story at the same time. This isn't what I got. It's the story of Athena, a terribly smart girl in a loving family far from being interested in intellectual pursuits. Her grandmother decides it's time to marry her off, treats her to a makeover, brings her to town, where she catches the attention of a Duke - that is, he totally disapproves of her and everything she stands for. You know where this is going, right?
-> keywords: book(s) in the book, family, it's a romance!, maskerade, secrets, smart characters are smart
catégories bingo: littérature canadienne, livre du 20e siècle, romance, livre en rapport avec les livres, livre d'un auteur que vous ne connaissez pas du tout, livre écrit par une femme
August
♣ 61. Old Lover's Ghost, Joan Smith. Full points for originality, but that's about it. Charity's father, a gentleman, has taken up ghost hunting since his dear wife's passing. Summoned to the best houses of the country, dautghter in tow, he seeks to appease the spirits. But it is no life for the girl! They each time stay as guests in those houses, but barely has she time to become acquainted with an eligible gentleman that her father takes her away to another house. The house they are staying this time is teeming with ghosts - and there's a good old fashioned mystery to solve too. The gentlemen of the house, two brothers, are as different as can be. The oldest doesn't for a moment believe in ghosts, while the youngest fancies himself a poet and claims to love a good ghost story. It was fun seeing the two men vying for her attention, but the ending felt more like relief at achieving a match at last than love love love - and why do we read romances if not for love matches?
-> keywords: blackmail, brothers, can't unthink it now, crossing the line, detective, maskerade, oh father!, secrets, supernatural, walking with your ghosts
catégories bingo: -->
✓ ♦ 62. L'écrivain de la famille, Grégoire Delacourt. L'histoire d'un enfant, d'une famille qui pourrait être la vôtre, la mienne. Des gens ordinaires qui voudraient que la vie soit comme au cinéma, mais à qui ça n'arrive pas. Les rencontres qu'on fait, les choix, les erreurs, les lâchetés. Petite faiblesse dans le style, j'ai trouvé qu'il y avait trop de ces sous-entendus laissant entendre ce qui se passerait ensuite - "elle croyait avoir trouvé le prince charmant, mais l'avenir montrerait que non", ce genre de choses. Largement autobiographique, comme beaucoup de premiers romans. Mais assez plaisant pour que je me réjouisse que l'auteur ait connu le succès populaire ensuite!
-> keywords: book(s) in the book, career, family, first person narration, therapy, time to change
catégories bingo: littérature française, livre du 21e siècle, livre en rapport avec la famille / une famille, livre en rapport avec les livres, livre avec une quête initiatique, livre dont l'action se passe dans votre région (ou ville), livre écrit par un auteur de votre région (ou ville), livre dont le personnage principal est un enfant, premier livre écrit par un auteur
♣ 63. Heartless, Mary Balogh. The damn woman kept me awake the best part of the night and I still didn't manage to finish the book then. There is much I want to protest against, things I didn't like, things that didn't feel era-appropriate at all, but at the end of the day, they weren't enough to stop me reading. Set before Regency, when men wore rouge and patches. Two words about the story: Anna has taken upon herself the burden of her family when both her parents died within two years of each other. At twenty-five, out of mourning at last, she comes to town with a younger sister to enjoy a respite before going back to spinsterhood. Luke was cast away from his family ten years ago, disgraced and penniless. But now that his father is dead, as is his older brother, childless, Luke is the new head of the family and like it or not, has new duties to take on. With two duchesses on his hands - his mother, the dowager, and his sister-in-law, he would have to take sides. Unless he were to bring home his duchess. Plenty of characters to love - the siblings are dear. The villain is terrifying. The beginning, hinting at the heroin's terrible secret, lasted a bit too long for me but well.
-> keywords: addiction, blackmail, brothers, crossing the line, decisions[,] decisions, family, it's a romance!, secrets, sisters, taboo, time to change, walking with your ghosts
catégories bingo: littérature des îles britanniques, livre du 20e siècle, fiction historique, romance, livre d'un auteur que vous ne connaissez pas du tout, livre écrit par une femme
✓ ♦ 64. Le roi fantôme, Pearl Buck. Années 60, un couple de châtelains anglais qui semble vivre encore dans un autre siècle voit débarquer un américain qui souhaite acheter leur château pour en faire un musée. Le seul hic: il veut le démonter pierre par pierre pour le transporter dans le Connecticut. Un drôle de roman, bâti sur une histoire basique avec peu de rebondissements. Evidemment il y a une jeune fille dans la maison, évidemment l'américain va la remarquer, et puis il y a ces curieuses relations que les propriétaires entretiennent avec ces 'autres' habitants du château, qui ne sont pas vraiment des fantômes parait-il, et ne sont apparemment pas vraiment amicaux non plus. Au final, un livre que j'ai lu distraitement, incapable de croire aux habitudes du vieux couple qui semblent d'un autre siècle, incrédule devant l'idée que l'américain puisse mettre son projet à exécution avec un million de dollars, et exaspérée par l'usage systématique de l'italique pour parler d'eux, les habitants pas-fantômes du château.
-> keywords: decisions[,] decisions, family, house, i have a plan, prejudice, secrets, supernatural, there's always a girl, time to change, walking with your ghosts
catégories bingo: littérature des Etats-Unis, livre du 20e siècle, livre en rapport avec une maison, livre écrit par un prix Nobel, livre écrit par une femme
✓ ♦ 65. Vingt-quatre heures d'une femme sensible, Constance de Salm. Parce qu'elle a vu son amant partir d'une soirée dans la voiture d'une autre, une femme, ivre de jalousie, lui écrit une quarantaine de lettres en 24 heures, du moment où elle rentre chez elle jusqu'à ce qu'enfin la situation se résolve. S'y mêlent les reproches, les souvenirs, un fol espoir que tout ne soit pas perdu pour elle. Mélodramatique, mais apparemment un grand succès en son temps.
-> keywords: addiction, adultery, all in a day's work, can't unthink it now, epistolary, first person narration, it burns oh it burns, secrets
catégories bingo: littérature française, livre du 19e siècle, epistolaire, livre d'un auteur que vous ne connaissez pas du tout, livre court, livre de votre collection préférée mais d'un auteur inconnu, livre écrit par une femme, livre avec un nombre dans le titre