And so it begins... This morning we woke to a dusting of snow on the ground, covered rooftops, and temps well below freezing. That box on the left used to be my herb garden. It's October 18, my twin sisters' birthday and my mental "fair game" marker for snow. I used to look forward to winter, but now I just tolerate it until January and count the days until we head south!
As for blogging, it's been a quiet week. No book brief or Tuesday Intro, and I never got to the planned Weekend cooking post either. But I have had the most wonderful week in Allington! Of course I mean The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope. Several of us have been reading it together and chatting with everyone on twitter is great fun. As Audrey would say, I have been Trolloping with friends.
Yesterday morning, I dropped in on the readathon just long enough to finish up The Small House at Allington. In seven years of blogging, readathon and my schedule have never meshed, and now I realize how much I've been missing! My participation was limited to posting a photo on instagram, tweeting once or twice, and taking a few breaks to keep up with those feeds. But that was only scratching the surface... there were cheerleaders, mini challenges, blog posts, and you would not believe the food. What an amazing event! As soon as the next one is announced (it's sometime in April), I'm blocking off the date on my calendar.
What do I read next?
The responsible approach would be to pick up our next book club selection, Out Stealing Horses by Per Pettersen. I've wanted to read this book for years and even have a copy on my shelf. Of course, this is the book I will choose, but...
The impulsive approach would have me marching right on to The Last Chronicle of Barset. Do you think I've become a little obsessed with Trollope? It's so much fun reading with friends, so I will wait for our planned November/December time table. However, I satisfied the impulse by downloading a copy to my kindle and purchasing the companion audiobook. This is a chunkster... the page counts vary widely, but the audio version is over 30 hours. There will be plenty more time to spend in Barsetshire!
Nonfiction November is almost here, too. I love this event and am considering several books and audiobooks. Feeding my current Trollope mania is also a possibility. Maybe I'll just hunker down with the biography by Victoria Glendinning....
How was your week? What have you been reading?
Update:
It's Monday What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.
Absolutely not on the snow! I think I would cry but then it's pretty amazing if we get snow at all so I'm definitely a wimp when it comes to cold weather. I love the idea of participating in the readathon but at this point I've had schedule issues as well. I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - I'm not at all thrilled with the snow, but thankfully it is melted today. Can't wait to go to Florida!
DeleteLove the expression "Trolloping with friends." You have definitely piqued my curiosity for Trollope. How is it that I've never read him?
ReplyDeleteI've also never done a readathon...but I have read a lot during those events; I just haven't blogged about it or Tweeted, either. Sounds like fun.
Thanks for visiting my blog, and I'm sorry you are already having snow. I don't live in a snowy place, and always envied those who did...until I realized the problems you all encounter.
Hope the snowy days are limited....
Laurel-Rain Snow - The more I read of Trollope, the more I like him...his stories remind me of Jane Austen. It was so nice to be around for at least part of a readathon after all these years of blogging...maybe I'mm finally getting to a point where I have a little more flexibility with y schedule. Have a great week :)
DeleteI am glad to to hear that you finished The Small House at Allington.
ReplyDeleteI became a bit obsessed with Trollope as I read this series. When I read I did not read it through. Instead, read other books in between. That is, until I got to the point that you are at, I read The Small House at Allington and the Last Chroniocle of Barset back to back.
Brian Joseph - I may be getting more than just a little Trollope obsessed, lol! The every other month schedule seems to be just about right for me. Hope you will consider joining us if we read the Palliser novels next year:)
DeleteSnow? Brrrrrr. I'm definitely not a cold weather person. Today, I'm on the very last pages of A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler. Since it had been a while since I read anything of hers, I thought it was time to read this one, particularly since it had been short-listed for the 2015 Man Booker Prize. Other than Eudora Welty and Alice Munro, AT is one of my favorite short story writers, simply because of her skill in presenting the inner workings of family life. Truly amazing. This one may be her very best and I highly recommend it. Missed you this week. :-). I'm headed today for 4-day house/pet sit, so now's the time for The Story of the Lost Child to pass the time.
ReplyDeleteJudyMac - It's been a while since I last read Anne Tyler, too. In addition to her early novels, I remember reading Back When We Were Grownups, The Amateur Marriage, and Digging to America within the same year or so, but I haven't read her last two (now three) books. I will be sure to read A Spool of Blue Thread before too much longer.
DeleteHope you are enjoying The Story of the Lost Child as much as I did. Sounds like you've chosen the perfect time to read it!
The following is a complaint, not a brag: our weather is still in the 80s. I am starting to think that fall will never get here, and I am really tired of being hot. Not that I wish for snow, though.
ReplyDeleteI have a book due for a book group as well, and it looks very interesting - I just need to sit down and open it up. I keep putting it off.
Lisa - After your long, hot summer I'm sure I would be longing for cooler temperatures, too. Snow is another story, lol! Hope you get through your book club book in time :)
DeleteOoh look at that snow! Yikes. We got a few flurries yesterday but they were brief and didn't stick. Today is nice, sunny and high 50's so go figure- wacky Michigan weather. Hope your weather clears too!
ReplyDeleteGreg - We're sunny and chilly today, but thankfully the snow is gone. Just not ready for the white stuff yet... as if I ever will be ;-)
DeleteAfter a weekend with family and friends I'm ready for a mini readathon... in Allington. Even though I'm beyond you all, it's been fun to get to the parts that you've been exclaiming over and tweeting about. Oh, Mr. Crosbie, how COULD you?
ReplyDeleteAudrey - A weekend with family and friends sounds pretty wonderful to me. Enjoy the rest of your time in Allington - I'll be watching for your tweets. Let me know when you want to head back to Barchester:)
DeleteSo sorry that the frost is already there! It's been cold this weekend but still nothing too harsh. The sweaters are out however and soon, the fleece jackets will be too.
ReplyDeleteAthira - We dug out the fleece last weekend...our constant companions through April!
DeleteFirst of all, I love the term "Trolloping with friends." And I did not know about Nonfiction in November -- I chose all nonfiction books for my TBR Pile Challenge this year and I have three left. So that fits really well!
ReplyDeleteI also own BOTH the Glendinning bio AND Trollope's autobiography, so I should read one of them!!
Karen K. - "Trolloping with friends" is all Audrey's, but I love that she's managed to make our favorite author into a verb. I'll spend some time with Glendinning next month and will have to keep an eye out for a copy of his autobiography. Nonfiction November, here we come!
DeleteThe Small House at Allington and the Chronicles of Barsetshire set are among my favorite books ever. Are you on Facebook? I check the Anthony Trollope Society there every day. Where do you go on twitter to find other Trollopians? I posted today there using #anthonytrollope which I made up.
ReplyDeleteTerra - I really loved Small House, too Joined the Facebook group shortly after you posted about it. We have been using the hashtag #6Barsets for most of out twitter conversation. If you put that in the search box, you should find our conversations. I've also seen just #Trollope.
DeleteHave you read the Palliser novels? Would love to have you join us next year if we decide to attempt another series.
Glad to hear you've been having such a fun week! I just learned of Nonfiction November and will check out your link. We turned our heat on Sat. but the cold here is nowhere near the cold in Syracuse! Stay warm!
ReplyDeletePat - I try to leave the heat off in September,but usually break down in early October. We were in the mid20s last night... Brrr!
DeleteWow that seems so early to have snow. LOL "Trolloping with friends" ... love it. And I haven't read anything by Trollope ... hmm I am now curious. Have a great week and happy reading :)
ReplyDeleteTeddyree - Isn't "Trolloping with friends" great? Audrey outdid herself coming up with that one! Happy reading to you, too :)
DeleteWait a minute! If yesterday was your twin sister's birthday, wasn't it your birthday too? Or am I all confused? (if not--Happy Late birthday!!) We read "Stealing Horses" for one of my book clubs a couple of years ago--I listened to the audio and loved the narration. Happy Monday!
ReplyDeleteDebbie - I have sisters who are twins, but I am not one of them... although one of them and I look more like twins than the twins! Sorry to be confusing.
DeleteGlad you mentioned the audio version of Out Stealing Horses. If I get short on time, I may listen, too.
I've never read anything by Trollope. You must be enjoying them. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteKathy - I think Trollope may be an acquired taste ;-)
DeleteWow snow she says impressed. I guess you must live fairly far north. We don't get it here in New Zealand where I live but it does of course snow in the mountains and colder areas. I haven't read anything by Trollope either but a bit by Joanna Trollope who may be a relative a few generations down!
ReplyDeleteKathryn - Yes, I am in upstate New York and it is very cold in the winter! We get a lot of snow due to our proximity to Lake Ontario... one of the "Great Lakes". Last year we spent most of the winter in Florida and I am hoping we can do the same thing again. I'm pretty sure I've read a book or two by Joanna Trollope... have heard she might be related :)
DeleteUgh snow!! I am not ready!! Lol. Hopefully we have a much more mild winter than last year.
ReplyDeleteErin - I don't think anything can be as cold and snowy as last year! Fingers crossed I'll be heading south in January though...
DeleteVicki - I hope you decide to join Nonfiction November. I still have a long 'to read' list from all of last year's posts!
ReplyDeleteKind of early for snow, yikes, even when I lived in NY and New England!
ReplyDeleteThe weather is crazy the last few years, isn't it!
I never read Trollope; glad you enjoy him!
Rita - Yes, it's definitely on the early side for snow. It has me dreaming of Florida again! I'm guessing you don't miss it much? ;-)
DeleteI've had a lot of fun with Trollope this year :)
Happy Birthday to your sisters. You have sisters that are twins and had twins? Any other twins in the family? We have twins in the family, my brother had a set and we are waiting to see which of our kids have twins. Anyway, I loved Out Stealing Horses and hope you do as well.
ReplyDeleteNise' - My sisters and my daughters are the only twins in the family. The funny thing is that one of my (fraternal) twins sisters married an identical twin! No grandchildren in the family ... we'll see.
DeleteOut Stealing Horses is great so far!
I just can not believe there's snow there already!! Ah, but I hope you enjoy Stealing Horses!
ReplyDeleteJillian - The snow is gone now and we were in the upper 50s today. Hopefully it will be a while before we see more! Out Stealing Horses is wonderful so far.
DeleteA dusting of snow eh? You're beating us to it, lucky you! I'm reading a nonfiction book on the Donner Party which will help towards Nonfiction November. Enjoy your week!
ReplyDeleteSusan - One of the counties north of us, and directly east of Lake Ontario, got 9 inches last weekend - yikes! I'll be curious to hear more about the Donner Party book.
Delete