Have a great start into the New Year!

Have a wonderful New Year!!

I hope we all discover some great new (or old) books in this brandnew wonderful year - which is waiting for us just around the corner.. 

That's it for this year on this blog - but I have some reviews waiting to be published.. 

Thank you all for following! - and thank you for leaving nice comments!

Yours

Irene

To the New Year!

~ I posted this one on my film blog before - but I simply love Paul Newman's expression here.. ~

Merry Christmas!

I hope you found some great books in your stocking - though Marilyn Monroe would have been also a nice find.. 

yours 

Irene

What Alice Knew by Paula Marantz Cohen

 I feel that I have a lot to pick up now.. It's quite a time since I posted here the last time.. Well - those of you who are still here: thank you very, very much! So without loosing more time - here we go with the review about a book I enjoyed very much reading - in English just by the way..

WHAT ALICE KNEW : THE MOST CURIOUS TALE OF HENRY JAMES & JACK THE RIPPER by Paula Marantz Cohen

 In a nut-shell:

In 1888 London is shocked by a horrible murder series - Jack the Ripper is enjoying himself very much.. Scotland yard asks William James who is a specialist in psychology to help them - that is especially Inspector Frederick Abberline to solve the case.

But William isn't the only one who thinks a lot about this case - his bedstricken sister Alice and his brother Henry, the world famous author, who both live in London - are helping their brother find out who is the vicious murderer..

Have a quick look at the Dramatis Personae - which is pretty interesting for those are persons who actually excisted outside of their authors and readers minds:

The actual (though you wouldn't guess it from my summary..) main character:

Alice James

August 7, 1848 - March 6, 1892

The brothers Henry & William James

Henry James 

April 15, 1843 - February 28, 1916

William James

January 11, 1842 - August 26, 1910 

Inspector Frederick George Abberline

January 8, 1943 - December 10, 1929

And of course there are some other persons having parts in this novel:

Notorious wonderful genius Oscar Wilde - love his wit!:

October 16, 1854 - November 30, 1900

Walter Richard Sickert
- one of my favourite painters:

May 31, 1860 - January 22, 1942

same goes for John Singer Sargent

 (this is a self portrait - I wasn't able to find a photo of him..)

January 12, 1856 - April 14, 1925

The very quick-witted Samuel Langhorne Clemens better known as Mark Twain

November 30, 1835 - April 21, 1910

So - though this book is pure fiction and you shouldn't expect to find now revealed who Jack the Ripper actually was - it's a great book - and a fast read. You just mustn't take it as non-fictional book - otherwise you'll be very much disappointed I guess.. Frankly, I am a bit obsessed with the Ripper murders - I read almost every book ever written about these murders. (not even talking about the films about them..) 

I enjoyed very much to "join" a party with Oscar Wilde and Mark Twain. This really was fun to imagine.. It's a book that I might re-read at some time.. 

And for my luck we had some very heavy fog during the time I was reading this book in November - which appeared in shortest time and was really, really thick..

(well.. it is really hard to take a picture of fog, you know..)

So please take care, ladies and gents!

I hope to write soon again!

yours 

Irene

It's Monday - what are you reading

This is part of a meme hosted @ BOOK JOURNEY.

Well.. I had kind of a book-repellent phase.. I grabbed some books started reading - put them away.. grabbed another book .. and so on.. I hope this is over now.. And because of this "dark times" I won't be able to finish some challenges.. [.. please insert annoyed grumbling here..]

Anyway:

I finnally finished:

FRAGMENTS : POEMS, INTIMATE NOTES, LETTERS BY MARILYN MONROE

(which is wonderful if you're a die-hard Marilyn Monroe aficionada/aficionado like me - otherwise you'll better stay away.)

and I am really deep in reading and working with

MY WICKED, WICKED WAYS by Errol Flynn. (It's amazing!)

Oh - and I did a review of

THE GIRL WHO WALKED HOME ALONE by Charlotte Chandler

(^ read the review..)

- posted on my film blog - I have a new series there in which I review film books - mainly (auto-) biographies but also anything else connected with films.. I will link them in the "It's Monday..." posts here.

Anyway: Have a great week!

Yours

Irene

Candy by Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg

In 1958 Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg wrote a satire about psychoanalysis and porn: CANDY - and it was quite a scandal back then..

Actually I don't know how I can put the "plot" into words: It's just that Candy shags with almost every man she meets.. - because they "need" her.. Well, isn't she a doll?? ;")

I thought it was kind of funny - and it thaught me some new words for vagina.. (which I can't repeat - because: I am a laaaady.. - well, kind of.. ;"p)

It is also a satire of all those "find your spiritistic way and start to loose any need for sex via shagging your guru" stuff.. ;")

~ Oh you think you're pregnant? Here is a ticket to Tibet.. Bye.. ~

Actually this book is said to have some relations to CANDIDE by Voltaire and DECAMERON by Boccaccio.. I didn't read any of them - so I can't really tell you about this..

The German cover shows Ewa Aulin who personated Candy in the film adaptation - which is (in my opinion) screaming funny.. ~ mhm.. if you don't get the humour - you might just see trash porn.. could be nice too, I think.. ;"p ~

The German title is CANDY - ODER DIE SEXTE DER WELTEN - which means "Candy - or the sexth of the worlds" (yes, actually a pun that works in English AND German..)

I am not so sure about if this book is really that what you would call "a treasure" but by being released in 1958 it sure fits into the FORGOTTEN TREASURES CHALLENGE.. ;")

Progress on that -> HERE . ;")

Love,

Irene

Voyage of Innocence by Elizabeth Edmondson

VOYAGE OF INNOCENCE (2005) is Elizabeth Edmondson's second novel.

In a nut-shell:

1938. Mrs. Verity "Vee" Hotspur travels is - via ocean liner - on her way to India - when she suddenly disappears.

Aboard are also Vee's cousin Claudia and Vee's best friend, the American Lavender - called "Lally". Due to a

rough sea most passengers have time to abandon themselves to sea sickness and memories - which means for us, dearest fellow readers: chance to read about Vee's years at Grace College (kind of ladies section at Oxford - if I translate that in the right way..) beginning in 1932 - which she spent with Claudia and Lally.

The three girls are quite different - not just in their personality but also in their political beliefs - though Lally's function in this is quasi the neutral position:

While Vee is sympathetic to the communists party - which means first and foremost sealing envelopes for the commrades (- women in 1930 weren't that much in leading positions it seems ;") - but Vee won't be sealing envelopes for long.. Moscow has some plans.. but: shush! Mum's the word!) Claudia is all for Oswald Mosley and his fascists...

(Oswald Mosley)

Okay... You might remember that Elizabeth Edmondson is one of my favourite authors.. - so: No, I won't be objective ~ oh.. please! As if I ever was... ~

To start with - just a short notice: Jane Austen is mentioned in this novel. Good? I certainly think so. ;")

VOYAGE OF INNOCENCE is much more political than I ever expected it to be. And to be honest: some of the enthusiastic political active young men are as much blathering as I experienced in real life. Same discussions, same ignorance and same putting down of everything you (or anyone else) is saying against them - yes, I was partly a bit bugged.. Just because this awoke so much of my own memories - but I noticed that behaviour not only on political active men and not only towards me.. ;")

However - what really surprised me was that this novel became more and more of a secret agent story - not James Bond like and no fancy gimmicks or something - but very enthralling. And I have to confess that I am no real fan of Mr. Bond, James Bond - well, I wasn't.. To be true: Thanks to a very good friend I just started to become interested in Bond films.. so who knows.. Maybe someday you'll find a series of Bond-novel-reviews here, too.. ;")

Those of you who have read Elizabeth Edmondson's first novel FROZEN LAKE (read about it HERE - if you like to do so..) will be maybe happy to meet Perdita Richardson again as a passagener on this trip to India. She has no big part in this book - so you don't have to read FROZEN LAKE first.. I - for one - love to meet old aquaintances from other books again.. I think it's kind of nice..

This time I just adore the German cover:

Isn't that just gorgeous???!??

The German title is EIN MÄDCHEN AUS BESTER GESELLSCHAFT which means "A girl of best society".

This novel might be the most wearisome reading of all of Elizabeth Edmondson's books so far - this shouldn't alienate you - just a little warning.. ;")

Who of you likes to read some intelligent "women's literature"

~ gosh.. I hate that.. - like women's literature was just the cupcake of literary bakery: super sweet, screaming pink and not very satiably - yes, I don't like cupcakes so much.. ~ yuck! ~ not that I won't read a romance at times.. uhm.. where was I?... ah.. yes: ~

Those who like to read a novel with a bit more political content (not only - don't be scared..) - and to learn a bit more about British fascists - those should grab this book.

Conflict potential?:

Heck, yes! Abortion, (anti-)fascism , homosexuality, suicide, espionage - some hot potatoes in here..

Sex-appeal:

Well, the young ladies definitively have sex. Not in detail - but for sure. Oh - and premarital, too.. ~ just saying it.. Don't want anyone to faint when he/she grabs this novel.. ;"p ~

This book fits into what I declared to be Historical Fiction at this blog

- and that way also into the

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2011.

Thank you all for listening - and sorry for my oh-so-long absence here..

I am back - well, at least I hope so..

Love,

Irene

The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

THE STEPFORD WIVES by Ira Levin (1972) is both a satire and a thriller.

Joanna – an avid and more or less successful semi-professional photographer – and her husband Walter move with their children to peaceful Stepford.

Joanna’s only friends there are tomboyish Bobbie and beautiful Charmaine, both are also freshly moved to this place with their husbands. All other wives of Stepford seem to have their only cause for living in making happy and neat homes for their husbands – and Walter spends a lot of his spare time at the men’s club.

After they stayed for four months in Stepford Charmaine and her husband spend a romantic weekend trip together – but when they come back Charmaine has completely changed – she gives up her beloved tennis and starts concentrating in being a perfect housewife.

Same thing happens to Bobbie after she lived four months in Stepford – she no longer takes pride out of her messy kitchen. No, everything is neat now in Bobbie’s house – even Bobbie herself looks like a gorgeous TV-ad-hausfrau…

And Joanna herself is almost four months in Stepford…

This is a very small novel and the tension rises very slowly – but the end is terrific!

Just to make this clear: The horror – at least for me – is that the Stepford wives don’t have a chance to choose wheter to be a devoted housewife or not - and that their men just seem to be such nice guys.

I really loved this book - and I am eager to read more by Ira Levin.

There are two adaptations for the screen of this book one of 1975 with Katharine Ross, which is much truer to the book than the version of 2004 with Nicole Kidman. Read my review of the 1975 film HERE.

THE WIVES OF STEPFORD fits into my FORGOTTEN TREASURES CHALLENGE.

Read about my progress (if I may say so - ahem.. ) here.

Fab in High Heels by Sarah Toner

I am a fan of high heels.

I love to walk barefooted – I also like wearing heels - not on a daily basis though which would be of course unhealthy. . (yeah, I am aware of that, mom, thank you..) - but now and then..

Obviously I am not he only one who does so and due to that there are some books who deal with high heels.

One of these is FABULOUS IN HIGH HEELS : A SHORT SWEET SOLUTION TO THE CRISIS OF WEARING STILETTOES by Sarah Toner (2009) with an intro by fabulous Jennifer Saunders (love her!!)

This book shows some easy exercises to strengthen your feet and legs so you’ll be able to enjoy wearing heels a little more – and these exercises will give your posture a little “uplift”, too.

A very nice gimmick is that this book (at least in the German edition..) can stay up by itself- which is a great help when you’re doing the exercises.

FAB IN HIGH HEELS is quite nice – but don’t buy it, because I think for that small amount of info you’ll pay a bit too much. – It’s like a very long Cosmopolitan article..

So: Make sure you’ll receive it as a gift! That would be perfect.. ;”)

Here we have one lady who for sure could walk and even run in heels:

My heroine - Marilyn Monroe!!

It's Monday - what are you reading

This is a meme hosted by Sheila @ book journey

Ok - it's awful with me lately - I start to read books and put them away to start another one.. I am a bit out of concentration lately.. I mean the last book I read completely was a comic book.. Do you get the picture?? Anyway - I hope that it is just a phase - because my challenges start to stare at me.. ~ shiver ~

But now I started to read this book - and I think I read it till there is nothing left to read in it:

LOOK WHO IT IS! : MY STORY by fabulous Alan Carr (2008)

Enjoy your reading week - anyway if you're reading or just staring at your books and dream..

It's Monday - what are you reading

This meme is hosted by Sheila @ Bookjourney.

I must admid that I am lately a bit lazy - so I have only one title to post.

I am reading:

MY WICKED, WICKED WAYS by the wonderful and dashing Errol Flynn (1959)

Have a great!!

It's Monday - What are you reading?

This meme is hosted by Sheila @ bookjourney.
(Thank you so much for that! My wish-list/TBR grows and grows and grows..)

Here we go:

I posted about one of my favourite books (though the German edition tends to weakening in the language - some antagonism.. But I love such multiple biographies..)

ALL-NIGHT PARTY : THE WOMEN OF BOHEMIAN GREENWICH VILLAGE AND HARLEM, 1913- 1930 by Andrea Barnet (2001).

For the TuesBookTalk Read Alongs Group on Goodreads.com I am reading:

THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE by Michel Faber. (2002)

- which is so far very intriguing - and much faster to read than you would think because it is really, really massive. ;")


And I also read:

ANSTÄNDIG ESSEN (= "eating fair/proper") by Karen Duve (2011)

- it's a book about ethics and eating. If I wasn't a vegetarian allready - this book could make me one..

I think it is a bit like EATING ANIMALS by Jonathan Safran Foer (2009) which I want to read someday, too.

Have a nice week - eat fair and read with verve! ;")

All-night Party by Andrea Barnet

ALL-NIGHT PARTY : THE WOMEN OF BOHEMIAN GREENWICH VILLAGE AND HARLEM, 1913- 1930 by Andrea Barnet is one of my favourites non-fiction books. It contains the stories of such woman of Avant-garde as Djuna Barnes, Marianne Moore, Mabel Dodge, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Ethel Waters and many more of the bright young things who lived and loved in New York at the jazz age.

Meet e.g. “the Mama of Dada” Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven who used to shave half her head and wear the left hair in henna-coloured red and the bolded half lacquered in bright red, while her face was dusted with yellow powder, her lips tinted in black and a birdcage (with a living canary in it) was hanging on her neck. (Great image, isn’t it? I like Dada very much – though it disturbs me sometimes.. – but hey! That’s Dada for you!)

(Elsa von Freytag-Lothringhoven)

And this was just one example of the fascinating women who will be introduced to you in this awesome book! Women who declare their freedom to live their live like/ and with whom they wanted to.

Here are some of the other ladies you're going to meet in this book:

(Mina Loy)

(Bessie Smith)

(A'lelia Walker)

Like Bessie Smith once sung:

“If I should get the feeling
To dance upon the ceiling
T’aint nobody’s business if I do."

A magnificent book, which I like to recommend to everyone interested in the life of some fascinating ladies of the early 20th century. To the blues fans: there are two chapters about Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters! (*Yay!* for that!!)

The German title is CRAZY NEW YORK. ...Well, how do I have to translate that into English.. uhm.. ;")

Don't you just love the German cover??

This book fits in two of the challenges I am participating in:

Read me baby, 1 more time – I did not read this book for the first time – and surely not for the last time. ;”)

LGBT Book Challenge 2011– here you can read a lot about women who fought for free love and lived in lesbian relationships.

Is it just me?

Have you ever had the feeling that the yet unread books in your shelves are much more interesting than the ones you’re reading at the moment?

It's Monday - What are you reading?

This meme is hosted by Sheila @ bookjourney. (Thank you, Sheila!)

So, what am I reading?

For the TuesBookTalk Read Alongs Group on Goodreads.com I am reading - and I am way behind the others, because my sister visited me.. ;") - :

THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE by Michel Faber. (2002)

And I resumed re-reading

ALL-NIGHT PARTY : THE WOMEN OF BOHEMIAN GREENWICH VILLAGE AND HARLEM, 1913- 1930 by Andrea Barnet (2004).

So: Have a nice week! (and I try to read more this week..) ;")