Leaving February Behind, Welcoming March!

credit: Vecteezy

February is always the wettest month of the year, it rains heavily almost every afternoon, just at the end of office hours! While it's rather annoying, it also means I can enjoy my reading more.

📚 Books Read in February

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (started in January)
A very entertaining audio sensation of an old classic.
Read from: audio book

Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery - for We 🖤 L.M. Montgomery Week
A jolly delightful book!
Read from: e-book

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim (unreviewed yet) - 1st Impression
A blissful read of a beautiful inspiring book.
Read from: audiobook / printed book combo

Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk (The Dancer) by Ahmad Tohari (unreviewed yet) - 1st Impression
Surprisingly, I liked it. Tragic, but very beautifully written.
Read from: printed book

A Singer's Romance by Willa Cather (short story)
A sweet, straightforward story.
Read from: e-book


📚 Started but unfinished yet

* Rural Hours by Susan Fenimore Cooper (e-book) - 1st Impression
I have started on January, and my progress has been very slow because I'm savouring Susan's daily walks and observations.

* The Ladies' Paradise by Émile Zola (audiobook) - a re-read, preparing for Zoladdiction in April

📚 Reading Events attended

We ❤ L.M. Montgomery Week, hosted by Hamlette @ Hamlette’s Soliloqui
It was a fun blog party! We get to know new bloggers with lovely posts, a chance to win prizes, several games. My contribution:
- reviewing Jane of Lantern Hill
- analyzing cover art of Jane of Lantern Hill
- answering The L.M.M. Tag

I thank Hamlette for hosting this, and wish she would host another next year. But if not, this has been a cheerful one!



📚 2023 Statistics

📊 Total books read so far: 6
📊 Total short stories read so far: 2
📊 Challenges progress:
* 2023 TBR Pile Challenge: 3
* 2023 Victorian Reading Challenge: 1
* 2023 Audiobook Challenge: 3



📚 What's happening in March

🔸️Reading a non fiction: All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot (e-book) - I've wanted to read my newly-fore-edge-painted copy, but decided to keep it intact, and read the e-book version instead. 🤣

🔸️Continuing Rural Hours (10% more from e-book) and the audio book of The Ladies' Paradise (the latter will stretch on until April)

🔸️If I can finish above books sooner, I might begin with Stone of Chastity by Margery Sharp sooner for The 1940 Club week on April.

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Crime Fiction Authors I Love to Read/Re-read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, and this week's prompt is... Freebie! I've always been a fan of crime/mystery novels, so this is my...

Top Ten Crime Fiction Authors I Love to Read/Reread

Agatha Christie

Most of my childhood reads were dominated by Agatha Christie. And ever since, I've read almost all of her crime novels. So far, no one has ever surpassed her style in the crime novel universe, and perhaps no one ever will.

Now I am on my way to re-reading all her novels, and starting next year will also read and review all her short stories as stand alone works (not in collections or omnibuses). In short, I might keep reading Christie perpetually during the rest of my life!

Dorothy L. Sayers

Christie's contemporary in the golden-age-of-detective-fiction lore, and are often praised as her equal. But she wasn't! I've only read Whose Body? so far, and although I rather like Lord Peter Wimsey, but I found it rather soulless. But I'm ready to read more of Sayers", who knows, I might like her more some day, though she'll never equal the queen!

Laurie R. King

Confession: I don't really like Sherlock Holmes. He's too dull for my liking. But when Laurie R. King wrote about Holmes from the point of view of Mary Russell - Holmes' apprentice then wife - I actually kinda like him! Maybe Doyle's Holmes is just to masculine. He needs a feminine touch!

I have read about five or six from King's Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series, and intend to read more.

Richard Osman

Amateur sleuth and cozy mystery are one perfect combination. Osman's sleuths are extraordinary, four elderly who live in the same retirement community. Unexpected, funny, and sometimes touching. I've read the first of the series: The Thursday Murder Club, and can't wait to read the next book!

Robin Stevens

Another unlikely amateur sleuths in a cozy mystery series from Robin Stevens. It's actually a children (teenager) murder mystery. The sleuths are two schoolgirls in 1930s England. Very refreshing! I've read only the Christmas edition: Mistletoe Murder, but intend to start over from the first book.

Stephanie Barron

OK, one more cozy mystery won't hurt. Barron has impressed me last year with an unusual combo of murder mystery and a famous author. Jane Austen turns sleuth! My first introduction to the Being Jane Austen Mystery series was also the Christmas edition: Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas, and loved it. Can't wait to return to that charming universe!

G.K. Chesterton

The only book from Chesterton I've ever read is The Innocence of Father Brown in 2018. Another of unlikely amateur sleuth, a Catholic pastor! I rather missed him, though I've wished Chesterton had written at least one novel of Father Brown, instead of 53 short stories. But well...


The next three authors are those whose books I've never read, but curious enough to try some day.

Ngaio Marsh

Another confession: until very recently, I've always thought Ngaio Marsh is a male! 😋 Dame Ngaio Marsh was Agatha Christie's contemporary. I've only read one book when I was at high school (don't even remember the title). I wasn't very impressed at that time, but I'm curious to have another try. Have you read her? Any title recommendation?

P.D. James

Another female author from the golden age detective stories era I haven't read, though I've heard a lot of praises for her book. What's your favorite from James?

Jessica Fellowes

The last one is a contemporary cozy mystery author, who is the niece of Julian Fellowes- the creator of Downton Abbey TV series & movie. Since I, for some reasons, will most probably never watch Downton Abbey again, it's a real pleasant to have found a murder mystery with very similar style and period as Downton Abbey. I can't wait to start reading Fellowes's Mitford Mystery series!


Found a favorite authors of yours? Any other crime authors you like that you'd recommend?

A Singer's Romance by Willa Cather: A Short Story #WCSSP2023

💗 Our second Willa Cather's short story for #WCSSP2023 project has a very different tone from last month's. It is very short, light, and straightforward; and very appropriate too for a February read - a romance!

💗 Frau Selma Schumann is an opera singer. She had zealously worked hard her entire life to achieve the present level. Not that she minds it, as hard working is a spirit she inherited from her father. But at forty two years old, she begins to have a little regret for never having tasted the sweet taste of romance.

💗 The story begins on a rainy night when she is about to leave Metropolitan Opera House after finishing her performance. Struggling to replace her wind-swept mantilla, she dropped her jewels bag. A handsome Latin man with black hair, mustache, and a red carnation in his buttonhole, sprightly lept to snatch it, and returned it to the owner with a bow.

"The New Yorker" by Constantin Alajalov, 1937

💗 The incident is only one of several occasions where this signorino always appeares wherever Madam goes with her valuable maid/companion Antoinette. Antoinette is an orphan, daughter of a former opera singer, whom Frau Schumann took into her service.

💗 Naturally Madame believes the signorino is attracted to her. But why does he never say anything, nor attempt to communicate with her? She has even manoeuvred some incidents to let him take the first move. But nothing happens. Meanwhile, Madame decided to look after her appearance more carefully, and stop drinking champagne. Still, nothing happens. When she finally hears signorino's voice, things turned out very unexpectedly, and so she turns back to champagne again.

💗 Overall, it is a sweet, but melancholy story; a little humorous but ironic. It reminds me of Song of the Lark - the same hardworking women, sacrificing their private lives to be successful opera singers. And what then? They might or might not be successful, but in the end, is it all worth it?

💗 I quite love this story, although it's not the usual Cather's quality writing I always expect of her, it's sweet, simple, and entertaining.

Rating: 4 / 5

 

My Gorgeous Fore-Edge Painted Book!

Have you ever been longing to own a book with gorgeous fore-edge painting? "A fore-edge painting is a scene painted on the edges of book pages." (Wikipedia)

I have! I've seen some on Etsy, but they are so expensive, and one cannot choose the book, nor the scene, to be painted. I am very fortunate though, that one of my best bookish friends: Melisa (twitter: @melmarian) is not only an avid reader like myself, but also a wonderfully talented artist! One of her best works is fore-edge book paintings, and she has been opening commissions for some time.

Since February is my birthday month, I've treated myself with Melisa's gorgeous fore-edge painting on my copy of All Creatures Great and Small (James Herriot). I love the cover art, with the English rural village vibes. And so, I ordered more 'English-villagey' scenes to be painted on. Here's the result:

the cover

the fore-edge painting, gorgeous isn't it??

I specifically asked Melisa to paint the wooden fence and... a cute Robin!

...also the flower bushes to add more cheerfulness to the scene..

if you wonder about the top and bottom
edges, they are painted plain green

Do you own fore-edge painted books? Did you actually read it? Or do you keep it save, and just read an e-book version instead for fearing you might spoil the paint?? 

The LMM Tag

This week we are celebrating L.M. Montgomery in a blog party, hosted by Hamlette. Here's a tag about LMM, with my answers:

1. Who introduced you to L. M. Montgomery's writing?  Tell us the story!
No one, really. My first introduction to L.M. Montgomery was Anne of Green Gables. I read and reviewed it (in Bahasa Indonesia) in 2009, and it was among the first books which influenced me to love classics. 

2. What LMM books have you read?
As far as I can remember, only Anne of Green Gables (shame on me!) I owned a book rental then an online second-hand bookstore back in 2015-2018, and during that time I’ve purchased translations of the Anne series, which my clients love, but I didn’t remember ever read them.

3. What movies or shows based on her books have you watched?
Anne with an E on Netflix – loved it! And it brought back memories of reading LMM. I’ve been wanting to read more of Anne's since that!

4. Which LMM character is your kindred spirit, the one you'd like to hang out with in real life?
I would love to hang out with Jane Victoria Stuart from Jane of Lantern Hill. She’s amiable and relates much with nature. It would be awesome to take a stroll and maybe a little picnic with her!

5. Which LMM character do you relate to the most?  And why?
I’m not sure, but maybe Diana from Anne of Green Gables? I didn’t remember her much, but from Anne with an E TV series, she seems calm and mature, always wants to please others. Yet, courageous enough to stand on her own (well... thanks to her friendship with Anne, of course)

6. Have you ever been to Prince Edward Island?
Nope, though I would love to if I had chance to go abroad some day!

7. Who is your favorite LMM heroine?
Since I’ve read only two LMM’s so far, I don’t have much to choose from, so I’ll go with Jane Victoria Stuart.

8. Who is your favorite LMM hero?
Jane’s father: Andrew Stuart

9. Do you have any fun merch related to her books?  If so, please share some photos!
No. I seldom collect bookish merch anyway. 😊

10. What are some of your favorite LMM quotations?

"There is no pleasure in life like the joy of achievement." ~ Jane of Lantern Hill

“I can talk a blue streak when the spirit moves me. When it doesn't I like people to let me be.” ~ Jane of Lantern Hill

 

Judging Book by Its Cover: Jane of Lantern Hill (L.M. Montgomery)

Judging Book by Its Cover is a blog feature where I analyze book cover art, compare it with its content, as well as with covers from few other editions.

Jane of Lantern Hill

For L.M. Montgomery's Jane of Lantern Hill, I read the e-book version from Virago, published in 2014. I loved the modern cover art, with a little girl standing in front of a full-blossoming cherry tree, with a full moon in the background. It's a perfect portrait of this passage:

"She had crept out to have a good look at the full moon . . . Jane had her own particular reasons for liking to look at the moon . . . and the white blossoming cherry-tree over in the yard of 58. The cherry-tree, with the moon hanging over it like a great pearl, was so beautiful that Jane felt a queer lump in her throat when she looked at it."

The girl looks so unhappy, and is searching for a little peace from the moon, which really looks like hanging over the cherry tree like a big pearl. It vividly portrays Jane's unhappiness when staying at her grandmother's house in 60th Gay Street.

However, if you look carefully at the girl, you can see there're still hopes for a brighter future. Her bright face and her clasping hands suggest that hopefulness. She feels alone, but she finds solace in the moon and the cherry tree; they're her temporary friends, until she finds lovely people who'd love and accept her as she is. Well, the pearly moon and the cherry blossoms help adding a touch of gayness to the cover too.

All in all, I love this cover art, modern, beautiful, melancholy, but with a touch of brightness.

Now, let's pick two more cover arts from different editions.

McClelland & Stewart (1st edition), 1937

I'm always curious by first edition of a classic. In this edition, there's the little girl, and the big moon. But what tree is that, with its hanging branches over the girl? I don't like this painting. The night is too dark, despite of the full moon. The tree looks rather ominous; and the girl's gesture seems like she's waiting for someone or something, rather than a lonely or unhappy child. It doesn't look charming at all; and if I was to look at this cover while hunting for a charming book at the bookstore, I won't pick it.

McClelland & Stewart (later edition), 1989

I rather like this one. It's obviously Jane and her father having a picnic during Jane's summer stay at Lantern Hill. They're having a good time, and the overall painting conveys a sense of warmth and coziness. But to me, it’s too straightforward; it lacks the depth and complexity of the story - Jane's struggle, her wonderful personal development after tasting love and freedom.


In the end, to me, the winner is the Virago's cover. It's artistic, beautiful, and true to the story.

What do you think? If you have read the book, which cover art do you think truly represents the story? And if you haven't, which one appeal to you most?

**This is my second entry for We ❤ L.M. Montgomery Week hosted by Hamlette (Rachel) @ Hamlette's Soliloquy **

Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery: A Review

🧡 Jane Victoria Stuart lived all eleven years of her life with her mother, aunt, and grandmother - the Kennedys - in 60th Gay Street, a respectable house in Toronto. But she always feels she doesn't belong there. The only thing she loves within the house is her mother. She hates everything else, especially the strict and prim of her grandmother, who seems to be jealous because her mother loves Jane. About her father, nobody in 60 Gay Street ever mentions; so Jane assumes he's dead.

🧡 Jane attends St. Agatha's, a respectable school chosen by her grandmother, but she doesn't belong there either. She's nervous and awkward, and seems to be useless at anything she does. And the Kennedys would sneer and laughed at her everytime she blunders, which would make her feel more inferior and miserable than usual. At times like that, her only console are the moon and Jody, an orphaned girl her age who shares her spirit.

"Jane had her own particular reasons for liking to look at the moon . . . and the white blossoming cherry-tree over in the yard of 58. The cherry-tree, with the moon hanging over it like a great pearl, was so beautiful that Jane felt a queer lump in her throat when she looked at it."

🧡 One day, a letter came from Jane's father. Her father, whom she thought was dead, is actually alive, and wants her to spend summer with him in Prince Edward Island! With many doubts Jane came, and found out that his father is an amiable man whom she can actually love and loves her back! He even bought them a charming house in Lantern Hill, where Jane feels belong to for the first time in her life.

🧡 A remarkable change came over Jane as soon as she's found freedom, love, and friendship in Lantern Hill - qualities that she never thought she has in her: courage, strength, and many amazing skills. She even finds comfort in cooking and keeping house for Dad. In short, she seems to have been born in Prince Edward Island - which she actually was!

🧡 Only one thing marred her blissfulness. If only her mother could join them in Lantern Hill! But it's impossible because her mother doesn't have enough 'backbone' to stand up to grandmother, and Dad don't love her anymore. Will her life always be divided into two poles: summer in Lantern Hill and spring to winter in Toronto?

🧡 I haven't read L.M. Montgomery's for a long time (the last one is Anne of Green Gables fourteen years ago), and this one is surprisingly a charming book. I loved Lantern Hill, though I always prefer mountains than beach. And I was amazed by Jane's character development. Jane is a genuinely independent creature, and it is only after letting her free to be herself that she will be blossoming into a great person. Love, freedom, and nature are the most powerful combination!

Rating: 4 / 5

**This is my first entry for We ❤ L.M. Montgomery Week, hosted by Hamlette (Rachel) @ Hamlette's Soliloquy.**