feather_ghyll (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
feather_ghyll) wrote2025-01-04 12:03 pm
feather_ghyll) wrote2025-01-04 12:03 pm
Entry tags:
- adult books,
- alan bradley,
- carola dunn,
- continental setting: france,
- disability sports,
- discussion: reading,
- discussion: sports,
- elizabeth marie pope,
- elsie j. oxenham,
- evelyn smith,
- gail carriger,
- hilary mckay,
- l. m. montgomery,
- links,
- links: reviews,
- mabel esther allan,
- meriol trevor,
- musical: matilda,
- overview: television programme,
- phyllis mathewman,
- richard osman,
- series: abbey girls,
- series: daisy dalrymple,
- series: finishing school,
- series: flavia de luce,
- series: peter and mr jones,
- series: shortt sisters,
- series: skylarks,
- series: thursday murder club,
- sports: tennis,
- sports: the olympic games,
- sports: the paralympic games
OVERVIEW: 2024 summary
I read a couple fewer books than last year (47, I think.) As usual, the vast majority were by women and new to me. Most of the children’s books I read were of a higher standard than last year, probably because I’d bought them online (mainly in 2021-22) with greater intentionality than when I physically went into charity shops or second-hand bookshops.
I only read one book by any of the big four, Two Joans at the Abbey by Elsie J. Oxenham, a late book in the Abbey girls series. I only realised when reviewing it that Seven Sisters at Queen Anne’s by Evelyn Smith is the start of a series about the Shortt sisters at Queen Anne’s school, and that I’d already read one book about them. I think that Thanks to Mr Jones by Phyllis Mathewman is also part of a ‘holiday adventure’ series. (Mr Jones is a dog.) I continued reading the Daisy Dalrymple mysteries series by Carola Dunn, where in Fall of a Philanderer Alec’s holiday is ruined by a murder that his wife investigates. Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger closed the extremely fun young adult Finishing School stories, about Sophronia Tremminnick and her friends, who have been trained as spies in an alternate Victorian England, where there are supernatural beings and others involved in intrigue and plots.
I enjoyed reading The Guides in Hanover Lane by Anne Bradley, the only Guide book I think I read in 2024, and The School on Cloud Ridge by Mabel Esther Allan, a story about the start of a progressive, mixed-gender boarding school. I don’t think ‘enjoyed’ is quite the right word for Pandora of Parrham Royal by Violet Needham, where supernatural elements interact with a family in an English country house. 'Impressed by' covers it better, and it wasn't a girls own book, strictly speaking.
Neither was The Rose Round by Meriol Trevor, in which young Matt Rendal goes to join his stepsister for the holidays at Woodhall, where she works, and both become increasingly involved with the unhappy Ayre family. Meanwhile, in The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope, set in the US, the past has an even greater influence as Peggy Grahame finds out her family’s history via ghosts who are kinder to her than her living relatives.
Speaking of family, or a clan, A Tangled Web by L. M. Montgomery is an account of how aunt Becky’s jug and other bequests affected her relatives. It’s not my favourite book by Montgomery for adults, but there’s much to enjoy in it. Sister Anne Resigns by Josephine Elder was a more realistic book for adults by an author better known for her children's books, set mainly in the corridors of London hospitals in the 1920s and 1930s. Both those books were among a flurry of books I read over the Christmas holidays.
As was Speaking From Among the Bones by Alan Bradley, which was an enjoyable return to the Flavia de Luce mysteries. I very much enjoyed my introduction to The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, and can now join the rest of the world in looking forward to being able to watch the movie adaptation with an informed opinion. It was one of my favourite books of the year, as was The Swallows’ Flight by Hilary McKay, which I read at the start of the year, and involves some of the children of some of the characters of The Skylarks’ War, who are now living through the second world war.
I have minor resolutions about what I'd like to read in 2025, but they're not worth sharing.
I watched the tremendous The Quiet Girl on DVD, and the exuberant Matilda the Musical on the small screen. I didn’t feel like posting about any of the movies that I saw in the cinema.
I watched A Small Light (over many months. Now that I can catch up whenever it suits me, I’m usually very slow at getting through TV dramas.) The story of Miep Gies, who helped hide the Frank family and four others in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation, while her husband Jan joined the resistance, it was a look at the bravery of those who withstood the growing evil of Nazism as their society was degraded by it before their eyes. Despite knowing the story of Anne Frank, watching the story behind it was very worthwhile.
The other TV show that I wrote about was The Great British Sewing Bee, now presented by genial former festive special contestant Kiell Smith-Bynoe, with Patrick and Esme returning as judges. When everyone found the first pattern challenge hard, I was a little worried about the standard, but most of the contestants got into the swing of things. I also feel that what they’re being asked to do is much harder than it was in past series; of course, there’s a need to come up with new challenges. The shock was that Alex went out when she did – I’d expected to see her in the final, I was rooting for Pascha, but Luka was a worthy winner.
I watched less tennis than last year, sadly, although I’m glad I got to see it at the Olympics, where they were playing at Roland Garros. On the women’s side, Sabalenka came through by the end of the year to deservedly take world no. 1, having won two majors. (I could see her winning Wimbledon one day.) Swiatek was no. 2, and underscored her dominance on clay by defending the French Open, although we’ll see if (after the whole thing with the sleeping tablets) she can resurrect the rivalry with Sabalenka. Kreijikova was this year’s unexpected winner at Wimbledon, but she is a former Grand Slam champion. Qwinwen Zheng is probably one to watch for next year, having won the gold medal and a lot of important matches. But don’t underestimate Coco Gauff, for despite her serve and her forehand woes, and despite not being able to defend the US Open, she’s still been one of the best players of 2024. So too was Jasmine Paolini, finding a whole new level this year (perhaps because of fitness) and spearheading Italy’s win of the Billie Jean King cup. Lastly, or I will start naming every female player I have watched or had an opinion about this year, I hope that Elena Rybakina will have a better 2025. Her health (and possibly personal issues) has repeatedly checked her, and yet, when she’s at her best, she is a top-flight player. Apparently she is now working with Goran Ivanisevic. (Can you imagine if he helps her improve her serve!?)
On the men’s side, Jannick Sinner took that step up at the Australian Open and built on it all year. Deservedly world no. 1, the absolute best right now on hard courts, he helped Italy to retain the Davis Cup (arguably what started his improvement from very good to great in ’23) and has apparently helped the country fall in love with the sport. The sword of Damocles (as wielded by WADA) hangs above him (it depends if they want to use him as an example to shut down any precedents, and while I don’t think he’s a doping cheat, I think it is his responsibility to have staff who are professional. However, the testing regime could be fairer, and like Swiatek, he had access to better representation than lower ranked players who could have tested positive for trace results in similar circumstances.)
The second best player of 2024 was probably my favourite – the sparkling young genius that is Carlos Alcaraz. Winning the French and Wimbledon back to back is still a serious achievement (and defending Wimbledon, even if Djokovic had a dodgy leg). He’s doubled his grand slam titles (surpassing legends) and he’s still so young, which means he still has to figure out a few things about shot selection, scheduling and managing his body, as well as dealing with being a global sporting star. Novak Djokovic reached a new phase this year, I think. No grand slams to distance himself further from Nadal, but that gold medal in Paris was clearly priceless. He tore through the field at Wimbledon despite coming back from an injury, so write him off at your peril (with Murray in his camp.) Zverev…still hasn’t won a Grand Slam (and I’ve written about how distasteful I find his reported abusive history with women.) Draper and Musetti made breakthroughs in a year when Del Potro, Thiem, Murray and Nadal exited the scene.
As for the Olympics, I mainly watched tennis, gymnastics and athletics (I’m really pleased that the remarkable Mondo Duplantis got due attention in sporting round-ups of the year), and in the Paralympics, I mainly watched para-swimming and para-athletics.
I only read one book by any of the big four, Two Joans at the Abbey by Elsie J. Oxenham, a late book in the Abbey girls series. I only realised when reviewing it that Seven Sisters at Queen Anne’s by Evelyn Smith is the start of a series about the Shortt sisters at Queen Anne’s school, and that I’d already read one book about them. I think that Thanks to Mr Jones by Phyllis Mathewman is also part of a ‘holiday adventure’ series. (Mr Jones is a dog.) I continued reading the Daisy Dalrymple mysteries series by Carola Dunn, where in Fall of a Philanderer Alec’s holiday is ruined by a murder that his wife investigates. Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger closed the extremely fun young adult Finishing School stories, about Sophronia Tremminnick and her friends, who have been trained as spies in an alternate Victorian England, where there are supernatural beings and others involved in intrigue and plots.
I enjoyed reading The Guides in Hanover Lane by Anne Bradley, the only Guide book I think I read in 2024, and The School on Cloud Ridge by Mabel Esther Allan, a story about the start of a progressive, mixed-gender boarding school. I don’t think ‘enjoyed’ is quite the right word for Pandora of Parrham Royal by Violet Needham, where supernatural elements interact with a family in an English country house. 'Impressed by' covers it better, and it wasn't a girls own book, strictly speaking.
Neither was The Rose Round by Meriol Trevor, in which young Matt Rendal goes to join his stepsister for the holidays at Woodhall, where she works, and both become increasingly involved with the unhappy Ayre family. Meanwhile, in The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope, set in the US, the past has an even greater influence as Peggy Grahame finds out her family’s history via ghosts who are kinder to her than her living relatives.
Speaking of family, or a clan, A Tangled Web by L. M. Montgomery is an account of how aunt Becky’s jug and other bequests affected her relatives. It’s not my favourite book by Montgomery for adults, but there’s much to enjoy in it. Sister Anne Resigns by Josephine Elder was a more realistic book for adults by an author better known for her children's books, set mainly in the corridors of London hospitals in the 1920s and 1930s. Both those books were among a flurry of books I read over the Christmas holidays.
As was Speaking From Among the Bones by Alan Bradley, which was an enjoyable return to the Flavia de Luce mysteries. I very much enjoyed my introduction to The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, and can now join the rest of the world in looking forward to being able to watch the movie adaptation with an informed opinion. It was one of my favourite books of the year, as was The Swallows’ Flight by Hilary McKay, which I read at the start of the year, and involves some of the children of some of the characters of The Skylarks’ War, who are now living through the second world war.
I have minor resolutions about what I'd like to read in 2025, but they're not worth sharing.
I watched the tremendous The Quiet Girl on DVD, and the exuberant Matilda the Musical on the small screen. I didn’t feel like posting about any of the movies that I saw in the cinema.
I watched A Small Light (over many months. Now that I can catch up whenever it suits me, I’m usually very slow at getting through TV dramas.) The story of Miep Gies, who helped hide the Frank family and four others in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation, while her husband Jan joined the resistance, it was a look at the bravery of those who withstood the growing evil of Nazism as their society was degraded by it before their eyes. Despite knowing the story of Anne Frank, watching the story behind it was very worthwhile.
The other TV show that I wrote about was The Great British Sewing Bee, now presented by genial former festive special contestant Kiell Smith-Bynoe, with Patrick and Esme returning as judges. When everyone found the first pattern challenge hard, I was a little worried about the standard, but most of the contestants got into the swing of things. I also feel that what they’re being asked to do is much harder than it was in past series; of course, there’s a need to come up with new challenges. The shock was that Alex went out when she did – I’d expected to see her in the final, I was rooting for Pascha, but Luka was a worthy winner.
I watched less tennis than last year, sadly, although I’m glad I got to see it at the Olympics, where they were playing at Roland Garros. On the women’s side, Sabalenka came through by the end of the year to deservedly take world no. 1, having won two majors. (I could see her winning Wimbledon one day.) Swiatek was no. 2, and underscored her dominance on clay by defending the French Open, although we’ll see if (after the whole thing with the sleeping tablets) she can resurrect the rivalry with Sabalenka. Kreijikova was this year’s unexpected winner at Wimbledon, but she is a former Grand Slam champion. Qwinwen Zheng is probably one to watch for next year, having won the gold medal and a lot of important matches. But don’t underestimate Coco Gauff, for despite her serve and her forehand woes, and despite not being able to defend the US Open, she’s still been one of the best players of 2024. So too was Jasmine Paolini, finding a whole new level this year (perhaps because of fitness) and spearheading Italy’s win of the Billie Jean King cup. Lastly, or I will start naming every female player I have watched or had an opinion about this year, I hope that Elena Rybakina will have a better 2025. Her health (and possibly personal issues) has repeatedly checked her, and yet, when she’s at her best, she is a top-flight player. Apparently she is now working with Goran Ivanisevic. (Can you imagine if he helps her improve her serve!?)
On the men’s side, Jannick Sinner took that step up at the Australian Open and built on it all year. Deservedly world no. 1, the absolute best right now on hard courts, he helped Italy to retain the Davis Cup (arguably what started his improvement from very good to great in ’23) and has apparently helped the country fall in love with the sport. The sword of Damocles (as wielded by WADA) hangs above him (it depends if they want to use him as an example to shut down any precedents, and while I don’t think he’s a doping cheat, I think it is his responsibility to have staff who are professional. However, the testing regime could be fairer, and like Swiatek, he had access to better representation than lower ranked players who could have tested positive for trace results in similar circumstances.)
The second best player of 2024 was probably my favourite – the sparkling young genius that is Carlos Alcaraz. Winning the French and Wimbledon back to back is still a serious achievement (and defending Wimbledon, even if Djokovic had a dodgy leg). He’s doubled his grand slam titles (surpassing legends) and he’s still so young, which means he still has to figure out a few things about shot selection, scheduling and managing his body, as well as dealing with being a global sporting star. Novak Djokovic reached a new phase this year, I think. No grand slams to distance himself further from Nadal, but that gold medal in Paris was clearly priceless. He tore through the field at Wimbledon despite coming back from an injury, so write him off at your peril (with Murray in his camp.) Zverev…still hasn’t won a Grand Slam (and I’ve written about how distasteful I find his reported abusive history with women.) Draper and Musetti made breakthroughs in a year when Del Potro, Thiem, Murray and Nadal exited the scene.
As for the Olympics, I mainly watched tennis, gymnastics and athletics (I’m really pleased that the remarkable Mondo Duplantis got due attention in sporting round-ups of the year), and in the Paralympics, I mainly watched para-swimming and para-athletics.