First lines of first posts of each month of 2014. This meme is everywhere so I'm jumping on the bandwagon. Looking through the archives I see I've read some great books this year, so I must do a "best of" before too long. Here goes with the meme, anyway.
January: I must start by saying that this is the first novel of Peter May's that I have read.
The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien
March: This is Afternoon Tea, painted in 1912 by the American artist Charles Bittinger (1879-1970).
April: If you're British, you'll be well used to the concept of the north/south divide.
May: I used to be the most terrific fan of Kathy Reichs' Temperence Brennan novels, then I found myself getting a bit bored and disillusioned -- they seemed to be more and more formulaic.
July: I'm lucky enough to live in rural France, which is lovely in itself, but also great if you want to pop off for a little jaunt to some other glorious places.
August: Does anyone read LP Hartley any more? If not, they really really should.
October: This is 'Reverie', painted by Alfred Stevens in 1854. I suppose the rather dreamy expression signifies that she has been so taken over by what she's just read that she'd finding it hard to reconnect with the real world? I've had that experience -- have you?
November: I've been away from my computer for a week and though I managed to schedule some reviews, I didn't schedule a post for Saturday, the day I usually put a picture on here. So here's something suitable for the season, which has suddenly -- and finally -- turned to autumn after the longest Indian summer I can remember.