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Here is the Folder to tell us what your monthly reads for January 2022 were. What books did you start the new year with?

Please provide:
~ A GoodReads link
~ A few sentences telling us how you felt about the book.
~ How would you rate the book

For the month of January, I read four (4) books: 3 historical fiction & 1 political thriller.

Historical Fiction:

- Half Life by Jillian Cantor
- The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray
- The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict

Political Thriller:

- State of Terror by Hillary Clinton & Louise Penny

Good January, Simon. The only one you weren't totally sold on was the Curie novel, as i recall.

My January reading was odd because the first week i couldn't read, due to that cataract surgery i've mentioned far too often. :-) Another oddity is that most of the time afterwards i had three books going at once. I'm not sure how that happened but it continues to this moment. ANYway, here are the books i read last month.

The Grammarians--Cathleen Schine. This is about twin sisters who grow up entranced by words & their usage. Ultimately, they end up in a public feud over whether language should be preserved as learned or should expand to include life as we know it. This book engaged me.

Call Us What We Carry--Amanda Gorman. Known for poem at Biden's inauguration, this volume explores the last few years of US history--COVID, politics, gender language and on. This book would probably be more entertaining listened to, although readers would miss some of her vision poems, which make shapes.

The Maid--Nita Prose. Sweet mystery about a socially awkward young woman who works at a swanky NYC hotel. She relishes her job and feels the highest praise can come from those she serves. This book is a pleasure to read, although there were a couple of moments of dis-ease, when readers felt she was being railroaded.

The Ravine: A Family, a Photograph, a Holocaust Massacre Revealed--Wendy Lower. Thanks to Dem for leading the way on this excellent book about what the author learned from looking at one photo of a WWII massacre. She learned who shot the film, who were doing the shooting and even who was being shot, despite having only the clues the photo offered. This book is wonderful in explaining how much research and archiving has been and continues to be accomplished about the Holocaust and its casualties.

The Faithful Gardener: A Wise Tale About That Which Can Never Die--Clarissa Pinkola Estés. A book partly about storytelling but also a book to inspire those who have lost homes, lives and other important parts of their lives. This book would be reassuring for those in mourning, imo.

Pray for Silence--Linda Castillo. Former Amish member, now police captain, seeks the murders of a family of seven. It was a bit more graphic than i care to read but the story was compelling. This book is part of a series, which i will not continue to read.

The Mountaintop--Katori Hall. I think it was Jennifer who led me to this play. It's set in the last hotel room Martin Luther King, Jr., stayed with a maid entering to give him coffee. It is the night before his murder. This play/book started out uncomfortable for me but made a turn i found inspiring.

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit--Michael Finkel. The story of a man arrested for thievery, who, as it turns out, had been living in the cold Maine woods for over 25 years. How he survived, how locals felt about him and how the author reached out to him are all rendered in a straightforward manner. This book also explores hermits from history, all of which i enjoyed.

Firekeeper's Daughter--Angeline Boulley. This is a YA about a teenage young woman who becomes involved in a drugs and possible murder infestation in & around her reservation/tribe in Saulte Ste. Marie, Michigan. This book was a pleasure to read because it incorporated the teen's spiritual connection to her ancestors, as well as illustrating that Natives have the same worries as any other teen.

Gone for Good--Joanna Schaffhausen. The initial in a new series of mysteries about a Chicago detective. After being dormant 20 years, a serial killer resumes his torturous murdering. Working with her ex-husband, her family (because she knew the last victim of the earlier set) and the department, she puts herself in harms way. This book follows a check list, but was most objectionable because, as usual, the MC puts her own life in danger.

madrano wrote: "Good January, Simon. The only one you weren't totally sold on was the Curie novel, as i recall."

I gave that one (Half Life) four stars, but found myself more interested in the Marie Curie chapters just because she's so well known - but good book overall :)

madrano wrote: "My January reading was odd because the first week i couldn't read, due to that cataract surgery i've mentioned far too often. :-) Another oddity is that most of the time afterwards i had three book..."

Wow - you've knocked off a fair amount of challenge categories there! Grammarians and Maid seem interesting.

My reads as follow, being in a couple of challenges this year, I've tried to select ones that qualify for categories, as well as might interest others...

Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald ⭐⭐��


/review/show...



Passenger To Tehran by Vita Sackville-West ⭐⭐��


/review/show...


Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert ⭐⭐⭐⭐


/review/show...



Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell ⭐⭐⭐⭐


/review/show...


Being Invisible by Thomas Berger ⭐⭐��


/review/show...

Simon, I've enjoyed Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series and am looking forward to one day reading her new book. Glad you enjoyed it.
Interesting list of books.

Petra wrote: "Simon, I've enjoyed Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series and am looking forward to one day reading her new book. Glad you enjoyed it.
Interesting list of books."

Thanks Petra :) - it's a read that gets you very engaged quickly and can't stop!

Deb, that's an impressive list! What a wonderful way to spend January.

Coincidently, I also have a copy of The Ravine from the library at the moment. I haven't started it yet and am glad to hear that it's good. I enjoy learning about this sort of archeological, "delving into history" techniques and how much can be found out.

John, thank you for the interesting reviews. They gave me a perspective on the book's contents.

Petra wrote: "John, thank you for the interesting reviews. They gave me a perspective on the book's contents."

Your kind comments much appreciated.

John, your reviews and comments are most welcome. You seemed to have a pretty varied reading month.

I was particularly interested in the Bythell book, as i did very much like the first. I learned much about selling books in this day & age. But the characters were the highlight.

I've added the Gilbert mystery to my list, as it sounds curious, even though i do not know the series. I'm grateful when reviewers tell readers if it is important or not to have read the earlier books.

The entries about Fitzgerald and VS-W were welcome, as they are two i know of but haven't read.

Petra wrote: "Deb, that's an impressive list! What a wonderful way to spend January.

Coincidently, I also have a copy of The Ravine from the library at the moment. I haven't started it yet and am glad to hear ..."

I really couldn't agree more. I find this type of book has me reading rapidly because i like learning the "hows" of the investigating.

Simon wrote: "I gave that one (Half Life) four stars, but found myself more interested in the Marie Curie chapters just because she's so well known - but good book overall :)..."

I remembered that it was the "other" life you weren't fond of but i thought the star number was 3. Four is good.

John wrote: "Wow - you've knocked off a fair amount of challenge categories there! Grammarians and Maid seem interesting ..."

Grammarians is considered a humorous novel but, frankly, i found more humor in the Maid. For me, the Grammarian humor so fit the characters, that i didn't really consider it funny, just a better realization of the characters. I'm not sure that makes sense. However, my daughter, who shared the book with me, said she agreed about the lack of laughs. Maybe humor is just a matter of authorship when reading.

madrano wrote: "My January reading was odd because the first week i couldn't read, due to that cataract surgery i've mentioned far too often. :-) Another oddity is that most of the time afterwards i had three book..."

Wow ! You had a stellar reading month.

John wrote: "My reads as follow, being in a couple of challenges this year, I've tried to select ones that qualify for categories, as well as might interest others...

Offshore by [author:Penelope..."


Excellent month, John. You are really doing well with the challenges.

One thing I like about the challenges it expands the slate of books I read.

It´s an impressive list that you have read!

My reading month was a bit slowlier as in another group I´m participating in a challenge to read books you already own, and this month´ assignment was to read books > 500 pages. I am a bit low on books this month not only because I read some bigger ones, but also in general that I didn´t come right into the rhythm.

To my list:
Shattering the Ley: I wrote about the book earlier. It was a nice read, but I disliked the writing style.

Killer of Men: In this book Arimnesots, an Ancient Greek warrior tells his life story. From the story, this book wasn´t that bad, but I didn´t like the writing style that much (again ;) ). But not because of the syntax or similar but because of the retrospective talking the pace was a bit missing. There were some tensed scenes that would have been better when it would have been written fast-paced, but in the retrospective talk it didn´t live up to the expectations.

Florian, it's a shame the author's (Christian Cameron) pacing went askew, as the story sounds exciting. I see this is the first of a series, so i looked up the rest. They will cover much rich history of ancient Greece. Do you think you will try to read further in the series?

I must admit the challenge of reading books you already own is a good one. How many of us have miles of unread books we purchased? Me, for one.

Florian wrote: I´m participating in a challenge to read books you already own,."

That's a great task. I have to say, since covid I basically have read eBooks and a few books I've owned. It really has turned me into a eBook fan.

These are the books I started 2022 reading. I discussed the books in more detail during the month.

Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford
Non Fiction - memoir
Rated- 4/5

This debut book was published in 2021. The book starts of slow and is a bit disjointed at times. It's a slender book at around 200 pages. I usually say a book should have been edited down. This one I think would have benefited from about 50 more pages to flesh out the characters and story.

It's a poignant coming of age story of a women who has a difficult and painful upbringing. Ford is raised by her single mom who has her own issues. Her father is in prison for decades for a crime that is not disclosed until later in the book.

I felt it was an authentic account of her feelings and experiences and I appreciated her honesty. I also found her story inspirational.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Fiction
Rate: 2/5
This 496 page novel is about a biological organism known as astrophage that is eating the sun. That is causing our sun to dim and thus the eminent demise of life on earth. Our protagonist, Ryland Grace, is sent into space to figure out how to kill the astrophage. The writing was weak and seemed juvenile to me. The vast majority of the book is a tedious scientific technical science dump. I don't know if the science even makes sense. Maybe science nerds would love this. For me, it made my eyes glaze over and I began to skim. The book is just page after page about fixing things on the spacecraft as each new problem arises and Ryland, who was a high school science teacher, MacGuyver's to fix things with an alien buddy he hooks up with. I had high hopes for this one but found it to be a major disappointment. Maybe it's because sci-fi is not a favorite genre for me.

An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen
Fiction - Play
Rate: 4/5
I read the eBook and also listened to the L.A. Theater Works production.

The play revolves around the protagonist, Dr. Stockman, who discovers that the towns water pipes and spa baths are polluted by the tanners upstream. He wants to expose this find but the townsfolk don't want to pay the exorbitant cost to fix the pipes and also know they face economic devastation if the polluted waters become known as the healing baths are the towns main tourist attraction. They decide to declare the doctor An Enemy Of The People and they want to run him out of town. Will the doctor be a profile in courage ?

Stress Less, Accomplish More by Emily Fletcher
Non fiction-self help
Rate: 1/5
The book is basically a repetitive infomercial for her expensive online course and in person teaching.

If you are serious about learning meditation there are much better books and teachers out there. I would start with Thich Nhat Hanh or Pema Chodron. Skip it.

Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart
Fiction
Rate: 3/5

I participated in the NY Public Library and the local radio station WNYC discussion of the novel. The reviews were mixed. The issues I had with the novel and discussed in more detail during the month, others in the Zoom discussion also brought up.

The novel takes place in NYC as the covid virus just begins to grip the city. A group of friends decide to leave the city and wait it out at the upstate Hudson Valley compound of their Russian friend, his wife and daughter.

The first third of the book was promising. The middle a bit boring. The last part of the book were pages and pages of bizarre rambling hallucinations by one character. Where was the editor ? For a book about a pandemic it fell surprisingly flat with little excitement or urgency.


The Mountaintop by Katori Hall
Fiction
Audio- L.A. Theater Works production
Rate: 3/5
Thank you to Jennifer for recommending this play. I enjoyed the L.A.T.W's production. I imagine this would be a powerful play to see performed on the stage.

State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton Louise Penny
Fiction- Thriller
Rate: 4/5

Thank you to Simon for recommending the book.

I don't often read thrillers. However, I thought I would give one a try. Well, this one sure is a page turner. The novel follows the new Secretary of State as she and the new administration battle against terrorists with nukes. Unfortunately, an all to real existential threat to us all.

I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars. I took away one star because at times it was a bit confusing and I found it hard to keep track of all the characters. The book could have been edited down a bit.

Still, if thrillers are your jam, this one is for you.

May have been one star, but at least you can cross off the self-help challenge category.

John wrote: "May have been one star, but at least you can cross off the self-help challenge category."

True. However, once I realized it was really just a gimmick to sell her products, I started to skim a lot. So I don't know if I want to include it.

I exceeded my reading month in January so I am going to have to break up the books on here. I read 20 books! I wish I knew where the reading energy came from as I would love to bottle it up and use it for other things! lol

My first 10 books of the year are as follows:

It Sleeps at Dawn by Anthony Renfro - 3 stars.
My review:
/review/show...


Valor by John Gwynne - 5 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

The Art of Human Hunting: Extreme Horror by Sea Caummisar - 5 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

I Call Upon Thee by Ania Ahlborn - 4 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

Tales From The Parkland by Ronald McGillvray - 5 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

A Suburban Haunting by Matt Shaw - 4 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

Blood Seance by John Kaden - 5 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

Ruin by John Gwynne - 5 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

Donn, TX 1969 by Eric Butler - 5 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker - 5 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

So there are my first 10 of the month and I will come back over here later today or this evening and put up the other 10 books. :)

Alias, that's a healthy reading month. I like that you join in book group reads, giving their selections a try. This is something i seldom do, other than with Book Nook people.

As for crediting the self-help book, you read several a year, so you need not enter this one if you feel icky about it. Yes, i wrote "icky".

Marie wrote: "I exceeded my reading month in January so I am going to have to break up the books on here. I read 20 books! I wish I knew where the reading energy came from as I would love to bottle it up and use..."

I hear ya on bottling up that energy for other things, Marie. Twenty books is remarkable, so i was amused when you wished the first one was longer! Of course that's what makes stories hum. Then there are the Ahlborn book, where the "play by play" (good description) bogs the book down. It's a fine line for authors.

The McGillvray collection got high marks from many, many GR readers. Good for him. And i treasure the "four Haunting Tormented stars!" for the Shaw book and the "five Harvesting Horror stars." for Donn, Tx. Delightful.

Looking forward to reading about the next 10. Thanks for sharing with us.

Here is what I read last month:

First Degree (4-star) -a fun visit with Andy Carpenter and Tara. These earlier episodes show how the friendships were established and grew.
This is a light series and a fun one to read.
Review: /review/show...

Moms (2 star) -a graphic novel that is supposed to be a funny look at the author's mother's life and that of her friends. I did not find it funny at all. I also found that the 5 characters in this book all blended together; their stories were so much alike and they were drawn in a similar manner.
Review: /review/show...

The Chimes (4-star) - the second of Charles Dickens' Christmas stories. This was another heartfelt story. This was a good Holiday story, set on New Year's Eve day.
Review: /review/show...

A Killer in King's Cove (3-star; audio) - as the first of a series, this was a bit slow as it introduced all the characters and gave their back-stories. That said, the characters are interesting and they have their flaws and hardships, making them real. The mystery was interesting. I will listen to the next in the series. It was a good story to listen to while out jogging.
Review: /review/show...

Re: Our Country Friends

madrano wrote: "Alias, that's a healthy reading month. I like that you join in book group reads, giving their selections a try. This is "

Deb, I don't often join in online group discussions. However, since I read the book earlier in the month and NYPL was doing the discussion, I thought I would listen in. It was a novel that I did want to hear what others had to say about it.

Marie wrote: "I exceeded my reading month in January so I am going to have to break up the books on here. I read 20 books! I wish I knew where the reading energy came from as I would love to bottle it up and use..."

20 books ! Wow ! Thanks for sharing, Marie.

Petra wrote: "Here is what I read last month:

First Degree (4-star) -a fun visit with Andy Carpenter and Tara. These earlier episodes show how the friendships were established and grew.
This is ..."

I read and enjoyed The Chimes as part of a book that had a lovely Holiday collection. A Christmas Carol / The Chimes / The Cricket on the Hearth.

Petra, nice month of reading. I keep saying i will read more Charles Dickens yet fail to do so. His characters are fascinatin' creatures.

The covers of those Iona Whishaw mysteries are well drawn. A couple of them remind me of one version of the Nancy Drew: #1-64 series but most resemble some vacation notecards we purchased in Wales. I don't know the style but it warms me to look at them.

Moms sounds awful but maybe one has to have family like that? I don't know, but i'm grateful i didn't have a mom like that. :-)

Alias Reader wrote: "Re: Our Country Friends

I thought I would listen in. It was a novel that I did want to hear what others had to say about it...."

I can easily see wanting to know what others thought of a book that let me down after a promising beginning. Good idea.

Alias Reader wrote: "Florian wrote: I´m participating in a challenge to read books you already own,."

That's a great task. I have to say, since covid I basically have read eBooks and a few books I've owned. It really ..."

madrano wrote: "Florian, it's a shame the author's (Christian Cameron) pacing went askew, as the story sounds exciting. I see this is the first of a series, so i looked up the rest. They will cover..."
I also mostly read ebooks now. Reason is as well just the simple fact that the books don´t take that much room away

Probably I won´t go reading the next book, unless it falls coincidentally in my hands (via library). The series is about the Persian War (I really like the Ancient history) and the second book includes the battle of Marathon.

@Marie: 20 books in a month is really fascinating! Also nice that there were many good books (>4 stars) among them

madrano wrote: "Looking forward to reading about the next 10. Thanks for sharing with us...."

You are welcome, Deb! The next 10 will be up shortly.

I really did enjoy those last 10 books I posted - they were fun reads!

Alias Reader wrote: "20 books ! Wow ! Thanks for sharing, Marie..."

You are welcome, Alias! :)

Florian wrote: "@Marie: 20 books in a month is really fascinating! Also nice that there were many good books (>4 stars) among them..."

Thank you, Florian. :)

So my next 10 books are as follows:

The Suicide Lake by Michael Penning - 5 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates - 4 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

Peekers by Kealan Patrick Burke - 2 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

Wrath by John Gwynne - 5 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

A Witch's Lament by Cathy Walker - 4 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

The Troop by Nick Cutter - 5 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

Slattery Falls by Brennan LaFaro - 4 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

True Hauntings Of America: 13 of the Scariest Locations You Should Never Step Foot In by Max Mason Hunter - 3 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

The Whispering Dead by Darcy Coates - 4 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

Stirred by J.A. Konrath - 5 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

That is my wrap for these 10 books.

Overall thoughts for all 20 books - I was really happy with most of my reads. The biggest disappointment was the book Peekers by Kealan Patrick Burke. I had read a book by him about three years ago that I thought was great, but this short story was just "off-kilter" and I have owned that book for a long time so it was disappointing and even as short as it was I felt that even an hour of my time was wasted on it.

Other than that the other books for January I felt had a lot of bright spots. But I feel that not all books will be great - there are going to be duds and we just have to keep striving to find those book treasures that are lurking on our tbr's. :)

madrano wrote: "The covers of those Iona Whishaw mysteries are well drawn. A couple of them remind me of one version of the Nancy Drew: #1-64 series but most resemble some vacation notecards we purchased in Wales. I don't know the style but it warms me to look at them.."

Thanks, Deb!
Funny that you mention the covers. The scenery and landscape plays a large role in in the story for bringing peace to the heroine's spirit. She is suffering from memories of the war and the landscape brings her calmness.

Marie wrote: "So my next 10 books are as follows:

The Suicide Lake by Michael Penning - 5 stars.
My review:
/review/show...

[book:Ghost Camera..."

Marie, what a wonderful month of reading.
It's too bad that there was a dud amongst them, but most of these books were winners. That's wonderful!

Florian wrote: "Probably I won´t go reading the next book, unless it falls coincidentally in my hands (via library). The series is about the Persian War (I really like the Ancient history) and the second book includes the battle of Marathon...."

Thanks for the replies, Florian. Like you i enjoy ancient history but am only so-so about series based on them. One-off, i'm fine, though.

Petra wrote: "Funny that you mention the covers. The scenery and landscape plays a large role in in the story for bringing peace to the heroine's spirit. She is suffering from memories of the war and the landscape brings her calmness...."

I like when novels (& nf, too, actually) illustrate how useful the land and scenery can help people in overcoming their sadness. Sometimes it's a surprise, other times it's intentional but it seems to work.

Thanks for sharing more of you January reviews, Marie. Some of them sound thrilling. I'm most drawn to Darcy Coates story about photos of ghosts in old cameras. Neat idea with a number of different ways the story could go.

I can see why you were disappointed in the Peekers. Readers like answers and it sounds as this author failed in that regard.

John Gwynne's series has really grabbed you. That's three you read in January. I love when a series excites readers so!

Your enthusiasm for new-to-you author Nick Cutter is fun to read about. I hope there are many more for you.

The book about True Hauntings is just the sort of book which got me hooked on reading back in my youth. I barely realized i was often also learning history. Adding this title to my TBR.

The Jack Daniels series continues to entice. I'm hoping i'll be able to find some when i return to book stores.

What a terrific month you had, Marie. I hope February is as full of fine books for your reading pleasure.

It's great to see such enthusiastic readers and such a variety of books. Nice going everyone. 🙂👍🌟

I echo every letter and emoji Barbara posted!

Ditto !

madrano wrote: "Thanks for sharing more of you January reviews, Marie. Some of them sound thrilling. I'm most drawn to Darcy Coates story about photos of ghosts in old cameras. Neat idea with a nu..."

Thank you so much, Deb! That is cool that you added the True Haunting book to your tbr. I was in that phase for awhile with reading a bunch of those kind of books too as a lot of those places tell of the history for the area which was fascinating to me.

I hope February is a good month too but I doubt I will be reading 20 books - I don't think I will find that reading energy again! lol

John Gwynne is an amazing author in the fantasy genre - he has about three other series out there that I need to read but his books are usually "tomes" so I need to figure out when to step into them. lol

Here's what I read this month:

I reread my copy of The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. I've probably read it half a dozen times now since I discovered it on a bookshelf in my grandparents' house when I was a little kid. It's fun how each rereading brings a slightly better understanding now that I'm old enough to fully understand it. It is of course a classic adventure tale with plenty of sword fights and political intrigue.

I became interested in the Track series by Jason Reynolds for middle school readers because of hearing the school librarian where I work recommend the first book, Ghost. Each story focuses on the viewpoint of a different athlete going through their rookie year on a track team.

Ghost, otherwise known as Castle Crenshaw, is a young African American boy who struggles to find his path and happens to wander down to watch the athletes at the track one day. After challenging a sprinter to a race, Ghost is asked by the Coach to be part of the team. Ghost struggles to make the right decisions, deal with a bully, and to make friends both on the track and at school.

Patina is about a young girl who is raised by her Aunt and Uncle after her father dies and her mother deals with having her legs amputated because of diabetes. Patina, known as Patty, struggles to help raise her younger sister, deal with being an African American girl who goes to a private school with mostly white classmates, support her birth mother, and must learn to get along with her teammates to compete in a 800 meter relay race. I thought the author did a remarkable job of writing from a young woman's point of view.

Sunny is quite different from the first two books in that it is written in diary form. This made it harder to read and understand, but gives an interesting insight into what the character is thinking. Sunny struggles with the fact that his Mom died giving birth to him, tries to get along with his father, and is the long distance runner on the track team. His father pushed him to run because his mother had been a marathon runner. However, Sunny is tired of winning the mile race all the time and wants to try dancing instead. However, he can't bear to not be with his best friends and teammates. His Coach, after seeing Sunny's dance moves is inspired to introduce Sunny to the world of discus throwing. Can Sunny learn to throw the discus in time to compete with his team at their next meet?

The Track series is an interesting set of novels that show young teens, the struggles they face, and the friends and adults who support them. I'm currently reading the fourth and final book in the series, Lu

Dru83 wrote: I became interested in the Track series by Jason Reynolds for middle school readers because of hearing the school librarian where I work recommend the first book, Ghost. Each story focuses on the viewpoint of a different athlete going through their rookie year on a track team..."

I never heard of this series. Thanks for sharing.

Dru83 wrote: "Here's what I read this month:

I reread my copy of The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. I've probably read it half a dozen times now since I discovered it on a bookshelf in my ..."

I like Dumas once in awhile but you sure can tell he got paid by the word.

"Excuse me sir," he parlayed, while spreading a bit of fat on a morsel of bread, "but do you believe you might find it expedient at some point in the near future, at your convenience of course, and of course I do not mean to trouble you in the least, in fact I would sooner swallow my own horse's shoes than put you out of countenance for so much as the blinking of an eye, but sir, I do beg you, if at some point you are feeling charitable and are kindly disposed towards me can you pass the salt?"

That being said, Count of Monte Cristo is a favorite of mine.