FurrowedmiddlebrowClub

pick

Objectively speaking, not a very good book (or mystery), but hilariously campy, silly, and hysterically gothic. I had great fun reading #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub reviews prior to starting, and everyone's comments on Cynthia really prepared me for her inability to understand what is happening right in front of her eyes 🙈 One is tempted to give her a copy of Northanger Abbey; better to be a Catherine Morland than a Cynthia! 🤣 Justice for Spot, btw.

batsy I almost screamed when having heard Gillman and Sybil discuss what can only be nefarious plans that involve her, Cynthia took a sip of the coffee that was brought to her and was like, "This tastes so weird, Sybil!" Then eats the rest of the breakfast like, "Hmm, all of this tastes so weird!!!" ? Even Spot, may he rest in peace, would have known better and barked at the toast. 20h

batsy @Aimeesue @CarolynM @catebutler @Cathythoughts @elkeOriginal @erzascarletbookgasm @Jess_Read_This @jlhammar @julieclair @Kimzey @kwmg40 @LeahBergen @Lizpixie @MrsK @quietjenn @rubyslippersreads @Ruthiella @Tamra @Teresereading @willaful 20h

CarolynM Justice for Spot! Our new club motto🤣🤣🤣 Great review. 18h

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batsy @CarolynM Thank you! Lol Spot 4eva 🐶♥️ 17h

Tamra 😆 Yes, poor Spot! 🐾 17h

quietjenn Spot was by far the smartest character in the book 😅 17h

jlhammar 😂 Yes to all of that! Great review. 17h

batsy @Tamra @quietjenn He was definitely the sharpest knife 😂🐶 15h

batsy @jlhammar Thanks! 😁 The group reactions and reviews definitely heightened the fun lol 15h

LeahBergen Poor Spot deserved better! 😆😆 13h

Ruthiella #JusticeforSpot ❤️🐶 The parrot and the dog were doing their darndest to tell Cynthia the truth. 13h

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LeahBergen

Untitled | Anonymous

Omg, everyone! THEY‘RE BACK! 🙀

http://furrowedmiddlebrow.blogspot.com/

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

LeahBergen @erzascarletbookgasm @rubyslippersreads @quietjenn @LeahBergen @CarolynM @Cathythoughts @Ruthiella @batsy @catebutler @elkeOriginal @tamra @kimzey @jess_read_this @MrsK @jlhammar @julieclair @kwmg40 @lizpixie @aimeesue @willaful @teresereading @Tamra @Sace (edited) 2d

Tamra 👏🏾👏🏾 I hope the release day is soon! I didn‘t see a potential date, which is maddening. 😅🤣 2d

quietjenn Hooray! I'd heard they were trying to make it happen, but that was a while ago. Glad they've managed to work it all out! 1d

See All 23 Comments

LeahBergen @Tamra I even checked Amazon for a publication date. 😆 1d

LeahBergen @quietjenn Me, too! 😍 1d

quietjenn @LeahBergen @Tamra the blog post says August 5? Victoria is pretty active on their Facebook page/group, so hopefully she will confirm there soon. 1d

Tamra @quietjenn thank you for the eagle eyes! 🦅 1d

LeahBergen @quietjenn @Tamra Thank you! I just noticed the date on a reread of the post. Oops! I guess I was too excited when I first read the news. 🤣 1d

Jess_Read_This Wait. What?!!! *girl shrieking* ensues. This just made my day to hear this! 1d

LeahBergen @Jess_Read_This Right?? 1d

CarolynM That‘s wonderful news! 😃😍 1d

Ruthiella Awesome! 🤩 1d

Sace @LeahBergen me too! I'm ready to order! 1d

jlhammar Yay! 1d

Aimeesue Huzzah! Such great news! 1d

elkeOriginal Is weird he says other titles ‘may‘ follow? Like…are you really back? What‘s with the uncertainty of ‘may‘?And if pubbing in August then listings need to be up online for ordering! That is soon! 1d

willaful Such wonderful news!

@elkeOriginal things can be precarious for a small press. Whether there are more may depend on how this does. I'm going to buy it and request it at all my libraries, that's for certain! 1d

Cathythoughts Wooohooo🥳 1d

batsy That's some wonderfully uplifting news! ❤️ 21h

LeahBergen @CarolynM @Ruthiella @Sace @jlhammar @Aimeesue @Cathythoughts @batsy Yes! Such happy news! 😍 13h

LeahBergen @elkeOriginal @willaful There was another short newsletter out today regarding the change of company name to Dean Street Press Limited (from the previous Dean Street Press), so perhaps they‘re merely proceeding with caution while restructuring? 🤞 13h

MaureenMc 🙌 10h

elkeOriginal @LeahBergen I just wish while they are working on relaunch, they consider making prettier spines. They are a real low point on my shelves when the fronts are so fun! 9h

40 likes23 comments

Jess_Read_This

The Secret of Greylands | Annie Haynes

so-so

Fellow #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub members, my thanks to you graciously being such good sports to read this novel. I chose it and am horrified how over the top it was! The best parts were your witty comments. I counted two times a villain was twerking his mustache! The simple dialogue and writing, dim heroine, non existent mystery it was all so obvious, and the bizarrely fast forwarded HEA all disappointed.
No cute deck drinks with this book photo! 😒

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Kimzey, catebutler, CarolynM, LeahBergen, Lizpixie, elkeOriginal, Aimeesue, batsy, Tamra, Teresereading, Sace, kwmg40, Cathythoughts, jlhammar, Ruthiella, Sparklemn, julieclair, willaful, MrsK

Tamra I thought it was a fun read bc it was over the top! 😂 2d

Jess_Read_This @Tamra I‘m so glad! I think I felt a little pressure in wondering how everyone was enjoying it/thought of it since I picked it that I probably should have sat back and enjoyed the ride! (edited) 2d

Tamra @Jess_Read_This for sure! Besides, you didn‘t write it! 😉 2d

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Jess_Read_This @Tamra Quite right! 😄 2d

LeahBergen I‘m with @Tamra ! And I‘d actually try another one of her books (someday). 😆 Your new deck looks amazing! 2d

kwmg40 I‘m only halfway through but enjoying it so far. I love all the gothic elements, even if they‘re way overdone! 😂 2d

Jess_Read_This @LeahBergen We had a thunderstorm roll in this afternoon which aptly turned the atmosphere Greylands like for the photo. One of these summer days I‘ll be getting a better drink and patio photo. 😂 So glad you enjoyed the book too! I was so busy overthinking it all! 2d

Jess_Read_This @kwmg40 😂 I did a few times envision this book as a 1930‘s gothic type movie with the dialogue and Cynthia needing help for pretty much everything. I‘m so glad you are enjoying it so far too! 2d

Aimeesue I enjoyed the over-the-topness. Sometimes it‘s fun to scream at the MC “Don‘t go in there, you fool!” and then watch them go in anyway. 😂 2d

jlhammar Gorgeous deck! I‘m not sorry we read it. It was fun for what it was. 2d

Jess_Read_This @Aimeesue 😂That‘s true! There is always a bit of fun in that. 2d

Jess_Read_This @jlhammar Thank you! I‘m so excited to use it this summer. And I‘m glad found a bit of fun in the book. It was not quite what I expected but had so much in the club book chats about it. 2d

Ruthiella Your deck looks fantastic! I‘m with you on this particular title 😂, but the discussion was such fun . 2d

quietjenn No need to be horrified - sometimes it just shakes out that way and it sounded so promising! Hope you'll have many enjoyable days and nights on that deck! 2d

batsy The deck looks lovely! It's very much a so-so book objectively speaking, perhaps even a pan, but the campy OTT hilarity is making me laugh 😆 2d

Jess_Read_This @Ruthiella @quietjenn @batsy You are all simply the best to make me feel better about this book and liking my deck! Fingers crossed more nice days for reading on it this summer. It was a labor of love 😂 My back still isn‘t right lol 1d

CarolynM I once chose a book for my IRL book group that was so bad (pretentious and cringey) that no one got through more than 2 chapters 😬🥴 At least this one was fun to roll your eyes at! And your deck looks fab😍 1d

julieclair I totally enjoyed this book! Yes, it was a far cry from great literature, but it was still a fun read. And the back and forth of everyone‘s comments was a hoot! I think this was a great pick, because we all enjoyed ourselves dissing…. Um, I mean discussing… it. 😘 4h

41 likes18 comments

Sace

The Secret of Greylands | Annie Haynes

Is the universe trying to tell something? #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

jlhammar Most definitely! 3d

Tamra Try it! (edited) 3d

Ruthiella I think so! 😅 3d

See All 7 Comments

LeahBergen It must be! 😆 3d

BarbaraJean I think this is a case of: “If it's free, it's for me!“ (edited) 3d

Jess_Read_This Sounds like it to me! 😆 3d

Sace @jlhammar @Tamra @Ruthiella @LeahBergen @BarbaraJean @Jess_Read_This I just hit the buy with one click button. For my next trick I'll try to read it before the end of May! 3d

41 likes7 comments

Jess_Read_This

The Secret of Greylands | Annie Haynes

After a few false start the last two weeks, I‘ve picked this one up in earnest. And am loving reading the reactions from the #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub. It‘s so campy that already by page 16 a potential bad guy is twirling his mustache and creeping out our helplessly dim heroine.

Even if it doesn‘t turn out to be a good one, the group‘s reactions to it are making it an enjoyable one for me so far.

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Kimzey, erzascarletbookgasm, catebutler, CarolynM, LeahBergen, Lizpixie, elkeOriginal, Aimeesue, batsy, Tamra, Teresereading, kwmg40, Cathythoughts, Ruthiella, Sparklemn, julieclair, willaful, MrsK

Sace Just curious, what's the Furrowed middle brow club? 4d

batsy I'm about midway through and feeling the same! It's so ridiculously campy and truly funny and I keep thinking of everyone's comments about the not quite the sharpest knife in the drawer, Cynthia 😆 4d

Jess_Read_This @Sace It‘s a bookclub here on Litsy where every other month we read a book published by (sadly now shuttered) Dean Street Press. The genre is female writers typically 1910-1960 that write about domestic life, interwar experiences, country life,etc. I think it was Virginia Woolf who coined middlebrow as writing about middle class life. It‘s a great club and it would be great if you join us on the reads! 4d

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Jess_Read_This @batsy 😂 Me too. Cynthia lost me with all the hand wringing just trying to get from the train station to Greylands 4d

Sace Thanks! I'd love to be tagged when the next book is picked. 4d

Jess_Read_This @Sace I will try to find the original post with the schedule and tag you. I believe the rest of the year‘s picks might be scheduled for planning purposes. And feel free to jump in on this months too. We have the entire month for reading and everyone posts their thoughts/reviews and we comment to each other there on the book. 4d

Sace I love Litsy for all the readalongs but it is hard to find the original posts. 4d

Jess_Read_This @Sace I know what you mean! I‘ll try to remember to tag you for the next read too. I think July‘s read will be a good one! 4d

Sace Yes! The July pick is just the kind of thing I like to read! 4d

Ruthiella @Sace I will add you to the tag list for the next group reads in July, September & November and @LeahBergen can add you to the voting list for when we pick new titles for 2025 if you are interested? 😃 4d

Ruthiella @Jess_Read_This I think if you double down on the OTT silliness of this one, you will have fun reading it. 😅 4d

LeahBergen The reactions from everyone in the club whilst reading have been the best! 🤣 4d

LeahBergen @Sace Yes, please join us! I see you‘ve already been directed to the reading schedule post. 👍 4d

willaful @Sace yes indeed! 3d

julieclair Twirling his mustache! 🤣 I can see you‘re already getting into the spirit of this one. Enjoy! 3d

quietjenn Haha, not the most subtle writing, but good fun. 3d

CarolynM I hope you will join us @Sace This group is so much fun🥰 3d

Jess_Read_This @Ruthiella @LeahBergen @julieclair @quietjenn It just keeps getting more and more outrageously over the top. 😂 Thanks for being such good sports in reading my selection because it‘s not at all what I thought it would be. 3d

32 likes18 comments

jlhammar

The Secret of Greylands | Annie Haynes

pick

Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, our Cynthia. I suppose she makes up for it with her “tender, adorable ways.”😆 I was definitely feeling impatient and annoyed with our heroine and would have liked more mystery (the reader pretty much knows what‘s up from the get-go), but still fun for what it is—an entertaining, atmospheric tale.

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Jess_Read_This, Kimzey, erzascarletbookgasm, catebutler, CarolynM, LeahBergen, Lizpixie, elkeOriginal, Aimeesue, batsy, Tamra, Teresereading, kwmg40, Cathythoughts, Ruthiella, Sparklemn, julieclair, willaful, MrsK

julieclair Tender and adorable have to count for something, right? 😆 1w

Tamra Agreed, still fun. It started out so gothic I had hopes the mystery was going to be more substantial. Oh well! 1w

Ruthiella Sharp as a butter knife! 😆 1w

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batsy I'm interested to meet this infamous butter knife of a heroine when I finally get started 😅 All of the reviews about this have piqued my curiosity lol. 1w

quietjenn I did not find her ways tender and adorable 🤣 1w

CarolynM Do you think “tender adorable ways” is manspeak for “nice to look at and too thick to be threatening”? 1w

LeahBergen Oh, our “few sandwiches short of a picnic” Cynthia. 😆😆 1w

jlhammar @CarolynM Oh my gosh, totally! 1w

jlhammar @quietjenn Right? I couldn‘t help but roll my eyes when Sir Donald was saying that to her. What a match they make! 1w

Jess_Read_This I am loving everyone‘s comments and reviews. My reading experience with this book is definitely enhanced by the group‘s reactions to it. 4d

69 likes10 comments

rubyslippersreads

The Secret of Greylands | Annie Haynes

Am I the only one who thought the introduction comparing this to Agatha Christie was a bit much? I enjoyed it, but felt like I could see what was coming a mile away. It was much more Gothic romance to me than murder mystery. And Cynthia might be the dopiest Gothic heroine I‘ve ever encountered. 😂

#FurrowedMiddleBrowClub

rubyslippersreads @quietjenn @Jess_Read_This @Kimzey @erzascarletbookgasm @catebutler @LeahBergen @Lizpixie @elkeOriginal @Gissy @Aimeesue @batsy @Tamra @Teresereading @ kwmg40, @jhammar @ Ruthiella @Sparklemn @julieclair @willaful @Mrsk @CarolynM 2w

Tamra 😆 dopey, yes! 2w

rubyslippersreads Oops, @Ruthiella ☺️ 2w

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quietjenn Definitely not just you, with the intro. 1w

Ruthiella Awesome photo and review! 😂😂😂 I did not read the introduction, but I am vicariously annoyed on Christie‘s behalf. (edited) 1w

willaful @Ruthiella 😂 Also, Christie's characters, though very much types, have some *life* to them. These were such cardboard cutouts. 1w

julieclair Spot! 🥹 And I didn‘t read the intro, but Christie?? Ummm…. that would be no. 😆 1w

jlhammar Poor Spot 😢 Yes, agree with all of that! 1w

batsy Haven't read it yet but I guess the intro writer went all in to sell this book to the reader 😁 1w

CarolynM I skipped the introduction, but it sounds like it might be amusing. This one was nothing like any Agatha Christie I‘ve ever read. 1w

LeahBergen They did Spot dirty in this book. He deserved better. 🤣🤣 1w

rubyslippersreads @LeahBergen #justiceforSpot 🐶 1w

Jess_Read_This Oh geez, I skipped the intro and am glad I missed that comparison. From what I‘ve read so far this no comparison at all. Not even in the remotest of possibilities is this novel comparable to a Christie mystery. 4d

49 likes1 stack add13 comments

CarolynM

The Secret of Greylands | Annie Haynes

pick

OMG Cynthia! Could you be any more of a drip? And your taste in men is terrible. All the “secrets” of this story were so well flagged (I mean, Letchingham? The clue‘s in the name, love) but they just passed you by. Sigh…

But it was good, campy fun and I enjoyed it.

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Jess_Read_This, Kimzey, erzascarletbookgasm, catebutler, LeahBergen, Lizpixie, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, batsy, Tamra, Teresereading, kwmg40, jlhammar, Ruthiella, Sparklemn, julieclair, willaful, MrsK

Ruthiella Haha 😆 I also thought lecherous Lord Letchingham was intentionally named- just in case the reader didn‘t pick up on the veiled reference to her friend being “ruined” by him”. Cynthia was such a noodle. 2w

quietjenn Drip is the perfect word for her. 🤣 2w

willaful @quietjenn yes, she goes on my “heroine is wet“ shelf. 😂

Lord Letchingham's name might have been my favorite part! Don't hold back, tell us how you really feel! 2w

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LeahBergen I immediately laughed at “Lord Lecher”, too 🤣🤣 2w

Centique “The clue‘s in the name love” 😂 I havent read it and yet your review has me cackling out loud! Hope you and the family are all going well 💕 2w

julieclair Cynthia was definitely a drip. With blinders on. 😂 2w

batsy 😆 Haven't read it yet but this review is perfect. 2w

jlhammar 😂 Great review! 2w

sarahbarnes 😂😂😂 2w

Aimeesue Right? Did she never read Dickens? 😂 2w

BookWrym Never heard of this but now I really want to read it 🤣🤣 2w

CarolynM @Centique Hope all is well with you too💕 I‘ll send you an email. 2w

Rissreads All these references have made me snort! 🤣🤣🤣♥️♥️♥️ 7d

Jess_Read_This I‘m twenty pages in and I think I‘m finding everyone‘s comments/reviews a bit more entertaining than the book! 😂 4d

CarolynM @Jess_Read_This Sometimes it‘s fun when everyone piles in on a book😆 3d

71 likes2 stack adds15 comments

quietjenn

Secret of Greylands | Annie Haynes

pick

Hooray for all the Gothic vibes! Boo for a heroine who is, er, let's be kind and say very, incredibly naive. 🤣 As a book, it's super readable and I mostly enjoyed it. But I also did a lot of eye-rolling and had to tamp down some irritation.

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Tamra Yes, 🙄 🙄. Hahaha 2w

LeahBergen “Naive” is a nice way of putting it. 🤣 2w

Ruthiella You are very kind to Cynthia! 😂 But it was fun in its way. 2w

jlhammar Well said! I felt the same. 1w

66 likes4 comments

Ruthiella

The Secret of Greylands | Annie Haynes

so-so

Found this picture on a blog showing book covers with women running away from houses. Check it out: https://fantasy-ink.blogspot.com/2010/11/gothic-romance-covers.html .

I‘m sorry (not sorry) to be a curmudgeon-maybe it‘s all the Nancy Drew I‘ve been reading, but I found the mystery to be blindingly obvious and the hero & heroine to be about interesting as a paper bag & both too stupid to find their way out of one. 🙊

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Jess_Read_This, Kimzey, erzascarletbookgasm, catebutler, CarolynM, LeahBergen, Lizpixie, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, batsy, Tamra, kwmg40, jlhammar, Sparklemn, julieclair, willaful, MrsK

KathyWheeler I love your review! Stupid characters drive me nuts. 2w

willaful I'm with you. 2w

Ruthiella @KathyWheeler Thanks! If the heroine had had any smarts at all, it would have been a very different book. 2w

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Ruthiella @willaful Glad I‘m not alone! 😅 I‘m not mad I read it, but I could have tolerated a wee more actual mystery. 2w

CarolynM 🤣 Too true! 2w

quietjenn 🤣🤣🤣 bahaha. I can't disagree! 2w

Tamra 🤣 great review! I still thought it was fun for those very reasons! The beginning held all the gothic promise of a spooky mystery. Too bad she couldn‘t carry it off. 2w

Suet624 🤣🤣🤣 2w

jlhammar Hilarious review! I‘m not very far in yet. 2w

sarahbarnes 😂😂😂 2w

LeahBergen I agree … and yet I still found it fun! 🤣 2w

Ruthiella @LeahBergen @jlhammar @Tamra @quietjenn @CarolynM I think I would have been more amused if I had known what to expect. Less Du Maurier and more Carolyn Keene. 😆 (edited) 2w

elkeOriginal Fantastic review. 2w

elkeOriginal The link to those covers! Amazing!! 2w

Ruthiella @elkeOriginal Thanks ! 😊 2w

The_Book_Ninja https://x.com/pulplibrarian/status/1789060193508012261?s=46 2w

Ruthiella @The_Book_Ninja Perfect! 🤩 2w

Reggie Lol 7d

Jess_Read_This I‘m only twenty pages in and already Cynthia‘s helplessness is irritating me. 4d

Ruthiella @Jess_Read_This Get used to it! 😂 4d

64 likes20 comments

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