Me reread of Willis' bellwether made me want to reread this one.  This is part of the Oxford Time Travel series.  The first time I read the book.  This time I listened to the First Mate's copy of the audiobook read by Steven Crossley.  I have never been able to get through three men and a boat that this book references.  Willis' book is just so funny and clever.  I love the main character, Ned, who is suffering from time travel sickness.  He is sent back to Victorian England in 1888 to have a vacation, and to fix a time paradox, but of course nothing works as planned.  There is lots of silliness (like Ned not being able to read Roman numerals) and lots of heart too.  It is a light romance wrapped in a fun, zany romp.  Favorites continue to be Cyril the bulldog and Princess Arjumand the cat, everyone's aversion to Mrs. Schrapnell, and Professor Peddick and his fish obsession.  I also appreciated Bane the butler and his trials more this time through. I also was more able to appreciate the interlocking narratives of the timelines, especially during the section of the Coventry bombing.  I will have to add a reread of doomsday book. Apparently Steven Crossley also reads a version of three men in a boat.  Maybe I should look into that.  Arrr!

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Ahoy there me mateys! This be the eleventh book in me Ports for Plunder – 19 Books in 2019 list. Me introduction to this author came in the days before this log when the First Mate gave me a copy of the doomsday book to read during a long car trip. I started to read it, ignored him for the entire ride, and finished the book. It seriously be one of the top books I have ever read. It also won the Hugo, Locus, AND Nebula awards. How cool is that? Ever since I read that book back in 2010, I had been meaning to read this second book. So when I made the 19 for 2019 list, I knew this had to be one of them.

Books one and two can be read in any order but personally I am glad I read them the way I did. While the doomsday book is sad but clever (black plague y’all) this book is silly and funny and clever. Apparently the title about the dog comes from a crazy popular book written in 1889 called three men in a boat by Jerome K. Jerome. I had never heard of it or the author but found the background fascinating once I did some research. I even downloaded the 1889 book and already see the similarities. Also three men in a boat was referenced by Robert Heinlein who Willis thanks in her dedication: “To Robert A. Heinlein, Who, in Have Space Suit—Will Travel, first introduced me to Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat, To Say Nothing of the Dog.” I now want to reread that Heinlein juvenile knowing the reference.

Ultimately I see why this dog book is beloved and won both the Locus and Hugo awards. It is just plain fun. A time-traveling historian, Ned, has made one too many jumps into the past and has been ordered to go on medical leave. Only problems have arisen and so his leave is instead turned into a trip back to Victorian England where he can do just one simple task and then take a well-deserved vacation there. Of course hijinks ensue. This includes shenanigans with a cat, a bird stump, a boat trip, jumble sales, and trying to make the world not end. Among other things.

This romantic comedy is cute but also so very, very clever. I absolutely know that I missed references and not just the nods to the 1889 book. This novel also references murder mysteries, tons of historical events, and has Victorian style humor. A blogger, thesleeplessreader, has a fun breakdown of some of them. This link lists the tropes (spoilers!) it feels the book has and many of them I have never even heard of! And yet these references were not intrusive or annoying. I was delighted by the ones I got. The story did not feel bogged down by them.

And then there is the bird stump. I didn’t know what one was. Apparently this be a particular type of Victorian vase. The bird stump in the novel is a thing called a MacGuffin. I didn’t know what one was. Apparently:

In fiction, a MacGuffin is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself. The term was originated by Angus MacPhail for film, adopted by Alfred Hitchcock, and later extended to a similar device in fiction. (source)

Imagine me surprise when the First Mate used that term later that day in reference to another book he was reading! It was awesome. This book also used spoonerisms which I had also just learned about because I was doing research into malapropisms and the play the rivals.

So aye, the real treat of this book be the foray into and love of the English language. The doomsday book still be me favourite but I am so glad to have read this one too. I will certainly be reading the other books in this series. Arrrr!