MusicMom41's books for 2008

I'm joining late in the year, but I keep a reading journal so I can catch up quickly. The BC number refer to a challenge my older son and I did this year which included reading a minimum number of pages from our personal libraries the first six months of the year and not buying any books until July 1st or when we had read the required pages--whichever came LAST.

75 Book Challenge for 2008

Reading Summary for January

Non-fiction:

1. Kenney, Catherine: The Remarkable Case of Dorothy L. Sayers (BC 273)
Kenney does a wonderful job of analysis of Sayers fiction as Christian literature (even though her main characters aren’t Christian). She also devotes a section to the play cycle, The Man Born to Be King and the book length essay The Mind of the Maker. Along the way she tells us a lot about Sayers life and other work.

2. Abbott, Anthony: The Girl in the Yellow Raincoat (BC 65) poetry
The poems are wonderful and varied both in style and theme. There is a wide range of subject and of emotions. Love and grief and wondering “why” are recurring themes. Many of the poems have Christian connotations but seem to ask questions rather than answer them. There is also underlying tragedy in many of the pieces. These are poems to ponder and return to.

3. Thurber, James: Lanterns and Lances (BC 192)
I enjoyed these short humorous pieces which include a lot of word play. The longer piece he wrote about Harry James has reminded me that I plan to read one of his for the Book Challenge. This was an enjoyable read during my week of R&R.

Fiction: General

4. E.L. Alban Stories That Words Told Me (BC 130 pgs)

The Foreword of this book alone was worth the price for those who love words. Even though I entered this book in the fiction section of my journal it is really a combination of imaginative stories, some bordering on fantasy, and personal recollections from Alban’s life with words and people who love them. Two of my passions are words and music and this book contains plenty of both. I identified with several of Eddie’s personal encounters with words, especially the story where he talks about seeing a new word, finding out what it means and suddenly it starts to “pop up” everywhere. A favorite “memoir’ of mine was “From the Lips of Foreigners” about a young woman who came to the US from Argentina whose passion for learning English he writes about. After reading that story I understood how Eddie, who came from Ecuador, developed such a prodigious English vocabulary. So many of the stories I marked as “5 stars” but the one that packed the biggest punch for me was “Last Words.”

5. Smith, Alexander McCall: 44 Scotland Street (library)
This novel was originally serialized in an Edinburgh so the chapters are short and sometimes disjointed. I found it mildly amusing—when it wasn’t annoying. Unfortunately I had a hard time really caring for any of the characters—even Pat, the main one I guess, annoyed me sometimes. You want to shout at her to “get a grip!” Maybe she will develop into someone with backbone in the next novel. I did like Dominica and Angus and Bertie’s mother was amusing although you do feel sorry for Bertie. Sometimes I think he was not only the brightest one of the characters, but at age 5 he also seemed to have the most wisdom. I do care what happens to him.

6. Cooper, Susan: Over Sea, Under Stone (#1 The Dark Is Rising Sequence) (BC 243 pgs)
This first book was mildly interesting—my son Marty says they get better. This book was written in 1965. Back then a smart 5th to 7th grader could have read and enjoyed it. Today many students that age might have trouble reading something with so much description and a large vocabulary with references to the Arthurian legends. An older reader would find the story a little childish. This may be why this series, which promises to be very interesting, is not wildly popular. It might make a good series for a Harry Potter fan.
The first story tells of three siblings, Simon, Jane, and Barney Drew, who spend a vacation in a rather strange house on the Cornish coast. Their Great Uncle Merry, who arranged for this vacation, pops in and out of the area helping and guiding them to find a missing grail. Other, darker forces, are working against them to find the grail first. The story is mildly interesting, but the children often seem to be pretty foolish and somewhat annoying. It is also difficult to believe that the parents could be so oblivious to what is going on—even in England there must be some sort of parental supervision when you are in unfamiliar places.

Fiction: Mysteries

7. Robb, J.D.: Holiday in Death (library)

I’ve decided that this series is fantasy for women. It has no staying power—I forget the plot almost as soon as I finish the book. But what a fun ride while it lasts! A friend introduced me to the series last November and I’m consuming them like a box of chocolates!

8. Robb, J.D.: Midnight in Death (library)

9. Robb, J.D.: Conspiracy in Death (library)

10. Robb, J.D. Loyalty in Death (library)
The plot has to do with a group that is targeting major landmarks in New York for destruction and the Twin Towers are even mentioned as a possible target. This book came two years before the Twin Towers and other landmarks were actual targets of terrorist attacks. That is just a little spooky!

(edited to add Touchstones)

. . . included reading a minimum number of pages from our personal libraries the first six months of the year and not buying any books until July 1st or when we had read the required pages--whichever came LAST. Not buying any books? Oh the horror, the horror!! I think the idea is wonderful, but there is no way in hades I would go for 6 months without buying a book, lol.

As far as the J.D. Robb books go, I love them and re-read the entire series every time a new one comes out. They are just fun books to read and watch the characters develop. I feel like I am visiting old friends every time.

Welcome to our group - we are a fun bunch and love to talk, discuss, dissect, question and analyze each others book choices. We also tend to digress a bit at times. All in all, we have a grand time!

Reading Summaries for February

Non-fiction:

11. Eiseley, Loren: The Immense Journey (BC 210)
I first read this book when I was a sophomore in college and the book was relatively new. I was going through a “faith crisis” as the time with the fundamentalist teachings of the church I had belonged to as a child being badly shaken by what I was studying in college. The most vivid image from the book that stayed with me all these years was his floating down the river on his back—what he called the river of time—and feeling at one with the universe. I wondered how much power I would feel from his essays so many years—and so many life experiences—later when I didn’t need it bolster my faith. That essay still carried the same impact it had in my youth. I still love this book. 5 stars

12. Zachter, Mort: Dough (library)
Mort Zachter was a young boy growing up on the Lower East Side of New York where his uncles continued to run a discount resale bakery that had been started by his immigrant grandparents. His mom, the sister of the uncles, spent many hours working in The Store without pay meaning she had to give up her teaching job and could only substitute when she wasn’t needed at the store. Mort gave up his dream of being able to major in English and become a writer because he needed a steady job so he became lawyer and accountant with expertise in taxation. When Mort is in his thirties and his father is in the hospital he has to get Uncle Harry’s mail and he discovers that the uncles had amassed a fortune of millions which they never spent or shared. He learns that his parents knew this but were too proud to ask for money. The memoir is beautifully written as Mort remembers his family when he was a child and comes to terms with what they did. He learns to accept what was and then he learns an even harder lesson—not to repeat the same mistake of hoarding.
This is one of the best memoirs I’ve read. You understand what a hardship was caused for his family by his uncles’ actions yet Zachter doesn’t complain and also seems to accept rather than blame his uncles. We should all take life’s kicks in the stomach with such grace!

13. Sayers, Dorothy L.: The Man Born to Be King (BC 307)
This is a cycle of 12 radio dramas depicting the life of Christ. The introduction is wonderful and full of Sayer’s theological views as well as explaining about the plays. Dorothy Sayers was a scholarly and devout Christian who had a way of driving home her points that makes her theological writing exciting to read. But in this volume it is the drama and emotion of the plays that draws us into the life and times of Jesus Christ in such a powerful and realistic way that I felt I was actually experiencing these events with the disciples. I wish we could have the chance to hear it performed as it was intended by Sayers.

14. Paulos, John Allen: A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper (BC 203)
I bought this book several years ago and never got around to reading it. Therefore the news stories he talked about were old news—but at least familiar to me. However the currency of the stories had little to do with his premise that most people don’t recognize much of the bias in news reporting because they are not familiar with how math influences the reporting. Also, they often don’t recognize if the numbers quoted were really the result of valid testing or just thrown out to bolster a (probably weak) argument. I was able to follow some of the math but not all. What I chiefly learned is that all the math I learned way back in school actually taught me to be a more critical reader—and a more skeptical one. If our nation is going to remain strong we must improve the critical thinking skills of our next generation of voters. We have declined even further since this book was written.

Fiction: General

15. Cooper, Susan: The Dark Is Rising (#2 in The Dark Is Rising Sequence) (BC 244 pgs)
This book, published about 7 years after the first one, is much more interesting and better written than the first. It was a Newberry Honor Book the year it was published.
Will Stanton is celebrating his 11th birthday on Midwinter Day. At this time it is revealed to him that he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to keeping the world from domination by the forces of evil, the Dark. He is immediately sent on a quest for the six magical Signs that will one day aid the Old Ones in the final battle. Merriman Lyon (aka Great Uncle Merry—and probably Merlin) is revealed as the first of the Old Ones and is there to aid Will as he discovers his destiny.

16. Cooper, Susan: Greenwitch (#3 in The Dark Is Rising Sequence) (BC 131 pgs)
This short book features both the Drew children and Will Stanton as they endeavor to redeem the scroll that in the first book Barney threw into the sea to avoid the Dark getting it. The scroll is needed to decipher the message on the grail. Another plot twist is that the grail has been stolen from the museum that was guarding it—while it was on display. (You would think that the Old Ones could think of a safer way to keep it until they need it! –one of many plot holes in this series.) The story was interesting but again, the Drew children sometimes detracted from the story. Also, Cooper does not seem concerned with developing the characters of the children so they seem to be more deus ex machine to move the plot along rather than real characters.

17. Cooper, Susan: The Grey King (#4 in The Dark Is Rising Sequence) (BC 165 pgs)
This was the Newberry Winner the year it was published. One of its strengths is that the Drew children don’t appear. It takes place in Wales and we get deeper into the Arthurian legend. The new character, Bran, is interesting and you care about both Bran and Will. Will’s task, with Bran’s help (who turns out to have a pivotal part to play in the contest between the Dark and the Light) is to wake—with the golden harp—the six who must be roused from their long slumber to be ready for the final battle between the Dark and the Light. The Grey King is the spirit of the mountain determined to keep Will from succeeding. This is the best book in the series so far. It also gives such a good description of Wales that now I would like to go there.

18. Cooper, Susan: Silver on the Tree (#5 in The Dark Is Rising Sequence) (BC 274 pgs)
The last and longest book in the series holds the reader’s interest and does not disappoint but it is not as tightly put together as the previous book—perhaps because there were so many threads that had to be pulled together. All of the characters from the previous books have a part to play – for good or evil—in this final installment. For younger readers there are probably more surprises than for older readers who pick up on “clues” that are dropped, whether intentionally or unintentionally I’m not always sure. All in all it was a series which I enjoyed but will probably not read again.

19. Orwell, George: Down and Out in Paris and London (BC 213)
This was the first novel that Orwell wrote and is seems to be more autobiographical than fiction. Although the subject matter is definitely not a happy one this was a fascinating and compelling read. In Paris we learn about the seamy side of working behind the scenes in restaurants (I may never want to eat in a French restaurant again!) and in London we learn about the life of tramps (homeless people who must stay on the move if they don’t want to end up in jail). We see great misery and depression of people barely able to find enough food to keep themselves alive but we also see people who are trying to make the best life for themselves that the circumstances allow. Even more important we see them as individual people with the same kind of attributes of goodness and evil that we all have.

Fiction: Mysteries

20. Beaton, M.C.: Death of a Village (library)
This is a Hamish Macbeth mystery taking place in the highlands of Scotland. Hamish solves several cases, including the main one of why the people of Storye are suddenly so strange, and he also manages to avoid getting promoted by a couple of nefarious ruses. An easy afternoon’s read and better than most television shows.

#2 alcottacre

I agree with you about J.D. Robb--the further I get into the series the more I enjoy the character development. I just started last November and except for a couple of exceptions (the first one I read was one that had just come out in paperback--I will reread it when I get there again) I am reading them in the order published. I have lately also started buying them when I find them as bargains.

Those 6 months were really tough! but it was character building. :-)

Reading Summaries for March

Non-fiction:

21. Bass, Dr. Bill & Jon Jefferson: Beyond the Body Farm (library)
This is a follow-up to the memoir Death’s Acre I read in 2006. In this book Bass discusses different cases he has been involved in since he started the “body farm.” They are all interesting—even the ones that aren’t completely “solved.” I was especially interested in the woman, Joanna Hughes, who convinced UT to let her design her own major as a forensic artist. She now uses a sculpture technique with skulls to put faces on unidentified corpses. I also learned a lot about the Buddy Holly plane crash in the story of Bass’s exhumation of the Big Bopper. Because I am interested in forensic anthropology I found this book enjoyable—and a quick read.

22. Lorenz, Konrad Z.: King Solomon’s Ring (BC 242)
I loved this book. Lorenz uses illustrations from his everyday life among animals of all kinds to illustrate a variety of fascinating points. He uses anecdotes as well as describing experiments to help us understand more about animal life. Especially worthwhile is Lorenz’s explanation why most people feel sorry for captive animals for all the wrong reasons. This section should be required reading for most people who think that they are promoting 'animal rights'. The chapter on buying pets should also be required reading. He gives meticulous detail about how to care for pets and why exotic pets are only for those knowledgeable enough and who have enough time to care for them properly. Lorenz does not idealize animals nor try to make them seem more like humans; he pulls no punches in showing how ferocious and dangerous animals can be to each other as well as to man. But he has great respect and affection for all animals, recognizing their attributes as part of God’s creation (he actually says it those words at one point). After reading this book I will definitely get more out of my animal watching in our backyards at home and in Vallejo.

Fiction: General

23. Chesterton, G.K.: The Man Who Was Thursday
A fantastical story with more twists and turns than a labyrinth. The story is about a man who has been recruited to track down a master criminal—but that is only the tip of the iceberg. He infiltrates the ranks of the criminal by impersonating the person whose code name was Thursday—hence the title. I was able to anticipate some of the “surprises” but that in no way diminished my pleasure and the ending was magnificent—although many reviewers disliked it because it did not neatly tie up all the loose ends. However, this book was not about answers but questions. I will definitely reread this one.

24. Winspear, Jacqueline: Maisie Dobbs (library)
What fun to find a new mystery series, and from an author who isn’t dead so there may be even more than the five already published. It’s also nice that there aren’t so many that it will take me years to catch up! This book does a good job of introducing us to Maisie Dobbs and giving her life history while still keeping up interest in the “mystery.” The novel takes place in 1929 and deals with the effects of WWI on the lives of many of the characters. The middle section does a flashback to tell us about Maisie’s life and also quite a bit about the war, especially the work of the medical personal who had to deal with the battlefield casualties—rather like MASH. With all this background I am anxious to see how the characters continue in the ensuing books.

25. Winspear, Jacqueline: Birds of a Feather (library)
The second book in the Maisie Dobbs series, this story deals with a case of finding a young woman in her 30’s who runs away from her father’s house and the wealthy father wants her returned. As Maisie searches for the girl she finds a connection with 2 murders that the police are investigating and also with a supposed suicide. The key clue is white feathers left at the scene of the crime. When the significance of these clues is revealed I was curious if Winspear had invented the organization, The Order of the White Feather. I should have trusted her—I googled it and not only did the organization exist but there was a picture of the advertisement for it that was mentioned in the book and a report from the daughter of one of the recipients that bore out Winspear’s “take” on the organization. This series seems to be winner! Some libraries shelve these in mystery, but mine has them in fiction.

Fiction: Mysteries

26. Tey, Josephine: The Man in the Queue (BC 250)
This was the first Alan Grant mystery (Elizabeth MacKintosh’s first book, 1929) which she originally published under her other pseudonym, Gordon Daviot. The first novel under the Josephine Tey pseudonym was A Shilling for Candles (1936), also an Alan Grant novel. The other Alan Gran novels were To Love and Be Wise 1950, The Daughter of Time (1951), and The Singing Sands (1952). Also as Josephine Tey she wrote Miss Pym Disposes (1947), The Franchise Affair (1949), and Brat Farrar (1949). She died in London on February 13, 1952. Tey was a master at writing mysteries that contained ingenious puzzles but also equally interesting characters. She was more like Dorothy Sayers than Agatha Christie in that her books were novels that contained mysteries. It is curious that Alan Grant, like Ngaio Marsh’s Roderick Alleyn, did not need his salary as a policeman to earn his living as he had a considerable inheritance that would have sufficed for his needs. They both seem to be “gentlemen detectives”, but unlike Sayers’ Lord Peter, they were employed by the police.
This first mystery has an ingenious puzzle involving a death by stabbing that happens in the line of people clamoring to get tickets for the final performance of a famous actress who is leaving to go to America the next day. The characters are interesting and the clues are very well hidden. Even in this first effort you can see why Tey was considered one of the queens of the Golden Age of detective fiction.

27. Spencer-Fleming, Julia: In the Bleak Midwinter (library)
I really enjoyed this first book in the series and plan to read the others. The two main characters, a new female Episcopalian Priest and an agnostic Chief of Police meet over a case of an abandoned baby and find they have a lot in common including both serving in the military under war conditions, the Chief, Russ Alstyne, in Viet Nam and the priest, Clare Ferguson, in Desert Storm. The development of the characters and the progression of their friendship are as important as the mystery plot in this novel. I will be interested to see how this plays out in the next novels, because Russ is married and Clare is a priest. I hope the author handles this potential time bomb well.

I love the Jacqueline Winspear Maisie Dobbs series and have them all. I definitely recommend them.

As far Josephine Tey goes, my favorite will probably always be The Daughter of Time, which is less of a mystery than a historical puzzle.

I also recommend can recommend Julia Spencer-Fleming's series. Based on your other reading choices, I think you will like it.

Both The Immense Journey and Dough look like worthwhile reads. I will have to be on the look out for them! Thanks for the recommendations.

Hello MusicMom!

A family friend gave me a box set of The Dark is Rising when I was about 10, and I loved the lot - thanks for reminding me.

As for your challenge (not buying any books for the first half of the year), what a great idea! And yet, I'm with alcottacre - just couldn't do it, though maybe I should at least try next year ;)

I look forward to reading more about your reading.

though maybe I should at least try next year

I am reminded of Yoda - "There is no try, there is only do". Well, as far as books go for me, there is only don't - no way I would make it 6 months without buying 1, and I use the library a ton!

I'm flirting with the idea of trying (oops!) doing it again next year--but I'm not sure I have the will power. The only reason it worked for me this year is that my older son and I pledged to do it together and I can't cheat on my son!--even though he is halfway across the continent (I'm in California and he is in Chicago).

The reading out of our own library was fun, though, and that I do plan to do next year! I may even raise the number of pages because I think I will reach 10.000 easily this year--and I won't get to Anna Karenina until next year, I'm afraid, because I have discovered "group reads" on LT. Maybe I can convince someone to do a group read on that!

ETA I will be posting more of 2008 reading tonight while I watch the baseball game. My beloved Giants aren't going anywhere this year but half the team in September consists of the young players I have been rooting for on the Fresno Grizzlies team and I love to see them doing well in the "bigs."

Welcome MusicMom41

>9 MusicMom41:: I'm flirting with the idea of trying (oops!) doing it again next year
Next year you will have us supporting you ;-)

>5 MusicMom41: King Solomon’s Ring by Konrad Lorenz
That is one of my all time favourites! Although some of his views are outdated, he writes nice and readable.

Welcome MusicMom41.

I just returned from an all-day business trip and I'm exhausted. But, will be going to your library tomorrow to check your book list. Thanks very much for posting on my library page.

A BIG welcome to you. We are a very friendly, supportive, well-read group of people. I look forward to reading your comments and learning about your interests in books.

Linda
Bethlehem, PA

Hi MusicMom!!

I can see that your reading list is going to be a danger to my Amazon wishlist. You've read some great books!

I went for a whole month without buying any new books at the beginning of the summer, but I can't imagine a whole 6 months of no new books! Today alone, I made a new Amazon purchase of 8 books, and I'm sure I won't be getting around to reading them any time soon. It's an addiction!

Reading Summary for April

Non-fiction:

28. Frost, Robert: Versed in Country Things (BC 65)
This is a beautiful collection of several lesser known of Frost’s poems combined with wonderful black and white photographs of the New England countryside that Frost portrayed in his poems. Although no attempt was made to have the photographs illustrate particular poems, the pictures enhanced the power of the words and were also enjoyable to view on their own. I purchased this for $1.00 at the friends of the library sale; it is hardcover in mint condition with book jacket intact. I couldn’t pass it up!

29. Hoving, Thomas: King of the Confessors (BC 356)
Hoving describes his long process to “win” for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York the ivory cross, the most important medieval object of art so far discovered, (actually it was for The Cloisters, the Medieval branch of the Met that is in a separate location). This was a fascinating account that read almost like a novel—much better than Dan Brown novels. Not only was the story exciting but the reader is treated to a revealing look at the chicanery that often goes on behind the scenes for a museum to acquire a significant work. But the “star” of the book was the magnificent cross. The history of the cross was fascinating and the descriptions let the reader visualize the cross even more clearly than the wonderful photographs at the beginning of the book. Hoving obviously became very intimate with the object to be able to describe its intricacy in such detail. If you like mystery and suspense with an added bonus of beautiful art this book fits the bill. This was a bargain I bought at the church book sale a couple of years ago.

Fiction: General

30. Saroyan, William: Essential Saroyan (BC 193)
This is an anthology of some of Saroyan’s best writing. This year is the centennial of Saroyan’s birth and Fresno, California having been his home there have a flurry of activities celebrating his life and works. Since I now live in this area I was able to take part in some of these events. I don’t remember ever reading Saroyan before and I really loved this book. He has a different style—often in his shorter works it’s more like he is talking to the reader rather than trying to write a formal essay or story. He has a feel for the “common man” (whatever that is supposed to mean—I doubt if Saroyan thought of anyone as “common”). He also writes with a great deal of humor and frequently with a touch of fantasy. However, the reader often feels that under the humor there is pain. This book was given to me by my local library for the book discussion they sponsored. My biggest complaint about this book is that some of the selections are excerpts from longer works and I find it disconcerting not to be able the read the entire work. I would prefer to have more short stories and let the longer works be published separately.

31. Bohjalian, Chris: The Double Bind (BC 356)
This was interesting, with a real twist at the end. Laura Esta Brook is a young social worker who works at a homeless shelter. She is struggling with the after shock of an attempted rape attack on her when she finds a box of photos taken by a homeless man who has died. Many of the pictures are celebrities and Laura becomes obsessed with trying to find out why a man who was obviously a professional photographer and spent time with celebrities became homeless. I don’t want to reveal much more because part of the fun is how we keep peeling away layers of the story as we read. I will just say that I was glad I had recently reread The Great Gatsby because it was fascinating how Bohjalian used those characters in this book. I had a few questions at the end--I may have to read it again to see if the answers to my unanswered questions were just too buried for me to catch.

32. Saroyan, William: My Name Is Aram (borrowed)
This is a collection of fictional short stories about a young Armenian boy in Fresno, California in the 1930’s named Aram Garoghlanian. They are deceptively simple and could be easily read by a student in middle school. However, for the more mature reader there is a quality in Saroyan’s observations about people and about the simple situations he portrays that gives depth to the stories and helps us to a better understanding of humanity. This book has been described as the Armenian Tom Sawyer, but the humor is gentler and sometimes masks hidden pain. Saroyan’s love of his fellow man, and his tolerance, shine through these stories as much as in his more sophisticated writing. He really thought man was basically good.

33. Winspear, Jacqueline: Pardonable Lies (borrowed)
Another interesting outing for Maisie Dobbs in which her search to find out if the son of a peer of the realm actually died in WWI because his dying wife made him promise to find him as she didn’t believe he was dead. The father wished it to be proved he was dead. The search leads her to also find out about the brother of her college friend, Pricilla Everden. This third Maisie Dobbs book is a well written and historically researched novel which adds to the pleasure of a good story.

Fiction: Mysteries

34. Robb, J.D.: Witness in Death (borrowed)
This is probably my favorite J.D. Robb so far. I might even read this one again. It starts with a murder that happens on stage during a performance of Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie. Eve is at the performance so actually witnesses the crime. However, in this case the “dead” that she is standing as justice for is actually the villain and a lot of good people get hurt in the process of finding the solution. This was not a simple good against bad story with easy answers; it actually gave the reader a chance to ponder “what is justice.” Robb also worked in some parallels between the plot of Witness for the Prosecution and her own plot that, as an Agatha Christie fan, I found interesting. I shed a lot of tears in this book and even though I did figure out the perpetrator before the end of the book (as did Eve) I still had a few surprises in the dénouement. This was a terrific read. These get better as I read them.

35. Christie, Agatha: A Pocket Full of Rye (library)
The patriarch of a dysfunctional family dies suddenly under suspicious circumstances at his place of business. When he is examined it is discovered that there is a handful of rye grain in his pocket. As the story unfolds it is discovered that the son who has stayed home to help run the business has had a major rift with his father and the prodigal brother has been invited to return home. Blackbirds also figure in the plot.

ETA Touchstones

Thank you all for the support and encouragement!

When I moved here I left a wonderful book group (that is still going after more than 28 years!--I wasn't a charter member but I still keep in touch and read many of the selections each year) and have had a hard time, not finding very many passionate readers where I live now--a small rural community about 40 miles from Fresno. When I discovered these Groups on LT in August while on vacation and having time to explore I though I had "died and gone to heaven."

so many readers--so many books--and so many discussions! The only problem is that now I'm finding out about so many books and authors that I didn't know about I have to find an immortality pill so I can read them all! ;-)

If you find an immortality pill be sure and pass it along here on LT. I am sure there a quite a few people who would take it to live longer and read more!

Reading Summary for May

Non-fiction:

36. Milosz, Czeslaw: A Book of Luminous Things: An International Anthology of Poetry (BC 312)
A truly international collection, this book contains wonderful, accessible poems with an emphasis on excellent poets that aren't household names, although many of my favorite 20th century poets are represented. I was especially pleased with so many entries from ancient Asian (especially Chinese) poets, an area with which I am not as familiar.
The poems are grouped by categories such as People, Places, Travel, etc. and Milosz has an introductory comment on most of the poems. I preferred to read the poem before I read the comment so I could compare my reaction to his. Now that I have read the entire collection, I would like to have 2 copies--one for my guest room bookshelf and one to keep on my night table for when I want to find something soothing and lovely to read before falling asleep.
The following example is by one of my favorite poets, Mary Oliver, and reminds me of when I lived in Savannah, Georgia, one of my favorite places. Sometimes I was privileged to see these magnificent birds:

THE KINGFISHER

The Kingfisher rises out of the black wave
like a blue flower, in his beak
he carries a silver leaf, I think this is
the prettiest world—so long as you don’t mind
a little dying, how could there be a day in your whole life
that doesn’t have its splash of happiness?
There are more fish than there are leaves
on a thousand trees, and anyway the kingfisher
wasn’t born to think about it, or anything else.
When the wave snaps shut over his blue head, the water
remains water—hunger is the only story
he has ever heard in his life that he could believe.
I don’t say he’s right. Neither
do I say he’s wrong. Religiously he swallows the silver leaf
with its broken red river, and with a rough and easy cry
I couldn’t rouse out of my thoughtful body
if my life depended on it, he swings back
over the bright sea to do the same thing, to do it
(as I long to do something, anything) perfectly.

37. Fadiman, Anne: At Large and At Small (BC 220)
A second book of essays by the author of Ex Libris, this book is meant to be read slowly and savored. I managed to do this for a couple of weeks but then I got impatient and “gobbled” the last half of the book in one evening. However, that gives me the excuse to reread this in the not too distant future. The range of topics is wider in this collection although there are essays that mention books, authors and libraries. Two of my “favorite things”, ice cream and coffee, each has an essay of its own. Reading Fadiman is a pleasure, a learning experience (she is full of tidbits of interesting information) and a vocabulary enhancer—be sure to have a dictionary handy!

Fiction: General

38. Stevenson, Robert Louis: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (BC 123)
After seeing the musical a couple of years ago I wanted to read the original. Yesterday (Memorial Day holiday) I finally did it. This is another one to forget any dramatized versions—this is classic good vs. evil. I only wish I could have read it before I knew the secret. That’s pretty hard to do now but the story still holds your interest especially as a psychological thriller of the 19th century—pre-Freud. I wonder if Freud got some of his ideas from Stevenson! It is short—more of a novella—but a great story.

39. Tolkien, J.R.R.: The Silmarillion (BC 366)
This was interesting because it gives the background myths that Tolkien spent years working on and from these ideas came the germination of the idea of the Lord of the Rings. This is not easy to read because there are many stories loosely linked as a mythology with so many names to keep track of you need a reference to keep them straight. (My older son, who insisted I read this, says he couldn’t get into War and Peace because he couldn’t keep track of the names, yet this is one of his favorite works. Go Figure. W&P is a piece of cake compared to this.) However it is interesting and enriches the legend of Middle Earth. I will probably read it again so that more of the stories “sink in.” It was definitely worth the effort although most of the stories are tragic. For me, the geography, which Tolkien always emphasizes, was even more difficult than the names. I could picture individual places as they were described (loved this part!) but had trouble visualizing the routes to get from one place too another.

Fiction: Mysteries

40. Robb, J.D.: Judgment in Death (library)
In an uptown high class strip joint, a cop is found bludgeoned to death. Roarke owns the place and it looks like this cop, who was there working a part time off duty job, was a dirty cop. But things aren’t always what they seem. This is another Robb where you end up having sympathy for the perpetrator and some of the victims seem to get what they deserve—but of course vigilante justice is not something Eve would condone. These are still holding my interest.

41. Skom, Edith: The Mark Twain Murders (BC 277)
I’d better write this review fast—before I forget this book that I finished this afternoon. I was very excited about this book because I usually really enjoy “literary” mysteries that somehow connect to classic authors I love. The story takes place at “Midwestern University” in Illinois and concerns thefts of rare or somewhat rare books from the university library and murders that take place in the library. The FBI is called in and of course the agent is attracted to the young female professor of literature who is trying to find out about a plagiarized essay. The first murder victim submitted it to a contest which she won. We get lots of information about the professors in the English department and views of the rivalries that are going on. It should have been right up my alley. I kept thinking I had read this before, but I hadn’t—only others like it. It’s an “okay but run of the mill” mystery. There are at least 2 others in the series (this is the first) and I also own the second one. I can’t decide if I want to read it—maybe someday when I have to flu and can’t concentrate. It’s possible that this author will improve with practice but right now my verdict is that this book makes J.D. Robb look like literature! If you want a really great literary mystery try The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl.

42. Greene, Douglas G. & Robert C.S. Adey, editors: Death Locked In: An Anthology of Locked Room Stories (BC 553)
This is a wonderful collection of 24 locked room mysteries from the 19th and 20th centuries including stories by Ngaio Marsh, Conan Doyle (not a Sherlock Holmes story), Wilkie Collins, Le Fanu and of course John Dickson Carr--to mention just a few of the "greats" in this genre. The last story even involves a "time machine!" My favorite stories were a pair written by May Futrelle and her husband Jaques Futrelle in which the stories are connected. This tome is a real treat for classic mystery buffs.

43. James, P.D.: An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (BC 250)
I really liked this story and the detective, Cordelia Gray. A famous scientist, a peer of the realm, hires her to find out why his son quit college and then committed suicide. The characters are interesting and the story compelling. Of course it was murder and I figured out much of the mystery before the end but it was fun to read. I want to read the other Cordelia Gray mystery, The Skull Beneath the Skin, now. If it is as good as this one I will be sorry James only used this protagonist twice. Cordelia reminds me a little of Maisie Dobbs

Reading Summary for June

Non-fiction:

44. Wiesel, Elie: Night (BC 134)
It is difficult to understand how something this horrendous could have happened in my lifetime. No wonder the people of Sighet couldn't believe Moishe the Beadle when he tried to warn them about what happened to him when he was taken by the Gestapo. If he had escaped, could it have been that bad, people reasoned. While reading this book I had a hard time coming to terms that these events actually happened and not to just a few but to millions of people. The mind can hardly grasp evil on that magnitude. Yet, we must be aware that this can happen and that today similar atrocities are occurring. It is important that we never forget what can happen if good people turn a blind eye and deaf ear to acts of oppression just because it doesn't affect us. Everyone should read this book, as painful as it is. Wiesel kept his account of that terrible year (spring of 1944 to April 10, 1945) short--if he could live it we at least can read about it.

Fiction: General

45. Haddon, Mark: the curious incident of the dog in the night (BC 226)
This is an unusual but compelling story told through the viewpoint of the protagonist, an autistic teenager. It is presented as a book that he has written and we get a good idea of what goes on inside the head of a person with this condition. He is extremely smart, especially in math and puzzles but finds it difficult to function—even to think—when his system is overloaded with too much stimuli. The basic idea is that he has decided to try to detect who killed the neighbor’s dog with a pitchfork in the middle of the night. He finds out more than he wants to which leads to a somewhat frightening adventure. This is a great story well told—no wonder it was so popular. This is a novel that would appeal to young adults as well as older readers. It also gives the reader some insight into the difficulties that face people with autism and the people who love them.

46. Cowan, James: A Mapmaker’s Dream:The Meditations of Fra Mauro, Cartographer to the Court of Venice (BC 159)

Quote from this book: ‘A man knows the truth only when he has tried it himself and has not gained it by way of hearsay or reading.’

I find it difficult to describe this quirky little novel. It essentially has no plot although you could argue that there is some character development as the one recurring character, Fra Mauro, seems to grow and develop as he processes the information that is brought to him. The basis of the story is that Fra Mauro lives in a cloistered monastery on an island near Venice and he wants to draw a completely accurate map of the world including not just the boundaries and geographic features of the lands but also all the inhabitants, creatures, culture—in short, everything about each country. Since he cannot and doesn’t wish to leave his sanctuary travelers of all sorts come to him and describe what they have gleaned from their voyages. Each chapter is the story a traveler and Fra Mauro’s impressions about what he has heard. At first I found the book rather irritating—a mishmash of unrelated and often seemingly outlandish ideas. I found, however, if I slowed down and read only one or two chapters at a time and tried to put myself into the time period of Fra Mauro—very early explorations and the making of the trade routes—that this was really fascinating. Some stories were fantastic—but don’t travelers often have fantastic ideas when they see strange things? Some resonated with me as ways I sometimes perceive the world. Fra Mauro tried to keep an open mind when receiving all these ideas and images—and I did, too. One of the thoughts that occurred to me is that in today’s information age we often feel bombarded with more ideas and images that we can process—much as Mauro must have felt. We, too, are surrounded with a myriad of ideas and world views that need to be considered. This is a book to expand your mind and to consider other ways of viewing the world—there is enough variety in these approximately 150 pages that every reader should find as least one idea that give you that “aha!” moment. There is also enough to disagree with that this would make a good discussion book—as long as your group can vehemently disagree about ideas without getting personal or having it affect your relationships. Caveat: if you prefer to read only ideas that support your own world view this is not the book for you. If you enjoy expanding your mind to consider ideas foreign to you without feeling threatened by them, this is a delightful book—just take it in small doses.

Fiction: Mysteries

47. Marsh, Ngaio: False Scent (library)
I guess you could classify this one as one of Marsh’s “theater” novels even though we never get to the theater. The story revolves around the death of a famous, but now somewhat “over the hill” comedic actress at her birthday party. The characters are all theater people (except the police, of course) even though the setting is more “country house.” The house is actually in a square in London but we never get any further than next door so it seems more isolated. It’s a good yarn but before the end I had guessed “who” and at least partially had a handle on “why” and “how” but the timetable Alleyn elucidated in the end was cleverly worked out. My conclusions, although correct, couldn’t have been proved without that timetable.

48. Stout, Rex: Fer-de-Lance (library)
This is the first Nero Wolfe novel Stout wrote and, although enjoyable, it lacks many of the signature touches of the later ones. The most obvious is that there is no “charade” staged at the dénouement. The story revolves around the murder of a prominent College president by means of a devious device engineered into a golf club driver—on impact with the ball a needle smeared with poison is ejected into the golfer’s stomach. It doesn’t take long for the reader to decide the wrong person was killed and as soon as the intended victim is identified the culprit is obvious. The problem is knowing and proving are two separate events and the person who may have the proof, although she likes Wolfe and Archie (especially Archie) refuses to even admit she has the evidence—or what it may be

49. Stout, Rex: Three Witnesses (library)
This was in the collection ROYAL FLUSH which I got from the library because I wanted to read Fer-de-Lance (the other novel in the collection was Murder by the Book—which I own). I prefer either full length mysteries or short stories to novellas. Full length novels give time for character development or analysis and background information, description and more scope for hiding clues. Good mystery short stories present a puzzle to solve where you must pay close attention—but for a rather short time. Novellas often use too much filler to get the length without adding anything satisfying in terms of personalities of the characters or ingenious ways of hiding clues. These three stories were okay but I had the solution to each mystery figured out by at least the halfway point. “The Next Witness” has Nero and Archie walking out on a trial for which they have received subpoenas to testify because Wolfe thinks they are trying the wrong man. “When a Man Murders…” is about a man who is declared dead as a war casualty and then returns three years later after his estate has been settled and his wife remarried.
“Die Like a Dog” gets Wolfe involved in a case when Archie goes to exchange a raincoat that was mistakenly left at the brownstone when a visitor left in anger taking Archie’s coat instead of his own.

50. The League of Frightened Men (BC 212)
The second Nero Wolfe novel has a better story relying more on psychology rather than gimmicks and winding up with one of Wolfe’s signature charades in the office for the dénouement. Stout is working to make this a series that will involve good puzzles with psychological implications and he’s beginning to be more subtle in hiding his clues. He still isn’t keeping the solution really as well hidden until the “reveal” by Wolfe as he does in later works. The characters may be fooled but the reader isn’t.

51. The Rubber Band (BC 189)
In the third Nero Wolfe novel you can see Rex Stout hitting his stride. Although I spotted the culprit very early on, catching the same clue that Wolfe did, this was a better “puzzle” than the two earlier novels and the characters for this story were better delineated so there was no problem keeping them straight. It’s fun reading the earlier novels to see how Stout developed his series.

52. Godfrey, Thomas ed.: English Country House Murders (BC 368)
Published in 1989, this is a wonderful collection of stories in a special sub genre of classic mysteries. The country house mystery was one of the most popular types of mystery from late Victorian Era until around the time of the post WWII era. The first story is a Sherlock Holmes classic and the last story is a Sherlock Holmes written by James Miles—probably the best homage to this famous series I have ever read. I love this story because it centers on a famous English composer who was active in the late 19th and early 20th century. In between these two gems Godfrey has included most of the best mystery authors of that period including a novella length entry by Wilke Collins and all the giants of the Golden Age of women mystery writers. There are also a couple of writers with whom I was not familiar. The scariest story is by Ethel Lina White who was also the author of the novel on which Hitchcock based his classic movie “The Lady Vanishes.” I’d love to find that book. Christianna Brand is another author that I had never read although she is still popular in England according to Godfrey. I was pleased to find Anthony Gethryn, the detective in Philip MacDonald’s The List of Adrian Messenger, represented here and the two penultimate selections are by two of the best women mystery writers of the mid to later 20th century, Ruth Rendell and P.D. James. In spite of the title not all the stories involve a murder and many of the stories are as much psychological studies as they are puzzles to be solved. Godfrey’s excellent introduction to the book and the informative blurbs he writes before each story contribute to the enjoyment and enlightenment of the reader. I highly recommend this as an outstanding anthology of this type of mystery.

53. Kaye, M.M.: Death in Cyprus (library)

In the ‘60’s and 70’s I read a lot of romantic suspense novels mainly by Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt (pseudonym of Jean Plaidy) but somehow I never came across MM Kaye, even though she published her first novel of this type a few years before Mary Stewart and almost a decade before Jean Plaidy created Victoria Holt as the name under which she would publish her novels in this genre. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve read a novel in the “damsel in distress in an exotic locale” style but Death in Cyprus appeared on an Amazon list of best mysteries of the 20th century so I decided to give it a try. It was much better than I had expected and actually better than I remember the Mary Stewart’s novels being. (As a teenager I thought Mary Stewart was “the best” in popular fiction.) MM Kaye seemed to me to develop her characters more in depth and her descriptions of the locale were superb. The heroine, 21 year old Amanda Darrington, has just come into her inheritance so decides to leave the trip she is on with her guardian and take a side-trip to Cyprus. Even before she arrives there is a murder on board ship and danger seems to be stalking her everywhere in Cyprus. Although the villain was not difficult to spot there were enough interesting characters – especially some really “bitchy” women characters that were fun—to keep me reading. I found it refreshing to read a G rated romantic novel—very difficult to find in this day and age.

The six month challenge is over. I can buy books again!
From my personal library I read 33 books totaling 7763 pages. I think I will try this again next year. After all, I bought those books intending to read them and it is satisfying to get that many read.

The next six months we are supposed to read at least one book a month from our library and my personal goal is 10,000 pages from my library in 2008. I still have a way to go.

Reading Summary for July

Non-fiction:

54. Buzbee, Lewis: The Yellow Lighted Bookshop (library)
Buzbee talks about his life with books as a book seller in independent bookstores, mainly in the Bay Area of Northern California, as a book rep for publishers and as one who lusts after books and unique bookstores. Along the way he sprinkles in various tidbits of the history of books and book selling from ancient times to the 21st century both in Eastern and Western cultures. His book is charming and fun, although I didn’t find is as compelling or interesting as the best Nicholas Basbanes or Alberto Manguel books—and he taught me something about myself, that I am a “book snoop”. When I see someone reading I always try tp ccatch a glimpse of the cover to descover what book it is.
This is a book I enjoyed but I’m not sorry I borrowed it rather than bought it. He calls it a memoir/history but it often reads more like listening to a person talk informally about his love for books and bookstores. Some of his topics would have been more interesting and more memorable if he had taken the time to dig a little deeper and write an Anne Fadiman type personal essay developing his topic around a theme. However, it was a great book to relax with just before bedtime—it was very conducive to going to sleep. (That is not meant as a criticism, rather just an observation.)

Fiction: General

55. Crane, Stephen: The Red Badge of Courage (BC 175)
I’m not sure how I managed to miss reading this for so many years because it is one of the most well known American classics about the Civil War. It was never a reading assignment for me in school for which I am now glad because I’m sure I enjoyed it more as an adult than I would have as a student.
This is an “interior” novel that emphasizes the thoughts and emotions of a young, idealistic boy who enlists in the Union army against his mother’s advice and prayers. He goes off with ideas of the glory of battle after reading such classic accounts of war for which the ancient Greeks were renowned. He quickly learns that the reality is nothing like the ideal. Crane does a good job of giving us the ups and downs of the daily life of a foot soldier and excellent descriptions of battles. However, the focus of the novel is Henry Fielding’s (often referred to merely as “the youth”) adolescent perceptions and reactions to the daily grind of the soldier and to his concerns about how he appears to the other soldiers. This is a coming of age novel that takes place in the hellish conditions of armed conflict. It deserves its classic designation but if it is assigned to students it should be read and discussed in small doses. There is essentially no plot to keep a young person’s interest but it could make a great discussion book about dealing with the ups and downs of adolescent emotions.

While reading this book I also started reading Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. I know he wrote poems about the Civil War so I looked up some of them. After reading this very realistic novel most of them seemed to me to be a too romanticized look at the war. However, one of them captured well the feel of a scene described by Crane early in the book. I know Crane never witnessed anything of the civil War; I wonder if Whitman did.

CAVALRY CROSSING A FORD

A line in long array where they wind betwixt green islands,
They take a serpentine course, their arms flash in the sun—
hark to the musical clank,
Behold the silvery river, in it the splashing horses loitering
stop to drink,
Behold the brown-faced men, each group, each person a
picture, the negligent rest on the saddles,
Some emerge on the opposite bank, others are just entering
the ford—while,
Scarlet and blue and snowy white,
The guidon flags flutter gaily in the wind.
Walt Whitman

56. Winspear, Jacqueline: Messenger of Truth (borrowed)
I have decided the Maisie Dobbs novels belong in general fiction. The plots are more complex than most mysteries and involve more than one plot thread; although sometimes these threads overlap, they are not neatly tied into a tidy package at the end and usually there are things to ponder when the last page is read. The “mystery” in each novel is not a puzzle to be solved but a story to be unraveled so that one or more characters can go on with his/her life. There is character development within each story and not only with continuing series characters. One of the chief delights of the series is how Winspear takes us back to an historical time, the period between the two World Wars in 20th century in England. We get to see the effects of this period across the entire social strata, from the very poor struggling to survive to the “last hurrah” of the peers of the realm who have no clue what is happening in the lower levels of society.
This entry in the series concerns the death of a famous artist on the eve of the opening of his largest exhibition. While preparing to hang his largest masterpiece, which no one has ever seen nor knows what it consists of, he accidentally falls to his death from the scaffold on which he is working. His twin sister is not satisfied with the explanation of the police about his death and goes to Maisie Dobbs to have her investigate not only the death but what happened to the missing masterpiece.

To me an interesting connection between this story and The Red Badge of Courage, which I also read this month, is that both novels have a scene where a cease fire is called so that the warring armies can go out on the battlefield to remove their wounded and bury their dead. In Winspear’s novel there is poignant description of a meeting between soldiers from opposite sides who accidentally meet face to face amid the carnage and hug each other as they shed tears for their dead comrades. This is followed by a horrifying account of what happens to one of the soldiers when he returns behind his own army’s line.

Fiction: Mysteries

57. Spencer-Fleming, Julia: A Fountain Filled with Blood (library)
I enjoyed this second novel in the series featuring Reverend Clare Fergusson, an ex-army helicopter pilot turned Anglican priest and Chief of Police Russ Van Alstyne, but this one left me with mixed feelings. Claire pulls a very reckless and dangerous stunt when she gets intoxicated at a party—which made me question how mature she is supposed to be. I did enjoy the action of the helicopter episode (which some of the Amazon reviewers didn’t like, but I thought fit her character well)—however I had already guessed what would happen. In this instance I was surprised that neither Russ nor Claire was suspicious enough of the circumstances to investigate to be sure that nothing was amiss. I thought the Gay issue was handled well. I liked the low keyed way Spencer-Fleming developed her theme of tolerance and made her characters three-dimensional, not stereo-types. The tension between Claire and Russ is increasing and in this book we meet Russ’s mother. She is delightful. I’m looking forward to reading the next book to see how the soap opera unfolds. Luckily I got a late start on this series so I won’t have to wait long to read the next one..

58. Brand, Christianna: Green for Danger (library)
Last month as one of my Book Challenge selections I read the short story collection English Country House Murders edited by Thomas Godfrey. (See Review in June) The story by Christianna Brand caught my attention and the blurb at the beginning mentioned that she had been a contemporary of the Golden Age mystery writers (i.e. Christie, Marsh, Tey, and Sayers), had written several mystery novels featuring a detective named Cockrell, and was still very popular in England and on the continent. He suggested Green for Danger as her best one. This is definitely a classic mystery although in the way she develops her characters and handles her plot I think her style resembles Josephine Tey more than Agatha Christie. The setting is during the London Blitz in a military hospital in a heavily bombed area that is forced to take in civilian casualties. Although it takes place in a hospital it still has the feel of a Country House Mystery because besides the victims we are only concerned with the six suspects, three doctors and three nurses, and the detective, Cockrell. The environs are the hospital, the grounds and the lodge house where the three women reside when not on duty. The motive for 2 of the murders is part of the mystery, for the characters as well as the reader. This mystery has interesting characters, gives an historically accurate picture of what was happening in England during the blitz and also a great description of medical practices at that time, some very suspenseful moments that are psychologically created rather than “chase related” and a very clever puzzle which keeps you guessing. I loved this novel because Brand fooled me in her solution to the mystery while completely playing fair. This does not happen to me very often. How much fun I had remembering the important clues that I had noticed but ignored because she hid them in plain sight so well. Classic mystery buffs should love this book!

59. Robb, J.D.: Betrayal in Death (library)
This was not one of the strongest entries in the series but I’m enjoying the series enough that I want to read all of them. The interaction between the main continuing characters is still fun and we get to meet another charming character from Roarke’s Irish past. In this story Eve is on the track of a serial killer who is a professional assassin specializing in torture and rape of the victim before strangling with a silver wire. He has been doing this for hire for over 40 years and no one has come close to even locating him much less capturing him. The FB is also involved in the investigation. Roarke is busy helping a “Grand Dame” of the theater and movies, Magda Lane, to set up a gigantic auction of her acting memorabilia, the money from which she plans to use to establish a school to help aspiring but impoverished actors learn their craft. Meanwhile a friend from Roarke’s past whom he thought had died in a bar fight years ago shows up for a visit and becomes a house guest at Roarke’s mansion. Unfortunately the characters that are specific to this novel are not as well developed as they are in Robb’s best stories so the book was a little flat—but I had no trouble finishing it. I did discover that J.D. Robb has about as much affection for the FBI as Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe) had.

WOW! What a great/wonderful list of books! I am ever so glad you found the 75 book challenge group.

Reading Summary for August

Non-fiction:

60. Ali, Ayaan Hirsi: Infidel
Before I read this memoir I was naïve about the Muslim practice in Africa and the Middle East. I assumed that the fundamentalists and terrorists were a small minority in this large group of people who consider themselves Muslim. When I read Reading Lolita in Tehran I was appalled by what was happening to some of the women as the Ayatollah started enforcing Muslim rules for women. But we were led to believe that this was not the normal way for Muslims and at the time that book was written the transformation of Iran was just beginning so I did not get the full impact that Ayaan reveals. As I read Infidel I realized that in Africa and the Middle East this treatment of women is not an aberration but widely practiced. If noting else, this book can open our eyes to how a large segment of the world’s population is living by 3rd century standards, especially where the treatment of women are concerned.

61. Corson, Trevor: The Secret Life of Lobsters (BC 289)
Science, sex, and politics. What more could you want? Of course, it’s lobster sex we are talking about.
Corson does a magnificent job giving us glimpses into the live of the fishermen and their families as well as a wonderful over-view of much of the science that has been conducted researching lobsters and the politics involved in trying to keep lobster fishing a viable business. He reveals so much about lobsters, how they live, reproduce, and behave that the reader is amazed at how intricate the lives of these creatures are. Also fascinating is the number of scientific experiments that have been going on for years and the variety of intricate apparati that have been developed to aid this research. But all this explanation of what the book covers doesn’t begin to describe the joy and satisfaction the reader feels as he reads this story. This book deserves to become a classic and I will be encouraging everyone I know to read it. It is an absolute pleasure and a literary treasure. I hope to read more books by Trevor Corson.

Fiction: General

62. Steinbeck, John: Of Mice and Men (BC 165)
I’m at a loss how to describe this beautiful, haunting story. The setting is near Soledad, California during the 1930s on a farm where most of the workers are drifters who work for a while to earn a little money and then move on until they need more money and go to another place. Steinbeck writes so descriptively that I almost feel as if I were there observing places and events in person. The main characters are George and Lennie who are friends from youth and travel together. They have to move on because Lennie, who is simple –minded and very strong keeps making mistakes, not in his work but in relating to other people, that get them fired. George stays with him because he promised Lennie’s Aunt he would take care of him. However, underneath George’s rough exterior and manner you sense that he cares for Lennie and feels lucky to have someone to travel with unlike most of the itinerate workers.
When they arrive at their new farm George discovers that there are a lot of tensions and situations developing that create great potential for Lennie to get in trouble. The reader feels a sense of foreboding throughout and a moral dilemma at the end. One of the delights of this book is how well in such a short novel Steinbeck was able to create so many three-dimensional characters. When you have finished reading you feel as if you have gotten to know quite a bit about these workers, how they relate to each other and how they feel about the life they live. Highly recommended.

Fiction: Mysteries

63. Stout, Rex: Too Many Cooks (BC190)
In this fifth outing for Nero Wolfe and Archie they go to West Virginia to attend a meeting of the world’s 15 finest chefs. They meet every five years to cook, eat, and talk about food and elect new members to replace those who have died. Wolfe has been invited to the event and be the guest speaker at the final banquet. This is probably the best one so far in the series, especially in getting to understand the two recurring characters. We see Wolf under trying (for him) circumstances on a train and in a hotel room. The characters are interesting and we learn more about Marko Vukcic. We know from near the beginning who the victim will be but the puzzle is very interesting and although about two thirds through I had a suspicion about the perpetrator I wasn’t sure until almost the end.
Since this takes place in West Virginia in 1938 at a spa-like location we meet several blacks employed there in menial positions. Many people object to the racist language used in this book, but that was how it was then. Even Archie showed some mild effects of the tenor of the times. What I was impressed with is how Rex Stout has Nero Wolfe relate to these employees, taking the trouble not only to ask but also to remember the name of each one of them when he interviews them, letting one educated black air his opinions without putting him down but never condescending to them. In short he treated them just as he would treat any other person he was interrogating. I think it was remarkable that an author would make a point of having his character behave this way at a time when most people were prejudiced against blacks even outside of the South.

64. Stout, Rex: Some Buried Caesar (BC 192)
In the sixth novel Nero Wolfe is once again gallivanting around the countryside, this time to a rural region of New York where he plans to enter his orchids in a competition at a big State Fair. He gets sidetracked when a tire blows and the car ends up crashed into a tree next to a big pasture. The shortest way to the house in the distance is through the field so Archie and Wolfe enter the gate to go to the house. Unfortunately, they did not notice the big bull in the pasture until it charges. Archie manages to jump the fence but Wolfe is stranded on a rock with the bull holding him there. It turns out that this is a prize bull that the was purchased for $45,000 in order to be barbequed and served to several hundred guests at a shindig to advertise the new owner’s restaurants. Understandably, people who think Prize Bulls should be prized, not eaten, are upset. Wolfe wangles an invitation to stay at the house of the bull’s new owner while his car is being fixed and gets involved in a “situation” when a man who bet the owner that the bull would never be barbequed is found dead in the field with the bull standing next to him.
This is the first book in which Lily Rowen appears as she is also a guest there. And she had been dating the man found dead. Watching the beginning of the relationship between Archie and Lily is a real delight in this novel. The puzzle in this novel is well worked out also.

The title of this novel “rang a bell” with me, especially when a cowboy quotes the first two lines late in the book! knew I had read it so I did some research—it’s from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam:

XVIII
“I sometimes think that never blows so red
The Rose as where some buried Caesar bled;
That every Hyacinth the Garden wears
Dropt in its Lap from some once lovely Head.”

65. Stout, Rex: Over My Dead Body
This is number seven. A refugee from Yugoslavia (the time is during Hitler’s rise to power) gets in trouble over stolen diamonds at her place of work. She seeks Wolfe’s help on the basis that she is his adopted daughter. When Archie goes to handle the diamond problem, the problem seems to disappear. But then there is a murder. Suddenly this turns into an international affair with high stakes and Cramer is being stonewalled in his investigation, even by his own superiors. He stakes himself out in Wolfe’s office figuring that this will be the only way he will be able to get what he needs to solve the crime. He’s right, of course.

# 19 Thanks, Whisper. So am I. Now that I'm pretty well caught up for the year so far--I just have to get September done--I can take some time to visit some of the other 75 book challengers.

I'm going have to learn how to edit my reviews even smaller--these are edited down from my journal, but they are still too long. I get carried away--especially if I loved the book!

#21: Don't worry about editing your reviews, MusicMom. For the most part, we enjoy reading them and we certainly enjoy commenting on them, lol.

I agree with alcottacre's comments. This truly is a fun group and I use LT as a means of relaxing and slowing down from my usual 50 hour week of work.

Sometimes, when I write in haste, afterward I note errors and I try not to beat myself. If we all get so hung up about the right way to write or not making errors, then it takes the joy out of the purpose of LT.

I'll be very interested in reading your reviews and comments and I'm sure I'll appreciate them

MusicMom41
don't make your reviews shorter, I like them.
I am not always able to write a proper review, but do like it if others write them :-)

Hi MusicMom, glad you could make it over! And what a list of books you've laid out before us! I must tell you that I know how the Spencer-Fleming novels play out and let's just say, there are some surprises in store. I read the first Winspear mystery and enjoyed it, although I decided not to continue on mostly because I was cutting back on mystery series. I stopped reading the Charles Todd mysteries (also post WWI) at the same time.

Glad to see you have joined us here on the '75'.

Yeah...another person who finds Hamish Macbeth entertaining!!! I love the mysteries that surround Macbeth. Easy reads but very engrossing as you want to find out who did it. I love how Hamish is constantly working on ways to not get promoted.

I have always wanted to read The Simarillion but I have always heard how dense it is. I love the LOTR books but have been somewhat intimidated by how complicated The Simarillion seemed. On your recommendation, I may just give it a whirl. I gotta agree with your son on War and Peace. I own a copy and plan to read it one day but when I skimmed it and saw all those names, I ran.

Trish

I just read on another thread that there is a new translation out of War and Peace that is supposedly closer to the tolstoy's original than the "Victorian English" translations we read and if fact reads more like the language we use today. You might want to look into that--with luck they may even provide a "character list" at the beginning. I just made one as I read.

The edition of Silmarillion I read had a good list of names and places in the back and a good index that I could use to refresh my memory as I went along. My other son who was reading it the same time I was used Tolkien's World from A to Z: the complete Guide to Middle-Earth by Robert Foster which he found very helpful. If you are a Tolkien fan I would recommend this book. It is really worth the effort. Much of it still lingers in my mind and I know I'll read it again sometime.

Msg #9, GO GIANTS!!!!!!! Another true fan!!!!!! I also have enjoyed watching the younger players come into their own. About to start up the TV for a Lincecum game.

Read Jekyll and Hyde this year and have to agree that the classic is ever so much better than all of the transalations in various forms that have followed. Good book as Haunting October approaches......I am gonna read The Body Snatchers soon in honor of the season.

Glad you enjoyed Of Mice and Men so much. Steinbeck is a big favorite of mine. I also lived in the Bay area and often visited his old stomping grounds. In fact, his childhood house is run by a neat group as a restaurant. It is near his library in Salinas which is a fun trip. You should try reading Cannery Row and Tortilla Flats as both also are set in the area and it is beautifully described.

Can't believe you finished and enjoyed Silmarillion. Tried that when I was young and gave up.

GO GIANTS!!!!

Sorry, my computer keeps freaking out and posting the message a bunch of times.

blackdogbooks,

I also love Steinbeck but am reading him rather slowly because he's not exactly upeat usually. Cannery Row if a favorite of mine and I've read it several times--so far it seems to be his happiest. I also loved Grapes of Wrath--it was my first. I already own Travels with Charley so that will probably be my next one. I bought that the last time we went to Monterrey and the Aquarium. I will look for Tortilla Flats next. I would like to read all of his works if possible.

ETA That was my third attempt to read Silmarillion--3rd times a charm! And i must admit it took persistence and lots of checking the notes and index to keep track of who everybody was--and sometime I still wasn't sure! But I did think it was worth the effort--and I will read it again which should be easier because of what I learned the first time! It also deepened my appreciation of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Nice to meet another SF Giant fan! "Just wait til next year!"

Since I am now caught up to the current month I will post what I've read so far even though we have a week to go.

Reading Summary for September (1st installment)

Non-fiction:

66. Oliver, Mary: What Do We Know (BC 68)
In this volume poems and prose poems Oliver continues with her lovely way of helping us find hidden meaning in the small things and actions observed in nature. Her descriptions always bring vivid pictures to the mind of the reader. Another theme that I have found in the books that I have read by her is the idea of death as part of life in nature—never heavy handed or too frequent, but always occasionally bringing us back from the idyll to the reality of the natural order. In this volume this feeling is intensified and the theme of death and what comes after (and what went before) is recurring throughout. Another surprise is there are religious overtones in many of the poems and as I read I kept thinking that perhaps Mary Oliver had something happen that made her acutely aware of her mortality. About two thirds through the volume is a deeply felt long poem about her dog Luke called “Her Grave Again.” This book has added another dimension to her work and made it more personal and revelatory of herself. This is a wonderful collection to read, ponder and relate to.

67. Oliver, Mary: Red Bird (BC 78)
This latest volume of Mary Oliver’s poetry, published in 2008, contains many pieces in which she uses her clarity of vision to help us see what she sees and feel what she feels about it, which I consider is a hallmark of her work of the last ten or so years, the poetry of hers with which I’m familiar. In addition to giving us glimpses and insights into nature, I have many times felt I discerned “life lessons” very subtly hinted at although perhaps sometimes this is something I bring to the poem rather than anything Mary Oliver intended. However, in this volume, the “life lessons” in these poems seem to be more overt as if she is now using these observations to help her cope with life as in other volumes she has been helping me cope with mine. She also deals with a wider range of topics in these selections than I have noticed before in her books, including poems that verge on the political and others that are more religious than she has been in the past. In the earlier volumes I have read, especially in Why I Wake Early, she has given me the feeling that she goes to nature for gaining strength and peace in her life and also for her spirituality. In Red Bird, especially, and less intensely in What Do We Know, I feel that in some way life has overwhelmed her and she is struggling to regain that peace from nature she used to have but she is also looking to God now as a source of either strength or comfort and is also being forced to confront what is happening in the world—no longer able to separate it from her poetry. One possible cause of this change that she acknowledges is she is getting older—reaching seventy and feeling that her time is getting shorter. I suspect from some of the poems in this volume that she is also dealing with a tremendous loss—probably of a loved one either through death or separation. This is a powerful book and more personal than the previous work of hers that I’ve read, even than What Do We Know, published in 2002 in which she gives us some personal glimpses of grief over the death of a beloved dog and also some looking beyond nature for spirituality.

68. Murakami, Haruki: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (BC 180)
I really enjoyed this book. In addition to his talking about his running in marathons and triathlons he muses about writing novels and other interest of his. Along the way the reader discerns "life lessons" and a feeling of becoming a bit more acquainted with Murakami.
Murakami is Asian, from Japan, and I have learned here in Reedley with my Japanese friends, they are reticent about revealing personal information. This memoir gives us virtually no information about his personal life. We do not see him “at home.” In fact he is usually outdoors and occasionally at work. Briefly near the beginning he mentions getting married. Near the end his wife is mentioned a couple of time as making a remark to him at the end of a race. What we do get is a friendly “discussion” (he discusses and we listen) about his passions of running and writing. He is a good story teller and this carries over in telling his stories about races he has run and places he has visited. Along the way we get to understand a little about his philosophy of life and how he feels about getting older. This could be a very fast read, but I enjoyed it a chapter at a time over the course of about a week and found it soothing, relaxing and never boring.

Fiction: General

69. Heyer, Georgette: Black Sheep (BC 279)
This has always been one of my favorite Heyer novels. The plot is essentially the same as The Lady of Quality involving an older couple and a younger couple. The difference in this plot is that Miles Caverleigh, the Black Sheep, is related to the fortune hunter who is trying to win the hand of the rich, underage Fanny, Miss Abigail Wendover’s niece, while Oliver Carleton is the guardian of the run-away heiress Lucilla whom Miss Annis Wynchwood has rescued.
The characters in Black Sheep are more vivid and expertly drawn. Instead of being informed about the characters you are led to know them through the incidents that occur. You also find out quite a bit about the pasts of the two main protagonists. In addition there is more conflict for Miss Abigail Wendover than for Miss Annis Wynchwood because the relationship between Abigail and her niece Fanny is close so Abigail has more to lose if she is not successful.
This book was published nearly ten years after Lady of Quality and you can see how Heyer has matured in plotting, characterization, creating amusing situations and witty dialog. This is a fun read.

Fiction: Mysteries

70. Child, Lee: The Killing Floor
I read this because a friend recommended this series to me and said I had to read this one first because it sets up the series. The story was mildly interesting even though the plot was a little improbable and fairly predictable. Most of the time I felt like I was a few steps ahead of the brilliant former MP from the homicide division. There was too much gore for my taste and the characters seemed a little flat. However, I loved the references to Jack Reacher’s interest in and knowledge of music—it was my favorite part of the book. This is a thriller and the obligatory sex scenes were there—and that is how they felt, obligatory. I think Child wrote one sex scene and then cut and pasted to insert it whenever the opportunity arose—i.e. they weren’t being chased and they had a shower and a bed available. He could take lessons from J.D. Robb. If you must have sex in your story at least don’t make it boring! I will say this—I got one big surprise near the end—the only real surprise for me. I may try another one in this series sometime to see if Child improves his writing and plotting with practice. But not soon.

ETA touchstones

#33 MusicMom: I think that the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child does improve with the following books, although because of the genre in which they are written, a certain suspension of belief is required in reading them. Keep on with them and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Thanks for the input. I may be starting sooner than i thought because a friend here asked me on Tuesday if I had read Lee Chile and when we talked about it she also encouraged me and has lent me one that she owns. With your encouragement, I won't let it get buried too deeply before I pick it up.

Hi MusicMom and welcome to the Valley (one of several in California, but you are in the Raisin Capital of the World area). I'm a huge fan of Saroyan's (have you read any of his plays?) and my favorite line from a book is his, "The hand is quicker than the eye, but only the nose runs" from the book report presentation.

And Steinbeck is one of my absolute all-time favorites. There is a fabulous film adaption of Cannery Row starring Spencer Tracy and John Garfield, which has all the best of the novel incorporated. I just finished an ARC on the Bakersfield banning and burning of the novel, but the review for that is in my library.

I, too, can't go for six months without buying at least one book. Sometimes I pretend it's for a gift, but somehow it ends up on my TBR bookshelf. Curiouser and curiouser.

See, I told you you'd have fun here:-)

Appropros of Steinbeck, my favorite is East of Eden with The Winter of Our Discontent as a close second. Both well-told stories which double as morality tales.

East of Eden is on my "to Buy" list--I'll have to check out winter of our Discontent--I don't know anything about that one. Thanks for the tips!

#35: Good! I really think that you will enjoy the series, the deeper into it you go. Glad to hear that you are giving it another shot.

Hope you make it over to my thread and leave comments. I am interested in hearing what you have to say.

Finishing Reading Summary for September

71. Kingsolver, Barbara: The Poisonwood Bible (BC 543)
Brief summary: In 1959 family from Georgia consisting of a Father who is a Baptist preacher , a mother, and four daughters ranging in age from 5 to 15 with the two middle daughters being twins go to The Congo to be missionaries. The father has insisted on it even though his church has not sanctioned it and they have had absolutely no training or even an orientation to the area where they will live which is very remote and can only be reached by small aircraft. They will live in a small village with the nearest white person hundreds of miles away. The story is told through the voices of the women in the family. The mother introduces each section of the book, speaking after she has returned from this mission of the events that happened there and giving heavy hints of disasters looming. The four daughters take turns describing events from their personal perspectives as they are happening. It is an interesting way of telling a story but you get very little objective views of what’s happening. Also I was disappointed that even using this device I never felt I connected with the characters. Although their mission lasted only about a year and a half the story continues until the late 1980’s following the fates of each of the characters. History and politics of the region play a large role in this novel.

I’m finding this book difficult to review because I feel so ambivalent about it. When it was popular I knew I did not want to read it and never have felt that I was missing anything. I’m not sure what possessed me to buy my 50 cent copy from the Friends table at the library—maybe because it was the only book there I would even consider buying? Once I posted that I had bought it one LTer said she had a copy and wanted to read it but thought she needed someone with whom to discuss it. I offered to read it with her and before we knew it we had a large group of people wanting to do a group read and luckily, a very bright woman (vintage_books) who was willing to moderate it. This was my first “group read” on LT and it was great. I hope I haven’t been spoiled!

I’m glad I read it with a group. While I was reading I was having trouble sticking with it—sometimes it just seemed wonderful; other times—and more often—it would annoy me to tears. I never wanted to throw the book away but I was often tempted to throw it across the room! However this was a great book for generating discussion and I enjoyed talking about the book immensely. And in the discussions I learned to be more tolerant of what I perceived to be flaws in the book (I definitely was not alone in identifying these flaws—which also added to the discussion) and now I am glad I read it. The most important thing I got from this book is the desire to read more—and probably nonfiction—about the Congo area of Africa, its history, cultures, and what is going on today. One thing about LT—one book inevitably leads to several others!

Fiction: Mysteries

72. Spencer-Fleming, Julia: Out of the Deep I Cry
This series continues to be enjoyable if not exactly compelling. The characters are likable; the relationship between Clare and Russ adds tension but is handled well. Much of the suspense in the series is how this will be resolved in a satisfactory way without compromising the core values of either character—or will these values be overthrown. In this third novel there are two somewhat parallel mysteries that relate to each other. The mystery in the present concerns the disappearance of the doctor who heads up a clinic for the poor that is funded partly by the town and partly by a trust fund set up by the widow of the man for whom the clinic is named. The parallel mystery is told in flash backs and concerns the mysterious disappearance in 1930 of the man for whom the clinic is named, and for whose memorial the clinic was established. The story is told by alternating sections entitled “Now” and “Then”. It is intriguing the way the story is told, especially as the “Then” sections are not told in chronological order as more and more relevant information is revealed. It was the flash back part of the story I found most intriguing and also that held the most surprises for me. The modern story I had pretty well figured out by half way into the book. I use this series as light and relaxing entertainment and this novel provided me a very enjoyable morning “vacation.”

73. Robb, J.D.: Seduction in Death
This was not one of the stronger entries in the series but the interaction of the characters is still interesting and it is a fast read.

(edited to add touchstones)

On reading about Congo I can recommend No Mercy: A Journey Into the Heart of the Congo Redmond O'Hanlon, it might be what you are looking for.
Although I liked the two other books of him more In trouble again : a journey between the Orinoco and the Amazon and Into the heart of Borneo.

MusicMom - Thanks for your review of The Poisonwood Bible. My mom loaned it to me almost a year ago now, and she was pretty ambivalent about it too. Perhaps because of that, I haven't picked it up yet. Maybe I'll try to talk my book club into reading it. Or at least go back and read other LTers thoughts about it as I'm reading. I ran across your Group Read thread just a few days ago, and knew that I couldn't possibly catch up!

FAMeulstee

Thanks for the suggestion. I will look for that one.

porch_reader

The thread will be up for quite a while and when someone posts I'm sure there will be those (probably including me) who will still have them starred and will check in with you. Of course--my menory may be hazy by then!

My expectations for this book were low so i was surprised how well I liked it when we were discussing it--I would definitely read it when you can discuss it and not alone. Ofcourse, there are several people who would disagree with me because they loved it--and you may, too!

I gave up on The Poisonwood Bible - just something about it annoyed me and I couldn't get interested in it. I had the same kind of reaction to The Secret Life of Bees though I did finish that one - even though I thoroughly disliked it.

dihiba
Like you, I could not finish The Poisonwood Bible. A very good friend told me it was her favorite book and so I thought I would give it a try.

However, I did very much like The Secret Life of Bees

dihiba & Whisper1

If I had not committed myself to the group read I probably would have not finished it either--in fact I probably would not have started it! The discussions helped keep it going for me--but I still had troouble staying on task. It it had been a beter book I would have finished it in 3 or 4 days. As it was it took me almost 2 weeks!

Hubby's Mom gave me The Secret Life of Bees a couple of years ago to read. Hmm! Should I put it on the TBR pile? Can anyone break the tie! This one I'm not oblligated to read.

Sorry I cannot help re: The Secret Life of Bees. I was pretty ambivalent about it when I read it a couple of years ago.

I think you will know if you like The Secret Life of Bees after the first 20 pp or so. I kept hoping I would like it better as I read on, but it was not to bee... (oops, sorry, I couldn't resist!)
I saw the trailer for the movie yesterday, and it might just work as a movie. Unless they have a voiceover, that might ruin it.

dihiba

Thanks for the advice. I doubt if I would go to the movie but maybe on my next break from work--over Thanksgiving--I might try the book. If I don't like it it shouldn't take up shelf space.

Hello MusicMom41!!! Thanks for writing on my thread. Glad you've decided to join us!! So you like Nicholas Basbanes?? I really loved A Gentle Madness....fascinating

I'm a bit of an ecletic, as you can tell from my reading selections, but I can't help it..I'm interested in so many things...

Happy reading!!

Mamachunk

Hi MusicMom!

So you now have your own thread - how fabulous!!

Welcome and enjoy!

Maybe I can help - I hated The Secret Life of Bees! (I really enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible, though).

Very interesting discussion.... The Poisonwood Bible is in my top 5 of all time favorite books. And as we speak (well... type!) I am reading The Secret Life of Bees. I'm about 50 pages in and I really like it.

Reading Summary for October (1st week)

74. Oliver, Mary: The Leaf and the Cloud (BC 55)
This is a book length poem that seem to be quite autobiographical. It is beautiful and lyrical and personal. I sensed that Oliver is trying to assess her life and work in this poem and also examine her “faith”.

The second “chapter” is called “Work” and opens with these lines:

I am a woman sixty years old and of no special courage.
Everyday—a little conversation with God, or his envoy
the tall pine, or the grass-swimming cricket.
Everyday—I study the difference between water and stone.
Everyday—I stare at the world; I push the grass aside
and stare at the world.

The last section of the last chapter opens with these lines:

Think of me
when you see the evening star.
Think of me when you see the wren
the flowing root of the creek beneath him,
dark silver and cold

Remember me I am the one who told you
he sings for happiness.
I am the one who told you
that the grass is also alive, and listening.

Fiction: General

75. Heyer, Georgette: The Toll-Gate (BC 277)

I needed a little “comfort reading” after our long trip for a short weekend and I have fallen behind in my quest to read all of Georgette Heyer. (I started in June 2006 and read 8 that year, read 4 in 2007 but this is only my second one this year, so far.)

Captain John Staple leaves a very dull house party to go visit a friend for hunting. Taking a short cut his horse throws a shoe and then it begins to downpour. By now it is after dark and searching for a farmhouse to take shelter in he comes across a toll gate being manned by a very young, frightened boy. His dad is the gate keeper and he has disappeared. John decides to stay the night at the gate house and keep the boy company. In the morning, when she passes through the gate to go to church, John meets the Squire’s granddaughter, a strong and strong minded young woman who has been acting as squire since her grandfather had a stroke and he decides maybe he’ll stay a while and find out what is going on. This is one of Heyer’s most delightful historical stories with both romance and mystery. We have villains and swells and a highwayman (who isn’t a villain) and even a Bow Street Runner on special assignment. Pure escapism with laughs.

First goal reached!

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You did it. And I love the description of your 75th. I have to go add it to my list of books to buy. It sounds like a really good mystery and I am so in the market for that right now.

Congrats MusicMom :-))

Just a 'note' of congratulations....musicmom!!!!

Congratulations! Still almost one-quarter of the year to go to improve your numbers--and remove some TBR set-asides.

congratulations!

Welcome to the 75 Books Completed Club!

And I agree with TrishNYC, book 75 does sound good. I have not read any of Heyer other than her mysteries, but that one sounds like I would enjoy it.

#57 TrishNYC & #62 alcottacre

I like Heyer's historical romances better than her mysteries. In historical romance she has no peer--her research is impeccable and you are really transported to the region and era she recreates. Regency England was her specialty but she has some in other eras. However, be warned-- these are relaxing "fluff." Although Michael Dirda does have her on his list of most influential writers of the 20th century--not only did she inspire most of the romance writers (an entire genre that I pretty much manage to ignore) but also such works as Possession by A..S. Byatt.

Two of Heyer's novels that have recently been re-released that are considered excellent historical novels are An Infamous Army which contains one of the most accurate depictions of the Battle of Waterloo available in fiction and The Conqueror, the story of William the Conqueror. They are both on my TBR pile--hopefully I'll get to one of them this year and save the other for next year.

(edited to try to make touchstones work--not sure why they don't. Fingers crossed they'll work this time.)

Reading Summary for October (2nd week)

Fiction:

76. Scott, Michael: The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

I enjoyed this YA fantasy book, the first in a purported trilogy. Nicholas Flamel and his wife, Perenel, have been residing in Northern California since they had to flee France and Nicholas is running a bookshop. He has hired a teenaged boy to help him and the boy’s twin sister was able to get a job in a café across the street. Unfortunately, Flamel’s enemies have tracked him down and they attack the bookshop in order to steal the book that taught Nicholas how to be an alchemist and that also contains what he need to be immortal. Nicholas and the twins escape and the last 2 pages of the book are still in their protection but Perenel has been kidnapped and the 3 escapees are being hotly pursued. The story includes many “magical” creatures, witches, vampires (not all of them suck blood!), ghosts and numerous characters and ideas from the legends and mythologies of the world. There is lots of action and suspense and I found it quite entertaining. This is my son’s book and I bought him the sequel for his birthday, so I will be reading that probably over Christmas break. Nice to have some light reading on vacations!

Poetry:

77. Hass, Robert: Sun Under Wood
This was an incredible book of poetry—the first I’ve read by him. This is not “easy” reading and certainly not relaxing—in fact in many ways it could be seen as taxing. (I couldn’t resist!). He seems to use a stream of consciousness writing style, one thought leading to another and then to another and, usually, finally coming together to see how all the ideas fit into his theme. He creates fabulous images with his words and you can visualize much of what he’s describing. Most of the poems I had to read twice. There is much autobiographical material here. One long poem is about his mother who was an alcoholic and not mentally stable. One of my favorites was “Regalia for a Black Hat Dancer”, a long poem concerning his divorce which really explores the feelings that this trauma elicits and how he dealt with them. It also describes the way life changes for all concerned. I’m not sure why this one appealed to me because I have no experience with divorce either in my family or with close friends. Maybe because I have taught many students who come from broken homes.

Other poems are shorter and some have lots of word play—also it pays to have a Spanish dictionary handy. There is a lot of variety of subject matter and style. I plan to reread this book again next year because I know I have not plumbed its depths yet. I also want to see if I can find an overall plan for the book or decide it is just a collection unconnected poems.

Thinking out loud--

Taking stock: I have books I’m committed to read—some with deadlines--and I also want to reach 100 books this year. I only missed it by 130 pages last year. I didn’t realize I was that close or I could have easily done it! I think I need a plan to reach that goal and still read what I want to get done this year. I need 23 more books read by December 31st.

To read by November 3rd:
(group read)
Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wreath (about half done)
The Wife
The Cross

Rose, Chris: 1 Dead in Attic (about half done)
Woolfe, Virginia: Orlando (anticipated group read for October)
Mortensen, Greg: Three Cups of Tea (library read—in 3 sections; 1st section finished)

2 library books due 10/29:
Agnon, Shmuel: In the Heart of the Seas: a journey to the land of Israel
McMurtry, Larry: Books

I also have an ER book to read when it arrives. It’s from the September list so I don’t know long how it will take to get here.

To read in November:
(group read)
Preston, Diane: A Pirate of Exquisite Mind: William Dampier

To read in November & December:
(books about Africa inspired by Poisonwood Bible group read)

Butcher, Tim: Blood River: A Journey to Africa’s Broken Heart (Congo, 2000)
Kapuscinski, Ryszard: The Shadow of the Sun (Congo—late 1950s)
Jeal, Tim: Livingston (biography) (no touchstone)
Jeal, Tim: Stanley: the impossible life of Africa's greatest explorer (biography)

I can’t decide if I should treat KL as three books (they are often published that way) or as one book. If I count them as three the above list books totals 14 and I will need 9 more books of my choice to reach 100. If I can get the books I need to read before November 3rd done I think I can reach my goal. KL is the “log jam.” So that is a priority this week and next!

(edited to correct title and for spelling)

A Pirate of Exquisite Mind is very good. I have read several of Preston's books and found them all to be quite good. I hope you enjoy it!

I very much enjoyed Three Cups of Tea. I cannot same the same about McMurtry's Books. I hope you post your thoughts on them when you are done reading them. I would be interested in your input.

Hello MusicMom41!
I loved all of the Ryszard Kapuscinski books that I have read- I was introduced to him through the quarterly magazine( it is more like a book ) Granta - you may want to check to see if your library has any copies with with his articles.

#66 alcottacre

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm loving Three Cups of Tea--in fact it's hard to wait to start the next section--but it does make time for KL!

McMurtry's Books is definitely not required reading! I like books about books so I requested this (my local branch doesn't have it) sight unseen. At this point, believe me, if I don't like it I will have no compunction about dropping it. I have too many other things I want to read.

#67 torontoc

I'm very excited about Kapuscinski's book--especially since it covers about the same time that Poisonwood covers. The literary magazine looks interesting--I've never heard of it. Is it from Canada? (Thanks for the link so I could check it out!)

Hi Musicmom41
Granta is published in the U.K.- they do have a US office - I usually get my copies from a bookstore. I have seen them on Bookmooch as well.

Enjoy In the Heart of the Seas, but it's a journey to Israel, not across Israel, so your expectations are in good order! I really enjoyed this little book, but I have a reading friend who found it difficult because it is basically written in idiomatic language. It was still fun and really good-hearted.

Prop2gether

I'm really looking forward to that one--I think it will be a joy to read and a nice break from KL! I plan to read it between the 1st and 2nd volumes of KL.

I am trying to track down a copy of In the Heart of the Seas to read too, but my local library does not have it. I hope I can find one!

I am a huge fan of books about books as well, MusicMom, but McMurtry's book just did not do it for me. Perhaps you will like it better than I did. Have you read any of Nicholas Basbanes' works? His A Gentle Madness is one of my favorites.

I loved Gentle Madness! have you read Every Book Its Reader? That one is another of my favorites.

Yep, I read that one last year. I think that was the only one of his I had not read yet. He needs to write more!

Just curious--where does the "MusicMom" come from?

I'm a musician, an independent music teacher (IMT), a church musician (MoM=minister of music) and a mother. Years ago, when I first needed a computer user-name MusicMom seemed to describe me.

I've also always been an avid reader--but at time I had no idea that I would someday use the computer for my book "fixes" too. ;-)

Okay--thinking out loud again. And rethinking my plan.

On Friday I finally finished The Wreath the first volume in Kristin Lavransdatter but have decided not to count the 3 volumes as separate books, just as I wouldn't count The Lord of the Rings as 3 books.

That means I haven't finished a book this week. I thought I could do Books by McMurtry but I finally decided today it's just not worth it because I have to force myself to pick it up--booooring! I should have listed to alcottacre and ditched it to begin with!

I would like to read 13 more books by the end of the year and I don't want it to be all "work" so here is the new plan. Since I intend to add the 999 challenge to my plate next year (I'm assuming I can count what I read for that on my 75 challenge) I'm going to put off my "African project" until 2009--that will fit into one of my categories. I will finish the books I've committed to for group reads and the other 2 I've started and am enjoying so far and the rest are going to "fun books" for enjoyment.

Here's the plan: 23 books

Read 4 books for Group reads (Never again that many at once!--That's why I'm in trouble now!)

Group Reads:
Finish Kristin Lavransdatter
Finish Three Cups of Tea
Start Orlando tomorrow
Start A Pirate of Exquisite Mind Nov. 3

Books to finish:
1 Dead in Attic (great book!)
In the Heart of the Seas (just started but I think I will like it)

Series books for fun:
Where There's a Will (continuing my project of reading Nero Wolfe novels in order--I may read more than one before the end of the year!)
Reunion in Death (Eve Dallas)
To Darkness and to Death (Claire Fergusson/Russ Alstyne)

"Chicago" books (going there in November):
The Devil in the White City
Loving Frank (read mixed reviews, but I own it so I will try it)

Borrowed book I need to return:
Running Blind by Lee Child--I was encouraged to try another of his by Lt readers and by the friend who loaned this to me. I reserve the right to ditch it if I don't like it!

Book bought last year on the recommendation of a friend that I have put off too long:
The Shadow of the Wind

From my TBR pile that were recently bought and look like fun"
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society
Monster: Living Off the Big Screen By John Gregory Dunne (he was Joan Didion's husband--maybe I should read her book, too. I own it--it was given to me as a gift when my Mother died).
Messages from My Father
Meet Me in St. Louis by Sally Benson
The Final Solution by Michael Chabon--I have never read him and think I should.

That's 18 on my list which gives me five more to choose later (assuming I don't have to drop any of these!) I do reserve the right to pick up a "serious book" after I finish my group reads--in case I get bored "having fun." ;-)

Of course there's always another Georgette Heyer and a ton of mysteries to choose from, however!

Sounds like a great plan!

Too bad about Books isn't it? I was very disappointed in it because I really wanted to like it.

On the other hand, you have some great reads on your list, including some of my favorites: The Devil in the White City, Shadow of the Wind - one of my favorites from this year - along with Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and Three Cups of Tea. I like your series book choices as well.

I just got in a copy of In the Heart of the Seas and began it the other day, so maybe we can compare notes on it.

Good luck on your quest for 75!

I'd love to hear what you think about In the Heart of the Seas, Shadow of the Wind, and Devil in the White City. All favorites of mine (and incidentally, you may like Isaac's Storm by Larsen as well, the story of the turn of the last century hurricane that leveled Galveston.

# 78 alcottacre

I was disappointed about Books too. The first few chapters about his young life were sort of interesting but when he began to talk about book selling he seemed more interested in the physical books than in what they contained (although he did claim that he read many of them) and then I felt it became a "name-dropping" session--maybe if I had recognized some of the names or if there had been more substance to what he said about them I could have held on, but after nearly 100 pages I was bored to tears. I refuse to be bored! Infuriated, revolted, disgusted--I can handle that (although I sometimes drop those,too, now that LT has taught me life is too short to read something you don't like) but not bored!

I'd love to compare notes on In the Heart of the Seas--it seems like a quirky little book that will either be charming or (hopefully not!) annoying. So far I think it is charming! It might take me a little while to really get into it because this is a very busy stressful week since I have only 3 days to do a week's worth of work--eye surgery on Thursday--minor and they assure me that I will be able to read by Friday. So that's what I'm going to do on Friday--READ!

Best wishes, Musicmom!

# 79 Prop2gether

I just checked out Isaac's Storm and that is definitely going on TBR list. I've also been thinking about McCullough's book about the Johnstown Flood--I think it is the first book he wrote. I will add both of these to my "history" category for the 999 challenge next year--if I don't read them before that.

If you haven't read 1 Dead in Attic I highly recommend it--it does a great job of chronicling the aftermath of the storm and how much of the "damage" to people was caused by psychological damage when trying to come to grips with what happened. It's a personal account by a man who lived it.

I think you could safely add anything Erik Larsen has written to your list. Overall, I have found his books to be nothing but excellent and I believe I have read them all to this point.

Sorry to hear about your impending surgery. I hope you have a safe surgery and a speedy recovery! Maybe listen to some audiobooks while your eyes are out of commission.

In response to your comment in another thread:

If anyone has suggestions for this category (science fiction) I would be happy to entertain them!

Here is a very short list of a few of the science fiction greats (as I see it). I didn't check your library to see what you had already read of this. If you've read all these, I can easily recommend more! :-)

Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (also The Diamond Age is good)
Connie Willis - Doomsday Book (also To Say Nothing of the Dog is very funny)
C. J. Cherryh - Downbelow Station (probably the best starting point for her universe)
Frank Herbert - Dune (but none of the zillion sequels)
Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game (I didn't care much for the sequels)
Joe Haldeman - The Forever War
William Gibson - Neuromancer (the book that started cyber-punk)
Alexei Panshin - Rite of Passage
David Brin - Startide Rising
Roger Zelazny - This Immortal
Donald Kingsbury - Courtship Rite
Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Hey, Carolyn, we have only 97 books in common in our libraries, but a lot of similar tastes: Lloyd Alexander, Jasper Fforde, Georgette Heyer, Madeleine L'Engle, Ursula Leguin, Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, Garth Nix, L.M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Jane Austen, Neil Gaiman and Susan Cooper. Let me suggest some science fiction I think you'll enjoy.

Lois McMaster Bujold: Start with Shards of Honor and Barrayar (you can also get them in an omnibus Cordelia's Honor), then when you're hooked, go on to the Miles books and the fantasy series starting with Chalion. Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: Start with Agent of Change or buy the omnibus of the first three books Partners in Necessity--you're going to want to end up with them all anyway. Elizabeth Moon: start with Hunting Party to see if you like her. Joan Vinge: try Catspaw and its sequels for starters, then go on to a classic like The Snow Queen. Doris Egan: try The Gate of Ivory--there are two more if you like that. I like Cherryh, but Downbelow Station nearly killed me--if you like huge, multiple viewpoint stories, you may like it more. I'd recommend The Pride of Chanur. Brin's Startide Rising is quite good.

For some different fantasy than you have in your library, try anything by Guy Gavriel Kay (except for Ysabel--it's somewhat atypical), Robin McKinley (try The Blue Sword), Nina Kiriki Hoffman--The Thread that Binds the Bones, P. C. Hodgell--Godstalk, and Terry Pratchett--you've already gotten a taste with Good Omens, but try Guards! Guards! or Reaper Man.

Have lots of fun, and I hope you meet your goal!

Oh, and Heyer. If you liked The Toll Gate, you'll like The Unknown Ajax and The Masqueraders. For Georgian romantic drama, try These Old Shades and Devil's Cub. My favorite classic Regency is Cotillion; I just love how she turns classic tropes on their heads. And the strong females--The Grand Sophy, Venetia, Frederica. Actually, there are none of Heyer's romances that I can't stand (although Cousin Kate and The Quiet Gentleman come close) but I'm not that fond of her mysteries.

TadAD and ronincats--

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I have Dune and Ender's Game because my son has been wanting me to read them and he has always talked about Hitchhiker's Guide so I bought the "Ultimate" version a couple of weeks ago--5 novels and a short story-- I will read at least one of those. (My son had the opportunity to interview him in London several years ago--he got in touch with him by email before he went to England because he was using Adams book Last Chance to See with his science class and wanted an interview that he could tape for his students to listen to. Adams spent an entire afternoon with my son--I think he must have been a very special person!)

Most of the other authors are new to me. I will check them all out and choose some to round out my list--I love discovering new authors!

Thanks also for putting the suggestions on this thread so it will be easy for me to find! :-D (That's a happy me!)

ronincats

I love Gerogette Heyer and agree with you that the mysteries are rather average the the historical romances are great. Cousin Kate and April Lady are the two I remember not being as fond of but I haven't read them for a long time. I just read Quiet Gentleman fairly recently and I enjoyed it--I liked Drusilla, the rather "Jane Eyerish" heroine. The plot is rather similar to The unknown Ajax. I like the strong heroines so the 3 you mentioned are also favorites of mine, as is The Masqueraders which I haven't read for quite a while so that may be the one I pick for my last 2008 GH read. I'm planning on reading them all in the next couple of years--most of them will be rereads, but it has been several years since I read them. I just bought 2 of her truly historical novels, The Conqueror about William the Conqueror and An Infamous Army about the Battle of Waterloo which i plan to read next year--part of my "history" category which will include both fiction and nonfiction.

I love meeting Georgette Heyer fans! Thanks for "chatting" with me. And thanks for great scifi suggestions--I really need to read more in that area!

The nice thing about science fiction, in my opinion, is that there's something there for almost everyone. My sister always says she doesn't like science fiction, but I think she just hasn't looked enough. If you like the techy stuff, you can read Stephenson or Gibson. If you like "space stuff", you can read someone like Cherryh (and I agree that Pride of Chanur is good but I am a fan of the huge, multiple viewpoint stories *smile*) or Moon. Different cultures?...try Herbert. Focus on characters?...try Card or Willis.

Personally, I like just about all of it, but many people don't. I had one friend who just didn't "get" Dune. However, he was still game, said he liked the Horatio Hornblower books, so I suggested Weber's On Basilisk Station. After reading a few of that series, he went on to the Bujold that ronincats mentioned, and then on to Elizabeth Moon. Turns out, he's quite happy with that military-ish space opera sub-genre of the field.

Science fiction is worth a try for anyone but the most committed literary fiction reader, I say.

--Tad

PS - I have to argue with ronincats on one thing...I think reading The Hero and the Crown makes The Blue Sword better when you get to it. Though, I think the latter is the better book by far!

Humph! We share over 500 books, TadAD, so I think we like a lot of the same things, and I like almost all types of sf except maybe hardcore milsf. And I won't argue with you over reading the Hero and the Crown first--many people do recommend that. I found the books in the opposite direction (I don't think Hero had been published yet when I read The Blue sword).

I wasn't meaning to suggest we didn't like the same things, ronincats, if that's what you mean by "Humjph!". As you say, our libraries have huge overlap and many very similar reactions to books.

I was just musing on people who say they don't like science fiction. It's so varied, I wonder how they can say that unless they've read a huge amount of it.

I would also suggest Niven and Pournelle's collaborative efforts, especially Lucifer's Hammer (where a comet hits the earth and survivors must adapt--it's set in Southern California) or The Mote in God's Eye (which also has a sequel). And if you'd like to start with "softer" fiction, try Little Fuzzy by Piper, which is out in a new softcover edition. It's a delight and amazingly topical.

Wow--I can see i have some real investigating to do! I was afraid I wouldn't be able to come up with nine scifi books to read in a year--now I'm wondering how I'm going to narrow it down to just nine! I have some well-known (at least to me!) ones I feel I need to read--the only Douglas Adams book I've ever read is Last Chance to See which is environmentalist not fantasy (and Highly Recommended!) so I must read at least one Hitchhiker's book, I have access to the Abhorsen Trilogy and the Eragon trilogy--no one has mentioned these--any good? I also own Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell which I'm considering. I wold definitely like to discover a good new (to me) fantasy author because i used to read quite a bit of fantasy and enjoyed it. And The Dark Lord of Derkholm has been recommended to me--Diana Wynne Jones, whom I've also never read.

I'll have some time this weekend to explore all the suggestions -- this is going to be funI And to think I was ambivalent about using scifi as a category!

I love Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell. It is a lengthy book to get through, but if you can hold out through to the end, it's worth it. If you do read it and enjoy it, you may also want to consider Susanna Clarke's The Ladies of Grace Adieu as well.

The Abhorsen Trilogy--yes. Very original, although fairly dark. Eragon Trilogy--no. Very derivative, not that well written, at least through the first two books. Written by a teenager and you can tell, although teens seem to like it. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell--long, very slow in some sections. I never felt really connected to the characters. If you only have 9 books to select, I would judge this one to be too long and tedious to include. YMMV.

Of the ones you list, MusicMom41, I think Abhorsen is the way to go. It's one of the best ever done. I'm with ronincats on Eragon. I have mixed feelings about Jonathan Strange.

Teens and some adults do like Eregon. It's probably not the best introduction into the field, and it really is fantasy, not science fiction. Which reminds me, you can always try the original grand masters--Jules Verne (I read and LOVED Journey to the Centre of the Earth) or H.G. Wells. If you read them long ago, this is a great time to rediscover why they're still around and being read.

Do you feel like a push me-pull you yet? ;-)

I have read most of H.G. Wells (Time Machine, Invisible Man, and War of the Worlds--have I forgotten anything?) I forget that he fits into fantasy! I consider him classic.

I actually own Journey to the Center of the Earth and have never read it--I think I could put this in the classic category if I find I don't have room in the fantsy category. I'm having a great time exploring this category but I'm beginning to think I may be reading 91 books of scifi/fantasy next year!

I'm so grateful for all the suggestions! Thanks. I'm keeping a list of things that appeal to me so what doesn't get read in to 999 challenge will be available for me to read later.

I took a much needed break from all the "group reads" I have going these last 2 days. I had eye surgery--lens replacement-- yesterday and while waiting for doctors and prepping and such before the surgery and between naps after I got home I read the next Nero Wolfe in my "in order" project, Where There's a Will.

Today, spending 3 hours this morning in the Dr.'s office to see 2 technicians and then the Dr. -- those visits took about 5 minutes each!--and then a restful afternoon I read Guernsey Literary. I at least have been able to finish 2 books this week--now back to my group reads--another one starts November 3!

78. Stout, Rex: Where There's a Will

This book has to do with the Secretary of State in the U.S.—not the victim but a suspect when his brother-in-law, whose company supposedly use of inside information from the Secretary has caused a scandal that will ruin the Secretary’s career, is murdered. I guessed the murderer about the time Nero did but the vital clue that clinched it wasn’t revealed until Wolf’s “charade” with the suspects, although it was that vital clue that made the solution apparent to him. I had no evidence, just have woman’s intuition—and if I’d had the magnifying glass to look at the pictures I still might not have recognized the clue so I couldn’t have convinced the police.

79. Shaffer, Mary Ann: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

This epistolary novel provided me with much entertainment on the day after my eye surgery. The story tells, after the fact, of the occupation by German troops of The Channel Islands, especially Guernsey and we do get a lot of insight into the difficulties they faced and of some of the atrocities that happened there and also in France and Germany. There are tears in this story along with the joy. But the story mainly concerns the time directly after the war learning about life on the island and how they are coping with rebuilding their lives as well as the damaged property. The characters are delightful (except the few undelightful ones! for spice!) and there is also a love story. I got the feeling that there had been quite a bit of research for this novel which made the tale more compelling than it would have been without those darker elements, but I would still classify it as entertainment. However I do highly recommend it! We all need some fun in our reading and this one has elements that makes it a cut above “fluff.”

(edited for spelling and missing words! I guess I can see ever better today.) ;-)

Sounds like the operation was a success if you are back reading already! Glad to hear that everything turned out OK.

I loved Guernsey and am glad you enjoyed it as well.

80. Robb, J.D.: Interlude in Death and Haunted in Death
These two novellas made a nice quick read Saturday. I read them primarily because I wanted to read Haunted in Death for Halloween Week. It was a pretty good ghost story involving 2 connected murders that occurred 80 years apart and the “haunted” building in which they occurred. Ghosts were involved and although Eve Dallas was able to tie up the two cases, in fine “spooky” fashion Robb did not neatly tie up the ghostly aspects of the story. I really enjoyed this one.

Interlude in Death was an okay read with Eve and Roarke going to Roarke's Olympus Resort for a "cop convention" where they discover a legendary retired policeman seemingly is trying to frame Roarke for murder. We find out a little more about Roarke's background and the story is mildly interesting. I was glad I saved Haunted for last.

Hi
I hope you continue to heal. Good luck to you. My husband is a retired eye doc.

finishing up October reads:

81. Agnon, S.Y.: In the Heart of the Seas

This was a delightful tale of a group of Jews who make a journey from their East European home to “the Land of Israel.” The writing about the people, the journey and their adventures was beautifully descriptive so that the story really comes alive for the reader. Along the way we also get to “listen” to the fables and legends they share with each other as they travel. We are even privileged to witness a miracle! Although short, this book is rich with illusion, humor and, especially, heart. We gain a deeper understanding of the importance of the idea of “Israel” is to these people. I want to buy this book because it was a joy to read and I know I will want to read it again.

82. Woolf, Virginia: Orlando (BC 329)

What an amazing book this was. It was like a wild ride in an amusement park--so much fun but I always felt a little off balance. However, I just loved the humor throughout the entire story.

The book begins with Orlando’s birth and childhood and how he grows to be a “beautiful” young man and a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I near the end of her reign. Later King Charles sends him as Ambassador to Turkey and the descriptions of his ambassadorial duties are the stuff of Grouch Marx--hilarious.

While in Turkey Orlando falls into a prolonged trance like sleep and when Orlando awakes she is now a woman. VW’s thoughts on how people conform to society's ideas of gender roles, and how important clothing is, freeing the male and restricting the female are thought provoking but, again, I was more entranced with the humor as she describes the society of the time—a much later time than when Orlando was a man. I'm a huge Georgette Heyer fan and the descriptions of the society functions Orlando attends reminded me of the time she writes about. VW had me practically rolling on the floor--the "assemblies," the "tea parties," and the "witty, intellectual gatherings" were a hoot. Part of this book seems to be a great "send up" of so many British customs and mores--her acerbic wit is delightful.

This last section was the most difficult for me to keep track of what was going on--I think because it moved so quickly through so many different moods. The novel ends on October 11th 1928—Orlando is over 400 years old. In many of her novels Virginia Woolf seems to love “playing with time!”

I enjoyed it but feel I need to read it again because I'm sure I missed a lot the first time through. Her style seems to change with each new novel of hers I read and I always get more from her books when I reread them--which I will be doing with this one also.

83. James, Henry: The Turn of the Screw (BC 146)

I remember seeing the movie many years ago and being scared but not sure at the end what to think about the ghostly events. Now that I’ve read the book I still think more questions were raised than answered. But it is a very well written and entertaining ghost story for Halloween.

#104 MusicMom: Sounds like some great reads you have had to end October. I have not read Orlando by Virginia Woolf, but I will have to look for it - I loved her A Room of One's Own that addresses quite a few of the gender identity questions you mention in your review of Orlando.

I have In the Heart of the Seas at home to read, but have gotten sidetracked with reading library books that need to go back, but I may have to push them aside to begin reading it again.

And one of these years, I may actually make it through a Henry James novel. I still have not as of yet.

some great recent reads u have there, musicmom. i've not read In the Heart of the Seas, but will now be on the lookout for it. glad u enjoyed Orlando -- it was certainly one of my most pleasurable reads this year. such an exuberant tale and brilliantly told!

#105 alcottacre

If you want to add Henry James to your "author's I've read list" I highly recommend The Turn of the Screw. It is really a novella--my edition was 145 pages long. It isn't typical of the ones of his I remember reading and loving many years ago because it is a "horror" story--but it can be read in one easy sitting (and I'm not a fast reader!) and I love his writing style. This one is quite gothic.

I've been meaning to read a Henry James all year, but never got to it--now I can put it off again until next year. I'm vacillating between The Ambassadors and Portrait of a Lady--both of which I own and haven't read yet.

#106 deebee1

Thanks for stopping by! I think "exuberant" is exactly the right word to describe Orlando.

I hope you enjoy In the Heart of the Seas. It took me a few pages to get into the style of writing and feel the flow but once I go "hooked" it was a lovely, gentle tale with great spirit and heart.

Hi MusicMom--

I love Henry James and highly recommend Portrait of a Lady--it's one of my favorite books. James isn't to everyone's taste, but I hope you go for it!

Carly

carlym

Thanks for the nudge. Portrait of a Lady goes in my Classics category for 999 next year. I remember one of the things I liked about James were his women characters so this one should be up my alley!

#107 MusicMom: I have put The Turn of the Screw on hold at my local library, so I can get my feet wet with a little of Henry James. Thanks for the recommendation!

Glad you enjoyed In the Heart of the Seas by Agnon. It's one of my favorites of the year as well. One of my friends had trouble with the jargon and the style, but I loved it. I thought it was charming and brave and sometimes very funny.

I agree that you should read Portrait of a Lady. I saw the TV series many years ago with Richard Chamberlain. I loved it so much I bought the book and it was on my TBR list for about 30 years! I read it in Dec 2007 and it is fabulous!

- TT

ok..Portrait of a Lady is now added to the huge tbr list.

November Reading--1st installment

Fiction: General

84. Myron, Vicki: Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World (BC 277)

On our date Saturday night when we went to B&N Hubby spotted a table right away and asked me to stake it out while he hunted for a couple of books to read while I browsed. Unfortunately I had brought nothing in with me to read while waiting so I looked around, spotted an “abandoned book” and picked it up. It was Dewey, a book about a cat that I knew I didn’t want to read-- I hadn’t even tried for a fee copy on the Lt ER program-- but it was all that was available. I read the blurbs on the back and the cover ends and still Jim didn’t return so I read the acknowledgments (I’m the kind who will cereal boxes if that is all that’s available!). Finally I was forced to start the book. When Hubby finally came back I was hooked. I justified buying it because I have a good friend who is nutty about cats and I knew she would like it.

I’ll be honest up front. I do not dislike cats—we have a good relationship: if they leave me alone I’ll leave them alone. Sometimes cat lovers (and some of them are very good friends) annoy me because they tend to dominate conversations with cute cat stories that bore me to tears. I guess I hide that well because they continue to do it to me. However, I do like libraries—passionately. (I’m sure I sometimes bore my friends to tears talking about books and libraries—and books about libraries!) I did want to find out what happened to the little cat that was stuffed into a library drop box and nearly froze. At first I was afraid it would be “too much cute cat stories” but was pleasantly surprised that there was plenty about the library and even more about the small rural town of Spencer, Iowa. This was fascinating to me and gave me some insight about the small rural town in Central California where I now live. This book gave me a very enjoyable Sunday evening read and I think I might have even learned to like Dewey.

Non-fiction:

85. Engel, Howard: The Man Who Forgot How to Read

I waited nearly six months for my library to get it to me, but now I'm glad I didn't buy it. It was interesting -- I like books that talk about how the brain works because I have a brain that "wired differently"-- but I was disappointed that there wasn't more substance to this. But it passed a pleasant afternoon and now I'm thinking about trying one of his mysteries. The one he wrote just before he wrote this memoir has his detective suffering from the same condition, alexia sine agraphia (he couldn't read but he could still write--even though he couldn't read what he had written), that Engel's stroke had caused. I did admire his determination to come to terms with his condition and to recover as much as possible so he could continue to write his novels and be able to read again—even though with difficulty.

86. Christie, Agatha: Come Tell Me How You Live (library)

This memoir tells of the time Christie spent with her archeologist husband Max Mallowan for the 3 or 4 years excavating Tells in Syria before WWII. Once you get past the first chapter (shopping for clothes for the trip--I hate shopping for anything but books!) it is quite enjoyable, told with grace and humor about a living a lifestyle that suited her well. However, reading it now, in the 21st century, also gives one a hint of some of the tensions between the different factions in the area at that time which have since burgeoned into major international problems in our time.

I am adding the Agatha Christie book to Continent TBR, as I like both Dame Christie and archeology (but like you, do not care for shopping unless it is for books). Thanks for the recommendation!

BTW.....how about that Tim Lincecum!!!!

I couldn't believe it when I saw the Fresno Bee! I'm still grinning and I've saved that paper. I love when the headline read "Former Grizzley Star..." -- I did actually see one of the four games (I think that's the correct number) he pitched here as he rode through town on his way from single A ball to the "Bigs".

He certainly was the one bright spot in our season this year. It kills me that he could have had at least 20 games if our bull pen could have backed him up better.

"There's always next year!"

Don't get me started on the bullpen. The only good thing about the bullpen is that it was a good place to stick Zito!!! I'd like to see our Bochy make his way to some other team!!!

Whom do you nominate to replace him!

Read this week--so far:

Fiction: Mysteries

87. Stout, Rex: Black Orchids (BC 271)

This book actually contains 2 novels. Black Orchids is the first story and tells how Wolfe came to possess the black orchids by solving a murder at a flower show. The second story, Cordially Invited to Meet Death, is about a series of poison pen letters that result in murder. It is paired with the first story because those same black orchids play a small roll in this second story. Both stories were “satisfactory,” as Wolfe would say.

Non-fiction

88. Mortenson, Greg & David Oliver Relin: Three Cups of Tea (BC 349)

Everybody should read this book! It is such a good story with so much to teach us on many levels. The story is how Greg Mortenson, a young man who was a trained nurse with a passion for mountain climbing but not much direction for his life turned a failed quest to honor his dead sister into a life changing occupation. On one level it is an inspiring tale of how one person with determination and perseverance can “change the world.” This alone makes it worth reading and discussing. However, for me, it was being taken on this journey with him and discovering so much about the area in which he worked, Pakistan and, later, Afghanistan, that had the biggest impact. I have been reading many books lately that have graphically portrayed the problems that are rampant in areas where extremist Muslims are in control or actively seeking control. I have been especially appalled at how women have been treated in these areas. Three Cups of Tea gives a much broader and more balanced look at these problems without down-playing the fact that there are great problems.

Greg Mortenson was rescued by a small isolated village in Pakistan when he got lost in the snow during a climb. They nursed him back to health and he promised he would someday come back and build them a school so their girls could get an education. What he discovers is that there is not only a crying need all over this region for schools that will educate the girls as well as boys but there is also a great desire on the part of the people to have these schools. Many Muslims want education for their children that will not only improve their lives but help them avoid being attracted to the militant faction of Islam. Greg Mortenson and the people who help him, including Muslims, are risking their lives to make these schools a reality. Read the book and be inspired!

89. Altoonian, Linda: Living Agelessly (BC 235) ER September book

Linda Altoonian writes a newspaper column called “Dear Ageless” in which she answers questions submitted by readers on issues of concern about aging and caring for those who are aging. The book is divided into three main areas and would be appropriate for adults from late thirties to end of life.

Part I: Recipe for Health and Fitness considers issues dealing with the mind, the body and the spirit. First she explains how those three work together to achieve a balanced life and then gives advice on how to maximize your health through proper eating, including the foods that have been shown to help prevent or delay health issues, using ingredients that have been shown to be antioxidants for slowing the ageing process, and how to nourish your spiritual self to help maintain good mental health. Although her advice is targeted toward those who are approaching retirement age the advice would certainly apply to any adult and would be beneficial for parents of growing children to start them on the road to good health rather than just waiting until the time of life when you start worrying about “damage control.” Although most of what she talks about are not necessarily startling or new we can all use a reminder on actions we need to take to maintain our health and she offers some specific suggestion that are easy to incorporate into one’s life style, even including simple exercises that can be done unobtrusively in the work place which not only increase your health but also will help energize you to work more efficiently.

Part II: Get ready for a Fabulous Retirement discusses the three main areas of concern for retirees. The first section in this part discusses how to take retirement trips that are affordable which should appeal to almost all retirees in these unstable economic times. In addition to modes of travel and deciding on destinations she offer many tips on how to prepare for the trip and planning ahead for a trouble free time at your destinations.

Another concern of new retirees is what we will do when we aren’t traveling. Altoonian has many creative suggestions for ways to volunteer your time in areas that will interest you from the obvious, such as charitable groups where you live, to volunteering for Government agencies, and even to do “virtual volunteering” using your computer and the internet. She gives specific suggestions on how to find an area that would suit your time and interests, how to get in contact with a group you’d like to work with and what will be expected of you as a volunteer. This chapter is one of the best resources I’ve seen to prepare one to be a successful, valued volunteer contributing your time in meaningful activities.

The third area of retirement that she discusses is grandparenting. She presents a very good “primmer” on how to maximize your time with your grandchildren and maintain your influence in their lives whether they live nearby or are long distance. Discussions include how to make your home safe for them, how to travel with them and suggestion for things to do, and giving gifts to them. There is a lot of good information on this important aspect of our later years packed into a chapter that will not overwhelm the reader.

Part III: Take Charge of Your Life discusses the issues we will all have to deal with as first our parents and then we age. She includes issues such as loss of some skills, loss of strength, depression, when to stop driving and more. This may be the most important section of the book because these are the issues we do not like to face, either for ourselves or for our aging parents when we need to take care of them.

All of these issues are presented in a lively readable manner. I read the book through because I needed the information for this review. However, it will stay on my shelf for referral as my husband retires next year. I’m now rereading the section on grandparenting getting ready to go visit our grandchildren half way across the country for Thanksgiving. I only wish this book had been available during the last 10 years when my husband and I, both only children, were responsible for caring for both sets of parents.

The back of the book includes extensive resource listings, both print references and websites, for further investigation on each topic covered in the text. This alone would be worth the price of the book

#117-120, anyone might be better at this point!!!!

Sorry about the log review for the ER book--I just didn't have time to edit it. I decided it would just be easier for y'all to ignore it! ;-)

I'll be out of "circulation" for a while as we will leave in the morning to start our trip to Chicago--we actually will fly out of San Francisco on Wednesday but I'm not sure when I will have computer access again--probably Thursday, I hope. I wanted to get these two posted before I go--although I only have one chapter left to finish my next book I'll probably do that on the plane!

When I start reading this many mysteries at once you know I'm relieving stress!

Fiction: Mysteries

90. Spencer-Fleming, Julia: To Darkness and Death

This fourth entry is my least favorite of the series. In fact at one point I seriously considered chucking it but I was afraid I might miss something that I would need to know in the next book. I think this might be the one that Melinda, the friend who introduced me to the series, said she didn’t finish. It has to do with a large piece of woodland property that will be bought by an environmentalist group in order to return it to its original “pristine condition". Many jobs will be lost because there will be no more lumbering there and a family business in its third generation of ownership will be wiped out because there will be no pulp to make the paper that this business produces. There was a mystery involving a missing girls at the very beginning of the story but I figured out the answer to that one very quickly and the author let every in on the answer before the middle of the book. After that it was more like a crime novel--except that it wasn't criminals who were committing the crimes—it was regular people who unintentionally cause the crime and then commit criminal acts to cover up. Notice--it's more than one! How many stupid people do we have to deal with in one story? The first one made sense--you knew he was stupid to begin with. The second one--too much already! The main story line wasn't that interesting and most of the characters (except for the continuing ones in the series) either weren’t interesting or they weren’t likable. However, I’m glad I finished it because I was right about needing to know some things for the next book and there were some moments in the denouement that were worth the schlog. My favorite part of this book was the poem she used that provided the title: “The Day Is Gently Sinking to a Close” by Christopher Wordsworth (1863). I will be looking for more of his poetry!

91. Stout, Rex: Not Quite Dead Enough

This was another duo—two novellas. The first one, Not Quite Dead Enough has Archie a major in the Army during WWII being assigned the task of persuading Wolfe to work on a case for the Army. This one has the second appearance of Lily Rowan in the series. It’s fun to watch the early Lily—“poor little rich girl” who is obsessed with Archie. One thing about reading these in order is I’m anxious to see if the difference in personality of the later Lily Rowan happens by development or if there is a sudden change. The case involves a girl who has asked Lily for help because she is afraid about something to do with her fiancée.

The second story, Booby Trap, is the actual case that the army wanted Nero Wolfe to work on. He is called in to find out why a special agent for the Army was murdered. Both cases are interesting, but I still prefer the full length stories. This one, however, did keep me guessing.

Have a good time in Chicago! I'm not too far from there, and have a friend who lives there, so go down about once a month or so. Such a great city.

Looks like you're on a Nero Wolfe kick.

I love those books. I think there are still 5 I haven't read; I'll have to hunt them down. Someone told me that there were also a few novellas that didn't make it into the books.

I read a lot of Nero Wolfe when I was younger. My Dad introduced me to them--he was a big fan. Over the years I would pick them up when I found them in used books stores and this year, after having finally tracked down the first three which I had never read, I decided it would be fun to read them in order. The first couple have a lot of differences from the characters he ended up settling on as the series progressed. A few of the others I haven't read before and many that I have read it has been so long I'm enjoying them again. This is now my "comfort" read--if you see I'm reading a lot in a short space of time then you know my life is a little stressful at that time! :-)

I wonder where one could find the novellas that didn't make it into books. A recent book I picked up contained 3 stories that he either reworked and published in a different form or appeared in collections. I wonder if there are more?

Wikipedia has a pretty extensive article on Nero Wolfe with an extensive bibliography; you might want to check it out.

Thanks, ronincats. I will.

I am a Nero Wolfe naif. With trepidation and much anxiety over the possiblity that you guys will get me hooked on another author and another set of books, I have to ask, should I be reading these? If so, why?

OK, Hit Me!!!

>127 MusicMom41:: MusicMom41, I'm thinking about your comment, "I read a lot of Nero Wolfe when I was younger." Looking at your profile, I'm not sure how you feel about fantasy. If you don't hate it, you might want to look at Glen Cook's Garrett novels (first one Sweet Silver Blues). They're funny and fast-paced.

I suggest them because of the basic plot situation, which you might recognize. *smile*:

Garrett, the clean-cut private investigator, attractive to women, but often getting in trouble with them, works with The Dead Man, an individual weighting about 1/6 of a ton, who never leaves the house, but often demands that Garrett summon all kinds of people to his house so that he can solve mysteries merely by thinking through them logically (well, and occasionally reading minds), has arcane hobbies and refuses to share his thought processes with anyone, especially Garrett. Oh, and there's a good cook in the house, too.

There are about a dozen in the series so far and, while I admit they aren't high literature, I've chuckled my way through every one of them. You can tell Glen Cook loved the Wolfe books...they laugh with, not at.

Still, if you're not a fantasy fan, all the elves and trolls may get to you.

#130 bdb

Wow--that's hard to say. Do you like mysteries? would be the first question, but I suppose you do or you wouldn't be asking about these! Nero Wolfe is still very popular even though Rex Stout died over 20 years ago. When I first joined LT just a year ago and looked at zeitgeist he was one of the most collected authors. So it isn't just me. Why I'm hesitating is because I have an emotional attachment to them as well as enjoying them.

I outgrew Nancy Drew when I was about 12 and started reading mysteries my Mom--Agatha Christie --and Dad--Nero Wolfe--were reading. (They read others, but these were the ones that appealed to me--at my Dad's suggestion.) In their own way they both sort of fit the "cozy" genre but often with more bite. I've also collected all the Agatha Christie and these two authors are "comfort" for me as well as fun reading. I actually prefer Nero Wolfe to Hercule Poirot and would consider that in some ways he's closer to Miss Marple because he doesn't run around collecting information or clues (Archie does that) but often solves his cases by the inferences he makes from the information Archie collects.

I suggest you try one and see if you like it. I will look over my list and get back to you and suggest one that I think might be considered "typical" and also suggest a couple of my favorites.

#131 TadAD

What perfect timing! I have a "fantasy/scifi" category in my 999 challenge which I'm having a problem filling --I also have a mystery category, but I won't have a problem with that one! ;-)-- and I think Sweet Silver Blues sounds like one that I will enjoy. Thanks for the suggestion!

>133 MusicMom41: ...which I'm having a problem filling...

What's in the category so far? If you need help, I'd be glad to recommend any number of science fiction and/or fantasy books, along with reasons for the recommendations so you could select a wide variety.

#134 TadAD

The following ones are already in the category:

Bachman, Richard (aka Stephen King): Blaze (recommended)
Scott, Michael: The Magician (adv. of Nicholas Flamel series) (I read The Alchemyst this year; younger son recommended))
Le Guin, Ursala: The Left Hand of Darkness (older son wants me to)
Herbert, Frank: Dune (older son wants me to)
Bradbury, Ray: The Martian Chronicles (Bradbury recommended to me and the first one I chose wasn't fantasy/scifi so I bought this one today)

These are being considered:

Adam, Douglas: Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (although since I arrived in Chicago my older son says i may not like this!)
Kay, Guy Gavriel: Tigana (older son recommended--not sure based on reading reviews--haven't been able to find a copy to look at)
Willis, Connie: Doomsday Book and/or To Say Nothing of the Dog--both highly recommended on LT and I was able to look at them today and they seemed like they might be enjoyable.
McKillip, Patricia: Riddle-Master trilogy--recommended on LT and looked at today; a possibility but it is long so I'd better like it! (I love LotR--but my older says that is more mythology than fantasy--Riddle-Master doesn't look like it would be as complex, but I could be wrong)
Bujold, Louise: Cordelia's Honor

After counting--I guess filling it will not be the problem, deciding what I would like since I'm not familiar with any of these authors is what I'm finding difficult.

I really want to find some in this genre I can get excited about because both my sons are fans--and my older son is a mega-fan! I like to talk about books so I have to read what they like so I can talk to them.

edited for missed touchstone--some of them evidently aren't working, unless they come up this time!

Hi MusicMom4, I occasionally stop in for a visit to your challenge because I'm always looking for new reading material and I think we have similar tastes. I hope you don't mind if I offer a suggestion. I'm not a big science fiction reader, but I've greatly enjoyed Connie Willis' work. I've not yet read To Say Nothing of the Dog (though it's on my TBR), but thoroughly enjoyed Doomsday Book. So, for what it's worth, I offer my non-sci-fi reader opinion! My best.

>135 MusicMom41:: LOL, well, you already have more than 9!!

Seriously though, your list is fine and, if you go with just what you have there, you'll have an interesting mix. Here's a couple of thoughts. I'm sure others will jump in here with their opinions and other suggestions. Ask your sons about their opinions, also.

Science Fiction

I think you're right to have Dune and The Martian Chronicles on the list. They are must-trys for anyone sampling science fiction. The Left Hand of Darkness is LeGuin's best science fiction, in my opinion, and you should either have it or one of her fantasy books (see below). Since I was one of the ones advocating Willis' work, I'm biased in favor of them. They're "soft" science fiction...not space ships and aliens. Quite frankly, I consider The Hitchhiker's Guide a comedy that just happens to have a science fiction setting—I think everyone should try it at some point, but I don't think it's representative science fiction. You should get some other opinions, especially ronincats in this regard, but I wouldn't put Cordelia's Honor at this level; I'd be more likely to put Barrayar on the list if I was going to include Bujold in an "intro", which I'm not sure I would.

Here's some others you might consider...all well-regarded in the field:

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card: Nominally a military story, but really a story about a young boy whose military genius forces him to grow up fast and hard.

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller: Probably the most famous of the post-Apocalyptic stories about civilization struggling along.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. He's one of the big names. This is probably his best of the more adult books. His real strength was YA books, imo.

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman: More "hard" science fiction about the social dislocation of soldiers fighting a war where the limits of lightspeed mean they outlive all their contemporaries.

Neuromancer by William Gibson. The seminal cyber-punk novel and still one of the better ones. Cyber-punk is dark, fairly technological, edgy.

Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin: Borderline YA novel, rite of passage story (duh!) about kids dealing with difficulties and realizing they don't share their parents' beliefs.

Startide Rising by David Brin: Hard science fiction about humans looking for a place in a universe of much more advanced races. One interesting aspect is that the main characters are "uplifted" (intelligence-enhanced) dolphins, though there are humans involved.

The Pride of Chanur (or any one of a number of others) by C. J. Cherryh. I think she's the reigning queen of space opera.

Fantasy

Definitely have something by Kay...Tigana is fine. I was one of the ones suggesting the Riddle Master books, I think it's great. However, if you're worried about the length, try The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by the same author.

Some other stuff to consider, none of these are Tolkien wannabees:

The first three of LeGuin's Earthsea trilogy are very short and excellent fantasy works. If you don't go with The Left Hand of Darkness by her, try A Wizard of Earthsea.

Sabriel by Garth Nix: Truly one of my favorite fantasy books. I don't even know how to describe it. Describing it would it sound a bit like a horror novel, but it's anything but. Pure fantasy with beautiful writing.

Something by Pratchett...arguably the most popular fantasy author after Tolkien. Expect humor, slyly ironic perspectives on our culture, and a lot of oddity that ends up making a lot of sense. A great deal of time can be spent arguing where to start on his books if you decide you want to go there. Quite honestly, if you don't mind YA, I'd start with Wee Free Men, but there are a lot of options...just don't start with his first book (The Color of Magic).

Something by Charles de Lint. Again, a lot of choices. Perhaps Mulengro or Moonheart.

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. Sort of a alternate history type of thing with a touch of magic. A YA novel, but adults like it, too.

The Wood Wife by Terri Windling: Native American mythology woven into a modern story about a writer inheriting the house of an old friend.

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb: Gritty fantasy about political machinations in kingdom. Hobb creates extremely real characters. There's a bit of magic, but just humans, not elfpunk.

I already recommended Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook if you want a comedic homage to Nero Wolfe.

#137 TadAD

Thanks so much! I have transferred your recommendations to an entry in my reading journal so I can refer to it the as I go along. You have some great suggestions that sound intriguing. Especially The Wood Wife--I love mythology!

I already planned to read Sweet Silver Blues but that's going into the mystery category because I would read that even if I weren't trying to get "into" fantasy-scifi. I'm a huge Nero Wolfe fan and expect to get a big kick out of this homage.

I read Sabriel last year because both sons asked me to. It was a little hard to get into for me but I ended up liking it and plan to read the rest of the series. I'm not putting it into the 999 category because I'm using that to try to find authors I haven't read. It will be a fall back if I need it. I recognize Robert Heinlein and my older son is a fan of his so I think I'll look for The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. I think I'll leave a couple of slots open in case I discover something else that takes my fancy. I know I should read Pratchett--and I really LOVED Good Omens--so I may look into him, also. So much to think about--when I actually start reading I think it will be easier!

#137 TadAD: Just so you know Tad, I am stealing your ideas on what to read as well. I am hoping to expand more into the fantasy and science fiction genres over the course of the next year, and your suggestions are a great start. I feel that with the titles mentioned here as well as others I have culled from your reading lists and those of drneutron and ronincats, I will have a great upcoming reading year.

#139 alcottacre

Stasia, we will have to compare notes next year--we may become big fans of this genre with the expert guidance available on LT!

#140 MusicMom: I printed out TadAD's message and then went online to my local library's catalog to find out which books they did and did not have and THEN I bought the ones they did not have so that I can get them read. Whew!

We will start a group of 2 budding science fiction/fantasy readers for comparing notes, lol.

#137 TadAD: Cordelia's Honor includes both the first book (published and chronological) Shards of Honor as well as the later published, more mature, and second in chronology Barrayar. I thought it a good compromise between story and seeing the quality of writer Bujold becomes. And given the similarities in MusicMom's taste with mine, I still argue for her to go with it.

I agree with most of what you write other than that, however. I liked Hobb's work as Megan Lindholm better than her later work--the Tawny Man trilogy just finally got too gritty for me. Charles de Lint at his best is very good, but I find his stories uneven. I'm a huge fan of Robin McKinley and Patricia McKillip and Terry Pratchett, Le Guin's Earthsea trilogy and the Chanur series by Cherryh.

Haven't read the Haldeman--not a big fan of the militaristic sf subgenre, but might recommend John Scalzi's Old Man's War as an alternative. I do like David Weber's early Honor Harrington books and Elizabeth Moon's books in that area as well.

The only other one I haven't read is the Windling--I've read others of hers but not that one, but her others, at least, are not keepers for me, while practically everything else you've mentioned except these last two is on my bookshelves as we speak.

Since we share 529 books, it is probably not surprising that we share many tastes in common!

>142 ronincats:: ronincats

Yes, I know about Cordelia's Honor. Perhaps I should have expressed it this way: I really don't think Shards of Honor is first-rate book Bujold and is certainly not first-rate science fiction. However, if you buy Cordelia's Honor, you cannot help but read it first and maybe say, "Hmmm, not so good; I'll try something else." I think it's best to jump into her series with her better books and then backfill because I think there's a significant difference in her writing quality over time.

Just my two cents.

I made sure to ask MusicMom41 to get your opinion because I'm not the Bujold fan you are. I like many of her books but it's kind of like de Lint (I agree with your assessment of his body of work), very uneven. I think her early Vorkosigan books were only OK, the later ones very enjoyable...learning her trade, I guess. I think the recent The Sharing Knife series is pretty bad and have stopped reading them. The Chalion books were fine, though.

Haldeman is not military SF in the same sense as Scalzi, Weber or Moon and I don't think is interchangeable with them. His focus is not on the battles...those scenes occupy paragraphs or pages at the most. It's about the people and social dislocation. Friends who are hard-core Honor Harrington fans wonder, "Where's the action?" when they read The Forever War (and, btw, Forever Peace is not a sequel). I enjoy Scalzi, (early) Weber and Moon and might agree that Scalzi is the best of them, but I never think of them as "great" science fiction. They're just some military adventure stories set in space, quickly read, time to move on.

>138 MusicMom41:: MusicMom41

If you love mythology, there are more and more authors blending it into their fantasy works. For some, like de Lint, it's kind of their stock in trade. Others, who normally follow other channels, have done it in a book or two: things like Lindskold's Changer or Gaiman's Anansi Boys. There's a number of them out there if you end up liking this sub-genre.

It's even been done with science fiction. Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light layered Hindu mythology on top of science fiction; he did the same thing with Egyptian mythology in Creatures of Light and Darkness. I think the former worked a little better. I guess others agreed as it picked up a Hugo Award and was nominated for a Nebula.

A somewhat related theme is blending old fairy tales into modern fantasies, things like Jane Yolen's Briar Rose which sets the fairy tale against a story of a Nazi death camp, or Pamela Dean's Tam Lin which is now set in a midwestern college. The Adult Fairy Tales series (adult as in age, not XXX) put a number of these together before it stopped, but there have been many outside that.

This is my scifi/fantasy category for 999:

1. Bachman, Richard (aka Stephen King): Blaze (LT recommended--BDB?)
2. Scott, Michael: The Magician (Nicholas Flamel series) (sons and I are reading the series--this is #2)
3. Heinlein, Robert: The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (TadAD and scifi son recommended)
4. Le Guin, Ursala: The Left Hand of Darkness (almost everyone has recommended this one--I will finish it!)
5. Herbert, Frank: Dune (TadAD, SF son and others recommended highly)
6. Kay, Guy Gavriel: Tigana (SF son recommended highly and lent me his, others have recommended)
7. McKillip, Patricia: Riddle Master Trilogy (TadAD recommended and it looked interesting at the book store--will buy)
8. Miller, Walter M.: A Canticle for Leibowitz (SF son highly recommended and lent to me--a book in hand!)
9. Bradbury, Ray: The Martian Chronicles (This one seems to be loved across genres--a must read? SF son says yes.)

I've put Sweet Silver Blues (a Nero Wolfe homage in fantasy) in my mystery category and Cordelia's Honor in my "because I want to" category. If I read Magician before the end of the year--2 sons are bugging me!--I will move Cordelia to the Scifi category.

Stasia,
let me know when you read one of the one's on my list and I will read it at the same time--but probably not as fast! It will be fun to get another "newbie's" take on these books. If you read one not on my list and love it, let me know!

ronincats,
does that mean Barrayar can be found paired with Cordelia's Honor in one volume or are they separate volumes? If there is a one volume edition I'd like to get it because I will probably read both.

TadAD

I was interrupted by grandsons before my last post was actually submitted so I hadn't seen your 144 & 145 posts. On my list there are only a couple I'm not sure about--the most "iffy" is A Canticle for Leibowitz--so I think I will get a good idea across the range of the genre. When I'm done I think I will let you and ronincats know which ones I really liked and you can suggest others along those lines or some more that I might like but haven't experienced that kind. I had no idea how broad this genre has become since I was a teenager!

I will definitely want to try some of the ones based on myths and folktales. I have Jane Yolen's book of worldwide folktales. I'll have to dig it out, although I've already read it.

>146 MusicMom41:: MusicMom41

Sounds good. A Canticle for Liebowitz isn't for everyone (have a Latin dictionary near by) and, if you decide that you'd rather substitute something else, by all means do so. If you go over to Amazon, look up that book, scroll down and click on "See all 233 reviews" then read the "Most Helpful Critical Review", you'll get an differing perspective that may help you decide.

I'm all for full disclosure on SF books...the field is so wide that there's something for everyone, and no one need like everything.

BTW, the answer to your #145 is that Cordelia's Honor is an omnibus of Shards of Honor and Barrayar. The knock-down/drag-out fight that ronincats and I were having (that was a joke) is over the fact that Shards of Honor was written early in Bujold's career and is, imo, only fair. Barrayar was written later and is good (again, imo). I didn't want you to read Shards of Honor and take that as representative.

Cordelia's Honor includes both books, Shards of Honor and Barrayar. So it is a one-volume edition of both.

Tad, I agree the series grows in depth and character as it goes on--one of the things I love about it--but many, many women readers of Bujold just have this thing about Cordelia--she is just such a great character and these are the only two books where she is the viewpoint character. So I tend to recommend these two first to other women.

Both Changer and Anansi Boys are in my top tier of fantasy books, Tad.

I was blown away by A Canticle for Liebowitz when I first read it as a teen. It was a powerful post-apocalyptic vision, and very potent to someone's whose childhood was at peak of the Cold War. I think I re-read it in the early 80's and still liked it. I still have it on my shelves and haven't reread it lately, but think I would still like it. However, I have heard some on the SF group mention it in less flattering terms, and I don't know if that is because the writing is dated, or if you had to grow up then to get the full impact or if they just don't have good taste. But I'm guessing that if your son recommended it, it's still got it! A true classic, and well worthy of the name.

TadAD & ronincats

Thanks for all the input. Not only have you helped me make a list that I think is workable but now I'm excited about getting started on it!

I'm keeping a list in my reading journal of other books you have recommended so when I become a "fan" I will have some other suggestions to try. I'll also keep lurking on your threads and read your reviews of what you read next year.

I think I will read the entire Cordelia's Honor because I'll want to know about the beginning when I read the second book--remember I'm the one who is reading Nero Wolfe "in order" -- if I like a series I will often read the weaker ones just because I want to full picture.

MusicMom, You have a handful of excellent suggestions and can go with any of them and feel you've got a flavor of the genre. I have to LOL though, because I gave my nephew a copy of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress for two reasons: he's a science fan of the first order, and secondly, because he's become very politically minded. I told him the book was an excellent political primer--how to wage a revolution with very few resources! Clever and funny, and still topical--you can't beat that combination.

#150 Prop2gether

Maybe I should start with The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. Perhaps it's time to start a revolution. ;-)

See my review below--perhaps we are in the midst of a kind of revolution, now.

Non-fiction

92. Pink, Daniel H.: A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers will Rule the Future (Chicago son's book)

Daniel Pink aimed this treatise toward the corporate world where he posits that there will be major changes in how business will function in the future. The premise behind this book is that the L-directed thinking (“Left-Brainers”) that became so dominant in the 20th Century and led to such high salaries for computer scientists, accountants, and lawyers will become less valuable in the 21st Century because so much of that work can be done much faster and more cheaply by the high power computers that have been developed or else outsourced to 3rd world technicians. (Yes, even a lot of the work of lawyers is already “computerized.”) In this century it will be important to learn to use the R-directed skills of “Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, and Meaning.” At the end of each of these sections the author offers suggestions on ways to increase your ability in each area. The goal is to learn to use both sides of the brain in order to understand the “whole picture.” I enjoyed this book and agree with much of what he proposed, but since I am a Left-handed, Right-brained dyslexic who learned to function more than adequately in a Right-handed, Left-brained world, he was preaching to the choir. (I loved it when he said in the new “Conceptual Age” which is coming those with dyslexia will have an advantage.) At last we are finally realizing the importance of teaching “the arts” as necessary basic skills along with the math and the sciences. Even at the graduate level of business schools and medical schools courses are beginning to be required in some of these areas. We Right-Brainers are delighted the Left-Brainers are finally “getting it!” This is an easy read and I recommend it for anyone interested in how the way you think can impact the way you work and the way you live.

MusicMom - I loved your review of Pink's A Whole New Mind. I taught a course on Creativity and Innovation to undergraduate management majors at the University of Notre Dame, and we used Pink's book. I tend toward being left-brained, so I was glad to have Pink to help me communicate the importance of right-brained thinking.

Hope you are enjoying Chicago! It is windy here in Iowa tonight, so I imagine that you are getting the same (or more) there!

#152 MusicMom: Yea, but what about us "no brainers"? Is there any hope for me?

>152 MusicMom41: MM and >154 alcottacre: Alcot. I am retiring in three years time - so I will be joining the "no-brainers" I am glad to say!

Actually, I have an interesting question: is reading a left brain activity or a right brain activity or both?

MM, from your reading of A Whole New Mind (actually, I could use one of those!) does the author touch on that or can you relate the material to my question?

- TT

Just beginning to read your thread -- thought I had but saw it today still marked as 154/154 unread. So JD Robb -- I really enjoy her too. but there were none (zero, zip) in my shipment. :( Will try to catch up. :)

Msg 14 so maybe there will be a library in Heaven?

# 155 TT

"Actually, I have an interesting question: is reading a left brain activity or a right brain activity or both?"

I'm going to put that question on "hold." I bought Proust and the Squid by Wolf right after we got to Chicago and had read the first part when I discovered Whole New Mind in my son's library. I decided to read that first because 1) I didn't want to lug it home, and 2) I thought it might give me some background for the Wolf book which is about "the Reading Brain." My first thought is that the best readers use both sides of their brains--that's my intuition or empirical evidence, not researched personally. When I read Wolf's book, which is based on research, I should have a much better idea of what goes on. Others who have already read it (I first heard about here!) may want to jump in and offer their insights.

#154 alcottacre

Oh! No! Did all that reading finally cause your brain to explode! My prescription is plenty of rest, lots of liquids of your preferred variety, and no reading but J.D. Robb until January 1st. You should then be fine! ;-)

#156 suslyn

"so maybe there will be a library in Heaven?"

Of course! "Or what's a Heaven for!" (apologies to R. Browning

I don't buy any books. I probably could afford to, but our house is so small because we live in an apartment that I usually just end up giving them away. Until we can buy a house that has a office in it, I'm stuck with the library. I at least save a lot of money that way.

There are worse places to be stuck than a library--and many of them have extended privileges with local schools or other communities, so you have a literal map of reading available to you. Enjoy.

#160 kkrystyan & #161 Prop2gether

I have always been passionate about libraries and have used them extensively all my life.

I found I was spending too much money on books after joining LT. (my local library is very inadequate--I'm a member of a group trying to help it get money for more space and more books) when alcottacre--a very wise woman--inspired me to make more use of the inter-library loan system that we have and can access on line. It has helped my book budget considerably. There will always be books that I will want to own because I do a lot of rereading but now I get many more books from the library than I buy. And I just found out that helping to increase the circulation of our local library (and every book I have sent from other libraries to my branch counts for us!) increases the chance that we will be eligible for funds to relieve our problems. That make its a win-win situation for me!

#160 kkrystan: Anyone who reads this thread for any length of time knows my appreciation for the local library system. I am very fortunate that my library actually uses 3 libraries together that I can borrow books from. I am also fortunate (or unfortunate depending on your viewpoint) in that I can borrow up to 99 books at any given time. ILL is also available for me, so I will never lack for resources.

My suggestion to you is appreciate your local library for all it is worth and utilize every resource they make available to you.

I might also suggest that you try the Project Gutenberg website for classics that you would like to read. They have a large selection of books that you can read online so they certainly would not take up any space in your apartment!

#151 - I don't know how you feel about audio books, but I "read" The Moon is a Harsh Mistress as an audio book a couple of years ago when I used to commute over three hours everyday. It's a brilliant book, but not one I would recommend as a beginning book for reading science fiction. However, the narrator of the audio book was excellent and made getting through some of Heinlein's tangential discussions of politics a lot easier. I would recommend some of Heinlein's other works to get you used to his writing before I'd embark on The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I really enjoyed Glory Road, Podkayne of Mars, and Farnham's Freehold.

Also, I know you've already selected your science fiction books for your next challenge, but I'd really like to recommend anything by Sheri Tepper. I'm also surprised that no one really had much to say about Asimov. I've always loved his books. Following is a list of some other very good science fiction you might want to check into at some future time:

Greener than you Think by Ward Moore
Harvest the Stars by Poul Anderson
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven
Red Moon by David S. Michaels
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clark
Dark Universe by Daniel F. Galouye.

Cheers!

Still catching up
Msg 56 I confess I like The Toll Gate very much! The Secret Life of Bees was so-so for me and didn't spur me on to read more of her stuff, although I have a few more now that were loaned from my book friend in France. Have a great Thanksgiving!

#164 janooran24

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm keeping a list of Scifi/fantasy books that people have recommended to continue exploring--I think I will find many that I will enjoy and I like to red widely. Thanks for the suggestions and I will put them on my list. I've already put Farnham's Freehold on my library wish list.

#165 suslyn

Another Georgette Heyer fan! One thing I like about LT is you can always find people who like to read what you like to read!

I own Secret Life of Bees--it was given to me a few years ago but I haven't read it yet. I think the person who gave it to me thought I would like it because it takes place in the South and I lived for a long time in Savannah, GA and sometime get "homesick". Am I thinking about the right book? I'm visiting in Chicago so I can't go run and check!

I'm having a great Thanksgiving with all my family--two sons, a daughter-in-law, two grandsons and Hubby--in Chicago. (Hubby and I were only children so this is it!) Hope you have a good one, too!

Fiction: Children’s

93. Ashburn, Boni & Kelly Murphy (ill.): Hush, Little Dragon (Bought for Owen, age 3)
This is a delightful, beautiful picture book about a mother dragon finding dinner for her baby dragon. The poem begins “Hush, little dragon don’t make a sound, Mama’s gonna bring you a princess she found.” The rest of the book goes to the rhythm of “Hush little baby, don’t say a word.” Mama keeps bringing people to the baby but they always get away; at the end all knights go after the dragons who fly off to the safety of their tree with the baby dragon carrying a horse. Only a very astute – or older – child will make the connection when mother dragon puts him to bed saying he “ate a ton.” The story ends with counting the stars and cuddling before going to sleep. My grandson loved it—he picked it out today at the book store. Later I saw his older brother (age 6) reading the book on his own and actually singing the words.

Fiction: Graphic

94. Willingham, Bill: Fables: Legends in Exile (Tucker’s)
This is my first time reading a “graphic novel” and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Tucker chose this title for me because he knew I loved “fairy tales” and the characters in this story are all from famous children’s fairy tales. In addition, this is a mystery story, another of my favorite genres. The premise behind the story is that a long time ago something began attacking the fairy lands and destroying the characters. Finally the remaining characters from far flung lands had to flee and they ended up in New York where they had to learn to get along and create a secret sub-culture in order to co-exist with the “mundies”—i.e. humans. The story begins with the discovery of a crime—it looks as if Rose Red has been possibly murdered. Snow White, her sister, is the one who is in charge of the community (King Cole is the ceremonial and nominal ruler, he delegates all decisions to Snow) and Biggy Wolf (i.e. Big, Bad Wolf in human form) is the detective. The story is interesting and somewhat reminds me of the comic books I read as a child except the art is much more detailed and necessary to the plot. I discovered this when I realized I missed some clues by not spending enough looking at the pictures! I will be exploring more graphic novels.

(ETA to add touchstones)

If you enjoyed Fables: Legends in Exile, you will want to read Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall. It's a prequel of sorts, giving a little more background on the Fables cast. It's told in a more prose fashion with accompanying illustrations by a variety of artists, but it is an excellent companion to the first book. I've read the second book Fables: Animal Farm, and while I don't think it's quite as good as the first, I still enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to picking up the read in the series.

Have fun discovering graphic novels! You might want to check out the Boston Bibliophile's blog for some more ideas. She runs a review of a new graphic novel every Monday. A couple others that I might suggest are Neil Gaiman's Sandman series or Alan Moore's Watchmen or V for Vendetta. There is also Will Eisner's A Contract with God, which many see as the birth of the modern American graphic novel. It is an unapologetic look at tenement living in NYC in the 30s. Another that I enjoy is David Petersen's Mouse Guard.

Happy reading.

#169: I second the suggestion for Watchmen by Alan Moore. I read it earlier this year, and my concise review was "Wow!"

Wow - what an excellent sci-fi/fantasy reading list here. Will have to star this one and come back to it....

95. Benson, Sally: Meet Me in St. Louis
I didn’t realize that one of my favorite movies was based on a book until someone on LT mentioned the book. I had to have it! And I really enjoyed it. Although there are some differences in the two versions, as always happens when a book is transferred to the screen, it still has the same spirit as the book and almost all my favorite parts. Possibly this is true because Sally Benson had a hand in writing the screen play. The main differences between the two versions is that the book does not have the two “romance” stories for Rose and Ester and all 4 girls seem to have “equal time” in the episodic stories, one for each month of the year leading up to the opening of the World’s Fair in May 1904. The one advantage the movie has over the book is that you can actually hear the song and see the dancing. This book brings to mind a book I read when I was quite young (and the book was quite old—it had belonged to my grandmother) called Mama’s Bank Account. I’m not sure why; I may have to find a copy of that book to reread.

Fiction: Children’s

96. Base, Graeme: Enigma: A Magical Mystery (Bought for Gerald, age 6 ½)
Bertie Badger enjoys visiting his grandfather, Gadzooks the Great (Retired) at the home for retired magic workers and watching them perform. One day he arrives to hear the bad news that every resident has lost the vital component to the tricks they do. Bertie goes on a quest to solve this mystery. This is a wonderful story told in narrative poem form with gorgeous illustrations. When the story is over there are things to go back and look for in the pictures and a code puzzle to solve. The vocabulary used and the complexity of this story would make it suitable for children up to at least grade three. Gerald has spent the afternoon after I read it to him going through it by himself several times. After the code puzzle was solved he spent the evening writing coded simple coded messages to all the family. Highly recommended.

I love the Trolley Song from Meet Me in St Louis:

~ALL~
Clang ,clang, clang went the trolley
Ding, ding, ding went the bell
Zing, zing, zing went my heartstrings as we started for Huntington Dell.
Chug, chug, chug went the motor
Bump, bump, bump went the brake
Thump, thump, thump went my heartstrings as we glided for Huntington Lake.
The day was bright, the air was sweet
The smell of honeysuckle charmed me off my feet
I tried to sing, but couldn't squeak
In fact I felt so good I couldnn't even speak
Buzz, buzz, buzz went the buzzer
Time to all disembark,
Time to fall went my heartstrings as we got off at Huntington Park
As we got off at Huntington Park.

~Judy~
With my high-starched collar, and my high-topped shoes
And my hair piled high upon my head
I went to lose a jolly hour on the Trolley and lost my heart instead.
With his light brown derby and his bright green tie
He was quite the handsomest of men
I started to yen, so I counted to ten then I counted to ten again
Clang, clang, clang went the trolley
Ding, ding, ding went the bell
Zing, zing, zing went my heartstrings
From the moment I saw him I fell
Chug, chug, chug went the motor
Bump, bump, bump went the brake
Thump, thump, thump went my heartstrings
When he smiled I could feel the car shake
He tipped his hat, and took a seat
He said he hoped he hadn't stepped upon my feet
He asked my name, I held my breath
I couldnn't speak because he scared me half to death
Chug, chug, chug went the motor
Plop, plop, plop went the wheels
Stop, stop, stop went my heartstrings
As he started to go then I started to know how it feels
When the universe reels

~All~
The day was bright, the air was sweet
The smell of honeysuckle charmed you off your feet
You tried to sing, but couldn't squeaks
In fact, you loved him so you couldn't even speak

~Judy~
Buzz, buzz, buzz went the buzzer
Plop, plop, plop went the wheels
Stop, stop, stop went my heartstrings
As he started to leave I took hold of his sleeve with my hand
And as if it were planned he stay on with me
And it was grand just to stand with his hand holding mine
To the end of the line.

- TT

Thanks TT

That's one of the things that isn't in the book and a reason for keeping the movie. I will continue to enjoy both of them!

The first two books in this group were both impulse "freebies" from 3 for 2 sales at B&N when I could find two books I wanted and needed a third to make it worth while. Both of these freebies were winners! The third book has been in my library since before I moved to California, waiting for me to get around to it.

Fiction: Mysteries

97. Chabon, Michael: The Final Solution: A Story of Detection (BC 131)

This charming novella, set in Great Britain near the end of WWII, tells of a very old, retired police detective who gets involved in solving a case of a missing parrot that belongs to a young boy who is mute because of a war trauma. There is also murder, the possibility of spies, and insight into the lives of more than one character. A very enjoyable read packed into a small form.

Non-fiction:

98. Trillon, Calvin: Messages from My Father (BC 117)

Calvin Trillin’s father was born 3 years before my Dad. My father had his child (me) later in life that Abe Trillin had his two, so I am younger than Calvin, but I could really identify with the way Calvin’s father influenced his life and the reasons for this influence. Calvin was Jewish and my family was Presbyterian so the “language” was different but the values were very similar: hard work, integrity, fair play, and following the rules were rigorously taught and enforced. Abe and my Dad also used a similar method of influencing our actions—by suggestion rather than by order. It seemed that we could make up our own minds about things so it we did not feel the need to rebel against the “advice” we were so subtly given. This loving remembrance of his father resonated with me and I think will speak to anyone whose father had a significant impact on his life. I enjoyed getting to know this family and also learning about the immigrant experience of the East European Jews in the 20th century. Highly recommended.

99. Woolf, Virginia: A Room of One’s Own (BC 114)

I’m not sure why I’ve never read this before. It’s a wonderful treatise on how women in the 18th century began to learn that they could earn money by writing, a survey of some of the great women writers of the 19th century, and a message of encouragement for would be writers. The title refers to Woolf’s premise that what a woman needs to be real writer (instead of just writing for money in order to survive) is a modest guaranteed income and a room of her own. Wouldn’t we all like that! This is an enjoyable read for those who like to read books about books and authors. I would be one of those!

Books 97, 98 and 99 all sound great and I enjoyed your descriptions!
And, congratulations on near completion of reading 100 books in 2008!

#175 MusicMom: I love A Room of One's Own. Glad to see that you enjoyed it immensely as well.

I also enjoyed The Final Solution earlier this year and have become a fan of Michael Chabon, having read several of his books over the course of the past year.

Thanks for the recommendation of Messages from My Father. I will add it to Continent TBR!

final book for November--finished while we were stuck in holiday traffic (Hubby was driving!).

100. Preston, Diana & Michael: A Pirate of Exquisite Mind (BC 335)

This was the story of William Dampier, explorer, naturalist, and buccaneer who lived from 1651 to 1715. He was one of the most accomplished navigators at sea and circumnavigated the world 3 times; he took meticulous notes of what he observed of wild life, botanical specimens, and native peoples. Some of his botanical specimens can still be seen in collections in Great Britain. He also made detailed maps of unexplored places that were helpful to those who came after him. He was a celebrity in his time but faded into obscurity for future generations until Diana Preston wrote this book. One theory our group came up with is that because most of his voyages were done illegally on pirate ships which had no letter of marquee (which legalized privateers who attacked the enemies of England) and around the time of his death pirates were not being looked on as sanguinely as they had been his exploits were not written up by the writers of his time and his own writings were allowed to fade into obscurity. There was lively discussion in our group read about Dampier’s character because he was involved in so many piratical activities. My opinion is that he was an amoral pragmatist. He was not enthusiastic about the pirate aspects of his voyages; although he did like getting treasure he was not as bloodthirsty as many of his shipmates and even less so as he got older. He learned to appreciate the natives he “studied” as humans and disliked seeing them harmed—although he wasn’t above capturing some of them for slaves. He even tried to make a go of as an officer in the Royal Navy, but that didn’t work out so he had to back to pirating—although with a letter of marquee this time. His main passion was making discoveries and then writing about them and that is how he wished to be remembered. Pirating was a means to an end; and for him the end justified the means.

ETA the review!

Congratulations on reaching the ton (100)!

- TT

yes, certainly, add my congrats to the list of well wishers...100 is quite an accomplishment!

Woo Hoo! 100! Congrats!

Way to go, Carolyn!!

Congrats on reaching the 100 count!

Incidentally, Mama's Bank Account by Forbes is the source for the play, movie, and series "I Remember Mama." It's great fun.

I finally got my review done of Pirate of Exquisite Mind:

This was the story of William Dampier, explorer, naturalist, and buccaneer who lived from 1651 to 1715. He was one of the most accomplished navigators at sea and circumnavigated the world 3 times; he took meticulous notes of what he observed of wild life, botanical specimens, and native peoples. Some of his botanical specimens can still be seen in collections in Great Britain. He also made detailed maps of unexplored places that were helpful to those who came after him. He was a celebrity in his time but faded into obscurity for future generations until Diana Preston wrote this book. One theory our group came up with is that because most of his voyages were done illegally on pirate ships which had no letter of marquee (which legalized privateers who attacked the enemies of England) and around the time of his death pirates were not being looked on as sanguinely as they had been his exploits were not written up by the writers of his time and his own writings were allowed to fade into obscurity. There was lively discussion in our group read about Dampier’s character because he was involved in so many piratical activities. My opinion is that he was an amoral pragmatist. He was not enthusiastic about the pirate aspects of his voyages; although he did like getting treasure he was not as bloodthirsty as many of his shipmates and even less so as he got older. He learned to appreciate the natives he “studied” as humans and disliked seeing them harmed—although he wasn’t above capturing some of them for slaves. He even tried to make a go of as an officer in the Royal Navy, but that didn’t work out so he had to back to pirating—although with a letter of marquee this time. His main passion was making discoveries and then writing about them and that is how he wished to be remembered. Pirating was a means to an end; and for him the end justified the means.

Was the book well-written? Dampier sounds fascinating and I'd like to read about him.

>185 TadAD: Tad, do you mean to say that you haven't read my review of this book on my thread! See Review No. 39. (Msg 89) And yes it is very well written, which you would know if you read my review! On my thread! Go there now! :)

- TT

* raises his hands in surrender *

TadAD

Now I know you will read the book--or TT will make you walk the plank!

I do highly recommend it--it's on my Top Twenty Books of 2008.

When I give good review to a book you can take it for granted that the writing was good to excellent--otherwise I would put a caveat in the review. I usually don't finish books that aren't well written--and often finish books I don't particularly care for because they are well written!

Well, Shiver me Timbers,TAD, Well written, a fascinating character and interesting incidents - what more could you want - buried treasure?

:)

- TT

I love your thread. What thoughtful reviews of each and every book you've read! Congratulations on reaching 100!

Thanks bookworm--I have read a few more in December--sandwiched between rehearsals for the Christmas Cantata I directed this morning (one down!) and the piano recital my students will have next Thursday (and one to go!). I'll try to get the reviews done tomorrow or Tuesday. Today I'm catching my breath and resting!--I probably will read some though. :-) Probably the mystery I picked up at the library last week that has been waiting patiently for me on my bed side table.

Musicmom
I hope the Christmas Cantata went well. And, all good wishes are sent for next Thursday's show.

#191: One of the great things about books - they are still waiting for you when you get to them.

Best wishes on all of your musical programs! I hope they go well.

Thanks Linda and Stasia--

The cantata went very well--by far the best we had ever done! It's great when the performance exceeds expectations.

Now, if my students have just been practicing this week I have high hopes for the recital Thursday. We have a rehearsal Wednesday so I will have a "clue" beforehand.

I'm looking forward to some "quality reading time" starting Friday!

Finally got my reviews of the first half of December reading done!

Fiction: General

101. Bennett, Alan: The Uncommon Reader (library)
This charming novella has been getting rave reviews on LT the past couple of months so I decided to try it. The story concerns how Queen Elizabeth discovered the joys of reading when, while chasing her dogs, she accidentally stumbles into a bookmobile (that’s the American term) parked behind the palace kitchens. Here she meets a kitchen boy, the only patron, and he helps her find a book to check out because she doesn’t wish to offend the librarian. Soon the kitchen boy is promoted to be her attendant and reading advisor while everyone else, from the Prime Minister down becomes very concerned about her change of attitude due to her newly discovered passion for reading. The story provided an enjoyable afternoon’s entertainment, a definite 3 star read, until the twist at the very end—last page—bumped it up to 3 ½.

Fiction: Mysteries

102. Stout, Rex: The Silent Speaker (BC 135)
This 11th in the series is classic Wolf with an interesting story and characters. The head of a government agency (Bureau of price regulation) is murdered while he is waiting to deliver a speech at a large meeting of the National Industrial Association. Since the two groups are constantly at loggerheads the entire country assumes that NIA is the culprit. NIA hires Wolf to find the murderer on the assumption that once an individual is identified the Association will not be taking the heat. I caught the very early clue that showed Wolf the direction to look for the killer but the story and how to get the evidence was interesting enough that I was never bored.

103. Stout, Rex: Too Many Women (BC 169)
This book puts me slightly more than ¼ finished with attempt to read all of Nero Wolfe in order (there are 46 books featuring Nero Wolfe published by Rex Stout and 1 posthumous volume of 3 novellas that were published in periodicals but not in book form). The plot of this one involves an old hit and run accident that is resurrected when someone sends in a report on the victim at the place where he had been working with the reason for his leaving the company being “murdered.” Wolfe is hired by the president of the company to find out the truth. This is a good, solid entry in the series. When I started I thought I would be able to think of a better title for the book (it seemed to be too similar to Too Many Cooks) but when I finished I realized the title fits perfectly!

Fiction: Children/YA

104. Rowling, J.K.: The Tales of Beedle the Bard
I have always enjoyed folk tales from around the world so these “folk tales” from the wizarding world appealed to me. Rowling cleverly gives them the right twist so they become moral lessons for young witches and wizards just as the tales I’ve read since childhood and well beyond speak to muggle children. The notes from Albus Dumbledore are fun and give us extra tidbits of information about some of the characters in the Harry Potter canon.

Non-fiction:

105. Covington, Dennis: Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia
This book is a little difficult to describe and I had mixed feelings about it, especially at first. It was favorably mentioned on LT when I first started reading posts in August and I remembered that when I saw it on a sale table--buy one for $2.99 and get a 2nd one free. This was the free one! I ended up really liking it because it is a fascinating account about an unusual type of religious experience that is still being practiced. Covington gives a sympathetic but balanced view of these people who handle snakes and drink strychnine as well as speaking in tongues during their church services and helps us understand why they worship the way they do. He was first introduced to this sub culture when he went as a journalist to cover a trial of one of the preachers whose wife had him arrested for attempted murder, claiming he had forced her to put her hand in a box of rattlesnakes and then refused to let her seek medical treatment when she was dying of the snake bites. After the trial he became interested in this religious group and their worship practices and followed them for about two years, documenting their activities and even, for a while, participating with them in their services. He therefore was able to gain firsthand experiential understanding of what happens to a person during these times of “ecstasy.” Although, in the end he went back to his own church he still maintains his respect for many of the people he encountered during this time and helps us to be able to see them as individuals with virtues and faults like everyone else rather then lumping into a category of "crazy fanatics." Of course, they probably could be considered fanatics but don't most people have something that they are fanatic about? I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about different religious experiences.

Seems I've heard of Covington's book in other positive reviews. I'll have to track it down.

Glad you enjoyed The Uncommon Reader!

Thanks for your excellent description of The Uncommon Reader. I hope to read this in 2009.

>195 MusicMom41: "but don't most people have something that they are fanatic about?"

Carolyn, I am fanatical, I keep on putting my hand into a box of rattlesnakes (books) and keep on getting bitten by the reading viper. :) There is no anti-venom either!

Nice balanced review BTW.

- TT

TT

In a comment I made on another thread about this book I did mention Reading as a fanaticism of many of us in LT--me included. :-)

> 200 Carolyn, Of course, I saw it! I read all your posts. I just like to express myself in my own inimical way!

- TT

Okay! December is always a crazy month for me, but I did get some things read and today I finally got the reviews of half month of reading done. Actually all these were finished while I've been up here at our "house on the hill"--most of them the last 3 days while my family has been in Valley working. Hubby comes up on the train tonight and then we will both go back to the Valley Sunday. Even I have to go back to work sometime!

Non-fiction:

106. Rossetti, Christina: Goblin Market and Other Poems (BC 68)
When I was a teenager I loved Christina Rossetti poems. Shortly after we moved back to California in the early 90’s I picked up this book but never got around to reading it. I stumbled across it a few days ago and decided this would be a good time to get it off my TBR pile. This is a Dover edition of the first book Rossetti published. I decided to save Goblin Market until last because it is quite long and I wanted to get back into her style before I tackled it. It was a wise decision. I’ve been reading a lot of 20th century poetry and at first it was a little difficult to get back into the rhythm of 19th century poetry-which, when I was a teenage I “specialized’ in! But once I got into the flow I once again became immersed in Rossetti’s world. Her poems are haunting and often sad. The introduction quotes Virginia Woolf as saying “Death, oblivion, and rest lap around your songs with their dark wave.” Her two main themes are sensual love and religious devotion. In her life she eventually renounced the first for the second. I now realize why I loved her so much back then. At sixteen I wanted to become a nun—and I wasn’t even Catholic. Even after all these years, I enjoyed these poems. Most were ones I either hadn’t ever read or have forgotten but I also encountered some “old friends.” I plan to look for more of her poems to see how she matured as a poet. My favorite poem of hers wasn’t in this book.

107. Wolf, Maryanne: Proust and the Squid (BC 306)
This was a fascinating study of the “reading brain” with an added dash of a brief history of the rise of written language (so we would have something to read!). After reading this book I am in awe that anyone learns to read. Are brain is not “programmed” for reading. The brain of each individual has to start from scratch developing new pathways that eventually will lead to reading skills. This is why children who get a late start, not being introduced to books and stories at a very young age, often never get beyond the rudimentary level of decoding and seldom develop into expert readers. I think every parent and teacher of young children should read this book.
Since I am a “squid” I was most fascinated by the last section of the book: WHEN THE BRAIN CAN’T LEARN TO READ. This section discusses the problems facing the dyslexic child. I was one of the lucky ones. I wasn’t diagnosed but I had two parents a some excellent teachers who worked with me and pushed me until I developed the skills I needed and by the time I was in third grade (the time when the dyslexic usually gets left in the dust) I had developed enough skill that I was able to keep up although no one could understand why I couldn’t seem to master spelling! However, I have always been a “slow” reader compared to my peers—those who read voraciously usually become quite fast. I now know why. Reading is a ‘Left Brain” activity for the most part, although the Right Brain does have some work to do in the process. For dyslexics, the left brain paths for reading never develop; our reading paths develop in the right brain, which does not work as quickly so there is always a “delay” in the process for us. This is also why most dyslexics—even the brilliant ones—usually don’t become expert readers. Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, and Thomas Alva Edison are three of the brilliant ones who developed their talents in other areas. This goes on my list of best books of the year and gets 5 stars!

108. Rose, Chris: 1 Dead in Attic (BC 364)
I received this book as an Angel Mooch (Thank you, Linda!) and loved it. This is the “story” of what happened “after Katrina.” Chris Rose wrote a column for a couple of years after Katrina telling the stories of how the storm affected the city and the people if New Orleans. He is passionate about his city and in the end the tremendous grief he carried as he did this job almost destroyed him also. So often after a “catastrophe” when the news media stops covering it those of us not touched by it tend to forget that recovery does not happen instantly—and sometime complete recovery never happens. That is what this book helps us realize about New Orleans. It’s a very intense book—although sometimes there is also some humor, the laughter is most often through tears—and I had to put it aside periodically. But it is a book I would recommend to anyone who wants to better understand what people go through after a catastrophe. Highly recommended!

Fiction: Children/YA

109. Riordan, Rick: The Lightning Thief (Marty’s)
This is a story about a young boy living in New York who is dyslexic and has ADHD and generally doesn’t seem to fit where ever he goes. It turns out he is a demigod, a son of Poseidon. In the book Proust and the Squid I found a quote about dyslexia attributed to Riordan but no book referenced. I read the quote to my son (a dyslexic, ADHD person) because I though he would enjoy it and he started to laugh. He had just read it—in this book. I bribed him to finish the book before he had to leave Sunday to go back down to the Valley for work. We both really enjoyed this book about a quest and I’m buying the sequel this week when I go to B&N—but I will let him read it first, since that was the bribe!

Fiction: Mysteries

110. Robb, J.D.: Reunion in Death (library)
The 14th entry in the Dallas/Roarke canon is typical Robb—entertaining but not much new. A woman Eve was responsible for apprehending 10 years ago is out on good behavior and not only back to her murdering ways but bent on getting revenge on Dallas. The most memorable part of the book is when Eve goes back to Dallas, Texas and revisits the place where the trauma in her childhood occurred. I always enjoy these "fluff." Luckily I have many more to go before I finish--or catch up with--the series.

ETA This finishes my reading for 2008. I have about 3 hours before I have to go get Hubby and I'm going to spend that time trying to do my summary for the year so tomorrow I can finally start my 2009 75 challenge and my 999 challenge! I will be posting all my reading on the 75 thread, so if you want to see what I read next year you won't have far to look! :-)

I had a great year of reading! I only had to quit on one book and I didn't read any clunkers. Narrowing it down to the top five was hard; in nonfiction it was impossible because at the last minute a I read a great one and I couldn't let go of the ones I'd already chosen.

A word about my choices: I read a lot of 4 and 5 star books this year. My top 5 lists were selected because in some way these books had an effect on me that was above and beyond just being great reads. Each one in some way changed my way of thinking and feeling--each in a different way.

Msg=that's the number of the message where the review/comments can be found if you want to read them.

Top 5 Fiction:

Steinbeck, John: Of Mice and Men (BC 165) Msg 20

Crane, Stephen: The Red Badge of Courage (BC 175) Msg 18

Winspear, Jacqueline: Birds of a Feather Msg 5

Orwell, George: Down and Out in Paris and London (BC 213) Msg 3

Chesterton, G.K.: The Man Who Was Thursday (BC 232) Msg 5


Top 5 (oops! 6) Nonfiction:

Wolf, Maryanne: Proust and the Squid (BC 306) Msg 202

Mortenson, Greg & David Oliver Relin: Three Cups of Tea (BC 349) Msg 121

Preston, Diana & Michael: A Pirate of Exquisite Mind (BC 377) Msg 178

Corson, Trevor: The Secret Life of Lobsters (BC 289) LT Author Msg 20

Wiesel, Elie: Night (BC 134) Msg 17

Ali, Ayaan Hirsi: Infidel Msg 20


Final Report:

Nonfiction 34 books 0 audio 34 total
Fiction 33 books 1 audio 34 total
Mysteries 40 books 2 audio 42 total

Total 107 books 3audio 110 total for 2008

BC pages for 2008: 68 books read from personal library; 15,116 pages (average of 237 pages/book)

Hello MusicMom and Happy New Year!

Congratulations on reading 110 books in 2008; this is quite an accomplishment.

Regarding book 106, I simply love the art and poetry of the Pre-Raphelites. You may know that Christina Rossetti was the sister of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. In her own right, she was quite an artist.
Here is a link that you might find interesting.
You are right, her poetry is wonderful.
She wrote In the Bleak Mid-Winter, which is one of my favorite Christmas carols.

Regarding book 108, thanks for your comments regarding 1 Dead in Attic It is quite a profound book.

http://faculty.pittstate.edu/~knichols/chris.html

Congrats on a great reading year!

Congratulations on a great year, and thanks for such good reviews. I've put Proust and the Squid on my wish list. Regards, Jan

Some great reviews there, MusicMom - really do want to read Proust and the Squid this year. And Christmas always makes me want to re-read Christina Rosetti - In the Bleak Midwinter never fails to make me blub like a baby (doesn't matter whose music it is, it's the words).

Happy New Year!

Flossie

I hope you enjoy Proust and the Squid. -- It's not a fast read but a very interesting and worthwhile one--especially for "readers!"

The favorite poem mentioned in my review that wasn't in Goblin Market was "In the Bleak Midwinter." I knew the poem before I knew the hymn--so now it's both a favorite poem and a favorite hymn.

LOL Finally caught up with your thread! Yes, you were thinking of the right book (set in the south) for The Secret Life of Bees.

Lived in St Louis for about 10 years -- I loved going to Forest Park where they held the World Fair. Didn't realize Meet me in St. Louis was a book -- love the film though. Thanks for the tip.