I'm Back

Oh, without notice I am "unlocked"!! -- of course, it was without notice that I was "locked." Never-the-less, I'm no longer considered a spammer. Hope everyone else is back in production.


Here is a book that I've put on my wish list: A Summer of Hummingbirds: Love, Art, and Scandal in the Intersecting Worlds of Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, & Martin Johnson Head. Sounds Delicious!



I'm still not reading, however, things are pretty stalled on that front. Well, except for this sort of thing... This week I have been busy with all sorts of activities with granddaughter Mila and my niece and nephew, Maggie and Matthew.
I've heard an awful lot of "Jenny Claire! Jenny Claire" and "Excuse me, Jenny Claire, but can I...." We've been having a wonderful time with art and craft and books and Sci Port and fountains. Jenny Claire will need a few days to recover by the time Miss Mila goes home! I'm not used to so much activity and so much fun!

Book Chase's Sam Locked Out

I just received an email from Sam Houston at Book Chase asking me to help spread the word about his silence. Blogger has somehow mistaken him for a spammer (the result of some software program) and has locked him out of his blog.

Sam has posted comments on many blogs -- he wants the book community to know about what has happened so people will realize that he has not simply disappeared. He is trying to get an interview with a real person, but doesn't know how long it will take to get it straightened out.

He has no access to his blog at present, and they have threatened to delete Book Chase in 20 days!

A Magic of Twilight

Farrell, S. L. A Magic of Twilight.

6 words: Neither awful nor awesome. Over-complicated names/titles.

Characters never really come off the page. Some interesting elements, but I didn't really care for this world... I mean, this world and its characters never really captured me or made me truly concerned for the individuals or about the events. Not sure exactly why it missed...

Fiction. Fantasy. 2008. 526 pages.

Excuses, Excuses

I'm not sure what is going on with me.

I was reading, but not blogging.

Now, I'm not reading, but blogging.

But not reviewing.

I don't feel so bad about that, however, after reading Bookfool's list of books to be reviewed. :)

Reviewing aside, my books in progress list is pretty chilling. Let's go through the drill:

1) Oh, this looks interesting. Worth a try. This one, too.

2) Hmmm, just found this one under a stack of 7; let's see, I think I started it 2 months ago. Forgot about it. Move to "in progress" stack.

3) Just arrived from Amazon - a book that I had looked forward to. Five pages in...maybe later. Maybe never.

4) ARC books...what did I do or say to indicate that all I wanted to read was self-help? I may need an occasional positive thinking book, but not 15. Nor do I really want to read about someone's suicide, so put it in the stack titled "What do I do with these books? Who could I give them to?" Would they take it as an insult?

5) I like this one, but only for a chapter at a time...then let's have a little mystery or fantasy time.

6) Oh, I've finished all the mystery and fantasy. Schedule library trip.

7) This biography of Alice Roosevelt Longworth is terrific. I love reading about smart, witty women. Background on Teddy is interesting, too.

8) A little Pratchett. Smile.

9) Two more unsolicited ARC's from different publicists yesterday. Goody, goody! Oh, one is another self-help! Still, the other is a good possibility.

10) Hold it! What about the long list of those that I've already started? The "in progress" stack? Discipline. Must. Practice. Some. Discipline.

Do not begin another book until having finished some of the "in progress" stack OR AT LEAST until I've written reviews of those that are already overdue at the library. The ones I didn't return with the others because I had not reviewed them.

11) Learn to admit that I have abandoned some books. Move from "in progress" to "abandoned" stack.

I think I'll sew instead.





I know I've been absent here, but I've been busy over at Bayou Quilts, playing with fabric and thread.

Light of the Moon

Rice, Luanne. Light of the Moon. I wasn't familiar with the author and was interested because the novel deals with the white horses of the Carmarque. Susannah Connolly, the main character, is also an anthropologist...another point of interest. Turned out to be more Chic Lit. Sappy.

However, watch this video if you want to see why the white horses and their riders fascinate me.



Fiction. Chic Lit. 2008. 386 pages.

The Crows

Soule, Maris. The Crows.

When P.J. is shot at in the woods, she manages to get home only to find a dying man in her house. From deadly Ladybugs to counterfeiting. And a dead father. This one never really made me believe, but it was short. Which was a good thing. Nice cover, though.

Fiction. Mystery. 2007. 262 pages.

The Poisoner of Ptah

Doherty, P.C. The Poisoner of Ptah.


6 words: Has the Rekhet returned? Prisoner escaped.

Set during the reign of Hatshepsut (or Hatusu, as Doherty uses the shortened version of her name), the female pharaoh who ruled Egypt for 22 years, this mystery requires Judge Amerotke to discover who poisoned 3 scribes during an important ceremony to confirm a peace treaty between the Egyptians and the Libyans. Is it the Rekhet, the poisoner of Ptah, who poisoned so many people several years earlier?

And there are other issues, political and national, at stake. Will the peace treaty be sidetracked? What do the gangs of the Egyptian underworld have to with events? What about the deaths of a wealthy merchant and his wife?

I like Doherty's Egyptian mystery series. They read quickly and have a way of re-creating ancient Egypt --from the palace, to the temple, to the streets --that I enjoy.

Fiction. Historical Mystery. 2007. 378 pages.

Shadow Gate: Book Two of the Crossroads

Elliott, Kate. Shadow Gate.

6 words: What has happened to the Guardians?

I read many series out of order and don't usually have any trouble, but I would highly recommend reading this series in order as Elliott makes few concessions to back story. I read Spirit Gate: Book One of the Crossroads last year (and loved it) so the characters and various plot lines were still fresh. However, without having read Book One, the sequel would be most confusing.

The world of the Hundred is a turbulent one; the religions and politics are diverse; the races, customs, and traditions often antithetical. The Reeves and their eagles struggle to preserve some sense of order in the midst of the violence. Aiding the people of the Hundred are the Qin, soldiers in exile who are following their leader Anji and his wife Mai, ahead of threats from their own country.

But what has happened, is happening to the Guardians -- theNine who are supposed to provide protection and justice? How many are corrupt? Will Marit discover her role in the confusion she awakes to find herself in?

Many, many characters and threads in this fantasy. I eagerly await the next in the series.

Fiction. Fantasy. 2008. 475 pages.

The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square

Lippi, Rosina. The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square.

6 words: Chic Lit. Predictable. A beach read?

O.K. So I liked the title, the idea of a small Southern town with quirky characters, the idea of a shop named Cocoon that sells antique and luxury linens and where the owner and her employees wore pajamas to work, and the idea of a Scrivener's, "an odd little shop that specializes in collectible pens."

A light little time-waster that has you making many critical remarks in your head while you continue to read.

Fiction. Chic Lit. 2008. 351 pages.

Older Characters in Contemporary Fiction

DesLily brought up an important point in her comment on my review of The Sorcerers' Plague. Two of the most important characters are old. Unfortunately, the author doesn't give as much time to them as they deserve. Licaldi, the antagonist, is talked about, but rarely appears and when she does appear it is always in the same role...until the very end of this volume. Besh, the village elder who feels required to put an end to Licaldi's deadly activities, is better developed, but still has only about 10% of novel time.

I find DesLily's point about old protagonists an interesting one, especially given the "graying of America." The protagonists in literature are predominantly young, but there are authors who have created some fascinating elderly leading characters. I'm thinking of two in particular. So a couple of questions for you:

Which authors or titles feature dynamic older protagonists?

How do you feel about older main characters?

----
Because I'd rather begin a new book than write a review, I've 5 more reviews to write. Received an Amazon delivery and made a library run yesterday, and so have added to the already huge stack of TBR.

The Sorcerers' Plague

Coe, David B. The Sorcerers' Plague.

6 words: A plague spreads. Revenge at work.

As a child, Licaldi witnesses the deaths of her family and village; 64 years later, she begins her revenge against the race she holds responsible.

Besh, a village elder, is concerned when Licaldi disappears from his village -- without fully knowing why. When he reads the journal of the woman who took Licaldi in and raised her all those years ago, his fear increases, and when he suspects Licaldi of spreading a plague to avenge herself against the people she blames for the deaths of her family, Besh decides he must, even at his own advanced age, be the one who prevents Licaldi's terrible vengeance from continuing.

I wasn't all that taken with this fantasy, perhaps because so many of the characters introduced quickly fell victim to the plague. I didn't like being introduced to characters who appear to have a role to play only to discover that their roles are solely as victims.

Fiction. Fantasy. 2007. 393 pages.

A Pale Horse

Todd, Charles. A Pale Horse.

6 words: Didn't live up to previous works.

I'm usually a big fan of Inspector Rutledge, but this one felt slow and a bit awkward. Even the conversations with Hamish have palled a bit. Several things - the many trips back and forth to London (it would have taken an awful long time in 1920 to make those many trips), a lack of connection to the characters (admittedly, with Rutledge's own problems this is not an unusual aspect of this series), the pattern of the interviews...I don't know, I was just not as involved with Rutledge as I was in the first several novels. And Jean? Sometimes, I just want to shake the man and say that, with his past, Jean was just a hiccup.

Fiction. Historical mystery. 2008. 360 pages.

Dark Summit

Heil, Nick. Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season. An ARC that has been sitting around here for a while.

6 words: 2006: 11 deaths attempting Everest's summit.

Heil attempts to determine exactly what siren call lures so many climbers to Everest and to discover what went wrong in 2006, when 11 people lost their lives attempting the climb. Almost 12 people, for Lincoln Hall was reported dead, but by some miracle survived a night alone and without shelter at 8700 meters. (Hall has written his own book about his experience - Dead Lucky).

Heil admits that he didn't entirely succeed in either attempt for an explanation, yet he is able to give an interesting and detailed account of that particular season. He also gives some interesting historical background about Everest.

There were so many groups on the mountain and so many climbers in each group that it was sometimes difficult to keep track, but Russel Brice's Himex (Himalayan Experience) group included "a double amputee; a ...mechanic whose back, knee, and ankle were bolted together with metal screws; and an asthmatic who intended to summit without using oxygen."

I'll never understand the desire to risk one's life for such a miserable experience (temperatures often 30-40 degrees below zero, months on the mountain at various camps with little comfort, frostbite and loss of fingers and toes, cerebral edema - a frequently fatal form of high altitude sickness, and on and on), but climbers flock to Everest.

While I found the book interesting, I did not find it enthralling and felt it lacked a sense of continuity as Heil followed all of the threads and groups and climbers of that season as well as "flashbacks" to previous seasons.

Nonfiction. Adventure. 2008. 251 pages.

Happy July 4th!

Bookfool is giving away an autographed copy of The Questory of Root Karbunkulus. Check it out here. I'm hoping to continue my winning streak.

Just placed an order with Amazon. I'm so weak. There are stacks of ARCs around here that I've not yet read and a brand new stack from Wednesday's trip to the library, but...

I just had to have this one - Resurrecting Virgil by Dorie LaRue. Why? Well, there are several reasons including some excellent reviews:

"Winner of the Omaha Prize for Novel for the year 2000, selected by Mark Spencer. A modern comic-romance with a generous dollop of Southern Gothic, Resurrecting Virgil will keep readers turning the pages long into the night."
I love good Southern Gothic, and the setting and characters are loosely based on Shreveport and the surrounding areas.

And, of course, I know Dorie. Or knew her...way back when. We worked at the Tech Theater together when we were students at Louisiana Tech in Ruston. She always made me smile, and the last time I saw her, years ago on the LSU-S campus, she was exactly the same: friendly, down-to-earth, vital.

When I had lunch with my friend Thomas the other day, he asked if I knew a Shreveport author named Dorie LaRue. All I could do was grin. I knew Dorie, but didn't know she had written a novel (she has two published works of poetry), and immediately thought of an incident involving a washateria back in Ruston all those years ago.

Oh, yeah. I can't wait to get hold of Resurrecting Virgil.

Wonderful Mail!

I was lucky enough to win one of Iliana's handmade journals, and the little beauty arrived yesterday!Now, just look at the detail. Isn't it lovely? Thanks so much, Iliana! I adore it and now must go through the waiting period.

You know, that time after you have a new, blank journal, and you just can't bear to write in it? When you turn the pristine pages and fear marking on them because you might mess them up? Maybe this is not a problem for everyone, but I always go through this transition period while I gather the courage to actually WRITE in a new journal.

Here is the postcard that arrived with it - our old friend Nancy Drew! Just perfect.

A Charmed Life: Growing Up in Macbeth's Castle

Campbell, Liza. A Charmed Life: Growing Up in Macbeth's Castle.

6 words: Charmed or cursed? Fairytale turns nightmare.

Well, of course, when I saw this autobiographical work about growing up in Cawdor Castle, I was unable to resist.

Liza Campbell recounts her family history, dwelling on the problems experienced by her father Hugh, the 25th Thane of Cawdor, and the impact of his behavior on immediate family members. Witty, dry, and exceptionally unsentimental, Campbell tells of Hugh's descent into alcohol, drugs, and sexual adventures that coincide with greater and greater instability, verbal abuse, and domestic violence at home.

Although a sorry tale of privilege abused, Campbell tells a compellingly readable and strangely entertaining tale of Hugh's decline and his family's attempts to survive his many betrayals.

Nonfiction. Autobiography/ Memoir. 2007. 321 pages.

The Chameleon's Shadow

Walters, Minette. The Chameleon's Shadow.

6 words: Psychological thriller. Jekyll/Hyde protagonist. Suspenseful.

Horribly disfigured by an injury in Iraq, Charles Acland has sustained head injuries that may have produced brain damage. Physical injuries aside, Acland is most certainly dealing with emotional damage, and Dr. Willis, his psychiatrist, is concerned about his volatile temper and anger towards women. Walters has an uncanny ability to create fascinating psychiatric profiles, and this novel is another example of her ability to get inside the heads of disturbed individuals.

I am a fan of Minette Walters and enjoyed this novel very much. As usual, she includes newspaper clippings, pages from reports, extracts from the psychiatrist's notes, and emails, etc. for verisimilitude. There are some plot twists that seem unlikely toward the end, but I found the novel highly entertaining.

Fiction. Psychological thriller/mystery. 2007. 370 pages.

Go Green: How to Build an Earth-Friendly Community

Taylor, Nancy H. Go Green: How to Build an Earth-Friendly Community.

6 words: Practical hints, resources for sustainable future.

As our energy crisis comes to a head, many of us are becoming more conscious of our fragile environment and our place within it. This short little book (on recycled paper) offers many ways for us to begin some lifestyle changes at both the personal and the community levels that will benefit our pocketbooks and our environment. She suggests that we can find a middle way: "between denial and deprivation," in which we practice conservation, recycling, and innovative thinking.

In the final chapter, Taylor says, "In the Chinese book of changes called the I Ching, the symbol for crisis is related to the symbol of opportunity." Now is the time for us to seize the opportunity to take a long-range approach to our planet's future.

Since this is a subject that interests me, I found this little book useful and full of great resource material.

Nonfiction. Ecology/Green Living. 2008. 135 pages + 3o pages of notes and resource material.

The Year She Disappeared

Harleman, Ann. The Year She Disappeared.

6 words: Mother suspects abuse. Grandmother rescues child.

When Nan's daughter Alex asks Nan to take 4-year-old Jane away for a while, the plan was to keep Jane in an unknown location for six weeks while Alex figured out how to keep her daughter safe. Nan and Jane fly to Providence, Rhode Island to stay with a childhood friend of Nan's. The plan, however, goes awry in a number of ways.

Interesting, but full of implausible situations that make the central plot less believable.

Fiction. Suspense. 2008. 306 pages.

Modern Classics

Over at The Bookish Kitty, the Literary Feline has posted the following list which as appeared on several other sites as well. Originally found in Entertainment Weekly, the list contains EW's staff picks of modern classics published in the last 25 years. Of course, we all have disagreements about the value of particular books, but there is no doubt that these books have been influential.

The very first one bothers me because I found No Country for Old Men to be MUCH better than The Road-- so much so that the book's impact prevented me from seeing the movie; just couldn't face the emotional tension in visual form. The themes in No Country were more complex and gave me more to ponder. I still think about it. Didn't enjoy it, but consider it an excellent book.

At any rate, I've highlighted the one's I've read (some of which have been among my all-time favorites and others that did not appeal at all), and I'm reminded of the many titles here that have been on various TBR lists I've compiled, but that I've never gotten around to reading.

1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000) 3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985) 25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001) 30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (1990)
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
36. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)
47. World's Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)
59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)
67. The Kite Runner , Khaled Hosseini (2003)
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)
82. Atonement , Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)
90. Comfort Me With Apples , Ruth Reichl (2001)
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)
94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)
98. The Predators' Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

Ivory: A Legend of Past and Future

Resnick, Mike. Ivory: A Legend of Past and Future.

6 words: Kilimanjaro Elephant- where are his tusks?

Duncan Rojas, senior researcher for Braxton's Records of Big Game in 6303 G.E. (Galactic Era), loves research and problem solving more than people. Approached by Bukoba Mandaka, last of the Maasai, to discover the tusks of the Kilimanjaro Elephant (an actual legendary elephant which was supposedly killed in 1898 and whose enormous tusks are still in the British Museum), Rojas finds himself plunged into a challenge worthy of his time and efforts. While he has questions about his employer, he quickly becomes immersed in his quest.

The novel consists of various episodes moving back and forth in time as Rojas traces every mention of the tusks. In each episode, new characters who have had possession of the tusks are introduced. Initially, Ivory moves pretty quickly, but some of the episodes should perhaps have been omitted as they add little to the novel.

I found much of Ivory enjoyable, but there were definitely some slow periods and the pacing felt off.

Fiction. Science Fiction. 2007. 315 pages.

I'm Trying...

to get caught up with my reviews. Seriously. I still have several to go, but at least I've posted the ones I started a week ago.

Summer seems to holding me in thrall.

Blue Smoke and Murder

Lowell, Elizabeth. Blue Smoke and Murder.

6 words: Art scams, forgeries. Light summer read.

Another ARC. I enjoyed the art aspect, but overall, just another bit of light entertainment. Could certainly have done without the emphasis on the sexual attraction between main characters--too obvious and too frequent. Subtle would have been better; hitting me over the head too many times causes distinct irritability. Guess what? She wants him. Kind of liked the St. Kilda stuff, but didn't think they were as skilled as they should have been at protection. Sure took a long time for them to discover that bug...

Fiction. Suspense. 2008. 404 pages.

Rubicon

Alexander, Lawrence. Rubicon.

6 words: Oh, please. Don't waste your time.

This is a political "thriller." A paragon of virtues, Senator Bobbie Hart must stop a conspiracy that involves assassinations of presidential candidates. Over the top, decidedly partisan, fallacious arguments, scare tactics, poor characterization.

The premise is actually feasible and could have made a great political thriller, but the decidedly partisan view (in spite of having a good guy from the bad party) turns the novel into propaganda. If the author had controlled his personal inclinations and attempted less virulent ad hominem attacks, he could have produced a truly frightening work.

Fiction. Suspense. 2008. 295 pages.

Eden's Outcasts

Matteson, John. Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father.

6 words: An excellent and thorough Alcott biography.


Informative, fair, well-documented, well-written! Matteson has written a highly readable biography that is both scholarly and conversational. I had no idea this much material was available, but all of the Alcotts kept journals and these personal writings alone would certainly have been an overwhelming task--yet Matteson obviously managed it. The personal writings, especially of Louisa and Bronson, give much of the interest and vitality to this biography.

Bronson was, indeed, a piece of work - a dreamer, philosopher, and thoroughly impractical man. My feelings about Bronson went back and forth, but Matteson's research reveals the man in depth, with compassion, and over the length of his long life.

What a family they were! Poor, almost nomadic as they were forced to move over and over, failing again and again, full of high ideals fostered both by Bronson and Abba, confined to a vegetarian diet and few amenities, the Alcotts persevered, and eventually, succeeded. Certainly Louisa did, providing much of the families support.

A biographical MUST READ if you are interested in the time period, the Alcotts, or Concord and its prominent inhabitants. (I loved Emerson all the more for his many kindnesses.)

Nonfiction. Biography. 2007. 428 pages + extensive notes and an excellent bibliography.

Dreamers of the Day

Russell, Mary Doria. Dreamers of the Day.

6 words: Spinster travels to Egypt; homely heroine.

After the 1919 flu epidemic causes the death of her family, Agnes inherits enough money to find a little adventure. With her dachshund Rosie, Agnes bravely travels to Egypt where she meets T.S. Lawrence, Gertrude Bell, and Winston Churchill. Caught up in the intrigue of the Cairo Peace Conference of 1921, Agnes forms and gives her opinions, experiences much of the Egyptian culture and climate, and finds a little romance. She returns a more sophisticated woman.

I loved the Egyptian portion of the book with the insights into Churchill, Lawrence, Bell, and their roles in the nation-building that resulted in the nations of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan.

The portion of the book dealing with Agnes' return home has some important historical markers, but is not nearly as fascinating as the Egypt section. Nevertheless, Agnes is an Everywoman who steps outside of her cultural bonds and has a fascinating experience.

While not as good as Thread of Grace, (and Ann noted that it wasn't as good as The Sparrow), I have to say it was a pleasure to read!

Fiction. Historical. 2008. 253 pages.

A Fatal Waltz

Alexander, Tasha. A Fatal Waltz. Another uncorrected proof from William Morrow division of Harper Collins.

6 words: Lady Emily, amateur sleuth, again prevails.

"Anybody can be good in the country. There are no temptations there." Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Evidently Wilde was wrong because Lady Emily Ashton needs to solve the murder of Lord Basil Fortesque which occurs at a country house party. The solution takes her to Vienna and back and appears to involve an anarchist movement. While in Vienna, Lady Emily's friend Cecile du Lac has an affair with Gustav Klimt.

A light, romantic novel with a mystery.

Fiction. Historical mystery. 2008. 289 pages.

The House at Riverton

Morton, Kate. The House at Riverton.

6 word synopsis: Death of an era. Upstairs, Downstairs.

Coincidentally, as I was reading this, I'd already watched the first disk of Upstairs, Downstairs, the legendary BBC series about an aristocratic family and their servants, which I'm receiving disk by disk from Netflix.

I was also reminded of The Thirteenth Tale and other novels in the modern gothic vein and was delighted that in the Author's Note, Morton listed some of them as part of her inspiration and for further reading: Remains of the Day by Ishiguro, Possession by Byatt, Half-Broken Things by Joss, and a Dark-Adapted Eye by Babara Vine. I enjoyed all of these and plan to locate copies of two others that the author mentioned, but that I've not yet gotten around to reading: The Chatham School Affair by Cook and The Blind Assassin by Atwood.

The story is predominantly set in the early part of the twentieth century, but alternates between that period (when the important events occured) and the latter part of the century. The narrator is Grace Bradley who entered service in 1914 when she was fourteen and end in 1998 when she was 98 - an individual utterly entwined with the century. The novel begins with Grace at 98 as she re-visits her early life during interviews for a movie about the family she served.

Grace's memories, however, continue to push through, becoming more real to her than the present, and a great deal of the story she remembers is never mentioned in the interviews or conversations.

Lots of secrets and a mysterious death in this one. I enjoyed it.

Fiction. Psychological mystery. 2006. 473 pages.

More to Review

I've got 3 more books to get reviewed (A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander, The House at Riverton by Kate Morton, and Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell- not as good as Thread of Grace, but still one of my favorite reads this year. Ann of Table Talk recently reviewed Dreamers of the Day).

I'm also in the middle of a mystery and two nonfiction books that I'm enjoying, Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season and Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father.

Then while visiting A Life in Books-- another must have nonfiction: In Beauty May She Walk: Hiking the Applachian Trail at 60. I've always wanted to hike the Appalachian trail, maybe not the entire 2,000+ miles, but a portion of it anyway, so this book may be just what I need to live as Lesley says "vicariously" and maybe for inspiration as well. Thanks, Lesley, for a timely reminder- I've already ordered it.

Listening to NPR this morning, I heard a new term hyper-miling and since gas prices are so high (and with little chance of them going down to last year's prices), I found the idea interesting and did a little further research online. You can google the term and find out more, but here are two interesting articles concerning gas milage benefits and traffic jams & waves.

Now, some of the hyper-milers are extreme; they are actually in competition with other hyper-milers in trying to get more miles per gallon. Not necessarily a bad thing, but certainly not up everyone's alley. Some of the tips offered are worthwhile, however, even though I'm driving much less this year. The article on traffic jams and waves is especially interesting to me as with constant repair work on our local roads and limited routes on our side of the river, traffic jams are frequent and merging often difficult.

The Stone Gods

Winterson, Jeannette. The Stone Gods.

Six word synopsis: Future. Past. Same thing. Same thing.

Jeanette Winterson is fascinated by repetition and myths. Mankind repeats: makes mistakes, attempts to recover, makes the same mistakes. Over and over.

This a dystopian future myth that incorporates the past. It is a warning, a reminder, a lament. A tiny novel that explores man's arrogance, his tendency toward self-destruction; it raises questions about robo-sapiens and examines the power of love.

Divided into three separate satiric versions of Billie Crusoe's life (& Winterson's?), there is even a reference to the fact that the manuscript was left at an underground station, found, and returned.

This was an ARC, an uncorrected manuscript, that I only recently got around to reading. It reminded me of Winterson's Weight: The Myth of Atlas and Heracles which I reviewed here. In both, Winterson matches style to content and provides a poetic example of the power of myth in our lives.

In The Stone Gods, she concludes with: "Everything is imprinted for ever with what it once was. (At least in the uncorrected manuscript I received.)

In Weight, Winterson says, "What can I tell you about the choices we make?" and "I want to tell the story again."

And, I suppose, she has. The choices, the mistakes, the telling, and re-telling.

Fiction. Science fiction/Myth. 2008. 207 pages.

A Pigeon and a Boy

Shalev, Meir. A Pigeon And A Boy.

6 word synopsis: Beautifully written story of two generations.

Present and past interwoven. From the kibbutz to the Israeli 1948 War of Independence to contemporary Israel ... back and forth. The characters are beautifully and sensitively drawn, and the plot, as it moves from the past to the present revealing increasing information and insight, is compelling. This is a powerful story and an introduction to an author that I'll be seeking out.

I must also add that the translation from the Hebrew by Evan Fallenberg is beautifully done and flows with rhythm and skill. Author and translator have provided an experience to savor. Highly recommended.

Fiction. 2006. 311 pages.

Souls of Angels

Eidson, Thomas. Souls of Angels.


6 word synopsis: A nun, costumed patrone, a murder.

Sometimes, one just can't think of anything to say. Certainly nothing much that would encourage anyone to read this book.

Sister Ria returns to California (1880's) to try to save her father who has been convicted of the murder of a young prostitute. Characters: boring or bizarre. Plot: Unbelievable.

Fiction. Mystery. 2007. 286 pages.

Back Home

We had a wonderful trip, and I both hated to leave and was eager to get home. After getting home, things have been hectic for everyone- all 17 family members. Back to a normal life, and trying to catch up with everything that had continued at a regular pace while we were on beach time, and to cooperating with the clock after that time of no alarm clocks or watches...

I've been trying to catch up on emails and comments, but am still in the process. So easy to get sidetracked by this clever little time-consuming bit of technology; I check an email or comment and check that blog and then follow the links and, in a flash, I've forgotten that I've other things that need to be done.

Here is one recent digression -- I spent a good deal of time looking at info about book clubs and scrolling down looking at book titles. LisaMM at Books on the Brain has some tips about all things book club and has lots of suggestions from commenters and guest bloggers. If I decide to try organizing another book club, I will make use of this great resource. Check it out.

I have about 6 books to review and will get to them as soon as I get caught up on everything else. I hope! Especially since some of them were excellent!

My new lap top organization is confusing and trying to get my pictures uploaded is another chore that I've been wrestling with for a while. Right now, must get back to the real world for a while and more chores and errands that hang over me like a black cloud.

Blogs, books, and sewing adventures

I've been over to So Many Books and found this list of books that interest me. I'm adding several of these titles to my wish list and will order some when I return from vacation. I've always loved Emerson, and visiting Stefanie's blog reminds of much of what I enjoyed in Emerson without having to do research myself--but sometimes, I just can't resist the desire for further reading on the Concord group: Emerson, Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Margaret Fuller, etc.

I have a copy of Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father in my TBR stack and have been debating on whether or not to take this one with me to Florida, but it is such a big, thick hardback that it will really need to wait.

Still have a couple of books to review and hope to do that before we leave and have several stalled books -- including The Philosopher's Apprentice which I read avidly and then when almost finished, put aside and read several other books. Susan at Pages Turned is in the process of reading this one, so I'm eager to find out what she thinks.

Things around here have been hectic lately and my mood takes me from one thing to another in a pretty helter-skelter manner. I've been doing some sewing (which - like reading - provides stress relief). My quilting/sewing blog Bayou Quilts has more pics of the sewing adventures, but here are a couple of the cuffs I've been working on lately.
These little cloth shoes are for baby Bryce Eleanor.

Garden Spells

Allen, Sarah Addison. Garden Spells.

6 word synopsis: Practical Magic redux. Light, lovely, charming.

Fun read with charming characters, magic, and romance. The Waverly clan from Bascom, North Carolina, are in possession of a magic apple tree and unique talents. I couldn't put Garden Spells down and although much of it is predictable, that was exactly what I wanted. A feel-good book with likable, if flawed, characters; character development might be a bit light, but suits the fairy-tale atmosphere.

I especially liked Evanelle, the 79 year old aunt who jogs in order to watch the cute behinds of young men and is compelled to give strange, but prophetic gifts. The conclusion is a bit abrupt, but overall, I had a great time with this magical little tale. An evening's read.

I found this one on the library shelf, loved the cover, and remembered that Bookfool had liked it. Her review is here.

Fiction. Magical realism. 2007. 290 pages.

Shadow of Power

Martini, Steve. Shadow of Power.

6 word synopsis: Author murdered. Supreme Court Justice involved.

Found the premise a bit hard to swallow, but the novel was fast-paced and the legal stuff interesting.

Fiction. Legal thriller/mystery. ARC. 2008. 390 pages.

Late Night Talking

Schnur, Leslie. Late Night Talking.

6 word synopsis: Sterling Behavior? Radio host seeks love.

I found this little novel annoying. Jeannie Sterling hosts a late night radio talk show where she, her co-host, and listeners vent about poor behavior. Two love interests, self-involvement, bad behavior (she keys his car- huh? a grown woman who professes to be the arbiter of good behavior?).

Ooops. Another one for which I am the lone dissenting voice. After checking the Amazon reviews, it appears I would be the only one to give the book less than 4 or 5 stars. I might have given it 2.

Fiction. ARC. Chic Lit. 2007. 308 pages.

Belong to Me

de los Santos, Marisa. Belong to Me.

6 word synopsis: Suburban lives: Love, loss, and learning.

I had actually read the previous book about these characters, but didn't realize it when the ARC arrived. I really enjoyed this one, and didn't go back and re-read my review of the previous novel Love Walked In until I had finished Belong to Me.

Probably a good thing, because although I had liked parts of the first one, my overall impression of Love Walked In was "simply Chiclit."

De los Santos' latest effort, however, is much more. Certainly, it will appeal more to women than to men, but the narrative and the characters have grown and developed; they have blossomed into something much more complex than the original.

Here is a link to my 2006 review of Love Walked In. I still love the poem I found by de los Santos (Milagros Mourns the Queen of Scat) and included in the review.

Thanks to Christine at Harper Collins for this one.

Another review can be found at Lesley's Book Nook. Interestingly, Les read Belong to Me first, and Love Walked In second and liked Love Walked In better. I had completely forgotten about Cornelia and Clare when I read Belong to Me but definitely preferred the Belong to Me.


Fiction. 2008. 388 pages.

Weekly Geeks & Other Stuff

The Weekly Geeks topic this week is favorite books from your childhood. I had so many books that I loved that thinking back and trying to remember all of them was an interesting experience.

Pippi Longstocking; All of a Kind Family; Ann of Green Gables; Cheaper by the Dozen; Little Women; Little Men; Jo's Boys; The Secret Garden; Caddie Woodlawn; Hitty, Her First Hundred Years; The Wind in the Willows; Charlotte's Web; Swiss Family Robinson; Black Beauty; Treasure Island...and more. How many hours of comfort these books gave me!

There are others that were favorites when my kids were little, too, but I won't go into that. My childhood favorites are older classics, and yet, I think they hold up and have appeal today.

Received a bunch more ARC's in yesterday's mail. This is a great thing because next week we will be leaving for Florida, and I'll be fully prepared with books for the trip.

A Lady Raised High

Gardner, Laurien. A Lady Raised High.

6 word synopsis: Henry disposes of Catherine and Anne.

We all know how this story begins and ends. In fact, we know most of the basic information along the way because Henry is still infamous for having had six wives: "Divorced, beheaded, died/ Divorced, beheaded, survived."

Yet his relationship with Anne Boleyn still fascinates. Actually, this novel is ostensibly about Frances Pierce, who becomes one of Anne's ladies and remains with her until the execution. Because of Frances' position in the court, her story is entangled with Anne --and with Anne's friends and enemies; so while Frances tells her story, she is also recording Anne's rise and fall.

For those unfamiliar with some of the political dynamics of this historical event, there is much information interwoven with Frances' story, but the novel lacks narrative weight and the characterization isn't as strong as it could be. My favorite novel about Anne is still Brief Gaudy Hour.

Fiction. Historical fiction. 2006. 284 pages.

Computer Diagnosis: Recovery

OK, now that my computer is working again, I've missed Week 2 of Weekly Geeks. I do think it is a great idea and am going to try to catch up a little. Yes, I know that Week 3 is already posted, but "I'll think about that tomorrow" -- to quote Miss Scarlett.

I've gone back and edited my posts on The Girl With No Shadow, Mystic and Rider, A Flaw in the Blood, and The Thirteenth Tale to add links to other reviews.


I've a couple more books to review, but here is a picture of the first of the Queen Ann's Lace to bloom. I love them.

The Forgery of Venus

Gruber, Michael. The Forgery of Venus.

6 word synopsis: Who painted newly discovered Velázquez' Venus?


An ARC from Lauren, this unusual book is gripping and takes the reader on so many twists and turns that it is almost impossible to describe the plot. Chaz Wilmot, a talented artist, has difficulty selling his best work, not because people aren't willing to buy, but for some tangled personal reasons relating to a difficult relationship with his father. He makes his living in commercial art, just getting by, rather than putting his best work in galleries.

Several events converge at once, and Chaz finds himself in Europe, confronted with the possibility of a huge windfall if he is willing to forge a Velázquez. Before leaving the U.S., Chaz had participated in a drug study during which he had hallucinations of "being" Velázquez, and the combination of the residual effects of the study and the possibility of earning enough money to provide treatment for his sick son help persuade Chaz to try.

I'm not sure how to classify this one - mystery, alternate history, time travel, a study of madness, psychological thriller... a little bit of everything thrown in here. Doesn't matter, I suppose; I found it fascinating, well-written, informative, and highly entertaining.

(It took me a day or so after finishing the book to write this review, and I'm only just now getting it posted because of computer difficulties. I thought maybe I could come up with a more concise version of the plot, but no such luck. The plot is complicated and fascinating.)

Fiction. Psychological thriller? 2008. 318 pages.

Weekly Geeks

Thanks to Dewey's Weekly Geeks, I've discovered some new blogs. I'm looking forward to next week's challenge.

My Own Little Reading Room - a girl after my own heart, she reads across the spectrum.

Educating Petunia - I've already spotted one of my favorite Shakespearian comedies and an Edith Wharton review.

This Red Head Reads - Well, I love red heads and have a lovely daughter with red hair (even if it has been coaxed along somewhat).

The Axe for the Frozen Sea - Interesting blog titles attract me, and from a Kafka quote, even!

Foreign Circus Library - Saw a couple of titles there that I'd like to read-- always a good recommendation.