Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Another year gone. Sigh.

Here's to much good reading and good friendship here at RP.

I'm almost done with Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore and enjoying it immensely. He is not for everyone, but if he is to your taste there is nothing like him.

I just finished a very enjoyable YA novel by Anne McCaffrey (died 2011 RIP) called No One Noticed the Cat. It was a lucky day when I found this for 10 cents in a used bookstore.

Let's hear from everyone -

(Vincent Hepp)

Happy new year to all! Lots of great reading and convos ahead. :-)

Sorry about that. I was being dense and didn't realise that this was the Jan reading thread...

So - to get this back on track a bit: I finished up my first foray in Wodehouse with Right Ho, Jeeves which was really good - much better than I thought it was going to be, so that was nice.

Then very nearly finished Remember, Remember - Judy Parkinson, a lightly handled but still accurate book about British history ("without all the boring bits"!). Despite having grown up in England, I did have these shocking gaps in my UK history and could only vaguely remember some events, so this was actually a really good read. Admittedly not in-depth, but doesn't claim to be and does what it says on the tin. :-)

Really recommend this for readers who are interested in a wide spectrum of historical events in England (and the rest of UK) and just need some gaps filled in with the expectation that further research will be needed if you're so inclined. :-)

Next - The L-Shaped Room by Lynn Reid Banks (for fiction) and NF - still working on the Alan Bennett essays and also one called Round About a Pound a Week by Maud Pember Reeves, the results of a study done by the Fabian Women's Group in London that recorded the daily budgets of 30 families in Lambeth living on about 30 shillings a week. "A moving human document", it reads on the back, so should be interesting. It's an ILL and is due back in a few days so must be on to that.

Rosefolly

Next up is a Christmas gift book, Fiction Ruined My Family, by Jeanne Darst. I'm looking forward to starting it.

Now back to a fictional account of Mary Todd Lincoln's life ten years after her husband's assassination. I moved on to lighter fare during the holidays, but must get this read (all 600+ pages) before my next book group gathering mid-month.

Rosefolly

Rosefolly

I have now started Elizabeth George's latest, Believing the Lie. I haven't read much, but fear that it might be like her last and be in serious need of some editing to cut it down a bit. I will tell you more later.

Lady Susan Vernon is not exactly an exemplary model for a mother or a widow in Jane Austen's time period. She is a flirt, she is a woman of low morals, she is vain, self-serving, and manipulative. How the letters fly back and forth as the drama unfolds. Drama, drama, drama. I am loathe to give too many particulars... the book is so short that I darsen't risk giving anything away.

Now cracking open (albeit gently) a borrowed version of Room by Emma Donoghue. But I must confess that I am feeling the pull of some of my new martial arts philosophy books... I need more hours to read and to savor the words.

PAM

I'm currently engrossed in Charle's Higham's "Mrs. Simpson" (the hidden life of the Duchess of Windsor). I've read quite a lot already about Wallis and Edward, but this contains some shocking revelations as to the extent of their dabbling with Fascism, as supporters of Hitler and Mussolini, before WW II, as well as Wallis as a possible spy....

But boy - Corrigan made it so dry and boring to read, and her opinions were so *definite* about things. Bleugh. Perhaps it's different if you have heard her speak on NPR, but I put that down quite sharpish. This was the second time attempting this book so out the door it goes.

So - now on to "The Walmart Effect" by Charles Fishman about how the company of Walmart is affecting the world, the economy, and even people who don't shop at Walmart (that would be me)... Interesting so far, and quite well balanced.

Also - finished Beverley Nichol's "The Gift of Home" ... a sweet book, w/ a lot of gardening info.

Now reading a fabulous novel by Julian Fellowes -- wrote "Downton Abbey". It follows a modern Englishman as he tries to find out which of 5 women had a baby w/ an old friend of his ("Damian"). The "baby" would now be in its late-30s ... the conception having taken place in 1970. So the "hero" must go to all 5 of the women's homes -- they are scattered around England -- and tactfully try to find out if their 37-yr-old child is by their husband or by Damian. Damian, dying of cancer, has a legacy to leave -- after taxes -- of 500 million pounds (no typos there!). ... and he's leaving it *all* to this one child. I expected this book to be light entertainment -- but it's turning out fairly deep and sensitive. Am finding it pretty hard to part with when it's time to do something else.

There are big chunks of London social history and manners described throughout the story. Many things I knew little about -- much of it about How England's upper-most families fell -- or -- survived. ... Which ones were content to fall back on their aristocratic backgrounds ... only to find it crash down on them. ... And -- the ones who remained on top -- who saw what was coming ... decided Something Had To Be Done Soon -- sought out the best financial brains in the City for advice, made wise investments, hired sound managers, and didn't trust any "get-rich-quick" schemers (as some of the fallen aristocrats had).

I have MS and my mobility has been somewhat curtailed this past 6 months, so I have more free time. Not being able to do a lot of housework has its advantages!

I noticed that one of you mentioned not being too extatic over the Patricia Cromell's latest "Red Mist'. Not having read her books I picked up a volumn containing her first 2, " Postmortem " and "Body of Evidence'. I am enjoying them, but think that those 2 will be plenty of Cromwell for me. I don't go for the "series" type of reading usually. However I did read all 5 of the " Fire and Ice"series (G. H H Mart1n, Game of Thrones,etc.) and the Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, and sequels.

I thank this forum for mentioning "The Book Thief." I have reccommended it to my friends and added it to my short list of books that I read over and over. "The Shipping News", "Cry the Beloved Country" and "A Confederacy of Dunces" ( The only "laugh out loud" book I have read.)

For those of you who read "The Help", whether you liked it or not, you might read "The Last Resort- Norma Watkins. It is a memoir, growing up in Mississippi during the 50's and 60's. One girl's "epiphany".

twobigdogs: I think the book lauriemarie was talking about is "Past Imperfect". I agree it does sound interesting. I will add it to my Q, once I catch up on the others waiting for me, as it has no holds at the moment.
I picked up "The Volcano Lover", after reading your comments in the Dec. thread. I had never read any of Susan Sontag's work and realized that i was missing something. I found her writing and discriptions enthrallling, but I just coudn't get with the story for some reason. I finally returned it with about 100 pages to go as I knew how would end.

DH is picking up "The sense of an Ending"-Julian Barnes and "Swamplandia!"- Karne Russell, on his way home from golf. I can hardly wait.

"Another" Pam

I picked up Bill Byrson's "Walk in the Woods" at a thrift shop and it sat in my TBR until DH mentioned he finished a book and did I have anything he might like. He laughed out loud through most of it, so Santa brought him a couple more by the same author. I just finished it and can't wait to read more.

I just started "97 Orchard", described on the cover as "An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement". So far I am enjoying it.

This morning I finished In the Bleak Midwinter - 40 Meditations and Prayers for Advent and Christmas by Herbert Brokering. Yes, I know I should have finished it yesterday. And today is not bleak but beautiful with the sun shining over yesterday's light snowfall. I loved this book, a series of gentle writings inspired by Christina Rossetti's poem. Brokering was a man who saw extraordinary things in ordinary life.

I am reading all the Murakami I can get my hands on. Having finished Kafka on the Shore I am now about halfway through The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and have Norwegian Wood waiting. I find myself wondering and hoping that he is busy writing a new novel or short story collection right this minute.

I am occasionally reading a few pages from Land of the Painted Caves by Jean Auel. I don't know if I will ever finish this book. The story is good but really, are there no editors? Or does a writer who has once written a bestseller become immune from such mundanities?

I actually spent four hours cleaning my house yesterday and am very excited to be reading in a dust-free, relatively uncluttered environment. So now I'm back to my books -

I admit to lurking for some time & 'stealng' recommendtions from some of you.
I am mostly a mystery fan and have discovered some really good new authors since I got my Kindle 2 years ago. I am nearly finished with Silent Witness by Rebecca Forster which is the 2nd in her "Witness" series about attorney Josie Bates. Prior to that I finished Defensive Wounds the 4th in the series by Lisa Black about Forensic specialist with the Cleveland PD.

I read that several of you included A Discovery of Witches among your favorite reads in 2011, so I got it from the library and plan to start it today.

Pat

Speaking of RPers we haven't seen for awhile: I don't recall seeing Netla's name on any of the posts for some time now.

I really liked the book, did a search for the author, and found that this is a pseudonym of Paul C. Doherty who also writes as C. L. Grace, whom I have read, as well as numerous other names. He has written dozens of books, all of which are historical and, I assume, deal with solving old riddles.

Welcome back to all our former posters!

Just finished another long book, in my attempt to read more 'quality novels', Anthony Trollope's Barchester Towers.
Liz, I think you mentioned having read it not long ago. And Tim??
A wonderfully drawn set of characters from the dreadfully bossy Mrs Proudie and the unctuous Mr Slope the Bishop's chaplain, to sweet but weak Mr Harding (the 'Warden' of the first book in the series) and his daughters. All the hierarchy of a C of E Cathedral City are here: prebendaries, vicars choral, archdeacons, poor curates . . . and all scheming and plotting towards preferment, marriage proposals or advancement.
Written in the 1850's but really has much changed? ;-)

I'm now reading What is the What by David Eggars. I seem to be on an African theme at the moment.

Pat

I seem to be on a nonfiction kick lately too. I picked up a book that I think is going to hold my attention. It's the story of Everett Ruess, a young man about the age of 20, who disappears in the American Southwest in 1934. I had never heard of him before, but apparently his story (and mystery) are well known. I'm only a little way into the book but am finding it engaging enough to hold my interest so far.

Rosefolly

I have just finished Gun Games by Faye Kellerman. I used to buy the Rina & Peter Decker books, but now I just read them from the library. They are profane and somewhat graphic, but I really like the home life of the main characters and enjoy the insight into the Jewish rituals.

PAM

Also, the pay-off - what there was of it - seemed to fizzle, but I cannot go into detail without spoilers. Maybe you know what I mean though, twobigdogs.

Re: Your comments about "Room" -- I haven't read it, but I remember someone here wrote that it seemed unbelievable that the kid would still be breast-feeding at seven -- or whatever age it was. I was "turned off" to the book by the story description.

Welcome Pamies! - If it's books you love, this is The Place. But it's not always book-talk here -- sometimes we digress to movies, TV shows, history, and -- yes -- fashions. Enjoy! ... and feel better.

And a Hearty Welcome to returnees - Sherwood and Kathleen Se! It's always good to have variety in the broth here!

Siobhan -- The Brokering meditation book you describe sounds just what I need now. And Christina Rossetti is one of my favourite poets. I hope it is easy to find.

I just finished reading The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. Not bad. It reminded me of books by Barbara Michaels. I mean that in a good way, that they shared a tone and a style, but not that it was an imitation.

Rosefolly

"A maiden aunt isn't so very much thought of, in the best of circumstances, let me tell ye" as one character tells the other.

You also couldn't be clever (or seen to be clever):

"Don't go and get a reputation for being clever, whatever you do. People do dislike that sort of thing so much in a girl." (Mother of girl in question.)

Yikes.

Alex, the "clever girl" in question, is one of the most passive (and as such, irritating) characters I have met in a long time. She just drifts along, bumping from one thing to the next like a stick in a stream. She doesn't seem to realize that she can affect her life and where it goes (altho, admittedly, women could not do much back then according to societal mores)...

This is much more of a serious and heart-felt read than Delafield's books later on. It's an early work and it's clear that feminism is an important cause for her (and for her protagonists). Not counting "Diaries...", I can think of several of her later characters in her books who have bucked society expectations and done more than was expected of them (e.g. "The War Workers" etc.)

Good read, but not uplifting in any way. Interesting to compare this with the reading of "The L-Shaped Room" with a pregnant unmarried protagonist who also has to face limited choices (despite being written forty years later on...)

Just interesting to ponder.

Now reading some Sherlock Holmes, a few essays by Alan Bennett and reading how Walmart plans to take over the world (if it hasn't already)...

Right now I am about half way through a recording of The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. I picked this up when it first came out and somehow it did not engage my interest. It must have been a case of bad timing because now I am thoroughly caught in the story. I keep thinking that enough has now happened that the author could wrap it up in a couple of chapters and have a very satisfying story, but obviously there is much more to come!

Rosefolly

I have moved on to Marion Halliday's Valley of Grace, which I think was recommended here, and haven't read much but am enjoying it.

I forgot to mention the other day that I read A Discovery of Witches and have no idea why I finished it! To me is was like a cross between Anne Rice/Diana Gabaldon & a bit of Harry Potter thrown in for flavor. Apparently it is a trilogy and I have no plans to read more. I am sure the readers who like that genre enjoyed it - I will stick to my Mysteries & Thrillers

Rosefolly-thanks!

Pat

I know I said in another thread that I was going to cut down on too much mystery reading this year -- but before I decided that, I'd already bought one! My favourite bookstore had the new Arkady Renko mystery on display. It was a thrill to see it, as Martin Cruz Smith rarely comes out with a book in the Renko series -- one about every 5 years. In case he doesn't sound familiar to you ... he wrote "Gorky Park" , which became a hit movie -- starred John Hurt. It was a fabulous film -- about a police detective (Arkady Renko, the J.Hurt role) in the police dept. of Moscow, Russia. It takes place in the here-and-now. Has lots of fascinating little details about modern life there, as well as very strange plot threads.

Rosefolly

Finished up a really interesting non-fiction called The Starvation Experiment by Todd Tucker - all about a scientific experiment undertaken towards the end of WWII in the US where subjects were required to be purposefully starved so researchers would know how to help war-caused famine victims recover quickly.

Thirty six white men were selected from the list of Conscientious Objectors (COs), and each was enlisted for this year-long project. They lived in the basement of the football stadium and were systematically starved for a time, each man losing an average of 25% of his original starting body weight (which wasn't that much to begin with). There was an honor code whereby the men could not eat off diet (only one subject was kicked out for eating off diet), and participants were required to walk 22 miles each week, going into town and passing restaurants and bakeries without in. (The smell of bread when you are hungry -- yum.)

A fascinating look at a medical study that would not be approved nowadays, this book introduces Ancel Keys (the PI of the study and who links cholesterol and heart disease at a later stage of the game). It introduces historical background of the Conscientious Objector movement (which had grown out of the prison sentences for COs of the first world war), and it covered the physical in's and out's of starving.

I found this to be fascinating to read... The writing is not that great, but the story is.

Then read a graphic novel called Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry by Leanne Shapton. The book is organized in a similar fashion to a catalogue of an auction house, and through the various objects pictured (and their descriptions), the story of the relationship between Lenore and Harold is told. Quite a fascinating little read in a novel format. The two characters themselves are quite insufferable poseurs (or at least the things they surrounded themselves gave that impression), but the story is good.

The author is the Art Director of the Op-Ed page of the NYT so one should expect some artiness attitude, I suppose.

Read the first Sherlock Holmes novel (A Study in Scarlet) and now just about to finish up the true diary of a slave who escaped (called Frederick Douglass). Fascinating and sad.

It's been fun to do all that reading, but I must admit that housework etc was all neglected. :-)

Went to my writer's group this evening. Small turnout, four older men and me. My poetry was NOT well received. Was told it is childish and unsophisticated and not even poetry. Funny, it is one of the three that I have sold for publication! Taste and preference can't be measured...

astrokath, I was also saddened by your Elizabeth George review. It seems she is losing steam. Do you think she is losing interest in the characters? Still, I am also on the Holds list at my library and shall give it a go. Not quite ready to give up on Lynley yet.

Lemon, Sherlock Holmes is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. Isn't it fun to revisit with him? It seems that the more we read about his adventures, the more real he becomes.

Currently reading Fahrenheit 451 for book club. (Yahoo, we finally picked a good one!)

And also tearing through a mystery by James Thompson called Lucifer's Tears. Thompson wrote Snow Angels and Lucifer's Tears is the second in the Inspector Kari Vaara series, with Helsinki White coming third. The author is American born but has lived in Finland for the past decade or so. The series is set in Finland. And he adds a lot of Finnish history and tidbits about Finnish customs as well.

Got a Kindle Fire for my upcoming 45th birthday. I feel old old old but the Fire is helping me raise my spirits...hahaha. With it, I feel like I will never ever again be caught without a book. So between the five thousand or so books in the house and slowly loading up the Kindle, I am one happy (but still old) lady!

PAM

I also finished a locally written and published history about Florida farming and farm life in the late 1800s/early 1900s called Dudley Farm. Dudley Farm became a Florida State Park site when the last farming member of the family gave it to the park service. We visited the farm last year and bought the book there. The amount of work required to produce all the needs of a family within the household is staggering, and this book well illustrates the absolute lack of any free time.

My Kindle arrived in the post yesterday, so I am busy browsing sites for books.

PAM, 45 is NOT old. ;-)

PAM, 45 is the new 27. As long as you have enough puff to blow out the candles and that any gifts don't include walking frames, shawls, hearing aids etc you will stay young for very many years.

PAM, you are 45?!?!? I thought only parrots and sea turtles reached that advanced age! Seriously, you are just getting started and the best years are yet to come.

I'm halfway through My Dear I Wanted To Tell You and enjoying it very much. For those who like this work, I also recommend Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth. Although it is a memoir and therefore not fiction, it reads much the same way as this modern novel. Probably the best and most moving memoir I have ever read. Brittain lost her brother, her fiance, and two good friends, and was herself a VAD nurse.

I have been working on two books, Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time and a biography/social history by Kathryn Hughes, The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs. Beeton. Considering her influence on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it seems hard to believe Isabella Beeton was only 28 when she died.

My reading has been pretty fitful this month, unfortunately.

Carolyn, who will be 76 on her 2012 birthday . . .
and has some sags and wrinkles to prove it, plus this has been the year of my maturity during which I have bought rimless glasses and let my hair go grey--well, white actually.

Rosefolly

I finished Valley of Grace by Marion Halligan, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. It was obviously a book about mothers and children, but it had a kind of unfinished ending that I found annoying.

Thanks to those discussing the Norma Watkins memoir, My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You and the Julian Fellowes book. I put them all on reserve at the library. Funny thing about the Fellowes book--I must have read about the storyline somewhere but forgotten the book title/author. I checked out Alan Hollinghurst's The Stranger's Child thinking it was plot of Fellowes' book.. but it wasn't and back to the library it went since I tired of it quickly. I started, a few days ago, The Sense of an Ending thinking it was the "find daddy" storyline but wrong again--keeping it to finish though.

In the past month, I finished Jo Nesbo's latest, The Leopard; loved it as I do all of his books but realized that I really skim over his gruesome descriptions of the crimes themselves. I reread Little Bee for my bookclub which I know some of you found too depressing. I liked it even better the second time around but I was a big fan of it already. Just finished Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, her memoir detailing raising her half-Chinese American born children in traditional Chinese fashion. I agree with her theory that self-esteem comes from accoplishment which goes hand-in-hand with hard work but she is rather extreme.

Lastly, PAM, 45 is looking pretty good to me; I have the big 5-0 later this year. And Siobhan, ignore the old men. :)

This week I also breezed through two delightful WWII-on-the-homefront books by Joyce Dennys, Henrietta's War and Henrietta Sees It Through. These are along the lines of Diary of a Provincial Lady, though told in letters rather than journal entries.

Twobigdogs, I agree with you regarding ROOM. I had to read it for my book group and I found it profoundly disturbing. What I found most horrifying were the things that weren't said directly about the child and his mother, but were inferred ... his counting the number of times the bedsprings squeaked left me nearly ill. I thought it brilliantly written, cleverly conceived (his POV was way too adult, but I don't think the story could have been told any other way), but was so deeply, deeply upsetting that I hated it.

Bookmom, glad to know I'm not the only one to have read (or admitted to reading, lol) the Moning books! They were certainly a guilty pleasure. I'm still happily looking forward to the next installment of Discovery of Witches, entitled Shadow of Night (see below), set to release July 10th!

I've requested My Dear I Wanted to Tell You and Past Imperfect from the library based on everyone's stellar reviews, and I'm looking forward to them.

PAM, I'll add my two cents (since I'm also looking at the Big 5-0 this year) 45 is no big deal - enjoy it!

As for Amy Chua and her Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, I can offer a different perspective. I have a Chinese American friend who sniffs with contempt for the author; says she is far too soft. An effective Chinese mother, according to her, would have no need to yell at her children. A raised eyebrow and they would scurry to obey. As for me, I do agree that my generation was fed a lot of very earnest nonsense about building self esteem without a foundation of accomplishment, nonsense we unfortunately used bringing up the next generation.

Rosefolly

Have been persuaded by you all to ILL My Dear..., so looking forward to that. I am finishing up the book of Alan Bennett essays - very smart man, but I think you have to be more familiar with him than I am currently to fully appreciate the essays. (Lots of name dropping for people I don't know.) Still, I must admit he does a great sense of humour.

Picked up Mrs. Bridge by Evan S. Connell which I am *loving*. I have read this before, but I am really appreciating it this time round. The sheer *desperation* of the protagonist living her little life is really well portrayed. She makes unintentionally funny comments as well: They are having a visit to France and the Louvre, and she mentioned that the Mona Lisa is just like the reproductions she has seen....

Have ordered the sequel, Mr. Bridge from the library so looking forward to that. I know that there is a Merchant-Ivory film out there of these two books. Has anyone seen it? (I don't think it's very new.)

Vee, let me add my voice to the growing chorus praising the work of Willa Cather. "My Antonia" is a true American classic, and I highly recommend "O Pioneers", as well. Cather is one of my favorite authors, one I periodically re-read. Many assume Cather was from the mid-West or the West, but actually she grew up in the East, with some roots in Virginia.

BTW, 45 is barely there Pam. (I'm 53 but don't feel it, or at least don't feel as old as 53 sounds when I say it *g*)

YOU ARE THE BEST.

Laughing and wiping tears from my eyes, you have brought to me the realization that every year is great. Gray and white hair are both beautiful and an honor. That a wrinkle is not just a line, but a record of where I have been in my life.

Happy Birthday to ALL of us, every day.
PAM

Because the horror genre is one I avoid this is my first Stephen King book. Can anyone recommend other books he has written that do not fall into the horror category?

Most of his work leaves me cold, but I loved his Dark Tower series and devoured it whole after the last volume was published. The first one, The Gunslinger is very different than the rest, being extremely enigmatic and almost dreamlike while the others are more straightforward. I believe it took King over thirty years to complete the series. This is a something I would never have read without RP. Remember Rayma, who used to post here? She was a huge Stephen King fan, and steered us towards the Dark Tower books. This would be a good one to read on Kindle, very long.

Prayer

Prayer the Churches banquet, Angels age,
Gods breath in man returning to his birth,
The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgramage,
The Christian plummet sounding heav'n and earth;
Engine against th'Almightie, sinners towre,
Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,
The six-daies world-transposing in an houre,
A kinde of tune, which all things heare and fear;
Softnesse, and peace, and joy, and love, and blisse,
Exalted Manna, gladnesse of the best,
Heaven in ordinarie, man well drest,
The milkie way, the bird of Paradise,
Church-bels beyond the starres heard, the souls bloud,
The land of spices; something understood.

I've downloaded The Gunslinger. In his very interesting introduction, King says there are seven volumes containing 4,500 pages!

* * * * * * * * * *

Finished Julian Fellowes book - 'Past Imperfect.' There's an inspired description of the main character ... who threw off aristocratic life even when he could have entered it ... instead made a big life for himself on his own --

'He was unafraid of the rules that frighten people. He made up his own and one must always admire that. I suppose he was an original. It's something so many of us strive for and so few of us achieve.'

* * * * *

Pam - Happy Birthday! Couple months ago the Head of Gerontology of Johns Hopkins University (voted #1 best hosp. in U.S. by nat'l polling / US News & World Report) was interviewed on TV. He said that middle age now lasts until -- are you ready? -- 75! So people in this range have a long, long time for living full-tilt !

Lemonhead - Do you mean the movie 'Mr. & Mrs. Bridge[s]', starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward? It came out in the 1980s. I didn't see it -- so don't know the plot.

King mentions The Stand in the introduction I read this morning, describing how upset some fans of the book were with the changes made. He had good reasons for the changes, though. I may give that one a try as well.

I read a lot of Stephen King's horror books when I was younger and loved them, although there were a couple I could not finish.

I have just started reading A First Rate Madness by S. Nassir Ghaemi, a psychologist. His hypothesis is that the best leaders in a crisis are ones who are prone to depression or mental illness because they are more likely to have the traits of empathy, realism, resilience and creativity. I am still early in the book and definitely not sure whether I will agree with him but so far the anecdotes and discussion about depression has been interesting.

I took this book out from the library because it was the only book I was slightly interested in that was currently available for an e-reader (I got one for Christmas). I have attempted e-readers before and have not had success but have discovered something: I have an easier time reading non-fiction than fiction on one. I still find sinking into a fictional story with a real book easier than with an e-reader. Perhaps I am too focused on using the device to start 'picturing' the story.

I'm now on to Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. I'm enjoying it, but it suffers from the misfortune of following on Cutting for Stone in my reading chronology. (I'm not sure if that makes any sense at all!)

I read Cutting For Stone last year, recommended by my Dr. and thoroughly enjoyed it, he often comes up with books I wouldn't have ordinarily chosen myself.

I just finished The Walk by Lee Goldberg-another kindle freebie-and not one I would recommend for those living in the LA area as it is all about 'the big one'. It is fiction of course, but scary stuff & we know it will happen one day!

Pat

Back to Jean Auel's Land of the Painted Caves which I may finish someday, but I doubt it. I like it well enough when I am reading it, but it doesn't grab me and make me want to forge ahead.

Frances, The Gunslinger is very, very strange but the rest of the series is very different, much more conventional. Of course it still might give you the heebie-jeebies! I think when he wrote it he really had no idea that he was going to write a 4500-page series over several decades.

I have heard yet another person recommending 11/22/63 so that will have to be read by me, although I am No. 67 on the waitlist.

I also just finished listening to a recording of The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. I never remember what my favorite books of the year were by the time December comes along, but if there were justice, I would certainly put this one on the list for 2012. I tried to read it when it first came out and gave up in disgust. Too slow, so atmospheric as to seem murky, it was completely frustrating for a quick reader like me. I was convinced that there was a good story buried in there but I just couldn't get to it. Last week I gave it another chance, checking the recording out from the library to entertain me on the lonely stretches of a road trip, and I just finished it up late last night. I am so glad I did. Forced by the pace of well-done narration to slow down, I found myself deeply merged into both of the interwoven time streams of the story, 1991 London and 1939-41 English countryside. Layer upon layer of secrets are revealed in turn, and every time I thought I knew the whole basic story, that new reality was revealed to be yet another layer. In fact I was so immersed I found my own world somewhat intrusive when I came up from time to time to deal with daily realities. I would describe the book as a Gothic mystery, a superb Gothic mystery full of richly realized characters. Half the reviews on Amazon are from people who have thrown up their hands in frustration. I do understand this; I was one of those people myself. Some books simply work far better as a listening experience, and in my opinion, The Distant Hours is one of those books. Highly recommended, and unless the reader is more patient than I am, highly recommended that it is experienced as a recording. Quite possibly it is the best modern Gothic novel I have ever read.

Rosefolly

I'm rereading Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander, a great favorite of mine even though I don't like war, sailing, or military things. (I hasten to add that I greatly appreciate what the military does in keeping me safe, and the men and women who do so on an individual basis.) Although it is a mystery as to why, I love this series and have started rereading, a task I will probably not finish in my lifetime.

Rosefolly, I'm glad you liked The Distant Hours. I have loved all of Kate Morton's books and can't wait to see what she writes next. She's well worth the effort, IMO.

Next up is The Devil in White City for my book group meeting in February.

This was a later edition, and so a section was added where the author was invited by Wal-Mart to their HQ and given the opportunity to ask questions. The company is incredibly careful about releasing any info to the media, and so this was a rarity for them to meet one-on-one with someone who wasn't a fan. Still didn't change my mind though. I just can't shop at Wal-Mart knowing that their cheap prices are costing someone somewhere in the world a decent living.

Interesting book though.

The author makes a persuasive argument that Richard III may have been innocent, and in fact is himself the victim of a smear campaign solely instigated to bolster the rather flimsy claims of Henry Tudor to the British throne.

Though I am no historian, I disagree with Tey's assessment of the beheading of the elderly Countess of Salisbury at the behest of Henry VIII. Tey's suggestion that her execution was an attempt to remove an heir to the throne whose claim was stronger than the king's. The Countess was, in fact, a respected member of the court for most of her life. The order for her head came as the end result of her paranoid, vindictive monarch's political feud with her son, Cardinal Pole.

Other than that one sticking point, Tey's book raises a lot of lesser-known historical facts which raise intriguing, even troubling, questions.

Siobhan-
"The Sojourn" by Andrew Krivak is a WW1 story from a different angle. A 2011 National Book Award finalist in fiction,inspired by the author's own family history. It is the story of Jozef Vinich, who leaves a 19th Century mining town in Colorado and returns with his father to an impoverished life in rural Austria- Hungary. He serves as a sharpshooter in the Kaiser's army. It is a story of survival in a country divided by language,class and ethnicity yet fighting on the same side. It is beautifully written. I reallly enjoyed it.

I just finished "A train In Winter" by Caroline Moorehead. A story of friendship and courage.It is an accounting of some of the 230 women of France who resisted the German occupation during WW2. Of these 230 only 49 survived the ordeal of imprisonment, first in Paris and then the final destination, Auschwitz. Well worth reading!

"The French Gardener" by Santa Montefiore concerns two families living at different times in an English country house and how the past, when unveiled, can heal dysfunction. It is beautifully written and quite inspiring. I sat up late most of the last several nights, unable to put down either book.

Am now reading what I'd planned to this winter -- "Smilla's Sense of Snow" by the Danish writer Peter Hoeg. Have never read a book by him; but this one is so fascinating, so far, that if it keeps up this way, I'll definitely want to buy his other novels. It's about a woman "Smilla", who suspects "a rat" when her 7-year-old boy-neighbor dies from a roof-top fall. The story dips into Smilla's childhood in Greenland once in awhile. There are bits about the science of snow and ice. She loves both, and so do I! ... Winter being my favourite season. There is a map of Greenland and Copenhagen, Denmark before the title page, which I appreciate as it makes the story even more fascinating, and easier to follow Smilla's footsteps.

Lemonhead - Your comments on Wal-Mart interest me. ... A few years ago, PBS TV did an in-depth investigation on Wal-Mart -- it was on PBS's investigative series, "Frontline." The reporter even went to the shipping piers in China to show the enormous pile-up of shipping containers ... all going to the U.S., for Wal-Mart stores across America.

Two ex-managers from Rubber Maid Corp. explained in detail just how Wal-Mart destroyed that wonderful company. Rubber Md. refused to come down in their prices when Wal-Mart tried to pressure them to do so. I have Rubber Md. storage bowls I've had for ages -- they are as good now as they were the day I bought them -- in the 1980s!

Here in NY City, just a couple years ago, Wal-Mart tried to build a big store in The Bronx. The reasoning by the powers-that-be was "more jobs!", "good for the neighborhood!", etc. Well, the locals all scoffed at the idea of supporting their families -- or even just themselves -- on $7 an hour. ... I don't blame them one bit (even The Bronx is expensive to live in). Wal-Mart was told -- in no uncertain terms! -- what it could do with its plan to build a new store. Happily, it never materialized. ...

As to workers in China who put together all those goods -- There was a news article on radio last month re this. There are now nets strung up under high sections of "workers' housing" to catch the suicides. ... A high price, indeed, is paid for the avalanche of cheap goods pouring out of that country. No, I have never bought a thing from Wal-Mart ... and I never will.

Do you remember that wonderfully dependable brown glue which could be safely used by just about everyone? It is particularly prized by crafters, as it is much more forgiving than the very strong, often highly toxic glues which are now available in abundance. I recently heard from a reliable source that the company which made the brown mucilage glue was put of business by Elmer's Glue. The brown mucilage was too popular, too reliable, and too safe (especially for children), and so Elmer's had to figure out a way to stop its production. In its place, consumers are now offered a host of Elmer's products which are often toxic and unsafe for children. Any crafter will tell you that products like "Gorilla Glue" are unforgiving to work with, and often damaging to their projects.

I can't speak for the U.S., but the brown mucilage can't be found for love nor money here in Canada. I suspect the product is now hard to find in the U.S. There are a few bottles probably kicking around in independent hardware and craft stores.

Not to sound too virtuous, but I try, where possible, to shop at independent stores. This is becoming harder and harder to do. I particularly dislike shopping at Walmart, because I hate the way shoppers are herded like cattle going into a slaughter house.

Sorry if the above sounds like a rant!

No need to apologize -- venting is good for the soul! And what you describe above is *worthy* of ranting about. The destruction of good products is evil -- even if not illegal.

Anyway, as to the brown glue -- I haven't tried to buy any glue for many, many years. ... I get by on cellophane tape exclusively! I'm surprised that that glue is no longer being made -- but yes, I do remember that goo-ey brown stuff. (By the way -- is it true that glue was made from dead horses?) What you say about Elmers doesn't surprise me -- sad to say!

As to danger in the super-glues - One time I used epoxy glue on a project ... it made my skin bumpy even tho' I'd opened windows and taken "fresh air" breaks. A dermatologist had to prescribe a strong antibiotic -- took 5 days to clear up. The Dr. told me it was caused by the fumes from the epoxy, even tho' I'd taken all the precautions.

At Xmas last year a big-box store (Wal-Mart? can't remember) out on Long Island opened their doors to the big crush of shoppers waiting outside for the big pre-Xmas sale. They ran down the young guy employee who unlocked the doors -- killing him.

Mucilage is an organic product made from certain plant fibers. The product I describe is still readily available in other parts of the world.

Your epoxy glue experience sounds very scary, especially as you had followed all the safety recommendations. It makes you wonder about how dangerous are other household products.

That inventor just happened to be the father of Rouan and Rosefolly.

I finished The Distant Hours in fairly record time, being unable to put it down or do anything useful until the denouement. Luckily it was a quiet night at work and I got in the last 200 pages! Really, really entertaining. I will read more of this author, however I think I will save her for vacations, summer, etc. I hated rushing through, this is a book to read in a lawn chair with an icy beverage in hand.

I am on a bit of an Australian roll, having picked up John Bailey's The Lost German Slave Girl at the library. This is a nonfiction book that tells the story of a young slave in New Orleans who is spotted by someone who recognizes her as the daughter of a friend. I can't remember how I discovered this book (very sad since it was just a couple of days ago - I hope my ability to read is the last of my faculties to go).

On impulse I purchased a children's book called Hug Time by Patrick McDonnell, who produces a comic strip called "Mutts." I have probably read this book 20 times, poring over each illustration. If you have a little one in your life, or even if you don't, I highly recommend this little gem.

Epoxy glue does cause contact dermatitis, and it can be pretty severe. It's really important never to let it touch your skin until it has cured. The company he worked for (Koppers) sold epoxy to another company early on. There used to be good warnings on the label. I have no idea if they are still as careful as they ought to be in their cautioning literature. It has a lot of other uses in industry besides glue. They use it to fix specimens for electron microscopes, to fill in wood in restoration, and even -- this made Dad the proudest -- on spacecraft.

Dad brought some home before it was even on the market. He had whipped it up in the lab. Our car was a badly rusted old Ford station wagon, and he repaired the holes in the fenders with glass cloth and epoxy, each layer carefully sanded. This had been done millions of times since then, but I am pretty sure he was the first person to ever do so.

Rosefolly

Lauramarie -- Smilla's Sense of Snow is one of my favorite books. It's such an atmospheric and intriguing story. I convinced my book club to read it years ago. Fail! They couldn't even keep the characters straight. :-( I put together a chart outlining who the characters were and how they connected to the other characters. That helped, but they still didn't really get it. I hope you enjoy it.

I'm close to finishing P.D. James' Death Comes to Pemberley. It's been a fun read. A reread of Hunger Games is next. We'll be discussing it at one of my book clubs next month.

My other book group has scheduled a Susan Wiggs book called Home Before Dark. I've never read anything by Wiggs, but I'm a little concerned that there might not be much to discuss. Anybody here read anything by her?

I remember Dad repairing that car with the epoxy glue. I had forgotten all about that until you mentioned it.

Sarah canary,

Yes, our father was a research chemist. He was the first in his family to attend college (he majored in chemistry, of course...) and was delighted that so many of his children did so as well. (Although none of us took an interest in chemistry, at least not that I'm aware of.)

And to get back on track, I picked up a copy of Louis L'Amour's Education of a Wandering Man at the library book sale and enjoyed reading it again. I had read it several years ago; in fact that book was the inspiration for me to keep a record of the books I've read. Louis L'Amour mentioned that he'd kept a reading journal for most of his life and I liked the idea so much that I have kept it up for at least 8-10 years now.

At the time my dad passed away, my sister and her husband were living in my parent's house. My parents were in another town where he was being treated. Thinking that they were being helpful, my sister and BIL donated all of my father's things to the local church -- including his library of paperback L'Amour books. My mother grieved over that for many years, but never said anything to my sister. It wasn't just the books, but they sort of represented the fact that she never got to go through his things and recall all the memories.

Rosefolly

I did finish The Violets of March, and you're not missing much. The liked the title, though.

After the anti-biotics, my skin was as smooth as glass. And the project? A great success. I'd painted the porcelain wall tiles, tub, sink, toilet in my new apartment. Not only did it look custom-made, but it shone as if all new. Even scrubbing w/ scouring powder didn't mar the finish -- that's why epoxy is needed in the paint. People asked me if I'd had the bathroom remodeled...a neighbor saw it, did his w/ epoxy paint, too. In spite of my little debaucle w/it , I recommended it to everyone.

Sarah Canary -
Maybe one reason "Smilla's Sense of Snow" appeals to us so much is because we're both January babies? ... As to the characters -- I'm not having any problems keeping them straight in my mind. Could be because they have such different first and last names...makes it easier. Yes, I agree, the atmosphere is a big part of this story -- really sets the mood.

Anyhow, the story is told from the PoV of the middle child and is just really well written. Believable dialogue, and very true-to-life descriptions of sibling relationships (at least it seems to me). As you can imagine, all sorts of emotions and memories bubble up during the seven days the family chooses to reflect on their father but it's not all dysfunction. Apparently, the author has written quite a few other books, but I have not heard of him before.

Just a good solid read. I think I have been busy reading so many Victorian novels, that when I read a more modern and less verbose novel, it's quite a novelty. :-)

The 'downstairs' read is Magnificent Obsession by Helen Rappaport. It is the story of the all-consuming love of Queen Victoria for Prince Albert and the consequences of his sudden death on her, the Royal Family and Great Britain and how for years she became 'The Widow of Windsor'. Not a heavy read and lots of snippets of fascinating information.
Rappaport also writes well on Russian history.

PAM

Vee - Oooh. I have heard so many good things about Magnificent Obsession, but it's not available here until March so I am biding my time (somewhat impatiently). It's not as though I don't have five hundred other books (plus the public library) to choose from!...

And I got caught up with Downton... last night. I just adore Lady Violet and her comments... And - a very small claim to fame here: at dog park, there is the brother of the guy (American but lives in London) who is currently dating Lady Mary. (Tho' they just had a big fight so who knows if that's still on...) :-)