First thread getting a bit long.
Thanks for the link. Love looking at your selections!
I also love looking at your selections! Thanks for making it easy to find you!
Made the jump so I can follow along.
Thank you all. Good to see you.
105.
Falls the Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman. The second of Penman's Welsh Trilogy. Lots of historical detail about the life of Simon de Montfort. Some well illustrated characters. Did not enjoy as much as first one but it is still very good.
Now reading
The Reckoning the last of the trilogy good so far.
106.
The Reckoning by Sharon Kay Penman. The trilogy as a whole is very good. I enjoyed the first and last books more than the second.
107.
The Murder Artist by John Case. When the police fail to find his 6-year old twin sons who have been abducted the father takes on the investigation himself. This leads him into the world of magicians and voodoo. Quite good.
108.
Backstreet Child by Harry Bowling. A family saga set in London during WWII. Interesting characters, interesting details about the poverty, rationing and nightly air raids on a tight-knit community of Cockneys, and an exciting story make this a good summer read.
109.
The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri. First in the Inspector Montalbano series. As the book progressed I liked the Inspctor more and more. Good at his job, annoying to his 'superiors' and compassionate when necessary. I shall read
The Snack Thief next.
The Shape of Water is such a great title.
Yes. It always amazes me how authors come up with some of their titles. I know this one was mentioned in the book in a rather delightful way.
111.
Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges. I think I would have enjoyed this more if there had been a crib with the text. I am not well read enough to understand some of the allusions Borge makes. However, I admire his knowledge and his skill of incorporating that into his stories and essays.
112.
The Tango Singer by Tomas Eloy Martinez. My knowledge of Argentinian history is not very great, but this did not prevent me from enjoying this book.
115.
Death on the Downs by Simon Brett. Murder mystery with amateur sleuth, Carole Seddon.
Wow, girl;
you are putting one away almost everyday!~!
And giving me too many recx as well. I have not read
Harry Bowling but it seems I must as these three all sound so good to me. As does the Welsh Trilogy by
Sharon Kay Penman. I have the 2nd as:
Falls the Shadow, the 3rd as:
The Reckoning, but going back through your thread and the previous one a ways I was unable to find the first. Do you happen to know the title offhand; if not I can google it.
Good to be home and back with my friends though I miss Robbi already.
I have you starred so I won't lose you again. hee hee.
later luv,
belva
Message edited by its author, Aug 26, 2009, 8:15pm.
Belva,
Here Be Dragons is the 1st book in the Welsh Trilogy by Penman. Thanks for making me a star:-)
117.
Waggoner's Way Another good family saga set in Bermondsey, London in the 1950's.
118.
Santa Evita by Tomas Eloy Martinez. Fascinating book about what may or may not have happened to Evita's body after her death. Told from different people's perspectives I found this a very absorbing and interesting novel.
119.
Affinity by Sarah Waters. Really good book weaving the stories of Selena, a spiritual medium imprisoned for fraud and Margaret a 'lady' who is a prison visitor. Recommended.
120.
The Hare by Cesare Aira. I did not like this book very much. Not to my taste I think.
Oh, I read
Affinity just a few weeks ago, a marvellous read.
I am looking forward to reading some more of her books wookiebender.
121.
Murder in the Museum by Simon Brett. An easy to read and enjoyable murder mystery set in the English countryside.
122.
The Buenos Aires Quintet by Manuel Vazquez Montalban. Private detective travels from Spain to Argentina to find his cousin who has 'disappeared'. Well written if a bit too long.
123,
The Moldavian Pimp by Edgardo Cozarinsky. A short book full of history about the Jewish pimps in Argentina.
124.
Frenchman's Creek by Daphne Du Maurier. I enjoyed this adventure/love story set in 17th Century Cornwall, England. Du Maurier's descriptive prose made the Cornish coastline come to life.
Lovely batch of summer mysteries, ER60. Must try the Montalbano series.
125.
Hopscotch by Julio Cortazar. I read Chaspters 1-56 which consist of the main narrative. There was too much philosophical reflection which spoilt the story for me.
126.
The Camomile by Catherine Carswell. Written in the form of a journal, by Ellen Carstairs to her friend Ruby. I enjoyed this book about a young women who needs to decide whether or not marriage will thwart her amitions to be a writer.
Message edited by its author, Sep 3, 2009, 5:51pm.
127.
Piracy, Turtles and Flying Foxes by William Dampier. Once I got used to the style of writing I enjoyed this book of extracts from Dampier's travels.
Message edited by its author, Sep 4, 2009, 4:41am.
128.
The Parasites by Daphne Du Maurier. I enjoyed this story of three siblings coping with their lives.
129.
The Story of the Night by Colm Toibin. Lovely writing, although the subject matter, a young man's homosexualty, did not really appeal to me.
130.
The Seven Madmen by Roberto Arlt. Amusing story written in 1929, about a man who after embezzling money from the firm where he is employed and his wife's desertion get involved with some very shady characters.
133.
The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares. An interesting novella. The hero escaping from the police for a crime which may carry the death penalty arrives on a small island. At first uninhabited, the island soon becomes populated by persons who appear to be unaware of his existence. He falls in love with one of the women and seeks a way in which he can be with her. Very imaginative plot.
134. The Eleventh Hour by Lynn Erickson. Jack Devlin is on Death Row, accused of killing his wife. Public Defender Eve Marchand believes he is innocent and it is a race against time to find the real killer. Good plot.
Touchstone not working.
135.
Egg Dancing by Liz Jensen. Jensen's humour lifts this satire on genetic engineering,television evangelism and psychotherapy to make a very entertaining read about very contentious subjects.
136.
Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig. Two men in a prison cell talking to each other, one homosexual convicted of corrupting minors, the other a political dissident. Sounded as though it might be boring. It was not. I was hooked from the first few pages to the end.
138.
The Uninvited by John Farris. Not my favourite genre but I think horror fans might enjoy this one.
139. Family Portrait by Graham Masterton. An imaginative story about a family who have surendered their souls which are contained within a family portrait while their bodies need new skin to hide the corruption underneath. Murder and horror. References to Oscar Wilde and 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'. Not for the squeamish.
142.
The Silence of the Rain by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza. A murder mystery solved by Inspector Espinosa set in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Very good.
143.
Lost Girls by Andrew Piper. Good atmospheric thriller/ghost story.
144.
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin. Passionate love affair between David and Giovanni ends when Davids girlfriend returns to Paris with tragic consequences. Very good.
147.
Inferno by Patricia Melo. Very good story about drug trafficking as Kingie, an eleven year old boy, has to grow up among the poverty and violence in Sao Paulo, Brazil
148.
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. This play was very enjoyable to read. Very good characterisation and a deep understanding of the stifling effect marriage could have on women.
149.
A Journey to the End of the Russian Empire by A.P. Chekhov. An illuminating account of Chekhov's travels and his meetings with those who had been exiled to an inhospitable region of the Russian Empire.
150.
City of God by Paulo Lins. Excellent portrayal of gang life in the favelas of Rio de Janerio, Brazil.
151.
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. Very amusing.
152. The Cobra's Heart by Ryszard Kapuscinski. Very interesting little book about Africa.
153.
The Virgin and the Gipsy by D.H. Lawrence. A love story. Good.
154.
Kiss the Girls Goodbye by Lillian Harry. London, 1940s. Compelling novel of girls working in a Lyon's Corner House and their families during the horrors of WWII.
155.
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis. Quite an enjoyable read. Well written with some very funny moments.
You are really plowing through them now! Some great titles there too.
Thanks judy!
156.
Circus by Alsiatair MacLean. An exciting thriller.
157.
Magnetism by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Four love stories, all good. My favourite was 'Bernice Bobs Her Hair'.
158.
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier. Another good story for my Monthly Author Read Group.
160.
Daphne by Justine Picardie. Enjoyed this immensely.
Good!
Daphne is my ER book from a few months ago, and I still need to read it. Now I'm looking forward to it!
^Hope you find it as enjoyable as I did.
161.
Mary by Vladimir Nabokov. A suspenseful short
book about a man's love for Mary. She is about to enter his life again after many years. Very good.
163. Spent a lovely aftenoon with
Rebecca - audiobook of Daphne Du Maurier best known story read by Jenny Agutter with Simon Williams.
165.
My Lover's Lover by Maggie O'Farrell. Suspense novel. I thought this was quite good.
166,
Daisy Miller by Henry James. A short read. Daisy is not ruled by the conventions of American Society. Winterbourne, another American is attracted to her, not just because she is beautiful, but because of her independence of spirit which leads to tragedy.
172.
Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado. I enjoyed this book about life in a small town in Brazil and it's inhabitants. Politics, love and cacao plantations.
173.
The Question of Max by Amanda Cross. A murder mystery with lots of literary allusions. When one of her graduate students is found dead amateur sleuth Kate Fansler starts an investigation which takes her to Oxford, England. Liked this a lot.
Sorry, I'm so far behind... I do like the sound of
Egg Dancing back in >41. Keep seeing Liz Jensen's name (and books) around but don't really have a sense of her style to know whether I would enjoy it or not.
FlossieT - thanks for visiting this thread. Perhaps if you could borrow one of Jensen's books to see if you like her as an author, then go from there. I cannot say what one person will enjoy - everybody has different preferences in their reading.
174.
The Golden Bowl by Henry James. I found this a dense and difficult read especially the first few chapters, but it got a bit easier after that. This was his last novel. I prefer his earlier works because they are so much easier to understand and enjoy.
175.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. I listened to Susannah York reading this very dramatic ghost story.
I loved
The Golden Bowl but I agree that his early works are much more accessible. Have you read
The Ambassadors? It took me a month to wade through that. His sentences are so dense!
I haven't had a lot of time to read or stay caught up w/ LT, and am so bummed that I missed out on both Daphne du Maurier September and Henry James October! I did manage to read
Daphne, which I also enjoyed. It makes me want to read
Rebecca yet again!
No I have not read
The Ambassador. Not sure I want to after reading your comment, but I might give it a try some time in the future - anything for a challenge.
I loved the Du Maurier reads, I too read Daphne and have ordered the DVD. Rebecca is one of my all time favourite reads.
176.
Berg by Ann Quin. I enjoyed most of this book about a young man (Berg) who leaves home to go and find his father who abandoned him and his mother when he was a little boy. His intention is to kill his father but.......... a very eerie ending.
177.
The American by Henry James. Another good story by James reflecting on the New World and the Old World.
178.
What Maisie Knew by Henry James. Divorce and adultery as seen through the eyes of a child. Fairly dense but fascinating.
179.
All She Ever Wanted by Patrick Redmond. This psychological thriller was a real page-turner. Kept me in suspense as to what the outcome was going to be. Shows what effect bullying and lack of parental affection can have on the minds of children and how it follows them into their adult life.
Message edited by its author, Oct 29, 2009, 12:19pm.
Book #179 sounds good (touchstone pointing to a Barbara Freethy title, though! Noticed as I'm off to add it to the wishlist...)
I think you will enjoy it FlossieT. I have changed touchstone, thanks for pointing it out to me.
180.
Recipes for a Perfect Marriage by Kate Kerrigan. Loved this. Two women's stories of their marriages. Tressa, in New York, and her grandmother, in Ireland. Their lives are interwoven in this captivating novel along with some traditional Irish Recipes.
Touchstone not working.
Message edited by its author, Oct 29, 2009, 12:26pm.
181.Just finished
A Little Tour of France by Henry James. Quite illuminating but I would like to savour it more slowly at some future date, and look up some of the historical bits and maybe pictures of various buildings on the net.
182, Wringer by Jerry Spinelli - a rites of passage story of a boy who does not want to be a wringer (of pigeons' necks) when he reaches 10 years of age at the annual pigeon shoot in his home town. Didn't think I'd like this one but it reels you in.
183.
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh - witty satire on the Press.
I am reading some of Elizabeth Von Arnim's books for the Monthly Author Group this month. I am enjoying her books very much. So far I have read:
184.
Elizabeth and her German Garden 185.
The Solitary SummerBoth books I found very entertaining and I empathise with her wish to be alone with her garden, books and thoughts which is continually being interrupted by family and friends.
*gasp pant* caught up with you. My, you had an energetic October!
Good of you to visit Tiffin. Sorry if it's a bit strenuous for you! What with Alphabet Challenges, Monthly Author Reads, Global Reading and Group Reads I agree it has been a bit hectic. November looks like more of the same! On to my 3rd book of the 11 Elizabeth von Arnim books I own for this month's author read! Still plodding through War and Peace and Life and Fate - prefer the latter. Looks like I shall have to get Hilary Mantel's book fitted in somewhere before the end of the year, if not it will go in my last category for the 1010 Challenge!. So many recommendations for it! Hope you have got your breath back!
I've had the new translation of War & Peace sitting there for over a year. I think it will remain unread for some time to come.
Wolf Hall, on the other hand, was worth every minute spent reading it! I think you will really enjoy it.
Thanks Tiffin. My W & P is part of the Great Books Collection. Perhaps a newer translation might be more accessible.
Valerie;
So glad to hear that you enjoyed both of the books mentioned in post #99 as they are coming up for me this month. My books arrived rather backward so I am currently reading (and loving every page)
Vanity Fair and then will move on to
Life and Fate. Still slogging through
War and Peace. Not loving it as I did Anna Karinina. Have read
The Enchanted April and have several more of hers lined up for the month. I love how she writes and wish that she had written more books. I feel the same about Vita Sackville-West.
Hope you are well. It is good to see you pushing the rest of us along.
Luv ya,
belva
Mush! Mush! I think when you get in to Life and Fate you will enjoy it. I hope so. I have read Vanity Fair a couple of times and at different ages and it seems to get better. Poor Dobbin! I love Becky's spirit.
188.
Fraulein Schmidt and Mr. Anstruther - once again von Arnim has enchanted me.
189.
Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice. I do not usually read vampire books but my son asked me to read this one. It was very good.
Once upon a time, I was a great lover of the Anne Rice vampire books and
Queen of the Damned was my absolue favorite.
^ After reading
Queen of the Damned I would like to read the other Vampire Chronicles. Anne Rice is such a good story teller.
I read all of the Vampire Chronicles when I was a teenager and I loved them. Trashy, but so much fun.
I still love Anne Rice's books. I highly recommend the first five books of the Vampire Chronicles.
jfetting and mrstreme. Thank you for your comments.
190.
The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson. I was drawn into this tale of a Minister who did not believe in God, until one day after an accidental fall into a gorge he meets a man who might be the Devil.
194.
Unchained Melanie by Judy Astley. Chick Lit story of Melanie who after years of marriage is looking forward to an unfettered life after divorce. OK.
195.
The Pastor's Wife by Elizabeth von Arnim. Ingeborg escapes the bondage of being a Bishop's daughter by becoming a Pastor's wife and moving from England to Germany. She is frustrated by the conventions of marriage and motherhood. A very good story of the plight of women in a world dominated by men.
196,
The Shipwrecked Men by Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca. An interesting account of how a group of Spaniards became shipwrecked and subsequently crossed south-western North America, with the help (or not) of Indian tribes. c.1530.
198.
Vera by Elizabeth von Arnim. Rather a disturbing story of Lucy who falls in love with Wemyss whose wife, Vera, had died in mysterious circumstances. Very good.
199.
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Loved this story about four women who rent a house in Italy for a holiday. They each have different reasons for wanting to escape their normal lives and after a month in Italy each of their lives is transformed.
200. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackery. This was a re-read for me and I have enjoyed it more this time.
Touchstone not working.
201.
Love by Elizabeth von Arnim. A bittersweet story of love between a middle-aged women and a much younger man.
No touchstone.
202.
Mr Skeffington by Elizabeth von Arnim. Another good one from this author about a woman approaching her fiftieth birthday coming to terms with the fact that she is no longer young and beautiful. Very good.
203.
Want to Play (Monkeewrench)by P.J. Tracy. A very good murder mystery.
204.
Modern Baptists by James Wilcox. Did not enjoy this one.
205.
The Xmas Factor by Annie Sanders. A lighthearted and amusing story centred around Christmas. Enjoyable chicklit.
206.
Miss Chopsticks by Xinran. A story of three sisters who leave the countryside to seek work in the city. I enjoyed this very much and learnt a lot about women in China.
Miss Chopsticks looks really interesting. I think I'll order it from the library.
It is good. Makes me want to learn more about women's life in China. I am halfway through
The Diary of Ma Yan and this continues the theme of what it is like for women/girls who live in the countryside and their struggle to get an education. Very moving.
207.
The Diary of Ma Yan. Very moving account of how poor people living in the Chinese countryside struggle not only to survive, but strive to send their children to school so that they may ultimately have a better life than their parents. The book has much additional information on the conditions in rural China. Recommended.
208.
The Years by Virginia Woolf. Wonderful Woolf.
Wow! You are a voracious reader. No quarter in your selections either. Applause!
210.
Zorro by Isabel Allende. Enjoyed this immensely. Great adventure story giving the background of Zorro from his birth to adulthood. Wonderful characters, good plot and lots of historical interest.
211.
Live Bait by P.J. Tracy. The second in the Monkeewrench series and very good crime novel. This time the team have to find out who has been killing elderly, Jewish people in their neighbourhood.
212.
Tent of Miracles by Jorge Amado. Like other books of Amado's I have read I enjoyed this one.
213.
Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman. Amusing essays. Especially enjoyed the first part of this book.
214.
Dead Run by P.J.Tracy. Very good crime fiction in Monkeewrench Series.
215.
The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, The first of a series of crime fiction set in Botswana. Very good.
Glad you're enjoying the Mma Ramotswe series!
Yes, they flow so gently and are full of wisdom.
219.
The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith.
I have one more to read in this delightful series. Hope to obtain the other books in the series sometime.
221.
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am now watching the ITV production of this work which appears to be very true to the book so far.
One of my favorites. Is the ITV version the old miniseries? W/ Jeremy Irons?
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