Donna's Joy of Reading: April

APRIL SONG

April is made of such wonderful things:
Sunbeams and tulips and butterfly wings,



Cherry tree blossoms and little green shoots,
Umbrellas and puddles and red rubber boots,



Lambs in the meadows, and children in swings;
April is made of such wonderful things!

~Ruth Adams Murray

Books Read in April:

30. The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman. 3.3 stars.
A sentimental story about a childless lighthouse keeper and his wife finding a baby in a rowboat and deciding to keep it.

31. Moral Disorder by Margaret Atwood. 3.9 stars.
Connected stories about the ups and downs in Nell's long life. Exquisite writing.

32. Old Filth by Jane Gardam. 4.4 stars.
Wonderful reflections from the life of Sir Edward Feathers aka Old Filth...Failed in London, Try Hong Kong.

33. Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi. 3.8 stars.
The patriarch of an Ethiopian-American family dies and leaves behind his regrets and his four children who piece together what kind of a person their father was when they return to Ethiopia for his funeral.

34. Juliet's Moon by Ann Rinaldi.
Juliet is a 12-year-old girl who experiences the Civil War firsthand. She was in the Kansas City prison that collapsed leading up to the raid on Lawrence, KS. A book for the younger reader, ages 10 and up.

35. TransAtlantic by Colum McCann. 4.5 stars.
An ER book about four famous men and four Irish women who had slight connections in the years between 1919 and 1998. Another winning novel by a favorite author. It will be released in early June.

36. The Man in the Wooden Hat. 4.1 stars.
A companion book to Old Filth in which Eddie Feathers' wife Betty tells her side of the story. Charming with a few surprises. Book Two in a trilogy.

37. My Ideal Bookshelf by Thessaly La Force. 4 stars.
A delightful look at favorite titles by a variety of people in the arts. Will satisfy every book voyeur!

38. Surfacing by Margaret Atwood. 3.7 stars.
When a daughter goes searching for her lost father on a remote Quebec island, things turn surreal as she ditches her friends and goes back to nature. Lovely writing; strange story.

39: Breakfast With Buddha by Roland Merullo. 3.8 stars.
A fun look at spirituality on a road trip from NYC to North Dakota with an Average Joe kind of man and a monk shows how we can learn from each other.

40: Fludd by Hilary Mantel. 3.6 stars.
A look at the Catholic Church's role in the 1950s in small-town England. The priest has lost his religion and the new curate delivers an unconventional but effective form of spirituality.

Books read in March:

20. Out of the Deep I Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming. 3.6 stars.
The third satisfying installment of the Clare/Russ mystery series set in northern New York. Reverend Clare and Chief of Police Russ try to ignore the attraction between them as they solve the latest mystery of the missing doctor from the free clinic in town which also helps solve a decades old murder that goes back to the time of prohibition.

21. How to Read the Air by Dinaw Mangestu. 3.3 stars.
Good writing but a lackluster story about the son of immigrants from Ethiopia who blames his apathy and the breakup of his marriage on his parents. Jonas is an unreliable narrator so it is difficult to know the real story here; whatever, the outcome is a bleak one about the isolation that immigrants face in this country.

22. Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope. 4.2 stars.
The struggle for church power in mid-19th century England is much more intriguing that it sounds. The fate of Mr. Harding in The Warden continues to be decided as a new bishop and his sly private chaplain Mr. Slope come to Barsetshire. Trollope helps his readers through the maze of characters involved in this ecclesiastical dispute in a most humorous way. Loved it!

23. Homer & Langley by E. L. Doctorow. 3.3 stars.
The title characters were based on the true-life story of the hoarding Collyer Brothers who died in their mansion in NYC in 1947, one of an accident, the other of starvation. Doctorow takes artistic license with this historical fiction account and extends their years well into the 20th century so he can chronicle the changes that took place during these years. The dismal story was well told but it was difficult to separate truth from fiction. Read for a real life book group.

24. Son of the Morning Star by Evan S. Connell. 4.5 stars.
This was a harrowing look at what happened that day in June of 1876 during the epic Battle of the Little Big Horn where Custer and his men were killed by Sioux and Cheyenne warriors fighting to maintain their way of life. The battle was the focal point of the book surrounded by the many details of life in the west at this time. Excellent look at the history of the American West.

25. Benediction by Kent Haruf. 4.3 stars.
I loved this simple story of one of the residents of fictional Holt, Colorado who spent his last month at home with his wife and daughter. Haruf can make the ordinary into the profound and his characterizations of the family and their neighbors made me wish to live in Holt and be surrounded by "the sweet kindness of one person to another."

26. The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner. 4.5 stars.
Another winner by a favorite western author. Stegner writes a fictional autobiography of his life as a transient in the west with his bootlegger father, his longsuffering mother, and his older brother. Stegner captures the beauty of the many places the family lived along with their poverty and the insecurity of living outside the law with a volatile yet sometimes charming head of the family. A must read book for Stegner fans.

27. A Letter of Mary by Laurie R. King. 3.2 stars.
The third book in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series begins with a friend giving an ancient letter to Mary which she believes was written by Mary Magdalene. However, when the friend is run over and killed by a fleeing motorist, Russell and Holmes devote their efforts in solving the crime and the letter becomes secondary. I continue to enjoy the repartee between these characters very much, although the mystery in this episode was weak.

28: A Dance to the Music of Time: First Movement by Anthony Powell. 3.7 stars.
In a nutshell the first three books (A Question of Upbringing, A Buyer's Market, and The Acceptance World are narrator Nick Jenkins' observations on the social world of the privileged crowd he associates with in the years between 1921 and 1933. We are introduced to many characters in these three books which move in and out of the story much like dancers at a ball. To be continued....

29: The Giant, O'Brien by Hilary Mantel. 3.9 stars.
Poetry meets science in late 18th century England as Charles O'Brien is exhibited at a London freak show and comes to the attention of the obsessive anatomist, John Turner.

I continue my journey around the world in books:


visited 11 countries(4.88%)
Create your own visited map of The World


visited 11 states (22%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

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Books Acquired in April:
Pride and Prejudice: An Annotated Edition
Two Lives by Vikram Seth
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Morgan's Passing by Anne Tyler
Modern Bridge Conventions
Sleeping Beauty
The Beast God Forgot to Invent by Jim Harrison
Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre
The Pyramid by Henning Mankell
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Total of 25 print books; 7 e-books for the year!

"There are times when the ocean is not the ocean--not blue, not even water, but some violent explosion of energy and danger: ferocity on a scale only gods can summon. It hurls itself at the island, sending spray right over the top of the lighthouse, biting pieces off the cliff. And the sound is a roaring of a beast whose anger knows no limits. Those are the nights the light is needed most." (71)

Book No. 30: The Light Between the Oceans by M. L. Stedman. 3.3 stars.

Tom and Isabel are in love with each other and the desolate island off the coast of Australia where Tom is the lighthouse keeper. However, their joy is marred by Izzy's two miscarriages and stillborn baby boy until one day they hear the muted cry of a baby and discover the rowboat with an infant girl and her dead father in it. Tom wants to do what he knows is right and report it, but Isabel persuades him that this baby is an answer to prayers so they decide to keep and love her as their own. Lucy is a sweet child and gives much happiness to her parents, although Tom is increasingly haunted by his conscience, especially after they learn that the child's real mother is still alive and grievously misses her daughter.

This was a very emotional book and one that would be great for discussion purposes. The choices we make in life don't always come easily...and aren't always the best ones. I wish I could stop right here, give it an excellent rating and move on to my next book, but I can't because the moving story slowly evolved into a melodramatic tale. I knew my opinion had changed when I read words like these: "The wind picks up. the water churns. The child walks. The darkness abides." I won't give away the end of the story. The contrivances and anguish were difficult to read. One might want to grab a box of tissues, though I found it impossible to cry while rolling my eyes! This is Ms. Stedman's debut book. There is some beautiful writing in it and I believe she shows much promise as an author. It's my opinion that this one is overwrought and overwritten. I hope she tones the sentiment down in her next book so that I can give it a higher rating.

Hooray, new thread! Am I first?

I am curious to find out what you will fill your placeholders with :)

>214 LovingLit: (frmo lst thread) I saw your review of The Giant, O'Brien by Hilary Mantel, numbered 29, and thought Woah! That book is 29th in a series!!??
Then I realised you were up to that many books this year. lol- it was your talk of the series you have been reading before that :)

Great Easter shots and spring themed ones for this new thread.

Hi, Donna! I've missed popping in, but here I am! Hope you had a lovely Easter!

You and Amy must be coordinating your reading. She just reviewed 'Light Between the Oceans', too. I added it to my wishlist despite your reservations.

>5 drachenbraut23:: Welcome, Bianca, you are indeed first! All my placeholders are filled now with the usual sort of stuff. Even a review that will probably result in a virtual tar and feathering. I don't think I liked this book as much as others did.

>6 LovingLit:: Tee hee, Megan. I see I couldn't trick you after all. You're too sharp for me!

>7 tloeffler:: Hi Terri. My Easter was great. It was nice that the sun came out in between showers. Things should begin greening up in earnest after this next cold spell. I hope your Easter was a good one, too!

Hi Donna - Happy new thread. I hope you had a great Easter. You read a lot of great books in March.

>8 rosalita:: Oh good, Julia. I can only give my opinion on a book and I certainly don't want to keep others from reading it because the ending disappointed me. I did read Amy's review and thought it was very good. She seems to be in the majority! My 3.3 stars is rounded up to 3.5 which is my "Good but not great" rating.

>9 Donna828:: Thanks, Beth. it's amazing to me how much joy I get out of anticipating a new month of reading. I hope I have as good a reading month in April. I plan to get to the next Trollope, Dr. Thorne, and the next in the Powell series, At Lady Molly's which will help.

I thought your review seemed very fair, and it will be interesting to see whether I feel more the way you did or Amy. It could go either way!

>11 Donna828:: I'll stay tuned for your review, Julia. It won't hurt my feelings at all if you don't agree with me. In fact, I hope you like it!

Hi there Donna, lovely new thread (is everybody making new threads tonight?) Well now you have me wondering if I want to read The Light Between Oceans. I thought I did but....

>14 brenzi:: Yes, you do want to read The Light Between Oceans. Don't pay any attention to me. I'm just cranky coming down from my chocolate Easter bunny high!

Hey Donna - might keep The Light Between Oceans on the TBR pile for the time being - great review writing though!

Speaking of chocolate Easter bunny highs, I just polished off a See's dark chocolate bunny and am feeling sad that it's gone. Honest, I only meant to bite off the ears ...

Lovely new thread, Donna! Just grabbing a seat before they're all gone.

I love all this Spring time color on the threads! Since we can't actually enjoy it outdoors at least we can get a fix here. It helps.
Have a good week, Donna!

16: Thanks, Prue! I write what I feel about a book. Sometimes I am susceptible to those tuggings at the heart. Apparently, this time I wasn't.

17: That's how it starts, Julia. First the ears, then the head. Might as well put him out of his misery, right?

18: Early comers get the best seats, Mamie. Welcome!

19: That's what I was thinking as I was looking through those spring images, Mark. The birds have been extra chirpy the last few mornings. Maybe spring will make her entrance later in the week. It looks like we might see the sun again on Friday!

Exactly! What good is a bunny without his ears?

Pretty new thread, Donna!

I go back and forth on whether or not I want to read The Light Between Oceans. It doesn't seem to be calling to me...

Have a great week. I hope your weather is springlike (in a good way - it was 70 and gorgeous here yesterday, damp and in the 40s today with a little bit of rain - yay! tonight)!

21: LOL!

22: Joanne, we had dinner with friends from CO Springs last week and they were talking about how dry it was there. They didn't get much snow over the winter and desperately need some rain. I hope it's not going to be another summer of fires out there! We had sleet and snow showers here this morning.

Beautiful new thread, Donna! I really like the colorful, cheery pictures, but I hope we get a few more sunbeams and a few less puddles! ;-)

Nice new thread, Donna. Confirming your reaction to The Light Between Oceans . . . After hearing the hype and a rave review from a book group member, I requested it from the library. I read about half, abandoned, returned and deleted it. Your eye-rolling comment applied to my reaction very aptly.

Your and Brenda's take on The Light Between Oceans fits with my wariness about reading it. Doesn't sound like my cuppa.

Hi Donna!
I guess picking up Light Between Oceans with no expectations or knowledge about the book allowed me to love it more. I don't cry over books or movies - and I didn't for this one either. It was, however, a very emotional book.

btw, I love your thread opening.

24: I'm with you, Nance. I wish some of this rain would come in August.

25: Thanks for the confirmation AND the special Easter wishes, Brenda.

26: Many people liked it, Joe. There always have to be a few rebels like Brenda and me.

27: Thanks, Cee. It was fun picking the images to match the poem. I thought The Light Between Oceans was an okay book, just a little too much drama for me. I have enough drama in my life!

Hi Donna! You are right. I think I liked The Light Between Oceans a little better than you did. I didn't love the writing (although I read TransAtlantic right before this one, so my bar was pretty high), but I got caught up in the story and pulled along. This is my April book club book, and I think we should have some interesting discussion!

Amy, I hope you share the thoughts of your book club on your thread. I think you'll have lots of good discussion on The Light Between Oceans.

I need to get ready for my own book group tomorrow night. Springfield's Big Read this year is Great Tales and Poems by Poe. I have a lovely little "Collector's Edition" of Pocket Books from 1951. We will only be discussing a few of the stories and poems,, but I may be tempted to read them all. I haven't read Poe since high school!

"It's morning. For now, night is over. It's time for the bad news. I think of the bad news as a huge bird, with the wings of a crow and the face of my Grade Four schoolteacher, sparse bun, rancid teeth, wrinkly frown, pursed mouth and all, sailing around the world under cover of darkness, pleased to be the bearer of ill tidings, carrying a basket of rotten eggs, and knowing--as the sun comes up--exactly where to drop them. On me, for one." (Introductory paragraph)

Book No. 31: Moral Disorder by Margaret Atwood. 3.9 stars.

I've decided that I really like short stories...when they're connected as they are in this book. After all, that is what a life is. A group of connected stories of which we are the star. These stories center around Nell and some of the important people in her life. The introductory story meets Nell in the early winter of her life. She and her long-time partner Tig live in between "back then" and "not yet." From there the narrative moves back into the heart of the book and shows how Nell grew into a person who didn't like bad news but needed to know about it "in case it's coming our way."

We see Nell as a young girl knitting a layette for her baby sister, as a student of literature, then later as a young woman in a troubling relationship with a married man, as part of a family learning to live off the land, and finally as a daughter easing her parents through their final years. All the stories are told in such a way that one almost thinks Atwood lived through these times. Hmmm, in real life Atwood was a second child, her father was an entomologist, and she lived on a farm as a young married woman - all sound like Nell's circumstances. No wonder Nell seemed so real! Whether or not the stories are based on Atwood's life, they are standout narratives that make me appreciate her even more as a writer.

My favorites were the last two where Nell gently coaxes the memories from first her father then her mother, until they can no longer remember their past lives. For, "where are we without our plots?" she muses. (202) Indeed, where are we and who are we but souls with unfinished stories waiting for the next generation to take over with their own stories to star in. I look forward to as many stories as Ms. Atwood cares to write.

Hi Donna - Lovely review of a great book. It's one of my favorite Atwoods.

Oh I loved The Light Between the Ocean's for me it was a 4.5 star read -but I can also see your point of view. Taste is such a personal thing. Look at how cranky I got at The Innocents and I'm sure others will enjoy it very much. Lovely pictures on the top of your thread! I plan to get out shortly for a nice walk in the sun!

Nice review of Moral Disorder, Donna.
Good start to Atwood April. :-)

>31 Donna828:: Hi Donna. It's an Atwood I've never read, and I like short stories, also. So, onto the list. Thanks.

#30 > I read all of Poe earlier last year I think it was, on my Kindle. Poe was really one of the fathers of forensic science - earlier than Doyle - and many of his stories reflect pseudo-scientific analysis but are necessarily devoid of the scientific method. His work belongs among all of classic literature.

Hi Donna. I completely agree with you on Light Between Oceans. There were some gaps in character development, IMO, that if addressed, would have lessened the melodrama and added to the quality of the story. I didn't cry.

OK Donna, I definitely will add Moral Disorder to my WL after that compelling review. I also prefer the short story collections with linked stories although I also like those centered on a city or region like Mrs. Somebody Somebody and American Salvage. Andddd I have another collection by Atwood: Wilderness Tips. She can be hit or miss for me but right now I'm really enjoying Alias Grace.

Hi Donna, excellent review on Moral Disorder I am an Atwood fan, but I am not a great fan of short stories - they always make me crave more and I always feel like a child cheated on his fair share of sweets *nod head*. However, reading your review I am going to consider this book - hm, just to see how Margie has done on the short ones *smile*.

Good review of Moral Disorder! I'm not a big fan of short stories but I agree that they are more tolerable when they combine to make a larger story.

Good review of Moral Disorder. Another one for the Atwood pile! It looks like I will be reading this woman for years.

>37 nittnut:: Thanks, Jenn. The story was good but could have been great. I've been reading Old Filth, another book that could have been a real tear jerker but the subdued writing style and character development made it a more enjoyable read for me.

>38 brenzi:: Bonnie, please read Wilderness Tips so I can see if I need to read it! You are my reading barometer these days. I love the title. You remind me that I need to get a copy of Mrs. Somebody Somebody. I've already read and liked American Salvage even though it wasn't the Michigan I remember!

>39 drachenbraut23:: Bianca, some of the reviewers felt cheated because it read more like a novel. I'm with you. Short Stories leave me hungry for more. I think you'll find Moral Disorder very satisfying.

>40 ChelleBearss:: Thanks, Chelle. I hope you give it a try.

>41 msf59:: Reading Atwood for years is a good thing, Mark. I'll start rereading when I've exhausted all her titles. Surfacing is up later this month for me.

I forgot to save these, so my replies are out of order! I think I should just go to bed.

>32 BLBera:: Beth, I almost skipped over this Atwood because of the short story thing. I was thrilled to find the connections. It was a lovely book.

>33 vancouverdeb:: Deborah, enjoy the sun. It looks like we have a few days of nice weather ahead of us which I'm really looking forward to. As we've said so often around here, it would be boring if we all had the same opinions on individual books.

>34 EBT1002:: Ellen, I'm a little sad that I've read so many Atwoods. There is nothing like reading a book for the first time. Cat's Eye was my first Atwood and remains my favorite!

>35 TadAD:: You are very welcome, Tad. Enjoy!

>36 mldavis2:: Hi Mike, we had a very good discussion of Poe at the library tonight. I like it when people outside of our regular group join us. Since this was for the Big Read we had a bunch of new readers there. Poe was quite a character and a talented writer. I just wouldn't want to go down in the wine cellar with him!!!

I'm afraid today is going to be lost to me. I picked up a wonderful book at the library last night that first came to my attention by way of Joanne and her lovely review of it. My Ideal Bookshelf is every book voyeur's dream! I've gazed at the colorful pictures and have been inspired to create my own Ideal Bookshelf. Of course, we know there is no such thing because the books would change from day to day. Here is my 'today's' version:



And, just in case you think it's easy to pick a dozen or so books off the shelves to create your ideal bookshelf, here's a picture with the ones that didn't make it...at least not today!

Very nice, Donna! That's the kind of project I could get totally side-tracked with....so I'm just going to walk away! But it sure is tempting! ;-)

Nancy, the sad thing is that I didn't get To Kill A Mockingbird in there! I didn't notice that major omission until I had put all those books away...upstairs, downstairs, in the library, and family room shelves. At least I got some extra exercise today!

"He sat to his desk and attempted a Memoir, but found it impossible. Opinions, judgements had made him famous, but how to write without opinion or judgement? Statement of facts--easy. But how to decide which were the facts? He shrank from the tremendous, essential burden of seeing himself through other people's eyes. Only God could do it. It seemed blasphemous even to try. Such a multitude of impressions, such a magnitude of emotion. Where was truth to be found?" (223)

Book No. 32: Old Filth by Jane Gardam. 4.4 stars.

Just looking at Sir Edward Feathers from the outside, we see a successful staid judge retired from a long distinguished career in Hong Kong (his nickname comes from the acronym Failed in London Try Hong Kong) to a quiet life back in England. He has plenty of time to look back on his life and reflect on the changes he has seen as England scales back its widespread colonialism which was a way of life to one born in Malaya and educated in Britain as were many other "Raj orphans."

To the world Feathers looks dignified and successful, but inside he is the scared little boy who wonders why he has been "left or dumped" all his life. Something happened to him and his two cousins while they were living in foster care in Wales. We spend much of the book glimpsing his inner torment that caused him to shut down his feelings and focus on his self-restrained and solemn behavior. However, this book is anything but solemn as Gardam injects wit into his quest to find out what happened to him after the sudden death of his wife. How she does this while writing in the same understated way Feathers lived his life is a wonder to me. I also marvel that he was able to triumph over his unhappy childhood and ultimately live a satisfying life that had more to it than meets the eye. I look forward to the next book in the trilogy that tells Betty's side of the story!

It's a trilogy! Nobody told me that it was a trilogy! And I just found out over on the audiobook thread that Oryx and Crake is also a trilogy! You people are killing me!

#47 - Excellent review, Donna! Now I can take a nap instead of writing my own. Ha!

ETA: Oh, it's not posted, so I couldn't give it a thumb.

Okay, I'm back...and I'm calmer...See? Perfectly calm. Very nice review of a book I am going to read this month that is part of a conspiracy trilogy. And I love your ideal bookshelf - now I am wondering what books would make my final cut. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Grapes of Wrath for sure. The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon. Pride and Prejudice...

Mamie, they never tell you it's a trilogy or a series until you've read their enticing little review and then it's TOO LATE. Pure evil on a stick, I tell ya, some of the people around here.

Oh Mamie, you crack me up! Wait until you read Old Filth. You will be ecstatic that there are two more books to read!

Kerry, I am looking forward to what you have to say about it. I'm a new Jane Gardam fan!

Julia, I learned those evil tricks from others around here. I won't mention any names. The books will never end...thank goodness!

I love that you put an ideal book shelf together, Donna! During the weeks I had My Ideal Bookshelf checked out of the library, I kept making mental lists of books. I went so far as to type up a list but never posted it on my thread. It kept changing, or I'd forget a book, or have a hard time choosing one over an author's other, and then I finally I gave up... Chris even got in the act - he had quite a shelf going.

I'm following in your reading footsteps. I just started Benediction and plan on reading Moral Disorder in April. Oh, and I finished Big Rock Candy Mountain and absolutely loved it!!

Julia - That is so true! First they hook you, and then they reel you in!

Donna - So what you're saying is that instead of hitting me with one book bullet, you're hitting me with three? That hardly seems fair.

53: Joanne, I get kind of compulsive about book projects. My Ideal Bookshelf has already changed in my head, but I am finished hauling books around for photo shoots! So glad you loved Candy Mountain. It could go on My Ideal Bookshelf!

54: Mamie, I'm certain you must have heard the old expression: "All is fair in love, war...and books"! Just so you will feel better, I didn't know Old Filth was part of a trilogy when I bought it last year. I just thought it was a pretty Europa edition book.

*sniff* Well, okay then.

What a lot of good reading you are doing! I love your ideal bookshelf, and I have no idea whether I could possibly do one. I'm happy to have read a good number of yours though.
LOVE Old Filth! I'm glad that it's getting a lot of attention right now.
I'm not quite convinced about the Atwood - I have so many unread ones that I don't need to decide right now. I agree with you about Cat's Eye, and I really need to reread it and The Robber Bride.
I just put The Light Between Oceans on my Kindle because it was relatively cheap. You don't make me feel any better about reading it. What is it with this year's Orange/Women list?

I love your ideal bookshelf Donna. Hmmm, I see quite a few books that could be on my ideal bookshelf but that shelf would be in constant flux. I loved Old Filth when I read it over a year ago now but I never did get around to The Man in the Wooden Hat, which is a companion book so I don't think the third book will make a trilogy exactly (but maybe the publisher is calling it that).

Donna, enjoyed your review of Old Filth. I've yet to get to this one -- sitting "on the shelf" in my iPad. Eventually ...

#57 Peggy, I've been disappointed with more than one of this year Orange selections, too, but I am presently reading The Light Between Oceans, and it is excellent!

Nice review of Old Filth, Donna. I'm into the second part and thoroughly enjoying it. Like Mamie, I am very happy to know it's a trilogy (I will pick up a copy of The Man in the Wooden Hat as soon as I return to Real Life).

And I can't recall whether I've read Cat's Eye but I know I've read Surfacing and The Handmaid's Tale. I'll be starting with The Blind Assassin this month and I'm pleased that I have several Atwoods in front of me. :-)
Given that you're a fan and Cat's Eye is your favorite so far, I will add it to my list.

56: Mamie, you still seem sad. You are a lot younger than I am so you have more time to complete those trilogies. Too bad it seems like a growing trend.

57: Peggy, I think Cat's Eye is my favorite Atwood because it was the first one I read. I've liked everything I've tried by her, even the dystopian books. Oh, go ahead and enjoy a good wallow in sentimental writing when you read The Light Between Oceans. The story is a good one even if it is a tear-jerker.

58: Bonnie, I would fare better with an Ideal Bookcase! And make it an oversized one.

59: Nancy, I'm glad you are liking the Ocean book. It wasn't until the last part that I had enough author manipulation. I much prefer the writing that sneaks up on my emotions. Jane Gardam did that very well in Old Filth. You'll see what I mean when you read it. I'm not doing a very good job of explaining myself.

60: Ellen, thanks for checking in from the tropics. I'm not sure Mamie is all that pleased with another trilogy to read. Maybe she will be happier when she sees how good it is. I'm also not sure Cat's Eye is Atwood's best, but it did strike a chord with me!

Good review of Old Filth! I read that and had no clue it was a trilogy! Crap, I guess I'm adding another series to my list lol

Chelle, the next book is The Man in the Wooden Hat. As Bonnie pointed out, it's more of a companion piece. It tells Betty's viewpoint of the story. And, yes, there is a third one coming out soon! Don't blame me. Lol.

Nice review of Old Filth, Donna; I enjoyed it as well. And thanks for the reminder of the remainder of the books in the trilogy, which I do plan to read soon.

Great review of Old Filth, Donna. I have the book and hope to get to it soon this month. Your review is getting me more interested in the book!

Donna- I love your Ideal Bookshelf idea and what incredible titles. I'll have to get to a few of those titles, including Infinite Jest, but probably not this year. LOL.
I think I'll start Old Filth, right after I finish the Blind Assassin. Everyone seems to love it.

Hi Darryl, Jane Gardam is a new author for me. She's a keeper!

Deborah, the title is the worst thing about the book. His wife even called him "Filth"...I can't imagine me doing that.

Mark, the bookshelf wasn't my idea. It came from a book of the same title, My Ideal Bookshelf, that had a color photo (actually a painting) and a short bio of the chosen authors and other people in the arts on each page. I didn't know a lot of the names but it was still interesting to check out their bookshelves. I predict that you will love Old Filth.

Hi, Donna! I'm so horribly disorganised and behind with everything at the moment that I wouldn't dare start fiddling with something like ideal bookshelves! :) Pleased to hear you'll be dashing into Dr Thorne. Fingers crossed that you'll be able to join us for Framley Parsonage.

Yay for Old Filth! Nice review, Donna. I need to get to the second one, too.

Donna, run, don't walk and spend that $8.00 for an Ipad copy of Life After Life. It really is a wonderful book. I tried earlier to thumb your review of Old Filth but I did not see it on the main page. I'll check now in case you have it on the main page.

Donna - I'm so happy to see that Gardam has another fan; until Old Filth, it was really hard to find her books in the States. I have Last Friends on my "read soon" pile.

Some great reviews as always, Donna - sigh. Old Filth and Moral Disorder both added to the WL.

Hi Donna, love your review of Atwood's Moral Disorder. I also love connected short stories and this is a new set of stories for me. I dodged your review of Old Filth for now as I am hoping to find time to join the group read, but I have made a note of the star rating you gave it.... I am also ignoring any mention by Mamie - and you - of a trilogy. I have enough of those on my plate as it is, thank you very much. It is safer to place the 'ignorance is bliss' card at times like this!

Hey, Donna, I just finished Old Filth and had to come back and reread your review of it after the fact. Gardam is a mistress of language, isn't she?

Liz, it was a spur of the moment thing and I wasn't all that pleased with the result, but it was fun fondling my books! As soon as I make my way through the library books, I'll be reading Dr. T. When is the group read for Framley Parsonage?

Joe, it seems like everyone who reads Old Filth enjoys it. Maybe because of the title... I don't think I'd pick that one unless I had heard some good things about it.

Deborah, if Life After Life isn't in my hot little hands when I'm ready to read it, I'm going to click that button that makes it so easy to spend money on those Kindle books.

Beth, so I guess the new one is out? Hooray, I can jump right into it. I'm holding off a week or so on The Man In the Wooden Hat. That's my idea of delayed gratification. Lol.

Yay, I got Prue to add some more books to her WL. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Lori, if you don't like Old Filth, then you don't need to read the other books. My guess is that you'll be reading them along with me and everyone else.

Roni, she is indeed. I have God on the Rocks by her as well but I want to finish with the Old Filth trilogy first.
Did you hear about our Panthers? Drury University here in Springfield won the NCAA Division II Championship in Atlanta last night. We're pumped!

At Lady Molly's by Anthony Powell.

I'm not writing much about this one as I am not counting it until I finish the other two books in Volume Two of A Dance to the Music of Time. The books continue to improve because I know more of the characters as they promenade into and out of the story. I'll also be vague so I don't have to post spoiler alerts. Here goes: Nick Jenkins, our narrator, is in the script writing business now and has written another book (or two) which he mentions in a casual way. Lady Molly Jeavons is quite the entertainer and Nick finds much to relate from his times there. Two prominent characters get engaged (not to each other!); one fell in love at first sight, the other had a broken engagement by the end of this short book. Lots of other stuff happens but you won't find out from me!

Donna, we have Framley Parsonage pencilled in for June - it would be lovely to see you there. :)

I'll be there, Liz! It will be good not to be lagging behind. Thanks for that speedy reply.

Ah, I've been wondering about the Framley Parsonage read, too. So, thanks Liz. I've read it, but I loved following the Doctor Thorne thread and will do the same again. Donna, delighted you are also enjoying Dance to the Music of Time so much!

Just waving hello. :)

Hi Donna! Your thread is dangerously delightful!

There is no way to keep up with all the rec great reads on LT. However, I will have to add to my 'read sooner than later' list:
Old Filth which I was ignoring because of the title. I know, I know. Can't judge a book by it's title...
Life After Life
and
My Ideal Bookshelf - just for fun

I was nearly forced to pick up Alias Grace (right now!) by so many irresistable teasers. So I did start it (right now!) and it's getting very interesting. I didn't even know it was "Atwood April" and here I am being pulled on the bus ;-) yay! She certainly has a way of describing people lol.

79: Hi Nancy! I like to look in on group reads after I've read a book, too, just to see what others think of it. I always come away with something new.

>80 nittnut:: Waving back, Jenn. Has your snow evaporated yet? We got storms today, but ours took the form of rain. It's beginning to look like the Emerald Isle around here!

>81 -Cee-:: Oh Cee, you will love My Ideal Bookshelf. Not a lot of reading required. It's interesting to see what kinds of books other people favor. Enjoy the Atwood trip! I will get to Surfacing sometime next week. It's one of her first books. Alias Grace is a great story!

"Ghana, and the smell of Ghana, a contradiction, a cracked clay pot: the smell of dryness, wetness, both, the damp of earth and dry of dust. The airport. Bodies pushing, pulling, shouting, begging, touching, breathing. He'd forgotten the bodies. The proximity of bodies. In America the bodies were distant. The warmth of it. Pushing through the jostling throng, warm bodies..." (56)

Book No. 33: Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi. 3.8 stars.

Is this another tortured tale about the disintegration of a family or is it more? The fact that I'm still thinking about it 24 hours after the last page was turned instead of jumping right into my next book, leads me to the second conclusion. I almost abandoned it in the first 75 pages while Kweku Sai lies dying in his garden of a heart attack. The author's confusing hodgepodge of words captures Kweku's disoriented state of mind and the dismay of the family he left behind many years ago, but it was exhausting work untangling the jumble of thoughts and feelings she conveys. However, I'm glad I stuck with it to see the picture of a man who left Ghana to become a successful doctor in America develop into a story of love that withstands shame and sorrow.

Reading this book takes concentration and patience. The story not only jumps from Africa to the immigrant experience in America and then back to Africa, but it is written in a poetic style that is sometimes difficult to follow. It is most definitely a literary novel. But don't let that scare you! The second half of the book shines as the fractured family comes together to remember their patriarch. Long held secrets are revealed and wounds begin to heal when they travel to Ghana, the homeland that Kweku's four children never knew, and rediscover the connection to their past and to each other.

Hi Donna- Did someone not know it was Atwood April? Is this person a shut-in? Well, it's only the 10th, so that's not bad. I will also be joining on Alias Grace but it'll be a week or so yet.
BTW-Loving Old Filth.

>84 msf59: Is it Atwood April yet???

Thumb for that review Donna because you've got me curious about a literary novel. BTW they never scare me haha. Anyway onto the teetering tower it goes.

>75 Donna828: Donna, I hate to tell you, but when I finally reconciled my conscience to the fact that I was going to put Life After Life on my Kindle for $8, they had upped the price to $12.99. Doggone it. I should know by now to go ahead and get a book when I want it. Now it's a bit too much for my budget. Oh well.

Enjoyed your comments on Ghana Must Go, Donna. Sounds like it took some work to read, but I like the idea that you are still contemplating it 24 hours later.

Ghana Must Go sounds like a challenging read! I often take a while to let a book sink into my mind before trying to make any comments! Great job!

#83 Donna828 > Odors are an all-important factor in the character of many foreign countries, and it is not often a wordsmith includes them in a descriptive narrative. If the author lives there, they no doubt fade into a familiar background and are not always recognized as important to a visitor. I remember getting off the plane in Bangkok in 1969 (thank you Uncle Sam and taxpayers for the free plane ticket and wardrobe) and being assaulted by the strangest mixture of odors of my (then) young life - something I still remember. Hard to describe, impossible to forget.

>84 msf59:: I'm glad you're liking Old Filth, Mark. Do you plan to read The Man in the Wooden Hat anytime soon? It tells Betty's side of the story. I think Jane must have borrowed the idea from Evan S. Connell. He wrote Mr. Bridge and Mrs. Bridge about a well-to-do Kansas City couple in the 1950s from the two different perspectives. Hey, it worked for him. I loved those books and the movie adaptation starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.

>85 brenzi:: Bonnie, I never thought for a moment that you would be scared off by a literary novel. I guess I went overboard alerting future readers that they were in for some overblown writing. It worked for me as I ended up liking the book pretty well. Selasie is another young author to watch.

>86 LizzieD:: Peggy, I have so much to read this month that I will patiently wait for my turn at the library. I was afraid that price was too good to last.

>87 lit_chick:: Nancy, I will be thinking about this book for some time. I'm eager to see what other LTers think of it.

>88 vancouverdeb:: Deborah, I should wait awhile before I post reviews, too, but I am usually too eager to get started on my next book.

>89 mldavis2:: Mike, the smell of a country is not something I tend to think of, but then I've never been to Thailand or what I would call an "exotic" country. I do remember that cigarette smoke in Germany made a big impression on me when we last visited in 2005.

I had an "emergency read" today for the Missouri Reader's Group! We were supposed to begin discussing our latest book on April 10. Mine got buried under the other library books waiting for attention. Luckily, it is a Young Adult book that I could read in a few hours after today's canasta game. We are going to Denver for a brief visit with oldest son and DIL this week end so I didn't want any unfinished business to interfere with family time. I am even giving up the meet up I usually have with Joanne, Anne, and Jenn while I'm out there. I promised them I'll be back for a longer visit this summer!

Hi Donna!
Alias Grace is picking up - I might have to read more of this author. And it looks like I have plenty of support on that as well as plenty of recommendations.

Mark -
"Did someone not know it was Atwood April? Is this person a shut-in? " LOLOL!
If I WAS a shut in, I would be on the computer more and able to keep up better. Hmmm... let me think on that some more ;-)

"My secret hiding place in the woods saved me and Maxine the day the blue-bellied Yankees came through and fired our house and barn, ran off the cows, horses, and sheep, destroyed the fields of wheat and corn, and chased away all the negroes." (Prologue)

Book No. 34: Juliet's Moon by Ann Rinaldi. No rating as I don't usually read YA so have nothing to compare it with.

As I said, this was a quick read. I tried to conjure up my inner 12-year-old self as I began to read. I think this is one I might have liked as a 6th grader. It reminded my 65-year-old self about one of my favorite books from April of 2012, Woe to Live On by Daniel Woodrell, also a book read for the Missouri Readers group.

Both books were about Quantrill's Raiders, a renegade Confederate faction during the Civil War. Juliet was the 12-year-old narrator who fled the Yankees and saw her father shot to death in the Summer of 1863 in Missouri. Her older brother Seth arranges for her to live with his fiance's family but the Yankees find them and take them to a women's prison in Kansas City. The building collapses and Juliet is one of the survivors who reports to Colonel Quantrill about their treatment. According to the book, the raid on Lawrence, KS, was made in revenge for all the lives lost in the disaster.

Ann Rinaldi is a respected writer of YA fiction. I've read several reviews of her books on LT and have been tempted to read her books. I think instead I'll recommend them to my older granddaughters. I prefer adult books, although this one caught my interest and I will recommend it to my oldest granddaughter in another year or so. The book cover says ages 10 and up, but I thought the subject matter containing soldiers leering at young girls, etc. was a bit too mature for a 10-year-old.

Hi Cee, you caught me writing a quickie review! I'm glad Ms. Atwood is gaining your approval. And isn't our Mark a quick wit? I think I would like to be a shut-in so I had more time to read!

Why would Claudia think I was talking about her? I could have been talking about someone else, completely different and then again...

Mark - You could have been talking about someone else, Mark, but... I have been living with a teaser for 43 years. I generally know when it applies to me ;-)

Hi Donna! We love our Mark xo, right?

Juliet's Moon. There are still so many bitter and sad feelings about the Civil War. So much bloodshed, disease, and destruction... I'm getting too old to understand war. Or maybe I never did. I'm reading a book of Ulysses Grant's memoirs right now. Did you know he was only 40 y/o when he led the army? Geesh.

It looks like it will be a nice day here in Denver. The snow is on the mountains where it belongs. This is a very quick trip for us so the entire day will be spent with Mike and Rebecca. We met the new grand dog yesterday. Buster is a "flashy fawn" boxer and seems pretty mellow compared to the other two at his age. I'll try and get a picture today, but it's pretty hard because I always seem to have a big dog on my lap. They like me!

Oh yes, books! I got started on Transatlantic yesterday. I'm glad flying doesn't bother me because it started out with a harrowing 1912 flight that almost didn't end well! Hope everyone is having a great Saturday.

I must be jet lagged. I forgot to make some responses.

Hi Mark, you Kidder you!

Cee, Mark is a favorite around here for a reason. He always seems to be in a good mood...even when his man cave gets flooded!

I did some concentrated Civil War reading two years ago. I had to back away because I got tired of reading about all the young lives lost. I didn't know that about Grant, but it doesn't surprise me.

The snow is on the mountains where it belongs. I couldn't agree more, Donna, LOL! If I had a dime for every time I'd had the same thought ...

Hi Donna,
love your photos of the ideal book shelve and wish I would have space to create something like that :)

Great review of Old Filth. Started the book a short while ago for the GR, but couldn't get into it. However, there is still plenty of time this month.

Only one more week - if I am not mistaken - until your new addition to your family arrives. Everyone must be so excited by now *smile*

Wish you a great weekend Donna!

Nancy, snow is pretty to look at; just glad we didn't have the extra hassle of driving in it. Denver traffic is bad enough.

Bianca, a week from tomorrow is the scheduled birth day for the newest grandchild. Unless she decides to come sooner. I'm very glad it wasn't while we were gone. We'll be leaving for home in a few hours and the flight itself is less than two hours so we'll be home in time if today is the day! Yes, we're very excited!

>83 Donna828:
That quote from Ghana Must Go is powerful.

What is wrong with me? How could I have missed your new thread? *off to bang head against wall*
o_O ok - I'm back. I rec'd Transatlantic too but I'm sure it will be awhile before I get a chance to read it - that and the other 6 ER's I need to read and review. Just call me Slacker. Hope you're having a very relaxing Sunday.

Great review of Juliet's Moon. That isn't a topic many writers want to take on.

>101 EBT1002:: Thanks, Ellen. It's a powerful book!

>102 Carmenere:: Hey there, Slacker. No head banging on my thread. Ouch! I'm sure I'm behind on yours too, Lynda, as I'm behind on everyone else's thread. Sometimes even my own!

>103 cammykitty:: Nice to see you here, Katie. I agree about the heavy subject matter especially in a book geared to younger readers. Rinaldi carried it off quite well.

We got home from Denver awhile ago. I unpacked and immediately went back to reading Transatlantic. What a great book. I probably shouldn't try to review it now, but tomorrow is my busy day so I'll give it a shot.

"When he asked of the hunger that he had seen in the streets they said there was always a hunger in Ireland. She was a country that liked to be hurt. The Irish heaped coals of fire upon their own heads. They were unable to extinguish the fire." (58)

Book No. 35: TransAtlantic by Colum McCann. 4.5 stars.

This is a book about Ireland. "A beautiful country. A bit savage on a man all the same. Ireland." (31) Those are the thoughts of navigator Teddy Brown as he and pilot Jack Alcock land the first successful transatlantic flight from Newfoundland to Clifden, Ireland, in 1919. Frederick Douglass likely held much same same thoughts about his earlier trip to Ireland in 1845 when he witnessed the extreme poverty made worse by the potato blight: "On the muddy paths, they glimpsed moving rags. The rags seemed more animate than the bodies within. As they passed, the families regarded them. The children appeared marooned with hunger." (59) More recently, beginning in 1998, Senator George Mitchell endured over 200 transatlantic flights between the United States, Belfast, and Dublin, to moderate peace talks between the two Irelands. The tangled web of politics, religion, and terrorism renewed the ancient savagery that ravaged the country. Like me, you might be wondering how these occurrences tell a story.

These three disparate events comprise the historical background for the book, but the personal stories of Lily Duggan, the Irish maid inspired by Frederick Douglass's struggle for freedom, and her ancestors provide the heart of the narrative. Lily, her daughter journalist Emily, granddaughter Lottie who was a gifted photographer, and finally, great-granddaughter Hannah take the story of emigration to Missouri, Newfoundland, and back to Ireland again when Lottie marries Ambrose. When Senator Mitchell was negotiating peace in Ireland, he longed "to fill the halls with women: the short sharp shock of three thousand two hundred mothers... They carried their sorrow...with a weariness around the eyes... They never fought the wars, but they suffered them, blood and bone." (98) McCann effectively uses women to tell the truth about Ireland, especially through Hannah's story.

In the brief prologue, we read about the house "worth listening to," and come full circle to this family cottage at the end of the book. The family comes full circle in other ways too. There is also a family heirloom - an unopened letter - that figures prominently in the story. It's amazing how many details can fit into a relatively short novel. McCann skillfully weaves the threads of an Irish woman's family and the visits from historical figures together into a showpiece of literature that left me once again in awe of his talent.

Glad you got a trip in between the yucky April weather. IMO, if we're going to have nasty, snowy weather, we ought to at least get enough to alleviate our drought conditions...

Donna, thumb-up for a terrific review of TransAtlantic. It's the oddest thing: the touchstone in wants to point to Pride and Prejudice. Good grief! That's not even close .... argh!

Right . . . I had the same experience with the touchstones!

> 105 - A powerful review of a powerful book, Donna! Thumb!

Great review of Transatlantic, Donna! The quotes you picked took me right back to the experience of reading it!

Jenn, I thought it looked very dry in Colorado. We are in our green season! I hope the rain continues into the hot summer months.

Nancy and Brenda, I think I have the touchstone fixed now. TransAtlantic is nothing like Pride & Prejudice except for the fact that they are both wonderful books.

Lori, thanks for the kind words...and the thumb!

Amy, I'm glad you liked the quotes. I included more than I usually do just because I like McCann's writing so much.

Here is the picture of my newest grand dog Buster. He lives in Denver with his master, mistress, and two other rescue Boxers. He's called a "flashy fawn" because of the white coloring on his face, chest, and legs. He wanted to lick the camera, and when I squatted down by him, he wanted to lick my face!

Nice photo, Donna. Buster looks very loveable!

Well hello, Buster! I second him looking very loveable.

I love the idea of an ideal bookshelf. I note that All Over But the Shoutin is on the shelf. I really liked this book, but then again, I like everything that Rick Bragg writes.

Happy Spring Donna. I haven't been around LT in a few weeks, but you are not forgotten.

And,if you are going to read YA, Ann Rinaldi is a good choice. Her historical fiction books are very good.

Hello Buster and Donna,

he looks absolutely adorable. I have to show that pic to my mom later as she loves Boxer. However, I probably have to give her a tissue first when she hears that he shares a home with rescue dogs.

wish you a wonderful week Donna.

Beautiful boxer! Sounds like he couldn't hold his licker...

Just noticed on the JoCo Library site that the summer book sale is Wed, Jun 5 - Sat, Jun 8. Has Reba already made her travel plans for the following week?

Great review of the new McCann book. Buster is very cute. Do you have spring yet? We're expecting 6 inches of snow Thursday night/Friday morning, unless the storm tracks south of us through Missouri...

>113 brenpike:, 118: Thanks, Brenda. Buster is a sweetheart. The KC book sale is early this year. I'm pretty sure that Reba's date is set in stone. I may be making two trips to KC in a short time...or maybe I'll just spend a week there! My daughter would probably like to have some help with the kids.

>114 lit_chick:: Nancy, Buster is getting spoiled already. Those dogs are allowed on the furniture. With extra people around (like me and DH) it just means more laps to lay in! Lucky gave us a thorough once-over with his nose when we got home.

>115 Whisper1:: Linda, my first Rinaldi was a good one. I think I'll look for some of her books for Sadie at the book sale here next week. Happy Spring to you, too. It's late getting here which makes it all the more delightful.

>116 drachenbraut23:: Hi Bianca, I had a wonderful Boxer growing up that we got in Germany. So when we started looking for a family pet after I got married, we got another one and named her Schatzie. That's the one my oldest son grew up with. As I mentioned, he has three of them now. They may be rescue dogs but they've found a home where they are the children and are much loved.

>117 Morphidae:: Lol, Morphy. I appreciate the humor on my thread. I'll have to remember to tell my son. One of his other Boxers is notorious for French kissing. Yup, he got me once while I was there. Pffffttt.

>119 BLBera:: Thanks, Beth. Spring is kind of on and off this time of year. I'm looking across the pond at some Bradford Pear trees in bloom. The other trees have those baby leaves that are so delicate looking. I don't think our cold weather is over but you can have the snow up your way. You're more used to it this time of year than we are!

I have been trying to catch up on LT a little bit today. I will get around to the threads sooner or later. Even a short trip can cause a major setback around here!

Donna, I highly recommend The Staircase. It is one of my favorite Rinaldi books.

Hi Donna, wonderful review of TransAtlantic (why oh why does that stupid touchstone always go to Pride and Prejudice?). Anyway, we both rated it the same and I must read more McCann. Seems like I said that after reading Let the Great World Spin.

I love the shot of you and Buster. We keep Buddy off the furniture by providing him with his own couch;-)

Such a wonderful picture, Donna, of both you and the grand dog Buster! Oh I can't wait for you to get your hands on Life After Life - it really is wonderful!

Great picture, Donna!

Ha! I have a dog that likes to French kiss, too. She sneaks one in occasionally. Also, "sinus cleans" and "ear wax checks." Yuck!

Nice review of TransAtlantic, Donna; I'm eagerly awaiting its publication in June.

121: Thanks, Linda. I'll be sure to look for that one.

122: Bonnie, I'm convinced that we will never be able to read all the books we want to. But it's fun trying! More McCann reading is a good place to start.

123: Deborah, you should get part of the royalties for promoting Life After Life. I love your enthusiasm!

124: Thank you, Roni.

125: dogs can be sneaky with their affection, Morphy. That's what makes them such wonderful companions.

126: It's a good one, Darryl. June will be here before we know it. I hope you enjoy the book.

It's a rainy day here. Perfect weather for working on my cross-stitch sampler for the new baby. I am listening to Catherine the Great while I stitch away. What a wonderful book. I'm glad it's a long one because I have many stitches ahead of me.

"She sat down at the parapet and looked across the sea. He hadn't asked her one thing about herself. Her own plans. He didn't even know whether she had a job she had to get back to. If she had any money. About when her holiday ended. She tried to remember whether he'd ever asked anything about her at all." (72)

Book No. 36: The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam. 4.1 stars.

Eddie Feathers asks Elizabeth Macintosh to marry him--and promise that she'll never leave him as others have done all his life. She agreed and so became the future Mrs. Edward Feathers. It sounds like the beginning of a long, happy relationship until Betty meets Eddie's nemesis, attorney Harry Veneering, gazes into his blue eyes and thinks: "it is just one hour too late." Oh, Betty! You turned out to be a very interesting character with a mind of your own.

There were some surprises in this book from both Betty and her husband Eddie a/k/a Old Filth. This was a poignant look at a marriage from Betty's point of view which turned out to be quite different from her husband's. Yet, the marriage worked for them pretty well until the end. I was delighted to read another book by Ms. Gardam...and I look forward to what I find out in the third book in this trilogy. Very satisfying reading much along the lines of the books by Evan S. Connell, Mr. Bridge and Mrs. Bridge which tell the two sides of a prominent Kansas City couple in the 1950's.

Donna- Good review of The Man in the Wooden Hat. It's nice to see this story continue and from a different perspective. I am starting Alias Grace, which I wasn't originally planning to read for AA but it looked like everyone else was and you know I am a follower. Have a great weekend.

Hi Mark, I am having one of the best week ends of my life!

Molly Claire was born yesterday morning. The new family is doing well. As you can see, Haley is very much liking her little sister. Molly weighed in at 7 lbs., 5 ounces, and was 20 3/4 inches long.

Adorable! And the expression on Haley's face is priceless! I can't wait to see her again....and meet Molly! :-)

Congratulations, Donna! I can't wait until my granddaughter is born.

Oh, Molly Claire is a lovely name. Congratulations on your new granddaughter, Donna. As always, Haley rules!

Heartfelt congratulations Donna, on a beautiful addition to your family. I'm sure Haley will shine as a big sister. Talk about a fun weekend. You certainly know how to have a good time!

Congrats Grandma! A new addition! Yah! Looking forward to more photos of little Molly. Haley looks like a proud big sister.

Congratulations!

Haley, Molly & Buster are all sooooo cute. Great family!

I do wish I'd jumped on the Old Filth group read.

Awwww! New baby! Yippeeee! Congratulations, Donna, to the entire family. I'm looking forward to watching this little one grow up just as we have with Haley.

Molly Claire is a sweety - love the pink cap! - as is big sis Haley! Wonderful news indeed, Donna!

Congratulations! What a cutie!

Gorgeous new baby! Haley looks like she'll adjust well. :)

Congratulations on your newest addition! She is as adorable as her big sister . . .

Donna, congratulations on your new granddaughter! She's very cute, and her older sister does look pleased with her. That's got to be a good start!

I liked your review of The Man in the Wooden Hat, which I must look out for. I read Old Filth recently and thought it was excellent.

Congratulations on your newest granddaughter Donna! She looks like she's going to be a cute one already :-)

I'm afraid I was very behind on your thread but enjoyed catching up with your reviews and have added Moral Disorder and The Man in the Wooden Hat to my wishlist (I'm currently reading Old Filth)

I was also pleased to see you recommend Mr Bridge and Mrs Bridge - they've been reissued recently so I've seen a few reviews of them and they sounded like interesting books so I will bump them up my library list.

Molly - what a lovely name!

I'm completely behind on all the threads. What a darling photo of the little sisters. Congrats, Donna!

Welcome Molly Claire! And congrats to big sister Haley! Thanks for sharing, Donna - what a lovely picture of the two girls together. And congratulations to you, who must be beaming!!

That's a great picture, Donna, of your two youngest granddaughters. Molly Claire is simply precious. Lots of joy and adventures are coming your way!

Thanks for all the congratulations on Molly's birth. We are all so very happy. And, yes, Mamie, I am beaming!



Today's sister pic...

Awwwww... too cute! And the one of Haley and Molly is sweet, too ;-)

Oh my, those 2 pix just made my day.

Great!

Congratulations Donna! What beautiful pictures! Molly seems to be every bit as photogenic as her big sister.

Yes, grandkids are great. You get to spoil them and then turn them back to the parents after the fun. I have six of my own. Fun without the hassles of parenthood.

Congratulations, Donna!

Oh, what a lovely addition to the family! Molly is going to give Haley a run for her money in the cuteness sweepstakes but I have no doubts Haley will continue to hold her own!

Congratulations, Donna!

Congrats! Such a beautiful baby, and Haley is adorable as usual!

Congratulations, Donna, and what lovely pictures! Looks like Haley's ready to take on the role of Big Sis already. :)

*waving* at Donna

Congratulations on the new grand-girl! I love the picture of the new baby and Haley.

I'm back after four days with a 2-year-old! Haley was super good for Grandma D. but still... Very little reading got done and even less time on LT. I just want to thank everyone again for all the congratulations on Molly's birth. I'm a little gaga over my fifth grandchild so please bear with me if I give in to gushing on occasion.

>131 Nancy618:: Nancy, I am so pleased that my first response came from my BFF!
>132 BLBera:: Beth, there is no feeling in the world that can compare with holding a newborn baby. I can't wait to "meet" your new granddaughter.
>133 lit_chick:: "Haley rules!" Yes, she does. At least in this house!
>134 brenzi:: Yes, Bonnie, a very good time indeed. The house seems so empty without Haley in it. And no hospital visit today either. It looks like it's me and the books for a change.
>135 msf59:: Mark, I'll probably overdo the baby pictures for awhile. You will understand when you're a Grandpa.
>136 ronincats:: Thank you, Roni.
>137 cammykitty:: Katie, it's never too late to read Old Filth and comment on the group read thread. I do have a great family. I just wish they weren't so spread out.
>138 lauralkeet:: Laura, I'll be happy to share Molly's growth with the group. I'm certain we'll have another reader in the family.
>139 lkernagh:: Lori, I am happy to share my wonderful news with such a receptive group.
>140 katiekrug:: Thanks for the congrats, Katie.
>141 nittnut:: I think she will adjust to her new sis, Jenn. But we'll see for sure as they settle into a new routine.
>142 brenpike:: Aww, thanks, Brenda. We think she's pretty adorable, too.
>143 susanj67:: Susan, Haley is so gentle with her new sister. That is a good start. I hope you like The Man in the Wooden Hat when you get to it.
>144 souloftherose:: Thanks for the kind words, Heather. I hope you like Old Filth as much as I did. That's good news about the reissuing of Mr. Bridge and Mrs. Bridge. They are quiet little psychological studies of a marriage in the 1950s. There was also a movie that is quite good starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.
>145 Morphidae:: Morphy, I've always loved the name Molly. Her middle name was going to be Rose but Claire won out in the end. Haley is still going to call her Molly Rose!
>146 labwriter:: Becky, thanks so much for the congrats. Like you, I am so behind on threads. I may never catch up!
>147 Crazymamie:: I'm still beaming, Mamie!
>148 DeltaQueen50:: The joy has already begun, Judy. I'll have to get rested up for the adventures!

>150 katiekrug:: Your message made me smile, Katie.
>151 lauralkeet:: Laura, I'm glad I could make your day.
>152 jnwelch:: Carrie, she is photogenic with her eyes closed. I'll try to get an 'awake' picture soon.
>153 cbl_tn:: Thanks, Joe!
>154 mldavis2:: You said it, Mike. And you are one up on me in the grandkid department.
>155 kidzdoc:: I appreciate the congratulations, Darryl.
>156 rosalita:: Julia, cuteness is good. I just hope Molly is as laid back as Haley.
>157 scaifea:: Thank you, Amber.
>158 bell7:: Haley is going to be a great Big Sis, Mary.
>159 alcottacre:: Stasia! It is fantastic seeing you here. Thanks for the congratulations!

Whew. Caught up with responses. Now for some book reports...

"What are the books that have made you who you are? So much depends on where you, the reader, are--physically and metaphorically--when you decide to pick up a book and give it a chance. Which explains why there's no such thing as one ideal bookshelf...We're all still hunting, still hoping to discover one more book that we'll love and treasure for the rest of our lives."

Book No. 37: My Ideal Bookshelf by Thessaly La Force, editor. Art by Jane Mount. 4 stars.

I absolutely adore that quote from the introduction. I love the treasure hunt for the next book that will make my heart sing. I simply do not understand people who believe that reading is boring. I've loved to read from an early age and will continue that love until the end of my life.

It was fun putting together my ideal bookshelf (see profile picture), but I knew even as I was doing it that it could easily change the next day. This book provided much pleasure over the course of several weeks perusing other's ideas of an ideal bookshelf. None of them matched mine, of course, because we are all so different. There was a brief explanation on the page opposite the beautiful paintings by Jane Mount from all the contributors. I must admit that I paid more attention to the authors' submissions. Some of my favorites were: Chimamanda Adichie, Michael Chabon, Junot Diaz, Dave Eggers, Mary Karr, Jonathan Lethem, Nancy Pearl, Francine Prose (all Chekhov!), George Saunders, and Scott Spencer. Highly recommended if you enjoy books about books.

I've got that one on my WL, Donna. Love the quote and your comments. It's hard for me to make out a couple of the titles on your Profile shelf, but I see Gilead and My Antonia there, and those are two of my faves.

"The sun has set, we slide back through the gradual dusk. Loon voices in the distance; bats flitter past us, dipping over the water surface, flat calm now, the shore things, white-gray rocks and dead trees, doubling themselves in the dark mirror. Around us the illusion of infinite space or of no space, ourselves and the obscure shore which it seems we could touch, the water between an absence. The canoe's reflection floats with us, the paddles twin in the lake. It's like moving on air, nothing beneath us holding us up; suspended, we drift home."

Book No. 38: Surfacing by Margaret Atwood. 3.7 stars.

A young woman learns that her father has gone missing on the isolated island in northern Quebec where he lived and where the family had spent their summers. She and her boyfriend Joe, along with their friends David and Anna, travel there to search for him. The search for her father turns out to be a search for inner peace for the unnamed protagonist. She has some unresolved issues concerning marriage, abortion, and "civilized" life in general.

Atwood makes the reader look beneath the surface as the narrator goes deep into her past to discover her essential self. Things get more than a little fuzzy at this point. Makes me wonder if Nature Girl hasn't ingested some hallucinatory mushrooms. Also, the blatant anti-American insults got old, although I came to accept them as cynicism against society in general. This is a very thought-provoking book. I'll probably return to it when I am in a more analytical mood.

Joe, I'm pretty certain you and most other LTers will love My Ideal Bookshelf. My own bookshelf was created on a whim. The titles are: The Screwtape Letters, Walden, Gilead, Infinite Jest, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Sophie's Choice, V is for Verses - this one because I've been taking my thread header poems from it, Cat's Eye - a nod to Atwood April, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Light in August, My Antonia, A Tale of Two Cities, and The Good Earth.

Lots of good ones there, Donna. I esp. liked Walden, Huck Finn, and A Tale of Two Cities. This will be fun to do on a whimsy once I've read The Ideal Bookshelf.

Wonderful reviews of My Ideal Bookshelf and Surfacing, Donna. Always enjoy the quotes you post. And Surfacing is an Atwood I haven't yet experienced, but I find I need to be in a thoughtful mood to read most of her work.

Congratulations Donna! Such adorable grandchildren! Molly Claire (what a beautiful name) is going to give Haley a run for her money on the cuteness scale and you get to watch and enjoy it all!

Congratulations - #149 - love the joy and affection in those photos. Wonderful.

Thanks for the recommendation of My Ideal Bookshelf - always looking for new books on books - or list-books. A lot of Margaret Atwood lately on threads. I HAVE to read one of her books VERY soon. I think.

I'm with you. I prefer Molly Rose to Molly Claire, too!

My ideal bookshelf? Hmm, at this moment in time...

The Stand by Stephen King
Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman
Essential Spirituality by Roger Walsh
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
84, Charing Cross by Helene Hanff
Kushiel trilogy by Jacqueline Carey
Black Jewels trilogy by Anne Bishop
Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey
The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey
Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

#165: Your ideal bookshelf includes some of my own favorites - Gilead - Walden - My Antonia and also the Screwtape Letters.....

Here's My Ideal Bookshelf:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Anna Karenina by Tolstoy
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Walden by Thoreau
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Life by Solzhenitsyn
David Copperfield by Dickens
Middlemarch George Eliot
Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky
Life Together Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Ah, the horror of all those beloved books that are not included here - it's a cruel cut - the victorians rule on my list and I had to control myself not to include more :)

What lovely photos of you and the new baby and Hayley and her brand new sister.

Congratulations!!!!

>166 jnwelch:: Joe, I can't wait to see your ideal bookshelf!

>167 lit_chick:: I find I need to be in a thoughtful mood to read most of her work. That is good advice for reading Ms. Atwood, Nancy.

>168 Copperskye:: Joanne, I am feeling like a very lucky grandmother these days. I get to see my KC grandkids fairly frequently but nothing can be better than having them in the same city.

>169 ctpress:: Thanks, Carsten, and welcome to my thread. I feel as if I know you from reading your comments on Nancy and Deborah's threads. I love to read books on books. This one was a visual feast as well.

>170 Morphidae:: Great list, Morphy. Still kicking myself for leaving out To Kill A Mockingbird. I guess I missed it on the highest shelf in my library...or maybe I was too lazy to get a ladder!

>171 ctpress:: Carsten, your first three ladies could easily have been on my ideal bookshelf as well. As I said somewhere upthread, I need an ideal bookcase -- and even that might not be big enough! Did you know that 2013 is the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice? I recently bought a beautiful annotated edition of it which I plan to read soon.

>172 Whisper1:: Thank you very much, Linda. We now have four granddaughters and one grandson. Poor Griffin!

Five grandchildren...how lovely!

I don't think I could manage an ideal bookshelf, unless I could have one for each category!

Donna, had to try out The Ideal Bookshelf: (otherwise known as the ten books I would choose today to take to a desert island)

The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Fall on Your Knees, Ann-Marie MacDonald
Bleak House, Charles Dickens
Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry
The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton
All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
Where White Horses Gallop, Beatrice MacLeod

Hi Donna,
I have My Ideal Bookshelf on reserve at the library and I think I am next in line and after I read it I am going to make my own list. Some fantastic suggestions above though! Congratulations on the new grand baby! I have a daughter named Claire so I'm very partial of course to the name! Molly Claire is a beautiful name.

I really need to get my hands on a copy of My Ideal Bookshelf. It is too bad my local library does not have a copy yet.

Donna! Hugs and exuberant congratulations on the birth of your new granddaughter, Molly Claire. What a lovely old fashioned name. She is very lucky to have Haley and bear to watch over her.
OK, vacation time is over young lady back to the books for you ;0)

Linda, five is a nice number but an even half dozen would be perfect! Ben and Mary are my only hope as they "might" want to try for a little brother for Haley and Molly.

Roni, why not? There are no rules for creating your ideal bookshelf.

I love your list, Nancy. Thanks for sharing. You know, I'm embarrassed to admit I've never read The Count of Monte Cristo. I must rectify that...and soon. Also, All Quiet on the Western Front has been on my book radar way too long!

Hi Mary, I'm so glad my granddaughter is named after your daughter. Lol. They were calling her Molly Rose for months and then all of a sudden my Mary decided she liked Claire better. I think the one giving birth should get to choose the name! We're very happy with our newest grandchild whatever the name. I think you'll enjoy My Ideal Bookshelf. I will look for your own creation when you are finished with the book.

Your library would drive me nuts, Stasia. Can you do interlibrary loans to get the books you want? Hope you are having a great day. Raining again here.

Lynda, thanks for your exuberant congratulations. I did finish another book. I'm just trying to wrap my head around it. I think you would like it as it explores spirituality in a fun setting. Hmmm, sounds like a pretty decent opening line for a review! Thanks for being my muse.

Donna, congratulations on the adorable new addition to your family. (And the pics of you look pretty darned good, too.)

I've just caught up here and really enjoyed the Jane Gardam love going on. I read Old Filth last year; I liked the cover and the (explained) title. Then who could resist The Man in the Wooden Hat? Read that this year. Now have the latest one on the Kindle. I'm trying to save it for a while, while I clear some "real" books off my shelves of shame. LT is, however, a vast and deep conspiracy in which we all willingly participate, encouraging more reading (and buying).

"Before the drive to North Dakota...I suffered now and again from a nagging puzzlement about the deeper meaning of things...from time to time a gust of uneasiness would blow through the back rooms of my mind, as if a window had been left open there and a storm had come through and my neatly stacked pages of notes on being human had blown off the desk." (2)

Book No. 39: Breakfast With Buddha by Roland Merullo. 3.8 stars.

This book explores spirituality in a fun setting...a road trip from New York City to the plains of North Dakota. Otto Ringling thinks he is picking up his wacky new age sister to drive to North Dakota to settle their parents' estate, when she pulls a switcheroo on him and sends her spiritual teacher, Volya Rinpoche, in her place. Let the fun begin!

The reluctant Otto gradually succumbs to the quiet charm of VR to the point where he makes several detours to deliver him to his speaking engagements along the way. It turns out that his sister's guru is a world famous Buddhist monk who has written several well-respected books about exploring the interior life through yoga and meditation. The strange friendship deepens as the miles accumulate and they agree to exchange the American experience for a piece of enlightenment -- in four days. Otto takes VR bowling, to a Cubs game in Chicago, and miniature golfing with some humorous results. In return, Volya imparts small wisdoms along the way that show Otto the contained world of himself that only he can control. I like that the book isn't preachy yet it still contains the wisdom of the ages. The lesson I'll take away? Do not miss the gifts of this world. I've been Zenned!

Gail, thanks for your kind words. I am looking forward to reading the latest Gardam book, too. I know what you mean about reading books off the shelf. I'm not doing that as well as I did last year primarily because I've read many of the "best" ones. At least I think so. I'm so glad I'm part of this "vast and deep conspiracy" of LT. Well said!

Great reviews lately, and let me also congratulate you on your beautiful new grandchild. Another reader on the horizon.

Donna,
So much wonderfulness on your thread! Congrats on the new family members, both Buster and of course adorable little Molly. I love that name.
I'm looking forward to reading both TransAtlantic and The Man in the Wooden Hat; I'm glad to see that you enjoyed both.

Great review Donna. I've been Zenned! Ha, ha - I like so much to read about spirituality when it is wrapped in a story - and conversation - and better if it's funny - something like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - although that one was a little to heavy handed for me.

No I didn't know it was the 200th Anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice - I was thinking about which Jane Austen I should read this year - I think you have just chosen for me :)

Donna, I thought of you as I listened to a review by a RL book group member as she described The Cardturner by Louis Sachar. I know you don't usually read YA literature, but the story about a 17 year-old who is enlisted to hold cards for his blind uncle's obsessive bridge playing had me thinking it might be a fun book for you. Apparently Sachar is a bridge player himself and throughout the book does go into some detail about specific hands. He uses a clever device to alert those of us who are not bridge players so we can skip over those sections! I may just have to check it out . . .

Donna - the photos of you with your latest grandchild are lovely - you have every right to be beaming - Sister looks delighted at the addition too.

Love the Ideal Bookshelf idea and noted Nancy's comment about it also being 10 desert island books. Morphy and Carsten did a dozen and a Baker's dozen respectively so I guess I'll help myself to a similar liberty as Carsten!

(1) The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse edited by Philip Larkin
(2) The Complete Works of Shakespeare by Billy himself (well probably)
(3) The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan-Doyle

ok cheating over

(4) Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
(5) The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham
(6) La Bete Humaine by Emile Zola
(7) The Quiet American by Graham Greene
(8) To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
(9) A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
(10) A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel
(11) Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
(12) Moonfleet by J. Meade Faulkner
(13) If Not Now, When? by Primo Levi

I am sure that if I did the list again next week it would be different!

Have a lovely weekend.

Oh, how great to see Breakfast with Buddha, Donna. I really enjoyed that book. Your takeaway seems just right to me. :-) I've got his Lunch with Buddha waiting for me at home.

>184 dallenbaugh:: Hi Donna, you are so right. I can tell Molly will be a reader just like her big sister and her cousins.

>185 EBT1002:: Ellen, I love the name Molly too. I've had some wonderful reads this month!

>186 ctpress:: Carsten, you should like the Buddha book then. I read Motorcyle Maintenance two times. I enjoyed both readings yet still don't feel like I "got" everything he had to offer. I gave my book to my oldest son because it is one of his very favorites. Maybe he can enlighten me someday.

>187 brenpike:: Thank you very much, Brenda, for that recommendation. I've heard of the book but then forgot about it. It does seem like an interesting premise - and maybe it could help me with my bridge game! I've liked the other books by Louis Sachar that I've read: Sideways Stories from Wayside School was always a big hit as a read aloud in the classroom.

>188 PaulCranswick:: Paul, there was no suggested number in the book. Many bookshelves featured had more than a dozen titles. I like your list very much as it stands and would probably like next week's books as well. I'm glad to see A Fine Balance on there. I'm looking forward to a reread in July with Mark and whoever else wants to join us. It's the book I suggested for him. He's gonna love me after he reads it!

>189 jnwelch:: Joe, thanks for alerting me about another Buddha book. I will definitely plan to have Lunch With Buddha because breakfast was so good!

I went to half price day at our library's semi-annual book sale today. My husband bought more books than I did! I must confess, however, that I have well over 1,000 books in my library while he probably has around 100. Poor guy.

Here is my haul:

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Morgan's Passing by Anne Tyler - my librarian/friend's favorite AT book
The Beast God Forgot to Invent by Jim Harrison
Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre
The Pyramid by Henning Mankell - (his first cases; sort of a prequel to his novels)
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh - May's book club selection; our librarian was having trouble getting enough copies for the group. This should help.

I also bought a book on bridge conventions and a copy of Sleeping Beauty for Haley. I guess she is driving her other Grandma nuts with it. :-)

That takes care of my Thingaversary books from last month...and then some. Next book sale is in early June in Kansas City. I always have high hopes for that one!

You got The Song of Achilles at a library sale? NICE!!
You will love, love, love that book Donna.

Woot! Nice haul from the library's books sale, Donna. I'll echo Laura's sentiments: you will LOVE The Song of Achilles. Chuckled that Haley is driving her other grandma nuts with Sleeping Beauty : ).

Well Donna, now you really have no need to delay the reading of The Song of Achilles any longer. And I picked up Agent Zigzag a couple of weeks ago too. Wonderful reviews as usual. My Ideal Bookshelf sounds like a book I need to add to my teetering tower.

I LOVED The Song of Achilles. It was a beautiful story. :)

Ideal bookshelves!
*exciting*
I might have to go away and compose a list to return with later. Always a happy chore, to make lists of books :)
(thanks)

Hi Donna - Nice haul at your book sale. I'm going to have to go book shopping with you sometime; you seem to have a knack for finding great books.

Today was a 6-hour round trip to Kansas City for a 4-hour family birthday party. Crazy! I am highlighting another granddaughter this time. Audrey turned 9 on April 23 and we attended the delayed party today. She is a middle child and doesn't get the attention she deserves! Happy Birthday, Audrey!



Love those two front teeth missing!
Reading Misty of Chincoteague
Ready for Horse Camp!

I'll be back tomorrow after Bridge class to respond to my lovely visitors. I have to cram (and sleep) tonight.

Donna, how blessed you are with those grandchildren! Audrey is beautiful - what a great smile!

I bought Song of Achilles back when it first went paperback and I've yet to read it. You've reminded me that it's there on that shelf!

I guessed just after seeing the cake that she must be at the horse-crazy stage!

Did Audrey ask for a pony for her birthday? Maybe horse camp is a happy compromise.
Hope you crushed them at your Bridge class.

Yay, Audrey! Great pic of yet another stellar granddaughter, Donna.

Donna, I loved Song of Achilles and I hope you do too. The party sounds like fun!

>199 EBT1002:: Thank you, Ellen, I have five wonderful blessings in my life, and I am grateful. I plan to read Song of Achilles sometime this summer. Can you believe I'm already "booked" for May?

>200 ronincats:: Roni, you are so right! She wanted to have a horseback riding party with her friends, but for some reason, her mother didn't want that responsibility.

>201 Carmenere:: Of course, she wants a horse, Lynda, but is smart enough to realize it's not in the cards for her. She and her older sister are both going to horse camp in June. I hope they make the girls clean out some stalls so the horse fever passes! I wouldn't exactly say I crushed them at Bridge, but I didn't embarrass myself. That's all I really care about at this stage in my game.

>202 jnwelch:: Thanks, Joe. I hope you are having fun with your stellar son out west.

>203 susanj67:: Susan, I am late to the Song of Achilles love fest. For some reason, the book just jumped into my hands. It is a mint condition hardcover so I will most likely keep it in my permanent library. The party was fun and worth the long drive.

I will probably be sore tomorrow. I spent two hours trimming, pulling weeds, and raking. I hope I'm able to get out again tomorrow afternoon. I will have Haley. I'm sure she will be a big help! The weather was in the low 80s today but more cool weather is due later this week. I have a lot more work to do outside before it gets too hot and humid for me. I also have a book to finish before the end of April. I'm heading to the snuggery to read. One of these days I'll try and catch up on threads.

It was in the upper 80's here today and we also worked very hard in the yard, digging a trench for improved drainage. :/
It was cold enough for coats two days ago, and shorts and flip-flops today. . . Aaauuuugh!

Nice haul, Donna!

Happy Birthday, Audrey!

Sooo, I'm lying in bed last night finishing Fludd and all of a sudden I remember the flurry of posts before Audrey's birthday pics. I can't even keep up with my own thread!

192: Laura, I love your enthusiasm for Song of Achilles. I'm going to shoot for reading it in June.

193: More enthusiasm from Nancy. Maybe I'll have time to bookhorn (nod to Mark) it in later in May. Other Grandma is gone. My turn to read Sleeping Beauty.

194: Bonnie, Agent Zigzag was found on half price day in the History section. I usually focus my attention on Fiction. So glad I meandered into another section.

195: Hi Rachel, so far I haven't heard any negative talk about The Song of Achilles. I need to read faster!

196: Megan, I'll look forward to your list of books for your ideal bookshelf. It's a fun exercise. I like reminiscing about books I have loved.

197: Anytime you want to go book shopping, Beth, just let me know. How about the Johnson County Sizzlin' Summer Book Sale June 5 - 8 in Kansas City?

205: This is crazy weather, isn't it, Brenda. Digging a trench doesn't sound like much fun at all. Keep your coat handy for later in the week!

206: Thanks, Stasia! I will pass along the birthday acknowledgement. I will also have to tell Audrey about her 15 minutes of fame on LT!

Nooooo . . .

Another belated Happy Birthday to Audrey. Love that name, btw. She's a charmer.

My Ideal Bookshelf arrived yesterday. Tried to keep my hands off but did peek a bit...I like Francine Prose quite a lot, but a whole bookshelf of Chekov? All of it? C'mon.
Just my opinion.
I can't even begin to figure my own Ideal Shelf.

Gail, I am very tempted to order my own copy of My Ideal Bookshelf. It would make a great coffee table book to drool pore over. I agree with your opinion. I wonder if Prose reads anything besides Chekov? She was the only one who focused on one author like that. Maybe she just wanted to stand out in the crowd.

Thanks for the Audrey love! She's a very lovable girl. ;-)

"It was true that the curate had not spoken to her, apart from an exchange of pleasantries, a few words when she brought in the sausages. But there was a whisper at the back of her mind, and only he could have put it there. I have come to transform you, transformation is my business."

Book No. 40: Fludd by Hilary Mantel. 3.7 stars.

This little book raises more questions than it answers when Father Fludd appears at the rectory in a small northern English village late at night in a thunderstorm. He has been expected ever since the Bishop's visit and his recommendations for a host of changes, including a curate to help Father Angwin accept the modernization of the Catholic Church. These changes prompt Father Angwin to wish the Bishop would "stick to his politics and keep out of religion." Despite his reluctance, the two priests get along well with the help of the whiskey bottle that never seems to run out of spirits.

The book is short so I'll let the reader sort out the character of Fludd and the transformations he makes on some of the principal characters. There is some doubt as to who and perhaps even what he really is. Mantel has created a sinister Gothic atmosphere in which some strange and wonderful things happen. She throws in some unexpected humor and much food for thought. I suspect this book and Mantel's rendition on religion will stay with me for quite awhile.

Ideal bookshelf for a desert island? That's kind of tough.

1. Persuasion - favorite re-read
2. Cotillion - frivolity - I am sure occasional frivolity is needed, even on desert islands
3. Poisonwood Bible - favorite re-read
4. the actual Holy Bible - necessary
5. The Smitten Kitchen - vicarious feasting
6. The Lord of the Rings
7. Jane Eyre
8. David Copperfield - or something equally lengthy by Dickens
9. Little Women
10. Les Miserables
11. The Boy Scout Handbook - just in cases...

Oh dear, my desert Island list has languished. I want to take books I havent read so thatI make the most of it, but then, that is a bit of a gamble. So....
Am I taking this a little too seriously?

:)

Lovely granddaughter photos! She looks like a tall 9 year old! Or am I just used to 4 year olds? :)

I would have a hard time coming up with my own list, However, both my grandmother and my father used to tell a story about my great-grandfather's three choices for desert island reading: the Bible, the works of Josephus, and a dictionary. He's the only person I ever heard of who would site down to read a dictionary (as opposed to just looking up a word). He said it was interesting, but the topic changes frequently.

Enjoyed your comments on Fludd, Donna. I suspect this book and Mantel's rendition on religion will stay with me for quite awhile: I think Mantel probably accomplished her mission, then.

That sounds like a Mantel to start with. You got me with that one, Donna.

Mantel is so amazing -- each of her novels is so different from the others (well, the Cromwell ones are similar obviously, but the rest ... very diverse). I haven't read this one yet but I'm kind of unofficially working my way through everything she's ever written.

Nice review of Fludd, Bonnie. And belated congratulations on the new grandchild!

Hello Donna,
first of all - belated congrats, a big hooray and a big hug to the birth of Molly *big smile*. What wonderful photos of Haley and Molly and yourself and Molly and of course you have got all the reasons to beam.

Also a belated "Happy Birthday" to Audrey :) and I hope she will have fun at the horse camp with her sister.

OK, so your Boxer was called "Schatzie"? LOL. As you say, Boxer are wonderful dogs and the first dog we had was a Boxer as well. His name was Astor. He used to look after me when I was a baby and apparently he adored me soo much that even relatives weren't allowed to come near me *grin*.
Oh yeah, yuck the French Kiss business, something the little dog of my brother - Paula - is very good at. *shudder*

Great reviews on My ideal Bookshelf and Surfacing. Although, I would find it very difficult to narrow something down to 10 books, I think that could make me very easily cry.
I got The Song of Achilles last month in a charity shop, in London. I hope to get to it soon.
I wanted to participate in The Old Filth group read and started the book, but could not get into it. However, I will go back to it eventually. I just listened to All Quiet on the Western Front and I have to say - it made me weep. Definitely a book which everyone should have read at least once in his lifetime.

I wish you and your family a great week ahead Donna :)

Donna - I just caught up on your thread. So much is going on over here! I love all of the granddaughter pictures!

213: Love the list, Jenn. Numbers 4 and 11 are indeed necessary. The Holy Bible to save your soul and The Boy Scout Handbook to save your life!

214: Megan, one can never take a book list too seriously. I'm sure Audrey does look tall to you but she is one of the shortest in her class. Those cowboy boots make her legs look incredibly long!

215: Carrie, your great-grandfather sounds like a wise man with a sense of humor! My youngest son used to read the dictionary. He still has a great vocabulary.

216: Good observation, Nancy!

217: Yay! I got Roni interested in a book. I hope you like it. I'll be looking for your thoughts on it.

218: I've read four Mantel books now, Laura, and have liked them all. My next one will be another chunkster, A Place of Greater Safety. I think this one will be more along the lines of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies with a setting in France.

219: Thanks, Linda. Good to see you here.

220: That was a nice long message, Bianca. You are so right that the books I connect with the most usually bring a tear to my eye. I'll make it a goal to read All Quiet on the Western Front this year. So many LTers have loved that one.

221: Hi Amy. You're just in time to see the switchover to a new thread. I'll probably just get it started tonight and fill out some of the reserved spots tomorrow. I'd like to accomplish something today besides reading!