Donna's Joy of Reading: September and October

The Porch Swing

Sitting on the porch swing,
Going to and fro,
Watching all the people,
Reading wonderful books,
Feeling breezes blow,
Smelling all the flowers,
Hearing robins sing,
I see the last of summer,
Sitting on the swing!

by Cynthia J Breedlove

My apologies to Ms. Breedlove for editing her poem to fit my needs. I just don't see many people on my back patio as there is a lake behind our house. I do see lots of birds and squirrels, though, along with an occasional chipmunk visitor.

I enjoy beginning my day (after walking Lucky) with a cup of coffee, a book, and the sweet sounds of nature. The slow rhythm of swinging relaxes me and provides the ultimate reading experience. I know inquiring minds want to know the title of the book I'm holding. It's A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel and may be my next big book. It's about the French Revolution which came near the end of Catherine the Great's reign in Russia. The chapter in that wonderful book made me pick up the Mantel book. One book leads to another!

Books Read in October:
93. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.
Cousins Joe Kavalier and Sam Clay begin a comic book series together, but this book is about much more than that. An amazing adventure indeed.

94. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny. 4.3 stars.
The best Three Pines story yet solves the mystery of the disappearance of Myrna's friend Constance and brings resolution to Inspector Gamache's ongoing problems with the corruption in the Surete.

95. The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri. 3.7 stars.
Lahiri's second novel focuses on two brothers and the political unrest in India in the 1960s that came between them. Much of the story takes place in the U.S. A bit of a disappointment for me after loving the previous three books Lahiri wrote.

96. Factory Girls by Leslie T. Chang. 3.9 stars.
A Chinese-American journalist follows two young girls through part of the migrant worker boom in the factories of south China. Well researched and informative.

97. Looking for Rachel Wallace by Robert B. Parker. 4 stars.
No. 6 in the Spenser series is my favorite so far. He is hired as the bodyguard for a feminist lesbian author. A Boston blizzard and a severe beating aren't enough to keep Spenser from doing his job with humor and gallantry.

98. Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson. 4.2 stars.
This book about the CIA in Viet Nam shows what can go wrong when an intelligence officer goes rogue and develops a scheme involving a double agent.

99. Tomato Red by Daniel Woodrell. 4.1 stars.
Three young people cross the country club set in a small Ozarks town with disastrous results.

100. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. 3.7 stars.
Best friends Will and Jim save the town when a mysterious carnival causes people to disappear and other strange events to happen.

101. Lisey's Story by Stephen King. 3 stars.
Bool hunts, bad gunky, and a supernatural land where one could go to either get healed or killed was a little too weird for my taste. I like Stephen King much of the time, but this one bordered on the land of silliness.

102. Winter in Madrid by C. J. Sansom. 3.7 stars.
A long book with a complicated plot about British prep school friends who meet again in pre-WWII Spain under the reign of Franco. Intelligence operations, a prisoner-of-war camp, corruption, and a touching love story intermingle in a historical setting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Books Read in September:
83. Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw. 3.4 stars.
The dismal story of some modern migrant workers in China.

84. I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming. 4.1 stars.
Russ and Clare continue to grieve both the loss of Russ's wife Linda and their seemingly hopeless situation. Clare joins the National Guard to help work out some of her feelings.

85. Maddaddam by Margaret Atwood. 4.2 stars.
The peace-loving Crakers join with the remaining "good guys" to ensure that life will go on despite the evil forces threatening it. A satisfying conclusion to a creative trilogy from one of my favorite authors.

86. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. 3.9 stars.
This fairy tale comes to light when a middle-aged man revisits his memories of a bizarre time in his youth.

87. The Judas Goat by Robert B. Parker. 3.1 stars.
Spenser travels abroad to London, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Montreal in order to deliver justice to a client who lost his family in a senseless car bombing.

88. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra. 4.5 stars.
A solid debut from an author to watch about Chechnya's struggle for freedom and the horrendous effects it had on characters you will care about.

89. Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks. 3.7 stars.
Historical fiction about the first Native American graduate of Harvard and the friendship he had with Bethia Mayfield who had her own quest to receive an education.

90. Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier. 3.6 stars.
An unlikely friendship develops between Elizabeth Philpot and Mary Anning as they search the beaches of western England for fossils.

91. A Dance to the Music of Time: Volume Three by Anthony Powell. 4 stars.
The drama of high society life in England in the early to mid-20th century turns darker as the unending balls and dinners are replaced by air raid sirens and bomb shelters. Some of the characters that we've known from the beginning pages will not be back for the last volume!

92. A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel. 4.8 stars.
Ms. Mantel makes the backstory of the French Revolution come alive through her vision of three historical characters who play important roles in the uprising. I can't say enough about her gift to make characters come alive and her ability to transport the reader to a different place and time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

August Summary...August was a very productive reading month for me. I read twelve books, only four of which were mine. I used the library more frequently so I could pick up the three books Longlisted for the Booker Prize. My rating numbers were fairly close together; the highest rated book was Shantaram, a sprawling fantastic (in all meanings of the word) book about India based on the author's life. Although my lowest rated book was by Robert B. Parker, I do enjoy these books and look forward to reading one each month with Mamie and Roberta. I read a total of 4,705 pages in August due to some real chunksters: Shantaram (936 pages), The Small House at Allington (752), Catherine the Great (672), and The Son (561). The shortest book I've read this year was The Testament of Mary at 81 pages. It was very well written and a powerful story, but at that length I consider it to be more of a novella than novel. Onward to September reading!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Books Read in August:

72. Joyland by Stephen King. 4.1 stars.
The perfect summer book about a theme park in NC where a murder had taken place. A summer worker finds both joy and lifelong friendships in this tale by a master storyteller.

73. The Son by Philipp Meyer. 4.4 stars.
An epic story of Texas and the fictional McCullough clan who built and lost an empire over the period of 175 years. Lots of friction and bloodshed amongst the Native Americans, the Mexicans, and the immigrant Americans.

74. The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin. 4.2 stars.
A bitter, aging Mary tells her story about her son, who was never named because it was too painful for her to think of Jesus as the Son of God. She could only think of her loss in this tale of grief.

75. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. 4.6 stars.
One of my favorite books of the year despite the flaws of a protagonist portrayed as a super hero in India and Afghanistan. Less than stellar writing but a story that fills the heart and soul with the wonders of India and the joy of friendship.

76. The Cardturner by Louis Sachar. 3.6 stars.
A teenage boy gets an unusual summer job helping his blind rich uncle play bridge. They both learned something from the other -- and I even learned a few new bridge tricks!

77. Harvest by Jim Crace. 4.2 stars.
A quiet English village abruptly changes when the new owner of the manor takes over with his idea of sheep to replace the tradition of farming.

78. Promised Land by Robert B. Parker. 3.2 stars.
Another fun book as Spenser tries his hand at marriage counseling. Hawk makes his initial appearance in this one.

79. The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope. 4.2 stars.
Lily Dale is jilted and decides she will never love another man as much as she loves Crosbie. Despite being a book with many unlikeable characters, I liked the book very much.

80. The Meadow by James Galvin. 4.4 stars.
This was a reread of a comfort book. I love the beautiful prose that recalls the memories of the owners of this meadow in the shadow of the mountains along the Colorado-Montana border.

81. A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. 4.1 stars.
I keep raising the rating on this one as I think about the many themes Ozeki weaves together: bullying, loneliness, suicide, philosophy, Zen Buddhism, and connections between people of different cultures. Grandmother Jiko may be my favorite character in this month's reading. There was a lot of wisdom packed into her tiny 104-year-old body!

82. Catherine the Great by Robert Massie. 4.3 stars.
This little German girl from Poland had big ideas and the intelligence and tenacity to carry them out. During her 34-year reign she faced down more than a dozen uprisings. She also had a dozen lovers!
Massie writes about her fascinating life in a way that keeps the reader's attention as they learn much about Russian history.

My Favorites Read Thus Far in 2013:

Sorry by Gail Jones. 4.6 stars.
Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison - 5 stars.
Son of the Morning Star - Evan S. Connell - 4.5
The Big Rock Candy Mountain - Wallace Stegner - 4.5
Life After Life - Kate Atkinson - 4.6
And the Mountains Echoed - Khaled Hosseini - 4.5
Exodus - Leon Uris - (reread) - 4.7
Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - 4.6
Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts - 4.6
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena - Anthony Marra 4.5
A Greater Place of Safety - Hilary Mantel - 4.8
Kavalier and Clay - Michael Chabon - 4.6

My Top Ten is going to be a difficult choice this year. I'm already up to 12 books rated at 4.5 and up!

Currently Reading...


I am reading the Bedside Barsetshire very slowly and enjoying the excerpts from the six books of the Trollope series.

visited 24 countries (10.6%)
Create your own visited map of The World


visited 18 states (36%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

Recent Book Acquisitions

September:

August: (Kindle Daily Deals)
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
War Brides by Helen Bryan
The Cowboy and the Cossack by Clair Huffaker
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
Pavilion of Women by Pearl S. Buck

Hi Donna, am I really first? That porch swing looks lovely and peaceful...

Donna, the porch swing looks just the place to read and relax. What a beautiful setting!

I love to read outdoors, too. Your swing looks like just the spot.

Great picture, Donna!

Welcome to my thread. It is encouraging to have visitors.

>5 gennyt:: Genny! You are No. One! Yes, it is a lovely and peaceful place in which to plan my day and start it off right by reading a few chapters of a good book.

>6 lit_chick:: Thanks, Nancy. I don't know how I've survived without a porch swing until this spring. I didn't even know what was missing in my life.

>7 Crazymamie:: Mamie, the only thing that would make it better would to have it screened in. Luckily, the mosquitoes haven't been a big problem in the morning. It helps that I'm surrounded by concrete!

>8 ronincats:: Thanks, Roni. I'll be sure to tell Dave, husband and photographer. It was 95 degrees when I got the big idea to take an outside picture yesterday afternoon. Needless to say, there weren't a lot of retakes.

Hi Donna! I love the photo of you swinging and reading.

Re: Catherine the Great, I didn't miss the discussion, only the book! That meeting was in early June, so I could finally go, but didn't have a chance to read. We had a delicious Russian feast, though:)

I hope I can read more book club books too, though since the meetings are on Friday mornings, I won't be able to attend too many of them.

What a wonderful photo, Donna. It does look very peaceful, and I envy you that morning routine!

Hi Donna- Congrats on the new thread. Love the photo! Showing off those gams, huh? What was the book you were reading? I would love to get to Catherine the Great one of these days. I hope you are having a lovely weekend.

Donna, I love your picture! It's always how I think of you! I also enjoyed Catherine the Great. Robert Massie has a gift for writing huge books that are so good you don't feel like you're really reading a chunkster!

Hope all is well with you! I don't catch up with you nearly as often as I'd like to!

Love the picture of you swinging away Donna. I guess I will be following you for awhile. My number finally came up for The Son so I will start that as soon as I finish How the Light Gets In and I would like to get to A Place of Greater Safety but probably not until October. Go ahead, lead the way.

Donna, You are making us all jealous with your ideal reading spot! Very picturesque . . .

Hi Donna, found your new thread and absolutely love your opening pic! What a great place to relax and read. I hope your long weekend has been a delightful one.

Congratulations on your latest thread Donna. What a strong 11 books you read in August with 9 of them topping 4 stars in your system. Look forward to seeing what you have in store for September.

In my rush to get some swing time in before the sun came over the top of the trees, I grabbed the wrong book. Well, it turned out to be the right book. I picked up A Place of Greater Safety instead of Five Star Billionaire which I want to finish today. At least now I know for sure what my next BIG book will be. I got hooked from Mantel's exquisite writing from the first page.

>10 AMQS:: Anne, I'm so glad you didn't miss that discussion...and the Russian feast that went along with it!

>11 katiekrug:: I love my morning routine, too, Katie. It gets my day off to a good beginning.

>12 msf59:: Lol, Mark, I am showing off my 66-year-old legs over here to attract all the dirty old men on Library Thing. Not you, of course! I've got the Mantel book in my hands in that picture but I'm not that far into it. You will love Catherine the Great. It made a very good audio book and would keep your mind occupied on your mail route for several days.

>13 tloeffler:: Hi Terri! I think of you sitting in your comfy chair with that big stack of TBR books next to you! We are both blessed with many wonderful books. I will be reading more by Robert Massie. He makes history very interesting.

>14 brenzi:: Bonnie, you may be following me, but I will be following you to Three Pines! I hope you like The Son as much as I did.

>15 brenpike:: Brenda, I wonder how long I will last on the swing when the weather turns cold? Hmmm...I could move it closer to the outside outlet and plug in an electric blanket I suppose. Lol.

>16 lkernagh:: Lori, I've had a productive week end reading wise, and I even managed a bit of yard work this morning. Thank goodness for a cool front! My husband is out mowing on Labor Day. How appropriate.

>17 PaulCranswick:: Paul, I made some good book choices in August. I don't believe my first book finished in September will make it to 4 stars, however. I actually read 12 books last month; The Soldier's Art didn't make the list as it will be counted this month with the other two parts of Movement Three in A Dance to the Music of Time. Yes, I would rate it above 4 stars along with the other nine. I'm getting soft in my old age!

I love your patio swing, Donna! It's only missing one thing...........ME!!!! Isn't it tempting to read there from sun up to sun down? Nothing would ever get down at my house with that on my deck. I 'spose that's why I don't have one. BOO HOO.

Catherine the Great is definitely going on my wishlist!

ETA: Not only do your legs look like they belong on a 40 year old, the rest of you looks like you're in your 40's too! I guess that's clean living and good books!

hehe, grabbing the wrong book :)
Glad it turned out well for you. I nearly got my hands on Five Star Billionaire the other day, but my driver (as I now have to refer to my lovely other, seeing as I cant drive) refused to go across town to the library that had it! Hmph, I shall have to fire him and get a new one ;)

*Love* your reading spot. Now you just need a glass of wine (or tea), a furry companion (or two), and a good book (which it looks like you have!)

Donna, you have read so many good, HUGE books in August! Wow!
I keep wanting to get to *Catherine* and *Shantaram* and then not doing it. I have them though, so one day I will. I did read *Place of Safety* and highly recommend it. All I remembered about the French Revolution came to me in Western Civ some 50 years ago, but I got right into it, so you will too.
My only quarrel with your reading place would be the need for a pillow at my back on the side so that I could stretch my legs out. Hmmm. Might make swinging a little difficult.

Looks like a perfect place to read, Donna. Congrats on the new thread and all the good reading. Don't you think Mark would like Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk?

>19 Carmenere:: Lynda, I have to muster all my self-discipline to stop swinging my body and start swinging a broom so to speak. In other words, it is tempting to read outside from sunup to sundown!
ETA: Wow, you sure know how to put a smile on this old lady's face. Thank you!

>20 LovingLit:: Megan, I'm sure you are looking forward to the day when you can drive yourself around to the library, bookstores, book sales, etc. Maybe your chauffeur thought you had plenty of other books you could read. Hmph, indeed!

>21 Morphidae:: Morphy, I look forward to my morning coffee on the swing. Sometimes Lucky the Lab keeps me company, but he also keeps my chipmunk friend away. ;-(

>22 LizzieD:: Peggy, I am going to try and have at least one HUGE book per month to read from most days. I am not far into A Place of Greater Safety but I am loving it. I reread A Tale of Two Cities last year so that is the extent of my memory of the French Revolution. Massie did touch on it in Catherine the Great which is what piqued my interest in the Mantel book.

>23 jnwelch:: Joe, it is the perfect place, at least until winter arrives. But then, my little snuggery is a warm, cozy environment for reading as I am surrounded by overflowing bookshelves. I think Mark would like Billy Lynn but then I haven't read it yet. I just bought it and have it on the iPad for a book emergency. I've heard great things about it. Probably from you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"In Shanghai everyone is replaceable in an instant. People say it is the size of a small country, but it is not: It is bigger, like a whole continent with a heart as deep and unknown as the forests of the Amazon and as vast and wild as the deserts of Africa. People come here like explorers, but soon they disappear and no one remembers them; no one even hears them as they fade away."

Book No. 83: Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw. 3.4 stars.

I've never thought of migrant workers in quite this way before. This is a modern world in which the new migrant workers in Asia are those young people leaving the small villages in the provinces and turning their hopes toward the lights in the big cities of China. And Shanghai is the biggest and brightest of all. Tash Aw's book centers around four young people and the author of a self-help book who end up in the dazzling lights of Shanghai, each with their own idea of success. What they didn't know was that "the city held its promises just out of your reach, waiting to see how far you were willing to go to get what you wanted, how long your were prepared to wait...The city was teasing you, testing your limits, using you. You arrived thinking you were going to use Shanghai to get what you wanted, and it would be some time before you realized that it was using you..." (257)

I really wanted to like this book because my husband has been singing the praises of the new China for several years. Unfortunately, I didn't like what I saw through the eyes of these characters. They were willing to do whatever it took to achieve their particular goal even if it meant following someone else's idea of success through the pages of a self-help book. The chapter headings could have been bullet points in the book with titles such as "Reinvent Yourself" and "Pursue Gains, Forget Righteousness." The author, Walter Chao, took his own words to heart and was able to follow through on his game plan without remorse. Maybe the primary characters got what they deserved. Or maybe not. I didn't have enough sympathy for them to care all that much, but I do think that this is a book that begs to be discussed and would be a good choice for a book group.

Waving hello!

Nice review of Five Star Billionaire, Donna. I suspect that it would be all too easy to find characters like these in Shanghai or elsewhere in the new China, even though they were generally dislikable. I agree, it would be a good choice for a book club discussion.

Very nice review of Five Star Billionaire, Donna. And those quotes were fabulous.

Donna, excellent review of Five Star Billionaire. Thumb-up from me : ). This is one that on request from the library.

Donna Five Star Billionaire does sound like a book I would rather read with a group.

I still haven't read Spenser 5 but I won't be able to read it without thinking of Mamie's review. LOL!

Love the swing photo and the poem, especially as changed by you. Hope you get some cooler weather soon so you can enjoy being out there (and I wouldn't mind if cooler spread southward too!!)

Hi Donna, nice photo of you reading outside.
I also like the story of you picking up the wrong book but it turning out to be the right book!

And your review of Five Star Billionaire is excellent. I have it on hold at the library and will be interested to see how it sits with me. I'm generally okay with dislikable characters as long as they're interesting.

>25 nittnut:: Waving to Jenn -- all the way to Oregon!

>26 kidzdoc:: Thanks, Darryl. I imagine these characters pretty well represent the upwardly mobile in any country. The main thing I didn't like about them was their impatience. They were looking for shortcuts for a better life without considering that it takes time to make one's way up the ladder of success.

>27 Crazymamie:: Thank you, Mamie!

>28 lit_chick:: I hope you like it, Nancy. Thanks for the thumb.

>29 luvamystery65:: Roberta, I haven't read Spenser 5 yet either, but I do have it home from the library waiting its turn. I hope to get to it over the week end.

>30 RebaRelishesReading:: The mornings have been very pleasant, Reba. I hope you don't have those hot, hot temps on your way home from Florida.

>31 EBT1002:: Ellen, the characters were pretty interesting in Billionaire and I loved his descriptions of Shanghai. My reaction wasn't helped any by coming down from a Catherine the Great high! I have stuck with the Hilary Mantel book for my swing-time reading. It's one I have to concentrate on. Many, many characters. I also want to read it slowly so I can savor every word. She is an amazing writer.

I love your reading place, Donna - what a great swing!

>32 Donna828: The main thing I didn't like about them was their impatience. They were looking for shortcuts for a better life without considering that it takes time to make one's way up the ladder of success.

Oh, I agree completely! And especially so when I think of the long road I took to get through medical school and residency, and the personal sacrifices I had to make along the way. I do see or hear about people like this all the time though, particularly in a city such as Atlanta that attracts thousands of young college graduates focused on getting to the top and living well beyond their means, some of whom buy luxury cars and expensive condos or homes before they have achieved financial stability. Not surpisingly the bankruptcy and home foreclosure rates in the Atlanta metropolitan area are amongst the highest in the nation.

To me, Five Star Billionaire aptly showed the downside of the go-go life of the New China, as these characters neither achieved their career and financial goals, nor did they find personal satisfaction, happiness or love.

It all makes me think of the video a few years back of the Chinese toddler run over and no one stopping to help.

I think I'll suggest this one to my book group for next year.

It scares me a bit--DD loved her year at the Language Institute in Shanghai and hopes to be living in China while working on a masters next year.

Donna - I must read some Tash Aw one of these days soon. Malaysia is going to win the Booker some day soon methinks but maybe not this year.

Excellent review of Five Star Billionaire Donna. I see now why I took it back to the library unread. I have Harvest on hold but I don't think I'll be reading any other Bookers until the short list is announced.

Today is the first free day I've had in a week! I haven't even done much reading this past week. I have sneaked my patio swing reading in, making a little more progress on A Place of Greater Safety. And, I finished a book today...only my second one of the month. Thank you to my faithful followers -- Joanne, Darryl, Janet, Paul, and Bonnie -- for keeping up thread going.

>33 Copperskye:: Thanks, Joanne. Lots of good reading and thinking goes one in that swing during the morning hours. Plus, I saw two chipmunks at the same time today. Good news. I hope we have little chippies in the spring!

>34 kidzdoc:: Darryl, Five Star Billionaire was a sad book in the end because of that lack of fulfillment of dreams. I was kind of surprised to see that in young Chinese people as I thought it was more of an American thing. It seems like the young people in America want to start out with everything - and more - that their parents and grandparents had to work hard to achieve.

>35 streamsong:: Janet, I'm sure your daughter will be fine. At least she is familiar with Shanghai and knows what she is getting into. How very interesting that she wants to study in China. We went to a scholarship banquet at Missouri State last week and sat at a table with a young Chinese man. He said the dream of most Chinese students is to eventually go to college in the U. S.

>36 PaulCranswick:: Paul, I am not making any predictions on Booker Prize winners but imo Five Star Billionaire wasn't as good as some of the others I've read, although I will read more books by Tash Aw as I enjoyed his writing. TransAtlantic still gets my vote!

>37 brenzi:: Bonnie, I'm waiting for that short list announcement too. I hope Harvest is on it as it is my second choice of the few that I've read on the Booker long list.

"You are a very good priest in many ways. And someday, if your self-awareness approaches half your awareness of others, you might be an extraordinary priest." He folded his hands. "I do not think that day will be today, however." (20)

Book No. 84: I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming. 4.1 stars.

I agree with Reverend Fergusson's spiritual advisor. She has the potential to be a good priest, but she has another side of her that won't go away. Maybe by joining the National Guard, she can get her helicopter flying days out of her system and she can settle into her second career as an Episcopal priest. She also needs to get Chief of Police Russ Van Alstyne out of her system. However, it's pretty evident by what happens toward the end of the book that the idea of Clare and Russ going their separate ways is not in the stars. They are going to be a "thing" no matter what form that thing takes. Now that their biggest obstacle is out of the way,it seems there is nothing that can stop them. Or maybe there is. It looks like Clare is going to live out her secret dream to play soldier once again which makes me in a big hurry to read the next book!

ETA: I hope that the story line about Hadley and Kevin continues. I find their potential romance more interesting than that of Clare and Russ. *Ducking rotten tomatoes*

Glad you continue to enjoy Spencer-Fleming, Donna. I've not started this series yet, but it's on the ever-burgeoning list.

Hi Donna, it looks like you've gotten September started with some great reading. I have ordered Remarkable Creatures from the library and I am on a short waiting list for it, but hope to get to it later on in the month.

I keep seeing Julia Spencer-Fleming's name around. I really should try her out.

After back-to-back doctor's appointments, I think I deserve to read the evening away. I tried to read with dilated eyes and got a headache! The good news is my eyes have not gotten worse and my body is healthy. I am grateful for that.

40: Nancy, there are so many good series out there. It is hard to keep up!

41: That's good, Judy. I look forward to reading it with you later this month. I've heard lots of good things about Remarkable Creatures.

42: It's an interesting series, Morphy. "Father" Clare is a hoot. She can't stay away from the many crimes that occur in her small town. Definitely not your typical Episcopal priest!

Hi Donna! Good to hear you're in good health. :) I hope you enjoy Remarkable Creatures. I thought it was a great read. What do you think of the Booker shortlist?

Thanks, Jenn. I hope the lab report on my blood work confirms the good health. I had no problem with the Booker short list except that the judges left my favorite book off the list!!! Where the heck was TransAtlantic? I often go the opposite way from the winners of these prizes just as I did with the "Orange" Prize earlier this year.

Tuesday is going to be my special time with Molly this school year. Haley attends Parents' Day Out from 10:00 - 2:00 and Mary will drop Molly off with me so she can get her break. Molly and I have bonded over books!


Help! My book is upside down!


Thanks, Grandma. That is much better.

What a cutie pie!!!

That picture of Molly is adorable....what a charmer! I think she'll be able to hold her own with her big sister! :-)

Another cutie pa-tootie in the Donna family.

She is cute as a button, that one.

An another avid reader in the family ... how sweet!

Just adorable -- how lovely to share books with those two little beauties.

Awww! Enjoy your Tuesdays!! Molly is so very adorable!

I loved Remarkable Creatures - I hope you do, too.

How cute! And she's even color coordinated with her book!

Aaaaaaw!! How incredibly cute she is!
And I think Molly and I are sharing a book. My first toy animal was a rabbit and I called it Benjamin. My mother said I had it from a book they had read or looked at with me. :-)

Darling little reader! One thing I remember about Jonah as a very small child - he always knew if his book was upside down. :)

I'm another fan of Remarkable Creatures, Donna. It restored my faith in the author. In my view, she had some relative duds after the wonderful Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Oh, what a lovely little thing she is! And she has excellent reading tastes...

Many thanks for the comments about one of the newest LT readers from Roni, Nancy, Bonnie, Laura, Nancy in Canada, Reba, Joanne, Carrie, Nathalie, Jenn, and Amber. I'll be spending tomorrow with Molly's Big Sister Haley. We're going to start off our day with story time at the library. Woo Hoo!

>57 jnwelch:: Joe, that's good to know. I lost some faith in Tracy Chevalier, too. I guess it's not easy to follow up a good book. I reviewed Girl With A Pearl Earring for my art group years ago, and they have made a tradition of reading one art-related book together each year since then. I still stay in contact with many of them even though I'm a drop-out because the group got more interested in socializing than art appreciation. I'd rather be reading!

Speaking of which, I finished my third book for September. The month is going by too quickly. I am falling further and further behind in my reading. It is going to get worse as I am going up to Kansas City this week end to see Sadie's soccer tournament. I wonder if she will notice that I have a book in my hand as I watch the games?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"The light is fading now, the moths are flying, dusky pink, dusky grey, dusky blue. The Crakers have gathered around Jimmy's hammock. This is where they want Toby to tell the story about Crake and how they came out of the Egg. Snowman-the-Jimmy wants to listen to the story too, they say. Never mind that he's unconscious; they're convinced he can hear it. They already know the story, but the important thing seems to be that Toby must tell it..." (45)

Book No. 85: Maddaddam by Margaret Atwood. 4.2 stars.

Wrapping up a trilogy can be a difficult task, but Ms. Atwood is up to the challenge . She begins with short summaries of the first two books which was a very helpful memory refresher before she unites the characters in the books. She cleverly uses storytelling as a device to both tell the backstory of how the characters and events fit together and to create a new mythology to bond the genetically engineered Crakers with the humans that survived the pandemic that threatens the future of life on earth.

Atwood brings back some characters from the previous books and introduces some new ones.The survivors are thrown together in this book to work together to ensure that the human race prevails. Zeb's story gives us more information about Adam One, although I would have liked to know him better. Jimmy is deathly ill and is cared for by Toby with her knowledge of herbs and flesh-eating maggots and the "purring" of the peace-loving Crakers. I know that sentence is gibberish to those who haven't read Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood. I strongly advise reading those two books first.

I liked this book very much even though it lacked the novelty and urgency of the previous books. There was more humor and gentleness between the characters. The character of Blackbeard learning the art of writing from Toby was both an example of Atwood's affective writing and a great source of hope for the future. For lovers of words and books, these words of Blackbeard make the heart soar:

"Now this is the Book that Toby made when she lived among us. See, I am showing you. She made these words on a page, and a page is made of paper. She made the words with writing, that she marked down with a stick called a pen, with black fluid called ink, and the made the pages join together at one side. and that is called a book...And she showed me, Blackbeard, how to make such words on a page with a pen, when I was little. And she showed me how to turn the marks back into a voice, so that when I look at the page and read the words, it is Toby's voice that I hear...And in the book she put the Words of Crake, and the Words or Oryx as well, and of how together they made us, and made also this safe and beautiful World for us to live in." (385)

Donna, thumb for a superb review of Maddaddam. Was just reading about this on Chelle's thread. I didn't realize that Oryx and Crake was the start of this trilogy. I read and loved that one several summers ago; not my usual fare, but I just ran with it! I must get to The Year of the Flood and Maddaddam.

Great review of Maddaddam! I am so jealous you got to this one so fast. How cool. Like I mentioned to Chelle, I listened to the first 2 books, so I am going to wait for the audio. Love that Maggie! I am all ready lining up books for Atwood April!

I started trying to read Oryx and Crake and just faded... I think I prefer some of Atwood's other novels, and may get back to them.

But in the meantime, I need to finish Five Star Billionaire. I remain hopelessly bogged down in the middle of it. I don't care that I don't like or empathize with this characters -- that's in tune with the world the author is trying to portray and is kind of the point of the novel, IMO. But the turgid prose was making me crazy, and I kept feeling that I was reading the same point over and over and over again!

IMO, A Place of Greater Safety is nearly as good and every bit as compelling a story as Mantel's books about Cromwell. That said, I can't wait for the third part of that trilogy...

Like Mark, I listened to the first two books, so I may wait for the audio, too, but I've very excited about it!

Thanks for the review of MaddAddam, Donna. I'm curious about it, but there are other new-ish books ahead in my loosely-prioritized mental queue. I would like to complete the trilogy at some point, though.

Hi Donna, I thought it was about time I dropped by for a visit and a fairly recent thread is always a non-threatening place to try and catch up with LT friends. Love that top pic. You look great and completely in your element, and also seem to live in a ideal spot, which I surmise from this and other pics you've posted.

I've got A Place of Greater Safety safely stowed away among my interminable stacks of tbr books. Looking forward to it as I became quite a fan of Mantel's writing after the two first Wolf Hall books.

I tried to pick up Oryx and Crake ages ago, around the time it was released and was obviously well out of my comfort zone, as I gave up very early on, but I should definitely try it again now I've become much better read and versatile in my choices.

Molly is adorable!

HI Donna! Great review of MaddAddam! Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Wonder what that incredible mind of hers will think up next eh?

Nice review of MaddAddam, Donna. I haven't read the first two novels in this trilogy, so I probably won't read this book either.

Yay for visitors! I'll take time for a few quick responses before I head up to Kansas City to see my three grands that live too far away. My traveling companion will be Caleb's Crossing on audio and for my nighttime reading pleasure, The Judas Goat by Robert B. Parker. That may be about as deep as I can go after watching multiple soccer games.

>60 lit_chick:: Hi Nancy. Oryx and Crake is the book that got me started on this trilogy. It is not my usual fare either, but it is Margaret Atwood, and I like all that I've read by her so far.

>61 msf59:: Mark, I have a few Atwoods I haven't read yet and will save them for Atwood April. I lucked out by getting my name in early at the library for this one.

>62 Chatterbox:: Amber, I think the Maddaddam trilogy would work very well in audio. If I ever get an urge to reread them, I think I'll give that version a try. I am getting better about listening to books.

>63 scaifea:: Suzanne! Thanks for the visit. I can understand your bogging down with Five Star Billionaire. It was a book that I could take or leave. I was glad that it didn't make it to the Booker SL but do disappointed that TransAtlantic wasn't among the chosen ones either. I am taking it slowly with A Place of Greater Safety and enjoying it very much. Mantel is such a great writer.

>64 lauralkeet:: Laura, I remember that we read Oryx and Crake about the same time. That was my favorite of the trilogy. I think because it was such a different kind of book for me to read. The others held my interest but the novelty kind of wore off.

>65 Smiler69:: Ilana, I'm happy you paid me a visit. I've missed your 'smiling' presence around LT this year and am so glad you didn't abandon us completely. I have stepped back quite a bit, too. I am busy with my granddaughters so my spare time goes to more reading rather than playing on the computer.

>66 ChelleBearss:: Hi 'Oh Chelle', I'm rather sad to leave those Crakers behind. I loved the bit about Toby teaching Blackbeard (what a name) to write. He was a quick learner!

>67 kidzdoc:: Darryl, I'm kind of surprised that I read the Maddaddam trilogy. They are pretty far out in left field for me! I did like the genetic engineering angle, although I am not going to lose any sleep worrying about it. Thanks for stopping by.

I really liked Caleb's Crossing. In fact, I've liked all three Geraldine Brooks' that I've read. Hope you enjoy it and have a great trip, which no doubt you will given that it's to the grandkids :-)

Caleb's Crossing is San Diego's One Book, One City book for this year!

>68 Donna828:: The others held my interest but the novelty kind of wore off.
Yeah, that happened for me too with Year of the Flood. That's one reason why I'm not rushing to get my hands on MaddAddam. But maybe someday.

I came here wondering if you were done with A Greater Place of Safety Donna. I have no interest in the Atwood trilogy I'm afraid. I pick and choose my Atwoods.

Donna, this group is too great to leave behind, with so many wonderful and interesting individuals to share common interests with. On the one hand I miss all the interaction of the last few years, and on the other it's a bit of a relief not trying to keep up with everyone, since it's an impossible task. But I'd say it's a pretty good bet that I'll always have some kind of presence here—even though I participate less often in a direct way, this group stays with me throughout my daily life in a way that would be impossible for me to explain.

As for the Atwood trilogy, it's a matter of time before I jump in I guess. I'd like to read via audio, but here in Canada (on the Audible site anyway) only the two last books are available, but it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to read Oryx and Crake on the ipad either.

this group stays with me throughout my daily life in a way that would be impossible for me to explain.

Ilana has hit the nail on the head. It is difficult to explain to others the impact of this group on existence. So many different types who don't always get along but have a shared interest that reveals all are much more than one-trick ponies.

Have a lovely weekend Donna, another integral to the group.

I'm another one who walks around with the 75ers in her head, LOL!

Oh me, too. I am so, so grateful for all of you.

Donna, those photos of Molly are precious -- she is so adorable, and so big already! How did that happen?

69: Reba, I liked the first three hours of Caleb's Crossing. I am almost looking forward to the drive home tomorrow so I can listen to more of the book.

70: Good choice, Roni. Have you read CC yet?

71: Laura, I have a large contingent of "maybe someday" books!

72: Bonnie, I didn't bring Greater Safety with me because I knew I would have little time for reading here. I hope to have it finished by the end of the month.

73: Ilana, thank you for sharing those heartwarming words about LT here. I am honored and in complete agreement. This is a special place with some very special people.

74: Thanks, Paul. We are all integral to the group with our unique contributions. My week end is kind of a blur with lots of happy grandparent memories. Too bad Sadie's team didn't win the soccer tourney, but it meant fewer games and more Grandma time.

75: What a fun way to put it, Nancy. Thanks for the smile and for all that you add to the mix.

76: Anne, I wish the first few years of life didn't pass so quickly. They don't stay little long enough, do they?

Donna, I liked everything by Atwood that I read until Oryx and Crake, which I really didn't care for and abandoned quickly. No chance that I'll be reading Maddaddam, but I did enjoy your review!

Donna include me in the group that carries the 75 with her. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Enjoy your trip to see the grandkids. Don't get too caught up in Spenser 5. It's not the best one. Way too much description. If you are tired after soccer let your eyes skip over some of the details, they neither add nor subtract from a weak plot. The next one is supposed to be much better.

I like LT and everything but honestly don't see what the big deal is......grins wolfishly.

I spend at least an hour of each day in LT talk, reading and responding to threads. I've talked with my therapist about how much time I spend on the computer each day and how I can cut it down. There is no way for me to cut down my LT time any further than I already have. It's just not possible!

Hi Donna, I have lost my heart to your youngest granddaughter, what a beautiful smile!

Just wanted to let you know that I have finished Remarkable Creatures and I really enjoyed it. Hope you are able to fit it in this month, but if not, you have a good read waiting for you down the road.

78: Thanks, Linda. Not everyone enjoys dystopian fiction. I'm kind of surprised that I do. Who knew?

79: Roberta, I didn't get far into Spenser 5. It was kind of nice to have a no-brainer book along with me to read in bed. I didn't have much brain left at the end of the day! There's lots more action at that house than I'm used to.

80: Mark, you have a wonderfully wolffish sense of humor. You couldn't fool anyone here with that blasé attitude.

81: Morphy, an hour on LT sounds reasonable to me, but I'm one of the addicted ones!

82: Aw gee. Thanks, Judy. She's a sweetheart. She even took a little nap today so I could read the book my church group will be discussing tonight. I'm glad you liked Remarkable Creatures. I'm still planning to read it this month...if my library books stop coming in. I got greedy and ordered too many at once.

I read this book before I went to Kansas City but apparently didn't have time to acknowledge it here. It was a shorty but a goodie! Just a few thoughts...


"I remember my own childhood vividly...I knew terrible things. But I knew I mustn't let adults know I knew. It would scare them." ~Maurice Sendak (Epigraph)

Book No. 86: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. 3.9 stars.

I continually surprise myself as I grow as a reader. I used to have a pretty narrow range of genres that I liked. I can now include adult fairy tales among that group. Although this book starts out with a middle-aged man returning to his hometown in England for a funeral, his memories return him to a time as a 7-year-old bookish boy who confronts his fear with the help of his 11-year-old neighbor Lettie and her strange family.

There was enough realism in this spellbinding story to keep me grounded yet enough magic to unleash my imagination. This short book can easily be read in a few hours, but the haunting memories of Ursula Monkton will linger.

Oh, I'm glad you had a good time with The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Donna. It does seem like one that would intrigue people who don't often read in this genre.

Nice review on Gaiman. I try to be eclectic in my reading choices which is supported in part by belonging to a library reading group in which I have little or no input as to books chosen. Having said that, there are few genres that I will not read by choice including romance (outside of classics such as Jane Austen, etc.). I used to read a lot of sci-fi back in the glory days of Asimov, Bradbury, et. al. but too many authors today have morphed into the vampire genre (if it can be so designated). I've enjoyed Tolkien, Rowling, Atwood and even David Drake since most sci-fi and fantasy is metaphorical. Surprising, then, that I bypass so many titles on the bookshelves.

Aw, Donna, that Molly is a total charmer! Lucky you to be getting time with her!
I'm still on the waiting list for The Year of the Flood, and I'm relatively sure that I'll also get to MaddAddam if I live long enough. I don't know about the Gaiman; I still haven't read Anansi Boys..... Still waiting for Caleb's Crossing and still a fan of the early Robert B. Parker. And put me down in the list of those who loved A Place of Greater Safety. There. I think that almost catches me up on your current reading. I'm off to do some of my own!

Hi Donna! I really liked Caleb's Crossing as well, though it's not my favorite of her books that I've read. The Gaiman sounds intriguing. The only one of his I have read is The Graveyard Book (this "by the scurvy dog" is cracking me up). I need to try another one.
I like reading your very well written reviews of the Margaret Atwood books. I have a really hard time reading her, so I have to see what it's all about by reading reviews. :)
Glad you got to have some good grandma time. Those kids are adorable.

85: I did have a good time with the Gaiman book, Joe. I might look for some of his other books for adults. That reminds me...I also liked Good Omens when I listened to it on a road trip.

86: Hi Mike, it's good to see you back here. I also get to read some books I would otherwise pass over for my library book group. Next month is Kavalier and Clay. Comic books? That should be another stretch for me.

87: Wow, Peggy. You really put my recent reading in a nutshell. Could I get you to write some short reviews for me? I am really enjoying A Place of Greater Safety. I may have to devote my full attention to it once I get through my library books.

88: Jenn, I don't think it's Brooks' best book either. According to LT, it's a 4-star tie between Year of Wonders and People of the Book. I can't quite say what the appeal Margaret Atwood has for me. Part of the reason is the variety of books she writes: literary fiction, historical fiction, mystery, and sci-fi. I'm having more Grandma time today. Haley is here. We just finished lunch and she is working on her tootsie roll pop and watching Dora. Even the best grandmas need an occasional break!

I'd forgotten about People of the Book -- I liked that one a lot too -- so that makes 4 wonderful Brooks' for me!

"I wanted two things, maybe three, depending on how you counted. I wanted not to get killed. I wanted to decommission some of the enemy. I wanted at least one of them to get away with me following. Decommission. Nice word. Sounds better than kill." (45)

Book No. 87: The Judas Goat by Robert B. Parker. 3.2 stars.

A rich man's family has been killed in a random London bombing and he calls in Spenser to deliver justice. Restitution takes patience, persistence, and help from "leg breaker" Hawk who works for $150 a day while wearing a $5,000 suit. One might say they are pals of sorts. Anyway, they make a good team and I look forward to more about Hawk in later books.

This book takes us on a whirlwind tour of London, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Montreal. We get some good descriptions of these cities that are far more interesting than Spenser's (and now Hawk's) clothing. People die in this book but there is still a lot of the mundane: "One of the things about my employment was the frequency with which I didn't know what I was doing or what to do next. As so often in dilemmas of this kind, I came upon the perfect thing to do. Nothing." (64) Gotta love that Spenser!

90: Hi Reba, I almost missed you. Caleb's Crossing will be my fifth book by Brooks. My first was a non-fiction book about Islamic women, Nine Parts of Desire. That's when I fell in love with her writing. She used to write for the Wall Street Journal which has some of the finest writers of our time imo.

Hi Donna :)
I Loved People of the Book, but i think Nine Parts of Desire is my favorite. I have only read part of March. Not sure why I put it down, but I need to pick it up again.

That Gaiman is getting a lot of attention on LT in recent weeks....

I've read every book written by Brooks and Nine Parts of Desire is my favorite, too! Caleb Crossing is my least favorite though.

Hadn't heard of Nine Parts of Desire -- off to Amazon I go :-)

I have a number of books by Geraldine Brooks on the shelves but none read thus far. Will probably start with the first one I bought which is People of the Book if I'm not mistaken.

Have a lovely weekend, Donna.

>93 nittnut:: Jenn, I still have my copy of Nine Parts of Desire and plan to read it again someday. Hopefully, the repression of Muslim women will be a thing of the past, and it will be outdated! March was probably my least favorite of her books but it was still a good one. I hope you get back to it someday.

>94 EBT1002:: Hi Ellen, the Gaiman deserves the attention that it is getting. It's a very thought provoking little book.

>95 Morphidae:: Morphy, I'm not quite through listening to Caleb's Crossing. It's a little slow at times but it gives a peek into early America. I find the bits about Harvard fascinating, especially providing higher education for Native Americans.

>96 RebaRelishesReading:: Reba, I don't think you will be disappointed by Nine Parts of Desire.

>97 PaulCranswick:: Paul, the week end is wearing down. Yesterday was a big party for Haley's 3rd birthday. No wonder my reading is falling behind. I made up for lost time by finishing a book this morning. I need to hop over to your thread to see how you are coming along on your alphabet challenge. I am way behind on paying visits to my LT friends.

"At the kitchen table she examined the glass of ice. Each cube was rounded by room temperature, dissolving in its own remains, and belatedly she understood that this was how a loved one disappeared...a melting into the past, not an erasure but a conversion in form, from presence to memory..." (120)

Book No. 88: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra. 4.5 stars.

The above quote is just one example of the exquisite writing of a new author to watch. I am delighted that his book is on the NBA long list. Marra transported me to late 20th Century Chechnya and immersed me in a time of war that I knew little about. Through the lives of some very special characters, I not only learned about the conditions of war but also about how life and love provide hope even in the very worst of times.

This was a sad book about wasted lives -- those killed in the second Chechen war with Russia within a decade and the survivors who paid the price of living in fear, near-starvation, and grief for lost family members. For Ramzan it means betraying his neighbors so his 79-year-old father can have decent food and insulin. For Akhmed it means leaving his demented wife alone all day so he can work in the hospital where he left 8-year-old Havaa after her father was taken away. Believe it or not, this child of war is on the execution list and in great danger. The only remaining doctor in the hospital, Sonja, is providing temporary refuge. Her other concerns are the many victims of land mines and car bombs and the disappearance of her younger sister Natasha. Family ties are redefined in this book: "We twist our souls around each other's miseries. It is that which makes us family." (292)

I recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction. If you are curious about the title, it comes from the definition of life in a medical dictionary: Life is a "contellation of vital phenomena -- organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation".

>99 Donna828:: I'm hoping to read that very soon -- I requested it as an eBook from my library. I've read so many fabulous reviews!

Hi Donna--Love the picture up top, and the poem rewrite. Molly is adorable! And I have to get my hands on Maddaddam -- I loved the first two in the series. I am awfully glad to hear there is a brief recap, since it has been a while...The quote in #99 is beautiful. Dang, another book bullet!!

Hi Donna! As usual, you are doing some fine reading. I knew there was a reason you are one of my favorites. I am so glad you enjoyed the new Gaiman. He is a terrific storyteller. And great review of Constellation. It remains one of my top reads of the year.

"I continually surprise myself as I grow as a reader." I think most of us here on LT feel the same way.

Great endorsement of Constellation, Donna. I'm presently reading this one. The prose is beautiful. I'm astonished this is a debut. What talent!

Hi, Donna! Glad to hear your endorsement of The Ocean at the End of the Lane--I just popped it into my car CD player this afternoon (read by the author, too!). I think I'm going to enjoy it!

Donna you got me with a constellation of vital phenomena. I'm typing from my phone so I'll be back from my computer later.

100: Laura, it was excellent...thanks to Mark and then Bonnie for calling it to my attention.

101: Kim! What a great surprise! I hope you've had a good summer. I'll look for your thread to find out what you've been up to.

102: Hi Mark, thanks again for all the great recommendations. My groaning TBR pile and expanding library wait list thank you too!

103: Nancy, I am already eagerly awaiting Marra's next book. This one is hard to put down, isn't it?

104: Terri, what a treat to hear a good book read by the author. Ocean ought to be great on audio.

105: Thanks for checking in on your phone, Roberta. Constellation will be on my Top Ten list for the year.

For those of you who couldn't make it to Haley's 3rd birthday party, here are some pictures.


Princess Haley is 3!
Lady-in-Waiting Molly is 5 months old.

I want a Bounce House on my birthday
Inside bounce house through the screen.

No, I didn't make the cake.

Party's over. Thanks for coming!

Great pictures, Donna! Thanks for sharing them! :-)

Happy Birthday Haley and Haley's grandma!

Oh what lovely photos of the birthday party - we have some great ones of Lucy's parties as she grew up. What gorgeous grandchildren - must be something in the water. Some great reviews as always, Donna - and a couple to add to the WL. And what a perfect reading place on your swing!

Wow, a bouncy house birthday party! Lucky (and beautiful) girl!

Back up to the mention of Kavalier and Clay - it's really only nominally about comic books - it's actually about so much more. It's a wonderful book, at least for me, although it's not easy to read in places, if I remember correctly. Hope you enjoy it!

Don't get me wrong when I say Caleb's Crossing was my least favorite Brooks. It wasn't bad - it got 7 out of 10 stars! It's just that the others got 8 and 9 stars.

Donna, that looks like a great party. And Molly looks adorable in that hat.

Happy birthday, Haley!! Looks like a great party.

Yes, what a fun BD party.

I hope you enjoy the Kavalier and Clay. I thought it was a great read.

And the Marra book should be coming to me soon through the library loan process. Glad you thought it was a winner.

I want a bouncy house on my birthday, too, LOL! What fun!

THanks for sharing the photos!! Haley is so cute. : )

Wonderful review of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, Donna! On the future reading list that one goes. Looks like Haley's birthday was a lot of fun... I want a bouncy house, too!

Partay on Haley!! I'll bet everyone had a great time Donna, er, everyone but Barbie;-) Excellent review of Constellation. What a book!

Visitors! I shamelessly use my grandchildren to pump up my thread. Pictures of kids and dogs are hard to resist.

>108 Nancy618:: I have a lot more pictures, Nancy. I'll be glad to bore you with them next time I see you. Lol.

>109 brenpike:: Thanks, Brenda. I thought I might be sore from my jumping but I wasn't. I would have stayed in there longer if the birthday celebrants hadn't started arriving!

>110 PrueGallagher:: Hi Prue. Thanks for coming by. I don't think a birthday party can quite compare to your vacation in Paradise. My fun didn't last nearly as long as yours did either. ;-)

>111 scaifea:: Amber, my book group meets a week from Thursday and I still have to finish the books I've started this month before I can get to Kavalier and Clay. I figured there would be more than comic book talk in it as so many others have liked it. I hope I have a light schedule early next week so I can do the book justice.

>112 Morphidae:: I get it, Morphy. I think it's impossible for Brooks to write a bad book. I finished Caleb's Crossing and think it will be No. 4 out of the five I've read by her. March holds last place, but, as you said, 'it wasn't bad.'

>113 lauralkeet:: Molly had fun watching the kids play in the yard and in the bounce house, Laura. It won't be long before she is able to play with her big sister.

>114 RebaRelishesReading:: Thanks, Reba. I'll pass the birthday wishes along to Haley. My daughter and family are coming down from KC this week end to see the birthday girl. Birthday month continues...

>115 dallenbaugh:: Hi Donna, I'm pretty certain you will like A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. That title cracks me up. I doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. I'll be watching for your review if you decide to review it.

>116 lit_chick:: Nancy, I'm thinking I want one permanently installed in my backyard. What a great stress reliever!

>117 Berly:: Thanks, Kim. She's a keeper! I am so lucky to have two of my granddaughters in the same city. They wear me out but in a good way. Tomorrow is my half day with Molly.

>118 lkernagh:: Gotcha with a book bullet, Lori. I hope you like Constellation when you read it. Bounce houses are more fun than I thought they would be. This was my first experience in one!

>119 brenzi:: Poor Barbie indeed, Bonnie. When Mary pulled her out of the cake, I gasped. No legs! I'm glad Haley wasn't around to see that. Lol. A friend of hers made the cake. I ate a cupcake instead of getting a sugar buzz from all that frosting.

Book No. 89: Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks. 3.7 stars.

This was a beautiful book from the cover to the story it told about the value of education. It also told another story about repression of women and Native Americans in Colonial times. I admired Bethia Mayfield so much for her determination to be educated. How sad it was when her father banished her from the house so she couldn't overhear his instruction of that dullard Makepeace. Bethia was also a wonderful guide to the natural beauty of her island home. It was quite a contrast to the conditions in Boston in the 1600s.

I really liked this book and would have given it 4 stars if the title hadn't been so misleading. As interesting as Bethia's story was, I would have liked to have learned more about Caleb and his thoughts about being educated as a white man. I also thought the ending was rushed. I listened to this book and was sure I had missed something when we jumped in time to Bethia's memories as an old woman. I also thought she married the wrong man!

ETA: I should have mentioned somewhere that Caleb was a real person and the first Native American to graduate from Harvard. I forget that I just might not be the last person to read this book! It's harder for me to write about books I listen to, and I miss having a quote to share. But it did keep me company on my road trip to KC and gave me an excuse to finish Molly's birth sampler. Finally!

Happy 3rd birthday to Haley!! Such adorable kiddos!

Wait, that Barbie doll is actually a cake? That's great!

I'd love a Bounce House and not just on my birthday.

And congrats to you for finishing Molly's sampler! I'm sure it's beautiful. It's been years since I've done one and I know how long they can take.

That Haley is a star, Donna. Great pics.

Nice review of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. I've added it to my wishlist.

Sorry I haven't visited lately. I'm another one who has had to cut down some on LT time, but "walks around with the 75ers in her head."

Wonderful photos! What adorable kids!

I agree that it's more difficult to talk about a book that I've listened too, although I'm not sure why. I've liked what I've read of Geraldine Brooks, so I may have to give this one a try...

>122 Copperskye:: I guess you are another deprived one who never had a Barbie Doll cake, Joanne. I'm really deprived because I never had a Barbie either. It was an age thing. I think I was 12 or 13 when they came out and was pretty much through with dolls. I think it's time to start on the sampler for the newest grand baby out in CO. Btw, it looks like I might be out your way at the end of October. I'm waiting for my shower invitation to find out the date.

>123 jnwelch:: Thanks, Joe. You won't be disappointed in Constellation, etc. That title is way too long and cumbersome for me to remember. But I won't forget the book!

>124 tymfos:: Hi Terri, it's a wonder we can get anything done with all these threads and readers in our heads! It may be a long while before my life slows down. I do miss keeping up the way I used to, though. We'll struggle on and do our best.

>125 scaifea:: Amber, I pretty much know that my audio retention is my weak point. If I write things down or read them, it is much easier for me to remember things. I would take notes while I listen but I'm usually driving or, in this case, doing cross-stitch. I am making a real effort to be a better listener and think I might improve with practice.

I love visiting here finding lovely photos. Your opening photo is delightful.

How blessed you are to have such very special grandchildren.

Hugs all around!

Bath and Brighton are beautiful despite their surroundings, the even buildings with their smooth stone creating an artifice that pleases the eye. Lyme is beautiful because of its surroundings, and despite its indifferent houses. It appealed to me immediately." (13)

Book No. 90: Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier. 3.6 stars.

Elizabeth Philpot is the narrator of this book about her time in Lyme Regis where she and her two sisters went to live after their brother got married in London. It was quite a change for them, but E. adapted quickly when she discovered her love of the beaches near her new home. Collecting fossils became her primary pastime and she found a kindred spirit in Mary Anning who was much younger and needed the fossils to sell to tourists to help support her family. They were both considered quite peculiar by the townspeople but they kept on and eventually gained some fame when Mary discovered a strange creature in fossil form which she called a crocodile even though it was larger and formed differently.

That's about it with the exception of a bit of jealousy on Elizabeth's part, a few rockslides, and some "gentlemen" who exploited them. After about the third 'croc' was found, I think my mind closed up to learning anymore about fossils. Still, I thought it was an interesting book although it was a bit on the slow side. Maybe I'm getting tired of reading about repressed women after two somewhat similar books in a row.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

September Reading Update: With less than a week to go, I have two books I need/want to finish. I am halfway through The Military Philosophers and have another 450 pages to read in A Place of Greater Safety. My daughter and family are coming for a quick visit this week end which gives me about 3 days of quality reading time. Huff Puff....I think I can...I think I can...

>127 Whisper1:: Hi Linda, almost missed you up there while I was typing some comments about my last book. Yes, I am quite taken by my grandchildren and delight in their visits. I also love my porch swing and try to spend a little bit of time each day out there listening to the birds and reading a book. Life is good these days. Thanks for the visit. Hugs to you!

Hi Donna, I think I liked Remarkable Creatures a little more that you did, but I certainly understand your feeling that the book was a little slow. I thought that the author was hampered by writing about real people, she really had to be careful to stick with the actual facts about these women.

I also think I like RM a tad more than you did. I kinda geeked out on all the fossil stuff, so it wasn't all that slow for me.

Me, too - liked Remarkable Creatures a bit more than you did, Donna. It restored my faith in this author, who was so good in writing Girl with a Pearl Earring. I got quite caught up in this one, after what, for me, were some duds from her.

Hi, Donna. I appreciated your Flint Hills love on my thread!

>130 DeltaQueen50:: I agree, Judy. It was the same way with Caleb's Crossing, another true story set back in time even further when women had few rights. In both books, there was a similar scene where the female protagonist had to "hide" to hear what the men were saying in their important speeches. I'm glad these authors stuck to the facts even if it made the books a tiny bit on the dry side.

>131 Berly:: I liked learning about the fossils, too, Kim. I wish she would have included a picture of the big one which was known as the crocodile when it was first discovered. I should probably Google it.

>132 jnwelch:: I read one of the duds, Joe...can't even remember the name of it. It was about the angel statue in the cemetery. I thought the one about tapestries, The Lady and the Unicorn, was decent.

>133 ronincats:: Roni, I'll be thinking of you when I drive by those lovely rolling hills in Kansas at the end of October. I hope there will be some fall color left by then.

Two book acquisitions today: My ER copy of Let Him Go by Larry Watson arrived in the mail - Hooray! - and I ordered the Kindle Daily Double, The Keepers of the House. I'm sad because my Amazon gift card ran out and I had to spend real money for this one. $1.99 - ha ha.

As long as I'm 'fessing up, I ordered another DD earlier in the month of a book I already owned. ;-( And then I found out it is part of a trilogy. Of course, I don't have the other two books on the shelf. Oh well, I've been wanting to read From Here to Eternity for ages, and now I have no excuse not to read it.

While I was in KC two weeks ago, I took a box of books to Half Price books and traded for Scoop by Evelyn Waugh and An Unsuitable Attachment by Barbara Pym. I guess four new books in one month is not a serious problem especially since I got rid of over 20 books.

Book No. 91: A Dance to the Music of Time: 3rd Movement by Anthony Powell. 4 stars.

This is my favorite volume so far of the three that I've read. Finally, there was some action as Nick joined the armed forces to fight in WWII. In the last part, The Military Philosophers, he is transferred to the Intelligence Corps and linked first with Poland and then with Belgium. Nick spends much of the war in London. Although he doesn't have combat duty, he has to do plenty of ducking and covering as bombs fall around him, some killing friends and acquaintances we have gotten to know through his narration. As he walks to the Victory Day Service, he notes the "weather seemed designed to emphasize complexities and low temperatures of Alied relationships. Summer, like one of the new regimes abroad, offered no warmth, but chilly, droughty, unwelcoming perspectives, under a grey and threatening sky. The London streets by this time were, in any case, far from cheerful: windows broken: paint peeling: jagged, ruined brickwork enclosing the shells of roofless houses. Acres of desolated building, the burnt and battered City, lay about St. Paul's on all sides." (214)

As difficult as it is to lose characters I've come to know, I prefer the war stories to the English society stories that comprise the first two volumes. However, even in war time, Nick manages to attend several parties and nights at the Opera. One of the characters that kept popping up in the least likely places was the notorious Pamela Flitton who should keep things lively in the next installment if Powell chooses to retain her as a suitable companion to the unlikeable Colonel Widmerpool. Characters come and go in this book. We've lost some of the main ones...or at least they are missing in action and presumed dead...but Nick shows little emotion at the losses. I wish Powell would let him cry or have a tantrum once in awhile! At least there is humor in his writing, even in the midst of war.

Trading 20 for 4 sounds like you get a big good star to me.

Oh gosh, I am so behind, Donna! Thank you for sharing those wonderful photos of Haley's birthday. How could she be 3 already?

Great books, too -- I am adding Caleb's Crossing and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena to my WL.

Hi Donna! I'm catching up, so I read several great reviews up above, but I really loved the review of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. That one is definitely on my WL. And Haley's party looks amazing - a bounce house and that beautiful cake!

Hi Donna - I love the picture of the swing - what a great place to read. It sounds like you are enjoying grandchildren and books. One of these days I'll get to A Constellation of Vital Phenomena.

>136 RebaRelishesReading:: Thanks, Reba. I have been diligent about getting rid of books I won't be reading again so I can add new ones to my TBR shelves. The library book sale coming up at the end of October will add to my stash.

>137 AMQS:: Anne, I ask myself the same question about Haley being 3. They just don't stay little long enough. Even Molly is progressing beyond that lay-there-and-look-adorable stage. I'm glad you picked up a couple of titles to add to your WL.

>138 porch_reader:: Hi Amy, it's good to see you here. Constellation of Vital Phenomena was such a good book. I hope you get a chance to read it soon.

>139 BLBera:: Beth, welcome to the wonderful world of grandmotherhood. It's a great thing to watch a new life grow and develop into their own person. I know you will be like me and do everything you can to create a love of reading in Scout. With that name, she'd better be a reader!

I have been reading like a zombie to finish A Place of Greater Safety before the end of the month. I have over three hours to spare! I probably won't come up with much to say about it as I am kind of numb from the experience. I mean that in a good way. This is truly a book that takes one to a different place and time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Robespierre had been crushed against a barrier when the fighting started. The shock had been greater than the pain. He had seen dead bodies; after the troops had pulled back, he had watched as the wounded were carried away, and he had noted the absurd detritus of the civilian battlefield: flowered hats, single shoes, dolls and spinning tops." (315)

Book No. 92: A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel. 4.8 stars.

This book is every bit as good as A Tale of Two Cities, the other book which taught me what little I know about the French Revolution. Mantel's contribution to my knowledge gives me a feel for the timing and the circumstances which lead to the reign of terror in France in the late 1700s. Three young lawyers in Paris from different backgrounds were the main characters in the book but they were supported by approximately 100 other characters. At 748 pages and with such a large cast to keep straight, this book demands full attention. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of female participants and the important roles they played.

I cannot begin to summarize the action or I would be here all night! Suffice it to say that I was enraptured during 92 per cent of the book, hence the 4.6 star rating upgraded to 96% rapture rating. The eight four per cent that went over my head was due to the unfamiliar references that I didn't care enough about to look up. I just wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next with boyhood friends Max Robespierre and Camille Desmoulin and Camille's friend Georges-Jacques Danton as they followed their ideals and became integral to the storming of the Bastille and the slow-building revolution of the commoners that followed.

I knew I would love this book from the beginning when I read this in the Author's Note: "I have tried to write a novel that gives the reader scope to change opinions, change sympathies: a book that one can think and live inside. The reader may ask how to tell fact from fiction. A rough guide: anything that seems particularly unlikely is probably true." Ms. Mantel also mentions that she would like to write a book about Jean-Paul Marat (a bit player in this book) who was stabbed to death by a pretty girl while in the bathtub. Now that's a story I'd like to hear more about!

Edited to upgrade the star rating from 4.6 to 4.8 requiring some changes using my mystery math method.

Great review of A Place of Greater Safety. Looks like this is one I need to get my hands on!

Thanks, Laura. If you do get a copy of A Place of Greater Safety, be sure and allow plenty of time to savor it. It's a book that doesn't want to be rushed!

I have been having some internet problems again lately. Not a complete shutdown like I had a few months ago but an annoying sketchiness of service. It comes and goes at will. I think we must need a new modem. It has given me plenty of time to read which is a blessing as I am having book group tonight and had to read Kavalier and Clay after the grandkids left late Sunday afternoon. It's another big book of 659 pages. It grabbed me from the beginning so, other than having Molly over for part of the day on Tuesday, that is what has consumed my life this week. DH is on one of his delivery trips to Atlanta so I didn't even have to cook meals. I have enjoyed my few days of escape (much in keeping with the theme of K&C) and it will be hard to get back to reality.

I'll start with my September reading recap:

I read ten books in September; seven were library books - three were mine.
I read a total of 4,068 pages for the month.
My favorite book of the month was A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel. Upon much thought, I upgraded the rating to 4.8 stars which is rounded up to 5 stars on LT. I am stingy with my 5-star ratings but this book merits it.
Now I have to update my tickers and write some short summaries. *sigh* It's much easier to write a sentence or two about a book immediately after I finish it.

Oh good, my September book summaries got saved on the laptop but Photobucket doesn't like me there so I'll try to post this picture from the iPad. Kudos to my daughter Lori for getting all five grandchildren together.



Haley (with ink on her chin), Griffin, Sadie (with braces off!), Audrey, and Chief's fan Molly in the middle.
ETA: Molly looks like she would make a good football player. Lol!

It's a good year to be a Chiefs fan. Go, Molly!!

Great photo Donna. I'd have that one on my desk.

Wow, look at that clan! Great photo, Donna. I'm thinking maybe blonde hair runs in the family just a little bit?

What a bunch of cutie patooties Donna. And thanks for making me very anxious to read A Place of Greater Safety which I have sitting on my iPad. It's been there for a couple of years now so what am I waiting for??

>147 brenzi: Same here Donna! A Place of Greater Safety is sitting on my TBR pile and you've helped me move it up a bit higher - thanks!
Love the photo of all the kids too.

A Place of Greater Safety is one of those books that I have owned for a long time, but have delayed reading, simply because when I do, I will no longer have it to look forward to. Strange, I know, but that's the truth!

Great picture of your grandchildren, Donna. My stepson and his wife have been talking about moving to a better school district in a few years. No announcements yet, but apparently some planning in the works!

What a lovely photo of your grandchildren, Donna. They're beautiful!

>99 Donna828: oooh, look out, I see a trip to the library coming. I have been getting good vibes (as much as one can) about that book.

>140 Donna828: I have yet to have much luck with Hilary Mantel, but I intend to try again with Wolf Hall and now this one looks like it could be a fantastic read too! Thanks for the rec, I will chuck it on the library WL.....*sigh*...I'll get to it one day!

Kids parties are so much fun aren't they!? I got to have a turn on the huge-mega-uber slide once at the end of the day when there were no more kids wanting to go on it, it was really really fun :)

>144 ronincats:: That's for sure, Roni. I think the Chiefs have already won more games this season than they did all of last year. I hope they can maintain their record!

>145 RebaRelishesReading:: I think I will have to frame that photo, Reba. It's nice to see them all in one place being still. Lol.

>146 jnwelch:: The blondes rule, Joe! Much to the chagrin of Mary and Greg my two dark-headed children-in-law.

>147 brenzi:: Bonnie, maybe you're waiting for the same reason that Vivian (next message), Linda (msg. 149) and I did. Sometimes it just makes me happy that a good book is ready and waiting for me when I most need it. Luckily, I still have a few good ones left to look forward to.

>148 vivians:: You'll know when the time is right to read A Place of Greater Safety, Vivian. I hope you will like it as much as I did.

>149 Linda92007:: Ah, another hoarder of good books! You are a girl after my own heart, Linda. It certainly looks like a grand baby is in your future from that kind of hint. I recommend them highly!

>150 lit_chick:: Awww, thank you so much, Nancy.

>151 LovingLit:: Megan, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena must be sending out some mighty vibes -- all the way to New Zealand! I actually liked Greater Safety better than Wolf Hall for some reason. I have always found the French Revolution fascinating. The giant slide sounds like fun. My kids' parties weren't quite as exciting as the ones that are given today. Plus, I was the one doing most of the work and now I can go and just enjoy them. Grandmothering agrees with me!

I hope our internet woes are over. Some kind of update was made to the modem over the phone. I hope it is a long-term fix and not just another band aid. I get very unhappy when I don't have access to my people. LT withdrawal is not a pretty sight.

"Every universe, our own included, begins in conversation. Every golem in the history of the world...was summoned into existence through language, through murmuring, recital, and kabbalistic chitchat -- was, literally, talked into life." (119)

Book No. 93: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. 4.6 stars.

I chose the above quote because of the language in this book. Not only can Chabon write, but the euphoria of creativity that Joe Kavalier and Sam Clay entered into when they talked their comic book characters into life was so full of energy I could feel chills. And I don't even like comic books! But as Amber told me, this book is about so much more than comics. It's about friendship and loyalty. About standing up for one's beliefs. It was about love in all its many forms. It was about the meld of magic and fantasy with the reality of life. Chabon pulled all these things together into an amazing book.

Thanks to my book group last night, I have a better understanding about the Golem of Prague and the Jewish mythology behind it. It had a real presence throughout the book even though it was mostly mentioned in the beginning and towards the end. It was almost a relief to me when the action slowed down in the last quarter of the book. I understand the dullness of living in the suburbs and it gave me a chance to catch my breath after the rousing action of Joe's harrowing trip to Brooklyn via Lithuania, Japan, and San Francisco and then the quick success of The Escapist in the comic book world. The bond between cousins Joe and Sam Clay (changed from Klayman - a golem in the flesh?) was instant and strong throughout the book and everything they went through. With Sam's imagination and Joe's talent as an artist, they were bound to succeed, even though they soon learned their struggle for success was much easier than their search for happiness. Joe became consumed with fighting the Nazis through his art as a way to cope with his helplessness at getting his family to America. Sam's struggle was more inward, although it nearly destroyed him in the end.

I can't say enough good things about Kavalier and Clay. I'm so glad my book group chose this book as I would have continued to turn my nose up at it and never know what I was missing. I am going to continue to try those books that I used to spurn, hoping that I will have another amazing adventure as I did with Kavalier and Clay.

Great review, Donna! I really enjoyed the book as well. And the Chiefs have now won TWICE as many games as they did last year...

Great review, Donna! K&C is a favorite of mine, too.

Hi Donna - How lucky you are to have two great reads in a row. I just read Kavalier & Clay this year and loved it, too. I have A Place of Greater Safety to look forward to. Onto the wishlist it goes. Your granddaughters are lovely. Scout is a little cutie, too. Smiling and starting to coo. She's eight weeks old already. And mom has to go back to work on Monday. :(

Hi Donna. I think you've convinced me to give Kavalier and Clay another chance. I tried to read it several years ago but it never took and I just assumed it wasn't for me. You've also convinced me to try A Place of Greater Safety. I haven't read any Mantel yet and really must remedy that.

I love the picture of you on the porch swing and the one of your grandkids. Do all 5 of them live close by now?

Hi Donna!
I made it - I'm here! And I have reaped my reward in awesome pictures of growing grands! Love the birthday party - sorry I missed it!
"Kudos to my daughter Lori for getting all five grandchildren together." That was some feat of magic!

You have been doing some excellent reading and reviewing. I want to read Constellation and Greater Safety even more now. This is a wonderfully dangerous thread... lol

Love the reading swing in #1 - simply luxurious! Also think your poetry revision works rather well :)

Excellent review of Kavalier and Clay, Donna. 4.6*!! Thumb-up from me. (ETA: you didn't post your review??)

I too, am going to have to try Kavalier and Clay again. I struggled to start it a while ago and didn't pick it up again. I really should see what I'm missing!

I'm glad you liked K&C, Donna. It took me a little while to get into it but once I did, I thought it was super.

Donna- Good review of Kavalier and Clay. I am so glad you enjoyed it. It was my first Chabon and what a nice place to start. I still have several of his books to get to.
I hope your week went well and you have a terrific weekend.

Yay! I'm so glad that you liked the Chabon! I would now recommend Summerland, which is an interesting mix of baseball and fantasy, and also, of course, beautifully written.

I struggled through Kavalier and Clay to the point where they were setting up their comic and couldn't get any further.

It's good to have visitors on this rainy morning. *Sigh* No swing time for me!

>154 ronincats:: Ha! I think my sports amnesia set in to make up for last year's embarrassment! Go Chiefs!

>155 katiekrug:: Hi Katie, I'm glad you're with me on K&C. It is not universally loved.

>156 BLBera:: Beth, I'm currently reading How the Light Gets In, so it's three great reads in a row. I wish Scout could share some of her beautiful hair with Molly. All of my kids and grandkids were fairly hairless the first year!

>157 phebj:: Hi Pat, I was surprised when K&C clicked with me. This reading business can be strange, especially when I end up not loving a book I thought I would. A recent example would be Remarkable Creatures. My two youngest grands live in the same city; the oldest three live in Kansas City, about a 3-hour drive from here. The new granddaughter will be a Denverite...a 12-hour drive away. *sniff*

>158 -Cee-:: Cee! It's good to have your energetic presence here again. You are always welcome on my "wonderfully dangerous thread"!

>159 lit_chick:: Nancy, I didn't post my review for Kavalier and Clay because I didn't add anything to the 265 reviews already posted. I appreciate the thumb-up anyway. ;-)

>160 Copperskye:: Joanne, I got hooked as soon as Joe Kavalier scrunched into that box with the Golem of Prague to begin the first big escape.

>161 lauralkeet:: Ah, another fan. Thanks for the validation, Laura.

>162 msf59:: Hi Mark, I hope you have a good week end as well. We have some friends coming into town this afternoon so I need to tidy up around here after having Haley around yesterday. I've read another book by Michael Chabon - The Yiddish Policeman's Union. While I liked the writing, I'm not a big fan of alternate history.

>163 scaifea:: Amber, a week ago I would have said "but I'm not a baseball fan". The "new" me will give it a try, though. I do think Chabon is a good writer. Thanks for the encouragement.

>164 Morphidae:: Morphy, I was expecting that to be my reaction as well. It was actually interesting (to me) to learn more about the history of comic books and the work that goes into them. And, as Amber told me, the book was about so much more than just comics.

Okay, I'm going to visit a few more threads, and then I have a date with the vacuum cleaner! Don't worry, this is just a quick cleaning so I can spend some guilt-free time with Louise Penny while I wait for our company to arrive.

Many thanks for the invitation to the birthday party, Donna! I loved it!!! And I love those 5 together - good memories all around!
You reaffirm my intention to get *Constellation* soonest. Meanwhile, I have *K&C* on the shelf unread, and since I'm reading only 4 or 5 right now with only another 2 or 3 in the queue, I should go ahead and look at it, right?

How nice, it looks like we're in Three Pines together. I started The Beautiful Mystery this morning.

>165 Donna828:: Summerland isn't really about baseball, either. Which is a good thing, since I'm not a fan.

Lovely photo of the Grandkids Donna all looking very much alike.

Glad to see that A Place of Greater Safety met with such favour. Long advocated in my pages as one of my absolute faves so I'm happy to see agreement.

Have a lovely weekend.

Stopping by to get caught up with things in your world, Donna. Sorry to read that you have been having internet troubles... hopefully all is now fixed!

I abandoned Kavalier and Clay earlier this year but your review is giving me some encouragement to consider picking it up again, but maybe not until some time next year. ;-)

>166 LizzieD:: Hi Peggy, I'm glad you liked the cyber-party. I can see why you want to fit two more books in -- you've hardly got anything to read!

>167 RebaRelishesReading:: Reba, I liked that one more than most LTers did. It's great when the whole Three Pines can be together but it's okay to venture away once in awhile, too. I thought the monastery was a brilliant place to solve a murder.

>168 scaifea:: Oh goodie, Summerland is officially wish listed. Thanks for the recommendation, Amber.

>169 PaulCranswick:: Paul, I was glad to see the Mantel on your Indispensable 40 List. I'm glad we don't have to limit ourselves to 40 books. That would be a month's worth of reading for you and Suzanne! Yes, those cousins do look alike, don't they? They are all book lovers, too.

>170 lkernagh:: It seems to be working fine now, Lori. This is the second time I've had problems with it in the past few months. The telecom company thinks it might be weather related. The first time I had the problem, they told me I needed a software update. I'm not buying either excuse!

I was surprised to see how divisive Kavalier and Clay is. There are so many good books out there, I wouldn't rush to pick one up that I had already given up on, although many people thought it was hard to get into.

"Armand Gamache had always held unfashionable beliefs. He believed that light would banish the shadows. That kindness was more powerful than cruelty, and that goodness existed, even in the most desperate places. He believed that evil had its limits. But looking at the young men and women staring at him now, who'd seen something terrible about to happen and had done nothing, Chief Inspector Gamache wondered if he could have been wrong all this time." (271)

Book No. 94: How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny. 4.3 stars.

Another fast-paced book featuring the kind and patient Armand Gamache and the gang at Three Pines. Set in the time just before Christmas, the charming Quebec village of Three Pines was decked out like a Christmas card. While the setting was peaceful, the story was another page turner in this series. It was interesting how well Ms. Penny was able to weave two disparate stories together; one was the disappearance of Myrna's friend Constance, who happened to be the last survivor of a set of famous quintuplets; the other was the ongoing story of the corruption in the Surete and the subsequent humiliation of Inspector Gamache. Related to this was the huge misunderstanding that broke up the friendship between Gamache and Jean Guy Beauvoir. Not to mention the break-up of Jean Guy's marriage to Annie, Gamache's daughter. It's really not as complicated as it seems if you have been keeping up through the previous eight books in the series. They read quickly and are guaranteed to give the reader a few warm fuzzy feelings along with the mysteries to solve. This one got a little too dramatic for me in the last few pages but it is still one of my favorite mystery series.

Hi Donna! I'm glad you enjoyed Kavalier and Clay. And I really must read more of Louise Penny's works. I've only read the first in the mystery series, though I own the second.

I hope you have a good week ahead of you!

Hi Donna! What a wonderful photo in >143 Donna828:!! And how wonderful for all the grandkids to be together. And how wonderful that another is on the way!! Blessings all around.

I enjoyed your reviews of your most recent books. A Place of Greater Safety looks terrific. I read and enjoyed Kavalier and Clay a few years ago and really enjoyed it. And of course, how can you not love a Three Pines book?

It looks like your Chiefs and my Broncos are both undefeated... and we still have to play against each other (twice)! Should make for great games:)

Ooh, can't wait to get to How the Light Gets In, Donna. This one got a little too dramatic for me in the last few pages ... I'm not one for the dramatic either, so I'll be interested to see if it has the effect.

I agree that the monastery is a great setting and I'm liking the story-line. I find I miss all the usual town characters though. It seems to me more like it's from a separate Gemache series which doen't involve Three Pines since up to here they all have (wow, that's an awkward sentence). I wonder where she'll go next with him.

>173 EBT1002:: I'm looking forward to a good week, Ellen. It's my youngest son's 38th birthday on Thursday. Pizza and cake will be served if you can make it! As in most series, Penny's books improve as one gets to know the characters. I think creating a family out of the residents of Three Pines and a comforting setting are the two things I like best about the series.

>174 AMQS:: Anne, thanks for stopping by. My problem with the Chiefs and Broncos is that I like both teams. I even bought my car in Colorado from John Elway! I may have to wear both orange and red when they play each other.

>175 lit_chick:: Nancy, upon further thought I'm going to rephrase my 'dramatic' statement in the form of a bridge term: Louise Penny did a jump shift in the last few pages. Without giving anything away, all I can say is that an unthinkable yet necessary action that formed the climax of the plot was followed on the next page by the resolution. My first thought was that I had some pages missing followed by thinking this must be a dream sequence. I think I needed a little more time to stop my heart from racing so fast. There should be a warning to the effect that "reading this book can be hazardous to your health" on the cover of Penny's books! Lol.

>176 RebaRelishesReading:: Reba, I missed Ruth and the other characters of Three Pines in the eighth book, too. You'll be happy to know that most of the gang is back where they're meant to be in the next installment. That's all I can give you. My lips are sealed.

Haha a dream huh? Hmmm that never occurred to me Donna but who knows. Ms. Penny is full of surprises. I'm glad to see you liked Kavalier and Clay just as much as I did. The comics part had me feeling a bit of trepidation but no worries.

John Elway is a car salesman?? Wow.

Donna- I started the Son today and was immediately swept away. This is my kind of book. I love the subject matter and his no nonsense prose. I read Meyer's first book, (one of my very first ER selections) and thought it was pretty good but had no idea he was capable of a book like this. I am on Cloud Nine.
I also have the audio of Maddaddam waiting in the wings. It looks like I'll be following you around for awhile.

Donna, I have friends who will have the same problem when the Broncos and the Chiefs play each other. I went to high school with Britton and Dustin Colquitt's cousins.

Louise Penny did a jump shift in the last few pages. I don't know a thing about bridge, Donna, but I love the way you describe this move au literary. Well done!

Thanks Donna! I appreciate the sealed lips but I'm also glad the gang is going to be back. I may have to just keep on straight into the last book when I finish this one.

>178 brenzi:: Bonnie, I'll PM you with more about my "dream" at the end of How the Light Gets In. I don't want to put a big Spoiler here. And, no, John Elway is not a car salesman, but he used to own a car agency in Denver back in the 90s. Lol.

>179 msf59:: Well, Mark, I've certainly done my share of following you around. We do seem to like many of the same books except for those comic books you like. *Ducking* Actually, I have more respect for comic books than I used to after reading Kavalier and Clay...and I do know that Graphic Novels are works of art.. I just like to make my own pictures in my head when I read.

>180 cbl_tn:: Kicking must run in the Colquitt family, Carrie. Those upcoming games between the Chiefs and the Broncos will be difficult for that family to watch. Maybe they will each win one game!

>181 lit_chick:: Nancy, I am not a bridge expert by any means, but a jump shift in bidding indicates a very good hand of cards. And yes, it makes sense with Louise Penny's newest book. It was very good! I could go into more detail but I don't want to give anything in the book away...or show my ignorance of bridge!

>182 RebaRelishesReading:: Reba, I think you will want to because the book you are reading makes you want to know more of the story. I was sad because I knew I would have to wait a year to find out. Go for it!

Wouldn't that be great to get both Gus McCrae & Eli McCullough together? Just have them sitting around a fire, shooting the breeze.

Kicking must run in the Colquitt family, Carrie.

It does! I think they're all two-step punters who get rid of the ball so quickly that it's almost impossible to block their punts. Dustin and Britton's father, Craig, punted at the University of Tennessee and then for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I was in high school with Craig's nephew, Jimmy. (The Wikipedia article says they're brothers, but they're not.) I can remember going to high school football games and watching Jimmy kick the football all the way from one end of the field to the other during pregame warm-ups.

>184 msf59:: Mark, at first I thought you were talking about football players and then it clicked. Lol. I think that would be one interesting conversation around the campfire. I think it would make a great short story!

>185 cbl_tn:: Carrie, I couldn't help but think of those poor mothers who carried such kickers for 9 months!

"In the papers there were photographs, taken from a distance, of those who gathered to hear Sanyal's speech, to give the Red Salute. A battle cry declared, a generation transfixed. A piece of Calcutta standing still. It was a portrait of a city Subhash no longer felt a part of. A city on the brink of something, a city he was preparing to leave behind. Subhash knew that Udayan had been there. He hadn't accompanied him to the rally, nor had Udayan asked him to come. In this sense they had already parted." (33)

Book No. 95: The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri. 3.7 stars.

Lahiri's second novel focuses on two brothers and the political unrest in India in the 1960s that came between them. Subhash is the elder by only 15 months. He is reserved and lets his younger brother Udayan take the lead in many of their activities. However, the Naxalite movement that is pushing India toward Communism using guerrilla terrorist techniques divides them. Subhash goes to Rhode Island to continue his education while Udayan gets deeper in trouble.

A family emergency calls Subhash back to Calcutta. In his effort to fix things, he returns to the U.S. with an Indian wife and a baby on the way. Some problems are so deep they have no solution. Their melancholy lives made for large sections of drab reading. Even Lahiri's exquisite writing can't put emotion into the lives of a family so disconnected. I wanted to love this book but ended up liking it mainly for its historical value and the vivid descriptions of Calcutta and Rhode Island.

ETA: I already bumped the rating down .2 of a point. I had rated her three previous books at 4 stars. I liked this one least of all so it gets 3.5 on LT. Same comparison with the four SL Booker nominees I've read.

Now I can go read in bed with a clear conscience!

Well done review of The Lowland, Donna. I had been looking really forward to this one, too, but perhaps not as much now. Even Lahiri's exquisite writing can't put emotion into the lives of a family so disconnected. Hmm ... Oh, and thumb-up from me.

Interesting. I'm going to read it no matter what, but there seems to be a building LT consensus that it's not her best.

Hi Donna - Nice review of The Lowland. I liked it more than you did, but I thought this was a more ambitious novel than her previous wrting, so I gave her some credit there. Also, I really love her characters. I find it really interesting that she is so unsympathetic to Gauri in this one and to Gogol's wife in The Namesake.

Good review of the Lowland. Like Beth, I liked it a bit more than you. I think I rated it 4.2. I still prefer her short fiction but I was pleased with this one too.

I should wrap up the Son tomorrow. It's a very good book, although I prefer the first half.

Hi Donna!
I am so far behind. :) Love the photos of Haley's birthday party. What a doll!

Loved your review of Caleb's Crossing I felt much the same way. I thought the story was interesting, but I wanted more of Caleb's story. She definitely married the wrong man, but I can sort of see why...

I liked Remarkable Creatures more than you did, but I think I also read both of those books close together. Funny.

Happy weekend. Hope you get to read a lot.

Excellent review of The Lowland, Donna. This one seems to be a slight slump for her. I just got an email today that it's waiting for me at the library, so I'll go get it and read it but will have moderate expectations.

>188 lit_chick:: Nancy, don't let my lack of enthusiasm for The Lowland put you off. It was good but didn't appeal to me as much as her other three books did.

>189 lauralkeet:: Laura, I'll be keeping an eye out to see what you think of it when you get to it.

>190 BLBera:: Beth, it was an ambitious novel. I think it would be difficult to combine politics and family relationships effectively. It's still a mystery to me why the book didn't strike my fancy. Good point about Lahiri's treatment of women in her books. Now that I think of it, Subhash's mother didn't come across very well either and poor Bela was working as a migrant worker. At least there seemed to be some hope for her on the horizon.

>191 msf59:: Mark, I thought The Son could have been so much more than it was, though I did like it. I really liked Eli's and Peter's stories but the modern day story of Jeanne didn't resonate as much with me. I suppose it made the novel more epical (if that is a word) by including another generation. Lonesome Dove still rules!

>192 nittnut:: Hi Jenn, I spent much of today reading because the past two days have been lost to me. Canasta and party preparations on Thursday, while yesterday was spent with Haley until we were joined by the family for a birthday party for her dad. No jump house this time!

>193 EBT1002:: Ellen, you may be pleasantly surprised with the new Lahiri. Some people have loved it! It will be interesting to see which book wins the Man-Booker Prize this year. At least we don't have too long to wait now.

I got The Son from my 1st editions subscription at Book Passage while I was away. You're all making me think I should dig it out of the TBR pile and get reading.

>195 RebaRelishesReading:: Yes, yes! We are giving you a big book nudge, Reba. Go for it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"The war had washed ashore all sorts of wrack of sea, on all sorts of coasts. In due course, as the waves receded, much of this flotsam was to be refloated, a process to be continued for several years, while the winds abated. Among the many individual bodies sprawled at intervals on the shingle, quite a lot resisted the receding tide. Some just carried on life where they were on the shore; others--the more determined--crawled inland." (131)

Ah, finally a book in this series I can relate to. Unsurprisingly, it has to do with books and publishing. Nick returns to Oxford in his 40s suffering from post-war melancholy. He is writing a biography of Robert Burton and spends weekdays in the library doing research, returning to London on weekends. Widmerpool has been elected to the House of Commons. He is still married to that "first class little bitch"(Pg. 80) Pamela. She gets bored once again and leaves with Bohemian novelist X. Trapnel (pictured on book's cover with his 'sun spectacles') who is associated with the new publishing firm, Quiggen & Craggs. The editor is Books Bagshaw whose full nickname is "book-do-furnish-a-room" -- giving this tenth entry in A Dance to the Music of Time its wonderful title.

There is a plethora of humor and satire in this volume. Chapter Two should be titled "Funerals Can Be Funny" with most of the humor centered around the scenes created by Pamela. She is by far the most interesting (in an outrageous sort of way) character in this series imho. Although Powell keeps adding new characters, he doesn't forget those who died in the war. When Nick goes to Eton to enroll his son, I couldn't help but remember Charles and Peter. The nostalgia is subtle which makes it ever so much more poignant to me. As much as I enjoyed the war stories in the Third Movement, this novella may be my favorite so far. I don't count or rate the individual novellas, but I hope the last two continue in this entertaining vein.

How "BOUT them Chiefs?

Roni, I can't stop grinning! I hope they can keep it up.

Your Chiefs are the big surprise of the NFL this year!

I don't really follow football, but I can't help being a little excited and interested in the Chiefs. Andy Reid was reviled in Philly last year, the scapegoat for the Eagles' poor performance. He's certainly vindicated himself in Kansas City.

OK, The Son is next up.

Donna, nice review of the latest Powell. I finished it today and enjoyed it a lot. Interesting that your edition had chapter "titles" - mine did not...?

Hi Donna! I'm afraid my eyes are glazing over the football conversation but you've certainly been getting some good reads under your belt. I have Mantel's A Place of Greater Safety on my shelves and Kavalier and Clay sounds very interesting. Plus the latest Louise Penny which is a series I've fallen behind on for some reason.

Ellen and Laura, we're happy as can be about our Chiefs around here. We are so used to losing that it's hard to know how to act; hence the sappy grin I have on my face! We'll take "rejects" like Andy Reid any year!

Reba, that's good news. I'll be on the lookout for your comments.

Katie, no chapter titles for me either. I slipped that one in when I was taking notes and forgot that it wasn't part of the book. That's what happens when I write a review (or, in this case, my comments) in a hurry.

Heather, I know what you mean about the football. I'm usually the same way because our "local" team is used to be at the bottom of the pile so to speak. I've been much more interested now that we are on top...at least for now. Oh, please do read the Mantel. It was outstanding!

Donna, thoroughly enjoyed your review of the latest Powell. Sounds like you really enjoyed the series.

When I pulled The Son out and saw how big it is I realized I'd better read And The Mountains Echoed first so I'll be ready for my F2F bookclub but THEN The Son will be next....so a few more days before I start it.

I'm so not into sports, professional or otherwise. Partially because of our pathetic teams here in Minnesota. Especially the "Viqueens."

>205 lit_chick:: Nancy, I'm enjoying the series of A Dance to the Music of Time much more as it goes along. Only two more books to go.

>206 RebaRelishesReading:: No rush, Reba. Take your time with And the Mountains Echoed - yet another of my favorite books read this year. This has been a stellar year for reading!

>207 Morphidae:: Morphy, that is too funny. If the Chiefs are any indication, your "Queens" could be leading the pack next year!

"Whenever I watched Chinese people interact in a group setting, I understood in my bones how the Cultural Revolution happened. People were terrified of being singled out, but from the safety of the group they could turn on someone with a speed and ferocity that took your breath away." (209)

Book No. 96: Factory Girls by Leslie T. Chang. 3.9 stars.

Ms. Chang is a Chinese-American journalist who embedded herself into the cultural scene of factory workers in China for over three years. She gathered material from interviews, journals, phone texts, and by closely following two young girls from different parts of the country who lived and worked in the factory city of Dongguan. She also carefully researched her topic as one would expect of an author with experience writing for the Wall Street Journal. I was astonished to learn about the immensity of the migration from country life to factory work. Ms. Chang reported there were approximately 130 million migrant workers, many of them in the factory cities north of Hong Kong in Guangdong Province.

Min and Chumming were the focus of the narration because they were the ones who kept in contact with the author. In an environment where jobs come and go and addresses change frequently, it is difficult to maintain a consistent relationship. The two girls were different in many ways but they shared the ambition and work ethic needed in order to survive the long hours, harsh working and living conditions, and the lack of funds. So... with many things against them, why do throngs of teenagers leave school and flock to the cities in the largest migration in history? They mainly do it for the freedom and opportunities that exist. A few English lessons or good handwriting can advance them to a better job in the factory quickly. If they stayed behind in their villages, there was nothing to do except menial labor on the land with no chance of advancement. Both Min and Chumming were able to succeed because they weren't afraid of failure. They kept pushing themselves to gain new skills and make the connections to get noticed in a crowd of hard workers.

The author didn't whitewash the situation of the factory workers. It is a corrupt system where it is common to use a fake or stolen ID card and the necessary lies about experience to get hired. On the employer's side, it is common to withhold the first two month's wages to combat the high turnover in employment. Workers live in crowded dorms and eat the food that sustains them but does not provide much variety. Friendships are hard to maintain as there are frequent moves in both jobs and housing. These factories are huge and it is common to work for the same employer but completely lose contact with friends. Still, they keep coming. They work and send money home. It seems like a terrible situation for those of us in the western world but it is almost like a rite of passage for the children of the poor in China. It was good to read a couple of success stories; however, I wonder about those who fail and go back to the their villages where life is indeed without much hope.

Ohhh Donna, I will read the Powell right after I finish the book I'm now reading (Elzabeth Gilbert's new one which is unbelievably good) and before I read The Luminaries. I hate "having" to read books but I am in the middle of a glut of library books that can't be renewed.

I am really going to miss the Dance when the first of the year comes.

Hmmm your Chiefs and my Bills meet up in a couple weeks but don't worry. We're used to losing. Really used to it.

Hi Donna. I hear I will be missing your visit to Denver. :(
Have fun with Anne!

Donna, PBS aired a program on the history of comic books and superheroes last night, which was a really interesting counterpoint to Kavalier and Clay. If you'd like to see it, it's at

http://video.pbs.org/program/superheroes-neverending-story/?utm_source=facebook&...

Waving "HI" to you, Donna!

>210 brenzi:: Bonnie, I've been inundated with library books, too. So many good new books are calling my name these days. Our library hasn't received its copies of The Luminaries yet. They will have to hurry if I expect to read it this month! Having a winning football team to root for is wonderful. I will revel in the Chiefs victories while they continue. Lucky me, my other team is doing quite well, too. Go Chiefs! Go Broncos!

>211 nittnut:: I will miss seeing you, Jenn. I would have made more of an effort to visit Denver this summer had I only known you would be leaving the country. I'm glad we can keep in touch via LT and the books we read.

>212 ronincats:: Thanks, Roni, I'll take a look at it this week end.

>213 -Cee-:: Waving back, Cee!

"The whiskey and aspirin had worn off, and I hurt. A three-block walk and I could be in bed, but that wouldn't be looking for Rachel Wallace. That would be taking a nap." (146)

Book No. 97: Looking for Rachel Wallace by Robert B. Parker. 4 stars.

Spenser is hired as a bodyguard for a feminist lesbian whose life is being threatened over the revelations in the new book she has written. The two personalities clash, mostly because Spenser's wisecracks grate on Ms. Wallace's no-nonsense nerves. But it was his code of chivalry (boosted by his pride) that got him fired. When she is kidnapped, Spenser takes it upon himself to find her despite a blizzard that shuts down the city of Boston. Spenser seems more vulnerable in this book. He gets beat up...and he cries. My favorite so far!

Factory Girls sounds like a really interesting read. I knew that was something that was happening, but I didn't really have a sense of the scale.

Hi Ursula, I learned a lot from Factory Girls. I think China is a country the rest of the world should be watching closely. That many people and the way they can focus on what they want to achieve make them a force to be reckoned with.

I've been busy reading and babysitting. I have two books read that I need to report on here. Tree of Smoke has me stumped. Did I love it or not? I have such mixed feelings, I'm going to hold off on my comments for a bit. The second book, Tomato Red, was another winner from local author Daniel Woodrell. I'm eager to get hold of a copy of The Maid's Version which has been getting rave reviews. He is speaking at Missouri State next week end; unfortunately, I will miss it as I will be visiting my son and daughter-in-law in Denver. I was in a small group discussion with Woodrell several years ago and found him very easy to talk to. I'm glad he's finally getting the recognition he deserves.

Donna, it is too bad that you'll miss Woodrell's talk. But I'm sure you'd much rather go to Denver to see your kids. I wonder if he ever comes to KC? I've been saving Tomato Red, thinking it would be a fast read and that the discussion wouldn't start until next Monday. What a surprise when it turned out to be LAST Monday! And I don't know how much time I'll have to read this weekend after all. Oh well. I'll try to slip away from the family to read tomorrow afternoon after dinner while they're busy napping and doing laundry.

Morning Donna- I just finished the Maid's Version and it's very good. My only quibble, was it felt a little over-stuffed, although his writing is still top-notch. Fortunately it's a shorty. Sorry, you will miss the author talk. I would love to see him.
I was thinking of you, as I march along on 2666. This brutally long Part 4, could have used some heavy editing. The gruesome body-count wears the reader out. I hope he pulls it together in Part 5.
I LOVE your fearless approach to reading chunksters and I've been considering that, as I mull over tackling Infinite Jest next year.
Have a nice Sunday.

>218 sjmccreary:: Sandy, I think we can wait until you finish the book to talk about it. Our little Missouri Readers group is made up of patient people. Happy Sunday to you!

>219 msf59:: Mark, I really bogged down in Part 4 of 2666. It was tough reading. I think you would like Infinite Jest. If you decide to read it, you can look up the past group reads and get encouragement. Who knows, you might even get up enough interest to have some 75ers join you. I'm looking forward to The Maid's Version. My favorite book by him was historical fiction. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend Woe to Live On set during the Civil War. Enjoy your day off. Maybe you can catch the Chiefs game!

Yes, that Part 4 is a tough go. So many characters coming in and going out, it limits the flow and you can't focus on just one character. I only have 30 pages left in that section. Thank God! Did you ever research this? I think this was based on a Colombian serial killer, who may have killed hundreds.
That's great to hear about Woe to Live On, especially since I have it saved on audio. Yah, Me!

"A storm came over, fell like a cataract for five minutes, and subsided. Then it was foggy, hard to breathe. James slid himself along the bench to the end of the carrier and ventured to look out at the Vietnam War--rain dripping from gigantic leaves, deformed vehicles, small people--the truck gearing down, engine bawling, mud boiling under the big tires--the barefoot pedestrians stepping away from the road, brown faces passing, rut after rut after rut, the beer lurching in his stomach..." (199) ~17-year-old James gets his first look at Vietnam.

Book No. 98: Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson. 4.2 stars.

After pondering this book for days, I still have mixed feelings. It is definitely a keeper. I hope it calls to me again someday and I have the nerve to give it the full five stars it probably deserves despite its flaws. One thing I'm certain of -- this review will be a jumble of ambiguity. I'll try to keep it short.

Two operatives of the CIA, both named Sands--Frank and Skip, uncle and nephew, hero and rookie--combine forces in the jungle of the Philippines. Skip Sands was a Kansas boy who loved his country and revered his Uncle Frank. It was difficult to understand the role of Col. Frank Sands who had escaped from a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during WWII and spent many years in Southeast Asia. He felt for the natives whose countries were being ravaged by war and he deplored his own role in that new war in Vietnam. With the help of his faithful team, including Skip, he went renegade and devised his own scheme involving a double agent. This is a book about how bad things happen when people on the same side go against each other. It's about the power of lies and the difficulty of recognizing truth.

Johnson is a superb writer who can make the subterfuge going on in the background of war as dramatic as the war itself. This is not a book about battles, although he puts the reader in the middle of the Tet Offensive in Saigon so that we do get a bitter taste of this war. The legendary Col. Sands is no stranger to battle. The way I understand it, he looks at the big picture of his role in the war. He calls his mission in Vietnam "Tree of Smoke" after this verse in the Bible: And I will give portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and trees of smoke, The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. (Joel 2: 30, 31.) He tells his men that "this land under our feet is where the Vietcong locate their national heart. This land is their myth. We penetrate this land, we penetrate their heart, their myth, their soul. That's real infiltration. And that's our mission: penetrating the myth of the land." (212) Col Sands is a deep thinker and gives the reader (and his men) much to think about. I'm not sure I got all of it. But I got enough to know that this is an important look at behind-the-scenes in Vietnam. So, despite the fragmented plot, I will recommend this book to those who want to delve deeper into the mystery and heartbreak of the Vietnam War.

221: I didn't do any research on 2666, Mark, although I'm pretty certain I read in a review or comment somewhere about the serial killer being based on a real person monster. It was a huge relief to reach the end of that section. I can't remember how he pulled it together. I kept the book as I bought it new in hardcover, but I doubt I will ever be tempted to reread it. And I haven't been tempted to read anything else by Bolano. Now, Denis Johnson is a different case entirely. I was so blown away by Tree of Smoke that I want to read more by him for sure!

Factory Girls looks really interesting. I will have to look for it.

Hi Donna. Hope you're having a lovely weekend.

Donna, a most compelling review of Tree of Smoke. Thanks for that : ).

Donna I am somewhat caught up on your thread. Your grandkids are gorgeous. I loved Spenser 6 and I think I will give Kavalier & Clay another try.

More thanks for that review of Tree of Smoke, Donna. I may give it a try down the line.

Donna- I am so glad you loved Tree of smoke. It seems to have a mixed response around here. I have a spanking new copy of this one, on shelf. Might be time to move it up. I loved Train Dreams.

>224 banjo123:: Hi Rhonda, I hope you find a copy of Factory Girls. It's that kind of nonfiction that flows like a novel. It was very interesting to learn about these factories now that so much of what we wear and use in the U.S. comes from China.

>225 RebaRelishesReading:: The weekend was quiet for the most part, Reba. I had a burst of creativity and made a small SpookHouse (as opposed to a doll house) out of a cardboard box for Haley to play with. I bought three small light-up decorations for it (total of $5) and the rest came out of the toy box. My kind of project!



>226 lit_chick:: You're very welcome, Nancy. It was hard to write because I had such mixed feelings about it. The more I think about the book, though, the more I appreciate it.

>227 luvamystery65:: Thanks, Roberta. I do hope you like K&C the second time around! Those Spenser books are really growing on me. I'm glad we have many more to look forward to. It's fun to have you and Mamie to read along with.

>228 jnwelch:: I hope you do try Tree of Smoke, Joe. I think it deserves a better review...and more recognition.

>229 msf59:: I am going to read Train Dreams and more of Denis Johnson's work, Mark. The man can write, can't he? I think you would like this one about the Vietnam War. I'm edging my way closer to reading Matterhorn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tonight was the Friends of the Library Preview Sale. It was very crowded but I managed to snag a few books that called out to me. For a measly $11 I got:

The Colour by Rose Tremain (hardcover)
This Side of Brightness by Colum McCann
Northern Lights by Tim O"Brien
The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys (hardcover)
Wave by Sonali Deranilyagala. (hardcover)

(And a Steve Martini book for Dave for another buck)...

I love supporting my local library!

Hi Donna, stopping by to get caught up with all the great reading you have been doing! Love the SpookHouse.... that is so cool!

Matterhorn! Matterhorn! Nice book haul. Never heard of the O'Brien or McCann. Interesting.

"I suppose I had a sad need to fit in socially with those trailer-park bums, since I imagined they were the only crowd that would have me, because when that first chunk of wood merely glanced from the glass door and skidded across the patio I became bulldog-determined to get the job done for my new friends, and damn the effort or obvious risk."

Book No. 99: Tomato Red by Daniel Woodrell. 4.1 stars.

I am becoming more and more of a Woodrell fan with each gritty Ozarkian tale that I read. Sammy has just moved up in the world from Arkansas to Southern Missouri (kind of a local joke there). He's working at the dog food factory in West Table, which is really West Plains, a small town about an hour or so from where I live, and where Mr. Woodrell is a resident. Sammy is in his early 20s...a drifter with a dark past and a real need to fit in and be somebody. His new "friends" don't stick around because they are afraid the police will come after the mansion has been broken into. Sammy finds a bottle of quality Vodka and decides to settle into luxury and get drunk. He wakes up duct taped to a chair being examined by two young people, 17-year-old Jason and his red-headed sister, 19-year-old Jamala. They decide to take a chance on Sammy to be their "protector" and release him just before the police come and they all make a run for it. All this happens in the first twenty pages...and I was hooked.

Daniel Woodrell writes about the kind of people we look away from when we see them on the street or in Wal-Mart. He doesn't varnish the truth about the kinds of lives they lead but he shows us that they are much like us without any of the advantages.

Sammy: "I began to thrash through the cabinets hunting for peanut butter because I'd seen mayonnaise in the fridge, and peanut butter and mayonnaise meant I could sleep...I can't sleep anywhere until I know I'll get to eat again if I need to. I don't have to eat, yet I can't rest without bein' positive sure there's food at hand..." (Pg. 8)

Jamala: "God damn, you know, that big rotten gap between who I am, and who I want to be, never does quit hurtin' to get across...Ah, if I was only stupid, it wouldn't be so hard." (Pg. 74)

Jason: Jam talks about her brother -- "All the tomorrows were planned around him. He was the beautiful one, the one with special talent, the one who could just stand in the right spot somewhere else and have the big breaks in life flock right to him..." (141)

It doesn't take long to read this 169-page book. I urge you to read this one or one of the other stories DW has written with love and humanity about the people that are all around us yet are unable to break through the barrier to what we call a normal life. It may or may not change your feelings about people who are down and out, but I guarantee you will have a memorable reading experience.

Well Donna, I have to admit I did not care for Tree of Smoke much at all and I read it BLT (Before LT) so I have no review and my notes from that time are upstairs in another room. SPOILER I know I had a problem with a suicide towards the end of the book that seemed to bear no relation to what had gone before. But your review is excellent and it may be that I just wasn't smart enough to get all that the book was about. Matterhorn OTOH was a favorite of mine in 2011.

Great book haul!

>231 lkernagh:: Ha ha, Lori, now you see why I admire your craftiness. Mine is on the level of a 3-year-old. I think Haley will love it, though, and that is what matters to me. You can't see them very well in the picture, but the "paintings" on the side walls are big stickers of reproductions of Salvador Dali's art. The interior wall is 'wallpapered' to provide a little feel of luxury. ;-)

>232 msf59:: Mark, I've been wanting to read Matterhorn ever since you, Bonnie, and many others here have raved about it. I'm expecting a 5-star read! I bought the McCann and O'Brien books based on the author's later works. For $2 a book, I figured I couldn't go too far wrong.

>234 brenzi:: Yeah, Bonnie, the reviews on Tree of Smoke were mixed...as were my feelings about it. There were several things that didn't make sense to me, but then that whole Vietnam thing didn't make sense to me. Both my father and my very young husband were in the Army during the time the book took place. I lived in fear that they would be sent there, but my dad retired and my husband was irreplaceable in his position in Germany. I'm being facetious, of course, but they were so short staffed that he spent every three nights as duty officer.

I love the Spook House, Donna....and I know Haley will love it, too! You are sooo creative!

Oh yeah, Nance! I don't think my cardboard box house is in the same category with your hand-knitted sweaters, baby blankets, and shawls! But, thanks. I would have invited you in to see it when you dropped me off, but I needed to give Dave a good talking to about not turning the light on for me. The keys were in a hidden zippered pocket in my purse!

Donna I NEED to read Tomato Red. It sounds a little heartbreaking and enlightening and so good.

The spook house is great!! Very creative you are, my friend!

Hello Donna - I do hope you read Train Dreams - my favourite book of the year to date. I LOVED it. Have Tree of Smoke on the shelves of shame - must dig it out during the Christmas break....Love the Spookhouse - and I'm sure that Hayley will, too. Must start the Anthony Powell series - I have the first book...

Oh, I love the spooky house! Nice work!

Your spooky house is adorable!

Liking that spook house, Donna!

I'm another Matterhorn fan. Great book.

Matterhorn is on my list, too.

Donna, I keep telling you....my knitting isn't all that creative. I just follow pattern instructions! But, thanks anyway! :-)

So, is Dave still in trouble?

Love the spook house! So creative of you.
Tomato Red is one of my favorite Woodrell books . . .
Matterhorn has been on my shelves for a very long time. Let's read it simultaneously . . . Just let me know when.

Hi Donna, I bet Haley will love her Spook House, Donna.

I have only read Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell so far but I loved it and I have The Death of Sweet Mister on my shelf. I see that I now have to track down a copy of Tomato Red as well.

>230 Donna828: Out of a cardboard box! You are amazing!

>153 Donna828: ...the Golem of Prague and the Jewish mythology behind it...
Uh oh. I think you just put me off The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. haha, actually, I really want to read it. Partly as it is a book of great significance to my friend, and as it is a prize-winner. I have had very little luck with Chabon's writing though, so I hold little hope for enjoying it.

>209 Donna828: that book sounds fascinating! Like it would really get you inside another (for me) culture. I have technically been to China, although, in reality it was Taiwan, and Hong Kong. But I feel I know next to nothing about its culture.

>230 Donna828: great haul! Are the books all ex-library? I dont like ones that have been stickered and covered from the libraries. Snob- I know. Somehow our library sales turn up heaps of new looking books.

>239 luvamystery65:: Roberta, you should have written my review. Tomato Red is all the things you mentioned -- heartbreaking, enlightening, and good!

>240 RebaRelishesReading:: Thanks, Reba. I had fun doing it.

>241 PrueGallagher:: Prue, that's wonderful to know that Train Dreams scored so highly with you. The Anthony Powell "Dance" books are good in a dry sort of way. It takes awhile to warm up to a narrator who is so unrevealing about himself. I'm glad I'm reading them one per month with the company of a small group here.

>242 scaifea:: Thanks, Amber!

>243 Morphidae:: Morphy, it's supposed to be spooky not adorable. Lol. Actually, I didn't want it too scary or Haley wouldn't play with it so adorable is good.

>244 jnwelch:: Joe, I remember the love you shared for Matterhorn. It's actually my husband's book and he liked it very much, too.

>245 lit_chick:: Nancy, it has been on my list since it came out. I'm thinking of starting out the new year with it. January will be right around the corner the way this year is flying by.

>246 Nancy618:: But you follow those directions with such beautiful results, Nancy. As you know, my knitting "career" didn't last long. No, he's not in trouble. He pointed out that we came home earlier than he anticipated.

>247 brenpike:: How does January sound to you for Matterhorn, Brenda? I can do it sooner if you are in a hurry to read it. It sounds like you will have your hands full for a while longer. I think Tomato Red is my third favorite Woodrell, right after Woe to Live On and Winter's Bone.

>248 DeltaQueen50:: Haley was certainly surprised with the Spook House yesterday, Judy. She did love it! We had seen a bigger version at the library last week but it was just to look at. She's a very hands-on sort of girl! Sweet Mister is such a heartbreaker but another good one by Woodrell.

>249 Copperskye:: Amazing and CHEAP, Joanne! I just hope the spook house lasts through Halloween.

>250 LovingLit:: Megan, I had read and felt sort of meh about the The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Chabon. I liked Kavalier and Clay much better. I haven't been to Hong Kong. I told my husband if he insists I go to China with him (which he won't) that he can leave me in HK while he tours factories, etc. on the mainland. There are quite a few purged library books at these sales, but there are many more that are donated. I'm a book snob, too, and don't want library discards in my home library. The ones I bought are in very good condition.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll be busy, busy today getting ready for my trip tomorrow. I have the trunk of the car stuffed with a baby swing, bouncer, Bumbo, and bags of clothing from Haley and Molly for their new cousin in Colorado. Rebecca is having a baby shower on Saturday which is my main purpose in going now. Dave has a company retreat/planning mtg. in Stillwater, MN this weekend so he won't be going with me. It's a good thing as I still have a wooden toy box and assorted smaller items to fit in the car. I will be loaded with goodies for the new baby. But first, I must go to the dentist and do errands, make chili for Dave to eat the next two nights, and do my personal packing. I would also like to finish my current book! I did the most important thing yesterday: I picked up two books on tape - Winter in Madrid by C.j. Sansom and One Was A Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming. I have more listening pleasure than the 24 hours I will spend on the road!

It sounds like you pack the same way I do - book first, toys second, clothes next if there's room left!

Have a great trip, and drive carefully.

Nice long road trip with new audiobooks! Yay! Enjoy, Donna : ).

Safe travels Donna. Enjoy your family time!

Sounds like a lovely trip. Enjoy!

Have a great, safe trip, Donna.

Thanks for all the wishes for a good road trip. I'll be glad to get started. I hate all the preparations for going away for a few days. That's why I stay home most of the time!

>252 sjmccreary:: Sandy, I still haven't packed anything for myself. I'll check the weather for CO one more time in the morning before I decide what to take. I may have to use two duffel bags instead of a suitcase. Things are pretty tight in my car!

>253 lit_chick:: Yup, the audiobooks are the main thing, Nancy. They make the trip go by so much more quickly.

>254 cbl_tn:: Thanks, Carrie. I don't get to see my oldest son and his wife often enough. That will change next year with the arrival of Baby Genius!

>255 RebaRelishesReading:: Reba, this trip would be a piece of cake for you and your husband. I feel as if I were going to Siberia. I hope I don't end up there. Lol.

>256 BLBera:: Thank you, Beth. I'm only driving for three hours tomorrow as I will spend the night with Lori and family in Kansas City. Friday will be the long day driving across Kansas. I hope to see some fall color. Not much is happening yet around here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



"God, how we get our fingers in each other's clay. That's friendship, each playing the potter to see what shapes we can make of the other."

Book No. 100: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. 3.7 stars.

The title for this book comes from a Shakespeare quote:
"By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes."

The something wicked is the carnival that comes to Green Town in late October, the week before Halloween. It's an unusual time for a carnival but 14-year-old best friends Will and Jim are always up for some fun. However, something is not quite right about this carnival. It arrives in town in the middle of the night and the boys become suspicious when strange things begin to happen. Townspeople disappear or inhabit bodies that are either much younger or older than their true age. I'll never think about a carousel in the same way again!

I had to channel my 12-year-old self to read this book despite my liking the way Bradbury writes. It was only when Will's father (who was made to sound ancient because he was in his 50s!) got involved with trying to save the town from the evil men running this freak show of a carnival that I got on board with it. It's on my i-Pad so I may read it again next October to better appreciate the writing and the story of friendship and fatherly love.

Love your Spook House, Donna. Wave hi at Abilene and my family as you drive past.

Have a wonderful and safe trip!

Have a safe trip, Donna. And enjoy those books. They sure make the time go fast, don't they?

#260 When they're good they do. I got caught listening to Ulysses by James Joyce on a driving trip to Chicago last year. Once I decided that I couldn't finish that one, it seemed to take hours to get to the next rest stop so that I could fish another audio book out of the back and load it in the player. (Because of course I always travel with a spare!)

Wave to me as you come into KC today, Donna. We're having a beautiful sunny day, and more glorious fall color every day.

I remember loving Something Wicked This Way Comes when I was a young lad, Donna. Glad to hear it holds up well.

Safe travels, and have a good time stopping off in KC.

<251 -- if you come to a huge body of water, stop and turn around lol You'll be fine. Actually I may have to go to Chautauqua before hub next year and I want to drive on my own. He is really nervous about the idea and is even talking about driving to Chicago with me and then flying back home. I don't know how to convince him that it sounds really fun to me without hurting his feelings. I mean really!! I'm a capable adult, it's a new car, we have On-Star and I have a phone...

Finally! I have caught up with all the latest news and reviews since September! I've missed visiting you Donna. Such a fun thread to scroll through! Such a nice b-day party for Haley and what a super duper grandma you are to make that (not too) spooky Spook House. your grandchildren must adore spending time with you.
Well, you zapped me with 3 bb's. The Brooks, Chabon and Mantel.
Hope you have a great trip with lots of hugs included!

Hi Donna, you are a big series fan. I appreciate your dedication when you read the entire series at one go.

Some nice pics and nice books here.

Congrats on reaching book #100, Donna!!

What Lynda said!! I had to go looking for your thread - thank goodness for the threadbook. Needless to say I was verrryyyyyy far behind. I had fun catching up with your adventures, though.

Great review of Something Wicked This Way Comes. I have never read it. Maybe I will.

Hi, Donna! Hope your trip is good. I'm way behind and skimming to catch up, but stopped and fully read your most excellent reviews. Tree of Smoke and Tomato Red sound compelling. And I fondly remember Something Wicked This Way Comes. Great reviews!.

I'm home! It was a good trip. I didn't even mind the driving because I had a decent book to listen to. That is key for me on road trips. The baby shower was an all-day affair because heavy traffic for the Air Force Academy football game made the 60-mile trip a 2-hour drive. We stayed in Colorado Springs for dinner with Rebecca's family which added another 2-3 hours. It was worth it because we came home loaded down with lots of good stuff for the new granddaughter.

>258 ronincats:: Roni, I remembered to wave at Abilene, Kansas both times I went by. The Flint Hills had some fall color and were very picturesque.

>259 scaifea: -260: Thanks for the good trip wishes, Amber and Mark.

>261 sjmccreary:: Sandy, I had a spare book, too, but I didn't need it as Winter in Madrid was 22 hours long. I noticed a big difference in the fall color in southern Missouri in the six days I was gone.

>262 jnwelch:: Thanks, Joe. I can see where a young lad would think Something Wicked This Way Comes was the black cat's meow!

>263 RebaRelishesReading:: Reba, thanks for that good advice. Luckily, I didn't need to turn around! I felt perfectly safe driving by myself. I timed it so I didn't drive at night and I made sure that I was well rested when I started out. I think you would be just fine driving to Chicago, but your husband's concern is sweet.

>264 Carmenere:: Hey Lynda, I'm glad you took the time to get caught up with my exciting life. Lol. And I got you with three book bullets. I must be doing something right!

>265 mausergem:: Thanks, Gautam. I guess when I begin a series I want to find out what happens to my "people"! I read mostly stand alone books before LT so maybe I don't understand the concept of delayed gratification.

>266 lindapanzo:: Someone noticed. Thanks, Linda! Good to see you here.

>267 Crazymamie:: Mamie, I haven't been posting as much lately so my thread tends to get lost. I decided to quit trying to keep up with everyone because it was futile. I still read a lot of threads and even delurk to post occasionally but most of my "spare" time goes to reading...and the two granddaughters in town.

>268 nittnut:: Jenn, I think you and Jonah might enjoy reading Something Wicked This Way Comes together. It seems like a good mother-son book, and it's a short one. We sure missed you at The Tattered Cover meet up on Sunday. I'm looking forward to our meet-up in New Zealand. I wish!

>269 tymfos:: Thank you, Terri. It is good to be home. I'd better get in good shape for that trip to Denver because I plan to go at least quarterly next year after our granddaughter is born. We will probably fly most of the time, but I do enjoy a good road trip occasionally. Tree of Smoke is quite long...over 600 pages whereas Tomato Red is an afternoon read. I'm glad you got something out of my reviews. The next two coming up are going to be quickies. I'm tired!

"Hush, Lisey, hush, little Lisey, she told herself in the kitchen--badly frightened now, and not only because she had been so wrong about what she'd believed about the death of Paul Landon. She was frightened because she was realizing--too late, too late--that what's done can't be undone, and what's remembered must somehow be lived with ever after. Even if the memories are insane." (236)

Book No. 101. Lisey's Story by Stephen King. 3 stars.

Little Lisey is being led on a bool hunt into the past by her dead husband, Scott, who had been a successful writer and a tortured soul. You might ask what a bool hunt is...you have to get into the mind of Stephen King to know that...just be warned that this is where the 'bad gunky' is.

This book was a little disappointing to me for a Halloween read. I'm glad it veered toward the creepy side rather than pure horror, but it seemed too farfetched to be believable. It was weird with quite a bit of the supernatural thrown in, but the scariest thing about it was that I finished the book! If I didn't own it, I would have taken it back to the library after the first trip to Boo'ya Moon.

"'Cabron communista!' The man had a heavy southern accent. Bernie was still trying to make out the words as the Fascist brought up his pistol and aimed at his head."

Book No. 102: Winter in Madrid by C. J. Sansom. 3.7 stars.

I like good historical fiction and the fans of C. J. Sansom's Shardlake series know that he researches what he writes about. I learned much about the Spanish Civil War followed by the "cleansing" reign of Franco who flirted with Hitler while he made life in pre-WWII Spain a living hell. Sansom slowly - and I mean very slowly - builds the story about a reluctant British Intelligence Agent who is trying to get information from an old school friend about a gold mine. In the meantime, their fellow schoolmate Bernie who had been declared missing and presumed dead in the civil war, turns up in a prisoner-of-war camp and his old girlfriend Barbara is trying to buy his escape.

It is an interesting premise but it is quite drawn out and complicated. Perfect for a boring drive but I might have been skimming some pages if I had been reading the print version. However, the last 200 pages turned into a thriller that kept me driving past my break for the late lunch stop I had planned!

Welcome home! Glad to see you had a good trip, even if traffic was an issue - I hate traffic and it is part of the reason why I choose to live in a compact city where I can get around easily on foot. ;-)

I have yet to dive into Sansom's Shardlake series - it is on my radar screen, honest! - but I was wondering how his other historical fictions would fair. I am good with a slow build so long as the story does eventually go somewhere so I think I will add Winter in Madrid to the future reading list. I loved The Shadow in the Wind and that shows up as an LT recommendation for the Sansom book.

I'm behind on the Shardlake series, but I'm hoping to get to the next one before the end of the year. I will probably tackle the Spanish revolution book after I catch up the one series I've begun.

Ugh, yeah. Lisey's Story is really not good at all. It was almost everything I don't like about King rolled into one book.

>273 lkernagh:: Thanks for the welcome home, Lori. Yes, there is a pay-off to the slow buildup in Winter in Madrid. Keep in mind I was listening to it. If I had been reading the print copy, it wouldn't have been so slow! I highly recommend the Shardlake series. I am sad that I have read them all.

>274 thornton37814:: Lori #2... lucky you have more Shardlake books to read. That is the trouble with series. They must come to an end at some point in time!

>275 ursula:: I'm glad it wasn't just me who didn't care for Lisey's Story. I was generous in giving it 3 stars! Thanks for stopping by, Ursula.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from my three oldest grandchildren: Sadie (11), Audrey (age 9), and Griffin (almost 6). I'll take pictures of the little girls when they come over tonight.

Such cute kids!! Great costumes too.

Great pictures, Donna. I am looking forward to the trick or treating tonight, the kids nowadays are so creative with their costumes. My nine year old granddaughter is also going to be a pirate this year.

AWWwww! They are so cute, Donna! Hoping they have a fun and lucrative evening!

Thank you so much Laura, Judy, and Mamie. The fun has begun.

Here are two very special trick-or-treaters...



3-year-old Haley decided to see what it would be like to be a redhead. She is Ariel, also known as The Little Mermaid. I couldn't get her to turn around and show off her mermaid tail. Note the rain boots.
6-month-old Molly is a cupcake. She is a sweetie for sure!

Those are SO cute! I particularly love the pirate and the cupcake.

Hi Donna- I LOVE the kid's photos! How priceless. I'll have to disagree on a title though. It's been a few years, but I really liked Lisey's Story. And it helped bring me back into the King fold. There was something very creepy and otherworldly about it, that I found quite entertaining.

I live on a dead end road with no young kids in the neighborhood so I never get any trick-or-treaters. I'm vicariously enjoying yours!

Roni, I like Sadie's costume best because she made the peacock skirt herself! I know it's easy to do, but I still like her ingenuity.

Boola, Boola Mark! "Otherworldly" is a great way to describe Lisey's Story. I'm glad you liked it. Let's see, I read it right after my other Halloween read, Something Wicked This Way Comes, which I thought was the better book. Sometimes SK is right up my alley but not this time!

We didn't see a single trick or greater tonight, so I'm glad I could stop by here to see the two youngest. That cupcake costume is so creative.

When the trick-or-treaters get bigger than me, I turn out the porch light and pick up a book. I got caught up on a few threads tonight between trips to the door. Lots of cuties out there. I was worried the all-day rain would keep them away, but luckily it stopped just in time.

>284 cbl_tn:: Carrie, I missed you while I was posting my last message. I'm glad I could supply some trick-or-treaters for you. We don't get too many in this older neighborhood. Just enough to keep me hopping up and down for the three hours I leave the porch light on.

>286 lauralkeet:: Not a one, huh? That means you get to eat the candy, Laura! I always buy too much thinking that one of these years we'll have a rush and I'll run out. It hasn't happened yet.

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is November 1st. I have been pulling books out to read that fit the new TIOLI Challenges. It is my favorite time of the LT month when the new TIOLI thread comes up and I can decide what I'll be reading the next month. I have a few big books coming up including The Golden Notebook for next Thursday night's book group and The Luminaries which I just picked up from the library. I'll try and start a new thread tomorrow or Saturday. It's Friday with Haley Day tomorrow!

Living in an access controlled mid-rise in a very urban part of town we know we aren't going to have any trick or treaters so we don't even buy the candy. I loved seeing your grandkids all dressed up. Gave me a bit of Halloween feeling.

Ohmygoodness, those costume (and the munchkins in them) are so adorable! I particularly love the green rain boots!

Adorable photos of your grandchildren, Donna! We live in a neighborhood that is besieged on Halloween. By conservative estimate (based on counting candy bags), we had more than 500 trick-or-treaters in less than two hours, despite the off and on showers. We just sit on the porch. No point in even going inside. But it does kind of take the fun out it when all you have time for is to refill the candy bowl and worry about the kids jostling each other on the steps.

Donna, your trick-or-treaters are just precious!

Donna - What cute trick-or-treaters. Scout was too little this year and Mom and Dad both were sick, so she settled for a shirt with a pumpkin on it.

Wow the cutie patooties are even cuter than usual. How is that possible Donna?

I had no trick or treaters last night either. I really didn't expect many. The weather wasn't great, and so many of the parents just take their kids to churches for "Trunk or Treat" or to the mall. My cat was happy not to have to run and hide from all the ghosts and goblins (or whatever they dress up as these days).

>288 RebaRelishesReading:: Reba, I would have missed having greedy little kids in costumes ringing my doorbell and demanding candy. Seriously, I do love to see the kids (under the teenage years) dressed up, and for the most part, they are very polite. I did have one young man take one of the items I gave him toss it back in my bowl saying "I don't like this" and grabbing another.

>289 scaifea:: Amber, those green rain boots with the frog eyes are one of Haley's favorite things to wear. I'm surprised as they are not pink! Thank you for those kind words.

>290 Linda92007:: Wow, Linda, that is about 400 too many kids. I think we had our usual 30 - 35 last night! Too much leftover candy.

>291 lit_chick:: Thanks, Nancy. You must be busy these days as I haven't seen your presence on LT as much as I used to. Hope all is well.

>292 BLBera:: Beth, I'm sure Molly wouldn't have gone if it hadn't been for Haley. This is Haley's first year of understanding what it's all about. What a cool deal. Just wear an adorable costume, smile, say "trick-or-treat", and strangers give you candy. Ah, to be 3 again.

>293 brenzi:: Bonnie, I don't know if they are truly any cuter, but I do fall more in love with my grandchildren as time marches on. I think I've found my calling in life. ;-)

>294 thornton37814:: Lori, now that I think of it, I haven't seen a child dressed up in an old sheet for years. Now it's all about the store bought and sometimes quite expensive costumes. That's why I was so pleased that Sadie had the initiative to make hers although they had to buy many yards of tulle for her peacock skirt.