Donna has High Hopes for 2014: Ch. 2

Our little lake in the winter.


Close-up of Canadian visitors on the ice!

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Rating System:

One Star......Not worth my time
Two Stars....Finished grudgingly
2.5 Stars......Fair, but not for me
Three Stars..Liked it pretty well but had reservations
3.5 Stars.....Good but not great
Four Stars...Great book; recommended
4.5 Stars.....Excellent; a keeper
Five Stars....Superb; a real treasure.



March Reading:

17. On Such A Full Sea by Chang-Rae Lee. ( 2.7) One of my dependable authors disappointed me with this dystopian book. He took a chance but it didn't work for me!

18. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. (3.3) Another disappointment about artsy teens who grow up but don't grow out of their clique. Too much irony for my taste.

19. Want Not by Jonathan Miles. (4.2) A social commentary about excessive consumption told through three sets of characters in the New York City area in very different circumstances. Lots of humor and lots to ponder.

20. Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson. (2.7) A historical romance set during WWI in a field hospital near the front lines. The war parts were good; the romance was schmaltzy.

21. Suttree by Cormac McCarthy. (4.5) A beautifully written portrait of a privileged and intellectual young man who squanders his talents to "enjoy" drinking and living on the edge of society. Suttree the character was a mess but Suttree the book was a gem.

22. Eleven Days by Lea Carpenter. (4.2) I liked this close look at what happens to a mother and son when the son becomes a Naval SEAL and the mother is left to wonder about his fate.

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February Reading:

10. Philida by Andre Brink. 3.5 stars.
Based on a true story about the author's family history. Philida is a slave woman in South Africa who tells her story about the years leading up to emancipation in 1833.

11. A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout. 4.8 stars. A harrowing memoir about the author's 15-month captivity in Somalia. This book totally consumed me as I read about a young woman's remarkable strength and compassion under terrifying conditions.

12. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. 3.7. This debut author creates an imaginative story about immigration in New York City that combines the elements of fire and earth given the characteristics of humans. It sounds weird, but it works!

13. The Hamlet by William Faulkner. 4.2. In this first book of the Snopes Trilogy, a poor white trash family becomes embroiled in key positions in Frenchman's Bend "society" because of a barn burning reputation. Some fun storytelling by V. K. Ratliff, a traveling salesman, as he observes the happenings in this out-of-the-way spot.

14. The Wind Is Not A River by Brian Payton. 3.5. Journalist John Easley parachutes to "safety" in the Aleutian Islands, unfortunately he lands near the Japanese camp. He and a young soldier learn to survive the elements as they evade the enemy during a little known aspect of WWII.

15. The Widening Gyre by Robert B. Parker. 3.5. Spenser #10 features Susan, Paul, Hawk, and of course, Spenser as he helps a political candidate whose wayward wife is the cause of a blackmail scheme. Fun and guns!

16. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. A long, detailed story woven around the theft of a famous painting after an explosion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art which kills Theo's mother. He spends the next 14 years mired in drugs and finding comfort in the exquisite art piece which he knows he should return. A memorable read.

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January Reading:

1.We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler. 4.6 stars. Rosemary writes about her unusual family and the heartache they suffered when Fern left them.

2. Runaway by Alice Munro. (4) Another stellar short story collection. Eight stories about women of all ages who mostly long to escape their situations in life.

3. City of Thieves by David Benioff. (4.2). An unlikely friendship between Lev and Kolya develops when they escape a Russian firing squad for crimes against their country and set off on an impossible quest to satisfy a Colonel's whim.

4. One of Ours by Willa Cather. (4) A young farm boy goes to WWI to find himself. Set in Nebraska and France.

5. Someone by Alice McDermott. (4.4). Marie grows up in 1950s Brooklyn. She is jilted but later finds love and has a family. Everyday life in a different era.

6. Ceremony by Robert B. Parker. (3). Spenser "helps" a teenage girl who is estranged from her family.

7. This Is the Story Of A Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett. (4.1) A wonderful collection of essays on a variety of topics: writing, opening a bookstore, finding a husband, caring for a beloved grandmother, loving a dog…

8. The Glass Room by Simon Mawer. (4). The rich Landauer family builds an ultra-modern house on a Czechoslovakian hillside after WWI. They have to emigrate to U.S. because Viktor is Jewish. The house undergoes many changes during WWII occupations.

9. Doc by Mary Doria Russell. (4.5). The true (?) story of Doc Holliday as he interacts with the Earp brothers in Dodge City, KS, in the 1870s.

In Addition to participating in the monthly TIOLI Challenges, I will be taking part in these groups...

American Author Challenge:

Willa Cather - One of Ours (fits in with TIOLI WWI Challenge for January)
William Faulkner - The Hamlet (fits the TIOLI series Challenge for February)
Cormac McCarthy - Suttree (TIOLI Challenge #11 - A Relative Chunkster; my avg. book is 336 pp. and this one was 471 pp.)
Toni Morrison - Love, Home, or Tar Baby - the only books by her I haven't already read. Or I may do a reread!)
Eudora Welty - Collected Stories or One Writer's Beginning
Kurt Vonnegut - Cat's Cradle
Mark Twain - Roughing It or Innocents Abroad
Philip Roth - The Plot Against America
James Baldwin - Giovanni's Room
Edith Wharton - The Reef
John Updike - My Father's Tears and Other Stories
Larry Watson - American Boy

The Spenser Project:
(Reading with Roberta (luvamystery) and Mamie (Crazymamie);
thanks for the list, Roberta!

January – Ceremony #9
February – The Widening Gyre #10
March – Valediction #11
April – A Catskill Eagle #12
May – Taming a Sea-Horse #13
June – Pale Kings and Princes #14
July – Crimson Joy #15
August – Playmates #16
September – Stardust #17
October – Pastime #18
November – Double Deuce #19
December – Paper Doll #20

Books Acquired in 2014
January Acquisitions:
Regeneration by Pat Barker at local used bookstore. "Free" with credit.
The Eye in the Door - Pat Barker - used my credit.
The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion - succumbed to peer pressure on Julia's (rosalita) thread! Kindle - $1.99.
The Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker - Kindle - $1.99
Twelve Years A Slave - Solomon Northrup - Kindle - $1.99
Lost Memory of Skin - Russell Banks - Kindle - $1.99

February Acquisitions:
American Boy - Larry Watson - Kindle - $1.99
Salvage the Bones - Jesmyn Ward - Kindle - $1.99
Mr. Britling Sees it Through - H. G. Wells - Kindle - free!
Lincoln's Melancholy - Joshua Wolf Shenk - Kindle - $1.99
The Last Chronicle of Barset - Anthony Trollope - iBooks - free!

March Acquisitions:
Valediction - Robert B. Parker - There was a wait list at the library; I paid $1.07 at my local used bookstore (I had some credit left - all gone now!)

One Word Title: Someone
A Book of Short Stories: Runaway
FREE
A Book Set On A Different Continent: The Glass Room
A Book of Nonfiction: This Is the Story Of A Happy Marriage

Hi Donna ! A new thread already. I hope you're open. I think Scout is teething. She seems to learn something new everyday.

Happy new thread, Donna! I love the photos and the poem that you used as a thread topper. Lovely!

Beth, congratulations on being my first visitor. You get a virtual hug! We are still waiting for Molly's first tooth. She doesn't seem to be in a hurry for anything. She's still not crawling either although that makes it much easier to take care of her.

Hi Mamie, you're my #2. A 'High Five' for you! I am not much into poetry but I do like Mary Oliver and I particularly like this poem of HOPE!

Hi Donna,
Lovely new thread! I love your little lake with its waterfowl.

By the way, I'm glad you liked Doc so much!

Oh Donna, what beautiful photos! Happy new thread.

Greetings Donna! I love the pics of your serene little lake!
I hope to get to Doc sometime ths yr. and if you liked it its a good indication that I will too

pulling up a chair

Happy new thread, Donna. You have a lovely thread topper!

I love the picture of your lake Donna, especially the first one. The winter colours are so soft and muted.

Ooh, you've Bingo-ed already! Woot!!

Also, I need to get to Doc soon.

Happy New Thread, Donna!

Hi Donna!

From previous thread - great review of Doc. That's one I'd like to read, as I've heard such great things about it (from Ellen), and I enjoyed The Sparrow (although perhaps not as much as some others did).

Adorable grandchildren visit photos too!

Congratulations on your bingo, Donna! I think I know how I'm going to get a Bingo, but it will take a few more books, and it's not driving "what I read, when". But it's fun to find books that fit the categories!

Hi, Donna!:)

Lovely pictures!

Donna - Nice to see Mary Oliver showcased up top. I am reading her collection Dream Work at the moment.

Congratulations on your new thread. xx

Hi Donna, beautiful photos of your little lake in winter. What a gorgeous back yard!

LOVED your review of Doc and am so tickled that you enjoyed it as much as I and so many others here. Had a chuckle at your personal experience: I feel like I spent much of the past few days in saloons listening to out-of-tune pianos and breathing the smoky air waiting for a fight to break out.

Catching up on your threads. I loved the Books to Check Out journal idea on your previous thread.

Donna, your review of Doc brought back memories of that wonderful read. I sure hope that long awaited sequel comes out soon.

Congratulations on already getting a bingo. I am planning on rewarding myself with a book with each bingo I achieve.

Nice photos, Donna!

Fabulous review of Doc. Has pushed it from my TBR One Day Maybe to my regular TBR list.

Wonderful review of Doc Donna. I somehow thought you had already read it. Now you can join me (and others) in waiting for Epitaph.

And I love the opening pictures and the Mary Oliver poem.

Hi Donna! I love the Mary Oliver poem. I've already been over to Amazon to check out her poetry. She is quite prolific! And add me to the list of people waiting eagerly for the Doc sequel!

Nice photos, Donna. I love your lake. And the Mary Oliver poem. I received her latest book, Dog Songs, for Christmas.

I'm glad you liked Doc! I do, too, and at this point, am hoping to finish it before the sequel comes out. :)

Nice new thread, Donna.
And super-congrats on your 400+ reviews. Wow!

Also, love the pictures of your granddaughters! You can never post too many pictures of those sweet girls. They are dang cute ;-)

What incredible opening images!!!!

Nice new thread with terrific photos!

Hey Donna! As you're my most weighted reader, I'm using your library for TIOLI Challenge #1. I promise I'll return The Picture of Dorian Gray in good condition ;0)

Lovely new thread - love the thread topper pics! - and congrats on BINGO!

So many visitors, so little time! I have a few hours to myself while Griffin attends morning Kindergarten but that goes by quickly. Please forgive my group reply. Thank you for stopping by to wish me well on my new thread: Ellen, Anne, Lynda, Jenn, Diana, Rhian, Amber, Kerri, Laura, Bente, Paul, Nancy, Lori, Judy, Becky, Morphy, Bonnie, Amy, Joanne, Claudia, Linda, Terri, Lynda, and Lori. Whew! It would take me all morning to type out individual messages on the iPad. Three more days and I'll be home and have more time. Thank you for your understanding.

Hi Donna -- I'm determined to catch up this morning. Hope you're having a lovely day.

Hi Donna, I've finally made it here only to discover that, just as I suspected, you really DO have 2 threads already! I only skimmed the posts so far, and admired the photos and read the book reviews. Wow, you are busy!

The picture of Hope is priceless - congratulations on another beautiful granddaughter!

Love the thread-topper, Donna - my but you are ploughing through the threads this year! great review of Doc - a book with many LT fans. I have it on my shelves....**sigh*** Must continue with The Goldfinch. I am not a fan of Big Books, but it is a good 'un

Lovely new thread, Donna!

I'm panting to catch up with you, Donna, after missing that you had started a new thread. The photos are beautiful. There's something about the air in winter that make everything seem to be in high definition, and you've captured that with your pics.

Hi Donna! I've been unable to do much lurking, much less commenting, on the threads this week but am slowly getting caught up. I love your thread-toppers. And going back to the last thread, I still haven't read Doc but your excellent review pushes it a bit farther up the pile. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I'm back from babysitting for my three oldest grands without the help of my husband who got sick the day before we were supposed to leave. It's pretty hard to fake a stomach virus - and I hated to leave him in agony - but I braved the challenges of getting three children to school at three different times for several days, not to mention feeding three very picky eaters. And then we had an ice event on Saturday which meant no basketball game for Sadie or play dates for Audrey and Griffin. The good news is that we all survived! I am over my pity party for the depressing Super Bowl. What a dull game for everyone. I suspect that even Seahawks fans even got tired of endless cheering for their team. Congrats to the winners and pats on the backs to the devastated losers.

>33 RebaRelishesReading:: Reba, I'm determined to catch up on my thread! Thanks for the visit and good wishes.

>34 sjmccreary:: Sandy, I think Hope is a keeper, too. I can't wait to see her again. I hope this thread will last two months. I don't like to move that often!

>35 PrueGallagher:: I'm glad to hear The Goldfinch is good, Prue. Everyone here seems to like it so far. I'll get to it by the end of the month.

>36 ronincats:: Thanks, Roni!

>37 rosalita:: Julia, I just use my camera for pictures most of the time. I'm surprised these came out as well as they did. As you said, there is something about the winter air that makes for good pictures. It really is a peaceful scene in my backyard. I plan to look at it every day this month. No more traveling for me for awhile.

>38 katiekrug:: Katie, I was keeping up fairly well around here but after being off the grid for five days I am hopelessly behind again. I think I'll just go read a book and play catch-up later when I'm not so tired.

Book No. 10: Philida by Andre Brink. 3.5 stars.

"Come and lie with me, Philida. My body will make yours happy. It will be good for you, you'll see. I shall buy you free…I shall walk all the way to the Caab if I have to, and pay whatever they ask so you can be free, then you can walk everywhere you want to. With shoes on your feet." (15)

This book is historical fiction with a bit of a twist -- it is based on the author's own family history. It tells a small part of the history of slavery in South Africa in the time before apartheid. It is Philida's story but is told from the perspective of three narrators: Philida, her lover Francois, and his father Cornelius who is also Philida's owner. It was interesting to hear the slaveholder's side of the story, hypocritical as it was. Most of the justification for holding slaves came from the Bible. Too bad Cornelius ignored the "honor your mother" part of the Good Book. He bought freedom for his black mother Petronella yet didn't write her name in the family tree in the back of the Bible. And he didn't acknowledge his own grandchildren from the union of Philida and Frans.

This is a sad book as one might imagine. It has the usual beatings, breaking up of slave families, rape, hangings and other atrocities. But it is also the story of a determined young woman who uses her wits to get what was promised to her. Initially, she walks barefooted toting her new infant on her back to get her day in court. I was surprised to see that slaves had legal rights in S. Africa in the 1830s; however, I was not surprised to find out that they were only on paper. Frans testified that she was lying about him being the father of her children with the blue-eyed evidence staring the judge in the face. Philida was denied her rights and had to return on foot to the farm to face the consequences.

I should have liked this book better than I did. It has all the things I like: a strong woman meeting injustice with courage and grace, historical accuracy, and lovely writing. However, I struggled with the local language and would have found a glossary a helpful addition. I also got tired of the knitting analogies. I understand that Philida was a knitting slave, something else I had never heard of, and expected some references to it but I thought the shoe motif was more subtle and therefore worked better in the story, especially in light of the long journeys Philida underwent on bloody feet. I think part of my problem was being distracted by life. I may have a different rating in a few days after I think more about the book and attend my book group Thursday night. I almost always like, or at least appreciate, a book more after discussing it with thoughtful readers.

It has been a long time since I've read an almost-400-page book in one day. It has also been a long time since I have been so moved by a book.



Book No. 11: A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett. 4.8 stars.

"We were part of a desperate, wheedling multinational transaction. We were part of a holy war. We were part of a larger problem. I made promises to myself about what I'd do if I got out… We were close and also out of reach, thicketed away from the world. It was here, finally, that I started to believe this story would be one I'd never get to tell, that I would become an erasure, an eddy in a river pulled suddenly flat. I began to feel certain that, hidden inside Somalia, inside this unknowable and stricken place, we would never be found." (from the Prologue)

No matter what you think of this impulsive young woman's actions that led to her kidnapping in Somalia in 2008, it is distressing to read about her imprisonment under appalling conditions for 470 days…that is 15 months of captivity with a can of tuna fish and a hot dog bun for almost every meal (2 x a day), in dark and dirty rooms, under constant surveillance and threats. All for a ransom that Amanda Lindhout's poverty stricken family could not raise. I admit that I have a slight bias against memoirs because the truth can so easily be manipulated; however, she tells her story in such a way that she doesn't come across as a person who is looking for sympathy. In fact, some of her critics claim that she got what she deserved because of her recklessness which she willingly admits. She and her ex-boyfriend, Nigel Brennan, entered Somalia in order to further their respective careers as amateur journalist and photographer despite knowing about the danger involved.

I do not approve of their actions, but I am not one to judge others. What most impressed me was Amanda's unrelenting positive attitude and her willingness to do what it took including becoming a Muslim in order to survive and obtain freedom. I will never forget their one attempted escape and a heartrending scene in the local mosque. This is not a story for the squeamish or the easily disturbed. It is public record that the story has a "happy" ending, although Amanda had some health and mental problems to overcome because of her ordeal. I really liked the Epilogue which tells a little about the school for Somali refugee women started by the Global Enrichment Foundation. Amanda and some of the teachers were brainstorming to find a name for the school: "A single possibility stood out among the others, and one of the women drew a thick circle around it with white chalk. Rajo was the name we picked for the school. It's the Somali word for hope. And, hope, we all agreed, is the best thing in the world." (367)

Ouch, hit by a Book Bullet.

Donna, that's a lovely review. I remember hearing her and her boyfriend being interviewed on NPR after they were freed, and it sounded like quite an ordeal. And you are finding "hope" everywhere you go these days, aren't you? :-)

A House in the Sky was already on my wishlist, Donna, but your great review has moved it up closer to the top.

Did you get blanketed by snow yesterday? The weather maps looked like all of Kansas and Missouri were covered. I know Abilene, Topeka, and Kansas City were!

Donna, I thought I'd commented on this thread before because I read your review of Philida last time I was here and thought I might put it on the wishlist. I've seen A House in the Sky mentioned as one of the great publications of 2013, but had no idea what it was about. Your review is excellent, but it's also convinced me I don't want to read it. You don't know how happy it makes me to be able to eliminate books as potential tbr candidates! More room for a book I DO look forward to! I read Runaway a long time ago, possibly before LT (I thought it was great too), my only Alice Munro so far, though there are plenty on the tbr. City of Thieves has been on the WL for quite some time. I read The Glass Room a couple of years ago and it definitely made me want to read more of Simon Mawer's work. Doc has been on the tbr for a while and everyone who's read it raves about how great it is. Must visit your last thread to catch up on all those great reviews!

eta: Love those pictures up top, and Mary Oliver's Wild Geese too.

Fabulous reviews, Donna. Sorry you didn't like Philida more; I enjoyed that one tremendously and loved the knitting metaphors. But, as they say, it would be a dull world if we all liked the same things, wouldn't it? Curious to know how your book discussion goes, and whether you find it worthwhile.

A House in the Sky sounds like a great read! I admittedly did find both Amanda and Nigel's actions foolish, but the read sounds spellbinding nonetheless. And you're right: foolish actions do not condone reprehensible treatment.

Hi Donna- Wow! I missed the start of your new thread. Bad Mark. Love the toppers and I am so glad you loved Doc. She is such a good writer.
Good review of A House in the Sky. I had not heard of that one. Sounds terrific!

>42 wilkiec:: Gotcha, Diana! I hope you are as taken with the book as I was.

>43 rosalita:: Thank for noticing the HOPE reference, Julia. I hope I didn't make it too obvious. Lol.

>44 DeltaQueen50:: Judy, when I picked AHitS up at the library, I could not remember why I reserved it. I'm glad I didn't turn it back in until I gave it a chance.

>45 ronincats:: Roni, we got about 3 inches yesterday. Apparently it was enough to cancel school for 2 days. Golly, we are wimps around here! I got out of KC just in time. They are in a mess up there.

>46 Smiler69:: Ilana, A House in the Sky would not be everyone's idea of a great book. Very depressing. Philida was pretty bleak, too. I should have liked it more than I did. I seem to be attracted to dark situations; perhaps because my life has no drama in it!

>47 lit_chick:: Nancy, I am blaming my tiredness with the responsibility of taking care of my three oldest grandchildren on my lack of enthusiasm for Philida. Not that my rating was terrible. 3.5 means "good" but not "great" in my system. I think the knitting metaphors got to me because I was a failure at my knitting attempt a few years ago! I am hoping the weather cooperates so we can have our book discussion tomorrow evening. I'll be sure to post some comments here if we do.

>48 msf59:: Mark, MDR can not write a bad book imo. At least she has an excellent track record with me. I still need to get to Children of God someday, but I would like to reread The Sparrow first as it has been awhile since I've read it. You are totally excused for missing my thread because of your trip to Oregon. I think I missed a terrific meet-up!

Hi Donna - great comments about Doc - exactly how I felt. I loved The Sparrow too and would like to reread it at some point. One of her books I don't see talked about too much is Dreamers of the Day which is a terrific historical novel about Cairo in the early 1920s and includes TE Lawrence, Winston Churchill and others. It has a memorable narrator - an outspoken American spinster from the Midwest.
I'm in a little bit of a reading lull right now, having trouble deciding what to read next. I think I've begun too many series!

Great reviews of Philida and A House in the Sky, Donna. Both are going on my wishlist.

>50 vivians:: Hi Vivian, isn't Mary Doria Russell a terrific author? I did read Dreamers of the Day. I call books that have many historical characters in them "Forrest Gump" books! They always contain a few too many coincidences for me (one of my reading pet peeves) but MDR made that one an enjoyable read for me. She is one of several authors I would like to meet someday. Lucky Mark in this group shared a beer with her at the Petosky, Michigan Booktopia event last year!

>51 Linda92007:: Thank you, Linda. I don't think either book will disappoint you.

I have a few minutes before I go to pick up Haley for Story Hour and a play date here with Grandpa and Grandma. We have been away from our routine for too long now. I need to give a brief report on the book group's discussion of Philida last night. Seven brave souls got out on a cold night to talk about a book. We even had a new member show up. We soon warmed up with laughter and conversation.

The general consensus was that Philida is an important book because it was based on the author's family and he did the research to make the protagonist's voice authentic. We were mixed on the value of that author's voice. Some like me found it made the book more difficult to read but we all agreed that it made an impact, making the story more realistic. There were many plot points to discuss along with a general discussion of slavery in South Africa compared to what we knew of slavery in the U. S.

I came away wanting to see the movie "Twelve Years A Slave". I hope it sticks around long enough so I can read the book first. The group liked Philida very much but no one seemed to be overly affected by it. My rating of "good but not great" will stand!

Off to get my sweet Haley!

Hi, Donna! Hope you had a lovely play date with Haley yesterday!

Donna, what a great review of Doc. I have a nice hardcover edition on my shelves, and a copy of The Sparrow as well. I see her on FB, where most of her posts are brief and very funny in a rather pointed and snarky way.

Actually I like all your reviews, even if they are somewhat negative about a book. To paraphrase Ilana, it's nice to have someone willing to take a hit for the team and save some of us from books we just won't like. Very much appreciated.

53: Amber, we always have a fun time with Haley. It was good to get back to our library routine. Her favorite book this time was Why Mosquito's Buzz in People's Ears. Good choice!

54: Hi Gail. I think MDR's quirky personality transfers well to the written page. I try to present both good and bad in my comments about a book so visitors can make their own judgments. In the case of A House in the Sky, I was so moved by the story that I forgave the flaws and included it in my rare 5-star books.

I hope everyone has a good Sunday. I'll be watching The Olympics a good part of the day. Gracie Gold spent her formative years and did her early training here in Springfield. Go Gracie!

How nice to have a connection to Gracie. What a lovely young woman and fantastic skater -- can't wait for ladies singles!!

Wow Donna, A House in the Sky was a direct hit. You've been doing some great reading and I'm having a hard time keeping up:-)

I haven't watched TV in many many many months. But I might make time for the figure skating if I can figure out when it's on (shouldn't be too hard!)

Good job, Gracie!

56: Reba, I would hate to be judging the ice skating events. They all look good to me!

57: Bonnie, we could avoid each other's book bullets if we read the same books. I am just trying to keep up with you.

58: Ilana, if you don't want to watch it on television, there are all sorts of videos online of the Olympic highlights. I love the ice skating and ice dancing.

How fun to have a local girl to follow in the Olympics! She did a great job in the team competition.

I really enjoyed watching Gracie skate in the team competition. Good luck to her in the individual Ladies event!

>60 cbl_tn:: Carrie, it is fun to have the personal connection to this year's winter Olympics. I almost forgot in all the Gracie-love that Springfield has another female skater, Emily Scott, who is a short track speed skater. She faces lots of competition; I just hope she gets to the finals…whenever that is. Right now, the local news is all about Grace Gold.

>61 tymfos:: Thanks so much, Terri. I look forward to those events.

Book No. 12: The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. 3.8 stars. (iPad)

"Rotfeld thought hard. 'I want her to be obedient..give her curiosity. And intelligence. I can't stand a silly woman'…

For no matter what shape a jinni mght assume, be it human or animal or its own true shape of no shape at all, it was still a living spark of fire, and could easily be extinguished…(they) are creatures of fire, in the same manner that humans are said to be creatures of earth."

There is a meeting of myths in 1899 New York City when this debut author brings a Jewish creation made of clay together with the human form of an Arabic tradition made of fire. The Golem (Chava) enters New York harbor in a trunk on a ship and the century-old Jinni (Ahmed) arrives via a bottle containing olive oil. These two new immigrants meet by chance and instantly recognize each other as outsiders. I soon forgot about their beginnings and began to think of them as two strangers trying to assimilate to a new culture. Of course, I first had to suspend belief in order for my rational mind to accept this idea which takes me way outside my reading comfort zone.

This historical fantasy turned out to be a real treat for me. I think the descriptions of NYC and the mostly "normal" secondary characters kept me grounded in this magical story. I also enjoyed the elements of mystery and adventure which kept the action moving. However, it moved a little too fast toward the end as the author frantically tied all the dangling threads together. I might have appreciated a little more vagueness or not knowing rather than some of the violent outcomes she chose. But, all in all, it was an experience to remember and a very good first effort by an imaginative author.

I love her name - Gracie Gold. She seems destined to win a gold medal! :)

How cool that you have a local girl that you know skating in the Olympics!

The Golem and the Jinni is on my future reading list so happy to see the positive review you gave it.

love the photo!! and loving the competition. Gracie is wonderful but she may have a hard time against the Russian girl

Oh The Golem and the Jinni! I need to get to that!

Glad to hear it was a good one for you :)

I loved the historical setting of the Golem and the Jinni as much if not more than the fantastical elements. But that is really the hallmark of a good fantasy, just like any other book. Does it catch you up in "people's" lives and make you care about them?

65: That Gold name does seem like a good omen, Carrie. At least I thought so until I saw tiny Yulia from Russia do her routine. She is so cute and an awesome skater. Gracie has keen competition.

66: I wish I knew our two local girls in the Olympics, Lori. I just know them by reputation. Gracie did attend the same elementary school that my three children went to -- quite a few years after them. I hope you enjoy The Golem and the Jinni when you get to it.

67: Reba, it's a joy to watch those talented ice skaters, isn't it? I can't wait for the individual events. May the best skater win! We may see both Gracie and Yulia in another standoff in four more years.

68: Hi Kara! The Golem and the Jinni was such a creative story. I think you will like it. It's good to see you here.

69: Roni, there may be hope for me yet. I do tend to love realism, but this one got under my skin. I first became interested in golems in Kavalier and Clay. Chava had so much humanity, I kept forgetting she was formed out of clay!

Edited because of typos that weren't there when I was typing. Darn iPad thinks it is smarter than I am!

Lovely review of The Golem and the Jinni, Donna. It's one I hadn't heard of … I learn so much from my busy-reading-friends here on LT!

I'm glad you enjoyed The Golem and the Jinni so much Donna! I'm eager to read that myself, but who knows when I'll get to it *looks sadly at to-read queue and shakes head*

How fun to have some local faces to root for in the Olympics, Donna. We've had a couple of Olympic gymnasts from the state of Iowa (Shawn Johnson and Gabby Douglas) and a trackster (Lolo Jones). And of course numerous Olympic wrestlers from Iowa, some of whom I even know. Not much for the Winter Olympics, though, which is weird considering how dang cold it is here right now!

I think you ended up enjoying The Golem and the Jinni more than I did Donna. I thought parts of it were very entertaining, but overall the whole concept of having these two imaginary creatures in the same story was asking for me to put in a double effort of suspension of disbelief, which already doesn't come naturally to me (me neither, I should say). Still I'm glad I've let in more fantasy into my life, as I'm sure you are too.

70: Nancy, when the golem and jinni book came out last spring, I didn't imagine I would be reading it...let alone liking it! Sometimes I surprise myself!

71: I know about those pretty books all lined up eagerly waiting for their turn, Rachel. I have quite a few wannabes around here which I try to fit into TIOLI categories each month. And then there's those library books that I reserve and forget about that keep popping up!

72: Julia, we rarely have anyone represented in the winter games. Our ice rink is relatively new (maybe 12 years old?) and we have no ski areas. Maybe that's why I'm so enthusiastic about Gracie and Emily. I just read in this morning's paper that Emily started out as an inline roller skater when she was a preschooler.

73: Yup,I was definitely out of my element reading The Golem and the Jinni, Ilana. I was so charmed by Chava that it was easy for me to think of her as human rather than man-made. Roni made a very good point in msg. 68. I did care about Chava and her happiness; Ahmed the jinni, not so much.

Yes, I have to say I agree with Roni about the historical elements. Sorry I missed it the first time.

I don't think we're really meant to feel much for the jinni; he's not exactly drawn to be sympathetic, I don't think.

Popping in to say hello Donna. I started Spenser #10 last night. So far Susan is absent and Spenser is drinking Irish Whiskey when he is not working. Hmm...

All caught up here, Donna! Your review of A House in the Sky has me adding that one to my WL. And good to see your review of The Golem and the Jinni as I have that one in my TBR stack. Loved reading about your Olympic connection - we have been having fun watching as many of the events as we can squeeze in.

Hi Donna- We are starting to warm up! Hooray! It's about time. Good review The Golem and the Jinni. I am so glad you liked it. I still hope to bookhorn it in for FF, although it still is a crowded field.
BTW- I am really enjoying Light in August. Have you read this one? I think it's a Donna Book!

75: Ilana, if I just had the hard facts about the jinni being in that bottle for hundreds of years and wanting to go back to his country, I would have had empathy, but he was so cold and unfeeling until near the end when he developed the friendship with his young helper and Chava, that I couldn't relate to how badly he mistreated people. So, yes, I am in complete agreement with you that he wasn't intended to be a sympathetic character.

76: Roberta, my book is in transit to the library. I might read it before I tackle The Goldfinch next week. Parker's book will seem like a short story compared to that tome.

77: the Olympics has always been an attraction to me, Mamie. I can relate more to the events in the summer games but I'm fascinated by snowboarding and the ice skating in particular. Looks like you've got some good reading ahead of you.

78: Mark, I'm glad you are going to get a chance to thaw. You should get a big bonus this year for all the brutal days you have worked. It is a big reading month between FF and Faulkner for the AAC. I read and loved Light in August a few years ago. You are correct about it being a Donna book -- it was in my Top Ten the year I read it! I am really enjoying The Hamlet although reading time has been scarce the past few days. I have Suttree lined up for McCarthy March. We talked about reading it together several years ago. Now we finally get our chance!

I've been really enjoying the olympics, even some sports I really didn't know much about like biathlon and the nordic combined. Among other things, the announcers of the cross-country skiing portions of these events just crack me up. They get so excited you would think they were calling a hockey game. But my #1 is still figure skating.

Love Gracie Gold! How fun that you have a connection. Love your thread, Donna.

I hope you like The Goldfinch. I gave it 5 stars when I read it in January, a rating which is pretty rare for me. It was so compelling, I couldn't put it down, and I would find myself reading during the day when I really needed to be doing other things. A book like that is such a gift. It's not a perfect book, but it has stayed with me. When I was finished, I wanted to go back and read it all over again.

Happy Valentine's Day!

>80 RebaRelishesReading:: Figure skating is my favorite event, too, Reba. There was more excitement yesterday than usual. I felt so bad for the Russian skater who had to quit.

>81 labwriter:: Becky, I know how rare those 5-star books are for you…and me. I am clearing the decks so I can relish in The Goldfinch next week.

How lucky am I getting to spend Valentine's Day with my best sweetheart Haley? Oh yeah, my husband comes back from California today which will be nice, too. ;-)

I hope everyone gets to spend time today with someone or something that they love!

Sounds like you're set up for a lovely day, Donna. I'm spending it with my sweetie too. We're taking a friend (who is moving to AZ) to lunch and then this evening treating ourselves to a Japanese drumming performance. Can't wait for that.

I'm sorry for the Russian star but it sounds like it was a wise decision on his part and he certainly has an impressive career to look back on. As soon as I finish here I'm going to go and watch the competition from last night.

I hope your Valentine's Day was as great as it sounded like it would be, Donna! How lucky for Haley and Mr. Donna to get to spend the day with YOU!

Sounds like you had a great Valentine's day Donna!

What's not to love about Valentine's Day? I got a box of chocolates, several sweet cards, and spent it with people I love. However, I have gotten very little reading done the past two days. I must make up for lost time this week end. Back to the talented Mr. Faulkner and The Hamlet.

83: Reba, the Japanese drummers sound like a fun way to end a good day. We saw something similar to that (can't remember if they were from Japan) a few years ago at Disney World.

84: Julia, it was a fun day. I set up a craft table and let Haley cut and glue to her heart's delight until we got down to the serious business of making valentines.

85: Thank you for that lovely image, Ilana. Books and flowers...two of my favorite things!

Hi Donna -- glad your Valentine's Day was good too.

Hi Donna! Wow, what a review of A House in the Sky. You had me before your review even started: It has been a long time since I've read an almost-400-page book in one day. It has also been a long time since I have been so moved by a book. Quite the endorsement!

We're really enjoying watching the Olympics, particularly now that hockey is heating up:) Gracie Gold is so appealing -- hope she does well.

Thanks, Reba

Anne, I never realized just how tiny those hockey goals are. I've been to too many kids' soccer games. To make a bad pun, I was totally captivated by A House in the Sky. I hope your week end is going well.

I also enjoyed The Golem and the Jinni. However, I'm a fantasy reader, so it wasn't as much as a stretch as it was for you. Like you, I didn't care for the jinni at all until the end when he became somewhat sympathetic. Until then, he was a total jerk.

I am a little like Ilana in that I don't watch much TV at all (where would I find the time after all) hence missing out on Downton Abbey, etc, but I do always catch a daily news bulletin and the sports news. I am enjoying the Winter Olympics more this time than ever before - the Russians seem to have made a good games.

Have a great weekend, Donna.

It sounds like you had a lovely Valentine's Day, Donna, and I'm glad to hear it.

Morning Donna- I hope you are enjoying a fine A.M. I did post the McCarthy thread and I am really glad you'll be joining me on Suttree. I am saving the Goldfinch for March.

A good Sunday morning, Donna! My choice for March is Suttree, too. I'm highly intimidated by McCarthy. I told someone I would try Suttree because it's a family story. The response: "Oh, really? Remember, The Sound and the Fury is a family story..." which was correct and made me laugh. We'll see how it goes.

Glad you had a great Valentine's Day.

Very happy to see you, Mark and possible others (Gail? *nudge, nudge*) will be reading Suttree next month. I was really impressed with that story. I will be reading The Road for McCarthy March.... I really need to move that one off my TBR bookshelves.

Happy Sunday, Donna!

Sunday is off to a great start. The sun is shining and I've had visitors!

90: Well said, Morphy. I like the alliteration in the jinni was a jerk!

91: Paul, I am blessed with free time but my preferred use of it is to read or spend it with family and friends. TV watching is reserved for those few times when I find it difficult to focus on a book...like yesterday. I read for a bit and then got caught up with Downton Abbey. The DVR is my friend in that it is used like a library to record the shows I want to watch when I want to watch them.
Happy Sunday to you!

92: Thanks, Amber!

93: Mark, your AAC has been a big hit! I am looking forward to reading Suttree with you next month.

94: Gail, it is hard for me to like McCarthy's grim violence. I hope Suttree has less than some of his other works. Funny story about the comparison to The Sound and the Fury.

95: Ah...good to know that Suttree impressed you, Lori. I can return the favor and tell you that The Road was a story of great love between a father and son. It is grim but full of love.

Wow, lots of Suttree love! Yah! And it's a family story. Double Yah!

Gail- I see no reason to be intimidated by McCarthy. I think he is easy to read. The toughest one was Blood Meridian, which I do not recommend starting with.

Mark the cheerleader… you make me look forward to McCarthy. Good work!

Now I must finish The Hamlet so I can read my library book so I can read The Goldfinch. What a life!

Happy Sunday, Donna! I am planning a whole day of not much but reading. I hope you can do the same!

I did a quick click on Suttree, saw that one of the tags is 'Southern Gothic', and ran away screaming.

I think The Hamlet, (which I hope to finish today or tomorrow), is a sufficiency for me in that genre for a while.

I'll be interested to see what you think, though, and how the whole Southern Gothic thing compares to Faulkner's version of it.

99: I did have a good day of reading, Julia. I managed to finish The Hamlet in time to catch the recap of pair's ice skating. I'll try to put a few thoughts together if I don't get too distracted.

100: Janet, I am not going to be in a big hurry to read Suttree. I will need some in-between books to relieve the unremitting poverty and hijinks of the Snopes' clan. At least Faulkner managed to interject quite a bit of humor in his stories about them.

Book No. 13: The Hamlet by William Faulkner. 4.2 stars.

"Will Varner, the present owner of the Old Frenchman place, was the chief man of the country. He was the largest landholder and and beat supervisor in one county and Justice of the Peace in the next and election commissioner in both, and hence the fountainhead if not of law at least of advice and suggestion to a countryside which would have repudiated the term constituency if they had ever heard it, which came to him, not in the attitude of What must I do but What do you think you like like for me to do if you was able to make me do it. Judge Benbow of Jefferson once said of him that a milder mannered man never bled a mule or stuffed a ballot box." (Pg. 5, 6)

Will Varner may have been the richest man in Frenchman's Bend, but Faulkner centers this collection of tales around the Snopes family who first finagled their way into the store, then gained control of the mill, cotton gin, and the blacksmith shop. Abner Snopes begins by renting one of Varner's properties. His reputation of being a barn burner allows his son Flem to wiggle into the storekeeper's position. It is just a matter of time before Flem becomes indispensable to Mr. Varner to the point where he lives in the house and is the one chosen to marry the lovely but incredibly lazy youngest daughter Eula.

This is a fine example of rural life in pre-depression Mississippi. There is much to ponder about the shenanigans of the Snopes. Some of it is harmless and a source of humor, while some of it is tragic. The men who linger on the porch of the town store with nothing to do but note the comings and goings of townspeople are avid listeners of the town gossip, much of which comes from the frequent visitor and peddler of sewing machines, V. K. Ratliff. He acts as the moral voice of the community as he stops the peepshows of the mentally challenged Ike Snopes and the cow that he loves. He is also a friend of Will and tries to warn him in his charming manner of what he sees happening in the community. The horse swapping and pony antics are amusing, but there is a darker side that he can see as someone who is not part of the events.

This is part one of a trilogy. I look forward to seeing what else Faulkner has in store for us as he continues his clever yarns about the people and animals of Frenchman's Bend.

After avoiding Faulkner for 40 years, I'm really enjoying Light in August which I had tagged "rec by Donna." Thanks for that and for providing the enticing review for The Hamlet which might be the next Faulkner for me. The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying were a slog for me in college and a real slog to get through.

Wonderful review of The Hamlet, Donna. I've been wanting to reread As I Lay Dying for some time now; I think it was Cait who read it recently to great review. I remember loving Faulkner's sense of pre-depression Mississippi, and his portrayal of The men who linger on the porch of the town store with nothing to do but note the comings and goings of townspeople make me feel as though I'm present IN the story.

It's nice to read some positive things about Faulkner (I admit I only read the generalities) since I'll be tackling a few of them eventually for the 1001 Books. When I was in 9th grade, our teacher had us read a few of his short stories, and I remember liking those, but they were far more accessible than I understand his novels to be.

I like your review of The Hamlet, Donna, which I confess I've never read, although Faulkner is one of my favorites. I don't understand much of the angst about him that I've been hearing all over the threads lately, but my guess is that much of it comes from people who haven't yet read him, or maybe were made to read him in high school, which probably ought never to happen, and haven't tried him since. Much of what he wrote takes some work to understand (The Sound and the Fury or Absalom! Absalom! are two good examples) but others are pretty straightforward (Light in August, The Reivers). Anyway, great job on your review.

>104 lit_chick:. As I Lay Dying is my favorite, second only to AA!

Donna, I enjoyed your review of The Hamlet, so much that I am reviewing an e-book sample of the complete trilogy and will probably purchase it. I read and appreciated a number of Faulkner's books some years ago, but have been meaning to revisit him, as I think I would get even more out of them now.

Morning Donna- Good review of The Hamlet. It looks like I have a LOT of Faulkner to catch up on. I might have to read at least one a year, maybe 2.

Lovely review of The Hamlet. I think that may end up being the Faulker I read this year. Hope you're having a great start to the week!

#107> Linda, I just bought that e-trilogy and though I've just started it, it seems to be very well formatted and has actual functioning table of contents! I know for me I get annoyed by older books that have been smushed into e-ditions that are badly formatted and don't have a decent table of contents.

I'm happy to share my growing appreciation for William Faulkner with others. From what little I know, his books about the people of Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, form an interwoven legend of what it was like to live in the Deep South in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I applaud him for his imagination and love for the land and people of Mississippi.

>103 brenzi:: Bonnie, my introduction to Faulkner was reading "A Rose for Emily" in high school which was both creepy and memorable. (ha ha - I could say that about the story AND the high school experience!) I made the rookie error of reading The Sound and the Fury first. I hung in there and finished it but, like many others, I got lost in Faulkner's rambling. I had a better experience with As I Lay Dying and -- as you know -- I loved Light in August. The Hamlet feels incomplete to me but I did enjoy the storytelling in it. I will definitely go on to read The Town and The Mansion because I am totally intrigued by the Snopes family.

>104 lit_chick:: Thank you for those kind words, Nancy. Did you go on to finish the trilogy? Faulkner did a good job of making me want to learn more about what happened in Frenchman's Bend.

>105 ursula:: Ursula, I'm glad to see The Hamlet listed in 1001 Books. There is a bit of redundancy, however, as it also lists The Snopes Trilogy. The Hamlet is the first book in the trilogy. They also left out my favorite so far which is Light in August. Whatever you do, don't read The Sound and the Fury first!

>106 labwriter:: Becky, I remember when you read (or reread) Absalom, Absalom! and how you made me want to read it. I will get to it someday as I plan to take my time with Faulkner. I also don't get the general angst about Faulkner. Granted, he uses those $10 words (as Hemingway called them) and loooong sentences. I just take a deep breath and dive in!

>107 Linda92007:: Linda, I hope you like the sample you read and join me in some Faulkner reading this year.

>108 msf59:: Thanks, Mark. It looks like we both have some good reading ahead of us.

>109 Storeetllr:: Hi Mary! It is a dreary day here in Missouri but the temps will be in the 50s. Can't beat that after the cold weather we've been having. I think The Hamlet would be a great choice to read; just be advised that there are two more that continue the story…

>110 rosalita:: Thanks for the report about the e-trilogy, Julia. That's good to know.

Since this is President's Day in the U. S., I'll leave you with one more Faulkner quote…

You've motivated me to try some Faulkner again this year, and to start with Suttree. Faulkner was hard to wade through in the past.

Hi Donna - Nice review of The Hamlet; I've been wanting to read more about the Snopes clan. I hate to say it, but my first Faulkner was The Sound and the Fury, and I was blown away by it. Instand love. I think my brain doesn't work like most other people's!

One interesting tidbit from my World Lit class; Fuentes, Vargas Llosa and Garcia Marquez all admire Faulkner. I find that interesting. Louise Erdrich also points to him as one of her major influences -- something that's really easy to see, I think.

I'm going to reread As I Lay Dying for my book club and probably choose one other for this year. I was thinking Absalom Absalom, but your review has me considering The Hamlet.

113: Hi Donna, it's always a treat when you visit. Sorry, about the confusion, but Suttree is by Cormac McCarthy. It is supposed to be a Faulkner-like book, however, so maybe that will be close enough for you!

114: Beth, you definitely have the Faulkner gene! I rated TS&F 3 stars based on my memory of it before LT. I am going to work my way up to reading it again...someday. I knew that Louise Erdrich considers Faulkner a big influence. She has created her own legendary area peopled with Ojibwe characters. I hope she comes out with a new book soon. I loved The Round House.

Yes Donna, I was confused. It was actually The Hamlet I was interested in reading. I read The Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy and thought those three books were very good, but Faulkner is the author whose books I haven't always appreciated in the past, and maybe I am ready for them now. Suttree sounds good as well so on to the list it goes.

Hello, Donna. I'm still waiting for the library to get me the copy of The Hamlet that I requested 33 days ago (only one copy in the system, checked out but due back tomorrow). So I just skimmed over what I am sure is your excellent review for now.

My first (and so far only) taste of Faulkner and one which I enjoyed was Barn Burning, a short story which must have been set in the Snopes novel world, so I think I will enjoy The Hamlet.

ETA that, by the way, I meant to compliment you on the photo at the top of your thread. It's stunning!

I read The Reivers last year and really enjoyed it. I had been afraid of Faulkner and was delighted to find it a darned "good read". You're making me want to read more from him.

>116 dallenbaugh:: Donna, I hope you like The Hamlet. I certainly did. I'm also looking forward to reading Suttree in March. Btw, I am frequently confused about many things these days. Lol.

>117 ronincats:: Roni, that is kind of surprising about the lack of multiple copies of The Hamlet. I hope that it is worth the wait for you. I look forward to your comments.

>118 Storeetllr:: Mary, this is from the Editor's Note in my copy of The Hamlet: "Faulkner first began The Hamlet with a short story, "Barn Burning", intending it to be kind of a prologue, but changed his mind and instead incorporated elements from the story into other parts of the novel." You can tell that this 'novel' is composed of vignettes and short stories which goes along with the importance of storytelling in the days before television. The transitions between them are either rough or nonexistent. Still, it was an enjoyable read for me. The ice on our lake is gone now but the reflection of light was beautiful while it lasted.

>119 RebaRelishesReading:: Reba, I've heard good things about The Reivers and will read it as I continue my Faulkner adventure. *sigh* So many books…

I finished another book last night. I'm going to think about it awhile before I write my comments about The Wind is Not A River. I am feeling ambivalent about it right now. Besides, I have a date to go see "Philomena" this afternoon. I think a good movie might clear my mind.

Well, now you have me intrigued! I'll wait patiently to hear/read what you have to say/write about The Wind is Not A River and "Philomena" :)

#120 Donna,
Looking forward to seeing what you have to say about "Philomena."

>121 brenpike:: Hi Brenda, you must be home from Ollieland! I'm glad you didn't have to wait too long for my book and movie reviews. They will follow…

>122 AuntieClio:: Hi Stephanie, I gave "Philomena" 5 stars. It was everything I enjoy in a movie: a good story (and this one happens to be true or at least "based on events"), good acting - Judi Dench is a favorite of mine, and, as a bonus, there was some beautiful scenery in Ireland and England. It was a bit harsh on the Catholic Church. The nuns were cast (rightly or not) as cruel and unforgiving. I did like Philomena taking the high road and staying true to her faith. That's all I can say without giving too much away. It's a slow movie with much to ponder.

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

Here is my succinct review I posted on the book's page. There is only one other review there. I'm a little distracted by watching the figure skating on The Olympics and by the news that Haley has pneumonia. I'm sure she'll be fine, but I don't like knowing she is sick. She seemed fine yesterday when they picked up Molly.



Book No. 14: The Wind Is Not A River by Brian Payton. 3.5 stars.

"The Aleutian Archipelago: fourteen large and fifty-five small volcanic islands, strung over more than a thousand miles. Somewhere there, he's alive. On good days, her faith overshadows doubt." (35)

A young couple is torn apart by WWII. John Easley is a journalist who puts himself in danger because his younger brother Warren has given his life to the war in England. He decides he must go to the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska to report on the danger of the Japanese occupation there. Unsurprisingly, his wife Helen is not in favor of this plan. They have words and he leaves. The story takes the approach of telling the story in alternate chapters from their different points of view. John's story is the one that interested me the most. It is a story of survival and shows what it might have been like to be in close proximity to the enemy. Helen's hysterical approach of trying to follow him into a war zone took on the aspect of a soap opera in my opinion.

There you have it. A conflict for me. I would rate John's side of the story 4 stars but Helen can only garner 3 stars from me. While the book turned out to be slightly disappointing, the survival aspect and learning about a little known war front so close to the United States kept me reading and, for the most part, enjoying this book. Good but not great.

Donna, I'm sorry to hear Haley is sick. I hope she recovers quickly as children so often do. They are in many ways much more resilient than we oldsters.

I appreciate your review of The Wind Is Not a River. From what you've described I think I would have had a very similar reaction.

Hope Haley is well soon. Probably will be since little ones tend to be so resilient plus there are such good drugs for pneumonia these days.

I haven't finished a book in over a week largely thanks to Olympic figure skating. Wasn't the ladies short skate great?

Poor Haley. I hope she recovers quickly and that her Grandma doesn't fret too much.

Donna, I'm glad you liked "Philomena." It didn't seem to me it was a condemnation of the entire Church, just of that particular church/convent. My favorite quote from it is when she says to the journalist, "It must be very tiring to be that angry all the time."

This awful weather! Trust Haley will get well soon, Donna. Give her a gentle hug from Malaysia for me.

I want to read The Hamlet too but couldn't track down a copy over here. Will probably order it or pick up a copy when I visit the US.

Hugs for Haley and wishes for a quick recovery.

I got my copy of The Hamlet through ILL. Our ILL group (20 or so libraries?) had only one copy in the Missoula (University town) library.

It's seen better days. The edges are frayed, the hinges are a bit loose, and there is a tomato sauce stain on one page. (I imagined some student madly cramming and eating pizza). Yuck, though. Maybe I should have bought my own copy, but I wasn't sure if I'd ever read it again.

I'm working on my thoughts about The Hamlet, but like you, have been distracted by the figure skating.

Thanks for all the good wishes for Haley. She is on medication and breathing treatments. No fever this morning and only one bad coughing spell during the night. Pajama and movie day for her today. Mary said the medicine is supposed to make her sleepy, but she thinks Haley has plenty of energy! Grandma D. is breathing a big sigh of relief.

>124 rosalita:: Julia, I must admit to not being a very romantic person. Someone else reading about Helen's actions might be swooning but I just saw all the drawbacks. Lol.

>125 RebaRelishesReading:: Reba, I am mesmerized by the talent of the figure skaters. There were a few boo-boos yesterday but such quick recoveries. I'm glad the 'other' Russian figure skater got her due! I have my duplicate bridge game this afternoon so will have to watch the free skating tonight. Go Gracie!

>126 DeltaQueen50:: Judy, as you know, it's a Grandma's duty to fret. I take my duty very seriously. I'm still amazed at how quickly Haley got sick. She seemed tired on Tuesday afternoon but that is normal after 4 hours at Parents' Day Out. Then, Wham!, she wakes up with pneumonia? At least she is getting the treatment early.

>127 AuntieClio:: Stephanie, I loved that quote, too. In fact, I loved the character of Philomena played so brilliantly by Judi Dench. I thought Martin came down awfully hard on the Catholic church and religion in general even before the facts about the Magdalene nuns were known.

>128 PaulCranswick:: Aw, thanks, Paul. Haley loves hugs and would give you a big hug right back if she could. The Hamlet must be in short supply. I think I got mine at a used book store. It's not in the best condition but I should be grateful to have it.

>129 streamsong:: Janet, I've had to get several of the Robert B. Parker books through ILL and some of them have been in terrible shape. In fact, so bad that if they were my books they would be in the recycling bin. I detest reading books with food stains but we do what we have to, right? I'm eager to hear what you think about The Hamlet. I admired the storytelling in it, I sho'ly did!

Donna, I'm glad you enjoyed Philomena. I just loved both Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, they were both great in their roles. Hugs to Haley, I hope she recovers quickly.

Thank goodness that Haley is recovering well. My dad also has pneumonia and is looking to take at least another month to be well again.

Way back when, you were talking about ice/figure skating. (congrats to your local gal, btw). Our mechanic, who is as manly, oily and overall-clad as you can get, shocked me once by saying the garage would be closed for a few weeks as he was off judging an international figure skating competition overseas!! It was not an assumption I would have made about him :)

Glad to know Haley is on the mend, but I certainly understand why you'd be worried. I hope she gets all better very soon.

I brought my copy of The Hamlet today. It's in much better shape than Janet's copy, but it's old enough that there is a library card envelope on the front page. Glad to know that Haley is feeling better.

Hi Donna. We finally have internet, so I am trying to get caught up with everyone. Glad to hear Haley is getting well. I am almost convinced to read Faulkner. I haven't ever read any, that I can think of, but haven't really ever wanted to either.

So glad to hear Lady Haley is getting better, Donna. ((Haley)).

>131 lauralkeet:: Thanks, Laura. I agree that the main characters in Philomena were perfectly typecast.

>132 LovingLit:: Megan, your garage mechanic story is priceless. Just goes to show us that we can't just a book by the cover! (i knew I could work books into my response somehow). Speaking of judges, I just read about the slanted judging of the figure skating events. I would hate to be a judge; i would give them all a gold medal!

>133 Smiler69:: Ilana, I'm going over to Haley's house today to see for myself how she is doing. After all, I am from Missouri which is the "Show-Me State".

>134 ronincats:: Roni, I get a lot of those old books with circulation pockets from the various university libraries where I obtain hard to find books. Brings back the memories. I used to love to see who else had read the books I was checking out when I was in school. Sort of a precursor to sharing reads on Library Thing!

>135 nittnut:: Jenn, you could live a perfectly happy life without reading Faulkner, but I do hope you give him a try one of these days. I know you are feeling settled now that you have internet access. Your new house and its views (and neighbors) is lovely. I am so happy for you.

>136 lit_chick:: Aww, Nancy. I will tell 'Lady' Haley about your concern. She knows a little about LT because I sometimes post a message while she is here. She always wants to know if there are any new pictures of her!

Nice review of The Hamlet, Donna. I think that 2015 will be my year to start reading Faulkner in earnest.

Poor Haley! I'm sorry to hear that she contracted pneumonia, but I'm glad that she's feeling better.

Morning Donna! I am so sorry to hear about our little angel, Haley! I hope she recovers quickly. Keep us posted. And I hope you have a fine weekend, friend.

Hi Donna! Adding my get well wishes for Haley. I hope she'll bounce back quickly.

I'm glad Haley is on the road to recovery too Donna.

More get well wishes are winging their way from me to Haley! When Chris was little, I always found that any meds that we're supposed to make him drowsy had the exact opposite effect. I hope she's feeling better today.

I've yet to see Philomena, only the previews that looked good. Glad to hear you liked it!

Hi Donna :-)

Oh, dang! I hope Haley is well down the road to full recovery!

Hi Donna - I hope Haley is on the mend by now. Take care.

#40 - I've had Philida on the shelf for a while, but haven't been motivated to read it yet. I can absolutely relate to real life distractions getting in the way of your enjoyment of a novel. This recently happened when I read The Camomile Lawn. It contains everything I usually enjoy in a novel, but it left me a bit flat.

#102 - I must get to the Snopes novels very soon. So glad you enjoyed this. Nice review!

Thanks, again, to all who have been concerned about Haley. She has quite a deep cough and a raspy voice but was wound up and active during my visit on Friday. I took some new library books over and read them to her so she could have some quiet time.

>138 kidzdoc:: Darryl, I put Faulkner off because of his reputation of being hard to read. I found that one has to pay attention to catch all the nuances of his plots but I enjoy being challenged a bit in my reading. I just go with the rhythm and flow of his words and find that the meaning will follow.

>139 msf59:: Mark, we were out of town yesterday for another granddaughter's birthday. Grandma D needs a clone! I will call my son later and get a Haley update. She has her follow-up doctor's appointment tomorrow.

>140 cbl_tn:: Carrie, she was pretty 'bouncy' on Friday. I'm sure she'll be fine.

>141 brenzi:: Thank you, Bonnie.

>142 Copperskye:: Haley did seem to get a charge out of her medications, Joanne. I could tell she wasn't feeling well, however, when I didn't get my usual big hug when I left after our time together. Oh well, next time…

>143 AuntieClio:: Hi, Stephanie!

>144 scaifea:: Thanks, Amber.

>145 DorsVenabili:: Hi Kerry, I'm so glad I started The Snopes Trilogy for Faulkner February. It had some great stories that made me smile. I don't know where Mr. Faulkner got his gloom and doom reputation. I will save the other two books for some more pleasure reading this year. I'm glad to find some fellow Faulkner appreciation here on LT.

I have finally "cleared the deck" for reading The Goldfinch. I was distracted last week by Haley's onset of pneumonia, my daughter's FIL's open heart surgery (it went well), and finding the perfect birthday presents for our 12-year-old Sadie. We had a long day yesterday with a 6-hour round trip to Kansas City, but we were able to fit in Sadie's basketball game and her family birthday party. I will share my thoughts on the latest Spenser book, catch up on a few more threads, and spend the rest of the day with my nose in a good book. I hope everyone else has a restful Sunday planned.

Book No. 15: The Widening Gyre by Robert B. Parker. 3.5 stars.

"What kind of man wanted to be in politics? Was it possible to be a good man and do politics? Maybe not… Maybe it wasn't possible to be a good man and do anything… Maybe being a good man didn't amount to anything anyway. It didn't seem to get you much. You ended up in the same place as the bad men. Sometimes with a cheaper coffin." (46)

Spenser is drinking a lot of Irish Whiskey out of the bottle in this book to drown his sorrows. He misses Susan who is in Washington, D.C., doing the clinical work necessary to become a Psychiatrist. His most recent client has hired him to sort out a blackmail scheme involving his wayward wife. I liked this story because Paul (his "adopted" son), Susan, and Hawk all make appearances. Spenser seems like his usual wisecracking self but he shows his vulnerable side as Susan does her own thing. This was No. 10 in the series I'm reading with Roberta and Mamie. It's still fun and engaging, and I look forward to the next thirty books!

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

I just talked to my son. He said Haley is going strong but still coughing. They have given up on trying to get her to rest! That's probably a good sign that she has so much energy.

Glad to see that Haley is bouncing back.

Finally getting caught up here, Donna and joining everyone else with heartfelt relief that Haley is getting better. It's no fun being sick. Poor little thing.

Glad to hear that Haley is on the mend. Oh, to have even a third of the energy these kids have! Enjoy your Sunday, Donna.

Happy to learn that Haley is recovering, Donna. Being a g'ma can be frought with worry.

Great review of The Hamlet! I've just started it and can see the trouble looming already. This one seems to be easily accessible, with some very sly humor.

Good news about Haley. Thanks for keeping us posted, Donna.

Glad Haley's feeling better! Kids can be so resilient, though when they're not feeling well it kicks the heck out of the parents and grandparents and aunts too. (Our little Dylan had a bout of projectile vomiting the other day that didn't last long but it knocked her mom for a loop; then her mom got the same thing only worse a couple of days later.)

>146 Donna828: I put Faulkner off because of his reputation of being hard to read.
I hate to think of just ho many authors I have not read for this same reason. Some of the ones I eventually did read were not nearly as tricky as I had pegged them. And, of course, some were worse:)

Nice review of The Widening Gyre, Donna! That's one of my favorites. I felt like even the minor characters like the two kids working for the politician were very well drawn and believable. And Spenser has to deal with the world not revolving solely around him for a change.

Glad Haley's better. Sadly, when they are so sick that they lie quietly, you can't sleep for the worry. Then, when you are totally exhausted and they are feeling better, they don't lie quietly...

I took some new library books over and read them to her so she could have some quiet time.

That sounds like just the right prescription! I'm glad to hear that she's recovering.

So glad to hear Haley's doing better. Hope Grandma gets some catch-up rest today :)

>148 AuntieClio:: Thank you, Auntie Stephanie! ;-)

>149 lkernagh:: Lori, you are so right. It is no fun being sick. And Haley is all about having fun!

>150 DeltaQueen50:: I would settle for a quarter of that energy, Judy. Thankfully, Haley recognizes when I am on my "last leg" and will settle down with books or a game on the iPad. Grandpa is here sometimes on Friday when she is with us all day and that helps a great deal.

>151 Matke:: Gail, I hope you continue to like The Hamlet. I think it would be a good one for newbies to get used to Faulkner's long sentences. It really is quite accessible and the sly humor doesn't hurt.

>152 lauralkeet:: You betcha, Laura. I expect more good news from Haley's follow-up exam this afternoon. I can be optimistic after seeing her in action on the third day after her diagnosis.

>153 Storeetllr:: Oh my, Mary, that projectile vomiting is the worst. Especially when Mom gets it. My husband had that nasty bug for four days last month. I was up in Kansas City at the time so he had to be miserable all by himself. I think he preferred that because I tend to push food and liquids when someone is sick.

>154 LovingLit:: Megan, I am staying away from Proust for that very reason. I think I could handle his writing; just not sure I want to read every detail of his life for years. And, I am such a completist that I would have to read the entire eight volumes of In Search of Lost Time. I think I'll read the Cliff's Notes instead!

>155 rosalita:: Julia, that is an excellent point about Spenser having to pay attention to others for a change. Not the way he normally operates, is it? Well, he does have that soft side to him. After all, he gave the heroin back to that young girl. ;-(

>156 nittnut:: Jenn, I do remember those days. Some days I'm surprised that I survived motherhood!

>157 tymfos:: I had to think of something like that, Terri, because I knew she was tired of her own books and toys after being cooped up for several days. I am so grateful for our library.

>158 RebaRelishesReading:: Reba, I didn't get much involved with Haley's illness but I did need rest from the long day in Kansas City on Saturday. My Rx involved a recliner and The Goldfinch. Now I don't want to leave a good book and go tutor this afternoon.

Donna, I'm thinking of giving Proust a try. The hubs read them all nearly 10 years ago and has been on me to give him a chance.

I'm actually currently reading Proust. I've just started the second volume. I struggggggggled through the first one, but somehow the ending of that one made it all worthwhile in retrospect, and now I'm not having any trouble with the second one. So you know how people say "you just have to get through the first 50 pages" of a book? Maybe I'd say "you just have to get through the first 500 pages." Haha!

>162 ursula:: oh jeez! I've been warned.

Proust -- wow, it's never even occurred to me to read Proust

Haha, Proust. I couldn't even get through a graphic novel of Swann in Love! (I know, I'm a true philistine, or, at least, a lazy reader.)

I'm considering giving Proust a try too. He figured prominently in An Unnecessary Woman along with a lot of other authors but Proust and Thomas Mann were memorable.

Glad to know Haley is on the mend and has too much energy to rest. That sounds rather enviable.

I'll jump into the Proust conversation: I'm lucky enough to have French as a mother tongue, so I'll be able to read the original work, but better yet, they have the complete A la recherche du temps perdu on audio at the library. I've got the two first books so far and really hope I like the narrator, as it'll make it easier to get through all those books within a reasonable amount of time, and I do savour audio quite as much as words on the page. Most of the time. But then I can always reread it on paper if I feel so inclined!

This is a dangerous group. One offhand remark and suddenly we have a Proust Group ready and waiting!

>161 lauralkeet:: Laura, your husband was one of the influences that got me to read Infinite Jest. And you were one of the reasons I wanted to read A Dance to the Music of Time. Now it is Proust! Hmmmm… when were you thinking of beginning this journey?

>162 ursula:: Hats off to you, Ursula! First we had the Pearl Rule of reading…and now we have the Ursula Rule for reading the BIG books. I have Swann's Way, and you have almost made me want to break a hard and fast rule of mine and take a peek at the ending.

>163 lauralkeet:: We've all been warned!

>164 RebaRelishesReading:: Reba, it's just another book! Although this one comes in seven volumes and is over 4,000 pages long. Are you thinking about it yet?

>165 Storeetllr:: Mary, you make me laugh. At least you tried the graphic novel. Maybe you would get more into the real thing?

>166 brenzi:: Yes to Thomas Mann. Now we're talking, Bonnie. I have a lovely Franklin Library edition of The Magic Mountain to read. It's only 724 pages long.

>167 Smiler69:: Ooh La La, Ilana. I wish I could read or listen in French! I think that would be a fun thing to do, especially if you could follow along in the print version at times.

It's been fun just thinking about reading Proust. I remember several years ago when BJ and Angela read it together. I think both of them liked it. Unfortunately, neither one seems to be active in our group anymore. Nothing to do with Proust, I'm sure. ;-)

And, yes, Haley received a clean bill of health from her doctor yesterday. She is still on the antibiotics which are still giving her that great boost of energy. Go figure.

Proust? Is he supposed to be on my future reading list? I don't know about this..... Glad to see that Haley continues to get better. She will be bouncing around in no time!

>165 Storeetllr: That made me laugh - not at you, though, with you! I definitely have things like that too, areas in which I'm pretty sure I'm a philistine. :)

>168 Donna828: Haha, I don't know ... you could probably just read an introduction to it or something and get the same effect? I never read those things because I hate being spoiled, but I imagine in this case it might be the thing to do. It's not the type of book for big spoilers - it's not like it ends on a cliffhanger or anything! - and maybe I'm just strange, but to me, the end explained why the book was the way it was, and that made all the difference.

>168 Donna828:: oh my goodness, Donna, I'd forgotten about IJ. The hubs harps on me about that one, too. I've tried to appease him by reading several DFW essays, which I enjoy. I haven't told him yet about my foray into Proust, I plan to start reading it and see if he notices (I'm sure he will). As for timing, I've pencilled it in to begin in April. I will need a chunkster break after wrapping up Trollope's Barchester series this month.

>166 brenzi:: *whispers* Bonnie, come on over to the dark side ...

I'm sooo impressed by how many of you are reading Proust, or plan to! Just want to emphatically state that I will NOT be joining you! I'll just keep lurking around and listening to all of your comments and discussion....and will continue to be in awe! ;-)

Hope you're happy, Donna and all you other Proust fans. I just ordered Swann in Love as an audiobook from the library. :-) I'll start it, but no guarantees I'll finish it.

(I considered reading it in print, but my eyes have been bothering me lately, so I'm only eye-reading books I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to read and opting for ear-reading the rest.)

Proust.

*sigh*

One of these days. I hope.

>174 scaifea:: well you know Amber, if you weren't already reading 27 books concurrently it might be feasible!!!! :)

Oh, I should join in on reading Proust. He just stares at me from the book shelves.

Morning Donna- When is Springtime again? Just wondering. I hope to start the Goldfinch soon, after I finish In the Bleak Midwinter. Appropriate title, eh? Have you read this?
Also, have you read the Hired Man or any Forna? She is very good.

>169 lkernagh:: Lori, doesn't everyone want to read Proust? Haley and I are on for our morning at the library and play date here if the weather cooperates. Icy mix was mentioned in the forecast for tomorrow. Two words I don't want to hear!

>170 ursula:: Ursula, I will probably read Swann's Way without peeking if and when I get around to it. I did read the first ten pages or so…and I like the way Proust writes. I too am one who ponders everything!

>171 lauralkeet:: Laura, what a fun surprise you have planned for your husband! I'm sure he will appreciate it. Who knows, maybe there will be a group that follows along with you.

>172 Nancy618:: Nancy, all I'm hearing is a lot of talk so far…except from Ursula who is already in volume 2. I think they are doing a group read over on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die Group. It is definitely more fun to read those big books with someone else for encouragement.

>173 Storeetllr:: Mary, you have jumped on the bandwagon before me! I like your idea about saving the eyes for those books you really want to savor. I have been listening to more audio these days, too. Listening and concentrating is getting easier for me the more I do it.

>174 scaifea:: Amber, just add it to the list of the ten or so (27 according to Laura!) books you are currently reading at the same time. Proust has an easygoing prose style that won't take over completely.

>176 Linda92007:: And now he's staring at me from Post #168, Linda. Such soulful eyes. *'Pleeease read me'* they seem to be saying!

>177 msf59:: Bleak Midwinter is an appropriate book for you to be reading, Mark, although we are in the final weeks of winter. I loved the book and have read the first four in the series (I think)…anyway, I have two more to read to catch up with the author. I read and loved The Memory of Love by Forna. Yes, The Hired Man is on the wish list. Has anyone ever told you you have good taste in books?

Final weeks of winter, hah! I've only been to Chicago once, at the end of April, and it SNOWED. It was our high school senior advanced biology class trip to the museums via Union Pacific, we stayed at the Y downtown, and we froze, as we had minimal luggage and likewise minimal funds so couldn't buy any warm clothing.

ETA I am of course animadverting on Mark's weather in Chicago, not necessarily yours in central Missouri, Donna.

Although my sister called me last evening after I posted the above to say the weather forecast for central Kansas is 7 inches of snow AND ice tomorrow, so maybe I was also talking about yours. ;-)

>175 lauralkeet: & >178 Donna828:: *ahem* I'm sure I don't know what you're implying about my reading habits... ;)

I tried reading Proust several years ago with an online group read (not LT), led by a professional. It was to be a year-long read of all 7 volumes. I got through 4 volumes, and then drifted away; don't know why because I loved it. I want to do it again, so if there is a group read, I'd love to join in. I think taking a year to read it all is a good pace. There are several good study guides too. I think once you get used to his labyrinthine but lyrical prose style, it's not difficult to read. We read 15-25 pp a day, which was about my concentration limit for that type of writing. Although most of what he describes could be called mundane, he really opened my eyes to different ways of looking at the world around us.

So glad Haley is recovering well--and I agree, what I wouldn't give to have the energy of those 3 1/2 year olds.

>181 arubabookwoman: I think they said in the 1001 Books group that to read the whole thing in a year, you have to average about 11 pages a day. So that's not too terrible.

I don't think April will work for me. I'm in the midst of some kind of reading rut, not a full blown reading funk, just kind of an inability to be completely and totally involved with text so something as massive as Proust would be overwhelming I think.

179: Roni, spring is a state of mind for those people who live in the north or mountainous regions where the cold and snow can linger through April. As a past resident of both Northern Michigan and Colorado, I remember that the beginning date of spring wasn't that meaningful. It looks like we might escape the brunt of this weekend's icy weather and just get a couple inches of snow. I hope the forecasters are right this time.

180: Amber, I am in awe of the variety of reading you do. ;-)

181: Deborah, you make a good case for Proust. I'm giving it serious thought but not sure this is the year for me. Haley wore me out today. We decorated a box for her library books. She loves any kind of craft activity.

182: Ursula, 11 pages a day sounds very doable. Like Deborah, my focus fizzles out if I try to read philosophical or ruminative prose for too long at a time. Enjoy your year with Marcel!

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

I finished reading The Goldfinch on Wednesday. I am still thinking about it. I'll probably have something to say about it tomorrow.

183: Bonnie, maybe we can read it next year...or the year after... It's one of my "someday" goals. I think you must be preoccupied with the vision of being a grandmother, and I am exhausted from the reality. I just talked with my son tonight about spending another week with Baby Hope later in the month. It sounds like all three of them are worn out!

"Has anyone ever told you you have good taste in books?" Maybe one or two?

I plan on starting the Goldfinch tomorrow...

Hello Donna, I am getting caught up here. Poor little Haley! I;m glad to hear she's on the mend, and the fact that she had so much energy is a good thing: I remember doctors saying how the kids acted was often the best indication of how sick they were. Still though, I'm glad she's better!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Waving as I dash through. Totally ignoring the Proust group. Totally.

I'm definitely going to start Proust in April and see how I get on. The idea of reading a few pages a day is a good one, time will tell if I do it that way or read more intensively. And I'd be up for chatting about it with anyone else who embarks on the journey.

Happy weekend, Donna! I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts about The Goldfinch as your reviews always make me think.

186: Mark, I hope you like The Goldfinch as much as I did. There are a lot of different opinions about it out there in cyberspace!

187: Hi Anne! I'm not sure how sick Haley felt but I know she was sad to have to stay home! She's the opposite of me in that respect. I love those days when I can be home.

188: *Waving back* at Jenn.

189: Laura, I hope you talk about your Proust journey on your thread. I can't seem to get him out of my head.

190: Today is a lovely late winter day, Julia. Too bad about the snow (and maybe ice) that is on its way. I'll be out and about today and will gladly stay inside tomorrow wrapped up in a good book! Hmmm… your comments about my reviews made me think… I think I'll just wing it!

Book No. 16: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. 4.3 stars.

I've been thinking about this book for three days now. It has flaws but I was moved by Theo's story. The main thing I've been thinking about, however, is why I read. Please bear with me as I go off on this tangent. Feel free to skip the words in italics and go right to my thoughts on the book…

I read because I love to experience new things in a safe environment. Spending time quietly absorbing new ideas and new ways to look at the world is a real comfort to me. I am curious about the world and its inhabitants. Reading is a way to connect to people and places that are foreign to me. My mind craves intellectually engaging tasks. That's why I was a better student than teacher and why I've challenged myself with books that are sometimes a mental struggle for me. I love the beauty and power of words and their potential for transforming me into a better person. But, most of all, I enjoy being swept away by a story…and this is what The Goldfinch did for me. I became a part of Theo's world and felt his pain and alienation and the pull of drugs to make the hurt go away. The ending that so many detested because of its philosophical ramblings spoke to me. So many quotable quotes. I'll end my own rambling with this one: "…if our secrets define us as opposed to the face we show the world; then the painting was the secret that raised me above the surface of life and enabled me to know who I am." If you substitute 'the books I have read' for 'the painting' you will have in a nutshell the passion that drives me to be a reader. This was just one of many books that have helped me define who I am and why I read.

In The Goldfinch Donna Tartt revolves her story about a life-changing event when 13-yr-old Theo and his mother ended up by chance in the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the very day that a bomb was set off creating the chaos that has plagued Theo throughout his young life. They had just been admiring a small but important painting that his mother revealed was "the first painting I ever really loved…it was in a book I used to take our of the library when I was a kid. I used to sit on the floor by my bed and stare at it for hours, completely fascinated…it's incredible how much you can learn about a painting by spending a lot of time with a reproduction…I started off loving the bird…and ended up loving the way he was painted." (26). When an old man urged Theo to take the painting out of the rubble, a relationship began that led him into drugs and danger yet still provided him the comfort of having something his mother loved after she died.

Theo travels from New York City to Las Vegas, back again to NY with a quick side trip to Amsterdam in the course of the 14 years from the time of the explosion to the time of his reawakening. He finds a few people who care for him and many who do not. His one 'true' friendship is based on deceit, but we take what we can get when life is hard. He endured his guilt, his sadness, his drug delusions and his "sopping black curtain of horror" when his thoughts let him know "there was no good spin you could put on it. It was rotten top to bottom. Putting your time in at the office; dutifully spawning your two point five, smiling politely at your retirement party, then chewing on your bed sheet and choking on your canned peaches at the nursing home." (476, 477) I loved Tartt's raw words that put me in touch with the depth of Theo's despair. I also felt Theo's hope at the end, what I like to think of as joy through the tears. I'll put my final quote in 'spoiler' form for those who haven't read the book:

"We can't choose what we want and don't want and that's the hard lonely truth. Sometimes we want what we want even if we know it's going to kill us. We can't escape who we are.…I've come to believe there's no truth beyond illusion. Because, between 'reality' on the one hand, and the point where the mind strikes reality, there's a middle zone, a rainbow edge where beauty comes into being. where two very different surfaces mingle and blur to provide what life does not: and this is the space where all art exists, and all magic… And just as music is the space between notes, just as the stars are beautiful because of the space between them, just as the sun strikes raindrops at a certain angle and throw a prism of color across the sky -- so the space where I exist, and want to keep existing, and to be quite frank I hope I die in, is exactly this middle distance: where despair struck pure otherness and created something sublime." (770) Beautiful, just beautiful. This book is a work of art if one can dig through the sometimes superfluous writing and glimpse the fluidity of a great painting (or book) that works "into the mind and heart through all kinds of different angles, in ways that are unique and very particular." (758) For those who simply think the book is too long, it will never achieve this "individual heart-shock".

Hi Donna - I am so far behind with the threads. I hope Haley is on the mend. Little Scout is sick, too, double ear infection, bronchitis and possible pneumonia. And she just got her first two teeth. So, include prayers for all sick babies in your prayers for Haley.

Great reviews. THe Wind is not a River sounds interesting from a historical viewpoint, but maybe I can find a better novel about it? Goldfinch is really intriguing me -- so many positive comments about it. Onto the list.

Donna, that is a stunning review of The Goldfinch. Your comments on why you read are … I'm speechless, for once. Thanks, my friend.

What a wonderful review, Donna! And your personal comments were so thoughtful, well-written and moving. I don't usually re-read books, but after that review I think I will be reading The Goldfinch again. Now I'm off to give you a thumb!

Beautiful review, Donna, and so thoughtful. I am sometimes struck by musings like yours as I read -- what a wonderful book to bring that reflection about who we are and what it all means.

Great review! Including, or maybe especially, the italics. I can really relate your comment about loving being swept away by a story. Lovely thoughts, well written.

Donna, I loved your review and the italicized bit about why you read. That was fabulous and really resonated with me. I read The Goldfinch over the Christmas holidays and am still thinking about it.

Wonderful combination of rumination and review there, Donna.

What a wonderful reflection on why you read Donna. Beautiful and heartfelt and so thoughtful. I have The Goldfinch saved on my iPad and will get to it at some point but I have no idea when. Maybe this summer. Terrific review.

You never disappoint, Donna. Marvelous review of The Goldfinch, especially your reflections on why you read. So lovely.

What everyone else said :-)

Hi Donna. :-)

I've never thought much about why I read, it's such a part of me that it's like asking why my eyes are blue. Your thoughts about being challenged and taken to different ideas and places safely are intriguing.

I love your thoughts about why you read. I totally agree. :) Thanks for sharing.

Excellent review and intriguing thoughts on reading, Donna. I share many of your ideas about reading, and you've moved Goldfinch up a few spaces on the TBR pile.

And a good Sunday to you!

>193 BLBera:: Beth, I checked your thread and was glad to read that Scout is improving. She must have felt awful with teething on top of multiple ailments. Hugs for your sweetie. Regarding the Japanese in Alaska during WWII, you might take a look at The Cloud Atlas. I read it by mistake a few years ago thinking it was Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. The book by Liam Callanan is about the parachute bombs the Japanese used. It was told in an interesting manner as an end-of-life conversation between two old men. I have good memories of it.

>194 lit_chick:: Thank you for those kind words, Nancy. I'll share what inspired my "testimonial" at the end of my responses. I'm beginning to sound like a TV announcer…"Please stay tuned for our report about…."

>195 Nancy618:: You can't give me a thumb, Nancy, because I didn't post my comments. They were too personal. I don't mind sharing with friends but feel strange about putting my innermost thoughts out there for the masses! I reread the last ten pages of The Goldfinch twice already! Thanks for the loan of a very good book.

>196 AMQS:: I guess I was in a reflective mood yesterday, Anne. I know I'm "preaching" to the choir here! ;-)

>197 RebaRelishesReading:: I appreciate that, Reba. Isn't it great when a book picks you up and sweeps you away?

>198 lauralkeet:: Laura, The Goldfinch will stay with me for a long time. That is another sign of a good book. Sometimes I can't remember what I read the week before!

>199 ronincats:: Nice alliteration, Roni! I love to ruminate, although I mostly confine my thoughts to my own self.

ETA: Author of The Cloud Atlas. Also to try to coax the touchstones into working. They showed up on the preview!

>200 brenzi:: Thank you, Bonnie. There are tons of reviews of The Goldfinch on Amazon; many of them negative ones. I decided to follow my heart on this one!

>201 rosalita:: I'm glad you weren't disappointed, Julia! Sometimes I get carried away…and other times I don't have much too say. I am a bipolar reviewer!

>202 katiekrug:: Thank you, Katie.

>203 AuntieClio:: Stephanie, I know what you mean. I'll explain at the end why I even thought about my love of reading.

>204 nittnut:: Jenn, I think we all have similar feelings about reading. There are so many more reasons why I love to read that I could have gone on and on.

>205 Matke:: I hope you are having a good Sunday, too, Gail. I hope you like The Goldfinch when you read it.

I'm still having touchstone issues…

Okay…here is the promised explanation for my spiel on reading:

I mentioned some flaws in The Goldfinch. They were very distracting to me in the beginning. Mostly they had to do with the time of the story and some real life events the author mentioned which took place several years after 1999 which is the year of the "explosion". Tartt mentioned taking pictures on cell phones, cars that started with push buttons, watching "American Idol", etc. I actually was making a list and started looking for these errors. To me, there is no excuse for this, but then as I got sucked into the story (actually, I liked it from the beginning), I got to thinking about why I read in the first place, and decided not to let the errant details spoil my enjoyment of the book. I rated it 4.3 stars instead of 5 stars because I still think it's lazy writing!

I'm having touchstone issues, too. It's not just you.

>207 Donna828:
Now that's just annoying. I'm glad you didn't let it detract from the story. Those wrong little details can just be hard to let go of.

Wow. That was an amazing review of The Goldfinch, Donna, and your comments were priceless. I completely agree with your sentiment about using reading as a way to discover the world! Another thumb from me, and I'll probably read this book in the next month or two, thanks to you.

>207 Donna828: Anachronisms, bad grammar, misspellings ~ all tend to throw me completely out of a story. It takes a really outstanding story to pull me back in so I want to continue.

Hi Donna! Along with Joanne's thread, yours somehow got unstarred but all is well now! I just read and loved your review of The Goldfinch. I read it at the end of last year when I was distracted by holiday things and house things and I regret that because I didn't have the time to really sink into it. I read the last 60 or so pages one night when I was tired and I intended to go back and reread the ending but I haven't so far. I think it would make a great book for a book club because there is so much to discuss.

I was about to add The Goldfinch to my wish list when I read your comments at 207 now I'm not sure. Inaccuracies like that would make me crazy. I'll have to think about it some more.

>192 Donna828: Hardly seems fair that you can only count The Goldfinch as one book Donna!

Hi Donna- I will return to read your review of the Goldfinch. I'll probably be listening to it for the next week.
See, if you can track down the story collection Birds of a Lesser Paradise. It is excellent. Hope you had a terrific Sunday!

>206 Donna828: I had exactly the same experience with The Cloud Atlas, Donna. I haven't seen anyone else mention Callanan's book, which I really enjoyed, while Mitchell's is still sitting here unread.

I enjoyed your review of The Goldfinch and your thoughts on why you read.

>208 Morphidae:: That's good to know, Morphy. It was odd, though, that touchstones worked in the preview.

>209 AuntieClio:: Absolutely, Stephanie. Why didn't somebody do some fact-checking?

>210 kidzdoc:: Thanks for that virtual thumb, Darryl. The fact that you are going to read it now makes me smile. I hope you're not disappointed.

>211 Storeetllr:: Mary, you nailed the point I was trying to make. The intensity of the story helped me overlook the flaws.

>212 phebj:: I'm glad I got my star back, Pat. You are so right. There is much to talk about in The Goldfinch. Another reason the length should have been trimmed -- to make it more appealing to book groups.

213: Reba, I had to take some deep breaths and just let those inaccuracies go. It wasn't easy, but I felt better after I docked the rating slightly. Better than going crazy. Lol.

214: So true, Paul. Those chunksters should count as 2 or sometimes 3 books. That's why I keep track of pages read.

215: Yesterday was great, Mark. Too yucky to do anything except stay inside and play on LT. I got lots of reading done, too. It looks like your reading has gone to the birds!

216: Too funny, Linda, that we both made the same mistake. It was a fortunate accident for both of us. I loved the real Cloud Atlas and highly recommend it.

Book No. 17: On Such A Full Sea by Chang-Rae Lee. 3.1 stars.

"A few weeks after Fan left B-More, while she was making a place for herself in Quig's compound, the number of us here who were bringing up discomfiting questions had grown to the extent that the directorate even issued a reminder notice about the undesirable nature of nonofficial public gatherings." (93)

Set in a future time where B-More is Baltimore, a planned working class community composed of transplanted Chinese people. The narration was clumsy, reflecting the collective voice of the citizens of B-More who reflected on the impact of one of their members voluntarily leaving the safety and dependability of their society to follow the mysterious disappearance of her boyfriend. As Fan searches for Reg, she finds poverty and danger in the counties that comprise most of the country. She has some unsettling experiences that eventually and improbably lead her to one of the elite Charter utopias where all should be well.

I finished the book still awaiting the usual satisfaction I receive from a Chang-Rae Lee novel. However, I found the characters in this one flat and the plot puzzling. By that point, I didn't care that there was little resolution to Fan's predicament. Maybe I just didn't get the book, but I know that I can't recommend it.

Donna - What a great review of The Goldfinch. I've been thinking a lot about why I read too, and I would probably answer that question very differently depending on what else is going on in my life. Sometimes, I read purely to escape. Other times, I want to understand lives that are different than mine (like Theo's), to broaden my perspective. Sometimes, I want to laugh. Other times, I want to savor language. Reading is sometimes my meditation, my way of quieting the echoes of the day in my mind. Perhaps because questions like this fascinate me, I also liked the philosophical musings at the end of the book.

Second Bingo!

On the Diagonal:

More Than 500 pages: The Goldfinch
Non-Human Characters: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
FREE
Based on a True Story: Philida
Blue Cover: The Golem and the Jinni

>220 porch_reader:: Amy, I hope my shouting "Bingo" didn't jar your tender musings! I love your Reading Testimonial…and yes, I agree that our reasons for reading change according to mood and what else is happening in our lives. I really like what you said about quieting the echoes of your day. Thank you so much for sharing.

Anybody else want to play the "Why I Read" game?

Donna - Luckily, having two boys has made me oblivious to loud noises, so your "Bingo" didn't phase me!!!

What a wonderful, thoughtful review of The Goldfinch, Donna! Thank you!

Hi Donna - Yes, little Scout is on the mend. Tomorrow is my day with her. Thanks for The Cloud Atlas recommendation. For a minute I was scratching my head; I didn't remember anything about the Aleutians in Cloud Atlas! :)

Congrats on the second Bingo!

Two bingos -- I'm impressed! I'm "playing" bingo too but not choosing my reads with that in mind. So my stars are scattered around the card. I'm just having fun fitting books to categories.

Way to go with a second bingo, Donna! I've been thinking about how I would answer the "why I read" question but haven't quite gathered my thoughts coherently yet. If I can figure it out, I'll be sure to share it.

Congrats on the bingo action Donna. I managed to get two also, although like Laura, I only fit books to the card and not the other way around and also only count books I've rated 4 stars and up.

I loved your thoughts on why you read. Will have to ponder on that question a while longer before I can give you a considered response. I'll be back!

eta: major typo

I too will have to give "why I read" a good deal more thought before I could provide a decent answer. Enjoying reading the thoughts of others though.

Yay for your second Bingo, Donna!

Congrats on your SECOND bingo win, Donna!

>207 Donna828: Oh, that IS lazy writing, AND editing! Those things drive me crazy, though like you, they don't keep me from reading. Still, care in your work means a lot, no matter what you do.

Hi, Donna! Congrats on your BINGO BINGO!

Lots of food for thought on this thread . . . always good to reflect on why we read.

(No matter how much I reflect, I don't plan to read Proust in the near future. :)

Catching up here, Donna. Great review of The Goldfinch which is patiently waiting for me on my Kindle. I have made two bingos as well, but of course I have an incentive, I am rewarding myself with one book purchase per bingo! (Any excuse to buy books, right?).

Why I read? Mostly for the same reasons that have been mentioned. I love to discover new places, new faces and learn more about both myself and the world I live in. As an escape from everyday stress and strain, there is the ever going quest to discover a book that simply carries you away with it and the joy of actually discovering one. Of course there is also the thrills and chills of a good mystery or a good zombie book.

>223 porch_reader:: Amy, I forgot about the happy shouts of children - especially boys!

>224 Copperskye:: You are more than welcome, Joanne.

>225 BLBera:: Lol, Beth. I was scratching my head when I brought the book home and tried to make sense about the comments on the group read! It's a good thing babies have quick recovery times. Unfortunately, they also get sick suddenly.

>226 scaifea:: Thanks, Amber. I got the two easy Bingos. It may be awhile before I have another shout out!

>227 lauralkeet:: I'm doing that same thing, Laura, although I will have to made a concerted effort to read the second book in a series. I'm glad I was planning to read some Dr. Siri books this year anyway.

>228 rosalita:: I'll be looking forward to your comments on why you read, Julia. I can't imagine a life without reading, can you? I guess that's why I enjoy my tutoring so much.

>229 Smiler69:: Ilana, I like the way you have limited your Bingo books to 4 stars and up. It's almost too easy to count everything. I'll keep that in mind for next time. Hopefully, we will have a new bingo card to play next year.

>230 RebaRelishesReading:: Reba, I enjoy hearing about other's reasons for reading, too. Books about books are one of my favorite categories, especially if they are oriented to personal convictions about reading.

>231 lkernagh:: Thanks, Lori!

>232 Storeetllr:: Thanks, Mary. Btw, I am going to Denver at the end of this month. I hope to see you then.

>233 AMQS:: I like that comment about taking care in your work, Anne. My father must have told me several times a week that a job worth doing was worth doing well. Hmmm, maybe I can blame my perfectionism on him!

>234 tymfos:: Tee hee, I guess we won't be talking you into reading Proust anytime soon, Terri. Thanks for visiting.

>235 DeltaQueen50:: What a great reward, Judy. I guess we do have to supply our own Bingo prizes. I can't think of a better one than a new book! Thank you for sharing your reasons for reading. I chuckled when you slipped in the zombie comment. As you know, I'm not a fan, but I think it's great that you are.

Book No. 18. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. 3.3 stars.

"Irony was new to her and tasted oddly good, like previously unavailable summer fruit."

I had to 'borrow' a quote from Common Knowledge because I turned my book in Thursday after the book discussion at the library. It was a good quote that leads right into the first point I wanted to make. I felt that Wolitzer hit the reader over the head with irony and that the biggest irony was the title itself because for the most part these characters weren't that interesting (to me). She even makes that point in the book which leads me to believe she was having fun with her readers. I ended up liking the book better than I thought I would. It's one I gave up on months ago in the first few pages because it just reverberated with annoying teen talk and I wasn't in the mood for it at the time.

However, as the book progressed into the adult lives of the six teenagers that met at a summer camp focused on the arts in New England, I began to enjoy it more. I thought the author did a good job with the themes of talent, money, jealousy, and friendship. There are also many big secrets in the book. MW has many story lines going at the same time to make a sprawling book about growing up and trying to maintain friendships. She succeeded fairly well, but I thought the book needed trimming. I did not relate well to the characters, although they came across as believable for the most part, even though I didn't agree with their decisions on so many things. I've never been part of a clique and find it easier to maintain one or two good friendships than to keep a group in tune with each other. This was an excellent book for discussion with several in my group liking it more than I did.

I don't mind missing an hour of sleep as much as I mind missing an hour of reading time!
There aren't enough hours in the day as it is.

>236 Donna828: Oh, that's great news! Can't wait! Do you know yet which day we're going to meet?

>238 Donna828: So so true.

Mary, I can be available either March 30 or 31. I will need a break from babysitting by then!

ETA: Wrong dates... I meant Saturday and Sunday, March 29 and 30.

Enjoyed your comments on The Interestings, Donna. I'm not up to reverberated with annoying teen talk, but sounds like it was a good book discussion. I'm definitely on the same page as you are here: I've never been part of a clique and find it easier to maintain one or two good friendships than to keep a group in tune with each other.

>240 Donna828: Looks like the 31st is a Monday. It's good for me, but not sure about Joanne and Anne.

I hear that about needing a break from babysitting. Whenever we've had the baby for the day, we end up sitting around like vegetables the next day, completely worn out. She doesn't even walk yet! LOL

Your usual pithy comments on The Interestings do not have me racing to my bookshelves to pick this one up. I was turned off completely by the annoying teen talk in A Tale for the Time Being so I'm not sure I would warm up to this one either. I'll probably get to it some day since I do own it but not someday very soon.

>241 lit_chick:: Oh dear, Nancy, I hate to turn people away from books. Please read some other reviews before you make your final decision. It didn't set that well with me, but you might like it. Others here on LT certainly have.

>242 Storeetllr:: Ooops, I meant March 29 or 30. I guess I should have looked at the calendar rather than relying on my memory. To make it clearer: I'll be available the last week end in March. I need to pick DH up at the airport on Monday. As you know, it's like driving halfway to Kansas to go to the airport! Thanks for catching my mistake, Mary.

>243 brenzi:: Others have loved it, Bonnie. I may still be reacting to my Goldfinch High!

Morning Donna- It looks like we felt exactly the same about On Such a Full Sea. It also fell flat for me but I will still check out his earlier work.
I loved the Interestings. It worked much better for me.
I also posted this on my thread: I think you are going to LOVE Suttree. It is a Donna-Kind-of -Book. A potent mash-up of Faulkner/Steinbeck and Woodrell. Great stuff.

Have a great Sunday!

Mark, you make me want to ditch my library books and go directly to Suttree. I have to keep telling myself that delayed gratification is character building! I really liked Chang-rae Lee's earlier books. Too bad the dystopian didn't work out as he is a talented author. I guess that's what risk-taking is all about. We have a family birthday party today. After that, I will get back to reading. I hope you have a great day off!

Hi Donna - As usual, I enjoyed your thoughtful comments on The Interestings; I liked it much more than you did. I thought it was a wonderful portrayal of baby boomers; I grew up with the characters.

Hi Donna, always enjoy your reviews, though I'm not racing to get this one either. It isn't anything you said or didn't say, but I'm always to happy to skip a few when they don't absolutely call to me.

I took somebody's advice on the bingo thread and decided to use the YA card as well, but not necessarily counting YA books to qualify, because I'm really filling out that first card quite fast. I blame it on the 75ers for recommending so many 4-star books! :-)

>244 Donna828: Maybe you said the 31st because Anne said something about getting back by the 31st? Well, whatever the date, please let me know and I will be there! So looking forward to seeing you all again!

I can't say I'm too unhappy about not getting it with a book bullet on this visit to your thread, Donna, although I did enjoy your review anyway. I'm so jealous that y'all are having a meetup!

Great comments about The Interestings!

I had a difficult choice to make today. Go to the zoo with Mary, Haley, and Molly or stay home and take care of Molly. It has been a beautiful day here in the low 70s. I opted to stay home because Molly could nap better here and I could have some quality time on the patio swing.

>247 BLBera:: Beth, I read and enjoyed your review on The Interestings so I knew that something was probably "off" with my assessment. Mark and Amy liked it very much as well. Oh well, sometimes a book just doesn't appeal to me…

>248 Smiler69:: Ilana, I expect to have my Bingo card filled out well before the end of the year. I will start in on the YA one…I even have a graphic novel lined up for it! As long as I don't have to read primarily YA books for it, I'll be okay.

>249 Storeetllr:: I'll be sure to let you know, Mary. My hunch is that it will be Sunday, March 30, on the off chance that Anne will be back and have enough energy to meet with us.

>250 rosalita:: Julia, you will be meeting with Joanne and me a measly six weeks after the March meet-up in beautiful Boulder. Even more 75ers will be there along with the lovely GoodReads people. I'm looking forward to our bookish weekend!

>251 tymfos:: Thanks, Terri. I just call 'em like I see 'em!

Book No. 19: Want Not by Jonathan Miles. 4.2 stars.

"Ruin. Ruin's what we get, ruin's all we get. Prosperity is just a phase, like childhood, and like childhood it lasts longer for some than for others--for people and civilizations, the same. If he'd concluded anything from sixty-some years of reading history, it was the absence of any unifying theory save transience. We come and we go, as we came and went." (Pg. 252)

Those are pretty deep thoughts from a nursing home castaway about the meaning of life. There are many, many deep thoughts in this book by an author who will be at Boulder Booktopia in May. I'm excited to meet him!

My review:

Have you ever been overwhelmed by stuff? Too much food in the refrigerator, overflowing closets, boxes shoved into an attic or garage corner… We are blessed with the excesses of civilization to the point where we sometimes eat when we're not hungry and buy things we don't need. Jonathan Miles raises some interesting thoughts about the consumption and trashing of goods -- and even people who don't meet our expectations.

The stories of three interesting sets of characters are told in this entertaining social commentary. There is Micah and Talmadge, a young couple squatting in an abandoned building in Manhattan, who take pride in living off the grid and getting their food and clothing from dumpsters. Elwin Cross is recently divorced and feeling like a human discard. When he hits a deer and damages his beloved Jeep, he refuses the insurance's mandate to total it because of its age. He also has the most interesting job I've heard of in a long time. He is a professor of dead languages and has been hired as a consultant to come up with the signage for a nuclear dump site to warn the people of the future who, in all probability, will not be speaking any of the current languages. And then there is the widowed trophy wife and stepdaughter of a rich debt collector who seemed the least redeemable of the three sets of characters, but who, in the end, were the source of a most tender story.

Miles shows the reader that people and situations can always surprise us and that nothing is truly wasted if we value what is most important in life. This is the second book he has written. I think I need to take another look at Dear American Airlines to see what lessons I can glean from it.

Great review, Donna! I'm #1 on the hold list for the Kindle version from my library. I wasn't sure I'd like it, but your comments make me think I might.

Wow, Donna. Some excellent reviews here.
And it doesn't look like anyone skipped the section of "why I read".
Very interesting.

So glad Haley weathered her illness and recuperated. Poor little sweetheart.

Going to go lick the BB wounds you inflicted ... Want Not and The Goldfinch.

Donna, excellent review of Want Not. Book bullet here; I think I'd really enjoy that one. When I think about such a commentary as this one, I can't help but think, "We really are messed up, aren't we?" And yes, I've often been overwhelmed by too much stuff, too much choice, too much ... everything. Happy to add a thumb-up : ).

I'm with lit_chick ~ Want Not is a definite book bullet for me.

I look forward to seeing you, Joanne and (I hope) Anne on the 30th! (Or whenever it turns out to be.)

Great review of Want Not which is not a book I would have been tempted by, that is, until I read your review.

Donna, just stopping in to say hello as I'm catching up.

I have Want Not from the library and your review has me looking forward to it. I wasn't too sure about it but wanted to at least give it a go before Boulder.

I agree with Reba, Donna. I would never have looked twice at Want Not had I not read your review! But in fact, your lead in on excess has me feeling a bit guilty. Maybe I should spend this lousy weather day cleaning closets instead of working on long overdue reviews.

Hi Donna!

I'm slowly moving up in the library queue for The Goldfinch. I'm now #493 for one of 231 copies. I can hardly wait!
Want Not looks intriguing but I'm holding off on that one.

Happy Wednesday!

Hi Donna - The Miles book sounds interesting. Re: The Interestings : Of course, I want everyone to love books I love, but, on the other hand, it wouldn't be very interesting around here if we all loved the same books. I always love reading your comments.

Hi Donna- Yes, we had more snow and I am not a happy camper, BUT, my current reads have been fantastic. I am loving Suttree, every grim, drunken moment. I should finish it tomorrow. And I am crazy about An Officer and a Spy. I think this is also right in your wheel-house!

>254 katiekrug:: I hope you like it, Katie.

>255 -Cee-:: Hi there, Cee. Sorry about the book bullets. I suggest you start with The Goldfinch and check out Want Not at your leisure. One would never know Haley was sick a short time ago. Thank goodness.

>256 lit_chick:: Thanks for the thumb, Nancy. I'm not doing nearly as many official reviews these days but this one needs a little "push". I really like the way Miles writes.

>257 Storeetllr:: Mary, I'm looking forward to our meet up too!

>258 RebaRelishesReading:: Glad I could tempt you, Reba. I wouldn't have given it a second glance either if Jonathan Miles wasn't one of the featured authors at Boulder Booktopia. I'm glad I "discovered" him!

>259 thornton37814:: Lori, good luck on catching up. I am waaay behind on LT threads as usual. This is Canasta Day which means little free time for me.

>260 Copperskye:: Joanne, I thought it was a good, solid read, although it took me awhile to get "into" the quirky characters. Let me know what you think.

>261 Linda92007:: I have too many closets in this house so it is tempting to keep clothes I no longer wear. My daughter has offered to clean them out for me. She will need a lot of trash bags, I'm afraid, as most of my vintage clothing will not be kept…if I take her up on the offer! Good luck on your closets, Linda. Personally, I would rather write reviews. Lol.

>262 EBT1002:: That long queue for The Goldfinch will move quickly, Ellen, with that many library copies. I am No. 62 on a list for Anna Quindlen's latest book. I didn't think I wanted to read it until I listened to the buzz around here for Still Life With Bread Crumbs. *sigh*

>263 BLBera:: Thank you for those 'interesting' comments, Beth. That is a word that I find myself using frequently without a good synonym. Another one like that is HOPE, my guiding word for the year! I can't imagine life without Hope now that we have our own little version of it in Colorado.

>264 msf59:: Mark, you are such a reading enabler. I love it! I am looking forward to the grim Suttree but not so sure about the drunken aspect. I will probably love it. Right now I am reading Trollope and a historical romance. The latter is not my usual fare, but it is about WWI so I will continue with it...

Morning (barely), Donna. Getting all caught up around LT is my goal for today, and I'm up to speed here.

Why I read? I'll have to do that on my own thread; need time to think and room to write.

Great review of Want Not. Wishlisted.

I'm sorry, but I can't join in the Suttree love. I don't like it, but will finish it as it's for the AAC. Supremely uninterested in reading graphic descriptions of binge drinking and repetitive harping on human degradation. I'm in the minority, I know, so hope your experience will be better than mine!

As always, your thoughts are interesting and thought-provoking.

>266 Matke:: Hi Gail. Well, I can say I've been warned about Suttree! Mark loved it. My guess is that I'll be in between somewhere. I'll be sure to check out your thoughts on reading. I will have more time this week end to get caught up on some threads. It's a labor of love.

Book No. 20: Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson. 2.7 stars.

"That was what he had become, trapped by this war, mired in an existence that promised no escape, no respite, no release, only the gradual sapping away of every last grain of hope. And all that remained was a ghost, the ghost of the man he'd once hoped to be, one of millions of ghosts, both the living and the dead, who haunted the killing fields of Flanders and France." (220)

I will say up front that I do not enjoy romances; apparently that even translates to historical romance that I first learned about in the Wall Street Journal. I read it for the backdrop of WWI -- and the bits about the war did not disappoint.

Lady Elizabeth grew up in a palace, but when her beloved brother joined the war effort, she wanted to do the same. She left her family and privileged life under duress and eventually ended up "somewhere in France" that just happened to be the same somewhere that her brother's best friend (and her love interest) was stationed as a surgeon. She had learned to drive and was assigned to be an ambulance driver. How convenient.

The book wasn't terrible but it was definitely "romancy" and would best be read by fans of the genre.

Hi Donna - I was trying for 4 interestings in on sentence, but I didn't quite make it. :) It is a bland, not-very-descriptive word, isn't it.

I got a swim suit for Scout for her Easter basket. We're going to a lake together in the summer. Little girls look so cute in their little swim suits.

Beth, one might say it is an "interesting" word. Haha. Be sure and take a picture of Scout in her swimsuit. That is such a good idea -- I might steal it!

Donna, your review of Want Not makes me want to read it.

Donna,
I didn't take a picture because I was laughing so hard, the funniest thing I have found at Don's was today when I found a food storage container with brand new ice cube trays in it.

Donna I was almost 200 post behind! Yikes! I took a dip (2 chapters) into Spenser #11 Valediction. My mouth is hanging open. Wow! Not completely unexpected but still I am speechless. That is very unusual. :D

>271 tymfos:: Terri, Want Not is my favorite book so far this month, but there's a lot of month left! I did enjoy it and look forward to meeting the author at Boulder Booktopia.

>272 AuntieClio:: Stephanie, that is so funny. Like I told you, it's fascinating to me what people decide to keep…including myself. When we moved to Colorado, there were boxes in the basement that we never unpacked, and then we moved them back here. It was mostly stuff that belonged to my kids. My daughter took her belongings years ago but we still have my youngest son's treasures. Hey, they just bought a big house. Now to find those boxes!

>273 luvamystery65:: That is quite a teaser, Roberta. Too bad I'm still waiting for our latest Robert B. Parker from the library. How long can it take to read one of his books?

Yesterday was such a nice day I got out and helped my husband with some yard work. Today it is snowing. Springtime in The Ozarks! I guess it's still officially winter but we have had a few pleasant days recently.Thank goodness I am reading TWO good books: Suttree and The Last Chronicle of Barset…both over 500 pages.

Hi Donna!

Have you ever been overwhelmed by stuff? Yes!!! I'm adding Want Not to my wish list.

So the plan as it stands now is to come back from KS on Saturday March 29, so I think I could probably make a meet-up on Sunday. Hooray!

>274 Donna828:. Yesterday was such a nice day I got out and helped my husband with some yard work. Today it is snowing. Springtime in The Ozarks!

That's exactly my situation here today, Donna. I got some good work done yesterday, but today it's snowing. --March!--

I plan to take advantage of this weather with some extra reading time today. Have an excellent Sunday!

Hi Donna- I saw on another thread, that you were enjoying Suttree. Sighs, with obvious content. No question, McCarthy is not for everyone but if you connect: Watch Out!
Hope you are having a great Sunday.

>275 AMQS:: Anne, that sounds great. We were hoping that a Sunday meet up would work out for you. Maybe I'll see when I drive by Lawrence next week!

>276 labwriter:: Sunday was a good reading day, Becky, and our snow didn't stick around long. Just the way I like it. There will be plenty of nice weather ahead for yard work. At least I hope so. Our winter clean up is not done.

>277 msf59:: I would say I connected with McCarthy, Mark. He does remind me of Faulkner. They both have a wonderful way with words.

I am in the middle of a grandkid (and daughter) visit from KC. Not much time for reading or LT when the three kids are around. Haley makes four! She is coming over for a sleep-over tonight. She adores her cousins. I can see Molly joining the gang soon now that she is crawling and about to walk. Six-year-old Griffin pushed her up and down our long driveway in her red car for over 30 minutes yesterday and she had a huge grin on her face the entire time. He is so patient with his younger cousins -- and his sisters.

Book No. 21: Suttree by Cormac McCarthy. 4.5 stars.

"He came up from the back lot threading his way amount the shapes of castoff and broken and useless debris rotting under the late summer sun. Old tires and bricks and broken jars. A rusty chicken feeder. He squinches his nose at the rank odor of wash water int he air and he threw a rock he was carrying at the tethered goat. The goat raised its chin from the grass and looked at him with its strange goat's eyes and lowered its head to graze again. He went on around the corner of the house to the front porch where a green and white washing machine shuddered and churned and over which stood a young woman with a soapy paddle clubbed in her hands as if defying the first insurgent rag to rear from the slate blue and foamless water in which the week's wash moiled." (31)

Every page in this long book contains McCarthy's lush descriptive words. I fell in love with his writing and was amazed at how the beauty of his prose could tell such a dark story about a man who drank too much and had little ambition. Despite his hardscrabble way of living, Suttree was a complex and fairly likable person. He was a loyal friend and had few enemies because of his laid-back ways. I'm still not entirely certain why he changed from a college-educated man into a near derelict. His lifestyle was a choice that he embraced despite its harshness. Later in the book, McCarthy writes that "there are no absolutes in human misery and things can always get worse." Maybe so, but Suttree's life was pretty much a mess. Although I felt sorry for him, he didn't seem to feel sorry for himself. Maybe that's the difference between living a live of squalor by choice rather than by circumstance.

>268 Donna828: Oh good, one I can skip.

>279 Donna828: Oh rats, one I want to add to my wishlist.

Hi Donna!

Just stopping by for a quick hello and to wish you a very Happy First Day of Spring!

Your grandkids sound so adorable. How nice they are near the same age and get to grow up together.

>280 EBT1002:: Ellen, you made two good calls!

>281 Storeetllr:: Mary, that looks like a Colorado spring for sure. What a lovely juxtaposition of the seasons. I hope there is more spring than winter for my visit next week!

>282 RebaRelishesReading:: Reba, it is so cute and rewarding to see how tender and patient the older grandkids are with the young ones. They really do get on well together. I must say they all have great parents. It's good to know that my husband did something right in raising our three children!

The kids are gone, but my husband is at the airport picking up our weekend Chinese guest. He is staying in a nearby hotel, but he is our responsibility to feed and entertain for the next two days. It doesn't look good for my reading life!

>279 Donna828: Hardscrabble existence is nicely observed, Donna. I am part way through this lush but faintly odorous novel and your impressions are much my own - I'm not quite in tune with the characters' twists and turns but the tune is with lyrics by Dylan Thomas to the accompaniment of smeary delta jug-bottled blues.

Have a lovely weekend. xx

*Happy weekend wave*

>284 PaulCranswick:: Paul, I so wish I had your way with words. You described Suttree in a unique but oh so true way. Cheers! And a lovely weekend to you as well.

>285 wilkiec:: Hi Diana, I am overdue for a visit across the pond to your thread. I hope your weekend is a good one!

Ack! Somehow I red starred your thread! I'm caught up now though. Sheesh.

I'm wavering on Want Not. We'll see.

I'm reading Suttree right now too. I love McCarthy's way with words! It's holding my attention far better than the ER book. I just haven't had much time to read this week. I'm hoping for 50 pages tonight before I go to bed.

Hi Donna- Just checking in. I loved your thoughts on Suttree and what a terrific quote. I do not think this novel is perfect but boy, does it contain some amazing writing. I wonder if it would have worked better, trimmed down a bit?

BTW- I just posted the Morrison thread!

I hope you had a wonderful Saturday!

>286 Donna828: You don't do half bad yourself, Donna. xx

Hi, Donna, just catching up here. Sounds like you've had plenty of grandchild love lately. I also hope you have beautiful weather for your trip across the plains to visit Hope and your LT meet-up!

Hi, Donna! Hope you are having a good weekend with your Chinese visitor! I guess you'll be getting ready for your trip to Colorado soon? Looking forward to seeing you next week!

>287 Morphidae:: I'm glad you came back, Morphy. I lose people all the time around here. Easy enough to do.

>288 thornton37814:: Lori, I have read very little this week. I can't concentrate when my grandkids are around and when they go to bed I'm too tired to read! I'm glad you are liking Suttree, too.

>289 msf59:: Mark, I thought Suttree was a bit on the long side. Sometimes I wish I had been an editor with a big red pen! McCarthy's writing was so good that I didn't mind the length too much. Ah, which Morrison to read? I'll be stopping by the new thread to see what others are choosing.

>290 PaulCranswick:: Why, thank you, Paul. ;-)

>291 ronincats:: Roni, I can never get too much grandkid love. The best thing about driving is that I can be flexible. I don't want to drive in the extreme cold that accompanied me on my last trip. I always think of you as I pass by Abilene!

>292 Storeetllr:: Mary, it's always fun to have Hunter around. He's pretty easy to understand and has been here before. He is trying to talk me into a trip to China. We'll see. There isn't much going on around here this week end so we've been watching lots of college basketball. He loves children and it's nice to have Haley and Molly around to entertain him. Here's a picture after our dinner at Bass Pro last night. We're going to a sports bar later for yet more basketball. I was sad that KU lost today but Wichita State is looking good!


Molly and her new best friend, Hunter Wang who lives in Nantong, China.

Hi Donna! I hope you have a good week!

>283 Donna828: I'm sure your husband ALSO did a great job of raising the kids :) Hope you had a nice visit with your Chinese guest. I like the photo of him with Molly.

Love the Molly photo! She is precious!

Hi Donna! I've caught up with everything here since mid January on. Oh, bad news, Haley had Pneumonia! Good news, But she's better, sigh of relief. I see you're on friendly terms with Faulkner too as am I. I'll keep my eyes peeled for The Hamlet. And I haven't read a McCarthy I didn't like so keep my eyes peeled for Suttree as well. Oh and then there's The Goldfinch! I've heard comment both ways on that one, but if you liked it I think I will too. Well, let me get going before I bleed all over your thread, these book bullets just punched a mess of holes in me.
Have a great week!

>294 EBT1002:: Ellen, I'm going to Colorado mid-week to get a Baby Hope fix! It will be a very good week for me.

>295 RebaRelishesReading:: Reba, I was trying to give my husband for some credit and I ended up giving it all to him! Well, he did work hard to support us so I was free to be a homemaker/student/teacher. Molly did a great job entertaining our guest. I was a little miffed, however, as I am usually her "go-to" person.

>296 msf59:: Thanks, Mark. We think so, too.

>297 Carmenere:: Ouch, Lynda. Those book bullets must hurt. I didn't see any blood around here. You did a good job cleaning up! Thanks for taking the time to catch up with me.

Book No. 22: Eleven Days by Lea Carpenter. 4.2 stars. On the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction long list.

"What we are learning now is that so much of warfare is fought at close quarters, and the essence of fighting in close quarters is restraint. Restraint, intelligence, conservation. This emphasis changes the calculus of war." (67)

My Review:
The military life is hard on both the soldier and the family. In this fictionalized account of a promising young man who decides to go to the Naval Academy after 9/11, the emphasis is on the psychological aspect of the punitive training to become a Navy SEAL as well as the emotional aspect of giving your only child to the military. Lea Carpenter competently portrays the sacrifices of mother and son. The eleven days in the title refers to the time between Jason's MIA status and Sara finding out what happened to her son in Afghanistan. It is also symbolic of the eleven-day truce after the death of Hector in The Iliad and the World War I Armistice signing at 11:a.m. on November ll, 1918.

There is a plethora of military detail in the book along with plenty of philosophical insights to dwell on. Carpenter also uses many mythological references, and it's evident that Jason represents his beloved namesake in the story of "Jason and the Argonauts," as both were highly dependent on teamwork to reach their goals. Jason is influenced by his dead father's love of poetry. He reads the poems of WWI at night after his grueling days of physical activity and mental stress. While he remembers the heavy casualties of previous wars, he contemplates his role as a warrior who practices restraint in order to prevent needless casualties.

Carpenter writes about the restraint of the new military while she exercises restraint in her writing to avoid the sentimentality that is often present in parent/child stories. Emotion is present but is tempered with the ideals of sacrifice and nobility. I salute Ms. Carpenter on her debut novel which is a powerful love story as well as an intriguing war story.

Hi Donna!

I'm getting caught up on your wonderful reviews. Even though you don't recommend it, On Such A Full Sea sounds kind of intriguing. I may see if the library has an audio version.

Want Not sounds quite good too, so thank you.

Waving hello :) Looks like you've had lots going on! All fun. :)

>293 Donna828: Aww, Molly's a real cutie!

Enjoy your time with Hope! Have a wonderful time in CO!

Hi Donna - Enjoy Hope. Wonderful comments on Eleven Days.

>298 Donna828:. Safe travels, Donna, and have a happy trip!

>300 DorsVenabili:: Hi Kerri! I usually like dystopian books but this one didn't do much for me. I hope you like it better. You are most welcome for my book thoughts. This has been a rather slow reading month for me.

>301 nittnut:: Jenn, you are right, there has been too much fun around here lately. It's been exhausting! And now I 'have' to go to CO to see 4-month-old Hope. I'm leaving tomorrow for more fun.

>302 Copperskye:: Thanks, Joanne. I'll be in touch when I get to my son's house (Thursday night) so we can plan our meet up. I was thinking Sunday afternoon so Anne can join us. Don't forget to sign up for the events you want to attend at Booktopia Boulder. Tomorrow at noon Eastern time.

>303 cbl_tn:: Thank you, Carrie! I don't think enjoying my time with Hope will be a problem. ;-)

>304 BLBera:: Thanks, Beth. I really liked Eleven Days. I'll be reading more "Orange" books soon.

>305 labwriter:: Thank you, Becky. It looks like good travel weather tomorrow and Thursday. My husband fly in on Monday and will drive on the way home. Three days is about all he can take off -- and he's supposed to be retired!

Please join me on my new thread!