What Are You Reading the Week of 5 July 2014?

Bill Watterson II (born 5 July 1958) is an American artist and the author of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, which was syndicated from 1985 to 1995. Watterson stopped drawing Calvin and Hobbes at the end of 1995 with a short statement to newspaper editors and his readers that he felt he had achieved all he could in the medium. Watterson is known for his views on licensing and comic syndication and his move back into private life after drawing Calvin and Hobbes came to a close.

He was born in Washington, D.C., where his father worked as a patent attorney. The family relocated to Chagrin Falls, Ohio in 1965 when Watterson was six years old because his mother wanted to be closer to her family, and felt the small town was a good place to raise children.

Watterson, who drew his first cartoon at age eight, spent much time in childhood alone, drawing and cartooning. This continued through his school years, during which time he discovered comic strips like Pogo, Krazy Kat, and Charles Schulz' Peanuts which subsequently inspired and influenced his desire to become a professional cartoonist. On one occasion, when he was in fourth grade, he wrote a letter to Charles Schulz, who—to Watterson's surprise—responded, making a big impression on him at the time. His parents encouraged him in his artistic pursuits. Later they would recall him as a "conservative child"—imaginative, but "not in a fantasy way", and certainly nothing like the character of Calvin he would later create.

Watterson found avenues for his cartooning talents throughout primary and secondary school, creating high school-themed super hero comics with his friends and contributing cartoons and art to the school newspaper and yearbook.

From 1976 to 1980, Watterson attended Kenyon College and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. Although he had already decided upon a career in cartooning, he felt his studies would help him move into editorial cartooning. While at college he continued to develop his art skills—during his sophomore year he painted Michelangelo's Creation of Adam on the ceiling of his dorm room. He also contributed cartoons to the college newspaper, some of which included the original "Spaceman Spiff" cartoons.

Later, when Watterson was creating names for the characters in his comic strip, he decided upon Calvin (after the Protestant reformer John Calvin) and Hobbes (after the social philosopher Thomas Hobbes), allegedly as a "tip of the hat" to the political science department at Kenyon. In The Complete Calvin And Hobbes, Watterson stated that Calvin is named for "a 16th-century theologian who believed in predestination," and Hobbes for "a 17th-century philosopher with a dim view of human nature."

Watterson was inspired by the work of Kenyon alum and Cincinnati Enquirer political cartoonist Jim Borgman, who currently draws Zits, and decided to try to follow the same career path as Borgman, who in turn offered support and encouragement to the aspiring artist. Watterson graduated in 1980 and was hired on a trial basis at a competing paper of the Enquirer, the Cincinnati Post. Watterson quickly discovered that the job was full of unexpected challenges which prevented him from performing his duties to the standards set for him. Not the least of these challenges was his unfamiliarity with the Cincinnati political scene as he had never resided in or near the city, having grown up in the Cleveland area and attending college in central Ohio. The Post abruptly fired Watterson before his contract was up.

He then joined a small advertising agency and worked there for four years as a designer, creating grocery advertisements while also working on his own projects including development of his own cartoon strip and contributions to Target: The Political Cartoon Quarterly.

Watterson has said he works for personal fulfillment. As he told the graduating class of 1990 at Kenyon, "It's surprising how hard we'll work when the work is done just for ourselves." Calvin and Hobbes was first published on November 18, 1985. In Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book, he wrote that his influences included Charles Schulz for Peanuts; Walt Kelly for Pogo and George Herriman for Krazy Kat.

Like many artists, Watterson incorporated elements of his life, interests, beliefs and values into his work—for example, his hobby as a cyclist, memories of his own father's speeches about "building character," and his views on merchandising and corporations. Watterson's cat, Sprite, very much inspired the personality and physical features of Hobbes.


Watterson spent much of his career trying to change the climate of newspaper comics. He believed that the artistic value of comics was being undermined, and that the space they occupied in newspapers continually decreased, subject to arbitrary whims of shortsighted publishers. Furthermore, he opined that art should not be judged by the medium for which it is created (i.e., there is no "high" art or "low" art—just art).

Watterson announced the end of Calvin and Hobbes on 9 November 1995, with the following letter to newspaper editors:

Dear Reader:

I will be stopping Calvin and Hobbes at the end of the year. This was not a recent or an easy decision, and I leave with some sadness. My interests have shifted, however, and I believe I've done what I can do within the constraints of daily deadlines and small panels. I am eager to work at a more thoughtful pace, with fewer artistic compromises. I have not yet decided on future projects, but my relationship with Universal Press Syndicate will continue.

That so many newspapers would carry Calvin and Hobbes is an honor I'll long be proud of, and I've greatly appreciated your support and indulgence over the last decade. Drawing this comic strip has been a privilege and a pleasure, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity.

Sincerely,
Bill Watterson

The last strip of Calvin and Hobbes was published on 31 December 1995.

Collections
Calvin and Hobbes, 1987
The Essential Calvin and Hobbes, 1988
Something Under the Bed is Drooling, 1988
Yukon Ho!, 1989
The Calvin and Hobbes Lazy Sunday Book, 1989
Weirdos from Another Planet!
The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes, 1990
Revenge of the Baby-Sat, 1991
Scientific Progress Goes "Boink", 1991
The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes, 1992
Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons, 1992
The Days Are Just Packed, 1993
Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat, 1994
There's Treasure Everywhere, 1996
It's a Magical World, 1996
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, 2005

Just wonderful Richard!!

>2 cdyankeefan: thanks! I adored this strip, and still do. I loved Bloom County around the same time, but it hasn't held up nearly as well as Calvin and Hobbes has.

I agree Richard!

Great bio, Richard! Thank you!

I finished up Writing is my Drink by Theo Pauline Nestor which was great in some spots, and kinda fizzled in others. I guess like all memoirs (which this ended up being in great part), not everything will resonate. It did get me writing though, and for that, I thank the author mightily. She clearly cares about getting people who want to write ... writing ... and that is where the book really shines.

I am now finishing up the second half of The Power of Kindness, which I've been reading in part to my 13-year-old niece. She is really enjoying the stories and I think, at that age, it is extraordinarily helpful.

I've finished with Miss Buncle now, after the second book (Miss Buncle Married). My new main-track read is Huston Smith's (remarkably short) autobiography, Tales of Wonder: Adventures Chasing the Divine. Probably the second volume of the Raj Quartet will follow that; but I never really chart my future reading, so I don't know.

I am reading A Man Called Ove which is quirky but wonderful. I'm really enjoying it. I am also listening to The Paris Architect.

I just started The Financier by Theodore Dreiser. Although written more than a century ago, the author seems to have a handle on how the financial system can be manipulated for one's personal gain.

Hooray for Calvin and Hobbes! Thanks, Richard. That was a fun bio!

I am just now starting The Case of the Velvet Claws by Erle Stanley Gardner. It's too soon to trell how I'll like it for sure, but it seems to be shaping up on par with other classic, vintage mysteries like those by Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett.

currently reading Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. Historical fiction; a young slave and her young mistress in Charleston, early 1800s.
and Wonder by R. J. Polacio. YA novel; a disfigured boy attends school for the first time starting 5th grade.
and Madensky Square by Eva Ibbotson. Historical fiction; set in Vienna on the brink of WWI,

Just finished The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald. Memoir of life on an isolated chicken farm in Washington State in the late 1920s
and X Isle by Steve Augarde. YA dystopian novel of life after oceans rise flooding most of the world.

The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan
2nd installment on Lady Isabella Trent

I've finally reviewed the second Bruno, Chief of Police, mystery! It's called The Dark Vineyard, it's set in the delicious little market town of Saint-Denis (which, like Three Pines, isn't on the dratted map), and there is so much scrummy food-and-wine talk it made me raid the refrigerator even to write the review in my thread, post #170.

Another lover of Calvin and Hobbes here. Think he'll change his mind and come back?
I just read the first in a new (to me) series, Churchill's Secretary and see she's now written 4 books about the same woman in different situations, but each book ends. (Each of the books in the Cinder series does not. If you have to end your book on a cliff hanger to ensure people will read the next one, you must be mighty unsure of your talents). If you like the way Susan MacNeal writes, you go on to read the next one. What a concept. I plan on following up with Princess Elizabeth's Spy as soon as it comes in. I do not plan on reading the 4th of the Cinder series.
The Maggie Hope series is really good historical fiction. I found out lots about the IRA and about antisemitism in England at the beginning of WWII, and some personal stuff about Churchill who seems to have been a bear to work for. And good ol' Bletchley Park is there again.
I also just finished Americanah which to my mind should have won the most recent Orange Prize (though that's not its name any more). The main character, Ifemelu, is intelligent, perceptive, assertive and brave. She's also judgmental, hypocritical and cynical where she shouldn't be and accepting where she should be cynical. She's a fascinating and infuriating character, one of her lines sums her up "racism shouldn't have existed in the first place so just because you're doing something about it now doesn't mean you get a cookie." Youch. Being a white American around Ifemelu doesn't get one any prizes or any recognition of effort. This book keeps you on your toes and wanting to read more about her opinions, in spite of her closed mindedness.
Then I started The Empathy Exams which I'm sure is very good, but it's too soon after Americanah to read such a personal take on life in these essays.
So instead, I've downloaded The Year She Left Us, I'll see how that goes.
On audio I'm about 2/3 of the way through The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope. This was suggested last year in a "read something positive about Africa" challenge. I know the book ends well because the ending is put right at the beginning. But I have to tell you, the middle is not too positive with a detailed description of famine. At least, unlike what I've read about the great famine in China, people don't eat each other.
Lastly, I'm almost finished with a reread of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency for my RL book club. Now here's a positive book about Africa and life in general. My spirit needed it.

I finished and REVIEWED Anthony Duerr's magnificent new novel All the Light We Cannot See.

Now I'm reading my ER book, The Quick by Lauren Owen.

Just finished The Silkworm.

Gobsmacked.

>15 NarratorLady: Oh yes. Know exactly what you mean:-)

Oryx and Crake and some H.P. Lovecraft. After that, more Atwood while working through Ballantine publications before the beginning of school semester starting with The Blue Star.

Finished the wonderful Spring Snow.

Next up to read is Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Saleh. I continue listening to Sleepyhead in the car, and listening to The Lowland at home.

Just finished Wild Swans : Three Daughters of China, still reading Grass for his Pillow.

Making my way tediously through Lord of the Flies in audio - really not enjoying it - I think I would have given up on it, if I weren't also busy doing cleaning type things and ironing. The story is not engaging me sufficiently and the author's own narration of it is, I'm afraid to say it, a fail for me personally.

In the car I've got The Harbour by Francesca Brill and I'm also reading (in paperback) Around the World in 80 Dates by Jennifer Cox. Next on the audio pile is Artemis Fowl : The Arctic Incident which I'm pretty sure will be a treat!

Can anyone offer me any advice/opinions on reading order for the Narnia series by CS Lewis? I've read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe in the past and I remember giving at least one of the others a go but never managing to finish it. While in the library the other day I noticed they have them in audio and I thought that perhaps I might try the series again - but should I read in publishing order or chronological order?

I've reviewed the sixth Doubleday UK Book-A-Day meme entry, What Book Would You Put Down to Watch Wimbledon?

Doc Savage: Fortress of Solitude/The Devil Genghis, of course. It's fun to relive innocent days gone by, but so easy to take a break...even a long one...and know catching up won't be troublesome. Visit my review in the Orphans thread...post #34.

>19 Peace2: If you go to the main page of the book, in this case just by clicking on your touchstoned book name, there is a section at the top titled series, click on the series name and it will show you the whole series in order. If you want to find a book and it's not already touchstoned, go to the top of any page and there's a white rectangle named Search site. You can type the book or author there and find its main page.

>21 Citizenjoyce: Thanks for the suggestion but doing that was actually what prompted my question -- The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is listed as being first in publication order and 2nd in chronological order, which made me wonder which was the best way to read it in the opinion and experience of people who'd made it through the whole series.

Sorry to be so basic. Also sorry I can't help at all with C. S. Lewis.

>22 Peace2: I would definitely say take them in publication order.

I finished A Free Man: A True Story of Life and Death in Delhi which describes the lives of day laborers in Delhi focusing primarily on one person but including many others. It presents a glimpse of Delhi and Indian life for the poor. It's description of a poor man determined be free and not beholden is universal.

I'm reading a couple of tales a night from Russian Fairy Tales, Aleksandr Afanasev's 19th century collection of Russian folklore. I'm annoying people at work by telling some of the better ones. I've also started Human Bullets, a memoir of the Russo-Japanese War by Tadayoshi Sakurai.

Just picked up Jacqueline Winspear's The Care and Management of Lies and am enjoying it very much. I've read all of her Maisie Dobbs books and while I'm getting a little tired of Maisie herself, Winspear has a way of creating a time and place (Britain between the wars) that always compels me to read on.

No Maisie in this one but it is a novel of WWI Britain and she brings that same crystal clear description of the feelings of the characters and the details of their world to vivid life.

I finished The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and it does end very positively for the young man and even for his family and village, but wow, all in all Africa doesn't come off so well. His country is Malawi, and once again we see how corrupt leaders can devastate a fragile land.
Now I'm about to start Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd. Does anyone know how to say that first name? It always gets me. The book seems to fit in with the Maggie Hope series in that it's about political prisoners in Ireland.
ETA, never mind, I found the pronounciation here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zW-aAOB1E8

I watched The Murder of Roger Ackroyd on Acorn.tv tonight. Led me to review the book and the show in my thread.

Just found these:
http://bookriot.com/2012/02/06/sixteen-things-calvin-and-hobbes-said-better-than...
http://bookriot.com/2012/07/16/sixteen-more-things-calvin-and-hobbes-said-better...

< 30 Loved the Calvin and Hobbes quotes and the biography Richard provided. I'm inspired! I've dug out my C&H books, and will go through a strip or two a day. I need a copy of the Complete Calvin and Hobbes to fall into my lap!

>30 Citizenjoyce: Calvin: I don’t know which is worse: that everyone has his price, or that the price is always so low.

I laugh every time I read that! Of course, it's a cynical, knowing kind of a laugh....

>31 streamsong: Mine arrives today. I went completely bonkers and bought it. Paper edition, of course, mustn't be crazy. *snort*

I am speeding through Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell

So, that Doubleday UK meme...up to day 7 and it's discuss a chocolatey book in honor of National Chocolate Day...so I discussed a book I like as much as I like chocolate: All the Pretty Horses...post #37.

>34 richardderus: Great review, I was worried that you liked it. Even though my daughter hates chocolate, I still continue to assume that everyone else in the world likes it as much as I do.
Don't read the following if you're squeamish:

Everyone knows that chocolate is bad for dogs, but sometimes creative dogs manage to get to it anyway. My daughter is a vet tech. The first treatment for dogs who get into the stuff is to induce vomiting, and the vomit smells like - you got it, chocolate. My daughter's co-workers were surprised yesterday when she got paler and paler caring for a dachshund who'd eaten his weight in dark chocolate. One said, "After all the stuff we've seen you do, this is what gets to you?" Yes, alas, it did.

>35 Citizenjoyce: I think your daughter's genes need to be passed on to the next generation. +1 milady anti-chocolatier!

>36 richardderus: Alas, she hates the idea of having children almost as much as she does chocolate and has determined to be child free. My son's son seems to be following in her footsteps, though not to the same degree. Perhaps it's a recessive gene.

>37 Citizenjoyce: Well then, there's hope, so I shall contain my despair.

Greetings, everyone. An amazing time crunch, good and busy things in life, plus preparation for vacation, has kept me from posting here on LT for weeks, it seems, though I have been following along on many of my favorite threads. Just briefly, I finally finished the seemingly endless Cold War era novel, A Shade of Difference by Allen Drury. This was his follow-up to his Pulitzer Price winning Advise and Consent. Advise and Consent was a very interesting look inside Congress, circa 1962. The storytelling and detail was absorbing enough to keep Drury's doctrinaire politics at bay. A Shade of Difference moves mostly to the United Nations, and, sadly, Drury's conservative political ruminations overwhelm the story. I don't mind reading opinions different than mine, certainly. But in this case he is so one-sided (short version: everyone who criticizes the U.S. is wrong; everyone who doesn't realize that the U.S. is making good and steady progress in the area of civil rights is wrong; every liberal is deluded, a phony, or both) that it was hard to wade through to get to the story, which was disappointing in and of itself, anyway. There are three more in the series. I won't be reading them.

I'm now reading an indifferently written and plotted thrilled called Hong Kong, China, by Ralph Arnotewhich is nevertheless pleasant enough to suit my mood. Written in the mid-90s, the book speculates on what was going to happen when China took over Hong Kong, an event still in the future when the story was written.

Today we leave for two weeks+ in Switzerland (mostly the Italian Swiss Alps where we have a friend who will be showing us around) and then northern Italy.

I'll catch up further upon my return in late July.

Cheers!

>39 rocketjk: Sounds like more fun than reading, especially Alan Drury books. Have fun.

I'm still reading and loving 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I've grown to love the size, just as Meredy said last week, "...I wasn't too far in before I began to take pleasure in the heft just for the assurance it gave me that the book was going to last a long time."

I've polished off and reviewed a 1909 SF novella by EM Forster called The Machine Stops. Prophetic for its day, no doubt, and interesting to read now more for its authorship than its SFnal merits. Review in my thread...post #40.

>41 PaperbackPirate: Oooh! Thrilled to be quoted.

Totally into The Third Plate. Will make you think differently about our food systems and what you eat.

That looks kind of interesting, alphaorder. I'm almost done with Farmacology by Dr. Daphne Miller which looks at small, sustainable farming practices and the health benefits they bring no matter what is raised. I quit eating processed foods 2 years ago and am lucky enough to have a great farm down the road that raises animals and vegetables in an ethical and biologically sound way. Am trying to wean myself off of factory meat, but it's hard. The budget only stretches so far, you know.

I loved Farmacology! Will have to check out The Third Plate.

I just finished The Power of Kindness by Piero Ferrucci which I recommend for everyone and anyone. I got a lot out of it.

Now, on recommendation of many folks here, this non sci-fi reader is reading The Martian and so far, it's great!

>46 CarolynSchroeder: *warble of gruntlement*

I've selected, after much deliberation, my favorite Great War novel: Regeneration, the Pat Barker work, is a beautiful and challenging book to read. The Doubleday UK meme, a book a day in July, has really focused my attention on getting the excellent reading I've been doing reviewed and therefore fixed more firmly in my mind.

See my review in my Orphans thread...post #49.

After a couple of mediocre nonfiction books--True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa and El Sicario: The Autobiography of a Mexican Assassin--I started The Devil and Miss Prym, and I am really liking it so far. Paulo Coelho is easy reading for me, and I love a positive message.

Another Calvin and Hobbes fan here. Thanks for the smile, Richard!

I'm finally, finally, finally reading Stoner. Nearly finished and sad to have it end. What a beautifully written novel.

I'm reading The Meanest Doll in the World by Ann Martin. It's very clever and the illustrations by Brian Selznick are terrific! Martin also wrote The Doll People.

Pulled this off my TBR shelves to read before I donate it to my doll-collecting friend for her Toy and Doll Museum.

I have started The Gathering by Anne Enright it won the Man Booker for 2007, I have high hopes.

I've knocked another review of the Shameful Neglect list: Delta Wedding, a novel by Eudora Welty. I do so love to hate Dabney Fairchild, that cut-rate Scarlett O'Hara, that youthful Narcissa Benbow wannabe.

The review's in my thread...post #54.

I have started The Idea of Perfection - it is off to a really, really good start.

Beach book without the beach :) Skin Game by Jim Butcher. Try to sneak read time at work, not too successful at the moment though. Happy Hump Day all!

Finished Birdman by Mo Hayder in approximately 24 hours, and I loved every page. Creepy, graphic police procedural that ranks up there with the best page turners. I also finished The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah, which I enjoyed more than I expected to.

I am currently reading Life After Life by Kate Atkinson and I'm about to start The Alienist by Caleb Carr for our crime fiction genre study meeting.

I was up too late last night, digesting and contemplating Cynthia Ozick's powerful, sad, and beautiful novella The Shawl. It's not an easy book to read, despite having only 70 pages. It's a must-read for anyone wondering about the experience of love, loss, and madness. My review is in post #57.

Last week I finished Anthony Doerr's remarkable novel, All the Light We Cannot See. I was afraid I'd be disappointed in whatever book came next, and at first I wasn't sure how to feel about Adrianne Harun's A Man Came Out of a Door in the Mountain, but I came to love it, too. Two very different books, but they had much in common: the struggle of good vs. evil; stories about young people trying to make their way through very difficult circumstances, characters who care deeply about story, about myth and words, and who treasure the gifts of spirit and learning and thought that come their way through the many people whose lives touch theirs; two beautifully written books that I know I'll be thinking about for a long time.

Now I'm reading Hilary Mantel's A Place of Greater Safety.

>51 hazeljune: I am looking forward to reading your comments on The Gathering.

I like to read 2 or more at a time (a fiction and a nonfiction), so I can choose what to read depending on the mood/setting that I'm in.

Currently reading:
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. I - Edward Gibbons

Can't believe I've waited so long to start both.

I reviewed a Kindle freebie called Like and Subscribe, a 50-page sweet and romantic tale of two young men falling for each other despite both of them being in love with the same wrong man. It was fun, and it's free, and there's no sex, so even y'all squeamish ones can relate! It's in my thread...post #43.

I'm currently reading Pentecost (Arcane, #1) by J.F. Penn. Pretty good and a fun read so far. A cross between Indiana Jones and a Dan Brown novel with a kick-butt heroine. Will post a review when I finish.

I just finished The City by Dean Koontz, and am finishing up Fierce patriot by Robert L. O'Connell, a biography on Wm Tecumseh Sherman.

Now reading Devil's Food a Corinna Chapman Mystery.

Female protagonist owns a bakery.

Finished Sun on Fire by Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson and started The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith/J. K. Rowling.

>63 seitherin: I'm joining you on The Silkworm, my requested copy just came in to the library.

>64 Citizenjoyce: I really enjoyed The Cuckoo's Calling so I hope this one is as enjoyable.

I finished My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier. I was not in the mood for this book. I got very tired of the whinging. I started The Silent Tower by Barbara Hambly.

Speaking of being in the mood...I've just reviewed the tenth book-a-day meme title, The Fly Trap by Fredrik Sjoberg. It's a lovely little book, as an object, and also a lovely little read. The book-a-day prompt for today was a book with a memorable picnic for some teddy bear silliness...I was really stumped until I remembered this one! The review is here.

I just finished Thank You For Your Service about veterans, PTSD, TBI, grieving, family interactions, treatment, red tape and lots of suicide and the attempts to stop it. Written by David Finkel, a journalist who was imbedded with troops in Iraq, it contains the personal stories of veterans and their spouses and also looks the officials trying to deal with the crisis. 5 stars from me, I can't recommend it highly enough.

That looks great, Citizenjoyce. I loved his book The Good Soldiers, so I have to imagine that one is on a par. I did not know he had a new book. Will for sure check it out.

I am thoroughly enjoying the wacky and wonderful The Martian but just received ARC/Early Reviewer book Not Fade Away and it is an excellent memoir so far ... want to finish and review it before my 2-week Alaska/BC trip. The Martian is on the Kindle and comes with.

Okay, so here's what I did with my evening: I reviewed a book I really loved, but wasn't quite ready to run around demanding people buy or else (like The Martian). Larry Watson, who wrote my all-time favorite novel Montana 1948, has a new and marvelous read out called Let Him Go. The review is in my thread...post #279.

>69 richardderus: Loved your review, Richard. Such a wonderful story!

I finished Stoner by John Williams and highly recommend it.

And now, since it's July, I thought I should head down the shore. Current read is Hell Hole, book #4 in Chris Grabenstein's John Ceepak series.

>70 Copperskye: Stoner was a five-star winner for me, and I'm not very free with my stars. Glad to hear from another admirer.

#57 mollygrace.. Sad to say The Gathering was not for me, I have been in a wilderness of trying to find a good book to follow up on Alice Hoffman's latest Museum of Extraordinary Things .

I have dipped into Death of a Stranger by Anne Perry, so we shall see!!

>72 hazeljune: I had a hard time getting into The Gathering, though eventually I did, and by the end I'd have to say I admired it more than I liked it. Her dark places touched a nerve in me -- perhaps one I didn't want to explore so deeply.

As for Alice Hoffman, she was a favorite for many years and then I got away from her writing (or she got away from me), but I've found that I miss her. If I ever finish with the French Revolution A Place of Greater Safety, I may read The Museum of Extraordinary Things.

>70 Copperskye:. Ah, you finally read on of my facorite reads! So glad you too gave Stoner high marks!

>71 Meredy: Five stars from me as well. Such a wonderful book!

>74 alphaorder: Yes, finally! You had recommended Stoner to me years ago (my receipt tucked inside was dated 6/2009). Thank you for that! I want to read Williams' Butcher's Crossing now.

>69 richardderus: Richard, good to know that you liked Let Him Go so much because I got it as a kindle daily deal several months ago and was thrilled to get one of my favorite authors so cheaply. I'm afraid, however, given the number of book clubs I belong to and the books already stacked up, that it will be some time before I get to it. *Sigh*

I know this is last week's thread, but I'm catching up after a family visit.

>67 Citizenjoyce: and >68 CarolynSchroeder: I have not read those books yet but highly recommend What It is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes, the author of Matterhorn. It is a short book that left a very strong impression on me.

I'm slowly catching up on cataloging what I'm reading. On Tuesday, July 1st, I started reading my second Philippa Gregory book - The Boleyn Inheritance! I loved this book as much as The White Queen, but it took me quite a while to finish reading it - I finished reading this book on Thursday, July 10th! :)