rainpebble roots 'em out in 2015

LET'S ROCK THESE ROOTS!~!



I am setting my ROOT goal once again at 50. In 2015 I hope to read more books that I can get rid of rather than keep. So......two goals in one.

I am again looking forward to reading with this group. You all inspire me. And thank you cyderry for setting us up.

Welcome back and good luck!

Welcome back and good luck with your rooting!

Best of luck, Belva! The great thing about January is that EVERYTHING counts!

Thank you ladies.
Terri, I don't count the books that I brought into the house the previous year. Just like to make it a little harder on myself. lol!~! So this year anything that came in prior to 2014 counts for me. :-)

Hi Belva, welcome back!

Thank you. To you as well MissWatson. I love the ROOT challenge. It's a dandy!

Glad you are back, Belva. Happy New Year and Happy ROOTing.

Oh, I find it hard enough! No sense making things any worse for myself!

But then, I'm kind of lazy & impatient, so......

;-)

"Let's Rock these Roots!" I like that! Good luck with your challenge, Belva!

Belva, glad that you are sticking with us!

Hope you enjoy all your 2015 books!

Thanks kiddeos!~! You as well!


glitter-graphics.com

So.....I have just begun my first ROOT of 2015.

JANUARY ROOTS:
1. Never No More by Maura Laverty; {acquired 05/21/2013}; (4*)

Welcome back & good luck!
Also, I love your opening pic :)

Thank you Ava and good luck on your challenge. :-)

1. Never No More by Maura Laverty; {acquired 05/21/2013}; Theme Read; (4*)

Yesterday I finished Maura Laverty's Never No More. I so related to Delia whose mother did not 'see' her as that was where I fit within the dynamic of my 9 member family.
I found this to be a rather comforting read. And while not a five star read for me it was excellent. I love how Laverty talks about cooking, about food in general, sewing, and all of the things that go into the making/creating of a home along with farming information.
And she grows her characters so nicely; both the nice ones and the not so nice. There is a great deal of living in this book and I think a lot of it might be based on the life of Laverty. At least that is how it felt as I read it. It is all written into the book in a very comfortable way. Her writing actually reminded me of L.M. Montgomery and her Anne of Green Gables.
I did not expect to enjoy it nearly as much as I did. But I do think the book is much more to the coming-of-age period than the childhood period of Delia's life. I am very much looking forward to reading this author's No More Than Human.

FEBRUARY ROOTS:
2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou; {acquired 05/02/2012}; (4*)
3. Gather Together in My Name by Maya Angelou; {acquired 08/14/2013}; (4*)
4. Singin' and Swingin' and Getting Merry Like Christmas by Maya Angelou; {acquired 08/22/2013}; (4*)
5. The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou; {acquired 10/12/2007}; (4*)
6. All God's Children Need Travelling Shoes by Maya Angelou; {acquired 08/28/2009}; (4*)
7. A Song Flung Up to Heaven by Maya Angelou; {acquired 08/08/2009}; (4*)
8. Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou; {acquired 08/26/2013}; (4 1/2*)
9. Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now by Maya Angelou; {acquired 10/12/2007}; (4*)

(all Virago non-fiction)

10. Lost in the Forest by Sue Miller; {acquired 9/23/2008}; (3 1/2*)

>16 rainpebble: ew. ;)

2. I know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou; {acquired 05/02/2012}; (4*)

Written in such lyrical language, this is a very powerful story. It explains much about the end of the segregation era. Angelou rises to heights unreachable by other autobiographical writers.
It is a wonderful story telling of life as Black woman supported by family and dismissed by society. She warns of future times that may present the same challenges.

(sigh) another BB..... :)

3. Gather Together in My Name by Maya Angelou; {acquired 08/14/2013}; (4*)

I sincerely enjoyed this book. For a person to be able to express true & real human emotions through simple words is so moving. I was truly moved by Gather Together in My Name and its realistic approach to the rawness of human emotions. This book will lift you up even as you learn about the true human condition.

4. Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas by Maya Angelou; {acquired 08/22/2013}; (4*)

I thought the book very interesting especially in the beginning and the end. I like the way it started out. She was shy about her entertainment career. She entertained many with her song and dance. And that is not how many of us see Maya Angelou.
At the end of the book the story becomes very dramatic as to the fact that she was about to kill herself and her son because her life wasn't going the way she wanted it. The white community despised her and couldn't accept the person that she was. This book really caught me in it's headlights. I highly recommend it.

>20 rainpebble: (and >21 rainpebble: ;)) lol! Yes "BB" means book bullet -- as in, your book bullet hit me as I was wondering by, and now I have to add it to my TBR list ;)

LOL!~!

5. The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou; {acquired 10/12/2007}; (4*)

This book is a wonderful inspiration for women. Maya Angelou had many obstacles to overcome in her life and not one stopped her. She has done so much in her life and this book takes you through a glimpse of it. It is an amazing journey and well worth the read.

6. All God's Children Need Travelling Shoes by Maya Angelou; {acquired 08/28/2009}; (4*)

Maya Angelou has 6 volumes of her autobiography books out and this is #5.
All God's Children Need Travelling Shoes is a very well written piece, as are all of her works. It is informative, colorful, interesting, full of bigger than life characters and small events that color the book and seem large.
She wrote this volume about her time in Ghana, when she "wanted to go home" to Africa. It is rich in detail, rich in friendships, and I love her descriptive phrasing in this book.
She took her 17 year old son and moved to Ghana planning to stay. It didn't turn out that way but the story of her stay there is very interesting and I enjoyed this work of hers very much. It helped me to understand the woman she has become. However, I would probably only recommend it to loyal fans of Angelou.

7. A Song Flung Up to Heaven by Maya Angelou; {acquired 08/08/2009}; (4*)

This is a great quick read for anyone interested in Maya Angelou and the Civil Rights Movement. The book gives an insight into what life was like for Maya while she struggled through the loss of her close friends and fellow civil rights activists, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. This book was written in a way that makes it seem as if she is sitting with you telling you about her life.
This book is for anyone who is interested in reading about the civil rights movement from the perspective of someone who lived through it. The only disappointment I found about the book is how short it is. I would have liked for the book to cover a longer period of time in Maya's life. But overall this is a book that I can highly recommend.

8. Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou; {acquired 08/26/2013}; (4 1/2*)

What a lovely way to remember what is important to focus on in life. I love Maya Angelou and her words can guide any lost soul through the storm of life.

9. Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now by Maya Angelou; {acquired 10/12/2007}; (4*)

A treasure of a book filled with the lessons of life.

Being ill this month has enabled me to lie in bed, rest & read. Love me some Maya Angelou. I have read or reread all of her works that I own. Now I will pass them on to my 48 year old nephew who finds her so inspiring.

You have read a lot of Maya Angelou. I hope you are doing better now.

Sorry to hear you were sick (so was I), but glad you got to enjoy some reading!

Wow, what a Maya reading spree! Glad you had an opportunity to read some books you love, especially since you were ill this month! And I hope you're feeling better!

Hope you're feeling better. Reading a favourite author sounds like a good recovery plan! :)

Feeling much better. The best part of being sick is that when not fending off a headache I was ROOTing. And now they are going out the door. Love clearing shelf space. I need housing for my memoirs & non-fiction!

Glad you are feeling better, RP. And Yeah for clearing shelves!

>34 rainpebble: glad to hear you're feeling better :) And congrats on all your ROOTing!

10. Lost in the Forest by Sue Miller; {acquired 9/23/2008}; (3 1/2*)

I thought this to be a brilliant novel in many ways. It's also frightening as it begins with a with the death of a husband and parent. Sue Miller wrote this first part so well that I physically felt an unrelenting sense of doom.

The novel is set in the wine country of the Napa Valley in California of the 1980s. The story is drawn against the this backdrop. The stories within the novel are written exquisitely and lives are lived and torn apart. I thought the book to be quite good but in the end it got away from the author in a way that was disheartening for this reader but I find Sue Miller's books always worth the read.

You're doing great with your ROOTing!

Thank you MissWatson. :-)

MARCH ROOTS:

11. The Far Cry by Emma Smith; Persephone; {acquired 02/01/2013}; (4*)
12. Good Behaviour by Molly Keane; {acquired 08/16/2012}; (4 1/2*)
13. Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende; {acquired 05/09/2013}; (4*)
14. No More Than Human by Maura Laverty; VMC 2015 Theme Read: The Seven Ages of Women: Coming of Age; {acquired 05/21/2013}; (4*)

11. The Far Cry by Emma Smith; Persephone; {acquired 02/01/2013}; (4*)

The Far Cry is a very understated book and I assume underrated and not read expansively. While reading it I had moments where I thought that way, but this book, when completed & returned to the shelves, clings to the mind of the reader and I found myself in such contemplation of it that I was unable to pick up another book for a time.
The story is of a young girl who is uprooted by her father from an unhappy existence with her aunt in England and taken to India by boat and train to the home of her half sister. It turns out to be an arduous journey but there are adventures to be had for the girl and she finds herself enjoying India.
Once they arrive at the sister's home on a Tea Plantation the young girl finds her sister to be very ambivalent whereas she was expecting to be welcomed with open arms. But she is used to such treatment from her aunt and she adjusts. They have a few good times but the story-line is much more about what each of them are thinking and feeling.
This is a difficult one to explain for as I read the book I felt at time rather ambivalent but once having completed it, the book takes on a whole new look and fresh thoughts.
The next time I read this one I will read it with a contemplative mind rather than expecting a plot driven story. On those terms I highly recommend it.

>41 rainpebble: Sounds like an interesting tale... good to know it is for the more contemplative moods :)

12. Good Behaviour by Molly Keane; VMC, in memory of englishrose60, chosen from her library; ROOT; {acquired 08/16/2012}; (4 1/2*)

Good Behaviour is a very well written book. It is a dark comedy of manners which is narrated by a totally unreliable narrator, the almost delusional and pitiful daughter of the house, Aroon. It is Keane’s great strength that she can give us a tale told by a tall, heavy daughter of privilege which is completely misinterpreted by the narrator but is clear and sad to the reader. In the end Aroon wants what all humans want which is to love and be loved. Unfortunately, she has a mother who is cold as ice, a father who hunts and shoots six days a week and does not attend properly to the dwindling family fortune and a handsome, charming, & intelligent brother whose sexual orientation is obvious to the reader and yet is completely missed by Aroon.
Yet Aroon is not completely unaware. The chapter where she goes to the grand holiday party of wealthy neighbors demonstrates that Aroon can read many social cues quite well. There is a central significant tragedy and loss in the first half of the book that the reader will recognize as the most tragic loss of Aroon’s life. This loss is central to Aroon’s later life but somehow she never comes to grips with the gravity of this loss upon her family, a family with good behavior, and thus the inability to grieve. How does someone who is unattractive and is never nurtured by her parents make it through life? Keane portrays Aroon as taking every tiny bit of affection or regard and expanding it in her mind as meaningful. This romantic illusion keeps her going. Whereas this can be comic, it is dark comedy, carefully constructed and revealed bit by bit, but a tragedy nevertheless.
Highly recommended to those who do not feel the need for a lot of action to embellish their reading material.

13. Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende; ROOT, {acquired 5/09/2013}; (4*)

Island Beneath the Sea is set in the late 18th century on the island of Saint Dominique. The book focuses on a plantation owner, Toulouse Valmorain, and his slave Zarite, with whom he develops an interesting relationship. This book started rather slowly, but in true Allende fashion it quickly became very interesting. Toulouse Valmorain is dissatisfied with everything. He got dragged out to the island from Paris at the age of 20 when his father died. He had married a young woman named Eugenia, who over the years was driven mad with events of the island and the madness which ran in her family.
Valmorain began to rely more and more on Zarite. There is the 'typical' relationship of female slave and male master between them but there is also something else. Toulouse genuinely cares about Zarite though he is often unkind to her and he certainly couldn't do without her.
The story is set on the Caribbean Island of Saint Dominque which eventually becomes Haiti. The island is rich with sugar cane. On the one hand it's very beautiful and the whites live in big mansions but on the other hand field slaves must do backbreaking work all day long in the cane fields under the heat of the sun. Two very different worlds on the same island.
Island Beneath the Sea is also about the brutal revolution which changed the rule of the island and after long years of horrors it became Haiti. Most whites were very cruel towards their slaves. But when the slaves rose up they were just as cruel toward whites.
As with everything Isabel Allende writes, the characters in Island Beneath the Sea are developed so the reader is enabled to envision images in of their persona, their dress, their day to day lives, their world and the people around them. These characters bring to life a world often foreign to anything the reader has ever experienced. Allende has a gift for bringing this to her writing.
While the book is mostly written in the third person, specific chapters switch to the first person perspective from the main character which brings even more life to the story. But this reader found this book to be more than a story. I found it to be very well researched and the events that occurred seemed accurate for the place and time in which this story is set.

>12 rainpebble: Sounds like a lovely read! This will have to go on my "list"!

14. No More Than Human by Maura Laverty; VMC 2015 Theme Read: The Seven Ages of Women: Coming of Age; {acquired 05/21/2013}; (4*)

There's an engaging buoyancy to these experiences of a young Irish girl in the rigid, double standard milieu of Spain of the 1920s. A naive untutored young lady under eighteen, Delia Scully of Ballyderrig, arrives as a governess in a wealthy Spanish household where she quickly learns the loneliness and humiliations of the imported spinster governesses. Not without spirit and impetuosity, she loses two posts over Rafael, a handsome Spaniard, a cigarette and a red bathing suit. She is branded in the profession and decides to give lessons instead and then works her way up to an office position. She loses her heart to Rafael who does not have marriage in mind but wants her as his mistress. She then becomes engaged to a Hungarian but before the wedding she returns to Ireland to see her family and finds that all along she has been confusing herself.
Exuberance, humor & charm, this book has them all, and was a very enjoyable read for me.

Wow looks like you're reading some excellent books! I'm especially intrigued by Good Behaviour :)
Congrats on your progress!

I READ NO ROOTS IN APRIL. :-(

MAY ROOTS:
15. The World Below by Sue Miller; {acquired 03/26/2010}; (4 1/2*)
16. The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye; {acquired before joining LT); (4 1/2*)
17. Night by Elie Wiesel; {acquired prior to L/T}; (5*)

15. The World Below by Sue Miller; ROOT, {acquired 03/26/2010}; (4 1/2*)

The World Below was nearly perfection for me. I was unable to put it down. It is a multigenerational story about of the women in a family, namely the grandmother and granddaughter. But all of the rest of them do come into the story with their important bits as well.
While the book may be short on plot it is full of small rich moments which make the reader sit up and take note. So many identifiable moments in a life are gorgeously painted in the exquisite language of this book. The honesty with which failed relationships are described, new relationships are considered, children's hurts are borne, parents mistakes are repeated; all are beautifully illustrated in Miller's simple tale of two generations of women looking at their lives. Her small ephipanies are delivered so subtly and unadorned that sometimes the reader does not know what has hit him. This is quite a lovely thing to find in a quiet book.
I was especially taken with the love story of Georgia, the grandmother, and her doctor husband. If I had one criticism of the book it would be to say that I found the story of Georgia and Seward's romance at the sanitorium rather flat. I felt no passion in their relationship and thought the book would have been better without it. On the other hand I found Georgia's and her husband's relationship to be tender, painful, very real and beautiful.
Once again Sue Miller has taken me away and outside of myself. A beautifully written book, as I find all of Miller's to be.

Another BB I don't think I can dodge! It's on my wish list!

>48 rainpebble: oh well, there are plenty of other months! (I read no ROOTs in March.. and only 1 in April... hoping to start picking my pace back up again ;))

>50 rainpebble: wow "nearly perfection" is a big compliment! Glad you enjoyed it so much!

16. The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye; {acquired before joining LT); (4 1/2*)

This is an amazing read. The tale follows the life of Ashton also known as Ashok, a man who straddles several cultures in nineteenth-century India. He is the son of aristocratic English parents and is born in the hills of India. His mother dies at his birth and his father dies a few years later of cholera. He is raised by his Hindi nursemaid who raises him as her son to protect him when revolution breaks out.
The child grows up as a servant in the royal palace of the small kingdom of Gulkote, near the Himalayan mountains, ie: The Far Pavilions. He develops a special friendship with Anjuli, the out-of-favor daughter of the Raj, whose mother died and was supplanted by a dangerous schemer. Anjuli and Ashok tell each other magical stories and dream daydreams together when they can get away. These stories and dreams help sustain them through the cruel intrigues of the royal court.
When those intrigues almost cost Ash his life he is smuggled out of Gulkote and returned to England to claim his birthright, only returning many years later as an adult in the Royal army. With his special understanding of the cultures, his command of so many languages and perspectives of India, he still finds his birth culture alien and insensitive, and he discovers that perhaps nothing can stop the revolutionary movements that are battling more and more violently against the rule of the British Raj.
A chance assignment reunites him with Anjuli, now a grown woman who has managed to survive the intrigues of the court. Ultimately, as India ignites around them, they will have to flee together to seek out the kingdom of their childhood dreams, but the journey along the way is memorable, astonishing, and will keep you awake into the night reading this marvelous book.
Kaye's story is vivid, detailed and very well researched that's made all the more accurate by the fact that Kaye herself was born in India and educated in England. The story actually derives from a tale she heard in India of a strange wedding. When she found the diary of an English officer who had been involved in the real life incident she realized she had the makings of a fascinating story. It's a rare writer who can take such a story and weave it into something this epic and beautiful and not to be missed. It is a wonderful adventure and I was sorry when it came to an end. There was not one part of the book that I was not fascinated by; so many details of a world unknown to me.

17. Night by Elie Wiesel; {acquired prior to L/T}; (5*)

I knew that Elie Wiesel's Night was was not going to be a happy book. That is a given considering the subject matter. I was surprised at the total lack of optimism found within it though I find it understandable.
I have read many other Holocaust memoirs which end with an uplifting light and I think I was more surprised at those endings than this one.
The foreward makes it clear that this novel illustrates both the literal death and the death of faith in those interned in concentration camps. These people are forced through their extreme deprivation to live for no one but themselves because to do else is to hasten their own death.
The bleakness is so difficult to accept but it is reflective of the feelings experienced by the author. This book itself serves as the author's answer to experiences and reflections within it's covers. A chronicle of sorrow so deep it speaks for itself. Any explicit solace written for the reader would take away from the story and is not needed for it would take away for the experience of the book.
And though this is a chilling account of the Holocaust it is such an important little book. Children are reading this for school and I am so thankful that it is written in a manner which makes it easy for them to understand the memories being shared. It's all there. In fact I read this on the recommendation of my grandson who read it for a class. And though I have read many, many books on this subject matter, none were written as simplistically as Night. I think it is all the more powerful for that.

I highly recommended recommend this book.

>54 rainpebble: I keep hearing about that one... and 5 stars! What was so good about it?

putting my review up today.........

>54 rainpebble:, I use that on with my freshmen. It is the best survivor book I've read, and I've read about 300 of them. Your heart just breaks for the young man-boy, Elie, when he sees babies being thrown into the ditch with burning gasoline "My faith was consumed in the ditches by the flames." I weep every time I read it

>56 rainpebble: thanks! I bought it at a very cool thrift store in Austin this weekend ;)

JUNE ROOTS:
18. Strange Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve; (4*); {acquired, 9/14/2007}

>59 rainpebble: Have you read anything else of Wharton's and did you like it? I've tried to suffer through The Age of Innocence three times and have never made it past the first quarter of the book.

>60 Tess_W:
Tess, I guess it is just a case of diversity. I love Edith Wharton and have read several of her novels including The Age of Innocence and a couple of her short story books. I don't know that I have yet come across anything by her that I didn't like but I can easily see why she isn't for everyone. So don't feel bad. It's just not your thing.

18. Strange Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve; (4*); {acquired, 9/14/2007}

Chick lit, summer read; for what it is, this book is very well done. Domestic abuse, rape, stalking, suicide, murder, romance..........it's all here. I couldn't put it down.

JULY ROOTS:

19. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde; (4*); {acquired 1/31/2013}
20. Star Dust by Neil Gaiman; (3 1/2*); {acquired 9/15/2007}
21. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James; (4*); {acquired prior to LT}
22. The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen; {acquired 3/9/2010}; (4*)
23. The Nun by Denis Diderot; {acquired prior to LT}; (2 1/2*)
24. The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy; {acquired 3/19/2013}; (4 1/2*)
25. Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick; {acquired prior to LT}; (4 1/2*)
26. The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy; {acquired prior to LT}; (4 1/2*)
27. House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende; {acquired prior to LT}; (4*)

19. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde; {acquired 1/31/2013}; (4*)

The Importance of Being Earnest seems to start as a play about truth but quickly becomes a play about the false through the classical "simply a misunderstanding". The two male leads, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, use imaginary friends they invent to avoid the boring and weekly family engagements. These imaginary friends lead to eventual confusion between them and the women they love. This misunderstanding is only half the fun though. Wilde mocks the ill portrayed English Aristocracy of the late 19th century; poking fun at not only their etiquette but also their stubborn and unpractical tendencies, their immoral behavior, and their exploitation of the lower classes. Very rarely do comedies strike to the heart of the matter and say something as meaningful as Oscar Wilde did with this great play of his.
Wilde gives new meaning to the terminology irreverence and farce.
His views on the virtues of having a satirically empty head
as written by one understanding this is the funniest I have ever read. His characterization of the English upper class as both idle and clueless most likely came very close to the truth.
But he wraps it all up happily (for most) and leaves us with a great laugh.
Well done, Wilde!

Especially well done because I usually can't handle reading plays. I say "can't handle" but I really mean "can't stand". So this was an exceptional experience for me.

20. Star Dust by Neil Gaiman; ROOT, {acquired 9/15/2007}; (3 1/2*)

My first Gaiman, this story was a delightful fairytale. It is perfect for older readers and also appropriate for younger ones. I think it good for anyone looking for a good story full of fantasy and magic but compelling enough to keep older readers hooked. It's hard to find good fairytales that aren't either slow paced or childish.
I found it charming with some scary parts and can say that from my POV Stardust is a very enjoyable read.

22. The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen; {acquired 3/9/2010}; (4*)

Elizabeth Bowen’s The Last September is a thoughtful, internal, and deep novel about Anglo-Irish identity during the Irish War of Independence. I sometimes find Bowen to be a difficult read but always worthwhile even if it’s just for her marvelous language.
I was struck by the fact that nothing much seems to happen during the first three quarters of the book . Lives go on as usual, interpersonal tensions flare and subside unrelated to political events. Parties are held, visits are made, engagements are made and broken. The underlying tensions run in the background but are unremitting. The mood is one of stasis, a kind of intolerable suspension that is ever present at the edge of one’s field of vision. Bowen has deliberately cultivated a sense of relative banality hovering over an abyss, and as the novel moves forward without this tension being resolved, it inexorably builds. Additional tensions arise as one becomes aware of the differences between the Anglo-Irish and the British military, each of which misunderstands the other.
Bowen writes convincingly and beautifully. Her prose flows and is evocative of both Irish civilization and Irish wilderness. She is sensitive to the nuances of dialogue and class, convincingly portraying the differences between her characters.

Two great reviews!

>63 rainpebble: what a great picture! And a great set of ROOTs!

Thank you ladies.



21. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James; (4*)

The reader must read Henry James carefully, closely and slowly. One must also read between the lines.
The Wings of the Dove is made up of characters so subtle and so intelligent that even a careful reader will be challenged to keep up. The story follows a young man and woman, Densher, and Kate, who are in love and want to be together. But her guardian disapproves as there is not a bright financial situation ahead for Kate.
Kate devises a plan to improve their prospects and asks Densher only to be patient. Her intelligence and moral flexibility allow her to adjust her original plan when the possibility of an even better outcome presents itself in the person of her dear friend Milly. (ie: "the Dove") What the process will do to Milly is of little importance to Densher at the outset. However as he gets to know Milly better, Densher's conviction begins to crumble. Despite his best efforts to turn a blind eye to his own part in a terrible deception, he feels his character eroding and needs constant reassurance from Kate that it all will be worth it in the end. By the end, however, he has to come face to face with what he's done and the price he, Milly and his relationship with Kate have paid.
This was not an easy read for me but I found it well worth the time and effort I put into it.

23. The Nun by Denis Diderot; {acquired prior to LT}; (2 1/2*)

This was just an okay read for me. The writing was fine as far as that goes but I found myself remaining quite outside the story. I hope it was not actually based on a true occurrence. It would be very horrific if it was for the story is quite barbaric from the family to the convents, alike.

24. The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy; (4 1/2*)

This is the eleventh novel by Thomas Hardy. He takes us to an obscure village in his mythical Wessex. The novel portrays the beautiful Grace Melbury, a lovely young lady spoiled and well educated by her parents, eager for glamour and disdainful of the boredom of woodland folk. Grace is courted by Giles Winterbourne, a local woodsman, but casts him aside to wed Dr. Edred Fitzpiers, the local doctor. The marriage turns out poorly for Grace as the doctor is a womanizer and quite ignores his wife.
Fitzpiers flees to the Continent while Grace seeks reconciliation with Winterborne. The couple hope to wed under a newly passed Parliamentary law dealing with the right of women to obtain a divorce.
However it all goes wrong. Accidents occur as chance and fortune always play a part in the Hardy world. The novel does end happily which is a rarity for Hardy.
Hardy knew the English countryside as it moved from spring to winter and describes it so beautifully that we come to know it as well. His description of nature is beautifully written. He also knew the south of England as it was moving from the rural nineteenth century to the modern world of the coming twentieth century.
This novel is one of the lesser known Hardy novels but it is well worth your time and attention. The story is well told with many interesting and exciting plot developments which will hold the attention of the reader.
I loved this novel & highly recommend it.

>23 rainpebble: I happen to know a little about this book, not by reading it, but by having to research Denis Diderot (compiler of the first encyclopedia) and his life during the Enlightenment. It seems as if Diderot wrote this book, first in a series of letters, to a friend who had retired to the country life. Diderot made up everything based on a dream by this so called retired friend; he was egging him on to move back to Paris. It was published as a novel after he died.

>72 Tess_W:
Wow Tess, that is fascinating. Now you make me want to read a bio on Diderot. I guess it is true, what they say. "Life is but a dream". I had no idea that he had compiled the first encyclopedia. What a brilliant man to even have thought of it back then. Thank you for this info, Tess.

25. Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick; {acquired prior to LT}; (4 1/2*)

I loved this Y/A book about a boy, large for his age but slow, and a boy, small for his age, physically handicapped & ill with Morquio Syndrome but extremely bright & imaginative.
I loved how the they met, slowly became friends and eventually became 'one'.
Max and Kevin, to become Mighty & Freak, became friends over the book & reading of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
This is a heartwarming book with a bit of the coming of age. It is happy and yet sad at the same time. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The ending will grab you by your heartstrings. It did mine.

>73 rainpebble:, I'm not sure it was his original idea. There were various books of knowledge already assembled, but only by subject matter: anthropology, mathematics, etc. I believe it was his idea to assemble all those books of knowledge together in an Encyclopedie (French spelling?) . It's been 20 years since I did the research, but I'm pretty sure that's how it went! He was only partially successful, I believe, because it was at the time of the French Revolution.

>71 rainpebble: you always make them sound so enticing!

>75 Tess_W:
Thank you for the info Tess. That makes more sense to me. :-)

>76 avanders:
Thank you Ava. That is so sweet of you to say. :-)

26. The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy; {acquired prior to LT}; (4 1/2*)

This is the eleventh novel by Thomas Hardy. He takes us to an obscure village in his mythical Wessex. The novel portrays the beautiful Grace Melbury, a lovely young lady spoiled and well educated by her parents, eager for glamour and disdainful of the boredom of woodland folk. Grace is courted by Giles Winterbourne, a local woodsman, but casts him aside to wed Dr. Edred Fitzpiers, the local doctor. The marriage turns out poorly for Grace as the doctor is a womanizer and quite ignores his wife.
Fitzpiers flees to the Continent while Grace seeks reconciliation with Winterborne. The couple hope to wed under a newly passed Parliamentary law dealing with the right of women to obtain a divorce.
However it all goes wrong. Accidents occur as chance and fortune always play a part in the Hardy world. The novel does end happily which is a rarity for Hardy.
Hardy knew the English countryside as it moved from spring to winter and describes it so beautifully that we come to know it as well. His description of nature is beautifully written. He also knew the south of England as it was moving from the rural nineteenth century to the modern world of the coming twentieth century.
This novel is one of the lesser known Hardy novels but it is well worth your time and attention. The story is well told with many interesting and exciting plot developments which will hold the attention of the reader.
I highly recommend it.

27. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende; {acquired prior to LT}; (4*)

The House of Spirits is quite an odd novel covering four generations of the same family. (The character of Clara is so very fascinating.)
Yet although there are things that require a stretch of the imagination there are very real aspects in it such as the revolution and the conflicts that the characters experience. A reader will truly get what they want out of it. One may read it strictly superficially in order to follow the plot which is capitivating. Another may choose to be open minded enough to notice that it is rich with symbolic detail. Or the reader may perhaps gather it all in. I highly recommend it. Allende always comes off good.

AUGUST ROOTS:
28. Queen Margot by Alexandre Dumas; {acquired prior to LT}; (4 1/2*)
29. The Making of a Marchioness (a Persephone) by Frances Hodgson Burnett; {acquired 3/26/2010}; (3 1/2)
30. Mary Lavelle by Kate O'Brien; VMC; {acquired 8/05/2009}; (4*)
31. The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector; {acquired 11/16/2009}; (4*)
32. Passing by Nella Larsen; {acquired 8/28/2009}; (4*)
33. The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan; Orange L/L, 2011; {acquired 8/16/2011}; (1*)
34. Northern Borders by Howard Frank Mosher; {from prior to LT}; (5*)
35. The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4 1/2*)
36. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume; {acquired wayyy before LT}; (3 1/2*)
37. Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices by Mosab Hassan Yousef; {acquired in 2011}; (4*)
38. The Lady Vanishes by Ethel Lina White; {acquired prior to LT}; (4*)
39. The Dying Animal by Philip Roth; {acquired in 2002}; (5*)
40. If I Stay by Gayle Forman; Y/A; {acquired 07/2010}; (4*)
(read in June but forgot to post here)
41. Evening by Susan Minot; {acquired prior to L/T}; (5*)
42. Labor Day by Joyce Maynard; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4*)
43. Serena by Ron Rash; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4 1/2*)
44. Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones; {acquired 2008}; (4 1/2*)
45. Tell No One by Harlan Coben; {acquired 2009}; (3 1/2*)
46. Simon and the Oaks by Marianne Fredriksson; {acquired 2001};
47. Shadow Dancer by Tom Bradby; {acquired 2000}; (3 1/2*)
48. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides; {acquired 2010}; (5*)
49. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston; VMC, {acquired 10/12/2007}; (5*)
50. Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult; {acquired 9/22/2008}; (2*)

>79 rainpebble: Have you read Allende's Paula? It is the true story of her looking after her daughter when she was dying from porphyria - it's absolutely beautiful.

>76 avanders: >77 rainpebble: >78 rainpebble: see?! ;) Man. I "gotta" go and read some Thomas Hardy!
>79 rainpebble: on the shelves! And perhaps needs to be addressed sooner... :)

Also, have you read Ripper by Allende? It's such a different genre (from what I've read), and I was curious if it held up... :)

Oh and to say so on your page
CONGRATULATIONS on meeting your ROOT goal!!

Congrats, RP!

Thank you! Love that graphic!~!

>81 Jackie_K: & >82 avanders:
No, I have not yet read Paula nor Ripper. Perhaps this winter I will see if my library has either. Thank you for the recs.

28. Queen Margot by Alexandre Dumas; ROOT, {acquired prior to LT}; (4 1/2*)

This book is filled with intrigue, conspiracies, treachery, violence and even a bit of romance. I found it to be exhilarating, gripping, suspenseful and quite a page turner. It is an amazing piece of literature but then I find everything by Dumas to be more than wonderful.
It is based on history, two years of the history of France from 1572 to 1574. Events seem to come to life under the hand of this author.
At the forefront of the story itself is Queen Margot of France and her new husband King Henry of Navarre. She is the sister of the King of France, Charles IX. We begin with their wedding at a time when there is a "truce" between the Catholic French and the Protestant Navarre. The truce is false and within days of the wedding thousands of Protestants have been brutally killed in the streets of Paris which sets off the two years of deceit and treachery that Dumas details so thrillingly.
Because it has been an arranged marriage there is no love between the Catholic Queen and her Protestant King but the two of them form an alliance to protect one another.
My favorite (though she was quite despicible) character was the Queen Mother, Catherine de Medicis, who wants King Henry dead
This is a novel rich in the telling.

I had cut my goal in half because I was reading too many library books but in our totals it remains at the original number of 50. So I will just buckle down for the second half of the year & play catch up. Sitting at 29 currently, I should be able to make it.

So I guess I have not met my goal. Ahhh, such is life.

At least you have past the half way point!

>28 rainpebble: Looks like a fantastic book! I was unaware that Dumas had written this book! A BB I can't dodge!

>86 rainpebble: Ooh, French history and Dumas! I'll have to check that one out!

>86 rainpebble: Sounds great! BB :) (and me too re >89 Tess_W:!)

>87 rainpebble: We support you either way! 29/50 and 5 months to go? You're in a great spot!

Ohhhhhh, visitors; I love it and I loved all of your remarks. Thank you so much for stopping by.

30. Mary Lavelle by Kate O'Brien; (4*); AV/AA; ROOT

I quite loved this book and all of the emotional changes that the main character went through. The colorful people that she interacted with, including her lesbian friend, made it interesting. I also liked the wonderfully descriptive phrasing that O'Brien used. Her love of Spain comes through in her works so clearly.
The story is about an Irish girl who comes to Spain for a governess/nanny job with a family of 3 girls. Their older brother fills in the romantic story and the political atmosphere is rife with tension.
I found it a great read and I think any romantic or O'Brien fan will enjoy this book.

31. The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector; (4*)
Translation by Giovanni Pontiero

In The Hour of the Star, Lispector speaks through an affluent, sophisticated but angry narrator to tell the story of Macabéa, a poor, undernourished, unattractive, inexperienced nineteen year old girl from Northeast Brazil who struggles to survive in the slums of Rio de Janeiro.
Lispector's final and best known work brings together all of the philosophical themes that she considered over her writing career. The nature of truth, the meaning of existence, the power of language, the finality of death and the role of spirituality.
The real story of this poor and starving girl, desperate for love and attention, is actually the real story of millions of others just like her in the world. You don't need a degree to understand The Hour of the Star. All you need is a heart.
The narrator is paralyzed by wondering not just who he is but who Macabéa is. She is a nineteen year old girl struggling to survive in the slums. She is poor, starving, ugly and alone but not unhappy. In fact she is full of a kind of inner grace that even the urbane and sophisticated narrator can't achieve. As he watches her go about her short and tragic life he can't help but wonder what is the point? But as she has never had anything, it literally has never occurred to her to question why life has to be the way it is. She's too poor and hungry to think about anything beyond the next meal and the next day.

"(There are those who have. And there are those who have not. It's very simple: the girl had not. Hand't what? Simply this: she had not. If you get my meaning that's fine. If you don't, it's still fine. But why am I bothering about this girl when what I really want is wheat that turns ripe and golden in summer?)"
~a quote from the narrator: Rodrigo

This is an excellent little book. One very worthy of the reader's time and attention.

I need to quit stopping by your thread, I keep adding books to my wish list!

>94 rainpebble: that does sound really good. Must.Resist.More.Books.

Ladies, you are making me laugh! :-)
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29. The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett; (3 1/2*)

Frances Hodgson Burnett is one of my favorite children & Y/A authors. I love The Secret Garden, Little Lord Fauntleroy and The Little Princess is my ultimate favorite book for the young, bar none! So I was a little surprised to find that I did not actually love this book though I liked it a great deal.
I found it to be a beautiful period-piece love story. The main character is a strong woman.....for her life and times. She overcomes hardships in her early years and treachery later for the love of her life.
I do think that I will want to read it more than this once in order to appreciate all of the little nuances. (And I may appreciate it more on a reread.) In what seems to be a world of misery and chaos this mid-century novel provides a safe place to hide for a while.
I does have one weird moment but I don't want to spoil that for you. However in the end it all comes together.
I enjoyed the story with it's wee yet surprising twists & turns. I found it an interesting study of the times. It, IMHO, is not brilliantly written but it is a captivating read.

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I am late with this review so the next one should be my 32nd ROOT for the year.

32. Passing by Nella Larsen; {acquired 8/28/2009}; (4*)

I found this to be a beautifully drawn character study. It is the story of two girls who were childhood friends but lose touch with each other as they grow up. Both of them biracial, they end up settled in New York. One married to a man of color with 2 children, 1 light skinned and 1 dark skinned and the other married to a very prejudicial white skinned man with 1 light skinned child. This is a very fortunate turn of events for her as she has not informed her husband she is part black. She has been "passing" all this time.
The two ladies meet accidentally one day while having tea at a rooftop cafe. They reacquaint themselves with each other and begin to meet socially. As time goes on the one "passing" becomes more and more brave about her lifestyle and begins to yearn for the life of the Harlem Renaissance. She gets careless about where she goes and the company she keeps. What occurs next this is a shocking turn of events.
I found this book to be very intelligently and subtly written. It is sad that Nella Larsen didn't write more than she did for she was a brilliant writer. I highly recommend this book and I think it is one that will stay with me long past my reading of it. I rated it four stars and find it difficult to understand why Virago Press has not found to publish it unless it is simply that it is still being published.

33. The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan; Orange L/L, 2011; ROOT, {acquired 8/16/2011}; (1*)

I have tried to read this novel twice, however I can't seem to make it through. (rather like Moby Dick in that way for me)
I found the writing is just not good enough to carry the story/stories (?). I didn't like it and in the end I was unable to make myself care enough to read the darned thing.

>97 rainpebble: She's one of my favourite authors, too, and I don't think I've ever heard of this book before. The cover looks lovely. Which edition is it?

>99 rainpebble: oh no! We're reading that for book group next! Well, as I always say, good to go into a book w/ managed expectations :)

>100 MissWatson:
Dear MissWatson; the edition I read was the Persephone edition. I always know if I pick up a Persephone, it is going to be good but they are spendy.

>101 avanders:
Hi Ava. I am sorry I didn't enjoy this one more. I read it for my Orange of the month and just was terribly disappointed. But, hey! That is just me. I'm sure if you went to the book page you would find many who enjoyed the book. I do hope that you enjoy your read of it.

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34. Northern Borders by Howard Frank Mosher; {from prior to LT}; (5*)

I loved this work.

This particular author is an exquisite story teller. His words are worth a thousand pictures. The reality of growing up on a rustic farm in northern Vermont during the 40's & 50's is made charmingly clear. Life on the farm is rough, yet idyllic. Where work is its own reward is a simple truth & the path to an honest existence.
The characters are absolutely wonderfully drawn and I do mean drawn. The reader can actually see the characters in the mind's eye.
I was sorry to when this one ended. I look forward to reading more of Howard Frank Mosher.
Highly recommended.

35. The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4 1/2*)

This book is the amazing and tragic personal account of a Polish Officer named Slavomir Rawicz. His story begins when he was a young cavalry officer in the Polish army.
He grew up near the Polish border. He was also fluent in Russian. When the Germans invaded Russia they became very suspicious of any non-Russian citizen that lived in Russia or spoke the language. They began to hunt for potential spies and traitors. The fact that Slav was fluent in Russian and that he was a Polish Officer made him an obvious target for the Soviet Secret Police.
He was taken for interrogation and held for several months. During that time he was forced to endure long torture sessions as well as starvation and sleep deprivation in an effort to get him to admit he was a spy. Through this he was sent to more than one interrogation facility and eventually convicted and sentenced to 25 years in a Russian labor camp in Siberia.
The trip there was long and very difficult. The prisoners traveled by train and by foot. Many of them died from starvation, cruel treatment and exposure. It was in the Siberian camp, months later, that he and six of his fellow prisoners hatched an escape plan.
Here is where the adventure begins. Their journey to freedom started in the Siberian winter. It continued on foot for nearly eighteen months over two thousand miles through some of the worst terrain and conditions on the planet. They stole farm animals and killed wild game for food. They made shelters for coverage from the elements. They also relied on the kind people they happened across. They moved through the farmlands and the outskirts of the small villages of southern Russia where they traveled at night for their safety. Their journey took them through the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and China, where they pushed through intense heat, starvation, and dehydration. They journeyed over the Himalayan Mountains of Tibet and Nepal, enduring bitter temperatures and biting winds. They overcame oxygen deprivation.
Here they met helpful locals and finally entered India where they met the British army who took them in and deloused and fed them. Not all of them made it to the safety of British held India but all of them tried.
The story the author tells is both joyful and heartbreaking. It speaks of man's triumphant spirit. It is told in great detail and with great insight by the man who endured it himself.
Supposedly it is true though there are those who say: Nay, it is an impossibility for it to be true. Whichever.........it is a great book and one that is very difficult to put down.

>102 rainpebble: Yeah it happens... and people do have all kinds of tastes, so who knows! E.g., My friend recommended a book to me... she gave it 4 stars and it sounded just great... But then when I finally got to it, I gave it 1 star and couldn't finish it! We'll see how it happens w/ the Goon Squad.. in any event, as I say, managed expectations are always helpful! ;)

Northern Borders sounds like a lovely book!

>103 rainpebble: Sounds like a very interesting read! I'm especially found of Polish history so I'm afraid this is a BB that I can't not dodge!

>102 rainpebble: Thanks for that information! I've looked at the Persephone books several times now, they are lovely, but like you said, not exactly cheap. But very enticing...

>103 rainpebble: I recently watched the movie based on the book and was very surprised to find it was a real-life story. Sounds like a great book!

>106 MissWatson:
Dear MissWatson; I limit myself to purchasing only 3 Persephone per year due to the cost & the shipping from U.K. However I do go through their catalog and write down titles I want. Then I check used bookshops & Amazon Kindle to see if I can get them on the cheap. Oftentimes I am pleasantly surprised.

>105 Tess_W:
Tess, I hope you like it as much as I did. Which was a lot!
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36. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume; {acquired wayyy before LT}; (3 1/2*)

Our fifteen year old protagonist has just lost her father in a robbery. He was shot and killed during the hold up. Davey feels so alone in her loss for her brother is young enough to forget most of the time and her mother has sunk into a deep depression and cannot cope.
The story is about how Davey does cope and recover from the loss of her father. Her family travels out to New Mexico to spend some time with an aunt and uncle, that they barely, while the mother recovers enough to care for Davey and her little brother.
While there, Davey goes out into the cliff area near her aunt's home and out there she meets Wolf, a young Indian man who helps her make sense of her grief. As she comes to understand that her father would not want her to spend the remainder of her life dwelling on his death but would want her to grow up to live a healthy, wholesome and happy life she slowly begins to recover from this horrific loss.
I found the book to be a good and a quick read. And seriously, who doesn't enjoy a Judy Blume book?

>107 rainpebble: How admirable to limit yourself to 3! And yes, of course, used books are an option. Thanks for the reminder.

>108 MissWatson:
One can always find the Persephone titles published less expensively by other presses as well. :-)

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37. Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices by Mosab Hassan Yousef; {acquired in 2011}; (4*)

The mid-eastern conflict has always interested me. I am a Christian and do not totally agree with either side in terms of tactics and a means to peace. I don't believe that there will ever be a peace in this part of the world. I do not believe there was/is ever meant to be peace here.
Mosab Hassan Yousef learned the futility of the every day drama of life and death. Instead of sacrificing his life on the alter of Palestine or Israel he chose to lose his prominent place in this struggle and to eventually find his place in Jesus.
His testimony reads sincere and the circumstances are hair raising. The conclusion is a peace such as the world does not give.
I found this bio/memoir to be well written, easily understood and hard to put down. I read it in two sittings. After reading and dwelling on this book, I find that I believe the writer to be a very brave man indeed. Not just in what he lived but especially in the aftermath of it all. He gave up a lot.

>109 rainpebble: sounds very interesting & intense! Hopefully something from which we can learn at least something....

38. The Lady Vanishes by Ethel Lina White; {acquired prior to LT}; (4*)

Originally published as The Wheel Spins, The Lady Vanishes was published in 1936.
The story is about a young British tourist on a crowded train. She alone, among the many passengers notices the disappearance of a passenger. She is confronted by persons who, for reasons made very understandable by the author, either ignore her expressions of alarm or don't believe her. It's like the people standing on the sidelines watching something horrible occurring and don't want to get involved.
This story appears to be written as Britain was preparing itself for WWII, which actually began 3 years after this was published.
I quite enjoyed this English mystery. I liked the plot and the characterizations. Recommended reading.

39. The Dying Animal by Philip Roth; {acquired in 2002}; (5*)

The protagonist, David Kepesh's fascination and obsession with Consuela's body, especially her breasts, and his pathetic desire for her when she wasn't with him was a bit unnerving. How long can one really live with a particular obsession? Well, apparently forever. Her body caused him torment and anguish. As for her, their 'meetings became the standard by which she measured other sexual encounters Perhaps being madly desired is a very strong aphrodisiac.
What I found most refreshing is that Roth isn't censored and so some of the scenes and lines actually made me laugh. I suppose that is one of the reasons I so enjoyed reading this novella. He really has a knack for showing the reader the inner workings of the human psyche, things most people like to hide.
I was fascinated by this work.

40. If I Stay by Gayle Forman; Y/A; {acquired 07/2010}; (4*)

If I Stay is a perfect example of how a book can take over the reader's life. Once I picked it up I was hooked and read it in just a few hours. It was all I thought about for days.
Mia, our protagonist, and her family are in a terrible car accident and as Mia lays comatose trying to balance between life and death she remembers important snapshots of her life. It is through these vignettes that the reader comes to understand who she is and what is important to her. The book is skillfully balanced so it does not become one giant depressing weeping read. Adam, Mia's boyfriend, compliments her perfectly. His guitar and rock band swag factor compliments her cello and classical demeanor. Their relationship grows slowly and tenderly. You can't help but fall in love with them...and their story will own you.

Looks like you found some great reads!! Have you seen the movie, if I stay?

>114 avanders:
No, I didn't realize that there was a movie of it. Is it as good as the book was? If so I shall have to look for it.

>115 rainpebble: no idea! I was curious if the book and the movie tracked one another closely and if one was better than the other.. I've neither read the book nor seen the movie, but perhaps I'll have to do both!

41. Evening by Susan Minot; {acquired prior to L/T}; (5*)

I enjoyed and appreciated this novel.
It is about a woman suffering a lingering death and her transitioning out of this life. We share her thought processes as she goes through the dying stages. With her mind altering moments she wanders back to her youth and to happy times. Her focus is mainly on a young man whom she met at her best friend's wedding. They were drawn to one another by a mutual attraction and passion. But first loves rarely, if ever, last and this one is no exception. They are torn from each other but he has never left her mind nor her heart though the years have moved her through a life which many would see as fulfilling.
I had a hard time putting Evening down. I was intrigued by this deep love that never amounted to anything and yet was her most treasured memory. It was both sad and nostalgic. One never loses true love. It's always there buried in our memory, to be taken out when one needs it most as Ann does when she is dying.

42. Labor Day by Joyce Maynard; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4*)

I found Labor Day to be a very well written book. It illustrated the danger of writing people off because of past mistakes or because they have been put into a particular box. I thought the author did a great job of presenting this complex situation through the eyes of a youthful boy named Henry. Henry has both love for his mother and misgivings about the situation in which they find themselves. These emotions tend to color his response to this unknown man's entrance into their lives.
It is a heart rendering story about family dynamics. A boy's coming of age, a mother's depression, a stepfamily and a convict. They are all thrown together, making for a touching read. I was captivated from the start.

43. Serena by Ron Rash; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4 1/2*)

Rash has beautifully written a wonderfully compelling tale of greed, murder and destruction. Set in a 1920s Smoky Mountain logging camp during the Great Depression, he tells the story of ruthless lumber baron, George Pemberton and his brutally ambitious bride, Serena. The book opens as the newlyweds arrive at the Waynesville, North Carolina train station. They are met by Pemberton's pregnant former lover and her vengeful father. Their encounter ends violently, with Serena providing a glimpse of her violent and cruel nature.
Greedy for more land and wealth they will do anything, including murder, to expand their vast lumber empire. Aggressively competing for the land is the U.S. government, eager to preserve it as a national park.
As the story unfolds Serena grows even more vicious, encouraging her husband on to violent actions. Rash has brilliantly woven and co-mingled real life historical figures and events with his intriguing fictional characters. His beautiful writing brings this spellbinding story to life. I was truly captivated by the vivid descriptions of the land, the era and the overall feeling of the times. Interesting Appalachian folklore and insights into the local culture enhanced the storyline. The hardships and dangers of a logging camp and its brutal impact on the environment are explicitly described. I found the complex debate over land use to be very thought provoking.
(this is still being debated in my corner of the world; the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.)
I loved this shocking but engrossing slice of life, a gripping story of timber barons who will stop at nothing to gain more land and wealth. I was mesmerized by both the story and the quality of writing. A most excellent story of greed, corruption, murder and mayhem.
It will be a long while before I stop thinking about Serena.

44. Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones; {acquired 2008}; (5*)

Amazing!
What a beautifully written coming of age story Jones has given us. A lovely, poetic gift from his mind and hand.
The story takes place on a lush tropical Pacific Isle.
The protagonist, Matilda, is the daughter of a native Christian woman and her father has gone to work on the mainland. For a while Matilda believed her mother when she said they would soon follow him but she came to realize that they were never going to leave the island.
Most of the men from the village have gone but there remain many women and children. One of the men, Mr. Watts, who does remain is the only white man in the village. With the teacher gone Mr. Watts decides to take over the teaching of the children. And he decides to begin with his favorite piece of literature: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. He and Matilda quickly come to share a love of this work and the character, Pip, becomes a great part of this story.
Beautifully written, both lyrically and visually, this book took my breath away. Even the horror of a warring army invading this village numerous times and committing atrocities was unable to take my mind off the beauty of this book.
Highly recommended.

45. Tell No One by Harlan Coben; {acquired 2009}; (3 1/2*)

Dr. David Beck and his wife Elizabeth have a tradition that they have observed since their childhood days. Each year on the anniversary of carving their initials into a tree they return to the tree. During one of these trips as a married couple when they go back to the wooded lake, Beck is beaten up and Elizabeth vanishes.
Eight years pass. Elizabeth's body has been found, her murderer has been jailed, and Beck has tried to get on with his life. However he just can't seem to get past the events of that night. Making it all the more difficult, Beck begins to get emails from an anonymous sender who seems to know things that only Elizabeth could know. As he begins to attempt to locate her he finds out that the police have uncovered evidence that Beck might have had something to do with Elizabeth's death. And they are not the only ones who are coming after him. But he finds ways to keep searching.
This is the first Coben novel that I have read and I enjoyed it. It grabbed my attention from the beginning and held on right through to the end. The book kept me guessing and I never really got a handle on solving the mystery of the dead/missing wife nor the killer. This is a suspenseful thriller that kept me on my toes.

>120 rainpebble: absolutely agree with you about Mr Pip, it's a wonderful book!

>45 Tess_W: I've read Six Years by Harlan Coben and I enjoyed it.

>119 rainpebble: oooooooh. I have it on the shelves. :) I ask again (I mean, because I always seem to ask about the movie of books you've read ;)).... have you seen the movie? I really want to, but am waiting to read the book first!!


>120 rainpebble: wow, quite the recommendation! trying to resist BB....

>124 avanders:
And again here is another that I did not know had been made into a movie. BUT I would love to see it because with the book being so good I think I would appreciate seeing it on the screen. Thanks for the tip. You must be a movie buff. I will admit that I don't see many.
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46. Simon & The Oaks by Marianne Fredriksson; {acquired 2001}; (4*)

This book, set in Sweden, provides an interesting perspective on familial relationships. With World War II and it's horrors as a backdrop the author has created and grown some really wonderful characters that I hated to let go of at the end of the story.
Much of the book is based on the individual character's thought processes as they assimilate things that are occurring in their lives.
This book contains truth within it's story along with some magic realism and it left this reader sharing the melancholy of the characters. It read like sheer poetry.

47. Shadow Dancer by Tom Bradby; {acquired 2000}; (3 1/2*)

Set in Ireland and based on the IRA, this story follows the relationship between a informant and her handler. She and her family are members of the IRA with one of her brothers being fairly high up in the organization. She is caught attempting to bomb a London train and is given the option of imprisonment or coming over to the other side as an informant.
The author goes into detail regarding the intricacies of her attempt to be both. I must say that I was better able to identify with her handler than with her and that his life was no picnic either.
A good, gripping novel.

48. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides; {acquired 2010}; (5*)

This is, I think, a rather unique story. We never really understand the main characters but we do get to know the minor characters quite well. We do not see growth in the characters within the covers of this book but somehow it all feels right. It seems on the surface to be a simple story, however it is anything but. It is artistic without losing any of its entertainment value.
Eugenides gives us a story with many layers filled with strong undercurrents and quiet symbolism. The book is about the sad fate of the Libson girls but on the other hand the author uses the girls merely as a focal point for themes (often using strong symbolism and light subtext) about the place of religion, the nature of humans, and perhaps even the meaning of life within the book.
There is deep significance in the recurring themes of religious icons and in the fate of the neighborhood's elm trees. The Virgin Suicides is full of symbolism and metaphors but he manages to stay very readable. To have such heavy symbolism and not create a pretentious book is a very difficult balance but Eugenides pulls it off brilliantly. The writing is fluid and the prose beautiful. Eugenides turns the most mundane into the most haunting and beautiful prose and the book is filled with dark humor along with reality.
Though some may find it's ending somewhat unfulfilling but our libraries are full of books that can offer you character growth but few can offer such appealing prose and such powerful emotions and ideas as The Virgin Suicides offers.
Just read it!

49. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston; (5*)

Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God is a masterpiece. I began this book last evening and finished it this morning. I felt sad when I put it down realizing that this exquisitely gifted author had given us such a small amount of literature. And yet also, when I put it down I sat smiling with joy at the piece I had just read.
Their Eyes Were Watching God is basically a love story, but not. It is basically a coming of age story, but not. It is basically a story of black humanity after their liberation from slavery, but not. This book fits into no category that I know of. It is the story of a young black girl, Janie, growing up in free Western Florida and raised by her "Nanny"; her mother having run off shortly after her birth. She was the progeny of her mother and a schoolteacher who had raped her. Her grandmother raised her with a lot of love, devotion and protected her from all that she could.
When the girl came to her middle teens and became interested in the opposite sex, her grandmother arranged a marriage for her in the hopes of keeping her chaste. It was a loveless marriage to a much older man and as time went on he turned from treating her very well to expecting her to chop wood, plow and work right alongside him. When her grandmother died Janie ran off with another man who came through town and promised her the moon.
Joe Starks did indeed give Janie almost everything she could want; everything she could want but himself. He took her to a new town inhabited only by black people where he decided that they needed a mayor to run things, that they needed more property to build rental housing, that they needed a general store and a post office. And he proceeded to work his way into their hearts as he had done Janie's and he accomplished all that plus he built her a big beautiful home. As time went by she became less and less important to Joe Starks and he became more and more important to himself. Janie's heart began to turn and while she still loved him, she began to see him as he truly was.
Stark became ill and Janie nursed him until he realized that she felt contempt for him and he refused to allow her in his sick room. Others from the community came to nurse and feed him, but his illness continued to his death. He left Janie well off and she mourned for a time and then seemed content and turned all comers away. She had no interest in another man.
Then she met "Tea Cake" and the story from here on is almost pure joy. For me, this was what the book had been building up to all along, though I didn't realize it until I got here.
Hurston's words flow poetically from page to page. Her turn of a phrase is so beautiful that I found myself reading entire passages over and over again just to 'hear' the language and phrasing. Her metaphors are wonderfully fitting to the situation in the story and the book is full of them. The book is very easily read and I highly recommend it and any of her writings.

50. Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult; {acquired 9/22/2008}; (2*)

I was underwhelmed by this work. It is another story of a girl scorned by a man she is smitten with. So she yells: RAPE!~! It has been done many times in many ways over the years and much better than this. Don't waste your time. I want mine back, my time that is.
Usually Picoult is good for a middle of the road guilty pleasure read but when, in the middle of a book, one finds oneself making a mental grocery list, a packing for a trip list or trying to remember the last time one had sex.........I call it a waste of precious reading time.

Now I suppose you want me to tell you how I really feel about this one. lol

WOOT WOOT!~!

It is just bonus reads from here on out!

Hooray, well done on reaching the target, although it's a shame the clincher wasn't so good!

Congrats, Rain!

Thank you ladies.

Congratulations for reaching your goal!!

Congratulations, Belva! Enjoy the free reading!

glitter-graphics.com

glitter-graphics.com

SEPTEMBER ROOTS:
51. Anywhere but Here by Mona Simpson; {acquired prior to L/T}; (2 1/2*)
52. An Invisible Sign of My Own by Aimee Bender; {acquired prior to L/T}; Y/A; (3 1/2*)
53. The Wives of Bath by Susan Swan; {acquired 2000}; (4*)
54. Mystery Ride by Robert Boswell; {acquired prior to L/T}; (3*)
55. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique Bauby; {acquired 2000}; (4 1/2*)
56. The World Unseen by Shamim Sarif; {acquired 2012}; (4*)
57. As Cool As I Am by Pete Fromm; {acquired prior to L/T}; (2 1/2*)
58. Another Bullshit Night in Suck City: A Memoir
by Nick Flynn; {acquired prior to L//T}; (2 1/2*)
59. Up in the Air by Walter Kirn; {acquired prior to L/T}; (3 1/2*)
60. Human Capital by Stephen Amidon; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4*)

61. The Cairo Trilogy: (I will review the books of the trilogy when I have completed all 3 of them.)
book 1: Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz; {acquired prior to L/T}; (5*)

62. Insomnia by Robert Westbrook; {acquired prior to L/T}; (3*)
63. The Woman in the Fifth by Douglas Kennedy; {acquired 2011}; (2*)
64. The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martínez; {acquired prior to L/T}; (3 1/2*)
65. A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4*)
66. Diana's Story by Deric Longden; {acquired prior to L/T}; (5*)
67. John Thomas and Lady Jane by D. H. Lawrence; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4*)

51. Anywhere but Here by Mona Simpson; {acquired prior to L/T}; (2 1/2*)

The author divides the book in an unusual manner. Each section has a different character speaking about past and present experiences. There are chapters written by Anne, Adele, Lillian, and Carol.
Overall the book was a bit over the top which made it difficult to care about what was going on within the story.
The mother is a whack job whose teenage daughter has more sense than she does. Adele thinks her daughter is ready to be a star; which is what she wants for her while the daughter is an academic who wants an education so they move from Wisconsin to California. There they find life difficult but the mother is too dense to realize what is and is not important.
The mother is a pathetic creature wanting, wanting, wanting and all at the expense of her daughter, whether knowingly or not. I could not be sympathetic for her. The daughter is a very strong girl though she does not realize it and is continually picking up the pieces of their lives.
All in all I found this read to be just okay enough to complete it.

>125 rainpebble: lol it's funny... I love movies, but I see very very few of them (there's never any time :)). I just *want* to see a lot of them ;)

>127 rainpebble: good thoughts on that one! I read it so long ago.... nice to know it holds up! :)

>130 rainpebble: wooo hoooo! Congratulations!!


Enjoy the bonus reads!

>139 avanders:
Thank you Ava and I shall. :-)

52. An Invisible Sign of My Own by Aimee Bender; {acquired prior to L/T}; Y/A; (3 1/2*)

I enjoyed this story of Mona Grey, a 20 year old introvert whose mathematical mind totally rules her body. If she becomes anxious or nervous she knocks on wood and each knock represents to her a number or a series of numbers.
Mona and her father are both runners and one day while running together, her father collapses. He is diagnosed with an unspecific illness that affects his mind and body. When Mona becomes of age her mother tells her she needs to leave home, that she has to take care of her husband. It feels like abandonment. At first Mona is terribly withdrawn. If she finds herself physically attracted to a man she locks herself in the bathroom and eats soap until all she feels is sickness. But slowly, very slowly, and surely she begins to trust herself and to come out of her shell.
She finds herself employed at the local primary school teaching Mathematics to young students and is rewarded with their enthusiasm to learn. Through the school and classes Mona meets students and other adults and we are drawn into their lives.
Bender has created some very interesting characters. Some are well rounded and some are flat. With reading this book I found that I really like her writing.

53. The Wives of Bath by Susan Swan; {acquired 2000}; (4*)

A coming of age story about a girl who is sent to boarding school and all the quirky and weird things that go along with that. Meeting other girls who live a different and sometimes separate lifestyle can be difficult and off putting. Likewise there are times when a young girl can get sucked right in.
Parts of this book I loved but I found other parts a bit unsettling. It comes down to the power of the imagination and I think we all pull for that.

54. Mystery Ride by Robert Boswell; {acquired prior to L/T}; (3*)

This is the story of a failed marriage which produced a daughter who becomes a teenager filled with angst.
The father remains on his farm in Iowa where he struggles with the business and has many regrets. The mother moves with the daughter to California where she begins a new life. She also has regrets. Dulcie, the daughter, is totally messed up and becomes her own worst enemy. Her mother and father think that some time out of the city and on on her father's farm, in the boonies of Iowa, might help her. But Dulcie always seems to make or find any trouble that is to be had.
I liked the characters and found them to be well written. This is a good story about people, average people who go through troubled times. It's a good read.

55. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique Bauby; {acquired 2000}; (4 1/2*)

This is a wonderful memoir. Life is unpredictable. We all take it for granted at times. What this small book shows us is the we can all find meaning even in the most unimaginable situations.
This author's courage was amazing, as was his unrelenting spirit and sense of humor.
This is the story of a man trapped inside his body because of a stroke. And yet the life, fun, mischief and spirit that he displayed are truly humbling. It's also funny, lively, and above all true. The author, who died shortly after the book was published, dictated the book one letter at a time. But it reads beautifully and stays with you long afterwards. Whatever your issues; work, life, religion, money, perhaps even health, this will remind you about what it is to be alive at all.
Excellent.

>144 rainpebble: I agree, it is a wonderful book. I must reread it sometime.

56. The World Unseen by Shamim Sarif; {acquired 2012}; (4*)

Set during the beginning of apartheid in South Africa, The World Unseen is the story of two very different women.
Amina is an unconventional, rebellious young lesbian Indian woman who has set herself apart from the Indian community in Pretoria. She lives her life the way she wants to. She has set up a cafe with a black male friend.
Miriam is a quiet & traditional young Indian mother. She is hardworking and is trapped in an arranged & loveless marriage with a cold, abusive man. When these two women their lives forever change.
But the book is less about their relationship and more about the time & space they inhabit. It explores the changing social mores, the Indian community, the pervasive social issues, misogyny, racism and complexities of people trying to survive.
I fell into the quiet, evocative yet matter of fact language. I liked the character growth and was easily able to empathize with them. However I would have liked to see their story end not quite so abruptly and for the book to have found more completion in the lives of Amina and Miriam.
I did find it to be a very good read.

57. As Cool As I Am by Pete Fromm; {acquired prior to L/T}; (2 1/2*)

At first I thought I would really like this coming of age book. I usually quite enjoy them.
The story teller, a girl who goes from 14 to 16 throughout the course of the novel, seemed at first to be quite a realistically drawn character. The mother was definitely blonde. The Father who is briefly in but mainly out of the story line and the boys the girl becomes involved with, other than Kenny, never really fit the groove.
In the end this book felt very shallow to me and did nothing for me. But it WAS a quick read.

58. Another Bullshit Night in Suck City: A Memoir
by Nick Flynn; {acquired prior to L//T}; (2 1/2*)

I had trouble just getting past the title with this book. But I managed to read what in the end was actually not a horrible memoir. Told in the most unflowery of ways, each chapter seemed to be different in its style of writing. So I felt as if I was constantly adjusting to that, which would pull me out of the book for a bit. This one never got past the feeling of being disjointed for me.
As the memoir begins it appears that it is going to touch on serious issues with the author and the personal relationship, or the lack thereof, with his father. It does succeed in that but in a rather boring narrative sort of way.
I think this would have read much better & been better received had Flynn written a novel based on this part of his life rather than writing it as a memoir. The subject matter, alcoholism & homelessness, are both very important issues. But this was a rather boring read for me.

59. Up in the Air by Walter Kirn; {acquired prior to L/T}; (3 1/2*)

This is a fun book about traveling. At least it starts that way. If you fly on commercial airlines a lot you'll love the main character's flying habits. The book has some laughs. But it seems to wander. The main character is quite a character. I'm not sure, however, what the book is actually telling the reader. Perhaps I am not flight nor corporate America savy enough for this one.
I did find it to be funny and yet sad at the same time. Businessmen who spend so much time in the air only have time for fleeting relationships but business is everything to them. It's an interesting look at the behind the scenes living in airports and cities that business persons fly into.
For our protagonist the airports and airplanes feel more like home than his sterile home. He finds life on the ground chaotic and steers away from personal relationships.
Officially Ryan Bingham, the philosophizing antihero of Kirn's witty and deftly written satire, resides in Denver. There he works as a career transition counselor. In layman's words he fires people for a business management company. But like I said his true residency is the first class cabin of an airplane and the hotel suites and chain restaurants. This is where he is most at home. His hometown newspapers are USA Today and The Wall Street Journal. The climate is always temperate and the currency is frequent flier miles. Bingham's free thoughts usually focus on his ambition of reaching the magical million mile number.
It is an interesting but not fascinating read.

60. Human Capital by Stephen Amidon; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4*)

This novel is set in a Connecticut suburb during the 1990s economy and centers around three families whose lives become closely entangled. Drew Hagel runs a failing real estate business which he inherited from his father and daily he struggles to have enough for the lifestyle he wants. His daughter is dating Jamie, the son of Quint Manning, a wealthy man who runs an investment hedge fun. Drew uses this connection to insert himself into the Manning circle and then mortgages everything he has to buy into Quint's fund. Unknown to him the hedge fund is in trouble. He stands to lose everything.
His daughter moves on to a new boyfriend, Ian. Ian is a troubled young man but the two of them click. One evening Hagel's daughter gets a call from Jamie, her ex. He is drunk and needs someone to drive him home. She calls Ian to go with her and while she drives Jamie home, Ian drives Jamie's car home. There is an accident on the way and all of their lives begin to come apart.
Amidon's novel explores territory covered many times before but his detail of these lives and the voices of his characters resonate in our heads throughout the book and well afterward.
I really liked this book and thought it well written

Wow you are reading a lot of bonus reads! :)

>148 rainpebble: huh. Catchy title... but knowing that it's a memoir about really hard things... Idk, without having read it, I can see that a novel might have done better.. otherwise I think it risks coming off as ... self-indulgent? Esp. w/ hard topics like that -- so many people have difficult lives.. how can you present yours? I'm just rambling. ;)

All ramblers welcome, Ava!
___________________________________________



61. White Bird in a Blizzard by Laura Kasischke; ROOT, {acquired prior to L/T}; (2*)

I kept hoping that my initial assumption was incorrect and that there would be a huge twist. But it simply did not happen. This is one of those books where the reader knows the end from the beginning.
Reading this book was like watching an episode of Law and Order. The characters are rather flat. I think it could have been much better.

>152 rainpebble: tee hee thanks ;)

oooh bummer... waiting for a twist that never comes!

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, clever girl, you!

61. Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz; (The Cairo Trilogy (1)); {acquired prior to L/T}; (5*)

(Will review when I have completed the trilogy)

62. Insomnia by Robert Westbrook; ROOT, {acquired prior to L/T}; (3*)

Will Dormer, (don't you love that surname Dormer?), a Los Angeles detective is under investigation by Internal Affairs. But nevertheless he and his partner, Hap, have been transferred to the wilds of Alaska to a small village where a teenage girl has been murdered. The local P.D. needs help solving the case and while most of the P.D. has their nose out of joint at the beginning of the joint investigation, rookie detective Ellie Burr is thrilled to be working with the indomitable Detective Dormer.
I.A.D. for the L.A. precinct has been interviewing Dormer's partner regarding Dormer, who has planted evidence before in a child torture & murder case where the perpetrator was going to get off. Internal Affairs suspect that Dormer is a rogue cop turned vigilante and want to make a deal with Hap to expose him. Hap tells Dormer that he has to take the deal. So now Dormer really has a lot on his mind.
He suddenly begins to get phone calls from the man who murdered the young girl. Dormer is able to put a fix on him and locate him. Turns out he is an author of B rated police procedurals and our victim was carrying one of his books in her back pack. More of them are found in her room along with some items they suspect were expensive gifts from an older man.
The police set a trap for the man using the bag as bait and sit in wait. As you know Alaska is famous for it's pea soup foggy days and nights. The suspect shows but they lose him in the fog and with in all the confusion Dormer mistakes his partner, Hap, for the suspect and accidentally shoots him.
With Hap dead, there is now no one to expose Dormer to Internal Affairs. But he must deal with the girl's killer.
There is much more to tell but I will leave it to those of you who may wish to read this one to find out the remainder of the story.
This wasn't a great book and but it was good and it had me glued to my chair for a few hours. It is my understanding that it was written using a movie script as the base for the book. Now I must find the movie for it was definitely interesting enough for me to want to see the film. I believe that the film has the same name.

>156 rainpebble: interesting.... if you do watch the film, let us know how you liked it!

63. The Woman in the Fifth by Douglas Kennedy; {acquired 2011}; (2*)

I enjoyed this book mainly for its setting in Paris, France. Parts of it are well written and I liked the feelings of Paris that Kennedy brought to us. However I found a great many bits of the story somewhat skewed and far fetched.
I couldn't get a handle on the main character, Harry, who was down and out so he moved to Paris to 'find' a life. Much of the story line takes place in the seedy parts of Paris and I reached a point where I just got tired of his stupidity. I couldn't identify with him at all and I would not have even finished the book had I not been so curious to see how it ended, which was just weird and implausible.
Two stars & I don't recommend it.

64. The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martínez; (3 1/2*)

This is a thriller about a series of murders in early 1990s Oxford. What makes it unique is its narration by an Argentine graduate student, modeled on the author, who was a Buenos Aires mathematics professor.
The story and its characters are great and I quite enjoyed this mystery for several reasons. I liked that it hit on a more intellectual note than one typically finds in murder mysteries without coming across as pretentious. I liked that the author kept the theories accessible to the reader without dumbing things down. I liked that the plot made this reader work to keep up with all the academics that the author wrote into the story.
But I think that most of all I liked the twists & turns. It seemed obvious from the first page but Martinez played this reader the same way he played the characters of his novel. He kept my mind working so hard that I kept confusing myself, but in a fun way. Nothing is really what it seems in this story and all the reader can do is hang for for the ride!

Read it. I think you will enjoy it.

>159 rainpebble: well, ok! ;) ("Read it.")

>160 avanders:

>161 rainpebble: lol perfect ;)

65. A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood; {acquired prior to L/t}; (4*)

A Single Man is the recounting of one day in the life of George, a professor, from the moment he wakes up to when he goes back to bed.
Isherwood's prose is beautiful and he writes with the ability of one who sees humanity in and with all of it's blights and imperfections.
This day in the life of George, who is grieving the unexpected and untimely loss of his life partner Jim, proves itself to be mundane and yet moving at the same time. There is a sense of melancholy and loss that pervades this work from George's awakening in the morning through dressing for work. The reader gets the impression of a soul clothed in a body, clothed in a suit, clothed in persona designed to function in a world in which he does not quite fit and does not quite feel accepted. (I found this part of the book to be very relatable to any reader who feels parts of their lives to be rejected or to be a nonentity of society.)
George's only recourse to his bereavement is to keep on going as he always has and find a safety net in that routine. As such the book focuses on the mundane details of George's day to day life. It describes his walk to the university, lecturing the students, the small interactions he has with people. I think that is the strength of the book. The story is a very intimate portrayal of grief, loneliness and how these emotions can touch even the smallest of parts of one's life.
It's a stark narrative. George felt as if he could be my neighbor, my friend, my brother.
I found the book to be engaging, sensitive, and haunting; a very reasonable portrayal of the subject matter.

WOW, 15 books past target! Hurray!! Very good job, Belva!

66. Diana's Story by Deric Longden; ROOT, {acquired prior to L/T}; (5*)

A very touching memoir of a couple living through the wife's long & debilitating disease. I found it both funny & extremely heartrending.



67. John Thomas and Lady Jane by D. H. Lawrence; ROOT, {acquired prior to L/T}; (4*)

This is a novel the reader can become lost in. It is one of three versions of Lady Chatterley's Lover & this reader loved it. This second draft of the final version of the novel, I found to be even better than the one so well read. It's about two people from different worlds who fall in love & I thought it a lovely story, very sweet, simple & tender without a lot of sensationalism.

>164 connie53:
Thank you Connie. Anything to help the cause, you know.
________________________________________________________________________________________

I completed 17 ROOTS in September and I have begun my 68th ROOT of the year.

17 ROOTs in a month! Way to go!

>166 rainpebble: wow! congrats!

OCTOBER ROOTS:
68. Peyton Place by Grace Metalious; {acquired 4/2009}; (3 1/2*)
69. The Black Echo by Michael Connelly; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4*)
70. The Black Ice by Michael Connelly; {acquired prior to L/T}; (3 1/2*)

>169 rainpebble: I love that picture. Strange but beautiful.

Thank you Connie. I fell in love with it when I came across it.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



68. Peyton Place by Grace Metalious; {acquired 4/2009}; (3 1/2*)

Back in the mid-sixties I had to read this book at night under the covers & with a flash light. My Pop would not allow this smut to be read by his 13 year old daughter and yet when it made an appearance on television as a weekly series he was the first one to be glued to the set! ;-) Dear ole Dad.

I think we all know or know about the story of a small town with enough sex going on to literally write a book about. Metalious grows her characters with great care and attention. As an adult/senior I came back to revisit Peyton Place and was amazed at how really well written this book is. It is not just smut but a superbly written novel ahead of its time.

69. The Black Echo by Michael Connelly; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4*)

A mystery/police procedural with a distinctive 'noirish' twist to it. The first of the Harry Bosch series, I found it to be both enjoyable and frightening.
A body has been found in a reservoir pipe in Los Angeles (Harry's precinct area) and he recognizes the man as someone with whom he served in Nam. As Harry works the case he finds that he is not only fighting the clock to close the case but also fighting some of those within the internal 'blue line'.
Well done, Connelly. You have drawn me into your grasp.

70. The Black Ice by Michael Connelly; {acquired prior to L/T}; (3 1/2*)

This story is another well written tale. This one is about an investigation in Mexico against the drug lord who is making and distributing black ice, the newest drug craze in the U.S.
This novel reads like classic noir & the reader can feel the low reverberating tones of a lonely sax in the 'City of Angels'. I am really getting attached to this Bosch character and am thrilled that I found this series buried in a box of books that my brother gave me & I stored in our shop. I will have to purchase the more recent two when I come to them.

Good to search those boxes for books, Belva! I have one of his books too Slotakkoord. Never read it of course ;-)

I only managed 3 ROOTS in October. Just too much going on. We have packed up and moved to Arizona for 6 months but as we are settled in now November should go better.

Hurrah for November, Belva. There is always another month. (except for December of course)

Why not December Connie?

Why not December, Connie?

NOVEMBER ROOTS:
71. The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4 1/2*)
72. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory; {acquired 2009); (4*)
73. The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4*)
74. The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory; {acquired 2010}; (3 1/2*)
75. Trunk Music by Michael Connelly; {acquired 1997}; (4 1/2*)
76. A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons; {acquired 2007}; (4*)
77. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines; {acquired 2007}; (4 1/2*)
78. The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory; {acquired 2011}; (4*)

71. The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4 1/2*)

As I read Connelly's Harry Bosch novels in order they just keep getting better and better. In this novel we return to an incident referenced in the first two books; Harry Bosch's killing of Norman Church, a murderer known as 'The Dollmaker'. Bosch had violated police procedure by going to the Dollmaker's apartment alone and had shot the Dollmaker after incorrectly concluding that he was reaching for a gun. Nonetheless, the LAPD concluded that the Dollmaker had committed eleven brutal murders. Although makeup from nine of the victims was found in the Dollmaker's possession Bosch now finds himself a defendant in a federal court civil trial brought by the Dollmaker's wife. He is accused of having violated the Dollmaker's civil rights.
The description of this trial is fascinating. Mrs. Church is represented by a high profile attorney known for her legal skills and air of righteous indignation. Bosch is represented by a Deputy City Attorney. Nonetheless Bosch is hopeful that given the ample evidence against the Dollmaker the jury will find in his favor.
However just as the trial begins another body turns up, murdered the very same way as the other victims. Known as The Concrete Blonde, she was murdered after Bosch had killed the Dollmaker. Could Bosch possibly have killed the wrong man or is there a copycat killer out there? If that is the case can the police find him in time and will any of this affect the ongoing trial?
I enjoyed The Black Echo and thought The Black Ice to be an excellent read but The Concrete Blonde is the best of the bunch so far.
I'm seriously loving this BOSCH character!

>178 rainpebble:. Because after December the year is over and ROOT challenges will be completed or not! You can't read a 2015 ROOT in Januari!

Gotcha! I thought you meant we couldn't read our ROOTs in December. lol!~!


glitter-graphics.com

LOL, love that baby. Seeing it made me smile too!

>175 rainpebble: you moved and still read 3 roots? Sounds pretty great to me!
Arizona! From where again? I'm just a hop & a skip over in New Mexico :)

>179 rainpebble: I like that pic! :)

>184 avanders:
Ava, we didn't really move. We have just transplanted ourselves & our 2 dogs (our daughter is kitty sitting) for the winter. (mid-October through March) We live in the Pacific Northwest in a small community located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. We are right between Mt. St. Helens & Mt. Rainier. It is beautiful there year round because of all the rain we get.
We are finding it beautiful here in Earp/Parker, Az. as well............just a very different kind of beauty. My husband rides his 4 wheeler out into the desert every afternoon so as to be out there when dusk falls. He always comes back filled with awe at the beauty of the changing of the colors out there every evening. And his knees are much better down here. He loves this heat. Me, not so much but I am enjoying the area a great deal. I try to remain in during the heat of the day as I am sunstroke prone.
Our lab & shih tzu are ecstatic here but they do miss their 3 lot fenced yard. They must be leashed at all times here in the park.
So I will think of you often now that we are neighbors (?) for the winter. And we do plan to return next year. :-)

72. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory; {acquired 2009); (4*)

This is a wonderful historical account laced with fiction provided by the author. A story that is quite believable of the times of the Lancaster and York families in 1400s England.

This story of Elizabeth Woodville, who marries King Edward and becomes Queen of England is a most fascinating study of medieval England. The novel is scattered with moments of laughter, joy, terror, horror, revulsion and even/especially heart breaking sadness.

What a great way to be entertained and at the same time pick up a fairly accurate flow of the history of the day. Within this story the good guys are obvious. The bad guys are clearly bad. The action flows when it should and slows down at just the right moments.

A very nice way to learn of far ago times without actually reading a textbook. I would recommend this book for those interested in the history of the times.

I have read much on the Tudor lines but not the Lancaster/York lines so I quite enjoyed this book.

>185 rainpebble: oooh, nice! A lovely option :)
MMmmmm pacific northwest in the foothills of the mountains? Sounds idyllic!!
Yep I'd agree, the desert definitely has its own special kind of beauty :)

And yes, we're kind of neighbors... it's a bit colder here in ABQ bc we're 5000-6000 feet up (people tend not to realize, but we're about the same elevation as Denver :)), but still definitely nothing like the Pacific Northwest of your home (or the Midwest, where I'm from)!

73. The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly; {acquired prior to L/T}; (4*)

I just love the character of Harry Bosch! He is rough around the edges. He lives and works his job on the edge, giving it his all.
He is our damaged hero and yet we can identify with him and I always find myself cheering him on and wanting him to get the solve in every case he works. I love the 'noir' feeling that goes along with this series and also seeing the 'underbelly' of Bosch's city from his eye.
This book gives additional insights into why Harry behaves the way he does and why he is driven by a desire to see the bad guys get their just reward. The book is well written and has some surprising twists and turns which kept this reader involved until the very last page. As with the other books in the series I am always left wanting more.

74. The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory; {acquired 2010}; (3 1/2*)

It was my great pleasure to read this, the 2nd of the Cousin's War series. This one covers the life & times of the one day to be Queen Mother, Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry Tudor and heiress to the Lancaster line to the throne. She tells the tale in her own words, including her 3 loveless but profitable marriages, her plans and struggles to keep Henry in the lineage & moving up the line closer and closer to the throne of England.

She also talks of her religious ardor and dedication to God even though she, at times feels personally abandoned by God, she never loses faith that it is the will of God that her son one day inherit & sit on the throne of England.

Gregory's writing style makes it comfortable to follow the tale and follow the characters albeit there are a few pages that are a bit of a tedious go. However, it was all worth it to this reader and I enjoyed the novel. I am looking forward to going on with the series.

>189 rainpebble: I've been really curious about Philippa Gregory -- I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but she seems like someone I might enjoy... What's the first in the series?

Ava;
Regarding Philippa Gregory's The Cousins' War Series:
the chronological order of the series is:

1. The Lady of the Rivers
2. The White Queen
3. The Red Queen
4. The Kingmaker's Daughter
5. The White Princess and
6. The King's Curse

Sadly I began reading the series in the order of publication so I've not yet read The Lady of the Rivers which is about The White Queen's mother who I found to be a very interesting woman. I really like her character when I come across her in the other books.

I hope this helps and that if you decide to read them, you enjoy them.
belva
I hope this helps and that if you decide to read them, you enjoy them.
belva

75. Trunk Music by Michael Connelly; {acquired 1997}; (4 1/2*)

Another most excellent Bosch detective novel. The author has this character well developed & nailed down. I feel as if I understand a bit of what makes Bosch click by now and he is a well rounded character.
This particular story begins with a murder in one of the canyons off Mulholland Drive in Hollywood. Having the ups & downs, twists & turns, flack within the LAPD, as with Connelly's other novels always makes for a great read! And this one adds a nice twist with switching it up between Vegas & L.A.
Keep them coming Connelly. I am liking them.

76. A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons; {acquired 2007}; (4*)

This is a simple but beautifully drawn novel about the love within a marriage. It is the story of Jack & Ruby. They were both migrant workers & Jack fell for Ruby the first time he saw her. Ruby's life was not an easy one and Jack wanted to remove her burdens from her lovely shoulders.

As I read this story I thought often of my own parents & my husband's. Both couples worked their way West from Kansas & Missouri respectively, doing migratory, seasonal work all the way.

The story follows Jack & Ruby and his love for her throughout their marriage & her illness. The sweetness of this tender tale had me in tears more than once. I really cared about both of these characters and for a bit of time I lived their lives with them.

I highly recommend this book by Gibbons. You will be so glad you read it.

>191 rainpebble: thank you!! Now to put that somewhere where I can always find it....

77. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines; {acquired 2007}; (4 1/2*)

A Lesson Before Dying is set in a small town during the 1940s. It is the story of two black men; one wrongly accused of murder and the other convinced by family to share knowledge and pride with the accused during his last days before being executed. It is a wonderful story about the friendship created between two black men in a racially charged society.
Grant Wiggins has returned to his home town to teach children in a village school and while he is in the process of making his own life changing decision, his aunt & the convicted man's grandmother persuade him to visit Jefferson in jail. With all of his own problems in mind he visits and attempts to help Jefferson. During the story the author shows the many difficulties and problems that Grant faces as a black man and the author expresses this in the novel through Grant's thoughts.
The weekly visits give Grant a chance to share some knowledge with Jefferson but he is also reluctant to get involved in a situation he has no control over nor any patience for. His aunt and Jefferson's grandmother have coerced him to go but he doesn't realize how much this will help him. He is taken through his midlife crisis partly by the experience and views on life he received from Jefferson. So he gains as well as gives.
The plot of this story revolves around the two main characters who are completely different in every way but who come together because of family ties. The novel is a great story about life's struggles and the problems that we all go through in day to day living. It conveys morals, values and a sense of humanity that are noble and should be used by all of us in life.
Gaines creates a setting of cruelty and prejudice throughout the events in the story and despite this the two men forge a bond and together find a way to overcome the power of racism in their lives. Without each other they would not be able to cope with the events of their lives.
I very highly recommend this book to every reader out there.

78. The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory; {acquired 2011}; (4*)

The story of Jacquetta (Lady Rivers) is so interesting that it is surprising she has been quite lost to history. She was a Frenchwoman who married the most powerful Duke in England and goes to live in the country which was the enemy of her homeland. Jacquetta goes on to break every rule and marries for love, influencing the kingdom as one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting. And all of this before her daughter became Queen of England.
Jacquetta was the mother of Elizabeth Woodville and is a fascinating woman to read about. She appears right in the middle of the War of the Roses & history dictated the role she was to play. I had never heard of her before reading The White Queen. I felt I wanted to know more about her as she has been my favorite character in this series. This book describes a time in England's history that is difficult to imagine and fills in a good deal of information missing from the other books of the series.
I quite enjoyed it.

Haven't read a thing this month............... **sad face**

>197 rainpebble: I'm struggling this month too.... but your picture is perfect!

>197 rainpebble: I hope it will get better, Belva.

>197 rainpebble: That's a lovely picture, indeed. Best wishes that you will get back to reading soon!

Dear Belva, all the best wishes for a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and many delightful books!