BLBera's 2015 Reading - Part 5- Moving towards fall

My name is Beth. I teach English at my local community college. I don't plan my reading much. I belong to a book club that meets once a month. Otherwise, I go where the spirit leads me.

I tend to read more fiction than nonfiction and more women authors than men. This year, I would like to read more diversely, in every sense of the word. I like to discover new writers.

Welcome to my thread. Lurk or stop and say hello.



On Meditating, Sort of
by Mary Oliver

Meditation, so I've heard, is best accomplished
if you entertain a certain strict posture,
Frankly I prefer just to lounge under a tree.
So why should I think I could ever be successful?

Some days I fall asleep, or land in that
even better place--half-asleep--where the world,
spring, summer, autumn, winter --
flies through my mind in its
hardy ascent and its uncompromising descent.

So I just lie like that, while distance and time
reveal their true attitudes: they never
heard of me, and never will, or ever need to.

Of course I wake up finally
thinking, how wonderful to be who I am,
made out of earth and water,
my own thoughts, my own fingerprints--
all that glorious, temporary stuff.

2015 reading
September
80. The Illuminations
81. The Nature of the Beast
82. Nimona
83. A Second Chance*
84. The Book of Speculation
85. Old World Murder
86. The Undertaking of Lily Chen
87. A Spool of Blue Thread
88. Station Eleven* REREAD

August
69. Yo, Miss*
70. Mercy Falls*
71. Their Finest Hour and a Half*
72. Innocence or, Murder on Steep Street
73. All That Followed
74. Long Upon the Land
75. Crooked Heart
76. Pomegranate Soup*
77. My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time
78. The Truth According to Us
79. Blue Horses*

* From my shelves

2015 reading so far
January 2015
1. Offshore*
2. The Moor's Account
3. Citadel*
4. Child of Dandelions
5. The Land of Dreams
6. All My Puny Sorrows
7. Cleopatra's Sister*
8. A Symphony of Echoes*
9. Land of Love and Drowning

February
10. Knucklehead
11. Ghettoside
12. The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing
13. Code Name Verity*
14. Unfamiliar Fishes*
15. The Unquiet Dead
16. Nine Lives*
17. Maus*

March
18. First Frost
19. The Round House*
20. Wolf Winter
21. A Dangerous Talent
22. What I Loved*
23. And the Birds Rained Down
24. A God in Every Stone
25. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

April 2015
26. The Siege Winter
27. Outline
28. The Snowman*
29. Shakespeare Saved My Life
30. A River Runs Through It*
31. Aya
32. Aya of Yop City
33. The Shore*
34. The Murder at Sissingham Hall*
35. My Salinger Year

May
36. What Is the What* REREAD
37. Unbecoming
38. Fellowship of Fear*
39. Prudence
40. The Imperfectionists*
41. A God in Ruins
42. Bittersweet
43. In Other Worlds*
44. The Bees
45. God Help the Child
46. Death in the Garden*

June
47. Early Warning
48. The Ghost Fields
49. Academy Street
50. Gathering Prey
51. The Beautiful Bureaucrat*
52. The Devil in the White City*
53. The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden*
54. The Scapegoat
55. Greenglass House
56. The Architect's Apprentice
57. 12 Rose Street
58. Speaking in Bones*
59. Orhan's Inheritance

July
60. Total Recall
61. Bones of Contention*
62. The Buried Giant
63. Bet Your Bones*
64. The Known World*
65. The Woman I Kept to Myself*
66. The Walk Home
67. The Cold Dish
68. Go Set a Watchman*

Currently reading

Baileys women’s prize for fiction longlist 2015

Read:
Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel – Canadian – 4th novel
A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie – Pakistani/British – 6th novel
Outline by Rachel Cusk – British – 8th novel
The Shore by Sara Taylor – American – 1st novel
The Bees by Laline Paull - British - 1st novel
The Walk Home by Rachel Seiffert – British – 3rd novel
Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans – British – 4th novel
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler - American - 20th novel

To Read:
Aren’t We Sisters? by Patricia Ferguson – British – 8th novel
I Am China by Xiaolu Guo – Chinese/ British – 6th novel
Dear Thief by Samantha Harvey – British - 3rd novel
Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey – British – 1st novel
The Offering by Grace McCleen – British – 3rd novel
The Country of Ice Cream Star by Sandra Newman – British/American – 3rd novel
The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O’Neill – Canadian – 2nd novel
The Table of Less Valued Knights by Marie Phillips – British – 2nd Novel
How to be Both by Ali Smith - British – 6th novel
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters – British – 6th novel
After Before by Jemma Wayne – British – 1st novel
The Life of a Banana by PP Wong – British – 1st novel

68. Go Set a Watchman
I tried to read this book without thinking of TKaM -- impossible, of course.

There were some things I loved about this book, remembrance of Scout's childhood scrapes with Jem and Dill, mostly. And Scout, as an adult character, is still feisty. I suppose Scout, like the rest of us, at some point had to realize that Atticus is human. But...

What I missed in this novel is the lyrical language of TKaM, language that placed us so vividly in the Maycomb summers of Scout's childhood. The first person narration of TKaM allowed us to discover the world with Scout. This novel wanted to hit us over the head with the evils of racism, among other things. The last 100 pages were preachy, and there were odd detours about Methodist service and 19th century literature.

I don't think we'll ever know the real story of this novel, but to me it reads like a failed sequel, one that Lee perhaps was pressured to work on after the success of TKaM.

I'm not sorry I read it -- but it's no TKaM.

Here's a link to a good essay. http://www.npr.org/2015/07/13/422545987/harper-lees-watchman-is-a-mess-that-make...

I'm going to browse a bit to see what I want to read next.

Happy new thread, Beth!

Happy new one, Beth! I'll get round to the Harper Lee book soonish, I think...

Hi Katie - Thanks.

Hi Amber - I'll watch for your opinion.

Great new thread, Beth! Appreciate your review of Go Set a Watchman. Haven't gotten to this one yet, but I've got a sensitive radar for anything preachy, so I expect I'm going to share some of your observations.

Happy New Thread, Beth! Good review of Go Set a Watchman. I have it saved on audio, so I still plan on giving it a go.

Look forward to your thoughts on Yo Miss. I was a fan.

Happy new thread, Beth! I am on the fence about Go Set a Watchman, especially as there is controversy about its publication, but at this point I am leaning towards no. To Kill a Mockingbird is my favorite book, and I love the way it is in my head. The wimp route, probably:)

Hi Nancy - Thanks. I'll watch for your comments when you get to it.

Hi Mark - I'm loving Yo, Miss. As the fall semester approaches, I find myself thinking of school, and certainly many of her situations resonate. I might use a part in class. I'll look forward to your comments on Go Set a Watchman.

Hi Anne - I think it's OK to skip. I debated a long time whether to read it.

69. Yo, Miss is a great graphic novel about teaching at risk students. Lisa Wilde shows the challenges and rewards that come with these students. She focuses on a small group, managing to develop each student's look and personality, so the novel was easy to follow. I loved the cover, the drawing of her brain, with all of the things she has to think about when she's teaching.

I intend to use an excerpt in my classes this fall; I think students might like this.

Next: Mercy Falls - the next in the Cork O'Connor series set in Northern Minnesota.

I love how we all wish each other "happy new thread"! So -- happy new thread, Beth!

Great comments about Go Set a Watchman. I also love your reaction to Yo, Miss, which I found to be very poignant.

I don't know the Cork O'Connor series.... will investigate.

It's supposed to be another scorcher here in Seattle, and it's also the last day of the Blue Angles entertaining and torturing our city. P and I are thinking we'll go to an afternoon movie since our house is not air conditioned. We're going to see "Mr. Holmes." :-)

Ellen: I could have copied your comments on Go Set a Watchman - they were very similar to my own reaction.

Thanks for the Yo, Miss recommendation. It was great.

I like the Cork O'Connor series overall. The setting is great, and the Native American portrayal is good.

Enjoy your hot weather. Please keep it there. I've been happy with the cooler weather of this summer.

A bit disappointed with the Booker longlist; I've only read one, The Moor's Account, which wasn't as good as The Buried Giant, A God in Ruins or Nora Webster. I'm a little surprised that none of them made the list. Oh well, I've always found Bookers a little inconsistent...

Well, back to grading and reading. My fall semester starts in three weeks. :(

70. Mercy Falls is another in the Cork O'Connor series. This one starts with a bang when someone shoots at Cork and one of his deputies at the scene of a domestic call. Trying to figure out who wanted Cork dead takes the reader from the rez, to the Boundary Waters, to Chicago, on a well plotted, fast moving story that kept me turning the pages.

Cork is sympathetically portrayed, and Krueger keeps him and his life changing through the series. My only quibbles are that Krueger doesn't write women very well, and this one ended on a cliffhanger, which I hate. One good thing is that the next book in the series is already published, and I own it.

If you like a series with a vivid setting and one that is well plotted, try this one.

Next? I have a few books I've been wanting to get to. I'm going to browse a bit and see which one calls me name the loudest.

Happy new thread, Beth!

Happy new thread, Beth! I'm enchanted by your mention of a series set in northern Minnesota. I've really enjoyed the (rather different) Hannah Swensen cozy crime series set there, mostly for the descriptions of the extreme hot and cold and how the locals cope. I'll have to check your series out!

Hi Lori - Thanks.

Hi Susan - I haven't read the Hannah Swensen series, but the Krueger books are pretty good.

Happy New thread, Beth! Thank you for the review of GSaW. I've been undecided about whether I want to read it or not. I loved TKaM when I read it, but that was so long ago that it has faded in my memory, so I don't think I would be upset over the way the "sequel" made Atticus look like a racist, which seems to be a big problem for most. Nor would the controversy over the way the publishing of the book was handled by the author's agent/attorney. What I would have a problem with is the preachiness and what appears to be inconsistent writing style and rough plotting. Still haven't decided, tho chances are I'll give it a try and apply The Pearl Rule if necessary.

Mary - I don't know if the Pearl rule would work for this one. The best part is the first half... The preachiness happens toward the end. Still, it was a quick read. I very much doubt that Lee would have chosen to publish, so that's sad, but oh well. It wasn't the worst thing I've read this year, either, so there's that.

Hi! Just dropping in to claim my spot on the new thread. :)

Over at Porch_reader's thread - https://www.librarything.com/topic/189912#5225740 at post 56 she has a review of GSaW. Her brief discussion of the back story on this is interesting, and helpful, I thought.

Hi Jenn - Yes, Amy's comments on GSaW were great.

Thanks for stopping by.

Reading Their Finest Hour and a Half, which is wonderful so far.

Just started The Shore. Wow, what an opening chapter!

Hi Charlotte - I'll be anxious what you think of it. The first chapter was one of my favorites.

>25 charl08: >26 BLBera: I, too, was blown away by the first chapter of The Shore.

I enjoyed reading your thoughts about the new Harper Lee book. I don't plan on reading it but that may change at some point.

I keep meaning to start the Cork series, I think I have the first in the series on my nook or kindle. It sounds like something I'd like.

Joanne - I'm so glad to see so much love for The Shore here. What an excellent first novel.

I think you can take or leave the new Lee book -- let's face it, she wrote a masterpiece in TKaM and should be remembered for that.

I think you'd like the Cork series, Joanne. In some ways, it reminds me of the Longmire - strong sense of setting, main male character with lesser developed women...Also strong plots.

>17 BLBera: I have only read the first one in that series and really enjoyed it. I'm wondering if the second one wasn't available locally because it hasn't come up when I've looked for books from my local library TBR list.

ETA: I checked and discovered I had not added it to the list, but it is only available as an e-book. There are currently 4 people in front of me, but I may get to it this fall since there is a 3 week limit.

Lori - I think this is a series that gets better. I actually read the third book first, and I really liked it. I thought the first two weren't as good. If I had started with them, I'm not sure that I would have continued with the series.

Hi Beth! Happy new thread! Thanks for the review of Go Set a Watchman. I'm leaning toward not reading it. I loved TKaM when I read it in 8th grade and I don't want to spoil that memory.

Thanks Carrie. I think Go Set a Watchman can be left unread.


71. Their Finest Hour and a Half by Lissa Evans is great. Thanks Charlotte.

"The word 'serious', though, was another matter...in this strange new existence, the word seemed to have acquired a host of meanings. Every night was serious: you crouched in the dark and the engines stuttered overhead, and then along came morning, and you were still alive, and once you got over that surprise you prepared the breakfast and accidentally dropped the only egg on the floor, and for a moment or two that was serious, or you discovered the gas was off when all you had in the house was sausages, or you were halfway to work when your heel broke, and even though you were passing a bomb-site at the time, even though there were ambulances standing by and Heavy Rescue men lying listening for novices in the rubble, it still felt quite serious that you were standing on one leg, half a mile from the Ministry, with the roads all strewn with glass and not a spare minute in the day ahead with which to find a cobbler. It was as if the load were too heavy, the horror too horrible to keep in the head for long, so that the mind kept bobbing back to more manageable degrees of misery..."

Set mostly in London during 1940 and 1941 during the Blitz, Evans creates a group of people and shows how they react to the bombing in varying degrees. Catrin Cole helps write scripts for the Ministry of Information; she comes to see that "truth" is another of those words that has acquired various meanings. Ambrose Hilliard is an aging actor who is reduced to taking parts in short propaganda films. Edith Beadmore makes costumes. These characters come together in a film that supposedly tells a true story about Dunkirk.

Sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, Evans shows that people can be surprising and that during times of war, anything can happen.

Great novel - highly recommended, especially for those who love historical fiction. Oh, and there are dogs.

I just picked up some library reserves, so I'm going to browse a bit before I decide on my next read.

Glad you liked this too. Such a great novel.

So, did you like this one or Crooked Heart better?

I had to stop by Beth! I saw on Charlotte's thread that you have both Crooked Heart and The Illuminations to read soon. I'm just beginning Crooked Heart and I've got The Illuminations in a soon TBR pile! Great minds and all of that.

Good to know that Lissa Evans has another book. Sounds interesting!

Oh you got me with Their Finest Hour and a Half. Plus there are dogs...

>34 BLBera: I'm going to cop out and say that I liked them both in different ways. I liked the relationship between the evacuee and his foster mother in Crooked Heart, but the film setting of Hour and a Half was very well done I thought.

Hi Deborah - Great minds, indeed. I'll watch for your comments.

Hey, Jenn, it's only fair. It's a great novel.

Fair enough, Charlotte. I was wondering why I hadn't heard of Evans before, and it says in Crooked Heart that it is the first of her novels to be published in the US. Who else do you have hidden over there?

>32 BLBera: Beth, I'm so glad you enjoyed Their Finest Hour and a Half :-) I want to reread it.

LT is so great - I would never have heard of it if not for you and Charlotte.

I watched the last Daily Show with Jon Stewart. :( It was a nice way to end 16 years of great TV. I'll be anxious to see how the new guy does.

Happy New Thread, Beth and wavings from Paris.

Thanks Barbara. I've been following your holiday, and it looks like you are having a wonderful time.

>16 BLBera: "My fall semester starts in three weeks. :("
This is the only time of year during which I like being on a quarter system. Summer term ends next week and the last two weeks in August are always the quietest of the whole calendar year. In mid-September it starts heating up as RA training and such gets started. Our fall classes don't start until September 30 this year -- about a week later than usual!

I read and reviewed The Sage of Waterloo and I'm hoping some others around here read it. I loved it and I'm not sure everyone will, but it's a pretty quick read.

Enjoy your last few weeks of freedom, Beth!

Ellen - Sept. 30 is a great time to start school. I always feel like we start in the middle of summer, but oh well. I'm grading the final essays from my summer class and preparing my syllabi.

I reserved The Sage of Waterloo from my library. I'm trying to get as much reading done as possible these last couple of weeks.

72. Innocence or, Murder on Steep Street set in 1950s Prague is, on the surface, the story of a group of people who work in a theater on Steep Street. What is fascinating about the story is the autobiographical aspect. In a forward by the author’s son, we learn that Kovály lived in Prague in the 1950s and that her husband was falsely imprisoned and executed. The story of Helena mirrors that of the author’s life. She does an excellent job of showing how living in a reign of terror isolates people.

Helena considers on a Sunday afternoon walk: “Maybe it didn’t matter so much what people said to each other. The reason we talk isn’t to share nuggets of wisdom, but to pause a moment in our flight through life, to make a connection, reassure ourselves we’ve got something in common – a human word, a human voice. “

After her husband’s imprisonment, Helena lost all her former connections. A chilling, realistic look at life in Cold War Prague.

Next: I'm going to Basque country in All that Followed.

Added to the wishlist Beth, sounds like my kind of thing.

Hi Charlotte - It was a surprisingly powerful little book. I'll watch for your comments.

I am feeling so virtuous. I got up early, finished grading for my summer class and cleaned my desk. I found three Christmas cards that I started to write and a bunch of old school stuff. My desktop is clear, ready for the accumulation of the new school year.

>46 BLBera: That looks like an excellent read!

>49 BLBera: And, having done all that, you get to spend the day reading, right? And, I believe, spending a bit of time with the adorable Scout?

ETA: I put Innocence or, Murder on Steep Street on hold at the library. I'm number 26 in the queue (5 copies).

>49 BLBera: Beth, that must be a great feeling :-) And you're ahead on the Christmas cards for this year! Enjoy the rest of your day.

Ellen - I guess virtue is its own reward. I am sitting at my desk at work right now. I did get to talk to Scout on the phone to wish her a happy birthday. She is two today. It doesn't seem possible.

Yesterday, as we were walking to the park, she spotted a "5" sticker on the ground, and said, "Look, five." I was amazed. When I told her mom, she didn't believe me, until her dad said, "Yeah, she points out all the numbers when we read." Like it was no big deal. What can I say? Child prodigy.

I think you will like Innocence or, Murder on Steep Street. It's a fast read, and gives great insight into living in a police state.

Hi Susan - Yes, my desk is momentarily clean. Actually, I recycled the Christmas cards. And I still have some papers in boxes on the floor next to my desk. Still, baby steps. Paper accumulation seems to be an occupational hazard for English teachers.

"Child prodigy."

Well, of course.

Yes, Ellen, I might get kicked out of the grandmother's union if I didn't think so.

Beth, there's an article in the paper today about Scout's favourite song and I thought you might like it :-) http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/aug/10/the-proclaimers-how-we-made-im-go... That's so cute about the numbers - maybe her early love of "500 miles" started it off!

Thanks Susan. They sound like nice guys. I'll pass it on to Miss Scout.

Hey Scout! I like the Proclaimers too. :)

Well, I've got a Proclaimers earworm now!

Love the Proclaimer love...

Sorry about the ear worm, Charlotte.

You got me with Their finest Hour and a Half. Sounds great!

I loved the last Daily Show and the way they brought all the correspondents back. I hate not having it, along with David Letterman, to watch anymore. I'm looking forward to Colbert being back on the air.

Joanne - I think you would like Their Finest Hour and a Half. I look forward to Crooked Heart, too.

I wonder when the new guy will start. I'll give him a try -- when I can stay awake that late. Even with The Daily Show, I would often nod off during the commercial breaks.

>55 susanj67: I love that song!

It is catchy.

Nice interview with them here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02ymkgr (which I think works internationally on computers, as opposed to phones, which I know doesn't work!). I couldn't believe how long they had been out of work before their 'overnight success' (!) I guess the film Sunshine on Leith is too adult for the wee one?

Thanks Charlotte.

73. All that Followed is a thoughtful first novel. Set in Basque country, this novel tells the story of the kidnapping and death of a politician. Told from the points of view of an American English teacher, the politician's wife Mariana and one of the boys found guilty of the kidnapping and murder, the story explores the reasons for political violence and, in the end, the senselessness of it.

Mariana writes to Iker, one of the boys found guilty of her husband's murder: "Elena...wanted to know why he (her father) was killed...I told her that it was a good question, why her father had died, and that there probably wasn't just one answer. Can you think of a better response for her?" This question resonates even more at the end, with the Madrid Atocha bombings.

Really good first novel.

Next: Long Upon the Land, in North Carolina, a very different setting.

>66 BLBera: - Beth, you always manage to find the most interesting sounding novels off the beaten path... I love it!

Thanks Katie - I get most of my recommendations from LT, so thank YOU. I don't remember where I first heard of this one. Kind of an interesting crossover from recent reading. Many Basques immigrated to the US when after the Spanish Civil War. Some became sheep herders in the West -- there's a mention of that in the Longmire book I read.

I remember once when I was in Spain years ago, in Bilbao, I think, I mentioned something about a Spanish person, and the person I was talking to very politely corrected me, "You mean Basque, not Spanish."

I heard a story on NPR a few years ago about the Basque community in Idaho. Fascinating stuff.

>66 BLBera: Ooh, interesting. Have you read The Basque history of the world? It's on my wishlist...

Katie - I'll have to look for that story.

Hi Charlotte - I haven't read The Basque History of the World. I'll have to see if I can find a copy.

74. Long upon the Land, the latest Deborah Knott mystery is another winner. Set in North Carolina, one of the charms of this series is Deborah's family, especially her bootlegger father.

In this latest novel, Keezie Knott, Deborah's father, finds a body on his land. It turns out that the victim has a history with the Knotts. And while Dwight, Deborah's deputy husband, is looking into that history to find a murderer, Deborah is finding out about her parents' past.

This is a great summer read, light and fun.

Next: Crooked Heart

No way I can catch up, Beth. I'll come back and at least read the reviews when I'm awake. Meanwhile, I'm one behind in the D. Knott series, so it will be a long time before I get to Long Upon the Land. I heard her reading and talking about it on NPR just last week, I think. I loved the flashback where Deborah's mother tells her older brother about the difference between form and substance when his younger brother has disturbed their dead mother's last footprints.

>72 BLBera: I'm a bit adrift with my books wondering what to read next (and feeling like a change of pace), light and fun sounds good to me.

Hi Peggy - At some point we have to let go of the idea of staying caught up. I'll have to look for the NPR interview. I love Maron's strong sense of place, and her characters are great. There was more about her mother in this one, which was nice.

Hi Charlotte - You should be able to find something -- don't you also have several going? I really do like the Knott series. It's fun summer reading.

I just started Crooked Heart - thanks Charlotte - and it has a promising start.

There was an Alexander McCall Smith waiting for me at the library, which proved just the ticket. I'll go back to the ongoing non-fic tomorrow I think! Hurray for summer reading though :-)

>72 BLBera: Oh, I love the Judge Knott series! Thanks for the heads-up that there's a new one. I'll look for it at the library.

Great Charlotte - It's been awhile since I read any McCall Smith. Enjoy.

Hey Julia - It is a great series. The new one is really good. I'll be anxious to hear what you think of it.

Scout is 2? Already?! I'm gearing up for a new school year here, too. I have several meetings this week and classes start next week.

Hi Carrie - I have two days of meetings this week and classes start a week from tomorrow. I'm busy trying to get my classes set up.

I know, the two years have flown by -- she is a big girl now.

75. Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans is the second WWII novel of hers that I've read in the past couple of weeks, but the books are both different from the usual WWII historical fiction. While Their Finest Hour and a Half looked at the Ministry of Information and its morale building with a firm tongue in the cheek, Crooked Heart follows two very different people who are just trying to muddle through day-to-day life, with the war's being one more obstacle.

Vee Sedge is a con woman and Noel is an orphan evacuee. Noel's a bookworm with an extensive vocabulary, while Vee is not scholarly. She comes up with schemes (some more legal than others) to help make ends meet. She's supporting her mute mother, and her son with his heart murmur. Evans takes this situation, which could be farcical, and turns it into a story of survival with characters that we come to care about.

Another excellent selection from the Woman's Prize long list.

Next: Pomegranate Soup, my August book club selection.

Hi Beth! Between you, Charlotte and Susan those Lissa Evans books are working their way to the top of my library list! Can't believe Scout is two already...

Hi Heather - It seems impossible that two years have gone by. We are really having fun with her.

I think you would love the Evans books.

Looking forward to Crooked Heart, Beth.

I'll look for your comments, Nancy.

I really loved Crooked Heart like you did, Beth! I'll look forward to your comments on The Illuminations. I'm enjoying it , but only 1/3 of the way through as yet.

Hi Deborah - I probably won't get to The Illuminations until next week.

Congrats on 75!

>88 drneutron: I missed that - congratulations on reading 75 books this year!

Thanks Jim and Heather.

Hi Beth! Just marking my place on your new thread. And congrats on reaching book #75!

Beth, I have the first of the Deborak Knott series, Bootlegger's Daughter, thanks to Linda (laytonwoman). I had forgotten about it. I'm happy to have the reminder.

Thanks for stopping by, Laura.

I loved Bootlegger's Daughter, Colleen. The series has pretty much kept its quality although I think there were a couple of tired books. The mysteries are often secondary to the family and relationships, which I have come to enjoy.

Congrats on reaching 75 already, Beth!

Beth, congrats on 75! And with such a great book :-)

Thanks Joanne.

Thanks Susan - I was thinking that very thought! I loved Crooked Heart.

Wow, Beth, you've gotten me with all three of your latest reviews!
All that Followed
Margaret Maron series (it's set in North Carolina!) -- I have not heard of this author.... how is that possible? (rhetorical question)
Crooked Heart
I'm writing them all down and I may stop at the bookstore today to purchase myself a belated birthday present. :-)

And congratulations on reaching 75! Just in time for school to start again, eh?

Hi Ellen - You owe yourself a birthday present. Bootlegger's Daughter is the first in the Maron series. It's good even as a standalone. The only caveat is that these are not generally dark mysteries -- and I think you like a bit of dark, correct?

Crooked Heart is great -- you would love it.

Thanks -- yes, I hope to finish a couple more before Monday. I'm almost done with Pomegranate Soup.

I'm having a great faculty day -- so nice to reconnect with colleagues that I haven't seen all summer.

Beth, I do indeed like a bit of dark but I also like dusky (heh). As long as it's not too cozy, I can usually go with it.
I did look at the bookstore on my way back from my lunch meeting and both All the Followed and Crooked Heart were there in hardcover form. I'm returning to my lifelong pattern of (mostly) avoiding the purchase of hardcover editions (one recent exception is Between the World and Me which I really want to read soon), so I will either put those two on hold at the library or wait until they come out in softcover.

I'm glad your faculty day is going well!

I'm with you, Ellen. I generally don't buy hardcovers. I borrowed both books from the library. Faculty day was great; tomorrow we have staff day, with the president, etc. giving us updates. I usually take my ereader to those sessions...Oh well. I'll take a personal day for the next one. I usually try to hit every other one.

Congrats on 75, Beth!

76. Pomegranate Soup is a first novel about three young Iranian women who end up in a small Irish town. There, they open a restaurant. Each chapter starts with a recipe, and then in the chapter we learn about the significance of the recipe and the occasions on which the food is prepared. I loved that part of the book.

This was a book club selection, and overall, the comments were positive. One person thought she ended rather abruptly. I had some problems with the writing in places, especially with descriptions, which seemed a little over the top: "Peaking at six foot one, and slender with the hands of a pianist, Malachi sported a mop of unruly black hair and sapphire eyes that sparkled like midnight suns. His luminous youth was something to marvel at indeed." I commented to one of my English professor colleagues that I was probably going to be the only person in my group that was bothered by this, and I was right. :)

A lovely, sweet little story. It just suffers from comparison with my previous read.

Next: I'm going back to My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time.

Thanks Lori!

Wow! Congratulations on 75, Beth!!!!!
I'm always happy to see M. Maron love!!!!!

>102 BLBera: I will join you in the being bugged by overwrought descriptions. Peaking? Luminous youth? Oh boy.

CONGRATULATIONS on reaching 75!!!

Congrats on reaching 75, Beth. Wishing you Happy Weekend.

Hi Peggy - Thanks - I do love Maron.

Hi Jenn - Thanks, I thought maybe the description would bother others. Overall, it's not a bad novel. She just needs a little guidance with the adjectives.

Thanks Barbara.

>107 BLBera: A little guidance with the adjectives. haha! that made me laugh. I am thinking it would be fun to audit one of your classes.

Oh, me too. Any chance you could get on a coursera programme? (Lighthearted lt advocating something that must be a ton of work. Sorry!)

Jenn - You should talk to my students -- they might have a different idea.

Hi Charlotte - Yes, I definitely need more work! Ha. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Well, school started. I have to work on prep and mow my lawn. The remodel is moving along. The tile guy starts work on Wed. I hope to finish My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time tonight.

77. My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time by Liz Jensen is a tongue-in-cheek take on time travel. This is the story of Charlotte, a 19th century prostitute living in Copenhagen who is transported to present day London. Kudos to Jensen for a wild, original premise. However, I ended up liking this novel but not loving it.

I loved the originality of the idea and Charlotte, the narrator and protagonist, is a unique and hilarious character.

But the style, the 19th century confessional style got old for me. Tongue in cheek only goes so far. It probably didn't help that I read this after Crooked Heart, a nearly flawless novel by Lissa Evans. So, I will definitely read more by Jensen, but this one didn't totally work for me.

Next: I have The Illuminations and The Truth According to Us from the library.

78. The Truth According to Us is set in a small West Virginia town during the Depression. Layla is a WPA writer sent to write a history of the town for the sesquicentennial celebration. She boards with the Romeyn family that includes Jottie, her twin sisters Mae and Minerva and her two nieces Bird and Willa. Part of the story is narrated by ten-year-old Willa, who is a book worm.

She is growing up and trying to make sense of the world through what she reads: "In books...things were connected; people did something and then something else happened because of that. I could understand them. But outside, here in the real world, things seemed to happen for no reason that I could see."

A nice, light historical novel with fun characters. Willa's narration was my favorite part. Barrows cowrote The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which I loved. This wasn't as good, but I spent some enjoyable moments in Macedonia, West Virginia with the Romeyn family.

Next: The Illuminations

>110 BLBera: Aww, your students are just kids. We won't expect them to know what's good for them.
Too bad My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time wasn't as good as you hoped. I like the premise. Sorry it didn't totally deliver.

Well, Jenn, you might like it. I think Charlotte and Katie both loved it.

Congrats on 75!

I did enjoy it, but it was a long time ago so I can't say much more than that. Looking forward to your comments on The Illuminations.

Congratulations (a little belatedly) for waltzing past 75, Beth. xx

Thanks Rhonda.

Hi Charlotte - I think you did recommend another book by Jensen over My Dirty Little Book... I think I just read the one that was available at the library. I'd like to try more by her.

A Paul visit! Hi Paul - nice to see you around. I'll have to go over and see what you are up to.

Congratulations on 75 books, Beth! I hope you enjoy The Illuminations as I did. Crooked Heart is a hard act to follow! The Truth According to Us is on my radar , but so far I've not gotten my hands on it. Appreciate your comments.

Beth, I'll be interested in how you like The Illuminations. It's on my radar but not on any of my actual lists (yet).
Crooked Heart is sounding better and better as the discussion continues. I'm number 67 in the queue for one of 13 copies so I'll certainly get it this fall.

I'm taking my lap top on vacation with me and expect to do a bit more checking in around LT threads. Of course, I want to read, read, read, too, and I will be spending time with friends whom I haven't seen in a couple of years, so we'll see how all that goes. I always think I'll have more time than turns out to be true. But it will all be good.

I need to get to The Truth According to Us. I'm glad you liked it.

Hi Deborah - Thanks. I just started The Illuminations, but so far, so good.

Hi Ellen - I think you will love Crooked Heart. 67! Have a great vacation. I hope it is all you wish for -- and I'll be watching for comments on some of those books.

Hi Joanne - I found Willa very engaging in The Truth According to Us. I'll be anxious to see what you think of it when you get to it.

Just starting The Illuminations.

I'll be eagerly awaiting your take on The Illuminations, Beth. I haven't seen any reviews of it yet.

Hi Darren - The first 50 pages are promising. Unfortunately, the US Open starts this week, so I know that will cut into my reading time.

Happy Sunday, Beth.

Thanks Barbara.



79. Blue Horses departs slightly from the closely observed images of nature in other volumes of Oliver's poems. In this book, I see more musing about mortality. She often connects her thoughts to nature, but this is more of an elegiac volume. The poem that, for me, captures the essence of this work is "I'm Not the River":
I'm not the river
that powerful presence.
And I'm not the black oak tree
which is patiently personified.
And I'm not the redbird
who is a brief life heartily enjoyed.
Nor am I mud nor rock nor sand
which is holding everything together.
No, I am none of these meaningful things, not yet.

A lovely, meditative volume.

Still reading The Illuminations.

Oh I love her poems (but have not read as much as I would like). The quoted poem is intriguing!

Thanks Charlotte - My favorite book of hers was A Thousand Mornings. I love her nature poems.

Beth, thank you for the Mary Oliver recommendation. I have some gift cards at both B&N and Amazon. I don't think I've read a Mary Oliver poem that didn't speak to me in some way. I also favor her nature poems. Your thread topper poem is lovely.

I hope you have a great school year. I look forward to hearing which books your students will be reading.

Thanks Donna - At first I wasn't sure about the latest Oliver, but it grew on me as I read.

My students are reading What Is the What in one class, The Round House and Station Eleven in other classes. As well as essays, short stories, poems, etc. This will be my first semester using Station Eleven, so I am excited to see what the students think of it.

How old are your students, Beth?

Hi Caro - They are college students. I teach some remedial classes, but my students are adults.

>111 BLBera: My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time is also on my library list after all the recommendations. Based on your comments I will probably try to read Lissa Evans first if you preferred her books.

Hi Heather - I did like both books by Lissa Evans better, but you might like the fantasy of My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time. It came highly recommended, so it may just have been bad timing for me.

Quite without reference to your thread, I almost bought a copy of A Thousand Mornings at one of the Chatham bookstores this afternoon. The only copy they had was pretty warped from humidity, and I didn't feel like haggling. But given that Oliver is a Cape Cod poet, I will seek out and read some of her work when I return to the west coast.

Hi Ellen - It sounds like you're having a great time, well deserved. I'm finishing up the second week of classes.

Coincidence! I LOVED A Thousand Mornings, but a mildewy book wouldn't be fun. I would think you could find a secondhand copy fairly cheaply.

I'm trying to finish The Illuminations, which has puzzled me at times, but more when I'm done.

I'm going to stop by your thread to see if you acquired any books in Chatham.

80. The Illuminations by Andrew O'Hagen is two stories -- one of Anne Quirk, an octogenarian who is suffering from the onset of Alzheimer's and one about her grandson, Luke Campbell, who is fighting in Afghanistan.

O'Hagen writes beautifully. There are many passages like this: "Nobody ever tells you the natural world has all the answers and keeps count of all the days...One minute you're getting on with your tasks, the jobs and the life and all your goals and one thing and another; then, just like that, you notice the smell of burning leaves as you walk past the playing fields." Anne, a photographer, spent her life noticing things like this.

Little by little, Anne's life is revealed. Her neighbor Maureen helps her as the present fades. Friends and family discover letters and photos that show glimpses of the past. Anne's daughter Alice mourns because she feels she never really knew her mother.

In contrast to Anne's soft-edged days, the scenes in Afghanistan are brutal. And that, for me was a problem with this novel. Yes, we get to know Luke through his life as a soldier, but it seems like a separate story. So, while I admire many things about this novel, I feel the two threads failed to cohere.

Next: The Nature of the Beast

>112 BLBera: I also loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, so I'm sorry to hear that The Truth According to Us didn't work quite as well.

>137 BLBera: Interesting comments Beth. The dual storyline (set in different times) seems to crop up an awful lot in historical novels, I wondered if this would be the same or if they ran along similar timeframes.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that dementia is cropping up more and more in new fiction, even if there was a report on the news that not such a large number of people would be affected by it after all (although this seemed to be more about how many people would be surviving long into retirement than about a decline in diagnosis numbers).

Hi Colleen - I mostly enjoyed The Truth According to Us; but I thought it could have used some editing.

Hi Charlotte - Mostly the two stories take place at the same time although with Anne's dementia, time is a rather fluid concept. At the end, I just didn't see that the two stories fit together all that well. I'll be interested to see what others think.

I'm about 100 pages into The Nature of the Beast and having a hard time putting it down, despite distractions -- Scout, tennis, grading, cleaning...

Rafa lost last night, so don't really care about the men's side of the draw anymore. Serena is still going but will be tested in her match on Sunday. If she and Venus both win their next matches, they will meet in the quarters, always difficult for them.

Good review of The Illuminations, Beth. I thought it was interesting that you didn't think the contrasting stories of Luke and Anne's did not exactly gel for you. I haven't read the book yet, but it does sound interesting and I've added this to my OWL.

Hi Caro - I'll be interested in seeing what you think of it. There were many things I liked about it, and O'Hagen writes beautifully, but in the end I don't think it will be a top read for me.

Go Serena!

81. The Nature of the Beast has all of the usual Three Pines characters making an appearance. At the beginning of the novel, a small boy runs into the Three Pines bistro announcing that there's a giant gun in the woods. Used to Laurent's stories, no one believes him, until he is found dead. There IS a big gun in the woods, and its discovery sets in motion the latest Penny story.

As fantastic as this story seems, it is based on a real person, Gerald Bull, and a real gun. While the story focuses on the gun, there are murders to solve. The solution, to me, seemed a bit forced, but let's face it, I read these novels more for the characters than for the mystery. The big question we're left with at the end of the novel: will Gamache stay retired?

Stay tuned for the next Three Pines novel to find out. This is a series that is still going strong.

Next: Nimona - I started it last night and can hardly put it down.

>144 BLBera:. I enjoy this series. Next up for me is book number 6, Bury Your Dead. I like the characters, warts and all.

Beth, I thought The Long Way Home was the finale of Penny's Three Pines series. What a pleasant surprise! Thanks for that : ).

>137 BLBera: Nice review of the Illuminations. I may read it, as I have an interest in Alzheimer's disease.

Hi Colleen - It's nice to have a series that keeps its consistently high quality. I think it has to do with the fact that these books are very character centered, and they change as the series progresses.

Hi Nancy - Hooray! I'm always happy to find a new book by a favorite author, too. Enjoy. It's really good.

Hi Rhonda - I thought the best part of The Illuminations centered on Anne and her increasing dementia. Beautiful writing. I'll watch for your comments on it when you get to it.

82. Nimona Very entertaining, thought-provoking graphic novel. It's hard to say too much without spoilers, but in a nutshell, Nimona appears to the super villain Ballister Blackheart, asking to become his sidekick. It turns out that Nimona has some trouble following orders. This "fractured" fairy tale has us looking at villains in a new way. Stevenson does a good job of creating characters we want to follow.

Thanks to Ellen for recommending this.

Next: The Book of Speculation

Hey Beth! I need to return to the Three Pines series and I'm pleased that you enjoyed Nimona.

Did you watch the Serena-Venus match this evening? I was rooting for Serena (I really want her to make even more history than she has done, including a calendar-year Slam), but it was sooo hard to root "against" Venus! I had tears in my eyes as the match ended and they met at the net to hug. I know Chris Evert et al were saying that Madison Keyes was Serena's toughest match in the march toward the final but I believe today's match, against her beloved sister, had to be the toughest.

Oh yeah, books.

I will be keeping an eye out for A Thousand Mornings, confident that I'll come across a used copy at one of our local bookshops.

I looked at the main page for The Book of Speculation. Circus, mermaids, and librarians! How can you go wrong?

I know - I have a soft spot in my heart for Venus, but I feel the same way about Serena.

We'll see how The Book of Speculation goes. I just started it. Tennis is cutting into my reading time.

>151 EBT1002: This sounds good! What a lovely cover as well.

I don't normally read poetry cover to cover, but The Woman I Kept to Myself is proving to be the exception. The way she writes about her life in poetry is absorbing. Favourites so far are those that deal with bilingualism, both for herself and her parents.

Hi Charlotte - Yes, The Woman I Kept to Myself reminds me a little of Brown Girl Dreaming, a memoir in poetry. I will definitely be picking it up again.

This reminds me that I want to dig back into The Woman I Kept to Myself. I let it slide while I was so absorbed in the dense and lovely The Bone People.

Hi Ellen - That's what's so great about poetry. You can put it down and pick it up again any time. I know I'll revisit The Woman I Kept to Myself.

I still haven't got my hands on Brown girl dreaming. Shall have to put it on the (gulp) Xmas list.

Hi Charlotte - I have a copy, but I have just dipped into it. Too many books...

Sorry that The Illuminations did not work out better for you. Like you, I was not that keen on the the parts that took place in Afghanistan. I found them jarring and I did not enjoy them . But I think the book worked well for me in the end, because my take on it was that when Luke went to war, he did things out of bad judgement, and came away from his battle in Afghanistan realizing that in many way he had been deluded about the real purpose of war and honour of soldiers, at the least the war story
in the book. So it seemed to me that perhaps just as his Grandmother suffered with dementia and had delusions and bad judgement, so did Luke, albeit for a different reason. But I understand what you mean.

I'll let you know how Maisie Dobbs goes for me. I expect to enjoy it. My last book, The Folded Earth did not work well for me. Different strokes and all of that. :)

Hi Deborah - Yes, I know you liked The Illuminations more than I did. As you say, different strokes.

I'll watch for your comments on Maisie Dobbs. I think I have The Folded Earth, so eventually I'll take a look at it.

The Folded Earth has it's charms and its a lovely though sad look into North India - so do have a look at The Folded Earth. I still hope to find Sleeping on Jupiter ( on this years Booker Longlist) by the same author.

Caught a couple of BBs right off the bat! Nimona looks like a lot of fun, and The Book of Speculation is going on my wishlist.

Have a great weekend, Beth!

Hi Mary - Nimona is fun, and I think THe Book of Speculation is something you'd like. I hope to read a chunk of it this weekend.

I'm bummed about Serena's loss. :(

Happy Saturday, Beth. It looks like you are doing some fine reading over. Glad you enjoyed Nimona. That is still one of my top GN reads of the year.

I enjoyed The Book of Speculation too but I was still hoping for a bit more...

I am way behind of the Three Pines series. Need to get crackin'...

Hi Mark - I imagine you are appreciating the cooler weather. I'm enjoying The Book of Speculation, but so far it's not one of my top reads. I think I've had the book blahs since I read Crooked Heart. That was SO good.

Three Pines just keeps getting better.

I'm also reading One Thousand and One Nights now for my book club. It will fit nicely with the new Rushdie book, which I just got from the library.

I have to hop over to your thread to see what you are up to. I see you are already planning for the American author reads for 2016. Go Mark!

Beth, I'm excited to get to Crooked Heart! Both you and Deb enjoyed this one tremendously!

Boo to book blahs. Hope you find another really good one soon.

Ed to correct blags to blahs! Autocorrect!

Hi Nancy - I'll watch for your comments when you get to it. It was one of my favorites so far this year.

Hi Charlotte - It's just that after reading one that I loved, everything else seems average.

>157 charl08: and >158 BLBera: I loved Brown Girl Dreaming, read it in one sitting.

I read some more poems in The Woman I Kept to Myself this morning. I know this will sound, um, silly, but it helped when I read you and Charl talking about reading that collection straight through like a memoir (I think it was Charl who actually did that). I know this was my impulse when I first starting reading it several weeks ago, but for some reason I thought poetry was "supposed" to be read, I don't know, slowly and over time. My dad was a poet but I didn't catch the bug, really, until recently. I want to get copies of Mary Oliver's A Thousand Mornings and Galway Kinnell's Three Books: Body Rags; Mortal Acts, Mortal Words; The Past -- on my Xmas wish list! :-)

I agree with boo to book blahs! I hope you are able to find something to pull you out of them soon!

Oh, and I'm also looking forward to Crooked Heart, too, when it comes available at the library.

"I see you are already planning for the American author reads for 2016. Go Mark!"

I think it is a good idea, to have the AAC, somewhat lined up, so we know what to expect and we can start acquiring and making decisions. I have not thought about other reading quests. Let's just get through the mountain, I already have lined up.

I think it depends on the poetry, Ellen. Some collections I read slowly, over time. THe Woman I Kept to Myself seemed more like a memoir in verse to me, so I read through it more quickly.

I have the Salman Rushdie book Two Years, Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights on deck. I have high hopes for it. And I am getting more into The Book of Speculation, now, too.

Hey Mark - You've got a lot of good recommendations for next year. It will be hard to narrow it down. It's fun to look ahead. I love to look at my shelves and decide what comes next.

"I love to look at my shelves and decide what comes next." Yep. That is almost as much fun as the actual reading! :-D

>172 EBT1002: Yes me too, but since I have books strewn all over the house, it can get a little complicated!

Have a great Sunday, Beth.

Yes it is, Ellen! When I'm reading an OK-but-not-great book I sometimes look longingly at my shelves, wishing to start something else.

Hi Paul! A visit from Paul. I hope your weekend was wonderful, too.

Well, back to grading.

National Book Award Nominees for Young People were announced:
Becky Albertalli, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

M.T. Anderson, Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad

Ali Benjamin, The Thing About Jellyfish

Rae Carson, Walk on Earth a Stranger

Gary Paulsen, This Side of Wild

Laura Ruby, Bone Gap

Ilyasah Shabazz, with Kekla Magoon, X: A Novel

Steve Sheinkin, Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War

Neal Shusterman, Challenger Deep

Noelle Stevenson, Nimona

I've only read Nimona, so I'll leave the discussion of the merits of this list to others. Some of the titles sound interesting, especially the one about the Siege of Leningrad and the Daniel Ellsberg book.

Delurking to say Hi! Thanks for posting the list. I haven't heard of any of them...oops!

Hi Beth, I am currently reading The Nature of the Beast so I quickly scanned your review, fearful that it may say too much but it was perfectly vague. Thank you!

Waiting for Nimona to turn up st the library. Hope it comes soon!

National Book Award Nominees for Poetry: I have to admit, I am only familiar with one of these writers.

Ross Gay, Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude

Amy Gerstler, Scattered at Sea

Marilyn Hacker, A Stranger's Mirror: New and Selected Poems, 1994-2014

Terrance Hayes, How to Be Drawn

Jane Hirshfield, The Beauty

Robin Coste Lewis, Voyage of the Sable Venus

Ada Limón, Bright Dead Things

Patrick Phillips, Elegy for a Broken Machine

Rowan Ricardo Phillips, Heaven

Lawrence Raab, Mistaking Each Other for Ghosts

I'm going to look in a few anthologies to see if I can find poems by some of these.

Hi Kim - Thanks for taking time to stop by -- it sounds like you have been crazy busy. I hope life slows for you a bit soon, so you can smell the flowers -- and spend time on LT.

Thanks Lynda - I try really hard not to put in spoilers for mysteries. Sometimes it's hard. I'll stop over to check out what you think.

Hi Charlotte - I predict that you will love Nimona.

Terrance Hayes already won the National Book Award for poetry in 2010. Here's a poem by him that I found in the anthology I use for my intro to lit class.

Talk
like a nigger now, my white friend, M said
after my M.L.K. and Ronald Reagan impersonations,
the two of us alone and shirtless in the locker room,

and if you're thinking my knuckles knocked
a few times against his jaw or my fingers knotted
at his throat, you're wrong because I pretended

I didn't hear him, and when he didn't ask it again,
we slipped into our middle school uniforms
since it was November, the beginning

of basketball season, and jogged out
onto the court to play together
in that vision all Americans wish for

their children, and the point is we slipped
into our uniform harmony, and spit out Go Team ?,
our hands stacked on and beneath the hands

of our teammates and that was as close
as I have come to passing for one
of the members of The Dream, my white friend

thinking I was so far from that word
that he could say it to me, which I guess
he could since I didn't let him taste the salt

and iron in the blood, I didn't teach him
what it's like to squint through a black eye,
and if I had I wonder if he would have grown

up to be the kind of white man who believes
all blacks are thugs or if he would have learned
to bite his tongue or let his belly be filled

by shame, but more importantly, would I be
the kind of black man who believes silence
is worth more than talk or that it can be

a kind of grace, though I'm not sure
that's the kind of black man I've become,
and in any case, M, wherever you are,

I'd just like to say I heard it, but let it go
because I was afraid to lose our friendship
or afraid we'd lose the game -- which we did anyway.

Wow! I am going to look for more poetry by Hayes.

Jane Hirshfield, the only one I was familiar with has been around for a while.

From her:

To Drink
I want to gather your darkness
in my hands, to cup it like water
and drink.
I want this in the same way
as I want to touch your cheek --
it is the same --
the way a moth will come
to the bedroom window in late September,
beating and beating its wings against cold glass;
the way a horse will lower
his long head to water, and drink,
and pause to lift his head and look,
and drink again,
taking everything in with the water,
everything.

>181 BLBera: Wow. that is powerful.

I know, Jenn. I thought it was a little long to copy, but it is so great. I will definitely be looking for more by Hayes.

>181 BLBera: That is a wonderful poem. Thank you for taking the time to copy it.

Poetry: I'm SO excited to be discovering it!!!!

I'm excited to be discovering new poets. It's also great to see you discovering it, Ellen. This is fun.

>182 BLBera: Huh, I missed this one at first. I like it too.

Hi Ellen - Yes, two very different poems, but I like them both.

Nonfiction National Book Award list:

Cynthia Barnett, Rain Cynthia Barnett
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me
Martha Hodes, Mourning Lincoln
Sally Mann, Hold Still
Sy Montgomery, The Soul of an Octopus
Susanna Moore, Paradise of the Pacific
Michael Paterniti, Love and Other Ways of Dying: Essays
Carla Power, If the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran
Tracy K. Smith, Ordinary Ligh
Michael White, Travels in Vermeer: A Memoir

I'm surprised Ghettoside was not on the list; I think it was published this year... I haven't read any of them and am only familiar with a couple.

I like this time of year when more book awards are announced. I am looking forward to the NBA Fiction nominations. Thanks, Beth, for recommending A Thousand Mornings I have it checked out from the library and love reading little bits of poetry here and there since my novel reading has slowed down in the past few weeks. I may need my own copy of it!

83. Max and the St. Mary's gang are back in this third in the series. This time, they go to Troy; the battle descriptions and the sense of history are well done. It ends with the usual cliffhanger. This is a fun series, great for a light-hearted read.

Hi Donna - I'm anxious to see the fiction nominees, too. I love Mary Oliver's poetry. I'm glad you are enjoying A Thousand Mornings. We have a lot of poetry love going on here at the moment.

I have about a hundred pages left in The Book of Speculation. I've been so busy with school, Scout and remodeling that it's going slowly, but I'm really enjoying the second half.

Fiction National Book Award nominees:
Jesse Ball, A Cure for Suicide

Bill Clegg, Did You Ever Have a Family

Karen E. Bender, Refund

Angela Flournoy, The Turner House

Lauren Groff, Fates and Furies

Adam Johnson, Fortune Smiles

T. Geronimo Johnson, Welcome to Braggsville

Edith Pearlman, Honeydew

Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life

Nell Zink, Mislaid

Well, this is humbling. I'm only familiar with half of these books and authors. I have been waiting anxiously for Groff's new novel. I'll go and see if others are available in my library.

Speaking of poetry, today is William Carlos Williams' birthday. In honor, one of my favorites:

The Red Wheelbarrow

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens

For me, Beth, most of this years list have been humbling. I'm only familiar with Did You Ever Have a Family, which I am in queue for at my library, and A Little Life. Both of those were on the Booker List, the only reason I have heard of them.

I just loved Maisie Dobbs. The start of what I hope will be a wonderful series.

This Is Just To Say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
-W.C.W

Thanks for the heads up on the anniversary of WCW.

>195 Copperskye: One of my favourites too. It was a poem on the Underground, such a good choice for a sticky hot tube journey.

Thanks for posting the awards lists. I'm most intirgued by Symphony for the City of the Dead from the children's list and Mourning Lincoln and Travels in Vermeer from the nonfiction list.

>193 BLBera:, >195 Copperskye: W.C.W is my first favorite poet. I came late to enjoyment of poetry.
How about something from W.C.W's Letters of a Nerd (since I love those epistolary books so)?

December 9, 1902

My dear Mother: We have been having awful weather here … I went to the dance … and I certainly was glad I had a dress suit, for every other fellow there had one … I went downstairs and was introduced to about fifteen young ladies. Of course I asked each one for a dance and trusted to luck to determine whether they knew how or not … I had the first dance with Miss Ecob. It was a two-step, and I got along all right but next came a waltz. Oh, boy! I don’t know who my partner was but I do know that she can’t dance the waltz. We started. At the first step I knew something was wrong; about halfway round the room I started to walk up the front of her dress. I descended hurriedly and excused myself as best I could. We started again. Pretty soon she started on a journey up my leg. This was too much for me and I backed out. As I went upstairs for repairs I saw her contemplating me with a sad, disgusted look on her face. After this I sat out all the waltzes. Not a single person there knew how to dance a waltz … After a while I began to get acquainted and just then everybody went home. My only regret is that I now I have started I may be invited to more dances and it is either a case of refusing or finding a gold mine somewhere. I don’t like these kinds of dances much, because they are too formal. The people I met are too sporty for me.

Hi Deborah - I'm glad you liked Maisie Dobbs. I thought it was really well done, and I hadn't read a lot about the time between the wars.

Thanks Joanne - That is another good one. BTW very easy to parody, too. One of my students did some good ones; I'll have to look around to see if I still have them.

Hi Charlotte - I'm glad to see so much WCW love here.

Thanks Carrie - I am on the NBA mailing list, so I posted them as they came in. I have to check out the nonfiction; I haven't really looked at the selections yet.

Hey Jenn - He's a great favorite. Love the letter. I love O'Connor's letters; it's just that I fall asleep after four or five, so it's taking me a while to get through them.

I was in the college library checking out materials to use in a class. I wandered over to the new book display and found The Undertaking of Lily Chen, a graphic novel. It's about the practice of ghost brides. The art is quite lovely and Lily is quite a character. It seems like the perfect read for a Friday evening when I am exhausted.

I'll finish The Book of Speculation tomorrow.

Hi Beth! Glad to see you enjoyed the latest Three Pines novel - I'm enjoying a slow reread of the older books in this series in preparation for catching up with the newer books. I'ev also added Nimona to my library list.

Happy weekend, Beth.

Hi Heather - You are in for some good reading with Three Pines. I'll watch for your comments on Nimona; it was an original idea.

Hi Barbara - Thanks. That looks like a wonderful reading spot.

84. The Book of Speculation tells the story of Simon Watson, a librarian, and his sister Enola. One day Simon receives an old book in the mail. The book seems to exert some kind of hold on him, and as he begins to read it and find out about the people mentioned in it, he realizes it is the story of his family.

The novel alternates between Simon's stories and the stories of his ancestors. In the middle part of the novel, this approach didn't really work for me. The story of Evangeline and Amos seemed more interesting than that of Simon, so the switch was irritating. But, while the story dragged in the middle, it picks up at the end.

I enjoyed this novel, which had great descriptions of the importance of books and language: "A librarian remembers the particular scent of glue and dust, and if we're so lucky...the smell of parchment, a quiet tanginess, softer than wood pulp or cotton rag. We would bury ourselves in books until flesh and paper became one and ink and blood at last ran together." It also shows the rewards of learning about the past and the dangers of dwelling in it.

I should add that they were drawings but the author that were very nice.

Next: I'm going to finish the graphic novel The Undertaking of Lily Chen and read a mystery from the library, Old World Murder

I just finished the sixth book in The Three Pines series, and loved it. Trying to keep myself from jumping right into the next one. I think I have all but the last one or two on my kindle.

Hi Beth--Hey, I am going to be out in MN for a wedding and I have Sunday, October 4th wide open. Are you up for a meetup? : )

Hey Kim - Name the time and place and I will be there. Can't wait.

Hi Colleen - You are lucky to have Three Pines books ahead yet. I'm all caught up so I have to wait until Penny writes another one.

85. Old World Murder is the first in a mystery series, and it was just what I needed. A well plotted mystery that kept me turning the pages in a fascinating setting. The protagonist, Chloe Ellefson, is a curator at Old World, Wisconsin, an outdoor museum settlement. This is a real place, with some fictional murder and mayhem added. Chloe is hoping for a fresh start here after a bout of depression that followed the break-up of a long-term relationship. Instead, she finds herself mixed up in the search for a lost heirloom and murder.

I liked the characters -- even if the relationship that is developing at the end seems a little unbelievable. Chloe is a bit of a mess but by the end, there's hope that things will improve. The novel did end in a cliffhanger, which I usually find annoying, but I'll look for me in this series. History combined with mystery, what more could I want?

And Old World is definitely on my radar for a visit.

Next: I'll finish The Undertaking of Lily Chen and I finally got A Spool of Blue Thread from the library, so I will get going on that.

>208 BLBera: I have only read the first two (I think) in the Three Pines, so I have lots ahead--yay! And I left some ideas for you on my thread because I saw your response there first. ;)

Nice review and I see you are another about to fall under the Blue Thread spell!!

>209 BLBera: I picked that one up as a Kindle freebie (on my iPad app) but I haven't read it yet.

Hi Kim: Any of them sound good. Let me know what works for you.

Hi Carrie - I think you'd like it - there's some history, genealogy, and of course, a good mystery.

Just got The Nature of the Beast from the library. This will be the first one I've read in print in ages. I'm looking forward to it. I just discovered Louise Penny's FB page. I didn't know her husband suffers from dementia. I will just say that my respect for her just increased exponentially.

Hi Jenn - I'm not on Facebook, so I didn't know that. How sad. It's amazing that she can keep writing, and such great books. I'll watch for your comments. I thought this last one was really good.

86. The Undertaking of Lily Chen addresses the practice of the ghost bride in China. When Wei, the first son dies, his parents instruct Deshi, the second son, to find a bride to keep Wei company in the afterlife. The novel tells the story of Deshi's quest. The art is beautiful; the watercolor panels of the countryside are lovely. The expressions of the characters are nuanced, and sometimes quite funny. Novgorodoff is a very talented storyteller and artist.

Next: A Spool of Blue Thread and a boatload of grading. I had to take a day off yesterday. I was exhausted. So, today will be filled with school work.

Beth, I hope you can find some part of the day that isn't grading. And that you enjoy A Spool of Blue Thread :-)

Thanks, Susan. I take breaks, but mostly to do laundry and clean. Still, it's nice to start the week feeling prepared.

Lily Chen sounds good. I am adding it to the wish list.

Beth, I've been curious about The Book of Speculation so was glad to read your thoughts about it. I loved the quote about the librarian which you included.

Like you, there are several books on the NBA Fiction list that I hadn't heard of. Humbling, indeed! Also enjoying the WCW love around here. His poetry is so simple and descriptive. I enjoy poetry I can understand.

I have Louise Penny's new book lined up for the new week. It's good to know I'm in for a treat.

>188 BLBera: I promised myself that I would read at least six nonfiction works this year. I have a copy of Between the World and Me which I'll get to as soon as I deal with this stack of library books, but that list might be worth investigating for other options as well.

I think we're going to be reading A Spool of Blue Thread at the same time. I'll be starting it tonight.

Hi Rhonda - It was beautiful and it was about an interesting topic.

Hi Donna - I would say in some ways The Book of Speculation reminded me of The Night Circus; I think fans of one would like the other. I don't remember what you thought of The Night Circus.

I will watch for your comments on the new Penny -- you do have a treat waiting for you.

Ellen - I mailed you a little something today -- finally. I started A Spool of Blue Thread last night and was immediately sucked into the family. It reminded me why I love Tyler; she has a gift for writing about ordinary people with such truth and clarity. I only got through the first 40 pages, but I have a feeling this will go quickly, even though I do have family stuff this week.

And, yay, for a shared read, however inadvertent it is.

Beth - I'll be looking for your comments on A Spool of Blue Thread. My mom bought it at Prairie Lights this weekend when she was up for a visit, and she is good about sharing, so I should get to read it soon.

I only knew a few of the National Book Award fiction nominees, but I was excited to see Angela Flournoy on the list. She's at the Iowa Writers Workshop and is teaching a MOOC on writing fiction that starts this week.

Hope you are well!

Hi Amy - I will certainly comment on the Tyler when I finish it.

I reserved the Flournoy from the library; I am not familiar with her work but look forward to reading it.

I got an email about the MOOC, but during the school, I just can't take on one more thing.

Hi Beth, I'm really looking forward to your comments on The Nature of the Beast. I'm hoping they will be more uplifting than mine.

Hi Lynda - See 144 for my comments; I liked it better than you did. I thought the historical element worked.

For Mira Jacobs fans, this is great:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mirajacob/questions-from-my-mixed-race-son#.ucGwY4k86

>226 BLBera: Another GN added to the wishlist!

>225 BLBera: Ohhh, I remember I did read your review Beth! Silly me! I hope Gamache comes out of retirement to work at McGill. That certainly opens up a whole new venue to solve murders. Perhaps the commute may be a hindrance.

Hi Charlotte: It does look good; I wonder if it is close to completion.

No problem, Lynda - I can rarely keep track of comments on my own thread, much less those of others. Yes, we'll have to see what Penny comes up with next.

Loving A Spool of Blue Thread

Beth! You sent me something. It makes me happy to know that I have a package to look forward to. I will try to get Hell's Bottom, Colorado in the mail to you this week, probably more likely next. My work schedule has done what it does and taken off like wildfire. Classes don't start until September 30 but I'm so booked every day. Still, I know that things will shift when this search is done. I predict that my schedule will feel very free for about six days and then it will fill with new duties and projects. That's okay. It's the next great adventure. Oh, what was this about? I will send that book to you as soon as I can. :-)

I'm into Part Three of A Spool of Blue Thread and I agree that Tyler "does" families as well as anyone. It has slow moments here and there but overall I am enjoying it. I've already chose the quote that will sit atop my "review."

I just put The Turner House on hold at the library. You and Amy seem to know the author and I don't, but I'm subject to influence. :-)

>229 BLBera: I really hope so. I love the Gandhi one (what did he sing!?)

Hi Beth! Oh my, I think my wish list may have doubled since getting caught up here! Glad to see you enjoyed Their Finest Hour and a Half. I read it a few years ago after Susan raved about it. It wasn't even available in the States at that time -- I had my mother hunt it down in Germany:) I didn't know she wrote another. I'm thrilled you enjoyed Crooked Heart so much, so onto the list it goes!

re: Brown Girl Dreaming -- it is in my pile as well. I have it at school -- can't wait.

Old World Murder sounds great!

Hope you have a lovely weekend.

Hi Ellen - No hurry - It's not as if I will run out of things to read...

I'm not as far as you are in A Spool of Blue Thread, but I am loving it. So often I find myself thinking, "Yes, this is how families work." I'm at the part where people are trying to adjust to the death. I guess I should be careful about spoilers...

Have a good weekend. I hope your Seahawks get back on track. Maybe you need a back-up team. I have one, so when the Vikings aren't doing well, as they frequently aren't, I have something to look forward to.

Hi Charlotte - I've been telling lots of people about it; I'll watch for the memoir.

Hi Anne - It's only fair; I always find books for the list on your thread -- especially books for Scout. That little girl is going to have a wonderful library. Crooked Heart is one of my favorite reads of the year.

I do have a good Scout story. I picked her up from daycare on Tuesday, and she had on white leggings. She pointed out to me that they were dirty, which I said was OK. Then she pointed to two buttons at the bottom of the leggings. "I have two buttons," she told me. I admired her "pretty red buttons." She looked at me and said, "Tita, they're PINK." (She was right.)

I guess all of the talking about color has paid off. This kid will be reading next year.

Wishing you a good weekend Beth. Hope the marking is bearable. Love the Scout story too.

Thanks Charlotte - Grading is grading. From now until the end of the semester, it is neverending. One bright spot, I do have good students this semester.

Yes, Scout does provide endless amusement.

I just got this for Scout; it's hilarious.

>236 BLBera: Love the look of that one. :) Lucky Scout.

Hi Jenn - It is very funny, and she's at the age where she gets it. Barnyard Dance is one of her new favorites.

I love Barnyard Dance!! And Shh! We Have a Plan looks like fun.

>215 BLBera: The Undertaking of Lily Chen sounds good. I know I enjoyed Ghost Bride when I read it last year.

More reason for me to read The Book of Speculation, as I really enjoyed The Night Circus a lot.

Happy Friday!

Hi Ellen - We were at the bookstore last week and she spotted a pile of Barnyard Dance and said, "Look, Barnyard Dance." Then, one by one, she carried all of the copies to a little table. I thought she wanted to read, but then she told me she was "putting them away," and she carried them all back to where she got them from. Her pile wasn't quite as neat as the original one, but she had a good time carrying the books between the display and the table.

Hi Mary - I'll be anxious to see if you like The Book of Speculation. If you liked Ghost Bride and you like graphic novels, you will like Lily Chen.

Thanks -- Happy Friday to all!

I'm going to see if I can finish A Spool of Blue Thread tonight.

I did like Ghost Bride, and I love graphic novels, so that is one book bullet meant for me! I just ordered a copy from the library. It should be in hand by next week. Yay.

>233 BLBera: Such a cute story! >236 BLBera: This is a good one! Lots of great picture books out now. My current favorites are Sparky, Meet the Dullards, and especially Penguin and Pinecone.

Beth, it's wonderful to hear about Scout's literary adventures! She sounds like quite a little character … and knows exactly what she wants int he book store!

>238 BLBera: We love Barnyard Dance at our house too. Another favorite is Pajama Time! which I still chant to the kiddos if they are dilly dallying at bed time. They moan, but they love it. Lol

"Pajammy to the left, pajammy to the right. Jamma, jamma, jamma, jamma, PJ!

You can bet that on my "Nana bookshelf" there will be ALL the Boynton books. :)

Great Mary - I'm glad you found a copy. I'll watch for your comments.

Hi Anne - I hope you're feeling better. I know; we have LOTS of picture books. I love Journey. I'll look for the ones you mentioned.

Hi Nancy - Yes, someone remarked that it's too bad she has no personality. She is just a joy. She is so interested in everything. When she rides her trike, we have to make frequent stops to pick up things to put in her trunk -- flowers, blades of grass, walnuts, sticks, etc.

Hi Jenn - I have Moo, Baa, La La La, which I think she might start to really enjoy, and my daughter bought Pajama Time when we were at the bookstore. She was reciting Barnyard Dance, so I guess they've read it a few times.

87. A Spool of Blue Thread is the story of the Whitshank family. Abby and Red have four children: Amanda, Jeanne, Denny and Stem. Denny is the "problem" child. He disappears for months, with no one knowing how to get in touch with him.

The story shows the complexities of a family. We see how things change as parents age. All families have their stories, traditions, and secrets. The Whitshanks are no different. Tyler does a great job of revealing a family that could live next door, or that you could see at the beach where you go to vacation each year.

This is really a wonderful book.

Next: A library book that a lot of people are waiting for. I'm excited about it because I loved Lauren Groff's Arcadia. I'll start Fates and Furies later.

>247 BLBera: Beth, I've never read anything by Anne Tyler before but A Spool of Blue Thread has gone on the library list.

>248 souloftherose: I also loved A Spool of Blue Thread, so I'm glad Beth got you with that book bullet!

>247 BLBera: I love how you captured the essence of the novel. Your reference to the family next door or the family you might see at the beach where you vacation every year ---- brilliant. Made me smile.

I don't know Lauren Groff. But I hope you enjoy Fates and Furies as much as you did Arcadia.

A favorite with my grandchildren, besides anything by Boynton, was The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear. It can be lots of fun to read to them.

Hi Heather - Tyler is worth reading. I know Joanne's favorite is Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, which I haven't read, but this one is also very good. I think she's underrated as a writer, perhaps because families are at the center of her work.

Hi Ellen - Thanks. The comments were pretty brief. I'll watch for yours because I know that you also loved this novel. I have my fingers crossed for Fates and Furies; it's always hard to read a second book by an author when I love the first. Often I am disappointed. I've heard good things about this new one, though.

Hi Colleen - I'm not familiar with the book, but I will check it out. A child can never have too many.

Well, back to school work. I've been very productive this morning, but I still have a lot to do.

Here's an article about the program that my daughter teaches in. There's a photo of her class.

http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/educators-immersion-programs-give-kids-a-...

>252 BLBera: Cool language immersion program in Rochester. All my kids attended French immersion program for several years in elementary. They loved it. And, my armor has finally weakened. Others have tried, but you hit me with A Spool of Blue Thread. Can't wait to meet you in person next week!

>246 BLBera: That's a good start. :) May I also highly recommend Birthday Monsters and But Not the Hippopotamus? *grin*

Happy Sunday, Beth.

Hi Kim - Do your kids still remember their French? I look forward to meeting you. You will like A Spool of Blue Thread.

Jenn - OK, you got me. I have to buy some more books for Scout. I should post a picture of her bookshelf at my house. (She also has one in her bedroom).

Hi Barbara - Beautiful. It's great apple weather, my favorite fruit.

>256 BLBera: Beth, here too, apples all over. I love it.

88. Station Eleven - I just finished a reread of Station Eleven, and it's even better than I remembered. I love all the questions it raises about what's important to remember and what can be left behind. I'm using this for a class, so I wonder what the students will think of it.

I'll read it again with them but I have decided for my classes, I will just count the reread books once each year. So, when I read What Is the What and The Round House this fall, I won't count them again.

Well, back to class prep and grading.

Happy Sunday, Beth! I enjoyed your thoughts on Blue Thread. I am almost done with it on audio. I am really enjoying it but I am not sure it is Booker worthy. IMHO. I am saving Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant for next year's AAC. My favorite remains The Accidental Tourist.

I can't wait for your thoughts on Fates and Furies. That is very high on my Must Read Now List!

>258 BLBera: You can do what you want but I say, if you read the book, you get to count it. Only English teachers reread things as often as, well, as often as English teachers, but it still takes time and presumably you notice something new each time. My dad, a Shakespeare scholar, surely read King Richard III at least thirty times over his professorial career and I think each of them counts! Of course, he died long before LT was invented. :-)

I am envious that you and Beth are having a meet-up and I am certain that you will have a wonderful time. I've met her twice now and she is delightful company. I've not met you yet but I'm confident the same is true. Have fun.

ETA: By "he died...," I mean my dad although the same could of course be said about Shakespeare.

I'm in a silly mood.

^^^ Totally agree. (About counting rereads, but also that you must be delightful company.)

Have a lovely and relaxing Sunday!

Hi Mark - Happy Sunday to you.

Hi Ellen - It just seems weird to me to count the same book three times in a year... I imagine your dad read King Richard III more than thirty times. I'm sure I've read Hamlet at least that many.

I look forward to meeting Kim. This will only be my second meet-up, but I have hopes for the future. I didn't see the game, but I understand that your Seahawks took a step in the right direction today.

Sorry, Mark about the Bears.

Thanks Mary -- things are getting confusing around here!

Well, I still have a couple of things I want to do to get ready for class tomorrow, so I'd better get on with it.

So glad that you enjoyed A Spool of Blue Thread. I sure did! I've read Anne Tyler off and on over the years as my sister is keen on her, especially The Accidental Tourist. I think my previous favourite was Dinner at The Homesick Restaurant. But I think A Spool of Blue Thread is her very best.

>256 BLBera: My daughter is minoring in French in college and loves it. We have had two French student stay with us and she has been over there visiting. My middle one switched to sign language and my youngest is taking French in High School, so not bad!!

>260 EBT1002: I've met Beth and can attest that she is in fact wonderful!

>265 rosalita: Lucky you, Julia! I know I will meet Beth one of these days.

Hi Deborah - I look forward to Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant; I know that is many people's favorite Tyler.

Hey Kim - See you Sunday! I'm so glad you invited me. The French did stick to your kids.

Thanks Julia -- You also are wonderful -- and very kind. :)

Hi Ellen - I hope your Monday is going well. Yes, we are destined to meet.

I was just on Ellen's thread where I read about how much blood you have given! Yay for you! I've always appreciated people who give blood, but when my dad was suffering from cancer, never more so. He needed quite a few platelet infusions and also red blood cells. Even so, he passed away of non- Hodgkin's lymphoma , but those blood transfusions really helped. Due to a medication that I take - and the fact that for most of my life I've weighed 105 lbs, I've not been able to give blood, but I really appreciate your contribution. Be proud of yourself ( and by the way, I"ve gained weight in the past 10 years, but I am still on medication. So no chance to try being a blood donor. My son tried, but found he was the fainting type, poor fellow.

Thanks Deborah. I like to donate when I can. I'm lucky because I have no ill effects at all.

Another one appreciative of your blood-giving, Beth. I hate needles with a phobic passion but have been known to donate of mine own occasionally.

Have a lovely weekend.

Hi Paul - I'm happy to donate on your behalf. I hope your weekend was lovely. Nice to see you around again.

Well, I just arrived home from a meet up with Katie (cammykitty) and Kim (Berly). We had a lovely time in Birchbark Books. Kim will post photos. We all found some things. I found two new-to-me Native American authors, and I also found some books for Scout.
My acquisitions:
Crazy Horse's Girlfriend
Power
The Orenda
Two Old Women
Last Night in Montreal
The Orphan Master's Son

We all showed great restraint. Thanks to Kim for arranging.

>271 BLBera: Nice book haul, Beth. I read The Orenda earlier this year. It's tough but wonderful.
I have The Orphan Master's Son on the TBR shelves....
I'll go over to Kim's thread to see photos from the meetup. :-)

Hey Ellen - I knew that someone had read The Orenda and had good things to say. The Native American lit section of Birchbark books is great. I hope I have the chance to get to some of my new haul soonish.

One of my colleagues is reading The Orphan Master's Son right now and raving about it.

Meet up sounds like fun. Looks like you got a great haul of books too.

Now I just hope to find time to read them. I'm super busy with school right now and will be taking back several library books unread. Oh well.

Thanks for stopping by, Charlotte. One of these days, I'll get around to a new thread. Maybe when I finish Fates and Furies...

Hi Beth! The meetup sounds like fun. That's a nice book haul!

I really liked the one Anne Tyler I've read so far - Digging to America. It's a deceptively simple story, yet details from the book have stuck with me better than most books do. I have Saint Maybe in my TBR stash so that will probably be the next of her books that I'll read.

Hi Beth, great book haul. I have both The Orenda and The Orphan Master's Son on my shelves patiently waiting for me to pick them up!

Hi Beth, nice shopping : ). Curious about The Orphan Master's Son … have heard of this one but don't remember what it's about. I must look it up.

I thought the Orphan Master's Son was amazing. It's about North Korea; so very hard. But masterfully plotted--I bet you will like it.

>275 BLBera: "...will be taking back several library books unread." I know the feeling.

Hi Carrie - Thanks. It was fun. LT people are good people. I also loved Digging to America. I haven't read Saint Maybe. I've heard great things about Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, so I think that will be my next Tyler.

Hi Judy -- They are also sitting on my shelves now! I hope to get to at least one of them this year.

Hi Nancy - The Orphan Master's Son is about North Korea; and that's about all I know. One of my colleagues was reading it last week and raving.

Hi Rhonda - Thanks - I am anxious to get to it. Darn job.

Hi Ellen - At least I get some sympathy here on LT. Yes, I will be returning several that are due. I do want to finish Fates and Furies, which is overdue and read the new Atwood. Then I have Links to look forward to for this month's book club book. Thank goodness we have a short school week next week. Our semester is half over already!

Well, I have a few more things to do before class tomorrow and then I'd like to try to finish Fates and Furies.

I've not heard of Fates and Furies but LT tells me that I should like it based on Did you ever have a family? So wondering if I should add it to the list...

Great haul, Beth! I fairly certain that my sister was very keen on The Orphan Master's Son. The Orenda is also supposed to be a great book, but I've yet to get to either one. And yes I know about returning books to the library unread! I'm an expert on that :)

Charlotte - Fates and Furies is great -- I'm slowly realizing how great as I approach the end. I hope to finish it tonight and maybe get some comments written tomorrow -- or Friday or the weekend...

Thanks Deborah. Yes, I did return two unread books today, but felt good as the librarian immediately put them on the on-hold shelf. So, people who have been waiting get a chance at them. I'll reserve them and try again later.

I did pick up a couple of books from the library that looked good: The Bookseller and The Turner House.

Just checking in. Sounds like a wonderful meetup occurred and great book haul!

Hi Beth! I loved meeting you and seeing Louise Erdrich's Birch Bark store. I am having technical difficulty posting the picture. The Birch Bark sign worked great, but our picture keeps posting upside down. >: ( I will keep trying. Thanks for making the trek up to meet us and I loved our muchies afterword. Thanks! I look forward to reading your recommendation, The Grass Dancer, in the near future.

Haha! I think you should just go with the upside down photo. :)

>284 BLBera: Glad to come here and find you've not yet written up Fates and Furies: buried under a pile of reservations, so I can put off this BB for another couple of days :-)

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Hi Lori - Yes, LT people are my peeps.

Hi Kim - Don't worry about the photo. Let me know the next time you're headed this way.

Hi Jenn - Or we could do without...

Hi Charlotte - I'm saving Fates and Furies, which is awesome for my next thread.