belva; 3rd times a charm

Over 300 posts and a new computer (Yea!~!); time for a new thread.

My 1st thread is here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/58024

My 2nd thread is here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/66879&newpost=1#lastmsg

Welcome and thank you for stopping by.
belva

I guess I should list the books I have read thus far in 2009. I'm still not sure how this goes, but here I go:

1. Beside a Burning Sea by John Shors
2. Collected Poems of Robert Frost by the same
3. King's Oak by Anne Rivers Siddons
4. Nora Jane-a Life in Stories by Ellen Gilchrist
5. Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg
6. The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg
7. Digging to America by Anne Tyler
8. Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler
9. Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
10. Complete Poems & Plays, by T.S. Eliot
11. The River King by Alice Hoffman
12. Blue Diary by Alice Hoffman
13. The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
14. Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman
15. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
16. Sweetwater Creek by Anne Rivers Siddons
17. Up Island by Anne Rivers Siddons
18. Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky
19. Low Country by Anne Rivers Siddons
20. Sandpebbles by Patricia Hickman
21. Outer Banks by Anne Rivers Siddons
22. Good Grief by Lolly Winston
23. Hill Towns by Anne Rivers Siddons
24. Ya Yas in Bloom by Rebecca Wells
25. Fault Lines by Anne Rivers Siddons
26. Pieces of my Heart by Robert Wagner
27. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
28. A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas
29. Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama
30. Language of the Threads by Gail Tsukiyama
31. Colony by Anne Rivers Siddons
32. The Last Valentine by James Michael Pratt
33. Do Dead People Watch You Shower by Bertoldi
34. Before You Knew Kindness by Chris Boyjalian
35. Thirteen Moons by Charles Fraizer
36. The Whole World Over by Julia Glass
37. The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg
38. Ordinary Life by Elizabeth Berg
39. Downtown by Anne Rivers Siddons
40. Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg
41. Rachel's Quilt by Sheila Spencer-Smith
42. Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
43. Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout
44. I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass
45. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowlings
46. The Sea Lady by Margaret Drabble
47. A Slipping-Down Life by Anne Tyler
48. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
49. The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks
50. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
51. The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama
52. The Dream Comes True by Barbara Delinsky
53. The Summer of Naked Swim Parties by Jessica Anya Blau
54. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowlings
55. The Memoir Club by Laura Kalpakian
56. One Extra*Ordinary Day by Harold Myra
57. Night Train to Lisbon
by Emily Grayson
58. Your Labrador Retriever by September B Morn (my guess is a pseudonym)
59. Guide to Owning a Labrador Retriever by Richard T. Burrows
60. Music of Falling Water by Julia Oliver
61. The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse
62. The Precious Present by Spencer Johnson
63. An Absolute Scandal by Penny Vincenzi
64. The Complete Stories of TRUMAN CAPOTE by of course, Truman Capote
65. The Breakdown Lane by Jacquelyn Mitchard
66. Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons
67. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
68. Eggshell Days by Rebecca Gregson
69. A Bluethroat Morning by Jacqui Lofthouse
70. Black Notice by Patricia Cornwell
71. Fox'es Earth by Anne Rivers Siddons
72. Searching for Paradise in Parker, PA by Kris Radish
73. Shop Girl by Steve Martin
74. Three Junes by Julia Glass
75. Body Double by Tess Gerritsen
76. Beloved by Toni Morrison
77. Adam the King by Jeffrey Lewis
78. The Woman Next Door by Barbara Delinsky
79. Local Girls by Alice Hoffman
80. Spring and Fall by Nicholas Delbanco
81. the saturday wife by Naomi Ragen
82. Minotaur by Benjamin Tammuz
00. Crime and Punishment
83. Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery
84. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
85. Big as Life by Maureen Howard
86. Studies in Classic American Literature by D.H. Lawrence
87. The Holiday by Stevie Smith
88. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
89. The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck
90. The Razor's Edge by Sumerset Maughm
91. The Fireman's Wife by Jack Riggs (ER)
92. Conscience Point by Erica Abeel (ER)
93. The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck
94. The Blank Wall by Elizabeth Sanxay Holding
95. The Penelopiad by
Margaret Atwood
96. March by Geraldine Brooks
97. The Moment Between by Nicole Baart
98. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
99. The Lost City of Z; A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
100. The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian

_______________________

Second series of books read in 2009:




101. Capote: A Biography by Gerald Clarke
102. Forest Cats of North America by Jerry Kobalenko
103. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
104. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
105. The Last Bridge by Teri Coyne
106. What Jane Austen Taught Me About Love and Romance by Debra White Smith
107. How Sweet It Is By Alice J. Wisler
108. Looking After Pigeon by Maud Markson
109. To A God Unknown by John Steinbeck
110. The Embers by Hyatt Bass
111. Bantam of the Opera by Mary Jane Auch
112. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
113. Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy
114. Love Letters from Cell 92 by Bonhoeffer and Von Wedemeyer
115. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
116. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
117. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeliene L'Engle
118. A World of Love by Elizabeth Bowen
119. The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love by Beth Pattillo
120. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
121. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
122. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
123. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
124. Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found by Jennifer Lauck
125. Evangeline by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
126. Burning Bright by John Steinbeck
127. The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
128. Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs
129. The Black Fawn by Jim Kjelgaard
130. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
131. Anna Karinina by Leo Tolstoy
132. Frost in May by Antonia White
133. Little Grey Men by B.B.
134. Battle Cry of Freedom by James M McPherson
135. The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
136. The Rising Tide by M.J. Farrell / Molly Keane
137. The Land of Spices by Kate O'Brien
138. Travel Light by Naomi Mitchison
139. The Life and Death of Harriett Frean by May Sinclair
140. Jonah's Gourd Vine by Zora Neale Hurston
141. The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
142. The Short Reigh of Pippin IV by John Steinbeck
143. The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Whew!~! With that one I finish my 999 challenge that I started in May and bumped my challenge up to 200 books. Wish me luck.

144. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
145. No Fond Return of Love by Barbara Pym
146. Allegheny, Monongahela by Erinn Batykefer

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a classic for all time. A beautifully drawn story of two friends who tramp together from ranch to ranch working a month or so here and there. George makes the decisions for the two of them and takes care of himself and his buddy, Lennie. Lennie is slow minded and unable to make decisions and choices. In the literary world I doubt you will find a character who grabs your heart any tighter than Lennie. There is a purity and innocence about this giant of a man that could never be seen in a normal person.
Every single character in Of Mice and Men is complete and one is able to understand their actions whether good or bad because it makes sense that that particular character would do or say that.
This is an unforgettable novel and it is so beautiful that you won't want to forget it. It has moments of sweetness, moments of horror, moments of sadness so heartbreaking you can feel them.
In one of Steinbeck's journals he said: "Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love." How simple and yet how profound. This author was a giant among men and I think that no matter how many times you read him, he will never cease to increase your knowledge nor your desire for knowledge.

Three threads! Now that's just showing off :-D

I've counted up and I think so far I've read 11 of your first set and 2 from the new. Pitiful! And what a beautiful review to start off your new thread - I've given it the thumbs up already. I think have I may have to push a Steinbeck or two up my TBR pile, it's been too long...

On other things - poor Abby! You should tip someone off about that, just make sure everything's above board there. And damn you with your beautiful weather! All we've had is wind, rain and cold, huddled in our sweaters in the shop hoping somebody, anybody will be caught out and head in for shelter! :-(

ETA: OK, we had three seconds of sunshine and I gaily skipped off into town to buy delicious goodies for my (maybe) day off tomorrow... and got soaked in a deluge that came OUT OF NOWHERE!!! I nearly drowned in a puddle and everything.

Oh, wow, I just blithely commented on my own thread that I thought you probably read quicker than me - now I can see that there's no probably about it! So your having 1500 unread books at home and my having 130 amounts to the same thing! How do you do it???

>#5:
Ellie;
Don't you know you can have mass threads if you post to your own all the time? Hee hee!
You poor thing; getting caught out in the wet whilst I am praying for rain here. I really don't think you want what we've had. I cannot ever remember it being 107 before. Whew!~! But it did cool down to 75 through the night. That felt quite delightful. But you shouldn't be having this much stormy weather at this time of year should you? And I suppose the goodies got soaked and now you will have to read with just your tea and no cakes. That's just wrong!~! Next time you must think to carry a little tube to put round you so you don't drown.
Yes, regarding Abby---I am going to call the humane society and give them the low down and see if they will check it out. I cannot wait for the fencing to be completed. She is so much happier when she can go in and out at will.
Thank you for thumb.
Enjoy your day off. Read something wonderful.
later babe,
belva

>#6:
Hi Rebeki;
Obviously, I don't or they would be read, now wouldn't they? I like to read. I don't sew or craft or anything. I have no social life/just my family, not fond of the telly so I read. And if you would stop handing out all those good recommendations, darn it, I could get some of my shelved books read. But no---you keep it up and so I must hit the libraries and stores to read the recs rather than mine. I have no will power you see. Last night I ordered both of the books I saw on the last two posts on your thread. Turrible, just turrible!~!
You, my dear, have a great day and I will catch you later on yours, mine or someone elses.
later dayz,
belva

Don't worry Belva - I think I've managed to salvage enough to make my day off a good one! A rather nice crusty roll, some sweeties from my childhood, some fresh baked white chocolate cookies... I think I managed to dry my new book out too and I got a delivery of new DVDs this morning so I can settle in for the day with books and movies and food. Hopefully it will be better than my last day off, when the food went wrong, the tax man sent a nice threatening letter and I ended up poorly all afternoon! Fingers crossed for me, okay! xx

Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found by Jennifer Lauck:

Thoughts and comments:

Taken from the dedication page:

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly."
The Beatles (1968)

"Blackbird", which I thought to be a novel while reading it, is in actuality a heartrending memoir written with such clarity from the viewpoint of author Jenifer Lauch's childhood from ages 5 to 11. She is one of a family of four. Her mother, with whom she has a wonderful relationship, is very ill and on some days cannot even get out of bed. Her father is a good and loving family man who works long hours while trying to care for his ill wife and family as best he can. Jenny also has an older pre-adolescent and emotional escapist brother.
She is a little girl who bends in the wind and under the direst of circumstances must take on the role of caregiver and sometime "adult". She bends but she does not break. She is always thinking of ways to help the situation while her older brother runs from it with his skateboard, often leaving her alone with her ill mother.
Jenny must absorb many life changes in her young years in order that her mother's health care may be better accommodated. A move far away so mother will be near better doctors and care facilities, non-existent time with her work worn father, a non-supportive brother who leaves her to clean up after their mother's messes and a family cousin who has come to take care of the kids but locks them out of the house while he gets high with his friends.
Despite all Jenny goes through she remains that soft little bird who tries her best to help make their life okay. Eventually her mother dies and Jenny is thrown into a new "family" with a "step" directly out of Jenny's favorite book "Snow White". She has many more trials to come and it would take all day to discuss them here, but with Jenny--you see a little girl who always looks for the positive side of what is happening regardless of the life she is forced to live.
Once I started this book I was unable to put it down. I found it horrifying and yet fascinating and real. It was very well written; realistic and not cloying. I very highly recommend it for anyone looking for a good read.
Our beloved Frank McCourt said of this book: "The unblinking look of one child at a hard world. Written gloriously & movingly."
He's right.

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean:

My thoughts and comments:

"Madonnas", another debut novel, is a very different book; a very interesting book. It takes place in Leningrad in the fall of 1941. The main character is Marina, a tour guide at the Hermitage Museum. She and other staff members have been asked to take the artwork out of the frames and remove the paintings to the basement of the museum to later be removed from the museum property to a place of safekeeping in preparation of Germany's approach to the city.
As bombs begin to fall, the work at the museum accelerates and Marina finds herself along with her comrades working around the clock, sometimes only sleeping two or three hours every couple of days.
With the help of an elderly museum worker Anya, a room attendant, Marina begins to build a "virtual museum" in her head. Anya helps her to remember all the paintings that have hung in the museum, even ones already gone, down to their last detail. These rooms at one time were filled with at least 100 Madonnas alone. And so Marina begins to remember so that the world will not forget.
Within the story boundaries are also the stories of the siege of Leningrad, the starvation and deaths of thousands, the love story of Marina and her young soldier, and the story of Marina's later years; all of it riveting and unforgettable.
Near the end of the book a group of youngsters come into the museum and Marina asks them if they would like a tour. She gives them a tour just like she did before the the war began to effect them. At first the children look to each other in question as she describes paintings not there but as they follow Marina along the museum corridors and go room to room they too begin to see the artwork that is not longer there as Marina describes in great detail each work of art and each painting of the Madonna. This was my favorite part of the book and I could feel myself in this time and place.
I liked "Maonnas" but had to work to keep imagining myself in that time and in that place; to remain focused on the story. It was a quick but not an easy read for me. I had to really concentrate in order to remain in the story. I couldn't read this one in the same room with someone watching TV or talking. It is a harrowing tale but at the same time a beautiful concept for a story. I would not be surprised if a good deal of this actually occurred in one way or another.
The book was not at all what I expected but after reading it, I couldn't remember what I did expect. It's kind of a jaw dropper; not a shocker, but just that something like this could have happened. It is a part of history that I had never given thought to prior to the reading of "Madonnas". I recommend this book to those of you who are interested in this part of history or in works of and the field of art.

Evangeline by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The beautiful, lyrical poem about the Acadians after the discovery of America.
One of the most beautiful openings in the history of literature:

"This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,
Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,
Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,
Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms.
Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring ocean
Speaks, and in the accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.

I am certain that many of us here on LT know those words by memory.

"Evangeline is just a beautiful, lovely poem a little over 100 pages long about love and loss; the searching and finding of it again only to realize it is too late.

My copy has been handed down in the family and is a very delicate April, 1908 copy. It was copyrighted in 1900.

I read this for the first time in the fifth grade and have never forgotten it. I very highly recommended "Evangeline" for anyone who loves poetry and beautifully written prose.

Burning Bright By John Steinbeck.

My thoughts and comments:

Burning Bright is one of three play-novelettes, (a genre created by Steinbeck), to be written by him. The first was Of Mice and Men and then The Moon is Down.
"Burning Bright" is written in a very unusual manner and this is the first time I have come across it. It is written in three parts. All three parts are written about the same characters: Joe Saul, Friend Ed, Mordeen (Joe Saul's wife) and Victor, but takes place in a different setting.
The first part takes place in a circus environment and the characters are part of the circus. Their lives intertwine as Friend Ed is Joe Saul's best friend and would do anything for him. Mordeen is very much in love with her husband, who unknowingly is sterile, and Victor is the man of many talents and master of none. Victor falls in love with the lovely Mordeen and of course complications arise. She cares not a whit for him. In fact she despises him.
The thing that Joe Saul wanted more than anything in this world is to be a father. Mordeen thinks she knows how to accomplish this for him and very wise Friend Ed is savvy and knows all.
The second part takes place on a ranch or farm with the same characters in the same roles but as farm people. Mordeen is feeling a little lackadaisical and is taking life a bit easy these days. Friend Ed and Joe Saul are having coffee and Joe Saul has cooked breakfast for them. Joe Saul offers breakfast to Mordeen and she declines. He asks if she is all right and she says: "Yes...the doctor told me to take it a little easy for a while." Joe Saul wants again to know if she is all right and she responds: "Joe Saul, I'm going to have a baby. We are going to have a baby."
Joe Saul is so overcome, he begins to weep. Then he gets so happy he begins to dance around the house and they decide to have a little party. Joe Saul wants Friend Ed to go to town with him to get the goods for the party and leave Victor, the hired hand, with Mordeen. Friend Ed doesn't think this is a good idea but Joe Saul insists. Friend Ed gives Mordeen the look for he is wise and very savvy and knows all.
The third part has the same characters but takes part on a boat. Friend Ed has his vessel and Joe Saul and Mordeen have one with Victor as their hand. Mordeen is close to her term.
"Burning Bright" is probably the least favorite work of John Steinbeck's that I have read to date. It was still good but I would probably only recommend it to true Steinbeck aficionados.

Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs:

My thoughts and comments:

This is a very light, breezy, summer read. It is definitely chick lit. (what I consider to be a book directed at women)
The storyline is that a couple getting ready to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary want to do it at the same place they were married. They want to renew their vows at their vast property that used to be an active summer camp for families and then for youth but has since fallen to rack and ruin. They contact their grandaughter, Olivia, to ask her if she will take charge of the renovations. She has the whole summer to do it, her uncle and his 2 kids will help, she can hire a contractor and her assistant and she has a couple of cousins who are also going to help.
Olivia, having just broken up with her 3rd fiancee agrees, not knowing that the only contractor within miles is the same boy, now grown up, that she fell in love with when she was at camp herself in her youth.
This is a great summer read and I enjoyed it immensely and intend to read the other 3 or 4 in the series The Lakeshore Chronicles
I highly recommend it for light summer reading and if you ladies need a break from heavier reads.

Hi Belva - Madonnas was a good read but I liked City of Thieves better. It also takes place during the siege of Leningrad but is a very different story.

Hi Joanne;
I will have to give City of Thieves a try at some point in time. I have seen it kicked about LT for quite a while now so I think across the board it has been pretty well received. I liked The Madonnas of Leningrad but it was a struggle to stay focused on the book. I was really easily distracted and that is not like me so I think the writing of it was a bit disjointed. The concept of the story of mentally saving art was so interesting.
The siege of Leningrad itself sounds really horrific. I read a book of a siege on one of the cities of Russia some years back. I cannot remember what city it was nor the name of the book, but it was very good and the story was horrendous. I recall a description of the stairwell in an apartment building having so much ice on it that it no longer had steps. It was just a solid slope of ice and the inhabitants could hardly get up and down them, but had to get out daily to forage for food.
But I will be checking for City of Thieves. It sounds to be very good.
later dayz,
belva

Amazon.com came to call to day and staying over with me are:
Walking the Bible by Bruce Feiler
Abraham by Bruce Feiler (wrong touchstones)
Where God was Born by Bruce Feiler
Home by Marilynne Robinson Yea!~! Have been waiting and waiting for this one.
I am so excited for September to arrive now. I have so much good reading saved up for then.
August I have reserved for an all Virago month so I am really looking forward to reading a lot of the different authors of the Virago Press. As of yet, I have only read 2 so I am quite the novice to this genre. I am hoping to love them. But what to begin with.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Oh well, I will figure that one out tomorrow when I begin.
blessings on all,
belva

Hey Belva- I just received a copy of City of Thieves and I'm really looking forward to it. Glad to see you nabbed Home, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Have a great weekend!

Hey Belva,

Evangeline sounds wonderful! We have a copy of Longfellow's complete works here but since it's £50 I'd better not borrow it! I'll find another copy. My day off was blissful - breakfast (and book) in bed, a bit of tidying up (which always feels better), an entire comedy series on DVD, more reading, pizza, and the beautiful 'Young Victoria' on DVD last night. OK, so not so much reading, but it was divine all the same!

Unfortunately this morning I had a letter to tell me my most basic benefit entitlement to tide me over these first few months in the shop has been rejected (no explanation why)... kind of brought me back down to earth with a bone-crunching thud. Guess I'll be turning the heating off and eating beans on toast for a while. Good job I have books to cheer me up! xxx

Hi Belva,

Wow, you really do read fast.

I have The City of Thieves to read for one of my RL book groups in January, so I am waiting until then. Otherwise I might not remember it to discuss. I also have The Madonnas of Leningrad may try to read that sooner, or may read it as a companion to the other. haven't decided yet.

Hope your fence gets built and you can let Abby out. Can't believe it would be legal to crate dogs 24/7 for boarding, even if they give them breaks.

I am in NH and I can say we definitely have the weather from the Pacific Northwest. It has been raining here almost every day this summer. We are all going to rust !.

I read Of Mice and Men in school at is was very sad.

>#18:
Hi Mark;
Oh, you beat me to it. Well, let me know what you think of city of Thieves I know I will love Home as I really liked Homemaking and Gilead grabbed my heartstrings and pulled me in tight.
Thanks for your many recx Mark. I haven't gone wrong on one of yours yet.
You have a good week end too. See you on "Pillars",

>#19:
Miss Ellie;
Hello you. Evangeline is wonderful! But I would thing you could find it in a used shop really cheap.
Your day off sounds like heaven to me. You must live alone to be able to do all of that lovely "just for me" stuff. What a way to spend a day. Hey there's a song for a day like that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p7rzxuAmZc

And those people need to just stop writing those nasty letters to you. They can be so depressing. But on the lighter side; beans have a lot of protein and easier to pile on the layers than strip them off. A kitty to cuddly with helps to keep one warm also. And, yes, books always cheer one up.
I will look for a cheaper version of Longfellow's works over this side of the pond for you.
hugs & snugs,

>#20:
Hi Ficus;
What's shaking? Oh, you are right there with Mark on beating me to City of Thieves. I am getting so many recx on that one, but I must put it off until September. I don't know if I would be able to wait until January. You must have a lot of will power. It has to be a killer book!~! Everyone is chattering it up.
The fence is now up and Abby is safely confined. She is a house dog, but she does like it outside and now we will not have you worry. Yea!~! belva is a happy camper. Was not fun taking her out to poo on a leash every time. And she was embarrassed too poor thing, cuz mommy was watching. She likes to hide behind a tree to do her "stuff".
Hopefully you will begin to dry out soon FF because we are, while not cool or raining, in a cooling trend. Good for us and hopefully good for you.
And yes, Of Mice and Men is sad, but did you appreciate it and/or like it?
later dayz girl,

belva

The Black Fawn by Jim Kjelgaard.
What a wonderful coming of age story about a 12 year old orphan boy who is literally farmed out to an elderly couple who need help on their farm. When he first comes to the farm, he isn't sure about things, but as he settles in he realizes that "Gram" and Gramps" are just down to earth good folk. One of the first days he is there Gram thinks he needs a break from his work and tells him to go for a walk in the woods. While on his walk he comes across a newborn black fawn. Something in their souls immediately connect and he picks up the fawn and takes him home. Well, that doesn't set with Gramps and he assures the boy, Bud, that the fawn's ma didn't abandon her baby and that she is there somewhere. So the both of them take the fawn back and sure enough, there is the doe. And the doe and fawn walk away into the wood.
As the boy grows up he learns about farming, raising chickens, he learns to hunt and fish with Gramps and he learns that he loves this life. Every so often when he is out in the wood, he will catch a glimpse of the black fawn and in this manner he gets to watch him grow up into a magnificent stag.
I read this book for the first time when I was about 8 years old. It was a Christmas gift to 2 of my brothers and myself and all three of us read it on Christmas day. One of the brothers is gone but the other lives in Alaska and he and I mail this book back and forth to each other annually. I highly recommend it to youth or adult. It is a beautifully written book and has a purity to it that one doesn't often find in books today.

#22 I guess I appreciated Of Mice and Men . I thought it was terribly sad. I thought the normal guy abused the disabled guy - don't remember the names and still was pissed at him at the end.

George and Lennie were their names. You might get a different take on it if you were to reread it these years later. George really loved Lennie and did what he did out of love. If he hadn't, much worse would have happend to Lennie. If you ever decide to reread it please let me know if your thoughts change on it.
Thank you.
belva

Hi Belva - Jim Kjelgaard is the author of Big Red and Irish Red, both of which I read and loved (many years ago, though). The Black Fawn sounds very interesting.

All of his books are great and many are classics. I believe the two you mentioned are considered so. You would love it The Black Fawn Joanne. It is a wonderful story. Anyone who likes "coming of age" or animal stories would. Actually, probably anyone at all would love this book. I hope you read it one day.
Good to "see" your smiling face.
hugs,
belva

back at'cha!! The sun is out and it's in the 80's so I do have a smiling face today!

Is Abby back home yet?

Oh there is a whole Abby story. I will have to find it or direct you there. But yes, she is home and happy; fence is up, all is right with the world.
We are in the 90's so hubby is outside pulling down old fencing, I am inside where it is relatively cool. But I am smiling also.
hugs & snugs,
belva

coppers;
found it on my old thread (July 29) and it goes like this:

Our doggie, Abby, is home and it is a sad tale to tell.
The grandsons and I went to visit her on Monday and while they were bringing her out to us I just happened to ask the size of the kennels. The girl just looked at me (like: duh) and said: "Kennels? We don't use kennels. We crate them." I said: "What!?!?!?!" She said: "Well, we let them outside 3 or 4 times a day." I said: "Lady, when we used to kennel our springers here you had 6x8 kennels for each dog. We have a crate at home that she uses at night and if I wanted to keep her crated, we would have just kept her at home!~!" She said: "Well, we can kennel so many more this way." I said: "Not mine, you can't." And we brought her home. I was a little pissed to say the least!~! She was so happy to be with us and we are happy to have her home.
Still no fence---they are trying to work us in between jobs because of Abby. But we will just keep her in the house and when she goes out to potty, one of us takes her out on the leash because it just takes a second and she is over that fence. Better than being stuck in a crate--she has the whole house to roam, she just can't be free outside until the new fence is up. The way our house is built; the living room, then a big archway, the dining room, a door sized arch, the kitchen, another full archway and the computer room/office. So with it being so open lengthwise like that we can play fetch in the house and we do. In fact, today I was playing fetch with her and I hit my large (on a stand) fan, knocked it over and it broke all three blades off. So that went in the trash. What a day to do that!~!~! 80 in the house and 107 outside!~!

Today: But things are all good now.

Belva- Liked the review of The Black Fawn. I'm not familiar with Kjelgaard. I'll see if I can track him down. Is this the one I should start with? The book reminds me of Jim the Boy, which I read a couple months ago and loved.

Belva, dearest, all these reviews of beautiful books are NOT helping the whole 'poverty line' thing! Now I have to add The Black Fawn to my wish list and be tempted to buy ever more...

I am now having to live on £40 a month, unless this mess with the tax credits turns out to be a horrible mistake (or something I can appeal their asses off). Ideas so far: give up my little flat (next door to the family house - you were right!) and move back in, sell my 'never-going-to-wear' pretty dresses on eBay, give up my TV license altogether, never go into town again (too many charity shops and delicious foodie temptations)... :-(

Just don't try to take my books away, okay!!

I think I may have read The Black Fawn years ago -- it sounds so familiar! I'm going to have to look for it.

Hi Mark;
Thank you. All of Jim Kjelgaard's works are good. He wrote Big Red, Irish Red, Stormy and so many other great books. They are suited for everyone's enjoyment but I think he directed them mainly at adolescent boys. I love them all. The Black Fawn is probably my favorite for sentimental reasons. But I think I would start with Big Red and if you like it go on from there. But please do read The Black Fawn. I know you would like it and it is a quick (all of them are) easy read. Kind of a shorter, lighter Jack London.
I have not read (and shame on me) Jim the Boy yet and it has been bandied about on here for quite some time always getting rave reviews. I need to pick that one up.
I hope you are enjoying your weekend and that the weather is cooperating a little better for you. We are cooled down into the low 90's yesterday and supposedly today. I was even in our little pool with the grands yesterday. They thought that was pretty funny. Nanny in the pool.
Catchya later dude,
belva

I went to the little bookshop that I am so fond of after my son's birthday party yesterday and brought home with me:
Cassell's Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins by Nigel Rees (to take to my daughter when I go to visit. She is a word-a-holic and has been since 2nd grade. Had to have her first Theausarus and dictionary right then and has had them at her night stand or desk ever since. She just turned 40 and still has the addiction. She called me the other day and was so excited. She had gone to Half Price Books and found a dictionary she has been looking for all her life. An unabridged one. She said it was a '96 edition, but she didn't care. It has all the "old" words in it and that is what she has been seeking. It tickled me that she was so excited at the find. I so understand that feeling!~!),
I also got David Guterson's new The Other (love his writing) and the third book I bought was on the $ cart. But I was excited to find it. It looks really good, is entitled Germinal and the author isE'mile Zola, whom I have always thought a fascinating personality. I have read about him but not by him. So I would love to hear from any of you who have read this book or anything by him. I'm excited for when I do get into it.
I was shopping for The Fourth Bear of The Nursery Crime series by Fforde, The Autobiography of Henry the VIII by Margaret George and Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell. She (the owner) didn't have any of them and told me that she has absolutely no call at all for Fforde and she just doesn't understand it as she thinks him brilliant. So I will happily continue my quest. She and I both love Steinbeck and our favorite of his we share also: The Winter of Our Discontent. She said her favorite book in the world is Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons, (which I have (I have three of hers, but have only read one) and it wasn't that one. So have moved "Charms" way up on my list. It is so great when you find a bookshop owner/employee that "gets" you. I am certain Miss Ellie "gets" all of her patrons.
Well, have taken up enough of yourr time for one day. Off to enjoy a cup of decaf:-

Hi, Belva! How did your new thread go unnoticed by me for five whole days? Did you forget to link your old one to this new one? (I'm hoping that's the case, as I like to blame my lapses on others whenever possible!) I guess since we follow each other all over LT, so it didn't dawn on me that your thread went missing. Or maybe because you have more than one thread as I do? Most days I just read my starred threads, but today I had some time to see if anyone new has started a thread--and found YOU! :-) Surprise! Surprise! **said with my best Jim Nabors accent** Anyway, I've already added Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found to my way too long wish list. Thanks a lot, friend! **she says, but never sarcastically**

Edited to add missing words

Hi, Belva!
I have been enjoying all of your wonderful reviews! :) I am glad that your Abby is home again. And so sorry about all that heat. One time at college, it got to 113F and I thought that I would not survive it!! And to think that I was complaining about 103 and no ac (but we did not cool off at night) -- see I'm still complaining. :D

I had to start on Pillars one day early and then had to read the whole section. Now I am beginning to wonder how I will wait a whole week to read the next part. And I have lots of other books to read, so I need to just relax! I am also wondering how to just read one section of AK now that we are so close to the end.

I have been spending as much time as possible with my baby before she leaves for college. We have been reading together. I ask for spoilers on Pillars which she refuses to give me. We have been watching chick flicks together -- Bridget Jones' Diary, Mystic Pizza, Casablanca, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Alien versus Predator. It has been too much fun. Also gathering things needed at the home away from home. My other baby is about to turn 21 Friday in Spain without me. But I am calling lots and who cares that those minutes are pricey? She is planning a trip to Valencia to celebrate her birthday.

Hope you had a wonderful day!
--BJ

Dear Belva, how sweet you are to imagine I "get" all my patrons... sadly this is not the case. I'd "get" any LT-ers who stumbled in, I'm sure - but sadly not everyone is as respectful and enamoured of books as we are. Some people still think this is a charity shop and stalk back out with a look of disgust when they realise it's all books. Some snap at their children and tell them they can't touch the (children's) books before leaving with nothing. Some believe that our (low and very fair) pricing is just too much for a nearly-new (or old and specialist) book, and boy do they like to shout about it - never to us, just loudly to each other.

That said, there have been some stars. Yesterday I had a wonderful conversation about childhood reading with a woman buying a fairy book to remind her daughter (just off to uni) of the days when they would read together and she would write letters from the 'fairies' in the garden to her little girl. A couple of younger girls - maybe 15 or so - have eagerly perused every single shelf, bought an armful of books and had to be dragged away by their mums when they spotted another treasure waiting to be explored. Now, THOSE people I get!

>#36:
Hi Bonnie. How are you?
No, I linked the old to the new but then we had a couple of posts beneath it so: "Well, gawllllly" , I did it again just for lil old you. I usually hit my starred threads first also and if I have time I try to get to a fresh one a couple of times a week and I always attempt to hit the brand new ones and give them a welcome. Most of the time you get the nicest responses from those.
Are you appreciating the cooler weather? Isn't it marvelous? I feel so much better. I can even sleep good at night. Loving it. The other night it actually got down into the 50's.
Aw, c'mon---I think you will really like Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found and she has a sequel either out or coming out entitled Still Waters. I am going to be looking for that one soon.
Have a good day and I hope you are reading something really good. I am working on catching up with the "Pillars" group read and have just a few more pages to go. I just started Parts 2 and 3 yesterday and spent most of the afternoon and evening reading them. I believe we start Part 4 today. I'll have to check with Mark on that. And I also thought I was behind on "Anna" but now I am thinking not. So take care and I will see you on your thread.
hugs,
belva

>#37:
Hey --BJ;
My fine friend, watcha doin? OMG!~! 113????????????? I would lay down and die on the spot!~! You poor thing. We are cooling down nicely. It is only supposed to hit the mid 70's today and yesterday it was just 88. Night before last it actually got down to the 50's. I slept so good that night. It was wonderful but it had been in the upper 90's that day. There is no figuring it.
Good girl; your daughter refusing you any spoilers on "Pillars". I would have tattled to the facilitator and you know how rough Mark can be. Hee hee hee. You and she have been having a good time. All those fun movies and; Renee' Zelwiger, Julia Roberts, Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn, then icky guys!~! But fun for you both. That's great. Girl time together before she goes off. Sounds like the other one is having a good time without mum. What are their names --BJ? I just always hear "daughters" or "daughter". Inquiring minds, ya know.
You have a good day too. I am off soon here as I have a few pages to get caught up so I can start Part 4 with you guys on "Pillars". You are getting ready to start Part 4, aren't you?
hugs,
belva

>#38:
Hello Miss Ellie;
Well of course "those" are the people you Would get!~! You understand them. They share your passion. The others are just lookie-loos and cannot even be termed patrons.
I would have loved to met the woman who bought the fairy book. What a treat for her to give and for her daughter to receive. Now, that is what loving books is all about. And those young girls; that must have tickled you heart to see them checking out everything so carefully.
I think if I go back to work I will look for work in a bookshop or try to get on with the library system or perhaps a music store. If I work out again I want it to be with something that I love.
Enjoy your day Ellie.
It's nice and cool here. Hubby is off work and doing child care so I can read, lay abed, go visit me mum, do house work, anything I want. I feed them and that is pretty much it yesterday and today. Tomorrow I am back on as he as a racing mower to rebuild for the firemen to enter in to the lawnmower races at the Logger's Jubilee this week end. So I will appreciate these two days.
later babe,
belva

Hey, Belva! I cheated and started Part 4 yesterday and then could not stop until I finished it!! I liked this part a lot. Gotta go cook lunch!
--BJ

Hey, Belva- Yes, Part 4 starts today. I think most of us are well into it. I have about 70 pages left and really enjoying this section. The change of scenery is very nice.

Am almost finished with Part 3; would have been but had a mother emergency this afternoon, but all is well now so will continue on when I hit the old bed tonight.

In a different vein, when I went to the post today; man oh man, what a haul. I brought home: Harry Potter, 1, 2, and 3 (as we had read the library copies), the other 4 Ripley stories by Highsmith, The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, World Without End, the critiqued version of The Great Gatsby, Talk of Angels, courtesy of Barbara, (many thanks my dear), Beyond These Walls, Gone to Earth, Harriet Hume, Hester Lilly, Hudson River Bracketed, In Summer Season, The Infernal World of Branwell Bronte, Troy Chimneys, The Sugar House, Solstice, Red Pottage, Pillion Riders, My Self When Young, Empire Falls, and A Year in Provence. Whew!~!
Now I must wait until the 10 of September to begin any of them. Patience, patience.
Hope everyone has had a nice day.
Can't wait to finish up the last few pages of Part 3 of "Pillars" and get on to Part 4. It is really getting goodererer!~!
belva

just catching up... refusing to read book titles.. do not want to inflate my wish list this morning!

Why are you waiting till sept to read?

Chicken, aren't you kath?

I am waiting until September to read anything (other than my group reads) because I have designated August for nothing but Virago Press books. Have you heard of them Kath?

I have.... I have read some, but because they look good.. tell me why you are
doing a virago month?

tiffin thought it sounded like a good idea ( I think she is a Virgo) and those of us on the Virago site have jumped on the bandwagon with an All August/All Virago month long challenge.
It's working out well. I'm on my 3rd one, but the 1st for the month.
later babe,
belva

Hi Belva!!

#30 - Oh what a dreadful story! Thank goodness you saw where they were going to put her before you left her there. We haven't had to put Copper in "jail" for several years now thankfully. She doesn't do well in the kennel enviro. (And that's with full size runs!)

Oh, Joanne---that IS the sad part. We had left her there for 2 days and went for visit and to play fetch and take her for a walk and maybe bring her home for a while. That is when dummy me thought to ask. We had used that same kennel years before when we had our springers and they had runs and regular kennels. ya know, like 8x6. I still feel guilty, but like the dog whisperer says: Dogs live only in the moment. So hopefully she has already forgotten being contained in a bed all day and night too.
How are you? Been missing you. My grandson has rather taken over the computer now that we have the new one and he can actually go places on it. Like to see himself at the Seahawks football camp get creamed by a 14 year old. (him being all of 11) But he's learning some new stuff and it's all good. We monitor pretty closely and I have the mornings and evenings.
Thank you for popping by.
luv ya,
belva

Well it's good you rescued her when you did!!

I haven't been around too much lately. My laptop is in the shop and so my son and I are sharing our little netbook computer. I get the short end of the stick on the whole "sharing" thing! Work's been busy and when I get home I hardly want to look at a computer any more. Things will calm down soon.

I finally finished part 3 of Pillars. There were always some cruel, horrible people in the world, weren't there?!

I'm getting nudged away....bye, bye!!

Ever since Cain and Able, there have been cruel and evil people in the world. I am almost done with the book. As I am leaving in a few days to go to my daughter's in Texas, I didn't want to tote too much with me and I didn't want to wait until I got back to finish it either. (I only want to take one book with me, besides her gift book, and I want it to be something that will last me the two weeks.) I have loved this particular group read. Mark organized it so very well and the read rate was just right so that you could still read other books on the side but not lose sight of where you left off in "Pillars".
I'm looking forward to September when the kids go back to school and I will have a few hours to myself each day and more time to help my mother as well. This has been a huge commitment for me this summer and I think that next summer perhaps I will see if we can have the boys for just one or one and a half months. Or perhaps just 2 or 3 days a week for the duration. We'll see.
Enjoy the rest of 'Pillars". I did.
big hug,
belva

Hey,Belva- I finished Part 4 today. It was probably my favorite section, so far. How much more do you have left? When do you leave for Texas? I'm going up to Wisconsin for some fishing, Mon-Thurs. and then I plan on knocking out the remainder of "Pillars". I agree, it's been an enjoyable Group Read!
big hug back!!

Whoa!~! I was just over on your thread posting to you. I think I answered everything here.
Is you sister still with you?
Very cool that you are going to get some fishing in on your vacation. I'm not much on the fishing unless someone else baits my hook for me, but am all about the eating. I do like to go salmon and halibut fishing in Alaska off the boat with my brothers who live up there. And shrimping, and crabing, etc. Love that!~!
Well I hope you are taking your ice chest and that you bring it home full!~!
talk to you later Mark.
belva

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

My thoughts and comments;

I loved this read. I wasn't happy with the rape scenes but accepted them as part of the narrative. I was very pleased with how Follett acquainted us with all of the characters and thought that he drew us intimately into their lives as well. Though I am not a technically nor mathematically inclined person, I enjoyed the scenes of planning and building the cathedral as well as the personal stories. It was very much a characterization within the framework of the novel. I think it was powerfully and masterfully written. I loved most of the storylines so I was happy overall with the content as well as the writing, which I found to be superb. I wish that all my reads were this all-consuming of my mind.
belva

Belva- Great comments on "Pillars"! And I'm glad you helped make it happen. I'm sure your enthusiasm sparked everyone. We made a nice team!
Hot & sticky here! Yuck! I've been plowing through Worst Nightmares and really enjoying it. It reads like a leaner version of Stephen King. Are you a fan of King? Hope you are having a good day!
:-)
M

Thank you Mark. It was good, wasn't it?
On Stephen King, I have read a very few of his works. Carrie, Pet Cemetary, Kujo, Firestarter, Misery, and Delores Claiborne. I really liked the later two. But I quit reading him because it seemed that he so frequently used children or animals as the catalyst for the actions in his storylines. Just a personal thing. Both of my daughters are "rabid" King fans.
As far as having a good day-----it is the annual "Morton Loggers Jubilee"; the world championship woodsman competition and all that goes with it. Sixty seven years of it, I believe. And we live right in the middle of it. Thank goodness the fence was up before it this year. Three days of noise, traffic, parades and street dance right across the block from us, drunkenness, and mayhem!~! I am staying home, tucked up tight reading and so yes, I am having a good time. The husband, kids and grands run in and out but that doesn't bother me. I just fix a lot of food before hand and hole up in my bedroom and read. Works out great. They come in to eat and run and if they miss me they just come in my bedroom to visit me. I think my granddaughters hung out for about 3 hours with me between yesterday and today.
Hope your day is going swell. Bet you can't wait for your take off day!~! Mine is right behind you.
Take care traveling and I will catch you later.
belva

I used to read a lot of books by Stephen King until It. I hated the end of that book. Plus having two small children, I didn't have the stomach for any more of his books. However, now I am reading a King book called The Stand for a group read and so far, so good.
--BJ

Hey --BJ;
Yeah, just don't do it anymore. But I may again one day. I did watch a mini-series of King's on television quite some time ago. I believe it took place at a military installation way off somewhere and while it has been long enough ago that I cannot remember the particulars, I do recall that it was good. But it was different that the books I had read.
Hope you are having a good week end and I am glad that The Stand is working for you this time round.
Will catch you later.
hugs,
belva

Anna Karinina by Leo Tolstoy

My thoughts and comments:

Tolstoy is a wonderful author and the translation I have by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky; I could not have been happier with. It is a lovely translation.
The story begins with duplicity and ends with a man finding himself, the reason for his life and his life's work.
The tragedy of Anna Karinina was, for me, almost a backdrop for the rest of the book. I liked how the author built her character and toward the end showed how a person, through their search for the ultimate happiness of self, can literally become so filled anxiety, angst, and depression that they lose their grip on reality and destroy themselves.
The writing is such that I came to know the characters in this novel and I thought that they and their behavior was understandable and within their characterizations. I must admit that the politics of it totally confused me but did not disturb the storyline. I liked how the author went back and forth with the different character's stories and I found it easy to follow.
Although the title of the book is Anna Karinina, for myself the main character of the book and the one I cared the most about was Levin. To me, it was his story with all of these subplots written behind it. He is the one I related to, cared the most about, and wanted to know about. He is the one I found to be the most mulitfaceted character and there were many layers to him. I also enjoyed Kitty's character. Anna, on the other hand was very shallow and altogether a rather boring, though beautiful character. Her demise was almost anticlimactic, but with it Vronsky finally became a man.
I loved the last part of the book where Levin really challenged himself and thought the ending quite beautiful.
This was my second reading of the book within 35 years and I am sure I won't wait so long for the next reading. It read very differently this time around. I highly recommend this classic. I found it to be a beautifully and calmly written novel. Tolstoy was indeed masterful with the pen.

I put down The Dead Zone April1, 1981 and never picked up another King.

Frost in May by Antonia White

My thoughts and comments:

This is the story of a little girl, Nanda, a Catholic convert, and the four years she spends in a convent school. She is a little spitfire at times and very shy at others like most little girls. Her father, also a recent convert wants Nanda to receive a good education and to learn more about Catholicism.
Nanda is very nervous and intimidated at first but comes to love the rigid lifestyle behind the convent walls. She makes friends easily and must learn the hard way that close friendships are not encouraged by the nuns. She wants to be good, studious, and all that the nuns expect from the students, but occasionally messes up and gets in trouble.
This book was a rare treat. It was so very readable and is a rare glimpse into a world that has always been secreted away from me as a protestant and is just a lovely story. Antonia White writes with a fluid pen and the pages turn quickly as you are drawn into the story.
Another truly good read and I highly recommend it.

Glad to get those reviews off my mind and into the computer.
Don't know why, because I have really been enjoying what I have been reading, but have really tired of writing those reviews. I would just like to say: "Great book; you should read it", or "Not so hot, don't bother.", but feel the need to be a "good girl" and throw them up there. So anyway--whatever--they are done and I can now move on to my next read which is The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim. It looks good and I'm hoping that looks are not deceiving in this case.
Hope all of you are reading something great.

good heavens! Don't let reviewing do that !
If I don't feel it, I don't write it.
Those of us who follow you know that if you like a book, whether or not
we will or not. Or else we can go and read other reviews..
Read, read, read and enjoy! got that!?!

I'm getting it girlfriend!~!
Keep talking and I will be making just comments.
Hmmmmmmmmmm, not a bad idea for right now.
Damn, the dog is laying under my feet and she just farted!~!
Wowza!~! They can get good at that, can't they? She is more impressive than the grandsons and that is saying something.
I know, I know----------OFF TOPIC!~!~!-----------
Thank you for the pep talk.
love ya,
belva

Belva-I'm with Kath, keep those reviews coming! No question, they are a lot of work but it can be very rewarding. Your LT friends hang on every word! I'm wondering if I'll ever get to Anna Karinina. I know I should!

Hi Mark;
Thank you for your kind words.
It was difficult for me to do group reads for Pillars of the Earth and Anna Karinina at the same time simply because Pillars moved along at such a good clip I thought. There was always something happening; always some action or plotting or building, always something. With Anna, it is quite the laid back read, not boring, just much more of a quiet book. I found that my mind tempo had to constantly adjust. I will certainly take that into consideration when next I do two at once. Don't get me wrong. I think that Anna Karinina is one of the best pieces of literature out there and this was my second reading of it and I know it won't be my last. You will want to read it one day. But you have all the time in the world yet.
I am already looking forward to January's group read of World Without End, but not impatiently as I do have plenty on my plate to last until then and beyond. I'm just excited about it.
Thanks for stopping by and travel safely on your fishing trip. I will be thinking of you eating bass or some other yummy fresh fish while I am flying off to my daughter's. Enjoy the remainder of your vacation.
hugs,
belva

Belva- My wife told me not to bring home any fish. It only goes to waste, since I'm the only one who eats it. I actually practice catch and release but the guy I go with keeps, freezes and eats everything. Yes, I hope to snag plenty of bass & northern pike. I leave early tomorrow morning and will be back at the end of the week. When do you get back? I hope you have a safe & wonderful trip. Enjoy your daughter!
:-) M

Mark-send fish to Belva!~!

I can't imagine anyone not loving fish. But people who don't like to eat it usually do not like to cook it either so I see the practicality of it. And you will have a blast anyway!~! Let the male bonding begin!~!

I get back on the 24th, so a nice long visit with Robbi. I am starting to get antsy. I think I must have the most awesome husband to pull daycare duty for the grands for 2 weeks and do MY mom's errands and stuff too. He is busily making lists of all the fun things he and the boys will be doing while I am gone. They are going to museums in Portland, the Portland Zoo, Northwest Trek and all manner of places. They won't even have time to miss their nanny because their papa will be keeping them so busy and they are both papa's boys anyway so they will love not sharing him with me for 2 weeks.

Enjoy your time with your buddy and I will enjoy my time with Robbi and we will meet back here in a couple of weeks unless I can find a Public Library with internet use for the public.
Be safe.
belva

Hi Belva, I just left a note on my thread but should have come over here to yours-have a safe and fun trip!!

Joanne;
It's all good; I am heading over to yours.
belva

Happy trip Belva! Have a wonderful time - and come back all refreshed and ready for more reviewing because yours are always well worth reading! In fact I gave your 'Anna Karenina' a thumbs up just now, and noted down the translation to look for...
Enjoy yourself!
xx

Good morning miss elliepotten;
Thank you for the well-wishing send off. I am very excited to be getting to see my Robbi after a year. We will have so much laughter and fun catching up with each other. Even though we talk on the phone 2 or 3 times a week, it is just not the same.
I hope that a particular book order arrives today or tomorrow as if it does not, I will be unable to post a particular book for two weeks.
sending hugs your way,
belva
P.S. thank you for the T/U and the kind words. I appreciate them.

Enjoy your trip Belva.

I will have to own up as a fish hater (to eat, not in person).

Ah Ficus;
Thank you. I am going to do my very best to do just that.
And that is funny (ie "not a fish hater in person"). LOL
I love LT. There are so many neat people on here that I have enjoyed meeting, including you.
belva

Thank you, you are very sweet.

The in person thing is because I am a scuba diver and in fact meet many fish in person. I don't like the taste or the texture, but I also don't want to eat someone I may have met, bad form.

safe journey Belva.. and a fun one..

ficus... I have always felt that scuba diving has to be one of the most wonderful things one can do...I have never done it. It seems to me like entering another world filled with wonder. *envious*

mckait, it is. When everything is right its like flying (I love drift diving) through a different world.

>#78;
2nd Part:
Kath & ficus;
I have always wanted to try that as well. I love the idea of "other worldliness." We should plan an LT ladies scuba diving holiday and bring books, Mai Tais, and the St. That would be heavenly. Ah, the dreams we dream.
belva

Hey, Belva!
Hope you have a wonderful time in Texas! Hope the weather is not the usual weather. (Which is a possibility this year!!) Hope your books arrive. Hope you get to go to Half Price Books! Can't wait to see you when you get back!

Loved your review of AK, and I think that you are so right! I am just on track with the group, but am loving the story of Levin more each time I read.

By the way, I like fish to eat and meet! (Although I have never been scuba diving.) My brother-in-law and his family are off on an Alaskan cruise, so I am wondering if they will see the whales. Do you ever get to go whale watching? I think it would be magnificent to see one (but not to eat one)! Once again, have a wonderful trip!
--BJ

Not Belva, but I have been Whale-Watching too. Used to go a lot. Would go out of Gloucester. The big thing to see was humpbacks, which would often do stuff. We also saw Fin whales that were just big, fast and would swim by. Rarely a Right whale, they are very slow.

Had fun, love the ocean. Of course here you would often have to dress like you were going skiing, even in the middle of summer. Its usually cold out there.

to --BJ & Ficus;
Yes, I have been whale watching. I have 2 brothers in Alaska and many nieces and nephews from Ketchikan, Prince of Wales Isle, up to Anchorage and Homer. Whenever I go to visit, we take the boats out as I love to salmon and halibut fish. We see quite a few whales and sea life, bear, eagles (of course, the best place to see them is at the city dump, haa haaaaaa). But we have had whale breech as close as 10 feet from the boat and we have also had the pleasure of watching them fish as a circle group where they make this big circle around the krill (?) and all come up together, same time, with mouths wiiiiiide open and take in tonz of fish.

Well Ficus, that is one more to add to our little scuba diving LT trip.
Whoo Hoo.

Must go, one short review and then the bus is pulling out.

love to all on LT except that one weird guy who is a killer. **shrugs**

belva

P.S.--BJ I will still give you a jingle while I am there. That was so much fun yesterday. I mean it felt really good. bye to both of you.

Just got caught up on your thread again...funny how we can't seem to be on LT at the same time lately ;) In any case, I am super jealous of all the new books you've been snapping up (not that I don't have plenty of my own in that pile upstairs that keeps groing but remains untouched...)! Hope you're enjoying your time with your daughter, have a safe trip back home next week and see you back here at LT soon!

Ficus... We used to live in Swampscott.. it's between Marblehead and Lynn....
I never went on a whale watch, but the kids did.. out of Gloucester..
:)

We always went on Seven Seas. Loved them and the big tall boat. If you stood on the top deck you could see the white flippers of the whales when they came up to the boat. The moms didn't care, but the babies were always curious. :)

sounds fun!

Hey, Belva, are you back from your trip yet? We got in last night. We called to get our sweet dog and the pet resort said that we had to wait until midnight. But we went at midnight and was she ever happy to see us! She ran straight for my husband and slipped on the floor and slid on over. But nothing could curb her enthusiasm.

It was so hot in Houston and Austin. Then we got home to 80s followed by 70s today. It is super cool for August but I love it. Wish I could send it to central Texas! But hot weather was perfect for when we got to tour the Blue Bell Creamery, ending with a big scoop of ice cream. Do you have Blue Bell Ice Cream there? It used to be available only in Texas, but now they are in 18 states.

Hope you had a wonderful visit.
--BJ

Which HPB did you think was the best one? The best one that I have been to is in Austin, north of UT, but I bet that there are great ones in Dallas. Did I tell you that while I was in Houston I saw a 1/4 Price Book Store? I did not get to go there, but I sure did want to.

By the way, my baby is taking a humanities class with The Iliad and The Odyssey and her teacher said that only the Fagles translation was worth reading of it. It must be great. I think that I read a different one in college, but that was after all in the Dark Ages! :) I believe that I might try to read those two next year. Still working on the 999 challenge and I have a long way to go with it.

Welcome Back!
Love,
--BJ

Hey --BJ;
I have yet to read the 6th and 7th HP books, but so far I think I favor "The Prisoner of Azkaban".
Oh, silly me---you were talking about the bookstores, weren't you. hee hee!~!
I liked the one in Plano the best. I liked how it was set up and the order of the books. But all of them are great!~! And a 1/4 Price Book Store????????? WOWZA!~! That would almost be worth the plane ticket alone.
And alas and alak; I, too am attempting to complete my 999 challenge and have several more to go. It is hard for me to decide what to do? Read on and assure myself of finishing it or catch up on two weeks worth of posts here. I suppose I have already made up my mind as "here I is!~!"
hugs & snugs,
belva
I think I need to rid myself of my Iliad and Odyssey and get new translations. So Fagles, huh? Worth looking into. Thanx.

Welcome back, Belva! Glad to have you back :)

I've read all 7 HP books and The Prisoner of Azkaban is still my favourite of the set, though lots of people seem to love the 6th one so it'll be interesting to see what you think when you get there.

The last three books I read: Battle Cry of Freedom, Little Grey Men and The Enchanted April are all in a shipping box on their way home from Texas and as I have notes within all three of them for my reviews, I will only say at this time that all three are wonderful and worthwhile reading. Battle Cry of Freedom, I am sure will be in my top 10 of the year. A magnificent book!~!
When they arrive I will put my reviews and thoughts up.
It's good to be home.
belva

BELVA! The Fairy Godmother of LibraryThing has returned to dispel happy thoughts and pearls of wisdom... Nice to have you back, it's seemed odd not having you around here! xx

Hi spacespuds;
How's trix? Is the honeymoon over? I'll venture not.
Thank you for the W/H. It is really good to be back. I missed all of you!~!
Am thinking it will take forever to catch up but I am going to give it the old college try. I didn't want to dread getting to it, so I cheated and signed on last night just long enough to get caught up on Stasia's thread. I was surprised that I didn't have to read 300 posts.
I got to meet her while in Texas and she is a real live, living, breathing person; not a reading robot!~! Amazing!~! Did you know? We had a lot of giggles and she brought her adorable daughter Caty.
Good of you to stop by and welcome me home. I appreciate it. I hope things are great with you and that you are reading some really good books. Can't wait to hit your thread.
Love,
belva

Belva- Welcome Home! We missed you! Thanks for the lengthy message and I'll be getting back to you! I'm so glad you enjoyed "Battle Cry". It's an incredible accomplishment. Hope to see you all over the place!
Mark

Hi Belva, Welcome back. Hope you had a good trip and spent lots of quality time with family. I understand it was hot - hope you didn't melt.

>#96:
Hey Mark;
Thank you.
I agree with you that Battle Cry of Freedom was an incredible accomplishment of nonfiction work and indeed was wonderfully researched. I loved all of McPherson's footnotes, the afterword, and the extras. I think he must be a brilliant researcher. I found another of his, For Cause & Comrades, that I am looking forward to reading after I finish my 999 challenge. I also had recommended to me a Jay Winik entitled April 1865: The Month That Saved America and grabbed that one also and it looks to be really good. I'll let you know after I finish them. (or perhaps you've already read them?)
Well guy, I will be looking for you on the threads. Catch ya later,
belva

Hi there Ficus;
How are you. Thank you for the welcome home. I appreciate it. Nice to know I was missed. I had a really great trip. And I did get to spend a lot of time with my daughter and with old friends. It was all good. Hotter than hell, but I survived. I just got all the outside stuff done in the early morning before 7:00 and then stayed in as much as I could. I got to do the chores while I was there and it was fun to gather eggs and feed & water critters again.
We went to a playhouse called the Pocket Sandwich Theater and saw a vaudevillian type play where the actors interact with the audience and the rage is to have popcorn fights with the other patrons and with the actors. It was a blast!~! I can't wait to do that one again. People throwing popcorn all over the place and one lady getting all *issed off because she got popcorn in her hair. Duh!~! Don't go if you don't want to play!~!
Lotz of Half Price Books stores in the area and I shipped books home. Can't wait for them to arrive.
Robbi (my daughter) and I spent a lot of time just catching up with each other and laughing over old times. She is 40 now and I am still finding out things she and her siblings did when they were young that their dad and I didn't know at the time.
I think I will try to go back in the spring when it is not so hot.
I hope you read some good books while I was gone. I will be checking out the 100 book gig tomorrow. Am catching up on the 50 today, you guys tomorrow and the 75ers on Wednesday as they are the most heavily posted so I am saving them until the last. (except for Stasia's thread; I cheated and signed on last night and read that one as I really didn't want to get hit with 300 to 500 posts when I hit her thread)
I will catch up with you tomorrow.
xoxo
belva

@89+90: I wouldn't say the Fagles translations were the ONLY ones worth reading, but they're certainly good.

#100 Apparently this professor had some other interesting things to say. It will not be a boring class by any means. :) How exciting that very first beginning of college.
--BJ

Welcome back belva,
Sounds like you had a nice trip with some good books to help pass the time. I look forward to your thoughts on Battle Cry of Freedom. Maybe that book will get you interested in some of the others in the Oxford History of United States series.
I thought the Fagles translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey were very good. I also enjoyed the translations by Stanley Lombardo. Lombardo's translation discarded the classic rhyming scheme and uses more modern day colloquial English. Fagle's might be better if this is the first time you have read the books.

The box I shipped home from Texas arrived today in the post so I will be able now to put up a couple of reviews I have owing, namely Battle Cry of Freedom. While perusing the bookshops in Dallas and Plano, I searched for the diaries of Mary Chestnut who was mentioned numerous times in the footnotes of "Battle Cry" and I did find:
The Private Mary Chestnut by C. Vann Woodward and Elisabeth Muhlenfeld and Mary Chestnut's Civil War edited by C. Vann Woodward. I also snagged:
Varina Howell, Wife of Jefferson Davis by Eron Rowland
For Cause and Comrads: Why Men Fought in the Civil War by James M McPherson
April 1865: the Month that Saved America by Jay Winik a rec from Stasia when she saw me carrying Battle Cry of Freedom as we met for lunch. And:
Brokenburn: The Journal of Kate Stone, 1861-1868 edited by John Q. Anderson
So I came away very happy with my Civil War books and look forward to a winter of reading them.
I also purchased the following:
The Pursuit of Love & Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford
Torah Blessing by Larry Huch
Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler (I had read library copy)
My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman My first Lipman; am excited about that.
Testimony by Anita Shreve
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Talk Before Sleep by Elizabeth Berg
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
Bridget Johes: The Edge of Reason by ditto
How Green Was my Valley by Richard Llewellyn; I haven't read this but the movie is quite possibly my very favorite movie of all time, so I have very high expectations here.
The Land of Spices by Kate O'Brien I read this one on the flight home from Texas and absolutely fell in love with O'Brien and cannot wait to get ahold of more of her works. I hope she wrote a ton of books!~!
The Portable Dorothy Parker am so very excited about this one as well!~!
A Song Flung Up to Heaven by
Maya Angelou
All God's Children Need Travelling Shoes by ditto
Shadow Dance by Angela Carter
The Passion of New Eve by ditto
The Virago Book of Ghost Stories edited by Richard Dalby
Salem Chapel by Margaret Oliphant
Passing by Nella Larsen and last but not least:
Two Women of Galilee by Mary Rourke
That's all there is and there ain't no more!~!
belva

I was a bit disappointed in Love in a Cold Climate when I read it. It was one of those times the TV adaptation surpassed the book.

Ahhhhhhhhhh Robert,
I didn't want to hear that. Perhaps you were having an off day? I will assume that as I truly want to love it. What about The Pursuit of Love? Have you read that one as well?
And have you read anything of the Mitford sisters? I have heard quite fascinating things regarding them. But haven't yet read anything about or by them.
belva

Aha! Something I DO know about. I have The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate waiting to be read... simply because I bought one not realising that it had a predecessor, which I then couldn't find for ages...

I find the Mitfords absolutely fascinating. I have read Jessica Mitford's autobiography Hons and Rebels and Deborah's wonderfully eccentric little collection Counting my Chickens. I also have one of her books on Chatsworth, Decca (Jessica's letters), a book about Diana, and Mary Lovell's The Mitford Sisters still to read. A book of letters between all six sisters and Deborah's newest collection Home to Roost are drifting around my wish list.

I should explain that I live about ten minutes away from Chatsworth House, where Debo was installed as the Duchess of Devonshire until her husband died a few years ago. I was working as a bakery girl at her farm shop at the time and attended his funeral with the other staff on the estate. Now she lives in a little house nearby in the park, I think, still as brilliant as ever. She's a local institution, and a British one too, as the last of the Mitfords, and I have a bit of a soft spot for her. She brought Cliff Richard to the shop once and I was so much more excited to be meeting a Mitford than to be meeting a duchess... or Cliff, for that matter. So excited, in fact, that I totally chickened out and hid in the fridge!

Yes, I've read both, the TV series combined them, and I didn't realise there were two books until I read them. I've also read Nancy Mitford's biography of Louis XIV, though that was a long time ago and I don't really remember much about it.

What a wonderful batch of books! You did have fun at HPB! I think that we have some diaries of Mary Chestnut roaming around the house somewhere. I really need to take about a month and totally organize the books so that I know what I have where. Just like that Greenwitch book that I cannot for the life of me locate. I know we have it as I got the whole set at once. I am afraid that I will have to locate another copy really soon. You are doing such a great job of getting your books listed in your library. I really need to get going on that, too.
--BJ

Thats a lot of books!!!!!

Ah, but I was smart this time Kath.
I shipped them home. All the other times I lugged them on the plane. Wouldn't even check them. I checked my clothes, but the books? Never!~!
belva

>#108:
--BJ;
I did have fun at each and every HPB. They have such a variety and I think I could live there. I know I could work there. If I had known the state you were in I would have searched out a copy of the Greenwitch book you need and sent it up your way.
Have a great weekend hon.
hugs,
belva

Belva, you are the nicest person ever! I am going out in search of it on Monday. I looked at amazon.com, but with my supersaver shipping it would not arrive in time. And I will search one more time in the spare bedroom.

Tomorrow is the first day of Sunday school. Wonder how many kids I will have this year? I am going to miss my baby who used to help me. Have a great weekend!
--BJ

Belva- I'm with BJ, you are the nicest person ever! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend! Cool in the midwest!

what they said.......

My goodness, you folks really know how to turn a girl's head.
Thank you.



belva

Thank you Berly boo.
hugs to you.
belva

I have absolutely loved all the books I have read this month. It has been a great month for me.
The highlight was of course Battle Cry of Freedom and I recommend it to everyone who cares about this nation's history at all.
The group reads that I finished I loved. Both of them were wonderful. Anna Karinina is always, always good to read. I don't think this is a book that very many people read only one time. Pillars of the Earth, I found to be strangely fascinating to me. I loved the characters, even the evil ones were appropriate to the storyline and timeline of the novel. The building of the cathedral took on a persona of it's own and became a character larger than life. I am very grateful that Mark took this on to organize, otherwise I may have never attempted this book as I have had it since it came out and always thought it would be quite a daunting read. It wasn't and I loved it.
I have enjoyed each and every Virago I have read for this month set aside for them. I must admit that of Frost in May, The Enchanted April, The Rising Tide, The Land of Spices, Travel Light, The Life and Death of Harriett Frean and Jonah's Gourde Vine; Kate O'Brien's The Land of Spices was my favorite. I loved every turn of her phrase, every little nuance of her writing style. I look forward to reading many more by her.
belva

After a ghastly morning with my 6 year old grandson finding my very favorite kitty deceased, burying him, getting his little statuette in place, and doing a log of sniveling (as we all have) I have spent the major part of the afternoon lurking and skulking about on the threads popping up occasionally to make a comment. Whilst doing my lurking and skulking, I came across a book entitled How Sex Works: Why We Look, Smell, Taste, Feel, and Act the Way We Do, which to say the least I found to be a very interesting title. I went over to the book page and noted that 15 of our thousands have the book but no one has done a review of it yet.
I just thought I might nominate St. Richard to read and give said review so that the "inquiring minds" (there must be more than just mine) could be satisfied. What say, St.?
R U game?
belva

Oh Belva, I am so sorry.

(Just to be clear, finding the cat, not the book)

Commiserations.

Belva- I'm sorry about your cat! You'll have to fill us in on the "sex" book. Everyone could use some pointers!

I am so sorry about your kitty.
--BJ

I've read that book, Belva! I thought it was an entertaining summary of current research. I think I made some comments, but don't really do reviews. So sorry about your cat. :-(

Hi Belva, sorry to hear about your cat.

Further to the discussion of Nancy Mitford, I just wanted to say that I'm almost at the end of The Pursuit of Love and am loving it. I think she's a great storyteller. I have an omnibus of her books that also includes Love in a Cold Climate, The Blessing and Don't Tell Alfred, so I'll be moving on to those shortly (although I'll probably read something by another author in between each one). Anyway, I just wanted to put in a good word for her!

Thank you all for your kind words regarding our loss of the kitty. I appreciate them and it does help.

Rebeki;
So good to hear high praise from both you and Miss Ellie (sorry, Robert, you are outnumbered)
about the Ms. Mitford. I shall carry on with her/their books and books about them. I find that I am more and more interested in reading biographies these days. Reading the one on Capote started it and I am adding more and more to my TBR listing almost daily.

Well good day to all,
belva

Saw it and had to do it:

What were the last three books you bought?
1. The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski
2. Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset and
3. No Fond Return of Love by Barbara Pym

What are the next three books you want to buy?
1. Still Life by A.S. Byatt
2. Babel Tower by A.S. Byatt and
3. A Whistling Woman by A.S. Byatt

Which book would you most like as a gift from someone?
Illyrian Spring by Ann Bridge

Which book would you most like to give someone as a present?
Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country

Who are your 3 favourite authors?
John Steinbeck, Alice Hoffman and the third, quite possibly Herman Wouk or R.C. Sproul

Which three books will you buy as soon as they are published?
1. Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women by Harriett Reisen
2. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel and
3. An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon

Who are your 3 favourite characters in books?
1. Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind
2. Matthew Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables and
3. Olive in Olive Kitteridge

Which three books did you inherit (not necessarily physically, but as recommendations from parents)?
1. A King James Bible
2. An unabridged dictionary
3. Girl of the Limberlost

Which three books would you love to pass down to your children?
1. My King James Bible
2. Cry, The Beloved Country and
3. The Little Gray Men

Which three books do you most often recommend?
1. The King James Bible
2. Cry, The Beloved Country and
3. Battle Cry of Freedom

If you were going into hospital, which three books would you take with you?
1. My King James Bible
2. Anne of Green Gables and
3. The Little Princess

If you were stranded on a desert island, which three books would you want to find there?
1. My King James Bible
2. Gone With the Wind and
3. Dr. Zhivago

Your house is burning down and you can only rescue three books, which would you grab?
1. My King James Bible
2. my 1908 edition of Evangeline and
3. the 1881 edition of Eight Years' Wanderings in Ceylon that was my father's.
I would also have to grab my copy of War and Peace which was published before they put the publishing date in books.

Which book would you like your children to look at and immediately remember you by?
My Bible

Which book would you like to be buried with?
None, what a waste of the written word.

What are you reading right now?
John Steinbeck's The Short Reign of Pippin IV

Well, that was quite fun, so thank you to whomever's thread I ripped it off from.
belva

Hey, Belva,
Just stopping by. I enjoyed your questionaire. I have so much to do and just want to read. So I guess I will go read for a while. :)
--BJ

Oh no! I love questionnaires but I don't know if I could come up with an answer to half the questions! I'll go away and let my mind wander on it - I might come up with something good by the end of tomorrow if the predicted rain keeps the customers away long enough for me to think...

P.S. I already said it on Kath's thread - but I'm so sorry about your poor cat, particularly since it was such a shock for you this morning. Big hugs, xxx

Hi --BJ. Just go read. It will do you a world of good.
love ya,

Thank you ellie. I appreciate your kind words, your hugs and especially your thoughts. Everyone has been so kind.
love ya,

hugs all round,
belva

Having finished John Steinbeck's The Short Reign of Pippin IV I am moving along to The Pearl by him. And that will close out my 999 challenge. Whoo hoo!~!

Hi, Belva! That's cool you'll be finishing up with a Steinbeck; he's really become a favorite of yours, huh?

Hi Bonnie.
John Steinbeck has probably been my favorite author since I was in the 4th grade or so. No single author has ever changed my mind about him. So, yeah, he's my fav!~! He never writes the same book twice. There is absolutely no formula to his writing whatsoever. Who is your favorite author Bonnie?

Congrats on finishing your 999 challenge and with time to spare! :)
--BJ

Thank you --BJ!~!
Oh What A Relief It Is!~!
big hugs,
belva

Nice job on the 999 challenge! You go girl! You are my constant reminder, I need to get back to Mr. Steinbeck. He's been my favorite since high school. I first read Grapes of Wrath and I was transported. I've been bad!!

>126 rainpebble: Consider it praise for the TV dramatisation rather than running down the book.

Belva, so sorry to hear about your cat - horrible anyway, but when its a shock it hits you hard.

Take care

Sue

>#138:
Thank you Sue. I appreciate it.

>#137:
Will do Robert. I haven't seen the television movie of it and it is fairly rare that the movies are better than the book but sometimes.......

>#136:
Thank you Mark. Yeah, he kind of has that effect on me also.

belva

Okay, I have finished my 999 challenge so now I have time for comments (only) on the books I have read in the past couple of weeks. Not to worry, I am so Stasia!~! hee hee.

1) Frost in May by Antonia White:

This is the story of a young girl nine years of age from a family recently converted to Catholicism. She is sent to convent school and what she finds there is not just "church school", but a whole new way of life. She learns the hard way of this new life she will live until the age of fourteen. Close friendships with the other girls is not encouraged, in fact is becomes punishable.
This is not a sympathetic book and the story, which takes place in the early 1900s, is told rather matter-of-factly but very well.
Antonia White is wonderful in her style of writing. I don't think, however, that it is for everyone, but I fell right into it and was quite taken by it.

Ha, don't know quite what my problem is but I commented on the above before I left on my trip.
Duh!~!

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim

My thoughts and comments:

Did you ever want to get away from hearth and home? Did you ever want to spend time in quiet solitude in a beautiful scenic setting with someone to cook and care for you? These four ladies did. And they answered an ad in the paper for a villa to be let for the month of April. Each of them not knowing the other, meeting only for the purpose of sharing the cost, they decided to take the villa for the month and believe me, enchantment does ensue.

"They screwed up their eyes to be able to look into the blaze of light beyond the shade of their tree. The hot smell from the pine-needles and from the cushions of wild thyme that padded the spaces between the rocks, and sometimes a smell of pure honey from a clump of warm irises up behind them in the sun, puffed across their faces. Very soon Mrs. Wilkins took her shoes and stockings off, and let her feet hang in the water. After watching her a minute Mrs. Arbuthnot did the same. Their happiness was then complete. Their husbands would not have known them. They left off talking. They ceased to mention heaven. They were just cups of acceptance."

What beauty there is in this book. Colour, fragrance, light, and sea and the company of three other women of like needs. Seclusion and serenity abound here. Everything one would wish for or need to fill one's spiritual cup to the brim is here.
I wanted to be there with them....or alone. Highly recommended.
belva

Well, the day is getting away from me and I have a lot to do before we head out for the Seahawks/Raiders game, which we are attending because our grandson is playing a game there before their kick off.
better scoot, catch you all later,
belva

Enjoy the game!
--BJ

Anne of Green Gables spoiler alert, just in case!

Just catching up on your thread and your questionnaire brought back a few memories. When I saw Matthew Cuthbert on your list of favourite characters, I had to smile remembering him buying Anne the dress with the puffy sleeves. I still cry every time he dies in the book and the movie, what a lovable and memorable character he is!

And congratulations on finishing the 999! That is impressive.

Belva- Have a great time at the game!!

#145 - It broke my little heart!

Belva - The Enchanted April is going right on my wishlist. Sounds like perfect a pick-me-up...

Congrats on finishing your 999!! Job well done.

Belva, I'll wave to you as I'm heading north today. We may be passing each other on the freeway! :-)

************waving madly***************
travel carefully on this horrid holiday weekend!~!
love,
belva

Travel Light by Naomi Mitchison

my thoughts and comments:

What a wondrous little epic about a small princess raised by bears and dragons hoarding treasure. There is much fighting between all the trolls, dragons, Viking like people, etc and Halla has many adventures. When the dragons realize that Halla is not growing up to look like them, they attempt to get her to go back to her own kind but they are all she knows and she cannot as she "feels like a dragon."
This is a light little story with a lot of underlying tones of philosophy, religion, and ways of life and mythology. It is an adventure, an epic, a tall tale; told in a small volume. I quite enjoyed it and look forward to reading it again at some point in the future. I think that this is one of those books that each time you read it, you gain a little more from it.

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck

my thoughts and comments:

In this small but mighty Steinbeck book of short stories we get to meet Jody, his ma and pa and the ranch hand, Billy Buck. All four stories are coming of age stories about Jody as he learns life's harsh lessons about the weather, his world, his beloved animals and how life can so cruelly take away from one what is dear to one; but also we see him learn how to appreciate his life and the world around him and what truly matters.
This is a wonderful book; full of hopes, and dreams (some come true and some crushed).
I liked the character of the father. He rang so true for those days and times. I loved Billy Budd and Jody. I even loved the dogs and horses, for they were characters in this book as well. The mother was just kind of there doing what mothers did in those days and it seemed right that she have not much of an impact on me, but she did on her son.
An awesome little book that I very highly recommend

Belva, another one to fill out, stolen from LheaJLove's thread (her answers, not mine) It continues on for a total of fifteen or so questions:

(Part of) Message 66: LheaJLove

Please complete using only books you've read this year... Try to use titles only once!

Describe Yourself: All the Rage Aaron McGruder

How do you feel: Ignore Everybody Hugh MacLeod

Describe where you currently live: Slumberland Paul Beatty

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Sweet Life 2 Violet Blue ...

I dare you to take it!

Please complete using only books you've read this year... Try to use titles only once!

Describe Yourself: Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg

How do you feel: The Blank Wall by Elizabeth Sanxay Holding

Describe where you currently live: Hill Towns by Anne Rivers Siddons

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Whole World Over by Julia Glass

Hey Bonnie;
Where are your answers? Hmmmmmmmm????
belva

LOL! You're not done yet, Belva! You gotta go over to LeahJLove's thread to get the whole thing! :-)

>119 rainpebble: So sorry to hear about your kitty. That is so hard. *hugs*
Velma

Belva- Nice job, once again, on the Steinbeck. I think The Red Pony may have been my first of his books, that I had read and that's going back to grammar school. It was either that or The Pearl.

>#157:
Bonnie;
Need I say it?????? Damn!~!~!~!
I am not familiar with that thread. Please hook me up with a link and I will attempt to satisfy your sadistic qualities (and apparently my masochistic ones ) by answering all said questions.
***********heavy sigh*******************

>>#158:
Velma;
Thank you so mucy for your kind words and hugs. I appreciate them more than you know.

>#159:
Mark;
Thank you. ***she bows deeply***
I read The Red Pony the first time in 3rd grade and cried buckets and days over it. And then read it again. I don't think I read The Pearl until 5th or 6th grade. They are both so good and his books, to me, are timeless.
How is your reading of The Girl With the Dragoon Tatoo going? I finished The Shack just a bit ago and threw the review up. So I will be moving on to Fforde now. Hope you will be soon as well.

luv n hugs,
belva

Whew!~! Almost forgot to do this.

The Shack by William P. Young

my thoughts and comments:

First and foremost, I read this book with an open mind and I also read it as a work of fiction. Secondly, in the book Jesus says that He is not a Christian, of course Jesus was not a Christian. He was born a Jew, through the line of King David on His adoptive father's side and out of the tribe of Judah on His mother's side.

All of that being said, this book really sucked me in. It is the story of a family man, Mack, who takes his children out on a camping trip and in the short amount of time it took for him to swim out on the lake to save one his sons from an overturned canoe, he lost a daughter on shore to a killer. No one sees a thing. And though Mack, the other campers and the authorities search and search for clues, they find nothing but Missy's bloodied dress in an old shack. Mack returns home to his wife and family whom he had sent on ahead of him. They have a memorial service for their Missy and try to go on with their lives.
More than three years later this Christian family is still trying to come to terms with the loss of Missy. They have a "family name" for God whom they call "Papa" and one day Mack goes out to the mailbox and finds a note from "Papa". The note says:
"Mackenzie,
It's been a while. I've missed you.
I'll be at the shack next weekend if you want to get together."
It is signed: "--Papa"

The remainder of the book tells the "story" of what happens at "The Shack" during that timespan and the few days afterward.

I found this book strangely compelling. After reading all the controversy regarding it I didn't expect to care about it. I was wrong, I did care about this book a great deal. I loved the character Mack and found him to be very human. I liked all 3 of the characters of the Trinity that Mack met at "the shack". I cared about his children, his wife Nan, and his friend Willie.
I highly recommend this book for the religious and nonreligious; for the Christian and the nonChristian, for the believer and the nonbeliever. I found it to be well written, easily understood and was quickly immersed into the story. I think that most readers with an open mind would find it so as well.
belva

The above reviewed book: The Shack was given to me by a fellow LT member. The only thing he stipulated (not even a review) but that it be passed on to another fellow LT member who had not yet, but wanted to read the book and would then do likewise in passing it along within the LT community and thusly keep it going. If anyone is interested please let me know.
Thanx,
belva

Note to self:
At this point barring The Shack, the last 16 books I read were for my 999 challenge to finish it off. Cutting it close belva.

First, I stole your gif.. and I am about to place it on my profile. So thank you :)

Second.. I agree re: The Shack being compelling.

I hope all is well with you.. I have been absent from LT for any number of reasons.. but wanted to catch up a bit..

sending hugs

Right back atcha babe.
Wanna talk next weekend?
belva

>#162:
I have a taker on The Shack. So will be shipping it off the the LT member on Tuesday.

Am deep into The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde and it is nothing like I thought it would be. I thought it would be a bit of comedic fluff. NOT. There are funny moments but it is definitely a futuristic police procedural. I am enjoying it tremendously.
belva

I found that with The Big Over Easy - it was a well paced crime novel, just with really cleverly done (and funny!) surreal bits: a blue alien works in the same division, Humpty van Dumpty has been murdered, the three pigs have been found not guilty of killing Mr Wolff...

Hey, Belva!
Thanks so much for your review of The Shack. I bought the book this summer, but have not started it yet. I have noted all the differing views on it, so I was wondering if I would like it or not. I think I will move it to the top of the list after I get my 999 challenge finished -- which won't be for a long time.

I noticed that all my friends at church had their college kids home for the holiday, but mine are too far away. But I think that they are doing alright. Took my doggie to the vet to get a lump checked out. No results for a few days, but I am somewhat optimistic. I never found my copy of Greenwitch, so I had to go to two bookstores to get one. The first one did not have a copy. The second one did, but only one, and it was misalphabetized. This is why I turn to amazon more and more.

Hope you are having a nice holiday weekend.
--BJ

I loved The Big Over Easy and The Fourth Bear. The Eyre Affair is definitely on my wishlist. And my birthday is coming up.

Stopping by to star ya for the 3rd time and waving instead of just lurking.
Have a happy day, Belva

#167:
Miss Ellie;
Fun reads, aren't they? I have the two of that series as well and they all look like good fun, light mysteries. All good by me.
Thanx for popping by. I hope you spent part of the weekend resting because I am sure you are in the shop today.
later my dear.

>#168:
Hey --BJ;
Did you have a good weekend?
And yes, a lot of controversy over The Shack on our good old LT. But that is good. Diversity works. If we all were and felt the same, what a boring old world this would be. But I do hope you enjoy or find it a worth while read when you get to it.
And now that you have purchased your second copy of Greenwitch; just watch. The original will pop up somewhere. Always does.
love ya,

>169 Robertgreaves::
Hello Robert;
Oh good. Between you and Miss ellie I am sure I can be assured of enjoying The Nursery Crime series when it comes up for a read.
And I certainly hope you get The Eyre Affair for your birthday. Or at least a little $$$ so you can make the purchase on your own.



Robert has a birthday coming up.
We would like to invite him to sup.
But since no can do,
We are coming through
With a cake and a wish or two.

Happy Birthday early Robert.
big hug

>#170:
Carmenere;
Where you been girlfriend? I don't think I have seen you around for a while. Or maybe it is the other way around. Hmmmmm.
Well I am mighty glad you stopped by and I hope you are reading something very, very good these days.
later dayz,

belva

Hello Belva! Thanks for the happy wishes... but no, sadly the weekend was spent in the shop, as ever. I had Friday off though, and spent the whole day in my PJs reading Lucky Jim. Tomorrow is our first actual weekly day off, so from now on, through the winter, every Wednesday is our own. I intend to devote mine to sleep, books, yummy food, movie watching and utter laziness. Mum wants to drag me to the dentist on one of them but hopefully if I don't mention it she'll just forget! Next landmark: The Christmas Vacation. A whole week or two of FREEDOM and FOOD and BOOKS!

Yesterday my grandma came to the shop with us too, and today it was pretty quiet, but my stupid stomach threw a complete wobbly both days. Yesterday I was fine and happy until mid-delicious lunch, and today it all went wrong post-delicious breakfast. I ended up sitting in the office shivering, going all hot and cold, and feeling revolting, yet again, being repeatedly told to 'just ignore it'. BUT by this afternoon I was okay and spent it sitting relatively undisturbed on the counter, reading and playing Solitaire and cruising the LT threads! Plus I got all my little book searching jobs done to distract myself in the back while I felt rubbish. I'm determined to keep a smile on my face and be fully appreciative of the silver linings to each and every cloud... :-D

Have a wonderful day! I'm going to sit in bed with a cup of tea now and read until I fall asleep, knowing that although the postman may ring my doorbell in the morning I can crawl right back into bed and re-lax...!!

Do it honey. You deserve it!~!
hugs,
belva

Ta da da da!~!~!

Hi folks. Mark and I have been chatting and he is up for another group read, I believe in November and would like some input between 2 books. We have narrowed it down to The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks or The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.

So chat it up amongst yourselves or with us and let us know what you want to do. Okay?

I know a lot of you have read both of them or one or the other of them, so let us know what you think.

Thanks a bunch.
belva

Hi Belva,
Just dropping in to say I've caught up on your many threads! Thanks for the message about the Group Reads, count me in.

Thanks Belva - I watched a couple of episodes of 'Black Books' last night (ingeniously funny programme set in a bookshop and starring Dylan Moran, one of my favourite comedians, as the eccentric and totally mad Bernard Black - look a clip or two up on YouTube!), then ended up reading a few chapters of Running with Scissors and dropping off at about 1am. Naturally, since it's my day off, I woke up well before 8 anyway, but it's such a beautiful day that it doesn't matter a bit! Mum and my sister have gone back-to-uni shopping so I've been flat out on the front yard with a mug of coffee, reading Of Mice and Men - I came across it in the wardrobe this morning and all your Steinbeck talk had reminded me how much I wanted to reread it, so... Hope this afternoon is just as yummy!

Thanks for the notice on the group-read, belva--I'm afraid I'll have to hold off on joining in on one though until next summer when I'm done with coursework; as of next May though, I'm in for whatever :)

>#175:
Gotcha Cauterize. Will count you in and I have your book preference. Thank you so much.
hugs,

>#176;
Hello ellie;
You have been busy having a good day. Isn't Of Mice and Men wonderful? I, too, hope you have a "yummy" afternoon.
big hug,

wwd;
How silly of me. I knew that you were all wrapped in your school work. Keeps you very busy, what? Well you take care and I will be in touch.
hugs,

belva

Hi Belva, just got your notice about a November group read. I would love to join in. My vote would be for The Thirteenth Tale but would go along with group choice. Just tell me where and when and I'll be there.

Thanks,
Judy

Judy;
thanx for the response. It will be on the 50 book challenge in November and we will be getting word out as the time draws near. Right now we are just trying to nail down a title.
Thank you so much for your input and I will see you there.
hugs,
belva

The Land of Spices by Kate O'Brien

my thoughts and comments:

I read this one for our All Virago/All August month and absolutely fell in love with Kate O'Brien. I am sure that I will read simply everything by her that I can possibly get my hands on so I hope she wrote a lot of books.

This is another book of young girls coming of age in convent school. The characters all seemed so real to me. Their actions all made sense to me for that character at that time and in that place.
One little girl, as a matter of having no other place, must begin convent school at just six years of age. The Reverand Mother is strongly drawn to the girl but attempts to hide that feeling from everyone including Anna, the little girl.
The story is very much about the life of the Reverand Mother as well as the life of Anna.
There are the typical "mean and nasty nuns" and the "troubled and troubling" young girls but the way this book is written is what is so very special about it. Everything flowed. The story, the prose, all of it.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

(I am sorry that this is such a poor review, but I read too many books, without reviewing them and it is just difficult to back a month and try to play catch up.)

The Rising Tide by M.J. Farrell / Molly Keane

my thoughts and comments:

Another for my All Virago/All August month. A wonderful book, full of self satisfying, self gratification seeking, needfull persons of means. The story includes among it's characters a large old family home in Ireland that seems to suck in and expell it's residents throughout the passing years. The Lady Charlotte rules her home and children with an iron fist. And as they grow up and leave home they begin to relax and enjoy their lives to a degree. But upon her passing, they find that they return and as she ruled, so does the house.
It is a very interesting novel. Great character studies within it's covers.
Another one I highly recommend.

Hey Belva! Better day today, you'll be glad to hear - the sun was shining, the till was ringing, and my stomach behaved beautifully! We had a guy come to see us with some beautiful bookish merchandise, some of it from the Bodleian library in Oxford, and we've chosen some lovely things to add to our little range of new stuff. We have some quirky cards by a local artist already, and some magnifiers and metal bookmarks, and these cute little deckchairs to stand your book on, with little catches to hold the pages open. Now we're getting some beautiful cards with old-fashioned bookcovers or a row of old-fashioned gilt-lettered spines, some matching wrapping paper, more bookmarks... I'll have to send you something when they all arrive!

P.S. The reviews are FINE - let's face it, it doesn't take much to persuade anyone here that one more book wouldn't hurt... A little review full of enthusiasm is much better than a great long essay that you didn't really want to write! I know, I've seen them on Ciao! and they frightened me away back to the safety of LT. :-)

>181 rainpebble: I agree with your verdict on The Land of Spices, Belva. Such a beautiful book!!

The Life and Death of Harriett Frean by May Sinclair

my thoughts and comments:

Another I read for my All Virago/All August month.

And another wonderful book.
Harriet was always "the good girl". She is the one who always "wanted to please". And she did. She remained at home taking care of her parents, throughout their lives. She was thirty five at the time of the stock market crash. Her father was a stock market broker and with all the pressure he became ill shortly thereafter and she cared for him throughout his illness until his death. Then she took care of her mother. When her mother took ill she cared for her until her death.
Over the years, she waited for her life to begin.
This, I am sure sounds a depressing book but it isn't. I would imagine that there are a great many "Harriet Freans" in the world even today.
I enjoyed this book very much. It is a quick and easy read. I understood Harriet quite well and will be seeking out more of May Sinclair's work.

Jonah's Gourd Vine by Zora Neale Hurston

my thoughts and comments:

This was the last of my All Virago/All August books and I loved, loved, loved it.
It is told as in the style of an old Southern story by someone who lived it. At least that is how I found it to be.
John Pearson, the main character, grows up under the thumb of his antagonistic stepfather and a loving mother and step siblings. The era is just after the war. When he gets old enough he goes out on his own to work and pay his own way in the world. He meets, falls in love with and marries a little gal who adores him throughout the entire book.
But John/Jonah finds it difficult not to wander from his lady and from his work. So there are many adventures and changes that crop up during Jonah's lifetime.
This is a fascinating read. It took me a few pages to get comfortable with the writing and the phrasing of the book but by then I was deeply immersed in it. I didn't want this one to end and was quite saddened when it did. Neither did I see the ending coming.
I highly recommend this one as well.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

my thoughts and comments:

Another wonderful Steinbeck.
"The Pearl" is one John Steinbeck's smallest books. It is also an intense book, but it is very fluid and easy to read. It is about an island man who, like so many others, goes diving daily with no air, down to the depths of the sea to find pearls to help them eke out a very poor living for their families. These poor people live in little shacks and eat the same gruel day after day and their lives are the same day after day. But they seem a happy people none the less. This is the story of the man who finds "the pearl" of every diver's dream and what happens to him and his family after finding the "pearl".
It is also an "if I could just" story. One always thinks that if this or that were "just to happen" in their lives, things would be wonderful. If you have just one teensy tiny bit of that rolling around in your brain (or if not), you should read this book. It is magnificent!~!~!
I highly recommend it.

The Short Reign of Pippin IV by John Steinbeck

my thoughts and comments:

A very humorous spoofy take on an ordinary man who is a star gazer being forced to become the King of France. And while it was quite cute and funny, I have to admit that I found myself skimming pages.
It is very different than anything Steinbeck I have ever read before. And other than the above, it is really difficult to explain it. It was so different and I am such a Steinbeck fan that I think I just really could not get my head wrapped around it.
There are the Christians, there are the Communist Christians, there are the Atheist Christians, there are the Christian Christians.
And then there are the politics. This poor man wants nothing more than to be removed from this monarchy.
I don't know how I really feel about this one. I don't know how to recommend it. It was..................different, funny, a spoof. Perhaps, I just didn't get it.

St. Richard;
Please read it and "bersplain" to me.
xoxo

Belva- Enjoyed the reviews! You been a busy gal, especially since you were hoodwinked into doing all the work on the group read! Sorry, my friend!

It's all good Mark. Rest easy.
I think I will read tonight though.
I'm excited for November and for January.
It will be good.
belva

just finished No Fond Return of Love by Barbara Pym.

about 2 middle aged ladies interested in men.
pretty much any men.
a little different.
rather humorous at times.
written with a Brit wit.
I will be reading more of her.

and because I still feel in need of light weight material, I am moving on to:
Out of Love by Victoria Clayton.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

my thoughts and comments:

The first of the "Thursday Next" series. I wasn't exactly bowled over but I enjoyed it tremendously. I expected a bit of bit of comedic fluff; a comedy of errors so to speak. Didn't happen. Turns out this is a futuristic police procedural.
We are introduced to Thursday Next. Who works in a government position; don't ask me which one. She is quick on the mental draw and can sniff out the bad guy in close to a heartbeat but not without some punishment meted out to her and hers.
You will find in this novel time travel, the Crimean War has gone on for 81 years, bookworms, (literally; in the book) who gobble dangling participles and fart out apostrophes, people going into original manuscripts of the great masters, people booted out of them, and all manner of escapades.
This book is original, funny, exciting, quick; oh, and did I say original.
It may not be for everyone, but it was for me and I think it will be for quite a few of you.
I highly recommend it.

Hi, Belva,
I wanted to let you know that I heard from the vet and my sweet dog is going to be OK. Yea! What she has is not serious. I needed some good news after two days at the dentist. Did I tell you that my dentist said he had dreams about my tooth and the recrowning of it? I told him that I had also dreamed of it. They were more like nightmares! But it all turned out better than either of us thought it would! :) Now only one more visit to deal with.

I am still reading away on War and Peace. I have devoted myself to catching up with the group read and I am only 43 pages away from the September 15th goal. It really is a great book -- just kind of long.

I loved all of your reviews. Have a super day!
--BJ

Laughing about your mutual tooth dreams-nightmares! You and Berly need to get together.

Belva, I have to keep skipping over your Virago reviews. Since I can't buy them, I don't want to get jealous! ;-)

--BJ;
What good doggie news! It is so good to hear a pet story turn out well. We have had so many sad ones on LT recently. I am very happy for your entire family.
That is too funny. You and your dentist dreaming about your tooth. I am glad you only have one more visit and you will be finished with it.
You are doing so well with your group reads.
Rocket was reading a couple of books by Edna Ferber, one of the all time great American writers and I had forgotten all about her. I think she would make a great group read. Perhaps Giant!~!
Thanks for the kudos, but I was so far behind on all of my reviews; since I went to Texas and I just kind of threw them up there to get them done. I only have one left to do. Battle Cry of Freedom and I really don't want to just throw that one up there. It was just too good.
So I will take my time with it. Hopefully I will get it done by year's end. No, just kidding.
love ya kid.
belva

OK, your review of The Pearl has just has me scrambling high and low in our office. I already wanted to read it, and a nice little copy came in the other day, and now I can't find it! Has it been sold? Did the former owner of said book not like our price and take their collection away again? Have I, in fact, already stolen it so that it is waiting amongst my books at home? WHERE IS IT?!!!

I finally got a new book started last night.. good one.
My power cord arrived..
and now.. I am going to wave and get ready for work.. *waves*

see ya later

( looks like you have been a busy reader!)

Belva- I liked your comments about The Eyre Affair and I plan on starting it soon. You did like it enough to continue the series, correct? Adios, friend!

The Eyre Affair is definitely going on my shortlist when I reach my 'F' read, but I seem to remember that the F/G/H area of the alphabet is pretty rich in TBR books in my library... I've noticed this at the shop too, that there seem to be certain letters of the alphabet that have WAY more author surnames than others, for no apparent reason! Kind of like how there are loads of companies starting with 'A' for the phone book, only less logical. OK I'll shut up now.

I have your thread starred now, so I will be stopping by easily to see what you are reading/have read this year.

I enjoy reading your posts and appreciate the support that you give me and other LT friends, Belva. You have a great big heart! Bless you.

Ruth

>#197:
miss ellie;
I don't know of anyone who has read and not liked The Pearl. I really don't think you will be the first so keep scrambling girl. It's there somewhere and it is a real slim little volume. A small package but a mighty big story.
Your alphabet scenario is pretty interesting. Is that how you are picking your books these days?
I believe there is someone else on LT that is doing that as well. Wouldn't work for me. I would try and then run buy the nearest heavily recxed book I could find. I am soooo bad. Trying to be done with the purchasing of books for a while. **Trying, trying, trying **
luv n hugs,

>#198:
Good morning Kath;
**waving back**
Glad you got your power cord and are up & running. What book did you pick up? I was so tired by the time I finally got to bed I think I only got 3 or 4 pages in before I fell asleep.
Nah, I read all those last month and just didn't feel like doing reviews. As you could tell, I still don't. That's why I haven't done Battle Cry of Freedom. I want to be fit to do an actual review on that one. These I just rambled on and threw up there.
Have a good day and don't let them abuse you at work. You are way too sweet for that!~!
big hug,

>#199:
Good morning Mark.
Yes, I enjoyed The Eyre Affair enough to read all of the series. I believe there are four. And then will follow up after the Thursday Next series is completed with Fforde's Nursery Crime series. They are very clever and witty and fast paced. I like 'em.
Will talk to you later Mark.
hugs,

>#201:
Ruth;
Good morning and thank you my dear. I am down to reading anything I want until the November group read. It's kind of nice after cramming the 999 challenge into 4 months and 1 week.
Thank you for your kind words Ruth. They matter.
love ya,

belva

Belva dear - is there another alphabet reader on LT or are you just vaguely remembering me mentioning it on my thread...??? If someone else had the same idea it would be interesting to compare notes!

I'm trialling it at the moment - I'm only on B so I haven't had time to fall off the wagon yet - but so far so good. I'm still allowed to read a second book alongside each one for lighter/heavier reading, but so far have enjoyed Lucky Jim (Amis) and Running with Scissors (Burroughs) this way. I'm lightening the pressure a bit by shortlisting five books for my next read and going with whichever takes me when the time comes. So when I started Running with Scissors I made up my shortlist for C - so in a day or two I'll be choosing from Marked (Cast), The Plague (Camus), The Family Tree (Cadwalladr), The Virgin Blue (Chevalier) and The Real Toy Story (a nonfiction read about aggressive marketing to kids, Clark)... It's easier in practise than it is to explain! :-D

Sorry to hijack the thread but in answer to elliepotten's question not only another alphabet reader but a whole group of them!

http://www.librarything.com/groups/alphabetchallenges

I thought about joining:)

>#203:
miss ellie;
I NEVER just vaguely remember you mentioning anything on your thread or anyone else's. I specifically remember you discussing cleaning out your TBR stack alphabetically and thinking that would probably be the only way I would get to any of my "real" TBRs. That is getting to the books I actually have in my bookcases and on my shelves. I remember thinking it quite a brilliant scheme.

>#204:
calm;
hello my dear. You can hijack my thread any old time you want to. Glad to have you here any way I can get you here.
I was so happy to hear the news you had to share because I had ripped off elliepotten's idea and was just keeping it on paper. This is much better and you can see others working and chipping away at their TBRs as well. I very much like the idea and I thank you.
I did whip over there to join. Am hoping that you and ellie both will do the same. ellie is already doing it on her own thread now.
thanx again.

hugs to you both.
belva

Heaven's Keep.. an ARC from vine. Pretty good...

Allegheny, Monongahela...an ARC/ER from our program. Pretty bad...

Ellie, go to the Reading Globally group. There was someone doing an abc challenge at the beginning of the year there, I think!

Gracious, your thread has been busy.

@191, Barbara Pym is wonderful. If you can, it's best to read her works from the 1950s in order, starting with Some Tame Gazelle. She inserts little snippets bringing you up to date with characters from the previous books.

Robert,
That is good information to have. I agree. She is pretty wonderful. She gives a very comfy and cozy read. One comes away from her feeling like one has had a very nice relaxing visit and coffee or tea.
I have most of Barbara Pym's now. Am still missing Excellent Women, (but it's on order), Quartet in Autumn, A Very Private Eye, An Academic Question and Civil to Strangers and Other Writings.
Thank you for the info regarding how to get the most enjoyment out of her books. I appreciate it and I really had no idea that she brought up previous characters in later books.
Do Dulcie and Violet come up in any of the others that you recall?
belva

I have spent the almost the past two hours watching the History Channel. They showed "Remembering 9/11; 102 Minutes and How It Changed America". Pretty horrific to watch it again. I didn't realize how much I had forgotten and how anesthetized we can become, over time, to any tragic event.

No Fond Return of Love was the last in that group, so no chance of them making another appearance unless it was in An Unsuitable Attachment, which was published posthumously and had appearances from practically everybody.

If someone held a gun against my head and asked me to choose a favourite Barbara Pym it would probably be Excellent Women. You are in for a real treat.

I spent the later part of the afternoon reading an ARC/ER I received today. Allegheny, Monongahela by Erinn Batykefer. A book of poetry based on meditations of the paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe.

my thoughts and comments:

I love the title; so lyrical. However, I didn't find the poetry so. It was very interesting in that a great deal of it involves body parts. The word "blood" is used several times throughout the works. There are a lot of underlying thoughts projected as one reads these poems.
My favorite of the book is entitled

"Work":

Come back, Grandma. It's high summer,
hotter than the hinges of hell, and I'm stupid,
couldn't pour piss from a boot with directions on the heel.

Already, the slate foyer's scuffed voice hushed
with wax on my hands and knees, already
a mountain of white laundry pulled from the chute

and set boiling in the machine, the dishes steamed
dry on the counters and reeking of Ajax bleach.
I don't know what to do while everyone sleeps

and the air's so tight with bugs and heat----
I'm a lost ball in the high weeds. Come back, please.
Set me to work. Though your box of recipes

keeps mum, I run into the dark yard for groundfall
peaches, I plan midnight pies. Call me in.
I've inherited your insomniac grief,

so come back, Grandma, stay up all night with me.
Give me a brush and show me how to paint
the unseen closet walls lilac and green.

Those last two lines reminded me of my own mother, 40 to 50 some odd years ago when she would paint every summer. And she painted the inside of drawers, cupboards, closets wonderful, bright, fun colors. But the walls and the outside of the cupboards and closets/wardrobes were always white.

At any rate whether or not I liked this book of poetry, I did find it unusual and interesting.

I don't believe that this is a book I will want to keep on my shelves. If one of you would like to have it, I will be glad to forward it on to you.

The back of the book reads:
Close to the bone, Erinn Batykefer's poems---sharp-edged as O'Keeffe's paintings, skeletons visible and harrowing---are harsh and devastating torrents of rage, love, and misdirected desire. Poems tangle with a grandfather's murder, a family's violence, the wildness of sex, love indulged or denied, scouring to bedrock any easy assumptions. Her poems are floodwaters, her poems are the river's skin after rain. Necessary and vibrant, they help us savor our flawed and damaged world. Here is an important new voice in American poetry.
review by Peggy Shumaker

Just let me know if you would like to try this first collection of poetry by Erinn Batykefer.
belva

My new thread is here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/72987

Drop in and see me.

Jonah's Gourd Vine is now moving off of the tbr bookshelves and into the tbrs (s standing for soon) pile on the floor. That might still mean January with all the schoolwork I've got, but now I'm really looking forward to getting to it :) I always enjoy reading your reviews, but it's doubly nice when the one that stands out most is already waiting somewhere in the shelves...