DonnaReads in 2010

Hey all! It's good to be here amongst old friends -- and new. If you read my thread, I'll read yours! My Profile name is Donna828 until I change over to DonnaReads. A new year...a new name.

The link to my short introductory bio is here.







Book-of-the-Month for 2010
January: Their Eyes Were Watching God (F)
The Seven Storey Mountain (NF)

TIOLI Challenge
My Take It Or Leave It Challenge for January is: First month, first novel:
The Solace of Leaving Early by Haven Kimmel. 4.5 stars.
A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 4 stars.

February: Book With A Red Spine:

You are starred! Love the new name, I'll just have to get used to it.

This interesting exercise made the rounds on many threads earlier in 2009. I thought it would be a fun way to remember some of the books I read this year before I get started on my 2010 books.

Using only books read this year, answer the following:

Describe yourself -- The Help

How do you feel? -- Lush Life

Describe where you live -- Property

If you could go anywhere, where would you go? -- Small Island

Your favorite form of transportation -- The Red Convertible

Your best friend is -- The Empress of One

You and your friends are -- The Faith Club

What's the weather like? -- All Other Nights

You fear -- Dangerous Liaisons

What is the best advice you have to give? -- Being Dead Is No Excuse

Thought for the day -- A Handful of Dust

How I would like to die -- Somewhere Towards the End

My soul's present condition -- Lost and Found

Thanks, Terri. A star for you as well. I'm feeling pretty "old slippers" comfortable here myself. There is a problem with changing my name...Tim is working on a "bug" in the system. Guess I'll have to live with an identity problem for awhile.

Hi Donna! Starring your thread so I'll be able to find you even after the name change!

Hi Jennifer...this is kind of confusing having two threads going at once. I have a few more books lined up to read in the next two weeks which I will put on the '09 thread, and then I'm flying solo again. Will you be doing the 100 Book Challenge in 2010?

probably. It's a smaller group, making it easier for me to find my own challenge thread. I'll put a link at the end of my last 2009 post; I don't think the 100 book challenge group has been made yet for 2010.

Hey, Donna! I'm finally in the 75ers group. I'm so excited! Since our libraries are so much alike, I'll for sure be following your reads again this year!

Welcome back!

Welcome, Bonnie. I'm sure I get as many (or more) recommendations from you than you do from me.

Thanks for the welcome, doc, and many thanks for setting up this group again. You've made a lot of people very happy!

Glad to see you back, Donna whatever-your-name-is.

Hi Donna - #1 on my list of Members with brenzi's books. Got you starred friend of another name :-D

Donna, I too have starred you as, like Bonnie you share a fair number of books with me. I love finding other LT'ers with my book sense. I'm new to this group and love the friendliness.

>11 alcottacre:: Stasia, I'll be spending Sundays (and Mondays, and Tuesdays, etc) on the acre trying to keep up with your threads. Gotcha starred.

>12 brenzi:: Bonnie, it is good to be your No. 1. I've got you permanently starred.

>13 sydamy:: Hi, sydamy, and welcome. I must warn you about this group. You may spend some of your valuable reading time catching up on threads to see what everyone is reading. Oh, and if you buy books, you'd better add another shelf or two because you will get many recommendations. Have fun! I'm off to star your thread.

#14: Nah, one day a week should do it :)

Starred!

Thanks for visiting my thread and inviting me to yours. It looks as if I'm among friends here already. I recognize the names of so many of your other party-goers thread-readers.

What was your screen name before you became Donna828? What is the 828 for? Books read since Y2K? :)

I found it! Star for you! -- Mrs. Hall

>16 SqueakyChu:: Hi Madeline (I refuse to use your hamster's name!). 828 is my birthday...8/28. Original, huh? I haven't read quite that many books since 2000. Or was that 1999? I'm still confused about that whole millenium thing. :-)

>17 universehall:: Jamie, I'm so glad you found me. I have you starred as well. I think this is going to be a fun reading year. One more thing...you share a birthday with my youngest grandchild. Griffin who lives in K.C. was 2 on December 7. I hope you'll let me call you Jamie as you are younger than my children!

Got ya starred Donna. I've just discovered we share many of the same books. Look forward to checking out your 2010 reads.

>19 Carmenere:: Same here, Lynda. Happy Holiday reading to you!

>18 Donna828:: Oh, you're welcome to call me by my first name, especially given those circumstance!! :)

The link to my introduction will magically appear here thanks to people who are smarter than me if you click on these words and slowly say "Abba Cadabra."

I'm not sure how to get to my intro, but I am No. 6, so you don't have to scroll down too far. Did I mention that I am technically challenged?

>21 universehall:: Hi there, Jamie!

I found you, my fellow Midwesterner! I need to keep you nearby! Good luck!

Found you here - don't know how I missed your thread last year, but I did!

Starred and ready!!

I've got you starred now!

Hi Donna, I just wanted to stop by and wish you a very Merry Christmas! Joanne

Thanks, Joanne.

Wow! Christmas is almost here and snow is on the way. I hope everyone safely gets to where they are supposed to be to enjoy the White Christmas in the midwest. Oh yeah, and I hope Santa can carry all those books to good little LTers in his pack.

Donna,

Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Bonnie

Donna- Have a very Merry Christmas! And let's have another great year on LT!

Merry Christmas Donna!


glitter-graphics.com

Thank you, Linda, for that beautiful Christmas scene. Our White Christmas here in MO wasn't that spectacular, but we take what we can get.

Thanks to Bonnie and Mark for their warm wishes as well. Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Personally, I'm ready to get back to books. :-)

I've read Part I of A Passage to India over the past few days and would like to carve out some time to read more than a few pages. Maybe next week.

Two more days until I can post my first book for January 2010. Of course, I have to finish it first. I bid farewell too soon on my 2009 thread and have been lost in Book Limbo for the past week, but I'll be fresh and rarin' to go for the new year. Happy New Year all!

#34 lol! Your comment reminded me of our ongoing complaints about all the pairings that never seem to come out even - cookies & milk, chips & dip, french fries & ketchup. Now, books & years? Book limbo sounds bad. Looking forward to following your reading for another year!

Book Limbo ends in less than 17 hours! Now you've got me thinking about all the uneven pairs, Sandy, like those socks that don't match up. I've actually kind of enjoyed my mini vacation of reading odds and ends. I have to start out strong to keep up with everyone in this group.

See you tomorrow with my first book of 2010 (providing I get those last 50 pages read). We're having a quiet evening at our house so it shouldn't be a problem.

Well, here we are in a brand new shiny new year. At least it's shiny here in Missouri with bright sun after too many days of winter dreariness. But, oh so cold! I warmed up after walking the dog this morning with the final pages of the book I have been "nursing" the past week. I'm glad I took the time to savor it instead of reading at my usual breakneck pace.

Book No. 1: A Passage to India by E.M. Forster. 4 stars.
Review here.

I've always liked reading about India. It is a country of many contrasts and much beauty. Forster's story takes place in the British colonial period. It is the time of much tension and suspicion between the British and the local people, who are themselves pretty tense and suspicious about each other and their opposing beliefs. Dr. Aziz pretty much sums up the feeling when he states on Page 295: "We may hate one another but we hate you (the British) the most."

I learned (in The Writer's Almanac online) this morning that today is E.M. Forster's birthday. Happy Birthday, E.M.! A Passage to India is the last of the five novels he wrote and it is considered to be his masterpiece.

I loved A Passage to India but enjoyed Howards End even more. He made my favorite authors list after that and I will be plunging in to another this year at some point, probably A Room with a View.

>38 blackdogbooks:: Thanks for being my first official visitor, BDB. I read Howard's End many years ago, reread A Room With A View back in '99, and rated all three of Forster's books with a solid 4 stars. His are the kind of books that stand up to many readings, and I know I will revisit both Howard's End and A Passage to India in the future. I have reserved the DVD of the latter from the library because someone told me the movie was even better than the book.

movie was even better than the book

IDK Donna. Do you really think that could be possible?

I have my doubts, Bonnie. I'll have to let you know.

I just finished Passage to India as well, Donna. The interaction between the British and Indians was often times laughable. So many misunderstandings. Dr. Aziz so likable and obliging. I rented the DVD after the read and background info regarding Forster mentioned he was attempting to write a book involving Antartica but wasn't feeling it. He took an extended trip to India and thus got the idea for Passage.

Off to a bang-up start for the year, Donna!

>41 Donna828:: I'm glad that Mr. Forster took that trip to India. Lots more happening there than in Antarctica. What did you think of the movie version, Lynda?

>42 Carmenere:: Thanks, Stasia, I wanted to start off with a really good book to set the tone for the year.

I've been having fun setting up my tickers at the top of the page. I think that rabbit is going to be much faster than the lazy dog!

My debut book choice for the TIOLI Challenge is The Solace of Leaving Early by Haven Kimmel. I have temporarily abandoned A Gate at the Stairs for it. I've decided I kinda like reading more than one book at a time to fit my mood that apparently changes at different times of the day.

you are very clever to pick such a nice ticker...heheheh

You are starred!!!

That's a great book to start with, Donna! I consider it a new "classic" and is on my "all-time favorites" list. The movie is great too. I'm with Bonnie--it's rare for a movie to be better than a book, though it can happen.

I tried reading A Passage to India years ago and could not get into it, although I've read and liked most of Forster's other works. Maybe I should try it again!

--> 45

I've decided I kind of like reading more than one book at a time to fit my mood that apparently changes at different times of the day.

I so totally understand what you're saying, Donna. As I often find myself reading more than one book at a time, I pretty much let the "currently reading" books themselves decide for me which one I should be reading at a specific time. If one of those is a slow read, I feel no compunction at all to just boot it off of my list of current reads. I might come back to it, or I might not.

I haven't gotten to my TIOLI book yet, but that's only because I have three other books going at once now! :)

--> 45

I've decided I kind of like reading more than one book at a time to fit my mood that apparently changes at different times of the day.

I so totally understand what you're saying, Donna. As I often find myself reading more than one book at a time, I pretty much let the "currently reading" books themselves decide for me which one I should be reading at a specific time. If one of those is a slow read, I feel no compunction at all to just boot it off of my list of current reads. I might come back to it, or I might not.

I haven't gotten to my TIOLI book yet, but that's only because I have three other books going at once now! :)

Hey Donna, I thought the movie version of A Passage to India was very good and stayed true to Forster's novel. A few moments I would have loved to see on film were left out however such as the court room scene when all of the British present join Miss Quested on the platform. Thought that a bit humorous.

>48 carlym:: Carlym, do give A Passage to India another try sometime when you are in the right mood. It did start out a little slow for me, but then I like slow, cerebral books. The story really gets going in Part 2, with the accusation, trial, etc. And yes, there is even some humor....see Lynda's (Carmenere) message above. I'll look for your thread to see what you are reading.

>50 SqueakyChu:: Hi, Madeline. Three books at a time. I may have to try that. Actually, I guess I do if you count the one that is always on my nightstand, although I usually only manage to read a few pages before I fall asleep. It is also my "insurance" that I will have something to read in the rare case of insomnia. My current nighttime book is The Seven Storey Mountain.

>51 Carmenere:: That was indeed quite a funny picture in my head as I was reading. The DVD is waiting for me at the library. We're expecting record low temps here in MO later this week with some real snow. Right now, we have about 3 inches on the ground. I can see a day in my near future where I won't want to venture out and watching A Passage to India will be a perfect way to spend a few hours. I'll post a mini movie review here after I watch it.

Donna,

I'm in the same group with Carlym in that I tried A Passage to India years ago and just couldn't get into it. But then you and I usually agree with each other as far as books go so I think I will try it again.

Book No. 2 A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore. 3.5 stars.

I'm a bit out of sync with the critics on this one. It was a little overwritten for my tastes.

My review starts out...

"This book had many things going for it -- kooky characters, themes of racism and loss, and an adorable toddler. All might have been well if Moore hadn't tried to combine several loosely related stories and then thrown a heavy bag of misfortunes for Tassie, the farm girl/student/nanny/quasi-musician, to make clever wisecracks about."

My review continues here.

>55 brenzi:: Hi there, Bonnie. I must have been tweaking my review of A Gate at the Stairs or playing with my tickers when you visited. Did you see how I am keeping track of my pages read with the cute little bunny at the top of this thread? Thanks for the idea.

Yes, we do usually agree with each other on books. And I totally agree with you about Moore's latest in that it was good but not great. After reading more about her, I think I will enjoy her short stories more than her novels. Have you read anything else by her?

Hi Donna- I'll pick up my copy of the Moore book tomorrow. I'll have to see which side I come down on. Both you and Bonnie weren't ecstatic about it, even though the reviews have been very strong. We'll see!

I admit to having read the first 50 pages and ditching it....I just couldn't get into it.

You know Moore's book was on a couple of the Best Fiction of 2009. So how come none of us were thrilled with it?

Hey Donna I like that page counter at the top. Mind if I steal that idea?

Hi Mark, Joanne, and Bonnie.

Mark, I'm eagerly awaiting your assessment of Gate at the Stairs.

Joanne, life is too short to waste on a ho-hum book. I am tottering on the fence on this one as far as recommending it. It doesn't have the universal appeal of many of the books that we read.

Bonnie, do you suppose that the critics could actually be wrong in their assessment of this one? I'm frequently at odds with the critics both on books and movies. I'm just glad I know what I like and am of the age where I don't care all that much about other's opinions. By all means, you may borrow from me as I have gotten some of my best ideas from you! I think I am a work in progress.

Donna girl, found you and starred!! Looking forward to following your thread this year. Best wishes for 2010.

Thanks, Berly, and same to you. You're off to a flying start.

Hello! Thank you for visiting my thread. Got you starred!

Hi, Donna.
I also keep a book on my nighttable and usually it's one of my non-fiction histories (they help to put me to sleep- ha-ha). I want to keep the fun books for when I'm wide awake. Cheli

Starred and preparing to follow, even if I am largely silent!

I really liked Birds of America even though they're short stories, not my favorite reading material. I'm actually glad you didn't like Moore's book that much since my wish list needs thinning out anyway.

Thanks guys (Porua, Cheli, Kathi, and Bonnie) for stopping by.

Porua, I always enjoy our little book exchanges and will continue to follow your thread as well.

Cheli, I can not go to sleep without reading first....even if it is only 5 or 10 minutes. I'm not sure how much I retain when I'm half asleep, but it does give me good dreams.

Kathi, I'll be listening whenever you are ready to talk. :-)

Bonnie, I'm always glad to help out a friend, even if it means dissing a book. I'll look into Birds of America. Looks like a good book to keep by the bedside.

Donna - I have always struggled with E.M.Forster, but wonder if a more I might now find it easier? I tried A Room with a View but couldn't finish it.

>70 kiwidoc:: Karen, I've liked all threee of the Forster books I've read...and I've read A Room With A View twice! Topically: they've all be pretty diverse. Writing style: doesn't wow me, but he's fairly easy read.

I wish I knew why an author appeals to one reader and not the other. There are a few authors out there that I don't care for at all (Alice Hoffman and Elizabeth Berg spring to mind), yet people with similar reading tastes seem to like them. I'm just glad that there are so many books out there to choose from.

>70 kiwidoc:: I read A Room with a View last month and while I enjoyed it, I found the Merchant Ivory film much, much, much better. Highly recommended !!

>72 lauralkeet:: I agree. I think the movie of A Room with a View is better than the book (although I like the book very much), but that Howards End is much better in book form.

Following you for 2010... shocking that I didn't arrive until message 74! Happy reading!

>72 lauralkeet: & 73: Laura and carlym, I'm glad you both liked the film version of A Room With A View. I've seen it and enjoyed it as well, but I'd have to say that the book version is always better for me. I like to "paint" my own pictures in my head and then see what Hollywood has to offer. Sometimes it adds to my enjoyment of the book (as it did in this case), and sometimes I think they should add the disclaimer: "Loosely" based on such-and-such book. I just picked up the DVD of A Passage To India and will write my comments on it in the next few days.

>74 elliepotten:: Hello there, Ellie, and thanks for gracing my thread. I don't have all the interesting stories that you do. I'm pretty much about the books I read, but I'm always happy to have people visit and say what's on their mind. Welcome!

Hi Donna, just wanted to say I found you and starred you! It looks like we have very similar tastes so I will definitely be following along to see what you're reading :)

>77 spacepotatoes:: Hey there, Andrea, or do you prefer space? or maybe ms. potatoes? Whatever, I'm glad you're here. Welcome aboard.

Testing: 1, 2, 3....

>79 Donna828:: I suppose (for now anyway) you will have to visualize my first attempt at putting the book cover on my page. Back to the drawing board on this. My idea was to only put the covers of books that I've rated 4.5 or 5 stars. I'll go ahead with my comments and hope that somebody can help me with my technology skills...or lack thereof.

Book No. 3: The Solace of Leaving Early by Haven Kimmel.. 4.5 stars.

I was struck by some of the similarities between A Gate at the Stairs and this book. However, this one got under my skin (in a good way) and the other was just a so-so read. Kimmel's writing and characters struck a chord with me. I liked the characters and the plot and the way that she slowly drew them together. It was a little dramatic (hence missing that 5-star rating) but didn't dissolve into melodrama. I'll definitely be reading more by this author.

Check out my review to see why I liked this one so much.

I had to work hard to get that image up. That may be my last highly rated book of the year. :-(

Yay, Donna!

Thanks, Bonnie. I think my biggest problem was not clicking on "Properties" on the image and using that URL. I'd say that I was just using a partial address. I'm not going to worry so much about size. I just want the dang picture up there! These things are easy...once you know the steps. I appreciate your johnny-on-the-spot assistance!

I've loved everything I've ever read by Haven Kimmel, but The Solace of Leaving Early, though it's on my TBR list, has never physically made it into my house. I need to work on that. I met her once at a book signing, and found her to be absolutely delightful!

Donna - The Solace of Leaving Early sounds great - onto the TBR list it goes. I really enjoyed the one book that I've read by Haven Kimmel, A Girl Named Zippy.

I read A Girl Named Zippy. I loved the first story especially about going down to her neighbors to celebrate Christmas. Since I never got much at all at Christmas--and rarely anything I wanted--I could so relate!

Donna- Congrat's on the image! And another solid review! Nice going!

Looks like A Girl Named Zippy will be read soon. I'm glad about that, because it's the only other Kimmel I own.

Mark, putting that image on was much harder than writing a review about a book that I enjoyed. It should be much easier the next time, especially if Bonnie will come to the rescue.

I really liked Zippy and your idea of pictures for high rankers. Hope the next one posts easier for you. ;)

#80: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation!

Adding anything by Haven Kimmel on to my wish list notebook. Great review :)

Updating this thread is becoming work! Not the comments which I love reading and responding to, but updating my tickers and my lone challenge at the top. Guess I'm a lazy LTer.

>89 Berly:: Hi, Kimberly. I just hope I remember what I did when I post my next image. I'm pretty sure that Their Eyes Were Watching God will rate a book cover. My grandkids are coming this week end, so it will probably be Sunday afternoon when I get started on it.

>90 alcottacre: and 91: Stasia and Lynda, I hope you enjoy the Kimmel book as much as I did. Some of the reviews I read said that it was a lot of work. To me, those are the most rewarding kinds of books.

>78 Donna828: I'll answer to any of those names, no real preference. It's like I tell my students, as long as you don't call me "Hey, you!", it's all good :)

The Solace of Leaving Early sounds very good, though it'll have to wait until I can handle another heartwrenching story. After The Book of Negroes and now The Cellist of Sarajevo, I feel like I'm being put through the wringer! Definitely another title for the TBR, though.

>93 spacepotatoes:: I know exactly what you mean, Andrea, about taking a break from those heavy reads. That's why I'm having fun with Sherlock Holmes in Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet.

Plus, I watched a movie today. Upthread in Msg. 51, Lynda (aka carmenere) recommended the film version of A Passage to India. Duly watched today and thought it was spectacular. It made me feel as if I were in India absorbing the sights and sounds. I still think the book gives a more complete picture, and the movie is an added bonus. I thought this one did an excellent job of following Forster's book. Thanks for the suggestion, Lynda.

I'm so happy that you enjoyed the film Donna. I think Forster's characters were drawn with much clarity and I felt the casting for the movie really cemented them in my mind. How can one not be sympathetic toward Aziz? Did you feel that way too?

Absolutely. The only problem I had with the casting was Adela. I thought she was prettier than she was supposed to be in the book. I also thought it funny that I was pronouncing her name wrong throughout the book. I was thinking A-del'-a, rather than A'-del-a. Oh well.

So glad you liked the movie version of A Passage to India! As I've already mentioned in my rather long review of it I watched the movie first and that is what got me interested in reading the book. And also I enjoyed the movie slighly more than the book (very slightly!). That was a first for me!

Hi Donna--I found you! This LT site is very robust--amazingly "tekkie" in some ways--so I'm still finding my way. I really love this website. My favorite part is looking at my book covers together in one place--almost like a scrap quilt or something.

Anywho, my Moonflower Vine book just came in the mail. I can't wait to start it.

I have some Sherlock Holmes books in a box somewhere--I so hate putting my books in boxes, but sometimes there's no other way. You've inspired me to go look for them.

Bye for now.

I'm having a difficult time obtaining a copy of Moonflower Vine...neither local library has this book. Looks like a trip to Barnes and Noble is in order...

>97 Porua:: You raise an interesting point, porua. I'm wondering whether it is whichever comes first -- book or movie -- that we like best. Until very recently, I can't think of a movie that I saw before reading the book. But "Sherlock Holmes" is an exception. After seeing the film on New Year's Day, I knew I had to read some Arthur Conan Doyle pretty quickly. I'm now reading A Study in Scarlet and loving it.

>98 labwriter:: Hi Becky, you seem to be finding your way around LT quite well. I am still in awe of this wonderful book networking site, and I do like the visual of all the book covers as well. They just make me happy. Go free Sherlock Holmes as soon as possible. Those books are longing to get out of those boxes. Book piles work well for me. :-)

>99 Whisper1:: I have a feeling that Moonflower Vine is a keeper for me. That's why I went ahead and bought it with a Christmas gift card. I probably won't get started on it until pretty close to Feb. 1st. We'll be busy that last week in January helping our youngest son and his wife move from Colorado Springs to Dallas.

Colorado to Texas?

Yup, so sad. But my other son and his wife will never leave Littleton. :-)

Nothing against Texas, but :(

Another state for you to visit, huh?

>99 Whisper1:. Hi Whisper1. I bought my copy of Moonflower Vine at Amazon.com. Do other people buy from there? They have a deal where you pay so much per year and the shipping is "free." Because of that, I find myself buying more things there all the time. Smart marketing. I hardly ever go to a bookstore anymore. I used to miss going, but when my favorite one closed (and I think I kept it going the last 6 months almost single-handedly), I lost interest in the book shops. I hate the B&N near me. I seriously doubt the one near me would carry Moonflower.

By the way, I started Moonflower tonight--what a beautiful book. I love it so far. I'm only letting myself read a chapter or two a day.

Becky, you're making me anxious to start reading it!

Okay, the munchkins (my sweet grandchildren) are gone and it's time to play catch-up.

>103 Copperskye:: That's true, Joanne, about having more travels in our future and absolutely nothing against Texas. Some of my fondest memories growing up took place in the early 60's at Fort Hood. Most of them involved a swimming pool. Hot, hot, hot.

>104 labwriter:: Becky, I am a sometimes orderer from Amazon, and I always find at least $25.00 worth of books to qualify for free shipping. My last order was from B&N simply because I had a gift card there.

I wish we had an independent bookstore in town that I could frequent, but alas, just Borders and B&N here. There are a few used bookstores that I visit pretty regularly, and I'm a huge fan of the semi-annual library book sales. Glad you're liking Moonflower Vine.

>105 tloeffler:: I'm eagerly looking forward to it as well, Terri. I'm going to wait until it is closer to the discussion time because I like to talk about a book before I move on to my next read.

Book No. 4: A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 4 stars.

I was inspired by the new Sherlock Holmes movie to actually read some of Doyle's famous mysteries. And in keeping with my TIOLI Challenge to read debut novels, I started with this novella. Good choice.

I'm a little bit in love with Sherlock Holmes. Maybe it's the Robert Downey, Jr. influence, although he doesn't quite fit the description in the book. I think it is his intelligence and his sense of humor. Also, he knows that he has a problem with depression, and just kind of deals with it in his own way.

My review is here.

There appear to be several people in the group this year reading the Doyle books. I may have to revisit Sherlock myself.

Sherlock Holmes is my literary crush too, and has been for years. :) I'm not sure how the Downey interpretation affected my views - he was a little sillier than Doyle's Holmes in my opinion.

>108 alcottacre:: My first Sherlock adventure was like a breath of fresh air. I think these stories will make great "in between" books which I need a break from my usual heavy reading.

>109 BookAngel_a:: Thanks for visiting, Angela. I think "silly" is a good word to describe Downey's characterization of Holmes. I thought the book Sherlock was much more cerebral and clever, although he did have a sense of humor. I visited your library and see that you have a lot of Doyle books listed. Do you have a favorite?

>110 Donna828:. Donna, I told you earlier that you inspired me to look for my Holmes books that I thought were in a box. I actually found them all in a row on an obscure shelf. I agree about them being good "in between" books--usually I do the equivalent of intellectual dumpster-diving when I need a break (not that that's a bad thing--I tend to love those books, like the alphabet books that woman has written, now up to "U" or something and who is probably sorry she ever thought of the idea at this point--but I digress). But Sherlock Holmes is a lot of fun, as well as short, so when I feel the need to move along my ticker, one of those will be a great choice.

I haven't yet seen the movie--did you enjoy it?

I wanted to also say that I love the new name--"DonnaReads"--very clever. I loved The Donna Reed Show when I was a kid, who didn't? Donna was such a cheerful mom.

The Solace of Leaving Early has just gone onto the wishlist, although it will have to wait 6 months to a year to even have chance of being acquired. Oh well, the fact its there counts for something, right?

110- I've been meaning to re-read all the Doyle Holmes stories and novels. The last time I read them I was a teenager and while I remember many of them I don't have an adult perspective. So I can't pick a favorite yet, although I will say the story of the speckled band scared me to death!! (I read it right before bed which was a mistake...)
As far as non-Doyle Holmes stories, I've read a lot of them in the last few years and I've really enjoyed the Larry Millett series set in Minnesota (yes, really! starting with Sherlock Holmes and The Red Demon - 'red demon' = fire) and recently the Nicholas Meyer ones.

>111 labwriter:, 112: I did enjoy the Sherlock Holmes movie, but I don't see that many movies and am easy to entertain. Yes, my name is a take on Donna Reed whom I adored on TV. I wanted my somewhat imperfect family to be just like hers.

>113 lunacat:: Lunacat, The Solace of Leaving Early sat in a stack of books behind my library door for months before I got to it. It is a very patient book. :-)
Thanks for stopping by.

>114 BookAngel_a:: Angela, thanks for sharing your Sherlock memories. There are many adventures in my future.

And now...back to Their Eyes Were Watching God. Great book so far!

I am usually pretty quick on the uptake but I must be slipping. I knew there was something familiar about "DonnaReads" but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Duh'! I also loved The Donna Reed Show. You're so clever!

>116 Copperskye:: And I just thought most of the readers of this thread were just too young to make that connection!

I'm old enough to make the connection and I did. I just chalked it up to your creative side. Very clever.

I didn't get it until it was pointed out but I do know who Donna Reed is...only because I am a Gilmore Girls addict. They had an episode in the first season that heavily featured the Donna Reed Show.

#119 - I suppose I'm too young to know about Donna Reed, but Gilmore Girls has educated me well, and, ahem *clears throat and lifts chin* I did make the connection :)

Oh yeah....love the Gilmore Girls, too. I have several seasons to catch up on...sometime.

Book No. 5: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. 4.5 stars.

This book makes me glad to be a reader. I was transported back to another time and place in America's history. Through the eyes and voice of Janie Crawford, granddaughter of a slave, it's possible to know the complexities of living in rural Florida during a time when black women were treated much like mules and could only hope to marry a decent man who didn't beat them.

Read the rest of my review here.

I must have picked up and put down this book upteen times over the years. Thanks to the comments from LTers who prompted me to finally read it. Absolutely stunning book!

I have a pageful of quotes for my notebook. I refer to both the narrator's voice and the dialog in my review, so I'll choose samples of each type here:

"Oh to be a pear tree -- any tree in bloom! With kissing bees singing of the beginning of the world! She was sixteen. She had glossy leaves and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her. Where were the singing bees for her?" (Page 11)

And towards the end of the book, some of Janie's thoughts on love to her friend Pheoby...

"Love is lak de sea. It's uh movin' thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it's different with every shore." (Pg. 191)

Donna.

What a wonderful review! This book is on my shelf and will be read soon.

Great review, Donna! I loved Their Eyes Were Watching God when I read it a couple of years ago. I bought Hurston's autobiography Dust Tracks on a Road right after I read it, but it's still on my TBR shelf. Hopefully, I'll get to it this year.

Nice review, Donna! I immediately read Hurston's autobiography right after reading Their Eyes were Watching God too, so the stories have merged a bit in my mind, I'm thinking. I'll have to go back and skim one or the other.

#122 Another one for the wishlist. Thanks for your review.

Thumbed your review Donna. I think I tried reading this one many years ago and gave up on it but obviously I need to give it a go again.

Donna- Very nice review! I really liked both quotes! I will keep an eye out for this one!

Hi Donna, I've also picked this one up at least a couple of times but have yet to read it. Your review will get me to try it again. Thanks!

Thanks Linda, Amy, Bonnie, Caty, other Bonnie, Mark, and Joanne for your kind words about my review of Their Eyes.... The dialect was a struggle for me in the beginning, but, once I got into the rhythm of the language, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Great review, Donna, of a simply terrific book. I am glad you enjoyed it so much.

Thumb!!!!

Why, thank you, Stasia and Mac for stopping by. It gets lonely here sometimes.

Very nice review Donna. I've got Their Eyes... on my wish list. In fact, I picked up the CD verson but had to return it because I just don't drive the commute anymore and their it sat, so I'm going to wait and get my paws on the book.

I really need to get around to this book sometime this year, it's been on the TBR for too long! First Belva and now you too singing its praises, I feel like I'm missing out. Thanks for the great review!

Definitely going on the TBR list. Sounds really great!

Hey Donna--I am on chapter 8 of Their Eyes Were Watching God. I left some comments on your home page and on my thread. I'll keep sending you updates so we can chat about it. Your initial comments were right on! (I am not reading the review until I finish...) Hugs.

Guess What? Still on Chapter 8. Off to the slopes today. Maybe I can get some reading done in the car?! I have not abandoned you. :)

I hope you love Their Eyes... as much as I did, Lynda and Andrea.

>136 FrkFrigg:: Thanks for stopping by, Tanja. I loved my visit to Denmark (Arhus) several years ago. A very clean and welcoming country. I also like your neat stacks of books. I think books -- in any sort of display -- make the perfect room decor. Enjoy Their Eyes Were Watching God whenever you get around to reading it.

>138 Berly:: NP, Berly. Enjoy your day on the ski slopes with your kids. Sounds like fun! You know, one of the wonderful things about books is that they are always there waiting for you. This book is too exquisite to rush.

I absolutely loved Janie's thoughts on Death in Chapter 8:

"Death, that strange being with the huge square toes who lived way in the West. ...He stands in his high house that overlooks the world. Stands watchful and motionless all day with his sword drawn back, waiting for the messsenger to bid him come. Been standing there before there was a where or a when or a then."

What a great quote! I will read this book soon.

Book No. 6: Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann. 4.5 stars (with one slight reservation!).

I've decided that book reviewing is not my forte. Keep in mind, that I mostly write the reviews to myself as a way of journaling my reactions to a book. In the case of this book, which I loved btw, I just had to express my ambivalence about the section I thought was completely out of sync with the rest of the book. I felt like the victim of "bait and switch" with the

*Possible Spoilers here*

out-of-left-field stories of the kid who photographed graffiti "tags" in the subway tunnels and also the California computer hackers.

*End of Spoilers*

Can someone who has read the book explain how these two blessedly short vignettes added to this otherwise brilliant book?

I'm glad you liked Denmark, though I must say "clean and welcoming" isn't the words I would use, but I suppose it's quite different when you see it from the outside (and also depending on where you come from, unfortunately). Anywho, glad you liked it! :)

And you're absolutely right, books make perfect room decor! I have now gotten shelves and that's just great (and it makes it a lot easier to get to the books), but I love that picture.

I'm glad to see 4.5 starts for Let the Great World Spin, one of the few well-received, recently published books that I haven't bought yet. I keep thinking there must be so many copies floating around that I'll run into one in a thriftstore. Alas, not yet. I'll have to make more of an effort to obtain a copy.

Donna- I loved the review, (better than mine)! I'm so glad you liked it, you had me worried there for a moment. As far as the 2 stories you mentioned, I don't have an answer but they didn't bother me as much as you! you should try to hunt down the excellent documentary called "Man on a Wire", that captures that event perfectly!

>143 alaskabookworm:: I read a library copy, but I liked it well enough that I am going to be looking for a good used copy for my permanent collection.

>144 msf59:: Mark, I think I was disappointed that Let the Great World Spin didn't turn out to be the 5-star book that I thought it was going to be when I started reading it. Just call me picky. :-)

I do remember the Philippe Petit stunt that had the world enraptured (for at least 15 minutes!) back in the 70's and would love to see a documentary on it. I thought McCann did an excellent job capturing the beauty and the precision that went into the walk.

Any activity in the Group Read yet?

Donna- Complete silence over at the G.R.! It's like a crypt! I just finished Parts 1 & 2, myself. It's been pretty good! Where you at?

Donna- Complete silence over at the G.R.! It's like a crypt! I just finished Parts 1 & 2, myself. It's been pretty good! Where you at?

Donna,

I must say that I wasn't as put off by that particular section of the book as you were but I did wait for him to tie it in at some point later in the book, which never happened. After all, it was a book about connections. He could have easily left it out of the book that's for sure. That said, I absolutely loved the book and I guess what I loved most was that connection between the characters, especially the three grieving mothers--Gloria, the hooker grandmother, and the Park Avenue mother. They all left a deep impression on me.

For me, there's not a heck of a lot of difference between 4.5 and 5 stars. It's all about how the book leaves me at its end and this book left me emotionally drained yet at the same time hopeful. That's a lot for an author to accomplish. And the fact that he did it in such a lyrical way....priceless.

>147 msf59:: I'm about to finish Part 2, Mark. Liking it so far. I was excited to find the audio version at the library so I can keep up while on my road trip to Colorado and Texas next week.

>148 brenzi:: I loved it, too, Bonnie, and will look for some of McCann's other books. I thought the friendship between Claire and Gloria was the crowning glory of the book. I also liked the Judge's impressions in the latter part of the book. I think it was you who quoted how he slowly gave up his ideals as he surveyed "the evolution of slime." McCann's use of language was superb.

I'm thinking maybe he had a contract for a 350 page book and needed some "filler" so wrote those two blurbs that really didn't connect very well with the other pieces. I'm over it now, but I couldn't in all conscience give the book 5 stars.

Donna- Glad you are enjoying WWE! I'll also be finishing up A Gate at the Stairs tomorrow. I'll let you know! My turn, for a little suspense! Hee hee!

Ha! Vindicated by your review of A Gate at the Stairs, a book several of us wanted to like but just couldn't overlook its flaws. And I thought I was the only picky reader out there. Glad to find other discriminating readers...a much better word than "picky."

Donna- I finishes Eyes!! My review is on my thread. Love to trade comments.

>152 Berly:: Good review, Berly. I liked how you included why the book was so named. And I've enjoyed our mini-discussion on your thread. Let me know if you have other parts of the book that you want to talk about; however, I don't claim to have any real insight. Still thinking about those vultures chanting around the mule. Do you suppose it had anything to do with the black folklore that Hurston liked to research?

Now go get caught up with World Without End so we can join the big kids in the Group Read.

I am hoping clarity about the vultures will come to me someday...I am on page 80 of WWE and catching up as fast as I can! There are a lot of characters so far and I don't have a real attachment to any of them, but I am enjoying it.

>154 Berly:: Well, let me know when you get your epiphany! I'll see you over on the G.R. discussion.

Book No. 7: The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton. 4 stars. Review here.

I've been reading this book in little snatches late at night over the past few months. I love books that explore the spiritual nature. In this one, Thomas Merton writes with truth and feeling about his call to become a monk. It is one of those books that I don't have too much to say about. Everyone who reads this will have a personal reaction to it depending on their views on God and religion, and also where they are on their own particular spiritual path.

I'm leaving town tomorrow for a 6-day road trip which involves helping our son and his wife move from Colorado to Texas. I look forward to spending 30+ hours in the car with my books on tape -- and my husband for part of the journey. He is the designated truck driver from CO to TX. The laptop is going with me so I'll be in touch enroute...if I'm not too exhausted.

Edited to turn off Bold type.

Safe journey and happy reading/listening!

Donna- Have a safe trip! Good luck with the move! I started Part 3 of WWE and it's coming together a bit better. I finished West With the Night today and it was excellent! Another worthy memoir!

>156 Donna828:. Donna. I live in Missouri (near St. Louis), grew up in Denver, and lived for awhile in Fort Worth. About 95% of our visiting with family in Colorado over the past 30+ years has been done via a car trip to Colorado--my husband and I (plus the kid when he was a kid) driving there. Strange that the road never seemed to travel in our direction, but I digress.

That's just to say that I have a pretty good idea of the colossal nature of your driving trip --oh my. Safe travels, enjoy your books on tape, and good luck with the move.

Thanks, Berly, Mark, and Becky for the safe travel wishes. We've got the car packed and enough snacks in the backseat to open our own traveling convenience store! It's probably a good thing I will be working hard for part of the time to work off some calories.

I think we'll start off the trip listening to my husband's Daniel Silva book -- something with Vienna in the title -- and then move on to Shutter Island which is my choice. As Becky knows, the scenery is pretty bland for much of the trip, although I do believe Kansas gets a bad rap. I love the rolling hills in the eastern part of the state and the wide vistas (and wind farms) in the western part.

*waves Donna*

Safe trip.

I have had The Seven Storey Mountain in the BlackHole for a while now. I really need to get to it!

Safe travels for you and your family. Whereabouts in Texas? I live up in Sherman.

Hi Donna. The Seven Story Mountain sounds interesting - I will look out for that one.

Have a good trip, Donna, good luck with the move!

30+ hours in a car? That is one long trip. Good luck and have a safe trip.

We are in Colorado Springs this morning. 11.5 hours in the car yesterday. Very peaceful. :-) Listened to A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva. Not the most literary work, but a good travel book. Lots of characters, intrigue, and action, and an easy-to-follow plot. It made the first leg of the trip bearable.

Today is work day...finishing the truck loading and cleaning the house. Tomorrow I drive solo as we caravan to Wichita Falls, TX. I'll be listening to Parts 3 and 4 in World Without End.

Stasia, my son is moving to the Dallas area. They are renting an apartment in Plano. They didn't even try to sell their house here as the market is so bad. They'll rent it out for a year, then see what happens.

Good Morning, Donna, I was avoiding your thread since I saw the word "spoiler" in regard to Let the Great World Spin and I didn't want my eyes to gravitate there until I finished the book.

Safe travels to you and I hope you miss the snowy weather in the southern mountains.

Hi Donna--Starting on section 3 of WWE! Go easy on work day--no pulled muscles.

#166: My father lives in Plano, so I am very familiar with that area.

Donna-just finished part 4 and things are not going well, which makes for good reading! Enjoy.

Safe travels Donna!

Hope all's going well with the move Donna. I am looking forward to what you think of Shutter Island I read it a few years back. Happy trails..........

Home Sweet Home!!! We got in late last night. We are a short 7-hour drive from Dallas (Plano actually) and decided, with an ice storm forecast for our travel route, to head for home earlier than planned. We got the kids moved; now they can have the fun of settling in. We drove almost 2,000 miles in 5 days. I listened to two complete books and part of World Without End to keep up with the group read. I'll come back and post my comments on the two audiobooks later today. I need to get groceries in before the snow starts flying!

Donna- Welcome back, my friend! Missed ya!

#173 Glad to hear you made it home safely. We saw that you have weather forecast for this weekend. It figures - our boys are planning to come home on Saturday. Hopefully it won't be as bad as the Christmas storm was. Looking forward to your book comments.

Welcome back!! Hey, Mark gave us props on his thread. ;)

Book No. 8: A Death In Vienna by Daniel Silva. 3.5 stars.
This was an audiobook that kept my attention with an interesting plot set in many different locations and the historical background of the Holocaust. Spy novels are not my favorite, but Silva managed to get me interested in his main character Gabriel Allon. My husband tells me he is a continuing character in many of Silva's books. I may have to borrow some of his books for a change.

Book No. 9: Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. 4 stars.
Another audio book. This psychological thriller had me riveted with the darkness of this well-constructed story set on a creepy island where nothing is as it seems. Codes, dreams, drugs, and strange characters played key roles. I am still processing how I feel about the ending. Whether it was as cheesy as it seemed or simply brilliant and I was too tired to appreciate it, I will be thinking about it for a long time. I may even be enticed into seeing the movie for Scorcesee's (sp?) interpretation.

There has been some discussion on other threads as to whether or not to count audio books. I'm counting these because I have a definite time commitment in listening to them. I'll forgo reviews this time because I have way too much other stuff going on right now and I've pretty much said everything I wanted to say in my comments above.

Thanks again, folks, for the good wishes for my recent trip. Dorothy was absolutely correct: "There's no place like home!"

>175 sjmccreary:: Sandy, nothing happening here yet, but Branson is getting freezing rain. I'm so glad we didn't drive across Oklahoma today as we originally planned. It looked like they were getting blasted with a combination of sleet, ice, and snow.

I wouldn't mind a little snow so I can curl up with The Moonflower Vine.

>176 Berly:: Berly, I also need to curl up with World Without End. I have about 40 pages left to read in Part 4...and then get to jump right into Part 5. I've already changed my opinion about several of the characters. I'll head over to see what Papa Mark has for us. :-)

Welcome home! I just watched the news and saw the weather in OK/TX. That would not be fun to be driving through.

Glad you are home safely, Donna!

From what I've seen the trailers for Shutter Island are not grabbing me. Dicaprio looks like he's a little boy playing dress up in an oversized trenchcoat. Hopefully, it will be better than I expect, I would love to see it.

Chiming in late on the "Let the great world spin" discussion, and I read this several months ago, so my memory may be fuzzy, so my apologies if I'm way off-base, but here's my take:

*Possible Spoilers here*

The kid who photographed graffiti "tags" in the subway tunnels is given credit for the photograph about halfway through the book. It seems like a character in one of the other stories talks about seeing this photograph.

In the hackers story I think several things were happening. Primarily the story gives us an opportunity to hear an "on-the-scene" report of Petit's performance. Since the hackers are in California, it gives us a sense that Petit's influence is not confined to New York. IIRC, they call Clare Soderburg -- the fact that she doesn't hang up tells us something about her loneliness. The story is probably also some sort of comment on communication technology which I wasn't clever enough to grasp the first time around.

*End of Spoilers*

Welcome back!

>180 alcottacre:: Thanks, Stasia. I hope yesterday's rain stayed in the liquid category. Snow here today.

>181 Carmenere:: Linda, "little boy playing dress up..." is a good description of Leo. I know he is a gifted actor, but I always think he is miscast in those tough guy roles. I'll probably wait awhile to rent the movie. With movie prices these days, I am pretty picky about what I go see.

>182 swynn:: Thank you so much, swynn, for the edification about the photographer. I guess I wasn't reading carefully enough and totally missed that connection. Let the Great World Spin is a book that lingers on in the mind...along with Shutter Island...another book that I probably need to revisit at some point.

>183 Porua:: Thanks, Porua. I am not a good traveler. To me the best part of any trip is getting back home.

#177: Shutter Island seems interesting! I was planning on watching the movie, but never knew there was also a book. :)

Welcome back Donna if I didn't already say further back.

What a wonderful book to start the year off with! Seven Story Mountain is another keeper in my library. I'm beginning to understand why LT is so hard on the old books-on-the-shelf-by-the-bed......

>185 Tammiejx:: Tammie, Shutter Island will keep you on the edge of your seat with all its twists and turns. Let me know what you think if you decide to read the book...and thank you for visiting my thread.

>186 brenzi:: Bonnie, thanks for the welcome home. It's snowing here today. A perfect day to stay home and read. I took one "real" book with me on our trip and read approximately 10 pages -- and I may have to reread those as I was so tired!

>187 sibylline:: Lucy, my friend, you found me. LT is indeed a wonderfully dangerous site that I am addicted to.

#184: It is snowing here, too. Great reading weather!

It's 18 in Philly which is rare, so we are all cringing. (And wingeing sp?). Great reason to stay in!

Welcome back! You were missed.

Book 5,6,7 are all onto my list, thanks. Your reviews are very insightful. Thanks.

Why, thank you, Karen. I appreciate the compliment and I hope you enjoy the books.

Book No. 10:

Ack! Who stole my comments on Book #10???
Trying again, although the brilliance of what I wrote a few minutes ago is lost in cyberspace!

Book No. 10: The Girls by Lori Lansens. 4 stars. Review here.

I really liked this book which I read for Orange January. It was longlisted for the Orange Prize in 2007. After reading Chang and Eng several years ago, I thought I was done with conjoined twins, but I guess not.

This is a very different type of book. First of all, it is completely ficticious and is written as a memoir in the alternating voices of Rose and Ruby, the girls. Not only are there writing styles and personalities different, but I liked how the font changed with each of the voices to avoid confusion. I'm going to be on the lookout for her previous book, Rush Home Road, as well as her new book which is to be released next week.

Donna- I wanted to add my 2 cents, (for whatever it's worth) on Shutter Island. First of all, I love Lehane's writing. Mystic River is one of my favorite reads of the decade and I picked up Shutter a short time later but it left me flat. It didn't even feel like the same writer. I remember a cool twisty ending, but not much else. I'm actually hoping the film version is an improvement!
Hope we can still be friends!

You can count on it, Mark. Maybe the fact that I was a captive in my car for the third long drive in a span of 5 days made me a more receptive audience? I haven't read Mystic River but enjoyed the movie. And I loved The Given Day last year. It made my Top Ten.

Donna

The Girls and Rush Home Road were two of my favorite reads in 2009. I'm waiting to obtain her third book. Thumbs up on your excellent review!

Also, Lehane's Kenzie and Gennaro series starting with A Drink Before the War is fantastic!

Yes, I've also read and enjoyed a couple of the Kenzie & Gennaro books, especially Gone Baby Gone. The film version was pretty good too! I have The Given Day buried in my tbr. Why? Good question!

Catches up on your thread and throws a wave hello!!! Glad you are back.

>197 Whisper1:: Thanks for the thumb, Linda, as well as the endorsement for Rush Home Road. So many books....

>198 drneutron:: I had no idea that Lehane had written a series. He is a semi-new author for me; I have a hunch that everything he writes is fantastic. Thanks for the heads up, Dr. N. Stop by anytime with good news like that.

>199 msf59:: Mark, you need to dig out The Given Day. Nothing flat about that book!

>200 Berly:: Berly, I appreciate your stopping by. I tried to catch up on threads yesterday, made some progress, and now am woefully behind again. I haven't even started Part 5 of World Without End yet, but, shhhh....don't tell Mark.

Edited for typo. I'd like to go back to bed...it's one of "those" days.

I hope the day improves for you, Donna!

#201 It'll be our little secret! Hope the typing and the day improve. :)

Just checking in to see how you are doing. Tomorrow is another day -- and I hope it is a better one -- and that this one improved --which reminds me, I haven't put GONE WITH THE WIND in here yet! What I really need to do is GO READ! I am falling behind....

Hey, Lucy, thanks for the chuckle. I always enjoy literary humor. Today wasn't such a bad day. Just a Monday with too much to do when I wanted to stay home and read. Wah Wah! I'm home now and getting some quality reading time in and back to my normal cheerful (and spoiled) self. It's always good to see that friends dropped by to cheer me up. Thanks to you, Stasia, and Berly. Looking forward to tomorrow. :-)

Sorry to hear about your Long Day's Journey into Night...;)

It is good to go to bed smiling. Thanks, Joanne, for another literary lift. You guys have helped me regain my Lust For Life.

Donna- I hope you wake up smiling too, my friend! Have you had a chance to start Part 5? If not, good news, it's been pretty good and will read quickly. I have about 80 pages left in this section. Everyone seems to be enjoying it and that makes me smile! Have a great day!

Part V of World Without End is on my agenda for today, right after I clean house, venture out into the icy street to walk the dog, and, most importantly, write my review of The Moonflower Vine. Now this is my kind of day; one in which I can stay home and set my own pace doing what I want to do. Nope, not spoiled a bit, not me!

"I can stay at home and set my own pace doing what I want to do"

Well that just about says it all. That sounds like just about anybody's dream come true.

Book No. 11: The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton. 5 stars.

The moonflower, like much of life, is a thing of fleeting beauty, releasing its bloom and fragrance for a limited time to those who patiently wait for the things that matter. This exquisite portrait of a Missouri farm family also reveals its worth and beauty slowly.... read rest of review...

I absolutely loved this somewhat old-fashioned story of the Soames family that I read with The Missouri Readers. I'm not a Missouri native, but my husband is, and reading the descriptions of this wonderful family and all the nature references really hit home. It was like visiting his colorful family in their farmhouse in the southwest Missouri hill country. I am so grateful for this "Rediscovered Classic" and heartily thank Jane Smiley for her efforts in resurrecting this wonderful look at a simpler way of life that grappled with the pain of loving and being part of a family. Timeless!

Great review, Donna. Thumbs up!

Oops, in the excitement of reading my first 5-star book, I forgot to post the book cover. This is my least favorite part of the book. This book is more than a love story between a young man and woman. It embraces all ages and many different forms of love. I'd call it a love story of life.

Great review Donna. I've already got this one on the list.

Donna- Good review! I was not familiar with this book or author! I know you don't give out many 5 stars, so this has got to be a keeper!

A thumbs up from me too. Did you know it is already a hot review?! Nice going.

A five star?! Drat. I can't ignore it. LOL

Already on the wishlist - phew!

Hi Donna- Richard set-up a voting ticker for the Murakami choice! Nice of him, huh? If you don't mind, stop by my challenge and vote again. I'll be finishing up Part 5 today. How about you?

That was nice of Richard because he doesn't appear to be a Murakami fan. I voted for Wind-up Bird Chronicle, but I'll go with whatever the group decides.

I posted a few random comments on WWE earlier. I'm getting my eyes dilated today so that will cut down on my reading time. Rats!

Donna, I'm adding The Moonflower Vine to my wishlist but ewwwww that cover is awful! I wouldn't have picked it up.

I agree, cushla, that the cover is a real turn-off. What were they thinking? This book may be a teensy bit on the side of chick-lit, but I notice that some men have read, reviewed, and revered it. There are some very memorable male roles in this book.

Hi Donna, I had to stop at Costco on my way home from work and saw The Moonflower Vine and couldn't resist so I took one home. And I agree, dreadful cover - I wouldn't have given it a second (or even first) look if I hadn't been hearing all these wonderful things about it.

I'm kind of glad mine came through the mail in a plain brown box! Book covers are interesting to me. Some are real works of art while others are misleading or just plain unattractive.

The only book I've bought because I liked the cover so much was The Mermaid Chair. The book was a disappointment to me, but I think I still have it tucked away somewhere upstairs.

One of my most favorite books Gilead has the most nondescript cover I've seen. There seems to a lot of truth in the old maxim: "You can't judge a book by its cover."

I've been itching to try a mini-poll on my thread. Let's see if this works...

Thanks for your wonderful review of The Moonflower Vine. It went right on my wishlist (and a thumb went right to your review!)

By coincidence, I bought The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle because I was attracted to the cover (and the fact that it was on the table that usually only has really good quality trade books and lots of the prize winners). And I'll not buy a book that is supposed to be good if I really hate the cover (rare) or I'll be negatively biased and harder to please when it comes to the writing. I know it's not fair, but I just can't help it.

Change of topic: I'm going to be reading Let the World Spin this week, so I'm going to have to come back and read what everyone said when I'm finished.

P.S. Donna, when I"m in my post/before submitting, it's just a habit now for me to highlight (select all) and copy. That way, if it doesn't go through, I can just post again. If it does, I just ignore it and it gets lost the next time I copy.

eta: Why aren't my Touchstones working??? There they go...weird!

>225 Talbin:: Thank you, Tracy, for your thumb and your visit. I hope you enjoy the book when you get around to it...just ignore the cover. :-)

>226 bonniebooks:: Bonnie, thanks for chiming in on the book cover discussion. Enjoy Let the Great World Spin. I am still thinking about that book...in a good way.

Good advice about saving the message before posting. I have had two problems in the past few weeks and find it so difficult to reconstruct my "brilliant" thoughts!

I'm definitely influenced by book covers. If I KNOW I want a book then I will buy it no matter what the cover is, but when browsing books, I avoid a lot of 'romancey' type covers.

I'm sure I've missed out on some good reads due to covers but LTers have helped a lot in that now I look for genre/author/titles I recognise or have been recommended, instead of looking randomly at covers.

I'm usually so focused when I'm looking for books, with my mental list or a scrap of paper, that a fancy cover rarely sways me. That tunnel vision pays off in the wallet too! It's in between those covers, that interests me the most!

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I usually get my books at a used books store so first, seeing only the spine, I'm attracted either by a title or an author's name. If I remove a book from the shelf and see the book has unusually striking cover art, that usually nails it for me. Two books for which I can especially remember that happening were Rat by Andrzej Zaniewski and Troll: A Love Story by Johanna Sinsalo. I loved the experience of reading both of those books. The two of them were most unusual and highly recommended.

Do not care about the cover at all; it doesn't influence me one way or the other.

That cover makes absolutely no sense; it doesn't even fit the story. I hated it, and I guess I am influenced by covers--the physicality of the book means a lot to me, which is one reason why I have a love/hate relationship with my Kindle--but I digress.

Knowing nothing about the book, had I seen it in a bookstore, I probably wouldn't have picked it up in the first place.

"...when I"m in my post/before submitting, it's just a habit now for me to highlight (select all) and copy. That way, if it doesn't go through, I can just post again. If it does, I just ignore it and it gets lost the next time I copy."

I do that too. Whenever I write something I copy it before posting just to be safe.

If a cover's really bad, I'll pass over the book. Otherwise, they don't make much difference to me. (That's a yes I do care about the cover vote!)

Definitely am influenced by bookcovers when I don't know anything about the book. I would NEVER have bought The Moonflower Vine if I hadn't just begun hearing so much about it here on LT. The cover is so freaking cheezy looking! I don't know what the publisher was thinking. They're smart cookies - they know that a lot of what they do is just sheer marketing and nothing else. So why the God-awful cover on this book????

Thanks to all who have taken part in the poll about book covers thus far. Fifteen of us seem to be influenced by the book cover, and four do not care. Well, of course, we all know that it's what is inside the book that counts, but I kind of equate it with the presentation of a meal. Something just thrown on a plate does not have the same appeal as something artfully arranged and garnished, although in the long run it's the taste that matters.

Donna, fascinating question re book covers. I didn't answer the poll, because my true answer is "depends". Since I get most of my books from the library, and I do most of my browsing online, the cover isn't even part of the equation. In the rare instances that they DO have a picture of the cover in the catalog, it's so small that it's easy to ignore. So, my answer for library books is "no". But, I have to be honest - if I'm looking for a book in the bookstore then, "yes", I am influenced by the cover. That is the first thing you see, and I can't look at every single book, reading the cover summary, etc. Of course, if I go into the store looking for something in particular, then I will buy it regardless of the cover.

A tangent question I've often wondered about - why do some books have different covers in the US and Europe? Are we so different? I know that they are often published by different companies, but the inside contents are the same, why not the outside?

Sandy, do you suppose it has something to do about copyright laws? I just picked up a few random books and saw that the jacket cover designs are acknowledged along with the blurb about the author and the author's picture. I suppose that person would legally own the rights to his or her own design or illustration. I have no clue whether it is the author or the publisher who gets the most say in the book cover selection. Does anybody know this?

And, one more related question. I've noticed that some of the Advanced Reader's Copies that I've received have totally different covers when they are released to the general public. What's up with that?

>237 sjmccreary: & 238 - I don't know but suspect that it's marketing that gets involved with covers. Maybe when the ARC's come out they aren't quite ready with the final design copy. The title differences are what really bug me and I think they sometimes change them because the publisher thinks a certain title would go over better in New York than it would in Toronto.

Ack! Title differences! It's too much for me. I'm just going to go back to being a contented reader who doesn't ponder these deep issues.

Authors get very little say in their cover art (typically NONE), especially if they're a new author. Often they just get a copy of their art emailed to them, with a note that says "here's your art" and then they have to pretend to love it even if they hate it!

And coppers is correct, the difference in covers/titles from one side of the ocean to the other is all done by marketing departments. Based on their market research, they find that certain words/images are more appealing to a European market as opposed to a North American market and vice-versa.

It's crazy, I know!!!

Stopped by to catch up and found this interesting conversation about covers. I, for one, LOVE them. Many times when LTer's post the book cover and I find the pictures draws me in, I'll add it to my wishlist before I even read the review.

Interesting conversations are dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.

Oh, and to me, movie tie-in covers are the worst.

I like the covers on the European versions better, but I live in the U.S. :( Odd, eh?

It's interesting that the two books (noted in post#230) that struck me the most were books by European authors. My guess would be that those books were the European editions. I oten find such books in my used book store with the publication of such books usually being done in England.

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Joanne, movie tie-in covers actually prevent me from picking up a book. I find them thoroughly disgusting. What I hate most about them is that they picture the characters of the books with faces of movie stars. Rubbish!! Book characters have faces that can only be seen in our imagination.

#244 Oh, Oh, Oh, you've really hit upon something here. I would never, ever purchase a book with pictures from the movie on the cover. I may be a bit booksnobbish this way but if I read the book version after I've seen the movie, I would prefer to buy it in it's original(ish) cover.

Mornin' Donna! You will be needing a new thread, here shortly! I posted the final week for WWE and made a few comments on the last. Have you started 6? I will begin a little later!

# 244 Yes, couldn't agree more! Movie tie-in covers ARE the worst!

#246ff: I am the same way about movie tie-in covers. I will not buy a book if it has one.

Ditto.

Agreed. They shouldn't be allowed.

It's moving day! I'm ready to pack up this great discussion and move it over to my new thread. Thanks to all for the insightful comments about book covers. The yesses have it with 21 of us succumbing to the marketing devices of book covers and 5 of you die-hards saying that it IS what's inside that counts!

Join me over here to read about my latest book...and to see who my first visitor was. They're both pretty jazzy!

Well, I'm just catching up, so I'm going to add my comment here about ER covers. Do you suppose they send out books with more than one cover and then see if that impacts the types of reviews they get on the book? I would definitely do that as a publisher, because I think there is hard evidence that a cover can help/hurt sales. I'm with you all, btw, on actors being on a cover as a tie-in to a movie--hate it! But I guess we're in the minority when it comes to new readers or they wouldn't be doing it!

Me too me too on movie tie-in covers! I remember back when the Lord of the Rings films came out and I wanted to get new copies of the books for my shelves... I actually had to order in copies without the movie covers, because the only thing everyone was carrying were copies with the movie covers. It was so frustrating! I can't stand movie covers... argh. I admit I did buy one movie cover once, though, and that was for Memoirs of a Geisha... can't remember why I made that exception, though.

#255

Because there must be an exception to every rule?

I have a scene from the 1931 movie on the cover of my copy of Dracula. It is a Penguin Popular Classics edition cover (and the movie was released in 1931) so it's not really a movie tie-in. But it is still a scene from a movie and it is the only book in my possession to have the picture of actors on it. So, maybe that cover is an exception for me.

...and I'm thinking that the lovers of North and South would not be entirely unhappy to own a copy of that book with Richard Armitage on the cover.

#258 After looking him up to see what he looks like, I'd be willing to have him come to the house and read the book out loud to me!

Hi Donna! I'm still getting caught up on all of my starred threads, and finally made my way through yours. A belated welcome back from your trip, glad you made it home before the bad weather hit!

On the subject of book covers, I'm also in the "it depends" camp. A lot of time, I get recommendations from magazines or LT and don't pay much attention to the covers. I just look at the ratings and the review comments. So, when requesting them at the library or buying them, the cover isn't really a factor there. But, if I'm just browsing at a bookstore without looking for anything specific, I do tend get drawn in by the attractive covers.

As for movie tie-ins, they don't normally bother me but I did have a recent experience with one that was irritating. My edition of Vanity Fair has Reese Witherspoon on the cover and as I read, I couldn't help but picture her as Becky Sharp. But it didn't take long to realize that Reese doesn't fit the character of Becky at all, at least not in my imagination, and it got frustrating trying not to picture Reese when she kept staring at me from the cover. That will make me think twice about buying movie tie-ins from here on out!