Nancy Reads in 2010

My goal this year is to read more from what I already own. Other than that, I'm going to follow my heart. When I give myself assignments, my rebellious side emerges, and I don't complete them. I read 87 books in 2008 and it looks like maybe 65 in 2009 so I'll shoot for 75 in 2010 without much concern about whether or not I achieve that number.

I hope to do somewhat longer reviews/commentary this year mostly because I'd enjoy more visitors to my thread. I'd also like to tweak my writing skills and develop a better ability to summarize plot and character.

I'm eager to continue in this wonderful community of readers. Let's have a great 2010!




Here is my bio on the Introduction Thread

January
The Spiritual Tourist - Mick Brown
3782972::Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout
18 Seconds - George D. Shuman
Shakespeare's Landlord - Charlaine Harris
Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger

February
Juliet, Naked - Nick Hornby
A Rule Against Murder - Louise Penny
Mountains Beyond Mountains - Tracy Kidder
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
Love is a Mix Tape - Rob Sheffield

March
The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien
Dead Witch Walking - Kim Harrison
One Good Turn - Kate Atkinson
The Brontes Went to Woolworths - Rachel Ferguson
The Last Bus to Woodstock - Colin Dexter
Already Dead - Charlie Huston

April
Let the Great World Spin - Colum McCann
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years - Don Miller
Stitches - David Small
Black Feeling Black Talk - Nikki Giovanni
Nurture Shock - Po Bronson
The Little Disturbances of Man - Grace Paley

June
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom - Cory Doctorow
The Whole World - Emily Winslow
American Salvage - Bonnie Jo Campbell
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson
Gluttony - Francine Prose
Getting Started Knitting Socks - Ann Budd

July
Chasing Goldman Sachs - Suzanne McGhee
55396::Folk Knitting in Estonia - Nancy Bush
2534::Folk Shawls
A Murderous Procession - Ariana Franklin
Think of a Number - John Verdon

August
One Day - David Nicholls
The City and The City - China Mieville
The Tales of Beedle the Bard - J.K. Rowling
The Brutal Telling - Louise Penny

September
Tanglewreck - Jeanette Winterson
5820177::The Forever War - Dexter Filkins
8588058::Cake Wrecks - Jen Yates
148527::A Perfect Evil - Alex Kava
Knitting Rules - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

October
Asylum - Christopher Payne
Your Five-Year-Old - Louise Bates Ames
Live or Die - Anne Sexton
Sh*t My Dad Says - Justin Halpern

November
2351454::Rescuing Da Vinci - Robert M. Edsel
The Passage - Justin Cronin
Stitch 'n Bitch Superstar Knitting - Debbie Stoller
Woody Guthrie, American Radical - Will Kaufman
Room - Emma Donoghue
Feed - M.T. Anderson
Sag Harbor - Colson Whitehead
4786637::The Lives They Left Behind - Darby Penney

December
9841764::Bury Your Dead - Louise Penny
Falling to Grace - Jay Bakker
9058303::Nothing to Envy - Barbara Demick
2618114::The Three Incestuous Sisters - Audrey Niffenegger
1549::A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
The Imperfectionists - Tom Rachman
8589256::The Monstrumologist - Rick Yancey
9048691::The Kind Diet - Alicia Silverstone
9781601::War is Boring - David Axe
9477992::The Blind Contessa's New Machine - Carey Wallace
Awkward Family Photos - Mike Bender
A Visit from the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch - Alison Arngrim
Faithful Place - Tana French
Food Matters Cookbook - Mark Bittman
Not a Creature Was Stirring - Jane Haddam
Talking to Girls About Duran Duran - Rob Sheffield
Reading Women - Stephanie Staal

Welcome back!

Glad to see you back with us for 2010, Nancy!

Hi, Nancy! I'll be interested to see what you read in 2010!

Hi Nancy! Looking forward to your thread again in 2010. (It's taking me **ages** to work my way through here...)

Hello Nancy - will be following you again.

Hi, Nancy! Admirable goal--I should also probably spend time working on my reviews. Good luck!

Sooooo good to see you here!

Hey everybody! I'm so glad to see you all here. Happy New Year!

I've not finished anything yet, but our local newspaper listed books published over the past year set in the Pittsburgh area, and I don't want to lose it. Here is the link.

Nancy

That is a great link.

Thanks for posting that link, Nancy. Pittsburgh has a very rich literary tradition, including the Pitt Poetry Series and the strong English departments at Pitt and Carnegie Mellon.

1. The Spiritual Tourist by Mick Brown -- 4 Stars

My Review:

In this combination journalistic endeavor, travel narrative and religious quest, Mick Brown investigates a variety of religious oddities. He visits Buddhist and Hindu gurus, Theosophist disciples and evangelical Christians in the throes of a miracle. He reveals some as charlatans while still remaining compassionate and respectful to believers. He points out that the spiritual end result may be of great value regardless of the means of achieving it. Although he mostly achieves journalistic objectivity, I preferred when he explored his reactions to the people he met and the experiences he had. There are moments of exultation and skepticism as he seeks religious Truth. As someone who is most familiar with Judeo-Christian religion, however, there were times when I found that more knowledge was expected than I actually have.

Although the books sags a little in the middle, Brown ends on a high note. Perhaps this is because I agree with his ultimate conclusion. He writes:

Love is the thing beyond self, for true love is selflessness...Happiness does not lie in separation from others, but in unity with them. Love is timeless and endless. Love goes on, and somehow we go on as part of it, sometimes glimpsing it, sometimes blind to it, warm in its flame, cold and alone when we turn our backs to it. Ultimately only love can conquer despair. Only love makes us whole.

This is a worthwhile read for the religious or spiritual seeker who is willing to look at the variety of human religious experience.

Edited to put in the proper HTML for the block quote

#12: Looks like an interesting book, Nancy. Glad you liked it!

>12 nancyewhite:: Nancy, that is an awesome quote and a great way to start my day. Thank you for sharing this. And the book looks interesting as well. Maybe a little like Eat, Pray, Lovewithout the accompanying frivolity. I try to read several spiritual type books per year. Right now I am enjoying Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain.

Nancy

When I read the statement re. love, I thought of Meg and Ben, and I thought of the love you showed to them and the support you gave.

Thanks for being such a wonderful person who knows how to love!

Donna..>#14. I too try to read several spiritual or religious themed books each year. Last year I did an entire 999 challenge category. One of my goals this year is to read at least one Merton. Between my husband, and our dear departed Auntie (whose humongous library we inherited) I think we must have almost everything he ever wrote, so I'm at a loss which to pick. Seven storey Mountain is one of my candidates...is this the place to start? Or would you suggest something else? the other two I've been considering are No Man is an Island or Dialogues with Silence.

#14: I will be interested in seeing what you think of Seven Storey Mountain. I had it out of the library last year and had to return it before I got it read.

>16 tututhefirst:: Well, I am certainly enjoying Seven Storey Mountain and since it is his account of why he became a Trappist Monk, I think it is a good starting place. I want to finish it soon and will post my review. I read it at night before going to sleep so it's taking me a long time.

>17 alcottacre:: Stasia, that happens to me, too. I'm kind of liking reading from my own stash of books because I don't charge late fees!

Thanks Donna....I think I'm going to schedule it to read during lent, which starts in 5 short weeks.....ACK. Last year I did a group read of dante's Inferno, but this year, I'm going the loner route. I get too frustrated with group reads...

I just picked up The Best Spiritual Writing of 2008. Perhaps I'll read that for Lent. It's hard to imagine that it is only a month or so away!

2. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout -- 5 stars

Absolutely wonderful. Destined to be a highlight of 2010.

Olive was one of my shining stars in 2007. Also liked Abide With Me by Strout.

#20: Glad you enjoyed Olive Kitteridge. It really is wonderful, isn't it?

Hi, Nancy! I have similar goals in terms of my tbr's and writing more about the books I'm reading. I always like it when my comments and/or others' gets a conversation started about a book I've read.

Okay, so it is becoming clear that I'm not going to get reviews done in a timely fashion for my vacation and power-outage reads. I'll just give brief reviews because waiting is making me feel disconnected from LT, and I don't like that.

3. 18 Seconds by George D. Shuman

First in a series about a blind psychic and some police officers that use her to solve murders. I like the premise a lot, but the characters didn't feel like real people to me. I thought the bad guy was well done, though. I might be willing to read the next one to see if it improves. I left this at the airport for some poor soul who gets stuck without anything to read. It was not worth toting to FL and back.

4. Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris
This one was recommended by Stasia. I really enjoyed it. Lily Bard is hiding from the world cleaning houses in a small Arkansas town. When she sees a murderer uses her garbage can cart to move a body, she gets involved in solving the crime. Along the way, Lily begins to connect again and we learn some of the secrets of her past. The part I liked best is that Lily is TOUGH. Like, martial arts tough and not afraid to kick some butt. Interestingly, I started Harris with the Sookie Stackhouse series but have quickly come to prefer the Harper Connelly and now Lily Bard series.

5. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
I knew this had mixed reviews when I chose it, but I like gothics so I thought I'd give it a chance. I also had never read the book of hers that everyone else loves so much. I quite liked this as a vacation read. There are twins elder and younger, a wonderful agoraphobic guy whose wife has left him but still loves him, an apartment building overlooking Highgate Cemetary, romance, hauntings, a kitten and a fair amount of intrigue. There is a lot of discussion about the "young" behavior of the twins who are 21 but dress as though they are younger, but I read them as sort of gothic eccentric standards, and it didn't bother me at all.

6. Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
I like Nick Hornby's voice and his take on the world. He is generous to his characters even as he fills them with flaws. I'm also friends with some music obsessives who refer to certain musicians by their first names, own every bootleg and revel in both the artistic and personal details of those they admire so I really enjoyed Hornby (a music nut himself) poking fun at those folks. Flawed folks making their way in the world to a sort of happiness. Works for me.

7. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny
Three Pines mystery focusing on a murder at a resort that Gamache and his wife are visiting. Some of the regular characters show up and there are a couple of visits to the town. As always, characters are well-developed and Three Pines beckons. If you aren't reading this series, you should be.

A friend of mine finished Olive Kitteridge at the same time as I did. She liked it but didn't like Olive. I love Olive. I love Ruth Zardo. I love their daring, their plain-spoken ways, their determination. I know they are deeply flawed and sometimes mean but somehow that makes me love them even more. I fantasize about being like them when I get older. I've been pondering what this means about me. Can't think of anywhere but LT to share this so here it is.

So, you want to be a mean old lady? Go for it! Still, while you recently had a birthday, I believe you have a long time before you can reach this goal.

#24: I am glad you enjoyed the first book in the Lily Bard series. IMHO, the series improves from book to book as the character of Lily grows. I hope you can read them in order.

#25: Both of those books are already in the BlackHole. Glad you enjoyed them.

#26: Already read that series and loved it!

#27: You can be Ruth Zardo and I will be Grandma Mazur :)

I've been wondering how good Hornby's latest book was; I keep seeing it on the new releases shelf, taunting me. Good review!

Your Juliet, Naked review is taunting me too. I love Nick Hornby so I've been wanting to read this but I'm not buying any books right now. (The library, I know - I just have SO many books here already. And it's been so rainy. And I'm lazy.)
BUT - I esp. love Nick Hornby writing about music and I didn't realize this book had that component to it. So. I'll have to get off my tush and bust out an umbrella and slog on down to the library. Maybe I can try to get Her Fearful Symmetry (thought I was the only person left on earth who hadn't read the other book yet!) and Olive Kitteridge while I'm there.

>27 nancyewhite: Maybe we like the deeply-flawed and sometimes mean characters because it makes us feel better about our deeply-flawed and sometimes mean selves!

>32 tloeffler: I think what I like is their ability to speak the truth without "prettifying" it and the fact that they don't fade into the background like so many older women do. Stasia - Grandma Mazur while in a whole category of her own also does not fade away. We'll have us a time when you're her and I'm Ruth!

Speaking of speaking the truth (nice segueway, huh?).
8. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
Another 5 star book. My 'Off the Shelf' challenge is being very good to me so far. This is the biography of Dr. Paul Farmer who founded Partners in Health (PIH) an organization whose motto is: Providing a Preferential Option for the Poor in Health Care. Dr. Farmer had an unusual upbringing (his family lived on a bus). He is a Harvard-educated anthroplogist and infectious disease MD. He is an intense advocate for the poorest among us. PIH started in Haiti and now operates in many countries around the world. Dr. Farmer believes that all patients deserve first-world medicine and goes out of his way to make sure they get it. I don't know how to describe this book. It is sad, enraging, holy, inspiring, lovely, horrible, funny, wonderful. Read it.

#33: I have that one home from the library now to read. I finished Kidder's Strength in What Remains a couple of weeks ago and Dr. Farmer is mentioned a lot in that book. Have you read it yet? If not, I highly recommend it.

I must investigate to see if Grandma Mazur has a first name other than Grandma. I certainly cannot call you Ruth and have you calling me Grandma :)

Mountains Beyond Mountains sounds wonderful!

I read your description of Mountains Beyond Mountains and decided to put a hold on it at my library yesterday. Based on the additional recommendation for Strength in What Remains I put a hold on that too. This caused no end of confusion when I went to collect some books from the library last night and they said "We've just received 'Strength in What Remains' for you today!" I thought "Wow! Now that's what I call service!" - turns out I put a hold on that over two months ago and forgot :P

Mountains Beyond Mountains is so inspiring. And what an interesting childhood Dr. Farmer had. I have some relatives (who shall remain nameless) who are always saying, "What can I do? I'm just one person!" Well, the story of Dr. Farmer's life is just one answer to that. Half the Sky, by the way, is also a supremely interesting and inspiring book for the same reason.

And thanks for bringing my attention to Strength in What Remains, Stasia. How did I manage to miss that one during my "Sunday reading" time?

In the spirit of Mountains Beyond Mountains, these two Pittsburgh heroines who run the BRESMA orphanage in Haiti need our help to get these sick kids out of Haiti. At the bottom of this link, she tells you who to write to etc. I'd really appreciate anything LT-ers are willing to do.

http://thatschurch.com/2010/02/17/a-new-plea-from-jamie-and-ali/

#37: Um, I do not know?

#38: Thanks for the link, Nancy. I will investigate. OK, e-mailed the senators and governor. The one guy I guess I will have to try and call since I live nowhere near his district :)

BRESMA - Kids still in Haiti. They have moved indoors and gotten some healthcare. Water still not good, health improved but not great, aftershocks terrifying. Haiti has granted an exception to allow them to come to the US since they were in the orphanage prior to the quake. US State Dept says no. Ugh. The McMutrie sisters say they will stay with them no matter what. These are real kids with real adoptive parents who want them. It makes me nuts.

#40: I do not understand what the hang up is with the State Department! These children have parents here in the states waiting for them. Ridiculous.

9. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

I caught the LT Dorian Gray fever. I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. A woeful tale of the excess of the wealthy with nothing to do. The book can be summarized by the old saying that idle hands make the devil's work. Although there are lots and lots of passages that wax philosophic (and about which many reviewers complain), there is also a lot of wit and Wilde sure can write heart-stopping action when it is called for. There is also a LOT of gay subtext if you care about such things. Recommended.

10. Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield
I picked this up memoir with the intention of reading a few paragraphs to see if I wanted to stick it in my purse as my commute book. I went to bed two hours later having finished it. A tale of young marriage and widowhood, it is unexpectedly funny as well as touching. A true love story. My Off the Shelf Challenge is being very, very good to me so far. Highly recommended particularly if you ever made a mix tape or became an adult in the 90s.

Edited to change the review of Love is a Mix Tape to read 'became an adult in the 90s' rather than 'grew up in the 90s'. The new wording is more accurate.

#42: Love is a Mix Tape is heading straight for the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Nancy.

Just a note to state that I am enjoying the HECK out of Margaret Atwood's Twitter feed. She writes things like:

Gnawing fingers re: Can/US hockey game. If it gets too tense I will have to rush off & read Lord of Rings, because I know how it comes out.

Sexually, I'm More of a Switzerland:" David Rose. London Rv. of Bks Personals. Language used like peacock's feathers: to dazzle & entice.

U.S. writer pal: "They hated me in Toronto!" Me: "No, they loved you!" Him: "How could you tell?'

How much fun is that?

A Picture of Dorian Gray sits on my book shelf collecting dust...time to remove the particles and read it.

I'm also going to look for a copy of Love is a Mix Tape..This one sounds good!

Linda - Love is a Mix Tape is that rarest of things - a love story that you believe.

11. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
A harrowing, lyrical exploration of the Vietnam War. O'Brien, a vet, also incorporates discussion of fictional yet emotional truth vs. autobiographical truth and how stories can tell an emotional truth that non-fiction may not. I am sure that this book will haunt me for the rest of my life, but that doesn't mean I regret reading it at all. When it comes to a subject as important as war and its impacts on the lives we send to slaughter, being haunted is not such a bad thing.

As a side note, my brother served during Vietnam at an Air Force hospital in the U.S. His experiences treating wounded and drug-addicted soldiers created a pacifist and staunch liberal. I don't know much about what he saw, but I know it was horrible.

Thanks Stasia for leading me to this amazing, highly recommended book.

Nancy

The Things They Carried was one of my favorite reads of 2009. It is, just as you say, harrowing, lyrical...

#46: I am glad you liked the book, Nancy.

You might try In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O'Brien which might loosely be called a follow up to The Things They Carried. In it, a present day Vietnam vet has to come to terms with things that happened in Vietname. It's almost as good as The Things They Carried.

@42: Yay! Another LT Dorian convert! You had the exact same feelings I did, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I don't mind the 'waxing philosophic'... I think that if you're going to read Wilde, that's something you should expect.

I agree with Deborah, you might want to try In The Lake of the Woods. It is very good!

>>>49 arubabookwoman: & 51.
I already own In the Lake of the Woods based on your recommendation, Linda. I'm eager to read it, but want a little break before I start.

>>>50 Cauterize:.
Have you read the plays? Are they similar in tone/content? This was my first Wilde.

12. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
I wanted something light after The Things They Carried and this more than fit the bill. Urban fantasy chick lit - okay but not great. I preferred the supporting cast to the main character who insisted on repeatedly diving headlong into near-suicide situations. I thought the world building was relatively well-done. It isn't China Mieville level of detail, but it isn't meant to be either. From reading reviews, it seems this series improves, and I liked it well enough that I'd give the next one a chance the next time I'm in the market for non-mystery fluff.

I agree that something light is needed after the O'Brien book.

Thanks for your message on my thread regarding the Three Pine series. I hope to read the next one as soon as I whittle down the pile of library books that have to be returned in the next few weeks.

13. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
The second in the Jackson Brodie series. This one is in Edinburg. Much like the first, this is in many ways more a group of character studies than a straightforward plot-driven mystery. In this one, a group of people witness a road rage incident and through a variety of setups and coincidences find their lives more and more entangled. Atkinson never hesitates to explore tangents about a character's thoughts and feelings or to delve deeply into their histories. Since she can really, really write, this works very well. The two characters who reappear from the previous book, Julia and Jackson, have their personal life moved forward in a very organic way. I think readers who prefer fast-paced mysteries in the whodunit vein will find this jarring, however. She also manages to refer to the previous book and set up the next without it feeling as if that is what she is doing and which I only noticed afterward (with some appreciation, I might add). Truly a delight.

Edited for clarity

Nancy
What is the first book in this series...It sounds like a good group of books!

Linda
It is Case Histories and you already have tagged it 'TBR' and 'I own'. How cool is that?

Both books are a little dark. Emotionally mostly. Definitely not cozies. I think I started the series as part of an Orange Prize read somewhere. Case Histories was on the Longlist the year it came out.

I still have not managed to get to Case Histories. One of these centuries!

I love the Jackson Brodie books.

Nancy

Great to know I own it. I carefully went through my library a few months ago and at the time put all my books in order alphabetically on the shelves and noted that I owned them on the LT tags.

Now of course, I've purchased more (primarily from the library book sales). It is a never ending obsession.

Thanks for the heads up re. Case Histories

I hope work has slowed a bit for you.

Kate Atkinson is one of the very few authors whose books I buy as soon as they come out (most often pre-ordering them) and don't ever question whether they're going to be worth paying full price for because I know, without a doubt, that they will be. I saw a couple of her books at my library's book sale a few weeks ago on brown bag day and I had to fight hard to suppress the urge to approach complete strangers who looked like they might like them and suggest they give them a go!

Linda, you are far more reserved than I am...I cannot control myself when I'm at a book sale and see that someone is contemplating buying a book that I read and liked.. I tell them how great the book is and hope I don't look and sound like a fool...

I do that at the bookstore too! I get so excited that sometimes the poor person has to wait until I'm out of sight before they can put the book down.

It's a habit of those of us who work in libraries - we can't resist anymore than a green grocer would tout some delicious, perfectly ripe fruit he just received, "You've GOT to taste this!"

I often tell people how much I enjoyed a book they are holding (never vice versa though). Usually I feel like they aren't thrilled with the input although I think I'm not very scary (yet). I would love it if that ever happened to me, but it hasn't yet.

Work is still crazy, but I stayed home today because our dog, Parker Posy, had a seizure yesterday after her vaccinations, and I needed to take her to the vet. They are doing some blood work, and we are supposed to watch her for a while. She is greatly improved though so hopefully it was a one-time vaccine-related seizure. I also am trying to stop hanging out on the internet in the evenings which will help get reading done.

14. The Brontes Went to Woolworths by Rachel Ferguson
I liked but did not love this LT Early Review book. I thought I had an active fantasy life, but I've got nothing on this family. Here is my review.

#65: I hope Parker Posy is doing better soon!

Case Histories! I had an ARC of that months before it came out and was so excited to read it, but I guess it got supplanted. It's popped into my head from time to time, but now I'm determined to try to dig it up tomorrow and read it soon. Or at least this year. :)

Nancy, I love that your dog is called Parker Posey. I hope she's doing better!

Parker has some kind of infection that the blood tests caught, but what kind of infection is undetermined so she is currently on a broad spectrum antibiotic. She seems much better though.

I hope you enjoy Case Histories. I sure like the series, but it is not like any other mysteries that I've ever read.

15. The Last Bus to Woodstock by Colin Dexter
This was a good procedural about a girl who is raped and murdered after hitchhiking from one town to the next with an anonymous friend in tow. It is quite dated with antiquated thoughts about rape. However, that is what you get when you determine to begin at the beginning with new series. It was well-written enough that I will continue when the next one crosses my path.

Edited to add that I learned about the Inspector Morse books on amwmsw04 and petermc's threads.

It's great to get the good recs for the Kate Atkinson books. Case Histories has been on my list for awhile and I was contemplating reading it soon.

I'm in Ohio visiting my daughter, son in law and grandchildren and thus I'm behind on the threads. I'm so sorry about your dog. I hope the antibiotic works.

Even though work is crazy and you will pay a price with a heavier work load when you return, your priorities are in the right place. Animals are a part of the family and when they need us, we are called to be there.

Sending prayers!

Thanks, Linda!

Glad you liked the Colin Dexter book. I haven't read any more in the series yet, but they are on Mt. TBR!

Glad to hear that Parker Posy is improving, Nancy.

>73 BookAngel_a:. I did like it and will get to the next one sooner or later - perhaps we can have a verrry long race to see who reads the second first...

>74 alcottacre:. Thanks, Stasia. She seems fine. We will see what the labs tell us after she is done w/ her antibiotics.

16. Already Dead by Charlie Huston
I LOVED this book. It is violent, graphic vampire mystery noir. It has a heart, a few laughs and is very exciting. I thought I might be bothered by his use of dashes instead of quotation marks for speech, but it didn't bother me at all. Joe Pitt is a great tough guy (well, tough vampire in his case) and at least this book reminds me of Andrew Vachss Burke series which I love and miss. Just fantastic although perhaps if you dislike violence it isn't for you. I noted that it was LT-inspired but tagged it before I kept a record of whose thread I found a book on. If it was yours, thank you very much.

Nancy
Your effusiveness is a great affirmation of Already Dead. Normally I don't read vampire books, but I'm going to read this one.

Thanks.

Linda,
OK, read it, but just remember I enjoy many decent, morally uplifting books too. I'm afraid this one will make you think I'm not as nice as you currently think I am. ;-)

It is a nasty business sometimes in this one.

Nancy

You will never convince me you are not nice...I would not use this one book as a reference.

Will laughs because amid all the various genre and volumes of books I read, there is a large amount of books re. ghosts, paranormal activity, etc. He is very much a skeptic and smiles and shakes his head...I get defensive and tell him I hope he has some of the experiences I've had and then he won't be so haughty.

Actually, when we were first dating, I owned a house that had a very uncomfortable feeling. I never told him about some of the happenings in the house.

One night he heard loud footsteps coming from upstairs even though we were the only ones in the house and anyone who would be upstairs would have had to walk right past us. I remind him of this periodically when he easily slips into his pragmatism.

Thanks for the review on The Brontes Went to Woolworths. I've wanted to read it just for the title alone, but now that I know a little bit more about it, the book doesn't appeal to me as much. Whew! That's one more book off the ever burgeoning wish list.

I enjoyed your review of The Brontes Went to Woolworths. I too received that as part of LT's Early Reviewers and just haven't been able to sit down with it.

>>79 bonniebooks: & 80. I'm glad you liked my review. The book was definitely interesting, but it won't make my favorites list, I don't think.

17. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
A profound, engaging and beautiful story that sheds light on our interconnectedness in an engaging and emotionally truthful way. AKA This dude can write his butt off. Read this now.

18. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
Miller explores the idea of our lives as a Story with God as the divine Writer and asks whether we want that story to consist of how we accumulated things or watched TV or whether we want to write our lives as a story of usefulness and change. He hangs all of this on the hook of editing his own life as written in Blue Like Jazz to prepare for a film adaptation. His trademark smart aleck take on things is here as are many interesting characters to whom he introduces us. If you'd enjoy a memoir that also explores Christianity from a modern perspective this book would serve you well. If you like the idea of structuring your life as a narrative arc and can ignore the religious aspect this would work for you as well. I found it both funny and helpful.

#81: I have already read Let the Great World Spin and liked it a lot. I just wish I could read my butt off.

I read Miller's Blue Like Jazz, so I will definitely look for this other book as well. Thanks for the recommendation, Nancy Ruth.

#82 - I liked Blue Like Jazz and liked this one even better. He seems to have matured.

If you aren't the definition of someone who can read her butt off, I don't know who is. Well, I suppose if you mean it literally you'd need a treadmill or something...

I was in Charleston, WV this weekend visiting Jane's family and had a chance to go to the bookstore that is my favorite of all that I've visited so far (and that's a fair number of bookstores), Taylor's Books and Music. I got:

Stitches by David Small
The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni by Nikki Giovanni (autographed, thank you very much)

From the Sale Shelves:
The House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey
The Museum of Dr. Moses by Joyce Carol Oates

and from their fantastic Regional Section
Strange As This Weather Has Been by Ann Pancake
Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina

I don't even feel guilty because this wonderful independent bookstore deserves every penny I spend in it. If you ever get to Charleston, check it out for yourself.

Edited to add link.

#83: Oh yes, I definitely meant it literally.

#84: I just finished Stitches yesterday. I will be interested in seeing what you thought of it. Great haul!

19. Stitches by David Small
I'm not sure what I think yet. It is certainly bleak. The art is very good.

Nancy

What great books you recently read, and recently purchased.

>81 nancyewhite:: Hi, Nancy, and thanks for my first laugh of the day. I also loved Let the Great World Spin and agree that "this dude can write his butt off."

I'm on the library hold list for Stitches. My verdict is still out on the whole idea of graphic novels, but I'm giving them a try.

>88 Donna828:: I loved the Maus books, but maybe you should try a light read like French Milk. It was surprisingly enjoyable, considering it was by/about a young woman's vacation in Paris with her mom.

Donna and Bonnie - I liked Stitches but I loved Fun Home by Alison Bechdel which was my introduction to graphic memoir. Not sure I'll ever embrace graphic novels, but I think I'll keep trying with the memoirs.

20. Black Feeling Black Talk by Nikki Giovanni
Hmmm. Great radical politics that reflect the urgency of the times very well but perhaps not the greatest poetry. Darryl assures me the poetry improves. Definitely worth reading.

Edited due to numbering error

Still reading poetry and short stories both of which are HARD for me. After this I'll deserve a Charlaine Harris or something breezy.

Learned that a kid who was in the hospital w/ Ben died today. His parents were newbies when Meg and Ben were waiting for remission before his bone marrow transplant so Meg was teaching them the ropes a little bit. This kid was two years old. No remission, no passing go, no collecting $200. GAHHHHHH. Cancer sucks and it sucks unbearably that kids get it and die. I want to curse and break things. Instead I'll try to read a poem. Perhaps Giovanni again. At least she's pissed off.

#91: Go ahead and curse and break things! It just proves you are human and have a good heart, Nancy Ruth :)

GAHHHHHH, indeed!

Thanks friends. I cried myself to sleep and feel a little better.

21. Nurtureshock by Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman
Parenting Freakonomics. Praise isn't great, kids need sleep waaay more than adults, kids lie, kids of strict parents don't rebel more, conscious gratitude isn't nearly as helpful for kids as it is for adults. As a mother this interested me because it wasn't really structured in any way like a self-help book. Just interesting information about child development that flies in the face of expectations backed by science. Recommended.

Nurtureshock is on my TBR. I don't read a lot of parenting books, but this one sounds interesting to me - especially the part about "kids lie." My son just told all of his classmates that I got a mohawk, so I definitely need to learn more about why kids lie (and how to make it stop!).

> 94 Nurtureshock sounds interesting. I am adding it to the wishNotebook.

I hope you find some comfort and feel better soon.

> 90: If you like graphic memoirs, have you ever read One! Hundred! Demons! by Lynda Barry? It's fantastic. And besides her usual hysterical-while-poignant stories and great drawings it's filled with her crafty collages. Maybe my favorite book cover ever:

>33 nancyewhite: I don't know how to describe this book. It is sad, enraging, holy, inspiring, lovely, horrible, funny, wonderful. Read it

wonderful.

>43 alcottacre: I picked this up memoir with the intention of reading a few paragraphs to see if I wanted to stick it in my purse as my commute book. I went to bed two hours later having finished it. I'd say your off the shelf challenge is going great! May it continue. This blurb reminded me of one of my fav reads by Mike Mason, The Mystery of Marriage. The guy has full intentions of becoming a monk and wakes up one day to find himself married. He is horrified ... and so it begins. Really lovely.

I thoroughly enjoyed your thread and didn't note here how many time the conversations you inspired had me laughing out loud for real :) THx.

>43 alcottacre: I picked this up memoir with the intention of reading a few paragraphs to see if I wanted to stick it in my purse as my commute book. I went to bed two hours later having finished it.

It made me smile to see Suslyn's post this morning. My boyfriend brought Love Is a Mix Tape in from the mailbox at around 11pm last night (it was a BookMooch) and I flipped through it, just looking at the lists of songs on his mixes with no intention of starting it because I have five other books going right now, but I also went to bed two hours later having finished it. =)

Both of your messages make me smile. Thank you.

>>98 suslyn: I added The Mystery of Marriage to the Wishlist!

>>99 madhatter22:. Did you like Love is a Mix Tape as much as I did? I'm getting ready to send it to a moocher myself. I wonder if they too will intend to set it aside or add it to their TBR pile and find themselves reading it in one sitting?

>100 nancyewhite:: I did. Besides the love story, he's near my age, so I really related to where he and his wife were in their lives in the early '90s, and to a lot of the music they liked. (And it made me really, really want to make a mix tape.=)
Did you know he has a new book coming out this summer? The title has me sold already: Talking to Girls About Duran Duran.

>101 madhatter22:> He is near my age as well and I loved making and receiving mix tapes. I did not know he had a new book coming out. I'm so there!

I discovered that I had 2 book 19s so this one is:

22. The Little Disturbances of Man by Grace Paley (review)
A book of short stories that I read for TIOLI. I bought this because she is supposed to be among the best short story writers, but these stories seemed mean-hearted in a way that just didn't work for me, and I normally don't mind some darkness in my characters/plots. Each is about "men and women at love", but there was very little love to be found. There were stories where men left because there were too many kids, where young girls seduced older men, where women were mistresses to much older men. The book was published in 1959 so perhaps men and women were really sooooo different then that never did the twain meet. Yet it didn't feel feminist or aimed at any kind of truth-telling but rather as if it was smirking at the plight of the fools it portrayed. I did smile a time or two at her cleverness. I'm not a short story aficianado, and this did nothing to move me in that direction. It was a book off my shelf, but I didn't enjoy it and had it been longer, I probably would have given up.

Edited to add the review link...

#103: OK, skipping that one. I hope you enjoy your next read more, Nancy!

May the next one be more uplifting and more pleasant to read!

I read about Love is a Mix Tape and the author's story ages ago. I must find this book. I had one of those scary birthdays last year.

Gotta try Linda Barry's book--bet I won't have any will power either.

Nancy

After a week away I'm behind on the threads. I'm reading yours this evening and I'm sorry that I didn't read these posts earlier when I returned.

I'm ever so sorry for your grief regarding the little child who died. I hope your tears brought relief from pain.

Hugs to you!

So, I had surgery on April 22nd which I thought would result in many books read while I recovered. Instead, I was faced with the inability to focus on books or LT and lost an entire month in reading. Perhaps the longest I've ever gone without finishing a book. I'm on the upswing and able to focus a little more. I read two cookbooks by the Cake Mix Doctor last week (including the narrative) and this week managed to finish two (!) books I began before I went into the hospital. You can't imagine how happy I am to be back.

23. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow
I liked this much better than Linda (Whisper1) did. I think this is the kind of sci fi where you have to just enjoy the ideas and can't count on particularly well-drawn characters. Basically, this boils down to an examination of what might happen if a bunch of hippies got control of the tech and began to run Disney communally. This is my second Doctorow and there was much less info-dumping in this one. The tech and world-building were far more incorporated into the story.

I got this after reading about it on Donna828's thread.

24. The Whole World by Emily Winslow (Review)
This was an Early Review book. I didn't love it. I can see some potential in Winslow's writing, however. The mystery was sluggish and the back story was too dramatic. Oxford was well-described and true to the things an American newly transplanted there might report.

Edited for grammar and word choice

Glad to see you are on the upswing, Nancy!

Thanks Stasia. It is great to be feeling a little better.

Nancy
I'm so glad to see your posts. It sounds like you had a rough recovery. I hope each day finds you stronger.

Welcome back, Nancy. You've been missed. I'm the culprit who recommended Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom to Linda because I knew she was going to Disney World. I read most of it while I was there and really liked all the background information. I'm not much of a Sci-Fi fan, but I thought it was fairly creative.

I'm glad you're feeling better now, Nancy. Welcome back to LT world.

Hi everybody. I've missed being here, but when I'd stop by, it was just so overwhelming. Now, I feel excited and invigorated by how active the board is. I'd say that's a good sign that my health is improving.

>>113 Donna828: Donna - I picked up Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom based on your thread. So you have one strike and one hit with that one. I liked it. I was just in Disney World in January, so it was very fresh to me. It was especially fun to think of Magic Kingdom surviving into the future and continuing to have folks who obsess about it. I don't generally like sci-fi, but apparently I like the way Doctorow thinks.

Glad to hear you are on the mend!

25. American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell
This is an amazing book of short stories describing the lives of people with whom I'm very familiar (some might point out I'm related to some folks who resemble these characters). While it is sometimes brutal, this book has hope that writing about poverty often excludes. I learned about this book on avaland's thread, but there have been other advocates for it on LT and they can count me as another enthusiastic member of the club.

Review Here

Edited for clarity

Thumbed your review. You did a great job of explaining why you loved the book without telling me too much. I'm one of those people who doesn't want to know *anything* about a book before I read it--other than someone whose opinion I trust really, really loves it!

Nice review, Nancy! That book has been in the BlackHole forever now. Looks like I will have to ILL if I ever want to read it.

Great review, Nancy! I'll add this to my wish list.

Incredible review of American Salvage. Thumbs up from me. I've had this one on my tbr list since February with Brenzi recommended it. She also really liked the book.

So good to have you back Nancy!

Very cool! I have never heard of the author before and may have to look into it farther.

This is my first Hot Review. I'm inordinately proud. So thanks to all who thumbed for the boost!

I spent an hour or so unloading and organizing bags of books that I bought recently and hadn't gotten around to sorting yet. Ahhh. Does anyone else find handling their books relaxing?

Me!

Me too! Not only relaxing but I believe it actually releases endorphins and makes your whole body feel wonderful :)

Me three, and it's so nice to have LT to find others who feel the same. :)

Definitely! I also get a big kick of just standing in my library admiring my books.

And me!

Oh my goodness! It's just great to find people who get a kick out of handling books. When I get back from a library book sale I feel as high as a kite if I got a particularly big haul and am in seventh heaven entering them all into Library Thing.... Erm... ok.. maybe I classify as a bit of a freak even within the confines of Library Thing ;) We have a library book sale coming up this weekend. I've been looking forward to it for ages but it turns out that my daughter who is turning 6 this weekend wants to go to the beach rather than the book sale. Boo hoo!!!!! And to think.. I thought I'd raised her better than that ;)

Nancy
When I rec'd. my shipment from Bookscloseouts, I placed both boxes on the glass table on the deck, poured a glass of chardonny, and ever so carefully opened the boxes. I neatly stacked them in piles and smiled...I was in heaven.

Nancy, I just want to say once again that I'm glad your back on LT -- and now you're a "Hottie!" I've been slowly savoring the stories in American Salvage. I need to finish them so I can get the book back to the library as I've already renewed it once!

Hmmmm....for some reason I have this incredible urge to rearrange some books. Hopefully, I'll have a new stack in a few days after I drive 3 hours to the Johnson County Book Sale in Kansas City. I'll sneak in a few days with the grandkids while I'm up there so it isn't as crazy as it sounds.

turns out that my daughter who is turning 6 this weekend wants to go to the beach rather than the book sale. Boo hoo!!!!! And to think.. I thought I'd raised her better than that ;)

LOL!

Donna
Book sale and a visit with your grandchildren...This sounds wonderful!

U-S-A, U-S-A!

Still enjoying the World Cup, but alas work has interfered with my ability to watch games. I will be taping the US game tomorrow.

26. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
Hmmm. The third and perhaps final installment of the Millenium Series is fraught with problems: Not enough Lisbeth, every woman he meets wants to sleep with Blomqvist for reasons the reader can't fathom, and Larsson provides endless detail via info-dumping. That being said, there is something irresistable about the series for me. I love the idea that Salander is Larsson's idea of Pippi Longstocking grown up and kept that in mind as I read the book. I was a huge Pippi fan in childhood and probably love Salander for the same reasons: capable, smart and beholden to no one. As Larsson points out, there are certainly flies in the ointment of those atributes when adulthood is reached, but still, Lisbeth is exciting to read about. The mystery itself was not enough to hold my interest especially with the aforementioned info-dumping. All in all, I'm glad I read it but also glad the series is (likely) over if Salander was not going to be the focus.

#136: I have that one slated to read over the summer. Since the series is over (unless his partner and his brother and father agree to terms, which I do not see happening), I am sorry to see that it is not going out with a bang.

>>137 alcottacre:. It does resolve nicely with most threads tied off. I just feel like the initial promise was never fulfilled. Although, if he'd been able to finish all that he had planned I might not feel the same way. Really, this book would only have been 1/3 of the way through his planned arc.

I just bought Suzanne's book for my Kindle. I'm so excited but a little nervous because finance is completely not something I understand.

#139: Nancy, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how easy Suz's book is to read. If I can get through it - economically challenged as I am - anyone can read it.

>>140 alcottacre: I hope you're right, Stasia. It will be great to feel a little more educated about the mechanisms that make our financial system run and how it's failing.

27. Gluttony: The Seven Deadly Sins by Francine Prose

I devoured this little book of essays that results from a sublime partnership between the New York Public Library and Oxford Press. Prose's exploration of the religious, cultural and historic nature of overindulgence is sublime. She manages to be intellectual and accessible simultaneously. I've already ordered the first in the series Envy - Joseph Epstein. Delicious and highly recommended.

Edited to insert a missing word.

Nancy, glad you're up and about again! Back to the "handling books" discussion: Last week my father bought me a bookcase. I managed to look at it empty for 3 days before I limped over on my walker and had to start arranging books in it. It made my head hurt every time I sat down to read to have an empty bookshelf and books on the floor! So count me in as a happy book handler!

#141: I will have to look for the Prose book. Thanks for the recommendation, Nancy.

Honestly, I do not think you will have a problem with Suz's book :)

Nanct

Book #27 sounds great!

I hope you are feeling better and have lots of energy. Happy Summer

Hi everyone!

28. Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd
When I finish Jack's green scarf (note how I didn't say "If I finish"), I'd like to learn to knit socks on DPNs. I did read this cover to cover so I'm counting it. I love to read about knitting. Perhaps even more than I love to knit.

>145 nancyewhite: I love to read about knitting. Perhaps even more than I love to knit.

Nancy, I know just what you mean. Today, I decided that I love to read cookbooks even more than I love to cook.

Amy...

Your statement rings true....I wish I had a penny for every receipe I've read and said I wanted to make, but didn't...

Nancy

Good luck with Jack's scarf. I don't know how to knit, and thus admire your ability to do so.

#145: If you read the entire book, no reason you should not count it!

Good luck with finishing the scarf.

I made real progress on Jack's scarf yesterday so I think there is a possibility it will be warming his neck for winter.

I agree regarding cookbooks too. I've decided they (and food magazines like Cooking Light) are mostly just for reading and eyeball pleasure rather than having much to do with what we actually eat.

To illustrate, I ordered Folk Knitting of Estonia yesterday. The chances of me knitting anything from it are slim. The chances of me poring over it at length are very, very high.

#149: I think we should make a new term for books that are only to be looked at and pored over as opposed to actually being read -"eye candy", perhaps?

Congratulations on the progress made re. Jack's scarf. What a gift of love this will be.

Here is a pic of the scarf prior to the progress:



Edited to pick up image html for another pic.

Wow! That's fancy! Laughed about your comment that you might love to *read* about knitting more than knitting itself. I think that's true about a lot of hobbies for me too.

Very cool! A former roommate taught me how to knit one summer, but I moved before she taught me how to finish it...so it's still on the needle, lol!

Nancy I love knitting but haven't since our son was born 6 years ago! That scarf is lovely - your cable looks so fantastic.

I too am very bad at buying more patterns than I can knit, especially those little Vogue books with cute complicated gloves etc that would take me years to do.

>>154 RosyLibrarian:. It is so much easier to be a self-taught knitter with the internet. I routinely go to YouTube or Google to learn how to do a particular stitch. You may want to try "binding off" for your search :-)

>>I'm just starting knitting again after Jack 4 years ago, Cushla so I empathize. I especially love the most complicated patterns. I'm always curious about the designers and how their minds work to create these complex stitch patterns.

I'm very impressed! By the way, your invisible friend wants to tell you that bookcloseouts.com is having their semiannual $1.99 sale on fiction books...

Ok, since I'm invisible, you did not read that message.

You know, Linda, if I could see you I would say you were a very bad influence.

Earlier in the thread I talked about "handling" my books. What I didn't mention was that I was showing off my efforts to Jane, and she said, "Wow. You've made a bookcase out of books." I'm not sure if she was dumbfounded or impressed.

Given that I have enough unread books to build actual furniture, I will pretend that bookcloseouts.com is as invisible as you are :-)

Gosh darn you Linda.

>>159 Whisper1:. Jane and I laughed and laughed.

I avoided the bookcloseouts.com sale but was a sucker for the B&N online sale.

Here is a pick of the kid wearing the finished scarf:

Nancy

I cannot help but smile when I see a photo of Jack. He is such a beautiful happy little guy.

These times are so special and sadly, before you know it, he will be slipping through your fingers and growing up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWRJMu-Twpo

Hang on to these moments as they are the most precious time in your life, in Jane's life and in Jack's life as well.

I send love and all good wishes for your happiness now and always.

What a cutie! He looks like he loves the scarf.

Aww! He is a cutie.

What a sweetie pie. How fortunate you are!

Thanks everyone. I am very enamored of my boy right now. 4 and 1/2 is quite the charming age.

29. Chasing Goldman Sachs by Suzanne McGee
A spirited and informative look at what led to the meltdown on Wall Street. This was a particularly good read for someone like me who is woefully ignorant of how our financial system actually works. I was able to follow along quite easily and felt educated without being condescended to. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to better understand what happened and what might happen next.

>158 nancyewhite:: I am absolutely enthralled by the idea of a bookcase made out of books.

#167: I am glad you enjoyed that one, Nancy. I told you it was not too bad for us economically-ignorant readers :)

RE: books on knitting. I do the same for hardanger and other types of needle work like that. Even bought one in French... now if I could just figure out what those abbreviations mean ;->

So glad to hear you're better -- and sorry to be so late chiming in. I was pretty much AWOL in June.

Cheers!

Hi Sus, madhatter and Stasia. I love visitors!

30. Folk Shawls by Cheryl Oberle
31. Folk Knitting in Estonia by Nancy Bush

Both books explore the culture and handiwork customs of the places they explore. I now know more about Estonia than I ever expected. Patterns in both are insanely interesting and gorgeous. Very enjoyable.

#171: So we can expect Jack to be wearing mad Estonian patterns any day now, right?

#172 >> I will be dressing him in full knitted Estonian regalia ASAP (which is probably when he is 35).

32. A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin
This one doesn't live up to the first and third in the series. Perhaps Franklin is an every other book kind of writer. Nevertheless this tale of Adelia accompanying King Henry's daughter Joanna to her wedding is worth reading if you are already engaged in the series. Visiting the characters from the previous books and meeting some who are new are worth the time. This book also brutally described some of the violence, hatred and intolerance of the Crusades and the upcoming Inquisition. While Richard's review felt more like a pan than mine does, I notice we gave it the same number of stars.

#173: Well, he will have something to look forward to then, won't he? :)

33. Think of a Number by John Verdon
A very good debut thriller. The main character is a retired star detective with a troubled yet loving marriage and a difficult past. Through an old college friend he is drawn into investigating a series of letters in which the sender claims to know what the receiver is thinking down to predicting what number he'll guess. If you like well-written serial-killer puzzlers, this one is for you. There is a bit of first book-itis and the hero does a bit too much self-analysis, but these flaws are easily overlooked for readers of the genre who are well aware of how much crappy writing is out there.

Hi Nancy - I received an arc of Think of a Number a few weeks ago but haven't started it. I'm glad to see it's a good one. I was a little fearful of the "crappy writing" problem you mentioned!

>>176 Copperskye:. I thought it was decent. I hope you think so too.

Hi There!

I'm thinking of you and hoping your summer is a good one!

#33: I already have that one in the BlackHole because of another review here in the group. I hope the library gets a copy soon. I like thrillers.

Still reading about knitting as well as actually knitting, but had to post about this here in this community that is so important to me.

"Because California has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and because Prop 8 prevents California from providing marriages on an equal basis, the court concludes that it is unconstitutional." Vaughn R. Walker, USDC Chief Judge.

Another sign that change is coming. Thanks be to God who loves us all. Sometimes I'm a cynic about justice and this crazy country I live in, but right now I am crying my eyes out.

AMEN!

I just read the news and add my "Hurrays!"

Hey, Nancy! Just waving as I am heading through the threads.

ETA: I wish I had the opportunity to meet you while I am up that direction. Maybe some time in future?

>175 nancyewhite:: Hi Nancy, I'm enjoying your thread as always. I used to read thrillers a long time ago and guess I got tired of being "thrilled" or maybe just fell in love with more literary writing. Who knows. I do like the premise of Think Of A Number and, because I'm trying to be a more well-rounded reader these days, I may give this one a go sometime soon.

I also love that phrase "first book-itis." I tend to be lenient in my criticism of debut books because I admire people who have the gumption to write for a living. Happy knitting and reading to you!

#180 Hurray from me too. People a long way away from California are celebrating this one!

#180: Same here, I was also thrilled to learn that Prop 8 was overturned. I was originally surprised that I didn't see any celebrations in San Francisco, but I see from the photos in yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle that there was a big march in the Castro District on Wednesday. However, this is just another step in what will almost certainly be a long battle, which I think will probably go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Yeah--it is a great victory. Unfortunately, it's going to be appealed all the way up. I'm not too worried about the 9th Circuit, but I don't know about the Supreme Court sometimes.

>180 nancyewhite:, 185: guess what- this was even news in New Zealand. Great news I reckon!

Thanks for visiting my thread Nancy with the info on Bad Mother - it looks like one to chase up. Now.... was that your son in the knitted scarf further up the thread (as you can tell Ive been scanning!) He's cute!

Stasia - I cannot make NY for Richard's party. I pondered and pondered and I just can't do it :-( I so want to meet everyone and hopefully there will be more opportunities.

All - I'm 43 years old. I came out in 1984. The changes this country has seen in relation to gay/lesbian acceptance and civil rights in this time are wonderful but with room for improvement. A quick example, my employer is a health insurer when I started working there, 13 years ago I was hesitant to be out. Last year, they sponsored the Gay Pride events in both Pittsburgh and the much more conservative and smaller Camp Hill - mind-blowing! However, the amount of documentation they require to extend "Domestic Partner" benefits is prohibitive while they just extend benefits to married couples even if those people have been together much less time than we have.

In particular, the language Walker used in the Prop 8 decision is so strong and affirming that it touched me to read it. This was particularly true because so many politicians probably support gay marriage but contort themselves to be "against" it so as not to lose votes (looking at you, Mr. President). Personally, it has been challenging, time-consuming and expensive to try to replicate the rights that are afforded straight married couples (wills, powers of attorney, third party adoption etc.), and I get hurt feelings wondering why people that don't even know me or Jane would want to deny us the opportunity to have a wedding and marriage. I know it is going to get stalled while appeals take place and hopefully the Supreme Court will learn lessons from its past. Either way, it is clear to me that it is coming and we'll be better off for it.

#188 - That is my boy Jack. Thanks for the compliment - he is cute and bright and quite a handful.

#184 - While Think of a Number was a pretty good book for a thriller-liker, I'm not 100% sure it would be the best for someone disillusioned with the genre. Maybe Stasia will weigh-in once she reads it...

In particular, the language Walker used in the Prop 8 decision is so strong and affirming that it touched me to read it. This was particularly true because so many politicians probably support gay marriage but contort themselves to be "against" it so as not to lose votes (looking at you, Mr. President)

So sad, but I hope that's true! And I'm so ambivalent, myself, about what I want Obama to do. I worry that if he supported gay marriage, he would lose his second term, and the alternative would be so much worse! I, for one, would like the separation of church and state. Why can't *all* marriages be "legal unions" in terms of the law? And, then, various religions can protect and uphold their own definitions of the word "marriage" as they see fit, without impacting those of us who don't want to be governed by their religious beliefs.

34. One Day by David Nicholls

Two young people, Em and Dex, have a one night stand on their last day of college in 1989. This book follows them through the next couple of decades with the conceit of looking in on their lives on the same day each year. Growing up proves challenging and mistakes are made. Much like real life, they each do despicable things, have successes and, inevitably, failures. We follow along waiting to see if they ever simultaneously realize that they love one another. There is the inevitable comparison to When Harry Met Sally which the book pulls the rug out from under by being smart enough to reference the movie, but this novel is grittier and more realistic. It is also very dryly funny and anyone who came of age in the late '80s will find it well-observed and sometimes cringe-worthily accurate. All told, I found it hard to put down and finished it in a couple of days.

#191: I already have that one in the BlackHole. I hope my local library gets a copy in soon!

191: I am about 3/4 of the way done with One Day and have been enjoying it. Sometimes I want to smack the characters upside the head, but I do appreciate the truthfulness the author brings to relationships. Glad you liked!

>> 192 and 193. I think it is worth the read. I honestly didn't like it as much as I like Nick Hornby, but liked it well-enough to recommend.

35. The City and the City by China Mieville
A detective noir set in an urban landscape where two cities overlap and their citizens are taught to "unsee" one another's worlds. I really enjoyed this. Mieville uses language in an interesting and beautiful way. I thought a lot about what we are taught to unsee as we move through our own worlds - people of other races or genders or ages or social classes. Very, very good writing.

HI There!

#194: I am glad to see that you enjoyed that one, Nancy!

>>195 Whisper1: - Hi back atya.

>>196 alcottacre: - I did like it, Stasia. I know you didn't and I can see why. He is not for everybody.

36. Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
I enjoyed this little compilation of wizarding fairy tales with commentary by Dumbledore. Rowling's creativity and wit are just a joy to read. Not a Harry Potter quality read, but a lot of fun for folks that enjoy the series.

Waving as I head through the threads. Have a great week, Nancy!

Thanks, Stasia. You and Linda are my loyal listeners.

37. The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
Perhaps my favorite in the series. I'm on the bus with everyone else, and I'm willing to tolerate the high murder rate just to get to live in Three Pines. This series and this book are full of decency, humanity, wit, intelligence and kindness. While I was sorry about who Gamache eventually identified as the culprit, I didn't feel cheated by it.

As always, I aspire to be Ruth Zardo when I grow up. I felt particularly close to her through this one as she struggled to help Olivier through a bad night, as she strove to do right by her duck, as she threw an awkward and hilarious dinner party and verse-stalked a hardened policeman. In my first attempt to be more like her, I'll close this comment the way she closed that party, "Toodle-oo fuckers".

Oh, Nancy, I am laughing right out loud! It was a long day, and thus I really appreciate the quote!

HUGS!

Hugs to you, Linda. Any day that ends with me making you laugh is a good day for me!

The sound you hear is Stasia gnashing her teeth because her copy of that book is STILL NOT HERE!!

This series and this book are full of decency, humanity, wit, intelligence and kindness.

Nancy, thanks for putting into words what I've been thinking about the Three Pines Series. I just finished Book No. 3, The Cruelest Month. I wish there had been more Ruth Zardo in it, but I did meet the duck (or goose)! I'm also a big fan of hers.

Toodle-oo to you! LOL!

three pines again *sigh* One of these days :)

I forget who exactly turned me on to Louise Penny's books--could have been you, Nancy, could have been Tracy Albin. But I am now on my 3rd--the Cruelest Month--and I amn absolutely addicted to the series!

Three Pines is to me a sort of modern-day Brigadoon, and of course it's too good to be true, but hey, do I mind? Not me! I'm ready to move there!!

I think Penny's writing is incredibly deceptive--seems so simple, so unsophisticated--and then she comes out with dialogue that has you falling off the bed (in my case) laughing or some outrageous observation about Gabri or some utterly impossible behavior on the part of Ruth--and you know that this writer is one sharp observer of human beings. and she most certainly can not be unsophisticated if, in this day and age, she can make gentleness and decency fascinating.

Thank God for Kindle, thank God for Kindle, thank God for Kindle--I can get my next fix right away!

#205: Woot! Joyce is on the Three Pines bus!!

I'm on #4 right now! :-)

Hooray for another convert to both Three Pines and the Kindle!

1. The last book you gave five-stars to: Gluttony by Francine Prose

2. The last book you were unable to finish: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

3. The last book you bought: I bought a bunch at the Half Price Books sale this weekend, and I'm actually trying to remember which I picked up last. I think it was The Forever War by Dexter Filkins which I learned about on petermc's thread, but it might have been I Am Not a Serial Killer which I discovered on hugehorrorfan's thread. Either way it was LT inspired as are most of my purchases nowadays.

4. The last book that made you cry: The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything by James Martin

5. The last book you borrowed: The Complete Sherlock Holmes

6. The last book you received as a gift: Washington Square by Henry James

7. The last book you found disturbing: American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell

8. The last book you read that made you laugh: The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

9. The last book you really felt you got lost in (the good kind of lost): The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

Nice answers, Nancy!

I could not finish the Diaz book either unfortunately.

There were four women reading on the trolley ride home yesterday. Three were reading Nora Roberts, and I was finishing Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson. This was a very good children's adventure story where time is a malleable thing. There is time travel and history and literary references and truly scary bad guys and a strong heart. I'll be putting it in Jack's "Big Boy Books" box for sure. That being said, I think I just don't love reading children's books even when they are good and that Harry Potter might have been the exception to the rule.

#211: I am just the opposite, I have found. I really do enjoy reading juvenile and young adult books. I have been introduced to a lot of these books through LT, another reason for me to be glad of LT's existence.

>>212 alcottacre:: I enjoyed the Scott Westerfeld Midnighters series. I think I may like YA/Mature Teen books rather than children's books.

39. The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
A gut-wrenching on-the-ground report from Afghanistan and Iraq. For me it really brought home the wastefulness and tragedy of war. A five star read that I highly recommend. (Thanks to petermc - I originally wishlisted this based on his thread)

Hello Invisible friend.

I thought of you today.

Sending hugs your way.

#213: I need to check out The Forever War again. I had it out of the library but never got a chance to read the book before I had to return it. Thanks for the reminder, Nancy.

Hope all is well there!

All is well here. Knitting up a storm and reading many pattern books and magazines. I also read:

40. Cake Wrecks by Jen Yates
A nutty picture book w/ snarky commentary of cakes that professional decoraters have really messed up. Based on a blog, this made my whole family laugh. If you want to impress your nearly five year old son, get a book that has pictures of chocolate icing gone awry on store bought cakes. This was a library book and probably isn't worth buying.

41. A Perfect Evil by Alex Kava
Hmmm. Mystery/Thriller plotting - pretty good. Realistic police behavior - meh. Romance - ugh. A palate cleanser after The Forever War, this was only okay. It is the first in a series, and I'll pick up the second if I run into it at a yard sale or on the 25 cent shelf at HPB. It wasn't helped by the fact that I have the next Three Pines book waiting on the Kindle and kept longing to get started reading it.

#216: Since I do not have a 5-year-old son to impress, I think I will pass on Cake Wrecks.

I downloaded A Perfect Evil as one of my 'by-the-bed' books and it sounds like it will do just fine for that purpose.

Which Three Pines book are you up to? I am going to be reading Bury Your Dead in the next few days. I have been busy avoiding all the spoilers :)

I've got Bury Your Dead too. The Brutal Telling was the best so far IMO, and I can't wait to see what happens next, but I'm delaying gratification a little. I've avoided all reviews just in case they have a spoiler.

42. Knitting Rules by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
A witty and insightful look into the mind of knitters. This one is not just funny, but includes 'recipes' for shawls, socks and hats that can be used again and again.

Just me, stopping by to say I'm thinking of you and appreciate your friendship!

Nice to see you here, Invisible Friend...

43. Asylum by Christopher Payne
Photographs taken inside the closed and near-demolition rooms of state mental hospitals. The pictures are illuminated by an essay from the photographer and another from Oliver Sacks. When I was a kid, there were plenty of rumors about people who had been "put away" and I've always been fascinated by these architectural wonders of self-containment. It is easy to see the melancholy in these photographs, but there is beauty too. Highly recommended.

I'm eager to get The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Mental Hospital Attic too. Our entire library system only has two copies so I'll have to wait my turn. There was a fantastic article about it in our local newspaper.

Edited to correct some grammatical errors.

44. Your Five-Year-Old by Louise Bates Ames
A little dated, but still useful. This book suggests that Jack's upcoming 5th birthday will be the beginning of a very good year (or at least 6 months

45. Live or Die by Anne Sexton
For TIOLI Challenge to read a book that won a Pulitzer the year you were born. I've read Sexton's biography, but oddly not much of her poetry. These detail a woman exploding with the emotion of life but for whom suicide is an irresistible siren. I liked it as much as I ever like poetry which often makes me feel dumb.

#220: Both Asylum and The Lives They Left Behind look interesting, so I am adding them to the BlackHole.

221, 222: good luck with the upcoming very good year with Jack! (I hope you detected my wry but hopeful tone), and what a great TIOLI challenge!

#216: Cake Wrecks doesn't seem like a book worth buying, but I do love the website. I think my all time favorite has to be the wedding cake that's a life-size replica of the bride. :)

#220: I've also always been fascinated with asylums - I'll be looking for these!

Asylum looks really interesting...on to my wishlist!

Nancy

The Lives They Left Behind is already on the tbr pile. Your mention of the book prods me to move it up some notches.

Nancy
I was able to obtain a copy of The Lives They Left Behind. My local library had this one! I started to read it last night and it is incredible. I highly recommend it. Do you have a link to the story that was in your local newspaper?

Hey Linda,
I was out of town. First with friends and then on business to Boston!

I did find the link. Here it is: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10244/1083997-114.stm. I can't wait to read that book. I think I'll still be waiting for a while longer since the article made it desirable at our library.

I'm in the middle of both Neverwhere and The Passage for October. Both are good, but I'm a bit more fascinated with The Passage just now.

Still reading Neverwhere and The Passage, but I picked up Sh*t My Dad Says on an impulse from my library's One Week shelf. I read it in an hour or so. I thought it was funny, but, more importantly, it was much warmer and more loving than I expected. Can I go so far as to say that inside all of the crassness was wisdom and sweetness? Yes. Yes I can. If you can handle cursing, this is a charming little book.

230: I've started watching the TV program and thought it was pretty entertaining, so now I'll have to go grab the book. :)

#230: I will be interested in seeing what you think of Neverwhere, which I loved, and The Passage, which I have here to read, when you get to them, Nancy.

47. Rescuing Da Vinci by Robert M. Edsel
A fantastic coffee table book about how art and cultural treasures survived WWII (or not). I loved the country-by-country examination of how art was transported to various hiding places or left standing and protected with bricks, sand etc. The photos were amazing, and this describes a bit of history that I never really thought about but found utterly fascinating. Thank you, Stasia, for recommending this on your thread. I waited until after midnight to finish this one so I can use it in TIOLI.

I'm still reading The Passage. It had a jarring time switch that I've gotten used to and it has re-intrigued me. It is massive though.

I also have the 1001 Children's Books that Linda recommended that I've been using to develop a wishlist for Jack and, of course, ten bazillion knitting books.

I downloaded two audiobooks from the library yesterday and will begin one today. I've never had much luck with them, but I'm giving it another go because I'm tired of feeling like I should be knitting when I'm reading and vice versa. I want to indulge in both of my passions simultaneously!

#233: I am glad you enjoyed the book, Nancy!

#217, 218: Bury Your Dead, for me, was a let-down. As far as Im concerned, the plot is an excuse to write a tour guide of Quebec City. I think it's nowhere near her best.

That said, I thought that the way she unfolded the event that was the reason for Gamache's leave of absence was very well done.

235 - I think I can fit Bury Your Dead into the TIOLI somehow or another now that I've finally finished The Passage.

48. The Passage by Justin Cronin
A post-apocalyptic doorstop. I decided to go ahead and read this much discussed bestseller after reading Ape's positive review, and I 'm glad I did. I enjoyed the first third of the book which focused on how the virus came to spread a great deal, flagged a little in the middle which jumped in time to detail the lives of a small colony of human survivors, and the flew through the second half in just a few days. Cronin certainly owes a debt to Stephen King's The Stand which is a better book, but this is good enough that I'll be looking for the next when it is released. Like many other reviewers, I found it refreshing that the vampire-type creatures are neither sparkly nor romantic.

#236: Suz loaned that one to me. I really must get it read!

I really wish that I could get reviews of a book written by people in a particular group or my connections or some other way to limit the number I have to sort through in order to see the reviews I'm interested in.

#238: I know what you mean. When I am looking at reviews for a book, I will generally go through all of them trying to find members of this group, since I know I can trust their judgment.

Hard to think of how to set up a thread that would limit posts to reviews of particular books. An interesting problem. The books themselves carry reviews, but from anyone who's posted one, so it's hard.

Possibly you could go to the libraries of your connections, search for the book you're interested in, and see if they've reviewed it. I have reviewed most (but not all this year) of my books, so if I have a book you're interested in, you could check to see if I've reviewed it. Same with any of your other connections.

>240 alcottacre:: I do the same thing! :)

Nancy - v. cute holiday ticker. Mmmm ... I'm getting hungry ...

>>>242 madhatter22:. I know. I can't wait for pumpkin pie.

49. Stitch 'n Bitch Superstar Knitting by Debbie Stoller
I have made this weird arbitrary decision not to include my reading about knitting unless it is primarily narrative. This leads to a lot of trying to decide if something is 'worthy' or not. I'm done with that. Not only are they books I've read, but it will lead to more activity on my thread which I love. This one is primarily narrative. I love her books and recommend them for folks who want to learn to knit. Here is my review if anyone is interested.

50. Woody Guthrie, American Radical (Music in American Life) by Will Kaufman
I chose this as a NetGalley ARC as soon as I saw it the day after Election Day. Therefore this is a synopsis (with forthcoming review) of a free book.

This is really a biography of Guthrie's music and how it influenced and was influenced by the political and social environment of his times. It shows that as a person and artist matures, his perspective may change on issues like war and racism and remain the same on others like socialism and rights for the working class. Kaufman details Guthrie's interaction with the radical left and progressive movements, his connection to the government both good (Alan Lomax's recordings for the Library of Congress) and bad (J. Edgar Hoover's FBI), and finally his relationship with the other folk musicians and radicals of his era (Pete Seeger, Paul Robeson, Leadbelly, Ronnie Gilbert, Will Geer, Bob Dylan). This is not a biography that details his personal life very much so if you want to know more about his womanizing, marriages or Huntington's Disease, read a different book. If, however, you want a detailed, honest but respectful history of a man and his music, this may well be the book for you.

book # 50 Congrats! And it looks like a great one too.

#244: That one looks good. I will have to see if I can find it when it comes out. Thanks, Nancy.

Congratulations on hitting 50 books for the year!

Hi Nancy

I'm adding Rescuing Da Vinci by Robert M. Edsel to the list of books I hope to read soon.

When Will took me to Barnes and Noble last Sunday, I found another book that looked very interesting. Lost Lives, Lost Art by Melissa Muller is one that I want to read.

Great that you're going to include your knitting books. I used to knit, then had the kids and had no time. But I've just started again - have done 4 rows of a baby sweater...better get a move on before my friend has the baby (4 months left, eek, I am slow.) Jack's scarf upthread is lovely!!

Room by Emma Dohoghue
Hmmm. Well, I was nervous to read this because I have a son named Jack that turned five on October 23rd. And, it turns out rightfully so. But not for the reasons that I thought. It meant that this book could intrude on my heart and mind from its first sentence. I was utterly captivated and convinced by the story of Ma and Jack. I loved everything about this book probably to the point where I am not totally rational about it. Brava Ms Donoghue - who was probably quite scave to take on a subject that could have reeked of tabloid and imbuing it with love and truth. If you don't know what scave is, read the book. Well, read the book anyway. Its worth it even if you don't have a five year old son named Jack.

#249: I am glad you enjoyed the book, Nancy! I was kind of worried about your reaction to it after I so highly recommended it, but I am glad to see that you liked it.

>>> Stasia - I loved it. I'm having a great reading spell right now. One good thing after another.

52. Feed by M.T. Anderson
A very early LT recommendation (by whom and in what group I have no idea). I picked this off the shelf because it fit into TIOLI this month. I read it in long gulps in two days. It is a wonderful YA sci fi dystopia where everyone has a computer feed full of consumer and pop culture loaded directly into their brains, School and Clouds are trademarked, and the government is in league with the corporations. Of course, the entire book is meant to make points about our own culture, but Anderson is good enough that you care about the teenage characters he's created. Very good and highly recommended.

I believe that I've discovered that while YA, Fantasy and Sci Fi all are problematic for me individually, I like them when they are combined.

>251 nancyewhite: government is in league with the corporations so it's non-fiction then!? :-)

Room looks goooood, it's on my wishlist now.

#251: I'm having a great reading spell right now. One good thing after another.

Good for you! I love those kinds of reading spells.

Tell Jane I said 'Happy Birthday!'

> 251

I don't know if it was me or not, but I've always recommended Feed. I found that story wonderfully entertaining. I'd listened to it as a library CD when I couldn't find anything I wanted to read. Fortuntately, I was delightfully surprised with how good it turned out to be. Glad you got to read it as well.

>253 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia. She had a good birthday, I think. At Jack's suggestion we got her a daisy boquet. We went out to dinner and he was well-behaved which is a good present in itself.

>254 SqueakyChu: It was entertaining. It made points without being overt. I liked it a lot. I can't get the lesions out of my mind though.

Here is the link to the official review of the Woody Guthrie bio. It's quite similar to what I wrote above, but since this was an ARC from NetGalley, I wanted to do it properly.

Nice review, Nancy! I will have to look for that one once it is out.

Looks like I'll be buying some books. A local Pittsburgh poet won the National Book Award for poetry and the fiction award is set in WV (where Jane is from).

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10322/1104270-44.stm

oh..I missed the post re. Jane's birthday. I'll blame it on four percocet a day. I'm glad you all had such a lovely day. I love the image of Jack suggesting a daisy bouquet. It fits right in with your recent read of Woody Guthrie. When I think of daisies I think of the 60's and 70's.

Hugs to you!

Nancy, I'm planning to read Lighthead, Terrance Hayes' National Book Award winning poetry collection, this weekend. I picked it up last month after it was listed as a finalist for the Poetry award. I read his earlier collection, Wind in a Box, a couple of years ago and enjoyed it.

Darryl - I need to read it too. Even though poetry is not my favorite, I feel I must! I loved in the article when he said he'd be back at CMU to teach his noon class - my kind of professor.

The Bargain Shelves at Half Price Books were insanely good to me last night. I got the following and didn't pay more than $2 for any of them. I don't normally list my haul, but this must be shared and unfortunately Jane is decidedly uninterested and just grumpy about more books brought into the house.

The Prince of Frogtown by Rick Bragg
The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker
Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall
I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner
The Myth of You and Me by Leah Stewart
Sacred Country by Rose Tremain
A Lost Lady by Willa Cather
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell
That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Warner Townshend
All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown
Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia
Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson
Women as Lovers by Elfriede Jelineck
The Blue Mirror by Kathe Koja
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Tell Me Lies by Jennifer Crusie

Crazy right? Three bags full. Some of those aren't even a year old. Also a great mix of heavy and lightweight reads.

Woo hoo score! Looks like you got quite a haul. I've only read the Zafon book, but I can tell you it is a good choice.

Wow! Excellent haul. Wish there was a Half Price Books near me. (Or maybe I don't. :)
Wondering if Jane brings anything into the house to even you out. Andy can't complain about all my books because he brings in just as many (completely unnecessary) cds.

>>265 madhatter22:. I'm definitely the acquirer in our family. She is one of those people that doesn't want very much and could easily live with the basics. I had to beg her to tell me something she might want for her birthday. She does want a sewing machine, which I'm hoping leads to a hobby that brings stuff into the house (maybe quilting). Ahhh well, hopefully we balance each other. Still, I wish she'd celebrate a good haul like that one!

Great haul on the books! Will is very much like Jane, ie he doesn't collect things. Most books he reads he obtains from the library, he dresses comfortably without a lot of big ticket items.

In fact, we just finished a conversation wherein we were lamenting that his family insists on exchanging gifts. We give and receive stuff that no one really needs. The fact is that our friend/librarian has a holiday tree in the lobby. She told us that this year the library adopted 15 needy families.

We are purchasing items for two of the families. It brought tears to my eyes when I saw the lists that a ten year old girl and a twelve year old boy requested.

They do not have sheets for their beds and requested twin sheet sets. Other items on their list included winter pajamas, a dress shirt, a pair of shoes, a robe. All items were practical and things that we take for granted. The parents are requesting gift cards for grocery stores.

We are making the announcement to all friends and family that we purchased items in their nam. As we purchase the item, we make a copy of it from the store flier. We are attaching the copy with a note saying this gift was given to __________ in _______(your name). We are asking them to do the same ie to find families who need assistance instead of buying things for us.

-------

Regarding a sewing machine for Jane, I suggest you stay away from Walmart. Will purchased a brother machine for me a few years ago. Sadly, he paid a lot of money for a machine that did not work. Needles broke, bobbins jammed and we were not able to return it.

I now have a Janome machine, purchased at a reasonable cost and it works very well.

#263: Love the haul, Nancy! Congratulations!

My employer does a gift exchange for elderly folks. I chose a woman that requested a blanket and a shawl. I'm always cold so she felt like a great fit. I love the idea of giving charitable items in people's names. Good for you!

Thanks for the info on the sewing machine. I'll look for a Janome. I have no idea what to look for so any advice you have would be great :-)

53. Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead
A coming of age novel about a young black man who spends the summer in Sag Harbor with his brother and some friends. It is set in the mid-80s so I identified the cultural references. Whitehead is a funny and gifted writer. The book is admittedly autobiographical, and I think that it would have been better as a memoir. I think that as I get older I have less interest in coming of age novels even particularly well written ones like this.

I have the following books to give away. I'd love to share the wealth with 75ers if anyone wants them. First to PM me for any given book gets it.

Feed - M.T. Anderson
Perdido Street Station - China Mieville
Dead Witch Walking - Kim Harrison
Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
The Brutal Telling - Louise Penny
Sag Harbor - Colson Whitehead

That's so nice! In my attempt to read outside my comfort zone, I promised myself Id try a steampunk novel- I wouldnt ask for Perdido Street Station to be sent all the way to NZ! Not when I have a perfectly good library nearby. I have just started Boneshaker and feel apprehensive - it's so different to what I normally read! Good on you for sharing though :-) I'm sure they'll get snapped up.

#270: I agree about the lessening of interest in coming of age books with increasing personal age. The only exception I would make in recent years is Coal Black Horse, which is superb. But then it's set in the middle years of the Civil War, so it had that interest for me as well. However, that was only part of it. It's a variation on the theme, and Olmstead does an outstanding job by using different writing styles for the young boy who sets off to find his father in Lees army and the one who emerges at the end of the book.

How do I keep losing you ???

>>272 LovingLit:. I liked Perdido Street Station and it was far outside my comfort zone. It is long though. I'm interested in Bone Shaker too. I'll see what you think of it.

>>273 Joycepa:. Joyce - Coal Black Horse onto the wishlist as the exception to prove the rule.

>>274 mckait:. Kath - I don't know. Glad you're here now though.

>>271 nancyewhite:. I got a couple of takers in the Kitchen. I'll put the others up for Member giveaway.

54. The Lives They Left Behind by Darby Penney
An extraordinary and powerful reminder that the personal is the political. The authors use suitcases found in the attic of a state mental hospital to detail the lives of the people whose possessions were put there never to be reclaimed. These people were committed and usually died institutionalized often for shockingly little reason. The indivuidual accounts provide the authors the opportunity to explore psychiatric care in the early-mid 20th century. I'm so grateful to the authors for providing the privilege of a peek into the lives of some folks who were far too ignored while they were alive. There is also a traveling exhibition of some of the items they found which came to my city but that I regretfully didn't get to see. Five stars. Highly recommended.

Nancy

The Lives They Left Behind is indeed an incredible book.

#276: Already in the BlackHole. I really hope my local library gets a copy in soon. If not, that is one I will definitely put on ILL.

I don't think I have heard anything but GOOD about that one.. I might have to wishlist it.. :-/

Happy Thanksgiving to you dear friend!

I am blessed by you in oh so many ways!

I hope you, Jack, and Jane have a terrific Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Nancy!

Hey everyone. Isn't it crazy how quickly it moves from Thanksgiving to Christmas in our thoughts? I hope you all had lovely holidays.

55. Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny
Another very good installment in the Three Pines series. In this one, Penny carries on three simultaneous plotlines. One in Three Pines where the last book's conclusion is revisited, another in Quebec where history is explored and a third in flashback where the Suerte suffers a devastating blow. I liked this one but not quite as much as the one immediately prior. There was however a wonderful subplot in which the relationship between Ruth and Beauvoir deepens.

Someone on LT (forgive me for forgetting who) expressed a dislike for cliques of artists that made her not care for the residents of Three Pines. I must say that the reason I love the town is that rather than a clique, for me it feels like a homeland for misfits. A fantasy place, to be sure, but one that I really enjoy imagining.

Edited due to an overabundance of relationships.

56. Fall to Grace by Jay Bakker
I quite like this witty and honest son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and admire his Revolution ministry. In this book he focuses on grace vs. religious law particularly as written in Paul's letters with a special focus on Galatians. His passion for conveying that God's grace through Jesus's death is yours no matter what you've done or will do is evident in every word he writes. This is an ARC and I'll be doing a more in depth review, but frankly it's a little deep and I'm not sure exactly what I want to say.

TIOLI = Religion

#284: Fall to Grace sounds interesting. I look forward to your in-depth review, Nancy.

ditto what Stasia said.

It must have been rough to be him for a while there.. all the negative focus on his family.

Stasia/Linda - It was interesting and powerful.

Kath - He had a rough time as a tween/teenager. Luckily he has found his way. I hold him in high esteem.

57. Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick
What a world we live in. This book is hard to read. Especially since the fall of communism throughout the world, ordinary lives in North Korea end badly. Starvation is happening all around, but you must pretend it isn't. Children are tiny with big heads from malnutrition, but you must sing praises to the "fatherly leader". What a terrible, nearly unimaginable tragedy is taking place in this darkened country. The Jong Il father and son make the Castros look like saints. I read this to get insight into North Korea after seeing it on gregtmills and RebeccaNYC's threads. Highly recommended.

TIOLI = Ghost of TIOLI Past - Set Elsewhere

58. The Three Incestuous Sisters by Audrey Niffenegger
Hmmm. Lovely art. Weird dreamlike story. Perhaps not my cuppa.

TIOLI = Family word in the Title

Nancy

I'm adding Nothing to Envy to the tbr pile. I'll read it after the holidays though. It seems dark and gloomy.

Hugs to you my invisible friend.

I already have Nothing to Envy in the BlackHole thanks to Rebecca's review. Maybe after Christmas I will get it downloaded to my Nook.

I think Nothing to Envy is well worth the pain it inflicts.

59. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
As I've said on other threads, I'd have sworn I read this until I started reading it when it became clear I hadn't. Much funnier than I presumed - I loved Dickens's asides.

I teared up at the end. A timeless message that only connection matters and redemption is always available.

TIOLI = Thinster

#292: I just love A Christmas Carol. The girls and I used to read it together every year, so I swear I can recite it by heart, but I still love it.

Stasia - at what age did you and the girls start that tradition? Jane read Jack an abridged version from a book Linda sent him, and he loved it. But I have no idea when he'll be ready for the 'real thing'.

Nancy if you haven't watched the dvd of A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott, I highly recommend it!

In my opinion, he does the best rendition of Schrouge.

#294: We started when Beth was about 6 or so. We did not read it all in one sitting though - we did a chapter a night.

Nancy.. I started reading "real" books to my kids when they were very young. Kipling is one we read over and over. I think that Adam was... 4 maybe, when we started.. that made Craig 2, etc. My thoughts? It is not just the story, it is the act of reading together. And.. they do listen and learn and pick up.. and as time goes on.. "get" more. I recommend it. We read David Copperfield, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.. I don't remember them all. ( weirdly .. never Good Night Moon...lol) . ALL of my kids grew up to be readers.. and copies of each of those books have wandered off with them to their homes. I had to replace Kipling 5 times. :P Oh! and Poe! We never read Poe together, but they all read him.. that is another I have replaced over and over.

I say go ahead and start reading!!

60. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
Interconnected character studies of people connected with an English language newspaper published in Rome. Rachman is gifted at getting to the heart of his characters. This is melancholy but also lovely. I particularly liked the story where a fired employee gets a measure of revenge on the person responsible for taking away his job.

SPOILER ALERT

This loses half a star because Rachman killed Pickle. As soon as I became enamored with her I knew where it was going.

END SPOILER

TIOLI = Ghost of TIOLI Past - Recommended by Stasia

Nancy

I hope you are having a wonderful time with Jack as you prepare for the holiday.

I was going to put The Imperfectionists on my list, but I note that it is already there and was recommended by Donna.

Sending all good wishes to you!!!!

#298: I particularly liked the story where a fired employee gets a measure of revenge on the person responsible for taking away his job.

Oh, I loved that one! I am glad to see the book has found another fan.

61. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
For some reason this tale of a 12 year old orphaned boy who is apprenticed to a scientist that studies monsters took me a while to get into. In fact, I nearly Pearl-ruled it. I'm glad I carried on though. In this story, the boy, Will Henry, and the doctor encounter Anthropogi, headless monsters with shark-like teeth, and need to kill them. In addition to action, there is a lot of moral consideration, family history and world building which Yancey does very, very well. However, for a YA book I found this to be quite graphically violent and gory. Maybe that vividness is a product of his superior writing skills, but it is definitely not for the weak. By the end, I cared a great deal for Will Henry and his plight. I will definitely read the second in the series.

TIOLI = Animal on the Cover

62. The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone
I picked this up because after my gastric bypass I'm looking for non-meat protein options. This book is a discussion of veganism with three options for the diet - Flirt, Vegan and Superhero. Flirt is just trying vegan foods, vegan is meat and dairy free, and superhero is macrobiotic. Each has an offering of meal plans. Silverstone keeps things light and breezy with a hippy/animal-rights twist. For a book with a strong ethical viewpoint, I think she tries to be a perky cheerleader rather than a guilt-tripping accusor. As she suggests in the subtitle there is some simplistic language and theory, I know some folks found that condescending, but I preferred it to the haranguing that as a non-vegan I've found in some books discussing animal rights and diet.

Most importantly, the recipes look fantastic, and the superb photography makes the dishes look delicious. I bookmarked many in the vegan section and several in the superhero section. In addition, today for lunch I had lentil vegetable soup with a side of quinoa. Luckily I work somewhere that offers those kind of foods - but the book inspired me to choose them. I guess I'm a flirt.

I say give this one a try and if you don't like the tone, skip straight to the recipes at the back.

TIOLI = Ghost of TIOLI Past - Read a book about making a difference

63. War is Boring by David Axe
A graphic memoir of his time as a war freelance reporter in various war zones. I liked the art but found him to be cynical and self-involved. He is satisfied neither in war nor peace and continually travels back and forth between. There are many better books about people in direct contact with current conflict zones.

64. The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace

This tale of a young newlywed who is going blind and the adoring neighbor who invents a typewriter so she can still communicate is somehow both dreamy and gothic. I felt transported to the time and place of the Contessa's life. A lovely, lovely read recommended by Richard.

#304: I really must locate a copy of that one some time. It looks like a dandy read!

Stasia - I got it out of my library on my brand spanking new Nook Color which I bought largely because it allows me to take out library books.

#306: What a cool thing! Congrats, Nancy.

306: Ooo, what do you think of the Nook Color? Is it easy to read on? I just have the plain Nook and looked at upgrading...maybe next year!

>>308 RosyLibrarian:. I like the Nook Color so far. Like I said, I'm especially excited about downloading library books. I downloaded Awkward Family Photos last night and I couldn't have done that on my Kindle. I also think there will be times when both the great kids book functionality and its being backlit will come in handy.

65. Awkward Family Photos by Mike Bender
I love this website and got this from the library to both test the ability of the Nook Color with a book of photographs and to have something to glance at while watching the 1960 World Series Game 7. Funny and somehow touching. Worth the look, but I wouldn't buy it. The website is hilarious though and often makes me laugh out loud.

(The Pirates won the game by the way. So exciting.)

#309: Glad to know you are liking the Nook Color. Like Marie, I just have the basic Nook, which I love. Nice to know that if it goes out, the upgrade is a good one.

66. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Yet another book of interconnected short stories. This is perhaps my new favorite genre (not that it is a genre). I love how this format connects you to a character's life in small glimpses that equal a telling whole. This one took me a little while to get into as many of my books seem to these days, but I'm so glad I persevered. It details the lives of a bunch of folks associated with the music industry from the 1980s through the 2020s. There are some innovative chapters, but it never felt like the cleverness of the writing or the style got in the way of the story but rather enhanced the it. Very, very good.

On another note, I can't believe I'm within 10 of 75. I don't think I'll make it, but given the reading I didn't do when I had surgery, I'm proud of this accomplishment. I do seem to be on a bit of a tear right now which is enjoyable.

#311: I already have that one in the BlackHole. Maybe next year :)

Kudos to you on how much you have accomplished this year, Nancy!

Glad to hear that you are liking your Nook. My BIL bought one for my sister...
:)

I hope she is happy with it too..

Nancy

Congratulations on reading 66 books. That is quite an accomplishment given the fact that you had surgery. Like you, I thought the down time of recovery would provide more time to read, alas, it was just the opposite.

Merry Christmas to you, Jack and Jane!!!!

You are a bright shining star to me and I am ever blessed! Here is a little holiday cheer for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To4vtvMe5wo

Lovely song, Linda. Thank you so much. I'm blessed by you as well.

67. Still Alice by Lisa Genova
An empathetic portrait of a woman who is a Harvard professor at the top of her game when she learns she has Early onset Alzheimer's Disease. We travel with her from early symptoms and diagnosis through disease progression and forgetting the names of her children. An important book that reads well. There were a few moments where it felt like an "issue" book, but much, much less than one might expect. This one was recommended by Stasia, Suzanne and Linda a trinity that cannot be ignored.

TIOLI = Animal on the Cover

Nancy

I thought Still Alice was interesting in that the story was told from the perspective of the person with Alzheimer's.

I read the book as part of the book club I joined at my local library. The librarian is an incredible lady and friend. For the meeting, she brought in a nurse who works with Alzheimer's patients.

#315: I am glad you liked that one, Nancy. I always worry that others will not enjoy my recommendations as much as I did. I know, my insecurity is showing :)

Hi Nancy- just catching up......I read kids books to my 2 year old, but now that he is memorising them and reading them back to me and all I have to do is turn the pages, I'm thinking I need to upgrade to a bigger kids book! I cant wait to do a chapter a night with him.

Alzheimer's terrifies me.

Linda.. wow, that must have been a night filled with great discussion.

>>319 mckait:. I worked in geriatrics at a nursing home for a while. Folks who were frightened and didn't know what was going on were very sad and hard to take. Folks who thought they were somewhere in their past seemed perfectly happy. I'm afraid of it too, but not as much as ALS which is even scarier to me.

68. Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim
Now this is the way a celebrity memoir should be. Dishy without being mean. Open, honest and touching. Arngrim's time as Nellie Olsen is interesting but her commitment to being an AIDS and childhood sexual abuse activist is truly inspiring. I really enjoyed this and recommend it.

Edited for grammar.

Another of your recommendations is now on the tbr pile.

#320: I already have the Arngrim book in the BlackHole. I guess I better get to it soon!

69. Faithful Place by Tana French
I loved this book which explores class and familial dysfunction in Dublin. This series of books is so exciting. I love French's concept of writing a series with each book having a different main character/detective. Frank Mackey certainly didn't seem like a character that could carry a book in The Likeness, but boy was that the wrong impression. For what it is worth, I guessed who the murderer was midway through and found that knowledge utterly irrelevant to caring about the rest of the book. Fantastic and highly recommended.

70. The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman
Good recipes. Not sure they are revolutionary as the subtitle claims, but eating locally and more plant-based is absolutely a great idea. He writes his narrative and the recipes in a way that makes me feel confident that I can cook them and that we'll enjoy them.

I hope you, Jane, and Jack had a lovely holiday, Nancy!

I am adding The Food Matters Cookbook to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation of that one.

#323: I really like French's books. I read an interview that she gave. She says that for her, the victim is never just a prop, the excuse for the plot. She treats the victim, rather as central to the plot, and keeps the focus on the victim. That most certainly is true in Faithful Place, which I, too, thoroughly enjoyed.

We did, Stasia. Hope your family did as well! Merry Christmas.

I really liked The Food Matters Cookbook. I have his How To Cook Everything from a few years ago, and I really like it as well. I'm going to get How to Cook Everything Vegetarian which is also by Bittman and see whether I want to own it or The Food Matters Cookbook which has meat recipes. Although he uses meat as a 'treat' or almost as a side and in many of the recipes it is replaceable or unnecessary.

Joyce - How interesting. It is particularly so because now that you relay her idea of the centrality of the victim, I totally see it, but I would never have been able to put my finger on it as something she was so consciously doing.

This leads to my newest book (which I may have learned about from you - or at least heard of the series on your thread).

71. Not a Creature Was Stirring by Jane Haddam
The first in a series. Not quite a cozy, but certainly not noir or procedural. This one is about a series of murders in the manor house of a wealthy family. The detective is of Armenian descent and the details of the culture make this quite interesting. Not only are the victims not central in this one, there came a point where I was running through the suspects in my head and forgot that one of them had been murdered! Nonetheless, this is well-plotted and written. There are a few references to literary detectives that I found quite witty. Recommended to folks who like a good mystery. I'll certainly continue the series when the next one comes my way.

#327: Unfortunately, Haddam is uneven in the quality of her books. Somewhere around #12--can't remember--there was a really bad drop-off in quality, and later I found out that it was during the period of time that her husband was dying of cancer. Then came a series of terrific books. But the last one was exasperating. I continue to read the series, but you never know what you're going to get--either a gourmet meal or junk food, with little in between.

#326: Yes, we did have a nice Christmas despite my having to work.

#327: I have not read anything by Haddam. I will have to give her books a go.

Nancy

Not a Creature Was Stirring sounds interesting and is now added to the tbr pile.

72. Talking to Girls About Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield
A coming of age memoir told in musical musings. He graduated high school the same year that I did, so his memories resonated for me. Hasn't quite the emotional heft or charm of Love Is a Mix Tape but worth the read for folks who grew up in the 1980s.

73. Reading Women by Stephanie Staal
Re-visiting feminist texts as a wife and mother. Review here

Goodbye 2010. You've been a good reading year after all.

#331: I really must get to Love is a Mix Tape!