Coppers' (Joanne's) 2010 Reading, Chapter 3

When I joined the 75ers in January, I wouldn’t have believed I’d need a third thread before half the year had even passed. It’s a paltry amount compared to some others (and you know who you are!) but quite a lot for quiet little me.

Thanks for visiting and even more thanks for saying “hi”!

Thread #1 http://www.librarything.com/topic/80948
Thread #2 http://www.librarything.com/topic/88920

My year so far:
January
1. The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys
2. You Were Always Mom's Favorite by Deborah Tannen (audio)
3. The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
4. Coventry by Helen Humphreys
5. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell (audio)
6. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
7. Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler

February
8. Murder with Puffins by Donna Andrews
9. A Good Fall by Ha Jin
10. Thereby Hangs A Tail by Spencer Quinn
11. Looking Back: A Book of Memories by Lois Lowry
12. Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos by Donna Andrews
13. American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson (audio)
14. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
15. One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
16 The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
17. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
18. Why Manners Matter: The Case for Civilized Behavior in a Barbarous World by Lucinda Holdforth
19. Horns by Joe Hill

March
20. Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt
21. The Patience Stone by Atiq Rahimi
22. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (audio)
23. The Fur Person by May Sarton
24. Maus I by Art Spiegelman
25. The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill

April
26. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
27. Maus II by Art Spiegelman
28. Tinkers by Paul Harding
29. Mrs. Somebody Somebody by Tracy Winn
30. Skellig by David Almond
31. Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas
32. Keeper by Kathi Appelt
33. The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (audio)

May
34. The Sleeping and the Dead by Ann Cleeves
35. The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker
36. The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande (audio)
37. Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
38. Translation is a Love Affair by Jacques Poulin
39. Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs by Wallace Stegner

June
40. The Last Child by John Hart
41. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
42. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future by Michael J. Fox (audio)
43. Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson
44. A Test of Wills by Charles Todd
45. Wings of Fire by Charles Todd
46. Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder (audio)

July
47. Off Season: Discovering America on Winter's Shore by Ken McAlpine
48. The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
49. A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
50. Montana 1948 by Larry Watson (audio, reread)

August
51. The Passage by Justin Cronin
52. The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard
53. Star Island by Carl Hiaasen (audio)
54. The Art of Losing by Kevin Young

I'm back, and ready for more terrific recommendations!

Hi Joanne! Congrats on Thread 3!! Don't worry about those Thread Police. They're pretty harmless! They just get a little cranky, is all!
BTW- It looks like you are having a great reading year!

Cranky? Moi? Nonsense. I am merely working for the greater happiness of all the rotten sleazebags who hang out around here and THAT's the thanks I get?!?

hmmm

*wanders off to take a vitamin x*

*Methinks Richard needs to cut back on vitamin x*

Stasia...Thanks for the laugh.

Hi Joanne!

Goody, a new thread. I enjoyed poring over your master list. You've been doing some amazing reading this year, Joanne.

Stopped to say hi. How is possible that the shortest month of the year you read the most books?! I found a few more to add to my list! I need to stop rereading everybodies lists when they start new threads!!

**waves**

Hi Ann!
Hi Mark!
Hi Richard...Can I assume you mean a more global "here" when talking about "rotten sleazebags" and not specifically the charming people who visit here on my thread? Never mind, don't answer...I'll just go with my assumption...:)
Hi Stasia - LOL. I don't know what vitamin x is, but maybe more is in order? I can make a couple of recommendations...
Hi Linda!
Hi Donna - Yes, some really good ones!
Hi Tammy - I thought the same thing when I looked at February! Rotten weather here that month. And several of my reads were either short or light weight (or both). Fingersmith was the meatiest of the bunch and it took me the longest but it was my favorite.
Hi Bonnie! *waves back*

Stopping in to say "Hi Joanne!"

Taking your advice on a CO book - but can't make up my mind between Plainsong and Sight Hound... so I got both. Thanks. Claudia

Hi Claudia - glad you found me! Both are good, but of the two, I'd pick Plainsong first. Lovely writing, charming characters, and there is a wonderful sense of place and so it's perfect for the state challenge.

Oh, I second the recommendation for Plainsong. Another Colorado book I love (and come to think of it, one I've bought multiple copies to give away) is The Meadow by James Galvin.

found/ starred :)

Another vote for Plainsong! It's one of my favorites.

Ha! Thought you'd escape, didn't you? But it didn't work... Found you anyway!

Thanks everyone for the input. Plainsong it is!

Claudia

Hi Anne - I haven't heard of The Meadow. I need to check that one out!

Hi Kath - Glad you found me!

Hey Pirate - I'm assuming you've read Eventide, too?

Hey Suzanne - Ha! I'm always concerned that no one will find me! :0)

Hi Claudia - Enjoy!

HI. I lost you after the Stegner group read. Found you! Starred you.

45. Wings of Fire by Charles Todd



I was a mite disappointed with this second book in the Ian Rutledge series. The mystery seemed weak to me with lots of uninteresting family members who never seemed to get fleshed out and the solve was obvious to me early on (a rarity). But I still really like Rutledge and Hamish and the whole concept so I'll continue with the series. I am looking forward to the next one but I think I need a mystery break!

I had a hard time finding my next read. I wanted something off the shelf and rejected quite a few before happily coming across Off-Season: Discovering America on Winter's Shore by Ken McAlpine. Touchstones won't load for it though.

>19 nittnut: Hi Jenn - Glad you found me!

#20: One of these days I will get to the first book in the series, which is patiently sitting, waiting for me on my nightstand. I am sorry to hear that the seond book is a disappointing one.

Oh, Joanne, you simply must read The Meadow!! It's on my list of all-time favorites. James Galvin is a poet, and while The Meadow is not poetry, it is a wonderful blend of fiction and non fiction, and as I understand it, the characters are all real people. We read it for my book club a few years ago, and one member was so affected by it she immediately got in the car and drove up there (it is set, if I'm not mistaken, in the Sheep Creek Mountains near the CO/WY border). You can borrow my copy if you want.

Hi Joanne- How are you? I hope all is well! Yes, The Meadow sounds very good!

*waves*

I never knew there was a sequel!!! I will definitely be hunting down Eventide.

Yes, Eventide is very good! That one focuses on the two farmer brothers, who I loved from Plainsong.

Stasia - It's probably just me and my mood. I have a feeling I'll like the next one better.

Anne - Well, with that recommendation, I went right over and put it on hold at the library. Thanks for the very kind offer of loaning me your copy, though. I'm honored as I know how hard it is to part with a favorite book, even temporarily.

Pirate - Oh, you'll love it!!

Hi Mark! *waves*

Hi Kath! *waves*

I just returned from the TC getting my Justin Cronin books signed (The Passage and The Summer Guest). He read a long passage from, well, The Passage, answered questions, and was very friendly and affable and seemingly not at all worse from wear from his tour. He spent the day scouting locations for his next book and, apparently, Denver doesn't fair very well in the next installment.

Congratulations on the book signing!

Joanne- That sounds very cool! I have my copy of The Passage waiting nearby. I plan on starting it the 1st of August.

I just love hearing about interactions with authors. You have some great opportunities to meet and greet them in Denver. So far I've avoided the temptation of The Passage. Maybe I can hold off until it's available in paper. Please don't write too wonderful a review of it. :-)

The Passage?? Isn't there something about vampires in that?

32: Yep, although I'd place it in the post-apocalyptic/survival genre before horror/vampires.

I was lucky enough to snag it through the ER program. It was the first book I ever snagged, and I greatly enjoyed it. :)

Oh and, Hi Joanne! If I'm not mistaken this is my first post on one of your threads. But then again, I could be wrong, I lurk/browse around so much I kind of forget sometimes...

Thanks Stasia - it was fun.
Mark - Aug 1, eh? You are way too organized, especially compared to me!
Donna - You know it's Mark's review you'll have to look out for. And I think he's going to get to it long before I do. Plus I know I have two years before the second book comes out, so there's time.
Bonnie - What Stephen said. Plus add coming-of-age story.
Stephen - Welcome, feel free to drop in any time! It's not nearly as entertaining as your thread, however, where I have been known to lurk. What a great first book to snag! My first ER was awful. Thankfully, I've gotten much better at choosing.

Joanne- I have to be organized (not always successfully though) with this huge stack of books. It's amazing how many books still get overlooked. I'm listening to one you might really like, So Cold the River. Very good so far!

Mark, Try as I might, half the time my reading plans go awry when a shiny new book pops up and overshadows whatever I have planned to read. Oh well, no discipline either, I guess. Such troubles - ha!

So Cold the River sounds very interesting. I'll have to see if my library has the audio. Oh, see what I mean??! :)

>36 Copperskye: Try as I might, half the time my reading plans go awry when a shiny new book pops up and overshadows whatever I have planned to read.

Exactly. I had all my reads planned out for July and along comes a notice from the library that I finally made it to the top of the list for a book I forgot I'd even requested. Oh well, like you said, such troubles.

We are supposed to be organized and plan our reads?! That explains why I never get caught up, I suppose :)

I can honestly say I do not know what I'll be reading after my current book. Since I'm a library user, I even know what my TBR pile will look like month to month, but I like it that way. :)

I like a little serendipity myself sometimes!

46. Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder (audio)



I really enjoyed listening to Tracy Kidder narrate his book about Deo's escape from the horrors of genocide in Burundi, then to the streets of Harlem, a formal education, and an eventual return to his homeland to build a health clinic. The audio had me enthralled and Kidder's voice had a melancholy tone that fit perfectly with the story.

Thanks for the recommendation, Mark!

#40: I enjoyed that one earlier this year too, Joanne. I am glad to see you liked it as well. Have you read anything else by Kidder? If not, I would recommend his Mountains Beyond Mountains.

Joanne- So glad you liked it! It's a wonderful book! I recently snagged (or at least I hope I did) a copy of Mountains Beyond Mountains from Bookmooch. I need to read more of his work!

I guess The Passage will be my next read. I have it standing by...but have sorta been avoiding it. If I can find 30 minutes to finish my current book..
...off to look!

Mountains Beyond Mountains sounds very good. I'll have to see what the librrary has by way of audio. I really liked Kidder's reading of SinWR.

Kath - I hope you like The Passage. I tend to put off starting huge books. I still have Under the Dome waiting for me but I promised myself I would read my shiny new copy of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander this summer.

I'm off on vacation next week. We leave in the morning (technically the middle of the night). I'm still finishing the wonderful Off Season by Ken McAlpine (I wish the touchstones worked for it) and I'm taking The Whistling Season with me. On audio for the car, I have Assassination Vacation and Montana 1948, both books I've already read and a couple of Dave Barry's, I'll Mature When I'm Dead and Money Secrets. Also some NPR cd's. Should help with the boredom factor of I70.

My son got his driver's license yesterday. I've discovered that acting as chauffeur is preferable to peering out the window waiting for him to get home...

I loved Mountains Beyond Mountains and am a huge Kidder fan. I'm going to look for the audio of Strength in What Remains for our next road trip, as I think it will be a book that both my DH and I can enjoy.

Where does one go on vacation from beautiful Colorado? We always came back here to Missouri to visit family. Will you be driving to New Jersey? It sounds like you're well supplied with books. Safe travels! Maybe the new driver can log in some interstate miles to help make the drive more interesting for you. :-)

Have a good time Joanne, wherever you go.

My son got his driver's license yesterday. I've discovered that acting as chauffeur is preferable to peering out the window waiting for him to get home...

Mmhmm, I can't say I know how that feels, but I can imagine. I remember when I first got my license, I played cards with a few guys for a little while and whenever I came home a little late she was always awake, even though she was an 'early bird' type. I was always trying to strike a balance between staying out with my friends and heading home a little earlier than the rest of the guys because I knew my mom was worrying and keeping herself awake. I certainly don't blame either of you though! It must be tough, but I'm sure he's a responsible young man, hm?

Thanks Donna and Bonnie. Alas, Colorado has no ocean. We are off to the land of the mouse - Disneyland, and then Coronado (San Diego). The weather has been lovely here so I do sorta hate to leave. Also, vacations are a lot of work.

Stephen - He is pretty responsible (thank goodness and so far!). He knows Mom'll have him on a fairly short leash for at least a little while. And of course, if he has the car, he'll be home sooner than if he didn't. Day by day...

My son got his driver's license yesterday. I've discovered that acting as chauffeur is preferable to peering out the window waiting for him to get home...

And let me be the first to warn you.. it just gets worse from here..

good luck...

Hi Joanne -

I see you have Tom Franklin's Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter in your library. It doesn't look like you have read it yet. I recommend you take it along. I read it this afternoon in one sitting.

N

Ditto what Kath said in message 49. My 27 year old daughter drove with a friend to North Carolina this weekend. I was greatly relieved when she called to say they made the nine hour journey safely. Now, of course, I think about the return trip.

Oh now it's my turn to envy you Joanne. I was in Coronado three years ago and would love to return. So beautiful, charming and fun. Have a great time.

ETA I bought some great art work there by a local artist.

Have a great vacation, Joanne!

Have a great time! If it helps, the weather is supposed to be cooler and wetter here starting tomorrow.

Joanne- Have a wonderful and safe trip! Sounds fantastic!

Donna - I'm going to look for the audio of Strength in What Remains for our next road trip, as I think it will be a book that both my DH and I can enjoy.

I admire your goal to listen to this in while driving. I can't do tragic while driving. Once, on a trip with the kids, I had to stop Call of the Wild before I went off the road. I get too emotional.

Hi! Just a quick note to say hello. The cooler weather in southern Ca was great for amusement parks but it is lingering still and we spent a chilly afternoon here at the beach. But it was nice enough to sit and read for a change. I'm still reading Off Season - it's taking awhile since I haven't had much of a chance to even pick it up. Cool weather or not, I still love wriggling my toes in the sand and we took a good long walk on the beach.

The Dave Barry audio we tried was 'meh' and we quit it by mutual consent. We are enjoying Assassination Vacation and will continue it on our drive home.

#57: I have Assassination Vacation home from the library now. I hope I enjoy it as much as you are, Joanne!

Safe travels!!

Joanne- Glad to hear you are having a wonderful time! Assassination Vacation was my first by Vowell and I loved it. Her reading is perfect!

Sound like you are having a delightful time! I've been to Disneyworld many times, but not Disneyland. How is it?

Joanne , books and the beach!! I'm jealous!!! :-)
Glad you are having a good time!!!!

I loved Assassination Vacation. I wish Vowell would put out something new soon, but Amazon shows nothing as "Available for Preorder".

Hi again! My exhused 'boys' are still asleep. This part of the vacation will be much more relaxing than the first part!

Hi Stasia and Mark - I read Assassination Vacation a few years ago and loved it. The audio is great - we are all enjoying her unique voice. I hope you like it too, Stasia!

Hi Linda - Disneyland is Disney World on a much more manageable level. There are a couple of rides that are unique to DL and this time of year it's not as hot and humid as Orlando.

Hi Tammy - Books and the beach are heaven to me! I think being by the shore is a necessity for me now and then - a part of my DNA. I just hope it gets a little warmer (low 60s, water and air - I expected that of the water but not the air!). We did see dolphins and either seals or sea lions off the beach yesterday and that was pretty cool. Also lots of Brown Pelicans which I love to watch.

Hi Tad - I either read or heard Sarah Vowell interviewed several months ago and she said she was doing some research about Hawaii so maybe that will be the subject of her next book.

Thanks for the on-site report from California. My parents lived in Mission Viejo in the 1970's and we used to vacation out there until they moved to Missouri. I think I prefer Disneyland to DisneyWorld and will lobby for it for our next theme park vacation instead of a return to DW. Love the California beaches!

Have a safe trip home. I'm surprised the Dave Barry audio was a bust. It's really hard to find something that everyone will enjoy, especially when you have teens along!

Have a great time, Joanne, and take it from a worried dad...the only time you're not worried about your kid is when you're dead. The habit gets easier to shunt aside, if you start working on your shunting skills now.

amen, rd...amen.

I'm glad you are having a good time in my home state. Oh how I miss the ocean. Do a drive-by hello of Ventura via Hwy 101 for me. (:

#64: I will be reading Assassination Vacation in the next week or so. I will let you know, Joanne.

Hope you are having a great vacation!

#65 I was surprised, too, Donna. That's the way it goes sometimes.

#66 and #67 - I think I manage to balance worrying pretty well with the attitude that everything will turn out ok. Surprising since I do know first hand how quickly things can go wrong. My husband tends to move immediately into crisis mode so I guess I fill the need to balance that out.

#68 - We did have fun. We have a friend who is from Ventura and I cannot hear the name without the song going through my head.

#69 Enjoy! (I think you will!)

Home again, home again, jiggedy-jog!! Good vacation, long drive. Old age must be setting in - if we make the drive again, we're making an overnight stop. Just too looooong. Everytime I drive through Utah, I marvel at just how beautiful it is. And we had cool weather for DL/US which meant we didn't need much of a mid-day break (which is both good news and bad news). And everytime we go to Coronado, we are sorry we didn't plan to stay longer - always a good sign. Good to be home, though. I worry on and off about the dog and cat (especially my elderly cat) even though I know they are in good hands.

I managed to finish Ken McAlpine's Off-Season which I loved (more in a bit) and start The Whistling Season.

Welcome home!

Beaver, UT is a great place for an overnight stop. We get snowed in there every few years on trips to and from CA. Very hospitable little town.

Glad you made it back home safely, Joanne!

#71 I'll keep that in mind, Jenn. Thanks!

#72 Thanks Stasia!

Home is a good place to be.....
glad you are back in yours !

Welcome back Joanne. Glad you had a good time.

Welcome back, Joanne!

Hi Joanne- Glad you made it home safe & sound! Will be waiting for a full book report!

Thanks Kath, Bonnie, Anne and Mark. It's good to be home.

47. Off-Season: Discovering America on Winter's Shore by Ken McAlpine


Ken McAlpine takes us along on his coastal road trip as he drives north from the October warmth of the Florida Keys to the frigid March shores of Maine. Traveling along the eastern seaboard to small towns and backwaters, he visits with lifeguards, fishermen, environmentalists, Gullah root doctors, marine police, and others who chose to live their lives on or near the water. McAlpine obviously loves his subject. I enjoyed his writing, his self-deprecating humor and his ability to show reverence when called for and irreverence when not.

Some of my favorite childhood memories are of those spent down the shore on quiet September and October weekends. So for me, I only wish I could have been along for the ride. It was a treat to read about the areas I am familiar with and the many others which were new to me.

The following paragraph from Off Season is one that I marked as it encapsulates some of the feelings I have. I have always felt drawn to the water and my own roots happen to go back generations to seamen and fishermen who lived by the sea and were sometimes lost there.

“The ocean’s edge sends mixed messages. For many, the beach is a stage for joy, inhaled thoughtlessly in the heat of the present, and then preserved in delicate detail – touch, sight, scent, thought, laughter – forever. It means seaside remembrances, carried through life and pulled out in dreamy moments, or when dreamy moments suffice better than the moment at hand. It means family vacations, as languid and simple as life should be...It means happiness taken alone, too: sunrises and sunsets absorbed in mindless and mindful repose; moonlit walks, bare feet washed by warm and foamy murmurings; pleasure as simple as drying salt lightly pinching the skin. Running before a light breeze on a fresh-born summer day, the sailor doesn’t see the schooner’s ribs below him, or the winter storm that drove it to the bottom.” (Page 128)

Highly recommended for anyone who knows the feeling.

*I'm truly sorry that the touchstones don't work for this book.

#78: That one sounds just lovely. Thanks for the recommendation, Joanne. I will have to see if I can find a copy.

I know the feeling and I'm adding it to the pile. Great review.

Oh, Joanne that sounds wonderful! What a lovely review.

Stasia - It was lovely. I hope you find a copy!

Jenn - Thanks, and as it happens, according to the bio in my copy, the author lives in Ventura...

Ooooh, I need to read that one!!!!! thanks for drawing it to my attention!!!

#81 - Thanks Anne!

#83 Hi Suzanne - Can you tell I really, really liked it? I hope you find a copy and enjoy it as much!

I ordered a copy for $1 plus shipping on ABE. There are several copies available, so I do not think availability will be a problem.

Stasia - Wow, you are fast! I bought my copy for $1 too, from the used shelf at the library (after my library never ordered the book). Money well spent.

#87: Some times a book just takes me that way and I have to get it ASAP. That one is one of those for me :)

#88 - I know the feeling. Earlier today, I ordered another book by McAlpine. Not that I need another book! ;)

#89: Not that I need another book! ;)

Do any of us? I have almost 1000 unread books in my personal library, but does that stop me from getting more? Heck, no! I was mentioning on Deep's thread that I know why I stockpile books - an innate fear that my local library is going to flood or burn down or something equally tragic and then I would have nothing to read :)

You sound very sensible to me. Careful planning is a good thing - one never knows... :)

#91: You never know, there might come a time (especially if you read dystopian fiction like I do) when all the 75ers have to pool their books together to form a huge library because all of the public libraries have gone under . . .

That is one great review Joanne. I'll join the crowd in looking for it too.

Joanne- I agree, excellent review of "Off-Season"!

#90-92 We can be kind of like the people in Fahrenheit 451 - except we hopefully won't have to memorize the books.

#95: Yeah, really. I would be in deep trouble if I had to memorize them all :)

Thanks guys.

I would be in trouble if I had to memorize more than a paragraph...

So I'm sitting here at the kitchen table when I really should be getting ready for work and I just figured out why the birds ran out of seed while we were gone. One of the younger squirrels (hopefully only one!) is small enough to fit through the holes for the birds on the cage that surrounds the feeder. He sits in there and helps himself. He seemed to struggle a bit to get out when I opened the back slider so hopefully he'll soon be too big to get in.

Joanne: Go here!

Joanne, it's now residing on my (overstuffed) Kindle!

#99 - Oddly, I'm picturing a swelling Kindle with book pages and sticky notes poking out of it. Kind of the way my Daytimer from the 90s would look by December.

I hope you (and Stasia) both enjoy it as much as I did. I get a little nervous when someone follows up my suggestions and actually buys a book. My basic insecurities rearing their nasty heads.

48. The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig


"When I visit the back corners of my life again after so long a time, littlest things jump out first."

And so begins this utterly delightful, gently humorous, very old-fashioned kind of book. Written in first person, our narrator, Paul, takes us back to the Fall of 1909 when he was twelve and living with his recently widowed father and two younger brothers in Marias Coulee, Montana. Their life, and the central action of the story, is centered on the one-room schoolhouse.

This is my first book by Doig and it certainly won't be my last. His writing is poetic as he captures the time and sense of place beautifully. The characters are well drawn, they feel almost like people you know and with whom you'd want to sit a spell. I'm looking forward to revisiting Morrie in Work Song. Recommended especially for fans of Kent Haruf, Leif Enger, and, although I haven't read her, I strongly suspect, Laura Ingles Wilder. I would also recommend for patient middle to high school readers who will easily relate to the story.

An aside, there was something about the bully and the subsequent horserace in the early part of the book that immediately brought to mind Jean Shepherd recounting his boyhood adventures with his buddies, Flick and Schwartz. Some things are timeless, I guess.

Joanne- Good review! I have never read Doig, although his books look tailor-fit for me. Due to Donna's raving, I picked up English Creek, the first of his trilogy. I hope to get to it soon! Pipe dreams, I know! That's our song!

Gah you said the magic words:Jean Shepherd. I know you've seen the Christmas one with Ralphie Joanne but have you seen "Haven of Bliss"? Told by a boy whose family is going on their annual summer vacation to a cottage somewhere, my kids used to laugh their heads off because it reminded them so much of their own father. Great fun. I bought the VCR tape of it (it's not available on dvd) for each of them a few years ago.

I have purchased in the last month The Whistling Season, Dancing at the Rascal Fair and Ride With Me Mariah Montana. Now all I have to do is read them. Great job on the review.

Whew! Since I was the one who touted Doig, I'm so glad you liked Whistling Season, Joanne. "Gentle, old-fashioned..." yup, very apt descriptions of his writing. I don't think he'll appeal to everyone with his subtle approach, but I enjoy a quiet book occasionally.

Speaking of which....aren't you the one who was touting (my word of the day!) The Twin by Bakker a few months ago? I finally broke down and ordered it through ILL and will be reading it soon. It looks great for one of those "quiet" books. :-)

You had me at Haruf.

And the wishlist keeps growing!!!

102 - I hear you about those pipe dreams, Mark!

103 - Bonnie, I have seen Haven of Bliss and in fact I was looking for it on DVD a Christmas or two ago. I remember listening to Jean Shepherd on the radio when I was young - Sunday at 11pm I think, on WOR. My older brother was a big fan and I picked it up from him. Have you read In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash? It's a good one.

104 - Very old-fashioned, on the cusp of being YA almost. I loved his writing, though, the way he could turn a phrase. I started listening to Montana 1948 (I read it years ago) on Monday and although there are certain similarities between the two books, the differences, in tone and grit, are stark.

And yes, that was me! I loved Bakker's The Twin. Very different. I hope you like it too!

105 - Yay! Glad to be of help! ;)

Piffle. Another book I may have to read...
But not until after I tackle Off-Season: Discovering America on Winter's Shore, which is waiting for me on my Kindle...
(the touchstone has decided to give up the ghost yet again!)

#101: Well, rats. My local library has several of Doig's books, but not that particular one. I will have to look further afield.

The Whistling Season is one I have on my shelves.. glad to hear that you liked it.

"You had me at Haruf." I love it!

Great review! I'm a fan of Haruf and Laura Ingalls Wilder, so on the list it goes. Thanks!

Yet another reason to stop messing around and read Doig!

#107 - I wonder why the touchstones sometimes just don't work for a particular book?

#108 - Donna recently read Dancing at the Rascal Fair and I think she gave it 4 stars. It looks like a good one, too.

#109 - I tend to neglect the books on my shelves. This one was a recent purchase so it never really made it to the bookshelf!

#110 - :)

#111 I think you'd really like it, Jenn.

#112 - I had been meaning to try one of his books for several years now. I'm glad I found this one.

Hi Joanne, Thumbed your review of The Whistling Season. I read that one this spring. It made me wish I had a time machine.

Thanks, Tammy. I did feel like it would have been nice to have dropped in on them for a few months.

49. A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

Aw, shucks. You’d have to be a real non-dog, curmudgeonly type person to not at least like this book.

As anyone who reads books about dogs knows, it seems like 95% of the time the dog dies in the end and the reader is left teary eyed and sad. Cameron adds a new angle. Here we have a dog who dies multiple times but each time is reborn as a different dog with a different purpose. He remembers his former lives and each life experience teaches him things that will ultimately help him to perform his true-life purpose.

Admittedly, I was a bit conflicted by the first 100 or so pages. I wanted to like the book but I was anticipating the loss of the dog too much to enjoy it completely. Nevertheless, I continued on and enjoyed the second half much, much more. It ended up as a wholly satisfying, albeit somewhat predictable, read. Cameron is a humor columnist so there was a light touch throughout and the research he did on dog behavior was well served. The first-doggy voice worked very well.

Recommended for dog lovers, especially anyone involved in dog rescue. Not recommended for sensitive souls, though since, after all, dogs do die and it is still heartbreaking. This would be a good book for pre-teens and teens or for a family read as it would generate a lot of great discussions, again with the above-mentioned caveat.

Nice review, Joanne. Is the author the same one who writes a column for The Denver Post? The name looks familiar. I'll bet my daughter would like that one. We lost our dog, Ellie, about three years ago, and the girls still talk about her a lot. Ellie -- and the end of her life -- come up a lot lately because we are very near to that time with our cat, Aspen, who we brought home with us from Cyprus, and is now 17. While painful, it does lead to some wonderful family discussions, and of course, lots of empathy, caring, and expressions of grief for the girls and all of us, which is a good thing (I am currently telling myself).

Thanks Anne and yes, same writer.

It's an interesting idea, and reassuring, thinking about the dog reincarnating like he did. There is some animal abuse alluded to, fyi.

Sorry to hear about your dog. And I sympathize with you regarding your cat. Mine is about that old too and he is, sadly, starting to show his age.

A Dog's Purpose sounds very interesting, but I'm not sure I could handle it. I love animal books, but if there's too much death in it I wonder if I could enjoy it properly. Maybe I'll flip through if I see it somewhere, but otherwise... I'll just enjoy the cover and pretend that all animals live forever.

Hi Joanne!
I almost didn't want to read your review as I am still waiting for the book to arrive from ER. No, still didn't receive and I'm beginning to lose hope. Anyway, after reading your review I want to read A Dog's Purpose even more - if that is possible. I'm tempted to just buy the darn book, but I know as soon as I do it will come in the mail. Phooey! Patience is way over-rated... just let me at it! Claudia

Admittedly, I was a bit conflicted by the first 100 or so pages. I wanted to like the book but I was anticipating the loss of the dog too much to enjoy it completely.

I understand completely and that is why I just couldn't rad it. :P
Glad you liked it though.. My son and sister are baffled that I can read about or watch things like NCIS with random sawn off legs floating around etc, but the thought of an animal being harmed gets me teary.

119 - Hi Faith - I don't mean to discourage you and actually, the first "loss" was the worst. If you could handle Marley and Me, you'd like this. He did, seemingly, live a very long time!

120 - Oh Claudia, I hope you get your copy soon! It was the longest I've had to wait for an ER book.

121 - Kath, From what I've seen on your thread, this book is NOT for you! I totally understand about human v animal harm and agree that an animal being mistreated is much harder to bear (for whatever reason).

I had a difficult time picking my next read but I've settled in with The Passage. With its bulk and smallish font, I'll take me a while, but I'm 70 pages in and hooked!

Joanne, The Passage may be big with small font, but it won't take you a while. It is great read and pretty quick considering its bulk. I just finished it and loved it. Perfect summer read!

Yeah, I read through The Passage pretty quick too despite it's page number and font size. It definitely hooked me and kept me reading, which made it go by faster than I tought it would. :)

Joanne- You beat me to it! I'm about a week away from starting The Passage. I want to squeeze in The Nobodies Album first.

Hi Susan! Hi Stephen! - The Passage is definitely a page-turner and I love the way Cronin is setting up the story and the characters. My small font problem has to do with how long I can read before I push it too far and eyestrain sets in. If I go too long, it means waking up with a headache and puffy eyes. I feel like such an old lady but I've had the same problem for years despite annual vision checks and new glasses every year. And it's an issue with a book like this - I don't want to put it down!

Hi Mark! Yeah but I bet you'll finish it before me! The Nobodies Album looks like a good one. Did you read The Dogs of Babel? Interesting concept.

Mark, I'm with you -- I'll probably start The Passage when I get back from Canada. Can't see lugging it in my bags with me, and if it's too good, it will be impossible to put down and that will make all the family members and friends angry with me...

I'm reading The Passage too. Unfortunately, about 1/3 of the way in, my Kindle broke. I was so into the book, I ran out and bought the hard cover so I could continue reading it. (Expensive even with a 1/3 off coupon).

I agree with 123: sydamy.. this book just slides by..
It is hard to put down, so good choice Suz~

Wow - a lot of us are reading The Passage at the same time! I'm usually a step or two behind the crowd.

Deborah - I probably would have done the same!

Welcome Home!

I'm trying not to add any more books to the huge pile I've not read. But, I always end up adding more when I visit here. I very much like your description of Off Season Discovering American on Winter's Shores

Thank you Linda!

Good luck not adding more books to the pile - I would have to avoid LT completely for that to happen! But it's fun hearing about all these good books and it's nice to know I'll never be forced to say that I can't find anything good to read! I really loved Off Season.

Hope you're having a good day today!

Joanne- Yes, I have read The Dogs of Babel and found it a nice and creepy read. Actually I read Lost and Found too! It was pretty good! The Nobodies Album is shaping up to be quite impressive. She is turning into a terrific writer.
Hope you continue to enjoy The Passage. I'm just a few days behind you!

Hmmm The Passage huh?? Didn't think that was a book that would appeal to me but if you and Deborah are enjoying it, well, maybe.

>133 msf59: You're one up on me, Mark!

>134 brenzi: - I would have wondered about it myself, Bonnie, but I loved Cronin's The Summer Guest and was curious about this change of pace of his. He does characters wonderfully!



50. Montana 1948 by Larry Watson

I have Richard to thank for bringing this book to my attention again. I first read it in 1996 (it's the second book listed on my then new reading list). I loved it then and spent many years telling other people that they should read it, But as time passed, I forgot a lot of the story. So when Richard wrote so eloquently about it, I decided it was high time to revisit it. But this time, I thought the audio might be interesting, especially since it was read by Beau Bridges. I thought his raspy, westerny voice would fit the story well. It did.

This was the best audio book I have ever encountered. He didn't so much read it as perform it. Nothing over the top though - it was perfect, absolutely heartfelt and moving. It was as if I was listening to an old radio show and I could picture the story happening, almost like a stage play, as he told it. Highly recommended.

Yet another recommendation for Montana 1948?! *sigh* I really must fit it into my reading schedule some time.

Do it Stasia. It'll take you an hour or two to read and you'll love it!

Unfortunately, I am at work right now with no access to the book. Even if I were home, I would have to dig around to find where I put it :)

Well, I didn't mean drop everything and do it this minute (just when you can!). :)

#139: lol

Joanne- Good review! I could do a re-read of this one, someday but I'd like to read some of his other books too! I recently picked up White Crosses.

Hi Joanne,

Montana 1948 is ordered and on its way to me... I think my TBR stack needs a name now - it's growing so demanding. Happy Day!

Keep those audiobook recs coming, Joanne. We have 24 hours of driving time to fill later this month! I'm excited that our library has the Beau Bridges recording of Montana 1948. I read it years ago and loved it then. It will make a perfect book to get us into eastern Kansas!

We listened to the Tracy Kidder performed audio of his book, Strength in What Remains on our Dallas trip. Another recommendation from you I think? We both loved it.

Now I need an action-type book that both of us can enjoy. My husband loves Daniel Silva and he has a new one out. Dang, I just checked and there are 7 holds on one copy. Maybe something else along those lines...historical espionage? It's easier for me to listen to his kind of book than to do one of my navel-gazing slooow books and hear him complain about it.

>141 msf59: - I've read a couple of his others, Mark, and they were good, but not AS good!

>142 -Cee-: Hi Claudia - I hope you like it! Cute gif!

>143 Donna828: - Hi Donna, I'm glad the Kidder book worked for you! I'll be waiting to hear how you like the audio of Montana 1948. I really can't rec any action-type audios...my tastes run close to yours as you know! I finally had my husband being agreeable to audio books but then discovered that the only way I can stay awake on a long drive is to SING! That's why we didn't finish the Vowell book. I did the bulk of the driving and arrived home slightly hoarse.

As it happens, in the spring I picked up a book at a library sale, looked at it, put it down, looked around a little more, picked up a couple of other books, came back to this book I'd never heard of, never heard of the author either, it just looked like a book I'd like.

You guessed it....Montana 1948. So it's sitting on my shelf waiting for me to get to it. **sigh**

>144 Copperskye:: Singing is not an option in my case! Be sure and pack the Sucrets on the next road trip.

Guess I'll go to Mark for some audio recommendations. He likes those crime/cop books!

>145 brenzi:: You have great book instincts, Bonnie. I'm getting to where I can smell a good book. :-)

>146 Donna828: - Oh, I never said anything about sounding good...:) Son had earbuds in and hubby slept (or pretended to...).

I can't stay awake on road trips at all. I have car narcolepsy. I blame it on my parents. They would put me in the car and take me for a drive every night to get me to fall asleep. Yep - still a night owl, but put me in a car and zzzzzzz.

I also knit in the car and it's a bit of a risk. If my husband brakes hard and I'm snoring over my needles... I'll leave it to your imagination.

Donna- Yes, I love my crime novels but I prefer non-fiction in audio, especially memoirs. Have you read Rick Bragg? I'm getting ready to listen to his 2nd memoir, Ava's Man.

>148 nittnut: LOL Now I have a name for it... car narcolepsy! Watch those needles!

>148 nittnut:: Jenn, I also tend to fall asleep easily in the car. One of the first books we listened to is one of my favorites, The Good Earth. I think I missed an entire generation on that one due to my nap!

>148 nittnut:: Love Bragg. I'm going to look for his newest one on audio. We've listened to Ava's Man, and I've read everything but the latest one. Great suggestion.

Now returning Joanne's thread back to her.

My husband is the car necoleptic in my family. I have seen him sleep 8 hours a night, get up the following morning to drive somewhere and within 15 minutes he is nodding off at the wheel. Needless to say, I do the majority of the long distance driving in my family :)

Haha @ car narcelopsy. I think I have 'confined space' narcolepsy. Where some people get all panicky in tight spaces, I get so comfortable I feel sleepy. I remember playing hide-and-seek as a child, and occasionally squeezing into a really tight place and falling asleep because I was so comfortable, it's like I 'enjoy' that crushing feeling... Odd, I suppose...

The worst car trips for me happen when it's sunny out; I fall asleep almost immediately and wake up fitfully feeling drugged.

LOL! Car narcolepsy, I wonder - is that a real syndrome?

I always have an easier time driving long distances at night rather than during the day. Maybe it's the sun glare.

And knitting needles - yikes!

Stephen - I hope you don't drive a small car...

I'm about 250 pages into The Passage and also started my latest ER book, The Good Daughters. I love The Passge but it's just too big to cart around.

carcolepsy ;-)

>156 PaperbackPirate: - lol - Well, of course - perfect!

Joanne- I didn't get much reading in yesterday, so I'm only about 60 pages into The Passage. It flows nicely though! I like his writing style.

134 I thought the same thing, but loved The Passage. I also loved
Montana 1948

148/156 I have it too! I never knew what to call it :) now I do

Wow! Lots of us have this affliction... carcolepsy. I wonder if we were all natural night owls and to get their own sleep all our parents were out there driving us around???? Why didn't they just give us a book?

I suspect that is not the case for me.. lol .. but still..

I like carcolepsy. It's perfect. My parents did give me a book - when I was about 4. Up until then, I'm not really sure how they survived.

**happy dance**

I'm getting Bury Your Dead from ER!! This was the first time I choose just one book that I really, really wanted and got it.

It's probably too early to start checking the front porch to see if its arrived. Maybe Monday...

Congratulations, Joanne! There are many happy dances on LT tonight. Am I the only one who didn't get an ER copy of Bury Your Dead? I didn't even try because I've only read two in the series so far.

I did snag a copy of Dreaming in Chinese. My husband travels there occasionally and thought a book about the Mandarin language might be helpful to me if I ever go with him. I'm smiling but no happy dance for me.

I hope you don't have to wait 5 months like I did for my last ER book!

#149
Mark
Rick Bragg is one of my favorite authors!

>164 Donna828: - 5 months!! Yikes!

>165 Whisper1: - Hi Linda, With both you and Mark singing the praises of Rick Bragg, I may have to give him a try. Maybe on audio.

#164: I did not get an ER copy of Bury Your Dead either, Donna. I have, however, had it on pre-order from Amazon ever since I found out when the book was being published. I certainly hope it gets very good reviews here in the group from the 6 or so people who are getting it!

Joanne- Yes, give All Over But the Shoutin' a try on audio. That's how I heard it and it was incredible. Ava's Man has a different narrator but he still does a good job. It's those words that make it really sing!

Linda- This is only my 2nd Bragg but I WILL be reading all of his books!

Good Morning, Joanne!

I can see the glow from your smile over on the western horizon! Hope your bok is great... I am about to start that series soon...

Looks like I still have hope for A Dog's Purpose... I've only been waiting 2 months. Happy Reading! Claudia

>166 Copperskye:: Yikes, indeed. I had written that one off and was pleasantly surprised when it arrived. Plus, it turned out to be one of my favorite books of the year -- In the Company of Angels by Thomas E. Kennedy.

My husband and I will be listening to The Prince of Frogtown by Rick Bragg when we leave for our Colorado trip two weeks from yesterday. I hate that title, but I've loved the other two books by him that I've read.

adding In the Company of Angels by Thomas E. Kennedy to my have a look and think about it list..

I'm going to get The Bird Catcher from ER!
I know what you mean about anticipating the arrival. Once I got an ER 2 or 3 days after I found out so now I always think that's going to happen again and obsessively check the mail!

>169 -Cee-: - Claudia - Still no A Dog's Purpose? :( I'd send you my copy but I've already passed it along.

Mark and Donna - The only Rick Bragg audio at my library is The Prince of Frogtown. I'll give it a shot.

>172 PaperbackPirate: - Hi! The Bird Catcher was one of the books I was eying before I decided that I only wanted the Penny book. I got one book within a week of notification and it does really change your expectations going forward!

I'm about halfway through The Passage and enjoying it and just two chapters into The Good Daughters. I'm having some major computer issues on our main laptop and it's been a real distraction and time drain for the last several days but hopefully we'll get it straightened out soon!

Joanne- My copy of All Over But the Shoutin' is lent out at the moment. If you are interested, I'll send it to you, once I get it back. You will love these books!
I'm less than 200 pages into The Passage but hope to read a nice chunk today. Hope you can work out your computer issues.

Continuing to stand on the soap box and brag about Rick, Bragg. I read All Over But the Shoutin and then a few months ago I listened to the book on tape! His narration is incredible...made me cry while I was trying to concentrate on driving.

My co-workers are not crazy about him because there was a scandal regarding plagiarism when he worked at the NY Times.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A51506-2003May28?language=printer

>174 msf59: Thanks Mark. I think the library had the books, just not the audio, but now I don't remember.

>175 Whisper1: Ah, I knew there was some controversy surrounding Rick Bragg. Thanks for the link, Linda.

I picked up the audio of The Prince of Frogtown today but I also snagged the audio of the new Carl Hiaasen. I'll see what I feel like listening to tomorrow.

Joanne- Funny, I've been listening to the new Hiaasen and it's been enjoyable! The Bragg books are great! How's The Passage coming? I should be over the halfway point later today. It's been very good!

>175 Whisper1:: Interesting story about Bragg's "journalism" career, Linda. I say that journalism's loss is the bookseller's gain. I'm glad he has more time to write books! Loved the pun about bragging about Bragg. ;-)

Joanne, having a choice is always a good thing. Have you noticed that you and Mark are becoming reading twins?

I'm eager to hear about the involvement of the vampires (?) in The Passage. That could be a deal breaker for me!

I'm eager to hear about the involvement of the vampires (?) in The Passage. That could be a deal breaker for me!

Me too! But I just read on another thread that Deborah (arubabookwman) loved it so I'm feeling a nudge.

There were no vampires.. per se....like Draculalike vamps..

I didn't get the Penny book, but then so far I've only read the first in the series, so I can't feel too heartbroken about it. I did score the new Steven Saylor epic about ancient Rome, so must read the first in that series before tackling the new one, so I'm clued in.

Hmm, vampired in The Passage? (mentally bumping it down the TBR stack a few notches...)

no.. that is what I am saying.. they said vampire.. but no..
no vampires..

promise.

There aren't any Counts or Twilight type vampires in The Passage. But there is some weird stuff going on. So if anybody's avoiding it because they're thinking it's like Twilight or True Blood or something along those lines, well, it's not like those at all!

Creepier...!

I saw this in the trades today and, since I loved Olive, and I like Frances McDormand, and I think HBO has the ability to put together a quality production, I thought it might be interesting (and in a good way):

An Oscar-winning actress is working on an HBO series adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book "Olive Kitteridge," in which she would play the title character, a Maine town's seventh-grade math teacher, reports Deadline.com.

Frances McDormand has optioned the book, which consists of 13 linked short stories about the title character and other residents of a coastal Maine town, before it won the Pulitzer in 2009, the article says.

The pilot script is being written by Jane Anderson, who also wrote and directed the Jessica Lange/Tom Wilkinson HBO drama "Normal," the story adds. "Olive Kitteridge" author Elizabeth Strout will be a consulting producer.

McDormand won an Oscar for "Fargo" in 1997.

Joanne- Thanks for sharing the article! I'm also a big fan of the book and McDormand. I don't think she physically resembles "Olive" but she can act her butt off. She'll nail the cranky side. I hope they can pull it off.

What Kath said about the 'vampires' in The Passage. It's like reading Frankenstein and saying it's a 'zombie' book. Technically yes, I suppose, I suppose the monster is a zombie, but I wouldn't consider it a 'zombie' book, and if you hate zombies it doesn't mean you shouldn't read Frankenstein.

Don't avoid The Passage just because you don't like twilight-esque vampires. Yes, there are, *ahem* "vampirish" things in The Passage, but not VAMPIRES, y'know? *scratches head*

>176 Copperskye:: New Hiaasen? I somehow missed that. That's good news as love his humor!

>184 Copperskye: I love, love love Frances McDormand in anything but who can ever forget her performance in Fargo. I think she'll be great as Olive.

Bonnie

I agree. France McDonmand in Fargo was terrific!

>187 TadAD: Tad - Star Island. I'm listening to the audio and only on Ch 5 or so.

Hi Bonnie and Linda and Mark - I think it sounds great and I can see McDormand as Olive. Hope it works out!

Hi Stephen - I think a lot of people will be avoiding The Passage on the belief that it is just another vampire book. And that would be too bad.

The passage is a head scratcher alright.. but so good!
and yes, I agree with I think a lot of people will be avoiding The Passage on the belief that it is just another vampire book. And that would be too bad completely. The marketing almost scared me off too.. I am very glad it didn't.

Indeed. I had already won it from the Early Reviewers program when I read it was about 'vampires' and had that sinking feeling. Vampires? Oh no! I'm glad I 'had' to read it, because it was great. :)

I thought I should stop by my own thread and post something before it totally falls off into a black hole from neglect and disuse. It's the 20th of August and I have yet to finish a book this month! But I'll definitely finish The Passage over the weekend and my audio book by next week. It's good I overdid it with the reading earlier in the year or I'd really be behind!

Morning Joanne- I was planning on asking you about The Passage but I see you are nearing the end. I also have just over a 100 pages left. It's a terrific story and I'll miss it when I'm through. Have you read The Thirteenth Tale? I've been listening to it and it's also been very good.

Hi Joanne!
It scares me a little when you like a book cuz it probably means I will like it too and I have so many books calling me! I'm gonna get The Passage someday soon. I am not into vampires but lots of LTers seems to like this book a lot. I'll take a chance.

Was peeking at the pictures on your profile again. Coppers is so expressive. Looks like a sweet and fun dog. :)

>194 msf59: Hi Mark, Good to see you back! I have just about 100 pages to go in The Passage. There was a section where I could almost not turn the pages fast enough - yikes! I did read The Thirteenth Tale a year or so ago. I really liked it but didn't quite love, love it. I'm not sure if that makes sense or not...

>195 -Cee-: Hi Claudia, Now, I'm sorry! I don't mean to scare you, ha, ha! Oh, don't let vampires scare you; they aren't vampires anyway... It really is a great scary literary novel! Definitely take a chance!!

Oh, and thank you, she is such a sweety! She can go from a happy smiley girl to a 'sad eyed lady of the lowlands' (as my husband calls her) in the blink of an eye.

*sigh* Looks like I am going to have to get to The Passage soon too. Unfortunately, the local library still does not have it.

Hi Joanne, I knew you were caught up in a tome and so were reading instead of posting. Looks like I'm going to have to get to The Passage sooner or later. **sigh**

Now, now Stasia and Bonnie, you're both making it sound like a BAD thing!! (Well it is bad that the library doesn't have it yet.) Maybe Mark'll hate it and then you won't want to read it...nah, never happen. :)

Joanne- You are correct, my friend! That's not gonna happen! I'm on the home stretch now, just over 70 pages. I think everyone here will like this book. I know I'm putting myself out on a limb here but I'm feeling cocky.
Love the ''sad eyed lady of the lowlands', in describing Coppers. I'm a big Dylan fan from way back!

Joanne
I love the primary photo on your home page. Cooper looks quizical and lovely.

I like the picture of Copper frolicking in the snow!

Stasia, I'll have a surplus copy of The Passage available to pass on to you at Richard's party. (Long story...)

I'll be reading it myself next month, I suspect! I have to put a few weeks between The Historian and other mega-long books with vampires...

#203: Thanks, Suz! I will gladly take it off your hands :)

Mark - I agree as long as folks get past the whole "vampire" thing.

Linda and Angela - Thanks! She's my baby.

Suzanne and Stasia - You'll both like it, trust me!

I'm off - have a great Saturday everybody!!

Not really vampires and do read it.

The ending.. well I look forward to hearing your take on it.. all of you..
Bear in mind I loved the book...but you know how I feel about endings..

Here again is another example, Mark of LT sharing :)
sigh... makes me happy!

The ending.. well I look forward to hearing your take on it.. all of you..
Bear in mind I loved the book...but you know how I feel about endings..

In case those reading it didn't know, The Passage is the first book in a trilogy, so... :)

...but you know how I feel about endings..

Not really, Kath. How do you feel about endings?

They make or break a book... imo

AS for the ending of this one? I will just say that the book got high marks from me. :)

Oh! Yes.. I do heartily agree.

Well, then, DANG! If this book has a remarkable ending, and it is a trilogy... that means reading the first one will be a three book committment. I need more hours in my day and stronger eyes!

um... about that.

I am very glad I read The Passage. At over 700 pages it is a commitment in and of itself. As for the rest of the trilogy~~~

No thank you, I am fine with just the one...

Oh how impolite of me... please forgive me...

Hi Joanne!

(Forgot who's thread this was... I'm battling a migraine with limited success.) re >196 Copperskye: I do understand about The Thirteenth Tale. I also liked, but not loved. It seems to get rave reviews - so thought maybe I missed something.
??? Maybe I did.
Hope you have a wonderful Sunday! Hugs to Copper and Smokey...

migraine.. try some dramamine.. seriously.. or bonine or one of those things.

(impolite? do not get? )

*waves to Joanne* :)

Apology was to Joanne for not saying "Hi" up front. Got carried away with comments on "Passage".
Oh yeah, forgot about the dramamine. I do have a prescription that works relatively well. Should NOT have had that wine last night.

I'm going to chime in, The Thirteenth Tale was good but not great. I keep hearing about The Passage. It has been many years since I read about vampires, maybe I will give this one a try.

Good Morning Stephen, Kath, Claudia and Tammy!

I did finally finish The Passage last night. What a great book! More on that later.

Another migraine sufferer, Claudia? There seem to be so many of us here. I'm dealing with a sinus headache this a.m. which hopefully 4 advils and 2 sudafeds will help with. We'll see. Allergies have been bad this year - I feel like my head is going to explode! It'll get better though. :)

eta - Posted before I wanted to - This afternoon I'm off to meet Donna, Anne, and Jenn at the TC. Yay! I can't wait!

Oh and I agree Tammy, The Thirteenth Tale was good, but not great. For a good gothic mystery, Rebecca is the best.

Have a great time at the LT meet up, Joanne!

Thanks Stasia! Wish you could be there, too!

Hey I wish I was there too! Have fun!

Joanne- Have a great time with the gang! Enjoy! Take pix! Also finished The Passage! Hated to see it end!

>219 brenzi: - Me too Bonnie!!

>220 msf59: - And I kind of liked the ending myself. I wouldn't have if I didn't know it was to be a trilogy, though.

#218: Yeah, me too.

51. The Passage by Justin Cronin

I was a little disappointed last year when I discovered that Justin Cronin’s new book would be, I felt, a post-apocalyptic, The Road meets Dracula tome. But now that I’ve read it, I’ve found that it is so much more than that and I shouldn’t be surprised. Cronin tells a great, epic story with characters you can’t help caring about. So if you’re thinking that this will be just another Twilight or True Blood type book, think again and give it a try. The middle section did drag a bit with lots of character descriptions but the beginning and the end more than made up for that. Knowing that this was the first book of a trilogy, I kind of like the way it ended.

Even after almost 800 pages, I still wanted more, but I will patiently wait another couple of years to see what Cronin has up his sleeve. 4 1/2 stars.

I had a wonderful time this afternoon chatting with Donna (donna828), Anne (AMQS) and Jenn (nittnut). It was so nice to actually meet a few of the great people I get to talk books with here on LT!

So where are the pictures from the meet up?! Huh? People want to see, enquiring minds want to know . . .

lol

>224 alcottacre:, I know, I know. :) Since Donna knows how to add pictures to threads, she'll post a pic when she gets back home.

#225: I hate waiting, I'll have you know!

>226 alcottacre: OK, then. I do know how to add pics to my picture gallery so I just did that. Go there!

#227: On my way. . .

Yeah...

A little hard to describe that book isn't it?
Glad you liked The Passage

Joanne- Good review! I'm still working on mine, maybe later today! I'm sure you had a terrific time with the LT friends! Great pictures!

OK Joanne you've got me with that review. I will definitely get to that sometime soon. Off to check out the pics:)

Nice review of The Passage, Joanne, but you had me convinced after telling us about it yesterday. I am soooo glad our meeting worked out. Let's do it annually!

We left super early this morning to avoid Denver Monday morning traffic. Btw, my husband and I both liked listening to The Prince of Frogtown while driving across Kansas. Bragg's narration was fine with us as we're used to that southern drawl!

I just posted our picture on the "kitchen" thread. I'll put it up on my thread a bit later. I want to run to the store before I run out of energy.

Yaaay! Donna's back! It was fun, wasn't it? Next time we'll have to give ourselves more time or else chat while we wander around. I felt bad that you didn't get a chance to shop.

Sounds like you had a nice, uneventful drive home. I really have to be in the right frame of mind to listen to certain narrators. I'll try Bragg again another time. (About 10 years ago we almost had to move to Nashville and since then I've struggled with southern authors. Not that TN isn't lovely, and we looked at some beautiful homes in Franklin and actually almost bought one, but I really didn't want to move there!) So that's my issue...

It's amazing how tiring it is just sitting in the car on a long drive, isn't it?!

I'm so charmed by all of you together in a photo! Yet again LT is amazing and wonderful, no?

You've convinced me on Cronin's The Passage!

>234 sibylline: Hi Lucy, Amazing and wonderful, yes, and filled with amazing and wonderful people!

The Passage seems like a stretch for a lot of us but Cronin is a wonderful writer. I loved his The Summer Guest and have his Mary and O'Neil, still unread, but plan to pick it up soon.

Glad you made it home safely, Donna!

52. The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard

The Good Daughters is the story of two women who were born on the same day in the same New Hampshire hospital. Their families could not have been more different, and yet their parents kept in touch, however superficially, throughout their lives.

As much as the story drew me in and kept me reading, there was something about it that was off. Early on, I started putting sticky arrows on entire phrases that were repeated. Yes, I know Edwin talked about the difference in milk fat content between Holsteins and Guernseys but I didn’t need to hear that more than once. Yes, Ray is lanky with blue eyes; I get it. There are many other inexplicable examples.

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. It was an interesting story with a first person, alternating narrative. I normally like this method but in this case, maybe half the book in Ruth’s voice and the other half in Dana’s would have been an improvement as I kept having to think about who was who. Or maybe the entire book in Dana’s voice as she was the character who was most fully drawn. I would recommend as a book to read when you’re in the mood for something light. It really did have its good moments.

The only other book I’ve read by Maynard is Labor Day, which I loved.

3.5 stars.

#237: After having seen a couple negative reviews of the book, I still think I am going to give it a pass. Maybe I will give Labor Day a go though.

>238 alcottacre: I'd recommend putting Labor Day on the loong list.



53. Star Island by Carl Hiaasen

Entertaining to listen to, Hiaasen is over-the-top, as usual, and his satire regarding all things Florida is always fun, but for a better book by him, I would recommend Skinny Dip or Sick Puppy.

3 stars

#239: I have added Labor Day to the BlackHole. Hiaasen's Skinny Dip has been there at least 2 years. I guess I had better get to it soon. I will pass on Star Island though.

HI Donna

I'm so glad you lovely ladies of LT had such a wonderful time!

Thank you for not adding to my teetering tower Joanne. Wait a minute I'm looking at Skinny Dip and thinking....should I....oh darn, forget what I just said. I'm adding Skinny Dip.

Keep in mind, Bonnie and Stasia, that I think you really need to be in the right mood to enjoy a Hiaasen book. I liked Skinny Dip because, unlike Star Island, there was a character in it that I could actually like!

#243: I have read a couple of Hiaasen's books already, so I know of what you speak :)

OK, I should have figured as much! I just don't like to think that I'm steering anybody wrong.

#245: Understood.

54. The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing by Kevin Young

This one sat in my desk drawer at work for a few months before I thought I could face it and finally brought it home. The title says it all. Artfully arranged for the stages of grief, it is a lovely collection.

>239 Copperskye:: I finished Star Island and have to agree with you that it's not the Hiaasen to choose; Skinny Dip was much better.

Joanne- We are still on our scary wavelength! I have the audio of The Last Stand downloaded and ready to go! Hope you are enjoying The Meadow, I'm going to try to squeeze it in somewhere in the near future. Finally starting my first Ivan Doig. I love it! Have a great Sunday!

Hi Joanne!
Thanks for the skinny on Skinny Dip. I'll be looking out for it. Also, The Art of Losing sounds like a good book to get now and read later when the time is right.

And, Mark, I am so excited for you - starting first Doig! Glad you're loving it! I have to read a few more, but Doig's on his way to being a fave author for me.

Joanne, I'm glad you found comfort in The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing. I'm making note of it for future reference. Sad to say that it's a book that I may be buying multiple copies of as my friends and family age.

I kept the audio version of The Meadow. It works much better on my home CD player. I'm going to renew it and try it again. It will be perfect to listen to (if it doesn't skip!) while I'm cross-stitching that baby sampler.

Have a great Sunday.

Tad, I saw your review and have to agree. I almost stopped listening to it when I realized that I wasn't going to like any of the characters. I don't think I would have finished if I was reading it.

Mark, LOL! You'll probably finish The Last Stand way before I do. Did you read Son of the Morning Star? I loved it but it's been about 20 years since I read it. Philbrick seems to be taking a different tack than Connell. I just picked up a copy of Doig's This House of Sky which is a memoir. I'll be interested in what you have to say about English Creek.

Claudia, I was thinking it would make a thoughtful gift, too.

Donna, I am loving The Meadow and wonder how the audio would be. Probably perfect to listen to while doing some cross-stitch! I love stitching baby samplers.

Hope everyone is enjoying the last gasp of summer (my very favorite season)!

Joanne- It's funny, I'm starting to get backed up on audiobooks too! I just picked up 4 from the library, plus I have many others all-ready downloaded to my computer. I think I'll try 1776 after I finish the Doctorow.
And yes, I have read Son of the Morning Star. It's been quite awhile but it was excellent. Have you read Ivan Doig? If not, you would love him!

Mark - I recently read Whistling Season which I loved!

I wish I could listen to audio books at work. I've been leaving work a little later than normal which means more traffic and 5-10 minutes more of a book in the car at least! There's the very slight upside of getting home later.

Yes hard to let go of the summer. I haven't gotten into audiobooks much. They just never appealed and my commute so short (about 12 minutes) that there's not a good time to listen.

I am enjoying the last gasp of summer - but loving the 55 degree nights. I could live with those for a while.

Hi Joanne

I'm adding The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing to the tbr pile.

Bonnie - Audio books really are an acquired taste and I can only listen to them in the car. My commute is a whopping 17 minutes.

Jenn - Hasn't the weather been great! I was actually a little chilly on my evening walk.

Linda - I think you'll appreciate it - hope you are well today.

New thread is (I hope) here - http://www.librarything.com/topic/97872