My Mid-Spring Book Report and a Summer List

Today was book group day.  A very good day.  Did I tell you that I'm now in two book groups?  (In 2013 I was in 0 book groups!)  And they meet on the same day?  And this month we discussed the same book?  My favorite book from last year -- Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.  (Have you read this yet?  Please do.)  A very, very good day.

On our pal, Christie's,  recommendation, Clay and I read The Girl You Left Behind last week.  So good.  Like The Goldfinch, this story centers around a painting and the people who become tangled in its ownership.

And then, because Jojo must love me as much as I love her (and she must know how I hate to say goodbye to my favorite characters), she wrote Honeymoon in Paris, a little book which is only available in e-form, and is a quick read and a sweet addition to the novel.

I was excited to read Amy Tan's Valley of Amazement.  But then I was amazed to find I didn't much like it.  I have loved every other Amy Tan novel, but this one was long, repetitious, sad and gave the full inside scoop into early 20th century flower houses in Shanghai (please don't call them prostitutes.  It's completely different.  Did you know that?  Do you care?  After the first 100 pages, I didn't.  After 589, I still didn't.)  I'll read her next one, but if I never see the word "pudenda" again, I'll be really, really  happy.

I listened to The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin in the sewing room, but I want to buy a copy and hand it around to my friends.  This is a beautiful book, set in Washington state at the turn of the century.  It's all about strangers and saviors -- what do we owe to those who simply appear in our lives?  (The reader of this book on Audible was amazing.)






2014 Summer Reading List:

First off, I'm reading Alice Munro's Runaway for our friend, Tim's, library reading group.  Actually, after returning the book to the library after I failed to get past the first story in the two weeks I had the book, I'm now going to listen to it while I sew tomorrow.

Then, for June book group, Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.

This one, During the Reign of the Queen of Persia by Joan Chase, is an NPR recommendation.  It was published in 1983, and is set on a farm in Ohio.  Why have I never heard of this book?  Crossing my fingers . . .

Eighty Days by Matthew Goodman was recommended by my friend, Becky, who read it with her son's reading group -- they read some very interesting books.  This one is the the story of Nelly Bly and Elizabeth Bisland, who raced around the world in 80 days a la Jules Verne.  I am really looking forward to this one, although my last few forays into historical fiction were sad disappointments (The Aviator's Wife, Loving Frank, The Paris Wife) -- but since I have no great pre-conceived notions about Nelly Bly as I did about Lindbergh, Wright and Hemingway, I bet this willl be enlightening and fun.




I See you Made an Effort:  Compliments, Indignities and Surreal Stories from the Edge of 50 by Annabelle Gurwitch.  Do I need to say more?

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt.  This one has been on my Amazon wish list for months.  It was an "if you liked The Goldfinch . . ." recommendation. The story revolves around a 14 year-old girl and a teapot -- I'm not sure where the wolves come in to the story . . .







 And One Plus One by Jojo Moyes, which comes out in July.  I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait.


                                                                                       






Also on the list:  My Name is Resolute by Nancy E. Turner, I Shall Be Near You by Erin Lindsay McCabe and Love and Treasure by Ayelet Waldman.  The summer won't be long enough . . .

Peace.

First Quarter 2014 Book Report

Aye yi yi!  Where is 2014 going?  And why is it going so fast?

So guess what?  I'm in a book club.  I was so happy to be asked to join this group of wonderful women -- some I knew, some are new friends.  Their book for February was The Husband's Secret, which I had read last year and thought would generate some great discussion.  It did.

For March, they had chosen The Book Thief.  No problem, I thought.  I had read this treasure several years ago, and had recommended it to others.  I thought I had a copy on my bookshelves somewhere, but apparently, I had given it away.  So, I ordered a used copy from Amazon for .95, and received it with a week to spare for a little re-read and review.  But when I finally sat down with the book on Friday (our meeting was coming up on Monday), I couldn't remember the story at all -- yikes!  That Saturday morning was a cold snowy mess, so Clay and I watched the movie.  Beautiful.  But I knew there was much about the story that the movie wasn't able to cover, so I re-read as much as I could before the meeting, and I want to re-read the entire book soon. If you haven't read this one, you should.

Our friend, Tim, leads a book group at our library every other month.  Bad Dirt, a collection of short stores by Annie Proulx, was his choice for March, and we had a great discussion, despite the fact that I wasn't crazy about the stories.  In fact, if I wasn't reading this for Tim's group, I would have abandoned it.  I really wanted to like this book -- Proulx is a Pulitzer prize winner, for pete's sake -- I was ready to be wowed.  I wasn't.  Tim and another gentleman in the group found the stories hilarious -- I just found them pretty sad pictures of the human experience.  Clay and I did go upstairs after the group and check out The Shipping News -- I just want to be sure I'm not missing out on loving a great writer, so I'm trying again.


 I had made some reading resolutions for 2014, and I am happy to report that I'm doing pretty well on those.  For the young adult novel, I read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

This is a beautiful novel -- not simply a beautiful YA novel.  It's sad, but you know it will be sad from the first page -- it is about cancer, so be warned.
It's just beautiful writing.  And it's full of beautiful characters you want to know.  And although it's set in Indianapolis, you will go on an amazingly beautiful journey.

It's worth the tears, I promise.



One of the resolutions was to read outside of your usual genre, so I decided I would read a horror or science fiction book.  My friend, Christie, recommended The Dead Zone by Stephen King.  It's not horrible, and just a tiny bit frightening, but it was thrilling, and I finished it in 2 days.  It's a love story, a father-son story, a teacher-student story and a "what in the hell would you do if you had this terrifying power?" story.  I probably won't read any more Stephen King, but I am glad to have read this one -- his storytelling is fantastic, and makes me understand why so many are addicted to his novels.

And I'm saving the best for last.  The first resolution was to read "something massive", and The Goldfinch, at 785 pages, certainly qualifies.

I saw this book on all kinds of "best of" lists at the end of 2013, but when Maureen Corrigan of NPR said it was her "book of the year," that was enough to make me download it onto the nook.  Because holding a volume of this book surely would have made my arms tired.  And since it's on the shelf of new fiction at our library, I would only have had 7 days to read it.  And it's just too lush to finish in 7 days.  There's too much about the museum world, the fine antique furniture world, the Vegas underworld and the crazy world of art theft to take it all in in just 7 days.  And by too much, I mean too much in a very, very good way.

I had to stop and breathe.

And, I'm still not done.  I have 50 pages to go.  I've had 50 pages to go for 3 weeks now.  I just don't want this one to be over.

So, I guess you could say I'm currently reading this one.

I am also currently reading Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlin for my Tuesday book group, Runaway by Alice Munro for Tim's book group and listening to Amy Tan's Valley of Amazement in the sewing room.  

Peace.

Not Just for Kids

Last week, I was honored to be asked to be one of the guest readers at the St. Ambrose School Read-a-thon.  But picking a book to read to the kids K-8 was tricky;  I had only 15 minutes on stage to share a favorite book -- how could I ever choose?

I have a pretty big collection of children's books.  Some of the books I've had since I was a kid, but my collecting really started with a children's literature class at Purdue, which I took during the semester I was an Elementary Ed major.  The professor was tough, and we disagreed on some things (she didn't like Disney movies!  I wonder if she still doesn't?) but I loved the class because we read authors I had never heard of, did interesting projects and I got an A.  

I have most of Sarah, Maggie and Will's books from years of book clubs, book fairs and Scholastic orders.

I have lots of Little Golden Books.  My kids learned pretty quickly that I would say "no" to a crap toy at the grocery, but I would never say "no" to a book.  

When I worked at the library, I would often order copies of the books we would read during storytime on the Bookmobile:  Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, the Very Hungry Caterpillar, I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Pie.  I continued that habit while I worked with my sister in kindergarten.  And almost every time I go to a bookstore.

So, I carried a stack of books into the school that day.  Olivia, Knitting Nell, When I Was Young in the Mountains, The Corgiville Fair, Little House on the Prairie.  

But I read from an old book with a lasting message:  the 1945 Newberry Award Winner,  The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin.

This is a book about bullying, although the girls in the story saw it all as fun and games.  It's a story about discrimination.  It's a story about following your conscience.  I couldn't read the entire book to them, but hope I stopped at a point from which they'll want to read it themselves.  I knew I'd chosen well when one of the teachers (and friend) stopped me on the way out to tell me that had been one of her favorite childhood books.  

And because I love poetry, and because this has been a crazy winter, I started with this poem:  

The First Bluebird 

by James Whitcomb Riley 

Jest rain and snow! and rain again!

And dribble! drip! and blow!

Then snow! and thaw! and slush! and then--

Some more rain and snow!

To wake up--when, I jing!

I seen the sun shine out and heerd

The first bluebird of Spring!--

Mother she'd raised the winder some;--

And in acrost the orchurd come,

Soft as a angel's wing,

A breezy, treesy, beesy hum,

Too sweet fer anything!

The winter's shroud was rent a-part--
The sun bust forth in glee,--
And when that that bluebird sung, my hart
Hopped out o' bed with me!

Peace.

Stacks of Books for the New Year

I read some really great books in 2013.  I plan to do that again this year (and the next, and the next, and the next, etc., etc., etc.) and my beginning reading list for 2014 follows. 

But first, I wanted to share a reading guide for the new year from the Bluestocking Salon, the blog of the Bas Bleu (champion of the odd little book  -- perfect for odd little me) website.  (And thanks to my friend, Bonnye, who told me about this site.)

Here are their reading resolutions for 2014, plus my suggestions.  For myself.  

1. Read something massive. Like, minimum-six-hundred-pages-long massive.  The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is on my 2014 list.  At 784 pages, it qualifies.  

2. Reread a high-school assignment.  OK, high school was 35+ years ago, and honestly, I don't remember what I read for assignments and what I read for myself.  So, I'm just going to re-read a Jane Austen book and call this one done.  

3. Read a scandalous book.  Hmmm.  I searched for "scandalous books" on Goodreads, and it gave me lots of lists and lots of books, from Fifty Shades to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to The Giving Tree.  The Giving Tree?  Really?  Although I would gladly re-read that favorite to try to figure out why in the world it would be scandalous, I think I'm going to read East of Eden, which a lot of people think of as Steinbeck's magnum opus, but which, for some unknown reason, I have never read.    

4. Read a book from a genre you normally avoid.  Well, that would be science fiction or horror, both of which I avoid like the flu.  Any suggestions that won't make me sick?

5. Read a novel set in contemporary times, yet in a completely different culture from your own.  The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri. 

6. Read that venerated classic you’ve always been ashamed to admit you skipped.  I skipped George Eliot's Middlemarch big time in college.  And by that, I mean it was assigned, and I used the Cliff Notes version.  Cliff and I were very good friends.  

7. Read a contemporary young-adult novel.  The Indianapolis-based The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  I started this one last year, but need to finish.  

8. Read a biography of someone you think you’d hate.  I'm think I'm going to skip this one. While I really like finding out redeeming facts about awful people, I don't think I want to waste my reading time on them, just in case they're just awful and not so redeeming.

9. Read a poem a day, every day, for a month.  I do this anyway.  Just have The Writer's Almanac delivered to your inbox every day, and you can, too.  

10. Host a literary dinner party.  Well, this sounds like fun.  We'll have Madeleines, pisco sours and green eggs and ham.  

11. Write the opening paragraph of your autobiography.   Can't this blog count?  

12. Memorize your favorite Shakespearean sonnet or a monologue from one of the Bard’s plays.  Been there, done that.  I don't really have a favorite sonnet, but I think it's time to read them again.  Memorize?  We'll see.

So here is the rest of my current reading list -- any suggestions? 

The Valley of Amazement  Amy Tan

Those Who Save Us  Jenna Blum

Willow and Lost Letters Lori Roberts, a local author who I just met this past week

Two Old Women  Velma Wallis

The Invention of Wings  Sue Monk Kidd

Still Life with Breadcrumbs  Anna Quidlen (can't wait - to be published 1/28 )

The Orchardist  Amanda Coplin

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls  Anton DiScalfani 
Mrs. Poe  Lynn Cullen
Lookaway, Lookaway  Wilton Barnhardt
The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion  Fannie Flagg
The Pure Gold Baby  Margaret Drabble

Peace.

My 10 Important Books

On Facebook, writer Susan Braun  (her blog is here) asked her friends to list 10 books that had touched them in some way -- maybe not changed-your-life sort of books, but ones that have stayed in your heart.

I started to write a response, but had a need to explain all my choices.  So I thought I would just blog about them:

1.  The Dictionary.  For Christmas 1971, my grandma and grandpa gave me a big Webster's Dictionary, complete with the finger tabs for each letter.  I loved it, and read it.  I still love it, but don't read it.  Much.

2.  Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh.  Mom let me order this from Scholastic when I was in the 3rd or 4th grade.  I read it so many times the color on the cover wore away (mine looked just like the one on the left).  I asked for a notebook like Harriet's, ate tomato sandwiches, wished I had a nanny and wrote down everything I could.

3.  All of  a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor.  One of my favorite people ever was Mrs. Mildred Graves, the children's librarian.  My librarian.  When our house was struck by lightening and caught fire, my library books were ruined by water.  I was so afraid I wouldn't ever be allowed to check out books again.  But when mom and I explained what had happened, all I got from Mrs. Graves was a hug, and the assurance that I would always be able to check out my beloved books.  And then she recommended this one to me -- the very first chapter is about a lost book and a loving librarian.

4.  The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.  My grandma had a beautiful hardbound edition of this book, and I remember reading it, serialized- fashion, every other week when we went down to Sunday dinner with her.  I was probably about 13 when I first read it, but didn't fully understand why I ached for the Joads until I studied it again in high school and again in college.   For me, this is The Great American Novel.  Enough said.

5.  Plainsong by Kent Haruf.  I'm listing this book for two reasons.  One, it is one in a long list of great books that have been recommended by my three dear friends who belong to book clubs -- Jeannine in Indy, Jill in PA and Pam in Tennessee.  They share their lists with me, and I share great books I've read with them.  When we get together (in May for the 500, every other July at 7Springs, and every once in awhile for a Girls' Weekend), we try to choose a book we can all read and discuss together; we read Gift From the Sea for a trip to Amelia Island, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil when we went to Savannah, and a recent favorite of mine, Me Before You this last May.  I love and look forward to our discussions.

Two, this is just a great book.  Read it if you haven't.

6.  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  My Master's thesis was "Patterns of Politeness in the Domestic Novels of Jane Austen, Barbara Pym and Anne Tyler:  A Linguistic Study."

Yawn.

As boring as that unfinished thesis was, I did fall in love with Jane Austen, and try to read at least one of her novels every year.  Plus, I think I have seen every movie and television production of her books.  I haven't (and won't), however, read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  Ick.

7.  The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.  When I went to the University of Akron, everyone was required to take two classes:  Western Culture and Eastern Civilization.  Ugh.  I was finishing up the second degree I had started at Purdue and didn't think I needed these.  But they turned out to be two of the best classes I had ever taken -- eye-opening jump off points to all sorts of amazing history and ideas I hadn't studied before.  I ended up taking another elective in Chinese culture, and have been a little obsessed with China ever since.  (And yes, I am extremely jealous that Clay has walked the Great Wall.)  So when I first heard about this book, I bought a copy ASAP.  If someone asks me about my favorite authors, I always say "Amy Tan" first.  She illuminates Chinese culture plus beautiful human stories.  Plus, she rocks.  Really.

8.  When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant.  I really like this book, and everything by Cynthia Rylant, but the coolest thing about this pick is that she is the first author I actually knew.  She taught at the University of Akron at the same time I did, and her office was right down the hall from mine.  While there, she married one of my favorite professors, and they lived right around the corner from us.  Did she ever speak to me after we were first introduced?  Well, no.  Except for a "hi" in the hallway.  Did she know I lived around the corner?  Probably not.  Did she even know my name?  I don't think so.

But I'm still counting it as knowing her, and it was still very cool.

9.  Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling.  I wrote about these books the very first month I started blogging -- July of 2007.  You can read my Harry Potter post here -- I wouldn't change a word of it, except that I called Outlander "Highlander" -- what a difference 6 years can make.

10.  Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.  Yes, I did balk at this book.  For almost 10 years, Pam (see #5 above) begged me to read this.  I understand -- when I find a book I love, I want someone else to read it ASAP so we can talk about it.  But it was fantasy/time travel/romance.  Ick.  I don't read that stuff.  Correction -- I didn't read that stuff.  I finally gave it, became hooked and read or listened to the entire series.  Clay started in as well, but he finished much more quickly than I did (he, weirdly, only reads one book at a time).  He now needed someone to discuss the books with while waiting for me to catch up.  Sweet geek that he is, he went online and found a community of Outlander lovers, and Diana Gabaldon herself, who shares his birthday and who we met a couple of years ago.  (I know!  Yowsa.)

We read these books at a time when we needed an escape; the books gave us something to talk about besides ourselves and our troubles.

These books led us to new and amazing friends.

These books were truly life-changers.  Thanks, Pam.

11.  The last book I finished.  (Let me clarify this by saying that I don't always finish a book I start.  This is another difference Clay and I have -- even if a book is uninteresting, he will finish.  I agree with Will's 7th grade English teacher and my friend, Mrs. Lemming, who advised the kids that if they get 50 pages in and the book doesn't catch their interest, abandon it.  There is another book out there for you.)

So if I finish a book, it probably means that I loved the book.  Or that the story caught me.  I wouldn't say that I loved Gone Girl, but there was no way I could abandon that one -- the characters were all creeps, but the narrative was incredible.

Right now, the last book I finished was The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.  It was just lovely.  And heart-wrenching.  And I know it will stay with me for a long time.

And what am I reading now?  Jamie Ford's Songs of Willow Frost.  And The Next Time You See Me by Holly Goddard Jones (from a Slate article -- "The Best Books You've Never Heard Of."  True.)  And Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, because Will is reading that one.  And Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg which I picked up at the library last night, just because.

Peace.

November Book Report

I am ashamed to say that I just haven't been reading much lately.

But, I highly recommend the one I finished last week:

It's a story of ambitious young brothers who rescue a girl from a frozen river.  She becomes their best friend, and they make elaborate plans to become film makers, specializing in the natural world.  I fell in love with all three of them, and their parents, and want to move to New Hampshire and be friends with them.

Peace.

Book Report - August

I know, I know.  I haven't written a book report since April.  I get an F in English for May, June and July.

Since Will has immersed himself in the Great American Writers, I've spent a lot of my time re-reading sections of Faulkner, Hemingway and Fitzgerald novels so I can try to carry on a half-way intelligent discussion with him.  It's been a while since I read anything by those guys, and it's hard to remember story lines, much less characters.  I've been trying to gently nudge him toward Great American Women Writers, and I'm happy to report that he did choose Carson McCuller's The Heart is a Lonely Hunter from my bookshelf.   I've strategically placed Flannery O'Connor, Eudora Welty and Willa Cather novels around the house.

But I have read /listened to quite a few newer books in the past months, too, and wanted to share those.  Here we go.

 First off, Night Watch is the third installment in the Devlin O'Quinn mysteries, written by our dear friend.  I usually don't read crime mysteries, but these are so good -- maybe I like them so much because they revolve around a loving family and friendship.  You can read this (and her other two books) on your nook (here) or kindle (here).  Plus, book #4 (Unnatural Selection) is available, installment-style, at her blog, Wait A Week Mystery.

I would recommend Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter to everyone.  I listened to this book while sewing and I loved it.  The story jumps from 1962 to present day, and revolves around an actress, Dee Mornay, who was working in the filming of Cleopatra in Rome.  Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor have bit parts in this novel, but I fell in love with our hero, Pasquale, very quickly.  The book is an interesting study in life imitating art, or art imitating life, whichever you choose.

The Storyteller Jodi Picoult.  I read my first Jodi Picoult book when I worked on the Bookmobile and one of the patrons suggested I try one of her earlier novels; I have been a fan ever since.  I love how she weaves a beautiful story and compelling characters within a current-events plot.  I think this was one of her best.  It's a story within a story within a story -- the title is spot on.  Her books are usually traumatic for me, and this one is no exception.  The Storyteller is intense, with vivid concentration camp images and characters you really, really hate.  But there is also beauty.  A burgeoning romance.  And a grandma.  And bread baking.  She is an ultimate storyteller, researcher, teacher -- I always learn something in her books I never knew before (this time, it was the origin of the slashes on artisan breads).

Speaking of bread, I read Bread and Wine by Shawna Niequist on the recommendation of  my sweet friend, Dee -- I'm glad she told me about this one.  It's full of Christian stories of food, the table and community, plus recipes at the end of each chapter.  I found myself nodding in agreement to many of her points -- how cooking at home has fallen out of habit for many families and how we need to get back around the dinner table.  The book does get a little repetitive, and the recipes didn't exactly send me running to the kitchen, if you know what I mean.  But it is a nice book.  If you like this one, try Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life:  Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, one of my favorite books from last year.



The Distant Hours by Kate Morton  I thought I was downloading the most recent Kate Morton (The Secret Keeper), but must have mis-clicked.  I will read The Secret Keeper soon, but first I need to recover from this one.  It's kind of rambly, and I never did understand the fictional allure of the fictional children's book that this fiction is built around.  See, rambly I tell you.  I did, however, really like the development of the mother-daughter relationship between the main character and her secretive mother.  The relationship between the castle-dwelling sisters?  That's a little messed up.  Interesting, but messed up.

So, I heard Terry Gross interview Daniel Silva on NPR's Fresh Air last month, and thought I would give him a try, despite the fact that mystery/espionage/terrorist plots are not my idea of fun reading.  But, I thought, I did enjoy 24 and all the Bourne movies, so why not?  So I used an Audible credit and downloaded the first Gabriel Allon novel, The Kill Artist.  It was enjoyable listening.  Silva had said in the interview that he had no intention of creating a series, but his publisher suggested another Allon novel, and now there are 13.  I downloaded the second, The English Assassin, which I am listening to now.  It is much better.  Allon is both international killing machine and art restorer -- I like the arty bits best, and dusted off my art history books for reference.  I don't think I will make it to 13 (maybe not even to 3) but it is good car-listening.

The arty bits in The English Assassin involve masterpieces stolen from wealthy Jewish families by the Nazis.  That's also one of the themes of The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian.  I had read his novel Midwives, many years ago, and thought it was a great story.  This one?  Not so much.  The first chapter grabbed me, but I didn't love the characters, and the ending was less than satisfactory.  I'm not giving up on him though -- I've had The Sandcastle Girls on my list for months, and will report back.

Birds of a Lesser Paradise by Megan Mayhew Bergman.  Holy cats! (To quote Heather from Crimson Tate!) This collection of short stories is amazing.  Really.  Odd, odd, odd characters, settings and plots -- all revolving around animal in one way or another -- but amazing story telling.  I want to write like this.





And, I want to write like this:

I finished this novel this morning at 6:00, and decided today was the day to finish my book report post so that I could tell you how much I loved this book.  The Husband's Secret is a tragic story, but more than anything, it's a story of survival.  How can you survive tragedy?  How can you survive the truth?  Egads.  (I am going to guess this book will become a book club favorite in the very near future.)  This novel is so artfully woven together with comic bits, and romantic bits and heart-wrenching bits.  I would suggest you read this one.  Soon, so we can talk.

(Clay is reading it.  I heard him laugh last night, and then a few minutes later he read me a paragraph he thought was especially touching.  I just hope he's not mad at me when he's done.  We shall see.)

What to read next?

Peace.

April Book Report

I am doing this early, because I think everyone needs to read this book and read it soon -- Me Before You by JoJo Moyes.  Clay does, too.  We both loved it, cried over it and think it's one of the best we've read in a long time.  I'm not going to say much more, but if you don't fall in love with these characters, I don't want to be your friend any more.

Just kidding.
I'll still be your friend, but I'll never understand you.

Peace




And PS.  I forgot to report on Light Between Oceans, which I listened to while doing some sewing last month.  Unlike the book above, the Coons' were split on this one -- I thought it was very good, although heart-wrenching, and Clay was ticked that I suggested such a dark book with an ending he didn't appreciate.  We both loved the reader's Australian accent, but in some of the reviews on Audible listeners hated it.  So, you might want to read it with an Australian accent in your head that you can understand.

March Book Report

First off, let me share this list of "new modern classics with you.  What do you think?

Of the 15 books on this list, I have read 1.  One.  The Life of Pi, which I liked very much, but I still can't figure out how they made it into a movie.  I need to see that. (I couldn't figure out how Oprah could make The Color Purple into a movie, either, but I'm glad she did.)

Three of them (The Corrections, Middlesex and Gilead) have been on my reading lists for several years.  One of them (The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao) was on my amazon.com wish list so long it changed price four times.
And I was warned not to read The Road.  So I haven't.

Anyway.  On to what I have read this month.

As I am still working my way through The End of Your Life Bookclub, I read On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan.
Yeowch.  This is a short novel, but packed with full characterizations and tense plot devices.  It's all about a couple who are about to have sex for the very first time on their wedding night.  Intrigued?  I'll just leave it at that, but just know that it is a painful book to read, emotionally.

I listened to The Paris Wife, which was pretty painful, as well.  I had read about 1/2 of this book several years ago, but I knew where it was going -- I spent a whole semester with Hemingway's books in grad school and really had no desire to know anything more about him or his failed first marriage.  He's not a favorite.  But so many friends have recommended this book, and I had a few extra credits on Audible so I thought I'd give it another go.  Glad I did.  The reader was very good, and I felt a sympathy for Hadley that I didn't get when I had read those same pages.
Still not a Hemingway fan, though.

I did another re-read P&P, after watching two versions of it on TV -- one was an 1980 BBC series that reminded me of the CBS Children's Film Festival episodes that we would watch at Grandma Hunley's on Sunday afternoons.  Yawn.
The other was the Keira Knightly/Matthew MacFadyen film from 2006.  Nice.  Brenda Blethyn  is a great Mrs. Bennet, and I have a little tiny thing for Donald Sutherland, who plays her suffering husband.

But if you want to watch P&P, your best bet is to find a copy of the 1995 BBC series, starring Colin Firth as the very best Mr. Darcy.  Ever.

For April, I've started reading The Good House by Ann Leary and listening to Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.  Oh my.  Go get these.

Peace.