The Four Agreements~~~A Toltec Wisdom Book

The Agreements are:

Be impeccable with your word
Don't take anything personally
Don't make assumptions
Always do your best

The last novel I read was last month~The Witch's Daughter~
by Paula Brackston. It was so good I could not put it down!

The latest "Jack Reacher" book by Lee Child..."A Wanted Man"

A book I have been meaning to read for years.

The Devil and the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America.

Non fiction book about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and the city.

On my Kindle, When We Were the Kennedys, a memoir about a family in Maine after the father dies, and at my bedside, Treachery in Death, from the J.D. Robb series.

I finished "The Brothers Karamozov" a couple days ago. I've read most of the Russian greats, but never this one, and I just loved it. Amazing book.

Now, I'm reading "Sherlock Holmes." I've been watching the BBC version and the new version on CBS (I think), and thought I'd read the original.

Just finished Black Oil/Red Blood. It was a Free Kindle book.

An absolute page turner. It was one of those books that kept you guessing from start to finish. Great plot, very unexpected twists and turns. Definitely the best free book I've read.

"The Program"--the second of four in the Tim Rackley series by Gregg Hurwitz. After I finish that series, I will start on the latest series by Jeffrey Archer (one of my favorites): "Sins of the Father" and "Only Time Will Tell". They are already on my nightstand, waiting their turn.

Currently enjoying Ruby, by Lauraine Snelling. The story of a very nice young woman who takes her little sister west to Dakota territory when summoned by her dying father, only to find she's inherited 'Dove house', where 'Dove' refers to those of the fallen Dove variety!

Liz, I only 'just' realized that Jack Reacher was a series of books by Lee Child~~~I am going to try them. Do I need to read them in order for it all to make sense??

Just read 2 excellent books....John Grisham's "The Racketeer" and David Baldacci's, "The Forgotten".....Now, I'm reading, "The Associate" by Grisham......

I'm reading The Great Conductors by Harold Schonberg, written in the mid 60's by the long time music critic of the New York Times.

Sheilajoyce, The Devil in White City is an excellent read, as are all the others of Eric Larson's.

Sunny, I got the 'The Racketeer' for Christmas waiting to go on one of my solo vacas and stay in a hotel and read it for 2 days;)

Azzalea as soon as I saw FREE I ran to the Kinlde store and got that book;)

Joann I am so in love with the guy that plays Sherlock on CBS;)

I am currently reading "Safe Haven " by Nicholas Sparks... and will start another of his books as soon as I finish this one.. I love his books..

Carolyn

Liz, DH and I just finished listening to the Reacher series. The author insists that they can be listened to in any order, but we decided to listen to them in order. Didn't matter. In the first book, Reacher's brother is deceased, but in a later book he is alive. I wish they had been ordered better, but we still enjoyed all of them.

I am reading "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness and really enjoying it.

My lunchtime book at work right now is "Dark Places" by Gillian Flynn, and I am really liking it, too.

Donna, if I remember correctly, the one in which Reacher's brother was alive was a "flashback" to an earlier time.

It really doesn't matter whether you read them in order, but I did, just to be sure I didn't miss anything. I loved the series (some were better than others), and can't wait to read the final one.

I ruefully finished Garlic and Sapphires, such a delightful treat to "eat" everyday. I'm onto The Aloha Quilt. I haven't read the Elm Creek series, it's just that I've been missing the Islands. Also delightful day jaunt.

Here is a link that might be useful: by Jennifer Chiaverini

Following Atticus, by Tom Ryan. It's the story of a man's relationship with a miniature schnauzer dog and their mountain climbing in the White Mountains. They are on a quest to climb the 48 4000 footers. But the fascinating thing to me is relationship between man and dog. It's a really good book, which I am savoring.

I am reading The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers. This is a very good book about two young men that fought in Iraq.

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent. This book is about the Salem witch trials and since my huband is a descendant of Martha Carrier I felt led to read it.

I just finished the book A Log Cabin was Home by T.J. Riggs. The author was a missionary by Pierre SD. The book was very interesting to me because I never grew up around here. Some of the places are near here and I recoginized some of the names in the book. The high school in Pierre was named after him and the guy who the football field was named after is mentioned in the book. Fort Sully was about 30 miles west of here and they went there a few times too.
I am reading a book called Papa's Wife. I am enjoying it too.

I am also working on the Reacher books, and a few John Sandford books I haven't read yet.

On my Kindle, I'm reading The Great Bridge by David McCullough. It's about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. It's very interesting and like all of his books, beautifully written.

I'm also re-reading The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. It's subtitled "a plant's-eye view of the world ". I love this book on many levels...as a professional horticulturist, as an educator, and as someone who deeply appreciates beautiful writing.

I have been reading the Longmire series by Craig Johnson. I have one more to finish. I enjoyed the series and look forward to the new book in the spring.

The Devil and the White City... was indeed a great read and one of my favorite books ever.

Currently reading:

Perla by Carolina De Robertis.
Perla is about a college-aged girl whose father, a Navy Officer, was on the wrong side of the heinous Argentina Dirty Wars of the 1970s and 80s). During those wars, many innocent people simply disappeared. Mothers and wives of "the disappeared" still march every Thursday afternoon at the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires.

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
Once a week, an eclectic group of women come together at a New York City yarn shop to work on their latest projects and share the stories of their lives.

Jodi-

This post was edited by jodi_in_so_calif on Tue, Jan 15, 13 at 13:51

I started Follett's "Fall of Giants" (Book One of The Century Trilogy) on the plane to Maui. Finished it. OK, not great, but a painless history refresher.

I found "Stalin's Ghost" (an Arkady Renko story) by Martin Cruz Smith in the condo. I'm wondering if Cruz Smith is still writing -- been a while.

That "Friday Night Knitting Club" sounds interesting, Jodi.

"The Aloha Quilt" sounds familiar, rob333. I've never found much *good* reading about Hawaii -- aside from "The Descendants" (book so much better than the movie, as usual).

Good? It's good "enough". Fabulous? Not so far. Maybe I should write one! It's a fantastic place, very different than the contiguous US. Very different. So many countries have occupied and populated it, it's an amazingly different amalgam from other places. Not even did I encounter such diverse Asian-American culture on the coast. And it was full of Asian heritage. I'm betting it's closest cousin is PR. The book is ok enough to get me by.

This post was edited by rob333 on Tue, Jan 15, 13 at 13:49

Chisue, have you read Moloka'i by Alan Brennert? About the leprosy colony on the island back in the 1800s. Excellent book about Hawai'i.

Here is a link that might be useful: Moloka'i on Amazon

I'm so pleased. Hawai'i. Do you also say it that way? No one ever seems to know it isn't HUH-why-ee. It's hu-wah-E. Nice to see it correctly written. That, there is misconception that not everyone goes around saying hang loose (and giving the two finger symbol, hand wave) or brudah. Mahalo jodi!

Mahalo right back atch Rob. Yes, that is generally how I say and spell Hawai'i because, well, it's the correct way after all.

I can remember when we were in HI a number of years ago with the kids, they learned a couple new words that of course they never forgot. There was a restaurant advertising Pipi and Pupu, (beef and snacks). Couldn't get the kids to stop saying it over and over again until we got back to Calif. LOL

French kids everything (And yours can, too)
An excellent book. It's quite a commentary on our society and an interesting insight into the French society.

Nice to hear a greeting in the airports in native Hawaiian these days. (Followed by English.) I can only pick up a few words, but it just sounds so pretty!

We've been visiting Hawaii in winter for 30+ years. My father's youngest brother lived Kauai for about 10 years after his discharge at the end of WWII. They adopted twin boys and only moved back to the mainland when they couldn't afford private schools in Hawaii. (Public education here is still substandard.) My uncle's MIL would visit Lihue from Chicago at Christmas and bring me a lei, along with gifts from my cousins -- usually carefully chosen at Woolworth's. (Lihue was a little hick town then.) I remember a pair of bejeweled chopsticks. LOL

Pronunciation is a mish-mash here. Why-KI-ki; not WHY-ki-ki. Ha-VA-ee more than with a 'w'. Tourists insist on talking about Mt. Haleakala; the semi-dormant volcano on Maui is Hah-lay-AK-a-la (House of the god of the sun). The volcano blocks the rising sun from our BR courtyard until seven now.

Inferno, The World at War 1939-1945 by Max Hastings.

I'm reading Wild goose chase,a freebie from kindle.It's about a quilt shop owner,and the death of a quilter by a rotary cutter.As you can tell it's a who-dunnit,very interesting,more so than i thought it would be.It's been on my kindle for awhile now.
Kathi

Those of you who like the Jack Reacher stories by Lee Child should also check out Michael Connelly's books about an LAPD Detective named Harry Bosch and John Lescroart's cop/attorney books set in San Francisco.

I'm another who loved Devil in the White City. Just finished Ruth Rendell's Harm Done and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Started re-reading Pillars of the Earth so I can read the follow-up book (title I just forgot.)

Also recently finished Lynda LaPlante's Red Dahlia. Love her Anna Travis stories.

It really doesn't matter whether you read them in order, but I did, just to be sure I didn't miss anything. I loved the series (some were better than others), and can't wait to read the final one.

Wanda, is the Jack Reacher series finished? I hope not! I read not too long ago that Lee Child had been quoted as saying he would kill Reacher off when people stopped buying his books. Surely that hasn't happened.....

Oh, and all of you who love Hawai'i, check out the books by Chris McKinney. Not your typical beach-in-paradse stories. I'm pleased to say that the author is family, too.

alisande, I don't know whether it is the last one. I should have said the "most recent" rather than "final". Sorry.

WHEW!!

Thanks, Wanda. :-)

I just started the newest book by Elin Hilderbrand. I love her stories!
Eileen

thanks sushi! I'll try that.

I just finished "Shoot the Moon" by Billie Letts. She wrote 2 others that I have read, "Where the Heart Is" and "Made in the USA". I enjoyed those 2 and this one.

Currently reading "The Tenderness of Wolves" by Stef Penney. It's set in the Canadian north in the 1860's. I'm enjoying it so far.

Sushipup -- Thanks for McKinney. I'll look for them.

I found an old (1986) P.D. James in the condo: "A Taste For Death". It's one of her Adam Dalgliesh mysteries. I enjoy her character studies. I'm interested in stories that explore character's motivations -- how people 'got that way'.

Still fighting the pneumonia. Lots of reading...

For book club-

Where'd you go Bernadette?. by Maria Semple
So far, so good.

James Patterson's, Merry Christmas