Just finished Tick Tock, by James Patterson. I like his books because, they are so well written and I really like the short chapters. It seems like as I get older, my attention span is lacking. Here, in our small tri-town area when we put our name in at the library for a new book, it comes to the top of the list fairly fast. My daughter lives in a Minneapolis suburb of many people. She put her name in for the book The Help. At first, her name was number 1734, that was a couple years ago. When i asked, she said her name was slowly climbing up the list. So I ordered the book from Amazon, for her birthday. She and her daughter read it then donated it to the library. We both have done that when we get books as gifts.

Oh, yes, I re-read all the time. The ones I re-read the most are Jane Austen's novels, the "Outlander" series by Diana Gabaldon, "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy (one of my favorite books ever), and "Far From the Madding Crowd" by Thomas Hardy. I've re-read "To Kill a Mockingbird," too, but only 3-4 times.:)

About Pat Conroy...I'm a big Conroy fan and am happy to have met him several times. I lived in Beaufort, SC for many years where he lived with his family for several tumultuous years as a child and returned to stay some years ago. Did you all know that his books are based on reality and real people? It's quite an adventure reading his books and being able to put a real face or place to a fictionalized name. I'm attaching a link to his blog (CLICK HERE) which is always a fun read, even if you aren't from Beaufort or familiar with the people. I'm re-reading The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty , something I get the urge for every couple of years. My copy is well worn, well traveled, and much loved.

"I have tried so hard to like Dickens but I just can't." I totally understand that, and feel a bit guilty about it, but life is too short, especially when you are a geezer, to force yourself to read something just because you "should". Just finished The Swans of Fifth Avenue, by Melanie Benjamin, a novel with many accurate details about Truman Capote and his collection of beautiful, fashionable, very wealthy women in Manhattan. I would only recommend this to someone interested in Truman and familiar with a few of the women - e.g. Babe Paley - because otherwise it is just a look at obscene wealth, endless gossip, and Truman's neuroses. Actually, it is a cautionary tale and a tragedy. Pretty good writing, though. Now, based on recommendations here, I've begun reading Memoirs of a Geisha, and it is very promising. Beautifully written, and am hoping that this little girl eventually finds her own true self.