Inspired by the obit seen in RP a couple months ago, I requested Appaloosa by Robert Parker from the library. So far it is a very quick read, which is a good thing due to some of the content. I really hate it when the bad guys are 'winning' and am really thin-skinned at times with respect to certain kinds of violence (and I am sure this is nothing compared with Larry McMurtry's novels!). It's funny, sometimes I can read any novel, no problem and other times I have a hard time reminding myself 'it's just a story!' So far, the dialogue is snappy and seems appropriate for the time period, the action is fast-paced, and it doesn't get bogged down in too much description (mind, how much description does the old west need? Mention a tumbleweed and you're there!)

I picked up a book from "New Arrivals" shelf titled Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean (I confess because I liked the cover and the setting --pre WWI) and it is rather awful. One-dimensional characters and plots that seem inspired by daytime soaps. I stopped reading around half-way. On a happier note I discovered a new (to me) historical author: Jude Morgan. Very impressed with her writing and comand of the period. Just read Indiscretion and An Accomplished Woman which are both obviously Austen-inspired, and I'm starting on Passion, which seems like a "heavier" book, the main characters being the women in Byron, Shelley, & Keats' lives.

Finally got to read this thread! What with a computer problem and watery eyes, I got all behind. As regards having a house elf, that would be lovely. When I returned to work about 40 years ago, after the children went to school, I tried employing neighbours who were 'stay at home mothers' to do a little cleaning for me but after a couple of weeks they decided that they liked having their own money and got fulltime jobs! I picked up a couple of audiotape books from my local library for $1Aust each, that is really cheap! I have not tried listening to books until recently but found it ideal as I could not read for too long with the watery eye problem. Now I'm hooked because I have to listen word-for-word instead of skipping as I often do. It does seem to depend on the person reading how much I enjoy the book. Sometimes I disagree with their pronunciation and correct them as I would have done with my children when they did that! I have picked up an edition of Thackeray's "Vanity Fair" which has his illustrations. Very interesting but it was a pity that he did not like Regency fashions and clothed the characters in mid 19th Century styles. I could not relate to them like that. We are used now to seeing the correct dress in the TV and film versions usually although the Greer Garson 'Elizabeth Bennet' was dressed incorrectly, I seem to recall.

Finished up (gobbled up really) the rest of the Michael Dirda essays in his book "Reading" which I just loved and recommend for any serious book lover. The essays are engaging, intelligent and challenging all at the same time. I am not familiar with a lot of his work so most of this is new to me, but I am finding it delightful. Just had to order another one of his books to continue this delightful reading experience... Then read "The Sheltering Sky" by Paul Bowles (see other thread for that), and then read my way through a book of quotations taken from children's books from long ago and quite recent. It was interesting to see just how en pointe some of the quotes could be when applied to adult life and its various issues. It was called "What the Dormouse Said" and was edited by Amy Gash. A good thrift shop find. Now onto "Tepper isn't Going Out" by Calvin Trillan - an ordinary guy in NYC decides to sit in his car and read while waiting for his meter to run out. NYCers take it to be a sign of something and it builds from there. Nothing too outstanding, but not bad.