Another lover of "A Child of the Forest", thanks to Vee!

Having finished "Brideshead", I am casting around for something equally compelling to read. I watched the 2nd version of the film yesterday and really enjoyed the adaptation of the characters. Emma Thompson is superb as Lady Marchmain, IMO.

I finished Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book and coincidentally saw him on a TV show last night. I have been an admirer of his for a very long time. Wonderful book, I recommend it for everyone.

I also whipped through another one of M.C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth stories, Death of a Maid. I don't know why I like those books so much, but I do.

I'm reading Brideshead and enjoying it very much. I can't help comparing it to some other novels I have recently read that were written in the first person. Actually there is no comparison - the other novels are crass and clumsy against Waugh's elegant prose. Books like this really bring a new perspective to one's reading.

I'm a bit worried about getting my Brideshead done on time. I have ordered it ILL from the library and this could take a week to more than a month to come in. The branch which does have the only copy of the book is currently closed due to mold problems and all the books are off-limits. So close and yet so far.

Trying to avoid buying another copy if I can, but may have to scout a second hand book shop to see if perhaps they have a copy. I really don't want to miss the conversation.

Am about two thirds of the way through Brideshead and will need to read it again to get some thoughts in order. Luckily I haven't seen the film and only parts of the old TV series so my mind is 'fresh' and wont be influenced by beautiful scenery, pretty actors etc.
Liz, don't worry, just join in when you can. We don't have to start on the 1st.

There are a couple of follow-up books to Child of the Forest. I enjoyed Back to the Forest in which WF is married and trying to bring up four children on little money in a run-down tied-cottage.
Of course she grew up in a time of terrible poverty and things have changed out of all recognition in this area. Nearly all the mines and quarries are shut, two bridges have been built over the River Severn so people commute to jobs in near-by cities, 'incomers' have bought up many of the cottages and installed plumbing/heating etc. But 'Foresters' are still quite a race apart . . . and never let you forget it!

picked up Brideshead today at the library so I will at least be able to make a start before the discussion. I have a paperback mystery to finish and then I can start.

I too am enjoying Brideshead Revisited. The language is wonderful, and I am not one who usually notices unless it is particularly bad.

After having read (and thoroughly enjoyed) A Child of the Forest, I called the library for ILL on the two that follow: No Pipe Dreams for Father and Back to the Forest. Apparently, in the whole of America, only two places in the ILL system have these two books: Harvard and the Library of Congress (and they don't do ILL).

So off to river dot com and order one. No luck on the other so off to river dot co dot uk to order the other. Hard to believe that in this day and age, I had to do that, but such is life. I am thinking of donating these two books to our library to complete the trilogy for other people who want to read it. Then again, I might keep them for me. :-)

Now reading "Sand in my Shoes: War-Time Diaries of a WAAF" by Joan Rice. This is a diary written by a young twenty year old woman who just joined the WAAF at the beginning of the war. It's been very interesting to compare the two diaries (this one and that of Housewife, 49) as they see the war very differently due to their age difference. Can't remember how I got these titles, but expect it was my friends here at RP somehow. Thanks - I am enjoying them tremendously.

Despite the thread on this forum, I have begun the "Edgar Sawtelle" novel. It is dauntingly long....

I'm in the middle of People of the Book and enjoying it immensely. Picked up Brideshead Revisited at the library yesterday.

I can't stand it not reading Brideshead any more. I am going to go to the library and get that *#(&$*(& large print edition even if it is a brick and irritating to read.

Carolyn KY: I'm reading People of the Book also. I'm ready for the section called "Saltwater". I want more of Hanna's story! But the old stories are interesting also. Please let me know what you think as you make your way through the book. ~~Peggy in Indiana (hinchess)

Just a test post - something funny is happening to my post on another thread.

Kath: I am having problems too. I have tried to post messages recently but cannot get them out every time. Very frustrating!

Just finished reading The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. Excellent psychological thriller.

I've finished Brideshead Revisited and was very sorry to see it end. It's left me with a great deal to think about until our discussion. Now I'm trying to decide which DVD to watch -- time constraints may dictate the new movie vs. the old miniseries, though I'm leaning toward the miniseries anyway. Has anyone seen both? Any advice?

Finished the first reading of Brideshead although I'll need to go through it again and make some notes.
As a complete change of pace/situation I'm now reading the latest collection of Annie Proulx short stories and despite never having been to Wyoming I am finding them more believable than the rarefied atmosphere of Waugh's book.

Sheri, I would wait until after the discussion before you watch the old TV series/latest film of BR, otherwise I'm sure scenes or characterisations will intrude into your inner-view of the book and it will become difficult to keep one type of fiction at arm's length from the other . . . sorry that is a most untidy sentence, but I hope you get my drift :-)

sheri, I watched both DVD's. I do not have a preference, as I thought each was excellent in its own way. I liked the latter Brideshead with Emma Thompson as Lady Marchmain so much that I saw the film twice. On the other hand, I thought Jeremy Irons was superb in the first TV series. I'd like to hear your opinion after you view these.

Vee and Woodnymph, thanks for your thoughts on the DVDs. I think I want to see both, but as Vee suggested, I may wait until after the discussion.

Lemonhead, I've picked up a copy of Nella Last's War and I'm looking forward to reading it. If you like the WWII homefront genre, I would highly recommend the Cazalet Chronicles (The Light Years, Marking Time, Confusion, Casting Off) by Elizabeth Jane Howard. It's quite the family saga, and I enjoyed it immensely.

I just finished reading Still Glides the Stream by D E Stevenson. I had thought I'd read all of her books but came across this one at a library book sale and picked it up. It was okay, not my favorite of hers, but definitely readable. And speaking of D E Stevenson, for those who are interested in reading books set in WWII, she fictionalized her diary at the urging of a friend and wrote the Mrs. Tim series based on her life during the war. The first one is Mrs. Tim of the Regiment. I think the first one is the only one that really follows her life the closest.

I also listened to Identical Strangers by Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein. Both adopted as infants, they discovered that they were twins separated at birth and met for the first time at the age of 35. It was quite interesting as they detailed how they discovered each other and followed leads to find out why they were separated and finally tracked down who their birth mother was.

Finally getting to read "Death of a Cozy Writer" due back tomorrow to the library and no extension allowed! Many chuckles and overlooking British vocabulary mistakes which were apologised for in advance. Writers must be one of the few professionals that gracefully acknowledge their mistakes!

Hinchess, I finished People of the Book yesterday. I found the Hanna parts quite satisfactory and thought it interesting that the author chose to take us back in the book story from the most recent item to the oldest. I would have supposed it to be the other way around, but it was probably more exciting to find out the history going backward through the ages. I thought it needed another story between Venice and Vienna to show how it came there.

How did you feel at the end?

Hi Carolyn KY: I finished People of the Book also. I have such a mixture of thoughts and feelings. Our book group is going to discuss this next month but I won't be able to attend the meeting. I may have to ask for notes! Some of the history parts were SO hard to read...there were scenes and images that I would rather not have in my head. I know those kind of things really happened (and are probably still happening in places in the world today, unfortunately) but it's almost too much to read about them. I know you must know the things I'm referring to. I liked Hanna's story, with all the little surprises and twists. I liked the author's notes after the last chapter also. I'm not sure I'm glad I read the book. I think it may return to me in nightmares.

I am about 1/3 into Q&A (background for Slumdog Millionaire). Another book of child exploitation, poverty and life's unfairness! I can't take it!! Please, someone recommend a light happy feel-good book for me. It's spring and I need a sweet read.

Could someone please tell me how to turn on italics and other formatting? I'm just not seeing it, but I can see in your posts that it is possible. Thanks.

Peggy -

We've had several good threads about "happy books." I felt the same way you did a couple of years ago and the wonderful RPers gave me a great, huge list of ideas. I searched for it and brought it to the top. I hope you find something gentle yet entertaining to read.

I think I may skip "People of the Book" based on what you've said. We're supposed to read it for my book group, but I don't like graphic violence.

Peggy, I read Q&A when it first came out and thought it was wonderful. I gather that the movie has the very basic story but has been changed a lot. I am sorry to hear that the main character's name has been changed, as I thought that was an integral part of the story.

To use italics, you use the brackets. You put an i between them at the beginning of the text that you want to be in italics, and /i between them at the end to stop it. You must remember to 'turn it off' or all posts after that will be in italics too!If you use a 'b' you will get bold, and 'u' will give you underlining.
Good luck!

I'm well into Nella Last's War -- Lemonhead, thanks so much for mentioning it, it's wonderful! Although it's a real diary it reads like a novel and I'm having a hard time putting it down.

I also loved Q&A and People of the Book, and I'm definitely not a fan of dark, dysfunctional, or miserable novels. I felt that in both cases the dark parts of each story were well balanced with the light, and I found both books to be totally engrossing. I'd still recommend them both.

I finally finished "the Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by Wroblinski. There was so much buzz about this novel that I just had to read it. I was completely pulled into the plot from the very beginning and found the writing wonderful and the characters fascinating. It's a piece of "Americana." However, there are some dark twists at the end, so it is not the book for everyone. I'm glad I read it, just to get to know the North Woods of Wisconsin in the 1970's. I learned a lot about dog behavior and breeding from this book, as well. I know a book is good when it has me thinking about it during the day and keeps me up late at night, which this one did.

By the way, I loved "People of the Book."

I, too, highly recommend People of the Book. The darkness is more in what we know than what is graphically written into the book. It deals with anti-Semitism down through the ages. I found it excellent and took it to my daughter last night. (She told me I've already loaned her enough books to keep her occupied for awhile.)

Sarah Canary: Thanks, I found the "happy book" listings and will make notes. I'm glad you were able to bring it back. I'm still learning about this forum. I haven't spent much time in them on the internet.
Astrokath: OK, here goes trying italics is this in italics? OH! It doesn't show until I check it, but there it is! Hurrah! Thanks!!
RE: People of the Book--I thought it was a very well-written story, and I really did like it. I'm just so squeamish about the torture stuff. I KNOW it's real--life is so hard for some people. Makes me wonder why I'm so fortunate. I'll keep reading Q&A. (Look at me underlining now.) Gotta see how this all comes out. But I don't think I can see the movie, based on reviews I've read.

Well done with the HTML Peggy!
I know what you mean about torture. One of my all time favourite books is The Source by Michener and there are some nasty scenes with the Spanish Inquisition (nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!!) and water torture which I have never managed to erase.

Can I post here twice? :)
Currently reading:
Brideshead Revisited for the book discussion. I confess I am finding it slow going.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

The High City by Cecelia Holland. A new-to-me author; picked it up on impulse at the lib's new books shelf.

Just read:
Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn. I thought this was good, but not as good as the first two books.

The Murder Stone by Charles Todd. A stand-alone, not part of the Inspector Rutledge series. Not as good either. There is a supposed to be horrific twist at the end that is so out of character that it made me laugh, literally.

A Cold Treachery by Charles Todd. In which which Inspector Rutledge appears to find a love interest.

White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison. I am completely hooked on this series. I hope Harrison publishes the next book soon!

Here is a link that might be useful: my new garden & reading journal

Sheri - Glad that you are enjoying Nella Last's War. I can't remember where I found the title (maybe Vee?) but I really enjoyed learning about the WWII experience from her particular perspective. To contrast it, try "Sand in Her Shoes" by Joan Rice, a young WAAF who has a completely different experience to Nella. It's just interesting to compare the two - they live in very different worlds!

I picked up "The Arrival", a graphic novel by Shaun Tan about an immigrant's experience in a mystery country. No words whatsoever, so rather reminiscent of Raymond Whathisname who wrote "The Snowman" and "Ernest and Ethel". Good read and one that I enjoyed.

Now about to embark on "Brideshead Revisited" which I finally found in a second-hand bookshop. Haven't read it in a long time so looking forward to it and the discussion.

I've been reading lots of stuff this month, but nothing terribly worth wasting the energy to post on it. I have, however, stumbled upon an author and a book that I am enjoying so much I can't decide whether to do nothing but read, or savor and go slowly and ration out its slightly less than 200 pages.
My husband and I attend lectures at a nearby church. Most of the lectures are somewhat connected to our Catholic heritage,the lecturers are "prominent Catholic scholars, historians, ethicists and writers". The next person to speak is Thomaas Lynch, he's a poet and an undertaker. I'm reading his book The Undertaking - and it's magnificent. Death, morality, mores, ethics, family life and strife - all superimposed on his musings about being an undertaker. His language flows and is a pleasure to read. I may have just found a new author to read through all his books. Of course, this one is from the library...I have had to hide all the pencils in the house so that I can keep from making margin notes.

My reading this month (or, more accurately, this week,) has been all over the board. Just read The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. I really liked it, but saw the character Hanna as a metaphor for Germany from page one. Every time he got mad at Hanna, I kept thinking he was a rebelling youth, questioning his country and heritage. In a sense he was, but my early perspective took away some of the story.
ALso read Diary of a Wimpy Kid with my 8 year old. Great book for young and old alike. Written by an adult middle child, I am sure.
Jo

After finishing "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" I am having a difficult time settling in with a book that draws me into the plot and keeps me fascinated by the characters. Now, I am trying to read Knut Hamsun's "Growth of the Soil" for the 2nd time. (I had abandoned it earlier).It won a Nobel Prize in 1920, so I am hoping I find it a compelling read. I have liked the other, shorter works by Hamsun I've read.

STILL haven't finished Watchmen. I will, just to say I've read it. But oh, my, how totally overrated it is. It reminds me of some dreadful fifties over-earnest science-fiction films. It really, really, isn't very good.

Also nearly finished House of Cards by William D Cohan about the collapse of Bear Stearns. Fascinating stuff, if a little depressing at times. (I must say, the book I'm looking forward to is the one about Bernie Madoff. It hasn't been written yet, but it will be, I'm sure!)

In the background, I'm also reading A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court which I'm enjoying. However, I find I can't take too much in one go - it seems to be labouring its points a bit.

I am reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. It's a very good mystery thriller and it was with great reluctance that I put it down last night when I had got to sleepy to continue reading. I'm looking forward to finishing it tonight.

So, I've had the pleasure of getting in some reading time over the past week or so. I wish I had this kind of time regularly. I finished up The Cellist of Sarajevo, which I enjoyed, it was a pretty easy read. I read Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It was well written and not quite what I was expecting in a good way. I'm now just starting Paint it Black by Janet Fitch. It's starting well, but I'm only a couple chapters in.

After seeing another mention of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I saw it at the library and decided to give it another chance - after a rather slow first chapter (the corporation dealings put me off) it took off considerably and now I am sneaking off to read it whenever I can.

Also finishing up Brideshead for our discussion. I am fitting in Doctor Who videos in what is left of my spare time. Of course, no housework at all is being done, and the cupboard is bare. Oh well!

-Netla, my freind wanted me to say thanks for mentioning The Maltese Falcon. He is a big Bogart fan and was really interested in the book when I mentioned it to him (I try to get everyone I know to read more!). He wanted me to read it too, so I did. I thought it was pretty good, but not really my type of book. We both thought it was interesting when Sam Spade was talking about his previous detective jobs in the PNW. He mentioned Spokane (where we live) several times and also the Davenport Hotel (in the downtown area), which was refurbished a few years ago.

I also mentioned Georgette Heyer books to another freind (the one who likes cozy mysteries). She picked out a mystery and a romance called "Devil's Cub". She loved it and wanted me to read it, so I am. I only have a few pages left. I find it quite trite and slightly absurd. Could Heyer say "what the devil" any more? Seriously, it is on every page! We are having fun talking about it anyway.
CMK

Finished Larsson yesterday. Very good. I'm looking forward to read the sequel.

CMK, the good thing about Georgette Heyer is that although you might not like one of her novels, you very well could love the next one you read. Her historical novels range from very romantic and very silly to quite serious and hardly romantic at all (Cousin Kate for example). I haven't read Devil's Cub myself, but I have read These Old Shades which is about Vidal's parents. You may want to check that one out. I believe that An Infamous Army shares some of the same characters.

Netla, I loved The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo but thought the sequel (here called The Girl Who Played With Fire) was even better.

I am reading The Boat, a collection of short stories by a Vietnamese-Australian writer called Nam Le. The language is wonderful, but I wasn't too sure about the first story. I will report back later.

Finished (and loved) Brideshead Revisited and now looking forward to the discussion. Currently reading "Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates (bit of a downer book) and then also learning about dyslexia so reading about that. I volunteered to teach adults with dyslexia how to improve their reading skills, and think I need to know a lot more about their LD before I enter the arena.

It was been a long time since I stayed up into the wee hours to finish a book, but that is just what I did last night - Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is unputdownable. (Is that a word?)

Now back to Brideshead Revisited, which is certainly a study in contrast.

Oh, I love Heyer! My favorite romance of hers is the light-hearted Cotillion, but it is probably best appreciated after reading some of her other romances first. :)
Her mysteries are great too, imo.

I just discovered a new (to me) author -- Cecelia Holland. I picked up The High City at the library's new books shelf and enjoyed it very much. It is a historical novel set in Byzantine.

I finished Nella Last's War and liked it so much I've ordered the sequel, Nella Last's Peace.

I'm also finishing up Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin, which is just my sort of science book -- a fairly easy read about a fascinating topic by an author with a sense of humor.

The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith just arrived for me from the library today, so that will likely be next.

I just heard on the radio that our 'local' author Winifred Foley has died aged 94. I know many of you enjoyed her Child of the Forest which has now been reprinted as Full Hearts and Empty Bellies.
If you go to the site below you should be able to hear the interview on iPlayer with her made a few weeks ago. Press 'Listen Now' for today (Tuesday's) prog, or 'Listen Again' after Tuesday. The item is about 10 mins into the programme.
It is not easy to understand everything WF says as she is very old and deaf and has a 'Forest' accent but it's well-worth concentrating.
Listen out for the bit where she tells the story of receiving a 'doll' for Christmas made of an old black stocking with two odd button eyes. She is so disappointed with Father Christmas that she tells the family that "'im can take the bugger back."

Here is a link that might be useful: Winifred Foley Interview

Since Heyer is mentioned, I'll admit that she is very hit or miss with me. I think I prefer her more straight forward historicals to her romances. These Old Shades made me groan (and not in a good way). I did enjoy Simon the Coldheart as light historical adventure, though the old fashioned language might bother some. Also liked An Infamous Army in spite of a the romance which was a little annoying, but the sections about Wellington, and the battle of Waterloo itself were great. Gave me a much clearer picture of what an aide-de-camp actually does during a battle.

I think one of Heyer's most memorable books is her historical mystery Penhallow, though I found it very sad.

Vee -

So sorry to hear about ol' Winifred Foley passing on. Her other two books in the trilogy just arrived on my front step so am looking forward to reading those. Thanks for introducing me to her writing - I love it!