I finished Figures in Silk by Vanora Bennett. It was OK, but as a keen supporter of Richard III, I found the portrayal of him taking the crown a bit strange - it seemed like he did it one afternoon on a whim.

I have now started Gone With the Windsors which I remember was recommended here many moons ago, and am enjoying it very much.

I finished the Gurnesy Lietrary and Potato Peel Pie Society and although I did read the whole thing the format of letters was very unsatisfying. As though I had read reviews about a movie but never got to see the thing. Still I enjoyed learning about the island occupation and the book was sweet enough for me.

Next, King Rat. I had this come recently from paperbackswap- I can't say enough about pbs: a brand new modern edition - and while I have read it years ago I'm looking forward to rereading it.

I finished Mistress of the Art of Death, a very enjoyable not-quite-light read, and now am in happy possession of A Child In the Forest by Winifred Foley. A friend with a library card in another network was kind enough to check it out for me, so it will be read quickly. The edition is wonderful with little colored etchings on the title pages. I stayed up quite late (after working until 11 PM) reading the first few chapters. A lovely book, thanks for recommending it! I believe it was vee.

Reading what people have read-enjoyed-or not always reminds me how different our tastes are. I would never criticize anothers taste in reading and have been having a discussion about that very thing on another forum.

Mary glad you enoyed Testimony I thought it very good and timely!

I am currently reading The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet by James Ford. It is the fictional story of real life events seen through the eyes of a Chinese/American living in Seattle and the internment of his Japanese/American friend.
I have friends locally who even though they were 3rd generation Americans were rounded up with their families & interred for years around the country in camps...

Pat

Ok, this thread has me adding so many to my TBR list! I am about half way through The Forgotten Garden which I am really enjoying. At some point I did have to jot down names/relationships so I could piece it together, but attribute that to my declining memory. Thanks to whoever recommmended this one. wig

Merry, I can recommend Marlena de Blasi's A Thousand Days in Venice. She fell in love with a Venetian man and moved there to be with him, and she describes a side of the city tourists rarely see. And while I don't particularly care for Donna Leon's mysteries as such, they do provide great atmospheric descriptions of the city and life there.

As to Rome, I loved Cecil Roberts' And So To Rome, but it was written in the 1950's and so is mostly useful for the history and descriptions of visits to historically important buildings rather than to get a flavour of the modern city.

I'm still slogging through a re-read of Orwell's "1984". I suppose this one is timeless, in a sense....

Finished up "Difficult Daughters", the Indian novel which was interesting, but lengthy in places. It was a lot easier once I had the names all in the right places...

Then read Margaret Forster's "Over", a book about a family dealing with the accidental death of their daughter in a sailing accident and how it changes the dynamics of the family. Sounds depressing, but I found it very interesting in how the different characters approached the same event in very different ways and the end result. Read it in one day so no housework got done, but that's ok. :-)

Now onto "Ninety Degrees North: The Quest for the North Pole" by Fergus Fleming. He has a good sense of humor (including a little sarcasm) and it's an interesting story even for someone like me, who is only peripherally interested in the Arctic. Plus it's great to read when it's one hundred degrees outside. How these men survived when it was one hundred below and they had canvas shoes? Unbelievable. Good book though.

Also reading at the same time, "Dog is my Co-Pilot", an anthology of dog-related stories by various authors and edited by the editors of Bark magazine. I have read quite a few essays and have come across no stories that are ridiculously twee with regard to dogs - only genuine affection for their animals. I think Siobhan recommended this one and I found it in the thrift shop for $1 so couldn't resist. It's a good one to pick up and put down.

I also went to a writing conference the other day focused on "creative non-fiction" and realized that that was what I was already writing anyway so that was nice. I just didn't know what it was called. Bought a couple of books at the conference bookstore, one an anthology of the "best" creative non-fiction essays of the last ten years called "In Fact: the Best of Creative Non-Fiction" by Lee Gutkind (who is rather de facto leader of the movement) -- very interesting essays on a variety of topics. Also good way to learn from the masters and mistresses of the craft. So picking that up and putting it down every now and then.

(Creative non-fiction is also called "Narrative non-fiction" and includes such books as "Isaac's Storm", "Cod", "Salt" "Flower Confidential" etc...)

So you know....

Here is a link that might be useful: Lee Gutkind's website

My reading is all over the spectrum right now. I am reading Rhys Bowen's new one, Royal Flush - the third in the Lady Georgiana series. It is my light fun book at the moment.

Also reading:
America: The Last Best Hope, vol 1 by William J. Bennett. It is a great review of America's history and I am learning quite a bit and reviewing much that I have forgotten. Nicely written. Volume 2 is out and I will be using my Border's gift card to add it to my library.

Templars in America: from the Crusades to the New World by Tim Wallace-Murphy and Marilyn Hopkins (the authors of Rosslyn). This was a used book store find and it explores the possibility of the Knights Templar reaching America before Columbus. Intriging thought, fascinating read.

Neither of these two non-fiction books are the kind that I can just sit down and grab a few paragraphs here and there. I need more time to absorb their contents.

Martin, a short time ago, you mentioned a book about creationism and evolution. I've lost the title and author. Can you please re-type the info? Thanks.
PAM

Thanks for the rec Netla. I will definitely pick that one up. I seem to be able to find lots of books on Rome or Venice, but not much on Florence.

Lemonhead, I think your description of Difficult Daughter could apply to most of the Indian Lit I've read.

I'm still reading Death in Venice, but was side tracked by a very guilty pleasure that a friend left. Brisinger by Christopher Paolini which is the third book in the Inheritance cycle that starts with Eragon. I read the whole thing and then felt guilty because there are so many other things I should be doing.

PAM, the book Martin mentioned is Evolution - What the Fossils Say and Why it Matters by Donald R Prothero.

I just finished the new Ruth Reichl book, Not Becoming My Mother. It was very short, and was a lovely tribute to her mother who had real difficulties fitting into the expected and limited mid-century role of housewife and mother. Good stuff.

I have finished two books in the last week. I read more on vacation than any other time of the year. Could be the porch at the B&B that overlooks the Bay.
First, a dark and riveting epistolary novel We Need to Talk About Kevin by Shriver. It's written as letters from the mother of a HS boy who commits a Columbine type crime to his father, who is no longer present in her life. Scary...the intensity of the child throughout the novel. There were times I didn't want to move, much less stop reading. It was one of those books that casts a spell on the reader.
Today I finished Kingsolver's Bean Trees. I acknowledge that it has the potential for deep political and sociological messages. However, I enjoyed it for the story, I liked the spunk of the characters. And I always like books in which women help women, and find their strengths...and not always in non-traditional roles.

I am currently reading Cutting for Stone and am excited as it is a long book, and I absolutely love Verghese's writing style. I'm only about a third of the way but know this is going to be a good one! wig

I've very nearly finished Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, and I must say I am impressed. Not at all my thing, historical novels. But this was excellent. It's been well tipped for the Booker, but don't let that put you off!

The only downside is that it's the size of a large brick.

While glancing back through the threads (I was sure I'd seen a mention of Wolf Hall - yes, it was Astrokath, and I entirely agree with her!) I noticed a few people talking about The Sea by John Banville. I did of course read it, when it was still on the short-list. I thought it was exquisitely written - some of the descriptions were truly wonderful - but the story was boring and - finally - totally unbelievable. At the time, I thought the book might well win the Booker as it was a "literary" book - and it did. It pipped Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro, to my intense disappointment. (Mainly because I had a tenner on Never Let Me Go to win at 14/1. Oh well.)

I'm also reading to my wife and daughter (I read, they knit or sew - how very Victorian!) a book called I, Coriander by Sally Gardner, which is the story of a young girl in London during the Civil War. It's got a touch of the supernatural about it too. We're all enjoying it so far.

Since last posting about books I've read this month, I have finished:
Sadie when she died by Ed McBain - excellently written as always, but the story is more far-fetched than most I have read by him.
The Ghostway by Tony Hillerman. Very good mystery-thriller.
Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh. Hated the cheesy title, and was not too fond of the plot, which is that of a thriller rather than a mystery, but it was fun to revisit the characters of Alleyn and Troy after a long break.
Two Icelandic books, one a very loquacious travelogue by one of my more colourful cousins, illustrated by him (he was a painter), and the other a collection of poems by an Icelander who emigrated to Canada in the late 1800's.

I can't wait for Orwell's 1984 to end, so I can move on to something else. I must say, parts are redundant and I think he could have used a good editor. When I first read it at University, I thought it wonderful, but now, the torturous denoument seems to go on and on and on.

Just finished "Peace Like a River." It was good.

Just started "Follow the River" by Thom. Guess I like rivers this month!

Martin, glad to know someone else who has read and enjoyed Wolf Hall. I am just waiting for it to come out here so I can start hand selling it to customers!
I read Blind Eye, Stuart MacBride's latest and enjoyed it, and have moved on to Iain Pear's Stone's Fall, which I have to say has grabbed me early on.

Oh my, I am midway through Elizabeth Berg's Home Safe. I can't figure out if I want to put life aside until I finish it, or read it slowly and savor it.

I'm so relieved to have finished "1984." That is one I will definitely give away, as I am sure I will never read it again. Now, I am thinking about "Lark & Termite."

As soon as I finished Alan Brennert's wonderful Molokai, I bought his new one, Honolulu. No wonder five years elapsed between them. His research must take that long. I really liked both of the books. It appears he has only written one more, and it is science fiction, so I probably won't read it--but I may. He is a good writer.

Well, I've just finished Carlos Ruiz Zafon's latest, The Angel's Game and I'm not disappointed. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes convoluted plots, romance, some action, and a hefty dose of the occult. Basically, anyone who seems to like Gothic novels or romances should read the book. It's not as intricate as his previous work and the scope isn't as broad but it still delivers the goods.

I've also finished two of Nicholas Meyer's Sherlock Holmes books, The Canary Trainer and The West End Horror. They're both ok but I liked The Canary Trainer slightly more.

Oh, and I've also finished David Halberstam's The Coldest Winter. This was his last book before we was killed in a car accident back in 2007. And, I must say, this was a very engrossing and well-written and well researched book. Anyone who wants to have a one volume history of the Korean War would be hard pressed to find a better book.

I still think that some of the best history books I've read have been written by journalists. I just think journalists can become some of the best historians. Works by authors like Teddy White, David Halberstam, Bob Woodward, and, of course, William Shirer are some of the best written history books (IMHO). For some strange reason, these authors know how to write history as an engrossing STORY and not just as some dry, dessicated subject to be picked at and fought over by dusty and musty professors. (With all due apologies to the dusty and musty professors, of course! ;-) )

And with that, I must attend to my laundry and counting inventory -- my bookkeeper's been nagging me to get an accurate count of how many foil and epee blades I have in stock! Business is a demanding mistress and, unfortunately, her calls must be answered.

Dyno, thanks for the heads up about the new Zafon book. I will look for it. Re your inventory of foil and blades, my goodness, what line of business are you in? ;-)

I'm reading a couple of things at the moment, but a standout is Diana Athill's Somewhere Towards the End. She expresses herself so honestly and precisely; I find myself nodding in agreement and wishing I could sit down for a chat with her (although hopefully she would do all of the talking). Really wonderful memoir of a fascinating woman.

Hi woodnymph2,

Well, I have a small fencing supply outfit with a friend of mine. We sell sports fencing equipment -- fencing foils, epee blades, masks, fencing jackets, etc., etc. And I can tell you that doing inventory is .... ugh. I've been at it pretty much all day! But at least now we can actually keep track of inventory!

As for Zafon's book, I would highly recommend it if you like a nice read. And the interplay between the main character and the Isabella character is, I think, quite priceless. Let me know what you think of it after you've had a chance to read it!

By the way, summer's here. It's hotter than Hades here. And quite humid too!

Finished up a quick second read of "The Guernsey Lit and Pot Peel Society" book - enjoyed it the second time around, and now started a non-fiction called "Tell Me Where it Hurts" by Nick Trout - it's the "day in the life" type book of an animal surgeon. Fascinating so far....

Also working on finishing up the North Star explorer book, "Ninety Degrees North".....

Then, I think it will be Elizabeth Goudge's' Joy of Snow which I have heard so much about on RP. Looking forward to it.

Yesterday I finished An English murder by Cyril Hare. An excellent country house mystery, one of the best I have read.

Have started reading Aristocrats by Stella Tillyard. This is the true biography/history of four aristocratic sisters in 18th and 19th century England, gleaned from thousands of letters and family documents. I loved the mini-series when it was on TV, but have only now had the chance to read the book. I find it very good so far - I'm about 75 pages in.

Finished Wolf Hall - and I'd thoroughly recommend it.

Now started one of my Father's Day presents - Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks - "writing as Ian Fleming" it says on the cover. It's a James Bond story, and Faulks has deliberately tried to write in the Fleming style. I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

Well, another book caught my eye instead of the Goudge book -- "The Nightwatch" by Sarah Waters.... Enjoying it so far although I *really* need to start reading some of the books i actually own instead of going to my crack den - I mean the library...

Thank you whoever recommended The Last Child by Hart. I can't put it down!

I cannot believe I have finally worked up the nerve to join in after hovering for years and taking many RPers'
recommendations to heart (that would be another thread) but here goes!

This month I am reading "The Dead Hour" by Denise Mina. The second in a series which began with "The Field of Blood". The type of book you lose yourself in - it is very well-written but dark. She is a Scottish mystery writer - part of the genre I have heard referred to as "tartan noir" (which I thought was a cute turn of phrase!).

I am also reading "The Plantagenet Prelude" by Jean Plaidy, an historical fiction focusing on Eleanor of Aquitaine. Apparently Plaidy was highly regarded and so far I feel like I am getting a history lesson (although one bosom HAS heaved so far). Her books are out of print here, but I got this one from the library. I have a ton of Sharon Kay Penman's in my TBR pile (an author I first heard about here) but cannot resist the library and, as I like to say, my eyes are bigger than my brain when it comes to books - I keep adding to my TBR pile / list, something I gather I share with everyone here!

Finally, I just received my just-released-in-paperback copy of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and am VERY excited.

Very glad to be joining you all :c)

WELCOME stoneangel. Glad to have you here with us.

I FINALLY have the time to sit down and get into Elizabeth Ironside's Death in the Garden. I am glued to the book. It is due back to the library (ILL book, no renewals) in three days so I need to get it finished in time.

I never heard of Denise Mina but I'll be at the library tomorrow and shall take a peek in the mystery section. Thanks for mentioning her.

PAM

A mixed bag of books during the last couple of weeks.
Next of Kin by Joanna Trollope. Although meant to be the Queen of the 'Aga Saga' and therefore dismissed by the critics, I find she deals with everyday emotions (losing a partner, the fears and distresses of childhood, teenage rebellion etc) with clear sensitivity . . . although I do have a friend who refuses to read her work since finding a 'misplaced pronoun' . . . but I can live with that.

Hangman Blind by Cassandra Clark came recommended by all the newspapers. I found it to be over-hyped, the story too complicated and the situations 'contrived'. It went back to the library unfinished.

Arthur and George by Julian Barnes. Think 'The Suspicions of Mr Whicher', but much better.
An excellent telling of the true story of the case of a wrongly convicted young man and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's attempt to see justice done. It is told in the elegant prose of Victorian/Edwardian England and cannot be hurried. Not for those wanting a quick 'whodunnit' and being real life there are no neat conclusions.

I enjoyed Arthur and George very much, too.

Just finished Devil May Care. A terrific page-turner, but not great literature. But hey! who said it had to be? A bit of an obvious "twist" which I saw coming from about page 20 - but still....

Now started, finally, The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I've been waiting for my signed edition to arrive, and now that it has, I find it's a numbered limited edition. So (>blush

Welcome Stoneangel! Watch that TBR pile, it will grow to epic proportions if you hang out here for any length of time. I just picked up a copy of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as well, and hope to get to it very soon.

However, the newest Stephanie Plum, Finger Lickin' Fifteen, just arrived from the library, so that will be first. I'm almost afraid to start it -- I want it to be as good as her earlier books, and I'm dreading that it won't be. I'm taking it up to NH with me this weekend, so we shall see.

Netla, I just picked up a copy of An English Murder and I'm looking forward to starting it. Thanks for the recommendation, it looks like something I'll like.

Vee, I like Joanna Trollope very much, and enjoyed Next of Kin. I think I have a book or two of hers still in my TBR pile ... I'll have to look. She has a way with details and observations of family life that I really like.

Finished Aristocrats, which I enjoyed, but it got a little confusing towards the end when the author was keeping track of three generations at once.

I'm now debating which book to read next. I'm dithering between Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and The Shadow of the Wind, but I really feel like reading something short.

I read two mysteries this week that were not worth mentioning (!) authors that I heard about but I was not impressed-each to their own!

I read Takedown by Brad Thor a very fast paced thriller, I am still working my way through his series, have 3 more to go.

Just finished TallGrass by Sandra Dallas and enjoyed it as a good change of pace.

Next up is Shatter by Michael Robotham-just a soon a I pick it up from the library today.

Pat

Yesterday I finished Death in the Garden by Elizabeth Ironside. It was a very good mystery but I confess that I had some difficulty keeping the characters straight in the beginning. It all clicked eventually! It was a rather complex mystery in that it told parts of the story from different character's perspectives. Each of these perspectives offered insights which added to the depth of the story. Nicely done.

Now I am reading Chocolat. I've never seen the movie nor read the book. I snatched it from the library on a whim. I am only on page 30 or so, but I am captivated at this point.

There is one book that I cannot get out of my mind. A few months ago I read The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch. To say that it stuck with me is an understatement. It was a fantastic book. Does anyone have any recommendations for books similar to this one? It may be a tall order, but I have to ask. I may just have to re-read The Sea, The Sea.

PAM

I finished the new Stephanie Plum, Finger Lickin' Fifteen last night.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

On one hand, it was MUCH better than the 14th book (which was such a disappointment I can't remember the title)-- better story, lots of Ranger, Lula and Grandma Mazur a bit more contained -- but on the other hand, Stephanie is still stuck in Evanovich's tired formula. Like many others here, I'm more than ready to see Stephanie make some changes, to grow up, or at least get better at her job. In this book she mentions she's a mess a few times, so maybe there's hope for change in the next book.

This installment was good enough so I'll read the next one, but I still think Stephanie deserves more. Considering these books are pretty much summer reading fluff, I'm still pretty darn attached to the characters! :)

netla - dithering between Jonathan Strange and Shadow of the Wind? That's like finding your two all-time favourite desserts on the sweet trolley....boy, have you got a couple of treats to come. If you want a short book, read SOTW - it's not that short, but you'll whisk through it.

Which is what I'm doing with The Angel's Game by Zafon. It's a marvellous yarn, possibly even better than Shadow of the Wind (but I'm re-reading SOTW next, to remind myself of it).

Instead of choosing between Jonathan Strange and Shadow of the Wind, I ended up reading The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov. Definitely my favourite book out of this year's reading so far - a keeper that can be read over and over without one getting tired of it. If JS and SOTW are desserts, this is prime steak with all the trimmings.

A belated welcome to stoneangel! Glad to have you!

Pam, have you tried another Murdoch? Although I believe The Sea, The Sea is generally considered to be her masterpiece. Possibly The Black Prince, although it is hard to pick up a book with preconceived notions.

In addition to Pride and Prejudice I am reading some local interest guides in honor of summer - two I particularly like are Weird New England and Weird Massachusetts by Joseph Citro. Probably not too interesting to anyone outside of this area. There is certainly a lot of weirdness here, though.

Yesterday I finished Turtle Feet: the making and unmaking of a Buddhist Monk by Nikolai Grozni. I started it in May and it just sat there staring at me while I dove into a bunch of mysteries. Yesterday, I decided that enough was enough, and, having a bit of time on my hands, sat down and finished it up.

From the flyleaf: "In his early twenties, Nikolai Grozni, a celebrated Bulgarian music prodigy studying jazz piano at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, was struck by a malaise - some form of spiritual ennui - that suddenly robbed him of his passion for music and of any direction in life. He turned to meditation and Buddhism for answers, and eventually traveled to the Dalai Lama's university in Dharamsala India, where he quickly became fluent in Tibetan and took the robes of a Buddhist monk."

It was an interesting book - not fascinating - but interesting. I think it would have meant more to me had I ever felt the way that Grozni felt.

Now I can give my full attention to Chocolat... except that I am headed to the library in two minutes to look for the Iris Murdoch that Siobhan so kindly suggested, and Arthur and George that everyone has been discussing, and to put in an ILL for an English Murder.

Have a super day everyone! The weather here is superb.
PAM

I love Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.
I have not heard of Shadow of the Wind before -- I'll have to put it on my TBR list.

PAM, you asked about Iris Murdoch. Quite by chance I have just heard a BBC Radio 4 programme about her using much archive material. What a very clever but difficult to understand woman she was.
Go to the site below and click the 'Listen Again' button. It will only be on for 5 days from today (Monday 29th.)

I couldn't get on with Jonathan Strange . . . at all. Found it much too long and that sort of 'story' doesn't appeal to me!

Here is a link that might be useful: Iris Murdoch.

Btw, I saw that film mentioned in veer's link, Iris, and it's great film that is really more about Iris battle with Alzheimer's than about Iris Murdoch, author. I've never read any of her books but browsing, just now, I think A Severed Head sounds interesting. I'll have to give it a try.

If you like Iris Murdoch (and not everyone does!) I would recommend The Bell.

Finished "The Nightwatch" by Sarah Waters - good read once I got the characters sorted out. I think it was hindered by the fact that I had to keep putting it down and picking it up so it was difficult to keep the characters straight.

Now reading Elizabeth Goudge's "Joy of Snow" which is a nice gentle book, combined with a book called "The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women" by Gail McMeekin which has interviews with 45 women all from different creative fields ranging from authors, chefs, actors, artists, business people etc. It veers into new age a bit too much every now and then, but I find it is helpful to kickstart my own creativity for my own projects.

Thank you for the welcomes!

I'm still reading the two books I mentioned before, after having to put them aside for some overtime work that came my way. Made an impulse purchase of Julia Child's "My Life in France" after enjoying a quick skim through it in the bookstore (it was ghostwritten by her nephew; I think with the use of recorded interviews he did with her).

And now, after reviewing "Joy of the Snow" on Amazon, I think I've added Elizabeth Goudge books to my TBR list. Thanks, lemonhead101! Interestingly, I also looked at some of the reviews of her other books (e.g. Green Dolphin Street) and many readers have put the books down in frustration due to too many typos in the new editions!

Just finished Stargazer by Claudia Gray, sequel to Evernight.
It's a YA series about a vampire academy. The first book has a very neat twist. The sequel manages to surprise and raise the stakes. I'm looking forward to the third book.
It's a very good story (I say this as a someone who could not get past the first few pages of Twilight). If you like YA, coming-of-age stories, and gothics, I highly recommend it.