I am really liking "Stoner" by John Williams, an author I'd not read. This work, written in 1965, about an earlier era, reminds me of a cross between Lewis' "Main Street" and McEwan's "On Chesil Beach". It's about the challenges in the life of a midwestern farmer's son turned college professor, set in the early part of the 20th century. Williams really captures the feel of the lonely,arid mid-west, IMO.

Victorian Scotland. Specifically, Edinburgh.

rosefolly-go ahead and skip the second book by Sarah Addison Allen (Garden Spells) the title slips my mind but whereas Garden was quite enchanting her second book was a major disappointment.
Frances-did you finish E. Sawtelle yet? I read the review in the Washington Post and was quite interested.
I've been reading a lot but nothing to write about-I need a novel to reach out and grab me right now!

I have a friend who read E. Sawtelle and said it was the saddest book she'd ever read. Not for me!

I've just finished "The Senator's Wife" by Sue Miller -- good. "Song Without Words" by Ann Packer -- better. And tried to read "Swim to Me" but could not get into it. Next will be "Master and Commander". DH has seen the movie about 4 times and loved it, so I thought I'd try the book.

I've seen so many people here who loved "In This House of Brede" and it's the only Rumer Godden book I didn't like. I especially liked "Greengage Summer" and "China Court" but thought the flashbacks in Brede were more than I could handle. I guess sadness is something I try to avoid. I never liked Bambi either!

Pam-

read the "frustrated" posts, I got a lot of good recommendations for something that might "grab" you.

I was cleaning out my car this morning and found a book under the seat - turns out I bought this at the used store and it must have slipped out of the bag, unnoticed. I started reading it and haven't been able to put it down. All the Right Places is about the author's travels through Japan, China and Russia in the mid 80s. You'd think this would be dated, but its not. Excellent travel narrative. Think maybe I should clean my car more often....

Here is a link that might be useful: All the Right Places by Brad Newsham

Pam, thanks for the warning. I picked it up at a bookstore just yesterday then put it back down as a distraction from my true errand. I was going to look for it at the library but perhaps I'll skip doing that.

Why am I so disappointed when a writer has only one truly good book? Most of us do not have even that much in us. Yet time and again I am ungrateful when a second book does not live up to the first. Shame on me. I will work on being grateful for the good book, and forgiving of the others.

My true errand was a collection of travel guides for houseguests. Rouan (along with two other siblings) is coming to visit me! I'm so thrilled. We will visit gardens and talk books. I can hardly wait.

Rosefolly

Yesterday I finished Still Life by Louise Penny, a new-to-me mystery writer, and have now started A Fatal Grace, the second by her.

They are set in a village in Quebec with a Chief Inspector being called in to investigate murder. How many do you think there can be in one small village?

carolyn-that series was recommended to me as well-if you are reading the second, I'm guessing you liked the first?

I will finish the first Faro mystery, but don't know that I will read any more-her style is too flowery and convoluted: look at this sentence:
"A daunting prospect, for he would not be welcome, but he was certain that she had the strength, needed in her calling, not to shrink from what she considered her duty, no matter how distressing the task-and even if it meant visiting the mortuary and identifying the corpse as that of Miss Burnleigh." Exhausting.

Hi guys - I am new too, and love to read your "lists".

Was sorry to hear that the latest Stephanie Plum book
is a "snooze". She entertains me, when I am down.

Also - for the Dick Francis reader - who remarked on
his writing career of 50 years-- his son is and has,
been writing with him for awhile now.

Thanks for letting me "read".

Rosefolly, I read the new Sarah Addison Allen The Sugar Queen and liked it a lot. I'd say it's at least worth borrowing from the library. This one is not as magical as the first one, but I still thought it was good. Just my two cents :)

I'm well into an old Beverley Nichols murder mystery, The Moonflower and enjoying it. He writes his mysteries a bit like his home and garden books, with asides to the reader here and there which I find charming. I'm not much of mystery reader but I've enjoyed his books just because I can see him coming through the story.

My omnibus version of the Mrs. Gaskell novels has finally arrived and I'm looking forward to reading Mr Harrison's Confessions and My Lady Ludlow before viewing the Cranford DVD. I know some people have been looking for the three stories together - the Amazon link is below.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Cranford Chronicles

Cece, yes, I am liking the second Penny book as well as the first. I have the third one standing by. I ordered them from the library and so got them all at once.

The cover says she quit her day job to stay home and learn to write. Still Life won the Arthur Ellis Award from the Crime Writers of Canada and the New Blood Dagger from the British Crime Writers Association as well as some recognition in the U.S.

Nora-I think all of Rumer Godden's books have some pathos in them-have you read The Kitchen Madonna or An Episode of Sparrows? I think I find In This House of Brede to be such a strong book because of the characters' reactions to sadness and loss-overall, it is a positive and luminous book. (I do cry every time I read it-even though I know the story backwards-but that is a testament to her wordcraft.)

I'm reading The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman. Don't know how I managed to get this far in life without reading any Tuchman, so this is a welcome introduction to her work. I like the pacing and her writing style in this one. She has a way bringing life to the vast array of historical figures.

Welcome Molly! The more readers posting here, the more interesting the forum will be.

I finished The Pesthouse and thought it was very good. It seemed to take a long time to read it because there was little dialogue to speed things along. Anyway, for a lighter read I am following Cindy's advice and started Terry Pratchett's Soul Music. I was very happy to see the Death of Rats again. For some reason he cracks me up. SQUEAK!

georgia_peach --

Congratulations on discovering Barbara Tuchman! She DOES have a way of bringing historical figures to life. I kind of envy you -- I still remember when I discovered her years ago and my joy at finding history books that were accessible. (And books that were simply a treat to read.)

She's covered topics from the Middle Ages, World War I, US involvement in Asia in World War II, and a whole host of other topics. Don't forget to check out her book March of Folly.

Hi Molly-welcome-I'm new too.

Just finished "Out" by Natsuo Kirino-winner of Japan's mystery award a couple of years ago. Gory crime novel but could not put it down. Fascinating glimpse of down and out factory workers/housewives in Japan who cover up a murder.

I checked out from the library "The Friday Night Knitting Club" by Kate Jacobs, "The Plague of Doves" by Louise Erdrich and "Milk" by Darcey Steinke.

March of Folly is excellent and should be read by any leader thinking about leading a country to war. Guns of August started me on a long run of WWI books. She also has one about the 14th century in Europe called Distant Mirror.

Now reading Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen by Larry McMurty. I don't care for his westerns, but this memoir of pioneer and ranch life is really a gem.

Dorie, enjoy!

Finished "Beautiful Boy" by David Sheff about a father dealing with his son's meth addiction (non-fiction). The author did a great job describing what it's like to be a parent of a meth-addicted young son and the different stages you have to go through just to survive and live your life while they live theirs.

Now reading "The Good Husband of Zebra Drive" which is a nice change and gentle reading. I do like this series.

Next, I have to read some literary journals to see if they are possible matches for my short stories. Trying to get published is tough unless you know someone.

I just started the Widow's War based on many positive recommendations from here and friends. Then as soon as The Book Thief arrives I will start that.

lemonhead-They just had a piece in the L.A. Times about "Beautiful Boy". Paramount Pictures on behalf of Plan B Entertainment (Brad Pitt's Production Company) options "Beautiful Boy" by David Sheff and "Tweak: Growing up on Methamphetamines" by his son, Nic Sheff about the family's strugle with the boy's addiction. The 2 books are being made into one movie. I just ordered "Beautiful Boy" from the library.

deborah47-I hope you will love "The Book Thief" as much as I did.

I just finished The Hunt for Sonya Duffrette by R. T. Raichev. I liked this first mystery-the narrator is consistent and a bit self-deprecating-the writer, a man, writes a very convincing female viewpoint-but there is a dearth of "my feelings" and "my emotional responses" that I welcomed. Too much of self-analysis or navel-gazing in a first person narrator and out the window the book goes.
The reader is lead up the garden path several times, but as we are right behind our heroine, who is just as confused, it is less like author trickery and more because the reader is seeing only the clues as she does, and having only her interpretation-an honest way to tell a story if done consistently. I will certainly search out the other two books in this series.

I started Skeletons at the Feast yesterday. I am enjoying the character development and can tell it will be a haunting book. Has anyone else read this yet?

Now reading The Unravelling by Eliz Graver which I am liking so far. Lovely language, but not so out there that it slows the reading.

Finished Kurt Vonneguts last book; I thought his letters to his parents when he was a POW were incredible. But the stories were really grim and depressing. Yeah, thats Vonnegut, but usually theres a little glimmer of hope in his books.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Unravelling

I whipped right through a Gayle Tsukiyama book, Dreaming Water. I usually enjoy her books and this was no exception. A short book, it explores the relationships between a mother, her daughter with Werner's syndrome which causes premature rapid aging, and the daughter's childhood best friend home to visit with her own tween daughters in tow. It started out slowly, managed to tap into my own emotions (easy to do, I admit) and was quite good despite the lack of action.

Isn't someone here a booster of Motherless Brooklyn? I just started it and am being drawn into it, despite the Tourette's bit. I have family members with it, and some of the other "co-morbid" disorders, and can find it a topic which hits too close to home.

wigardener-I liked Skeletons very much and am a fan of Bohjalian in general.

carolyn-picked up Still Life at the library today. Looking forward to it.

Cece, I hope you enjoy the Penny books. I have read all three of them back to back and feel as if I've moved to Three Pines and the characters are my new best friends. Plus, they are constantly eating and drinking cafe au lait, which really makes me want to be there!

I got an e-mail from the library today saying that Cranford is in for me to pick up. That should be a contrast.

Bookmom, I was one who loved Motherless Brooklyn. The mystery was certainly secondary to the character development of Lionel Essrog. However, I've never known or even met (to my knowledge) anyone with Tourette syndrome, so I wasn't bothered by the portrayal. I'll be interested to hear what you think of it.

I've been out of town for the past nine days with my iPhone providing my only Internet access so I couldn't easily post messages.

I did finish The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and agree with norar_il's friend that it was sad, almost excessively sad in places, the kind of book that I usually avoid like the plague. It was so well written and I couldn't stop reading even when I saw where it was going but I can't really recommend it because even after a week I'm still thinking about how sad it was. I can't even bring myself to read anything other than gardening books and magazines right now. It really is an excellent book, though.

wigardener and pam - I just finished Sketletons. Now I can't seem to settle into any other book - it was that good. It was a good read that kept my attention - until the end - when it grabbed me completely. I couldn't put it down for the last third.

Bohjalian is one of my top authors. Maybe I'll go back to one of the 2 of his books that I couldn't get into, and see if they appeal now. I also noticed a couple of earlier ones I hadn't heard of before.

carolyn-I loved it. Stayed up so late reading that I had to go back this morning and reread-know how when you are almost asleep you THINK you are reading but you don't take it in? And then stayed in bed this morning (I love summer) to finish it, sacrificing my trip to the gym. Oh well.
I have the second one-but do I leap right in, or do I space them out, since there are only three of them? Gobble, or savor?

carolyn, do let us know what you think of "Cranford." (I've not yet opened up my copy).

>The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

I have heard this book being raved about on another site, so I am so tempted to try it; its not the type of book that I'd normally pick up. Well, maybe I'll just take a peek....

Cece, life's short; eat dessert first.

I will post on Cranford.

No, can't-grad work calls and I need to be reading a book that I can put down without having it cut from my hands! So I decided to read Anne Edwards' novel Wallis. It's good, but not all-embracing. When I have this week's assignments completed (I'm a third of the way finished) I will drop back in on Three Pines.

Bookmom - I, too, am a Motherless Brooklyn fan. In fact, Lionel is one of my favorite fictional characters. This book even stood up to a second reading, which many books don't for me. To me, this book was funny and touching at the same time. It also made me hungry. :)

Hope you enjoy it.

I have two books I'm currently reading: Bad Monkeys -- I LOVE the title. I had this on hold at the library, but my sister came into town and had a new copy, which she passed on to me.

The other book is called Perfect Circle by Sean Stewart, which has an intriguing premise.

Sarah, I liked Perfect Circle. I think I could relate to the underachiever syndrome a little too much!

For a respected biographer, Anne Edwards is playing fast and loose with some historical aspects of this story-which makes me a little nuts-but we'll soldier on and finish.
On a side note, I got the book through bookmooch and it is pretty smoky-pipe, I think-so I can only stand to read it at any length if I am outside. It just stopped raining, so I may go back out and read some more!

Well, it isn't July yet.... Just finished my first Carol Goodman novel: "The Sonnet Lover." I found it a real page turner, and I learned some details about Renaissance Florence I did not know. I consider this a well-researched historical mystery/adventure tale: Female college professor goes to a Tuscan villa where Shakespeare may have met and trysted with his Dark Lady, a Renaissance poet. Along the way, there are a couple of murders and one attempted killing, all to do with who will inherit the Villa. The plot is complicated, but the author managed to tie up all the loose ends so well, IMHO, that I will look for Goodman's other books. Has anyone else here read her work?

veronicae, I just finished Skeletons at the Feast last night. Wonderful book - I too really enjoyed it. I had liked, but not loved Midwives so wasn't sure what to expect. I'll have to look at some of his other books. wig

Just finished Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Walters. An interesting look at life in the musical halls of Victorian London and the growth of the budding Labour Party, but possibly not to everyone's taste as our heroine and her little friends are all lesbians. All the sexual goings on where somewhat overdone and by the end I felt everyone needed cooling down with a bucket of cold water.

Now on to The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing. A story set in colonial Southern Rhodesia, a system of which Lessing disapproved, but judging by the terrible suffering in modern-day Zimbabwe it makes that regime seem quite benign.

Finished Wallis and ended up feeling very disgruntled-artistic license is all very well in fiction-but in historic fiction, it needs to be reined in. Create the words to a conversation that was private-yes. Imagine the details of a meal, a wardrobe, a party-okay. But in this book, too many well-documented events were tweaked or jiggled or just flat out rearranged to let me enjoy the story as a story-I have to stop reading historic fiction when it is a period of history I know. Too too annoying. Edwards should know better.

cece have you read The Darkness of Wallis Simpson by Rose Tremain?
I haven't been able to get a copy from the library yet, but it is the title piece from one of a collection of her short stories.
RT is an excellent writer and BTW has just won The Orange Prize for her The Road Home.

I am eagerly awaiting a copy of Road Home when it comes out here in August!

I have Tipping the Velvet and haven't gotten to it yet. I loved Fingersmith; the twists and turns were a rollercoaster ride. Didn't care for the latest one.

Now reading Patriot Hearts by Barbara Hambly and already frustrated. She has the characters speak in that fake Puritan dialect 'doth hath thee' stuff. Not only do I doubt they were talking like that by 1814, but I hate it when authors put dialect in books. Its not necessary to me. Some authors can pull it off like Mark Twain, and the dialect in stories like The Brer Rabbit is essential to the tale. But otherswise it just gets in the way of my reading. Urg.

Vee-no, I haven't-although I know the premise. Her lawyer is/was a creepy obsessive, wasn't/isn't she?.

Sarah and Doriann, I finished Motherless Brooklyn. It falls into the category of "A good book which I did not greatly enjoy." I always think of this style as hard-boiled, sort of a 40's detective genre. The book was well-written and interesting and I would recommend it--and I will. I still think the Tourette's part made it more difficult for me, heartbreakingly so.

As far as never knowing someone with Tourette's... well, maybe you have. Lionel's symptoms were extreme and quite rare, fortunately for most Tourette's folks. Too, while the age of onset is usually in the pre-teen years, the syndrome can go into remission or become mild as one gets older. Sorry for if this is sounding like a public service announcement but I sometimes can't resist, especially as whenever this is portrayed on the (stupid) television, it is always in the extreme.

Here is a link that might be useful: What is Tourette's?

This weekend I finished my Beverley Nichols mystery, The Moonflower. It was entertaining and clever, very dated, and very much him, but was not anything I'd recommend to a "real" mystery reader.

I also finished the first part of my Mrs. Gaskell omnibus, Mr Harrison's Confessions, which was absolutely delightful. I can't wait to see it brought to life on the DVD. I'm now about half way through My Lady Ludlow.

Still disgruntled about Wallis, so am rereading Wallis and Edward, Letters 1931-1937 when I'm not working on my course work. Kids are right-homework just interferes with life.

Sheriz6, I have finished Cranford but have not yet got any of her other books. I just loved this one and plan to look for the others through Inter-Library Loan--just as soon as I figure out how to do it.

Maybe we can start a thread on Mrs. Gaskill in a few weeks.