I went through a phase several years ago reading most of the Atwood books, in fact I think we did a discussion here about some of them. I remember enjoying them at the time, but the plots haven't stayed with me, so maybe I will reread them some day.

I never jumped on the bandwagon for the "#1 Detective Agency" books, not sure why, but sometimes the hype on books & series never quite meets ones expectations.

I have read all the Linda Fairstein books and enjoyed them, I like the repartee between the 3 main characters - and I am a big Jeopardy fan.

I have once again set aside Lisey's Story by King, the library had the newest Baldacci book for me-The Collectors which is supposed to be another story about the 'Camel Club' so far I am underwhelmed...the plot seems spotty, but hopefully all the threads will be joined together and make sense LOL!

Pat

Been busy reading and so far have read the following in December"

Remember Me: A Lively Tour of the New American Wave of Death - Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. Quite an interesting read about how Americans are starting to be more creative about their funerals and the funerals of their loved ones...

The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards. So-so. The story itself was good, but the ending was disappointing.

The Penguin Book of Modern Women's Short Stories - ed. Susan Hill. Not usually a big fan of short stories but some of these were great and I really enjoyed them. It was a good variety of authors and their stories so you never knew what you were getting next in line.

Family Ties that Bind and Gag - Erma Bombeck. Funny fluff.

A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon. (He who wrote "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time") Really good book - best book I have read in a while and totally enjoyed it. Highly recommend it.

Seasons on Harris: A Year in Scotland's Outer Hebrides - David Yeadon. A gentle book about a couple's year-long stay on the island of Harris in the middle of the Outer Hebrides. Lots about crofting, Harris tweed and the ongoing fate of the little communities of the islands. Fascinating and well written.

Now on the book club selection: How to Write an American Quilt by Whitney Otto. Good so far and a total change from the Outer Hebrides!!

liz

I loved How to Make an American Quilt; read it a couple of times. Reminded me a bit of Green Fried Tomatoes, some of the same stories and characters, but quite different in other ways. I didn't care for her other books, this one tho is one I recommend often.

Erma Bombeck was a local celebrity here - she had a home in the Phx area (Paradise Valley) and often gave talks at bookstores. I was reading her since I was a kid, and have always loved her books.

I am about half way through Kate Atkinson's collection of stories Not the End of the World. I am not a big fan of short stories, but there are some authors that can write them so I am not feeling that something is missing when I finish one. Atkinson is one of these authors. I love her characters, and her style of writing.

Echo Maker is next up, tho I might wait till school is out next week so I can give it my undivided attention.

Cindy, I liked American Quilt too but not any of her others.I loved Behind the Scenes At the Museum but not any others by Kate Atkinson.
Have always loved Erma Bombeck.

gbg, currently reading 4!!!!! books. Oh how did this happen???

I'm presently staying at a friend's house and there are books galore. I'm delving into Berg's Biography of Charles Lindbergh. However, speaking of short stories, I've noticed "Runaway" by Alice Munro on the book shelf. I've heard a lot about this author, yet never read her work. Any readers here want to comment on Munro?

Mary, I am a great admirer of Munro's work. In the UK she is generally considered to be one of the best short story writers of the present day. She writes about 'everyday life' in Canada using 'ordinary' believable characters.
One of her stories I read years ago and although I cannot remember the name the theme and her description has stayed with me. . . a hot Saturday afternoon outside a small family store somewhere in the outer reaches of Ontario.
I must order from the library her latest work The View from Castle Rock which mixes the true story of her ancestors arrival in Canada with some 'fiction'.

I just finished Carl Hiaasen's newest, Nature Girl and it was good, not great. It was clever and full of all the usual Florida lunatics he writes so well, but it was also somehow a little bit flat. Skinny Dip was definitely better.

I finished The Collectors, the latest David Baldacci yesterday. It started out slowly, the middle was quite good, then the ending-well the ending was like he decided he had gone on too long and so he wrapped it up with as few words as possible!

Oh but he did leave the reader sure that there is another book coming which will continue the tale of one of the major characters whose future was left up in the air.

Pat

Just started Echo Maker. Im liking it, tho could do with less crane descriptions...But since I am familar with his writing, I know I can skim much of it and get to the point.

I've just had my first exposure to Alice Munro, who writes short stories. This is not usually my favored genre, but I must admit that I am a convert. I just set aside "Runaway", having liked all but one of her tales. Her characters seem so real, and their situations so vivid, and the descriptions of small town Canadian life were fascinating. If you like fine writing, I highly recommend Munro, who is now well up into her seventies.

Cindy, I'm about halfway through The Echo Maker. I thought it started very, very slowly, but it's drawn me in now.

Have been skimming books and not settling until I decided what I wanted was pure escapism, so I picked up "Alias, Infiltration" a prequel book to the TV series. I cannot believe I am reading and enjoying it but I am. Not my usual. I don't watch the TV series because I would have to tape it because of my job and I only tape "Lost" to which I am addicted.

gbg

gbg-have you every ck'd out the Circle Theatre here?(other forums at top) we discuss movies, actors & LOST!

Pat

Pat, yes been there but haven't visited in a while. Will though.

gbg

After Robert Harris' gripping Imperium, his first of a planned trilogy of Cicero's life, I read a thoroughly enjoying biography of Cicero by Anthony Everitt, who is a wonderful vulgariser of history. I am now about to start his newly published biography of Augustus.

In between I read a few YA by Diana Wynne Jones. Am I the only one who loves her here?

I got to the half way point of Echo Maker, and just had to quit. I was forcing myself to read more, hoping that once the Doctor started, things would be more interesting. They aren't. I find myself not really caring about these characters. Pity, because I loved Time of our Singing, from the first page.

So I am back to Best American Travel Stories.

I'm still hanging in there, Cindy. I'm almost 3/4 through, and I am bound and determined that I will finish it, for better or for worse. I'll admit that I may start skimming, which I normally don't do. There had better be a good payoff at the end. If there's not, this will be one more book about which I shall rant, "And this won the ____ award?!"

It might have been one of those awards given for the total amount of work from one author, rather then just this book. I loved Time of Our Singing, and still praise it to death to anyone who I can get to listen. So this one is just a real disappointment.

venusia,

You're not the only one who likes Diana Wynne Jones. I've read and enjoyed several of her books. I know there're others here who also like her, although the names are eluding me at this point.

Finished Robert Weiner's Live From Baghdad. It's the story of the CNN team that reported live from Baghdad during the first Gulf War. Weiner was the producer that helped establish the CNN Baghdad bureau.

It was a good, quick read. I didn't realize it but this coming January's the 16th (if I'm counting right) anniversary of those events. It's a fascinating look into the world of 24 hour network news. Well, actually, it's a fascinating look at 24 hour network news when news and not "edutainment" ruled CNN and the other news networks.

Now, since I'm STILL not done with that book on the French Revolution, I'm deciding to drop that for a bit and start on volume 1 of Stephen Ambrose's biography of Nixon. Anyone read it yet? Any feedback before I plunge into it?

I finished The Glass Blowers by Dauphne du Maurier. Its the story of a family during the French Revolution. While I know the basic history, there was much that I did not know, and learned here. I think the storyline itself was not very strong - this is really more of a history than a historical fiction - but well worth the read.

I'm reading a fascinating piece of almost local history Dying for Glory by Michael Boyes about the lives of the 5 Le Marchant brothers, the sons of the vicar of the Cotswold parish of Little Rissington. As there was no money to spare for their education they had to make their way in military and navel service and the accounts of their adventures throughout the time when the British Empire was at its height are most interestiing.
I have ordered A Victorian Rector and Nine Old Maids which details the lives of the boys sisters ALL of whom remained unwed and bossy.

I must admit that I cannot ever remember having read a 'whodunnit' by Agatha Christie, but picked up her Come Tell Me How You Live and found it quite charming.
Written in 1946, about a couple of archeological digs carried out by a team led by her husband Max Mallowan in Syria/Turkey in the late '30's.
Agatha went with him and kept notes on the day-to-day happenings of the group. The difficulty of travel, the food, the climate, the local customs and the many troubles they had with servants and workers in an area still almost untouched by the 'modern' world.
You can feel the fondness Agatha and Max had for each other despite the stiff upper lip "Pull yourself together, Old Thing, we'll soon have this truck out of the sand hill, and once Mustaffa has got that pile of dried camel-dung alight he can make you a nice cup of tea."
Highly recommended.

I've finally gotten to the new Bill Bryson, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid and it's as fun, entertaining, and thoroughly Bryson-ish as I'd hoped it would be. I received a pile of books for Christmas, so choosing what comes next will be lots of fun.

I've just started "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See, a Chinese-American author. It's a fascinating cultural study of foot binding and the secret language of women of China in the last century, told as a work of fiction.

I also finished an excellent biography by Berg of aviator and environmentalist and author, Charles Augustus Lindbergh. CAL was a highly complicated, loner, both a blessing and a bane to his wife, Ann Morrow, and 5 children.

Also a Nazi sympathizer and an anti-semite. I have a book btw by his daughter 'On a Wing' about her mother. Have you seen this one? Haven't read it yet.

> "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan"

My book group is reading this next month. I picked it up and scanned a bit but I don't know if I can take another Chinese horror story (I was reading tons of these when I was interested in Chinese history, and think I became oversatiated) But if its good writing, I might have to try it.

>but picked up her Come Tell Me How You Live and found it quite charming.

I read this ages ago (it was one of those books recommended by the Common Reader catalogue. Its bankruptcy was a great loss to those who loved its selections). Anyway, I enjoyed the read as well.

>A Victorian Rector and Nine Old Maids

The title alone is enough to spark my interest!

Woodnymph2, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is on my list of favorite books that I read this past year.

I finally stumbled across the finish line, weary and with self-loathing, of The Echo Maker. Cindy, how I envy your decision to stop halfway. If only I had done the same. I'm now about midpoint through Sarah Waters Tipping the Velvet and am sneaking a few stolen moments here and there to read it when I should be putting away the holiday decorations.

I enjoyed Lisa Tucker's Once Upon A Day and loved the YA novel by Meg Rosoff- How I Live Now. I just started Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. I guess you could call it kind of a mystery novel? It is very good so far.

Well, it's been quite some time since I have posted. I have not read much due to being so crazy busy. I just finished my first semester of teacher's college, spending the last month teaching grade 9 English/Literary Arts, grade 12 English and Grade 12 writer's craft. What an experience. I was so scared at first but I really learned a lot about teaching English. All this plus my part-time job has left me little reading time.

I am now about 2 thirds of the way through Frankenstein, which I'm really enjoying. I hope to spend lots of holiday time reading before I start my next term of school.

I finally finished Lisey's Story by Stephen King, I kept setting it aside for other books as I found King's wanderings & Lisey's decisions annoying....I am glad I finished it-but wish I hadn't bought it!

One of the books I read in between was called The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, I cannot for the life of me remember where I heard about the book, but I really enjoyed it. It is classifed as YA and I wondered why since it might limit who might read it. It is about a 10yr old girl in 1939 heading to live in Munich, when she steals her first book.
Books and reading are what sustain her through the difficult years of WWII.

Pat

I read Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann, a bestseller last year in Germany and just published in English. It's a foibles-of-the-great novel about a meeting of Gauss and Humboldt in Berlin in old age. It was an entertainingly humorous read, but I was annoyed that dialogue wasn't set off in the text by quotation marks. I don't know if this reflects the practice of German printers.

I also finished Lord of the Flies which I read a little bit at a time. The story is so familiar that I found it hard to pay attention. I did pick up some details I had forgotten, but so much has been said about the novel that I don't know if I can add anything new to the discussion coming up.

Right now, I'm at the beginning of Lucretius's De Rerum Natura. It's a Latin poem written in the first century BC that promotes the speculation about the existence of atoms as developed by Epicurus. I'd read that Lucretius cogently used such phenomena as evaporation and corrosion to support atomism, and I wanted to read it for myself.

>It is classifed as YA and I wondered why since it might limit who might read it

I think I heard about it here - absolutely loved it, and agree that calling it YA may make many people miss an excellent read.

color, have some water, and a bit of chocolate, for having crossed the finish line. After talking to a friend who loved the book, I can understand that he was making connections between how the brain works, our relationships with others, and with the migrations of the cranes. I understand, but have no desire to read more.

rambo, I read Frankenstien a few years back for an October reading group. I had no idea how much I missed by just relying on the movies. Wow - incredible book.

Just finished "The Robber Bride" by Margaret Atwood and, as normal for an Atwood, was blown away by the story and how well it was written. A very enjoyable read for the last part of December.

Before that, I read Bill Bryson's "Neither Here or There" which was about his travels in Europe a while back. Good, but I think it's an early book as it seems as though he is just figuring out his writing style in this book.

Now on to "Age of Innocence" by Edith Wharton. Can't wait after having seen all your enthusiasm about it earlier in the year.

Just finished "Can't Wait to Get to Heaven" by Fannie Flagg. I think it is her best. Loved the main character Elner Schimfissle. I like some of her books and loved this one. Light but fun.

gbg, who has the latest Rumpole plus Elizabeth Edwards' book waitng at the library....treasures!!!

Pam, I loved Once Upon A Day. I thought it had one of the best opening chapters I've ever read. I decided to buy the book after reading the opening I downloaded onto my PDA.

Well, I finished Frankenstein and enjoyed it very much. It was not what I was expecting, then again, I'm not sure what I was expecting.

I just started Surfacing by Margaret Atwood. I'm a couple chapters in and curious to see where it goes.

I've been re-reading several of Rafael Sabatini's books, and also some of his lesser known novels that I never read before. Love-at-Arms is one that I had never read before that I enoyed quite a bit (a knightly tale set in late 15th century Italy). Now if only I can find a copy of Bellarion.

Adventure/Swashbuckling romance is a guilty pleasure for me, and it doesn't matter whether they are very good or bad, I still somehow manage to enjoy most of them. I also read Mary Johnston's To Have and To Hold, set in Colonial Jamestown in the 1620s. The romance is a bit sappy by today's standards, but the humor and adventure elements are quite fun to read. I noticed that a new edition of this book has recently been released in celebration of the upcoming 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement. It has a beautiful cover.

I posted to this thread yesterday but can't find it. In the post I quoted a couple of lines from a poem in one of the books I received. Is that a no no?

Sorry, it's on the Books under Your Tree thread. In my defense, I've spent the day undecorating the house and I'm tired! Husband has gone after a pizza which sounds good after all the sweets I've eaten.

I finished C J Sansom's Sovereign, which was as good as the previous two with Matthew Shardlake.
I then picked up at work on a whim The Death Collectors by Jack Kerley, an author I hadn't previously heard of, and really enjoyed it. The two detectives have a fun relationship with each other and the mystery part of the story was good.
I'm now on to the latest by Stephen Leather called Hot Blood and enjoying that too.

I'm waiting patiently to read Carol O'Connell's newest, Find Me, which is being released this week. I'm hoping to find it this weekend when I go shopping. I just love her books.

Astrokath, Jack Kerley is one of my favorite new mystery authors. The Death Collectors is probably my favorite of the three books he currently has out. The subject matter was definitely intriguing. I love the complex relationship Carson has with his imprisoned brother. I was a little disappointed his last book didn't have any scenes with the brother. I'm looking forward to his next though.

Dorieann, I love Carol O'Connell as well and just got Find Me from the library yesterday. I can't wait to start it. Unfortunately, it will have to wait since I started The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox before realizing that the discussion for Lord of the Flies starts in a few days. I haven't read LOTF for a few years, so I'm putting off everything else until I finish it.

Colormeconfused: Okay, I'm soooo jealous right now. Amazon had the release date of 12/28, which I thought was weird because it's usually a Tuesday here in the U.S. I went to a bookstore last night and they didn't have it out, so I thought maybe Amazon was premature and this Tuesday was the release date. I'm gonna find it tomorrow for sure! Anyway, enjoy. I've heard good things about it.

I currently have Water for Elephants checked out of the library that I haven't been able to read. I'll probably return it and check it out again later.

Yesterday I read Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry and really liked it. Now I think I will start Rumpole and the Reign of Terror. I am also listening to The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd on tape in the car. I thought this would be a good way to reread it.

gbg

dorieann-yes, Once Upon A Day was wonderful-I agree on the first chapter-have you read her other 2 books?
gooseberry girl-Gathering Blue is a favorite of mine-did you read the "companion book" The Giver?
I finished Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn-I really don't know how to describe it exactly but it certainly kept my interest-it was in turns a mystery, thriller and horror story. I do believe it ranks up there as one of the scariest books I have ever read. It is definitely not for the squeamish(sp?).
I also read The Turning Angel by Greg Iles. It was quite good.

I finished Second Acts, and really liked it. The author obviously has his own opinions about different issues that each president faced, but what I liked the most is how much he concentrated on how the president dealt with life afterwards, and how even the president beset with major scandals or low popularity was treated with kindness and humanity in his writing. He also showed how the ex president saw his time in office, and how he saw the next office holders administration. This is an excellent book for anyone who wants a glimpse of American politics in the last 60 years, and a glimpse of the people who led us in those times. Its certainly a reminder of how our past can't help but influence our future, and a reminder that the more things change, the more things stay the same.

BTW - I was esp taken by Herbert Hoovers story. I can still remember my parent's degrading comments about him (they were Depression Era children), and so all I knew were Hoovervilles. But he was an engineer who led the American effort to get food and shelter to the battered countries after WWI (this was before he was president). Truman asked him to help again with the Marshall Plan after WWII. In between that time he was basically ignored. Truman and Hoover ended up being friends, and Hoovers legacy certainly became a more complex and positive one than the one that he is usually known for.

Now reading John Connely's Book of Lost Things. Loving it so far.

Just finished Lisa See's "Snowflower and the Secret Fan." Have checked out Frazier's "Thirteen Moons" but somehow it is not appealing to me, after having been so enthralled with See's novel. I have my eye out for what to buy with my B & N gift certif. and am considering "Rasputin's Daughter" which is out in paperback....

Pam, I have not read "The Giver" but I intend to, as well as "Messenger" which I think is the third book in the trilogy. Have you read this? Kira will stay with me a long time as well as some of my other beloved characters.

gbg

Pam, no I've not read any other of Tucker's books. Have you read them? Are they good?

goosegirl-yes, I have read all three. In my opinion The Giver is the best and was written first. "Messenger" was last and is the weakest though still worth reading. The books will stay with me a long time too. Along the same lines did you ever read Green Angel by Alice Hoffman? I would recommend it.
Dorieann-I had The Song Reader in my tbr pile(s) for a very long time so I pulled it out and have been reading it. Good but not like Once.. I haven't read the other book.

Pam, no I have not read Green Angel but thanks for recommending it. Sounds like a book I would like..I read about it on BN.

gbg