I've just finished How to be Both by Ali Smith for the discussion that took place a while ago. I hope some people can remember something of the plot. Not an easy one to read and rather out of my comfort zone. Not quite a Lenten penance as parts of it were enjoyable, but as a whole reading experience it didn't hang together too well.

My book group has chosen P.D. James' A Taste for Death for our next discussion. I've never read one of her books, though I've enjoyed some of the PBS adaptations, so I'm looking forward to it. I also found her non-fiction book Talking About Detective Fiction. I don't know why it was shelved in the fiction section next to her books, but I took it as a sign I should read it, too.

I'm currently in the middle of John Hooper's The Italians. The first few chapters were a dry and cursory review of Italy's very complicated history, but once he got into modern Italian culture, it's been fascinating. I'm also planning to read The Sixteen Pleasures by Robert Helenga on the plane to Florence in two weeks.

Merry, I really like Robert Hellenga's books, especially "The Fall of a Sparrow", which also has Italian connections.

I'm still engrossed with the biography of Gertrude Bell, "Desert Queen." I've just finished some historical fiction on author William Styron, "The Private War of Wm. Styron" by Mary Wakefield Buxton. The Virginia author (whom I've met) sheds light on his troubled boyhood and painful relationship with his stepmother, that he felt scarred him for life.

I've started April in Paris by Michael Wallner, translated from the German. Still in the first few pages.

Merryworld,

The Sixteen Pleasures have been in my TBR pile for over 10 years. Let me know what you think of it. Have a great trip!

I dusted off my copies of the Michael/Jeff Shaara trilogy of The Killer Angels, Gods and Generals, and The Last Full Measure in honor of the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War. So that's what's I'll be reading the first part of April. Also in honor of my nephew - teacher (who wanted to teach history but there were no jobs so he teaches Special Ed and loves his class and I'd bet teaches some history anyway), Civil War buff and re-enactor, and all around cool guy :-)

I have been a bit lax on posting but have been following the threads for the most part. I am currently reading How Georgia Became O'Keeffe by Karen Karbo. It started off well but I am having trouble finishing it, not because it is boring, but more that I'm not in the right mood to finish it right now

At work (in a bookshop) we have a 'Staff Love' wall bay where we put books that have particularly enthralled staff members, with a recommendation. This has been very popular with customers, as the books tend to be very varied and different to the latest best sellers.

We have recently also started a 'Prize Winners' wall bay, with, you guessed it, books that have won various prizes including the Man Booker, the Pulitzer, the Miles Franklin, the Costa/Whitbread and so on. Most surprisingly, the best seller so far has been The Killer Angels by Shaara, recommended by me. I have no idea why this has been so popular, but it is a very good book.

Interestingly, this is not only the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, but the 100th anniversary of Australia's most celebrated (not quite the right word) military battle, Gallipoli.

Kath, how about a "Vastly Over-rated" shelf? I can think of a few books that would fit in well there :-)

Interspersed with a couple of library books that were due back, I have finished Edge of Eternity, the end of the Century Trilogy by Ken Follett. I liked it best of the three, I think because it covered the years of 1960-1989 with an epilog of the Obama election, which are the years I can relate to politically. However, KF did include a lot of both naive and dirty politics that I didn't know about, having devoted most of my life to reading fiction and keeping up on current events through the local newspaper, which did used to be superior to our present Gannett-owned one.

This trilogy dealt with families in England, Wales, Germany, the USSR, and the USA; and this volume's U.S. parts covered the Civil Rights Era and Martin Luther King as well as the Bay of Pigs invasion and John and Bobby Kennedy's terms and assassinations, Nixon's dirty dealings, Johnson, Ford, Reagan, Carter, and the first Bush. I would dearly love to discuss the book with my mother who loved politics and my deceased sister-in-law who was a history major and also very interested in politics. I can distinctly remember her fuming back in the 70s that there was no shortage of oil when we were being told we would run out anytime.

Not too sure how many books we'd sell from that Ann :)

Kath, you might be surprised, people are so curious!
I remember a woman saying loudly that a library book she was returning was so disgusting, she threw it across the room. As soon as she left the customer services desk, I had a request to "borrow the book she has just returned, please!"

Just finished up the slave narrative, "12 Years a Slave" by Solomon Northup (1845). Fascinating (and awful) to read about how humans treated other humans during that time, and this narrative arc was somewhat different than others: Northup started off as a freeman in the North, but then was kidnapped and taken down south where he was sold in a slave pen in Washington D.C. I wonder how the film varies with this story - it seems pretty straight-forward to me, but the details of the horrible treatment would be tough to see on screen.

In the meantime, I have just been given a large promotion at work (go me!) and I've been reminding myself how to lead (ha!) with a quick read of Sheryl Sandberg's quite controversial "Lean In" book. Good so far, although nothing too mind-blowingly new - mostly timely reminders of things.

And then my classic is "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" which has a very sly sense of humor written into it at times...

Congratulations, Lemonhead!

I am reading Christine Falls by Benjamin Black, pen name of John Banville. Sort of shades of Philomena, but it starts with the death of the mother and falsified death certificate and then the murder of the woman who was paid to look after her. And it jumps back and forth with the story of the couple who adopted the baby who was smuggled away at birth.

Congratulations, Lemonhead! I hope the promotion doesn't mean less time to read... or to post here at RP.

Finished April in Paris by Michael Wallner, translated from the German. Didn't like it, I couldn't believe a German soldier would risk his life for a Parisian woman he has seen only once or twice before deciding to risk his life.

I have been giving myself a break from murder and picked up a couple of books from the Relationship shelves at the library. The local branches of our District Council libraries are now themed rather than in authors A-Z with themed stickers on the spine. More reader-friendly, I suppose.
One book "The Starter Marriage" by Kate Harrison is about people taking a Divorce Survival Class course. One of the homework exercises they are asked to do is to think of three songs, preferably off the top of your head, which describe your past, present and what you want for your future.
Actually I am a widow after a forty-plus year marriage but I did the exercise out of interest. I was surprised at the answers which popped up!

liz/lemonhead well-done on your promotion. I can see you behind a huge desk surrounded by minions answering your every command. Will you have time to read? Maybe your PA will have to read your books for you and the HR girl will then write to us here at RP . . .

Have just finished Knight's Fee by Rosemary Sutcliff and although I'm fifty five years late in reading what was a birthday present, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it so much way back then. Although the story is fairly simple as it was written for what we now call older children/young adults I was very aware of the detail with which Sutcliff fills each chapter. Her descriptions of colour, of nature, the local landscape of the Sussex Downs and her obvious knowledge and affection for dogs, all shine through.
It is set in the years after the Norman Conquest and although I doubt the Normans and the Saxons got on quite as well as she describes, let alone understand one another's language I suppose she must be allowed some artistic licence. She certainly knows her stuff when it comes to armour, weapons, the complicated system of becoming a squire/knight and the feudal relationship between servants and masters.

I'm within the last 50 pages of Sunset Song, the first in the trilogy by Lewis Grassic Gibbon titled A Scots Quair. The author died young, just before he became famous and could have enjoyed having some money from his writing. In this book the writing is quite lyrical, and except for that I thought the book not very interesting at the beginning but have liked it better and better as it goes on. The setting is the northeast of Scotland prior to WWI, still very much a farming community.

I'm nearly through the newest Nora Roberts, The Liar. It's a solid mystery romance, though I think I figured the whole "whodunnit/howdunnit" thing out about a third of the way in. A pleasant, easy read by a favorite author.

While finishing up my readings for my course on the American West, I've gotten halfway through Paula Hawkins "Girl on a Train". I like the English setting, but am a bit daunted by the generation portrayed. The novel reminds me of a "film noir." Has anyone else read it?

Note to VEE: I'm having problems trying to send messages via e-mail, which is why you have not heard from me. Oddly, I am able to receive messages.

I've started A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear and am finding it more interesting than the last book or so of hers. Set in Gibraltar. The first chapter covers a lot of territory!

Woodnymph - Based on the waiting list at my local library, I assumed Girl on a Train would probably be interesting. So when offered a copy, I began reading. Though there was definitely fodder for an interesting plot, I was so put off by the protagonist's alcohol-induced bad behavior, I stopped reading.

Just finished Coming Up Trumps a memoir by Jean (Baroness) Trumpington.
BT is now in her nineties and I think this book was taken from a series of conversations rather than being written, the 'style' in very conversational and quite informal.
The daughter of a Brigadier in the Bengal Lancers (shades of Gary Cooper) and an American heiress she lived her life in high places among the great and the good. War work at Bletchley Park 'spy' Enigma code-breaking centre. Marriage to a head of a 'Top School', work for her local Council leading to becoming a member of the House of Lords. It all sounds very 'correct' but she has a wonderful lack of respect for authority. Famously flashed a V sign at someone she disagreed with in the House and seemed to have enjoyed the company of anyone and everyone.

Very near the end of Kazuo Ishiguro"s The Buried Giant. On the surface, this book seems to be about an early medieval couple setting out on a journey to see their son in a neighboring village. But like an onion, the layers keep peeling back and revealing themselves. They refer to "the mist" which causes people to forget memories both good and bad. This mist is the fault of the "she dragon". But is it? Is there a smoking dragon in their midst, roaming the valley and causing people to forget? Are there benefits to having limited memory? Is it truly forgotten or are people choosing not to remember or not to share? What of the pixies? What of trust in others? Is there such a thing as chivalry or does that fly out the window in times of stress? I admit, I saw a simplistic elderly couple out for a walk. The neighboring village is probably closer than a day's drive away, maybe less than an hour or two's drive. But the valley is unexplored territory to this couple and their simple walk and their simple talk and their simple ways hide a much deeper meaning. Not only of the land and the people but also of their relationship, decades long at this point. How much do they choose to forget of their past together? And I confess, I can feel all of this coming together as I near the end of the book. No spoilers... but if you decide to read this book, read slowly. Savor the simplicity and delve for the depth. It is not something I will read twice, but I am very happy that I have read it once.

LUCIA, LUCIA by Adriana Tagliani

I am planning to read the latest Maisie Dobbs book when I finish this .

I finally got the DVD of the 1980 production of "Love in a Cold Climate" which was mentioned here. I have been ignoring a lot of TV programs so I could watch it over a couple of days!
I thought it was well cast but what struck me most was the sheer lavishness. Is it my fancy or were productions better then? Lots of costume changes, four balls with large casts, outdoor shoots etc.
Vee, it reminded me of the pre-war Christmas pantomimes that my grandparents talked about, which proudly advertised "Seven transformation scenes" on the billboards outside the theatre.
Post-war we were lucky to have two and so the billboards for "Cinderella" would boast "Real Shetland Ponies!"

Kathy, I get why you were turned off by the protagonist in "Girl on a Train." I had the same reaction. It is quite a page turner and I finished it, unable to stop reading until I figured out who the guilty party was. Some surprises at the end. I am trying to be lenient in my opinion and remind myself that it is, after all, her first novel. I wonder how realistic was the portrayal of those English young suburbanites hopping in and out of beds....

Now, I am reading Shreve's "A Change in Altitude." I think this author is quite the master story-teller.

Hmm, I really liked Girl on a Train and enjoyed the whole unreliable narrator part, especially with the way it wrapped up. It is often marketed as the next Gone Girl but I liked Train much better.
Has anyone read Hausfrau by Jill Essbaum yet? It's about an American wife and mother living in a Swiss village who hasn't been able to "settle in" and has extramarital affairs in attempt to alleviate her sadness. It is thoughtful, precisely written, and intense and unsettling. I am hoping my book club will read it since it should engender a lively discussion. And no, it is not at all like 50 Shades and its numerous spawn.
Just started Eye on the Struggle about journalist and civil rights chronicler Ethel Payne. She came to prominence working for the Chicago African-American newspaper, The Defender, and was known as the "First Lady of the Black Press" which is also part of the title. Both interesting and well-written, it is a pleasure to read about this courageous and ground-breaking woman.

Bookmom,

Hausfrau is on my reading list, but there are 93 holds at the library for 18 copies, so will wait a few months.

Bigdogstwo,

Thanks for that enticing "review" of The Buried Giant.

Vee,

Coming Up Trumps sounds fascinating.

reader, in Coming Up Trumps you 'hear' the speech patterns of day's gone by plus the adjectives used are seldom heard these days (rather as you find in books by the Mitfords).

Ann re lavish /well-done TV series. As a similar eg. recently the BBC 'did' South Riding from the Winifred Holtby novel in three episodes. I have the original as a 'boxed set' of thirteen hour-long episodes produced by Yorkshire TV back in 1974, with Dorothy Tutin in the main role. The pace is unhurried, the script keeps to the original book and although it isn't lavish there is the feel of the agricultural community in the thirties. The recent series lacks much of the plot, any depth and left me confused . . . as I hadn't then read the book.

Continuing my reading of the Billy Boyle series by James R. Benn. This one is Death's Door and has Billy and Kaz investigating a murder at the Vatican as the Allies are trying to reach Rome. I really do like these books.

To be a little more specific, I stopped reading The Girl on the Train right after the description of the protagonist vomiting on her friend's stairs and not cleaning it up. I just lost interest.

So, my head is just surfacing after a few weeks being submerged in work. My reading has dropped off (baah), but I think once things are on a more even keel, I'll be back close to normal levels. I'm still reading that Sandberg management book which has some valid points in it and a nice mix of new info and reminders.

As proof of an outside-the-office life, I have finished an NF by Julia Alvarez which details modern day Quinceanearas, a Latina/o celebration of the 15th birthday. (It's most typically for girls, but the celebration is being spread among boys as well in some areas.) It's a fascinating read as Alvarez looks at this tradition through the eyes of herself, one who grew up having one herself (I think) and one who is a feminist. Plus - learned a new term related to the Latino/a culture: <i>Marianisimo</I> (compared w <i>machismo</I>). Most, I would think, are fairly cognizant of the <i>machismo</I> tradition in Latino/a culture, but (as I learned) there is also the <i>Marianisimo</I> which is where women are assumed to have the characteristics associated with Mary (re: Catholic belief) -- virginal, pure, sacrificial etc.

Living in Texas, we have almost a majority of Latino/a people (as opposed to Caucasian) and so our cities tend to be quite heavily influenced depending on your area. In my city, we are probably close to one-third Latino (I should check this), and we have a steady population of migrant workers from Latin America. It's going to be interesting to see how this demographic trend affects future voting patterns and the Good Old Boy network.

Jeesh, guys! I thought I lost everyone! For some reason, I stopped receiving posts! I'll try to catch up!

A friend recommended The Third Target by Joel C. Rosenberg and I finished it last night. It was right off the front pages of worldwide newspapers. I enjoyed it, but there has to be a sequel!

I went back to reading on my kindle and am now reading Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson, a mystery I have only just started it so too early to comment on it.

Pat

Pat, I read Before I Go to Sleep a while ago and it is certainly 'different'. I found it necessary to concentrate to keep up with flow of the information.

And I see that we don't need HTML any more... Sorry about that!

Reading a little mystery I found at the library...The Grand Banks Café by George Simenon. I have read Simenon in the past in fits and starts. And each time I find a "new" title, I wonder why I have not devoted more time to this author.

Also reading American Ghost by Hannah Nordhaus for book club. It is non-fiction. Apparently, her great great grandmother Julie Staab haunts her old home, now a hotel in Sante Fe, New Mexico called La Posada. Nordhaus' book is a journey in search of both her great great grandmother's life and her after-life. I am on page 120, and so far, not too impressed. I feel she could have truly used the services of a good editor. The author is typing so very many words and saying so very little of substance. I am, quite simply, bored.

vee, sorry.. guess I went overboard with The Buried Giant...

PAM

I have had a very lazy weekend reading-it is great to be retired!

I enjoyed Before I Go to Sleep. I am now reading No Mercy by John Gilstrap which is the 1st in a new series, it hooked me and so I plan to read more by him and so downloaded the rest of the series to my kindle.(they were all on sale!).

I have the new Jacqueline Winspear sitting here from the library A Dangerous Place and plan to read that next.

Pat

I just finished Anita Shreve's "Sea Glass." Although it is fiction, it is based upon factual events: the Stock Market failure in 1929, the subsequent Great Depression, and the workers' strikes in New England mill towns. I have liked most of this author's works.