Finished Molly Fox's Birthday by Deirdre Madden.

Over a single day--June 21st, Molly's birthday--an unnamed playwright looks back on her many years of friendship with Molly and a college friend, Andrew, and their lives. She has been friends with both for over 20 years. The book is an exploration of these life long relationships, how little we really know of close friends, as well as the artifice of theater.

It is a quietly beautiful book. Highly recommended.

Vee, thanks for the link, the music was beautiful!

reader_in_transit thanks for the info on Deirdre Madden. I knew nothing about her and found an interesting piece on youtube where she discusses an earlier book. I must see if our library has anything by her.

Vee,

If you read something by her, let me know what you think.

I must have said about Molly Fox's Birthday that there is no plot to the book, it is a rather meandering novel, mostly told in flashbacks, and three encounters with three different persons on the day the book takes place.

Hi, Sheri! I read The Goldfinch last year and hated it! I'm not adverse to long books - I love them, but I honestly don't know why this book won the pulitzer. I'm an English major, and though that doesn't make me an expert by any means, I did try reading this from a literary analysis point of view. I thought the drug descriptions went on too long, and I did not like ANY of the characters, which makes a long book even longer. Run away if you can!!!!

On the other hand, I just finished Even In Darkness by Barbara Stark-Nemon and was BLOWN AWAY! It is a wonderful book, which, honestly, deserves the pulitzer. It is an amazing book about love, set in Nazi Germany. Not your typical story, however. Loved it!

I am about to start 3 weeks holiday, and have ready to read Bill Bryson's latest, The Road to Little Dribbling, and two Cynthia Harrod-Eagles Bill Slider mysteries. There is also an autobiography from an Australian Rules footballer who is very intelligent which should be interesting.

Kath, is The Road to Little Dribbling already out in Australia? I just got an ARC yesterday that I haven't started yet. I usually enjoy Bryson (he's Iowa-born like me), when he's not being too silly.

The Road to Little Dribbling isn't out in the US until late January and I'm hoping it will be wonderful. I was disappointed in At Home, and I haven't read One Summer, America 1927 yet, although it is in my TBR pile.

Frieda and Kath, please let us know what you think of it. (And how does one get an ARC, particularly from a known and famous author, anyway? I've always wondered.)

Sheri, One Summer, America 1927 had some good parts, but overall it had a lot of extraneous stuff that I didn't find very interesting; e.g., baseball which evidently was a mania at the time. Bryson's father was a sports journalist and a baseball game announcer on a Des Moines radio station, so he naturally thought the baseball stuff was great fodder.

I didn't read At Home, but I don't remember why. I'll be sure to let you know what I think of Road to... Since it's supposed to be a follow-up to Notes from a Small Island, I have great expectations. I just hope my expectations will be fulfilled -- sometimes I sabotage myself.

As for ARCs, if you do a search using 'how to get ARC books' there are several sites that give instructions. Most ARCs are supplied to booksellers and librarians (bloggers evidently get them as well), but individuals can get them, too. Several years ago, Bryson's publisher offered me an ARC because I had reviewed one of his previous books and I guess they liked what I had written. For his subsequent books, I have usually gotten a notification and a query about whether I would like to receive an ARC of his upcoming book. That's what happened this time, and of course I said yes.

Frieda, thank you. I'd always thought ARCs were limited somehow to professional reviewers and booksellers, it's good to know regular readers can get them too. I will definitely look into this further.

Your description of One Summer is what I suspected -- At Home was like that, too, lots of odd detail which was at first interesting, but then became tedious because it lacked the humor and energy that I expect from him and that flowed so naturally through his earlier books. I loved Notes from a Small Island, I hope The Road to Little Dribbling is more in that mold.

A few months ago, a German friend introduced me to the music of Arvo Part. I found it exquisite and addictive. I had never heard of him, but he is quite high on my list, now, with Gorecki and a few others.

Thanks for the warning re "Goldfinch". That's Donna Tartt, right? I liked her first book a lot.

Vee - That's an excellent summary of Harold Fry. While trying to avoid a SPOILER, I want to say that I found the reunion rather ... unsatisfying. Do you have a comment about that?

For one of my history classes (the ancient middle east), I am now reading "The Origin of Satan" by religious scholar Elaine Pagels. It is more interesting than the title might hint at, at least, in my opinion. The idea of "Satan" or the "Devil" is not universally shared and is a relatively new concept, in terms of ancient history. In some of the early religions and in early Judaism, the idea of a "demon" was presented as a fallen angel, a trickster, a mischief-maker, not necessarily evil. It was the Essenes and early Christians who built upon the idea of a cosmic war between good and evil, leading to the final apocalipse, or end of the known world.

Spoiler Alert. Kathy, I know what you mean about the Harold Fry ending. In my copy of the book there was an 'afterwards' by Joyce saying she had written it partly in memory of her father who had the same horrendous condition as Queenie. It is a though Harold, although he has reached the end of his journey is still basically the same awkward, unsure-of-himself character who finds her situation almost impossible to deal with; I'm sure I'd have been the same. I think we are probably meant to understand what it meant, however briefly, to Queenie. I don't know if this makes sense to you?

Did you find it realistic/believable that almost all the people he met were basically so good including the neighbour Rex, who didn't play any part/wasn't mentioned towards the end?

I spent a couple of years as a school librarian and still read a lot of YA fiction, especially but not exclusively fantasy. How dark YA books have grown over the past decade! It reminds me of the grim SF of the 1950's when the atom bomb and the Cold War terrified us all, still so new we had not yet grown used to ignoring them.

Some of the dark YA books are well written; many are not. I am here to report Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. It is not only well written, but also is not as bleak as many are. The book is based on "Beauty and the Beast" with perhaps a touch of "Tam Lin" and "Bluebeard" as well.

I heartily recommend it to readers who enjoy fantasy with a fairy tale base.

Vee - I do understand your view of the ending of Harold Fry. It helps to know that the author's father had a similar situation. As for the eternally good people Harold encountered (and Rex) - that didn't really bother me, since the story seemed so unrealistic from the start. I accepted the lack of realism.

I read a bunch of mostly forgettable books on vacation, but one good one was the next-to-last of the Morland Dynasty series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. And, by the way, she has a new Bill Slider book due out soon.

Today I have begun A Pattern of Lies by Charles Todd. It is new from the Bess Crawford series. Bess is a WWI nurse, so my-daughter-the-nurse loves the books.

I finished two books recently:

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - This is a about two French sisters who have very different experiences during World War II. Both are heart-wrenching. While I think this is a very good book, I guess I have read too many novels about World War II, making none of the horrors described new to me. It left me feeling drained. Though I have a strong interest in WWII, I need to set this topic aside for a while in my reading life.

Last Night at the Lobster by Steward O'Nan - Well,
this just wasn’t very interesting to me. It’s
about the last night a Red Lobster restaurant is open before closed down by the corporate office. The tale is told by the manager, who describes the inner workings of the restaurant and the personalities of the employees. Customers are not to be told of the closing. The manager, feeling sentimental about the restaurant and his personal involvement with the employees, hopes for a memorable night, but nothing remarkable happens.

Kathy, I have the same feelings about World War II and Holocaust novels. There seems to be a rash of them these days -- many not being very convincing in my view. I will continue reading nonfiction WWII books, but like you I'm giving the novels a rest.

I have several nonfiction books I could start right now, but for some reason I'm more in a writing mood lately. I am spending too much time, probably, blathering and writing posts on various sites, including RP. It will wear off eventually and I'll get into another reading jag.

I think someone here recommended the Max Tudor mystery series by G.M. Malliet, and I've just finished Wicked Autumn. I don't usually read mysteries, but I enjoyed this one and will be looking for the follow-ups. I've also started Celia's House by a favorite author of mine, D.E. Stevenson. Very sweet and mild and just what I'm in the mood for right now.

Hi friends! I'm back. My job has gone back to normal (interim position) so now I'm hoping to be back more regularly now.

Been reading stuff. Interesting bits include "So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to be and How it Endures" by NPR's Maureen Corrigan (2014). Non-fiction read that delves into the history and background of Fitzgerald and his work "The GG". I found this fascinating and actually read the whole thing in one weekend (mainly due to a terrifyingly close unrenewable return date to library).

It was really fun to dig into a book all weekend, leave chores behind, and live alongside Fitzgerald for a while. I think you may have to really be into "The GG" to read this title, but as I am, I loved it. (Corrigan is the NPR book review person. Well ground in Comparative Lit (Ph.D.) and has interesting comments along the way.)

For the fiction side of things, I'm reading the old children's classic, "The Railway Children" by Edith Nesbitt (which I've never actually read although did see the children's TV series and was permanently marked by the red petticoat episode. Would they save the train?)

My in-between-the-spaces read is an old 1943 collection of "Modern American Short Stories" focused on American short stories published in the 1920's and 1930's, and which also happens to include Fitzgerald and some of his cronies. I love booky synchronicity when it happens!

So, glad work has calmed down and glad that I can go back to immersing myself in books. I've missed it (and you all, of course) tremendously.

Lemon, good to see you are back! People tend to come and go and sometimes disappear altogether...I have been posting here around 14 years and am beginning to feel like one of the oldest members as so many of the posters from back then have left.

I don't like having to read a library book to time. This sometimes happens when I get several recently published requests arrive at once and I have to read them all in three weeks, which makes me feel pressured. Sometimes I will buy a book I know will be on a long list rather than wait and then maybe have to read it quickly. I do try to avoid buying though as I have little storage space and generally pass the book on.

I absolutely loved Nesbit's "The Railway Children." Lemonhead, Liz, I am glad you are back with us!

Hi, Lemonhead, good to see you back!

Vee and Kathy_T,

When I got to that part in The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, I was shocked for a second, and then I thought "Well, life is like that", and I admired a little the author for writing something disappointing but true to life, instead of a Hollywoodesque happy reunion. My library copy didn't anything about her father.

That's a good way to look at it, reader_in_transit.

re Harold Fry, Reader in t, yes certainly the end was 'realistic' as was the truth about the son David. Although the story was perhaps 'far fetched' I didn't think it was impossible and the part of the walk where the various individuals joined in and upset Harold's original simple plan plus the press/PR intrusion seemed very true to what could so easily happen in our modern way of life.

I don't know if anyone has read the follow-up work The Love Song of Queenie Hennessy? I don't think I would look out for it too soon.

Vee,

I haven't read The Love Song of Queenie Hennessy, but after you mentioned Harold Fry, I went to our library website to see how if there were any comments on the Queenie book. The comments, in general, are good, though a few readers liked better the Harold Fry book. As you, I don't feel inclined to read in the very near future.

I am now reading The Anatomy of Ghosts by Andrew Taylor. It is set in Cambridge in the late 1700s.

I finally finished "Footprints of God" by Greg Iles. It was good if you are into a computer taking over the world.

Time for something lighter, I think.

Donna

I finished Elaine Pagels' "The Origins of Satan" which I found very interesting and informative, re history. I've just started Paula McClain's "The Paris Wife", and also have waiting to be read her "Circling the Sun."

I have been reading Georges Simenon books lately. I have several Omnibus editions of his books, each containing two Maigret books and one other book, plus I acquired several Maigret books in a book exchange. The last one I finished was psychological study of guilt, titled The Accomplices.

I'll probably read Maigret's Pickpocket next, or I might take a break from Simenon and read a short history of India (can't remember the exact title) I recently bought.

Netla, good to see you posting again.

I picked up some mysteries from the library this afternoon and it's a rainy night, so I will curl up with one of them in a little while.

Okay all you Brits or Brit lovers, I'm working on book 3 of my Henrietta and Inspector Howard mystery series, and in this one, the two main characters them find themselves in Derbyshire, England. At one point they are questioning a local man, and I want him to say something like "Bob's your uncle," but that sounds too cliche to me, as in too Dick Van Dyke-ish or too Londonish. Is there a more local phrase for Derbyshire/Yorkshire that I could use? Thanks for any help!

Here's the sentence if that helps:

"Briggsy tells me Joe paid 'im for all his debts, then up and bought a new suit of clothes, and Bob's your uncle, 'e's off t' London."

Just finished The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty - very good. I knew nothing about it, but read it quickly for a new book club I joined (yes, again. I quite the old one.) It is a fictional story but has the real life Louise Brooks in it. Very enjoyable, fast read. Also finished The Island Of Worthy Boys by Connie Mayo. Set in turn-of-the-century Boston. A good, solid read.

I set aside Paula McClain temporarily, in order to read "A Star Called Henry" by Roddy Doyle. This is for my class on the History of Ireland. It describes the Easter Uprising and other wars of the early 20th century in Ireland from the point of view of a survivor of the Dublin slums. It is quite a "gritty" read, along the lines of "Angela's Ashes", only better-written, in my opinion. I had never heard of this Irish author, but evidently, he is quite popular and prolific.

Roddy Doyle has written quite a few titles. The two that I've read are "The Commitments" (1987) and "Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha" (Booker Prize winner in 1993). Both good although quite different in their ways. "The Commitments" was also made into a really good film in 1991 about a scrappy Irish group of musicians who focus on 1960's black American artists (such as Aretha Franklin and Wilson Picket). It's a really good movie if you're looking for one.

I have just finished my first read of the childhood book, "The Railway Children" by Edith Nesbitt. (Rather fun.) Then my NF read is by Alan Titchmarsch called "The Queen's Houses" (rather self-explanatory title in that it covers the five main places where the Royal Family et al. have historically spent time, either working or playing. It's pretty interesting to see and learn more details about these places, several that I've been to and others that I've heard of before. Oh, and the first of the Raj Quartet, "The Jewel in the Crown" by Paul Scott is also in my grubby little reading mitts.

It's really good to be back in the reading saddle after a summer of insane work commitments and a reading block at the same time. Hooray.

Liz/lemonhead have you read E Nesbit's Five Children and It? If you have look out for a follow-up by Kate Saunders Five on the Western Front. Saunders wanted to write a 'follow-up' book to commemorate the 1914 outbreak of WWI. She manages to stick to the feeling and language of that time and the story is really moving and well written and not really aimed at junior readers.

Michelle, although I am from England I can't help you with Derbyshire or Yorkshire idioms . .. and they will be different. Is your book set in 'modern times'? If it is I feel suit of clothes might be rather dated.

Michelle, I like "Bob's your uncle" in the context of your sentence. But what do I know? I'm U.S.

I've finished another Ilona Andrews, Gunmetal Magic, and I think I've now read everything the authors currently have in print. I'm completely hooked and I'm eagerly awaiting Sweep in Peace, which comes out on Kindle sometime in November. I also finished Celia's House by D.E. Stevenson, which was charming and sweet in a classic English-Countryside-Between-the-Wars sort of way.

My library requests for the rest of the Max Tudor mystery series by G.M. Malliet have come through, and I have four books waiting to be collected tomorrow. I'm looking forward to those.

Lemonhead, I have The Queen's Houses on my Christmas list, I'd delighted to hear you liked it.

Michelle, "Quick as a wink" might be suitable. I agree with Vee that "a new suit" is more modern.

This has been a light reading month for me. A couple of weeks ago Rosefolly mentioned to me that she was going to be reading Mansfield Park by Jane Austen in the upcoming year for her book club and it inspired me to pick it up and re-read it. It is not my favorite JA by a long shot but I did enjoy it.

I picked up Reckless, by Chrissie Hynde of the rock group The Pretenders, a memoir, at the library the other day. I am only a few pages into it but I think it will hold my interest.

Thanks, Vee, Ann, and Carolyn for your ideas. The book is set in the 1930's. Does that help?

I loved Five Children and It and have Five Children on the Western Front in a stack to read. Glad to hear a good review of it.

Michelle, I wish I could help more but using accents/idioms can be a minefield. I think you are very brave to 'do' a 1930's Yorkshire/Derbyshire . . .even English mode of speech (btw did you know that Derby is pronounced Darby, the same way that clerk is pronounced clark? I don't know why this is!)

I'm sure "Bob's your Uncle" will do fine in that context.

I am reading "Pictures of Perfection" by Reginald Hill which I read a long time ago and bought by mistake for another one of his homages to Jane Austen. Never mind, I had forgotten the plot anyway!

I have to read his books with a dictionary on hand. He uses a lot of what we, as children, used to call "big words"!

You would think that after nearly eighty years I would be really well versed in my Mother Tongue but alas, I am not!

Hi everyone - thanks for the welcome back. Vee - Thanks for the reccie about the other Nesbitt book. I'll have to look it up. And Sheri - I bet you will really enjoy the Queen's Houses book. Lovely photography throughout and interesting info about behind the scenes as well. Now I'm reading "The Sea Wolf" by Jack London as well as "The Jewel in the Crown" Book One. So many good books....

Thanks, Vee! I agree, it's brave to try to write accents, but this character is only in the book for one page. The rest of the time, the two American sleuths are involved with the aristocracy, which is much easier to fake, thanks to years and years of watching period BBC/PBS dramas as well as reading countless novels.

Reading the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig and absolutely, totally, entirely love it!!!!! Has anyone else read this series?