Well a whole week gone by and no comments... I did finish Sisi: Empress on Her Own, which was a wonderful read. (since this was apparently the second in a series, I will soon be reading The Accidental Empress which is the early part of her life. ) Sisi was great historical fiction for anyone so inclined. I was slow to start with the Aviator's Wife but am now soon to finish it- and wow what a book. I am so sorry I didn't read it earlier as I would have loved to discuss this with my father in law who passed recently (at 96) -- I am sure his recolections of Lindbergh and all would have really something. This is the second book I have read by Melanie Benjamin and I have really loved both.

I've started listening to audiobooks in the past couple of months. While I prefer to read books, I work for a caterer three times a week and spend 5 hours on those days in a kitchen, alone. I used to listen to music, but one day downloaded a book and realized it was a great way to "read" more books. Last week I finished Chris Cleave's latest novel, Everyone Brave is Forgiven. I loved this novel, which I thought was beautifully written, with very clever use of witty humor in the dialogue. The narration was done very well, and perhaps that led to my enjoyment of the story. The downfall of an audiobook is that it doesn't lend itself to "reading in bed" at the end of the day. I found myself not wanting to stop so would listen to it every time I got in my car as well! I'm currently reading Letters to the Lost. I'm not sure where I heard about this one but it's just okay. It also takes place in London during WWII but later in the war, and it isn't really about the war at all. It's just okay - about two people who fall in love during the war but one is newly married to a man who doesn't love her. An average book that I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend. A friend recommended The Hired Girl as one of her favorites from last year but I didn't realize it's a YA novel and clearly reads that way. I'm listening to this one as an audiobook but find the narrator a bit annoying. Another one I wouldn't recommend except perhaps to my teenage daughter. I'm anxiously awaiting A Gentleman in Moscow and Hillbilly Elegy from the library. I've quickly moved up the list for A Gentleman (38 on waiting list) but for Hillbilly Elegy I'm 231 on list for the audiobook and 251 for the actual book!

Yoyo, you might be interested in seeing the author, Amor Towles, discuss this book on .... (my new favorite show) ... Well Read TV. Here's a link to the full half-hour show: Amor Towles Interview about A Gentleman in Moscow

I had to scroll backward to see what books I last posted about. Funny, I had a stack of four from the library but ended up not reading any of them! After hearing about it here, I read The 25th Hour by David Benioff. Interesting book, quick (short) read, but definitely not as good as City of Thieves. Following that, I went "on vacation" to Southern California to help my college freshman move out of her dorm and put her things in storage so I had plenty of time to read on the plane. I took with me The Flight Attendant by Chris Bojahlian. I had mixed feelings about it. It was easy to devour, but unfortunately, it seems like his novels have gone downhill over the years. I really had to suspend disbelief and I just couldn't really get beyond the stupid decisions of the main character. Alas, it got me through the plane ride. A friend dropped off Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende just before I left so I got about 1/3 the way through before I returned home. Waiting for me at the library was a book I'd been on the wait list for that came highly rated by a friend, From Sand and Ash. Historical fiction set in Italy during WW2. I didn't realize it was really a schmaltzy romance. Plowed through it but wouldn't recommend it. I'm returning to Daughter of Fortune this evening. I have a stack of books from the library to get through - good thing I'm headed to the beach in 10 days when my kids get out of school. Can't wait to have some great time on the beach to read. Annie, I read We Were the Lucky Ones. I hate to use the word enjoy for a book about such depressing subject matter, but I really liked it.