Sheriz, I have just finished "Death comes to Pemberley". I don't normally read P&P inspired books but I thought I would try this one, not having much time to choose a library book and this one was handily displayed on the new books shelf! Such a respected author, too! I thought I was going to enjoy it at first, with the tongue in cheek description of what the gossips thought about Lizzie's calculated pursuit of Darcy. As the book progressed, however, I got quite annoyed. Too much of the author's modern thoughts were creeping into it. Phrases that didn't seem right for the period and silly mistakes aggravated me. I finished it in a hurry to discover the mystery. No more Austen fan fiction, ever! What did your group think?

Been working my way through a pile of books that I just have to get back to their rightful owner, plus one of them would make good fodder for my monthly book review column that I do for a local rag. The Perfect Storm is a YA epistolary novel based on the real-life Galveston hurricane that happened in September 1900. This was actually a really good read, and in fact, the descriptions of the "I was there" POV of the lashing of the rain and the winds and the utter destruction that was the result was really powerful, as when I put down the book to let the cat out, I opened the door fully expecting it to be rainy and windy, instead of 100 degrees that it was. (Sigh. This might also have been linked with the fact that we haven't had any measurable rain in the area since last October. Wishful thinking.) The other book was called Breathing, In Dust by Tim Z. Hernandez, which is really a series of short stories (more vignettes, really) of life in a poor urban Hispanic neighborhood of LA. Each story/vignette can stand on its own, but when read as a group, you can see threads of various stories and characters throughout the book. Although I didn't enter the book with very high expectations, it was still a good book and it's likely that the author made it pretty autobiographical. Like I said, I enjoyed it but it did seem rather as though it was a thesis or dissertation from a graduate writing program. So, as a complete change of pace (and being heavy with guilt from having too many books on the real-life TBR pile), I pulled out a Ruth Rendell book of short stories which I have had in my possession for absolutely ages. Titled Piranha to Scurfy, it is a really good collection of short stories that cover a wide range of topics. Not a murder in them (so far), but more of the unexpected twisty tales of Saki or perhaps The Twilight Zone... Thoroughly enjoying this one. And in the spirit of cleaning up the TBR pile, I pulled out the NF Stuff:Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy O. Frost and gail Steketee. Starting off with famous Collyer brothers in NYC, the book has started really well, and I am looking forward to reading it with gratitude that I am not a hoarder (nor is any of my family). I think it would be tough to handle. So - that's my weekend ahead of me. Reading, reading, reading. (I hope. I do have the MIL in town, so there may not quite as much time reading as I hope...)

Been reading a mishmash of different titles at the moment, including A Sight for Sore Eyes by Baroness Ruth Rendell. I have no idea why I have not picked up more of her work as I am *adoring* this story and have a hard time putting it down to do other things. The characters are believable, they do believable things and make believable decisions. Rendell is, quite honestly, the best writer I have read for some time (in terms of sheer enjoyability). Along with that, I am reading Dave Cullen's NF book about the Columbine shooting. I had ordered this weeks ago on ILL and it just arrived last Wed so it was a strange coincidence that I am reading this title when the awful shooting happened in Aurora (only 17 miles from Columbine). Cullen is a seasoned reporter and has covered the Columbine incident since Day One. It's a compelling read and it mostly focuses on how facts get twisted through media repetition and word of mouth based on that inaccuracy. It's not slamming any one media outlet in particular - just an well-informed observation of how a story can evolve despite the facts being known. Quite curious and I would not be surprised if something similar happened with the Aurora shooting. And then along these, I am also reading the original Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie (1906). What a twisted tale this is and very different from the sanitized Disney version! Tinker Bell is mean and spiteful, there are daily grisly murders in Neverland, and no one has enough food. Peter is also a bully, and don't mention the psychological issues of the Lost Boys with Wendy...! Fascinating read though.

This happens to be my least fav genre to read (with the exception of Romance), however, my husband loves it and seconds the recommendation for Zane Grey, Larry McMurtry and Louis L'Amour. >Another book from that time was "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing." Read it and loved it Also check out the link below. It takes you to a thread of another book forum. I suspect you'd find a lot of ideas just browsing. Now, non fiction I've got: Any of the writings of Isabella Bird, an 19th century emigre in the midwest. The book I have of hers is a classic: A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains (1873, compiled and published 1960) Also a book by Joanna L Stratton called Pioneer Women:voices from the Kansas frontier. Here is a link that might be useful: literature of the wild wild west