Jessie I did read The Glass Castle- it is hard to say whether or not I liked it. It was very interesting and also sad. I also loved The Birth of Venus. I have In the Company of the Courtesan by that same author, Sarah Dunant wating on my nightstand. Have you read that?
So far this year I have read A Thousand Splendid Suns- phenomenal book. DH got it for me for Christmas and I definitely didn't pace myself!!
I am almost finished with Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky- it is okay.
I also like John Irving, but haven't read anything of his in years. I will have to try A Prayer for Owen Meany.
Kara Let us know about the Kingsolver book. I like her writing.
I haven't read In The Company of the Courtesan, although of course I want to. I am waiting for it on paperbackswap's WL. Someday it will come in...until then I have tons of books to keep me company. I made quite a dent in Owen Meany this weekend. After this I will have to pick up review books again...
I'm waiting on my booksfree books to come in, so I'll be reading Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of The World by Haruki Murakami until they come in. The new books just shipped, so I think I should be able to finish it again before they show up!
Kim, I can't believe you mentioned Haruki Murakami. I did my master's thesis on Dance Dance Dance, Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and A Wild Sheep Chase! I love his work. I looked at the concepts of post-modernism, magical-realism, individualism and corporate identity in his works.
I think my favorite of the three is Dance Dance Dance, maybe because it was the first Murakami novel I read. His mysteries are my favorites, but if you like something more dramatic Norwegian Wood is an interesting love story, although a bit on the sad side.
Diana
*happy sigh* It is SOOOOO nice to just sit here among so many wonderful readers!!! I'm glad to be among friends!
Weighing in on The Birth of Venus, I thought it was FANTASTIC...reading it was such an enjoyable experience and the detail was just remarkable. I just finished a book, The Illuminator, and one of the comments by a reviewer was, "If you loved The Birth of Venus, you'll love this book." I think that's probably true. It's by Brenda K. VanTrease and is her first book. It came out in 2005, so I bet she's published others since. She's a great writer and full of detail about the period. The Illuminator is about a cast of people from all stations of life living in rural England during the late 1300s. There's a ton of political intrigue, religious philosophy and reform, love stories, and more. My only regret was that it was realistic to the point of avoiding "happy endings" for most of the characters (hope that's not a spoiler). But that did make it seem very real.
I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle last year and just loved it. It's a nonfiction book but includes Kingsolver's famous attention to detail. The book is basically about what it's like for her and her family to eat locally (food produced or grown within a half-hour of their house, mostly on their own property) for a year. There are tons of essays about the subjects introduced in the book, written by her husband, and personal descriptions of life on a farm complete with recipes, written by her older daughter. The book is fabulous and, as CyndiM noted, it's a lifechanging one, too. I felt SO guilty last night as I succumbed to the pull of the fresh berries, even though I KNOW how much oil was used to get them to me...but at least I was able to choose the organic ones and minimize some of the impact. I'm planning on spending a LOT more time at the farmer's market this summer. We already grow our own veggie garden but this year I'm going to be much more focused on growing things we need than on growing things that look fun or interesting. In other words, I'm going to grow things we use regularly rather than growing things that could supplement our diet. One caveat about this book, though...if you have a very sensitive soul in regards to animals, there are a couple chapters/sections you may need to skip. Kingsolver and her family raised some livestock for food on their land and she describes the slaughtering in detail, which was really hard for me to stomach. (I'm such a hypocrite, though, since I still eat meat. )
I was surprised to hear someone say that they didn't think Sue Grafton included humor in her alphabet mysteries. I think they are hilarious! There are so many sarcastic asides...I just adore Kinsey!
The Mitford series is one of my big favorites!!! I was so thrilled to see a new installment at our library in the "New" section. Kara about the cake. I can SO relate to that!
Besides The Illuminator, over the break I read a ton of things--many of which were from my TBR bookshelf. I feel the same guilt you all do about reading things from "outside" when I have such a huge pile of TBR at home! Here are some of the things I remember reading (yikes about how fast I forget...)
Fabulous Friendship Festival by SARK: I love this woman--her books are just amazing! I went to a workshop with her last summer, which was a lifechanging experience. I bought this book early last year but also bought a copy for my best friend and decided to wait until I gave it to her for Christmas to read it so we would be reading it together. The book had great advice for ways to be more honest with your friends, how to end friendships cleanly, ways to enhance and celebrate your friendships, and most importantly, how to be a better friend to yourself! I was a bit disappointed in some of the book--it seemed like some of the deep feeling and thought I'm used to in her books was missing. It was kind of two-dimensional. But there was definitely more than enough "meat" and book/references recommendations to make it worth purchasing and reading.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulaine by Kate DiCamillo: My SIL gave this to me for Christmas, probably because of my love of bunnies. She said she really enjoyed the book. The illustrations are absolutely, breathtakingly incredible. The only illustrator I've ever seen that is this talented is Chris Van Allsburg. The story was a little bit dry or stilted in a couple places but was otherwise magical, instructive, and fun. The book, meant for kids who can handle chapter books, is about a china rabbit doll who is very proud of himself and self-involved. He doesn't know how to love and so he ends up on a journey to learn, though he doesn't realize it at first.
A Thousand Splended Suns by Khaled Hosseini: This was for my book club and I have to say that I was NOT looking forward to reading it. I didn't read Kite Runner and have had absolutely no interest in it. However, I'm really, really glad that I was forced to pick this up. Even though I do believe that books like this, which are utterly desolate and depressing in topic/storyline, but written in exquisitely beautiful language, are a disturbing trend, I was shaken by the realization, as a result of reading this book, that I need to be more aware of world affairs and more involved. I've been on a "no-news" diet for over 4 years as I'd found listening to and reading the news to cause tons of anxiety over things I couldn't fix or change. There are some things we can do, though, and reading this book made me realize that I need to be more involved in helping where and when I can. It also made me feel extremely grateful for all the aspects of my life, from clean water to freedom to living in a safe, peaceful place. It's an incredible book and well worth the read even though it will tear you in two with the sadness of it.
Cesar's Way by Cesar Milan (aka the Dog Whisperer): DH and I listened to this on CD in the car. Unfortunately, he didn't realize there were four discs in all, so we only listened to three. But we have the book itself, too, so I'll just finish it in print form. This was really intriguing and gave me a lot to think about in terms of how we live with and work with our new dog. The most important lesson I learned was that a dog needs exercise, discipline and affection, in THAT order.
I'm currently reading a total fluff book called Gliding the Lady--it's a Regency romance. I think my brain needed a break and I need to read a story with a happy ending for once.
Happy reading to everyone...cannot wait to hear more about what you're reading...I already have a ton of books to add to my TBR pile from your wonderful reviews and suggestions!!!
I'm three chapters into Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and just love it! I picked it up last night and by page three was so sucked in that Tom had started a whole conversation and I didn't even realize it. He said he'd been talking to himself for about five minutes before he broke me out of my trance. Kingsolver's writing is descriptive, snide-to-sarcastic at times, and imaginative, and I feel like I have a real picture of the struggles she and her family faced as they attempted to change their way of relating with food. I especially have found her descriptions of the big-corporation masterminding behind the additives and processed gunk in our foods terribly interesting, and it has motivated me even more to kick the draw I have for the junk that has no place in my diet anyway.
As a vegetarian, who gave up meat because of the stomach-turning idea that it is animal organ and muscle I'd been consuming, I don't know how I'll handle the chapters you warn about, Laurie! I'm not really one for skipping parts of books so I might muscle through it with a barf bag by my side. Then again, maybe it won't bother me since I haven't eaten any meat in eighteen years...
I wasn't going to report on the book until I was finished, but I just had to comment on how much I'm enjoying it. I don't typically purchase books, preferring the more economical public library system, but this is one I will have to buy, dog-ear, highlight, and mark up in the margins! I've got grand plans for a prosperous vegetable garden in Germany!!!
Oh, Kara, are you going to Germany??? I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOO jealous!!!!!!!!!!!! I absolutely love Germany. They eat SOOOOOOO healthy there (yes, I know about all the sausages and such, but you should see the normal meals!!!). The bread is fabulous and you can eat most of it on SBD. And the cheese!!! I love the plain yogurt with muesli for breakfast. Mmmm! Okay, enough food porn, Laurie!
I think you'd get tons of support for having a veggie garden in Germany, hon! Plus, you'll have access to far more farmers' markets than we do here in the States, I think.
You'll know when the chapters are coming--they are about poultry--and can flip through a couple pages to miss the really bad parts. She gives you tons of warning. I know I'm a terrible hypocrite for eating meat. But I have GREAT admiration for those of you who are vegetarian/vegan! Good for you! Did you know that just being vegetarian helps avoid much of the energy consumption she talks about in the book? I don't know if she talks about it, but I think her daughter (who is a vegetarian) does. It's such a good thing!
We are, we're going to Ramstein Air Base in March (about forty-five minutes from Frankfurt, we've heard). We just decided to purchase a home there - it will be our first home that we've owned and we're really nervous and excited. I should really be reading some books on mortgages or navigating the German real estate market or something I suppose! But planning a vegetable garden just seems like more fun... I was thinking we'd see a bunch of farmers' markets over there, especially because we plan to get a bit away from the base. We heard the biggest concentration of Americans outside of the States is in the town right outside this base, so we'd like to get into "Germany" instead of being in "America-in-Germany", if you know what I mean. I'm sure we'll be doing a good part of our shopping on base still (evidently they have a 16% tax on everything over there, which we can avoid by making our purchases on base) but I'm thinking a lot of our fresh produce and breads will be coming from the local shops. Our entire goal in finding a home is to have a bakery, church, butcher, and book store on the main street! Think that's a little too Norman Rockwell? It just seems like what Germany should look like. (And I know Norman Rockwell isn't German...)
I love it Kara...I am obsessed with small towns, mostly because I've never lived in one. When we buy a house I totally want to be in someplace like that...but in the US.
Still chugging away at Owen Meany....I'm getting close to the end! But it's a long book!
Kara: When we were looking at the house we bought, all we really talked about was the yard and how great it would be for the dogs and our gardens (veggie and herb). I know exactly what you mean. I think I could make the inside of just about any house work for us, but the outside has to accommodate us before we ever move in!
In light of this week's events, I put aside reading for a while. My mind was too distracted to get into my books. (This is the first time that has ever happened.) I'm expecting my new booksfree books today, so I'll get back on the horse tonight! Can't wait to get back into it!
I just finished reading the book Wicked by Gregory MacGuire? My dh gave it to me for Christmas and I got sucked into it. A little bizare at first but really great story about the wicked witch of the west. I'm now reading Son of Wicked by the same author. I hope to read his others. I also love any book by Jane Green, she's my favorite.
Hey everyone, just had to share! One of DH's coworkers is moving in a few weeks and offered DH a leather recliner because he didn't want to take it with him. Well, DH accepted, so we went over there two weekends ago to get the recliner and also look at a loveseat he wanted to give away. Well, we got there and he said, "Did you want to look at that antique chair of my grandma's?" DH said, "No, that's alright." Well, I took one look at it and knew that it was my new reading chair. I offered to pay for it, but he wouldn't let me, so we just loaded it up and took it home! I think I may eventually reupholster it, but for now I think it looks great in my room. (It's also a great chair to crochet in AND do my homework in!)
Last edited by Kim_Star060404; 08-10-2009 at 05:04 PM.
I just finished "Kite Runner" and can't wait to read "A Thousand Splendid Suns". Right now I'm reading "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes - very pro South Beach. It basically chronicles every major study ever done that tested the "high fat diet & heart disease connection" & how our scientists and government came to the conclusion (which the author debates) that a low fat, higher carb diet is the way to improve health. If you don't mind reading chapters about scientific methods and how conclusions are drawn, it's very compelling info. It reinforces Dr. Agatston's claims that high carb diets are killing people. I'm also reading "The South Beach Heart Health Revolution". Can't wait for the new edition of the South Beach book to come out this spring.
While at the library I just picked up Daughter of the Sun by Barbara Wood, on a whim. It's a story based on the mysterious Anasazi people of northern Mexico, and it's a really compelling story!
*happy sigh* It is SOOOOO nice to just sit here among so many wonderful readers!!! 
I'm glad to be among friends!
I'm planning on spending a LOT more time at the farmer's market this summer. We already grow our own veggie garden but this year I'm going to be much more focused on growing things we need than on growing things that look fun or interesting. In other words, I'm going to grow things we use regularly rather than growing things that could supplement our diet. One caveat about this book, though...if you have a very sensitive soul in regards to animals, there are a couple chapters/sections you may need to skip. Kingsolver and her family raised some livestock for food on their land and she describes the slaughtering in detail, which was really hard for me to stomach. (I'm such a hypocrite, though, since I still eat meat. 
)
Kara about the cake. I can SO relate to that!
I feel the same guilt you all do about reading things from "outside" when I have such a huge pile of TBR at home! Here are some of the things I remember reading (yikes about how fast I forget...)
I love the plain yogurt with muesli for breakfast. Mmmm! Okay, enough food porn, Laurie! 
But I have GREAT admiration for those of you who are vegetarian/vegan! 
Think that's a little too Norman Rockwell? It just seems like what Germany should look like. (And I know Norman Rockwell isn't German...)
