Kushiel's Mercy

This is the final book in a series of 6. I enjoyed it greatly, it had a fitting end. The books are about a country called Terre d'Ange, whose motto is "love as thy wilt". As the series ends it is mostly about the second generation, with our main characters from the previous books seldom heard from.

In this vivid conclusion to the second Kushiel trilogy (after 2007's Kushiel's Justice), young Prince Imriel and his beloved, Sidonie, heir to the Terre D'Ange throne, struggle to come to terms with the deaths of Imriel's wife and unborn son. Queen Ysandre threatens to forbid Imriel's marriage to Sidonie unless he hunts down his traitorous mother, Melisande. Then a spell convinces everyone in Terre D'Ange's capital that Sidonie loves the prince of Carthage, and she sails off to wed him. Only Imriel remembers their romance. He must evade deluded loved ones and work with erstwhile enemies to rescue Sidonie and pull the country back from the brink of war.

It is considered fantasy and the romance in the books are mostly a back drop for the intrigue and adventure. Give it a try. One warning, it can get a little racy.

Just After Sunset

This is Stephen King's latest book of short stories. I am not a great fan of short stories, in general I can't connect with the characters in that amount of time, but.... I did appreciated this book. There were several stories that I did like, "N" being one of them. It was the longest also. Several that I didn't like, they just seemed depressing to me. Could have been me also, I tend to find that I have to be in the mood for my friend Stepehn or he depressed me. If you like Stephen King read it, if you have never read him?????? I wouldn't read this one to begin with.

I Heart John Green!

It started with the book "Looking for Alaska". People have compared it to "Catcher in the Rye" and I kind of agree, except I didn't hate it. So that's new. It was a boy coming of age story that was just enough angsty/witty/over the top/fabulous that I loved loved loved it.

And besides, John Green is hot in that geeky, skinny, witty way. (Which we all know is my favorite way.) Here is a picture of said hot guy:

"Hello, John. Will you anagram my name, please?" (This is only funny if you've read the next book.)

"An Abundance of Katherines" is the story of child prodigy, Colin, who at age eighteen is convinced that life is over for him because he's never had a Eureka moment. And he knows that child prodigies never go on to be geniuses. He also has dated and been dumped by nineteen girls named Katherine. (Catherines and Kathryns need not apply.) He and his best friend go off on a road trip the summer after their senior year to cheer Colin up after K-19 (or Katherine XIX) dumps him. It is while staying in a pink mansion in Gutshot, TN, Colin begins work on a theorem that may explain why it's all gone wrong with all of the Katherines. There are footnotes and mathematical equations on nearly every page. There is obsessive anagraming and ridiculous random facts inserted everywhere. I love this character! (Mostly because he reminds me of people I've hung out with over the years.) If by some chance, you don't adore Colin, you will most certainly love his best friend and fellow traveller, Hassan. They make me happy.

Go forth and read!!

"Spider Monkey"

Twilight.

I would say we all went with low expectations. So-Nobody was disappointed and we all found things to enjoy. And make fun of. Fun was definitely had by all, but that seems to happen whenever all these ladies are gathered together.

Fellow broads and broads in training waiting for the movie to begin.

Post movie, being as Twilight geeky as we could muster. Notice the smattering of fab book club t-shirts. You can't see the poster very well in this one though. Hm...

That's better.

"What are all those ladies standing in the bushes?"

Oh, don't mind us. We do this sort of thing at every movie.

Twilight

FIELD TRIP
11/22/08

WHOOP WHOOP!

A Wind in the Door

The summer after I completed the  third grade, we spent a week at a resort in Vermont where my Dad had a business trip.  A co-worker of his discovered that I enjoyed reading and started listing all her most favorite books that she had read as a child.  At the time, I was more interested in going back to play in the pool some more, but one suggestion stuck with me.  "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle.  It was years later that I finally picked it up, but I was in the mood to reread it last year.  It's a different book to me now than it was then, and a part of me wonders that I got anything out of it when I was younger.

This is book two.  I am reading through the rest of the series because that's what I do.  But, also because they are different than anything else that I read as a child.  I wonder how kids today would perceive them...  Anybody know any kids reading this series?

Ink Exchange

This is the sequel to "Wicked Lovely". 

This book still involves the original characters, but the focus is shifted to people who were peripheral in the first book.  Instead of so many piercings, this time we heard all about tattoos.  Which is fine.  But not my thing.  Although, the main character made one comment about ink that I found very interesting.  She had been a victim of assault and was almost obsessed with getting a tattoo because it was something that she could do to make her body her own and nobody else's.  I had never considered that angle before.

This book felt a little like a second album from a new popular band.  Said band takes years to amass and perfect the songs for their fabulous first album.  Then they make it big, the album sells, and they are pressured to put out a second album quickly.  And it kinda sucks.  Fans are disappointed, but hold out high hopes for the third album when the band will have had time to regroup and get back to their roots.  Ms. Marr are you hearing me? 

Most of us read it and enjoyed it, but found this one was a lot easier to put down.  

Wicked Lovely

A young woman who has the ability to see fairies finds herself sought after by one of their Kings.  This was the first book in a long time that sucked me in.  I read it in one day, which used to happen all the time, but lately hasn't.  It was nice to realize that I can still do that.  I read on another blog (sorry, I can't remember which one)  that "Wicked Lovely" is kind of like "Twilight" for Goth girls.  I would agree with that.  For instance, the main love interest is a guy with multiple piercings.  Marr describes these piercings (which seem never ending) in detail.  Frankly, that doesn't really do it for me, so I sort of winced through physical descriptions of him.  That being said, I enjoyed the story and the day long escape from reality it provided.

We also did this as a book group book, and while everyone had complaints, it seemed to be enjoyed overall.

The Graveyard Book

Neil Gaiman is a little wacky.  Which is why I like him so much.  This is the story of a young boy whose family is murdered, but he manages to escape to a graveyard and is raised by the ghosts who live there.  Gaiman's stories take delightful twists and turns which keep the reader guessing until the end.  

The Dark is Rising Sequence

Ok. So I loved, loved, LOVED these books when I read them as a preteen. I thought they were cooler than jellies and those horrible pot bellied stuffed animals and scratch and sniff stickers. Well, maybe not cooler than the stickers. I still think those are pretty cool. But I digress.

I am fairly certain that I never read the first book out of the five, which I unfortunately purpetrated on you innocent book group broads. I figured, "How bad could it be if the other four are so awesome?" Alas. "Over Sea, Under Stone" was an inexplicable snooze fest. I am not really sure how that could be as the premise is an interesting one. I can only assume that Susan Cooper has a genius for taking what should be a heart-in-your-throat-thriller and turning it into something that you would discuss blandly over tea and scones. She pull that off in other places in the 5 book set, but never so much so as in the first book.

I slogged dutifully through all 5 because, by god, how could my younger self have been so deluded? I am happy to report that the books get better. I actually thought that the 4th book, "The Grey King" was a real humdinger. But you need to get there by reading the others, and I am guessing that not a one of you feel motivated to do that. Disappointingly, the final book isn't bad, but it isn't as fun as the 4th. There were times when I was close to the end where I was looking longingly at my trashy vampire book that was next in line. Never a good sign.

I am going to have to assume that there is something magical in these books that appeals to a folklore/myth/magic leaning kid that has been lost in the transition into adulthood. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this series, but I have to be true to my self and admit that it could have been done better. For instance, "The Narnia Chronicles" lose none of their magic when read by adults. In fact, I would posit that their meaning and depth deepen with every new reading. These books simply are not on that level.

Nothing to do with books

Joan, this one's for you:

Honeybee

Naomi Shihab Nye is the author of my favorite YA novel, "Habibi".  The novel read like poetry in many places, so I was excited to see this book of poems.  One of my favorite poems in "Honeybee" is one that I came upon several months ago on a poetry blog.

Consolation

This morning the newspaper

was too terrible to deliver

so the newsboy just pitched out

a little sheaf

of Kleenex.

Another one that I really love is:

Don't Say

God said.

You made it up

then put it in God's pocket.

God may have thrown it out already.

Much of Nye's poetry is centered on peace.  She has little use for the Bush administration, as evidenced in this poem:

Culture of Life

George W. Bush believes

in a "culture of life."

This is very interesting to those

who have recently died

because of his decisions.

They discuss it regularly.

What could they have done

  differently?

to be alive?

If only they had been born

  in another country

or lived in a different neighborhood,

the culture might have included them too.

Actually they liked life a lot.

They can't stop thinking about 

their teacups and blankets.

The scent of sheep wool

in a warm room.

Click of almond shells

in a bowl.

That simple coming-home feeling

when someone happy to see you 

greets you.

Never could they have imagined

being dead and thinking about teacups.

There are also poems of little things in life that having nothing to do with war or politics.  This one made me smile.

While You Were Out

A crow

with a yellow Post-it note

stuck to its beak

paused on the feeder

beyond the window

looked around twice

nodded its head

then flew away.

Big Day

at the office.

Like most poetry, this book was very nice to sit and read for a few quiet minutes every day, and not all at once.

Also, I feel like I should disclose that I was not a huge fan of the poems about Honeybees.  

Kissing Tennessee by Kathi Appelt

 I love this book!  It's a series of short stories all about one dance at a middle school in East Texas.  I felt like it perfectly captured the essence of self-involvement that we all have at that age.  Every person is the main character in their own story and the whole world is watching them.  Anybody remember that feeling?  It's beautifully written and appropriate for 7th and 8th graders on up.

(Oh, and I believe that's a dress on the cover...NOT a tunic, Joan!  Although there are also pants.  This could be a whole new thing for us, ladies!)

Melting Stones

This book begins what I hope is another Quartet for Pierce.  I love that Pierce sticks with characters for so long, and that they make appearances in some of her other books as well.  This particular book is about Evvy, a young stone mage who has been asked to accompany two adult plant and water mages to an island to discover why everything is dying.  

Evvy was rescued from the streets and also has memories of war which make trusting those around her particularly difficult and lead to a number of problems throughout this story.  She does begin to thaw a little, but not so much that we are left with a tidy happily-ever-after ending.

It's been so long since last Evvy was in a book that I wished I had reread "Street Magic" before picking this one up.  There were holes in my memory of her story.  Still, it was enjoyable and I look forward to the rest of the quartet.

(AND it shows a girl wearing a dress on the cover.  I just mention it...)

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Cute and funny in a way that only Neil Gaiman can make fraud, murder, and voodoo cute and funny.

Charles Nancy learns his father has died and then he learns that his father was Anansi the Spider. Hilarity ensues. I should say chaos, then hilarity interspersed throughout...but sort of an understated, sarcastic hilarity.

The Measure of a Lady

This book was enjoyable, but predictable. A good light read. I enjoyed the description of early San Francisco and how fast it grew.
The most significant thing about this book is that it fits into our favorite genre, books with covers featuring pictures of women in dresses from the waist down. Maybe some day I'll figure out how to put a picture in the post, and you'll see for yourself.

Julia's Chocolates

This was our selection for August, but we weren't able to get together until September to discuss it.  We all enjoyed it quite a bit, which is interesting considering that we all found something to complain about.  Several of us were a little annoyed that while chocolate is heavily referred to in the story, Lamb doesn't go into the process of Julia's creations at all.  The characters are so wonderful that we all laughed out loud at all sorts of wonderful things.  I think we all walked away with a few new favorite quotes as well.  (Some of them better for polite company than others.)  

When we gathered to discuss the book, we had a chocolate fountain as our treat.  We all gathered around the table, full of various yummies to dip in chocolate (including bacon...but, never again), and talked and talked and talked until midnight.  I don't know if it was the chocolate or the feeling of female comraderie that the book inspired or just the fact that our book group has some of the coolest broads I know, but it was wonderful to be together to laugh and share and laugh and eat.

Head to the library and pick up a copy of the book.  But be sure to also pick up some chocolate before you head home to read it.

Vive la chocolat! 

Rapunzel's Revenge

The story of Rapunzel as told by Shannon Hale and her husband Dean Hale in graphic novel form and set in a wild west type setting.  I picked this up from the library and when I looked for it later that afternoon discovered that my children had taken off with it.  All three of them had to read it before it was permitted to come back my way.  That tells you something, I suppose.  All four of us enjoyed it quite a bit on our various levels.  As a parent, I appreciated that it was a graphic novel without scantily clad, overly buxom women.  As a person, I liked how spunky the character of Rapunzel was and how she interacted with her sidekick, Jack.  (Yes, he happened to carry around a magic bean with him.)  A short and delightful read.

A totally unrelated item

I had a dream last night that Dee had managed to snag a guest speaker for book club. Caleb Carr was coming to speak to us all about his most recent book on environmentalism (???). Her backyard had suddenly developed this great outdoor seating area for 100. There were ice cream sundaes for dessert. All our children plus a bunch of strangers were there to hear Mr. Carr speak. Oh, and the male cast from Six Feet Under was there and they new me personally. Good times, eh?

A Feast For Crows

I love this series! Amy kept telling me how good they were. I just finished the 4th in the series. It takes place during castle, knights, horses, etc. It is very gritty and gory, but you can't put it down.

There is so much going on in these books I can't begin to describe them. I just want to say that they are worth reading and I can't wait for the next one.

More from Greg Bear...

Just finished Moving Mars...sci-fi infused political drama as memoir of a young woman growing up on the frontier planet of Mars. Earth is the big, bad superpower trying to tell the backwater planet what to do to fit into the "Terrie" vision of the solar system. Mars wants to find their own way. I found this book to start kind of slow, but worth it in the end. It's not everyday Earthlings are written as the bad guys.

The City of Ember

I picked up a copy of this book a few years ago at one of the Scholastic warehouse sales and sort of forgot about it until I recently saw a movie trailer for it.

I really enjoyed this story much more than I thought I would. I was tempted to hand it right over to my eight year old to read, but I think waiting one more year would help him enjoy it better.

The premise is sort of like "The Giver", but it seemed less creepy to me. Two twelve year olds, Lina and Doon, decide to switch job assignments and each come to realize that things aren't going so well for their dark city. Lina discovers an old document and together with Doon they are able to puzzle out "The Instructions".

Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination

This book by Helen Fielding (author of Bridget Jones' Diary) is light and fluffy and fun if you are able to completely suspend all disbelief. I mostly was. Every now and then I'd think, "How could that happen?!" And then I would remind myself that I was reading a light and fluffy book and I should just be quiet. Good for poolside, but I think it would annoy me too much in cooler weather. What is it about the pool that makes it more possible to read ridiculous books? Chlorine fumes, maybe?

Okay, now I have a rant. I have been reading lots of books by British authors lately, and I find myself wincing every time they try to write an American. I'm sure that Americans are just as bad at writing the Brits. (I also read books about Wyoming a lot mostly so I can shout out loud at the author, "You've obviously never lived in Wyoming!" And sanctimoniously thump it closed. Everybody needs hobbies.)

Anyway, here is a list for British authors of things that Americans DON'T say (unless they are pretending to be British or have recently watched too much BBC America):

1. "Rather". We really don't use this word very much other than indicating preference. Q: "Would you like this?" A: "No thanks, I'd rather have that." Americans do not use the word "rather" as a one word response to anything.

2. "Lot". We don't say "this lot", "that lot", or "you lot". We say "These guys", "Those guys" (in NJ we say "yous guys", too, but we'll leave that out as common American usage...) or "Everybody".

3. "Gobbledygook." I'm not sure any Brits say this either. But now that I've written it out, I may have to use it. Rats.

I'm sure there are more, but that's it for now. British authors, find an American to read your stuff first. One who doesn't listen to British-English regularly. It will make your American characters more authentic. American authors, do the same for our friends across the pond.

Rant over.

For now.

...yes, one of those ladybugs is a guy!

Having received a call from a magazine publisher friend who's starting up a new, ahem, lad's mag, and is looking for some sample articles, I signed up to do a few book reviews. This meant that I had to go and look for books that boys would read. I know, I know, it' isn't right on many levels to assign gender to a book in that way, but we have to admit that not a lot of guys are going to read the latest Stephenie Meyer--at least not in public. But the following book was so compelling--and the topic of interest to pretty much every adult I know--that I'd write a review of it for any type of magazine.

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, by the same Mary Roach who wrote Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, isn't just about the history of the study of sex--ineresting enough on its own--it's funny as well. Roach gives a quick rundown on the whos and whens of sex study over the last couple hundred years---and oh, thank your lucky stars that you weren't around for the "good old days" of embarrassed patients and squeamish doctors delivering babies by braille! You learn why we think we know what we know about sex, and why we don't know what we thought we knew. In the name of scientific research, Roach even signs up for a few research studies herself and experiences firsthand what contemporary subjects go through to help science figure out how the birds and the bees, well, work. Overall, it's quick, engaging read that doesn't need to be hidden in a plain brown wrapper.
Tiffani

Quantico

Just finished this the other day. Good near future thriller-type with loads of action and an ending that isn't necessarily all neat and tidy and all sewn up.

Author is Greg Bear.

Jack Reacher

I'm not sure why I've not posted this before, but these are great books by Lee Child. Jack Reacher is the main guy and he's all a girl could want in a former military gone vigilante. He's tall, well-muscled, often sweaty, and he leaves without a messy good-bye.

The Killing Floor is the first book, I believe. Lee Child has a website with a list...there are now twelve books and they're all good yarns. They don't seem as repetitive as other mystery-thriller type novels.

"Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer

Oh. My. Gosh.

Twilight series, book 4. Just finished.

I am in need of some virtual discussion, broads, because I am in the middle of nowhere. Please leave comments!!!

Diana Gabaldon update

Those who read my last missive on Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series will know that I made some reference to being disgruntled if Lord John Grey showed up suddenly on their remote farm in the Carolinas.

Well... he did, as I know those of you in the know, know. Could you feel me grind my teeth then plunge bravely onward 1000 miles away in Maine as I read it in front of a fire with the ocean crashing outside?

I got over it.

Better, I hope, late than never

Here, at last, is the summary of last month's short story extravaganza. Let me know of any errors or deletions you might notice. I probably won't do anything about it, but what the heck, let me know anyway.

"Dark Riders," submitted by Dena
This was a popular entry, and much excitement was generated by the disclosure that this selection was written by Dena's sister, Tiffani. We can't wait to get our hands on her upcoming novel!

"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson, submitted by Michelle
Well written and creepy.

"A&P," by John Updike, submitted, surprisingly, by Emilia
Able to set aside her disdain for the work of Updike, Emilia shared this story of adolescent angst and bravado. Evocative and nostalgic.

"Pretending the Bed is a Raft," by Nanci Kincaid, submitted by Joan
As this is my submission I can't really be impartial, but it did seem to be well received. This is simply my favorite short story ever.

"Marigolds," by Eugenia W. Collier, submitted by Beth
Sad and sweetly moving.

"Birth of a Superhero," submitted by Toni
Funny.

"The Private Life of Genghis Khan," by Douglas Adams, submitted by Heather
Beyond funny.

"The Rose of Tralee," by Will Crider, submitted by Lynnette

"The Wildcat," by Catherine Boyd, submitted by Katey
I was not the only one to love this story. There is definitely something here that spoke to the readers.

"Hair," by Jesse Stuart, submitted by Dee
Another story with a personal connection to one of the Broads, the author is from Dee's neck of the woods. She reports that Stuart borrows freely from the stories of local families, and not in an entirely complimentary way. The sort of stories that are entertaining as long as you're not the subject.

Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier

Most famous for her novel Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier writes about women and their role in societies that keep them in pretty--and sometimes not so pretty--boxes. In Falling Angels, Chevalier gives us the story of the wives and daughters in two families in turn-of-the-20th-century London as Queen Victoria dies and the Victorian era dies with her. The story is told from several points of view as the daughters, Maude Coleman and Lavinia Waterhouse, grow up in an age when the old status quo of rigid etiquette for everything from "at homes" to dealing with servants to mourning clothes was all laid out in a book so that everyone knew the rules. The graying area between social classes, changing gender roles, conflicts of sexual and gender politics, questions of education, the fight for votes for women--all of these are played out between the two households, often near their adjoining plots in the nearby cemetery. This was the most recent book club pick for the South Park Book Club and encouraged hours of intense discussion, as well as the emptying of a few bottles of wine! The best thing about the book is the look it gives us--those of us who have grown up with certain rights and privileges and take them for granted--of how women from a not-so-distant generation lived.
Tiffani (honorary member from Dayton)

Diana Gabaldon

Let us all prostrate ourselves at the feet of this wonderful woman. I have just finished the first 3 books of the Outlander series. The library is currently holding out on me for the next 2. They were, "Outlander", "Dragonfly In Amber" and "Voyager". They are gigantic. I loved every second of the approximately 2500 pages read so far. My only complaint, and it is a small one as it will deter me not one bit from voraciously reading all the remaining books in the series, is that I thought it stretched the imagination some that they keep meeting the same characters everywhere they go. Let's face it, the world was a lot bigger in the 1700's and Clair and Jamie get around more than most people. So it is a leeeetle silly that they keep bumping into folks in Jamaica and France and Scotland. (If Lord Grey shows up in America I am going to be put out.) But other than that I am caught hook, line and sinker. I can hardly wait to go on vacation and gorge on more.

The Thin Man

I enjoyed this book. It was recommended to me by a librarian. Not a large book, very easy read. It's about a rich, sophisticated couple who solve mysteries between drinks and parties. It's an older book and takes place during Prohibitation. (seems like there is always alcohol available though) I enjoyed it enough that I am planning on getting the movie to watch. I think it is an older black and white film.

The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love

You will either hate it or love it. I laugh out loud over it. These are real women down south. They even have a website. www.sweetpotatoqueens.com. The women have interesting ideas about love, marriage, and children. They have a huge following. There is a St. Paddy's Day Parade down south and they march every year. They wear around a size 28 and stuff the top and bottom and take in the waist. They say that satisfies everyone. The men who like big chests and the men who like big behinds.

There are only so many Queens allowed, then there are the Wannabes, (the women who are waiting in line, in case a Queen dies or moves away) then there are the Wannabe Wannabe's, (the Wannabes have their own following) the men in their lives are called Spud Studs, and their children are called Tater Tots. There are several different books, they even have a cookbook. I do highly reccomend the ladies. I just finished reading it for the 2nd time and still laughed outloud. (Kevin says he is afraid of them)

Blood Noir

I have read all of the books in the Anita Blake series. This one is the latest. Not her best. The only thing that kept me reading was the tiny bit of story line mixed in with all the sex. The first books in the series are really good. A story line that is not the norm. About a woman who when she was a child raised her pet from the dead. (It wasn't pleasant) It's about a time when vampires are citizens with rights, there are werepeople, (wereswans, wererats, werebears, etc..) and she becomes a Federal Marshal who has to keep them all in line. She is also a Necromancer. She raises people from the dead so their family, lawyers, etc. can ask them questions that need answering and then she puts them back to death. Really fun books. BUT.... the last couple have been more about sex than good story line. I would recommend the first ones, but I can't say I would recommend the last 2.

There's No Place Like Here

I have a problem. Besides being unable to only read one of a series, if I read something by an author that I enjoy, I then begin a horrible binge in which I read EVERYTHING that they have ever written. And if they have the audacity to publish after that, I usually can't even bring myself to look at it.

Cecelia Ahern is different because I got in on the ground floor, so to speak. I read "P.S. I Love You" when it was first published in the U.S. and was ridiculously impressed at how well it was written considering the age of the author. (She was only 21 at the time.) I also loved its not so tidy ending. It's tidy enough to leave me satisfied, but not so tidy that I wanted to hurl.

After that was "Rosie Dunn" which I noticed has also been publish under the titles "Love, Rosie" and "Where the Rainbow Ends". I have no explanation for that. Loved that one, too.

Taking a departure from reality, Ahern has written "If You Could See Me Now" and "There's No Place Like Here" which are still about women with issues, but in this case there is something "mystical" to help the women work through them. I think "There's No Place Like Here" was closer to the mark than "If You Could See Me Now".

"There's No Place Like Here" is the story of a woman who has been literally obsessed with finding things since a neighborhood girl disappeared 20 years ago. She starts off with the police, but can't stand to ever end a case, so she eventually opens up a missing persons agency. Then she goes missing from our world to find herself in a land where all missing things go. Every sock from the dryer, every piece of lost luggage, and many of the missing people she's been searching for her entire professional life. The reader is left to determine whether it really happens or not, but it's an enjoyable story to read and as per Ms. Ahern's usual, not too sickeningly tidy in it's wrap up.

Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter

I discovered the Aunt Dimity books shortly after we moved to Ohio. They helped me smile through that first sunless winter and are just as fun in the sunny summertime. They are about a divorced and recently orphaned woman from Chicago, named Lori, who is endowed with a rather strange bequest from someone who she grew up thinking was a fictional character. Aunt Dimity had been the name of her favorite childhood heroine in all the stories her mother had told her. In actuality, Dimity was her mother's best friend from England. Dimity leaves Lori, among other things, an empty journal. Through this journal she and Lori have chats from the great beyond.

It's quirky, but lovable. There are quite a few books in the series, and it really does help to read them in order...except for the first two. You could read the 2nd one first. Anyway, they hop back and forth between the U.S. and the U.K. and always feature a recipe. Uncle Tom's butterscotch brownies are like crack as far as I'm concerned. LOVE them. This book featured "Jammie Biscuits" which I fully intend to make after we go berry picking. Mmmmmmm....

These books are quick and light without making you feel less intelligent for having spent your time with them.

In Search of Mockingbird

This is the story of a 16 year old girl who has one connection to her mother; an old copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird". It's the story of how this girl takes the book and her birthday money and sets out on an journey to find the reclusive author, Harper Lee.

This story is more about the journey and all the characters she meets on the Greyhound bus than it is about the actual destination. But it is well written and a poignant story of a daughter/sister/friend trying to figure out life.

I haven't read "To Kill a Mockingbird" since sometime in the last century. While this story references the book quite a bit, you can still get what's happening even if you're not intimately familiar with it.

Comfort Food

I read The Friday Night Knitting Club (a previous book by the same author) while I was training for the half marathon. I did a lot of reading on the treadmill. Anyway, one Saturday while on the treadmill somewhere around mile 6, I had tears streaming down my face. I actually cared about the myriad of characters in the story. I was able to shut of my brain to all the silly little implausibilities of the story and get involved enough that I cried.

This book? No tears. It felt like Jacobs tried following a once successful recipe, but it didn't turn out quite as well as the first one. I didn't even feel connected to the food. And I love food and books about food! Food can make a whole story for me! But here, it felt like she was describing pretty pictures of food and not the real thing.

I won't say it's a waste of time, but it's not a book I will remember with fondness.

Children of God

I FINALLY READ IT!!!!! I know that most of you have already read this book, but I just got around to reading it. I either always checked out The Sparrow by mistake(I checked that book out 2 times thinking it was the one I hadn't read) or it wasn't at the library when I looked for it. (I know there is such a thing called reserving, but my mind didn't go there at the time) Anyway I fell like I have completed something left undone. Now I just have to read the These are my words series. NOT ENOUGH TIME!!! Also look I figured out how to put the pictures of the books up. (I just hope I'm not doing anything illegal.)

If you havn't guessed by now, my kids stay hungry, my house dirty, and clothes unwashed. I have been reading a little too much. I also have read "In the Courts of the Crimson Kings" by S. M. Stirling and "Many Bloody Returns" a collection of short stories.

Devil Who Tamed Her

Okay, I am prepared to receive much ridicule about this choice, but I love this romance writer. Her characters are usually so funny I laugh out loud. This is the only romance author I read and usually can't put down her books when I start them. Her best are the Mallory series.

Shakespeare's Landlord

Another Charlaine Harris series! This series does not have vampires, but has it's own kind of darkness. I love her easy still of writing.

(A Whopper)-Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor

See, I find that I too can't resist a big, long, epic book--so when I saw this on the shelves I knew it had to come home with me. Is it good? Weeeeellll, it isn't a runoutandgetit kinda book. The characters have very little depth, and there is a lot of repetition in the plot. On the other hand, it was easy to read (all 900+ pages) in a summer book sort of way.

This was heavily censored (supposedly only a fifth of its original size; Forever Amber was written in first half of 20th century during a somewhat more conservative time [if that is possible]), yet it still deliver lots of immoral behavior (always fun) and delicious descriptions of 17th century clothes and decor, with little social tidbit facts thrown in.

Also, there is a movie based on the novel, made in 1947.

From Dead to Worse

I must admit I am a Charlaine Harris junkie. (The Dead Series) It truly is like potato chips for me. Most of you have heard me talk of the Sookie Stackhouse books. (You know Elvis as Bubba) Well this is the 8th in the series. Fun books.
Warning: R rated, not so much this one, but in general.

Outlander

Wow. I just finished reading this wonderful first book in a (deliciously) long series by Diana Gabaldon. Many of the broads have already read this book as they were the ones who insisted that I try it. It was 850 pages of pure reading happiness. I am one who adores a long, good book. And I can be brought to the very edge of panting with desire if there is a whole series of long, good books. So you may never see me again for the rest of the summer as I chew my way through these babies. I would recommend them to any and all. Do not fear the length. Though the length will play havoc on my attempt to read 10 books for my summer reading list at the library. Oh, heck with it! I will just have to sacrifice myself to the series (and give the kids p.b. & j.'s for the rest of the summer) in order to read them all and meet my goal. Gotta have the tote bag. I just gotta!

Treasure Island

This was our book club's selection from last month.

I didn't love it. It was written as an adventure book for boys. It's still an adventure book for boys. My oldest son loved it. I decided it was worth reading because it launched a whole new genre of pirate themed stories. And now I can be done and never read it again...unless I have to...or if my boys want me to read it to them.

Maybe they'd just be content with the Muppet version.

Young Adult Fantasy...it's ok to look.

Here's my current library haul...and a few favorites:

Artemis Fowl (read them all, loved them all...the graphic novel is also cute)
His Dark Materials (just finished Golden Compass, 'coz I want to watch the movie - well done)
Land of Elyon (read the Dark Hills Divide - book one; cute, very fast read, talking animals)
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (Through the Looking Glass...shops at Hot Topic!)
Stardust - not sure if it qualifies as YA, but the movie was kinda marketed that way. Very entertaining...the book - haven't seen the movie yet.

That's all I've finished for now...I've also borrowed the Inheart/Inkspell...Cornelia Funke series and Theif Lord and Dragon Rider of hers. Should be fun.

Something Borrowed

No worries, broads. Just these two in the "series". They were sort of like "Sex in the City" meets "The Mermaid Chair". (Note: I was very disappointed in the Mermaid Chair, and didn't enjoy it very much, but it's that sort of self-analytical tone in exploring breaking points that I'm using for comparison purposes.)

These books are about a pair of friends, Rachel and Darcy, who have grown up together. You start off hating the one and loving the other, but realize throughout the books that it's not that simple. Everyone is a little bit wrong and a little bit right.

In short, I really enjoyed these books, but was a little surprised that I did.

Heather enters the world of the cyber broads

I don't have a book to post yet, but I am so inordinately proud that I sat butt to chair and got onto this site that I had to post something. I am currently halfway through Sarah's Quilt, the second book after These Is My Words. I am enjoying it quite a bit, but I have Emilia's copy of The Host lifting it's skirt at me, flashing a lot of leg and making come hither glances at me. I am trying to hold out and finish one before I start the other. Wish me fortitude.

The Host

Recipe for reading a new Stephenie Meyer book:

1. Begin.

2. Ignore your children, spouse, and chores through much of the day.

3. Feed your family cold cereal for dinner.

4. Repeat until you reach the end.

What did you all think about this foray into science fiction? Were there enough differences or similarities between The Host and The Twilight series to keep you happy?

Discuss, broads!

The Monsters of Templeton

I am pasting a review from amazon.com, because it did a far more condensed version than I was coming up with.

"On the very morning Willie Upton slinks home to Templeton, New York (after a calamitous affair with her archeology professor), the 50-foot-long body of a monster floats from the depths of the town's lake. This unsettling coincidence sets the stage for one of the most original debut novels since The Time Traveler’s Wife. With a clue to the mysterious identity of her father in hand, Willie turns her research skills to unearthing the secrets of the town in letters and pictures (which, "reproduced" in the book along with increasingly complete family trees, lend an air of historical authenticity). Lauren Groff's endearingly feisty characters imbue the story with enough intrigue to keep readers up long past bedtime, and reading groups will find much to discuss in its themes of "monsters," both in our towns and our families. --Mari Malcolm"

Read it, broads! (Heather and Dena, Stephen King even wrote a rave review about it.) Or don't. We could save it for August's book... thoughts?

One For the Money

I like uplifting stories. I really enjoy stories that make me think and look at things from a new perspective. I love stories that make me smile, or giggle or laugh out loud.

But then there are times when I just read filler books. I read all of Meg Cabot's books because they are mental cotton candy that make me laugh a lot. I am a firm believer that while it is delicious and fun to eat, cotton candy probably shouldn't be the main staple of my diet.

Meg hasn't come out with anything recently, so I needed to borrow someone else's cotton candy. Janet Evanovich was recommended to me as "candy bar reading". I can go with that. A little more substance than cotton candy, but with similar nutritional break down.

That said, I enjoy Evanovich's writing style. It's just enough that you don't feel stupid for reading it, but not so much that it can't be enjoyed while lounging on a beach somewhere...or in my comfy green wingback chair.

I should warn you, fellow compulsive I-can-not-read-only-one-in-a-series, that there are 14 books in the Stephanie Plum series.

I should also say that this first book is set in Trenton, NJ. And she gets that part right. Trenton is gross and disgusting and depressing. (I'm sure there are lovely parts, I just never saw them. I went to college in a suburb of Trenton and even the gorgeous old mansions were all crumbly and surrounded by ickiness. Right downtown isn't bad, but everything else is not so nice.) This series is about a woman from Trenton who becomes a bounty hunter for her sleazy cousin, Vinny. It's not quite what she expects, but she survives the hard knocks.

Not bad for some summer reading, Broads. Or in between stuff, either. And yes, I will be reading the other 13 in the series. I promise I'll seek help someday for this bizarre compulsion. No, really. I will. Someday....

Queen of Swords

Just so everyone knows that there isn't some strange book club blog stalker out there with an odd title name, I am RicRacSally, AKA Dena--my sister and I (these days, I must confess, it is mostly my sister) write another blog with this title, so all blogs that I am involved in would have the same name!

Just finished "Queen of Swords" by Sara Donati. 'Tis part four of an ongoing saga, much like Jamie and Claire, about an early american family growing up in the forests of New York State. If you liked the Outlander series, this is a nice filler while waiting for Diana to hit us with her next 15 pounder.

The Miracle At Speedy Motors

I just finished this, the ninth book of "The #1 Ladies Detective Agency". The first one is still by far my favorite. I was amazed that a man could write such a wonderfully believable female character. Alexander McCall Smith has become one of my favorite authors because his books calm me and transport me to wherever the characters are. It is always a slower paced place with time for reflection and enjoyment of one's fellow people and surroundings. His books are wonderful to read if you are looking for something to take in while you have a few minutes of quiet in your day or want to enjoy a chuckle before bed. They won't keep you up at night, but they will make you smile often.

Pillars of the Earth

Pillars of the Earth is a huge book but well worth it. I never thought I would enjoy a book about priests, monks, and building cathedrals, but it was fantastic. There is susupense, action, and romance--what more could you want? I highly recommend it. Enjoy!
Linda

Hi all. I've just finished the first three books in the Saxon Chronicles (starts with Lords of the North) by Bernard Cornwell and thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of swordplay and pillaging during the reign of Alfred the Great. I'm in a medieval historical fiction rut and loving it.

Also, in a medieval fantasy vein, the new George R. R. Martin Song of Fire and Ice book, Dance with Dragons, is supposed to come out in September, so there's plenty of time to read the first four books in that series in anticipation. :)

Happy reading....I miss you all.
Amy

These Is My Words

This was the selection for April's meeting. It seemed to be universally enjoyed and appreciated (Though that could have just been us moaning over the deliciousness of Dee's cookies and lemonade. Mmmmm....cookies.)

"These Is My Words" is a story about a young woman in the Arizona Territories in the late 1800s. It's written in diary form and is actually based on some of the diaries of author Nancy Turner's great Grandmother.

We broads are from all over the U.S. (with a token Irishwoman) and we all thoroughly enjoyed this story of wagon trains, homesteading, building up a city, and a woman's life in general.