Critical, you just whiz right thru books!!
I am still reading The Pillars of the Earth. I am about 3/4 thru and I really need to finish it up because it has been keeping me up way too late at night...
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Critical, you just whiz right thru books!!
I am still reading The Pillars of the Earth. I am about 3/4 thru and I really need to finish it up because it has been keeping me up way too late at night...
Right now I'm reading "The Masque of the Black Tulip", and "The Lightening Thief", I have "To Kill a Mockingbird" on deck (I haven't read it in forever!) and "The Deception of the Emerald Ring" on deck.
Many thanks to whomever turned me on to Lauren Willig! She's been a really fun read. MaudeFlanders you might enjoy these books, they take place after the Scarlet Pimpernel is unmasked, but his League is still rescuing French aristocrats from Mme. Guillotine. There is some sex but it's not "bodice ripper" crap.
Well, there is a little bodice ripping...especially in the first book! :lol I love that series too. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Duxxy;3824003;
I'm still reading The Postmistress, which is turning out to be a lot more serious than it's cover would imply. The cover makes it look like a sweet, overly romantic story. Totally NOT. Now, two of the characters are in Europe during WWII and the Nazis are beginning to reveal their plan for the Jews. One of the characters is a reporter, who is trying to cover the story and is increasingly horrified by what is happening, while America seems to be turning a blind eye. Very well written and very absorbing. I'll probably finish it tonight.
OK maybe one bodice was rent LOL. The scene in the boat was quite steamy but it was about the same temperature as a Harlequin Blaze Romance.... yes I will admit to reading them.
They are the sorbet of books... just to cleanse your palate :lol
I recently finished The Help and Last Night in Twisted River. The Help was a real page-turner, loved the story, the characters. Thanks to all on this board who recommended it! As for Last Night..., it was a return to the John Irving I came to love in all my favorite Irving books of the past. I read somewhere that he'd written it for his fans, and I believe it.
Have started The Guernsy Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and I was immediately hooked. Another great recommendation from this board. And I just received the Alison Weir history of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster, Mistress of the Monarchy, which I'm also anxious to read.
I finished The Postmistress tonight and am a little overwhelmed, emotionally. It ended before America jumped into WWII, but after reports of Nazi violence against Jews had begun. I find it just wrenching to read or think about that time, knowing what was coming and knowing nothing can be done to change it. Still, I found it a very good read - touching and well-written. :up
For a change of pace, I'm reading Timothy Egan's The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America. I got a copy of it at an event last fall where I saw Egan speak. I also saw him do a book reading on Book TV and became even more smitten. I just found him totally charming - handsome, intelligent, well-spoken and funny. He writes a weekly column for the NY Times that I've begun reading. I love his writing. He's a great storyteller.
Here's a short essay he wrote about the book for Amazon (it's in the listing for the book here: Amazon.com: The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America (9780618968411): Timothy Egan: Books)
Quote:
Nearly a hundred years ago, a big piece of Rocky Mountain high country fell to a fire that has never been matched--in size, ferocity, or how it changed the country. I was drawn to this fire in part because of its mythic status among my fellow Westerners. But I was reluctant to try and tell this story because everyone who had lived through it had gone to their grave. With The Worst Hard Time, I could look into the eyes of people who survived the Dust Bowl and hear their stories--firsthand. They were happy to pass them on. I was the baton.
With The Big Burn, the stories would have to come from ghosts. That fire burned 3 million acres and five towns to the ground in the hot sweep of a single weekend. It also killed nearly a hundred people. So, my task was to listen to the dead--those Italian and Irish immigrant firefighters in their letters home, those first forest rangers in memories collected in volumes stashed away in mountain towns, and in the notes and diaries of two great men who founded the Forest Service. One, Teddy Roosevelt, is a voice that lives nearly as loud today as when he bestrode the world stage. The other, Gifford Pinchot, was less known, but his legacy, like that of Roosevelt, is everywhere in the public land that Americans now claim as a birthright. And what’s more, Pinchot himself was married to a ghost for nearly 20 years, one of the more fascinating things I found in the haunt of the Big Burn.
Year of Wonders just came into my hold pile at the library. I'm going to pick it up tomorrow. Thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by obsession57;3818021;
If you are up for some womanly outrage, has anyone read the "Princess" series about the Saudi Arabian princess and her experiences? There are three books, and they are auto-biographical. Those books shocked me about what women go through in those countries. I knew it was bad, but never could have imagined how oppressed they are. And, considering the books are written by a princess, she is one of the lucky ones!
This is the book I am talking about. It is older, but I just read it recently:
Amazon.com: Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia (9780967673745): Jean Sasson: Books
I read a similar autobiography called Out of Iran, another much older book (1970's). I remember being shocked by the content as well, but as I meet more women from the Middle East, I'm growing to understand the culture a little bit better. Those that live in North America are certainly more Westernized (and liberated) even if they still adhere to the older practices and dress.Quote:
Originally Posted by maude~flanders;3826116;
I just finished re-reading Shutter Island and am more anxious than ever for the movie. Can't wait to see what DiCaprio will do with the role of Teddy. Somehow, he suits playing mid-20th century characters the best, he's got the look of the old studio stars like James Stewart and Cary Grant.
To continue on the theme of womanly outrage, you might try The Bookseller of Kabul. Very interesting non-fiction by someone who lived with an Afghan family for awhile. And along those same lines, I just started Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, which comes highly recommended. It was always checked out of the library.
Year of Wonders is very good, hope you like it!
Also, I just added Postmistress to my reading list earlier today. I met with my book group last night and someone in the group had just finished it. (We discussed The Book Thief--it's one of the group's favorites.)
"Between Sisters" by Kristin Hannah. This is my first Hannah book, although I've often meant to read her books. We have audio downloads through our local library participation in Wilbor, and this is my first download. A whole new world for me :lol