What are you reading the week of June 19, 2010?

Can you guess whose birthday is this week based on the following entries?

ACCIDENT, n. An inevitable occurrence due to the action of immutable natural laws.

ACCOUNTABILITY, n. The mother of caution.

BIGOT, n. One who is obstinately and zealously attached to an opinion that you do not entertain.

CRITIC, n. A person who boasts himself hard to please because nobody tries to please him.

DICTIONARY, n. A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic. This dictionary, however, is a most useful work.

ERUDITION, n. Dust shaken out of a book into an empty skull.

FRIENDSHIP, n. A ship big enough to carry two in fair weather, but only one in foul.

FROG, n. A reptile with edible legs.

GENEROUS, adj. Originally this word meant noble by birth and was rightly applied to a great multitude of persons. It now means noble by nature and is taking a bit of a rest.

GRAMMAR, n. A system of pitfalls thoughtfully prepared for the feet for the self-made man, along the path by which he advances to distinction.

IMPIETY, n. Your irreverence toward my deity.

INK, n. A villainous compound of tannogallate of iron, gum-arabic and water, chiefly used to facilitate the infection of idiocy and promote intellectual crime.

LAWYER, n. One skilled in circumvention of the law.

LEXICOGRAPHER, n. A pestilent fellow who, under the pretense of recording some particular stage in the development of a language, does what he can to arrest its growth, stiffen its flexibility and mechanize its methods.

LIFE, n. A spiritual pickle preserving the body from decay.

MAN, n. An animal so lost in rapturous contemplation of what he thinks he is as to overlook what he indubitably ought to be. His chief occupation is extermination of other animals and his own
species, which, however, multiplies with such insistent rapidity as to infest the whole habitable earth and Canada.

NOVEL, n. A short story padded. … The art of writing novels, such as it was, is long dead everywhere except in Russia, where it is new.

PATRIOT, n. One to whom the interests of a part seem superior to those of the whole. The dupe of statesmen and the tool of conquerors.

PEACE, n. In international affairs, a period of cheating between two periods of fighting.

PLAGIARISM, n. A literary coincidence compounded of a discreditable priority and an honorable subsequence.

POLITICIAN, n. An eel in the fundamental mud upon which the superstructure of organized society is reared. When we wriggles he mistakes the agitation of his tail for the trembling of the edifice. As compared with the statesman, he suffers the disadvantage of being alive.

PRESIDENCY, n. The greased pig in the field game of American politics.

PUBLISH, n. In literary affairs, to become the fundamental element in a cone of critics.

QUOTATION, n. The act of repeating erroneously the words of another. The words erroneously repeated.

RIME, n. Agreeing sounds in the terminals of verse, mostly bad. The verses themselves, as distinguished from prose, mostly dull. Usually (and wickedly) spelled "rhyme."

SAINT, n. A dead sinner revised and edited.

SENATE, n. A body of elderly gentlemen charged with high duties and misdemeanors.

TELEPHONE, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance.

URBANITY, n. The kind of civility that urban observers ascribe to dwellers in all cities but New York. Its commonest expression is heard in the words, "I beg your pardon," and it is not consistent with
disregard of the rights of others.

WALL STREET, n. A symbol for sin for every devil to rebuke.

Starting The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. I'm not really sure whether I'll like it or not. Let's see how it goes.

>1 teelgee: Is it Samuel Johnson?

I just finished Mister Monday last night, I'm reading The Trail of the Serpent for the monthly author read, and listening to The Fairy Tale Detectives on the way to work. I may start another book today, but I haven't decided yet. :)

Still reading The Gaslight Dogs by Karin Lowachee.

>1 teelgee: Ambrose Bierce! I love The Devil's Dictionary.

ETA: so excited I forgot to say what I was reading. I'm taking The Double by Jose Saramago to the beach with me today, and I'm still working through On Growth and Form and The Voyage of the Narwhal.

I've finished Into the Silent Land by Paul Broks, posted a quick review, and have already started The Edge of Reason by Melinda Snodgrass earlier this morning. Hopefully it gets better, it's been a little goofy so far in the first chapter.

Since yesterday, I am still going through Fate of the Jedi: Outcast by Aaron Allston but plan on reading Black Ships by Jo Graham this week also.

Thanks teelgee! This week's introductory post has me chuckling!

On the reading front, I am still reading the short story collection Landscape with Dog. I haven't read enough of the stories to form an opinion of the collection yet. I ended up abandoning The Bishop's Man last night - after 4 days and only 48 pages into the book I decided it was too much of a pointless slog for me to continue through the remaining 351 pages, so back to the library it goes for another patron to possibly enjoy. In it's place, I will now pick up Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones.

...usually (and wickedly) spelled "rhyme"

LOL! Good ol' Ambrose!

I want to finish The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman this morning so I can start some of the others at the top of the to-be-read pile. I set up my weekend for a lot of reading as the next 12 days will be work-related hectic and long with little time for anything else but sleep.

LIFE, n. A spiritual pickle preserving the body from decay.

Thanks, teelgee, for the laugh and edification. Must take a look at The Devil's Dictionary sometime.

You also provided me for the perfect segue for my latest read Being Dead, which contains the most beautiful, poetic descriptions of death and decay I've ever read. This is going to be a tough one to review!

I'm beginning my experience in Three Pines country with Louise Penny's highly touted Still Life later today.

Still reading The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. Still not sure what to think about it...

>11 Donna828: *pants eagerly* OOO OOO Three Pines has another visa applicant in the making, I bet! If you're not ecstatic after reading the first one, Donna, wait until the next one before making the final judgment. They get so much more accomplished as she goes on.

Good morning everyone,

My twelve days in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Oregon and Washington with my mother and sister was outstanding !!!. I only managed to finish The Sheltering Sky. I am a back at work, back at home and a few pages into Madame Bovary. Hope everyone has a fabulous week.

Just got started on White Cat by Holly Black

It is a young adult book about crime and magic. Only a few pages in so too early to know much yet.

RIOT, n. A popular entertainment for the military put on by innocent bystanders.

I'm currently reading a short memoir, Under Himmler's Command, by a staff officer assigned to Himmler's Army Group Vistula (Weichsel) in the final year of the war. Himmler was a complete military amateur. He was given command of an Army Group because he would do whatever Hitler commanded without protest.

The book is a bit disturbing to read at times because the author is still living in a purple haze of Nazi propaganda. For instance, he excoriates the Red Army's behavior claiming that the Germans were never that brutal towards the Russian population. Yes, the Red Army's revenge on Germans was brutal, but it pales in comparison to what the Nazis did to Russia. He also laments the conviction and execution of one of the SS Doctors convicted in the Doctors' Trial at Nurnberg.

Forgot to add: As soon as I finish Under Himmler's Command, I'm starting on The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham. I love summer reading!

The Ides of March by Thornton Wilder and Neverwhere on audio read by Neil Gaiman (himself!) are currently at the top of my reading curriculum, along with When Christ and His Saints Slept, Under the Dome, and The TMJ Healing Plan.

>11 Donna828: Donna: interesting segue too -- from Being Dead to Still Life. LOL! What's next, Breathing Lessons?

I meant to include a link to the Devil's Dictionary: http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Literature/Bierce/DevilsDictionary/ I've always loved his satire and cynicism.

I'm reading The Patron Saint of Liars - will wrap it up sometime this weekend, then ... oh who knows???

My brother encouraged me to read Me Cheeta by James Lever and I am finding it a hilarious spoof on Hollywood memoirs. Talk about not being afraid to "dish the dirt", this is one monkey who really does tell all!

I'm about halfway through Breaking the Tongue.

>18 teelgee: I loved The Patron Saint of Liars.

This week I'm reading the second book in the Ian Rutledge series, Wings of Fire by Charles Todd ans\d continuing to listen to Strength of What Remains by Tracy Kidder.

Just coming to the end of Remarkable Creatures. So glad I picked up this novelisation of the lives of two extraordinary women. Just the kind of thing I love.

I'm finishing up The Phantom Tollbooth and looking forward to Nevil Shute's Pied Piper

>23 NarratorLady:, NarratorLady, The Phantom Tollbooth was a favorite of mine when I was a child, and I was delighted to enjoy it just as much now when I read it to my kids. Hope you like it as well.

I read Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi yesterday. Amazing. I'll be looking for Persepolis 2. Today I started The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies.

I finished The Swiss Family Robinson, and thought it was terrible! I am listening to Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich and reading Wolf Hall.

I finished The Scarlet Letter and it was a fantastic read. I'm not reading anything yet because i'm going to B&N today so yeah.

#19 Thank you DeltaQueen50 for reminding me to add Me Cheetah to my wishlist

I'm still reading The Yiddish Policeman's Union

Reading My Booky Wook, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (which will be finished soon) and probably going to start something new tonight, not sure what though.

I finished The Great Gatsby and am working on The Hours, Cutting for Stone, and Their Eyes were Watching God.

Well after midnight I finished the Norton Critical Edition of Hamlet. And then I couldn't wait; it was well after my usual time to turn out the light -- I read the first few chapters (60 or 70 pages) of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest; it went down slick as Gatorade on a hot day after a long run.

Robert

I finished Rosa Lee by Leon Dash and restarted Homicide by David Simon.

I'm also listening to The Girl Who Kicked a Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson on audiobook.

Yesterday I forced myself to finish up A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I was enjoying it so much I was dragging it out... past it's due date at the library.

Last night I started Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth. Not an auspicious start I'm going to give it 50 pages and then decide whether to carry on.

I am reading Chasing Goldman Sachs by LT's own chatterbox. Even as a complete Wall Street idiot, I am following along easily and learning a lot.

> 22 Booksloth - I am so happy to hear that you liked Remarkable Creatures! I had to return it to the library without even cracking the spine. I will make a note to place a new hold on the book and try to read it this time before it is due back!

>34 lkernagh: another vote for Remarkable Creatures. I loved that book.

>29 Bridget770:: wow, that's a bunch of phenomenal books you've got going all at once!!!

I just finished Little Bee which I loved. Now I'm about half-way into First Contact or, It's Later than you Think by Evan Mandery. This is a VERY funny little book. The interesting thing is I don't care for political books, nor science fiction and can take/leave satire ... this is all three and one of the most wonderful, pondering books I've read this year. I picked it up at a used book sale, started the first few pages and cracked up, so decided to buy it (for a dollar). There are no reviews here, so I hope to spread the joy about it. Just really different and very funny, in a very good way.

My current reads (mostly the same as last week):

All the Pretty Horses
1001 Arabian Nights
Rousseau's Confessions
I Promessi Sposi
Le Morte d'Arthur
The Trumpeter of Krakow
Thomas Jefferson

Reading some Swedish classics: the play Fröken Julie and novel Röda rummet by August Strindberg. Fiction Kallocain by Karin Boye.

I've about 80 pages to go in The Gates of the Forest by Elie Wiesel. An amazing and moving book.

Still reading Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson. Pretty good, but not my favorite of the year or anything.

In finished Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban some time last week and now started listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as another part of my attempt to re-read the series.

I think I'm pretty cynical, but Ambrose Bierce is too much for me. I read about 1/2 of The Devil's Dictionary and had had enough.

I finished and reviewed Cat's Eye and Who Fears Death both excellent and complex books. Tomorrow I start reading The Anybodies by N. E. Bode (ha, ha), alias Julianna Baggott, because I need a little break from "weaponized rape" before I start on Do They Hear You When You Cry. I've also started listening to A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray because I liked Going Bovine so much. They don't seem to have anything in common, but I've only just started.

Finished Remarkable Creatures in the early hours of this morning and it was fantastic - thanks to lkernagh and telgee for echoing that.

Now I'm into Talking About Jane Austen in Baghdad. This is a collection of emails between two very different women - one in London and one in Baghdad. It reads a lot like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society with the added advantage of being a true story. I'm utterly engrossed.

#26 Nice to find another fan of The Scarlet Letter - I think it's a great book too but it seems to be almost universally hated by other LTers.

#36 And another Little Bee fan. An almost perfect book IMO.

#32 - kiwiflowa - sounds as if you've got about as far with Sacred Hunger as I did, and god I tried. That was a coupla hours I could have been doing things that were so much more fun (getting teeth drilled, inserting needles under my finger nails etc).

43: At last - I reviewed Talking About Jane Austen in Baghdad in January and the only other online review I've read was by someone who didn't like it - I'm pleased that you're enjoying it.

#44 I must take a look at those reviews but I won't do so until after I've finished reading. I can't help wondering 'what's to not enjoy?' right now though.

I finished Arcadia Falls last night. Today I'm starting The Passage. I hope it lives up to all the hype!

Early this morning I finished Waiting for the Wild Beasts to Vote by Ahmadou Kourouma, which was a disappointing and long winded read. Today I'll start Troubles by J.G. Farrell, the winner of the Lost Man Booker Prize. I'll also read Journey to Portugal by José Saramago, the Nobel laureate who died this past Friday.

Finished The Trumpeter of Krakow last night (wow - fantastic book!). Off the start The Enormous Crocodile

We are having a Group Read of The Once and Future King by T.H. White. It begins July 1st. It is a big, magical look at the King Arthur legend. It should be a terrific summer read. Come join us! The link for the General Thread can be found: right here

I finished Lester Higata's 20th Century which is a LT ER. It's an excellent selection of interrelated short stories reminding me in format to Olive Kitteridge. The Hawaiian setting gives the book lushness and cultural diversity. The characters are multidimensional and interesting. I love that the stories are set at progressively earlier times so that a character is met and then in a later story there are clues as to how they came to be as they were. It was a rich, thought provoking, excellent book.

Finished The Enormous Crocodile; ready to start Hitty: Her First Hundred Years.

>17 Storeetllr: Storeetllr, I loved Neverwhere on audio. He brings the book to life! its great, I listen to audio books all the time in the car and its still my favorite.

#52 dancingstarfish ~ Oh yes, exactly right! Finished it last night and wanted to immediately go back to the beginning and listen to it all over again. As I said in my review, Gaiman's one of the few author's who should read his own books. (At least the two I've listened to that were read by him, which were nothing short of magical: Neverwhere and The Graveyard Book.)

Ohh I'll have to pick up the graveyard book on audio too! I'm currently listening to The Angels Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon on audiobook, which is read by someone with a great voice for the story.

I'm always surprised how often I turn on an audio book and the voice doesn't fit the story. That never makes sense to me! I heard The Lacuna was read by someone with a horrible voice, made it almost impossible to listen too.

#54 dancingstarfish, The reader of The Lacuna wasn't horrible, but someone else could have done a far better job. You haven't heard horrible until you've heard Madeleine L'Engle read her work.

#54 Yes, makes you wonder what the casting director (or whatever they're called) was thinking. I used to download audiobooks without listening to the reader first. Now, for readers I've not heard before, I listen to a scrap first and, if I think I will be able to stand the voice, only then will I download & put it on my iPod.

Wondering what audiobook to start next. I've heard a lot of good things about Cat's Eye, which I've got on my iPod, so may give it a try.

BTW, almost finished The Ides of March, an epistolary novel by Thornton Wilder, which I've found fascinating, though the historical timeline is wildly off, making it somewhat offputting. It's Thornton's brilliant portrayal of Caesar's mind that had made me continue reading, though, despite the historical inaccuracy. For a change of pace, am starting Barry Eisler's Rain Fall.

#55 Hahaaa yes! I tried one by L'Engle once and got about five lines in before giving up in horror.

I finished Drown by Junot Diaz. It's a short story collection and it was very well written. Diaz went on to pen Oscar Wao, which I am also a big fan of. I've been listening to Bonk, which has it's cringe-worthy moments but also it's laugh out loud ones too. I'm getting ready to start The Beekeeper's Apprentice.

Finished a re-read of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, continuing with Lost City Radio and Caramelo, and started City Gates by Khoury, a 'new to me' author.

>55 Citizenjoyce:, I'll consider myself warned! Another one I didn't like was Bee Season.. the reader wasn't nails on a chalkboard, but very monotone I'd zone out a lot and have to back up to hear what happened. I gave up after 1 disc.

I've been dithering around about what to read for a solid week, picking things up, reading a chapter, then discarding. I think I've finally settled on Sarah Waters' Fingersmith.

Hello folks!

I'm reading Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky, which I'm enjoying quite a bit. It's especially chilling to think that she was writing the story (of German-occupied WWII France) as she was living it.

I'm also enjoying the summer weather, which means reading outside! Beach reading! Park bench reading! A cozy armchair is fine and all, but sometimes you just need a grassy knoll...

I finished The Gaslight Dogs by Karin Lowachee. I am amazed that the ending was even worse than the rest of the book. Imagine a conflict and all the main parties just ride off into the wilderness with nothing resolved or even worked on.

I am now reading Stealing Fire by Jo Graham. Historical fantasy, and an LT ER book.

#61 Oooh, such a goodie. Well worth a week's dithering!

#61 & 64 - I'd like to add to the Fingersmith praise. I read it last week and really, really enjoyed it.

>61 jbleil:, 64, 65 - Piling on the Fingersmith band wagon. I loved it - enjoy!

I love all things Sarah Waters, except The Little Stranger. The rest are all engrossing.

I finished The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet and am not sure what I think about it. I liked a little over half a book, the other half... meh. I will start on Nachtschade (Blindsighted) by Karin Slaughter on my way home.

Oh yes, yes yes for Fingersmith! Excellent book.

I finished the wonderful Patron Saint of Liars and have just started A Guide to the Birds of East Africa, which I'm finding delightful so far. Love the writing style.

Reading F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise.

#67 Just to be fair to Ms Waters, I liked The Little Stranger too, though not as much as her other books. I think if it had been by anyone else I've have been impressed but she leaves herself a tough act to follow and I have such high hopes for her books that when one comes along that is only as good as any other good book I feel disappointed. I was also a little disappointed with The Night Watch, to be honest - I guess my big passion is for the Victorians and I still see that era as her specialist subject.

I am still reading The Worst Hard Time. It is fascinating. I should finish it sometime in the next few days.

Just about to start Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, a book I know I should have read a long time ago.

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa sounds particularly good. I'll look forward to hearing what you think of it, >69 teelgee: teelgee.

I finished The Man in the Iron Mask, which was quite good but more melancholy than I expected, and Poirot Investigates, a clever collection of short mysteries.

Now I'm reading The Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine, and The Thirteen Problems, a collection of Miss Marple mysteries.

Thanks for all the recommendations for Fingersmith. I am loving it so far. I'm a little trepidatious, as I will be very shortly embarking on a new venture for me: reading three books at a time. Fingersmith as my main read, The Once and Future King for the LT group read, and a reread of The Book Thief for my RL book group. I've never done this before, so wish me luck! Although I might finish Fingersmith before the group read, it's a little unlikely given our upcoming travel schedule and responsibilities as regards my play schedule with my three granddaughters. Priorities, you know.

I am reading "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" and its creepy how he draws actual history alongside vampire slaying. Its a good book for under the covers with a flashlight reading! Next will be" Pride and Predudice and Zombies". Heard good things about it. After that.....Well my first grandchild will come in mid-August so I guess it's back to Mother Goose and Dr. Seuss for awhile. I can hardly wait to read the Harry Potter series out loud to him!!

#75 Three great reads, then. The Once and Future King is my favourite of all the 'Arthur' books.

#26 and 43 - I'm also a fan of The Scarlet Letter and everything else written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The man was an amazing writer.

This week I'm still working through A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide and The Gone-Away World. The latter is turning out better than I expected.

Still working on Napoleon's Buttons. I really should get back to actually reading during lunch, rather than listening to podcasts -- if only because it's due back at the library on Wednesday.

Fingersmith does not sound like my kind of book, but your reviews may have talked me into it.

I finished The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake in one sitting yesterday. This book also did not sound like something I would enjoy, but I did. The plot sounds a little hokey (for lack of a better word), but the story drew me in. The story centers around a girl from the age of 8 to early 20s living in LA with her parents and brother. She has this ability to taste how people feel through the food the make. The book focuses generally on people's imperfections and frailties, making life shades of gray, not black and white. The book demonstrates how delicate the balance in life really is without being preachy or morbid. I liked it.

jbliel: if you can possibly stick with just Fingersmith till the end, I'd encourage that! There are so many wonderful twists and turns, it's one book I recommend to people to read straight through if possible. You have some competition there, with The Book Thief too! Holy cow.

So when I started Still Missing by Chevy Stevens I was liking it okay, but not totally loving it. About 1/3 of the way in, though, it totally grabbed me and I stayed up until about 1 am reading. Since I then had to get up and go to work, I haven't started a new book yet, but will be starting Commuters by Emily Gray Tedrowe later today.

I did start a new audiobook this morning, Feed by Mira Grant. I was a little apprehensive at first, but I'm *loving* it.

Currently, I'm making my way through Lolita. It's fascinating: if Humbert Humbert were describing his passions about anyone other than this 12-year-old Dolores, it would be a acceptable relationship as considered by society. Then I remember who he is talking about and I get creeped out every time! Despite this, I'm enjoying Nabokov's writing style very much.
Angela's Ashes is on deck. I've got a couple books to choose from after that, and I'm thinking Mathilda Savitch.

Edited because the touchstones are acting up on me.

#82: I hope you enjoy Feed.
I'd like to recommend another Feed by M.T. Anderson. The story is fascinating and the audio book is absolutely fabulous.

Finished Hitty (meh) and am ready to start The Cat Who Went to Heaven.

My morning read is currently The End of Reason by Ravi Zacharias. I'm reading through Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray to see if this would be a good book to have my middle schoolers read next school year. For fun I'm reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, and so far it has my attention.

I finished Shadow Tag and have started listening to Little Bee by Chris Cleave. I continue reading Wolf Hall.

I finished reading Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and am 150 pages into Girl Who Played With Fire. They have been sitting on my shelves for over a year and I decided that while millions of others were reading them I should too. Or I would be behind the curve. :-( Far-Be-It-From-Me to be behind the curve. I just can't stand not being able to say "Oh, I read that book last year and loved it. What do you think of it? (In a very superior voice.) Those who know me know that I have hundreds of books laying around and seldom read anything when it is an actual best seller. But it is strange to not have already read a book that has so much current buzz. Friday night at Barnes & Noble another woman came up to me (I was still on Dragon Tattoo) and told me that she read that book last fall and just LOVED it. I was astonished because it is usually me who does that to others.

I am just about to start Shanghai Girls, which several friends recommended. I just finished reading a hilarious memoir about wine and a father-daughter road trip..... It stirred up conflicted feelings about my dad and old boyfriend, leading me to write an entry in my blog, www.the-reading-list.com

I finished The Gates of the Forest by Elie Wiesel last night. My brief review can on the book's work page.

I'm off for a week's vacation in New Jersey, where I'll be attending the wedding of the son of a very good friend, seeing other friends and just, in general, poking around my old stomping grounds.

I'll be bringing two books along, both the first books of detective series, in fact:
March Violets, the first of Philip Kerr's Berlin Noir series, and
Death at Charity's Point, the first of William Tapply's Brady Coyne series

In fact, the Kerr will be a re-read, but I've decided to read the entire series, and it was so long ago that I read March Violets that I thought a refresher would be in order.

81 teelgee: Okay, I'll try to take your recommendation. I have a few days to play with before being under the gun on Book Thief, especially as it will be a re-read to refresh my memory. And I can get a late start on the group read of The Once and Future King. I'm not too far into Fingersmith yet, but I can tell I'm going to be hooked. The main time-grabber will be playtime with my granddaughters. But such a great dilemma! I just love being retired....

I finished Boven is het stil (The Twin) by Gerbrand Bakker and A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle.
I'm reading Salka Valka by Halldór Laxness and The glorious Family by Pepetela.

I finished, reviewed, and loved The Uncommon Reader, just like everyone else. The review's in my thread...post #10.

@89: I loved Shanghai Girls!

Fingersmith is one of my favorite books. Enjoy.

The Girl Who Played With Fire was just made in to a film...I will have to check this one out because the trailer for the movie was pretty good. Thanks for sharing this one.

The only return I get searching IMDB for 'the girl who played with fire' is the 2009 Swedish film. It really held my attention.

I keeping seeing here and there on line that there will be an American version, but I never can nail anything down about it.

Robert

The Swedish film of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was so good, I'm hoping The Girl Who Played With Fire will be equal to it. The movies are new to the US, I think Fire comes out here early in July. I dread the thought of what Hollywood will do to the books, though I hear there are plans.

Finished with The Cat Who Went to Heaven (v. cool little read), read The Twits (v. Dahl little read = also v. cool), and well into The Door in the Wall.

Finished this week

Stella Duffy, Wavewalker - excellent crime novel, 2nd in Saz Martin series set in south London

Roddy Doyle, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha - an account of a boy's school days and his home life as his parents' marriage breaks up

Now reading

Shirley Williams, Climbing the Bookshelves - the memoir of an English politician whose politics I don't agree with but I was interested in reading her account of leaving the Labour Party to found the SDP (she's now a Liberal Democrat in Britain), and also because her mother was Vera Brittain.

Asne Seierstadt, The Bookseller of Kabul

Margaret Atwood, Moral Disorder

Diana Wynne Jones, Dogsbody

Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking

I finished the short stories collection Landscape with Dog - it was alright but confusing at times as I was never sure if it was supposed to be a collection of interconnected stories or if the odd character name was just appearing in a different story for no reason. I am also not a big fan of stories that end 'unfinished'. I finished and loved Mister Pip and have posted my review on the book page.

Next up, and for a change of pace is Anne Perry's The Cater Street Hangman, book one in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Victorian murder mystery series.

I finished William Boyd's Ordinary Thunderstorms. I'd forgotten what a delight it is to visit Boyd-world -- you never quite know what's going to happen or where you're going next, but it's always a great ride.

Leaving Boyd's contemporary London I will now travel back in time to the London of Charles Dickens' Bleak House.

I was so lazy when I lay down to nap that I didn't even go to sleep. I read from somewhere in the 400's straight through to the end of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I love to read, but I can't remember the last time I have found a story as compelling.

Robert

I finished The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies tonight. I really enjoyed it -- the book left me with a lot to think about. Next, I think I'll read Shanghai Girls by Lisa See for my book club before I jump into The Once and Future King for a group read.

Anne- I hope you enjoy Shanghai Girls. It was my first by Lisa See and I really liked it. See you on the Group Read!

#87- I finished Little Bee last night and absolutely loved it!! I started Summerland by Michael,Chabon this morning and am still working on The Story of Yiddish

#106 cdyankeefan: Oooh, I loved Summerland when I read it a few years ago - I hope you enjoy it!

#106 Isn't it just the best? Sorry if I'm repeating myself, because I'm so enthusiastic I've said this before in various places, but I heartily recommend Cleave's other novel Incendiary too. Two of the best books I've read in ages.

On a similar kind of theme to Little Bee/The Other Hand, I just finished Talking About Jane Austen in Baghdad which had me in tears by the final page. Sometimes it's hard to keep in mind how lucky we are who don't live in a war zone. If I catch myself feeling a bit smug or blase about my peaceful, easy, normal life in future, I'll be able to pick up either of these books and remind myself that life isn't like that for everyone.

Now quickly reading Antigone by Jean Anouilh as another uni set book before choosing another novel from the TBR pile.

Ed to fix touchstones

I finished The Historian last night and promptly picked up Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn. I don't usually indulge in so much fiction, but I must say I'm having a lovely time.

Finished Antigone (not quite as quickly as it appears from the proximity of my posts - it actually took about an hour) and now making a start on The Dark Labyrinth which is set in my beloved Crete and so is perfect for reading while sunbathing.

That's ok Booksloth-I get like that when I read a book that I absolutely love- I felt that way about The Elegance of the Hedgehog- loved it!!!
So far Summerland is pretty good- I had trouble with The Yiddish Policemen's Union but I have hope for Summerland

Summerland is *very* different from The Yiddish Policeman's Union, so I think your hope is not unfounded.

I'm about 3/4 of the way through The Passage by Justin Cronin and am loving it.

I finished Ice Princess today; it is the quintessential beach read for me: well-written mystery/thriller. I started the next follow-up book The Preacher and am enjoying it so far.

The touchstone didn't pick The Preacher up, but it's by Camilla Lackberg.

I got so far behind in sleep reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (by the way, there were no hornets in the story) that I got through only the first act of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead last night before I fell asleep. People actually get all the way through it in one sitting when it is performed aloud on stage. So far there isn't much content.

Robert

#115: Huh. I love Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Maybe I'm more remembering the film (1990, with Gary Oldman - v. good) than my actual reading of the play, both of which were awhile ago for me.

The first act is some coin flipping with results against the odds, some buggery jokes, and the arrival of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern at Elsinore with some lines cribbed from Shakespeare. In the same amount of space in Hamlet we have a ghost, a medieval or renaissance royal court, and an existential challenge. Stoppard's first act is not without entertainment value and, perhaps, setup value, but there isn't much there.

Robert

Tim Roth is in the 1990 movie, too. Agree with scaifea: very good.

#104 AMQS

The Welch Girl is one of my favorite reads of this year. I am glad to see that somebody else enjoyed it. You are right there is lots to think about in that book starting with the fact that Wales is very different from England. Somehow I hadn't thought of it as a separate country from England. I should have because I know it is the United Kingdom, but it is so easy to forget those little details.

>Karen- Glad you are enjoying The Passage! I'm really looking forward to that one!

I'm reading and loving The Beekeeper's Apprentice and I also started the audio of War by Sebastian Junger and it is excellent so far! It is read by the author too!

>119 benitastrnad:, benitastrnad, I'm glad you enjoyed it as well. I had read some less-than-favorable reviews, so I wasn't sure that I would. I thought the themes of Welsh-ness, national identity, loyalty, betrayal were strengths.

I am starting Sabriel today at the suggestion of my friend. She really liked it so I am excited!

#117: Well, that's Stoppard in a nutshell, no? He's much more interested in clever wordplay and conversation than action.

Recently finished Wide Sargasso Sea, which I thought was quite good, and The Lurker at the Threshold, which was pretty dull and actually pissed me off a little.

I'm currently reading The Cipher by Kathe Koja and Adán Buenosayres by Leopoldo Marechal.

On a less obscure front, I'm also listening to A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and am a little under halfway through. This may be heresy, but I'm not getting a lot out of Joyce. When I first read it, almost 20 years ago, I dismissed Portrait as "like a very long and dull episode of the Wonder Years." Nowadays that seems unfairly harsh, though I think what I was getting at was the sense of being trapped in somebody else's nostalgia trip. (That goes double for the Catholicism, which seems to have been important to Joyce, but which I can't really say I'm inspired to care about. That's not entirely true. It does amuse me how much Portrait reinforces the stereotype of Catholicism as weirdly sadomasochistic.) Perhaps Joyce has been too influential, and so this style of stream-of-consciousness writing has been so widely adopted as to no longer seem particularly radical.

I have now added The Ice Princess to my TBR pile-thanks for the rec!

Adding my love for Fingersmith in here...read it on an overnight train from Paris to Rome, and it was a good thing I was too uncomfortable to sleep anyway, because I could not put the book down.

My friend works in a library, and got her hands on a copy of The Poisoner's Handbook for me-it is really phenomenal, well-written, informative, and really really fascinating.

I finished and reviewed the feminist fairy(ish) tale The Anybodies, now on to Do They Hear You When You Cry? about a woman who flees Africa and forced genital mutilation seeking asylum in the US.

Just finished Sabriel and am now starting Lirael .. it is so nice to discover a new fun series!

Just finished Little Bee. Wonderful book! Heartrending, yet uplifting. I will start listening to An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear, and continue struggling to engage with Wolf Hall. Frankly, I do not know what the hype is about this book!

I finished Nachtschade (Blindsighted) by Karin Slaughter which I liked even though it is not my usual genre. I picked up The Passage after reading good things about it and seeing the advertisement posters for it every single day... I am easily influenced, but so far (150 pages in) no regrets.

I finished the delightful Guide to the Birds of East Africa and am now starting on the intimidatingly large tome, Lonesome Dove (birds of a feather...).

#128 etc An aside on the subject of Little Bee/The Other Hand. After I read it last year I accosted my daughter with it and said 'you've got to read this, it's fantastic!' I got the usual answer of 'Yeah, yeah, some day . . . ' I tried this quite a few times but couldn't get her interested. Yesterday she came around to visit and her first words (because she knows my collection forms the lending library for the whole family) were 'Mum, have you got a book called The Other Hand?' After I'd finished spluttering about how great it is she admitted that her friend had just read it, told her it is amazing and ordered her to read it. She borrowed it. I guess even at 30 the old 'what does Mum know?' still holds. Never mind, between me and her friend we got her there in the end.

Have finished Climbing the Bookshelves and wrote a hurried review because I have to give this one back to the library to collect one of my reservations there.

Also finished reading The Bookseller of Kabul.

Am now reading

Natsuo Kirino Real World
Multiple narrators, all Japanese teenagers - a boy who has killed his mother and 4 girls who are friends with each other. Strange but well done though not as good as Out.

Sophie Hannah, Cordial and Corrosive
A young couple are desperate for the man to get his dream academic job but it has been offered to another candidate who is considering whether to accept it. The heroine of this story is trying to intervene so he gets the job after all.

Terri- Hope you enjoy Lonesome Dove. It's one of my all-time favorites!

Well, in 5 days I read and finished The Whistling Season and Work Song by Ivan Doig. Both books are based on the same character. The story in the second book takes place 10 years later. Really enjoyed both that is why it didn't take too long to read them.

Quote for the day from An Incomplete Revenge:

"Coincidence is a messenger of truth"

Hmmmmm....

Brief update (not really a **plot warning**): I just finished Part One of Fingersmith. OMG!

Just started The Passage- why oh why do I have to work today? Would rather be home... reading this..

>135 hemlokgang: That is so right! Thanks for sharing it.

I've just reviewed The Basque History of the World in my thread...post #18.

Finished re-reading and reviewing the Miss Marple mysteries, A Caribbean Mystery and At Bertrams Hotel. Enjoyed them as much as I did the first time I had read them.

Here are the links to my reviews,

A Caribbean Mystery,

http://www.librarything.com/review/61446855

At Bertrams Hotel,

http://www.librarything.com/review/61447562

Or at my 50 book challenge thread,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/80925

>136 jbleil:: Uh huh. Told ya! That was the first point at which I audibly gasped. Keep going!!!

Finished Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires: The Life of a Critic in Disguise late last week, then flew through The Girl Who Chased the Moon, Sarah Addison Allen's latest. Both were enjoyable, light reads that nicely counterbalanced the drudgery of report reading I've been doing at work lately!

Next up is a short story collection I am supremely excited about, in part because I think the cover is beautiful: Belle Bogg's Mattaponi Queen. I am generally not a short story reader, although my book club has pushed me in that direction a few times in recent years, but I'm hopeful that this collection will not disappoint.

I'm reading back-to-back fantasy novels. I just finished, and posted a review for, The Edge of Reason. Later today I'll be starting Mad Kestrel by Misty Massey.

>136 jbleil:, 140 Teelgee.. is fingersmith that good? Its in my TBR pile, has been for a while and I just haven't gotten to it yet. All this gasping is making me wonder if I should move it up.

I just finished reading The Woman Behind the New Deal. It's the biography of Frances Perkins who was an amazing woman. Her role in instigating and then pushing to reality most parts of the New Deal is awe inspiring. This was done when women in such roles were viewed very skeptically. As a public woman she was a success. Her private life, while never as important to her as her public one, was difficult and painful. The author has done a good job in presenting the whole person, even the private parts which Frances kept as hidden as possible. Along the way, personality profiles of other figures of the 30's to 60's are exposed including FDR, Truman, Al Smith, etc.

>143 dancingstarfish: Yes, that good. Move it up!

>140 teelgee: Ok Terri that's enough. Stop it. I've got Fingersmith on my shelf and I can't take the suspense. I'm going to have to read it right away. Also, I absolutely loved Lonesome Dove.

#143 & 146: I'd respond, but I can't stop reading Fingersmith for long enough to compose an answer.

I just finished Silent in the Grave which I loved. Next up: The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett. I found this at a FOL sale and thought I'd give it a try since I liked Bel Canto so much.

>148 jennieg: I just read Patchett's Patron Saint of Liars which I thought was excellent too; and I also loved Bel Canto and Magician's Assistant.

I finished Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead last night and was not very impressed. The authority of the folks above, though, makes me think I'd better order the DVD today when I work up the energy.

Then I started Fool. I didn't get very far into it before it was time to turn out the light, but I liked the tone of that little bit.

Robert

Finished Blame, my May ER book, and really enjoyed it.

Now I'm reading Lottery for my next book club meeting and finding it delightful so far. It's the story, told in first person, about a man with a 76 IQ who wins the lottery and has to deal with all the people who didn't care about him before and now want his money. Such a unique story, particularly in the way it's told and Perry's very genuine voice.

Loved Fingersmith and Lonesome Dove - you guys are picking some great ones this week! I'm almost done with First Contact or, It's Later than you Think and it's been great, fun, escapism, silly but has a few things to say about how we treat this world (not all of it good).

Not sure what I'll grab next!

Finished The Door in the Wall (not what I was expecting (which was fantasy) but still very good). Moving on to Waterless Mountain.

Finished Airborn (recommended by my niece who is rereading it for the 2nd time) and really enjoyed it. Now reading another essay from Natural Acts and still picking at Three Men in a Boat.

Reading This Charming Man by Marian Keyes and, after a trip to the library today, started Wolfskin by Juliet Marillier.

>142 Ape: Later today I'll be starting Mad Kestrel by Misty Massey.

Tell me, has the uterus fully grown in yet?

Started These Children Who Come at You with Knives, and Other Fairy Tales: Stories by Jim Knipfel earlier this evening. Cynical, disillusioned, misanthropic fairy tales as only Jim Knipfel could imagine them. . .and that his readers would thoroughly expect him to fashion, heh. Highly enjoyable and page-turning so far---the stories are movie along at a blazing speed.

Well, I don't do it often, but I am quitting Wolf Hall. If I wanted to read a British history book, I would have done so. I was looking for a novel......sorry for the sarcasm, but I was really disappointed. So, I am now starting The Toss of a Lemon by Padma Viswanathan, and I am listening to a Maisie Dobbs mystery, An Incomplete Revenge.

#158 I found Wolf Hall incredibly tedious too and abandoned it half way through (at least, in this case, I knew how it was all going to end). I just cannot take to Mantel's writing at all and only tried this one because it looked to be very different from her 'medium' stuff, which I also can't tolerate. Learned my lesson. Now I know that if I can't stand a person's writing in one genre it's unlikely I'll love them in another (there are a couple of small exceptions to this rule but it works well as a guideline).

Started Ghostheart, another one that will count towards the 'Books Off the Shelf' challenge. Heaven knows why I haven't read this yet. I love Ellory's books and this one's been on the TBR pile for way too long. And it's his first! Should have got round to it years ago.

>137 sebago:, sebago (Just started The Passage- why oh why do I have to work today? Would rather be home... reading this..)

I so agree, I am at about page 300, and really want to keep reading!

#159 - Thanks, Booksloth. Glad to know I am not the only one who feels this way. Why do you think she is so lauded?

It's great hearing such good things about the Passage! I have my copy but sadly won't get to it until August.

#161 Heaven only knows! I'd like to say it might be that kind of snobbery that makes people claim to like obscure or unreadable works but that really wouldn't be fair and doubtless isn't the case. I've been accused of that for loving certain books and it just comes down to a matter of taste.

I love history in both fiction and non-fiction and the Tudors are amongst my favourites but I do like my fiction to be at least a little entertaining and have sympathetic characters - that was what I disliked most about Wolf Hall - it covers a period that I am very familiar with and whose characters I already had pre-formed opinions about but even the characters I have liked and felt sympathy for in 'real life' became dull and unlikeable in Mantel's hands. I've read a few of her books now and haven't taken to a single character yet in any of them.

Doubtless there will be lots of people only too willing to tell us why this book is so great but it just didn't do it for me. and, like you, I'm rather pleased to find someone else who felt the same way.

# 19 Me Cheeta I attempted this one, but found it a 'One Trick Pony' (feeble joke intentional) - would have made a good short story. Maybe it's me, and I should have staid with it for longer?, but it became SOSO and I gave up.

Just finished Stephen Booth Dancing with the Virgins for our village Book Group, and started The Bostonians by Henry James, which I confess I am finding hard going.

I finished Wolf Hall and I can say it was a chore. Sometimes I do this because being a reader, everyone assumes I've read the award winners and like to know what I think. I know so many love that book, but I truly do not get it. I've never read an author where I have to constantly re-read the paragraph to figure out who is talking, who is thinking and what is going on ... since that's a tome, it got quite tedious by the end. I don't find that contemporary, I find it poorly written.

Anyway, put the review up of First Contact, Or It's Later Than You Think because there were no reviews on it and I think it's a wonderful little book worth discovering (if you like the humorous kinds of books).

Now I am reading Unravelling by Elizabeth Graver which has been in the TBR pile forever. It sucked me in right away. It's about a woman born in the early 1800s in New Hampshire and how she carves out a quiet life of survival. I don't know much more than that (the descriptions on the book are vague), but the writing is absolutely beautiful ~ easy to get swept away.

I am starting up the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett with The Color of Magic. It is a nice change of pace compared to my previous read which was Tell-All by Chuck Palahnuik.

#165,163,161 - oh dear, I've just started Wolf Hall doesn't seem to have gone down too well on this thread. Anyway I am enjoying it so far and it has nothing to do with picturing Jonathan Rhys Meyers in his tights.

#165 Hear hear! That drove me crazy too.

I read and loved Wolf hall last year, and I can honestly say I loved it. I didn't read it because of the prizes and reviews but because of the subject. After getting used to the language/writing I could not put it down. I don't consider myself a snob, I have no qualms about putting a book down if I don't like it, but in the case of Wolf Hall I am looking forward to the sequel.

I enjoyed Wolf Hall and am glad to here there will be a sequel. But I can see how her writing style would annoy people.

Adding my two cents; Wolf Hall was my favorite novel of 2009.

That's one of the things I love about LT......it is so much like my RL book club....everyone can share their honest opinion and hear about the differing views. It's great!

Just finished listening to An Incomplete Revenge and thoroughly enjoyed it. I will begin listening to Timbuktu by Paul Auster, and continue reading The Toss of a Lemon.

Wrapped up living the dream which was a fun read. Working on Sh*t my dad says, book of blognots, not blogs, the divine comedy and leaves of grass.

#164 MikeBlake: It's probably a matter of interest and taste. I love anything about "old-style" Hollywood, and I'm also a hugh fan of Tarzan movies, especially those starring Johnny Weissmuller. I found Me Cheeta a readable funny, witty story. Having read many Hollywood memoirs, this spoof really worked for me.

Add me to the Wolf Hall fans. It was one of my Top 10.

>>151 momofthreewi:. I'm so glad to hear Blame was good. It is on deck for me as soon as I'm finished with Chasing Goldman Sachs.

Good books about libraries are too rare. Think about reading This Book is Overdue!, which I just reviewed in my thread...post #31.

The Lion by Nelson DeMille

Finished The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett but was not overly impressed. Now on to Long Time Leaving by Roy Blount Jr.

I just finished and reviewed My Losing Season, a basketball memoir by one of my favorite authors, Pat Conroy. Now, I can finally get to my reread of Beloved for a real life book group next week and, the book I've heard so many good things about here on LT, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

I Loved Stealing Fire by Jo Graham.

It was an ER book, and her 3rd book. Also enjoyed the others, but this is my favorite.

Its set after the death of Alexander, but he is recalled in memories and flash backs.

Like a wonderful continuation of Mary Renault - Alex, Hephastion, Bagoas are all there and done so well its like being with old friends.

Now reading Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh. Mindless fluff erotic/romance with nasty angels and vampires.

Put me down as one who did not get even 50 pages into Wolf Hall I so disliked the writing style. I am going to try it as an audiobook sometime in the hopes it reads better that way for me.

I'm in the middle of listening to A Great and Terrible Beauty and am starting Stealing Fire after reading FicusFan's rave review.

Not only was Wolf Hall one of my favorite books of last year, but I went on to read almost everything else Hilary Mantel has written. Almost every book is different in style, subject, and theme, and some are more successful than others, but her other historical novel, A Place of Greater Safety about the French Revolution, and her memoir, Giving up the Ghost, are stunners. I also really enjoyed The Giant, O'Brien, Fludd, and Beyond Black.

Finished Lottery yesterday. What a delightful novel. I've moved on to The Iron King, based on my daughter's enthusiastic recommendation and it grabbed me immediately.

Is Wolf Hall creating a LT schism? Apt!

#185 So pleased to hear I wasn't the only one who thought so (Lottery). I haven't heard it mentioned by anyone else yet and I thought it was superb.

I finished Christopher Moore's Fool last night. His humor, though snarky, is warm. I preferred his book Lamb, but this was in the same ballpark.

Then I moved onto the Norton Critical Edition of King Lear. I read the introduction and the first act of the play itself.

Robert

#165 CarolynSchroeder
I finished Wolf Hall and I can say it was a chore... I've never read an author where I have to constantly re-read the paragraph to figure out who is talking, who is thinking and what is going on ... since that's a tome, it got quite tedious by the end. I don't find that contemporary, I find it poorly written.

You expressed my thoughts perfectly. I enjoyed the content of the book, but not the writing. Maybe Storeetllr has the right idea listening to it on audiobook. If different voices are used for different characters that could be a plus.

In spite of my not liking the style, I find myself thinking of the book often. My boss was talking about another boss yesterday and how his group has so many more errors than our group and perhaps that was due to his way of leading through fear. That reminded me of a passage in Wolf Hall Shamelessly I'll quote from my review: When talking about Cromwell's childhood, "One fear creates a dereliction...and there comes a point where the fear is too great and the human spirit just gives up and a child wanders off numb and directionless and ends up following a crowd and watching a killing." While none of us has wandered off to watch a killing, the same process is involved.

I finished reading 4 of my 5 books yesterday - Real World, Dogsbody, Moral Disorder and Pippi Longstocking

Currently reading

Sophie Hannah, Cordial and Corrosive
A woman tries to rectify the injustice of her husband not getting his dream academic job at Cambridge. Strange but quite funny.

Susan Hill, The Beacon
Short novel - A man writes a misery lit memoir only it's not true, and it causes much distress to his brothers and sisters

Rose Tremain, Music and Silence
historical novel

Joan Aiken, Midnight is a Place
Children's historical novel - not part of the Wolves of Willoughby Chase series which I read/reread earlier this year but has some of the same subjects as some of those - children working in a terrible factory.

Kate Clanchy, Antigona and Me
Non fiction about a refugee in London

George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London
Orwell's adventures among the poor

Laura Lippman, No Good Deeds
PI novel - Tess Monaghan #9, set in Baltimore - interestingly the prologue is is in first person narrative by Tess' boyfriend Crow, whose appearances have always been through her eyes before, and she doesn't normally write first person narrative.

For Mary Roach fans, there's an interview with her on Book TV this weekend
1:30 am Sunday See schedule here: http://www.booktv.org/schedule.aspx

"Packing For Mars"
Mary Roach
About the Program

Mary Roach recounts her field research and what it requires to travel in space in her forthcoming book, Packing For Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. Mary Roach is interviewed at the annual book publishing trade show, Book Expo America, held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

About the Authors
Mary Roach

Mary Roach is the author of several books, including Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers and Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex. She is a former columnist for Salon.com and her writing appears in many publications such as National Geographic,

Finished Maisie Dobbs last night. Will have to read more of Maisie Dobbs. Started Montana 1948 last night finished this afternoon. Well, after all the talk of Fingersmith better hit my tbr for it.

Finished Zenzele by J. Nozipo Maraire. Will finish Gone by Jonathan Kellerman later today.

New thread is here. Enjoy!

Joyce- The Mary Roach link does not work!

msf59, the Book TV link? Hm, it works for me. the interview is on tonight, Saturday at 10:55. It says Eastern Time, but I'm in the Pacific zone and will get it at 10:30. I have no idea how that works out.

Reading a lot of biographies... Mad world by Paula Byrne, about Evelyn Waugh and one about William Shakespeare by Bill Bryson. Also into Patrick Alexander and his reader's guide Marcel Proust's search for Lost Time.