Books that I have read

June 2016*  I've read a zillion books since I last entered one on this page.  Why did I stop?
Right now I'm reading all the "Bosch" books.  I got to liking the character from watching the show on Amazon TV.  I've read about 6 so far.  I'm going back and reading them in order now.

 Jan-11: Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. A library volunteer at TIRR gave me this book. It's the first non-kindle book that I've read in over a year. I just ordered the audio version for Jim. It's got all this US conspiracy stuff that he will like. He can't turn book pages yet but someone will probably load the cds for him. I'm liking the book.
* Dec-10: Child of the Northern Spring. I'm currently reading this book after I get home from visiting Jim in TIRR. I wish it were more engaging so it could distract me more. It was a free download about Guinevere.
* Nov-10: Beyond Eden by Catherine Coulter. I read this book (a free download) while I sat with Jim in ICU. It helped take me away from the horror of my life for a while.
* Nov-10: Soul Stealer by Andy Remic
* Nov-10: Crush by Alan Jacobson
* Oct-10: Soul Identity by Dennis Batchelder.
* Oct-10: Kell's Legend. Free Download
* Oct-10: Little Bee by C. Cleave. A Rice Readers' selection
* Sept-10: Map of Bones. Free download.
* Sept-10: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. Rice Readers' selection.
* Aug-10: The Evil Guest by J. LeFanu. A free download that I heard about through Books on the Knob on facebook. "A rather isolated and unhappy household is plagued by the horrible murder of an unwanted guest. The story centers around the dark and brooding master of the house.The plot contains villainous characters, murder,and scandalous affairs." I'm still not sure what actually happened. The master of the house kills the guest, the governess witnesses it and forces him to leave his wife? The master goes mad? Guess I needed it to be more spelled out.
* Aug-10: A Scattered Life by Karen McQuestion. Another free download. I really enjoyed this story. Lots of other people must have, too since it may be made into a movie. "The book alternates between the viewpoints of the three women--Skyla, Roxanne and Audrey--and their incomplete and refracted perspectives come together to form a narrative that’s fuller and more complex than the story any one of them might tell on her own."
* Aug-10: The Sari Shop Widow by: Shobhan Bantwal. A sweet little love story that would have bored me save fot the Indian cultural themes.
* Aug-10: Face of Betrayal: by Lis Wiehl, April Henry. This was a free download. It was an okay mystery story with Christian overtones. "In Portland, Oregon seventeen year old US Senate page Katie Converse goes home during the Christmas recess. However, when her family reports her missing, the media goes into a feeding frenzy searching for any nuance as Katie is the All American paragon; the press seeks clues to her whereabouts while assuming the worst occurred and intrudes on the law enforcement search for her."
* Aug-10: The Goddess of Fried Okra by Jean Brashear. It was a sweet and compelling story. The main character, Pea became a stronger woman throughout the story. The male main character, Val, reminded me of Brad Pitt in Thelma & Louise.
* July-10: The Darkest Room by Johan Theorin. I read about this book on facebook. It won an award for best mystery in Scandavia. It beat out Larssen's series that I really liked so I'm giving it a try.
* July-10: The Guardian of Lies by Steve Martini. This was a quick exciting read, another story away the lawyer, Paul Madrigani. I learned lots of stuff about Cuba, bombs, etc.
* July-10: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larrson. This is the third and last of the series. I was saving this one because I enjoyed the first 2 so much. I wish that I had started it earlier because it picks up immediately where the second novel ends.
* July-10: Shadow of Power by Steve Martini. A mystery kind of novel featuring a lawyer, Paul Madrigani. It was okay for a free book. I ordered another one by the same author.
* July-10: The Passage by Justin Cronin. The author is an English professor at Rice. It's an end of the world type story. I thought I'd like it more since it was about vampires. Just not my type of vampires - they didn't speak, weren't good-looking or sexy. Amazon: "But, these are not sexy, angsty vampires (you won’t be seeing "Team Babcock" t-shirts any time soon), and they are not old-school, evil Nosferatus, either. These are a creation all Cronin's own--hairless, insectile, glow-in-the-dark mutations who are inextricably linked to their makers and the one girl who could destroy them all." It is a very long book. Overall I'm glad that I read it but I don't think that I'd recommend it to anyone. It's just too long and the ending is unsatifying.
* July-10: Ironweed by William Kennedy. I took this little paperback to the hospital. It was an interesting story about bums in Albany, NY during the depression. Amazon: "Ironweed tears at the heart without showing a trace of sentimentality, depicting hard lives lived by down-and-out people, most of whom still possess the redeeming virtues of the more saintly who live "normal" lives."
* June-10: Anthropology of an American Girl: A Novel by H. Haman. I was drawn to this book because of the title. I work in the anthropology department at Rice U. But, I can't say that I liked it. It just went on and on - for over 600 pages - and really didn't say much, especially anything to do with anthropology. I had to skim many of the pages just to find a bit of a story. Yes, I got it the first time: Eveline is beyond beautiful, she is talented, she is deep and intense, she is a sexual zombie. Enough already!
* May-10: Executive Privilege by Philip Margolin. Another free Amazon Kindle download. A mystery story - good reading as I continue to recuperate from surgery. "The U.S. president becomes a murder suspect in this over-the-top political thriller from bestseller Margolin (Proof Positive). Young Oregon attorney Brad Miller stumbles on wrongdoing in high places while engaged in a routine pro bono case—the filing of an appeal for convicted serial killer Clarence Little. When Miller visits his client in jail, Little insists he's innocent of one murder, that of Laurie Erickson, a babysitter then in the employ of Oregon governor Christopher Farrington, who's since moved on to the White House. Miller finds evidence that someone killed Erickson to cover up her relationship with Farrington. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, PI Dana Cutler suspects that the latest victim of a serial killer known as the D.C. Ripper was also one of Farrington's mistresses. Some readers may wonder why someone trying to protect the president would dispose of his mistresses in a manner sure to attract plenty of attention."
* May-10: The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. This is a continuing story of Salander and Blomkist. This book starts out much better the first novel. "few weeks before Dag Svensson, a freelance journalist, plans to publish a story that exposes important people involved in Sweden's sex trafficking business based on research conducted by his girlfriend, Mia Johansson, a criminologist and gender studies scholar, the couple are shot to death in their Stockholm apartment. Salander, who has a history of violent tendencies, becomes the prime suspect after the police find her fingerprints on the murder weapon. While Blomkvist strives to clear Salander of the crime, some far-fetched twists help ensure her survival."
* May-10: Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver. This was a Rice Readers' book that I recommended because I wanted to read it. I really liked the Poisonwood Bible so I wanted to read another book by Kingsolver. It was okay, not very exciting. "Also set in the southwest (this time Grace, Arizona), Animal Dreams revolves around Codi Noline who returns to her hometown to care for her father, who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. She is content with being alone because throughout her life she has consistently felt let down- first by the lack of attention by her father, by her failure to become a doctor, and lastly her pathetic personal life. Returning home though brings back her past which she has blocked many memories of, and the resurgence of an ex lover who wants to make amends by loving her right. While at home, Codi faces a lot of unanswered questions including the death of her mother, the disappearance of her sister, and the reasons behind her father's disguising (or simply ignoring the truths). Her father, a once non-emotional, inflexible family doctor must also try and remain the composure he has always held, yet his thoughts and mind race and spill out opening secrets that Codi has always wanted to find out.
* May-10: The Girl with The Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larrson. This was a Rice Readers' book that I read later. It starts very slowly but then it gets very intense. I actually couldn't put it down. I read while recuperating from the anesthesia side effects after the achilles' surgery. All I could do was stay in bed for a couple of days.
* April-10 The Dark Tide by Andrew Gross. Another free download from Amazon. " The second solo novel from frequent James Patterson cowriter Gross is much better than his first. This one begins with a bang, as a bomb explodes in a commuter train station, killing several people, including New York City hedge-fund manager Charles Friedman. At roughly the same time, a suspicious auto accident kills a young man in Greenwich, Connecticut. The detective on that case, Ty Hauck, soon discovers an odd connection between the hit-and-run and the bombing. He investigates and discovers that Charles Friedman was not the man he appeared to be. He also forges a connection with the dead man’s wife, Karen, that leads him into uncharted waters. This is a tightly written corporate-style thriller very much in the mold of Joseph Finder, with a likable protagonist and a story that combines traditional thriller elements with a more gentle, emotional subplot.
* March-10: Once Bitten by Kayayna Price. This was a free download for my Kindle. It's a weird story about vampires & "shape shifters" but I'm enjoying it as a change of pace.
* March-10: The Morning Show Murders by Al Roker. Cute murder mystery. I read it for Rice Readers. It was a coherent story and better than I expected.
* Feb-10: The White Tiger by A. Adiga. Tale takes place in India and is told in the first person by the "white tiger." He starts out very poor living in the "darkness" - rural India, becomes a chauffer and then murders his employer. He recounts his story via letters to a Chinese ambassador. I chose this book because it won the Booker award.
* Feb-10: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. I read this as a follow-up to The Thirteenth Tale. I kept waiting for something to happen. It actually is just a "spooky" tale about a governess who think she sees ghosts. I found it boring - maybe it's just too old-fashioned a story for my taste.
* Jan-10: I sailed with Magellan by Stuart Dybek. This is a collection of related short stories. I'd just get into one of the stories and it would end. I hope the author writes an entire novel with these characters. The title is mentioned in one of the stories. It's kind of a weird title. My young friend, Woodie loved this book and so gave me a copy for Christmas.
* Jan-10: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I'm almost finished reading this book and am loving it. First book to be read on my new kindle! It's a kind of ghostly mystery story. The ending seemed a bit contrived but all in all I really liked this novel.
* Dec-09: The Road by Cormac McCarthy. The setting is sometime in the future in a ruined earth. Only a few humans remain and most of them turn cannibal. A man and his son walk the road and try to survive. The atmosphere was bleak but I became very interested in the characters. I think there may be hope for the boy in the future. Now, I want to watch the video.
* Dec-09: The Shipping News by E. A. Proulx. You'd think that I'd really like this book-after all it won the Pulitzer Prize. It did have great "scenery" - set in frigid Newfoundland. But, I just never grew to care about any of the characters. The main character, Quoyle is raising his 2 little girls on his own. The wife who deserted them might have been interesting but she died. It was okay but won't win any prizes from me.
* Nov-09: The Help by Kathryn Stockette. The Help is about a young white woman in the early 1960s in Mississippi who becomes interested in the plight of the black ladies' maids that every family has working for them. She writes their stories about mistreatment, abuse and heartbreaks of working in white families' homes, all just before the Civil Rights revolution. That is the story in a nutshell - but it is so much more than just stories. I really enjoyed this book. Thanks to Marie Monroe in Rice Readers for lending it to me.
* Oct-09: Unless by Carol Shields. Reta Winters, a 44 year old author, considers herself happy until her oldest daughter drops out of college and starts panhandling on a corner in Toronto. The daughter silently begs with a sign reading "goodness" around her neck.
* Oct-09: Taking Apart the Poco Poco by Richard Francis. The Poco Poco is a bar where a couple met. They've been married several years when the story starts. It is basically the recounting of a couple of days in the lives of each individual family member, including the dog. It was different, interesting to read.
* Sept-09: On The Rez by Ian Frazier. Mary gave me this book, too. I started reading it right after Great Plains. I got through about the first 100 pages. It was boring- sounded the same as the Great Plains. Nothing caught my interest in 100 pages so I quit reading it.
* Sept-09: Great Plains by Ian Frazier. My friend, Mary Rees, gave me this book a few years ago. It's non-fiction so I have been putting off reading it. I've just started 09/09/09, not sure if I'll make it to the end. I did finish the book and learned some interesting things about the Great Plains.
* Sept-09: A Dangerous Woman by Mary Morris. Amazon: "Martha Horgan, the emotionally disabled protagonist, was gang-raped as a teenager; now, 15 years later, her life is finally flowing smoothly. She has moved away from her cold, domineering aunt and has a job at the cleaners, a room in a boarding house, even a worshipful admirer in Wesley Mount, the town mortician. But someone has been stealing from the till and "Marthorgan," as her taunters call her, gets canned. Back at her aunt's place she is seduced by the caretaker, a frustrated, manipulative writer, and then must suffer through his affair with her aunt. What makes Martha a dangerous woman is her unfailing honesty; she hasn't learned the world's way of lying, of hiding behind a social mask. At one point Birdy, her friend, tries on Martha's glasses to see if she really does view the world differently. Though the subject matter is somber, Morris tells a powerful tale."
* Aug-09: Pardonable Lies by J. Winspear. A mystery set in the 1920's. The lead character, Maisie Dobbs, is a investigator-psychologist who has her own detective agency. There are 2 more Maisie novels that I would read if I came across them. I like the character.
* Aug-09: White Rose by Jean Hanff Korelitz. The main character, Marian is a history professor at Columbia. I really enjoy university settings since I've been working at Rice. Amazon says: "mordant story of aging, love and self-discovery, a reimagining of the Strauss opera Der Rosenkavalier set in upper-class Jewish New York City."
* Aug-09: Four Corners of Night by Craig Holden. A cop story with a parallel plot - good read. Amazon: "The kidnapping of a teenage girl nearly tears apart a close friendship between a pair of cops"
* July-09: Anywhere But Here by Mona Simpson. I enjoyed this comic-type novel about a wise child and her schizo mother.
* June-09: Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende. The story has some good moments. It seems like it drags on at the end. synopsis: The book opens as 30-year-old Aurora remembers her own birth, in the Chinatown of 1880 San Francisco. She tells of those present: her maternal, Chilean-English grandmother, Eliza; her grandfather Tao (a Chinese medic); and her mother, Lynn, a beloved beauty who dies during Aurora's birth.
* June-09: Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie. The story has lots of Native American mysticism and poetry in it. Even with all the surreal elements there is still a compelling story about several Indians and their lives. It's neat because the story is about contemporary Indians.
* May-09: The Doctor's Wife by. The doctor helps out in a planned parenthood clinic. His wife is having an affair with a fellow professor whose wife is very unstable. Lots of interesting characters, good story.
* Apr-09: The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood. An interesting story about 4 women and how their lives intersect. There is a lot of info on 3 of the women. The 4th, Zenia, is the villainess who "robs" the other 3 of their men. Zenia is portrayed as a powerful siren. I kept reading hoping to find out more about her. The author never delved into her character. In the end I was disappointed with the book because of the lack of development of this most important character.
* Apr-09: American Fuji by Sara Backer. Another book on Japan. This turned out to be a really good book. I learned lots about Japan- like there's no jury system, few street signs, etc. The mystery story was also very intriguing.
* Mar-09: A Woman of Independent Means by E. F. Hailey. I read this book for Rice Readers. It's an older book written in the 80's. We get to know the main character, Bess, only through her letters to other people. Bess was a very strong woman with progressive thoughts about marriage and child-rearing. She was an independent thinker in the early 1900's when women's roles and intelligence were belittled. She came across as quite domineering in her letters to her children, especially. I don't think she could have lived as freely as she did without her personal wealth. A poor woman would have to always be in a marriage to survive in those times.
* Mar-09: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. I went to the library looking for one book and found this one. The story is recounted by Jacob when he is in his 90's and in a nursing home. He relives the story of his life as his parents die, he leaves vet college and joins a circus. The story takes place during the Depression. Jacob is accepted by the roustabouts and as well as the performers. He becomes the circus vet, falls in love and goes back to school. In his 90's Jacob "runs away" from the nursing home and joins another circus. I think that he considered his time with the circus as the best time in his life. A very interesting and engaging story.
* Mar-09: The Fortune Quilt by Lani Diane Rich. The heroine, Carly produces a local TV interest show. She does an interview with a psychic who quilts. The interview coincides with major changes in Carly's life. All in all it's a sweet love and friendship story. It was a fun read.
* Feb-09: Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan. I borrowed this book from my friend, Mary. It's told in first person by a ghost. It is keeping my attention. Here's a synopsis: On an ill-fated art expedition into Burma, 11 Americans leave their Floating Island Resort for a Christmas-morning tour--and disappear. Through twists of fate, they encounter a tribe awaiting the return of a leader and the mythical book of wisdom that will protect them from the ravages of the Myanmar military regime.
* Feb-09: American cookery : a novel by Laura Kalpakian. I read this for Rice Readers. I had to read it quickly because someone recalled it to the library. I just had to google it because I've already forgotten it and we haven't even had our meeting yet! I definitely remember that I enjoyed reading it but that it could have used a bit more editing-too long. The novel chronicles the stories behind family recipes and the lives that touch the heroine, Eden's—lives of horse thieves, ranchers, railroad men, developers, dreamers, migrants, immigrants, natives, Latter-Day Saints, sinners, silent-film stars, sidekicks, and stunt people.
* Jan-09: Rasputin's Daughter by. Something different for me to read - about Russian history for a change. I didn't realize that Rasputin was part of the last tzarist regime. The book is sympathetic towards Rasputin while admitting the problems that he caused.
* Jan-09: My Name is Sei Shonagon by Jan Blensdorf. A tale of a modern Japanese woman written in the first person by a non-Japanese woman. As a young girl, Sei is brought to live in Tokyo by her Japanese mother after her American father dies. Her mother commits suicide and Sei is raised by her strict uncle. Sei survives with the help of her tutors. This is another book that I've read to learn about Japan. I learn the best through novels. I learn while being entertained with a story. I enjoyed this book and will be sending it on to Kevin.
* Jan-09: The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler. A boy and girl meet in NYC soon after Pearl Harbor. Everyone was falling in love and getting quicky marriages. Their marriage never matured. They were always mismatched and fighting. After about 30 years of marriage, the man leaves. He marries a woman who is subdued and self-contained. He seems to miss his mercurial former spouse. At the end of the book, the man regretted leaving his wife and realized that she had really loved him and maybe he loved her, too.
* Dec-08: The Known World by Edward P. Jones. I read this for Rice Readers. It told the story of some black slaveowners and their slaves in Virginia. I hadn't realized there were any blacks who owned slaves. That was the thing that kept my interest. The characters and story was kind of ho-hum.
* Dec-08: The Fashionable Savages by John Fairchild. This book was published in 1965. It's written as if 1965 would last forever. The subtitle is "An Anatomy of the Creators and Ladies Who Make Fashion Today." It has some interesting information on Chanel and Balenciaga plus good photos.
* Dec-08: Modern Etiquette for Weddings. I bought this book for Kevin and Tomoko to help them plan their wedding. Of course, I read it first!
* Nov-08: Learning to Bow in Japan. Another book that I read and then gave to Kevin. The author recounts his experiences teaching at a middle school in a small town in Japan. It had an interesting chapter on a Japanese wedding and another on climbing Mount Fuji. I keep trying to learn about Japanese culture.
* Nov-08: Chinese Dictionary for Lovers. I read this book and then gave it to Kevin. I don't remember the author. The title sounds racy but it is just a story of a Chinese immigrant falling in love with an English guy.
* Oct-08: Birth House by Ami McKay. For Rice Readers.
* Oct-08: Falling Angels by Chevalier. I started reading this for Rice readers. Then I realized I had already read it. It's okay, not worth reading twice. It's set in early 1900's London. It tells the story of 2 families, yada, yada, yada.
* Sept-08: Second Glance by Jodi Picoult. I bought this book while I was in Fort Worth. It was the best one I could find in Target. It's a nice read - a love story with ghosts in it. I'm also learning about a eugenics project in 1930's Vermont. One of the bad guys in the story is an anthropology professor.
* Sept-08: A Guide to Style by Tim Gunn. I just love Tim Gunn! I can hear his voice as I read the book.
* Sept-08: Lipstick Jungle by . This was written by the same woman who wrote Sex and the City. There is a TV series made from this book, too. I bought the book (for$1 at the JCC book sale) because Kevin's roommate, Crystal, works on the show. Otherwise, I would have just let the book stay on the shelf. It's a fluff book. I like the character, Victoria because she is a clothing designer. I'll finish reading it eventually. I'm taping the TV shows on my DVR.
* Sept-08: Amsterdam by Ian McEwan. Another Rice Readers' book- it was okay. The writing was great but the story just didn't grab me. I never cared about the 2 main characters. They were just pompous, self-absorbed guys.
* Aug-08: Three Cups of Teas by Greg Mortenson. I'm reading this for Rice Readers. I'm not sure about it. Yeah, the guy is doing good things in Pakistan. But, why in the world, would anyone risk injury or death to climb a mountain? As a person who was handicapped at 18 just by driving down the road, I don't get why people take risks to get handicapped themselves. It's beyond me and always will be!
* Aug-08: Learning to Bow by Bruce Feiler. Another one of my learn about Japanese culture books-just starting.
* Aug-08: What Happened to Lani Garver by Carol Plum-Ucci. At first, I couldn't get into this book. It's about teenagers. But, it was the only book that I brought with me to Las Vegas. Then I got into it. It's about a kid with a non-specific gender facing torments in a small town. I started to really care about him. At the end, he either was killed, disappeared or was actually an angel all along.
* Aug-08: A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh. It was written in 1934 set in England. It's about the breakup of a rich gentry marriage. The woman comes across as very shallow and the man is pitiable. Personally, I have the found the reverse to be true in real modern life. A little personal bias, huh?
* Aug-08: Japanland by Karen Muller: First person tale of woman living in Japan-in search of wa. I liked this book so much I sent one to my son, Kevin. He is engaged to Tomoko, Japanese girl living in Tokyo. I like books that supply lots of info but have a story, too. I found the writer's interactions with the Japanese very interesting.
* Jul-08: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: Light reading about a motherless 14 year old girl. She leaves her neglectful father to live with 3 black sisters. These women are beekeepers and become mother substitutes. It is an easy read. Think it will make a great movie, better than the book.
* Jul-08: Vamped by David Sosnowski: Light reading about one of my favorite topics: vampires!
* Jun-08: A murder mystery that I read during our flight home from NYC. It provided a good diversion from flying tedium.
* Jun-08: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini: A story of 2 women's lives in contemporary Afghanistan. I learned a lot about Afghan history. The book is written by a man about women. That bothers me a bit. It is definitely a book worth reading. My son, Kevin gave me the book during our visit to NYC>
* Jun-08: Japan Unmasked by Another book of the same name,but, by a different author about the Japanese. It was written in 2005. My opinion: Much more positive a presentation of the Japanese people.
* Jun-08: Japan Unmasked by Ichiro Kawasaki: A book written in 1969 about the Japanese. My opinion: It presents such a biased view of the Japanese. The author says that the Japanese are physically unattractive , poor linguists, etc. Hopefully, those prejudices are disappearing.
* May-08: I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe: The tale of a sheltered small town girl in South Carolina who gets a scholarship to a fancy university. My opinion: I just never cared about the characters. It seemed like a book for kids. So much of the story was about getting to be popular on campus.
* Jun-08: The News from Paraguay by Lily Tuck: An historical novel of 19th century Paraguay told largely through the mistress of the son of Paraguay's dictator. My opinion: so far so good.
* May-08: The Gathering by Anne Enright; A Rice Readers' Selection: A story of a large Irish family haunted by the past. My opinion: Yuck! This book won the Booker Prize and it is so bad. It's whiney and incoherent.
* Mar-08: Irene Nemirovsky - Her Life and Works by Jonathan Weiss: A biography. My opinon: It was kind of boring so I didn't read much
* Mar-08: If Nights Could Talk by Marsha Rechnagel: A Rice Readers' Selection: An autobiography recounting the changes in Marsha’s life when her troubled nephew shows up at her door. The writer is a Rice U author in residence. My opinion: A very compelling story. Marsha did a talk here so I got to ask her questions.
* Mar-08: Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirosky: A story about people in a French country village. This was also a book (like Suite Francais) that was discovered after her death. My opinion: I liked this one much better than David Golder. It really got into the people's lives and characters.
* Mar-08: David Golder by Irene Nemirosky: A Jewish business man's story. I wanted to read more of I.N. This book was made into a movie in 1930's. My opinion: The story was okay but not as good as Suite Francais. Irene was very negative about the "jewishness" of David Golder. Then she herself is murdered for being a Jew.
* Feb-08: Suite Francais by Irene Nemirosky: A Rice Readers' selection: A glimpse into lives of different people in France during German invasion in WWII. My opinion: I liked how she delved into people's personalities. She was killed before she could finish the book.
* Feb-08: The Voyage Home by Jane Rogers: A missionary's daughter returns to Africa for her father's funeral, about her return voyage and later life. The ending was weird. She was upset over murder on the ship that she took back from Africa. She felt responsible for it and then she became quite psychotic.
* Feb-08: Confederacy of Paper by: A historical novel about the beginnings of the London stock exchange in the 1600's. My opinion: It was hard to get into but then I found it interesting.
* Feb-08 Tis Frank McCourt: continuation of autobiography begun in Angela's Ashes. My opinion: not as compelling as first book but still good.
* Jan-08: Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt: An autobiographical account of his early childhood in NYC and then in Ireland-very poor with alcoholic father. My opinion:I really got hooked into his childhood story - very engaging.
* Jan-08: Waterland by Graham Swift: The story takes place in a swampy part of England, the Fens. My opinion: Took me a while to get into. I didn't understand that the author was giving history lessons right away. Took too long to get to facts about murder. Overall, I liked it.
* Dec-07: The Crimson Petal and the White: A Rice Reader's selection- A Victorian age prostitute interacts with upper class family. The story starts out one way, changes direction. My opinion: book was way too long, story got too convoluted.
* Nov-07: A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway. My opinion: very enjoyable read, ended so sadly