October Book Thread [Archive] - CookingLight.com Community

KristiB

10-01-2007, 08:35 PM

I just started The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

It speculates how the Earth would heal itself if man became extinct. So far I'm engrossed.

Here's the Zooba description:

What would happen if all of the human beings on Earth suddenly vanished?

This is the question Alan Weisman addresses in The World Without Us. His extraordinarily engaging book reveals how our disappearance would cause the planet to reshape, regrow, and readjust in myriad ways.

Weisman traveled around the globe and met with numerous experts to create a realistic portrayal of how Earth would get along without us.

Here are just a few of his incredible discoveries: * Two days after humans disappear, New York City’s subways—without being pumped free of water—would flood. * After seven days, cooling water in nuclear reactor cores would run out, triggering global meltdowns. * After one year, a billion birds, human head- and body-lice go extinct. * After three years, with no heat, cockroaches in temperate cities die (so much for that myth).

If you think those insights are fascinating, wait until you read what happens at 20 to 100 years! In addition, Weisman looks at parts of our world that currently manage without significant human presence, including Chernobyl and the Korean DMZ. With its unique perspectives, The World Without Us is bound to become one of the year’s most important books.

RecipeGirl

10-02-2007, 08:09 AM

I finally finished "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle," by Barbara Kingsolver. Wish I had room to grow lots of my own veggies (though it looks like a lot of work!), and I want to make my own cheese!!

I just started, "The Saffron Kitchen (http://www.amazon.com/Saffron-Kitchen-Yasmin-Crowther/dp/0143112740/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-2984738-1484101?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191333716&sr=8-1)." My sister picked it up while traveling in Europe this summer and she just mailed it to me. It's good so far.

Amazon.com
In The Saffron Kitchen, Yasmin Crowther has captured, with uncanny accuracy and grace, the deep confusion and conflict visited upon a mother and her daughter by their respective histories. The mother, Maryam, is an Iranian woman, daughter of a general and member of a well-respected family during the Shah's reign. When she became separated from her family at the start of the revolution and was sheltered chastely overnight by Ali, her father's servant, her life was forever changed. Disowned by her father, she moves to Tehran to become a nurse and then to London, where she meets and marries Edward, a fine and gentle man who adores her. When the story begins, their daughter, Sara, born in England, married to an Englishman, and ignorant of her mother's haunted history, is newly pregnant. When she miscarries, during a dramatic confrontation with her mother and her young Iranian cousin, years of secrets and pretending unravel at last.
Maryam decides to go to Iran, to distance herself from these events. What follows, in Crowther's revelatory manner, is a perfect portrayal of a half-life, one lived only on the surface. Maryam comes into her own when she goes back to her village; the sights, sounds, and smells all beckon to her with their sweet familiarity. England falls away, with all its confusing customs and strange language, as does Edward, with his so very different background. Beckoned by her mother, Sara comes to visit and to ferret out the particulars of her mother's past. The question remains: will Maryam return to Edward and England or stay where she is once again at home?

sneezles

10-02-2007, 08:34 AM

tamawrite

10-02-2007, 08:36 AM

I just finished Billie Letts' The Honk and Holler Opening Soon.

You know how, once in a while, you stumble across a new-to-you author with whose work you really connect? That's how Billie Letts has been for me -- she tells stories of extraordinary "ordinary" people. Mainstream fiction, smart and observant but not literary, just good stories whose characters stay with you long past the end of the book.

Highly recommended!

ChristineVA

10-02-2007, 10:49 AM

I'm in the middle of A Thousand Splendid Suns and am enjoying it very much!

zoey55

10-02-2007, 10:53 AM

Just finished Hannibal Rising. Sick that I like him, but he is such a Renaissance man! Loved to understand about his roots!

SDMomChef

10-02-2007, 12:42 PM

I just started, "The Saffron Kitchen (http://www.amazon.com/Saffron-Kitchen-Yasmin-Crowther/dp/0143112740/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-2984738-1484101?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191333716&sr=8-1)." My sister picked it up while traveling in Europe this summer and she just mailed it to me. It's good so far.

I really enjoyed that book! Let's see....I just finished reading Happiness Sold Separately, which I really enjoyed.

I'm not sure yet what I'm going to read next.

Terrytx

10-02-2007, 01:41 PM

I have been catching up on the last several Robert Parker books lately.

Deechef

10-02-2007, 01:57 PM

I rarely get the chance to read but while on vacation at the beach in September I read four books.

The Divide - good
A Curious Incident with a Dog in the Night - not sure that is the exact title. Loved this book. About an autistic boy. So well written.
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water - excellent
The Red Tent - excellent

granolagirl

10-02-2007, 02:32 PM

Just finished Julie and Julia. It was OK. Next up is either Truck, get past chapter 2 on The Kite Runner or finish The Secret Life of Bees.

Kristilyn1

10-02-2007, 02:48 PM

KristiB

10-02-2007, 03:10 PM

Just finished Julie and Julia. It was OK. Next up is either Truck, get past chapter 2 on The Kite Runner or finish The Secret Life of Bees.

I loved Truck! Halfway through the book I was ready to move to Wisconsin and hook up with the author except he met the girl of his dreams who wasn't me :p He's a great guy and a great writer.

I actually preferred A Thousand Splendid Suns to The Kite Runner.

Schmee

10-02-2007, 03:38 PM

I just started Bel Canto. So far I am enjoying it even though I am only a few chapters in. I didn't even finish The Magician's Assistant by the same author so it took me a while to try this one.

leightx

10-02-2007, 03:41 PM

I just finished the oh-so-cerebral Stop Dressing Your Six Year Old Like a Skank, which was laugh-out-loud hilarious. Maybe it was because I read it on the way to Disney (the first chapter is all about the insanity that is Disney), or because skanky clothes for girls over 6 has been by personal pet peeve for the last 2 or 3 years. Either way, it's getting passed among my circle of girlfriends (especially the Southern ones).

nanco

10-02-2007, 07:31 PM

Just finished, My Life In France Julia Child. I loved it! I so what to go to France now.

RecipeGirl

10-02-2007, 08:32 PM

Saturday I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy and then Sunday I read Sandra Brown's new one Play Dirty. So I've only 2 books left in the stack so I'll be watching this thread for ideas both of your books (Kristi and Lori) sound very interesting.

Ahhhh to have the luxury of reading an entire book in one day!! And two in a weekend! Lucky you. We're going to Hawaii in a couple of weeks and that's what I intend to do there :)

Lots of good ideas in this month's book thread. Everything sounds good!! I've already gone on Amazon and added many of these to my shopping cart. That's how I keep my list of what I want. It's grooowwwwwwwing!

The Skanky Girl's book sounds funny. My husband has, Daddy Needs a Drink: An Irreverent Look at Parenting from a Dad Who Truly Loves His Kids-- Even When They're Driving Him Nuts (http://www.amazon.com/Daddy-Needs-Drink-Irreverent-Kids-Even/dp/0385339267/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-5191658-6569501?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191378472&sr=8-1) on his bedside table :rolleyes:

Kerri

10-03-2007, 07:45 AM

sneezles

10-03-2007, 08:23 AM

Ahhhh to have the luxury of reading an entire book in one day!! And two in a weekend! Lucky you. We're going to Hawaii in a couple of weeks and that's what I intend to do there :)

I am a voracious reader! I would often get in trouble as a child because I would be found reading instead of doing my chores (and that hasn't changed much). :p Though I don't have young children at home anymore. Both of those books were very easy reads. The Road only took about 4 hours.

I've ordered 4 books from Amazon from the reviews here!!:cool:

KristiB

10-03-2007, 08:33 AM

Am I the only one who thought A Thousand Splendid Suns was a rip off of a bad lifetime movie? (What?!?! Your fundamentalist Muslim husband is abusive? Crazy! You're pregnant? The father is dead? He is not dead???) I just thought it was so predictable.

You're probably not the only one. There are some books people here love that I thought were overrated.

Different strokes for different folks.

Kate B

10-03-2007, 01:14 PM

I am finishing The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty (I think) -- very good. Also just finished Father Joe (don't remember the author off the top of my head), which is non-fiction and a really good, inspiring read. My next foray will be Songs of a Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult.

(I hope I have all of the titles right. <G>)

Kate

barbara-cook

10-03-2007, 06:15 PM

I just finished "The House of Fog and Sand" (or was is Sand and Fog??) which was an Oprah book club book, probably a few years ago. It was an interesting book, but the characters really started to get on my nerves after awhile - not enough to make me stop reading, but at some point I stopped really caring about them - they all seemed so incredibly selfish and immature - and just wanted to find out what happened. The ending was not at all what I expected.

"The World Without Us" sounds like something I would enjoy reading and I am putting it on my "must read" list. Thanks for the post!

KristiB

10-05-2007, 10:24 AM

The world Without Us is excellent!! Probably one of the best non-fics I've read in a LONG time!

Now I'm reading Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson

WOW WOW WOW! This hero deserves the Nobel Peace Prize!

Greg Mortenson attempted to climb K-2 and failed. He became lost, sick and disoriented and was nursed back to health by a tribe in a remote and wild corner of Pakistan.

While recovering he notices kids outside playing "school" with some materials a teacher had left behind years ago. He vows in order to repay the village hhe will return and build them a school.

He returns to California, becomes homeless, and lives out of his car and keeps scraping together money to return and buy the materials for the school.

Without giving too much away he ends up building over 50 schools in remote parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

His schools focus on educating girls. He even befriends Taliban leaders and convinces them to change their ways support him. He meets a lot of interesting and, at times, nefarious, characters and tremendous roadblocks.

This book is extremely inspiring and a fantastic read. Although, if Greg were a woman I'm not so sure he would have had the same success. I'm just sayin' :)

Oh and he's a nurse! Nurses rock!

RecipeGirl

10-05-2007, 01:05 PM

KristiB-

I read Three Cups of Tea this past summer on vacation. What a great book! I can't imagine that anyone could spend their whole life doing that though. It inspired me to want to do more!

EllenL

10-05-2007, 02:10 PM

Currently reading The Hindi-Bindi Club and enjoying it. Even ahs good recipes! It's about three 30-something Indian-American women and their mothers. A few steps above chick lit. More like a family saga.

nan/mo

10-05-2007, 02:45 PM

My book club is reading "The Memory Keepers Daughter" I just picked it up last night.

tbb113

10-07-2007, 11:40 PM

I finished The Faith Club and enjoyed it. It would make for an interesting book group book.

I then read The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst. Again, an interesting book that would be good for a book group.

wwhirledpeas

10-08-2007, 07:09 AM

Am I the only one who thought A Thousand Splendid Suns was a rip off of a bad lifetime movie?

I recently finished this and was not as blown away with A Thousand Splendid Suns as I expected that I would be. For me it ran hot and cold. There were some very good parts and others that just went nowhere.

After that - I needed a quick, uncomplicated, mindless or happy read and John Grisham's Playing for Pizzas was what found it's way to me. I just finished it over the weekend. It was exactly that - uncomplicated/feel good book.

The current book that I am listening to while doing hand work is ....
The Chopin Manuscript - a unique collaboration by 15 of the world's greatest thriller writers. Jeffery Deaver conceived the characters and set the plot in motion; the other authors each wrote a chapter in turn. Deaver then completed what he started, bringing The Chopin Manuscript to its explosive conclusion. The Chopin Manuscript written by: Jeffery Deaver, David Hewson,
James Grady, S. J. Rozan, Erica Spindler, John Ramsey Miller, David Corbett,
John Gilstrap,Joseph Finder, Jim Fusilli, Peter Spiegelman,Ralph Pezzullo,
Lisa Scottoline, P.J. Parrish,Lee Child

It's just excellent so far and really enjoying it.

LakeMartinGal

10-09-2007, 11:22 AM

I then read The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst. Again, an interesting book that would be good for a book group.
At my suggestion, our book club read this, and they almost threw me out!:rolleyes: We are a group of senior ladies, mostly Southern, and they really hated this book! Different strokes, I guess...;)

SDMomChef

10-09-2007, 12:37 PM

KristiB

10-09-2007, 12:42 PM

SDMomChef

10-09-2007, 12:59 PM

I loved Pillars of Earth! I'll have to read it again to refresh my memory before I start the sequel though...

I haven't started it yet, but it takes place 200 years later, so I am hopeful that there is no need to re-read Pillars of Earth since I gave my copy of that book away a long time ago!

RecipeGirl

10-11-2007, 12:11 AM

Ok- who has a good "I'm-going-to-Hawaii-on-vacation-for-a-week" book recommendation? I need something that you can't put down! I'd love for the plane ride to go quicker, and I'd love to get lost in my book lying in a hammock near a palm tree at the beach with the warm wind gently blowing my hair. Am I hoping for too much? ;) Any suggestions??

tbb113

10-16-2007, 08:12 PM

I just finished A Woman in Jerusalem by A. B. Yehoshua. Interesting book ... but I'm not sure I got the ending :o

Here is the blurb from Amazon
Israel's master novelist (Mr. Mani) tells a spellbinding tale about a spellbinding woman whose luminous smile, swan's neck and Tatar eyes are so beguiling that even in death she can lead a man to fall in love with her. The woman is Yulia Ragayev, a Slavic immigrant to Israel who has been killed in a terrorist bombing and whose corpse lies unidentified in a morgue for a week. The man (who, like everyone in the novel except Yulia, remains nameless) is the human resources manager at the commercial bakery where Yulia worked as a cleaning woman. A muckraking article forces the bakery's owner to discover her identity and take action to restore her dignity. The owner orders the HR director to return Yulia's body to her son and mother in her native land for burial�a journey that turns into an opportunity for moral redemption for him after a series of stunning reversals. Throughout, Yulia remains a mystery: why did she come to, and cling to, Jerusalem when she wasn't Jewish? Questions of morality, dignity, identity, nationality and belonging are subtly explored in sometimes hallucinatory prose, fluently translated by Halkin. This short novel's layers reveal themselves only gradually and, once revealed, continue to compel and provoke.

Am now reading The Faraday Girls by Monica Mcinerney. This would definitely fit RecipeGirl's request

sneezles

10-16-2007, 10:34 PM

This week I read both of the Billie Letts books, Where the Heart Is andThe Honk and Holler Opening Soon and really wanted to thank those that recommended this author! What a wonderful story teller!

tamawrite

10-16-2007, 10:57 PM

This week I read both of the Billie Letts books, Where the Heart Is andThe Honk and Holler Opening Soon and really wanted to thank those that recommended this author! What a wonderful story teller!

Isn't she? I have "Where the Heart Is" but I'm saving it for when I have time to really read it. Letts also wrote "Shoot the Moon," another good choice. :)

honeygirl1971

10-17-2007, 02:06 AM

The only Billie Letts book I've read is Where the Heart Is and I thought it was a page turner, but, in the end, I didn't think the story was "believable." After reading that one, I'm not sure I would like her other books...??

Tyra, I read Yehoshua's Open Heart, and thought that one was veyr interesting, but I don't know if I'd recommend it or not. I think he makes some unusual choices with his characters...??

I just finished Zadie Smith's On Beauty, and liked it but didn't LOVE it--I think White Teeth was better, although maybe it was just more interesting to me since it was more unusual--Most of On Beauty centers around academic politics in a small private school, which I am much more familiar with than I am with the milieu evoked in White Teeth. I also recently finished Richard Powers' book The Echo Maker, and thought it was pretty good. I have read many of his books and my favorite is still Operation Wandering Soul, but this one was interesting and quite funny in parts and also more approachable than some of his books are. I'm just about done with Kate Atkinson's latest, One Good Turn and really like it. I'm a fan of hers already, and loved Case Histories, and this one brings back two of the main characters from that book. It's entertaining and also very well-written (although at this point, I'd say Case Histories was more moving).

RecipeGirl, what kind of books do you like? I thought Special Topics in Calamity Physics was engrossing and fun, but I'd have to know more about your taste to know what you might like...

I also recently finished the new book by Amelie Nothomb, Ni d'Adam ni d'Eve which just came out in French, and which was terrific. It's in some ways sort of a sequel to Stupeur et Tremblements(Fear and Trembling ) which is available in English as well. I'd recommend the first one to anyone interested in funny read about a European working in a Japanese office in Tokyo, and the second one is even better for anyone who reads French. It's also about the same European (Amelie herself) living in Tokyo, at the same time as the first book, but instead of focusing on the corporate culture, it focuses on her private life and her relationship with a young Japanese man. It's both hilarious and touching.

mightyh

10-17-2007, 07:19 AM

RecipeGirl, I'll repeat a suggestion I made in last month's thread... for a book with great writing, a good story, amazing characters, etc I would recommend
Love Walked In. It's one of those books that I just didn't want to end. I found it from a previous recommendation on one of these threads. For something slightly more dark, but still engrossing, I'd recommend The Last Chinese Chef.

I am working on Eat, Pray, Love right now. I wasn't sure if I would like it, even a few pages in, but I've decided that it's one of my favorite books. She writes about the search for herself, really, after a terrible divorce. She spends time in Italy to re-learn to experience and enjoy pleasure, then spends time in India to learn to devote herself spiritually through meditation. The final section is set in Bali where she is trying to learn to balance devotion and pleasure.... It's a very interesting (and surprisingly funny) read and has really made me reflect a lot on my own life, if I am following the path down which I want to go, etc.

bugzey

10-17-2007, 07:27 AM

I just finished A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon. He also wrote The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, which I loved.

Last night I started The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde. I'm sure it will be just as bizarre and ridiculous and fun as the rest of his novels.

sneezles

10-17-2007, 07:35 AM

The only Billie Letts book I've read is Where the Heart Is and I thought it was a page turner, but, in the end, I didn't think the story was "believable." After reading that one, I'm not sure I would like her other books...??

I guess that's what I loved about it most was believing that quirky characters are out there! I have met quite a few since moving to the country so I don't think it's really such a big stretch...a little but not impossible.

We have a woman that lives in a very tiny camping trailer with about 5 tiny dogs. She supposedly has a phd in history and claims to be writing a Czech history of the area. We've no idea where she gets money from and she's been roaming the area for about 8 years now.

LakeMartinGal

10-17-2007, 07:36 AM

I just finished reading Bel Canto, and was not surprised by the way the hostage situation ended, but was surprised by the ending... Did anyone else see that coming?

kimmer99

10-17-2007, 08:10 AM

Just finished, My Life In France Julia Child. I loved it! I so what to go to France now.I read that a few weeks ago. I want to go buy one (or more) of her books now and try some of the recipes.

Two days ago I finished My Sister's Keeper for book club. It was okay - I wouldn't go right to "I enjoyed it." But I guess it's definitely thought provoking.

To erase the feel of that one, I'm thinking something fun next, like Undead and Unreturnable (any Buffy the Vampire fans would probably enjoy this series which starts with Undead and Unwed).

SugarNSpice

10-17-2007, 08:21 AM

I just finished The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood.

I really enjoyed this even though it dealt with depressing issues that I usually avoid in my pleasure reading. I even picked up my knitting after almost 6 months of pushing it aside.

The story revolves around a woman who just lost her only daughter to meningitis and her interactions with the different women in her knitting circle, each one with their own story of love and pain.

I started reading The Keep , but had to put it aside because I couldn't get into it. I don't know what it was...the story or the writing just didn't appeal to me.

honeygirl1971

10-17-2007, 09:24 AM

Okay, before anyone starts talking about the ending of Bel Canto, can you warn me so I can quickly exit? I am starting it tonight! Or maybe I should just stay away until I finish...

sneezles, I like books with quirky characters, so I don't think that was the problem for me per se. I think it was just the culmination of all the events, each one surprising but altogether a bit too much for me. I think for me it crossed the credibility line with the (SPOILER ALERT!) kidnapping. I don't think it was a BAD book, just not a great one for me, KWIM?

I read The Keep last year, and actually kind of liked it, although I did think the characters were a touch on the unlikeable side, which my mother would say is a Fatal Flaw, LOL. I like her writing, though.

kimmer, I thought My Sister's Keeper was an interesting story and quite a pageturner, but I thought the end was such a copout!

bugzey, did you like A Spot of Bother? I loved Curious Incident too.

bugzey

10-17-2007, 09:49 AM

bugzey, did you like A Spot of Bother? I loved Curious Incident too. I really liked it. The plot itself wasn't anything particularly riveting, but there's just something I love about the way Haddon writes. He always finds the perfect words.

tamawrite

10-17-2007, 11:52 AM

The only Billie Letts book I've read is Where the Heart Is and I thought it was a page turner, but, in the end, I didn't think the story was "believable." After reading that one, I'm not sure I would like her other books...??

Huh, that's interesting. I'll have to read "Where the Heart Is" and see what I think.

I'd still recommend you try "The Honk and Holler Opening Soon." I found it quite believable, except for one slightly-unrealistic bit having to do with the horse. But I'm picky about that kind of thing. :rolleyes: :D

tamawrite

10-17-2007, 11:58 AM

Two days ago I finished My Sister's Keeper for book club. It was okay - I wouldn't go right to "I enjoyed it." But I guess it's definitely thought provoking.

Ooh, I loved this book. I listened to the audio version on a cross-country drive and it held me spellbound.

stacy7272

10-17-2007, 12:12 PM

I just finished reading Bel Canto, and was not surprised by the way the hostage situation ended, but was surprised by the ending... Did anyone else see that coming?
We had this book as part of the virtual book club that was going on for a few months a couple years ago. Here is the discussion: http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=89142&highlight=canto

kimmer99

10-17-2007, 02:24 PM

Ooh, I loved this book. I listened to the audio version on a cross-country drive and it held me spellbound.
You know, all along I had a feeling it would result that way just wasn't sure of the method - I agree with you; glad I'm not the only one who felt that way.

LakeMartinGal

10-18-2007, 01:16 PM

SDMomChef

10-19-2007, 02:29 PM

I just finished World Without End by Ken Follett. It was terrific! If you enjoyed Pillars of Earth, you will definitely enjoy this book. I was so sad when it ended last night....not sure what I'm going to read next!

KristiB

10-19-2007, 03:42 PM

For something slightly more dark, but still engrossing, I'd recommend The Last Chinese Chef.

I am working on Eat, Pray, Love right now. I wasn't sure if I would like it, even a few pages in, but I've decided that it's one of my favorite books. She writes about the search for herself, really, after a terrible divorce. She spends time in Italy to re-learn to experience and enjoy pleasure, then spends time in India to learn to devote herself spiritually through meditation. The final section is set in Bali where she is trying to learn to balance devotion and pleasure.... It's a very interesting (and surprisingly funny) read and has really made me reflect a lot on my own life, if I am following the path down which I want to go, etc.

I loved both these books. Gilbert was soooo lucky to be able to take that time off and travel!

I loved the food descriptions in The Last Chinese Chef!

honeygirl1971

10-22-2007, 01:51 AM

I finished Bel Canto over the weekend and I would say I was not surprised by the ending, or perhaps only mildly suprised by what happened to Mr. Hosokawa. The epilogue was sort of unexpected, but also not too surprising given what had happened to Roxane and Gen during the story. I liked the book a lot, and really like Ann Patchett's writing. Has anyone read her new book Run?

luvItalian

10-22-2007, 03:37 AM

I just wanted to chime in and say thank you. I have gotten to read so many great books by lurking on the book posts. Last night I finished THE POISONWOOD BIBLE. I thought it was great, but it took me forever. There was a lot to absorb and I had to read it in short pieces or I became to upset.

Today I am going to find WORLD WITHOUT END, since PILLARS was one of my all time favorites.

Enjoy the day!

Hoodone

10-22-2007, 07:11 AM

For mystery lovers, I just read A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch. I enjoyed this book as I am drawn to English mysteries. But I think most mystery lovers would find it a good read.

Here is the review from Amazon:

Set in England in 1865, Finch's impressive debut introduces an appealing gentleman sleuth, Charles Lenox. When Lady Jane Grey's former servant, Prue Smith, dies in an apparent suicide-by-poisoning, Lady Jane asks Lenox, her closest friend, to investigate. The attractive young maid had been working in the London house of George Barnard, the current director of the Royal Mint. Lenox quickly determines that Smith's death was a homicide, but both Barnard and Scotland Yard resist that conclusion, forcing him to work discreetly. Aided by his Bunter-like butler and friend, Graham, the detective soon identifies a main suspect, only to have that theory shattered by that man's murder. Finch laces his writing with some Wodehousian touches and devises a solution intricate enough to fool most readers. Lovers of quality historical whodunits will hope this is the first in a series.

Schmee

10-22-2007, 09:54 AM

I just picked up Ken Follett's World Without End, which is the continuation of his novel Pillars of Earth - a sort-of middle ages intrigue book with the building of a cathedral as the event that ties all the characters together. I can't wait to start reading the sequel tonight!

I will have to get this. I had no idea there was a continuation. Pillars of the Earth is one of my favorite all time books.

I am still plugging away with Bel Canto I have not had much time to read in the past few weeks so I am not moving very fast with it. I will have to check out that discussion thread when I am done.

sharon kopenski

10-22-2007, 03:18 PM

ChristineVA

10-22-2007, 04:19 PM

I am in the middle of A Thousand Splendid Suns and I don't want to finish it. The Kite Runner was too descriptive for me and this one seems the same way. Her husband making her chew rocks is haunting me and I'm sure it gets worse. So will I miss some great moral truth or a great ending if I don't finish? Please advise.

You should finish it. Sad and good at the same time. There are a couple more "bad" parts but you can get through it!

Natasha

10-22-2007, 04:40 PM

I just finished A Thousand Splendid Suns last night but admit I skimmed much of the second half. It didn't do much for me, but of course that's just me. I found it interesting enough to want to see how it all turned out, though - and am glad I did.

A little while back, I read 28 Stories of Aids (?) - the book by Stephanie Nolen that has its own thread. Definitely recommended.

I also really enjoyed Duel in the Sun about Dick Beardsley's and Alberto Salazar's experience at the 1982 Boston Marathon, interspersed with stories about their lives fore and aft that race. I found it moving both from a running perspective and from a human perspective.

I'm in the middle of Curse of the Narrows: The Halifax Explosion 1917, written by Laura Mac Donald. I've been interested in that era of history for some time, so picked this up in Halifax and started reading it there. Sitting on a bench in the middle of Dalhousie University, reading about the tribulations of Dal students at that time, gave me chills. The book is fascinating but so sad I have to occasionally put it down and read something else - which is why I've been working through it for over a month now.

I just started Michael Connelly's Echo Park, one of his Harry Bosch novels. I've liked the two Connelly books I've read so far, and am enjoying this one too in its early stages.

Last week, I read Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. I'd not enjoyed her last novel at all, so wasn't sure whether to bother with this one, but found it quite compelling after the first few chapters. A good quick read.

A few weeks ago, I read the fourth book in the Anne Perry WWI series. I can't remember the name but thought it was much more engaging than the third book in the series. Looking forward to reading the 5th and final book in a few weeks when I feel up to that kind of book again.

Natasha

foodfiend

10-22-2007, 09:58 PM

Has anyone read Everything is Illuminated by Jonathon Safran Foer? I just picked it up.

granolagirl

10-23-2007, 12:54 PM

I loved Truck! Halfway through the book I was ready to move to Wisconsin and hook up with the author except he met the girl of his dreams who wasn't me :p He's a great guy and a great writer.

I actually preferred A Thousand Splendid Suns to The Kite Runner.
I love Michael Perry! :) Have you read his other books?

I just can't get into The Kite Runner.

LakeMartinGal

10-23-2007, 01:19 PM

I am in the middle of A Thousand Splendid Suns and I don't want to finish it. The Kite Runner was too descriptive for me and this one seems the same way. Her husband making her chew rocks is haunting me and I'm sure it gets worse. So will I miss some great moral truth or a great ending if I don't finish? Please advise.I am certainly glad to find that I'm not the only one who was ambivalent about Kite Runner! Just didn't care for it, and don't want to read the next one!;)

EllenL

10-23-2007, 01:49 PM

I did love The Kite Runner but not A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Recently finished Free Food for Millionaires. I had great expectations for this book, but I should have listened to you, KristiB! It should have been interesting, about a 20-something Korean-American woman, but was just kind of trashy.

I just finished The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold. Loved Lovely Bones. This also had some stuff in about death, but much more difficult to like (about a middle-gaed woman who kills her mother---shows what led up to it, years of abuse). Interesting enough to finish, but definitely not a favorite or for everyone's taste.

Elizabeth B

10-23-2007, 06:58 PM

A used bookstore just opened around the corner so I was able to read some books that I'd wanted to read for awhile, but hadn't gotten around to.

Bel Canto - Loved it! The writing style was beautiful - I could see the setting and the characters and became very invested in the characters. Although the settings were completely different, something about it reminded me of Memoirs of a Geisha. This was my favorite.

The Shipping News - I wasn't crazy about the beginning, but was glad I stuck with it.

Angela's Ashes - I liked this book, but wasn't crazy about where it ended.

The Virgin Blue - Although it was still a pretty good book, this was my least favorite because I didn't find the love story believable.

I have a Barnes & Noble gift card and want to read Eat, Pray, Love next.

RecipeGirl

10-23-2007, 07:30 PM

KristiB

10-24-2007, 05:42 AM

Recently finished Free Food for Millionaires. I had great expectations for this book, but I should have listened to you, KristiB! It should have been interesting, about a 20-something Korean-American woman, but was just kind of trashy.

I just finished The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold. Loved Lovely Bones. This also had some stuff in about death, but much more difficult to like (about a middle-gaed woman who kills her mother---shows what led up to it, years of abuse). Interesting enough to finish, but definitely not a favorite or for everyone's taste.

I'm still puzzled over the glowing reviews for Free Food for Millionaires :confused: It's no Joy Luck Club that's for sure!!

Thanks for the Almost Moon review. I really liked Lucky and Lovely Bones but heard mixed reviews on this one. But then I heard and read fantastic interviews with Sebold which intrigued me. I think I'll wait for it at the library.

Right now I'm reading, The Flawless skin of Ugly People by Doug Crandall.

It's about Hobbie, an unattractive pizza faced man who sets off to rescue his girlfriend from a fat camp. It questions what beauty really is and human judgement.

The book is a real page turner!

Terrytx

10-29-2007, 10:27 AM

I juat finished Moloka'i by Alan Brennert. I would like to thank who ever suggested this book-it was one of the best books I have read in a while. I laughed, I cried and I learned a lot.

KristiB

10-29-2007, 10:36 AM

I juat finished Moloka'i by Alan Brennert. I would like to thank who ever suggested this book-it was one of the best books I have read in a while. I laughed, I cried and I learned a lot.

That was me!

I'm glad you liked it. I'm suprised it hasn't been turned into a movie...

Terrytx

10-29-2007, 12:57 PM

That was me!

I'm glad you liked it. I'm suprised it hasn't been turned into a movie...

Me too, I just said that to my DH yesterday.

tbb113

10-30-2007, 10:56 PM

I just finished Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum. I really enjoyed this book.

Here is the blurb from Amazon since I can't summarize to save my life.

Blum, who worked for Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation, takes a direct, unsentimental look at the Holocaust in her first novel. The narrative alternates between the present-day story of Trudy, a history professor at a Minneapolis university collecting oral histories of WWII survivors (both German and Jewish), and that of her aged but once beautiful German mother, Anna, who left her country when she married an American soldier. Interspersed with Trudy's interviews with German immigrants, many of whom reveal unabashed anti-Semitism, Anna's story flashes back to her hometown of Weimar. As Nazi anti-Jewish edicts intensify in the 1930s, Anna hides her love affair with a Jewish doctor, Max Stern. When Max is interned at nearby Buchenwald and Anna's father dies, Anna, carrying Max's child, goes to live with a baker who smuggles bread to prisoners at the camp. Anna assists with the smuggling after Trudy's birth until the baker is caught and executed. Then Anna catches the eye of the Obersturmf�hrer, a high-ranking Nazi officer at Buchenwald, who suspects her of also supplying the inmates with bread. He coerces her into a torrid, abusive affair, in which she remains complicit to ensure her survival and that of her baby daughter. Blum paints a subtle, nuanced portrait of the Obersturmf�hrer, complicating his sordid cruelty with more delicate facets of his personality. Ultimately, present and past overlap with a shocking yet believable coincidence. Blum's spare imagery is nightmarish and intimate, imbuing familiar panoramas of Nazi atrocity with stark new power. This is a poised, hair-raising debut.

Schmee

10-31-2007, 10:32 AM

We had this book as part of the virtual book club that was going on for a few months a couple years ago. Here is the discussion: http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=89142&highlight=canto

Finished Bel Canto last night. I am going to read the discussion now to maybe get some insight. I enjoyed the book and agree that her writing is beautiful and eloquent, but it was not overly compelling. I felt like I could have put it down at any time and never gone back to it.

Foodfiend, I checked Everything Is Illuminated out of the library a few months ago and then never got to it before it had to be returned. I was bummed because I have been meaning to read it for a while. Let us know how it is. I will have to try again soon.

bobmark226

10-31-2007, 10:50 AM

SDMomChef

10-31-2007, 11:02 AM

Well, you probably won't be too surprised to find me in India again with John Shor's Beneath a Marble Sky, a historical about the building of the Taj Mahal, with a nice illicit love affair between the emperor's daughter and the architect. Historical Fiction Light with the usual wars, assassinations, court skullduggery, lush courts and poor peasants, but highly entertaining.

Bob

Bob - I just picked up A Suitable Boy. Have you read it? Is it good? I am fascinated by India since reading A Fine Balance. I am going to put that book and the book that you mentioned on the Best Books thread on my list.

bobmark226

10-31-2007, 11:10 AM

Bob - I just picked up A Suitable Boy. Have you read it? Is it good? I am fascinated by India since reading A Fine Balance. I am going to put that book and the book that you mentioned on the Best Books thread on my list.

Fine Balance is truly a masterwork, Sherri, one of the great works to come out of India. I'm sorry to say that I could never wade through the 1000 pages + of Suitable Boy. Not only its length, I found him difficult and uneven to read. (Sorry! :( ) I'm in a minority among my reading friends, though.

Bob

ChristineVA

10-31-2007, 11:15 AM

Bob - I just picked up A Suitable Boy. Have you read it? Is it good? I am fascinated by India since reading A Fine Balance. I am going to put that book and the book that you mentioned on the Best Books thread on my list.

I like A Suitable Boy. Thanks for bringing this up--I've spent the last few months trying to remember the name of the book to recommend to someone. It was hard to get into, but I ended up enjoying it.

SDMomChef

10-31-2007, 11:51 AM

Fine Balance is truly a masterwork, Sherri, one of the great works to come out of India. I'm sorry to say that I could never wade through the 1000 pages + of Suitable Boy. Not only its length, I found him difficult and uneven to read. (Sorry! :( ) I'm in a minority among my reading friends, though.

Bob

I know the length of the book is what caused me to pick it up many times, carry it around with me and then set it back down. I was really in a mood for a book about India a few weeks ago, and so I just went ahead and picked it up.

A Fine Balance was just absolutely wonderful.

bobmark226

10-31-2007, 12:23 PM

I was really in a mood for a book about India a few weeks ago, and so I just went ahead and picked it up.

Have you read Chitra Divakaruni's lush, romantic, tale of two women's friendship, Sister of My Heart? I love this book, heard her read from it, and when she signed it, she wrote on the title page, so it reads, To Bob, Sister of my Heart, Chitra Divakaruni! :eek:

Sequel not so good, but she really opened the door for the Indian women writers, much as she credits the great Maxine Kingston Hong for doing likewise for all Asian women authors.

BOB

SDMomChef

10-31-2007, 12:25 PM

Have you read Chitra Divakaruni's lush, romantic, tale of two women's friendship, Sister of My Heart? I love this book, heard her read from it, and when she signed it, she wrote on the title page, so it reads, To Bob, Sister of my Heart, Chitra Divakaruni! :eek:

Sequel not so good, but she really opened the door for the Indian women writers, much as she credits the great Maxine Kingston Hong for doing likewise for all Asian women authors.

BOB

I have not read that book....one more to the list. Thanks, Bob!

P.S. Bob - I now have 3 books to buy on my list that you have suggested and that sound wonderful. On the "How to Save Money Thread", I may have to add "stop reading Bob's book reviews!" :)