Author |
Message |
Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Monday, October 08, 2007 - 6:42 pm
Escapee I LOVED the Jakes series Kent Family Chronicles and North and South. Read them about 20 years ago and glad they still hold up.
|
Beachcomber
Member
08-26-2003
| Monday, October 08, 2007 - 7:28 pm
I second SG's recommendation of Cold Sassy Tree. But do not buy the sequel "Leaving Cold Sassy." The author died after completing 15 chapters of the sequel, so it is basically an uncompleted book you are buying, with no closure. I would highly recommend John Jake's "Charleston." Another great period piece.
|
Beachcomber
Member
08-26-2003
| Monday, October 08, 2007 - 7:31 pm
Jan Karon lovers, she has a new book coming out 10/30. The review of "Home to Holly Springs" is described as: Karon's bestselling series of Mitford novels has concluded with 25 million copies sold to date, but to the relief of eager fans, she introduces a new series featuring Father Tim. The beloved Episcopal priest returns to his childhood town of Holly Springs, Miss., where he reconnects with old friends and battles some old demons. The novel is thick with Father Tim's past, as Karon uses flashbacks to shed light on his early adulthood, especially his transition to seminary. In Holly Springs, his penchant for getting near strangers to open up to him—and his earnest, moving reflections on faith, prayer and the risks of love—are reassuringly present. His wife, Cynthia, is on stage far less than he, but when she appears, she is charming and insightful, as usual. Yet the book is far from perfect. Development of the quirky locals in Holly Springs is thin, and the end is a tad abrupt. Most frustratingly, the central drama of the novel falls flat: Father Tim discovers a long-buried family secret, but he doesn't grapple deeply enough with the emotional consequences of his discovery, nor does Karon fully explore the ways in which the secret plunges us into the Southern quagmire of race. Still, Mitford fans will enjoy this newest visit with wise, winsome, lovable Father Tim.
|
Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Tuesday, October 09, 2007 - 6:34 am
Check this out: http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/
|
Ladytex
Member
09-27-2001
| Tuesday, October 09, 2007 - 7:30 am
Wow, the Kent Family Chronicals helped me pass American History in 1979, lol ... 
|
Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Wednesday, October 10, 2007 - 1:17 pm
I am reading American Dreams right now. I wonder if I should just go ahead and Read Savannah, Charleston and California Gold before moving onto a new author.... I will pick up Cold Sassy Tree. I am a library regular now. I also take my girls. I want them to love books the way I do.
|
Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Wednesday, October 10, 2007 - 3:15 pm
I've read all the Mitford novels and I love them...they are clean and entertaining. Can't wait for the new one.
|
Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - 1:15 pm
Highly enjoyed NO! I DON'T WANT TO JOIN A BOOK CLUB, by Virginia Ironside.
|
Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 6:33 pm
Just finished reading Rosie O'Donnell's book Celebrity Detox! Which covers her life from when she left her first show to her time on The View. Luved it! Except I don't know if she gets the irony that her off-the-charts worship of Barbra Streisand is the same as the adulation she receives from her biggest fans? Otherwise, it's terrific. Very honest. Doesn't mention the Elisabeth conflab at all. Just her opinion of Elisabeth overall. And barely mentions Joy at all.
|
Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Saturday, December 01, 2007 - 9:48 am
Now reading the new Mitford book, 'Home To Holly Springs'. In my reading I like to interject a 'no muss, no fuss' book once in a while. Clean, uplifting and with a good point to it.
|
Sharinia
Member
09-07-2002
| Sunday, February 24, 2008 - 1:55 pm
Just wanted to stop in with a random recommendation for one of the most gripping books I have ever read, The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. It's a terrifying true story that reads like fiction, about a strain of the Ebola virus getting into the U.S, and how it was dealt with. It's not for the faint hearted, as there are a few areas of the book that really descriptive and horrifying, but it's not 'about' gore ... it's a very intelligent, well written, and fascinating pseudo narrative, that brings together science, politics, and human relationships. I am not a science type but could not put this one down. It's written in a way that I think most intellectually curious ppl would find fascinating, and certainly gave me a much better appreciation for biothreats. I often think that I want to read it again.
|
Dahli
Member
11-27-2000
| Monday, February 25, 2008 - 12:35 pm
I read that book a while back Shar and it scared me more than anything I've ever read by Stephen King... 
|
Sharinia
Member
09-07-2002
| Tuesday, February 26, 2008 - 7:53 am
Me too Dahli (truth can be scarier than the most twisted fiction). I don't think I felt so gripped with fear and suspense since Nancy Drew 
|