Archive through December 31, 2002
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Archive through December 31, 2002
Seamonkey | Saturday, December 14, 2002 - 10:51 pm     Finished Dress Codes and must say I enjoyed it immensely. Next book to be chosen from huge pile upstairs.. I'll list it after i choose it.. |
Not1worry | Sunday, December 15, 2002 - 06:01 pm     Seamonkey, I just finished Blue Shoe too. One of those stay-up-way-too-late-to-finish-it books. I've loved her writing since I read "operating Instructions" I prefer inspirational/Christian fiction, but most of it is so horridly written that I can't stomach it. I also read "Shrink Rap" by Robert B. Parker, who wrote the Spenser series. It's not a Spenser book, though. "Sin Killer" by Larry McMurtry was my favorite non-inspirational fiction books this year. His writing is so unique. I find myself forming my thoughts in his style after reading his books. |
Seamonkey | Sunday, December 15, 2002 - 06:19 pm     I've loved every one of Anne Lamott's books.. I'm reading a new non-fiction book, In the Deep Heart's Core by Michael Johnston, who taught in the Mississippi Delta for a year. Sad and frustrating.. |
Tashakinz | Monday, December 16, 2002 - 01:13 pm     (new poster to this thread) Jo: You're not alone!! "Portrait in Death" comes out in March and I've been waiting impatiently for it ever since "Purity" was published. I found this series when "Conspiracy" came out and have been a huge fan ever since (bought all the previous books and read them in order). I recommend them to everyone I know who likes "who-done-it" stories. Do you have a favorite book in the series? I'm currently reading Reap the Wind by Iris Johansen - interesting so far; and just finished Hot Six by Janet Evanovich. My sister-in-law loaned it to me and I laughed myself silly at times. I don't know who's the bigger hoot, Stephanie Plum or her Grandma. (lol) I'm going to have to pick up the rest of these now, as I'm hooked! Has anyone read James Patterson's Four Blind Mice yet? Looking for reviews. Thanks! Tash |
Seamonkey | Monday, December 16, 2002 - 07:47 pm     Good to see you here, Tasha! I finished the book by the teacher (he was at that school for more than a year and despite frustrations, seems to have made some difference.. Then I started and finished a first novel by Laura Denham, Have You Seen Me?, about a young woman who moves to San Francisco to be independent, starts exotic dancing, gets involved in drugs and prostitution.. and .. her story. Just about to start another first novel, The Art of Seeing by Cammie McGovern, about the relationship between sisters who are different, and then circumstances switch.. I seem to get more reading time when there are more reruns and lately whole evenings of stuff I just don't want to see. |
Not1worry | Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 06:23 pm     Tash, you HAVE to read all the Stephanie Plum novels! I love them. They sell 1-3 altogether in one volume. 7 is my absolute favorite. However, I picked up one that Evanovich wrote many years before that was supposedly in the style of her Plum books. Hated it. I'm thinking it was called Full Tilt maybe. |
Denecee | Thursday, December 19, 2002 - 11:49 am     Not1worry, I am currently reading High Five by Evanovich. I love Stephanie Plum, her grandma and all her wacky friends. Looking forward to the next three. |
Seamonkey | Friday, December 20, 2002 - 09:41 am     The Art of Seeing was excellent! Then I started and finished and very much enjoyed The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys.. very different sort of tale, takes place in 1941 England where a literate, solitary soul volunteers to lead a group of younger women at an old estate away from the constant bombings and losses in London.. She's very awkward with people.. and tells the story in this excellent book. I've noted that Ms Humphreys, who lives in Canada, has a couple of previous book and I definitely plan to check those out soon. Finished that last night and the next one, a first novel, ALSO starts out in 1941, but on the West Coast of the US.. written in 5 chapters, each from the view of a different family matter, this deals with being of Japanese origin in WWII US.. internment camp and so on.. I really haven't gotten into it yet, but it looks good. My brother's wife was born after her parents families got out of the internment camps (her dad served in the war) so I'm more than interested. Oh.. The book is When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka. |
Seamonkey | Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 07:05 pm     Finished that book (it was quite short.. no wasted words but PLENTY of impact). She brought home the internment experience through the eyes of one family and with stark examples, like having just a short time to dispose of pets, attempt to safeguard your belongings, and later to return to a trashed place and real threats and resentments. All came back forever changed. Next book is non-fiction, written by one sister about how she entered the world of her mildly retarded, very independent sister and what she learned. Riding the Bus with My Sister: A True Life Journey by Rachel Simon. |
Twiggyish | Monday, December 23, 2002 - 12:15 pm     I'm reading, Colony by Anne Rivers Siddons. It's a good thick book with lots of character development. It follows the life of one family as they vacation each summer on the Maine Coast. |
Hermione69 | Monday, December 23, 2002 - 01:13 pm     Twiggy, "Colony" is one of my favorite books of all time. I hope you enjoy it. I have read all of her books but the last one. Although she sticks to the same formula for the most part I love her characters. I just finished A "Place Called Freedom" by Ken Follett. Got a little too long in some places and then ended in a hurry, but still an enjoyable read. His best, IMHO, is "Pillars of the Earth." I don't read nonfiction much, but I admire those who do. The last nonfiction book that I read was "Night" by Elie Wiesel. He was a teenager in the concentration camps in WWII and it is about what he went through. It is a short, powerful memoir. I think that this book should be required reading for all of humanity. |
Twiggyish | Monday, December 23, 2002 - 03:00 pm     Hermie, I took it with me to my in-laws. It was my escape while there..LOL After excusing myself, I sat in a comfortable chair and read. The part I loved was reading the dynamic of Maude's relationship with her mother-in-law. I can well relate! |
Hermione69 | Monday, December 23, 2002 - 03:53 pm     Oh, I love how Maude holds her own against her MiL! It's a great book, as I said, one of my favorites. I think I have read it three times. It is one of those I like to visit after a certain passage of time. I also loved "Outer Banks" by Siddons. My family vacations in the Outer Banks every year and I enjoyed recognizing places. She also quotes T.S. Eliot in this one and I love his poems. |
Seamonkey | Tuesday, December 24, 2002 - 12:00 pm     I've read one of the Siddons books, have to confess I cannot remember which one, but I remember it being perfect for travel because you could get absorbed into all the family stuff. If visiting an "interesting" family and they have more than one bathroom, I recommend taking your book along and hiding out, preferably in a deep, warm bath Hermione, I agree about Night and I think it is on many lists of required reading for teens, along with Diary of Anne Frank, To Kill a Mockingbird and many others and you are so right.. should be required and re-read from time to time. I just finished Riding on the Bus With My Sister which turned out to be a remarkable journey for both sisters and for this reader as well.. Next book, another non-fiction with more weight in subject matter and detail. Slaves in the Family by Edward Ball. From my skimming (I can never wait to look at all the maps, charts, pictures and so on when I read a book containing such items) it is clear that he put an enormous amount of work and love into his research. I can't wait to get started; the newspaper is read and old news, but I'm off to obtain some most excellent pumpkin pies for now  |
Lycanthrope | Thursday, December 26, 2002 - 02:57 pm     Just received "1633", the sequeal to "1632" by Eric Flint. If you like time travel/alternate history tales, you gotta these books out. Just started on the newest one. |
Twiggyish | Thursday, December 26, 2002 - 08:28 pm     That sounds good Lycan, I do like time travel. I think it's an interesting concept in a book, since I LOVE history. |
Seamonkey | Thursday, December 26, 2002 - 09:55 pm     Have either of you read Timeline by Crichton??? Also time travel and I really hope he'll write a sequel. The Flint books bear looking into, I think. Thanks. |
Lycanthrope | Friday, December 27, 2002 - 02:27 pm     Yes, Seamonkey, I have read Timeline. Have you heard about the movie based on it? It should be out sometime in 2003, hopefully. Gerard Butler and Paul Walker got the lead male roles of Marek and Chris. Twiggy, you should check out S.M. Stirling's Island in the Sea of Time trilogy. The island of Nantucket and a Coast Guard ship in it's vicinity get thrown back to 1200 B.C. Very interesting. |
Pamy | Friday, December 27, 2002 - 04:12 pm     I just finished "The Survivor's Club" by Lisa Gardner, it was really good, I couldn't flip the last 100 pages fast enough! |
Seamonkey | Friday, December 27, 2002 - 09:39 pm     I bet that diamond was sparkling while you flipped, too.. Don't you just love a book like that, where you just can't stop reading? I'm also looking forward to the movie of Timeline |
Pamy | Friday, December 27, 2002 - 09:56 pm     LOL Sea!! |
Yankee_In_Ca | Sunday, December 29, 2002 - 04:41 pm     I just finished "Atonement" by Ian McEwan, who also wrote "Amsterdam." Anyone read Atonement recently? I also got the following books for Christmas and can't wait to start reading them -- the latest from Ha Jin, "The Crazed," Yann Martel's "Life of Pi," and Donna Tartt's "The Little Friend" (loved The Secret History). Anyone read any of these titles??? In the nonfiction realm, got The Jack Russell Handbook and the Lord of the Rings Making of the Movie Trilogy -- very interesting! |
Seamonkey | Sunday, December 29, 2002 - 09:32 pm     ooh.. yankee.. I'd love to hear what you think of Life of Pi.. haven't read it but it is in my large stack of books to be read!! |
Marysafan | Monday, December 30, 2002 - 07:36 am     Yankee, "Atonement" is on my recommended list from Amazon.com...I would love to hear what you thought of it. I finally finished "City Boy" by Herman Wouk. It was like fudge...really sweet so I could only take a little bit at a time. This week I read Larry McReynolds's book "The Big Picture", which I got for Christmas. It was probably the most honest memoir I have ever read. Last night I started Maeve Binchey's "This Year It Will Be Different" a book of Christmas realted short stories. They are good as I enjoy Miss Binchey very much...and the book is going fast...I am over half done and should finish it tonight...and I am not a fast reader. I have no idea what is next. |
Wiseolowl | Tuesday, December 31, 2002 - 08:06 am     Had to share with you a book I just finished by an author who you may not be aware of. The title is "Mortal Allies" by Brian Haig - his second novel. A really enjoyable read. It's a murder mysery set in South Korea of all places - and as a sidebar it is timely as it offers some insight into the Korean culture as it relates to America. It is about a gay U.S. military Captain charged with the murder of his South Korean lover, who happens to be the son of Korea's pro-American defence minister. The main characters are a straight JAG officer who narrates the story and his partner and lead counsel in the defence of the officer, a civilian woman lawyer who was his chief rival in law school and who has devoted her career to defending Gays in the military - the exact opposite of the the Jag officer's sentiments. The plot twists are fascinating throughout - even to the end -it is a mystery and would appeal to folks who are interested in the military justice system. But despite the heavy sounding plot - the novel is funny - the narrator has a tongue in cheek humour that gave me a chuckle on just about every page and the style of narration is the freshest I've come across in a long time. Believe it or not, and I'm glad I didn't read the author's biography till after I finished - but he is the son of Nixon's Chief of Staff, Alexander Haig - who came across to me as a somewhat humorless , arrogant person - but his son has produced a book that is the exact opposite. I found it in our public library, and frankly I found the humour and plot twists to exceed Grisham's. It came out in May 2002 and is very contemporary. ps. publisher is Warner Press - would love to see it made into a movie |
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