Oregonreader's 75 Books Challenge for 2013

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Oregonreader's 75 Books Challenge for 2013

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1Oregonreader
Gen 14, 2013, 6:21 pm

I'm back again after a challenging 2012. I didn't quite meet the goal last year but I'm determined and hitting my stride for this year.

For starters:
The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville A man and a woman meet in a small Australian town, both shy, self-conscious, and determined to keep everyone they meet at a safe distance. They are thrown together by events and the result is surprising growth for both of them.

Catherine the Great by Robert K Massie is a thorough, well-written and researched biography of a fascinating woman. I was surprised at how intelligent and educated she was. He details her life and her place in Russian history. He also gives a suprising amount of information about the art she collected for The Hermitage.

2thornton37814
Gen 14, 2013, 8:23 pm

I've got Catherine the Great on my TBR list. Glad to hear you liked it.

3drneutron
Gen 15, 2013, 8:36 am

Welcome back! Good start for the year. Once I get done with my US Presidents Challenge, I want to catch up on some other bios I've been passing over. Catherine the Great is one of the top of my list!

4Oregonreader
Gen 15, 2013, 2:04 pm

Thank you both for stopping by. It's always great to have visitors.

#3 In your US Presidents Challenge, have you read Robert Caro's LBJ biographies? I've finished the first one and the second is soon to be started. I am so amazed at the depth of Caro's understanding of Johnson's character.

5LizzieD
Gen 15, 2013, 2:12 pm

Yay! I looked for your thread yesterday - or day before? - and didn't find it. Glad you're here, and happy that you're also saying good things about Catherine the Great. As you know, I have her, but she's going to have to wait until I finish my book on Roman religions.

6EBT1002
Gen 16, 2013, 11:27 am

Welcome back, Oregonreader. I notice that you have a uoregon.edu email address. I used to work at OSU and love that part of the world.

7Oregonreader
Gen 18, 2013, 12:42 am

Thanks for the visit. I retired last summer from UO and moved to the Portland area. I do miss the Eugene/Corvallis country.

I just finished a book I picked up on impulse, The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller. Just returned to civilian life after the end of WWI, Laurence Bartram is struggling to let go of his battlefield experiences. He receives a letter from the sister of a schoolmate, John Emmett, who survived the war only to commit suicide shortly after his return. She asks Bartram to visit her to help his family understand how this could have happened. Bartram accepts and is increasingly caught up in discovering what happened to Emmett during the war and why other soldiers tied to him have died. Speller goes into great detail on how what we now identify as post-traumatic stress syndrome was viewed in the British military of the time and court martials and executions on the battlefield. I really enjoyed this.

8Oregonreader
Modificato: Feb 8, 2013, 1:16 pm

Farewell, Dorothy Parker by Ellen Meister This was a review copy that I was thrilled to receive. I'm a fan of Dorothy Parker and Meister does a good job of calling up her ghost. Lots of fun.
They Found Him Dead by Georgette Heyer A mystery from one who is usually associated with Regency novels. Good characters and plot turns.
War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Sprituality by Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow This is a book I had to dip into in small doses. It presents a lot of ideas in very thought-provoking ways as the two authors explain their worldview.

Touchstone still not working.

9Oregonreader
Feb 7, 2013, 6:59 pm

All This Talk of Love by Christopher Castellani is an ERC that I just finished. I'll be posting my review shortly but briefly, it's a wonderful story of a family of recent immigrants, how they create a new life while hanging on to the old one. It's a look at how memories affect our present relationships. I really liked this one.

The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Means of Ascent by Robert A. Caro This volume follows Johnson from his activities during WWII to his first election to the Senate. At this point in his story, I am overwhelmed with what a despicable human being he was, selfish, cruel to family and friends, without principles, and willing to do anything to win. I am curious to see how he becomes the president who passes civil rights legislation and initiates the war on poverty.

I have again dipped in to one of my all time favorites, Van Loon's Lives by Hendrik Willem Van Loon. This book is out of print but still easily available and I recommend it to anyone with a fanciful imagination and interest in history. Written as the second world war is approaching, Van Loon describes a scenario where he and a friend in Veere, Netherlands are able to invite any historical person with whom they would like to visit to dinner at his home. Van Loone gives a brief biography of each guest, starting with Erasmus, and they do research on the food and music which would be familiar to their guests. A lovely book.

10LizzieD
Modificato: Feb 7, 2013, 10:56 pm

Well, here you are, and I see that I had found you earlier. I could swear that I didn't see your name on the threadbook though. Anyway, thanks for the link!
I am not familiar with Van Loon's Lives and am off to read about it right away.
Yay! Let's absolutely read LBJ #3 together in April. That means that we'll be ready when #4 comes out in pb in May. I've been waiting for it; don't know about you.
Nope. You aren't there. Do you mind if I add you? Do you mind your real first name being included?
And one more thing! I just got my copy of Catherine the Great, so I have that to look forward to too, not to mention Peter!

11Oregonreader
Feb 8, 2013, 1:06 pm

Yes, please add me to the list. And you can use my real name.
You are really going to enjoy Catherine. Can you recommend a good book on Peter?
I've marked my calendar for April - LBJ #3!

12LizzieD
Modificato: Feb 8, 2013, 2:37 pm

Yippee!!
I went ahead and got the R. Massie Peter the Great: His Life and World. I figured that if Catherine was good, Peter would be too. The only Massie that I've read has been Nicholas and Alexandra, and I was enthralled when it came out....whenever that was.
I'll add you to the wiki now!

13Oregonreader
Feb 8, 2013, 5:29 pm

Peggy, thanks for the tip. I'll be looking for Massie's Peter. I'm down with a cold which means some extra reading time. I started A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White after dinner and read it right through. It's the story of two sisters who are orphaned at a young age and raised separately. The story is told mostly through the eyes of the younger but she does a wonderful job of describing the relationship between two sisters who love and need each other but gradually become estranged because of their different circumstances.
I then started The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling. I am a big fan of her writing and was looking forward to her first book about adults. She spends the first part of the book introducing her characters, each one more flawed and depressing than the last. For me, it's important to have at least one character that I care about enough to follow their story. But there was nothing here for me. I still am impressed with her gifts as a writer but I'm not sure why she wrote this one.

14SugarCreekRanch
Feb 9, 2013, 8:05 pm

Hi Jan! Looking forward to meeting you at Annie Bloom's. :)

I haven't heard great things about The Casual Vacancy. I'm not planning to read it, even though my family loved her other books.

15LizzieD
Feb 22, 2013, 4:42 pm

Hi, Jan! I hope that you're 100% well of cold by now. My whole family just went through something upper respiratory that may or may not have been a cold. We had sub-normal temps the whole time. Yuck.
I'm not ever going to try The Casual Vacancy either. I've heard enough about it to be repelled. I don't think she spends as much time taking care of her writing as she should either. I bow to her inventiveness and story-telling ability though.
I came by really to thank you for introducing me to Van Loon's Lives. I think that this is going to be my bedtime reading for months. I was happy to find a lovely 1942 copy (no dust jacket though) at AMP. It has an inscription inside the front cover "To Brooks Affectionately from Adah" that makes me love it more. I hope that Brooks and Adah would be glad to know that it's found a good home.

16Oregonreader
Feb 24, 2013, 3:25 pm

Peggy, I'm so thrilled you found Lives and like it as much as I do. I have the 1942 edition as well. Mine came to me from a box of books a friend gave me when his grandmother died. On one of the pages, there is a note written in pencil about news from a battle in the Pacific. I love to think of her reading this as the news came over the radio. I think to a large degree Van Loon's ideas and impressions reflect his being a displaced Dutchman in America as Hitler is destroying much of northern Europe. He does tend to idealize his home town of Veere! I really love the little things, like his trying to decide what to feed his guests and what music to play. Happy bedtime reading!

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler was a fun read but I was annoyed by how little knowledge the heroine had of the culture and habits of the time, considering she had read all of Austen so thoroughly. A pretty frivolous book.

Hot Shot by Susan Elizabeth Phillips was the perfect read when you're stuck in bed with a cold. Basically a romance, it was set in the Silicon Valley during the 70s when personal computers were being invented by young entrepreneurs in their garages. I lived there during that time and enjoyed reminiscing.

Lessons in French by Hilary Reyl was an ERC. It's 1989, and a young American girl, just graduated from Yale and interested in finding her own artistic path, lands a job as an assistant to a famous American photographer living in Paris. What follows is a coming of age story, as Kate is first infatuated by the photographer's family and willing to do anything for them, no matter how morally questionable , and then gains insight into herself and the nature of family.

17Oregonreader
Mar 9, 2013, 4:15 pm

Last week I had the great pleasure of meeting three other Portland LTers, Kim (Berly), CarolO, and Rhonda (Banjo 123). We met at Annie Bloom's Bookstore, purchased books of course, and then went next door to O'Connors for a good visit. The pictures are posted on Kim's thread. It was so much fun and I hope the first of many.
The Headmaster's Wife by Jane Haddam One of the Gregor Demarkian mysteries. These are always so well written.
Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore Where do I begin? I read this after reading references to his books on Berly's thread. Moore says he decided to write a novel about the color blue. That in itself is pretty mind-boggling. He focuses on sacred blue, a special formula historically used to paint the Virgin Mary and then creates a fictional painter, Lucien Lessard, student and friend of all the Impressionists who use the paint. It is alternately confusing, funny, witty and bizarre. I will definitely add another of his books to my TBR!

18banjo123
Mar 10, 2013, 8:24 pm

Hi Jan! It was great to meet you at Annie Bloom's.

You and Kim have gotten me interested in Christopher Moore. I think I will try to pick one of them up.

19Oregonreader
Mar 11, 2013, 12:16 am

Hi Rhonda, thanks for stopping by. I love that I can put a face to your message. I remember you mentioned that you like funny books so I think Moore is right up your alley.

20Oregonreader
Mar 14, 2013, 11:03 pm

Imperfect Pairings by Jackie Townsend is an ERC. When I first received it, I worried that it sounded like a Hallmark Channel movie. Jamie, a young career-obsessed American woman falls in love with Jack, a successful young businessman. She accompanies him back to his native Italy for a family wedding and swept up in his family business and messy relationships. It was much more complex and well-written than I expected and I really enjoyed it.

21Oregonreader
Mar 20, 2013, 6:10 pm

Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron. This is the first in the Deborah Knott series and I enjoyed even though I have read several later books.
The Biographer's Tale by A. S. Byatt. I have always found Byatt's books a challenge to get into but ultimately well worth perservering. But this one was just not compelling enough to get me through. I read about half and that was it.

22Oregonreader
Apr 2, 2013, 1:40 pm

This has definitely become a monolog but that's ok. It still allows me to focus my reading.

The Golden Collar by Elizabeth Cadell Really just fluff but a lot of fun. Set in Portugal in the 1950s, young Englishman sheds his wealthy, stuffy fiancee and finds true love with an English/Portuguese girl.

The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton by Elizabeth Speller This is the second novel of her's that I've read and I've enjoyed them both. Someone on another thread referred to the mysteries they preferred as "literary mysteries' and that's a good description for this one. The protagonist, Lawrence Bartram, came home from WW I physically fit but mentally struggling with PTSD. He is an expert on English churches and the setting for this one is at an crumbling estate where a medieval church is being restored. The actual mystery is really secondary to the characters and the work on the church.

Death Comes to Pemberly by P. D. James Jane Austen and PD James, how could it miss!

23LizzieD
Apr 4, 2013, 7:04 pm

Jan, monolog no more! You are getting through a lot of books! I wonder how much *LBJ 3* is going to slow you down....
I have now read the first 50 pages. Do we want to discuss here or at my thread or in PMs? I can't remember how we did it before, but I kind of think I remember PMing. I don't have a lot to say about the first chapter. It's Caro's usual masterly prose with a lot of information crammed into a small space (although the smallness of the print and the length of the pages makes it feel like a rather large space). I see that I need to read another 50 before our man comes on the scene.
As to Death Comes to Pemberly, my mother had it for her book club, I borrowed it in great glee at having my hands on a copy, and I literally could not read more than 20 pages. I don't know exactly how it missed for me, but it did.
*Kitty Easton* sounds like it's worth pursuing. I'm a long time J. Haddam fan, but I haven't read one in years. I always take time out for the next M. Maron, so I'm glad that you went back to the beginning. I think that I liked the second book more than the first, and that's the one that hooked me on D. Knott. I preferred the Sigrid Harald mysteries to the Knott ones, but the first one that combines the two characters was not one of the better ones for me. And with a sigh, I confess that I haven't read another thing in Van Loon since the first week. I'll get back to him though - and I love that you found a letter in your copy..

24drneutron
Apr 4, 2013, 9:34 pm

Definitely not a monologue! By the way, I'm about halfway through Means of Ascent and agree with your thoughts on LBJ. He seems a thoroughly despicable person.

25Oregonreader
Apr 5, 2013, 2:17 pm

Thanks for adding your voice to my lonely outpost! Peggy and I have just started Master of the Senate. I think it is Caro's writing as much as the subject that keeps me enthralled. He begins the intro with contrasting scenes, the first a courthouse in Alabama where blacks are trying to register to vote and then the Senate chamber where a civil rights voting act is under discussion. His descriptive powers and attention to little details in drawing comparisons is wonderful.

Peggy, posting our discussion here is a great idea. I'm plunging in to chapter 2 today.

26LizzieD
Apr 5, 2013, 7:38 pm

And all that research!!!! And talking for hours with original sources or whatever you call people who dealt with LBJ!!!
Jan, I had to play bridge this afternoon, so I haven't gotten any reading done at all. I'm going to give myself another 5 or 10 minutes here and then play some catch up.

27LizzieD
Apr 7, 2013, 4:39 pm

Jan, I've read the little second chapter and again have nothing very much to say about it. My grasp of political history is so slight that I had no idea how obstructionist the Senate had been until WWII. I did have a vague idea about that! I'm going to thread just a wee bit more and try to read chapter 3 today. Then we get into the really good stuff!

28Oregonreader
Apr 8, 2013, 7:59 pm

Peggy, I ended up having my grandchildren with me all weekend and not much reading has been done. But I hope to forge ahead tonight. I have found the history of the Senate interesting. I can't believe how little I knew! I'm assuming Caro has included all this history to set up what LBJ walked into. We probably won't have much to say until he arrives on the scene.

29LizzieD
Apr 10, 2013, 11:12 pm

I'm finally there, but just barely! I expect to be able to read faster now that he's around. I'll check back with you.
I know you enjoyed the grandchildren!!

30Oregonreader
Apr 10, 2013, 11:49 pm

Peggy, I'm just finishing up on the chapters on Richard Russell. I'm guessing that Caro spent so much time on RR to demonstrate how the senate worked and who had the power as LBJ entered the scene.

31LizzieD
Apr 12, 2013, 6:12 pm

You're way ahead of me, Jan. I'm just in the chapter dealing with his first experiences in the Senate - and amazed at Majority Leader Lucas characterizing him as a "gentleman of the old school." I'll get to read some more today, but I don't know that I can catch you.

32Oregonreader
Apr 13, 2013, 12:35 am

That's OK, Peggy. I'm taking a break and reading some lighter things so my reading is slowing down. One thing that has really struck me is that the senate culture of seniority and very structured rules were such fertile ground for LBJ. His uncanny ability to develop a father/son relationship with powerful older men and his genius for understanding rules and how to get around them served him well. He could appear to be whatever the situation required. Two people were quoted as describing him as Uriah Heep and I had to laugh. I had thought of that comparison when reading the earlier volumes.

Last Sessions of Summer by Margaret Maron This is a stand alone novel, not part of a series. She's one of my favorite mystery writers.

Game in Diamonds by Elizabeth Cadell Very light but entertaining. Not one of her best.

Anthem for Doomed Youth by Carola Dunn One of her Daisy Dalrymple mysteries. It featured Daisy's husband, a Scotland Yard DCI, and I enjoyed that.

33LizzieD
Apr 13, 2013, 5:21 pm

I always enjoy Maron too and even met her when she gave a reading of one of her earlier Knotts. I was curious about the title, which I almost recognized, so I looked it up on Amazon and found Last Lessons of Summer! (I do that too when the book isn't right in front of me. Or I can see myself typing left hand rather than right and then making the word look right.....)
I have too many long books up for April, and I expect I'll bail in another day or two; Midnight Riot is looking awfully interesting. I'm so OCD about it though, that I just sat here and figured that I can finish the LBJ if I read 50 pages a day every day for the rest of the month. That's not going to happen, I'm afraid. Anyway, I've had some LBJ time this afternoon and have read the chapter about Lady Bird and the little girls. Incredible! I still have another 20 or so for today's 50 - just in case I were able to do it.
Caro does make such a good case for the Senate being the perfect place for his talents. Uriah Heep is a great analogy for that part of his make-up, but what a complex man! SCARY!!!!

34Oregonreader
Apr 13, 2013, 6:41 pm

50 pages a day for the rest of the month? The book is a big project. How about not having a deadline and checking back with each other when the spirit moves. I have to divert myself with other reading along the way. I thought the chapter about Lady Bird was just heartbreaking. She seems to have been almost a textbook case of a battered woman, isolated, unsure of herself and totally dependent on LBJ. I wonder if either of his daughters have written a memoir. That would be interesting.

35Oregonreader
Apr 13, 2013, 6:50 pm

Peggy, I forgot to say thanks for pointing out the typo. I usually read through my entry to edit but not always, apparently!

No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie Another in the Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid series, which I think is one of the best.

36LizzieD
Apr 13, 2013, 8:38 pm

I absolutely agree about D. Crombie! Until I read my last E. George (This Body of Death), I was thinking that Crombie had replaced George in my affection. Now I'm not sure.
No worries, I won't read 50 pp a day, but I have read almost 100 today, so I guess it would be possible.

37LizzieD
Apr 16, 2013, 4:53 pm

Me again, taking a break from LBJ. I haven't read 50 a day, but I'm so close that I'm keeping on.
Honestly, I simply can't believe the man. I've just read about his publicity from his Preparation Sub-committee. Even when they caught him obviously lying for publicity, the facts didn't stick. Talk about a Teflon Politician!
Otherwise, I'm plugging along with my ER ARC, Blood & Beauty. Sarah Dunant is a pleasing writer, and I don't see how the Borgias could possibly be dull, but I'm not driven to read this one. When I do pick it up, I enjoy it, but it's not as compelling yet as I had thought it would be almost half-way through.
And I do love to pick up the Mass Observation diaries in We Are at War...really compelling!

38thornton37814
Apr 16, 2013, 6:30 pm

No Mark Upon Her was very good. I've yet to find a real dud in Crombie's work.

39Oregonreader
Apr 17, 2013, 11:46 pm

Peggy, do you think the press was more reticent in those days to go after politicians, especially those with powerful friends? There were so many instances when a really determined journalist could have exposed him. When LBJ set out to destroy Leland Olds and remove him from the Federal Power Commission as a favor to his oilman friends, it seems incredible that no one challenged him. Even among politicians, he must have set new standards of ruthlessness.

#38 Thanks for stopping by. I am looking forward to Crombie's next book but I have to wait for paperback or the library!

In between LBJ, I've been reaching for light reading. Death's Half Acre by Margaret Maron was good as usual. I've stuck to the Deborah Knott series so far but I've got to try the other whose name escapes me at the moment. Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips is chick lit but with a lot of humor. I enjoyed it.

40LizzieD
Apr 19, 2013, 7:10 pm

Oooo. The other name is Sigrid Harold, Jan. She wrote that series (which begins with One Coffee With) before D. Knott and did her learning on it. The first two or three are not particularly memorable, but The Right Jack grabbed me, and then I was hooked. I like Sigrid's character better than Deborah's, and I've been happy to see her revived in the Knott series although the book about NYC itself was not one of the better ones.
Well...... I don't know about the press. As I recall somebody did expose the fact that LBJ had a letter explaining away some of the accusations he made as chair of the Preparedness sub-committee before he made them, and for some reason it didn't get much play. And then, before the sub-committee could be discredited, LBJ yielded the chairmanship to Tydings and slipped out. I agree that he set new standards of ruthlessness; I don't know about the press......... Anyway, I haven't read any for the past 2 days, but I did some today and am up to chapter 17, and I expect I'll keep on reading.

41Oregonreader
Apr 20, 2013, 2:12 pm

Thanks for reminding me of Sigrid Harold's name. I think I'll start with The Right Jack. I do like reading mystery series in sequence when I can.

I just finished Chapter 16 about the MacArthur senate hearings. Even though LBJ didn't have much of a role, I really enjoyed reading about this. In a sense, Russell is held in contrast to LBJ. While I think most of us would disagree with RR's view on some things, he seems to have taken his role as senator seriously with a desire to do what was right rather than always looking to further his career. I never knew much about the MacArthur/Truman fight and I didn't realize how much it jeopardized civilian control over the military. I'll be reading some more this weekend.

Death in Lover's Lane by Carolyn Hart This is a Henrie O mystery, and a pretty good one.

42LizzieD
Apr 20, 2013, 9:43 pm

Jan, I'm reading about the LBJ Ranch and his family problems. I'm finding myself feeling sorry for all of them. I'll agree that Russell is quite a contrast with our man, and I didn't have quite the awareness of the depth of the Harry-hating even when I read McCullough's Truman a couple of years ago....or I had forgotten. Mind like a sieve, but at least I enjoy while I'm reading.

43Oregonreader
Apr 21, 2013, 2:39 pm

Peggy, I've got to catch up with you! I'll be putting in some good time today. Just read that Kate Atkinson is appearing at Powell's tomorrow night to promote her new book Life After Life. I'm definitely going to that.

44LizzieD
Apr 22, 2013, 6:46 pm

WOW! I can't wait to hear what she says!!! A complete report, please!!!!!
(I can't imagine being in the same town as Powell's, btw.)
I haven't read any LBJ yesterday or today although I hope to get to him a little later on. You may have passed me again. I like how we manage to stay pretty even without really worrying about it.
I've been reading one of the current Orange long-listers, Lamb. I bought it for the Kindle because it was cheap - didn't really think that I'd be too interested in it, and I can hardly put it down. I am reading other stuff right now, but I'll be back tonight at bedtime.

45Oregonreader
Apr 23, 2013, 12:02 pm

Peggy, sad news. I didn't get to see Atkinson last night! Yesterday afternoon my cell phone (an old flip phone) snapped right in two. I had to meet my son at the phone store (we have a joint plan) and get a new one. I was so disappointed as KA is one of my favorites. I'll have to say I was surprised at how isolated I felt with no phone.
I have been reading LBJ pretty steadily over the weekend and I'm into Chapter 25. I am fascinated by the man and also the description of how he "mastered" the Senate. I probably won't get to read anymore until tomorrow.
I had a look at Lamb because it is always described as so well written but I thought the subject matter would be too much for me. I hope you write a review as I'd love to see your take on it.

46LizzieD
Apr 24, 2013, 10:58 pm

Yow. Sorry about your phone, Jan. I have an old flip one too - well, it's relatively new for me.
You are way ahead of LBJ again. I didn't read any today since I finished Lamb and said what I had to say about it on my thread. I'm off to bed with Ignorance (LBJ is just too heavy!).
Tomorrow I'm taking my mama shopping out of town, so I won't really get any good reading in until --- oh gosh! until Saturday since I'm playing bridge (at least, I'm sitting at the table and following suit most of the time) on Friday. Boo.

47LizzieD
Apr 27, 2013, 10:52 pm

Just checking in to say that while I read some today, I haven't caught up. I'm starting Part IV now. In spite of myself the man is impressing me with his political genius. I have to keep reminding myself that he did a great lot of good in spite of himself.
I was talking to a local doctor this past week who is a real LBJ fan but who hasn't read the books. He was saying how modest LBJ always was and how unwilling to get publicity for himself. What a slippery character all around!!!

48Oregonreader
Apr 28, 2013, 9:22 pm

Hi Peggy, no reading for me this weekend. My five year old grandson was here for a sleepover on Friday night, then on Saturday, I had a 'girl's night' with my daughter, daughter-in-law, and niece. Chinese takeout and two chick-flicks! But I plan to read some more tomorrow.
I know what you mean about being impressed with LBJ. His Machiavellian genius was amazing and scary. Reading about his control of the Senate made me realize how little the public knows about how these institutions really work. He was able to look at the political structure and almost instinctively know how to subvert it to his advantage.

One quick mystery read, A Mind to Murder by P D James One of her shorter ones but very good.

49Oregonreader
Mag 2, 2013, 8:24 pm

I feel like I've been reading Master of the Senate forever and I'm only about 3/4 done. Fascinating but quite an undertaking. Peggy, if we weren't doing this together I think I would not be reading it so consistently. So thanks for the push. This is well worth finishing.
I'm now in Chapter 34. LBJ's inconsistencies continue to grow but as Caro points out, whatever good impulses he instinctively has, they are second to his love of power.

50LizzieD
Mag 2, 2013, 8:34 pm

Jan, I haven't stopped! I don't have grandchildren, but RL interrupts my reading anyway and probably not as delightfully. I finally got back to a little today, but I'm in the "Johnson Rule" chapter where he reverts to his natural, arrogant, obnoxious self as he assumes the power of Senate Majority Leader.
I'm glad that the together-reading is working for you....I think I need a mighty shove!

51Oregonreader
Mag 3, 2013, 1:51 pm

Peggy, I suspect you'll catch up soon. It's unusual for me to have so much time to read and I feel the pull of a new ERC I just received. I also have a family reunion and my daughter-in-law's birthday to plan!

52LizzieD
Mag 6, 2013, 8:39 pm

I don't know, Jan. I'm still in the 600s. I just am not having a lot of time to sit and concentrate. I do really want to finish it this month though.
Enjoy all your family doings!

53alcottacre
Mag 6, 2013, 9:58 pm

*waving* at Jan

54Oregonreader
Mag 7, 2013, 2:14 pm

Hi Stasia. I've missed you!

Peggy, I'm hitting a slow time too. The weather has turned unusually lovely, in the low 80's, and I've got to get my vegetable plants in the ground. But finishing by the end of the month is my goal also. We can do it!

55LizzieD
Mag 10, 2013, 8:32 pm

We can, but I'm going to have to read more than I have been..... I remain in the middle of the 600s, but I have gotten our guy through his heart attack. I'm delighted to know that he began to value Lady Bird a little more and treat her a little better. A very little better.

56LizzieD
Mag 11, 2013, 7:53 pm

A little progress from me several days late. I'm finally in the Civil Rights portion and as fascinated and appalled as I expected to be.

57Oregonreader
Mag 12, 2013, 1:19 am

Peggy, I've just finished Chapter 34 but probably won't be reading any more until week after next. Just too many things going on. I'll have to read like crazy to make the goal but I'm going to try. Reading about LBJ is like staring at a cobra, fascinating and terrifying at the same time. It's hard for me to understand the charisma he must have had to manipulate men who were both intelligent and powerful themselves. I also was glad he began to value Lady Bird more after his illness. But I do wonder how the two daughters coped with basically having no parent present.

58LizzieD
Mag 14, 2013, 10:26 pm

Hi, Jan. I wonder about the daughters too. Their marriages have lasted, haven't they? Makes me wonder exactly what they learned from Lady Bird about being a wife.
We are in the same place!!!! I just finished chapter 34 tonight, but I do have plans to keep reading as I have time. I'm sorry you're going to miss a week.
A lot of the time he made his own luck by "doing everything," but he was also incredibly lucky too time after time. I've really enjoyed the Civil Rights chapters so far - knew I would. I can't help but be touched by his immediate response in the Longoria affair (in which a Mexican-American woman wrote him that the local South Texas funeral home refused to handle her soldier husband's body. LBJ arranged for him to be buried with full honors at Arlington and then had to backtrack in order to keep his standing with the Southern bloc).
Did you happen to catch the NPR Fresh Air interview that somebody (not Terri Gross) did with Robert Caro last night? I got the last 10 minutes or so, but I'm going to try to listen before they pull it from the archive if they do that.
Have a good week! Take care of yourself!!

59Oregonreader
Mag 15, 2013, 11:56 pm

Peggy, thanks for letting me know about the Caro interview on Fresh Air. I just listened to it (Dave Davies sitting in for Terri Gross). It really whetted my appetite for the fourth volume, especially the Kennedy assassination and Vietnam. Caro mentioned in the interview that he didn't intend for his books to be just about LBJ but also about power and how it is used in politics. I think he's really accomplishing that in Master of the Senate. Even though I'm old enough to no longer have a schoolgirl's civics class view of our government, I've been overwhelmed by just how random things seem to be. LBJ certainly was lucky. I was also struck by how unlucky other politicians were and how things were accomplished by luck, the congruence of different political needs at a certain time. The morality or efficacy of bills seemed to be of minor importance. Is that too cynical? Hopefully, after this weekend, I can put in some good reading time and catch up with you.

60LizzieD
Mag 17, 2013, 11:03 pm

I just have to copy this because I was so delighted to find it! This is in the beginning of chapter 37, quoting George Reedy:
"'He had a remarkable capacity to convince himself that he held the principles he should hold at any given time, and there was something charming about the air of injured innocence with which he would treat anyone who brought forth evidence that he had held other views in the past. It was not an act.... He literally willed what was in his mind to become reality.'" At last I have some insight into his contradictions!!!
Hope your weekend is great. I am smug to have read to page 900, so I now believe that I will finish before the month is out!
" The morality or efficacy of bills seemed to be of minor importance. " I don't think it counts as cynical when it reflects the truth! What an education we are getting!

61LizzieD
Mag 21, 2013, 9:10 pm

I finished! I finished!! I finished!!!
And I loved it!!!!!!!
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was like reading a thriller....... I knew how it was going to turn out, but watching all the machinations was riveting.
Hope you're well and that RL is going smoothly so that you can get back to our guy soon.

62Oregonreader
Mag 22, 2013, 12:13 am

Me too!! Just finished it tonight. I could not put it down! I think the section on the Civil Rights Act of 1957 is the heart of the book and could stand alone. What a master Caro is! I have so much information rolling around in my brain. The book is such a time commitment, I don't think I would have pushed through if I wasn't reading with this you. I'm so glad you suggested it.

63drneutron
Mag 22, 2013, 9:06 am

Started Master of the Senate yesterday - was really impressed with his first three chapters on the Senate. Could have been a really god book by themselves!

64Oregonreader
Mag 22, 2013, 1:06 pm

Jim, you have such a treat ahead. I'm going to take a short break before starting volume four but I'm really looking forward to it.

Master of the Senate by Robert A Caro Caro's writing has improved with each volume of his LBJ biography and this third book is magnificent. He has done what a good biographer must do, describing LBJ and all his contradictions without choosing which to emphasize for effect. We see LBJ in his complexity, unprincipled, ambitious, brutal, bullying, obsessed with power and manipulative. But also brilliant, insightful, and having an instinctive desire to help the impoverished as long as it didn't interfere with his ultimate goal of becoming president. The last section describes the Senate fight over the Civil Rights Bill of 1957 with an immediacy and drama that held me spellbound. I have learned so much about how the senate functions on the most basic level. Caro has said that he intended the book to be about power and how it is used in politics and he has brilliantly accomplished that.

65Oregonreader
Mag 26, 2013, 11:23 pm

Ghost Moth by Michele Forbes An ERC review. This is the story of a family, Katherine and George and their four children, set in 1969 Belfast with flashbacks to 1949 when Katherine and George were about to marry. The characters are well-drawn and and the language is strikingly beautiful. A sample, on eating ice cream cones, "A dome of soft memory in the making, creamy white, trickled with sugar sweetness, berry-berry red. Their tongues tasted childhood and their lips chilled, and they walked together, creating a song line through east Belfast". This intense level of description gives the novel a slow, dreamlike quality except when the story features the children and events in Belfast. I felt like I was moving back and forth, from fantasy to reality, as the story progressed. In a sense, Katherine felt this too as she begins to uncover the secrets that have kept her from appreciating what she had. My only criticism is that the events in Belfast, which affected this Catholic family, were mentioned but didn't seem to have a real impact on them.

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt This is one of the most enjoyable reads I've had this year. It reminded me of a Coen Brothers movie. The characters are quirky, well-drawn, and fascinating and the plot crazily unpredictable. It goes from darkly funny to poignant to tragically sad, often on the same page. Highly recommended. An added pleasure for me is the setting in Oregon and California, areas I am very familiar with.

66labwriter
Mag 27, 2013, 5:15 pm

re: The Sisters Brothers. I'm happy to see your recommendation of this one. I've been moodling over whether or not I ought to read it. "Reminded me of a Coen Brothers movie"--OK, you got me! Ha.

67LizzieD
Mag 28, 2013, 8:52 pm

Jan, I saw that you had your review (and it's a good one) up for *LBJ 3*. I'm really glad that we did this together and that we both finished!!!
I loved *Sisters Bros* too. Who would have guessed?

68Oregonreader
Mag 29, 2013, 10:08 pm

#66 Sounds like we share the same sense of humor!

Peggy, I felt like I finished a marathon with LBJ 3 but that doesn't stop me from being anxious to start #4. A big pat on the back for both of us..

69banjo123
Mag 29, 2013, 11:52 pm

Great description of The Sisters Brothers.

70LizzieD
Mag 30, 2013, 6:44 pm

Yay, us!
I just finished The Borgias: The Hidden History too, so as soon as I finish my month's installment in *A Dance to the Music of Time*, which is really a pleasure, I'm going to indulge in something fun too!

71Oregonreader
Mag 30, 2013, 11:06 pm

I've been reading your comments on The Borgias on your thread and have added it to my TBR. But right now I'm indulging in some light reading too.

My Life in France by Julia Child I picked this up in a bargain bin on impulse and thoroughly enjoyed it. She has such a droll sense of humor and such a wonderful way of talking about food. Many years ago, I lived in Paris for a few months, long enough to develop a real appreciation for French food but I've never had the interest to learn to actually cook it. This was a chance to do it vicariously.

72Oregonreader
Giu 2, 2013, 2:16 am

Out of Africa by Isak Denisen This was a reread as I first read this book about forty years ago and have read it several times since then. It is still one of my favorites. Her descriptions of the Kenyan land and natives in the Thirties and Forties are insightful and beautiful. She writes of the Kikuyu with great affection but she doesn't over-sentimentalize (is that a word?) them. I will probably read this again some time when I want to be transported to a fascinating time and place in the company of a very good writer.

73Oregonreader
Giu 11, 2013, 6:37 pm

Tinkers by Paul Harding This book was sent to me along with my last ERC from the same publisher. It is a Pulitzer winner and I can see why it was chosen based on the language and descriptive powers of the author. It is the story of a dying elderly man, surrounded by his loving family, as he remembers his past. A second parallel story is of his father, a tinker by trade. The characters are lovingly drawn but I would have to say the story moved so slowly that I would often have to break off from a long descriptive section to remind myself whether it was the father or the son talking. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for it.

74Oregonreader
Giu 22, 2013, 12:22 am

I've been doing some reading but just too busy to post.

Fer de Lance by Rex Stout I read a discussion on labwriters thread about the Nero Wolfe books and I thought it was time I gave one a read. This is the first book in the series and I am now hooked. Having to hold myself back from reading one after another.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid I read this on my i pad on a trip to California so I didn't realize how short it was when I started. I found it to be an interesting story, but the set-up, with the narrator telling his tale to an unknown second character who never speaks, was a little unnerving. It gave me sense of not trusting the narrator to tell me the truth and I was never sure what was going on. I found the ending absolutely terrible!

The Road to Burgundy by Ray Walker This was an ERC. Walker is a Californian who grew up in the wine country there but was no fan, thinking it a snobs drink. But once discovering wines from Burgundy, he had an epiphany and became obsessed, ultimately moving his family there to make wine. I can't imagine anyone less prepared to take this on, not only not speaking French but also not knowing how to make wine. It seems the only thing he had going for him was a pleasant personality and a talent for making friends willing to help. This included a "deus ex machina" in the form of a virtual stranger who offered him large sums of money with no strings attached. This was a bit tough to swallow. The descriptions of the wineries in Burgundy and the people there are very well done and I enjoyed it.

The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer I know my life is a little crazy when I reach for Heyer but she is so comforting!

75Oregonreader
Lug 8, 2013, 11:11 am

Wow, I've been away a long time. Just got back from camping near Paulina Lake in eastern Oregon. Not a lot of time to read when tent camping. Even with all our "modern" conveniences, tents, stoves, lanterns, it always reminds me of how much time used to be spent on providing the basics. For me, this is a soul cleansing experience. There is not much to compare with waking up under the pine trees and looking out at a pristine mountain lake as you drink your morning coffee! But I did manage a little light reading.

Black Orchids by Rex Stout Not as good as his first novel but a good read nonetheless.

Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer Not one of her best mysteries.

My five year old grandson has just made the jump from picture books to chapter books. I read two of the Tree House series to him. I read many of these with his older sister a few years ago. They are wonderful first chapter books that really exercise a child's imagination.

The Knight at Dawn and Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne and Sal Murdocca

76LizzieD
Lug 8, 2013, 10:30 pm

Glad to see you, Jan! You've been doing some good reading and some good living too, I think.
Did I mention what a big Nero/Archie fan I am? I am!
And I just finished a Heyer too (Faro's Daughter for pretty much the same reason except that my stress was from reading about the Donner Party!

77banjo123
Lug 8, 2013, 10:58 pm

Hi Jan! The camping trip sounds great. And hooray for Magic Treehouse!

78Oregonreader
Lug 8, 2013, 11:39 pm

Hi Peggy, always glad to hear from another Heyer fan! They area comforting, aren't they! I have read two of the Nero/Archie books. I love Archie's tough guy delivery even though his favorite drink seems to be milk. By the way, I have plunged into the fourth Caro. It is even more interesting for me because I do remember some of the events he covers. And LBJ continues to surprise. You will not be disappointed!

Rhonda, good to hear from you again. Have you been down to visit Annie Blooms recently? I'm stopping by there tomorrow to look for a book about spiders for one of my grandchildren. I feel so lucky that both my grandchildren are readers. And I plan for the third one, due any day, to be the same. It is so much fun to read to them!

79banjo123
Lug 10, 2013, 12:39 am

A new grandbaby? How exciting! I haven't been back to Annie Bloom's. I am being good and reading mostly library books.
Would you be interested in another Portland LT meet-up, one of these days? I suppose we'd have to go for September, people are so busy in summer.

80Oregonreader
Lug 10, 2013, 11:33 am

I'd love another LT meet-up. I really enjoyed the last one. September sounds like a good target date. We could even meet somewhere closer to you.

81LizzieD
Lug 11, 2013, 5:25 pm

I still haven't bitten the bullet to buy Caro4 - I've spent an equivalent amount on stuff that I want less, but that's been over the course of several weeks. Somehow that seems to make a difference to me. Anyway, I'm glad he hasn't lost his touch.
OOooo. Congratulations on the new grandbaby!

82banjo123
Lug 11, 2013, 10:26 pm

I will post something on the Oregon thread about a potential meet-up. I was going to suggest a week-end day, and then I am pretty open about location.

83Oregonreader
Lug 13, 2013, 4:52 pm

I've finished The Passage of Power by Robert Caro and what an amazing experience. This is the volume I had been most anticipating, covering the Kennedy assassination and the beginning of LB J's presidency. What an impressive work of scholarship. It also seemed short after reading Master of the Senate! I was especially fascinated by Caro's impressions of the Kennedy brothers. Everything I had read about them previously was by Schlesinger or others in the Kennedy camp. Caro acknowledges that they may not agree with him but what he has written seems to have an internal consistency and credibility. I give it a big five stars!

84Oregonreader
Lug 15, 2013, 8:18 pm

I'm so excited that I'm receiving Sweet Thunder, Ivan Doig's latest novel, as an ERC. He is one of my favorites.
The Sound of Broken Glass by Deborah Crombie His is the newest in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma Jones series and as good as ever. I never buy hardback copies of mysteries but my daughter bought it to read on vacation and passed it on to me. Lucky me!

85Oregonreader
Lug 16, 2013, 7:16 pm

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers Powers is a Iraqi war vet and says he wrote this to try to answer the question "What was it like over there?" He has accomplished this in a powerful way. The narrative follows the thoughts of the main character, John Bartle, as he is deployed and meets Murph, the soldier who will become his closest companion. In a crucial meeting with Murph's mother, she asks Bartle to promise to take care of Murph. Much of the plot stems from the consequence of that promise. But this is not a plot-driven novel. Powers has a poetic voice and is able to impart a powerful sense of the emotions and mental trauma that Bartle experiences because of the horrible actions demanded of him and the reality of war. I have not read many novels based on war experiences and this was an emotional experience for me as the reader.

86LizzieD
Lug 16, 2013, 7:23 pm

You are lucky to have a go at The Sound of Broken Glass already! I love Deborah Crombie!
And you've finished Caro 4!!! You do so make me want it. I'm off to see whether the price of a used pb has come down even a little. (A little is all that it will take.)

87Oregonreader
Lug 18, 2013, 1:46 am

Peggy, when you do have a chance to read The Sound of Broken Glass, let me know what you think of the ending.
I know what you mean about the reluctance to spend a lot on one book when you can get several for the same amount.

88Oregonreader
Lug 26, 2013, 8:52 pm

My little grandaughter, Grace, was born on July 19 so I haven't had time to read. First time parents need a lot of support! My bedtime reading was an old favorite, Agatha Christie Murder in Mesopotamia, not one of her best but it served the purpose. I was in the middle of Duel With the Devil by Paul Collins and it's so good I'm anxious to get back to it.

89LizzieD
Lug 26, 2013, 11:03 pm

Congratulations, Granny! Happy to hear that your Grace has made it safely into the world. Thank goodness for Agatha when we need her!

90Oregonreader
Modificato: Ago 4, 2013, 4:25 pm

Thanks, Peggy.
I finally was able to finish Duel with the Devil: The True Story of How Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Teamed Up to Take on America's First Sensational Murder Mystery by Paul Collins. Whew, what a title! Collins is a Portlander which piqued my interest and he is also the "literary detective" on NPR. I really enjoyed this. It was the first trial of which the entire transcript was published and it whipped up the public interest as do current murder trials on television. The book also gives a snapshot of what trials were like in 1800. Defendants had only recently been given the right to counsel. The charge against the young man was murder, "..being moved and seduced by the instigation of the devil.." Collins also spends about half the book describing the relationship between Hamilton and Burr, both before and after the trial.

A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear is another Maisie Dobbs mystery. Maisie takes on an undercover job while teaching at Cambridge.

Just checked my reading for the year and I've finished 46 books so I'm in good shape to finish this year!

91banjo123
Ago 3, 2013, 2:04 pm

Duel With The Devil sounds really interesting.

92Oregonreader
Ago 8, 2013, 3:53 pm

Hi Rhonda, I think you'd really enjoy it.

I just finished my latest ERC, Sweet Thunder by Ivan Doig. This is the third Doig novel that I've reviewed and I don't know how I've gotten so lucky. This novel takes off where Work Song ended and I'd definitely recommend reading the earlier novel first for the background. Set in 1920 Butte, Montana, Morrie Morgan has returned to Butte and is brought back in to the ongoing fight between the Anaconda Mining Company and the workers. Doig is such a great storyteller and he again brings to life Morgan, Grace, Sandi Sandison, and a host of other unforgettable characters from his previous books. He writes with such wit and humor and is able to take a thought-provoking look at the plight of the miners. One of my top favorites for the year.

Might As Well Be Dead by Rex Stout The Nero Wolfe mysteries are always good and this was one of the better ones.

93Oregonreader
Ago 15, 2013, 11:36 am

The Fort by Bernard Cornwell covers the Battle of Penobscot, one of the most disastrous of the Revolutionary War for the new American army and navy. In reading about the reluctant soldiers who had been impressed to fight, leadership that ranged from excellent to completely inept, it is amazing that the revolution was successful. The officer that comes off the worst is Paul Revere, who actually was court-martialed for disobedience and cowardice afterwards. This is not one of Cornwell's better efforts. The book jumps from side to side in a sometimes confusing way, there are so many characters that it is hard to keep them straight, and the story drags on from one disastrous decision to the next without any real sense of a developing narrative.

Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie My daughter is currently rereading many Christies and passing them on to me.

94Oregonreader
Ago 22, 2013, 1:43 pm

Queen Lucia by E. F. Benson I had a little bit of trouble getting into this. It seemed like a very slow start. But I had heard such good things that I carried on and was rewarded for it. I love the characters in all their foibles and vanities. I'm looking forward to the next volumes.

I'm headed off for 10 days in eastern Oregon and probably won't be doing a lot of reading but plan to make up for it when I return.

95LizzieD
Ago 22, 2013, 4:58 pm

I'm delighted that Lucia worked for you after you persevered a little!
Enjoy your 10 days away!

96banjo123
Modificato: Ago 22, 2013, 7:19 pm

Have fun in Eastern Oregon!

97Oregonreader
Set 5, 2013, 3:48 am

Thanks, Rhonda. We did have a wonderful trip. The weather was a little cool so less time at the pool and a little more light reading.

The Silent Speaker by Rex Stout This wasn't one of my favorites but he's written so many, there are bound to be ups and downs.
The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart This was a perfect vacation read. I first read this during a Stewart binge in the 1960s and it is still enjoyable.
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie This was about the third time I've read this over the years and I've always enjoyed the psychology of it.

98LizzieD
Set 5, 2013, 8:59 am

Welcome back, Jan! I'm glad to see somebody else rediscovering Mary Stewart. I hadn't read her since my own binge in the 60s, but I read Nine Coaches Waiting last month and was delighted all over again. I was surprised at the quality of the writing - get that in current chick lit! Now I'm sort of half-way browsing in Madam, Will You Talk?, and those may be the only two that I own except for the Merlin trilogy.

99Oregonreader
Set 5, 2013, 1:38 pm

Peggy, I have a copy of My Brother Michael which I will indulge in at some point. I agree about the quality of the writing. When you look at the thousands of mystery/romances that are published every year, its hard to find anything approaching it. Most are unreadable.

100Oregonreader
Modificato: Set 9, 2013, 10:52 pm

Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff A friend gave this to me and urged me to read it. I don't think I would have otherwise but I'm glad I did. I have reviewed the book but here is a brief description.
Journalist for the New York Times and Detroit News, Charlie LeDuff wrote this book before Detroit declared bankruptcy but he obviously anticipated it. He calls this book an 'American autopsy' and it is certainly that, analyzing the slow disintegration of the city.
This is a surprisingly personal tale as LeDuff describes his childhood and how the fate of the city affected the fate of his brothers and sister who stayed there. It is written in a very journalistic style with quick metaphors and insights that go to the heart of the problem.
While he stresses that Detroit is filled with good people trying to help, he describes a Detroit whose government and judicial systems became so corrupt that there is nowhere to turn for help. New officials elected on a platform to clean up corruption become part of the system or are impotent. It is a sad book that offers no solutions but offers a fascinating look at what may lie ahead for many other cities.

101Oregonreader
Set 16, 2013, 10:39 pm

Brave Genius by Sean Carroll This was an ERC that I was very excited to receive. I've reviewed it on the review page but I'll just say here what an interesting book this was. I learned so much about the French Resistance and what amazing men Albert Camus and Jacques Monod were. I was struck how two men of such intellect were also men of conscience and bravery.

My Brother Michael by Mary Stewart Another trip down memory lane reading an old favorite.

102Oregonreader
Set 20, 2013, 2:11 pm

A great weekend ahead. The Portland area LTers are meeting again. This time at member Elisa's bookstore, Another Read Through. I am looking forward to seeing those from the last meeting again and meeting new friends.
Not much reading this week. I am plugging away at my latest ERC, Andrew's Brain by E L Doctorow but took time out for a nice evening read of one of my new favorite series, Champagne for One by Rex Stout. It is starting to cool off a bit and I'm always even more in the mood to spend an evening with a good book.

103Oregonreader
Set 24, 2013, 1:53 pm

Great meet-up with some of our Portland LTers on Saturday. We met at the bookstore owned by Elisa Saphier called Another Read Through. It's a great new and used bookstore. Lots of mysteries which I loved. We then had lunch at a Dr. Who themed cafe. Kim (berly) has posted a couple of pictures. Lots of fun.
I couldn't resist some great buys at Elisa's. I got Woman of the Inner Sea by Thomas Keneally, The Infinities by John Banville, two mysteries by Amanda Cross: An Imperfect Spy and The James Joyce Murder. Also Hand in Glove by Ngaio Marsh. Some great reading ahead.

104LizzieD
Set 24, 2013, 4:01 pm

I'm off to find Kim's pictures, but you did find some gold! Hand in Glove is maybe not my very favorite Marsh, but it's a good old one, and I love Amanda Cross. I'm discovering Keneally and know nothing about Banville, so I'm going exploring. Glad you had such a good time, Jan!

105Oregonreader
Set 24, 2013, 6:43 pm

Hi Peggy, I think you will really enjoy reading John Banville. His book, The Sea won the Man Booker prize a few years ago. His prose is beautiful.

I just finished my latest ERC and what a disappointment. I am a fan of E L Doctorow and loved Ragtime and Billy Bathgate but his latest Andrew's Brain does not measure up. The narrator is a cognitive scientist and about half the book are his theories on brain function and how it affects everything we are. The rest of the book consists of therapy sessions in which Andrew seems to be lying or selectively remembering for effect. The two sections are not very connected and really doesn't lead anywhere.

I couldn't resist and broke my rule about buying mysteries in hardback. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penney was just too tempting. And I have to say I'm not sorry a bit! This latest Gamache mystery does not disappoint!

Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie My daughter is on a Christie binge and keeps passing them on to me. They make such a great read for an autumn evening.

106Oregonreader
Ott 3, 2013, 1:35 pm

Woman of the Inner Sea by Thomas Keneally This is the first book of his that I have read and I will definitely be looking for more. This is the story of a young Australian woman fleeing a privileged but tragic life and trying to disappear into the outback. It is the story of her growth and strength in adapting to a harsh environment and the family pursuing her.

Hand In Glove by Ngaio Marsh She is a favorite of mine and I wish I hadn't already read all of her books. But still a pleasurable reread.

107banjo123
Ott 5, 2013, 2:41 pm

oooh--you have intrigued me with Woman of the Inner Sea

108Oregonreader
Ott 9, 2013, 11:58 pm

Rhonda, I think you would like it. He does a wonderful job of developing characters. Wish I could have joined you at Wordstock. Every year I intend to go and then life intrudes!

Three Doors to Death by Rex Stout Three stories that are linked by a fun introduction by Archie Goodwin.

Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie This was interesting primarily because she described air travel in the 1930's. Meals served on china by stewards, smoking allowed, so much noise in the cabin it was hard to converse. And since Hercule Poirot was on board, murder!!

Noah's Compass Anne Tyler I picked this up for a quarter at a book sale at my grandchildren's school. The story is interesting. Teacher Liam Pennywell volunteers to be downsized and decides to retire. He moves into a new apartment and his first night there, an intruder hits him on the head and he wakes up in a hospital with no memory of what happened. Thus begins his search to find a new life for himself. It's a good story with interesting characters but the ending left me unsatisfied. I've noticed this has happened to me a couple of times lately where I've felt the author just decided to stop writing. Maybe it's a weakness in me but I like some kind of resolution.

I'm off on Saturday to a resort in San Diego. I'm going with my older sister, younger brother and his wife. I expect to spend a lot of time poolside in the 80 degree weather with a drink and a good book!

109Oregonreader
Ott 28, 2013, 1:02 pm

Wonder by R. J. Palacio My 10 year old granddaughter recommended this book to me and who could say no to that. I was so impressed with the book and thrilled with her taste in fiction. I assume this would be classified as YA reading. It's the story of a fifth grade young boy with a severely disfigured face who enters school for the first time. It is sweet, profound, and moved me to tears, which rarely happens when I read.

I've begun reading A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel and really enjoying it but I expect to be reading it for some time. Another very large book. She moves back and forth among three main characters from the Revolution, beginning with their childhood. At first I found it a little confusing with all the French family names but it soon became clearer for me. I started reading this on my i pad while on vacation and now that I'm back home, I wish I had an actual book in my hand!

110Oregonreader
Ott 30, 2013, 12:05 am

Vacation reading:
Death in a White Tie by Ngaio Marsh a Roderick Alleyn mystery.

Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley The latest Flavia de Luce. Loved it

111Oregonreader
Nov 3, 2013, 9:20 pm

Just realized that *Speaking Among the Bones* was my 77th book this year! I didn't make the goal last year so I'm thrilled to reach it so early this time.

112SugarCreekRanch
Nov 3, 2013, 11:50 pm

Congratulations on surpassing your 75 goal! Yay, you!!!

I am currently re-reading the 3rd Flavia book, with my son. We'll get to Speaking from Among the Bones eventually, so I'm glad to hear you loved it.

113banjo123
Nov 4, 2013, 12:08 am

Congratulations on 75!

114drneutron
Nov 4, 2013, 10:41 am

Congrats!

115Oregonreader
Nov 4, 2013, 8:34 pm

Thanks, all, for your congrats. I'm glad I reached the goal before starting A Place of Greater Safety. It's 1200+ pages and I will probably be reading it until the end of the year!

116LizzieD
Nov 4, 2013, 10:19 pm

Way to sail past 75, Jan! CONGRATULATIONS!
I have to say I loved A Place of Greater Safety, and I predict that you will finish before the end of the year!

117Oregonreader
Nov 15, 2013, 1:24 pm

Peggy, you were right! I finished A Place of Greater Safety yesterday. Mantel is an amazing writer. She did a great job of creating real characters from historical figures. I was especially impressed with the way she expressed the ideas of Danton, Desmoulin and Robespierre as they each presented their views of the Revolution.

I took a couple of breaks to refresh myself with two of my favorite mystery writers.
Death Times Three by Rex Stout
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
Enjoyed them both.

118Oregonreader
Nov 25, 2013, 6:10 pm

Marie Curie and Her Daughters by Shelley Emling This was an ERC and I am so happy I received it.

Emling's book focuses on the lives of Marie Curie and her daughters, Irene and Eve, in the years following her second Nobel prize. Curie was struggling to continue her research, a Pole in xenophobic France and a woman in a field dominated by men. Her life changed dramatically when she met American Missy Meloney, who arranged a tour of America, where Curie was celebrated as a hero, a woman showing what women were capable of. She met with President Harding and received funds to continue her research. A second visit in 1929 was not quite as successful but gave her the funds to open her institute in Warsaw. Oldest daughter, Irene, was an outstanding physicist in her own right, receiving a Nobel prize with her husband for discovering how to produce artificial radiation which opened the way to radiation therapy in medicine, atomic energy, and the atom bomb. Younger daughter, Eve, was a music and theater critic. During WW II, she became a special correspondent for Allied newspapers and worked to get American support for occupied France.
Well-researched and well-written, this book reminds us of what an impact the Curies made on the world. It is a shame that Marie's discoveries seem to have been forgotten to a large degree. My only complaint would be that Emling seems to have skirted anything negative, such as Curie's affair with a married man after her husband's death, and focused only on positive achievements and relationships. But still a fascinating book.

The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie Not a Poirot or a Marple but still entertaining.

Three at Wolfe's Door by Rex Stout I think I'm in love with Archie Goodwin and maybe even Nero!

119banjo123
Nov 25, 2013, 10:56 pm

Hi Jan! I had Marie Curie and her Daughters as well! I had a similar reaction to you, in that I thought it was good, but a little too idealizing. The affair, however, I was good with. I loved the notion of a middle-aged, somewhat dumpy, female physicist having a sex scandal.

120Oregonreader
Nov 26, 2013, 3:07 pm

Rhonda, The affair hadn't struck me in that light but you are so right! I was also impressed with what a good mother she was, considering the time dedicated to her lab. I've added Eve's biography of her mother to my TBR list. Have a great Thanksgiving!

121Oregonreader
Modificato: Dic 7, 2013, 8:51 am

I just finished my latest ERC, Wake: A novel by Anna Hope and here's my review:
Wake is set in London, right after the end of WW I and still suffering from the aftermath. The soldiers have returned, damaged physically and mentally. But the women who stayed at home were also damaged and this is what the author looks at. She traces the lives of three women, Evelyn, who has lost her fiance, Ada, who has lost her son, and Hetty, whose brother is unable to leave the house due to post-traumatic stress. Their three stories touch each other briefly and culminate in the ceremony for the Unknown Soldier. One ex-soldier says that England has not won the war. War has won and always does. This is a very well-written and very moving story.

In the Best Families by Rex Stout.

122LizzieD
Dic 7, 2013, 11:16 am

Hi, Jan! I'm glad that you have joined the circle of Historical Mantel lovers. *Greater Safety* is masterful!
I need to treat myself to a Stout and a Christie too - also to a Marsh, a Tey, and a Sayers. And I definitely love Nero at this point in my life. Archie can call me fickle if he dares.
I don't think I'll read the Curie bio, but I do appreciate your review and also the look at *Wake*.
Hope you had a good Thanksgiving! Here comes Christmas!

123Oregonreader
Dic 8, 2013, 11:31 am

Peggy, It's amazing how comforting a really good mystery is!
I am definitely a Mantel fan. I've read *Wolf Hall* and *Bringing Up the Bodies*. I'll have to see what else is out there.
I've started The Long Ships and I have a feeling it will be one of those books that start slowly for me then pull me in. I've read such good reviews that I had to give it a try. I also just received the three Hocking books in the Good Daughters series. I managed to find really inexpensive used copies on Amazon. I'm looking forward to those.
Today we are taking my three grandchildren to have their Christmas pictures taken. So fun to have a new baby celebrating her first Christmas.

124Oregonreader
Dic 13, 2013, 2:01 pm

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins This is not a book I would have selected to read but my daughter asked me to read it to see if it was suitable for my 10 year old granddaughter. Most of her friends had seen the movie but that was not an option. So I agreed to read the book and it was better than I expected. I had questioned the premise, the idea of children taking part in a hunt to the death. But the author takes a very clear moral stand on the "games" which I think is important for younger readers. The book describes a life that is a grim struggle but not gratuitously violent. I suspect the movie is much more graphic. Emma was thrilled to get the OK and is already well into it. We're discussing it as she progresses.

Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie My holiday binge on mysteries continues.

125LizzieD
Dic 19, 2013, 11:16 am

Having no daughters nor grands, I won't read Hunger Games. I'm interested to see that you gave the book a thumbs up though, and I'm sure that Emma is thrilled to get to read something that is so hot right now.
I have The Long Ships waiting, but a good review from you will certainly move it up Mt. Bookpile.
You really make me want to put down works in progress to read a good silver age mystery. I hope I can squeeze at least one in before the end of the year.
Merry Christmas, friend!

126Oregonreader
Dic 19, 2013, 7:08 pm

I don't think Hunger Games has a lot appeal for older readers but it was interesting. My granddaughter is a great reader (I take full credit) and is now recommending books for me to read and discuss with her. I love it!
The Long Ships is not a book I can read straight through but more of an epic that I can jump in and out of.
Merry Christmas to you, Peggy!

Good Daughters by Mary Hocking I got interested in Hocking's trilogy after reading about it on LT. I can't remember which thread but I owe whoever it was a big thanks. Hocking does an amazing job of creating the three young Fairley sisters. Each sister is so unique but each goes through the doubts and discoveries all girls go through in adolescence. I found all three books on Amazon at great prices so I'm looking forward to the next one.

127banjo123
Dic 29, 2013, 2:53 pm

That is so great that you can read with your granddaughter! I loved The Hunger Games myself, though the other two in the trilogy aren't as good.

I hope you had a fabulous Christmas, and HAPPY NEW YEAR to you!

128Oregonreader
Modificato: Gen 8, 2014, 6:22 am

I finished with 83 books this year. Very satisfying after not meeting my goal last year.

Here's the link to my new thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/164022