The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris (2004)

This is the heavy book I've been working through in the last month or so, which was discussed in a church sermon. I started off with a flourish and thought I was going to sail right through it - how most of the religions today ask their members to believe such unbelievable things that lead to intolerance, terror, war, infanticide and many other horrors. The horrors got to me, and I got bogged down. Some of the philosophical chapters also took some plowing through, but in the end I'm very glad I read this and that someone has had the fortitude to say this. Harris expounds on the historical and current sins of Christianity and Islam, but he criticizes Islam the most. "Can we say that Middle Eastern men who are murderously obsessed with female sexual purity actually love their wives, daughters, and sisters less than American or European men do? Of course, we can. And what is truly incredible... is that such a claim is not only controversial but actually unutterable in most contexts."p. 189 I don't know how this discussion will be continued, as so much of what Harris says is taboo in our society. I wish I had the guts to criticize the religious who use their religion as an excuse for prejudice, ignorance, intolerance, etc.

Acorna's People by Anne McCaffrey

I used to love Ann McCaffrey, but hadn't read anything of hers in a long time. This was an OK book, but I realized I am looking for something different than space-faring alien life forms, even if they are wonderfully empathetic with healing horns and unable to do anything violent. Acorna is a nice character, but for her to save her people in one final chapter, with help from the traditional space rogue was quite unbelievable. It just wasn't a very satisfying read anymore.

Secret Life of Girls by

I needed another book on cassette tapes instead of CD, so I took this young adult book. I did not enjoy reading about the inner thoughts of 11 year old girls. The only thing I got out of this was that many young adult books are written for very narrow audiences. They usually are of interest for an age range of a year or so before and after the age of the main character, and often also interesting to the reader that is the same sex as the main character.

Morrigan's Cross by Nora Roberts (2006)

Didn't I just say I was going to avoid vampire stories for a while? Well, Roberts' latest series is about vampires and it is more fantasy, magical than most of her books. After reading the short fantasy stories she tried, I thought she was better in other genres, but it looks like this is where she wants to go for a while. One funny aspect is that she tends to work with three couples at once - she will focus on one in a particular book, but the others will be in the background, or ready to happen, and they will be covered in subsequent books. This vampire fighting team consists of six people, but there were only two women, so I was wondering if Roberts would actually dare have a gay couple in one of her books - but no, one of the guys gets killed and sure enough the third woman arrives to fill out the tri-couple formula. She is combining people from different time periods, and I find it a bit unbelievable that they could get along so smoothly.

Face Value by Catherine Johnson (2006)

Free advanced copy from ALA. A so-so story meant for young adults about the modeling industry, where people are taken at face value -literally. There are dangers and exploitation, and parties that draw young models into their strange world. Having just seen the Devil Wears Prada, I just realize how much I dislike that whole world. I did like the London setting.

Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country by Louise Erdrich (2003)

Picked up this summer at Wall Drug in South Dakota. I have always like Erdirch's work. This non-fiction piece was something I read slowly over a few months. I enjoyed her story of going to northern Minnesota, into Canada, looking for Ojibwe rock paintings. There was one moment when she would have needed to do some dangerous climbing to see the rock paintings up close. She thought of the baby waiting for her below and decided she could not risk it. I have had those thoughts. Pre-child I was willing to do a lot of crazy and maybe not so safe things, now I think twice. But my favorite part of this story was all the references to books and libraries. It was fun to find out that she runs a bookstore. One story was of a man who returns to the reservation with an education and tells his people that they need a library: "Books. Why? Because they are wealth, sobriety and hope." (p. 99) Another passage: "I had a strange, covetous, Golum-like feeling as I held the book, my precious. I suppose it was the beginning of the sort of emotional response to books that drives those collectors you hear about, occasionally, to fill their apartments with books until there are only book tunnels to walk through..." (p. 120) And she ends the book with: "Books. Why? So I can talk to other humans without having to meet them. Fear of boredom. So that I will never be alone." (p.141)

Kingdom of the Golden Dragon by Isabel Allende (2004)

I needed another book on cassettes instead of CD's, since my player is on the fritz, so I listened to the next adventure of Alex, now 16 years old, his grandmother Kate, and Nadia as they travel to the remote Forbidden Kingdom in the Himalayas. This time we learn of Buddism and mind control and again, protecting a culture from being destroyed by the "developed" world. Again, people who want to steal the treasures of these people and mythical monsters, this time in the form of Yeti or the Abominable Snowman. (I found myself checking the Wikipedia for a take on the Yeti.) Very enjoyable.

How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks (2005)

The title was so silly I just couldn't resist picking up this free book. I don't know much of the Vampire genre, so I can't compare this to anything. I read something by Anne Rice quite a while ago and didn't care for it, so I haven't tried anything recently.
Roman Draganesti has been around for centuries, but is a "good" vampire in today's New York. He has discovered a way to make artifical blood, which satisfies vampire needs without having to use live victims. I liked the concept, that if someone has been around for centuries, awake at nights - they have had plenty of time to study various disciplines - sciences in this case, and plenty of time to work on experiments. Of course, he has become rich with his inventions, like Lazarus Long in Heinlein's books.
Shanna is a dentist, who is almost killed by the mob, but rescued by Roman. They are attracted, but how could she fall in love with a vampire...
I'm not tempted to read more vampire stories any time soon, but I was intrigued by the vampire clans, the interactions between humans and vampires, their virtual sex, but totally unamused by the harems - as if the women vampires couldn't have found ways to become useful and effective in today's world. I'd think they would get bored lounging around and being catty for centuries.

City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende (2002)

Since I love Isabel Allende, I thought I'd listen to some of her young adult books and was not disappointed. In this book, while his mother is being treated for cancer, 15 year old Alex has to go with his grandmother to the Amazon, where she has been sent by the fictional magazine International Geographic. Of course he lands in an adventure involving an egotistical anthropologis, nasty men who are trying to destroy the local Indians so they can exploit the land, Indians who have never had any contact with the outside world, and Nadia, the 12 year old daughter of their guide, who hears with her heart and communicates with animals. Since Alex and Nadia are pure of heart, they are allowed to see more of the Indian life than the adults and they learn to face their fears. Of course the story gets fantastic and they save the day and bring back some treasures that can help the Indians. Great adventure story that also educates.

A Little Fate by Nora Roberts (2004)

This is another one of those three in one Nora Roberts' books, this time with three short fantasy stories.

The Witching Hour (2003) - A pregnant queen escapes her castle during a battle in which her husband dies and evil Lorcan takes over the kingdom. That night she dies in childbirth, giving life to Aurora, who is raised hidden and taught warrior skills to return to revenge her parents and rule fairly again. Her love interest is Thane, who is a lowly stable hand just waiting for the right moment...

Winter Rose (2001) - Deidre rules in a castle under the spell of perpetual winter, like Narnia. Kylar comes riding in through the wintry woods, wounded from battle. She heals him and they fall in love, but must part... The frozen rose in the garden is the indicator for the status of the spell. I liked the details about how she works in a greenhouse to raise food for her household.

A World Apart (2002) - Kadra lives in a primitive world and hunts demons. The demon leader escapes through a portal into present day New York City, where Harper Doyle is a private investigator. Kadra literarily lands on Doyle, who is nursing a hangover. This story was the most fun - I like it when worlds collide like in the Adept series by Piers Anthony. She is wearing Xena leathers and carries a sword. He is good with guns. Again, incredible attraction, when all is done they have to return to their own worlds, but ...

The plots are simple, so they can be told in a 100 pages. I'm sure it was just fun for Roberts to play with a different genre. She has her usual strong women and well developed settings, this time these are alternate worlds with magical power and swordplay.

Gilgamesh (2100 BCE)

A New English Version by Stephen Mitchell
Gilgamesh is an epic poem, considered the oldest story in the world, a thousand years older that the Iliad or the Bible, about the Mesopotamian king Gilgamesh and his friend Endiku, a wild man that grew up in the woods. Endiku is brought into civilization by the erotic arts of a priestess. Then Gilgamesh and Endiku go on to slay monsters and enrage the gods. When Endiku dies, Gilgamesh is grieved, so he goes off on another quest to find immortality.

I was quite amazed, and maybe even bored, to see that hero stories haven't changed that much over the millennium - there is still plenty of ego, violence and sex. What did seem different, that there wasn't a clear sense of good vs. bad. The monster the heroes killed was not necessarily evil, and actually the gods got angry and killed Endiku for his role in it. Sex is also surprisingly explicit and actually a civilizing, healing force, except when Gilgamesh takes his first rights with new brides, but that is an example of his hunger for power. Gilgamesh is an egotistical ruler who really only matures and evolves after his last futile quest for immortality.

I was impressed by the complexity and subtlety of this story from so long ago. The book (and the tape I listened to) consist of both the text of Gilgamesh and an extensive essay by Stephen Mitchell. He explains that the first clay tablets of Gilgamesh were found in 1853 and it took decades before someone could decipher them. Since then numerous fragments and versions have been found throughout the Middle East. Mitchell has not done any translations himself, he has rather adapted numerous versions, using one as the basis, filling in from other versions, and even adding lines of his own to fill gaps or to clarify the story. He has come up with a very readable version.

This book was suggested by one of the audio book store employees, who has been thoroughly fascinated by this epic. I admit my curiosity was piqued and I checked out the library shelves and found many other versions in English including two children's books, plus some versions in German.

Vive la Paris by Esme Raji Codell (2006)

I was amazed by the hard issues discussed in this young adult book (free advance proof from ALA). Paris is the youngest of five, the only girl in a black family, whose father is a musician. She is bright and well liked. Her father sends her to piano lessons with Mrs. Rosen, and old Jewish lady, who teaches her more than music. I'd really like to see what kids get out of this book, but it was written from Paris' viewpoint and it made sense that kids could easily misinterpret things. When Mrs. Rosen shows Paris her the number tatooed on her arm, Paris associates it with what she has just learned about gangs getting tatoos. She hasn't been taught about the Holocaust - probably a hard thing to teach school kids - and she is only in 5th grade. When Paris starts reading about it, she is overwhelmed. Somehow the author manages to weave together Martin Luther King, the Holocaust, bullying, and gay issues - though the latter are not explicitly stated. It reminds me that the blacks and Jews have a lot in common, but as we move further away from WWII, how many people will understand the significance of the Holocaust and how "we need all kinds of people to make a world," as Paris writes in her report. It is scary to read the lists about what our current university students have or have not known in their lives, who have never known the Soviet Union, never mind the horrors of WWII or Viet Nam. They have Iraq, but are we learning tolerance and acceptance of other people's from that?

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (2006)

I really enjoyed listening to this book about Jacob Jankowski, an almost veterinarian, who loses his family and ends up working for a circus in 1931. This rich story gives us a sense of lives during the Depression. This is not a glamorous running away with the circus story, but a nitty-gritty one, mostly about behind the scenes, the caste system, and all the hard work that goes into setting up a circus, taking care of the animals, feeding all the workers, traveling, etc. Apparently Gruen has done quite a bit of research and shares all the terminology, like rubes, roustabouts, redlighting, etc. I always like to see Cornell mentioned - that was the vet school Jacob was attending, before he dropped out right before final exams. Jacob lands in this circus by chance and is kept on because of his vet skills. He falls in love with Marlena, the equestrian performer, who has a paranoid schizophrenic husband. Of course there is an elephant in the story, but my only disappointment was that the reference to watering elephants in the beginning, as if there was a secret to the job, was never explained - or I missed it somewhere.

The other part of the book, which made it so wonderful, was Jacob's story at the end of his life - told by him as a 90 (or is it 93) year old man in a nursing home. It was read in a gravely voice and conveyed all the indignities of the life in a nursing home. Jacob has one nurse who treats him with respect. Having worked with the elderly at one point in my life and having to take care of my dad at 94, I can relate. The narration alternates between the young and elderly Jacob - both of them telling the story very well, and it all comes together in a satisfying ending.

Monticello: A Guidebook (1997)

After touring Thomas Jefferson's house Monticello, I wanted to read more about him and the place, so I bought the requisite guidebook, which told the story of the house, the gardens, the plantation, and the people that lived there, including the slaves. Jefferson has been one of my favorite American historical figures, so it might be time to read up on him a bit more.

Summer Guest by Justin Cronin (2004)

I have to thank the literary criticism class I saw in the library for this one. I really enjoyed it. Tritely I could say it is about love and war and family and relationships and the beauty of nature, but it is very well written. Each chapter is told by one of the main characters, which can get a bit confusing as sometimes they are talking about the present, but much of it is flashbacks to different parts of their lives - and not in a sequential order. Somehow, it all comes together beautifully.

Joe sr. comes home from WW II having lost an eye, purchases a camp on an unspoiled lake in Maine, and moves his family there. Joe jr. comes of age during the Vietnam War and his father strongly encourages him to evade the draft; he returns to marry Lucy and run the camp. Their daughter Kate goes off to med school. Jordan is their employee, who takes people like Harry, the perennial guest, out on the lake to fish. The camp was an ideal place for all of these characters - on soothing water, within the healing beauty of nature, but still in contact with other people - providing the experience of nature for others. I see Joe sr. making the decision to not be in the public eye with his deformed face, I see the love Joe jr. had for the place, and Jordan, my favorite character, who has the deep pain that only a place like this can heal. They all live parts of their lives someplace else, but end up returning here.

Cronin does a wonderful job of getting into the hearts and minds of these people. I can relate to their concerns, hard life choices, disappointments. I relate very deeply to finding peace and comfort by the lake in Maine. I remember a phase in my life, when I felt that was my ideal - living away from it all. Now I wonder what it was that I wanted to get away from - civilization? cement? the rush and stress? people? I don't think that I felt as comfortable with people at that time, or I somehow thought I didn't need many people, but after living in the country for three years in the early 1980's I found myself wanting the city and a wider variety of people. I think I have found my ideal - on the water (OK, it's just a pond, but it has wonderful wildlife), in suburbia, small metropolitan area with plenty of cultural opportunities, enough diversity, and a job about which I am passionate.

House of Scorta by Laurent Gaude (2005)

As with The Last Song of Dusk, this book had its own feel and pace from another part of the world. The small southern Italian village of Montepuccio from 1870's to the recent past is the setting. The story begins with a man coming to this town for revenge after serving a prison sentence. He leaves behind a son, Rocco, who grows up to pillage and terrorize the area and when he dies, leaves Carmela and her brothers to fend for themselves. They open a tobacco shop, work at becoming respectable citizens, and have families of their own. The story is of ongoing generations struggling to survive, to find their place in the world, to find happiness and love. This just gave a glimpse into those struggles in one Italian family.

As a child of immigrants, the moment when Carmela is not let into America for health reasons was poignant. It reminded me that not everyone who tried to immigrate made it, and today the numbers of those wanting to immigrate, but being turned back are much greater.

I don't regret listening to this, it just wasn't my favorites. Something about the raw passions and despair that is also in a lot of Latvian literature just didn't provide the most satisfying read. I don't mind emotion and hard times, and the next book I'll describe - Summer Guest - has plenty of both, but the latter is presented in a way that speaks to me. Maybe it's an American - European thing. I later found out that this is an award winning French book in translation.

Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society by Adeline Yen Mah (2005)

I love coming across good reads randomly. I had to show someone how to use MeLCat, the Michigan wide interlibrary loan system and was looking for these Chinese Cinderella books, so I had to "submit" to see if the system was working properly. I decided to go ahead and read this young adult book and found I learned something new. I know nothing about the situation in China during World War II, actually I've never understood much about the Japanese - Chinese relationship. This is another good example of historical fiction, where children are the heroes during an important historic event. CC (Chinese Cinderella) is a Chinese girl in Shanghai that is thrown out of her house after a fight with her stepmother and finds shelter in a martial arts academy. Along with three boys of mixed races they participate in the rescue of American airmen, whose plane crashed after bombing Japan in 1942. I somehow had missed that the coast of China was invaded by Japan, though they mostly left the European settlements alone. I liked that the author gave a few pages of history after the story, and included a glossary of Chinese words and sayings, and an overview of the Chinese year. I also liked that she had included documents in the story - real letters written home by the soldiers that were executed by the Japanese. One more book for my ethnic - American young adult book list.

Circle of Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini (2006)

I didn't realize this was one of the latest in a series of books about Elm Creek quilters. Elm Creek is an old mansion in the Pennsylvania woods that has been opened up as a camp/workshop place for quilters, and it is a privilege to become one of the resident quilters. The storyline of this book is about five different people applying for the job of being one of the quilters. It is a patchwork quilt of people, giving the story of each of the applicants, how they got into quilting, and the stage they have reached in their lives, where a position at Elm Creek Quilts seems very appealing. Though I have never quilted, the details about quilting were so appealing, that I am actually tempted to try it myself. I have never been able to piece cloth together cleanly, but I see it is a skill that could be acquired. I know how soothing knitting is, maybe it could be a new meditative hobby. I am not sure I will read or listen to any more of these Elm Creek Quilt books, as I was a bit frustrated with the writing. Chiaverini sometimes wrote her characters into such a pathetic state, with only quilting saving them that it was hard to listen to. It was interesting to see a review from Publisher's Weekly on the Quilter's Legacy (2003) that said: "Chiaverini's storytelling skills have noticeably improved. She approaches but never succumbs to sentimentality... She remains a keener observer of subtleties in quilts than in people..." I'm not sure I'd call it sentimentality, but something bothers me there. On the other hand, I really liked the details about quilting history and how it has evolved.

Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut (1952)

An oldie, but goodie saved from the dumpster. I must have read this in high school. I forgot that Vonnegut mixed science fiction with his comments on life. This was a future, where machines have taken over almost everyone's job, only the engineers and managers remain. People are despondent with nothing to do. Paul Proteus is one of the top engineers, but he too is no longer satisfied. There are great characters, like the Shah of Bratpuhr, who is being shown around America by Dr. Ewing Halyard. The Shah sees similarities with his own country and Halyard has the hardest time explaining that the people are not slaves. My favorite detail in the book is when the machines find out that Halyard didn't complete his physical fitness requirement at Cornell, so his degree could be invalidated. I had friends who had to finish up PE requirements to get their degrees from Cornell. Since Vonnegut attended CU, I feel a connection with him and appreciate all the references to local places and things. I enjoyed the book, but not as much as when I was younger. It is still funny, but the machines have taken over our universe in a much different way than Vonnegut imagined.

The Thrall's Tale by Judith Lindbergh (2006)

I almost forgot to list this book, as I never finished it, and I think there is a place for books I have started and not finished. The premise was quite fascinating – the story takes place in the ninth century when people sailed from Iceland to Greenland, both very harsh lands – I even looked them up on Google Maps to see how much was actually livable and how much was snow covered. I usually like these historical fiction books, and there was an interesting thread of Christianity coming into the lives of these people and competing with the Norse gods. I listened to over half of the book, but I found I had no sympathy for any of the three main characters – Thorbjorg the seer, Katla the thrall (slave), and Katla’s daughter, the voiceless Bibrau, who becomes an apprentice to Thorbjorg. I know their lives were harsh, but they were all so negative, I didn’t much care how it would all turn out. I also could not get into the mind-space of either the worship of the Norse gods or the Christian faith as presented here. There was much bloody sacrificing and the gods talked to these women. I believe that people can be guided by some larger force or inner voice, but these made no sense to me.

I later went back to look for reviews. It turns out that Lindbergh researched this for years and it is considered a great book about those times, and about Christian ideas taking root in these cultures. I also read some reviews by regular people on Amazon, and found many who agreed with me that it was a hard read, with unsympathetic characters.

The Divide by Nicholas Evans (2005)

This book is set mostly in Wyoming, and part of it actually happens around Sheridan, where we were on vacation. Inta recommended it and I am assuming my cousin recommended it to her. The book is mostly about relationships - focused on watching one family fall apart, while some relationships blossom. I thought the inner dialogs while Sarah and Ben were drifting apart were very realistic. A large part of the book is about the country. The book starts with an exhilarating climb by a father and son into the Wyoming mountains in early spring, to ski down undisturbed snow. A Wyoming dude ranch is another important place, where the family vacations for a number of years, the kids grow up and find first loves. Abbie, the daughter, decides to go to college in Montana and becomes an environmentalist. We see some of the issues around the environmentalist movement and their protest of the WTO in Seattle. I think this is the first novel where I've seen 9-11 as an event affecting the lives of the characters. Though we are exposed to some very awful human situations, the thing that horrified me the most was the description of the land that was destroyed while drilling for coalbed methane gas. This is happening in the area right now - a new cheap way has been discovered for getting at this gas, and since most landowners don't have the mineral rights to their properties, gas companies can come in and destroy the surface while getting at what is "theirs." The rancher in the book tries to protest, but his horse ranch is overrun with equipment, the fields and streams demolished, and he ends up having a stroke. Because of this new "gold-rush" there is a lot of money in the area for some, and large houses are going up in Big Horn, but my relatives assure me after each boom, there is always a bust in Wyoming. Plus, there is a nasty haze in the valley from all this activity, at times wells will catch fire and spew smoke into the air.

Seduction in Death by J.D. Robb (2001)

I don't know why, but every once in a while I can use a dose of Lt. Eve Dallas of the New York City Police Department of the future. The cast of characters never cease to amuse - Peabody, her assistant, Roarke, her rich husband, etc. As I don't read these books in any particular order, the relationship issues go back and forth, but I don't mind. This was about the dangers of meeting someone on the Internet. The killer makes contact in some poetry discussion group and then asks the woman out on a date, drugs her, seduces her... I'm always fascinated by all the information they can access via computer, often not exactly by the most legal means - but all for a good cause. I'm surprised my privacy rights hackles don't rise higher. A good listen for those late night drives on vacation.

Dangerous by Nora Roberts

A bit of light reading on vacation, this is a compilation of three earlier mystery romances. They are all kind of formulaic, but Roberts still tells a good story, gives the place and characters some depth, the women are always strong independent types, and she just writes decently - like a description of a dog getting tangled around someone's legs made me really visualize it and smile.

Risky Business (1986)
Setting: Cozumel island in the Mexican Caribbean
Female lead: Liz - runs her own business
Profession: boat tours and diving equipment rental
Mystery: Who killed Liz's employee and why
Male lead: Jonas, brother of killed man
Romance: Liz has run away from painful experience so not interested in love. Jonas comes to find answers, but finds not only answers, but love.

Storm Warning (1989)
Setting: Pine View Inn - Blue Ridge Mountains
Female lead: Autumn, the niece of the owner of the inn
Profession: photographer - some info about shoots and darkrooms
Male lead: Lucas, rugged, arrogant writer
Mystery: Very Agatha Christie. Everyone at the Inn is shut off from the world during a storm. One of the guests gets killed and almost everyone has a motive.
Romance: Lucas dumped Autumn a few years ago, she has tried to forget him...

The Welcoming (1989)
Setting: Whale Watch Inn - Puget Sound, WA
Female lead: Charity, owner of inn
Profession: runs business - employee issues, maintenance, kitchen, cleaning, booking, accounting
Male lead: Roman, investigating scam at inn
Mystery: Who are the scammers and is Charity involved?
Romance: Charity hasn't had time for love and hasn't met anyone special, but is almost instantly drawn to Roman. Roman has had so many losses in his life he has always wandered and mistrusted love.

The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (2004)

In contrast to the last book I mentioned, this was a fascinating book given to me by a friend to read. This is the first novel of a professor of Book and Paper Arts in Chicago. Clare, the "wife" in the title, is a paper arts artist, so we get a few glimpses of paper art techniques. The most fascinating thing of the book is the whole premise - Henry has a genetic condition that makes him time travel involuntarily, often to his own past and those of his loved ones. He meets his wife when she is a little girl. Every section starts with the date and the ages of Henry and Clare, so we know if we are in straight time or if Henry is time traveling. I was amazed that the author kept everything straight - what each of them knew when. This is a beautiful love story, as well as an intricate alternative reality. I enjoyed the setting of Chicago and South Haven - places I know quite well. With such a great first book, wonder what Niffenegger will do next.

Coming Out by Danielle Steel

Worst book I've listened to in a long time. I picked it up for the title, thinking it would be interesting to se how a bestselling romance writer would deal with coming out of the closet - well, she didn't. The "coming out" of the title was about two twin girls coming out in their debutante ball - one thrilled, the other a radical who didn't want to go. Of course, in the end someone does come out as being gay and other characters cross barriers in their own lives and "come out." I was surprised how poorly this was written. It was written in a simplistic way that was utterly boring - no interesting descriptions or settings, full of cliches, with one-dimensional characters. The main character was just too much - great lawyer, perfect mother of 4, perfect wife, daughter-in-law, etc. Steel tries to be very politically correct, but gave no depth to the issues she raised. I read something of hers years ago and found her to be very much on the edge. No longer. I double checked with other reader responses on Amazon and found quite a few that felt Steel's writing has slipped.

The Tragedy of Puddinhead Wilson by Mark Twain (1894)

I had never read this book of Twain's nor did I know anything about it. I liked this typical Twainian rendition of life on the Mississipi with his colorful local characters, predictable, but still engaging plot, and wonderful depiction of the town, area and life in those times.

Jovah's Angel by Sharon Shinn

Another wonderful book about the angels in Semorra. Couldn't put it down. This was about the Archangel Alleluia or Alleya, who reluctantly took up the highest role when Delilah was reckless and broke her wing. Alleluia is one of the few angels left whom the gods can hear, indicating something is not right in Semorra. Alleya with the help of her friend Caleb, an engineer, discover what is wrong and right it. This book reveals a lot of the history of this land or planet -how it came to be settled and what structure was set up for its continuing success. This is the first time I noticed how most of the names for places and characters are biblical in nature.
The book addresses themes of our relationship to each other and higher forces. As in the last book, I really liked the Edori, a gypsy-like group of people, who are the outcasts of the society, but bring a lot to the lives of everyone.

Zorro by Isabel Allende (2006)

Another wonderful book from Allende about 19th century California. The main characters go to Spain to be educated and land in New Orleans for a brief stay on their way back, so we see the situation in all three of these places. I've always liked the character of Zorro, and now Allende offered a detailed account of how this fictional character got to be the way he was, set in the a solid background of historical California, Spain, and New Orleans. The story is told by one of the characters in the book, and though I guessed about midway, she reveals herself only at the end. There is plenty of adventure and swash-buckling, but we learn where Zorro learned his fencing skills, his skills with horses, and his ability to climb all over the place (on a ship's rigging). It also explains the history of and Zorro's connection with his silent Indian friend. All in all, a fun read, with lots to learn. Wanting to read more about Spain at that time, and am trying to find more information on the pirate Jean Lefitte. Most of the books in our library are about the Jean Lefitte National Park.

Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln

This is the book upopn which The Da Vinci Code is based. In the beginning I was going to give up because it was so full of names and details that all sounded alike to me - more information than I could ever take in and comprehend, but I'm glad I listened to it to the end. I don't care if they are right or very off base, their process and conclusions were interesting, to say the least. The most fascinating thing for me was the research these guys had done - in archives all over Europe and the Middle East. In an audio book you have no cues like cover blurbs, so I had no idea who the authors were and how authoritative they might be. At the end I came to understand that they are professors of religion, but I have to do a more thorough search of book reviews, as I found some who questioned their research methods and authority. Obviously, they have explored a very controversial topic, which many are unable to look at objectively, no matter how hard they try.

The Last Song of Dusk by Siddharth Dahnvant Shanghvi

I picked up this award winning novel from India at ALA too. It didn't give me the insight into the life of India I had been looking for, but it gave me some insight into its soul. Other than a vague sense of the relationship between the British and well to do Indians, unfamiliar foods woven into the story, and the panthers and monkeys, I didn't get much of a feel for India.

But the language - though it was English (and not translated as far as I could tell) was unlike any I have read before, e.g. "elegant, as though a hymn wrapped in a sari." I hate to cheat, but the Newsweek quote on the cover says it well: "An erotic tale of love and loss, loaded with magical realism... The aching wisdom in this meditation on love truly satisfies."

The book is full of different forms of love - a beautiful, but sad love between wife and husband, parents and children, two men, two older artists and a young girl, women friends, and a strange house that plays a larger than usual role in the lives of its inhabitants. The eroticism is also of a much more varied sort than usual. (finished reading in Northport)

The Friend by Sarah Stewart, Pictures by David Small

From two wonderful local children's book authors, who I hadn't met until ALA. I had a nice chat with Sarah and David, they even joked about how they had courted - I think she was the persistant one. I got a couple more of their books, but this was the latest - about a little rich girl who's parents are too busy, so she spends her days with her friend - a big black woman, who lets her "help" around the house and takes her to the beach every day. Very touching.

John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith

Signed children's book from ALA. The title almost sounds like the Beatles, and the dedication starts out: "I get by with a little help from my friends:..." But it really is a mini history lesson. John was a bold lad, who liked to write his name on the chalkboard in huge letters (Hancock.) Paul was a noisy lad, which came in handy when he had to ride and shout "The redcoats are coming." George was an honest lad... Ben was a clever lad... Tom was an independent lad... You get the picture. (And the illustrations are fun too.)

The Babe Magnet by Robin Wells

OK, don't laugh - I picked this up for free at ALA - even signed by the author, who was sitting at the Romance Writers of America booth. She explained that it was a funny modern romance along the lines of the movie When Harry Met Sally. What I liked about it was that it started right off the bat with the hunky rich guy Holt finding out he has a son, the mother has died in a car accident, and he now has custody of the child. He takes on the responsibility, but the child is inconsolable. I loved seeing a difficult baby as opposed to the cute, smiley, always perfect and calm baby often romanticized in books. He goes through a bunch of nannies until he finds Stevie, who really can calm the child and bonds with both of them. Well, you know the rest.

The other neat plot line was about Stevie's parents. Her father is retired, feeling useless and growing grumpier by the day, while her mom is taking off with her own catering business I thought their talking past each other was very realistic. Anyway, a fun piece of fluff.

Did you know that 55% of all popular paperback fiction, and 39% of all popular fiction books sold are romances? Compare this with 30% for mysteries, 13% general fiction, 6% science fiction, and 12% religious, occult, westerns, male adventure, general history,adult and movie tie-ins. (From the Romance Writers of America site.) Pretty mind blowing.

Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith

Listened to this on the way home from New Orleans June 27, 2006.

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant (2006)

Listened to this on my way to New Orleans June 21, 2006.

Awakening and Other Stories by Kate Chopin

This was an author covered in one of the English lit. classes I tought. Interesting powerful woman writer, who wrote about themes not acceptable in her time - late 19th early 20th century. Awakening was definitely one, where she looked at a woman realizing her own strengths, sexuality, creativity, and the fact that motherhood is not the most important thing to her. Plus, as I was getting ready to go to New Orleans, I enjoyed the fact that this was set in New Orleans.

School Days by Andrew Clement

Another young adult book I bought for the relative in Latvia. This is a wonderful book, simply written, but a bit more complex, and if I took on translating it, it would take a long time.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Wonderful young adult novel in poetry form, where a boy has to write poetry for his English class and feel stupid doing so. Over the year he starts sharing things with his teacher and he learns not only about poetry, but himself. I sent this to a 13 year old relative in Latvia, who is learning English and have been having a good time translating it into Latvian for her. The language is simple, but engaging.

Mama Makes Up Her Mind by Bailey White

Our neighbors sold their house and told us we were free to take any leftover books in their garage for ourselves or the library or wherever. We were busy, and the next day the books were in the dumpster. My son and I went dumpster jumping and grabbed quite a few. I think the history books and bestsellers will do well in a Friends of the Library sale. But I couldn't resist and kept a pile for myself. Some books I've read before and want to pass on to others or reread, some were totally new, so expect an eclectic selection of reading in the next months.

Bailey White is a regular commentator on NPR's All Things Considered, lives down in Georgia with her mother and teaches first grade. These are short, delightful vignettes of the South, her life, her mother, her classroom. A very quick read, I especially liked the story of the wild turkey eggs. Ornithologists were trying to protect pure-bred wild turkeys, but had scared a mother off her eggs right before they hatched. The author was a 6 year old with measles and a high temperature. The ornithologists put the eggs in bed with her and she woke up next to a bunch of baby turkeys, which followed her around for a while.

I liked this woman, who drove her car until it was considered an antique, and while almost intimidated by used car sellers, stood up to them and got a good deal. She is a great combination of old and new, rural and sophisticate, not unaware of the greater world. She takes a three week vacation every year "up north." She uses trains and busses, knows a wide variety of folks, relates to the lush nature around - be it snakes or alligators, worked hard to create a wildflower garden, uses common sense in teaching her kids, and has a sense of humor that appeals to me.

Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory

One more wonderful historical novel from Philippa Gregory, this time about John Tradescant, the true life gardener for Robert Cecil and Lord Buckingham, after Queen Elizabeth I and during the reigns of King Charles I and King James II, covering 1603-1638. Tradescant developed amazing gardens for his masters, collecting unique plants from all over the world. I read someplace that author Gregory got into gardening herself after researching for this book. The details about the process of gardening and the planning of the large formal gardens was fascinating. Tradescant not only brought a lot of unique plants to England, including chestnuts, but he also furthered the art of garden design, modifying the formal patterns of the day. (Here's another book I'd like to look at with some illustrations.)
As usual, I was fascinated with the historical details. Politics hasn't changed much over the centuries. It is amazing how inept some rulers can be, sending their soldiers into unnecessary wars ill prepared (in this case with no food supplies or tents), and how people behind the scenes are the ones with the real power.
The Holland tulip business was described, with rare bulbs being worth their wieght in gold. A whole market economy grew up around them with trades and futures, and when it crashed, it really crashed, but obviously Holland has continued trading in tulip bulbs up to this day.
I continue to enjoy the glimpses into the private lives - the choosing of mates, the courtship (or early betrothal), their lives together. Tradescant's wife would relate to today's wives, whose husbands have a demanding job and have to travel a lot.
I'm glad there is a sequel to this, which I hope to get to soon.

Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

Another wonderful book of historical fiction about Tudor England by Gregory! I regret listening to it instead of reading it, as the audio recordings are abridged, and I miss all the descriptive detail provided by Gregory. This book took a look at the childhood and early years of Katherine of Aragon - daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, married to Arthur, prince of England, who dies within five months of their marriage. She holds out until she can marry prince Henry, and only then it dawned on me that she was the first wife of the many wives of King Henry VIII.

As always, there were so many things that fascinated me about the historical facts and lives of the people of those times, which Gregory brings forth in such rich detail. Among them - Queen Isabella was an amazing woman, warrior and leader in her time. I need to read more on the conflict between the Spanish and the Moors. The Moors had a higher level of knowledge in healing and probably other things, which the Spanish lost when the pushed the Moors out of Spain. (When Katherine is forced to ask a Moor doctor for help to bear a healthy child, she has to fight an inner battle to accept his help.) When descendants of royalty are betrothed in their cradles, it leads to a strange non-courtship and husband - wife relations. The whole process of public bedding on the wedding night seemed strange. This can be a very ackward time for the couple, as Gregory shows in both this book and Earthly Joys. The importance of virginity and consumation of marriage is incredibly important in those days and a key to Katharine's story. The importance of bearing an heir, a male heir, is so great, that it is considered the main, if not only responsibility of the queen of England.

I liked that Katherine had learned the organization of war campaigns from her parents, so when Henry is ready to take off and do battle, she prepares the supplies needed, trains the soldiers, get the ships ready, etc. And while he is in France, she does her own battle with the Scots, defeats them, but doesn't destroy them and creates an alliance instead, insuring peace (at least for a while.) This is in sharp contrast the totally unprepared campaign described in Earthly Joys, where the King and Lord Buckinham set sail totally unprepared, without supplies, with great delays, at the wrong time of year, etc.

The book ends with Katherine walking into the court room proud and tall, though we all know that this is where Henry VIII will get permission to divorce her, and her life will change profoundly, but Gregory leaves her in that state of hope. (Listened May 2006)

De-coding Da Vinci by Amy Welborn

"The facts behind the fiction of The Da Vinci Code." I was looking for a well rounded discussion about what is and what isn't true in Dan Brown's book, and this was the only book still available on the library shelves, but this didn't do it for me. Though the author has a depth of knowledge in this field, she loses her credibility with me through her non-objectivity, like her repetition of the Bible as the most accurate description of Christ's life. I have not researched this field, but I am quite certain some of her facts were not accurate, e.g. there were quite a few cultures around the time of Christ who created similar myths around their spiritual leaders.

The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction - not accurate historical fiction that I often like, but an alternative historical fiction. What if... Jesus was married and had a bloodline preserved to this day? I don't care if it is true, I like the speculation. And to deny that Christianity is patriarchal - mostly from the church leaders throughout the centuries is ludicrous. It is not enough to have the Christ's mother mentioned occasionally. I understood her power while visiting the Cloisters (in NY) while pregnant and looking at all the Madonna paintings and sculptures. I was very drawn to them and understood how important she was to women, as very little else speaks to women directly. I don't remember her emphasized in the Lutheran church in which I was raised. The "sacred feminine" is important and mostly denied by Christianity, even persecuted. Looks like I will have to look further for discussions of The Da Vinci Code. (May 2006)

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

I read (listened to) this book when it first became popular and promised myself I would buy it when it came out in paperback. Well, I ended up spending as much, or even more than I would for the hardback, but I got the illustrated version - and love it. I am always frustrated when books talk of paintings or architecture and I would like a visual to see what the characters are seeing. This was perfect for an illustrated edition, as it mentions so many works of art and architecture. For example, I had seen pictures of the new I.M. Pei pyramid addition to the Louvre, but to see the inverse pyramid in the lower courtyard helped me visualize the after hours activities in the Louvre described in the book. When I first read the book, I went looking for the Leonardo Da Vinci paintings mentioned, especially the Last Supper. I also have a wondrous childhood memory of going to see the Mona Lisa in some museum in New York, waiting in long lines to see this small, but significant painting.

Though I remembered the basic plot, I still enjoyed all the twists and turns in Brown's book. I am also very sympathetic to the basic premise, that the feminine or "sacred feminine" as Brown calls it, was squelched by the male leaders in Christianity. I don't care very much if Jesus was married or if some of his descendents are still alive today, but I am angry at all the women that were persecuted by the church, and how so many natural processes became sinful.

One thought that converged in my mind while simultaneously reading this and the Constant Princess (to be entered into the blog soon), where a Spanish princess is forced to receive treatment from a Moor doctor, who knows so much more than the English or Spanish about herbs and natural healing. When the Spanish forced the Moors out of their land, they also lost that knowledge and many became sick. So too the church fought so hard against the wise women throughout the lands, and later the "medical profession" fought against midwives, thus losing a wealth of knowledge about healing that we are trying to regain today.

I liked the characters of Robert Langdon, that tweedy academic, and Sophie Noveu, the French cryptologist who is the granddaughter of Jacques Sauniere, the curator of the Louvre. Sauniere is killed in the prologue and leaves a series of cryptic messages for his granddaughter to decipher, with the help of Langdon. It is an exciting mystery novel, so that I could even tolerate it when it started getting too preachy.

This book has created lots of controversy. We even had a discussion with one of the critics, a religion professor at our university. I actually read one of the criticisms (see next entry), but found I really didn't care for the arguments. Some are faith based, so if you don't believe in the basic premise, the criticism doesn't make sense. I liked the speculation in the book. This is a work of fiction, so it is not expected to reflect all truth. I think am intrigued enough to do some more reading on this.

(Finished reading 5/1/06)

Howard Carter: Searching for King Tut by Barbara Ford

After reading the Tomb of the Golden Bird, I was interested in learning a bit more about the excavation of King Tut's tomb, and I found this book for young readers (though it was in the main stacks of the university library) about Howard Carter, the man who found the tomb and did the excavating. I just wanted to tease apart fact from fiction presented in the mystery. Interestingly, Carter had no formal education, but was just fascinated with all things Egyptian from a private collection in England that he had seen. He had learned to be an artist from his father, an important role in archeological excavation, as I learned in both books. Though they also seemed to use photographers to document what they found (maybe not in color in those days - the find was in 1922 and took 10 years to excavate), seems that each archeological team also included at least one artist to draw the items found, the placement of them, the paintings on the walls, etc. Carter had the opportunity to get to Egypt as one of these artists and learned about archeology from Flinders Petrie, who developed a scientific approach - noting the location of each item and keeping even the smallest fragments. It turned out that it was a fact that Carter and his benefactor and a few closest colleagues did sneak into the tomb before it was officially opened. I understand curiosity completely. I guess I will have to read more before going to see the exhibit coming to Chicago soon. (Read 5/3/06)

Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters

I've read mysteries by Peters before and haven't been thrilled, but they are OK. This one was no different. They mystery itself was a non-mystery, and I didn't really care for Amanda Peabody, the main character. I guess there are a whole series of her books. But the historical setting was great - Egypt at the time of finding and opening of King Tut's tomb. I liked the archeological details and that there seems to be a whole subculture of Englishmen drawn to Egypt at the time. I wonder if there are still English there now and how active is the archeological community there or have they moved on? I am not sure how accurately Peters portrayed the relationships with the local Egyptians, but they seemed OK. I could definitely get into the excitement of finding the first almost untouched tomb and all its wonderful treasures. I have seen the books, but not the treasures themselves. They are coming to the Chicago Field Museum soon. Amanda's large bustling family and friends was enjoyable, though Amanda herself often grated on my nerves, especially her penchant for matchmaking. But it got me excited about King Tut again and I even read another short book about Howard Carter, the man who found and led the excavation of the tomb. (Listened to in April 2006)

Life Studies by Susan Vreeland

Susan Vreeland writes about artists in beautiful fiction that leaves me fulfilled in some way. My favorite book in this genre is her Passion of Artemesia. I also like the Girl in Hyacinth Blue, both of these read before I started this blog. So I picked up her Life Studies as an audio book, but found myself frustrated, that I couldn't get to an image of the painter's work while I was listening, so I returned the audio book, checked the book from the library, and since it is not one continuous story, but many stories about many artists, I read it over time. I would find the artist's work on the Web or in some art book, so I could visualize the paintings described.
The first half of the book called "Then" consists of eight stories about famous artists from 1876 to 1939: Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet (1879 and 1907 stories), Berthe Morisot, Eduard Manet, Paul Cezanne, van Gogh, Modigliani. As Vreeland writes in her afterward, these are fictional, but based on research about the artists.
The "Interlude" is a delightful story "The Adventures of Bernardo and Salvatore, or, The Cure: A Tale", written in the style of a tale about two Italians, one who is ill and the other his friend, who wants to cure his friend and takes him on a pilgrimage to Rome to see and be inspired by the art. This is set some time ago, when there were no museums, so the men have to go to churches or bribe servants to let them into rich people's homes to see the art. (Part of the tale and magic.)
The last part "Now" is a series of stories about art in people's lives instead of about famous artists. A man who doesn't understand his art loving girlfriend, a woman working in clay, a woman daring to be a nude model for a sculpture class (my favorite of this series), a mother and son participating in a pagent, where famous paintings and sculptures are reproduced life-size with real people posing against painted backdrops.
The stories are not focused on the art, but on the people and their lives. Art is just a major part of those lives. I love it!
(Read 4-25-06)

Erotic Utopia by Olga Matich

This book caught my eye with its intriguing title and subtitle: The decadent imagination in Russia’s fin-de-siècle, while I was ordering Russian literature books. I read most of the introduction and conclusion, but ended just skimming the rest, as it required a much more in depth knowledge of Russian literature and culture than I possess. I especially liked the term "erotic celibacy" that was used throughout. Otherwise it was quite theoretical, looking at the lives Russian authors, their relationships and ideas and how they portrayed them in their works. Modernism and psychopathology were applied.
(Read April, 2006)

Archangel by Sharon Shinn

I love this author! I read a couple of her young adult books, but this was the first adult fantasy book I've read. Shinn has created a totally new world with humans and angels. Angels seem to be human like, but they have huge wings with which they can fly and their blood runs hotter, so they can take the cold in the high reaches of the atmosphere. They are supposed to mate with humans. The angels are responsible for communicating with Jovah on behalf of the people through singing. Every 20 years a new Archangel is appointed, and he (or she) has to have Jovah's chosen partner to sing with him/her once a year at the Gloria or the god will be angered and destroy their world. Gabriel is the up and coming Archangel, who has been reluctant to find his woman, and once he finds out it is Rachel, he can't find her, and once he finds her, they don't get along. There is a corrupt Archangel to be replaced, slavery to be erased, and other inequities to be righted. I can't explain why this book was so intriguing to me, but there are more in this series, which I will just have to buy.
(Read over spring break, finished 4/10/06)

Bee Season by Myla Goldberg

This book was so disconcerting to me, that I had to go to other book reviews to see what other people thought. This is considered a brilliant first book by Goldberg, and I have to admit it was well written and drew me into the lives of these four family members. Eliza the 5th grader is the catalyst for the whole story. Though she is an average student, she surprisingly wins a series of spelling bees. Her father Saul starts working with her on her spelling, neglecting his son Aaron in the process, who looks elsewhere for guidance and happiness. Her mother is a lawyer, who is distant from the family, but gets her kicks from shoplifting. Though I was intrigued, I had a hard time listening to what seemed like the total falling apart of this family and the individuals in it. One of my colleagues had written a book review of this and felt it ended on a hopeful note. I think the note was too quiet to give me any real hope for this family. I also found the discussion of a book club on this book online, and found their thoughts and concerns aligned with mine. For instance, they felt they did not know enough about Jewish mysticism, to be able to evaluate some of the events in the book. This book club was also disconcerted by the ending. I did like the inside view of the spelling bee competitions. The New York Times book review commented, that Goldberg seemed to approach spelling bees like beauty pagents for nerds.
(Finished listening to 4/11/06)

Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner

I don't believe I read another economics book, but with the subheading "a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything ", I was intrigued. Dubner is a journalist, that helps Levitt pull together many of his findings and presents them in a very understandable manner. After a conference this past week, where I was sometimes lost in statistical talk, I found myself amazed at what can be learned from smartly applied statistics. Well this book was all about looking at data and teasing out the real reasons behind certain phenomena. The one that I can't get out of my mind is the fact that since abortion was legalized, and the appropriate time has passed since those unwanted babies would have grown to teenagerhood, the crime rate has dropped drastically, at a rate that cannot be explained by the usual - improved policing methods, economic upswing, etc.
Finished listening to 4/1/06.

The Things They Carried by Tim Obrien

This is the Reading Together selection for our town this year, which even brought the author to town. Great way of getting accross the feel for the VietNam War.

The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman

This book was recommended by the International Education Council at my university and had been read by our president, so I thought it a good idea to read. I ended up both buying the hardback and listening to it on CDs. This book has created a paradigm shift in my thinking. Friedman brought together a lot of details that I sort of knew and painted a coherent picture of where the world is going. For a while I thought him too capitalistic, too business oriented, but he redeemed himself, as when offering thoughts on the future, he did consider the environment and other issues important to me.

Cordinia's Royal Family: Gabriella & Alexander by Nora Robers

Two of Roberts' books from 1980's reprinted. I still like her, but don't enjoy the early books as much. They mystery plots in both are weak, and this whole prince and princess stuff gets old. I did like the setting in the theatre world in the second book, though I think she would research it in more detail next time. The plays she mentioned were too cliche for me. Europe is aware of American playwriters.

Swan by Frances Mayes

Something about this book didn't work for me. Maybe it was the pacing, maybe listening to the story told from different views without visual cues made it more difficult. I did like the uniqueness of the opening event - a woman is found unearthed from her grave, and we never do find out for sure who did it or why, but the situation brings back her two grown children who have not coped well with her suicide. The sister leaves her archeology site in Italy to come back to Georgia, and her brother is pulled out of a life of fishing and turning away from the world. As the life of the dead woman unfolds, the brother and sister start letting go of the past to be able to commit to life and relationships. The main setting is the deep South - Swan, Georgia, the extreme heat and the pace of life. There are glimpses into Italy and the Palo Alto area. I sometimes felt the descriptions were overdone.
(Finished listening in early March.)

Plays by Susan Glaspell

Motivated to read at least one play by Susan Glaspell from doing library instruction for an English class, I found a 1920 book with eight of Glaspell's plays first performed between 1916 and 1918 in Provincetown, MA. One of the fascinating things about this brittle edition was, that it included the original cast for each play, and I found that Glaspell herself had played in almost all of them and her husband George Crook was in a few. One even included Edna St. Vincent Millay.

I understand why Trifles is the play that is reprinted the most, though I enjoyed almost all of the one act plays. The only one I really didn't care for was the three act Bernice. Bernice has just died and her father, husband, sister in law, friend and maid thrash things out, a bit long windedly and mellodramatically. it works better in the short plays.

In Trifles a woman has shot her husband and the sheriff , attorney and a neighbor have come to investigate, The sheriff's wife and neighbor's wife fome to get some things for the woman in jail. The "official" investigators don't uncover anyuthing, while the women discover the evidence and realize the woman had been abused and decide to keep this evidence from the men. Very interesing for a 1916 play.

The People is about a publication "The People" ready fo fold and various types (artist, firebrand, philosopher) offer suggestions for saving it. But only a woman, touched by the editor's words has the power to move it forward.

Close the Book is a comedy about the class system. Jharsi is the rebel in love with Peyton, but his family is stuck-up, but then someone brings out a book of family histories with some interesting facts - which is the book that they want closed at the end of the play.

The Outside was a bit strange. A woman has moved to an abandoned life-saving station to run away from her past and has hired a soman who speaks only when absolutely necessary. An incident makes them reevaluate their choices.

Woman's Honor is a silly comedy where a man arrested for murder refuses to give an alibi, because he is shielding a woman's honor. a whole line of women show up as the one being shielded.

I really enjoyed another silly comedy - Surpressed Desires, which pokes fun at psychoanalysis, which cames close to destroying a marriage.

Tickless Time, another comedy poking fun at intelletualization, didn't come off as well. One couple tries to give up clocks and watches and relies on a sundial.

The Safe-Keeper's Secret by Sharon Shinn

For some reason I didn't like this one quite as much as the Truth Teller's Tale (one of most recent posts), but I still liked the world in which they lived. Damiana is a safe-keeper, who listens to people's secrets and doesn't pass them on. She gives birth to Fiona, but on the same night Reed is brought to her, supposedly a bastard son of the king. Damiana raises them both. Fiona loves herbs, but expects to be a safe-keeper like her mother. Reed tries out numerous professions, but none seem to fit him. One of my favorite parts of this book is the sense of family that gathers at the main holidays - Wintermoon and Summermoon. This family doesn't consist of many blood relaties, but of friends that support each other. This is the way my holidays have been happening recently. The ending is again too pat, with a happily ever after feeling for all.
(finished reading 2/16/05)

The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer

Read by Scarlett Johansson. It was actually Scarlett's name that caught my attention, and with an abridged version, what did I have to lose. Carrie and her fiance Mike and friends live in Madison Wisconsin, have know each other for years, have done things together for years, but there is some miscontent in her life. She wants something different, but doesn't quite know what that is. When Mike has an accident and becomes paralyzed, she withdraws and has an even harder time figuring out what she wants to be doing. She runs away to New York and meets Kilroy. (I never knew "Kilroy was here" was from WWII.) I remember that feeling of not knowing what I want to do with my life. it was nice to see things starting to clear up for Carrie.
(finished listening 11/15/05)

The Truth-Teller's Tale by Sharon Shinn

A new author to explore! This young adult book was again suggested by Maria, and she says that Shinn has a whole series of great adult books.

I was fascinated by this new mildly magical world created by Shinn. It could be a pre-industrial England with a strong connection to nature and a celebration of winter and summer solstices. Wintermoon is a time for reflection with a large bonfire in which an elaborate wreath is tossed. All present have the chance to tie on something that represents a wish for the future.

In this world we have twin sisters Adele, the safe-keeper and Eleda the truth teller. Opposites, but very close. We see them growing up in this magical world from about 12 to 17, through cycles of celebration, affecting people's lives through their talents, dreaming their dreams. I just ended up feeling wonderful at the end - even if everything did come together too patly.
(Finished reading 2/11/06)

Taliban by Ahmed Rashid

Not the best book to listen to, because it is so full of names, dates and other specific facts, that I think I would absorb better visually, but I just let it flow over me and didn't try to keep track of the details. This was written by a Pakistani journalist pre 9-11, so it is interesting how he speculates about the future. Rashid looks at Afghanistan - historically, economically, and politically. It is a difficult task, as their history has been very convoluted, with many powers fighting for this crossroads. I think Afghanistan might have been left alone, except it was important to many countries for oil pipelines (which, if I understood properly, have never been built) and as a crossroads for transportation of goods in the region. Rashid had chapters on the drug trade, the oil economy, and the countries surrounding Afghanistan and their relations.
It was hard reading about their treatment of women, though the explanation that the Taliban evolved from a war culture, made sense. In war culture there were very few women, so men didn't know how to relate to them. And now they have destroyed the rich social culture of families and communities that women weave together. I ended up being very angry towards the stupidity of the males in the Taliban. Maybe it was best that Rashid didn't get into more detail about the suffering of women, it already upset me. I had fantasies that the rest of the world could bring all the women out of there and let the men just kill each other off, instead of having a constant supply of new boys to use as cannon fodder. I also found myself getting hard-hearted about the humanitarian aid offered. By feeding the people, taking care of their injuries and needs, they took away that responsibility from the Taliban leaders. For them to say "Allah will provide" was just ludicrous. I did learn that the women in the U.S. protesting the treatment in Afghanistan did make a difference.
Another case if no one had given anyone any modern weapons, they might be in a better palce right now, but I don't know how they will ever build a functioning country at this point. I will have to read up how the US is rebuilding Afghanistan, we hear mostly about Iraq these days.
I also want to reread Kite Runner, as I will now understand the setting better.
(Finished listening to 2/7/06)

Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb

My favorite series of books to keep me awake on late night drives, this time to DC and back. As I heard in a radio ad, J.D. Robb is Nora Roberts' dark side and she looks at the dark side of humanity. Lt. Eve Dallas is a homicide cop in the mid 21st century, married to Roarke, one of the richest and most powerful guys on the planet. As he is running his empire, I keep wondering where he finds time to help Eve on all her cases, but whatever... This time it is four seemingly unrelated suicides that die with big smiles on their lips. Eve feels they were nudged. Exciting and psychological, as always.
I can never keep this series of books straight. I have listened to quite a few of them, but I can't differentiate them by title. I think it will help me just to keep track of what is going on with the individuals. This starts off with Eve and Roarke's honeymoon (c. 1996), so it's pretty old. Eve's friend Mavis is with Leonardo and her singing career, AKA screaming with little clothes on, is starting to take off. Peabody is the dutiful sidekick. If I ever do a retro of books I've read, a list of JD Robb's death books would be useful to me. (Finished listening to it 2/5/06)

Water Mirror by Kai Meyer

Noooo, it can't be just the first book in a trilogy. I hope others are out there for me to read. Another wonderfully imaginative fantasy for young adults, this one given to me by my Children's lit specialist colleague, Maria. The setting - Venice, an integral part of the story with it's canals, bridges, and buildings along the waters. (Maria showed me a tour book of Venice and I had to read up on the basic history of Venice - why would anyone build a whole city on a series of islands. But trade was a biggie in earlier centuries. This is a nice tie-in to the Olympics in Torino.) Though set in the late 1800's, the global situation is such that the Egyptians rule a good part of the world, but can't get at Venice, because the Flowing Queen protects it. (Makes me think about the ebb and flow of powers throughout history - the big powers always get cocky and fall, and I've had the feeling that the U.S. will soon get its wings clipped.) The main characters are two orphan girls: Junipa is blind, Merle has connections to the Flowing Queen, a spirit in the waters of Venice, and Serafin, a homeless boy turned thief, turned apprentice. They live in the Canal of the Expelled with two rival craftsmen - a weaver and a mirror-maker. And then there is the magic - mermaids, stone lions that are used as horses, magic mirrors, magic cloth, etc. All rolled up in a wonderful adventure. This is the second book in a couple of weeks with "mirror" in the title and an important part of the story.
(Finished reading 2/1/06.)

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Wonderful, incrdible book I want to reread right away, but I have others waiting. It was suggested by my friends Liene and Inta. This book is about so much, that this short description can't do it justice. The narrator is a hermaphrodite, but we only learn the details about that in the last section of the book. He traces his history back to his Greek grandparents escaping from a Greek settlement in Turkey in 1922. Then there is a facinating story about the Greeks settling in the Detroit area, the 1967 riots (I remember the ones in Newark), the birth of Calliope, the narrator, who discovers is raised as a girl, but at 14 finds out she is really Cal, a male, mostly. S/he grows up in my times, so many of the details I remember myself. There was even something I was quite sure had not yet happened at the date mentioned, but the story swept me along and I forgot about it. There was also a great analysis of the 70's where men and women became very similar - an age and sentiment I relate to. The author explains that really didn't go anywhere, and the differences are back again. Yup, having a male child has changed my mind on these things too.
(Finished reading 1/29/06)

Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire

I really enjoyed reading Wicked some time ago, so I figured this would be fun too. Obviously, this is a book long version of the Snow White story.
(Completed listening to 1/26/06)

Never Stuff Your Dog and Other Things I've Learned by Alan Alda

I have always loved Alan Alda as an actor and still watch Mash reruns, so I thought it would be entertaining to listen to his book, not realizing it was his autobiography and as a bonus - it was read by him, just making it that much funnier. He grew up in a family of actors - a childhood spent in vaudeville would explain a lot of things. There were a lot of great stories from his life, and another reminder that an acting career is not easy - a constant looking for parts, and when one is good enough - of parts that satisfy. I think I first realized this in a biography of Katherine Hepburn. The title refers to a dog he missed and his father had it stuffed, but it was never the same. You can't "stuff" your past experiences, you just have to move on.
(Finished listening to mid January)

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

I listened to an abridged version of this Oprah Book Club book. This was the strange tale of a girl who landed in a series of foster homes when her mom was jailed for murder. Though outwardly very beautiful Scandinavian, a non-conformist poet, this mother was one of the creapiest characters I've read about in a long time. I felt for the daughter, trying to learn to love and trust, trying to work on her art. For a moment two of my books converged. On the same day I listened about the main character of this book, Astrid, ending up in Berlin, and read that the narrator of Middlesex lives in Berlin for a while, both running away from their families, their pasts. I want to see the movie now, and I did look up the poisonous flower white oleander to see if I had ever seen it out in California - maybe.
(Completed early January)

The Mermaid's Tale by Sue Monk Kidd

I don't believe I forgot to put this in the list. Since I loved The Secret Life of Bees, I wanted to read this one too. I don't think this was as powerful as the previous book, but it was still great. A woman goes to take care of her mother, who has just cut off her finger, on the island where she grew up in coastal South Carolina. It is so much more than her meeting a monk, with whom she has an affair - she tells you this on the first page of the book, so I'm not giving anything away. Another beautifully drawn book, leaving me thinking about many things. This one was the best one to give to Inta for Chirstmas. (finished reading in November)

Bartimaeus Trilogy - The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud

I couldn't stop with just the Amulet of Samarkand, so I have continued to listen with pleasure to the story of Bartimaeus, the djinni with an attitude and his now 14 year old master Nathaniel. We now get the full story of Kitty, a spunky commoner who has joined the resistance to fight the powerful magicians. Another lively demon in this story has taken over the bones of the famous magician leader Gladstone. Some of the action leaves London and takes place in Prague. Nathaniel started grating on my nerves, but Bartimaeus continued to delight. Can't wait for the third book - turns out that is has only just come out, so I had to order it at the Talking Book World.
(finished listening 1/4/06)