Red Lily by Nora Roberts

Red Lily, the last in her Garden trilogy (Blue Dahlia & Black Rose), looks at three women in different phases of their lives who find love and solve an old family mystery - finally putting to rest a ghost that has been haunting Harper House for generations. This time it is Haley, the distant relative who arrives in Harper House pregnant and is taken in and given a job in the garden center. In the earlier books we saw her give birth to Lily with Roz's oldest son Harper being present. So, there is no surprise in who is going to hook up in this last book. They both feel the other is off limits and feel weird developing this relationship under the eyes and roof of Roz, but they find it is OK to love each other and as they deal with the nasty ghost, their relationshipp solidifies.

One of these times I will stop apologizing for reading this fluff, but I still think Roberts does a better job at fluff than most. Again, I learned something more about the gardening business, an important piece of this trilogy. This time it was about Harper's job propogating plants and developing hybrids. What a painstaking process! I continued to like the geneological research done on the ghost, though I thought - wouldn't it be nice to always have a ghost around to tell you what really happened. The part that really drew me to this particular book was Haley's story of how she got pregnant - in grief over the loss of her father she turned to a friend. When he went off to college she realized she was pregnant and for various reasons chose not to tell him about the pregnancy. I am glad Roberts describes this variation of single motherhood. Of course the patness of it all sometimes drives me nuts, the perfectness of the relationships - how all three couples and their kids get along so smoothly, and they all get married within a year's time. But the rest keeps me reading Roberts.

Pompeii by Robert Harris

I had listened to this last year, but this was to be the book for our library discussion, so I thought I should reread it. A wonderful historical novel about the last few days of Pompeii. The main character is an aqueduct engineer. The whole Roman aqueduct system is fascinating - such precise engineering, and what seems to me advanced materials used - a cement that sets while under water, etc. Much of the social system was also shown - as the love interest of the engineer is a rich man's daughter. Pliny, an actual historical character is in the novel and it appears that much of his writings survived over the centuries. A possible avenue for future exploration.

Holly by Jude Deveraux

I thought this was one of the tolerable romance writers, but this wasn't much. Holly is an architect into restoring old homes. She gets her parents to purchase one in North Carolina and has fantasies from childhood about a historic estate and its owner, but Nick gets in the way, etc. Some interesting facts about old houses and their restoration, but the plot left much to be desired.

The March by E.L. Doctrow

This is one I picked up because of reviews. I have not read anything by Doctrow, but am interested in novels about the Civil War that could help me understand it better. This novel followed Sherman's path through Georgia and the Carolinas in the last few months of the war. It told stories of slaves (I didn't know they followed the northern army), a Southern white woman, various soldiers from both sides, a doctor, and gave a good descriptions of the land and cities on the way. I was fascinated by the medical aspect of the war and wondered what innovations were really created during that war. It reminded me of the TV show Mash and the medical innovations made by those doctors in Korea. My favorite character was a slave girl that looked white (her father was a white), who falls in love with a white northern soldier.
(listened to in November, 2005)

Dazzle by Judith Krantz

Another rummage sale special. Never having read anything by Krantz, this was OK for a fluff romance. I did like the descriptions of the field of photography and the theme of saving land along the California coast from overdevelopment. I was in California acouple of years ago and learned that one family owned more or less all of what is now Malibu at one time and resisted creating a road along the coast. Though the ranch life was depicted as being hard work and simple lifestyle, there was a bit too much money and glamour in this book for my tastes.
(read in October, 2005)

First Wives Club by Olivia Goldsmith

Since I liked the movie years ago, I thought I'd enjoy the book, purchased cheaply at a rummage sale, and I did. Since infidelity seems to be a theme coursing through the lives around me this year, this book seemed appropriate. It is about the revenge three women take on their husbands and the husband of their deceased friend, after the husbands have taken up with younger women. I watched the movie again after reading the book, and though it is funny, the actresses wonderful, the book has a lot more to say about what is going on in everyone's minds. In the movie the women make the husbands support a crisis center, but in the book they really ruin all the men. I'm not thrilled that they were so upper class, but there was realistic angst in the men about overspending to live up to expectations, creating problems.
(finished reading in October, 2005)

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn

I picked up this young adult book at the ALA conference and had it signed. I guess I picked it up because it talks about dealing with anger, and I thought it might be useful for me to understand teen anger. It was a very powerful book about a boy who hits his girlfriend, because his dad beat him up. Slowly through group therapy sessions he heals. Though this gave great insights into the mind of a teen, I liked Touching Spirit Bear more. Somehow it dealt with the same issues, but in a better tale.
(read sometime fall 2005)

Bagombo Snuff Box by Kurt Vonnegut

I hadn't read anything by Vonnegut in a long time, so this collection of short stories never published in a book seemed like a good thing to try out. I really liked Vonnegut in high school, early college, and I like him still, for his different take on the world. What I really enjoyed in this book was his introduction - read by him, about the demise of the short story, especially the short story magazines.
(finished listening to 9/20/05)

Giver by Lois Lowry

I had read this book in my children's literature class. We listened to it on our trip out West and my son like it. A strange, very prescribed world, and the boy just has to learn the truth about it and escape. I thought it was interesting how families told about their day and shared their dreams around the table. There was also a very strict asking for forgiveness and giving forgiveness ritual.
(finished listening to 8/24)

Divided in Death by J.D. Robb

Another Lt. Eve Dallas mystery. Great for keeping me awake on long trips.
(Listened to August 25, 2005)