1900 House * ABC for Book Collectors * Affinity * Affluenza * Aikido in Everyday Life * All New People * The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton * An American Princess * Anatomy of the Spirit * And the Dead Shall Rise * Anne Frank and Me * "Are You There Alone?" The unspeakable crime of Andrea Yates * Art and Affection: a life of Virginia Woolf * Armageddon * The Artist's Way * Atonement * Avatars of the Word * Baggage * Basic Research Methods for Librarians * The Beauty Bible * Before the Change * Beneath the Surface * Best American Crime Writing 2003 * The Best of Martha Stewart Weddings * Bias * The Biograph Girl * The Biographer's Tale * Bird by Bird * Blue Shoe * The Book of Fours * Book of Shadows * The Boy Who Followed Ripley * The Breaker * The Brontes * The Brontes * Burning Times * Bushwhacked! * The Bust Guide to the New Girl Order * Castaway * The Champion * Cheap Talk with the Frugal Friends * A Child's Book of True Crime * The Circle * City Chic * City of Glass * Cold Mountain * Confessions of a Pagan Nun * The Conquest * The Cook and the Gardener * The Cook's Tales * Could it be Perimenopause? * The Count of Monte Cristo * The Crimson Petal and the White * The Da Vinci Code * Daily Life in Elizabethan England * Dark Moon * Dark Obsession * Dark Paradise * Dark secrets * Darwin, his Daughter, and Human Evolution * Dating without Novocaine * Daughter of God * The Deed: A Novel * Demon in my View * The Demon-Haunted World * Desecration * Devil in the White City: Murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America * Diabetes for Dummies * Diana: Her Life in Fashion * Diary of a Mad Bride * The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer * Doomsday Book * Double Image * The Dragon Queen * The Dress Lodger * The Echo * Eight Weeks to Optimum Health * The Emperor of Ocean Park * The Endurance * Enduring Grace * Elegance * Ever After: Diana and the Life She Led * Ex Libris * Ex Libris * Face Down on an Herbal * Falling Angels * Faraway * Fast Food Nation * Feng Shui and Health * The Fiery Cross * Fingersmith * First Truth * The Flanders Panel * Florence Lawrence, the Biograph Girl * Forest of the Night * Gallows Wedding * A Gentle Madness * The Gifts of the Jews * The Girl in a Pearl Earring * The Girl in Hyacinth Blue * God Save the Sweet Potato Queens! * The Good Children * Good Harbor * Good Things for Organizing * The Grand Complication * Grits (Girls Raised in the South) Guide to Life * Hangar 13 * Harrod's Knightsbridge Wedding Book * Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix * Haunted Ground * Heart Full of Lies * The Heart of Fire * The Heart of the Beast * Hidden Truth * The Hiding Place * The Highly Sensitive Person in Love * His Chosen Bride * A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters * Home Comforts * The Hours * House of Leaves * House of Sand and Fog * How I Gave Up My Low-Fat Diet and Lost 40 Pounds * How the Irish Saved Civilization * How to Have a Big Wedding on a Small Budget * I Capture the Castle * I do (but I don't) * I Don't Know How She Does It * Ice Bound * The Ice-House * The Iceweaver * If on a winter's night a traveler * Imminent Thunder * In the Dark * In the Forest of the Night * Information Ages * Into the Wild * Invisible Eden * Is Our Children Learning? * Isabel's Daughter * Justice * Kate Remembered * Killing Time * Killing Time * Lady of Hay * The Lake of Dead Languages * The Last Ride * Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them * Lies My Teacher Told Me * The Life of Elizabeth I * Life Without Bread * The Lightkeeper * The Linz Testament * Lord John and the Private Matter * The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring * The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King * The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers * Losing It * Losing Julia * The Lost * The Love Knot * Lucia, Lucia * Management Basics for Information Professionals * Marie Antoinette * Midnight Predator * Midwives * Milkrun * The Moon Under Her Feet * The Mothman Prophecies * Mrs. Kimble * Murder in Brentwood * Murder in Greenwich * My Dream Of You * Nectar: A Novel of Temptation * Neverwhere * The New Homeowner's Handbook * Night Mist * Nine Parts of Desire * Now and Forever * One Last Dance * One Thousand White Women * Operating Instructions * Oryx and Crake * Oscar Wilde * Once Upon a Time * The Outlandish Companion * Passalong Plants * Patience and Fortitude * The Pillars of the Earth * The Pirate and his Lady * The Plague Tales * The Poisonwood Bible * Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper: Case Closed * Possession * The Power and the Dignity: Librarianship and Katharine Sharp * Presumed Innocent * The Program * The Purification Ceremony * The Queen and Di * The Queen's Bastard * Rabbi Jesus * The Raging Quiet * The Raven Master * The Red Tent * The Remnant * Ripley Under Ground * Ripley Under Water * Ripley's Game * Roanoke: The Lost Colony * Roanoke: Solving the mystery of the lost colony * A Royal Duty * The Rule of Four * Runaway * The Schwarzbein Principle * The Scold's Bridle * The Sculptress * The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn * The Secret History * Secrets Never Lie * Seneca Falls Inheritance * The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work * The Seventh Night * Shadow Baby * Shadows of a Princess * Shakedown * The Shape of Snakes * The Shape-Changer's Wife * Shattered Mirror * She's Come Undone * The Sidetracked Home Executives * Silent Screams * Six Wives * Sixpence House * So Many Books, So Little Time * Somewhere Out There * Speak Daggers to Her * Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids all in a Row * Spin Sisters * The Strange Death of Mistress Coffin * Stitch 'N Bitch * Studying the Historical Jesus * Stupid White Men * Sugar Busters! * Summers at Castle Auburn * Survivor * The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Assed Cookbook and Financial Planner * The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love * The Talented Mr. Ripley * The Talisman * Testimony of an Irish Slave Girl * The Thin Pink Line * This Time Forever * Thunder Mountain * Timeline * Tipping the Velvet * To Say Nothing of the Dog * Traveling Mercies * Tulip Fever * Twist of Fate * The Two Faces of Islam * The Ultimate Weight Solution * Under the Banner of Heaven * Under the Tuscan Sun * Until the Spring * Vermeer: The Complete Works * Vermeer's Camera * Vincent and Theo Van Gogh * The Virgin Blue * The Virgin in the Garden * The Virgin Homeowner * Visits from the Afterlife * Waiting for the Wolf Moon * Wasted * Watching for Willa * The Well-Read Mind * Whisper of Evil * Whispers * Whispers in the Woods * Who is Deborah? * The Wild Mother * Wild West Brides * The Winter Queen * Winter's Tale * Wintering * Wit'ch Fire * The Witch's Grave * A Woman of Passion * Women of Destiny Bible * The Wreck of the Medusa * A Wrinkle in Time * A Year in Provence * Year of Wonders
Note: I usually have several books going at one time, so this isn't in strict order. But when it looks like I've finished two books in one day, I have -- I just didn't read all of the second in that one day! :)
Chadwick, Elizabeth. The Running Vixen. February 2006.
Wolfe, Donald H. The Black Dahlia Case Files. January/February 2006.
Kinsella, Sophie. Shopaholic and Sister. January 2006.
King, Laurie R. To Play the Fool. December 2006.
King, Laurie R. Night Work. December 2006.
King, Laurie R. Grave Talent. December 2006.
King, Laurie R. With Child. December 2006.
Farley, Terri. Seven Tears into the Sea. Summer, 2005
Seton, Anya. Green Darkness. Summer, 2005.
Leach, Susan Maria. Before & After: Living & eating well after weight loss surgery. Summer, 2005.
Chadwick, Elizabeth. The Love Knot. Summer, 2005
Kamen, Paula. All in My Head. Summer, 2005.
McClure, Wendy. I'm Not the New Me. Summer, 2005.
Ribon, Pamela. Why Girls are Weird. Summer, 2005.
Notaro, Laurie. We Thought you'd be Prettier. Summer, 2005.
Palahniuk, Chuck. Haunted. Summer, 2005.
Yolen, Jane. Wizard's Hall. Summer, 2005.
Gladwell, Malcolm. Blink. Summer, 2005.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Summer, 2005.
Kuffel, Frances. Passing for Thin. Summer, 2005.
Moore, Judity. Fat Girl: A True Story. Summer, 2005.<
Higgs, Liz Curtis. Whence Came a Prince. Spring, 2005.
Hand, Elizabeth. Mortal Love.
King, Ross. Ex Libris. Penguin Press, 2002.
Moggach, Deborah. Tulip Fever. Delta, 2001.
Caldwell, Ian and Dustin Thomason. The Rule of Four. Dial Books, 2004.
Depoy, Phillip. The Witch's Grave. St. Martin's Minotaur, 2004.
The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club.
The Web Warrior Guide to Web Programming.
Hall, Karen. Dark Debts.
Hall, Barbara. Summons to New Orleans.
Stop Walking on Eggshells.
Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from America's Unfinished Civil War.
A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue.
Learn JavaScript in a Weekend.
Killing Me Softly.
The Silver in the Tree.
Holy Blood, Holy Grail.
Curves.
The Gray King.
Greenwitch.
The Dark is Rising.
The Committment Chronicles.
Morvern Callar.
Over Sea, Under Stone.
The Harlot by the Side of the Road.
Carrie Philby.
Bitter with Baggage Seeks Same.
The Glorious Appearing.
The Lady and the Unicorn.
The Weight of It.
The Winter Mantle.
Sweet Caroline: Last Child of Camelot.
The Birth of Venus.
The Twilight Before Christmas.
Wedding Season.
Two From Galilee.
Fair is the Rose.
Thorn in my Heart.
Constantine's Sword.
Passing for Thin.
Karp, Marcelle and Debbie Stoller. The Bust Guide to the New Girl Order. Penguin, 1999.
Ford, Deborah and Edie Hand. Grits (Girls Raised in the South) Guide to Life. E.P. Dutton, 2003.
Blyth, Myrna. Spin Sisters: How the women of the media sell unhappiness --- and liberalism --- to the women of America. St. Martin's Press, 2004.
Bock, Darrell L. Studying the historical Jesus : a guide to sources and methods. Baker Academic, 2002.
Hulsker, Jan. Vincent and Theo Van Gogh: A dual biography. Fuller Technical Publications, 1990.
Browne, Sylvia. Visits from the Afterlife: The Truth About Hauntings, Spirits, and Reunions With Lost Loved Ones
Ivins, Molly and Lou Dubose. Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush's America
Nelson, Sara. So Many Books, So Little Time: A year of passionate reading
Rule, Ann. Heart Full of Lies: A true story of desire and death
Lamott, Anne. Operating Instructions: A journal of my son's first year
O'Malley, Suzanne. "Are You There Alone?" The unspeakable crime of Andrea Yates
Franken, Al. Lies (and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them): A fair and balanced look at the right
Begoun, Paula. The Beauty Bible: The ultimate guide to smart beauty
Bauer, Susan Wise. The Well-Educated Mind: A guide to the classical education you never had
Schwartz, Stephen. The Two Faces of Islam: the house of Saud from tradition to terror
Stoller, Debbie. Stitch 'N Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook. Workman Publishing Company, 2003.
Oney, Steve. And the Dead Shall Rise: The Murder of Mary Phagan and the lynching of Leo Frank
Penzler, Otto. Best American Crime Writing 2003: The Year's Best True Crime Reporting
Day, Laura. The Circle: How the power of a single wish can change your life
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some instructions on writing and life
Flook, Maria. Invisible Eden: A story of love and murder on Cape Cod
The story of a seventeenth-century bookseller on the search for a mysterious book, while all sorts of intrigue swirls around him. ? first time; 15 September 2004
A young Dutch woman married to an older merchant widower who falls in love the the man her husband hires to paint their portrait.... 30 June- , 2004.
I had to read this because of the hype. :) It's pretty good, the story of a hidden code in an extremely old book (the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, which at this point I have no plans to read!) and intrigue all around. Enjoyed it a great deal! 26-27 June 2004.
A lovely book! A mystery taking place in the Georgia mountains, second in a series written by a professor. I've put the first in the series, The Devil's Hearth, on hold. Highly recommended! 25-26 June 2004.
24-25 June 2004.
Well, I AM in library school. Still. 9-28 June 2004.
15-17 June 2004.
18-20 June 2004.
20-25 June 2004.
12-17 June 2004.
16-28 June 2004.
Yup, library school. 11-14 June 2004.
2-4 June 2004.
27-28 May 2004.
28 May 2004.
23-28 May 2004.
21-23 May 2004.
18-19 May 2004
15-16 May 2004.
13-15 May 2004.
10-13 May 2004.
8-9 May 2004.
3-7 May 2004.
27-30 April 2004.
23-27 April 2004.
21-23 April 2004.
22-25 April 2004.
19-21 April 2004.
18 April 2004.
15-18 April 2004.
3-9 April 2004.
2-5 April 2004.
30 March - 2 April 2004.
27-29 March 2004.
23-25 March 2004.
19-21 March 2004.
13-18 March 2004
11-17 March 2004.
A collection of articles from Bust magazine. Fun and funny, a lot of them, irreverent views of the world. :) 5-7 March 2004.
Funny and fast to read, this shows why I'm not the typical Southern woman -- or this books view of the typical Southern women. 3-6 March 2004.
Oh, wow. This book is so funny! Too bad that's not what the author (the ONLY Republican, Christian woman of the media) intended. Blyth is here to save us from the evil Godless liberals. She's not as rich and famous as the other "women of the media" so this is her revenge. Bitter much. 4-5 March 2004.
A study of the sources for information on the life of Jesus. 1-4 March 2004.
After reading about a possible photograph of Van Gogh discovered I decided to read more about him. 1-3 March 2004.
I picked this up at the bookstore after our Stitch-n-Bitch on Wednesday, and now I'm going to read the Bible through, which I've never done before. 25 Feburary 2004.
Sarah asked me to read this; she'd checked it out because of all the talk about it, and was having trouble finishing it. It IS a long book. It is also obsessed with race (we are CONSTANTLY reminded of who is of "the darker nation" and "the paler nation." All European Americans are smug and evil (except for one lesbian). However, it's an excellent mystery, full of red herrings, and quite enjoyable. A great quote from the book, about lawyers who sacrifice "all on the altar of career... at last arriving... at their cherished career goals, partnerships, professorships, judgeships, whatever kind of ships they dream of sailing, and then looking around at the angry, empty waters and realizing that they have arrived with nothing, absolutely nothing, and wondering what to do with the rest of their wretched lives." 20-23 February 2004.
Note to self: Do NOT read this at night, when you get freaked out in the dark. I love Sylvia Browne on Montel; I want SO much to be able to ask her stuff.... Oh well. This book is about spirits, ghosts (they aren't the same as spirits!), and other stuff. Cool. And excellent. 18-20 February 2004.
Settling into another Lamott. This novel opens with the protagonist, Nanny, an adult, undergoing hypnosis to regress to her most embarassing, uncomfortable moments in life, then starts the first chapter with her childhood. Awesome, as usual. A lovely coming-of-age story. Very highly recommended! 18-25 February 2004.
I'd started reading this before but stopped for some reason. A fantasy about a bastard daughter of a nobleman. 15 February 2004.
I started to read this and got so angry I had to stop because I was afraid my head would explode. 14 February 2004.
The title sounds sort of like my life. ;) I read reviews of this book in which the reviewers stated, awestruck, "She read 52 novels in one year! That's one a week!" Well, one a week is for wimps. ;) This is a book I SHOULD have written. Nelson read a book the first part of the week, then wrote a short, often autobiographical essay about that book. I did enjoy it, but there's a problem: now I want to read each of the books she discusses! My "To Read" list grows and grows.... 13-14 February 2004.
Fantasy; a novice wizard goes to the strange home of a shape-changer to learn that art. All sorts of folks have been changed in shape (I'd figured out everyone early on) and it's a good read (obviously, since I read it in two days -- and weekdays at that! 12-13 February 2004.
A delightful book about an author and his move to a small town in Wales (Hay) with his wife and son. Hay is town of books, with 40 bookstores going strong (boy, I HAVE to get there!). Really enjoyable, and highly recoomended. 10-12 February 2004.
The story of the exiled Queen of Bohemia and her love, an exiled African prince who was once a slave. A lovely view of life in Holland in the 17th century, and very enjoyable. I've got to read the sequel now. :) 8-11 February 2004.
True crime, the story of a murderous wife. Just getting started. 11 February 2004.
A rather weird book. The "protagonist" is a woman pretending to be pregnant; it rather rubbed me the wrong way, as I'm a woman who'd like to become pregnant. Still, the book is really funny, and I couldn't put it down. It screams for a sequel, and I understand there will be one this summer. 4-7 February 2004.
I've just gotten started with this, and got distracted. So I need to get back to it. And I did get back, then didn't want it to end.... The story of Mattie, trying to rebuild her life after divorcing her husband (who immediately had a younger woman living with him) while trying to learn about her father (who died long ago) and taking care of her children and trying to find love and decide what to do with her life. Fabulous. Very Highly Recommended 9-17 Feburary 2004.
Another of Anne's autobiographical books, this one about the birth and first year of her son, Sam. A total delight; Anne is honest about her feelings, whether things are going fine or whether she's gone without sleep and Sam won't stop crying and they're both miserable. Very highly recommended. 6-8 February 2004.
I loved Lamott's Bird by Bird; it's surprising it's taken me this long to read more of her work. This is a collection of essays about her faith, her church, her body, her hair, her life -- absolutely wonderful. Very highly recommended. 3-6 February 2994.
I started reading this book in 2001 when I was working at Books-A-Million; it was part of a display of the summer reading books for kids, but when I went back to buy it the display was gone and I had no idea what the title was or who the author was. I found it at the library. :) The story of a girl forced into marriage to save her family in (probably) medieval time. Her husband falls to his death, and she befriends the village "madman", a young deaf boy. Nicely written. 26 January 2004.
The story of Yates, who drowned her five children, and the trial afterwards. The poor woman, misdiagnosed over and over, CLEARLY insane but now jailed forever. I got so angry reading about her! Injustice in Texas. What a surprise, huh? 25 January 2004.
I got SO angry reading this book! Not surprisingly, I love Franken, think Clinton is possibly the best president of the 20th century, and hate W and his supporters more than ever. Highly recommended. 23-24 January 2004.
I've been a fan of Begoun since I got her Blue Eyeshadow Should Be Illegal book for my sister years ago; she's the woman I trust when it comes to makeup and skin care. So I'm reading about how to take care of my skin and how to do it affordably. :) 13 January 2004.
I found the introductory chapter of this book really condescending (if you're interested, I apparently DO read on the level necessary to begin her list of great books -- yup, I can read at a 10th grade level. Amazing, huh?) but I find myself wanting to actually do the reading.... We'll see. 13 January 2004.
A delightful little book, discussing Fadiman's love of reading and her life as a reader. Quite fun! 12 January 2004.
A haunting novel to match its name -- men cutting peat in Ireland find the head of a woman murdered long ago, another man seeks his wife and son, who disappeared a year before, an archaeologist seeks the truth.... Addictive to read, and quite wonderful. Highly recommended. January 2004.
Having read about her father, it's time to read about Elizabeth herself. Fascinating woman. 12 January 2004.
I've tried reading this, but I'm thinking it won't happen. I guess the style gets on my nerves or something. 10 January 2004.
The book on which the film The Missing was based. The film is fascinating, but I think I like the book better; the younger daughter isn't such a plot device (in fact, the mom is!) and all of the characters and their motivations are explained much better. First Western I've read in a long time. If ever. And it's good. 8-12 January 2004.
A sort of married Bridget Jones's Diary, this book is WONDERFUL! Touching and funny, it's the story of a career woman, married with two children, and her struggles at home and at work. Priceless. December 2003.
Wonderful! A guide to knitting, with cool patterns, and lots of information about "stitch'n bitches," the modern-girl version of the knitting circle. Highly Recommended! December 2004.
After I saw the television movie The Murder of Mary Phagan I got interested in this case, but as that was in 1987 or 1988, I'd forgotten about it. This book is fascinating, discussing the murder, the trial, and the lynching in extreme detail. I kept getting so angry as I read that I'd have to stop -- the prosecution so clearly set up Frank for the murder, the people were so racist, so anti-Semitic, so absolutely INSANE. Sort of surprising that anti-Semitism was stronger than racism in Atlanta at this time! I was frustrated that Oney refused to name the killer, in spite of overwhelming evidence against Conley, but he pointed out that most of the evidence has vanished or has been destroyed over time, so there's really no way to know who the killer was beyond the shadow of a doubt. Did I mention this book goes into extreme detail? It's 742 pages long. It took much time to get through. I also hated that it had an image of the lynching on the front. But it contains a picture of Mary Phagan, as well as Leo and his wife, both of which were nice to see. December 2003.
Pretty good! Woman discovers her boyfriend, on an extended trip, is seeing other people, so she does the same. Happy ending, of course. :)25 November 2003.
I can't believe I'm reading this, yet another book about Diana, Princess of Wales. *sigh* I finally finished this book, and to my amazement I find myself having more respect for Mr. Burrell. I don't like him and his smugness, but I do respect him more. 16 - 25 November 2003.
Wow. Just wow. I couldn't put this down. Chick Lit that's more than just Chick Lit -- funny, sad, real. Highly recommended! :) 15 - 16 November 2003.
A delightful, funny bit of Chick Lit. Let's see her NOT become Bridezilla.... 11 - 13 November 2003.
An Irish woman, on retiring (or almost retiring) from her job as a travel writer in London, goes to Ireland to research a story that has fascinated her for years -- an upper-class English woman who, during the Famine, had an affair with an Irish servant and is divorced by her husband.... Just a lovely, lovely book -- highly recommended! 27 October - 10 November 2003.
Fascinating. A collection of true crime stories from magazines of various sorts. Articles on Daniel Pearl, the Enron collapse, an online porn king, the ex-FBI terrorism expert (who died September 11, as his job was security at the World Trade Center), and so on. Fascinating. :) 20 - 25 October 2003.
Ah, another Gabaldon novel! I WISH she'd hurry with another of the Claire and Jaime saga, but this will do -- I do love Lord John. 20 - 21 October 2003.
Highly recommended by Susan Miller, of Astrology Zone, so I put it on hold and we'll see what it's like. :) 14 October 2003.
The book about writing recommended by NaNoWriMo. And a delightful book it is, too! Reading the Amazon.com reviews of the book, it looks like people either love the book and Lamott, or hate it and her. I'm definitely in the former category. Very highly recommended! 14 October - 7 November 2003.
The story of the murder of Christa Worthington, an ex-fashion writer and single mother of a 2 year old girl. This is the first true-crime book I've read in which the author didn't know what a grand jury is or does. I'm surprised that there's an intelligent person around today who doesn't know what a grand jury is, but to plan on writing a true-crime book without such a basic bit of knowledge.... Hm. I thought I would NEVER finish this book; it was interesting, but of course I really want an answer -- who killed the poor woman and left her little girl with the body? It really is horrific. 12-19 October 2003.
Zalewski, Angie and Deana Ricks. Cheap Talk with the Frugal Friends. Starburst Publishers (Lancaster, PA): 2001.
A book of tips for saving money, from which I've taken much, I think. Quite good. :) 10-13 October 2003.
Alexander, Caroline. The Endurance: Shackleton's legendary Antarctic expedition. Knopf, 1998.
A wonderful book, an incredible story. The fact that Shackleton was able to bring all of the men home is a miracle. The photographs in the book are amazing ones taken by a member of the crew. Excellent. 1-3 October 2003.
Starkey, David. Six Wives: The queens of Henry VIII. HarperCollins Publishers, 2003.
Quite a book! I didn't know much about the wives, and I've learned a lot, though I do skip quite a bit. I guess, in a typically female way, I'm more interested in the lives of the women than the machinations of government. After you get past Catherine of Aragon, things improve a great deal. Recommended for history buffs. :) 3-10 October 2003.
Barr, Emily. Baggage. Plume Books, 2003.
Fascinating so far! The story is about a British woman, Lina, who left England to live in Australia, pregnant and living in the middle of the desert with her husband (an opal miner) and their adopted son. She meets a woman at a party who insists Lina's her best friend who died, 10 years ago. It's good -- it didn't end the way I wanted it to (they usually don't) but a good mystery and good psychological portraits of people. 23-29 September 2003.
Benning, Lee Edwards. The Cook's Tales: Origins of famous foods and recipes. Globe Pequot Press, 1992.
A fun little book of various fun facts about cooking and recipes.... Each of the 26 chapters is about something that begins with that letter (e.g., B is for Burnt) and focuses on that topic (Burnt is for blackened foods). A fun read! I've got the original Toll House Cookie recipe now. :) Enjoyed this. 23 September - 13 October 2003.
Berg, A. Scott. Kate Remembered. Putnam, 2003.
Apparently Miss Hepburn was quite a character! 22 September 2003.
McGraw, Phil. The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 keys to weight loss freedom. Free Press, 2003.
OK, folks, this is it! 21 September 2003.
Hesser, Amanda. The Cook and the Gardener: A year of recipes and writings from the French countryside. W.W. Norton, c1999.
A different kind of cookbook, based on what's ripe when. Enjoyable little narrative, too. 19 September 2003.
Willis, Connie. To Say Nothing of the Dog, or How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump At Last. Bantam Books, 1998.
What a delight! The opposite of The Doomsday Book in that it's so funny -- I'd just crack up laughing out loud as I read. Our protagonists travel back to the Victorian Era to find the Bishop's bird stump, and have an incredible set of misadventures while there. Very highly recommended! 18-20 September 2003.
Gittleman, Ann Louise. Before the Change: Taking charge of your perimenopause. HarperCollins, 1998.
Well, as some of my various symptoms (headaches, insomnia, etc) seem to fit here, I'm trying to see what I can do about perimenopause. *sigh* 15 September 2003.
Warner, Diane. How to Have a Big Wedding on a Small Budget: Cut your wedding costs in half!. Betterway Books, 2003.
An earlier edition of this book was my bible for our wedding in 1995; I wanted to see what the update is like. Still excellent. :) Highly recommended for the frugal bride-to-be. September 2003.
Smith, Dodie. I Capture the Castle. Little, Brown, 1948.
Oh, what a delight! The story of a 17 year old girl who lives with her sister, brother, father, and stepmother in a ruined castle in England. Older sister is out to marry for money, father is a horribly-blocked writer who wrote one great book before, stepmother is a nude model who falls for father, brother is in school, and nothing ever happens (except they get poorer and poorer) until the owner of their castle dies and his grandsons come to take control of their property -- and two young handsome American men enter the picture. This story is so well done, so wonderful.... Very Highly Recommended! 10-13 September 2003.
Lockwood, Cara. I do (but I don't). Downtown Press, 2003.
Chicklit, but fun. :) And a delightful book. Our heroine, Lauren, is a somewhat-anal wedding consultant who falls for a fabulous firefighter named Nick -- who unfortunately is engaged to one of Lauren's clients, and who also thinks Lauren is still involved with her evil ex-husband.... A delight! 4-21 September 2003.
Willdorf, Nina. City Chic: an urban girl's guide to livin' large on less. Sourcebooks, 2003.
A breezy little book about frugal living, definitely fun to read -- but I got concerned when a recipe for almond-cream salmon didn't include almonds or creame in the ingredients list (but they were in the recipe itself....). Still a fun and useful read. 1-5 September 2003.
Chevalier, Tracey. Falling Angels. Dutton, 2001.
The third of Chevalier's books, this one beginning the day after Queen Victoria's death. Two families with side-by-side graves meet and a friendship between the two girls commences, but their families change in very different ways. Really good (but I liked The Virgin Blue better!). 28-30 August 2003.
Chandler, Elizabeth. Dark secrets: Legacy of lies. Pocket Books, 2000.
A mystery about a teen visiting a grandmother she's never met in a haunted house.... Just picked it up at the library. Pretty good, but definitely a teen gothic. :) 28 August - 2 September 2003.
Stewart, Martha. The Best of Martha Stewart Living: Weddings. Clarkson Potter, 1999.
Working on getting ready for the vow renewal -- and I just love the Goddess Martha and her wonderful wedding magazine! It first came out in 1995 while we were getting ready for our wedding, a little gift from Martha to us. Just a lovely book, highly recommended. 28 August 2003.
Carpenter, Sue. Harrods Knightsbridge wedding book. Ebury, 1991.
I missed this book when we got married. Really beautiful. 27 August 2003.
Mayes, Frances. Under the Tuscan sun: At home in Italy. Chronicle Books, 1996.
So far, sort of a One Year in Provence type of a book, only this time it's an American couple with a summer house in Spain. I decided to read this after hearing about the Diane Lane movie coming out this year. I am enjoying it -- the thought of owning a home with such a history as that one has is mindboggling, though it's tempered by my fear of the spiders and scorpions they chase from the house.... 27 August 2003.
McGhee, Alison. Shadow Baby. Harmony Books, 2000.
The story of a young girl named Clara and the old man she befriends. Clara is precocious and strange, strapping herself into the car with bungee cords when she feels in danger, and is obsessed with her family because her mother will tell her nothing about it. Fascinating read. 22 August 2003.
Trigiana, Adriana. Lucia, Lucia. Random House, 2003.
Read about this on MSNBC, and so far it's a delight. The story takes place in the '50s, about an Italian family in New York. Really cool book! Just be careful not to read the section after Lucia's wedding while you're on break at work or something. Highly recommended! 18-21 August 2003.
Moses, Kate. Wintering: a novel of Sylvia Plath. St. Martin's Press, 2003.
Just started this. Almost put it down, because the prose is dense and I was tired, but decided to give it a try. Well, I'm not sure there really needs to be a novel of Sylvia Plath, but since there is, I guess this does fine. Poor woman. I need to read a bio of her, but I was SO depressed after reading The Bell Jar that I'm not sure I can take it. 17-8 August 2003.
Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. Doubleday, 2003.
Finally, my name came up at the library for this book. And it's great. It's a very different book from Daughter of God and The Linz Testament in plot and characterization, but there are elements that are strikingly similar. But this book is a delightful discussion of goddess worship, and equality of women in Christianity, and the possibility of a child born of Jesus and Mary Magdaline. Highly recommended. 15-17 August 2003.
Dobson, Terry and Victor Miller. Aikido in Everyday Life: Giving in to get what you want. North Atlantic Books, 1993.
Reading this not because I'm learing Aikido (though if I were to learn a martial art, I would choose Aikido) but because of the information it gives in dealing with conflict in life -- verbal, no physical. A pretty amazing book, highly recommended. 15-20 August 2003.
Hendricks, Judith Ryan. Isabel's Daughter. William Morrow, 2003.
A young woman who had been abandoned as an infant in Colorado is working for a caterer in Santa Fe and comes across a painting of a woman who looks just like her -- and she's found her mother. I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed this -- it just took me a while to get into it. Highly recommended. 13-15 August 2003.
Perdue, Lewis. The Linz Testament. Donald I Fine, 1985.
Working on this now, but I have to admit this is the most bizarre situation I've ever come across. This is almost the same story as Daughter of God, only the telling of the events has switched around, and the characters have different names. I do recommend this book. There are some fairly major differences between it and Daughter, and it's an enjoyable read. I think that Perdue should focus on this book in his plagiarism suit against the author of Da Vinci Code, as it's more likely, I think, that Brown read this years ago and forgot it, rather than reading Daughter in 2000 and deciding to use its plot. 10 - 12 August 2003.
Steadman, Philip. Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the truth behind the masterpieces. Oxford University Press, 2002.
After reading The Virgin Blue, I decided to do some research into Vermeer (Blue isn't about Vermeer or a painting of his, but it got me thinking about The Girl in Hyacinth Blue, and I had decided to read Chevalier's Girl With a Pearl Earring, so I checked out this book and one on Vermeer's works). This book posits that Vermeer used an early camera to set up his pictures (which is why the perspective in his pictures is better than in some of the others during his time), and re-creates some of the paintings in miniature to prove the theory. Fascinating. 5 - 10 August 2003.
Wheelock, Arthur K. Vermeer: The complete works. H.N. Abrams, 1997.
Not a book to read, of course, but has large, full-color images of Vermeer's complete (known) works. Beautiful. Wonderful to have on hand when reading any of the Vermeer-oriented books (Girl With a Pearl Earring, Vermeer's Camera), and fascinating to look at on its own. How often do the same pictures appear in the background of his works? The same chairs? The same yellow coat with ermine trim? Delightful. I really want to see some Vermeers up close now! :) 6 - 11 August 2003.
Krakaur, Jon. Under the Banner of Heaven: A story of violent faith. Doubleday, 2003.
Pretty amazing. I've read Krakaur's other books (Into Thin Air and Into the Wilde) and enjoyed them a great deal (I did much reading of his Outside entries of the Everest trip he discusses in Into Thin Air at the time of the climb). This is different -- sort of a true-crime novel with a really good look into the history of a religion -- Mormonism. Fascinating stuff, this is. Highly recommended. 7-10 August 2003.
LaHaye, Tim and Jerry B. Jenkins. Armageddon: The cosmic battle of the ages. Tyndale House, 2003.
Continuing the Left Behind series. Major character killed off right and left here! Summer 2003.
Chevalier, Tracy. The Girl in a Pearl Earring. Plume, 2001.
An excellent book. The story of a young girl who becomes a maid in the home of Vermeer, and then the model for the "Girl with a Pearl Earring" painting. I enjoyed Girl a great deal, but I was not too happy with Chevalier's portrayal of Vermeer's wife. I guess that comes with being a wife. :) 7-8 August 2003.
Perdue, Lewis. Daughter of God. Tom Doherty Associates, 2000.
I was led to this book by articles about possibilites of plagiarism in the book The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, a current bestseller which I haven't read yet (as of last night I was number 121 in the hold queue at the public library). This book is really good -- I recommend it. I'm still waiting to read The Da Vinci Code, but I'll start on The Linz Testament, the book of which Daughter of God is a "re-edit." 4-5 August 2003.
Chevalier, Tracy. The Virgin Blue. Plume: 2003.
Wow! This book is wonderful! I haven't read The Girl in a Pearl Earring, the first of Chevalier's books to hit the US, but I have to now. The Virgin Blue is two stories in one, alternating between a 17th century woman and her modern descendant. Reminds me a bit of The Green Darkness, by Anya Seton, another book I read over and over. Highly recommended! 2-3 August 2003.
Taraborrelli, J. Randy. Once Upon a Time: Behind the fairy tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier. Warner Books, 2003.
A biography of the Grimaldi marriage, focusing more on Grace and her history than that of Ranier. Fascinating reading -- I need to read more about Princess Grace. And I need to see some of her movies! She got to keep her wardrome from High Society when she moved to Monaco -- ah, how the rich get richer.... I mean, the woman was a millionaire, and was given free clothes.... such is life! July 2003.
Edwards, Anne. Ever After: Diana and the Life She Led.
Another in my sometimes-obsessive reading of Diana books. From the introduction: She squandered much and turned manipulation into an art form. That sums up Diana in a nutshell to me. She was a lovely woman, and obviously loved her sons, but used them as pawns and to elevate herself over Prince Charles. And she thought she could heal people! Delusional. And to fall for a useless git like Dodi? Yuck. She was quite a woman. 22-24 July 2003.
Powell, Ronald R. Basic Research Methods for Librarians. 3rd ed. Ablex Publishing Corporation, 2002.
Well, I am in library school. 8 July - 5 August 2003.
Tessaro, Kathleen. Elegance: A novel. William Morrow, 2003.
A delight! This book is SO wonderful! It's another Bridget Jones (to which it has been and will be compared to over and over and over, I know -- sorry Ms. Tessaro!) but the heroine is American (you'd never know it from the book, though; the English is much more British than American!). OK, here goes. Our heroine is an American married to a Brit who is trying to hide from his sexual orientation. She's feeling rejected and frumpy, but finds a small book called Elegance at the used bookstore and adopts it as her bible (something I should probably do, also). Anyway, it's a delightful book, and I think I may just have to buy a copy. Highly recommended! 17-18 July 2003.
Cook, Dawn. Hidden Truth. New York: Ace Books, 2002.
The second in the series, and it moves in a very surprising way. :) 4-22 July (lost it in the middle) 2003.
Waters, Sarah. Fingersmith. Riverhead Books, 2003.
Wow! A delight. Along the lines of Affinity, Fingersmith is a convoluted delight of a story of two Victorian women -- one a thief raised in the worst part of London, the other an heiress raised by her uncle. Couldn't put it down! July 2003.
Cook, Dawn. First Truth. New York: Ace Books, 2001.
First of a series (how many? Trilogy probably, as this is fantasy). Good story about a female mage-in-training and her love, a piper. June 2003.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Scholastic, 2003.
These books just get better and better. Harry Potter rocks! 21-25 June 2003.
Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake. Doubleday, 2003.
Amazing. Simply amazing. Another novel of the future, a la The Handmaid's Tail, this one even more frightening. Genetic manipulation, biomedical weapons, etc. Atwood is a genius. Very highly recommended. June 2003.
Brooks, Geraldine. Nine Parts of Desire: The hidden world of Islamic women. Anchor Books, 1996.
Read in an attempt to understand how and why Islamic women think and act the way they do. And I still don't get it. Great book, though. June 2003.
Browne, Jill Connor. The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Assed Cookbook (and Financial Planner). Three Rivers Press, 2003.
And even more.... June 2003.
Browne, Jill Connor. God Save the Sweet Potato Queens. Three Rivers Press, 2001.
More goodness from the Queens! June 2003.
Browne, Jill Connor. The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love. Three Rivers Press, 1999.
An absolute hoot. I've got to start my own Sweet Potato Queens group. Remember, if your boobs are big enough, all white men will love you; if your butt is big enough, all black men will love you.... ;) May 2003.
Irvine, Lucy. Castaway. Dell, 1985.
A young woman answers an ad to join an older man as a castaway on a desert island for a year, just to see what it would be like. Delightful. May 2003.
Irvine, Lucy. Runaway. Random House, 1987.
A young girl runs away from home and lives on the run. My friend Darcy's favorite book. May 2003.
Irvine, Lucy. Faraway. Transworld Publishers Limited, 2001.
The third of Irvine's books. She takes her three sons with her to live on an island on the other side of the world, to write the story of the woman who lives on the island, Diana Hepworth, as well as the story of her and her sons' adventures there, and the story of the native inhabitants of the island. Fascinating. I love Irvine's books! May 2003.
Larson, Erik. Devil in the White City: Murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America. Crown Publishers, 2003.
Two stories: The work towards the Chicago World's Fair of 1902 -- and the story of a bigamist serial killer living and working in Chicago at that time. For me and my true crime sometimes-obsession, the serial killer story is the fascinating one; the World's Fair one is somewhat boring. 23 April 2003.
Schwarzbein, Diana. The Schwarzbein Principle: the truth about losing weight, being healthy, and feeling younger. Health Communications, 1999.
Another book in my quest for the low-carb lifestyle. This talks a lot about medical reasons for many conditions, including diabetes, obesity, acne, migraines.... Guess what? The problem is sugar. *sigh* 21-22 April 2003.
Blanchard, Ken. The Deed: A Novel. Simon & Schuster, 2003.
Let's say that the Dutch deeded Manhatten to the Indians, through a man who's ancestor is thus the owner of Manhattan and the deed still exists, somewhere..... A charming book. :) 20-22 April 2003.
Oates, Joyce Carol. We Were the Mulvaneys. Plume, 1996.
An incredibly self-absorbed family falls apart after the daughter is raped. Good thing that doesn't happen to every family, huh? These people desperately need to get a life. And the story needs to move along faster. 19 April 2003.
Goodman, Carol. The Lake of Dead Languages. Ballantine Books, 2003 (pb).
Wow. A wonderful book, along the line of The Secret History, but this time with a female protagonist. I'm actually tempted to start learning Latin after reading it! I did figure out the murderer before the end, but that didn't detract at all from the novel. The language of the novel is lyrical, lovely. Highly recommended! April 2003.
Allan, Christian. Life Without Bread: How a low-carbohydrate diet can save your life. Keats Publishing, 2000.
Some of my research into the low-carb lifestyle.April 2003.
Cunningham, Elizabeth. The Wild Mother. Station Hill Press, 1993.
Another Hm. Still working on this one. And it doesn't end as Hm. Awesome, in fact. :) April 2003.
Cunningham, Michael. The Hours. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1998.
I had to read this after hearing all the hype over the movie (and after Nicole won Best Actress). I don't think the book lived up to the hype. I may be the only one in the universe, but I wasn't impressed. There just wasn't that much there. April 2003.
Prior, Lily. Nectar: A Novel of Temptation. Ecco, 2002.
Hm. Still working on this one. April 2003.
Dubus, Andre. House of Sand and Fog. Vintage Books, 2000.
An Oprah Book. A good book, lots of protagonists you root for -- unfortunately, that means rooting AGAINST the same people you root for.... I hated the ending! April 2003.
Haigh, Jennifer. Mrs. Kimble. William Morrow, 2003.
A novel about Mr. Kimble and the three Mrs. Kimbles. He's a horrible person, they're all victims -- and there's justice at the end. Very nice. 31 March - 4 April 2003.
Reid, Panthea. Art and Affection: a life of Virginia Woolf. Oxford University Press, 1996.
Excellent biography of Woolf. April 2003
Moore, Michael. Stupid White Men -- and other excuses for the sorry state of the nation! Thorndike Press, 2002.
I love Michael Moore! His speech at the Academy Awards was priceless! This book is wonderful. I nearly cried reading the opening chapters about how Shrub stole the election from our true president, and it doesn't get any better. But Moore has a sense of humor, thank God, and the book rocks! Very Highly Recommended! I do think he'd have a different view of race relations if he lived in the South; after all, I certainly don't go for days without seeing an African American in other than a service role here! April 2003.
Wilks, Brian. The Brontes. Viking Press, 1975.
An older book on the Brontes; its strength lies in its excellent photographs. March 2003.
Highsmith, Patricia. Ripley Under Water. Haynes Publications, 1994.
The final of the Ripley series, unfortunately. This time Ripley's getting stalked by someone who knows MUCH too much about him and his past. Really good, like all the Ripley books, and kept me up far too late last night. 23-25 March 2003.
Highsmith, Patricia. The Boy Who Followed Ripley. Lippincott & Crowell, 1980.
Another Tom Ripley book, this one really sad, about a boy who seeks out Ripley in France and the experiences of the two. Ripley is more caring than usual, the homosexual undertones come out (so to speak) more (there are scenes in gay bars, and Ripley goes out in drag), and Heloise proves to be a delight. :) 21-24 March 2003.
Chadwick, Elizabeth. The Champion. St. Martin's Press, 1997.
Another of Chadwick's wonderful historical romances. 18-20 March 2003.
Weil, Andrew. Eight Weeks to Optimum Health. Knopf, 1997.
Tim's doctor recommended this, so I checked it out and tore through it. I think it's a good plan -- baby steps for living more healthfully -- and we're doing it. My minor gripe: there are SO many stories that I skipped them. 18 March 2003.
Gaiman, Neil. Neverwhere. Avon Books, 1997.
Wow! Totally strange and absolutely wonderful! A book about those Under -- folks who live under London.... I didn't want to put it down, and I love it! I highly recommend this book. I'm going to have to read more of Gaiman's work! A weird echo here -- I was finishing this up as it was announced that Elizabeth Smart was found. She was in plain sight most of the time she was held hostage, but as a homeless person, most folks simply didn't see her -- or if they did, it was because of the veil and white robes, and they never saw her as the person she is, so she wasn't recognized. In Neverwhere, the homeless people aren't visible to others -- if they are, others forget them quickly. Amazing how on-target a novel is! 11-13 March 2003.
Hightower, Patricia. The Talented Mr. Ripley; Ripley Under Ground; Ripley's Game. Knopf, 1999.
Three of the Ripley series in one! Looks like I'll be buying this one; Christabel's chewed up the cover. Fortunately, they're great books. :) 7-11 March 2003.
Holder, Nancy. The Book of Fours: a historie of the four slayers, this being their first adventure. Pocket Books, 2001.
Another Buffy the Vampire Slayer book. Also good. :) February-March 2003.
Barker, Juliet. The Brontes. St. Martin's Press, 1994.
HUGE. A biography of all the Brontes, focusing, of course, on Charlotte. It gives a different perspective on Patrick Bronte and Arthur Bell Nichols, and an ugly perspective of Ellen Nussey. Though I, like Nussey, would have been upset if the new husband of an old friend had threatened to censor said friend's letters, and had ordered me to burn them! Nope, not acceptable. February-March 2003.
Golden, Christopher. Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids all in a Row. Pocket Books, 2000.
A Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel, about my favorite character (Spike) and oh yeah, Dru too. Fun. February 2003.
Ellman, Richard. Oscar Wilde. Alfred A. Knopf, 1988.
Having watched Wilde, decided to read the book it's based upon. I studied Oscar Wilde in school, but knew little about the man. He was an incredible genius, born too soon. This book is delightfully readable. :) 4 February 2003.
Cameron, Julia. The Artist's Way. J.P. Tarcher, 2002.
Starting this; I'll go through the whole thing (would have already started but got sick). 30 January 2003.
Dumas, Alexander. The Count of Monte Cristo. Penguin USA (reprint): 1997.
Read it in high school, but forgot what a kick-ass story it is until I rented the 2002 DVD. Awesome! So I'm reading it again. January 2003.
Loewen, James W. Lies my Teacher Told Me: Everything your American history textbook got wrong. Touchstone Books, 1996.
Recommended on the website of Viggo Mortensen. Tells the truth about American history, with nice, pithy comments: "Bush [Sr.] was born with a silver senate seat in his mouth." HAH! The truth isn't pretty. January 2003.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Ballantine Books, 2001 (movie version).
Wow, an heroic female character! FINALLY! Awesome trilogy. Should have read them soon. Highly recommended. December 2002.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Ballantine Books, 2001 (movie version).
Awesome, of course. My only complaint: the lack of decent female characters. December 2002.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Ballantine Books, 2001 (movie version).
Finally getting around to reading the greatest fantasy ever written, inspired by seeing the movie. Awesome, of course. But I can't help imagining female members of the fellowship. December 2002.
Richards, Emilie. Somewhere Out There. Silhouette, 2002.
Dreamscapes. A mysterious man appears in the Outback.... 1 December 2002
Faber, Michel. The Crimson Petal and the White. Harcourt, 2002.
A wonderful novel, long and complicated -- but I want a better ending! Actually, I want an ending. To get everyone to a crisis stage and then just drop it all.... *sigh* Still, highly recommended. 21 November - 1 December, 2002.
Horsley, Kate. Confessions of a Pagan Nun. Shambhala, 2001.
An early Irish nun writes about her pagan past.... Really good, but a heartwrenching ending. Highly recommended. 18-20 November 2002.
Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia. Midnight Predator. Delacorte, 2002.
Fourth of Miss Rhodes' books, in which the main character is NOT turned into a vampire, though in this case I wish she were.... 15 November 2002.
Cornwell, Patricia. Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper: Case Closed. Putnam, 2002.
Ooh, a new book on Jack the Ripper, with a new suspect! Cool! :) The book is good, and long, but I wanted more. MORE MORE MORE! ;) I have a feeling Ms. Cornwell is right on target about Sickert, and I think Ripperologists will NEVER take her seriously, even if she were to find a knife labeled "Walter Sickert's knive" and it had blood on it and the remains of all the victims were dug up and the DNA matched perfectly.... 14-19 November 2002.
Nielsen, Jerri. Ice Bound: A doctor's incredible battle for survival at the south pole. Miramax, 2001.
Wow. I was completely caught up with this when it happened, and the book lives up to all expectations. An unbelievable story! sometime in 2002.
Evanick, Marcia. His Chose Bride. Silhouette, 2002.
Dreamscapes. A story of a witch in an arranged marriage with a warlock.... Really good. Recommended. :) These Dreamscapes novels are MUCH more good than not.... 13-17 November 2002.
Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia. Shattered Mirror. Delacorte Press, 2001.
This time the main focus of the story is a witch -- a vampire hunter. 11-12 November 2002.
Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia. Demon in my View. Delacorte Press, 2000.
Second novel by young Amelia, about a young writer of vampire novels who's apparently quite a dish. I wonder how autobiographical Amelia thinks she's being? The picture on the back is of a little girl trying too hard to look dark and mysterious. 10 November 2002.
Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia. In the Forest of the Night. Delacorte Press, 1999.
Re-reading this first novel by the young author; a short but good vampire novel. 10 November 2002.
Cassidy, Carla. Silent Screams. Silhouette, 2002.
Dreamscapes. Similar to Dead Again, with a silent movie star instead of a conductor, and really good. 13 November 2002.
Myers, Helen. Whispers in the Woods. Silhouette, 2002.
Dreamscapes. A Beauty and the Beast story, nicely told. November 2002.
Keel, John. The Mothman Prophecies. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1975.
Gotta stop reading this at night. 6 November 2002.
Hoag, Tami. Dark Paradise. Bantam Books, 1994.
Mystery/suspense about a woman who goes to visit a friend on her way to finding a new life and finds much more than she bargained for. Really good. 18 October - 3 November 2002.
Stevens, Amanda. The Seventh Night. Silhouette, 2002.
Dreamscapes. An American woman goes to the Caribbean to try to save her father, and gets embroiled in danger.... October 2002.
Vaughn, Evelyn. Beneath the Surface. Silhouette, 2002.
Dreamscapes. The third of Vaughn's series -- a ghost story, of sorts, and really good. October 2002.
Vaughn, Evelyn. Forest of the Night. Silhouette, 2002.
Dreamscapes. The fourth of Vaughn's series of a coven of four. Good, and a nice ending to the series -- but I want more about these four! October 2002.
Sinclair, Tracy. An American Princess. Silhouette, 2002.
An American woman wins a TV contest to become a princess for a week, and ends up falling in love with a prince. Not too bad. :) October 2002.
Mayle, Peter and Judith Clancy. A Year in Provence. Vintage Books, 1991.
Just starting this; lots of food descriptions.... 1 October 2002.
Gottman, John and Nan Silver. The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Three Rivers Press, 2000.
Recommended to us, and good so far. 29 September 2002.
Gabaldon, Diana. The Outlandish Companion. Delacorte Press, 1999.
Finally! I've been wanting this book since it came out, and I've finally got it (thanks to a 30% off coupon from Books A Million). Not a novel, but a companion (no duh!) to Diana Gabladon's Outlander series (the most recent is The Fiery Cross). So I'll be reading along a bit in it for a while. 29 September 2002.
Rubin, Charles. Diabetes for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons, 1999.
Clear and concise, explains all about both types of diabetes. 30 September 2002.
Frazier, Charles. Cold Mountain. Vintage Books, 1998.
It took three tries for me to read this book through, and I should have stopped at the next-to-the-last chapter. Frazier, I can't believe you did that! ARGH! Great until the end. :) 28 September - 1 October 2002.
Aron, Elaine N. The Highly Sensitive Person in Love: Understanding and managing relationships when the world overwhelms you. Bantam Doubleday Dell, 2000.
A revelation. Incredible. I'm beginning to understand why I react the way I do. This books will probably change my life. 17 September 2002.
Wilhelm, Kate. The Good Children. Fawcett Books, 1999.
Something of a disappointment, I'm afraid. Billed as a thriller (at least on the cover), it wasn't -- though I couldn't put it down because I was waiting for the "thriller" part to click in.... Oh well. Can't win'em all. 21-22 September 2002.
Byatt, A.S. The Biographer's Tale. Knopf, 2001.
I do like the works of Byatt! I have to admit, though, that this is NOTHING compared to Possession, which I kept wanting it to be as I read along. 12-15 September 2002
Byatt, A.S. The Virgin in the Garden. Vintage Books, 1992.
Beautiful and lyrical. We'll see how it goes -- it takes a lot of thinking to read and comprehend it. 4 September 2002
Flinders, Carol Lee. Enduring Grace: Living portraits of seven women mystics. Harper San Francisco, 1993.
Just started this, and I like it. Women mystics are fascinating.... Took me a while, but finished it. Really cool. :) 2 - 18 September 2002
Carpenter, Dana. How I Gave Up My Low-Fat Diet and Lost 40 Pounds. Hold the Toast Press, 1999.
Pretty amazing book. She sort of condenses all the high-protein-diet information out there, as well as a handful of high-protein diet books, into one easy-to-understand book. I think I'm going to be trying the low-carb way. 26 August 2002.
Santopietro, Nancy. Feng Shui and Health: The anatomy of a home: Using feng shui to disarm illness, accelerate recovery, and create optimal health. Three Rivers Press, 2002.
26 August 2002.
Hull, Jonathon. Losing Julia. Dell Publishing Company, 2001.
Oh, gee. Wonderful book, but so sad! It had me sobbing at the end (greatly upsetting my husband). Jumps from three time frames: World War I (where Patrick learns of Julia from Daniel, her lover), 10 years after the war (when Patrick met and lost Julia), and the present (Patrick in a nursing home at 81). Highly recommended. 22-25 August 2002.
Rowling, JK. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Scholastic, Inc: 2002.
The latest of the Harry Potter books, just out in paperback, and WONDERFUL as usual! :) 16-20 August 2002.
Carter, John and Nicolas Barker. ABC for Book Collectors. Oak Knoll Press, 2000.
The kind of book I read that sends terror through the heart of my hubby. :) Basic info on books and collecting. 14 August 2002.
Martin, Rhona. Gallows Wedding. Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, Inc., 1978.
Bittersweet historical novel about a young "witch" Hazel (she has the devil's mark) and her life. Well written and enjoyable, but heartbreaking. 12-15 August 2002.
LaHaye, Tim and Jerry B. Jenkins. The Remnant: On the Brink of Armageddon. Tyndale House Pub, 2002.
Another of the Left Behind series. Good but not enough. 11-12 August 2002.
Byatt, A.S. Possession: a romance.
Oh, wow. This book is so wonderful. I hate to put it down to sleep or anything. It's just incredible. A love story within a love story.... Fabulous. Unbelievable. The movie comes out soon -- I can't wait! Highly Recommended! 7-10 August 2002.
Wisdom, Linda Randall. Twist of Fate. Silhouette, 2002.
Dreamscapes. Another, not yet finished. A woman enters the body of another woman. 5 August 2002.
Whitney, Diane. The Raven Master. Silhouette, 2002.
Better than The Pirate and his Lady, but not very otherworldly... Enjoyed it! Dreamscapes. 3-4 August 2002.
Vaughn, Evelyn. Burning Times. Silhouette, 2002.
Dreamscapes. The second in Vaughn's series about a coven of four. Enjoyed this one as much as Waiting for the Wolf Moon. July 2002.
St. George, Margaret. The Pirate and his Lady. Silhouette, 2002.
One of the weaker Dreamscapes I've read, but still enjoyable. 2-3 August 2002.
Basbanes, Nicholas. A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, bibliomanes, and the eternal passion for books. Henry Holt & Company, 1995.
A great book about my own madness. :) July 2002.
Basbanes, Nicholas. Patience and Fortitude: A roving chronicle of book people, book places, and book culture. HarperCollins 2001.
Cool book that gets overwhelming if you read it all at once. July 2002.
Goldstein, Steven R.; Laurie Ashner; and Lila E. Nachtigall. Could it be Perimenopause? Little, Brown and Company, 1998.
We won't discuss why I checked this out. Pretty good, though perhaps a bit simplistic. July 2002.
Brooks, Geraldine. Year of Wonders. Penguin, USA: 2002.
Another book on the plague, one that was highly reviewed when it came out in hardback; finally it's in paperback. 21 July 2002.
Hooper, Kay. Whisper of Evil. Bantam Books, 2002.
OOH, cool, chilling murder mystery, major suspense -- I'm mad I had to put it down! I finally finished it, LATE at night (or early in the morning) because the suspense was driving me crazy.... Well-written, and recommended! :) 17-19 July 2002.
Maxwell, Cathy, Ruth Langan, and Carolyn Davidson. Wild West Brides. Harlequin, 2002.
Three-in-one novel, brain candy to keep my mind off the things going on at home (losing Baby puppy). 12-15 July 2002.
Willis, Connie. Doomsday Book. Spectra, 1993.
Another time-travel book back to the Middle Ages. Really excellent, and highly recommended. 7-10 July 2002.
Kurzwell, Allen. The Grand Complication. Hyperion, 2001.
Ah, a wonderful library mystery with a slightly obsessive-compulsive librarian as sleuth, working for a rich eccentric. :) Very enjoyable, highly recommended. 4-6 July 2002
Fuhrman, Mark. Murder in Greenwich: Who Killed Martha Moxley?. HarperCollins, 1999.
Another true crime, by yes, that Mark Fuhrman, who I'm growing to respect more and more. This book MAY have led to the conviction (finally!) of Michael Skakel. Highly recommended. 30 June - 6 July 2002.
Sullivan, Mark. The Purification Ceremony. Avon Books, 1997.
A wonderful suspense novel recommended by Bob on Femrel-L. Don't want to put it down. A group gets together to hunt -- and they become the hunted..... Really excellent, highly recommended! 24-26 June 2002.
Raife, Alexandria. Until the Spring. Onyx, 2000.
A romance, purchased at BAM at their $1.97 summer sale, and optimistically started last night as I was waiting for my sweetie to get off work. 23 June 2002.
Steward, H. Leighton, Morrison C. Bethea, Sam S. Andrews, and Luis A. Balart. Sugar Busters! Cut Sugar to Trim Fat. Ballantine Books, 1998l.
Another in the line of diet books, because I'm constantly looking for a liveable solution; this one requires cutting out white breads, sugar of all kinds, potatoes, corn, and carrots, but I think it's worth a try, since the bars aren't working. 20-22 June 2002.
Grotzinger, Laurel Ann. The Power and the Dignity: Librarianship and Katharine Sharp. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 1965.
I am in library school. :) This is for an oral report. 7 June 2002
Emerson, Kathy Lynn. Face Down on an Herbal. Kensington Publishing Company, 2000.
Charming so far, a medieval mystery. 13 June 2002
Brown, Kelly. Florence Lawrence, the Biograph Girl: America's First Movie Star. McFarland & Co., 1999.
I had to read this after reading The Biograph Girl; Lawrence was as fascinating a character in life as she was in the novel. Excellent biography. June 2002.
O'Donnell, James. Avatars of the Word: From Papyrus to Cyberspace. Harvard University Press, 2000.
A wonderful book on the changes books and writing have made on the history of man and society. It's like O'Donnell is musing his way through history. It's required for class, but I'm enjoying it a great deal. 1 June 2002.
Hobart, Michael E. and Zachary S. Schiffman. Information Ages: Literacy, Numeracy, and the Computer Revolution. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.
Another book for class; I don't like it as well as Avatars (above) because, well, a large section deals with mathematics. Oh well. :) 1 June 2002.
Timmerman, Kenneth R. Shakedown: Exposing the real Jesse Jackson. Regnery Publisher, 2002.
The story of that total scum, Jesse Jackson (I won't dignify him with the stolen honorific). I've returned this book without finishing it; I can't bear to look at that smug face any longer. He's a true bastard, in every sense of the word.1 - 13 June 2002.
Goldberg, Bernard. Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News. Regnery Publisher, 2001.
A polemic against Dan Rather and the rest of the TV news folks. 1 June 2002.
Follett, Ken. The Pillars of the Earth. Signet, 1996.
Another middle ages book; just started, and liking, though it's told from the perspective of a man. :) Really great! Enjoyed it a lot, highly recommended, and I'm trying to buy a copy of it. :) 28 May - 9 June 2002.
Young, Pam, Peggy Jones, and Sydney Craft Rosen. Sidetracked Home Executives: From pigpen to paradise. Warner Books, Revised Updated Edition, 2001.
I've gotta do it, I've gotta do it, I've gotta get the house organized and cleaned up! :) 27 May 2002.
Benson, Ann. The Plague Tales. Delacorte Press, 1997.
Two plague tales -- one from the past, one from the future, one chapter from each at the time. Enjoying it a great deal! One of those books I really resented having to put down. Well-written, very enjoyable, highly recommended! 23-26 May 2002.
Wolfe, Linda. Wasted: The Preppie Murder. Simon and Schuster, 1989.
The story of the murder of Jennifer Levin by that sociopathic monster. Well written. 20-22 May 2002.
Freed, Donald and Raymond P. Briggs, Ph.D. Killing Time: The first full investigation. MacMillan, 1996.
Well. Supposedly the "true" story of the Simpson murders. This book is clearly total bullshit. It won't be finished. 20 May 2002.
Fuhrman, Mark. Murder in Brentwood. Regnery Publishing, 1997.
Yup, that Mark Fuhrman, and yup, that murder in Brentwood. Decided to try this after remembering comments about Fuhrman in reference to the Moxley murder. He writes very well, he defends himself very well, and the book is great. Highly recommended. 20-27 May 2002.
Howell, Georgina. Diana: Her Life in Fashion. Rizzoli International Publications, 1998.
Obviously, an oversized picture book -- one Diana probably would have hated because she didn't like being thought of as a living clothes horse. 20 May 2002.
Mann, William. The Biograph Girl. Kensington Books, 2000.
Wow, I get this book at Sam's Wholesale Club because it looks good -- the (fictional) biography of the first movie star -- and discover that the Biograph Girl is REAL! I've gotta get the real biography of her! Really well done book; I hated for it to end! Excellent!14-18 May 2002.
Chadwick, Elizabeth. The Conquest. St. Martin's Press, 1997.
Another of the wonderful Elizabeth Chadwick's books (she also did The Love Knot), this one about the Norman Conquest. Finished it -- story of love lost and (sometimes) regained. Wonderful period detail and highly recommended on that front (especially if you like horses!), but I preferred The Love Knot, more of a happy ending, I guess. :) 6-14 May 2002.
Burnett, Mark and Martin Dugard. Survivor: The Ultimate Game. TV Books Inc, 2000.
I wasn't going to get this book, I wasn't going to get this book....then shopping with Melissa yesterday at Books A Million I almost made a clean getaway (well, relatively clean -- I DID already have a book, magazine, and paper) and then there it was beside the door....It got me. 5 May 2002.
Crichton, Michael. Timeline. Random House, 1999.
Oh, yes. REALLY liked this! Time travelers go back to the 14th century to save a friend.... Very enjoyable! 5-7 May 2002.
McEwan, Ian. Atonement. Doubleday, 2001.
Finally getting started on this, after having it pop up over and over on Amazon.com and waiting and waiting to get it through the public library. And finished it, rather quickly, in spite of the final exam in 704. Really interesting; reminds me in setup of Woolf's To the Lighthouse, with the slow telling of the same day from the perspectives of different people, followed by time flying. What is the nature of atonement? Is is possible? Excellent and thought-provoking. 1-5 May 2002.
Diamant, Anita. Good Harbor. Scribner, 2002.
Very different from The Red Tent, this is a modern day story of two very different women who befriend each other and become close through trials. Excellent. May 2002.
Smiley, Jane. The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton. Alfred A. Knopf, 1998.
Grabbed this off a B. Dalton sales table. The story of a young woman in the 1850's who, considered a burden by her half sisters because of her complete lack of "useful" traits, marries a young man and heads to Kansas. A fun read so far. 30 April 2002.
Myers, Helen R. Watching for Willa. Silhouette, 1995.
Dreamscapes again, the second by Helen Myers, though radically different from her first, Night Mist. A Stephen-King-like writer living in a reclusive neighborhood, a beautiful young woman moving in next door, a madman stalking other beautiful blue-eyed blondes like her..... Keeps you guessing, and a good read. This batch of Dreamscapes ended up to be excellent! Recommended! 24-27 April 2002.
Begiebing, Robert J. The Strange Death of Mistress Coffin. Workman Publishing Company, 1991.
Interesting, sad book, about a murder mystery in 17th century New Hampshire. Can't remember when I began-24 April 2002.
Waters, Sarah. Tipping the Velvet. Riverhead Books, 1999.
This is the second Waters novel I've read -- the first she wrote. This is sort of a coming-of-age story of a young lesbian in England in 1888. Very erotic writing, really cool, though so far I like Affinity better. Did I mention that this is a very erotic book? Ahem. Well, it is. A fun read. 22-30 April 2002.
Vaughn, Evelyn. Waiting for the Wolf Moon. Silhouette, 2002.
Damn, these Dreamscapes books are getting better and better! This one is a werewolf tale (as is obvious from the title) and has a bookstore-owner witch as narrator -- too cool! Enjoying it a great deal! :) And enjoyed it to the end! I'm now looking forward to the next in Vaughn's series, The Circle. 22-24 April 2002.
Calvino, Italo. If on a winter's night a traveler. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1981 (English translation).
Well, well, well. It seems I can't escape it. :) If on a winter's night a traveler was published in English in 1981 -- and was making its way around the USC Department of English while I was there. I did't read it then (I think I learned of it while I was in grad school and didn't have the time or interest to read it). Anyway, Marge has loaned it to me, so here we go -- lunchtime reading for a while. Amusing so far. :) 22 April 2002.
Jephson, P.D. Shadows of a Princess. Mass Market Paperback, 2001.
I have sort of a love/hate attitude towards the late Princess of Wales. I was fascinated by her when she married the Prince of Wales, but got really disgusted when she started acting like such a baby, and, when the marriage fell apart, I was completely in the Prince's court. And then she dies in an accident caused by speed and a drunk (and power drunk) driver, not even wearing her seat belt, with her Muslim playboy lover? Give me a break! How the mighty did fall. I have had no sympathy for her in years -- though I have much for Charles and William and Harry and the rest of the royal family. This book, written by the man who became her private secretary, is beautifully written, and gives an amazingly (I think) clear view of the not-so-wonderful Princess. If it's not a clear view, she was worse than I thought she was! Finally finished the book. Excellent. Recommended. 29 March - 21 June 2002
Longford, Lindsay. Dark Moon. Silhouette, 2002.
Dreamscapes. A young mother whose daughter has vanished, a strange magician neighbor, a pack of dogs.... Really enjoyable so far, a cut above most of the romances I've read, and, when I'm reading alone in the car waiting for Tim to get off work at Target after 11p.m., really eerie! Liked it a lot -- nighly recommended, if you like supernatural romances! 13-19 April 2002
Chittenden, Margaret. This Time Forever. Silhouette, 2022.
Dreamscapes. The story of a young woman who has past-life memories, and the man she met then -- and now -- and loves. 11-13 April 2002.
McCafferty, Anne. Testimony of an Irish Slave Girl. Viking Press, 2002.
This is great! I saw it at Books-A-Million and was intrigued by the beautiful cover and the haunting premise: Irish people were sold as indentured servants (read "slaves" because their term of indenture was usually lengthened indefinitely) to Barbados in the 17th century (a bit of history I didn't know). This is the story of Cot Daley, who was 10 when she was kidnapped and sent to the New World. Fascinating! Tragic -- but of course it had to be. Enjoyed it, painful as it was. Very highly recommended. Makes me want to read more about that period of Irish history -- and also makes me want to know more about WHY the prejudice towards the Irish became so horrible. 9-11 April 2002
White, Stephen. The Program. Dell, 2001.
Suspense novel about a DA who must go into hiding because of threats from a man she sent to jail after he had her husband killed. It ends up that he's not the only one after her, but with the help of an ex-Mafia hit man, a psychologist, and another DA, she makes it. I wanted a marriage at the end! Oh, well, it was great, I have to say. Highly recommended! The Witness Protection Program is intriguing to me -- what would it be like to become someone else, to leave everyone and everything behind, to get a totally new start on life? It's an idea I play with from time to time: vanishing into thin air and leaving everthing behind (but not since we bought our dream house!). 7-9 April 2002.
Hooper, Chloe. A Child's Book of True Crime. Scribner, 2002.
Well. A review on USAToday.com led me to this book, a first novel by a young Austrailian woman. A young teacher is having an affair with the father of one of her students; his wife wrote a true-crime novel about a young woman having an affair with a vet and her murder by the vet's wife, who then committed suicide (or did she really kill the girl? Did the vet? And did the wife really commit suicide? Who knows? -- and the teacher fears the wife of her lover may bring the past to life again. Interesting, quick read, but I found it unsatisfying. 4-5 April 2002.
Wiggs, Susan. The Lightkeeper. Mira, 1997.
One of the Harlequin-type romances, this one historical. Reminds me a bit of Morning Glory by Lavryle Spencer. Enjoying it. :) Very well written, for a Harlequin. Recommended. :) Lighthouses are both appealing and, somehow, frightening for me. My parents lived on Folly Beach, not far from the Morris Island lighthouse, until the day before I was born, and the lighthouse was de-commissioned the year I was born. There's also the beautiful, haunting movie "Portrait of Jenny" which my father loves and which has its climax at a lighthouse. I love images of lighthouses, and miniatures, but there's something about the height and the spiral staircases inside that makes me shiver, and makes me think I'll never be able to go inside one. 1-11 April 2002.
McDonald, R. Robin. Secrets Never Lie: The death of Sara Tokars -- a Southern tragedy of money, murder, and innocence betrayed. Avon, 1998.
A true-crime novel, luridly overwritten (e.g., "Georgia's heat has heft and breadth. It registers breath, sucks away strength, and, with nightfall, exhales a palpable damp." "Hair the color of high noon clung damply to her neck and forehead in the simple style she had worn since high school.", both on page 3). But I haven't read a true crime in a while, so I guessed I'd try it....31 March 2002.
Myss, Caroline. The Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing. Random House, 1997.
Recommended by Nancy. So far, a fascinating look at what causes disease and dis-ease based upon your emotions and your