I've been busy reading

Incontinent on the Continent: My Mother, Her Walker, and Our Grand Tour of Italy by Jane Christmas


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I'm not too sure I would have the nerve to schedule a six week tour of Italy with someone that I had a slightly rocky relationship with, but it makes an interesting book. Christmas and her mother were on their own for a trip that would exasperate, annoy, and yet entertain the two of them. It was not a trip of their dreams--it rained, it froze, it snowed (This was in the spring), the food was not always good, the service was often not what they expected, but still it was an eye-opening experience.
I really enjoyed this book. Being of a certain age, I found myself relating to both the author and her mother. And I'd still like to go to Italy.


Neverland: J. M. Barrie, The Du Mauriers, and the Dark Side of Peter Pan by Piers Dudgeon


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Daphne du Maurier was a cousin to the Llewellyn-Davies family that was befriended by James Barrie. Barrie assumed a similiar role in her life following the death of her father Gerald.
Peter Dudgeon draws a parallel between the families with Barrie as a rather scary center, although the du Mauriers certainly had their moments even without him.
Like many during the late Victorian period George du Maurier, Barrie, and their friends were drawn to hypnotism, seances, and the parapsycholigical. Where it led may have been the ruin of the younger generation of the family.
The book was somewhat confusing with so many characters and would have been helped by a family tree.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Okay, I'm a sucker for books told in first person by dogs (starting with that oldie Beautiful Joe). But this one is really special.
I loved this dog, with his active mind, his wit, and his passionate regard for justice. And his deep conviction that when he dies he will come back as a man.
I'm glad I read this book. Take it home and read it aloud to your dog.



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Just in time for Halloween

The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
(I just wrote a remarkable review of this book and lost it. Come to think of it, that is a perfect description of this book.)
If you like fairy tales set in the real world, this may be your book.
Altagracia (or Grace) has a life customizing hot rods; she has friends, including her personal tattoo-er; she is also a mystery.
I've never been entirely clear on what mystical realism is, but what ever the technical definition is, this book qualifies in my mind. Charles de Lint has a firm grasp on the the edges of this world and the "Other".


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Just What Is a Normal Family?

Un-Bridaled by Eileen Rendahl


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Chloe runs from the middle of her wedding, takes a temporary job at the local bar, and moves into a house that is undergoing massive remodeling. And she considers herself the normal one in her family.
This book is all about family and how to cope with it.
In some ways this reminds me of Jennifer Crusie's romances, but not quite so fluffy. I liked it 3.5 stars worth.

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Knit One, Funny Too

Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A dedicated knitters take on life in the knitted lane--or at least life as it applies to knitting. Often very funny, although maybe only if you knit (never admit an interest in crochet in the presence of this book). Reads like a blog.

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A Ghost story for Halloween

Spellbinder by Helen Stringer


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Belladonna sees ghosts. She talks with ghosts. She lives with ghosts. Then one day all the ghosts have disappeared and Belladonna needs to find a way to bring them back. With the help for her schoolmate Steve she sets out to find the ghosts and bring them back.
This is a quick and interesting read.

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Historical fiction from women's point of View.

Dreamers of the Day: A Novel by Mary Doria Russell


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a great book about World War I, the 1918-19 flu epidemic, the Middle East during 1920s, Lawrence of Arabia, Gertrude Bell, and Winston Churchill, and any number of asides, told from a fictional character's view. I loved it.

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Homeland by Barbara Hambly.
I really liked this book (4.5 stars). It is told through letters between two women, one a young married woman living on an island in Maine, whose husband is in the Confederate army, and the other a young artist living (at least in the beginning) in Tennessee. They exchange ideas about everything from the war and family, slavery and freedom, the value of reading fiction, woman's "place" and women's daily reality. I think it would make a great reader's theater presentation.