Two individualistic narrators; two good stories

The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Quirky little novel that delves into the meaning, form, and function of poetry in an almost absent-minded manner. Interspersed with tidbits of the narrator's life and habits, the story of writing an introduction to a poetry anthology sort of hitches along throwing facts and opinions right and left.
If you don't mind stories that sputter around and if you like poetry--well, actually even if you think you don't like poetry, this may be the book for you. (If you don't like poetry it may be because you got ahold of the wrong end of the poetry stick early in your life. Let it go and start fresh. This book will give you a whole 'nother view of iambic pentameter.)


< The Wet Nurse's Tale by Erica Eisdorfer


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The voice of Victorian Susan Rose is just right if you like good gossipy novels with lots of detail.
Susan is a wet nurse for women above her in the social scale. She remains cheerful even while expecting (and often getting) the worst.
This is an enjoyable read if you like historical fiction.

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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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A couple of things I've read recently

The Fixer Upper: A Novel by Mary Kay Andrews


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Dempsey's lobbyist boss leaves her holding the bag in a bribery case. Without a job, she takes over flipping the old family house in GA that her father has inherited. I started out really disliking Dempsey, but as the book went on she started improving and growing. She learns a lot of home maintenence skills that I wish I knew how to do.
3 stars for task 25.9

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Museum of Human Beings by Colin Sargent


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Fictional account of Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, son of Sacagawea and his quest to find his place in life. It was interesting, but I can't say I really loved it.

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Texas Oil town story means reader bonaza

Honor at Daybreak by Elmer Kelton


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sheriff Dave Buckalew tries to keep oil boomtown Caprock safe from the predations of Boss Daughtry's gang. Young Slim McIntyre comes into town looking for cowboy work, but he too gets caught up in the search for oil. Set in dusty 1920's Texas, Kelton's book is very true to life.
15.3 a

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And you think you have impossible relatives.

Names My Sisters Call Me by Megan Crane


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ah, the dynamics of a family full of females. Courtney's getting married and wants her sister Raine to celebrate with her, but oldest sister Norah still harbors a great deal of resentment over the way Raine ruined her wedding six years previously. Courtney and her fiance Lucas go ahead with plans, but everything threatens to come unglued.
Made me glad I have a relatively normal family. It was a good book with some great lines and some interesting humor.

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A Dream Vacation

A Stopover in Venice by Kathryn Walker

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
This was a fairly annoying book about Venice, with the present leading to a mystery about the past. It is also a book about marriage and personhood. It can be difficult to follow--no quotation marks, so that I had to go back numerous times to follow the thread of who was talking. The art history was interesting, though. And I loved Leo and Lucy.

I was planning to read this book anyway, and then the Goodreads Summer Challenge had a challenge for Your dream vacation--read a book and make up an itinerary. In that way, this book did not disappoint. I found a number of places listed that could be visited if I could get to Venice. More than I could list for the challenge, in fact.

So, despite the fact that I found the main character Nel fairly annoying (why had she allowed herself to become such a doormat for her husband? why was she in such suspended animation for so much of the time? why were there no quotation marks?), it was an interesting book.

Misc

The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber. 2007, William Morrow. 466 pp Fiction

Jake Mishkin is an intellectual property lawyer, whose friendship with English professor Mickey Haas involves him in a literary puzzle featuring William Shakespeare, the rare book trade, and a cast of thousands. This thriller is a cross between The Da Vinci Code and a Garrison Keillor monologue. There is absolutely nothing straight-forward in the telling of this story, from the plot to the integrity of the characters.

Brave Men by Ernie Pyle. 1944/2001, University of Nebraska. 513 pp Non-fiction
Ernie Pyle recorded World War II on the day-to-day human level, from the standpoint of the citizen soldier. Brave Men is a collection of his columns for Scripps Howard Newspapers from the fighting in Europe during 1943-44. It gives an immediacy even now to the history of the war.

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice. 2006, Dutton. 352 pp Fiction
"I met Charlotte in London one afternoon while waity for a bus. Just look at that sentence! That in itself is the first extraordinary thing, as I took the bus as rarely as once or twice a year, and even then it was only for the novelty value of not traveling in a car or train. It was mid-November 1954, and as cold as I had ever known London." And so Penelope meets Charlotte, and her aunt Clare and cousin Harry, and gets to kiss Johnny Ray, and a host of other events. This is sort of chick lit set in the 1950s, a kinder, gentler, chick lit.

Pig Perfect: Encounters with Remarkable Swine and Some Great Ways to Cook Them by Peter Kaminsky. 2005, Hyperion. Non-fiction
Kaminsky is off in search of the perfect ham. It takes him from Kentucky, to Burgundy; from North Carolina to Andalusia. He does barbecue and soul food and French cuisine (and shares a few of the recipes. He rails against the pork agri-business in the United States--and extols the wonders of what is often called heritage pork. Just reading this makes one hungry.

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri. 2008, Alfred A. Knopf. 333 pp Short Stories
This book of eight stories is just terrific. As in her book Interpreter of Maladies, Lahiri's characters are often fish out of water, suspended between the familiar and the unknown or the uncomfortable. Even coping well with a new life doesn't always mean everything is well. There are many secrets here. I especially enjoyed the second story "Heaven-Hell".

There are some really good books out there.

Bad Dirt: Wyoming Stories 2 by Annie Proulx. 2004, Scribner. 219 pp Short stories
Annie Proulx's stories are about people whose lives aren't quite under control through no fault of their own. The bittersweet in life, mixed with the all to human foibles of her characters can add up to some painfully amusing stories. Her turn of phrase and her choice of scenes is spot on.

The Eleventh Man by Ivan Doig. 2008, Harcourt. 406 pp Fiction
Take a college football team, undefeated in 1941, and place ten of it's starting lineup into various parts of the action around the world in World War II. The eleventh man is assigned the job of observing and reporting on them, and on their lives and deaths. This is a very readable book, with characters you will care about.

I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass. 2008, Pantheon . 287 pp Fiction

The story of two sisters, twisted apart by men and temperament, twisted together by birth and family. Louisa and Clement are nothing alike, and yet they share so many of the same things. Add to that a back story of a great-great-aunt and her sisters and you will find more ssisterly living than you know what to do with. If you have a sister you love, read this book. If you have a sister you hate, read this book. Another excellent book by the author of The Three Junes.

The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich. 2008, HarperCollins. 311 pp Fiction

Told in multiple voices, the old mystery of a North Dakota murder in a community with both whites and Ojibwe members. This book teases and pries at truths and injustices, leaving both in various states of exposure.

The Robber Bridegroom by Eudora Welty. 1942/1998 Library of America 87 pp Fiction
Take the Grimm's fairy tale, cross it with American folk lore, add more than a dash of Southern Comfort and you have a wonderful time. There is the twist of the alligator's tail to this story and a charming cadence to the language. A Hoot and a Holler for this oldie.

A mixed bag of Oldies

Sometime you have to go back and do some catching up on books you missed when they first came out. I read some older books this weekend that I enjoyed. Most of them have been on various lists of good books for years, but I'd always managed to miss them. It's a new book if you've never read it, no matter when it was published!

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. 1984, Vintage. 110 pp Fiction

Esperanza Cordero tells us about her home, her family, and her neighborhood in Chicago's Latino section. She can be funny, wise, and achingly hopeful. This is a deceptively simple book--short book, short chapters, short sentences. But there is a lot packed in here about growing up. The book has been on a number of high school reading lists for years, but I'm just now getting around to reading it.

The King's Brat by Constance Gluyas. 1972, Prentice-Hall. 363 pp Historical fiction
Set in England at the start of the reign of Charles II, we start in the slums of London with Angel Dawson, friend of Nellie Gwynne, being pick up and thrown in Newgate prison fore theft. While there she meets a young woman there with amnesia who recovers just before dying and asks Angel to tell her brother Nicholas what happened to her. Nicholas just happens to be Earl of Benbrook, the new King's best friend. He decides to clean the beautiful Angel up, educate her, and turn her into a lady. Can you say Pygmalion? He's been scarred by a promiscuous mother, so true love does not run smooth. Oh, and did I mention the Plague? And the amorous King? We miss the Great Fire in this one, but that's about all.

The Last English King by Julian Rathbone. 1999, St. Martin's Press. 381 pp Historical fiction
The events leading up to the Battle of Hastings is told in flashback by Walt, King Harold's only surviving bodyguard, who is suffering from remorse at being alive. The characters of Edward the Confessor (who really needed to), the Godwinson family, William, the Conqueror to be, and a cast of thousands make the few years leading up to 1066 really come alive. I can truthfully say that I have never read a book about these people that was quite so lively. Those Anglo Saxons were a rowdy bunch.

The Past Is Another Country by Lois Battle. 1990, Viking. 392 pp. Fiction
After the end of their schooling life is different for classmates Megan Hanlon and Greta Papandreou, but their lives still intertwine in unexpected ways. Megan works in film, Greta marries a surgeon. The third woman is one of the nuns who taught them. All three have issues with relationships that crisscross past and present, that probe who they were and who they are. A better book than I expected.

Your Blue Ain't Like Mine by Bebe Moore Campbell. 1992, Ballantine. 332 pp. Fiction
The ache of cultural change and chance encounters. The pain of growing up and being black. The agony of parenting in a world you can't control. The rawness of life where ever you go and learning to live in the skin you've been given. This book aches with the need to be read to the background of a low bluesy saxophones and a gravel-voiced singer.

Tying up the end of the year

Alice in Sunderland: An Entertainment, by Bryan Talbot. 2007, Dark Horse. 319 pp Graphic Novel

A theatrical presentation of the history of the North and East of England, centering in Sunderland and its Empire Theatre. Sounds simple. Ha! Faces, places, dates, stories, stories of stories, all are thrown at the reader out of sequence, out of place, out of breath. Yes, think Alice in Wonderland, which has a very prominent place in this book from beginning to end. Also includes Harry Potter, William Shakespeare, Dracula, George Formby, cholera epidemics, several nasty murderers, and the Lambton Wyrm. This is the kind of thing that graphic novels do so well.

Dear American Airlines by Jonathan Miles. 2008, Houghton, Mifflin. 180 pp Fiction

Bennie Ford is travelling across country to his daughter's wedding, when his flight is cancelled. So he whips out his computer and starts a whiny message to American Airlines that gets out of hand. There has been a certain amount of hype about this little book, so I checked it out. I'm sorry! It is not the greatest thing since sliced bread. It's an okay read if there is absolutely nothing else in the house to read and you don't want to start on the cereal boxes, but I don't advise going out and buying multiple copies to give to all your friends.

The Heartsong of Charging Elk by James Welch. 2000, Doubleday. 440 pp Fiction

Inspired by the true story of the Oglala Sioux who travelled with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show when he became ill in France and was left behind. I will be frank here and tell you I didn't finish the book. The parts I read went on and on and on to the point I was forced to say "I can't take any more." The premise was great, the writing was boring.

Remarkable Reads, edited by J. Peder Zane. 2004, W, W. Norton 258 pp Nonfiction

Given the premise that they must each chose a book to write about--and pick one word to describe it, the thirty-four authors here have presented a remarkable variety of books. From Dr Seuss' Cat in the Hat to Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying by Wolfgang Langewiesche, there are thoughtful essays on reading, on writing, on life, and on death. I picked up some good ideas for my own reading here, although I'll give some of these a pass. This is a good book for dipping into and savoring a little at a time.

A Time for Treason by Anne Newton Walther. 2000, Tapestries. 451 pp Historical fiction

The American colonies are on the brink of revolution and Eugenie de Beaumont is acting as an agent for the French to see what those colonists are up to. Not only do we get a lot of history thrown at us, but there's a lot of horse and ship stuff, too. Oh, and a little romance and politics. This is a nice, old fashioned (in a good way) straight forward historical fiction. There may be a few places where the historical elements are over explained, but it's a good read.

It's almost Christmas, so I need to get these out of my hair

Christmas is fast approaching and I need to return most of my library books so I have room for my company. Sunday I went down to my sister's house and returned with a bagful of paperbacks, most of them belonging to her, so between Christmas and New Year's I'm going to have to turn off the phone and do some serious reading (not reading serious books, by any means). In the meantime, this is what I've recently read. Sorry, no pictures of covers on this one.



Diamonds Are Trouble by Scott Corbett. 1967, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. 96 pp Mystery

College student Jeff takes a last minute summer job at Ambrose Bunker's inn on Cape Cod, where he arrives late at night. He starts by tackling his new boss who is attempting to crawl into one of the windows of a guest cottage. The explanation leads to suspicion and distrust of guest Augustus V Wolfe who is possibly angling after the diamonds belonging to another guest, the wealthy Mrs. Walling. This is a short snappy mystery. I'm not sure exactly who the audience is here. Mr. Corbett is best known for his children's stories, but there's a lot of brandy floating around for that.





Family Linen by Lee Smith. 1985, G.P. Putnam's Sons. 272 pp. Fiction

I thought this looked like a Krantz book--with the glamour, sizzle, and sass. This particular copy has been rebound, so there was no blurb, but I took a chance after reading the first couple pages about Sybill and her trip to the hypnotist. Krantz it isn't, but it is a funny book about a family full of oddballs, pretentious idiots, and kooks. It reminded me in many ways of Lorna Ludvik's Patty Jane's House of Curl.



Firestorm at Peshtigo by Denise Gess and William Lutz. 2002, Henry Holt. 267 pp Nonfiction

Many people know that on October 8, 1871 a good share of Chicago burned down killing 300 people. Unless they live in Wisconsin, most people are not aware that on that same day more than 2,400 square miles of forest burned and between 1,500 and 2,500 people died. This book tells about the Wisconsin fire and its aftermath. In 1871 Peshtigo was a booming timber town with 100 or more people a week arriving to log or farm on the cheap land available. In fact, nobody knows exactly how many people were in the area, so nobody knows exactly how many people died.



A Gladiator Dies Only Once by Steven Saylor. 2005, St. Martin's Minotaur. 269 pp Mystery

Gordianus the Finder has been around since 1991. I'm just now discovering him. (Don't you just love browsing up and down the shelves of the library and finding "new" authors to read.) Set just a little earlier than my favorite Roman mysteries, Gordianus pulls in historical figures like Cicero, Lucullus, and Cato and makes them come alive, some of them more than others. This is a collection of short stories that cover some of the early years of Gordianus' cases, 77-64 BC. I'll be looking for the full length mysteries now.



What They Didn't Teach You About the Wild West by Mike Wright. 2000, Presido. 370 pp Nonfiction

Part of a series, this book loosely organizes topics of western lore (Cowboy, cattle barons, Native Americans, railroads, etc.) and presents items to amaze--sort of "And now, the rest of the story..." Many of the facts are pretty well known to people with even a minimal interest in history, but there is sure to be at least a nugget or two that you probably never knew.



Yarnplay at Home: Handknits for Colorful Living by Lisa Shobhana Mason. 2008, North Light. 127 pp Crafts

These attractive knitting projects are arranged in three levels of difficulty, from the easiest to more difficult (which would be suitable for most reasonably competent knitters). There is a nice range of projects from the simple knitted cotton dishcloth to a lacy mohair curtain, with suggestions for decorating ideas, alternate adaptations, or gift ideas in many cases. The directions are clear and easy to follow. The Serpentine dishcloth pattern is just difficult enough to keep me interested.

Buckingham Palace Gardens by Anne Perry. 2008, Ballantine. 312 pp Mystery

The Prince of Wales was hosting a party at Buckingham Palace to set up funding for a transAfrican railroad, when the very bloody body of a prostitute was found in a palace linen closet. Thomas Pitt is called to quickly (before Queen Victoria comes home) and discretely (before the Queen comes home) solve the murder. Another of Perry's very competent mysteries.

History in Our Time by David Cannadin. 1998, Yale University. 308 pp Nonfiction

David Cannadin is an English historical essayist whose field of expertise is the 19th and 20th centuries. This book covers a wide range of subjects, but many of them have at least something to do with the 1980-1996 period, which means he covers the Margaret Thatcher years. A reader could easily get the impression that the author is not a fan of "The Iron Maiden. Each of the essays has some connection to at least one book as an authority on the subject, which Cannadin reviews and sometime reviles. This is a very interesting take on modern English history.

India In Word & Image, Photographs by Eric Meola. 2008, Welcome Books. 261 pp Nonfiction

I have never thought I'd want to visit India, not even after Buffy Maytag came to talk about her trip there and showed us how to wrap a sari. The gorgeous pictures in this book almost make me change my mind. Most of the writing is excerpts from authors who are either from India or who have spent a lot of time there. It's one of those coffee table sized books that beg to have people dip through it--just pick any page and you will be dazzled.

Just Jane by Nancy Moser. 2007, Bethany. 367 pp Historical Fiction

A fictionalized account of Jane Austen's life. Moser has taken the bare bones of her story and written an account that breathes a lot of life into Jane's world. I really enjoyed this one, as I did Moser's other historical fiction Mozart's Sister.

Killing Bridezilla by Laura Levine. 2008, Kensington. 247 pp Mystery

Freelance writer Jaine Austen gets a job writing wedding vows for former classmate Patti, whose husband to be is also a classmate. In fact, this whole book is littered with former classmates, in what seems to be a cross between Whose Wedding Is This and Revenge of the Nerds. When Patti plunges off her balcony to be impaled on a statuary Cupid's arrow, book characters and readers breathe a sigh of relief. One of the funnier scenes, at least to this librarian, is actually a side plot in which Jaine's father takes issue with a librarian over an $.18 fine. This is only for people who like very silly, improbably mysteries set in the world of snark.

My Sister, My Love by Joyce Carol Oates. 2008, HarperCollins. 562 pp Fiction

"Dysfunctional families are all alike. Ditto "Survivors". So says nineteen year old Skyler Rampart, who tells this story of his family. He considered himself a failure at age 9, his sister is a ice skating STAR at age 6. When Bliss is murdered and the killer never found, Skyler's shaky world really spins out of control. Readers of this book will certainly draw certain parallels with the Jon Benet Ramsey case, but this is a fantastic read, a more literary version of many of Jodi Picoult's popular books.

Wrapt in Crystal by Sharon Shinn. 1999, Ace. 324 pp Science Fiction

On a fairly minor planet in the far corners of the universe religion has been divided between the Triumphantes and the Fideles, who both worship the same goddess, but in different ways. A serial killer is stalking both sects, alternately killing a Triumphante and a Fidele sister. Interfed sends agent Cowan Drake to catch the killer. This is really more of a mystery set in an science fiction world. Or is it a romance set in a mystery set in a science fiction world. It moves a little slowly, but it is an entertaining book.

e

And winter is here, with the first cold of the season

I've been home with a cold all week. Luckily, I'd been to the library just before I started this whole mess, so I've had plenty to read. And it's all been fun reads. I could only find little quibbles; I didn't have any reason to feel like heaving a book across the room.
Let the books begin:


The Bell at Sealey Head by Patricia A. McKillip. 2008, Ace. 277 pp. Fantasy
Sealey Head sits on the ocean, a small village in "once upon a time". Judd Cauley runs his father’s failing inn and fancies Gwyenth Blair. Then there is his rival for Gwyenth’s attentions, Raven Sproule; the mysterious visitor Ridley Dow; and the aged owner of the great house, Lady Eglantyne. And we mustn’t forget the unseen bell that rings every night at sundown. I love McKillip’s books. In this one the words delicately pick their way through the action in worlds both mundane and faerie to create a story to enchant us all.



The Body in the Gallery by Katherine Hall Page. 2008, William Morrow. 262 pp. Mystery
Faith Fairchild is a caterer in Aleford, MA who dabbles in solving mysteries on the side. Unlike many other such caterers, who have husbands involved in law enforcement, her husband is a minister. In this, the 17rh Faith Fairchild mystery, she takes on art fraud while dealing with such domestic issues as cyberbullying and a husband who suddenly seems to need a stay at home wife. As is common with culinary mysteries, there are a few recipes at the end. This is the first book I’ve read in this award winning series. While the husband is a minister and Faith is also a Preacher’s Kid, this is not what I would consider a Christian Fiction.

The French Admiral by Dewey Lambdin. 1990, Donald I. Fine. 414 pp. Fiction
For people who enjoy their 18th and 19th century naval fiction (Can you say Patrick O’Brien?), this book takes place during the final years of the American Revolution. It is told from the British naval viewpoint which gives a slightly different tang to the story. In the first book of the series, The King’s Coat (which I haven’t read), our hero Alan Lewrie is pressed into His Majesty’s Royal Navy at the behest of his father, where he acquitted himself well enough to win a second book. In this one he continues his winning ways, finding willing wenches, plenty of liquid refreshment, and lots of adventure. His participation in some of the action is certainly involuntary, but he manages.

The Frontiersman: The Real Life and The Many Legends of Davy Crockett by Mark Derr. 1993, William Morrow. 304 pp. Biography
If you grew up in the 1950s you probably could sing all twenty verses of Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier. But Walt Disney didn’t get it quite right (Surprise, surprise!).
Derr has attempted a biography of a man who a) lived in a time period when record keeping was a little looser, b) in a part of the country where record keeping was a little looser, and c) was a lot less likely to let his personal thoughts and feelings hang out. This means that Derr has to make some assumptions, which he is quick to point out and defend. This was an interesting and wide-ranging read, with stories of the politicians (Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, Martin Van Buren), Texans (Sam Houston, Stephen Austin), and others (Daniel Boone, Edgar Allan Poe) whose names we may or may not remember.

Save Weeping for the Night by Loula Grace Erdman. 1975, Dodd, Mead. 205 pp. Fiction
A fictionalize account of Bettie Shelby, wife of Confederate General Jo Shelby. This is a love story of a woman who "stands by her man". Bettie and her two children spent at least part of the war following the Confederate army with her husband. At the end of the war Shelby refused to surrender and took his like-minded men to Mexico. Bettie and children followed. Eventually, Shelby felt he could return with honor to the US and sent his wife and family too. This is a gentle read, a good historical fiction for people who want Civil War period books without the blood and grit.

The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer. 2008, Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 195 pp. Fiction
The early 1950s are often looked at with nostalgia as a kind of Golden Age of domestic relations in the US. Somehow the reality doesn’t always jibe. Story of a Marriage takes place in California after the close of World War II and shows us more of what life really held for many. Holland, Pearlie, and their boy Sonny, and Holland’s twin aunts live in San Francisco. Their world changes when the stranger enters with his offer of $10,000. This is an old fashioned novel, in the best meaning of those words, telling a story in a straightforward manner with honesty and dignity.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling. 2008, Scholastic. 111 pp Children's Fantasy
Five slight tales with commentary by the eminent Albus Dumbledore; translated from the ancient runes by Hermione Granger. The tales are common mundane fairy tale types, but with a magical twist, not the magic is the main focus of them. Dumbledore’s notes are rather puzzling; at times the remarks seems very cynical while in others they lean toward more helpful criticism. The profits from this book go toward Rowling’s charitiable foundation to aid children

Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Owl and His Girl by Stacey O’Brien. 2008, Free Press. 229 pp. Nonfiction
Okay, I was skeptical on this one, but I was willing to try it. After all, just two month ago I’d had an Australian barn owl sit on my knee for a few minutes at a raptor show on Kangaroo Island and he was adorable. But… most of the people who do these books tend to go way overboard. I’m glad to say I really enjoyed this book. Parts of it are not for the squeamish (oooh, owl spit, owl pellets, owl shit), parts of it are a little preachy (although not as much as I feared it might be), but other parts are downright hilarious and/or heartwarming. O’Brien does a nice job of showing why people should NOT try this at home; she’s a biologist specializing in animal behavior, and initially took Wesley as part of her job.

*** SPOILER:





I admit I cried at the end when Wesley died. Actually, I don’t know why it’s a spoiler; all good animal books end with the animal dying and at least this was of old age.***

Not too many books this time around.

I;m sorry the photos of the book jackets went away. The technology curse has struck again and I'm just struggling today to get the typing in. I'll work on the picture angle for the next installment. But let's go on to the books...

A Book of Books, photographs by Abelardo Morell, preface by Nicholson Baker. 2002, Bulfinch Press/Little, Brown. 106 pp. Non-fiction

This is a nice coffeetable-sized book filled with black and white pictures of books. The only commentaries, other than the preface, are quotes about books and writing by various authors. It is too large and hefty to be a good bathroom book, but it is the kind of book to sip and savor your way through. No need to hurry or even "read" in any particular order. Most of the pictures are ones you can look at several times and see something new each time.

The Dressmaker by Elizabeth Birklund Oberbeck. 2006, Henry Holt. 306 pp.
Fiction

Claude is a French dressmaker like his father and grandfather before him. He crafts the most exquisite wedding dresses which leads him to a new client, Valentine, who gives him free rein with her gown. He falls in love with his ideal woman and his life changes forever. The endless descriptions of Valentine remind me of Audrey Hepburn, but she comes across as a curiously shadowy character. Claude’s wife is very one dimensional (can you say "social climber"?), but then, so are most of the other characters. This was a first novel. I’d say Oberbeck should write some more—her writing is interesting, even if the characters are a little uneven.

The Hours Before Dawn by Celia Fremlin. 1958/1987, Academy Chicago Publishers. 190 pp.
Suspense/Fiction

Louise Henderson has a baby that cries ALL the time and it is driving her crazy. She can’t sleep, her husband can’t sleep, the doctor is surprisingly unsympathetic, and Louise can’t take it. Miss Brandon comes to stay and everything starts skidding out of control. (Cue the ominous music.) This is a really good suspense novel. It’s been around for awhile but is well worth reading.


Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland. 2008, Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. 382 pp. Historical Fiction

Louise de la Vallière became the mistress of the Sun King, Louis XIV, whose life outshone so many in seventeenth century France. She was born into a poor family, too poor for her to even join the convent as she wished to. She was horse crazy, slightly lame, and religious, unlikely royal mistress material. Then her widowed mother married a marquise and thus began Louise’s introduction to court and her rise to fame and love. This is the ideal historical fiction…the pace moves on a slower scale, much like the times. Gulland attempted to recreate the sights, sounds, and smells of the time period. For people who are somewhat historically challenged there is a good genealogy chart at the beginning and a nice glossary at the end. This is well worth reading if you like historical fiction. Gulland is the author of the trilogy Josephine B.

Oneskein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit and Crochet by Leigh Radford. 2006, Interweave Press. 128 pp. Non-fiction

I’m always looking for projects to knit and preferrably ones that don’t take forever to do. There are several in here that I really want to try—after I finish knitting the second sock I just started. (Or maybe I should just find a one-legged friend to give the first sock to.)
Anyway, I like the looks of these projects. And no, the title is not a typo on my part, it’s all one word.

My friend RT reads a lot of political and current events nonfiction. He has offered this comment on a book he has been reading:

Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill) by David Cay Johnston. 2007, Penguin. 323 pp. Non-fiction.

In exhaustively researched chapter after chapter, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Johnston explains how many of America’s wealthiest citizens have used tax laws and legislation to enlarge their bank accounts. Should taxpayers subsidize health care companies, golf courses, ballparks and sporting goods stores? This title offers a timely look at how we could reduce the federal budget and ensure that our taxes help every American live a better life, not just the wealthy.

Getting back in the Swim as A Reader

After several months of not keeping track of what I've been reading, I'm back. I'll probably post just once or twice a week, depending on what else is going on in my life.

Life Skills by Katie Fforde. 1999, Random. 343 pp. Fiction

Julia quits her job, dumps her fiancé Oscar, and takes a job as a crewman on a canal boat. Just your average chick lit, but Fforde has a way with words that makes you want to know more about Julia, her new boss Suzy, Fergus, and even Julia’s bossy mother. The characters may be stereotypes--Suzy is the classic ditzy society girl, Oscar the dumb as a post fiance who refuses to stay dumped, but it all works. I don’t know how I managed to miss this one when it came out. Send me more Katie Fforde for when I just can't face another earnest book with a heavy handed message.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. 2008, Random. 270 pp. Fiction

Olive Kitteridge is the school teacher, wife, and mother who figures in these thirteen stories. Some of them she is one of the main figures; in others she has just a cameo role. We see her life from middle age onward as it moves through disappointments, small satisfactions, and grief. It is hard to be very sympathetic toward her most of the time, but the interest is in how she moves through her world. I found this a very satisfying read.

On Kingdom Mountain by Howard Frank Mosher. 2007, Houghton, Mifflin. 274 pp. Fiction

Miss Jane Hubbell Kinneson, lives on Kingdom Mountain in northern Vermont in the 1930s. She is a feisty fifty-year old who relies on her razor-sharp tongue, over-under shotgun, and a few drams of Who Shot Sam to aid her fight against the proposed highway across "her" mountain. Then she befriends stunt pilot weathermaker Henry Satterfield who is looking for a long lost stash of Confederate gold. I enjoyed this book a lot, although the story moves slowly. I think it could even be a fun movie if they could find someone like Katherine Hepburn to play the part of Miss Jane.

The Seven Sisters by Margaret Drabble. 2002, Harcourt. 307 pp. Fiction

Candida confides her story of rejection, divorce, and alienation to her computer. Her struggles with her health club, her problems with people nearly defeat her, but she keeps bobbing back. She reminds me in a way of A. A. Milne’s Eeyore. But this book is not depressing. Margaret Drabble’s books are not for the faint hearted. Not that they are filled with violence, smut, or foul language. Quite the opposite. Her books are very literate, often wry, and thought provoking. They are not quick reads with interchangeable plots and characters. Don’t let it put you off, though, because she is worth reading.

The War Against Miss Winter by Kathryn Miller Haines. 2007, HarperCollins 317 pp. Mystery

This "soft-boiled" mystery is set in 1940’s New York City. Miss Winter is an aspiring actress who lives in the George Bernard Shaw House "for wayward actresses", but her day job is filing at Jim McCain’s detective agency. Things get dicey when McCain is murdered and she becomes involved with police, society dames, mobsters, and fellow thespians. A good choice for people who don’t like their hard boiled mysteries too gory or gritty. A sequel, The Winter of Her Discontent, follows, but I haven’t read it yet.

The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig. 2006, Harcourt. 345 pp. Fiction

"Can’t cook, but doesn’t bite." What a great start to a position wanted ad and an adventure in living in 1909 Montana. Rose is an unexpected housekeeper for the three motherless Milliron boys and their father Oliver. She and her brother Morrie bring sunshine, life, and learning to the rural community. A paean to an earlier way of life, The Whistling Season reads fast and lively.