Pick of the Week

This week I recommend On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. I didn't review it, but it is fantastic and you should read it.

Mail

Today I received a book in the mail that I mooched, Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. I want to read this because Masterpiece Classic is going to show it in May, I think, and I'd like to see if the film lives up to the book.

Today's Purchases

Today I purchased four books from the Friends of the Library book sale.
1. Black Water by Kerstin Ekman
2. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
3. Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks
4. The Paris Review Book of ........

I can never resist the paperback sale cart at the library, even though I work there and could probably check all of these out and not have to spend a dime. But there is something about owning books that is very alluring.

Review: The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller

This novel is about sex. No, really, it is. It certainly isn't erotic or even very arousing, but there is A LOT of sex in this book and, in fact, the strange and unexpected ending revolves around a wife walking in on a sexual scene involving her disabled, elderly, long-estranged husband.
I love Sue Miller because she writes about real people and their inner lives and relationships. Everything is mundane, everyday, normal -- on the surface. But she digs deeper and reveals the bizarre workings of her character's minds and thoughts and how that affects their, in this case, marriages, and of course the sexual aspect of marriage.
Meri and Nathan are a newly married couple who have recently moved to the East Coast, where Nathan has secured a job as a professor. Their next door neighbor is Delia, the 70-ish wife of a former senator. The novel gives parallel accounts of the two marriages and how adultery, pregnancy and children shape and define the physical and emotional bonds between husband and wife. The star of the book is Delia who is a complex and fascinating character. I was engrossed from the beginning and experienced a variety of emotions while reading this novel: amusement, revulsion, outrage. In the end I applaud it as a fabulous character study and a very satisfying read.

Review: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks is being hailed as the latest DaVinci Code-like novel to take readers by storm. It is 1996 and Hanna Heath, a rare-book conservator, has been commissioned to work on the Sarajevo Haggadah. A haggadah is a manuscript that is used at Passover to tell the story of the Exodus. The Sarajevo Haggadah is illuminated, which is rare, as Jews did not normally use likenesses in these manuscripts. The haggadah has recently been discovered again after disappearing from the national library during the Bosnian war. It was saved by a librarian, Ozren, who risked his life to spirit it out of the library during intense shelling. Hanna, a fiercely independent Australian, arrives in Sarajevo and spends a week documenting and conserving the haggadah before it is to be placed in a special exhibit at the museum. During her work, she discovers three items inside the book that she hopes will help her to discover its origin: a butterfly wing, a drop of salt water, and a single white hair. The remainder of the novel goes back and forth in time as we learn about the people who not only created the book, but who saved it. These tales are interspersed with the modern tale of Hanna discovering who her father is and her disintegrating relationship with her mother. I truly enjoyed this novel and think it is far superior to The DaVinci Code. It is not action-packed, nor very suspenseful, but as the title suggests, it is about people. Each small section of the historical record is compelling and riveting and made me want to know more about the characters and their fates. I heartily recommend it.

Persuasion

I finally watched the new version of Persuasion that aired on Masterpiece Classic and I have to say... it isn't very good. The acting was blah, the story was too rushed and the romance and sense of anticipation that you feel while reading the novel was extremely lacking. I was a bit disappointed. I hope Northanger Abbey turns out better. On a side note: I kept staring at Mr. Elliot and desperately racking my brains to figure out where I had seen him before. It finally came to me -- he was Giles from Buffy!!

Jane Austen Bumped

The new Masterpiece Classic series began on PBS on Sunday evening with a showing of Persuasion. I've Tivo'd it, but I'm not sure when I can get to it as I am thoroughly engrossed in the Australian Open this week. This is one of my favorite tennis tournaments if only because it is on in the evenings --it being the next day in Australia --and I can watch tons of matches. So, I probably won't find time to watch Persuasion until this weekend. And Sunday, I will Tivo Northanger Abbey. So exciting! I love having things to look forward to.

Bibliotherapy

Because I've been sick for over a week now and was feeling crummy and irritated yesterday, I decided to go to Barnes & Noble and buy some classic novels I've been wanting to read. I picked up Emma by Jane Austen, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell, Middlemarch by George Eliot and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. They are all very pretty and smell like heaven. I love new books -- why don't I buy them more often?

Review: Party of the Century by Deborah Davis

I read Party of the Century while I was sick in bed over last weekend. I heard about it on an episode of Barefoot Contessa. Ina Garten had the author, Deborah Davis, for dinner and prepared a meal that included chicken hash, which is what was served at Truman Capote's famous Black & White ball held in November 1966. I enjoyed reading about the preparations for the ball and about Capote's relationship with his "swans" -- several beautiful, rich women whom he socialized with, including Babe Paley, Gloria Guiness and C.Z. Guest. This is a nice, fluffy read that gives an insight into high society in the 60's and how Capote helped usher in the new era of "publi-ciety". I'd recommend this for a day spent bundled up with the flu or for a flight.

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2008! Does anyone have any reading goals for this new year? I haven't really formulated any yet except that I'd like to read more classics, especially Victorian fiction, and I'd also like to read all of the Adam Dagliesh novels by P D James. Other than that, I've discovered I just like to see where life takes me in my reading adventures. It is hard for me to commit to reading challenges because my moods and tastes vary daily, if not hourly. I definitely want to read MORE this year and more quality books. I feel that 2007 wasn't my best reading year -- I was too ambitious and it made me crabby when I didn't fulfill my goals. I hope everyone has a fantastic year of reading ahead!

Changes at PBS

I was excited to read of some huge changes coming to Masterpiece Theater. I have loved this program since I was a teenager when it helped fuel my still existing Anglophilia. I am really looking forward to their new format and to new hosts.

Review: The Murder Room by P D James

The Murder Room centers around the Dupayne Museum, a fictional place that sits on the edge of Hampstead Heath in London. The Museum is devoted to chronicling the inter war years and features a room that displays information about famous murders during the 20's and 30's. As the mystery opens, the museum is in jeopardy of being closed as Neville Dupayne, one of the trustees of the museum, refuses to sign a new contract to keep the museum open. His siblings, Caroline and Marcus, try to persuade him to change his mind -- the next day Neville is burned to death inside a garage on the museum grounds. Adam Dagliesh and his Special Investigative unit are brought into the case because one of the museum employees works for MI5. As they investigate the various motives and suspects another murder is discovered; a young girl is found stuffed into a trunk in the murder room. She's been strangled and it's determined that she was killed on the same day as Neville Dupayne and probably by the same killer. Lending an aura of distaste to the investigation is the discovery that Caroline Dupayne runs a sex club out of her flat at the museum. Are the murders tied into the activities of the club? The conclusion of the mystery is very dramatic, with one of the witnesses being nearly murdered, but it falls flat in the motive. There was no background leading up to why someone would murder Neville and it was disappointing. The real ending of the book is in a very romantic love scene at a train station for Dalgleish and his love, Emma. At least that was satisfying. As usual, this James novel is very good on characterization and drama; not so good on the mystery. But, I love her writing and will continue to try to read all of her novels. Happy New Year!

P D James-aholic

So, lately I've been obsessed with P D James, the octogenarian British mystery author. I am currently reading The Murder Room and have 4 of her other books being sent to me through Bookmooch. Her writing is elegant, character-driven and efficient, which is not common for a mystery novel. And of course, the characters are British. Although he doesn't quite measure up to my beloved Rebus, Adam Dalgliesh is one of my favorite literary detectives. If you are looking for something that requires care and attention to digest try James. Not fast-paced in any way, you will be rewarded with rich characterization and delicious writing.

Yes, I am Reading

I am still here, just busy. I have finished a couple of books since I last posted: Election by Tom Perrotta and The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike. I am currently reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, which I LOVE. I will write more later.

My Solution

So, I have been in a reading funk the past couple of weeks. After reading 7 or 8 novels in September I've stalled and can't find anything interesting. But I think I've found a solution: young adult novels. It seems I only ever turn to the YA section when adult literature fails me. I checked out a couple of novels yesterday and put a few more on hold. Hopefully, they will cure my reading malaise.

Review: Songs Without Words by Ann Packer

I was very excited to get this novel because I loved Packer's first book, The Dive From Clausen's Pier. Sadly, I found Songs Without Words to be depressing, whiny and a waste of time. Set in the Bay Area it centers on two best friends Liz and Sarabeth. Both in their 40's, Liz is a yuppie mom of two while Sarabeth is a career-less single. When Liz's daughter Lauren tries to commit suicide, their worlds and their friendship falls apart. I read most of this on an afternoon off from work and finished feeling depressed, discouraged and sick to my stomach. Because of this, I can't recommend this book at all. I'm not asking for sunshine and roses, but this novel plunges the reader into a scary and dark place where, really, I feel no one needs to go

Busy

Sorry, I haven't posted in a while. This week has been busy. I worked all last weekend and have worked 2 nights this week. I am completely off my regular schedule. I have 2 reviews to post and will try to do that tonight. Happy reading!

Review: The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill

The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill is my favorite type of British mystery. It is much like a P.D. James or Ruth Rendell novel. Set in a cathedral town it centers on the disappearance of two local women, who disappear while walking on The Hill, which looms over the city. There is no evidence that they've been harmed, but DS Freya Graffham has a feeling that they are dead and convinces her boss, DCI Simon Serailler to let her investigate. Simon is a mysterious loner who Freya immediately falls in love with. Meanwhile, Simon's sister Dr. Cat Deerbon is trying to stop quack new age doctors from "treating" people in the town. These various plot lines seem to be traveling down different roads and, indeed, in the end they don't really converge. But they all overlap in some way and make for an interesting and engaging thriller that has a knack for making the characters come alive. I am eagerly awaiting the delivery of the second novel in the series.

Cool Website

Keep track of your favorite authors or just look to see what authors are appearing near you at BookTour.

Review: Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli is the much-awaited sequel to the fabulous young adult novel, Stargirl. I listened to Stargirl about 2 years ago and loved it, so was very excited to hear about this continuation. This novel is written as a series of letters from Stargirl to Leo, her former boyfriend in Arizona. Stargirl now lives with her parents in Pennsylvania and is home schooled, lonely and longing for Leo. When the novel began I was a bit startled by how like a normal teenage girl Stargirl was sounding, pining after Leo. After a while though, I really appreciated how much more mature Stargirl is in this novel. Though she still has kooky ideas and says kooky things, she is struggling in this novel to be the girl she once was. Her best friends are a 6 year old named Dootsie and Betty Lou, an agoraphobic divorcee. Throughout the year Stargirl befriends a tomboy named Alvina, a complex boy named Perry and various other characters in town. Through it all she realizes that she still loves Leo, but can have a normal and fulfilling life without him near. The climax of the book comes when Stargirl hosts a solstice party which brings all of her friends and neighbors together to watch the sun rise on December 21. The ending, when she hears from Leo, is sweet and satisfying. I really enjoyed Love, Stargirl and am so happy that Jerry Spinelli decided to write this lovely sequel.