Water for elephants- Sara Gruen. An
elderly man (well he is 90+, but senior sounds not right) relives his past when
the circus comes into town. This is a great book, it goes fast and is full of
interesting facts (the author weaved together several true circus stories) but
also very well shows some of the challenges and problems of old age. I loved the
ending, that was absolutely unexpected but perfect, go read for yourself !
Snowflower and the secret fan- Lisa
See. This is a very interesting book telling the story of 2 girls in 19th
century China that get paired as"laotong".Their story tells about the rituals
and culture in that time, including footbinding and the marrying out and it
gives great perspective of rural China in that time. The end is kind of
tragic, but makes it clear that circumstances were not great for women.
Mary, Mary- James Patterson. I must
have missed a few of his books since reading his last one, because I don't
remember the main character having a family (let alone 3 children), but I guess
it can happen quick in books :) There is a nice twist in this book, and has a
little connection to the Yates case. But there is more to it.
Under
the banner of heaven- John Krakauer. The writer is mostly known from his telling
of the disaster on the Mount Everest. This one is about the church of LDS and
more specific about the fundamentalist part of it. But it also tells the very
controversial story of the life of Joseph Smith and how the whole polygamy thing
came into being. It is pretty clear for me ; but then it already was after being
to Salt Lake City'; these people have some weird twist in their head, and not
just the fundamentalists. It is such a patriarchal dominant society that I
really cannot understand how women ever could agree to live like that. It's like
going back to the 1800's; women are less than men, very disturbing. More
disturbing I think is that these people are procreating and convering like
crazy, especially in the US. What is wrong with this world, that people have to
start believing in fairy tales (oh well, what else is religion, at least to me
?)
Plain
Truth - Jody Picoult. An Amish girl has a baby without anybody knowing, but it
ends up dead. A very interesting story which gave me some more insight in the
Amish way of living and has a very surprising ending. There is also a movie out;
don't bother, they took a lot of liberties with the script.
Playing with Fire- Peter Robinson.
A Part of the "Banks" serie, I thought this one very well written, it stayed
interesting to the last bit (even though I guessed whodunit a little earlier). I
am looking forward to the next one, which is the latest paperback.
The undomestic Goddess- Sophie
Kinsella. Bought this for the flight back, but did not manage to finish it in
the plane (a day later though :) As usual with these chickflix, lots of
conincidences and the heroine always turns out to be good at everything (even
though she has to learn). Oh well, made for another 2 hours of entertainment.
Been there, done that- Carol
Snow.This was for the flight to Canada. About a reporter who looks too young
(don't we all wish that upon ourselves) and therefore gets chosen to go
undercover to a college and unravel a story. She finds a story, but it turns out
slightly different than planned. Easy-breazy.
The Giver; The Messenger; Gathering
Blue - Louis Lowry. These are young adult books but very interesting. It plays
in an undefined era, but supposedly after the civilized world as we know it now
was destroyed by (chemical) wars. People started anew and it seems like a "1984"
setting; things are controlled and impersonalized, at least in the village where
the first story (the Giver) starts. As you read on you will find other villages
with different ways and sometimes opposite ideas, a very interesting way to give
all kinds of manners of society a place. Highly recommended for adults as well.
Crossbones- Kathy Reichs. Yummy,
more adventures from Temperance. I did find this book pretty confusing in some
parts, there is a lot of numbers and stories knit together, but as usual it's
very interesting and the fact that it does include some real events makes it
even more intriguing.
The devil wears Prada- Lauren
Weisberger. This was an airplane read and at some point I thought it went a
little too long. You love to hate Andrea's boss, oh my goodness ! It makes it at
some point a liltte unrealistic as to what Andrea is willing to keep up with.
And then the obvious message (even though Weisberger tries to hide it);
everybody is thin and beautiful, ugh ! I wasn't really too happy with the
ending; had hoped for a more juicy "revenge" but hey, I guess there is something
to be said for a professional "get-back at ya". I'm curious about the movie
based on this book coming out
Dikke Dames- Hanneke Groenteman
(dutch). Stories around the theme size, her own size, other people's sizes and
what it means. I think a lot of people will recognize some of the issues;
dieting, thinking that being thinner will make you happier and she is very
honest about it.
Cocktails for three- Madeleine
Wickham. Airplane read about 3 girlfriends in a very different state in life.
Everything changes if one of them has a baby, the other one tries to fix a
problem from her past and the third one deals with her lover. I liked it, and by
the way, this is the same writer as the one from the book below, Kinsella is her
nom de plume...
Can you keep a secret- Sophie
Kinsella. This was the book I bought for my Saturday afternoon off and indeed I
finished it. I never read any other books by Kinsella (the shopaholic series),
but this is one of those sit back and relax, the girl will get the prince (oh
yes, he is rich and good looking ofcourse). Even though enjoyable for a few
hours, these books always make me think of the classical theater comical piece
full of misunderstandings, not a lot has changed.
Rage- Jonathan Kellerman. Yeah,
Delaware is back ! This time an old case catches up with him when a convicted
killer contacts him. The story takes a new turn every chapter and it kept me
interested.
Twisted - Jonathan Kellerman.
I usually only read his Alex Delaware novels, but this one features another
detective Petra Connor. The story is very twisted, especially the ending,
and even though it seem Kellerman cannot do without gruesome details this
again is a great story, interesting till the last page.
Double Homicide- Faye and
Jonathan Kellerman. 2 Of my favorite writers (yes, they're married too).
It's a book with 2 separate stories about murders. Nothing fancy, but it
works for a flight.
Higher Ground- Nevada Barr
An Anna Pigeon adventure, I love them ! It makes it especially interesting
if you have visited the park she writes about (in this case Yosemite) and
recognize the spots, makes it even more realistic. Again a great story
with an interesting twist. Anna is over 50 now, wonder how long she is
going to keep this up and will she ever marry ?
Sons of Fortune - Jeffery
Archer :story about twins, separated at birth and their lifestory. I was
surprised at how much I wanted to read this and it really didn't take long,
helped by a flight. I wouldn't call it literature but it's a good time"waster".
Picture Perfect - Fern Michaels.
I'll be honest; the only reason I picked this book is because it's about
a boy with hemophilia and I was curious what they would say. Well, it kind
of puzzled me. I thought I knew a lot about hemophilia, but this books
either relabels regular terms or does it completely wrong, because I had
no clue what they were talking about. I wonder if the author did some research
at all. Unfortunately one of the persona in the book also provides a very
clear idea about being a carrier; no children because there is a chance
for hemophilia....a little shortsighted I thought, but hey, that is very
personal. I thought the story was very far fetched; it starts out okay,
but when somebody died by running out on a runway I wondered. Not my best
choice.
Day of Atonement, The False
Prophet - Faye Kellerman. I asked these books for my birthday and got them
from my inlaws. Yep, my birthday was not too long ago and actually I read
them both within about a week... but they are so good ! I love series,
that;s why I like this, the Peter and Rina series and Sue Grafton and Jonathan
Kellerman (yes, her husband), and Kathy Reichs and many more, because besides
the plot of the book there is also the plot of their lives !!
Little Earthquakes- Jennifer
Weiner. It gets boring, 3 women in their thirties, having their first child
and what happens then... It's very interesting though and I recognized
lots of things. Too bad that Weiner decides to ruin the chance she has
of putting a positive spin on natural childbirth, but instead makes it
all the American standard; epidural or C-section, and worse I felt putting
a derogatory tone when writing about the one person in the book who seems
to embrace attachment parenting. Other than that I thought it was a great
book.
Harry Potter and the Half
Blood Prince-JK Rowling (17 july). Yep, I finished it already yesterday
actually, one day after publishing so for me it has been a page turner
definetely. Won't spoil too much, but I am not at all happy with the way
things are going, but hey, I guess that's necessary for the complete story.
Some of my suspicions came true, although some of them only got started
and will have to wait till the next book (when is that coming out ?). Harry
will not be returning to Hogwarts (he says) and the only negative thing
maybe is that I think that 16 year olds in this book behave very adultlike
and why on earth does she use the word snogging that much ?
Last Chance Saloon- Marian
Keyes.Her books are invariably about women in their 30's without a (suitable)
man and as different as you can get and it always works out pretty well.
Bit cliche, but it's fun to read, especially in airports and planes :)
It also seems that all these women need a gay friend, not sure why.
The language of Sycamores-
Lisa Wingate. Usually I buy a book and read it right away, with this one
I bought it, then read the recap and left it, because the topic (cancer
it seemed) was really not something I felt like. I picked it up again last
week because I had nothing else to read (boohoo) and it turns out the book
is not only about cancer, although a cancer scare is the start of a life
change. I could do without the God references, but it's not too much and
I love the way Wingate describes the inner struggles.
The Coffee Trader - David
Liss (AR the abbreviation for Airplane Read). In Amsterdam in the 1800's
a Portuguese Jew and a Dutch woman strike a deal to enter a business trading
coffee. Besides it being risky it also turns out to be way more complicated
and treacherous matter than expected. This goes into a lot of detail on
the trading side of things, but it's interesting to see how that works
(the Dutch actually invested the stockmarket !)
Monday Mourning - Kathy Reichs.
Airplane read, another scrumptious book, I know some people think my taste
in books is morbid, but I really like this series. 3 Skeletons show up
in the basement of a pizza parlor, old, new, normal or not, Reichs takes
you on another interesting journey. Kind of scary to know that there is
a guy coming out of jail in Canada now that actually committed the crimes
she describes.
Paint it Black, A killing
rain, Island of Bones- P.J. Parrish. Thanks to Lynda, I was able to catch
up on this series of books about a black cop who after problems ends up
as a PI in Florida. He's stubborn, eager to solve things and therefore
makes mistakes, but has great intuition (almost sounds too good to be true
:) His books deal with real social issues though, especially Island of
Bones was very intriguing.
Asking for Trouble and A Promising
man- Elizabeth Young. Lent to me by friend Linda who promised me an easy
ready and she was right, I finished them both in 4 days. Don't expect anything
spectacular, these are "in between" books when you want to get away from
the real stuff for a while and get sucked into the life of the single,
not so bad looking always ending up with mr.Handsome and rich girl.
R is for Ricochet- Sue Grafton.
More series, this one about a female detective; Kinsey Millhone. A very
interesting book which turns and moves and leaves you wondering till about
the last page.
Therapist- Jonathan Kellerman.
Alex Delaware has moved on, no more wife but still working with the police
on cases. This time a schema around therapy, and a boy who finds out and
ends up dead....
In the company of cheerful
ladies- Alexander McCall Smith. This is part 6 of the No1. Ladies Detective
agency series. Even though there does not happen anything real exciting
in these books, they're a pleasure to read, and I always anxiously await
the next part. Now that there is another wedding on the horizon, I hope
part 7 is coming soon.
Typhoid Mary- Anthony Bourdain.
Bourdain is a cook (he used to have programs on the food channel), but
I like his writing as well. This is his first non-autobiographical book
about the "famous" Mary Mallone, the first know carrier of typhoid. It;s
interesting to read, not a big book, and I like that he tries to create
some sympathy for Mary.
Bookends-Jane Green. I've
been reading a lot of her lately, reread some old ones and bought 2 new
ones. The plot is invariably the same; girl who finds herself pretty plain
is looking, but not looking for Mr. Right and finds him ofcourse. I wonder
if Ms. Green has some self-image issues :), but her books are easy reads
and just gobbleable (I know that's no word, but that;s when you can read
it in 2 days ).
Dark of the Moon- J. Parrish.
I had read another (later) book in this series and remembered I liked it.
This is equally good, a body found in the South stirs up a complete village
and the black officer taking on the case is not helping the animosity.
Spring vacation, I only managed to read 3 books (in a week ;)
Liberty Falling- Nevada Barr.
In the Anna Pigeon series, I read them out of order, but that doesn't matter,
I thought the book deserved a better ending, was a little too fluffy for
me. It does make me want to go back and check out the other islands at
Ellis Island.
Virgin Blue- Tracy Chevalier.
Wow, I read girl with a pearl earring first, which I liked a lot, then
the lady and the unicorn, okay but not great and now this one which was
absolutely fantastic ! She manages to weave 2 stories in 2 different timeframes
into a very intricate book which leaves you wondering till the end what
really happened.
The other side of the story-
Marian Keyes. I bought this in Salt Lake because I had nothing else to
read and chose it because it was the thickest paperback, but it turned
out to be a good choice. This time 3 lives that start out separately and
then become entangled.
Cecilia Ahern- PS I love you.
Recommended by friend Linda who, according to her, only reads easy chick
books. Well, I was impressed by this one, consider it above a chickbook
actually. A woman loses her husband to cancer and is devastated. Then she
receives an envelope from him with "the list". I was even more surprised
when I found that the writer is only 23 years old, she's got some good
outlooks I think.
Peter Robinson: I'm doing
a Peter Robinson "marathon", my friend Lynda has them all and when I mentioned
that I was running out of books she just lend them to me ! So till now
I have read, "past reason hated, Wednesday's child and Final account".
Liked them all, some more than others. I'm trying to see if I can really
predict who did it, I'm telling Marco when I have a clue and hope he remembers
when I finish te book ! :)
Done with all the PR books and I couldn't help myself and had to buy
his new one: close to home as well. I planned it for the plane to Utah,
but I just had to read it. I really liked them all, just thought that they
became progressively more violent, not the new one though.
The Conspiracy Club - Jonathan
Kellerman I thought this was another one in his series about a psychologist,
but even though it's about a man in the same profession it's a different
person. Very interesting book, I loved the twist at the end, you think
you know who did it....
The Secret Life of bees- Sue
Monk Kidd. I was very intrigued by this book, especially because of the
topics, a black Madonna and beekeeping. Despite some grumbling from other
people who think that some of the book is not historically correct (so
what, it's fiction !!) I thought it was very worthwhile.
Deception Point- Dan Brown.
I really like the Davinci Code, wasn't too impressed by Angels and Demons,
but this one is great again. He still has the tendency to make the initial
good guy the culprit, a little predictable.
Skipping Christmas- John Grisham.
An airplan read, it was okay, a little overdone, although, I see how Americans
celebrate the holidays and wouldn't be surprised if this is real
for some people.
Sea Glass- Anita Shreve. All
her books have an excellent story line and great characters. They also
seem to interweave different books, but I never go back to check.... This
one plays in the 1930's and shows how several people are affected by the
great depression. In the center of the story a young couple that tries
to stay afloat.
The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini.
The story of 2 Afghan boys, starting before the Russians invade Afghanistan
and ending recently. It gives an amazing picture of some of the people,
culture and environment in this country that I really don't know a lot
about. It does get pretty graphic at some point, but I thought it was an
amazing and very interesting book, worth your read !
The Rule of Four- Ian Caldwell
& Dustin Thomason. It was advertised as a combination of Dan Brown
(da Vinci code) and Umberto Eco, but I was a little disappointed. The riddles
are okay, though far fetched, but the story lacked continuity I found.
Sometimes it goes very fast, then really slow, and it's not always the
most interesting sections that go slow...
Babyville- Jane Green. Sometime
I need a "just something to read" book and Jane Green usually delivers.
Not too heavy, simple stories, but still recognizable. This time about
3 friends and how they end up being pregnant (or not).
The Jade Peony- Grayson Choy.
Tells about a Chinese family in early Vancouver Chinatown. All the kids
tell their story and it gives you a great insight into the confusion the
later generation must have trying to be both Canadian and Old World China.
Also interesting to read their take on the Japanese in Canada during World
War 2 (especially in combination with "Itsuka" below).
Hey Nostradamus- Doug Coupland.
A school shooting, and stories of some people involved, directly and indirectly.
I read this in a breath, very interesting. I'm not sure if it was inspired
by the Littleton shootings, but it looked like it. Also plays in Vancouver,
see some connection ?
The full cupboard of life
- Alexander McCall Smith. 5th in the seriees about the no.1 's ladies detective
agency. I love these books, he knows how to create the African atmosphere
even though I've never been there. Precious finally gets her husband, even
though it's pretty unexpected.
All of a kind family - Sydney
Taylor. Cute book about a poor Jewish family in New York at the turn of
the last century. It's really fun to read the simple stories that nevertheless
tell you a lot about life in that period. And it teaches you a little something
about Jewish holidays.
Itsuka- Joy Kogawa. There
is a dark chapter in Canadian history when in World War II Japanese Canadians
were sent to camps, lost their houses and properties, got sent back to
Japan, families were scattered and a lot of injustice was done. This book
plays in the late 90's and tells the story about a Canadian Japanese woman
who finally finds her way in life by getting involved with redress and
understands the value of culture and heritage.
John Grisham -Bleachers. The
book is okay, but if you're like me not really into the technicality of
football I wouldn't read it. Story is about a former All American football
player coming back to his hometown where the coach of the high school is
dying. All teammates get together and old stories and issues come up.
David Sedaris - Dress your
family in corduroy and denim. He writes stories from his own life, sometimes
funny, sometimes with a sad undertone, for instance when he talks about
his father kicking him out because he is gay. Sedaris always knows how
to appeal to everybody with everyday situations and make fun of a disfunctional
family. I've heard him speak several times and he has such dry humour,
he could be British.
Faye Kellerman - Street Dreams.
I read a book of her before, but I can't find it in this list. This book
in a series about a Jewish cop family is very interesting. It gives an
intriguing plot, but also gives a lot of information about the Jewish religion.
The author is the wife of Jonathan Kellerman, whose books I love, but except
for the crime stuff, they couldn't be further apart.
De Vriendschap - Connie Palmen;
this book is in Dutch, but I'm sure it is/was translated. I liked it, but
found it very obvious that this was more a way for the author to make her
own philosophies known, which kind of took away from the story at the end.
I found it way too theoretical at that point.
Digital Fortress- Dan Brown.
More interesting stuff from the author of the Da Vinci Code. I liked the
story, but found the "riddle" at the end a little too far fetched
And why does he have the same pattern happen every time (people that seem
to be the very good and dedicated always turn out to be the bad one ?)
Crow Lake- Mary Lawson. Recommended
by friend Lynda I read this in the airplane. I liked it, but thought it
was too predictable. I have a problem with that lately, seem goes for movies.
Around page 10 I already know how it will end, and that takes the whole
fun out of it. But I do like her style of writing and how she put things
in perspective.
Bare Bones- Kathy Reichs.
I'm gonna see her in person tomorrow, very exciting. This is another great
book, where a whole circle of people end up dead. Coincidence or not ?
Dead of Winter - P.J. Parrish.
It left me very angry at police culture (don't even know if this is a right
depiction of the real thing), but it was very captivating. A police office,
fleeing his job because of "issues" ends up in a small town where other
policemen get killed. What really happened.
Straight- Dick Francis. As
said, no 2, still good, read it in about 3 days (while working and having
rehearsals so that's not bad). I found it quite interesting to learn something
about precious stones.
Comeback- Dick Francis. I
had never read anything by this author until my friend Lynda suggested
I proof read so I know if this is something good for the airplane. And
I must say, I really liked this one. I have 2 more so I will have to wait
and see if the racing theme gets old after a while.
Angels and Demons- Dan Brown.
See a problem here ? When I like a book, I start reading more of the same
writer, which is not always a good idea. I liked it, that's not it, but
after 2 you find the parallels, so I don't think I will read another one
(that's what I say now). This book is about the Vatican, very interesting
again and a long forgotten brotherhood; Illuminati
The DaVinci Code- Dan Brown.
Borrowed it from a friend and put it aside after the first chapter because
I didn't like the path it took. But I read on and man, is this book great
! First of all it is a page-turner, secondly it gives you some more information
about some "alternative" religious ideas, thirdly it makes you think as
well, because of the riddles etc. I know, I'm late, half of the reading
population has read this book long time ago, but you know I'm slow on the
uptake :) If you have read the book and want some prolonged fun; go towww.danbrown.com
for the webquest (this involves calling long distance...), the quest is
fun, the outcome is lame or to the
davinci site to do the code (you need the book for this)
Tracey Chevalier- The lady
and the unicorn. I really liked her first book (I actually might have missed
it on this page, if so: girl with a pearl earring, great book !), so when
I saw this while I was shopping for a friend I had to have it, and I loved
it. It's great how she creates a story around a piece of art, makes you
want to go to Paris and see it for yourself. Also gives you a great insight
in everyday life of that period.
Flashback-Nevada Barr. I
have read a lot of her books but I found out they were all borrowed, this
is my first "own". Anna has a new adventure, this time on an island where
past and present seem to get entangled. I get really sucked into these
books so unfortunately the fun doesn't last long :(
Drowning Ruth- Christina
Schwartz. Another great choice from friend Lynda. Piece by piece and bit
by bit you discover the story behind 2 sisters and their 2 daughters. What
happened on that night, who is to blame. You need to keep your brains clear
because the chronology is pretty jumbled, but it's worth it !
Unless- Carol Shields This
is a book that requires more than one reading. I was amazed by her style,
very interesting and the plot is also unexpected. I think I need to take
a look at more of her books.
Het wrede paradijs- Hylke
Speerstra (Dutch) A book about emigrants from the Netherlands, mainly the
Frysian farmers that left in the 1950's. They traded a bureaucratic and
damaged homeland for sometimes even worse conditions elsewhere with no
language skills, no money and plenty of problems. Amazing, to think that
most of these people stayed, because it sure sounds like all of them (now
in their 80's and 90's) are very homesick, but are torn between going "home"
and staying with (grand)children. Not a fun book to read, but very interesting
since most people in the Netherlands only heard about the successfull emigrant.
It inspired me to start on a document with my own thoughts about emigration
and home. Will follow.
Gallows View and a Dedicated
Man - Peter Robinson. He has been around for a while, but I never read
any of his books, this was another advice from friend Lynda and I really
enjoyed it. The writer is Canadian, but the books play in England.
A Superior Death- Nevada
Barr. This is one of the earlier Anna Pigeon novels, so I was actually
a little bit confused when I started reading. Nice intricate mystery as
always. You want to keep on reading because the bad person is never obvious,
neither is the crime.
The No 1 Ladies Detective
agency- Alexander McCall Smith. Together with "Tears of the giraffe" ,"Morality
for beautiful girls" and the "Kalahari typing school for men" these
4 books feature a female detective in Botswana. Great reading, light, but
not too frivolous and wonderful information about Africa in general and
Botswana in particular. The books are small, so an easy read for most people.
Really enjoyed these.
Daddy's little girl- Mary
Higgins Clark. Somebody is killed, the killer (or is it) goes to jail,
but 20 years later the question arises again, did he do it or not ? The
victim's sister decided to take on the fight and begins her own investigation.
You won't be able to put this one down !
The bluest eye- Toni Morrison.
A look in a different culture in the 1930's. About a girl who wants blue
eyes, because that is the only way she feels she could be beautiful. Sad
and appealing story.
Grave Secrets- Kathy Reichs.
This time in Guatemala, past meets future on a political stage. You would
think that since I'm so easily scared I wouldn't enjoy these books with
dead people in it, but I never had a nightmare about them.
Along came a spider - James
Paterson. My mother in law left this book when she came to visit. I started
on it and was kind of put off by the gory details. But when I picked it
up again I did want to know what really happened and although I still think
that this guys has kind of a sick fantasy the story was keeping me up.
Not a good book for parents though, or maybe just mothers, it got me in
a panick mode about kidnappers...
Blood Lure and Ill wind (2
books)- Nevada Barr. Great books for sitting back, relaxing and get intrigued
by the mysteries Anna Pigeon is solving next. Her solving ability is way
beyond me, but he, it makes for a good 6 hours of reading.
Harry Potter and the Order
of the Phoenix - I was very excited, more than 800 pages, that meant that
I could probably "stretch" reading this book over more than one day ! And
I did, it took me 2 days, and although it was hard to put down, when I
finished I was not quite as enraptured as with part 4. The story starts
to look the same now, I was kind of dissapointed. And 2 more to come, I
wonder how that will be. Friend Lynda advised to read part 4 if it has
been a while because there are quite some returning characters.
O is for outlaw - Sue Grafton
The latest in this series about a female PI. I wonder what's gonna happen
when she's done with the alphabet ? These stories are very complicated,
don't even try to guess whodunnit because you never can. Made for a good
3 hour read while watching the kids :)
The Murder book- Jonathan
Kellerman. Alex Delaware receives a book with pictures of murders. One
of them is connected to his friend so another search for the suspect starts.
Not hindered by the fact the murder was 20 years ago they unrevel a very
complicated plot. It's the personal things between Alex and his girlfriend
that keeps me buying these books, the murders and stuff are almost a side
issue now.
Hunting season- Nevada Barr.
I didn't realize she is a Ranger herself and therefore ofcourse knows that
world so well. This one plays in Mississippi, starts off with a body and
leaves you wondering what actually happened. As in the other book I read
of her, she has a very clear opinion about hunting (or poaching) natives...
Empire Falls - Richard Russo.
Another one of those small-town America novels. It seems that things are
changing, but if it's for the better nobody knows. I thought the flashbacks
were sometimes a little boring, but you needed it to understand the story.
For the sake of Elena - Elizabeth
George. A deaf girl is murdered at the University where her father teaches
as well. There are a lot of suspects, but what really happened. This is
the second book of her I have read and I must say that again I thought
it was pretty entertaining although no "literature"
Track of the Cat- Nevada
Barr. Borrowed from my friend Lynda I thought this was really interesting,
first of all because it plays in Texas, second of all because it's hard
to gues this who-dun-it, the ending is pretty neat. I'm looking forward
reading more of her books.
Where the sidewalk ends and
Falling Up - Shel Silverstein. These may not qualify as reading-books,
but they are so great. Shel Silverstein drew the pictures and wrote the
poems which vary between silly, moral and narrative. I borrowed these books
from my friend Lynda and bought them myself today, with the third one,
A Light in the Attic. They may be usually in the kids book section, but
some of them are too clever for that, you'll see
Flesh and Blood- Jonathan
Kellerman. This time Alex Delaware has to battle his own demons and a case
with an old patient. Is it just mee or does he have a slight preference
for twisted families ?
Mr. Maybe - Jane Green -
I was in a plane, so I needed a book and I liked her other one; Jemima
J. It was good travel reading, thanks to the delays I was done in a day.
How Mr. Right is maybe not the one, or is he ? The main character is quite
spoiled and very materialistic, but maybe that is just every girl's real
dream ?
The portrait of a lady -
Henry James. This is probably the book that took me the longest time to
read. Okay, having it in the bathroom doesn't really help, but if it would
be better it would have gotten out of that room. Needless to say it did
not keep my attention. Maybe if they made it into a movie, like the Jane
Austen stuff, I would find it better to digest. I guess I just don't have
a lot of sympathy for the women back then that were not too smart. There
is a nice twist towards the end though, which made me feel pretty sorry
for Isabelle Archer.
Prodigal Summer- Barbara
Kingsolver. How a few people that are not connected at first are part of
an intricate web of relations, human and nature. I love the thing she closes
off with: Every choice is a world made new for the chosen.
The last time they met -
Anita Shreve. Wow, this woman sure knows how to confuse you. First of all
she intertwines something from a previous book in this one, then the ending....
My friend Lynda read it and told me to call her up when I was done, I couldn't
understand why, but now I know ! Read and be surprised.
The nanny diaries - Emma
McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus. It's interesting to get an insight in a
world that was very unknown to me, the rich and wealthy that has nannies
to take care of their child(ren) while they get their nails done and go
to parties. It's a compelling story, but I still wanted to slap the main
character for taking all this "crap", no way anybody would treat me like
that. It makes it all the more believable since both authors worked as
nannies.
The drowning season- Alice
Hoffman. I don't know what to think about this book, I kept hoping it would
get better, because for some reason the story could not hold my attention.
Unfortunately it didn't, but I finished it any way. Maybe a "lull" in Ms.
Hoffman's erzahlungen ?
Deadly Decisions- Kathy Reichs.
Sorry, another one from her, but with the tv kaputt, I am reading at an
all time record and these books are just so easy to read. I will still
have to check if the facts she presents about Hell's Angels are really
truly, if so, that will alter my view definetely of these biker guys.
Fatal Voyage- Kathy Reichs.
How does it work that I cannot see a horror movie without having nightmares,
but I like books like these about a somebody who identifies dead bodies
? Oh well, I'm not gonna try to find a psychological reason. My friend
Lynda introduced me to Kathy Reichs and her books are the ideal plane-food
(I brought it to Corpus). One story is usually the beginning of something
else and Tempe is always in trouble !
Monster - Jonathan Kellerman.
I just can't enough of these books, I love the combination of psychology/thriller/detective
and it's always hard to stop reading. It has been a while since I've read
a new one, so it was about time.
High maintenance - Jennifer
Belle. The title basically describes what I had to do to finish this book,
not my taste.Why does it seem like every book I have chosen lately is about
a Jewish rich woman in New York ? Nothing against them but they seem to
be the favorite topic in any book written by a women lately. It gets on
my nerves, so I will be a little more careful chosing the next one.
The dive from Clausen's pier
- Ann Packer. I think that the theme of thhis book something is everybody
thought about once in a while. What happens when somebody you love ends
up handicapped ? Torn between duty and her true feelings Carrie has to
make a choice.
Good in bed- Jennifer Weiner.
You break up with your boyfriend and then he tells the whole world you're
a "larger woman", did he love you or not. A page turner, recognizable dillema's,
although I wanted to slap here in the middle for keep chasing the guy.
Waanzee- Robert Haasnoot
Based on true events in the Netherlands around 1915. The danger of religious
mania and what happens when people stop thinking for themselves.
P is for Peril- Sue Grafton.
(see below, another travel book). The first 25 pages I thought that I already
had read this book. But it seems that Ms Grafton makes her beginnings the
same so new people get the introduction. Right, she had me fooled for sure.
Didn't like the ending, the motive was not too obvious.
A Great Deliverance-Elizabeth
George I bought this for the travel, but finished it before I boarded the
plane, mmmh. Interesting plot, another version of a police mystery, the
details are kind of gruesome, but it seems that nobody cares about that
at all.
Shelters of Stone- Jean Auel.
Fifth in the serie of Earth children. It took her quite a long time to
write this next one and basically it's the same thing all over again. I'm
wondering if she really thinks people will read this book on its own, because
you get about 100 pages of the same repetitive stories and descriptions.
Only at the end does the story finally start, but then you're on page 200
or something. Next one I will buy secondhand !
Farm Fatale- Wendy Holden.
It's an okay book when you're looking for some easy entertainment, but
it was all a little too good to be true, especially the ending. I also
wonder what happened to this age of safe sex, it sures seems out of the
door with this lady....
A is for Alibi- Sue Grafton.
My friend reads these as travel literature and I must say that it suits
its purpose well. I noticed a lot of simmilarities with the books by Jonathan
Kellerman, although the main character here is a woman. The part I did
not like is that she fools around with the prime suspect, a little bit
too predictable and it takes away from the credibility of the character.
Painted House- John Grisham.
Did I vow never to buy another Grisham book, yes I did, but then he wrote
a novel instead of his usual lawyer stuff and I think it's great. A cotton
farm in the 50's, family life and how to earn a living with something that
is so susceptible to weather and labour.
The Blind Assassin - Margaret
Atwood. Ever since I have hear Atwood speak I became an ever bigger fan.
This book weaves together 3 stories in a very interesting way. You'll be
wondering till the end who the lover was and what exactly happened to Laura.
Dragonfly in Amber - Diana
Gabaldon. This is the second in the series starting with Outlander (see
below). More adventures from Jamie and his Sassenach, it's quite addictive
once you start.
The Priestess of Avalon -
Marion Zimmer Bradley. MZB died before the book was finished so her co-author,
Diana Paxson did. As with all of her books there are numerous names to
remember, luckily there is an index in the front. Nevertheless I still
like her first book: Mists of Avalon, the best, probably because the impression
was fresh. The theme is still the same and getting a little old now. I
did like the references to Latin names and lifestyle, which is something
I learned in high-school.
Stern Men- Elizabeth Gilbert.
How's life on a tiny island where everybody is dependent on lobster fishing.
And how do you get yourself out of the grip of the powerful man ruling
your family and life ?
The Crown of Columbus - Louise
Erdrich-Michael Dorris. A combination of historical material and fiction.
an anthropology professor, her boyfriend and other friends get entangled
in a web of greed and money about the diary of Columbus and the search
for the Crown. Nice to read for travel or a rainy day.
Outlander-Diana Gabaldon.
What would you do when you are "transported" back in time from the 1940's
to the 1740's ? Get back or stay because you already started a new life
? Although I think that some of the description of the life of the Scots
is a little too detailed and disgusting, it gives a really great idea about
living in that period. And ofcourse the question, what happens if you alter
history ?
Nickel and Dimed - Barbara
Ehrenreich. A journalist decides to find out for herself how to survice
on minimal wages in America. An eye-opener; taking any job was supposed
to be the solution for poverty, the truth is absolutely shocking. She cannot
afford to live in a normal housing situation with 2 jobs paying 7 bucks
an hour, working 11 hours a day. Makes you think before you say to a homeless
person, take a job.
Lord of the Rings- J.R.R.
Tolkien. This book should stay at the top of my list since I've read it
about 25 times (and it shows, my soft cover has fallen into pieces). Because
the movie comes out in December I had to prepare myself, so I read it again
(and treated myself to a wonderful hard cover version with drawings by
Alan Lee). If you have the slightest like of fantasy, read this book !
Don't wait for the movie, the book is always (yes, always) better. It's
a big read (actually 3 books, a few hundred pages) but definetely worth
it.
Marrying the Mistress - Joanna
Trollope. Trollope's subjects are always "families" with relational problems.
Some people think it's on the border of fling, I enjoy her books and think
she had a great ability to develop the characters based on one single event.
Kitchen Confidential- Anthony
Boudain. If I didn't know better I would think that every chef is a drug
using, uncivilized, foul speaking drunk after reading this book. It's a
miracle this guy is running one of the good restaurants in New York ! It
does give you some interesting insight in the culinary world, but to be
honest, most of it I really didn't want to know.
Jemima J. -Jane Green. The
story is kind of funny, completely in this era with Internet dating etc.
What annoys me is that even though she pretends differently, the author
instills the image that only thin and good looking women (and men) can
be successfull in life. Kind of short sighted, even though it is true that
pretty people get more career advancement than ugly people, even if they
are equally educated and capable (I will have to look up that article).
There are some vague indications about the ending during the story that
don't match. I would say, an airplane reader.
Girl with a pearl earring
- Tracy Chevalier. I picked it up because of the subject, Dutch life in
the 1700's, to be specific the Dutch painter Vermeer and his household.
I got so sucked into it, that I couldn't put it down and even brought it
on our way to work ( I just had to get it out of the car to put the right
name down). I don't know much about Vermeer, but I do know the city the
book is situated: Delft and it seems the author put a lot of effort in
getting the historic issues right. She's also able to give you another
look at the art of painting. Highly recommended !
The BGF- Roald Dahl. I saw
this book on the vacation display for the kids in our bookstore, I love
Roald Dahl and I hadn't read this one. Sophie and the BFG save the world
from maneating giants by a clever plan.
The Bonesetter's daughter-
Amy Tan. her newest novel with again an intriguing plot. She weaves a tapestry
of a story of 3 generations of Chinese immigrants. She keeps the suspense
up till the end, did precious Auntie tell the truth ?
The Miss Hereford Stories-
Gail Anderson-Dargatz: a compilation of short stories about the same person
in a rural part of Canada. Where cattle plays a major role and getting
away to study is considered a world journey.
Fortune's Rocks- Anita Shreve.
I read another book by her, the weight of water and was very impressed,
and I was not disappointed by this one either. She kind of sucks you into
the story, becoming the personage, in this case, of a young woman about
a hundred years ago, who sees her life changing when she encounters real
love. Little does she know how much impact this will have.
House of Sand and Fog - Andre
Dumus III. One mistake, not even your fault and your life can turn upside
down. How a simple fact can affect so many lives and lead to destruction
and death. A page-turner !
I'm a stranger here myself-
Bill Bryson. Read my Dutch in Texas, add a pound of exaggeration and a
few ounces of humour and you have this book. Any immigrant in the US should
read this book before coming and believe me, in spite of the exaggeration,
the facts are true.
Midwives - Chris Bohjalian
First of all I think it's amazing how wel this author got emerged in the
subject. Combination of suspense, family and right and wrong. Not advised
for pregnant women :)
Three Women - Marge Piercy
The title covers the story exactly, another "generation"-novel, this time
about Jewish women with all the problems of a teen, her career minded mom
and the independent grandmother who in the end has to rely on other people.
Amy and Isabelle - Elizabeth
Strout. History repeats itself, but how do we deal with it. I could not
put this book down, because you want to know what really happened.
The concubine's children
- Denise Chong. The story of 3 Chinese gennerations both in Canada
and in China. After reading Memoires of a Geisha (see further down the
list) I became very interested in Chinese culture and since this is set
in a "familiar" area (Vancouver) it's even more appealing.
Pigs in heaven - B. Kingsolver.
This is actually a follow-up on The Bean Trees, but can easily be read
apart. Kingsolver has a great way of describing the culture of the native
American Indians in this era.
The Girls' guide to hunting
and fishing- Melissa Bank. This is one of those books I passed dozens of
times and it took a long flight before I bought it. It reads like 4 short
stories, but it's all about the same people. Interesting stab to the "Rules"
books.
Plainsong- Kent Haruf. I
had never heard of this writer, but I liked this book. Made me think of
the book Klein America, the same idea of telling stories of seemingly separate
people that meet eachother after a while. Then the story gets interesting.
In a sunburned country- Bill
Bryson. A travel experience about Australia. Since I've never been there,
I couldn't tell you how true it is, but I thought it was interesting. I
would surely use some of his tips (especially the ones on venomous animals)
on my trip.
The Red Tent- Anita Diamant.
This is an adaptation of the story of Jacob's brothers, told from a female
perspective and with a creative elaboration of the story. The main character
Dinah tells her life-story and in the meantime let's you experience a woman's
life in that time and place. I especially liked the interweaving of the
Biblical stories into her own creation.
Memoires of a Geisha- Arthur
Golden. A present for my birthday and I read it as fast as I could. It
gives a surpising insight in the world of a geisha, including her training
and the misconceptions most western people have about them. Very interesting
and well writen.
The Brethren- John Grisham.
I should stop making this guy a multi-millionaire, because I merely buy
the books out of habit now and the quality is definitely getting worse.
Although he finally managed to have a lawyer only play a minor part now
I was not as sucked in as his previous novels.
Harry Potter and the Goblet
of Fire - J.K. Rowlings. Yes, I finished it in 3 days, which was quite
long, but I could only read at night. It's a big book, over 700 pages.
I found it hard to get through the first few chapters, probably because
(for me) known characters were introduced again, but then it's just as
enticing as the other books. Look for a very interesting and surprising
end.
The lost continent- Bill
Bryson. I love this guy, he writes travel books with a humoristic approach.
This one is about his travels through several American states. Sometimes
recognizable, sometimes not (I didn't fully agree with his opinion about
Yosemite for instance). But you will always get a laugh and some good traveltips.
Read also his books: Notes from a small island (about the UK) and A walk
in the woods (his attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail)
Uncle Tom's Cabin- Harriet Beecher Stowe. I
thought I was the last person in America to read this book, but it turns
out most of my American friends never even read it ! It stirred a big commotion
being written in the midst of slavery-time. It is not a fun book, but it
gives a good idea about what slavery did and did not do and specifically
what the old-time masters thought about the system.
Little Women- Louisa May Alcott. Okay, I cheated,
because I read this book in between. I got this book from my friend Lynda
and it seems that every girl in America has read it. Although I'm not really
a fan of books with much religious stuff and morals in every chapter, I
enjoyed this story and I do think it's good reading for girls as well.
I heard that there is still a group of people that adopted this book as
their guide to life. Interesting how much influence writers can have.
The Hound of the Baskervilles -A. Conan-Doyle.
This is, according to the experts, the best Holmes-Watson story, and also
one of the earliest. It is very entertaining, not really suspense, but
the introduction of new characters during the story always makes it interesting
and very hard to guess this Whodunnit ? 3
The Handmaid's tale-M. Atwood. Margaret Atwood
herself does not call this sci-fi, but thinks it fits more in the genre
of 1984 and brave new world, and I heartily agree. She cleverly turns feministic
views and issues of the present in a woman-"friendly" world, absolutely
worth a discussion, let me know if you read it. 4
The Far Pavillions - M.M. Kaye ,romantic-historic
about the British in India, 1000 pages, so it's quite a read, also a movie
which covers only half of the book ! 3
The Poisonwood Bible - B. Kingsolver (a missionary
family goes, including 4 daughters go to Belgian Congo to spread the word.)
4
The Testament - J. Grisham I love Grisham books,
even if the topic is always the same, can't wait to read The Brethren.
Clever rich guy tricks his family) 4.
Harry Potter (3 books) - J.K. Rowlings (no
words, I read all three in four weekdays, funny, exciting, from 8 to 88
!) 5.
Angela's Ashes- F. McCourt. It's amazing how
good McCourt typifies the Irish catholic environment and how he, despite
the poverty and the troubles still can be humorous like a child. Once I
got through the first pages I kept on reading, a good sign ! 4