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| Books I'm Reading... FYI |
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| In Progress Yeah, it's been a while, and will probably continue sporradic. However, here's some of the recent past: Portrait of a Lady by Henry James begun 11/08 Recently Completed Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling begun 8/07, finished 8/07 State of Fear by Michael Crichton begun 1/28, finished 2/3/06 The Two Georges by Richard Dreyfuss and Harry Turtledove begun 9/14, finished 1/??/06 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling begun 12/21, finished 1/8/06 The Fifth Gospel: the Gospel of Thomas Comes of Age by Stephan J. Patterson begun 8/16, finished 12/5/05 Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke begun 4/6, finished 9/22/05 Superlatives enough do not exist to describe how much I adored this book. By the time I was ensconced in the final third of the book, it was almost painful to put it down each time (but necessary, as the whole book ran to something like 750 pages and I shouldn't just sit up all night to finish a book anymore, much as I might want to!!) It could well be described as Harry Potter for adults. The setting is England in the Napoleonic Era/early Regency. The premise is that practical use of magic has disappeared from England several centuries past, and there is now a movement to revive it. The plot threads are quite complex, and right to the end, there were bits at whose connection/resolution I couldn't guess! That's RARE. The voices of the characters are distinct and real. The Duke of Wellington, though a minor character, is wonderfully realized -- his terse practicality often being the source of humor, and jibing with my own mental picture of the man. A truly wonderful read! Go out and buy it right now. I mean it. Stop reading this and go! Caledonia: Legend of the Celtic Stone by Michael Phillips begun 6/7, finished 8/8/05 An interesting story, reminiscent of Michner's The Source, wherein there is a modern story that serves as a vehicle to tell vignettes out of different periods of history, this being the history of Scotland. My interest in the book remained high as it progressed, but I thought the best actual storytelling was contained in the beginning of the modern part of the story and the first of the historical "windows". I found the interest of the modern protagonist in learning about Scotland's history, and revisiting stories from his childhood a bit artificial, and the vehicle for introducing and re- introducing him to those times in Scotland's past a bit too convenient. Also, the dual conflicts, one emotional and one constituting a mystery, both seemed to resolve rather quickly and easily. While I'm the first to admit that some sort of catalyst can appear quite suddenly and unexpectedly that changes the nature of how one sees the world and/or one's relationships with others...this just never felt quite real to me. I can't say why -- the protagonist is likeable, and certainly, I sympathized with his troubles. But, there must have been some intangibles missing that kept me from getting sufficiently invested in him to then buy some of his revelations, etc. None of which keeps it from being a fun read. There's a sequel, and I do plan to add it to my list before too long. I am curious enough to see what comes next! It's Always Something by Gilda Radner begun 5/4, finished 5/20/05 I pulled this off my shelf, where it had sat un-read for some years, after my husband came home talking about an NPR interview with Gene Wilder he'd heard. Though it's certainly biographical in a general sense, in that Gilda talks about her family and growing up, the meat of the book is really the few short years between her marriage to Gene Wilder and the end of her cancer battle. I wasn't sure if I was going to finish it, since I already knew how it ended. But, I plugged on, sad as I was, to see just how someone like the fantastically funny Ms. Radner deals with cancer. The answer is, very much like anyone else -- sometimes in denial, sometimes resigned to the worst, sometimes hopping mad about the whole thing, sometimes trying to show a brave face to everyone around her, sometimes taking inspiration from others. She received a TREMENDOUS amount of comfort from The Wellness Community, a cancer-support group in LA, that forms the basis for the nationwide chain of Gilda's Clubs, proving that even out of tragedy and grief something positive and uplifting can be born. I like to think that she knows what she's inspired. The Quest for Becket's Bones: the Mystery of the Relics of St. Thomas Becket of Canterbury by John Butler begun 2/28, finished 3/29/05 I got this book after my visit to Canterbury, where I learned of the destruction of the Shrine of St. Thomas by King Henry VIII when he parted ways with Rome and supressed the monasteries. I'm quite well informed about history, especially British/English and especially in the Medieval and Renaissance periods, but this was not something I knew about. I was surprised, and quite angry at old King Henry, although it would seem logical, under the circumstances, to remove as an object of veneration the mortal remains of someone who martyred himself for the faith in his opposition to a powerful king. So, I wanted to read this, and see what this author had to say about what might have become of Becket's relics (the docents at the cathedral all said "burned and gone"). This book concludes "not so fast." Without going into an excess of detail, several salient points are raised about what might and might not have become of Becket's bones; suffice it to say that when I return, there's a tomb in the crypt, marked with nothing but an archbishop's cross, by the chapels of St. Mary Magdelene and St. Nicholas, that I will be visiting particularly! The Autobiography of Santa Claus as told to Jeff Guinn begun 12/29, finished 3/7/05 A terrific children's story of Christmas and Santa Claus down through the years. There's lots of history of western civilization, St. Nicholas meets some fascinating people as he makes the 17-century transition from Bishop of Myra to Santa Claus. Highly recommend. Conveniently arranged in 24 chapters, for reading each of the nights of December before Christmas (though we clearly ignored this arrangement)! The King's Rangers by John Brick begun 1/3, finished 2/24/05 A novel of the War for American Independence, focused on a Captain of Butler's Rangers, a unit of New York Loyalists. This was a well-researched, well written slice of that life. I admit I'm biased on two counts: I am a descendant of Loyalists from New York, so am a little bit touchy on the whole subject ~ a nation ostensibly born out of a zeal for rights and freedom had no interest in the rights or freedom of people who thought differently on the matter ~ and, my hubby and I re-enact the period as members of a company of Butler's Rangers. It was a good story, based on good information. Pontius Pilate by Ann Wroe begun 8/6, officially bailed out 12/30/04 This book seemed like a good idea at the time, but the upshot is that we know next to nothing about the historical Pontius Pilate. So, Wroe spends time talking about the leading theories as to who he might have been, discussing the small handful of historical mentions that he has outside of the Bible, and then giving us information about Roman life/society/occupation of Palestine at that time. Which is all fine, except that then she spends inordinate time talking about the literary Pilate, as interpreted in the medieval Passion Plays. Which is fine if that's what you were looking for. I've decided that there really wasn't enough material here for a book, I'm only halfway through, and am more than ready to move on! Too bad! Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling begun 9/23, finished 10/20/04 Okay, bring on the next one...what? Not 'til when? <grump, pout> I loved it, of course, and am waiting anxiously for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I am growing less keen on the films, simply as it is becoming increasingly impossible to do justice to the stories in the 2-3 hour time span afforded by a theatrical release. At some point I'll stop bothering with them. Perhaps after seeing Goblet of Fire, I'll declare the moratorium. This book had a lot of up-chucking in it...that may mean it will be a good time to quit seeing the movies.... Timeline by Michael Crichton begun 8/23, finished 9/3 (in the wee small hours!) To quote my husband, someone should make a movie out of this book! Yeah, there's one of the same name....but someone should make a movie out of THIS book! Ahem! I can only agree! AND, I went to Crichton's website to urge a sequel. I won't say in what vein, since that would give away a pertinent bit of the first tale. But...suffice it to say, I want to know more! Time and Again by Jack Finney A time travel story from the 1970's, using a non-mechanical theory of temporal relocation. A very entertaining read. I'll be looking for more by the same author. Emma by Jane Austen The film adaptation is pretty faithful to it...much dialogue is mined straight from these pages. But it is lovely to return to the source once in a while! |
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