Recent Reading
Well, when the stack of "read" books falls to the floor, it's time to shelve them - but I'll update my "bookshelf" first.
I'm hitting the end of the massive backlog of Red Dress books; I only have a half dozen on my to-be-read shelf. It's been an instructional 18 months - I've found some wonderful new authors, and I've found some who remind me of my calendar age. I'm looking forward to reading more fantasy and mystery, filling the "genre" gap on my shelves :-)
Standouts among recent reads included ON AGATE HILL, by Lee Smith. It's the story of an orphaned girl growing up in Reconstruction North Carolina. I picked it up for free at Book Expo, and I truly enjoyed reading it - enough to seek out other books by Smith in the future. Also, I loved the dialog in Jenn Reese's JADE TIGER. A few days ago, I found myself telling a story to Mark, focusing on the respect that children do (and do not) pay their elders. Something jangled at the back of my mind as "familiar", and it took me a moment to realize that it was a passage from JADE TIGER.
So, sparing those of you with no interest, the list is behind
Mindy, ready to shelve the "read" books...
I'm hitting the end of the massive backlog of Red Dress books; I only have a half dozen on my to-be-read shelf. It's been an instructional 18 months - I've found some wonderful new authors, and I've found some who remind me of my calendar age. I'm looking forward to reading more fantasy and mystery, filling the "genre" gap on my shelves :-)
Standouts among recent reads included ON AGATE HILL, by Lee Smith. It's the story of an orphaned girl growing up in Reconstruction North Carolina. I picked it up for free at Book Expo, and I truly enjoyed reading it - enough to seek out other books by Smith in the future. Also, I loved the dialog in Jenn Reese's JADE TIGER. A few days ago, I found myself telling a story to Mark, focusing on the respect that children do (and do not) pay their elders. Something jangled at the back of my mind as "familiar", and it took me a moment to realize that it was a passage from JADE TIGER.
So, sparing those of you with no interest, the list is behind
BUNDLE OF JOY, by Ariella Papa
POISON STUDY, by Maria V. Snyder
THE END, by Lemony Snicket
JADE TIGER, by Jenn Reese
LOOKING FOR MR. GOODFROG, by Laurie Graff
ON AGATE HILL, by Lee Smith
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC, by Sophie Kinsella
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, by Lauren Weisberger
PEGASUS DESCENDING, by James Lee Burke
HOW NANCY DREW SAVED MY LIFE, by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED, by Jonathan Safran Foer
DRAMA CITY, by George Pelecanos
TRASH SEX MAGIC, by Jennifer Stevenson
THE BRASS BED, by Jennifer Stevenson (read in manuscript form, so that I could blurb it before its 2007 release!)
THE BREAKUP CLUB, by Melissa Senate
HIGH FIDELITY, by Nick Hornby
LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER, by Jane Sigaloff
PAY THE PIPER, by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple
ENCHANTED, INC, by Shanna Swendson
MR TIMOTHY, by Louis Bayard
HAND-ME-DOWN, by Lee Nichols
FASHIONISTAS, by Lynn Messina
NAME & ADDRESS WITHHELD, by Jane Sigaloff
UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN, by Jon Krakauer
MARCH, by Geraldine Brooks
TALL, DARK & DEAD, by Tate Hallaway
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE, by Audrey Niffenegger
ME VS. ME, by Sarah Mlynowski
THE THIEF WITH NO SHADOW, by Emily Gee (read for blurbing purposes - not yet publicly available!)
IN THE COMPANY OF THE COURTESAN, by Sarah Dunant.
MORE TO LIFE THAN THIS, by Carole Matthews
FISHBOWL, by Sarah Mlynowski
THE LADY AND THE UNICORN, by Tracy Chevalier.
THE MATZO BALL HEIRESS, by Laurie Gwen Shapiro.
THE KITE RUNNER, by Khaled Hosseini.
PREP, by Curtis Sittenfeld.
WHAT MEN WANT, by Deborah Blumenthal.
THE DEVIL'S ARITHMETIC, by Jane Yolen.
WONDERBOY, by Fiona Gibson.
FREEDOMLAND, by Richard Price.
MEAN SEASON, by Heather Cochran.
THE LOST PAINTING, by Jonathan Harr.
HARDLY WORKING, Betsy Burke.
THE ART OF DECEPTION, by Ridley Pearson.
DO THEY WEAR HIGH HEELS IN HEAVEN, by Erica Orloff.
THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING, by Joan Didion.
LOVES ME, LOVES ME NOT, by Libby Malin.
ON THE VERGE, by Ariella Papa.
THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, by C.S. Lewis.
A LITTLE CHANGE OF FACE, by Lauren Baratz-Logsted.
THE SEA, by John Banville.
POISON STUDY, by Maria V. Snyder
THE END, by Lemony Snicket
JADE TIGER, by Jenn Reese
LOOKING FOR MR. GOODFROG, by Laurie Graff
ON AGATE HILL, by Lee Smith
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC, by Sophie Kinsella
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, by Lauren Weisberger
PEGASUS DESCENDING, by James Lee Burke
HOW NANCY DREW SAVED MY LIFE, by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED, by Jonathan Safran Foer
DRAMA CITY, by George Pelecanos
TRASH SEX MAGIC, by Jennifer Stevenson
THE BRASS BED, by Jennifer Stevenson (read in manuscript form, so that I could blurb it before its 2007 release!)
THE BREAKUP CLUB, by Melissa Senate
HIGH FIDELITY, by Nick Hornby
LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER, by Jane Sigaloff
PAY THE PIPER, by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple
ENCHANTED, INC, by Shanna Swendson
MR TIMOTHY, by Louis Bayard
HAND-ME-DOWN, by Lee Nichols
FASHIONISTAS, by Lynn Messina
NAME & ADDRESS WITHHELD, by Jane Sigaloff
UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN, by Jon Krakauer
MARCH, by Geraldine Brooks
TALL, DARK & DEAD, by Tate Hallaway
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE, by Audrey Niffenegger
ME VS. ME, by Sarah Mlynowski
THE THIEF WITH NO SHADOW, by Emily Gee (read for blurbing purposes - not yet publicly available!)
IN THE COMPANY OF THE COURTESAN, by Sarah Dunant.
MORE TO LIFE THAN THIS, by Carole Matthews
FISHBOWL, by Sarah Mlynowski
THE LADY AND THE UNICORN, by Tracy Chevalier.
THE MATZO BALL HEIRESS, by Laurie Gwen Shapiro.
THE KITE RUNNER, by Khaled Hosseini.
PREP, by Curtis Sittenfeld.
WHAT MEN WANT, by Deborah Blumenthal.
THE DEVIL'S ARITHMETIC, by Jane Yolen.
WONDERBOY, by Fiona Gibson.
FREEDOMLAND, by Richard Price.
MEAN SEASON, by Heather Cochran.
THE LOST PAINTING, by Jonathan Harr.
HARDLY WORKING, Betsy Burke.
THE ART OF DECEPTION, by Ridley Pearson.
DO THEY WEAR HIGH HEELS IN HEAVEN, by Erica Orloff.
THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING, by Joan Didion.
LOVES ME, LOVES ME NOT, by Libby Malin.
ON THE VERGE, by Ariella Papa.
THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, by C.S. Lewis.
A LITTLE CHANGE OF FACE, by Lauren Baratz-Logsted.
THE SEA, by John Banville.
Mindy, ready to shelve the "read" books...
A Little Change of Face was okay at best. It irked me a bit.
On The Virge I have on my shelf to be read.
How Nancy Drew Saved My Life I have yet to get
Fashionistas I want to buy this book :)
Do They Wear High Heels In Heaven? Is that as good as Erica's other books? I have three of her other RDI books and I love love love them...
I also like HIGH HEELS - although it's a very different tone from any other Red Dress that I've read. It's told in alternating chapters, narrated by a young mother with cancer and her gay best friend. His back story, in particular, is harrowing. I'd recommend the book strongly - it pushes the genre in very interesting ways.
I'd love to see more opinion on some of these novels, but I understand that time and energy can be of the essence.
I'll try to add more commentary in the future - especially when I can whole-heartedly recommend something!
(Let me know what you think of the Graff when you get to it - I know that lots of folks have raved about the book!)