I have just finished reading Year Of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks which is about the village of Eyam in Derbyshire that in 1666 quarantined themselves to prevent further spread of the plague. It is a fantastic book and well worth reading.

Have just started Sally Hemmings by Barbara Chase-Ribaud which is about Thomas Jefferson and his relationship with his slave who bore him seven children.

This week I 'ave been mostly readin' Billy by Pamela Stephenson.

A fascinating insight into the strange, crazy, disturbed, hilarious world of Billy Connolly, written by his wife. A warts and all (and I mean warts and all) account of Billy's life, written by the woman who according to Billy "saved his life".

Recommended*
wez

I am reading "Valhalla Rising" by Clive Cussler. I usually enjoy his "Dirk Pitt" character, but this time I think Cussler has put way too much of the technical information into the dialogue of his characters instead of explaining what he wants to say in between the dialogue. Real people would never explain these things in their regular conversation as far as I am concerned. He created a niche for himself with the Dirk Pitt character and his exploits, but Cussler's writing has become too predictable and lazy in "Valhalla Rising" as far as I am concerned.

Oh MY, blue! Cussing Cussler??? We learned to love him together! I'm still struggling with his last novel! He appointed a new hero in that one, and I don't like that very much! Clive should read our consumer report here! Some dissatisfied clientele!

Hey, wez

Robbie Williams sings a song that mention Billy Connolly. I wondered who he was, now I'm really curious.

I just finished reading Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee. Wow. What an amazing book. Actually this was two in one but, still...wow. She's such a great writer, an amazing story teller. Even though it was written in the 70's it didn't have a dated feel. I think I could wait another 30 years and it'd still be fresh, fantastic writing. Another reason why I love it is the same reason why I love Frank Herbert's Dune. Their individual styles of writing are different but, they both write about ecological awareness and the ethics, consequences of genetic altering.

I'm almost one-third through The Winds of War by Herman Wouk. It's great! It's the second of Wouk's books that I've read (the first was Marjorie Morningstar) and they're fantastic!

I couldn't agree more, Lady C . He is a masterful writer. The Caine Mutiny too, wonderful to be able to draw characters in that way.

bullymom and LindaC007.....if you liked Lady Bird Johnson's White House memories, I'm sure you'd like "Lady Bird" by Jan Russell and "Upstairs At the White House" by J. B. West, former Chief Usher at the White House. Both books foster a very positive impression of Mrs. Johnson, and a less-than-flattering portrayal of Lyndon Johnson.

"Upstairs At the White House" and its predecessor "Backstairs At the White House" are two of my favorite reads. They contain the memories of the White House staff (maids, butlers, ushers, etc.) about the various first families going back to the early 1900s. They are fascinating, intersting, informative, 'gossipy', and just plain fun.

I'm reading "The Dark Side of Camelot" by Seymour M. Hirsh, a fascinating, disturbing and revealing look at the Kennedys and those with whom they dealt.

The book uses as one of it sources documents not revealed until the 1990s via the Freedom of Information Act. It seems that all we've learned about JFK's womanizing was just the tip of a very big iceberg. Also revealed are disturbing incidents involving Joseph Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, J. Edgar Hoover and many others.

Most people think of Camelot as an enchanted, charming and mythical place. In reality, Camelot is a story of deception, infidelity and lies. This book makes this reality painfully clear.

I'm reading Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver, the Regeneration Trilogy by Pat Barker, How to be good by Nick Hornby, and rereading Riders by Jilly Cooper. I'm reading too many books at once, it's no joke! And I've a big bag of books that someone gave me waiting to be read.

Hi, Wez, I bought the Billy book in the UK and read it in one sitting...I've always loved that guy. Maybe someone caught him in a series that was modeled on Green Card.
I bought about 25 books in the UK and read ten during the two week period..you see what not being on here all day does?
We'll have to get out the funtriviaddiction thread some day, huh?

Billy is an excellent story as he didn't exactly have an easy time of life, did he?

I also purchased How To Be Good, radioderv, and I read that as well...very interesting stuff, isn't it? I agree with one reviewer that he writes well as a woman.

PS; can you send the bag down here to France when you're done? I'll have finished the others in a while...

Did you read the India Knight books? I was hysterical in her descriptions of child raising...

I just finished Stephen King's "The Waste Lands" (Dark Tower III), so the next book I'll buy will be "Wizard and Glass". Now I just started on a book called "Die Frau mit den Regenhänden" ("The Woman with Rain Hands" or so) by a German author I never heard of before. I borrowed the book from a friend, she said it's very good and suspenseful. I can't tell if she's right because I'm on page 7 or so

S.P. Somtow
Darker Angels

I'm in the middle of S.P. Somtow's Darker Angels. The last book of his that I read was Moon Dance. btw I've read it 3 times 'cause I love it that much. Moon Dance is one of the best shape-shifting books to read. Oh...I'm supposed to be raving about Darker Angels. Somtow has this amazing talent for weaving history and supernatural horror. You'd think it might get confusing with the character line-up and the different narratives but you get caught up in the rythm and flow. It's an easy read in the sense that Somtow has great technique and creativity. It's not an easy read in the sense of subject matter. The story opens at the time of Abe Lincoln's death and you see slavery, war, sexuality, and questioning religious faith thru the eyes of the different characters.

Recently finished reading "Catcher in the Rye" & "The Borrowed CHild", and have just started "Desolation Angels", by Jack Keruoac....(man, I really need a hobby!)

I love easy reads and find any Jane Mansell books are enjoyable. A little heavier was The Jigsaw Man by Paul Britton. It is a true story of a forensic psychologist. It is very interesting reading, quite scary when you find yourself reading about the minds of people who have committed horrific crimes. His follow up book Picking Up The Pieces is also an excellent book.
Also as a football fan, I have just bought Roy Keanes 'controversial' autobiography and am getting stuck into that. My friend has bought me Kylie Minougue's autobiography as well! Lots of books to get through!

the day the world came to town Gander newfoundland 9/11
An amazing uplifting book by Jim Defede

Just started The Woman and the Ape by Peter Høeg. Getting ready to start A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. Lately I've developed this bad habit of reading more than one at the same time. I also just finished a romance and am in the middle of another one. They kinda don't count though I read them when my brain needs a vacation. They're lots of fun. Though I do tend to skip or skim over then endings. Tendency for extra smarmy there.

On Green Dolphin Street by Sebastian Faulkes
What a terrific writer he is!
This is set in USA in the early 60's. The Cold War is a threat. He is a great Historical Storyteller.

I'm about half-way thru a really good collection of true (?) ghost stories, Piedmont Phantoms:North Carolina's Haunted Hundred, by Daniel Barefoot. It has tales of spooks, haints and mysterious doings in lowcountry Piedmont NC--a real fun read.

I just finished Black Orchid by Rex Stout. I always enjoy his Nero Wolfe mysteries, so I think I'm going to start re-reading them.

I'm almost done with "Michelle Remembers", it's the book that pretty much began the whole Satanic Ritual Abuse panic in the 80's. I'm also reading "Flowers for Algernon." Looks like I'm going to read "Carpe Jugulum" by Terry Pratchett again soon.

right now i am reading a book called "Hope was Here" it is about a 17 year girl who has moved all of her life and is a waitress. she was born to early and the doctors didnt think she was going to live. but she did, her mother gave the baby to her older sister and gave her the name tulip but the girl grew up and didnt like it so she changed her name to Hope and her aunt is name Addie. i believe you all wold enjoy this book so read the autor is joan bauer

I just finished Patricia Cornwell's Isle of the Dogs and while she's normally one of my favorite authors, I didn't enjoy it at all. It really seemed like someone other than her wrote it.

I'm reading "Villains by Necessity" by Eve Forward. A light reading fantasy. It's kinda original too considering the book is full of good and nice people and now two villain guys have to find a way to return the world into balance with some evil.

Isle of the Dogs? I haven't heard of that one. Is it part of the Kay Scarpetta series or something else? If you like Patricia Cornwell, you will probably like Kathy Reichs.

Isle of the Dogs was part of the Judy Hammer series, not Kay Scarpetta. I liked the first two books in the Judy Hammer series, just not this last one.

I've heard of Kathy Reichs, but I haven't read any of her stuff yet. I'm re-reading Bret Easton Ellis's Rules of Attraction now. The movie comes out in less than a month, so I'm reading it again to help pass the time.