Might I recommend going to Quixhote via 'Gargantua and Pantagruel' by Rabelais, possibly segueing into 'The Gormenghast Trilogy' by Mervyn Peake.
Regards,
Tin

Just finished Graham Green's "Ways of Escape", sort of a literary autobiography, not much about his personal life, but rather what he was doing, thinking of etc., while writing certain books. Also just finished Dan Savage's "Skipping towards Gomorrah" a pretty funny lefty liberal reply to Robert Bork's "Slouching towards Gomorrah". I am just about to start something that I am quite looking forward to - an old book by Elizabeth Peters that I never knew existed, I had thought I had read all of her books years ago - "The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits". I have to wait for my husband to finish it first, though, he picked it up while I was finishing my last book.

Have just finished a very sweet and poignant book - The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller. Not my usual style of novel, but was very enjoyable.

I've also just finished two great books on the Dutch artist Jan Vermeer - The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, and Girl In Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland. Of the two the the former was better, in my opinion. The author captures really well the power struggles between servant/mistress/master of the house, the social issues of the time, an insight into how an artist creates his work, and many other issues. Girl in Hyacinth Blue, however, details the 'life' of one of Vermeers works - the owners it passed through and the circumstances. As such there is little in-depth analysis of each particular scenario, but rather a glimpse of life on varying levels at that time. Both books are well worth reading though, and being short and written in a style that's easy to read, even the busiest person can fit one in over a few days (or less if you haven't a busy schedule).

What else...hmmm, a couple of Anne Mc Caffrey's as stopgaps, and I expect to be back in English-speaking land next week to stock up some reading. Any recommendations are gratefully accepted

ARGHHHH!!!!!! I just typed a huge list of recent books I liked and lost the lot while looking up an author on Google awww*&^%!!
Deep breath -try again:
You might like: 'Earthly Joys'and 'Virgin Earth'both by Philippa Gregory (and read in that order)
'Tulip Fever'by Deborah Mosgach
any Sebastian Faulkes, Joanne Harris ('Çhocolat'). I am just about to attack a new Joanna Trollope ( Girl from the South) and I am just finishing 'The Emperor of Ocean Park' by Stephen L Carter (super)
You might also like 'Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers, and 'The Red Tent' by Anita Diament. and many more in my little blue book. Let me know if I can find you any more.

'The Red Tent' was good, although my father also read it and was rather upset about the part with Jacob and the sheep (I probably shouldn't elaborate any more than that).

I'm currently reading 'Holes' believe it or not it's the first time I've read this book....

Thanks, ren, I'll let you know which I go for and how I find it. I may even come back to you for more out of your little blue book if I like your suggestions

I'm reading "The Mists of Avalon". I just started today, and it looks really good. [image]

It is.

Just started "Sushi For Beginners" by Marian Keyes. Cracks me up, it's a brilliant read! Fortunately I even managed to get the English original

I just saw the movie Holes--I really enjoyed it, so very much that I'd love to read the book.

I'm finishing up The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and Curtain by Agatha Christie.

Just finished reading Tobias Smollett's "Travels Through France and Italy". Starting with Lawrence Sterne's "Sentimental Journey" - also 'through France and Italy', and covering same period. Kind of "minimal pair" reading experience.
From what Smollett writes about France I cannot but conclude that it was a nation of garlick-stinking scoundrels already in 18th century. Also the houses were smelly and no inn-keeper could be trusted. The only area that Smollett seems to have liked was the Nice-Monaco-Côte d'Azur area where his bad physical condition found comfort in the climate and in the health-resort of Aix en Provence.
May be Smollett liked Nice because it was technically speaking not part of France yet at the time.
There are nice pages in the book on the general state of decadence in pre-revolutionary France. Silk-worms are another
point of interest.
The book must be ideal reading for anyone who has accounts to settle with France.

I'm reading a bunch of Yugioh fan fics. Not really a book, but anyway, I'm desperatley awaiting the arrival of the new Harry Potter book. I've reserved 3 copies, although I don't know why...
I forgot to put this earlier...I'm also reading His Dark Materials, just my type. I finsihed the Raven and Other Poems, or whatever it's called for the what, 5th or 6th time yesterday. Before I go to bed I keep analyzing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets...I heard on a rumour site that it has a bunch of important, yet small things in it's plot that will affect (effect, stupid tenses) the 5th book...yes, go ahead and say it...i'm used to insults...i'm a fanatic, a maniac, and obsessed with the computer (although the last one wasn't an insult ~_~)

I have just read "The God Squad" by Paddy Doyle, such a very sad book, I wept. It is an autobiography covering Paddy Doyle's life up to the age of ten. An excellent read, I am now hoping to find something covering from that age onwards.

Apparently he IS working on the sequel , but it's a long time coming, Sue. A wonderfully moving book.

What was so appalling is that he was talking about a period of time not so very long ago, he is younger than I am. Had it been at the turn of the century it would have been just as sad but then people were less enlightened, for goodness sakes, back then they would put a woman into a mental institution for having a child out of wedlock. To punish a boy for having a father who comitted suicide and to have a mother dying of cancer, horrific. Poor man.

I love Dragonlance! I'd just like to point that out...which is strange because I'm usually very unsociable.

I love Dragonlance!
I'm reading Dragondoom by Dennis L. McKiernan. Have you noticed the obsession with dragons?

Hi, I'm reading Anne MacCaffrey's books. I just finished her series about the Talents and now I'm reading Powers That Be, about a sentient planet.
Apart from MacCaffrey I read Robert Jordan, Feist, Tamora Pierce. Does anyone have a suggestion on other books in this genre?

I'm reading "The Stand" right now. A small word of warning, don't start reading this book when you have a cold. Those who have read it will know what I'm talking about. Once I finish this monster of a book, I'm going to read "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" by Wolfe and "She's Come Undone" the author's name once again esacapes me.

Quote:

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"She's Come Undone" the author's name once again esacapes me.

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It's Wally Lamb. I think it's a very good book indeed.

Thanks for telling me who the author is Ren. I plan on starting it soon, perhaps when I finish, we could discuss it?

Right now I am reading "Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. The story surrounds the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. It is a true story which follows the development and design of the fair.

The park where the fair took place was called "The White City" because the buildings that were constructed for the exhibits were painted white. The "devil" part of the story comes from the murders that were taking place previous to and during the fair by a man who had a hotel built with his evil intentions in mind (he built a large kiln type chamber and a long wooden chute that started at a trap door and ended in the basement where the kiln stood).

The story goes back and forth, sometimes intertwining the two stories that were happening at the same time. It is written so that when you are tired of reading about the fair, it goes into the part with the murders and when that gets to be too much, it goes back to discussion about the fair.

VERY well written and very engaging. I can hardly put it down and when I do I can't wait to pick it up again. The fair part is a bit on the dry side but it takes the development of the fair from the very beginning (Chicago getting the bid to hold the fair) to the end. Anyone interested in Chicago history or just history in general might enjoy this part even more than the other stories happening in the book.

It's a long book (390 pages) but it is definitely a page turner. I highly recommend it. A+++

I'm reading Witch Child by Celia Rees. It's in journal format about teenage witch living during the Salem Witch Trials. Much more interesting than the last book I read which (I kid you not) spent eleven pages on explaining how the main character kept up her garden!! Like I care!

The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton. Quite fascinating.