Diane Setterfield: The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
A fat, Gothic novel full of ghosts and mysteries and lots and lots of plot. Yowza. Get yourself to the library now!
Kathleen Kent: The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel
It's such a cliché to say a book is heartbreaking. This is a story of a 9-year-old girl and her mother, imprisoned during the Salem witch trials. Finding a place in your family, in your community, in your own heart, seems like it ought to be simple, automatic even, but this girl's struggle cut right to the middle of me.
Simonetta Agnello Hornby: The Almond Picker: A Novel
What if the main character died on--or even before--the very first page? And everything you learned about her came second-hand, through the voices and memories of the people who knew her? And few of them knew her well enough to say or remember anything true? Well, you'd have a lovely mystery on your hands. And a compelling look at the human tendency to create reality instead of witnessing it.
Amy Bloom: Away: A Novel
I love a fat, 500-page novel with an eloquent, omniscient narrator who can see so far into all the character's futures that I'm left with no worries, only peace, at the end. This novel is pretty much everything I ever wanted, and it's not even 250 pages long. You'll be riveted. It'll take you three days, max.
Tracy Kidder: Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
It's so hard not to look away from pain and suffering and poverty. Paul Farmer does not look away. He's right there, fighting on the losing side, because it's the right thing to do. I'm glad I read this at the start of the holiday season. I need the perspective.
Luis Alberto Urrea: The Hummingbird's Daughter
The first book for the new book-club year. I started early because it's a nice thick book, and I often have a hard time getting a whole book read in a month (so sad), but then I read it all in about four days. It's fabulous. Makes Mexico seem like it has a magic, majestic soul.
Dodie Smith: I Capture the Castle
How did I manage to check this out of the library at the same time as Cold Comfort Farm? I must have seen them recommended together somewhere. Turns out, this is exactly the sort of novel CCF is spoofing. Happily, I'm enjoying it anyway. If you get a wild hair to read both of these, do read CCF first.
Stella Gibbons: Cold Comfort Farm (Oxford Bookworms Library)
I'd never read any of the genre of novels that this book is meant to spoof, but I enjoyed it immensely anyway. It was especially fun to read semi-aloud in my horrific British accent. The only thing I didn't like about the book was that my edition had awful cover art. I like this cow so much better.
Charles de Lint: Widdershins (Newford)
If you liked Neil Gaiman's American Gods, give this one a try. I liked them both, and think I need to check out The Onion Girl which is evidently the beginning of these characters' stories.
Lauren Groff: The Monsters of Templeton
If this book had sprouted an extra head or a bunch of tentacles while I was reading, thereby assuring that there would have been even more to read, I would have been ecstatic. This is a really good one!
Philippa Gregory: The Other Boleyn Girl
Fiction is definitely my preferred means of learning about history--that's awful, I know, but it seems marginally better than movies, yes? This book is great: very informative with plenty of um, well, OK, sex.... Sex makes history more interesting, don't you think?
Neil Gaiman: American Gods
I'm just a little way into this book and it's so mesmerizing--like watching a big spider weaving an impossible web. I can't wait to get back to it.
Jim Fergus: One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd
A crazy, beautiful, utterly doomed solution to a problem that likely couldn't have been fixed any way at all. There are so many characters with so many conflicting opinions--all right, all wrong, all so human. I loved this book.
Lisa See: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel
I was mesmerized by this novel. The setting is so rich and the story so sharp. I'm not sure I can forgive the narrator, but I can definitely identify with her. Everyone has something to be ashamed of, don't they? Also, compared to foot-binding, high heels seem pretty inconsequential....
Barbara Kingsolver: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
I've said before that I'm not the gardener in this family, and I'm afraid I have that lifelong fear of dirt that Kingsolver disdains, but I've never read anything before that made me want to grow all my own food. And raise chickens. And maybe cows. Goats, too...
Michael Malone: Dingley Falls
I woke up one morning last week to hear Nancy Pearl on NPR say that she's been rereading this book every two years since it was first published in 1980. That's a recommendation I'm willing to take, and I'm loving this town and (almost) all of its inhabitants. Malone's narrator is removed but very tender, and all of these folks seem very, very real.
Joss Whedon: Fray
Shocked, I am shocked to find myself recommending a comic book, but here's the thing: I loved it. It even made me cry a little. If you loved Buffy and Angel, read this.
Erin Hart: Haunted Ground: A Novel
A moody, modern-day archaeological mystery set in Ireland and populated with creative people--singers, musicians, painters, even a weaver who dyes her own wools. There are several storylines going all at once which keeps it interesting, and while some of the details are gruesome, it's never a scary book.
Ingrid Hill: Ursula, Under
This is so good, I almost can't stand to read it, because I know the more I read, the sooner it's going to be over. I'm going slow on purpose. And if you see me crying or laughing or grinning like a crazy person on the bus, this book is totally why.
Jeffrey Eugenides: Middlesex: A Novel
Wow. This is a great book. You'd think that the narrator would resent his incredibly inbred family (grandparents are siblings; parents are cousins) for the compounded genetic mutations that result in his hermaphroditism. Instead, he's unfailingly warm, affectionate and empathetic. I couldn't help but love every character. But damned if I could figure out why his older brother is named Chapter Eleven...
That absolutely sucks. And who in your workplace is stealing your stuff. How terrible is that. Maybe the yarn stores would be sympathetic?
Posted by: siew | May 28, 2009 at 09:49 PM
oh, that's awful, what a huge pain.
The cards would annoy me the most as well, especially because they are the sort of thing that would mean nothing to the person who stole the wallet. Next time you go to the yarn store and have to ask for a new card, mention that you had a few punches but your wallet got stolen and now you have to start over. I think if you say it in a conversation sort of way, you might get the employee to give you a few extra punches.
Posted by: Donna | May 28, 2009 at 10:30 PM
How crappy is it that a co-worker would steal from you?!? I hope you will find the yarn shops cooperative in restoring your punches. I am sure that as many times as they must see you, they will be accomodating!
Posted by: Suzan Oxenreider | May 29, 2009 at 01:08 AM
The financial counselor in me is begging you to go put a fraud alert with one of the credit companies. As soon as you get the new card from your bank, talk with the credit people about freezing your credit so that the thieves who have all your information will have great difficulty using your identity. If you haven't already, report the loss to the police. I know it sounds crazy, but people can use your identity to commit other crimes and then you have to prove it WASN'T you.
This happens all the time and it never fails that your frustration and anger is compounded by the fact that these buttnoses (yes, official term) will buy something that you wanted but were too frugal to splurge on!
I've been following your site, I apologize that this was what motivated me to finally post a comment. The best of luck to you.
Posted by: Kristi | May 29, 2009 at 04:56 AM
Points of clarification:
1. Culprit was not a coworker...it was some f*ckwit from "outside". They have video of him entering the bldg.
2. Our Heroine was not the only victim. Said f*uckwit got stuff from a few others in the office too.
3. Police were called immediately, reports are being filed. Cards canceled, credit agencies notified.
4. Loving Husband will be purchasing "bonus" yarn as an antidote to bruised psyche of our Herione. And will sweet talk all the yarn stores into replacing their cards--with a few extra punches in them for good measure.
Posted by: Michael the Loving Husband | May 29, 2009 at 09:18 AM
are you serious?! at work? that's awful. if i had a full weaving works card, i'd give it to you (well, maybe...). sounds like the loving husband is taking care of things though.
Posted by: melissa | May 29, 2009 at 09:26 AM
Okay that totally blows chunks...
but on the upside, you do have a pretty awesome Michael the Loving Husband on your side to help balance out the f*ckwits in the universe!
Posted by: h. | May 29, 2009 at 05:39 PM
Oh geez, nothing is as infuriating as being stolen from like that. Infuriating and sobering. I like to go through life thinking the best of people and its so discouraging when bad behavior makes it all seem like a gullible illusion. I'm very glad it wasn't a coworker though, that would have been horrible. Here's to the quick re-accumulation of yarn and an end to inconvenience.
Posted by: dana | June 02, 2009 at 09:22 PM
I found yet another tattered card from Mario's with a few punches; would that ease your pain?
Posted by: Lynn | June 03, 2009 at 08:32 AM
I was directed to your site via someone else's. I am very sorry to read that your wallet was stolen. I am glad to hear it wasn't a co-worker who did it. I know exactly how you feel about those yarn cards.
I like your library listing. I am presently reading The Other Boleyn Girl also and Anne is evil. Have you read the 19th Wife. That is also a historical fiction and you might like it.
Posted by: nan R. | June 17, 2009 at 07:52 PM