Another day in bed, another book moves from the unread to the read pile. I'm starting to alternate brain candy with something more serious, so after A Perfect Red today is brain candy.
Voices Carry is a book that would have preceded the "Dead..." series and "... Truth" series I read in the last few weeks. It appears that any couple you meet in those series has a book that explains how they got to together. After having read more of this type in the last few weeks, I appreciate that Stewart focuses more on the crime and solving it than the relationship that will happen in the end. It was a nice quick read - but nothing fabulous. It's also not a series I can see myself re-reading. But, it is a nice way to pass the day.
It will get passed on and then probably returned to the used book store it came from.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
A Perfect Red - Amy Butler Greenfield
This was one of two books a friend traveled across the country to share with me. I am so glad she did. I would never have picked up this book on my own. I have a terrible time finding non-fiction works that are interesting - unless they are recommended. I look at the table of books and decide something looks good. Then when I get it home, I have a hard time getting to my 100 page allowed stopping point.
Greenfield does a wonderful job of describing the importance of the color red throughout history and the different compounds used to create it. With a focus on the cochineal originating in Mexico, this book covers the fortunes of Spain and the industry itself. Weaving the domestication of cochineal with the efforts of other countries to destroy Spain's monopoly, the book moves quickly. there were very few sections of the book where I was willing to put it down. Yes, I could stop at the chapters, but I only once put it down while in the middle of a chapter.
I highly recommend this book - and if I didn't have to send it back to its owner, I would keep it in the library. I will be recommending it to my mother for her book club. With their focus on women authors and a mix of fiction and non-fiction, this book will give them much to discuss.
Greenfield does a wonderful job of describing the importance of the color red throughout history and the different compounds used to create it. With a focus on the cochineal originating in Mexico, this book covers the fortunes of Spain and the industry itself. Weaving the domestication of cochineal with the efforts of other countries to destroy Spain's monopoly, the book moves quickly. there were very few sections of the book where I was willing to put it down. Yes, I could stop at the chapters, but I only once put it down while in the middle of a chapter.
I highly recommend this book - and if I didn't have to send it back to its owner, I would keep it in the library. I will be recommending it to my mother for her book club. With their focus on women authors and a mix of fiction and non-fiction, this book will give them much to discuss.
The Murder List - Julie Garwood
Another piece of the brain candy that is rotting my mind. It was fun - nothing exciting. It's has some of the tangential characters from the other books, but only phone conversations. It went quickly and thankfully focused more on the crimes and solving of them than the romance aspect. Still, it was fun.
I'll be passing this on. It won't be staying in the library.
I'll be passing this on. It won't be staying in the library.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Bed rest - slowing down (2 books / 3 magazines)
The Waterborn - J. Gregory Keyes - a fantasy book that I was given years ago - just the first book in the series. While I enjoyed the book - it has action, religion, politics, etc. - I just don't feel compelled to go and get the next book in the series. I'm not sure if it is my mood or whether it just wasn't that good. Or maybe for a change, it actually wrapped up nicely enough without the cliff hanger that a series book usually ends on?
Mercy - Julie Garwood - This one fell between Heartbreaker and Killjoy - oops, I read it out of order. Some recurring characters, but like the Mariah Stewart series the recurring characters are more tangential. If you have read the other books, they give context to the characters without needing to have read the previous books.
Cooking Light - What a depressing read. In addition to bedrest, I am following a low sodium diet. So, I was looking forward to the new issue of Cooking Light - ready to find something flavorful I could eat. There' s only so much pasta with zero sodium sauce a girl can eat. Turns out, when they take out the fat, they increase sodium or something. I had a hard time finding a main dish and a side dish that would keep the meal below 900 mg of sodium - keep in mind that the RDA for sodium is 2300 or less! Oh well, I guess I'll figure it out on my own. One article did make me smile - D.C. was named the 3rd most fit city in their 20 city list. It was fun to see pictures of places I recognized.
O, The Oprah Magazine - a fun read - some good articles and some interesting reviews. But nothing that I would want to buy for a change - ok, maybe there were some nice dishes... I do like this magazine - some books, some movies, some interesting articles, some self help and some shopping tips. A nice mix.
Parents - short articles - some fun, some informative. One of Owen's favorite toys has been recalled - but only on ones sold after he got his - woohoo! And I found out I'm supposed to keep chopping his grapes in half until he's 4 (????!!!!). He's been eating whole grapes for months. And - all kinds of other things - most of which make me think I am just not a vigilant parent -but that's ok.
Mercy - Julie Garwood - This one fell between Heartbreaker and Killjoy - oops, I read it out of order. Some recurring characters, but like the Mariah Stewart series the recurring characters are more tangential. If you have read the other books, they give context to the characters without needing to have read the previous books.
Cooking Light - What a depressing read. In addition to bedrest, I am following a low sodium diet. So, I was looking forward to the new issue of Cooking Light - ready to find something flavorful I could eat. There' s only so much pasta with zero sodium sauce a girl can eat. Turns out, when they take out the fat, they increase sodium or something. I had a hard time finding a main dish and a side dish that would keep the meal below 900 mg of sodium - keep in mind that the RDA for sodium is 2300 or less! Oh well, I guess I'll figure it out on my own. One article did make me smile - D.C. was named the 3rd most fit city in their 20 city list. It was fun to see pictures of places I recognized.
O, The Oprah Magazine - a fun read - some good articles and some interesting reviews. But nothing that I would want to buy for a change - ok, maybe there were some nice dishes... I do like this magazine - some books, some movies, some interesting articles, some self help and some shopping tips. A nice mix.
Parents - short articles - some fun, some informative. One of Owen's favorite toys has been recalled - but only on ones sold after he got his - woohoo! And I found out I'm supposed to keep chopping his grapes in half until he's 4 (????!!!!). He's been eating whole grapes for months. And - all kinds of other things - most of which make me think I am just not a vigilant parent -but that's ok.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Bed rest continued - 5 books in one
Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs - this was a poor choice for me - too much death and the death of an infant. I made it through because there were other crimes, but I didn't think I would. I normally like her stuff, this just wasn't the right fit.
Killjoy by Julie Garwood - Fun romance / suspense type book. Nothing fancy, nothing worth keeping, but not a waste of time.
Priceless by Mariah Stewart - not part of the other series, a stand alone book. More romance than mystery - but enough mystery to get the guy and girl together. Brain candy.
The Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland - a historical fiction account of Emily Carr's life painting Indian artifacts (totem poles, big houses, etc.) in Vancouver. I find myself wanting to go see her work - of course, I'll have to use the Internet for now. It's always good to read about someone who gets upset about being called a "good woman painter". Highly recommend this one.
The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr - nonfiction about the search for a lost Caravaggio masterpiece. It takes the reader through the process of researching provenance of paintings. I am still amazed that people have account ledgers from 1600s and back at their disposal. One of the things I kept thinking as I read this was about how future researchers are going to have a hard time finding data about our current "Information age" - incompatible file formats, operating systems and will they even realize the information is on a disk and that the disk might look like a pen??? Recommended.
Killjoy by Julie Garwood - Fun romance / suspense type book. Nothing fancy, nothing worth keeping, but not a waste of time.
Priceless by Mariah Stewart - not part of the other series, a stand alone book. More romance than mystery - but enough mystery to get the guy and girl together. Brain candy.
The Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland - a historical fiction account of Emily Carr's life painting Indian artifacts (totem poles, big houses, etc.) in Vancouver. I find myself wanting to go see her work - of course, I'll have to use the Internet for now. It's always good to read about someone who gets upset about being called a "good woman painter". Highly recommend this one.
The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr - nonfiction about the search for a lost Caravaggio masterpiece. It takes the reader through the process of researching provenance of paintings. I am still amazed that people have account ledgers from 1600s and back at their disposal. One of the things I kept thinking as I read this was about how future researchers are going to have a hard time finding data about our current "Information age" - incompatible file formats, operating systems and will they even realize the information is on a disk and that the disk might look like a pen??? Recommended.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Reading on bed rest... (10 books)
Finished prior to bed rest...
- The Mermaid Chair - Sue Monk Kidd - ok / fun, probably wouldn't read again
- The End Of The Dream The Golden Boy Who Never Grew Up - Ann Rule - ok, not stellar
- Dead Even / Dead End - Mariah Stewart - end of a series I started a while ago - fun, repeating characters - big cast
- Cold Truth / Hard Truth / Dark Truth / Final Truth - Mariah Stewart - a different series, ties in with the "Dead ..." series from same author - same recurring characters - although I needed to switch authors after this set, I knew the "shocking" turn in the Final Truth book when it started 2 books earlier
- Heartbreaker - Julie Garwood - good, fun - page turner
- In Silence - Erica Spindler - fun, easy - got sucked in
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Reading - but not blogging - 3 books in one!
I've been so busy these days -but due to illness, I have actually been reading. At least when I was well enough to actually read.
Killer Smile - Lisa Scottoline
I had read this one before and I could remember how it ended. What I didn't remember was how it got from the beginning with Premenstrual {insert guy name here} to the final court room scene. And in my addled state, it was perfect. I was able to follow the book even when I couldn't follow a new TV drama. Not sure that is a ringing endorsement, but it was fun.
Oryx & Crake - Margaret Atwood
Another book I read before (sensing a theme?), but one that I loved and had always planned to read again. I had borrowed it the first time and re-reading it reminded me why I had put it on my list of books to buy. It has the commentary that you expect from Atwood, character development, and leaves you with something to talk about at the end - will he kill them? will he let them live? what happens if he lets them live? This was my pick for book club - and I was too sick to attend! I still need to discuss this book with people... now I need a new book club. (ha!)
One True Thing - Anna Quindlen
I picked this one up because Owen had kindly removed it from it's resting place in the "books to read" pile and put it on the night stand. I'm not sure what motivated him to do that -but I'm glad he did. Like Oryx & Crake, this is a book that I would re-read. This is a book that made me think about family, duty, and what I want to be. Not necessarily that I want to be anyone in the book, but it got me thinking about how I would handle the same situation. About how I would want to handle it, but also how I think it is more likely that I would. There is one section in the book that has really stood out. Not necessarily because I agree with the guys / girls sentiment, but because it made me think about what it means to deal with something. It is just the act of moving on and helping pick up the pieces or is it the mental process that helps you get to the next day?
Killer Smile - Lisa Scottoline
I had read this one before and I could remember how it ended. What I didn't remember was how it got from the beginning with Premenstrual {insert guy name here} to the final court room scene. And in my addled state, it was perfect. I was able to follow the book even when I couldn't follow a new TV drama. Not sure that is a ringing endorsement, but it was fun.
Oryx & Crake - Margaret Atwood
Another book I read before (sensing a theme?), but one that I loved and had always planned to read again. I had borrowed it the first time and re-reading it reminded me why I had put it on my list of books to buy. It has the commentary that you expect from Atwood, character development, and leaves you with something to talk about at the end - will he kill them? will he let them live? what happens if he lets them live? This was my pick for book club - and I was too sick to attend! I still need to discuss this book with people... now I need a new book club. (ha!)
One True Thing - Anna Quindlen
I picked this one up because Owen had kindly removed it from it's resting place in the "books to read" pile and put it on the night stand. I'm not sure what motivated him to do that -but I'm glad he did. Like Oryx & Crake, this is a book that I would re-read. This is a book that made me think about family, duty, and what I want to be. Not necessarily that I want to be anyone in the book, but it got me thinking about how I would handle the same situation. About how I would want to handle it, but also how I think it is more likely that I would. There is one section in the book that has really stood out. Not necessarily because I agree with the guys / girls sentiment, but because it made me think about what it means to deal with something. It is just the act of moving on and helping pick up the pieces or is it the mental process that helps you get to the next day?
"Everyone deals with bad stuff in their own way," Jon added.
"Well, that's the point isn't it, Jon?" I said. "Whenever one of you guys says people deal with bad stuff in their own way, it means you don't deal with it at all. You just wait for it to go away. You don't help, you don't listen. You don't call. You don't write. WE deal with it in our own way. WE deal with it. We girls. We make the meals and clean up the messes and take the crap and listen to you talk about how you are dealing with it in your own way. What way? No way!
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