Mid Atlantic Book Film Music TV And Video Lovers forum: Books #3 February 2011
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| Wow, am I in the wrong place or is nobody chatting about books lately? Just wanted to let you all know about two books I read recently, both with "garden" in the title, both really good and both having to do with women searching out a mother's and grandmother's secret past. The first one is "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton. When Cassandra's grandmother dies, she learns the grandmother had been found as an apparently abandoned child on the docks in Brisbane Australia. The little girl had apparently arrived on a ship with nothing but a small suitcase and couldn't or wouldn't remember her name. The dockmaster takes in the little girl and he and his wife raise her. Years later, the revelation of her adoption and how she had been found rocks the girl's life, leaving her bitter and estranged from her family. Cassandra has bitter losses of her own but takes on the task of traveling to England to unravel the mystery of her grandmother's past. There's a deliciously evil grandmother involved in the story and some wonderful scenes of life, from slums to drawing room, in Edwardian England. http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Garden-Kate-Morton/dp/033044... "The Winter Garden" by Kristen Hannah was in some ways better, in some ways not better than the first book. Two American sisters, whose now elderly mother was distant and unloving, learn of her painful past in her telling of a fairy tale after their beloved father dies. The fairy tale is the thinly veiled story of her life in Russia in the 30s and 40s, including surviving Stalin's regime and the Siege of Leningrad. The sections of the book dealing with the woman's life in Russia were fascinating. In fact, it was one of those I can't out it down books in those scenes. The modern scenes not so much. Not bad, just not nearly as compelling and I found neither the mother nor the daughters particularly sympathetic characters in the earlier sections in their modern life. They grow on you, though, as the story is unveiled. And overall it was one of the best books I've read in a long time. http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Garden-Kristin-Hannah/dp/031236...  |
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| Diane, thanks for the new thread - you'd think that we'd all be reading books during this long, cold winter! I read Kate Morton's earlier book "The House at Riverton" earlier, and enjoyed it, and have had my eye on "The Forgotten Garden". Thanks for the recommendation. If you haven't read the former title, I think you'd enjoy it too.  with you on "The Winter Garden" The unveiling of what their mother went through was riveting, and it really "made" the book for me. Breathe in, Breathe out...Move on - Jimmy Buffett |
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| I've been reading a lot this winter. Another book I really enjoyed earlier this winter was "An Irish Country Christmas" by Patrick Taylor. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FA0PV8/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp... It's about a young doctor just starting out and working with an older doctor in a little village in Ireland in the 1960s. Lots of delicious characters. Among those characters is their housekeeper, "Kinky" Kincaid. I've just started reading "An Irish Country Girl" which tells Kinky's story from her early teens in the 1920s. I'll look for "The House at Riverton." No book stores around here but the Walmart and Target in Front Royal both have somewhat decent book sections. http://www.amazon.com/Irish-Country-Girl-Novel-ebook/dp/B003... |
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Diane that is TOO funny!!! I've read the first 2 in that series by Patrick Taylor and have three of them sitting by my bed, next in the rotation!  I am also EXTREMELY fortunate to have access to libraries in four county systems here, with the libraries all within 5-10 miles. If you enjoy the Irish ones, you might want to try (if you haven't already read it!) In the Company of Others, by Jan Karon (of the Mitford Series). This one takes Father Tim out of Mitford, and to Ireland for a vacation with his wife. There are references to events in the earlier series, but I wouldn't say it's absolutely necessary that you read them before this one. Anyway, the entire book is set in contemporary Ireland, and I found it quite enjoyable. Breathe in, Breathe out...Move on - Jimmy Buffett |
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| Daggone, what an annoying website she has. I'll look for them. I love southern women writers. I don't know about Ireland in particular, I just love a book chock full of good characters, a decent plot and a smattering of humor. |
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| Ooh, just spotted the thread. I like to hear about books, just don't have time to read all the ones i'd like. Diane I did like Gap Creek by Robert Morgan which you rec'd a while back. Total change of theme here- I am reading The Corner by David Simon. THe gritty true description of a year in the lives of some of the residents of Baltimores drug 'corners' in the 1990s. I find this a compelling subject, an environment as foreign to me as Russia in the 20s, though I live maybe six to fifteen miles from it all my life. I don't know what to do about drugs and poverty, drug enforcement and city schools, but it fascinates me and always makes me wonder what I would be like in that environment. I think that I shall never see...A poem lovely as a tree ( Kilmer) Whatever the weather, you can bring your own sunshine (DD) I'm not REAL smart but I think I'm pretty good average (my dad) |
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| I finished "An Irish Country Girl" last night. I loved it. Done as more or less flashbacks as Kinky reminisces on Christmas Day while cooking one of her world class dinners (recipes included in the back of the book LOL) about her young girlhood, it's chock full of ghosts, dark fairies and other Irish supernatural lore. Fingers crossed everybody - I think I'm getting an Amazon Kindle for my birthday. Wooo hoooooo! Here's another book I read recently. I'd had it sitting around for awhile and put off reading it because the writer's overuse of chopped up sentence fragments annoyed me so much. It also struck me as more of a guy war novel than is to my taste, but once I (and the author) got over awkward breaking up of sentences, it was really good. It's "Call Each River Jordan" by Owen Parry. http://www.amazon.com/Call-Each-River-Jordan-Historical/dp/0... This is the third in a series of mysteries set during the Civil War. Loved the main character, Abel Jones, who is pretty endearing with his staid sincerity. The book starts off with Jones limping (he is recovering from earlier wounds) into the battle of Shiloh. He's been summoned by Grant to solve the mystery of 40 slaves found murdered between the Union and Confederate lines. After the battle, he's sent by Grant and Sherman into enemy lines to unravel the mystery. There are some bloody scenes but nothing I couldn't stand and I'm pretty squeamish about bloody scenes. I liked it well enough that I'll probably look for some of the other books in the series. |
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| Diane, just wanted to let you know I just finished both "Irish Country Girl" and "Irish Country Courtship", and enjoyed both tremendously. If any of these stories sound interesting to anyone else, I'd highly recommend reading the entire series, in order, so you can keep events and people straight. It's not totally necessary, but whenever possible, I always like to do it that way with established series. I checked Patrick Taylor's web site, and he is supposedly working on another book in the series - I say HURRY UP, MAN!  Breathe in, Breathe out...Move on - Jimmy Buffett |
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| Those sound great, and may be just the escape I need after the grim reality of Baltimore's drug market and slums. I remember a quote from (I think) the movie Howard's End, a sentiment like " the poor will always be with us, whattyagonna do aboutit?" I got Nora Ephron;'s latest book, a not very big collection of short pieces, some very funny moments. One is about her 'big inheritance' and easy to relate to if you've gone thru inheriting, and can use a chuckle about it. Easy reading. I think that I shall never see...A poem lovely as a tree ( Kilmer) Whatever the weather, you can bring your own sunshine (DD) I'm not REAL smart but I think I'm pretty good average (my dad) |
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| I think you'd enjoy them, Sally. Here's a link to the author's web site, so you can see what you think: http://www.patricktaylor.ca/ Nora Ephron is very amusing and droll, isn't she? I'll have to check out the one you're talking about - is it I Remember Nothing? I think I heard an interview with her about that book on NPR not too long ago... Breathe in, Breathe out...Move on - Jimmy Buffett |
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| Yes that is the title, I was going to guess I Don't Remember Anything--LOL Thats why she makes the big bucks! I had also wanted to read I Feel Bad About My Neck You really should read the inheritance one- it also ran in New Yorker Magazine I think that I shall never see...A poem lovely as a tree ( Kilmer) Whatever the weather, you can bring your own sunshine (DD) I'm not REAL smart but I think I'm pretty good average (my dad) |
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| LOL! I checked Google first! Cannot claim to remember much these days, so I always do research in advance. Yes, I want to read the Neck book too - think I saw her on The Daily Show talking about that. Yeah, the inheritance story will be VERY amusing... closing is one week from tomorrow (Tuesday). Then we still have to do taxes before final disbursement, but we're getting close. FINALLY!  Breathe in, Breathe out...Move on - Jimmy Buffett |
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| Yay closing! it sounds like you and I are now on about the same timeline for finishing up the whole process. Sorry to digress- would patrick Taylor be general fiction? I have not noticed him getting shelved a whole lot- which is a good sign considering the taste level (apparent) of the readers at my branch. Though my friend/ coworker highly recommended the Chesapeake - area series by Nora Roberts. I think that I shall never see...A poem lovely as a tree ( Kilmer) Whatever the weather, you can bring your own sunshine (DD) I'm not REAL smart but I think I'm pretty good average (my dad) |
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| Yes, Patrick Taylor is general fiction - sorry I didn't make that clear. Lovely stories set in Northern Ireland back in the 60s that really give you a sense of the location and its people. I've read the Chesapeake Bay series books by Nora Roberts,and they were enjoyable. There were 3 other books I enjoyed in the past, The Garden Trilogy: Blue Dahlia, Black Rose and Red Lily that were good too. Did you realize that she was born in Silver Spring, and I think she still lives in Maryland? Breathe in, Breathe out...Move on - Jimmy Buffett |
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| I didn't know Nora Roberts was from Maryland. Sally, I meant to mention to you Robert Morgan is also an excellent short story writer. He has I think a couple of books of short stories out. Taylor is a doctor who is from Ireland (although he spent most of his career as a medical researcher in Canada and not a practicing physician.) His books are about a couple of country doctors in a small village in Ireland - I would imagine at least partly based on his own experiences. In case you all didn't see my note in deals - if you have a Borders bookstore near you that's closing, those stores are clearancing all their merchandise now. Wouldn't dawdle, though. The one in Winchester was packed yesterday. |
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| Great, sounds super. I so much liked James herriots books- very different sort of stories but still. I was not too interested in something set pre 1900s per se. Thanks for the Borders info. I think I have one not too far. Course I could search the website easily and confirm. I think that I shall never see...A poem lovely as a tree ( Kilmer) Whatever the weather, you can bring your own sunshine (DD) I'm not REAL smart but I think I'm pretty good average (my dad) |
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| Diane, I'm going to respond to your "D&^$ Macomber" comment here to get it into the book thread, and where some follow-up comments can land. Aw c'mon, don't be too hard on ol' "D&^$" (not sure I'm quoting ya right LOL)... Have you read any of her Cedar Cove series? It's the one with the addresses in the title, and they go up numerically. My mom loved them, and I didn't find them too "romanc-y", if I can coin a word. Definitely airplane and vacation reads, but still. I confess I also like to read her because most of her series are set in the Seattle, Washington area. We've visited there many times and just love it. She does have a number of much more frothy titles, which I don't care for, but the Cedar Cove and Blossom Street series are fairly enjoyable stories. The author I feel the same way as you do about "D&^$" is Danielle Freakin' Steel. Geez Louise - talk about formulaic fantasy!  However, she's certainly got a huge fan base!Breathe in, Breathe out...Move on - Jimmy Buffett |
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| There are two things I loathe and despise about Macomber. All and I do mean all of her books follow the exact same, almost page by page, formula. Just plug in slightly different characters, slightly different plots, slightly different permutations of each of the obligatory elements. But beyond that, when I see shelf after shelf of that dreck, I have to think of all the books that aren't being given shelf space. I feel the same way about Nicholas Sparks and he is a bit of a better writer. But not that good. |
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| Well, OK. I can't say I feel quite as strongly about Danielle Steel as you do about DM, but your statement, IMHO, can also definitely apply to her too, probably many others as well. Sadly, I guess it's all about what sells, not the quality of what is being sold. Bottom line is everything. And that is a real shame, and what has driven most of the wonderful small book sellers out of business.  Breathe in, Breathe out...Move on - Jimmy Buffett |
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You guys would just keel over to see the paperback carts in the library- Those slim, totally formulaic romance series, and the general romance (D Mac, Roberts, etc etc) . that is prob 50-60 % of paperback circulation here. ( Every once in a while I flip one open randomly--and usually am blushing within half a minute My word! ) I guess it is about 'not having to think" And on top of that- the romance readers are the worst offenders at putting books in the wrong place to try and hide them so they can get them later.  I have an Anita Shreve paperback Where or When or a New Yorker magazine to choose from next. We had no Patrick Taylor on the shelf- could be they're popular and checked out. Are they relatively recently published? I think that I shall never see...A poem lovely as a tree ( Kilmer) Whatever the weather, you can bring your own sunshine (DD) I'm not REAL smart but I think I'm pretty good average (my dad) |
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