Mirkwood Reflections

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon - 11/7/2012  Excellent - Historical Fiction Re-read, audiobook. Brianna and Roger find Jamie and Claire in North Carolina. My third read of Drums of Autumn. Gabaldon gets better every time. Letters of Jane Austen by Jane Austen - 11/15/2012  Excellent - Non-fiction This edition of Jane Austen's letters was edited by Jane Austen's great-nephew Edward Hugessen Knatchbull-Hugessen (the first Baron Brabourne, 1829-1893), and was published in 1884. An interesting compilation that gives some insight into the mind of Jane Austen via her personal correspondence. Our book club assignment this month was a biography of Jane Austen. Since I'd read a rather long biography last fall (Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin), I chose this free Kindle edition of her letters which I mostly found very interesting. The Last Viking by Sandra Hill - 11/30/2012  Good - Romance (Steamy) Geirolf Ericsson, a 10th century Viking, travels back in time to

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs - 10/3/2012   Good - Sci-fi   Virginia gentleman John Carter travels mysteriously from 1870's Arizona to Mars where he meets both Green and Red Martians, saves the planet, and falls in love. I only managed to finish one book in October though I had several going at once. A Princess of Mars was our book club selection, prompted by the film John Carter. I am not usually a sci-fi or fantasy reader (The Lord of the Rings notwithstanding) but I enjoyed A Princess of Mars, which is the first of a series. 

Mistress by Mistake by Maggie Robinson - 9/7/2012 Good - Regency Romance Through a misunderstanding, spinster Charlotte Fallon ends up in Sir Michael's bed, but she finds it is not as distasteful as she had envisioned. Every now and then, I need a light and sexy historical romance. This one fit the bill! The Help by Kathryn Stockett - 9/15/2012 Excellent - Fiction Skeeter Phelan, recent college graduate and 1961 resident of Jackson, MS, decides to interview colored maids about their experiences working for white families. Our book club selection for September - Even better than the movie. Highly recommended! Line of Fire by Stephen White - 9/16/2012 Fair - Suspense Against the backdrop of local wildfires, Dr. Alan Gregory and his detective friend Sam deal with the fallout of a 3yo secret coming to light. Not Stephen White's best contribution to his Alan Gregory series.  Illusion by Frank Peretti - 9/30/2012 Excellent - Suspense After a car wreck tragically cl

Schooled by Anisha Lakhani 8/2/2012 Good - Chick Lit Anna, a newbie teacher at a swanky Manhattan private school discovers the lucrative world of after-school tutoring for the wealthy. This was entertaining in a bitter sort of way. The Deception at Lyme (Or, the Peril of Persuasion) by Carrie Bebris 8/5/2012 Good - Historical Fiction Mr. and Mrs. Darcy visit Lyme along with Georgiana and Lily-ann, where they find a woman lying at the bottom of the Vobb; has she been pushed and who is her child? I love this series of mysteries featuring Mr. and Mrs. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. I love seeing the characters from Austen's books come into the stories. I love how the villains of Austen get their comeuppance, as it were. Fun! And this one had WENTWORTH! :-) Body for Life by Bill Phillips 8/6/2012 Excellent - Non-fiction 12 week plan for nutrition and fitness to achieve physical and mental strength This is the fitness and health program I am following. Makes a lot of sen

Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling 7/1/2012 Excellent - Young Adult During Harry's 3rd year at Hogwarts, a dangerous murderer escapes from the wizard prison called Azkaban and is reportedly searching for a way to kill Harry. I blew through the rest of the Harry Potter books this month, devouring them one after another. I watched the movies after each one. Can't believe that for 5-10 years I resolutely thought I wouldn't like them. I am going to read them again very soon. Erasing Hell by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle 7/5/2012 Excellent - Inspirational How could a loving God send people to hell? Will people have a chance after they die to believe in Jesus and go to heaven? With a humble respect for God's Word, Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle address the deepest questions you have about eternal destiny. They've asked the same questions. Like you, sometimes they just don't want to believe in hell. But as they write, "We ca

Love Unlisted by Stephanie Haddad 6/15/2012 Good - Chick Lit Grace writes lists, lots of lists. Her life is ruled by the lists, but then she meets Colin, a guitar teacher who challenges her to think outside of her lists. A nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling 6/17/2012 Excellent - Young Adult Orphaned Harry Potter finds out that he is the son of a wizard and a witch and is accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. James (my 12yo son) decided he wanted to read Harry Potter. I'd never had much interest in reading them but had said years ago if any of my kids ever wanted to read them (something I thought unlikely at tanhe time), I would read them too. He asked me to read them "with" him, but he's far far ahead of me already.  Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling 6/21/2012 Excellent - Young Adult Someone is turning students at Hogwarts School into stone, and Harr

Thursday Next in First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde 5/4/201 2 Good - Fiction Fourteen years later, Jurisfiction has ceased operation, but Thursday still works undercover in the BookWorld. Her son Friday's destiny in the Chronoguard is in jeopardy and of course the world is in danger of imminent destruction. I love getting lost in the BookWorld with Thursday Next. You should try it sometime! Jane Austen in Boca by Paula Marantz Cohen 5/24/2012 Good - Fiction A retelling of Austen's Pride & Prejudice set in Boca Raton FL and peopled with Jewish retirees. Interesting concept for a P&P retooling and quite well-done. The Applause of Heaven by Max Lucado 5/26/2012 Excellent - Inspirational A study of the Beatitudes with a focus on joy Been too long since I read Lucado. Going to make it a regular habit! The Custom of the Army by Diana Gabaldon 5/27/2012 Good - novella Lord John travels to Canada to handle the court martial of an old friend. Short e-book

The Intrigue at Highbury (or, Emma's Match) by Carrie Bebris - 4/3/2012 Good - Historical Fiction After their coach is robbed, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy end up in Highbury, just as a dinner party at Donwell Abbey has ended in murder. This was the last of Bebris' Jane Austen novels. I highly recommend the series and look forward to the next one. Titanic: The Tragedy That Shook The World, One Century Later by LIFE Books - 4/7/2012 Good - Non-fiction Remembering the RMS Titanic and its passengers - photos and text I have been a Titanic enthusiast since I was 12 or so. This was a lovely book with beautiful illustrations and lots of good information.  The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani - 4/9/2012 Good - Historical Fiction Enza Ravenelli and Ciro Lazzari meet as teenagers in Italy but both emigrate to America shortly afterward. I enjoyed this a lot more than the last few I read from Trigiani. Reminded me more of her Big Stone Gap series that I liked a lot. Titanic

An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis 3/5/2012   Excellent - Non-fiction A short but meaningful and deep book on literary criticism. Wow, this book was deep. I started out disagreeing with him quite a bit, thinking he was a snob. But by the end, I was nodding my head furiously and making plans to purchase this book. It was out of print, but is going to be published again shortly, if not already. El Dorado by Baroness Orczy 3/6/2012  Excellent - Classic The Scarlet Pimpernel rescues the Dauphin from the Temple Prison but is captured. This is the second book that my favorite Scarlet Pimpernel movie is based on. Surprised me how much of the movie is straight from the book. Did you know there are about a dozen Scarlet Pimpernel books? The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 3/12/2012  Excellent - Young Adult Re-read Wow, great book! I read it before a couple years ago and wanted to re-read for the movie, as well as for book club. Powerful and well-written! Catching Fire b

The Count of Monte Cristo (abridged) by Alexandre Dumas 2/2/2012  Good - Classic In the abridged version, one loses a lot of detail! I want to read the long version again now! If you've never read Monte Cristo, I recommend it! But give yourself a lot of time and be patient! North by Northanger (or, The Shades of Pemberley) by Carrie Bebris 2/5/2012  Good - Historical Fiction This is my favorite one yet in this series - not surprising since it features Mr. Henry Tilney. Darcy, a pregnant Lizzy, Lady Catherine, and a whole slew of others are all on the trail of an item lost by Darcy's mother just before her death. The story takes them to Northanger Abbey and to Pemberley. I'm really enjoying this series. Bebris seems to have hit her stride.  Tag Man (A Joe Gunther novel) by Archer Mayor 2/9/2012  Good - Suspense Rich Vermonters are waking up to find post-it notes next to their beds. "You're it!" But the Tag Man, as the perp is soon known, is in over

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton 1/14/2012  Good - Suspense Kinsey notices a shoplifter in a department store and the arrest sets off a chain of events. I always love reading Kinsey's stories. Wickham's Diary by Amanda Grange 1/16/2012  Good - Historical Fiction The history of George Wickham from his childhood through his failed attempt to elope with Georgiana Darcy. Another of the Austen diaries by Amanda Grange. The other diaries are all "written by" Austen heroes, though, so this one by the nefarious Wickham didn't quite satisfy. For a more pleasant take on Wickham, I prefer Lost in Austen (tv show). Persuasion by Jane Austen 1/17/2012  Excellent - Classic 3rd Re-read - Anne Elliot is once again confronted with Frederick Wentworth, the man whose proposal she turned down eight years ago and whom she still loves. Love Austen more and more every time I read.  The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis 1/26/2012  Good - Suspens

It's one of those weeks when the library showers abundantly upon me! Drums of Autumn , the fourth Outlander novel, came to me in audio CD form. I've been waiting for it for weeks (via interlibrary loan)! I adore listening to Davina Porter read Gabaldon and popped the first CD in the computer right away. Also in from interlibrary loan: The Real Oliver Twist: Robert Blincoe: A Life That Illuminates a Violent Age by John Waller (a compelling history of the lives of workhouse children in the industrial revolution). This title was mentioned in the fascinating At Home by Bill Bryson. And since I recently read Oliver Twist, this caught my attention. North by Northanger (or, The Shades of Pemberley) by Carrie Bebris - 3rd in a series of mysteries featuring Mr. and Mrs. Darcy An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis - this was recommended by the instructor of The Art of Reading course I just completed. I've been wanting to re-read Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion

December was a productive month for reading fiction! I managed nine books! Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson - 12/1/2011  Good - Thriller Christine has amnesia - the kind in which every day starts as a blank and she can't remember two decades of her adult life. The premise was intriguing, but the added mystery kept me guessing right until the end. Enjoyable! The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn - 12/10/2011  Good - Historical fiction A meandering first-person look into the passionate crooked mind of Emily Dickinson. I wanted to like this novel more than I did. I wanted to like Emily Dickinson much more than I did. But she comes off as selfish, insane, and immoral, though with a muddled note of genius.  From what I can tell, this is more fiction than it's not anyway. Henry Tilney's Diary by Amanda Grange - 12/11/2011  Excellent - Historical fiction Starting at age 15, Tilney writes of his family life and eventually meeting Catherine Morland