Books Books Books

This topic will be edited a lot! I love to read and hate to waste my time reading something unworthy! Now that sounds snooty and I'm not - if someone loves bodice rippers and sappy romances, more power to them. To each their own. I like something with a bit more substance.

Here are books I have read recently with comments. I'm sure I'll add more as I remember them and read more. My opinions and worth what you have paid for them . . .
The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls - Loved every page.
Me and Emma, Elizabeth Flock - Horrible subject but the telling is brilliant. I loved this book.
The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova - Started good; I turned off it about 3/4 of the way into it. I bought this one rather than got it from the library so I may start it again in the future. And I may not.
The Divide, Nicholas Evans - OK.
My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult- Absolutely riveting. I literally was up all night reading it.
The Other Bolyene Girl, Phillippa Gregory - great book; I've read it twice. I love this Henry VIII era and she knows her stuff.
The Constant Princess, Phillippa Gregory - about Katherine of Aragon. Good read.
The Bolyene Inheritance, Phillippa Gregory - I haven't read anything of hers that turned out to be a disappointment.
Autobiography of Henry VIII, Margaret George - really a novel but very good, gives "the other side of the story" to ponder.
Mary, Queen of Scotland, Margaret George - another wonderful historical fiction writer.
Katherine, Anya Seton - great historical fiction, as was another by her:
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lansaster, Anya Seton.
Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood - Riveting.
The Tenth Circle, Jodi Picoult - great read.
Fall on your Knees, Anne-Marie MacDonald - Great read. I gave it to a family member and probably won't get it back.
Pale Morning Done, Jeff Hull - snore, and I didn't finish it but I remember it well so it had more impact than I thought; I may pick it up again.
Marley and Me, John Grogan - Not my usual genre but I love dogs and this book was recommended to me; it was good and very human; I cried several times.
The Other Side of the Bridge, Mary Lawson - picked this one from the new releases at the library; it was so good I got her first novel, an award winner, which was:
Crow Lake, Mary Lawson - good but not as good as the above.
Music and Silence, Restoration, The Colour, Rose Tremain - all excellent. More historical fiction.
Dalva, Jim Morrison - great character, not so great read.
Resistance, Last Time They Met, Fortunes Rock, Pilots Wife, Sea Glass, Testimony, Anita Shreve - if you get that I like this author, you're right. No sappy happy endings here but great reads.
Ursula Under, Ingrid Hill -a book I may have missed but it's set in Michigan, a wonderful book
Kite Runner, Kahled Hosseini - wow, loved it. Learned from it.
The Lake, the River, and the Other Lake - probably wouldn't have picked this up if it wasn't based in Michigan - liked it; kind of sad; great characters.
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston - not impressed.
March, Geraldine Books - not impressed.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathon Safran Foer - wow. Very compelling. I wanted to talk to others about this book.
Fire Point, John Smolens - another Michigan Book, enjoyed it.
Cloud Atlas, David Stephen - the strong enslaving the weak and the few that fought back. Good read.
Black Swan Green, David Stephen - I enjoyed more than Cloud Atlas.
Thread of Grace, Mary Doria Russell - Jews hidden by Italians in WW2. Very good.
Harbor, Loraine Adams - failed to endear me to Algerian illegal immigrants but it pointed out how ridiculous Homeland Security can be.
Small Island, Andrea Levy - Good read.
These is my Words, Nancy Turner - The diary of a young girl/woman in the American west - great read.
Sarah's Quilt, Nancy Turner - The Sequel to These is my Words, not worthwhile reading
Two Rivers, T. Greenwood - Good read.
Mercy, Salem Falls , Change of Heart, Keeping Faith, Perfect Match, Jodi Picoult- All great reads. I love this author. She has, over the last few years, become my favorite author.
Atonement, Ian McEwan - very good.
The Gathering, Anne Enright - Didn't finish. I may, at another time.
The Heretic's Daughter, Kathleen Kent - OK
Innocent Traitor, Alisone Weir - another book of my favorite historical period. This is the story of Lady Jane Grey.
The Last Summer (of You and Me), Anne Brashares - OK
My Husband's Sweethearts, Bridget Asher - not my usual style, but I read a review in the newspaper and decided to buy it. Worthwhile, if on the light side.
The Other Queen, Philleppa Gregory - another winning story of the Tudor era; this one focuses on Mary, Qeen of Scots.
Sail, James Patterson - another on the light side, it was OK.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, David Wroblewski - Very good read.
Sea of Poppies, Amitav Ghosh - started it, put it down. I was having trouble following the pidgin language.

Moving a Garden

Can't believe it, but over an entire growing season, I was not able to get all plants from my old garden to new. It didn't help of course that I work full time and commuted an hour each way. It also didn't help that the soil in the new place was almost all sand - a soil analysis showed only 2% organics - and large amounts of compost had to be hauled and tilled in before any planting could be done. Then I started digging, hauling, planting. Over and over until late June when the plants started to die rather than transplant. They didn't appreciate having their roots molested in the heat and dryness of summer. And yes it was dry. We went months without rain which was unusual for Michigan.

When I couldn't plant, I spent every available moment fighting the weeds which had gotten away from me while I was trying to move, and mulching. In September, I resumed moving but ran out of weather before plants! Luckily my nephew bought our old home so I can go back to get my daylily seedlings and a few plants in the main garden which are still there.