pontalba

Ya never know what will happen in life. I was not terribly short of senior citizen status when we met. I've finished Malice...review to follow. Have started When We Were Orphans by Ishiguro.

Nice! I liked Wool a lot.

Kell, that sounds beyond marvelous!! What an adventure for all of you! I looked at their website, and.....amazing! I wish/hope it would come over here, to the States. Gaia, good luck on the appointment!

No book reading yesterday. However in going through an old and crummy box of "junk" I found 80-odd carbon copies of letters my Grandmother wrote to my Father when he went away to school. Insightful. Haven't read but a quarter of them, so far, but interesting. Her handwriting was.....lets say not terribly decipherable, but she bought a typewriter and made the copies. Phew! Which brings to mind my Grandfather on my Mother's side...he was the only one that could read one of his sister's handwriting. As the sibs were very far flung in the world, there was lots of correspondence. This particular sister had to type her letters as her handwriting was so awful. When her typewriter broke down (and they were in Cyprus, so repairs were sketchy) everyone sent her letters to my Grandfather to be deciphered. Then he'd send them back to the respective sib. I wish I had those letters! /sigh/

Nice looking, muggle. It isn't bulky, and that's great. I always like llBean's stuff.

The Causeway Bridge is the 24 mile bridge that spans Lake Pontchartrain just north of New Orleans. Here is a link to it's history. http://www.thecauseway.us/causeway/history.php In the last year there have been a number of accidents that have resulted in people going over the railings and into the lake and drowning. Last month alone there were two fatalities. In all my life, so far, I do not remember anything like this number of accidents. It's unprecedented. One of the problems is the fact that there are far more distractions now...texting, cell phones in general. Drivers have seen drivers even watching television in the car. Anyhow, here is the latest article in the paper. http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2014/12/causeway_police_cracking_down.html#incart_river I hope the crack down helps.

Great reviews, BBB...I loved the Mantel books and really appreciated her take on Cromwell, too. Love this ^^^^!

I like your take on The Humans, it goes on my list!

Didn't touch either of my "challenges" for this year, so my original "no plan" is back in effect for 2015. 2.0.1.5.........crikey, where did the century go? Wasn't it just 1999?? Again, this year, our purchases far outstripped our reading, even as we cut down on purchases. /sigh/ (curse you, estate sales!) So, no plan, just :readingtwo:

Yup, and yup! Not twice. Thanks. He is great for you, Gaia. That's what counts. I think y'all have a great relationship.

I love it when a book goes in a totally unexpected direction! Excellent review, Gaia. It has to be difficult to translate a book, getting the proper intonation of not just words, but the feeling of them. I wish our library was better, and more receptive to change. I think if one is not a fully formed reader that our library is ok. But, if one is later in life and has had a lifetime of reading behind them.....our local library is not sufficient. Just my take on their situation. They used to order books if requested, but there are many budget restraints now, so they are seemingly not very receptive.

I have to add, willoyd, that reading the whole Regeneration trilogy is well worth it! They tie up beautifully. Re I Am Pilgrim, one of the things that really impressed me was the juxtaposition of the stories told. First the detective story...crime committed and the back tracing to find the culprit. Then the spy story told finding the culprit before the crime/terrorist act can be committed. The way the author tied those very different, (yet to my mind, the same difference) it riveting. And they do tie up.

Thanks! It is.....I'm reading Malice, by Keigo Higashino. I've read three books by him before. Japanese author that really knows how to tell the tale.

Thanks, Gaia! Fingers crossed for your internet!!

We stopped at the second hand bookstore this morning and here are the results. The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham The View From Castle Rock by Alice Munro When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro Tabloid City by Pete Hamill Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell Perfidia by James Ellroy .....and in the mail, from Amazon, second hand The Polish Boxer by Eduardo Halfon

I've put up a review over on my thread. I didn't like it half as much as the Outlander series, and actually not as well as the other two Lord John books I've read. This one just seemed flat. It rather felt like milking the original, not written for itself.

Thanks Gaia! The Final Silence by Stuart Neville 3.5/5 There are few "good" moments, and fewer positive outcomes to balance the insidious stink of corruption that permeate the bones and fiber of this story. Of course one expects to find corruption in any detective story. But Neville highlights only the negative, there are few positive outcomes, and even those are imbued with violence and deep unhappiness. A serial killer, a child removed from a parent, a possibly terminal illness are the main themes of this book. We see into the diseased mind of the killer, but the analysis is incomplete, somehow superficial. It is as though Neville didn't quite have the depth of knowledge to delve very deeply into that sort of mind set. The ending is abrupt and too inclusive for my taste. I don't have to have all the threads tied off, just some...and none were in this case. This is the fourth in Neville's Belfast series and, unusually, I think the first one was the best. I think because it contained some redemption of character, and oddly enough some hope for the hopeless. I saw hardly any of that in this installment. And yet. There is something that will make me go back and read another, if he writes more. I have hopes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lord John and The Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon 2/5 meh In order to milk the Outlander series for all it's worth, Ms. Gabaldon has penned a series featuring Lord John of aforementioned series. It takes place within the time frame of the Outlander series, without any of the other characters that we love to read of. Jamie is referred to a few times, as is Claire. She is nameless however in this book. Lord John is taken up in a spy scandal, with some rather improbable side stories and characters along the way. Seventeenth century London is represented fairly well, featuring all the muck and dirt that is allowed. The whole thing comes off rather pompously and unrealistically.

Whoops! Yes, please. Poor Boris. I've had dogs that wet the floor/table when at the vets, or when they got excited for any reason, good or bad. It's no big deal to the vets, they're used to it. Just keep your feet out of the resulting puddle! LOL it's a curse! But a good one. Viral pneumonia can't be fun. Rest is a healer, as you know.....a pain sometimes though. But think!, you can catch up on reading. Lets face it, dates are scary. I hope it goes smoothly for you. The emoticons removed from this post were not damaged in any way.......

I've finished both The Final Silence by Stuart Neville and Lord John and The Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon tonight. No review, yet. Still swirling. Not sure what is next.

We are having Spring-like weather for the week, after a couple of freezing nights last week. It's 'sit outside and read in the sun' weather.

Free book?? Wonderful! And, congratulations on cutting down. It ain't easy!

I finished the Robert Vaughn book, certainly enjoyed it a lot! Thanks to Ruth for reminding me of it! I bought a copy and when I input it to Library Thing, I was told I already had it.......

A Fortunate Life by Robert Vaughn 5/5 I wish that Mr. Vaughn wrote fiction. His prose is that good. It's smooth, articulate and entertaining. This is not a "kiss and tell" by any stretch of the imagination, although there is a laid back telling of a few tales. He remains a gentleman throughout and treats his ladies as Ladies. No, this book is more a homage to his parents and grandparents and the good basis they gave him. But that is hardly all it is, either. Our Man From U.N.C.L.E. is far more than "just an actor". He is a responsible human being that has lived his life in such a way as not to have hurt those around him, and has tried to make the world a better place. The book goes into his philosophical and political beliefs and he backs it all up with passion, but never in an overbearing manner. The reader never feels browbeaten or burdened with Vaughn's views. His life has juxtaposed with so many of the giants of the time. Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jack Kennedy. Entertainment people, Lee Strasberg, Yul Brenner, Richard Harris, even the wonderful Jack Barrymore. A cast of thousands. As with Vaughn's beliefs, the reader does not feel inundated with names. And, importantly context is kept throughout. The reader always knows where we are in the stream of time. A lovely book, written by a lovely man. Recommended.

I have another of Flynn's books on the stack.....maybe both? I'll have to check them out. Thanks for a great review.

So. I'm now reading three books....The Final Silence by Stuart Neville, Lord John's Private Matter by Gabaldon, and the Robert Vaughn autobio that Ruth recommended a while back. The Neville is great, but very intense so I switched to the Gabaldon, and today I picked up the Vaughn out of curiosity....all good books.