SteffieB

I love Taming of the Shrew and Macbeth, and his sonnets, too. I think Shakespeare is a challenge because it requires some translation.

I can see how you felt that way! I read your review, too, BTW, which was refreshingly honest. But I was just so drawn in by the writer's descriptive style and I liked the, I guess, earnestness of the characters. I even liked Richard and his blind adoration of his new country. It was just so gritty and unfailingly real, yet dreamlike and beautiful. And the other thing is I can draw so many parallels between this book and its story of war and the current state of affairs in the Middle East.

I finally got the book from the library and was able to finish it this morning. I could not put it down for the entire last half of the book. So skillfully and artfully written. Thank you for bringing it to my attention, PDR. The images will stay for a long time...

Holy cow, that was a great review. Now I have to wait for the book store to open up:)

I really enjoyed this book..but at first was put off by the very un-PCness of it. Anne's dreaminess and imagination really appealed to me. This book took a surprisingly long time for me to read, too. When I told a friend I was reading this, he said he had watched tv programs when he was a kid -- anybody remember these? I have never seen them! And several people have told me they visited Green Gables, too.

I would never have read Anne of Green Gables or The Thief of Always or any of the other 6 books that I picked up in the last months and added to be TBR heap. Thanks:)

I'm thinking! I'm thinking!

I'm sure this isn't a good solution to anyone at the moment, but bugs and slugs add up to just another reason that I'm storing away for someday getting chickens:D Of course, I'll have to not live in a tiny apartment in the middle of a city with not even a patio to grow things on! I get dark spots on my window-grown basil, too, and I attribute them to a combination of lack of real sunshine and too much water.

What Happened to Henry? by Sharon Pywell (2004) NY, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons Book jacket: Nine-year-old Lauren Cooper is devoted to her brother, Henry. She looks to him for strength, wisdom, and the cool level-headedness that, she is realizing, she lacks. But when a sudden tragedy upsets the balance of her close-knit family, Henry's steadfastness starts to crack, and Lauren is forced to watch out for her onetime protector as he grapples with a strange -- although not altogether negative -- affliction. As the Cooper children stumble into adulthood, Lauren continues to keep an eye on Henry, whose already loose ties to the world seem to be weakening. Lauren is starting to suspect that there's another layer to her brother's "illness" that everyone is overlooking. And if she can understand what's happening to him, perhaps she will unlock nothing less than the mysteries of the universe itself. What Happened to Henry? is a funny, moving, wise, and powerful tale of a family's struggle to understand their own son -- who is either crazy or blessed, not unlike the cold-war America in which they live. My thoughts: This is a book that appeals to me for so many reasons: it's funny, unique, poignant, real, magical, and oh so very interesting. It was the perfect in-between book from my History of English Literature class into summertime. I loved that it started out with building the bonds between the three kids, such good character development, building sympathy for all of them as they grew into adulthood. The fact that the discovery aspect of Henry's "illness" is carried throughout the book keeps the reader guessing all the way to the end -- does he really have some deep inner bond with a Japanese man? While the children attend a Catholic grade school, they are also learning about Buddhist traditions and Japanese culture from Henry and Asagao. The setting in Boston, the combination of a medical theme with a starving artist backdrop, and the possibility of mental illness combined to keep me completely enthralled. It added a new dimension to the empathy that I feel for the families of the patients I work with every day. I thought this was very well done and really well written. I have a hard time with number grades, so let's just say I strongly recommend this book:)

Hi Lucie!

Sigh! But I can live vicariously..that's what I have you for!

You know what's yummy and takes 2 seconds to make? Couscous -- combine it with some olive oil, fresh herbs, cheese, tomatoes, especially basil, feta or brie chunks, and tomatoes. Or same thing but with orzo. A little salt and pepper and it is so fresh and good! Maybe have some breadsticks or good crusty bread, too. And this time of year fresh strawberries and/or blueberries with cream or whipped cream for dessert. Peaches, too! I had a berry pavlova near Bristol once that was to die for...just a thought.

I am very jealous and I can't wait to read all of your reviews!!

What about Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel?

I admit to reading all of these as well, and also forgetting which is which...and also being less enamored toward the end. The last one (P?), which I actually listened to in the car (the reader is fantastic), felt a little contrived. It still kept my attention the whole time, thanks in part to the reader. I think of V.I. Warshawski (Paretsky), Kay Scarpetta (Cornwell), and Stephanie Plum (Evanovich) as being in the same vein..and sometimes I just need a tough chick in my life!

I love Hannah Montana!! I don't get to see it much, but it always pauses the trigger figger:) Otherwise it's Daily Show and reruns of the Sopranos for me. My schedule is so variable, I'm just never around at the same time from day to day.

Hey! It's nice to see what your covers look like finally..cuz ours look nothing like that!

Hi Anne -- I think you'll like it here!

That sounds like a lot of stuff going on! Hope all goes well. The "usual stresses" get overwhelming at times..but a good book works wonders. Have you ever read Practical Magic, by Alice Hoffman? Light and fast reading, for sure. And I second Douglas Adams..or even some Neil Gaiman/Terry Pratchett with Good Omens.

After Maisie Dobbs I stepped right over to the library and researched WWI. Love that book for so many reasons.

I think both of these books are fantastic..and memorable. He's really a great writer.

I'm going to whisper this...((The Life of Pi))

It had been a while since I read any Clive Barker, and I wasn't sure if I was up to a scary book -- but I couldn't stop myself from picking this one up when I saw it on the forum here. I forgot how much I liked his colorful style. It kind of creeped me out..the water! The Halloween theme! I was glad it was written on a milder level, though:)

Are you feeling ok, Echo? Sometimes not being able to concentrate can mean you have something on your mind...

Ok, I finally finished it! Seemed like it took forever, and I have to say I really liked how she did it. Even that Draco was saved a couple of times so that we had to build sympathy for "bad" guy. Do you think the moral is that there's more than meets the eye and don't always make assumptions? We found out so much about Dumbledore! And the sneaky bit with his brother...thought that was brilliant, too.