Readers and Reading discussion

Please use this section to post the books you read in September.

4614 The Vertigo Years Europe,1900-1914, by Philipp Blom (read 2 Sep 2009) This is an account of selected things that happened in the indicated years in Europe, in no way looking forward to what happened in 1914. There are things discussed which are of much interest; e.g., the events in Russia in January 1905; and the women's suffrage fight in England. But there is a lot of discussion of things like art and music (but practically nothing about literature) and some of that discussion was pretty abstruse and not really very interesting to me. The book spends a lot more time analyzing what happened than telling what happened, so it was not my favorite kind of history.

4615 Sailing Alone Around the World, by Captain Joshua Slocum edited with an introduction and notes by Thomas Philbrick (read 4 Sep 2009) This is a 1900 book which tells of how the author built a boat, the Spray, 37 feet long and 13 feet wide, which he sailed from Boston on Apr 24, 1895, to Gibraltar , then to Brazil, down through the Straits of Magellan, to Juan Fernandez Island, across the Pacific to Australia, then to Cape Town, St. Helena, the Caribbean, and back to Newport, Rhode Island, arriving there June 27, 1898. He was always alone, except he took a goat on at Cape Town which ate a chart he needed. He put the goat ashore at Ascension Island. The book is awesome and exciting, especially in the early part. After he gets through the Straits of Magellan he makes it sound easy. One can't help but admire the competence he displayed. This was a very worthwhile read, even for one who knows little or nothing about sailing.

4616 Growing Up Country Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl, by Carol Bodensteiner (read 5 Sep 2009) I have a hard time resisting reading Iowa farm memoirs, even those by girls This is a 2008 memoir by a girl who grew up in the 1950's near Spragueville, Jackson County, Iowa. It is not as good as Little Heathens, which I read 8 July 2007, and some of it is pretty pointless. But the author was one of three girls, (mostly 12, 10, and 8 years old) on a dairy farm--50 cows milked by machine. Horses were gone from the farm by the time the author was 4. Some of the account is very poignant--her parents were hard-working and the girls were good girls who worked hard. The last sentences: "I have only to close my eyes and breathe in to remember the smell of a field of new-mown hay, flex my fingers to remember the feel of a calf sucking as it learned to drink, open my ears to the sound of my smoothing over a cooking mistake. Then I remember my dad sitting on a feedbox petting our yellow tomcat and I want to go sit by him again and talk about the work that has yet to be done."

4617 The Pathfinder, by James Fenimore Cooper (read 9 Sep 2009) Back in 1967 I read The Deerslayer and The Last of the Mohicans, the first two books in Cooper's pentology about Natty Bumppo. This is the third. It is laid on Lake Ontario, and part takes place on the "Thousand Islands"--which I don't recall ever hearing about before (and yes, 1000 Island dressing takes its name from them). I found the trip to the islands quite exciting, on the way to a fort on the New York shore of Lake Ontario. They have to evade Indians. At the fort things slow a little, then they go to the 1000 Islands and much exciting adventure befalls them there. The characters are either noble or evil, and good triumphs with some deaths. The book is slow moving at times, but it was fun to read and I am glad I did.

4618 The Pioneers, by James Fenimore Cooper (read 13 Sep 2009) This is the fourth volume chronologically in the saga, but was the first written--in 1823. There is little resemblance between the Natty Bumppo of this volume and the one in The Pathfinder. He was an idyllic figure in The Pathfinder but in this book he is an erratic figure only sometimes admirable. The first two-thirds of the book is really quite dull and little happens. Eventually there is more excitement, including a horrendous forest fire, but I thought the story poorly plotted and much of the dialogue is boring. And Cooper delights in having characters talk in dialect, which really annoys me. This is definitely the poorest of the five volumes in the saga.

4619 The Prairie, by James Fenimore Cooper (read 16 Sep 2009) This book, published in 1827, is the fifth and final book in the Leatherstocking Saga. It is a much, much better book than The Pioneers. There is always something happening in the story as Natty is in the area west of the Missouri--in what is now Nebraska or Kansas. He comes in contact with Ishmael Bush, an old guy with seven sons, a very strong-willed wife and some daughters. Ellen Wade is with the Bush party, which is proceeding westward. Natty and his dog Hector come upon Ellen and her boyfriend Paul Hover. There is much dispute with Ishmael and his party, and with Indians. While the telling of the story is in the style of the 1820's, there are lots of exciting events,including a prairie fire and a great Indian battle, with Natty helping the good Loup Indians against the "bad" Sioux. I always looked forward to reading the book--maybe because the book is so much better than The Pioneers. Natty is in his 80's and dies at the end but it is not a sad book. I am glad I read the rest of the saga, since if I hadn't I would not ever have done so. Eh?

4620 Hindenburg The Wooden Titan, by John W. Wheeler-Bennett (read 20 Sep 2009) Hindenburg was born 2 Oct 1847 at Posen and died 2 Aug 1934 at Neudeck. I am surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It has no bibliography and no footnotes, but it is excellent narrative biography, and while the author gives his opinions I had no quarrel with them. Hindenburg retired in 1911 and on Aug 22, 1914, was called back to command on the Eastern front. Ludendorff was the brains with Hindenburg in World War One, from the great victory in 1914 against the Russians, and when they went to the Western front. This is all told of and is highly interesting. Then in 1925 Hindenberg became President of Germany, even though he had advised the Kaiser to go to Holland in Nov 1918--something he always felt guilty about. His time as President covered him with no glory. The account of the events of 1932 and 1933 are Byzantine-like, and indicates greater political success for Hitler than apologists for the Germans now seem to admit. But the horror when Hitler gained power is adequately told of, even though in 1936 (when this book was written) Hitler's greatest evils were still to come. This book is still worth reading, even though written so soon after Hindenburg's death..

4621 The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley (read 26 Sep 2009) This is a book published in 1983 and is a telling of the King Arthur legend, viewed from the perspective of the women therein: Morgraine, mother of Arthur's bastard son; Gwen (Guinevere), King Arthur's wife; and Morgause, aunt of Morgraine. Morgraine is an advocate of the pagans and opposes the Christianity advocated by Arthur's wife. There is little sexual morality in any of the characters, pagan or Christian. There are sections of high excitement, made memorable by the dreariness of the fantasy sections of the book. The book has a great ending--paganism is routed. Overall I enjoyed the book except for the fantasy parts.

4622 Through German Eyes The British and the Somme 1916, by Christopher Duffy (read 28 Sep 2009) This is a 2006 book by a historian whose father was in the Irish Guards in the Great War. It tells of the Somme battles in 1916 mainly from German sources and from what Germans learned from the English they captured. It is amazing how much those captured men talked and how their talk helped the Germans. The fighting was fierce and dreary and so the book was not too good, though Duffy concludes the Somme was, if not a British victory, at least a costly strategic success that was important to the outcome of the war.

4623 Scottsboro and Its Legacy The Cases that Challenged American Legal and Social Justice, by James R. Acker (read 29 Sep 2009) This book tells well the story of the Scottsboro case. It is pretty objective, and some who read the testimony of the prosecution's witnesses might doubt the innocence of the defendants, especially if white and in Alabama in 1931. And the record of the defendants when they finally got out of prison is a sad one. But the book is a fascinating study, and the case did give rise to two important U.S. Supreme Court cases, Powell v. Alabama (holding a defendant in a capital case is entitled to adequate representation) and Patterson v. Alabama (holding Negroes must be permitted in the jury panel). The book is an excellent account of the whole case and thoroughly objective. It is so pleasant to think about how improved things are in Alabama now compared to the 1930's.

A good month, I thought

Schmerguls wrote: "And Cooper delights in having characters talk in dialect, which really annoys me ..."

AMEN....you are a man after my own heart. I cannot stand to read dialect! (But I did love THE HELP despite the dialect, except that I thought it added nothing to the book).

Slocum was some guy! WOW. Was he from the Boston area or Newport? I am betting that Thomas Philbrick, who wrote the intro and notes, is Nathaniel's brother....

Schmerguls, it is because of your statement about Little Heathens that I read it. I passed it to my mom, who is 83 and still lives in Iowa. She said she has probably loaned it to 20 more people who all just love it. I enjoy your posts and always read them to see if you have anymore written about Iowa. Will try to find this one.

Deb

I finished quite a few books this month...a rarity for me. Of course, I also abandoned a few too!

Vanished by Joseph Finder 4 GR stars....

A quick and compelling read from first page to last. Some of the business talk left me glassy-eyed (i wonder if all the detail was really necessary) and there were a few mistakes (a woman whose body was totally wrapped up in duct tape had defensive wounds on her hands -- no way!). But otherwise, it was a good thriller that kept me guessing.

The Help - Kathryn Stockett 4.5 GR stars

I would actually give this 4.5 stars if that was available. The reason it is not 5 star is that there were quite a few cultural references that were "off" and a few other mistakes. And the dialect...I hate reading dialect. I kept wanting to get out my red pen and fix it!

Could it have ben written without using dialect? YES!

Would it have been just as effective without dialect? YES!

That said, this was a powerful and thought-provoking book and deserves all the accolades it is getting. The author did a masterful job of making me FEEL these women's stories. I grew up with "help" but not like these women who actually raised the children. But I did realize that the one maid our family shared was absolutely integral to every family event in my childhood.

Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond 4 GR stars

This was just a sweet little book. I had read and liked this author's other two novels and did not even know she had written a third until I saw it on the shelf at the library. I think she is a good writer.

The book was about an elephant and a private zoo ---- and I have no interest in either topic. It was predictable and sappy....but I loved it! Go figure!

I did learn a lot about elephants, so that was a good thing....and I also think Hammond is good at character development. I really felt that I knew these people.

I have no idea why this would be compared to "Water for Elephants". The only thing they have in common is an elephant. It is like comparing apples and oranges.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford 2 GR stars

I had heard lots about this book, but had not put it on my TBR list. So when I saw the audio at the library, I figured...what the heck, may as well try it!

I might not have finished it if I had an alternative book in the car to listen to. Sometimes the reader annoyed me when he said the main character's (Henry's) words with a Chinese accent (inconsistently at that!) .... since Henry had been born in the US.

I usually do not like when an author switches back and forth from one time period to another, but in this book it "fit".

I think the author should have made Henry and Keiko a bit older...I found it impossible to accept that these "children" had such a relationship. Absolutely implausible. I also found the writing to be clumsy AND I felt nothing for any of the characters. Usually I feel some connection, but not here.

I found a LOT of inaccuracies in this book but since I was driving while listening, I could not make notes on them...but I groaned a LOT! This author really needed to do better research or have an editor who knows something about history. One of the most egregious errors was when Henry's son was participating in an online grief group...in 1986!!!!! Yeah, right, sure. Many online reviewers, who know a lot more about World War II than I do, really zoned in on all the the mistakes about the war.

The author said, at the end, that he did not intend to make this book about the internment camps...but perhaps he should have put that statement at the beginning because I think maybe people were expecting that to be the focus of this book...

Had this been a "paper" book, or if I had had another audiobook available, I probably would have abandoned it after 50 pages -- if I had even gotten that far! I think the best thing about the book was the clever title.

A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick 3 GR stars

Another sweet little book, about the ties that bind women together and about quilting, both topics that I enjoy. I liked reading a story set in a small Connecticut town similar to one I lived in at one time.

Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler 5 GR stars

Like most of Anne Tyler's books, Noah's Compass was gently written and uncomplicated. No postmodern literary gimmicks for her, thank goodness. Just a straightforward story with a few surprises, and with eccentric characters who probably live down the street.

I love the way Tyler takes everyday happenings and makes the reader realize that nothing is really insignificant, that everything has meaning or value. While reading the book, you hardly realize the layers of character development that she has woven into the story. Her observations of the human condition are always so on-target, but she never makes judgments about what she sees.

The story is a year in the life of Liam Pennywell, sixty years old, who has just lost his teaching job. Liam has been widowed and divorced and has three daughters, so he lives in a world of women, most of whom he cannot comprehend! He is a drifter in the sense that he just lets life happen to him without doing much about anything. Not that he is incompetent, but he just prefers to "go along". Until his first night in his new and smaller apartment when something happens to upset his equilibrium. Tyler works her magic and Liam, while not transformed, at least broadens his approach to life.

While this will not rank up there with A Patchwork Planet, my very very favorite of Tyler's, it certainly was well worth reading and provides lots of food for thought. I am always astounded that her sweet and gentle books keep me thinking about them for so long afterwards.

This was a copy bought in the UK and not available here until January. I have no sense of deferred gratification when it comes to this author's books, so I bought it last month.

Being familiar with the area of Baltimore where Tyler's books are all set makes her books even more enjoyable. A pivotal scene in this book took place in Eddie's, an upscale grocery store that I often visit on N. Charles Street....in fact, Charles Street is often mentioned.

Here are three quotes I wrote down while reading...just so well-said by Tyler, with such economy. Other writers would/could have taken pages to say essentially the same thing:

****Damian had the posture of a consumptive – a narrow curved back and buckling knees. He resembled a walking comma.****

****She collected and polished resentments as if it were some sort of hobby.****

****All along, it seemed, he had experienced only the most glancing relationship with his own life. He had dodged the tough issues, avoided the conflicts, and gracefully skirted adventure. “I just don’t seem to have the hang of things, somehow. It’s as if I’ve never been entirely present in my own life.” ****

I listened to two books this month:
1. Picoult, Jodi—Handle with Care. Read by various readers. Finished 9/1/09. Fiction; audio; rating 10. A loving family is split apart when the mother of a severely disabled (bone disease) child sues her doctor (and formerly best friend) in a wrongful birth lawsuit.
2. Goolrick, Robert—A Reliable Wife. Read by Mark Feuerstein. Finished 9/17/09. Fiction; audio; rating 8. Wealthy businessman Ralph Truitt’s ad for a reliable wife is answered by Chicago’s Catherine Land. Catherine is in a plot with the stepson that he had abused and lost contact with years before to poison Truitt and inherit his property. When he is nearly dead, Catherine changes her mind.

I read four books the old-fashioned way:
1. Cornwell, Nancy—More Polarfleece Adventures. Finished 9/2/09. Non-fiction; rating 9. Lots of nifty ideas for techniques using polar fleece. I should branch out and try some of them.
2. Snyder, Grace—No Time on My Hands. Finished 9/7/09. Non-fiction; rating 9. I was so impressed with the special exhibit “Grace Snyder: A Life in Extraordinary Stitches” (14 amazing quilts made by one of Nebraska’s and America’s best-known and, prize-winning 20th century quiltmakers) that was at the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska when Erin and I visited it April 23, 2009 that I decided to buy her book. Although I wish the book told more about her quilts, it was a fascinating story of her life as a pioneer in Nebraska that began there when her parents homesteaded there in 1885. As a child of seven on, she wished that she “might grow up to make the most beautiful quilts in the world, to marry a cowboy, and to look down on the top of a cloud.” She was able to do all of these. Her most famous quilt is the mosaic design Flower Basket Petit Point Quilt that she made from 1942-1943 from 85,789 pieces to look like the design on a china plate. The blocks are so small that the quilt appears to be needlepoint rather than pieced.
3. Morsi, Pamela—Red’s Hot Honky Tonk Bar. Finished 9/16/09. Fiction; rating 7. San Antonio honky tonk owner Red was not pleased when she wound up as guardian for her grandchildren Livy and Daniel when their other grandmother had a stroke while her daughter was deployed in Afghanistan. Her “boy toy” Cam surprised her by coming to her assistance rather than abandoning her when the grandchildren moved in. The ending was nearly fairy tale, but the characters were all well portrayed and likeable. Cam’s philosophy was from James Dean: “Dream like you’ll live forever and love like you’ll die today.” He told Livy “not to waste good time today worrying about tomorrow.”
4. Woodsmall, Cindy-The Hope of Refuge—An Ada’s House Novel. Finished 9/25/09; rating 8. Fleeing a stalker with her daughter Lori, Cara Moore leaves New York and remembering bits and pieces of an incident in her childhood before her dad left her after her mother died she goes to Dry Lake, Pennsylvania. Eventually, she is able to piece together her earlier life understanding what happened. She also falls in love with an Amish man Ephraim Mast that she vaguely remembers from a brief childhood visit.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I finished quite a few books this month...a rarity for me. Of course, I also abandoned a few too!

Vanished by Joseph Finder 4 GR stars....

A quick and compelling read from first page to last..."

I read a Single Thread and it was great. There is a sequal to this book A Thread of Truth, that the story was great, but the errors within the book were horrific. I wrote her and complained, she agreed it was very wrong and said the next printing the errors would be corrected. It was the most error filled book I have read. I would wait a while to read the second 1 until the errors have been corrected.

Shirley, I just had to find a picture of the Grace Snyder Flower Basket Petit Point Quilt. WOW, that is amazing. This close-up gives some idea of how tiny the pieces were. I did a "zoom" view to look even closer.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_W-tPfvMT88E...

My daughter and I lucked out that when we went to the Internaional Quilt Museum that one of the special exhibits was of Grace Snyder's works. I had never heard of her, but was very impressed with the quilts displayed.

Shirley, are you a quilter? I love to quilt, but only by hand. Notice that I did not say that I like to do the piecing!

Yes, I do quilt. I have hand quilted, but lately have paid to have my quilts quilted by longarm quilters. Most of my quilts are patchwork, but I have also done some applique. I recently finished a quilt top called "Luck o the Irish" using a pattern that I had cut out of the Quilters Newsletter magazine when my daughter was one year old in 1981. I'm hoping the quilter can get it quilted in time for me to get the binding on in time to give it to my daughter Erin in time for her 30th birthday.

Shirley, what a great gift for your daughter and how appropriate since her name is Erin

Is this the pattern? http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...

You know me, I had to google it!

Why is a machine called a "longarm"?

Quite similar, but the appliques are different as they are on smaller squares of one color. The quilt I made is king size.

I think the longarms are called that as they are much longer than a regular sewing machine. The quilt being quilted is placed on what looks similar to an old fashioned quilt frame and the machine head moves to the various spots to quilt and then the next section of the quilt is moved up on the frame. Some of the elaborate machines even use laser technology.

I agree that the hand quilted quilts have an even nicer look/feel to them, but I am very slow at hand quilting so my finished projects would be even slower. I started a baby quilt for my third child before he was born, but with three kids under four I soon realized that I needed to set that project aside. I started it again a few years ago and finally finished it shortly before his 25th birthday. I apologized for being so slow since I had finished the quilts for his older siblings. He said not to worry about it--it was nothing that a few years in therapy wouldn't cure! I finished an adult quilt for him earlier this year using a log cabin star pattern.

I am always interested in book lists. In today's Wall Street Journal mention is made of the list "100 Great American Novels You've (Porbably) Never Read." Google has the list in full. I checked and found I had read 10 of the 100. The ones I read are:
Laura, by Vera Caspary
The Hoosier School Master, by Edward Eggleston
Herland, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The Rise of Silas Lapham, by William Dean Howells
Raintree County, by Ross Lockridge, Jr.
They Came Like Swallows, by William Maxwell
The Groves of Academe, by Mary McCarthy
McTeague, by Frank Norris
Wheat That Springeth Green, BY J. F. Powers
The Sea of Grass, by Conrad Richter.

How many have you read?

I have started to read and laid down 2 books already this month.

"Homer and Langley" by E.L. Doctorow
"Spooner" by Pete Dexter

Both books have been praised, but after 100 pages into each, I could not get interested in either. Life is too short and my TBR pile is too high.

I just started "Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story" by C. David Heymann and I am already hooked. Reading little known facts about Jackie and Bobby!

I listed a bunch of web sites that have various book lists on Good Reads- Book Nook Cafe. (post #29)
Here is a link if you would like to see the list.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

I can't seem to find the full list on the web that you mention, Schmurgals, other than at the site
Blagographia, which locks up my computer.

I see that it was a book by Karl Bridges published in 2007.



Can anyone post a link to the list? Thanks.

Try this for the "100 Great American Novels...":

http://neglectedbooks.com/?page_id=271

Thanks, JoAnn !

I've only read one on the list

Players

Actually, I have read the Laurie Colwin book, Raintree County and McTeague from the list of neglected books. Maybe I should try some of the others, since I enjoyed these.
Cheef

Try this for the "100 Great American Novels...":

Interesting list, Schmerguls.

Two that I would recommend, Cheef, are "Stones for Ibarra" a well-done gentle story of a couple leaving everything in San Francisco and going to Mexico... first book by Doerr at age 68, and "No Country for Old Men" which is the exact opposite type of book, and shows McCarthy's mastery of dialogue....this book is not for the faint of heart. Two very different genres, each an excellent experience.

Lois

Schmerguls wrote: "Try this for the "100 Great American Novels...":

http://neglectedbooks.com/?page_id=271"

Raintree County is one of my favorite books - the movie one of my favorite movies. I didn't realize it was neglected!

Sandy wrote: "Actually, I have read the Laurie Colwin book, Raintree County and McTeague from the list of neglected books. Maybe I should try some of the others, since I enjoyed these.
Cheef"

I love everything Colwin has written and just yesterday ordered her two "home cooking" books to give to a friend.

Interesting list. I have started - and abandoned - many of them LOL

Lois, I see Stones for Ibarra is still in our library, and based on what you say I think I will read it.

I don't find No Country for Old Men on the neglected list, and since it only was published in 2005 it is maybe too new to be called neglected. The newest book on the list seems to be a 1997 book, In Memory of the Forest, by Charles T. Powers.

Bunny,
Raintree County is my all time favorite movie.
Cheef

I also enjoyed Stones from Ibarra when I read it ages ago. I wish I could be more specific, but I cannot remember anything except my enjoyment. SHe wrote another book too, Consider This, Senora.

Harriet Doerr

I love everything Colwin has written and just yesterday ordered her two "home cooking" books to give to a friend.

JoAnn, I love and own Colwin's books on cooking, but couldn't relate to her novels..."Goodbye Without Leaving," and one other one. I couldn't figue out why I didn't like them. Do you have a favorite? I'd like to try again.

Lois

Sandy wrote: "Bunny,
Raintree County is my all time favorite movie.
Cheef"

Must be time to watch it again, Cheef :) I haven't seen it in a few years. Think I'll put it on my list at Amazon.

Kriverbend wrote: "JoAnn, I love and own Colwin's books on cooking, but couldn't relate to her novels..."Goodbye Without Leaving," and one other one. I couldn't figue out why I didn't like them. Do you have a favorite? I'd like to try again.
..."

Lois, it has been so long since I read her novels that I really cannot even remember which one I liked best...I just remember that I loved her books.

Chiming in after an extended absence.....

I have only read one of the books on the "forgotten" list, "A Feast of Snakes" by Harry Crews. But I think his autobiography " A Childhood", was a better book. Wow. It was pretty powerful. Kind of a grittier Rick Bragg.

I started Stones for Ibarra and never got interested in it. I have "Leaving Brooklyn" upstairs in a bookcase, and can't remember if i ever read it or not. Will have to give it another look.

Also in my bookcase and on my TBR list is A Gathering of Old Men.

I haven't even heard of Dingley Falls but Michael Malone is a favorite of mine.

And I have heard Dawn Powell was a wonderful writer but have never read her stuff. Is anyone familiar with her writings?

I am reading Stones for Ibarra, am about half way through, and so far it has much to be said for it. But what I will think when I finish remains to be seen. When I finish it will be the 11th book on the "forgotten" list I've read. I am looking for other books available at libraries I can borrow books from. As if there are not enough unforgotten books I wan to read!

I am reading Stones for Ibarra, am about half way through, and so far it has much to be said for it. But what I will think when I finish remains to be seen.

IMO, it's one of those good reads....no deep thoughts, messages or literary writing, just a good character rendering of the couple and the people in the town getting to know and understand each other. I read Doerr's other two books, but wasn't impressed and remember very little of them. I think Stones was also a film.

Lois

I strongly recommend The Dogs of March, a book that definitely does not deserve to be neglected. Ernest Hebert captures the blue collar, small-town & rural character of New Hampshire in a book that is moving, tragic and funny at turns. The main character is watching his world collapse. The textile mill where he works is moving south, his wife has discovered religion, his son has gone off to college and is convinced he knows everything and his father knows nothing, and his daughter is being pulled into the orbit of the wealthy woman from New York who has moved into town and is determined to remake it into a picture postcard image. The title is drawn from the way even pampered house dogs will form hunting packs to run down and kill exhausted and starving deer huddled in their snowy forest clearings in the winter months, not because the dogs are hungry, but for the sheer bloodlust of the kill. You'll leave this book knowing the New Hampshire that isn't in your average tourist guide.

You also can't go wrong reading A Gathering of Old Men -- it might not be as compelling as his A Lesson Before Dying, but Ernest Gaines writes powerfully about how a group of poor and powerless old men can stand up against a corrupt and racist system.

Leslie/cloudla wrote: "Chiming in after an extended absence.....

I have only read one of the books on the "forgotten" list, "A Feast of Snakes" by Harry Crews. But I e,

think his autobiography " A Childhood", was a
Leslie,

I hughly recommend Dingly Falls. This book was my untriduction to Michael Malone. It is a laugh out loud book.

Meredith