The New Classics

This is the list from Entertainment Weekly of The New Classics: The 100 best reads from 1983 to 2008.

Out of these I have read seven of them: #'s 2, 20, 34, 36, 78, 88 & 96 and I enjoyed all of them. I will now keep this list around for future book idea's. Thanks to Lynne for making me aware of it.

1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (1990)
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
36. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)
47. World's Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)
59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)
67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)
90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)
94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)
98. The Predators' Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

Home to Holly Springs

Having read all the Mitford books by Jan Koran, I decided to try the first of the new series on Father Tim, Home to Holly Springs.

At first it was kind of different not having the regular Mitford characters populating the pages with their familiar personalities. Father Tim has received an anonymous missive directing him back to his childhood home urgently. So the story starts as he drives home with trusty Barnabus along for the ride and is just about his visit to his home town. Although there are a few references to his family back in Mitford, the book gradually introduces the family, acquaintances and hangouts of his childhood and youth.

Initially I found it harder to get into than previous Mitford books, but I think I was just missing the familiar faces. Within a few chapters Ms Koran had drawn me in and grabbed my interest with the excellent development of the new characters. It was also interesting to read about Father Tim's childhood, his parents and the people who influenced his development as a child.

I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book and will be waiting with anticipation for the next installment in this new series.

Miss Potter (or me as a weeping wreck!)

Wow - what can I say about this little gem of a movie to possibly do it the justice it so richly deserves?

Well it made me emotional and very tearful, it just brought my whole childhood flooding back in a really good way. I loved the Beatrix Potter books as a child, had the whole set and was enchanted by them like many children around the world for over 100 years. I grew up loving Peter Rabbit and Mrs Tiggywinkle from a very young age.

This film tells not only the story of how Beatrix developed the stories and got them published, but it also tells you her own personal story.

Renee Zellweger is wonderful as Beatrix, although for the first five minutes it was like Bridget Jones again, as she only seems to have one British accent! But she just becomes Beatrix so believably that I think she epitomised the artist and person, her vision and joy in life. Ewan McGregor is also wonderful as her enthusiastic publisher and first love, playing the role with an inner vibrancy that you feel. Both Renee and Ewan have long been favourite actors of mine, for the uncanny ability they have to transform themselves so believably you forget they're acting.

For all the anglophiles who read my blog but may not be Beatrix Potter fans, then you should see this if for no other reason than the gorgeous locations in the Lake District. The attention to detail with the Victorian period costumes and sets is also very accurate.

I seem to have used alot of superlatives in this movie review and 'wonderful' has been the word that's popped into my mind persistently to describe it. I will definitely be adding this movie to my collection and watching it again many times. It takes a great movie to connect with you as deeply as this one did with me and it stirred up so many happy emotions and memories that I was a weeping wreck by the end!

So if you are a fan of these little books and loved them as a child, then beware. But whatever you do, just don't miss it.

Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

After resisting all the hype surrounding this book for a long time, I finally gave in and purchased it to see what all the fuss was about. Well after reading it to be honest I still don't know why this book became so huge. Maybe it never would have without Oprah?!

Don't get me wrong, ultimately I am pleased I read it and I can look back and say it was an interesting read. But it didn't grab me at all until about halfway through 'Book 2' - Pray.

To be honest I almost gave up in 'Book 1' - Eat. Having spent time in Rome and Italy twice myself, despite her pronounced love for the country, Elizabeth totally failed to get Italy down on paper in any kind of inspirational way. I share her passion for Italy, if I could live anywhere in the world it would be there. So this first part was a huge disappointment to me. I am no poet but even I could probably produce pages of prolific prose on this wondrous country, it's great beauty, history, charm and it's wonderfully expressive and beautiful citizens. Italy IS the epitomy of passion and her whole phase in Italy was just passionless! This did not bode well for the rest of the book.

But I persevered into 'Book 2' - Pray. This again started off pretty inauspiciously for me, but I do have an interest in the benefits of Meditation on the mind and body and so gradually Elizabeth started to pull me in. By halfway through her time in the Ashram I was finally hooked and I found the rest of her experiences there educational and inspirational enough to make me want to give meditation another go. I did however still feel that at times her writing was pretty self-indulgent and occasionally I checked how many pages I had to the end of this book.

Finally I made it into 'Book 3' - Love, and her time on the island of Bali. This was a more interesting period in her journey and there was more interaction with interesting actual characters who added to her tale. This was by far the easiest book of the three for me and the one that ultimately redeemed this books reputation, somewhat.

So would I recommend it? Only if you are at a point where there are aspects of your life you are deeply unhappy or unsettled with. This book might just give you the courage to get out of your rut and take matters into your own hands to improve your life. But it might also depress you further as most of us can't just upsticks like Elizabeth!

If like me you have already reached the right place for your own personal good 'karma' then you might also struggle to get through it. It has taken me nearly a month to read this book and I often had to make myself continue.

As to why it was so successful? I think there are two reasons; the first is there are a huge amount of women out there who are very unhappy with their lives and searching for something better. This makes me very sad for them, and I also doubt they found all their answers in this book.

The second reason is it's always great to read about someone doing something dramatic with their life, that you wish you had the guts or financial means to do yourself. It's like they are fulfilling our dreams for us and sharing their own experiences for our benefit.

This is undoubtedly what Elizabeth Gilbert set out to do and I know many love this book and thank her for it. But how realistic or possible is it for most of us to leave our lives and recharge in Italy for 3 months, spend 4 months in an Indian Ashram and then 3 months relaxing on Bali, whilst falling for the perfect man!? No big surprise Oprah loved it, after all she's in the 1% who could realistically do what Elizabeth did!

Sorry, call me a cynic, but that's just not achievable for 99% of this books readers. I just wonder if it left them with even more dis-satisfaction and yearning for a change in their own life, that may never be more than a dream for most of them.

I guess I have strong feelings on this book because at 39 I packed up my very established old life and took a huge leap of faith in love. So I feel I am perhaps better positioned than many readers to view it with open eyes and a reality that perfection is rarely possible anywhere! Yes I did what many people will never do, I was one of the few who don't just settle for what they have but go for what they want in life.

Yes my life is alot better, happier, enriching, peaceful and rewarding but it's not perfect and that's - just life!

So interesting read but unlikely to be life changing for many readers.

Book Challenge

A friend of mine from the WW Booklovers thread (and the lady responsible for me starting this blog) Lynne, is starting a new Book Challenge entitled 'I Heard it through the Grapevine' on May 1st.

The goal of this challenge is to read 3 new-to-you books between May 1 and November 30 that have been recommended to you. Feel free to read more if you want! Any type of book is OK. It can even be a book by an author you've read before. Cross-overs with other challenges are fine, and you can change books at any time. There will be a prize at the end of the challenge. You will need to sign up before May 1. with Mr. Linky with a link to your post listing the books and how they were recommended to you.

You can read about the challenge and find a link to the 'I Heard it through the Grapevine' blog HERE and join in the fun.

My three recommended books I will read are:

The Winter Rose (Jennifer Donnelly) - this book was recommended by Sherri to the WW Booklovers Board awhile ago and it sounds right up my street.

When Christ and his Saints Slept (Sharon Kay Penman) - this was a book read last year by the WW BOB (Big Old Book) group before I joined and it sounds like a wonderful piece of historical fiction, always my first choice.

Austenland (Shannon Hale) - recommended to me by a number of girlfriends who like many of us ladies still dream of Colin Firth as Mr Darcy in Pride & Prejudice. This sounds like a fun read.

Dan does it again...

This is a fast moving story set against the background of a Presidential campaign (how current!) and exposes the lengths people will go to for power.

It centres around a once in a lifetime discovery made by NASA, of extra-terrestial fossils in a meteorite discovered buried under the Milne Ice Shelf in the Arctic. The government brings in civilian experts to verify the NASA data independently, but they soon discover all is not what it seems and an elaborate fraud is being played on the American public in a bid to secure votes.

Soon the daughter of one of the Presidential candidates and a celebrity oceanographer find themselves fleeing for their lives, whilst trying to save the critical evidence they possess. The story revolves around government agencies, high tech' weaponry, communications and espionage.

I have to admit I am now a Dan Brown fan, his writing is always 'edge of the seat' stuff and keeps you gripped throughout. He also researches his books very well and I am often amazed at the stuff you learn, even if some of it's not 'real', you believe it is by the end. Dan spins a good yarn and always delivers a satisfactory ending.

If you enjoy thrillers on a bigger scale, with lots of detail and the story to move at a fast pace, I am certain you would enjoy this book.

Just got this...

I have been keen to read this book for awhile and now have the time, I am heading off to bed to get hooked. Let me know if you have read it and what you thought please?

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Pssst! THERE'S A BIG SNAKE PICCIE JUST BELOW THIS...YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

(Ok Lynne?)

Simple tales and food for the soul

Mitford Years Books 1-9 by Jan Karon

Well I thought I would wait until I had finished all the books in the famous Mitford series before writing a review. Since the beginning of the year I have read all 9 books one after another and loved them all without exception. They are all wonderfully crafted, character driven, life affirming and message driven books. They introduce the imperfect and entirely believable world of Father Tim Kavanagh, a smalltown Vicar and his transformation from confirmed bachelor to ever increasing family man.

We get to know his smalltown parishioners intimately, enjoy his late in life romance with Cynthia and his very personal journey into fatherhood and grandfatherhood by proxy with Dooley, Sammy and the twins. Along the way we learn 'the prayer that never fails', live through great joy and sadness in his parish and learn how to bake a wonderful Orange Marmalade cake! We take journeys with him to different parishes he oversees and thereby get another wonderful cast of characters to love.

These books are not fast-moving, thrilling, romantic, gripping, complex, dramatic, mysterious or challenging. These books are like putting on a favourite cosy sweater, with a hot mug of tea in hand, a delicious cookie to nibble on and a roaring log fire at your feet. They envelope you in warmth, familiarity, and you relax and enjoy the journey into a soul enriching world.

If you have never read a Mitford book and are ready to escape to a happier simpler place with a great message of faith interwoven - these books may be just the ticket.

I now own them all and have no doubt they will be re-read many times over the years to come.

Reading Order:

At Home in Mitford

A Light in the Window

These High, Green Hills

Out to Canaan

A New Song

A Common Life

In this Mountain

Shepherds Abiding

Light from Heaven

Book review....

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown:

WOW! I just spent the last 12 hours on a rollercoaster listening to this & it was totally gripping from start to finish. Thank goodness I had it on my iPod, otherwise I'd have sat & read it all the way through, doing nothing else!

The story revolves around an initial murder, an incendiary device set to blow-up The Vatican, a Papal election and the kidnapping of 4 Cardinals who are leading the race to be the next Pope. It is also a first introduction to Robert Langdon, the main character in Dan Brown's other bestseller - The DaVinci Code. It is full of twists, murders, historical facts, wonderful descriptive passages that place you right in the midst of the action and fascinating actual details about the workings of The Vatican.

It is almost entirely set in Rome, a place I love and have visited twice including touring The Vatican, which was utterly awe-inspiring. I was therefore even more drawn into the book as I could actually place myself in many of the famous locations, even guessing ahead from clues given, as to which famous landmark the plot would visit next.

The penultimate few chapters were brilliant, not at all expected and left the story very satisfactorily wrapped up.

I heard earlier this week there is now a movie of this book in the works and I am certain it will not only be a visual feast, but also a huge hit. Read it NOW!

Book review....

The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier:

The basic plot of this book is the connection across time between two related women; Ella in the present day France and Isabelle in 16th century France.

Ella follows her husband to France for his work and finds herself with time on her hands and hostility from the locals in the smalltown they settle in. After experiencing disturbing dreams where she is surrounded by a vivid blue colour and receiving a letter from a cousin in Switzerland, she digs into her local family history deeper. At the same time we follow the story of Isabelle fleeing France with her family due to the Protestant Reformation, and the suspicion she encounters due to the colour of her flame red hair. Their stories gradually become intertwined as family secrets are revealed and Ella experiences an unexpected romance, putting pressure on her marriage.

I have read alot of books like this and they often get confusing or muddled as they switch back and forth between the different times. This one is particularly well written and until the last 2 chapters, keeps the stories completely seperate avoiding this pitfall. Both women's stories are engrossing and keep your interest equally. Once the author does intertwine them in the same chapters, it makes sense and the fast developing plot easier to absorb. The ending is not obvious from halfway through the book and the suspense is kept alive well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was a pretty quick read and also not too laboured on the historical details. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this type of book.

What do you think?

I had an interesting conversation with a couple of the youngsters in Sunday School today, which I was overseeing at church. The lesson dealt with Christian parents keeping a tight rein over the movies their children are allowed to watch.

After the lesson we discussed occasions where these children have faced the same issue. One of the books/movies they are not allowed to read or watch was Harry Potter! This really surprised me but they explained their parents disapprove of witchcraft and so it's banned. What I found very strange was they have however been allowed to watch The Chronicles of Narnia, yet this also involves alot of magic and witchcraft!


Now I am the first to admit I am a big fan of the Harry Potter books and all I could think was all the other great aspects of the books they are missing out on. These books put great emphasis on many other positive and desirable traits such as the importance of friendship, loyalty, initiative, bravery, emotions and good ultimately prevailing over evil. They are also a masterclass in the power of your imagination and they sweep you away to another magical world. Surely in today's often violent and stressful world a little escapism won't do a child that much harm?

Their point of view did make me think about this issue more, but it hasn't ultimately changed my opinion. I personally still think all the positives in these books outweigh the potential negatives. Plus if they are so bad why do all the local schools have them in their libraries and occasionally show the movies?

I'd also rather a child was reading a wonderfully written book, extending their vocabulary, challenging their imagination and maybe making them a lifelong lover of books. Surely this has to be preferable to them sitting in front of a video game any day?

Book review....

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham is not at all his typical style of book. This is a light-hearted look at how a couple's life is transformed when they decide to skip all the Christmas madness, just for one year!

They are ostracised by friends, upset their whole street over the 'battle of Frosty', are viewed as everything from mad to rude and their resolve is tested daily with amusing results.

Then their well laid plans to cruise instead, are blown apart by a last minute phone call and they have to scramble to undo what they've done! This was an entertaining book and a quick read I'd recommend.

2008 Books

At Home in Mitford - Jan Karon
A Light in the Window - Jan Karon
Julia's Chocolates - Cathy Lamb
These High Green Hills - Jan Karon
Lipstick Jungle - Candace Bushnell
Out to Canaan - Jan Karon
A New Song - Jan Karon
The Common Life - Jan Karon
In this Mountain - Jan Karon
Skipping Christmas - John Grisham
Shepherds Abiding - Jan Karon
The Virgin Blue - Tracy Chevalier
Angels & Demons - Dan Brown
Light from Heaven - Jan Karon
Deception Point - Dan Brown
Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

Currently Reading

The first Father Tim book

Reading it cover to cover for the first time in 2008

How to express heartfelt commitment to your partner

A week of highs & lows!

Well it's been an interesting week - full of highs and 'literal' lows!

Last Monday I was trying to get my little kitty inside and managed to trip, falling flat on my face on our concrete patio. Not good, very painful and possibly very costly longterm - I hit my front crowned tooth as I fell and there is some question as to whether I split the root and will need a $4,000 implant. In the meantime it's antibiotics and alot of praying I didn't, because I'd rather have some new windows this year than a new tooth! I also managed to badly bruise my knee and crack a bone in my toe.....I always was clumsy!

My thoughts were also back home in the UK alot with my family. Both my gran & my aunt have been seriously ill & hospitalised during the past month. My gran is now home and doing well, but my aunt after 3 surgeries faces more to come and is still very sick. At times like this it is very hard being so far from those you care about and not being able to help.

Then as the week progressed things improved. Firstly I emailed friends about starting a local book club and received enough replies to go ahead. I already belong to a couple of online book groups and would love to participate in a face to face club, I hope to get it going at the start of March.

The second high of the week was both myself and my WW buddy, Michelle, hitting a big Weightwatchers target. It has taken us a few months and we have both been frustrated at times, but finally we made it together. We have shipped each other rewards as an extra incentive to keep going all the way.....we have faith by the end of this year our husbands will be married to supermodels, without a costly divorce....LOL!

I have managed to read 2 books this week, both in the Mitford series, which I am still loving after 6 books in a month!

But then of course life has to bring you back down to earth and so I caught a head cold. So today I have stayed in my PJ's all day long and sneezed my way through Sunday as hubby nurses me.

Hopefully this week will just be your average kind of week and a bit more peaceful!