Books, Books, Books

It's been six weeks since I've told you what I've read and liked.  That went by quickly

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt - This is one of those books I picked up at Costco.  When I go to check out what they've got I tell Ian I'm going to my crack aisle.  I figure if they're selling it that means some reviewer has already given it the nod.  I loved this one but coming-of-age is my favorite genre, especially told in the voice of a strong female protagonist.  It was a little like Ron Koertge's YA novel, the Arizona Kid, but for adults.

Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heillemann -  I am not a political wonk and hold a position very near the middle of the road.  I heard the authors interviewed and decided to try it since I used to like Theodore White's The Making of a President series.  This was a page turner for me and I was shocked at some of the machinations that we weren't privy to.  I had no idea that John Edwards and his wife were a train wreck.  As for Palin, you don't want to know that the candidate for the position first in line behind the president was memorizing her positions from a stack of index cards.  Fascinating.

One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson - I say I don't like reading history but I do when it's dished up like this.  I'm not sure I know what his genre is, but he sure can write.  This is the summer of Charles Lindburgh's flight and also the trial of Sacco and Vincenti.  Once again, fascinating.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple - A friend recommended this off-the-wall romp of an unconventional woman.  It's completely tongue-in-cheek and my friend says Bernadette is *so* Seattle, if anyone knows Seattle.  You have to consider the weather as a character too because it's such a player.  Amazon rates it at 4.5 stars with over 2,000 reviews so someone else liked it too.

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer - This is another friend recommendation about a group of six who form friendships at summer camp and continue them throughout their lives.  They gave themselves this name and as one reviewer said, they ultimately weren't so interesting after all.  I disagree.  I think they were very interesting and I enjoyed knowing them for all 481 pages.  I was sad to turn the final page.

Noah's Compass by Ann Tyler -  A friend posted this on GoodReads and snagged it as soon as I could from the library. I can't believe I missed this since Tyler is one of my favorite authors.  I love how she develops her characters who are mostly flawed middle-class people trying to make a life.  Her humor is subtle but it's always there, this time in an almost LOL way.  I hope she lives a long and prolific life.

Soy Sauce for Beginners by Kirstin Chen - So I'm such a Kindle junkie that Amazon has caught on.  I check the Daily Deal and grab books I've been wanting as they come by, about two a month.  They enrolled me in a first-of-the-month club which offers me four books to be published in a month. I can select one for free.  This was the first time I did it and read it and I gave it four stars.  I thought it was going to be boy-meets-girl, boy-gets-girl, and happily I was wrong.  The story is told from two locations, San Francisco and Singapore - and yes, it's about soy sauce.  I later read in the New Yorker that almost all soy sauce is standard and there are few made in the old way.  Soy sauce is one of the characters in this book - a nice debut novel.

Okay, only one more and I'm trying to decide which book that will be.  Let's go with George Washington's Secret Six: The spy ring that saved the American Revolution by Brian Kildeade.  This is another Costco purchase and not by me.  Ian loves to buy me books and thought this was a safe bet.  I can't stand to read history.  It's too much work and like school, but I had a pleasant surprise with this slight volume.  For some reason a TV personality decided to write a history book however unlikely that is.  I haven't read about the Revolutionary War since high school I'm sure and I remember nothing.  I know this is History Lite and if you're a buff, move on - there's nothing here to see.  If you're like me, this is your book.  Again, fascinating.

On a different note, these are my two favorite sley hooks.  If you notice on the right you'll see that Robin & Russ has been stamped into the brass.  I got an interesting email this morning from a woman who has purchased the building that used the home of their business.  She's opening it as Pacific Frame and Gallery and would like to acknowledge their history.  She's looking for skeins with their label that she would be able to frame and display.  Until just last year I had a file of receipts and samples from their yarn-of-the-month club.  Bad timing.  If you have items you'd be willing to offer for this display in acknowledgement of Robin & Russ, please contact Leigh Ann and let her know.  They were pioneers.