Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier

First off, let me began by saying that I read Cold Mountain twice. I remember in great detail laying in bed while I lived on Sutherland Dr., recuperating from a D&C and reading the book in one long drink, and crying out loud, sobbing at the enc.

As with Cold Mountain, I did not want Thirteen Moons to end.

A magical book, but I read it in one long week. I found the book in the Goodwill on Madison, the clerk was putting up all the books from those large canvas carriers that I love so dearly. He allowed me to dive in and wade among the books he had yet to shelve and there it was!

I grabbed it and clutched it to my breast and knew that I had a book that was going to be a treasure if remotely akin to CM.

And was it? It was like magic. I could not rip through the pages as I am prone to doing. I did not skip, skim or grow bored at any time of the week's read. Last evening as the last pages loomed ahead of me, I laid down the book and thought, "I'll finish it in the morning..."

I loved it. Magic on the pages.

Travel Writing - Peter Ferry

I liked this book quite a bit. I have a few questions about the plot, like I couldn't grasp why the Doc killed the girl. I assume it was a crime of passion due to two lovers (or patients) finding out about each other and the one who was offed would have done something about the betrayal. It never was exactlly explained. Nor why the victim's sister also was a patient (lover) of the evil Doc.

And the travel pieces were just thrown in. The Mexico picies were OK. The canoe piece was so boring. The Mexico piece brought us and introduced the character Charlie to us, who traveled to IL on a bus and stayed one day. That made no sense whatsoever. He could have stayed logner, but then another story would have emerged and I guess that Peter had little use for him then killed him off.

The Irelenad piece was good only because Ihave been in those places! County Clare. I know he called some other city the musical hot spot of Clare, but in fact it is Ennis. Anyway, the little trip back to memory lane was nice, but uneccessary.

Still, I enjoyed the writing if the story was a bit too male fantasyish.

Bordeaux - paul torday

At times I will call up Amazon and read the reviews before finishing a book. I was not certain what I was feeling reading Bordeaux. Perhaps a bit of confusion. The reviews compared it to Memento a disjointed film from the 90's that had no linear path through the story.

I never understood the motivation behind the character until the very last pages, which quite honestly I skimmed over. The people he was so enamoured with bored me to tears.

yet, the total outline for my own "novel" (god help me) was revealed to me during those last paragraphs.

i guess to say I finished the novel ant at times the prose was wonderful, the images were very satisfying. But I'm glad it's over and that it's time to move on to another story, maybe this one with more sympathetic characters.

Eventide

by Evan Haruf

Did not read his first book Plainsong which this book is a continuation of the town and the caharacters....I suspect that only the outlines and smoke shadows of the characters of the last book are here.

A very sad book. One that I read hoping for an ending that would be satisfying and give hope for the lives of those who begin to matter to us.

But, like real life, there are no truly happy endings. People do not learn from their mistakes and children get raw deals.

My heart broke and every time the chapters were about the two children of the seemingly mentally challenged parents I held my breath. Nothing good ever happened for them. They ended up in a foster home, maybe with better haircuts, but with nothing.

How empty and sad.

I realize a whole lot of people compare this type/style of writing with Hemingway...sparce bare boned. But the hoplesness of the children left me empty at the end.

Bastard out of Carolina

by Dorothy Allison

It seems I am reading a certain kind of formula book these days. Or perhaps I am just seeing the pattern finally. Have a protagonist and then then have one hateful character the reader can focus on. The villain. It's the perfect formula.

I have read two books with similar themes, the sexual abuse of children, incest and out and out child abuse. It makes my stomach ball up in a knot and I want to choke the stupid characters who allow this kind of cruelty to go on.

The Bastard out of Carolina did not satisfy in a way that made the ride worthwhile. I wanted justice and justice was not given. I want to know what happened to the mother, why the mother did not pick up the butter knife after witnessing the step father raping her 12 year old daughter. I don't care. I just don't care. I would have killed him. I just don't care.

I did not find it sitting well with me that he was not beat within an inch of his life for what he did. The uncles beat the hell out of him when he beat her, why not kill him for raping her?

the mother should have gone to jail for her part of it.

I read it with anxiety building hoping that I would feel redeemed in the end, but it just made me sad.

A Parchment of Leaves

by Silas House

Beautiful prose that wind around you like a spiders web spinning the story. This was his second novel...I did not read the first, but have read one after this. I love any novels about Kentucky. The especially good ones are always written by and about Eastern KY and the mountains.

Just gives itself to stories of ghosts, the supernatural, family, unspoken secrets.

Long live Silas House.

Fall on your knees - by ann-marie macdonald

This book became a little ponderous at times. Yet, it was an Oprah Book club choice. As all Oprah's book seem to have a particular theme, so does this one and that theme is children.

Three "sister" and then a fourth. The book winds it's way through the tale of the Piper's and the ytragic life of the Mom. It was easy to hate the father, and the sister Kathleen - on man, I did not warm to that character at all. Was I suppose to? And the final chapters when all is revealed, yawn yawn. Another character introduced, Rose. And then another, Anthony. The "diary" of Kathleen brings it all together, but it sits like an unbaked lump dough in the mouth. Why are we suppose to care?

I would have like the "child" Lily to have ended up differently, exepted by the "other" side of the family.

Oh well, most of Oprahs books hit the mark.

Will I stop reading them? Hell no. Thought it took me all week to read the 500 pages and at times I fell asleep, it was a good story.