I'm currently reading

Perfect Storm, that the movie was made from.

Unfortunately, I've been working alot lately, and I read in bed at night. I don't seem to get but a few pages read before I start drifting off, so all the technical jargon is totally wasted on me.

It's been a good book to fall asleep by. LoL

Jean

In a month, I've read two books, nothing as refined as "The Curious Gardener," but still good reading: James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" and "My Friend Leonard" (both read in approximately two days each). My motive for reading "A Million Little Pieces" was to see if it contained advice for a family member who is addicted. Although, it surfaced that not everything in this book is true, still I found it to be helpful, and recommend this one book to everyone provided you can look pass the vulgarity. "My Friend Leonard" was recently given to me as a present.

I just finished On Beauty by Zadie Smith. It took me a while to get into it, but I enjoyed it once I did. It's a novel that combines commentaries on academia, race relations & family drama.

Next on deck is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

I got about 1/2 way through A Million Little Pieces, and just couldn't finish. I knew it was BS when he said he went and got root canals done with no novacane. PULEEEEESSSSE No way would I take anything he wrote as "advice". I saw through it before Oprah announced it.

Jean

It has been a long time since I read a book and when I finally did, it was "A Million Little Pieces" and it happened to be fraud. I enjoyed reading it when I did, but I probably won't if I knew what I know now.

My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult.
It was such a great book.

I was so impressed with 'The Curious Gardener' that I went back this morning and bought the several copies they had to gift to others that they will be able to enjoy it as much as I have been ... this, my friends, is an excellent read!

I just read the South Beach Diet.. I need to, make that have to, by doctors orders, lose the "I quit smoking, so I took up munchies, hence I have gained weight" wieght..

I looked at him.. And said.. Isn't quitting ENOUGH to do in a lifetime?? He looked at me and said, "Nooooo... Not really..."

It was a pretty boring read.. A real YAWNER....

And now I've gone and done it again! Went out to the Spiral Press for a morning latte ... the Spiral Press is located adjacent to and shares a lobby with the bookstore ... so just take a guess what it is I've done! Yep! Found another excellent book: 'Tools of the Earth: The Practice and Pleasure of Gardening' by Jeff Taylor, Columnist for This Old House Magazine. To quote the flyleaf: 'Each of the 24 chapters highlights one commonly used garden tool and explores its meaning, feel, history, and use.'

And after sitting there reading it over my coffee, I can tell you truthfully that that brief synopsis is absolutely true. Another humorous but informative book that I can highly recommend.

Get yourself a copy, grab a cup of coffee, find a comfortable spot to rest and have a go at laughing and learning about your garden tools ...

My grandson bought Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke at his school. Some days, I take him home from school, and while waiting for the family to arrive, I started reading his book. Finished it yesterday and it was quite delightful! At home, I am almost done with Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher, Ph.D. I have tons of gardening magazines that I haven't even opened up yet -- not enough time!

So what a way to start a new week ... the morning's mail delivery included a couple of books that I had ordered from Amazon.com last Thursday evening (around midnight actually) ... plus one ordered the week before that had to come in from Ireland!

1. 'Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance' compiled by John and Martha Storey and written by 150 different authors, published right here in the Green Mountains of Vermont in 1999.

2. 'The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden and Yard Healthy Without Chemicals' written by Barbara Ellis and Fern Bradley, published by Rodale Press in 1992, revised 1996 with 'the latest, safest organic controls'.

3. 'The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It: The Complete Back-to-Basics Guide' written by John Seymour, first published 1976, latest edition published 2003.

And after briefly glancing through each of them, I think I've got to go brew another pot of coffee so I can dig in and do some serious reading ... well, after some chores get taken care of, that is! Oh, and there are a couple of others on the way ... can't say enough about Amazon and their service, not to mention their prices!

I have picked up "Blink" after reading "The Tipping Point" by the same author, Malcolm Gladwell. It is about the value of the intuitive decision, the 3 second read, the subliminal response. I also recently read "Stiff" an account of what happens to human cadavers in just about all possible circumstances. A grim topic discussed with respect and humor.

Well, the library continues to grow ... I just this afternoon recieved Carla Emery's fine reference book 'The Encyclopedia of Country Living' (the updated 9th edition) and have been browsing through it between bites of dinner. Gosh, what an excellent piece of work this is! It's obvious the love she put into it during the 32 plus years that she spent compiling and writing.

As an aside, a book doesn't need to be new to be useful ... mine are because I don't have a nearby source of used books of this type. So I get the new ones from Amazon.com and offset that by donating all my unused used books to the Mark Skinner Library ... so far two decent sized boxes of them. But I also have a number of very old used (obviously!) books that I found in a trunk out in the barn.

I'm currently almost finished with "Sideways." If you liked the movie, check out the novel.

Next I will either read a novel called "Joe College" (I think the author's last name is Perrotta) or "Teacher Man" by Frank McCourt.

I just started "Memoirs of an Ugly Stepsister", by Gregory MacGuire. It's a take off Cinderella. Kind of background etc. Why, how etc. So far, very good. I read his "Mirror, Mirror" about Snow White and I've had his "Wicked" about the Wicked Witch of the West from Wizard of Oz on hold at the library since November. I think I'm # 20 on the list now.

Jean

Couple of new additions to The Rogue's Library: Rachel Carson's classic 'Silent Spring', the 40th (has it really been that long?!) Anniversary Edition and Aldous Huxley's 1932 'speculative fiction' novel 'Brave New World' as well as his 1958 non-fiction work 'Brave New World Revisited' comparing the 'modern world' to what he envisioned in the original novel. Looking forward to spending some time up by the pond with a blanket, a mug of coffee and either one or both of these ...

Border Radio -- a historical hoot from start to finish. Vintage americana beginning with the radio age -- and regulation thereof.

Ditto for Royal Babylon -- everything they don't want you to know about European royalty.

Jean, e-mail me your address, I'll send you "Wicked." I bought it to read on vacation, because I couldn't ever imagine affording tickets to the Broadway show. Anyway, his writing was too dense for me, I couldn't make it through the book even after several valiant attempts. It's not that it wasn't a good book, I just don't seem to have much tolerance for intense reading anymore. Probably read myself out as a kid! I'm like Rogue, I like to read "how to" books!

Rachel's my hero. There was one amazing single gal!

I'm reading a college biology textbook. Can't remember the author. It's a page turner. Gotta take my teacher's certification test.

Have heard good things about "1491," a book about America before Columbus.

Just realized they no longer have links to your e-mail on here. Sorry Jean. I'm kinda hesitant to post my e-mail address to the whole forum. There used to be e-mail links.

lpink....ok, two weeks later, I finally get back here...so sorry....
Thank you so much for the offer of the book, but I got tired of waiting for it at the library, and ordered a copy off Amazon. It should be here any day.
I also got an illustrated edition of The DaVinci Code, but I'm waiting to read it AFTER I see the movie. The book always fills in those gaps the movie doesn't have time to put in. One more week! Maybe I'll even find a date to go with me???!! LoL

Jean

Just finished reading Dan Brown's "Digital Fortress". Since my late husband was a cryptographer, I found it thrilling. And this morning, scanning bookshelves for something to read, I came across "Abel's Island" on the children's shelf - a darling little story of a gentlemanly little mouse blown away in a hurrican and stranded on an island for a year before making his way back home. Can't wait for granddaughter to be a couple of years older so I can read it to her (it's a little beyond age 4) Can't imagine why I had never read it before.

Just finished The Mermaid Chair. By the same author as The Secret Life of Bees, which I thought was much better, but the landscape descriptions were great in both. I felt like I was there.

Jean