JULY BOOKS

Wow!  Can July be over already??

I managed to read 8 books this month, including two chunksters.  I had thought my total would be lower because of our trip, but I wound up reading 2 books while we were in Niagara Falls - mainly sitting in the bathroom early in the morning while my husband was still asleep!

Here's what I read:

THE GODFATHER by Mario Puzo

MISS JULIA RENEWS HER VOWS by Ann B. Ross

CASHELMARA by Susan Howatch (Ireland Reading Challenge 2011)

MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND by Helen Simonson

THE MIDWIFE'S CONFESSION by Diane Chamberlain (Just for Fun Reading Challenge 2011)

TOO BIG TO MISS by Sue Ann Jaffarian (What's in a Name 4 Challenge)

THE CURSE OF THE HOLY PAIL by Sue Ann Jaffarian (Just for Fun Reading Challenge 2011) (Oops, read two this month for that challenge!)

DOC by Mary Doria Russell

I enjoyed most of these, some a little more than others.  One was read for about the gazillionth time but I still love the book.  Three were read on the Kindle.  I find I'm still not using it as much as I thought I would, but it was great to take on our trip.

How was your reading this month?

DOC

DOC by Mary Doria Russell

From Amazon.com:

The year is 1878, peak of the Texas cattle trade.  The place is Dodge City, Kansas, a saloon-filled cow town jammed with liquored-up adolescent cowboys and young Irish hookers.  Violence is random and routine, but when the burned body of a mixed-blood boy named Johnnie sanders is discovered, his death shocks a part-time policeman named Wyatt Earp.  And it is a matter of strangely personal importance to Doc Holliday, the frail twenty-six-year-old dentist who has just opened an office at No. 24, Dodge House.

Beautifully educated, born to the life of a southern gentleman, Dr. John Henry Holliday is given an awful choice at the age of twenty-two:  die within months in Atlanta or leave everyone and everything he loves in the hope that the dry air and sunshine of the West will restore him to health.  Young, scared, lonely, and sick, he arrives on the rawest edge of the Texas frontier just as an economic crash wrecks the dreams of a nation.  Soon, with few alternatives open to him, Doc Holliday is gambling professionally; he is also living with Maria Katarina Harony, a high-strung Hungarian whore with dazzling turquoise eyes, who can quote Latin classics right back at him.  Kate makes it her business to find Doc the high-stakes poker games tht will support them both in high style.  It is Kate who insists that the couple travel to Dodge City, because "that's where the money is."

And that is where the unlikely friendship of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp really begins - before Wyatt Earp is the prototype of the square-jawed, fearless lawman; before Doc Holliday is the quintessential frontier gambler; before the gunfight at the O.K. Corral links their names forever in American frontier mythology - when neither man wanted fame or deserved notoriety.

I decided to read this book because my husband has such a great interest in the Old West.  He knows the stories of all the gunslingers and gamblers.  He has every episode of Gunsmoke on DVR!  I wanted to know the people he "knows."

It was interesting to learn the story of Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers before they became famous.  The author told their stories as men, not as legends.  But the actual format of the book was confusing.  New characters were introduced then left hanging, only to reappear later in the book.  I wondered many times why this person or that person was mentioned.  They all came together near the end, but by that time I had forgotten who they were, so there was quite a bit of back-tracking that needed to be done to recall a certain person or incident.

An interesting book but one I felt wasn't that well written because of the strange format.

TOO BIG TO MISS and THE CURSE OF THE HOLY PAIL

TOO BIG TO MISS by Sue Ann Jaffarian was read for the What's in a Name 4 Challenge.

From Amazon.com:

Too big to miss - that's Odelia Grey.  A never-married, middle-aged, plus-sized woman who makes no excuses for her weight, she's not super woman just a mere mortal standing on the precipice of menopause, trying to cruise in an ill-fitting bra.  She struggles with her relationships, her crazy family, and her crazier boss.  And then there's her knack for being in close proximity to dead people....

When her close friend Sophie London commits suicide in front of an online web-cam by putting a gun in her mouth and pulling the trigger, Odelia's life is changed forever.  Sophie, a plus-sized activist and inspiration to imperfect women, is the last person anyone would ever have expected to end her own life.  Suspecting foul play, Odelia is determined to get to the bottom of her friend's death.  Odelia's search for the truth takes her from southern California strip malls to the world of live web-cam porn to the ritzy enclave of Corona del Mar.


THE CURSE OF THE HOLY PAIL by Sue Ann Jaffarian was read for the Just for Fun Reading Challenge 2011.

From Amazon.com:

Is the "Holy Pail" cursed?  Every owner of the vintage Chappy Wheeler lunchbox - a prototype based on the 1940's TV western - has died.  And now Sterling Price, business tycoon and a client of Odelia Grey's law firm, has been fatally poisoned.  Is it a coincidence that Price's one-of-a-kind lunch pail - worth over thirty grand - has disappeared at the same time?

Treading cautiously since a recent run-in with a bullet, Odelia takes small bites of this juicy, calorie-free mystery - and is soon ravenous for more!  Her research reveals a sixty-year-old unsolved murder and Price's gold-digging ex-fiancee with two married men wrapped around her breasts...uh, finger.  Mix in a surprise marriage proposal that sends an uncertain Odelia into chocolate sedation, and you've got an unruly recipe for delicious disaster.

I just love free books on Kindle!  I lucked upon these two, never having heard of them or the author before, and had so much fun reading them.  The stories were fun and the characters delightful.  I loved Odelia - she's smart and sassy and a champion for BBW (Big Beautiful Women) everywhere.  She somehow manages to find herself smack-dab in the middle of a murder and just HAS to start investigating herself.

These were the first two books in the series, and I'll be looking for the next four - hopefully free for the Kindle!

BACK HOME AGAIN!

Niagara Falls was beautiful - but HOT!  This heat spell that has covered so much of the country hit Niagara Falls with a vengeance.  People there were telling us that it has NEVER been that hot.  We really picked a good time to go!

But it was slightly cooler on the Maid of the Mist.  Dom took some Dramamine and was able to go on the boat and enjoyed it.  And then he and I did the Cave of the Wild where you stand right next to the Bridal Veil falls - maybe about 10 feet away.  Talk about getting soaked!

 Proof that Dom was on the Maid of the Mist

The Bridal Veil Falls behind a platform at Cave of the Wind

I visited Terrapin Point which is right next to the Canadian Horseshoe Falls (Dom was too tired to go there) and was amazed at the sheer size of the falls.  We were told that water goes over the Horseshoe Falls at the rate of 675,000 gallons a SECOND!

 The corner of the Horseshoe Falls.  I couldn't see across the Falls because of all the mist.

The Canadian Horseshoe Falls

We took a ride on the Canadian side up to Niagara-on-the-Lake and sat on the banks of Lake Ontario.  So pretty and peaceful.

Can you see the sailboats?

On Saturday night, we went to the Casino.  Played the slots for a little while and broke even.  Then we went into the Bear's Den for the John McDermott show.  We had front row center seats which were terrific, but there wasn't a bad seat in the house.  John signed a couple of CD's for me, and after the show I had my picture taken with him.  What a great guy and what a fantastic show.

That's me and my "boyfriend" John - don't tell his wife!

Now it's back to the real world of cooking, cleaning and laundry.  Sigh...

LEAVING...ON A JET PLANE

Leaving ... on a jet plane.  Don't know when we'll be back again.

Actually, we do know when we'll be back home again.  Unfortunately it will be too soon.

Niagara Falls - here we come!

THE MIDWIFE'S CONFESSION

THE MIDWIFE'S CONFESSION by Diane Chamberlain was read for the Just for Fun Reading Challenge 2011.

From the book flap:

Dear Anna,
What I have to tell you is difficult to write, but I know it will be far more difficult for you to hear, and I'm so sorry...

The unfinished letter is the only clue Tara and Emerson have to the reason behind their close friend Noelle's suicide.  Everything they knew about Noelle - her calling as a midwife, her passion for causes, her love for her friends and family - described a woman who embraced life.

Yet there was so much they didn't know.

With the discovery of the letter and its heartbreaking secret, Noelle's friends begin to uncover the truth about this complex woman who touched each of their lives - and the life of a desperate stranger - with love and betrayal, compassion and deceit.

It's been a long time since a book grabbed me so quickly and completely that I finished it in one day.  This book did just that.

The story jumped from past to present and was told in 5 voices - Noelle, Emerson, Tara, Grace and Anna - but wasn't confusing at all.  The characters were complex and real.  As the story progressed, more and more of Noelle's past and a terrible secret that she had carried for years was revealed.  Everything seemed to point to a specific ending, but then the author threw in a huge surprise.

With the situation unresolved by the finish of the book, I am wondering if the author plans a sequel to this.  I would love to read further about these characters.

MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND

MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND by Helen Simonson

From Amazon.com (Lauren Nemroff):

In her witty and wise debut novel, newcomer Helen Simonson introduces the unforgettable character of the widower Major Ernest Pettigrew.  The Major epitomizes the Englishman with the "stiff upper lip," who clings to traditional values and has tried (in vain) to pass these along to his yuppie son, Roger.  The story centers around Pettigrew's fight to keep his greedy relatives (including his son) from selling a valuable family heirloom - a pair of hunting rifles that symbolizes much of what he stands for, or at least what he thinks he does.  the embattled hero discovers an unexpected ally and source of consolation in his neighbor, the Pakistani shopkeeper Jasmina Ali.  On the surface, Pettigrew and Ali's backgrounds and life experiences couldn't be more different, but they discover that they have the most important things in common.  This wry, yet optimistic comedy of manners with a romantic twist will appeal to grown-up readers of both sexes.  

I enjoyed this book and especially loved Major Pettigrew and Mrs. Ali.  The Major has such a dry sense of humor, shown by his sarcastic retorts to people which were thought but never spoken.  The Major is usually too proper to say what was really on his mind.  Different reviews I have read of this book complain that the Major was locked into an earlier time and way of life.  True, but that's what made him so charming.  There was one little section toward the end of the book where the Major and Mrs. Ali both broke out of their mold and acted like children, if only for a few minutes.  I loved that part - it showed a very soft side of both of them.

I read this book with a small online book group, and I'm anxious to hear what others thought of this book.

CASHELMARA

CASHELMARA by Susan Howatch was read for the Ireland Reading Challenge 2011.

From Amazon.com:

The rich and mighty saga of a wealthy and titled English family in Ireland during the 19th century.

That doesn't tell you much.  This is a little better.

From a review by Miss Moppet at historicalfictiononline.com:

There were two subjects that lonely widower Edward deSalis never discussed:  his dead wife and his family home in Ireland, "matchless Cashelmara."  So when he meets Marguerite, a bright young American with whom he can talk freely about both, he is able to love again and takes her back to Ireland as his wife.  But Marguerite soon discovers that married life is not what she expected, and that she has married into a troubled family bitterly divided by love and hatred.  Cashelmara becomes the curse of three generations as they play out their fates in a spellbinding drama, which moves inexorably towards murder and retribution.

Did you ever have a book that you loved and were drawn to over and over?  That's this book for me.

The book was published in 1974.  I can't remember when I read it for the first time, but I know it was quite a while ago.  Somehow during our family moves, my copy disappeared.  Then one day, I found a copy either at a garage sale or a used book store.  And I was able to read it again.  Another day I saw a copy at Goodwill - it looked like a better copy than the one I had at home, so I bought it.  And read it again.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was clearing out my bookcases and decided to take one copy to a thrift store.  After I turned in my boxes of books, I looked through the store and what did I see on the shelf but another copy of CASHELMARA, again in a little better condition that the one left at home.  So I bought it again.  I sent one copy to a good friend because I was sure she would enjoy it.  We decided, along with a third friend who purchased a copy, to all read it together.

Friend #1 loved it, friend #2 is still reading.  I just finished it.  And loved it all over again.  It had all the elements that I love in a book of this type - basically a soap opera - fascinating characters, family secrets, fortunes gained and lost, jealousy, greed, and beautiful settings, including the place I most want to visit - Ireland.  Written in 6 distinctive voices, each character narrating a section of the book, the story covered 3 generations of this dysfunctional family, leading to a surprise ending.

If you ever see this book at your neighborhood used book store or at a garage sale, spend a dollar or two and pick it up.  I think you'll enjoy it!

WHAZZUP???

I haven't been doing much blogging lately.  Been doing a bunch of other things.  Like:

Bowling

Playing cards

Reading

Playing this silly game on the computer

And planning a trip coming up to see this:

and this:

That's my favorite Irish tenor, John McDermott


Whazzup with you??

MISS JULIA RENEWS HER VOWS

MISS JULIA RENEWS HER VOWS by Ann B. Ross

From the back of the book:

Miss Julia's matchmaking is a triumph:  Hazel Marie and J. D. Pickens tie the knot - and just in time as she's expecting twins!  But why has Sam agreed that he and Julia will attend the odious Dr. Fowler's marital enrichment sessions?  Could Sam feel their flames need fanning?  Meanwhile, Miss Julia has to spring Etta Mae from jail when she's accused of attacking Francie Pitts.  Francie's in town prowling for Husband #6 and swears that her attacker was wearing Etta Mae's perfume.  With a fragrant felon to be caught - plus a wedding, babies, and a heaping dose of mischief - it's fortunate for all that Miss Julia's on the case.

This is the 11th book in one of my favorite series.  I love Miss Julia.  So prim and proper, but not above embellishing the truth a little - or telling an outright lie if it serves a good purpose.  Miss Julia has a secret that she's kept from Sam, and it's causing her to feel under the weather, especially when Mondays roll around.  She needs to find who attacked Francie and prove Etta Mae's innocence.  And she needs to keep Francie from casting her spell on Sam.  And do it all with class.

I'll be looking for the next book, MISS JULIA ROCKS THE CRADLE.

THE GODFATHER

THE GODFATHER by Mario Puzo

From the publisher:

THE GODFATHER is an extraordinary novel which has become a modern day classic.  Puzo pulls us inside the violent society of the Mafia and its gang wars.

The leader, Vito Corleone, is the Godfather.  He is a benevolent despot who stops at nothing to gain and hold power.  His command post is a fortress on Long Island from which he presides over a vast underground empire that includes the rackets, gambling, bookmaking, and unions.  His influence runs through all levels of American society, from the cop on the beat to the nation's mighty.

Mario Puzo, a master storyteller, introduces us to unforgettable characters, and the elements of this world explode to life in this violent and impassioned chronicle.

I picked up this book, thinking I hadn't read it before.  Parts seemed very familiar, but I thought it was just because I had seen the movie so many times.  But when I got to a section that wasn't in the movie and I knew exactly what was going to happen, I realized this wasn't the first reading.  So I checked this blog and found where I had posted my review previously.

The book was just as good on a re-read.  As I was reading, I came to realize just how perfect the casting of the movie had been.  Who else except Marlon Brando could have played Vito?  James Caan was perfect as Sonny, and the great Al Pacino was Michael in every way.

Now I feel the need to watch the Godfather movies all over again.

JUNE BOOKS

I can't believe half of this year is over already.  It seems the older I get, the shorter the days.  June turned out to be a good reading month, both in quantity and quality.  There were only two books that I read that I didn't like.

I find I'm not using the Kindle as much as I thought (and hoped) that I would.  I did manage to read 4 books on the Kindle this month.  And they were books that I purchased for less than $3 each.  I just can't seem to justify spending $11 or $12 or more for something that I can't put on the bookshelf when I'm finished.

Here's what I read in June:

THE LOTUS EATERS by Tatjana Soli

TALK OF THE TOWN by Lisa Wingate

AT WITT'S END by Beth Solheim

OUTWITTED by Beth Solheim

DRIFTWOOD COTTAGE by Sherryl Woods (Pub 2011 Reading Challenge)

MOONLIGHT COVE by Sherryl Woods (Pub 2011 Reading Challenge)

BEACH LANE by Sherryl Woods (Pub 2011 Reading Challenge)

THAT OLD CAPE MAGIC by Richard Russo

THE FIFTH WITNESS by Michael Connelly

SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN by Janet Evanovich

This must have been "series" month - 7 of the ten books were part of on-going series.  I'm now caught up on all of those.

How was your reading month?  Are you all caught up on your series books?