Latest Read

I have been cranking through the novels by Ivan Doig.  I may have to start reading his non-fiction too!

This is a World War II story - set at an Air Force base in Montana.  It is a little "grittier" than some of his other stories.  The profanity seems appropriate though - I imagine soldiers and pilots in stressful situations resorted to cursing on a pretty regular basis.  I'm not saying I'm a fan - my ears always feel "assaulted" when swearing occurs in print or in audio - but it is not gratuitous, nor is it endless.

The story is a little convoluted -and some "willing suspension of disbelief" has to occur.  It was a little slow getting started too.  But once the author gets into the story and hits his stride, the storyline becomes compelling.

I finally found Ride With Me, Mariah Montana at the library in Temple City, so I'm excited to start that - I will have finished the trilogy then.

And he has a new novel coming out in August!!

Lots of reading material for me!!

Now I need to figure out how to take a trip to Montana!

Book one of the trilogy - and I've read two of them!

This book is listed as the first book in author Ivan Doig's Montana trilogy - but I read the second book first.  It didn't seem to make a difference - in fact, this felt more like the second book to me.  But I made a resolve this year not to buy any physical books - I have been purging my shelves relentlessly and we still have far too many books - and this one was not on Kindle and not in our library.  So I read Dancing at the Rascal Fair since they did have that at our library!

My laments did not fall on deaf ears, and my good friend Paula gave me the first book for my birthday!  Now I just have to figure out how to get hold of the third book!

I am loving Ivan Doig and his re-creation of the history of Montana in its various eras and iterations.  His description is so real and present - you feel there!  He has a wonderful way with words and dialogue too.  I read an interview with him and he referred to the thousands of 3 by 5 cards he has on dialogue, local color, and other elements of Montana life and history.  He said he loves going through them as he constructs his stories.  This guy is a very thorough writer - no wonder his books are so compelling.

This book, English Creek, is about the era just before World War II and just after the Great Depression.  As with other stories of his, characters and events and places come in and out, and you feel like you are reading your own personal history.

It would make a great summer read - give it look/see and let me know what you think!

I need to quit starting another book!

When I was in high school, I got into the habit of reading everything an author had written - it gets a little addictive I think!!  And I'm doing it now.  If I want to get anything done in the next little while - like finish out the school year - I need to quit loading more books onto my Kindle!!

(I vowed this year not to buy any new books - just Kindle and the library or borrowing a book from someone.  And I've stuck to my resolution - but I still have plenty to read!!)

Funny note here - I could not find a copy of English Creek by the same author here - nor could I find it in any library - and it is not on Kindle or iBooks!!  Not to fear - an observant friend took note - and gave it to me as an early birthday present!!

Back to Work Song though.  This is a good one - it involves Morrie from The Whistling Season - 10 years later and back in Montana - I will not spoil the plot - but it's about unions and the Wobblies - I love getting my history through books.

And I want to visit Montana!!

The last read -

Not sure why I raced through these books - now I'm finished - and wish there were three more!!

From watching the series, I can say that some of the episodes follow the book quite closely - other incidents are modified or adapted.  In any case, the series is great - and so are the books.

The final book "wraps it all up" which is always nice.

I recommend the book - and the show!

2nd in the trio -

Harry and I have watched two episodes of Call the Midwife.  I have just finished the 2nd book also.  I am enjoying the series; the stories are well-told and compelling.  But the books are absolutely fascinating to read.  I think you can't really compare them.  They are two different works with some overlapping characters and events.

They did do great job of casting Chummy though!

Checking them off the list -

Finished this Friday.  It was harder to get into, and the ending was not what I expected - or wanted really!!  But once again, Ivan Doig did not disappoint in this story of homesteaders and the history of Montana settlement.  I'm still trying to find the other two in the trilogy that goes with Dancing at the Rascal Fair - need to start scoping libraries around here!!

Ivan Doig has a great sense of history and nature.  I tend to scan books and skip the description, but his use of the descriptive phrase is pivotal to the story - truly the mark of an artist with words.

You might want to "check him out!!"

Reading when I ought to be doing other things!!

 This is by the author of The Ladies Auxiliary - a book I have recommended in the past - and it's a great second novel.  (The website said she was working on a third novel - something to look forward to.)  

Both books deal with daily life among Orthodox Jews - and the particular issues that culturally set them apart - but also bind them to the "family of man."  The author includes lots of "information" about Jewish life, but it's organic in the story, so you don't feel like you are being "taught" or something.

I recommend this one!!

My book group is reading this one - a haunting kind of story - set on the coast of Australia after World War I.  I can't say much or it would "spoil" the plot - but take my word for it - it's a page turner.  Very compelling.

When all else fails, I try another Ann Patchett novel - and I haven't been disappointed yet.  This story is tense - you keep waiting for the proverbial "other shoe" to drop - and in its own way it does.

If you haven't tried Ann Patchett - get started - every book has been great - and everyone has been different!!

You can choose from Bel Canto, The Magician's Assistant, State of Wonder, Patron Saint of Liars, and Run.  Let me know what you think!!

Another book read - summer, ah summer, the reader's paradise!!

I was tempted to put this "review" on our book blog - and then noticed that the last time I posted was in January - and no one else has posted since then - and the book I wrote about was another by the same author!!  Perhaps no one reads that blog.

I have loved the two previous Kate Morton novels I have read.  I skimmed some reviews of this book and found them to be mostly negative.  Perhaps if it hadn't been summertime, I might have been negative too. The complaints were that the story bogged down, the parts in the present were boring,  perhaps expectations were too high.

I was up until 2 a.m. plowing through the end of this one.  Finally got too tired to go on, so stayed in bed when I woke up and finished it.

What I like about her stories are that they are compelling - you want to keep reading - but she does provide some natural breaks quite frequently, so you can put it down.

Thus far I have never totally "figured out" the plot ahead of time.  I have made some good guesses - but they weren't quite on the money.  I like that quality - keeps me reading.

I'm not a fan of romance or historical novels in general, but the element of romance in these stories is more implied than explicit, which makes them more interesting for me.  The historical aspects are well-researched.  When I read through the acknowledgement pages, I was tempted to go to some of sources - maybe I still will!  It seems like she is exploring other areas of history that have not been used as much.  This story involves London children being sent to live in the country after World War II started.  I have read one other novel about that time period and found it very intriguing.

Wonder what she will write about next time?  I'm sure I will be eager to get hold of it!