Books I've Read (and Enjoyed, Mostly)

• Territory, by Emma Bull Tombstone
Arizona, in 1881. Wyatt Earp. Doc Holiday. Ike Clanton. But not as you think . . . Very good indeed. And a stellar jacket illustration by John Jude Palencar.

• Acedia & Me, by Kathleen Norris
"A Marriage, Monks, and A Writer's Life." (Acedia is what the old monks called "the noonday demon.") OK . . . but, based on how much I liked her other books, I expected better. The beginning is good, the end is not bad, but it drags badly in the middle.
Sook's Cookbook, by Marie Rudisill
Remember Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory? This is *that* Sook (who will forever be Geraldine Fitzgerald to me). The recipes are good, but the reading is better.
So Brave, Young and Handsome, by Leif Enger
Enger's second novel; not so good as the first (Peace Like A River), but still engrossing. He's good at bringing you into another place and time.
War for the Oaks, by Emma Bull
 Wonderful, enthralling fantasy—a war in Faery threatens to spill over into this world—a really, truly heroine, and a phouka you'd love to meet. Why have I not heard of Emma Bull until now? And why is this novel out of print?
No! I Don't Want To Join A Book Club, by Virginia Ironside "A screamingly funny novel about letting go of youth and embracintthe sassy cormudgeon within." Well, not exactly. Mildly amusing would be more like it. This one will go to the used book store.
The Summer Country, by James A. Hetley A dark fantasy, raw and flawed, but rewarding. I wonder if he's written anything else?
Chalice, by Robin McKinley
A tale of two unlikely leaders, who celebrate the healing powers of love and honey. (Warning: it begins slowly and confusingly. Just stick with it.)
Little Heathens, by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
Subtitled "Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression." A world and a way of life that's gone now, but was "quite a romp," as the author says. I'm keeping this one.
Consumption, by Kevin Patterson
" . . . an epic novel of the Arctic, and a penetrating portrait of generational division and cultural dissonance." Yes. A little dense, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
 Excalibur, by Sanders Anne Laubenthal
Arthurian fantasy set in Mobile, Alabama. Really. It's a wonderful book; I first read it in the early 70s, lost my copy and have been looking for another ever since. I just wish she had written another, but apparently this was her only one.
The Tokaido Road, by Lucia St. Clair Robson
Oh, I LOVED this book! Danger, romance, intrigue—all in feudal Japan. Read immediately . . .
  The Assassination of Julius Caesar, by Michael Parenti
Subtitled "A People's History of Ancient Rome," this book takes a little different view than you may have been taught . . .
The Gate to Women's Country, by Sheri Tepper
Three hundred years after the flames, there are two societies: Women's Country, nurturing what's left of civilization, and the adjacent garrisons where the warrior men live. There are flaws in this book, but it's worth reading, just for things to consider.
Twisting the Rope, by R.A. MacAvoy
Follow-up to Tea with the Black Dragon—Martha's granddaughter has disappeared. Some psychic force is loose. And one of Martha's motley band of Celtic musicians has been hanged with a rope of twisted grass. Mayland Long must find the killer, even if it turns out be be himself . . .
Tea with the Black Dragon, by R.A. MacAvoy
The tale of Martha MacNamara, whose daughter has disappeared in San Francisco, and a mysterious Asian gentleman named Mayland Long, who may or may not be (or have been) a dragon . . .
The Margarets, by Sheri Tepper
Margaret Bain, the only child in a work colony on Phobos, invented six imaginary friends; when she returned to Earth, they were lost. But not gone . . . More of Tepper's social-commentary sci-fi. If you like her books, you'll like this one. If not, you won't. Six different POVs make it confusing at times.
The Mango Season, by Amulya Malladi
Priya left India seven years ago to study in the US; now she's returning to break the news of her engagement to a nice American boy to her family . . . and they aren't going to like it. Fast paced and full of interesting details about India.
The Journey of August King, by John Ehle
August King came upon the young Negro slave on the mountain trail as he was returning from a trip to market . . . not only a physical journey, but a journey of the heart as well.
Comfort Food, by Kate Jacobs
Featuring a celebrity cook, a former Miss Spain, an ex-banker turned producer, several daughters and assorted boyfriends . . . good enough, but predictable.
Six Moon Dance, by Sheri Tepper
(reread) Newholme—settled long ago from Earth, now plagued by violent physical disturbances and a visit from the Great Questioner, arbiter of the Council of Worlds. It will fall to Mouche, Hunk-in-training, to sort things out . . .
The Sugar Queen, by Sarah Addison Allen
Another magical book from Sarah Allen—I suspect that this would be filed under 'chick lit', which usually makes me run the other way, but not this time. Features a heroine who escapes her domineering mother by eating sweets and reading paperback romances in her closet . . . until the appearance of a not-quite-real friend and gadfly.
Life As We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer
A meteor hits the moom and knocks it from its orbit, causing worldwide tidl wves, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions . . . and the end of life as we knew it. Interesting, but I found the emphasis on saving the sons at the expense of their sister disquieting, especially since she was much more inventive and resourceful.
The Twentieth Wife, by Indu Sundaresan
Historical fiction set in the Mughal Empire, about which I know(knew) next to nothing—the enthralling story of Mehrunnisa, twentieth wife of Emperor Jahangir. Continued in The Feast of Roses, which I need to look for . . .
 A Song for Arbonne, by Guy Gavriel Kay
An imaginary history of Arbonne, inspired by medieval Provence with its troubadours and courts of love, and Gorhaut, modeled on the Viking North. I always love Kay's books; I fall into them and am lost for hours, and this one is no exception.
East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
I hadn't read this since high school, and it was even better than I remembered. I noticed different things now, though. This is the family saga par excellence for me.
Endgame II, Resistance, by Derrick Jensen
Presenting the possibility of resistance to our current system[s] of exploitation, destruction and self-destruction . . .
Endgame I, The Problem of Civilization, by Derrick Jensen
I never know what to say about Jensen's books. This one is prickly, a cranky meditation on the human soul and the natural world, filled with lines like "The needs of the natural world are more important than the needs of any economic system" and "Love does not imply pacifism."
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
Heinlein's classic novel of revolution—the former Lunar penal colony revolts against the Lunar Authority which controls it from Earth—and the three (or possibly four) people who foment it: a computer tech, an agitator, an elderly academic, and Mike, the sentient supercomputer. This one won a Hugo, and it deserves it, despite Heinlein's annoying portrayal of all his female characters.
As Above, So Below, by Rudy Rucker
The subtitle, " A Novel of Peter Breughel," says it all. Each chapter is keyed to one of Breughel's paintings, providing a comprehensive picture of sixteenth-century life in the Spanish-dominated Lowlands. I don't know whether Rucker has written anything else, but I'm certainly going to find out.
 A Book of Wizards, ed. by Marvin Kaye
Wizardly stories by Tanith Lee, Peter Beagle, Patricia McKillip, and others. All wonderful, but my favorite is "The Day is Ours," a sober look at just who wins in war.
 A Language Older Than Words, by Derrick Jensen
I don't know quite how to describe this book—it's disquieting, uncomfortable, and eminently worth reading.
 Catwings and Catwings Return, both by Ursula LeGuin
I listed them together because they're short juveniles, with charming illustrations. James, Thelma, Harriet and Roger were born with wings, and they flew into adventures.
Firebird, by R. Garcia y Robertson
Takes the firebird legends of Russia and Eastern Europe and adds several new twists—a heroic heroine, for one, who rescues her knight . . .
World Made By Hand, by James Howard Kunstler
American life in the aftermath of the long emergency, when lack of oil and climate change have put industrial civilization out of business. Not bad, but I've read better; specifically, I have problems with his characterizations of women (the proverbial madonna/whore and nothing else). However, I didn't buy this, so I got what I paid for . . . .
 The Three of Swords, by Fritz Leiber
A three-volume book club compilation of Swords and Deviltry, Swords Against Death, and Swords in the Mist. Leiber's epic fantasy stories and novelettes, featuring his heroes Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. These were one of my first sword-and-sorcery readings, and I've never quite gotten over them, I suppose.
A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold This edition also contains Sketches Here and There, and some essays—I loved the Almanac part! The sketches were enjoyable, but not essential to me, and I'm afraid I got bogged down in the essays and didn't finish them.
The Penelopiad, by Margaret Atwood The story of Penelope, the long-suffering and constant wife of Odysseus, as told by herself and the twelve maids hanged by Odysseus upon his return.
Crossing Open Ground, by Barry Lopez Nature essays, on various subjects—I highly recommend this. In fact, I ordered his Of Wolves and Men, which has moved to the top of the "read this next" pile; and I have Arctic Dreams here *somewhere* . . . but I can't find it!
 The Dispossesed, by Ursula LeGuin I've read this twice now, and I still don't "get" it. There doesn't seem to be much point to the story, though LeGuin is always a good writer. It's probably some lack in me, but there you are.
  The Hounds of the Morrigan, by Pat O'Shea Comic fantasy set in the world of Irish mythology (and Faery)—the heroes are Pidge and his sister Brigit, who are chosen to thwart the Morrigan. This was O'Shea's first novel; I need to see whether she's written anything else . . .
 The Pilot's Wife, by Anita Shreve I read this in one long evening—it's that good. Learning to live with the unthinkable.
The Iron Dragon's Daughter, by Michael Swanwick Very, very strange, even for a fantasy novel "Industrial Darkness and Magick" says the dust jacket—the story of Jane, a changeling stolen to toil in the dragon factory in Faery.
The Killer's Tears, by Anne-Laure Bondoux A very strange and thoughful little book that explores guilt, innocence and the nature of love.
The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula LeGuin Another of my periodic re-reads. The story of the Terran Envoy to Winter, a planet whose inhabitants are androgynous and may change sex every 26 days (but there's a lot more to it than just that).
The Spiral Dance, by R. Garcia y Robertson
I first read this ten or fifteen years ago, and have been searching for a copy ever since (thank you, Alibris!)—set in Elizabethan Scotland, it is the story of Anne Percy, Countess of Northumberland, and the conspiracy (one of them) to restore Mary Queen of Scots to the English throne—and of a madwoman, the Virgin Mary, witches, a werewolf, the lands of Faery . . .
The Moon Under Her Feet, by Clysta Kinstler
A feminist retelling of the conception, birth, life and death of Christ, as told by Mary Magdalene, High Priestess of the Great Mother in Jerusalem.
Kitchen Literacy, by Ann Vileisis
An account of how we as a culture have become disconnected from the sources of our food, and why we need to return.
The Death of Innocents, by Sister Helen Prejean
An eyewitness account of wrongful executions, this is the followup to her stellar Dead Man Walking. Must reading, in my not-so-humble opinion.
 The Last Girls, by Lee Smith
Another fine story by the author of Fair and Tender Ladies, Black Mountain Breakdown, Oral History, and so many more—all evoke The South beautifully, and this is no exception. A reunion-riverboat trip down the Mississippi is the setting, and the "girls" are now women looking back. Feasting the Heart, by Reynolds Price 52 essays originally aired on NPR, plus a couple that never made in onto the air—varying subjects, but always beautifully done.
The White Witch, by Elizabeth Goudge
A yearly re-read—Cavaliers, Puritans and Gypsies in the time of Charles I in her tale of love and subterfuge in the English countryside. And Froniga, one of my favorite of all her strong women . . .
Pucker, by Melanie Gideon
Thomas, horribly burned in a childhood fire and burdened by a 'crazy' mother, has always been an outsider—but now he must return to his birthplace, the world of Isaura, to save his mother and to face possibility and temptation. Fascinating and well-written.
The Scent of Water, by Elizabeth Goudge
Begins with a death and ends with a birth in the tiny village of Appleshaw—and in between there is life, love, friendship, faith, and the enchanting cabinet full of 'the little things." As always, a portal into a way of life long gone. . . and one that I miss, though I never knew it.
A Swift Pure Cry, by Siobhan Dowd
The story of Shell, who finds herself pregnant at 15—the baby is stillborn, so she and her brother and sister bury it in the back garden. Then the Garda arrive . . . based on a true story, and very well done.
The Dean's Watch, by Elizabeth Goudge
I'd never read this one; the characters aren't nearly as sympathetic as in most of her books, and it was difficult for me to finish. But it was worth it—there are lessons here, and things don't end well, but they do end rightly.
Book of a Thousand Days, by Shannon Hale
A shimmering retelling of the Grimm's fairy tale 'Maid Maleen,' reimagined on the Central Asian steppes. I read until 3 a.m. because I couldn't bear to stop until the end. . . 
Tistou of the Green Thumbs, by Maurice Druon (trans. by Humphrey Hare)
A strange and pleasant little book: Tistou, an only child with remarkable powers of growing plants simply by sticking his 'green thumbs' into the dirt, takes on the wrongs of society. A French juvenile, ex-library, my brother found it at Goodwill and passed it on.
A Country Year, by Sue Hubbell
About life on the land in the Ozarks, and a woman finding herself in middle age—I recommend it highly. And she keeps bees, too. Losing Moses on the Freeway, by Chris Hedges

• The 10 Commandments in America—Hedges explores the challenge of living according to these moral precepts. In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan
  An Eater's Manifesto—Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. (and nothing with over five ingredients, ingredients you don't recognize and can't pronounce, and nothing your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.)
  
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  Books Read in 2007

  • A Christmas Book, by Elizabeth Goudge
    I reread this one every year at this season. It's excerpts from several of her books, all dealing with Christmas, plus a couple that are stories on their own, I think. A truly magical book.
  • Thomas the Rhymer, by Ellen Kushner
    The story of True Thomas, who served the Queen of Elfland for seven years, and returned with a tongue able only to speak the truth . . . a good story, well written, but Kushner's work always leaves me feeling that something is missing, somehow. It's nothing I can put my finger on, but . . . but read it anyway, if you're a fantasy reader.
  • Boy's Life, by Robert McCammon
    I first read this years ago, and it's just as bewitching as I remembered—the story of boyhood in the Deep South in the early 60's, before the magic was 'churched out, spanked out, washed out, and combed out.'
  • A Swiftly Tilting Planet, by Madeleine L'Engle
    The third Murry book—I'd never read these last two, for some reason, until now, so I reread the first also. The three of them are considerably more complex than I'd expected.
  • A Wind in the Door, by Madeleine L'Engle
    The second Murry family book.
  • A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle
    The first book of her acclaimed series about the Murry family.
  • Garden Spells, by Sarah Addison Allen
    Wonderful, enthralling first novel—the story of the Waverly sisters of Bascom, NC, and their enchanted garden. Think of a slightly less serious Alice Hoffman . . .
  • Gentian Hill, by Elizabeth Goudge
    A love story (on many levels) set during England's war with Napoleonic France, this is written in Goudge's inimitable lyric style. I had read it years ago and forgotten about it until I was grubbing about in the bookroom . . .
  • The Septembers of Shiraz, by Dalia Sofer
    A novel of the aftermath of the Iranian revolution—Isaac Amin, rare-gems dealer, is arrested and sent to prison, and both he and his family must cope. Beautifulfully written; I used to enjoy novels like this for the writing as well as the story, but now they frighten me. Too close to our own possible reality, I suppose.
  • A Stitch and A Prayer, by Phillis Tickle
    A memoir of her father's response to World War II. Short, but well worth it.
  • Reserved for the Cat, by Mercedes Lackey
    The latest in her Elemental Masters series, featuring a ballerina, a troll, and a telepathic cat. I loved it . . . just light enough to be entertaining, and she writes well. (And it was a pleasant change from the previous two; I read it in two days of doing not much else. :)
  • The Sun, the Moon & the Stars, by Steven Brust
    A combination novel and fairy tale (Hungarian, I think). Another one that wasn't bad, just very odd.
  • The Plague Tales, by Ann Benson
    This was . . . strange. I couldn't quite decide whether it was history, or science fiction, or mystery . . . Not bad, just odd.
  • Darkhenge, by Catherine Fisher
    "Where is the land of the imagination? And if you found your way there, would you ever want to come back" This is a YA novel, but I found it thought-provoking and well-written (and I am, after all, at least nominally an adult). Fantasy based on Celtic myth—what's not to like?
  • Promises to Keep, by Charles DeLint
    A new Jilly Coppercorn story! This one goes back to her earlier life, just beginning Butler U . . . my only complaint is that it ended too soon. (Also, the cover illo by Mike Dringenberg is beautiful.)
  • An American Requiem, by James Carroll
    Carroll's father was an Air Force lieutenant general who chose Vietnamese targets for American bombers. Carroll himself began by becoming the priest that his father refused to be, then found his way into the peace movement and out of the priesthood. Well-written and moving, but . . . I was ready for it to end.
  • Take This Bread, by Sara Miles
    An unlikely conversion story—by a former atheist, a lesbian left-wing journalist who wandered into church, took communion, and fell headlong into inconvenient Christianity. I loved it.
  • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
    If you're familiar with Sherman Alexie, that's all you need to know about this book (ostensibly written for the YA audience). If you're not, you should be. And this one has great cartoon-y illustrations by Ellen Forney.
  • Sacred Ground, by Mercedes Lackey
    Romance and intrigue—starring Jennifer Talldeer, Osage and Cherokee, freelance P.I., asipring medicine man . . . As for me, I think Lackey ought to write more about her. I'd buy it.
  • The End of America, by Naomi Wolf
    Letters to A Young Patriot—America is on the road to a fascist dictatorship. Can we do anything about it? Well, maybe.
  • Deer Hunting with Jesus, by Joe Bageant
    Subtitled "Notes from the Class Wars," and that's precisely what it is. What's happening to the working class . . . and where most of us will end up if Bush and Co. have their way.
  • The Shock Doctrine, by Naomi Klein
    If you thought the United States had the best interests of the world's poor and developing countries at heart, think again. Horrifying, but necessary knowledge.
  • Cataloochee, by Wayne Caldwell
    Three generations of Appalachians in the Cataloochee Valley (which, for those not familiar with the Appalachians, was made part of the Great Smokies National Park, displacing the families that lived there)—this one is up there with Cold Mountain. I read it slowly so it wouldn't end so soon.
  • Fasting, Feasting, by Anita Desai
    Tells the story of Uma, the plain daughter, never married and tending to her aging parents; and her brother Arun, at school in Massachusetts and trying to make sense of the suburbs. Good, but . . .
  • The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
    Another great mythic anthology by my two favorite editors. Writers include Charles deLint, Holly Black, Jane Yolen . . . there are both stories and poems. AND illustrations by Charles Vess!
  • Legends of the North, by Olivia E. Coolidge
    Yet another retelling of the Norse legends. Copyrighted in 1951, so (even though it's a juvenile) it's well-written. And it has cool illustrations by Edouard Sandoz.
  • The Stolen Child, by Keith Donohue
    Deals with the changeling legend, told from both points of view—the stolen child and the changeling left in its place. I was unsettled for several days after I'd finished it.
  • The Parrot's Lament, by Eugene Linden
    Subtitled "and other true tales of animal intrigue, intelligence, and ingenuity." Fascinating, especially for those of us who suspect there's more to our four-footed friends than meets the eye.
  • The Privilege of the Sword, by Ellen Kushner
    Swords, but no sorcery—it's a mix of Alexandre Dumas and Georgette Heyer. Wonderful characters, witty dialogue . . .
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling
    I enjoyed this one, too, but I still like the first book best. I like world-building.
  • The Graces We Remember, by Phyllis Tickle
    One of her three books of stories from the family farm in Lucy, Tennessee. Short, but well worth it . . . especially the story of her husband, the packrat. (I know just what she's talking about; John and I are both that way.)
  • The Shaping of a Life, by Phyllis Tickle
    "A Spiritual Landscape" proclaims the subtitle, and so it is. How she became the person she is today, which is someone I wish I knew. This one goes into the "read again" pile.
  • The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield
    Very strange indeed, but I was hooked from the first page. And I had no idea of the novel's resolution until the end, either.
  • Good Harbor, by Anita Diamant
    Contemporary female friendship, by the author of The Red Tent (which was much better). This is okay, but . . . maybe I just don't get it because I'm basically a loner.
  • Mysteries of the Middle Ages, by Thomas Cahill
    Another in his Hinges of History series, this one is subtitled "The Rise of Feminism, Science and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe." Interesting, but not so much as his others—though it was worth it for the illustrations.
  • The Last American Man, by Elizabeth Gilbert
    The story of Eustace Conway, who lives (and has for the past twenty or so years) off the land in the Appalachians near Boone, and runs Turtle Island Nature Preserve.
  • Comfort Me with Apples, by Ruth Reichl
    Picks up where Tender at the Bone left off, following Reichl through adulthood, with many delicious stops along the way.
  • Tender at the Bone, by Ruth Reichl
    The first of Ruth Reichl's memoirs. I love reading about food (frequently, more than I enjoy actually eating it, though you wouldn't know it to search for my waistline), and this book is chockful of lyrical descriptions . . . and a few recipes, too.
  • Still Life with Chickens, by Catherine Goldhammer
    A memoir of the year she got a divorce, sold her house, bought a new smaller house, and persuaded her 12-year-old daughter to move without a fuss by bribing her with six chickens. Goldhammer is a poet, and it shows. A lovely book!
  • A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini
    I read this thanks to my friend Kai, who kept reassuring me—even though I was sure it was too painful to read—that the ending would be right and it would be worth it. And it was . . .
  • Rowan Farm, by Margot Benary-Isbert
    How did I miss this when I was growing up? Benary-Isbert beautifully portrays the sacrifices, terrors, and love of a close family and their beloved animals during and immediately following WWII. Sequel to The Ark, for which I shall be searching . . . This one will go on the Elizabeth Goudge shelf. (Sorry, Mom, I'm not giving it back. . . )
  • Light Theology and Heavy Cream, by Robert Farrar Capon
    Short essays on religion and/or cooking. Well worth the $10 I paid for it.
  • You Suck, by Christopher Moore
    Vampire love story (sequel to Bloodsucking Fiends) with Moore's usual snark. Not bad, but . . . maybe I just wasn't in the mood.
  • A Power Governments Cannot Suppress, by Howard Zinn
    Our current political/ethical crisis explained by delving into not-very-well-known corners of our history. If you believed what they taught you in history class, either this book will make you very, very angry or you will refuse to believe anything he says.
  • Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver
    If you only read ONE book this year, make it this one. Mostly about the year Kingsolver and her family spent eating locally and growing a lot of their own, it's much more . . . part memoir and part journalistic investigation. Remember when we used to know what we ate, and where it came from? Take a look, also, at the website: animalvegetablemiracle.com.
  • Rats and Gargoyles, by Mary Gentle
    Baroque fantasy—Rat-lords who rule humans, but are ruled by the Decans, the thirty-six Lords of Heaven and Hell who are incarnate in living rock and whose will is enforced by gargoyle acolytes. Sometimes confusing and hard to follow, but well worth the effort.
  • Someplace To Be Flying, by Charles DeLint
    DeLint's usual sterling blend of old European and Native American mythology—this one (a reread) is about the First People, the ones who were here when the world was made.
  • Temeraire, In the Service of the King, by Naomi Novik
    This is actually three books (His Majesty's Dragon, Throne of Jade, and Black Powder War), the first of a series set during the Napoleonic Wars. Valiant warriors rise to Britain's defense—on dragonback. Since I am not a fan of this particular era, I'm not sure why I bought this, but it was pretty good. Just long . . .
  • Ysabel, by Guy Gavriel Kay
    His newest . . . a Celtic ghost story. Set [mostly] in modern times, it's a departure of scene for him, but still beautifully done. And riveting: I read it in one long evening (assuming evening ends at 4 a.m.).
  • Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver
    My annual spring re-reading . . . for me, this particular book is up there with Elizabeth Goudge's Pilgrim's Inn and The Rosemary Tree as an examination of the human condition.
  • The Last Light of the Sun, by Guy Gavriel Kay
    Set in an alternate 8th/9th century England and Scandinavia, this is a reworking of the story of Alfred the Great. Kay is one of the finest fantasy writers working today; though this seems to be a slighter book than The Sarantine Mosiac or The Lions of Al-Rassan, looks are deceiving. I've read it twice now, and brought away completely different things each time.
  • Zen and the Art of Needlecraft, by Sandra Detrixhe
    The subtitle is "exploring the links between needlecraft, spirituality, and creativity." It does, but it's not nearly so interesting as Zen and the Art of Knitting . . . different author, different take on things.
  • With Speed and Violence, by Fred Pearce
    Tipping points in climate change . . . we are SO screwed.
  • Sex Wars, by Marge Piercy
    Set in the 1870s, this novel has (as usual) several intertwining stories: Victoria and Tennessee Woodhull; Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony; Freydah Levin, a Jewish immigrant condom maker; and Anthony Comstock. I finished it in two days, because I did absolutely nothing but read.
  • The Harsh Cry of the Heron, by Lian Hern
    Fourth (and last) of the Otori series, this follows Takeo and Kaede as they fend off threats from the Tribe, so-called friends, foreigners, and their own Emperor . . . and the end is not what I'd expected, either.
  • City of Illusions, by Ursula LeGuin
    The third Hainish novel. The three of them stand alone, but make a bit more sense read in sequence . . . I bought them in a 3-in-1 reprint, which helped since I hadn't read any.
  • Planet of Exile, by Ursula LeGuin
    The second of three Hainish novels. (The first is Rocannon's World, the third City of Illusions.)
  • Ordinary Men, by Christopher H. Browning
    The subtitle explains the subject: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland. Purports to explain just how "ordinary men" came to do such awful things, but I didn't find it particularly convincing.
  • Rocannon's World, by Ursula LeGuin
    One of her Hainish series. I'd missed this one until now, other than the story about Semley and the Eye of the Sea.
  • Nemesis, by Chalmers Johnson
    The third book of his trilogy (the others are Blowback and The Sorrows of Empire); all three ought to be required reading for anyone who still thinks the US government has your (and the rest of the world's) best interests at heart. Depressing, but vital.
  • The Telling, by Ursula LeGuin
    Another of her Hainish cycle. " . . . will make you anticipate tomorrow a bit differently than you did yesterday." (Denver Rocky Mountain News) Indeed.
  • The Stillmeadow Road, by Gladys Taber
    A year at Stillmeadow, Taber's beloved Connecticut farmhouse. A bit dated (original copyright is 1962), but still charming.
  • The Ladies of Grace Adieu, by Susanna Clarke
    It was a gift, or I wouldn't have bothered . . . the sort of pseudo-Victoriana that I find highly annoying.
  • American Fascists, by Chris Hedges
    Subtitled "The Christian Right and The War on America," this is a frightening book. Not that we didn't see it coming, of course . . . forewarned is forearmed.
  • Tales from Earthsea, by Ursula LeGuin
    LeGuin is probably the finest fantasy writer alive (in my not-very-humble opinion). This book contains a novella and several short stories, all set in Earthsea ages before the time of her classic Earthsea novels. There's also a very interesting discussion of Earthsea in article form.
  • The Other Wind, by Ursula LeGuin
    A new Earthsea novel! This one follows the young mage Alder, haunted by dreams of his dead wife lost in the dry lands, and the aged once-Archmage Ged, now magicless, as they seek to calm the restless dead. Dragons are featured also . . . either in their dragon form or their guise as exceptional women.
  • Homeland, by Hal Borland
    Subtitled A Report From The Country, it's exactly that: twenty essays, one per season, from 1964-1968. Borland lived in Connecticut, on the land as a countryman and not a farmer, and these essays are thoughtful and evocative . . . this was a good book to begin the reading year.

  Books Read in 2006

  • The Book of Lost Things, by John Connolly
    Mesmerizing—I stumbled on this by accident (Mom gave it to John for Christmas, and I appropriated it), and did nothing but read until I'd finished it. It's a dark tale of grief and lost innocence, love and loyalty, and the rough passage into adulthood, and the redemptive power of stories; and it's going to be well worth re-reading.
  • Skipping Christmas, by John Grisham
    This is supposed to be a charming story of how a couple tries to skip celebrating Christmas and go on a cruise instead, but are forestalled by their neighbors and circumstances, and end up pulling together a lovely celebration at the last minute. I found it annoying—why can't people mind their own business? (I still think Grisham's first novel, A Time To Kill, was his best, and his work has been sliding downhill ever since.)
  • The Pogo Papers, by Walt Kelly
    Those of us of a certain age (ahem!) will remember the comic strip Pogo. . .this is one of ten compilations. Pogo will always be my favorite comic hero, even more than Hobbes or Opus.
  • Even the Stones, by Marie Jakober
    A young queen must confront her destiny, and overcome the powerful forces arrayed against her. Yeah, yeah . . . it's a sword-and-sorcery romance, but much more . . . political intrigue, war, women's issues . . . and a hero to die for. Very good, though I thought The Black Chalice was more rounded.
  • Fragile Things, by Neil Gaiman
    Stories and poems, all good as usual . . . but the best thing is the last: a new Shadow story! Featuring, among others, Grendel and his mother . . .
  • Changing Planes, by Ursula LeGuin
    When I bought this, for some reason I thought it was about airports . . . apparently I didn't notice the woman changing into an ear of corn on the cover. Well, it IS about airports, but not as you'd think . . .
  • Tales of the Otori, by Lian Hearn
    This is actually a series of three books: Across the Nightingale Floor, Grass for His Pillow, and Brilliance of the Moon. (There's a fourth, The Harsh Cry of the Heron, but I'm saving that one.) The story is set in a sort of alternate-universe medieval Japan, richly imagined and seamlessly constructed. I didn't do anything else until I'd finished reading all three. And the story doesn't end as you think it will, either . . .
  • The Fair Folk, ed. Marvin Kaye
    This collection of novellas features work by Tanith Lee, Megan Lindholm, Kim Newman, Patricia McKillip, Craig Shaw Gardner . . . all of which are good, some better than others. (I admit, I don't like pseudo-Victorian mysteries, even if they do have elves in them, and Gardner leaves me cold.) But the final novella, by Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder, is worth the entire book. A pair of sisters, exiled in the 21st century by the Faery Queen . . .
  • The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards
    Somehow, the story manages to be both otherworldly and prosaic at once . . . I had a difficult time warming up to either of the protagonists, which made it slow going at times, but it was worth it.
  • Beloved, by Toni Morrison
    A terrible, beautiful book that I'll remember a long time.
  • Redbird Christmas, by Fannie Flagg
    A feelgood book . . . things move along nicely, the end is right, and it's not taxing. A pleasant change from heavier reading. I will pass it along to my mother.
  • All The King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren
    I know this is great literature, but I found it sloooow and confusing. . . I stopped halfway through. Maybe I'll go back later and finish. Or maybe I'll just get a biography of Huey Long.
  • The Last Days of Dogtown, by Anita Diamant
    If you're expecting another Red Tent, this isn't it, but it's compelling and profounding unsettling. It's about a forsake community near the Massachusetts coast at the turn of the 19th century, but that doesn't begin to describe it . . . just read it.
  • The War of the Flowers, by Tad Williams
    Ne'er-do-well musician Theo Vilmos is spirited into Fairyland . . . which is not at all what you might think it is. And wait until you meet some of the inhabitants: Applecore, the sprite with a sailor's vocabulary; Poppy, the goth fairychild who's looking for excitement; and the Remover of Inconvenient Obstacles.
  • Peace Like A River, by Leif Enger
    I found this by accident at Goodwill, and I'm not passing it along because I'm going to read it again and again. I was transported . . .
  • The Black Chalice, by Marie Jakober
    Set in 12th century Germany, just after the Crusades, this is a tale of "betrayal, love both commonplace and forbidden, redemption and damnation, belief and self-deception." Right up there with Guy Gavriel Kay, Tolkien, Marion Zimmer Bradley.
  • Temping Fate, by Esther Friesner
    Teenage girl, slightly odd, finds summer job temping for the Fates. (Yes, those Fates.) If you've read any of the Chicks in Chainmail books, you know what to expect. If you haven't . . . well, you're missing something. And this one has a unicycle-riding chicken on the cover, too.
  • Tishomingo Blues, by Elmore Leonard
    I rarely read mysteries, especially this kind (what used to be described as "hard-boiled", I think), and I never actually buy them. However, after reading Margaret Atwood's review, I hied myself to Barnes and Noble and spent the next two days reading. Well worth it!
  • Writing with Intent, by Margaret Atwood
    Essays, book reviews and miscellaneous writings from 1983-2005. Some better than others, of course, but overall very interesting. (Especially the book reviews; I now must read Toni Morrison's Beloved.)
  • Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver
    Re-reading this again . . . how many times now? I've forgotten. but it's one of my favorite summer books. It's like going back home: food for thought, Kingsolver's inimitable imagery, and coyotes . . .
  • Second Nature, by Michael Pollan
    Subtitled A Gardener's Education, it is! And witty besides.
  • Sex with Kings, by Eleanor Herman
    Predecessor to Sex with The Queen . . . I read the other first because John had this one. This is more scholarly (all things are relative), with fewer anecdotes, but still good.
  • Sex with the Queen, by Eleanor Herman
    " . . . reveals the truth about what goes on behind the closed door of a queen's boudoir." Really . . . the research is sound, the stories enthralling.
  • Armed Madhouse, by Greg Palast
    Politics. It's much worse than you thought it was . . . I keep hoping that I'll wake up one day and the last six years will have been a very, very bad dream.
  • The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan
    An account of four everyday plants (the apple, the tulip, the marijuana plant, and the potato) and and their coevolution with human beings. . .
  • Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder
    The quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a man who would cure the world . . . this is the book that prompted me to order some other things on Cuba and Haiti (which are on the way, I hope).
  • Widdershins, by Charles DeLint
    Jilly Coppercorn and Geordie Riddell . . . together at last! And about time, too. I read this in one day, because I couldn't put it down.
  • The Monster At Our Door, by Mike Davis
    Avian flu. It's coming. Be very afraid . . . really.
  • What Jesus Meant, by Garry Wills
    Are we sure we really want to do "as Jesus did"? Wills argues that he was much more radical than we have been lead to believe.
  • Knitting Rules!, by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
    "The Yarn Harlot unravels the mysteries of swatching, stashing, ribbing and rolling to free your inner knitter"
  • Ivan's Army, by Catherine Merridale
    The Russian Army during World War II. . . the real army, not the generals.
  • Travels with My Chicken, by Martin Gurdon
    A man and his chicken do various book-signing gigs about the UK. Sequel to Zen and the Art of Hen Maintenance, and much better than it sounds.
  • The Ginger Tree, by Oswold Wynd
    I picked this up at Goodwill, thinking it might be interesting, and was captivated. It's told in diary entries and letters by a Scotswoman going to/living in China and Japan, and covers a span from just after the Boxer Rebellion until the beginning of World War II.
  • Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
    I haven't read this one since high school, and I was gratified to find it just as marvelously frightening as I remembered.
  • The Horse Whisperer, by Nicholas Evans
    The best part was the beginninng, the account of the accident that starts the book . . . unfortunately, from there it was all downhill. Just another predictable romance, though better written than a lot of them.
  • The Bird in the Tree, by Elizabeth Goudge
    The first of the Eliot family books. This one deals with faithfulness in its many forms.
  • The Heart of the Family, by Elizabeth Goudge
    The third of the Eliot family books (the others are The Bird in the Tree and Pilgrim's Inn), and the darkest and least fanciful. Set in post-WWII England, it deals with war, devastation, and disappointment.
  • The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood
    Complicated (but what novel by Atwood isn't?), and well worth reading.
  • Confederate Jasmine and the Fat Tuesday Tree, A Poetic Herbarium, by Ann Lewis
    A strange and wonderful book about the Deep South, which is a pretty strange and wonderful place.
  • Refuge, Terry Tempest Williams
    Luminous and magical . . . I picked this up at Goodwill on a whim, and I'm so glad I did. I will need to reread this one.
  • Teacher Man, by Frank McCourt
    Not so good as Angela's Ashes, of course, but much better than 'Tis (which I never did finish . . . )