Willa Cather books

I'll be the first to admit that I'm still lacking in what some might call a standard background in literature--never had any required readings in high school and never had any required novel readings in college. Amazing, huh? Having said that, I'm am such a sucker for a rip-roaring female pioneer novel. I really got hooked on that genre after reading Letters From a Women Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart. Since I've had the opportunity this year to get my hands on books that are above 5th grade levels, I've been prowling around on the shelves to see what I've missed...and discovered that I've completely missed anything by Willa Cather, so I checked out both these books and raced through them last week. Loved them. Liked O, Pioneers a little better than My Antonia...but both leave me with wanting to read more of Cather's works.

Murder on Black Friday by P. B. Ryan

You know I hate to read a series out of order, but I accidentally did that today! lol All I saw were "new" and "series" and started reading. If you like fast reads, subtle humor and romance between a man and a woman with a mystery to solve, and some real historical facts thrown in the plot, then you'll love this series. Unfortunately, it's the only one I have in the series!

Set in Boston, Nell Sweeney is an Irish governess in the wealthy Hewitt family who, over the span of some time develops a friendship with one of the Hewitt sons. Most people assume they are unofficially engaged, but only Nell and Will know the real truth behind their pretense. Nell, being a devout Catholic, is already married to a convicted imprisoned felon and can never divorce....and so, Will keeps her secret and she keeps his--that the little girl to whom she is a governess is not really his adopted little sister, but his real little daughter. That's the background story for these two characters who find themselves solving murders.

I liked it so much that I've searched PaperBack Swap for the others, but could only find one. I need something light and fun after Edgar Sawtelle.

P.B. Ryan's Gilded Age Mystery series:

1. Still Life With Murder

2. Murder in a Mill Town

3. Death on Beacon Hill

4. Murder on Black Friday

5. Murder in the North End

6. A Bucket of Ashes

So...I'm starting another series this evening--The Gaslight Mystery series--by Victoria Thompson and this time I have the first 3 in the series. I think I picked all these books up at Half Price over the summer...and am just now getting around to reading them.

This series takes place in NYC with Sarah Brandt, a midwife estranged from her wealthy family, and Frank Malloy, a police detective, who find themselves working together to solve mysteries.

The Art Thief by Noah Charney

I just finished reading The Art Thief. I had heard it was good; but, like Kim, I tend to drag my feet sometimes when others say it's wonderful. The plot started out slowly, with the theft of several artworks - in Rome, Paris, and London. Seemingly unrelated, the plot thickens as inspectors, art historians, gallery & museum curators, art lovers, and forgers all get involved...and intermingled. If you like art history and a good mystery, this one is for you -- really! Noah Charney is a first-time author, but creates believable characters who speak with authority - probably because Charney himself is an authority: he is the founding director of the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art (ARCA) and holds degrees in art history. http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Noah-Charney

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

I like to think that I keep my finger on the pulse of what's new, what's popular, and what is good reading. That doesn't mean I read all of it---it's just not possible, however, it allows me to recommend a wide range of books to a wide range and ages of people. Having said that, sometimes when a book gets a lot of press and recognition, it puts me off a bit from reading it immediately. (Harry Potter had so much press that I put off reading it until the 4th one was out!) This is one of those books, however, when I saw it at Half-Price books recently, I decided to buy it and not put off reading it. It has 562 pages divided into 5 parts. I'm on page 89 after starting the book today.

While on the surface, it appears to be a sweet period piece story about a rural couple who have a son born who can hear, but can't speak, and the comforting rhythm of the family farm where they breed, raise, and train dogs, the prologue, however, sets in place a rather mysterious, sinister-tinged character and spreads a mood of underlying fear--something you can't quite put your finger on--a fear that something terrible is about to break this family apart--a fear that a young boy's innocence and love for his dog is about to end in a horrible manner. I'm torn between staying up half the night and slamming it shut to put off what appears to be the inevitable.

This first-time novelist, David Wroblewski, is a master at building suspense, using symbols to imbue emotion and drive the plot, and using flashback through stories told by characters to start peeling away layers--all of this in the first 89 pages. Brilliant writer!

This is a book that pulled at me from the very first time I heard about it last year--way before Oprah recognized.

Finished: wow....the last section of the book titled, Poison, is one of the most tension-filled pieces of literature I've ever read. This is Pulitzer material.

Hmmm...I wonder what everyone else is reading?

I'd really like to know what Esther, Rachel, Lisa, and Lori are reading. Has Natalie finished reading her book and what did she think of it?