I remember being impressed by it. But then I am a fan of Barbara Kingsolver ever since reading The Bean Trees and The Poisonwood Bible was phenomenal.

I am still in Ireland finishing up the last volume of Morgan Llywelyn's The Irish Century, 1999.

Lucky you, in Ireland. Then I realized you were referring to your book....

The Lacuna is truly one of the best books I've ever read. Some of us have been discussing it in prior "What Are You Reading" threads. Everyone agrees that it is amazing. It's funny, heartbreaking, infuriating and so beautifully written. I am in awe of Ms. Kingsolver's writing.

Cheers on this Sunday afternoon.

Too much water has passed under the bridge since I read it. I remember very little.

We just received a used copy of The Poisonwood Bible. We're both looking forward to it.

Earlier this past week I finished Strip Jack by Ian Rankin. I find the Rebus books very appealing. Now I am reading All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. I have to say, I am really enjoying this book. Herriot brings the animals and humans to life. It is so well written, a joy to read. Now if I could just remember who was reading All Creatures Great and Small before and give them a well deserved and proper shout out.

Mrs. Enthusiast read The Third Gate by Lincoln Child earlier. She liked it very much. Now she is just about finished with Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig. She has torn right through Doig's final book enjoying it all the way. I believe it might be my next book.

Last edited Mon Sep 14, 2015, 08:06 AM - Edit history (1)

and enjoying the trip! While shelling peas this week, we listed to audio version of Julie Otsuka's The Buddha in the Attic which is a beautifully poetic work.

Edit to add: I don't know if I would have liked reading The Buddha in the Attic but hearing Samantha Quan read it was an almost musical event.

Did I ever find it in David Wong's John Dies at the End! Jacket blurb says, "a mash-up of Douglas Adams and Stephen King" so I had to check it out. It is, indeed: "engaging, comic and terrifying." What I find so creepy is that I believe a drug like this might exist. I have read about such things existing deep in ancient jungles. Could be myth or true. Who knows....bwahahahaha.

Cool book.

so I ended up in Quebec instead, as of last Saturday. One of the other books I've had on order for a long time showed up: Louise Penny's latest installment of her Chief Inspector Gamache series, The Nature of the Beast.

It's entertaining enough, and moves right along just fine, but the central plot point is so absurd that it's quite difficult to suspend my disbelief enough to really get into the story. At least it's not as absolutely dreadful as her last book, The Long Way Home, which had me retching repeatedly as I doggedly slogged my way through it.

It's too bad. I really loved this series in its early days - I've read every single book of the series in order - but the author reached her high point with The Beautiful Mystery, imho. She ought to have ushered Inspector Gamache to a graceful retirement, and moved on to something else.

As it is, the lovely and charming village of Three Pines, and the lovely and charming and eccentric characters who inhabit the village, have become cliché and tiresome, and just too, too precious. I am simply unable to much care about them anymore.

I'll finish it, of course, because I DO want to know whodunnit. But I may take a pass on her next one, if she continues down the same tired path. It's too bad. Louise Penny is a good writer, and has done some wonderful things with language and characters and plotting, but it feels (to me, anyway) like she hit cruise control a while back, and reading her just isn't that much fun - and certainly not fresh - anymore.

Anyway, I just got an email notice from my library that the next Inspector Shan book has come in, so I'll be able to head back to Tibet soon.

Ironically, I also got notice that another book I ordered months ago has come in as well, Peter May's Entry Island. Peter May is the Scottish author of the Lewis Trilogy: The Blackhouse, The Lewis Man, The Chessmen, and anyone who may have followed my posts here for the past many months will know how much I enjoyed those books. So I'm very much looking forward to reading this one!

Being faced with such an embarrassment of reading riches, only next Sunday's thread will tell which of the two books I've chosen to read first. I'm thinking that either one would do quite well as a palate cleanser after I finish the Louise Penny book.

I am interested to hear how you find Entry Island when you get around to it. I don't know why they would send a Canadian detective to Scotland. We shall find out.

I read a book some months ago about a Canadian detective who goes to Scotland to follow up on some murder clues. Can't for the life of me remember the title. But it's not that unusual, being as they are all members of the Commonwealth, after all.

I went on Wikipedia and found this about Entry Island: "The book is partly set on a remote island in modern-day Canada and partly set on the Isle of Lewis 150 years earlier, during the Highland Clearances."

I look forward to reading that one someday.

I really enjoyed Peter May's Lewis Trilogy, so I am very much looking forward to seeing what he has cooked up with this particular book. It sounds rather unusual - I'm curious to see if he's really pulled it off.

about Penny's latest. I remember thinking after I read the last one that she had probably used those characters up, and sounds like that's what happened. I did so love them all, so I will give that book a miss.

I will have to look into Peter May, being of Scottish descent myself, I think I would enjoy reading his works.

It's sad to see a well-loved series bog down - I really enjoyed so many of the earlier books, they were enchanting and magical and a real pleasure to read. But, alas, the magic faded somehow...

Btw, reading your post to Enthusiast above about a Canadian detective traveling to Scotland - ironically, I do believe it's possible that you might be thinking of Penny's second to last book, The Long Way Home. Gamache travels to Scotland to visit the Garden of Cosmic Speculation seeking clues to the whereabouts of the missing Peter Morrow. Does that ring a bell?

As for Peter May, he's written nearly two dozen books, but the only ones I've read are the three in his Lewis Trilogy, which all take place in the Hebrides. I thought they were quite wonderful - although I must confess I probably liked the first one best. But I do recommend the whole trilogy, it's a fascinating look at a very unusual part of the world with a very distinct culture.

I will certainly post my take on Entry Island once I've read it.

...Another action, page turner.

Just started "Dune: The Butlerian Jihad" by Brian Herbert & Kevin Anderson. This will be the first book I've read by the son of "Dune" creator, Frank Herbert. So far, I'm pleasantly surprised. I didn't expect it to capture my attention so soon. It's over 600 pages, so it's going to take me awhile. I have to driveway seal on Saturday, and company on Sunday. I'll report more if and when I finish. It might take a couple library renewals.

Thanks for posting. I adored Dune and the sequels a bit less with each one. So I am happy to hear you are pleased with this new entry and I look forward to hearing what you think about it in the end. No rush, we'll be here.

That was one of the reasons why I've been reluctant to try one of the Brian Herbert books. "The Butlerian Jihad" seemed to be the first one chronologically, so I started with that one. Ten thousand years before the events of Dune, the Zensunni Wanderers have escaped bondage and settled on Arakis, later to become the Fremen. The war between humanity and the thinking machines has escalated. An early chapter details how an exiled Fremen accidentally discovers how to "ride" a sandworm. I will update you, when I finish.

I started Dune but circumstances caused me to stop soon after I read a chapter or so. One of these days I will read Dune. Everyone likes it. Of course I have seen the movie.