CROSS POSTED (my apologies to those who "share" groups with me!) 1. Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen Rated: 3.5/5. Not my favorite Austen novel. The first half of the book is rather slow, a bit dry. Luckily for the reader, the second half picks up and moves along nicely. Catherine, the MC, is a silly girl - a bit of a drama queen with a tendency to let her imagination run wild. Austen pokes fun at the novel in this story, and there are moments of humor that gave me a chuckle.
2. Zelda, by Nancy Milford Rated: 3.5/5 Non-fiction/Biography. I wrote a review on my blog: http://caribousmom.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2007/2/8/2720574.html 3. Glimmer Train Stories (from Issue #51 - Summer 2004) a. Hot House, by Jeni Lapidus Rated: 4/5 Short story published in Glimmer Train (Summer 2004-Issue #51) An intensely disturbing short that gives us a glimpse into the world of depression. Not a terribly hopeful story, but beautifully written. A favorite passage: 'What can any of us do for the breaking-up and breaking-down but witness them and wait it out - even when the broken ones are us?' b. The Words Honey and Moon, by Jennifer Tseng Rated: 3/5 Short story published in Glimmer Train (Summer 2004-Issue #51) Interesting little story about an older Chinese man marrying a younger American woman. My problem with this story was there were too many unanswered questions about the characters. They both seem deeply flawed, but the reader is never given insight into why. c. Multiple Listings, by Lucy Honig Rated: 4.5/5 Short story published in Glimmer Train (Summer 2004-Issue #51) I really enjoyed this short about a group of potential home buyers being shown a listing in Boston. The story has a surprising ending. Tenderly written with exceptional character development. d. Say to the Waves, by Paul Michel Rated: 4.5/5 'At three o'clock in the afternoon of February 26, Gerta Olsen's husband, Shorty dove headfirst off the twelfth-floor balcony of the Norview Senior Center.' Thus begins this engrossing short. The story is about the collision of two strangers connected by death and the simple beauty of a black orca bench. Michel has a firm grasp on setting, and uses the imagery of the sea to pull the reader into this well wrought tale. Despite the grim subject matter, the story leaves the reader with a sense of hope that life does, indeed, go on...even after tragedy. e. Among the Living Amidst the Trees, by Bruce Machart Rated: 5/5 James Byrd Jr. was dragged to his death by bigots on a rural road in Texas. This is true. The story that Machart weaves around this real life event is complete fiction, but due to the authors skill at character development, one gets the feeling that his characters actually exist. Machart creates vivid imagery ('With the windows down, the forest smells akin to what you might get if you boiled Pine-So on the stovetop while raosting a sack of rain-soaked soil in the oven.') and true to life characters who blow apart the stereotype of the "redneck" ('Six months back, after Tricky's first couple chemo sessions, all the boys of the pipefitters' local shaved their heads. It was a hard man's brand of brotherhood, and the night they did it Tricky walked into the bar, and when he saw them his eyes filled with a liquid look of something like love. These are rough-hewn and heavy men, men with calluses thick as rawhide, men who aren't afraid to keep something tender beneath their ribcages, and to expose it to the elements when occasion calls for it, no matter how it hurts.'). Machart uncovers the people beneath a headline, and leaves the reader aching for more. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Have you told a friend today? http://bookcrossing.com/tellafriend Archives and email list settings: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BookCrossing Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BookCrossing/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BookCrossing/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
