Hello there, thanks for popping in. Just back from hols and back to rain...yuck. Have been reading a few books. Recently enjoyed A Liftime Burning by Linda Gillard, The Vanishing of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell. Both recommended. Also enjoyed After You'd Gone by Maggie too.

inlägg gjort av Inver vid 11:35 am (EST) Aug 9, 2008

Thank you so much for the book. I got it last Friday but I totally forgot to tell you. I have started reading it and so far I am really impressed. I will soon be done with it and in addition to passing it on, I will let you know what I thought about it. Take care and I hope you are having a great day so far.
Trish

inlägg gjort av TrishNYC vid 5:17 pm (EST) Aug 4, 2008

I'd love to be your friend! Thanks for the invite and the kind words... I have tried to break, or at least reduce, my addiction to LT (and my blog) -- partly because it's summer and I shouldn't be inside typing instead of outside reading in the sun (with proper sunscreen protection, of course)
...my "wish list" tag is books I wish I had enough money to go out and buy, for myself or others; I should review it to see what I've picked up at the library in the past year (which reminds me, I think my 1-year LT anniversary is approaching...)
talk to you soon! TD

inlägg gjort av TeacherDad vid 12:26 pm (EST) Jul 31, 2008

Hi Mary Beth, nice to hear from you again. I'm glad that you are okay, even if you are also very busy (and cleaning too, I like to vacuum and dust but the rest...not so good.)

The writing sounds great, even if the research is long, but all worth it in the long run. At the moment I am reading The Noise Maker by Richard Powers and it should be good but I am finding it hard work, my fault though, not the books fault. I just can't focus my mind. I did just finish Terry Pratchett's Bromeliad (the Truckers, Diggers and Wings trilogy) and although it is for children it had me laughing along all the way through. I am happy to pass it on to my nephew now knowing that he will love it.

The vet is a very expensive time and Scottie is due her boosters now too. It might have to be my fortune on plastic this month because it has been a very expensive few weeks. We have had to make (and are still making) some expensive repairs to house and garden for various reasons. Everything seemed to break at once and my road tax for my car is due at the end of the month too.

Scottie is just like your dogs, very often the smallest thing in the room, but she looks for the biggest thing and deliberately provokes it, safe in the knowledge that she can then climb on my knee and let me deal with it if it tries to eat her. They are used to me running in now and saying "I've got Scottie Richardson in the car, bang on the window for us when it's our turn" and running back out again. They always give the pets the owners last name at our vets and it always makes me laugh when the nurse comes out and shouts "Fluffy Smith please" and a big giant man stands up clutching the worlds tiniest gerbil or something and follows her in.

inlägg gjort av Jodyreadseverything vid 3:00 am (EST) Jul 31, 2008

I do have a horse, a Tennessee Walking horse and my dog Casper and a Norwegian Forest cat who is 14. And my husband has a good friend who shares your last name (assuming the name in your screen-name is your last name.) Small world! Thanks for the welcome, I am still learning about LT, but love it.

inlägg gjort av phlegmmy vid 3:06 am (EST) Jul 24, 2008

HI,
I have read all of our shared books except for True Evil (I love Iles) and The Tommyknockers (King rocks). I loved and I mean LOVE Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. I have read all of those books at least 3 times and am getting ready to read them again. Her newest book is set to come out soon and I want to reread them before it comes out. I love all of Carl Hiiasen's books that I have read. I think he is hilarious. Grafton and Evanovich are good reads but I think as their series progress the books aren't as good. (Think beating a dead horse).

I love For Whom the Bell Tolls and the Great Gatsby, and all the Tolkien books. I have mixed feelings about .....Sand and Fog. It's one of those books that stick with you and get under your skin. It met all the criteria of an excellent read, believable characters, good story, the emotioal factor, good set up.... I threw the book across the room when I finished it because I wanted more BUT I can't say it was a good book, so depressing... I actually lost sleep thinking of the characters. And all because of a house.

Carrie

inlägg gjort av cal8769 vid 8:47 am (EST) Jul 23, 2008

His name is Homer (but not from the Simpsons!) and he has a personality about 10 times the size he is. Very affectionate and nosey, and incredibly intelligent - he has his brother's brains too I think. Will tell people about the Bengals.

inlägg gjort av Cascawebsite vid 3:22 am (EST) Jul 21, 2008

Hi, the picture is of one of my pet cats who is a quarter Persian; interesting you should mention Bengal Cats as only today in our local store there's an advert from someone selling a litter of 4 Bengal Cats.

inlägg gjort av Cascawebsite vid 5:12 pm (EST) Jul 20, 2008

Hi,

Thanks for your message - I haven`t been on LT for a while or I`d have replied sooner.

We probably do have books in common - I`ve only catalogued a fraction of mine. When I get time I`ll have a look at your library.

Best,
Nick

inlägg gjort av nickhoonaloon vid 5:03 am (EST) Jul 17, 2008

Hi Mary Beth, glad you liked Duma Key too. I was worried that it would be like Lisey's Story and that nobody would like it (it took two reads for me to take to Lisey's Story) and I thought Duma Key could be the same.

I agree about Dean Koontz though. I just read The Darkest Evening of the Year and it wasn't great. His books used to be really good and I would have called him a favourite author but not anymore.

Hope you are okay anyway, it's been awhile since we have chatted.

inlägg gjort av Jodyreadseverything vid 4:24 pm (EST) Jul 14, 2008

Hi,

Thanks for adding my library to your list of interesting libraries!

I'm wondering, since you say in your profile that you like to pass books on, if you use BookMooch at all. I've only discovered it recently but it's been wonderful. I've sent off books I don't care about and received at least a dozen so far. I haven't found every book I want on there, but quite a few are available. It's great to be able to pass books on to people who want them.

I think it's interesting that we don't share that many books but those we do share span several categories: some fantasy, some mystery, a cookbook. I have a lot more to add (will try to do some today)--lots more general literature and quite a bit of history and travel.

Happy reading,
Elizabeth

inlägg gjort av ejj1955 vid 2:23 pm (EST) Jun 22, 2008

Hi Mary Beth - I loved the Historian - it's a great book! It made me want to travel all over Europe;) I don't know anyone in particular that would want the Translator but I bet if you posted on the Early Reviewers page somebody might want it.

We here at my office have had a really rough week this past week. One of our designers - a great guy - was killed in a small plane crash. His father in law, mother in law and sister in law were all killed with him. He leaves behind 3 small children under the age of 7. It's just horrible. His wife Amy lost her mother, her father, her husband and sister in law in one fell swoop. I have been to two memorial services this week. Ugh, horrible and tragic. We are all just reeling from the shock. So make sure you hug your family and tell them you love them everyday! Life is precious and we get so caught up in the everyday mundane tasks that we forget to make sure that we tell those we care about that we love them.

This week has got to be better;) I am going to read something light! I just started The Wednesday Sisters (an ER book I received), and am going to listen to Tom Wasp and the Murdered Stunner at work. I really liked Duma Key - but you are right - it is LOOOOOONG.

That's all the news that's 'somewhat' fit to print on my end - take care!

Erin

inlägg gjort av erinmontague vid 5:06 pm (EST) Jun 2, 2008

Hi Mary Beth,
I've been home this week - half term - and I thought I'd do quite a bit of reading. Instead I've spent hours working on my family tree, marking end of year exams (we set them early because it takes so long to mark them), writing reports and completing a new unit of work.

I have read a couple of books: Shakespeare by Bill Bryson and Moab is my Wash Pot by Stephen Fry. I enjoyed them both but found myself page-turning sections of Fry's book because he digresses too much in places. I have been saving Harlan Coben and Lee Child's new books as a treat for getting my schoolwork done.

The weather has been extremely disappointing. It has rained almost every day and has been cold and dreary. I have trudged round muddy fields with Maisie, sneezing because I am allergic to lots of the wildflowers and the rape fields.

Yesterday was muggy and sunny, so we finally got round to digging up an ugly hedge of unperfumed viburnum that the builders planted in front of our house. We never liked it but there was too much else to do and so we tolerated it. Recently, the smell as we approached the porch was getting worse and we realised that it was our cat, Timmi, who obviously marks the hedge on a daily basis. Instead of a sweet smelling viburnum hedge, we have the horrible smell of cat! Well, it's gone and we now have the pleasure of deciding what to plant there instead.

The annual gardening show, Gardeners' World Live, is on in the middle of June, so we'll be looking for inspiration. Whatever we plant will have to be resilient, as I assume Timmi will still want to mark his territory.

Great to hear from you and hope we can keep in touch.
Toni

inlägg gjort av Thoughtshapes vid 2:13 am (EST) Jun 1, 2008

Hi Mary Beth,
Just dropped by to thank you for adding me to your interesting libraries. I see that we don't share many books, but there are two important ones - both by Cesar Millan. I love watching his programme and have learnt a lot from him. We have always had cats, but we got Maisie, a whippet/bedlington lurcher, from the RSPCA a few years ago. She is a perfect dog in the house but used to become quite scary on walks. Reading his books has been a revelation.

Thanks again,
Toni

inlägg gjort av Thoughtshapes vid 6:16 pm (EST) May 24, 2008

I feel very much the same. I approached The Road enthusiastically and was, as you can tell by the review, rather disappointed. I picked up No Country... in the hopes of convincing myself that the road was a fluke, and I ended up absolutely loving it. I've got the Border Trilogy lined up to read soon (All the Pretty Horses is five or six books down on my TBR list) and I look forward to discovering all the great things you pointed out in your own comment!

inlägg gjort av dczapka vid 11:10 am (EST) May 24, 2008

smart lookin dog.

inlägg gjort av tcw vid 2:23 pm (EST) May 22, 2008

Hi Mary Beth

I was delighted that you added me to your interesting library list. I've certainly enjoyed poking around yours.

Thanks,
Miriam

inlägg gjort av mkunruh vid 11:55 am (EST) May 19, 2008

Sorry I took so long to reply. I've been incredibly busy. I love finding others who share my reading interests and I LOVE magical realism. I am always looking for new authors. I'm glad you liked the black swan painting. It's a Symbolist painting (that's probably my favorite period in art - the Symbolist generation) that I just love - the black swan seems so serene floating on that beautiful blue pond. I would guess its mate is off doing swan things somewhere and she loves to be alone for awhile to just contemplate the pond in peace. I guess it is a bit melancholy, but it seems also quiet and tranquil to me. I chose that image partly because I like the idea of black swans - a rare bird, one that is not like the others. I've always been pretty shy and intellectual myself and often have felt like I was a black swan - one that didn't quite fit in with the rest of the swans. That's partly why I love LibraryThing so much - it's a place to find other bookworms and black swans. please write again and I will, too. I have been looking at your library, too, and we have much in common. Cindy (p.s. my kids are ages 3 and 5 and so that's partly why I am always running and slow to respond sometimes)

inlägg gjort av malinablue vid 6:32 pm (EST) May 18, 2008

I love LT!! And Stephen Dunn as a mentor? I am green with envy. I've only heard him read/speak once at a conference and have been reading his work ever since. He made quite an impact.

Thank you so much for the welcome. I'm afraid I can't get on as often as I'd like since our school server blocks anything they consider social networking. Very irritating.

inlägg gjort av carolynkay vid 1:22 pm (EST) May 17, 2008

Mary Beth,

So nice to hear from you.

I first met Louis in another forum, and consider him an old friend, albeit an "online friend." I'm a big believer in online friendships when geographical distance prevents any face-to-face contact. Louis is one of the most astute readers I've ever come in contact with, and I value his opinions highly. His online personality as well as his tastes remind me of a English Lit professor I had in college. Sometimes I think we were separated at birth since we have many of the same likes.

I always feel a kinship with anyone who likes Faulkner and McCarthy. What books of Cormac's have you read? My favorites are Blood Meridian and Suttree, although there is not a book of his yet that I did not enjoy on one level or another.

Stay in touch and feel free to stop by anytime to let me know what you're reading.

Slainte!

Sean

inlägg gjort av SeanLong vid 8:51 pm (EST) May 16, 2008

Mary Beth -

Thanks for adding me to your interesting libraries. I read your profile and just wanted to mention that one of the nicest thing about LT is that you are among friends who cherish the book! Glad to meet you!

Best,
Nancy (aka alphaorder as in alphabetical...)

inlägg gjort av alphaorder vid 7:35 am (EST) May 15, 2008

Hi Mary Beth - been so dang busy! Hope all is well with you too! Well I know you will enjoy the book store job - that would be my next choice other than what I do now - to be surrounded by all those books! Heaven! If you do it you are right about holding off on a puppy - they are our babies and need so much attention. About 45 minutes south of us in San Rafael is the centrer for guide dogs for the blind. I don't know if it's the national center or just a local one. Here's their website -

http://www.guidedogs.com/site/PageServer

Looks like a great operation! Gotta Run - must do work - ugh;)

Best -

Erin

inlägg gjort av erinmontague vid 2:57 pm (EST) May 14, 2008

Hi Mary Beth, glad to hear you are okay even though you have been having some exreame weather and all the problems it causes. I have seen a lot on the news but didn't realise you were in the middle of it all too. It sounds like you have been very busy in the midst of it all though.

I'm really happy today because finally my Early Reviewer Book from February has arrived. I had just given up on it ever being sent because the publishers were in financial difficulties and late sending them out. And to make the day even better I found a book on a used bookstall that I have been wanting and searching for for a long time, The House With A Clock In It's Walls. Stephen King has mentioned it and so has his son, Joe Hill, as being a great childrens book so I've been wanting it to see what's so good to get two recommendations like that. It was going to cost me £12.00 to get it from Amazon second hand and I got it for 40p today!

It does sound exciting and scary to be a landlord on a house. We are also thinking about renting ours out and living in navy married quarters again so I know just what you mean about it being worrying. So much responsibility and hoping to find good tennents. But once you get going on it I'm sure it will be fine.

I'm glad your dogs are okay even though their walks are shorter because of the weather. Scottie is okay too, getting over her injured paw but finding the hot weather we have been having a bit too much for her. It's no fun being covered in a hot fur coat when the sun is shining, bless her.

Take care, Jody

inlägg gjort av Jodyreadseverything vid 11:33 am (EST) May 14, 2008

Hi Mary Beth, I really enjoy it when I can burrow into a huge history that's as wise and as well-written as Nixonland, and it's been extremely entertaining stuff. I'm only about 200 pages into it, with another 600 to go, sort of taking my time with it, but I have to love Rick Perlstein's approach: always just an eyelash short of being over-the-top, gleefully sardonic on nearly every page, and always seeming to give a sly wink to his reader, because after all, it's only about politics anyway. Nevertheless, this is a sure-fire history Pulitzer nominee, not for everyone certainly, but a book that feels like it's been written expressly for me.

I think you'll love Amis's Experience. I mostly abhor his novels, though he can be as elegant a writer as there is, but it's so ironic to me that a completely non-linear memoir should become his greatest work. Lucky Jim is Kingsley's greatest book, the one that established his reputation as the UK's 2nd greatest comic novelist(after Evelyn Waugh of course), but there a couple more of his that are excellent too, and Martin, unfortunately, has never written a novel half as good as either Lucky Jim or The Old Devils.

Do you keep a reading list or journal? I've kept a list for the last 12 years and it's never become a chore. I find it the best memory-jogger I know of, as well as a sort of mental map of where I've been reading-wise over the years, and ultimately a very satisfying project, one I can recommend to anyone too.

After I finish Nixonland, there's a handful of interesting items I'm looking forward to, but have just about decided on Elizabeth Stout's new book Olive Kitteridge, which I've heard nothing but grand things about, and I'm a sucker for related stories anyway. Right now I'm still feeling the after-effects from Steven Millhauser's Dangerous Laughter, as awesome as anything published this year. All the luck, and keep in touch!

Louis

inlägg gjort av LouisBranning vid 6:17 am (EST) May 14, 2008

Hi Mary Beth, I saw your posting over at Sean's Profile page, and you're more than welcome to join in our ramblings anytime. I once did the same thing with Faulkner that you did: read about 8 of them in the order they were published and it worked for me too. I love Cormac as well, but I've come to feel that the Border Trilogy rests about halfway down the list of his more distinguished work. For me, his greatest book has to Suttree, followed closely by Blood Meridian, and then The Road.

I finished all the stories in Steven Millhauser's Dangerous Laughter the other day, and was fairly flummoxed by it all, couldn't believe how great it was. I've become a big Colin Harrison fan this year too, with The Finder last month, and then the grandly entertaining The Havana Room just last week. Have a few good ones coming up I think: Child 44, Beginner's Greek, and the Bolger book, The Journey Home, that Sean just finished up. Right now I'm barely a hundred pages into Rick Perlstein's Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America and enjoying it to the max. Stay in touch!!

Louis

inlägg gjort av LouisBranning vid 10:47 am (EST) May 12, 2008

Thanks for adding me to your interesting libraries. I am about to upgrade my account and look forward to adding non-gardening books.

inlägg gjort av ColdClimateGardening vid 7:02 pm (EST) May 11, 2008

create your own personalized map of the USA
or write about it on the open travel guide

inlägg gjort av mmignano11 vid 11:59 am (EST) May 10, 2008

regarding Poe's Gordon Pym tale- upon further immersion this is a tale of terror. very well done. i am not yet finished but am already considering writing about it for the Books Compared group.

inlägg gjort av berthirsch vid 10:05 pm (EST) May 7, 2008

Hi Mary Beth -

Just wanted to let you know that our black Lab Rista was released back to us today! We are of course a little disappointed but really happy to have her back at home with us. See, we got lucky;) They said she was too energetic and highly distractable - none of which is a surprise to us, she's been like that from day one! My daughter is delighted and is coming back from college (again) this weekend to see her.

Have a great Thursday/Friday etc!

Erin

inlägg gjort av erinmontague vid 8:20 pm (EST) May 1, 2008

Hola Beth- good to hear from you...i notice from your bio that you have a "life", daughters, family...i would think most people who go through a couple of books a week might not have much of a social life...i adore books but balance my time with family, sports (i love tennis) and work.

I just read parts of Paul Theroux's THE OLD PATAGONIAN EXPRESS- the chapters on Argentina with a fascinating take on his time spent with the great Borges.

In that description they both talk of their love of Edgar Allan Poe's NARRATIVE OF A. GORDON PYM which I am now reading and enjoying immensely- a coming of age tale on the high seas.

inlägg gjort av berthirsch vid 6:40 pm (EST) May 1, 2008

Mary Beth, I'm honored that you have added my library to your list of interesting ones! We do share books in common! I'm always more interested in what is on the list of shared books than the quantity shared, if you know what I mean. Have you kept up with the Jim Kelly mystery series? I read about 3 (the 2nd and 3rd I had to get in paperback from the UK) before stopping. I like to use mysteries as literary palate cleansers of a sort. I read somewhere that Leif Enger has a new book out this year...I swear every living author I have ever read has published a new novel this year! Thanks for dropping me a note:-) Best, Lois PS: Of course I know where Brockton is!

inlägg gjort av avaland vid 6:54 am (EST) Apr 30, 2008

Yes passing through and saying 'Hi' sorry haven't been on here for ages and only just got your message.

inlägg gjort av Inver vid 4:38 pm (EST) Apr 4, 2008

Yes, yes.. that is my baby Linus. We also have a tweenie named Mo. We love our dachshunds.

inlägg gjort av ShannonMDE vid 7:38 am (EST) Apr 1, 2008

Hi!

Nice of you to add my library to your list. Feel free to stop by anytime. And oh, by the way, we are dog owners and lovers too. One black lab and one greyhound, and also an assortment of fish, a bird and a hamster!

Slainte!

Sean

inlägg gjort av SeanLong vid 3:00 pm (EST) Mar 30, 2008

Hi Mary Beth!!

Hehe, I see you have a TBR pile that rivals mine! I don't know about you, but I MEAN to get to them, I just find something on LT or Amazon that screams, "Buy me/read me NOW!" :Þ

inlägg gjort av punkypower vid 4:52 pm (EST) Mar 29, 2008

Thanks for writing. I have very eclectic taste in reading/listening, but one thing I know for certain is that I've outgrown my desire to read contemporary whine-fests. I love period pieces, history, nonfiction, some fantasy, crime and mystery stories, and only occasional best sellers, or anything written after 1950. Some months back I purchased an ipod and spend an inordinate amount of time ripping cds from the library onto my expensive toy. The listening experience, added to the reading I've always enjoyed enhances my love of literature. I recommend audios for those times when you are doing mindless work such as commuting to a job or cleaning the house, working in the garden, or exercising. It fills those empty hours so that time flies by. I've looked at your catalog, and gotten some ideas for future books from the list. Stay in touch. Vivien

inlägg gjort av vivienbrenda vid 6:09 pm (EST) Mar 24, 2008

Sorry it took me a couple of days to repond. Still learning what's actually on the LT site. You may not be behind me as far as you think. It actually can go pretty fast from idea to publication once you get a story idea you really fall in love with. Drop by my blog any time. I'm trying to record things as they move toward actual relses date. www.jscottsavage.blogspot.com

inlägg gjort av JScottSavage vid 5:59 pm (EST) Mar 24, 2008

It is very sweet of you to say such nice things about me! I try to stay true to who I think I am. You have very interesting books: did you like The Alchemist?

inlägg gjort av SweetbriarPoet vid 10:23 am (EST) Mar 20, 2008