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Beth wrote: "Cateline wrote: "I'm reading Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage by Stephen Budiansky.
Fascinating study of the man considered to be th..."

Absolutely. I'm three quarters through it. Although it is a bit sketchy in places, it's a great outline of Elizabethan times, and Walsingham's place in them.

Frank wrote: "I am currently reading A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. The woman who suggested this novel previously suggested Murakami. I read Kafka on the Shore and was very disappointed so I was leery when..."

Frank -- I had liked some Murakami I'd read, but gave up on Kafka almost immediately.

Right now, I'm partway through: The Road Washes Out in Spring: A Poet's Memoir of Living Off the Grid, which is holding my interest well.

Madly trying to get through at least a good chunk of Stephen King's Under the Dome before the television series starts tomorrow. I always like to read a novel before I watch a movie or TV show based on it. So far the characters are familiar types I've seen in other King novels, but he has a gift for putting them in unique situations.

I'm excited because the TV series is written by one of my favorite comic book authors, Brian K. Vaughan.

John wrote: "Frank wrote: "I am currently reading A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. The woman who suggested this novel previously suggested Murakami. I read Kafka on the Shore and was very disappointed so I ..."

I was told I should have started with the Bird Chronicle which I might try down the road but for now I have that bitter taste in my mouth so Murakami will have to wait for a while

Sue wrote: "Frank wrote: "I am currently reading A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. The woman who suggested this novel previously suggested Murakami. I read Kafka on the Shore and was very disappointed so I ..."

Very well put Sue. I just told a friend that there are no wasted pages. I find myself rooting for so many characters and Lord knows they all are having a brutal time of it.

Cateline wrote: "Beth wrote: "Cateline wrote: "I'm reading Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage by Stephen Budiansky.
Fascinating study of the man consid..."

It is on my to-read list! Thanks!

Cateline wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "Cateline wrote: "I'm reading a fascinating, non-fiction account of the Roanoke Island colony that disappeared. The Lost Rocks: The Dare Stones and the Unsolved Mystery of Si..."

VERY interesting ... Okay definitely goes on the tbr list. Thank you.

Cateline wrote: "Beth wrote: "Cateline wrote: "I'm reading Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage by Stephen Budiansky.
Fascinating study of the man consid..."

Cateline, I just ordered a copy of it myself. Thanks for mentioning this book.

I'm reading Catch 22

Finished reading The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones � 4****
This is a very good book about friendship, love and cuisine. Mones deftly combines the story of widowed Maggie McElroy and rising culinary star Sam Liang. The characters are revealed as the reader sees how they each deal with various disappointments and unexpected joys. The descriptions of the menus and dishes are a sensory feast of tastes, sounds, smells, textures, and visual images. Take your time reading it � savor every page.
Link to my full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Larry wrote: "Cateline wrote: "Beth wrote: "Cateline wrote: "I'm reading Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage by Stephen Budiansky.
Fascinating study ..."

Book Concierge wrote: "Cateline wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "Cateline wrote: "I'm reading a fascinating, non-fiction account of the Roanoke Island colony that disappeared. The Lost Rocks: The Dare Stones and the Unsol..."

Beth wrote: "Cateline wrote: "Beth wrote: "Cateline wrote: "I'm reading Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage by Stephen Budiansky.
Fascinating study ..."

Great! I'm so glad, Walsingham was a fascinating man. Not someone I'd want to personally know, but from afar...definitely!
I want to find out more about him.

P.S. I just realized I already have another one here, on the shelf.... The Queen's Agent: Francis Walsingham at the Court of Elizabeth I, now to find it here....

Having delayed getting into it, I'm now immersed in Wolf Hall and thoroughly enjoying it.

Cateline wrote: "P.S. I just realized I already have another one here, on the shelf.... The Queen's Agent: Francis Walsingham at the Court of Elizabeth I, now to find it here...."

I just love discovering books that we have that I had totally forgotten about!

Joan wrote: "Having delayed getting into it, I'm now immersed in Wolf Hall and thoroughly enjoying it."

And, you get to read Bring Up the Bodies next. I loved these two books and am eagerly awaiting the last one in the trilogy. You make me remember that I wanted to read some more of Hilary Mantel's earlier writing this summer.

I still have "Bring Up the Bodies ahead of me Barbara and I'm looking forward to it.

Larry wrote: "Cateline wrote: "P.S. I just realized I already have another one here, on the shelf.... The Queen's Agent: Francis Walsingham at the Court of Elizabeth I, now to find it here...."

I just love dis..."

Absolutely! :)

Barbara wrote: "Joan wrote: "Having delayed getting into it, I'm now immersed in Wolf Hall and thoroughly enjoying it."

And, you get to read Bring Up the Bodies next. I loved these two books and am eagerly await..."

Joan wrote: "Having delayed getting into it, I'm now immersed in Wolf Hall and thoroughly enjoying it."

I've read both, and thought they were some of the best written books of that type I've read.

Regarding Mantel's other books, I have several, and have actually started A Place of Greater Safety. I'm not sure why, exactly, but I find it much slower going. In fact I've left it to the side for the time being. I suspect my lack of progress is due to my unfamiliarity with the names and dates of that particular event. Maybe.

Cateline wrote: "Larry wrote: "Cateline wrote: "P.S. I just realized I already have another one here, on the shelf.... The Queen's Agent: Francis Walsingham at the Court of Elizabeth I, now to find it here...."

I..."

I need to re-read Wolf Hall--I remember enjoying it, but little else about it. And then I'll read Bring Up the Bodies. Thank you for reminding me of them!

And by reminding me of them I mean reminding me about them. Words get away from me sometimes.

I am just about to start The Painted Veil for CR's July Group read. This will be my first Maugham and my first read-along group discussion on Constant Reader - excited!

Beth wrote: I need to re-read Wolf Hall--I remember enjoying it, but little else about it. And then I'll read Bring Up the Bodies. Thank you for reminding me of them!

I didn't finish reading Wolf Hall before it was due back at the library, so I had to return to the waiting list to have it again. Hopefully soon.

I'll be starting Past Caring by Robert Goddard this afternoon. He writes nicely convoluted mysteries.

Oddie wrote: "Just finished reading Anna Karenina! will soon start reading Les Miserables!"

light and uplifting novels right?

I just finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog, thanks to a recommendation here. The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Very interestingly constructed. Also The Contested Plains The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, & the Rush to Colorado after neglecting this for some years. I have read quite a lot about the northern plains where I was born. This concerns farther south and adds greatly to the picture, especially as the author is one of the New West historians who are trying to reformulate the story without the familiar biases. This book has as much to do with Indians relations among themselves as with Whites.

Cateline, A Place of Greater Safety is the Mantel book that I wanted to read next, because it is historical fiction. I read Beyond Black by Mantel last summer and really liked it, but not as much as the Thomas Cromwell books.

Charles wrote: "I just finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog, thanks to a recommendation here. The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Very interestingly constructed. Also The Contested Plains The Contested Plains: Indians,..."

Did you read the discussion thread on Elegance of the Hedgehog, Charles? If you get a chance, I'd love for you to post more of your thoughts about the book there.

Barbara wrote: "Charles wrote: "I just finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog, thanks to a recommendation here. The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Very interestingly constructed. Also The Contested Plains The Contested ..."

I participated in that thread concerning Berlin's idea of the hedgehog introduced in his book on Tolstoy. At the time, I hadn't finished the book. The final pages are what glues it together. Up to that point, it's a character study,a discourse on how to live (one has to be careful here, because much of what the characters advance proves wrong), and an ensemble piece akin to Perec's Life, A User's Manual. The author shows some skill in keeping these balls all in the air for such a long time, considering the very thin material (two, then three people) she is working with, and especially when a major theme is isolation, and when so little happens.

Barbara wrote: "Cateline, A Place of Greater Safety is the Mantel book that I wanted to read next, because it is historical fiction. I read Beyond Black by Mantel last summer and really liked it, but not as much ..."

I'd love to read your take on it when you do read it, Barbara.

Finishing Paradise Lost (reading for a class) and Mr. Penumbra's 24 hour Bookstore. Recently finished Shoot to Thrill, The Ministry of Special Cases and Leviathan Awakes. So--classic, contemporary, mystery, literary, and sci-fi, all in one month. Feeling very eclectic.

Cateline wrote: "I'll be starting Past Caring by Robert Goddard this afternoon. He writes nicely convoluted mysteries."

Cateline, I loved

Past Caring.

Charles wrote: "I just finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog, thanks to a recommendation here. The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Very interestingly constructed. Also The Contested Plains The Contested Plains: Indians,..."
Charles, I read
The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, & the Rush to Colorado and also The Plains Across: The Overland Emigrants and the Trans-Mississippi West, 1840-60 when they both were first published. I liked the second a bit more than the first and was jealous of Unruh, for his ability to make his doctoral dissertation into such a readable book. (For me, I think it was my wife, my typist, and my committee who read my dissertation.)

Charles wrote: "Barbara wrote: "Charles wrote: "I just finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog, thanks to a recommendation here. The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Very interestingly constructed. Also The Contested Plain..."

Thanks, Charles. I remember now your input on Berlin's essay.

I somehow didn't get the notifications for this topic ;(

Just read through them, and what a lovely, charming group of people you all are. I love all the enthusiasm for reading and the recommendations!

I'm about to start reading Thomas Sanchez' Zoot Suit Murders and John Gregory Dunne'd True Confessions. I read the Dunne thirty years ago. Also re-reading War of the Worlds and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Teaching two summer school classes and these were the novels I picked.

Robert wrote: "I somehow didn't get the notifications for this topic ;(

Just read through them, and what a lovely, charming group of people you all are. I love all the enthusiasm for reading and the recommendati..."

Hitchhikers guide? now there is a classic!!

I gave up about 3/4ths of the way through Hitchhikers...just couldn't stand anymore.

I'm reading Fugitive Pigments by Ruth Bavetta. I keep this book on my bedside table and have been reading one poem a night. Ruth's poems are so personal and yet each one touches a memory of mine.

Why thank you, Portia. That's exactly what I hope they do. You made my day.

I finished A Man Without Breath yesterday. Great addition to the series of Bernie Gunther msyteries. There is an excellent addendum at the end giving source material used relating to the Katyn Forest massacre of Polish officers and NCOs by the Soviets. I've started Kathleen Ann Goonan's This Shared Dream. This is a sequel to one of my favorite SF novels of recent years, In War Times. Here is a link to Michael Dirda's very favorable review in the Washington Post of THIS SHARED DREAM.

I've met Kathleen Ann Goonan -- a lovely, bright, capable person who writes very well.

Popping in to recommend The Road Washes Out in Spring: A Poet's Memoir of Living Off the Grid, as I feel many here would truly appreciate the book. Wormser's quite practical and down-to-earth in his outlook ("starry eyed" he is not). Poetry is rarely approached directly, as much as implied that he had much in his life regarding nature, community, etc. to draw from.

John wrote: "Popping in to recommend The Road Washes Out in Spring: A Poet's Memoir of Living Off the Grid, as I feel many here would truly appreciate the book. Wormser's quite practical and down-to-earth in hi..."

John, another Constant Reader also recommended this book. I think it's time to check it out. Thank you!

Robert wrote: "I've met Kathleen Ann Goonan -- a lovely, bright, capable person who writes very well."

Well, Robert, I imagine it was one kindred spirit recognizing another when you two met each other.

Right now I'm reading The Road to Oz by L.Frank Baum. I like it, so far it's very descriptive and whimsical.

John wrote: "Popping in to recommend The Road Washes Out in Spring: A Poet's Memoir of Living Off the Grid, as I feel many here would truly appreciate the book. Wormser's quite practical and down-to-earth in hi..."

I will definitely read this. thanks John.

Larry, you're a prince ;)

Narnian, The Road to Oz is a fine bio!

Larry wrote: "Cateline wrote: "I'll be starting Past Caring by Robert Goddard this afternoon. He writes nicely convoluted mysteries."

Cateline, I loved

Past Caring."
I'm enjoying it as well. The manuscript was a bit on the slow side, but I've emerged and wondering what the heck the story will come to, what a framework!

On Larry's recommendation, reading March Violets. Pretty daring, doing hard-boiled detective in Nazi Germany.

Back to some classics for me! The Bronte sisters!

Robert wrote: "On Larry's recommendation, reading March Violets. Pretty daring, doing hard-boiled detective in Nazi Germany."

Enjoy Robert. I have yet to move on to the next book, but definitely intend to read them all.