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Share with us what you read in March 2016!


Please provide:

~ A GoodReads link
~ A few sentences telling us how you felt about the book.
~ How would you rate the book

In March I read:

A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy BY Sue Klebold
Non Fiction
Rating 3/5
A mother's anguish over her sons death and of the infamous crime he committed. It's sad and very moving. All profits from the book will be donated to research and to charitable foundations focusing on mental health issues.

The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League BY Jeff Hobbs
Non Fiction
Rate: 4/5
Sad and poignant story of Robert Peace who went from poverty to the hallowed halls of Yale. Though he never really was able to escape the clutches of his past. The story is told by Peace's roommate at Yale. Well written.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry BY Rachel Joyce
Fiction
Rate: 5
This book was so different from what I was expecting. I thought it would be a lighthearted tale of eccentric British man. Instead it was a very moving story of a man whose very small life takes on greater meaning for himself and others as he sets out in a quixotic trek to meet a dying woman in a nursing home in the hope of saving her life.

Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology BY Leah Remini
Audio Book
Reader: Leah Remini
Non Fiction
Rated 4/5
I found Remini's memoir of growing up in the church of Scientology fascinating. She ultimately becomes disenchanted with the church and leaves it.

The Haunted Bookshop BY Christopher Morley
Audio Book
Reader: Stefan Rudnicki
Fiction
Rate: 4/5
Written around 1914, this is the story of a bookshop owner. There is a small mystery but the main focus is the love of books. I really enjoyed this one a lot.

Every Last Tie: The Story of the Unabomber and His Family BY David Kaczynski
Non Fiction
Rate: 3/5
Written by David Kacznski who is the brother of the infamous Ted Kaczynski. This heartbreaking memoir mostly deals with the years leading up to Ted's mental breakdown. The books focus is on the pain experienced by David who dearly loved his brother only to have to live with the aftermath of the horrible crime his brother committed. David currently gives talks on mental illness and the death penalty.

Life After Life BY Kate Atkinson
Book and Audio
Narrated by: Fenella Woolgar
Fiction
Rate: 4/5
I normally would never have read this book. However, it was the selection for my library group. This is a prime example of why I so enjoy book groups and group reads. It expand my reading horizons. I ended up enjoying this book very much even though I went into it thinking it wouldn't be my cup of tea.

I did something I don't often do which was to listen to the audio as I read along. The narrator was brilliant. She greatly added to my enjoyment of this book. I see she is an actress and was also nominated Best Narration 2013 for this novel.

The story is a bit complicated with the main character seemingly being reincarnated and going back to change history from 1910 to WW II. The plot goes back and forth in time which can get a bit confusing. Perhaps it's alternate universes where endless actions play out as some cosmologists have recently posited in the news. Either way, it was a most entertaining read and the writing was beautiful.

All in all a very good reading month for me.

Nice selections of books Alias. I have A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy from the library. Be reading it soon.

Thank you, Barbara.

Read in March:

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews - 3 stars
The first book in a well-loved urban fantasy series dealing with shapeshifters among other creatures. I thought it was good for a first book and I'm looking forward to reading more. So many of my friends adore this series.

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer - 5 stars
Short story collection to supplement the Lunar Chronicles series. I didn't adore every single story (and most of them have been available individually in the past), but I definitely plan on picking up a copy of this for my shelves, just to have the full series all together. Great backstories for some of the characters, and closure for the end of the series as a whole.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett - 5 stars
I've had the paperback for awhile now and just never gotten around to it; listened to the audiobook and fell in love. This is so much more than chick lit and is a standout in my reads for the year so far.

Wolf By Wolf by Ryan Graudin - 4 stars
A fascinating alt-history where the Axis powers won WWII and featuring a protagonist who suffered through Nazi experimentation but came out with a new ability -- she can change her facial appearance. Also features a high-stakes motorcycle race across Eurasia, and the first book in a duology; the second drops this coming November, and I can't wait.

The Jasper Dent trilogy (first book I Hunt Killers) by Barry Lyga - 5 stars each
Our teen protagonist grew up learning the art of murder from his father, the most prolific serial killer in the US. He is terrified of following in Dad's footsteps and becoming a killer himself, so he resolves to aid the police in catching other killers, along with his best friend Howie and girlfriend Connie. This series was surprisingly uncompromising in its look at murder and crime scenes, really suspenseful and just overall refreshing. New favorite author.

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson - 3 stars
I started this book AGES ago -- last summer, and put it aside in favor of a bunch of new releases and finally got around to finishing it. I adored the world-building and magic (?) system, but the story itself felt rather predictable by the end. I'll probably read the second book eventually but it's not high on my priority list right now. I have a few other Sanderson books at home that I want to try too.

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs - 4 stars
This is the other UF series I've been sucked into lately. I read book one last year and liked it alright, but this was definitely a step up. Werewolves abound, along with vampires and (in Mercy's case) skinwalkers. Always cool. I'm not big on alpha males, and you get that A LOT with werewolves, but I do really enjoy the story here. Looking forward to the A&O spinoff books and continuing with this!

Lord of the Flies by William Golding - 3 stars
The story was good, but I couldn't gel with the writing style so it was a bit rocky for me. It was crazy to see how quickly some of the boys devolved to animalistic tendencies (just as it was when they snapped back at the end), but I'm glad I read this now. If I'd read it in high school, I would've despised it.

*originally posted in the book salon, but moved it here instead.

Nice reading month, Ashley. I enjoyed Lord of the Flies more than you did. I read it when my reading challenge for the year was comprised of short classics.

Great books this month!

Alias, A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy must have been tragic. My library has a copy (with a long queue of requests), so I'll read it one day when it's available.
I just read The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy in March, which is a parallel story to Harold Fry. I hope to read Harold's story one day soon. (seems like we were reading parallel this month :D)

Ashley, I also enjoyed The Help. I also liked the movie.
I haven't read Lord of the Flies since high school. I loved it then.

In March I read:

Nora Webster by Colm Tóibín - this was a quiet story of a woman coming to grips with life after her husband's death. She lives in a time when women married and stayed at home, so learning to deal with life, a job, the kids, etc. while alone is daunting. I enjoyed this story. It's quiet and real.

Fearless Fourteen and Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich - guilty pleasure audio books for while commuting.

Cloudstreet by Tim Winton - an interesting story of 2 Australian families living in one house.

Haunted Ground by Erin Hart - Blah. This story held no tension or surprises. The author laid everything out.

Paramedic to the Prince by Patrick (Tom) Notestine - this memoir is interesting. It tells the story of working in Saudi Arabia. This is an interesting culture and country.

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce - I really enjoyed Queenie's story and look forward to reading Harold Fry's story soon.

I've got the movie adaptation of The Help at home, excited to watch it this weekend! It's actually one of those movies where I'm amazed I've waited this long to watch it -- usually I would've seen it when it came out and then read the book later, because it was so popular. But I managed to wait until reading the book first :)

Sounds like a good month all around, so far. Here's mine:

Encyclopedia of the Dead by Danilo Kiš. A collection of short stories by the Serbian Borges. Decent, but extremely overwritten. The author tramples each joke underfoot, leaving only an unfunny stain. Borges had a lighter touch, as if he was not trying so hard to impress. Three stars.

The Burn Palace by Stephen Dobyns. A small, quiet New England town (is there any other kind?) experiences a rash of occult crimes, including murders, the kidnapping of a baby, and a plague of coyotes. This novel is a nice mix of the author's Saratoga Springs mysteries, and his more creative one-off projects (Cold Dog Soup, The Wrestler's Cruel Study, etc). It works quite well and is very entertaining, even if it doesn't all seem to quite add up at the end. Four stars.

The Rule of Law by Tom Bingham. Modern Western civilization is based up on the principle of The Rule of Law, but most people cannot even tell you what that means. Bingham sure can, and in this surprisingly readable book he establishes a working definition for Modern Rule of Law (as opposed to, say, the Magna Carta), and where it runs into problems when faced with modern crises (national security, terrorism, etc). Highly recommended. Five stars.

The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code by Margalit Fox. This is the story of the deciphering of Linear B, told through the biographies of three key individuals: the man who discovered the Linear B tablets in Crete,
the woman who established the method for analyzing them (sans computers, by the way, which proves fascinating), and the man who ultimately "cracked the code" and determined what language the tablets encoded. Four stars.

Pinball, 1973 by Haruki Murakami. This is the second novel of the Rat tetralogy, and was followed by the fun Wild Sheep Chase and the more pedestrian Dance Dance Dance. The first two novels are now available for free as e-books, and I can see why: there's really not much there. Murakami has his meandering, in-the-moment style down by this point, but hasn't progressed to developing a coherent story. Things happen for no reason, nobody has a past or a future, and nobody learns anything. The usual. I'd label it "for the completist only": it certainly adds nothing to the series. Two stars.

Fail-Safe by Eugene Burdick. The US has a fail-safe system which ensures that General Ripper cannot single-handedly start a nuclear war, and guess what, it fails to be safe! I was surprised by how modern this novel feels. Of course, times are different, but the portraits of academics, politicians, and military men feel quite current. Unlike similar books from the same time period, this does not portray the Soviets as either Mars Attacks aliens or Disney-villain buffoons: they are realistically resourceful, quick, and strategic. Four stars.

Petra wrote: "Great books this month!

Alias, A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy must have been tragic. My library has a copy (with a long queue of requests), so I'll read i..."

It's a slender read. The book only briefly touches on the actual events of that day. The focus of the book is more about how she and the family coped or didn't cope with life afterwards. She immerses herself in the topic of mental health to help her understand what happened and perhaps spread the word to other parents whose child may be suffering from depression or other mental illness. She does hang on to the fact that Dylan was depressed and that both boys committed suicide that day. She clearly loved her son and is trying to cope with how someone you loved so dearly and raised could do something so unimaginable. Her pain is palatable on every page.

I would have moved away and changed my name. She chose to stay and write this book which will open herself to criticism. Her hope is others may read it and learn of the warning signs and possible prevent the same thing happening to their child. I think on some level that's a very brave thing to do.

I do highly recommend another book on the topic -
Columbine BY Dave Cullen. It's well done and shatters some of the myths that surround this event.

Mkfs wrote: Fail-Safe by Eugene Burdick. The US has a fail-safe system which ensures that General Ripper cannot single-handedly start a nuclear war, and guess what, it fails to be safe! I was surprised by how modern this novel feels. Of course, times are different, but the portraits of academics, politicians, and military men feel quite current. Unlike similar books from the same time period, this does not portray the Soviets as either Mars Attacks aliens or Disney-villain buffoons: they are realistically resourceful, quick, and strategic. Four stars.


I saw the 1964 movie of the same name staring Henry Fonda. I haven't seen it in ages but I recall that I liked it very much.


IMDB
American planes are sent to deliver a nuclear attack on Moscow, but it's a mistake due to an electrical malfunction. Can all-out war be averted?
Director: Sidney Lumet
Writers: Walter Bernstein (screenplay), Eugene Burdick
Stars: Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau, Fritz Weaver

Alias Reader wrote: "Petra wrote: "Great books this month!

Alias, A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy must have been tragic. My library has a copy (with a long queue of requests), ..."

I second that recommendation, COLUMBINE was a fantastic book. Definitely going to look into Sue Klebold's book.

Alias, it looks as though March reading was very good for you. Terrific news.

Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "Wolf By Wolf by Ryan Graudin - 4 stars
A fascinating alt-history where the Axis powers won WWII and featuring a protagonist who suffered through Nazi experimentation but came out with a new ability -- she can change her facial appearance. ..."

Ashley, this sounds good. I enjoy the few alt-history novels i've read. Thanks for the title.

Petra, thanks for the Queenie Hennessy title. I added it to my list, having seen it mentioned favorable on this board several times.

MK, thanks for the title about cracking Linear B. I have long valued that story, so am glad there is a new book about it. I really liked The Ugly American, coauthored by Eugene Burdick and William J. Lederer. I thought i'd read Fail-Safe but don't see it on my Books Read List, so will rectify that.

Sadly, i didn't complete a single book in March, although i have a couple going. April, for sure.

madrano wrote: "thanks for the title about cracking Linear B. I have long valued that story, so am glad there is a new book about it."

It's very good, I highly recommend it. I didn't think the biography approach would work for this subject, but it did. The analysis isn't dumbed-down, either; you really get a feel for how to approach the problem.


So far the Robert Peace book and Paramedic to the Prince look interesting -- I'll have to keep an eye out for those.

Some interesting books read by all last month!

My March list is as follows:

Deceptive Cadence by Kathryn Guare 3.5/5
I think this first of the series shows promise, but like many first in a series, it's a bit on the telling instead of showing. A talented Irish musician turns spy in the most tortured manner.
It's better than it sounds. :)

The Man of Feeling by Javier Marias 5/5
This early novel by Marias shows all the earmarks of his loquacious formatting. His prose interrupts itself constantly, twisting about like any good maze should. I know that annoys some people, but it is music to my eyes. He makes this fairly simple tale of (would be?) lovers into something that sings. How reliable his narration is must be decided by each reader for themselves.

Suffice it to say I loved it. :)

Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus 4/5
Layered, convoluted, a plethora of characters are intertwined in this mystery, but seemingly unconnected until the detectives manage to slowly pick the threads apart.

Two young women, girls really, disappear. No bodies, no trace found. The courts managed to convict a young man through circumstantial evidence. He serves his allotted time, and is released from prison and returns home. Then the fun begins.

Red herrings abound.
Recommended.

Sackett's Land, To the Far Blue Mountains, and The Warrior's Path by Louis L'Amour 4/5
This was a reread for me, the first read being 20 years ago.
They tell the trials and tribulations of (obviously) the Sackett family in the early 1600's, both in England and America. Barnabas Sackett is the patriarch of the family and the story begins with his forced flight from England as a wanted man. But it's through no fault of his own, as he is an honorable man through and through. The second and third books tell the stories of his sons, mostly in America. L'Amour writes beautifully of the people and land. He has a pure view, but presents the bad along with the good. His knowledge of history is astounding, and he brings it to bear well in his stories. I love the way he presents the family as seekers, longing to know what lies beyond the Blue Mountain Range. These men were explorers, family men, and lovers of truth, honorable as Barnabas was, and treated others as they wished to be treated.

These early books are not "westerns" as such, although the later ones are of that genre. These speak of early Boston, before almost anyone was there, of Jamestown, etc. L'Amour tells the stories of explorers that came to this land hundreds of years before Columbus and his ilk.

Recommended.

Nice reading month, Cateline. And a top rated read in the bunch, too !

Thanks, AR. I think anything by Marias deserves a 5 star rating. Haven't been disappointed by him yet!

It looks as though you had a good reading month, Cateline. I like westerns written in the early part of the 19th century. I've read three by Louis L'Amour but haven't yet read one about the Sacketts. Likely i'm saving them for a marathon. :-) Thanks for the commentary about each book.

You're welcome!
The Sackett books were really the first Westerns I read. I believe there are about 19 in the series. I have the 5 volume set that contains them all.

My gosh, i had no idea there were so many, Cateline.

My reads for March:

NONFICTION:

On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery: 4/5
My favorite book of the month. A history of how Arlington Cemetery came to be, from its start after the Civil War until today. It also talks about how our burial rituals and attitudes towards our country’s military dead have evolved over the years. A fascinating read.

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth: 3.5/5
A biography of Jesus of Nazareth. The author, who is a professor of world religions, compares and contrasts the Gospels of the Bible against historical documents that examine Jesus through the time period in which he lived. I thought it was fascinating from a historical viewpoint, even though I’m not all that religious.

Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter: 3/5
Using Rose Kennedy’s diaries and correspondence, school and doctors' letters, and family interviews, this biography brings Rosemary Kennedy’s life out into the open. Spoiler alert: Joe and Rose Kennedy do not come off looking very good in this. It was interesting, but there was a lot of stuff I already knew from reading other books about the Kennedy family.

Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected--A Memoir: 2/5
A memoir by a woman who is stunned when she unexpectedly gives birth to a daughter with Down syndrome. The book traces her evolution from shock and sadness to love and acceptance. The message is a lovely one; the execution is not so great. The writing isn’t particularly good.

FICTION:

The Story of a New Name: 4/5
The second book in the “Neapolitan Novels� quadrilogy (quartet?). I’m really enjoying reading about how the lives of Elena and Lila are playing out.

Skeletons at the Feast: 3/5
Historical fiction set in the waning months of WWII. A small group of refugees—the remnants of a family of Prussian aristocrats, the Scottish POW they had been housing as forced labor, and a Jew who escaped from a train bound for Auschwitz and is now posing as a Wehrmacht soldier � flee the approaching Russian army and make their way west towards safety. It’s apparently loosely based on a true story (the author based it on an elderly neighbor’s diaries).

The Best of Times: 3/5
On a regular day on a busy highway outside London, a truck swerves across five lanes of traffic and causes a massive multi-vehicle accident. The narrative then follows the lives of several characters who were affected by the crash. An easy read with a narrative that kept me moving.

Avenue of Mysteries: 2.5/5
I love John Irving. I did not totally love this book. It’s about a man named Juan Diego who takes a trip to the Philippines to fulfill the last wishes of an army deserter he once met as a child. The book bounces back and forth between the past and the present. Some chapters were wonderful, others were not so great.

Luckiest Girl Alive: 2.5/5
A successful, accomplished 20-something woman who still bears the scars of a horrible, life-changing bullying experience in high school has to face her past. I’d say it was a typical chick lit book, but there is a twist that I didn’t see coming. I wouldn’t say this is incredibly well written. But it’s a quick, fairly mindless read.

CLASSIC:

Les Misérables: 3/5
Picked this for my annual “read a book that is 1,000+ pages� challenge. I only vaguely knew the story; I’ve never seen the movie (and don’t plan to, now that I’ve read the book). Parts of it kept me engrossed, other sections really dragged. I think Hugo could have used an editor.

Amy wrote: "My reads for March:

NONFICTION:

On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery: 4/5
My favorite book of the month. A history of how Arlington Cemetery came to be, fr..."

I know my neighbor would be interested in this book. I am going to pass the title on to her. Thanks !

Amy, I'm currently reading Les Mis -- I saw the musical when I was in high school and fell in love with the story, but I think Hugo's writing style is going to make it take me the better part of the year to get through this book!

I'm a huge fan of the Broadway show. I think I've seen it at least 3 times. I enjoyed the movie, too. I've also seen a high school production that was quite good. I have the CD and also the DVD of the Les Miserables: The 10th Anniversary cast. That is my favorite. I LOVE Philip Quast

The entire thing is on YouTube


I read the book a few years ago and enjoyed it quite a bit. Though I agree, a bit of editing wouldn't have hurt. :)

Can you tell I am a Miz fan ? :)

Amy, you had some very interesting reads last month. Thanks for mentioning the Arlington book.

The Best of Times sounds somewhat like a Brit production that I, for the life of me, cannot remember the name of. Drat. I'll keep searching.

Amy, I read Zealot a few years back and agree that the topic is fascinating from a historical point of view.
Another interesting book on the historical subject of Jesus' life is The Jesus Dynasty: The Hidden History of Jesus, His Royal Family and the Birth of Christianity. I found this one a really good read.

Petra wrote: Another interesting book on the historical subject of Jesus' life is The Jesus Dynasty: The Hidden History of Jesus, His Royal Family and the Birth of Christianity. I found this one a really good read. .."

Oh that sounds interesting, too. I am also passing on this title to a friend. Thanks !

Amy wrote: "
Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth: 3.5/5
A biography of Jesus of Nazareth. The author, who is a professor of world religions, compares and contrasts the Gospels of the Bible against historical documents that examine Jesus through the time period in which he lived. I thought it was fascinating from a historical viewpoint, even though I’m not all that religious."


My library has this one available as an audio book. Do you think it would be easy to follow the audio of this? Thanks !

Petra wrote: "Amy, I read Zealot a few years back and agree that the topic is fascinating from a historical point of view.
Another interesting book on the historical subject of Jesus' life is [book:The Jesus Dy..."

Added the Jesus Dynasty, thanks Petra! I've had Zealot on my list for awhile.

My library has this one available as an audio book. Do you think it would be easy to follow the audio of this? Thanks ! .."

I listened to the audio, Alias, and it was fine. I enjoyed it.

Petra, thank you for that title. I've added it to my list. I am more interested in reading about the life of Jesus from a historical perspective than a religious one, so this looks appealing.

Alias, I'm not a big fan of audiobooks because my mind and attention wander too much. So I can't tell you how good it would be in that format. I guess it's worth a try!

Ashley: re: "Les Mis"...I started it on Jan. 1 (as I do each year with my "1,000+page book challenge"). It took me until the end of March to finish it. So I feel your pain! :)

Amy wrote:
Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth: 3.5/5
A biography of Jesus of Nazareth. The author, who is a professor of world religions, compares and contrasts the Gospels of the Bible against historical documents that examine Jesus through the time period in which he lived. I thought it was fascinating from a historical viewpoint, even though I’m not all that religious. "
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

*** Note
The author will be on C-SPAN 2 Book TV this Sunday.

Petra wrote: "My library has this one available as an audio book. Do you think it would be easy to follow the audio of this? Thanks ! .."

I listened to the audio, Alias, and it was fine. I enjoyed it."

Thanks !

Amy wrote: "I am more interested in reading about the life of Jesus from a historical perspective than a religious one..."

Me, too. I hope you like it. In some ways, I enjoyed it more than Zealot.

Amy wrote: "It’s apparently loosely based on a true story (the author based it on an elderly neighbor’s diaries). ..."


This is about Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian, which was the first book by him i read. I didn't know that it was loosely based on a true story. It was a fascinating introduction (for me) on those final months.

Years ago i read Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent and a couple of other authors, i believe. When i saw the title you posted, Petra, i thought it would be similar. however, the GR review makes it obvious it mostly isn't like that at all. Thanks for the title.

Amy wrote: "Petra, thank you for that title. I've added it to my list. I am more interested in reading about the life of Jesus from a historical perspective than a religious one, so this looks appealing.
"

Might have to give that a go myself.

If you want something similar for Islam, check out Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet. A secular biography of Mohammad/Muhammad/Migiveupammad.

Mkfs wrote: "If you want something similar for Islam, check out Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet. A secular biography of Mohammad/Muhammad/Migiveupammad.."

Karen Armstrong is an author who has been on my TBR list for awhile now. Thanks for the reminder.

Alias Reader wrote: "I'm a huge fan of the Broadway show. I think I've seen it at least 3 times. I enjoyed the movie, too. I've also seen a high school production that was quite good. I have the CD and also the DVD of ..."

Re Hugo's writing style-- In the 19th century readers expected a great deal of description. There were no movies or television. Some novels were multi-volume. I don't mean that they had sequels. I mean that the same book was multiple volumes. The people who read during that era had a great deal of leisure time.

Impressive reading months everyone!

I finished 2 last month:
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us - 4 stars. I found this to be a good companion read to Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Pink details how the old "carrot and stick" motivation doesn't work in the current work model in many corporate institutions.

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim - 3 stars. I read this as an audiobook and appreciated Sedaris reading his own stories. There are a couple of chapters toward the end that featured him reading the stories to an audience which I enjoyed most out of them all. I think I'd enjoy seeing him do a live reading. The stories read in the studio were good as well but lacked some of the comic timing he demonstrated with the live audience. Still overall a very enjoyable and light listen for the commute.

Interesting books, Emma.

I am always looking for a good audio book to listen to while I exercise. I'll keep David Sedaris in mind. Though I usually like his books a lot, I found the last one Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls wasn't for me at all.

I love David Sedaris. I saw him do a live reading once a long time ago--8 years? 9? -- with Sarah Vowell (another favorite). They were both fantastic.

I'm back : )

:) Missed ya.

All books out of three of my favorite series!

Thanks for sharing, Shelby !

It's terrific when you find authors whom you love and they are nice long series for you to enjoy. :)

It sounds like a terrific reading month for you, Shelby. I hope September is as kind!