I am sneaking this list of Books of Interest into this blog entry so I don't lose it completely. I'll start again with books sometime... but for now, I'm parking my old list here.

Books of Interest (to me, at least!)

• The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield. (I'm not done reading this book yet... and I hope it never ends! It's deliciously intriguing because of the somewhat-interwoven story lines, unusual characters, and fine writing.)
• Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America, by Linda Hunt. (Teresa, I think you might like this book for its content. The writing is not very good--Hunt must have lost her editor somewhere along Helga and Clara's walk. Canby is mentioned at least a dozen times, probably more. Okay that might be in part because of Hunt's weird way of repeating parts of the story multiple times, but nonetheless, it's Canby. Helga and her daughter walked across the country from Spokane to NY City to earn a cash prize of $10,000 so Helga could save her family's farm. Ole, her husband, had some health problems that kept him from earning a viable living for the family, so Helga took the challenge. This was in the 1890's. Women just didn't do that kind of thing, you know. Despite uneven writing, this true account of Helga's journey is worth reading. Even if a bird poops on you when you get to the final chapter.)
• Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout. (I had such a good description of this book written to entice you to read it. I lost it, and so all I'm going to say is that this is an EXCELLENT book. The title character, Olive, is in each of the twelve or so stories that make up the book. She has a major role in some stories, smaller parts in others, and in a couple of them she doesn't do much more than walk through a room. I love this book!)
• The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story, by Diane Ackerman
• The Tender Bar, by J.R. Mohringer.
• The Painted Drum, by Louise Erdrich. (I just wrote and then lost a long and detailed review of this book. Trust me, you'd have enjoyed it and nominated me for a position as a NY Times book reviewer. I don't repeat my reviewed under these circumstances, so read it and judge for yourself.)
• Sundays at Tiffany's, by Robert Patterson and a co-author who shall remain nameless. (Don't bother unless you had an adult imaginary friend when you were a child and can explain to me how this is not perverse. The book isn't perverse, however. Just poorly developed and, well...stupid.)
• Mr. White's Confession, by Robert Clark (One of the best books I've read in a very long time. That it opens in a White Castle in St. Paul (in 1939) gave me pause, but I soon realized that many other St. Paul locations are featured in the story. Mr. White is a loner, sad-seeming, and has a quirky memory that allows him to remember the near past, but not beyond a short period of time. He writes everything down in journals to read and reread, thus salvaging bits of life. He's a photographer hobbyist, so his photos add glimmers to his memory. There's a murder, another murder, and White is the most likely suspect. A police detective with a sad life of his own takes an interest in White, and their lives intersect over many years. Excellent writing and a lot to think about.)
• Run, by Ann Patchett (I tend to avoid books that promise to show me the true meaning of family, or of friendship, or of being best girlfriends forever--you know, that sincere kind of crap that tugs at the heartstrings. After the fact I discovered that RUN is supposed to encompass all of those things. I suppose it does, but it's good anyway. Prominent characters are Tip Doyle (named after Eugene "Tip" O'Neill), Teddy Doyle (not named after Edward "Teddy" Kennedy), Tennessee Moser (2 characters with this name; it gets confusing), Kenya (daughter of one of the Tennessees), Sullivan Doyle (named after his uncle, Father Sullivan), and Mr. Doyle (a former mayor of Boston). Oh, let's not forget Bernadette Doyle, the deceased mother of Tip, Teddy, and Sullivan, who looks like a statue of the Virgin Mary. There is mother confusion in this story, Virgin Mary confusion, and a lot of snow. Good book despite my underwhelming review.)
• Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana De Rosnay (A compelling story set in Paris during World War II. Sarah, a young Jewish girl and her parents are taken by the French police in what has come to be known as the Vel’ d’ Hiv’ Roundup, leaving her brother behind. She is haunted by abandoning her brother in what was an attempt to save him, and eventually her story is intertwined with that of an American magazine journalist who lives in Paris and has been assigned to write an article commemorating the 60th anniversary of the roundup. Sarah’s part of the story is mesmerizing. The book would be much improved without Julia (the journalist).)
• Empire Falls, by Richard Russo (Okay, I haven't added a book for a while. This is partly due to not reading so much lately, and partly due to so-so books. Russo's novel snapped me out of a dry spell. I highly recommend it, and not just because the lead character is named Miles. Russo's characters have dimension and color, and his stories are rich with detail and subtle humor. My only minor complaint about this book is Russo's smack-you-right-between-the-eyes use of foreshadowing. Too, too obvious, to the point that I was looking for it. To the end I really believed he intended the Hobart (a large restaurant dish-washing machine) to suck someone into its innards and wash him to death. Russo must have mentioned the poorly functioning Hobart a half-dozen times in semi-ominous tones, giving me the impression that it was the evil younger sibling of Stephen King's fictional car, Christine. However, somtimes a dishwasher is just a dishwasher.)
• Slam, by Nick Hornby (Recommended and loaned to me by Charlie and Angie, this is the story of 16-year-old Sam, who becomes a father before he's ready for the responsibility. He was born when his mom wsa 16, which adds interest. Sam is a skater, as in skate board skater, and confides in a poster of celebrity skater Tony Hawkes, and visits the future via dreams to envision the outcome of being a not-ready-for-parenthood dad. It's a good story from a point of view not often used for this topic (teen pregnancy, not skating). Hornby is British, and so are his characters, so the slang and some conventional language perked up my ears from time to time. Makes me want to read more of Hornby's novels. Thanks, APP and CP!).
• Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer (This is the final book of the Twilight series, so so the author says. All I'll say about this book--to prevent spoiling it for anyone who might be reading the series--is that most, if not all, of your wonderings will be answered. This includes the BIG QUESTION: Does Bella become a vampire or not? You'll have to read it to find out. I'm fairly sure I'm at the upper age limit of anyone who would read Meyer's books (right Deb, Mary, and Kris?), so I'm anxious to read reviews and comments by other readers to find out what they think of the final events of the saga. I've avoided all of that until now, not wanting to be influenced in my predictions. I'll write more about the series in a blog when my book group and Angie are done reading the last book.)
• Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer (See below. Oh lordy, I'm actually done with the third book of this series and starting #4. This one is definitely better than New Moon (book #2), but still too much mindless adoration of Edward on Bella's part. I'm voting for Jacob. Edward can take his vampirish good looks elsewhere.)
• In the Woods, by Tana French (Oooh, good murder mystery! Two imperfect main characters, both detectives, agonize over solving the death of a young girl.)
• Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer (See 7/31 post for confession.)
• Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's, by John Elder Robison (Robison is author Augusten Burrough's "big, lumbering, swearing, unshaven" older brother. This memoir reveals a life both plagued and assisted by Asperger's; funny, sad, poignant, and great reading.)
• The Jawbone, by Matthew Beier (This book is not yet published. Matthew is a mid-20's aspiring author who is a friend of a friend. This is a mystery story, with good guys (male and female), bad guys, ghosts, and the angst of becoming a teenager. Can't wait for Matthew Beier to be published!)
• The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages (This book, like the following two on my list, is an historical novel set during WW II. This story is set in Los Alamos, NM, on "the Hill", where scientists worked on the atomic bomb. Worth reading.)
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne (Adolescent novel. Story is told through the innocent eyes of a young German boy whose father is a commander at Auschwitz. Gripping.)
• The Book Thief, by Markus Zusac (don't miss reading this one!)
• Little Heathens, by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
• Atonement, by Ian McEwan
• Book of the Dead, by Patricia Cornwell
• Born Sanding Up, by Steve Martin
• Uglies; Pretties; Specials (trilogy for adolescent readers)by Scott Westerfield. Also, Extras. That makes the trilogy a quartet. Or a quadrology.
• Blind Your Ponies, by Stanley Gordon West
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J. K. Rowling
• Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
• Falling Boy, by Alison McGhee
• Rise and Shine, by Anna Quindlen
• Blessings, by Anna Quindlen
• The Double Bind, by Chris Bohjalian