Friday, November 20, 2009

Book List

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

Groucho Marx

Here's what I'm reading right now, both of which I recommend whole-heartedly:

"Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History of the Great Depression" by Morris Dickstein. This one might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's an interesting look at the 30s written in an accessible style. The author uses the films, books, photos and music of the Depression years to analyze this era (with some pertinent parallels to our own financially depressed times).

"My Life in France" by Julia Child. Delightful! If you loved "Julie and Julia" as much as I did, you'll enjoy this account of Julia's years in France. Much of the film used anecdotes from this book, and it's fun to read the stories in Julia's own words.


I'm not really much of a fiction reader, but did read the new Dan Brown book "The Lost Symbol". Doesn't rate a picture lol. Actually, it was a fast, fun read, but I thought the ending was stupid (just like his other books). One fiction book I did enjoy was "Home Safe" by one of my fave authors, Elizabeth Berg.
Helen, a successful author, is thrown into emotional turmoil when her husband dies unexpectedly -- and leaves a secret. Her quest to find out if her husband had been leading a double life leads her on a path of discovery about her relationship with her daughter, her writing and what makes a home and family. OK, that sounds a little cheesy, but really, she's a wonderful writer, I love her! If you like this one, try "Range of Motion", "Joy School" or
"Talk Before Sleep".

4 comments:

zaideafraidey said...

what wonderful suggestions, I am on my way to the bstore.

Laurie said...

yay! Do let us know how you like them

Lis said...

I loved the Julia book, agree with Dan Brown although when they were in the pod I had to put the book down b/c I was so scared.

Unknown said...

The pod scene was scary. Loved the book, right up till the end, and then was disappointed with the final conclusion. It was just such a let down.