so many books, so little time

I'm heading to the library this afternoon to return my last batch of books and to see what new things I can find. I've been reading a lot this winter. Maybe it's the writer's strike and the fact that none of the shows I watch are on regularly. And the ones that are on are getting kind of weird (costumes for the WWE on Project Runway - what's up with that!) I find that I'm not missing much. I had some really good books this time so I thought I'd share my list:

These Granite Islands by Sarah Stonich

Chocolat by Joanne Harris. This was so much better than the movie which I saw when it first came out and loved but didn't like as much on second watching after I'd finished the book. Not even Johnny Depp as a gypsy could save this one for me. Too many things were changed for no good reason, the ending included. I should know better than to compare but it was an interesting experiment.

The Myth of You and Me by Leah Stewart

The Dressmaker by Elizabeth Birkelund Oberbeck

The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer (her first novel—I read her second Songs Without Words first)

I'm not going to do book reviews except to say that I liked them all. You can check out the descriptions on Amazon for more info if you're interested. I'm a big library supporter and don't usually buy books (except for craft books that I keep for reference!) but I do a lot of research on Amazon.

And if anyone has suggestions for good books you're reading this winter, please share in the comments. Don't worry, I like just about everything!

a book recommendation

Please excuse my lack of posting the past few days. Whether it's after Christmas jet-lag or the weather, I'm not sure, but I just haven't felt that great for a few days. And I've spent most of that time curled up on the couch with my cats. Who are loving the extra attention.

And I'm reading a fat book that I highly recommend if you like historical fiction—Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund. She wrote Ahab's Wife, too, and I think someone recommended it to me but I haven't read it yet. Anyway, this book is a fictionalized account of Marie Antoinette from the time she arrived in France to her untimely death. And it has all the historical details but written like a juicy novel so you'll find yourself just flying through the pages.

Interesting that she never said "Let them eat cake." But she did talk about her embroidery in letters to her mother. It seems she was quite accomplished at it and made lovely needlework items for her husband and friends.

"I truly love my embroidery, as it puts me in a kind of trance. I am not transported into another world as I am at the theater or even when I read an engaging book, but I enter a deep, still place within myself as I create flowers in thread. I feel calm and happy, which is a good balance for the thrill of the gaming table, though I gamble much less now and only in my own apartment; instead I often play billiards."

Oh, yes, she had a bit of a gambling problem, too!