Books I'm reading:
Drawn In: A Peek into the Inspiring Sketchbooks of 44 Fine Artists, Illustrators, Graphic Designers & Cartoonists - shows how artists work through their sketchbooks. Bought 1-2012.
Touch by Alexi Zentner - read a review somewhere and got the book from the library. Kind of slow but interesting. Set in British Columbia, logging town. reading 3-12.
Somewhere in an Oregon Valley - Jon Remmerde - a memoir of a family's life in eastern oregon on a remote ranch
The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton: A Novel - by Jane Smiley. Reading March 2012. Don't know if I'll get through this one. Kind of slow going.
Darkness, My Old Friend. - by Lisa Unger. Don't know about this one either. Not too much into murder and mayhem at this point in my life. We'll see. Related to Polly?
An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration from the private sketchbooks of artists, illustrators and designers. by Danny Gregory - One of those where you read a chapter at a time. - bought 3-2-2012
The Master's Fly Box: America's Best Anglers Share Their Favorite Trout Flies - David Klausmeyer, Fly Tyer Books. 3-2-2012 - Gift from Bob. Very interesting collection of interviews with Master Fly Tyers, their signature(?) flies with materials list, and their views on flyfishing. It's already a favorite.
The House in Amalfi - by Elizabeth Adler. Promises to be pretty good. Listening to it on tape. Early March 2012.
Books I've read:
The Widower's Tale by Julia Glass. Grouchy widower - loved his grumpiness. 1-4-12
State of Wonder - Ann Patchett. Became fascinated with the Amazon. Again. 1-6-12
Tolstoy and the Purple Chair - Nina Sankovitch -good reading list and good blog. week of 1-8-12
Emily Alone - Stewart O'Nan - interesting look at being old and alone - 1-10-12
State of Wonder - Ann Patchett - liked it much more than I thought I would - week of 1-9-12
Shatner Rules - William Shatner - didn't finish - just got tired of his ego - gave up 1-14-12
The Book Thief - (listening to audio-began in Dec - finished 1-14-12)
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Hakuri Murakami - as much about writing as it is about running - 1-16-2012
The Personal History of Rachel DuPree - Amy Weisgarber - 1-15-2012 - Black family homesteads in South Dakota - really enjoyed this one.
Shadows Bright as Glass - Amy Ellis Nutt. One Man's Journey from Brain Trauma to Artistic Triumph - I read most of this but gave up before I got to the part about the artistic triumph.
Twelve by Twelve - twelve art quilt artists - loved this book and the idea of a group journey in quilting.
Oh Beautiful: An American Family in the 20th Century - John Paul Godges - Jan - February 2012 - heard about this on Lisa Louise Cook's podcast. Very enjoyable book on blending two cultures and moving to a third - the U.S. Interesting how all the childen stayed close although they were quite different. Everything froma far-right military to a leftest liberal.
Kathy Little Bird - Benedict and Nancy Freedman - A Mrs. Mike novel. I loved Mrs. Mike, but this one was not as good. Still, they write of how we should be. Don't remember if I read "The Search for Joyful - should check it out.
The Mill River Recluse - Darcie Chan - read about this ebook in the WSJ. Pretty good for a first time author and one with no publisher behind her. Read in February 2012
Annie's Ghosts - by Steve Luxenberg - Wonderful book about an aunt he never knew about who was institutionalized in a mental hospital. It's about the perception of mental illness and how it was treated back years ago when people were sent off to the insane asylum, their lack of representation, and how the family was affected, as well as the person - well, more like incarcerated.
The Descendants - Kaui Hart Hemmings - Read a review somewhere and they've made a movie with George Clooney which I will probably see. Interesting story about what happens when someone is on life support, dying, and the family is learning secrets they didn't know. And this one has a different perspective, a woman's death - not the usual story of a husband who had another lover/wife/mistress which the family only learned about after his death.
The Dirty Life - (name) - a woman marries a farmer and they return to the land. But a modern story, and how farming can be successful today. I liked it, except, having grown up on a farm, some of her thoughts seemed kind of silly to me.
The Long Road Home - Mary Alice Monroe - I usually like her books but this is not one of my favorites. Maybe a little too long. Still, I would read the next one!
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares - by Rachel Cohn. Liked it a lot. Listened to it on audiotape. Nice coming-of-age story, but it takes awhile before they meet. Love the references to books. The story begins when Dash finds a red journal with a "dare" among the books in a bookstore. He accepts the dare, and leaves one for Lily in a new location.
Noah's Compass - by Anne Tyler - ok, but I probably would not have continued with it had I not been listening to it on my long drive to work. Had a hard time getting interested in the protagonist.
Tenderfoot - Mary E. Trimble. I enjoyed listening to this one although you can tell from the start how the story will end. The interesting part was the history of the Mount Saint Helens volcano eruption. The characters were likeable. Novelist moves to a ranch, renting a cabin, etc etc etc.
Into the Canyon: Seven Years in Navajo Country - Lucy Moore. Nice memoir of living on the Navajo Reservation at Chinle. Unusual in that it is not critical of the Indian lifestyle. The couple loved it and hated to leave.
The Pig and Me - Lindsay Frucci - finished 3-12-12
