October 5, 2008
9:00AM
Northern California has been blasted by cold air and drenching rain the last 48 hours – and I am loving it! After a summer of triple digit temperatures and smoky skies, the arrival of rain is a huge relief. I built a fire in the woodstove last night, much to the cats’ delight, and curled up beneath a blanket to read. Looks like I am not the only one enjoying the change in seasons – Jill is happy about it too!
Yesterday I went to the Redding Library book sale and came home with the following books:
Hardcovers ($0.50 per book)
- Fortune’s Rocks, by Anita Shreve
- The Clock Winder, by Anne Tyler
- Abide By Me, by Elizabeth Strout
- The Mammoth Cheese, by Sheri Holman
- The Whole World Over, by Julia Glass
- The Most Wanted, by Jacquelyn Mitchard
- A Son of the Circus, by John Irving
- Predator, by Patricia Cornwell
Trade Paperback ($0.25 per book)
- Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger
- A Thousanad Acres, by Jane Smiley
- Snow Mountain Passage, by James D. Houston
Since last week, I’ve finished reading The Triumph of Deborah (read my review) which was a mix of romance and biblical fiction. It has gotten a lot of great reviews, but wasn’t really the type of book I normally enjoy. But, I was glad to have read it, and I did learn a lot about that time in history.
I also blew through Let The Northern Lights Erase Your Name, by Vendela Vida (read my review) and loved it. It is set in the stark winter environment of Finland (Lapland) and tells the story of a young woman who is searching for her identity. Vida’s writing is wonderful and spare.
My current read is Rose Tremain’s Music and Silence for which she won the 1999 Costa Award. I cannot believe it has taken me so long to discover this amazing writer. You might remember I read The Colour in August and loved it. Music and Silence is a much different novel – set in the 1630s in Denmark and centering around King Christian IV and his spirited wife Kirsten. The novel is told from several viewpoints. Tremain’s use of language is just stunning – and I am thoroughly enjoying the book having reached approximately the half way point.
Are any of you looking forward to the announcement of the Nobel Prize for Literature? I’m curious, and today I read this interesting article about how Horace Engdahl the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy (the organization that awards the prize) feels about American writers. He made the bold statement that Europe is really the ‘center of the literary world‘ and American writers are ‘too sensitive to trends in their own mass culture‘ among other things. So what do you think? Are American writers too insular? Are European writers more in touch with the literary world? Any thoughts on who will be awarded this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature?
I’ve bought tickets and booked a hotel room for the Book Group Expo in San Jose at the end of the month. It was a bit of a splurge, but I could not resist! The list of authors is impressive and the literary salons look interesting. I’ve convinced Kip to go with me (although he may opt to go antiquing part of the time!). Have any of you gone to events like this before?
So that’s all for literary thoughts this Sunday. I hope you are curled up with a good book and enjoying the fall weather. Have a great week ahead!
= Excellent
= Good/Very Good
= Okay read
= Not recommended
= Ugh! Don't waste your time.
Wow you really got your read on last week!
Send some of that rain down my way please. There were dark clouds overhead all day yesterday, but not a drop of rain fell. I was quite disappointed. It looks like you came away from the book sale with some good ones. I hope you enjoy them!
The Book Group Expo sounds great!
Thanks for the seasonal cross-post! Oh to light a wood stove! I do have a fireplace but we can’t comfortably burn anything in it until Christmas.
Lucky you on those book sale finds, especially the Tyler and Strout books. I am expecting “Amy and Isabelle” by Strout in the mail any day now. That’s not a Tyler book I’ve read but am considering it for January’s Yahoo read.
HAPPY SUNDAY!
Jill
I’ll be at the book group expo, too! I went last year for one day and really enjoyed it. They get some fantastic authors.
I wish I could make it to book group expo!
You made some great finds! The Strout and Enger titles are two of my favorite books.
Lots of great books there. Woo!
Yasmin: Yup *smiles*
WendyCat: I hope you get some rain soon!
Jill: The Tyler books is a really old one by her – I was excited to find it
Softdrink: Oh…which salons are you going to attend? I’m still deciding
S. Krishna: Which you could make it too.
Carrie: I’m looking forward to reading both those books.
Karen: *nods* I was psyched
I’m so glad you’re enjoying Tremain, I think she’s a great writer. You’ve also got some superb books in your library sale list. I wish I had ‘A Thousand Acres’ to read again for the first time.
Wow, you’re library sale prices are great! I hope you like Peace Like a River. I really enjoyed that one.
Have fun at the expo!
Ack!!! grammar goof. ‘your’ not ‘you’re’
Ann: I am really looking forward to Smiley’s book…and also I have The Road Home by Rose Tremain on my to-read list for next month…can’t wait!
Michelle: *nods* Their prices are tremendous and there are always a gazillion people there!
Wow, great deals on those books! Sounds like you have a little goldmine there. lol
Have fun at BGE! I always have a blast at book/author events and conferences. One day I hope to attend the BGE, as an author. It’s so hard to pick and choose what to go to every year.
All the best from a new Sunday Saloner.
Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author
http://www.cherylktardif.com
Thanks for visiting Straight Shooter Wendy! I have many bloggy and real-life friends that we all agree to disagree when it comes to political agendas. Honestly, I am as afraid for our countrymen who are chosing Barrack b/c they feel a connection to him, as you are for the same reasons with Palin. You and I will cancel out each other’s vote and let someone else decide our country’s fate.
On a totally different note, LOVED your fabulous finds!
I (sigh) used to have lots and lots of time to read. Now when I read – it is a teacher’s manual, contract, instruction manual or a blog. In fact, I just took off my own book list last night b/c I realized I had not added a book to it since FEB. The last book on there was Steinbeck’s East of Eden. (Again with a big sigh…)
I am thrilled to know though, where to come ask about a review.
The expo sounds delightful. I am sure you will have a grand time.
Have a fabulous week.
I love library sales!
Geeze Wendy,
I don’t think I’ve read that many books in my entire life and I love to read!
Anyway, I saw your comment on Straight Shooter’s post. I too am a Obama/Biden supporter. I don’t get the crazy following of Palin. She seems like a grand gal and all, but a VP? Now way Jose! She is clueless. I can’t believe how she only answered questions she had been coached on and when any other subject was asked about, she said, “I’d like to go back to…”
The moderator was on Meet The Press this morning and said she’d never seen anything like it. Since people already thought she was biased toward Obama, she didn’t see it fit to redirect Palin. She figured we’d all see it for ourselves. As usual, people see what they want to see.
Her snarky little jabs wont get her far in the Political arena. They might get her shot.
Straight Shooter: You said You and I will cancel out each other’s vote *laughs* I suppose that is one way to look at it! I usually refrain from talking politics on my blog because it tends to get acerbic…but, that said, I’m fine with agreeing to disagree. The fantastic thing about this country is we all get our say by voting! On another note: thanks for stopping by and checking out my posts and finds…I’m really excited about the Expo and can’t wait to come back here and tell everyone about it!
Debbie: You and me both!
“Nobody”: *laughs* I read about 100 books a year, but even still, my TBR pile is getting pretty out of control! Thanks for weighing in on the election…although I would never wish for anyone to get shot! Hopefully we can all have civilized discussions on why we feel the way we feel – I like hearing from “the other side” even when I disagree with them.
Those are some terrific finds, Wendy! I love book sales.
I hope you have a wonderful time at your literary event. It sounds great!
I love library book sales. You just cannot beat them. The Smiley book alone for me would have been worth it. I read it years ago and still remember it.
I haven’t read the article yet, but I’m looking forward to reading it. He may have a point. I read a few book bloggers who deal with European fiction, and I’m always fascinated by the books that are mentioned there that we don’t often see here in the U.S.
Working at a bookstore, though, I can say that there does seem to be a focus on trends: vampires, dragons, witches, thieves, assassins, blah de blah, blah.
Personally, I don’t pay much attention to the trends and read whatever the heck I want.
Great finds on the library sales! I hope you enjoy The Whole World Over as much as I did – it’s one of my all time favorites.
Oh dear Lord! I don’t wish her to get shot. I’m just saying, that childish jabbing can get her into trouble when the key to politics is diplomacy
The Book Expo looks amazing! What a teriffic list of authors. I am so jealous. I hope you’ll share the experience here.
We have a little festival of books here every other year. (The other year it’s on the other side of the state.) We went once and were hugely underwhelmed, and haven’t gone back. It doesn’t help that there aren’t many well know South Dakotan authors.
Ex Libris: Thanks – I hope it is fun!
Unfinished Person: I usually like the books that aren’t terribly mainstream…but, I sometimes read the trendy ones!
Becca: I haven’t read anything by Julia Glass yet – so I’m looking forward to that one.
Nobody: *laughs* I understand what you are saying now! I agree diplomacy is a must…
Tara: I will definitely be posting about the Expo!
Lisa: Sorry to hear your festival was such a disappointment.
Cheryl: Thanks for stopping by and welcome to the Salon! For some reason your comment slid into my spam filter…but I retrieved it
I’ll have to check out your books one of these days!
The Book Expo sounds like lots of fun! The ones i’ve been to in the past haven’t been very thematic nor did they have author talks or anything interesting like that. Mostly they were simply free for alls – buying discounted books that you never knew you wanted.
I’m excited that you got hold of my very favorite of my own books, ‘The Most Wanted.’ I stumbled across this active site this morning and … it’s very funny, it makes me crazy, people think I LOOK like Sara Palin!
Jackie M.
Typ0: This Expo is for Book Clubs, which is why I think they set up the Literary Salons – that was what caught my attention.
Jackie: Thank you for stopping by! Now that I know this your favorite, I am looking forward to reading it even more
I looked at your photo on the back of the jacket, and the only resemblance I see is that you have dark hair *laughs* (psssst…I think you are prettier than Ms. Palin!). Hope you’ll come back and visit again!
I can’t wait until our library sale next week! It’s pure madness!
Natasha: Have a blast!!!
What great finds! It’s great to expand your library for next to nothing!
Anna: I can’t resist library sales…they are so much fun!