What books by and/or about women are reading October

A new month, a new thread. I'm reading Vita Sackville-West's All Passion Spent. I'm also about halfway through Emma Tennant's The Autobiography of the Queen. All Passion Spent is terrific. Thus far, I'm less amused by Tennants book than I thought I would be.

The Unfortunates by Laurie Graham.

urania, isn't All Passion Spent wonderful? I read it recently myself ... just superb. I'm now reading The Well of Loneliness for Banned Books Week. This is a Virago Modern Classic and, while very melancholy, it's wonderfully written and I'm hooked.

Urania, have you read The Perfect Summer by Juliet Nicolson? It's non-fiction about the summer of 1911 and Vita Sackville-West, Virginia Woolf and pretty much all the members of the Bloomsbury group are featured in the book.

Speaking of Virginia and Vita, I'm reading Orlando right now. Also about to start The Left Hand of Darkness and Melusine.

I have dumped the Lionel Shriver,A Perfectly Good Family; I didn't have the patience any more to see if I might come to care for any of the three siblings. Nope. Best close the book and leave them to their own devices.

Rereading Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's Good Wives about women's lives in early New England. I love this book.

Just finished Knowledge of Angels by Jill Paton Walsh.
Reading Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undsett, Cecilia by Fanny Burney and about to start The Night Watch by Sarah Waters.

Englishrose60, what did you think about Knowledge of Angels?
Sodapop, Thanks for the recommendation. I haven't read The Perfect Summer.

Enjoyed it very much, urania1, especially the dialogues about religion, faith and reason. I liked the development of the relationship between Amara and Josefa and Jaime's goodness. I admired Palinor for staying true to his beliefs even under the ordeal placed on him by the inquisitor.

Oh englishrose60, I'm so glad you liked it. I loved it when I read it. However, I haven't found many people who have read it.

Right now I'm reading The Fox's Walk about Annabel Davis-Goff. If you like Anglo-Irish literature, Davis-Goff is a good writer abot whom to know

urania1 - just read the description of The Fox's Walk. It sounds good and follows on in time from Knowledge of Angels ...sigh perhaps another one for my wishlist... let me know your opinion when you have read it please. Davis-Goff is a new name to me.

As a quick change from the last book I read in September (Pym's Excellent Women), I've just finished reading, in quick succession, my first two graphic novels: Lynda Barry's One Hundred Demons and Alison Bechdel's Fun Home. They were both terrific. I'm glad I tried them. I'm wondering what took me so long!

Now I'm reading Winifred Holtby's South Riding. I'm enjoying it very much. I was very lucky that my local library had a lovely old hardcover copy.

Right now I'm working on Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris and am really enjoying it. It's the story of a woman (Framboise) who owns a restaurant (of course, Joanna Harris and her food books!) in France who was a young girl during WWII and when the German soldiers were patrolling the area. The premise of the story seems to be that the girl's mother gave information to the soldiers and was basically ran out of the village. Framboise went back to the village as an older woman (with a different last name) and kept her identity a secret and opened a very successful restaurant. It flashes back and forth from current times to when she was a little girl - and we learn more and more about the truth of the story. So fascinating! I love reading books set in WWII and this one has really hit the spot for me.

#11 englishrose60 - This is my third Davis-Goff novel. Each one had at least one small treasure that I periodically cite or to which I return.

I just started The Private World of Georgette Heyer, a biography by Jane Aiken Hodge.

#14: Have you read Davis-Goff's memoir of her childhood, Walled Gardens? It's very interesting.

On another subject, I just picked up Interpreter of Maladies, a collection of short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri.

I am reading American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld, which is really fascinating so far.

Avaland, I am sorry to hear that you don't like A Perfectly Good Family--I have that one on my TBR pile. I loved the other books that I read by her, so I had high hopes for this one.

#12 I don't love graphic novels in general, but I did love Alison Bechdel's Fun Home. Maybe because I've read Dykes to Watch Out For for a long time and was already familiar with her art...

I'm reading Surfacing by Margaret Atwood for the Atwoodians Group group read.

I read it a few years ago but didn't enjoy it as much as Atwood's others. I think I don't engage with the nature aspects of the book - nature really isn't my thing! But I'm getting into it more this time round. The ideas about going back to where you grew up and the feelings andmemories it invokes are getting me thinking.

I am reading March by Geraldine Brooks for a class.
I am also reading Schooled by Anisha Lakhani for the ER program.

I'm reading Gone With The Wind - can you believe I haven't read it already?? Can't put it down. Although quite a lot of the stuff (mainly around slavery/slaves) is a bit... uncomfortable... it's brilliant on how women had to come into their own and admit they had brains. Well I'm up to p. 600 of 1000 so far, and it seems that way to me.

I have read The Night Watch by Sarah Waters and Praxis by Fay Weldon - Both good reads.

I am about to start Penelope Lively's Moon Tiger.

I finished The Well of Loneliness and have started Kate Grenville's The Idea of Perfection. This won the Orange Prize, and I loved The Secret River, so I'm looking forward to this book.

I have read and enjoyed both of the Grenville books. Hope you enjoy The Idea of Perfection too.

>24 englishrose60: so far so good, er60! I can already tell I'm going to like it.

I just finished Excellent Women by Barbara Pym, and you all were absolutely right. It is a delight, and I loved it. so witty. Thanks for leading me to this fabulous book.

I picked up People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks at a thrift store to night, and I may start that or I may go with The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield to get me in the mood for Halloween. I'll probably read a page or two of each and decided which is speaking to me.

Finished Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively - a great read about Claudia who is dying and recounting her memories about life, loves, family, war and her work. Throughout her story we are also given snippets of the events in her life as seen by some of the other characters. Very interesting and effective.

I'm reading Any Given Doomsday, which is both by a woman and about a woman, but it's not something I'd really recommend. I'm only reading it because it's an ER book.

I'm also rereading The Magician's Ward by Patricia C. Wrede, which is a YA historical fantasy that I thoroughly enjoy. There are at least four major characters who are strong women and several minor ones as well.

I'm reading The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley for the first time. Somehow I haven't read this one yet! It's a little slow-going for me but so far, so good!

This weekend I finished A Few Green Leaves by Barbara Pym. This was the last novel she completed before she died, and I think it encompasses all her works including the funny earlier ones and the more sad ones like Quartet in Autumn.

I just started The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy because I've seen it recommended a lot. I'm having a difficult time feeling the main character, but since I'm only a chapter in I think I just need to read more to get involved.

I'm still reading South Riding but am pulling together ideas for vacation reading. (Next week I'll be on my annual trek to northern Michigan for a week of fall foliage, hiking, and reading.) Moon Tiger and The Secret River esp. caught my attention . . .

I'm trying to read Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by M. Barnard Eldershaw and, as I've written on the Virago group thread, I'm finding it hard going.

One of the interesting aspects of the book is that it's a collaboration between two women. I'm intrigued by this. How do you write a book with someone else? Would you end up with two writing styles within the same piece of work?

TerrierGirl - I have read Moon Tiger recently and would recommend it to you.

I have just finished Hotel World by Ali Smith - liked this a lot and it's one I would like to reread in the future.

I'm reading the Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Alice Steinbach's memoir Educating Alice: Adventures of a Curious Woman. She goes on a journey of self-discovery, literally, by first enrolling in a French cooking course with Chef Moreau at the Ritz Escoffier in Paris, then travels to Japan to acquire an understanding and appreciation of Japanese culture by visiting art galleries, speaking with geisha, learning Japanese dances, etc. Also lined up is a trip to Scotland for Border collie training, and art classes in Havana.

> 35 akeela

Educating Alice: Adventures of a Curious Woman sounds interesting--and your description reminds me of Eat, Pray, Love which I am not looking forward to re-reading for a RL book group. Perhaps I'll read Educating Alice instead--it sounds like a worthy piece. How are you liking it?

CEP, I didn't enjoy the first section detailing her cooking lessons in France - it seemed a bit forced and like she couldn't get over the fact that she was at the Ritz with the famous chef, etc.. But once she got to Japan, the tone changed, and it became a lot more enjoyable and relaxed in terms of the writing and the content. I've just entered Japan and spent a few days there with her thus far, but I'm definitely enjoying it more. Let's hope it stays this way, or gets even better!

Apparently this is the follow-up to her first book called Without Reservations, which is toted as "exquisite" on the cover of my current read - not sure if one can believe these promo blurbs :) but it might be worth checking out?

Read John Brown's Body by A.L. Barker - once I got used to her style of writing the plot kept my interest to the end.

About to start Case Histories by Kate Atkinson.

Couldn't put Case Histories down, didn't get to bed until after 2.00a.m. A really good mystery story and yet more than that. Very interesting characters. Recommended.

#59 fasciknitting and other well read members....
I picked-up The Mists of Avalon at the last Library book sale knowing nothing of the book & author. How are you enjoying the book? The cover looked good so I risked $.25!
Did I make a good purchase?

>39 englishrose60:: er60, that's good to know; I just picked up a copy at a library sale a couple of weeks ago. I liked her One Good Turn well enough but had heard Case Histories was better. Now I'll find out ...

>40 rosemeria:: rosemeria, you made an excellent purchase. That book had a profound effect on me when I read it several years ago. I really liked the story written from a feminine perspective and it made me realize how often we hear, see, read things from a male perspective and the role of women is invisible or minimized. I hope you enjoy it.

As for me, I finished Kate Grenville's The Idea of Perfection yesterday and ... WOW. 5 stars. I haven't posted my review yet as I'm still thinking about the character development, which is what made this book great. It's one of those where I couldn't put it down and yet was sad to be finished.

Next up: The Yearling. Can't believe I've never read it.

Thanks Akeela, both Alice Steinbach titles will definitely get a look.

>#41, Lindsa: I've loved every Kate Atkinson book that I've read so far. I did the same thing: I read One Good Turn before Case Histories even though it's a series and Case Histories is supposed to go first. But honestly, it was totally fine to read them out of order, and I liked Case Histories better out of the two. Another great one is Emotionally Weird, although it's not a Jackson Brodie mystery.

>#40, rosamaria: I think you made an excellent purchase as well! At the very least, $.25 has to be less than the paper it's printed on is worth! I'm not well versed in Arthurian Legend, so I'm learning a lot about the people and the legends themselves from a feminine perspective, which is great. I'm about 150 pages into the book now (it's a little slow going for me because of the language Bradley uses) and am loving the struggle between Paganism and Christianity (myself not being a Christian). I hope you enjoy it, too!

In between all my school reading, I'm trying to read The Lady and the Unicorn. It's so nice to read a novel (instead of a play or a treatise or a discourse).

I am so happy to see such good things written about Case Histories because someone just gave it to me!

I am a few chapters into March by Geraldine Brooks, a Pulitzer Prize novel, and very good so far.

I'll add my hearty recommendations for Case Histories! Excellent book. I am currently reading Atkinson's latest, When Will There Be Good News? It is very good so far, although pretty sad.

I finished American Wife earlier this week, and really enjoyed it. I know it is based on Laura Bush, but it is clearly a fictionalized version of someone like her, not supposed to be her, I think. I was a bit mystified by reviews I saw that said that they felt they knew too much about this private person. Sittenfeld clearly was not trying to say that this is what Laura Bush feels and thinks, but rather exploring how someone in her situation might feel. I thought it was a very sympathetic, well-written book.

I'm about a third of the way through Monica Ali's Brick Lane. I'm really enjoying not only the portrait of immigrants from Bangladesh but Ali's writing and humor.

I'm also reading Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck. It's the fictionalized biography of the last empress of China, Tzu Hsi. I had read quite a few of Pearl Buck's books in the 70's, but I had not read this one. As it is Buck's only novel about a historical figure and a copy of it was living in Mt TBR, I thought it would be interesting for the girlybooks September/October historical fiction read. But it's just not capturing me, although I am keeping at it. I do not think that this is one of Pearl Buck's stronger works; but I am also wondering how much I have changed in the last thirty years; perhaps if I had read this in the 70's my thirty years younger self would have liked it as well as Buck's other writings.

Finished March by Geraldine Brooks and I must say I enjoyed it, and for me it has not spoilt my memories of Little Women.

My next book is a reread of The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende.

I just finished The Yearling, which I didn't like as much as I thought I would. I found it rather repetitive and I couldn't get emotionally invested in the characters.

I have put The Yearling aside for my 999 Challenge in 2009. Oh! dear!

I'm reading The Turkish Embassy Letters by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. This is the correspondence she wrote to friends during her journey through Europe to Turkey while accompanying her husband on a diplomatic mission in the early 1700s.

It's fascinating to read how a Christian woman of that reacted to living in a Muslim country. She considered the veil to be liberating, enabling women to walk the streets hassle-free. She also thought it made assignations with men easier as the women would never by recognised!

She also explains that although men were allowed to take up to 4 wives, many never did because the women would not stand for it. And as the women had control over their own wealth and assets, they seem to have had some power to determine their husbands' behaviour.

Of course, Lady Mary moved in only the best circles so had a limited set of experiences. I'm assuming life for the working masses was a little bit different.

Finally finished Wife in the North by Judith O'Reilly, an ER selection I received at the end of July. It took me forever to get into, but it was worth it by the end. It's a blog-turned-book memoir about her family's move from London up to Northumberland.

Am still reading The Dud Avocado and am still annoyed by the protagonist, but I will prevail (meaning I'm determined to finish).

celiafrances, #53, I really liked The Dud Avocado but I can see why people might find it annoying. I must say I liked the beginning much more than the ending, so I will wish you the reverse experience!

Just finished Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset for Group Read-Literature. Long but well worth the effort.

Also reread House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende - enjoyed this just as much second time around.

Now reading A Spell of Winter by Helen Dunmore, an Orange Prizewinner.

I have just flown through the first 96 pages of We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson as part of my Spooky October.

How is it possible that I've lived this long without reading this?

nancy, I loved We Have Always Lived in the Castle!! I read it during my vacation last May and it was the perfect airplane book. The characters are so haunting and interesting - I hope you continue to enjoy it!

WI finished A Spell of Winter yesterday and have to say I enjoyed this one about Catherine who with her brother Rob has been abandoned by her parents. The story is set in the early 20th century. With its mix of family secrets, incest, love and war I found it spellbinding and enthralled to the end.

I have read a couple of chapters of When to Walk by
Rebecca Gowers about a woman whose husband suddenly walks out on their marriage. Good so far.

Finished When to Walk - very quirky main character called Rambles and she lives up to her name. Her husband walks out on her after lunch on a Saturday and the story is about how she copes in the ensuing week. A few LOL moments. I liked this book very much.

Next will be Nowhere else on Earth by Josephine Humphreys
set in Robeson County, North Carolina in 1864.

#56 nancyewhite - I thoroughly enjoyed We Have Always Lived in a Castle. It's the perfect book for Halloween. When I was a little girl, my mother and I used to visit the local bakery on Halloween day. Then that night, we would curl up with spooky or gothic novels, lovely baked goods, hot tea, and candle light for an evening of creepy bliss. I noticed that you recently read Excellent Women. I'm a long-time Barbara Pym fan. I heartily recommend Crampton Hodnet. It is terrifically funny.

My library checkout wishlist is getting out of control reading these posts! :)

Just finished ((Fannie Flagg's)) (Welcome to the World BabyGirl)) liked it the same way I liked (Valley of the Dolls) and the initial mystery in (Tales of the City).

I just picked up today at a book sale on a corner a book by Joan Didion The Year of Magical Thinking. I don't recall if I have ever read Didion, but the girl who sold it to me said, "enjoy it--it's beautiful." So I've put it at the top of my TBR list.

wow - just stumbled upon this group and am thrilled to see the discussions. Lots of my favorite authors and books listed, and others that definitely look intriguing.

Only read 1 (gasp) book right now - The Journals of Sylvia Plath. Gorgeous writing even in her diary...and having read the novel Wintering by Kate Moses and Plath's own Ariel and The Bell Jar makes it that much more interesting.

I am sure I will start some fiction soon as well.

I'm reading Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth. I have not read Buck before and I really like her writing.

Isn't it a lovely book? And, if I remember correctly, the movie was good too (apart from the fact that the main characters were played by American actors).

I was reading Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. I switched to Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T. Chang this weekend because I am having lunch with her tomorrow.

>65 lauralkeet: -- I went through a Pearl Buck period when I was in high school and I think I must have read all her books -- at least all that were in the public library -- but I haven't read her since. I've often thought about going back to read The Good Earth and its sequels again, but have never gotten around to it. Let me know if you think it's worth another read.

Reading The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett - enjoying it more than I thought I would.

Also starting Orlando by Virginia Woolf for a group read.

I've just started Lisa Lee's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. There are numerous recommendations for it here on LT so I'm anticipating a wonderful read.

Hi everyone. I've just joined, but see many familiar names here. I'm reading Tiger in the Grass: Stories and other Inventions by Harriet Doerr, who is one of my favorite writers. I've also begun Orlando for a group read.

#67 sisaruus I heard Leslie T. Chang interviewed on WNYC, (either Brian Lerher or Leonard Lopate, I forget which) this past Friday. Very interesting. Made a mental note to buy the book.

Welcome theaelizabet! It's good to see you here! This is a great group and you will get lots of ideas for reading!

I have just left The Land of Spices and am now waiting in The Ante-Room both by Kate O'Brien. I gave The Land of Spices five stars. It's truly excellent.

I adored We Have Always Lived in the Castle, so when I returned it to the library, I immediately checked out The Haunting of Hill House. I am also enjoying it immensely. My Spooky October reading has been greatly enhanced by the addition of Shirley Jackson.

I must be the only person on LT who did not particularly like We Have Always Lived in the Castle......

Don't worry Paola,

I've never liked Angela Thirkell's books. Eeryone has some deep dark book aversion.

I'm reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog--I'm not very far in, but am enjoying it so far.

#74--a Spooky October is such a good idea! I wish I'd thought of it, but I guess it's a bit late now. I know We Have Always Lived in the Castle is on my wish-list, so I'm glad to see so many people who enjoyed it.

Thanks Mary, that makes me feel better!!!!!
:-))

*whew* finally caught up with one thread...I am so far behind here. Welcome, newcomers. I'm reading Mary Lavelle by Kate O'Brien at the moment.

Am about halfway through Hope Leslie, or, Early Times in the Massachusetts by Catharine Maria Sedgwick who was a popular author and contemporary of James Fenimore Cooper and Washington Irving. It's an historical fiction set here in Massachusetts in the early colonial period when much of New England was still frontier (published in 1827). I have the distinct feeling I may have read this before. . .

It bugs me that thanks to our patriarchal society, everyone knows who Irving and Cooper is, but most do not know Sedgwick. This book is every bit as well-written and interesting as anything of Cooper's I've read. I think she offers a certainly less macho and more nuanced story.

My sentiments exactly avaland.

I'm reading Cold Comfort Farm, by Stella Gibbons, a charming romp in the English countryside.

82:wonderlake, there are two films of Cold Comfort Farm, the later one with Kate Beckinsale, the earlier one with Alastair Sim. If you are a film buff, do try to find them. They are great fun.

#71 theaelizabet, I am enjoying Factory Girls. I had only finished half of it before the lunch date but we still had a scintillating conversation about the book, about China, about U.S. politics, about immigration and migration, about her current home town (here in the U.S.).

Tonight I had the opportunity to hear Terry Tempest Williams read from Finding Beauty in a Broken World and I was mesmerized. Is it okay to breathe again? I feel changed.

I am enjoying Maeve Binchy's Circle of Friends set in and around Dublin.

Just finished, after a rather long hiatus, As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams by Lady Sarashina. How can you not like a memoir that starts off:
"I was brought up in a part of the country so remote that it lies beyond the the end of the Great East Road. What an uncouth creature I must have been in those days! Yet even shut away in the provinces I somehow came to hear that the world contained things known as Tales, and from that moment my greatest desire was to read them for myself."

#86 janeajones,

Wow, that opening is gorgeous. You've sold me on the book. I'm trotting off to Abe's to purchase it forthwith. As for me, I'm currently doing Nada in Barcelona during the Spanish civil war. This is a lovely coming-of-age narrative written by Spanish author Carmen Laforet.

I just read two earlier novels by Jennifer Haigh, the talented author of the wonderful The Condition. Both her first, Mrs. Kimble, and her second, Baker Towers are very good, but the second is much more complex and perceptive, just s The Condition is better than it -- so much to look forward to in her next novel! What I would say all of these books have in common is that Haigh likes to take a variety of interacting characters through time and periods of change, and that she is very insightful about their emotions and motivations.

Reading The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark - this re-read is just as delightful and funny as my first experience.

I'm reading Penelope Lively's "anti-memoir" as she refers to it, entitled Making It Up.

About to start No Bones by Anna Burns - it's about a girl's life growing up in Belfast during the Troubles.

No Bones - funny, tragic, haunting. Disturbing but glad I read it.

Just started Probable Future by Alice Hoffman - so far it's pretty haunting and feels a lot like Practical Magic, which I loved!

Interesting coincidence, Akeela! I just finished Oleander, Jacaranda by Penelope Lively which is a memoir of her childhood in Egypt, complete with aloof and adulterous mother, loving but poorly educated prim governess, dislocation due to war, the injustices of colonialism in retrospect, life with English grandmothers, and pictures - servants, the villa, the swimming pool, the sporting club, poor peasant children, etc. It is amazing that she turned out to have such a happy and successful life!

Hey, Miriam. Some of the same themes occur in Making It Up - I'll have to look out for Oleander, Jacaranda. She's such a gifted writer!

I've just started The Seasons of the Beento Blackbird by the Ghanaian-born Akosua Busia. Talk about wonderful writing!

I'm reading Where the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward, a new young author. The story, set on the Mississippi Gulf coast, is about two twin brothers who paths diverge after high school graduation. The characters are very credible. I'm hooked.

Finished Orlando by Virginia Woolf for a group read - this was definitely worth a re-read.

I started The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls yesterday and wish I'd picked it up sooner! I've read lots of comments on here but was expecting it to be less funny and grimmer. Makes me feel better about occasional parenting lapses...

Am still reading the Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville too. And a non-fiction book about dead white men.

98: I'm also reading The Idea of Perfection and am enjoying it, although I never thought it would so hard to read dialogue without quotation marks. It puts you in a different reading mode, but I'm liking it.

Also started Sarah Vowell's new The Wordy Shipmates; she can make history funny and interesting--even Jesus-loving Puritans.

Just started Gail Godwin's Queen of the Underworld which I found at the library
While looking for something else. I had never heard of this book, pub.2006 & I thought I had read everything Gail Godwin ever wrote. So I'm looking forward to this read.

I've been ill since Saturday, so I've been mostly rereading old standby favorites - Robin McKinley and Monica Furlong and Patricia C. Wrede. I just started Dealing with Dragons for what is probably about the hundredth time.

bluesalamanders - hope your feeling better soon.

I have just finished Buxton Spice by Oonya Kempadoo, the story of Lula, a young girl growing up in Guyana. I did not like this book very much -too much info on her sexual awareness and not enough on what was happening politically at the time. Descriptions of place were good.

Next read is also set in Guyana - The Ventriloquist's Tale by Pauline Melville. This was the winner of the Whitbread First Novel Award 1997.

83> I vaguely remember the Kate Beckinsdale version of Cold Comfort Farm being on TV several years ago- I've added it to my film rental wishlist :)

I've started Cat's Eye, by Margaret Atwood.

#99> celiafrances, you said it right! It is not easy to read dialogue without quotation marks. I am beginning to enjoy The Idea of perfection now, approximately 180 pages in. I guess it is the subtle sense of humour that has kept me going, and the way she can describe her characters.

I am waiting in vain for "The Idea of Perfection" to become available on BookMooch. I may have to break down and buy it, though I am trying, like all of us, to show fiscal restraint in these troubled economic times.

I have just finished reading the first two installments of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. My kid requested these for Christmas, and I didn't see any point in letting paid-for books lie around unread for two months.

Plus I have a weakness for vampire stories, and have probably read almost every one ever written, and I can say most of them are perfectly terrible, right from Carmilla, possibly the first vampire book ever written on down.

Meyer's books are a bit uneven. Feminists have criticized her heroine. But I appreciate the moral questions she's trying to raise in an imaginative and interesting way.

And next to the exhausting, rambling and disappointing The Historian that I read a couple of years ago, I'd rate Meyer's effort fairly highly.

Everybody knows, of course, that you can't beat Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire as the best vampire story ever written, though I can't speak as well for her sequels.

And a laugh-out-loud hick vampire book is Gil's All Fright Diner.

Sorry for throwing some books by the other gender in there, but one always likes to be thorough.

Happy Halloween!

#105> nohrt4me, if ever I come across a used copy of The Idea of Perfection I shall be happy to send it to you.
:-))

Slipping in just under the wire for October ... I started Bobbin Up, a Virago Modern Classic set in 1950s Australia. It's about women working in Sydney's woollen mills under deplorable conditions.

#105>nohrt4me, I was planning on listing it for mooching when I'm done so you can have mine. And that'll make me hurry up and read it. I keep leaving it at work.

I tried reading the Historian a few years ago but just couldn't get into it.

Laura, isn't there a Rebecca Harding Davis about women in the iron mills? I remember that it was important.

Miriam, Rebecca Harding Davis wrote Life in the Iron Mills.

I read it years ago -- very interesting.

Yes, it is.

Finished The Ventriloquist's Tale by Pauline Melville - I loved this book about the life of Amerindians in Guyana. Recommended.

About to start The Nice and the Good by Iris Murdoch.

Just finished Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. If you haven't read this yet, you must read it soon. Definitely one of my top reads of 2008. I will review it soon on my 50 Books Challenge thread.

#113
I liked The Nice and the Good

yareader - I have now read 4 chapters and enjoying it but there are so many people in it, think I'll have to write them down to sort them out in my mind.

yes, it is a highly populated story.

I have just started Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson.

I'm about to start The Nice And The Good too! Funny that, eh!

Just read Sour Face by M. J. Cox - the true story of the abusive relationship she ended up in. Very good and powerful stuff.

I'm rereading Orlando by Woolf for a group read, and am also reading Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters by Kathleen Ragan, which is a collection of folktales with female heroines, from around the world. Both are very fun.

LyzzyBee - what a coincidence that you should be reading the same Murdoch book as me!! :-)

I finished Where the Line Bleeds today. What a fabulous book: well-written, honest and loving. This is the author's first book - I'll be watching to see what she writes next. While reading it, I also could not help thinking about a book I read earlier this year, Measuring Time (not written by a woman), also about twin brothers.

I am about to start Lantana Lane by Eleanor Dark for an Australian Theme Read.