Saturday, September 3, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
My Library
This is a pitcure of Yorba Linda's first librarian: Gertrude Welch. She's sitting on an ostrich named President Taft at the Cawston Ostrich Farm in Pasadena.
This is a picture of the Yorba Linda Public Library.
The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Patton Walsh
It's been a long time since I've written a review here. Now I'll try to catch up.
The Attenbury Emeralds is a mystery novel based on the characters of Dorothy Sayers - yup, a Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane novel.
Unfortunately I read those novels so long ago that I don't know how well Patton's characters match Sayer's.
What I can tell you is that I did enjoy this book and I mostly liked the interplay between the couple and the way Patton describes the post-war period the book takes place in.
It starts out with Lord Peter and Bunter relating a tale of the Attenbury Emeralds to Harriet. This story started before the Sayers books/Lord Peter's first related case. The case comes into the present when it's revealed that the emerald(s) are more than they seem. Sort of. It's hard to describe without giving away too much.
This is the third in a series. The first one Thrones, Dominations I haven't read. The second one, Presumption of Death I have read and look here for a review sometime in the future. Thrones, Dominations is a continuation of a Sayers' novel. Presumption of Death was written based on Sayers' notes about life during WWII. The Attenbury Emeralds is Patton's first mystery in the series which owes nothing but the characters to Sayers.
The Attenbury Emeralds is a mystery novel based on the characters of Dorothy Sayers - yup, a Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane novel.
Unfortunately I read those novels so long ago that I don't know how well Patton's characters match Sayer's.
What I can tell you is that I did enjoy this book and I mostly liked the interplay between the couple and the way Patton describes the post-war period the book takes place in.
It starts out with Lord Peter and Bunter relating a tale of the Attenbury Emeralds to Harriet. This story started before the Sayers books/Lord Peter's first related case. The case comes into the present when it's revealed that the emerald(s) are more than they seem. Sort of. It's hard to describe without giving away too much.
This is the third in a series. The first one Thrones, Dominations I haven't read. The second one, Presumption of Death I have read and look here for a review sometime in the future. Thrones, Dominations is a continuation of a Sayers' novel. Presumption of Death was written based on Sayers' notes about life during WWII. The Attenbury Emeralds is Patton's first mystery in the series which owes nothing but the characters to Sayers.
An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor
This book takes place in a small fictional village in Northern Ireland called Ballybucklebo. A doctor and his assistant doctor take care of the ills and woes of the village. That's mostly what happens.
Funny stuff happens (one man fleeces an Englishman by selling him an Irish coin of small value but with a horse on it by telling him it's a commemorative coin with some special horse on it).
It starts out rocky for the assistant doctor, Barry Laverty. A patient he helped has died of something medical. He needs some help to make sure the villagers will continue to trust him. Laverty also falls in love during the course of this book.
I liked this book because it was funny and sweet and a quiet book. It was perfect for a rainy day of pleasure reading
Funny stuff happens (one man fleeces an Englishman by selling him an Irish coin of small value but with a horse on it by telling him it's a commemorative coin with some special horse on it).
It starts out rocky for the assistant doctor, Barry Laverty. A patient he helped has died of something medical. He needs some help to make sure the villagers will continue to trust him. Laverty also falls in love during the course of this book.
I liked this book because it was funny and sweet and a quiet book. It was perfect for a rainy day of pleasure reading
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Now for something different. A non-fiction book. You probably have read or at least know a bit about this book because it's a #1 New York Times bestseller and because of the movie with Julia Roberts.
I loved the eat section of this book.
Elizabeth Gilbert is suffering through a nasty divorce and an on-again off-again relationship with a new boyfriend. She decides to take a year long trip to Italy (she loves the sound of the language), to India (because she's gotten into yoga and meditation and wants to spend time in her gurus ashram) and to Bali because she'd be to Bali for work and had met a medicine man who said she'd return.
So in the Italy section of the book, she eats and we also read a lot about her failed marriage and sticky divorce. We read about her relationship with her boyfriend that she had after the marriage broke up. I found this all very interesting. It was very personal and emotional.
In India, Elizabeth goes to the ashram. There she relates how she manages in the ashram. I felt it was all about her and that she was boasting about her experiences and spirituality. At the end of that section, it sounded as though she had finished her spiritual journey and was now perfect in this aspect of herself. Nothing else to learn. Bah. Didn't like this section (can you tell?).
She goes to Bali thinking she'll learn natural medicine from the medicine man, Ketut. I liked this section less than Italy and more than India. She learns things I can relate to (like how to love someone when it's hard and how to practice some tough love). Now for something different. A non-fiction book. You probably have read or at least know a bit about this book because it's a #1 New York Times bestseller and because of the movie with Julia Roberts.
I loved the eat section of this book.
Elizabeth Gilbert is suffering through a nasty divorce and an on-again off-again relationship with a new boyfriend. She decides to take a year long trip to Italy (she loves the sound of the language), to India (because she's gotten into yoga and meditation and wants to spend time in her gurus ashram) and to Bali because she'd be to Bali for work and had met a medicine man who said she'd return.
So in the Italy section of the book, she eats and we also read a lot about her failed marriage and sticky divorce. We read about her relationship with her boyfriend that she had after the marriage broke up. I found this all very interesting. It was very personal and emotional.
In India, Elizabeth goes to the ashram. There she relates how she manages in the ashram. I felt it was all about her and that she was boasting about her experiences and spirituality. At the end of that section, it sounded as though she had finished her spiritual journey and was now perfect in this aspect of herself. Nothing else to learn. Bah. Didn't like this section (can you tell?).
She goes to Bali thinking she'll learn natural medicine from the medicine man, Ketut. I liked this section less than Italy and more than India. She learns things I can relate to (like how to love someone when it's hard and how to practice some tough love).
I loved the eat section of this book.
Elizabeth Gilbert is suffering through a nasty divorce and an on-again off-again relationship with a new boyfriend. She decides to take a year long trip to Italy (she loves the sound of the language), to India (because she's gotten into yoga and meditation and wants to spend time in her gurus ashram) and to Bali because she'd be to Bali for work and had met a medicine man who said she'd return.
So in the Italy section of the book, she eats and we also read a lot about her failed marriage and sticky divorce. We read about her relationship with her boyfriend that she had after the marriage broke up. I found this all very interesting. It was very personal and emotional.
In India, Elizabeth goes to the ashram. There she relates how she manages in the ashram. I felt it was all about her and that she was boasting about her experiences and spirituality. At the end of that section, it sounded as though she had finished her spiritual journey and was now perfect in this aspect of herself. Nothing else to learn. Bah. Didn't like this section (can you tell?).
She goes to Bali thinking she'll learn natural medicine from the medicine man, Ketut. I liked this section less than Italy and more than India. She learns things I can relate to (like how to love someone when it's hard and how to practice some tough love). Now for something different. A non-fiction book. You probably have read or at least know a bit about this book because it's a #1 New York Times bestseller and because of the movie with Julia Roberts.
I loved the eat section of this book.
Elizabeth Gilbert is suffering through a nasty divorce and an on-again off-again relationship with a new boyfriend. She decides to take a year long trip to Italy (she loves the sound of the language), to India (because she's gotten into yoga and meditation and wants to spend time in her gurus ashram) and to Bali because she'd be to Bali for work and had met a medicine man who said she'd return.
So in the Italy section of the book, she eats and we also read a lot about her failed marriage and sticky divorce. We read about her relationship with her boyfriend that she had after the marriage broke up. I found this all very interesting. It was very personal and emotional.
In India, Elizabeth goes to the ashram. There she relates how she manages in the ashram. I felt it was all about her and that she was boasting about her experiences and spirituality. At the end of that section, it sounded as though she had finished her spiritual journey and was now perfect in this aspect of herself. Nothing else to learn. Bah. Didn't like this section (can you tell?).
She goes to Bali thinking she'll learn natural medicine from the medicine man, Ketut. I liked this section less than Italy and more than India. She learns things I can relate to (like how to love someone when it's hard and how to practice some tough love).
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