Laura wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Hi Laura:
I would recommend The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies. The books are:Fifth Business (my favourite of the series),The Manticore and World of Wonders. Fifth Business ..."

Yes, it's all three books in one volume.

yes, it has been an unusual summer.

Lyn wrote: "Akittykat wrote: "Lyn wrote: "Akittykat wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "Hi Laura and Lyn!
If this brings any comfort ... my son came back after 2 years!!!
He is now attending Cal Poly University here, and ..."

They did have temps in the hundreds the other week. She said She might as well have been in so cal.

Akittykat wrote: "Lyn wrote: "Akittykat wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "Hi Laura and Lyn!
If this brings any comfort ... my son came back after 2 years!!!
He is now attending Cal Poly University here, and working full tim..."

I know, after one year, my son complains that it is way too hot down here. And when we went to visit him in December, it never got above 41F.

Lyn wrote: "Akittykat wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "Hi Laura and Lyn!
If this brings any comfort ... my son came back after 2 years!!!
He is now attending Cal Poly University here, and working full time ... and he l..."

She moved to Portland. Looking to do her masters in next few years. She doesn't know if she wants to go to Oregon or UCLA or Santa Cruz.Yes she says it is beautiful. She wants her dad and I to move up there. To cold for me....

Akittykat wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "Hi Laura and Lyn!
If this brings any comfort ... my son came back after 2 years!!!
He is now attending Cal Poly University here, and working full time ... and he lives with me!!!
..."

Where in Oregon did she move? My son lives in Corvallis, which is a beautiful small college town. Both my nieces live in the south in the Ashland area. I love Oregon, it is such a beautiful state.

Suzanne wrote: "Hi Akittykat!
Cal-Poly San Luis. Daughter graduated from Academy of Arts University in San Francisco. She is Mom of my PERFECT grandson 'Leif' (see pics) !!!
Haven't moved youngest out of nest, h..."

Nothing you are helping him get through school. I told my kids their dipolmas was as much mine as theirs. hehehe. did you ask about facebook I dont respond to those links. .

Hi Akittykat!
Cal-Poly San Luis. Daughter graduated from Academy of Arts University in San Francisco. She is Mom of my PERFECT grandson 'Leif' (see pics) !!!
Haven't moved youngest out of nest, he bounces back.
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

Suzanne wrote: "Hi Laura and Lyn!
If this brings any comfort ... my son came back after 2 years!!!
He is now attending Cal Poly University here, and working full time ... and he lives with me!!!
Hey ... be care..."

Cal-Poly Pomona or San Luis? My son graduated from Pomona several years ago. Daughter graduated from CSULB in Jan. then moved to Oregon. So my empty nest is a really empty one. One is moving to Virginia and one is in Oregon. Time to rediscover my hobbies.

Isn't it though? I think sometimes you have to have a daughter AND be a mom to understand. It's a mother/daughter thing. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so well, and the drama...can definitely do you in at times!

Yay Laura! So glad things are going well. I'm with you regarding the drama - less is definitely more!!

We're staying out of the loony bin!! Yippee!

I'm with you, Suzanne!

:)

Yay!!! You guys are doing great! Sounds like you have alot of support at home!
Keep up the fun and good spirits, we are all here for you if you can still see us under these stacks of TBR'S!!!

:D ♥♥♥

Thanks Gracee! That one looks good!

Hi Laura :) I recommend Mistress of the Art of Death

Laura wrote: "Sophie wrote: "I haven't read it (yet!) but I've been told that the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer is a great book to read. It's based back in the war and is writ..."

No problem! I've still got to read it!

Lyn wrote: "Joe is still home for now. We leave for Corvallis on the 18th of September, but Joe is definitely getting ready to go back. He has been talking to his roommate a lot on line and making plans. We..."


Wow, so you still have some time then. Enjoy it! I'm glad he's organized, that's a big plus. You must be really proud of him!

Brenda wrote: "Hi Laura:
I would recommend The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies. The books are:Fifth Business (my favourite of the series),The Manticore and World of Wonders. Fifth Business is narrated by ..."

Brenda - if you buy "The Deptford Trilogy" (800+ pages), I assume that includes all three books, right? I just saw it on paperbackswap.com. It looks really good!

Brenda wrote: "Hi Laura:
I would recommend The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies. The books are:Fifth Business (my favourite of the series),The Manticore and World of Wonders. Fifth Business is narrated by ..."


Thanks Brenda, those look really good, and they're all new to me!

Mary wrote: "Hi Laura,

My daughter will be leaving next week to begin her sophomore year and, just like last year, I will miss her a great deal but I keep reminding myself that this is such a fun and excitin..."

Thanks so much, Mary, it was tough at the dorm. Really tough. But she was due to be at a pre-planned activity at 2:45, which really helped. Being on the campus without her was horrible, but once we got off campus I started to settle down, and it's been pretty much a breeze ever since. She's such a social kid that she wasn't home that much anyway, so it's really the drama that I notice being gone - and I don't miss that. Thanks for asking!

Kristin wrote: "Well Laura, after reading through all these great "loony bin-less" suggestions yesterday (and finishing Pride and Prejudice this morning) - I ended up bringing The Brothers Karamazov home from the ..."


So Kristin - what did you think of The Brothers K?

Joe is still home for now. We leave for Corvallis on the 18th of September, but Joe is definitely getting ready to go back. He has been talking to his roommate a lot on line and making plans. We are in the, lets get everything organized phase, which I think is the most trying part.

Lyn wrote: "Laura - Just checking in to see how you are doing? "

Aw, Lyn, that's so sweet! You're gonna be shocked, because we are all doing great. We are very happy empty nesters, completely not what we expected, but we are really enjoying ourselves. Our daughter is also very happy, doing great, and told me she has no desire to come home at this point.

I hadn't realized how much all the drama was draining me emotionally (and physically). The drama never ever stops, at least now I have some distance from it. Which I desperately needed, but didn't realize.

Thanks for checking up Lyn, that was so nice. How are you doing?

Sophie wrote: "I haven't read it (yet!) but I've been told that the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer is a great book to read. It's based back in the war and is written completely ..."


LOVED it, Sophie! Thanks!

Laura - Just checking in to see how you are doing?

I haven't read it (yet!) but I've been told that the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer is a great book to read. It's based back in the war and is written completely in letters. Like I said I haven't read it yet - it's on my list to read - but my boss and a co-worker have read it and they said it's brilliant!

Hi Laura:
I would recommend The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies. The books are:Fifth Business (my favourite of the series),The Manticore and World of Wonders. Fifth Business is narrated by the main character Dunstan Ramsey and the other books are told from the point of view of some of the secondary characters. These books will fit what you're looking for: puzzles,mystery, magic, spirituality,saints, plus beautiful writing and a narrator you will fall in love with. These books helped when my daughter went off to college. I also loved the Blind Assassin too.

Hi Laura,

My daughter will be leaving next week to begin her sophomore year and, just like last year, I will miss her a great deal but I keep reminding myself that this is such a fun and exciting time in her life, that I raised her to "leave the nest" etc., etc. Reading did help fill the void and, as others have mentioned, my reading did pick up a great deal after she left.

I read Possession A Romance years ago and remember liking it a great deal. I would also recommend The House at Riverton. I am reading it now and it has completely drawn me in.

Best of luck to your daughter and to you as well. Keep reading and let us know how you are doing.

Well Laura, after reading through all these great "loony bin-less" suggestions yesterday (and finishing Pride and Prejudice this morning) - I ended up bringing The Brothers Karamazov home from the library with me this morning. Even though it was never before even on my To Read list, the rave reviews on this thread intrigued me to no end! (And I would have grabbed Bleak House too, but it was checked out.) So thank you for beginning this thread.

If you end up reading it too, I hope you'll let me know how you like it and how you're holding up through this next month in a new stage. Looks like you have lots of friends on GoodReads to help you through! Count me as another, please. And best of luck to your daughter! She's lucky to have a mom who loves her so much.

Oh yeah, that was great. If you love Dickens and Austen, you'll love Jonathan Strange.

That's interesting, Laura. I have Jonathan Strange on my bookshelf as well. I should read it soon.
Thanks!

You know Petra, I have The Quincunx. I bought it because it said if you like Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, then you'd like that one too.

Good thought !

Hi Laura! I highly add my recommendation to The Shadow Of The Wind. It's a great read.
Another book that sounds like it may fit a lot of your criteria is The Quincunx. I haven't read it myself but have recently bought a copy. It comes highly recommended and the reviews seem to rave about it.

Thanks Suzanne and Lyn. I'm hoping that all my tears in the shower for the last couple of months will stave off some at the dorm. I tend to cry at the drop of a hat anyway, but I'm hoping I got most of it out of my system.

I'm hoping that after a week, I'll be used to it. She's never home anyway at this point, so how much can I miss her?

Tell that to the knot in my stomach. Right?

Thanks again ladies, much appreciated!

Laura wrote: "Thanks Susanna, will take another look at those and Lyn, that was so sweet! Nice to have another commiserator. How long did it take you and your son to adjust last year? I'm hoping for about a ..."

So - The first day was really bad. When we left him at the dorm, I couldn't even talk (sorry), but by the third week or so I was getting into a groove helped along by my books and crafts. Unfortunately, the first time he came home was even worse, but things got more normal as the year went on. So - keep those books handy, and message me if you ever get really loony!

Suzanne wrote: "Hi Laura and Lyn!
If this brings any comfort ... my son came back after 2 years!!!
He is now attending Cal Poly University here, and working full time ... and he lives with me!!!
Hey ... be care..."

My son wanted to go to Cal Poly, but didn't get in. He is in Corvallis at Oregon State. A nine hour road trip, whew! As for books, I have been dying to read the Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, Just bought The Shadow of the Wind, and The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo.

Hi Laura and Lyn!
If this brings any comfort ... my son came back after 2 years!!!
He is now attending Cal Poly University here, and working full time ... and he lives with me!!!
Hey ... be careful what you wish for!!! hahaha

I am truly teasing you, I went through hell when he left (he's my youngest). But, I am looking forward to him successfully going forward when he can support himself in every way.

'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' is EXCELLENT
'The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane'
'The Shadow of the Wind' also 'The Angels Game' by the same author

I read alot of contemporary mysteries as well ... not sure how far you want to go ...
Anyway good luck, drop me a note!

i haven't read too much in the way of mysteries, but one i did really enjoy angels and demons by dan brown...it's really mysterious and it's pretty hard to figure out "who-dun-it". one i'm reading right now is american gods by neil gaiman. it's turning out to be a thriller. i don't know so much that it's a mystery, but i've not heard one bad thing about it. whenever i tell my friends that i'm reading it, they almost always say, "i LOVE that book!!" anyway, hope this helps.

Thanks Susanna, will take another look at those and Lyn, that was so sweet! Nice to have another commiserator. How long did it take you and your son to adjust last year? I'm hoping for about a week at the outside? May be too optimistic, but I know the books will help.

Wow Laura, I know how you feel. My only son moved 9 hours away to college last September and since then my reading has definitely increased a hundred fold. It is a nice way to occupy my mind. Unfortunately, I don't have any book recommendations, but if you want to talk just to commiserate, send me a message.

Possession and Bleak House are both excellent, and I recommend them.

I took a look at your to-read list and from those books I would recommend Dissolution, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Alienist, or The Silver Pigs A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery, since you say you want kinda a mystery read.

I think it's now a tie between

The Shadow of the Wind and
Possession A Romance

I'll read both for sure, just not sure of the order yet.

I read Cat's Eye, and wasn't thrilled by it...loved the beautiful prose, but the story just didn't move fast enough for me.

Thanks for weighing in on Shadow, Hayes, that looks like a definite future read, if not for this one, then another time soon.

Laura wrote: "What about The Shadow of the Wind? That's getting great reviews too, and looks mysterious. Anyone read it?"

YES YES... I'm about a third of the way thru and love love love it!! Mysterious, strange, beautifully written (altho I don't know who translated it into English...)

Also, have you read Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood yet? That book has a similar feel to The Blind Assassin in my opinion... it's not one of her dystopias although I love those too.

Thanks Rebecca, yes, I loved Atonement. And The Thirteenth Tale for some of the same elements too.

I had to read Possession winter semester for one of my English classes and I loved it! If you've ever worked in academia it's especially wonderful. The author was never able to get her PhD and many people call this book her dissertation. It's absolutely brilliant writing and there are just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing what will happen up until the last page.

I also highly recommend Atonement if you haven't read that yet. It's another great book with some great plot-twists.

What about The Shadow of the Wind? That's getting great reviews too, and looks mysterious. Anyone read it?

Are there any mysterious deaths?

Not really looking for a mystery per se, but I like a good random unexplained death or 2 or 3...

YES yes yes to The Bros K. It's so good. Well, anything by Dostoevsky is, but I would highly recommend Bros. Karamazov. The writing is beautiful, and there are a few twists and elements of mystery (although I wouldn't call it a mystery by genre). I don't know anything about Possession though, so I might be a little biased.