Tx for checking that Barb. I'll keep being here.

Sheila, I can definitely click the books you have just read and get your reviews on your blog. And, I can comment there too. So, as long as you can get to goodreads, we can have dialogue--both there and on the board.

And, thanks for reminding everyone about the Short Stories conference on goodreads. We'd love to have you there, everyone.

I agree, Cher did steal the whole show in TEA WITH MUSSOLINI. She was wonderful.

I think my favorite Maggie Smith movie is THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE.

Gabrielle, I've seeen most of Maggie Smith's films and I've been a fan since I saw her in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. But I have to say I thought Cher stole the show in tea with Mussolini. Maggie Smith is such a stalwart of the British cinema and stage. My favorite piece is her in Lady in The Van by Alan Bennett. I have the BBC Radio Audio Recording of that and its fantastic. I think her comic timing is exceptional.

Oh, so glad to hear you've seen MY HOUSE IN UMBRIA, Sheila. I love it, too. In fact, I own it. Even my husband loved it. He's a real fan of comedies, but I'm getting him to watch period pieces and art house films like MY HOUSE IN UMBRIA with me. He loved LADIES IN LAVENDER and TEA WITH MUSSOLINI, so the guy has to have much good in him.

I didn't even know THE LONELY PASSION OF JUDITH HEARNE was a film! Now, I'll want to add that to my collection, but I'd better play it safe and wait. I've not read the book.

Gabrielle, I'm a Maggie Smith fan and loved My House in Umbria. I haven't read Love and Summer yet. But have enjoyed both his short stories and novels.

Sarah, I don't know Brian Moore's writing although I do recall the film of The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne - another Maggies Smith one!

Sylvia, Alice Adams is another new one for me.

For anyone interested in short stories do come over to the CR short Story thread, We read one every two weeks.

Hi Sylvia, Thank you so much. I miss my sweet Charlie every moment. Yes, it seems our wonderful pets do have a difficult time of it. We once had four dogs and one cat. Now we just have Kitty, but Charlie was the dog I was closest to.

I'm on the east coast of the US now, though I did live in southern England, in Zuerich, Switzerland, and in France for a time.

I'll take a look at your blog. Thanks so much for the link.

Dear Gabrielle -- so sorry about your dog. There is just no easy way to recover from the pain of loss and feeling you might have done the wrong thing, though of course you did the right thing. There are so few happy endings for beloved pets. It sounds from your comments that you are in England. We are in the San Francisco Bay Area 30 miles from San Francisco. We have a new library opening in our town (Castro Valley) that I have been working on (with many others of course) for years and years. This will be October 31st. My blog is www.greenridge10.blogspot.com

Oh, I have THE HILL BACHELORS on my shelf. I can see it now, from here. I'll have to look for the story.

I'm so sorry about your cat. I know how you feel. I have a beautiful cat I just adore.

I'm still trying to recover from the loss of my beloved dog on August 3rd. He had been my best friend for fourteen years. He seemed so healthy, then one day, we found out he had cancer. The really bad part is we were told his tumor was benign, so we put him through a terrible surgery just four days before he died. I can never forgive myself for that. He just wanted to come home so badly. I was terrified I wouldn't get to the clinic before he died, but I did, and thankfully, I got to spend some time with him, but he was heavily sedated, though I know he recognized us. I'm thankful for that.

It's so nice to hear from you -- funny isn't it how it is such a pleasure to share joy various writers give you. "Of the Cloth" is in "The Hill Bachelors". I keep my favorite books on a shelf behind my bed. I have a copy of Alice Adams short stories (she is dead now, San Francisco writer). Her short story about her cat "The Islands" helped me recover from the loss of a beloved cat. One of my favorite short books is Nabokov's "Speak Memory" -- the one he rewrote before his death.

I haven't read that story, Sylvia. I love all Trevor's stories, though. I've yet to read one I didn't like. I have THE COLLECTED STORIES OF WILLIAM TREVOR, but it doesn't include the later stories so I have those volumes, like A BIT ON THE SIDE and CHEATING AT CANASTA.

I liked DEATH IN SUMMER a little more than FELICIA'S JOURNEY, though I loved both. LOVE AND SUMMER is great, but I think my favorites are still THE STORY OF LUCY GAULT and TWO LIVES.

It's great to meet someone else who loves William Trevor as much as I do. I don't know where you're from, but in the US I think people talk about Trevor more than they actually read him. It breaks my heart that he's never won the Booker.

I loved the comments about William Trevor. I love this writer -- especially the short stories, though I enjoyed "Felicia's Journey" (on which they based a lousy movie.) Occasionally I have xeroxed copies of particularly wonderful stories from the New Yorker. One of them, published there March 9, 1998 is called "Of the Cloth." The elegant, spare story of a meeting between two churchmen in rural Ireland. It is part of his published anthologies, but right now I'm not sure which one. Trevor has a way of building almost unbearable tension as you feel a character struggling to reach some resolution. I think of a story about a young, not-too-bright young man in London who has been set up to set off a bomb.

I've never read Brian Moore, though I keep meaning to. I've heard nothing but good things about him. Just so many books! Better than too few, though.

For some reason I always mix up William Trevor and Brian Moore, who wrote one of my all-time favorites, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne. I think I talked Steve into reading this eons ago. I have many Wm Trevors on my shelf but have yet to read any of them. I think Reading Turgenev was a CR selection, also many years ago, but I didn't partake. I need to read him.

Hi Sheila, I think William Trevor's forte is really the short story. He describes himself as "a short story writer who enjoys writing novels."

I think two of his best novellas are READING TUGENEV and MY HOUSE IN UMBRIA, which can be found together in the book called TWO LIVES. MY HOUSE IN UMBRIA was made into a lovely film with Maggie Smith in the lead.

As far as short story volumes go, I think AFTER RAIN and THE HILL BACHELORS are his best.

I'm always impressed with how quiet and understated, but powerful Trevor's writing is.

I think LOVE AND SUMMER is his 15th novel and he has so many volumes of short stories. LOVE AND SUMMER was longlisted for this year's Booker, but sadly, it didn't make the shortlist.

Gabrielle, I liked Lucy Gault very much, it introduced me to Trevor's Writings. I've not read either of the others you mention although I do keep hearing about the author

William Trevor's The Story of Lucy Gault was my favorite read of 2008. It came out years before, but for some reason, I didn't read it until last year, which is strange because William Trevor is my favorite author and I usually devour anything he writes.

I also liked The Siege and A Spell of Winter, both by Helen Dunmore.

Barb, will do I have the blog set up with a widget onthe left hand side to link through to the Goodreads entries and my reviews. It works Okfor me, but could you check it is working for you and let me know? But I'll also try and post a comment to the thread if it is still around next year then. I'm really looking forward to some good reading/listening. All other suggestions for my ever growing list are appreciated.

I hope you are able to post your impressions on your blog, Sheila. I am really going to want to know what you think of these.

I wanted to say tx to everyone for posting their recommendations. As a result of reading through this thread, and others, I have been buying up some treasures for my India trip. Amongst others, I now have, either as ebooks or audio, the following I picked out from here that I had not read

Richard Russo Empire Falls
Sara Gruen Water for Elephants
David Wroblewski The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
Junot Diaz The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Mary Ann Shaffe The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Garth Stein The Art of Racing in the Rain
Markus Zusak - The Book Thief
Marilynne Robinson Gilead: A Novel
Greg Mortenson Three Cups of Tea

Tx again

The Journal of Dora Damage - Belinda Starling
The Observations - Jane Harris

I was in hospital for a month in 2008, two weeks spent in bed (hip revision) so had lotsa time to read!

great lists!

i just joined, but i'll toss in my .02

i loved thomas pyhcon's against the day. that's the best book i've read in years. it made me happy to be a reader again. i was getting in a rut for few years and reading lots of things i liked, but hadn't felt that rush of excitement when you're reading something you just love.

i also went back and re-read bury my heart at wounded knee last summer, which was a never-ending series of heartbreaks all over again. it's a book that is important for me to remember.

Thanks for the tip, Veronica! I do indeed like Audrey T, and look forward to seeing her in both of these movies.

Tom wrote: "Though it's been many years since I read it, Japrisot's A Very Long Engagement is one of those books that moves me just thinking about it now, Mademoiselle (and wasn't it made into a movie?)"

Yes, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet with the lovely Audrey Tautou ("Amélie") in the lead role. The film was good, very atmospheric. If you like Audrey Tautou she's about to appear in a well-reviewed new biopic about Coco Chanel. Sorry, totally off-topic!

Though it's been many years since I read it, Japrisot's A Very Long Engagement is one of those books that moves me just thinking about it now, Mademoiselle (and wasn't it made into a movie?) The elegiac yet romantic tone reminds me of Apollinaire.

Seabiscuit was a marvelous read, too. You gotta love a jockey who read Emerson.

Jon, Mockingbird is my all time favorite book! Was it a first read or a re-read for you? I'd love to be able to read it for the first time, again, so I could have that feeling of... I don't know... finding a soulmate sounds so icky, but it's that, really.

I read very little in 2008, but two that stand out are Howl's Moving Castle, a funky quirky fantasy for kids (and not), and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou's first memoir, which speaks of growing up in the deep south in the 1930s. Splendid.

Heres a few from me 5 stars 2008

The Hours
Music & Silence
Middlesex
To Kill a Mockingbird
The God of Small Things
The Bone People

Philip, I don't know you but I agree with Mademoiselle that The Book Thief is a wonderful read. I cried buckets at the end but it wasn't depressing just very moving.

Philip wrote: "I recently bought The Book Thief to read for a college reunion discussion. Hope it's not t..."
Philip, you will REALLY enjoy this. I listened to the audio version at work. Several times, I got looks from co-workers because I was laughing out loud! Don't get me wrong, there were occasional intense scenes; I did shed a tear or two. But humans are capable of so much good...and that's what I took away from it. Keep me posted.

I recently bought The Book Thief to read for a college reunion discussion. Hope it's not too depressing, though most of the time that's okay with me, maybe not today.

I read 82 books last year (2008), of which 5 were rereads. The following were my favorites:

Jane Eyre--I can't believe I waited until last summer to read this. Devoured it!

Atonement--Beautifully written.

A Very Long Engagement--I love WWI fiction and this was great!

The Book Thief--WWII from Death's prespective. Powerful.

Seabiscuit--reminded me that I can and will rally again.

These were my top favorite reads of 2008:

The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer

The Other Boelyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

The Stand by Stephen King

Nightmars and Dreamscape by Stephen King

The Long Walk by Stephen King

Needful Things by Stephen King

The Dark Half by Stephen King

Virgens by Caryl Rivers

Double Cross by James Patterson

The Art of War by Tzu Sun

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

Trisha wrote: "Kevin wrote: "My wife and I keep a reading journal...

Hi Kevin...I'm interested in hearing more about the reading journal you keep. What exactly does it consist of?"
Hi Trisha,
I thought I had emailed you this but for some reason it did not show up. My father passed away about 10 years ago and I was lucky enough to get many of his books. I would find myself reading them and wondering what he thought of the book/author? Was it even a book he liked? Was it ear-marked for a charity? Was it one of his favorites?
My wife and I decided to keep a reading journal where we simply write the name of the book as well as the author and give it a rating 1-10. We sometimes comment on those we really enjoyed. Good reads allows me to do the same thing, but my wife and I wanted to be able to "pass on" our thoughts on what we read to our children.
Happy Reading!

Thanks, Tom. I appreciate the detail in your reply. Both of these are now on my list.

Barbara,
Though not as consistently lyrical and profound as Walden, Maine Woods still has many fine moments, some as "transcendent" as anything T. ever wrote. MW is actually 3 shorter works (the most famous being the first one, "Ktaadan"), written at different times, and combined in one. But they are unified loosely by T's concern with fate of Native Americans in an increasingly "civilized" world and the fate of natural world gradually disappearing under development (yeah, it was a problem even 200 years ago!) If you love Thoreau, you'll enjoy it much, I think.

As for A Christmas Card, I'd never heard of it. My partner, Carolyn, found it in her local library and raved about it and urged me to read it over the holiday, which I did. It's a quick read, one sitting. (It was written before Theroux became more known with his novel Mosquito Coast.) It's about a family moving to an old house deep in the woods on a snowy evening. They get lost and end up at an old hotel run by a mysterious old man with no other guests. He disappears the next morning, but leaves them a card with a drawing of map to their house. The story is narrated by family's son, the only one who can see that the drawing left by old man magically changes day by day and even according to time of day. I won't give any more away. It becomes a story about the power of imagination and faith in the mysterious and magical. The tone, though sweet and delightful, is also rather dark and serious in places, and rises above the stereotypical sentimental Christmas story of "believing in Santa." (We're not talking "Miracle on 34th St" transplanted to the woods.) Though written through a child's perspective (as remembered by an older man), the language is never simply childish. When I finished it, I wondered why this book had not been acclaimed a Christmas classic? It's that good. I highly recommend it. Try your local library.

Barbara wrote: "Tom, I'm going to follow up on The Maine Woods. Walden had such a great effect on me and I've never followed up with Thoreau. Also, I had not heard of A Christmas Card by Paul Theroux and it seem..."

The ones I gave 5 stars in 1008, not counting a re-read:

Dark Fire, by C.J. Sansom
The Lion and the Unicorn: Gladstone vs. Disraeli, by Richard Aldous
Sovereign: A Matthew Shardlake Mystery, by C.J. Sansom
The Complete Pompeii, by Joanne Berry
The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman
The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman
Revelation, by C.J. Sansom
The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge, by David McCullough
One-Skein Wonders, by Judith Durant
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke

It was a pretty good year of reading.

The Book of Evidence by John Banville
The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham
The Untouchable by John Banville
Shroud by John Banville
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
The Sea by John Banville

The above are probably my favorites of the year, there are more in actuality, but this'll do. :) I could add the rest of Banville's I read.

I read 40 books, here are the ones which I found most intriguing/challenging and left certain 'marks' if you know what I mean:
All Quiet on the Western Front (Remarque)
A Bridge Too Far (Ryan)
Lord of the Flies (Golding)
War and Peace (Tolstoy)
Vengeance (Jonas)
Walden & Civil Disobedience (Thoreau)

here's the list for me:
Pope Joan
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Beneath a Marble Sky
Push Not the River
Who by Fire

Except for Guernsey, haven't seen the other titles listed by many...
enjoy!

Tom, I'm going to follow up on The Maine Woods. Walden had such a great effect on me and I've never followed up with Thoreau. Also, I had not heard of A Christmas Card by Paul Theroux and it seems to be out of print on Amazon. Can you tell me some more about it?

Best Fiction:
Waiting for the Barbarians,Coetzee
(Honorable Mention to Amulet, Bolano)

Best Poetry:
What Work Is, Levine

Best Nonfiction:
The Maine Woods, Thoreau

Best Drama:
Copenhagen, Michael Frayn

Best Wild Card:
A Christmas Card, Paul Theroux

Oh, there are so many good books that I read this year! I think my favorite non-fiction was Eat Love Pray and fiction was Water for Elephants. There were so many, but those two come to mind immediately.

So many books you all have mentioned are on my list for 2009. I'm definitely looking forward to Edgar Sawtelle (which I better start soon if I'm going to join the discussion!) and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I have over 50 books on my to-read list, so I had better get cracking!

Lbmii wrote: "ZIP, so glad to see The bronze Horseman on your list. One of my all time faves....it's has 2 sequels. Not as good as the first, but if your dying to know the outcome like i was, it's worth checking out."
I read the first sequel "Tatiana and Alexander" and didn't like it. It was a big disappointment after "The Bronze Horseman". I gave up on the third book.

Liz wrote: I LOVED this read, even better (shall I admit?) than "Marley & Me"!
I loved it much better than "Marley & Me". In "Marley & Me" I was mostly sorry for the dog and frustrated at how he was treated.

What fun reading these lists...some times I think I can spend more time looking for new books to sit on my shelves in a TBR pile than reading! ZIP, so glad to see The bronze Horseman on your list. One of my all time faves....it's has 2 sequels. Not as good as the first, but if your dying to know the outcome like i was, it's worth checking out.

I love reading all these lists. It is a great starting point for thinking about what to read in 2009. I'm definitely going to be doing some rearranging on my to-read shelf. And I hope everyone will check back here before making July-Dec 09 nominations for CR and CC.

Three Cups of Tea--made me think and rethink, and education is a key. Inspiring.

The Zookeepers Wife--I'm an animal lover, so a story about saving animals in WWII was just right.

John Adams--I never knew the American Revolution could be so good.

The Great Deluge--I went through a Katrina phase and this was one of the best.

Collapse--Why do civilizations die? Interesting and relevant today.

The Stolen Child--fun fantasy with some depth and good writing.

Parting the Waters--fabulously detailed biography of MLK. This book is a gift.

Suite Francaise--Just some lovely writing. The author captures everyday people coping with war.

102 minutes--about the Towers. I'll never be afraid of elevators again.

The Ghost Map--Miasma or germs? An fascinating look at medicine not that long ago.

House on Sugar Beach--Fascinating story about growing up and leaving Liberia. A bit detached emotionally, but good nonetheless.

The Given Day--another good one from the writer of Mystic River.

Hi I haven't been on for a long time. Just thought I add my list, such that it is:
Eclipse, The Shadow in the North, Chasing the Devil's Tail: A Mystery of Storyville, New Orleans, The Tiger in the Well, Water for Elephants, Lily Dale: The Awakening, Daughter of Fortune: A Novel, Odd Thomas

Hope to talk to you guys more this year.

Celeste

Zip wrote: "I read 66 books this year.
My favorite book: The Art of Racing in the Rain..."

YES, YES, YES, Zip! I LOVED this read, even better (shall I admit?) than "Marley & Me"!

I read 66 books this year.
My favorite book: The Art of Racing in the Rain
I enjoyed lots of vampire books this year: the Twilight saga, the Southern Vampires series, The Historian.
Other books I liked this year:
We Need to Talk About Kevin: A Novel
Alias Grace
The Host: A Novel
The Bronze Horseman
Sense and Sensibility
The Witching Hour (which is also the longest book I read this year)
Kids classics I loved this year:
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Princess and the Goblin
My favorite non-fiction book this year was The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal. I just finished another wonderful book by the same author, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, but it already belongs to the books I read in 2009...
My favorite "foreign" book I loved this year is Shipwreck by Akira Yoshimura (I can't find it here for some reason).

I loved "Atonement" and "Kristin Lavransdatter"-- both are surprising reads, up until the very end.