false 15 5 3 true 6165739 read 2 true 509284 currently-reading 0 true 509283 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68200429 Peter's review of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #1)
by Alexander McCall Smith

I just read this a few weeks ago. I loved it!! I want to read all about Precious now! :-) ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/34140972 Dan's review of Academie Du Vin Guide to French Wines
by Steven Spurrier

It's important to have soil IN the grapes, I always think. I like a "gritty" red. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28505912 Melanie's review of Fearless Fourteen (Stephanie Plum, #14)
by Janet Evanovich

Yes! I KNEW she had a new one out...I told one of Mom's nurses a few months ago, and she looked at me like I was crazy. But I KNEW I'd read somewhere that 14 was out. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/26541855 to: When You Are Engulfed in Flames (Hardcover) by David Sedaris
bookshelves: currently-reading
I love David Sedaris because he can tell an entire story in asides, the way I tell mine. I get filthy looks for my trouble, but he sells lots of books, so this somehow validates me! Yeah! Suck it, world...:-)

(More details when I finish it--and thanks to Stephen for giving it to me!) ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24803354 Merrie's review of The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
by Susan Orlean

"like accidentally learning a dark secret about a co-worker you barely knew"

You mean like finding out the guy in Accounting dresses up like Eileen Heckart and gets into autoerotic asphyxiation with Butternut bread bags??

Or...not...? ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/19291747 to: The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: The Spiritual Classic & International Bestseller; Revised and Updated Edition (Paperback) by Sogyal Rinpoche
bookshelves: currently-reading
As a Westerner, I find Eastern philosophy at once simple and complex: the basic tenets of Buddhism and Eastern religion appear to be very simple (consideration for all living things, consciousness of all our actions and the knowledge that every action affects others, and a "forsaking" of the permanence of material things), but for those of us who've built our lives and measured our success by the acquisition of these very things, it's a hard sell.

The main message I've been getting from the book (which a good friend and bandmate gave me to help me with the impending death of my mother) is that the greatest gift we can give to a dying person is a "good death." We do this by comforting them, reassuring them that they are loved and valued and that their life has made a great impact. (At least that's what I've been doing!)

I find that the book tends to bang us over the head with dozens of metaphors on a single page ("think of a babbling stream..." then, two sentences later, "think of a frozen iceberg," etc.), but the messages of spirituality and reflection are very refreshing and welcome in our grasping world. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13854160 to: Life and Loves of a She Devil (Paperback) by Fay Weldon
This was a re-read for me, actually--I read it the first time when I was 19, and I still love it just as much.

ANYONE who's ever been jilted and ill-used by a lover/spouse/partner and fantasized about getting the ultimate revenge, this book tells the (fictional, of course) story of one woman who actually goes for it.

Some of her actions are cringe-worthy...she steps over a lot of lines, and makes unthinkable sacrifices. Many of the things she does would be impossible in today's tech-savvy world, where every action can be traced by some record. But her story (which toggles between first-person and third-person narrative) offers an interesting perspective on the struggle between nature and human will, as well as showing us the possible advantages of being among society's "invisibles," those who just don't fit in, and whom "the beautiful people" would rather forget exist--if they dare! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10760090 to: Faithfull (Paperback) by Marianne Faithfull
Always loved Marianne Faithfull and this book made me love her even more! Unflinchingly honest about her drug abuse, her period of "squatting" in London, her failed relationships and affairs, nobody is harder on Marianne than she is on herself. But she's so incredibly engaging and funny that it's not painful to read--it's a joy.

A recommended companion piece is "Dreaming My Dreams," a 1999 documentary of Marianne with interviews with her biographer David Dalton, childhood friends, Keith Richards and even her ex-husband. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3911438 to: Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell (An Agatha Raisin Mystery #11) by M.C. Beaton
Agatha Raisin is not your typical English village lady. She's a retired PR executive from London who's had to fight her way along in a man's business world, and has had to bulldoze more than a few folks along the way. In short, she can be a real pain in the ass.

But her gruff demeanor and her lack of domestic prowess are oddly endearing, especially when coupled with her curiosity and ability to solve crimes. In this installment, Agatha has just married her long-time love James Lacey, a crusty old-fashioned bachelor who disapproves of her working outside the house and her lack of housekeeping skills. After a terrible argument, James disappears. His car turns up a few days later--with traces of his blood inside. To make matters worse, his one-time mistress, Melissa Shepherd, is found bludgeoned to death in her cottage, with an absent James as the prime suspect.

Did James do it? If so, how was he injured? Where is he now? Agatha and her friend Sir Charles Fraith hit the trail to investigate, and take us along for a fun ride in the process... ]]>