false 42 635 390 true 5657228 read 9 true 519853 currently-reading 235 true 519852 to-read 84 false 530538 mystery 75 false 530535 fiction 63 false 530532 friends_recommendation 30 false 530541 memoir 30 false 520572 faith 29 false 520128 mystery_book_club 24 false 528544 non-fiction 22 false 2061553 favorite-characters 20 false 2567628 not_in_opl 20 false 520417 favorites 19 false 904630 bas_bleu 13 false 2109913 england 12 false 610157 cookbooks 11 false 1705594 domestic-arts 10 false 2331535 bas-bleu 10 false 1656882 police_procedural 10 false 526868 teaching_inspiration 9 false 520404 childhood-favorites 9 false 2523241 contemporary 8 false 526931 loathsome 8 false 2371289 1950s 7 false 2061574 1920-s 7 false 530689 language 7 false 2484065 year_of_fill-in-the-blank 6 false 553555 couldnt-finish 6 false 2092752 1930s 5 false 526894 teaching_practical 5 false 530586 travel 5 false 3958365 hebrides 5 false 528665 environment 5 false 526897 read-aloud 5 false 1251552 graphic_novel 5 false 1864311 1960s 5 false 2109918 1970s 4 false 5608712 private_investigator 4 false 904472 books-on-books 4 false 2061554 australia 3 false 3418823 to_buy 3 false 4365037 1940s 3 false 570502 knitting_commentary 3 false 2065975 picture-books-for-grown-ups 3 false 3796502 knitting 3 false 6961864 kenya 3 false 904556 simplicity 2 false 3418764 italy 2 false 4618538 ireland 2 false 1821228 colorado 2 false 1961521 children-s-picture-book 2 false 1864324 chicago 2 false 1705406 fairy_tales_for_grownups 2 false 4382269 north_carolina 2 false 2061491 scotland 2 false 1821312 minnesota 2 false 2128686 art 2 false 5608716 new-york 2 false 1961524 poetry 2 false 2989357 1900s 1 false 4473636 morocco 1 false 9123885 new-zealand 1 false 2474813 new_jersey 1 false 2211816 money 1 false 6831464 massachussets 1 false 1821316 north_dakota 1 false 1864313 los-angeles 1 false 5608707 china 1 false 5615991 ivory-coast 1 false 1738931 india 1 false 2306801 idaho 1 false 3955382 politics 1 false 9249168 virginia 1 false 4473573 egypt 1 false 2077672 detroit 1 false 548012 trains 1 false 3318026 canada 1 false 7256185 california 1 false 2077716 venice 1 false 7265186 1910-s 1 false 5557644 sweden 1 false 6941522 botswana 1 false 5051964 architecture 1 false 3745684 texas 1 false 4859981 alaska 1 false 5298183 alabama 1 false 2077669 rwanda 0 false 2126159 southern-cal 0 false 2637927 south-africa 0 false 3513314 fantasy 0 false 3419041 paranormal_fantasy http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81264999 to: Six Geese A-Slaying (A Meg Langslow Mystery, #10) by Donna Andrews
bookshelves: contemporary, favorite-characters, mystery, virginia
I laughed aloud with this a few times. SO much fun! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79342720 to: Death of a Poison Pen (Hamish Macbeth Mystery, Book 20) by M.C. Beaton
bookshelves: mystery, scotland
I love Hamish and the Scottish Highlands, and this is a fun, light read. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80106412 to: The Iraqi Cookbook (Hardcover) by Lamees Ibrahim
bookshelves: cookbooks
This is a gorgeous book, and it was quite fun to browse through the pictures and recipes. I did feel like I understood something about Iraqi cuisine and the Iraqi palate. I think I would have been frustrated had I actually tried to cook from it, though. For example, there were frequent vague references to throwing some spices in, but not a lot of guidance to how much of each of the suggested spices. And though there were plenty of large pictures of the dishes, there were no smaller, instructive photos of ingredients, techniques, or what the dish should look like mid-preparation. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80104876 to: A Shine of Rainbows (Paperback) by Lillian Beckwith
bookshelves: fiction, hebrides
Though this was published (and presumably written?) in the 1980's, it has a 50's feel to it. The plot is very predictable, but so what? I am a sucker for stories that feature an orphan who finally finds a loving home. Mairi the devoted, kindly mother and Sandy the taciturn father are pretty stereotypical, but the characterization of the boy, Thomas, is a bit more nuanced. And most anything could be forgiven, anyway, for a chance to soak in the harshly beautiful seascape. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80063074 to: A Proper Woman (Hardcover) by Lillian Beckwith
bookshelves: 1950s, fiction, hebrides
Beckwith writes better memoirs than fiction in my opinion, but I still enjoyed this tale of a woman who endures abuse and hardship for years before finally finding a way to assert herself. There was a little too much unbelievable romance, and the whole thing read like a 1950s technicolor melodrama. However, I'll forgive a lot to spend a little time on Bruach Island with the Hebridean people. Their mannerisms and speech and the austere beauty of the land come through in everything Beckwith writes. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80004545 to: Death By Water: Phryne Fisher (Book 15) by Kerry Greenwood
bookshelves: 1920-s, favorite-characters, mystery, new-zealand, private_investigator
Phryne Fisher is true to form in this 15th entry in the series. She's been hired to find out who is stealing jewels from first class passengers on the SS Hinemoa. The cruise to New Zealand is fascinating good fun, the characters are charming, and the plot reasonably satisfying. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79993724 The March: A Novel (Paperback) by E.L. Doctorow
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79993250 Red Sky in Morning (Mass Market Paperback) by Max Allan Collins
bookshelves: not_in_opl, to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79993022 The Chalk Circle Man (Hardcover) by Fred Vargas
bookshelves: to-read
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