Mary’s Comments (group member since Jun 28, 2009)

Mary’s comments from the The Complete Idiots Guide to the Ultimate Reading List group.

Eh- that would be Reader and Raelynx

I gave my son City of Thieves for his birthday and he loved it. Do you like fantasy or science fiction? Sharon Shinn writes great fantasy - I've read all of her Samaria series (Arkangel, Jova's Angel,etc.) and liked it. Her first book, The Shapechanger's Wife is fascinating - like a Grimm's fairytale. Her 12th House series, which she is currently writing is excellent - Mystic & Rider, The Thirteenth House, Dark Moon Defender, Ready and Raelynx and a new one that just came out - title escapes me. Also David Brin and Larry Niven write excellent straight science fiction.

Mary Jane

I found a paperback copy of this at my local drug store (different subtitle) and am about a third of the way thru it. It's a lot different than I expected (don't ask!)and I love it. I laughed so hard at the description of their move from Brooklyn to Long Island. It reminded me of some moves I've made. And the description of getting the marrow out of the marrowbone is hilarious. I love the fact that the book includes Julia & Paul Child's story too - she was a big favorite of mine. I'll definitely see the movie and I don't go to many.

A friend gave me this book, and I liked it very much. Neat to have a book of different chapters, almost like separate stories all linked together by the same topic. The writing is first class and the stories are all fascinating.

I agree with Dree. This book, which I read a lot of years ago, got me started reading Atwood. When I was in France (long story) I found a book of her short stories in the apartment I was renting, and as my French was terrible, and the tv only had French channels, I read every one of them during the week I was there. Book was Wilderness Tips - I now own it, and this may get me to read it again. I also have a bunch of her other books on my TBR shelf - like The Robber Bridegroom. Don't know why I haven't read them yet.

I tried a Putney book for the first time last year and wasn't really thrilled. Found it "same old, same old. I probably won't read this one.

I have at least ten of the Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series (Cater Street Hangman, I believe, is the first) and I love them. Lots of interesting Victorian detail and great psychological analysis of the characters. Anne Perry has written two other series that are also very good.

I read an interview with Evanovich somewhere in which she said that she wouldn't have Stephanie choose between Joe and Ranger until the last book she writes about them.

Maisie Dobbs is a great book! Maisie was a field nurse during WWI and is injured while working in a French field hospital. After the war she starts a business as a "psychological" private detective. Her first (and subsequent)investigation has to do with repercussions from wartime. I have since read the 2nd and 3rd books in the series and have the 4th on my TBR shelf. I highly recommend the books for wonderful characters, good, tight plots and an interesting look at England between the two World Wars. Also, Maisie's life develops from book to book, which is always a plus for me.

I'm new at this Goodreads site, so I don't know if it's permissable to introduce a new author into a discussion, but here goes. (Slap my hand if I transgress, please!) Another author who does wonderful scenes of mayhem is Janet Evanovitch. I just love her Stephanie Plum series, although she's beginning to apparently run out of fresh ideas. Her last was not up to par, and I just read a review of the new one coming out which said the same thing. Maybe Stephanie needs to retire, but that would break my heart! Stephanie, Lula, Connie, Joe Morelli, Ranger and Stephanie's nutsy family all seem like my family now.

I don't think I've read that one either. I read one about cosmetic surgery gone bad and the last one (which I read on vacation) was about an obituary writer for a newspaper and a rock group called Jimmy Stoma and the Slutpuppies. LOL!

This is one of my all-time favorite books - I consider it the best book written in the last part of the 20th century. It's a very complicated book about two scholars in England who uncover an illicit romance between two fictional 19th century poets. The book goes back and forth between the two centuries and is filled with poetry and dense with literary allusion. I was part of a discussion of Possession on another web site and we mined amazing stuff out of just the first few chapters. I can't recommend this book highly enough, but you must be willing to put some effort into reading it.

I have to agree about putting some space between his books. Having said that, I've read several of them and found them side-splitting. Haven't read this one, but I really enjoyed Skinny Dipping, Native Tongue (about wild animal parks and proactive senior citizens in Florida) and his latest (which title escapes me).

Hi everyone! I'm Mary Jane from Wilmington, Delaware. I was just talking to my niece in California and she told me about Goodreads, so I had to join. This group sounds like a great place to start, since I like many different kinds of books.