WHAT ARE YOU READING AND WHY!! Showing 9,151-9,200 of 10,669

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

I am reading Lady Anna by Trollope. Love his books and this is a fascinating look at Victorian marriage and nobility

[Barbara]

I finished The Shadow Dancer by Margaret Coel. Vicky Holden, an Arapaho lawyer from the Wind River Reservation, recently returned to the region. Her abusive ex-husband, Ben Holden, is soon shot dead and Vicky is a suspect. There are also other problems in the area: a "prophet" named Orlando has revived the Shadow Dance religion, meant to restore the land to the Indians; and computer expert Dean Little Horse is missing.
Determined to clear her name Vicky investigates. She learns that Ben had a confrontation with two Lakota Indians who stole something from him. Vicky thinks they were involved in Ben's death and sets out to find them - running into trouble along the way.
Vicky is assisted by Father John O'Malley, the priest in charge of the Catholic mission on the reservation. Father John sets out to help Vicky prove her innocence, find Dean Little Horse, and shut down Orlando's cult.
Margaret Coel skillfully includes glimpses about the Arapaho people and culture, which was a good addition to the story. The motive for the killings made sense and the mystery - and tangential issues - were resolved in a satisfactory manner. I'd recommend the book as light reading for mystery fans.

[Fiona (Titch)]

Just finished the delightful Together Forever - Vicki Green. This was book 2 in the Forever Series. I am now off to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson (a book I have been putting off for the past 2 nearly 3 yrs lol). Wish me luck ;) x

[Barbara]

Good luck Fiona! I enjoyed the Dragon Tatoo :)

[KOMET]

I've begun to read the novel "Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932" by Francine Prose. It reveals to the reader a slice of life as it was lived by a group of people in Paris from the 1920s to the Second World War.

[KOMET]

I've begun to read the novel "Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932" by Francine Prose. It reveals to the reader a slice of life as it was lived by a group of people in Paris from the 1920s to the Second World War.

[KOMET]

I've begun to read the novel "Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932" by Francine Prose. It reveals to the reader a slice of life as it was lived by a group of people in Paris from the 1920s to the Second World War.

[KOMET]

I've begun to read the novel "Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932" by Francine Prose. It reveals to the reader a slice of life as it was lived by a group of people in Paris from the 1920s to the Second World War.

[Fiona (Titch)]

I am listening to Mommy, May I? - A.K. Alexander

[Barbara]

I finished The Secret Place by Tana French. Two British boarding schools, St. Kilda's for girls and St. Colm’s for boys are located close together. When Chris Harper - a boy from St. Colm's - is found murdered on the grounds of St. Kilda's, the case remains unsolved. A year later a St. Kilda's student finds a photo of Chris on a school bulletin board with cut-out letters that spell 'I know who killed him'.
Detectives investigate. The main 'suspects' for who placed the card on the bulletin board are two groups of friends: 'the snobby girls' and 'the nice girls'. The book is told in alternating scenes: in the present, the detectives question the girls to find out what they know; in flashbacks we see the interactions among the teens from the two schools.
Turns out there were various relationships among the students of St. Kilda's and St. Colm's leading to jealousies, spying, anger, threats, etc. Of course this was related to Chris's death.
I've enjoyed Tana French's previous books but this wasn't a favorite. The detective work (talking) was tedious; the characters weren't likable; and the mystery's resolution wasn't satisfying.
Still, I'd recommend the book to fans of the author; familiar characters from past books always show up in current ones and it's good to see what's going on with them.

[Fiona (Titch)]

Last night I finished Mommy, May I? - A.K. Alexander (on audio). Not sure what I think as it was laughable one minute and boring the next lol. Now I have Die For Me: A Novel of the Valentine Killer - Cynthia Eden (Audio) and reading Broken Build - Rachelle Ayala for a challenge.

[Judy]

I am reading Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig. It's my own ALS challenge. Instead of dumping a bucket of ice water on my head and videotaping myself doing it, I thought I'd learn something about the man whose name is linked to the disease and the effects of the disease itself.

[Barbara]

Judy wrote: "I am reading Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig. It's my own ALS challenge. Instead of dumping a bucket of ice water on my head and videotaping myself doing it, I thought I..."

That seems like an interesting book Judy.

[Barbara]

I finished The Racketeer by John Grisham. Malcolm Bannister, an attorney, was caught up in a money laundering scheme and sent to federal prison. When Judge Fawcett is murdered, Bannister contacts the FBI, claiming he will name the killer in exchange for immediate release from prison.
This happens, and once he is free Bannister embarks on an elaborate scheme to enrich himself. To say more would be a spoiler.
I will say, however, that Bannister's scheme is completely unbelievable. Moreover, Bannister is an unlikable character who - though he claims to be bereft by his divorce and loss of his son - makes no attempt to see the boy once he's out of prison.
This book is slow, boring, and poorly plotted. The characters are two-dimensional and uninteresting. I almost can't believe John Grisham wrote this book.
I'd recommend skipping this one.

[Steve]

Who's a Patricia Highsmith fan? I know you're out there. I'm nearing the end of Ripley's Game and I don't want it to end, even though I've read it — and definitely seen it — before. Ms. Highsmith is one of my favorites.

[Kath]

I am currently reading and I absolutely love it! Sci-fi/fantasy is not a genre I care for, generally, but reading the blurb for A Game of Thrones was the turning point. It sounded interesting and I thought I'd give it a try. Such an exciting story! A third of the way through the third book in the series and it just keeps getting better!

[Barbara]

I finished Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson. Goldy the caterer is happy when her godfather Jack moves to Colorado. Jack and his friend, Doc Finn, are always willing to give Goldy a hand.
As the story opens Goldy - married to detective Tom Schulz - is preparing to cater a couple of weddings: the O'Neal nuptials and the wedding of Billie Attenborough to Dr. Craig Miller. Self-centered Billie has driven Goldy crazy by continually changing her wedding plans. Finally, Billie decides to hold the event at the Gold Gulch Spa owned by Victor Lane - who Goldy dislikes.
The first tragedy strikes when Doc Finn has a fatal accident on the day of the O'Neal wedding. Turns out Doc was thinking of having a mysterious vial analyzed before he died.
A few days later, Jack is attacked at the Attenborough affair. In the hospital Jack gives Goldy some mysterious clues that she uses to help her husband investigate the crimes. Seems there are odd goings on in the medical community and at the spa; things that Doc Finn and Jack were looking into.
This is an okay light mystery with Davidson's popular recurring characters and interesting ancillary characters. As usual everyone consumes lots of mouth-watering food (for which Davidson provides the recipes).

[KOMET]

Finished reading yesterday "Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America" by Annie Jacobsen.

[Fiona (Titch)]

I've read Die For Me: A Novel of the Valentine Killer - Cynthia Eden and listened to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson. Now I am reading Broken Build - Rachelle Ayala.

[Barbara]

I finished The 9th Girl by Tami Hoag. When the mutilated body of a teenage girl falls from a car's trunk a serial killer called 'Doc Holiday' is the prime suspect. Detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska investigate the murder of the girl - dubbed 'Zombie Doe'.
Turns out Zombie Doe is 'Gray, a high school classmate of Liska's son Kyle. Talking to students reveals that Gray was at a teen hangout the night she disappeared, as was Kyle and a number of other students - some of whom were bullies who tormented both Gray and Kyle.
The homicide detectives pursue evidence on the assumption that Doc Holiday killed Gray, wanting to stop him before he claims another victim.
The characters are realistic, the police investigation proceeds at a good pace, and the ending is almost satisfying. All in all an okay mystery book.

[Barbara]

I finished And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. In 1952 a poor Afghan family is in dire straits in the town of Shadbagh, Afghanistan. Having lost a baby to the Afghan winter the father decides to sell his 3-year-old daughter, Pari, to a wealthy childless couple in Kabul - to provide a better life for his family. This sets up the baseline for the story which reverberates down through generations.
In one story line we learn that Pari's uncle brokered the sale of Pari, a deed that haunts him for the rest of his life.
In another section the author tells the story of a grown up Pari, living in Paris. Pari studies advanced mathematics and becomes a professor. I was especially struck by this story line, musing that Pari's life was exponentially different (and better in my opinion) than it would have been with her birth family. Does this justify selling the child? Room for debate!
Other chapters are equally engaging. Especially poignant are two separate stories of young girls with disfigured faces, one due to a dog bite, the other caused by a horrendous family tragedy. Both girls profoundly affect the people in their lives.
All these stories, and a number of others are fascinating and provide glimpses of Afghan culture that many people are not familiar with.
This is a wonderfully written book, well-worth reading. Highly recommended.

[KOMET]

Two days ago, I began reading "Slacks and Calluses: Our Summer in a Bomber Factory" by Constance Bowman Reid, which was originally published in 1944. The author, who was a high school English teacher, relates the experiences she and a fellow teacher had, when they volunteered to work in a aircraft factory in California during the summer of 1943, helping to assemble B-24 Liberator bombers as part of the war effort.

It is books like this one which bring back the everyday realities of the WWII Home Front USA.

[Barbara]

I finished Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke. The star of this series is Hannah Swenson - amateur sleuth and entrepreneur - who owns a cookie bakery. In this story scenes for a movie are slated to be shot in Hannah's home town of Lake Eden, Minnesota. The actors and movie staff flood into town, and local citizens will be involved as advisors and bit players.
The murder involves a character dying from a bullet wound from what was supposed to be a prop gun. This doesn't occur until about page 200, however, and until then we visit with the characters and follow Hannah's apparently eternal romantic triangle. It's hard to believe Hannah's beaus would put up with her indecisiveness forever, but it's a books - not real life.
Once the murder occurs Hannah and her sisters are on the job - "snooping" to help find the killer. As usual in these kinds of stories, they withhold information from the police, go where they shouldn't, etc.
This isn't a complex mystery but rather an entertaining cozy with fun characters that are staples of the series - and lots of recipes for good pastries.

[Fiona (Titch)]

Life on the Mississippi - Mark Twain

[Brian]

I'm reading Freddy's Book, which I love. Well-written, strange (a story within a story written by a monster whose characters include the devil), funny and moving. I'm actually re-reading this one after about 15 years and it's just as good as I remember it.

[Barbara]

I finished Three Strikes and You're Dead; by Michael A. Draper. Baseball players go on strike and fans are infuriated.
In an online chat room two especially angry individuals-"The Advocate" and "The Vindicator"-hatch a plan to kill the highest paid players to scare the rest into seeing reason. The program is put into action and several baseball players are murdered.
Meanwhile three private investigators - Roseanne, Graham, and Randy - are hired by the baseball commissioner to help nab the killers. With their insight they're able to assist the police and FBI.
The PI's are quite social and we join them in their homes and in restaurants, sharing good food and good stories.
The 'bad guys' carefully plan the murders, which come to involve a terrorist, a bomb-expert, drug addicts, and a sociopath. Upping the ante are double-crosses and plans for revenge. The action leads to an exciting and believable finale.
I enjoyed the book but would have preferred the private detectives to do more investigative work. They seemed to spend most of their time going about their private business and speculating about the murders. Still it's an entertaining book and I'd recommend it to mystery fans.

[Barbara]

I finished Niceville by Carsten Stroud. Rainey Teague is walking home from school when he disappears. This is common in Niceville, where many abductions have occurred.
Other bad occurrences in town include a deadly bank robbery, an angry divorced man who causes trouble, and the mysterious disappearance of respected citizens. There are also whispers about the danger of looking into mirrors.
Detectives investigate the odd occurrences and crimes - which involve double-crosses, Chinese businessmen, blackmail, a possible child molester, ghosts that tear people apart, secret pornographic photos, and more.
This is a complex story that blends supernatural and criminal activity, leading to a resolution that doesn't tie up all the loose ends - but this may have been the author's intention.
It's an okay book with a little too much going on for easy reading.

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

I am reading a terrific novel . An inside look at the life of a ghostwriter and a terrific thriller as well!

[KOMET]

Yesterday, I finished reading the debut novel "Lost" by Pandora Richardson, which is centered on a young African American private detective, Amelia Jones, who also happens to be a werewolf. (Feel free to check out my critique of the novel.)

[Karen]

DAKOTA GOLD/Karen Wilson I enjoy poetry and have written poems since back in the early '80's, three which have been published. This is one of them and memorized:

Soiled grey clouds raced within ashen, drab-dreary skies, as frenzied roaring winds roughly seized and shook trees mercilessly.
Endless pelting rain relentlessly washed and churned the earth while moisture cold seeped and searched every crack and nanny, tenaciously.
The call came as a lightening bolt...no hints...no warnings, nothing but sharp sizzling shock!
Cold water water of reality come in one fell swoop...to stun...sadden and rock. Years have tripped and fallen headlong. Spring-like gaits wilted, stopped. Never more to bend with ease.
No more promise in the air to be snatched and severed-like, dry leaves fell from Autumn branches and then clothed in snow sleeves.

A lifetime of pain and suffering ends. Lifelessly cloistered, the casket descends.

[Barbara]

Rick wrote: "I am reading a terrific novel . An inside look at the life of a ghostwriter and a terrific thriller as well!"

I haven't read this book but I saw the movie based on it, "The Ghost Writer" starring Ewan McGregor. Very good film.

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

Barbara wrote: "Rick wrote: "I am reading a terrific novel . An inside look at the life of a ghostwriter and a terrific thriller as well!"

I haven't read this book but I saw the movie..."

I didn't know there was a movie based on this book! Thanks! It really is quite a pleasure to read!

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

I am also currently reading Felix Holt the Radical by George Eliot. Very well written but a bit more difficult to fully understand the various plots. I love the atmosphere Eliot creates but take quite a bit of concentration to keep all the various characters and story threads straight. Just finished Lady Anna by Anthony Trollope and it was an utter joy to read. Far more accessible than Felix Holt

[Karen]

The Power of Attitude by Mac Anderson, founder of Succesories

1. Attitudes is everyrhing

2. Passion...where ever you choose to go..go there with all your heart.
3 It is Never too late
4. Do It Now
5. Understand this Life-changing Law
6. Attitude
7. Success
8. Smile/Laugh Loud and often
9. Keep the Faith
10. Golden Rule. Leaving this teaching with your child, you will have left an estate of incalculabe value
11. Compassion
12. Giving. Service is the very purpose of life.It is the rent we pay for being on the planet. Share yourself
13. Joy Manage stress before it manages you
14. Sing your song. Look at everything as though you are seeing it for the first time, with eyes of a child, fresh with wonder.
15. Emotions. People are like sticks of dynamite. The power's on the inside but nohing happens until the fuse gets lit.
15. use emotional triggers and unload your emotional baggage
16. Forgiveness. It is the key that unlocks the handcuffs of hate,
17. Simplify. Do more with less
18. Focus...on the criical few, not the insignicant many

There are many more chapters, all good. Whether your destination-success, purpose, peace or other desire-attitude is the fuel for the journey there. Breathtaking photography and down-to-earth advice, let these unleash the power in your heart.

[Fiona (Titch)]

I've read and finished Play Me #1: Play Me Wild & Play Me #2: Play Me Hot - Tracy Wolff. Now I am reading Play Me #3: Play Me Hard - Tracy Wolff.

[Barbara]

I finished Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland. This is the story of a handful of Generation X-ers - people born between 1960 and 1980.
Three educated twenty-somethings - Andy, Claire, and Dag - go to Palm Springs, move into modest digs, take low-paying service jobs, and live minimalist lives. They entertain themselves by telling stories, drinking, snacking, and eschewing serious relationships. Their purposeis to reject traditional society.
Though this hippie-ish lifestyle is amusing to read about, it strikes the reader as unrealistic and unsustainable. If everyone decided to 'do nothing' with their lives the economy would collapse. And this kind of freewheeling behavior becomes unattractive when people are no longer 'young' (that is, approach their mid-thirties and older).
The characters try to be committed to their 'no-strings' lifestyle, but life impinges in various ways. For one thing they sometimes 'fall in love' - and Dag is also an obsessive vandal, damaging other people's cars and even setting one on fire. If caught he would undoubtedly resent the punishment imposed by outside society.
I didn't admire the characters but the book is well-written and gives a peek into the Gen-X thought processes. The best part of the book is in the margins, where the author defines some original and amusing Gen-X expressions/vocabulary. If you're curious about Gen-X this is a good book for you.

[KOMET]

Regarding the Generation X, from what I've just read, it refers to people born between 1965 and 1980. By contrast, the Baby Boomer Generation refers to those persons (of which I am one, born the year the Beatles came to the U.S. for the first time) born between 1946 and 1964.

Robin's Blue by Pam Alster

A coming of age story set between the late 1970s and the 1980s.

[Barbara]

I finished Then Again by Diane Keaton. In this memoir Diane Keaton talks about growing up in a large family in California, her career, her romances, her adopted children, and especially her mother. She calls this a story about her mother and herself. Diane's mother, Dorothy Hall, wrote many journals that are excerpted in this book. She was devoted to her family and proud of her talented daughter, though somewhat unfulfilled in her own life.
Diane devotes a good deal of the book to her career, which gives small but interesting glimpses into show business. She is honest about her love life, and speaks openly about her romances with Woody Allen, Warren Beatty, and Al Pacino, all of whom apparently remained friends for life.
Diane is devoted to her two adopted children, daughter Dexter and son Duke - and we hear a lot about them. She also devotes many pages to the death of her father from cancer and to her mother's struggle with Alzheimers. To me, these parts - though very meaningful to the author - were the least interesting parts of the story.
If the author writes another book concentrating on her show business experiences I'd read it.

[Fiona (Titch)]

I've read and finished Play Me #1: Play Me Wild, Play Me #2: Play Me Hot, Play Me #3: Play Me Hard, Play Me #4: Play Me Real and Play Me #5: Play Me Right - Tracy Wolff. I loved the characters and the steamy scenes. Worth buying in December if you like Erotica/Romance kinda books. Be warned they are in 5 installments as well.

Now I am reading Three Little Words - Maggie Wells.

[Fiona (Titch)]

Finished Three Little Words - Maggie Wells. Now I am reading The City of Malgar - Rosemary Lynch. Looking forward to reading this trilogy.

[Steve]

Currently reading The Bad Seed by William March, a classic psychological thriller from the early fifties about a child serial killer. Shocking in its day. Great writing.

[Jan]

My current nightstand book is Havana Storm, by Clive and Dirk Cussler. I have been a fan of Clive's for many years. So when he releases a new book, I do my best to get it on the week it is released.

[Shelley]

I'm reading Kevin Birmingham's new work The Most Dangerous Book. Even though I only understand parts of Joyce's Ulysses, it's still fascinating to see how hard, and how long, he fought to write it, and how many other people--some of whom even found passages in the novel disgusting--put themselves on the line so the book would see daylight.

Shelley
http://dustbowlstory.wordpress.com

[Barbara]

Steve wrote: "Currently reading The Bad Seed by William March, a classic psychological thriller from the early fifties about a child serial killer. Shocking in its day. Great writing."

It was a good movie too Steve.

[Barbara]

I finished Murder List by Julie Garwood. Three successful young women in Chicago - Regan, Sophie, and Cordie - decide to take down a schemer who fleeces lonely women. To get a bead on him they attend his seminar. One of the exercises is to write a list of people you want dead, a 'murder list'. Outside the seminar Regan is attacked. She survives but the attacker gets her murder list. Soon people on the list are being killed.
Regan gets a police body guard, the handsome Detective Alec Buchanan. Regan and Alec are attracted to one another, and nature takes its course.
There are various side issues. Regan's job involves funding worthy causes and one recipient - who wants more money - harasses Regan. Regan's brothers are very protective and get in her business. Meanwhile the cops try to catch the killer, who has a weird agenda that isn't clear until the end.
The book's characters are engaging but - to me - the story wasn't very good. It's 90% romance and 10% detective story: not a ratio I enjoy. Romance fans might like it though.

[Barbara]

I finished The Good Girl by Mary Kubica. Mia, an art teacher who grew up in a prominent Chicago family, is abducted by Colin, a thug who does odd jobs for criminals. Instructed to kidnap Mia and hand her over, Colin snatches the girl. He then has a change of heart and takes her to a cabin where he holds her for months.
The book is told from rotating points of view: Gabe - the detective; Eve - Mia's mother; Colin; and Mia. It also alternates between two time periods: before and after Mia is rescued.
The book moves very slowly. The characters talk a lot about their backgrounds, and they all have a sad story. They also provide detailed descriptions of their hour to hour activities and interact in a variety of ways, some of which are not believable. I kept hoping the action would perk up and the plot would get more interesting, but it never did.
The only character I liked was Gabe, a caring detective determined to find Mia and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Many readers probably won't be surprised by the book's ending which is telegraphed at several points in the story. For me the book was just okay - doesn't live up to the hype.

[KOMET]

I'm now within hailing distance of completing reading "Prey" by Thomas Emson. This is the type of the novel that, once you have it in your hands and begin to read it, the drama grabs you and you'll be impatient to learn the outcome. The setting is in the last decade and Ruth Templeton, released from jail after a lengthy sentence for kidnapping, is now a werewolf and is determined to kill both Laura Greenacre (also a werewolf who managed to escape from London and find refuge in New York) and John Thorn, a former policeman who once worked for her brother, the late Sir Adam Templeton, who had been a politician and commanded considerable wealth and power.

Ruth blames Laura and Thorn for the decline in her family's fortunes and vows to have her revenge on them. To that end, she has assembled a network at her beck and call to aid her in fulfilling this quest. A quest that takes her from Russia, to Spain, to France, back to the UK, and to New York.

[Barbara]

I finished One Kick by Chelsea Cain. Kick Lannigan was abducted as a child, then "raised" by new parents in a child pornography ring.
Rescued at age ten, a disturbed Kick becomes determined to protect herself. Thus, by 21 she's an expert in martial arts and a whiz with weapons of all kinds.
When a young girl and boy are abducted, Kick becomes obsessed with the case. Enter John Bishop — a mysterious operator with endless resources — whose job involves rescuing kidnapped children. After tussling with Bishop, Kick joins his mission to find the abducted kids. This requires Kick to retrieve old, painful memories.
Kick and Bishop get to use private planes, stay in a lavish home, and engaqe in a speck of romance. On the down side, some terrible things happen involving violence and torture.
A good thriller with interesting characters. 3 stars.

[KOMET]

Several hours ago, I finished reading "The Burning of the World: A Memoir of 1914 by Béla Zombory-Moldován.

This memoir by Béla Zombory-Moldován is both elegiac and deeply affecting. It begins in late July 1914 at an Adriatic resort, where the author is celebrating with friends. This pleasant idyll is cruelly broken on July 28th, when word is received that war has been declared on Serbia. Zombory-Moldován at 29 is at the start of a career as a successful artist and illustrator and feels no euphoria or excitement about going back into the Austro-Hungarian Army (where, 5 years earlier, he had fulfilled his obligatory year of military service). After all, he is a man "filled with plans and the urge to create... I was born to create, and I loathe destruction of any kind."

Nevertheless, after a brief spell at home and exploring many of his usual haunts, Zombory-Moldován reports to his unit (the 31st Regiment of the Royal Hungarian Army) early in August and spends the remainder of the month in training. Due to his prior military experience, he is given officer rank (Ensign) and put in charge of one of the regiment's platoons. Zombory-Moldován's descriptions of the various personalities in his unit and the surrounding villages and landscape are fascinating, shedding considerable light on the dynamics of a polyglot army (Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, Croats, Austrians) and a society now living on borrowed time. And indeed, time is running out. Zombory-Moldován's unit is on the march by early September to Galicia, the easternmost province of the country bordering Czarist Russia to fight the Russians (who had entered the war in support of its ally, Serbia). His introduction to combat is at once jarring, chaotic, and traumatic. Men and horses are cut down indiscriminately by heavy artillery fire and the staccato chatter of rifles and machine guns. Zombory-Moldován himself is wounded in the head, which temporarily affects some of his motor skills. He is lucky to avoid capture in the general retreat that is ordered by the high command.

Home for Zombory-Moldován, while welcome, is "unspeakably strange." His affliction, as the war went on, would acquire the term "shell shock" which soldiers on other fronts under constant shell fire would also have to endure. For the rest of the country as yet untouched by war, people try either to lead as much of a normal life as possible when it becomes clear to them, after the initial excitement of late July 1914, that the war would not be a quick one. Or others among the civilian populace (e.g. Zombory-Moldován's Uncle Béla, whom he visited during his convalescent leave) wax ever patriotic, believing in ultimate victory for the Empire.

Months pass and Zombory-Moldován remains restless and aimless. Before he is expected back by the army for an evaluation to re-assess his fitness for a return to active service, Zombory-Moldován travels by train to Fiume on the Adriatic Sea, where he stays with the Mauser family. The roar of the sea and the surrounding area are a soothing balm for Zombory-Moldován. He takes up painting again with relish. He is also joined some time later by his fellow artist and close friend Ervin.

The 3 weeks spent in Fiume bring joy and a renewed sense of inner peace for Zombory-Moldován. But as it begins to become clear that Italy may soon enter the war against its ally Austria-Hungary (the date is March 1915), he has to return home and back to reality. "It was time to say goodbye - or rather to part. I thanked [the Mausers] sincerely for all they had done to lift me up from my fallen state. Mama Mauser was moved to tears. So, a little, was I.

" 'Auf Wiedersehen am nachsten Winter. Im Weihnachten ist hier auch sehr schon.'

"I promised that I would.

"I had to rise early, as my train left Fiume in the morning. But the whole family had beaten me to it. I left the drawings I had done of the girls as a memento, and I had ordered two huge bouquets of roses, one for each day I had spent with them: red roses for Elsa [the youngest daughter], white ones for Miri. They put them in their windows, from where they waved to me as long as they could still see anything of my departing cab.

"Auf Wiedersehen.

"I stood by the window all the way to Lic. From here, a thousand meters up, I caught one last glimpse of the panorama of islands lost in cobalt blue and violet, and the endless sea."


I was wholly absorbed by this memoir, which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND to any reader who loves a compelling story.

[Fiona (Titch)]

Well after having this book for OVER a year (which is when I started to read it lol). I have now finished the amazing and interesting The Heartstone Odyssey - Arvan Kumar. You have to read this book.

Now I am still reading The City of Malgar - Rosemary Lynch and also listening to The Husband's Secret - Liane Moriarty.