What We're Reading

ROBERTA: My reading's been a little slow since January--I blame that on burnout from serving on the MWA Edgar best novel committee. But I just finished CAUCASIA by Danzy Senna--a novel about two sisters, one who takes after their white mother, and the other who resembles their black father. After the parents split up, each takes the daughter most similar in appearance. The story is told from the perspective of Birdie, the girl passing for all white, as her mother drags them around the east coast. Fascinating!

And on my to-be-read pile: Steve Hamilton's THE LOCK ARTIST, Jhumpa Lahiri's UNACCUSTOMED EARTH, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, and Barbara Kingsolver's THE LACUNA.

What have you loved lately?

HALLIE: I just read a manuscript that I loved -- THE SCENT OF THE MISSING by Susannah Charleson. She writes about raising and training her search-and-rescue dog, a lovely golden retriever named Puzzle. It's a knockout, and it comes out next month.

I am looking longingly at the pile of books on my floor. I haven't had a minute to read for pleasure in the longest. But when I do, I'm going to read GILEAD, and OLIVE KITTERIDGE, and LIFE OF PI, and THE YIDDISH POLICEMEN'S UNION, and at long last THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.


HANK: AH, Roberta, I, too, have judging burnout! But now I am back in the reading groove, such as it is ...sometimes, it seems as if I get through thre pages, and then I have to sleep. Anyway. I'm in the midst of 212 by Alafair Burke, and enjoying that quite a bit! I'm also trying to read The LOCK ARTIST by Steve Hamilton, but Jonathan keeps taking it away. Harlan Coben's new CAUGHT is waving its arms at me, but I need to read Mary Jane Clark's fast-paced DYING FOR MERCY before I interview her Saturday at Murder 203. I'm eager to read UNDER THE DOME by Stephen King, but that'll have to be this summer. And hey, Jungle Reds...I guess my ARCS of DEADHEAD and THE LAST ILLUSION must have blown off my front porch. Sigh.

JAN: I'm reading Loving Frank, about Frank Lloyd Wright, by Nancy Horan. And Boston Against Busing, race, class in Ethnicity in Boston in the 1960s and 1970s, which is actually fascinating. And I just reread Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which was better the second time around, which makes me believe that how I feel about a book has a lot to do with the hype beforehand. Someone told me Midnight in the Garden of Good Evil was the best book ever written before I read it the first time, so I felt slightly disappointed. This time, when I was reading it just for structure, with no hype, I was delighted.

RO: Maybe that means I should read Girl with the Dragon Tattoo again. I recently reread Unsuitable Job for a Woman and loved it all over again, so I will probably reread another PD James next. It's almost like taking a writing class.

ROBERTA: Jan, I read Loving Frank last summer in preparation for visiting Wright's Falling Waters. Fascinating look into his (fictional?) character. I found the ending shocking!

And I thought of two other for my pile--both Anna Quinlan and Anne Lamott have new books out--got to run down to the bookstore and snatch those up too.

RHYS: I must be the only person in the world not to have read THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. I feel so badly for him--I should be furious if I died before I became a bestseller! I currently reading THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY. It's a children's book, along the lines of Harry Potter, I suppose, but not nearly as fun to me. More like an old fashioned adult telling the tale,rather than living the action with the kids in the present. I'm reading it because my daughter and I are just finishing up the first book in a children's series (we need an agent for her... any suggestions?) and someone mentioned this book.
Next I have an AS Byatt book to read STILL LIFE. POSSESSION was one of my favorite books ever so I'm looking forward to this one.

ROBERTA: You are right Rhys--what a disappointment to be a big sensation after you've gone and died too soon. And so exciting about the children's bok with your daughter--keep us posted on that! And Susannah--woo-hoo--absolutely can't wait for yours! How about you JR readers--any recommendations to add to our piles?

1001 MORE Books

April goes out like a lion! Bestseller list from Mystery Lovers Bookshop:

• #4 Paperback: Face Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan
• #5 Trade: 1001 Books for Every Mood by Hallie Ephron
• #7 Hardcover: Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris

HALLIE: Last week I was in Ohio and Pennsylvania talking about my new book, "1001 Books for Every Mood." I had such a blast writing this thing--a nice break from fiction. It's even more fun chatting with readers and booksellers and librarians about favorite books. They're tickled to find a favorite has been included--even more tickled when they can recommend a book I left out.

I'm starting a list for "1001 MORE books..." -- here are some of the book people recommended that I wish I'd put in:
- "Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan (by the way is #1 on MLB's bestseller list for hardcover)
- "Olive Kitteridge" (Elizabeth Strout)
- "Funny in Farci" (Firsoozeh Dumas)
- "Peace Like a River" ( Leif Enger)

At Books & Co in Dayton, Sharon Roth asked what's the oldest book I have in there. Turns out it's "Gulliver's Travels," in print since 1726. Read it when you're in the mood "For grand adventure." Did you know that the word "Yahoos" comes from GT? In Gulliver's fourth voyage, a mutinous crew abandons him on Houyhnhnms where finds a race of intelligent horses who rule over Yahoos: “abominable animals” with perfect human faces. Turns out they are humans.

So what favorite books would you have included if you'd been putting together a list of 1001 books for every mood?

JAN: One of my absolutely favorite books ever -- that I rarely hear anything about -- is Lisa Grunwald's "New Year's Eve." It's about two sisters who have young toddlers. One of them dies, and the other toddler, a little girl, starts to see visions of the little boy who died. It's all about the different ways we cope with tragedy, and how our belief systems can bring us together or tear us apart. It's beautifully written, and inspirational.

I would add "Ava's Man" by Rick Bragg, which was Amazon's top pick for 2001 and a fabulous read -- although I suspect not too different from the other Bragg memoir you did include: ("All Over But the Shoutin'").

And although you included "Blink" from Malcolm Gladwell, I'd also add "The Tipping Point" -- parts of which I still think about even though its been years since I read the book.

And Hallie, I brought your book to my book group, and we used it to pick our June read. We were looking for either a good mystery or good classic. We scanned your book and came up with Josephine Tey's "The Daughter of Time." It's a terrific resource!

(Pardon the fuzzy copy--it's the best I could do.)

HALLIE: That's great, Jan - I've added those titled to my "More" list... and I hope someone in your reading will write a "Readers Guide" and win a free copy of the book. (Jan wrote reader's guides for "Rebecca" and "Presumed Innocent." Check them out.

HANK: Oh, what a great idea. And irresistible. I have two ideas, maybe three, but let me ask you something first.

How on earth did you put this book together? Can you tell us--maybe Wednesday? Or whenever. All the icons, the categories, the quizzes, the memorable characters--it's overwhelming to think about the level of organzation that certainly went into this. Did you use note cards? Or how could you possibly keep it straight? And how did you make all the decisions? Cboose the icons? Figure it all out?

It's the most "complicated on the inside and simple on the outside" book I've ever seen. I keep it by my computer now, and can't resist comparing it to what I think, and finding new books, and agreeing and remembering. I love that you put two of my very faves, "Day of the Jackal" and "The Faithful Spy" together. Stuff like that. Genius.

Okay--quickly then. For Grand Adventure: "Winter's Tale," by Mark Helprin. Best book I've ever read, maybe. It's about, um, well, it's complicated. And it takes place during the, well, it's complicated. In New York, though. Mostly. It's fantastic.

And "Custom of the Country." Or "Age of Innocence." Or "House of Mirth." Your call. But we have to have Edith Wharton. But where would we put her?

And then to Slide Down the Rabbit Hole (another of your terrific categories)--"Diamond in the Window," by Jane Langton. Where else can you find magic and transcendentalism in a YA book? If I had an eleven year old son or daughter, I'd sit them right down with it.

RO: Some years back I did a similar book on videos. That was so much fun to put together, but a heckuva lot easier than your book! Oh boy...in no particular order...."The Razor's Edge," The "Golden Bowl," "Age of Innocence," "Fall of a Sparrow," used to love John Galsworthy, John O'Hara and Richard Yates but not sure they still hold up,...for pure fun anything by Carl Hiassen.
They'd all be included but I don't know where!

Love that you had the Hug Your Dog section...went on a driving trip with my dog a few years ago and brought "Travels with Charley." It was perfect! Of course we wound up at Gettysburg, so I had to reread "Killer Angels." This is a little like choosing the right wine with dinner isn't it??

ROBERTA: I'm at a disadvantage because I don't have this fabulous book with me on the road...However, the books that come to my overtraveled mind seem to be kids' books this morning: "Charlotte's Web," "Winnie the Pooh," "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase," "The Pink Motel." Can't wait to hold your book in my hands Hallie. congratulations on a wonderful new addition to the book addicts of the world!

HALLIE: Great suggestions, Roberta. Got the first two, not the last two. And ACK! I was so chagrined to see I'd left out Edith Wharton. It was a synaptic lapse...I saw I had Evelyn Waugh and checked off Edith Wharton. Not even the same gender. Do you do that, mix up names? Sinclair Lewis/Upton Sinclair? Wallace Stegner/Wallace Stevens? Tom Wolfe/Thomas Wolfe/Tobias Wolff...

Please share your favorites -- We're keeping a list!