Recent Book Activity

I seem to attract books into my life—way too many to keep all to myself—Bookcrossing came along just in time. Anything on my available list is up for trade or as a RABCK.

I've been reading a lot of nonfiction but also try to keep current with contemporary novels.

I love books on gardening, cooking, science and history.

Some favorite novelists: Ian McEwan, Italo Calvino, VS Naipaul, Haruki Murakami, Paul Auster

I read to my two children (readingbeauty, 7, and sharkboy, 10 years old) every night, so I collect lots of kids chapter and picture books.




Reading now:


The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
The Hedgehog's Dilemma
The Little Princess


Check out my squidoo lenses!

Noodle & Bean
Everything you ever wanted to know about lunch

The Naked Gardener
Going native in your garden, plants to attract birds and butterflies.

Micro Histories
A list of "Micro History" books like "Salt" and "Cod" by Mark Kurlansky

NEW Lens! Aquarium Love
A resource of public aquariums all over the world, plus plastic fish and more!

My Wish List







my 'read' shelf:


Books read in 2008:

1. Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen ***

2. I Cook as I Please by Nika Hazelton *******

3. Island of the Ogres by Lensey Namioka *****

4. Forward From Here by Reeve Lindbergh *******

5. These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder **********

6. The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon *****

7. Norse Myths by D'Aulaire **********

8. Family Power ********

9. Egyptian Mythology by Don Nardo ****

10. The Jungle Effect *******

11. The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl *

12. The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder *****

13. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain ********

14. The Miraculous Adventure of Edward Tulane *******

15. White Teeth by Zadie Smith ********

16. Tokyo Year Zero by David Peace ******

17. Aloft by Chang-rae Lee ********

18. Grayson by Lynne Cox ********

19. My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk ********

20. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets *******

21. Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that changed the World *******

22. Last Child in the Woods ********

23. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky ********

24. What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt **********





Books read in 2007:

1. A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester **********

2. A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena De Blasi ****

3. Thunderstruck by Erik Larson ********

4. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder **********

5. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami **********

6. Pay it Down! by Jean Chatzky ********

7. Flower Confidential by Amy Stewart ********

8. The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis ********

9. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry ********

10. Skeletons on the Zahara by Dean King ********

11. On the Shores of Silver lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder **********

12. Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee ********

13. The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr ********

14. The Last Life by Claire Messud *********

15. Virgins of Venice by Mary Laven *******

16. The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason *****

17. What to Eat by Marion Nestle **********

18. Absolution by Olaf Olafsson *******

19. Real Food by Nina Planck ********

20. The Sushi Economy by Sasha Issenberg ********

21. Saturday by Ian McEwan ********

22. Opal by Katherine Beck ******

23. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

24. Bit Literacy by Mark Hurst ******

25. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan *******

26. Prince Caspian by CS Lewis **********

27. Snow by Orhan Pamuk ********

28. My Life in France by Julia Child **********

29. Providence by Anita Brookner ********

30. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell *******

31. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder **********

32. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis **********

33. A Continent of Islands by Mark Kurlansky ******

34. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier ******

35. Insatiable by Gael Greene ******

36. Object Lessons by Anna Quindlen ******

37. The Ice Museum by Joanna Kavenna *******

38. Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris *******

39. Being Dead by Jim Crace ********

40. The Salt Dancers by Ursula Hegi *******

41. What Makes Sammy Run by Budd Schulberg *******

42. The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis **********

43. Prairie Cooks by Carrie Young ********

44. The Physiology of Taste by Brillat-Savarin **********

45. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult *****

46. Little Town on the Prairie By Laura Ingalls Wilder **********

47. Calling You by Otsu-Ichi

48. The Greek Myths by D'Aulaire **********

49. The United States of Arugula by David Kamp ******

50. The Ungarnished Truth by Ellie Mathews ***

51. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert *********

52. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan ****

53. Summer Crossing by Truman Captoe ********

54. Beautiful Boy by David Sheff *******



Books I read in 2006:


1. "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman (borrowed not journaled).
Interesting, but a bit simplistic and I think overly optimistic. Basically, a loveletter to globalization.

2. Black Dogs by Ian McEwan

3. The Embarassment of Riches by Simon Schama

4. Pope Joan by Donna Cross

5. Champagne by Don and Petie Kaldstrup

6. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

7. The Grass Harp by Truman Capote

8. The Big Oyster by Mark Kurlansky

9. Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund

10. Visitors by Anita Brookner

11. Enduring Love by Ian McEwan

12. Candyfreak by Steve Almond (borrowed not journaled) Loved it!

13. Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

14. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

15. The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier

16. The Bird Artist by Howard Norman

17. Lunch Lessons by Ann Cooper and Lisa Holmes

18. A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle

19. The Wildlife Sanctuary Garden by Carol Buchanan

20. Chocolat by Joanne Harris

21. Encounters with the Archdruid by John McPhee

22. The Honey Theif by Elizabeth Graver

23. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

24. The Bell by Iris Murdoch

25. The Last Battle by CS Lewis

26. The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Neiffenegger

27. Money Doesn't Grow on Trees by Neale S. Godfrey

28. Eats Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss

29. The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve

30. Toast by Nigel Slater

31. Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams

32. Amagansett by Mark Mills

33. Self-Reliance: The Wisdom of Ralph Waldo Emerson

34. Up Above the World by Paul Bowles

35. South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami

36. Something from the Oven by Laura Shapiro

37. The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis

38. The Kitchen Book by Nicholas Freeling

39. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

40. The Cook Book by Nicholas Freeling

41. The Cloudspotter's Guide by Gavin Pretor-Pinney

42. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

43. Karma Cola by Gita Mehta

44. Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller

45. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis

46. Shopgirl by Steve Martin

47. Talking to the Dead by Sylvia Watanabe

48. The Island of Lost Maps

49. On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Books I have borrowed and read but not journaled in 2005:

1. The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll, by Jean Nathan
A fascinating book about children's book writer, Dare Wright. The writing is not stunning but the facts of Wright's life are. What makes it so tragic is that Dare was such a smart, talented, and beautiful person, she really deserved a much better life. I do wish the author had been more forthcoming about her own life and motivations for writing the book, I think it would have made for a much more compelling read.

2. The Movie-goer by Walker Percy
Interesting Southern novel. Subtle and slow-moving and quirky, but I liked it.

3. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
A surprisingly quick and entertaining read. What the numbers really mean.




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