Sunday, December 30, 2007

Christmas Gifties and Goolies!


My children really know me. For Christmas, I mostly get gift certificates to the bookstore and time and space to spend them! In Boston, Jason took me there, dropped me off with an offer of Starwars coffee...ugh, not Starwars...you know which coffee I mean....:p... And, off I went shopping books. Here are the results.
"Atonement," we all have to read before we see the movie, right? "Tiger Claws," is the sequel to "Temple Dancer," which I already highly recommended to all of you, and still do as a fabulous and exotic read for your 2008 list.
"Mary," is a novel about Mary Todd Lincoln...Abraham's wife, and is soooo good...I'm already sneaking reads of it and I just can hardly put it down. It's so much about how they used to institutionalize women in the US (and Europe) without real cause, and women were just helpless and had no way out with men in power.
"Heyday," is an interest book about a group of people during 1848 (an English gentleman seeking to reinvent himself, a muckraking journalist/ pleasure-seeker; a dangerously damaged veteran of the Mexican War; and a free-thinking actress & part-time prostitute with whom the Englishman falls in love...all headed for the frontier and the California Gold Rush. And, "relentlessly tracked, unbeknownst to them, by a cold-blooded killer bent on revenge." Doesn't this one sound good?! LA Times and others gave it rave reviews...
"World Without End," sequel to "Pillars of the Earth," by Ken Follet, which has been keeping me up nights as I read it in great 100's of pages at a time! It's wonderful, even if it is an Oprah pick. I love it..full of stone cutting, cathedral building, revenge, love, witch and bewitching, medieval life and monkish devilry. You have to read this series.
"The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox," is the story of a woman who was locked away for 61 years in an asylum and is now being released, unbeknownst to her great-niece who now becomes her prospective keeper. It's the gothic story of lost lives, family secrets, dangerous truths, jealousy and betrayal. Review: "This haunting and extraordinarily engrossing novel--part gothic mystery, part tangled family drama--reminded me why I love reading in the first place: it's because a well-written book has the power to carry us away to a place we've never been but always suspected was there."
"Flesh and Bone," A Body Farm Novel by Jefferson Bass, who is the world's top forensic anthropologist and his co-author. I will admit it here that I am a huge fan of Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell....Nancy Grace... CSI...Bones...Court TV...Criminal Minds...and anything Forensic on television and on paper!!! I just have this fascination for the whole thing. In my next life, I hope I can tolerate blood and guts enough to work as a forensics person like Tempe on the tv program "Bones!" Hence, the above-mentioned book. I also firmly recommend anything by Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell...and also Jeffrey Deaver. This would complete my dark side....:[ or some of it.... for now....
"Knitting for the Holidays," great little over-sized paperback book with smallish projects for winter. You have to be ahead of the game, of course, so I would have to start NOW to get these done. Don't you love the scarf above, despite my very crooked scanning?
More Christmas presents coming in the next blog entry!
BTW....did anyone find out who the SECRET SANTA is?????? I think I have a clue!!! :)

14 comments:

Juls said...

More books to add to my ever growing list! They all look good!!! Happy New Year!!!!

Meari said...

WOW! Some great sounding books, Deb. :)

Kathy A. said...

I am so glad you had a wonderful holiday with your family. Ours was pretty nice too.
All that reading stash - when will you have time to stitch.
It has been a real pleasure gettting to know you these past months.
A Very Happy New Year to you and your family.

Anonymous said...

ooooh another book lover!

I got Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth - which I read when it first came out 15 years ago - awesome book - AND I also got it's long awaited sequel "At World's End". PotE is abtou the life of a Cathedral over around 700 years. A wonderful story.

I also got the Persimon Tree by Bryce Courtney (I'm a a fan), Judith Hayle's Samplers, and Colleen McCullogh's Antony and Cleopatra. Her books are wonderfully researched and a joy to read.

Nicole said...

All those books sound great Deb! I want to get those two Ken Follett books on CD. I think they would be great to listen to while stitching. I also have that knitting book. I love it! That scarf is so cute! :) Not something you'd need in Florida though. Hope to see you next weekend! :)

CraftyGryphon said...

Hm. I almost picked up "Mary" yesterday... I think I'll go back and get it, on your recommendation.

You've got a lot of fun reading there... and knitting! Yay!

Happy New Year!

Stitcher said...

Happy New year, hope you have a great read.

Anonymous said...

It was really lovely of you to visit my blog at Magpie's Nest and take the time to leave comments! I hope you DO join in on the 4x4 challenges, they are lots of fun! I am quite taken with a gothic arch challenge group as well!
Your needlework is just stunning! There was a time when I did wool needlework and enjoyed it very much. Nice to see someone who is such an avid reader! Saw Atonement and it's a beautiful film!
Very best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year to you and yours!

Heidi said...

How do you balance all you do Deb? I need your secrets. The book "Mary" sounds just fabulous. I love biographies and love the Lincolns. Maybe because I was born on good 'ol Abe's birthday??? :) I have not kept up with blog visits in December and now want to take time to catch up with you.

I wish you a most creative and inspired of new year's ever!

Hugs ~
Heidi

Miokka said...

Welcome home1 So glad you had a wonderful visit with family. Good shopping and gifting too!!! Are you going to make all your Florida friends one of those great scarves???
Hope our new year is wonderful.
Looking forward to seeing you next weekend. Is Jessica going to join us??
Off to fix supper... How do you ever get everything done?
I'm reading the book you gave me months ago.... too much to stitch & not enough time to do it all~
I must find something to stitch that I can finish in the next 24 hours.... It's a thing with me... must finish SOMETHING every New Years day!
Call me wierd...
Happy New Year!!!
xoxo
M

Michelle said...

Wonderful gifts! Lots of new books I will have to put on my list!

Anonymous said...

Ooooh... new books are WONDERFUL! I just love their smell, don't you?

Happy New Year!

Stitching Cat said...

Happy New Year Deb! Miss you
Love, Deb

Eva said...

You made out with that many books! I love, love, love Bones (in fact, I got seasons one and two on DVD for Christmas), although I like it for the characters rather than the blood and guts thing. I listened to one of Reichs' books on CD after getting addicted to the show, and I was surprised by how different they were. I admit, I prefer the show, but probably because it came first!