Another Stack Attacked

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows-- This is one of those "what more can I say" books. Everyone I know who has read it, loved it. Add me to that list.






The Wet Nurse's Tale by Erica Eisdorfer--I think I was drawn to this book because I liked The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber. Another book about the seamy side of Victorian England? Sign me up! This is nowhere near as intense as Faber's book, but it has a great main character and is a fun read.



Mariana by Monica Dickens--Another Persephone Classic. A quote: "Everything looked so right and so comfortably unexotic, like a cabbage." That's a pretty good description of how I felt about this book. I wasn't blown away, but it was enjoyable enough.

Huge by James Fuerst--I couldn't get into this one. Its setting in the Eighties didn't ring true, and I just didn't care about the characters. I found it awkward and choppy and...ugh. Wasted my time.

While I'm Falling by Laura Moriarty--Eh. It was okay. It just seemed like a book I'd read a thousand times before.


Homer and Langley by E.L. Doctorow--A fictional account of the Collyer brothers, the packrats who filled a Fifth Avenue brownstone with (according to Wikipedia) 130 tons of garbage. I found myself slowing down as I read this, because I didn't want it to end.



Miss Buncle, Married by D.E. Stevenson--Right afterI finished Miss Buncle's Book in August, I submitted an interlibrary loan request for this, the sequel. While I enjoyed reading more about Miss Buncle (she is such a character!), this book didn't have the zing of the first one.

Viola in Reel Life by Andriana Trigiani--I really love some of Trigiani's adult novels, especially the Big Stone Gap books, so I'm always excited to see a new book from her. This is a young adult title, but I squealed gleefully and brought it home with me just the same. Unfortunately, I didn't love it.

The Guinea Pig Diaries by A.J. Jacobs--This is the same guy who wrote about reading the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z and following the literal word of the Bible for a year. Well, sorry, AJ, your schtick is getting old. Yawn.


Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore--This book is sort of like an ice cream cone. It's simple and straightforward and it just made me feel good. Of course some people aren't satisfied with that--they want hot fudge and sprinkles and whipped cream. But this just hit the spot with me.



And finally, I started a new mystery series called the Gaslight Series by Victoria Thompson. To me, these are similar to the Molly Murphy books by Rhys Bowen (which I love). I've read the first two in the series, Murder on Astor Place and Murder on St. Mark's Place. I'm happy with them so far, but I'll be looking for a little more variation in the following books.

What about you? Read anything good lately? I'm always looking for recommendations!