Bookmarks Subscribers discussion

Here's a place to share the books you've just finished that were not found in Bookmarks magazine.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

I finished reading this yesterday. It was a dark tale, alternating between the past and present. Grad student, Connie Goodwin, stumbles upon a mystery surrounding Deliverance Dane, while cleaning her grandmother's long abandoned New England house. The mystery leads her on a search for Dane's physick book and plunges her into the history of the Salem witch trials. This story was magical and an absolute page turner.

I'm glad I reread The Crucible this year and also read Cotton Mathers account of the Salem Witch Trials. It helped bring the historical aspect of this book to life for me. I loved the dark overtones to the book, the sense of isolation in Connie's grandmother's 17th century home, and the blending of history and mystery. A definite 4 stars.

Hi Lisa, I read the Physick Book of Deliverance Dane but I didn't like it quite as much as you did. I thought the setup and plot were interesting, but I found the characters a bit flat and I found the big climax ending to be almost a little silly. The villain wasn't much of a mystery. To each her own!

Simone, I agree the villain wasn't much of a mystery. In fact, I thought most of the modern part of the book was predictable. What I enjoyed most was the historical aspect and the foreshadowing of mystical events.

YA fiction. Cute, touching -- some great passages from a child speaking in first person. Not a complicated read.

Kate, I read this a couple of years ago and liked it.

Just finished Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan - see separate thread, and Little Bee on audio, which I really liked. Now I have to reread Great Expectations in a week for my f2f book group next week! Hope I make it.

You must have great expectations if you think you can complete this for next week! I have faith in you. Go for it!

Lisa wrote: "You must have great expectations if you think you can complete this for next week! I have faith in you. Go for it!"

Well, I'm not working right now, so should be able to do it if I non-stop read, but since I'm catching up on email and paperwork right not, obviously that's not happening!

I just finished A Fraction of the Whole. Sections of it made me laugh out loud, but other parts I just skimmed. This could have been a much better, tighter book with some proper editing. I think I need a good classic right now.

I just finished The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll The Search for Dare Wright about the childrens author Dare Wright. Awesome. You can read my review if you'd like more info. I recommend it to anyone who likes literary bios with unusual and disturbing family situations.

I just finished Dune for The Modern Library Best 100 Challenge group. I've never particularly liked sci-fi, but I was surprised enjoyed this story once I got past all the techno-babble and strange names.

I just finished March by Geraldine Brooks. I've now read 4 of her books and find that every one is very different from the other, and every one is very good. I'll be reading more of her books!

Lynn, that's another book I have on my TBR along with Year of Wonders and People of the Book.

Loved both Year of Wonders and People of the Book. I'd also recommend her non-fiction Nine Parts of Desire which is about women in the Middle East.

I haven't heard of that one. I'll give it a look. Thanks!

Jenn wrote: "I just finished The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll The Search for Dare Wright about the childrens author Dare Wright. Awesome.

I just put THAT on my TBR list . . . THANKS!

I just finished The Time Traveller's Wife for the 2nd time for a book club. We're going to see the movie this afternoon.

It's such a great love story, full of romance and tragedy and perseverance...

I finished A Mercy by Toni Morrison for a book club. While the book is "small", Morrison has it so layered that it's much more book than it looks. My book club leader began the session by asking for a plot summary of the book - very clever, Barbara. We skirted the issue by trying to talk about themes or characters. Nope, Barbara kept us on the plot question, digging through the layers and stories Morrison weaves together in the novel.

A Mercy is a beautiful and heartbreaking story.

I just finished "Something to Sing About" - a young adults book by C. C. Payne. The premise of the book is that there is a purpose in most happenings. It's based on a true story of a church exploding in 1950, but those who were usually there were running late for various reasons. Jamie Jo is 10 years old and will not go outside without her mother and a flyswatter because she's deathly afraid of bees (and life). Easy read and very well written.

I finished Empire Falls by Richard Russo last night. Plus, I watched the mini-series a couple of nights ago. I didn't want to watch it before I finished the book, but I had to get it back to the library. I enjoyed both, but thought the characters were better developed in the book. Russo's writing was rich and this small town saga was wonderfully done. I'm looking forward to reading Bridge of Sighs soon.

Hello!

Last night I read Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Patillo ~ a quick, enjoyable read. Today I am starting The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.

I just finished The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson for a different group. It's a 1959 classic suspense book. I enjoyed it very much - a great October read!

Jennifer, let us know what you think of The Inheritance of Loss. You can start a thread for the book in the "Any Issue 2006" folder, since Bookmarks gave it a 4 star rating in the March/April 2006 issue. It's another book I'd like to read if only I could find the time.

Lynn, I'm still trying to listen to The Haunting of Hill House on my iPod. I guess I'm not cut out for audiobooks; I prefer to sit down with a book and read. I read this many years ago, probably 35+, so I thought it would be nice to attempt audio with it. Hopefully, I'll finish listening soon.

Lisa wrote: "Lynn, I'm still trying to listen to The Haunting of Hill House on my iPod. I guess I'm not cut out for audiobooks; I prefer to sit down with a book and read. I read this many years ago, probably ..."

I sure understand that! I can't do audio books, I block them out in about the first three minutes. I do that with music, talk radio, sports, you name it. Back when walkmans came out, mine was only used a few times...I just couldn't pay attention. It's sort of weird because I can watch a TV show and read at the same time, and follow both. I guess I need a visual of the TV and/or book to keep me attending!

I just finished . This is a great read! It makes me thankful that times have changed, or my family may very well have locked me in an institution. I like that Esme is a strong female - unfortunately she pays the price.

I just finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Very, very good (I gave it 5 stars, and so have many others -- it's holding a 4.5 rating with over 3,000 reviews). It's set in Mississippi in the early 1960's and is about a young white woman and several black maids in her town.

Lynn, I keep recommending The Help to all my friends. What a great book and a first novel at that. I rank it in my top five best books I've read this year.

Cherylann, I really need to read Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. A friend passed it on to me and I've yet to get to it.

I just finished . Another excellent read. I'll be posting a review in another thread.

The Help is on top of my TBR list. I need time to read! Can we lengthen the day?

I just finished reading The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. I enjoyed the writing and the characters.

I just finished Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. It was an enchanting story and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

Lisa wrote: "I just finished Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. It was an enchanting story and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon."

I haven't heard of that one before, but it sounds interesting. I'm putting it on my TBR.

I've had a lot of friends give it high praise in some of my other GR groups. Plus, I loved the cover art. I plan to read another Allen book for part of a group read in the Busy as a Bee Books group. It's called The Sugar Queen

Lisa wrote: "I've had a lot of friends give it high praise in some of my other GR groups. Plus, I loved the cover art. I plan to read another Allen book for part of a group read in the Busy as a Bee Books gro..."

I just read the description of that book. It looks good too!

[image error] is the novel I completed yesterday; finally, after hearing about it for so long. :)

Cherylann wrote: "I just finished . This is a great read! It makes me thankful that times have changed, or my family may very well have locked me in an institution. ..."

I loved this book! A few of my friends could not understand my fascination with it, but it was one of my favorites last year.

Finished [image error] and I thought it was great. I love him

Christine wrote: "Cherylann wrote: "I just finished . This is a great read! It makes me thankful that times have changed, or my family may very well have locked me i..."

A friend passed this on to me and I need to read it. Thanks for the push in that direction.

Lisa,
The Esme Lennox book is really unique. It's a real treat.

I loved Esme Lennox. One of my all time faves.

Thanks for another push in the Esme Lennox direction Mary!

I finally finished The Calligrapher's Daughter. I say finally because it was a slow read but ultimately worth reading. The heroine, Najin,is so spirited and resilient and has to endure so much suffering, often blaming herself. Eventhough I understand how she might do that in the context of the culture and history of the times, but I still found it sad.

One of the precepts throughout the bookthat really stuck in my mind also was that women were expected to put others first. In our culture, women often put others first (especially mothers)but we also are able to to reach for what satisfies us and makes us happy.
I also found the history of Korea and the rest of the far east to be enlightening. I also realized that there were only a few short years between the end of the Japanese occupation and the Korean conflict. What a lot of turmoil for one people.

I just finished Ford County
, I have not read a John Grisham book in years, this was a series of short stories which all took place in the same county...very good book.....

Christine wrote: "Cherylann wrote: "I just finished . This is a great read! It makes me thankful that times have changed, or my family may very well have locked me i..."


our book group read it last year, most of us loved it & we had some very good discussions....

I just finished The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister. Luscious writing. I enjoyed the book very much.

I started reading at Barnes and Noble the other day due to the conversation on this board. I liked it so much that I ordered a copy from the swap site I'm a part of and am really into it now. I love it so far, it's a real page-turner. Thanks everybody for mentioning it!

Lynn, I also enjoyed , where food ingredients take on an almost magical quality, and Lillian makes the taste, texture and aroma of her meals a sensory experience. This was such a pleasant book to read.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman! Great book with a very interesting spin on society.

Finishing "Heart-Shaped Box" by Joe Hill this evening & then starting "The Help"...Can't wait.