by Gustave Flaubert, 1856 Finished 12/25/08 in Belize. Selfish girl, gets married, doesn’t like her life, has 2 affairs, can’t pay her debts, kills herself by eating arsenic.
Category: Favorites
Madame Bovary
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
by Jules Verne, 1870 The year 1868, the Nautilus, Captain Nemo’s fantastic submarine, is thought to be a narwhal. M. Aronnax, a French scientist and his servant, Conseil, end up on a boat aimed to kill it. They end up thrown into the Pacific Ocean and are picked up, along with Ned Land, the Canadian […]
Travels with Charley: In Search of America
John Steinbeck, 1962 At the age of 58, in 1960, John Steinbeck leaves Sag harbor, NY, and his loving wife to travel across America with his French poodle, Charley. “We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.” Pg 4. He got a 3/4 ton pick-up with […]
The Moonstone
by Wilkie Collins, 1868 Fantastic mystery published in 1868. Story takes place in 1840’s England. Herncastle steals an Indian diamond, the Moonstone, and wills it to his niece on her 18th birthday. Franklin Blake delivers it (her cousin). There is a curse associated with the Moontsone because it is guarded by 3 Indians in perpetuity. […]
The Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1911 Sweet story about two 10 year-olds who turn from being ugly, hateful, unhealthy, spoiled creatures into beautiful, happy, healthy children by the Secret Garden. Mary, the girl, and Colin, the boy, are cousins. Mary is sent to live in the Misselthwaite Manor on the Moor of Yorkshire after her parents […]
The Silver Chair
by C.S. Lewis, 1953 Eustace Scruggs and Jill Pole are at school, Experiment House, and are being chased by bullies. They go uphill to a gate that is usually locked but is open and find themselves on Aslan’s Mountain. Jill pushes Eustace off a huge high cliff, then meets Aslan as he blows Eustace safely […]
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
by C.S. Lewis, 1952 Eustace, Lucy, and Edmund get sucked into a picture in Eustace’s house of a ship at sea, back to Narnia, where Prince Caspian is at sea on the Dawn Treader. He rescues them and they go with him and his crew in search of 7 Lords that Miraz sent off to […]
The Horse and His Boy
by C.S. Lewis, 1954 Shasta is rescued by Bree, a talking horse, and they are making their way to Narnia. They meet Avaris and Hwin, another talking horse, and they decide to go together. Avaris is a Tarkheena and running away from a forced marriage. They go to the city of Tashbaan and both Shasta […]
Jackdaws
by Ken Follett, 2002 Page-turner, heart-pounding, couldn’t put down. WWII – 6 women recruited to blow up telephone operation in St. Cecile, France. German interrogator, Dieter Franck, almost catches them but Flick (main female) outsmarted him. What a fantastic book! A little too x-rated in parts – not necessary – but, Oh My, what an […]
Jane and the Unpleasantness of Scargrave Manor
by Stephanie Barron, 1996 (I was confused at first because of “Editor’s Foreword” – Did Jane Austen write it or Stephanie Barron?) LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Jane goes to the Scargrave Manor for her friend Isobel, newly married to the Earl. He gets murdered by Barbadoe’s nuts, then Marguerite, Isobel’s maid, gets murdered. Everyone has possibilities. […]
The Bonesetter’s Daughter
by Amy Tan, 2003 WONDERFUL!!! Ruth-modern day San Francisco and her mother, LuLing and her mother, “Precious Auntie.” LuLing’s mother, “Precious Auntie,” who lost her fiance and father on the same day because of the evil Chang family. When LuLing is to marry a Chang, Precious Auntie killed herself which saved LuLing from making a […]
Morality for Beautiful Girls
by Alexander McCall Smith, 2001 More #1 Ladies Detective Agency – My favorite so far! #3 Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni is depressed. Mma Ramotswe gets him to the orphanage where he is well taken care of. Mma Ramotswe solves the mystery of the brother poisoning – not killed just sick – it was the cook, not […]
The Far Pavilions
by M.M. Kaye, 1978 Over 900 pages – set in 1800s – India & Afghanistan. British rule India – Ash, Juli, Wally – EPIC – Ash main character from birth to young man. What a life! What he went through, not accepted by Britain or India. His thoughts and ideas could have saved 1000s of […]
The Caine Mutiny
by Herman Wouk, 1951 (Pulitzer Prize winner for 1951) One of the best books I have ever read! Willie Keith, WWII Navy, serves Queeg, a poltroon (wretched coward), end up taking over ship in a typhoon, court-martialed. Keefer chickens out – lies – on witness stand. Looks good – gets ship (the Caine) and he’s […]
This Rough Magic
by Mary Stewart, 1964 Lucy visits her sister on the Isle of Corfu. A dolphin swims with her – she and Max save it, fall in love, solve the mystery of the near death of Spiro and the death of Yanni (not a main character). What beautifully written details – the walk down through pine […]
Trade Wind
by M.M. Kaye, 1963 Zanzibar – historical – slave trade – cholera. Majid Sultan, Hero Hollis, Rory Frost. LOVED this book. A lot of it was true-the rebellion, cholera, Salme eloping. Really long book, though.
Tears of the Giraffe
by Alexander McCall Smith, 2000 Mma Ramotswe finds out what happened to an American young man 10 years ago. Mma Makutsi takes a case–doesn’t seem to turn out as wonderfully as Mma Ramotswe’s. Mr. J.L.B Matekoni adopts 2 children.
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
by Alexander McCall Smith, 1998 Gentle read about Mma. Ramotswe and her beloved Africa – Botswana. She opens a detective agency with the money from the cattle her father kept. She solves mysteries for clients and friends. Really, really interesting and smart! Sweet, sweet tales.
Marley & Me*
by John Grogan, 2005 *Life and love with the world’s worst dog Loved this book! It’s a memoir describing John Grogan’s early adulthood, getting a yellow lab puppy, meeting his wife, raising this yellow lab who is the world’s worst dog, finding a home, having children, and all the while growing up with this dog.
Abide with Me
by Elizabeth Strout, 2006 Small New England town minister, wife dies of cancer, has 2 daughters; one troubled.