Started second in Book of Dust series.

Great story in same world as earlier His Dark Materials trilogy. Malcolm is the main character and he and Alice watch over baby Lyra. I will read the next one too!

Mostly pretty good but wordy novel about a union member songwriter executed for a SLC murder at a store. He became a martyr much like John Brown in the Civil War. He said: “Don‘t mourn, organize!” The IWW were an interesting group in early 20th century US history

This top paragraph is a good summary of Salt Lake City about the half way point of this novel about the unionist songwriter, Joe Hill.

Started a Philip Pullman book from a Little Free Library. I read his first trilogy a few years ago and liked them mostly.

Started a book I have owned since 2011. Poetry about the U. S. Civil War, originally written in 1927.

Very enjoyable book about an ordinary man in England, good at engineering, who does extraordinary things to help his orphaned niece and meets up with interesting people. Shute‘s last book and among his best.

Started a book by an author I like from Australia who died way back in 1960. About an ordinary man, good at engineering, who must undertake a sea voyage from England. He never did it before.

I liked this just as much as Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl. It was more international with a lot in Berlin besides NYC and Italy. Makes me want to try her recipes too.

Pretty good crime and caper story with a female Marshall. First Elmore Leonard for me. A bit gritty.

Starting a third book! An old crime novel by Elmore Leonard.

Started a book about a young chef.

Kind of a hard book to read but somewhat interesting too. I have been much into the history of English for a while now and hope to read more. Skimmed some of the end part.

Another good one! This time Uhtred goes through some hard times before getting revenge on his enemies at the end, and he still needs to reclaim his family's fortress, while he is oath-bound to King Alfred. I may slow down on this series while I read other books.

Started another historical fiction about a labor leader blamed for a murder and executed in Utah in 1915

Starting third book in series. Have not seen the TV series at all but books seem good.

Second book is still very good. Uhtred is supporting Alfred in spite of what he thinks of him. His dark witchy woman becomes a Christian. His wife leaves him. Big battle at the end. Very readable for me.

Started second book in series. Don‘t know if I will read all of them, but they seem good to me.

Good story of English youth adopted by the invading Danes and then serving King Alfred of the last free area in the south of England in late 800s. I will read more.

Marvelous book about a Paris hobo and 3 little red headed kids who help each other. Would be a good Hallmark movie but without the romance!

I picked this up somewhere, maybe at a Free Little Library and it looks promising. Makes me think of Gigot, the old movie, set in France. I like stories where someone helps orphans. It's a really old kids book.

Started a historical book on early England in 9th Century during time of King Alfred the Great. First of a long series.

Gently humorous short book on how Proust viewed topics like suffering, expressing emotions, being a friend, seeing beauty in ordinary things, etc. Very readable.

I am still not actually reading Proust but books that refer to it. Also I am trying to learn some French in case I can do it that way, but I like the language anyway since English is so much made from it.

Mostly OK but I had to skim sections about who fought who and why of Snorri‘s kin. Most interesting is that we get all of our Norse myths from a man who lived in 1200s Iceland which influenced Tolkien and others.

Started a book about early Iceland and a famous poet who wrote about Norse myths and the sagas.

Pretty good historical about holocaust survivors in Cuba who were let in when other family and friends were turned away on the ship St. Louis. Took awhile to get into it and then skimmed it at the end a little. If you like Sarah‘s Key it is sort of like that.

Starting a novel that looks interesting.

Pretty good book but I would have liked to see even more detail and any more conflicts they had with others in the military. Also wanted some more about the Navajo culture. Otherwise I'd recommend it if you are into WW2 history.

Starting a book on one of my favorite topics. It is the 5th edition of this notable history.

It has great art and gives a pretty good idea of what the first book in Proust‘s epic novel is about. Time and memory and lost chidhood and people known and what love is about. Not sure if I will read the whole thing. Anyone read it?

Starting a book about the Navajos who kept radio messages from the Japanese in WW2. They spoke in a version of Navajo which the enemy could not figure out. There were about 500 in the war.

Good but a little long. History of the game and people obsessed with it. Author went from amateur to expert level in 2 years.

Started a graphic novel of Proust. This will help me know if I should read the whole series or not or give me a taste of it.

Great collection of interviews with Travel and Exploration writers. I have read some of them and now have more on my TBR list.

Started a book on travel writers. I read about Rick Steeves to start.

Good story and probably close to what happened. Photo is from an old newspaper. I liked part close to end where she talked to her father finally.

The first book is the best and gets quite amusing with family moving to Vermont and dealing with an old house, quirky people, etc. The kids are very unique! The second one gets a little boring towards the end. I‘d say just read the first one. Sort of like Erma Bombeck.

I have never seen the series, just clips now and then, nor have I read the books. This will give me an idea of what's going on.

Starting a book of historical fiction about a woman passing for white in a racist time.

Intriguing story of some Chippewas in 1950s North Dakota and a fight to prevent Federal termination of the tribe. Includes some magic realism. I intend to read more by this author.

Starting a book by Loise Erdrich. I have not read any of hers yet.

Not bad short novel of a picaresque black man involved with an illegal slave ship who take a mystical tribe captive. Reminds me somewhat of Ring Shout. Some magic realism and a gruesome survival story.

Starting a book that looks good. Actually two books in one. Seems quite amusing so far as they look for a rental house in Vermont.

Quite a survival story of shipwrecked sailors in West Africa enslaved by Arab or local tribesmen. Very traumatic. Good people helped save some of them.

Quite interesting story of Pueblo indians and their customs in old New Mexico before the Spanish came. The writing is somewhat old fashioned and it is rather long, but it is still worth reading if you are interested in the Pueblos. The story has heroes and villains and a love story. It does make you want to know more.

Starting a survival story of sailors held captive in North Africa.

Truly interesting book centered on events of 1893, including Columbia Exposition, the first modern World‘s Fair. Book covers fashion and bicycles, architecture, baseball, famous rich people, sanitation with the building of a canal and reversing Chicago River, etc. A good read if interested!

I am trying out this old novel about cliff dwellers near Los Alamos, NM. Author was a scientist who died in 1914.

Really interesting story of the 1930‘s flashy dress designer who fell in love with China and brought back the first live panda. It went to Brookfield Zoo in Chicago area. Author did a lot of research and it reads very well like Seabiscuit a few years ago.