The House at Riverton

I finally finished it Jen! It only took me 2 months to actually read it. I thought I would get more reading in on our trip while Tyler napped, but instead napped along side him. I really enjoyed it, but would agree with you on all points you mentioned. I too just wanted to know what happened, though I enjoyed thinking of different possibilities throughout the book.
Em

The House at Riverton

I finished reading "The House at Riverton" by Kate Morton last night. I must say I really enjoyed it, which was a nice surprise because her other book did not catch me. It is the story of a family in England prior to and during WWI, but told from the perspective of their maid who is now a 98 year old woman. bShe is being approached for information for a film being made of a suicide that happened at the family home and marked the end of their "dynast".

I found in this book, unlike The Forgotten Garden, I was hooked almost right from the start. She manages to weave a story that is compelling and intriguing, leaving little clues about secrets and mysteries that will be revealed, but not giving everything away easily. I liked the way she interposed the present with memories of the past, and having the main character a servant in the house gave lots of opportunities for things to be observed but still not understood. Her characters are well developed and believable and she portrays the confusion and despair of the war years beautifully without making you depressed.

I will say that I did find at one point nearing the end the story dragged a little. It was only once and then it picked right up again, but I wondered if the book couldn't have been tightened up a little bit. I guess I was eager to know what had really happened but it wasn't getting there fast enough for me. But then I'm impatient. Ha ha. A good read. I would recommend this to everyone who likes a good suspense romance historical novel.

I've been reading...

I've been reading, but I was wondering the same thing as you. I need some new ideas! I tried that book by Kate Morton, but it didn't grab me. I just finished a book by Barbara Erskine that combines mystery with the supernatural. Don't roll your eyes yet. I almost did and I would have missed a book I really enjoyed! She uses the idea that you could connect with the past through spirits and they help solve mysteries and protect you etc. Even though it sounds a bit creepy, it really wasn't. It was more of a romance-suspense. Sorry, can't remember the title, but I do have another one out and I'll tell you if it's any good.

I have also been reading Boy Smarts. It was written by a man from Surrey who has worked in the public education system for 30 years and what he has learned from research and teaching/mentoring boys. I have really enjoyed figuring out how my boys think and feel, because it's way different than me! If you have a boy (pretty much all of you), this book is for you. There is also another that I have on hold at the library. I will post the author's name once I find it. I think it's Barry Macdonald.

Oh, and I lately have been reading more of Simon Brett's Feathering Mysteries. They're a really light who-dunnit with funny characters. A quick, no brainer.

And a little while ago I picked up a couple of Shannon Hale books that I hadn't yet read from her Book of Bayern - River Secrets and... darn, can't remember the name of the last one. They were good, but if you haven't yet read Princess Academy or The Goose Girl, start with those. Her writing is so lyrical and she weaves a whole new world without making it intense like in heavy duty fantasies. They're like reading and extended fairy tale, in fact many of them are just that. The Goose Girl is a fairy tale from some easter European country.

Hmmm....let me think what else I have picked up at the library lately. Not much. Dan re-read Harry Potter 6&7 and he said he enjoyed it way more this time. We've been reading these with Madi and Clay at night and they are on number 4. Clay has sort of lost interest, but Madi's going strong!

I wonder if anyone can remember the name of a book we used to check out from the school libaray about seven chinese brothers, one of whom swallowed the sea? I wish I could find it again. We found something similar, but it's just not the same. Dan and I both remember it as kids.

So, now tell me what you've found! I have another Kate Morton book on reserve and I'm going to see if I can enjoy this one. I read a review of her latest that actually sound intriguing, but the library doesn't have it yet.

Is No One Reading Anymore?

What is going on? Have we all let the chance to read slip through our fingers? I know I have. It seems like I have been super busy or maybe just really tired by the end of the day. I have read "The Mini Shopaholic" since Christmas (yes, it took me nearly 2 months) and I enjoyed it. I have read the whole Shopaholic series, so Trevor got me this final one to add to my collection. I am now starting the "Little house on the Prairie" series. I have never read these before, which my sister in law couldn't believe, so she lent me her copies. I am halfway through the first book, and am enjoying learning about how people used to live.
Emily

Einstein Never Used Flashcards

For those of you wanting to branch out from the fiction realm, I have been reading a really interesting book called "Einstein Never Used Flashcard...How our Children Really Learn and why they need to play more and memorize less" by Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, and a couple other women. They are all involved in Child Development and Behavior and have PhD's of one sort of another, but they have spent their careers analyzing the current trend of pushing children to succeed both academically and extra-curricullar-ly at very early ages. Really interesting reading on how and when our brains really learn things, and they de-bunk a lot of myths such as the Mozart effect by explaining what the research actually found before commercial industry twisted it and ran. They discuss all the things kids learn just by playing and how necessary that is to their development, and the anxiety that comes with trying to push them too fast into structured, "adultified" activities.

Good way to expand your knowledge and understanding on how kids tick as supported by research, and makes you not feel so guilty about kids not being a part of every possible sport, preschool program, and tutoring session being offered. Turns out a loving home and lots of free, imaginative play are actually the keys to a successful, well-rounded, creative, critical thinking adult. Sounds eerily familiar, like many of our general authorities have been telling us this for a long time....

Murder Mystery

I just finished a book by Simon Brett called Murder in the Museum. I thought it was a well written, well paced murder mystery. A good easy holiday read. It is apparently the fourth in the Feathering Mysteries set that he writes, but he writes a whole lot of others too. It's always fun to find a new-to-me author that has a big selection of books to keep trying.

Finally...

...I have had time to read again, what with work having slowed down so much. I just read "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton. I really, really liked it. It tells a story of a young girl abandoned on a ship set for Australia from England. It switches between a few different time periods, telling the story of her life and the mysteries she is trying to discover. It was really well written. I recommend to everyone. If you decide to read it, don't be dismayed by it's size. It is over 500 pages, but is an easy read and is broken into a lot of chapters, so it doesn't seem that long.
-Emily