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Jodi posted:

OK, OK (sheesh)

I read:

*Guernsey Potato Peel (a good, fast read). The story is told in letters back and forth between the characters, which I usually don't like, but these were short, breezy, and funny.

* Guernica - takes place in Guernica, Spain during WWII (so you know it's going to be sad), but it's well-written and pulls you into the story (about several generations of Basque farmers and townspeople) and what happened during the war. He pulls in the real-life Red Baron and Pablo Picasso (which seems a little confusing at first), but makes sense at the end. The description of the bombing is heartbreaking. Good read.

* A Beautiful Place to Die (Malla Nunn)- part Borderlands (but better written), part Hamish (Scottish voices growling in the hero's head), but set in South Africa during apartheid. A policeman is found shot dead in a river. The security police want to make it political, but the investigating policeman in charge suspects other motives. (this was one of our nominees for whodunnit). I liked the way she wove the story together across societal lines, color barriers, and stupid, brutal laws. I figured out parts of what happened, but the rest kept me guessing (hooray!).

* Palace Council (Stephen Carter) - I abandoned this one - didn't care about the characters, it was dragging, and I just didn't care what happened. It could have been a taut, thriller (a la David Balducci) but it wasn't.

* Music and Silence -(Rose Tremain) abandoned this too - the people in it were unlikeable and the book was depressing. It may be my mood (I liked The Colour), and nobody on Amazon agreed with me.

* The Echo by Minette Walters - I don't think I'd read one of her books before, but since the library didn't have her first one, I decided to try this. I can see she's a talented writer, but the plot was confusing. I had trouble keeping everyone and everything straight, and the behavior of one of the characters was a bit "off".

Started The Nine last night.

I finally Finished Luncheon of the Boating Party, bu Susan Vreeland. I generally gravitate towoard books with artistic subjects and themes, but only sheer cussedness made me finish this one. The plot centers on Renoir painting Luncheon of the Boating Party, and there is lots of background on Impressionism, the politics and in-fighting of between the painters, French history, and the of the models Renoir used. All good. But Vreeland spent too much time, IMHO, describing clothing and personal appearance, boat races and food, and used cliched language to do it. Enough with the "perky breasts" already. Frankly, it reminded me of a paperback romance (not my preference). I'm glad to move on.

Sherry