tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68281795353061802782012-02-18T08:47:13.906-06:00<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Taking another look at old favorites...Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.comBlogger951100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-17083165588023287772012-02-18T08:47:00.000-06:002012-02-18T08:47:13.925-06:00

Wow. If you have never read this book go to your local library, download it to your e-reader, read it, love it, cherish it. Written in a Yoda-like prose, the book is mystical. You feel the sun on your shoulders, the smell of the flowers, hear the bacon crisping in the pan as you walk with the main character, Huw. The valley is green. Life is great. People thrive. Fish can be tickled out of a

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-42201292551934265592012-02-11T10:05:00.000-06:002012-02-11T10:05:09.517-06:00

Two Old Women is an old story from an old culture---an Alaskan Legend. Centered around the two old women of a tribe that is going through hard times. The leaders have decided that times are so rough that the two old women must be left behind to probable starvation for the good of the clan. But, as it turns out, the old women, know a thing or two about surviving that help them to thrive in hard

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-53527145599254671592012-02-04T09:06:00.000-06:002012-02-04T09:06:19.288-06:00

War, good luck that turns sour, romance, intrigue, spies, and lovers---what more could you want from a book and The Kings General has it all. An epic novel that covers an entire lifespan, it is so well written that you won't want to put it down and will neglect your life for the characters of the book. And their life isn't so good. The main character falls from a horse and remains a cripple for

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-44193079991338056762012-01-28T06:32:00.000-06:002012-01-28T06:32:58.225-06:00

Written in 1900, Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser, surely caused a stir. The people in this novel are far from saints. They're not evil. But as the author so eloquently puts it "Not evil, but longing for that which is better, more often directs the steps of the erring." And so it does in the book. The story centers around three main characters as they move up and down through their lives; one

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-87335408440143709832012-01-21T09:30:00.000-06:002012-01-21T09:30:25.637-06:00

I am stepping outside of the usual genre of this blog to offer a review of a 3 book epic work by James Beauseigneur. Beware: this book is graphic in places, disgusting in others, it's capable of sucking you in, of making you doubt, of turning your head, and in the end.....well, hopefully you'll make the right choice. But Beware.... this book latches on to you. The first book in the trilogy

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-48904864994819057552012-01-07T10:10:00.000-06:002012-01-07T10:10:36.494-06:00

The Listener builds on a very original premise. It opens with this quote from Seneca: For who listens to us in all the world, whetherhe be friend or teacher, brother or father or mother,sister or neighbor, son or ruler orservant?Does he listen, our advocate, or our husbands or wives, those who are dearest to us? Do the stars listen, when we turn despairingly awayfrom man, or the winds, or the

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-81210039383965522732011-12-31T11:47:00.000-06:002011-12-31T11:47:13.780-06:00

Maggie-Now is an epic novel---the kind where you get to know the characters so well by the end you remember their past the same way you remember your own. And even though the characters are not perfect you learn to love them and accept them for their imperfections. The book starts out before Maggie-Now is born...we meet her parents first and we are there through her birth, the loss of her mother

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-56115620863583990862011-12-24T09:59:00.002-06:002011-12-24T09:59:41.385-06:00

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-15090011213134958722011-12-17T09:56:00.000-06:002011-12-17T09:56:46.729-06:00

The introduction to this cookbook states "When you want a homemade cookie, nothing else will do." How right they are! And my 1980 version of this book is full of delectable recipes that I get out and bake this time of year every year. Take the spritz recipe on page 89. Some spritz cookie doughs are impossible to run through even the best, vintage type of cookie presses. But this recipe dispenses

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-34763624357245235012011-12-10T09:28:00.000-06:002011-12-10T09:28:46.591-06:00

I've read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn several times over my life identifying with a different character each time. There's a tiny girl who loves to read---I started with her; she's bullied at school and finds it difficult to fit in. Who doesn't at that age? Everyone can identify with that. Then there's her mother; working hard with a feeling of going nowhere---struggling to do the right thing for

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-81751497141988185042011-12-03T10:57:00.000-06:002011-12-03T10:57:35.970-06:00

This novel is like reading an Alice in Wonderland tome on Philosophy. It is dizzying, challenging, and just when you think you've grasped the whole thing, the author pulls the rug out from underneath and you're left wondering where you are and how you got there. Which is, of course, what good philosophical discussion really does to you anyway. It questions fundamentals, turns the tables on

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-85675144776294540002011-11-26T19:01:00.000-06:002011-11-26T19:01:31.886-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving. Be back next week with a really great book from the past. Until then enjoy your family, your community, and that turkey.

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-55631697166820438462011-11-19T10:45:00.000-06:002011-11-19T10:45:24.184-06:00

Maybe it's just that Gene Stratton Porter lived and wrote in Indiana; some of her books were written in this very house overlooking the shores of Sylvan Lake or maybe it was because she was a "Daughter of the Land" right here in Indiana---but I feel she is one of the best authors that this land has made. And Daughter of the Land is one of her best---a story of overcoming adversity, of good

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-23090006686401755182011-11-12T09:10:00.000-06:002011-11-12T09:10:15.752-06:00

A book on Microwave Cookery? So un-Julia like. But in the heat of the summer or for an absolute speedy--done in 8-11 minutes cake that is great all by itself or with jam or with strawberries and a dallop of cream, or with a slather of frosting....well this book just can't be beat. And if you own a microwave, Mastering Microwave Cookery will take the appliance to a level past the warming of a

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-20971644348041037242011-11-05T09:24:00.000-05:002011-11-05T09:24:07.394-05:00

Hannah shows up one day in a snow storm looking frowzy in her second hand coat and hat she just bought from the second hand store after getting discharged from the hospital. The people who answer the door she shows up at don't even know her and they don't know that they need her as much as she needs them. She stays for many years, uninvited but loved and appreciated, solving their problems even

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-52554547060642311302011-10-29T10:21:00.000-05:002011-10-29T10:21:45.386-05:00

Floating Island by one of my favorite authors, Emily Kimbrough, is an entertaining, light travel journal about the author's two week trip through France on a river barge. The barge could only be rented in full so the author gathered a group of friends together and floated down the French rivers over locks and through the French countryside. Along the way the guests get to know each other, the

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-30393392832311233342011-10-22T12:38:00.000-05:002011-10-22T12:38:12.085-05:00

You never grow too old to enjoy a childhood favorite, to read one of yours to a child or grandchild, or to discover a new author in the archives of your libraries dusty shelves. I discovered Gene Stratton-Porter later in life. Her books are part of my library's adult section but I have discovered that many people read them as children. Freckles is a young at heart story that reads like a good

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-3779993999986374312011-10-15T10:48:00.000-05:002011-10-15T10:48:12.005-05:00

The best books are those that entertain you so much they initially draw you into the story for the pure joy of the tale. Then, before you know it, the author has slipped in and leaves you with something to think about...a bit to ponder in the end. A Breath of Air by Rumer Godden is just this type of book. An amazingly great story about a man, battered and beaten by life in the real world, after

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-85331963902894258912011-10-08T10:25:00.000-05:002011-10-08T10:25:37.954-05:00

Bring Me a Unicorn is delightfully light reading of a girl's emergence into womanhood and an eyewitness account of history being played out as she meets her young husband to be for the first time. It appears to have been love at first sight but...then you'll have to read the account for yourself to discover what truth you can find. The book is taken from the diary and letters of the Anne Morrow

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-61361582737493015962011-10-01T09:49:00.000-05:002011-10-01T09:49:33.371-05:00

I've always been a fan of Erma Bombeck, an author who could poke fun at the most mundane of the real world and make it so interesting and entertaining. Reading The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic System in today's world is a like an entertaining history lesson of  how it was that America found itself moved out of the city centers and in the suburbs. The tongue in cheek story of how the

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-65755420336374717412011-09-24T10:04:00.000-05:002011-09-24T10:04:12.120-05:00

Funny, I never happened upon The Secret Garden as a child. The copy I recently found at the library book sale has magnificent illustrations by Tasha Tudor; bright watercolors sprinkled throughout the book and is truly a delight to spend time with. Maybe it was Burnetts' scandalous lifestyle---divorced and living with a man outside of marriage in the early 20th century that took her books off a

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-86232141037540048602011-09-17T10:26:00.000-05:002011-09-17T10:26:45.609-05:00

I was introduced to 2001: A Space Odyssey, like many other people, with the movie. I love scifi movies. But simply didn't get the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was strange, difficult to follow, and I didn't like it; until I watched the movie again after reading the book. Sometimes movies, as much as they try, just don't do justice to the books that they portray.And even though the author had a

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-30922653505691854172011-09-10T09:58:00.000-05:002011-09-10T09:58:35.453-05:00

Unlike the normally dry and difficult to wade through biographies of history's greats, this biography of Henry the Eighth is not only entertaining but very easy to read. Hackett includes a dose of intimate details and some really interesting tidbits about the life and times of Henry. There's less about the wives and more about the campaigns and reasoning behind Henry and his notorious life. When

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-56974277410939197912011-09-03T10:03:00.000-05:002011-09-03T10:03:12.705-05:00

You've got to love the internet age with its ability to research any subject under the sun. One thing that surprises and delights me over and over again are the authors who I come to know after I read the words and the pieces of their souls that they reveal. Frank Yerby shocked me twice. In Pride's castle I was shocked at the ability of the main character Pride Dawson, to overcome difficulties

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-35006865668226433552011-08-27T09:50:00.000-05:002011-08-27T09:50:22.677-05:00

It was a steamy hot August day when I stood outside the Smithsonian exhibit showcasing Julia Child's kitchen. I stood with several other people of all ages looking at the island, the pots and pans, the chairs, Julia's doodads. I wasn't the only one with hero worship tears in my eyes. If it wasn't for Julia's wonderful PBS training so many of us would have been mediocre, at best, cooks. My Life

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-61370617734633668062011-08-20T11:31:00.000-05:002011-08-20T11:31:20.262-05:00

David Ormsbee is  apparently a pseudo-name for Stephan Longstreet, an multi-tasking, multi-talented author born in the first years of 20th century and after a long life, dying just a short time ago in 2002. The Sound of an American is a raw, raunchy tale of WWII. The American in the story, a man by the name of Abner, was unfortunate to be born in France and, even though an American, is

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-34985143482330292872011-08-13T10:21:00.000-05:002011-08-13T10:21:15.191-05:00

Multifaceted...that is how I would describe most of Pearl S. Buck's books. They're like picking up a diamond; on one hand it is blue. Or is it gold or silvery? Pavilion of Women is a story of a woman struck by midlife.  She is Chinese and the story is set long ago but it could be today and it could be anywhere in the world. Midlife is universal for all of us and whether it happens at age 40 or  

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-62487660037585393542011-08-06T10:37:00.001-05:002011-08-06T10:39:15.461-05:00

A picture on Wiki of Frances Parkinson Keyes shows a woman at peace, shooting the camera a joyful look as she sits before her typewriter. And she turned out book after book from that typewriter. Came a Cavalier is a love story, a historical novel, and great fun to read. Keyes traveled to Normandy to select a Chateau to house her main character in and from the preface of the book she had a grand

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-84288758960774073782011-07-30T11:18:00.000-05:002011-07-30T11:18:52.676-05:00

Isn't the variety of imperfections contained in human beings amazing? Even more interesting is the how these imperfections develop, often leaving you with a what came first dilemma. Robinson's main character, Ruston Cobb, is far from perfect . His life is far from perfect. He's a lonely, married with two children, middle aged man. We get to enter his mind, his struggles, his shortcomings and his

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-20953091399313277552011-07-23T11:12:00.000-05:002011-07-23T11:12:07.559-05:00

Story telling is an art and the vintage authors sure knew how to spin a yarn. Horatio Alger, Jr. died in 1899 but his stories are alive today, peppered with a special sweet goodness that could bring even the most embittered cynic back to faith in the human race. Alger wrote books based on late 19th century conditions of impoverished boys. His distinctive writing style imparts an interesting

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-43599428076268212302011-07-16T12:31:00.000-05:002011-07-16T12:31:07.558-05:00

Copyright 1909, you will not find a book with the kind of prose that is contained in this book today. 54-40 or Fight is a historical novel of the negotiations between England and the U.S over the Oregon Territory/Canadian line. Just think--- Vancouver could have been in the U.S. had negotiations went other ways! This book has a tongue in cheek commentary on women besides containing a delightful

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-61290290663812937292011-07-09T10:54:00.000-05:002011-07-09T10:54:49.904-05:00

There are shenanigans going on in the town of Orlingford--everybody knows but nobody knows why. Except for the reader of The Sleepless Moon---you'll find out the reasons as the tale weaves through the characters; some you love and some you would love to hate, if you only could. This book is a dark tale of misfortune and trials of people that are fated to go where they must and can't seem to

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-81430729729995116262011-07-02T08:02:00.000-05:002011-07-02T08:02:00.159-05:00

A recent discarded book sale at the local library contained two copies of Under the Lilacs. I suppose this is a commentary on the times as we move to e-books. The copy I recently read lacks a copyright date; only stating that it was manufactured in the United States of America. It is old judging by the color of its pages and the makeup of its cover. The cover is red; a curious combination of

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-53784200621528223832011-06-25T09:09:00.000-05:002011-06-25T09:09:09.153-05:00

Professor St. Peter works on his research in a study in his old house, his latest research has bought his wife a new house down the street, but, as a luxury, the Professor still rents his old house with its garden and his study with the old stove on the second floor. The dressmaker's dress forms keep the professor company, although they are no longer used by the dressmaker to make new dresses for

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-89196240380462777552011-06-18T10:41:00.000-05:002011-06-18T10:41:24.695-05:00

If you're looking for some light summer reading Me by Katharine Hepburn is the book for you. I recommend it in audiobook; the version that is read by the author; she does such a great job. The book is full of quaint stories, humor, love, and grace. You won't find a bit of apology for a life well lived and lived to its fullest. Hepburn acknowledges she wasn't perfect, that she made some mistakes

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-39312851236358170952011-06-11T10:12:00.000-05:002011-06-11T10:12:59.483-05:00

Eighty Million Eyes is a "who-done-it" police story novel. I usually don't go for this type of book, but I found it in my library's discards and decided to try it out. I'm glad I did. The book reads like one of those old police story dramas from the early 1960's; like a Dragnet episode. It is well written, nail biting suspense that can be devoured in a summer afternoon. McBain relishes in

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-75389969045528019002011-06-04T09:37:00.000-05:002011-06-04T09:37:20.304-05:00

I pulled this 50 cent paperback off of my shelf the other day. It had been hidden behind some hardcover books for a few years so I had forgotten the exact story but could remember the book was really, really good. So I started to re-read it. I sat down and in a couple of hours I had devoured it. Again. This book is full of intrigue and suspense. Every page is jam packed full of danger and

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-77161268447779266632011-05-28T10:34:00.000-05:002011-05-28T10:34:10.247-05:00

Normally I concentrate on dead authors, and Clinton is far from dead, but there are some books that are easily forgotten and messages that deserve to be taken back to the top of the pile. Clinton's It Takes a Village is a book whose message will always be appropriate and should never be forgotten. As I got this book off of my shelf to write this blog I looked at Clinton's accompaning picture;

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-28743397206576750612011-05-21T10:07:00.000-05:002011-05-21T10:07:04.849-05:00

A very flattering picture of Mary Queen of Scots appears on the first page of this book. In the picture Mary gives the portrait painter a sideways glance and a "Mona Lisa" smile. She is a real person in that portrait; a young lady and queen. Morrison treats Queen Mary with sympathy that is often lacking in other biographies that often take the winning, English side of the story. Mary comes

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-20076316429068867312011-05-14T08:30:00.000-05:002011-05-14T08:30:15.777-05:00

There are books that have a certain power to suck you right into a time and place and yet, when you finish you can't quite place a finger on what it was that made the book so difficult to put down; Babbit by Sinclair Lewis is that kind of book. The book is about a somewhat ordinary man, in an ordinary time. Babbit has an ordinary life and, even though this book was written in 1922,  Babbit

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-19886627837719813972011-05-07T08:51:00.000-05:002011-05-07T08:51:42.531-05:00

While visiting Maine a few years back, I stumbled on a stretch of woods dedicated to the author Rachel Carson. The woods were full of spring wildflowers; trillium, violets, ferns and mosses. A gentle breeze came in off the ocean carrying with it a fine mist that bathed the woods. And the spring birds...most on their migrations; some stopping for just a fill up but some staying for the summer,

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-90893973164792751842011-04-30T10:17:00.000-05:002011-04-30T10:17:12.437-05:00

Remarkably, even though I grew up in Indiana, I didn't stumble across Gen Stratton Porter until later in life. When I found her, I was hooked. She was a prolific writer who wrote straight from the heart in clear and concise language that rarely needed an editor's  review. Even though Stratton-Porter wrote mostly novels, her heart was in the swamps and woods of Indiana where she studied plants,

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-25963249006558247222011-04-23T08:13:00.000-05:002011-04-23T08:13:19.948-05:00

Contrasting the differences between early twentieth century Chinese and Japanese cultures and two young lovers caught in the middle The Patriot written in Pearl S Buck's concise prose is difficult to put down especially since there are only three chapter breaks in the whole book. A young Chinese rebel, from a wealthy family longs for a world where riches are shared with rich and poor alike. He

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-30612822230388727052011-04-16T11:28:00.000-05:002011-04-16T11:28:22.262-05:00

To say The Giver by Lois Lowry is original would be an understatement. A bit scary? Magnificent? Thought provoking? Beautiful even when it is painful and ugly? All of the above. The Giver is a book about society. What our society is; what it could turn into if we turn too apathetic. It's about what makes us great and what makes us not so good. The Giver is a story about a society that had

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-43622732676331249782011-04-09T10:52:00.000-05:002011-04-09T10:52:17.334-05:00

Arch of Triumph is not an easy book to read. Its realistic portrayal of Paris leading up to the Second World War is sometimes too much to absorb. The author tells it bluntly; holding nothing back and baring all. The book centers around a middle aged German surgeon living a life of exile because he helped a couple of friends escape the upcoming regime in Germany. He has no papers allowing him to

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-1074193109558668362011-04-02T09:39:00.000-05:002011-04-02T09:39:59.368-05:00

With all the recipes on the web you would think that cookbooks would be out of fashion, but there is nothing like sitting down on a Saturday afternoon and exploring all the good things that you would make if only you had the time and the healthy appetites to enjoy your masterpieces. Make-A-Mix is a cookbook that is a real money and time-saver. There are a variety of mixes in the first part of

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-27148443271538203962011-03-26T11:44:00.001-05:002011-03-26T11:44:58.290-05:00

Pearl S. Buck has fascinated me with her understanding of Chinese culture, passing on an insiders view to readers of her novels, ever since my mother introduced me to this author years ago. It's sometimes difficult for people raised in western culture to understand what it means to be Chinese. Pearl S. Buck helps us understand what it means to be of that ancient culture that is full of

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-27516926238992443872011-03-19T12:13:00.000-05:002011-03-19T12:13:15.702-05:00

A nail biter; this book is. I grabbed it off of the library bookshelf and never put it down until I finished and still I longed for more. Well written, full of mystery and suspense, sprinkled with romance fulfilled and not, and you have a book that you want to read over and over again and Ravenscroft is just that kind of book. Set at the turn of the century in London, the book centers on the

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-58723790022850462192011-03-12T11:07:00.000-06:002011-03-12T11:07:35.564-06:00

When Edna Ferber appeared on U.S. postage stamps a few years ago I hadn't heard of her, although, without knowing it, her work had already touched my life in all sorts of delightful ways. I was never a big fan of the movie Giant, but Dinner at eight and Show Boat are among my favorites. And Ferber wrote all of these masterpieces. Cimarron is my first Ferber read and it roped me in with the

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-41071078991830557972011-03-05T10:53:00.000-06:002011-03-05T10:53:55.740-06:00

Walden has always been one of my favorite books. Thoreau did something nearly impossible to do today; he found a bit of nature, explored it without owning it, took the wisdom he found there and applied it to the rest of the world. This book is several books in one, a year's deep thinking on everything from nature's cycles, simple living, standing for principles, government, and civil

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-8296616418818983462011-02-26T09:02:00.000-06:002011-02-26T09:02:40.251-06:00

All about Hemingway's life in Paris, this book is as delicious, as the french cooking the Hemingways can't afford to eat. A struggling writer with a wife and small baby, Hemingway provides a glimpse of Paris like no other. With little to feed the family, he tells of taking baby to Luxembourg Park and hiding pigeons in the pram for a later feast. In a city full of delicacies, where the city

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-1083900579988089302011-02-19T09:05:00.000-06:002011-02-19T09:05:35.434-06:00

A safe place; that's what all humanity would like. Somewhere private, all needs are met, no one can hurt you, you can't hurt anyone else; safe for me; safe for you. A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle is about a man who has been living in that quiet, safe place for 20 years....or is he living. He lives amongst the ghosts in a cemetery. All his physical needs are met. He has food to eat.

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-73335791251599526232011-02-12T12:14:00.000-06:002011-02-12T12:14:43.188-06:00

Do you feel like a great book that makes you roar with laughter? Our Hearts were Young and Gay by Cornelia Otis Skinner is a tale about two young ladies just out of college in the 1920's who take a trip to England and France. The girls experience one fiasco after another as they wind through London, the English countryside, Brittany, and to Paris, beginning with a round of measles just as the

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-55508466362831126682011-02-05T11:30:00.000-06:002011-02-05T11:30:16.616-06:00

Annie Jordan by Mary Brinker Post is a bit of mystery, romance, and drama all rolled into a story that will cut right through to your heart. The book opens with a great fire in Seattle, Washington in which Annie, her sister, and her Mother, even though they don't have much, lose everything they do have. This story comments on the harsh differences between what it means to be rich or poor and

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-66367598945278781402011-01-29T09:42:00.000-06:002011-01-29T09:42:14.413-06:00

I sincerely doubt that there is a book on the face of this earth that will make you feel better than reading Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith. My Mother was always good at pulling books off the library shelf and passing them to me to read. She pulled this one off the shelf one day and I have re-read it several times over the years. Do you remember what the first year of marriage feels like?

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-83702028649550117522011-01-22T19:25:00.000-06:002011-01-22T19:25:10.275-06:00

I have the New Revised and Updated McCalls Cookbook copyright 1984. It is nearly as good as the original version from 1973. Back in the 70's I checked the earlier version out of the library because my Mother was going in for surgery and gave us carte blanche to make any recipe we chose to keep the family fed while she was in the hospital. I picked this book because it had clear and easy

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-65750732785467416922011-01-15T11:18:00.000-06:002011-01-15T11:18:13.227-06:00

Until I read the books I never fully understood the movies made from Arthur C. Clarke's books. The genius of the material is that even though they were written so long ago they prophesied some information that has since been proven by science. 2001: A Space Odyssey is continued in 2010: Odyssey Two and each enfolds like a flower uncovering secrets only glimpsed in the movies of the same name. I

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-77222800807711181032011-01-08T08:49:00.000-06:002011-01-08T08:49:55.816-06:00

Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence is all about how early relationships can echo throughout life. D.H. Lawrence wrote some pretty risqué tales; this is not one of those. It is said to be a novel somewhat based on the author's life. It has that spooky way some books have of sucking you into the story; making it difficult to put down. The story hinges around a mother, her spouse in a mediocre, at

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-75742431640796020612011-01-01T10:00:00.001-06:002011-01-01T10:00:03.921-06:00

What does it take to fall in love? Do two people need to meet face to face? Do they need to speak? Could someone fall in love with you based on your things, your room, the smell you leave behind when you leave?  Would someone love you for what you read, the way you leave your pen on the desk, the letters you don't answer? I went in search of this book because of other reviews on the Internet

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-76126647882705414522010-12-25T08:18:00.002-06:002010-12-25T08:18:44.131-06:00

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-56785727692196571012010-12-18T11:32:00.000-06:002010-12-18T11:32:42.283-06:00

As promised I am going through this author's shelf at the local library and haven't hit on a miss yet. This next book in the tale of the Days and the Spragues brings us into the 20th century and Teddy Roosevelt's days. Thane keeps two story lines going through this book and like all good authors she leaves you wanting more every time you are forced to leave one story line for another. The two

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-85130828138719647592010-12-11T10:00:00.001-06:002010-12-11T10:00:04.501-06:00

The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas is a masterpiece. The story centers around the time of the Crucifixion, as early Christians struggle to come to terms with the mysteries of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. The Roman made responsible for carrying out the Crucifixion also wins Jesus' robe in a dice game. The robe ends up healing this Roman in ways he never realized he needs to be healed.

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-90808818678004185752010-12-04T12:52:00.000-06:002010-12-04T12:52:41.835-06:00

The Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook will allow even a beginner to play music on an electronic keyboard or guitar with ease. If you are giving an instrument to a beginner this year this would make an excellent book to include as part of the gift. The magic of this book is the simplified musical scores that make it simple and easy to pick out the melody or play the chords. Words for a

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-55817141110978956982010-11-27T10:00:00.001-06:002010-11-27T10:00:00.272-06:00

After reviewing my first experience with this author a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't wait to take another of the shelf of the local library and devour it. The Strength of the Hills did not disappoint. Even though this book was in the fiction section, it is a true story of the author's experience purchasing a Vermont farm in the early 1940's while WWII was still going on. She recounts the

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-3111062145941313332010-11-20T10:00:00.000-06:002010-11-19T19:23:22.680-06:00

When the Frugal Gourmet passed away I was devestated. I had always held out the hope that he would get through all his problems and return to television to do another series of shows using his quiet way of instruction to teach us to cook elegant and frugal meals. His series of cookbooks is full of outstanding volumes but my favorite all time book is On Our Immigrant Ancestors. The book is full

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-31944385498582547742010-11-13T10:00:00.003-06:002010-11-13T10:00:01.422-06:00

I love coming across a shelf of books at my local library by an author unfamiliar to me. A whole shelf usually means that the books are good and I will have several hours of engrossing stories. Last week I discovered a shelf of books by Elswyth Thane. I had never heard of the author and was delighted to find several books written mid-twentieth century. Not knowing if there was a series in the

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-62639884320081265042010-11-06T10:00:00.000-05:002010-11-06T10:00:02.085-05:00

Until recently reading Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, I had never read any of her books. After watching a recent PBS documentary about taking a ride on the Orient Express that is still alive and moving passengers today, I decided to give Christie's book a try. Christie was a prolific writer. My local library has a whole shelf devoted to her work. I found her writing crisp and

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-80440452983274071812010-10-30T10:00:00.001-05:002010-10-30T10:00:07.054-05:00

Claire Ambler by Booth Tarkington is a character study, a type of book you rarely see now a days. The book is centered around Claire Ambler who is a sweet, self centered girl emerging from puberty into adulthood in the early 20th century. She desires what young girls always desire no matter what the year; the adoration of everyone around her. There is only one problem; Claire hates the plastic,

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-8002609808270224352010-10-23T10:00:00.001-05:002010-10-23T10:00:05.109-05:00

Who hasn't seen the movie made of this book? But you'll never fully understand the movie until you read the book. The book is a short one; you can read it in an afternoon. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the book while living in Paris during Hemingway's time there. It was not a happy time in Fitzgerald's life and the book is full of pain and longing of things that could be...if only... There is greed

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-77582192771097078582010-10-16T10:00:00.000-05:002010-10-16T10:00:05.047-05:00

The Sea of Grass by Conrad Richter is not exactly typical of the books I normally read. It is a western novel that takes place in Texas. The story surrounds a man of great character; a rancher with a new wife, who struggles through the trials that change in the name of progress brings upon his world. The man ranches on federal land and the government decides to give the land  away to

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-235440795386608132010-10-09T10:00:00.007-05:002010-10-09T10:00:03.316-05:00

Some books you read once and pass on. Some books you give a second look or two. Some books haunt you your whole life. Lost Horizon by James Hilton is the latter type of book. A party traveling via plane is hijacked and taken to a  Paradise in the Himalayas. The members of the party are forced to choose between a life where they can live virtually trouble free forever or leaving without a second

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-37237802083557426512010-10-02T10:48:00.000-05:002010-10-02T10:48:06.465-05:00

First published in 1916, Green Mansions by W. H. Hudson is a poignant tale of the careless love that we still pay to nature and our earth today. The story is set in the Venezuelan rainforests. A man, disgusted by cultured society's soul rotting emptiness goes into the rainforest and lives with the natives. He finds a spot in the forest where even the natives haven't touched and there he comes

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-6237772354860429902010-09-25T14:42:00.000-05:002010-09-25T14:42:30.454-05:00

Emily Kimbrough' humor and yarn telling ability shine in this book first published in 1964. The book is the true story of a group of women traveling from the U.S. to mid 20th century Greece and from the first step off of the plane the escapades begin. Kimbrough's love for the people of Greece is apparent even as she exasperatingly experiences culture shock and navigates through unwritten rules

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-50357904776499209672010-09-18T13:49:00.000-05:002010-09-18T13:49:30.916-05:00

Benjamin Franklin by Carl Van Doren is the most comprehensive source of information on Benjamin Franklin that I've come across. The book, first published in 1938, covers Franklin's entire life from birth; to jumping off the boat in Philadelphia as a young man; to his time in Paris working on behalf of his new nation; right through to his death. It provides enormous insight into the lifestyle, 

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-65349646500098594942010-09-11T10:00:00.001-05:002010-09-11T10:00:03.051-05:00

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks isn't vintage. In fact it was just published this year. But the message it has to give makes it necessary for me to break my own rule about writing about only old books. The message is really important. Henrietta Lacks was a woman whose notoriety began when she came down with cancer and died back in the 1950's. This in itself wouldn't have been a big deal;

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-55375637400868446502010-09-04T11:02:00.000-05:002010-09-04T11:02:15.382-05:00

It's hard to believe that Contact by Carl Sagan is over twenty five years old. This book is so good that I try to read it again every year.  The story is of a lone girl growing into womanhood searching always for something out there in space; something to add to something missing in her life; for answers to questions that have no answers. She finds some answers and resolves some issues through a

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-53859850234157240042010-08-28T12:06:00.000-05:002010-08-28T12:06:10.491-05:00

This book may not qualify as vintage; it was published in 1995; but it has that vintage flavor and is a beautiful masterpiece of a book. Maybe during the current economic times, you could use a "feel good" book and this is one of those books that will having you feeling better guaranteed.  I loved Charles Kuralt; the world is truly a lesser place without him. When he was on CBS's Sunday Morning

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-78527746119625124562010-08-21T12:58:00.000-05:002010-08-21T12:58:05.118-05:00

I admit it; I love Harry just as much as his daughter, Margaret Truman, did. Margaret Truman's biography of her father is sometimes a bit biased, too sugary sweet, and maybe a little whitewashed but, then, Harry deserved the adulation of his only daughter. He was a great man and a great father and husband and you don't need Harry Truman's daughter to tell you how great he was. Harry S. Truman

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-63251706101868029362010-08-14T11:40:00.000-05:002010-08-14T11:40:15.621-05:00

That Day Alone by Pierre Van Paassen is a haunting book about the days that started World War II. Van Paassen starts us off in Paris as the country immobilizes for the war. Through the author's eyes we become eyewitnesses as the worn out, despondent people of France trudge out to another war that will take a good portion of their young people one more time; only a few years after the end of the

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-31301090895890809922010-08-07T12:00:00.001-05:002010-08-07T12:00:01.707-05:00

Like so much of the country, I love Julia Child. And while most people appreciate the French Cookbook of Julie and Julia fame, my favorite Julia Cookbook is Baking with Julia. Written later in her career, the Baking with Julia cookbook features guest bakers. I have favorite pages in this cookbook. Some favorite pages are covered with cinnamon and sugar like the one for the Danish Braid

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-12033732377324366072010-07-31T13:27:00.000-05:002010-07-31T13:27:41.038-05:00

In 1979 when I was first starting out my Mother bought me a new copy of the Betty Crocker Cookbook. Unfortunately it turned out to be the "new re-done" version for busier cooks who desired short cuts because they were thought to be short on time. I used that Betty Crocker Cookbook a few times and knew something was wrong. So I took it over to Mom's (on the sly; to avoid hurt feelings) and

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-31019830404944261912010-07-24T13:16:00.001-05:002010-07-24T13:17:57.864-05:00

If you've never read "A Sand County Amanac" by Aldo Leopold or if it's been a while since you've read this great book; take it out again for another look. Even though this book was first published in 1949, Leopold voice rings out through the decades as a message we could have heeded long before the creed of protecting the environment became mainstream and urgent. Leopold's story is mainly a

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-19718194690832037692010-07-17T12:02:00.000-05:002010-07-17T12:02:53.045-05:00

I love finding treasures in the library. Treasures, to me, are books written long ago that give you a window into history as it happened, in addition to a great story. I feel fortunate to have a transport to an actual time as well as place. Emily Kimbrough's "The Innocents from Indiana" is a wonderful treasure. Kimbrough's family moved from Muncie, Indiana to Chicago at the beginning of the 20th

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-23635726407197395482010-07-10T12:00:00.002-05:002010-07-10T12:00:01.570-05:00

I've just finished The Keeper of the Bees for the second time in the last five years. I couldn't put it down again. Stratton-Porter's books are great summer reads. Read or re-read this one in a hammock while breathing in a garden full of summer flowers while the back-ground hum of bees lulls you with a sweet summer lullaby. The book is about a Vet's recovery and return to society. On the way

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-86715670371832766092010-07-03T13:32:00.000-05:002010-07-03T13:32:53.801-05:00

Lyndon Johnson was such a larger than life character in such volatile times that it was easy to overlook the beautiful woman that stood next to him as first lady. What a major project it must have been to be the first lady that followed Jackie Kennedy. Lady Bird Johnson filled the roll with grace, dignity, and humility. She stood by her man through thick and thin, nursed him through a heart

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-29806150132803723662010-06-26T10:37:00.000-05:002010-06-26T10:37:42.011-05:00

The Harvester is a love story by one of my favorite Indiana authors. The setting is the Indiana woods, fields, and wetlands in the early 20th century. The main character, the Harvester, is loosely based on Thoreau. The Harvester lives alone with his dog and makes a living off the land in the forest. One day he dreams of a girl and then the dream girl appears in real life. He falls in love. She

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-84318053496436655422010-06-19T11:37:00.000-05:002010-06-19T11:37:39.558-05:00

"Those Who Love" is a historical novel based on the life of John and Abigail Adams. Stone gets the female side of relationships so right that at times I had to look at his picture on the back cover to verify that a man had actually written the book. There were times that I longed for more detail and depth in the story. The book ends abruptly at the end of the Adam's presidency. I would have

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-3481473741014265182010-06-12T12:06:00.001-05:002010-06-12T12:09:22.199-05:00

Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff is a book about Arthurian times, a subject that has all but been worn out. I'm a sucker for Arthur though so when I recently picked up a copy of this book I decided to give this one a try. The book starts out a little slow but you soon discover that the author is setting up scenes and reweaving the story from typical legend into historical facts. The tail

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-87716318343634264392010-06-05T13:17:00.001-05:002010-06-05T13:20:35.384-05:00

Thomas B. Costain wrote a wonderful historical novel in "The Black Rose," which was probably his most popular novel. I think that "The Moneyman" is the better of the two. The book centers around Jacques Coeur in 15th century France. Coeur was born a commoner and joins the King's court. Throughout the book Coeur struggles to make France a better place, not only for the King and Court but for the

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-69313286982982028212010-05-29T12:00:00.001-05:002010-05-29T12:00:01.339-05:00

West with the Vikings by Edison Marshall is an epic historical novel about the Viking discovery and first settlement of America. Young Leif's father is banished from a Viking colony in Europe and forced to take his people west. Leif persuades his father into taking him on the scouting voyage for the new colony. Even though Leif is instrumental in the success of the new colony his father still 

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-69686653527544387732010-05-22T13:39:00.004-05:002010-05-22T13:47:28.232-05:00

Looking for some light summer reading with a bit of mystery, romance, and moral dilemmas?  "Summer of the Red Wolf" by Morris L. West will fill the bill. First comes our stranger with a past to Scotland at the invitation of Alastair Morrison; next the tail weaves like a vine to a meeting with Dr. Kathleen McNeil the woman with a seemingly fickle heart; and finally Ruarri Matheson, the red wolf.

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-73197915135195795112010-05-15T16:43:00.000-05:002010-05-15T16:43:03.656-05:00

I usually prefer to watch science fiction over reading it. I do have my exceptions; one is Arthur C. Clarke, whose books added more depth to his movies; another is Robert Silverberg's Lord Valentine's Castle and the other books of the Majipoor series. Silverberg creates the world of Majipoor and weaves a tail of intrigue, love, betrayal, and fantasy. Majipoor's story and accompanying history 

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-20657567794599766512010-05-08T14:53:00.000-05:002010-05-08T14:53:09.163-05:00

Sincerely, Willis Wayde is all about business ethics. Willis is born to middle class parents and becomes part of an upper class world through hard work and a bit of luck. Does Willis remain true to his middle class heritage or sell out to get ahead in the upper class world? As he climbs the ladder of success does he step on the people that helped him get there? What kind of world does he pass

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-69057310618126550052010-05-01T13:11:00.000-05:002010-05-01T13:11:44.678-05:00

Days of Our Years by Pierre Van Paassen is a mammoth of a book; 562 pages of insider historical information on Europe prior to the second world war.   The author's position as a journalist living in Paris in between the world wars placed him in a unique position to view the politics and the mistakes that spawned a second world war out of the devastation of the first.   Van Paassen also offers

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828179535306180278.post-6433120382293735862010-04-24T14:18:00.005-05:002010-04-24T16:33:09.074-05:00

Published in 1954 and written by Emily Kimbrough who grew up in Indiana and Chicago, this book tells a traveling tale of the time before terrorists and full body scans. Kimbrough was a very prolific and entertaining author and this book is no exception. There are many belly laughs and if you have ever traveled to Europe or are dreaming of doing so this book is not to be missed. Kimbrough and

Marie Furmanskihttps://profiles.google.com/107990762395777054907noreply@blogger.com0