Hi, Marian,
Thanks for suggesting Elizabeth Marshall Thomas's novels. I knew about her wonderful nonfiction books about cats and dogs, but did not know she had written fiction. I've added the Reindeer Moon series to my website, as well as my TBR list.

Lähettänyt: margad 7:37 pm (EST) Apr 27, 2008

We share 25 books (in addition to opinion on Tyler's latest. . . I was a fan of hers in the beginning. "Searching for Caleb" & "Celestial Navigation" & "Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant" still are good to read, but the earliest were minor, and the last few left me cold). Thanks for mentioning your opinion on other site ....maybe it was Art is Life)

Lähettänyt: Esta1923 9:44 pm (EST) Apr 8, 2008

Here's a lit of all the novels about Laura, Rose, and Caroline, and other "Little House" girls: http://www.littlehousebooks.com/books/

I'll keep looing for a more biographical list.

Lähettänyt: fleela 1:36 pm (EST) Mar 31, 2008

I have seen a list like that somewhere fairly recently. I'll hunt it down and get back to you.

Lähettänyt: fleela 1:30 pm (EST) Mar 31, 2008

Interesting comment in the girlybooks thread about older women. Liked your point of view.

Lähettänyt: oh2read 5:21 pm (EST) Feb 27, 2008

Marian,

In all fairness to your questions, I failed to answer - No, I have not read any Larry McMurty, although I have a nice hardback of Lonesome Dove and a pap of The Last Picture Show, both waiting to be opened some day. Loved the B&W movie of TLPS with Cybill Shepherd. I think I heard of Mildred Walker through William (Bill) Kittredge. He came to Denver a number of months ago promoting The Next Rodeo, a collection of his short stories. Can you believe I was the only one that attended! I felt embarrassed not only of myself but for him. It was advertized on their Events List, which is odd that no one but myself came to the signing. Needless to say, I bought everything he had, that I did not, and he signed them all. Recently I discovered Conrad Richter, Joseph Krutch and Donald Peattie. Peattie published a wonderful thick book entitled The Natural History of Western Trees, publ. 1953 I think. Illustrated by Paul Landacre. Great book -which I just aquired. I have not heard of MacKinly Kanter's Spirit Lake. I will check that out. I've seen Harrison twice. Once before I knew much about him and then last summer on his recent book tour. He signed my first edition of Legends of The Fall. :) Love his poetry as well. I read a little Kooser here and there but don't have Postcards or any of his poetry. Vardis Fisher and Bernard Devoto I discovered, of course, through Stegner. There is an amazing old B&W interview/ video of Vardis on the internet for free viewing. It was done much later in his career. He comes across very cynical. I'll dig up the link if your interested.

Here's one for you which I don't find in your collection: Wah-To-Yah and the Taos Trail by Lewis H Garrard.

~Steven

Lähettänyt: eugenegant 6:37 pm (EST) Feb 22, 2008

thanks for the recommendations. I will add them to my library list!

Lähettänyt: eo206 4:10 pm (EST) Jan 25, 2008

Thanks you for your interesting comments. We were Roosevelt Democrats as well, but have no Confederate background. But I have a son-in-law whose ancestors fought for the Confederacy.

I wonder if your view of the Kennedy assassination would be the same if you read Bugliosi's book, Reclaiming History. I have to think it is the definitive book on that event.

I read Kristin Lavransdatter in 1947, probaby before you could read, amybe? I long described it as the best novel I ever read, and it may still be such.

I've put you in my interesting Libraries and so will explore your site more.

Lähettänyt: Schmerguls 9:29 am (EST) Dec 28, 2007

Awww, you've got to post a picture of the hens in doll dresses! I'll bet you could market a line of greeting cards with those pictures.

Yes, I looove Powells. I have to be careful not to visit too often. I'm very frugal when it comes to most things, but books are a huge weakness.

Lähettänyt: margad 8:23 pm (EST) Nov 30, 2007

My name is sort of taken from the Thrush Green Miss Read. My mother was a big fan, so I've been left with quite a few of the books which, sadly, I still haven't got around to reading. But the name is also a play on words based on my love of reading. It was either that or miss_cat or miss_icecream, and I think miss_read sounds better! I love a lot of the female British authors you mentioned, but I'm not familiar with Elspeth Huxley at all. I'll have to take a look into her! Have you ever read any of the books published by Persephone Books? They focus on female authors, mostly British, and many from the '30s or '40s. (www.persephonebooks.co.uk) I also love Elizabeth Jane Howard, particularly her Cazalet Chronicles. Have you read them?

- Helen

Lähettänyt: miss_read 2:39 pm (EST) Nov 29, 2007

I was contemplating chickens very seriously a couple of years ago, after we lost our dearly beloved cat of 12 years. The book is a late entry - I still have a bunch of things lying around the house or in various cupboards that I haven't entered in LT yet.

We live in a suburban area of Portland, Oregon, where a small but growing number of people are raising their own chickens. It's legal if you keep the number down to something like 3 or fewer (depending on the jurisdiction) and don't keep roosters. But my husband doesn't like the idea, and he interprets the rather vague local regulations differently than I do. I do wonder how I would protect them from neighborhood cats and raccoons. But I think it would be so charming to have the hens around, eating bugs and producing healthier eggs than we can get in the grocery store. The whole idea of creatures with feathers you can actually touch is magical. I'll bet you really miss yours!

Lähettänyt: margad 6:57 pm (EST) Nov 24, 2007

Hi MarianV -

What really amazes me is that Dennis' constituency keeps re-electing him. They love the guy!

I just have a sense - maybe because he's on his third wife - that he is something of a misogynist. Maybe I'm wrong, but there is something there that he barely keeps under control.

Good job on getting out of the Cleveland area, btw. I noticed above that you said you "selected adult fiction" when you worked at a library. So did I. I was a Reader's Advisor at the Elyria Public Library for 11 years. You're right - the best part of the job was reading all the book reviews, then keying the requests into the computer. In the fullness of time, the books would appear in my mailbox at work. What a great system! I do miss that.

Anne

Lähettänyt: amancine 8:59 pm (EST) Nov 17, 2007

Hildegard was amazing in so many ways. She really came into her own in midlife, and suddenly gained the confidence to rebuke popes and embark on preaching tours (in a time when women were still supposedly forbidden to preach - though her tours were church-sanctioned). If you haven't read it, I highly recommend Fiona Maddocks' recent biography of her. I don't actually own any CDs of Hildegard's music - I checked several out of our local library while working on my article. Her music is actually more complex and difficult to sing than other chant - but amazingly beautiful.

Lähettänyt: margad 7:27 pm (EST) Nov 17, 2007

held on to his pants as he followed her to the cashier. "When will you deliver?" he asked. "The cashier turned to the saleslady.".When does Arnie go to Parkland?" She asked.
" "PARKLAND!! Oh he

Marian, is there something I am missing regarding Parkland? LOL. Or is that just a place you made up?

BTW, thanks for your recent comments on my blog. I think maybe the Emily Dickinson video you recall is Voices & Visions? I showed it to the students and own my own copy. I did not recognize the name of the friend that you mentioned who had written of Emily and who, sadly, had recently died. I would love to read the poem, if you can find it.

Lähettänyt: TheresaWilliams 11:39 pm (EST) Nov 14, 2007

Oh, yes! Loved "Kristin Lavransdottir" and should re-read it and see if I still like it 30 years later. I believe the story was inspired, in part, by St. Birgitta.

In my view, it was a kind of "Lord of the Rings" for women.

It also started me on a quest to read as many women Nobel literature prize winners as I could find in translation. I really liked Grazia Deladda.

Lähettänyt: nohrt4me 8:21 am (EST) Nov 10, 2007

oops, i did mention inland island in my catalog!

Lähettänyt: keigu 5:12 pm (EST) Nov 9, 2007

thank you for the tinker creek response -- i too think dillard showed that nature writing could be interesting in an adult way way and did more than anyone to spark the boom that had and still has enough good to make up for the bad -- i wish i got APATC translated for i could then have corrected the translations. The japanese translator needed someone to push her -- from the very first sentence which is broken up to explain that the alley cat was a tom. i did help w/ 2 of her other bks
And with eiseley's star thrower and night country. and i have here inland island = a good book, so much you have is very familiar though not on my libr at LT -- but, wow, 6 kids! -- the mention of religious bks is important info -- i have few but wonder about other dillard lovers . .

Lähettänyt: keigu 5:11 pm (EST) Nov 9, 2007

Great poem about Bones thank you soooooo much!

Lähettänyt: clm256poetry 7:02 pm (EST) Nov 8, 2007

I'm sorry I hadn't replied to your email about Jessamyn West, but I've been busy with other things and hadn't been on LibraryThing since the summer, I guess. I do really like Jessamyn West, especially Cress Delahanty, which I think is one of the best coming of age novels around and also one of the funniest books I've ever read. I was horrified to find a few years ago that it was out of print so I started finding all the used copies i could for my daughters and friends. I'm glad to see it back in print. We have several other favorites in common--Barbara Kingsolver, Sue Miller, Jane Smiley and another relatively obscure one--Sigrid Undset. I love Kristin Lavransdatter and a few years ago I read a lot of her others set in modern times, but I haven't read the Master of Hestviken trilogy--have you?

Lähettänyt: Suusan 10:06 pm (EST) Nov 3, 2007

MarianV, just thought I'd add you as friend, as we share many authors. Just started here.
Susanne in San Diego

Lähettänyt: bearliner 8:02 pm (EST) Sep 4, 2007

MarianV: Thanks for your comment.
Hey! I couldn't agree more about Maeve Binchy. She is always a comfort read.
The first time I ever picked up one of her books was when I was travelling in Ireland for the first time. I fell in love with her writing because her books are so character driven and I always enjoy them.
As far as Salinger goes, he is the polar opposite, but I love his stuff. I read The Catcher in the Rye first, but didn't really get hooked until I read Nine Stories, which I quickly followed with Franny and Zooey. I was lucky enough to find Dreamcatcher at a booksale recently, but haven't gotten a chance to read it yet.
I enjoy Salinger's work so much because his characters aren't flawless and usually don't end up happy with cookie cutter lives. Instead he just lets the reader tag along for a little bit on the characters journey. He allows us to see the world through their eyes, even if only for a brief moment.
Let me know if you know of any good book recommendations, since we seem to have some similar tastes. Also, if you read Dreamcatcher before me, let me know what you think!
Cheers- M

Lähettänyt: bookworm12 3:26 pm (EST) Aug 29, 2007

How charming to be added to your "interesting libraries" list. I hope you'll find it worthwhile!

Lähettänyt: margad 8:50 pm (EST) Aug 27, 2007

MarianV, thank you for providing the history lesson. It's fascinating. I did a little research and found that Ex-Wife was not as little-known as I'd thought. In fact, the movie The Divorcee staring Norma Shearer was based on it. The book had to be published anonymously at first. The author went off to have what appears to be a successful career writing novels and screenplays. Also, I enjoyed your post on Art Is Life about you and your family and creativity and distractibility. Yours sounds like an interesting family.

Lähettänyt: citygirl 6:38 pm (EST) Aug 24, 2007

MarianV, I noted from a recent post that you are very knowledgeable about publishing history from the 1950s. Do you also know about the 20s? There's a little-known book in my library that has always intrigued me because I wanted to know how it was treated when published and if there are others like it. It is Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott. Do you know where I might find more information? Thanks!

Lähettänyt: citygirl 1:46 pm (EST) Aug 21, 2007

MarianV:
Wow! I just started to load my library and I get a comment the first day. You asked about my encounter with Margaret Atwood. She was on her book tour for "Blind Assassin" and spoke at a large venue in Seattle in 2000. I had read several of her other books and looked forward to seeing her in person. I don't know if it was just at the end of her tour or not, but she seemed to belittle the audience and gave sarcastic remarks to a lot of the questions. My friend and I left before the evening was even over. Interestingly enough, a week later I attended a reading by Mary Karr on her book tour for "Cherry". I had read "The Liar's Club" and did not particularly like it. Her presentation, however, was a hoot. She kept the audience engaged for the entire evening. I find Atwood intellectually stimulating and like her feminist philosophy (I am a male), I guess I was just disappointed in her presentation.

Lähettänyt: dickcraig 12:26 am (EST) Aug 21, 2007

Hi MarianV,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, my user name is from Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy-Tib books. I never met another Betsy until I was in high school, so I always felt an affinity for the "literary Betsys," and Betsy Ray was my favorite. I see that your daughter is a fellow Betsy. As far as where I put all my books, I have to use the floor quite often! Most of my Alice Thomas Ellis books are from the Common Reader, and I too was very sad to hear that they had filed for bankruptcy. I loved reading their catalog.
betsytacy

Lähettänyt: betsytacy 10:13 pm (EST) Aug 15, 2007

Hi MarianV - thanks for your comment. I think we were talking last night on the What Books Came into Your House Today (I had been to a library sale yesterday). I actually picked up a couple of Maeve Binchy's this week (not having got any of hers for a couple of years) - Whitethorn Woods (my first book from BookMooch) and The Return Journey (which I think is a collection of short stories). I also haven't read Night of Rain and Stars. I agree, Maeve is dependable and the story is always good. I think she appeals to a wide range of leaders. I was interested in your comments re the books I bought yesterday. I had never heard of Don DeLillo! I read the first few pages of White Noise and like it. I have to finish Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult first - finding it a bit of tough slog. I've also started a Rohinton Mistry which I should finish first.
As a Canadian, I like to read CanLit and it has really taken off on the past 8-10 years. We have some very good writers and the rest of the world is discovering them, too. I would recommend Mary Lawson, Richard Wright, Anita Rau Badami, and more.
Like to talk books - keep in touch!

Lähettänyt: dihiba 8:53 am (EST) Jul 28, 2007

Thank you so much for your comments! Do you live in Ohio now? I live about a mile from where Erma Bombeck's first house was (she lived on the same street as Phil Donahue in Centerville, south of Dayton). After many years there, in a small brick tract house, she moved into a large rambling farm house with some acreage in the nearby city of Bellbrook. A friend of mine lives next door to that house. Her final move after that was to Arizona. So she is quite the local celebrity here with a street, a family abuse shelter, and an annual humorous essay award contest named after her. Although her family still lives in Arizona, they come back to visit frequently.

One of Erma's last books, one much different from most of them, was about children with cancer -- "I Want to Grow Up, I Want to Grow Hair, I Want to Go to Boise". I had no desire to read that book but found myself doing so one weekend. It must have been karma because, two weeks after I read it, my youngest daughter was diagnosed with bone cancer. She also read the book and it was one of the only times she laughed out loud that year. I always meant to write Ms. Bombeck about that, knowing she had breast cancer, but, sadly, she died during that year. My daughter, however, has been great ever since and is now a veterinary student at Ohio State.

How fortunate you are to have family living near you. I have one daughter and her three sons living near me but the other three children and four more grandchildren are scattered around Ohio and Virginia. But they all enjoy visiting each other frequently, which I dearly love. I don't think I can ever move away from my house with all my books, none of which I would like to give away; I own so many I haven't yet had time to read because I'm so busy reading the ones I borrow from the library. My kids don't really understand this and I've given up trying to justify it to them.

I envy you having worked in libraries. That career path never entered the realm of possibilities for me even though when I went to law school, the university had an associated library degree program. I would love to go back to school now but there are no library programs nearby and I'm not sure I want to pursue an online degree. For the past almost-20 years, I have used my law degree in electronic legal publishing editorial work and now with indexing and taxonomies for business, news, and financial markets, the only lawyer in a group full of librarians. I am of age to retire and have time to do nothing other than read but I am more likely to become the oldest living employee at my company :).

Lähettänyt: kageeh 5:12 pm (EST) Jul 26, 2007

Thank you for checking out my reviews. I got your message about River of Earth and as with most things I had to let it stew internally before answering. I appreciate your patience.

I have been to West Virginia only once since I was a child. I had one set of Grandparents with whom I lived in Paden City, on the banks of the Ohio between Moundsville and Parkersburg, and another set, the real hillbillies who lived in Flemington, between Grafton and Clarksburg. I haven't been to Paden City, which always was a little more upscale than Flemington since I was a child. I was in Flemington about five years ago for a short time. While Flemington settled into a typical depressed town with no prospects when the mines played out in the late '30's, none of the disastrous strip mining that has taken place in other parts of West Virginia has occurred there because the coal is gone. When I was in school we could see one train a day loading coal from a nearly dead mine a few miles away. However, being a depressed area it was filled with people who were self-sufficient and strong. People all around had a few chickens in the yard, got water from manually operated wells and used outhouses. They lived lives around living life rather than working their lives away. The local doctor took payment in kind for services. The local store did the same. It was a different place and time. I think Flemington would make a great bedroom community for Clarksburg, Grafton and Phillipi sometime, but I don't think that's happening yet.

On the otherhand, Paden City, being on the river, never relied on coal. The largest employer was the glass company for whom my Grandfather works. It had the feel of a smallish town in any number of places. I haven't been back since I was twelve so I don't know what is happening there.

I'm afraid I have a rather romantic view of my essentially unspoiled parts of West Virginia.

I've never personally seen the devastation of modern mining methods, but I've seen pictures of and read of the devastation they cause to the communities and eco-systems all around and can only call it a tragedy. My heart goes out to those people whose lives have been ruined by this rape of the land.

Anyway, I always tell people I'm proud to be from the only state that seceded from the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Lähettänyt: geneg 11:09 am (EST) Jul 24, 2007

MarianV: Thanks for the comment - I show we share 72 books. I'll have to look up Susan Hauser when I head to Borders on Saturday. I enjoy Garrison Keillor, too - I'm not quite sure what's not to like! ;) I've only read one Jon Hassler book, but in the past few years I've gotten more into reading mysteries, so I should revisit him. It's good to see another Louise Erdrich fan out there. I absolutely love her books, and I'm always surprised that she's not more popular. I'll have to spend some time browsing your library to find some other books I might like!

Lähettänyt: Talbin 4:25 pm (EST) Jul 20, 2007

MarianV: Thanks for your comments ... boy, that "Australian LTers" thing is really throwing people off ... I'm actually right here in the U.S. ... on the affinity scores, here's my understanding of what they show: if my score comes up at 98% for you, it means that I share more books with you than 98% of the people here on LT.

Regards,

KromesTomes

Lähettänyt: KromesTomes 8:20 am (EST) Jul 20, 2007

Thanks for responding. I have read that book and seen the photos of the shtetl at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Lähettänyt: Thea57 9:44 pm (EST) Jul 6, 2007

When I worked in the library, I selected adult fiction. I got to read all the reviews in Booklist, Library Journal & PW & NYT ect. I really miss that. I miss getting my hands on new books. Heck, I miss the smell of new books. Kids up-chucking on the floor -- no.

Lähettänyt: MarianV 1:13 pm (EST) Apr 16, 2007