The below is a list of books I read in the first two months of the year.
1. On a Hoof and a Prayer: Exploring Argentina at a Gallop, by Polly Evans. 2. Home is Where the Wine Is, by Laurie Perry (of Crazy Aunt Purl). 3. Falling for You, by Jill Mansell. 4. What I Did for Love, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. 5. A Breed Apart, by Pierre Davis. This was really good. 6. Yes Man, by Danny Wallace. 7. Quick, Before the Music Stops: How Ballroom Dancing Saved My Life, by Janet Carlson. 8. A Year of Dancing Dangerously: One Woman's Journey from Beginner to Winner, by Lydia Raurell. 9. From Ballroom to DanceSport: Aesthetics, Athletics, and Body Culture, by Caroline Joan S. Picart. 10. Debt is Slavery, by Michael Mihalik.
11. Birds and Words, by Charles Harper. 12. The Vintage Caper, by Peter Mayle. Very entertaining. 13. The Prosperous Peasant, by Tim Clark and Mark Cunningham (of Soul Shelter). 14. A Year in Provence, by Peter Mayle. Almost as good as a real vacation. 15. And Only to Deceive, by Tasha Alexander. 16. Silent in the Grave, by Deanna Raybourn. 17. A Poisoned Season, by Tasha Alexander. 18. Hot Rocks, by Nora Roberts aka J.D. Robb. 19. A Fatal Waltz, by Tasha Alexander. 20. Kitty's House of Horrors, by Carrie Vaughn.
21. The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen, by Jacques Pepin. 22. Manhunting, by Jennifer Crusie. 23. Star Struck Dead, by Sheila York. 24. A Good Knife's Work, by Sheila York. 25. Frames, by Loren D. Estleman. 26. Alone, by Loren D. Estleman.
I am getting a little more into memoir of late, but as you can see the preponderance of my reading is fiction. I was re-reading the Tasha Alexander books in advance of sending them to Goodwill; as I've written previously, my housekeeping rules require that books may not consume more of my living space than I've currently allotted, so in order to accommodate new "keepers," some old ones have to go. Of the above 26, I am keeping 12.
The first 14 titles were all new; 5 of the last 12 were new. I went on a bit of a binge around the turn of the year, and presently have a sizable stack of books queued up to read. Must stay off Amazon till those have all been dealt with!
The big discovery of these two months (since I already had one each from Sheila York and Loren D. Estleman - the second title from each was a continuation of an existing character line) was Pierre Davis' "A Breed Apart." It's a really stellar scientific thriller ... think Michael Crichton, but with good characters and dialogue. Was also happy to discover Peter Mayle, though that was bittersweet since I picked them up at closing sales at a Border's store. Always sad when bookstores go under.
This month my pace will be a lot slower. Too much dancing to do!
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