More than halfway there!

Today I brought in the third of four big bags of books, huzzah! The system has gotten a bit confused, so some are books I've read and others are books I never got around to reading.


The former:
Ruth Rendell, The Saint Zita Society (2012)
Okay, but kind of boring.

Eowyn Ivey, The Snow Child (2012)
I really rather liked the writing here - calm, confident, subtle but with these glimmering lovely phrases - and the plot, about a couple in the Alaska Territory in the 1920s who find, or create from their longings and the winter itself, a little girl for them to love is original, although clearly inspired by a Russian fairy tale (from before fairy tales were so safe) that also features in the book. The characters are nicely drawn and, appropriately enough for an author from Alaska, the environment - the land and the animals and the weather and the seasons - is a remarkable character on its own. Plus, I just really like the author's name. More at: http://www.eowynivey.com/snowchild.shtml

Jasper Fforde, The Woman Who Died A Lot (2012)
Wicked funny; what else can I say? It wasn't the most enthralling of plots/mysteries for Thursday Next to unravel, but I feel like with this series, it's not about plot (other than the hilarious randomness of the plot, of course), but about going along for the really funny ride. And there were lots of puns and snarky little quips and in-jokes, so it was a good ride. I also LOVED the Richard Dawkins reference:

'So religion could trump science after all,' said Miles with a smile. 'That'll be a turn-up for the books.'
'Mind you,' added my father, 'at least you forced Him into revealing His existence.'
'That was unexpected,' admitted Joffrey, 'and very welcome - the billion or so former atheists now on board [with a universal-deity religion, combining all previous religions] really boosted the membership and bargaining powers.'
'Didn't Dawkins shoot himself when he found out?'
'Yes,' replied Miles sadly, 'a great shame. he would have been excellent GSD bishop material. Single minded, a good orator, and eyebrows that were pretty much perfect.' [81]

I ALSO appreciated "running is overrated anyway, and sport only makes you sweaty and smug and wears out the knees." [7]

Carol Rifka Brunt, Tell the Wolves I'm Home (2012)
Really well written story about a adolescent girl in the late 1980s whose world is turned down when her uncle is diagnosed with AIDS and then passes away, and as her relationship with her parents and sister falls apart as she discovers, and negotiates the existence of, her uncle's partner. Strangely lovely; the author captures the turbulence and insecurities of the protagonist's age well, and makes a series of unlikely situations and events believable and relatable. More at: http://www.randomhouse.com/book/214920/tell-the-wolves-im-home-a-novel-by-carol-rifka-brunt

Connie Ann Kirk, Emily Dickinson: A Biography (2004)
Ugh. I think I read half of this forever ago, because I felt bad I didn't know more about Dickinson, esp. as an Amherst-lover, and maybe because I was going to read a different bio or a novel about her and wanted background? In any case, I never finished it.

Charles Hill, Grand Strategies: Literature, Statecraft, and World Order (2010)
This one was good, but I wasn't familiar with all the texts, so I kind of unintentionally gave up on the book because I wasn't getting that much from it. It's a cool idea though: http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=9780300163865


The latter:

Amanda Eyre Ward, Close Your Eyes (2010)
A mystery of some kind?

Andrea Stuart, Showgirls (1996)
I thought this was a biography of Josephine Baker, but apparently it's about a lot of female stars, from Marlene Dietrich to Madonna. So...I might not check it back out. I thought Stuart did a good job with Josephine Bonaparte, so JB seemed like it would be interesting, but I'm not sure this is really high on my list.