Does anyone remember reading books by Elizabeth Enright? I must have been about ten or eleven, when I read her books, and absolutely loved them.  The only two titles I recall are, The Saturdays, and, The Four Story Mistake. I would love to read them again now, and see what I think, after 70 plus years. 

The first book I remember reading by myself, was Blue Willow, by Doris Gates. I was so impressed with that story, and must have read it dozens of times.  It was a real eye opener for a little girl.

Every year for my birthday, my aunt and uncle gave me one of the Oz books, so I had a collection of about five or six, before I got too old for them. They were beautiful editions, with the original illustrations by John R. Neill. (I still have two of them.)

Marilyn, I read some of Elizabeth Enright's books when I was in elementary school.  At the time my small town didn't have a lending library, but a book mobile stopped there once a week and I always walked to town and checked out as many books as they would let me take home.  I also enjoyed Beverly Cleary's books about Ramona, her family, and her friends.  After I became a teacher I read the Cleary books to my elementary classes and many of the children became book lovers because of that.

SCFSue

It seemed that when we were young and loved to read we always would read a book 2 or 3 times and also save them.  Mine were usually gifts. Now libraries came along where we no longer buy books and save them.  Not as many people read books now. Children are into so many other things and Technology has taken them over.  3 of my older Grands are bookreaders but none of the younger GGrands are. They sure are clever on their Ipads though.

Well!  Here I am just a few steps behind everyone as usual.        I finally got a copy of Oav from my friend at the Nursing Home.   I started it last evening.    Meanwhile I had purchased another Kindle edition of a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde titled Leaving Blythe River: A Novel.    I've enjoyed several of her books and this one is a different and interesting story.

My f2f book club just finished reading and discussing "Did You Ever Have A Family" by Bill Clegg. His debut novel is "a powerful story about a circle of people who find solace in the least likely of places as they cope with a horrific tragedy".
Anne Enright (a ManBooker prize winner) says this is "full of small-town secrets and whispers...Clegg has woven a richly textured tale of loss and healing.  This is a deeply optimistic book about the power of human sympathy to pull us from the wreckage of our fate."



This book produced one of the very best discussions we have ever had in our 10+ yrs in this group, and we had a delightful moderator, who did a fantastic job. The book is divided into chapters about the various people, and switches point-of-view
rapidly sometimes.  I could not do this book a good service, only can say once you get into it, and are able to switch POV and follow the story (you will be going back & forth a good bit to make sure you have everyone clear in your mind) it will be totally worthwhile.  At least IMHO.  9 out of 10 of our attendees truly enjoyed the book and feel the same way I did.  Give it a chance.

I checked and my library do have that book by bill Clegg. Not in LP. They seem to be getting most of book now that only show for you to download on Readers
I will try to read in Regular Print

mary - So good to see you checking in.  I was beginning to worry about you!  So you finally got A Man Called Ove!  I wonder if you'll find it to be worth the wait?? 

Tome - Did You Ever Have a Family, sounds like the style of book that I like.  From what you told us about it, the plot sounds similar to the movie, Manchester By The Sea?  If you haven't seen that film, I recommend it, but it's not for everyone.

Hubby and I watched "Manchester By the Sea" last night.
Sorry to say, Marilyne, that I was not impressed.  Perhaps
Casey Affleck did earn his Oscar.  I tend to be unimpressed when films garner Oscars, when almost the the only thing notable is how many times each character uses the "F" word; i.e. "The Departed".

Tome - I did like "Manchester", but not enough that I would watch it again.  Too depressing. I thought Casey Affleck deserved the Oscar, and all others in the film were good too. As for the "F" word . . . I'm pretty much used to it now, as it is rampant in all movies . . .  comedies, tragedies, mysteries, crime, family drama, and virtually everything on HBO, Showtime, Netflix and Amazon! That's the way of the world now, I guess?

I just remembered - no "F bombs" in The Light Between Oceans.  Movies that take place in past decades, usually try to stay true to the era, as far as language is concerned.       

Marilyne, well I'm "used to it" also, but it is really wearing hearing it again and again and again.  Maybe that means I'm not "used to it".  LOL

I really am enjoying The Man Called Ove.    I have to say that the short preview that I read didn't give a clue of the real story!    You have to love this unusual man and his wife.    She was a smart lady!

Regarding the current movies and even some TV shows.   My husband just can't tolerate  the language and the "sex in the city" demonstrations.    I'm not thrilled with them either but have found that if you can get by it somehow there often is a good story hidden away.   As a result  we don't watch many of the newer movies and not too much of TV except for stuff like The Pickers,  Antiques Road Show,and The Alaskans.    Sometimes we hit on an older movie that is good or an old musical.    He enjoys sports too so when it isn't my cup of tea I just read.   It does offend me that this kind of language and behavior is pushed so much but I guess we have  the "Remote Control".

Mary C, just by coincidence, I finished reading "my grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry" by Fredrik Backman, whose previous book was The Man Called Ove.  This book was about a young girl, her family, neighbors, and friends.  Very enjoyable.  It was a selection for my book club this month which I had to miss because of illness.  I'll try to get The Man called Ove next if my library has it.  (and the title of the book I read was in all lower case letters!).

SCFSue

Interesting SCFSue,    I did read a review of the book you spoke of but haven't read it yet.    I'll have to add it to my list.       I have a few in the queue just now.   The Man Called Ove is still on a long wait at the library but I was lucky to get a copy from a friend.   It is the same with Jodi Picoult's book Great Small Things.    That is another long waiting list.   I just keep watching and sometimes one of these titles will show up with Book Bub or another of the Bargain E-book offers.   I don't mind paying $.99 to get one earlier but I'm pretty frugal and usually wait.

mary and Sue - My dil has a copy of,  my grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry, and will be bringing it to me this coming weekend.  I liked A Man Called Ove, so  I'm looking forward to reading more by Fredrik Backman.

Sue - It's good to see you posting here, and so glad you're feeling better after your heart surgery. Wonderful that you're doing well, and already resuming some of your regular activities.

Thank you, Marilyne.  I'm feeling much better today--even went to my once a month hair dresser for a hair cut.  My friend from the "Village Friends" picked me up to drive me there.  Then afterwards she took me to our public library where I was able to get some books to read--but not A Man Called Ove as so many want to read it.  I put my name on the waiting list.

Sue

Last evening I discovered that the movie,  A Man Called Ove is showing on Amazon Prime.  I will wait to watch it after I've finished the book. 

maryc - Thanks for the tip!  I didn't know that A Man Called Ove, had been made into a movie, much less that it's available to see on Amazon! I think it might be a Swedish movie, since the story takes place in Sweden?  I'll check my Amazon, and will plan to watch it soon.

Now I have on order for both book and Movie "A man called OVE" . I think I am down to #2 now on the Movie list. Same on the book. Hope the don't come at the same time.

Wishing all of my book loving friends a Happy Mother's Day!  Be sure to check in and tell us what you're reading?

I'm almost finished with CAPTURED: A true story of abduction by Indians, on the Texas Frontier. This is a fascinating account of Indians, who kidnapped white children, kept them, and raised them as members of their families and tribes.  I knew that this happened to settlers in the West, but I had never read true accounts about actual children, who lived to tell the stories of their lives in captivity.

I read this non-fiction book, as a follow up to the novel, News of the World, by Paulette Giles.  It was a fictional story of a young girl, who had been kidnapped by Indians, and was being returned to her family.  It's a wonderful story, that I would recommend to one and all! 

I finally got around to watching the movie A Man Called Ove.......and it was in Swedish!  OK if you have already read the book but I had hoped to watch it with Al and it wouldn't work at all. 

I just finished an e-book called Leaving Blythe River by Catherine Ryan Hyde.    It wasn't what you would consider a classic but the story was interesting and a little different.    One especially interesting thing was that our niece who is a Social Worker in Seattle posted a quite long article today on Facebook  about thoughts on the children of abusive families stepping up to care for aging parents.  The idea of forgiveness for past neglect and or abuse by a parent was strong in this book so it was quite a coincidence to read her post today as I finished the book.

mary - JeanneP left a message in the Television discussion today about the Ove movie.  She liked it, and got used to the subtitles within a few minutes.  I'm not a big fan of subtitles, but I agree that you do forget about them within about five minutes.

Leaving Blythe River sounds good!  I've heard about women who were abused by their fathers as children, and then when he becomes old and sick, they step up and become the caretaker.  It's not as uncommon as one would think.  I have one friend, whose father walked out on the family when she was a baby, and never returned.  Then when she was in her late fifties, he suddenly appeared. It was the first time she had ever seen him!  He was sick with cancer, and she let him stay in her home, and took care of him until the end.

There was a similar theme in the Anne Tyler book, Dinner At the Homesick Restaurant.  The father had deserted the family, but then returned for his wife's funeral, when he was old, and the children were all grown.   

Remember Anita Shreve, the best selling author from a few years ago?  (The Pilots Wife, The Weight of Water, Resistance, and many others.).  I loved her early books, but then I moved on to other authors, and kind of forgot about her.

Well, she is back, and has written a wonderful new book - The Stars Are Fire.  I  started reading it Thursday night, and could not put it down until well after midnight.  Then I read through most of yesterday, and finished it in the early evening.  It’s my favorite style of writing . . . a fictional story, that takes place during an actual event in history. 

This true natural disaster took place in October 1947, along the coast of Maine.  After a summer of drought, fires broke out and were soon raging out of control, and moving from village to village - burning down everything.  The main character is a young woman with two children, who is expecting her third.  She is in a bad marriage, and is trying to figure out what went wrong, when the fires come, and her life changes dramatically.

I think you will all like this novel. Great characters and compelling story!

I need a bit of help re: Mystery.  Could someone suggest a "cozy type" mystery that is well-written and not too "saccharine".  Once upon a time, I had a list, but it has gone on to better things (lol).  I don't usually read these types of mystery, but I must moderate a discussion for my f2f mystery club, next month, and all my favorite authors have gotten a bit too dark and raw, allowing for the sensibilities of our members.  I have to clarify a bit here:  We read from our library's collection, and must have adequate copies for our members.  The newer stuff is usually something we have to put on reserve, and the older stuff has been "made redundant" and removed from their collections, or only one or two copies have been retained.  I had a couple of suggestions to our "fearless leader" who okays our picks, but my Stuart Kaminsky choice was unfortunately one that only had one or two copies available.  My Tami Hoag choice, I vetoed this one myself, as absolutely too dark/raw/violent.   So...cozies please, if you will, and I will research whatever my library may have that meets our requirements.  Thank you in advance!

Tomereader, any written by Ruth Rendell, Patricia Highsmith, Elisabeth George, M.H. Clark, would do.  These are the favorite authors  for my golden age readers at the library.

Thanks Bubble!  I'm lucky in that my library has many copies of Ruth Rendell's work!  I have picked one that has more than enough copies for our f2f group, and will read it quickly and recommend it to the fearless leader.  I knew I could depend on S&F to assist me.  Especially you, Bubble!  I'll let you know how this works out.

Tome, M.C.Beaton is another good "not-dark" mystery writer.   

Thanks, MaryZ.  I will surely place that name at the top of my list for next time I have to moderate at Mystery Club.
I think I have actually seen many copies of M.C.Beaton's books on the shelves at my branch, so that should not pose a problem of enough copies available.  However, I will do a
double check!

It's been a long time since I've read a Ruth Rendell mystery, but I have a vague notion that hers can be pretty spooky.  You might want to check it out before you recommend it.  M.C.  Beaton's books are usually pretty interesting and not dark if my memory isn't failing!

Sue

SFSue, "spooky" was not the problem.  Two of the books I wanted to recommend were "grisly/dark and raw".  Spooky we can handle!  FYI, the 2 books were by Tami Hoag, and I didn't remember her stuff to be so grisly, but it had been awhile since I had read her.  Guess she's trying to keep up with some of the other "mystery" writers who seem to go to very dark places.  Another thing with hers, repetitive.  Saying the same thing over and over.  Not in a  POV way, just repeating again and again in the same character's voice.  I have read some Rendell, also writing as Barbara Vine.

Tome - I'm glad you got some help with your search for a mystery book for your F2F group. They all sound interesting to me, but I'll have to wait until I finish the huge stack of books that I have here to read!  I received three new ones as Mother's Day gifts, and I have books waiting for me at both the Town and the County libraries.

I'm a big fan of Anne Tyler, and recently discovered that all of her older books are available in large print, so I have a few on order.  I've never read The Accidental Tourist, although I saw the movie and loved it, so I'll read it first, in LP. 
Another novel, that was recommended to me, is 'round midnight by Laura McBride.  I have no idea what it's about, but the title is intriguing.

JeanneP - I haven't seen you posting here in The Library, or in any of the other discussions?  I hope you're okay? Let us know.