Spring Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

Maybe I didn't stick to the plan, but my spring reading went pretty darn well, if I don't say so myself! According to my original post, I was to read 27 books, 7 of them being audiobooks. Well, the wrap-up list looks different, but the totals are even better: 32 books, 13 of them being audio books.

March:

1. Swann's Way by Marcel Proust
2. The Orchard Keeper by Cormac McCarthy
3. In The Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant (Audio)
4. Blood of the Fold by Terry Goodkind (Audio)
5. The Queen's Secret by Jean Plaidy
6. The Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame
7. Christ The Lord: The Road To Cana by Anne Rice (Audio)
8. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
9. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe


April:

10. Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind (Audio)
11. Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe
12. No Longer At Ease by Chinua Achebe
13. Soul of the Fire by Terry Goodkind (Audio)
14. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Audio)
15. Nada by Carmen Laforet
16. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (Audio)
17. The Devil's Bones by Jefferson Bass


May

18. Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind (Audio)
19. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne (Audio)
20. The Crusader by Michael Alexander Eisner
21. King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard (Audio)
22. Travels In The Scriptorium by Paul Auster
23. The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted by Elizabeth Berg
24. Allah Is Not Obliged by Ahmadou Kourouma
25. After Dark by Haruki Murakami
26. Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir (Audio)
27. The Last Wife of Henry VIII by Carolly Erickson
28. The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander
29. The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra
30. John Adams by David McCullough (Audio)
31. Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman (Audio)
32. The Attack by Yasmina Khadra


The books that don't have reviews linked to them are all part of Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" series which I plan on talking about once I've finished them all.

Whew. I wonder if I can repeat that for the summer. Different books, of course. :-)
I hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Lezlie

THE CRUSADER

by Michael Alexander Eisner




From Amazon.com:

This engrossing tale about one Spanish knight's experiences in the Crusades during the latter half of the 13th century is a first-rate historical novel, richly imagined and plainly written. After his brother Sergio drowns along with 500 other knights while sailing from Barcelona to the Holy Land, Francisco de Montcada dedicates himself to the Cross. Reported dead after the siege of the Crusader castle Krak des Chevaliers, Francisco returns to Spain mute and seemingly possessed, and is chained in the dungeon of a Cistercian monastery for his own protection. There, Cistercian monk Brother Lucas attempts to get him to speak of his experiences, and in the process earn the reward Francisco's father has offered for his son's recovery. Francisco's tale, when he begins to speak, involves the ghost of his brother, his warlike cousin Andres and Andres's intelligent sister Isabel, with whom Francisco is just beginning to fall in love when he goes off to train with the knights of Calatrava in preparation for their journey to the Holy Land. Artfully balancing Francisco's reminiscences with Brother Lucas's framing narration, Eisner smoothly turns the tables on the reader by slowly revealing that the real question of salvation does not concern the knight alone, but the monk as well. Brother Lucas, justifying his dreams of glory and renown with dogma and doctrine, must weigh his beliefs against the hypocrisy of everyone from promiscuous abbots to the evil Don Fernando, the bastard son of Spain's King Jaime, whose encounter with Francisco at Krak des Chevaliers is the centerpiece of the novel. Meticulously researched and artfully told, this is a historical novel that illuminates as it entertains, and proves Eisner to be a promising writer.


When I read the first chapter of The Crusader, I couldn't wait to get to the rest of the story. It was worth every moment of anticipation. There is a short period as Francisco begins to tell his story when I started wondering if the book was going to hold up to it's promise. It moves rather slowly for a little while. But trust me. Stick with it! Warning: Those with sensitive stomachs will have a hard time with the battle scenes and the cruel treament of prisoners by the vile Don Fernando. He is the first character I have run across since Sir William in The Pillars of the Earth that I loathed so much I would concoct heinous deaths for him in my head while I was reading.

While I thought Don Fernando's ultimate fate far too good for him, I did enjoy the way the author ended the book. While not the happy, happy end I hoped for, I did find something tranquil and soothing about it after all the blood and depravity. It does not appear at this time that Eisner has written any other books since this one (published in 2001), but I will be keeping my eyes open.

Lezlie

KING SOLOMON'S MINES

by H. Rider Haggard




For those of you, like me, who are eagerly anticipating the return of Indiana Jones to the theatre, King Solomon's Mines is your book! Hero Allan Quartermain is the original Indy, minus the snake phobia and whip. Not so much that Quartermaine is equally as cool as Indiana Jones (after all, that's not possible), but you can see where the idea came from. Much like you can see the seed of the idea for Captain Jack Sparrow in Long John Silver from Treasure Island.

From Amazon.com:

The story begins when renowned safari hunter Allan Quartermain agrees to help Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good search for King Solomon’s legendary cache of diamonds. Eager to find out what is true, what is myth, and what is really buried in the darkness of the mines, the tireless adventurers delve into the Sahara’s treacherous Veil of Sand, where they stumble upon a mysterious lost tribe of African warriors. Finding themselves in deadly peril from that country’s cruel king and the evil sorceress who conspires behind his throne, the explorers escape, but what they seek could be the most savage trap of all—the forbidden, impenetrable, and spectacular King Solomon’s Mines.

I had a blast with this book! It was pure escapism and outrageous fun. Allan Quartermain is the main event, but I became quite fond of his companions in this adventure. And the scenes of the lost tribe standing in awe and worship of Captain Good's white legs when they come across him nearly undressed and half shaved are more than worth the price of admission.

If you haven't had enough when you're done with this one, there is a whole series of books about Allan Quartermain, most of which can be read for free at Project Gutenberg. Here is the list:

King Solomon's Mines (1885)
Allan Quatermain (1887)
Allan's Wife (1887)
Maiwa's Revenge: or, The War of the Little Hand (1888)
Marie (1912)
Child of Storm (1913)
The Holy Flower (1915)
Finished (1917)
The Ivory Child (1916)
The Ancient Allan (1920)
She and Allan (1920)
Heu-heu: or The Monster (1924)
The Treasure of the Lake (1926)
Allan and the Ice-gods (1927)
Hunter Quatermain's Story: The Uncollected Adventures of Allan Quatermain


Happy Reading, Everyone!
Lezlie

Other reviews:

Heather at "Age 30 - A Year of Books"

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH

by Jules Verne




While Journey to the Center of the Earth is an interesting book, it really didn't do much for me. I was hoping for a Treasure Island-like adventure tale or even a Jurrasic Park-like science lesson. It may have been one or both of these for some readers, but Axel's incessant whining throughout the entire narration drove me to distraction. And maybe I'm more of a wanna-be anthropologist than geologist. Even so, the story had it's moments and I did find some of the scientific arguments fascinating.

I wish I had a little more interesting insight for you on this one, but, alas, I do not. I see its value, but for me it's one of those that I'm glad I finally got around to, but I'm moving on now. . .

Lezlie

Other books by Jules Verne:

THE DEVIL'S BONES

by Jefferson Bass



I said in my inaugural First Chapters post that I expected this book to be, "just like the others [in this series] - a quick but educational forensic mystery romp with a pretty good story and a lot of forced humor." It turns out I was exactly right!

There are actually three stories going on in The Devil's Bones, all of which are wrapped up surprisingly easily (speaking as the reader and not as one of those being shot, chased by pit bulls, burned alive, etc., etc.). Because the actual resolution of the various cases happens so quickly, there is plenty of time for Forensic Anthropology 101, which is the aspect of the series that keeps me coming back for more despite a plethora of really bad jokes being passed off as humor. There are a couple of characters who believe themselves to be quite funny. I'm advising adherence to their day jobs. :-) And speaking of day jobs, one of the two men who make up the writing team known as Jefferson Bass is the founder of the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Center - the real-life "Body Farm". So when you get all those gruesomely fascinating details and explanations in the books, you know the man knows of what he speaks!

I think it would be helpful to have read the two previous installments of the Body Farm series - Carved in Bone and Flesh and Bone - as there are many references to the events in those novels, but readers who start with The Devil's Bones will not be completely lost. They will probably just have their appetites whetted for the earlier books.

Lezlie

Tour the Body Farm on the author's official web site! Very interesting! (But maybe not before lunch. . .)

Other books in the Body Farm series:

THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER

by Mark Twain



If I am not the last person on the face of the earth to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, I'm betting I'm awfully close. I'm also betting I wouldn't have appreciated it near as much as I did this rainy, depressing week, and I wouldn't have smiled so often or laughed out loud at the antics of Tom and his friends. Nor would I have marveled at the clever descriptive phrases and curious vernacular. Nope. This is the girl who shunned reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn during my junior year in high school while my best friend filled me in on the test questions.

But now? Tom Sawyer will be sitting on the shelf right along side The Wind In The Willows for when I need a quick pick-me-up. Not to mention that now I have to move Huck Finn closer to the top of my TBR pile, because he was my very favorite character! I found Huck especially endearing at the end when his newly aquired "civility" gets to be too much for him:

"Don't talk about it, Tom. I've tried it, and it don't work; it don't work, Tom. It ain't for me; I ain't used to it. The widder's good to me, and friendly; but I can't stand them ways. She makes me get up just at the same time every morning; she makes me wash, they comb me all to thunder; she won't let me sleep in the woodshed; I got to wear them blamed clothes that just smothers me, Tom; they don't seem to any air git through 'em, somehow; and they're so rotten nice that I can't set down, nor lay down, nor roll around anywher's; I hain't slid on a cellar-door for -- well, it 'pears to be years; I got to go to church and sweat and sweat -- I hate them ornery sermons! I can't ketch a fly in there, I can't chaw. I got to wear shoes all Sunday. The widder eats by a bell; she goes to bed by a bell; she gits up by a bell -- everything's so awful reg'lar a body can't stand it."

--Huck Finn in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Chapter XXXV

As someone who fairly regularly fantasizes about pulling up roots, moving to a chunk of land and living "off the grid", there are a lot of thoughts there with which I can empathize. Like Tom, Huck is kind of my dark hero, living a life disdained by others, but free from their constraints. But, again like Tom, I can't quite truly give up the creature comforts I've grown soft on.

But enough about Huck. We'll get to him with his own book. I want to know what happens to Tom going forward. Does he marry Becky Thatcher? Does he become a respectable town citizen? Or would seeing Tom older or as an adult ruin the picture I have of him now? So many questions . . .

Happy Reading!
Lezlie

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

by Charles Dickens

It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.

A Tale of Two Cities begins with one of the most famous lines in literature, but after experiencing Paris’ Reign of Terror through Dickens’ engrossing characters, it was those ending words that took my breath away. I listened to A Tale of Two Cities as an audiobook which I played as I commuted to work and home each day, and I was so moved by the final scenes that as soon as I got home, I took my copy of the book from the shelf and reread the last few pages just so I could feel and savor the words one more time.

So much scholarly work has been done on Charles Dickens that I’m certain there is nothing revelatory that a simple lay reader such as I could possibly say. I can, however, tell you this: If you have not yet experienced this classic novel, at least give it a try. I know Dickens is not everyone’s cup of tea, and I approached this, my very first Dickens book, with a bit of apprehension. But if I would be so bold as to create my own list of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, this would surely be on it.

Lezlie

CHINUA ACHEBE'S "AFRICAN TRILOGY"

Thoughts on No Longer at Ease and Arrow of God, the second and third volumes of Chinua Achebe’s "African Trilogy":

"Let them come and see men and women and children who knew how to live, whose joy of life had not yet been killed by those who claimed to teach other nations how to live."
From No Longer At Ease, p. 57.

In a book about a young Nigerian man who starts the story full of hope as a new university graduate freshly returned to his homeland from England and ends as a victim of "the good life", that line struck me as painfully heartbreaking. Obi Okonkwo, grandson of the main character of Things Fall Apart: A Novel, despite his education, is woefully unprepared for the real world, and once his optimism for the future is cracked it doesn’t take long for his ethics to fail also. One could easily insert a soapbox lecture concerning present-time corporate America here, but I’ll save that for some other day. Suffice it to say there are a lot of parallels just begging to be drawn. Not to mention the obvious political one that could be hinted at in the opening quote.

No Longer at Ease was a quick read and I enjoyed it very much. Comparing it to Things Fall Apart (see my review here), it was interesting to see life from the perspective of one of the Ibo people who was assimilating into the European Christian way of life. The picture is not pretty.

Arrow of God returns the central point of view to village life, albeit one that is already in mid-transformation. Chief Priest Ezeulu battles to continue Ibo traditions, but the White Man’s influence slowly whittles away his power in the community until the inevitable end.

Both of these simple but beautifully crafted novels made me sad. Not "depressed" sad, but more akin to "why do people suck so much" sad. I know. Not a very scholarly description, but there you have it. And hopefully the feelings I’m taking away from Achebe’s "African Trilogy" will stay in my mind as I watch the leaders of my own country and help me make better decisions regarding who I want at the helm of this strong and potentially dangerous nation. There I go getting all political again. I think I need to give Mr. Achebe’s writings a rest before I find myself picketing on the streets! :-)

Lezlie

THINGS FALL APART

by Chinua Achebe



I was about ten chapters into Things Fall Apart when it occurred to me. I was enjoying the book, but I felt like I was missing some serious points. The sparse writing had temporarily lulled me into skimming the surface. I hopped on Google and found myself a fabulous study guide that supplied questions to ponder as I continued reading and a resource website that explored Post-Colonial Literature from various parts of the world. Suddenly I was reading a book that went from "quaint" to "powerful".

On the off chance that it’s not completely obvious, I lack a college education in literature. While I often am tempted to remedy that, I am also acutely aware that years of required reading being laid out for me would probably not produce the desired effect, because, quite frankly, I want to read what I want to read when I want to read it. Therefore, I am doing my best to educate myself while indulging in my wide-ranging tastes. Hence, the occasional forays into the world of online study tools. In this case, I was extremely pleased that I did. I think that I would have picked up on more of the themes once I had gotten into the coming of the missionaries, but I’m not sure I would have fully appreciated the entire first section of the book where Achebe describes many of the intricacies of tribal life. I ended up becoming so engrossed that I immediately went out and purchased the two books about the main character’s descendants, Arrow of God and No Longer at Ease, which I plan on reading right away.

Ultimately, I had a hard time drumming up a lot of sympathy for Okonkwo, the main character. Even in the light of his own culture he was a jerk. But I did understand his feelings at the end. And I felt terrible for the Ibo people as their world began changing before their eyes. While the Ibo traditions look harsh and primitive to Western sensibilities, it worked for them and had beauty and nobility despite its flaws. While I have no desire to live in a tribal culture, I find myself envying certain aspects of a simpler life. And every time I read about things like this coming of the missionaries or the displacement of the Native Americans and the like, I always think to myself, “And what makes our way of life so much better? Why do we think we are so superior?” Granted, leaving babies out in the woods to die because of superstitious beliefs is abhorrent on every level, but why do we feel the need to wipe out every aspect of life that doesn’t look like ours? And as I sit in my mid-western suburban home pondering these questions, American troops sit in Iraq. I’m not getting political here. This is a book blog. I’m just saying there’s a lot to think about.

Lezlie

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY

by Oscar Wilde

"What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image on the canvas. They would mar its beauty, and eat away its grace. They would defile it, and make it shameful. And yet the thing would still live on. It would be always alive."

I thought it would be a bit unnerving to read this book as I pass into the early stages of middle age. I see my hair slowly graying, my skin beginning to loosen ever so slightly. My eyes are not as sharp as they once were and my knees and ankles pop. And I am surrounded by a society that worships youth and beauty. What would I give to the stop the decaying hands of time and stay forever young?

Those were my thoughts as I began the novel. The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of those books that has been in my consciousness for so long that I thought I knew what it was about. How wrong I was! No devil shows up to bargain for Dorian’s soul in exchange for immortality. Dorian’s wish to remain forever young turns out to be merely a passing whim stated out loud then all but forgotten. But something or someone heard, and his eternal youth becomes a beautiful mask to polite society while his originally somewhat naive soul plunges into duplicitous immorality, and the mutating painting becomes a constant reminder of the ugliness beneath the flawless skin.

There is so much going on, so many messages in this book that it is difficult to choose a single aspect to spotlight for a short review. Because most of Dorian’s debaucheries are never explicitly stated, each individual will most likely see a different monster in this tale that is still so relevant today in a society where image seems to be everything. Said Wilde himself, "Each man sees his own sin in Dorian Gray. What Dorian Gray’s sins are, no one knows. He who finds them has brought them."

Lezlie

CHRIST THE LORD: THE ROAD TO CANA

by Anne Rice



Let it be understood right from the outset that anything I say in this review is not meant as an attack or even an insult to Anne Rice as an author or a person, nor to Christians, Christianity or anyone or anything else. These words are merely my honest feelings about a book I read by an author I happen to like a lot and that just happens to have Jesus as the main character.

Considering my disappointment with Blackwood Farm, Blood Canticle, and the first book in this series, Christ The Lord, I’m not certain why I continue to read new Anne Rice books. I think it’s similar to when you know it’s time to end a relationship that no longer brings either of you joy, but you’re not exactly unhappy and you’ve been together for sooooo long . . . . And you’re just certain that things will go back to the way they used to be and feel the way it used to feel. I just don’t know. There are books by Anne that have an honored place on my bookshelves: Interview With The Vampire, Pandora, Blood & Gold, The Mummy. After so much darkness and violence, I respect Anne’s decision to follow her faith and write the story of Jesus. I just wish I liked it more.

The writing is pure Anne Rice, flowery and dramatic and beautiful. But I find the story being unfurled dull and uninspiring and the characters don’t grab me. None of them make me want to see into their minds and souls. And the one mind you do want to see into feels too limited. I think what bothers me the most is this: If a person is going to write the story of Jesus, there should be more to it than what I can get directly out of The Bible. Especially considering the story is told in first person. Jesus is telling me his story himself, and I don’t feel I know him any better than if I just sat down and read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I’m not sure what that says about me, when Jesus doesn’t move me at all, but I’m guessing there is more than one brick already paving my way to hell. It is probably not fair to Anne or this book, but the fact is that I’m longing for the early days, to once again fall under a spell as beguiling as that cast by Lestat and Louis and Armand and Marius. And, with all due respect to Anne Rice and Our Lord, Jesus just isn’t doing it for me. (Yup. That would be the sound of the laying of another brick . . .)

Lezlie

Anne Rice books I loved:

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

by Kenneth Grahame



If this is not the most adorable book on the planet, it has got to be in the top two or three. It just has to be! Maybe my reading has been too grim and serious lately, but The Wind In The Willows put a smile on my face and a spring in my step. What fun I had speeding with Toad in his motorcar, lazily floating the river with Rat and Mole, and listening to the wise words of Badger. If I had kids, I’d read this to them every night!!

One of my favorite episodes was when Mole and Rat rescue Otter’s lost son. During their adventure, they encounter the god Pan, who gives them the Gift of Forgetfulness. At first I wondered why forgetfulness would be considered a gift. Upon further reflection, I became a believer. When something really awful happens to you, it is the Gift of Forgetfulness, in whole or in part, that allows you to eventually carry on. Mothers forget how painful childbirth was, those who have lost a loved one eventually forget some of the hurt but not the person. We even sometimes forget things that were stunningly wonderful and that allows us to continue to be happy in our ordinarily non-exciting lives. Which, in turn, allows us to re-experience that feeling of great joy when something extraordinary again happens. If we continually dwelt in great ecstasy or great sorrow, the beautiful range of emotions would be lost. The Gift of Forgetfulness is a key to the Gift of Living.

Enough waxing poetic. I’m going to go find Mole and Rat and have an adventure! :-)

Lezlie

THE QUEEN'S SECRET

by Jean Plaidy



When it comes to Jean Plaidy, there are times I think I could write just two all-purpose reviews with blanks to fill in for names and places – one for her books that focus more on history and one for her books that focus more on relationships – for that is how the books feel sometimes. One or the other, mostly the same, change the details. But that would be greatly disrespecting the enormous corpus this gifted and prolific author has produced, and it would definitely rob the books of their due. The truth of the matter is while few of them are works that I would deem outstanding, I can always count on Jean Plaidy for a fast, informative and pleasing read. In short, she is a writer I turn to when I want a book I know I will enjoy.

If one is reading the "Queens of England" series in historical order, The Queen’s Secret is the second of twelve volumes. (The first is The Courts of Love.) It is the story of Katherine of Valois, mother of the Tudor dynasty. This is one of the Plaidy books that is more relationship-focused than history-focused. The history you learn is mostly via conversations between characters rather than any actions that Katherine is involved in personally. Her direct story is of her marriage to Henry V and her later secret marriage to Owen Tudor. Therefore, when Joan of Arc makes her mark in France, we only get to see it from a great distance. I had hoped there would be a little more about that, but, on the other hand, it piqued my interest enough that I will most likely be scouting out more books about Joan in the future.

One thing I found very interesting in reading the first two volumes of this series was the marked difference in the feelings regarding family in the two queens, Eleanor of Aquitaine (in The Courts of Love) and Katherine of Valois. Katherine cares only for her children and family, and admires the lifestyle of the common people that allows them to raise their own children. Eleanor barely knew her children and didn’t care. Governing the country came first for her. While Eleanor’s attitude was considered normal for nobility in general and royalty in particular, I think many readers will relate more to Katherine’s pain at surrendering her child to the state and her need to have a real family.

Lezlie

More to come in the Queens of England series:

IN THE COMPANY OF THE COURTESAN by Sarah Dunant

In the Company of the Courtesan follows celebrated Roman courtesan Fiammetta Bianchini from her escape of the sack of Rome in 1527 through her struggles and reemergence in the city of Vienna. Told from the point of view of her dwarf companion, Bucino, more sensitive readers may want to shy away from this one, as Fiammetta makes no apologies for what she is and the story is often told using the coarse language of her trade. Beautiful pictures are painted, highlighted with a generous sprinkling of vulgarity.

If that is not an issue for you, then you are in for an enchanting read! The book does not focus on her work as a courtesan. There are no detailed boudoir scenes. But we see her life around her profession, how she overcomes tragedy and physical disfigurements that would have ended the careers of the less stoic and how she and Bucino handle the frailties of success when it ultimately comes to them.

While most of the novel focuses on Fiammetta and Bucino and their trials and tribulations, it is an unexpected swerve toward the end that takes the book from "good read" to a higher level. Characters who until then have been interesting become extraordinary indeed, and a story that would have been fascinating but forgettable becomes one that you will not want to end.

Lezlie

By the same author:

Spring Reading Challenge

After my dismal literary performance for February, I think the Spring Reading Challenge is just the thing to get my reading back on track! All we do is make a list of what we intend to read in the months of March, April and May. No minimums or limits. Here's what I'm hoping to accomplish as warmer weather draws near:

**FINISHED May 31, 2008** (See wrap-up post here.)

Achebe, Chinua -- Things Fall Apart
Achebe, Chinua -- Arrow Of God
Achebe, Chinua -- No Longer At Ease
Bass, Jefferson -- The Devil's Bones
Christie, Agatha -- Cards On The Table
Denby, David -- The Great Books
Dunant, Sarah -- In The Company of the Courtesan (Audio)
Eisner, Michael Alexander -- The Crusader
Goodkind, Terry -- Blood of the Fold (Audio)
Goodkind, Terry -- Temple of the Winds (Audio)
Goodkind, Terry -- Soul of the Fire (Audio)
Goodkind, Terry -- Faith of the Fallen (Audio)
Grahame, Kenneth -- The Wind In The Willows
Greene, Graham -- The Power and the Glory
Haggard, H. Rider -- Kind Solomon's Mines
Heller, Joseph -- Catch-22
Kalogridis, Jeanne -- The Borgia Bride
Kellerman, Jonathan -- Compulsion (Audio)
McCarthy, Cormac -- The Orchard Keeper
Obama, Barack -- The Audacity of Hope
Plaidy, Jean -- The Queen's Secret
Plaidy, Jean -- The Reluctant Queen
Plaidy, Jean -- The Lady In The Tower
Rice, Anne -- Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana (Audio)
Twain, Mark -- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Verne, Jules -- Journey To The Center Of The Earth
Wilde, Oscar -- The Picture of Dorian Gray

Three months, twenty-seven books, seven of them audio. That should put me back on track!

Happy Reading, Everyone!
Lezlie