On the Nightstand


I don't have a lot of spare time these days, but there's generally something beside the bed to read. 
These are my current selections.
Reshelved

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Go, Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

 Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

Surviving the Island of Grace by Leslie Leyland Fields


Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichel

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Farewell to the East End by Jennifer Worth

In the Shadows of the Workhouse by Jennifer Worth
The Midwife by Jennifer Worth

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand  by Helen Simonson
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day  by Winifred Watson

Hoping for Something Better by Nancy Guthrie

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson  

The Palace Tiger by Barbara Cleverly

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton 

The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn 

Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

The Core by Leigh Bortins

Miss Silver Deals with Death by Patricia Wentworth

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built - Alexander McCall Smith - I love this series set in Botswana, and just realized that I've missed a couple of titles along the way which means more of my favorite African detective (in my spare time).

What We Keep - Elizabeth Berg - While I don't always agree with the subject matter or viewpoint, I love this author's prose.  She just has a way with words, a cunning ability to capture just what I wish I could say but can't.

From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels - Ree Drummond  - Not at all deep literature, but a delightful read nonetheless.  Romance with a cowboy!

My Last Days as Roy Rogers - Pat Cunningham Devoto - My mom is the source of many of my books as kids have limited my ability to peruse the library stacks for new reads and/or to finish in the allotted time.  She's been after me for years to read this and for good reason: I loved it.  Set in Alabama during 1950s, it is a wonderful account of life in a Southern small town.  This is one of my favorite sections dealing with that military event of the 1860s:

"Well, yes, it seems to me like the same things always happens.  We start out good, but in the end we always lose.  If it's Fightin' Joe in Atlanta or General Lee in Virginia, we always lose, but we keep talking about it like maybe if we talk enought, we'll win, only we never do."

Dreamers of the Day - Mary Doria Russell - A interesting novel set between WW1 & WW2, highlighting the turmoils of the Middle East that still haven't been resolved.

Julie & Julia - Julie Powell - Of course with that name, I had to pick it up (I haven't seen the movie).  A little too much promiscuity and profanity for my taste, though it made me curious to read up some more on Julia Child (she was involved in espionage?).

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien - The prequel to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy was wonderful.  I haven't read the trilogy yet (I've seen the movies!), but it's great to know The Rest of the Story.

A Draught for  Dead Man - Caroline Roe - This series is set in medieval Spain and follows a blind Jewish physician who manages to get involved with solving murders.

The Cater Street Hangman - Anne Perry - This is another series I pick up for light reading (about as taxing as my mind can take these days).  Set in Victorian London, Thomas Pitt is a policeman who solves crimes with the help of his meddling wife Charlotte.

The Case of William Smith - Patricia Wentworth - I've read a couple of her books lately and they are simply delightful: nothing that requires much thought and the plot lines are amazingly similar from one book to the next.  The heroine, Miss Maud Silver, is a retired governess-turned-detective who knits while she patiently listens to clients' tales.  Wonderful, wonderful!

No Graves As Yet - Anne Perry

We Shall Not Sleep - Anne Perry - A great conclusion to the series; now I'm going to start on the first book....Let me reiterate: Read the Books in Order!

The Omnivore's Dilemna - Michael Pollan - Let me just say for starters that I'll never look at beef in the same way; this was really an eye-opener and has brought up a number of questions about our food supply.  I personally skimmed/skipped the anthropological junk (and the final chapter 'cause I'd already racked up quite a fine at the library), but all in all a great read.

Real Food - Nina Planck - Hey, hey!  I'm free to eat good stuff like real butter and not feel the least bit guilty (like it bothered me before!).

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Barbara Kingsolver: Very interesting locovore account; makes me want to dig up the yard and start planting (that is, until I actually walk outside and feel the humidity.

At Some Disputed Barricade - Anne Perry: I've really enjoyed this series based in WWI, but it is important to read the books in order:  No Graves As Yet, Shoulder the Sky, Angels in the Gloom, At Some Disputed Barricade, and We Shall Not Sleep.