What I've Been Reading

Extraordinary, Ordinary People

Condoleeza Rice attributes her success to her loving, wise parents, who taught her in 1960's Birmingham to "be twice as good." The book is a tribute to them. The Rices were devoted proponents of education and hard work, not only in the life of their own daughter but also in the lives of hundreds of students in several states through many decades.




The Hound of the Baskervilles
My first Sherlock Holmes! I felt like I already knew Holmes from the BBC portrayals of him and from Laurie King's novels. My dad loaned me his lovely Heritage Press copy, which had beautiful illustrations to accompany the suspenseful, spooky story set on the moor.




Big Stone Gap
I love visiting southwest Virginia, where my grandparents lived and where my mom grew up, so the setting of Big Stone Gap, Virginia, was the primary appeal of this book to me. I also enjoyed the characters and plot. Big Stone Gap is a series of four books by Trigiani, and the element of style which detracted from my overall enjoyment of the series was her use of present tense--so unnatural in a narrative.





My Life in France
Tres bon! Reading this book was like traveling to France every night before I drifted off to sweet, delicious dreams!