Beach Read

After reading so many references to this great "beach read", Moon Shell Beach by Nancy Thayer, I just had to see for myself if it was everything I expected in a "beach read". Since I finished it in one day, I would say there was easy-to-read fast-paced flow to the story. The two characters of the novel were childhood friends who have resided on Nantucket, and this is the story of their relationship through marriages and affairs of each. Check this one out if you like a lot of story with little description. Enjoyable, but not as light and carefree as many chick-lit novels are. Serious issues are discussed with a happy ending, which makes it technically a romance. Other novels by Nancy Thayer of late are the "Hot Flash" series of books that begins with The Hot Flash Club.

Historical view of India in 1947

I have just finished reading Indian Summer: The Secret history of the End of an Empire by historian Alex Von Tunzelmann. From the inside flap of the book comes this quote, "An extraordinary saga of romance, history, religion, and political intrique." "At the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, one of the twentieth century's defining moments came as the sovereign nations of India and Pakistan were born, and 400 million people gained independence." This grabbed my attention and sparked an interest. I know very little about world politics and here was a history book that promised romance and mystery. Since I had often read biographies, this proved to be interesting and it was mostly the story of Lord Louis Mountbatten and his wife Edwina and their unusual relationships with Jawaharlal Nehru and Ghandi. Almost twenty pages of notes at the end gave evidence of where the author found her information. I especially gained new insights into the Muslim cause, as Pakistan was the created to support the Muslim League in India. Recommended for the historical beginnings of Britain in India.

The Big Read for 2009

The Big Read title has been announced: Nighteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. The vote was taken through the Dayton Daily News website, and the winner is a current fiction title by a very popular author. Now the committee hopes that it will be able to arrange an author visit.
The Big Read"