I finished reading the Memory of Running by Ron McLarty. It was a very engaging story, with a forty three year old man who has lost both of his parents in an accident. He finds a letter to his father. The letter is about his sister and he decides he must go to California and claim his sister's body. He has been depressed all his life over the loss of his sister and her mental problems, so this "quest" that he is on brings him many positive experiences with people and helps him to reach out and claim a better side of himself. The journey starts in Rhode Island on a bike and his adventure begins without any preparation; he just knows he need to go there and resolve his relationship with his sister. He loves her very much, but has been unable to help in the past. The book flashes back to the past to understand the history of Smithy Ide.

The Booklovers Book Discussion for this month on January 28th is Hilary Mantel's 2009 Booker Prize winning novel, Wolf Hall. Set in the 1520s, King Henry VIII wants to divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn. The author recreates this immensely volatile time in historical fiction, and then in 2012, presents the sequel, Bring up the Bodies. The books are available at the front desk if you are interested in joining the discussion. The group meets on the fourth Monday night at 7 p.m.

     Our Mystery Lover's Book Discussion group meets next on Monday, January 14th at 7 pm. They will be discussing the novel, The Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters, a Brother Cadfael mystery, no. 6 in the series. Join the group for a fun evening, and you may pick up the novel at the front desk of the Tipp City Public Library. The novel takes place in Medieval England: "In the winter of 1139, raging civil war has sent refugees fleeing north from Worcester, among them an orphaned boy and his beautiful 18-year-old sister. Traveling with a young nun, they set out for Shrewsbury, but disappear somewhere in the wild countryside. Now, Brother Cadfael embarks on a dangerous quest to find them." Barnes and Noble For further information on this novel check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Virgin_in_the_Ice

George Smiley

     I started to get interested in this book, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre, this year due to an article in Booklist magazine by Will Manley. There was a new movie of this book coming out and the author said he just couldn't see anyone else besides Alec Guiness playing George Smiley, the chief operator in the book, a M16 spy for the "circus". That piqued my interest. Then I found a copy of the book in our library catalog with Frank Muller as the reader. Another famous name, someone really known for his excellent reading of audio books and I wanted to listen to him read the book. I would also read the book myself at times. It was hard to follow at first, but the audio helps. George Smiley is retired, and the authorities come to him to research undercover for a mole in the organization. I think that Frank Muller deliberately "did" the voice of Alec Guiness, the man famous for his role as George Smiley. It is filled with tension, especially as they get closer to trapping the spy. I have read le Carre years ago, and it's his detail, his dialog, and drama that all set his work apart. Because there is so much detail, description, that it makes the novel harder to follow than the sparse, action-now thrillers that are so popular. It is worth sticking with, George Smiley is one character that grows on you, the reader feels for his desperation in finding the mole. I also found out that Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a trilogy, so I am now reading, ie. listening to The Honorable Schoolboy, part 2of the trilogy. It is read by Michael Jayston. Frank Muller died in 2008. I notice that Jayston also does the voice of George Smiley as Alec Guiness. By the way, I did watch the BBC production of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, a six hour production that was excellent. Now to compare it to the new version with Gary Oldman in the key role.

Good Reads

Here is a recommendation  for the New Year, " A Land More Kind Than Home," by Wiley Cash. It is a first novel, beautifully written, and recommended to me by Julie Smith, one of the book reviewers here at Tipp City Public Library that I can trust. From the back cover, " The narrative is strong, clean, direct and economical. He is very familiar with this part of rural North Carolina, its mountains, valleys, rivers, vegetation and farms. " by Ernest Gaines.
I am in the middle of "Memory of Running," by Ron McLarty. Julie has been trying to get me to read it for years now, and my to be read pile has dwindled until I finally caught up with it and I needed something light. Julie has recommended this book to many people and I have finally taken up her offer. I am not disappointed. It's a good read so far.