Rebekah

I had just finished Carol Burnett's book when I started this one...I don't believe I gave Julie the attention she was due, since I was disappointed with the content due to my own comparisons to Carol's bio. Carol is a comedian, and Julie a singer/actress...why would I compare them to each other? I shouldn't! Julie uses her sweet, somewhat slow reading voice...I love listening to her voice and accent, but in order to make it through the entire book without sleeping through it, I had to listen while at work. Carol is a riot, and her book included excerpts, not a play-by-play accounting of her life. Julie included details, and while I loved hearing about her life...it was a bit slow for my liking.

I visited Bulgaria last summer and actually stayed in the Rila Hotel! I went to Tarnovo (now Veliko Tarnovo) and saw the fortress where Mrs. Pollifax encounters more trouble. I also went to Gabrovo, and the ruins of Pliska, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the cript of icons below, and well...I saw almost the whole country and most of the places mentioned in the book. The author is pretty accurate in her descriptions, except for minor details such as the elevator doors at the Rila Hotel do not slide shut. It is a door that you close and you can see the wall sliding in front of you as you go up or down. Communism thoroughly devastated the country and they are still trying to recover. More than once I saw a donkey & cart on the road; fields of roses and sunflowers being tended by hand, just like a painting from the 1800 or 1900s. The setting for this book may be in the 1960s, but going to Bulgaria today is like traveling back in time to the early part of the 1900s. That being said, the countryside and mountains have a raw beauty...not touched by man. An unforgettable trip that I was pleased to relive while reading this book.

I so enjoy the world Jacqueline Winspear has created for Maisie Dobbs. Without fail, she always draws me into Maisie's life as if it were my own. Every book teaches me something new about the life and times of the woman detective. This newest addition to the series delves into the lives of those who traveled from the Far East to England. Usually brought as nanny's to tend the children of wealthy Englishman. In order to solve the murder of one of these women, Maisie must learn about the cultures and customs of India...and also decide if she would like to visit them in their country. For Maisie is still conflicted about her purpose, and whether she wants to marry James.

As always, Orlagh Cassidy is a fantastic narrator! So glad she has narrated the entire series. The consistency and her talent definitely contribute to the experience.

I will be meeting Jacqueline Winspear next week at a book event! Can't wait!

I love Laurie R. King and the wonderful stories she weaves. I actually got to MEET Laurie R. King a couple weeks ago at a bookstore event. She told many stories, including how she was inspired to set this stage of their story in west Africa. She actually was vacationing in Spain or thereabouts with her family, and they took a short trip to Fez (or one of the neighboring cities mentioned in the book, I can't remember which one now). She happily discovered a wonderful backdrop for the continuing saga of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. She also was pleased to discover that there had actually been a civil war in the area at the same time the book was to take place!

Laurie is such an educated, scholarly, and funny woman...just as I have always imagined Mary Russell to be....they are both tall, have degrees in religion and philosphy, are married to much older men, and are always up for the next adventure. I love knowing that the characters in a book are based on real people...but then that's why her books have been so successful, I think. "Write what you know" they always say....and she did, does, and hopefully will for many years to come.

Side Note: If it's been awhile since you finished the last book, The Pirate King, I would recommend re-reading the end of the book. Garment of Shadows starts exactly where Pirate King left off. I made the mistake of not refreshing my memory on the end of the previous book and I was so confused for the first several pages until I remembered what had happened. Enjoy!

Tina Fey is so witty! This book kept me laughing almost the whole time. At certain points I wasn't sure if she was telling the truth or making a joke, or making a joke about the truth, or if I was missing some reference. But it didn't matter....it was funny whichever way you look at it. So glad she narrated it, wouldn't have been as entertaining with anyone else reading it.

I had this book in my library for so long, I forgot what it was about. So I looked up some reviews and a lady posted one saying, it was as good as her favorite book, Mrs. Mike. This was a sign for sure! Mrs. Mike changed my life when I was 14 years old...A Town Like Alice changed my life at 25.

This book turned my world upside down, tore my heart apart, made me feel anxious and uncomfortable. Then it turned my eyes to see something so much more beautiful than I could imagine....true love, courage, hope and selflessness. It's a story of a woman that even though she was faced with extreme adversity, or was surrounded by it, she didn't shy away from doing what she could to make a difference in the lives of those around her.

What a powerful book, matched perfectly with talented narrators.

At the beginning I was restless, waiting for the author to get to the meat of the story. She goes to great lengths to describe the backgrounds of each character. But then I decided to relax and let the book unfold as it was written...then, I began to love it. When I wasn't listening, I would feel like I was missing something like my keys, glasses, something important...but no, I was missing my friends from Chestnut Court and Dublin, Ireland. This to me is the sign of a great book. It had pulled me so far into the lives of these characters, I did not see myself as separate from them.

The narrator is excellent. The Irish accent makes things that much better.
If you love stories about tragedies bringing people together, mixed with humor and small town charm, where everyone seems to know eachother....this book is for you!

If you're expecting the quirky, impersonal, naive Bones from the TV show...you may be disappointed. Tempie in the books has a kid, has been married for a long time, and doesn't work primarily from her lab with her crew of squints. Don't fight the differences and enjoy the books for what they are...good mystery novels. This was my first Kathy Reichs book, and since then I have started 206 Bones...maybe more similarities will become apparent the more I read. The books are worth a try, so...happy reading!

Fast Women reminded me of a Susan Elizabeth Philips book...interestingly enough, at the end of the book, Jennifer Crusie gives credit to SEP for helping with her books. I just finished an emotionally challenging book, and this was a nice break. I probably would have edited quite a bit out of the book, but all-in-all it made sense by the end.

Rebecca is a must read, a classic. I have watched the movie many times (directed by Alfred Hitchcock), and I finally decided to see if there was more to the story. I can honestly say that there isn't that much that the movie left out! The majority of the dialogue from the movie is word-for-word as written by Du Maurier.
Read, listen, watch...or do all three!