Duck's Cottage Newsletter

Between the Lines
Reading Recommendations from the Cottage Shelves

I have been on a major reading binge this summer- new books, old books, thrillers, young adult, non-fiction. the list goes on and on! During a recent trip to New York state, I savoured every detail of Julia Child's memoir- My Life in France. This book is wonderful-she's wonderful; its hard to believe she didn't start cooking until she was almost 40. It will make you hungry, it will make you want to cook, it will inspire you! Definitely my 'Must Read' for the month (paperback arrives in early October). John Sandford's 'Prey' series featuring detective Lucas Davenport is one of my favorite 'guilty pleasures'. His latest in that vein is Invisible Prey which was a completely satisfying summer read. Charlie (age 12) and I have been enjoying the Percy and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. The first in the series is The Lightning Thief, followed by The Sea of Monsters and The Titan's Curse. We simply can't get enough and are awaiting #4 with baited breath. Percy is a 12 year old in present day NYC who discovers he is the son of the Greek god Perseus. He is taken to a 'summer camp' for demi- gods like himself where he discovers hidden talents and arms himself with some new ones as well. Quests and battles with mythical creatures follow, encounters with countless gods and goddesses all studded with a plethora of trivia tidbits straight out of Greek and Roman mythology. We liked it so much we're now reading an encyclopedia on the Greeks and Titans for further background. Could this be the next Harry Potter? Speaking of Harry.... ah, Harry, we loved ye well. Read it, loved it, sad to see it end but very satisfied. (And impressed that some authors aren't content to milk something for all its worth!) Also an interesting read was See You in a Hundred Years (Logan Ward) which I found thoroughly entertaining. Ward and his wife (and toddler) buy a farm in rural Virginia and proceed to spend one year living as if it were 1900. We're talking no power, milking goats, living off the land, traveling by horse and cart and more. Its not something I would EVER want to do, but for some sadistic reason I enjoyed reading about their triumphs and travails. Thanks to my father-in-law Jim, I just discovered Kathy Reichs, and have been immersed in her Bones series featuring Forensic Anthropologist, Tempe Brennan. Try Fatal Voyage, Break No Bones or Grave Secrets- a great mystery series! Last month I passed along a title that both Charlie and I liked, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Since then Sarah (age 8) has also read this 500+ page graphic novel proving its appeal to ALL ages!! Sarah and I read Each Little Bird That Sings (Deborah Wiles) and found the story of 10 year old Comfort Snowberger, who lives above the family's funeral parlor, endearing and touching. Comfort's down to earth outlook on life was a simple and welcome message. Two books just out in paperback that were my favorite 'flavors of the month' in hardback are Love in the Present Tense (Catherine Ryan Hyde) and A Spot of Bother (Mark Haddon). Remember me raving about The Book Thief? I have since read author Marcus Zusak's other young adult novel, I Am The Messenger and remain convinced that he is one of the most talented writers out there at the moment. His phrasing and word choice are just spot on. One book I couldn't get into- The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho). I'm sure there's a reason its a bestselling paperback right now, but I couldn't find it. To be honest, though, I'm usually not into this type of 'message in a novel' which revolves around some idea or belief that, to me, seems pretty basic.
The Cottage Reading Group recently made our next six selections; we'll be reading The Secrets of a Fire King (August, Kim Edwards); Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (September, Barbara Kingsolver); A Thousand Splendid Suns (October, Khaled Hosseini); Water for Elephants (November, Sara Gruen); Garlic and Sapphires (December, Ruth Reichl) and Whistling in the Dark (January, Lesley Kagen).
I'll do my best to get the September newsletter out in a more timely manner, but until then this should give you plenty of reading material!

Learn more about Rick Riordan and his phenomenal series!