I thought the Blue Flower was brilliant and I have a copy of The Gate of Angels waiting on my shelves to be read. The biography sounds fabulous.

I love neo-Victorian historical novels by Sarah Waters or Jane Harris. I have read other books by other authors that fit this category but I can’t think of any that are as accomplished writers. Sometimes other authors are overly enamored of their research or following some sort of check list (mad woman in the attic, check!, orphan protagonist, check!) so the book comes off as stilted and unnatural to me.

Lovely and what a great feeling that must be to fill up your new shelves and sort your book! *Sigh*

I did enjoy The Razor’s Edge very much. I checked it out from the library thinking I would just peruse the first chapter, since I had other books I was reading. Three days later, I finished it. I agree with Chris, it was as if I was listening to someone leisurely recount a story to me over drinks in a comfortable room. It is written is such a smooth, almost hypnotic style which carried me along. It isn’t something I thought about consciously while reading, but as you astutely point out, Elliot and Larry really do represent two diametric approaches to living. But I don’t feel as if Elliot was really any the worse off in the end. I think my favorite character was Isabel. She was in some ways so sharp and aware and in others, completely deluded and manipulative.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. Please put my name in the hat. But I hope Pam wins...because she is a Travellin' Penguin. It seems appropriate :)

I always link through your site when I buy at Powells. I would really, really, really love to physically go there some day. I would have to drive what with all the books I would be bringing back with me.

I am a big fan of Christie. Well, at least those mysteries that I have read. Did you know she also wrote romance under the name Westmacott? I haven't read them...but I pretty much hate romance as a genre. It has to really break the mold for me to read a romance novel. I really love the Poirot stories that take place in the Levant and North Africa, they are exotic (although, London is exotic to me too) and I appreciate the fact that Christie went to all of these places in real life.

Thanks for the link CR. Saunders popped up on my radar for the first time this year in March since his short story collection Tenth of December is being bandied about as a possible Tournament of Books selection for 2013. I am not a big fan of short stories but I am a huge fan of the Tournament of Books and my library has a copy so I thought I would give it a whirl sometime this year. I will have to check out his essay collections some time as well.

I read The Snow Child last year and I agree, it is a lovely book and I also enjoyed reading it :).

Bring Up the Bodies is the only one on the list that I have read. I heard Rose Tremain speak on the Guardian Book podcast however and I would really like to read one of her books. Should I start with Restoration, does anyone have another suggestion? Thanks!

I loved Bring up the Bodies. I think it was even better than Wolf Hall. I did not like May We Be Forgiven, I think it really rubbed me the wrong way. I liked Where'd You Go Bernadette and I am currently reading Life After Life (but only 20 pages in, early days). I am most excited about Adam Johnson's win of the Pulitzer for The Orphan Master's Son. That was a fantastic book and I am really pleased it won.

I am looking forward to reading this. I have read Of Human Bondage, but that's it.

I haven’t finished the book yet. I have about 100 pages to go. As some of the other commenters noted, the book is rambling hodgepodge of recovery, politics, history, ecology and conservationism. Bits and pieces of it are lovely, but as a whole…well, I haven’t read the whole book yet, but I don’t think getting to the end is going to improve my opinion. Like Michi, I googled East Anglia and the Chilterns to get an idea of the landscape.

I had no idea it sank in 1975. I only know the song TITLE and who sung it, I don't even know the music and I assumed it was something that happened 100 years ago. I have never seen the Great Lakes. I have a hard time imaging how a storm could affect a lake like that. I know they are big, but I think I would have to actually see them to understand.

Well, I guess I have to read it now! I just checked and one of my libraries has it, checked out till April 5, but that's ok.

I recently purchased the NYRB paperback of Stoner because I have heard so many good things about it. Haven't read it yet though!

I read Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. I liked it. If it The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is comparable to that, then I should check it out.

I keep hearing good things about this book, but the plot reminds me of Forrest Gump, a movie (was it a book too? Dunno) that I really disliked. Am I way off base here? Should I just read the book (50 page rule) and found out for myself?

I guess you haven’t maxed out on memoirs just yet!

I read this book a few years ago. It is slight, but fun to read. I should be able to re-read for the book group. As I recall, it is a short-ish book. Happily for me, my library has a DVD of the 1992 film which I will definitely check out and watch.

Unless you are very, very good friends with someone, you probably should not gift them those books for their baby shower. I can so see it being taken the wrong way! I have a friend whose date gave her a diet book…it was their last date.

This does sound good Mr. CF! This sounds a bit magical, and I am always trying to read more books in translation. I lived in Bordeaux in 1987-1988. I do remember everyone talking about “cohabitation” when Chirac was elected, which I vaguely understood, but at that time the former kings and queens of France were far more vivid and interesting to me personally than the then current politics.

I love to swim...but don't do it enough...well, not at all right now. When you find a book that will kick my a** back to the gym by reading it, let me know. Maybe this book would do the trick? One thing that really bothers me at my age about swimming is the fact that the impressions from the goggles don't go away for HOURS. Something about the elasticity of skin and aging. But I guess healthy with racoon eyes for a few hours is preferable to fat...

I didn’t read the book for the book group since I had already read it two (or three?) years ago. Is the final twist you are all referring to relating to Charles II or to Sarah? If it is the royal one, I loved that aspect of the book. It did take me by surprise, however, even though (as I found out later) it is a matter of historical record. As to the ultimate fate of Sarah, since every narrative is unreliable, who is to say that the last one is necessarily accurate? They each saw Sarah the way they wanted to see her, what the final truth is…well, I thought that was intentionally left obscure. I had no problem with the length of the book and I liked the circumlocution and the historical detail, extraneous or not. In fact, I was going to listen to it on audio, since I didn’t have time to re-read it the old fashioned way, but could only find the abridged version in the U.S. so I didn’t bother. The unabridged version is only available to UK buyers, apparently due to copyrights. In any case, I wanted to listen to ALL of it. I also loved The Name of the Rose and Foucault’s Pendulum, so I guess that is no surprise.

Hey, what is wrong with Tina Fey? I think she is adorable. I haven't been to a movie theater in over two years. Generally with books to movies, I prefer to read the book and leave it at that. I will make the effort to see the new Star Trek movie when it comes out, however. I thought the first reboot was fantastic.