Elswyth Thane

I love organized bookshelves (daughter of a librarian) so it was painful to remove all the books on the first floor from their bookcases in preparation for the whole floor being painted. In particular, I had to stop to admire two shelves of Elswyth Thane's books. She has been one of my favorite authors since I was about 14 and my mother left a copy of Dawn's Early Light on my pillow. Those with good eyes will see I include two books by Thane's husband, William Beebe, the Jacques Cousteau of his day, although I have not read them yet, rescued by my mother from the discard pile at her library. I believe I own every book Thane wrote except The Bird Who Made Good. Naturally, some are better than others and I notice that Tryst, a standalone that is somewhat dated, has gained new fans recently.
Here is a picture of the guest room with all the books from the living room and my office piled on the floor:
(I did eventually get a copy of The Bird Who Made Good.)

Falling Together (review)

Title: Falling Together
Author: Marisa de los Santos
Publication Information: William Morrow, October 2011, ISBN 978-0061670879
Genre: Fiction

Plot: Everyone has a cherished friend from college – this book is about Pen, Will, and Cat, who met cute the first week of college after a Beowulf lecture and became inseparable. Their friendship insulated them from much of the angst of college life and was so all-fulfilling it made other people envious or resentful, not that this three cared. After college, they shared an apartment in Philadelphia until Cat left the group abruptly, and without her, Pen and Will’s relationship faltered and disintegrated. Now, just before their 10th reunion, Pen and Will receive an email from Cat asking them for help and to meet her there. Although still bitter and hurt, neither hesitates, and the ordinary college reunion turns into a quest to resurrect a friendship.

The Reason for Roses by Babs H. Deal (review)

Title: The Reason for Roses
Author: Babs H. Deal
Publication Information: Doubleday, 1974
Genre: Adult Fiction

Plot: This is a melancholy look back by Spencer Howard at the last summer of her childhood in a small Alabama town, not long before WWII. Although Spencer, an orphan, is being brought up by her grandmother, her cousins and their parents converge on Bellefonte to spend summers together. It is unclear how old Spencer is in this book, probably about 15, with four attractive cousins about her age or several years older.

Heyer

It was a pleasure to meet a fellow Georgette Heyer fan, Jeannine Pellerin, on a recent trip to Montreal. We met for breakfast and, of course, talked books. I was interested to hear that she first came across Heyer when she was living in Victoria, British Columbia, and found These Old Shades in the laundry room of her apartment building. Although her native language is French, she read Heyer in English, embracing Regency slang, and moving on to other historical romance once she'd read the Heyer oeuvre. I brought her a copy of one of my favorite books, Sabrina, by Madeleine Polland, and was delighted when she reported back that she had enjoyed it and shared with a friend (I even heard about a tea shop near that very friend in Markham, Ontario that made me want to plan my next road trip). We visited a used bookstore and found a book or three before I returned to my family. As always, it is a pleasure to meet a Heyer friend in person and discuss one of my favorite authors!

Fenway

At Fenway with Sissy Andrea:

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (review)

Title: State of Wonder
Author: Ann Patchett
Publication: HarperCollins 2011
Genre: Fiction
Plot: Dr. Marina Singh, a research scientist for Vogel, a pharmaceutical company in Minnesota, is sent to Brazil following the mysterious death there of her research partner and friend, Dr. Anders Eckman. Anders had gone to investigate the fertility work Dr. Annick Swenson has been conducting in the Amazon for their employer, as her failure to report back regularly concerned Vogel management.

Go Bruins!

This is what the well dressed lawyer was wearing for Game 7 - and, although delayed by filing a memorandum, only missed the first period! We want the Cup!

Sunday shopping

A new Bruins tee shirt (but with an old style look my brother would approve of) and a box of Carr's Ginger Lemon Cremes are the reward for yet another Sunday at the office...