Sheila's Guests and Reviews

As promised, here's some more book reviews, and I'll see if I can remember to rate them by coffee. Don't forget to click the links for reviews on Gather. Twilight's Ashes, by Auler Ivis : This one has a really interesting premise, but it's a long slow read--instant coffee brewed a little strong? The futuristic world post-global warming is really well-imagined, and there's a rich mixture of ancient and modern belief, symbolism, etc. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows : This has to one of the longest titles ever, but it's perfectly chosen. The book's written in the form of letters between strangers and friends, and it's truly delightful--a family drama, a post-WWII mystery, love, romance, the kindness of strangers, the strangeness of friends... It's just a really good read--and for coffee, I'll try balanced, smooth, full-flavored. Changes, by Jim Butcher : Okay, I'm hooked on the series....

I had coffee in Borders last week with a friend and we noticed the "star" levels for different sorts of coffee. It was kind of neat-- Mild, light, crisp Bright, lively, easy drinking Balanced, smooth, full-flavored Rich, elegant, complex, and Bold, dark, intense. I wonder if we could use a similar system in rating books, except everyone would think 5 stars meant best and 1 star meant worst. I suppose we could use the sun or moon... Short and sharp. A quick read. Easy reading, relaxed. Nice mix of show and tell. Interesting plot. Complex characters and plot. Bold, dark, intense. I dunno. How would you split up the levels? How would you define your most recent reads? I'll post reviews of Jim Butcher's Changes (5), The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (3), and The Little Known (4) soon, and they'll all get plenty of stars to go with those suns--it's been a good weekend for reading. But first I'll need some more bold, dark, intense coffee, with ju...

He's been to Texas, to LA, to work, to a job interview and a wedding, all in the last few days. And today he got up for a 6am flight; he's yet to go to sleep. So the first thing he says when he sees us, after six months away, is "They do have Starbucks in Portland don't they?" They do. Coffee's good. And now we'll go shopping.