@cartera45 Who did she get to narrate her latest book? I know that Ralph Cosham, who did the first ten in the series, passed away last year.
I didnāt know that. How sad. I just saw the post that Louise Penny made about his death and she said that she realized that for many of her fans, it was like losing Armand. Thatās true. I see that Robert Bathurst (Downton Abbey) narrates the last book.
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I ordered my H two Three Pines mugs for Christmas. Theyāre sold by a small independent bookstore in Knowlton, Quebec (the town that Louise and Michael Penny have just moved to), along with some other Gamache gear. 
What a great idea! I looked them up. Vive Gamache!
Love Elinor Lipman - my favorite is The Pursuit of Alice Thrift
@cartera45 I received the Gamache package today and they included licorice pipes in the mugs and some lovely bookmarks! I also got him one of the Gamache t-shirts. My H will love this gift. Iām not sure I can wait til Christmas to give it to him!
@alwaysamom I canāt blame you. Iām thinking about the hoodie.
Just finished Kate Mortonās new book, The Lake House. Enjoyed it, but didnāt like the ending. Returning to Three Pines now.
Thank you to whomever recommended Laurie Colwin. I read a couple of her books. They are sweet. What an awful tragedy that she died so young.
I really like the New York Times list of the top 5 fiction books this year. So fresh and unexpected! Usually the choices are so much more predictable:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/02/books/review/100000004070744.mobile.html?_r=0
The Washington Post went the more predictable route, with more literary blockbusters:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/entertainment/best-books-of-2015/
What does everyone think?
I just finished Elizabeth is Missing and it may be the best book Iāve read all year. If youāve lived with a parent with Alzheimerās it can be a bit hard to take, as you know thereās not going to be any completely happy ending here, but I found the narration by Maud irresistible. Sheās infuriating, funny, and poignant all at once. We see her trying valiantly to figure out what has happened to her best friend Elizabeth, while haunted in her memories by the disappearance of her older sister Sukey. So many of her irritating habits are echoes of that earlier loss. Thereās no real happy ending, but thereās closure, for the reader at least.
@VaBluebird --it was me and JHS, I think, who recommended Laurie Colwin. Truly sad that she died so young.
I am just about finished with āThree Daughtersā by Consuelo Saah Baehr. Just a basic, really good story.
"From the fertile hills of a tiny village near Jerusalem to the elegant townhouses of Georgetown, Three Daughters is a historical saga that chronicles the lives, loves, and secrets of three generations of Palestinian Christian women.
Born in rural Palestine, just before the dawn of the twentieth century, Miriam adores her father and is certain his love will protect her, but she soon finds that tradition overrides love. Uprooted by war, Miriam enters a world where the old constraints slip away with thrilling and disastrous results. Miriamās rebellious daughter, Nadia, is thrilled with the opportunity for a modern life that her elite education provides. But when she falls in love with an outsider, the clan reins her back with a shocking finality. Nijmeh, Nadiaās daughter, is an only child and the path her father, the sheik, sets for her is fraught with difficulties, yet it prepares her for her ultimate journey to America, where she finds her future.
Each woman, in her own time and in her own way, experiences a world in transition through war and social changeā¦and each must stretch the bounds of her loyalty, her courage, and her heart."
@garland Laurie Colwin my absolute favorite. Iām still upset that she died and itās been quite a while now. In fact, my name here is my little homage to her. ;). So nice to see others who feel the same way.
Iām another lover of Laurie Colwin. She was so uniquely wonderful. Back in the day, I gave a number of people a copy of Home Cooking in my Christmas gift baskets of homemade jams, jellies, chutneys, et al. I loved her fiction.
I think that this is a good season to reread Laurie Colwin. (And perhaps Barbara Pym. )
I just finished reading All the Light We Cannot See, which I know has appeared here before: a wonderful book.
Very mixed feelings about Fates and Furies. Iām about 3/4ths of the way through (but I know all the āspoilersā) but so far, I think itās a bit of a mixed bag - interesting and involving, but mixed nonetheless.
Iām reading Laurie Colwinās *Happy All the Time *right now. Itās delightful.
Thanks to whoever suggested the Gamache series. Iām listening to then in the car, and they are wonderful!
Not to give anything specific away, but I was stunned to find out that a good portion of the most recent Gamache book backstory is true (epilogue info, I think).