I’ve read some really good books lately but I’d like to highlight a couple of exceptional books in this post.
Varina by Charles Frazier
Charles Frazier doesn’t write many books. He spends a lot of time on each one and I wouldn’t miss reading any of them. Over the years I’ve bought many of them at book sales to give to friends and family.
Varina is a historical novel and instead of a review, I’ll include a quote from the book. Other quotes are found on Goodreads HERE.
“Subtract everything inessential from America and what's left? Geography and political philosophy, V says. The Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The Federalist Papers. --I'd say geography and mythology, James says. Our legends. He gives examples, talks about Columbus sailing past the edge of the world, John Smith at Jamestown and Puritans at Plymouth Rock, conquering the howling wilderness. Benjamin Franklin going from rags to riches with the help of a little slave trading, Frederick Douglass escaping to freedom, the assassination of Lincoln, annexing the West, All those stories that tell us who we are---stories of exploration, freedom, slavery, and always violence. We keep clutching those things, or at least worn-out images of them, like idols we can't quit worshipping.”
Charles Frazier, Varina
My favorite book by Charles Frazier is still Thirteen Moons. If you haven’t read it….find it and ENJOY!
![DSCN8835[4]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzN5DPVgfAV-Gn6mbMS_h9dIkYop9a62_eKi5meizCTkQYh-YdSdP-XIIyJDOpZ2srB0-4Hk5OqRKrgVhLUBTmODsdI8dTWxTFi8Bq2UX_mT0KCFna02TaJEQy9cdDYdkrzkiTDd8ErQpv/?imgmax=800 "DSCN8835[4]")
His most famous book is Cold Mountain and I lived near Cold Mountain when I lived with my Dad in the Northern part of Madison County, NC. And many of you may remember I was honored (and excited) to meet Charles Frazier and his lovely wife a few years ago at the North Carolina Arboretum.
![DSCN8815[3]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNryzzXgqbG-m7IumsPZxN1seYLBKTDji4r9Wqnhm_eDTYqCNOAByhi5PTQa3ODW6VtFOy5S_aX24KIVVv05GQ4v9VWeSdoLaICfk6HcAHPixRX3rLStoZoFnLushcoIYBadnqpj5ARj-Y/?imgmax=800 "DSCN8815[3]")
I was ‘beaming’ standing next to Charles Frazier!
Now onto another great book by the author, Paulette Jiles.
News of the World
I was so impressed with this book that I convinced my hubby to read it too….and he loved it!
They are both very different but both so good. One of my favorite authors, Charles Finch gave News of the World the highest rating. That convinced me!
Do you have a favorite book to mention in the comments?
I’ll make a ‘reading list’ with them and share it next week!
I did a post 7 years ago about books and included photos of the time I met Charles Frazier. But what surprised me was what else was in that post! Maggie…our very own Mosaic Monday Maggie was also mentioned! You’ll have to go HERE to find out why! heehee!
I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE.
37 comments:
Thanks for your share today. I'm in the Goodreads online community. I haven't read that author though. What a nice photo with you and the author
Have a good week
much love
7 years ago, wow! Going to check out your recommendations once again as I did enjoy reading Thirteen Moons very much. Happy MM!
Hello,
I am on the Goodreads community too. I have found many great books lately after reading the helpful reviews. Thanks for sharing these authors and books. I will see if my library has them online. I have so many favorites, it is hard to pick just one. Louise Penny is one of my favorite authors, I am waiting on her next new Armand Gamache book. Great photo of your and Charles Frazier. Enjoy your day and new week ahead!
Interesting...I'm going to check out News of the World. :)
that's a lovely photo of you!!! I am just now reading Remarkable Creatures written by Tracy Chevalier.
I'm on Goodreads, too. I love book recommendations. Can't have enough books! Ha! I just finished Artemis by Weir. He wrote The Martian (it was made into a movie) and both books are on the PBS best books list. Two science fiction books. I'm getting ready to read Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan -- also made into a movie that is coming out soon. Like Eileen, I love Louise Penny. I drop everything when a new Gamache is released!
Oh I LOVED Cold Mountain so I will need to check out this literary gem. Thank you for the great reviews!
A great collection of books to read. My latest favourite author is Kate Morton. I've read 2 of hers in the last month - The Forgotten Garden and The Lake House. Happy reading!
congrats on meeting a famous author, I have never met one, I had the chance to meet James Patterson, he was here doing a signing but I did not want to stand in the hot son for hours in line. I saw the movie cold mountain but have not read it.
I love to read and have so many books, but now have more to add to my list. How awesome to meet an author you admire. I met Mary Kay Andrews a couple of times and it was fun, she writes fun summer reads. I'm a huge fan of Lee Childs and Michael Connelly.
How exciting for you to meet the author of some of your favorite books that you've read. What a cute picture of you standing next to him. 'Thirteen moons' sounds interesting. And I may have to check out 'News of the World.'
~Sheri
Diane, I saw those two books when you listed them on Good Reads and I immediately put them on my To Be Read List!!
How wonderful to meet your favourite author .... and you do look happy! Thanks for the recommendations. Have a lovely week!
Ruby
You are intriguing me to read one of Frazier's books, and how cool you met him. A wonderful book I am reading is "The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey" by Rinker Buck. Rinker and his brother recently bought 3 wonderful mules and an authentic covered wagon and rode the 2,000 miles of the Oregon trail in a great true adventure.
I'm always happy when bloggers post what they've been reading. I've discovered some great authors that way. I read Cold Mountain years ago and haven't read any of his other books. A favourite book/author would be difficult to name. I recently discovered Susie Steiner who writes mysteries and really enjoyed "Missing, Presumed."
I clicked over to read your post featuring Maggie. Wow, time does fly by. And I discovered another mystery author to add to my want-to-read-list.
I loved Cold Mountain, will look for this one! Thanks for the recommendation.
How fun to meet your favorite author. These days I only read free books on my kindle so I'm always reading books by different people. Some are good some not so much.
Charles Frazier is one of my favorite American writers, the other Kent Haruf, who sadly died a few years ago. I have Varina on my list with Amazon and will read it soon. I have read Charles Frazier's other three books and loved them all. And a few years ago, I read about another woman blogger I used to follow who knew him. She too lived in that area. She was a writer and now I can't remember her name or her that of her blog.
This is the URL for the blog I mentioned. You may already know her, but if not, I think you would enjoy meeting her.
https://vickilanemysteries.blogspot.com/
Love your picture with your favorite writer... that's so fun! You are most definitely beaming!
Historical books are always fascinating taking us to places that seem like worlds away. Thank you for sharing your favorites. My favorite authors are Jane Austen and Karen Witemeyer.
Diane, I've never read Cold Mountain but I loved the movie. I am going to look for the book next time I am in town. How exciting to have met the author - and gotten a picture with too!
I have never read that author. I do have a few recommendations though
Kristen Hanna Nightingale
anything by Kate Morten. That is just a start I have quite a few I read working in a bookstore I see lots of authors.
Cathy
I have to pick up Varina, Diane. I've heard so much about it! Thank you for the other recommendations as well. How wonderful you met Charles Frazier. It's so nice when we meet someone we admire. ♥
I have 32 favorite books
(wink)
What a fun picture of you with the author! I never knew that you had met Charles Frazie. I will look for that book as I have only read “Cold Mountain .”
I tend to read books I find at the thrift shop. They all seem to be overrun with books around here so the choices are plentiful. I keep a running list in my purse and these two will be added. I loved Cold Mountain but didn't realize he has written others. I just finished a great book called Summer Harvest by Madge Swindells. It was set in South Africa and reminded me a bit of Gone With the Wind. It is an older book so I have no idea how easy it is to find.
Lovely picture with your favorite author!Such fun!I don't know his books,I will look after for them in Portuguese!Hugs!
How exciting to meet one of your favorite authors in person! Thanks always for your good book reviews!
an awesome picture of you, "beaming" is an understatement. great reviews!!
Howdy there girlfriend!! I have not heard of these books............!!!!....so I will look when I go to the library this week! Love that picture of you with him, you look so cute in your pretty floral blouse and that necklace is pretty too! Hope your week is going okay--mine has mostly been homebound---doing small home things, except for walking. We try to walk every night. I is awful hard in August though---it's so dang hot. We still go, but I cant walk for much more than 45 minutes and that's it. Humid, humid!!
I forgot to write about my book! I just finished "Dreams of Falling" by Karen White. I LOVED IT SO MUCH!! You like mysteries don't you? Normally I'm not much for mysteries, but this one was like a family/history mystery set here in south carolina, a little town not far from here we go to once in awhile. I loved the book because it kept moving between 3 or 4 people's point of view and back and forth between the early 50s and the present, but in a way that was not confusing at all. I thought I had it all figured out, but the ending wasn't really what I thought, LOL
Thank you for this wonderful post, my friend. I always enjoy what you have to share about books :)
Hugs to you!
Thanks for your recommendations. I am always looking to add to my list. xo Laura
Many thanks for the news and reviews about these two books.
All the best Jan
I am the last person in the world who has just finished the GUernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and I loved every word. I couldn't put it down but I hated to see it end. Now I want to see the film but I'm glad I read it first!
My Book Club read "News of the World" and we all enjoyed it very much! I will have to look for Varina and 13 Moons--thanks for the recommendations!
I have read Thirteen Moons and gave away the book to bookcrossing. A student from China found it and took it with him in his faraway country! How great that you have met him!AriadnefromGreece!
Post a Comment