HURRAY FOR RETREATS!!!!

I should be packing my bags because I am heading out on a retreat this weekend with my friends from the Calgary Guild of Needle and Fibre Arts. I am looking forward to a weekend filled with knitting, stitching, eating, drinking wine and lots of laughter. We head out twice a year to North Bow Lodge to enjoy the scenery, the company and to have some uninterrupted knitting time.

Before I head out this afternoon, I will be making a stop at the Book Store. One of the things that I enjoy most about retreats and camping is getting away from the TV and losing myself in a good book. (Yes, I realise that I could turn the TV off when I'm at home, but I don't.) My problem is, I don't know which book to read next. On my last trip out of town I read three books. Two were excellent. One was marginally better than reading the security card on the airplane - I should have known to avoid the Harlequin romance but read it because it was set in a knitting store - silly me! And one that I gave up on after the first one hundred pages. I detest books in which half the story line is a repeat of what happened in previous books. I don't care about the personal disagreements that the pathologist had with the detective in the last book. Tell me who was the victim and find the criminal in this book.

As I was describing the books to D#1, I found myself comparing them to my all time favorite book, and realised that it has become our standard for all other books. I'm looking for another book to read and hesitate to start another one because I want it to be a good read. Any suggestions?

All time favorite book - "A Fine Balance" - Rohinton Minstry
Also good is "Family Matters"
Last Weeks Excellent books were "Kite Runner" - Khaled Hasseni and "Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Kidd