[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Just finished rereading a favorite book of mine, Passage by Connie Willis

I haven't read any of her books, but have heard very good things about her, especially her book To Say Nothing of the Dog. Have you read that one, and if so, what did you think of it?

[JenB]

To Say Nothing is frigging hilarious. I mean, I've read the book more times than I can count, and I still can't help laughing out loud. Why? Well, you've got the premise - time traveling historians bouncing around time looking for something called the "bishop's bird stump" which was lost when the Nazis bombed Coventry. Our Hero, a historian named Ned, comes down with time lag (think jet lag, only really funny to watch) and gets sent to Victorian England to relax - oh, and to fix a problem in the space-time continuum. Too bad he doesn't have a clue what he's supposed to do, where he's supposed to go, or which fork to use at dinner!

Throw in an Oxford don who quotes in Latin, a love-struck student who's trying to marry the wrong girl, a spoiled young Victorian lady, the historian who looks like a water-nymph, the dog, the cat that's going to destroy time itself, to say nothing of the butler... Well, it's only the second best of Willis' novels, but that's because Doomsday Book is so incredibly good. And I didn't mention most of the best stuff - like the seance, or the shipwreck, or the near-miss with the train, or the croquet match, or the bedroom scene with people sneaking in and out, or the church benefit, or the trip to Coventry...

Um, anyone here want to join the Connie Willis fan club? We could make it an extension of the Hobbit Hole if you will just go read her books, ask me to tell you which ones not to bother with...