BOOK 52: A Town Like Alice, by Nevil Shute

Rating: 5 stars

Cover synopsis: A tale of love and war, follows its enterprising heroine from the Malayan jungle during World War II to the rugged Australian outback.

I love when I can find a good, clean, feel-good novel that's not boring! A Town Like Alice follows Jean Paget from a death march in Malaya during WWII, to post-war London, to the Australian outback. She's a wonderful character -- strong, independent and level-headed, but still generous and feminine.

This book's got it all: drama, romance, history, adventure...my only (minor) complaint was that the novel seemed to hit its climax 2/3 of the way through the book. And the main twist in the story is revealed on the back cover. (Who writes those things?!!!) The last part of the book was neatly wrapped up, but there weren't any more surprises. You knew exactly how it was going to end. But I didn't mind too much, because it ended exactly how I, as a reader who cared about these characters, wanted it to end.

BOOK 51: Riopelle Grands Formats, published by Acquavella

Rating: 4 stars

Cover synopsis: Exhibition September 17 - October 23, 2009. The Prat essay is in French and English; the Riopelle essay is only in French. 4to, pictorial paper-covered boards. 69 pp, 11 color plates + 9 text photographs and portraits, chronology

I saw a painting of Riopelle's in a book, and I've been dying to learn more. He was a lesser-known Canadian abstract expressionism artist whose colors, movement and sense of nature fascinate me. I could stare at "Forestine" all day. Seriously.

Some other favorites: Festin, Le Lac du Nord-Est, Quinze Chevaux Citroen, Untitled 1964, and Dark Background With White Squares.

The only reason I give this book 4 stars instead of 5 is that one of the essays is entirely in French -- with no English translation. I'd love to know what it says. But as far as the artwork goes, 5 stars! Someday I'll have to visit the Pierre Matisse Gallery in NYC and see his work firsthand.