April:
Prodigal Summer - Barbara Kingsolver. Strong women with personal quirks, environmental preservation, the fleeting nature of love and the unpredictability of ones future are classic Kingsolver themes told in her amazing voice. Not Poisonwood Bible, but a worthy read with memorable characters.
May:
Unsheltered - Barbara Kingsolver. Loved this one! Two stories running parallel about two women I could admire and identify with.
The Marriage Portrait - Maggie O'Farrell. Engaging story of Renaissance Italy in the 1550's and the story of Lucrezia du' Medici as interpreted by the author. Keeps you thinking but not in the league of Hamnet to me.
Euphoria - Lily King. The story of three anthropologists caught up in their work and each other in the 1930's as they study the South Pacific tribes of New Guinea. Drawn to it because of my dear Jonathan and his early work. But these characters were something else. Hmmm...
The Thing about Jellyfish - Ali Benjamin. When 12 year old Suzy losses her best friend in a drowning accident, she struggles to make sense of her last months with her friend and the reason for her death. A story and character that really touches your soul - in the vein of A Bridge to Terabithia and others.
The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd. A re-read. An affirmation of how women can support one another - no matter their race, position, or beliefs.
June:
The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller. Oh, Patroclus. What a dear friend you were. The story of Achilles and the siege of Troy, perhaps as it should always have been told. Well done!
Circe - Madeline Miller. I loved this one so much!!! My heart ached for her, but I feel blessed to have known her. Motherhood and true love were described as I have felt them to be.
July:
The Penelopiad - Margaret Atwood. A re-read. But, needed to review Atwood's version after the roles Penelope and Odysseus played in Circe!
Young Mungo - Douglas Stewart. A hard tale to take. But a vivid and unflinching portrait of life in the tenements, project, public housing, schemes - whatever your town calls it - and all that can be lost there.
August:!
Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri. The hands down best collection of short stories I have read in some time - perhaps ever! The characters are real and complete with vivid compelling stories you remember long after their brief pages have been read.
The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri. I didn't love it as much as I had hoped, given how much I thought of Lahiri's short stories. Still, a good read with lots to think about.
Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt. Really liked this one, which surprised me given that one of the main characters (and one of my three favs) is an octopus.
Read and live chaotically!!! - les
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