January/ February/March/April/May and June Reads

January - 

The Girl in his Shadow - Audry Blake.  The story of Nora Beady, an orphan taken in by Dr. Horace Croft in 1840's London, becoming his assistant and going off to Medical School in Italy having been refused in England. Meh.  Was hoping for more.  Has a sequel.  Don't know that I will go there.

The Giver of Stars - Jojo Moyes.  Story of the Packhorse Librarians of depression era Kentucky.  A group of women, unlikely to become friends in any other circumstance worked together to build a library and deliver books to the poor, isolated, mountain inhabitants.  Sadly, just above Meh again.  But did have the power of women working together and the value books give us all.

The Autobiography of a Face - Lucy Grealy.  Poet Lucy Grealy's memoir of dealing with Ewing's Sarcoma of the jaw, the treatment and disfigurement she endured from age nine through adolescence and young adulthood.  It seemed lacking in some respects.  Her family dynamic felt strange and unexplained to me.  But, then again that is often how childhood is, isn't it?  Our parents behave in certain ways and make their choices and in many families we will never know why.  We certainly don't as children.  It also ended before sharing her life as an adult where it is reported that she became addicted to pain killers and did in fact die of what was deemed to be an accidental overdose at the age of 39.

February - 

The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende.  Whew!!!  I was entranced with the interview Julia Marie Dreyfuss conducted with Isabel Allende on her podcast, Wiser Than Me.  It led me to this book.  And while I absolutely wanted to finish it, I'm not sure it was the book for me. Perhaps too mystical.  No characters I completely identified with.  A main protagonist I loathed.  Still, it was a tale of protest and rebellion - both loud and quiet - that did have a lot to say.

March - 

You Could Make this Place Beautiful - Maggie Smith.  Loved.  The spare prose of a poet shines with truth and feeling.  You could really feel her ache, love and strength.  

The Keeper of Lost Things - Ruth Hogan.  A bit odd.  Characters not as well rounded as they might have been.  But, interesting enough.

April - 

A Woman of No Importance - Sonia Purnell.  While the real life characters are incredible, as is the setting, the writing (probably in the effort to stick to absolutely what is known) felt stilted and repetitive.  Still, the story and the woman behind it, is more than inspiring.  

May - 

Still Life - Sarah Winman.  From Goodreads - "Tuscany, 1944: As Allied troops advance and bombs fall around deserted villages, a young English soldier, Ulysses Temper, finds himself in the wine cellar of a deserted villa. There, he has a chance encounter with Evelyn Skinner, a middle-aged art historian who has come to Italy to salvage paintings from the ruins and recall long-forgotten memories of her own youth. In each other, Ulysses and Evelyn find a kindred spirit amongst the rubble of war-torn Italy, and set off on a course of events that will shape Ulysses's life for the next four decades."   The story was well told, interesting characters, bounces from Italy to London and back again (which I enjoyed).  Pretty good read.

June -

The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches - Sangu Mandanna.  Loved it!!!!  Reminded me a bit of The House by the Cerulean Sea, which I also really liked.  Vivid characters.  Another reminder that love is love and family often has nothing to do with blood relatives.

The Wishing Game - Meg Shaffer.  Not quiet as good to me as the Irregular Witches, but very enjoyable read.  Meaningful characters.  The search for belonging and being cared for is universal.

Both of June's reads served to put the recent mediocre reads out of mind.  Glad to have found them!!!

It is so easy to be an arm chair critic, isn't it?  My sincere thanks to ALL the authors out there, even those who may not be MY particular cup of tea.  Thank you for your grinding solitary work.  For taking me places I've never been.  For allowing me to revisit those I have.  For inspiring me.  For bringing joy, and tears.  For making me think and listen.  I really do appreciate and admire all of you.

Happy reading.  c