Another two months have past…I haven’t been writing but I have been reading. With six weeks left in the year, I only have nine books to go to complete the 75 book challenge, which won’t be a problem since almost everything that has been keeping me busy for the past three months will be over. Who knows…maybe I’ll dive into John Adams or the History of London.
So, what have I been reading? Oh, all sorts of stuff and I’ll do the speed dating version of reviews. For tonight, we’ll do the fiction:
Lacuna, Barbara Kingsolver: Took awhile to get going but was fascinating with its portraits of Trotsky, Diego Rivera, and Frida Kahlo
Dune Road, Jane Green: Older chick lit, only a little bit predictable
Winter Garden, Kristin Hannah: Older chick lit as well but the backdrop of the Seige of Leningrad raised it up a notch and the ending was a pleasant surprise
Girls in Trucks, Katie Crouch: Funny, a little heartbreaking, maybe a little cliche, but a good read
Guardian of the Horizon, Elizabeth Peters: I almost never read these. Barbara Rosenblatt does the audio versions and she’s terrific. But I’ve listened to enough of them that I could imagine Rosenblatt’s voice while I read the words. I love it; a mystery series that has yet to get stale for me.
Serena, Ron Rash: I just don’t know what to think: a powerful novel, great writing, but the violence overwhelmed me. I was interested in the historical aspects of the founding of the Great Smokies National Park and was fascinated by the story, but the female protagonist seemed somewhat flat in her single minded devotion. I know, not a ringing recommendation, but I think I would recommend it.
Elements of Style, Wendy Wasserstein: I wrote a short review on LibraryThing but after a few days, I realize I mostly just couldn’t sympathize with these selfish people. Is this really what New York was like circa 9/11 even with the expected exaggeration?
Self-Storage: A Novel, Gayle Brandeis: The main character was disarming in her honesty and full on approach to life.
