Share Your Shelf-May

It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to share what we read the month prior. May was a mix of fiction, non-fiction, memoir, and classic. I listened to one (very long) book on Audible, but the rest were read in hardback copy. 

I'm still trying to read one classic each month, and I've also inventoried my Goodreads 'want-to-read' list, and am reading at least one that's been sitting there a while too. Years in some cases. Okay, here we go-

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 

Starting off with a doozy, so strap in.

A few months ago, I bought tickets for my daughter and me to see the ballet Don Quixote as part of her birthday gift. My husband has had the novel Don Quixote on his to-read list for a while now—he’s big on biographies, particularly of presidents, world leaders, and military figures. Oddly enough, this fictional Spanish knight keeps popping up in those circles. According to my source, aka the Internet, leaders admire Don Quixote for his unwavering commitment to his ideals—even when those ideals seem ridiculous, misguided, or doomed to fail. Interesting.

Especially because the book is actually quite funny.

I don’t remember ever reading Don Quixote before, but I knew I wanted to experience the story before seeing the ballet. Given its reputation and historical context—not to mention that it's set in 17th-century Spain—I figured audio was the way to go. It's 40 hours long, so there's that.

I chose to listen solo since my husband and I weren’t going to have enough shared car time to get through it before the ballet. (He can start it whenever he wants now—I’ve done the heavy lifting.)

Often described as the first modern fictional hero, Don Quixote debuted in two parts, published in 1605 and 1615. The novel is not only one of the most translated books in the world but also among the best-selling. It’s widely considered the first modern novel.

The story follows the adventures—or more accurately, the misadventures—of Alonso Quixano, a minor nobleman who reads so many tales of chivalry that he loses touch with reality. Believing himself a knight-errant, he dons an old suit of armor, renames himself Don Quixote de la Mancha, and sets out to revive knighthood and serve his country. He’s accompanied by Sancho Panza, a down-to-earth farm laborer who becomes his squire and constant foil. The contrast between Quixote’s lofty delusions and Sancho’s dry pragmatism is the heart of the book’s wit.

The first part of the novel does require some sticktoitiveness—but it’s worth it. As an aside, I'm really glad to have read the book prior to seeing the ballet, although I think you could enjoy the ballet either way. My daughter and I both loved the show and felt they captured the essence of the book very well. The ballet, including intermissions, was a little over two hours. 

The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison

This is the story of a long marriage with all its ups, downs and sideways. The author weaves past and present together as we follow Abe and Ruth, a couple who've been married for seventy years, and who've called Bainbridge Island their home for nearly all of that time. Through a series of present day events and past experiences we watch as they navigate parenthood, tragedy, infidelity, sickness, and more in their long life together. Abe and Ruth are opposites in nearly every way, yet their marriage has endured. 

This book came with a lot of hype and five star reviews but it was just okay for me. I loved the premise and there was a lot of honesty I thought when it came to how aging was portrayed, but I didn't find Ruth or Abe all that endearing. Especially Ruth.  

Also, the kids? I didn't think we were given enough of their back story to really care about any of them. They were lacking something. 

I definitely enjoyed the present day storyline more than the look back. This one started off strong, but felt flat in the middle. The author wrapped it up pretty nicely in the end. Three stars for me.  

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

This is one that's been sitting on my Goodreads 'to-be-read' list since 2012. Yup. A long time. Coincidentally my book club is reading this book for our June meeting so it was an easy pick from my long list. 

Question for you...how does your book club choose books? We vote on ours after everyone has submitted two or three titles for consideration, and then will have the entire year's calendar laid out up front. We like this format which allows you to read ahead if you want to do that. Unless it's a classic we don't normally read something I'll call newly old. But someone suggested it, and the title received a lot of votes since it seemed most in our group had not read it. We do try to read one non-fiction book each year so this one also fit that bill. 

Henrietta Lacks or He La as she's known to scientists, was a poor African American tobacco farmer who,  while a cancer patient at Johns Hopkins back in 1951, had her cells taken from her without her knowledge. These cells became the first 'immortal' cells grown in culture and are still alive today, decades after Henrietta's death. Her cells became one of the most important tools in medicine and were key to developing the polio vaccine. In addition her cells have led to advances in cancer treatments, cloning, and gene mapping, along with many other gains in the fields of virology, medicine, and science. 

The family has not benefited in any way from the use of their mother's cells, and the issues of informed consent, patents and profits, and medical ethics are all things we continue to grapple with today. 

In terms of non fiction the book is written in a relatively easy to read fashion. There was more science than I was expecting, but it held my interest. There are essentially three parts to the book, although they're not labeled as such. We have Henrietta's personal family history, there's the medical piece, and finally there is the author chasing down the story. Skloot developed a close relationship with one of Henrietta's daughters, and she inserts herself into the story in a way that didn't feel quite right to me. 

Interesting, thought provoking, and still very relevant...four stars for me. 

Lasting Ever: Faith, Music, Family, and Being Found by True Love by Rebecca St. James and Cubbie Fink

I've liked the music of Rebecca St. James since she first became popular way back in the 1990's. I'm also a fan of her brother's music (King and Country).  I saw her book as I was checking out of Hobby Lobby recently, and hubs and I had just watched the movie about their family (Unsung Hero) so it caught my attention. 

I will say up front I'm not the demographic for this book, Their story is aimed more at young adults, women especially, who are navigating the world of relationships and also singleness. Rebecca and her husband both delve in to what it has meant to lean in to God's promises and His love for us, in both the good times and the hard times too. Their book details how they met, and we hear Cubbie's side of the story too. In some spots it felt a little saccharine, but they seem genuine so that didn't bother me. Many who know them in real life say they are exactly as they come across in the book. 

Rebecca was at one time, more or less the face of the True Love Waits movement, a movement that was g was taken to extremes by some, and was used in harmful ways by others.  All of that is addressed in the book.   

Three Days In June by Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler has a gift for taking the ordinary experiences of life and making them feel a little less ordinary. She creates stories you enjoy reading and this 165 page novella is no exception. 

Gail Baines is a 61 year old woman who walks out on her job after she's passed over for a promotion mostly, she's told, because she lacks 'people skills'. She's never been told this before and it both surprises and wounds her. 

That's day one of three days in June, which will also include her daughter's wedding, and her ex-husband turning up with a cat, but no wedding suit. Just before the rehearsal the bride shares with her parents something about her fiance that has them feeling conflicted, and this all combines for a heart warming humorous tale with far more depth than expected. 

I love Anne Tyler's writing and this novella with it's quirky yet relatable characters, managing life amidst a wedding weekend, is another winner.  Four stars for me. 

So what have you been reading? What's next on your to-read list? Hop over to the host blogs (My Joyful Life , Memphis Bridges, The Other Side Of The Road, and Slices of Life) to see what others are reading too.