Share Your Shelf-September

Hello October. 

"I'm glad I live in a world where there are Octobers"~L.M. Montgomery

That quote is from my favorite book and feels appropriate to post here today. It's October and I'm talking books. 

Anne of Green Gables for those not in the know. 

Since it's the first Thursday of the month it's time to share what we've read the month prior. Here's what my bookshelf looked like-

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

The novel follows Olivia Dumont, a memoir ghostwriter who has spent most of her adult life distancing herself from her father,  the celebrated horror novelist Vincent Taylor. When Vincent asks Olivia to write his memoir, circumstances force her to reconnect with the father she has worked so hard to leave behind. 

She soon realizes the memoir centers on the 1975 murders of Vincent's two siblings, a decades old cold case in which Vincent was once the prime suspect. As Olivia digs deeper into the conflicting evidence surrounding the murders, she must confront not only a 50 year old mystery, but also the complicated and fractured relationship she has with her father.  

I enjoyed this one very much. Four stars for me. 

The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier

This was my book club's September read and I found it a little disappointing. Not bad, but not great either. There's a very strange timeline presented, and I found it distracting and unnecessary. The author wanted to show the changes to the glass making trade over the course of centuries, while keeping the characters constant.  Centuries pass in the real world, but the characters age much more slowly. Once you get the rhythm of this unusual timing the book improves.  

The novel is set on the island of Murano off the coast of Venice and I've been there so was eager to read. I have a beautiful piece of Murano glass (a vase) and thought I'd love this story. It's a work of historical fiction and the plot follows a fictional female glassmaker named Orsola Rosso. We follow her life and work in different eras ranging from 1486 to the Covid pandemic, and read about key events in the history of Venice along the way. 

The Names by Florence Knapp

I really enjoyed this one, and thought the idea behind the story was clever. Cora Atkin is a young mother trapped in an abusive marriage, and the story begins with Cora preparing to register her son's birth. Feeling pressured to name him after his domineering father Gordon, Cora considers calling her son Julian or Bear as these are names that reflect her hopes for her newborn son. The story is told in three alternate narratives, each one based on the name Cora chooses. 

The tale spans 35 years and examines the profound impact of that single pivotal moment, the naming of her son, and how that single decision can alter the course of many lives. 

Please note the abuse is written in a way that makes you feel something visceral, or at least it did me. 

This Side of the Sky: 101 Poems for the Hungry, Hopeful, and Homesick by Laura Wifler 

There's more than one book with this title, so if you're googling be sure you have the correct author. I've followed Laura Wifler on Instagram for a long while now and love her voice. My daughter gave me her book for my birthday and it's one I'm savoring. Five stars for me. 

I'm posting the Goodreads summary here because I think it captures the essence of her writing and this book in particular. 

"Known for giving language to what many women feel but struggle to name, Laura Wifler's debut poetry collection is as riveting as it is relatable.

Written with her signature timbre of startling honesty and unfaltering hope, Laura offers listeners a new way to witness life in This Side of The Sky. Through poetry that is remarkably specific yet wildly universal, Laura explores what it means to grow older in a fallen body, tangles with complicated feelings about grief and suffering this side of Heaven and examines the aches of living in a world that feels both heavy and holy.

In these poems and Scriptures, you'll find

permission to be honest about the pain of life, without losing faith;

a tender awareness of God's nearness, even when life feels chaotic;

encouragement, joy, and comfort in your pursuit of Christ, fortifying your faith even in trials;

a reminder that Heaven is real, and it holds hope for you today.

A trusted and authentic voice for modern Christian women, Laura's poems grapple with the parts of us that know God is real but need reminders that He is moving in our lives, even now. Her compassionate words are ones to tape onto mirrors, tuck into Bibles, send to friends in crisis, and save for days when everyday life feels like too much. Like a hand beckoning, these poems invite us to notice the holy mystery woven through our ordinary days and trust that, even here on this side of the sky, we are held by a God who is both tender and present." 

You might think you don't like poetry (and in fact the book's intro has Laura informing the readers of her reluctance to call herself a poet),  but her poems read like stories and she has a genuine gift for the written word.  Five stars for me. 

If you've shared your recent reads hop over to our host blogs (Joanne at Slices Of Life and Dara at Not In Jersey) and add your link there.