Share Your Shelf-July

It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to share what we've read the month prior. Here's what I read in July-

The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff-

I loved this one. This is the author's second novel and I love her writing. Her first novel The Bright Years was also really good, but I liked this one more. 

An emotional family drama that begins with a house on fire, both literally and figuratively. Leo and April Torres flee their burning home with their two small children and the problems of their troubled marriage. They set up temporary living in April's childhood home with her parents whom they adore. I don't want to say too much more about the plot as this is a book that unfolds gradually, in a way that feels natural and satisfying to the reader. 

The novel is told from the perspectives of both April and Leo as well as April's mother Deb. The characters are complex and woven together in a way that's tender and moving. Themes of abandonment, caregiving, parenting, forgiveness, the meaning of home, and lasting love are all part of this well written novel. 

Mad Mabel  by Sally Hepworth  

Set in Australia and told in a dual timeline format, this is the story of Mabel at age 81, and of the child and adolescent Mabel, as told from her point of view. At the age of fifteen Mabel was the youngest Australian to be convicted of murder. 

In the present day, when Mabel's elderly neighbor dies in his kitchen and she discovers the body, she is once again thrust into the spotlight and once again becomes the object of much unwanted attention and suspicion. When a pair of Youtube journalists approach Mabel with an offer to tell her story she accepts. She hopes that by telling her story in her own words she'll put the attention to rest. 

I enjoyed this one a lot, there are some unexpected pieces to the story, humor mixed with sadness, and overall I found it to be a great read. 

Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck

Travels With Charley was one of the books mentioned in The Correspondent, and I've been working my way through the the 40 or so titles mentioned in that novel that I hadn't previously read. This was one of them. In fact, I'd never heard of this particular book, although I've read a lot of Steinbeck.  

In 1960 author John Steinbeck drove a customized camper truck he named Rocinante (a nod to Don Quixote) approximately 10,000 miles around the outer edges of the US of A. His traveling companion was a standard poodle named Charley. 

Steinbeck's purpose in taking the road trip was to reconnect with real Americans and the landscape of a country he felt he'd lost touch with in recent years. He explains that much of what he knew of America was specific to major cities and he wanted to really earn the title 'American author'. 

The book reads like a travelogue and leaves you wanting a road trip, although maybe not one that lasts 75 days. After finishing the book I discovered there are some elements of fiction (maybe embellishement is a better word) added for the sake of making it more readable, but I didn't mind that. 

The book is engaging and in some ways dated, but not so much that it's not enjoyable. 

Share Your Shelf-May/June

It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to share what we've been reading. I had a busy spring, draining in many ways, so didn't read as much as I would have liked. I didn't post my May books so am lumping them in with June in today's post. Here we go-

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

A somewhat confusing fictional tale that follows author Grady Green after his wife, Abby, disappears on the very night his newly published novel reaches the bestseller list. A year later, he's gifted a stay on a remote Scottish island, where nothing is quite as it seems. Grady becomes convinced he's seen Abby, despite believing she's dead. The story unfolds through alternating perspectives, with chapters told from both Grady's and Abby's points of view.

This is the kind of psychological thriller that's incredibly popular right now, but it's not a style I particularly enjoy. The story started off strong, and I was genuinely excited to see where it was going. Unfortunately, the second half completely lost me. 

This was my book club's June pick, and while some members really enjoyed it, we all found ourselves scratching our heads as we tried to connect the dots and make sense of what had actually happened.  

Like Mother Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight

Billed as a domestic thriller, and I'd say the description fits. NYU student Cleo arrives home to find her seemingly perfect mother, Kat, missing and blood on the kitchen floor. As the police search for Kat, Cleo begins investigating on her own. In the process, she uncovers secrets about her mother's past, including her childhood in a series of foster homes before being placed at a home for teens called Haven House, as well as the truth about her current job as a fixer for a powerful corporate law firm.

The story is told through alternating first-person perspectives from both Cleo and Kat, with news articles and therapy transcripts woven throughout. I was drawn into the mystery from the very beginning, and with so many possible suspects, the story kept me guessing until almost the very end.

I enjoyed this one. It's a fast-paced, engaging domestic thriller with plenty of twists. 

Lost, Found, Kept: A Memoir by Deborah Derrickson Kossmann

I went to high school with the author and when her book was released several months ago she let us know on our class Facebook page. Our high school was huge and we weren't close friends back then, but everyone knew everyone at least a little bit, and it's been fun reconnecting with classmates-turned-adults online. 

I found the topic intriguing and added the Audible version to my library right away. I didn't get around to listening until this past weekend, and found the book well-written and the story gripping. I listened start to finish in almost one sitting.  

When her fiercely independent, aging mother is involved in an accident and suddenly needs help, the author returns to the childhood home she has not set foot in for more than two decades. There, she discovers the staggering extent of her mother's hoarding and is faced not only with the daunting task of emptying the house, but also with confronting long held family secrets and the pain of her past.

Told with gentle yet unflinching honesty, Lost Found Kept reads like fiction. Kossman's voice is compassionate and engaging,  drawing readers into both the literal and emotional mess as she navigates grief, memory, and the complicated bonds between mothers and daughters.

The Nowhere Child by Christian White

When Kim, a photography teacher living in Melbourne, Australia, is approached by a man who claims she may be the victim of a U.S. child kidnapping case from 26 years earlier, her life is thrown into turmoil. As she investigates the striking connections, it becomes increasingly apparent that she could be the missing toddler, Sammy Went. Desperate for answers, she travels to the small town of Manson, Kentucky, determined to uncover the truth.

I expected this to be more of a mystery, but it leans instead toward a story of family dysfunction and the fallout from that. Parts of the plot felt cliche to me, so I didn't love it. I did want to see the mystery unraveled so stuck with it, and was rewarded with a twist I hadn't anticipated. 

 

The Shepherd's Life:A People's History of the Lake District  by James Rebanks

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll know I have a bit of a love affair with the English countryside. A book about a sheep farmer set in England's Lake District? Yes, please.

Born in 1974, the author grew up on a small sheep farm owned by his grandfather and worked by both his father and grandfather. In this memoir, he chronicles a year in the life of a traditional sheep farmer in northern England. Organized by season, the book captures both the harsh realities and the quiet beauty of farming in the Lake District.

Throughout the book, the author defends the increasingly rare way of life of upland sheep farming. He writes about his determination to remain connected to his family's heritage, preserve the landscape, and pass down generations of agricultural knowledge and traditions to his own children.

This won't be a book for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. It's a slow, thoughtful read rather than one to race through in a single sitting. It offers a glimpse into a way of life that's completely different from my own, and now I need a trip to the English countryside.

Summit Lake by Charlie Donlea 

This book was excellent, but it's also incredibly heavy. A sense of sadness lingers throughout the entire story, making it an emotionally intense read. I don't usually include content warnings in my reviews, but the rape scene is especially difficult to read. Despite that, the writing is beautiful, the characters are richly developed, and I was completely invested in the story. I'll definitely be reading more from this author.

Set on Summit Lake in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, the novel unfolds in a place that seems far too beautiful and peaceful to be the setting for such a horrific crime. Becca Eckersley, a first-year law student and the daughter of a powerful attorney, has been brutally murdered, leaving the police with more questions than answers.

Investigative journalist Kelsey Castle, still recovering from a violent assault of her own, arrives in Summit Lake to uncover the truth behind Becca's vicious rape and murder. As she digs deeper, she's drawn into a tangled web of secrets and what feels like a cover-up of some sort.

I really enjoyed the structure of the novel. The chapters are short, which kept the story moving at a great pace, and the narrative alternates between two perspectives. We follow Becca in the months leading up to her death and Kelsey in the present as she investigates the case. Through Becca's perspective, we also get to know her college friends, and those flashbacks add depth to both the mystery and the characters. Altogether, it made for a compelling and engrossing read.

To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

This checks two boxes in terms of my current reading goals, as it's both a classic and one of the titles mentioned in The Correspondent. 

To the Lighthouse is a 1927 novel by Virginia Woolf, and centers on the Ramsay family and their visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland between 1910 and 1920. 

The story centers on the Ramsay family and their guests during visits to their summer home on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Much of the novel focuses on the characters' inner thoughts and emotions rather than external events. A planned trip to a nearby lighthouse is delayed, and over the years the family experiences loss, change, and the effects of time. When they finally make the journey to the lighthouse, the trip symbolizes acceptance, reconciliation, and the enduring power of memory.

The novel is known for its stream-of-consciousness style and its exploration of themes such as time, perception, family, art, and the search for meaning.

I say it with every classic I read, but the writing in these novels always feels so elevated. When I sit down to summarize the plot, it often seems as though not much actually happened, yet that isn't how the novel feels while I'm reading it. It's rich with depth and emotion, and leaves me with plenty to think about.

If you've read something you loved recently send it my way. Share Your Shelf is hosted by Joanne (Slices of Life) and Dara (Not In Jersey) , so hop over there for some recommendations and reviews and to add your own books to the link. 

Happy 4th everyone! 

Share Your Shelf-April

It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to share what we read the month prior. Between all the blogging and all the life-living, I didn't read as much as I would have liked. Here's how April looked-

The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd

This was our book club selection for May and I mostly enjoyed it. The author normally writes contemporary romantic fiction, and she couldn't quite get away from that style as much as she needed to in this book. Overall though an interesting read about a historical figure previously unknown to me. Here's a bit of trivia for you-George Washington asked to be a pall bearer at her funeral. 

The Indigo Girl is a work of historical fiction based on real life horticulturalist Eliza Lucas, who learns  how to grow and extract dye from indigo plants on her family's South Carolina plantation. 

Eliza is sixteen when her father leaves her in charge of his three South Carolina plantations. Her father was mortgaging the properties to further his military career and soon her family is in danger of losing everything. When Eliza learns how much the French are willing to pay for indigo dye she thinks this might be the answer she's looking for. 

Eliza finds allies in an aging horticulturalist, a married gentleman lawyer and a slave with whom she makes a dangerous deal. He'll teach her how to make the 1000 year old dye and in return she'll break the law and teach him to read. 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I continue to try for a classic each month and in April it was Jane Eyre. My favorite thing about reading these classic novels is the precision of the language and the deliberate word choice.  That alone usually makes me bump up my rating, and while this novel met that criteria the storyline here wasn't my favorite. My daughter told me she read Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys which is something like a prequel to Jane Eyre and she liked that much better. 

The novel Jane Eyre follows an orphaned girl, Jane, who endures a harsh childhood before becoming a governess at Thornfield Hall. There she falls in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester, but discovers he's hiding a dark secret that upends their relationship. 

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro 

This is an older book (1989), one that was extremely popular when it was released, yet somehow I missed it. I had a one year old in 1989 so Goodnight Moon was likely more my speed. 

The Remains of the Day won The Booker Prize that same year, and was made into a feature film starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. This is also one of the books mentioned in The Correspondent and I'm working my way through that list this year. 

The story is told in the first-person narration of an English butler named Stevens. Stevens lives and has worked as a butler for more than thirty years in a stately home called Darlington Hall. In 1956 he takes a road trip from Darlington Hall to the west country of England, with his primary purpose being a visit to Miss Kenton, the former housekeeper who left twenty years earlier to get married. 

Stevens has received a letter from Miss Kenton, and believes it hints that her marriage is failing and she might like to return to her post as housekeeper. Though Stevens never says so outright, the reader knows without a doubt he has held on to repressed romantic feelings for Miss Kenton. 

Much of the novel is comprised of Stevens's memories of his work as a butler during and just after WWII.  He's an  unreliable narrator who lies to himself most of all, yet he's also a likable character which is not an easy balance for an author to achieve. 

Upon Lord Darlington's death the  house is sold to an American gentleman (Mr. Farraday) and Stevens realizes he is unable to interact with his new employer in the way  Mr. Farraday would like. He needs to learn to banter. 

"Perhaps it is indeed time I began to look at this whole matter of bantering more enthusiastically. After all, when one thinks about it, it is not such a foolish thing to indulge in-particularly if it is the case that in bantering lies the key to human warmth." from The Remains of the Day 

The voice of the butler never wears on the reader and the writing is exquisite. Stevens is stoic and ever proper in word and deed, but it's what's left unsaid that feels so profound. Feelings of regret, of love lost or missed altogether are written about in a way that's subtle, but the reader feels them nonetheless.  

The novel is quiet and moves at a very gentle pace. I liked that. It's not anything like most of what we read today, and while not a lot actually happens, the story is poignant. When I turned that last page the emotion lingered. 

This won't be everyone's cup of tea (pun intended) but it's definitely mine. Five stars for me. 

'What is pertinent is the calmness of beauty, its sense of restraint. It is as though the land knows of its own beauty, it's own greatness, and feels no need to shout it." Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day 

Hop over to (Slices of Life) or (Not In Jersey) to see what others are reading. 

A Bookish Post

Sometimes a letter in the April A-Z blog challenge lands on just the right day and today is one of those. It's the first Thursday of the month and I usually share what I've read the month prior on this date, joining Joanne (Slices of Life) and Dara (Not In Jersey) for Share Your Shelf. 

Conveniently my word of the day going along with my theme of The Things We Keep is books. 

 Day 2-B is for Books 

I used to buy a lot of books, but it's rare these days I actually purchase one. I love the public library and that's mostly the way I read. I also subscribe to Audible because we're on the road a lot and I like to have something to listen to when I drive. 

I don't typically hang on to novels unless they have some special meaning. I have some here on my bookshelves that guests can pick up if they're so inclined, but usually I read and then pass them on. 

Most of the books I hold on to are older and spark a memory. 

Many relate to travel. 

We've traveled a lot and I love buying books, coffee table or otherwise, from the places we visit. When we lived abroad I especially loved getting my hands on the DK Eyewitness Guides to various cities and countries we were visiting. Seeing them lined up on my book shelf makes me smile still. 

I have a lot of books that would fall under the category of 'religious' too, commentaries, Bible Study aides, lots of topical books, and these I hold on to because I sometimes want to refer back to them or because they taught me something. I have the Bible I was given when I was nine years old and its another book treasure I hold on to. It's the KJV so not my go-to on the daily, plus the cover is coming apart, but I won't part with it. 

I have a collection of children's books too, many of which belonged to my girls when they were little that I now read to my grandchildren. Some of the series we owned I've passed on to them to have in their own homes, but it's nice to have books here to read when there are littles in the house. 

I'm so glad my girls both love to read, and sometimes one of us will tell the others they need to read a particular book because it must be talked about with someone asap. Part of the fun of reading for me is talking about the book with other readers when I'm through. 

I think books are meant to be shared. But! There are some books that hold the memory of a place in time, or the person who gave it to me, read it to me, or lived it with me, that I cherish and those books are for keeps. 

Now let's talk about what I read in March, all from the local library-

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans 

I feel like I was on the wait list for this one forever, but finally snagged a copy and read it in a day and a half. Then I gave it to my daughter and she read it in a day. And, my younger daughter also happened to be reading it at the same time too. I was a little worried that by the time I read this one I'd find it over hyped, but that was not the case at all. Five stars for me. 

Such a wonderfully original story told in the form of letters written by a woman who had a successful career in law and now spends her days corresponding with all manner of people-family members, authors, corporations, university deans and more. I loved it. 

I'm not going to spoil anything for those who haven't read it yet (I definitely recommend), but in her letters to various people she and the recipient of the letter often share what book they happen to be reading. This appealed to me, and I found a list of the books mentioned. My plan is to read them all. Most are well known, some are classics, and there are about forty in total. As it happens I've read quite a few on the list already, but I'm going to see if I can get to them all. 

Also, read The Correspondent. So good! 

Bel Canto by Anne Patchett

This is one of the novels mentioned in The Correspondent and since I like Anne Patchett's writing and hadn't read this one I thought I'd start here. It was published in 2001. 

I loved this book. Ann Patchett writes beautifully and her characters are fully known.The novel is very loosely based on an actual event, when terrorists took over the Japanese ambassador's residence in Peru in 1996/1997. I didn't remember that happening so it didn't impact my reading, but there are some who have strong feelings about basing a novel on the incident. 

Bel Canto (beautiful singing) tells the story of a group of party goers taken hostage in an unnamed South American country. The group were guests in the Vice-President's home where a birthday party was being held for a wealthy Japanese businessman, Mr. Hosokawa. The world renowned and much loved soprano, Roxanne Coss, was also there as the invited entertainment. Mr. Hosokawa has a love of opera, and the voice of Roxanne Coss in particular. 

Terrorists storm the party with a plan to kidnap the country's president, not realizing he was a no-show at the event. They now have a large group of captives, and end up releasing all but the wealthiest men and also Miss Coss, so are left with about 50 in total. 

The hostages are held for four months and in that time bonds are formed, relationships develop, and above all we see music connect people very different from one another. 

The Engine House by Rhys Dylan 

I think there are about twenty books in the series featuring this same detective and I plan to read more. This one came out in 2021 and had been on my Goodreads list ever since. I need to read a good mystery now and then and this fit the bill. 

A landslide on the Pembrokeshire coast of Wales reveals the remains of two bodies, and as a result DCI Evan Warlow is called out of quiet retirement back in to police work. He was the original investigator on the case of the missing persons eight years prior. 

He's working with a new young team now, and carries the burden of wondering what he might have missed in his earlier investigation. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, plus the Welsh coastline makes the perfect backdrop for this slightly dark, atmospheric mystery. 

James by Percival Everett 

This is a reimagining of The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn told from the point of view of Jim, an escaped slave. In this telling Jim becomes the central figure and we hear about his experiences as a slave, and his life as he journeys down the Mississippi.   

I revisited Huck Finn last month in anticipation of reading this one, and I liked having read the two close together. The first half of James follows the Huck Finn storyline pretty closely, but then takes a very different turn a little more than halfway through. 

While I enjoyed the story it felt like something was missing. The women were not given enough attention (based on the little bit we are told there should have been more) and there was a depth of emotion overall that I was missing. Still a clever flip on a classic tale. 

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox

A debut novel that kept me reading til the very end. At times it felt like a YA novel, but it was still a very good read. Party of Liars is described as a psychological thriller with a broad audience. The plot centers around a death that occurs at an over the top sweet sixteen party in the Texas hill country. 

Sophie Matthews wealthy father (and his young second wife) are throwing a huge party to celebrate her big day in their supposedly haunted mansion. There's a large cast of characters, and the whodunit aspect of this one kept me guessing.  The story is told using multiple points of view, which in this instance I really enjoyed. The author has another book releasing in July (Pretty Dead Things) and I'll definitely read that too. 

Share Your Shelf-February

Hello friends. It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to share what we've read the month prior. The link to join or to see what others are reading is hosted by Joanne (Slices of Life) and Dara (Not In Jersey).  

Here's how my February looked-

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

I've been reading (or re-reading as the case sometimes is) a classic piece of literature every month and this month it was Huck Finn. I chose this one because my book club is reading the Pulitzer Prize winning James by Percival Everett in March, and the stories are related. I've been told you can read James having never read Huck Finn, but I thought it might be a good time to revisit this American classic. 

First things first...I listened to this one on Audible. It's narrated by the actor Elijah Wood who does an excellent job. That being said, I'd forgotten about how often the 'not nice' word is said in this book, and hearing it said aloud many times over was jarring. So there's that. 

At the start of the narration there is a little spiel about the times in which this book was written, the accents and language, the saltiness if you will, but the first time that word rolls off the narrators tongue you're shocked. Or at least I was. 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is told in the first person and the tale is known for it's very colorful description of people and places along the Mississippi River. It's set in 1840's Missouri and begins where Tom Sawyer ended. Huck has faked his own death/murder to escape his abusive father and he soon reunites with Old Jim, an escaped slave. The pair decide to float down the river to the town of Cairo Illinois, a freed slave settlement,  but of course they run into more than a few problems and adventures along the way. 

It took me a couple of chapters to get in to the flow of the storytelling as Twain wrote this in vernacular English and I had to really concentrate to follow it at first. Quickly though I was caught up in the story and am glad I revisited this one before diving in to my book club selection. James is the same story but told from the slave Jim's point of view so it will be interesting to compare. I've just started that one so will share my thoughts on that next month. 

The Museum Of Failures by Thrity Umrigar

I liked this one, although it got off to a very slow start for me. I loved this author's book Honor, and while this one wasn't quite as good, it was still an engaging read, particularly once the plot picked up.

Which I'm gonna say was almost too late.  

Remy Wadia left India for the US, taking with him a barrel of resentment directed towards his cold and sometimes cruel mother. He married an American woman and has kept his distance from his mother and homeland ever since.  Now he's returned to Bombay with plans to adopt a baby from a young pregnant girl, and to see his elderly mother once more. She's in the hospital and has completely stopped talking. 

Remy is overwhelmed with guilt for not realizing how serious her illness had become and he devotes himself to her recovery before planning his return trip home to America. In searching for something in his mother's home he stumbles across an old photograph that needs an explanation. Family secrets are revealed, and Remy finds himself reexamining his entire childhood and the relationship he thought he understood with his parents. 

I gave it three stars because I felt like I was two-thirds through before I was invested in the plot. 

This Book Made Me Think Of You by Libby Page

I loved this one. An original plot, and a tender read I finished in mostly one sitting. 

Five months after her husband Joe dies Tilly Nightingale receives an unexpected gift. Before his death Joe had arranged with a local bookseller to give Tilly a book a month for that first year she'll spend without him. There's also a letter of encouragement to go along with each book, and I especially loved the way the author didn't rush or minimize the grieving. Really well written. 

Through the gifted books Tilly finds her way through grief and loss, finds courage to step out of her comfort zone, and along the way discovers new things about herself while also getting reacquainted with the person she was prior to her husband's death. Four big stars for me. 

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy 

Emphasis on the word dark. Why is this book so popular? I don't think Reese Witherspoon and I have the same taste in books lol. This is one of her book club picks, and  I started to mark it DNF, but knew there was a twist coming and was curious enough to see it to the bitter end. Eh. 

I've heard it described as an atmospheric eco-thriller and honestly if I'd heard that before reading I would for sure have passed it by. The seed bank topic was a little bit interesting, and such a thing does exist (there's one in Norway designed to protect biodiversity in the case of a worldwide catastrophe) but the author got a little preachy and it went a bit strange for me. The twist was definitely twisty, just not enough for me to give this one more than three stars. 

The plot follows the Salt family (dad Dominic and his three children-Fen, Raff, and Orly) living as the last inhabitants of a remote island near the coast of Antarctica (Shearwater). They've been given the task of protecting the world's largest seed bank, and now tides are rising and the island is being evacuated. Researchers who had also been on the island working have already left, and the family is charged with packaging up the seeds for transport off the island. 

In the middle of this work, there's a terrible storm and a woman (Rowan) washes ashore beaten up from her voyage and barely alive. Rowan isn't completely truthful about why she's there and the family might just be keeping a few secrets of their own. 

It sounds pretty good doesn't it? And parts of it were, but overall it was not for me. 

So what have you been reading lately? Send anything you loved my way please. And I hope there's time for a good book in your day today! 

Share Your Shelf-January

It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to join with Joanne (My Slices of Life) and Dara (Not In Jersey) in sharing what we read the month prior. Here's how my January looked-

Climbing To The Sun by Shelley Burchfield 

This work of historical fiction was our book club's January selection. The author, Shelley Burchfield, lives here and her novel is set in a nearby town. We all enjoyed recognizing and reading about familiar landmarks, towns, and the freed-slave settlement most of us hadn't known about prior to this book. Shelley, along with another well known local author, will be speaking at an event later this month and I look forward to attending. 

Set in 1928 South Carolina Climbing To The Sun tells the story of Callie Beechum, a young herbalist who owns a shop in the town of Pickens, and makes a living treating people with plant based medicine and herbal therapies. Her life is turned upside down when she aids the people living in a freed-slave settlement known as Liberia (a real place not far from where I live) in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her decision to help the residents of Liberia angers the wrong people in town, people who know a secret about Callie, and who threaten her livelihood and her very life. 

Themes of race, prejudice, family secrets, and resilience are explored in this very well written novel. Four stars for me. 

Far From The Madding Crowd  by Thomas Hardy

Still reading a classic piece of literature every month and in January it was Thomas Hardy's Far From The Madding Crowd. I landed on this one after a guest pastor at our church referenced a small passage from it in a message. There's an event early in the book where a shepherd discovers his overly enthusiastic dog has led part of his flock over the edge of a cliff, and then in true sheep fashion the others followed suit.  There's a very real metaphor to be found here for life in America right now, but I'll stay on point. I'm sure you can figure it out. 

In Far From The Madding Crowd (a title Hardy uses somewhat ironically) a flighty young woman learns her actions have consequence, and I will say right off the bat, the beautiful Bathsheba Everdeen is not the most likable of female characters. Set in 1800's Victorian England, this is the story of Bathsheba and the three very different suitors she attracts. They include a sheep farmer, a handsome Sergeant, and a prosperous older bachelor. 

As I say at the conclusion of every classic I read, the language reels me in and keeps me reading. 

The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White

Newly divorced Merilee Talbot Dunlap moves to a new town with her children, hoping for a fresh start. She forms an unexpected friendship with her elderly landlady, Sugar Prescott, and the two women bond over shared trauma and long-buried secrets. Meanwhile, Merilee forms a friendship with another mother at her children’s school, unaware the woman has an agenda of her own.  When a man dies under suspicious circumstances and Merilee becomes the prime suspect, her past threatens to destroy her future. 

I saw much of the ending coming fairly early on, plus this one went a little off the rails in terms of believability for me. I gave it three stars. 

The Sideways Life of Denny Voss by Holly Kennedy

Denny Voss is a 30 year old developmentally delayed man who lives in Minnesota with his mother, Nana-Jo, and his blind and deaf Saint Bernard, George. Denny has a sister named Lydia he rarely sees and a cousin Angus who lives next door. Denny is gentle, sometimes stubborn, and sings the theme song to Toy Story when he feels too much pressure or anxiety in life. He makes a living clearing roadkill from the highway with his cousin. 

When the local mayoral candidate is murdered Denny is arrested and charged with the crime. His lawyer brings in a therapist, Dr. Herald, to try and learn more about Denny's life. In talking with Dr. Herald about his recent and not so recent past many secrets are revealed and these secrets will impact the outcome of the trial. 

The story is told in Denny's first person point of view and that takes some getting used to. Early on I found it a little bit wearing, but as the plot moved along I settled in and in hindsight would say it was the right way to tell his story. 

Four stars for me 

When the Cranes Fly South  by Lisa Ridzen 

One of my favorite recent reads. A poignant, heartbreaking yet beautiful story of an old man, his beloved dog, and his son all trying to come to terms with the struggles and frustrations of aging, of family relationships, friendship, and what our life's journey look's like in hindsight. 

This book feels so real. The author is Swedish and the book is a best seller there. The storytelling is so well done and the author shows great sensitivity in writing about something we'll all face. I found myself thinking about my aging mother and mother-in-law, and my own self aging too. 

Bo is an elderly man living alone with his dog, Sixten. His wife, Fredrika, now lives in a care home and no longer recognizes him or their son, Hans. Bo’s days are shaped by visits from the care team, occasional calls from his best friend Ture, and now and then visits from Hans. In the quiet moments, of which there are many, he retreats into memories of the life and family he once had.

As Bo struggles to maintain his independence and resist outside interference, it becomes clear he is no longer coping. Hans grows increasingly concerned, and when he suggests Bo give up Sixten, Bo’s determination to cling to the life he knows hardens. His dependence on others as his physical body no longer cooperates with what his brain wants him to do is challenging for both Bo and Hans and is oh so relatable. 

Five stars for me. 

If you've read something great recently send it my way. Hop over to the host blogs if you want to see what others read in January. 

Share Your Shelf-December

I think the link up might have been last week, but as per usual I'm easing in to January and not apologizing for it. I'm not someone who charges in to the new year. We're often exhausted as the year winds down and I love taking it slow in the first month of the year, particularly the first couple of weeks. Life will pick up speed and the calendar will fill up, but for now slow and easy down the new year road I go. 

This link up had four hosts previously but Joanne (Slices of Life) is going it alone this year so hop over and add your list of books read the month prior. Here's my short but sweet December list- 

Anxious People by Frederik Bachman

Let me start by saying I really love Backman's writing. I've read a number of his previous books and enjoyed all. My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry, a creative and original tale where a 7-year old girl is best friends with her grandmother, is my favorite. 

Most of Bachman's books feature quirky yet somehow relatable characters, and most get rave reviews.  Anxious People had many reviewers saying it was just okay, but I really liked it. Four stars for me. 

In Anxious People a failed bank robbery turns an apartment open house into a hostage situation, trapping eight anxious strangers together. The would-be-robber vanishes, secrets come to light, and the captives discover they have more in common than expected. Funny and tender Anxious People explores themes of friendship, forgiveness, and the quiet ways in which people can truly help one another. 

Grace (Sisters of the Heart #4) by Shelley Shepard Gray

A Christmas themed novel given to me by a friend in my book club. She wraps up Christmas books in brown paper and everyone grabs one. So thoughtful! This was mine, and while it was a bit 'Hallmark-y' I liked it. It was the end of the year and light felt right. 

Grace is apparently the fourth in a series by this author, but it was easy to catch up with the main character's back stories. The novel is set in a tightly knit Amish community, specifically in a Bed and Breakfast owned and run by an Amish family, The Brennemans. 

The family is ready to close down for the holidays until two unexpected guests arrive seeking shelter. First comes Levi, angry and insistent on staying. Then Melody appears, nearly nine months pregnant and alone, with no explanation for her journey from Kentucky.  The Brennemans offer warm hospitality, and daughter Katie is determined to uncover the secrets they carry. 

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson 

I'm still on my 'read a classic every month' kick, and this was December's selection. The language and vocabulary alone in these classics make me want to read more. Hubs and I listened on Audible, and I loved it. I don't know if I ever read this as a child, but hubs remembered it well. The narration is top notch and made the listening more fun. 

Treasure Island was published in 1883, and blends moral lessons with adventure. It's had a huge impact, both on later tales of adventure and our perception of pirates,  that still holds true today. 

This is the story of Jim Hawkins, a young boy who goes in search of treasure after finding a treasure map. He faces shipwreck, a pirate mutiny, sword fights and more. It's the story of a young boy who overcomes the odds. 

The tale begins at the Admiral Benbow Inn on England's Bristol Channel where Jim and his parents encounter an old sailor, later revealed to be Billy Bones, former first mate of the famed pirate Captain Flint. 

After Bones death Jim takes the map to Dr. Livesy and Squire John Trelawney, who organize an expedtion to find the treasure. Together with a crew, Jim joins Long John Silver on an expedition to an uncharted island to find Flint's treasures. It soon becomes apparent many of the crew are former pirates under Silver's command and a mutiny is brewing.   

Themes of good and evil, fortune and greed, survival and resourcefulness, loyalty and betrayal are all explored. Five stars for me. 

If you're reading something great, send it my way.

Share Your Shelf-November

Hello friends. It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to share what we've read the month prior. For me it was not a lot, or at least not as much as I would have liked. 'Tis a busy season and time normally spent reading has been spent on other pursuits. 

Share Your Shelf is hosted by Tanya (The Other Side of the Road), Joanne (Slices of Life), Marilyn (Memphis Bridges), and Jenn (My Joyful Life) so hop over if you want to add your own link or see what others are reading. 

Here's how my November looked-

1. Horse by Geraldine Brooks

This was our book club's November selection and I mostly enjoyed it. The story is told with three timelines, the Civil War era timeline being the longest and in my opinion the best. There's a brief 1950's interlude and a modern day (2019) timeline too.  The modern day story  annoyed me in a number of ways, and it was the part of the book where I felt like this wonderfully talented author took the opportunity to push an agenda.

But! The older story line was so good and a delight to read. 

Horse is primarily a work of fiction, but is based on the true story of the record breaking horse called Lexington, a successful racehorse but an even more successful sire. 

In 2019, grad student Theo and Smithsonian osteologist Jess follow separate clues—a discarded horse portrait and a forgotten skeleton—that draw them together in both research and romance. In 1850, enslaved teen Jarret forges an extraordinary bond with the racehorse Lexington, a relationship documented in the diary entries of artist Thomas J. Scott as horse and handler are sold across the South. And in 1954, gallery owner Martha Jackson is stunned to learn that a painting brought to her for appraisal depicts Lexington himself, a horse tied to her own family’s past. 

Geraldine Brooks is a gifted writer, she won the Pulitzer for her book March.  I struggled to rate this one, mainly because the present day storyline didn't work for me. There was still much about the book I did enjoy, so a mixed review. 

2. Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner

This is one that had been on my Goodreads list a long time. In fact, I marked it as 'to-read' ten years ago, and I'm trying to go back and read some of those early titles now. This was a very enjoyable book, and another that lands in the historical fiction category. 

The story follows two sisters in wartime England, Emmeline and Julia Downtree, who are separated from each other during the Blitz. Before the Blitz began Emmy dreamed of designing wedding dresses. That dream was about to become a reality when Emmy made a choice that changed the course of her life, and the life of her sister. 

There's a modern storyline as well, but it's minimal and is used to tie everything together. I enjoyed the setting and the characters were well developed. The reader cares about them and I want to care. Four stars for me. 

3. Theo of Golden: A Novel  by Allen Levi

Oh my. What a beautiful book. Truly one of the best I've read in a long long time. I loved it so much I bought copies for all the readers in my family for Christmas. 

A man known only as Theo arrives one spring morning in the small southern town of Golden. He stops by the neighborhood coffee shop, and is drawn to the ninety-two pencil portraits hanging on the walls there. The portraits are sketches of Golden's residents, drawn by a local artist. One by one Theo buys the portraits and returns them to the people depicted. Each handoff sparks a story, begins a friendship, and changes a life. 

A heartwarming, emotionally rich story that had me from page one. It's the kind of book I wish I could read for the first time again. I gave it five stars. 

Have you read anything good lately? If so please share. 

Share Your Shelf-October

It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to share what we've read the month prior. Hop over to the host blogs (The Other Side Of The Road,  Slices of Life, My Joyful Life, and Memphis Bridges) if you'd like to see more titles and reviews. Here's my October stack-

1984 by George Orwell

This was our book club selection in October.  I read this in high school and let me just say it 100% hits different in 2025. Whoa. It's pretty amazing how spot on this book is with all that is happening currently in terms of data collection, suppression of speech, cancel culture, redefining common terms, and artificial intelligence.  If you've never read this one you should. fyi-it's not a happy go lucky story by any means 

The book was written in 1948 (published in 1949) and Orwell (did you know his real name was Eric Blair?)  chose the title by reversing the date (1948/1984). When this book was written television was barely a thing, yet his picture of the future is scarily accurate. 

1984 is what we call dystopian, and it follows the main character (Winston Smith) as he rebels against a totalitarian governmetn led by Big Brother. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where he rewrites history to fit the Party's agenda. His rebellion grows with a forbidden love affair and in thinking his superior (O'Brien) is an ally. 

Our book club happened to meet on Charlie Kirk's birthday and I wore my freedom sweatshirt which some people appreciated, and some likely did not. It certainly felt right to me.  I gave this one 5 stars. 

Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall 

This is one of those novels getting all the hype, and in fact has been optioned for a feature film. Eh. Its also a Reese Witherspoon book club choice. The plot centers around a love triangle and it's impact on a small English farming community. I found two of the three parties in this trio unlikable which heavily influenced my three star rating. I think I'm in the minority here but I'm okay with that. 

Broken Country is the story of a married woman whose first love drops back into her life and upends the quiet farm life she's made for herself. There's significant tragedy in the novel and I found that hard to read. While I felt compassion for Beth because of the tragedy she experienced her subsequent actions made me squirm. Overall the book was a downer, which I can be on board with (just ask my book club-I love sad stories) but in this case I was not. 

Go As A River by Shelley Read

I loved it. And it's sad in parts but there's a lot to love too. Go As A River is a work of historical fiction set in 1940's Colorado. 17-year old Victoria's life is changed by a chance encounter with a mysterious drifter named Wilson Moon. The subsequent relationship leads to heartbreak, tragedy, hard choices, and ultimately a rebuilt life. The story follows Victoria's journey of survival and resilience all set against the backdrop of her family's peach farm and the threat of the Gunnison River being flooded for a dam. 

The writing is excellent and the story compelling. Five stars for me. 

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis 

C. S. Lewis was a brilliant man and sometimes reading his writing has me questioning my own intellect. I absolutely love everything I've read by him, but often have to read his works slowly, and really allow them to marinate in my brain before I truly get it. 

While that might not sound like an appealing invitation to read this book I encourage everyone to read it. It's very readable and the chapters are short. Lewis has a real gift for explaining complex theological ideas in a way everyman can understand. 

This wasn't originally planned as a book, and instead began as a brief series of broadcasts on the BBC during the early part of WW2. Lewis was asked to present these talks as a way as a way of comforting and reassuring British citizens during one of the darkest periods of time the world has ever known. 

Can you imagine us trying that now?  

Lewis lived much of his life an avowed atheist before coming to Christianity in his 30's. He manages to explain Christianity and why it makes sense in very un-churchy language. 

I've read Mere Christianity before but it was a long time ago. Our church is doing an evening study of the book so I'm reading again, and enjoying the discussion too. This is an easy 5 stars for me.