A Book Week in Review…

My Dad with my then newborn son, Max

My Dad had a heart attack and triple bypass surgery last week.  He is 80 years old.  No time is a good time to have a heart attack…but at 80, it’s even tougher.

So, I dropped everything and drove 4 hours to my home in Oklahoma to be with my family at the hospital.  (Update: Doctors are thrilled at his recovery…but because of his age, it will be a long process).

Needless to say, I dropped all my book related issues:   I was in the middle of reading a book, had a review to post on our May book club book, and a myriad of other book related balls up in the air when I had to grab the batmobile to speed out of town.

Here are my expedited thoughts on my unfinished book week:

The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan

My enjoyment rating:  Did Not Finish

Genre:  General fiction

Source: Library copy

Objectionable material:  None (to the point where I stopped reading at least).

This was the first collateral damage of my sudden departure.

Grace Winter was on day 5 or 6 in a lifeboat, along with 40 or so other survivors, after the ship in which she was sailing, sank. 

The first 20 pages or so were rather enthralling.  I was eager to find out their fate.  But the longer they were on the boat, the less I cared.  So when I forgot to put it in my bag, and then it was due to be returned to the library, I had very little remorse that I hadn’t finished.  I haven’t thought another thing about Grace and her shipmates since.   

If someone has read this and thinks it’s worthy to check back out again, let me know.

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield

My enjoyment rating:  3.5 out of 5 stars

Genre:  Southern fiction

Source: Personal copy

Objectionable material:  the odd cuss word; veiled rape scene.

May Book Club Choice

Swan Lake (yes…that is her name) and her family have descended on her grandparents’ farm for the summer.  After a suicide, her father losing his job and a threatening, abusive neighbor shake up their idyllic summer plans, Swan and her family must learn to depend on one another and God through faith. 

This was a typical southern novel – juvenile characters facing the battle of good vs. evil with added family angst.  The writing was lovely, but the storyline meandered a bit.  Lots of characters, but not all necessary or well developed.  However, the book club ladies liked it, and our discussion made me like it better than I first thought (which is often the case).  I would be willing to give this author another chance, should she choose to write another book. 

June book club choice:  Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth

Don’t Sing at the Table by Adriana Trigiani

My enjoyment rating:  3.5 out of 5 stars

Genre: Family memoir/self help

Source: Nook

Objectionable Material: None

Popular author, Adriana Trigiani, has written a poetic memoir about her Italian immigrant grandmothers, Lucia (Lucy) and Viola: their families, their growing up years, their professions, their talents, their heartbreaks, and their joys.  Loved reading about these two very unique and special individuals.  But the book turned “self help” through some of the chapters, and that wasn’t nearly as successful (and almost awkward) as reading about Lucy’s and Viola’s lives.  

Made me reminisce about my own very special grandmothers. 

However, I’m so glad I read this first before starting The Shoemaker’s Wife – I think it really sets the stage for Ms. Trigiani’s newest novel.

Did Not Finish -- Down The Nile



Book: Down the Nile:  Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff by Rosemary Mahoney

I gave this the "50 page" rule and gave up.  Just didn't connect with her writing or her journey. 

Here is a synopsis for those who may want to give this a try:

When Rosemary Mahoney first planned to take a solo boat trip down the Nile, she could not have imagined all the complications that she would eventually face. For one thing, Egyptian women don't row on the Nile; for another, safety-minded tourists don't venture many places in this country of festering civil unrest. An experienced (and apparently fearless) rower, Mahoney persisted in this ambitious project, but she might not have succeeded if she had not won the advocacy of a Muslim sailor. In Down the Nile, she takes readers with her on an unforgettable trip down the world's most historic river.

October Mother/Daugher Book Club





Our group met tonight to discuss our October selection -- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.  Unfortunately, neither Daisy daughter nor her mother finished the book.  I have read it before, but it's been years, and my 40 year old brain just didn't remember the details like I thought I would.  Daisy daughter had a hard time getting thru it.  I'm not sure if it was the "science fiction" subject matter or what exactly, but she only made it thru about 5 chapters before giving up.  I had hard time motivating her, since I was a bad literary example.

However, the other girls and mothers that were there loved the book.  One of DD's peers who was the most reluctant to read it, had not quite finished in time for our discussion, but was so worried that we would spoil the ending, she made us promise to not talk about it!  I'm not sure why I thought this would be "above" our girls' heads, but I was mistaken (well, except for mine!).  Our hostess had the CD version of Madeleine L'Engle reading the book and played a portion of the book for the girls.  Wow, she had a great narrating voice.  DD loves listening to audio books, so when I am at the library on Thursday, I'm going to check it out -- hopefully she will be able to finish it by listening instead of reading!

Our next selection is:

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Summary:  As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.

I'm not sure how successful this book will be with our girls, but I totally underestimated how the girls would react to the above, so I hope I'm pleasantly surprised!  I read it earlier in the year and wasn't overly impressed, but I know I am in the minority, as this has been highly praised. (Hence the medallion award on the cover).

Also, we are talking about reading some nonfiction for our January Mother/Daughter book club (we take December off for the holidays) -- does anyone have any nonfiction suggestions for juvenile readers?  The only thing that comes to mind is biographies. 

Did Not Finish -- The Invisible Mountain by Carolina de Robertis

The Invisible Mountain by Carolina De Robertis

I made it thru 100+ pages of beautiful, if not over written, narrative. The prose was so lengthy, I lost track of the story, characters and dialogue. Then, when I hit a part of the story line that had an 11 year old girl sexually assaulted by a friend of her father's I just had to call it quits. I was really struggling with this book from the get go -- but because the theme was the relationships between many generations of Uruguayan women, I was willing to persevere. I wanted to see if I could find a rhythm and a connection. But once the molestation occurred, I was done.

This book required patience that I didn't have.



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Did Not Finish -- The Sound of Language

The Sound of Language by Amulya Malladi

I read about 25 pages of this book and knew I couldn't manage another.  Do you ever pick up something and realize you just aren't "in the mood?"  Well, this was one of those mood books.  After recently finishing Nine Parts of Desire, I am saturated with information about Muslim garment requirements -- hajibs, burkhas, etc. -- that I couldn't read another book this soon that details those rituals.  I know that this books is MORE than that, but I will need some time and space before I attempt this one again (if ever).

Did Not Finish -- Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard

I started this yesterday and was about 80+ pages into it when I stopped for no other reason than it felt like I had read it before in some version or another:  Under the Tuscan Sun, Eat Pray Love, or any other travel/romance/memoir.  Elizabeth Bard's story was charming and romantic and her descriptions of Paris completely indulgent.  But, I've decided that unless it's MY story of living in Paris or some other exotic destination, I'm done with reading other people's travel stories.  My dream is to take my daughter to Paris when she is 12 -- just the two of us -- and spend a week in the City of Lights -- then I promise I will right a book about our adventures!

If travel memoirs are your thing -- I think this would be a worthy choice. 

Did Not Finish -- Quartet in Autumn

Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym










My online, book blogging friend, Jeanette, has a 50pg rule -- if you read 50 pages and are still unengaged in a book -- you can give up.

I instituted that rule with Quartet in Autumn. Except, I gave up at 35 pages. My reasons, it was only a 200 page book, so the ratio for pages read vs. total pages was about right.

I read Excellent Women by Barbara Pym, an loved it. Called it, "a quiet gem of a book." This, ugh, just didn't do anything for me. The cover said, "written with the wit and style of a twentieth-century Jane Austen." Jane Austen never wrote about 4 elderly office mates. If anyone has read this and wants to persuade me to give it another try, please do!

Book source: library copy

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