The Bean got mobile and reading time got scarce. Only finished two books this month and am part way through two more.
Those Who Save Us, by Jenna Blum
This was my book group's book for September. Our meeting is next week, so we haven't discussed it yet. I missed the meeting where it was picked, so I don't know if it was on purpose such a similar story to Sarah's Key, which we read earlier in the summer, but it is a very similar story and told in a very similar format. And also it is very different. I thought the writing was much better in this story, and the historical story and present-time story were woven together much better. Some of the historical story was extremely harrowing, though in a different way than Sarah's Key, but the present-time characters were more tightly tied to the past and were also much more sympathetically drawn. I was disappointed with Sarah's Key, but I thought this was a really good read. I'm looking forward to hearing what my book group thinks about it.
Committed: A Love Story, by Elizabeth Gilbert
People either love or hate Elizabeth Gilbert. I'm one of the ones who love her. I love her voice, the rhythm of her writing, and the way she weaves in her personal story with history and fact. This is her first book since Eat, Pray, Love, and it is also a memoir. In it, she wrestles with the idea of marriage, once she and her Brazilian love (who had vowed to each other to never marry) are forced to get married in order to stay together. I have extremely mixed feelings about the institution of marriage, both historically and in modern American culture, so I was curious about how she would approach the topic. It turns out to be a fascinating look at western marriage practices over time, both religious and secular. She touches on gender roles, gay marriage, and personal values. My one gripe about the book was that somehow by the end she has made peace with the institution, at least for her relationship, and I don't entirely see the thread of how she got there. But like I said, I like her writing, so I forgave her.
Small Wonder: Essays, by Barbara Kingsolver
I have literally been reading this book for years. I can't even remember when I started it. Partly that happened because the essays are all previously published from various places, so it is a book that can be picked up and put down between essays without loosing track of a story line. Partly, though, it is because each essay is such a gem that I want to sit with it for a while before starting the next one. And also, I admit, I sometimes lose books in bags or in a pile on the headboard and forget about them for months, or years. I love these essays. They are roughly gathered together around environmental issues, but they range from stories about her daughter's chickens to the impact of climate change on the great rain forests of South America. Sometimes within the same essay. They are thoughtful, well-crafted, full of beautiful language. Read this book. I have two more essays to read and I'm savoring them.
The Princes of Ireland: The Dublin Saga, by Edward Rutherford
This is, admittedly, not my usual fare. But I have had Ireland on my mind recently and I found it in the used book bin at Bookshop recently. I actually haven't started it yet, but I'm planning to as soon as I read the last two essays in the Barbara Kingsolver book. It is a heft of a book - 800 pages - and covers some 1700 years of Irish history. I did enjoy the book Sarum by the same author when I read it a number of years ago, but I see that the Publishers Weekly review on Amazon pans it, calling it a "lackluster saga" and "a slog." So this one may or may not get finished. It isn't like I have any shortage of other books to read.
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