More Reading and Reviews
I finally got around to totalling April's points for the Reading Journey, so I'm feeling pretty good about how much I'm reading, even though it seems like I never have time. I guess graduation weekends gave me a good excuse to be busy, but they also meant I was hanging around waiting for things to happen quite a lot, so maybe that's how I managed to read so many long books recently.
Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz, was an appropriate book for the season. The author paints a very authentic picture of the admissions process, while including an intriguing mystery as her protagonist tries not to admit the secrets of her past or of present emotions.
The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart, is another relatively long book that I borrowed from a friend's grandson - yes, a long children's book, and an excellent read.
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton was a wonderful read (also long), set in Australia, London and Cornwall, and spanning the last century with fascinating characters, mysteries and locations, a masterful example of multiple storylines and timelines seamlessly intertwined.
And then there's two books that haven't yet been released, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.
As an Influencer for Mary DeMuth I was privileged to read the third in her Defiance Texas trilogy, Life in Defiance and I loved it. Mary DeMuth has an amazing way with words, both in captivating descriptions, and in getting entirely into her characters' heads. Life in Defiance continues the story of a small town torn apart by the death of a child. I read A Slow Burn, book two, a little while ago and was entranced. I've now been out and bought book one, Daisy Chain, so I can complete the tale, but this really is a series that you can start reading at any stage. Life in Defiance tells the story from the point of view of a woman whose husband is not what he seems. Constantly trying to pick herself up, making excuses for everyone else while always blaming herself, and feeling guilty at all the secrets she keeps, Ouisie Pepper has to learn that a hope in people changing includes a hope in God's helping her to change, so she can become all God has made her to be.
Finally, the Permanent Press sent me a wonderful short book, Time Among the Dead by Thomas Rayfiel, an intriguing tale purporting to be the memoir of the seventh earl of Upton in the late Victorian age, written in the notebook given him by his grandson as his life draws to its close. The old earl has tales to tell about his past that he'd rather keep quiet, but he finds them bearing too closely on the present and speculates how the future will try to hide the self-same burdens. We're not so different, then or now, and there's a thread of regret in the book for joys that were missed due to secrets obscured: A thread of hope too and encouragement that the readers might learn and move on.
Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz, was an appropriate book for the season. The author paints a very authentic picture of the admissions process, while including an intriguing mystery as her protagonist tries not to admit the secrets of her past or of present emotions.
The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart, is another relatively long book that I borrowed from a friend's grandson - yes, a long children's book, and an excellent read.
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton was a wonderful read (also long), set in Australia, London and Cornwall, and spanning the last century with fascinating characters, mysteries and locations, a masterful example of multiple storylines and timelines seamlessly intertwined.
And then there's two books that haven't yet been released, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.
As an Influencer for Mary DeMuth I was privileged to read the third in her Defiance Texas trilogy, Life in Defiance and I loved it. Mary DeMuth has an amazing way with words, both in captivating descriptions, and in getting entirely into her characters' heads. Life in Defiance continues the story of a small town torn apart by the death of a child. I read A Slow Burn, book two, a little while ago and was entranced. I've now been out and bought book one, Daisy Chain, so I can complete the tale, but this really is a series that you can start reading at any stage. Life in Defiance tells the story from the point of view of a woman whose husband is not what he seems. Constantly trying to pick herself up, making excuses for everyone else while always blaming herself, and feeling guilty at all the secrets she keeps, Ouisie Pepper has to learn that a hope in people changing includes a hope in God's helping her to change, so she can become all God has made her to be.
Finally, the Permanent Press sent me a wonderful short book, Time Among the Dead by Thomas Rayfiel, an intriguing tale purporting to be the memoir of the seventh earl of Upton in the late Victorian age, written in the notebook given him by his grandson as his life draws to its close. The old earl has tales to tell about his past that he'd rather keep quiet, but he finds them bearing too closely on the present and speculates how the future will try to hide the self-same burdens. We're not so different, then or now, and there's a thread of regret in the book for joys that were missed due to secrets obscured: A thread of hope too and encouragement that the readers might learn and move on.
Comments
Helen
Straight From Hel