May 2, 2024

NOTE: I am going to take a brief break and won’t publish posts on Tuesday, May 7 or Thursday, May 9. I will return to my regular schedule on Tuesday May 14.

And the Winner Is…

James by Percival Everett.

I didn’t think I wanted to read this novel, which is a re-telling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but a copy was on the Lucky Day shelf at the library, and I decided to say “yes.” Everett’s version turned out to be my favorite novel read during April.

Told from the perspective of Jim/James we meet the Jim white people expect him to be and James, the person he really is. We know this, but this novel is a striking reminder of how speech and language is a tool to clarify and reinforce who we are and/or to hide and reinforce the person someone else wants us to be or thinks we are.

At one point James shares with enslaved children the basic rules for interacting with white people.

Don’t make eye contact. Never speak first. Never address any subject directly. Mumble sometimes so they can have the satisfaction of telling you not to mumble. p. 22.

Other April Fiction Selections

• The Little Village of Book Lovers by Nina George. There is so much to love in this novel about love–the transforming power of love and how books can be an aid, a vehicle, a tool in the discovery of love. One of the characters, Marie-Jeanne can see the mark of love, a glowing, shimmering light, and she becomes a matchmaker, even as a young girl. She awaits that shimmer for herself. I loved all the wonderful words about the power and glory of books, as well. If you loved one of my favorite books, Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin, you will love this.
• Ana Turns by Lisa Gornick. As Ana turns 60, she reflects on her life now. A physician husband who medicates to cope with back pain; a lover who demands little from her; a child who has realized they are trans; a mother who can only criticize her, a rich brother who is the one favored by her mother, and two nieces she adores. Lots of side stories, all beautifully told.
• The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan. This book is based on a true story about the establishment of a library in the London underground during WWII and is a good example of “Blitz spirit.” Juliet, the deputy librarian of a library, starts a book club and nightly readings in the underground after the library is bombed. Along the way she is supported by a wonderful array of women, and, of course, there is a love story, too.
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Am I the last person to read this book that has been on bestseller lists since its publication in 2022? The book focuses on the treatment of women and women’s views of themselves in the 1960s. When her husband dies in an accident, chemist Elizabeth is left to raise their daughter Madeleine (MAD), the most unusual and precocious kindergartner ever, for her reading skills alone. Work at a research lab is intolerable, and she gets a job on TV, a show called Supper at Six, in which she explains the chemistry of cooking and food. Such interesting characters plus a spirit of resilience, courage and love, and I laughed outloud often. I did tire, however, of the total separation of religion and science, but I thought even that softened towards the end.

April Nonfiction Books

I read only three nonfiction books in April, but each one was so worthwhile. I mentioned House Lessons in my April 25th post. The other two are:

• The Eloquence of Silence, Surprising Wisdom in Tales of Emptiness by Thomas Moore. I think a stronger and clearer title would have been The Eloquence of Emptiness, for the book focuses more on the gifts of emptiness. The tendency is to think of emptiness as something negative or to be feared, but Moore explores how when we are too full, too busy, nothing unexpected can happen. “You can’t make fresh discoveries, and you will have few surprises and revelations.” p. 66. I underlined so much in this book and copied many passages into my journal. I have loved several books by Moore, including Care of the Soul, The Soul’s Religion, The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life, and Dark Nights of the Soul. His book just prior to this one, Ageless Soul, was not one of my favorites, but this one truly resonated with me.
• Birding While Indian, A Mixed-Blood Memoir by Thomas Gannon. Gannon is a professor of Native American literature at University of Nebraska Lincoln and a birder, who says birding is a kind of addiction for him. As he encounters birds, he also explores his heritage and his life as a Native person. Often the book was too detailed for me, a casual enjoyer of birds, but I was moved by the ways he connected his passion with his own struggles and background. Plus, I learned so much about how white colonialism has attempted and often succeeded in destroying the lives and culture of Native peoples. I made copies of several passages in this book, like the section on the Crazy Horse monument in South Dakota, in which he writes “that gigantic carving up of our sacred mountain is just another form of racism.” p.115. My husband and I spent time at the monument a couple years ago, and I would never have interpreted it that way, but I am now grateful for this perspective. He also reflects on one of my favorite books and authors, My Antonia by Willa Cather in which the narrator Jim views the Plains “as if he were face-to-face with a geographical nothing.” Burden sees no road, no fences, no creeks or trees or hills or fields. Gannon reminds the reader that “the land was teeming with the ‘countries’ of other species–and the tribes of other humans…”p. 37. Oh, how much I have left to learn and understand.

Books Reviewed in Earlier April Posts

April 11: Float Up Sing Down by Laird Hunt https://wordpress.com/post/livingonlifeslabyrinth.com/3372

April 18: A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power; Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange. https://wordpress.com/post/livingonlifeslabyrinth.com/3365

April 25: An Irish Country Courtship by Patrick Taylor; A Match Made for Murder by Iona Whishaw; One Woman Show by Christine Coulson; and the memoir House Lessons, Renovating a Life by Erica Bauermeister. https://wordpress.com/post/livingonlifeslabyrinth.com/3425

I’m currently reading The Hunter by Tana French, and I am sure I will report on it in May.

An Invitation

What was memorable in your April reading life? I would love to know.

April 4, 2024

Some of the books I read this month were surprises, meaning I was surprised by how much I liked and appreciated them. Other books didn’t surprise me at all, for I was quite certain they would not disappoint, and I would love them.

First, No Surprise!

I’ve already reviewed some of my “No Surprise” books:

• A Deceptive Devotion, #6 in the Lane Winslow Mystery Series by Iona Whishaw (See March 14 post.)
• As It Is In Heaven by Niall Williams (See March 14 post.)
• Graceland, At Last. Notes on Hope and Heartache From the American South by Margaret Renkl (See March 7 post)

Two other novels I read in March were also “No Surprise” books:

• The Distance Between Us by Maggie O’Farrell. I have now read all of O’Farrell’s books and can easily say she is one of my favorite contemporary novelists. This title, one of her early books, is not my favorite of hers. However, how two seemingly separate stories, the story of Jake who grew up in Hong Kong and the story of Stella and her sister Nina who grew up in the UK, eventually entwine kept me reading. Now I can re-read my favorite O’Farrell books, including Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait, but also earlier ones, such as The Hand That First Held Mine and After You’d Gone.
• An Irish Country Girl by Patrick Taylor. I have read two previous books in this series, An Irish Country Doctor and An Irish Country Village. I own An Irish Country Courtship and intend to read that soon. These books, set in Northern Ireland, are fresh air, a palate cleanser, a gathering of old and dear friends, stories shared around a cozy fire, and a touch of nostalgia of a time you may yearn for.

The two books I read as part of my Lenten devotion time were also no surprise, for over the years I have come to trust both of these writers for their wisdom and insight.

• A Different Kind of Fast, Feeding Our True Hungers in Lent by Christine Valters Paintner. Each week of Lent is further subdivided into a practice for each day: lectio divina, breath prayer, visio divina, meditation with the desert elders, contemplative walk, imaginative prayer, and a ritual for the senses. As always, Paintner is so adept at engaging the readers in spiritual practices.
• Jesus, Guide of My Life, Reflections for the Lenten Journey by Joyce Rupp. Such a good Lenten companion this book was. I admire how in two pages for each day, Rupp is able to impart an insight that leads to deeper reflection.

Now the Surprises!

Three of the “surprise” novels I reviewed in one of my Thursday posts already: Go As A River by Shelley Read, Happiness Falls by Angie Kim (both on March 21), and The Women by Kristin Hannah (March 28). Today’s Book Report Summary, however, allows me to recommend all three of these books again.

Three others were pleasant surprises, too.

• The Things We Didn’t Know by Elba Iris Perez. A fast read. A good read about a Puerto Rican family in the 1950s-1970s. Parts of the book are set in Puerto Rico and parts in Woronoco, Massachusetts, an enclave for Puerto Ricans who move to the mainland. Much of the book focuses on the conflict between remaining true to Puerto Rican values and assimilating into and adopting “white” values and culture.
• Fellowship Point by Alice Elliot Dark. I loved this book. I repeat, I loved this book, even though I had a hard time keeping straight in my head the title–too close to Happiness Falls, which I also read in March. The stories are in no way similar to each other, however. First of all, I loved the setting in Maine, but I loved the characters even more. Agnes Lee is a children’s book author, but also has written anonymously a series for adults. Her closest friend is Polly, whose husband,a retired philosophy professor, never gives her much credit for anything. Both women are in their 80s and have summer homes in Maine and want to make sure the area is saved as a land trust and not developed. Polly’s sons have other ideas–that’s just one of the subplots. Mainly, however, this book is rich in character development. And such good writing

Writing is waiting. That’s the whole of it. If you sit in your chair not doing anything else for long enough, the answer will come. You do have to be in your chair, though, ready to write it down.

p. 570

But there was a last time. An unforeseen and uncomforted last time. I don’t remember it. That more than anything describes aging to me–the letting go of one activity after the next, with no fanfare. Just realizing later that the last time has come and gone.

p. 117

• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I resisted this book for quite some time. A talking octopus did not appeal to me, but many whose taste I trust recommended it to me, and I was surprised by its charm. I liked the main character, Tova, an older woman who cleans the local aquarium facility every night. That’s how Marcellus the octopus becomes her friend. Her life becomes entwined with Cameron, a young man who is a lost soul, abandoned by his mother and his father, unknown. Let go of your need for plausibility, and just enjoy this tale of friendship and connection.

Neither a Surprise Nor Not Surprised

The main character in The Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner is convinced a nanny’s death was a murder, not accidental death. I was with the unfolding of the mystery till almost the end, but the last 25 pages or so felt both rushed and meandering. Kind of a mess. And the ending was both disappointing and frustrating and even immoral. Sorry, but I can’t recommend this one.

That’s it for March: 14 books. 11 fiction. 3 nonfiction.

Now it’s on to April.

An Invitation

What books read in March can you recommend? I would love to know.