Lots of Ladies

 

    My historical fiction book club is reading The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. It is a fictionalized account of the life of Dinah, daughter of Jacob and sister to the brothers that became the twelve tribes of Israel. Her story is recounted in the Bible in Genesis 34. Diamant's version is captivating as it tells the story of the Dinah's life as she lives in Canaan and Egypt and the clash of cultures and religion. Diament celebrates women, especially in their hidden lives--hidden in history and in the red tent, a women only refuge used during their period. The Red Tent is at odds with the Biblical narrative and is antagonistic to men: the good men were one-dimensional, the evil men were vile, and few men felt accurately or kindly portrayed, but it is a book centered on telling the story of women. I found it a skillfully told story with Dinah as a worthy, dynamic central character, but a book I didn't enjoy. 

    This week I spent many solo hours, 20+, driving to visit family and as I sped along I listened to The Red Tent and books three and four in the Penderwick series by Jeanne Birdsall: The Penderwicks at Point Mouette and The Penderwicks in Spring. The adventures of the Penderwick sisters made the miles fly by.  Birdsall creates characters that I rooted for as they encountered first love and new responsibility. There is a fifth book in the series that I'm on hold for and I'm so excited to read it. 

    Sometimes you need a book about children's adventures that don't involve things going horrendously wrong like the world ending, sexual exploitation, or children being murdered. The words I would use to describe these books are hopeful and kind.

Reading about the Atom Bomb, Cello Music, and Motherless Daughters: Mostly Young Adult Fiction

 

   Bomb by Steve Sheinkin was a fascinating book about making the atomic bomb. Because it tells the stories of key players, it reads like a spy novel. The events occurred mainly during World War II, but they feel pertinent to today's news. Sheinkin ends the book with this statement:

 “In the end, this is a difficult story to sum up. The making of the atomic bomb is one of history's most amazing examples of teamwork and genius and poise under pressure. But it's also the story of how humans created a weapon capable of wiping our species off the planet. It's a story with no end in sight.

And, like it or not, you're in it.”

    With Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the threat of nuclear war, it felt timely.

    Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel is a lighthearted book about two mid-life musicians at a crossroads. It has a lot to recommend: zany antics, unknown paternity of twins, country houses, Manhattan, eccentric relatives, break-ups, and get-togethers. It is a lively read that was not formulaic. Instead, it felt fresh and fun. Great for summer reading on vacation or just reading.

    I have many children in my life, and I want to be a book guru to them all. I also want to give great books for birthdays and Christmas (Are you surprised?🤓). So I'm justifying reading the Young Adult The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall. It is about a family: a father and four daughters whose mother died several years earlier of cancer. The four sisters are distinctly different, but have a cohesive, caring bond. As I was reading it, I thought it was written in the 1980s and was surprised to learn it was published in 2005. It is a quiet story of family drama--family drama to a 12, 10, 9, and 4-year-old. It reminds me of a modern-day Little Women. They are charming books, and I enjoyed reading them. I will work my way through the entire series ( I think there are five). Thank you, Libby. I understand from my good friend the internet that a movie of the series may be coming sometime in the 2020s. It is well-written and captivating, but my criticism is that it is too happy-slappy and isn't diverse. On the other hand, I think it accurately captures family life from a child's point of view.

 “A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children isn't a good children's story in the slightest.” C. S. Lewis

Trapped in History Feeling my Feelings

 

    Brené Brown is a national treasure. I find it difficult to start her books because I know I will be taking a deep look into my dark soul, but when I finish, I consistently find I've learned how to navigate me and my life a little better. 

    I listened to the audiobook read by Brené Brown and now we are close, personal friends. She has an engaging, warm way of speaking. While reading, she would stop and say let me repeat that vital idea or quote just for you, listener. I may end up buying this book. I try to be selective on books I allow into my house because when they unbury me from the book avalanche that will probably end my life, I want them to be impressed with my book choices! 🤓 What moves me to purchase Atlas of the Heart is she refers to many charts and illustrations that I can't access because I borrowed, not purchased the audiobook. Bummer. The information on emotions is worth a second or third read. Brown also has a series called Atlas of the Heart on HBOmax.  

   Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi is the May book choice for my historical fiction book club. I read it many years ago and like it, but I didn't enjoy re-reading it. It is a heavily plot-driven book with many surprising twists, but if you already know the twists, it becomes a slow-moving descriptive book about 14th-century Britain being icky and oppressive. I would recommend it for middle school grades. 

    Some books aimed at younger readers are excellent at any age, for example, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I love that book.

 

    Master and God by Lindsey Davis is also historical fiction. I have read and recommended Lindsey Davis's historical mystery series set in Ancient Rome (Marcus Didius Falco and Flavia Albia). Even though this isn't a mystery, it is a suspenseful novel revolving around first century Emporer Domitian. Davis creates the flavor and setting of Rome. The two main characters are a Praetorian guard and an imperial hairdresser who are navigating dangerous times under a tyrant. I was sad when it was over.

Hot Summers and Baptism

 

I have read several books by Rebecca Serle. One Italian Summer, like  In Five Years and The Dinner List involves time and magical realism. Her plots are exciting, and she usually has a moral to what she writes: appreciate what you have, live your life for yourself, and people are complex, so don't judge others. It feels there isn't room for another point of view besides hers, but she does write transfixing, steamy stories. I don't regret reading them, but I also don't seek them out unless someone recommends them. One Italian summer made me want to go to Positano, Italy, because of Serle's lush descriptions of the sun, beaches, and food. Yes, please!

I love Maggie O'Farrell's books, and I've read many of them: Hamnet; I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death, This Must Be the Place, The Hand That First Held Mine. This week I read Instructions for a Heatwave. I hesitate when I start a Maggie O'Farrell book because her writing is piercing in its understanding of humans. Instructions for a Heatwave is historical fiction about an Irish family living in London during a famous heatwave. 

1976_British_Isles_heat_wave 

It is so hot it makes people do crazy things. The story moves between family members who are quirky, hot, and trying to figure out what to do when their husband/father disappears. It pulls the mother, the two oldest siblings, and the self-exiled baby of the family together to solve the mystery of their missing father's past. Secrets boil out, old wounds are enflamed, and tempers flare. It's a terrific read.

   I'm in a theological book club, and this was the book for April. The most valuable part of reading this book was discussing it with my Dear Husband. I didn't change my position (I'm Presbyterian in my beliefs, and we practice infant baptism). Still, it did sharpen my understanding of why I hold to it and what other denominations believe. I didn't feel that the book was coherent or easily readable. Perhaps it was intended for academics, but I think it would have done better to aim at interested lay readers. I don't recommend it.