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| This is false advertising: this is NOT my stack of books. The finger puppets, however, are mine. The only one of these books I have read is Persepolis. |
February was a month of mostly light reading. Even though this particular February had a whole additional day added to it, I managed to finish just four books. I had a ridiculous amount of other tasks on my plate.
Book 1
“We’re white!” my three-year-old son yelled from the back seat before pausing to shout, “And blue!”
Book 2
Eleanor Roosevelt never wanted to be a president’s wife.
Book 3
Omertà, and Fascinators
Even if she had not been an anthropologist, Domenica Macdonald would have understood the very particular significance of weddings.
Book 4
The Riding Ring
Perveen Mistry sighed, adjusting her hat on her sweating brow. It was six-thirty in the morning and already eighty-two degrees.
Did not finish
When I sat down to write this book, I imagined it would be a history of Russia under Vladimir Putin, detailing the changes that have taken place in the mind-set and the worldview of the man himself and his inner circle: how it all began, and where it has all led. As the book progressed, I came to realize that the participants in the events described did not fully remember what had actually happened.
The titles and authors revealed:
Book 1
The Color of Life: A Journey Toward Love and Racial Justice, by Cara Meredith. Cara Meredith. 240 pages • first pub 2019
At first I felt the author was so enthusiastic and giddy that I would not finish the book. But then it got more serious, with the examination of what it means to be a white mother of mixed-race children. I read it for a community church discussion in March.
Book 2
Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery, by Russell Freedman. Published 1993. 187 pages. Newbery Medal.
It’s a book aimed at ages 9-12, but it addresses some (but not all of the possible) adult themes – the marital situation of the Roosevelts, including the affair FDR had with Lucy Mercer. It’s well written, and has interesting photos. I read it for book club.
Eleanor Roosevelt traveled to so many places, to report back to her husband the Governor or the President, that she was nicknamed “Eleanor Everywhere.” She did not have a particularly happy home life, neither during her childhood nor her adulthood. But she did fulfill her sense of purpose. After WW II she worked hard in the UN and was responsible for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
Book 3
Sunshine on Scotland Street (44 Scotland Street Series #8), by Alexander McCall Smith. 297 pages. Published 2012.
An enjoyable and amusing tale which includes a dog, a wedding, a doppelganger, and a holey kilt.
For those who are wondering, a 'fascinator' is “a particular style of ladies hat that serves no practical function and is intended only to be decorative,” according to Professor Google.
See more info and photos here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascinator
Book 4
The Satapur Moonstone, by Sujata Massey. Published 2019. 340 pages.
Second in the mystery series starring a woman lawyer in 1920s India. Includes lots of horseback riding through the forest. A well-spun tale.
Did not finish
All the Kremlin’s Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin, by Mikhail Zygar. Published 2016. 396 pages. “Translated from Russian; no information is available about the translator.”
It turns out I could not bear to read about this topic right now.
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I would love to hear about what you are reading these days.
3 comments:
I'm a huge Sujata Massey fan and cannot wait to meet her in April when I go to Malice Domestic in Bethesda, MD! I always enjoy both the story and the education I get from her books.
This month has involved some heavy reading for me, so like you, not as many titles under my belt.
So cool that you are going to meet the author!
I have not read any of these, although I keep meaning to read Alexander McCall Smith. Someone gave me three of the Precious Ramotswe books but not the first, so I keep waiting, which is dumb.
I read a Newbery Award book about Abraham Lincoln that I really liked - sometimes history books simplified for a younger audience are really appealing.
Thank you so much for the recent blog comments, and I really hope your annoying telephone calls/medical situation is resolved well and soon. Or maybe consider beating some of the relevant parties with a pool noodle :)
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