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Below are the first lines of the books I finished reading in February. Only 4 books, because I had to spend time agonizing about democracy, and my work hours increased dramatically.
Book 1
Toward the end of September 1579, a letter arrived in London addressed to Queen Elizabeth I of England. Wrapped in a satin bag and fastened with a silver capsule, the letter was an object of exquisite beauty, unlike any other diplomatic correspondence the queen had ever received.
Book 2
Timeline of Key Events in US Voting History
1773 Boston Tea Party
1775 Beginning of the American Revolutionary War
1776 Declaration of Independence
…
Book 3
Part I: The Lost Twins (1968)
The morning one of the lost twins returned to Mallard, Lou LeBon ran to the diner to break the news, and even now, many years later, everyone remembers the shock of sweaty Lou pushing through the glass doors, chest heaving, neckline darkened with his own effort.
Book 4
The social worker was older than she had expected; perhaps the nameless official who arranged these matters thought that graying hair and menopausal plumpness might induce confidence in the adopted adults who came for their compulsory counseling.
The titles and authors revealed:
Book 1
The Sultan and the Queen: The Untold Story of Elizabeth and Islam. By Jerry Brotton. Published 2016. 354 pages.
This book unexpectedly contained plenty of Shakespeare. The main things I learned from this book are that 1) there was a gigantic battle called The Battle of Alcácer Quibir, and 2) if it weren’t for the poor military decisions by the overly cocky King of Portugal, we might all be speaking Portuguese today.
Book 2
Drawing the Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Voting in America, by Tommy Jenkins, illustrated by Kati Lacker. Published 2020. 190 pages. Graphic book.
I didn’t like this book. Maybe the topic does not lend itself to the graphic book genre. I wasn’t thrilled with the illustrations.
Book 3
The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett, published 2020. 352 pages.
A novel examining what makes a person herself, or himself. Which parts of oneself can one escape? The writing is excellent and the characters are memorable. I read it for book club, but then sadly was not able to attend the discussion.
Book 4
Innocent Blood, by P.D. James. Published 1980. 409 pages.
This is a story about people surrounding a singularly horrible event – the rape and murder of a child. Most of the characters are borderline sociopaths. Very good writing, with attention to detail, including descriptions of flowers. I read it for the other book club.
Valiant effort but did not finish – The Cartoon Guide to Biology. by Larry Gonick and David Wessner. 2019. 320 pages. Graphic book.
Biology, my eye. It was all chemistry. But the pouty cavewoman at the beginning of the book did warn me that biology ain’t what it used to be - biology these days doesn’t start with study of living creatures, but rather from the molecular parts that make up the living creatures. The illustrations were great, and included much personification of molecules. For a brief moment, I had an understanding of how a cell membrane is formed, but I have forgotten because, you know, world mayhem started on Feb 24th. I got about halfway through before giving up. I will remain content to be the wife and mother of biologists, without furthering my understanding of their field.
4 comments:
These first lines all had me intrigued - embarrassingly, the dates I only knew because of Hamilton. I own The Vanishing Half but haven't read it yet. I'm having a tough time reading anything dense or sophisticated right now (refer back to worrying about democracy).
I hear you on reading difficult stuff. Once you are in the mood for it, I recommend The Vanishing Half. It is dealing with identity so it has that tension.
The Vanishing Half needs to go on my list, but I don't think I could read the P.D James book due to its subject matter.
I do always appreciate your book reviews!
I knew The Vanishing Half! She's a brilliant writer, her other book was just as compelling and thoughtfully developed.
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