The Dry Grass of August
by Anna Jean Mayhew
Truth (12/13/2011)
This novel could have been a true story of a family, so accurate in it's depiction of segregation and the dysfunction of families trying to control lives and profits.
It is a well written reflection of the 1950's south; ugly prejudices woven into a series of true events which remind us of the injustices of the past.
The issues are important and this novel is a good reminder to remember the times and continue the work of valuing the lives of everyone.
The Homecoming of Samuel Lake: A Novel
by Jenny Wingfield
You Can't Go Home Again (7/17/2011)
"The Homecoming of Samuel Lake" is a well told family tale with characters I came to care about; what will happen to each of them?; how will their individual lives impact the other family members?
Tom Wolfe once stated "You can't go home again," and while this is not true literally, it is true in the sense that things will not be the same.
In this "homecoming" nothing stays the same, but is ever changing. I enjoyed reading the changes which made the book interesting and engaging.
Friendship Bread: A Novel
by Darien Gee
Friendship Bread Rises to the Occasion (3/9/2011)
Delightful glimpse into the families in a small town, and how the introduction of Friendship Bread impacts their lives Whether it is the person making the bread or receiving the bread, their lives are altered and the small town ultimately makes their town rather famous!
This book is a wonderful intertwining of lives, that charmed me into finding out how each family is impacted by their taste of Friendship Bread. I loved reading this book--a light sweet "cake" of a book that I will share with friends and neighbors.
The Philosophical Breakfast Club: Four Remarkable Friends Who Transformed Science and Changed the World
by Laura J. Snyder
Philosophers Who Would be Scientists (1/25/2011)
"The Philosophical Breakfast Club," is a stretch for a title in my estimation. While the four philosophers/scientists do have breakfast together early in their academic lives, their connection is more scientific in that they encourage each others efforts in their areas of expertise for more than 50 years. More importantly their thinking and leadership set the stage for the development of 19th Century scientific thought that had previously been promoted as philosophical thought.
The book covers far more than the four friends who are connected through their activities. It extends to the influence they had in the scientific methods that have become standard even in today's world.
Be ready for a long dense read that includes many of the philosophers and scientists of the 19th Century.
Interesting read, though I felt at times that I was back in school reading a textbook.
The Discovery of Jeanne Baret: A Story of Science, the High Seas, and the First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe
by Glynis Ridley
Masquerade on the High Seas (1/22/2011)
I was hoping that this would be a first person historical novel, but was delighted to find that the third person historic revelations were fascinating and led to a more thorough expose' of the connections to the explorers and their travels and travails.
Jeanne Baret's disguise as a boy allows her to be an assistant to a botanist. In this role she collects and classifies plants a t a time when the system of classification was emerging.
This is a well researched account of the voyage and discoveries that occurred, told in a way that captures the reader.
Raising Wrecker: A Novel
by Summer Wood
Wrecker the Transformer and Transformed (11/4/2010)
With the number of children in the social services system today, this portrayal of the life of "Wrecker" is an important read.
Wrecker fell in with relations who were all trying to solve the problems in their own lives, fairs better than many of the children who find themselves moving from one family to another. Not only does Wrecker gain from his placement with family, he transforms the lives of those around him, with choices made because of him, and in spite of him.
This is a poignant account of a family of survivors woven together with love and care.
I loved reading this book and the hope it has for surviving difficult experiences.
The True Memoirs of Little K: A Novel
by Adrienne Sharp
War and Peace (9/13/2010)
If you have read "War and Peace", you have read the prologue to "Little K's" memoir.
I found this memoir filled with details of the opulent era of the Russian Imperial Ballet, fascinating. Following her life as a dancer and as the mistress of Tsar Nikolai Romanov, was engaging and filled with intrigue.
Ms. Sharp brings to life "Little K" who escapes the chaos of the uprising of the Bolsheviks and finds her way to Paris where the glories and tragedies of a century of Russian Ballet and Russian history become the beginnings of the Paris Ballet. While this not an easy "read" (it is filled with the names of royalty on and off the stage) it brings to life the tremendous swing in the life of the Russian people and the movement of the center of the ballet world. I found the story engaging, and filled with descriptions of the best of times, and the worst of times in Russian history.
An Eagle Named Freedom: My True Story of a Remarkable Friendship
by Jeff Guidry
Shared Recovery (4/29/2010)
For anyone who has seen an eagle soar, the unfolding of the friendship of this elegant bird with the author is thrilling. For anyone who hasn't had the joy of seeing the mature bald eagle with its crown of white, this is a touching introduction.
The story of Freedom's recovery from injuries and the development of a friendship with the author is a thrilling story. The role of Freedom in the recovery of the author's cancer is remarkable and moving.
Daughters of the Witching Hill: A Novel
by Mary Sharratt
Good and Evil (3/7/2010)
"Daughters of the Witching Hill" is a historical novel that brings life to the seven women and two men who are accused of witchcraft. The stories are brought to life by Mother Demdike (Bess Southerns) and her granddaughter, Alizon. Mother Demdike sets the stage for understanding the world of Catholic folk magic in the time of the Reformation. Alizon continues the narration, giving life to each of the men and women who grapple with the world they are drawn into by the daily life, poverty, illness and imposed religion of the Reformation.
Each character is thoughtfully developed, exploring their fears and everyday trials. We come to admire and have compassion for the lives of these men and women and the decisions they make to help those who need it and hinder those who are bent on ill-will.
Fittingly, Mother Demdike add the coda to the resolution of the witch trials that ensue, Ann reminds the world that they will endure and remain a part of the lore of this time in history.
Arcadia Falls
by Carol Goodman
Fairy Tales Can Come True (12/21/2009)
Reading Arcadia Falls was consuming and rewarding, reminiscent of the magic and witchery in the novels of Alice Hoffman.
In Goodman's latest novel, she deftly weaves a fairy tale into the story of the founders of a school in Arcadia Falls, and the current population at the school.
The fairy tale is also the link between mother and daughter as they become teacher and student at the school. The parallels between the past and present events, leads the reader through the traditional celebrations that are central to the unfolding of the past and present lives.
Goodman's ability to draw the reader into the understanding of the fairy tale as a part of the past, and its relationship to the present, speaks to her gift of story-telling.
I am a member of Bella Voce, a local book club recently instituted in the Portland, OR. Metropolitan Area. (BellaVoce.com)
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