June Reading List

Six books read in June - four from my stash of old books and two downloaded to my iPad, the first from Bridges through the library.

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh was one of the books through Bridges. This is a new author for me and this was her debut book. I really like psychological thrillers and this one had a twist I never saw coming. Mackintosh was a twelve-year police force veteran. I believe that shows in her writing. She goes on my list of favorite authors.

These are the four books of mine. They are stacked in order of size, just the opposite of the order in which I read them.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow is the book son Douglas sent me for Mother's Day. I don't know where he heard of it nor why he decided his Mom would like it, but like it I did - loved it in fact. Everything about this book is lush, the story, the descriptions, the paper it is printed on, even the cover feels like suede.
Here are a few lines of the book: "Well. Now at least you can look clear-eyed into your own future, and choose: stay safe and sane at home --
Or run away with me toward the glimmering, mad horizon Dance through this eternal green orchard, where ten thousand worlds hang ripe and red for the plucking; wander with me between the trees, tending them, clearing away the weeds, letting in the air.
Opening the doors."
I'm looking forward to reading Ms. Harrow's next book, The Once And Future Witches.

The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller - who doesn't remember the sensation this book became? Besides being on the NYT bestseller list for more than 160 weeks, it also brought Oprah to Winterset to telecast her show live from the Cedar Bridge, as well as untold thousands of tourists wanting to see the bridges for themselves.
I first became a fan of Waller's through his essays, the first of which was published in the DM Register and covered his canoe trip down the Shell Rock River from it's source near Albert Lea, MN to its end where it flows into the Cedar River near Waller's home in Cedar Falls. His essays were pure prose; magic - to use the word he used a lot.
I owned most of Waller's books at one time, they are probably in one of the other boxes of books in the garage. None of his later novels achieved the success of Bridges, but they were good.
His first wife, Georgia, was a ceramic artist. When we lived in West Des Moines, there was an annual juried art show on Fifth Street. Georgia was one of the artists displaying and selling her pottery. I became quite starstruck when I saw Robert sitting in her booth. I dithered for awhile about going home and getting my books and asking him to autograph them, finally deciding to leave the man alone - it was Georgia's day, not his. (I also remember realizing he was wearing foundation makeup which I found somewhat disconcerting.)
In 1995 the movie version of Waller's book came out, which I really liked, aided perhaps because it starred two of my favorites, Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. There had been a big search in Madison County to discover the perfect location for Francesca's farm house. When the location was finally chosen and a picture published of the house, I was surprised to realize it was a house I had once coveted. Back in the day when I was looking for a place to rent in the country, I saw this empty deserted farmstead, but when I asked about it, I was told it had been empty for some time and that the owners "would never rent it to anyone". I guess a movie production company had never made an offer before. 😏
Waller's book was a huge mainstream success, though not quite as critically acclaimed. I know when I bought and read the book in the early 90's, I was as captivated as millions of others. Rereading it with a more literary, less emotional, point of view, it does not hold up as classic literature.

Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson is a book that does hold up as a classic. I've read it at least twice and blogged about it more than once. My friend Ellen gave me this book three or four years ago. It's near impossible to be grateful for Covid-19, but the closing of my library has *made* me do what I always planned to do - revisit my own 'stash'.
Just as with 'Bridges', I reread Ramona with more of a literary eye. Oh, my goodness, what an astounding author Helen Hunt Jackson was. I have tried reading 19th Century novels before and found them too archaic*. I am so happy to have finally reread this novel. At times I found it hard to believe the book was first published in 1884. (This version was printed in 1970.) It is really relevant to the inequality issues and disenfranchisement marches of today. That has to be the definition of a timeless novel. Not to mention Jackson's prose, the artisic mastery of her painting of pictures with words. If I could time travel, Helen Hunt Jackson is a woman I would love to become acquainted with.

Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher is a novel set in the years leading up to and during WWII. The main character joins the WRNS (Women's Royal Navy Service) after the RAF pilot she was in love with is killed in the Battle of Britain over Dover and the English Channel. Pilcher, then Rosamunde Scott, served with the WRNS from 1943 to 1946. I'm sure she drew upon her own experiences while writing this book which is nearly 1,000 pages in length. Pilcher really brings her characters to life. I felt like I knew each and every one as well as their environs. Often when a book is well populated it is hard to keep all the names straight, not so in Pilcher's books.
I used to attend a book club at the library in my home town. One of the librarians facilitated the monthly meetings. We generally just reported what we were reading and why we did or didn't like the book. I remember the coordinator saying she couldn't stand books with "all those descriptions". She "just wanted the story". For me so much the pleasure of reading is the prose of description. Like this passage: "There were foxgloves too, in profusion, and pale-pink mallow, and tangles of wild honeysuckle, all the way up the lane, and the dark granite of rock wore velvety patches of saffron-colored lichen." Can't you just picture that lane?
Coming Home won the Romantic Novel of the Year award in 1995. It was her longest novel and is described as her most autobiographical novel. Our library has reopened and I think I'm going there to load up on enough books to get me through July including Pilcher's Shell Seekers. Really hot weather is almost as good as really cold when it comes to reading.

Sarah and the Dragons by Michael R. Stern is the book I ordered online and had delivered to my iPad. Michael is an author I am friends with on Facebook. I began seeing his FB posts because he is an author friend of my author brother, Les Lynam. I had previously read Mr. Stern's book Reflections On A Generous Generation. And just as I had an erroneous preconception about that book, I did the same for this one. I thought it was a picture book for young readers. And while it is listed as a science fiction and fantasy book for children and there are many wonderful illustrations by Mary Ryan Reeves, it is a book for all ages.
When Sarah is lost during a storm, two friendly dragons rescue her and bring her safely home. Trevor and Sebastian become her friends and she goes to visit their home on Dragon Island where she learns a lesson about how to treat others who are different from us. "Kindness is important."
Dragons are meant to be magic and there is magic in this story. And a whole lot of magic in Mr. Stern's pen.

It felt good to be back to the library today for the first time since March. Six books came home with me, so you know how I'll be spending these hot, humid days of July. 😎

(*Specifically an old book my Grandma Bessie gave me many years ago.)