Eight books read in November....
The Mapmaker's Children is by Sarah McCoy and was sent to me by my epal, Leslie. The timeline alternates between 1859 New York and 2010 West Virginia; between conductors of the Underground Railroad and a 150 year old house that may have sheltered some of those escaped slaves. I like books that link different eras, especially when they are as well written as this one.
Tell Me Everything is Elizabeth Strout's latest novel featuring Olive Kitteridge. I have long been a fan of this author.
The Husbands is by Holly Gramazio, a new author for me. I just could not buy the premise of this book, an unending supply of different husbands - seemed pretty far-fetched.
The Mighty Red is Louise Erdrich's latest novel. If you want to read a really good book, read this one - or any other of this author's books. She never disappoints.
The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd is the only book of her's I had not read. And even though I have been re-reading her books, I almost didn't read this one. I didn't care about reading a book set in first century Galilee. But she is such a good writer I gave it a try and, of course, really liked it. I guess the lesson is, if the writer is good, the story, most likely, will also be good - regardless of the setting.
Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini is the last of her books at my library. If its size looks daunting, that's partly because it was large print and close to a thousand pages long. But I like all her historical novels because they are based on real people. This one, set in the years leading up to and during WWII, was especially hard to read. I will never understand how a society looked the other way while the lives of their fellow citizens were ended. This book is about the women who did what they could to help.
Rose in a Storm by Jon Katz was loaned to me by my son Preston. It tells the story of a widowed farmer, his border collie Rose, and the sheep and other animals on his farm. The story is told through the personification of Rose. I have been intrigued by border collies and the way they herd sheep most of my life. The second dog we had when my children were young was a border collie mix. And I have raised sheep, so the entire time I was reading this book I was remembering that experience and imagining where we lived at that time as the setting.
The book begins with Rose noticing a change in the weather presaging a big winter storm. It arrives - a blizzard lasting for days. I expected the storm to end at some point and even though the book wasn't a long one, I didn't see how the entire book could be about the storm. But it was until the last few pages. And it held my attention all the way through. I don't recall reading any Jon Katz books before but I really liked this one.
The Housekeepers by Alex Hay is the first book I've read by him. Set during early 1900's London Mayfair society, a housekeeper, suddenly dismissed from her position, recruits an eclectic group of women to join her seeking revenge and settling scores. Something of a fun read, but not realistic.
My favorite read this month was The Mighty Red.
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