Reading

It probably comes as no big surprise that I like to read.  I really like to read and this spring break I had an opportunity to dig into some books.

I was going to do a mix between adult and children’s literature, but I decided that I was going to really give myself a break and just read adult books.

These all came from my mom’s collection.  She is an avid reader as well, but she likes to buy the books.  I don’t like to buy books because I only read them once.  I rarely read an adult book over…kids books I will read multiple times.

So, here are the books I read:

This is a wonderful compilation of 7 biographies of successful strong women.  I like to read about history, but sometimes a long book about one topic can get a bit tedious.  With this book you get a nice overview of the women being examined and just enough meat to satisfy the historical appetite without overdoing it.

I enjoyed the selection of women: Joan of Arc, Susanna Wesley, Hannah More, Maria Skobtsova, Corrie ten Boom, Mother Teresa, and Rosa Parks.  Some were unfamiliar to me and I enjoyed getting to know them.  While the familiar women, although I knew their story, I still gleaned much more about their personality, inner thoughts, struggles, and life outside of the moments/works they may best be known for.

 

Before I Go is based around 27 year old Daisy.  She had previously battled breast cancer a few years ago only to discover she has it again.  This time it is much more aggressive and the outlook is grim.  Daisy is married and is worried about her husband and how he might cope without her.  The book centers around the idea of how do you spend the time you have left? How do you help yourself and those you love in difficult times?

I thought it was an interesting twist to the usual love story.  It’s a nice read and although the subject matter is on death and dying the book did not seemed weighed down by the heavy subject matter.

This book is one reason why I love when mom just hands me a pile of books because she always has books I would never read or pick up on my own.  Us is one of those examples.

The book is about a middle aged couple who has been married 30 years and has a teenage son about to go off to college.  Their life seems to be going just fine in the husband’s viewpoint, but out of nowhere (he thinks) his wife asks for a divorce. 

They have a month long vacation planned with their son to tour Europe, so they agree to do that together as a family and than talk some more.  The wife is in no hurry, she still loves him, she just doesn’t want to be married to him anymore.

The book seamlessly moves between the past and the present.  The reader is taken into the memories of the husband as he is recalling the past to figure out his future and understand what’s happening in the present.

Us is funny, quirky, interesting, and has a great ending.  I really found myself enjoying the book as I got into it.  The overall theme about finding yourself and not getting lost in the roles and daily routines of life will be meaningful to many ages and stages of life.

The School of Essential Ingredients is a sweet read.  Lillian owns a restaurant and offers a year long cooking class that meets one time a month.   We watch as this group of cooking students go through a year of these cooking lessons and see how they interact and relate to each other and in their personal lives.

Each section examines one cooking student.  So throughout this whole book you are constantly switching viewpoints and never revisiting their viewpoint again.  You will only see and know about those characters through the eyes of another cooking student.

This is an interesting character driven story that does go a little overboard with food descriptions, but that is the premise of the book. 

Vanessa and her Sister is a historical fiction book about Virginia Woolf’s sister Vanessa.  As I started reading this book I was so-so about it.  I continued reading because I wanted to give it more than 10 pages.  (Although I have been known to stop books after only a few pages.  I do not believe one should suffer through a book they do not enjoy reading…unless it’s for school.  But reading for pleasure should be just that, pleasure!)

I continued reading and for some unknown reason I kept reading.  I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it, but I was drawn into the writing and the story.  I could not stop reading it even though I feel like I wanted to…does that even make sense?  So I would love for someone else to read this book and let me know your thoughts.

For me, it was neither love nor hate, but a compulsion to finish the book.  It definitely has an interesting set of characters  and happenings in the book.  I know that was a well articulated and compelling book review for you

Reading over spring break was great, but now break is over and it’s time to get back to real life where I have to go to bed at a decent hour and set an alarm.  No more reading until 12:00 and waking up at 8:00…oh well.