Reading...The Shoemaker's Wife

The Shoemaker's Wife, by Adriana Trigiani...a list:

1. Italy!!!!
2. Food!! (seriously, this book should come with a warning label: do not eat while hungry)
3. Ciro
4. Turn-of-the-20th-Century New York
5. Opera

Do you like historical fiction? Read this book. Do you like an epic-style romance? Read this book. Are you willing to overlook or perhaps enjoy unrealistic coincidences that bring lovers together? Read this book. Do you enjoy detailed and lush descriptions? Read this book. Do you like books about families and family history? Read this book.

What are you waiting for?

Reading...Daughter of the Forest

It may be too soon to say this, but I think I may have found a new favorite author. I'd seen several people on other blogs mention Juliet Marillier as one of their favorite fantasy authors (most recently at The Book Smugglers) and I picked up Daughter of the Forest, first in the Sevenwaters series. And it was so, so good. It's historical fantasy, loosely based on an old fairy tale (The Six Swans) and set (very loosely) in ninth century Ireland and England. It's the story of a family torn apart by dark magic, about a cultural feud, about the whiles and whims of the fey, about brothers and sisters who will do anything for each other, and about a strong girl who sacrifices herslef in seemingly impossible ways.

So here's where I gush: the beautiful and lyrical writing was the perfect vehicle for this story and setting. It pulled me gently into the mystical forests of Ireland, and into a world that values storytelling and legends. The setting and story were magical and fairy tale-esque, but the rich characters kept the story grounded. Marillier also has a gift for writing relationships of all kinds -- friends, lovers, siblings, father-child, mentor-mentee, lord and cottager, human and nature, adversaries, and even the relationship between the earthly world and the fey. There's an interesting contrast in the book between the relationship of Sorcha and her brothers and the relationship between blood brothers Simon and Red (and, now that I think about it, the brotherly relationship between Red, Ben and John). I could picture the deep forests and lake surrounding Sevenwaters, and the gentle rolling hills and pastoral beauty of the Northern England estate. I was also impressed with the authentic conflict and tension in this book -- Marillier did not shy away from letting bad things happen on our characters' journey. There is genuine danger and grief in this story, as well as happiness and joy.

And last but not least -- the love story. Beautiful and quiet and epic and true. Here's a taste:

"...it matters not if you are here, or there, for I see you before me every moment. I see you in the light on the water, in the swaying of the young trees in thh spring wind. I see you in the shadows of the great oaks, I hear your voice in the cry of the owl at night. You are the blood in my veins, and the beating of my heart. You are my first waking thought, and my last sigh before sleeping. You are -- you are bone of my bone, and breath of my breath."

I mean. Come on. Are you swooning yet?

Bottom line: a beatiful, fairy tale fantasy.

Reading...Swimming at Night

I mentioned Swimming at Night, by Lucy Clarke last week as my book-on-deck. It was passed along to me by a friend who was college housemates with the author's husband. (I guess friend of a friend would have been a bit shorter way of saying that, no?). It's the story about two sisters, about the way our relationships influence who we are, about choices and consequences.

The book opens with older sister Katie learning of her sister Mia's apparent suicide in Bali. Mia had been on a year-long traveling adventure with her best friend Finn. Katie, struggling to cope with her grief and understand why her sister would commit suicide, decides to read Mia's travel journal and follow in her footsteps to try and figure out what happned. The book is told from both viewpoints: alternating between Mia's experiences on her trip leading up to Bali and on Katie's journey to retracer her steps. As the story unfolds, we also learn more of Mia and Katie's history, more of their relationship, and some of the defining moments that have led up to where they are now.

I really enjoyed this book. Clarke did an excellent job at unfolding the story in a backwards-forwards kind of way -- the trip part of the story was the forward motion, the "what's happening now." But at the same time, Clarke begins to reveal more about the two characters as she tells us about their past as children, teenagers, and young women, even the events that led to Mia's trip to beging with. There's a lot of misplaced guilt in this book, and a lot of this-all-could-have-been-avoided-with-some-better-communication. But, that's kind of how life is, right? Hind sight is 20-20, and all you can do is move forward, hopefully learning from the past. That's another thing I liked about the book: there's a deep sadness for things lost, but at the same time, there's healing and hope for the future.

Another highlight of the book is the secondary character of the sea. You can sense the author's own connection with the water. Living in a beach town, I've met people who "like the beach" and people for whom being near the water is as essential as breathing. The people who have saltwater running through their veins and a permanent crust of sand on their feet and who feel claustrophobic if they spend too much time land-locked. Thinking about it now, I would say that the along with the well-drawn human characters, it's pervasive presence of the sea that keeps what could be an overly-dramatic plot from being overwraught.

Bottom line:  lovely writing, a tightly plotted dramatic story, well-drawn characters, sisters and the smell of salt water.

Reading

My reading life has been funny lately. The past few weeks have been busy. Every time I think "today is the day I curl up with my book for more than my lunch break or the 15 minutes before I fall asleep" I get sidetracked or distracted by things like cleaning...cooking...laundry. Plus, there have been a lot of activities going on and I'm finding myself a bit ADD when it comes to what I'm reading. One day, I'll read book x, the next I'm reading some of book y, etc. I know a lot of people read this way regularly and on purpose, but I've not done that for a while. I think it's a response to not having as much time as I want to read. I'm trying to read ALL THE BOOKS at once. But it's making me a little crazy. I did read a Kristan Higgins book I hadn't yet: Just One of the Guys. I think it's one of her better ones, with a unique heroine, big family dynamics, small town charm, and an I'm-in-love-with-my-best-friend kind of romance -- sweet but with just the right amount of sizzle. I'm in the middle of reading The Walking, by Laleh Khadivi. It's about two Kurdish brothers from Iran, set right around the hostage crisis in 1979. So far, I'm entranced by Khadivi's beautiful writing, and her ability to tell a small part of the story of a people, through the experience of these two young men. Oh, and I just finished a non-fiction book (very rare for me, I'm not going to lie) How Israel Lost the Four Questions, by Richard Ben Cramer. Pretty interesting stuff. The author (a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist) has an easy way of presenting his points and telling the stories of the people he talked to. One benefit to reading a book written by a journalist: he's not unnecisarily wordy. Cramer comes off a little sarcastic and smug at times, but he very clearly illustrates how the conflict in Israel and Palestine is both complex and simple at the same time. And while at times he seems a little biased against Israel, it seems to me that it's because he sees a country he grew to love turning into something he doesn't recognize. It's a frustration born out of love and high expectations.

Waiting in the wings is Swimming at Night, by Lucy Clarke. I don't know much about this book, except that it's about sisters and it was written by the friend of a friend, so I'm looking forward to it.

So that's what I'm reading these days.

Reading Defending Jacob and Sixteen Brides

Defending Jacob, by William Landay is a fast-paced legal mystery. It was a book club pick, and generated quite a lively discussion about being a parent, what it means to support your children, and the classic comparison of nature versus nurture. Landay, a former attorney, is skilled at creating legal drama without letting the book get dry or heavy (fans of John Grisham would definitely enjoy this book). In addition to the tight writing, one of the book's strengths is in its narrator -- Andy is an assistant district attorney -- professional, experienced, expert. He narrates with the confidence of someone who is just giving you the facts of the story, someone who is used to being right. The thing is...Andy's pretty biased in relation to the story he's telling. You have to read between the lines to try and figure out what's going on, and even then...how sure are you? This is certainly a plot-centric book, but with well-written characters to give it more depth.

(hmmm....why is it I seem to be posting thoughts about two books at once lately. Laziness?)



 Sixteen Brides, by Stephanie Grace Whitson is a pleasant post-Civil War story about sixteen women -- mostly widows, with one divorcee -- who sign on with a company promising to help them secure land grants in the Nebraskan territories. When they find out that their guide to the territories is really trying to sell them off as brides, several of the women band together in the tiny town of Plum Grove, Nebraska to hold on to their original dream -- freedom, independence, and land of their own. Adventure, discovery, and romance ensue. I have a soft spot in my heart for Western romances -- I think it's the Missouri girl in me -- and I enjoyed meeting the residents of and newcomers to Plum Grove. I was inspired by their adventuresome spirit, by the way they fought against society's expectaions, and by the way they determined to make a life for themselves. My only complaint is that I wish Whitson had turned this into two or three books. I wanted more! The book focuses on five of the "sixteen brides," and I think the ladies got a little short-changed. There wasn't room for the kind of development the stories needed, and you ended up with a lot more "tell" than "show."

Reading On the Island and Arranged

Both of these books were light, quick, enjoyable romances. On the Island came across my desk at work and had an interesting premise, so I decided to investigate it (after all, I need to know which of my patrons to recommend it to!) so I took it home and flew through it in a weekend. Arranged caught my eye on a list of new women's fiction, it had a very intriguing premise, and it was available to check out as an ebook from my library. Since it was the premise of each book that caught my eye, here's a couple of very, very brief summaries: On the Island: a high school boy and his tutor are stranded on an uninhabited South Pacific island when their plane crashes on the way to meet the boy's family for the summer. Arranged: fresh off heartbreak, Anne Blythe (yes, named after my favorite heroine) calls what she thinks is a dating service but is actually an arranged marriage service. She's ready for marriage and burnt out on falling in love...is it worth a shot?

On the Island: I was curious if this book was going to end up being....weird and/or gross. I mean, we can see where it's going right? But kudos to Tracy Garvis Graves for taking what could have been weird and making it into a survival story with a sweet, gradual, organic-feeling romance. First off, there's never any kind of tutor/student relationship that devleops. That's the set-up, but because the plane crashes the reality is during good chunk of the book the characters are just trying to survive and holding out hope that rescue will come. They're allies and friends, and come to depend on each other in a very basic, human way. In a you're-the-only-thing-keeping-me-from-going-crazy-we're-in-this-together kind of way. Slight spoiler: and you know, after two and a half years -- especially two and a half years of basic life or death survival -- T.J. isn't a boy anymore, he's a man. I completely bought that, and Graves did a good job in that development. The love between T.J. and Anna grew very slowly, and very naturally. My biggest complaint with this book is that it felt kind of emotionally flat, almost journalistic in its tone. But on the other hand, that tone may have kept it from feeling too melodramatic. Bottom line: if you aren't squicked out by May-December romances, give this book a try.

Arranged: I'm much more conflicted about this book. I was really excited about the premise of people forgoing modern dating in search of marriage and family and relational stability. I completely agreed when the company psychologist pointed out that lasting relationships take work and commitment and friendship, and that "falling in love" can sometimes set us up for dissapointment when that early relationship-rush fades. When it comes to long-term commitment, love is a choice. (Some days it's easy and glorious and you are 100% "in" love. Some days...not so much). Plus, the main character's mom is obsessed with Anne of Green Gables (the author is Canadian, by the way), so there are a TON of AoGG references in the whole story. LOVE. (relevant digression: there's a scene at the end where not only does Jack send Anne a pink enamel heart on a gold chain , but he quotes Gilbert in Anne of the Island as he's trying to win Anne back. Sa-woon. It's impeccibly done). I liked the main characters and even the supporting characters, who were relatively minor but completely sold every scene they were in. I was rooting for the couple to fall in love and make it work. BUT...I felt like this really original premise devolved into a very predictable romance -- guy and girl meet (albeit in an unconventional way)....guy and girl fall in love...girl find out that guy made a huge mistake and was lying to her the whole time...guy is genuinely sorry and tries to make amends...etc. It's not that I haven't enjoyed books (and movies) with that plot structure in the past, it's just that I was expecting something different. Bottom line: a fantastic, Anne of Green Gables-referential romance...as long as you're okay with a slight let-down.

A list

1. Finally got around to reading Birds of a Feather, book two in the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacquelyn Winspear. I love these books. Read them if you like post-WWI fiction, classic detective mysteries, descriptive (but not flowery) writing, layered characters, strong female leads, anything English.

2. Our book club had the most interesting and lively discussion we've had in a while last night, talking about the book Defending Jacob, by William Landay. It's a mystery-thriller with a somewhat unreliable narrater, a lot of questions, and not very many answers. Two words: nature vs. nurture (is that three words?) One member called it "haunting." Everyone (except me, because I've only been able to read it on lunch breaks) read it in two days. It's compulsively readable and fast-paced.

3. It's starting to warm up outside, which means it's time for iced coffee! Mmmm...iced coffee. With lots of milk.

4. Post-vacation I'm wanting to read books about/set it the Middle East (starting with Israel) -- fiction and non-fiction. But I'm overwhlemed because I want to read ALL THE BOOKS RIGHT NOW.

5. So it's time for another season of Ultimate Frisbee Spring League. Something about playing Ultimate makes me in the mood for a beer, so Sunday I had the most healthy dinner ever: french fries, beer, chocolate chip cookies. Makes me think of high school, when I'd eat a post-volleyball dinner of a McDonald's chocolate milk shake and large fries.

6. Can you tell? French fries are my kryptonite.