What I'm Reading: "March"

As someone who loved Little Women and spent a short time in her early life wishing she could be Jo March, even for just one day - I was excited to finally read March by Geraldine Brooks. (Yes, I know it  won the Pulitzer Prize way back in 2006, but if you could see my TBR list, you would understand why it took me so long to get around to this)

March follows the father of the "Little Women" during the time he is absent from the original classic tale. It brings to life the previously untold story of his service as a chaplain in the Union army, as well as the back story of how he and Marmee met and fell in love. 

I feel that it's an interesting story. Good, but not great. It took me a while to get into the story as well as the characters. Papa March and Marmee are not exactly the kindly, understanding, loving characters we know from Little Women.  Mr. March is a bit self-centered for my taste.  But that very flaw is a big part of what drives his actions and the plot. My feelings about this book swung wildly from frustration to being completely enthralled.

March is also not an easy read.  Ms. Brooks doesn't paint a sugar-coated picture about the horrors of war, battlefield hospitals, or slavery. If you are sensitive to violence or brutality, you may want to give it a pass.

If you are looking for another Little Women, this isn't it.  If you are looking for a well-written alternate story to that childhood classic - pick up a copy of March.

⭐⭐⭐

What I'm Reading Wednesday: The Children's Blizzard

 Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres.  I would even go so far as to say it is my absolute favorite.  I enjoy seeing history come to life in a work of fiction.  And I love it, even more, when a novel introduces me to a historical event that I knew little to nothing about before I opened the novel.  This was the case with The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin.  

"The New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator's Wife reveals a little-known story of courage on the prairie: the freak blizzard that struck the Great Plains, threatening the lives of hundreds of immigrant homesteaders--especially their children.

The morning of January 12, 1888, was unusually mild, following a long cold spell, warm enough for the homesteaders of the Dakota territory to venture out again, and for their children to return to school without their heavy coats--leaving them unprepared when disaster struck. At just the hour when most prairie schools were letting out for the day, a terrifying, fast-moving blizzard struck without warning. Schoolteachers as young as sixteen were suddenly faced with life and death decisions: keep the children inside, risk freezing to death when fuel ran out, or send them home, praying they wouldn't get lost in the storm?

Based on actual oral histories of survivors, the novel follows the stories of Raina and Gerda Olsen, two sisters, both schoolteachers--one who becomes a hero of the storm, and one who finds herself ostracized in the aftermath. It's also the story of Anette Pedersen, a servant girl whose miraculous survival serves as a turning point in her life and touches the heart of Gavin Woodson, a newspaperman seeking redemption. It is Woodson and others like him who wrote the embellished news stories that lured immigrants across the sea to settle a pitiless land. Boosters needed immigrants to settle territories into states, and they didn't care what lies they told them to get them there--or whose land it originally was.

At its heart, this is a story of courage, of children forced to grow up too soon, tied to the land because of their parents' choices. It is a story of love taking root in the hard prairie ground, and of families being torn asunder by a ferocious storm that is little remembered today--because so many of its victims were immigrants to this country."  (synopsis courtesy Goodreads.com )

The Children's Blizzard, or Schoolhouse Blizzard, hit the Great Plains on January 12, 1888.  The days preceding had been brutally cold, but this morning dawned pleasant and mild.  As a result, many left their homes without their usual heavy winter clothing and coats - leaving them unprepared for the storm that would unexpectantly arrive during the late afternoon.  The blizzard suddenly began just as children were being released from school for the day.  Teachers (many of them still teenagers themselves) faced the life or death decision of whether to send out into the storm or try to wait it out in school houses ill-prepared to provide shelter through such a vicious storm.  Hundreds were caught out in the storm. It is a riveting and tragic story.  

Unfortunately, I found many of the main characters lacking in dimension and unlikable.  While well written, the story drags in several places, especially when focusing on the non-relevant personal dramas of the characters rather than the storm and its aftermath.  However, if you press through those portions of the novel, it is an interesting - although sad - story.

⭐⭐⭐

What I'm Reading Wednesday: The Quiet Girl

Have you ever read a book that was just completely messed up and insane - but in all the right ways?  For me, that book was The Quiet Girl by S. F. Kosa.

"When Alex arrives in Provincetown to patch things up with his new wife, he finds an empty wine glass in the sink, her wedding ring on the desk, and a string of questions in her wake. The police believe that Alex's wife simply left, his marriage crumbling before it truly began. But what Alex finds in their empty cottage points him toward a different reality:

His wife has always carried a secret. And now she's disappeared.

In his hunt for the truth, Alex comes across Layla, a young woman with information to share, who may hold the key to everything his wife has kept hidden. A girl without a clear recollection of her own past. A strange, quiet girl whose memories may break them all.

To find his wife, Alex must face what Layla has forgotten. And the consequences are anything but quiet." (description via GoodReads.com)

A lot was going on in this novel.  I mean, a lot!  For the first third of the book or so, I couldn't figure out what was going on.  OK, that's not true.  I knew exactly what was going on.  I just couldn't figure out how the two narratives were related.  Once that was cleared up,  I still found myself thinking "Wait... WHAT is going on here??" every few pages.  

I could have done without the entire portion involving Alex's work and the drama going on there.  I'm not sure what the point was or how it added to the story in any way.  For me, it just added a lot of unnecessary extra goings-on that distracted me from the main storyline and could have been left out.  

All in all,  there was plenty of suspense and twists to keep me guessing right up until the very end. Another case of "stayed up too late to finish this book". 

What I'm Reading Wednesday: The Plot

I have read a lot of good books this year.  I guess perhaps a year of quarantine was good for authors and for getting the creative juices flowing.  But, I am going to say that in my opinion, The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz is one of the best of the entire bunch.  

"Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist with a respectably published first book. Today, he's teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what's left of his self-respect; he hasn't written--let alone published--anything decent in years. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn't need Jake's help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as typical amateur narcissism. But then... he hears the plot.

Jake returns to the downward trajectory of his own career and braces himself for the supernova publication of Evan Parker's first novel: but it never comes. When he discovers that his former student has died, presumably without ever completing his book, Jake does what any self-respecting writer would do with a story like that--a story that absolutely needs to be told.

In a few short years, all of Evan Parker's predictions have come true, but Jake is the author enjoying the wave. He is wealthy, famous, praised, and read all over the world. But at the height of his glorious new life, an e-mail arrives, the first salvo in a terrifying, anonymous campaign: You are a thief, it says.

As Jake struggles to understand his antagonist and hide the truth from his readers and his publishers, he begins to learn more about his late student, and what he discovers both amazes and terrifies him. Who was Evan Parker, and how did he get the idea for his "sure thing" of a novel? What is the real story behind the plot, and who stole it from whom?" (description via goodreads.com)

I enjoyed this novel so much!!  

It was unique and refreshing.  It brought up a lot of thoughtful internal debates with myself about intellectual property, the theft of ideas, and plagiarism.  I loved the characters.  And maybe I also sort of hated them.  But those are some of my favorite kinds of characters, the ones you love and hate all at the same time. 

Maybe I was slow to get on the train, but I did NOT see the twist coming in this one.  Which, usually I have at least some sort of an idea or at least a guess.

This story kept me awake late into the night while reading it.  And stayed in my thoughts for days after.  I still find myself thinking about parts of it.  I am quick to name it if anyone is brave enough to ask me for a book recommendation.  And it has me adding more of the author's works to my To Be Read list.

What I'm Reading Wednesday: We Begin at the End

If you're looking for a feel-good, happy ending sort of book, We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker isn't it.  However, if you're in the mood for a novel filled to the brim with loss, remorse, revenge, redemption, and love -  then you've found it!

"Walk has never left the coastal California town where he grew up. He may have become the chief of police, but he’s still trying to heal the old wound of having given the testimony that sent his best friend, Vincent King, to prison decades before. Now, thirty years later, Vincent is being released.

Duchess is a thirteen-year-old self-proclaimed outlaw. Her mother, Star, grew up with Walk and Vincent. Walk is in overdrive trying to protect them, but Vincent and Star seem bent on sliding deeper into self-destruction. Star always burned bright, but recently that light has dimmed, leaving Duchess to parent not only her mother but her five-year-old brother. At school the other kids make fun of Duchess—her clothes are torn, her hair a mess. But let them throw their sticks because she’ll throw stones. Rules are for other people. She’s just trying to survive and keep her family together.

A fortysomething-year-old sheriff and a thirteen-year-old girl may not seem to have a lot in common. But they both have come to expect that people will disappoint you, loved ones will leave you, and if you open your heart it will be broken. So when trouble arrives with Vincent King, Walk and Duchess find they will be unable to do anything but usher it in, arms wide closed"  (synopsis via Goodreads.com)

I'm still not sure how I felt about this book.  It was an intricate and compelling story.  But, it is also incredibly sad. 

There were many characters, and sometimes it could feel like a bit much to keep them all straight and figure out what was going on with who and what part they might be playing in the main storyline.  Duchess is a 13-year-old girl, forced to grow up and take on far too much responsibility at a very early age, leaving her angry and closed off from others. Her mother, Star, is a woman lost and unable to take care of herself or her two children.  Walk is the chief of police who seems bound and determined to take care of everyone except himself.  Vincent is constantly going to extraordinary lengths to punish himself for a horrible mistake from his youth.  And that's just a few of the players in this tragic tale.

This novel had my emotions in a twist.  I was as angry as Duchess as I read one page, and then as full of hope as Walk on the next.  And sometimes I was just confused. 

Although it starts slow, and a more than a bit confusing at times - once it starts rolling, it's a novel well worth the time. 

What I'm Reading Wednesday: The Nature of Fragile Things

I featured this book last Wednesday on my Instagram, but I didn't get around to writing a blog post for it, so... here ya go!:  The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner 

Sophie Whalen is a young Irish immigrant so desperate to get out of a New York tenement that she answers a mail-order bride ad and agrees to marry a man she knows nothing about. San Francisco widower Martin Hocking proves to be as aloof as he is mesmerizingly handsome. Sophie quickly develops a deep affection for Kat, Martin's silent five-year-old daughter, but Martin's odd behavior leaves her with the uneasy feeling that something about her newfound situation isn't right.

Then one early-spring evening, a stranger at the door sets in motion a transforming chain of events. Sophie discovers hidden ties to two other women. The first, pretty and pregnant, is standing on her doorstep. The second is hundreds of miles away in the American Southwest, grieving the loss of everything she once loved.  

The fates of these three women intertwine on the eve of the devastating earthquake, thrusting them onto a perilous journey that will test their resiliency and resolve and, ultimately, their belief that love can overcome fear. (Description courtesy GoodReads)

This was a good story. Well written. Set against an interesting historical event.  I know that so many people really love this book.  And while I enjoyed it, overall it fell a little flat for me.  My problem is that I can't quite put my finger on why exactly that is the case. With the exception of Sophie, none of the other characters ever really came to life in my imagination, feeling more like bland stereotypical background characters.  Perhaps it's because I was hoping for more from the scenes involving the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and it's aftermath.  Maybe I just wasn't in the right headspace to fully enjoy the novel.  (shrug)

Please, don't get me wrong... It's a very good novel.  A nice distraction. And I don't regret reading it.  But, it just fell a little short of expectations for me.  

What I'm Reading Wednesday: When the Stars Go Dark

 Honestly, if you asked me - I would probably say that I don't care for thrillers.  Yet, I always read a few each year and almost always end up enjoying them.  So... take that for what it is.   One fine example of this is my most recent read:  When The Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain.  

Anna Hart is a missing persons detective in San Francisco. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns a local teenage girl has gone missing. The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna's childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever.

As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in.

Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives--and our faith in one another. (Description from GoodReads)

I have very much enjoyed Paula McLain's novels of historical fiction that I read but was a little hesitant to read this mystery/suspense novel. 

After personal tragedy shakes up the life of Anna Hart, a detective who specializes in finding missing children,  she flees to the small town where she found comfort from her troubled childhood with her loving and supportive (and now deceased) foster parents.  When she arrives, she finds that a young girl has recently disappeared and quickly becomes tangled up in the investigation.

When the Stars Go Dark expertly combines the fictional tale of the search for a missing girl in northern California with references to real-life missing person cases from the same time period, such as the disappearance of Polly Klaas.

I founded the story a little slow to start.  It took me a while to get through about the first third of the book.  But once it got rolling, I didn't want to put it down.

My one warning about this book is that if you are sensitive to books that contain child abuse/neglect, murder and/or violence, or sexual assault - give this one a pass.  

What I'm Reading Wednesday: Hour of the Witch

I've been a fan of Chris Bohjalian for years. My favorites among his works include Midwives  (which was my introduction to this author),  The Sandcastle Girls, and The Night Strangers. So, when I saw that he was releasing a new novel of historical fiction, I couldn't wait to read it! 

Boston, 1662. Mary Deerfield is twenty-four years old. Her skin is porcelain, her eyes delft blue, and in England, she might have had many suitors. But here in the New World, amid this community of saints, Mary is the second wife of Thomas Deerfield, a man as cruel as he is powerful. When Thomas, prone to drunken rage, drives a three-tined fork into the back of Mary's hand, she resolves that she must divorce him to save her life. But in a world where every neighbor is watching for signs of the devil, a woman like Mary--a woman who harbors secret desires and finds it difficult to tolerate the brazen hypocrisy of so many men in the colony--soon finds herself the object of suspicion and rumor. When tainted objects are discovered buried in Mary's garden, when a boy she has treated with herbs and simples dies, and when their servant girl runs screaming in fright from her home, Mary must fight to not only escape her marriage but also the gallows. A twisting tightly plotted thriller from one of our greatest storytellers, Hour of the Witch is a timely and terrifying novel of socially sanctioned brutality and the original American witch hunt. (description  via GoodReads )

Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian | Goodreads

After the first part of the book seemed to really drag, I found myself wondering if I was going to be disappointed in this novel.  Fortunately, it started picking up after that; and eventually led to a few nights of staying up too late reading to see what would happen next.  Even thought I sort of figured out what might be going on behind the scenes, there were plenty of  twists and turns that kept me guessing The ending was something less than I had hoped for, it felt a little too convenient - but that didn't distract from my overall enjoyment of the story. 

What are you reading this week?

What I'm Reading Wednesday: Transforming Your Thought Life

If I had to guess, I would think that most (all?) of us probably feel overwhelmed by negative thoughts from time to time.  Guilt, anxiety, fear, guilt, regret, anger... the list goes on and on.  What's a person to do?

Perhaps the answer can be found in the book I  finished reading this week:  Transforming Your Thought Life: Christian Meditation In Focus by Sarah Geringer. 

Thousands of thoughts fly through our minds every day, many of them negative. And Satan knows how susceptible we are to these negative thoughts that leave us frustrated and feeling defeated. However, the time-honored practice of Christian meditation can help us find victory in these spiritual battles.

Transforming Your Thought Life offers guided meditations and personal examples that will help you train your mind to stay grounded in God’s Word. Each chapter examines a particular kind of negative thought pattern and provides key Bible verses and prayers for standing strong against it. Day by day, as you hide God’s Word in your heart and mind, you will move closer to the heart and mind of God. (Description via Goodreads.com)

I've spoken before about how as we have repeated thoughts, it creates and strengthens neural connections in the brain, making it easier and easier to have those thoughts in the future. (See HERE) The Bible says much the same thing in Romans 12:2 when it tells us to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind".

In Transforming Your Thought Life, Ms. Geringer divides many common types of negative thought into individual chapters and discusses ways to meditate on the truths found in Scripture in order to transform our mind - spiritually and physiologically. Along with practical tips, advice, and personal stories - She also provides a list of passages from Scripture which relate to each topic that can then be used to meditate throughout your day. 

Whether you choose to read the entire text or select chapters relating to which negative thoughts you are struggling with, this book is a good read for the Christian wanting to overcome negative thought patterns.

What are you reading this week?  

What I'm Reading Wednesday: The Lost Apothecary

At the end of last week I was able to pickup two books I had on hold at the library.  The timing was perfect because I had just finished The Four Winds.  And I was excited to get these books, since they were two I expected to be waiting on for a while!

This week I am reading The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner.

A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them—setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.  Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.

One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose—selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.

In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive . (Description from Goodreads.com)

This is the debut novel by Ms Penner.  

I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, and so far this novel is no exception. I usually know I've picked a winner when I find myself wanting to learn more about the historical period, events, or people referenced in the story.  I'm only about a third of the way into The Lost Apothecary, and I've already googled about a dozen things I wanted to know more about! That's a good sign.

The story switches back and forth between 1790s London to the current day.  I know some people don't care for multiple points of view, but in most cases it doesn't bother me. Especially since the narratives are divided by chapter.

What are you reading this week?

What I'm Reading Wednesday: The Four Winds

 A couple of weeks ago, I started doing "What I'm Reading Wednesdays" on my Instagram.  I had originally planned it as a new feature for the blog, but, well - what can I say? - I'm a little slow to get that ball rolling.  But its time has finally arrived! 

This week I'm reading The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah.  

Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance.

In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinelli—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.  (Description from Goodreads.com)

I have previously read The Nightingale, Winter Garden, and The Great Alone by the same author and enjoyed each one.  Ms. Hannah has become one of the authors that I want to auto-add to my 'To Be Read' list as soon as I see that she has a new book being published.

Ms. Hannah writes beautiful stories- especially her historical fiction.  They are meticulously researched, and she creates characters that you learn to love (or admire, or hate) So far, this book is just as wonderful as the others I have read.  I hope it continues to live up to my expectations. 

I saw a few reviews that took issue with how sad the story is and how much tragedy the main character must endure.  The timeline for this novel is the Great Depression!  Why do they think it was called that?  The suffering and tragedy is what thousands - if not millions of Americans lived through every single day of that time period.  To sugar-coat it or cheer it up a bit wouldn't be true to the era.  

What are you reading this week?