The Last Five: Books I Read

I love to read. I always have. As a kid I always had a book with me--in the car, anywhere I had to wait, if we went to a restaurant... I remember going to the library what felt like almost every week during the summer (thanks Mom!) and even reading with my nightlight after I'd already been tucked into bed. Both my parents did so much to foster my love of reading and I hope they realize what a gift that has been--it's something I hope to do for my own kids one day.

Of course as a student the pleasure reading seems to fall by the wayside a bit but now I try to always have a book in progress and really love to end my day with some reading on my pillow, even just for 10 minutes.

If I had to choose I'd have to say that I love history/historical fiction, or current books about places I just can only imagine (I loved Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, there's been a few that I've passed on to multiple family members that we all loved - Cane River was one, Big Stone Gap was another; and I absolutely love books about smart, strong, sassy women--I read Bossypants by Tina Fey on our vacation last year and had tears in my eyes from trying to stop myself from laugh-snorting on the plane, and my favorite book of all time is Little Women.)

 

I thought I'd pass on the last few that I've read, I hope someone might find a new favorite or even just a light read.

All Things Bright and Beautiful / All Creatures Great and Small - I remember reading some of James Herriot's children books (especially The Christmas Day Kitten) but didn't realize until recently what a collection he had produced. This is just such a sweet collection of stories and although it looks like a huge book (the version I have is actually both volumes published together), the nice thing is that you can pick it up, read a quick chapter, and put it down for a few days or a week if you have to; it's not so involved that you have to remember lots of names, dates, etc., although the main few characters are so delightful you won't have trouble remembering them, they feel like old friends. I read this over the summer but given the geography (old Yorkshire farmland), it would be lovely to read this over the winter curled up in a blanket with your warm beverage of choice.

Lady of the Rivers / The White Queen / The Red Queen - I'm grouping these together even though I first read The White Queen over a year ago.... and even though these were published in a different order, I would suggest reading them in chronological order (though there's some overlap in The White Queen/The Red Queen). I love historical fiction, and I know these books can sometimes have more fiction than history, but they are still fascinating, and what I love best is that they tell history from the perspective of three incredibly strong and determined women. Especially in a time when women had so few options and were usually taking instruction from a father or husband, it's great read about women who fought to shape their own destiny and to fiercly protect and advocate for their children and families. Sure they are at times ruthless and manipulative, but they get things done.

Serpent in Paradise - If you are like me and dream sometimes of going Kerouac and heading to an island where your future children will never hear of Fox News or partisan politics or have to hear anything ignorant or experience bigotry or witness hatred or wear shoes.... then this book could make you think twice. The author experiences living in the most remote community in the world and from her experiences you come to understand that human nature knows no geographic boundaries and living in any kind of community is both challenging and rewarding. I found it fascinating even though it's apparently a bit dated in terms of present-day access to the island, etc.

The Madonnas of Echo Park - Found this at Dollar Tree, of all places... What I loved about it is the really diverse cast of characters, and how the author wove together each of their stories. Everyone's lives flow and connect and pass each other in unexpected ways and made me turn back to a page earlier in the book to see if there was a clue I missed. I also really like that most of these characters are working class, or even pretty impoverished--dealing with daily trials, broken families, "bad" neighborhoods--and so often these are stories that stay in the dark, that we don't hear... and yet they are interesting and touching and deserve to be told. This book helps bring a better understanding of others and reminds me that everyone we meet is fighting their own battle and has a story to tell.

What have you been reading--- anything on this list? If so, what did you think of them? What should I add to my list? Are youa Kindle/IPad type of reader or are you like me and still like to turn pages?


Happy Reading!