Reading 2011 (March)

#13) Whispers of the Bayou by Mindy Starns Clark- Finished

This book is about a woman, born in Louisiana who is taken to New York to be raised by her aunt after a series of tragedies at her family estate. The book really gets started as she returns to the estate, at the beckoning of the dying, lifelong groundskeeper of her grandparents. The protagonist, who realizes that she has been living her life as if she's in plexi-glass separated by the world, spends her time learning about her roots, and in the process re-connects to herself. I found the book to be quite entertaining, though the interjection of God 2/3rds in the book felt a bit disingenuous, but by not thinking too hard about it, I found it a great read. Mainly, because it was a book of self-exploration set in the tones of a set of murder mystery, with some added tidbits of historical fiction of Cajun life.

 

#14) The Scattered Life by Karen McQuestion - Finished

Originally, a self-published Kindle e-book, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this quick read. It's about a woman, whose mother dies when she is really little and ends up wandering the US with her father from town-to-town, but finds herself living in Wisconsin studying art at a local college. On a fluke, she meets an unlikely husband who is as uncomfortable with change is she is to stability. The book is really about the relationships of several woman: the female protagonist, her overly controlling mother-in-law, and a free spirited new neighbor who has 5 rowdy boys but is dreaming of someday having 12 kids. Completely different women, with different perspectives on what it means to "live" life, it was great to read to inspire my own reflection on how view what is the right or wrong way to live life.

 

#15) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - Incomplete

I've been trying to finish this book all month. BUT, it's just AWFUL. It's like a G-rated Jerry Springer show: with cheating wives, illegitimate pregnancies, the dating scene, and the playboy life of military men. Unfortunately, it is written in a style that doesn't directly mention any of these things; they are only inferred. It's painful to read. I can't understand why this ever would have been considered a "classic" other than it's old. Nonetheless, I'm up to Part IV of the book, though not even 50% through. Yet, I continue to try to convince myself that it must somehow end better. Either that, or a whole lot of English teachers just had really bad taste! We'll see if this book ever gets finished, or if it falls to the wayside like the Color of Family did.