Snowbird Reading

Since retiring, nearly all of my reading has been done with audio books. For a formerly confirmed book-in-hands kinda' gal, this change in preference is rather surprising. The benefit of this switch to preferring audio is the ability it gives me to multi-task. A book in my ear and a large stack of chain-piecing makes a perfect combination. 

One of the many aspects of not knowing what to expect with our recent snowbird experience - would I be able to incorporate a literary element into our vacation experiment? As it turns out, I did exactly what I do here at home - long miles of chain-piecing and an audio book queued up. Worked like a dream.

I read six books, some I would recommend; others perhaps not. I won't give an in-depth review, but I will share overall impressions. First, I re-read To Kill A Mockingbird because I then wanted to read the follow-up book Go Set A Watchman. I briefly alluded to this in a previous post.

I was glad to re-read TKAM; after so many years, there was much I'd forgotten. GSAW was not nearly as satisfying, unfortunately. I imagined how Scout would grow up and how she'd behave as an adult; the way she is depicted in that later version just didn't fit. She was a complainer and a whiner - much too willing to jump to false conclusions than seemed implausible. For a little girl who thought her father could do no wrong, she sure was more than willing to see otherwise in the sequel. I just didn't care much for the book and I was really glad to be finished with it. I actually thought of just quitting about halfway through, but figured I owed it to Harper Lee to give her a chance at character growth on Scout's part. I suppose in the end she did, but it wasn't at all satisfying.

Next, I read Weyward. I wasn't so sure I was in the mood for this mixture of magical realism and historical fiction, but this book turned out to be quite a great little adventure. The mystique of women with particular skills in medicine, potions and tinctures that reappear in later generations fascinated me. This tale contained stories from three time-periods, all of which were captivating and satisfying. The present-day character solves family mysteries, and she learns of sad realities endured by her ancestors. I enjoyed this immensely and highly recommend.

Then, Yellowface came up in the queue. Almost immediately, I was not impressed as the main character follows through with a reprehensible lie right from the start. It was really hard to like this girl, and that just doesn't normally go hand-in-hand with protagonists. I stayed with it, however, because - 1) it came with a good recommendation from a source I normally trust, 2) the character worked in the publishing industry, and it was rather interesting to see the inner working of all that, and 3) surely, (I hoped) she would eventually come clean with her "lie" and be all the better for it. Well, I suppose it was worth the time I spent finishing it, but I'm not really crazy to recommend it. I know there are lots of better books.

The River We Remember was great. Such an impressive sense of setting, Krueger outdid himself with the slow, easy development of the plot. I liked the characters and their backstories were engaging. The characters are vastly diverse - a Native American with his Japanese wife, an aging small town deputy, a "lady lawyer" and a good, old-fashioned journalist. I will read more by Krueger, for sure.

Last, Horse by Geraldine Brooks arrived on my shelf, and I was very eager to read this simply because I am such a fan of this author, having read nearly all of her best works. I did love this, and she continues to impress the heck out of me with the extent of her research, but I won't rank it up there with People of the Book or Year of Wonders or March. 

All the information on the horses, the history of horse racing, breeding records, the invaluable parts played by trainers and jockeys and investors and slaves and wealthy landowners and free blacks - all so very fascinating. What soured me was Brooks' tendency to tell the reader what to think about certain present day hot-button issues. I would prefer that she leave that to the reader; we are generally intelligent enough to see the issues presented, and can form our own opinions, whether they agree with hers or not. So I do definitely recommend Horse, but with the warning that there will be some politicizing in the latter half of the novel.

That concluded my Florida reading, As we headed for Ohio, I had Charles Frazier's The Trackers on the audio earbuds. You remember, I hope, Cold Mountain and Varina, both of which were excellent. The same author gives us this book and since being home, I've finished it and highly recommend it. Set during the depression in a small Wyoming town, the main character has a job through the WPA, but ends up doing far more than painting a mural in the post office. He gets caught up in the lives of a few of the townspeople, and the action moves across America before it's over. I definitely recommend.

I'm currently at retreat and did not bring my computer, so I will be MIA until at least Friday. I will have plenty of pictures and tales of all the projects, so come back later to check on my reports of all our sewing fun.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne