Recent Readings

Lately, I've been so wrapped up in the books I've been reading that I haven't spent much time blogging. So here's some thoughts on what's been keeping me from my blog.

I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak
This is a message book written for young adults, but it's not overly didactic and the author uses the question of who is sending Ed messages and why to draw readers into the story. It's not as great as The Book Thief, but I enjoyed reading it.

Escape by Carolyn Jessop and Laura Palmer
Even though I secretly wanted to read this book about the woman who escaped the FLDS and polygamy I put it off as voyeuristic until a book group I hope to join picked it as their book. For the most part this book made me cranky and I didn't find much to admire in the author aside from the fact that she did escape and is now doing all that she can to help those stuck in polygamy. For some reason, I wasn't ever able to fully understand the terror she experienced during her years as a polygamist wife and I was put off by the portrayal of Jessop as someone who survived because she was just a little bit smarter than everyone else. Whereas other survivor type books often include moments of humanity, this book seemed void of anything ennobling.

The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
I enjoyed the story about a woman in Botswana who opens her own detective agency and found it to be a pleasant read. Yet, it didn't quite live up to my expectations after hearing for years about this book. I was hoping for mysteries that were a bit more mysterious or a character that was a tad more engaging. I've heard the sequel is better though.

At a recent neighborhood book club meeting, all my suggestions went over like a lead balloon. I want to read Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen, or Thomas Hardy, but after being told quite emphatically that Persuasion was boring, I guess I'll have to read those books on my own. But not before I tell this story a few more times and get all my whining out of my system.