MAY READING

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott – Kelly O’connor McNees – This is a “what if?” story. McNees imagines what might have happened to Louisa May Alcott during the summer she was twenty-two. Did she fall in love? Might she have married instead of going on to write “little Women” and other books? It is an interesting imagining, and I really enjoyed reading more about the Alcott family and the times in which they lived. If I were rating books, this would probably get an 8/10. I did like it.

A Soft Place to Land – Susan Rebecca White – Kathryn Stockett, the author of The Help, said “Book Clubs: This is your next pick. I loved this book.” So did I. When I began it I was afraid it was going to be too fluffy, but it has depth and brings quite a bit of history of our time into play. The two sisters in the story handle their lives quite differently, but stay close in spite of their differences.

As Always, Julia – Food, Friendship & the Making of a Masterpiece – Edited by Joan Reardon. What a fascinating book! Not only interesting letters written between two friends, but politics, gossip about people of note, government postings in various foreign lands and above all publishing, and the problems encountered in getting a book in someone’s hands. I read As Always, Julia as if the letters were arriving at intervals. I kept it by my spot on the sofa where I picked it up during the days over a period of four months and a bit. Julia Child and Avis Devoto didn’t even meet for several years after they started corresponding, but became close friends and confidants as the years went by. I wish I had been able to read this when I was younger and still enjoying cooking!

The More Deceived – David Roberts – “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” I wasn’t sure I was going to like this mystery because the cover seemed dated. “A murder mystery featuring Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Browne” – It is a very good mystery with spies and much history and historical figures from just before WWII. Lord Corinth is somewhat like Lord Peter Wimsey, but not pretending to be dim. The Spanish Civil War has a large part of the story, including the bombing of Guernica. Quite a good book.

The Tapestry of Love – Rosy Thornton – My daughter gave me this novel for my birthday this month, and I had read reviews of it in several blogs, so I dove into it right away. It is so good. This is the story of a woman leaving England to live in France in the mountains of Cevennes in her new home Les Finels – the haylofts. She meets and makes friends with her few neighbors, and starts up her business – making soft fabric covers for pillows, curtains and her real joy, needlepoint from designs in her mind’s eye. (What a talent – to be able to visualize a design and then execute it in silk thread!) Her son and her sister come to visit her, but she spends most of her time alone – and liking it. This is a very satisfying novel.

The Spice Box – Lou Jane Temple – “A historical mystery – with authentic recipes of nineteenth-century New Your City.” The time is during the Civil War. Bridget Heany, an Irish immigrant of twenty, is starting a new job as assistant cook in a very wealthy home owned by Mr. Gold. On her first day of work she discovers a body in the pantry. She and Mr. Gold set off to discover who the murderer was – and also look for Bridget’s sister who has been missing for several years. This is a simple story in many ways, but I enjoyed it – and the recipes in the back of the book might get a try-out someday.

Voices – Arnaldur Indridason – Erlendur is back with Elinborg and Sigurdur Oli to solve the next Icelandic mystery. This time it concerns the murder of “Santa Claus” – the doorman in a busy hotel in Reykjavik, who had been a boy wonder with his astounding voice - during the days leading to Christmas. Erlendur stays at the hotel, holed up in a small cold room, while the three work to discover more about the victim, and who wanted him dead. Erlendur meets a woman who gets him to talk about his solitude and why he can’t forget his brother who was lost in a blizzard. These are very low-key books, but very involving and interesting.

A Rare Interest in Corpses – Ann Granger – My friend, Kate, has introduced me to Ann Granger’s mysteries. It looks as if she found another winner. The story centers on Elizabeth Martin who has come to London as a companion to her god-father’s widow. Within hours of arriving she discovers her predecessor had eloped, but now things look as if she was actually kidnapped. Elizabeth and Inspector Ross work together to discover the person involved in the disappearance of the former companion to Aunt Parry. This is an old-fashioned “cozy” sort of mystery. Not too gory and not very suspenseful, but very readable.

This was a good month for reading. I only had one book I started and didn’t finish. The rest were all quite good. This week I decided that my bookshelves were too crowded, and I was buying duplicates because books were stacked two deep – so we bought another bookshelf for the bedroom. There are five in the room now! There are seven in the study, and one in the loft and one in the second bedroom. I hope I can read all the books some day – and even re-read a few that are favorites.