This month was far less rainy than last month. And I went to the beach for a long weekend. But I was also busy two Saturdays in a row. So there went my good reading days. But I must say, 8 books at 2786 pages was not too shabby.
Saints at the River by Ron Rash. (237 pages). Yet another Ron Rash book. I loved Serena so much that I wanted to read another sooner rather than later. Maggie Glenn is a photographer for a newspaper in Columbia, SC (I can only assume it's The State, but they never say). When a 12 year old girl drowns in the Tamassee River, Maggie and her coworker Allan go back to her hometown to cover the story. Because the body is trapped in the river, the girl's parents want to do whatever it takes to recover the body; locals and environmentalists do not want the river, which is protected by federal law, to be disturbed. Maggie has her own issues with being home - childhood incidents have left a schism between her and her father. Eventually, the decision is made to bring in a temporary dam so that the body can be recovered. But the Tamassee has its own ideas about if and when it will relinquish the body. The locals are suddenly faced with their own loss. And Maggie comes to terms with her father during the weeks that follow. Seriously, Ron Rash is a Southern author genius.
Confessions of a Rebel Debutante by Anna Fields. (272 pages). I saw this on sale at Books A Million ($4.97, y'all. Hello bargain shopper!) And it seemed funny (and quite possibly my own life story). So I had to buy it. Halfway through the introduction, I realized I was wrong - this wasn't my life story. I was a Deb. Two balls, thank you very much. The author, not so much. But I was right on the funny side of it! Anna grew up in North Carolina and went to finishing/boarding school. Yet was never asked to be a Deb. Instead, she forged her own path - attending Brown (a Yankee school!), moving to LA, going to NYU (another Yankee school!) for graduate school for writing. She worked for Diana Ross, she was the tutor for Jill Zarin's daughter, she had a lot of funny stories to share. It was an easy read (no seriously, I read it in less than a day).
Bossypants by Tina Fey (275 pages). This was my second book club book. My second book club that, alas, is no more. We didn't even meet to discuss the book. [sad tear] Anyway, I knew I liked Tina Fey, at least what I knew of her from SNL. And yes, she's a hysterically funny writer (in case her years as a writer on SNL weren't a hint to that). I loved the fact that she went to UVa and made a reference to Mr. Jefferson (only people with a connection to UVa will understand that). It certainly wasn't a thought-provoking life history or anything like that. It was light-hearted and enjoyable (no, seriously, I read it in the other half of the day).
South of Broad by Pat Conroy (512 pages). Almost exact three years ago, I was down in Edisto, telling my parents about this guy I'd just started dating. He had given me Lords of Discipline to read (he was a Citadel grad). Ironically, the owner of the beach house is also a Citadel grad. So I found it only fitting to read another Conroy book while down there! This book was amazing. I am 100% a Conroy convert now. It's the summer of 1969. Leo King is entering his senior year of high school. In his short life, he's already lost his beloved older brother to suicide, been in and out of mental hospitals, been arrested for cocaine possession and now faces the uncertainty of senior year friendless. Then he is asked by his mother, who's also the principal at his high school, to meet some orphans, Niles and Starla Whitehead, and make their transition to high school easier. That same day, he meets Chad Rutledge and Molly Huger, rich kids who were arrested for cocaine and will now be attending public school; Sheba and Trevor, the Poe twins; and Ike Jefferson, his new football teammate and son of the new black football coach. Leo has no idea that these seven people, and another orphan named Betty, will become the most important people in his life. Sheba goes on to become a famous actress, Trevor moves to San Francisco and contracts AIDS, Ike marries Betty and becomes chief of police, Chad and Molly marry (despite his inability to remain faithful) and Leo marries Starla, who is never able to shake off the damaged psyche of her youth. Through tragedies and love, through triumphs and sorrows, these eight people provide as much stability as they can for each other. When lifelong secrets and horrors are revealed, they are there. Just like a family. It was an amazing story. I read the entire thing in one day. And I. Am. Hooked. On. Conroy.
Heft by Liz Moore (352 pages). This was my first book club book. And of course, I wasn't able to make it to book club to discuss it. First things first, I HATE it when authors use the ampersand (&) rather than spell out the word AND. It messes with the flow of the writing for me. Oddly, the ampersands were interspersed with the word, so I know she knew the word.... Lucky for the author, I rather liked the story. So I'll forgive her the excessive use of ampersands. Arthur Opp is a retired professor who lives in Brooklyn and weighs 550 pounds. His shame at this fact has led to a completely reclusive lifestyle. Kel Keller is a high school senior from Yonkers. He's a standout baseball player at the very wealthy public school he attends. His mother, Charlene Turner, was one of Arthur's former students. They had a pen pal relationship for years after she left college. One day, everything starts to change. Arthur hires a maid, who quickly becomes a friend. Charlene's alcoholism takes its final toll. And left to deal with all of this on his own is Kel. The book ends with the promise of a meeting between these two men, who would never have met but for their connection to Charlene.
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult (460 pages). I have literally read every book Jodi Picoult has written (good ones and bad). And she definitely has a style of writing. Or so I thought. This book is like no other book I have ever read by Picoult - and I loved it. Sage is a 25 year old baker who is involved with a married man. She is in a grief counseling group due to the loss of her mother. In that group, she meets Josef, a ninety something year old man. As they become friends, Josef tells her that he was an SS officer, and one who was at Auchwitz. He also asks a huge favor of her. Sage knows enough about her family history to know that her grandmother Minka survived Auchwitz, but that is the extent of her knowledge. She makes a call to the FBI to report Josef. And in doing so learns more about her family and herself than she ever imagined. Omg- I could barely put this book down. It was fascinating that the novel was interspersed with a novel that Sage's grandmother had written - all about an upior (the Polish version of a vampire) and a beautiful young baker with whom he falls in love. Who's story was Minka telling - her own, that of the Nazis, or her granddaughter's? Picoult's detail during Josef's and Minka's stories was heart wrenching. I found myself wiping away tears and wondering (for the millionth time) how people can be so cruel. It was a gut-wrenching story and one of the best I've ever read from Picoult. I will say that, in true Picoult style, there were some fabulous twists!
Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham (340 pages). And yes, Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls fame (I know she's also on Parenthood, but that show's not my jam). The year is 1995. Franny Banks gave herself three years to make it in NYC as an actress. In 1992. She's now got six months. And she's no closer than she was two and a half years ago. Her roommates are supportive, but of no help. Her acting class is helping her with her craft, but not her career. She finally gets an agent, only to lose the agency's representation. She becomes involved with one of the most successful actors in her class. Or so she thinks. It was a really easy read and very creative (pages from Franny's date book were in between chapters, covered in her notes and doodles). I like Lorelei Gilmore's writing style a lot. The only thing I didn't like? The ending. It left me a bit cold. And more than a bit confused.
Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris (338 pages). The final Sookie Stackhouse novel. To be honest, I didn't watch this season of True Blood. But I seem to remember the characters and storylines from the show more than the ones from the book (they are totally different at this point. I mean, not even remotely the same). So I always end up a little confused when I start reading the books again. In this one, Arlene shows up again. Book Arlene, who tried to kill Sookie and was sent to jail. Show Arlene isn't a murderer. So I like her. A few days after Arlene is released on bail and shows back up in Bon Temps, she is found dead. And Sookie is accused of the murder. All of Sookie's friends, human and supe, start showing up to help her prove her innocence. It was nice to see the return of some old characters. It was nice the way Harris tied up some of the storylines for those characters. And honestly, the ending was perfection. I couldn't have been happier for Sookie and the way her life was starting to turn out. Harris did an excellent job ending the series. It didn't end with a bang, but with a promise of happily ever after.
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