This month was a combination of clean out the ante-library and new books on vacation. Vacation books began with book #3 of the month (yay) and ended with book #12 (sad). But as St Jordi is my witness, I WILL finish all the books in the ante-library this year! This month, I read 13 books. A total of 5070 pages. An average of 169 pages a day. Man, I love vacation!
Four Past Midnight by Stephen King (732 pages). Four novellas in one book. First up, The Langoliers (234 pages). This novella was turned into a miniseries in the 1990’s (which I remembered was about people disappearing on a flight, an abandoned airport, some weird creatures and the guy who played Cousin Balky). Turns out that was pretty much the book. Obviously, there’s more to the story. But I don’t want to give everything away. Suffice it to say, it does involve a rip in the time space continuum. Second, Secret Window, Secret Garden (147 pages). This one was turned into a Johnny Depp movie in the early 2000’s. All I remembered from it was that Johnny Depp played an author with writers block. And there was a crazy man who accused him of plagiarism. And a beautiful round window that overlooked a garden. Where he ended up burying his ex-wife after he killed her. Not exactly the story that King wrote. Yes, the author had writers block. Yes, he was accused of plagiarism by a crazy man. Who may or may not be a figment if his imagination, ala Fight Club. And yes, he had an ex-wife. But he doesn’t kill her. The story was quite an interesting look at a descent into paranoia and madness. Third, The Library Policeman (195 pages). No prior knowledge of this one from any movies. Sam Peebles is the only insurance agent in a small town. When he is called upon last minute to make a speech at the rotary club, he heads to the library for some books to spice up his speech. The librarian, Ms Lortz, helps him and promises that the Library Police will get him if he doesn’t return the books on time. When he forgets and goes by the library to talk to her, the library is entirely different. And Ms. Lortz doesn’t seem to exist. From friends Dave and Naomi, Sam learns the story of Ms. Lortz. She is most definitely NOT what you think! Fourth, The Sun Dog (149 pages). This one involved a Polaroid camera. Kevin wanted a Polaroid camera for his 15th birthday. And when he got it, it turned out to be paranormal. Every time a picture was taken, it was never of the subject. It was always of something else. Something terrifying. Stephlen King is a strange, strange man. The books that come out of his brain are crazy. Of course, I’ve seen his house in Maine. Around midnight. And I kid you not- it’s the stuff of haunted houses. I finished in 8 days.
Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards (248 pages). This was a memoir. The author was in her 40’s, divorced, and broken by her childhood. But the one thing that brought her joy was her horses. When the SPCA called her about taking in a rescue horse, Susan finds her horsey soulmate. Two broken creatures who help each other heal. It was such a sweet story. I found myself in tears by the end. There is not as pure, as amazing, as the love of an animal. Especially because the horse, Lay Me Down, was the horse version of my parents’ first cat. The cat who was so docile, so loving, so devoted, that her humans could do no wrong. Which made me love this horse even more. I finished in 4 days.
The Blythes are Quoted by LM Montgomery (520 pages). I am a HUGE fan of anything Maud Montgomery has ever written. I’ve been to Green Gables for Pete’s sake. But until recently, I had NO idea that this, the 9th book in the Anne of Green Gables series, even existed! In my defense, it wasn’t published until 2009 (she died in 1942). So it’s not like it’s been out there since I first was introduced to Anne. But what a wonderful way to kick off vacation. So this book was in two parts, one set prior to the Great War and the other after. It was a combination of short stories (all of which were published in other short story collections) and Anne’s and Walter’s poems (along with commentary from the Blythes during her nightly readings). The very first poem on the very first page was “The Piper”. The poem Walter wrote during the Great War that posthumously made him famous (see Rilla of Ingleside for more on that). I’m not going to lie, I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t all new, never before published works. But I will never truly be disappointed with anything Maud has written. It’s like a comfortable sweater that you love to curl up in or your favorite chocolate cake that you will never get tired of eating. I finished in 1 day (thank you, travel time).
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (415 pages). When I found out that Atwood had written a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, I was both excited and skeptical. Would it be as good as the original? How would she deal with the fact that the tv show has surpassed the original storyline? Why did I worry? Atwood is such an amazing author, I never should have doubted her. For this sequel, we fast forward 15 years after Offred (or June if you only watch the show) got into a van with Mayday operatives. The story is told from 3 perspectives- Aunt Lydia (still a high ranking Aunt in Gilead), Agnes (the daughter of a high ranking Commander in Gilead) and Daisy (a teenager living in Canada). Conditions in Gilead are no better. And the country is still up in arms about the kidnapping of Baby Nicole, stolen by her Handmaid mother and taken to Canada (so yes, Atwood is using some of the storyline and character names from the show). Aunt Lydia’s backstory is great- finding out more about how Gilead became Gilead is fascinating. The way the stories of these three women come together is great. I would be 100% satisfied if they ended the show with this ending. Obviously they’d need to fast forward some. But I’d be okay with that. I finished in 2 days.
P. S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han (337 pages). Sequel to To All the Boys I’ve Loved. They are finishing up filming the sequels to that movie, so I thought I’d read the sequels before watching the movie this time around. Lara Jean and Peter are a full fledged, not faking it couple now. But things are never smooth in teenaged romances (or any romance for that matter). And when the recipient of one of Lara Jean’s other letters shows up, things get a little complicated. The book was sweet and perfect for a vacation read. I finished in half a day.
Always and Forever Lara Jean by Jenny Han (325 pages). The third and final book in the series. In for a penny, I guess. It’s finally senior year and Lara Jean is perfectly happy. Perfect boyfriend? Check. Prom? Check. College applications? Check. But sometimes plans don’t work out exactly like we want them to. And sometimes that’s for the best. I found yet another reason to love Lara Jean (I feel like I was her in high school, a little nerdy and always up for a night in watching movies. Wait, I’m still her...). But she reveals that her dream guy is Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables. Same, Lara Jean. Same. I finished in the other half of a day.
The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian (354 pages). Cassie Bowden is a flight attendant. Who takes advantage of the job by drinking heavily and hooking up with strange men in every new country (although she is equal opportunity and does the same at home in NYC). But one morning, after a blackout bender, she wakes up next to the dead body of last night’s lover. She leaves the hotel without alerting anyone, thinking that she’ll be done with this mess if she can just escape. But she’s now in a bigger mess than she ever thought was possible. Who killed him? And why did they spare her? And should they have? It was pretty twisty and turny, as expected from a Bohjalian novel. I finished in 2 days.
The Vengeance of Mothers by Jim Fergus (337 pages). This is a sequel to One Thousand White Women (which I loved). Backstory- 1000 white women were promised to the Cheyenne nation in exchange for 1000 horses and a peace treaty (of sorts) in 1873. That part of the novel is actually true. Only it was merely an idea and never happened. These books assume it did. This novel is the journals of Margaret and Susan Kelly, the feisty twins from Chicago who were some of the only survivors of the massacre that killed most of the Brides for Indians, AND Molly McGill, new recruit for the Brides for Indians program. After watching their friends and husbands die, and having both of their sets of twin babies die of hypothermia after the massacre, there was one thing on the twins hearts and minds- vengeance. As for Molly, she is much dismayed to learn that the program is officially dismantled. But she finds that life with the Cheyenne might actually be what she’s needed all along. I finished in 2 days.
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane (388 pages). This was Jimmy Fallon’s book club book (although I’d had it on my list to buy before he announced it). Francis and Lena Gleeson and George and Anne Stanhope have known each other for years. From when Francis and George were new recruits on the NYPD to their respective moves to the suburbs that made them next door neighbors. Kate Gleeson (youngest of three girls) and Peter Stanhope (only child) have been best friends from the moment they were born six months apart. But in one tragic moment during eighth grade, the lives of the families forever change. This novel was a fascinating look at how both mental illness and alcoholism effects everyone, the person suffering from it and their family and other people in their circle. I finished in 2 days.
The Wife, the Maid and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon (308 pages). Historical fiction and I didn’t even know it when I first picked it up! It was an oppressively hot evening in August of 1930 when NY Supreme Court Justice Joe Crater was seen getting into the back of a cab, never to be heard from again. He left behind three very different, but very important, women. His wife Stella. His maid Maria. And his mistress Ritzi. All of them know something about his disappearance. But none of them are talking. The disappearance of Judge Crater is still one of the most famous missing persons cases- it’s been nearly 90 years and still no one knows what happened to him. But his disappearance did help eventually bring down the political bribery machine that was Tammany Hall. This novel was more of a “this is one option of what could have happened to him” and some made up characters. I finished in 1 day.
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (343 pages). Tom Sherbourne has returned from the front. And by 1918 has joined up as a lighthouse keeper. He is assigned to Janus Rock, alone on a small island off the coast of southern Australia. But when he meets spirited Isabel, they marry and she joins him. Years pass, with miscarriages and a stillborn marring their perfect life. One night, they discover a dinghy, with a dead man and a very alive baby girl. Isabel quickly decides this child has been sent to take the place of their recent stillborn son. Tom, desperate in his grief for his wife, agrees. After all, the baby is alone in the world. But every baby has a mother. And after years pass, the Sherbournes’ choice reveals all of the lives that were rocked by their decision. I finished in half a day (airports are great places to read).
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware (308 pages). Nora Shaw is a little shocked to receive an invite to her high school best friend’s hen party. Mostly because they haven’t spoken in over 10 years. But when she shows up with 4 other guests and the bride to be, the hen weekend turns into a nightmare. After too much drinking, Nora ends up in a hospital after a car accident. And someone is dead. It was awesomely twisty and turny. I kind of thought I knew what happened, then doubted it. The. Was a little shocked by the end. I finished in 2 days (I had to spill over to one day after vacation because I still had 100 pages to go).
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (455 pages). I’m pretty sure I’d read this book in maybe high school (based on the fact that I’d written by name on it and underlined two full ages, with the note “comic, yet serious”). But I had absolutely no recollection of it. So time for (re)read another classic. It’s set during World War II. The main character is bombardier Yossarian. And it covers all of the misadventures of Yossarian and the other men stationed with him during the war. The book is absurd. And dark. And absurd. I can’t say that I liked it. I did get a giggle out of the character named Major Major Major Major. Yep, a major (promoted solely based on his name) who’s father named him Major Major Major. Insane! I finished in 9 days.
This month’s favorite was ...The Testaments. Vengeance of Mothers and In a Dark, Dark Wood tied for second. I wanted it to be the “new” L.M. Montgomery, but it wasn’t new stories so it couldn’t win the monthly favorite. Let’s face facts though- Montgomery will be a LIFE favorite, not just a monthly favorite.
