Favorite Reads of 2011: A Mid-Year Review

When I was a child I was told that as I grew older the years would begin to flash before my eyes, rushing past so quickly that I'd barely have time to grasp the subtleties that presented themselves before me.  While I agree that time seems to be more hurried, I also have days that seem to (so wonderfully) stretch before me.  Some of these days I'm busy getting in all the things I can't do when working, or spending time with my loved ones, but sometimes I get the chance to sit and read for as long as I wish.

Because I featured my favorite reads at the close of the following year, I felt it only right to provide a little mid-year review of six titles that I just couldn't put down.  I'm also excited to share that I've already read three books more than I did in all of 2010.  Goals!

1. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Mysteries and secrets.  Secrets and mysteries.  I'm kidding, but this novel sucked me in.  I distinctly remember my boyfriend having to pull me out of the groove of the couch I found myself in after not getting off the thing for hours.  In the end, you still have questions.  It was dark and fascinating and an awesome thriller.  All hands for The Thirteenth Tale.

2. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

I don't know if any of you remember, but a while back, Brenna from Literary Musings and I decided to host a little read-along.  The book was a little slow in the beginning, but I soon found that I didn't want to stop reading once I began the second half.  We got some great participation and were able to share our opinions and questions, which made the read even more enjoyable.  Edith Wharton is seriously amazing.

3. Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

Another book that I couldn't peel my hands from and one that I mention as a "must read" to any bookworm I encounter.  I have this thing for historical fiction (as you probably already know) and thought this was perfectly entertaining and informative.  The cover art not so much.

4. The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen

I know, I know. I haven't managed to post a review on this one yet.  But it has definitely been one of the best reads of 2011.  The storyline was not quite what I expected and made the novel that much better.  Maybe Milly and Twiss are described as old women who nurse birds back to health, but this title holds so much more.  I found Rasmussen's language authentic and engaging.  I strongly encourage giving this title a chance!

5. The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

I finished this novel last night.  And loved it.  I refused to give it up upon finding that the beginning was a little slow.  In the end, I am so glad I stuck with it because not only did I enjoy the historical element of the storyline, but I also really enjoyed the raw expression of emotions and the landscape Kent so delicately describes.  I didn't want this one to end.  

6. Shakespeare by Bill Bryson

Ok, so maybe I read this one during haze that follows the extraction of my wisdom teeth, but somehow I was able to remain attentive enough to finish the whole thing in a sitting.  Bryson is increasingly becoming a go-to when it comes to learning while laughing.


So close to making the list: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath & The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Anne Barrows

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Summer is a Good Time for Pie

Peach Pie in Photos 

I'm from Georgia.  I buy Georgia peaches from a local grower in large bags.  They are juicy and sweet and delicious.

I made this one for my family. 

I snagged the crust from one my favorite sites: simply recipes 

Filling from: food & wine 

I changed it up a bit and added a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a half teaspoon of cinnamon.

Enjoy your weekend! 

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A Review: 31 Bond Street by Ellen Horan

31 Bond Street was a book club pick for the month of June.  Because I was unable to attend the first half of the meeting, I didn't get to join in on the short discussion the ladies had about this title. Note: short discussion.  Ok, the ladies I know usually have much to say about most of the books we get our hands on.  You get me?!

The story: Emma Cunningham, a widow with two young daughters, is accused of the murder of Dr. Harvey Burdell at his residence on 31 Bond Street, where she acts as a lady-of-the-house/housekeeper.  When a secret marriage certificate is discovered, Emma barely stands a chance against the rumors of her greedy motives.  Backed by a defiant lawyer seeking justice for the innocent, Emma might be given a second chance. Horan weaves a detailed story of the trial that overtook New York.  Based on the actual murder of Dr. Harvey Burdell, the reader witnesses the growing city-- thick with crime, new money and life-altering gossip.

Ok, so what I thought about the book.  Well, let's see... I don't think I ever had that urge to go and pick it up. I saw it on the coffee table. But near that same coffee table, I saw my computer, and the computer won every time.  It's amazing I finished it at all.  Actually, I'm being harsh.  The story was entertaining.  I found the historical elements interesting-- the descriptions of New York City at this time, and the inequality that was rampant, and yet, so common.  However, after the trial, the story spun out of control, exhibiting the writer's loose grasp on the characters, and the story, itself.  I felt that it was thrown together and lacked believability.  The characters were shallow and never encouraged any sort of attachment to their persons or predicaments.

I don't think I could actually recommend this title, but I don't think I could ever write a novel off completely (maybe).  It works for some, but it just didn't work for me.  Better luck next time!


OH, but I did pick up this sweet new road bike last night.  

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Excessive. Indulgent. Completely Justified.

I logged in today to discuss the recent realization that I have been buying books at an alarming rate.  Whatever happened to saving?  Whatever happened to cutting down/not consuming/ striving towards something that resembles minimalism? Scratch all that. Whatever happened to READING?  I feel like the days of being able to sit for hours and read may not grace my existence anytime in the near future.

Sigh...

So, let me share the latest acquisitions, while also remembering that these will be my last thrifty finds for some time. 

First, my favorite neighborhood used book store had a 10 year anniversary sale, with books at 40% off the already reduced price.  How could I not do it?  I was supporting the community and getting great books.

 Then I went to DC, remember I made a post about it, and picked up 2 great titles (one was free).  Ok, so a whole vacation and I only managed to buy ONE book... we're getting somewhere, right?

Ok, so at this point, I have 6 new books to add to the already enormous TBR pile.  I don't really need anything else; however, a little day trip to Chattanooga, TN was planned with the ladies from the book group. I should mention that, beforehand, Jenna from Literature and a Lens assured us we'd find one of the largest and best used stores she had ever visited.  She was so right.

The books I managed to snag.  The books J managed to point out had similar themes - which has led to much teasing on the nature of my interest in family secrets and memory (both words uttered in that ridiculous mysterious movie trailer voice).  Whatever.

Total books in a month's worth of adventures:

 

Did I mention that we're also moving soon?  Yeah, we are.  This is what the spare room looks like at this moment in time: 

 

You can also add about six more boxes to these four,  plus all the books on this side of the shelf and the other.  I think piles are starting to spread throughout the apartment, as well.

Needless to say, this is the last post of thrifty finds this little bookworm will be sharing for quite sometime.  

Read some of these titles?  Tell me what you think I should I move to the top of my TBR list! 

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Lazy Friday: A Photo Post

Sometimes life doesn't permit blogging. Or reading, cleaning, sleeping, RELAXING.  However, these are the moments that you'll most likely remember forever.  Today, J left for an extended family visit, leaving me with a whole big, empty house and loads of time!  What's in the cards? Rosemary biscuits, peach pie, scrubbing, washing, running, socializing and watering new greenery.  Plus, I get to visit my niece; yes, my niece, for a little newborn photo op.  Above is a photo of a step on my grandmother's walkway: my brother's hand and carvings he made when he was just a child.  Can you believe he's now a father?!

What's in store for you?  A photo post of my book finds in Chattanooga (just thrilling). Some great recipes (if all goes to plan).  Plus, I think it's really time I sat down and finally wrote that review of The Bird Sisters, a novel I absolutely loved.  Really-- go out and find a copy this weekend.

What are your plans for the weekend?  Ever wonder if certain seasons are determined to wreak havoc on your to-be-read list?  This sprummer (get it? spring, summer... no?  Ok) has left me without a moment to sit in the comfort of a cozy chair while lost in a story.

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Adventures in DC

Last weekend I visited a close friend who's currently living in Washington DC.  I could use this blog to tell you about how much fun we had.  I could use this to tell you about the bike trail  next to the runway at Reagan Airport, where we laid in the grass watching planes landing just above our heads. I could tell you about the markets where we picked up fresh greens and sweet peaches to make dinner salads.  I could tell you that riding a bike through the deserted streets of Capitol Hill, with a soft breeze breathing against my skin, made me want to live in that moment forever.

But this is a book (ish) blog and it wouldn't make sense if I didn't mention my book love on the road.  So, here goes...

Note: This trip was less focused on procuring books.  I've recently realized (well, after the trip to Chattanooga I took yesterday, where I purchased numerous new books- post on that to come- I focused more on being free and light and only coming back with things I had taken along) that my TBR pile is getting out of hand.

Capitol Hill Books.  I blogged about it when I took my trip to DC last year (my blog's almost a year old)! Although it's not the greatest used store in the world, I had to go back for the experience. (Note: I have no idea who these people are.)

The book store's actually a little overpriced for used books, but it's packed with so many great titles that it's at least worth a stop.  For those wary of small spaces, tiny corridors and narrow staircases, steer clear of this gem.  

Because I was more focused on getting on the bike and riding around, I only purchased one book: Nick Hornby's The Polysyllabic Spree, which Brenna at Literary Musings recently reviewed.

We also made a stop at the Library of Congress, where I had the opportunity view Thomas Jefferson's library. So sad, but I can't provide photos because camera use wasn't allowed. Boo!  You get the picture.

And... I picked up a free copy of Julia Alverez's How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent  from a little book box in front of a house while we were walking home from dinner.  Definitely awesome!  

The trip was just what I needed.  

Fast forward a week & even better news!  I am a first time aunt.  My niece was welcomed into the world on Saturday.  I've never been more happy in my life.  My brother and sister-in-law are going to be beautiful, loving parents.  Congrats! 

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A Review: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray is a newly released, young adult title that deals with Stalin's "purification" of the Baltic region in the 1950s.  Sepetys uses the narrative of 15-year-old Lina, to uncover the crimes against the people of this region that went largely hidden from the world for nearly 50 years.

When Lina's family is taken from their home one night, they find themselves boarding train cars with other families without an explanation as to where they will end up.  Fretting over her father's life, as she finds that he's been taken to a prison camp many miles away, Lina, her mother, brother and the bonds she forms with those en route to the work camps, which become her home for 10 years, experience a myriad of intense emotions.

Because Stalin's death camps were so much like Hitler's concentration camps, I feel that the narrative closely resembles other war tales from the unfortunate individuals that were condemned to such horrid conditions.  Sepetys acknowledges that she used the tale to exhibit the voices of the individuals who lost their lives and those that lost loved ones during Stalin's Reign of Terror, which went pushed under the radar for many years under the USSR.

Lina, a gifted artist, idolizes Munch, an artist known for portraying the beauty in tragedy, while simultaneously exhibiting what the artist sees deep within an object.  This representation symbolizes Lina's courage to draw what she sees, even at the risk of murder, and to voice the  realities of this existence.  She draws in order to document the pleasures that assuage this lifestyle, and to remind her of the blessings of her previous life.

The novel seems to be able to accurately describe the transformation of a young girl, as Lina begins to piece together the events that led up to her family's extraction.  Her father's political affiliations and the lives he's saved, which ultimately condemn his own, all come sharply into focus, prompting Lina to understand the world that was slowly changing around her on a much deeper level.  Lina speaks as a child coming to grips with suddenly being forced into an early maturity, and notes the changes she witnesses in her young brother. Their mother's devoted love for their father and the pains of separation, the brutality of war and the sexual crimes committed against women are all explored in a manner that, thankfully, lacks the theatrics of a Hollywood feature, allowing the reality of such conditions to be identified and discussed in a manner that prompts a better understanding of these events.

I really enjoyed this read, despite the ever saddening content.  I felt that the simplicity of the author's language and the raw exposure of the conditions of living in such conflict is a very straightforward way to introduce readers, young and old, to the subject.

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