Books

I have fallen into a swirling vortex that is called Hampstead. Moving and the subsequent settling in combined with summer have turned time on its ear for me and four months have sped by-practically overnight.

But I have not been idle during the summer! (Even if I have forgotten to write.) I have worked on #19 Join a Runner's Club, #27 Volunteer my Time, #32 Become a Registered Yoga Teacher, #39 Memorize 10 Favorite Poems, and especially #2 Catch up on my Reading.

More about the others later, but this reading business has been a challenge. I found that I have enjoyed some of the books on my list much more than expected, and a few much less. Starting with the ones above:

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett: Liked the characters, didn't enjoy the storyline half so much as her other famous work A Little Princess (possibly my favorite book of all time). The story seemed to just...well, END. Abruptly. I did like the friendly little bird....

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende: Excellent. Interesting commentary on the California Gold Rush...and the heroine is wonderfully portrayed. The ending left what happens next to the reader's imagination.

My Life In France by Julia Child: I knew I liked Julia Child when I found out she didn't even learn to cook until her mid-30's, but I didn't expect to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book! The woman was even more amazing than I realized, and her story is incredibly interesting.

The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan: It took me a while to figure out what was going on here (it flashes back and forth between characters and the past/present), but once I caught on, I enjoyed the story. If you have read or seen The Joy Luck Club, also by Tan, this book has a similar feel.

Without Reservations by Alice Steinbach: If Julia Child's memoir doesn't make you want to visit France, this book will definitely give you restless feet. Steinbach is a prize-winning journalist and presents some of the loveliest prose I have ever had the pleasure to read. Her trip to Europe (or "Year of Living Dangerously", as she puts it) will make you want to hop a plane to somewhere immediately!

Rebecca by Daphne de Murier: I watched this Alfred Hitchcock classic on film years ago (and again just recently with my step-kids) and was pleasantly surprised that the book was so much better! (Why this surprises me, I have no idea.) de Murier is a great master of suspense and the book fleshes out the story in a way the film does not (as is usually the case). Loved it.

Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin: This book is a bit off the beaten path from Ms. Le Guin's normal sci-fi, but when researching books for my list this particular selection caught my eye, and justly so. Lavinia is a very minor character in Virgil's Aeneid that Le Guin has plucked out and proceeded to expound upon. The story is that of Lavinia's life in ancient Italy, from her perspective, and includes a cameo appearance from Virgil himself. It actually made me want to read Virgil's Aeneid...

The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson: I know this book won a Newberry Award, but I didn't like it. I suppose I just want a happy ending, especially in a children's book. Sorry, Ms. Paterson.

I'm a little concerned about finishing out the list by my birthday this year. Apparently in the Land of Procrastination I have been crowned Queen, because in spite of my reading close to sixty books in the last ten months, I still have 21 left on my list to finish before October 8th. But I'm pressing on...let me get off this computer and go read.