A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

I seem to have fallen behind in my blogging. The end of the school year was so busy, followed by a fun first week of summer vacation. I seem to have some time to myself today, so let's see how we do.

A Spool of Blue Thread was our book club selection for June. I wasn't quite finished in time for the meeting but finished a day or two later.

This is the story of Red and Abby Whitshank and their family, both the generation before them and then their own children and grandchildren. Red and Abby live in Baltimore in a house that had previously been built and loved by Red's father. The house is the centre of their universe and as much a member of the family as any of their children.

Red and Abby's son Denny has always demanded a lot of their attention and energy, leaving the other children struggling for their parents attention. Denny has never seemed like part of the family, despite his mother's constant attention, or maybe because of that. The others make their way through life, dependably reliable, but always hoping for a bit more attention from their parents, especially their mom.

I found this to be a beautifully written book, but there just isn't a lot of action. The story is full of interesting characters but leaves you with a very unsatisfying ending. We get to read the back story of how Red and Abby met and fell in love, and even how Red's parents met and began their relationship. There's a lot of background given, but not a lot of resolution. You finish the book with nearly as many questions as you have at the beginning.

If you like to finish a book with all your i's dotted and your t's crossed then this isn't the book for you. But if you enjoy a slow moving story with fun and interesting characters then you would probably enjoy this one. Our group was a bit mixed with it, a few didn't finish it and no one raved about it. It's not a page-turner but it is a well-written book.

The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James

It is a truth universally acknowledged that I am a big fan of Jane Austen. I've read all of her books, some of them several times. I've also read a lot of other peoples' takes on her work, especially "sequels" to Pride and Prejudice. Without fail, they annoyed me. Whenever an author takes on Jane's familiar characters I feel like that author doesn't understand them as well as I do. I had promised myself that I wouldn't read anything else adding to work. Then this book was chosen as our book club selection for May so I found myself reluctantly entering someone else's views on Jane Austen again.

This book pretends to be Jane's actual memoirs. The premise is that these journals were found in a house that once belonged to her brother. You read the book as if you were reading Jane's own diary. As you read, if you are familiar with her works you will recognize many of the characters and scenes as being from Jane's books, as if she had modelled the scenes after people she had met.

As far as someone else putting their own spin on Jane Austen, this is the best one I've read. That's not to say I liked it, but it was better than most of the others. It just didn't feel original to me, because I had already read most of these scenes before in Jane Austen's own books. It was funny to see how the author wove the different characters and scenes into her story, but it all just felt so familiar as I was reading.

On it's own it was a fun story with a nice romance thrown in. However you also might not enjoy it much if you don't know Jane Austen's works and don't understand the characters and scenes Syrie James is referencing. It was a pretty quick read and I didn't hate it, but I feel like Jane Austen's work can stand on its own and doesn't need anyone else's interpretation.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

A few weeks ago some students in grade 7 were trying to decide on books to use for novel studies. Several groups wanted to use this book, based on its description as one of the best mystery stories of all time. So many wanted to read it that we didn't have enough copies at our school and we needed to borrow some from other schools. They were so excited about it, that I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

You see, I'd never actually read an Agatha Christie book before. I don't often read mysteries, because I when I can't solve them I stay up all night reading them and I'm far too old for that sort of thing now.

And this one sucked me right in. This is the story of 10 strangers who are all, through various means, invited to stay at a mysterious island. Once they arrive it is discovered that each person has at some point in their life been responsible for the death of another person (or people) in a way that the law can't possibly get involved. Has the time finally come for them to pay the ultimate price for their actions?

Suddenly, one by one, they start dying. Who is killing them? Who brought them all there? Will anyone survive?

It's no surprise this is considered to be one of the best mystery stories of all time. Agatha Christie's storytelling is superb, the elements of the mystery are fun and engaging. You will be wondering "whodunnit" the whole time and still turning some questions over in your mind once you are done.

One caution I will make is that this book was originally published in 1939, so some racial/cultural terms are used that are no longer appropriate.

If summer ever comes, this would be a fun beach/vacation read. If it doesn't come, it sure helped me get through a cold rainy weekend. It's a fun read that you will not want to put down until you're done.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Although this is a classic children's book, I had somehow escaped reading it. I know a lot of people love it and with the movie being released I wanted to give it a read.

It's just not my thing. Maybe it's a bit too science-fictiony for me. I just didn't love it. Darcy really wants to see the movie and we'll probably see it at some point, but I don't think I'll go on to read the rest of the series.

This is the story of Meg Murry, a young lady who doesn't seem to fit in. She is bright, but not in a way that does well in school. She doesn't have a lot of friends and is constantly in trouble. Life at home is pretty good with her mom and three brothers. Her dad, however, is a scientist who is doing special work for the government and all communication from him has mysteriously stopped. The family doesn't know where he is or what has happened to him. Everyone in town thinks he has left them but Meg knows that isn't true.

Her youngest brother, Charles Wallace, strikes up a friendship with some ladies who live in a "haunted house" not far from the Murry's house. While visiting the ladies, Meg and Charles Wallace meet Calvin, a popular boy from Meg's school. Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin suddenly find themselves on an incredible adventure, with the help of Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which, the ladies from the haunted house. Will it lead them to finding Meg's dad? Where has he been all this time? Is he safe? Will they be safe?

I'm not a lover of science fiction and this was too much in that genre for my liking. However I loved the characters. You just want to pick Charles Wallace up and squeeze him. And you are constantly rooting for Meg to see her worth and realize all she can achieve. She is a fantastic female lead character, a great role model for young readers.

While I was reading the book, Darcy and Wesley read the graphic novel version and both loved it. The art is beautiful and much of the story is kept intact. It's a great alternative, but the rest of the series doesn't seem to be released in graphic novel format yet.

As with any classic, I'm glad I've read it. It won't be one I return to over and over, but I'm still glad to have read it once.

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

This was my book club's selection for March and even though I couldn't make the meeting I still finished the book (although I finished it a few hours after the meeting was held). I'm glad I did.

This is the story of Belle and Lavinia, a woman and a girl both in slavery on the same Virginia plantation in the late 1700's. Belle is the illegitimate daughter of the plantation owner and Lavinia is a white child who was purchased after her parents died on one of the ships owned by the plantation owner. He kept the girl in payment for her passage from Ireland. She is given to Belle who runs the kitchen house on the plantation and she is raised as Belle's daughter.

Both characters find themselves in between the other slaves and the members of the family. Belle sometimes gets special treatment as the owner's daughter and is anticipating getting her emancipation papers from her father. She is forbidden to marry one of the slaves, who she loves, as her father is trying to find a more "suitable" marriage for her. Lavinia, because she is white is given opportunities the other slaves aren't given.

This was an awful time in history and it can make for difficult reading at times. People are bought and sold and treated like animals. They are put in positions no one should have to face. But through it all you see the strength of many of the characters. Rape, domestic violence, alcohol and drug addiction, incest and child molestation all factor into the story. There is a lot of suffering and death.

While not always an easy read, I still found the story really compelling and couldn't put it down. I worked through this one pretty quickly. The subject matter makes it hard to say I "enjoyed" the book, but I found it to be well-written and a good read. I loved the characters (well the ones I was supposed to love and I hated the ones I was supposed to hate). I do want to say there's not a lot here to set this apart from other books set in this time period, but it is still a good read.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Wesley read this book last fall and has been encouraging me to read it ever since. I started it one day on my lunch break and then a student borrowed it later that afternoon so I never got around to finishing it. He has now ended up with two copies so I have borrowed one and finally got to it. I am so glad I did.

Wonder is the story of August (Auggie) Pullman, a young boy who was born with severe facial deformities. Even after several surgeries his eyes sit too low on his face, his lips are scarred from a cleft palate repair, his ears are misshapen and his his skin looks as if he has been burned. As a result, Auggie has been homeschooled until the fourth grade. But by the time he is ready for fifth grade, his parents decide it is time for him to go to "real school".

Auggie then heads to Beecher Prep, a private school in the heart of New York City. Being the new student is hard, being the new student with Auggie's face is incredibly difficult. He is nervous as he tries to make new friends and deal with the stares and taunts of the other students. What he doesn't know about at first is that the other students are afraid to touch him for fear of catching "the plague". A few students befriend him, but others are cruel and the transition to school is very hard. Auggie wants to quit, but is convinced to continue on.

What will Auggie learn about himself as he goes to school each day, and what will his classmates learn about themselves. At the beginning of the school year they are challenged with the words of Dr. Wayne Dyer, "When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind." Great advice for all of us, but how often do we make that choice?

While this is a book aimed at kids aged 10-12, I'd highly recommend it to anyone. It is a great lesson in looking beyond appearances to see the wonder that lies within each of us. Wes and I are going to check out the movie tomorrow morning and I can hardly wait. I hear they've done a wonderful job of bringing Auggie's story to the big screen and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

The Names of Dead Girls by Eric Rickstad

There are all kinds of books in the world and all kinds of readers. You win some, you lose some and for me this one was a loss. It has a 3.89/5 rating on Goodreads, so there are clearly people who have liked the book, but I am not one of those people.

This book picked up where The Silent Girls left off. The first book ended with a cliffhanger and I was curious to see what happened so I decided to read the second book. But I felt this one to be too dark for me, teen girls were murdered and as the mother of a teen girl I found that unsettling.

When the first book ends you know that the killer Frank Rath has been seeking is now targeting Frank's daughter, Rachel. Frank rejoins the police force to give him greater access to the killer and better methods of keeping Rachel safe. A former victim of the killer goes missing, another local girl is killed and Frank is contacted by a Canadian detective who is investigating the deaths of 3 girls just outside of Montreal. How does it all fit together?

I found the story dark and disturbing. Many of the grammatical issues that bothered me in the first book had been corrected in the second book, but a few remained. But aside from being disturbing, I just didn't find the story compelling. It was hard for me to be inspired to pick it up to keep reading. But I eventually worked my way to the end. It did not end with a cliffhanger but there are some questions that weren't answered. I guess that leaves room for a third book, but if it comes, I won't be reading it.