I read 12 books in August - only 11 pictured, but the collage options for 12 photos were really boring, so I left one cover out (two were similar anyway). I started another on the plane home, but am less than halfway through it - it's long - so I will count it towards September. I guess being on holiday in August helped with the reading time... Anyway, here's what they were:
1. Unfamiliar Fishes, Sarah Vowell - a non-fiction book about the history of the statehood Hawaii - full of interesting facts, but I felt rather disjointed in construction which made it a bit hard to follow in places.
2. The Golden Egg, Donna Leon - in the Guido Brunetti detective series set in Venice. I tend to read these as and when I find them, rather than worrying about them being in order; this one was in the library at my mom's house. They are always solidly constructed and interesting.
3. Dawn's Early Light, Elswyth Thane (re-read) - this is the first in a historical series about a family, set in Williamsburg and elsewhere, and I first read the series as a teenager. Olivia (age nearly 14) is into historical fiction, so I wanted to re-read this and see if I thought she'd like it or not - might be a little too full of military detail for her, but I still enjoyed revisiting it.
4. The Quilter's Apprentice, Jennifer Chiaverini (re-read) - I saw this in a used bookstore and although I knew I'd read it before, it's been a while, so I thought I'd give it another go - couldn't remember why I haven't followed through with the rest of the series (except maybe one or two) - after reading it again, I remember. It's an ok story, but it's not brilliantly written, just average. Nothing offensive, just nothing really to grab you, either. But a quick read and I enjoyed the quilting talk.
5. Where the Heart is, Billie Letts - another I picked up in a used book store. I'd seen the film, several times, but never read the book before. As with so many films, the book is better. The film is fine, nothing wrong with it, but the book is better - there are a few more characters, the quirky ones are a little more quirky and less glamourous and so on. I really enjoyed this story about a young girl from the midwest who lives in and gives birth in a Walmart. Sweet!
6. Run, Ann Patchett (re-read) - I love Ann Patchett. I've read all of her books, a couple of them twice (this one and Bel Canto) but I don't own many, as I've had most of them from the library. So when I saw this in the used book store, I grabbed it to add to my collection. Even knowing what it was heading towards didn't spoil the novel for me; she has a great story-telling ability. I'll have to try to get ahold of the other ones I don't have and read them again, as well!
7. Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Susan Vreeland (re-read) - another from a favourite author, which for various reasons, I didn't own a copy of. In some ways, this story is like Girl with a Pearl Earring, in that it centres around a Vermeer painting; in some ways it reminds me of a story called Girl Reading (by Katie Ward) - or I should say Girl Reading reminded me of this because it came later - in that it presents a number of connected vignettes, tied together to make a story. I'm a big fan of historical fiction, especially those stories which take a real person and build a story around him or her. For instance, I like Tracy Chevalier's books very much, but I like Susan Vreeland even better - her books are just that bit more in-depth. (In fact, I am hoarding one last un-read Susan Vreeland on my shelf for a time when I need to start something I know I'm going to enjoy...)
8. Rivers of London, Ben Aaronovitch - another find in the used book store - this one was on my watch list, so I was pleased to see it turn up second hand. I expected to enjoy this - it's a modern day detective story set largely in London, and has magical elements; I enjoyed it even more than I expected thanks not only to good plotting and fun characterisation, but a nice touch of wit as well. It's the first in a series; the second will definitely go on my watch list.
9. Drawing Conclusions, Donna Leon - see no 2 above - this is the not-pictured one. Found this one for a dollar in the hospital gift shop where my mother volunteers.
10. The Chaperone, Laura Moriarty - picked this one up while on holiday when my mother treated us to some books at Barnes & Noble, where she had a lot of vouchers. I enjoyed this story about a woman who spends some time chaperoning the young Louise Brooks (I didn't realise at the outset of the novel that it's a fictionalisation of true events; I have since read up a bit on Louise Brooks, Hollywood star of the silent era.) - I guess it's right up my alley - historical fiction based on specific real people. On the whole, the writing was good and the characters solid, though I'd agree with one short review I read which suggested the ending went on a bit long. All in all, a good read, though.
11. Let it Snow, Maureen Johnson, John Green, Lauren Myracle - this is a book I would normally have stayed far, far away from - it's a teen book, three separate (but interlinked) stories, romances. However, when one is on a plane journey which lasts three hours longer than it was supposed to, thanks to dust storms over Phoenix, one's standards for reading material change slightly. Sarah had this in her backpack, had read it and said "don't worry, you'll like it", so I gave it a shot. And I admit, it was really cute. The interlinking of the three stories was clever without being too annoying, all three stories were well-written, and written with a substantial amount of humour and quite a light touch (something often missing from teen fiction) and the main characters were likeable while still being flawed enough to add interest. In fact, it was probably the best thing I could have read while on a plane circling around and around not landing, and then hopping off to Tucson to be refeulled and waiting on the ground for ages before eventually, finally, making it back to Phoenix - just right for keeping one's mind off it all... Always nice to be surprised by a book.
12. The Scent of Rain and Lightning, Nancy Pickard - after I picked this up, I thought that the author's name sounded familiar, and looking back at her oeuvre, I think I have read a book called The Whole Truth about a true-crime writer (a mystery). I don't remember the details, but the name is familiar. This book, however is not part of that series, or indeed, any series. It begins when a young woman finds out that the man who was convicted of killing her father (and possibly her mother) is being released from prison. His son, with whom Jody has always felt a kind of bond, believes he is innocent. The book is told partly in flashback and partly in the present, so the readers know a bit more about what happened back in the day than Jody does, but not enough to spoil the final denouement, which I thought was handled well. Often a book wherein a character might have been innocent of a crime for which they were convicted is too blatant; the character is too obviously not guilty, yadda yadda. The man in question here is a nasty piece of work, and whether he did actually commit the murder or not, might well have done so. Or done something just as bad. A good story, well-written and quite gripping. I wasn't sure how it was going to come out, but I felt the ending was genuine.
As I mentioned above, I did start another book in August, but as I haven't read more than half of it, I'll wait until September to discuss it - anyway, enough is enough, surely!
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