2019 Books Read - September

I got through 9 books in September - including one re-read.  I really enjoyed 2 of them, 1 I wouldn't recommend just because it was too much fluff and the rest were interesting, just not fantastic reads.   So once again, a good month of reading.   I hope you can find one or two that catches your eye. I'm always interested in your impressions of books and welcome any suggestions for my Mount TBR.

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young: The Wild, Definitive Saga of Rock’s Greatest Supergroup by David Browne

I picked up this book at Barnes and Noble during the Bookhaul sale.   It was at a good price, I was looking for a different genre than most of my books, and I thought it would be an interesting read. I am a “casual” CSN&Y fan.   I still have the Déjà Vu album, listen to them occasionally on Spotify and like their style music.   I am also a Neil Young fan of sorts.   But I am not a full out fan that knows everything about them and all the music, albums, drama, etc. they have had in their life.   I am still not a super fan, but I do know more about them  

This book is written in almost a report style.   Mr. Browne covered them through the years and it is a compilation of that, interviews they gave with other people and what appears to be research into other sources.   It was interesting reading about the different musicians in and out of their story.   I recognized many of them from different bands and careers.  Being a casual fan, I knew that Young was in and out of the group.   I didn’t know that basically they all were in and out of the group – recording separate albums and also some in collaboration between just 2 of the members.   Through it all there is a level of friendship, love and respect for each other, but the egos often masked that.  

If you are a fan, I think you would enjoy this book.   If you are a casual fan, like me, I think you would still enjoy this glimpse into a supergroup’s life, but I wouldn’t put it at the top of my TBR list.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

When Toni Morrison recently passed away, I realized that I had never read any of her books.   I was a little surprised at this discovery, so decided to change that.   “The Bluest Eye” is Ms Morrison’s first book and the topic appealed to me so I decided to start there.  First off I will say that all the praise given to Ms Morrison for her prose is well deserved.   I also give her credit for tackling hard subjects that need to be tackled such as  beauty – how it is assessed, how it affects the young, and specifically how it affects people along racial lines and stereotypes.  

The time period is 1941 and Pecola Breedlove is growing up black, poor and “ugly”.  The other kids make fun of her and she has basically no true friends.   The story is told through the eyes of one of her classmates, Claudia, and is in sections that reflect the seasons.   The book covers racism, incest and child molestation – which is a lot in 216 pages.   While reading and right after finishing, I felt really mixed about this book, and I still do.   It covers hard topics and is written in a beautiful way.   But there was something about it that just didn’t feel complete.   I wanted to know more from Pecola’s view.   With it being told by an “outsider” I never completely understood the desperation and self-loathing that Pecola felt to make her long so much to be different.   So while I will read another of Ms Morrison’s books, I have to go against the majority and rate this one as just average. 

The Yellow House by Sarah M Broom

A story about a house, a family, a community and a city.   I know one reason I was interested in this memoir is that it is about a house in New Orleans East.   The Broom family was a large family – twelve children in their combined household.   The yellow house their mom, Ivory Mae, had purchased is a center piece in the family.   It represented a lot to the family – pride that faded as the house aged, independence, and memories both good and bad of the life there.   The house is a great symbol of the struggles and successes the family had.  

Ms Broom tells the story of her family in an engaging way.   Being familiar with New Orleans in general and knowing that what the tourist see and what the city actually is does not line up, it was refreshing to read a book that reflects that.   This is not the typical romanticism about New Orleans, but rather a realistic view.   It is interesting how the city had a pull on some of the Broom family children, but for others they did not feel that same tug.  

There is one section of the book, after Katrina, that was a little rambling in a way.  Ms Broom did not live in New Orleans when Katrina hit.  She went on a personal journey of sorts to try to understand the displacement felt by those who went through displacement, not by choice as she did, but being forced in to it.  Along her journey, she lived in Burundi.   During this section of the book, it seemed a little fact filled and dry, unlike the other sections.   In fact it started dragging and if I hadn’t already been so far in, I might have set it aside.   I’m glad I didn’t, as she once again returned to engaging me after I got through that section.  

That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Baron

This was a library book club selection.   I had planned on going to the meeting, but life happened and I didn’t make it.   However, I did get the book read.   Another historical fiction book set back in the late 1800’s – early 1900’s.   It is the story of Winston Churchill’s parents.

This is not high on my list.  I never really felt that connected to Jennie Churchill and therefore was just not that interested in her story.   I don’t know if it’s the writing style, the story or that it was too much like “A Well Behaved Woman” but a book that I felt like I muddled through.

McIlhenny's Gold by Jeffrey Rothfeder

The story of the family responsible for the goodness that is Tabasco.   Again, as a Louisiana resident, this was a book that drew my interest.   Visiting Avery Island and the Tabasco plant, I was interested in learning how it all came about and how it was still surviving.   Some of the history I knew, but just a drop in the bucket.   I did not know much about the family, the original development of Tabasco, the way production truly has changed little and the ever increasing need to maintain enough profit to pay all the descendants.   The business part was interesting to me as well as the personal stories.  The only down side to this book is that it was published in 2009.   I would like an addendum for these past 10 years. 

The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson

I’ve mixed feelings about this one.   It started out with promise, even though early on I figured some of it out.   The story developed interestingly enough and I stayed engaged.   The downside – it was predictable – no surprise ending with this one.   There was a lack of character development for many of the people.  The main character, Miranda, was developed, but I did not like her.   She was in a lot of ways a spoiled brat.  She often would exhibit a behavior toward a person that she would be upset with when she was treated that way. 

 

The bookshop is owned by Miranda’s uncle, Billy.   When he passes away she is surprised to learn that he left the shop to her.   Not only has he left the shop, but he has set up a scavenger hunt for her to find out the truth of why he and his mom had a falling out many years before. An interesting plot, and I liked the writing style of Ms Meyerson.  I would have liked just a little more overall.   This is her first book, and I would check out any future books.  

The Beauty of Broken by Elisa Morgan

Ms Morgan lays out in this book that we are all broken.   There are different ways we are broken and different ways that affects those around us, but the bottom line is that we are broken and God can take that brokenness and see the beauty.   In fact, in our brokenness we learn to trust God and rely on Him.  Through that, we also can help and encourage others with their brokenness. 

A good book for anyone who finds themselves in the midst of hard, broken situations.  A good book for those who want to minster to people who find themselves in the midst of hard, broken situations.   A good book to remind us all that in our brokenness, we are not alone.

Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller

This was a reread for my book club.  I still liked this book, but had a few different impressions this time.   First off, I did not remember it being such a sad book.  In my mind, while overall it was a sad story, there were good times mixed in.   This time through, I didn’t see or feel that.   Second, I did not remember it being so graphic as far as the affairs.   I remembered there being affairs and in my mind it was just a sentence or two about them.   Not full out descriptions. But having said that, it does make it clear how things were.   

I like the writing style and the character driven plot.   I picked up on some of the traits of the family members that I had overlooked the first time through.   I’m still undecided on the ending – it definitely leaves it up to the reader.  As Gil said “What do you think happens in the gaps…..The reader fills them in from their own imagination.”

If you want more information about this book, you can check out my May 2019 reviews.

The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

Faith, love, friendship, family are all descriptive of this book, but it is more layers than the words convey.   We come to know 2 couples – James and Nan and Charles and Lilly.   James and Charles become co-pastors of a church so that throws the 4 of them together.   They are all different people – different backgrounds, different reasons for marrying and mostly different levels of faith, that ranges from non-belief in God to a strong belief.  

The book is well written.  It is one that I consider a “quiet” read.   By that I mean that as you read it, you are drawn in for the journey, yet don’t feel the intense highs or lows.   It is interesting considering the different levels of faith and how it affects the different areas of life.   It caused me to consider things about faith that I’ve considered before, but in a little different perspective.   So while it appears to be an easy read book – a story of 2 couples forced together and their relationship – it is really a deeper book about faith, belief and how we reflect that as we live day by day.