Books: April 27, 2018
Recent Books I Liked
I’m currently reading William Kent Kreuger’s mystery series (Cork Corcoran) mostly set in the “Boundary Waters” area up on the Canadian border. Kreuger, from the beginning of this series, has won numerous writing awards for this series. AND, for at least one stand-alone novel. I like the strong emphasis on the powerful, spiritual connection that is possible between humans and nature, how wrong the human condition can go for some people, and what is truly important in life.
I have fallen into a pattern of reading. EVERYTHING by an author I like for some years now. Among these are the series by Elizabeth Ogilvie (Maine coastal people), Laurie R. King (Mary Russel/Sherlock Holmes), and now Kreuger.
I do the same thing, apparently, with the downloads I get from the Maine Library system. There is something magical about having a book read to you while you work with your hands. My tastes are eclectic, for sure, and include multiple books by Louise Penny, Julia Spencer-Fleming, Lee Child, Paul Doiron, Karen White, Lisa Gardner, and Sandra Brown. Those authors with series really need to be read in order.
Recent books I really enjoyed from the Maine download system follow:
A QUIET BELIEF IN ANGELS by R. J. Ellory. This author is British, but captures the speech and thought of rural Georgia for decades, starting back after WWI, as the main character grows up to identify and confront a long-time serial killer. My mother’s family is from rural Georgia, and I did a lot of growing up in her home town, Reynolds, Georgia. The prose and deep understanding of the human condition in this novel captivated me. I look forward to reading more of Ellory’s work, which I will have to do as this is the only Ellory novel on the Maine system at the moment.
THE SISTERS by Nancy Jensen. This novel, I think, is a first novel. It spans decades. At times it is slow, but, again, I really liked the development of the characters. A misunderstanding at the beginning of the novel sends characters along life tracks that develop down through several generations. I like long novels like this one, so enjoyed it. Sometimes we don’t really know how our life decisions will work out as they play out over many, many years.
MEET ME AT THE CUPCAKE CAFE, Jenny Colgin, is light as a feather and very predictable. BUT, she includes MANY descriptions of baking goodies along with real cupcake recipes that make your mouth water. Will get the hard copy of this one and will give to someone in my family who still bakes.
I am currently listening to THE FOLDED EARTH by the wonderful Anuradha Roy. I love her work. The NY Times said this novel is “quietly mesmerizing,” which I think is true. I am enjoying the beautiful prose and the quiet understanding of the complexity of the human condition that is slowly emerging. We are, truly, a strange and, at times, wonderful, species.
Louisa Enright's Blog 
Louisa I love to read and really enjoy hearing what others are reading and why they do or don’t like the books they have chosen. I just finished reading “Before We Were Yours” by Lisa Wingate. A fascinating story based on the real life story of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in Memphis. I could not put this book down until it was finished!
Hi Betsy! Always love your reading selections. This one is in the Maine download system. I put a hold on it and will only have to wait 1500 days!!! Ha! Often this kind of long hold comes up much, much sooner. One can hope. But it shows how popular this book is. See you at the retreat very soon now!