“But while I can conceive of someone filling up a 100+ book Goodreads goal with pure garbage and being the worse off for it, truthfully, I would prefer every over-indulgent reader of modern pulp to every non-reader and philistine in the world who denies the value of books generally. The excess, in this case, is nearer to the virtue than the deficiency. So, while spending time each semester closely reading Plato, Aristotle, the Founding Fathers, and more, I shall continue to fill up my Goodreads goal counter with a mix of the good, the bad, the ugly, and the Great, and I shall be the better for it.” Philip Bunn in his essay “In Defense of Voracious Reading”
Homecoming Kate Morton’s books always involve a dual timeline and a mystery of some sort. I loved this one from the shocking prologue to the twisted and surprising ending. On an extremely hot Christmas Eve in 1959, in a small town in South Australia, a delivery man decides to take his horse for a swim before returning home. The horrifying scene he comes upon leads to a murder investigation that rocks the small town for years to come. Sixty years later, Jess, who has worked in London for the past twenty years, receives a call from Sydney letting her know her grandmother, Nora, has had a fall and is in the hospital. Jess returns to her childhood home only to find her grandmother confused and unable to tell her what she had been looking for in her attic. When Jess finds a book in her grandmother’s bedroom telling of the Turner Family Tragedy, she is intrigued and begins to dig into what turns out to be part of her own family history. 5 stars
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. I don’t read a lot of science fiction, but if more were as delightful as this one, I would definitely read more. The second of Willis’s time travel books, we are now in 2060 where Ned has made too many trips to the past in search of a “Victorian atrocity” (the bishop’s bird stump which you will not totally understand till near the end of the book). He is sent back to Victorian times because that was a peaceful time and, hopefully, he will get some rest. But, no rest for Ned as he is set in the midst of a wild cast of characters (to say nothing of the dog, Cyril, a delightful character in his own right) and soon learns that a cat (which are extinct in 2060) has somehow gone through the net and Ned’s own appearance has caused Terence to miss meeting his future fiancé and Verity has come and needs Ned’s help in setting things right. If not, disaster may strike during World War II or maybe the Battle of Waterloo. I could go on, but I hope you get the picture and will pick this one up. 5 stars
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray. Read for a book club, this historical fiction book tells the story of Belle da Costa Greene who became J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian at a time when women still didn’t have the vote. She helps him obtain rare manuscripts, books, and artwork and becomes famous for both her intelligence and audacity, not only in the New York art world, but also in Europe. But Belle had a secret and it was one she took to her grave. Belle was listed as “colored” on her birth certificate. Because of her light skin, her mother separated from her father and raised her and her siblings as white. Belle’s father, Richard Greener, was the first black graduate of Harvard and very involved in seeking equality for people of color. Belle had been close to her father, but because of her mother’s decision, and eventually her own, Belle had no contact with her father for years. I found this a very interesting portrayal of a woman who achieved great success at the cost of losing her father and her own heritage. Not mentioned in the book (even in the author’s notes) was when Belle’s racial status was discovered. It was not until 1999 (almost fifty years after her death) that a writer working on a biography of J.P. Morgan found Greene’s birth certificate with a “C” on it for colored. 4 stars
Seven Women and the Secret of their Greatness by Eric Metaxas. From Joan of Arc to Rosa Parks, Metaxas profiles seven women from history who made an impact upon the world they lived in and even the future. These mini-biographies tell a great story of each woman—where they came from and how they became the women they were. 4 stars
pmgilmer 