| A Cottage by the Sea |
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 This novel is about a first and second generation Muslim family in the U.S., As this story progressed, my compassion and appreciation for what families such as this one experience deepened. Through artful dialog among the characters, Farheen reveals insights into family relationships—between parent and parent, child and parent, and sibling and siblings. She also lets us into the thinking of each of four main characters through conversations with themselves.
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 This book may end up on my Top Ten Favorites; a fascinating story of a fascinating life unraveled from page to page by Eleanor Oliphant who tells the story of her life from abuse toward healing. A compassionate and hopeful tale.  My reading slowed down while I was vacationing in Florence this month. Visiting churches and museums, walking and enjoying pasta ate (pun intended) into my reading time. I did, however, read, Hill Towns, set in Rome, Venice, Florence, and Siena. This is the first book I’ve read by Anne Rivers Siddons; perhaps I’ll read others because I found her characters intriguing. The main attraction of this book, need I say, was the setting.  A good summer read offering compassion for all the victims caught in the web of sex-trafficking; and for those involved in the penal system in our country—those incarcerated, and those whose jobs are those keep law and order in prisons.  Another for my top ten 2018 best reads list. I devoured this book while on vacation in Vermont last week. Not only is it an engaging story, but it addresses the complexities of racism that are in the forefront of the daily news, and that I am trying to address in my own life. Pick it up, and start reading. Time Alone: Four Seasons, Four Cities, and the Pleasures of Solitude, by Stephanie Rosenbloom8/9/2018  Of course I loved this book, especially since Florence was one of her four chosen cities (along with Paris, Istanbul, and NYC). Each chapter gives understanding to the unique ways of being when travel alone As I read the section on Florence, I could see, hear, smell, taste, and touch everything Rosenbloom described. I, too, have been in the Botticelli Room in the Uffizi all by myself. I, too, have followed someone for a bit as I wandered across the Arno. I, too, have experienced the “Stendhal Syndrome” in Santa Maria Novella.  This novel, set in WWII Paris, post war NYC, and medieval Paris during the life of Peter Abelard and Heloise, will definitely be on my 2018 top ten list. If you are interested in those time periods in history, in Roman Catholic dogma, and in exploring Jesus’ message of a God who loves everyone, including Jews, “The Cloister” will satisfy you. James Carroll was a Catholic priest until the Vietnam War shattered his faith in many of the teachings of the church, and thus leading him to leave the priesthood. In his memoir, “American Requiem,” he tells this story, which includes his rift with his father, a powerful general at the Pentagon during this upheaval in American history.  This is the third in Macneal’s mystery series set in World War II London, and as in the case, Germany. Each one has been a good read with an endings not quite as I’d expect. Maggie Hope doesn’t quite pull it all together and live happily ever after, but she is heading in a positive direction. Her complicated family, as well as her varied group of friends, continue to pull out of difficulties and move on.  What a great story, this sequel to Bear Town. Be sure to read them in order, and be sure to read them. Backman gets under the skin of each character and then weaves parts of their stories together. By under the skin I mean the honesty of human beings beyond the surface. And with this the level of my compassion for all people reaches a new bar, because being brought up to ‘be nice’ implied that I not scratch the surface of human longing, fear, anger, and other ‘negative’ possibilities.  If you are white and ready to understand and confront how your history as a white, privileged person is complicate in creating racism, read this book. Debby describes how her upbringing perpetuated while power, and asks us to honestly look at how our own has done the same. But that’s not all we must do. We must keep observing how our conditioned behavior continues to be racist, and then work on ways to change the story. This is tough work. |
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