I did some rereading in June because I went to San Francisco in May, and that always makes me want to read books that are set in San Francisco.
Belle-Mere by Kathleen Norris
I found this book in a bag of old books in our garage when I was maybe ten years old. I read that copy absolutely to pieces. (Have you noticed that I did that a lot?) It’s hard to imagine why I liked this book so much. It’s about a young woman whose mother-in-law is just awful and her husband doesn’t see it. It’s set in the 1930s, and all the women in the book who are past 50 seem to be considered old, and they have nothing better to do than interfere in their children’s lives, having no lives of their own. On this reread I looked at maps of San Francisco every time a street was mentioned, trying to locate the family’s home. I also reflected on the lessons I took away from the book. I believe that some of my philosophy about being a mother-in-law entered my mind from reading this so many times.
Tears of Gold by Laurie McBain
I am pretty sure this is the first romance novel I ever read, courtesy of my grandmother’s library. So it holds a special place in my heart. It is a true historical romance, large in scope, starting in London and then moving to California and New Orleans, and touching on topics like the takeover of formerly Spanish lands by Americans, the Gold Rush, the San Francisco fire of 1851, and the caste system of New Orleans and the pushing out of the Creoles by the Americans. It does not really make sense to read it because of the San Francisco parts, though, since most of what was there then burned in the fire. I still enjoyed reading it, though.
Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett
The third in this series is set at Sandringham, where the Queen and family go for Christmas. The holidays do not go smoothly, however, since they start with the gruesome discovery of the severed hand of a man whose signet ring the Queen recognizes.
Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon
This month’s book club read is already in the running for my best book of the year. I wish I had read it with a highlighter so I could have underlined all the profound and beautiful parts. It’s a story of a year in a boy’s life, while he is hovering between boyhood and young manhood. The main takeaway is that we should hold on to the magic of childhood. But there’s also a murder mystery, and an evil gang of moonshiners/gamblers/general ne’er-do-wells that the law cannot of will not contain, rotten bullies who are in need of a comeuppance, Civil Rights, racial tension, and the KKK. Throw in a little hint of voodoo and magical realism and you’ve got a most unusual book that has no trouble bringing all those threads into a harmonious whole. It’s beautifully written, with a strong sense of place and a memorable cast of characters. It’s over 600 pages long and at first I resented the interruption in those series I am reading, but then I couldn’t put it down and was sorry to put it down. Read it–you won’t be sorry. I can’t wait to discuss it at book club next week!
A House for Happy Mothers by Amulya Malladi
This novel about an Indian-American couple who employ a surrogate in India to bear their child does not shy away from the problematic nature of the practice, while still managing to make the couple sympathetic. We get two points of view here–that of the biological mother and that of the surrogate. The foray into Indian culture was interesting to me, and I was very invested in the story as this is a topic I have written about before. There is also some good stuff about marriage in here.
Jane and the Man of the Cloth by Stephanie Barron
Second in a series–there are 11 so far!–of mysteries not only written in the style of Austen, but actually about her as well. It took me a little while to get into this one, but I was hooked eventually. If I have any problem with these books, it is my fear that I will get confused about what is true to life and what is made up, which I suppose is a tribute to the writing.
Six books for June is not too shabby when one was over 600 pages! We are going to the used bookstore soon, so I bet July’s count will be higher.
