March books

I seem to have read a lot of fluff this month – I guess I was trying to combat the end of winter. (March was certainly a lion-like month, and the lamblike days aren’t here yet.) I like fluff sometimes, though. Most of it was definitely worth reading, and some isn’t really fluff at all. I’ve also made good progress on my three big commitments, though I haven’t finished any of them yet. (Perhaps because I keep taking breaks to focus on these other books.)

The Scent of the Roses, Aleen Leslie
I picked up this book at It’s About Time, my favourite little treasure-shop here in town. I’d never heard of it but it looked delightful, and it proved to be so. The main character, Jane, age ten, comes to live with a big German family after her mother is murdered and her father runs away. The tricky element is that Jane no longer remembers anything about her past – she has total amnesia after the incident. She loves living with the Webers, but she – and they – are always wondering about who she really is. It’s a fun read, quick and lighthearted and yet suspenseful, and also funny.

Village School, Miss Read
This is the first in a long series of books by Miss Read, aka Eva Saint, who was a country schoolmarm in England and then became a writer. She chronicled life in the fictional villages of Fairacre and Thrush Green, and it’s a charming portrait of country life. They’re a little like the Mitford books but even gentler, and indeed are endorsed by Jan Karon, Mitford’s creator. I’d read a couple of them before – this is a sweet, funny one.

Jane Austen Ruined My Life, Beth Pattillo
After Anne endorsed this, I ordered it from Amazon, and I quite enjoyed it. At times I grew frustrated with the main character, but Pattillo accurately sketches the turbulent emotions that come with hitting a low point in your life (in this case, a cheating husband and a career-destroying scandal). The supporting characters are funny and endearing, and Emma does eventually hit on several epiphanies that leave you hoping for a true happy ending for her.

A Homemade Life, Molly Wizenberg
One of the best books I’ve read in several years – it’s absolutely delicious, in several ways. Molly chronicles the story of her life in food, as though she had sat you down at her kitchen table and served you a scrumptious meal, while telling you the story of the origins of every recipe. I’ve already made the ratatouille and the Scottish scones – both delectable – and there are dozens of other recipes I can’t WAIT to try. It’s by turns funny, poignant and mouth-watering, and her relationship with Paris is eerily like mine with Oxford. (She says at one point that it’s where she’s been the happiest and the loneliest.) You can read her blog here, and please, please go buy the book.

3 Willows, Ann Brashares
I am a huge fan of Brashares’ Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, so was anxiously awaiting this new release. Once it arrived, I read it in two days – and I laughed, ached for the girls, cried at the end, and remembered exactly how it felt to be fourteen. That is Brashares’ true gift – she is an adult who has never forgotten what it’s like to be a teenager, and writes about it beautifully. I hope there are more books forthcoming about Polly, Jo and Ama. I want to know what happens next with them.

I Feel Bad About My Neck, Nora Ephron
Since Ephron is the screenwriter for both You’ve Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle, she came highly recommended – but this book disappointed me. Perhaps it would have been funnier if I were about three decades older, as much of what Ephron has to say deals with aging. She is funny, but not as funny as I wanted her to be. Probably a much better read for women of a certain age than women of 25, such as myself.

The Chocolate Snowman Murders, JoAnna Carl
I’ve been enjoying this mystery series since I picked up the first three books bound in one volume (Crime de Cocoa) at Barnes & Noble several years ago. The writing isn’t great, and honestly, this wasn’t the best-written one of the bunch, but the main character and her townful of quirky friends and neighbours are endearing. And she co-runs a chocolate shop with her aunt, which means plenty of luscious chocolate descriptions. So, this one wasn’t wonderful, but I would recommend the series if you need something light and fun.

I’m still working on The Count of Monte Cristo (another 100 pages before I’m halfway through – it’s a good story but SO LONG). Also about one-quarter of the way through Words in Air, and enjoying the lively correspondence between R. Lowell and E. Bishop. And I’m reading Culture Making slowly in order to digest it – but I’m about two-thirds through and it’s wonderful stuff.

Also coming up on the list: Acedia & Me, Still Life with Chickens, The Thirteenth Tale and a Jane Austen novel. (Haven’t decided which one yet.)

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