November books, part 1

Wish You Were Eyre, Heather Vogel Frederick
I loved this sixth (and, sadly, final!) installment in the Mother-Daughter Book Club series. These five spunky girls round out their sophomore year with Jane Eyre, competitions in singing and hockey, a visit from their Wyoming pen pals and some exciting Spring Break trips. There’s a bit of boy drama too, and repeat appearances from their families and friends. I cheered when they urged each other to “get your Jane on” – meaning “be brave and stand up for yourself.” Jane is one of my heroines and I’m glad she inspired them too.

Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures, Emma Straub
Elsa Emerson, born in Wisconsin, takes off for Los Angeles at age 17 with her new husband and a head full of Hollywood dreams. She quickly becomes a studio star (and a mother), but of course life in Hollywood is never quite what it seems. I found Elsa-turned-Laura interesting, and her story both heartbreaking and hopeful, but I grew annoyed with her sometimes. She seemed so passive, despite her dreams, always dependent on other people for attention and adoration. Still, a fascinating look at the “golden age” of filmmaking and a complex family story.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling
Beginning another reread of this beloved series. I love how the reader learns about Hogwarts and the magical world right alongside Harry in this first book. And I love that Harry’s years with the Dursleys haven’t soured him on being kind to other people. He may despise Draco Malfoy, but he is compassionate and loyal. (I own the British edition, hence the slight title change. Link is to the U.S. edition.)

Letters of E.B. White, ed. Dorothy Lobrano Guth, updated by Martha White
I’ve been reading this tome (700 pages!) since mid-September, and I relished White’s witty, precise observations on farm life in Maine, writing for the New Yorker, cross-country road trips, his own career and his long, happy marriage to his wife Katharine. This is a lot of letters, but I so enjoyed having White’s voice in my ear morning and evening. More to come about this book.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling
I love rereading this series for so many reasons: the jokes are just as much fun, the plot points just as enthralling, the fifth or sixth time through. But I can also see the hints of foreshadowing, since I know the end of the story. Lots of those hints here, as life at Hogwarts grows ever more exciting and complicated (and Hermione loosens up enough to break school rules with Harry and Ron). I’d almost forgotten about ridiculous Professor Lockhart, and the teachers’ spells in the Chamber of Secrets are so clever.

Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein
A Scottish spy (don’t call her English!) and an English pilot, her best friend, go down together on a mission to France, and get separated. The spy narrates Part 1, writing her story for her Nazi interrogators, not knowing whether Maddie (the pilot) is dead or alive. Maddie takes over in Part 2, wondering the same thing about her friend. Brilliantly told (unreliable narrators, plot twists, double agents), and also heartbreaking. I’m reminded again of the tremendous sacrifices made by both government agents and ordinary people in World War II. Stunning, gripping and full of bravery.

What are you reading these days?

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