Reported by Jeanne
The first book up was The Shipping News by
Annie Proulx. The main character,
Quoyle, moves back to the ancestral home in Newfoundland after the death of his
wife, taking with him his two daughters, an aunt, and his dog. There he takes a job writing for the local weekly
newspaper, a publication which specializes in stories about accidents, abuse,
and news about shipping. Our reader said
the book had great imagery, though there were a lot of Canadian terms. One favorite description was of a “paint
slobbered chair.”
In Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson,
the narrator has fallen in love with a married woman Louise. The book is brief—less than 200 pages—but our
reviewer thought there was a lot to unpack in those pages. It’s a bit heavy on the musings, but holds
the reader’s interest as it presents a view of the mistakes one can make when
you love a person and think you’re doing the right thing.
British thriller writer Susie Steiner made her mark
with Missing, Presumed which introduced Det. Inspector Manon Bradshaw.
In Persons Unknown, Bradshaw has moved from London back to
Cambridgeshire in hopes of keeping her adopted son Fly from association with
the wrong crowd and so that she can prepare for the birth of her child. Fly finds village life difficult, since he is
the only black child in school. Then
Bradshaw’s former brother in law is found murdered, and Fly becomes a
suspect. Our reader liked the strong
blend of mystery and family life, and enjoyed the book.
The first non-fiction book this time was Lawrence
in Arabia by Scott Anderson, and it came highly recommended. T.E. Lawrence was an archaeologist excavating
in Syria before the start of the first World War, and he became Britain’s agent
in the area. There were three other
important foreigners who were also pursuing agendas for their countries:
American William Yale, a Standard Oil employee; German Curt Prufer, another
archaeologist turned spymaster; and Aaron Aaronsohn, a Zionist who organized a
Jewish spy network. These four men had a
profound influence on the Middle East, and our reviewer felt it did an
excellent job of explaining the roots of some current situations. He said it
was very informative and readable.
Finally, Tell Me Where It Hurts: A Day of Humor, Healing, and Hope in My Life
as an Animal Surgeon by Nick Trout was described as a book “that looks sweet but it isn’t.” Our reader felt that Trout regarded himself
as a Vet God and found him obnoxious. The book was all over the place, she
said, and she was definitely not charmed.
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