DOWN THE LITERARY PATH

Wow, two posts in two days. I’m on a roll! Soon to be stopped by going home this evening and facing the reality that is my house. I still have Christmas to say ‘good-bye’ to. Eek!

I was thinking ‘what, exactly, did I do over the holidays?’ as I’m usually involved in many crafty pursuits which was not the case this year. Instead, I realized that I have enjoyed a LOT of reading and thought I’d share my list. I was lucky this year in that I enjoyed all of the books I read. I am an avid reader but, in my ripe old age, have given myself permission not to finish a book if I’m genuinely not enjoying it:

Marley and Me by John Grogan – do not read this book if you get migraines from laughing and crying like I did (yes, I got the migraine too)! An excellent read for any animal lovers out there – make sure you have a box of tissues handy as I cried from laughing so hard at the beginning of the book and then was in tears again at the end of the book. Thanks for the loan, C!

Labyrinth by Kate Mosse – Thanks to my mother-in-law, I was able to borrow this book for a great read. If you like theories about the Holy Grail, secret societies and strong women, you will like this book!

The Birth House by Ami McKay – A wonderful Christmas present from my parents (I grew up in a home where Christmas really isn’t Christmas unless you receive a couple of great books – thanks Mudder and Fadder!) and another strongly female character driven read. It involves women and midwifery using homeopathic remedies and is set in Nova Scotia. This book is about one woman who fought against a ‘testosterone dominated medical’ system as well as lived in a society where women were ‘seen and not heard’.

What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage – Hmm. There is definitely a female theme running through my list this year. Another excellent, and fast, read. The first person character is a young black woman who is HIV positive and who decides to leave the big city and go home to visit for a little while, en route to a new beginning in another city. I really enjoyed this one too – thanks for the borrow, ML!

Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin - I also enjoyed one of the Inspector Rebus books by Ian Rankin over the holidays. I really enjoy this mystery series and, if you like mysteries, this may be a series for you!

And...

The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence - This is a book written for, probably, 9 - 12 year olds. I love children's authors and hope to write my own children's book someday so am always in the market for a new children's book. This is an interesting read for children interested in ships and mysterious happenings. It is a dark plot and I wouldn't recommend it to a child who is easily frightened. However, I did enjoy it. It's the first of a triology.

I’ve only included the books that I started and finished over the holidays for this list. I do have a couple of more books started (I usually have several on the go and read whichever one I’m in the mood for at that particular point in time. Call it ‘changing the channel’) but have not yet finished so they did not make today's cut. And, yes, I am a fast reader.

If you're interested, maybe I'll create another list like this in the future. TTFN!