 | The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers 254 pages What’s it about? Major Gryffth Hockaday is on a short leave from the Civil War when he meets 17-year-old Placidia. In a whirlwind romance they are quickly married and immediately return to his farm. 48 hours after returning home he is called back to duty. Placidia is left to care for his young son, a few slaves, and the farm while the war rages on. Two years later, when the war ends, Major Hockaday returns to find Placicia accused of not only having had a baby while he was gone, but also murdering the baby. What really happened? What did it make me think about? What a pleasant surprise this little book was! It is the best page-turner I have read in a while. I could not put it down. The book is written as a series of letters and you just want to know more. Based on a true story, this novel illuminates what many women may have faced in the South during the Civil War. Should I read it? This novel combines history, great characters, and a compelling mystery to make for one good story! Any fan of historical fiction should pick this book up. Quote- “In marveling at how transformed he is, I strive to keep in mind that I am changed quite as totally as the major. It is challenging to remember the child who stood up before Rev. Poteat two years ago with a handful of spring flowers and a joyous heart, who trusted her fate to the good luck she had been born with and to a man blown into her path by the prevailing winds.” If you like this try- Days Without End by Sebastian Barry Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders March by Geraldine Brooks 9 stars |
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 Exit West by Moshin Hamid
231 pages What’s it about? Nadia and Saeed meet at a night class and are instantly attracted to each other. Their relationship develops at the same time their city is slipping into a civil war. We watch as Nadia and Saeed’s lives change to accommodate the fighting, “War in Saeed and Nadia’s city revealed itself to be an intimate experience, combatants pressed close together, front lines defined at the level of the street one took to work, the school one’s sister attended, the house of one’s aunt’s best friend, the shop where one bought cigarettes.” As the fighting gets worse Nadia and Saeed take advantage of a magical door that leads out of the country. They walk through and emerge in London. In the second half of the book Hamid explores what it means to be a refugee looking for a home. What did it make me think about? So many thoughts about this one- mainly what a phenomenal writer Mohsin Hamid is! Also, how does he write such long, beautiful sentences? I appreciated “The Reluctant Fundamentalist”- but “How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia” is one of my favorite books in recent years. I was so eager to read this small novel and it did not let me down. “Exit West” is a tale of our time. It made me think of Syria and all those trapped amongst the fighting. No magic doors are available there, and yet many people find a way out. Moshin Hamid reminds us of the cost of leaving home, the cost of welcoming others in, and gives us hope that humanity will find a way. Should I read it? Yes- what a timely book. Shouldn’t we all take a little time to think about the plight of the migrants? Quote- “Perhaps they had decided they did not have it in them to do what would have needed to be done, to corral and bloody and where necessary slaughter the migrants, and had determined that some other way would have to be found. Perhaps they had grasped that the doors could not be closed, and new doors would continue to open, and they had understood that the denial of coexistence would have required one party to cease to exist, and the extinguishing party too would have been transformed in the process, and too many native parents would not after have been able to look their children in the eye, to speak with head held high of what their generation had done.” If you like this try- The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Moshin Hamid How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Moshin Hamid Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji Orhan’s Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian 8 1/2 stars
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A sad, poignant, mystical read. I won't give too much away. Quick and well worth it!
9 1/2 stars!
A coming of age story set in Mexico. It certainly gives you a whole new view of all the people coming over the border.
9 stars
Quirky characters and the story told through letters to Richard Gere. Who could ask for more? 9 stars
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“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
― Charles William Eliot
― Charles William Eliot
ratings
1 to 2- I did not enjoy this book.
3 to 4- I found some aspect of this book redeeming but would not recommend it.
5 to 6- I really enjoyed something about this book (characters, plot, meaning etc.) but it was uneven. Some aspects were stronger than others.
7 to 8- It was a good book. I liked lots of aspects of this book. I would recommend it.
9 to 10- I was sorry to turn the last page. I highly recommend this book!
3 to 4- I found some aspect of this book redeeming but would not recommend it.
5 to 6- I really enjoyed something about this book (characters, plot, meaning etc.) but it was uneven. Some aspects were stronger than others.
7 to 8- It was a good book. I liked lots of aspects of this book. I would recommend it.
9 to 10- I was sorry to turn the last page. I highly recommend this book!
