Rest of the Summer Reading

Today is the last day of August, and so also the last day of my summer reading period.  I have eight more books to talk about, two of them kid books, five fiction, and one nonfiction.

I have enjoyed all of the Trenton Lee Stewart books I’ve read and The Secret Keepers is no exception.  The protagonists were engaging, the plot inventive, and the device at the center of everything ingenious.  Initially, I had a bit of trouble getting into the story, but I think that was me and not the story itself.  One of the things I particularly like about Stewart’s work is that he values not only the intelligence but also the heart of his characters—even their mistakes come from a desire to make things better or to protect loved ones.

The other kid book was gifted to me.  It’s called The French Twins and was written by Lucy Fitch-Perkins in the period between World War I and World War II, looking back on events from the former.  The twins of the title live in Rheims with their mother when the Germans invade.  The French spirit, coupled with American aid, eventually triumph over the invaders.  It’s not a terrible story, but it reads very much as a piece of American propaganda about cooperation.  I am skeptical about the values of nationalism, to say the least, but I kept the book because on the whole it was about facing adversity with resilience.

Some years back, I saw half of an unfortunate production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.  It soured me on the play itself unfairly.  I revisited the play recently because of a story I’m writing and found it better than I remembered, if not likely to be my favorite.  The intersection of ambition and fate, the play of relationships, and the corrosive effects of wrong action make for a compelling if difficult read.

Then I needed some lighter stuff, so I read three Julia Buckley books, Death Waits in the Dark, Pudding Up with Murder, and Death in a Budapest Butterfly.  I enjoyed all three, but I also learned that two fluffy books in a row is enough.  By the time I got to the third one, I was bored with yet another plucky, pretty heroine and her misunderstandings with her handsome, manly boyfriend as played out over a cozy murder.  Not that I won’t read her next books, too, just that I require slightly smaller doses than I currently administered.

A better rest was provided by Louise Penney’s latest, A Better Man.  It turns out that I enjoy complex characters more.  The interplay of evil and good in even the most upright of her characters feels more true.  While it is always worthwhile spending time in Three Pines with Gamache, some of Penney’s plots are better than others.  This one was better than the last few and managed to explore issues of social media trolls, artistic integrity, and abuse patterns along the way to catching the perp.

Finally, I read Philip Pullman’s collection Daemon Voices.  The book contains essays, introductions, and talks about a variety of topics ranging from how stories are constructed to why Blake is awesome to where meaning comes from for those who don’t believe in God.  His work is well-crafted and thought-provoking.  Also, often funny.  I highly recommend it.

Summer total:  16 books.  Year to date total:  39 books.