It's Not You It's Me or Is It? - Curiosity by Joan Thomas

In my two experiences of Joan Thomas books (Reading by Lightening and now, Curiosity), I always start out strong and think "wow, this is going to be a great book". Yet, somehow by the end, I'm always looking forward to being done.  I don't know if it's that they're too long, but I'm perplexed by this reaction as I don't shy away from long books (and at 400 pages, this is hardly a "chunkster").  The story itself follows the path of an early female archaeologist (Mary Anning) and how her social class and to some extent gender prevent her from achieving the success she's earned and deserves.  A related story explores her relationship with another scientist of the day: Henry de la Beche.  All in all, an interesting read but not a riveting one.

A friend of mine mentioned that Tracy Chevalier has also tackled Mary Anning--perhaps I'll have to give that book a try.

Books with Some Weight on Them: Fall of Giants and the Leopard

In Fall of Giants, Ken Follett crafts an amazing portrait of the US, Wales/England, France, and Russia both before and during the first world war.  He explores class structures and how the war begins to break these down.  It takes 800+ pages to do, but it goes quickly and is a journey well worth taking.

The Leopard by Jo Nesbo also falls into the "chunkster" category and while I enjoyed the mystery and the flawed character of Harry Hole, I thought that the length could have been reduced.  In particular, the writing at the beginning might have been a bit tighter.  Just a slightly lower BMI and this book could have gone from good to great.

Two Great Satires - Best Laid Plans and The Sisters Brothers

Terry Fallis writes a wonderfully funny political satire, while Patrick Dewitt takes on the old west.  Both are funny, clever, and well worth picking up!

No Great Mischief - Alistair MacLeod

A modern Canadian classic that I have finally tackled!  It describes the MacLeod clan from their early days in Cape Breton through to modern day Toronto.  The family's fierce loyalty to one another was the dominant theme and spoke to the character's actions and choices.  Definitely a good read, but I couldn't help comparing it to Galore.  In Galore, I found an even more intriguing family. 4/5 Stars.

The Kitchen House - Kathleen Grissom (continuing the colossal catch-up)

The Kitchen House describes the story of a white servant (Lavinia) on a plantation in the deep south of the US.  It explores her relationship with the black slaves and the white landowners, as well as her inability to fit comfortably within either society.  This book was well written and I made my way through it quite quickly.  I did find the character of Lavinia to be a bit weak at times, but this didn't detract too much from the book. It's still worth picking up!  4/5 stars

Four Mrs. Bradwells

Ugh...this book was a chore.  Should have been called Four Pretentious Women who complain A LOT!  There was a mystery in there somewhere, but lost within a whole bunch of complaining.  Was happy to finish.  1/5 Stars

Colossal Catch-Up - Part One

Very behind on my book reviews as of late, so a quick summary of what I've read and what I've liked/disliked.

Swamplandia-Karen Russell.  When I picked this book up, I had just finished a series of mysteries and was ready for something different.  This definitely fit that category.  It reads almost like an Odyssey-type adventure that takes place in Florida's Swampland.   The main character (Ava) is a young girl who lives on a remote island in the Florida Swamps and has just lost her mother.  The family is known for its prowess in alligator wrestling.  Ava's sister has just taken off to follow a "ghost ship" and Ava takes off after her with the Birdman (a character of whom we are initially unsure).  Running parallel to Ava's story is the story of her brother's adventure on the mainland (having until recently lived in the Swamps all his life).  While I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would, it was a great change from my regular reading routine. 3/5 Stars

A Reliable Wife - Robert Goolrick.  This book was okay.  It tells the story of a woman who takes on a role as a "mail order" wife, but is really only interested in killing her husband to gain his fortune for her young lover.  There are twists and turns from there that make the book worth finishing, but the characters never really resonated with me.  3/5 Stars.

Waiting for Columbus - Thomas Trofimuk.  Loved this book!  Takes place in a psychiatric hospital and follows the daily life a patient who believes himself to be Christopher Columbus.  The genius of this book is we gradually see this illusion cracking through inconsistencies in the Columbus story.  For this reason, it would make a great re-read as well.  The characters are well described and on the whole, sympathetic.  5/5 Stars.

Year of Wonders - Geraldine Brooks.  Another great read!  This takes place during the time of the plague and describes the story of a small village that essentially quarantined themselves.  After it became apparent that they were being badly ravaged by the plague, the local Minister suggested that they could perhaps best serve God's will by quarantining themselves.  The book describes both the physical and psychological consequences of this decision in a gripping manner.  The appeal of this book can be largely attributed to the quality of the narration.  Anna is an intelligent and engaging character that draws us all into her story. 5/5 Stars.