November Reading List

Having finished 80% of the books I've checked out over the last few weeks, I decided it was time to visit the library and pick up some more.

The 20% I did not finish was All Soul's Rising.  It was simply too disturbing, too heartrending to read 300 plus pages about the cruelty of slavery in Haiti, which was worse than the cruelty of slavery here in the United States.  According to the book and other sources, nearly a third of newly enslaved Africans died within three years of forced servitude.  It took me almost a week to read forty pages (which is fairly slow for me) because I could only read a few pages at a time before I had to put down the book out of horror and sadness.  It is one of those books I should read and maybe will some day when I have more time with it, but after having the book checked out for over a month, it is time to let someone else read it.

I am excited about my new reading list, however, and if you have recently visited my blog like I suggested in this post, you will recognize some of the titles that have made the list.  They are:

I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass
This book was a Barnes and Noble recommendation and a Barnes and Noble book club favorite.  It is the story of two sisters who could not lead more different lives.  Louisa is an artist who longs for a stable relationship, a home and marriage.  Clem is a free spirit, who shies away from commitment and is utterly committed to her work.  The novel takes place over a twenty-five year period and throughout that time, they discover that the further they are apart, the closer they are to each other.  According to the book flap, the novel examines life, death, loneliness and sisterhood and asks what you are and are not willing to do for the ones you love.  I chose this book because I have a sister and enjoy reading books about the strong yet often complicated bonds that exist between sisters ala In Her Shoes.

Sarah by Marek Halter
This is a novel about Sarah, wife of Abraham, and her life before and after she married Abram (later Abraham) in the land of Ur.  It is the first in a trilogy about women in the Old Testament.  I greatly enjoyed The Red Tent about Old Testament women (Dinah specifically) and while this novel focuses on a slightly more ancient era, I am excited to read it.  Like they say on the playbill of Wicked, so much happened before Dorothy (or in this case Abram) dropped in!

Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada
Another Barnes and Noble recommendation.   It is a novel that is based on a true story, translated from German, about two people's resistance in Nazi Germany after their only son is killed by The Third Reich.  It promises to be a thrilling tale and soaring romance.  My edition includes an afterward about the author and real life couple who inspired the novel, which I cannot wait to read.  I chose this novel for two reasons: one, I am very interested in Nazi resistance literature, having read The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story, about one family's resistance in Warsaw, and two, because one of the reviews used the word soaring romance.  This may be a silly reason to choose a book, but that phrase was used to describe These Is My Words, and that novel has never let me down, even after the fifty plus times I've read it (I'm not exaggerating)!

Mary of Nazareth by Marek Halter
I found this on the library shelf next to Sarah and thought I would give it a whirl.  I figured if I liked the author, it might be nice to have another one of his works on hand to continue reading.  The fact that it is a novel about Mary, mother of Jesus, and her life before, during and after she met Joseph didn't hurt either!  Are you noticing a theme with this author, because I am!

So there you have it.  My list of new reading material.  Have any recommendations of books for my next list?  Have you read any of these books?  Let's hear it!