Books I Read This Summer

Murder Your Darlings -- J. J. Murphy
Ugh... I didn't really like this one, but my mother "chose" it from the stack I gave her to choose from -- and then when we got one day into the trip she told me she didn't like it.  So, I gave her the one I had brought for me (see below - Tell Me Something True).

Stabat Mater --Tiziano Scarpa
I wanted a book in Italian preferably about Venice (that's where I bought this one) -- the lovely blue eyes that sold me this book thought it would be perfect for me.  It was odd -- but interesting.  The entire book is really a monologue in the guise of letters to a mother this young woman has never known.  While the "action" takes place in Venice, there are very few times when it is noticeable since she rarely leaves the convent walls.  I don't know now how much I enjoyed the book or just that I was excited to still be able to read Italian well enough to get what was happening.

Tell Me Something True -- Leila Cobo
Someone gave me this book after she read it for a book club.  It sat on my shelf for a while, I might not have chosen it.  But, it turned out to be engaging and not your typical story.  My mom liked it because it was melodramatic at times and centered around romance.  I read it on the plane home ... that might have been a mistake.  It would be better as a beach read.  That is as much as I can say without spoiling it.  I did leave this one at a friends house.

Claire Dewitt and the City of the Dead -- Sara Gran
I searched high and low in the THREE neighborhoods I visited in NY city on the day before I left and could find NO bookstore.  This is a significantly bad side effect of the online bookstore mania.  I needed a book and the only place that I could buy a book was Walgreens (I won't even tell you how bad the selection was) or the airport ... so, I waited for the airport hoping their selection would be a tiny bit better.  This was one of the "sales people choose" books ...it was not the worst book, but not the best book either. It got better -- but I was concerned that I found so many typos.  Who edits books these days??

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -- Stieg Larsson
I finally got around to reading this ... it was a long slog, but I had a lot of time. I spent most of my time comparing it to the movie. I am still not sure what the hype is about it ... it is much less mystery than it is political commentary.  For a while, that commentary is somewhat interesting.  Did not knock it out of the ballpark for me.

Emma -- Jane Austen
I was staying with a friend for a few weeks -- while I was reading the book above -- when I needed another book to read, I grabbed a cute little edition of this that she had.  We had been watching Austen and Austen-like (read Downton Abbey) movies and series, so I decided I should finally just read one.  I really never had read an Austen all the way through. There were some descriptions I had to skim through... I am still not sure where I stand on these.  I guess I could never be an Austen scholar.

Into the Beautiful North -- Luis Alberto Urrea
I started reading this book a while ago -- I only allowed myself a chapter at a time while I was studying.  But, I decided to finish it when I got back to town this summer.  I love Urrea, so I was already enjoying this.  This is the lightest piece of his that I have ever read, but there were still edges that hurt -- like the pain of the main character traveling through the racism of our country.  However, it rang true and was beautifully described.  I am hoping and waiting for a sequel to this one.  You should read it.