Pam Webb

Reading Roundup: May

I would be infinitesimally poorer if it were not for the local library. Our library prints at the bottom of the check out slip how much money saved by using the library. My last receipt stated I had saved $183.50 since I chose to check out books instead of buying them. That’s a lot of chocolate I could be investing in instead. So, my thanks to the library for providing books and helping me save money.

May was full of variety as I am trying to get away from my mystery mode of preference. Here are the five star reads for last month.

Preston’s quiet novel is based on the findings of the Sutton Hoo archeological dig in Britain, discovered just prior to WWII. While it’s difficult to get overly enthused about the discovered artifacts through descriptions, Preston balances the historical significance of the find with well-rounded characterization, providing hints of personal conflict, even though the focus is on the dig and its ramifications. The Netflix movie with Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan, and Lily James is what prompted me to read the book. I would say seeing the movie first enriched reading the novel.

A reader never quite knows what to expect from the talented pen of Anthony Horowitz. He tossed the murder mystery genre on its ear with Magpie Murders and gave it a sound shaking with his Hawthorne series. Mixed reviews on this fifth entry of the series indicate readers are not always pleased when a writer changes up the format. In Close to Death Horowitz again collaborates with police consultant Hawthorne, but as a writer mandated to deliver a book to the publisher. Instead of following Hawthorne’s lead, Horowitz must dig for information on his own, which is challenging since this is a five year old murder. Horowitz discovers the case takes on a different appearance when he find the ruled suicide is perhaps a murder, yet there are far too many suspects with alibis making this seem to be a suicide after all. Somewhat confusing? Yes. Very clever? Definitely.

Dickens, Twain, Homer, and a bit of Elmer Gantry comprise this epic coming-of-age tale of four orphans who dub themselves the Vagabonds as they escape injustice in hopes of finding home. The author acknowledges how he spun together the pathos of Dickens with the journey adventure of Twain to create the tale of Odie, a midwestern Odysseus of the Depression. All components of a riveting story are present: setting (the horrors of a school institution in the landscape of the Midwest Depression era); characters (evil school administrators, stoic adults, rascal children, precious little girls, morally ambiguous women); conflict (spoilers!). The prose complements the sincerity of the narrator’s voice, as he loses his naïveté and develops a more realistic perspective of what life is all about.

What would it be like to live in an alternate reality, one that is nearly perfect? People must wonder because films such as The Lake House and novels like Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse continue to remain popular. For Kitty, whose double life as Katharyn, her two worlds are both so real she can no longer tell which she is dreaming and which one she is living. A compelling debut by Cynthia Swanson, that is addictive and a storyline that leaves one pondering the different ways of coping with loss, change, and what constitutes the perfect life.

A middle grade debut that deservedly earned the Coretta Scott King award for its sensitive portrayal of a young boy who migrates from Alabama to Chicago when the mother passes. Cline-Ransome captures the sorrow, confusion, and sense of loss as Langston tries to adjust to moving to the city. Bullied and lonely, Langston finds solace in the words of his namesake, Langston Hughes.

Do you find yourself returning to the same author or the same genre? I wonder if that is a problem or is it more of an indication of being content with a choice that is satisfying. Thoughts?