As my part of my Learn goals for 2016, I’m reading a variety of styles and genres of books in the attempt to discover new ideas and expand my horizons. My goal is to read at least 25 this year, of which I’m keeping track on Goodreads. Are you over there? Let’s connect!
Chateau of Secrets by Melanie Dobson
Dare I admit that I picked this one up solely because of the cover? It reminded me of Downton Abbey. This book is a historical novel based on a devout Catholic woman named Genevieve Menke. It moves back and forth between the past and present and having read a few books this year with this format, I’m growing a bit wary of it. The story line was a little predictable and some characters more relatable than others, but I did enjoy the Catholic references done in a positive way (a rare find for me!).
The American Way of Eating by Tracie McMillan
Written by a journalist, the goals of this book are twofold: tracking the life of American food by taking undercover jobs on the fields, at WalMart and at Applebees, while also exploring the challenges Americans face when trying to eat fresh, healthy foods on limited incomes. While parts of this book were a bit slow, I did come away really thinking about the complexities of food and the small role I can play to help others less fortunate than me with fresh ingredients.
One quote that really stuck with me: “An emerging body of psychological and sociological research suggests that because the poor must rely on others to provide a range of needs that the wealthy can pay for, they are also more empathetic and have stronger social skills. Correspondingly, those in the upper-income bracket are found to be less capable of reading others’ emotions and hence are less empathetic.” – footnote on pg.35
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
I chose this book for the Modern Mrs. Darcy book challenge, a book written before you were born (1962). In one word, I thought this book was weird. It’s a Gothic mystery about two sisters, but it seemed too anti-climactic to me. I kept reading waiting for the big surprise, but was left disappointed. However, according to the reviews on Goodreads, I’m in the minority on this one. Maybe I just didn’t get it?