May 2016

Brooklyn

By Colm Toibin

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

I listened to the Audible version of Brooklyn by Colm Toibin and found it to be an enjoyable listen.  It is basically a ‘coming to America’ story of an Irish girl, Eilis Lacey.  There were no great moments.  Eilis was seemed like a very ordinary girl, dealing with universal issues.  The descriptions of both Eilis’s life in Ireland and post WWII New York City seemed colorful and authentic. It was made into a movie that was nominated for Academy Awards.  I haven’t seen the movie, but it made a good audio book.  Definitely an enjoyable listen!

Red For Love: Molly Sutton Mysteries #4

Nell Goddin

Once again, I was so happy to receive an advance copy of Red for Love by Nell Goddin and am equally happy to submit this hones review.  I’ve grown fond of Molly and all of the Castillac regulars. Descriptions of life in the French village are great!  I’d love to live in Molly’s B & B.  Her garden sounds like one I would enjoy.  Her dog, Bobo, and the orange cat add to the cozy feeling.  Molly’s friend, Frances, played a more prominent role in this book, as did the owner of the local patisserie, Monsieur Nugent.  Molly remains a strong and independent character.  Castillac would be perfect … except for an occasional murder or two.  The mystery is light with just enough suspense and very little actual violence or gore.  Red for Love was a pleasure to read and to review.  I hope the next installment in the series comes soon.  I’m wondering what is going to happen with Molly and Ben. 

We’re All Damaged 

By Matthew Norman

We’re All Damaged by Matthew Norman would not be my normal choice for reading material. That being said, I have to give it 5 stars because I couldn’t put it down and I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s a kinky story about a damaged young man finding himself.  The damage was extensive and deep, not normally a cause for laughter.  However, Norman wove the trauma into one of the most hilarious stories that I’ve read recently.  There are definitely sad passages, but they are followed by surprisingly funny twists.  There are also some true moments of wisdom.  My favorite:

“Mixed in with all of its silly bullshit, Facebook is the literal manifestation of all our regrets, looping and looping for free, on our computers and phones.  People who should be safely out of our lives forever are there again, one cryptic little glimpse at a time, reminding us of all the things we should or shouldn’t have done.”

Be aware that the language might be offensive to some and that there is definite sexual content.  As I said at the beginning, this is not my normal read.  I got it through Kindle First.  Once again, I’m glad that Amazon offers the program.  I read a great book that I wouldn’t have chosen otherwise.  Definitely a good read!

The Stolen Child

By Keith Donohue

Loreena McKennitt first introduced me to the poem, ‘The Stolen Child’, by W. B. Yeats through her song of the same name.  McKennitt’s music brings the perfectly enhances the magic of the poem.  With that in mind, I began The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue, our June library book club selection.  I really wanted to love the book, but it got off to a slow start for me.  The first half of the book introduced the faeries and the initial ‘stealing’ of the child.  Personally, I didn’t get hooked until the middle of the book.  I first felt the magic in Henry Day’s descriptions as he revisited the woods, searching for another lost child.  Seeing through his heightened sensitivity brought magic into the woods and into the book for me. 

From that point on, I was hooked.  I followed the stories of Aniday and Henry Day, along with their partners, Speck and Tess.  Their parallel stories of the wild child and the tormented adult can be approached on many levels: childhood vs. adulthood, inner vs. outer lives, nature vs. civilization, and the universal theme of letting go.  I stayed up much later reading than I should have, and picked the book up first thing in the morning.  I couldn’t put it down until I was finished. Maybe there was something I was missing in the first part of the book, but I’m not up to rereading that section again.  It’s worth hanging in for the second half of the book.  For those who love the magic of faeries in Stolen Child, I highly recommend Loreena McKennitt’s song, The Stolen Child, on her Elemental CD.  Stolen Child by Keith Donohue got off to a slow start, but was a good read.