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Grace Grits Reads: June 2017

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Book Reviews June 2017

June Book Reviews:

My June reading adventures began in Iceland (literally), where I traveled to Belize (figuratively) in a beat-up, broken down car with a character named Ray Midge. Mid-month, because of my trip to Iceland, I became absorbed in the Mid-West, primarily in a one room schoolhouse in rural Iowa with brief escapades to Venice. And June moved on from there. Arkansas blogger / author Jerusalem Jackson Greer took me inside her head, heart, and home in Little Rock. I visited a Catholic home for unwed mothers and enjoyed a gem of a romp in England with Benedict Stone. Trust me when I say throughout the entire month of June, I spent a ton of time at Monticello with Thomas Jefferson’s daughter. In all, June proved to be a fun and busy month. And because of my book adventures, I hope you’ll add a few more volumes to your summer reading list.Continue Reading

Grace Grits Reads May 2017

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Grace Grits Reads May 2017

May 2017 was an odd month for me as I was preparing for my Iceland trip, writing several freelance articles (deadlines!), and evidently not reading as much as normal. Grace Grits Reads May 2017 totals only three books. Sad! (Three that I can recall as I sit here in Iceland trying to remember, anyway.)

My brain is tired.

Maybe I really read eight. Ha.

American Gods
by Neil Gaiman

I selected this book because author Neil Gaiman was inspired to write it after a trip to Reykjavik, AND I thought it would help immerse me in the culture and mood of Iceland. It did. For the most part, I truly enjoyed this book. At times, I LOVED the story. Once or twice, I almost quit reading. But somehow the author casts a spell, and I couldn’t not finish it. American Gods is as long and deep as the Westfjords (over 700 pages!), and the story is as mystical and poetic as Iceland itself. The basic premise involves a man recently released from prison, his dead wife, and a job he reluctantly accepts because he finds himself a bit untethered. Nothing is ever as it seems. Magic plays a role. Or does it? Underlying forces influence everything. Or do they? If you are offended by sex, penises, and the idea of Norse gods, you won’t like this saga. If you prefer a straightforward, black and white story, move on to something else. If you enjoy a touch of fantasy and remember devouring mythology in junior high, you may just see the magic in Gaiman’s prose.

(Yes, Starz produced a series based on the book, but I always favor the book first.)

This book made me: Think. Look at Iceland differently. Remember the mythology I learned in 7th grade. And FYI, I will never see a taxi / Uber driver the same way again. Never.

My favorite line: “All we have to believe with is our senses.”Continue Reading

Grace Grits Reads: April 2017

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April Reads

Here we are at the end of April. I think these monthly book recaps I’ve begun doing make my days fly by even more quickly! Grace Grits Reads for April took me across the Pyrenees and deep into the “Wood Wide Web”. I visited with old Avonlea friends and sat bedside with Lucy Barton. ♬♪ Do you know the Pee-can man? the Pee-can man? the Pee-can man? ♬♪ I predict soon you will.

The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah

This was the first book I read in April, and it was FANTASTIC. I became so engrossed in this tale of two sisters during French occupation of WWII, I had a difficult time accomplishing much of anything other than reading. This was one of those beautifully written stories I didn’t want to end, all the more powerful because the people and events depicted were inspired by truth. When it did end, I had to sit with it for a while before starting another book.

This book made me: reflect, think, worry, weep at the end. I even lost weight because how could I eat when Isabelle was standing in food lines for pitiful rations? Read it if you haven’t already and ponder, what would you do?

My favorite sentence: “What good is safety if she has to grow up in a world where people disappear without a trace because they pray to a different God?”Continue Reading

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