I promised myself I would read this summer in place of watching reruns of last season's prime time TV. There have been 2 books on my nightstand since just before Jordan was born (yes, more than 12 months now) and I decided to tackle them first.
The lighter of the two turned out to be an absolute treat. "A Northern Light" by Jennifer Donnelly (Amazon.com permalink http://amzn.com/0152053107) is dubbed a young adult novel, but I enjoyed its light, uncluttered language with a clear description of tougher times than any of us can remember. The book is set in the Adirondacks with descriptions of the hotels and great camps that we fantisize about still today. A subplot is based on a real murder mystery whichs adds authenticity to the whole experience. I feel that all women can identify with the lead character, Mattie Gokey, as she faces the rest of her life with the decisions she makes at sixteen. I purchased two copies of this book from a craft show at Clarkson. The author's mother was a vendor at the show, and I felt a connection with it's title and cover almost immediately. I gave one copy to Alice for a xmas gift, and the other waited patiently for me to get to. Now that I've finished it, I'm going to pass it on to my Grandma Roth. She doesn't know it's coming, I think she'll enjoy it, as well.
It's good to be reading again. With all the hustle bustle, it seems to be one of the first habits I let go (writing being a close second) when faced with constrained time and energy. I'm going to start on the second book while the momentum is strong, and I am hoping to share my reactions to it at its conclusion. Stay tuned...
No comments:
Post a Comment