Recent Reads

But to be honest, it has been a rough month for reading around here. The reading momentum of January and February did not carry forward into March at all.

The only book I finished this month was the MMD book club selection Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I was not familiar with this Harlem Renaissance classic. This story is about Janie and her life in Florida in the early 1900s. As I became comfortable with the author’s use of dialect, I became engrossed with the story and deeply vested in Janie’s struggles and her growth. Since completing the book I have learned more about the author and the original poor public reception of the novel. I would like to re-read at some point through this broader historical lense.

I do have two books in currently in process.

The first is B raiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer . I am listening to this book on audio while driving or walking in the neighborhood. The author narrates the book and this makes the presentation very heartfelt. I am about 2/3 of the way through and I find it is one of those books where the impact is more about how it makes you feel and how it changes your thinking than it is about the specific content. The content is very well done and important and I am learning a lot, but it is the feeling that sticks with me. I will report further when I’ve made it to the end.

My next book is way outside of my usual lane. My daughter Sophie chose The Browns of California: the Family Dynasty that Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation by Miriam Pawel as the next selection for our Mother – Daughter book club. Sophie’s capacity for random non-fiction is vast, but I am struggling a bit to get through. This is a historical account of the political and personal lives of Governor Pat Brown and his son Governor Jerry Brown of California. This is a hefty book at 496 pages. I have not decided if I will persevere to the end or not.

Here’s hoping I find more time for reading this month than last!