Summer Lovin'....erm, I Mean Reading...

Everyone needs an escape from the every day.  For some, it's drugs (bad, tsk, tsk).  For others it's alcohol (also not the wisest of ideas).  Some throw themselves into their work.  Others exercise or meditate or pray.  Me, I read.  Reading is my escape.  I love getting lost in a world that is not my own. 

And now, for Catherine's Book Review (you know, just in case you want/need to escape).  It' not quite Oprah, but we take what we can get, right?

The Children's Book

This book has it all.  It's lyrical, it's poetic, it's war time drama, it's love conquered and love lost, it's the secrets that families keep for life time, only to have them destroy them in the end.  A mother who writes stories for each of her children, instead of showing them the love she has for them.  An auntie who's more than what she seems.  A father who has lovers and children and children and lovers.  To be honest, I skipped through a lot of the historical ramblings, the stories for the children.  The book was almost 700 pages long (or maybe more, I can't remember).  But the book is solid, and it's a fabulous escape.  Who can't resist a Midsummer's eve party?

The Seamstress

This is the story of two sisters in early 1900's Brazil.  The one event that separates them early in life and how different their lives become.  The one tie that binds them is their the memory of their aunt and the gift she gave them for sewing.  Both sisters get exactly what they wished for and find that these wishes are, in the end what destroy them.  It's beautifully written, rich with history and prose. 

Her Fearful Symmetry

From the author of "The Time Travelers Wife".  I have been waiting for her to write another novel, because I just loved the "Time Travelers Wife."  This book does
not disappoint.  It's completely different from her last novel, but written with the same voice.  Oh, I just cannot say enough about this book.  It'll make you gasp in horror, it'll make you fall in love.  You won't be able to put it down.  5 star definitely 5 stars, my friends.  A great escape.









Rachel's Holiday

This was to be my 'bubble gum' book.  My la de da, I don't need to think.  Just escape into this world of laughs and love.  Turns out, it made me realize things about myself I never knew.  Rachel has OD'd on a mixture of Cocaine and sleeping pills.  Her family *freaks* out and forces her into rehab for her drug addictions.  While she 'absolutely' does not have a problem, she loves the idea of being in a spa for the next 6 weeks.  What does she have to lose?  With no job, no money, and no friends any more...she might just meet a movie star!  A journey of self discovery with tongue in cheek humor that keeps it light and relateable. 







A Reliable Wife

I just finished this book.  I loved this book, I read it in less than two days.  Winter 1907, a man waits at a train station for his bride.  He found her ad in the newspaper.  He's older, rich and lonely.  She's young, poor, beautiful, and harbouring a secret that will destroy him.  It was written so well, for a man.  Well, just saying...because he writes the woman's point of view so well.  It's love, it's lust, it's unconditional love and acceptance.  Maybe I need to find me an old, rich man!!

Where We Have to Go

I'm reading this one right now.  She's a young Canadian author, which I should totally support because one day soon, I'd like to be a young Canadian author.  The thing I find about Canadian authors in general, is that we seem to be quite dark and depressing.  I mean, can you say, "The Stone Angel" by Margaret Laurence.  Like ugh and ack, and gah all rolled into one.  Or "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz".  Ah, let the memories of grade 12 roll.  So, this one is depressing, too.  Yet relateable.  Growing up can be such a bitch sometimes.  What do we take away from it?  How do we allow it to mold us, make us grow?  Are we better for it?  Or do we let it destroy us bit by bit?