JOTS & JAUNTS

STACKS OF BOOKS

One of my January pleasures is eying my stack of new books waiting to be read.  In our family, books are frequent Christmas gifts, and I eagerly anticipate adding to my Kindle list or stack of new titles.  This year was no exception and before the year even turned over, I got underway on some new additions.

RECENT READING

Set in Montana during the Depression, this historical novel focuses on the creation of a mobile library in a train car.  The library travels to remote mining camps to provide books for the miners and their families.  But it’s much more than a library story.  

Three young women become entwined in this tale of workers’ rights, a controlling mining company, and the Federal Writers’ Project.  Alice is a wealthy woman who starts the library; Colette signs on as the traveling librarian, but she is also quietly seeking justice for her murdered father; while Millie, an aspiring writer, is sent to Montana to investigate why the team there has not submitted their Montana history.  And to find out what happened to one of the earlier librarians.  

The novel alternates voices, moves around in time, and almost tries to do too much.  But I found it fascinating, and having visited the Kalispell area, had a bit of familiarity with the setting.  Thanks to my friend Sharon for recommending it!  (~JWFarrington)

END OF LIFE: Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer

Years ago, I read Ann Packer’s excellent novel, The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, so I was primed to want to read her latest, Some Bright Nowhere.  It is not a happy novel, and I have mixed feelings about recommending it.

Claire and Eliot have been married for almost forty years.  For eight years, Claire has been treated for cancer, but now the end is near.  No more treatments, just keeping her engaged and comfortable.  On the surface, their marriage has been a good one, but Claire has two very close female friends, Holly and Michelle, who arrive and become involved in her care.  

When Claire asks Eliot to leave her to the care of her friends and move out, there is something of a rupture and resentment on his part.  The next few months play out with Eliot’s coming and going and visits from their adult children and grandchildren.  The details are the messy stuff of human relationships and yet dotted with poignant moments.  I didn’t much care for Eliot and wasn’t sure about Claire.  Well written, but somewhat painful to read.  (~JWFarrington)

COLOR IN ONE FAMILY:

The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir by Martha S. Jones

Historian and professor, Martha Jones, has applied her prodigious research skills and analysis to discovering the hidden stories of her forebears.  The Trouble of Color is a fascinating excavation into the earlier generations and layers of her family.  Some were free members of society, some were enslaved, a few were white, but most were Black.  Often couples where one had crossed the color line (white marrying Black) were classed in the census as “mulatto” rather than Black.  This classification gave the couple a form of protection, since if the white individual had been outed, the consequences for both would have been dire.  

Before the Civil War, her enslaved female relatives usually bore multiple children to the plantation owner, their owner.  Some of these children married, had children of their own and, after emancipation, had the chance for a college education.  It was eye-opening and impressive to learn how certain of her relatives achieved success in the clergy or in higher education, all while still having to deal with the restrictions of the Reconstruction era and Jim Crow laws.

Much of her family’s history takes place in nearby Greensboro and learning more about the events there added to my appreciation of Jones’ remarkable story.  A family tree, even a partial one, would have more clearly demonstrated some of the notable interconnections between owners and enslaved.  Highly recommended! (~JWFarrington)

WAITING TO BE READ

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

A surprise bestselling novel based on letters by a North Carolina author in Winston Salem.

Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser

Barnes & Noble’s Book of the Year, a novel about a young girl’s weekly trips to the art museum.  This is Schlesser’s 2^nd novel and his American debut.

The Note by Alafair Burke

A suspense novel by an Edgar-nominated author and former prosecutor, new to me.

The Six Loves of James 1 by Gareth Russell

A new biography of King James 1, successor to Queen Elizabeth 1, expanding upon his sexuality, his power, and his love affairs. Russell is a Northern Irish historian and author.