Last week I finished:
My, what a reading month September is shaping up to be. I've been tearing through books at such a clip I've had to add books to my original reading list. The first book I added was Agatha Christie's The Body in the Library, the second of her Miss Marple mysteries. This is one of my favorite Christie books yet. A body is found in the Bantrys' library, but neither of them had ever seen the girl before. While the professionals investigate, Mrs. Bantry invites her friend Miss Marple to see if she can get to the bottom of things. This one is full of folks with motive but sufficient alibies and no alibies but no motive. While I didn't guess the killer, I did guess how it was done, so I feel pretty smart. This was a nice quick mystery, which I quite enjoyed. My rating: 3.5 stars.
I bought a copy of Homegoing for my brother for Christmas last year because he loves literature about Africa. Shortly after, I bought a copy for myself. It had been on so many best of 2016 lists that I had to know what the hype was about--and whether it was warranted. I have to tell you, I resisted this book for quite awhile. It was so full of violence and hatred and dark themes. Also, it seemed like it was going to be hammering home a racial agenda, and a book with agendas is something I just can't stomach. Here's the plot: two half sisters are born in Africa in the 1700s. One marries a British officer and the other is sold into slavery and makes her way to the United States. The book follows several generations of descendants of both women, in Africa and in America. Each chapter is about a new character, and on audio it was a bit challenging to remember who was whose child and what events came before. Although the narration was very, very good, that was one downfall of listening to this one. Another thing that bothered me was all the sex. There were numerous sex scenes that, though not terribly explicit, seemed a bit more graphic than warranted. Overall, though, I grew to really appreciate this book. The characters were well-imagined and the situations were real and original to each character and era. While it was not a very cheerful read, nothing in it was too far off the historical mark. I grew to care about the characters and their struggles (they all struggled), and I eased my resistance a bit. I do think that white people, with the exception of a very, very few were portrayed in the worst terms, but so were a fair number of the blacks. I was gratified that Gyasi wrote about the role black Africans had in the slave trade, overtaking other tribes to sell them into slavery. This is something I certainly never learned in school, and I'm not sure if it's taught yet. I think it's an important fact that must be discussed when we discuss the horrors of the slave trade and slavery in America. This would be a wonderful book for book clubs, and it's one that I may even revisit sometime despite its darkness. I found it quite well done. My rating: 4 stars. 
Morningstar by Ann Hood is a book about reading. What can be more gratifying than that? It's short, less than 200 pages, and it kind of hit the spot. Each chapter is an essay about a life lesson that reading a particular book taught her. It's part memoir, part readerly wonder, and I really liked it. While I haven't read most of the books she discussed, she told enough about the book to bring me into the discussion. Throughout the book I would ask myself: what are the touchstone books for you if you wrote such a book? It was a lot of fun to think about. I liked Hood and I liked how she wrote. This was a cozy little book. I might have to investigate her novels. My rating: 3.5 stars.
I've shared my love of Maddie the coonhound and her human Theron Humphrey before on my blog. Maddie was rescued from the pound a handful of years ago, and together, Humphrey and Maddie have had a lot of adventures and road trips (some of which was featured in his previous book, Maddie on Things). Maddie Lounging on Things shows the chill hound at her serene best. I. loved. this. book. I was so touched by the photos. I can't explain why other than they just captured so perfectly this particular dog. I love it when art is able to get to the very essence of something. These photos do. You really feel that you get to know her through the photos. I dare you to look at almost any one of them and not smile like a lunatic. Don't miss the toughing introductory essay to get a feel for Humphrey and his relationship with Maddie. I loved this even more than the first Maddie book, and I know I'll be returning to it again and again. Favorite photos include: Maddie in the guitar case and Maddie with a white sheet tucked around her outline. This would be the perfect gift for a dog lover. My rating: 5 stars. 
I also finished my third re-read of the book that changed me life and daily informs my spirituality, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. This is the textbook of Christian Science*, a companion to the Bible, and an explanation of how to heal the way Jesus did. Please contact me if you would like a free copy of this book.
*Christian Science is a Christian religion and is in no way related to Scientology.
This week I began:
I was so excited to finally begin the third (final?) in the Kopp Sisters series, Miss Kopp's Midnight Confessions about Deputy Sherriff Constance Kopp and based on actual events. I love these books.
My nighttime reads:
I'm working my way through Bess W. Truman 15 pages at a time. FDR has just passed on, and Harry Truman is about to be sworn in as commander-in-chief.
This week I began Before You Know It, prose poems by Louis Jenkins. I'd originally planned on reading Laura Kasischke's Where Now, but when it finally arrived, it was much longer than I'd anticipated, and I knew I'd never finish it this month. I recently discovered Louis Jenkins, and I really like his poetry.
My next audiobook:
I'd planned on listening to Endurance about the Shackleton voyage this month, but that audiobook is checked out at the library, so I've swapped in Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. I might be able to get to both this month, but we'll see.
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