April Reads.
When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago
Almost a Woman by Esmeralda Santiago
Written and set before My Turkish Lover these two autobiographies explore Santiago's early life in Puerto Rico and her young adulthood in Brooklyn. I expected to feel for Negi, but it was really Mami I was moved by.
The Thing About Jane Spring by Sharon Krum
The thing about Jane Spring is she can't keep a man. Blonde and leggy is good for attracting the men, but acting like a real ball-breaker won't keep them, apparently. Rather than modify some of her behavior, Jane completely chucks her old self to become a Doris Day clone (and not the real Doris Day, either, but the fictional one we see in the movies) ... it sounds dreadful, doesn't it? Well, it didn't seem so at the time. While reading, the story seemed utterly preposterous, but fun. In hindsight, however, it's utterly cringe-worthy. Must now go read The Truth About Abortion to clean out my brain.
The Legend of the Wandering King by Laura Gallego Garcia (trans. by Dan Bellm)
Jealous of another poet, prince Walid ibn Huyr is driven to commit terrible acts with grave repercussions. A nice combination of morality tale, adventure story, and romance.
Mary Seacole: The Most Famous Black Woman of the Victorian Age by Jane Robinson
Utterly fascinating.
The Diary of Pelly D by L.J. Anderson
Why gills? I mean, I think I know why the author gave her characters gills, but why did the characters think they had gills? What was the purpose of gills?
The Double Task by Gray Jacobik
Thank god for poetry-loving colleagues -- I would never have cracked this volume were it not for their enthusiasm and praise for the author.
The Cat Lady by Dick King-Smith (illus. by John Eastwood)
Somewhere in 1901 England, Muriel Ponsonby ("the Catlady") lives alone in a big country house with a lot of cats (some of whom she believes are reincarnationed people). This is a very gentle, sympathetic, and loving story suitable for most cat lovers (story reads at about 3rd grade level).
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
I owned this book for two years before I read it and even then I didn't read my own copy, but borrowed a paperback out of the library book sale bin, instead. Why??? Why did I wait so long to read such a good book?
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (read by Shelly Frasier)
I was so impressed by Frasier's reading of Animals in Translation that I went looking for other books she had read. How could I resist listening to her read Green Gables -- one of my most favorite books ever? Double yum with knobs on, dahlings. Frasier and Tantor have done another bang-up job and Frasier's voice, in my mind, is now forever the voice of Anne. I look forward to listening to Anne of Avonlea next.
The Dangerouse Debutante by Kasey Michaels
Tempestuous raven-haired girlie is packed off to London for a Season in hopes someone will tame her/marry her. Immediately meets extremely unsuitable older man and falls in love. Story includes a bit of espionage, smuggling, and voodoo for extra flavor. Overall, a nice bit of fluff, but still a series novel and so full of people I would only care about if I had read or was planning to read the other books.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline)
Be prepared to cry.