I’m playing catch up but… I still wanted to document the books I read this year and my thoughts on each.
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
★★★.5
4 women rent a medieval Italian castle for a month. Sounds interesting, right? Two of
the women know each but the other two are responses from an ad placed, looking
for two ladies to share the rent (it was too much for just two). These four women are
so different but the one thing they have in common, other than the Italian castle, is
that they are bored, or just plain miserable, with their lives. During their month at the
castle, they find their true selves and a renewed joy. Their lives are transformed, for
the good.
Side note: I gave this 3.5 stars because I struggled to get through it. It is well written
and a good story. I honestly think it was just me but I have no idea why.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
★★★
honestly didn’t remember this book much as I read it but I’m sure it was a required
reading in school (I must have read the cliff notes or only remembered it long
enough for a test). Of Mice and Men is about two migrant workers, George and
Lennie. Lennie is a slight mental disability, but George is still friends with him and tries
to take care of him. They have dreams of, someday, having their own farm together.
An incident happens on their last job together. I won’t give anything away so I will
leave it at that. George is made fun of, and this book was set in a time where the
racial divide was still an issue. I hate that part of it, and the fact that Lennie was
made fun of because of his mental disability. I know it is “life” but I still don’t like it. It is
a good story about the friendship between George and Lennie so I gave it 3 stars. I
know others might see this book differently but I didn’t like it.
The River by Peter Heller
★★★★.75
This book was a selection from MMD’s 2020 Reading Challenge prompt “a book
nominated for an award in 2020″. The River is about two college best friends who
decide to embark on a wilderness canoe trip on Maskwa River in northern Canada.
What should have been a peaceful, yet fun, canoe trip is full of white water, fire, and
violence. I did really enjoy this book. The plot kept me interested all the way through
the book. I think it was mostly because it was well written but my interest in being
outside and the enjoyment of kayaking probably added to it. I honestly think anyone
would enjoy this, even if they aren’t really a fan of being outside or camping and
canoeing. It is just that well written.
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