It is now the first week of May and that means it's time for this month's escapism and travel through books post. This month finally got warm in the last two weeks, so I didn't need to travel just to get away from the bleak Winter/Spring, but I do like to take trips and see new things no matter what, so books are absolutely necessary for me.
1.) The first book I read in April was "Autumn", by Ali Smith. It took place in England around the time that Brexit was passed. I still want to see England, even if they do have stupid fear legislation.
2.) I read "Peace Like a River", by Leif Enger. It took place around North Dakota and by Yellowstone in the early 60's. it was an interesting look at things, but it was pretty damn cold for most of it. I guess it made me happy for our little snow storms at the beginning of April. It could always be worse...
3.) "The Book of Joan" by Lidia Yuknavitch was another book that made me thankful for where I am and what I have now. It was a futuristic take on the Joan of Arc story, and man, was that future grim.
4.) Man, if you want escapism and happiness, then feel free to read "Tales From the City" by Armistead Maupin. it takes place in San Francisco in 1976 - ten years before I moved there. I know some people have said they didn't like it, but I devoured it in a day and it made me homesick for San Francisco of old'ish.
5.) " A Little Life" by Hanya Yanigahara was a gut wrencher. It had an ambiguous time frame but took place mostly in New York City. It was nice to fantasize about being that rich, but the early life of the main character was horrible. The book also could have been better with the help of some editing.
6.) I generally love Dan Chaon's work, but "Ill Will" wasn't my favorite. It takes place in the suburbs of Cleveland for the most part and is a thriller. It wasn't quite as suspenseful as I had hoped, but the writing was good.
7.) "The Color Purple", by Alice Walker is a two time travel for me. It took me back to Georgia during the earlier part of the 20th Century, but mostly, it took me back to my second semester in college and my first semester at the University where I now work. I was assigned the book for a class I was taking. I went down to the Wheel Room in our student union to read a chapter or two, before I went home. I couldn't stop and I read the whole book sitting right there. It was a book that spoke so hard to me at that time in my life. I'm happy to say, it still resonates with me.
8.) "The Great Influenza" by John Barry took me back in time to the 1918 and since it was a pandemic, all over the world. This was a non-fiction book that was an engrossing read, just another book that would have benefited from a good editor...Or even a bad one.
9.) Holy cow, kids! How have I never read this book before? I was an English major in college and was never assigned it, and if it was in our house growing up, I never knew it. If you want to take about a great trip to take for escapism and general hilarity (Mr. Bennett is hilarious), this is your book.
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