March Book Report; The Letter G

I read two books, and otherwise caught up on some magazines for the month of March. Overall, quite a successful enterprise.

My book of the month for the Book Awards Reading Challenge was, coincidentally enough, March, by Geraldine Brooks. (This book won the Pulitzer Prize in 2006.) I chose this book for two reasons: 1. I was curious to see if it worked, and 2. I've read good things about Brooks' writing, and, since my mother's name was Geraldine, figured I should give her a try.

March is the story of Mr. March - the father who is absent for most of the book Little Women. I will admit to being extremely skeptical of this choice - as I told a friend, I really don't like people messing with my classics! And to be honest, I didn't really spend too much time worrying about Mr. March when I read Little Women, though his daughters and wife spent a lot of the book being concerned, and missing him.

I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the book. Geraldine Brooks very clearly made sure to pay attention to the details of the original story, and to be sure that it was told in a proper historical context. Mr. March is, from what I have read otherwise, also based on Bronson Alcott, who has always fascinated me. The story takes us through Mr. March's life, from his time as a young man, traveling through the south selling household goods, to his meeting and eventual marriage to Marmee, to his experiences as a chaplain in the Civil War. The story manages to be complex without being confusing, and I found Mr. March to be pretty interesting, both as an individual, and in his observations about people he knows, including Thoreau and Emerson. Brooks has an excellent descriptive style, so that it is not hard to imagine the places Mr. March visits, even if you have never been there.

I'm glad that I read this book, since it was a complement to Little Women, without being sentimental or too intrusive on the story of the March girls. I would recommend it to anyone interested in seeing what someone could do with the slightest information about a character in the original story.

Next up was Laced by Carol Higgins Clark. I was at the library, and looking for something that I thought would be an entertaining, quick read. I saw this book, and though I have never read any of her titles, I have read a lot of her mother, Mary Higgins Clark. The story was about an antique lace tablecloth that goes missing during the main character's honeymoon in Ireland. So, we have: lace, Ireland, mystery - all things I like. What the heck, I gave it a try.

It was in fact, an entertaining and quick read. The depictions of the people encountered in Ireland, and the places visited by the couple trying to solve the mystery was really enjoyable, reminding me of certain things and locations that I remember from my trip there a few years ago. The mystery was mystery enough, not requiring a lot of tracking of details, which was fine, since my brain was just not in the mood. When I find myself looking for something similar down the road, I may try another Carol Higgins Clark book.

In the meantime ...

G is for

Garden Kitty!

He is my constant companion when I'm home, and often "assists" me when I am writing posts, by sitting in front of the screen, and occasionally pawing the keyboard. He joined the family a few years back, after being a stray who was living in our garden for a month or so. We referred to him as "Garden Kitty" to differentiate between him and the inside cats. When Hurricane Floyd hit, we brought him inside, so he would be safe.

He is a very good kitty, and a sweet boy, if very skittish. He never received a proper name, because we thought of too many good ones, and couldn't decide! His middle name is Ignatius, though, after St. Ignatius Loyola (this is what happens when you are the product of a Jesuit education). So even though Garden Kitty is, as The Tim says, "more of a title than a name," it's what he answers to, and it suits him now like no other name would.

Though ... as you can see from this photo, sometimes it's hard to tell which end is where ...