Twitterature, September 2014

Fall is most certainly upon us. School's well in session, we've had our first snow (that's enough for now, thank you), and my second cull of crabapples bears the sweetness of a hard frost. The month of September is middling, and middling means Twitterature time: sharing short(ish) reviews of what we've been reading along with Anne of Modern Mrs. Darcy. Do check out her site to find out what other bloggers have been reading since mid-August, and keep a pen handy to add to your own reading list.

Here's what I read:

Anne of Avonlea, by L.M. Montgomery
Reading the second Anne-book aloud took considerably more time than the original, not because it's any longer, but because my seven year old chose it less often and, on the nights she did choose to read a chapter, interrupted with far more questions. Montgomery adds a lot of new characters in this one (most likely to allow her stand-alone novel to stretch to a sequel), and my girlie had some trouble keeping track of them all. Nevertheless, the desire to find out what happens next kept us going, and we are now happily abiding in the less-charactered world of Anne of the Island. The adventure continues.

Call the Midwife, by Jennifer Worth
The first instalment of Worth's memoirs reads like a novel. It's a fascinating look into the last vestiges of London's East End dock life seen through the day-to-day work of a young district midwife. Between the advent of modern midwifery, the microcosm of local history, and a delicious linguistic analysis of Cockney, it was right up my alley. I can't wait to read the rest.

The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed The Secret Keeper; it is, as acclaimed, an excellent book. But I loved The Forgotten Garden: for its gothic feel, deeper themes, and extra layer of mystery. It calls the reader to contemplate how love can sour into obsession, the wounds that can cripple souls for generations if not addressed, coming to peace without knowing all the answers, and finding deep truths wrought out in fairytales. All that and a cameo from Mrs. Burnett herself to boot. I highly recommend it. Just be sure to clear your schedule first; many hours slipped away unnoticed while I was reading it.

Hyperbole and a Half, by Allie Brosh
I gobbled Brosh's print debut far too quickly. The book was divided into blog-post-type stories, some new, some old favourites from her fabulous blog, and it was all too easy to read just one more story before I put it down again. It's a compilation of crazy childhood stories, attempts at understanding the thought processes of her less-than-brilliant canines, and introspections on trying to build a life around one's mental illness, all with copious Microsoft Paint illustrations in her zany signature style. Though I'm sorry my all-time favourite post didn't make the cut, I'm glad I gave it a read. Way to go, Allie!

Comments

  1. I have also read both Morton books and I liked Secret Keeper a little better, but your explanation of The Forgotten Garden is brilliantly written. :)

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    1. Thank you! I wanted to do justice to my preference. We'll see if I change my mind once I've read more of Morton's stuff :)

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  2. I always love your Twitterature posts. :-) I've read the first two and enjoyed them immensely, but have not heard of the other two. They sound just like my kind of stories. :-)

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    1. Glad you like the posts - they're fun to write too! Hope Morton and Brosh also meet your expectations :)

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  3. I loved The Forgotten Garden more too - love your book recommendations (I've been on the lookout for a blogger with similar tastes in books to me!)

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    1. Yay! It's not just me - I was starting to wonder ;) Twitterature is fabulous for finding like-minded book-lovers in the blogosphere. Hope you like the books too!

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