Migrant Mother

A last minute decision caused photographer Dorthea Lange to turn around and check out what was beyond the sign along Highway 101.  A 10-minute introduction and photo session produced a series of photos, one of which became one of the most iconic photographs in American history.



What made this photograph so compelling?  Who was this woman?  What became of her?

Migrant Mother: How a Photograph Defined the Great Depression answers those three questions and more.  The author shares with us what led up to this photo session, and the series of 6 photos taken during that 10 minutes.  We learn who the woman in the photo was, where she ended up, and how she felt about practically every US citizen seeing her face.  In short, Don Nardo tells us the whole story behind the photo that shocked the government back into reality about the human toll during the Great Depression.

If you enjoy learning about the human aspects of history, especially through photographic evidence, you will enjoy this book as much as I have.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Home to Woefield

This book was such a fun read!  I was looking for some new books, but I wanted something that wasn't serious or depressing.  I didn't want a love story, or even a story about love, overcoming diversity or addictions, or forgiveness.  I just wanted something that was fun, lighthearted, and easy to read.

Home to Woefield was full of what I thought I didn't want, and was exactly what I did want.

Prudence is a 24-year-old city girl from Brooklyn who is concerned about the environment and strives to eat only organic foods.  When she inherits her uncle's farm, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to make her dreams happen.  When she arrives at the farm, she finds a run-down house that probably hasn't been cleaned anytime within the last decade; 30 acres of rocks, grass, and weeds;  Bertie the half sheared sheep; and Earl.

Earl is the 60-something-year-old farm foreman.  Once the old man died, Earl figured he would just pack up his belongings, and find a new place to call home, but Prudence convinces him to stay on the farm.  Seth is the 21-year-old celebrity gossip and heavy metal blogger with a drinking problem who lives across the road with his mother.  He dropped out of high school after an embarrassing experience, and hasn't left the house in years.  When his mom moves her boyfriend in, Seth has no option but to move out, and lucky for him, Prudence has room to spare.  Sara in an 11-year-old local girl who needs a place for her chickens.  As her parents' marriage deteriorates, it's not just the chickens who finds refuge at the Woefield farm.

The story is told from 4 different perspectives which just adds to the amusement.  It is such a delight to read, and is the perfect book for the beach or pool.

I'm Back!

Where have I been for the past 4 months? Here, there, everywhere. I have been reading, of course, but not as much as I would have liked. I'm currently reading a great book, and can't wait to tell you about it soon!

A Secret Kept

Sarah's Key author, Tatiana de Rosnay, takes us back to Paris to introduce us to another family who is keeping secrets.  A Secret Kept begins with an accident that leads brother and sister, Antoine and Melanie, down a long road into their past and the secrets that are hidden there.

What they find out is that sometimes things are better left hidden, and other times, things are just as they seem.  The book is filled with unexpected twists and turns that make it hard to put down.

Jane Goes Batty

Jane Goes Batty is the sequel to Michael Thomas Ford's hit book Jane Bites Back.  This book picks up shortly after the first book left off.  Jane Fairfax (a.k.a. Jane Austen) still owns a book store, but has let Lucy take over the managerial duties.
She is still dating Walter, and refuses to mention about Charlotte Bronte by name.

Since the release and success of Janes latest book, she has had to work even harder to keep a low profile, so she has agreed to embrace her vampirism, and is taking lessons from Lord Byron.

These lessons come in especially handy when the stars and crew from her book's movie come to town to film, and even more so when Walter's Jewish mother comes to town for a visit.

Between the trouble the movie's young starlet is causing, taking Jewish lessons (because Walter's mother wants him to marry a nice Jewish girl), and trying to find out Miriam's secret and whether or not she knows Jane's secret, the last thing Jane needs or wants is to run into her old friend, Charlotte again.

Once again, Mr. Ford has provided a fun, quick, and witty read, and I look forward to the next book in this series.

Beyond Band of Brothers

The recent death of Major Dick Winters inspired me to finally read his memoir, Beyond Band of Brothers.  I'd been considering this book for quite some time, but just wasn't sure if I wanted to read it.  I've seen the HBO miniseries a thousand times, and I was worried that this book would just be the written version, telling the same stories.

While BBOB does touch on the stories told in the miniseries, it is also so much more.  As his war memoir, the stories are all told from Major Winters' view, and we not only get a deeper look into his mind, but we also get to "hear" stories that didn't make it onto film.

I don't think it would be possible for me to do this book justice, so I'll just say this:  Read it.  If you're a history buff, you'll appreciate the historical significance.  If you're not a history buff, you'll take away a deeper appreciation for our veterans.  Despite whatever your interests may be, after reading this book written by an amazing and much admired man, you will want to live your life better.

Cranford

I first fell in love with Cranford when I saw the mini series and it's sequel (Return to Cranford) on PBS, and I have checked the DVD's out from my local library several times, so I decided it was probably time I read the book.

Elizabeth Gaskell introduces us to the ladies of Cranford, and what a group of ladies they are!  The story is told from the point of view of a young woman who is visiting the Jenkyns sisters, Miss Matty and Miss Deborah.  She tells us her opinions of all the goings-on with the Jenkyns sisters, their friends, and the rural town of Cranford that is filled with mostly middle-aged and older women who are afraid of change.

I don't want to give too much away, but I do recommend seeing both the movies and reading the book.  The two are quite different in many aspects (I understand that the movies are a combination of several different books written by Gaskell that take place in Cranford), but they have the same delightful tone.

There is just something about this group of ladies that I can't get enough of!