Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams

My husband has changed my life.  Before I met him, there is no way I would have picked up this book, let alone requested it from the library the way I did.  He has an unsatiable appetite for political and historical biographies.  He talked me into getting the HBO miniseries of John Adams on netflix a few years ago.  I was surprised to find it very interesting.  Since then, reading a biography on Abigail Adams has been on my list.

I finally picked one up and I wasn't disappointed.  Abigail Adams is a remarkable woman.  She raised their four children, managed their farm and finances and was John's closest advisor during their long separations.  At one point, they did not see each other for five years and the five years before that they had only had intermittent and short visits.  John was not there when she gave birth to a stillborn daughter.  She would go months (even up to ten!) without receiving even one letter from him.  Not only did she do all of this with strength and grace, they were truly in love which made the separations much more difficult. 

This book highlighed each phase of her life, giving insights into her character and providing details on the chronicles of their lives.  I was fascinated throughout but found a few parts were a little bit dry and difficult to get through.  If you are interested in learning more about her, this is a great book to read.  If you aren't, I don't think this book will change your mind. 

Bottom line:  Enjoyable and interesting for the person wanting to know a little bit about the only woman ever to be both wife and mother to an American President

The Lake of Dreams

I thought The Memory Keeper's Daughter was a great book - it drew me in and fascinated me.  When I saw another book by the same author on one of my quick pass-throughs of the adult section of the library, I grabbed it quickly. 

Edwards didn't disappoint.  Not only is the story interesting, but the langauge of this book is poetically beautiful in places.  It is vivid and draws you on in spite of the story, which is strong in its own right.  A story of how the past determines the present, infused with dreams and dream metahpors, this is a beautifully woven novel.

A definite summer recommendation!

These Things Hidden

My grandma recently gave me a stack of books about the time another friend gave me a stack of books.  I've been slowly working my way through both of them.  This is one of my favorites.

Every bit a page-turner, the author is masterful at creating and building tension.  I could figure things out as I read, but was still a bit surprised by the ending.  This would be a great beach read or airplane book.  It's not light and fluffy, but it's also a very quick read.

Stumped?

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Awesome.

Summer Book Stack

 Whew.  Montana summers are just BUSY.  I have been reading, and I have a stack of books to post about, but I thought I'd start with a great stack of books for summer.  I was just at Hastings and the used book deal was 5 for $25!  How great is that?!

        

You Know When the Men Are Gone

I picked this book off the shelf while spending a rare hour in Barnes and Noble by myself. 

I quickly settled in and hated to leave it behind when my time was up.  I had read so intently that I hadn't even noticed the man sitting across from me had left while I had been sipping my toffeenut latte and reading, something that rarely happens when I read in a place with distractions.  I found it at the library and finished it in one sitting.

A collection of short fictional stories that share a common theme and events, this book is a fascinating look at life on a military base during a time of war.  Each story is really about the women left behind to continue their lives yet is pivotally dependent on the men that leave them.

This book is poignant and painful, more about brokenness than reunion.  While uniquely military, the stories contain the same elements of love, pain, betrayal, and hope that mark all human relationships.  Definitely a good read.

The Thirteenth Tale

Don't pick this book up unless you want to give up extrarraneous activities and sit and read for hours.  It will draw you in and keep you turning pages until you get to the end and feel disappointed that it is over.

A bit of a ghost story (which I don't normally like) and a mystery quite unlike those typically in that genre, it tells the story of a strange place called Angelfield, a set of twins, a biographer dealing with her own grief and a story that once it is told, changes everything you believe at the beginning of the book.

Pick it up and read it but don't expect to get much done until you turn the 408th page.