The Invited

Finished July 1

The Invited by Jennifer McMahon

This novel set in a rural area near a small town in Vermont, has a couple, Helen and Nate, who have quit their jobs, bought a property, and are building their own house there. Helen was a history teacher and she is fascinated by the history of their property, particularly a previous owner, Hattie Breckenridge, who lived there many decades earlier. Hattie was suspected of witchcraft and was hanged by the townspeople. 

As Helen looks for historical artifacts that connect Hattie and her descendants to the home she and Nate are building, she begins to see things, and gets drawn to certain places and things. 

Nate, meanwhile, becomes obsessed with an unusual animal that he has seen in the marshes near their home, spending time tracking and trying to capture images of it. 

A teenage girl who lives nearby is mourning the loss of her mother, who disappeared recently. Olive's father is struggling with the unexplained disappearance of his wife and seems focused on remaking their home to draw her back. Olive herself is drawn to Helen and Nate, the stories of Hattie, and the mysterious activities of her mother before she disappeared. 

This story has a lot going on, that gradually comes together around the story of Hattie and her descendants. 

Lucky Red

Finished June 29

Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens

This western focuses on a young woman, Bridget, as she deals with the realities of the American West. The year is 1877, and sixteen-year-old Bridget lives with her father, who often disappears for long periods and tends to go through what money they get quickly. She's learned to handle his moods, and when he announces that he's sold their place and they are going west, she adjusts quickly. But soon after leaving their rustic home, her father is bit by a snake while sleeping and Bridget is unable to save him. She takes their few possessions and continues on, on her own, finding herself in Dodge City. Bridget soon goes through her money there and finds herself, a pretty redhead, invited to join a female-run brothel, the Buffalo Queen. 

Not bothered by the sexual expectations of the job, she appreciates the food and shelter and the personal earnings she can accumulate. 

Bridget learns from the other women there, and begins to make friends of a sort, particularly with one woman who is more educated that most. As Bridget learns her place in the society of the town, and how to manage the men she services, she also finds herself unable to see herself in a more domestic role. She enjoys the environment she works in, until things change with her naive actions, the feelings of one man who wants more from her than she feels able to give, and her decidedly unprofessional interest in Spartan Lee, a female gunslinger who comes to town. 

This is a coming of age tale in an unusual manner, where Bridget learns about trust and betrayal, and the harsh reality of the world. 

A great read that builds slowly to faster action near the end. 

The Venice Sketchbook

Finished June 28

The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen

This book caught my eye at the library when I was picking up some holds, and I ended up bringing it home and reading the whole book that same day. 

There is a short prologue in 1938 at the beginning, which sets the scene for a place and time that ends up being a key to the book's plot. From there the book follows three timelines. The first four chapters are from 1928, when 18-year-old Juliet Browning visits Venice as a gift from her aunt, and has an encounter that she will never forget. The book then moves to 2001, when Caroline Grant is facing the end of her marriage. Caroline and her husband both have degrees in fashion, but he has chosen to pursuit a career in design and recently travelled to the United States to follow that dream. As the book begins, we find that he has begun a new relationship there. The divorce is now final and Caroline will have their son Teddy during the school year, while Josh will have him for the summer and holidays. Caroline stays at her job at a women's magazine, but considers moving in with her grandmother and great aunt Lettie in the house she grew up in. When her great aunt dies, secrets get revealed and when an opportunity to investigate those secrets opens up to Caroline, her grandmother encourages her to take it. 

The story then moves back to Juliet Browning in 1938, where she returns to Venice as an art teacher accompanying her students. Several things have changed for Juliet since 1928, and while she longed to return to the city, she hasn't been able to until now. When she has a chance encounter that brings back feelings from her 1928 visit, she is once again tied to the city. Soon after, an opportunity to study abroad returns her to Venice, a move she makes despite the looming political situation.

As the 1938/39 and 2001 ones stories begin to connect, we find Caroline making interesting discoveries, and revealing possibilities that may change her own life. 

A book that encompasses romance, suspense, and intrigue, this book was one I had difficulty putting down. 

Letters to a Young Poet with the Letters to Rilke from the "Young Poet"

Finished June 28

Letters to a Young Poet with the Letters to Rilke from the "Young Poet" by Rainer Maria Rilke and Franz Xaver Kappus, translated by Damion Searls

This is a classic, paired with the other half of the correspondence that it was part of. The letters are written over several months and were an interlude in both the writer's lives, with no significant connection between them beyond this. One thing that struck me was the relative closeness in age between the two, although Rilke had already launched his career. Rilke's writing, even in this private correspondence (never published until after his death) was much superior to that of Kappus. Kappus definitely sounds like a fanboy, and his writing includes a lot of fawning and thanking. 

Rilke is patient, thoughtful, and diplomatic. His writing stands the test of time, and in some cases was ahead of its time. One selection from Letter Seven is a great example:

The girl, the woman, in this new manner of unfolding specific to her, will only transitionally imitate masculine ways of being, both good and bad, and follow the same male callings, do the same male jobs. After the uncertainty of these transitions has passed, it will be clear that women have passed through this multiplicity of (often ridiculous) disguises only to purify their own essential nature from the distorting influences of the other sex. Women, in whom life dwells and tarries more immediately, more intimately, more fruitfully, must surely have become fundamentally more mature, more human human beings, than the easygoing man, not pulled down beneath the surface of life by any difficult bodily fruit, who overhastily, arrogantly undervalues what he thinks he loves. This humanity of the woman, carried to term through pain and humiliation, will come to light once her outward position has changed and she has thrown off her conventional status as "only a woman'; the men today who don't see this coming will be baffled and shattered. Someday (and trustworthy portents of this are already speaking and shining, especially in the countries of the north) -- someday there will be a girl, a woman, who name no longer signifies merely the opposite of male but something in and of itself, existing, alive, implying no limit and requiring no complement--; the female human being.

As you can see from this passage, the letters convey not just advice particular to the recipient, but general life advice and commentary that will help any young person with their struggles, and put things in perspective for them. I can see why Rilke's letters are a classic.

Book Love

Finished June 26

Book Love by Debbie Tung

I was looking for a graphic novel, and this one jumped out at me. Tung is someone that I can definitely relate to. Books are a big part of my life, and obviously they are to her as well. 

The character she draws here, from the way she gets immersed in a book, to how she relates to reading, to how she prioritizes books in her life are all things I do as well.

When I'm reading a book, it can sometimes take a moment for me to respond as I have to make my way back to the real world to respond. The cover gives a good sense of her drawing style, realistic with the use of emphasis on features to express emotion. 

This is a lovely book for any reader. 

July Reviews for the 17th Annual Canadian Reading Challenge

 Here is where you link your reviews for books read during July 2023 for the 17th year of the Challenge. Don't forget that the book must either: be by a Canadian author, set in a Canadian place, be about a Canadian, or be about Canada in some way. Link to YOUR REVIEW, not just to your site and not just to the book on a book site like Goodreads or Storygraph.

I'm looking forward to another year of highlighting Canadian authors.

Here's the Mister Linky. Add a comment too!

Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge Sign-Up

Girl XOXO Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge:

The challenge is to read one or more books with at least one of the key words in the title each month.

I didn't note this challenge until July, but went back to see if I could fill in any of the previous months. Synonyms and suffixes are allowed. 

January: Crown, Girl, Whisper, Black, Heart, Guide, All, Ever

    None of my reads fit for this month

February: Please, Might, Return, Shy, Vanish, Book, Ash, Come

    None of my reads fit for this month

March: Crimson, Beyond, Friend, Cry, Wait, Six, Run, Woods

    Six Weeks with You by Janet Koops. Finished March 11 (Six)

April: Vicious, Ask, Wind, Found, Circle, Broken, Beneath, Drown

    Ragged Lake by Ron Corbett. Finished April 30 (Ragged is a synonym for Broken)

May: Dragon, Day, Chain, Another, Thousand, Begin, Stolen, And

    To Marry and To Meddle by Martha Waters. Finished May 3 (And)

June: Bridge, Everything, Blue, Why, First, Wild, Luck, Tomorrow

    None of my reads fit for this month

July: Final, Clock, This, Way, Poison, Summer, Future, Kiss

August: Dangerous, Again, Best, Chase, How, Flower, Date, Together

September: Sign, With, Just, Lies, Grace, Enough, Sleep, Name

October: Old, After, Take, Shadow, Monster, Haunt, Darkness,Of

November: Paris, Hidden, Sparrow, Realm, Two, Fair, Street, Say

December: Silver, Wish, Forgotten, Dance, Also, My, Fate, Dream