Wench - Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Wench

Merry Christmas, everyone!  We are so grateful to work for a university and consequently get a little extra time off during the holidays.  It's always a great time to get a little extra reading in, and that's just what I have been doing.  At this point, I only have one book to go to finish my 2012 challenge.  From here, it's only a matter of deciding which of the 5 books I'm halfway through will be the one I finish - or if I should start a new one altogether.  Six days left and I am well within reach!  It feels good!

I stayed home sick two days last week and it gave me the opportunity to finish up this gem.  I really do not remember how this book presented itself to me.  It does not fall within the categories of what I normally read.  I love historical fiction as much as the next person and have read quite a bit of it over the years.  I have not, however, read an abundance of historical fiction revolving around slave stories.  Some way or another, Wench caught my attention.  Perkins-Valdez's novel does not reflect the typical plot set on a Southern plantation.  Rather, the story is that of a hotel resort where some Southern slave owners would vacation, often with their slave mistresses.

Thomas Jefferson's Crème Brûlée - Thomas J. Craughwell

Thomas Jefferson's Crème Brûlée: How a Founding Father and His Slave James Hemings Introduced French Cuisine to America

If you have been around the blog long enough, you probably know that I enjoy food.  I enjoy eating it.  I enjoy making it.  I enjoy reading about it.  In fact, one of my favorite books that I have read this year was Blood, Bones, and Butter.  Three guesses what that one's about.  I also really love history and reading about it.  Conclusively, a book about the history of food should be about my favorite thing in the world, right?  That was my hope when I discovered this book.

Thomas J. Craughwell presents an interesting thesis.  His work describes Thomas Jefferson, along with one of his slaves, as the vehicles by which French cuisine came to America.  Between writing the Declaration of Independence and serving as the nation's third president, Jefferson served as an ambassador to pre-revolutionary France.  During this time, he took with him James Hemings, one of his slaves.  Jefferson made an agreement with Hemings.  Hemings would master French cuisine while overseas.  Upon their return, he would train another slave in the art; Jefferson would then free Hemings.

The Casual Vacancy - J.K. Rowling

The Casual Vacancy

When J.K. Rowling announced she would write another book, Harry Potter fans everywhere rejoiced.  The Casual Vacancy, however, offers a side of Rowling unseen in her best-selling series.  Vacancy has been, from the start, a novel decidedly written for adults.  The content, language, and even, to an extent, the writing style have been vamped up in age appropriateness. Nevertheless, the basics of what makes Rowling a strong writer remain.

Vacancy tells the story of a small British town in which a member of the Parish Council dies suddenly.  His position, now open, is classified by law as a "casual vacancy," hence the book title.  The town has been long embroiled in a conflict with its larger, more urban neighbor for decades.  The town itself, Pagford, has citizens on both sides of the battle.  Simply put, some Pagford dwellers want to renegotiate the city limits so that the Fields, a rough neighborhood populated by the poor and a significant number of substance abusers, would no longer be under the jurisdiction of the town, therefore denying them their quality schools or financial resources.  Others in Pagford want to reach out to the Fields and continue supporting its residents through better schooling and the funding of an addiction center.  The Parish Council has found itself split evenly on the issue for years.  The death of Barry Fairbrother, however, leaves an opening for real change to be made.

Atonement - Ian McEwan

Atonement

One of the movies in theaters right now that I am anxious to see is Anna Karenina.  Keira Knightly stars in the novel adaptation directed by Joe Wright.  This pairing of Knightly in front of the camera and Wright behind has already produced together two of what I believe to be the best films of the twenty-first century thus far.  The pair teamed up first on Pride and Prejudice and then Atonement.  The former is well known, particularly to anyone who has participated in a girls' night since its release in 2005.  The latter, though critically acclaimed, seems to have garnered less common knowledge notoriety since its 2007 debut, at least among my peers.  While nearly everyone has heard of Pride and Prejudice, when I mention Atonement, most people have no memory of it.  Despite my adoration for the film rendition of Ian McEwan's story, I must admit I had not read the book until now.  I was only vaguely aware that it had been based on a book, but was reminded when McEwan released his newest work, Sweet Tooth, earlier this month.  Before I allow myself to indulge in the newest McEwan work, I determined to visit the source of one of my favorite films.

For those unfamiliar with the story, I offer a brief recap.  Briony Tallis, younger sister to Cecilia, spends her childhood days fantasizing and writing.  One summer day, Briony witnesses a series of events which lead to a life changing accusation.  Atonement centers on just that: Briony's lifelong need to find atonement for her actions.

Anne of the Island - L.M. Montgomery

Anne of the Island

November has settled in nicely.  I find it hard to believe there are only six weeks remaining in the year.  And, after today, only five books remaining to reach my goal.  The reality of that amazes me.  For the first time, I can predict every remaining piece of the puzzle.  It is an exciting place to have reached!  I have plans for some exciting posts come the end of the year, so make sure you stay tuned to see what comes next.

In the mean time, I should not jump ahead so - one page at a time, as it were.  I have continued on with the Anne of Green Gables series.  If you remember, I read the first two books, Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea earlier this fall.  They are easy reads and take me back to my childhood.  As Anne Shirley's story continues in this third installation, we see her college years in Kingston and Anne's love life finally blooms.

Reading Lolita in Tehran - Azar Nafisi

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books

As mentioned in a previous post, I recently came across a list of books for book lovers.  Reading Lolita in Tehran was referenced as a book that anyone in a book club has already read, but was still worth mentioning.  While under usual circumstances a statement like that would have turned me off to a book suggestion, something about Azar Nafisi's work intrigued me.  Reading Lolita tells the true story of Nafisi's time in  Iran as an English literature professor and as the organizer of a small women's book club.  The memoir covers Iranian history from a civilian viewpoint from the pre-revolutionary days to the mid-nineties.  Iran once again has become a popular topic of discussion in the foreign policy conversation and I did not know much about it.  This seemed like a wonderful opportunity to learn simultaneous to enjoying Nafisi's literary insight.

Son - Lois Lowry

Son

Looking back, I can hardly believe I had not read The Giver until this year.  The Newberry Award winner captivates with its elegant simplicity and introspective message.  Upon completion, I immediately read sequels Gathering Blue and Messenger, which, though not to the level of The Giver, were also quite enjoyable.  The series reaches its conclusion in new release Son, which Lowry just published this year after a long gap between books.  Lowry had promised a book which would bring the first three to a cohesive conclusion.  While she did that, and her writing remains superior to so many others, I found myself somewhat unsatisfied by her conclusion.