Eight Books, One Post

The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield (Book 1 in the Provincial Lady series)

I loved it. Written as a fictional diary but based on her own life, it's witty and fun and I love her writing. She lives a lifestyle I can't even imagine but still she makes herself relate-able in various ways. She's intelligent but scatterbrained, attractive but awkward, well-to-do but always short of money. She can see the ridiculous in everyday situations and she knows how to tell a story. Very, very entertaining.

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

Having long ago seen a movie based on this play and not being particularly impressed with it, I have to say I enjoyed reading it a lot more. I found it deeply emotional, more atmospheric, more intelligent and altogether a better story.

Evangeline by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

This year I’m reading some Canadian history as part of my own ‘Canada 150’ celebration and this was one of my choices. I’d forgotten how beautiful it is, beautiful and sad and a wonderful story to get lost in. Worth reading and re-reading. See also post Catching Up.

The Pride of the Peacock by Victoria Holt

I have no idea where I got this book or how many decades it’s been on my shelf, but I got tired of seeing it there so I finally read it. It wasn’t anything special, but it was ok as light reading in the romance/adventure category.

Islands In The Stream by Ernest Hemingway

I don’t know what to say about this book. I loved Hemingway’s writing as always, and I did enjoy parts of the story, just not so much the rest of it. The first part is about his life on a Caribbean island, the last part about his war experience. I am fascinated with his writing, the simple perfection of sentences that are never choked with adjectives and adverbs. It's like breathing pure air. It's all plain truth and real living and it’s exhilarating. It almost doesn’t matter what the story is, as long as I can immerse myself in the crystal clear air of his writing.

The Road to Confederation by Donald Creighton

I knew my understanding of the events leading to confederation was patchy but I had no idea how much I didn’t know. This book filled in all the blanks. I learned a lot, almost fell asleep a couple of times in the slower parts, but soldiered on and finished it. It’s well written, has a lot of interesting stories about the people involved and was well worth reading. On the negative side, it’s deplorable that a book like this contains no reference to the people who lived here generations before the English or French ever decided to come over and claim it for themselves. 

The Provincial Lady Goes Further by E.M. Delafield  (Book 2 in the Provincial Lady series)

As enjoyable as the first book was. Taking a break from the series to read our Book Club book and a couple of others I want to get finished. I’ll do the last two in the series later.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

I did not enjoy this one. I had high expectations because of reviews that said it was a breakthrough for women, showing one woman’s journey through her own sexual and cultural awakening. Unfortunately her “awakening” led her not to enlightenment or joy or wisdom, but to choices that could not ever be considered good for her or anyone else. A lot of potential, a big disappointment.