Life in the Grey

Aftercare Instructions was another book that is so much like real life.  Realistic Fiction for sure. One of the most realistic aspects of it is the fact that again we see how no one is all good or all bad.  How we do have to live in the grey.  This book was really something.

Pretty Darn Powerful

What Girls are Made Of was really good.  And it was made even better with the author's note, but it would have been really good even if she hadn't given some great testimony as to why she wrote the book and why it written in the starkly honest way that it is.  She admits that there are parts that may offend some people.  But she explains why that is totally okay.  I was not offended, but I was surprised- not shocked, but surprised by the graphic nature of parts of the book.  You can tell though that it is not done gratuitously, that the inclusion of such frank descriptions make a really good point.  Tough book, good book.  But yeah, it may offend people.  Another great book from Arnold.

A Tale of Two Emilys

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard was an eARC from netgalley and it had a great cover and so I read it.  Again, I know as well as anyone not to judge a book by its cover, but in this case, I am glad I did.  And We Stay was a 5-Star read.  Heart-breaking and hopeful.  I didn't realize until I finished the book that the author's first book was Paper Covers Rock, which I really didn't like at all.  I didn't like it so much, that I doubt I would have given And We Stay a chance, had I remembered.  I'm glad I didn't remember, though, because And We Stay was beautifully written and realistic and I learned so much about Emily Dickinson.  The book is set in Amherst, Massachusettes, where Dickinson was born, lived a pretty much reclusive life and died.  The Museum itself actually figures prominently in the story. 
Emily Beam's ex-boyfriend, Paul commits suicide in their school library and Emily is dealing with all of the guilt and hell left behind.  In an attempt to heal, she transfers to a boarding school in Amherst.  The ghost of Emily Dickinson is all around and it helps Emily Beam to face the sorrows of her past.  Well drawn characters and a wonderful use of setting.  Great, heart-breaking story, with a lot of terrific, soul-ripping poetry as well.  Really enjoyed this book.

Many Thoughts...

While I was reading New Zapata on my iphone a text message from CNN came in saying that Texas may be close to passing some very strick abortion laws as soon as next week.
In New Zapata, the year is 2052 and Texas is no longer part of the United States of America, it is its own country, the Republic of Texas.  In the R of T abortion is illegal, as is divorce.  The story is told through the eyes of Rebecca, who is married to Chad.  They had to get married when Rebecca became pregnant as a teen.  When Rebecca had her baby, Luke, she nearly died.  Her own mother is in a coma, has been since she gave birth to her.  Rebecca could have ended up the same way when she had Luke, but she made it and was told never to have children again.  The thing is, birth control is also illegal in the R of T.  And so Chad and Rebecca don't have sex anymore, until Chad can't hold back any longer and rapes Rebecca, getting her pregnant again.  Rebecca can file for an exemption, an abortion because her life would be at stake if she had a child.  But these are rarely granted and they only have a possibility of being granted if the husband agrees.  Chad won't.  Rebecca finds help in her aunt, her best friend, Bonnie and a group of women who belong to a secret group.
The book is more balanced than you might think.  There is a lot of discussion here.  When does the soul enter the body, what is right and what is wrong, that kind of thing.  It isn't a pro-abortion rant at all.  It really makes you think.  I downloaded it because Teri Hall wrote The Line and Away and I was wondering when the third book is due out.  I still don't know, but I guess it will be soon!

It's a Thin Line...

With Love and Haight I have read one more book this year (146) than I did in 2011 (145) though I have not yet reached my goodreads.com goal of 175.  Will I make it?  Who knows!  Good Reads is VERY encouraging!  It tells me that now I am 65 books, 37% ahead in my reading and it keeps telling me to increase my goal.  No way!  I want to complete one goal this year and so far that looks like it will be the only one that MIGHT happen!  So I will keep pushing along, trying to make 175.
In the meantime, I must say that Love and Haight was just what I needed.  I have read good books lately, but a few that were okay.  I needed one of those "suck you into the world of the book" books and this did it, even though it is historical fiction, set in 1971 in San Francisco.  1971 would have been the tail end of the hippie movement in Haight-Ashbury but the characters in Chloe's life are still living the hippie vibe.  Chloe has come from Arizona with her best friend, MJ, to have an abortion.  At the time, in California, abortions were legal with a doctor's permission.  LAH is the most thought-provoking and honest book I have read in a long time.  I admire Susan Carlton for her complex treatment of the subject.  I admire the way in which Chloe makes her decision, though it would not be my decision, and that part of that decision-making process is a return to her faith.  This is book real, honest and a great discussion-starter.