First half of 2025 over already! Reading is still part of everyday, but now done dozing down in the courtyard. Bees buzzing by, birds and squirrels hanging out. It’s easy to drift away.
- I start with a thick, juicy historical fiction about Joan of Arc. Like most everyone, I’ve heard of her. Maid of Orleans. Saviour of France against the English during their long-time fight called the Hundred Years War. Burned at the stake. Saint. (Although it would take almost 500 years before this would occur.) That’s about it for my knowledge before this fabulous story by Katherine J. Chen, simply “Joan”. Picking up the book by the cover and title, I finally stopped to think : how did a teenage girl from a small medieval village become a soldier and leader of men in a decades-old war? And then to die, still a teenager, in that war? Who does that and how did the powers find her? Why did they allow it? Chen offers a very believable recreation, based on the research from those times. There is surprisingly a lot of historical info available, since Joan did have a trial that was recorded and preserved by her enemies, the English. I found myself wiki-checking and left more in awe than ever with Joan. It’s a refreshing story, well-written, and kept me page-turning even though I knew the historical outcome. Great writing and reading.
I keep thinking I need a light, summer read. This one sort of is?
- I can’t resist a new one from a favourite author, Genevieve Graham’s “On Isabella Street”. Excited by the time and locale – Toronto, 1967 – and anticipation for the plot – intertwining lives of the tenants of a small downtown apartment building, on, (hence the title), Isabella street. Underlying connections: leftover trauma from WW2, contemporary trauma, Vietnam War. Female psychiatrist. Peaceniks. Veterans. Canadian volunteers to US Army, US draft dodgers. All intersecting for a an enjoyable story. The writing, though, was disappointing for my taste, especially the ending (it turned into a predictable romance story). A little too cozy, too neat. No swearing, no explicit scenes (and there should have been); nothing raw enough to grip you considering the heavy themes of the story. So much packed in, but told more than shown. I liked Kristen Hanna’s handling of such times in “The Women” better. Still, a nice read when in the mood for a nice read.
June is ending with a heat wave. I must charge up the Kobo (or Kindle. Or both), as July will be a travel holiday month! Off to Europe to visit my son, then a transatlantic cruise home. So excited! Follow me on Facebook for travel updates. But keep on reading 😉 And if you haven’t tried Michele Sabad’s books, please take a look.
Stevie Szabad, Author 