March Books

March offered a great many books for me to read. Some of them were deep, some romantic, and some funny, and some just made me think about life in general. Here is the list for this month:

13. The Elegance of the hedgehog - Muriel Barbery

It has been a while since I read such an amazing book with excellent writing, good plot, deep thought, and with such an honest presentations of one's own inner feelings and ideas. The book is written by a French writer, and I have to say the translation was superb. Everything about this book touched me and I couldn't put it down. After reading this book, reading other books that were not of the same level made me feel guilty. The story follows the life of Renee, a manager of a rich people's building, and how her faith in people and love was restored after she meets and is befriended by a gentleman who takes a whole floor apartment in this rich people's abode. Parallel to Renee's story, we get to know the thoughts and life of a 12 year old who lives in this building. Paloma has discovered the hypocrisy and cluelessness found in many high society people's lives, and has decided that this life isn't worth it if spent on silly pursuits. However, after meeting Renee and the newcomer Mr. Ozu, Paloma finds beauty and meaning in life. The whole book feels like a collection of essays on any topic your mind goes through. Renee ponders on the meaning of art, beauty, friendship, love, life, literature, film, and the search for meaning in mundane things of life. This is a philosophical fiction in its perfect form. I had to quit writing down her quotes on my book, because every chapter had gems everywhere and I couldn't keep up with them. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to think. I just wished I could send this great author a copy of the Book of Mormon, just so she could find a more optimistic view of life, and a truly profound meaning of it.

14. The Wedding girl - Madeleine Wickham
The same author who wrote Shopaholic series, writes other ones using her real name Madeleine Wickham. Although not as funny as the shopaholic books, this one deals with issues of family, honesty, and love by using her signature humor. If you are looking for a light book to read just to relax, this can be a good one.

15. La's orchestra saves the world - Alexander McCall Smith
This book was unlike any of McCall Smith's other novels with their strong women character that are not afraid of anything in life and who are bigger than life itself. In this novel, McCall Smith introduces us the life of Lavender, or as she is called La. La is quiet and reserved heroine, a bit flat for me, who does what is expected of her in the years before WWII. She goes to college, marries and is ready to settle down as a devoted wife and a future mother. Alas, it doesn't happen for her. Betrayed by her husband, and then later widowed, she takes exile in a little country home that her in-laws give to her. There she makes friends with a few characters, helps create an orchestra so she can keep the village's spirit up as Hitler takes Europe in a storm. The music helps bring faith and hope into people's lives, as well as hers. She falls in love with one air force man from Poland who can't fly but helps out with farm work in the village. Although she knows she is in love with him, La doesn't do anything about it, until many years later. The book is interesting and has an interesting approach to the topic of wars, but the characters totally fell flat for me, all of them, but especially La. Even the creation of the orchestra wasn't quite developed as an idea as it should have. Truth be told, this was a waste of time writing and reading.

16. Darcy and Elizabeth, nights and days at Pemberly - Linda Berdoll
Goodness, this author was obsessed with the Darcy's love life. And when not writing about how much Darcy wanted to make love to Elisabeth, she kept making up things about each character, beyond anybody's imagination. I have to give it to her though, she does understand the manners and etiquette of that society's very well, and would throw some scandalous events to shock the proper attitude. If you didn't think this as an attempted sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, you might enjoy this book as a novel on its own. The characters are well developed, the plot is interesting, and there are some very funny parts and characters that make you laugh. It is a bit too long, and it repeats itself on many occasions, however. So, it's funny, interesting, but too long.

17. Miss you most of all - Elizabeth Bass
I just found this at the library, and started reading it without reading any reviews about it. I was pleasantly surprised with the characters and the story. It takes place in a small town in Texas, where two sisters are taking care of their family's farm. One sister is divorced and has a daughter, the other is emotionally alienated by the society. The older sister, the divorced one, Rue, is kind, patient, loving and always thinking of others. The younger one, Laura, is matter-of-fact girl, with plenty of faults and weaknesses, which hide her true heart. The story starts picking up when their ex-stepsister comes along, to escape some problems back in New York. When Rue discovers that her cancer is coming back, and perhaps deadly this time, she finds solace in Heidi, the step-sister, whose present is hated and loathed by Laura. When everybody seems to love Heidi, even Webb, the guy who loves Laura, but whose love isn't returned, at least on appearance, things get crazy. Themes of family ties, true friendships, mother and daughter relationship, sisterly love, romantic love, overcoming lost and hurt, are some of the many issues treated in this pleasant contemporary novel.

18. Death of a Squire - Maureen Ash
A very interesting historical crime book. Lots of history, mystery, and well known names such as Robin Hood, King John, and many more bring this period of British history alive. Bascot de Marin, a Templar knight is entrusted by the wife's sheriff to discover the reason of a squire's death. Is it just accidental or did this simple squire knew more than he should? If you are in mood for some mystery with a twist, this historical crime fiction is just for you.

19. Romancing Miss Bronte - Juliet Gael
To love and to be loved in return has been Charlotte Bronte's ideal goal, but alas, her life circumstances have been harsh upon her. Nevertheless, this shy, but intense woman overcame hardships and trials that would put anyone down. In this well written and researched historical fiction, Juliet Gael gives us a Charlotte that finds power and strength as she shares her feelings with the world through her novels. I love Elizabeth Gaskell's biography of Charlotte Bronte. It is a masterpiece of a biography. However, this novel, because it is a novel, it offers more warmth and personal connection with this great and amazing woman. You won't get to know just Charlotte the author, but Charlotte the woman, and I enjoyed becoming her friend as I read the story of this extraordinary heroine.