As always, I have no idea what I'm going to wear, but I do have a lot to be inspired by.
The Devil In the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, by Erik Larson
On the surface, this is a book about the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and everything that went into making that fair a much-needed success. But, unfortunately, the author apparently found that to be a boring subject on it's own and added additional plot lines about serial killers and mentally disturbed assassins. In my opinion, the author was wrong; the sections of the book dealing with the fair are the best parts. I found it fascinating what Chicago had to do to even get the fair and then all of the work that went into creating "the White City," as the fairgrounds were called. I really wish the book had been only about the fair; the other two plot lines have nothing to do with the fair and appear to only have been included because they happened at the same time. In the end, I can't really recommend this book. All I can recommend is finding another book on the subject of the 1893 World's Fair because it's fascinating.
Blue Diary, by Alice Hoffman
I'm not sure why I didn't really like this book. By all rights, I should have. The story is very interesting and Alice Hoffman is a very good writer. But, this book just didn't do it for me. The story did; it's about a woman who's husband's past catches up with him and therefore with her and how she has to cope with the horrible things he's done. But the writing is just too much. The author takes so much time in describing the lilies and the apple trees and the quality of the light and the blackbirds that it, frankly, ruined the book for me. I know Hoffman was trying to convey something with all the butter-yellow sun, but it just didn't do it for me.
The Masque of the Black Tulip, by Lauren Willig
Eloise is a graduate student doing her dissertation on several famous British spies, the Scarlet Pimpernel, the Purple Gentian and the Pink Carnation, as well as the famed French spy, the Black Tulip. The book alternates between Eloise's studies in the modern day and the time of those spies, the 1800s. To be honest, I wish the author had just written this as historical fiction, focusing on the spies and the war with Napoleon. I found it hard to care about Eloise and her crush and her modern life. But, the sections of the book based in the 1800s were a fun read. Oh, also, this is the second book of a series. The first is the Secret History of the Pink Carnation and I didn't read it. But, I don't think it matters. I'm sure I'd still prefer the historical sections to whatever is going on with Eloise.
The Weight of Water, by Anita Shreve
This is another book that alternates between modern times and the past. Photographer Jean visits a remote North Atlantic island to take photographs of the scene where a grisly ax murder took place in 1873. While she's there, she also has to deal with living on a smallish boat with her husband, their child, her brother-in-law and his girlfriend. Unlike the Masque of the Black Tulip, I felt that Shreve was able to go back and forth between the interwoven stories very successfully. Both stories being told kept my interest easily and, as a result, I really liked this book. In part that was because I was really able to relate to it. It's funny because I read a review of this book and the reviewer had the same issue with The Weight of Water as I had with Blue Diary; they felt that Shreve describes EVERYTHING. But, this time around, that wasn't an issue for me. Possibly because of the subject matter; one of the characters is forced to leave her beloved Norway for the US and for me, Shreve's descriptions of her home and her family really touched me. I can see how her descriptiveness could be frustrating if you're not in the mood (see Blue Diary), but boy was I in the mood for Shreve's writing. So, I guess this book isn't for everyone, but I think if you're in the right space for it, it is just wonderful.
Blonde Roots, by Bernadine Evaristo
Nope. No. No. No. Do not read this book. For some reason, Evaristo decided it would be a good idea to write a book about slavery where the slavers are Black and the slaves are White and she was wrong. As I said in my Goodreads review, I don't know what the point of this book was. And I still don't know. Slavery is a horrible thing, regardless of who is being enslaved. I mean, satire or not, there is no point in changing who is enslaved, the answer is still the same, slavery is horrible. And so was this book.
It's doubtful I'll be wearing an outfit based on the mess that was Blonde Roots, but that still leaves me a lot of inspiration.
What about you, Reader Friends? Were you inspired by any books this month? If so, I hope to see you linked up on Tuesday!
Happy Thursday, All!
Gracey
