I’m not making great headway on the challenge of 2009 thus far- mostly because Lee visited and I suffered an Isabel Allende obsession this month- her books are longish but I highly recommend them.
1. “Portrait in Sepia,” Isabel Allende
The story of a girl born in San Franciso in the mid-1800s. Her life changes course at age five and she ends up in Chile with her grandmother, then spends time rebuilding the past.
2. “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” Betty Smith
We listened to this on the drive from Florida to Missouri and back. Arguably a classic, but I’d never read it. The end makes up for some boring parts in the middle, but overall, it did the trick — keeping me from driving off the road somewhere in Georgia.
3. “Of Love and Shadows,” Isabel Allende
In a Latin American country under military dictatorship, a reporter and photographer discover an awful secret and fall in love.
4. “Of Mice and Men,” John Steinbeck
The story of two men working ranches in California. Short, but sad and it definitely sticks with you. Awesome little read.
5. “Ines of my Soul,” Isabel Allende
I wasn’t joking about the Allende obsession. Omg so great. This one was probably my least favorite, though. It’s about Ines Suarez, the only woman conquistador. She helped found Chile. Made me want to read “Guns, Germs and Steel,” by Jared Diamond, a classic geographic tale about why Eurasian societies won out and conquered much of the world.
