The Sunday Salon: Speed Reading

I've been perfecting my speed reading and went through two thick historical novels, getting the meat of the stories and liking them both as well.

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Lady of the Butterflies by Foina Mountain, July 15, 2010, tells the true story of Eleanor Glanville, a 17th-century naturalist whose lifelong interest in studying butterflies was thought to be so unnatural for a woman, she was thought to be mad. Afer her husband dies of the "ague," she marries his best friend but also develops a close professional relationship with a young scientist who also studies butterflies. In later years her son unsuccessfully tried to have he put away for insanity, so that he might seize her property and drain the boggy, marshy fens on her lands for profit.  It is unknown what happened late in her life or where she is buried, but the novel supplies a plausible answer and an escape for Eleanor.

Cloud Mountain by Aimee Lui, Oct. 1, 1998, is based on the life of the author's grandparents, a Chinese student and an American woman who met in California in the early 1900s. The story follows their marriage, her grandfather's return to China with his American wife, and the turbulent history of China undergoing revolution, invasion, war. A page and a half at the end of the novel helped me with the historical events and their dates. A good book for understanding Chinese history from the overthrow of the Ching dynasty to the uneasy years when China tried to establish itself as a Republic. It's also a love story.

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I am listening to the audio book of Janet Evanovich's Finger Lickin' Fifteen (Stephanie Plum Novels), a mystery series which is fun as always in spite of the same characters, situations, slapstick humor which hasn't varied much from No. 1 to the present 15.  I wonder if No. 16 will be much different!  Great to listen to though.

I have more books and audio books in my handy dandy red book bag, which I filled up at the library last week. Getting back into reading after my eye surgery, successful so far by the way, and perfecting my speed reading.  Thanks for all the kind words re my eye surgery everyone :)

Almost forgot- I wrote the first 5 days of NaNoWriMo and rested on the 6th day. Today is the 7th day, so I I had better get back to it! Even if I don't finish 50,000 words by the end of the month, I will at least have started a fictionalized memoir.

What have you read/done this past week?

It's Monday: What Are You Reading?

Sheila from One Person's Journey hosts this weekly meme with links to all those who participate. Click on her website to join in!

Another surprise for me. I picked up The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, expecting to put it back down as uninteresting. A family living as missionaries in the Congo? Been there, read that. I had flashbacks to Conrad's Heart of Darkness (Norton Critical Editions) and visions of Apocalypse Now: Redux, the film with Marlon Brando based on Conrad's book.

Imagine my surprise when I saw the family went there in the 1950s, at a much later date than the time in Conrad's book, which had traders in the Belgian Congo in the 19th century.

I have only just begun The Poisonwood Bible but I'm intrigued by the first chapters - the preparations the family makes, the items of clothing, household goods, and other things they decide they will most definitely need. More on the book later.

Cloud Mountain

Here's another book I found in a pile of books I am "fostering" while a friend undergoes house renovation: Cloud Mountain: A Novel by Aimee E. Liu. Based on the lives of her grandparents, the book is about a teacher Hope Leon and her husband Liang Po-Yu, separated by war in China in the 1940s. The story spans four decades.

The historical aspects should be interesting. China in the 1930s and early 1940s has a fascinating history of war and upheaval. This is also what I'll be reading!

Would you believe I have other books that I've started and have to finish, too many to list here.

What are you reading this week and next?