Himself and youngest drove down to Oregon for Thanksgiving – we were missing eldest who was unable to come to his Grandma’s due to work. Himself mentioned the book store and of course I was more than willing to go again so today we set off and now have two more large stacks of books – half for himself’s commute and the rest for me:
Eva Moves the Furniture by Margot Livesey is the story of a Eva and her visits with two companions, a woman and a girl, who may or may not be real. Eva is being raised by her mourning father and her aunt (as her mother has died). The publisher’s blurb describes the book as a “magical novel about loneliness, love, and the profound connection between mother and daughter. Since I have spent the last few days giggling with my mom, it seemed fitting to read about a mother/daughter connection.
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. I just finished Great House which is a book that sticks in your brain, rattling around and coming up again in odd spots (like my dreams) so when I saw this earlier work by Krauss I snatched it up. The novel features fourteen-year-old Alma Singer scouring New York to find a book she thinks may cure her mother’s lonliness.
Reading in the Dark by Seamus Dean. This novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1996 and takes place in Ireland where every adult has a secret and an unnamed young narrator tries to search for the truth. I read somewhere that this novel is very dark but I was drawn to it after reading the epigraph:
The people were saying no two were e’er wed
But one had a sorrow that was never said.
“She Moved Through the Fair”
The next three books I had on my “To Read” list and discovered them through various book blogs:
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a coming of age story set in Nigeria. Kambili and her older brother get a reprieve from their father’s suffocating house to visit their aunt. Unfortunately, the political climate forces the two back home and they have to adjust from freedom to a dictated lifestyle.
Santa Evita by Tomas Eloy Martinez is a novel about Eva Peron an, most importantly, her corpse. Nonsuch reviewed the book here and I was struck by this quote, “As you said, it’s a novel,” I explained. “In novels, what is true is also false. Authors rebuild at night the same myths they’ve destroyed in the morning.” For some reason, this really resounds with me and I hope I enjoy the rest of the book as much.
Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris is a mystery about a young Saudi girl who disappears. Set in the confining society and political climate of Saudi Arabia the protagonist has to work past the barriers erected by religion, custom, and personal need. I found this book through S. Krishna’s blog.
Reflections from the Hinterland 
Now ALL of those sound good to me! I had to laugh at the use of “himself”…an ideal way to refer to one’s husband, I thought, without revealing his name.