The Taxidermist’s Daughter, by Kate Mosse
I am so lucky to have a community of women who regularly drop off (or hand me) good books to borrow. I have a stack by my bedside table and am flying through them (especially after spending the entire day in jury duty yesterday, during which I sat much like one sits on an airplane, only I was going nowhere cool for the eight hours and yet found myself just as exhausted for some reason). The Taxidermist’s Daughter is a great murder mystery, just a bit gory, full of 1912 English imagery and darkness. I enjoyed the whole read.
Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar, by Cheryl Strayed
I cannot count the number of times my eyes teared up at this one. It is an inspiring collection of actual letters sent in to once-anonymous (now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild) advice columnist on the website Rumpus, along with her responses to them. Not only is her advice spot on and quite insightful, but she brings an empathy and rawness to each answer as she reveals personal experiences that reveal the complexities of life and love, loss, and rising above some pretty rotten situations. I’m not usually one to read and enjoy such books (of the self-help variety), but this one was a winner (and be warned: a tear-jerker).
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin, by Liesl Shurtliff
This one was actually for Milo, from our friend Maggie, to borrow. He loved it. There’s magic, pixies, trolls, poison apples, and an evil queen — all the things good fairy tales are made of, but this one goes a step further and adds plenty of humor. I am planning to read it out loud to Oliver and Emil at some point, as it got such rave reviews!
What are you reading?