My house has officially succumbed to books. Bowed its head, elbowed out its own frame, said yes. Yes, Beth, you can have the newest pubbed books by David Levithan (
Every Day) and Eliot Schrefer (
Endangered) co-mingling with the galleys for
This Close (short stories by your dear friend Jessica Francis Kane), and alongside these please add a dollop of Mary McCarthy's
The Stones of Florence, a book on the history of eggs, three maps of Florence (one laminated), one old diary, several Florence guides, many tomes on domes, not to mention weather forecasts, three unread
New Yorkers (unread, save for the back pages), and while all of that is going on, please add more to your iPad Kindle because having not yet read your e-versions of
Code Name Verity (Elizabeth E. Wein),
Salvage the Bones, and
The Marriage Artist is no shame at all. Also, while you are at it, imagine A.S. King's
Ask the Passengers (not yet released) sitting near. Just do it, Kephart. Do it.
So what did I do, in the midst of this? I took a walk with my best friend from college days, Ellen. We headed out to Valley Forge National Park, where my mother is buried and where Ellen and I often meet to talk life, not books. It was a ripe September day, crisp as a green apple.
I want it all, always.
I manage it poorly, more times than not.
Today, no books again. Instead, a trip to the city, to see my glorious, happy, smart, successful son. No prize greater than his glorifying smile.
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
This is the story of a family in a small Mississippi town. Set 12 days before Hurricane Katrina hits. The story is told by Esch the lone female voice. Esch lives with her father and three brothers. The mother died giving birth to the youngest son. Ward's does an excellent job of building this families world. I understood where every character was coming from.
A large part of this story is the relationship Esch's older brother Skeetah has with his pit bull China. With Skeetah, Ward created a character that took part in dog fights that not only did I not dislike but cared very much for. One would have to read the novel to believe me but its obvious how much Skeetah loves China. There are moments when my heart broke watching Esch, wanting someone to love her as much as Skeetah does his dog. The family is preparing for coming hurricane but that is very much in the background. Esch voice captured me from the very beginning, there's such an honest beauty to it that I loved.
Esch is around 15 or 16 before reading Salvage the Bones, I thought it might have some YA crossover appeal. After reading it I know its true. Since it's fiction and not YA there is adult content. However, I truly appreciated how everything was a reflection of reality. The author doesn't feel the need to over do it with language or sex because the strength of the writing will entice and keep readers interest.
A 2011 National Book Award Finalists
Sounds absol-U-tely perfect!!
(Last minute packing. Yes. Know that trick.)
xox
pm
Sounds like a great day.