Recently I have been reading some very moving books!  Picked up Elizabeth Strout again, with the novel, Amy and Isabelle. This was a very good telling of a mother-daughter relationship as the daughter comes of age, including the inevitable conflicts that just might occur.  I did enjoy this book, but must now take a break from Ms. Strout, not in an unfriendly way, just moving on.


I also finally read The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah, after hearing for so long just how good it is.  This also describes close family relationships, specifically sisters and a justifiably cranky father, but with the looming shadow of  WWII.  It was the elegant portrayal of  family misunderstandings that moved me so much with this book, because of the love that became possible as time endured. Perhaps this is the greater message of this time in history, so this story made some heartfelt mending possible of a difficult time, though not without tears.  In any case, I'm now taking a break from books about this time period.


Now I'm reading a book about a different time, the eighties, though also again, I'm visiting sisters and family.  The book with which I'm currently involved is Tell the Wolves I'm Home, by Carol Rifka Brunt.  Utterly engaging, and filled with foreshadowing, it is a beautifully written story that I curiously visit in my free time, though not altogether without anxiety because of my concern for the characters.  It is very good, thankfull, and is speaking to me about the redeeming effects of art, which just might be the takeaway lesson of these three books.


I'm totally going to read health and wellness books for a little while, read maybe some happy children's stories, and then paint and just color pictures while my brain heals emotionally.


Please take good care!