Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: Light Reading for Early Spring

Happy Monday! I have three more busy editing days, then I'm attending my annual spring lace-making workshop, and then life eases back to a simple rhythm, starting next Monday.

I usually have a full week off between the end of editing season and my long weekend with lace friends, but this year, the dates are much tighter. I won't get much reading in this week, but I know I'll have a lot of fun.

On Wednesday, on the AudioFile Magazine blog, I talk about author-read audiobooks. I'd love it if you stopped by to share your thoughts.

What I Read Last Week

Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes (Crown; April 3). I've been a fan of Frances Mayes's since I read her Under the Tuscan Sun in the mid-1990s. Her new novel is set in her beloved Tuscany and follows the lives of three women of a certain age who are on their own for the first time since college. They meet by chance in North Carolina, become fast friends, and decide to rent a Tuscan villa for a year. They are surprised at how easily they adapt to each other and to Italy, making new friends and discovering or rediscovering new passions. They story is told from several viewpoints, including that of their neighbor, who is an American ex-pat writer and poet. Some of the novel reads as if it were autobiography, and Mayes's love of Tuscany and its sights and smells, wine and food comes shining through. In fact, now I  want to rent a villa in Tuscany for a year with my BFFs! Besides the setting, I enjoyed getting to know Susan, Julia, and Camille and seeing how they each came to terms with the second phase of their lives. Women in Sunlight is light, fun reading on one level, and an empowering look at getting older on another. Plus there's all those fabulous food descriptions! I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Random House Audio; 16 hr, 52 min) read by Kimberly Farr. Farr is a pleasure to listen to; her lively performance and believable Italian and American Southern accents gave the audiobook an added spark. (More on the audiobook will soon be available at AudioFile Magazine; copy provided for a freelance assignment.)

Be Prepared written and illustrated by Vera Brosgol (First Second, April 24) is a wonderful graphic semi-autobiography about 9-year-old Vera, a Russian immigrant who wants nothing more than to fit in with her American classmates. She is always feeling like the odd girl out, especially in summer when all her friends go away to summer camp or on fabulous-sounding family vacations. Vera's mother can't afford vacations, but when they learn of a summer camp through their Russian Orthodox church, Vera's wish comes true, and she gets to spend a month at a sleep-away camp just like all the other girls at school. Vera soon discovers that camp is nothing like home, with its outhouses, wildlife, no-candy rule, and the requirement to speak Russian. Unfortunately, camp is also quite a lot like home, with its mean girls. Although Vera really doesn't like living in the great outdoors, she ends up making a good friend and learns to accept herself and her talents instead of trying so hard to be one of the cool kids. I loved the expressive artwork and the outdoor colors (see the cover for a glimpse), and my heart went out to Vera. This is a great story of finding your path and realizing that it's just fine to be your own person. I'm way more outdoorsy than Vera but still found much to relate to. Be Prepared may be geared for middle grade readers, but I recommend it for readers of all ages. (Thanks to Fist Second for the review copy.)

Coming Soon

I'm almost done with Jez Burrows's Dictionary Stories, and I'm listening to Caitlin Macy's Mrs. (read by Vanessa Johansson). I love the first and have mixed feelings about the second. I'll have more to say about both next Monday. Enjoy your week!