Sue Monk Kidd - The Secret Life of Bees
Finally, I picked up this TBR second-hand. I think it made for a more interesting experience that I had previously read two of Kidd's non-fiction books that dealt with influences on and the process of writing this, her first fictional work (Travels with Pomegranates and Dance of the Dissident Daughter). Lily rescues her family's black maid, Rosaleen, from jail, and they go on the run with the vague purpose of finding out the truth about Lily's long-dead mother. They find refuge with three beekeeping sisters whose house is presided over by the figure of a black Madonna. A novel about what it means to be a woman in body, soul and spirit. Good, but not outstanding for me.
L.M. Montgomery - Anne of Avonlea
My comment on reading Anne of Green Gables was that I enjoyed it, but maybe I needed to read it as a girl to truly fall in love with it. I tried the sequel as an audiobook to see if it would feel different, and my verdict is about the same. But now I'm committed, and I can get several others free on audio via my library app (my Mississippi account is still working even though I am in Europe - shh, don't tell anyone), so I'm going to continue. I have to hear Anne say yes to Gilbert!
Sue Monk Kidd - When the Heart Waits
With perhaps a little synchronicity, this turned up as a Kindle deal just after I read The Secret Life of Bees. To say it is a how-to book on spiritual waiting sounds a little oxymoronic; in the end, I think I would call it a book about the experience of waiting when you are in the dark night of the soul, or a crisis of belief (not necessarily of faith). I have the same feelings on reading all Kidd's non-fiction books: there are times when I almost shout out loud, "Yes, that's it exactly!", and times when I think, Why am I bothering to plough through this section? Although her myriad of examples reflect her thoughts and study, there are just too many to make the chapters coherent. I think my reading was also influenced by knowing that she eventually moves beyond the more conventional Christianity she highlights in this book to a feminist spirituality (Dance of the Dissident Daughter).
H.Y. Hanna - Tea with Milk and Murder (Oxford Tearoom Mystery Book 2)
Sometimes, you just want to relax and read a book over the weekend, and this fit the bill. A woman drops dead at an art gallery event in front of tearoom owner, Gemma, and her best friend's new boyfriend is a prime suspect. Gemma decides to investigate, helped as usual by the nosy ladies from her village and her cat, Muesli. Easy reading, but a well-constructed mystery and interesting ongoing plots to hold the series together.
Brother Lawrence - The Practice of the Presence of God (translated by Marshall Davis)
If you are looking to get more spiritual classics under your belt, maybe to round out Lent, this little book (about 80 pages) is a good choice, especially in this modern translation. A collection of conversations, letters and sayings from the seventeenth century monk whose simple recipe for spiritual growth drew many visitors to the kitchen of his monastery. A reminder that mindfulness is an ancient practice, dressed up for the 21st century.
Diane Scott Lewis - Beyond the Fall
Two weekend novels in a row! Diane is a member of my online critique group. Her historical novels may be "coffee time" reading, but they are also well-written, with a very vivid sense of time and place. Tamara, dumped by her husband, decides to go on the UK holiday they had planned together. While researching her relatives in a Cornwall graveyard, she finds herself thrown back in time to the year of the grain riots (1789). In her own time, Tamara runs a non-profit helping abused women, but now she experiences first hand what it really means to be powerless. As she struggles to survive and to return to her own time, she must also fight her growing love for farmer and agitator Colum. There's a sequel in the works, by the way, which is why there are a couple of loose threads at the end of the novel.
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