The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

I read this book for one of my book group discussions. At first I was having a hard time getting into the book and had decided to be one of those members that comes to the meeting, not having read the book. But then I heard from another member that she too had a hard time getting into it but ended up loving it.

I decided to give it another try, this time not focusing on the structure of the sentences but just letting the book flow over me. And guess what? I ended up enjoying the book. Can't say that I loved it, but I am glad I read it. We ended up having a very good discussion. And that is what it is about, right?

Synopsis from Amazon ---
The latest from Barry pits two contradictory narratives against each other in an attempt to solve the mystery of a 100-year-old mental patient. That patient, Roseanne McNulty, decides to undertake an autobiography and writes of an ill-fated childhood spent with her father, Joe Clear. A cemetery superintendent, Joe is drawn into Ireland's 1922 civil war when a group of irregulars brings a slain comrade to the cemetery and are discovered by a division of Free-Staters. Meanwhile, Roseanne's psychiatrist, Dr. Grene, investigating Roseanne's original commitment in preparation for her transfer to a new hospital, discovers through the papers of the local parish priest, Fr. Gaunt, that Roseanne's father was actually a police sergeant in the Royal Irish Constabulary. The mysteries multiply when Roseanne reveals that Fr. Gaunt annulled her marriage after glimpsing her in the company of another man; Gaunt's official charge was nymphomania, and the cumulative fallout led to a string of tragedies. Written in captivating, lyrical prose, Barry's novel is both a sparkling literary puzzle and a stark cautionary tale of corrupted power.

SD Library Challenge: Electronic Resources Edition

This summer, this blog will be doing double duty. (I hope I don't get too confused.) I just signed up for the South Dakota Library Challenge, sponsored by the wonderful people at the State Library. It is a chance for us to 'play with' the electronic resources that they provide to the people of South Dakota. Each week we take a look at a different resource. Some of the items I am familiar with already from working at Briggs but other ones I have not used at all.

So this will be a good thing!

The Writing Circle by Corinne Demas

I am reading the e-book version of this book courtesy of the First Look Book Club at Barnes & Nobles.

They call themselves the Leopardi Circle--six members of a writing group who share much more than their works in progress.

When Nancy, whose most recently published work is a medical newsletter, is asked to join a writing group made up of established writers, she accepts, warily. She's not at all certain that her novel is good enough for the company she'll be keeping. Her novel is a subject very close to her heart, and she isn't sure she wants to share it with others, let alone the world. But Nancy soon finds herself as caught up in the group's personal lives as she is with their writing. She learns that nothing--love, family, loyalty--is sacred or certain.

In the circle there's Gillian, a beautiful, scheming, world-famous poet; Bernard, a pompous but lovable biographer; Virginia, a respected historian and the peacemaker of the group, who also happens to be Bernard's ex-wife; Chris, a divorced father and successful thriller writer; and Adam, the youngest of the group, an aspiring novelist who is infatuated with Gillian. And then there's Nancy, an unassuming fiction writer embarking on a new chapter in her own life. They meet to read their work aloud and offer feedback. Over the course of a year, marriages are tested, affairs begin, and trust is broken.

Through their complicated relationships, these eccentric characters share their families, their beds, and their histories, and soon find that buried secrets have a way of coming to light. Hearts break and emotions are pushed to the limit in this richly engaging tale of love, betrayal, and literature.

http://www.corinnedemas.com/books/writingcircle.htm

No Moon by Irene N. Watts

I was lucky enough to snag an ARC copy of this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

LibraryThing lists a new batch of books every month that a person can request. If you receive a book, all they ask is that you submit a short, honest review of the book on their website.

From Amazon: A story of reliance and resilience. Did you call out to us, Johnny, before your small body was dragged down under the water? Why didn't we hear you? I am sorry! I'll never forget.

Louisa Gardener is the fourteen-year-old nursemaid to the young daughters of a wealthy, titled family living in London, England, in 1912.

Despite the bullying Nanny Mackintosh, for whom she is an extra pair of hands, she loves her work and her young charges. Then everything changes. The family decides to sail to New York aboard the Titanic. An accident to the children's nanny, only days prior to the sailing, means that Louisa must go in her stead. She cannot refuse, although she dreads even the mention of the ocean. Memories she has suppressed, except in nightmares, come crowding back.

When Louisa was five and her sister seven years old, their two-year-old brother died on an outing to the seaside. Since that time, Louisa has had a fear of the ocean. She blames herself for the accident, though she has been told it wasn't her fault.

If Louisa refuses to go on the voyage, she will be dismissed, and she will never get beyond the working-class life she has escaped from.

How Louisa learns self-reliance, overcomes her fears, and goes beyond what is expected of a girl makes No Moon an unforgettable story.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

What a wonderful surprise to find a box at my doorstep when I got home the other day. And to make it even more wonderful, it contained a book (free) that I was not expecting! And to make it even more over the top wonderful, the box also contained a bag of Bliss white chocolate!!!!

I had registered my book club on a publisher's website and then forgotten about it. Lo and behold, I won a book!! And chocolate to enjoy with it!

Shanghai Girls is a book on my TBR list so it is really nice now to have a copy in my house ready to read when I can.

ABOUT THIS BOOK
In 1937 Shanghai — the Paris of Asia — twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives. Both are beautiful, modern, and carefree — until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth. To repay his debts, he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from Los Angeles to find Chinese brides. As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, from the Chinese countryside to the shores of America. Though inseparable best friends, the sisters also harbor petty jealousies and rivalries. Along the way they make terrible sacrifices, face impossible choices, and confront a devastating, life-changing secret, but through it all the two heroines of this astounding new novel hold fast to who they are — Shanghai girls. -- Random House

http://www.lisasee.com/shanghaigirls/