Selections from the Reading List

I read four books while on vacation last week.  Two were outstanding, one was very good, and one was okay.  Here they are, in reverse order:

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh was recommended to me by a friend.  Unfortunately it was not my cup of tea.  Victoria, the main character, seems to suffer from Antisocial Personality Disorder.  The reviews of the book tended to mention sympathizing with the flawed main character, but while I felt pity for Victoria's difficult childhood, I still could not stand her.  Quick summary:  Victoria Jones had a very rocky childhood in the foster care system.  The book begins with her turning 18 and aging out of the system.  She is able to utilize her passion for flowers and her knowledge of the Victorian "language of flowers" to work with a florist.  Every time someone shows her kindness, she blows up the relationship.  Fun times.  

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes was a birthday gift from a friend. Quick summary:  Louisa Clark is a British woman in her 20s who begins working as a care aid for a man in his 30s who is paralyzed.  Before his accident, Will Traynor was an extremely successful businessman.  He and Louisa would not have traveled in the same circles, as she and her extended family struggle to make ends meet in their shared home.  Will is understandably moody and difficult, but Louisa becomes very invested in helping him see the value in his life as it is now.  I really liked this book.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion was one of the two books I loved reading last week.  It was extremely funny and very sweet.  I laughed out loud many times while reading The Rosie Project.  Quick summary:  Don is an Australian geneticist with Asperger's Syndrome who embarks on a project to find himself a wife by distributing a detailed survey to potential candidates for the position.  Don quickly eliminates Rosie, a colorful bartender, from The Wife Project, but together they embark on a project to identify Rosie's biological father.  I was really entertained by Don's thought process, his unique voice, and his efforts to evolve.  I highly recommend this book.

Wonder by R.J. Placio is another strongly recommended book.  It is a children's book, and I know I would have loved Wonder if I had read it as as a kid, just as I loved it as an adult.  Quick summary:  August was born with a number of conditions that make his face look very different from other people's.  After years of being home schooled, he enrolls in fifth grade at a New York City school.  The narration of this book jumps from August's point of view to his classmates' and sister's.  Although there are heartbreaking moments (Ryan watched me cry my eyes out at the breakfast table while reading last week), the courage, humor, and resilience of August and his loved ones are touching.  This is such a good story and contains lessons that benefit both children and adults.

I am currently reading girlchild by Tupalo Hassman and I kind of hate it.  I almost returned it to the library without finishing it, but I think I am going to plow through.  I can read dark material and not want to toss the book, but the child abuse featured in this story makes it something I would neither revisit nor recommend to others.  Up next is Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken, which Ryan has been trying to get me to read for years.  I promise to be well acquainted with Louis Zamperini's life in the next month.