Settling into A Winter's Respite of reading

Well, the way things are going these days, a readathon is surely welcome and starting this upcoming Monday, Seasons of Reading will be hosting their annual A Winter's Respite,which runs for two weeks.

One of the best parts of this readathon is that you are given an easy and open access to it. Fiction and nonfiction alike is encouraged, you can start and stop at your own pace and prizes will be awarded but the main reward is catching up on your reading.

Since this is a long readathon, my intended reads list is a moderate one but here are at least four books that I'm hoping to get into as we go along:

THE GIRLS: I have two books on hold at the library to pick up this weekend and one of them is Emma Cline's debut novel about a young woman caught up in a Manson-like cult in 1969.

 Fourteen year old Evie Boyd's desire to become part of this group is not really due to it's charismatic leader,Russell. It is nineteen year old gritty glamorous Suzanne Parker that firsts attracts Evie to seek new experiences outside of her safe suburban sphere and before long, she finds herself willing to do anything to please her new best friend. That anything proves to be fatal in more ways than one.

I've heard a lot of good things about this book and it appears to be much more than a retelling of the infamous Manson murders(although the author did some in depth research on cults). A dark subject for leisurely reading,perhaps, but one well worth exploring:

TRULY MADLY GUILTY: My other library pick-up is Liane Moriarty's latest novel, this one dealing with the aftermath of an incident at a neighborhood backyard party.

The friendship between long time best gal pals Clementine and Erika is a bit strained at times and when they and their families join in at a last minute invite from newcomers Vid and Tiffany for a bit of barbecue, those close ties become dangerously close to unraveling.

With the upcoming debut of the HBO adaptation of Moriarty's previous best seller Big Little Lies, interest in her books is already growing, so I'm very grateful to have the chance to tackle this one:

MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND: Upon finishing and thoroughly enjoying Helen Simonson's The Summer After The War, I decided to treat myself to her earlier novel(which makes it the first book I've bought in 2017).

This story is set in more modern times than TSBTW but small town politics still play a huge role here. The title character is a retired military officer who prefers to stick with his old habits and keep most of the world at arms length.

However, he develops a friendship with local widow Mrs. Ali, which stirs up unwanted attentions from more than one quarter. Between disdainful relatives and prejudiced locals, the budding romance is at risk for being cut down before it's blossoming time.

Simonson has a lovely way with words as well as characters,which should make for a warmly charming read as the nights grow colder:

AMERICAN WIFE: I have this book on order from Better World Books and it should arrive long before this readathon is over. Curtis Sittenfeld's fictional look at a First Lady is said to be loosely based upon Laura Bush but the intent of this story is not a political takedown.

Rather, it's the tale of Alice Lindgren, who had a relatively quiet life until being swept off her feet by Charlie Blackwell, the trouble making son of a wealthy family who winds up in the White House.

 While Charlie's antics in office do cause plenty of strife, Alice is haunted by her own personal demons,which include the accidental death of a former love, and has to make peace with that past in order to deal with the present. This book was written several years ago and yet it does feel oddly appropriate to read right now as learning to see beyond official appearances is going to be an important skill to develop as we go on from here:

 Other books that I plan to enjoy during this readathon include C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters and Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye, as well as continuing with my Series-ous Reading of Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor. I hope everyone who joins in on A Winter's Respite has a good reading time and that my page turning doesn't wear me out too much. Sleep is important but not while you're in the middle of a good book: