Well, look at that – this month we have books from Ireland, England, the U.S., France, and Denmark!

Book #1 Land by Maggie O’Farrell

After reading Hamnet earlier this year, I knew Maggie O’Farrell’s work to be irresistible.

Yes, Land is a novel, but it’s based on a mapmaker ancestor from her family tree. Generations of loss and love unfold over the chapters. And there’s a villain I’ll never forgive!

While reading Land, I missed my red-haired mom so much. How we would have loved reading and discussing this story together, and then sharing the book with her sister, Bunny.

Book #2: Farmer Takes a Wife by John Gould

This was a re-read, in honor of our 44th wedding anniversary.

My godmother sent us this book as a gift all those years ago.

This memoir is as delightful as the first time around. The only negative was that during my chat with Farmer Gary about the first few chapters, he remembered the pie-loving uncle’s name – from 44 years ago! – whom I mistakenly called Christopher. (It was Uncle Timothy.)

Book #3: The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen

When your traveling cousin sends you a book she picked up for you while visiting Copenhagen (thanks, Suzie!), you don’t save it for a Christmas read.

… especially when the illustrations are full of ice and snow!

I believe this is the fifth version of this classic fairy tale I have on our shelves. It’s a wonderful collection, as are the memories of watching The Snow Queen on television with Mom, starting back in the 1960s.

Book #4: Pigs Have Wings by P.G. Wodehouse

From Dad’s collection … another ridiculous farce of a Wodehouse book.

Pigs Have Wings reminds me of those silly cartoons where you watch down a hotel’s hallway as people dash in and out of doors – slamming all the while – missing each other by seconds.

Two men with more money than brains are each determined to win a “biggest pig” competition, no matter what it takes. Think 4-H members grown-up and gone wild.

It made for a nice palate cleanser during this hot and harried month.

Book #5: A Journal of the Terror by Jean-Baptiste Cléry

Well, this was certainly interesting:

I had no expectation that the valet who waited on King Louis XVI of France during his captivity would have such a good memory!

From day to day, M. Cléry recalls specifics from the king and queen, the guards, the newspapers, and even the whispering of his wife during her once-a-week visit.

The end of the book is not a surprise to anyone who knows about the French Revolution. But just in case you missed that day in class, let me just say that ain’t no water balloon he’s holding over the crowd:

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