What I'm Reading

[I actually wrote this post last weekend, but for some reason it would not publish. Of course, now things have changed... I'll try to do an update soon!]

I read Shanghai Girls last summer...

 and finished Dreams of Joy, the sequel, last week.

The story (that runs throughout both novels) is absolutely riveting, full of detail and color and richness that draw you into the time and place. I can't vouch for the historical accuracy (and these are novels, not historical texts), but from what I do know of the era I would say that the general outlines are certainly faithful to world events.  I definitely recommend both!

A few weeks ago I reread Angel on the Square, young-adult historical fiction. Whelan evokes the time period (Russian Revolution) very well, and in a way that is accessible to younger readers.

I followed up with another Whelan novel, Listening for Lions. This book has a unique setting (colonial Africa) and a few interesting plot points, though I didn't think it was as rich as Angel on the Square.

 

Last night I read Mama's Bank Account, upon which the stage play, motion picture, and television program I Remember Mama were based.  It was a quick, entertaining read and peek into San Francisco of the 1920s.
 
There's more to come... until then, happy reading! 

~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)