Quick lit

Linking with Modern Mrs. Darcy to share what we've been reading lately...


Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

[I was mortified the first time I saw this cover, as I had ordered it from the library with our other school books.  I was sure I had made a terrible mistake and inadvertently ordered a Harlequin romance for my elementary-schooler.]

This was assigned reading for Ada, which meant I had to read it before the book report was due--but it turned out to be rather a page-turner (and not a Harlequin romance, as feared).  A plucky slave-girl heroine acts as a double agent during a brewing rebellion again Pharaoh Hatshepsut, and falls in love to boot.  Gentle on romance, high on historical intrigue and complicated duplicity.

New Testament:  Colossians, Philemon, Philippians, Acts

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand

I was able, blissfully, to read two pleasure novels when we went to the beach.  This was one of them.


My first experience with Elin Hilderbrand was A Summer Affair, and I almost didn't give her another chance.  But I did pick up The Perfect Couple, and I was glad I did.  So I went with this as a beach read.  I liked it almost as much as The Perfect Couple.  It's about rumors swirling in a small town, and the irony that happens when trying to cover up a true scandal gives rise to rumors about an untrue one. 

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Liane Moriarty has yet to disappoint me!  I've stated my opinion of several of her books before.  I'd put this one just below The Husband's Secret. 


Nine Perfect Strangers is, well... a bit strange.  There's the Moriarty-esque driving sense that all is not as it seems, which is revealed bit by bit by bit in a way that makes me compulsively turn pages.  These characters weren't as likable as in, say, Big Little Lies.  And there are some chapters devoted to psychedelic delirium.  But I'm still a fan.  I did appreciate in Truly Madly Guilty that the big reveal turned out to be a surprise, but something completely believable, and something that made sense of all the clues.  The reveal in this one was pretty wild, and just got wilder as the book drew to the end.  Not as down-to-earth, but a fun time.  [Note to self: don't do psychedelic drugs.]


Old Testament:  Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Greek Myths by Olivia Coolidge

Ada's next book report assignment.  Arranged like short stories, so easy to read in snippets.  Which is good, because, despite them being the foundation of western civilization and all, Greek myths are kind of a plow to get through.  I think there just aren't enough well-told versions, because you'd think these would be pretty compelling.  So why are they all in ancient library books bound in 1953 with crooked print, but worse, not very well told?

I do acknowledge the challenge.  The heroes all remind me of King Arthur and his (stupid) knights who couldn't take a joke without dueling to the death about it.  Why does no one see the virtue in Just Walking Away?

Plus the deities are so frustratingly ungodly.

Dear Liane Moriarty, would you like to tackle some myth retellings?

The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles by Padraic Colum

Ok, points for a really cool author name.  But it doesn't quite make up for the unnecessarily all-encompassing title, and definitely not for the UGLY cover!  This picture is actually better than the library book from 1497 that we checked out; I couldn't find an internet picture of our version.


I appreciated that this at least developed a single story in novel form.  We still have stupid "heroes" who don't know how to Just Walk Away.  [Hint: when the evil king of the land advertises for an applicant to do some ridiculously suicidal task, to be paid in undying glory, look for a career elsewhere.  Unless, of course, you have a conveniently unbeatable weapon/charm/secret from one of your god pals in your toga pocket.]  These endless myths are a little easier to keep straight when the storyline is developed over a few hundred pages.  The last part of the book did start jumping around, telling what happened after the main adventure to all the various heroes. 


I will say it was interesting to hear bits of the same stories told in different perspectives.  Was Medea a sorceress or a poor scorned woman?  Did they earn that golden fleece fair and square or did they steal it?  It all depends whom you ask.


Here's hoping for another month of page-turning intrigue, light romance, bestie characters, and soul food.