Book Review #1

Ever notice when you get off your game in something -- like not posting to your blog every day -- it seems to take a lot to get back in the groove?

To overcome that today it came to me to do something new. Every now and then I'll post a review of a book I read recently.

Robert Morgan
Gap Creek, the Story of a Marriage

My Summary: A young woman ekes out an existence in the Appalachian mountains with her family, then with her new husband, in the 1890s. From the first chapter, when her little brother dies in her arms, there's no doubt life is tough for Julie. But, then, she's tough as nails herself.

My Rating: Whisked Away
I loved the simplicity of Julie, although she was far from simple. I relished following her daily routines and her not so daily routines like slaughtering a hog. Morgan obviously did his research and I found the veracity of the details interesting to know. He gave Julie such an interesting voice -- straight-forward but sometimes a touch of the lyrical, like when she talks about her early feelings toward her new husband. Lots happens on Gap Creek, but the most compelling part is Julie's strength and willingness to take whatever comes.


Bookmoochable from me at the time of this post? Yes!

My possible fiction ratings are

• Whisked Away for those books that I lived and breathed while I read them, frequently being whisked away to another time or place. The kinds of books that you dread the last page because you don't want it to end.
• Turn the Pages Slowly for those books that would be a joy to read even if the writer were describing taking out the trash. While reading these kinds of books, I often will purposely read as slowly as possible to enjoy the lingering words in my head.
• Guilty Pleasure for those books that don't have any long-lasting effect. They are read for a laugh, or to enjoy steamy scenes, or maybe to simply see where a bizarre premise will lead.
• Slogged Through for those books that, yes, I slogged through somehow. It might be it's just not my cup of tea. Maybe I'm reading it because it's a "classic." These books that, in spite of my best efforts, I just didn't get all that much out of it, except to be glad to say I did finish it.
• Holy Cow is for those books that turned my world on its head. It is the rarest book. I might be thinking about the meaning of these kinds of books for a long time, perhaps the rest of my life. I might have enjoyed them, but as equally possible didn't enjoy them. In the end I'm changed after the book and I met.