The winter weather we've been experiencing has made curling up with a good book - and a blanket- a great way to spend the evenings and weekends.
Both of these novels are ones I've had on my shelves for a few years (or maybe longer), and I'm giving a little more effort this year to getting through some of the titles I've got in my house already.
Happily, these novels didn't disappoint.
One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus was recommended by a friend who just read this for her book club. I had given her These Is My Words (one of my favorite books of all time) to read, so she knows I have a soft spot in my heart for pioneer/prairie novels. She referred to this one as a mashup of These Is My Words, Dances With Wolves and Lonesome Dove. I loved reading May's journal of how she and a group of women are married off to Indian men as an exchange for horses from the US government. Her experiences are interesting, and there is quite literally never a dull moment in this novel. I devoured this one quickly and am excited to see that there is another installment in this series.
The Atomic Weight of Love by Elizabeth Church pretty much rings all my bells. Set in Los Alamos, NM, during the making of the atomic bomb, and the decades following, Meridian Wallace gives up her own career aspirations to follow her husband chase his, as one of the scientists helping create the bomb. I love this setting - the time period and place, and also the way Church portrays the way women are treated during this time in history. There is also a little romance that I enjoyed as well as the way Meridian grew and changed as a woman through the decades this book spans.
I'd be happy to press either of these titles into other readers' hands.
On another note.....today is the day that the Newbery and Caldecott (and a slew of other awards) are announced. I can't wait to see which books are selected and hope that I can add a few new title to my TBR.
2 comments:
I love THESE IS MY WORDS too. It's been a long time since I thought of that book. I'll bet my library has ONE THOUSAND WHITE WOMEN. And I like reading books about Los Alamos and the people connected with that town and the WWII time. I'll also watch for THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF LOVE. Hope you guys have a good week. Sounds like a lot more snow is on the way...we'll just get the wind and cold.
I LOVED both those books. I read A Thousand White Women a long time ago, but remember being thoroughly captivated by the story. Like you, The Atomic Weight of Love had everything I like a bout a book. Since you liked that one so much, you might want to try The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit. Another great story about the women behind the men and I loved it because it's told in the collective voice.
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