Russian History Again

I grew up in the aftermath of the Anna Anderson conspiracy, if you will. I watched Anastasia when I was younger, and read some children's historical fiction about her. I even took a Russian history course in college, I was that interested in the story. So when The Secret Daughter of the Tsar popped up on my radar, I naturally was interested.

Anna Anderson and Grand Duchess Anastasia, from website linked above. 

This fiction novel by Jennifer Laam follows the lives of three women during three very different eras. Lena, Charlotte, and Veronica are all connected to the supposed fifth daughter of Tsar Nicolaus II and Alexandra. I thoroughly enjoyed the tale that Laam wove so carefully, staying up late at last one night to keep reading. Fiction has not ben doing it for me lately, so this was a lovely change. Having read up on the Romanovs quite a bit myself, I caught on to some of the connections early on. However, there was still a surprise at the end.

I really connected with the three main characters on different levels-- Charlotte, who wanted to protect her son; Lena, who simply wanted a better life; and Veronica, a struggling history professor, hoping to get tenure and have her book published.

I would definitely recommend this book, as it was griping and relatively accurate where it needed to be. It has been really hard for me to find a good historical fiction book that doesn't have at least one scene of either brutal violence or descriptive sex (or a combination) and this book avoided both of those (for the most part). I believe if a story is compelling enough, it really doesn't need either of those things to further the plot.

Just Finished

I've spent the last few days glued to a book. A book on my Kindle, actually. Never thought I'd say that.

It's called People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. A fun bit of historical fiction- something I haven't been able to enjoy in quite a while.  The titular book is the Sarajevo Haggadah, an apparently* famous Jewish prayer book that survived the Inquisition, the looting of the Nazis and numerous other attacks on the people of the Jewish faith through history.

The tale is woven well, though at times I wished I was holding a paper book so I could flip back and forth. The Kindle was a Mother's Day gift, and it has been extremely convenient. It fits well in my bag, and I don't have the guilty feeling that comes with using my work iPad for fun stuff.

The book has a good mix of history and fiction, though the sprinkling of Jewish and Muslim words sometimes made it hard to follow. I also felt challenged by the historical names of particular places, as Eastern Europe and the Middle East were not my strong subjects. However, having read a number of the Temperance Brennan books by Kathy Reichs (and being a fan of the lighter end of that genre in general), the investigative portions of the book were intriguing to me. The main character is a specialist in old manuscripts and was hired to examine and repair a Haggadah that had missing/hidden since WWII. As part of her process of examination, she extracts foreign objects-- fibers, scales, stains-- and each of those take the reader back in time to the place where that particle intersected with the life of the book.

I think this book has a bit of something for everyone, and I definitely enjoyed it. Surprising, after a long run of non-fiction books that didn't quite hit the spot, and fiction books that made me feel overly sensitive. Worth my time, and worth me offering up a review as well.

* I only say apparently because, as noted, I am not hugely familiar with Jewish history or E.European history

Is this nesting?

Pulling things out of hibernation and finishing them is extremely rewarding. Over the past week, I have totally frogged a project and am on the verge of finishing another.

The overcast skies and dimly lit kitchen do not help my poor photography skills.

I have a feeling that this might be the extent of my pre-baby "nesting" that seems to happen to many people. I'm at 33 weeks, and living in a new apartment means there are lots of messes. Focusing on the crafting messes seems to work better for me, because I have control over those. 

So over the past week, I finally frogged my Stephanie's Wrap, which has been "in progress" for at least a year, if not longer. I love the simplicity of the stitches and the pop of fun with the striping, but I think I picked the wrong colors. Somewhere in my future is the time and motivation to make another one, but not today. 

My other "out of hibernation" project is a shallow triangular shawl. The end results are not my favorite, but I couldn't bear to frog another project and I really want to experiment more with the design. For me, the hardest part is deciding on a border. 

Actually, the really hard part for me is not crocheting and trying to get everything else settled. A few women from my church came over yesterday and helped with that- I have a clean bathroom now, which is wonderful! 

Reading a new book, but haven't gotten far enough to form an opinion. It's a WWII era historical fiction/romance. I do want to finish a few fun books this summer, and seeing as it's halfway over, I'm trying to get a good start with this one. (I'm dreading going back to the textbooks).

Joining Tami & Ginny today!

Another Snow Day

Just like every other teacher who gets up five days a week to teach a group of students, I enjoy my snow days. The 3 days off right after Christmas break were awesome. The odd 'cold day' here and there can be great too. But I definitely am at the point where I just want one week of school to go as plan, with all five days included. My students seem to enjoy the extra days off, but seriously, I tend to get stir crazy at home. I already have one of my classes planned out through the end of February. 

Since I've been given another day off, I will be planning my other classes through February's end, longer if I can. 

One benefit, I suppose, is a little opening in my free time which allows me to read. I ventured to my public library last week (it's basically a week across the street) and came home with 3 new books. I I finished the first one last night. 

I really enjoy the style of writing, and how the author makes the past important in dealing with the present day issues. This particular book dealt with British operatives in Occupied France during WWII. Beautiful descriptions of Paris as well as the south of France, combined with an interesting cast of characters including a French noblemen, a female British spy and upper level of Nazi officers. Also, rare books. 

I really enjoyed this book, and hope to have a chance to enjoy a few others on my day off!