Books read in September

Finished
My Life in France. Julia Child
How Julia Child became Julia Child. I floundered a bit after college and it was at that point I began to seek out stories of how people found their life’s work. At the same time, I began to look for examples of people who were not “wunderkids” but instead took awhile to achieve great success. Julia Child’s story fits both of these categories. Born the same year as my grandmother she was a very old maid when she married. The writing of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” took many years and spanned several countries. Her zest for life is apparent on every page, as is her love for cooking, her husband Paul and France. After reading this books I can safely say that if more of us were like Julia Child the world would be a better place.

Miracle at St. Anna. James McBride
Read in preparation for the release of the movie–which did not get good reviews and so I haven’t seen it–this is another fast paced story by McBride. When Spike Lee and Clint Eastwood had their words over black soldiers serving in World War II last year, did you long for a fictional account of four black soldiers serving in Italy? This is your book. It was well written and one of those books I ignored chores for.

The Monsters of Templeton. Lauren Groff
My favorite kind of book. Fiction that takes place in a transparently real place. A mystery. Alternating narrators from different periods in history. Some slightly supernatural elements. Delightful characters. Picking up this book was a joy. Write more books Lauren Groff. Please. I will read them.

Started but did not finish
Eat Fat Lose Fat. Mary Enig & Sally Fallon
I’ve taken a solemn vow to stop reading “lose weight” books. However, I checked this out because Sally Fallon wrote Nourishing Traditions which outlines the food philosophy I am learning more about: naturally raised meats, soaked whole grains, traditional fats, organic fruit and vegetables. However, reading Nourishing Traditions is a bit overwhelming. This books is a more gradual introduction to the philosophy, it is just disguised as a weight loss book. Good recipes, too.

Washington D.C. Off the Beaten Path. William B. Whitman
This is a great book for people like me who have visited Washington DC, and maybe want to see something beyond the usual.

Washington Schlepped Here. Christopher Buckley
I started my research for the trip with this book, but set it aside as a “for later, if ever” read because it is chock full of not-really-true information. It probably would be funny for people who are more familiar with Washington DC.

Things I’ve Learned From Women Who Dumped Me. Ed: Ben Karlin
The stories I read in this book were good, but the book arrived at a time I was awash in books and got shunted aside.

Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love and the Search for Home. Kim Sunee
Do you ever read memoirs where you think, “What, exactly is this person’s problem?” This was that kind of book for me. Because I could not connect with her level of pain I set this book down.

Washington DC for Dummies. Tom Price
A nice basic “how to do DC” kind of book.

Did not even start.
Yoga Therapy for Overcoming Insomnia. Peter Van Houten and Gyandev Rich McCord.
This book also became lost in a tidal wave of books that arrived at the library. It looked quite good, though and I may check it out again.