Currently: We Never asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Ms. Diffenbaugh writes with simple yet beautiful prose which leaves the reader feeling a weighty sadness when the story has come to a close. I enjoyed her first novel, The Language of Flowers, immensely, and have only just begun her newest piece. We Never asked for Wings is a story about the daughter of Mexican immigrants who bumps up against her own shortcomings as a mother and desire to run away from her responsibilities. As predicted, it promises to be another emotional page turner.
Just Finished: Cancel the Wedding by Carolyn Dingman. This isn't the kind of novel I would usually pick up, but I'm so glad I did. Ms. Dingman's first novel is well-written and entertaining, taking the reader through the intriguing step by step discovery of a deceased woman's secret life, as narrated by her daughter. There also happens to be a love story (actually several if you include past and present) intricately woven throughout to make it a thoroughly enjoyable read for which my extra mounds of laundry can vouch.
Recently Read: Amy, My Daughter by Mitch Winehouse. Boy. Where do I start? This also isn't the kind of book I would pick up immediately but with a restless toddler and a few rushed moments I found myself in the biography section of the library and the picture of Amy on the spine of the book intrigued me enough to grab this one before making a hasty exit. I'll be honest, I really, really found myself with a great distaste for Mitch Winehouse after reading this. Or about 10 pages in. I didn't know anything about him and started reading with an open mind, feeling great sympathy for this man who basically watched his daughter self destruct. Over the course of the chapters, though, it became increasingly clear in my mind that Mitch is unable to effectively camouflage the mounting evidence that he less of a loving father and more of the worst kind of opportunist. I'm not sure if the book mentions (but it probably does, as he seems pretty into self-promotion at any opportunity) that Mitch came out with his own album on the heels of Amy's death. The timing is less than flattering. As is the detached manner in which he provides detailed reports of Amy's ongoing drug use, yet tells those who have shown up for an intervention that Amy is "fine" (later used in the lyrics of the popular song "Rehab" on the Back to Black album released in 2006 - "I ain't got the time, and if my daddy thinks I'm fine"). Overall a very depressing and repetitive read, at best bringing to light the plight of helplessness that haunts the family of an addict, at worst revealing Mitch's co-dependent exploitation and stage parent tendencies. In the end, any sympathy I felt for Amy was less about her disease and more for being the daughter of a father who could not love her in the way she needed it.
Recently Read: Runaway Girl by Carissa Phelps. Told by a survivor of sex trafficking, this biography details the eye opening story of her time of the streets and subsequent rise back out of that world to go on helping others. This book is very raw and real, and at times, explicit. I read it with a new appreciation for how treacherous life can be for children on the streets and in and out of foster care. This is definitely a book that brings to light the hidden underbelly of sex trafficking and also provides links to organizations that the reader can partner with to help. I commend Ms. Phelps for so bravely telling her story; it is so important.
What have you been reading lately?
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