Review Roundup

I’ve been reading quite a bit lately, so instead of individual reviews, I thought I’d do them in a combined post, just for a change.

The Weight of Heaven – Thrity Umrigar (2009) .

From Amazon: When Frank and Ellie Benton lose their only child, seven-year-old Benny, to a sudden illness, the perfect life they built is shattered. Filled with wrenching memories, their Ann Arbor home becomes unbearable, and their marriage founders. Then an unexpected job half a world away in Girbaugh, India, offers them an opportunity to start again. But Frank’s befriending of Ramesh – a bright curious boy who quickly becomes the focus of his attentions – will lead the grieving man down an ever-darkening path with start repercussions.

A title pulled off my TBR shelves, this novel follows an American family who are of Indian descent and how a significant event impacts all of their lives.

This was a pretty good read, but I find myself struggling to say anything of substance about it now that I’ve finished it. That’s not to say it was a poor reading experience in any way. Just not much to add to it!

The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language – Mark Forsyth (2011).

From Amazon: This perfect gift for readers, writers, and literature majors alike unearths the quirks of the English language. For example,do you know why a mortgage is literally a “death pledge”? Why guns have girls’ names? Why “salt” is related to “soldier”? Discover the answers to all of these etymological questions and more in this fascinating book for fans of of Eats, Shoots & Leaves.

A fun read of a shortish book about various words and their histories and etymological background plus how they might to link to (unexpected) other words. Good for a palate cleanser… Off the TBR as well.

Mariana – Monica Dickens (1940).

From Amazon: A lively young woman who has no idea what to do with her life, Mary is often at loose but happy ends: going to school and vacationing in Kensington; a hilarious failed attempt at drama school; a year in Paris learning dressmaking and getting engaged to the wrong man; and finally her romance with the right man.

Another read of which I have not much to say… (What kind of book blogger am I??) This was good but not deep in any way. Another palate cleanser, if you will. Glad I read it though. Anther off the old TBR pile.

So three quite chunky books off the TBR pile is good progress, I think. I’m reading another novel (also from the TBR) but I’m betting that I have more to say about this. It’s pretty complex…