Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin

 I have been striking out lately on finding any good books to read. And I wanted to send Leslie Polson a lighter, uplifting book to give her a little relief as she mourns the loss of her husband Don. So I went to my neighbors, M and Brian Wangsgard, and asked them for recommendations.

M pulled out her journal and went through her past several years of library books, and gave me some suggestions. I read Amazon reviews and then ordered several of them, used, to try them out. This one is the best of the lot!

I read the first couple of pages before my most recent trip to Rapid City, wondering if it would be a good candidate for the flight and shuttle reading. It was! It was compelling and interesting from the first few pages and the heroine was a very wise and likeable woman. And it only got better from there!

I don't know much about African history, but this story reveals the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide years. The beautiful pace of the conversations between Angel, the woman who bakes cakes, and her customers is delightful to read. As the conversations unfold, you learn a lot about the culture and the challenges of the people in this tight little community. Angel has suffered tremendous loss herself, and as she unravels some of her stories, you learn about what AIDS and violence have done to people. And yet it's a very hopeful and upbeat story, despite the hardships and the heartbreak these people suffered and are suffering. That's the beauty of this book--it reminds you of the goodness of people and why we need to support strong community-building. 

This author is amazingly eloquent and poetic as she shares the beauty of the African culture and the struggle to overcome the more destructive aspects of it. And there is gentle humor throughout the story as well...Just a delightful read! There are two more books about Angel's family, and I will order those shortly. 

In general, this book just made me feel very grateful. Angel and Primus are raising their grandchildren and have many challenges, but they are meeting them with such grace and courage. It made me feel somewhat ashamed to be irritated or troubled by anything in my life!

The Mystery of the Ivory Charm by Carolyn Keene

 I had just flown in to Rapid City Regional for another grandkid fix, and Sierra picked me up. After lunch with Mike, she had a couple of boxes of books to drop off at the used bookstore. I helped her carry them in, and happened to flip mine open to see what she was giving away. BIG MISTAKE! There, in all their dark blue glory, were my Nancy Drew mysteries! Oh, no! How could I part with them again. Sierra said, "Don't look!!!" But it was too late. The deed was done. I thought, "She's right. I don't need these. But then I saw my very first one, and it was this one. I flipped open the cover, and there, in Grandma Ellerson's distinctive handwriting was my name, and 1955, and Grandpa and Grandma. I was five years old; how could I have read this then? And the copyright was also 1955, so it was a brand new book when I got it! That was a huge purchase for them back then. I had to keep this one. And even though it's not the first book in the series, it's the first one I read.

So, I didn't even look at the others, nor open the other boxes. I just took this one. I took it over to Melissa's the next day, and she said, "I would have liked those!!" Who knew? So, I read it every night while I was there, and finished it, and left it in her guest room.

It was a huge step into another time and place. Talk about nostalgic!!! Nancy and her boyfriend Ned, who invited her to a fraternity weekend at Emerson College... Nancy, whose best friends, Bess and George are cousins. George, a "very boyish girl" -- and the ivory charm is the center of the story that includes a little "Hindu boy" and "Indian boy" and various other racial and ethnic names. It's just amazing to see how differentl;y cultural differences are depicted in this era! And it wss disappointing how little nuance or mystery was woven into the story. Nancy is the heroine and can do no wrong. Her father lets her lead the way in the investigation and it's an idyllic little world. I guess that was attractive to me when I was younger? No character developmebt at all...Just trite conversations and predictable conversations. It was disappointing. I wasn't particularly curious about how it would even turn out. It was 200 pages long, but I lost interest way before that. What kept me going was the cultural issues. I also kept hoping that maybe some of it would ring familiar to me. None of it did. 

One thing that probably attracted me back then was Nancy's relationship with her father. He had endless faith in her and her abilities; he financed everything; he had influential friends who could help her, and he treated her like an adult. One subtle thing that came through that I"m not sure I noticed back in the day was how limiting and jealous her boyfriend Ned was. And it was kind of fun to be back in a world devoid of computers and cell phones and any sort of technology...where letters were written and circuses came to town. It was a nice visit, but I don't want to live there!

Wild by Cheryl Strayed - Second Read

 I'm so glad I saved this book! I just reread my initial response to it, several years ago, and I am less shocked and dismayed this time around about her earlier heroin use. Maybe because I knew it was coming? At any rate, this woman finally got her head on straight, and it was fun to witness the process through her writing about her hiking.

I am more motivated than ever about two places to hike: the John Muir Trail, though it's not mentioned too much here, and Crater Lake. I must go see and hike near Crater Lake! I must! I will! 

Cheryl's descriptions of the people she meets along the way are one of the things that made me enjoy this book so much. It's fun to remember my early wandering days around Europe and being open to meeting and bonding with people in this fashion. I wish I had journaled more about them! It's crazy how I thought I could never forget those people or places, and yet...I did! I'm doing a better job of journaling these days, and that's one of the reasons. It's also good to reflect as I write on what makes each person a unique gift. 

 

Thirst by Heather Anish Anderson - second read

 I'm so happy I saved this book for a second read. It's been awhile since my first read throgh, and I enjoyed it just as much this time around. I like how she describes her hike day by day, practically. Since we've been living in St. George, I've been able to hike more regularly.

I'm so funny, though, because I read about Anish's adventures, and I think, I should do that! Yes, I could do ten or twenty miles a day with blistered feet! And then I go up to Snow Canyon and hike, which I love, and I'm really tired after five or six miles! One day I did nine, and had to rest for two days! It would be fun to build up my stamina, but at age 72, maybe this isn't the right goal for me. 

Through-hiking isn't my goal, but building up to ten is a worthy goal, one that I could possibly sustain. And I would love to do more hiking with the grandkids, although Henry is the only one currently who seems to enjoy it. That's okay. And this weekend, Gabe has agreed to hike with me when I'm there. Hooray! Hooray!