Monthly Book Review: November 2020

Ah, December. This is the time of year I go crazy with decking of halls, baking of cookies, wrapping of presents and caroling. And a never-ending pandemic with surging cases is not going to steal my joy. Not today Satan, not today!!!!

Two reads last month so already feeling pretty accomplished. 

Murder at Melrose Court by Karen Menuhin is a country murder story set in the 1920s. A delightful cast of characters with an ambience reminiscent of Downton Abbey. Heathcliff Lennox (awesome name!) has a mystery on his hands when a dead man shows up on his doorstep days before Christmas. And that is only the first. I don't recall how I found this one -  I recommend for a lighthearted holiday read. It's the first in a series, but I think this was a one and done for me.

Blindness by Jose Saramago was recommended by my SIL's book club. They use the title when a book garners a ranking higher than 10/10 so I was very intrigued. An entire population goes blind save for one person. Nothing like a pandemic to bring out the best and worst in people Sound familiar?! A group of people are forced together by circumstance. Initially the group is quarantined in a former mental institution, later they attempt to find their homes and find a dystopian society. When you can no longer use your eyes to "see" the world, what do you believe, who or what do you rely on? Will the best of humanity and faith survive? The writing is superb and the occasional voice over perspective intriguing. Definitely an interesting read given the current state of COVID with stay-at-home orders, quarantines, masks, polarized opinions, etc. Blindness was made into a movie with Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Danny Glover and Gael Garcia Bernal - I'm definitely going to check it out even if the ratings are so-so.

 TBR List

• September by Rosamunde Pilcher
• The Farm by Joanne Ramos