If January was a slog (it was!), then February and March were bullet trains. How is it already April?! And par for the course in the frozen tundra, 1-3" of snow is predicted for tomorrow.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir was February's book club pick. I knew nothing going into it other than it was about "space" so I was very skeptical. I absolutely loved it! Then I learned it was being made into a movie starring Ryan Gosling (our book club saw it last night). Ryland Grace wakes up from a coma not knowing who or where he is. The book alternates chapters of Grace dealing with the trials of being on a ship careening through space lightyears from Earth while regaining his memory of how he got there. He must figure out how to stop an alien life from stealing the sun's energy. No biggie. There's lots of science and math, but the real magic is his meeting another alien and figuring out how to work together. Ultimately the story is about what kind of person Grace wants to be. Is he brave? Is he selfless? Or is he an ordinary person with skills and smarts that when faced with extraordinary circumstances figures out how to make it work and does the right thing?
I saw The Correspondent by Virginia Evans on a lot of recommendation lists so decided to follow the crowd. Again, I knew nothing about it. This chronicles rigid, no frills Sybil Van Antwerp's emails and letters over a 10-year period. There's no other narration outside of the correspondence. Sybil is a retired lawyer with a storied career of being the woman behind the man. She is difficult to love and formidable. Over the years, she is contacted by three people that change her life. And the mystery of an unknown recipient of some of her correspondence. I loved this as well - a slow burn that shows it's never too late to change.
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1 is Bridgerton without the sex, in a good way. Emma is an orphan living in Victorian London. She is bright, witty, forthright and lives in her beloved Lapis Lazuli House with her "odious" cousin's widower, Archibald. She has a rich benefactor aunt that tries to make her a proper society lady and a collection of interesting friends and nemeses. Oh, to have the time to read Shakespeare all day, save for a mandatory tea or occasional ball. I'm addicted and have already started volume 2.
The Mad Wife by Meagan Church was my book club pick for the month. Lulu is a 1950's dutiful housewife. She makes a mean gelatin salad and has a seemingly perfect suburban wife. But she bottles all her true thoughts and feelings inside, not even her husband or best friend truly know her. A new baby and a new neighbor turn her world upside down. This is another slow burn, and I loved Lulu's detailed inner dialogue and the reminiscence of her childhood. How many women were "lost" inside themselves without a voice or opportunities before the 1970's? Makes me grateful to live in a time where I have agency, choices and freedom. For now, anyways.
