May's reading list

Shorter list this month! My library basket is overflowing, so hopefully I'll find more time to read in June!

** "Red Diaper Baby: A boyhood in the age of McCarthyism" by James Laxer. I had high hopes for this memoir of the author's life as a child in a Canadian Communist family, but it fell flat in quite a few places. As an adult, I would have thought he could have brought more to the story than he did -- especially since it was *his* story.

**** "The Spice Box" by Lou Jane Temple. This was a fun read. It's a mystery based in NYC in the late 1800's with an Irish servant girl as the heroine. Interesting and lively read.

***** "Walking Backward in the Wind" by Helen Magnum Fields. I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir of a young girl living in East Texas before the dust bowl hit. She had great detail, and described daily life in an informative and interesting way. Much better memoir than "Red Diaper Baby".

**** "Chopping Spree" and "Double Shot" by Diane Mott Davidson. The 11th & 12th books in the series about caterer, Goldy Baer. Very fun series - yummy recipes - I have always enjoyed these books and these 2 did not disappoint.

***** "The Worst Hard Time: untold story of those who survived the great American dust bowl" by Timothy Egan. Chilling look at those who stayed put during the dust bowl years. Factual accounts of events leading up to the dust bowl, and living through those years. Sad, scary, and an excellent read.