What I read in September 2014

September was a slow month but I did manage to listen to two books.  Two very different books but still both enjoyable.

The first book was . . .

The Good House by Ann Leary
Narrated by Mary Beth Hurt

Goodreads  How do you prove you're not an alcoholic?

Hildy Good has reached that dangerous time in a woman's life - middle-aged and divorced, she is an oddity in her small but privileged town. But Hildy isn't one for self-pity and instead meets the world with a wry smile, a dark wit and a glass or two of Pinot Noir. When her two earnest grown-up children stage 'an intervention' and pack Hildy off to an addiction centre, she thinks all this fuss is ridiculous. After all, why shouldn't Hildy enjoy a drink now and then?
But as the story progresses, we start to see another side to Hildy Good, and to her life's greatest passion - the lies and self deceptions needed to support her drinking, and the damage she causes to those she loves. When a cluster of secrets become dangerously entwined, the reckless behaviour of one threatens to expose the other, with devastating consequences.

My thoughts:  This audiobook was recommended to me by my bookclub quite some time ago but I just never got round to listening to it.
I am so glad I made time for it in September.  What a great book (and an awesome narrator!).

It is another thought provoking kind of book.  Not loads of action, although enough to keep the story moving forward.  It is more about the people.  Looking back, it is also a little sad.  Hildy just cannot admit to herself that she is an alcoholic even when she can see all the clues.  The intervention (everyone else is wrong), the blackouts, the times and actions she cannot explain . . .   She can still control her drinking or so she tries to convince herself.

Even though the subject matter is very serious, there are still some laugh out loud moments.  Hildy is an awesome person even if she does have her faults (and bitchy) moments.

I highly recommend this one.


The other book I listened to was .  .  .

Waiting to be heard by Amanda Knox
Narrated by herself

Goodreads: In the fall of 2007, twenty-year old college coed Amanda Knox left Seattle to study abroad in Perugia, Italy for one year. But that November 1, her life was shattered when her roommate, British student Meredith Kercher, was murdered in their apartment. Five days later, Amanda was taken into custody and charged by the Italian police; her arrest and the subsequent investigation ignited an international media firestorm. Overnight, this ordinary young American student became the subject of intense scrutiny, forced to endure a barrage of innuendo and speculation. Two years later, after an extremely controversial trial, Amanda was convicted and imprisoned. But in 2011 an appeals court overturned her conviction and vacated the charges. Free at last, she immediately returned home to the U.S., where she has remained silent, until now.

My thoughts:  I love biographies and memoirs (I had to go and look up the difference - apparently a memoir is a just a piece of someone life . . . a little story from a life).

Anyway, I faintly remembered the name and face of Amanda Knox and that she was accused of killing her roommate while she was a student abroad.  I did not remember the details although I did assume she was found not guilty seeing as she had written a book.

But after listening to her book, I am not completely convinced that she is innocent.   I will even go as far as to say that the book did not even provoke any sympathy for her.  I will admit (if her point of view can be believed) that it is scary to think that the justice system could be so "twisted" (I might even suggest corrupt).   But then other countries and their justice systems are mostly mysteries to most people. 

This is definitely not an Orange is the new Black story.  Prison is supposed to be a scary place and this is what I found it to be in the pages of this book.  I felt some paragraphs was repeated way to much but overall it held my attention until the end.

And is all I read in September . . .