Tuesday Booksday - featuring one of my best finds of the year.

Today I have two English books for your reading pleasure. While writing this post I thought a lot about reading habits and how this influence the joy of reading a particular book. I have half a post in drafts about this - so think about your reading habits - we will have a little chat about those soon.

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

Handful and Sarah grow up in the constricting ways of a southern household in Charleston. Handful is the slave given to Sarah on her 11th birthday as a handmaid. Both of them yearn to escape the constriction of their born to lives - Handful to escape the slavery she was born into and Sarah to escape the given road as a southern woman. From early in her life Sarah knew she was born to be so much more than just a wife and mother.Their stories run parallel until the climax is reached. The book is well written with extensive research into the time it portrays. Sarah Gimke is based on the historical figure that carries the same name.

This is a well written book with a good balanced story. I did however take months to read it as it just did not grab my attention and there were often other books that called me from my bedside table. However I am glad that I did read it and will certainly recommend the book to lovers of historical fiction. I also have to mention that I read it on Kindle and I still prefer real paper books most of the time. I find books that I may want to refer back to difficult to read on Kindle so this could well be why I did not enjoy the book as much as I think I should. Somehow I also never felt like a made a true connection to any one of the characters - they all remained rather distant in my opinion.

7/10 in my rating.

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

If you are a regular reader you know that once in a while I get all excited about a book that I feel is a real find and a "have to read" for most people. This is one of my finds of the year.

Arthur Pepper leads a quiet life of routine and loneliness after the death of his dearly beloved wife Miriam. He is irritated by his overly kind neighbour and his relationship with his grown up children is worsening every day. On the one year anniversary of his wife's death he decides to at last clear out her belongings. In a pair of boots he makes a wonderful discovery  - a gold bracelet with beautiful charms that he does not remember at all. This discovery leads him on a fantastic journey to places he never would have visited. He discovers mysteries about his wife and her life before they met but in the course thereof he rediscovers himself and his family and finds joy in life again

A truly wonderful and uplifting read  - a 9/10 for pure joy.
If you enjoyed "A man called Ove" or "The Universe vs Alex Woods" you will love this book.

So now you know what I am going to ask - what are you reading right now? And have you read any of the two books above or do any of them grab your attention?