The Second Life Of Mirielle West

 I knew there were leper colonies in Hawaii but I was unaware that there was one in Carville, Louisiana. In her historical fiction book Amanda Skenandore writes about a woman from Hollywood, California who is sent there after her doctor diagnoses her with leprosy. For an unusually long time she stays in denial about her condition. Mirielle is married to an actor. She is used to champagne, parties, and glamour. This diagnosis comes at her just a few months after her son drowned. She has two little girls at home. She is taken from the hospital to a empty train car with one nurse and two other patients. She is a prickly person in the first place and she does not adjust well. She comes off as rude and snotty.  The appearance of some of the patients horrifies her. There is no telephone at the facility. All mail has to be disinfected in the steamer and not all letters make it through that process. There is a ten year old girl her who pulls pranks on everyone frequently but she reminds Mirielle of her daughter so they end up bonding. Eventually Mirielle comes to accept her fate and goes about helping the other patients and joining in on the social activities. The Second Life Of Mirielle West is a great story. I also read another book by the same author called When We Were Yours and that was a good book too.

 

 

The Known World

 Published in 2003, The Known World is a book about a black man in Virginia who has slaves. Written by Edward P. Jones, the story is about Henry Townsend. Henry was a slave until his father purchased his freedom. He then went on to purchase 30 slaves to work on his tobacco plantation. The story starts out with Henry's death in 1885 and then weaves back and forth through time which makes the story a little difficult to follow. The basic lesson is that power corrupts people. The book has lots of characters and multiple story lines.  In the book slave sellers pick up freed black people and sell them in the south. Some parts of the book were sad to read but I think reading it was time well spent.

 

 

Y/N

Esther Yi is the author of Y/N, a novel about a Korean-American author who falls in love with  Korean pop star named Moon. Her name is Y/N and she works and lives in Germany where her job is to write sales articles about artichokes. A friend gives her a ticket to watch the Korean boy band. After the concert Moon retires. Y/N flies to Korea to find him. I know that K-Pop boy bands are popular so it makes sense that a novel should be written about them. This sure was an odd book to read though. Y/N's name isn't about yes/no. Her name is about "your name."

 

 

Unpacking

I unpacked a dozen boxes today including this one.

 

Sani-cloth is coming to town!

  

Moved

After storing my belongings in a storage locker for 3.5 years I have now moved 110 miles to the south east. The truck was loaded, moved, and unloaded.  All this cost a pretty penny but I only have one back and I need to take good care of it. So I moved, bought a few groceries, hooked up the internet, found the coffee pot, hung up a new shower curtain, and took a shower. That is enough for today. Opening these boxes is similar to Christmas. Now, where did I put the hardware for my bed?   

My Dark Vanessa

My Dark Vanessa is a 16 hour long audio book written by Kate Elizabeth Russell. The author started writing the book when she was 17 and finished the book when she was in her 30's. That was useful because Vanessa is 14 when the story starts and 25 when it ends. The child Vanessa's voice is different than the adult Vanessa's voice. At 14 Vanessa is sent to a boarding school near her home in the year 200. There she meets a 46 year old English teacher named Frank Strane. Strane flatters Vanessa. He gives her special attention. She meets him in his office. He grooms her and eventually has a sexual relationship with Vanessa. The next year their secret is out. Strane convinces Vanessa to admit she made the whole thing up which she does. She ends up getting kicked out of the boarding school after being made to public confess her lie to the entire student body. Despite all that Vanessa believes she is in love. She welcomed his advances. Even into adulthood she continues to believe she is not a victim but a willing participant in a great love story. Other girls report Strane as a sexual predator. Vanessa is asked to testify against him but she refuses. Even as an adult, seeking treatment for her PTSD episodes she refuses to believe her therapist when she is told she was a victim and he was a pedophile. The story is disturbing yet riveting.

 

 

Winterland

Winterland starts out in northern Siberia in 1975. Rae Meadows, the author, was fascinated by the Russian gymnasts. The story starts out with a 7 year old girl named Anya. Anya lives with her father after her mother disappeared 3 years ago. He works in a copper mining building. An older woman, Vera, lives in their apartment building. Anya visits Vera every day after school. Before her mother left, Vera was friends with her too.  Anya and her friend love gymnastics. Together they do cartwheels and the splits. Anya's friend is more skilled than she is. When the gymnastics coach comes to their school both girls try out. Anya is selected but her friend is not because her father spoke negatively about the government. In Russia, young gymnasts are useful to promote the country.  The preferences of the gymnast does not matter. Their happiness, education and health do not matter. When Anya injures a tendon in her ankle, the local doctor wants her to keep weight off of it for a month. The gymnastics doctor wants her back to practice in two days and injects her ankle with pain medication. Anya loves gymnastics in the beginning. She enjoys traveling to other parts of Russia to participate in meets. As she ages and the injuries pile up her feelings change. Once she makes it to the Olympics in the 1990's Anya looses her passion for gymnastics. I found it interesting to read about gymnastics training in Russia. There were no Russian gymnasts named Anya but the other gymnasts in the book were read. The only one I had ever heard of was Olga Korbut.