Books I Would Recommend

It’s been a while since I’ve done a “What I’ve been reading” post which is a shame because I’ve read some great books lately. Here are some of my recommendations.

Mistress of the Revolution by Catherine Delors –
While I love historical fiction I generally stick with the English royalty novels. However I picked this book up ages ago not know anything about it and finally got around to reading it. It’s about a semi-aristocratic girl living through the French Revolution. Of course I knew the basics about the Revolution; the poor citizens of France were being made poorer by the French royals and nobles, so they took over, killed many people, and set about reforming the government. But I’ve never really paid much attention to the details or major events that brought the Revolution about. This novel gives the read a first person perspective of those dangerous years in Paris. There is plenty of juicy gossip and scandal to keep your attention and you really what the main character to find happiness in the end. It’s a real page turner, plus I learned a lot since the author tried pull as many real events into the storyline as possible.
Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert -
I have to admit that I did not particular enjoy Gilbert’s first book Eat, Pray, Love. (I know, I’m like the only person in the world who didn’t like it, I’m okay with that.) So when a friend recommended Committed I wasn’t sure about it. But I found it in the library and decided to give it a go. I read the whole book really quickly and found it surprisely interesting. Gilbert has found herself in love with a foreign man and the only way they can be together is to get married, which just so happens to be the one thing they promised they would never do. The book is a culmination of Gilbert’s research into what makes marriage work. This is a question I have asked myself for a long time. My parents were married for over 30 years and I want that for Ace and I, but how to you make it happen? Obviously this book is not the answer to every martial problem but it has lots of different views on marriage, the history of marriage in different cultures, and how some people make it last. I really enjoyed this book and think that it’s a great read for anyone who is married, thinking about getting hitched, or even people who are thoroughly against the idea, since the author started out in that state of mind.
Living in a Foreign Language by Michael Tucker -
I loved this book for many reasons. First I am obsessed with the idea of going to Italy and taking my time going through each region, exploring all the tiny towns, art, culture, and most importantly food that the country has to offer. This book is about a couple who decides to move to Italy and their adventures of fitting in and making an ancient villa into a home. We follow them though buying meat from three different butchers to how to build a house that looks old. I highlighted about a third of the book so I can remember it whenever I do get to visit Italy someday. It’s a quick but really fun read. Perfect when you get the itch to travel but can’t.