Review: Lila

Lila by Marilynne Robinson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the third book Robinson has written about the families of a pair of Iowa clergymen living next door to each other in Gilead, Iowa. The novels tell the stories of these people from different points of view which gives a richness to the overall story. Each book stands on its own, but the combination adds insight.

Lila was a well written novel, and it was interesting to learn Lila's side of the story, but the brilliance of Gilead was not here. I found it hard to identify with Lila which kept me at a distance to the story.

Robinson was born in Idaho in 1943. Assuming she wrote this book after writing Home (2008)  she was over 65 when she wrote it. I am counting this title toward the task of reading a book written by someone over age 65 in the Read Harder Challenge.

Loved It!

This is the first in a new series of posts about books that I read in the past that I thought were great. Carole's Chatter hosts a monthly link-up of "Books You Loved" which I wanted to participate in. The problem is that I don't necessarily read a 5-star book every month. My solution is this series in which I will look back at past (pre-blogging) favorites.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is touching without being sentimental and it is beautifully written. The connections in this family -- going back to their abolitionist grandfather -- are rendered perfectly. To a great extent you are who (and where) you come from. Also, I finally realized why I don't like black walnuts, they taste like furniture.

“Sometimes I have loved the peacefulness of an ordinary Sunday. It is like standing in a newly planted garden after a warm rain. You can feel the silent and invisible life.” 

I have read 2 other books by Robinson--I liked Home and really disliked Housekeeping--but this one is amazing. The voice of the narrator seemed so familiar and comfortable to me that it made reading the book like talking to a friend.

This is my contribution to the July Books You Loved Link Up.

Ten Most Influential Books

Random Ramblings challenged readers to create a list of ten books that have been most influential in their lives and to provide no explanation of why (thus giving you the reader an opportunity to be influenced or not in your own way). Roof Beam Reader and Brona's Books compiled lists. 
Here is mine (in no particular order):

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
3. The Illustrated Treasury of Poetry for Children edited by David Ross
4. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
5. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
6. Getting Things Done by David Allen
7. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
8. Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
9. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
10. Moby Dick by Herman Melville

For the record, just because I think a book influenced me it doesn't mean I liked it or even that I finished it.

10 Books I Recommend

The Book Blogger Recommendation Survey is being conducted at Reading with Tequila. 

Strictly speaking the survey asks for your favorite books of all time, ranked 1-10. I cannot even begin to say what that list would look like, for one thing there are the billions of books I haven't read yet.

I have compiled (and added to the survey) a list of mostly recent books that I really liked and can wholeheartedly recommend (the order is random).

• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
• Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
• Stardust by Neil Gaiman (the audio book version with Gaiman reading is fantastic!)
• Soulless (Parasol Protectorate #1) by Gail Carriger
• The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer (kleenex may be required)
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
• Julie & Julia by Julie Powell 
• Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf