Bethy's Book Nook...

Eh... I've been fighting this cold/sinus thing pretty much the whole month of January... Which means, the lovely post I had all written in my head yesterday flew out the window when I had to crawl into bed the second I got home from a family birthday party because I was feeling so awful.  I'm sorry dear readers, but I just did not get that lovely post written... So you have to deal with the piddle paddle that will be typed here while I take my much longed for lunch break today...  How about we just discuss what I'm reading at this time?  Sound good?

Ok, I'm in the middle of two books right now.  One is a book for work and one is a book for leisure.  You can guess which is which.  The first book I'm reading is "Then Comes Marriage: A Cultural History of the American Family".  I admit, the history nerd in me finds this book ultra intriguing.  It is what the title says it is... a history of marriage, thoughts on, beliefs of,  in America.  And I think I've learned some new things, but don't ask me to repeat them to you, because I wouldn't be able to tell you adequately what I've learned.  I just know that my mind has been expanded... I hope...

The second book I'm reading is the American classic "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn".  And guess what, I ran to the library and checked this book out because it was mentioned in the other book I'm reading.  I don't think I would have ever chosen it otherwise.  But, it's good.  It's a little slow moving, but what I like best is getting into the psyche of a young girl growing up in Brooklyn in the early 1900s.  I like reading about a time when New York was teeming with immigrants from all over the world, and getting a sense of how difficult their lives really were.  It makes me think of the films, Newsies and Gangs of New York.  I can picture those movies as I read this book.  I'm not very far into this book, I've been very negligent in my reading, but I'm looking forward to learning more about this family of characters and their struggles to make a better life for themselves as 2nd and 3rd generation American citizens.  Hopefully I can just get this book read before it's due back to the library... that's really my biggest concern right now!

The question is, would I recommend these books to you, my dearest of readers?  And the answer would be a resounding yes.  If you enjoy history at all, you should absolutely pick up "Then Comes Marriage" by Rebecca Price Janney (And I'm not just saying that because I work for the publisher, or because I sat on the acquisitions team that decided to publish this title. Honest.)  And of course, I'm always a sucker for the classics, so yes, you should read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith because it will give you a true sense of how the poor and the immigrants lived in the early 20th century. 

So go... read... learn something and expand your mind.  I promise you'll like it.