Middle Sister's Mid-month Review

 I just finished two great books and had to jump on and review them while both were still fresh in my mind, Completely opposite genres and styles, but both were so good.

Fen, Bog, & Swamp by Annie Proulx This non-fiction book by acclaimed author Annie Proulx is her heartbreaking swan song to the death of the fens, bogs, and swamps that nurtured all life on earth and which seem destined to disappear from our besieged planet. She traces the geomorphological origin of each landform, its importance to the development of human society and local culture, and then details how modern society has destroyed the very thing that allowed us to flourish in situ in the first place. The cultural history of specific areas was very interesting (I had never heard of Doggerland), and I loved learning about the geomorphological development of each landform. While she includes as tiny glimmers of hope the attempts around the world to save areas of intact bog or swamp, or efforts to re-create natural landforms, the overall tone is very depressing. It's hypnotic and depressing at the same time. Beautifully written and achingly despairing and heartbreaking. I rank it right up there with Rachel Carson's writings. Highly recommended. (Net Galley)

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill One of the best mysteries I've read this year! Ms. Gentill has written an absorbing and fast-paced mystery novel with a unique, semi-epistolary structure and a story within a story that is riveting. I stayed up late last night to finish it, and I'll be frank, I rarely do that. I will admit I had to go back and re-read the ending to make sure everything has been explained and tied up accurately. While I had guessed The Whodunnit by the last fifth or so of the book, I couldn't put it down. The one thing I didn't like was Ms. Gentill's decision to write in the present tense. It's just me--I really dislike that. That is an indication of how good the book is, that I could persevere with a book whose literary style I intensely dislike. I know it's a choice used to build intensity, but I don't think her story needed that. It's so unique and compelling that I think it would have survived a more traditional verb tense just fine. But I quibble. Even if you don't like mysteries, I think you will enjoy this novel, which includes romance, redemption, and asks the bigger question of how do we know who to trust and when? Highly recommended. (Net Galley)