Monday, July 20, 2020

LaRose, by Louise Erdrich

I loved this 2016 novel by Louise Erdrich. It's a heart wrenching tale of two families after a hunting accident leaves a child dead. To atone for the accident,  Landreaux and his wife Emmeline give their son, LaRose, to the mourning family to raise. After a while, they come to terms about how they'll share him. Even though he's very young when this happens, he has an intuitive understanding of his role in both families, including keeping his new mother from suicide. While this is a sad tale, there is a lot of humor and love in it. LaRose's new sister and he become very close, and he pulls the families closer together in ways that allow for healing to take place. Louise Erdrich is a wonderful writer, and she incorporates Native American traditions and history into the novel, touching on the practice of sending children away from their families to live in boarding schools. I highly recommend this book.

Thursday, July 16, 2020

The Enemy of the People, by Jim Acosta

I really enjoyed this narrative about reporter Jim Acosta's experiences following the Trump campaign and the first three years of his administration. As a news junkie, I was familiar with most of the events covered here, but I appreciated reading about them from the perspective of someone on the front lines. Well-written and a fast read.

June 2020 Films and Series

The Good Liar. Great suspense.













Killing Eve (seasons 2-3)













Toni Erdmann. Touching German comedy.











DCI Banks (seasons 1-5).









1917. Heartbreaking.









Maggie's Plan. Another quirky Greta Gerwig film.













The Woods. Polish adaptation of a Harlen Coben thriller.











The Quake. Norwegian disaster film. Spoiler: no one listens to the expert...










Our little sister. Touching Japanese film about family, love, and belonging.