MADreads

Summer comes to a close and it feels like there just isn’t anything NEW to do before school starts.  How about revisiting something from the past?  August is a great time to slow down and seek out older books that may have been overlooked.   The Relatives Came  by Cynthia Rylant, 1985, Bradbury Press, New York is an exuberant celebration of summer, gardens, travel and most of all….Relatives!  A family drives a long distance to attend a reunion.   The excitement of the journey grows until finally they reach their destination.  And then the hugging begins, as well as the fun of sharing summer

I used to read Jane Feather but haven't picked up anything of hers in a while. So I decided to dip back in and read one I hadn't yet. And boy am I glad I did. The Widow’s Kiss starts off with a bang, or maybe that’s a thud, when Lady Guinevere Mallory has a hand in the death of her drunken, abusive husband. He comes at her while she is standing on a balcony and ends up falling to the stones below. Whether or not Guinevere intended his death is unclear. Even her longtime servants are a little leery since this is the fourth husband she’ll be burying.

A young female intern bowled over by the charms of a worldly politician, unhappy in his marriage. Assignations in the office after hours, futile attempts to end the affair, a scandalous revelation in the press during the election cycle. A political career in the balance, a woman branded a tart and worse. Unceasing press. The political sex scandal is nothing new, the outcome for the pol limited to one of two options: immediate political suicide and obscurity, or a show of contrition and a photo-op with the Mrs. before the news cycle turns its attention to the next scandal.

You know, dear readers, that when you’re excited for the titles the didn’t fit on the anticipated titles list as well as those that did, it’s going to be a good month for reading. September sees the start of the big fall publishing season, when publishers release their heavyweight titles in anticipation of the holiday and award seasons. This September is no exception. Here are some highlights: