How Fiction Makes Our Brains Better

Reading fiction is not wasting time…it is good for you! I say YEA.

Book review – The Blue Orchard

The  Blue Orchard is a novel, written by Jackson Taylor in 2010. The title caught my eye on the shelf at the library so I read it. Wally Lamb was quoted on the cover: “Taylor is a master storyteller and his novel is riveting, substantial  and unforgettable.”  Since I have enjoyed, She’s Come Undone  & I Know This Much Is True   I appreciated his opinion. Based on the life of the author’s own grandmother and written after almost three hundred interviews with those involved in the real-life scandal.

I found this book interesting on a number of levels. The image of poverty as a life-style was eye opening and very humanizing. I can’t imagine being forced to leave home to start a new life working for strangers. The treatment of the molestation and the events that followed were handled in such a matter of fact kind of way. I was very engaged in her life and times and the perception with which it was written. The  later years as a white woman working for a black doctor was interesting picture of race relations of the time. Which leaves us with the long history of abortion – with the moral questions and the risk medical people took to keep the woman safe. For me, it was a fascinating read.

New house surprises

kitchen window January

kitchen window in July

The butterfly bush covers the whole window

butterfly bush flowers and yellow lillies

Part of the fun of a new home is to see what comes up and blooms as the seasons change. This butterfly bush just grew and grew until it was above the window..now it pushing at the roof overhang. It is very popular with the bees, butterflies and even a few hummingbirds. Nature keeps me amused.