Wrap-up for March and April

In terms of reading, March and April were slightly better than February but still don’t come close to January. To summarize:

March – I’m pleased with this success:

  • Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
  • The Red Tent by Anita Diamont
  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

April – I didn’t read as much BUT I edited a novel and had surgery to have my gall bladder removed…so, good reasons, in my book:

  • Amoris Laetitia: Apostolic Exhortation on the Family by Pope Francis

I bought a ton of books this past month, so I have no shortage of reading material to keep me busy in May!

 

I edited a novel!

Reading my good friend Stephanie’s recent post, Achievement Unlocked, inspired me to share:

I just edited my first novel!

As many of you know, I’ve been advertising my editing services for hire since October. I sort of just jumped into it because I realized/remembered that I really enjoy editing (it appeals to my rule-abiding nature and love of structure), and I’m good at it. After doing it a bit for a friend here and there, I wanted to do more. In the past six months I’ve edited both fiction and nonfiction, in a variety of formats – but taking on my first project of this scale was both a little intimidating and super exciting. I am honored that the author trusted me with her work, and I have to say it was incredibly satisfying to complete the work.

I have no idea what I’ll edit next, but for the moment I feel very accomplished!

 

 

No, I’m not in the mafia…

So after publishing yesterday’s post my husband called me a mafiosa… so I figured I ought to clarify. I said the following:

Cosi Fan Tutti by Michael Dibdin  –  This is the lightest of what I picked up, but it looks like a good, fun mystery and it’s set in Naples around the mafia…what’s not to love? We’ll see!

So – in clarification. I do NOT love the mafia, and I never intended to make light of a horrible, criminal organization. I DO love Italy (I have visited several times, and studied abroad there in college, and I’m 3/4 Italian…), and I do find the mafia fascinating. I studied Criminal Justice, after all… In any case. The mafia is terrible. I do not love them.

I do, however, have a good book to recommend if you are interested in reading about the Sicilian mafia (different from that of Naples…and Calabria…and elsewhere), Cosa Nostra. The book is called Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia by John Dickie. I picked it up while I was studying abroad in 2004 and it was truly fascinating. I read it 12 years ago so I’m a little fuzzy on the details, but I do remember it being a fast-paced read, despite being a “history,” and very thorough. It talks a little about the linkages between the mafia in Italy and the mafia in the US, but doesn’t delve into any of our domestic mafia issues. Anyways – my 12 year old memory says at least 4 stars, maybe 5. Check it out!

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