42 & 43

Piece of My Heart is another mystery by Peter Robinson. This one involved a mystery from the sixties and a mystery in modern day times that were interconnected. Even though I'm not a big fan of alternating flashbacks with current times (even when done well it can be jarring, or at very least, frustrating), I did enjoy this book. I'm glad I'm on a break from PR though because the last two were quite similar even though it's the luck of the draw which book makes it to the library first.

Next up was The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. Here's the description from the back of the book: “The Postmistress is set in the years 1940-41, both on Cape Cod and in Europe. The reader follows the paths of three women – Emma, Iris, and Frankie – as Europe experiences Hitler’s fury and Americans wonder if they will enter the war. Emma has just married Will, a doctor on Cape Cod. She wants to make a good impression on the people there, and make a good home for her husband. Iris is the Postmaster of the same town Emma moves to, and watches over the people of the town. Frankie is a reporter in London during the Blitzkrieg, experiencing some of the horrors of war while trying to report on them."

Earlier this year I was recommending a book to my book club and the immediate response of my neighbor was, "not another war book!" It's had me feeling slightly defensive about how many of them I read. As I finished Postmistress, I wondered to myself, why do I like war stories so much? I'm still not sure I have an answer I can fully articulate on here.

There are some interesting themes: two characters with very strong characters find themselves doing things that run strongly against their own ideals and nature; a strong theme through the story is whether our lives are already ordered or if we can affect their course.

This wasn't the best story I've ever read, but I know it will stick with me for a long time.