Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby.  I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book.  Here are my reads for October, 2012…

Freddy and Fredericka, by Mark Helprin – Freddy and Fredericka are the Prince and Princess of Wales, but the throne is on the line.  Freddy has come under fire for his affair with Lady Phoebe Boylinghotte and for a series of embarrassing media gaffes, which culminated in his being locked outside of Buckingham Palace, stark nekkid, tarred and feathered and wearing a fried chicken box on his head.  To prove their fitness to rule, Freddy and Fredericka are exiled, dropped from a helicopter over the strange land of New Jersey, and told not to come home until they have reconquered the United States.  As they travel incognito through America, attempting to fulfill their mission, Freddy and Fredericka see each other with new eyes and learn to love one another.  This book had me cracking up every other page.  The combination of “physical” comedy writing, tongue-in-cheek jabs at the British royalty, and sly wordplay was hilarious.  But there was beautiful writing, too, and abundant sweetness.

The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling – Hmmm.  As I read J.K. Rowling’s new book for adults – which examines the residents of a small town in the throes of a local election – the thought that occurred to me more than anything else was “The Dursleys would fit right in here.”  Everyone in Pagford was… indisputably… and excuse me for saying this… muggles.  The muggliest muggles of all, to be exact.  There was so much dark sadness here.  The Casual Vacancy was mainly a character study of a group of people who were particularly close to the election, and most of them were downright despicable.  Seriously, I didn’t mind Andrew, I rather liked Krystal, Gaia and Sukhvinder, and I kind of weirdly appreciated Samantha.  Everyone else, I pretty much wanted to throttle.  I was toting The Casual Vacancy to and from the NICU to read during downtime, and every time someone asked me how it is, I said “I can’t recommend it.”  And I really can’t.  It’s not that I didn’t appreciate the book (like would be too strong a word and not what I think J.K. Rowling was going for anyway) – I did, and after a few days had passed I was able to appreciate it much more.  But do not read this book on my recommendation; read it if and only if you think the story sounds good.

Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel (Wolf Hall #1) – I’d been waiting for months to get Wolf Hall from the library, and I was super pumped when my turn finally came… and WOW, did it ever live up to my expectations.  The novel focuses on Thomas Cromwell as he walks the political tightrope of attempting to help Henry VIII divorce Katherine of Aragon.  The story is gripping and the writing is sublime.  Now I am more excited than I can possibly convey to read the sequel, Bring Up The Bodies (but it’ll be awhile, since that one has a long waiting list too).  Highly recommend this Man Booker Prize winner.

The Good Girls Revolt: How the Women of Newsweek Sued Their Bosses and Changed the Workplace, by Lynn Povich – I heard about this new nonfiction book on NPR and was immediately intrigued.  My brother is a journalist and I’m an employment lawyer – how could I not want to read this?  The Good Girls Revolt ended up being an interesting account of the Newsweek sex discrimination complaint by one of the women who actually lived it, but what I found more intriguing was the history of sexism in magazine journalism that Povich references.  Because Povich was one of the “plaintiffs” in the case, not the attorney, she didn’t focus much on the actual legal arguments (which are different from the women’s grievances), so I was left a little bit wanting.  But Povich did paint a compelling portrait of the sexist climate in the journalism field in the 1960s and 70s, and I think that most readers would find that more interesting anyway.  (I’m speculating that most readers who pick up The Good Girls Revolt won’t be attorneys who dedicate a good chunk of their practice to defending discrimination claims.)

I was actually a bit surprised that I read as much as I did this month, since I now have a baby in the house.  But Peanut is still in the stage where she sleeps a LOT.  I enjoyed every reading experience this month – yes, even The Casual Vacancy in retrospect.  But I think Wolf Hall was the highlight – compelling story and gorgeous writing, with the promise of more good reading ahead, since it’s the first in a trilogy.  I’d never read any Hilary Mantel before and I will definitely be seeking out more of her work, and soon.  Looking ahead to November, I have more fun books on the horizon, which I hope to squeeze in sometime between Peanut care and Thanksgiving festivities.  Onward!