Books I read in August 2016

I forgot one of the books I read last month and it was a good one.

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama ***

There was a mild plot and mostly interesting characters in this book but what I really liked about it was the eye opening look it gave me into the marriage culture in India.  It was about a man who set up a marriage bureau to assist families in arranging marriages.  The lists of requirements they looked for in spouses was different than what my list would include!  This was a book club book and we had a lot of interesting discussion!

Mercy Snow by Tiffany Baker ***

This book was set in a New England paper mill town.  There were the horrible mill owners, the lemming-like townspeople that wanted someone to blame, the eccentric lady that lived on the outskirts of town, and the vagabond family that lived down by the murky, polluted river.  I thought the description of the place was very well done.  It felt cold.  The characters were well drawn and the story was sort of depressing.  It worked on a hot summer day.

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld *

This book is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice.  Since Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book, I am attracted to different incarnations of it but I should also know better.  I rarely like them.  This book was no exception.  I didn't like it and didn't finish reading it because it just frustrated me.  The Bennett family, instead of being cringe-worthy, was completely unlikable.  They were horrible people.  Even Jane came across as sort of simple and weak.  And Mr. Bingley?  He was sort of an idiot.  Disappointing.

After You by Jojo Moyes ***

This was a sequel to Me Before You.  I wanted to read this because I needed a better ending to Me Before You.  I didn't want to read it because I was afraid I would get an equally dismal ending.  I don't want to give too much away, but I liked this book.

Shem Creek by Dorothea Benton Frank***

This book was mostly frivolous which was exactly what I needed.  Nothing heavy.  It's about a single mother who returns to South Carolina where she'd grown up.  The characters weren't quite believable all the time but it was a nice little escape to read it.