I Capture the Castle.

Welcome to the world Mr. Callen James Michelson! My handsome nephew was born June 24th.

(isn't he just the cutest?!)

It is kind of silly that I thought I would get a ton of reading done while waiting at the hospital! This didn't happen because most of my time I spent there was between the hours of 4 am and 1 pm. Three hours of sleep does not equal a reading state of mind. But! I did manage to get through one novel! I've also been too busy to keep up with my monthly goal of writing ten blogs... I guess I will have to aim for that goal again in July!

I am feeling sort of random and would like to mention the weather. Mostly how ridiculous it is that tomorrow is the first day of July and I am still wearing jeans and a sweatshirt! What is going on here?! I am so ready for SUNSHINE!! Now we hope for an Indian summer I suppose...

Update Book 53: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

There is a book I stumbled across at the beginning of this year called "The Reading Group." The book is about a book club. It is divided into twelve chapters that correspond to the twelve books the club reads in that year. I want to read this book. It is sitting on my shelf. I can't read this book until I have read all of the books that they talk about in those twelve chapters. This is sort of the same situation as seeing a movie before reading the book. Needless to say, "I Capture the Castle," is one of those twelve books.

This book is very different from most of the novels I have picked up recently. It takes place in England shortly after the war (no not another WWII novel, in fact it doesn't even mention the war). "I Capture the Castle," is narrated by a young girl of 17 named Cassandra, whose family lives in a small village castle. This is the story of her first love.

At times I felt like the book dragged along. Sometimes when you read a book that was written fifty or a hundred years ago you barely notice, it is so well written and interesting that you become a part of the narration. That wasn't so with this book. I never became connected, I was always aware that the story took place in a much different time. Not my favorite book of the last 53, but not my least favorite either. I will say this about it though; there were a few twists that I didn't see coming, which is something I always enjoy.