Back to those CDs

Unlike my driving routes, audiobooks have remained a constant as my drive to work continues. I just looked back to see where I left off the last time and noticed an addition and a correction are necessary.

The oops: I referred to the Holocaust-related book I'd picked up as "The Elephant Keeper." Those of you who noticed were too polite to point out that it was really "The Zookeeper's Wife." (And, yes, there are many references to the Holocaust, but more importantly, it's about the Warsaw Rebellion and the Polish Resistance. The early chapters reminded me of the beginning of "The Life of Pi," because they're set in the zoo and full of neat information about animals. It was extremely interesting and educational, but at the same time such a personal story that, had it really been a book, it would have been hard to put down.)

The addition: Worse than the Obama portrayal by the guy who read David Plouffe's book was what he did to the women. Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton both sounded like Jessica Rabbit, and Plouffe's wife was breathily reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe. 

On to the newer books: I don't want to tell you just how overdue the CDs have been when I've returned them to the library. Why I continue to take 2 out at a time is a mystery. Let's just say my fines are helping the library through a difficult funding period. 

The 2 new ones, due Thursday, are "Thanksgiving" by Janet Evanovich and "The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver. I've always liked Kingsolver's stuff but would have picked this anyway because of its connection to World War II. Might as well stick with the theme, I figured.

I started with that one and found the story engaging, the dialogue often amusing, and best of all, Kingsolver's gifts so fully present that occasionally I wondered if she was the first to put those two or three words together in that particular way.
But, still, there came a moment — on the way to visit my mother last Monday — that I wanted something lighter; so I switched to "Thanksgiving." It was a funny romance that reminded me of books I read a million years ago. When it ended, I wanted to know what happened next.

Now I'm on CD 9 of 15 (I think) of "The Lacuna," and even though it's fiction, the setting she creates for her made-up characters, is based in fact. So, Lev Trotsky and painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera come to life in it. The words of Kahlo and the main character's mother (who dies in a crash on the way to a Howard Hughes event) are laugh-out-loud funny at times.

With six CDs left and four days before I work again, it's shaping up to be a hefty "donation" to the library by the time I've finished listening — and procrastinated a day or two about returning these books.