A break in my reading slump

I'm not sure if I'm in a reading slump because I just can't seem to get into Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes (which I'm reading for Books and Beer Club) or if I just haven't felt like reading. But the longer I went without making a dent in any book, the more anxious I began to feel. So I picked up The Red Address Book which I'd read about in a "reading lovers" Facebook group I'd joined. Everyone in the group loved it. It sounded like it could be a quick, easy read.

It was quick. I finished it in a single day. It was relatively easy. And it was just okay. What really made it relatable, though, was the day before, while visiting an elderly cousin, she spent time thumbing through her address book, reminiciscing about the people listed in the pages. That had brought back memories of my dad and I going through his contacts on his smart phone, "updating" the contacts. While we updated, we talked about nearly every person he had listed. I learned more about his life and relationships in addition to learning who was still alive and who was dead.

In an attempt to tell her great niece, Jenny, about her life, 96-year old Doris thumbs through the old address book her father had given her when she was just a girl. As each entry died, she marked them dead. This novel focuses on just a few of the entries. I think I wish there had been some other people she told stories about, even if they weren't so central to her story. We learn about the impact each individual had on Doris' life. And she had quite a life!

I did love how relatable and authentic Jenny was portrayed. Her interactions with her great aunt were spot on!

Would I recommend it? If you're in the mood for a book about a full life and what it's like to reach the end of it, you might enjoy this.