TBR #6 - Still Plugging Along

I'm still on track with the TBR Challenge. I honestly can't believe that I'm managing to finish a book each month. Mind you, other people in the challenge average around 8 books each month, so the competitive streak in me feels like a bit of a failure. But in all honesty, I'm really proud of myself for sticking with this challenge for six months. It gives me hope that I can actually finish 12 books this year (and if I'm lucky, a few extra for good measure). I'm having a hard time staying away from the bookstore, but at least I'm plugging through the books on my shelves. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

For my sixth TBR Challenge read, I chose Me & Emma, by Elizabeth Flock. It turned out to be a great story, but at first I wasn't so sure. Flock told the story through the main character, Caroline, an eight-year-old girl from the country of North Carolina. Caroline lives a hard life, but she and her younger sister depend on one another to get them through the toughest of times.

I have to admit that I was a bit put off in the beginning by the voice Flock chose to give Caroline. Getting into the vernacular was a bit difficult at first and the narration in a child's voice seemed forced and uncomfortable in the first few chapters. Then something changed. Whether I was able to adjust and become more comfortable with Caroline's voice, or whether Elizabeth Flock's ability to hear Caroline truly improved, I can't really say. But in the end, I was not only pleased, but surprised, by the outcome. The story just wouldn't have been the same if Caroline didn't tell it.

Next up: Digging to America, by Anne Tyler. And as an added bonus, I'll be reading the newest collection of essays by Anne Lamott, Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith.