Abarat

This was an ok young adult fantasy book by Clive Barker about a teenager in an abusive household who escapes to another world. At the world she meets a bunch of eccentrics and also there are bad guys like Christopher Carrion after her. I liked my previous reads The Thief of Always and The Hellbound Heart more. This was a lot less dark than the later though. I'll eventually get through the sequels as I thought Candy was a likable character.

Women in the American Revolution

This short history book covers the lives of some of the women who shaped the American Revolution. All I knew was Betsy Ross so I learned something. It briefly goes over the impact they had and then there are summaries of individuals including African Americans and Native Americans. What surprised me was that they even covered some women who supported the British side. It was ok. Captivating History's book on Women of the French Revolution was a lot more interesting though.

Four Novels by Marguerite Duras

This book contains four novellas by Duras. The first one "The Square" was way too chatty for me and that made it hard to follow. A man chats with a woman who thinks that marriage will magically solve everything wrong with her life. The second story "Moderatro Cantabile" is about a boy playing piano lessons and his mother and him hear a murder going on outside. The third story "10:30 on a Summer Night" concerns a woman helping a criminal. The fourth "The Afternoon of Mr. Andesmas" is about a man building onto a house for his daughter and the relationships between the four characters of the story: the contractor, his wife, the man, and his daughter. These stories were ok but they don't match Duras' work on The Lover or the screenplay she did with Hiroshima, Mon Amour. If you just come in with average expectations then you will be satisfied.