What I'm Reading Now

I started reading this book on Monday, and ended up staying up until 2 a.m. turning pages.  I came home yesterday at lunch, thinking I would take a cat nap, because I did nothing but yawn all morning. Nope - picked up the book and read for a solid hour.  When I got home from work I immediately got my nose back into it.  I actually took a whole sleeping pill last night, to ensure that I didn't stay up until the wee hours for a second night!  

Just a few pages left!  So good!

Synopsis: A début novel featuring Patience Murphy, an Appalachian midwife in the 1930s struggling against disease, poverty, and prejudices-and her own haunting past-to bring new light, and life, into an otherwise cruel world As a midwife working in the hard-scrabble conditions of Appalachia during the Depression, Patience Murphy’s only solace is her gift: the chance to escort mothers through the challenges of childbirth. Just beginning, she takes on the jobs no one else wants: those most in need-and least likely to pay. Patience is willing to do what it takes to fulfil her mentor’s wishes, but starting a midwife practice means gaining trust, and Patience’s secrets are too fragile to let anyone in. A stirring piece of Americana, The Midwife of Hope River beats with authenticity as Patience faces seemingly insurmountable conditions: disease, poverty, and prejudices threaten at every turn. From the dangerous mines of West Virginia to the terrifying attentions of the Ku Klux Klan, Patience must strive to bring new light, and life, into an otherwise cruel world.