Stories of Christmases past seem to be filled with the spirt, the love of family , the hope of children that Santa would bring gifts. This lovely ChriStories of Christmases past seem to be filled with the spirt, the love of family , the hope of children that Santa would bring gifts. This lovely Christmas story taking place during the Civil War reflects all of this as well as the love of a father for his children and the shared humanity of both sides . A beautiful story. A link to the story: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/33666......more
My sincere thanks to those I have engaged with through our shared love of reading and a special thanks to those I have connected with on a personal leMy sincere thanks to those I have engaged with through our shared love of reading and a special thanks to those I have connected with on a personal level. Wishing you all a happy and healthy new year filled with many great books. I had a good number of favorites this year, so I’ll list my MOST favorite, beginning with the most recently read .
Ann Patchett takes us to intimate places in her head and heart with this lovely collection of essays . I’ve read all of her novels and reading this boAnn Patchett takes us to intimate places in her head and heart with this lovely collection of essays . I’ve read all of her novels and reading this book has made me want to read her other non fiction books. Reading this has also made me want to knit again, to read children’s books by Kate DeCamillo, to take a trip to Nashville not to go to the Grand Ole Opry, but to Parnassus her bookstore, to get rid of all the extra stuff in our house, to be more giving.
There’s a beautiful tribute to her father and two stepfathers. The stunning, heartfelt essay of the same title of the book is about the gift of true friendship, a wonderful woman named Sookie, and the generosity and love that Ann and her husband extended to her.
I believe Patchett fans will love this as I did, getting to know some about her writing and her life. I recommend it to those who haven’t read her books, too. You will want to read every one of them.
I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins through Edelweiss. ...more
The highest praise I can give to a writer is to say they have the gift to make seemingly ordinary characters and the circumstances of their lives feelThe highest praise I can give to a writer is to say they have the gift to make seemingly ordinary characters and the circumstances of their lives feel extraordinary. It’s extraordinary because Caitlin Hamilton Summie doesn’t just take us to the “geographies” of her character’s hearts, but to similar places in our own hearts. She takes us to places where we know grief, loss, fear of loss, love. She takes you to that special place in your heart reserved for family, that certain place where we feel the memories, the beautiful ones like how much we loved our grandparents , or how close we used to be with our sister, and the hard ones when we drift apart because we don’t understand each other.
One of the most poignant lines for me in the novel is “He was my brother, Daddy, in my heart. “ Rather than talk about what happens in this story, I’ll just say that I loved these characters because they were my family in my heart. Highly recommended to those who enjoyed the author’s award winning story collection, To Lay to Rest Our Ghosts as you’ll meet familiar characters here. I also recommend it anyone who wants to read a beautifully written and relatable story that will take them to the “geographies” of their own heart .
I received an advanced copy of this book from Fomite Press through NetGalley....more
“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” (The first line of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy).
Anne Tyler is a proli“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” (The first line of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy).
Anne Tyler is a prolific and consistently wonderful story teller. She’s a writer I have followed and read for many years, having read 21 of her novels. She tells it like it is, writes her characters real and relatable, even though not always likable and sometimes quirky.
I’m in awe of how in a novel that is not very lengthy, she tells the story of a family over decades and generations with such well developed characters in one family, so different from each other. There are ups and downs, selfishness and selflessness and there is love. Classic Anne Tyler - family, Baltimore, and a good story. She could be called the Tolstoy of Baltimore.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Knopf through Edelweiss....more
A grandmother’s gift of unconditional love gives a little boy the courage to search for his father in war-torn Syria. A beautiful story filled with huA grandmother’s gift of unconditional love gives a little boy the courage to search for his father in war-torn Syria. A beautiful story filled with humor, heart and an abundance of hope.
I received a copy of this book from Amistad/HarperCollins through Edelweiss....more
Sentence , a word of multiple meanings - the sentence that the main character, an ex con named Tookie serves in jail, the sentences in this book and tSentence , a word of multiple meanings - the sentence that the main character, an ex con named Tookie serves in jail, the sentences in this book and the so many other books mentioned here, (thankfully Erdrich gave us a list at the end), the sentences the characters sometimes impose on themselves .
The story is haunting, literally because the ghost who comes to the book store where Tookie works, haunting because of things in the past of the characters, the history of indigenous people, haunting in the present of the country with Covid, the killing of George Floyd, with pervasive racism. It’s also a beautiful tribute to books and people who love reading, independent bookstores (not just any bookstore, but Louise Erdrich’s bookstore) https://birchbarkbooks.com/pages/our-story
I thought it was a good way to mark National Native American Heritage Month by reading a book by Louise Erdrich . (https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/ ) Actually any time is a good time to read a Louise Erdrich book.
I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins through Edelweiss....more
These stories of Vietnamese people told in spare, but poetic prose may seem disjointed at first. As I read more, the connections were profound.
From tThese stories of Vietnamese people told in spare, but poetic prose may seem disjointed at first. As I read more, the connections were profound.
From the loss of life of women and children, to Agent Orange, to orphans killed on a plane that blows up, to the hope of those who survived, to the impact on future generations - this short book is so powerful. It’s amazing that such a difficult book to read, could be so beautifully written.
I also recommend Ru by Kim Thuy and hope to read her other books.
(This is on Canada’s 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize long list. )
I received a copy of this book from Seven Stories Press through Edelweiss....more
As I I was reading this, I was very much reminded of what I love about the work of Alice McDermott, Anne Tyler, or Elizabeth Strout who has written anAs I I was reading this, I was very much reminded of what I love about the work of Alice McDermott, Anne Tyler, or Elizabeth Strout who has written an eloquent foreward full of praise for Hilma Wolitzer. It’s the quiet ordinary lives we can relate to and empathize with even if the circumstances are not exactly like our own. It’s about coping with the imperfections of our daily lives and in each other, in marriages and families and it’s filled with heart and humor. I must have been living under a rock for never having read anything by Hilma Wolitzer until now. She’s 91 years old and while most of the stories in this collection were written several decades ago, they are so relatable even now. She’s obviously still writing as the final story reflects recent events. I’m glad to have discovered her writing now.
In all honesty, I was drawn to this book because of the title, thinking in a light hearted way that any day now I could go mad in the supermarket. This title story, the first in the book, though, is hardly light hearted. It’s sad and so realistic about how overwhelming life can be for women at times caring for small children, tending to a house with a less than understanding husband and how it can break a woman. I wished I could help her. That’s how real it felt. Another that really touched me was “Waiting for Daddy”, a sad story of a young girl wanting a connection with a father she never knew. In spite of some sadness and tough times, the stories are infused with such humor.
“Photographs”, “Mrs. X”, “Sundays”, “Nights”, “Overtime”, “The Sex Maniac”, “Trophies”, and “The Great Escape”, all center on a married couple, Paulette and Howard at various times in their lives, over the years raising their children, living in an apartment building in New York City. What terrific characters, facing things that we could easily relate to or certainly understand - depression, boredom, sleeplessness, infidelity, forgiveness, love, and yes, the simple joys in life. One of my favorites was the last story, “The Great Escape”. This one brings Paulette and Howard to present day. They have aged and the Covid virus is here. Funny thinking back to last year and my own “stocking up” when their daughter tells them : “ Stock up on toilet paper and hand sanitizer, “ “Fill up your freezer.” Funny when her first Zoom meeting was a book club meeting when everyone had to be prompted to turn off the mute button. My first zoom meeting was a telemedicine visit and my Doctor had to prompt me to unmute . But then Covid is not so funny, but so very realistically portrayed. Paulette in this story talks about her favorite book “Mrs. Bridge “ and it’s sequel, “Mr. Bridge” - “ …I saw both novels as candid observation, leavened by the charity of humor and the imagination.” I could say the same thing about the writing I found here. I’ll have to read Mrs. Bridge one day as well as more by Hilma Wolitzer.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Macmillan through Edelweiss. ...more
Amor Towles is a literary treasure, a brilliant story teller. He can make you fall in love with a rich Russian count or a poor Russian peasant as I diAmor Towles is a literary treasure, a brilliant story teller. He can make you fall in love with a rich Russian count or a poor Russian peasant as I did in this story. He can take you to places and times and you almost feel as if you are there. This is a beautiful short story about a good man and fans of Towles should not miss it.
Thanks to Cheri, Sara and Laysee. I love how these wonderful short stories are passed along. Here’s the link: https://granta.com/the-line/...more
Carol Kammen, a local historian, in the Ithaca, NY area, has written a beautiful novel, imagining the journey west to Oregon in 1842, through the voic Carol Kammen, a local historian, in the Ithaca, NY area, has written a beautiful novel, imagining the journey west to Oregon in 1842, through the voices of women and young girls. These are interspersed with short entries from the real journal of man who made the trek - with the matter of fact details of how far they came, what they saw. The dichotomy is stark. It is through the women’s narratives that are so brimming with life, with emotion, telling of birth and death, fear and grief and hope that I was taken on the journey. One of the finest works of historical fiction I’ve read.
I received a copy of this book from Bison Books thorough Edelweiss. ...more
If you’re a fan of Alice Hoffman’s “Practical Magic “ books as I am, you might begin this one with ambivalent feelings. On the one hand, I couldn’t waIf you’re a fan of Alice Hoffman’s “Practical Magic “ books as I am, you might begin this one with ambivalent feelings. On the one hand, I couldn’t wait to get back to the Owens family, whom I fell in love with when I started this series. On the other hand, it’s described as the conclusion of it, and I knew it would be hard to say goodbye. There are reminders of the past, things we read about in the previous books, but I would definitely recommend that the other books be read before this one to have the full emotional impact of the Owens family curse over generations- they shouldn’t fall in love. As life sometimes demands, this was a rule that was difficult to follow and not without consequences of loss and grief and unfulfilled lives. A difficult fate for these characters with such a capacity for love.
Bringing together characters from the previous books, as well as some new additions, taking us from Massachusetts to Paris, to London, Hoffman once again had me mesmerized as they journey to find an end to the curse. I’ve been under the spell of the Owens family through every book in this series, not through their witchcraft mind you , but through the magic of Alice Hoffman’s amazing story telling, beautiful writing and unforgettable characters. Magic and witchcraft, sure but this is mostly about a family who love each deeply and will do anything for each other.
I’ll keep on wishing for some of that black soap to look younger, a cup of Courage Tea because we all need courage now and then, and definitely a slice of Chocolate Tipsy Cake, no explanation needed. Even though the ending was perfect, I’ll mostly be wishing that Alice Hoffman will bring the Owens family back .
I received an advanced copy of this book from Simon & Schuster through Edelweiss and NetGalley....more
Although a good portion of this collection contains great advice to aspiring writers, of which I am not, I found it to be so much more . I have been sAlthough a good portion of this collection contains great advice to aspiring writers, of which I am not, I found it to be so much more . I have been such a fan of Alice McDermott’s writing for years. I’ve read all of her novels. This was a joy to read because it gave me a little bit of a view into her personal life as a wife, a mother, a teacher and most of all a glimpse into the heart and soul of a writer, one of my favorites.
The opening essay “What I Expect” should be read by every avid reader of fiction. I was blown away. McDermott’s expectations for fiction are high and many, noting that she expects these things both from what she writes and what she reads. If you don’t already, reading this piece will make you want the same. I was hesitant to include quotes here because she chides reviewers who list quotes rather than discussing the writing, but I really couldn’t do justice by paraphrasing some of her thoughts on fiction, so I am compelled to give a few, apologies in advance . “The solace of art”, fiction that recognizes “joy in all its gradations and complications, in its longevity and brevity, as vividly as it recognizes sorrow.” “I expect fiction to be about the pain and sweetness of life.” “I expect fiction to be about lives that are not my own. And yet I expect fiction to be truer than life — yours, mine and everybody else’s…” “I expect the language in fiction not merely to tell a story and to create a character and to place that character in a particular moment that obliterates time; language in fiction must also record, re-create, what is intuited but never heard, sensed but never experienced.” “I expect fiction to seek to make sense of life and death—yours, mine, and everybody else’s.”
She so beautifully articulates why we read fiction. She includes excerpts of stories and novels, Shakespeare’s plays to emphasize her points, her lessons about connections, about the importance of the language, always the language. Besides giving her own perspective on writing fiction, she shares the thoughts of a few other writers on the subject, including Tolstoy, Welty and Faulkner. I loved her discussion of movie adaptations of books, brilliantly explaining why I pretty much always like the book more . I was just so moved by the last entry in the book where she discusses at an event with Frank McCourt, as they sit on stage in a pub like setting “ just two writers, two readers, talking about what matters most, memory, heart, words, the film in the mind, the magic of literary creations….Embrace the astonishing reality of a vivid world, a created world, formed only of words on a page. It’s a gift.” As was this book.
I highly recommend this to fans of McDermott’s writing. I highly recommend it to aspiring writers of fiction. I recommend it to anyone who loves literature even if you haven’t read any of her novels because there are so many things here that will touch your mind and your literary heart. If you don’t think this kind of book is for you, then I would say at least read her novels. You’d be missing out if you don’t. I don’t reread many books, but reading this collection has made me want to read her novels again.
Thanks to my GR book sister, Cheri, whose beautiful review led me to this.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux through Edelweiss....more
55 days in the life of ten year old Rae haunted me, hurt me, made me pause at a moment of discovery and I thought I wouldn’t be able to read more. But55 days in the life of ten year old Rae haunted me, hurt me, made me pause at a moment of discovery and I thought I wouldn’t be able to read more. But my heart had already been stolen by Rae and her elderly next door neighbor, Lettie, and there was just no going back. I had to know how their story would end. I had to know whether they would be okay. This is a heartbreaking story, sad beyond description. It’s gruesome, grueling, gut wrenching and was difficult for me to read. It’s a powerful story of the need we have for compassion, for love, for each other, the need we have for someone to be near when we grieve, the need for someone to pull us out of the depths of despair. It’s so much more, but I can’t bring myself to say much more, other than these are two characters who will stay with me . If you are interested in knowing more about the story line, there are a number of reviews which give that. Absolutely, do not miss the author’s note “Behind the Book”. You will be moved. I was - beyond any words I can find to say here.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Berkley through NetGalley....more
I’ve been writing short reviews these last couple of months, but I knew at some point a book would come along and I’d be compelled to say more about iI’ve been writing short reviews these last couple of months, but I knew at some point a book would come along and I’d be compelled to say more about it than just a few sentences. ******** I thought I was going on an adventure across the country on the Lincoln Highway, but I found myself on a journey of the heart with these characters, looking for “fresh starts “, each of them discovering who they are, how they fit into this world, each one having been abandoned in one way or another, each one rising up to meet their fate, trying to make amends. They don’t actually cross the country from New York to California in 1954, but take a detour from farm country in Nebraska to New York City (and what an ode to New York City ! ). Three teenage boys, one just released from a juvenile work farm, two who have escaped, are flawed and well meaning, trying to do the right thing. And oh my heart, the eight year old brother of the first boy, who is precocious, yet sweet in his naïveté and belief in heroes.
It’s about heroes, too, not just the ones in the book that Billy carries with him, but these unforgettable characters who are heroes in their own right to each other in some way, along with some other characters who I was touched by. I loved everything about this novel - the seamless way that Towles takes his readers to a time and place, the way he bridges that connection between fiction and life. He’s an extraordinary storyteller. Despite its length, I didn’t want it to end, didn’t want to leave these characters whose journeys reflect love and friendship, sadness and joy and are filled with the stuff that life is made of.
As always a pleasure to read with Diane and Esil....more
This is an imaginative, multi-layered story with a dual time line narrative reflecting the history of the volatile time in Cyprus in the 1970’s betweeThis is an imaginative, multi-layered story with a dual time line narrative reflecting the history of the volatile time in Cyprus in the 1970’s between Greeks and Turks, the culture and religious differences, a civil war. I was moved by the efforts years later to find remains of those who were killed and missing.
It’s a love story in both the past on the island and years later in the 2010’s in London. It’s also about a teenage girl in the more recent time coping with loss and grief, loneliness and the meanness spread on social media, about the importance of connecting with her family’s past.
I loved the omniscient narrative sections of The Fig Tree, born in Cyprus, continuing her life through a cutting brought to London and now a tree again, who knows so much of history, of the natural world, of human nature. I loved the fable like feel of the telling. This was beautifully written and I hope to read more by Elif Shafak, a gifted storyteller.
A monthly read with Diane and Esil . Always an enjoyable discussion.
I received a copy of this book from Bloomsbury Publishing through Edelweiss. ...more
There are struggles amidst a quietness at this monastery in Vermont. The inner struggle of a monk, the Abbott, who questions his contemplative life, aThere are struggles amidst a quietness at this monastery in Vermont. The inner struggle of a monk, the Abbott, who questions his contemplative life, after the loss of a friend and mentor. A disabled veteran who is the caretaker struggles with his past in Afghanistan and his present hermit like life. Their quiet lives disrupted by the undocumented Somali refugee seeking asylum , whose reflections on her past are tumultuous with violence and death and running. What isn’t a struggle is doing the right thing.
A well researched, well written, multi layered story of one refugee’s experience by a caring writer who donates all royalties from this book to the Vermont Office of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants in Colchester, Vermont . I was moved, so even though I had an advanced copy, I bought one .
I received a copy of this book from The Overlook Press through NetGalley ....more
Elizabeth Strout writes perfectly about our common human imperfections. She creates characters who are so realistic that it’s just so natural to underElizabeth Strout writes perfectly about our common human imperfections. She creates characters who are so realistic that it’s just so natural to understand what they are feeling or thinking, even if their experiences are different from ours. Lucy Barton is one of those so real characters and she’s back. If you enjoyed My Name Is Lucy Barton and Anything Is Possible, this is a must read. It continues Lucy’s story later in her life when she’s in her sixties and unlike the first two which are connected stories, this one is a novel. Lucy tells us in the beginning of the book that this story is about her ex husband William, but it’s soon apparent that it’s also about Lucy and the people in her life and by the end of the book, we know it’s about all of us, really, as Stout beautifully reflects on what we recognize as true in life. I was drawn in immediately with Lucy’s introspective and intimate thoughts.
Lucy and William have been divorced for years, but have remained good friends who rely on each other, who can be brutally honest with each other, and still the tender closeness between them is touching. He asks for her help now as he struggles with changes in his life and trying to deal with a revelation about his mother’s past . Lucy, of course steps up and is there to help William forward, but that means going to the past, his mother’s as well as his. Lucy’s past is present here as well and it’s heartbreaking when she recounts her relationship with her mother, the abject poverty she came from, the traumatic experiences of her childhood, her divorce from William, and the death of her second husband. But somehow I felt the same uplifting feeling as in the other books in the series, knowing where Lucy has come to in her life given where she came from.
I love how she tells the story with caveats at times, with stunning honesty, so we always see the good and the bad of situations, what Lucy loves about people and what she doesn’t, things she doesn’t necessarily like about herself, her own fears and feelings of inadequacy at times . “I need to say this, though”. “But there is also this .” Without giving away William’s story as told by Lucy, I’ll just say that Lucy Barton is one of my favorite characters and Elizabeth Stout is one of my favorite writers . Strout dedicates this book to her husband “And to anyone who needs it - this if for you” . What a beautiful sentiment. What an extraordinary writer !
I received an advanced copy of this book from Random House through NetGalley. ...more
We have to keep reading these books so we don’t forget . I say that every time I read a work of historical fiction about the Holo4.5 stars rounded up.
We have to keep reading these books so we don’t forget . I say that every time I read a work of historical fiction about the Holocaust or a memoir of someone who survived it. Having read this non fiction account of courageous, strong Jewish women of the resistance in Poland, it should go without saying, but not only do I have to say it again - we just can’t forget - but I have to say how important it is to remember these women and pay tribute to them. I haven’t read much about organized Jewish resistance, about the Jewish youth movements and not much about the role of Jewish women in the resistance . I have not read about the harrowing acts of Jewish women carrying resistance documents or arms until now. I’ve read a lot about the horrific treatment of Jews during this time, but not some of the things that are related here, unrelenting truths of what happened. These accounts are so disturbing, and that’s exactly why I recommend that people read this book . We need to know and we need to remember. The real life stories of Renia Kukielka, Zivia Lubetkin, Frumka Plotnicka, Tosia Altman and others whose stories we find here represent so many women who carried documents, arms, and money in and out of the ghetto, conducted attacks on Nazis. How did they get their strength and determination and resilience? Maybe because:
“On another memorable evening, several buses of Gestapo forced Jews, half naked, barefoot in nightclothes, to go outside and run around the snow-filled market while the Gestapo chased them with rubber clubs, or told them to lie down in the snow for thirty minutes, or forced them to flog their fellow Jews with whips, or to lie on the ground and have a military vehicle run over them.”
“Nazis had Jews dig their own graves and made them sing and dance in the pits until they shot them...Elderly Jews were also made to sing and dance, the Nazis plucking out their beard hairs one by one and slapping them until they spat out their teeth.”
“Through hysterical sobs, these starving women told her that their town had been surrounded. Gunshots flew in every direction. Their children had been playing outside and ran to their houses. but a Nazi caught them and beat the kids to death ,one by one.”
There are so many more of these vile and violent attacks on Jews told here, and some may choose not to read this because of the horror of it all. I have included these quotes here because if someone chooses not to read this book, they will at least know some of it, if they read this review. This fell a little short of 5 solid stars because I felt the narrative lacked cohesiveness and at times felt like it could have been better organized. BUT in spite of that, what is told here is just so important and it needs be read widely. I have to up it to 5 stars. I liked that the author lets us know the fates of these women in the last part of the book and in the moving epilogue and relates to us her personal connection as the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor. Her extensive research efforts are notable, with pages of references and notes from documents written by some of these women and numerous other sources. Kudos to Judy Batalion for discovering and bringing to light the stories of these amazing women. If you think it can’t happen again, think about the neo Nazis who marched with torches in Charlottesville just a couple of years ago .
I received a copy of this book from William Morrow/Harper Collins through Edelweiss....more
Angela M is taking a break.
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