The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

What a delightful book!  This is a sleeper - you don't realize how good it is at first and then, bam, you fall in love with it.  There are a lot of layers here and Harold's journey, while seemingly unrealistic at first, is reflective of our desire to do something drastic, to really take a stand and make a difference.  Just how his journey - the pilgrimage of the title - progresses and transforms him and others is deftly told and you'll find yourself cheering him on.  The author weaves all the layers together into a very satisfying ending.  Highly recommended.

12 Blogs of Christmas

Last year, one of my first blog posts listed my favorite books of the year, past and present.  I listed six books I had read in 2013 that I loved and six books that I hoped to read in 2014.  How did I do?  Oh, geez.  I didn't read a single one this year that I thought I would!  I tried a couple of them, but didn't like them and moved on.  Life is too short to waste time on a book I don't like.

This year, I'm listing my favorite blogs.  Some of them are already posed to the right of the screen, but this time I'll expound a little bit about why I've chosen it.

Sarah Farish - This is unabashed pride because SE is my oldest niece, a high school English teacher, a funny and smart young lady with a keen eye and sensitive heart.

Debra Darvick - Debra is the oldest daughter of a family friend who passed away in the spring of this year.  After reading her mom's obituary in the local paper, I contacted Debra and we connected/reconnected sharing stories about her mom and what it's like to have a parent who loves you because they have to, not necessarily because they want to - and there's nothing personal about it at all.  When my father died 14 years ago, I learned more about grief than I thought I needed to learn and most of it was wrapped up in my dad's inability to be a good dad.   Debra's journey through her grief is eloquent and she writes lovingly, longingly and realistically about her mother.  Until now, I didn't really know Debra, but knew her mother as a library patron.  I always felt some kind of connection to her mom. 

Stacy Horn -  One of my favorites books from last year was Imperfect Harmony:  Finding Happiness Singing with Others.  I loved this book!   When I "googled" the author, I found this wonderful blog, filled with all kinds of NYC delights.

Citizen Reader - She doesn't post often enough, but I enjoy it when she does.  Lots of non-fiction.

Savvy Working Gal - Lots of non-fiction and common sense.  One of my favorites.

Janice MacLeod - The author wrote a great book Paris Letters. 


libraryofcleanreads.blogspot.com/ Good general blog, mostly fiction.  There is a helpful rating system to let readers know about a book’s content.  Check out her “Blog List” to find links to other blogs.

rhapsodyinbooks.wordpress.com   Good general fiction and non-fiction reviews, including young adult titles.

www.bethfishreads.com This blog offers a variety of reviews, fiction and non-fiction.  The blog also has weekly features such as “Weekend Cooking” and “Wordless Wednesday.”

www.cozy-mystery.com This site features a blog that has links to low-priced Kindle e-books, as well as book recommendations.  There’s a lot of information available, so take a little time and explore.

bookjourney.net Good general fiction and non-fiction reviews, as well as audiobook reviews.

bookretreat.blogspot.com This blog features a wide variety of book reviews – fiction, non-fiction, young adult, etc.  It’s a fun blog to read – personable and informative.

Just a note:  When looking for blogs to follow, it’s important to look for ones that are updated every few days.  This shows a commitment to the subject and to readers who follow the blogs.  A good way to find additional blogs is to find a blog you like and then see what other blogs that person follows.  Explore, explore, explore.  Click on suggested links and discover the online world of book blogging.  Before you know it, you’ll have several blogs bookmarked on your computer or e-reader and your “to be read list” will be longer than you thought imaginable.

Holiday Music

This is a great time of year for music lovers - every kind of musical taste can be satisfied.   As I get older, I lean more towards the calm, soothing instrumental-type of music with a jazz lilt.  For many years, just about any title in the Windham Hill catalog was a favorite:  nightnoise, George Winston, the Celtic Christmas series, etc.  This year, though, those songs seem tired and stale. 

Last year, I borrowed a CD from the library where I work, Christmas with the George Shearing Quintet.  I didn't listen to it then, but put a copy on my laptop for this year.  Holy cow!  What a joyful and soothing CD.  Always a jazz vocal fan, but never really a jazz instrumental student, this CD opens up a whole new world to me.  The best word I can some up with is hip.  This is the most hip CD I've ever heard.  This makes me feel like I'm at a cool dinner party in NYC or a nightclub, waiting for Billie Holiday to take the stage.  Excellent music.

Along those lines, my long-time jazz favorite, Beegie Adair, has several Christmas compilations and a regular favorite is Christmas Cocktails.  Love it, love it, love it.  I was one of the staff in charge of the Christmas party at work and I played this in the background.  One of my colleagues said the music made her feel like she was in a fancy restaurant. 

Hardbacks ... a brief history

I found this interesting tidbit on my 22 y/r niece's Twitter feed.   Very interesting.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/10/economist-explains-15?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/ee/whybookshardback

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

 

Charming.  This book is a charmer - it pulls you in and gets a hold of you and keeps you hanging on during the (few) slow parts.  A fast-paced narrative that seems far-fetched at times, hums merrily along and never seems beyond reach. 

The storyline is deceptively simple:  a widower/bookstore owner adopts a baby, finds love in more ways than one and, even though the ending isn't happily ever after, the characters are richer for their experiences together. Isn't that what life's about, anyway?

The last third of the book is the best because there are a lot of unexpected twists and turns that explain some of the earlier sub-plots or behaviors.  Great story, great characters and great writing.  

New Year’s Reading Resolutions

When it comes to resolutions for the New Year, most people focus on their physical health – lose weight, exercise more, eat healthy food.  What about your reading health?  Are you an avid reader or an occasional one?  Do you read only newspapers?  Do you read only fiction?  Only biographies?  Only romance?

Now is a good time to shake up your reading habits and expand your horizons.   The Internet offers a wide variety of reading challenges for the New Year and some examples are listed below.  Try one out and see if it works for you.  If it doesn’t, try another one.  Go easy on yourself.  Set realistic reading goals to keep your mind and spirit active in the New Year.

Read the classics.  Did you skip some of the classics in high school in favor of popular titles?  This is a good time to catch up.  You’ll be glad you did.

Try out a new genre.  Branch out.  Read a mystery instead of a romance novel.  Read a non-fiction title about one of your favorite (or least favorite) subjects.  Push yourself to read outside your comfort zone. 

Create fun monthly or yearly challenges.  Read a book about each U. S. President this year or all of Agatha Christie’s novels – even all of Shakespeare’s plays.  Search the Internet for things like “50 Novels Featuring Famous Authors as Characters” or “Around the World in 80 Books” to find fun, yet different types of books to read.

Write brief reviews of what you read.  Share your thoughts with others.  Join www.goodreads.com and write a one or two sentence review about the books you’ve read.  Book reviews can be as long or short as you want them to be.  The important thing is to share.

Join a book club – in person or online.  The Roswell library offers two books clubs, Noonday Nosh (general fiction and non-fiction) and the Mystery Readers’ Book Club.   Most libraries offer book clubs.  Join www.goodreads.com and search for groups that read similar genres (or challenge yourself to find a new genre to read).

Read the best books of 2014.  At year’s end, websites, magazines and newspapers recommend the best books of the year. Type the words “best books of 2014” into a search engine like Google or Yahoo and see what appears.  Take a look, read a few and see if you agree. 

The suggestions above are just a few ways to begin your reading year with a new twist. Whether you make a reading resolution or not (or keep it or not), always remember the most important thing is … to read.  Library staff are always happy to help you find books to read.  Just ask them.

Brief reviews of teen books adults will enjoy

My nieces and nephew, ages 11 - 22, visited this Thanksgiving and reminded me of a couple of books I read last summer that are technically YA books, but will be enjoyed by adults, too.  In fact, adults should read them to 1) see what kids are reading and 2) learn from what kids are reading.  

The best part of their visit was our book discussions (and watching my nephew beat his dad at Scrabble).  I had a lot of books on the coffee table, hoping they would take a few home with them (and free up my shelves).  They are devout booklovers and were reluctant to take anything, but I was able to finally send them home with The Mockingbird Next Door, Wonder and two baseball books.  Mission accomplished.

Wonder by R. J. Palacio tells the story of Auggie Pullman, a 5^th grade boy living in Manhattan.  Auggie is bright, funny, loves Star Wars and has a facial deformity that makes people cringe.   After being home-schooled, he enters a private school and learns the intricacies and dynamics of changing classes, friendship, betrayal, and rivalry.  A quick read, this novel dwells not on Auggie’s face, but on his resilience.  He learns – and his family and friends also learn – that appearance isn’t everything.  It’s a life lesson one is never too old to learn.  

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green tackles a subject that frightens most everyone:  cancer.   This novel centers on Hazel, a 16 year-old with terminal cancer.  Hazel’s struggles with her illness, her family and friendships are warmly portrayed.  Teens will appreciate the dialogue and rebellious behavior and cheer for Hazel and her friends to survive. The author keeps the reader in suspense regarding who might make it and who, sadly, will not.   But Green doesn’t dwell on sadness or loss.  He treats these issues matter-of-factly and this gives the reader the best gift of all:  hope.

Nora Webster by Colm Tóibín

This is one of the most poignant books I've ever read.  There are so many layers - grief, families, self-discovery and music.  As the story unfolds, we learn more about Nora - what's in her heart, her mind and especially, her spirit.  Her transformation from grieving widow to independent woman mirrors the struggles other people endure after a profound loss.  Each character is drawn out as carefully as Nora, the subtleties merging as the novel progresses.  Tóibín's narrative is so rich it's almost as if he is painting the Irish landscape on Nora's soul. 

Irish literature has always seemed out of reach because of the depth of the narratives, but this story invites the reader in and welcome them to stay and have some tea.  This is a beautiful book.

Here's a link to NPR's review:  http://www.npr.org/2014/10/11/354592020/a-slow-simmer-of-grief-and-strength-in-nora-webster.

A thought for everyday

“This a wonderful day. I've never seen this one before.” 

Maya Angelou

The Mandolin Lesson by Frances Taylor

This delightful memoir had me hooked from the first page.  Who would have ever thought the mandolin could be so enchanting?  Well, it is.  And so is author Frances Taylor.  A natural writer as well as musician, Taylor describes in rich and vivid detail the years she traveled from the UK to Italy to study under the tutelage of Maestro Ugo Orlandi.  Her innocence and then maturity as both a traveler and a musician is honest and heart-warming.  The strength and determination at which she accomplishes her musical goals serve as a model to others.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and took my time near the end because I didn't want it to end!