In 2018 I did my first post on my favorite books. When I think of summer reading I remember spreading out a towel on the hot asphalt after running through the cold water of the sprinkler. Or sitting on the beach with a book in my lap. I remember heading to the library into the cool basement where the children's section was and leaving with pile of books, some I finished and others just went back. I have always held that if a book doesn't speak to you you move on. There are too many books and not enough time to waste on something that doesn't grab hold of you.
I have compiled a new list for the summer. I have pondered and reached into my childhood and young adulthood to share some more favorites with you. I hope there is something on this list that speaks to you.
I am going to start with my favorite books from my childhood. "The Great Brain" by John D Fitzgerald is the first in a series of books based on the author's life growing up with a conniving older brother. The protagonist, aptly named Tom after said older brother is a conman and genius. The book takes place in Utah in 1896. This was my first foray into historical fiction and I have been a fan ever since. It is probably dated since today if there isn't a dragon and magic young children don't seem to interested by the antics of the young Tom and his ability to sway adults even when he has done something wrong was entertaining and tantalizing as a young kid. I devoured all eight books in the series. I read the first one to my boys when they were young. I think they would have preferred a tale with dragons but in the end they enjoyed Tom and his great brain.
I have to thank my fourth grade teacher, Mrs Devokaitis to thank for this pick. "The Ghost of Thomas Kempe" was one of the books she read to us. The protagonist is a young boy who is being haunted by a 17th century apothecary. James has moved into a cottage with his family and all kinds of chaos ensues. Tea gets dumped into the Vicar's lap, strange things are being written on fences and shopping lists, bottle are being broken and all of it is being blamed on James. No one believes in ghosts so it is up to him to rid the cottage of this wily specter. Published in 1969 by British author Penelope Lively I was first introduced to "British " literature, tea and cottages and words like vicar. I have been hooked ever since! A sweet, charming story about a boy who wanders his village and does his best to rid his family of a ghost that no one believes in but him. Perfect for the daydreaming wistful child who wants to believe in what cannot be seen!
As long as we have traveled to England lets stay and visit for another book or two. Bill Bryson has made my list before. I love his humor. He is witty and self deprecating and has a keen eye for observing humans in our natural habitats. His first trip through England in resulted in Notes from a Small Island, which is on to "to be read" list. 20 years later as a British citizen he took another trip through his adopted country and this is the result. He takes us from Bognor Regis to Cape Wrath with humor, depth and his signature irreverence and made me laugh out loud the whole way. His books take me away from the worries of the world and show me how beautiful the natural beauty is and how crazy and lovable humans can be. They are always a feel good trip! England is on my bucket list of places to visit and after reading this it moved to the top of the list! I hope when I get there I can see this country as Bryson did with love and awe and humor.
Bear with me I am going to keep you overseas for one more book. I am tempted to add some fireworks or some GIF to this section because this is the best book I have read so far this year and is now on my top ten list! My friend Robin gave this to me as a birthday gift because she thought I might like. Has a friend ever known me so well? Like it? I loved, loved, loved it! May brings us along on her journey through a difficult year showing us how we can not only lean into difficult times but maybe even thrive in them. Her prose is sparse but she gives just enough detail to encircle you and make you feel like you fell into a cozy couch with a warm blanket and your favorite hot beverage. Her story never feels trite or self aggrandizing. She pulls us through her dark winter month by month using nature, mythology and literature to show us the transformative power of rest and retreat. As someone who covets rest and time alone this book was a revelation and I may even be tempted to take up ice bathing! Her style reminds me of Dani Shapiro, it is tender and flowing, never raucous. I found solace in her story and found another spot in England I cannot wait to visit. I rarely give books as gifts as I feel reading is a very personal endeavor but I did give a copy to my sister who told me she "really enjoyed it". That felt like quite an endorsement! I will continue to share copies of this book. I recommend it to any woman out there struggling to balance the life of wife, mother, career woman and all the other labels we carry. May's writing will pull you along and let you know winter is coming but it will all be okay.
With this next pick I am returning us to American soil and dropping us into Vermont and into the life of Antonia Vega. A retired English professor who's life gets turned upside-down when her husband dies unexpectedly , her sweet but unstable sister disappears and a pregnant teen lands on her door step. Vega who crafted a simple life with her husband and the words of poems and stories now has to give in ways she has never been asked to before. I am sorry to say that before picking this book up in the bookstore I had not heard of Alvarez. Her writing is beautiful. This is a short book, good for an afternoon on the beach, but it is filled with power and emotion. I love character driven stories and have recently picked up two of her other books and added them to my "to be read" pile.
"In the Time of Butterflies" and "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents". Alvarez's writing is a beautiful dance of words and emotions.
Anna Quindlen is one of my favorite writers. I truthfully did not realize this until I sat down to write this post and found that I own half a dozen of her books. She quietly crept up on me. One of the first books of hers I read was "Blessings" which tells the story of an older woman , wealthy and alone and her handy man and a baby that gets dropped on the door step. Quindlen has a way of showing us the intricacies of relationships and drawing them in a way that feels accessible and allows us to find ourselves- flawed and imperfect within her characters. In "Alternate Side" she takes us into the life of Nora Nolan, a New Yorker who seems to have the perfect life- husband, career, great little neighborhood and then it starts to fall apart piece by piece after an incident in the neighborhood draws a line and a division is set in her once tranquil neighborhood. Published in 2018 it was timely with where we were headed as a country and remains so considering those divisions just keep getting deeper and wider. It is a another great character driven story that will remain with you long after you read the last page.
This next book makes the list for two reasons or maybe three. It is historical fiction,set in Bavaria in 1660, it has an executioner as the protagonist who you will come to love, and a "dweeby" character named Simon who falls in love with the Hangman's Daughter. There is now seven books in the series. I have read the first three and loved each one. They are fast paced and plot driven. This one opens with the near drowning of a young boy with a strange tattoo on his shoulder. Soon the village is under the spell of memories of the witch trials and women burned at the stake. When more children disappear and hysteria takes over Kuisl, resident executioner, must find a way to save the midwife who helped bring his own children into the world before he has to execute her himself. With the help of his brilliant daughter Magdalena and Simon they set off to solve the mystery. The story is compelling and entertaining and a great way to wile away a rainy afternoon. And I mean it when I say you are going to like the guy that kills people for a living. It is the sign of a good writer who can make even a hangman lovable.
I am going to finish with a couple non-fiction books. There was a time when you could not cajole me into reading non-fiction. Reading, for me, was an escape and a way to experience life outside of my own but once I started being introduced to amazing artists, scientist, theologians and spiritual leaders , thanks to my friend Oprah and Brene and their podcasts I just can't get enough. I listened to Oprah's "super Soul" podcast one morning while running last spring and she had Johann Hari on and I was mesmerized. I bought the book as soon as my run was over. It is a tough read but one I think is necessary. After reading this I took a 6 month sabbatical from social media. I can honestly say I did not miss it and I plan to do it again starting this summer. It helped me set my own boundaries around using social media, cured me of FOMO and made me overall a much happier person. Hari traveled the globe and interviewed experts on attention. He found that our inability to focus was not a human failing but one that has been orchestrated by external forces. He categorizes twelve causes of our decline in attention from the toxins in our environment to social media, lack of sleep, our food chain. When I see toddlers clinging to a cell phone or a parent clinging to their phone and ignoring their child it breaks my heart. I am holding out hope that there will be a pendulum swing and that young people may start to realize that life is passing them by because they are only viewing it through their phones. My children get a technology break every summer when the go to camp and it is amazing to watch all the young people running and playing and not trying to record every second of their lives to post it! Maybe the pendulum will swing, we can always hope.
And with that I am going to leave you with some hope. A list of mine would not be complete with Anne Lamott. I love her for her cranky optimism, her spirituality, her honesty and humor. She explores life and faith with compassion, and a keen eye. This book gives us insight into holding onto hope, finding the light in the dark places. She shares her new marriage with us and the insight of being in the "third third" of life. Her chapter "Lunch Money Faith" she begins:
"My friends are exhausted,furious and afraid. It is not a charming combination....some days are way too long and upsetting for them. I would get a fresh new batch of friends if not for the fact that half the time I have all these feelings too. This is partly because we have accidentally gotten so much older , and also because of the enervating nature of these cruel times. Our adrenaline spikes often, to keep up. We are sometimes with cherished friends who have gotten a scary diagnosis, or we sit beside them at memorial services, all while..our short term memories dissolve like Pop Rocks." She is honest and cranky but finds the light in the dark patches. She is my go to guru when I feel like the world is spinning out of control or when I am I feeling a tad cranky. She brings some perspective and I appreciate that. Ms Lamott is on my list of who I would have dinner with if I could have dinner with anyone.
My own to be read pile is quite large- it always is. It is a fluid thing since I am always adding to it. I am tackling the big fish this summer. Hard to believe I have never read the classic "Moby Dick". I am not sure it will make a future list. Stay tuned and happy reading!
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