Winter has passed and the calendar says we have moved into spring…I’m not sure about that. What I’ve moved into is isolation and one of the things that will get me through is my books. It started off good, just rolling along with my life as usual, which normally is a wonderful journey. Plan a little for my vacations, one of which would have been Paris right now. Then we got a little visit from Corona (not the beer) and our world was turned upside down. It took a while for all of that to sink in and to actually get my brain to absorb all that I was hearing. There was some anxiety, actually, to be truthful there was a lot of anxiety and for me, that pretty much sends me into survival mode, food, wine, and books. I was already working on my winter list but all of a sudden I had more time to move it along.

Since I was a little kid, going to the local library I have always loved books. Back then I couldn’t stockpile them as I do now but I was never very long without a book in my hands. My great aunt, my grandmother’s sister was always reading. One day when I was at her house she told me that “as long as you have books, you have a friend.” I have never forgotten that. I think we need friends more now than we ever have or ever will…and so I’m going to share a few of my friends that I have met over the winter. I hope in this stack you will find a new friend or two to help you move along through the spring of Corona.

Happy to be Here by Elizabeth Berg. Elizabeth Berg is my go-to girl for a good comfort read. I had been holding two of her books on my shelf since Christmas and I knew intuitively that she was what I need at this moment. Happy to be Here is the third book in Elizabeth’s series of selected Facebook posts that she does. I read the first two (of course) and saved this last one with the intention to have a new Elizabeth Berg book on my shelf in case of an emergency, well we are in a big emergency people. Her words are always uplifting and joyful along with a great story with meaning. These are a bit different in that they are little essays that she is so good at writing. If you know of her books, then you know of which I speak. If you have never read her then this series, at this time, is the perfect place to start. You do not have to have read the first two to read this but, honestly, they are all good. 5 Stars always for Elizabeth Berg

Clever Girl by Tess Hadley. This book was a book that took some concentration and it was not lovely and light. It’s about an English woman named Stella and the novel follows Stella from childhood, growing up with her single mother in a Bristol bedsit, which is really just a rented bedroom with a cooking area and normally a shared bathroom. The story continues into the murky waters of middle-age. There is a lot of violence and affairs and broken dreams. But Hadley does a decent job of just recording it as everyday life. Her writing is beautiful even with this hard story. It was not my favorite book but because of the writing I would give her another try. 3 Stars.

Being A Writer by Travis Elborough. I do have some books that I like to read simply because they are about what I like to do and I do like to write. I’m not going to write the great American novel but I like words and words turn into writing. So in that vein, I also collect writing books. I saw this book on my sons coffee table one day when I was at his house and made a note to look it up. I also loved the cover…I know, I know, but most often when a cover draws me in I do end up liking the book. It’s a book full of advice, musings, essays, quotes and experiences from some of the world’s greatest authors. It was a fun book to read and there was lots to underline, which I love doing. It’s also really interesting to see what some of your favorite authors have to say…and it was an easy book for these times. Even if all your brain would focus on is a five-minute time slot, you would find something in this book to fit that need. I really enjoyed this book. “I know nothing in the world has such power as a word. Sometimes I write one and look at it until it shines.” Emily Dickinson 5 stars for word lovers.

The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas. When you love books, people tend to give you a lot of books as gifts, sometimes you look at the title and say to yourself “really.” Jim gave me this book for Christmas and as I looked at the cover and read the back I was thinking, “I thought he knew me better than this.” LOL Anyways, when someone gives me a gift of any kind I always keep it and check it out and see where it might sit in my house. This one also looked like an easy read, “a colorful exploration of Depression-era Kansas and the meaning of friendship.” How bad can it be. From the back cover, “An endearing story that depicts small-town eccentricities with affection and adds dazzle with some late-breaking surprises. Dallas hits all the right notes, combining an authentic look at the social fabric of Depression-era life with homespun suspense.” In the end, it was a very good book. Easy reading and the plot was good. What also drew me to it at this time was this quote, “A book about how times can never be so hard that they can’t be eased when people come together.” Amen to that. 4 Stars.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. Ok, it was time to move on to something that was really going to grab me and hold my attention and had a bit more meat to it. As Corona moved on so did I. Probably by now most of you have read the Silent Patient but just in case this book hasn’t crossed you path you should know about it. I’m not a big reader of mystery but recently have read quite a few good ones. It’s the story of a famous painter and her husband, who is a photographer and they live in a grand house overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One night her husband comes home and she shoots him five times in the face and then she never speaks again. Then comes along Theo Faber a criminal psychotherapist and the story goes on from there. A page-turner for sure…and the end, as in any good mystery, is one hell of a good surprise…I totally enjoyed this book. 5 stars.

This is Gracie, my snuggle bunny when I’m reading. She is really excited right now because we have so much more reading time together. She loved these books so we better get started and finish up this book report.

At Home in the World by Joyce Maynard. This book is a memoir, my favorite kind of book to read. I learn so much from memoir and I love to see how others live and how they manage their lives in adversity. Joyce Maynard is a well recognized published author and writing teacher but when she was eighteen years old she had a relationship with J. D. Salinger. This piqued my curiosity because to this day I remember reading his book The Catcher in the Rye and I never knew how weird he was until reading this book. Joyce was brought up in an alcoholic family, her mother had dreams of molding her into a writer but Joyce left Yale to go live with “Jerry” until he broke her heart a year later. It is a powerful and engaging story and also a very sad one. She is really brave in her writing and in her harsh judgment of herself. In the end…she survives and moves on. I would read her again…5 stars.

House of Light by Mary Oliver. I always have a book of poems or a book of short stories, maybe even a photo book also sitting on my nightstand along with whatever book I’m into at any given time. Some nights you just need to switch it out. Of course, we all love Mary Oliver and I have lots of her books but I am making an effort to really read her and so I’m so glad that I finished House Of Light. This one had some sweet and thoughtful poems in it and like me, she has always liked to hang out at the ocean. I don’t have to recommend her, she does a good job on her own… “Sweet Jesus, talking his melancholy madness, stood up in the boat and the sea lay down.” From the poem Maybe. A visit right now would be timely. 5 stars for Mary

Red Mountain, by Boo Walker. A beautiful cover and another gift, this time from my son, Chris...we share a great love of books, reading and words…amazingly he often finds books for me that I have never heard of or an author that I have never read… like this Boo Walker. This is a novel that is heartfelt and wonderfully descriptive of four complicated people living in a beautiful landscape with vivid descriptions of the wine life and mountain living. But in a place where everyone knows each other, secrets are like a poison and most all of them have something to hide. I found it to be very interesting and entertaining and I loved having it waiting there for me each night. I will be checking out Boo Walker’s other novels and I’m giving this one 5 stars for sure. Different and unique and a real page-turner.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. This is another one that I’m late on. I have seen it around but never really had an interest in reading it. The subject matter seemed too deep and hurtful for me. But a short time ago I was in a local bookstore and it was on display and whenever I’m in an independent bookstore I always buy a book just because I love these stores so much I want them to hang around for as long as possible. I want them to win the big war on bookstores. So I bought the book. As I started reading it I sensed almost immediately what an important story this was and I just couldn’t put it down. Everything about it was gorgeous and deep and invading in my mind. And so, so, sad. But the sadness had to be there or the story would have failed. A short time after I finished this book I saw a book called Cilka’s Journey by the same author. Cilka was one of the characters in The Tattooist, so of course, I bought that one also. I have not read it yet…but it continues the story of Cilka who was taken at 16 from the concentration camps’ main area to be the commendant’s “secretary”. Although these books are considered novels they are based on true facts…a must-read for everyone. Even if you are late like me. 5 stars.

The Confession Club by Elizabeth Berg. Well, I started my winter reading with Elizabeth Berg, and I also ended it with her. She kind of bookended all of the heavy stuff and brought me full circle back to enlightenment with her most wonderful book about us women. That is how she works…this one though, is the best. Just think, a bunch of women, it could be any kind of group, readers, knitters, quilters or even old friends just needing company but when you put women in a group, especially of a certain age, things can get interesting. I laughed out loud at some of the happenings and confession that these women shared about themselves and you know if you are laughing it is because you can totally relate to the subject matter. Of course, at any meeting we women have to have food, most often cake or ricotta cookies…maybe a bit of wine. “It is a happy, sad, sweet, book that celebrates the nourishing comfort of community and provides a delightfully original take on the cycles of life.” This is the third book in the Arthur Truluv book series. It does stand alone but that series itself is wonderful and uplifting. The second book is Night of Miracles…Always 5 stars for Elizabeth…

So that wraps up the winter series of books I have read. I enjoyed them all. It is what l look forward to at the end of each day. Books keep me grounded and I have a lot of them. I know people say you have more books than you could read in a lifetime and that is true but books bring pleasure not only in the reading of them but in the seeing of them…all lined up in a row on all my bookshelves. There is a sense of warmth just having them here and when I need a book I just go to my shelves and see what appeals to me today. I never worry about having too many books anymore…I will admit I used to worry about myself with all the book-buying I did, but not now. I truly know that as long as I have my books and a cup of tea my world will be ok no matter what is happening outside my door. I wish the same for you…

These days are trying and uncertain. We don’t know when they will end of how it will end and whether or not it will return in the fall as they are now saying. In order to see our way through this, we need to find things that give our life purpose, that bring us joy at the end of a difficult day or that feed our souls in spite of which way the world is tipping today. Books can do that for us…as can many other things. Find your comfort spot and enjoy that. Tomorrow perhaps the sun will shine again and before too much longer we can then take our books outside and find comfort in our own back yard… That’s called traveling joy…stay well my friends…

The two black and white photos today were taken with the iPhone 11 pro.

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