I know, I know, never judge a book by its cover. Seriously, though, look at these covers. How could you not pick them up? I must say, usually when I do judge, the book turns out to be pretty good. So, this is some of what I’ve been reading while we have been waiting for the wind and the cold to leave New England this year. It has been a long winter and finally, just this past week we can see that spring surely will rise up and say, enough old man winter, go back into your hole. Good books will always sustain you in any season and in any weather. Books are also great healers when your heart hurts and your mind does not want to focus on anything else but nurturing your soul. I seem to read different kinds of books when I’m sad and I try to stay away from memoir for a bit because most memoir is real life and sometimes real life is where I don’t want to be. If I’m living it, I don’t want to read about it. No matter what though, books always bring me through, when most other distractions can’t. So, just for a short time come and read with me. I’m ready for the company again. Not that grief leaves us, because it doesn’t but because we need people. One can only grieve so long alone and we have to start stepping back into life knowing that the person we loved so much and lost, lives in our hearts forever.
The French Gift by Kirsty Manning I started my grief journey with this book because of the word French. I love France and all the places within it, Paris is my favorite. So I thought this might be just what I needed. A very good story moving back in forth in time from 1940 to the present day in Paris. A maid at a luxury villa on the Rivera finds herself in a prison cell with writer Margot Murant who is a French Resistance fighter. Together they are transferred to a work camp in Germany for four years, where the secrets they share will bind them for generations to come. Fast forward to the present time. Evie Black lives in Paris with her teenage son above her botanical bookshop. Life would be wonderful if only she wasn’t still mourning the loss of her one great love. When a letter arrives regarding the legacy of her late husband’s great aunt, Josephine Murant, Evie clutches at the opportunity to spend our last magical summer with her son. They travel to Cote d’Azur and Evie unravels the story of this famous novelist and the truth from a murder a lifetime ago. Very good. Lots of mystery and turns. It was a good book to start with. Took me away to places I love 4 star
Little Stories of Your Life by Laura Pashby Loved, loved this book. So perfect. You could read the entire book straight through or you could read a story at a time. Not only were the stories lovely, informative plus entertaining, but the photography was also equally delicious. I devoured it all. It got me a bit fired up again to pick up my camera and get back to doing what I love to do. I also love the way she slipped in so many lessons on writing, both great and small, and referenced many good books to read. I have many pages underlined and that to me is the sign of a great book. This is a book that will sit on my desk and get picked up many times just for the share beauty of it both inside and out. Life stories, we all have them and I honestly feel that we should all be sharing them. Is it any wonder that I judged this book by its cover?. 5 big stars
the Myth of You & Me by Leah Stewart Friendship is so hard to describe and sometimes so hard to hold onto but still, early friendships linger throughout our lives, especially when they fall apart. That is what happens to Cameron and Sonia. They became friends when they were fifteen years old and they thought nothing would come between them. Now Cameron is twenty-nine and a research assistant with no meaningful time except for her boss noted historian Oliver Doucet. Nearly ten years after their friendship ended, Cameron receives an unexpected letter from her old friend. Despite Oliver’s urging, Cameron does not respond to the letter. But when he passes away, Cameron discovers that he has left her with one final task: to track down Sonia and hand-deliver a mysterious package to her. The book is really about the intensity of a friendship as well as the real sense of loss that lingers after the end of one. “This is a celebration and portrait of a friendship that will appeal to anyone who still feels the absence of that first true friend.” A bit of a mystery here also. I loved Oliver. 4 stars
How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry This is another of the books my son gave me for Christmas two years ago. Honestly, he buys the best books for me and in all different categories...This was perfect and perhaps I ended up saving it to read at a time when I needed something light, fun, and a story about books, my favorite pastime. From the back cover. Nightingale Books, nestled on the main street of an idyllic little village, is a dream come true for lovers. But owner, Emilia Nightingale is struggling to keep the shop open after her beloved father’s death, and the temptation to sell it is getting stronger. The property developers are circling, yet Emilia’s loyal customers have become like family. For them, the shop is much more than what is on the shelves, it’s a place of romance, long-held secrets, and unexpected hopes for the future. It is a delightful story of Emilia, the unforgettable cast of characters whose lives she has touched, and the books they cherish.” I always like a book that references other books. I find myself underlining those of interest and then I love spending time looking them up, reading about them, and most often find a few that I might never have gotten if not for reading about them in a novel. This was an easy read but it had enough bite to it to keep me interested. 4 stars
The Betrayal of Anne Frank by Rosemary Sullivan I loved The Diary of Anne Frank. When we were in Amsterdam we visit the Anne Frank museum. A fascinating place, still set up like it was when she lived there. I can remember being claustrophobic in some of the rooms, they were so small. It was a gut-wrenching feeling to understand what it must have been like to live under those conditions with so many people in such a small space and what they had to do to maintain silence all day long. So when this book came out I bought it hot off the press because I really did wonder who sold her family out and how her family got arrested. It was good at the beginning as she wrote of the life of Anne Frank and how it came to be that her family got to hide in that house and she also talked about her writing of the journals that would one day become the making of the book The Diary of Anne Frank. Then somewhere around a quarter of the way in it got more technical and honestly rather boring and repetitive. I did finish it because I was really hoping for a dramatic ending but it wasn’t like that. In order not to write a spoiler I won’t say much more for those who choose to read it. I will say when you get to the end you won’t be surprised about the dilemma of who and why. It was pretty thought-provoking and almost one of those “what would I have done.?” So as much as I love Anne Frank I’m going to have to give this book 3 stars. Me, I hold the memory of Anne Franks's diary in my mind and heart. Such a brave and really forgiving person.
The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon England, 1976. Mrs. Creasy is missing. The neighbors blame her sudden disappearance on the heatwave, but ten-year-olds Grace and Tilly aren’t convinced and decide to take matters into their own hands. The girls go door to door in search of clues. A complicated history of deception begins to emerge-everyone on the avenue has something to hide. The girls discover that some of the neighbors have been lying and that perhaps those lies conceal what happened one fateful day about a decade ago. This was a surprisingly good book. A perfect summer read. Enough of a mystery with a coming-of-age story about friendship and neighborhoods. I had read Three Things About Elsie, by this same author, and just loved that book so I thought I would give this one a try. I’m so glad I did. 4 Stars Three Things About Elsie was included in my last book review.
It Started With Paris by Cathy Kelly It all started in Paris. At the top of the Eiffel Tower, a young man proposes to his girlfriend. In that second, everything changes, not just for the happy couple, but also for the family and friends awaiting their return to Ireland. The story is about three women who are involved with a young couple. All of them have love problems of their own. As they solve their own problems they try to stay brave and happy for their friends. This story weaves back and forth between the three women and the couple. It is done in a beautiful and easy manner. This would also make a wonderful summer read. Very engaging and delightful. 4 Stars
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield Two writers, one a young girl who writes biographies for older people and a reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories. The problem is for the last six decades she was penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and failing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary life and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Margaret Lea, the young writer, is in for an interesting adventure as she engages in writing Vida Winter’s biography. I liked this book a lot and it was not one that I would have picked for myself. It was a favorite of this group though and I will check out other books by Diane Setterfield. 4 star
How The One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cheri Jones My son has a knack for picking out books for me that I would never think of buying. That is what I love about my Christmas book bag each year. It’s always full of surprises. This was one of those gems that he found that stuck with me long after I finished the book. From the back cover: “This book unfolds around the reader like ripples in water, it offers an unflinching vision of what it means to have a body and to fight to protect that body, it demands attention. These are characters’ voices I will be hearing for a long time and a book I will be recommending to everyone.” It is the story of a young girl, Lala, who is brought up by her grandmother who is very strict. Later Lala leaves her grandmother to live on the beach with her husband. Her baby is dead and the husband is a petty thief in the resort town where they are living. One night it all goes bad and their freedom is at risk and also their lives. I really liked this tense book. Another great summer beach read is you like a good mystery. 4 stars
Still Life by Sarah Winman Yes, I did love the cover but I did not pick this book out. Once again, it was in my bookbag from Chris. It takes me 6 months to go through the book bag each year. The bag sits in my bedroom beside my nightstand so I don’t forget which books he gave to me. Of course, I do write inside all of my books who they were from and what year and for what occasion. This one is a lovely story of two people who met quite by accident in Italy. 1944 Tuscany, as allied troops advance and bombs fall around deserted villages, a young English soldier, Ulysses Temper, finds himself in a wine cellar of an abandoned villa. There he has a chance encounter with Evelyn Skinner, a middle-aged art historian who has come to Italy to rescue paintings from these ruins and recalls long-forgotten memories of her own youth. This encounter sets off a course of events that will shape both their lives for the next 4 decades. They will part as he returns to London but circumstances and other characters will bring them back together again. The characters in this story are fun, sad, and striking but truly have each other’s best interests at heart. This was a one-of-a-kind, really good book. 5 Stars…
So there you have it. This list could get you started on your summer reads. I hope, once again, you find something that will tickle your fancy. I don’t know what I would have done without my books for escape over this past year. My life in general requires that I read every day. It is how I get lost in other people’s adventures, it’s where I learn so much about life, good, bad, and indifferent. It is what pulls me back together at the end of the day. I know many of you who read my book review blog post feel the same way. So carry on and don’t ever be afraid to let the beautiful covers on books draw you in. It is part of the fun of being a book collector.
“You come home , make some tea, sit down in your armchair, and all around you there’s silence. Everyone decides for themselves whether that’s loneliness or freedom.”
“Reading changes me, my moods, my attitude, and my life. Books are the perfect friend although they are not always pleasant, they are always helpful and sometimes they are even full of laughter. They let the light in when darkness comes. I cannot imagine a life without books.”
