A new year. Hopefully, we can put last year behind us and move on to bigger and better things. More peace, more loving-kindness. Seeing family and friends. And lots more reading. Although, Covid did give us plenty of time to escape into books last year. This year, though we should have learned some lessons. One of which, for me, is to take more time for the things and people I really love. To let go of that which is not so important. Less time on Facebook and more time on real books. So this pile is my beginning. I really enjoyed all of these books, some of which were given to me as Christmas gifts…ah, the best kind of gift. I hope you enjoy learning about them and perhaps pick a few for your own 2021 reading time.

The Unseen by Roy Jacobsen This was an interesting book. At first, I wasn’t so sure about it. It was given to me by my son for Mother’s Day and somehow he always gives me books that stretch me a bit. This was one of those books. From the back of the book “Nobody can leave an island. An island is a cosmos in a nutshell, where the stars slumber in the grass beneath the snow.” But, occasionally someone tries. It is the story of Ingrid Barroy who is born on the island. The island is hard-living, depending on boats from the mainland to bring supplies, food, and anything else you will need. Winters are rough and if a storm comes up, no one is there to help you… You learn to survive until enough is enough. Then you leave the island. That is what Ingrid did. She went to the mainland to work for a wealthy family. Then tragedy strikes, Ingrid has to face some hard choices. The story takes place in Norway so it was translated to English but I did not find that to be a problem 4 stars

Shade by Pete Souza I always have two books going. One is either a novel or memoir and the other is always a photo book or a book that you can pick up and put down easily, like poetry or short stories. I called that book my weekend book when I sit in the living room to read. I put a fire on and get my tea and for the first 15-20 minutes I read from my weekend book until I’m ready for my novel. This book was one of my weekend books but I loved it so much for so many reasons that it went quickly. I love photography, I’m sure you all know that and I’ve come to like the work of Pete Souza, the photographer for President Obama. Since he is no longer employed by the White House he has been doing his own photography and sharing his knowledge which I like. My husband gave me Shade for Christmas. It is the story of two Presidents in photos and words. Not stories just little clips. It is kind of like a history book in pictures. It’s a keeper for the time for which it was written and also for the beautiful photography. I learned a few tips. I love to take a photography class with this guy. 5 Stars for the beauty of words and photos.

Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey A memoir by the winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for her Poetry collection Native Guard and she was also a former US poet laureate. This book though is a memoir about the murder of her mother by her former step-father. Memorial Drive is a compelling and searching look back at her mother's life and the loss she experienced when she was nineteen years old. It's a story about racism and domestic abuse. During the research of this book, the author explores the profound pain and loss, and grief as an entry point to the tragic circumstances of her mother’s life. I was amazed at the author’s ability to dig through it all again and come out of it with such resilience and love. The writing was poetic and beautiful even with such a tragic story. I think now I will have to go and find some of her poetry. A sad but beautiful book. 5 stars.

Seven Kinds of People You find in Bookshops by Shaun Bythell This was a really fun book, also given to me by my son for Christmas. Twenty years ago Shaun bought The Bookshop, the largest second-hand bookshop in Scotland. Over the last two decades, he’s meet just about every kind of customer you can imagine from the very rich to the loiterer to the flatulent. He has a keen eye and a sharp wit as he writes about those who enter his shop. It’s a short book but really delightful and entertaining, especially for those of us who love to visit bookshops. I wonder, what would he have written about me. Chris also gave me his book The Diary of a Bookseller, a few years back. I need to go dig that out of the bookcase and read it. Perhaps it would make a nice “weekend book” now that I’m done with Shade. 4 stars

The Destiny Thief by Richard Russo Richard, Richard, Richard, you write such wonderful novels and so I thought for sure this book would be brilliant also. I bought this one for myself because I love books about writing and writers’ lives. Essays are always nice when you don’t have the time or energy to tackle a big tome…but this was disappointing. It started off o.k. but then he got stuck on certain authors and it turned into more of a book review about what those authors’ books were about. Dickens, Mark Twain, Flannery O’Connor, all wonderful authors but I have already read their books and did not need a review and to know about their writing style. For some, this might be a great book. We all have something different that we are looking for in non-fiction. I love Richard Russo’s novels. So for me, I’m going to stick to those. Honestly, I didn’t even finish the book. 3 Stars for his effort.

The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers by Terri-Lynn DeFino This was kind of a surprise book. I thought it was going to be really humorous, which it was at times, but it also had a bit of a serious side and a bit of a love interest. Set on the water in Bar Harbor, a beautiful town in Maine, the house was established specifically for writers needing a place to live out their golden years or final days in luxury and surrounded by congenial book lovers. As the edges between story and reality blur, a world within a world is created. A place where joie de vivre returns, where the old are made young, the damaged are made whole and anything is possible. I really enjoyed this book. It’s worth the read. 4 stars

Holding onto Nothing by Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne I loved this book even though it was a hard and sad book. My son’s book bag to me this year was full of surprises and this surely was one of them. From the back cover, “In rural Tennessee, Lucy Kilgore has her bags packed to leave, but a drunken mistake tethers her to her hometown and to the notorious Jeptha Taylor, who becomes the father of her child and the source of love and sorrow in this gorgeous and unsentimental tale of love, liquor, music, and redemption.” All written so beautifully. The struggle between mother, daughter, and husband was so raw and real. I could not put this one down. 5 stars.

This is Big by Marisa Meltzer It’s funny, I have a long history with weight loss and struggles with food addiction but I conquered them almost 40 years ago, but my son remembers and he thought that I would enjoy this book so another surprise visit, this time in the mail from him He often surprises with an Amazon smile throughout the year. We do share a love of books. Although I have traveled this path Weight Watchers was a small part of my journey so I was surprised that he gave me the book. Nonetheless, because he gave it to me, I read it and was quite surprised to find out that it was a memoir by the author. Her weight journey took her to Weight Watchers and she ended up doing a sort of history of the founder, Jean Nidetch. It was interesting. It was not a diet book but it had diet (I hate that word) information in it. I prefer “program” or lifestyle. There was a lot of information about the struggle with weight both the authors and Jeans. Having had over 100 pounds off now for over 35 years I read it from a different perspective than those who are still struggling with their weight issues. Some of the information I agreed with and lots I did not. Both the author and the founder were lacking in perspective from my point of view. This is a book that each person will read and hopefully take what they need and leave the rest behind knowing that any addition is held in the hands and heart of any person who is looking for recovery. 4 Stars

Patsy by Nicole Dennie-Benn I saved the best for last. I think I always do that. Another hard book but so beautifully written and a really compelling story. Vivid, raw, heartbreaking, and real. How does one find themselves when everything is against them. How can a mother leave her child to find a better life for herself? A mother, trying to dig herself out of poverty and hoping to find some sense of self-esteem. She does it at the expense of her daughter, running away to New York to meet her old friend Cicely. She leaves her daughter behind in Jamaica, that’s what she did. This is a novel for the times, for one woman trying to save herself and then hopefully save her daughter. Sometimes though, life does not turn out like we hope it will because people will disappoint us, and going back doesn’t seem like an option. My favorite book from this first group of reading in a new year. I wish everyone would read this one. 5 stars

One of my goals for this is to not wait so long in between groups of books to post my little book review. Last year was overwhelming and time-consuming to get the post up. This seems more manageable and also gets the book titles out quicker. I do love books, words, quotes, and writing. I’m going to devote more time to this blog. As I was printing out my blog posts into hard copies at the end of the year I was amazed at how much I blogged when I first started this and then it slipped away. Time to pull that back in check. So for now, I’m wishing you all a happy reading spring. Time to put your favorite outdoor chair on your deck or under a tree and grab a book and a cup of tea. When the sun is shining and with warmer days arriving it’s a good time to rest in the pages of so many wonderful authors…here’s to a new year of reading.