For the Love of Books...
Talking about books…
If anyone is wondering where I have been lately, you can pretty much guess from the collection of books above. I have been reading and listening and enjoying so many books that I now own them in more than one format, Kindle, Audible, and hardcover. It’s a sign that I was eager to devour every page in any form possible. I set a reading goal for the year of 40 books. Two months ago I increased it to 45, then 50 books. Now that I am six books ahead of schedule, I am thinking of increasing it to 60. I guess you could say I am on a reading roll.
All the books noted above will direct you to Indie Bound where you can hopefully buy books from your Independent Bookseller. I am a big supporter of shopping local when we can.
I have the members of The Brown Paper Book Club to thank for the many suggestions, a private Facebook page where we chat about books. Interested in joining? Write to me here.
Do you Audible? I had to laugh when I checked in with my Audible account recently. They moved me from ‘Scholar Listener’ to ‘Master Listener’ and awarded me the ‘Social Butterfly’ badge for sharing so many book suggestions with friends. Awww, shucks, thank you Audible. ;)
So, let’s talk books.
Women’s Stories- Sassy, Strong and Brave
Give me a strong heroine in a story and I take to it like a duck to water, better yet, give me a few.
I listened to Devorgilla Days: A Memoir of Hope and Healing by Kathleen Hart through a recommendation in the summer reading list at John Sandoe Book in London. I always find a few gems on their list and this one just made my heart sing. When I finished the book, I wrote to Kathleen Hart to tell her how much I enjoyed it. She responded right away and asked if I could leave a book review. I do not normally write book reviews, by the time I finish a book, I am already thinking of the next one. But she asked, so I did.
Kathleen Hart draws us in with her wit and wisdom in Devorgilla Days: A Memoir of Hope and Healing. An engaging storyteller, every scene of her new life in the bookish village of Wigtown gives you the feeling that something exciting is about to happen. She makes it happen. Still standing and determined after one devastating health blow after another, she sets her sights on the future, which happens to be “Scotland’s National Book Town’. She buys a dilapidated house, renovates, and names it “Devorgilla, after a thirteenth-century Scottish noblewoman, Lady of Galloway. She was sassy, strong, and brave with bucketloads of moxie.” The house reflects the new owner who has moxie in spades. She takes to wild-swimming to heal her tired body, joins The October Club, Knit and Knatter, Reading Lasses for Lunch, takes Gaelic lessons, beekeeping, and more. In these pages, she finds who she truly is, and we cheer her on. It is what I loved about this book, a reminder that life is precious, it is to be celebrated, and that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin is one of those books that will stay with you long after you read it. I won’t say too much except that a tissue box will be needed for liberating tears. I followed this book with the book above, Devorgilla Days, and liked how they balanced each other. Sassy, strong, and brave is a unifying theme.
The Sweet Taste of Muscadines by Pamela Terry is a book I couldn’t wait to read. Pamela and I go way back in the blogging world. We met for the first time years ago over morning tea at The Wolseley in London. It was one of those blogging meet-ups that you never forget. A wonderful writer, she has shared a story that will keep you turning the pages one after another. She weaves a great tale!
Loved the movie, Out of Africa, but had never read the book published in 1937 by Isak Dinesen . I listened to the book, narrated by Julie Harris on Audible. The perfect book to listen to while gardening. I know it won’t be the last time either. You can listen to a sample recording here.
Again, loved the movie, Enchanted April, but never read the book. The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim was published in 1922. The book is narrated by Eleanor Bron on Audible, it’s delightful! You can listen to a sample recording here.
Historical Adventures
A fellow booklover, Maria, a member in The Brown Paper Book Club, suggested The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. Who knew the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary could be so fascinating. I have been recommending this book to fellow booklovers evers since. I listened to it on Audible, bought it for my Kindle and ordered a few hardcovers for myself and friends. I had the same feeling as I did when I read The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert. I was fascinated by her story from the first page to the last.
I found with the last page turned on The Dictionary of Lost Words, I just couldn’t leave it there. I quickly went on to read The Meaning of Everything by Simon Winchester to get the factual story behind the world of words, it was the perfect compliment.
I am a big fan of Geraldine Brooks writing. Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague and the Pulitzer Prize winning March: A Novel sit together on my bookshelf. Finishing off Simon Winchester’s fascinating book put me in a mood, a need to step back further in time, to learn. Reading People of the Book about a beautifully illuminated Hebrew manuscript created in fifteenth-century Spain was just the ticket.
Magical Thinking
I have a secret to admit, I am a big fan of magical thinking…mythical tales, witches, vampires, charmers…atmospheric and shimmering is what it’s all about for me. I am always thrilled when someone identifies with the “geek’ in me and says “me too!”
I read The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott in a day. It was that good, I couldn’t put it down. A reviewer remarked that it is “the perfect balance between the mythic and the real, turning and twisting, taking you to unexpected places.” I wholeheartedly agree!
Anyone remember the 1998 movie Practical Magic with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman? I never read the book, but did enjoy the movie. A friend recommeded I read The Rules of Magic: A Novel by Alice Hoffman, the prequel to the book Practical Magic. The long and short of it, I enjoyed the book and recommend it!
Like The Sweet Taste of Muscadines by Pamela Terry, Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber is filled with southern charm. Throw in a charming small-town cafe, a cast of interesting characters, blackbirds, pies, romance…and you have a fun read.
In the Garden
Three books that I absolutely loved listening to while weeding and tending to the garden. Life in the Garden by Penelope Lively, Uprooted: A Gardener Reflects on Beginning Again by Page Dickey and Seed to Dust: Life, Nature and a Country Garden by Marc Hamer. Just couldn’t get enough of them. You can listen to samples of the books on Audible, here, here and here. I went on to buy all three books in hard copy, they are keepers!
French Fun
Just for fun and because it was recommend reading in The Duchess of Cornwall’s Reading Room, I read The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain. As the Duchess said “It’s very French and enjoyable.” I listened to the book on Audible and thought the reader, Alex Wyndham, was brilliant. You can listen to a sample of the book here.
Currently Reading..
Vesper Fights by Helen Macdonald, a portrait of a nature lovers’s world. I am enjoying this book, one chapter at a time. It’s the type of book you want to savor. With thanks to my IG buddy, Amanda for passing it on.
Phosphorescence: A Memoir of Finding Joy When Your World Goes Dark by Julia Baird, is nearly done and wow! I will add this book to the sassy, strong and brave list. Julia Baird is such a gifted writer. I have since added her book Victoria: The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire to my list.
Because I enjoyed Seed to Dust: Life, Nature and a Country Garden so much, I added Marc Hamer’s first book How to Catch a Mole: Wisdom From a Life Lived in Nature to my list.
And there you have it! That’s what I have been doing for the past few weeks, along with gardening, writing, working and taking a wonderful photography class with the talented Kim Klassen. But more on that later. So much more to share! Stay tuned, it’s the dog days of August…busy as a bee around here!
Wishing one and all good health and bucket loads of kindness, you deserve it!
Jeanne xx
PS..Anything you’d like to share, have a few book suggestions? Write to me here.
