I am a born traveler. My very first photo, snapped at the hospital shortly after my birth, became my first passport photo. I boarded my first international flight shortly thereafter, and I have been traveling ever since. To date, I have visited 4 continents, 24 countries outside of the USA, and 31 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. My very patient husband jokes that I always start planning the next trip on the flight home (sometimes I actually start before that!). I think the planning is half the fun. Some of my favorite travel memories include family trips with my daughter and husband to Aspen, our honeymoon in Rome, Christmas with my parents in London, our little family's favorite beach trip to Puerto Rico, and my first solo adventure to Big Sky, Montana. I am also an avid reader, reading more than 100 books every year and currently working my way through the Boxall 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list. I come by my love of books naturally. I was raised by a librar...
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle is perfect for you mystery lovers who are looking for
something appropriately sized for one sitting. I know a good thriller can suck
me away from the world for the night, so these are fun little mystery nuggets
to enjoy when you have a free thirty minutes. Sherlock Holmes’ deductive reasoning
is just so fun. I love that he can solve a case based on the mud on someone’s
shoe. Four very fun stars.
And Yet by Kate Baer is an excellent book of
contemporary poetry. I’ll be honest, poetry intimidates me. I feel like I’m unqualified
to review or understand it. I’m not sure why that’s the case. This year I tried
to venture out of my reading comfort zone with a few misses and a few successes
(like this). Some of the poems in this collection seemed like throw always, but
there were some that really stopped me in my tracks and made me re-read (e.g., “There
Are Days” and “What to Write After Another School Shooting”). Baer captures
motherhood in such a moving way (“Influencers” and “Young Mother”) and really
is a powerful female voice. I savored this collection and found it very
accessible. I recommend this volume to others, like me, who are interested in
dipping their toes into the poetry pool. Four stars.
The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman is a
standalone short story available on Kindle, so this is a very low reading
commitment. It’s the story of two sisters and one aging bookshop. I really
enjoyed the family dynamics, the peek at small town life, and the examination
of self-discovery on the part of the main character. This was a solid
four-star read and the perfect accompaniment to my morning cup of coffee.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote is a
four-star read and a five-star listen as read by Michael C. Hall of Dexter
and Six Feet Under fame. Holly Golightly is an icon of American literature,
drinking martinis until Tiffany’s opens in the morning and juggling a long line
of admirers wherever she goes. Perfect for anyone planning a holiday trip to
New York. This is a masterpiece. I highly recommend you give it a listen.
Different Seasons by Stephen King is a collection
of four novellas, which may be as short as King can get. The collection
includes, “The Body” (the source material for the movie Stand By Me), “Rita
Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” (the source material for – you guessed it –
the movie The Shawshank Redemption), “Apt Pupil” (also apparently made
into a movie of the same name but about a high school student and his obsession
with the very sinister past of an older man in town), and “The Breathing Method”
(a story about a lawyer who joins a men’s club where he hears a macabre story
about a young unwed mother). This isn’t horror, so don’t be put off by the fact
that it's King. He’s just a terrific storyteller, and this is another solid
four-star read.
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris is a bit of a
mixed bag, but the essays “Six to Eight Black Men” (about the puzzling Christmas
traditions of other countries) and “Jesus Shaves” (a story about the challenges
of explaining the Easter Bunny in a beginners’ French class) make this worth
picking up. This is also fun on audio, and you can skip around. There are a few
duds in the collection, so I gave this four, rather than five, stars. If you
can make it through “Jesus Shaves” without crying through laughter, I don’t
know what to tell you.
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino is a book
unlike anything else I have ever read, and this may be a very polarizing
suggestion. It’s beautifully written but is not really a story per se. I would
describe this as magical realism poetry in the form of a novel. Is that a
thing? Probably not, but if you are in the mood for something a little
experimental, this is what you need. I enjoyed it less than I would a good linear
story but much more than I would a book of poetry. I liked stumbling on
something totally different either way. Four very strange stars.
Music for Wartime by Rebecca Makkai is a solid
four stars from start to finish. I find that short story collections are often
a mixed bag, the star rating indicative of perhaps the best in the collection.
This was, however, extremely solid all the way through. Sure, I enjoyed some of
the stories more than others, but I definitely enjoyed them all. Interesting to
see some of these may have been early thoughts for what would later become her novels,
and some are just downright quirky.
These Precious Days by Ann Patchett was one of
my favorite surprise reads this year. This book of essays is completely
delightful and includes reflections on writing, marriage, friendship, and owning
a bookstore. I checked this out from the library but loved it so much, I ended
up purchasing it, so I could dip into it again later. Five stars and a perfect
holiday gift for a reader. Potentially controversial statement, but this may be
my favorite Ann Patchett yet.
And finally, my daughter’s review (only edited for spelling):
In the book Hidden Like Anne Frank by Marcel Prins
and Peter Henk Steenhuis, the authors describe what it’s like to be hidden in World
War II in 14 short stories that will make you never want to stop. This book is
a must read for people 10-12. It is a little bit on the longer side with 212
pages total. This is a good book because it makes you feel like you’re right next
to them. In conclusion this book deserves 5 stars, and I highly recommend.
And with that, I will conclude by wishing everyone a very
happy holiday season. I hope you find something wort reading on this list.
Cheers!
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