Reading in Place My Favorite Books: Part 2

Well it’s week two – but it sure seems longer. I hope everyone is staying well and home. I’m certain by now you’ve read through the books from my last list. No, well okay, I’ll give you some more choices.

But first an observation — is anyone else doing this? Now that many newscasters are broadcasting from their homes – yes, I’m listening to them, but at the same time I’m fascinated by their bookcases. How their books are arranged, type of bookshelves, and straining to see the titles. No, not you? I guess it’s just me. One broadcaster has his books arranged by color ~~ ? discuss please …

Now to the issue at hand – More of My Favorite Books

I know the libraries are closed in many areas, so if you want to buy any of these books — Please contact your local independent bookstore. They will happily take your order, personally ship your book(s), and will surely appreciate your distancing business right now. Find your local bookseller HERE

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt

Once on a business trip, I got stuck in Dublin, Ireland and rejoiced at the extra time. After walking around the city most of the day, I wandered into a lovely bookstore and cafe. I enjoyed a perfect cup of tea and bought this book. This memoir kept me riveted on the flight home. A classic story of a poor Irish boy’s childhood, beautifully written and filled with charming Irish stories…such blarney as the Angel on the Seventh Step, who brings his mother babies. Frank endures poverty, near-starvation and the casual cruelty of relatives and neighbors—yet lives to tell his tale with eloquence, exuberance, and remarkable forgiveness. I still have my Dublin purchase on my shelves.

News of the World by Paulette Jiles

This is a do-not-miss book. I’ve pressed this slim novel into many hands of friends and bookstore customers. It’s the tale of seventy-one year old Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd who drifts through northern Texas, reading newspapers out loud to paying audiences hungry for news of the world. At one stop, Captain Kidd is offered a $50 gold piece to deliver a young orphan to her relatives near San Antonio. This little girl, Johanna was captured by the Kiowa tribe as raised as one of their own. Recently been rescued by the U.S. Army, the inconsolable ten-year-old has once again been torn away from the only home and family she knows. The captain’s sense of duty and compassion propels him to accept, though he knows the journey will be difficult. This unlikely pair travels through unsettled territory and unforgiving terrain. The captain must watch for thieves, Comanche, Kiowa, and the federal army—all while trying to corral the wild Johanna, who has forgotten the English language, tries to escape at every opportunity, and refuses to act “civilized.” Yet as the miles pass, the wary Johanna slowly draws closer to the man she calls Kep-dun, and the two lonely survivors forge a tender bond that marks the difference between life and death in this treacherous land. An accomplished and fascinating historical adventure story with heart and humor.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

I loved this book both as a young girl and in later life with re-reads. Because of this book I’d longed to see the Swiss Alps – done! See HERE. But back to the book. In case you don’t know this classic story. At the age of five, orphaned Heidi is sent to live with her grandfather in the Alps. Everyone in the village is afraid of him, but Heidi is fascinated by his long beard and bushy grey eyebrows. She loves her life in the mountains, playing in the sunshine and growing up amongst the goats and birds. But one terrible day, Heidi is collected by her aunt and is made to live with a new family in town. While she tries to adapt to city life she secretly longs to find a way back up to the mountain and her beloved grandfather. A childhood favorite that holds up over time. Buy it to read to a young one in your life — that can be your excuse anyway.

The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason

If you’re in need of an intoxicating escape, The Piano Tuner is just the ticket. In 1886 a shy, middle-aged piano tuner named Edgar Drake receives an unusual commission from the British War Office. Edgar has to travel to the remote jungles of northeast Burma and repair a rare piano belonging to a eccentric British officer. The story follows Edgar’s weeks’ long 5,000 mile journey from London by ship, train, carriage, elephant and canoe to complete his assignment. The adventure is interspersed with bits of Burmese history and unforgettable characters. I read this novel 14 year ago and still remember its magical and atmospheric story.

Time and Again by Jack Finney

When asked about my all time favorite books —  Time and Again has a permanent place on that list. I have bought and given away many copies of this book over the years. In 1970, Simon Morley, an advertising sketch artist, is approached by U.S. Army to participate in a secret government project, which involves time travel. Simon jumps at the chance to leave his twentieth-century existence and step back into 1882 New York City.  Aside from his thirst for experience, he has good reason to return to the past—his girlfriend Kate has a curious, half-burned letter dated from that year, which holds a mystery about her lineage.  But when Simon begins to fall in love with a woman he meets in the past, he will be forced to choose between two worlds—forever. What sets this classic time travel novel apart from any other is the detail, the exquisite illustrations and curated photographs.  Mr. Finney’s highly detailed descriptions bring the period to life –  from the interior of the Dakota residence to the often pock-marked faces of the people, unprotected (as they were then) from small pox. Warning, these descriptions may slow you down, but that’s fine, as this is a book to be read slowly and richly savored.

Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain

If I had to choose a favorite Mark Twain novel, it would be this one. Twain’s colorful travelogue is a compilation of the newspaper articles he wrote while on a cruise to Europe, Egypt, and the Holy Land with other American tourists in 1867. His account frequently uses humor to describe the people and places he visits, but the best parts are when Twain uses satire when he becomes cranky with European profiteering or a pointless historical anecdote in Gibraltar. Twain also shows respectful reverence, as in the Canary Islands and the Holy Land. A more serious theme also flows through Twain’s experience. Twain sees the conflict between history and the modern world as he travels with his New World compatriots through the lands of ancient civilizations, ultimately discovering that you can’t believe everything you read in travel guidebooks. If you’re a fellow traveler, and feeling stuck at home, I suggest Innocents Abroad for an armchair view of faraway cultures and places.

The Most of Nora Ephron

I return time after time to this wonderful collection whether to re-read my favorite essay HERE or to dip into any of her works. I’m a huge fan of the sadly departed Nora Ephron, who wrote novels, essays, screen-plays, commentaries and commencement speeches – all included in this hefty volume. If you’re in need of some fun reading, you can’t go wrong with Nora Ephron. My gushing admiration is HERE

I’ll sign off for now, that should give you more books to choose from. I’m working on a final (for now anyway) Part 3 of My Favorite Books.

And remember that social distancing.

Reading in Place My Favorite Books: Part 1

This last week (and whew, what a week, heh?) friends and readers have asked for book recommendations. That’s a tricky endeavor as everyone has unique reading tastes. As a substitute, I thought I’d tackle something I’ve been contemplating a long time — a list of my own favorite books. Before Book Barmy, I kept notebooks of all the books I’d read with my thoughts – so pulling together my Favorite Books list presented quite a job. But seeing as I’m not going anywhere – I’ll give it a shot. Perhaps you’ll want to pick and choose from these Book Barmy favorites for books to read while sheltering in place.

I know the libraries are closed in many areas, so if you want to buy any of these books — Please contact your local independent bookstore. They will happily take your order, personally ship your book(s), and will surely appreciate your distancing business right now. Find your local bookseller HERE

So, in no particular order and surely missing some – here we go. I will use a combination of my own notes and the book blurbs to give you the briefest but most complete synopsis of each book. Many of these books have a permanent place on my shelves, while others are long gone – happily given away to others who will enjoy them.

My Favorite Books – Part 1

Stones for Ibara, by Harriet Doerr

An excellent novel of cultural understanding and misunderstanding — stereotypes, adapting, and the power of grace. Richard and Sara Everton who have come to the small Mexican village of Ibarra to reopen a copper mine abandoned by Richard’s grandfather fifty years before. They have mortgaged, sold, borrowed, left friends and country, to settle in this remote spot; their plan is to live out their lives here, connected to the place and to each other. The two Americans, the only foreigners in Ibarra, live among people who both respect and misunderstand them. And gradually the villagers–at first enigmas to the Evertons–come to teach them much about life and fate.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

This novel will absolutely transport you into the world of a Geisha. Nitta Sayuri tells the story of her life as a geisha. It begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old girl with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. We witness her transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance and music; wearing a kimono; elaborate makeup and hair; pouring sake to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with other geisha for men’s solicitude and the money that goes with it. We enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl’s virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and absorbing novel —romantic, erotic, suspenseful—and, for me, completely unforgettable.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

I never thought I would be interested in, let alone be besotted, by a book about two book artists in golden age of comic books — but this Pulitzer Prize winning novel just blew me away. A young escape artist and budding magician named Joe Kavalier arrives on the doorstep of his cousin, Sammy Clay. While the long shadow of Hitler falls across Europe, America is happily in thrall to the Golden Age of comic books, and Sammy is looking for a way to cash in on the craze. He finds the ideal partner in the aloof, artistically gifted Joe, and together they embark on an adventure that takes them deep into the heart of Manhattan, and the heart of old-fashioned American ambition. From the shared fears, dreams, and desires of two teenage boys, they spin comic book tales of the heroic, fascist-fighting Escapist and the beautiful, mysterious Luna Moth, the otherworldly mistress of the night. The writing is magic as they bring their comic book characters and stories to life — while also carving out their own vivid lives and amazing adventures of their own.

The Griffin and Sabine Series by Nick Bantock

These were hugely popular back in the 90’s and according to many critics,  somewhat of a gimmick – but I adored this series of books and have hung onto them all these years later.  Every so often, I’ll take them down and fall into what is the equivalent of adult pop-up books.

Griffin and Sabine are located on opposite ends of the earth — Griffin is a lonely artist in damp England, while Sabine is a native living on the sun-drenched island of Sicmon in the South Pacific.  We meet them as they have just become pen pals and it is their correspondence back and forth which comprises the Griffin and Sabine books.  Soul mates, they decide to meet, face to face. Their quest (and failures) to meet one another forms the backbone of these books. There are letters to open, postcards to read, handwriting to decipher, maps to study, all, for this reader — pure delight.  You’re given the sensation of having stumbled upon a romantic mystery to which only you are privy – a private secret kept locked between the covers.  The story is nothing much, but the discovery of it is exquisite. The art of these books is in their meticulous printing. There are actual envelopes glued into the text which you open to unfold an actual letter, postcards and beautiful illustrations– a true work of love on the part of Mr. Bantock and the publisher. 

We Took to The Woods by Louise Dickinson Rich

Back as a teen in New Hampshire, we’d experience snow day school closures (much like today’s shelter in place). During one snow day, attracted by the jacket cover inviting me down a snowy path to a snug home in the pines, I picked up my mother’s copy of We Took to The Woods and happily wiled away the afternoon. Louise Dickinson Rich took to the woods of Maine with her husband. There they found their livelihood and raised a family in the remote backcountry of the Rangeley area of Maine. Ms. Rich made time after morning chores to write about their lives. This is not a biography, not even a memoir. Instead, in a very informal, conversational style, Rich answers key questions people have asked her about her life as a writer, a wife, and a mother deep in the north woods of Maine. One question per chapter: “Aren’t You Afraid? Don’t You Get Bored? How Do You Make A Living?” Her answers are candid, funny, detailed, and enlightening. We Took to the Woods is an adventure story, written with humor, but it also portrays a cherished dream realized in a full life. First published in 1942. I have since found my own copy in a used bookstore — but sadly, without my beloved original dust jacket.

The Magicians Assistant by Anne Patchett

Anne Patchett is one of my go-to authors but this has to be my favorite of her novels so far. When Parsifal, a handsome and charming magician, dies suddenly, his widow Sabine–who was also his faithful assistant for twenty years–learns that the family he claimed to have lost in a tragic accident is very much alive and well. She is left to unravel his secrets, and the adventure she embarks upon, from sunny Los Angeles to the bitter windswept plains of Nebraska, will work its own magic on her. A deliciously original story about love — in all its many forms.

My Life In France by Julia Child

This is THE book to read if you want to know about Julia Child. It’s fun, insightful, and delightfully ‘Julia’. Previously on Book Barmy HERE

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

My list would be definitely incomplete without this treasure. I have purchased and given away many copies of this book — one of my top top favorites. Read more HERE

Okay, that’s enough for today. Don’t worry there’s plenty more — see Part 1 above.

I have to get back to a new book which I just started last night. It’s auditioning for this same list…

Comfort Reads – Revisited

I thought it might be a good time to re-post this older installment. My recommendations still hold true. I imagine you’re wanting reading to take your mind off ~~ well, things. So, here you go.

In times of trouble, I turn to comfort reading.  You know what I mean — books where the problems are understandable, humans are mostly kind to one another, and much is resolved over a nice cup of tea.

First, a few requirements, these comfort books must be well written, the stories well developed and the characters multidimensional.  No insipid chick-lit or light romance for me (not that there’s anything wrong with those sorts of books..).

In case you too, are feeling a bit anxious right now, here are some suggestions.  These are my favorite comfortable read authors… many of whom I keep on my shelves to re-read when necessary ~~

Joanna Trollope writes sparklingly readable novels often centered around the nuances and dilemmas of life in present-day England. She is witty, with a truly acute ear for dialogue. Her novels are never long enough for me. I have read most all her novels — some more than once, because she makes me laugh, think and also sometimes groan, at the complexities of modern life.  Her novels take modern life head on; divorce, errant children, flawed friendships and fallen expectations – but all woven with great human resilience.  Recommended: A Village Affair

Marcia Willett is a veddy veddy English author.  Her settings are a major pleasure in reading her books — cottages or large manor homes in the English countryside.  Her plots revolve around the emotional pull of families and friends.  Her characters are always interesting.  The families are complicated, but loved. Friends are irritating, but cherished.   Secrets are revealed in aga-heated kitchens with a pot of tea and fresh baked crumpets. Recommended:  A Week in Winter

I’ve mentioned Bill Bryson before here at Book Barmy, but I turn to him to cheer me up as I laugh out loud at his writing.  My favorite are his wonderfully descriptive travel books – from hiking the Appalachian Trail to traveling in middle American.  Mr. Bryson is a smart writer who has a knack of seeing the wry humor in just about everything. He is also a traveler’s travel writer — not content to follow well-worn tourist locations, but instead visits the obscure and calls out the wacky with often hysterical results.  Recommended:  Neither Here Nor There

Elizabeth Berg.  A fairly recent author discovery for me.  I found a book of hers in one of those little free libraries up in Lake Tahoe.  Opened the book that evening and fell in headfirst, finishing it the next evening.  When I came home, I discovered I had several of her books languishing on my shelves, given to me by friends and my sister.  I had shied away, categorizing her as “woman’s lit”, which I often find trying.  But based on my good experience, I read through another one and am almost through a third.  I wholly agree with Andre Dubus who said  “Berg writes with humor and a big heart about resilience, loneliness, love, and hope. And the transcendence that redeems.”   Woman’s lit, certainly, but with intelligence, depth and heavenly writing.  Recommended:  The Year of Pleasures.

Rosamunde Pilcher, has long been one of my favorite authors ever since I read her best known novel, The Shell Seekers, published in 1987. Her books are a solace — especially made for these bruised and weary days.  Another very British author, her character-driven stories of love in its various forms, flawed families, and steadfast friends have pitch-perfect dialogue and beautifully rendered settings. More than 60 million copies of her books have been sold around the world and there are special tours run in Cornwall, taking busloads of tourists to the locations in her books. Ms. Pilcher’s books live on a high shelf in my bedroom with my other comfort reads above. HERE’S  the list of all her books, all of which I’ve read over the years and recommend for a lovely escape.

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Hoping everyone stays well.

The Bucolic Plague by Josh Kilmer-Purcell

I can imagine you read that title and thought– What? How inappropriate. Book Barmy toting a book about a plague? But please read that title carefully folks — it’s a ‘bucolic’ plague — not the scary plague.

The very timely-titled The Bucolic Plague is a wonderfully funny memoir about what happens when two New Yorker’s (one an ex-drag queen) do the unthinkable: start over, have a herd of kids, and get a little dirty. (That bit is from the books’ inside cover blurb — but it was too good not to copy).

One autumn Sunday, Josh Kilmer-Purcell and his partner, Dr. Brent Ridge, were headed back to Manhattan after apple picking in upstate New York. They stumbled into the little town of Sharon Springs — where they found their dream home — the historic 19th-century Beekman mansion — complete with a 60-acre farm. And so they bought it — using most of their savings.

And now a brief message from Book Barmy: Ahh, you say, I’ve read this type of book before, city folks move to the country and find their bliss. Trust me, this is NOT that book.

From the Author’s Caution:

This book is not about living your dream. It will not inspire you. You will not be emboldened to attempt anything more than making a fresh pot of coffee. The author reminds you that there are plenty of other memoirs out there written by courageous souls who have broken with their past … and have successfully achieved goals… The author notes that those memoirs are generally full of more s#@* than a barn at the end of a long winter.

Back to our regularly scheduled post: Now our intrepid couple had to figure out how to balance their busy careers during the week (Josh, an advertising executive and Brent a VP for Martha Stewart Living). They envisioned leisurely weekends away from the city as gentlemen farmers. Then Josh hires a live-in caretaker who just happens to bring along his herd of goats. And, well, if they have goats, they might as well have chickens. How about a cow for cheese? And they must have a garden. And then a bigger garden. When they gave friends and family handmade goat milk soap at Christmas – they began taking orders for the soap and soon Beekman 1802 was born and grew into an artisan mercantile company.

Later, after the publication of this book, they launched their own reality show called The Fabulous Beekman Boys (google it) and even had a role on The Amazing Race (they won!).

The Bucolic Plague is the unvarnished story of their journey — as they make their way from hectic Manhattan lives to even more hectic, but bucolic, lives on a farm. They face harsh realities, failures, doubts, and stinky, filthy chores. Just to give you a taste of their new normal — they encountered an invasion of flies (as icky as it sounds), a tricky birth of triplet goats (not for the fainting type), and the perils of food preserving (at least no one got sick).

There are celebrity encounters — mostly with Martha Stewart, who Mr. Kilmer-Purcell regards with a mix of wonder, snark and disbelief. His account of transporting a flock of baby goats into NYC for an appearance on Martha’s television show is downright hilarious.

The couple’s relationship struggles under the financial strains and a schedule that leaves little room for sleep, let alone, togetherness. Throughout The Bucolic Plague, I was rooting for this couple to stay together and make a success of their farm.

Book Barmy pro-tip, do not read this book in bed, as you will irritate your sleeping partner. I was snorting and cackling all the way through the many adventures of Josh and Brent. I had trouble putting it down and tried, with little success, to ration it out, so it wouldn’t end too soon.

Mr. Kilmer-Purcell has written a laugh-out-loud funny, yet moving, account of dreams lost and then realized. And no such journey can be complete without compromise, set-backs, and great heart.

So — you’re hunkered down, staying at home and you want something light- hearted and fun to read, then The Bucolic Plague is highly recommended.

My only complaint is that book didn’t have any photos of their beautiful house and farm. So here you go ~~

Stay home, read good books — stay well, read good books.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Today is my younger sister’s birthday. I bought her this book as a joke gift, never intending to read it.

But, then I read good reviews and learned that it was up for both the Booker and the Woman’s Prize. So, with the deadline of my sister’s birthday approaching, I opened it up the other week and dove in.

Korede’s sister Ayoola has the inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends, the latest named Femi:

“Femi makes three, you know. Three and they label you a serial killer.”

My Sister the Serial Killer is written by a Nigerian novelist, and is set in Lagos, Nigeria. Korede’s younger sister Ayoola is many things: beautiful, self-involved, vain, everyone’s darling, and yes, a serial killer. Korede works as a nurse and lives at home with her mother and Ayoola. She is fastidious in her job, but doesn’t really have any friends due to keeping her sister’s secrets and cleaning up her messes, literally.

We begin in the middle of the action: Ayoola calls Korede in the middle of the night for help — she has stabbed her newest boyfriend. Out of necessity, Korede has become an expert at crime scene cleaning and evidence concealment. (Bleach is the best way to remove blood if you’re wondering or know your own serial killer.) Her life has become move the body, dispose of the body, clean up after the body, and hardest of all — stop her sister from carrying on with her social media posting as if nothing happened – and advising Ayoola to at least act sad about her latest ‘missing’ boyfriend.

But, everything changes when Ayoola sets her sites on a doctor Korede’s secretly in love with. Forced to sit back and watch in utter fear as Ayoola successfully flirts with him, Korede is faced with an inner battle to save the man she loves or to protect her sister.

Driven by her passion, and the fear she and her sister might get caught ~~ because, oops, Korede confessed everything to a patient who was in a coma but is now awake—Korede makes choices she never even imagined were possible.

The sisters’ story goes back and forth from their troubled childhood, to the present, to the near past, and onward. The story becomes deeper and more nuanced than one would first assume — as more history is revealed.

Nigerian culture is sprinkled throughout. There’s the heat, the food, and the traffic. The police are portrayed as corrupt and easily bribed. Even though their dead father was cruel and abusive, the mother and daughters are expected to host the annual lavish party to remember him.

My Sister, The Serial Killer isn’t a crime novel as such – there’s no mystery and no detection. It’s really the story of sisters and their relationship — the loyalty and the rivalry. It’s often darkly funny, but also tense, and unexpectedly poignant. There’s a scene where Ayoola is happily lapping ice cream while her (murdered) boyfriend’s sister is sobbing in grief — which stopped me cold.

This is a short little novel which you could read in one sitting, but you’ll want to linger, as it’s a very artfully written book. And, as an added bonus, you’ll learn how to clean a crime scene – just in case a family member goes rogue.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister, who, as far as I know, is not a serial killer.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

I didn’t intend to read this book — it wasn’t on my TBR list or even on my radar, but read inhale it, I did.

It was a really slow day at the bookstore and I was shelving fiction when I recognized Ms. Moriarty’s name from one of my favorite TV series Big Little Lies. This popular Australian author is known for writing a book a year, and I would categorize her novels as Chic-Lit Thriller (I just made that up).

I decided to randomly pick one of her titles to browse through it – just browse, mind you – there’s a ton of books at home to read, I told myself.

Seventy two hours later, I closed Nine Perfect Strangers and looked around blurry eyed, as if emerging from a cave.

The setting is Tranquillum House, a remote health resort in Australia and nine people have gathered to revive their lives — some to loose weight, some to gain mindfulness, and others just to get a fresh start. Frances Welty, a middle-aged, romance writer whose novel sales have been dwindling, arrives at the health resort with a bad back and a broken heart. She quickly realizes that most of her fellow guests don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. The owner/director of the resort is odd, but charismatic, and Frances wonders if she should leave or stick it out. But stay she does and as she participates in the meditation, Tai Chi, and drinks the daily smoothies – Frances begins to feel a great deal better.

Several chapters go into the psyche and problems of each of the guests. We learn about their problems; marriage issues, a family recovering from the loss of a child, a has-been soccer player – all of them seeking health and bliss. But, the main focus is on Frances and Masha, the spa director. I laughed out loud at Frances and nodded in agreement at her attitude towards wellness and dieting. I had empathy for some of the characters and frustration with others, but overall I had anxiety on behalf of all of them — Tranquillum House is not all it appears to be. To paraphrase Bette Davis – fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be total nutter of a ride.

As the plot unspools, the transformative spa treatments start to take a dark turn. Masha gets weirder and the guests start to have strange interludes. I’ll stop there and won’t divulge any more. Just know there are lots of plot twists and some Agatha Christie-type scenes — all of which kept me turning the pages and turning the pages…

Nine Perfect Strangers is not high literary fiction, instead it has a ridiculous plot with some cliché characters, but it is also quirky, fun, and entertaining. The ending is a bit over the top, but the final chapters nicely tie up each characters’ story. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the book — Ms. Moriarty certainly can write a page turner and I now understand why she is a best selling author.

But now, afterwards, I think the experience was akin to eating cotton candy. Lots of fun — but why?

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I’ve read that Nicole Kidman bought the rights to Nine Perfect Strangers and is planning a series. Come to think of it, she would make the perfect Masha.