Monday, January 29, 2018

For Avid Readers: Books That Recommend Themselves



From Kate’s Writing Crate…


All of these books have characters or the author recommending many other books. As an avid reader, I can never have enough book recommendations. Enjoy!



Memoirs:

          Ann Hood’s memoir, Morningstar: Growing Up with Books, is a perfect example. As she shares her childhood memories of growing up in West Warwick, RI, she also discusses books she read that expanded her horizons. As the daughter of immigrants that couldn’t or didn’t have time to read, there were no books in her home so Hood cherished any book she could get her hands on at school, the library, or, joy of all joys, a bookstore.

When she was only four, Hood had one thought: “I want to live inside a book.” Later, she decided to be an author and make her wish come true.

          Join her as she reminisces about Little Women, Marjorie Morningstar, The Bell Jar, A Stone for Danny Fisher, The Harrad Experiment, Rabbit, Run, and many more books that impacted her life and career.



          Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Dirda shares his love of books in Browsings: A Year of Reading, Collecting, and Living with Books. In his essays, Dirda covers favorite authors, books, and thoughts on writing and the times we live in as well as what he reads while traveling. His On Conan Doyle memoir is also a great read. (See post dated 11/23/15.)

         


If mysteries are of interest:

The Secret, Book & Scone Society, by Ellery Adams, is set in Miracle Springs, a delightful town that is known for a healing spa that attracts many tourists. There is also a bookstore run by Nora, a bibliotherapist—a person who knows just which books customers need to read—and a bakery owned by Hester that specializes in off-the-menu comfort scones—original, made-to-order scones with the fragrance and taste guaranteed to bring back fond memories to each customer.

One visitor who meets Nora on a bench in town needs her help, but first he takes her advice to buy a comfort scone then head to the bookstore for recommendations, but he never arrives—suicide or murder? The disreputable and misogynist sheriff deems it suicide without much of an investigation. Nora, Hester, June, a worker at the thermal pools, and Estella, a beauty salon owner, are determined to get answers and so the Secret, Book & Scone Society is founded.



          Ellery Adams has written many other books including a book retreat series, starting with Murder in the Mystery Suite, set in a small town in Virginia. It’s the home of Storyton Hall, a 50-bedroom mansion privately owned, but run as a hotel for bibliophiles. There are several libraries and reading rooms for visitors including the Jane Austen Parlor, the Ian Fleming Lounge, the Isak Dinesen Safari Room, the Daphne du Maurier Morning Room, and the Beatrix Potter Playroom.

          Owned by Aloysius and Octavia Steward, their widowed grandniece, Jane, manages the hotel as well as her six-year-old twin boys. She is also planning a murder mystery event which, of course, turns deadly seemingly over the book given to the winner of a scavenger hunt.

          Jane is shaken by this event, but her life turns upside down when her aunt has a stroke and the Steward family secrets about Storyton Hall are imparted to her.

          The adventure continues in Murder in the Paperback Parlor and Murder in the Secret Garden.



          The Three Pines series by Louise Penny is set in a tiny village in Canada just north of the Vermont border. Centered around a village green, there is a gourmet bistro, a B&B,  a general store, a bakery, and a bookstore owned by a retired therapist.

Residents are friendly as most have lived there their whole lives, but how well do people ever really know each other when one of them is a murderer? Inspector Gamache and his big-city homicide team are going to find out in Still Life.

          The 13-book series continues with crimes that lead back to or take place in Three Pines, but Inspector Gamache and his team are also under attack from within the police force. Mistakes are made. People die. But through it all, Inspector Gamache stands for justice. (See post dated 8/14/17).




Poetry:

          Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver includes poems she has written during her over 50-year career. Known especially for her poems about nature, this book gives readers a feel for her work as each section is based on one of her previous books. If you enjoy any of them, you can read even more by going to the original books. As a dog owner, I am a big fan of her pieces from Dog Songs, but most of her poems speak to me so I’ve read a dozen of her books.


          I also recommend Blue Pastures for all writers. Selections from this book are not included in Devotions, but Blue Pastures tells the story of how Mary Oliver came to be a writer and poet. (See posts dated 3/21/16 & 4/4/16.)




          Just for Fun:

          I’ve discovered a series of inspirational paperback journals (Write Now Journals) with fun and/or thoughtful quotes and drawings on the covers and throughout. Among my favorites are: “I must be a mermaid..I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.” –Anais Nin; (a dog-themed journal) “…our friend for always and always and always.” –Rudyard Kipling; and “Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak.” –Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati.


These are fabulous pages for jotting or recording books you’ve read or books you want to read. 




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