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.
