NOT Cheaper by the Dozen, But Still Buying

This is my pile of finished books.

This is what I think of them:

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Holy Cheese, why did I wait so long to read this book?!  Kristin Hannah is a genius. I'm probably the last human on earth that has NOT read this book, but if by chance you haven't,  do so NOW.  

The end.

Delicious by Ruth Reichl

This story of a young writer at a food magazine in New York is truly delicious! (Ha!) Through a hidden treasure of letters to James Beard written by a twelve-year-old girl during WWII, Reichl seamlessly combines the past with our present.  Love this quote from the book: 

"History is the story we tell the future about the past, and we have an obligation to get it right."

Ruth Reichl got it right.

The Oregon Trail, A New American Journey by Rinker Buck

Rinker Buck and his brother Nick cross the 2000 mile Oregon Trail with a covered wagon pulled by three mules.  Hilarity and salty language ensues.  An epic memoir about the first authentic attempt to drive the Oregon trail in over 100 years, it will make you also want to "See America Slowly". 

And now, three by Alexander McCall Smith

#ilovethismansomuch #icanbarelywriteablog #howdoeshedoit

The Revolving Door of Life

A 44 Scotland Street Novel

Happily for seven-year-old Bertie, his mother is stuck in a Bedouin harem, (don't worry, everyone's better off with her there), and his loving Grandmother has come to Edinburgh. Will this happy state of affairs last?  And what of the other quirky inhabitants of Scotland Street?  Read this latest delightful installment to find out:)

My Italian Bulldozer

Okay, now I want to move to a small hill town in Tuscany and drive around the countryside on a bulldozer. Really, how much charming inventiveness can one writer possess?

Chance Developments

The answer to the question above is: apparently a lot more.  Inspired by an exhibit of old "orphaned" photographs, McCall Smith has woven five lovely short stories out of nothing but his fertile imagination.  I've come to the conclusion that reading anything by him is like eating dessert first.

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

1950's Irish girl moves to Brooklyn and falls in love with an Italian boy. Expect gentle heartbreak and drama, with a sprinkling of sweet romance. I've heard great things about the movie 

but haven't seen it.  Loved the book! 

The Three-Year Swim Club by Julie Checkoway

This is the true story of how dirt-poor "sugar ditch" plantation kids on Maui learn to swim and conquer the world. Well, at least the world of swimming! This is not as well known a story as The Boys in the Boat, but it is just as inspiring.  And timely, too! Read it, watch the Rio Olympics, and wonder at what the human body and mind are capable of.  

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. It is 678 pages, but a story this big needs lots of words to do it justice. Briefly, two cousins from different worlds collide in pre-WWII New York and create a sensation in the golden-age of comics.  Not "in" to comics, you say?  Don't worry, that's just the vehicle Chabon uses to weave this intricate tale. Give yourself a lot of time for this one.

The Pursuit by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg must have such fun writing books together, because I have a blast reading the results!  Once again FBI agent Kate O'Hare and international con man Nicolas Fox, (get it? Fox and Hare?!), are working together to save the world from really big meanies.  We know they will succeed, but it sure is fun finding out how they do it!  Love these guys.

A Bed of Scorpions by Judith Flanders

Book editor Samantha Clair's second adventure, following A Murder of Magpies, is a literary treat! This time Flanders threw big-time art collecting in the mix. So, in conclusion, any book about books, art, murder and set in London gets a big thumbs up from me!

and finally...

Journey to Munich, A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear

Another of the authors I can't get enough of.  This time Maisie is sent to Munich to rescue an important British subject from prison, and she will have to face her greatest fear to do it. Set in the days just prior to Great Britain's entrance into the war, the tension and danger become secondary characters of the story. This is the fifth story in my pile that deals with the horrors of WWII. That's a good thing, lest we forget.