The Twelve Books of Christmas - 2020

Welcome to the Twelve Books of Christmas! This is an opportunity to see what books have made a difference to others this year!  I hope you find that perfect book to start out the new year! 

Brittany was the first to submit her favorites this year.  Brittany and I share book titles all of the time, and it makes me happy that my former student is such an avid reader.  Here are her picks for the year:  

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow.  "This book makes you question reality and makes you ask a lot of 'what if' questions."  This is Brittany's favorite book of the year.  

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware.  "Thriller, but it comes off as a horror.  Read it in bed at night and almost went and sat in the living room with hubby because I was scared."  

 Beth:  Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen.  "Lots of great hard-earned life lessons: perseverance, hard work, determination, the right amount of ego and humility.  Well-written and very readable."  

Jess:  Former student Jess recommends the Comic series "Red Mother is really good and the first volume trade paperback with issues 1-5 is out.  It's the kind of horror I like; the psychological kind."  

Alex:  "Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi because we all need more non-white, non cis, and non-Western writing in our lives.  Trigger warning for sexual assault, self-harm, suicide, drugs, and lots of other stuff."  

Lynn:  "Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance - excellent read for adults. My YA pick is Know My Name by Chanel Miller.  My older elementary pick is Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, and my primary pick is The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert.

Rachel:  Another former student :) recommends The Troop by Nick Cutter.  "It's a haunting story about survival.  It is relevant to the pandemic and isolation.  The images created by him are so unique and fantastic."  

Pat:  Pat recommends "Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks.  "Good pandemic read and great strength of women read."

Brenda:  Brenda recommends Victoria and Victoria and Albert by Daisy Goodwin.  "Both were interesting, but Victoria has a writing style I prefer.  Next on my list is American Jennie:  the Remarkable Life of Lady Randolph Churchill.  Fascinating look at life of the aristocrats of Europe during the turn of the century and Winston Churchill's young life.  It is the same time period as Downton Abbey."  

Nancy:  "A great oldie but goodie in this vein is The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton."  

Josh:  (former student alert!) "A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, and The Memory Place of Mateo Ricci by Jonathan Spence.  Neither are new books, but new to me this year."  

Tara:  (another former student alert!:)) "My favorite book of 2020 is Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows.  It shared a glimpse into a culture I knew little about.  It has a bit of everything in it.  I would even read it again someday." Side note - Great book!  I purchased it in London, and bought it back stateside to read.  I have shared it with my sister-in-law, and she loved it too!  I would highly recommend!

And finally - my recommendations!

I have read a lot of books since January, and most have been to help me along my spiritual journey.  I have a few favorites, and here they are:  

Mary Magdalene Revealed:  The First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel, and the Christianity We Haven't Tried Yet by Meggan Watterson.  Mary Magdalene was so much more than what we have been led to believe.  Want to shake up what you have always been taught about her?  Give this book a read!

The Way of the Rose:  The Radical Path of the Diving Feminine Hidden in the Rosary by Clark Strand and Perdita Finn.  A former Zen Buddhist monk experiences an apparition of Mary, Mother of Jesus.  Mary speaks of the power of praying the rosary, and its miraculous power to heal.  If if you have fear, there is no reason to fear because Mary is always with us.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle.  This is our wake up call!  We must love ourselves and be our authentic selves before we can truly erase that feeling of longing inside of each of us.  There is a cheetah in each of us that longs to be free.  This book had many "yes!" moments for me!  I will be forever grateful to my friend, Marcia, who handed me the book and said, "This book reminds me so much of you.  I thought of you so many times as I read these pages. You need to read this book!"

Thanks for all of you for your contributions!  It has been a tough year for most, but look around at the good that has occurred. What have your learned about yourself this year?  What little things did you take for granted?  What things have you let go as they no longer serve you?  What life lessons were sent your way?  There has been pain, but there has been growth as well.  May 2021 find you continuing to grow emotionally, spiritually, and mentally.  My best wishes are with you - always!

Circe by Madeline Miller

 Our lives are a journey, and the path we choose will mold us and shape us.  These journeys are also known as pilgrimages, quests, passages, and odysseys.  One of the most famous odysseys is that of Odysseus.  Homer shared the stories of Odysseus and his travels after the Trojan War. Most people are familiar with some of the history and mythology that surrounds this time period.  The Trojan War lasted ten years, and when the war was over, Odysseus and his men started their journey home.  Because Odyssues angered Poseidon, the god of the seas, Odysseus did not return home for another ten years.  

During Odysseus's journey home to Ithaca, Odysseus and his men make landing on a beautiful island.  This island is inhabited by a witch who is the daughter of Helios. The witch is Circe, and this is her story.

Circe was the daughter of a nymph and Helios, but she was never wanted or loved by her parents. This creates a sense of isolation for Circe, and because of some bad decisions, she is exiled for an eternity by her father to a deserted island. 

 Exile and isolation is difficult even for strongest of humans.  Circe struggles with the quiet at first, but then she learns to create potions, salves, and learns the art of spell work.  When Odysseus and his men arrive on her island, she at first turns his men into pigs, but the Circe and Odysseus eventually come to an agreement and he and his men stay with her for a year while repairing their ship and making it seaworthy.

 “But in a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth. Such a constellation was he to me.” Odysseus and Circe become lovers and confidants, but Odysseus has a home and family in Ithaca. As Odysseus prepares to go home to his wife and son, Circe realizes she is pregnant, but she does not share that information with Odysseus before he leaves.

Circe is a complex character, but as her quest progresses, she learns about love, forgiveness, and righting the wrongs that have haunted her entire existence. She learns to live. “Only that: we are here. This is what it means to swim in the tide, to walk the earth and feel it touch your feet. This is what it means to be alive.”

I loved the language, the imagery, and the mythology that surrounds the character of the book.  I taught the Odyssey in freshman English for many years, so delving deeper into Circe's life and background was as magical as the character.  Lose yourself in the language of the book and find a bit of yourself on this adventure.

Mary Magdalene Revealed: The First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel, and the Christianity We Haven’t Tried Yet. by Meggan Watterson

Was she a prostitute?  Was she Jesus’s companion?  Who was the woman who was the first to see the risen Christ?  What is really true about the woman who is part of the early Christian movement?  

Meggan Watterson has spent years researching Mary Magdalene and the legend that surrounds her.  Why has she been so hidden in history?  What was so dangerous about her life and teachings that caused an order that her book be destroyed?  What was so powerful in her book that caused monks at that time to disobey the order and bury copies of her book in various places around Egypt?  Three copies of the Gospel of Mary have been found, but interestingly enough, the first six pages are missing in every copy.

“The commonality between all of these early Christian sacred texts found buried in Egypt is that they spoke of this hidden, more human, and feminine side of Christ, of Mary Magdalene’s importance, and of salvation as an inward act of personal transformation (Watterson 3).  So in essence, we have the power to perceive the divine within us, and that was a very dangerous thing in early Christianity and for many years after.  

Mary’s gospel speaks of seven powers of the ego that must be overcome to achieve salvation. The seven powers are darkness,  craving, ignorance, craving for death, enslavement to the physical body, the false peace of the flesh, and the compulsion of rage.  Watterson likens these to the seven deadly sins of Christianity.  She also believes that these are the demons that were cast out by Christ - mentioned in Luke 8:2.

In this book, we follow Watterson to the south of France to learn what she can about Mary Magdalene and her life and teachings.  She finds much about Mary there, but she also finds herself.  ‘And this is how you rise; further up is farther in.  And the darkness is where the light has always been.  here in the heart is the treasure. And you remember again and again, I am here (Watterson 221).  

I learned a great deal from this book.  First of all, I had no idea that Mary’s gospel even existed.  Watterson is good to give us her sources, and these are readily available online or in many local libraries, but to not know this book and several others even existed was mind-boggling.  I also learned about the red thread - the threadAriadne gave to Theseus to help with find his way out of the maze after he killed the Minotaur (I always had sympathy for the Minotaur though), and the Japanese thought that the thread has to do with our fate.  Did the Fates use a red thread when they decided how long a human would live immediately after birth?

I find that I am now wearing a red thread on my left wrist. I was inspired by Watterson and Mary.  The thread symbolizes the feminine, but more importantly, it symbolizes Mary Magdalene and the journey I am on to find the truths in her message. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Lake House by Kate Morton

What does Amoeba Records have in common with Lake House? Amoeba Records on Sunset Blvd  is where I found this wonderful book.  Little did I know that Amoeba carried used books, but it’s true!  There was a wonderful assortment of books, as well as records, CDs, shirts, and so much more! Check out this iconic store if you are ever in Los Angeles!

Sophie Sparrow is a detective with the London MET, and she is very good at her job.  Sometimes cases get under her skin, and the Bailey case was certainly one that Sophie could not forget.  Since she is forced to take some time off from her position, she ends up in Cornwall and spends some time with her grandfather, Bertie.  Sophie stumbles on a old house, and starts asking questions about the house’s history.

Sophie finds out that the house’s owner is a world famous mystery author, but there is also a family tragedy that caused the family to leave the house in 1933 and move to London.  The family never returned to the Lake House.

This book is told from the view of Alice, who is the famous mystery author, and Sophie Sparrow, who feels she can find the answers to the tragic cold case from 1933.  I thought I had figured out the “mystery” of the book, then I would discover that theory was entirely incorrect.  Several times I thought I had figured out the case, and then I would be sent off in another direction.  I didn’t figure out the ending until the characters did.  I love books like this!

I highly recommend Lake House by Kate Morton.  Pick up a copy!

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

“The dead are never far from us. They're in our hearts and on our minds and in the end all that separates us from them is a single breath, one final puff of air.” 

This is one of the most beautiful lines in the book, Ordinary Grace.  Ordinary Grace marks one of my favorite reads for this year, and it is right up there for one of the best books I have ever read (listened to).  This book was recommended by a friend, and the only copy I could find from my local library was an audio version.  

The audio version is fantastic, and the reader, Rich Orlow, is amazing in his narration.  Within a few minutes of listening to the first chapter, I was drawn in.  

Frank is a thirteen year old boy who lives in New Bremen, Minnesota.  He is entering a fateful summer where his family, friends, and the community will encounter great despair, loss, betrayal, and the loss of innocence.  

As we grow up and become adults, we realize that sometimes adults keep secrets.  Once we realize what those secrets might be, do we keep those to ourselves, or do we tell?  

This book reminds me very much of my all time favorite book, To Kill A Mockingbird. This book, like Mockingbird, has a thought- provoking message, and is uplifting - even in the face of extreme tragedy. Sometimes, a child a greater wisdom than adults.

Read this book when you have the opportunity.  I hope it will be on your list of favorites as well as it is on mine. 

“The miracle is this: that you will rise in the morning and be able to see again the startling beauty of the day.”

The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo

How many lives were changed on September 11, 2001?  Many lives were lost that day, but for those of us who were survivors, did we cherish our families more?  Did we decide to push away our fears and take chances that we wouldn't have before?  Were we drawn to certain people because we were together the moment that first plane hit the tower?

Lucy and Gabe meet on the morning of September 11, 2001.  They are seniors at Columbia University, and sit together on the roof of the dormitory to watch the towers collapse.  They are drawn together by the tragedy, and though they don't date each other, they are linked in spirit. 

Fast forward two years, and Lucy bumps into Gabe at a bar in New York City.  Their attraction is immediate, and they spend the next year together in Gabe's apartment.  But 9/11 weighs heavily on Gabe, and he feels he needs to do more to help humanity.  He goes to school to learn photography, and decides to travel to the Middle East to find his dream job. 

Meanwhile, Lucy is brokenhearted, and she decides to stay in her job of writing scripts for a children's television show.  Gabe is never far from her thoughts, but she knows he will never be entirely hers ever again.

This book is a very easy read for those who don't have much time to read long chapters. The content held my attention, and I usually read longer than I intended.  The Light We Lost also makes one think about the love we leave behind because the timing might not have been right, or the distance was too great, or a myriad of other instances. The question remains:   What if? 

Next Year In Havana by Chanel Cleeton

What would happen if there was talk of a revolution?  What would you do?  Would you continue to support the current government, or would you watch, wait, and bide your time?  What would happen to you?  To your family?  To your friends?  Could you walk away from the country and never know when you might return? If ever?

Marisol is traveling to Cuba to write a travel article about its beaches, restaurants, and the beauty of the island.  She is also surreptitiously carrying her grandmother's ashes because being buried in Cuba was her grandmother's final wish.  The travel article is supposedly the main reason she is in the country, but really, the main reason is to scatter her grandmother's ashes somewhere on the island.  Her grandmother never gave Marisol any indication where she wanted her ashes scattered, so it is up to Marisol to decide the most fitting place.

Marisol received many warnings from her great aunts to be vigilant while on the island, but with the death of Fidel Castro, she feels that she will be safe. The Perez family fled the island shortly after Fidel Castro became the dictator of the island and began executing anyone who had ties to the former president, Batista.  Marisol doesn't realize that anyone with the Perez name will be on the radar of Cuban officials. 

Marisol's journey to learning her grandmother's story, and the stories of those of her aunts and uncle leads to even more questions, fear for those she has come to love, and a romance.  The sights and smells of Cuba make it a tantalizing place to visit, but the people of Cuba are still victims of an authoritarian society, so life is still very difficult for most residents of the country. This book is a wonderful read, and just getting to know the island and its proud people makes the story. 

The people of Cuba are survivors.  They will continue to fight for their cause and their rights.