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.

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

Where is technology leading us?  Are we making advancements so rapidly that we do not fully understand all of the possible consequences?  How can we fight terrorism?  Is religion even relevant in these time?  How do we decide what is truth, and what are untruths that are repeated so often that we come to believe them?  "In Mein Kampf Hitler wrote, 'The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly - it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.'" We hear the lies, and then they are no longer lies, but truths.

We are living in a world where fake news can help determine a national election.  One can search online for a particular pair of shoes, or a certain business, and then an algorithm is created that starts sending you information about things you 'like."  What can one person do? 

This book helped me understand why I continually feel so helpless with the matters of the world.  What is the future of humans?  How can we deal with some of society's greatest challenges when many people are trying to raise their families, make a living and are not personally affected by some of these issues?

I had to put this book down several times as there is a lot of information to digest.  "If you feel overwhelmed by the global predicament, you are on the right track.  Global processes have become too complicated for any single person to understand."  So, take your time with this book.  Read it. Put it down, then continue reading as there are some glimmers of hope within its pages as well.

There were a lot of takeaways from this book, but here are a few that I will share within this blog.  "Democracy is founded on the idea that the voter knows best." Harari points out that most humans make their decisions based on emotion rather than any rational decision.  The voter may be using his vote to keep "autonomy and power" for himself or others like him.

Harari also recommends that if you want reliable information, pay for it!  If you get your news for free, then you may not be getting an accurate version.  (Social media - I am looking at you!  Social media users - I am looking at YOU if you read it, believe it, and share it!) Don't be part of the problem.

And finally, as an educator, this book made me think about how much information I give my students.  Havari states that students don't need any more information, but they need the ability to process and make sense of the information.  Students need to be able to figure out what information is important and what is not.  We don't know what skills our students will need in twenty-five years, but they will need general life skills.  Our students may have to continually reinvent themselves to order to find employment as jobs that were available when I was a student are now automated.  What other jobs will be automated within the next five years?  What other jobs will be created?  How can we prepare our students for jobs that don't even exist?

Once you read this book. let me know your thoughts.  Let's talk.

This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

As a mother, I have often wondered how I would parent a child who was transgender. Would I say the right things?  Would I be able to help this child become the person that he or she needed to become?  What could I do to protect my child from those who have closed minds?  From those who hate?  From those who might intend to harm my child?

Rosie and Penn are the parents of five boys, but from the moment Claude is born, they know that Claude is not typical.  Claude is interested in wearing dresses, barrettes, and bikinis in the summer. "Penn knew in his heart that Claude should be who he was."  Rosie and Penn decides to let Claude be who he is, and Claude decides that she wants to be known as Poppy and be a girl. Penn and Rosie live in Madison, Wisconsin, and even though the Madison area is pretty open-minded, there were still those who would never understand why Poppy's parents would allow such behavior from a child. "How did you teach your small human that it is what's inside that counts when the truth was everyone was pretty preoccupied with what you put on the outside too?"

After a couple of very scary encounters in Madison, Penn and Rosie decide to leave Madison and move to Seattle so their family will be safe, and they can start anew.  But secrets cannot remain secrets forever, and the time comes when their family has to meet their secrets and the pain that those secrets have caused head on.

All around us is intolerance.  I see it every day.  I hear it in the words of those around me.  People share videos and memes on social media.  They think their views are black and white, right and wrong. They have no middle. But what this is really about is fear:  the fear of change and the unfamiliar. When Rosie travels to Thailand, she meets a transgender who explains how to live in the "middle way."  "All is change...The people who do not understand are change.  The people who afraid are change. There is no before and no after because change is what is life.  You live in change, in in between."

I loved this book.  I loved the characters, the poetry of the writing, but mostly, I loved the message.  "Dispelling fear.  Taming what was scary not by hiding it, not by blocking it or burying it, not by keeping it secret, but by reminding themselves and everyone else, to choose love, choose openness, to think, and be calm.  There were more ways than just two, wider possibilities than hidden or betrayed, stalled, or brokenhearted, male or female, right or wrong. Middle ways. Ways beyond."

The suicide rate for transgender children is 41.8% - and that statistic is just from respondents to the survey. (American Academy of Pediatrics) These children feel their families reject them; they endure bullying, and sometimes are the targets of violence. These children do not understand what is happening to them and why they are different from their classmates. When Poppy asks Rosie how to be happy in this life, she tells her, "The real trick is you have to forge your way straight ahead through the trees where there is no path."

What can we do?  We can be more tolerant. We can understand that we are not to judge. It's hard growing up, but it's even harder when we have to endure cruelties.  In the words of the author, Laurie Frankel, "For my child, for all our children, I want more options, more paths through the woods, wider ranges of normal, and unconditional love."  We have love within us.  Let's spread that around.

In Praise of Difficult Women: Life Lessons from 29 Heroines Who Dared to Break the Rules by Karen Karbo

On a recent visit to Los Angeles, I was fortunate to visit Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale.  I admit, I was wondering how much I would like a museum on the grounds of one of largest cemeteries in the country.  However, I was game for some adventure, so away I went!

The drive to the museum was one I will never forget.  The lawn was awash with poinsettias.  It was utterly both sad and beautiful.  Forest Lawn is set up to be more of a park than a cemetery, so people relax and picnic on the grounds, and there is the sound of laughter in the air.  It was on these grounds that I found a very special museum.

The Forest Lawn Museum was hosting a special exhibit that was called Women of Vision. The works of eleven photojournalists from National Geographic were highlighted within this exhibit.  I was awed by the beauty, yet sensitive nature of the photos.  Some of these women spent four years living side by side with people from other cultures to learn about their thoughts, hopes, and fears.  But I digress...

On the way out of the exhibit, I perused the gift shop, and two life-changing things happened.  The first was as I was viewing a painting called Song of Angels, 1881 by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Within that painting, I saw my mother, and she was an angel.  I sucked in my breath, and it was all I could do not to break into sobs. One of the angels depicted within that painting looks just like a younger version of my mother.  I took a picture of the banner advertising the exhibit, but it isn't the same as viewing the painting.  The second extraordinary thing that happened was finding the book In Praise of Difficult Women on the shelves of the gift shop.

I didn't buy the book on the spot, but I did take a picture of the cover so I could check with my local library to see if the book was available.  Inside the pages of the book are the abbreviated biographies of twenty-nine difficult women - twenty-nine extraordinary, sassy, mouthy, difficult women.

Some of these women's stories were heartbreaking, devastating, and life-altering, but each story speaks of strength, tenacity, and well, being difficult.  From Frida Kahlo, who at the age of eighteen suffered a horrific street car accident, to Carrie Fisher, who suffered a lifetime of mental illness, these brief glimpses into the lives of twenty-nine women push me to become...well, more difficult. 

"These difficult women give us permission to occupy space in our worlds, to say what we think, and to stand our ground.  They give us permission to be ambitious, passionate, curmudgeonly, outspoken, persistent, sassy, and angry.  They tell us by their words and deeds, that it's all right to occupy our humanity."

I have been told many times that I am a "difficult" woman.  I don't always follow the "rules" by being a submissive female.  I once walked away from a job because the owner thought women only should clean and mop, not to be involved in the business aspect.  I had a department head once tell a member of my department that I "asked too many questions."  As a chair of a church committee, I once had a high ranking state church official tell me that meetings would on his schedule, not on my committee's schedule.  (For the record, the meetings were on my committee's schedule, and being called "Little Missy Chair" was reported to his superiors.)

Thanks to my father, being difficult is in my blood.  I will continue to be difficult, and I hope you will be difficult along with me. Stand for what you believe.  Don't let anyone tell you that you cannot follow your dreams, and live the life you were meant to live. 

Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland

What can I say?  I love, love, love this book!  I was only able to listen to the audio version as the ebook was not available, but I was hooked from the first few lines.  Imogene Church does a magnificent job of narrating, and I made good use of my new airbuds (Thanks D and L)! 

Loveday Cardew found books at an early age, and since her childhood was a bit traumatic, she could hide within the safe pages of books from the library.  Books were her escape, and books also helped her survive.  Loveday has tattoos of the first lines of books on her body as each line tells part of her life story because "First lines did not define last pages in real life the way they did in books." Anna Karenina, Jane Eyre, and many other books helped define her as a woman when she grew too old for The Railway Children. She finds work in a bookshop after she finishes school, and thus is able to spend her days with words.  Loveday also can blend in and not be noticed in a bookshop.

As much as Loveday wants to hide, she finds that her past can no longer remain in the past, and she is forced to deal with the wounds that haven't healed. And now, someone knows her secrets.

I found myself laughing aloud, nodding in agreement, and crying as I listened to Loveday's story told in a series of flashbacks, as well as the present.  Loveday doesn't particularly like humans as "This is why I don't like talking to people.  I never think of anything interesting to say.  I need time to find words, and that's hard when people are looking at me.  Also, I don't like people much.  Well, some are okay.  But not enough to make it a given." 

The characters are well developed,  such that I didn't want the book to end.  They are people that I want to get to know better and attend the weekly Poetry Read with them.  This is a book that I will add to my personal collection.  I want to savor the words this time.  I recommend you do the same.

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

It is January, and winter storm watches and warnings have been the norm for the last two weekends where I live.  As I sat down to read this book, I was preparing for a possible ice storm, as well as up to several inches of snow.  There is nothing better than a good mystery book on a snowy day.  So snuggle up in your blanket, and grab a copy of this whodunit. 

It is also winter in the Catskills, and several people from New York City are headed to Mitchell Inn for a much needed getaway.  There is no internet, and the hotel is in a remote location, so it is the perfect place to recharge, or hide - that is, if you are a killer. 

We all have secrets, as do the characters staying at the Mitchell Inn.  What secrets are worth killing to keep? 

This book reminded me of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians, as there were some similarities in setting and characters, but the book was a fun and easy read.  I figured out the murderer, but I was completely sure until the very end of the book, and even then, there was a slight twist that I didn't expect. 

If you would like a light mystery with solid characters, sit down with this book during the next winter storm.  (probably next weekend)

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman

You find the love of your life, and you plan to spend the rest of your life with him.  You marry, and head off to a fabulous vacation in Bora Bora where you will spend time swimming, diving, and enjoying time together - just the two of you.  

The honeymoon is heavenly until Erin and Mark find something while on a dive.  They decide to move forward instead of walking away, and this decision changes their lives forever.  They can never go back to the way things were....before.  

Decisions must be made, and risks must be taken in order to live the new lives they have chosen for themselves.  But is it worth it in the long run?

I have to admit, I cringed sometimes when the characters in this book would make a hasty decision.  Jumping into a life altering decision isn't something that I often do, and there are many risk-taking decisions in this novel. It is also interesting to think about what I would do if I were put in the same circumstances as the book's characters.  Would I make some of the same choices?  

If you enjoy books that twist and turn, this is a book for you.  Once you feel like you have figured out the plot, another development occurs, and once again, we try to figure out the antagonist.  

The Twelve Days of Books - 2018

Happy 2019! We are running a bit late this year for our Twelve Days of Books, but life sometimes turns us in other directions.  However, here are the books that have been recommended by the experts!  By the way, we have way more than twelve books to choose from!  Happy reading!


1.  The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland. "A jaded bibliophile comes to terms with her dark past and learns to live in the present."  (Kirkus)  Recommended by Erin

 2.  We Have No Idea:  A Guide to the Unknown Universe by Jorge Cham  ?In We Have No Idea, they explore the biggest unknowns in the universe, why these things are still mysteries, and what a lot of smart people are doing to figure out the answers (or at least ask the right questions)."  (Goodreads)  Recommended by Kelly

3.  "Yuval Noah Harari's 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is a probing and visionary investigation into today's most urgent issues as we move into the uncharted territory of the future." (Goodreads)  Recommended by Kelly.

4.  I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara.  "A masterful true crime account of the Golden State Killer—the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California for over a decade—from Michelle McNamara, the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case."  Recommended by Rita

5.  Calypso by David Sedaris  Sedaris realizes that it is impossible to take a vacation from yourself.  "Deeply personal and darkly hilarious."  (Goodreads) Recommended by Rita.

6. Eat Up:  Food, Appetite, and Eating What You Want by Ruby Tandoh.  Celebrate the fun and pleasures of food.  Recommended by Rita.

7. Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smith.  A collection of essays broken into five sections that pose important questions.  Recommended by Rita.

8. The Silence of the Girls  by Pat Barker.  A retelling of the Illiad through the eyes of Briseis.  Recommended by Jess.

9. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco - An interesting whodunit take on the identity of the Ripper. Recommended by Jess.

10. The Crossover - Kramer Alexander  All novels are written in verse.  He is a phenomenal speaker for students!  Recommended by Corey.

11.  Before We Were Yours - Lisa Wingate
12.  Daughters of the Dragon - William Andrews
13. While the World is Still Asleep  (The Glassblower Trilogy)  Petra Durst Benning
14.  All the Wonderful and Ugly Things - Bryn Greenwood
15.  The Librarians by Christy Sloat
16.  Dumplin' by Julie Murphy  (All recommended by Brittany)

17. Gamache Novels - Louise Penny
"Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec digs beneath the idyllic surface of village life in Three Pines, finding long buried secrets--and facing a few of his own ghosts. Louise Penny's highly acclaimed, New York Times bestselling mystery series has won the New Blood Dagger." (Goodreads)  Recommended by Tara.

18.  The Next Person You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom  Recommended by Korinne.

19. Expeditionary Force - by Craig Alanson "The main character is an Army grunt so as a former grunt myself, it felt like a old friend telling war stories. Well, at least, it DID until they got into space and all that. It's a fantastic series full of action, wit, and peril. Military Sci Fi is a wonderful genre that is not often appreciated in the book world."  (Goodreads)  Recommended by James.

20. The War that Saved my Life - Kimberly Brubaker Bradley   It was a Newbery Honor in 2016. Just gut wrenchingly excellent. The sequel is even better. I just sucked in the characters and setting. FYI - the abuse was difficult to read through.  Recommended by Lynn.

21. Tools of Titans -Tim Ferriss  " Well worth the time to crawl into the head of some of the US's biggest movers and shakers."  Recommended by Brian.

22. Sally Ride:  America's First Female in Space by Lynn Sherr " It was a fascinating look at the challenges that women in aeronautics have had to overcome."  Recommended by Brian.

23. The Decision Book - Michael Krogerus and Roman Tschappeler not a cover to cover read, but rather a book that outlines fifty models for strategic thinking and decision making. Also recommended by Brian.

Here they are!  The best books of 2018 recommended by some of my favorites!

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

Amber Patterson knew what she wanted.  She knew how she was going to get it, and nothing was going to stand in her way.

Amber Patterson wanted Jackson Parrish.  Jackson was well read, handsome, and above all, rich.  He was also married to a beautiful woman and had two lovely daughters.  Amber didn't care.  She deserved to be rich and have someone take care of her.  She was the one who should be living in the gorgeous house by the seaside, and she was going to have what she deserved.

Amber attends the gym where all the rich wives work out so she can get close to Daphne Parrish and find out everything she can about her.  She knows that Daphne lost her sister to cystic fibrosis when she was sixteen. She also knows Daphne runs a foundation to help support those who suffer from CF, so Amber can start to insinuate her way into Daphne's life.

Told from two different viewpoints, Amber and Daphne allow us to see into their thoughts as the reader realizes there is something sinister going on behind the scenes. 

Are the characters who they say they are?  What are they hiding?  What really happens behind closed doors?  There are many twists and turns in this thriller.  Expect the unexpected!

The Silent Wife by Kerry Fisher

"I wouldn't hit you if you didn't do things to cause me to become upset."  "I wouldn't hurt you if you didn't wear clothes that other men find provocative."  Abuse.  This is abuse. Why do we overlook it?  WHY DO WE OFTEN BLAME THE WOMAN AND SAY "SHE WAS ASKING FOR IT?"

In the book, The Silent Wife, Maggie marries into the Farinelli family and gains a daughter and all of Nico's family.  Nico's mother insists that all of her children live across the street from her, and that she has a key to their homes so she can come and go as she pleases.   Kate isn't comfortable with all of the closeness of her new family, but she loves Nico, so she tries to make the best of it as the newest member of the Farinielli family.  Massimo, Nico's brother,  and his wife, Lara live next door with their son, Sandro.

Lara and Sandro both seem quiet and reserved, and Maggie assumes they are just frightened of everything.  But what is going on behind closed doors?  What secrets is Lara hiding from the Farinelli family?  From herself?  From her son?  Maggie at first thinks Lara and Sandro have some strange phobias, but then she realizes that something more sinister is involved.  Very, very sinister.

This story has a somewhat happy ending, but many stories about abuse do not.
I have known women who have been abused, whom I have suspected have been abused, or continue to be abused by someone they love.  How is this allowed to happen?  Why is this allowed to continue?

Sometimes women don't even recognize that they are being abused - whether is it emotional, or mental.  They might feel that something is a bit off, but they also blame themselves and feel that if they had done a better job of this, or been a better wife, or hadn't worn that particular dress, or whatever the case may be, he wouldn't have become angry.

Some women are even made to believe that they deserve the physical abuse.  They didn't meet his expectations, or they could have done better.  Society doesn't help much.  Women often keep their stories to themselves. When a woman does come forward, many (even other women) tend to discredit her and discount her story.  Why?  When a woman is brave enough to share her story, why we do we often assume she deserves what she received?

This must stop.  NO ONE deserves to be abused - EVER.  Until we stop letting the abusers make excuses, these behaviors will continue.  I have seen a lot of things posted on social media of recent.  What shocks me the most is women turning against other women who have been abused. Stand against abuse of all kinds.  Stand for each other.  Stop making judgements and be supportive of each other.

If you feel you are being abused, there is help out there - https://www.thehotline.org/.
There are also people who really care.  Turn to them.  xo.

Summer Reading had Me a Blast. Summer Reading Happened so Fast!

Greetings!

It has been a while since my last post, but that doesn't mean I haven't been reading!  I have! Voraciously!

Rather than give a rundown on each book I read this summer, I will create the list of books I read, and you can decide which (or all) are right for you.

Here goes:

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal.  Delightful!  I loved it!

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan.  Loved, loved this!  Now a movie which I NEED to see!

China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan.  Again loved this and getting ready to read book 3!

Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World by Ann Shen
Enlightening for a wannabe bad girl.

The Case of the Green Dressed Ghost by Lucy Banks.  Cute and light reading for air and road travels.

Marked in Flesh by Ann Bishop. Yeah, I am obsessed with the Others series.  These hit close to home.  Wake up, HUMANS!

Etched in Bone by Ann Bishop. The Others series, and humans can't seem to learn from history.  Again.

Lake Silence by Ann Bishop.  A takeoff from The Others series, but with new characters, new setting, and humans.

The Thief:  Black Dagger Brotherhood  by J.R. Ward.  This book was just okay.  If you like vampires, you will like this book.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor.  What's not to like about a librarian who can save a society and be a superhero!

What books have you read this summer?  What do you recommend?

The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman

As a tourist in London, I read this book in the evenings after very full eventful days.  London was the perfect place to read this book as many parts of London were bombed by the Germans during WWII, and England was very close to being occupied by German troops.  We visited Churchill's War Rooms and saw first hand where the day to day decisions about the war were made.  

As I was lying on the couch in the large living room on Cromwell Road, I realized just how close Warsaw, Poland was to me.  If I traveled by plane, I could arrive in Warsaw within two hours.  If I traveled by train, the trip would be sixteen hours.  So close....as Antonina realizes when German troops start entering the city.  But which is worse?  Poland borders Russia on the other side, and Stalin is not much better.  Poland is not in a good position for any of its people.  Who will save them?

Jan and Antonina are active in the Polish resistance, the Jews are in the Ghetto and their zoo seems safe enough from the German threat.  However, as time goes by, both Jan and Antonina realize that the Germans mean to exterminate every single Jew in Poland.  Three million Jews were murdered and another two and a half million Poles were put to death by the Germans during the war.

Jan and Antonina have watched the Germans shoot their zoo animals for sport, treat Jews and Poles  as animals, and try to starve and destroy the country.  Jan and Antonina hide Jews in the zoo's animal enclosures until the Polish Underground can find them a place of safety. There are moments when one wonders just how the human spirit survived.   

It is very difficult to read about the German's treatment of the Jews and others who died at the hand of the Germans.  My students used to ask me how good people could let such a thing happen?  How did they not know what was happening?  How can we make sure this doesn't happen again?

I asked myself that same question many times.  Here are some of my thoughts. People weren't paying attention.  People listened to their leaders and believed them when they talked about the good things happening in Germany.  They believed Hitler when he said that immigrants, Jews, non-Europeans, people with disabilities, and those they termed asocial, among other groups were a danger to the Nazi way of thinking.  These people were not pure, so they needed to be exterminated.  Many people simply turned their heads because it didn't involve them, or they didn't want to become involved.  Or maybe they said, "Oh, I don't want to think about that."  

Are you paying attention?  Are there things happening around you that you need to be addressing?  Antonina and Jan did speak up, and they did make a difference in their community - sometimes at a great cost.  I challenge you make a difference in yours.

The Secret Wife by Gill Paul

The year is 1914, and Dimitri, a Russian officer, falls in love with a charming girl who visits him in the hospital during the Russian Revolution.  He soon realizes that this is no ordinary girl - this girl is the Grand Duchess Tatiana of the Romanov family.  Dimitri knows this girl is the love of his life, and he will do anything to be near her.  He also knows that she and her family are in extreme danger. 

The year is 2016, and Kitty not only discovers she is an heiress to her great -grandfather's cabin in the United States, but her boyfriend has been unfaithful to her.  Kitty decides to leave London and go to the cabin to lick her wounds and try to make sense of everything that has happened to her.  The cabin is in dire condition, so Kitty uses her skills to make some repairs to her new home.  If she works herself to exhaustion, then she won't have to think. 

While she is making repairs to the entry stairs, she finds a brooch.  Thus begins the mystery of how a valuable brooch that belonged to the Romanov family ended up outside of her grandfather's cabin in the United States. 

There are a lot of 'what ifs" in this story, and I enjoyed reading about what might have been.  If you love reading about the Romanov family and Russian history, you will enjoy this book. 

Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson

I was born and raised in a small town in Indiana. My parents weren’t well off, but we always had enough to eat. My mother made my clothes, and we were able to afford one new pair of shoes for me each year. I was never around people of color or exposed to any other religion other than Christianity. I never knew much about the world around me until I grew a little older and began to read about other cultures and lands.

I was privileged, but I didn’t know what those words meant at the time. When I was stopped by police officers in Princes’ Lakes for circling around the liquor store one too many times (sorry Mom and Dad), it never once occurred to me to be afraid. When I reached for my license and registration, I had no fear that I would have a gun pointed at me or that I might possibly die from that encounter.

As I have gotten older, I see white privilege everywhere I look. If you get upset when you hear the words “Black Lives Matter” or you say you are going to boycott sports when professional athletes kneel during the national anthem, then read this book. Listen to the words of Rev. Dyson. Think about what message he is giving in his “sermon.” Step out of your whiteness and listen to the cries of our country’s people. For our country’s sake, BE UNCOMFORTABLE.

The book Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America chose me to read its pages. I knew when I saw the cover that I was going to read this book. I had to put the book down several times as the words on the pages drove home points that made me uncomfortable, yet forced me to face what I needed to hear. The slogan for our current administration (and believe me, that topic is for another time), was “Make America Great Again.” “It sounded the call to white America to return to simpler, better days.” I ask, better days for whom? The racial divide in this country is stronger than it has been since the 60s. Our current leadership has empowered racists.

I have had people tell me that we no longer have a race issue in this country. I have had people tell me that racism only exists in the South. As I was giving directions a couple of weeks ago, a person answered me by saying, “Yes, Masta.” I am ashamed that I didn’t have a good response for that comment. I didn’t respond at all. Slavery is not something that is funny, or something to make light of. Slavery is a blight on our nation’s history.

Three months ago as I was waiting in the preTSA line at the Indianapolis airport, I witnessed a black man singled out and searched for no obvious reason. He walked through the machine and no alarm sounded. I walked through the same machine, and an alarm sounded because of my belt. He was detained. I was not. I stood there feeling helpless because I did not know how to combat this. What made this incident even worse? The white woman who loudly complained and made derogatory comments because she had to wait a few extra minutes in line. Again, my wit failed me as I didn’t have the words to combat this rude behavior.

Before I close, here are some things to think about as you are waitng for this book to arrive. (Find it at your public library, at your local bookstore, or online.) Refusing to frequent businesses owned and operated by people from other cultures and races is wrong. It is also wrong to call people “towel-heads, wetbacks, the n-word, and all of the other horribly derogatory comments. We are told to love one another. “A new command I give you. Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35. We are all brothers and sisters. It’s time we start acting like it.