These two items had my complete attention for the same reason: both are truly meant for “all ages.” Sometimes that designation translates as “okay for anyone, but perfect for no one.” Not in this case. Both of these items are sincere, affecting communications from one person to another, child or otherwise.
Instructions by Neil Gaiman
Instructions explains, in simple sentences and lovely illustrations, how best to complete a magical journey. You don’t need to visit the fairy realm to heed the wisdom in these words, as much of it also applies to life on earth.
Leave Your Sleep by Natalie Merchant [compact disc] Using poetry from past centuries, Natalie adds her own original melodies to convey concepts that transcend generation in Leave Your Sleep. My favorites: “Bleezer’s Ice Cream” (poem by Jack Prelutsky, children’s author) and “It Makes a Change” (performed with Medeski, Martin & Wood). If you are in need of some quality music for a family car trip, this may be the album for you and the gang.
This is a really, really good book! I’d recommend it to anyone, especially if they’re into the A&E TV series, Hoarders.
Lucy, the main character, lives in a house full of junk. Her mother is an obsessive hoarder, and Lucy struggles to hide the way that she lives. You really feel for this character who carried a secret for years, embarrassed and ashamed. She was even blamed by her sister for the way her mother behaved.
The book is well-written, and you can tell that the author went to places that she wrote about and talked to people in similar situations. This story takes a close, personal look at a dangerous situation that affects real people every day.
Set in Manhattan, “Walks With Men” is a shorter story of a woman involved with a man who seems to turn her life around. As familiar as that may sound, this novella was a quick read with highly relatable characters for most female readers.
The main character, Jane, moves to NYC to be with a man who she later finds out is married. As a young woman who relied on this secretly married man as a boyfriend, she also relied on him for advice about life. He defined life for her with his own style by saying things like, “Don’t use hair conditioner. Electricity is sexy. When your hair falls forward, it reaches out. It lets me know some part of you wants something.”
Ann Beattie claims to have lived every place she has written about, and as a lover of NYC I appreciated her way of describing the city as the fabulous place it is. Romantic and a fast read, this is a great summertime book!
The author embarked on his journey to China in a quest to find someplace else to live. He and his wife had been living on various islands in the South Pacific and upon returning to the US, found living in Sacramento less than ideal. With two young children, they were living in a neighborhood littered with meth labs and druggies. Since China is the "up and coming" nation of the world, he thought it would be a good place to live. He was sadly disappointed with most regions of China and found it to be too much of a culture shock; at the end of his travels, there was no more talk of moving to China!
A very readable, irreverently funny, and honest look at China and how everyday life is lived. Being on his own, the author saw how people coped with life in such a crowded country and until he traveled to the western parts of China, the author did not even see blue sky! The cities are full of new construction, with cranes and scaffolding everywhere and the air pollution is so bad, people wear masks while out walking. Lining up is unheard of, people push and shove to get past the "line", and very, very few people speak English. Many of the author's anecdotes center around him trying to make himself understood; eating was especially interesting and he wound up eating some very unusual things, i.e. live squid. Anyone interested in "armchair" traveling will, I think, enjoy this book.
La's Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith review written by Laura Richardson
La (short for "Lavender, I'm afraid") moves from London to the English countryside as WWII begins. Wanting to be of service, she organizes an amateur orchestra to raise the town morale, recruiting musicians of varying skill from the surrounding area and Royal Air Force base.
Community members, already taxed by the war, are so willing to participate in La's orchestra, despite the time and effort required. They remind me a bit of the Ogden community members who readily pitched in to help with the library renovations.
Alexander McCall Smith never fails to strike me with how much of himself he puts into his work. He writes as though the wonders of life are new for him each day, and his words suggest a multitude of experiences behind them. I read them and want to grow, more and faster, as a person.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has given up on some happiness they had once hoped for. After reading La’s story, they just might hope again.
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead review written by Anne Strang
It’s New York City in the ’70s. Sixth-grader Miranda finds her life disrupted by a series of mysterious notes: I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own.I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter …
I got my favorite feeling of all while reading this book - it's the "I can't put this book down" sensation! It’s a perfect read for "tweens" (9 to 12-ish) or anyone who loves E. L. Konigsburg’s books. I think this author knows how to write for young teens - I would love to read more of her work.
If you love New York City, or are intrigued by the concept of time travel, or remember the TV show $20,000 Pyramid, or just love books with wonderful, honest characters ... read this book!
The Love Children by Marilyn French review written by Amanda Vargas
The book takes place in the late 1960s in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The plot is generated around the stereotypical time period where teenagers are wearing long hair and blue jeans. Jess Leighton is the daughter of a painter and a proto-feminist Harvard professor. Just like most teens Jess is struggling to make sense of her world. She is faced with racial tensions, Vietnam War protests, and anti-government rage.
Recognizing that she has more options than her mother's generation she begins to feel like she has no role model for creating the life she wants. Jess experiments with sex and psychedelic drugs as she searches for happiness on her own terms.
The Love Children is a story of a generation gap and understanding emerging roles as times change. The book is entertaining and will leave you feeling like you too have the power to change your own life and destiny.
The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright review written by Pat Leiston
Jack and Laurel Cooper are pillars of the community that own and operate a bed-and-breakfast in a small Virginia town where they die in each others' arms. When their three children return home for the funeral, events unfold and they discover boxes of family history in the form of letters. These notes and letters were written by Jack to his wife every single Wednesday during their 39 years of married life.
Through these letters, the siblings discover that their parents' marriage had survived a devastating event kept secret all of those years. It is a heartwarming story of the meaning of family and the power of forgiveness.
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