#14 The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

#14 The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

After hearing about this novel from so many people, I felt compelled to buy this book just to feel in the literary loop. 

The Nest follows Leo Plumb, the handsome and charming eldest brother of Jack, Beatrice and Melody. When Leo becomes embroiled in a unsavory situation, the family trust fund is put in jeopardy.  Through his accident and high profile divorce Leo’s siblings, who have counted on the money to fund their futures, are left with virtually nothing and are forced to preserve the wreck of their lives. Grappling with the consequences of their privileged upbringing, each of the Plumb’s must face their often poor life choices and their presumptions about their future. They find themselves scrambling to cover their tracks, which lead each of them to a deeper understanding of themselves and each other. Yet despite the back-stabbing and devious behavior, I found myself caring about the characters and hoping everything would turn out alright for this dysfunctional family. 

This is a fast-paced novel filled with razor sharp wit that you will not want to put down.  It shines a spotlight on family dirt in a delightfully venomous way while at the same time revealing our human frailties with compassion and remarkable insight. Until next time…have you read a book today?

Julie

#13 Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen

#13 Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen

I found this book in the discount bin at my local bookstore and after reading the jacket, was intrigued to read a story about one of America’s most famous authors.

Frances Osgood is a poetess in 1845. Abandoned by her painter husband, she is forced to support her girls through her writing.  Frances is introduced to Mr. Poe at a literary gathering at a time when his poem “The Raven” is all the rage. They begin a professional relationship where he kindly encourages her to take risks in her writing which yields some published works in local newspapers.   In addition to his own writing, Mr. Poe also reviews the work of other authors, often scathingly, yet he delivers glowing reviews of Frances’s poems leading to much speculation as to the true nature of their relationship.  Naturally the speculation is true and their relationship turns into something more; an illicit love affair of hushed words, secret meetings and love poems to each other published in a journal for all the world to read.

What complicates their love affair is the fact that they are both married. Despite her husband abandoning her, divorce is not an option as she would automatically lose custody of her children as was the norms of the day.  By the time Poe meets Frances, he has been married 10 years to Virginia, a cousin who was 13 when they married…which is gross at any period in time! Now a woman in frail health and not often in society, Mrs. Poe’s fragility allows Frances and Poe’s relationship to blossom. Despite her naiveté, Virginia learns of their relationship and through a series of dark and twisted events, Frances becomes convinced that her life is in jeopardy.

I enjoy reading period pieces because they give us a glimpse back in time. Through the lens of the present, we may view them as old-fashioned or quaint and perhaps, in some ways they are; reminding us of simpler times when manners mattered and people’s behavior was predictable.   But I always find something of relevance; a paragraph or even just one line that practically screams through the centuries, still ringing true today. On page 102 there is an exchange between Frances and Edgar early in their relationship at a time when she begins to see him as a kindred spirit. She says, “How quickly the world changes, yet we are so busy trying to live that we don’t notice it.” To which he replies, “And yet it doesn’t change quickly enough.”  I would argue the same is still true. And on that note, dear reader…have you read a book today?

Julie

#12 Ed Sheeran A Visual Journal by Ed Sheeran and Phillip Butah

#12 Ed Sheeran A Visual Journal by Ed Sheeran & Phillip Butah

I don’t presume to know your likes and interests, dear reader. What I do know is that if you’re reading this blog, you must enjoy reading books and are perhaps looking to read something new, a book you won’t regret spending your hard earned money on. I enjoy music.  I teach elementary music by day and try to have fun making music by night. As a musician, I do tend to gravitate toward musical memoirs to which I seem to be on a bit of a kick lately (having just reviewed Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run) and I have a few more memoirs waiting to be read. 

I bought this book for my daughter for Christmas a while back due to her enjoyment of Ed Sheeran’s music and her love of artwork. His memoir is very easy to read and describes his life, how he learned music and his early influences leading to the artist we know and love today.  I always enjoy learning about how an artist gets their start, the struggles they’ve encountered learning their craft and the journey they’ve had getting to where they are now. Ed writes in a very casual, straight forward way giving the reader a sense of the man himself. He seems like the kind of guy you can share a pint with at a local pub, completely lacking the snobbery of the unapproachable hyper-famed stars of today.

All the artwork, with the exception of the photographs (which were supplied by Ed and his family) is by Phillip Butah. An extremely talented artist, his images are rendered in a variety of mediums: ink, colored as well as black & white pastel, watercolor, wax pencils and graphite. While some became cover art used for Ed’s albums, majority of the art captures Ed throughout the years by Phillip who is a family friend and artist represented by his parents. Music and Art. The best of friends. Until next time...have you read a book today?

Julie

#11 Juliet's Answer by Glenn Dixon

#11 Juliet’s Answer by Glenn Dixon

After reading several novels that were heavier in subject matter I was on the hunt for something lighter.  This book by Glenn Dixon perfectly fit my requirements.  
And he’s Canadian!

Although this is a memoir many parts of it read like a novel. Glenn tells us of his experiences teaching high school English for over 20 years. He includes exchanges with his students that highlight his knowledge and love of Shakespeare, his search for making connections with his students and helping them to find the connections between a century’s old play and their fast-paced, modern teenage lives. During a summer break, he embarks on what would become a life-changing journey. Though his motives are couched in delving deeper into the history of Shakespeare’s famous play in hopes of improving his teaching methods, the author secretly hopes to discover answers to his own questions by seeking council with the master of advice on love: Juliet.

Glenn travels to Verona to join the Secretaries of Juliet; people who answer the thousands of letters sent from all over the world with questions about love and heartache. Assigned the task of answering the English letters, Glenn sets out to provide words of wisdom to ease the broken-hearted not realizing the impact his response could have on the recipient or himself.

This book was a delight to read. Not only was my long ago knowledge of Romeo & Juliet updated (high school English class was a very long time ago), but I found it interesting to read a man’s perspective on the loss of love and to see Glenn’s growth as he learns how to respond to the heartache of others. While his early responses are filled with clichés they gradually become heartfelt replies that give insight into our need to feel love regardless of a person’s gender, country of origin, religion or age. As an added bonus we get to be an armchair traveler, wandering with Glenn as he explores Verona, a truly magical city and one which is definitely going on my bucket list! Until next time, dear reader…have you read a book today?

 Julie

#10 The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall

#10 The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall

This is a novel that captivates from the outset. The story follows Sadie, a brilliant student at an academic prep school where her father, George teaches. George is a gifted teacher and noted hero for saving the school from a crazed gunman years before and an all-around good guy until some of his students bring charges of impropriety and attempted rape against him. What follows is an exciting and at times, shocking exploration into the inner workings of a court case; the arrest, police interviews, the gathering of evidence and the formation of a case.  But what I found most intriguing are the relationships between George and his family.  As George clings to innocence, his family is thrust into the spotlight, exposed to the ugly world of speculation, of their friends assuming he’s  guilty until proven innocent and the horrors of emerging evidence that leads them to doubt a man they love.  

Forced to face a community that once cherished them, George’s family deals with his arrest and trial in different ways revealing both the best and worst of human nature.   His wife, Joan must face the loss of her life partner and must pick up the pieces of not only her life but the lives of her children. Each person is tested beyond the limits of the human spirit as they are forced to continue living their lives with the shadow of George’s potential guilt hovering overhead.  

This book shares the story of an all-American family on the precipice of ruin. Their strength, innocence and trust in people’s inherent goodness are shattered when their lives are unexpectedly turned upside down. What is frightening though is that while this novel is a work of fiction, we read about stories like this in the news every day.  Not just accusations of crimes but horrific accidents or awful diagnosis’s that force families into another life than what they imagined. 

This is a fast-paced novel that runs the gamut of emotions and challenges our morality. It leads us to ask some important questions: how well do we truly know someone? How do you support them when they’ve done something horrible and are we acting out of a sense of duty or pity? And maybe we should ask ourselves; how would I deal with this if it were happening to me?

On that happy note…until next time, have you read a book today?

Julie

#9 Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

#9 Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

If you know me at all, dear reader, you know that I am a long-time Springsteen fan. My love of the Boss goes back to my teenage years when I bought one of my first pieces of piano sheet music. In 1980 Hungry Heart was tearing up the charts.  It was a melancholy song but had a light, breezy sound that I loved.  My love of his music was further fueled a few years later on a high school band trip where I met a guy.  It’s always a guy, right? Anyway, Gordie Wright loved all things music and could spout off trivia about any song or LP; names of producers, sound mixers, even the cover photographer.  You name it, he knew it.  His knowledge of Bruce was especially vast and we carried on our friendship/crush long-distance for years with him sending me mixed tapes containing some of my favorite songs by Bruce. Check out “New York City Serenade” on the Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle LP.  To this day it is still one of my all-time favorite Springsteen tunes.

This is a comprehensive memoir covering the life of Bruce Springsteen.  Beginning with his childhood and family history, it is an in-depth look at the life of a rock legend. The stories of his early interest in music, guitar purchases and early performances is often humorous and self-deprecating while local gigs at coffee shops, church basements and clubs with his many early bands playing shows up and down the coast of Jersey reveal a musical education that was hard fought.

Springsteen shares from his heart throughout his memoir and the sections in which he makes human connections or shares a particularly difficult time are rich in language and emotion, just like his music. His poetic lyrics, stories of the American working class and sometimes political sentiments are all centered around his distinctive voice and musical sound honed throughout years of old fashioned hard work. As he unfolds the story of his life, he introduces us to the other characters in, the people that helped shape him into the musician and man he is today: Clarence Clemons, Little Stevie Van Zandt, Jon Landau and his wife Patti Scialfa.  He shares openly the difficulties growing up with his father, struggles with members of his band and the trials of becoming a world famous musician creating many albums that were released to critical success but not successful commercially and about his lifetime trouble with depression. 

Bruce Springsteen is the type of famous guy you could sit down with at a local bar and have a drink, shoot some pool and enjoy a great conversation. He’s as down to earth as I thought he was before reading this book and I highly recommend it for musicians and non-musicians alike.  Even if you’re not the Springsteen fan that I am, you will still enjoy reading about a man of humble beginnings, his humanitarian efforts and insights into life, love and friendship. And of course, the music. Long live BRUUUCE! Until next time…have you read a book today?

Julie 

#8 Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney

#8 Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney

Lillian Boxfish would make such a cool Grandmother! She is a feisty, octogenarian living in New York and the novel follows her on a walk about her neighborhood on New Year’s Eve 1984.  As she stops along the way, Lillian recounts for us her life as an intrepid adventurer arriving in New York City as a young woman in the late 1920’s to take a job with R. H.  Macy’s and how she becomes the highest paid woman in advertising in America by 1931. We learn about New York during the jazz age as she shares snippets of her life as a single woman doing all the things good girls aren’t supposed to do: smoking, drinking, dating and having sex.  A self-proclaimed single woman with no interest in marrying she does eventually tie the knot which dramatically alters her career and life.  As her journey around her neighborhood unfolds, Lillian encounters various characters that help illuminate the city she loves, her “big, rotten apple”; how it’s changed over the years and how it remains the same.

I enjoyed this novel for many reasons.  It is a quick read, easy to get into and uses poetry to not only build Lillian’s character but to highlight life from a another era.  Lillian is a charming character who makes this novel very entertaining.  It is also poignant as we travel with Lillian through the years as she ages; reflecting on her experiences of love and loss and the changes in the city she calls home.   Until next time…have you read a book today?

Julie