.jpg)
I missed December, so I have a lot of books On My Bookshelf this month.
The Good Luck of Right Now | Through a series of letters written to Richard Gere, we explore the life of 38 year old Bartholomew Neil, who is “developmentally stunted”. Bartholomew has spent his entire life living with his mother, until she dies of brain cancer, leaving him alone and unsure of what to do with his life. Even more than I enjoyed the actual story line, I loved all of the quotes throughout the book. I was listening to the audio version, and I kept having to pause and go back so that I could write them down. A few of my favorites: “When something bad happens to us, something good happens – often to someone else. And that’s The Good Luck of Right Now. We must believe it. We must. We must. We must.” | “Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.” | “We don’t know anything. But we can choose how we respond to whatever comes our way. We have a choice always. Remember that!”
Hold Still | As a long time admirer of Sally Mann’s work, this was a delightful read. Who knew that her writing would be nearly as good as her photography? As much as I love audiobooks, I tried this one and couldn’t do it. I went to the book version and loved it. The photos included in the book are too integral to the story to be missed.
The Longest Night | Though this is a fictional story, it is based on the events surrounding a nuclear reactor disaster that killed 3 people in Idaho Falls in 1961. You really get a feel for the late 50’s and early 60’s, and what it was like to be a military family during that time.
Fates and Furies | “Every story has two sides. Every relationship has two perspectives. And sometimes, it turns out, the key to a great marriage is not its truths but its secrets.” The first half of the book from the point of view of the husband, Lotto, (Fates) and the second half about from the point of view of the wife, Mathilde (Furies). Beautifully written, though sometimes a bit abrupt, this is an intimate look at a marriage through two decades, seemingly perfect, yet deeply flawed.
And more…
The Secret Place | Pretty Little Killers | The Fever | I read these 3 books right in a row, all about high school girls and murder. Not the same storyline, but eery similarities, especially since one of them was a true story! This was completely unintentional, which made it even weirder.
The Hunger Games Trilogy | I know I am super late to the game, but I finally got around to reading the 3 Hunger Games books. These are really fun, but a bit addicting. Thankfully they are quick reads, and I was able to fly through them all in about a week.
H is for Hawk | A memoir of a woman who suddenly loses her father, and works through her grief with her goshawk. This book had been on my list for so long, and I kept hearing that it was one of the best books of 2015. I struggled through it. If you are into birds, maybe it would be more interesting?
