Emerging from Hibernation
March 5, 2014
Well, hello there! It’s been a while … No, I was not lost in a giant bookstore, or trying to read my way out of an avalanche of unread books, nor did I choose to hibernate like a bear, cuddled up with pages and pages to enjoy. (As appealing as all of those options sound!) No, I am afraid I very simply slipped out of the blogging routine. I’ve missed our chatting and appreciate all the kind inquiries as to what the heck happened. Ready or not, Bedside Table Books is back in action.
The writing may have come to a halt but I did keep up some slow-paced reading. I thought I’d bring you up to date on the good ones and encourage you to share any happy discoveries you’ve made too. ( Click on the book covers to learn more)
The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger: This had been languishing on my bookshelf for some time and now I realize it was a treasure hiding in plain view. Inspired by true events, this fits into that Fictional Memoir/Historical Fiction category I so adore. Off to Egypt with you – you’ll be glad you did!
The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance by Edmund de Waal: A loaner from the UK (thank you A.L.!) … I devoured this. What an exciting foray into history and a man’s compelling investigation of his own story. So beautifully written you’ll want to have a pen on hand to jot down some of the sentences. I borrowed but will have to collect a copy of my own to take pride of place on my shelf.
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa: A slight book with some might. This is truly one of those stories you’ll be able to finish in a sitting and savour every moment doing so. Very moving and, well, just lovely!
The Soldier’s Wife by Margaret Leroy: Thank goodness for well-read hockey moms … I had just surfaced from a lo-o-o-ng slog through A Winter’s Tale and was in desperate need of something to restore my faith in a good straight forward, engaging story when a fellow hockey mom recommended this one. Just the ticket! (Yay P.D.!) If you loved the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society …
The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler: The title alone had me snookered, of course. I will be honest, I went in to this expecting a treacly chick-lit romp but have to admit, there was a little depth here that pleasantly surprised. Furthers romantic notion of book shops being magical but also brings attention to the untethered folks in big cities and to how important belonging is to us all.
The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood: Alternating points of view from chapter to chapter which can be off-putting to some but a thoughtful tale of two women in different eras whose stories connect.
And there you have a few highlights of my reading season. What have you been reading lately?
P.S. Has this been happening to you too?
March 5, 2014 at 11:15 am
Thank you Susan! I am in dire need of new reads and so happy to see your blog back in action.
March 5, 2014 at 11:25 am
YEAH!!! So good to have you back. K and I are … reading, reading, reading – so will be adding some of your suggestions to our list! M
March 5, 2014 at 3:16 pm
So glad you’re back! I think I’m ready for some reading action after a long drought so thank you thank you for the inspiration!
March 5, 2014 at 9:56 pm
So happy you’re out of hibernation! Great suggestions above, I needed something new and different to read. I’m currently slogging through Winter’s Tale – tell me, should I continue the slog or give it up? I’m not even halfway!
March 6, 2014 at 4:01 pm
So nice to hear from you! Well, hubby would tell me to tell you to bail on the book. He found my endless “huh?”s and “say what?”s a bit frustrating to hear as I tried to sort out who was what and where in A Winter’s Tale. I’m tempted to see the movie just to see if it will clarify the story. I enjoyed many elements of the writing itself, and can probably blame my sporadic bouts of reading (or lack of intelligence?) for the confusion but I’m not altogether sure it was worth the slog. I rarely give up on a book but have done it (sorry Brothers Karamazov!) as the guilt gets to me but then … so many books and so little time!! 😉
March 7, 2014 at 4:48 pm
I totally agree – so many books…… and hopefully, in this case, the movie will be better than the book.