Summer Books 2015!
June 8, 2015
(Art by Suejean Rim)
Well, fancy meeting you here! Longtime readers of this blog will know that a few times during the last five and a half years, this writer has gone AWOL. Poof! Thanks to the encouragement of a number of devoted supporters, I’m back. And back with the annual summer reading list!
In the past, some of you have taken this list to heart and committed to working your way through all the titles over summer vacation. Others have used it as a general guide and randomly tried a title here and there. A few have bookmarked the entry until being called upon to offer a Book Club selection. This list is for ALL of you. Here’s hoping there are some gems in here – I’ll be reading right along with you. We can compare notes. Click on the covers to be taken to websites which will offer you more details. The recipe for this booklist involved a few doses of exotic locales, a dash of good humour, a pinch of creative thinking, and a wee bit of visiting with interesting characters. Here’s hoping we can cook up a summer of great reading …
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?
