Paris Letters is Janice MacLeod’s third book, her first memoir about her adventures in Paris, published in 2014. A Paris Year came out in 2017. In 2021, she published a collection of Paris Letters. The subtitle gives away the plot: “One woman’s journey from the fast lane to a slow stroll in Paris.” Unhappy with her job in copywriting, which had been but was no longer her dream job, she decides to buy herself time. She'd first thought it would be a sabbatical of sorts, not realizing there would be a life for her in Paris. Readers can walk with her, enjoying the scenery and the friends she makes as she struggles with improving her French. In addition, she discovers that illustrated letters of the scenes can be a moneymaker, and thus her career as an artist blossoms. The book is a charming, light read; unfortunately, the Paris letters in the book are in black-and-white, not color.
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I'm a terrible traveler, not at all adventurous. If I had a bucket list, it would not include trips that require seventeen-hour flights, however much I might yearn to see some of the world's beautiful places. Fortunately, for those of us who are armchair travelers, Bill Yeargin, the CEO of Correct Craft, has done the traveling for us. {Correct Craft is a major player in the boat building business—I didn't know either.} Even better, he's written in detail about his travels to more than 110 countries . His chapters include stories both heartwarming and harrowing, illustrating the subtitle Adventures in Learning Around the Globe. Each one closes with his reflections, which are really a summary of the main points. Yeargin discusses the service trips employees have taken, both within the U.S. and abroad. He also devotes a chapter to faith and another to politics. Added value is his appendix, 100 books That Will Change You. This list is annotated and divided into fiction and nonfiction, with subcategories such as Race and the Black Experience, Self-Improvement, and Faith. I just noticed that one of his choices was recently referenced in David Brooks' column for New York Times. Full disclosure: Bill was a student of mine decades ago. His organization of the material and his flawless use of the semicolon make his English teacher proud. Although I'm not a huge sci-fi/fantasy fan, Becky Chambers writes so well and conjures such stories that I read her work anyway. This novella relates the journey of four astronauts in the future, when space travel has become common and ingenious accommodations have been made for the care and comfort of the travelers. Still, there are human conflicts of personality and strategies, plus the dangers on planets they are the first to explore. Bonus content includes Q and A between Chambers and her mother, Nicoline (Nikki), who is an educator in the field of astrobiology. Spoiler alert: The title, which intrigued me, comes from words written by the former United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim in 1977. It was recorded to be part of the Voyager Golden Record. "We step out of our solar system into the universe seeking only peace and friendship—to teach, if we are called upon; to be taught, if we are fortunate." The late great Brian Doyle has left us several books of what he calls proems—prose poems that are also prayers. I find all of his work good before-bed reading for its humor, its depth, and its evident love of language. Doyle was a lifelong Roman Catholic whose faith seems not to have wavered and whose relationships within the Church remained positive. This doesn’t mean he condoned everything done in the Church’s name. The titles in this volume show the range of his proems: Your Theatrical Training, A Bride With Brass, Learning Owl, Basketball Dads, Skiffling Shuffling Skittering Scuffling. Any of his collections are well worth having. Full disclosure: I first read this book to give it an edit. Mary Jo Werthman White did not want me or anyone else reading it before that. So the multiple plots were a happy surprise to me, both the first time I read it and after it appeared in print. This is a multi-generational story, richly layered, set in western New York state, with a side trip to Dayton. Also, dogs—especially Vera, the Great Pyrenees. The party of the title could have two meanings; the most obvious is Garnet’s 70th birthday. In addition to Garnet and her ex-husband, characters include her daughter, her siblings, a nephew and his precocious daughter, and all manner of romantic entanglements. Do yourself a favor and accept the invitation! Former librarian Annie Sereno has crafted one of those really smart and fun novels, using quotations by the Brontë sisters to introduce each chapter of this contemporary romance. Set in the context of the “publish or perish” world of academia, the book sends protagonist Athena back to her small hometown for research. Her former boyfriend is now running a bakery in that town (a nice twist on the female-run bakery motif). Regaining their friendship and then falling for each other again in the midst of a mystery connected to Athena’s research, it’s a clever take on Brontë themes. Flash: the homeless donkey who taught me about life, faith, and second chances These two memoirs by Texan Rachel Ann Ridge describe her life as a wife and mother, as well as an artist, with rescued donkeys in the mix. As the subtitles indicate, Ridge is writing from a faith perspective; in the second book, published four years after the first, she moves from a simplistic Pentecostal faith to a more complex one, letting go of the preoccupations of the evangelical world and relying on the prayers and liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer. She’s a good storyteller, and each chapter has a black-and-white photo of one or both of the animals. Walking with Henry: big lessons from a little donkey about faith, friendship, and finding your path "We read to know we're not alone. We read because we are alone. We read and we are not alone. We are not alone." Gabrielle Zevin has written what can only be called a charming novel, centered around a widowed bookstore owner on an island and the new publisher representative from the mainland. Shades of Silas Marner—a valuable collection of E. A. Poe’s stories is stolen and a toddler is left in his store. The chapter divisions are brief reviews/summaries of short story collections. The subplot centers on the toddler’s story and a secondary long-brewing romance, plus solving the mystery of the theft. Perfect summer reading! Jamie Attenberg, known for her fiction, has crafted an honest memoir about what it’s like to be writer and how long it has taken her to find her people and her place in life. (She was in her later 40s when she wrote this, and it’s very contemporary, with references to the pandemic.) There are lovely descriptive passages about her travels—she was on the move for a long time, saying yes to every opportunity—in case no more would be offered—even though she hated flying. I was relieved when she found her true home, in New Orleans. If you’d like to visit Charleston, South Carolina, but can’t manage it, slide into this book instead. The protagonist’s life includes treachery, romance on a slow boil, mystery, secrets, and a hoarder all centered around a house cleanout/rehab job. Plenty of descriptive passages about food in town! While some of the story is predictable, other elements will surprise the reader. Author Marie Bostwick is also a quilter who writes convincingly of the pleasures of knitting. |
What I’m ReadingI began working in libraries as a seventh grader, courtesy of scoliosis. My orthopedic surgeon wrote me a pass to miss gym class, so I began working in the school library to feed my love of reading. Even after my surgery to correct the curvature, I kept getting out of gym to work in my high school library and then in my college library (for pay, at last!).
So began my eventual career as a college reference librarian—after a detour into teaching high school English. Later I worked for an educational publisher before going back to libraries.
I have a reading and writing life now. I devour both fiction and nonfiction, and will tell you about some of my favorite reads, both old friends and new discoveries.
Here's some library-themed music to get you in the mood.
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