At
the end of this column, there's information about the Wall St. Journal's online book club, moderated by well-known
authors. It's pretty cool.
First,
however, a bit of gift-giving advice.
This is easily the busiest
time of year, I know. So a few Santa book suggestions wouldn't be out of order,
right?
That's what I thought.
So I contacted a few
writers, along with librarians and book group members, to seek suggestions for
holiday gift giving.
Here they are, along
with my own, which has to be Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Timeless,
beautiful (and abundantly retold on film), this book is one I try to read every
Christmas. I love its reminders of mean-spiritedness, poverty, regrets, joy and
generosity, as told within the well-known scenes between Scrooge and the ghosts
of Christmas past, present and future. There are many beautiful editions, and
I've collected them over the years—it's worth looking them up through book
dealers or online services. My favorite is a Harcourt, Brace edition
illustrated by Roberto Innocenti, an Italian artist. There's also a more recent
book, illustrated by P.J. Lynch and published by Candlewick, that is
beautifully drawn.
Mystery and police
procedural author Kate Flora, whose own latest books are "Death Dealer"
and "And Grant You Peace," offers Roxana Robinson's
"Sparta." "It's at the top of my list," she says, "not
an easy read but an engrossing one, and truly brilliant in the way she reveals
the central character, Conrad, a young returned Iraq vet with PTSD. It's on my
desert island short list." Flora also recommends these:
"For lovers of
Boston history and memoir, both the lore and the warmth of The Family Business, by John DiNatale, written with Roland Merullo,
make this story of a family PI (private investigation) business a delightful
read.
"For anyone
looking for a cookbook, Yottam Ottolenghi's vegetarian cookbook, 'Plenty' is a
fabulous choice. The photographs are amazing and the food delicious. Even those
who scorn their vegetables will be seduced by these recipes." Thanks,
Kate.
Suspense writer Hallie
Ephron ("There Was an Old Woman," "Night Night, Sleep
Tight") recommends "In the Company of Sherlock Holmes", which
she calls "great fun for anyone who loves crime fiction, a compendium of
Holmes-inspired stories, edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger.
King and Klinger are the experts on Sherlock Holmes, fresh off
winning their lawsuit enabling authors to freely write stories inspired by the
Holmes cannon without having to pay a fee to Doyle’s estate. In 15 stories, an
array of today’s most talented and successful authors deliver modern and period
tales inspired by Sherlock. In Sara Paretsky’s, a gobsmacked Holmes meets his
match in a middle-aged spinster. Michael Connelly’s modern Harry Bosch
encounters a Sherlockian medical examiner. Michael Sims’s tells a version of
“The Silver Blaze” narrated by the horse. The collection is diverting,
delightful, and best taken with a cup of hot tea."
Chris Bohjalian, whose
many novels include "Skeletons at the Feast" and "The Sandcastle
Girls," recently released "Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands." He is
traveling like a furious wind this month—to the White House, Manhatten, and
points between his Vermont residence and Russia—but took a moment to recommend
two books: "My favorite new book? 'The Zone of Interest' by Martin Amis,"
he said. Another book that's a good gift is "Dana Walrath's powerful young
adult novel in verse, 'Like Water on Stone.' It's a poignant introduction to
the Armenian Genocide, published this month."
Author Anne Packer
recommends "The Girls from Corona del Mar" by Rufi Thorpe.
Betsy Johnson, of the
Holden book group, recommends Anthony Doerr's "All the Light You Cannot
See." She calls it "a rare number one that I really like. He is a
writer to follow."
If
you, like me, enjoy books about people and events during World War II, this is
a good one. It's about a blind French girl and
a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as they try to survive the
devastation of war.
Writer Paula Castner
of the Seven Bridge Writers Collaborative in Lancaster, suggests holiday book
sets, including "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Jan Karon's Mitford
series (an upbeat series about the small-town life of a minister and his artist
wife) or Madeleine L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time" quintet, good for
all ages. It's a sci-fi/fantasy series of stories about the Murry children, a
classic series of books.
Castner also
recommends several children's books, including: "The Best Christmas
Pageant Ever," by Barbara Robinson, "a wonderful classic which is
just delightful for a family read." Also, she says, try "The
Christmas Troll" by Eugene Peterson, a picture book; "The Christmas
Miracle of Jonathan Toomey" by Susan Wojciechowski, about a widower being
drawn back to living by a little boy and a nativity scene, and "The Littlest
Tree," by Charles Tazewell, "a wonderful story set during the war
about orphaned children who bring the true meaning of Christmas to a toddler in
the midst of a horrible time period."
Ann Young, of Heywood
Library, is giving her 12-year-old grand niece (performing in Peter Pan this
year) a copy of "Tiger Lily" by Jodi Lynn Anderson. It's a story
about the relationship between Tiger Lily and Peter Pan. For adult readers, she
recommends Sue Monk Kidd's "The Invention of Wings." "The story is about the Grimke sisters and Handful, their family
slave," says Young. "The sisters were abolitionists and
feminists."
Red Rock Readers member Jane Stoughton
recommends Eowyn Ivy's "The Snow Girl." It's part-fairy tale magic
and part-real living, a story of homesteading in Alaska during the early 20th
century, but also, she says "the wonder of life and the world in which we
live."
The Wall
Street Journal launched a book club led by authors several months back, and
it has taken off online. Each month, a guest host/author selects a book by
another author and provides guidance and feedback to readers on both Twitter
(#WSJbookclub) and Facebook (WSJ Book Club).
Participants can ask questions about the selected
book, participate in a live chat, read excerpts or reviews, and exchange
information. There are archived webcasts on Google for some books. Guest hosts
have included Elizabeth Gilbert, Gillian Flynn, Neil Gaiman, Khaled Husseini,
Lee Child, and Margaret Atwood. You'll
find lots of feedback, with several hundred members. They talk about the
writing style, the characters and plot, the authors. Books they've discussed
include "Sophie's Choice," "The Love of a Good Woman,"
"The 13 Clocks," "Deep Water," "Billy Lynn's Long
Halftime Walk," and "Wolf Hall." All were featured in live chats
with the author's who chose them for discussion. Last month, Atwood led a
discussion of fantasy books, specifically Ursula LeGuin's "A Wizard of
Earthsea."
One reader posted a quote from LeGuin's writing;
another shared an article about LeGuin's essay collection, "The Wave in
the Mind." Still another shared a
way of looking at the book that changed the reading experience for her. It's a
very focused group, with little of the unrelated drivel one finds on so many
sites these days; I find it an excellent source of information about specific
authors. There's a lot of lively conversation and info about books not on the
list, but liked by participants. Up next is author Carl Hiaasen, who will
direct discussion of Martin Amis's "Money: A Suicide Note."
Area book group meetings:
Brenda Metterville, at Brookfield Library, says that
group will discuss "Spirit of Steamboat" by Craig Johnson at 7 p.m.,
Jan. 6. The group will not meet in December.
Worcester area women poets will read during the 7
p.m., Dec. 8 meeting of the NOW Women's Issues Book Club at the Unitarian
Universalist Church in Worcester, 90 Holden St. Worcester-area women are
welcome. There's no book to read; just come to listen.
The next meeting of the Douglas Library Book Group
will revolve around Lisa See’s "China Dolls" on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 6:30
p.m. It's the story of three women navigating the so-called "Chop Suey
Circuit," America's all-Asian revues of the 1930s and '40s. Call the library
508-476-2695, for a copy of the book. New members welcome.
Lancaster's Off-Track Bookies will discuss
"Cascade" by Maryann O'Hara.
Ann
Connery Frantz writes about authors and books for the Telegram & Gazette
and on her blog "Read It and Reap." She is a freelance writer and
editor, writing fiction. Contact her at ann.frantz@gmail.com.
